Astrophysics and Cosmology 390-ERS-2ASK
Program Profile: General academic
Program Format: Full-time
Course Type: Elective courses
Field and Discipline: Natural Sciences, Physics
Level of Study: Master’s degree
Year/Semester: 1st year/2nd semester
ECTS Credits: 6
Student workload breakdown:
- attendance at Lectures (30 hours),
- attendance at Colloquium seminars (30 hours),
- participation in consulations/office hours (15 hours),
- independent study at home (15 hours),
Reminder: Students are offered the opportunity to participate in optional conultations/office hours.
Quantitative indicators:
- Student workload related to classes requiring direct teacher participation - 3 ECTS;
- Student workload related to independent study - 3 ECTS.
Teaching methods: lecture, seminar, heuristic method, problem-based learning.
Rules for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
During classes, the use of AI systems is permitted for the following purposes:
1. Machine translation of source texts from foreign languages.
2. Searching for and organizing academic sources.
3. Creating simulations and models of the physical phenomena discussed in class.
In the event of a violation of the above rules, the student may be held accountable under separate disciplinary regulations.
Subjects realized at the lecture:
I. Structure of stars, evolution of stars:
1. The nature of astronomy: Sources of information, Blackbody radiation.
2. The virial theorem. The negative specific heat of a star.
3. Equations of stellar structure: mass balance, hydrostatic equilibrium, EOS, thermal equilibrium.
4. Energy transport in a star: convective heat transfer, radiative transport, conductivity.
5. Stellar nucleosynthesis: Coulomb barrier, proton-proton chain reaction, CNO cycle, and triple-alpha process.
6. Star formation: Jeans (critical) length and Jeans mass.
7. Hertzsprung-Russel diagram.
II. Relativistic astrophysics:
1. The Pauli exclusion principle, Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein distribution, 1-D and 3-D degeneracy, nonrelativistic and relativistic EOS of degenerated matter.
2. White dwarf: Chandrasekhar limit.
3. Black hole: event horizon, relativistic properties, Hawking radiation. Black holes in the Universe.
5. Gravitational waves: properties, detectors. Hulse–Taylor binary, the source GW150914, GW170817.
III. Cosmology:
1. The Milky Way, Local Group, Superclusters.
2. The expanding Universe: the Olbers' paradox, the Hubble-Lemaître law.
3. The Friedmann, fluid, and acceleration equation.
4. Curvature of the Universe, Hubble time, Hubble horizon distance
5. The Standard Model (Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker universe).
6. The Big Bang Theory: the Universe dominated by the radiation and by the matter, the dark matter and dark energy, the future of the Universe.
Subjects realized at the colloquium seminars:
All exercises are related to the mentioned above topics.
Inter alia:
1. Plank's law (Planck function, Wien, Rayleigh-Jeans formulas), Wien's displacement law, Stefan-Boltzman law, the temperature of the Sun;
2. Virial theorem in practice. The potential energy of a star.
3. The thermal, the dynamic, and nuclear time-scales.
4. Estimation of the efficiency of energy production in a star, proton-proton chain. Estimation of a neutrino flux approaching our head.
5. Estimation of the central temperature and pressure in a star.
6. Estimation of the Jeans mass and length for a molecular cloud.
7. Binary stars: the Lagrangian points. the Algol paradox, the Eddington luminosity.
8. Estimation of the Chandrasekhar mass.
9. Estimation of basic parameters of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes.
10. Gravitational waves: the power radiated by a binary system.
11. The Olbers' paradox, Hubble-Lemaître law, Hubble time, Hubble horizon distance.
12. Cosmic microwave radiation:
13. Dark matter.
Type of course
Mode
Blended learning
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Term 2024: | Term 2025: | Term 2023: |
Learning outcomes
The graduate knows and understands:
1. in depth, the concepts, principles, and theories specific to physics (KP7_WG1);
2. the main trends in the development of the discipline of physics (KP7_WG6);
3. the fundamental dilemmas of modern civilization in
the context of physics (KP7_WK1);
The graduate is able to:
1. continuously learn, as well as inspire and organize the
learning process of others (KP7_UU2);
The graduate is prepared to:
1. critically evaluate their own knowledge and the content they receive (KP7_KK1);
2. recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems (KP7_KK2);
3. collaborate with experts when facing difficulties in solving problems independently (KP7_KK3);
4. fulfilling social obligations and countering misinformation regarding acquired knowledge (KP7_KO1);
Assessment criteria
A written exam in the form of a test (consisting of numerical problems) will be held at the end of the colloquium seminars. The oral exam will take place at the end of the lecture, i.e., after the course concludes.
Grading scale:
0–50% correct answers – 2.0 (F)
51–60% – 3.0 (E)
61–70% – 3.5 (D)
71–80% – 4.0 (C)
81–90% – 4.5 (B)
91–100% – 5.0 (A)
Practical placement
Not required.
Bibliography
Recommended literature:
1. B. Basu, An Introduction to Astrophysics, PHI Learning Private Limited, Delhi, 2013.
2. L. A. Anchordoqui, Lectures os Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology, 2016 ( http://arxiv.org/pdf/0706.1988v3.pdf ).
3. A. Liddle, An Introduction to Modern Cosmology, WILEY, 2009.
Additional literature:
1. M. S. Longair, High Energy Astrophysics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2011
2. M.S. Longair, Galaxy formation, Springer-Verlag, Berlin 1998.
3. H. Bradt, Astrophysics Processes, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2008
4. The Internet: web pages of ESO, ESA, NASA, astronomical www pages
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: