Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Chapter 2 Fundamental Observations 7
2.1 Dark night sky   7
2.2 Isotropy and homogeneity  11
2.3 Redshift proportional to distance  15
2.4 Types of particles  22
2.5 Cosmic microwave background  28
Chapter 3 Newton Versus Einstein 32
3.1 Equivalence principle  33
3.2 Describing curvature  39
3.3 Robertson-Walker metric  44
3.4 Proper distance   47
Chapter 4 Cosmic Dynamics 55
4.1 Friedmann equation  57
4.2 Fluid and acceleration equations  65
4.3 Equations of state  68
4.4 Learning to love lambda  71
Chapter 5 Single-Component Universes 79
5.1 Evolution of energy density  79
5.2 Curvature only   86
5.3 Spatially flat universes  91
5.4 Matter only    94
5.5 Radiation only   95
5.6 Lambda only    97
Chapter 6 Multiple-Component Universes 101
6.1 Matter + curvature  104
6.2 Matter + lambda  108
6.3 Matter + curvature + lambda  112
6.4 Radiation + matter  116
6.5 Benchmark Model  118
Chapter 7 Measuring Cosmological Parameters 126
7.1 A search for two numbers  126
7.2 Luminosity distance  131
7.3 Angular-diameter distance  136
7.4 Standard candles & H0  141
7.5 Standard candles & acceleration  144
Chapter 8 Dark Matter 155
8.1 Visible matter   156
8.2 Dark matter in galaxies  159
8.3 Dark matter in clusters  164
8.4 Gravitational lensing  170
8.5 What’s the matter?  175
Chapter 9 The Cosmic Microwave Background 179
9.1 Observing the CMB  180
9.2 Recombination and decoupling  185
9.3 The physics of recombination  189
9.4 Temperature fluctuations  196
9.5 What causes the fluctuations?  201
Chapter 10 Nucleosynthesis & the Early Universe 208
10.1 Nuclear physics and cosmology  209
10.2 Neutrons and protons  213
10.3 Deuterium synthesis  218
10.4 Beyond deuterium  222
10.5 Baryon – antibaryon asymmetry  228
Chapter 11 Inflation & the Very Early Universe 233
11.1 The flatness problem  234
11.2 The horizon problem  236
11.3 The monopole problem  238
11.4 The inflation solution  242
11.5 The physics of inflation  247
Chapter 12 The Formation of Structure 255
12.1 Gravitational instability  258
12.2 The Jeans length  261
12.3 Instability in an expanding universe  266
12.4 The power spectrum  272
12.5 Hot versus cold   276
Chapter 13 Epilogue 284
Chapter 14 Annotated Bibliography 286