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Theoretical Astrophysics - PhD course
Provider: Faculty of Science

Activity no.: 5893-20-11-31 
Enrollment deadline: 31/08/2020
PlaceNiels Bohr Institute
Date and time31.08.2020, at: 00:00 - 06.11.2020, at: 16:00
Regular seats20
ECTS credits7.50
Contact personJulie Meier    E-mail address: juliemh@nbi.ku.dk
Enrolment Handling/Course OrganiserMartin Elias Pessah    E-mail address: mpessah@nbi.ku.dk
Semester/BlockBlock 1
Scheme groupB
Exam formContinuous assessment
Exam detailsWritten examination, 4 hours under invigilation The final grade will be based on two components: (i) weekly homework assignments (1/3 of the final grade) (ii) 4-hour written exam (2/3 of the final grade)
Exam aidsOnly certain aids allowed
Criteria for exam assessmentSee learning outcome
Exam re-examination A 4-hour written exam will count for 2/3 of the final grade. 1/3 of the grade will be based on the weekly assignments that are to be handed in during the course. The assignments cannot be re-submitted. This means that it will only be possible to acheive up to 2/3 of the maximum grade without following the course again, if the assignments were not sumitted.
Course workload
Course workload categoryHours
Lectures36.00
Preparation130.00
Exercise(s)36.00
Exam4.00

Sum206.00


Aim and content
This fundamental course provides an overview of some of the most important astrophysical processes that shape the evolution, and observational properties, of astrophysical systems, from planets to stars, and from supermassive black holes to entire galaxies. The course is strongly recommended for all students starting at the M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels in preparation for their further study and research in any area of astrophysics, including planetary sciences and cosmology. We will cover the basic equations, learn how to solve them, and understand their implications. This course will provide students with a wide range of interests in observational, theoretical, or computational astrophysics with a valuable toolkit to become more competent researchers.

The aim of this course is to bring together several key concepts in physics and build upon them in order to understand some of the most important processes in astrophysics. This is crucial in order to understand the formation and evolution of a wide range of astrophysical systems. This is a demanding task that is possible to accomplish by attending the lectures and investing the time in doing the weekly homework assignments. This course has been designed in such a way that lectures and weekly assignments come together to achieve the goals sets forth.

Content: This course gives an introduction to, and builds upon, the following subjects:

•Order of magnitude astrophysics, fundamental concepts and equations
•Radiative processes: basic radiative transfer, absorption, scattering
•Hydrodynamics: fundamental equations, waves, instabilities, shocks
•Magnetohydrodynamics: fundamental equations, waves, instabilities
•Gravity: virial theorem for N-body and gases, self-gravitating fluids
•Astrophysical flows: basic properties of disks, jets, and winds

Formel requirements

Important information for students outside of Denmark:

This course is primarily for students at the University of Copenhagen and other universities in Denmark. If you wish to participate in this course, but you are outside of DK, please send an email to the course responsible or the contact person to find out if you may be allowed to participate. Do NOT use the online application, as it will be voided. Thank you.


Learning outcome

Skills:
When the course is finished it is expected that the student is able to:
•Identify the physical processes involved in a given astrophysical setting
•Carry out order of magnitude calculations to support physical intuition
•Solve basic problems involving radiative transfer, wave propagation, instabilities, and shocks in hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics.



Knowledge:
When the course is finished it is expected that the student is able to:
•Explain the basic astrophysical processes covered by the course content
•Explain how these processes act together to dictate the dynamics of astrophysical flows such as self-gravitating fluids, disk, winds, and jets.



Competences:
This course will endow the students with a powerful set of tools that will allow them to work more confidently on a wide variety of subjects in astrophysics. The competences acquired in this course are a valuable complement to those obtained in observational and phenomenological astrophysics courses. These competences are an indispensable asset for students wishing to pursue studies in any branch of astrophysics. This course provides the students with the background knowledge to pursue research in this field and is an excellent preparation for a M.Sc. project.

Literature
See Absalon for final course material. The following is an example of expected course literature.

There is no mandatory book for the course. The lectures draw upon several books but mostly follow the spirit of
•Theoretical Astrophysics. Vol. 1., Astrophysical Processes.

T. Padmanabhan. Cambridge University Press. 2000.

This is an excellent book for the theoretically inclined students, but it might be rather advanced for students to read it on their own. The lectures that draw from this book are prepared to make the material accessible. If you like to see the book before you decide whether to buy it, you can have a look at the copy in the NBI library, or just stop by M. Pessah’s office. You are also welcome to send an email with inquiries.

Some students could find other books at the library useful, e.g.,
•Principles of Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, Clarke and Carswell, Cambridge University Press. 2014.

•The Physics of Fluids and Plasmas, An Introduction to Astrophysics., A. R. Chouduri. Cambridge University Press. 1998.


•Theoretical Astrophysics, An Introduction, M. Bartelmann, Wiley-VCH, 2013

Teaching and learning methods
The lectures will usually be given in the blackboard. There will be a total of 6 or 7 non-mandatory assignemnts, i.e., students that choose not to hand in the assignments can still take the exam. However, investing the time in doing these exercises is considered to be a crucial part of the learning experience for this course and they do carry 1/3 of the final grade. Most of the exercises will be analytical and there could be some computer exercises that could be done using Matlab, Mathematica, Python, or other program or language that the students find useful.

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