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Core Curriculum The "core" curriculum for graduate students is as follows, with the 'A' and 'B' sequences offered in alternate years. Depending on when a student enters the program, he or she may take Year 'A', with emphasis on stellar astronomy, followed by Year 'B', with emphasis on galactic and extragalactic astronomy, or vice versa.
It is expected that all graduate students will take the above 12 courses during their first two years, regardless of whether or not they pass the qualifying exam after their first year. Because of the importance of these courses, they should be taken for a grade, rather than credit/no-credit. Students who elect not to take one of these courses should have an extremely strong reason for doing so, and should dicuss that decision in advance with the Graduate Advisor. A student who has elected not to take a course, and then does poorly on relevant questions on the qualifying exam, may be asked to take the course the next time it is offered. Students must register for at least 10 credits each quarter. Typically 6 of these are from core courses, with additional credits coming from Journal Club (575 - 1 credit), in which each student presents a paper of general interest, and Colloquium (576 - 1 credit), in which visiting faculty give lectures to the entire department. The remaining 2 credits may come from other courses of the student's choice, or from independent research with a faculty member (600). In addition to the core courses, there are other courses which the student may elect to take, such as Nuclear Astrophysics (cross-listed with the Physics Department) and courses in Planetary Astronomy and Observation and Instrumentation. Below is the full listing of graduate courses offered by the Astronomy Department. |
Full Course Listing
ASTR 500 Seminar in Elementary Astronomy Instruction (3
credits)
Seminar in the preparation of lecture and workshop materials with emphasis
on demonstration, visual aids, and the evaluation of students' progress.
ASTR 507 Physical Foundations of Astrophysics I (3
credits)
Thermodynamics from an astronomer's point of view: black body radiation,
basic radiative transfer, equation of state, degenerate gases, crystallization
at high density.
ASTR 508 Physical Foundations of Astrophysics II (3 credits)
Introduction to astronomical hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics, basic
theorems and application to stellar and interstellar magnetic fields. Introduction to plasma physics, waves in a plasma.
ASTR 509 Physical Foundations of Astrophysics III (3 credits)
Potential theory as applied to astrophysical systems. Orbits. Integrals
of motion. Equilibrium and stability of stellar systems. Encounters of Stellar
Systems. Kinetic theory of clusters, galaxies, and large-scale structure.
ASTR 510 Nuclear Astrophysics (3 credits)
Big bang nucleosynthesis; nuclear reactions in stars; solar neutrinos and neutrino oscillations; core-collapse supernovae; nucleosynthesis in stars, novae, and
supernovae; neutron starts; composition and sources of cosmic rays; gamma ray bursts; atmospheric neutrinos.
ASTR 511 Galactic Structure (3 credits)
Kinematics, dynamics, and contents of the galaxy. Spiral structure. Structure
of other galaxies. Evolution of galaxies
ASTR 512 Extragalactic Astronomy (3 credits)
Types of galaxies. Integrated properties, content, and dynamics. Extragalactic
distance scale, groups and clusters. Radio sources. Observational cosmology.
ASTR 513 Cosmology (3 credits)
Big bang cosmology; relativistic world models and classical tests; background radiation; cosmological implications of nucleosynthesis; baryogenesis; inflation;
galaxy and large-scale structure formation; quasars; intergalactic medium; dark matter.
ASTR 519 Radiative Processes in Astrophysics (3 credits)
Theory and applications of astrophysical radiation processes: transfer theory; thermal radiation; theory of radiation fields and radiation from moving charges; bremsstrahlung; synchrotron; Compton scattering; plasma effects.
ASTR 521, 522 Stellar Atmospheres (2 x 3 credits)
Theory of continuous radiation and spectral line formation. Applications
to the sun and stars.
ASTR 523 Solar Physics (3 credits)
Sun as a star, solar photosphere and outer convection zone, granulation
and related phenomena, solar chromosphere, and corona, solar activity especially
sunspots and solar flares, sun's radio emission, solar-terrestrial relations.
ASTR 531 Stellar Interiors (4 credits)
Physical laws governing the temperature, pressure, and mass distribution
in stars. Equation of state, opacity, nuclear energy generation, computational
methods. Models of main sequence stars and star formation.
ASTR 532 Stellar Evolution (3 credits)
Theoretical and observational approaches to stellar evolution. Structure of red giants, supernovae, and white dwarfs. Observations of star clusters and the chemical composition of stars as they relate to the theory of stellar structure.
ASTR 541 Interstellar Matter (3 credits)
Physical conditions and motions of neutral and ionized gas in interstellar
space. Interstellar dust, magnetic fields, formation of grains, clouds,
and stars.
ASTR 555 Planetary Atmospheres (3 credits)
Problems of origin, evolution, and structure of planetary atmospheres, emphasizing
elements common to all; roles of radiation, chemistry, and dynamical processes;
new results on the atmospheres of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and other solar
system objects in the context of comparative planetology.
ASTR 556 Planetary Surfaces (3 credits)
Comparison of surface processes and conditions on Mercury, Venus, Earth,
moon, Mars, asteroids, and satellites of the great planets. Emphasis on
understanding how and why planetary surfaces differ from one another and
the implied course of solar-system evolution. Analysis of data from Earth-based
telescopes and manned and unmanned space missions.
ASTR 557 Origin of the Solar System (3 credits)
Nebular and nonnebular theories of the solar system origin; collapse from
the interstellar medium, grain growth in the solar nebula, formation of
planetesimals and planets, early evolution of the planets and other possible
planetary systems; physical and chemical evidence upon which the ideas concerning
the origin of the solar system are based.
ASTR 561 High Energy Astrophysics (3 credits)
Observed properties of supernovae, x-ray stars, radio sources, quasars.
Theories explaining such objects. Origin of cosmic rays.
ASTR 575 Seminar in Astronomy (1-2 credits)
Discussion of recent research in astronomy and astrophysics.
ASTR 576 Astronomy Colloquium (1 credit)
Current research topics in astronomy and astrophysics.
ASTR 581 Techniques in Optical Astronomy (5 credits)
Theory and practice of obtaining optical data. Astronomical photoelectric
photometers, spectrographs, interferometers, emphasis on statistical analysis
using digital computers. Observations with MRO thirty-inch telescope.
ASTR 597 Topics in Observational Astrophysics (1-5 credits)
ASTR 598 Topics in Theoretical Astrophysics (1-5 credits)
ASTR 599 Advanced Astronomy Seminar (1-3 credits)
Practical exercises in astrophysics. Emphasis on methods and techniques of simulation, acquisition, evaluation, and analysis of
observational data and its interpretation using models of astrophysical systems.
ASTR 600 Independent Study or Research
ASTR 700 Master's Thesis
ASTR 800 Doctoral Dissertation
