ASTROPHYSICS

1 – Introduction

Metodology of scientific investigation in Astrophysics – Distance ladder and units – Instrumentation – Astronomical coordinates.

 

2 – The stars

Fundamental quantities - Magnitude systems – Spectral classes – The Hertzprung-Russell diagram.

– Stellar Atmospheres

Radiation transport – Temperature versus depth – Line formation – Boltzmann and Saha equations* – Einstein's coefficients – Mechanisms of line widening – Abundance analysis.

– Internal Structure

Equations of the internal structure of stars – Mass-Luminosity relation – Nuclear Fusion – Energy transport – Schwarzschild's criterion for convection.

– Stellar Evolution

Pre- and post-sequence stellar evolution – Pulsating stars – Planetary nebulae, novae and supernovae – Degenerate Fermi-gas* - White dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes.

 

3 – The Sun: a main sequence star

Atmosphere: photosphere, cromosphere, corona – Convection zone – Differential rotation – Magnetic Fields – Alfvèn's theorem* - Solar activity (sunspots, facolae, prominences, flares) - The neutrino problem.

 

4 – The interstellar medium

Interstellar clouds – Gas and dust – Chemistry in the gas phase and on the surface of dust grains – The Virial theorem* - Jeans criterion for gravitational collapse and star formation.

 

5 – Our Galaxy

Morfology and dynamics – Globular and open clusters – Stellar populations – The galactic nucleus – Dark matter – Cosmic rays.

 

6 – External galaxies

Hubble's morphological classification – Physical properties and formation processes of elliptical and disk galaxies – Cluster and supercluster of galaxies – Quasars and the other Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN).

 

7 – Cosmology

Observational evidences: Hubble's Law of the espanding Universe, the Cosmic Background – Cosmologic principle - Newtonian Cosmology - Friedmann's equation - Fluid equation – Inflation and primordial fluctuations – Radiation dominated and matter dominated Universe – Cosmological models - Dark matter and dark energy - The cosmological constant - Thermal history of the Universe.

 

N.B.: The detailed quantitative description of subjects marked with * may be omitted.

H. Karttunen et al.: Fundamental Astronomy, 5^th ed, Springer Verlag, Berlin (2007)

G.B. Rybicki & A.P. Lightman: Radiative processes in Astrophysics, Wiley-VCH, New York (2004)