Syllabus
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the course, you will be able to explain how new research and findings such as the Higgs boson, dark matter, anti-matter, and dark energy
help answer and provide clues to the following questions:
- How did the Universe begin?
- What is its fate?
- What is it made of?
- What are its fundamental laws?
- Where do we come from?
Weeks and Themes
Week 1: From daily life to the Big Bang
Understanding the Universe in which we live and how to probe it can begin with simple daily life experiences such as night and day and the four seasons.
Starting from these observations, you will take a journey from our local Earth at the present time all the way to the edge of the universe and back to its
birth, learning the techniques and findings in modern physics that provide us this understanding.
Introduction: Course Outline (08:37)
1. Night and Day, and Four Seasons (09:54)
2. Revolution of the Earth (05:45)
3. Why Elliptic? (08:53)
4. Why Does Everything Fall the Same Way? (08:32)
5. Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past I (13:31)
6. Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past II (05:46)
7. Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past III (06:41)
8. Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past IV (08:54)
9. Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past V (10:20)
10. Cosmic Expansion (06:26)
Week 2: Birth of Elements and Higgs Boson
We are made of chemical elements. So one of the fundamental questions, “where do we come from?,” leads to another question: “how were elements born?”. This is
related to the Higgs boson, an important particle in answering this question which remained elusive until its discovery was recently announced on July 4, 2012.
You will learn recent research outcomes on these topics.
1. Birth of Elements I (05:45)
2. Birth of Elements II (11:26)
3. Birth of Elements III (06:10)
4. Birth of Elements IV (09:37)
5. Birth of Elements V (14:10)
6. Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe I (07:58)
7. Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe II (13:52)
8. Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe III (15:34)
9. Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe IV (12:39)
Week 3: Dark Matter and Anti-Matter
You will learn about dark matter and anti-matter—some of the more mysterious sides of the Universe. We know dark matter played an important role in the
formation of stars and galaxies, but much of properties are still unknown to us. In another strange mystery, you will see how the beginning of the universe
started with equal amounts of matter and anti-matter, yet somehow only matter (which we are composed of!) survived.
1. Power Spectrum (11:05)
2. Dark Matter I (06:24)
3. Dark Matter II (10:20)
4. Nature of Dark Matter I (09:38)
5. Nature of Dark Matter II (09:29)
6. Neutrinos and Anti-Matter I (13:03)
7. Neutrinos and Anti-Matter II (13:23)
8. Neutrinos and Anti-Matter III (09:52)
Week 4: Inflation and Dark Energy
At the very beginning of the Universe, the Universe exponentially expanded during a period known as cosmic inflation. The mysterious dark energy has caused
the Universe to enter another stage of expansion. In this lecture you will learn about dark energy, inflation, and the possible fates of our Universe.
1. Inflation (15:05)
2. Uncertainty Principle I (12:04)
3. Uncertainty Principle II (10:23)
4. Fate of the Universe (05:41)
5. Dark Energy (09:26)
6. Big Rip (06:57)
7. Future Observations (11:45)
8. Wrap-up (05:48)