00056 - Astrophysics

Learning outcomes

The aim is to obtain a general understanding of the most important stellar and extra-galactic topics in modern astrophysics. The student will be able to understand and discuss general observational properties of stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies. An introduction on the modern cosmology will be also given.

Course contents

Astronomical quantities (parallax, parsec, magnitude,...); introduction to the main emission mechanisms (black body, synchrotron, Bremsstrahlung); physical and observational properties of stars and galaxies; introduction to the unified model of active galactic nuclei; clusters of galaxies; the interstellar and intergalactic medium; rotation curves of spiral galaxies and dark matter; the Hubble constant; introduction to cosmology

Readings/Bibliography

.W.Carrol & D.A. Ostlie. 'An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics'. II ed. Cambridge Univ. Press.

'Review' papers from astrophysical journal

Slides presented during the course

 

 

Teaching methods

Oral Lessons with power point slides

Assessment methods

The oral exam will consist of two parts:

- presentation of a topic chosen by the student

-2/3 questions that will focus on other topics presented during the course.

In the first part the student's ability to explain a known topic will be mainly evaluated, while in the second part it will be evaluated whether the student has acquired a general vision of the main astrophysical issues, both in the stellar and in extra-galactic fields.

 

 

Teaching tools

power point slidesd and blackboard

Office hours

See the website of Barbara Lanzoni