Astrophysics

Ay 1. The Evolving Universe. 9 units (3-3-3); third term. This course is intended primarily for freshmen not expecting to take more advanced astronomy courses and will satisfy the menu requirement of the Caltech core curriculum. Introduction to modern astronomy that will illustrate the accomplishments, techniques, and scientific methodology of contemporary astronomy. The course will be organized around a set of basic questions, showing how our answers have changed in response to fresh observational discoveries. Topics to be discussed will include telescopes, stars, planets, the search for life elsewhere in the universe, supernovae, pulsars, black holes, galaxies and their active nuclei, and the Big Bang. There will be a series of laboratory exercises intended to highlight the path from data acquisition to scientific interpretation. Students will also be required to produce a term paper on an astronomical topic of their choice and make a short oral presentation. In addition, a field trip to Palomar Observatory will be organized. Not offered on a pass/fail basis. Instructor: Scoville.

Ge/Ay 11 c. Planetary Sciences. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ay 20. Basic Astronomy and the Galaxy. 10 units (3-1-6); first term. Prerequisites: Ma 1 abc, Ph 1 abc. The electromagnetic spectrum; ground and space observing techniques; spectroscopy: inferring the composition and physical properties of astronomical objects; stellar masses, distances, and motions; the birth, structure, evolution, and death of stars; the structure and dynamics of the Galaxy. Short labs will introduce optics, spectroscopy, and astronomical measurement techniques.Instructor: Phinney.

Ay 21. Galaxies and Cosmology. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Cosmological models and parameters, extragalactic distance scale, cosmological tests; constituents of the universe, dark matter, and dark energy; thermal history of the universe, cosmic nucleosynthesis, recombination, and cosmic microwave background; formation and evolution of structure in the universe; galaxy clusters, large-scale structure and its evolution; galaxies, their properties and fundamental correlations; formation and evolution of galaxies, deep surveys; star formation history of the universe; quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and their evolution; structure and evolution of the intergalactic medium; diffuse extragalactic backgrounds; the first stars, galaxies, and the reionization era. Instructor: Djorgovski.

Ay 30. Current Trends in Astronomy. 3 units (2-0-1); second term. Weekly seminar open to declared Ay majors at the discretion of the instructor; nonmajors who have taken astronomy courses may be admitted. This seminar is held in faculty homes in the evening and is designed to encourage student communication skills as they are introduced to faculty members and their research. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: W. Sargent.

Ay 31. Writing in Astronomy. 3 units; third term. This course is intended to provide practical experience in the types of writing expected of professional astronomers. Example styles include research proposals, topical reviews, professional journal manuscripts, and articles for popular magazines such as Astronomy or Sky and Telescope. Each student will adopt one of these formats in consultation with the course instructor and write an original piece. An outline and several drafts reviewed by both a faculty mentor familiar with the topic and the course instructor are required. This course is open only to those who have taken upper-level astronomy courses. Fulfills the Institute scientific writing requirement. Instructor: Hillenbrand.

Ay 40. Topics in Modern Astrophysics. 6 units (2-0-4); third term. Prerequisite: Ay 20. May be repeated for credit. In 2007–08, the course will explore the process of star formation from both observational and theoretical perspectives. Topics include star-forming regions, physical processes in molecular clouds, core collapse and protostars, premain sequence stars, the impact of star formation upon environment, theoretical evolutionary models, primordial accretion disks, formation of planetary systems, circumstellar debris disks, star formation on galactic scales. Instructor: Dahm.

Ay 43. Reading in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Units in accordance with work accomplished, not to exceed 3. Course is intended for students with a definite independent reading plan or who attend regular (biweekly) research and literature discussion groups. Instructor’s permission required. Graded pass/fail.

Ay 78 abc. Senior Thesis. 9 units. Prerequisite: To register for this course, the student must obtain approval of the astronomy option representative and the prospective thesis adviser. Open only to senior astronomy majors. This research must be supervised by a faculty member, student’s thesis adviser. The written thesis must be completed and approved by the adviser before the end of the third term. Students wishing assistance in finding an adviser and/or a topic for a senior thesis are invited to consult with the astronomy option representative. A grade will not be assigned in Ay 78 until the end of the third term. P grades will be given the first two terms, and then changed at the end of the course to the appropriate letter grade.

Ay 101. Physics of Stars. 11 units (3-2-6); first term. Prerequisite: Ay 20. Physics of stellar atmospheres. Properties of stars, stellar spectra, radiative transfer, line formation. Stellar structure, stellar evolution, evolution of binaries. Nucleosynthesis in stars. Stellar oscillations. Instructor: Hillenbrand.

Ay 102. Physics of the Interstellar Medium. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisite: Ay 20. An introduction to observations of the interstellar medium and relevant physical processes. The structure and hydrodynamic evolution of ionized hydrogen regions associated with massive stars and supernovae, thermal balance in neutral and ionized phases, star formation and global models for the interstellar medium. Instructor: A. Sargent.

Ay 105. Optical Astronomy Instrumentation Lab. 9 units (1-6-2); third term. Prerequisite: Ay 20. An opportunity for astronomy and physics undergraduates (juniors and seniors) to gain firsthand experience with the basic instrumentation tools of modern optical and infrared astronomy. The 10 weekly lab experiments are expected to include radiometry measurements, geometrical optics, optical aberrations and ray tracing, spectroscopy, fiber optics, CCD electronics, CCD characterization, photon counting detectors, vacuum and cryogenic technology, and stepper motors and encoders. Instructors: Blain, Martin.

Ay 121. Radiative Processes. 9 units (3-0-6); first term. Prerequisites: Ay 101 (undergraduates); Ph 125 or equivalent. The interaction of radiation with matter: radiative transfer, emission, and absorption. Compton processes, synchrotron radiation, collisional excitation, spectroscopy of atoms and molecules. Instructor: Kamionkowski.

Ay 122. Astronomical Measurements and Instrumentation. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisite: Ph 106 or equivalent. Measurement and signal analysis techniques throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Telescopes and interferometers; detectors and receivers; photometry and radiometry; imaging devices and image processing; spectrometers; space telescopes. Instructors: Steidel, Kulkarni.

Ay 123. Structure and Evolution of Stars. 9 units (3-0-6); first term. Prerequisites: Ay 101 (undergraduates); Ph 125 or equivalent. Thermo-dynamics, equation of state, convection, opacity, radiative transfer, stellar atmospheres, nuclear reactions, and stellar models. Evolution of low- and high-mass stars, supernovae, and binary stars. Instructors: Cohen, Ellis.

Ay 124. Structure and Dynamics of Galaxies. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisites: Ay 21 (undergraduates); Ph 106 or equivalent. Stellar dynamics and properties of galaxies; kinematics and dynamics of our galaxy; spiral structure; stellar composition, masses, and rotation of external galaxies; star clusters; galactic evolution; binaries, groups, and clusters of galaxies. Instructor: W. Sargent.

Ay 125. High-Energy Astrophysics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisites: Ay 21 (undergraduates); Ph 106 or equivalent. High-energy astrophysics and the final stages of stellar evolution; supernovae, binary stars, accretion disks, pulsars; extragalactic radio sources; active galactic nuclei; black holes. Instructor: Kulkarni.

Ay 126. Interstellar Medium. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisite: Ay 102 (undergraduates). Physical processes in the interstellar medium. Ionization, thermal and dynamic balance of interstellar medium, molecular clouds, hydrodynamics, magnetic fields, H II regions, supernova remnants, star formation, global structure of interstellar medium. Instructor: A. Sargent.

Ay 127. Cosmology and Galaxy Formation. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisites: Ay 21 (undergraduates); Ph 106 or equivalent. Cosmology; extragalactic distance determinations; relativistic cosmological models; galaxy formation and clustering; thermal history of the universe, microwave background; nucleosynthesis; cosmological tests. Instructor: Steidel.

Ge/Ay 132. Atomic and Molecular Processes in Astronomy and Planetary Sciences. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ge/Ay 133. The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ge/Ay 137. Planetary Physics. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ay 141 abc. Research Conference in Astronomy. 3 units (1-0-2); first, second, third terms. Oral reports by astronomy students on current research. These provide an opportunity for practice in the organization and presentation of reports. A minimum of two presentations will be expected from each student each year. This course fulfills the option oral communication requirement and is required of all astronomy graduate students who have passed their preliminary exams. It is also recommended for astronomy seniors. Graded pass/fail. Instructors: Ellis, Benson, Kamionkowski, Cohen, W. Sargent, A. Sargent.

Ay 142. Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Units in accordance with work accomplished. The student should consult a member of the department and have a definite program of research outlined. Approval by the student’s adviser must be obtained before registering. 36 units of Ay 142 or Ay 143 required for candidacy. Graded pass/fail.

Ay 143. Reading and Independent Study. Units in accordance with work accomplished. The student should consult a member of the department and have a definite program of reading and independent study outlined. Approval by the student’s adviser must be obtained before registering. 36 units of Ay 142 or Ay 143 required for candidacy. Graded pass/fail.

Ay 199. Special Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 9 units (3-0-6); first term. Open to graduate and upper-division undergraduate students in astrophysics and related fields. The topic for this year will be methods of computational science, covering the following subjects: scientific databases and archives, data mining, scientific visualization, principles of physical numerical modeling, design and understanding of scientific computational systems and experiments, networks, Web services, computational and data grids. Instructor: Djorgovski.

Ay 211. Extragalactic Astronomy. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisites: Ay 123, Ay 124, and Ay 127. Contemporary topics in extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, including observational probes of dark matter and dark energy; cosmological backgrounds and primordial element abundances; galaxy formation and evolution, including assembly histories, feedback and environmental effects; physics of the intergalactic medium; the role of active galactic nuclei; galactic structure and stellar populations; future facilities and their likely impact in the field.Instructor: Ellis.

Ay 215. Seminar in Theoretical Astrophysics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Course for graduate students and seniors in astronomy and planetary science. Students will be required to lead some discussions. Topic will be selected based on student interest. Not offered 2007–08.

Ay 218. Gamma-ray Astronomy. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Gamma-ray astronomy is entering a golden age, as new observatories such as GLAST, HESS, and Veritas begin operation. This seminar course is designed to expose students to the principles and prospects of the field. Topics will include detection and emission physics, techniques for obtaining multiwavelength observations, active galactic nuclei, blazars, pulsars, supernova remnants, cosmic rays, decaying cosmic particles, backgrounds, and gamma-ray bursts. Instructors: Phinney, Kulkarni, Prince.