Particle Cosmology and Astrophysics

Dan Hooper is a senior scientist in theoretical astrophysics at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Dark Cosmos, Nature’s Blueprint, and At the Edge of Time (Princeton). He also hosts the podcast Why This Universe?

• ContentsForewordEdward W. Kolb and Michael TurnerConstants, Parameters, and Reference TablesFrequently Used EquationsPrefaceI Preliminaries1 Our Universe1.1 A brief history of our universe1.2 The empirical pillars of modern cosmology1.3 Cosmic concordance1.4 Open questions and outstanding puzzles2 General Relativity and the Friedmann Equations2.1 Spacetime and the metric2.2 Tensor notation in general relativity2.3 The friedmann equations2.4 Matter, radiation, and pressure2.5 Static universes and the cosmological constant2.6 The evolution of energy2.7 The expansion history of the universe2.8 Distances in an expanding universeProblems3 A Crash Course in Particle Physics3.1 The Standard Model of particle physics3.2 Feynman diagrams3.3 Conservation laws3.4 Phase transitions in the Standard Model3.5 Amplitudes3.6 Relativistic kinematics and four-vectors3.7 Decays and scatteringProblems4 Thermodynamics for Cosmologists4.1 Equilibrium thermodynamics4.2 Entropy4.3 Chemical potentials4.4 Departures from equilibrium4.5 Neutrino decoupling4.6 Evolution after decoupling4.7 The boltzmann equationProblems5 The Interactions of High-Energy Particles in Astrophysics5.1 Interactions of high-energy electrons5.2 Interactions of high-energy nucleons and nuclei5.3 Interactions of high-energy photonsProblemsII Cosmology6 Recombination and Photon Decoupling6.1 Photon scattering6.2 The ionization history of the early universe6.3 Reionization6.4 The surface of last scatteringProblems7 The Cosmic Microwave Background7.1 The spectrum of the CMB7.2 Temperature anisotropies7.3 The angular power spectrum of the CMB7.4 The evolution of density perturbations7.5 Features of the CMB’s angular power spectrum7.6 Extracting cosmological parameters7.7 CMB polarization7.8 The current state of CMB measurements7.9 Dark radiationProblems8 Big Bang Nucleosynthesis8.1 Proton and neutron freeze out8.2 Nuclear abundances in equilibrium8.3 From nucleons to helium8.4 Beyond helium8.5 The primordial element abundances8.6 BBN as a probe of exotic physicsProblems9 Dark Matter9.1 Dynamical evidence for dark matter9.2 MACHOs and gravitational microlensing9.3 What about modified gravity?9.4 Requirements of a dark matter candidate9.5 The abundance of a thermal relic9.6 Asymmetric dark matter9.7 Nonthermal production mechanismsProblems10 The Formation of Large-Scale Structure10.1 Gravitational collapse10.2 Pressure and the Jeans length10.3 The evolution of structure in an expanding universe10.4 The matter power spectrum10.5 From density perturbations to dark matter halos10.6 Hot, warm, and cold dark matter10.7 Baryon acoustic oscillations10.8 Adiabatic and isocurvature perturbationsProblems11 Neutrino Masses and Oscillations11.1 Neutrino masses11.2 Neutrino mixing and oscillations11.3 Neutrino oscillations in the presence of matterProblems12 Baryogenesis and Leptogenesis12.1 The matter-antimatter asymmetry12.2 The Sakharov conditions12.3 Baryogenesis in grand unified theories12.4 Sphalerons12.5 Baryogenesis via leptogenesis12.6 Electroweak baryogenesis12.7 Topological defectsProblems13 Inflation13.1 Motivations for inflation13.2 A common solution: accelerated expansion13.3 The dynamics of a slowly rolling scalar field13.4 Primordial perturbations from inflation13.5 Gravitational waves and primordial B-modes13.6 Examples of inflationary models13.7 Reheating13.8 Present and future probes of inflation13.9 Eternal inflationProblems14 Dark Energy14.1 The cosmological constant problem14.2 Dark energy and accelerating expansion14.3 Dynamical dark energy14.4 Observational probes of dark energy14.5 Dark energy and the anthropic principleProblemsIII Particle Astrophysics15 Cosmic Rays15.1 The cosmic-ray spectrum15.2 Cosmic-ray propagation15.3 Cosmic-ray acceleration15.4 Ultra-high energy cosmic raysProblems16 Gamma-Ray and Neutrino Astrophysics16.1 Why gamma rays? Why neutrinos?16.2 The astrophysical production and propagation of gamma rays16.3 The astrophysical production and propagation of neutrinos16.4 Astrophysical sources of high-energy gamma rays and neutrinosProblems17 Particle Dark Matter Candidates17.1 Supersymmetric dark matter17.2 Sterile neutrinos17.3 Axions17.4 Dark matter in hidden sectorsProblems18 Direct Dark Matter Searches18.1 Dark matter scattering with nuclei18.2 Dark matter scattering cross sections18.3 Direct detection constraints and their impact18.4 Axion detectionProblems19 Searches for Dark Matter Annihilation and Decay19.1 Motivations for indirect searches19.2 Dark matter annihilation and the CMB19.3 Gamma rays from dark matter annihilation19.4 Cosmic rays from dark matter annihilation19.5 Decaying dark matterProblems20 Collider Physics for Astronomers20.1 Why collide particles?20.2 Electron and proton colliders20.3 Particle detection at the LHC20.4 Cross sections and event rates at the LHC20.5 The LHC and the early universeProblemsBibliographySolutions to Selected ProblemsIndex