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Detailed Outline of Graduate Program Core Curriculum ASTR 30100. Stars - 1. Stars Syllabus Autumn 2017
- Physical properties of the Sun as a star
- Observations: HR diagram
- Basic equations of stellar evolution
- EOS: Ideal gas, Fully electron degenerate, Relativistic electron degenerate, Radiation
- Simple polytropic models: Lane Emden equation
- The Chandrasekhar mass
- Principal Nuclear reactions
- Instabilities: Thermal, Dynamical, Convective, Thin layer
- Simple model of stellar evolution in the (core) log(T) -log (rho) plane
- Introduction to radiative transport. The specific intensity. Geometric and optical depth. Thermal radiation. Black body radiation
- Radiative diffusion approx. and the Rossland opacity
- Physical processes that contribute to the opacity: Electron scattering, free-free, free-bound, bound-bound, Kramer's formulae
- Eddington Luminosity
- Homologous stars and simple models of the main sequence
- Mass loss - Parker's wind equation
- Convection and the Hayashi zone
- Brief intro to star formation and pre-main-sequence evolution
- Post main sequence evolution: Red giant branch, Horizontal branch, Asymptotic giant branch, Planetary nebula phase and white dwarfs, Massive stars and supernovae progenitors
- Supernovae: Type1 Ia, Core collapse SN
ASTR 30300. Interstellar Matter - 1. Interstellar Matter Syllabus Winter Quarter 2018
- Photo-ionization equilibrium
- Thermal equilibrium
- Interstellar radiation fields
- Emission line diagnostics
- Absorption-line analysis /HI gas, 21cm
- Molecular gas, H2/CO /dust, extinction laws
- Dust, extinction laws /stellar feedback (hydrodynamics, and shocks)
ASTR 30400. Galaxies - 1. Galaxies Syllabus Spring Quarter 2017
- Overview of basic properties of galaxies using the SDSS survey and other data sets.
- Introduction to modern concepts of how galaxies form and what shapes their observed properties with a galaxy formation model.
- The class is based on material presented in class, reading, and hands-on exercises working with galaxy catalogs and galaxy formation model.
ASTR 30600. Radiation Measurements in Astrophysics - 1. Radiation Theory
- EM Waves and photons
- Blackbody radiation
- Atomic Interactions
- 2. Light and Image Formation
- How images are formed
- Fresnel diffraction theory
- Near field, far field regions
- Fraunhoffer diffraction
- 3. Signal Processing Theory
- Random fields
- Correlation functions
- Orthonomal functions
- Fourier functions
- Probability theory/Bayesian statistics/Jaynes
- Convolution and deconvolution
- 4. Collecting Photons
- Basic optics
- Aberration theory
- Telescope design
- Atmospheric turbulence and adaptive optics
- 5. Analyzing Light
- Design of spectrographs
- Photon detectors
- How CCDs work
- 6. Photometry
- Stellar magnitudes
- Atmospheric absorption
- Background radiation
- 7. Radio Astronomy
- Van Cittert equation
- Radio Interferometry
ASTR 31000. Cosmology I - 1. Cosmology I Syllabus Autumn Quarter 2017
- The FLRW metric, observables
- FLRW solutions for useful special cases
- Cosmological parameters
- Realistic universes
- Jeans instability, growth of structure
- Correlation functions, matter power spectrum
- Harrison-Zeldovich results
- Non-linear regime, halo models
- BBN basics, equilibrium equations, freeze-out conditions
- Inventory of particles, equilibrium conditions
- Recombination
- Pre-recombination dynamics, acoustic modes
- Last scattering surface, damping
- CMB overview, CMB power spectra, inflation
ASTR 49900. Graduate Research Seminar
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