Fundamentals of Astrophysics (PHYS*7810)
Code and section: PHYS*7810*01
Term: Fall 2021
Instructor: Niayesh Afshordi
Details
Course Information
Instruction
Instructor: Niayesh Afshordi
Email: nafshord@uwaterloo.ca
Office hours: by appointment
Lectures and Tutorials
Lectures
| Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Monday and Wednesday | 1:00pm-2:20pm | EIT 2053 (UW campus) |
Tutorials
| Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | 1:00pm-2:20pm | EIT 2053 (UW campus) |
Lectures and Tutorials will also be live streamed on Zoom, and recordings will be available in Dropbox.
This course is designed to provide a basic theoretical background for graduate students in Astronomy, Astrophysics, or related areas.
The lectures will lay the physical foundations for astrophysical processes, which roughly cover: Order of Magnitude Astrophysics, Radiative processes, Gravitational Dynamics, Plasma and Fluid Astrophysics, Statistical and Nuclear Physics, Collisional Processes, and Relativistic Astrophysics.
The problem sets and tutorials will cover specific applications, including: Stellar Structure and Evolution, Stellar Remnants, Supernovae and Gamma Ray Bursts, Accretion Disks, Jets and Active Galactic Nuclei, Cosmic Rays, Galaxy and Interstellar Medium, Star and Planet formation.
Marking
| Assessment | Weight |
|---|---|
| Assignments | 40% |
| Assignment Presentations | 20% |
| Mini-research project | 30% |
| Class Participation | 10% |
Assignments
Will include one problem/week, which includes numerical computations. Only the 7 highest marked assignments are included in the final grade.
Mini-research project
You should let me know your area of interest in Astrophysics within the first 3 weeks of the course, and I’ll assign you a mini-research project.
Tutorials
We have weekly tutorials, so that we could discuss the assignments, and you can present your solutions.
Course Materials
Required Text
None
Recommended Texts
- T. Padmanabhan, Theoretical Astrophysics, Volume I: Astrophysical Processes (ISBN-13: 978-0521566322; Cambridge University Press) [TA]
- Arnab Rai Choudhuri, Astrophysics for Physicists (ISBN-13: 978-0521815536; Cambridge University Press) [AP]
- Bruce T. Draine, Physics of the Interstellar and Intergalactic Medium (ISBN-13: 978-0691122144; Princeton University Press) [PIIM]
- Mario Vietri, Foundations of High-Energy Astrophysics (ISBN-13: 978-0226855691; University of Chicago Press) [HEA]
A very engaging self-study problem book, which can be worked through alongside this course is:
- T. Padmanabhan, Cosmology and Astrophysics through Problems (ISBN-13: 978-0521467834; Cambridge University Press)
The assignments can be submitted into the LEARN Dropbox folder, accessible by registered students.
Course Schedule
[all times: 1300-1420 EDT]
| Lecture/Tutorial | Date | Topic | Reading 1 | Reading 2 | Assignment Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | 9/8/2021 | Order of Magnitude Astrophysics | TA 1 | AP 1 | |
| 9/10/2021 | No Tutorial | ||||
| L2 | 9/13/2021 | Order of Magnitude Astrophysics | TA 1 | AP 1 | |
| L3 | 9/15/2021 | Order of Magnitude Astrophysics | TA 1 | AP 1 | |
| 9/17/2021 | No Tutorial | ||||
| L4 | 9/20/2021 | Statistical Physics | TA 5 | ||
| L5 | 9/22/2021 | Radiative Processes | TA 4, 6 | AP 2 | |
| 9/24/2021 | No Tutorial | ||||
| L6 | 9/27/2021 | Radiative Processes | TA 4, 6 | AP 2 | |
| L7 | 9/29/2021 | Radiative Processes | TA 6 | AP 2 | |
| T1 | 10/1/2021 | A1 | A1: Stellar Structure and Evolution | ||
| L8 | 10/4/2021 | Radiative Processes | TA 7 | AP 2 | |
| L9 | 10/6/2021 | Dynamics | TA 2 | Hamiltonian Systems | |
| L10 | 10/8/2021 | Gravitational Dynamics | TA 2 | AP 6 | |
| 10/11/2021 | Reading Week: No Lecture! | ||||
| 10/13/2021 | Reading Week: No Lecture! | ||||
| 10/15/2021 | Reading Week: No Tutorial! | ||||
| L11 | 10/18/2021 | Gravitational Dynamics | TA 6 | AP 6 | |
| L12 | 10/20/2021 | Gravitational Dynamics | TA 6 | AP 6 | |
| 10/22/2021 | No Tutorial! | A2: Stellar Remnants | |||
| 10/25/2021 | No Lecture! | ||||
| 10/27/2021 | No Lecture! | ||||
| T2 | 10/29/2021 | A2-A3 | TA 8 | Turbulence | A3 |
| L13 | 11/1/2021 | Fluids, Turbulence, and Shocks | |||
| L14 | 11/3/2021 | Fluids, Turbulence, and Shocks | TA 8 | ||
| T3 | 11/5/2021 | A4 | A4 | ||
| L15 | 11/8/2021 | Fluids, Turbulence, and Shocks | TA 8 | ||
| L16 | 11/10/2021 | Plasma Physics | TA 9 | ||
| L17 | 11/12/2021 | Plasma Physics | TA 9 | A5 | |
| L18 | 11/15/2021 | Plasma Physics | TA 9 | ||
| L19 | 11/17/2021 | Plasma Physics | TA 9 | ||
| L20 | 11/19/2021 | MHD | MRI | A6 | |
| L21 | 11/22/2021 | Nuclear Physics | TA 12 | ||
| L22 | 11/24/2021 | Nuclear Physics | TA 12 | ||
| T4 | 11/26/2021 | A5-A6 | A7 | ||
| L23 | 11/29/2021 | High Energy Processes | High Energy Review | ||
| L24 | 12/1/2021 | High Energy Processes | High Energy Review | ||
| T5 | 12/3/2021 | A7-A8 | A8 | ||
| 12/??/2021 | Project Presentations | A9 |
Schedule of Final Presentations (12/??/2021 @ ???)