Special Topics in Astrophysics 29:235 - Spring 2010

High Energy Astrophysics

Instructor: Prof. Philip Kaaret
Office: 702 Van Allen Hall
Phone: 335-1985
E-mail: philip-kaaret [at] uiowa.edu
Web: http://astro.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret
Office hours: 9:00–10:30 am Tuesday and Thursday, by appointment, or just drop by

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics and Astronomy
DEO: Prof. Mary Hall Reno
Office: 203 Van Allen Hall
Phone: 335-1688

Special Topics in Astrophysics is a graduate level course. This semester the topic will be High Energy Astrophysics. The course will cover: the detection of X-rays and gamma-rays, analysis of X-ray data, the formation of black holes and neutron stars, accretion onto compact objects, pulsars, supernova remnants, cosmic rays, and gamma-ray bursts. The course will assume an undergraduate preparation in physics, but no prior training in astronomy.

General Information

Lectures are from 10:55 am to 12:10 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 618 of Van Allen Hall.
The textbook for the course is High Energy Astrophysics, by Fulvio Melia published by Princeton University Press.
There is a website for the course: http://astro.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret/heastro10s. The website will contain the syllabus, lecture notes, and other class-related materials.
Students are expected to attend all lectures. Poor attendance is likely to affect success in the course.
The grade in the course will be determined from the problem sets (50%) and from a data analysis project (50%).
Homework will be due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. Students are allowed to work on the homework in small groups. However, each student should be sure to understand each homework problem. Students should feel free to come during office hours to discuss the homework assignments.
For the data analysis project, students should work in groups of 2. Each group will choose an observation or observations available in the archives of an X-ray astronomy satellite, analyze the data, and write a paper describing the motivation for the analysis, the analysis work done, and an interpretation of the results. Each group will also give a 15 minute presentation of the analysis work during class. Questions, directed to particular group members, will be asked during the presentation.

The following are CLAS policy and procedural statements copied directly from the web pages of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and/or The University of Iowa Operations Manual.

Administrative Home
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

Electronic Communication
University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondences. (Operations Manual, III.15.2. Scroll down to k.11.)

Accommodations for Disabilities

A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet privately with the course instructor to make particular arrangements. See www.uiowa.edu/~sds/ for more information.

Academic Fraud
Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not their own are academic fraud. Academic fraud is a serious matter and is reported to the departmental DEO and to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum. Instructors and DEOs decide on appropriate consequences at the departmental level while the Associate Dean enforces additional consequences at the collegiate level. See the CLAS Academic Fraud section of the Student Academic Handbook.

CLAS Final Examination Policies

Final exams may be offered only during finals week. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. Students should not ask their instructor to reschedule a final exam since the College does not permit rescheduling of a final exam once the semester has begun. Questions should be addressed to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum.

Making a Suggestion or a Complaint
Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit the instructor, then the course supervisor, and then the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident. See the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

Understanding Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.

Reacting Safely to Severe Weather
In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Public Safety web site.