Physics
562: Stellar Astrophysics
last updated: Nov 11, 2009
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Announcements:
Please try to stay on top of the reading and other assignment as
the end of the semester is rapidly approaching. On Thursday we'll draw straws for final
talk dates if you folks have not made other arrangements by then.
Class
meeting time: T/Th 2:00-3:15, Workman 352
Contact
Info: M. Creech-Eakman, Workman 357, X5809 OR MRO, ROB 147, X6756 OR mce at kestrel.nmt.edu
Office
hours: Office hours at Workman: Monday 1-3, Thursday 9-10 or by
appt. (email me)
Main
books: See syllabus, on reserve in the library and one book online The Fundamentals of Stellar Astrophysics, Collins
Click here for a pdf copy
of the syllabus.
Quote
for thought:
"The problems that exist in the
world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created
them."
--Albert Einstein
Links for grabbing papers:
ADS
Abstracts
LANL Preprint Server
Links for required or useful reading: (you'll need to be on a campus network to download these)
Abbott & Conti -- WRs
BBFH 1957 (large)
Burrows et
al. - BDs
Chabrier & Baraffe -- Theory of LM Stars
Chanmugan -- B fields of Degenerate Stars
Gautschy & Saio -- Pulsations across HR diagram parts 1 & 2
Hartmann & Noyes -- Rotation and B field on MS
Herwig -- AGB
Hillebrandt & Niemeyer -- Type IA SN
Lebreton -- Stellar Structure & Evol from Hipparcos
Liebert -- WDs
McKee & Ostriker -- Star Formation
Sandage & Tammann -- Cepheids and other pulsators
Smartt -- Core-collapse SN
Taam
& Sandquist -- Common Envelope Evol Massive Binaries
Thompson et al -- Solar rotation
Tohline -- Origin of Binary Stars
van Winckel -- Post AGB
Willson -- Mass-loss and Evolution
Zinnecker & Yorke -- Massive Star formation
Other
useful goodies:
Online astrophysics
handbook
Atomic and molecular data ---- Plasma gate
OSU
LLNL
Opacity databases --- LANL TOPS
LLNL OPAL
"The Virial
Theorem in Stellar Astrophysics" G. W. Collins, II
"Radiative
Transfer in Stellar Atmospheres" R. J. Rutten
These links are to colloquia
schedules in the area. Attending stellar talks and writing up a
review on them is worth extra credit.
See me for details.
NRAO Colloquia Schedule
NMT Physics
Colloquia
Schedule
NMSU
Astronomy Colloquia Schedule
UNM
Physics and Astronomy Colloquia Schedule
Note in
particular:
NRAO Colloq
- Cornelia Lang (U Iowa) Oct 1, Jason Kalirai (STSci) Oct 8,
Scott Shnee (HIA) Oct 15, Fred Walter (SUNY SB) Oct 29, John Carpenter
(Caltech) Nov 12, Joris Verbiest (WV Univ) Dec 11
UNM Colloq
- Fontaine (Montreal) Nov 13
NMSU
Colloq -
NMT Colloq
- Dimitri Mihalas Dec 3
(HKT = Hansen et al., KW = Kippenhahn & Weigert, CO = Carroll & Ostlie, C = Collins, or others)
Schedule, Reading
and homework assignments:
Aug 25 -- Syllabus and schedule. H-R Diagram. (Ch 1: HKT, Ch 7: CO)
Aug 27 -- Observational Evidence on Stars.
Sept 1 -- The Sun. HW #1 outgoing. (Ch 9: HKT, Ch 18: C&G)
Sept 3 -- No Class. Dr. Creech-Eakman on the mountain.
Sept 8 -- Basic Equations of Stellar Physics. HW #2 outgoing. (Ch 3-4: HKT, Ch 1-2: C, or others on slides)
Sept 10 -- No Class. Dr. Creech-Eakman out of town.
Sept 15 -- Polytropes and Saha. HW #1 Due.
Sept 17 -- Radiation, Opacity and Radiative Diffusion. (Ch 4-5: HKT, Ch 4 and 10: C, or others on slides)
Sept 22 -- Radiative Diffusion and Convection
Sept 24 -- Convection and conduction. Rho-T Diagrams.
Sept 29 -- Thermonuclear Reactions and Hydrogen Burning. HW #2 Due. (Ch 4: Clayton; or HKT)
Oct 1 -- Discussions of BBFH. (BBFH -- see email for sections.)
Oct 6 -- Wrap-up discussions of thermonuclear synthesis, begin star formation. (Ch 2: HKT; handouts on web)
Oct 8 -- No class -- MCE out sick.
Oct 13 -- Star formation and brown dwarfs. Low-mass stellar evolution early phases. (Papers above)
Oct 15 -- Practice midterms -- to be scheduled as above....send me email.
Oct 20 -- Finish up low-mass stars. HW #3 Due. (Papers above)
Oct 22 -- AGB and PPNe. (Papers above)
Oct 27 -- High-mass evolution. Computer modeling project #1 Due. (Papers above)
Oct 29 -- Supernovae and GRBs. Declaration of computer modeling project #2 Due. (Papers above)
Nov 3 & 5 -- No class -- MCE out of town. Work on modeling and final projects.
Nov 10 --Degenerate Objects -- WD, NS, BH. (Ch 34-36 KW)
Nov 12 -- Binary star evolution.
Nov 17 -- Stellar variability/activity in stars.
Nov 19 -- Intrinsic variable stars.
Nov 24 -- Stellar pulsation theory. HW #4 Due.
Nov 26 -- No class -- Turkey Day.
Dec 1 -- Close binaries and accretion disks.
Dec 3 -- Mass-loss, winds and the effects on evolution. HW #5 Due.
Dec 8 -- Two talks this day in class Persons A & B. Computer modeling project #2 Due this week.
Dec 10 -- Two more talks this day in class Persons C & D. Final written project Due this week.
Finals Week -- Finals scheduled individually.
Rho-T plots from Kamion's course
at Caltech - attributed to S. Phinney:
rhoTdiaglab.gif
rhoTopal.gif
rhoToverlay.gif
rhoTstarslab.gif
solarop.gif