A short introduction to cosmology and its current status
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The current cosmological model, known as the \Lambda Λ -Cold Dark Matter model (or \Lambda Λ CDM for short) is one of the most astonishing accomplishments of contemporary theoretical physics. It is a well-defined mathematical model which depends on very few ingredients and parameters and is able to make a range of predictions and postdictions with astonishing accuracy. It is built out of well-known physics – general relativity, quantum mechanics and atomic physics, statistical mechanics and thermodynamics – and predicts the existence of new, unseen components. Again and again it has been shown to fit new data sets with remarkable precision. Despite these successes, we have yet to understand the unseen components of the Universe and there has been evidence for inconsistencies in the model. In these lectures, we lay the foundations of modern cosmology.
Source: SciPost Physics Lecture Notes
Authors: Pedro G. Ferreira, Alexander Roskill
Institution: University of Oxford
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: Beecroft-Cheltenham Civic Trust
OpenAlex ID: W4415089803