Undergraduate Courses: 2011-2012

Schedule

2011 - 2012 : Autumn Winter Spring

AUTUMN, 2011 (University Courses Catalog)

Course	Title	Time/Location	Instructor
ASTR 18100	The Milky Way (Lab)	ARR	Nickolay Y. Gnedin
ASTR 24100	The Physics of Stars and Stellar Systems	ARR	Hsiao-Wen Chen
ASTR 24100	The Physics of Stars and Stellar Systems (Lab)	1:30pm-2:50pm Mon, Wed AAC 107	Hsiao-Wen Chen
PHSC 11900	Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics (Lab)	1:30pm-2:20pm Mon, Wed, Fri ARR	Robert Rosner
PHSC 11900	Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics (Lab)	1:30pm-2:20pm Mon, Wed, Fri KPTC 106	Robert Rosner

WINTER, 2012 (University Courses Catalog)

Course	Title	Time/Location	Instructor
ASTR 18300	Searching Between the Stars	ARR	Doyal ''Al'' Harper
ASTR 24200	The Physical Universe	ARR	Wayne Hu
PHSC 11900	Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics (Lab)	9:00am-10:20am Tue, Thu KPTC 106	Stephan S. Meyer
PHSC 12000	Origin of the Universe and How We Know (Lab)	1:30pm-2:20pm Mon, Wed, Fri KPTC 106	Edward ''Rocky'' W. Kolb

SPRING, 2012 (University Courses Catalog)

Course	Title	Time/Location	Instructor
ASTR 18200	The Origin and Evolution of the Universe	3:00pm-4:20pm Tue, Thu TAAC 67	Angela V. Olinto
ASTR 28200	Special Topics (Exoplanets)	4:30pm-5:50pm Mon, Wed TAAC 67	Doyal ''Al'' Harper
NTSC 10200	Evolution of the Universe (Lab)	10:30am-11:50am Tue, Thu KPTC 106	Craig Hogan
PHSC 12000	Origin of the Universe and How We Know (Lab)	9:00am-10:20am Tue, Thu KPTC 106	Scott Dodelson

Courses Description

ASTR 18100 The Milky Way

ASTR 18200 The Origin and Evolution of the Universe
This course discusses how the laws of nature allow us to understand the origin, evolution, and large-scale structure of the universe. After a review of the history of cosmology, we see how discoveries in the twentieth century (i.e., the expansion of the universe and the cosmic background radiation) form the basis of the hot Big Bang model. Within the context of the Big Bang, we learn how our universe evolved from the primeval fireball.

ASTR 18300 Searching Between the Stars
With the advent of modern observational techniques such as radio and satellite astronomy, it has become possible to study free atoms, molecules, and dust in the vast space between the stars. The observation of interstellar matter provides information on the physical and chemical conditions of space and on the formation and evolution of stars.

ASTR 24100 The Physics of Stars and Stellar Systems
Building upon a student's previous knowledge of physics, this course introduces the astrophysics of stars and stellar systems with an emphasis on the physical nature of stars. Topics include the tools of astronomy, both observational and theoretical Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams, structure and evolution of stars, binary stars, star clusters, and end states of stars such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes.

ASTR 24200 The Physical Universe
Physical laws are applied in the study of the structures and evolution of galaxies, quasars, clusters of galaxies, and the universe at large.

ASTR 28200 Special Topics (Exoplanets)
A special topic in astrophysics to round out offerings to upper level physics majors in the concentration in astrophysics. The most recent example is given here:

As recently as 20 years ago astronomers did not yet know if planets existed around other stars. Now, more than 700 so-called exoplanets are known and astronomers are quickly closing in on the discovery of the first Earth twin. This course will review the current state of knowledge about exoplanets. Topics to be covered include how exoplanets are found and studied, the properties of known exoplanets, and the connection between exoplanets and the origins of our own Solar System. There will be particular emphasis on hans-on activities like working with real astronomical data to find and characterize exoplanets. New discoveries are made at a rapid pace in this field, and we will analyze new results as they are announced during course of the quarter.

NTSC 10200 Evolution of the Universe
The course provides a comprehensive introductory survey of the physical universe. It starts with a brief history of physics and astronomy from antiquity, including the development of physical science. A survey of modern physics summarizes how the universe unfolds as a series of transformations of matter and energy in space and time, based on precisely defined mathematical laws. This physical foundation is used to explain how the universe behaves on the largest scales, how it originated, and how it has evolved since the beginning. The course emphasizes how this model of reality is supported by quantitative physical evidence. Students also get hands-on experience in laboratory sections.

PHSC 11900 Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics
This course explores the observational and theoretical bases for our present understanding of the structures and evolution of stars. After a brief introduction to descriptive astronomy and a servey and interpretation of the relevant observations, we develop the theoretical principles governing the physical properties and dynamics of stars. Subsequently, we apply such observational and theoretical methods to studies of the formation of stars and their planetary systems, the life and death of stars, and the formation of the chemical elements.

*This course also will be offered to students in the Paris study abroad program in the Spring quarters.

PHSC 12000 Origin of the Universe and How We Know
The universe is made of galaxies, which are made of aggregates of stars. Stellar aggregates allow us to map the positions of the galaxies in the universe. Studies of galaxy motions and of supernovae allow us to explore the nature of space to the edge of the visible universe. Our description of space allows us to build falsifiable models of cosmology, the origin of all that exists. The course consists of exploring how we know what we know about cosmology and why our perceptions have gradually changed over 2000 years. The fundamental theories and observations on which our knowledge rests are explored in detail.

*This course also will be offered to students in the Paris study abroad program in Spring quarter.

PHSC 12800 European Astronomy & Astrophysics
Modern Astronomy was born in Erope in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, led by Nicolaus Copernicus of Poland, who simplified the description of the solar system by moving the Sun to the center of the Universe. The Italian, Galileo Galilei, forst pointed a telescope at the sky in 1609 and discovered the moons of Jupiter, sunspots, the stellar composition of the Milky Way, and craters of the Moon. Tycho Brahe of Denmark studied planetary motions in great detail, allowing Johannes Kepler of Germany to define the principles of the orbits of the planets by 1615. Isaac Newton of England discovered the laws of gravity and of motion, and built the reflecting telescope later in the seventeenth century. By 1774, French astronomer Charles Messier began the explosion of our current knowledge of the Universe when he catalogued what are now known to be other galaxies. Building upon this history, this course also explores recent developments in European astronomical and astrophysical technology that allows a modern exploration of the deepest regions of the Universe using a wide range of telescopes.

*This course is offered only in Paris in Spring quarter.

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