Course Syllabus
29:120 Introduction to Astrophysics II
Winter Semester 2009

Steven R. Spangler
705 Van Allen Hall
319-335-1948
steven-spangler@uiowa.edu
http://phobos.physics.uiowa.edu/$\sim$srs/

Introduction to Astrophysics I and II present a discussion of the main themes and results of theoretical astrophysics. Introduction to Astrophysics II is a continuation of the first semester, and employs the same level of physical and mathematical discussion. Topics to be discussed during the semester include the interstellar medium and star formation, the nature and outcome of post-main-sequence stellar evolution, stellar pulsations, the nature of gamma ray bursts, fundamental physical processes in solar system astronomy, galactic structure, and cosmology.

General Course Information

1. Lectures are from 12:15 - 1:30 PM, Tuesdays and Thursdays, in Room 618 of Van Allen Hall.
2. The required textbook for the course is An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics by Bradley W. Carroll and Dale A. Ostlie, (Second Edition), Pearson/Addison Wesley. This is the same book that was used last semester, and once again the lectures will closely adhere to the material and discussion in the textbook.
3. The level of physics and mathematics employed in this class assumes that students have completed mathematics through 22M:47 and 22M:48, or 22M:27 and 22M:28 (linear algebra, vector calculus, differential equations), and physics through 29:27,28,29, and 30, or their equivalent at another university.
4. Office hours for Professor Spangler are Monday, 2:30 - 3:30, Tuesday, 2:30 - 3:30, and Wednesday, 1:30 - 2:30, or by appointment if attendance at these times is not possible.
5. Mid-term exams will be held in the class periods on Thursday, February 19, and Thursday, April 9.
6. The final exam will be held on Wednesday, May 13, at 2:15 PM in room 618, Van Allen Hall. The three exams (two midterms and final) will collectively count for 66 % of the course grade.
7. Homework will be assigned, collected and graded. The purpose of these exercises is to practice mathematical deductive thinking in an astrophysical context, and to explore material that is not discussed in the lecture. Normally, there will be a homework set assigned on Thursday of every week, and collected the following Thursday. The total score of all homework assignments will count for 34 % of the course grade. Students are encouraged to work in groups of 2 to 3 (not ``goal line stands'' of half the class). I also expect and want students to come and talk to me about these.
8. The homework problems will be primarily mathematical in nature, and sometimes involve operations which are difficult or impossible to carry out analytically. To permit study of a class of important questions in astrophysics in the homework assignments, many of them will require use of Mathematica or Mathcad. Students need to become proficient in one of these, if not so already. These packages are available on student machines throughout the department. If you wish to have one of them installed on your own machine, you will have to purchase it (with student discount) from Iowa Book and Supply. A Mathematica tutorial will be held early in the semester.
9. There is a World Wide Web homepage associated with the course, (URL given above). Go to the link for 29:120. The website contains supplemental lecture material and homework assignments. It also serves as a gateway to other astronomical links.
10. I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please see me after class or during office hours.
11. Grades will be assigned on the basis of a point total from the homework and the exam scores. The conversion from point score to letter grade will be determined in part on an absolute scale (to be determined) and in part by a student's standing vis-a-vis his or her peers. Students will be fully informed of the grading scale as the semester progresses.

Below is listed the tentative set of topics to be discussed in the semester, together with textbook references.

List of topics to be covered

1. Magnetohydrodynamics and its Role in Astrophysics.
The Alfven Wave as a solution to the equations of magnetohydrodynamics, and its importance in astrophysics.

2. The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation.
The variety of forms of matter in the interstellar medium. Our understanding of how stars form. The Jeans mass as a criterion for contraction of interstellar gas clouds. The discovery and nature of molecular clouds. The role of magnetic fields in regulating star formation. The possibly important role played by turbulence in star formation. HII regions (Chapter 12).

3. Post-Main-Sequence Stellar Evolution.
How we understand red giants, red supergiants, and Cepheid variables (Chapter 13).

4. Stellar Pulsations.
The properties of Cepheid variable stars and related stars. How we can understand the mechanism for pulsation and the resultant periodic light variations. (Chapter 14).

5. Degenerate Stellar Remnants.
The physics of white dwarfs and neutron stars. Observational evidence for these objects; radio pulsars, SS 433, etc (Chapter 16).

6. Black Holes.
The basis of black holes in General Relativity. The nature of things in the vicinity of black holes. The strong observational evidence for the existence of black holes (Chapter 17).

7. Close Binary Stars.
The physics of mass transfer and accretion disks. Stellar explosions and their origins in close binary systems (Chapter 18).

8. Gamma Ray Burst Sources.
What is causing the brilliant flashes of gamma rays, visible from across the universe? (Chapter 15, Section 15.4).

9. Physical Processes in Solar System Astronomy.
A discussion of some of the main physics topics which make the planets the way they are: tides, topics in atmospheric physics, etc. (Chapter 19).

10. Galactic Structure.
The basic physics of the Milky Way Galaxy, particularly the kinematics and dynamics of orbits within the Galaxy. Properties of the Galactic Center (Chapter 24).

11. Other Galaxies.
How we understand spiral structure in the Milky Way and other spiral galaxies. The outcome of galactic collisions (Parts of Chapters 25 and 26).

12. Cosmology.
One of the main topics in contemporary astronomy and perhaps the main topic in modern physics. Understanding the evolution of the universe in terms of highly simplified solutions of the equations of General Relativity. The Friedmann Universe and its solutions. How Dark Matter and Dark Energy fit into cosmological models, and why it is necessary to include them (Chapters 27 and 29).