14. A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE

Looking back in time, we see signs that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, and clear evidence that the early universe was hot, dense, and almost perfectly smooth. The tiny variations in density we detect naturally explain the large-scale structure of the present universe. Extrapolating events even further back we come to the formation of light elemets, the origin of matter itself, and finally to hints of an initial phase of violent expansion which may forever hide the events giving rise to our universe.

Reading

Please read the chapter sections (numbered), sub-sections (•), and sub-sub-sections (—) listed below:

16.1	Unseen Influences in the Cosmos
16.2	Evidence for Dark Matter • What is the evidence for dark matter in clusters of galaxies? • Does dark matter really exist?
16.3	Structure Formation
16.4	The Universe's Fate • Is the expansion of the universe accelerating?
17.1	The Big Bang • What were conditions like in the early universe? • What is the history of the universe according to the Big Bang theory? — The Particle Era — The Era of Nucleaosynthesis — The Era of Nuclei — The Era of Atoms and the Era of Galaxies — Early Universe Summary
17.2	Evidence for the Big Bang
17.3	The Big Bang and Inflation

Online

Complete the History of the Universe assignment, due Monday, 26 Apr 2010 at 9:00 am.
Review the lecture slides.

Joshua E. Barnes (barnes at ifa.hawaii.edu)

Updated: 23 April 2010
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast110_10/universe.html