Provide the student with a first view of some of the fundamental topics of Astrophysics and Cosmology using the mathematical and physical knowledge acquired in the first two years
teacher profile teaching materials
Summary of the lectures
2.
Celestial coordinates (1.3)
3.
Telescopes and angular resolution (6.1)
4.
Parallax distance (3.1)
5.
Flux, luminosity, apparent and absolute magnitudes, colors (3.2, 3.3, 3.6)
6.
The Black Body (3.4, 3.5)
7.
The Hydrogen atom, eccitation an the Boltzmann equation,
ionization and the Saha equation (8.1)
8.
The Hertzsprung-Russel diagram (8.2)
9.
The Transfer Equation, color excess (9.2, 9.3, 12.1)
10.
Spectroscopic measures of velocity, temterature and density
11.
The curve of growth and abundance measures (9.5)
12.
Internal structure of stars. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (10.1-4)
13.
The hydrogen nuclear reactions (10.3)
14.
Jeans mass. Collapsing clouds. Free Fall time. Initial Mass Function (12.2, 12.3)
15.
Open and globular clusters: stellar populations and HR diagrams (13.3)
16.
The Milky Way and the Local Group (24.1, 24.2)
17.
Metallicity (24.2)
18.
The rotation curve of galaxies and the dark matter (24.3)
19.
Galaxy classification (25.1)
20.
Collision/merging probability among galaxies and among stars
In parenthesis are the paragraphs from “An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, II ed. - B.W. Carrol, D.A.
Ostlie - Ed. Pearson, Addison Wesley ”.
Second part
1.
The measure of the distance of the Earth from the Sun. The Venus transit
2.
The distance scale ladder (27.1)
3.
The Hubble law of the expansion of the Universe (27.2)
4.
The center of the Milky Way and the central supermassive black hole (24.4)
5.
Active Galactic Nuclei and matter accretion on supermassive black holes (28.1, 28.2, 28.3)
6.
Star formation measures
7.
Galaxy evolution
8.
Cluster of galaxies and dark matter measures (27.3)
9.
Large scale structure of the Universe (27.3)
10.
The Big Bang an the cosmic background radiation (29.2)
Ostlie - Ed. Pearson, Addison Wesley ”
Programme
1.Summary of the lectures
2.
Celestial coordinates (1.3)
3.
Telescopes and angular resolution (6.1)
4.
Parallax distance (3.1)
5.
Flux, luminosity, apparent and absolute magnitudes, colors (3.2, 3.3, 3.6)
6.
The Black Body (3.4, 3.5)
7.
The Hydrogen atom, eccitation an the Boltzmann equation,
ionization and the Saha equation (8.1)
8.
The Hertzsprung-Russel diagram (8.2)
9.
The Transfer Equation, color excess (9.2, 9.3, 12.1)
10.
Spectroscopic measures of velocity, temterature and density
11.
The curve of growth and abundance measures (9.5)
12.
Internal structure of stars. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (10.1-4)
13.
The hydrogen nuclear reactions (10.3)
14.
Jeans mass. Collapsing clouds. Free Fall time. Initial Mass Function (12.2, 12.3)
15.
Open and globular clusters: stellar populations and HR diagrams (13.3)
16.
The Milky Way and the Local Group (24.1, 24.2)
17.
Metallicity (24.2)
18.
The rotation curve of galaxies and the dark matter (24.3)
19.
Galaxy classification (25.1)
20.
Collision/merging probability among galaxies and among stars
In parenthesis are the paragraphs from “An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, II ed. - B.W. Carrol, D.A.
Ostlie - Ed. Pearson, Addison Wesley ”.
Second part
1.
The measure of the distance of the Earth from the Sun. The Venus transit
2.
The distance scale ladder (27.1)
3.
The Hubble law of the expansion of the Universe (27.2)
4.
The center of the Milky Way and the central supermassive black hole (24.4)
5.
Active Galactic Nuclei and matter accretion on supermassive black holes (28.1, 28.2, 28.3)
6.
Star formation measures
7.
Galaxy evolution
8.
Cluster of galaxies and dark matter measures (27.3)
9.
Large scale structure of the Universe (27.3)
10.
The Big Bang an the cosmic background radiation (29.2)
Core Documentation
“An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, II ed. - B.W. Carrol, D.A.Ostlie - Ed. Pearson, Addison Wesley ”
Type of delivery of the course
Lectures are given using the blackboard and by projecting slides. Some exercises are solved.Type of evaluation
The candidate will choose and address an astrophysical topic by putting it in its astrophysical context, by describing the most relevant astrophysical issues and by showing how the most relevant formulae are obtained. Then the commission will choose two other topics to be addressed by the candidate in a similar way. The level of accuracy, completeness and critical attitude will be evaluated.