Subsections
[Cr:4, Lc:3, Tt:1, Lb:0]
Knowledge of the content of PHY301, PHY303, PHY304 is
essential to follow this course.
- Review of Celestial coordinate systems. Rising and setting of
objects. The ecliptic. Time keeping. Precession and Nutation.
Retrograde motion.
- Newton's laws of motion and gravitation. Kepler's laws as a
corollory for a two body gravitationally interacting system.
Orbits. Tides. Virial theorem and its applications.
- Quantisation of light. Quantifying fluxes, review of magnitudes,
fluxes, luminosity, colour indices.
- Equation of radiative transfer, optical depth. Limiting forms for
optically thin and optically thick transmission. Thermal
radiation. Einstein coefficients. Random walks and scattering.
Radiative diffusion.
- Radiative processes: Free-free emission, thermal bremmstrahlung,
synchrotron radiation, Compton and inverse Compton scattering.
- Propagation effects: Faraday rotation, dispersion measure.
- Observing parameters for photometry. Classification of stellar
spectra: Boltzmann and Saha equations. Partition function of
Hydrogen at high temperatures.
- Classification and measurement of physical quantities for
stars. Types of star clusters and their properties. Binary systems:
classification, properties, observations.
- Formation of stars, Jeans mass, Collapse of proto-stars, Hayashi
track and the approach to the main sequence.
- Stars on the main sequence. Nuclear reactions and generation of
energy. Relation between mass, radius and luminosity of main
sequence stars. Life time on main sequence, variation with mass of
stars. Evolution of stars beyond the main sequence. Evolution of
stars in close binary systems, mass transfer and effect on orbits.
- Interior of stars: the Lane-Emden approximation, pressure, opacity
and energy transport. Derivation of physical properties of stars
with theoretical models. Profiles of spectral lines. Types and
source of opacities. Extinction curves.
- Magnetic fields, Zeeman effect. Star spots.
- Endpoints of stellar evolution: Planetary nebulae, Supernovae.
- Stellar remnants: white dwarfs, Chandrasekhar limit, Neutron stars,
Black holes.
- Solar system, exo-planets, planetary systems. Habitable zones
around stars of different types, life in the Universe. Formation of
planets and planetary systems.
- Bradley W. Carroll & Dale A. Ostlie, Introduction to Modern
Astrophysics, 2nd Edition, Addison Wesley (2006)
- Frederick R. Chromey, To measure the Sky: An introduction to Observational Astronomy, Ist Edition, Cambridge University Press (2010)
- D. Scott Birney,Guillermo Gonzalez and David Oesper, Observational
Astronomy, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press (2006)
- George B. Rybicki & Alan P. Lightman, Radiative Processes in Astrophysics, Wiley (2004)
- E, Bohm-Vitense, Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics: Volume 1, Basic
Stellar Observations and Data, Cambridge University Press (August 25, 1989)
- E, Bohm-Vitense, In Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics: Volume 2,
Cambridge University Press (26 October 1989)
- A.E Roy & D Clarke, Astronomy Principles and Practice, Fourth
Edition, Institute of Physics Publishing Bristol and Philadelphia (CRC Press; 1 June 2003)
- Stuart L Shapiro, Saul A. Teukolsky, Black holes, White dwarfs and
neutron stars - The Physics of Compact objects, 1 edition, Wiley-VCH (May 6, 1983)
- E Oran Brigham,The Fast Fourier Transform and Its Applications,
Pearson (March 29, 1988)
