Basics of radiative transfer; the measurement of star physical parameters; stellar structure; stellar evolution; binary systems and accreyion; interstellar medium and star formation; fluidodynamics of atsrophysical processes; galaxies: morphological and dynamical properties, the Milky Way, dark matter; Active Galactic Nuclei and supermassive black holes; galaxy clusters; introduction to Cosmology.
Course slides provided by the teacher which include all the material presented during classes. Dan Maoz: Astrophysics in a Nutshell
Learning Objectives
Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
At the end of the course the student will have a basic knowledge of astrophysical objects with a comprehension of the main physical processes, especially in relation with stars, galaxies, active nuclei and galaxy clusters. Moreover, the student will have acquired a basic knowledge of the standard cosmological model, comprehending the basic hypotheses and their physical consequences. The student should then be able to apply his/her knowledge to build simple physical models of the astrophysical sources.
Prerequisites
Courses required: Mathematical Analysis II, Physics I, Fluids/Thermodynamics/Statistics
Teaching Methods
CFU: 6
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 52
Further information
Office hours:
On request
Prof. Alessandro Marconi
Physics & Astronomy Department
email: alessandro.marconi@unifi.it
or alessandro.marconi@inaf.it
tel: 055 4572069
https://www.arcetri.inaf.it/alessandro.marconi
Type of Assessment
Oral exam. The student will be asked to present a few specific topics of the course program. The student will have to use an appropriate language, demonstrating his/her comprehension of the main physical processes and of the consequences of the starting assumptions. More specific questions might be asked to better assess the student’s comprehension level. The student will have to be able to perform simple order-of-magnitude calculations but also to develop the mathematical model, if this has been presented during classes.
Course program
Properties of blackbody radiation. The stars: physical parameters and their measurement, spectral classification and HR diagram.
Stellar structure. Energy production in stars. Degenerate stars and black holes. Roche lobes and accretion disk. Star formation, jeans instability. Fluid dynamics equations, sound waves, shock waves, self-similar solution of Sedov Taylor. Our Galaxy and external galaxies.
Stars as a non-collisional gas. Dark matter. Gravitational lenses and MaCHOs. Active Galactic Nuclei and Black Holes. Galaxy clusters and dark matter.
Introduction to cosmology: the cosmic background radiation, the Holbert’s paradox and Hubble law. The Friedmann equations and the evolution of the universe, the role of the cosmological constant. Hints on the thermal evolution of the universe.