PHY 317 - Fall 2007
- Stellar and Interstellar Astrophysics
Course Description |
This course offers the motivated student an opportunity to learn about one of the most fascinating topics in astronomy and astrophysics: the exploration of star birth, evolution and death. This course is meant to go beyond the level of a descriptive
astronomy course or book; it shows how fundamental laws of physics are
applied to describe and understand phenomena occurring in and around
stars. This is one of the few cases in the undergraduate
curriculum where one can see how simple physical laws are used to
explain actual natural phenomena. This course is designed for
students who have had received some instruction in physics before, preferably at
the college level or at an equivalent advanced high-school level, and
have acquired some proficiency with calculus.
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Course Goals |
* To give an introduction to one of the most important fields of
astrophysics: how stars form, evolve and die. * To show how physics laws are applied in order to understand how stars work. * To give a flavor of 21st century research in one of the most exciting field of physics. * To take you a step beyond what you learned in a descriptive astronomy course or what you have read in popularizing books on astronomy. * To learn how to use basic physics laws to describe complex phenomena, such as the ones occurring in and around stars. * To build skills in problem solving, modeling and doing research. |
Textbook |
The required textbook is: |
Meeting Times and Location |
Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 - 12:20 AM, Rm 104 Physics Bldg. |
Attendance Policy |
Attendance at lectures is strongly advised; skipping classes is at your own risk. Active participation will be rewarded. Reading and homework assignments, and other important communications are given during regular contact times; sometimes it is not possible to post such announcements on the Web in a timely fashion. Attendance at project presentations is mandatory. |
Instructor |
Lecturer: Prof. Gianfranco Vidali
Office: Rm. 221 Physics Bldg. Contact information: 443-9115, gvidali@syr.edu Office hours: T-Th 10-11 am or by appointment; You are welcome to drop in at other times too. If I am not in my office, I am probably in my lab, B215, sub-basement. Prof. Vidali's research interests: see the Website laboratory astrophysics |
Coursework |
The course is at the 300 level. This doesn't require that you be a
junior in order to take it, but rather it is understood that you
should possess a certain level of self-direction and discipline in
planning and carrying out your work. You will also be asked to learn
a lot of new material and to apply it right away. This requires a
certain flare for being able to go to the heart of a problem and grasp
it in its main attributes, sometimes overlooking the details of how
certain results were derived. Disconcerting as it might appear, this
way of working will come handy later on and should be considered an
important tool in your bag of tricks when you graduate, whatever job
you'll take. There will be a fair amount of coursework. As the course is conceived, the basic tools are given first, and to progress in the course you need to have mastered these tools; thus, it is imperative that you don't fall behind, especially in the first month. If you think you are having difficulty understanding the course material or completing the assignments, see the instructor at once! Coursework consists in: studying using the assigned weekly readings, doing the assigned weekly homework sets, and working on a final project. This course uses Blackboard Information Technology. Written and reading assignments and reading material will be posted on Blackboard. Access Blackboard through "myslice.syr.edu". |
Homework Assignments |
Homework assignments, as underscored
by the weight given to them in the grading, perform a very important
function: they test what you just learned, they develop or build up
thinking skills in you, and they make you revisit material, learned in
class or on books, in a new light. You are encouraged to
consult on homework assignments with other students of this
course. However, each student is required to present his/her own
work. Homework assignments will be given approximately once a week; you are expected to turn them in within one week after the day they were assigned. No late homework assignments will be accepted. Your completed homework assignment will be graded in the following way. One or more problems of the given set will be chosen to be graded. Grading will be based on: a) understanding of the physics behind the problem; b) setting up the method of solution; c) carrying out the calculations; d) doing an honest effort in tackling the problem even if unsuccessful. The grade will represent an overall assessment of how you have done on the assignment. It is important that you attempt to work on all problems, even if unsuccessful. Partial credit is given. Answers to selected problems will be distributed; furthermore, if you would like to have detailed information on how parts of the assignments are graded, or want to have a certain solution clarified, you should see the instructor. |
Exams |
There are three exams (the third exam is during final exam week); the emphasis of the first two exams is on material you have not been tested on. The lowest scoring exam is dropped. The third exam is comprehensive. If you are satisfied with the scores in the first two exams, you don't need to take the third exam during final exam week. exam. |
Project |
The project should consist of
an investigation, to be approved by the instructor, on a
course-related topic that you particularly like and are curious
about. Thus, the project should be the showcase of what you can do
when you learn about something that you care about. In the best
cases, the project goes beyond an exercise in understanding the chosen
topic; through it you will have an opportunity to show some
creativity. The project should be considered as a term paper; thus, a
comparable amount of effort should be dedicated to it. Concerning ideas for projects, one might want to pursue some aspects of a topic/problem that have been touched in class; for example: the role of magnetism in stellar and interstellar phenomena, what's learned from seismology in the Sun, the use of observations of supernovae in cosmology, etc. Further suggestions and guidelines will be given later. |
Honesty: |
Please read this carefully.
Homework assignments: You may consult with other fellow students in order to discuss solution strategies for the assigned problems. But eventually you must work out the problems yourself; what you turn in must be your own product. Turning in an assignment copied from somebody else's solutions or completed by somebody else is considered cheating. Exams: It is a violation of the academic code to seek or give assistance during the exams. The instructor is the only person you can communicate with during the tests. Please do not make any changes or marks to the graded exams, if you want to preserve a right to appeal grading mistakes. The general Syracuse University guidelines will be followed in case of violations. |
Grading |
You will be graded on your homework (30%), the highest two scoring of the three exams (25% each) and the final project (20 %). A numerical score will be given for each piece of evaluated material. The final letter grade will reflect: the amount of work you did, the proficiency you attained in certain tasks, and the mastery of the subject matter. There will be no curving of the final grade: thus, it is possible, as frequently happens in upper division undergraduate and graduate courses, that the majority of the class receives a high grade (such as A's and B's). |
Getting Help |
The pace of the course is pretty quick. It's important that you
don't fall behind. Talk to the instructor! He is readily available
outside office hours. In addition there are the : Physics Clinic: The Physics Clinic is located in room 115 of the Physics Building. Hours are posted on the door (and at http://www.phy.syr.edu/courses/). The clinic is staffed by graduate Teaching Assistants who can help you with this course material. Math Clinic: This course uses mathematics, including calculus, quite extensively. The Mathematics Department runs the Math Clinic in the Reading Room of Carnegie (hours are posted on the door) if you need assistance with math. |
Special Needs |
If you need special assistance because of a documented special need, please contact the Instructor. |
Absence Policy |
There will be no make-up exams. |
List of Topics - not in the order of presentation; not every topic is covered at the same depth. This list is subject to change.
(see also the Timetable)
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Topic |
Detailed list |
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Introductory material |
Gravity and related laws; elements of statistical physics/thermodynamics and quantum mechanics: the ideal gas, density of states, the chemical potential, quantization of matter and radiation, black-body radiation, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics; the Bohr's atom, the degenerate Fermi gas, the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, relativistic gas, pressure of an ideal gas, electrons in stars, the photon gas, radiation pressure, the Saha's equation |
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Phenomenology |
Magnitudes, spectral characteristics and stars classification |
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Stellar interiors |
Hydrostatic equilibrium; the virial theorem; thermal equilibrium; heat transfer in stars |
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Energy sources in stars |
Thermonuclear fusion in stars |
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Equilibrium stellar configurations |
The stellar structure equations; main sequence |
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Stability of stars |
Thermal stability; dynamical stability; pulsations |
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The evolution of stars |
From protostars to main sequence; stars on the main sequence; post main sequence evolution; massive stars |
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The interstellar medium |
Composition; characteristics of gas and dust; role of the interstellar medium in star formation |
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Off main sequence |
Red giants, asymptotic giant branch; planetary nebulae; end-points of stellar evolution; white dwarfs; supernovae; neutron stars - pulsars; black holes |
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Special topics (suggestions for special projects) |
Examples: the Sun; white/brown dwarfs; supernovae; neutron stars, pulsars; black holes; gama-ray bursters; star-forming regions |