Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Piotrzkowski Krzysztof;
Language
English
Main themes
' Short overview of astronomy and its basic concepts.
' Formation and evolution of stars ; stellar collapses.
' Neutron stars, pulsars and black holes.
' Galaxies and galactic centers ; dark matter and cosmic rays.
' Binary systems and gravitational waves.
' Cosmic microwave background radiation and evolution of universe.
' Formation and evolution of stars ; stellar collapses.
' Neutron stars, pulsars and black holes.
' Galaxies and galactic centers ; dark matter and cosmic rays.
' Binary systems and gravitational waves.
' Cosmic microwave background radiation and evolution of universe.
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 |
a. Contribution of the teaching unit to the learning outcomes of the programme (PHYS2M and PHYS2M1) AA1 : A1.2, A1.6 AA2 : A2.1, A2.5 AA3 : A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4 AA4 : A4.1, A4.2 AA5 : A5.1, A5.2, A5.3, A5.4 AA6 : A6.1 AA7 : A7.1, A7.3, A7.4 AA8 : A8.1 b. Specific learning outcomes of the teaching unit By the end of this teaching unit, the student will be able to : 1. applyfundamental physics laws for modeling crucial phenomena in astrophysics ; 2. explain and discussthe roles of both nuclear reactions and fundamental interactions in stellar evolution ; 3. explain and discuss the specific mechanisms behind the variety of major phenomena in astrophysics ; 4. further the study of a specific topic of modern astrophysics ; 5. relate the contents of the course to current developments in astrophysics as well as in astroparticle physics. |
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
- Fundamental notions of astronomy, units and variables, basic measurements ; star catalogues (spectra & luminosities); Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
- Star formation mechanisms ; stellar lifetimes and energy sources ; stellar equation of state, nuclear fusion and star evolution ; astrophysics of the Sun and solar neutrinos.
- Astrophysics of neutron stars and pulsars ; phenomenology of the black holes.
- Stellar collapses and origin of elements ; mechanisms behind the Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs).
- Characterization of galaxies and the dark matter problem ; phenomenology of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) ; characterization of the cosmic rays and modelling their sources.
- Merging of the binary systems and multi-messenger astronomy ; sources of gravitational waves.
- Origin of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation and its characteristics ; studies of the early Universe.
Teaching methods
Traditional lectures in class.
Integrative personal project - subject left to the student’s choice.
Reading portfolio for personal study.
Integrative personal project - subject left to the student’s choice.
Reading portfolio for personal study.
Evaluation methods
Written examination with exercises combined with an individual oral exam based on a personal project report.
Bibliography
- K. Lang, Essential Astrophysics (Springer, Berlin, 2013).
- W. Kundt, Astrophysics: A New Approach (Springer, Berlin, 2005).
- G. Sigl, Astroparticle Physics: Theory and Phenomenology (Atlantis Press, Paris, 2017).
Faculty or entity
PHYS
