Effective Field Theory for Large Scale Structure

Abstract

This chapter is a non-expert introduction to the effective field theory of large scale structure. First, we give a detailed pedagogical explanation of why previous attempts to build non-linear cosmological perturbation theory failed. After that we introduce the description of dark matter as an effective non-ideal fluid and show how it corrects the shortcomings of the previous approaches. Finally, we develop a formulation of the effective field theory of large-scale structure from a nonequilibrium field theory perspective, called time-sliced perturbation theory. We show how this framework can be used for a consistent renormalization of cosmological correlation functions and a systematic resummation of large infrared effects relevant for the baryon acoustic oscillations.