Physics & Astronomy 590
Spring 2021 Homepage
Univ. Louisville
Instructor: Dr.
Gerard Williger, NS 206, tel 852-0821
e-mail: gmwill06@*
where *= louisville.edu (please do not e-mail to my Groupwise acct)
My homepage is here
Office hours:
by appointment;
*I will not entertain questions on problem sets on the day they are
due*
Lectures: Mon/Wed
3:30-4:45pm
75% online via a variety of BlackBoard Collaborate, lecture notes
and audio recordings
25% in person in NS 312 and NS313,
If conditions (COVID etc.) permit, we may use NS312 (across the hall
from NS313, with a computer) for some lectures. We'll use NS313 for
tests.
Text: Foundations of Astrophysics,
Ryden & Peterson, 1st ed., Addison-Wesley (2010)
The course objective is to learn basic the basic physics of
astronomical phenomena. A mastery of calculus
and introductory (calculus-based) college physics is assumed, plus
the material for Astronomy 307.
Differential equations will help, but if you
have not had them, you can pick up what you will need. The
lectures will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
A password-enabled protected
site will contain answers to homework and midterm problems, if
I do not
pass them out in class. I may also put commentaries on common
homework errors there as well.
Finally, all the PowerPoint files for a recent Astro 107 class, plus
animation files,
are on the protected site. They're an excellent overview for
the material in this course, and I
highly recommend your looking at the files. We'll try to cover
roughly chapters 13-24 in our textbook.
GRAPHING CALCULATORS ARE BANNED ON TESTS AND PROBLEMS AT THE
BOARD.
SPECIAL NOTES FOR THE SWITCH TO
ELECTRONIC INSTRUCTION AS OF MAR. 18, 2021,
DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC:
The class will have to be run differently, and changes may
be made at any time. Among these:
1) Homework will be submitted via PDF files to BlackBoard
- see "below for due dates
2) Lectures will be given via lecture notes/audio files on
the class
protected site
3) A class discussion board for students to pose and
answer each other's questions has been created on
BlackBoard.
4) The testing procedure is to be determined.
Click here
for more details
UL
Student Support Page for the COVID-19
situation.
Here are
links for supplemental material and additional explanations
astro-news
for Astro 107 (see for solar plasma ejection article etc.)
Reading/Schedule:
ON = online
LE = lecture hall
PL = planetarium (one time)
HOL = holiday
11ON-13ON Jan: Chap 13; + Astro-107 Ch11 slides
18HOL; 20ON Jan: Chap 13
25ON-27ON Jan: Chap 14
01PL-03LE
Feb: Chap15 + Astro-107 Ch12 slides; QUIZ-1: 03 Feb
08ON-10ON Feb: Chap 15
15ON-17ON Feb: Chap 14-15
22LE-24ON Feb: Chap 16-17; QUIZ-2: 22
Feb (rescheduled from 17 Feb)
01ON-03ON Mar: Chap 17-18 + Astro-107 Ch13-14 slides
08LE Mar; 10LE
MIDTERM Mar Chap 18 (midterm delayed from 8 Mar)
15ON-17ON Mar: Chap 18-19 + Astro-107 Ch15 slides
22ON-24LE Mar: Chap 19-20 + Astro-107
Ch16-17 slides; QUIZ-3: 24 Mar
29ON-31ON Mar: Chap 20-21
05ON-07LE Apr: Chap 21-22 + Astro-107
Ch17 slides; QUIZ-4: 07 Apr, on Ch. 19 (quantitative material) plus
20.1-20.3-qualitative material
12ON-14ON Apr: Chap 23 + Astro-107 Ch18 slides
19ON-21**NS108** Apr: Chap 24 + Astro-107 Ch19
slides
Mon 26 Apr 2:30-4:45pm: Cumulative FINAL EXAM (COVID-permitting,
otherwise changes will be made)
Presentations should be about 10 minutes talking, 2 minutes of
questions each, unless class agrees to longer
TIME/PLACE FOR PRESENTATIONS: Wed 28 Apr at 3pm, in Nat Sci 108.
Talks will be in person.
CHAPTER TOPICS:
13 - magnitudes, stellar luminosities/sizes, binaries, radial
velocity/light curves
14 - stellar atmospheres, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
15 - stellar interiors, equations of stellar structure
16 - interstellar medium, H II regions
17 - star formation, evolution of solar mass stars, Cepheids/RR
Lyrae stars
18 - white dwarfs, neutron stars, stellar mass black holes,
supernova remnants
19 - Galactic morphology, structure, rotation curve, nucleus
20 - galaxy classification, spectra, supermassive black holes,
Hubble-Lemaître law
21 - active galaxies, accretion disks, quasars, intergalactic medium
22 - galaxy clusters/superclusters, galaxy mergers
23 - cosmology (Newtonian and Einsteinian), spacetime metrics,
Friedmann equation
24 - accelerating Universe, cosmic microwave background, Big Bang,
consensus model
CHALLENGE PROBLEMS: Done on your own. You need to learn
them. I may call students to present
problems for extra participation credit.
COUNTS PROBLEMS: These are graded homework. You can work
together, but must turn in your
own, original solutions. The average of Counts Problems will
be 5-12% total of your grade.
Any evidence of cheating of any kind will
result in at least a zero for all parties
concerned, and potentially further penalties/sanctions.
YOU
MUST SHOW YOUR WORK (INCLUDING ORIGINS OF ALL NUMBERS)
SO THAT I CAN
FOLLOW YOUR CALCULATIONS AND GIVE PARTIAL CREDIT.
PLEASE STAPLE ANY WRITTEN HOMEWORK! LOOSE PAGES MAY BE LOST.
HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENTS
Late homework is not
generally accepted. Contact the instructor if you have
problems.
CHALLENGE PROBLEMS
HW01: due Fri 22 Jan (extended TWICE), 5:30pm:
13.1, 13.3, 13.4, 13.6, 13.9
HW02: due Mon 01 Feb 3:30pm: 13.7, 13.8, 14.2, 14.5, 14.6,
14.7
HW03: due Mon 15 Feb 5:30pm (EXTENDED): 14.1, 14.3, 14.4,
15.3, 15.7
HW04: due Fri 19 Feb 5:30pm: 15.2, 15.4, 15.5, 15.7, 15.9,
16.4
HW05: due Mon 01 Mar 3:30pm: 16.2, 16.6, 16.8, 16.9, 17.1
(confirmed as of 26 Feb at 5pm)
HW06: due Mon 08 Mar 3:30pm (EXTENDED): 17.2, 17.3, 17.4,
17.6, also 18.1 (added)
HW07: due Wed 17 Mar (EXTENDED) 3:30pm: 18.2, 18.3, 18.4, 18.5 (like
a solar wind problem), 18.6, 18.7
HW08: due Mon 22 Mar 3:30pm: 18.8, 19.2, 19.10 (assume central
massive black hole has 3.7 million solar masses)
HW09: due Thu 01 Apr 5:30pm (EXTENDED): 19.1, 19.3 (test for case
A=14.8 km/s/kpc, B=-12.4 km/s/kpc), 19.5, 19.8 [assume density is a
power law of form rho = C r^(-alpha)], 19.9, 20.1 (uses material
from earlier chapters)
HW10: due Tue 06 Apr 5:30pm: 20.2, 20.6, 20.7, 20.8, 21.1, 21.2
HW11: due Thu 15 Apr 5:30pm: 21.3, 21.6, 21.7, 22.1, 22.3, 22.5,
22.6
HW12: due Wed 21 Apr 3:30pm (beginning of last class): 23.1, 23.2,
23.3, 23.4, 24.2, 24.3
COUNTS PROBLEMS/EXTRA CREDIT
Any paper
or seminar/talk write-ups should be typed, on paper. Please use TWELVE POINT
TYPE (not smaller).
Grammar/spelling/style count. CITE any outside sources you
use (papers, websites etc.)
Reading beyond the textbook and notes is encouraged! It's
good to learn how to look up information.
Keep a backup for yourself. Do about 300 words (1
page) unless otherwise noted. Definitions do NOT count
against the word total.
IN GENERAL for paper
summaries,
0) Look up and list any definitions you need to learn. If
you need help, ask.
i) your first sentence should be a punchy summary: "This
paper shows/discusses ..."
Then clearly identify at least these points:
ii) the main science question(s) or paper goal(s) in the
context of a brief background description e.g. "why is this
investigation being done"
iii) data source description (e.g. telescopes, surveys etc.
if it is an observational paper) or whether the paper is
theoretical; not needed for a review paper
iv) methods and error analysis (unless it's a review paper)
v) results, discussion/conclusions
vi) future work/implications
vii) whenever possible, be quantitative and specific, rather than general and/or vague
viii) at the beginning of the paper, emphasize in one sentence what is NEW and DIFFERENT in this paper
compared to other work in the field
IMPORTANT: Avoid copying phrases or sentences verbatim. Put
the material into your own words. Use plural with "data",
and singular with "datum".
COUNTS 1: Summarize Bessell (photometric
systems, 2005, ARAA, 43, 293, on protected site).
It's long so I just want parts of it: Beginning/Sec 1-2.3,
5.1-5.3, 6-8. (By the way, Robert F. Wing was my teacher for the
equivalent of Astro 308.)
This paper is long, so for this summary write a maximum of about
500-600 words (2 pages).
Note that it is a REVIEW paper, so it does not have the
traditional science question, data,
methods sections etc. Just summarize it and cover the main
points.
Due Fri 22 Jan, 2021 at 5:30pm (EXTENDED).
COUNTS-2: Color Problem: Compute the Planck function in
wavelength for 4400A, 5500A, 6200A, 7700A for temperatures
3200K,
5800K, 11000K, 25000K. The wavelengths correspond to the
centroids of the B,V,R,I filters respectively, and
the temperatures correspond roughly to M, G, A and B
stars. Using the Planck curves as fluxes
(dlambda=1A is fine), compute the colors in terms of magnitude
B-V and R-I in temperature. Make a plot of flux vs.
wavelength for each temperature.
RESPECT RULES FOR SIGNIFICANT FIGURES.
Remember that Vega defines all magnitudes and colors as zero.
Why do astronomers tend to use B-V as a main reference for
colors
of spectral types rather than R-I? Due Mon 1 Feb at 23:59pm
(EXTENDED).
COUNTS-3: Stellar Spectra: Identify the spectral classes and
subclasses on the handout given on 22 Feb.
1) Identify both stars by spectral class and subclass. Attempt to
determine the luminosity class (I-V) as well, though that is more
difficult.
2) Give all the identifying reasons you can (all spectral indicators
covered in class or whereever else you can find them). Explain your
reasoning fully.
3) Give sources for any material you use beyond the book or lecture.
4) Remember that you only have the optical portion of the spectra.
5) Due on Mon 8 Mar (EXTENDED) at 3:30pm (beginning of class)
6) Write up as a GROUP because this is a group assignment. Penalty
of -10% for writing up individually in case of groups of 2 or more.
Give justification for
your classifications, in terms of narrow lines, broad lines,
flux peak, slope, "raggedness" (in reality weak lines),
continuum flux at 3200-3500A relative to peak flux or any other
features you see. ANNOTATE each spectrum with line
identifications to be clear.
Common lines (in Angstroms) are:
TiO bands in the red (sometimes very broad), including 4584,
4626, 4761, 4810, 4847, 4954, 6650-6850 (v broad), 7050-7150,
8432, 8683A
H-alpha 6563
NaI doublet at 5896 (may not be resolved)
HeI 5876
HeII 5411
FeI 5270 (solar spectrum)
H-beta 4863
C2 4670 (broad, shallow; see Swan Bands)
HeI 4471
H-gamma 4342
CaI 4226
H-delta 4103 (calculate higher order lines yourself or
look them up, as needed - they sometimes are visible)
FeI 4045
CaII H,K doublet lines at 3935,3970
H epsilon 3970
HeI 3965
MgI 3835
FeI 3730
Balmer break 3646
You can find more information at http://skyserver.sdss.org/dr1/en/proj/advanced/spectraltypes/lines.asp#spectab
You can find a GREAT online tool via the WKU
Astro 106 online spectral calculator
Another resource: Columbia
U solar spectral exercise (includes description of A-K
lines from 19th century)
You are free to look up any other stellar spectral catalogue,
list of lines etc.
CITE
YOUR REFERENCES.
COUNTS-4: Summarize Neelamkodan et
al. (2021, on ALMA observations of a cloud-cloud collision,
on protected site), in about 400 words/about 1.5 pages.
Due Fri 19 Mar, 2021 at 5:30pm.
P.S. Note that CO radiates at 2.2mm or 115 GHz. See Wilson
& Penzias (1970),
ApJ,
161, L43, "Carbon Monoxide the Orion Nebula"
COUNTS-5: Summarize Ridley et al. (2013, on pulsars,
on protected site), in about 400 words/about 1.5 pages.
Due Mon 5 Apr 2021 at 5:30pm (EXTENDED).
COUNTS-6: Summarize Arentsen et al. (2019, on the Galaxy,
on protected site), in about 400 words/about 1.5 pages.
At the end, list what we have covered in the course which
relates to the material in the paper.
Due TUE 13 Apr 2021 at 5:30pm (EXTENDED).
COUNTS-7: Summarize Davis et al. (2015, on the the galactic
fundamental plane,
on protected site), in about 400 words/about 1.5 pages.
At the end, list what we have covered in the course which
relates to the material in the paper.
Due TUE 20 Apr 2021 at 5:30pm (EXTENDED).
EXTRA CREDIT:
1) Attend the online dept. seminar at 3pm on Fri 15 Jan 2021, by
Christopher Tully,
"Observing the Big Bang with Relic Neutrinos".
Summarize the talk in 1-1.5 pages of good prose (300-500
words). Due on Thu 4 Feb 2021 at 5:30pm via BlackBoard upload.
Worth up to +1% on your grade.
2) Attend the online dept. seminar at 3pm on Fri 19 Feb 2021, by
Charlotte Wood,
"Supernova Light Echos". It's recorded on Microsoft
Teams. Ask Dr. Haberzettl how to access it.
Summarize the talk in 1-1.5 pages of good prose (300-500
words). Due on Fri 5 Mar 2021 at 5:30pm via BlackBoard upload.
Worth up to +1% on your grade.
3) Attend the online dept. seminar at 3pm on Fri 26 Feb 2021, by
Intae Jung,
"Tracing the Ionization State of the Intergalactic Medium with
Lyman-alpha during the Epoch of Re-ionization".
It's recorded on Microsoft Teams. Ask Dr. Haberzettl how to
access it.
Summarize the talk in 1-1.5 pages of good prose (300-500
words). Due on Fri 19 Mar 2021 at 5:30pm via BlackBoard
upload.
Worth up to +1% on your grade.
4) Attend the online dept. seminar at 3pm on Fri 12 Mar 2021, by
Angela Collier,
" Galactic Dark Matter Halo and Stellar Bar Coupling ".
It will be recorded on Microsoft Teams. Ask Dr. Haberzettl how
to access it.
Summarize the talk in 1-1.5 pages of good prose (300-500
words). Due on Fri 26 Mar 2021 at 5:30pm via BlackBoard
upload.
Worth up to +1% on your grade.
5) Attend the AAS Kentucky Area Regional Meeting (AASKAM21) online
on Apr 16-17. Here is the link.
There are two long invited talks, by J Sokolowski on LSST on Apr 16
at 1pm,
and one by Y Su on galaxy clusters on Apr 17 at 9am. Summarize
each one in one page (about 300 words).
Each summary is worth +1% on your grade.
Due on Thu 29 Apr by 5pm. These talks might NOT be
recorded, so you need to watch them live.
Registration/viewing information for participants who do not present
talks (meaning Astro 590 students)
will be forthcoming on the AASKAM21 website.
6) Do the official UL Course Evaluation. Upload a screenshot or other proof that
you did it onto BlackBoard. Worth +0.5% on your grade. Either e-mail it to Dr. W
or upload it to BlackBoard. Due by 1 May 2021 at noon.
PRESENTATIONS:
Here are the rules.
0) Pick a paper you can understand *backward and forward*. If
there are terms, concepts, parameters etc. you do not understand,
I expect you to learn and explain them to the rest of the class (and
to me), in your write-up, slides and presentation.
If there are too many such terms/concepts/parameters for you to do
this, do not pick such a paper. It's MUCH better to do a
*great* job
on a simple paper than a so-so job (at best) on an extremely
complicated one.
1) topics+proposed papers due Thu 5 Mar (before Spring Break)
2) maximum 10 minutes+2 minutes questions, strictly enforced, SLIDES
DUE (POWERPOINT OR PDF) TBA
3) I recommend about 7-10 slides
4) explain a-the scientific question, b-background, c-the
methods/data, d-what is new (the discovery/result), e-the meaning
for the big picture/science and future work
5) Your audience is your classmates. They should understand what you
do. If they don't, you haven't done your job to explain it to them.
6) You're encouraged to get graphics from other articles, Wikipedia
etc. BUT CITE your sources!
7) FORBIDDEN topics: General relativity, anything related to GR
(such as complex calculations with neutron stars or black holes),
"strange" stars or other quantum mechanics not covered in class, or
any other subject which is not covered in our textbook. GR is
not a prerequisite
for our class, and most people have not (yet) taken it, though I
recommend it for future studies.
8) Use a REFEREED journal article, 4-6 pages maximum, on any subject
in Astro 307 or 590. The more recent, the better. Try to stay with
one published in the last 5-6 years, to keep technology and science
current for the class. You are encouraged to read other papers for
background material, and these can be longer, but your primary one
should be short. Review papers on anything (as they tend to be long
and not have a science question), general relativity, modified
gravity, quantum gravity and nuclear physics we haven't covered
(e.g. quarks) in particular are NOT allowed. The standard
journal search engine is
ADS.
I will introduce its use to you if you need it.
8) There is a STRICT upper size limit of 6 pages (4-5 pages
preferred) in any journal. No exceptions. Remember, these talks are
SHORT.
9) I recommend getting an article from the following. Try especially
the Letters from each journal.
Nature
Astrophysical Journal
Astrophysical Journal
Letters
Monthly Notices of the
Royal Astronomical Society
Monthly Notices of the
Royal Astronomical Society - Letters
Astronomical Journal
Astronomy & Astrophysics
(especially Letters)
Publications of
the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Icarus (solar
system journal)
Publications of the Astronomical
Society of Japan
If you wish to present a paper summary from another journal, please
clear it in advance with G. Williger.
Other refereed journals are available via the NASA ADS
site, and
arXiv preprint server (look for PASJ
articles or other hard to find articles here) site.
10) WRITEUP:
You will also need to write an approximately 600 word/two
page summary of your paper, which is worth 1/3 of the
presentation grade (more than a regular paper summary):
a) science question
b) observations/data sample (if observational) or methods
(if theoretical)
c) results
d) conclusions
e) further work
This is due typed, on paper, when you make your
presentation. You may include background material from
other papers.
Cite liberally.
GOOD PRACTICE FOR SLIDES:
Use variable colors, fontsize, boldface, underlining, italics etc. Avoid monotony.
No more than 1 slide per minute.
Each slide should have a title of one to a few words - keep reminding the audience what's going on and guide step by step.
Use background boxes, indentations, bullets etc. Avoid blocks of text.
Use "telegraph language", minimizing words. Do not write many complete sentences. Speak them instead.
Have at least one graphic per slide, even a small one.
A little humor can be helpful, but keep it restrained so it does not dominate your message; use like salt and pepper in a recipe.
WHEN TALKING:
Do not read your slides.
Modulate your voice pitch and speed. Speak with expression. Do not be monotone. Do not speak too fast.
*MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE FREQUENTLY.*
Avoid saying "um". It distracts your audience from your message.
*PRACTICE* your talk so it's smooth. Have your friends/classmates critique you.
Know your material very well and anticipate some potential questions. Have a slide or two ready after the end
of your talk in case
someone asks the question you think will come under "Extra Material".
Keep to your time limit (10 minutes). You should practice your talk at least 3 times with it
successfully within your time limit.
Ideally, you should not need notes. But, use them if you must.
SCHEDULED/APPROVED PRESENTATIONS:
HG: Müller et al. (2021), A&A, 645, L5
LR: Marengo et al. (2015), ApJL, 1814, L15
AT: Murchikova et al. (2021), ApJL, 910, L1
GT: Turner (2017), New Astronomy, 67, 40
MT: Luna et al. (2020), ApJL, 902, L14
Participation grades are subjective and are subject
to change. They result from
a combination of class participation (comments and
questions) plus performance at any problems done at the board in
class, or assisting other
students doing so. If you never say anything or skip class (which I can note in any way,
including not picking
up homework) then you can get as little as zero. I also am
less
likely to be generous with
participation if you habitually don't
turn in any written, assigned
homework, since doing homework generates questions
and feedback on common
misconceptions.
GRADING:
Grades are composed of
1 midterm (20%)
1 quiz (5%)
board problem or average thereof (5%)
presentation (10%)
participation+challenge problems (15%)
Counts 1-5 (10%, at 2% each)
Counts 6-10 (25%, at 5% each)
15 minute oral final exam via BlackBoard Collaborate or telephone
(10%)
Details are on the syllabus.
*IF YOU ARE NOT IN CLASS WHEN I CALL YOU TO THE BOARD, AND YOU DO
NOT
HAVE A VERIFIABLE EXCUSE, THE PART OF YOUR PARTICIPATION GRADE
FROM THE
BOARD PROBLEM MAY BE ZERO.*
The presentation will involve summarizing a paper from the
literature.
Partial
Credit:
Homework and tests will have
partial credit available. You MUST show
your work, in particular the
equations which are used to begin a
calculation, to get any credit at
all. You must keep track of significant
digits. If the least
accurate number going into a calculation has n
significant digits, then the
answer should have that number, also.
If you happen to do the wrong
homework problem instead of an assigned
one, you will typically not get
credit for it. Leaving a question
blank definitely earns a zero.
On homework, I also count it as a sign of lack of
participation.
Scientists
need
to check their own work. To this end,
you are expected to have an
idea what a reasonable answer is, even though
you might not get the
correct answer.
A
reasonable answer has the correct units -- use dimensional analysis!
It also has an order of
magnitude
which is not wildly
inconsistent with information given in the problem or common
knowledge. For
example, calculating a core temperature of the Sun to
be 3K is a nonsense
(unreasonable) answer, because its surface and even
Earth are much hotter than
that. If your answer is way off
and you
note it and attempt to explain where the problem might be,
I will take it into
consideration.
If
you give a nonsense answer due to simple arithmetic or
mathematical
errors and do not catch it,
you may not get partial credit for setting up the
problem correctly.
Here are also links (from
an Astronomy 107 links site) for recent
discoveries,
(simple) equations
used in that class
and supplemental
material.
Planned material to cover (subject to
modification; links for supplemental material are
provided):
orbital mechanics, Earth-Moon system, tides, nature of
light, telescopes/detectors, our solar system and others
We will begin stellar astrophysics if time permits.
Topics
covered:
stars, stellar structure,
interstellar medium, star formation, the Milky Way,
galaxies, cosmology
Additional
material from other chapters and books will be added as
needed.
If you miss a test and you give
me a week's
advance notice with a
documentable reason, the make-up may be a one hour
oral exam.
General test policy is that
once you leave the room, you can't come back in.
You are permitted to help
each other in groups, but you must turn in your own work.
Grading will be done on a
curve.
There is no fixed
percentile for grades, nor any absolute standard for letter
grades. The plus-minus
grading system (A, A-, B+ etc.) will be used.