- Docente: Luca Ciotti
- Credits: 6
- SSD: FIS/05
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
-
Corso:
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
Physics (cod. 9245)
Also valid for First cycle degree programme (L) in Astronomy (cod. 8004)
Learning outcomes
Working knowledge (qualitative and quantitative) of extragalactic
astrophysics. Subjects cover the structure, dynamics, formation and
evolution of galaxies and their gaseous and dark matter
components. Special attention is dedicated to central supermassive
black holes, accretion theory and AGN physics. Some information
about modern cosmology is also provided. The student will be able
to understand research papers on extragalactic astrophysics.
Course contents
OBSERVATIONAL-MORPHOLOGICAL SECTION: General properties of stellar systems, from galactic to cluster scales; luminosity profiles, colors and stellar populations; kinematical properties:velocity dispersion, rotational velocity, ellipticity; Mbh-sigma, Lx-Lb, Faber-Jackson, Kormendy, Fundamental Plane, Tully-Fisher relations. Introduction to observational Cosmology.
THEORY (part 1): Basics of Stellar Dynamics: slingshot effect, collisionality and two-body relaxation time in impulsive approximation, dynamical friction, virial theorem, phase-space distribution functions, Jeans equations.Gravitational evaporation, gravothermal catastrophe and gravothermal oscillations. Dynamical evolution of open and globular clusters. [this part can be considered an introduction to the course of Dynamics of Stellar Systems]
THEORY (part 2): Elements of astrophysical fluido dynamics (material derivative, transport theorems, continuity, momentum and energy equations, viscosity and thermodynamics, Kelvin, Bernoulli, Poincare' theorems, barotropic and baroclinic equilibria, rotating flows, dispersion relations, sound velocity). Basics of accretion phenomena, Bondi accretion, Eddington luminosity, Jeans instability. Galaxy formation: monolithic, dissipationless and dissipative galaxy formation. Relations between QSO activity and galaxy formation. Cooling flows.
THEORY (part 3): introduction to modern Cosmology. Newtonian and relativistic cosmology. Evolutionary models: flat, open and closed models of the Universe. Introduction to LCDM cosmological model. Definitions of distance in cosmology, discussion on the concept of "radius" of the Universe.
Readings/Bibliography
'Dynamics of galaxies' (G. Bertin, Cambridge University Press)
'Galactic Dynamics' (J. Binney, S. Tremaine Princeton University
Press) 'Galactic Astronomy' (J. Binney, M. Merrifield Princeton
University Press) 'Dynamical evolution of globular clusters' (L.
Spitzer Princeton University Press) 'Lecture notes on stellar
dynamics' (L. Ciotti Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa). 'Introduction
to Cosmology (B. Ryden, Addison Wesley).
Teaching methods
Class lectures with illustrative exercises. Discussion of the most
relevant research papers published on international journals.
Assessment methods
Final oral examination. The examination is at most 45 minutes long, at the blackboard, organized in 3 sections (each 15 minutes long). Illustration of the general concepts of a proposed subject (the aim is to verify the presentation abilities). Solution of a simple exercise (test of numerical abilities, and of a back-to-the-envelope estimate). A question on the Cosmology program.
Teaching tools
Lecture notes, selected chapters from technical books, selected
research papers.
Office hours
See the website of Luca Ciotti