87966 - Astroparticle Physics

Learning outcomes

The students learn contents from the border area between astronomy, nuclear and particle physics and cosmology and their interdisciplinary discussion. Argumentation techniques based on the interplay of theory and experiment are also learned. Using phenomenological calculations, students learn to plan and check the scope of experiments.

Course contents

Place of teaching: Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund

Early Universe: Big bang, inflation and thermal evolution of the cosmos. Freeze-out and heavy relics. Cosmic neutrino background. Propagation of energetic particles: Absorption processes, extragalactic radiation fields, plasmas in interstellar and intergalactic space, particle interactions. Dark matter: models beyond the standard model of particle physics, indicators, halo formation and evolution, power spectrum of density fluctuations, direct and indirect search for dark matter with ground- and space-based experiments. AGN - models: leptonic and hadronic models for blazars. Inverse Compton scattering, internal and external radiation fields, photohadronic and pp models, implications for gamma and neutrino observations. Gravitational waves: experimental detection methods and multi-messenger astronomy.

Readings/Bibliography

R. Schlickeiser, Cosmic Ray Astrophysics, Springer, 2002.

S. Weinberg, Gravitation and Cosmology: Principles And Applications Of The General Theory Of Relativity, Steven Weinberg, Wiley India, 2017.

T. L. Chow, Gravity, Black Holes, and the Very Early Universe. An Introduction to General Relativity and Cosmology, Springer, 2007.

A. Pimenta, M. DeAngelis, Introduction to Particle and Astroparticle Physics: Multimessenger Astronomy and its Particle Physics Foundations, Springer, 2018.

G. Sigl, Astroparticle Physics: Theory and Phenomenology, Springer, 2017.

E. Kolb, M. Turner, The Early Universe, CRC Press, 2018.

Teaching methods

No. 1: lecture (100%). No. 2: problem-based learning (100%)

Assessment methods

Coursework: Successful participation in the exercises

Examination: Written/oral examination

Graded module

Teaching tools

The students will obtain material for the exercise session.

Office hours

See the website of Bernhard Spaan