250061 VU Cosmological Structures: Theory, Numerics and Statistics (2021S)

The goal of this course is to study a range of key theoretical techniques (analytical, numerical, statistical) in the context of the formation of structure in our Universe. The lecture course will provide a concise introduction to cosmology with a focus on the large-scale structure (i.e. the inhomogeneous distribution of matter on large scales). We will motivate the key (non-linear partial differential) equations and then approach their solutions and the associated phenomenology using various techniques. We will touch on topics such as spatial statistics, perturbation theory, numerical solution of PDEs, N-body methods, and data analysis. An important aspect of the course will be hands-on exercises based on (1) numerical experiments with Python, as well as (2) analytical/perturbative calculations.

Some familiarity with Python is helpful. Familiarity with General Relativity/Differential Geometry or Astrophysics is not a pre-requisite.