Inhoud

Totale belasting van dit opo bedraagt gemiddeld 75 uur.

Academische component:

Tijdens een introductie wordt een brainstorm gehouden over de relatie tussen het service learning project en een opleiding Wetenschappen. Tijdens het terugkommoment wordt deze relatie duidelijker geëxpliciteerd aan de hand van de uitwisseling van de persoonlijke ervaringen van de studenten. Door deelname aan het service learning project zal de student het belang van bepaalde theoretische aspecten die in de opleiding aan bod komen, bijvoorbeeld rond duurzaamheid, beter begrijpen door de verankering ervan in de dagelijkse praktijk zelf vast te stellen.

• De student krijgt tijdens de introductie inleidend inzicht in theoretische kaders omtrent technologie en maatschappij, duurzaamheid en kwetsbaarheid algemeen (vanuit interdisciplinair perspectief).
• Tijdens de introductie wordt de essentie van ‘reflectie’ onderwezen en geoefend. Een praktijkdagboek wordt opgestart.

De studenten krijgen ter voorbereiding op het terugkommoment een tekst te lezen en integreren deze tijdens de dialoog van het terugkommoment. Deze tekst handelt over bepaalde visies op wetenschap en maatschappij die oriënterend kunnen zijn voor de keuzes die gemaakt worden, zowel op maatschappelijk vlak als op individueel vlak wat de inzet en het engagement van de wetenschapper betreft (honest broker, ethiek, mensbeeld, human scale development).

Praktijkcomponent:

• Kennisname van bestaande organisaties en initiatieven in het veld, gericht op de doelgroepen.
• (Passieve) observatie ter inleving in de situatie.
• Actieve, dienstverlenende participatie in de door de student gekozen organisatie, gericht op de met de organisatie afgesproken doelen.

Reflectiecomponent:

• De student dient vooraleer het ISP kan worden goedgekeurd, een voorstel van project in bij het docententeam waarbij ook de concrete stageplanning is uitgewerkt (periode, organisatie, tentatieve dienstverlenende doelen en gedetailleerde belasting).
• Gedurende de activiteiten houdt de student een dagboek bij in het ePF om concrete ervaringen te noteren.
• Eerste Reflectie in het ePF in samenspraak met de stagebegeleider, via terugkoppeling vanuit observatie naar de leeractiviteiten die zullen nodig zijn om de stage-doelen van de student en de organisatie te realiseren – Deze reflectie krijgt vormende feedback van het docententeam
• Tweede Reflectie in het ePF: Individuele reflectie via terugkoppeling vanuit de actieve stage naar de theoretische kaders - Deze reflectie krijgt vormende feedback van het docententeam.
• Terugkommoment - Afsluitende reflectie (deel van eindevaluatie): 10’ presentatie en verdere dialoog met het docententeam, de lokale begeleider en medestudenten over wat de student op welke vlakken heeft ervaren en geleerd, integratie van de aangeleverde visietekst, explicitering van de link tussen de opleiding en service learning.

Toelichting

De evaluatie gebeurt door het docententeam op basis van een gesprek (presentatie) en het ePF dat de student samenstelt. Dit ePF brengt volgende elementen naar voor:

-het maatschappelijk engagement van de student (dagboek) en de beoordeling door de stagebegeleider in de partnerorganisatie en de begeleidende docent (procesevaluatie - beoordeling omvat volgende criteria: aanwezigheid, tijdigheid, inzet, respectvolle houding, waardevolle inbreng, heldere communicatie)

-de kwaliteit van reflecties en verslagen (individueel – verslag en self-assessment)

Bepaling van het eindresultaat

Het opleidingsonderdeel wordt beoordeeld door het docententeam met inbreng van de partnerorganisatie, zoals meegedeeld via Toledo.

EEen negatieve beoordeling voor de praktijkcomponent resulteert automatisch in een fail voor het hele opo.

Het resultaat wordt bekendgemaakt als een pass/fail.
 

Toelichting bij herkansen

Het ePF kan herwerkt worden om kwaliteitsvoller de gevraagde elementen te illustreren.  Na een negatief oordeel voor de praktijkcomponent is geen herkansing mogelijk.

Content

• Brief review of General Relativity

• Theory of Gravitational Waves

• Generation of Gravitational Waves

• Sources of Gravitational Waves

• Gravitational-wave Detectors

• Gravitaitonal-wave Data Analysis

Course material

• Gravitational-Wave Physics and Astronomy: An Introduction to Theory, Experiment and Data iAnalysis; Jolien D. E. Creighton & Warren G. Anderson; Wiley

• Gravitational Waves (Vol I & II); Michele Maggiore; Oxford University Press

Explanation

The final project consist of an extended assignment done and presented alone or in groups.

Information about retaking exams

The points from the take-home tasks, if any, will be transferred to the second exam period. Only the regular examination can be repeated.

Content

1. General description: the Sun, observations in different wavelengths, Sunspots, the solar cycle, the solar magnetic field, the coronal

heating problem, actives regions, solar flares, coronal loops, the solar wind, coronal mass ejections, space weather.

2. Elements of plasma physics: motion of charged particles, gyration, the E×B drift, the ∇B drift, gravitational drift, magnetic mirrors.

3. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD): one-fluid and two-fluid MHD, Hall MHD, the plasma β, the Alfvén Mach number, magnetic flux tubes,

conservation of magnetic flux, the frozen-in theorem, quasi neutrality in plasmas, magnetic pressure and tension, conductivity in a plasma,

the displacement current, field aligned currents, MHD waves, shocks and discontinuities, Alfvén and fast waves, the Rankine-Hugoniot

relations.

4. Coronal and solar wind plasma: macroscopic or fluid models (the Parker model, the Weber-Davis model, force free magnetic field models,

magnetic field reconstruction techniques), microscopic or kinetic models (collisional, collisionless, homogeneous or inhomogeneous).

5. Kinetic modeling: particle velocity distributions, observations, Vlasov-Boltzman formalism of plasma waves, wave-particle interaction, anisotropic

Distributions (temperature anisotropy in the solar wind, beams in the fast wind, counterstreams in coronal mass ejections and shocks).

6. Spectral theory: motivation for collisionless and collision-poor plasma models, plasma waves and characteristics (collisionless dissipation, Landau, cyclotron,

high and low-frequency waves, MHD waves), instabilities and enhanced fluctuations in plasmas with free energy: kinetic anisotropy,  inhomogeneities, etc.

applications in the corona, solar wind and planetary magnetospheres.

Content

Two assignments are given during the semester. The subjects of these assignments depends and can vary form coronale heating, over sunspots to coronal seismology.

Course material

Recent papers on solar physics are provided, depending on the assignment.

Format: more information

Two assignments are given during the semester. A report has to be handed in for both of these. Each report is marked on 4 points, i.e. 20% of the total end score.

Explanation

Closed book exam with about 5-open questions about the treated material.

The reports of the two tasks that are given during the semester are marked on 4 points each. The weigth of the exam thus amounts to 12 points.

In case of a re-sitis the points on the report are transferred. So it is not possible to make new tasks in that case.

Content

The course is organized in modules. The basic modules consist of lectures combined with (home assignment and group)  worksessions, and will cover:
 
1. Introduction
a. Developing numerical codes
   – Computer code development, programming techniques, code maintenance, optimization
   – Concepts of verification, validation, sensitivity analysis, error and uncertainty quantification
 b. Spatial and temporal discretization techniques.
   – Spatial discretizations: Basic concepts for discrete representations. Finite difference, finite element, and spectral methods. An application: solving a Sturm-Liouville model problem and handling boundary conditions (eigenoscillations of a planar stellar atmosphere).
   – Temporal discretizations: Explicit versus implicit time integration strategies. Semi-discretization, predictor-corrector and Runge-Kutta schemes.
 
2. Towards computational gas dynamics.
• The advection equation and handling discontinuous solutions numerically. Stability, diffusion, dispersion, and order of accuracy, demonstrated with linear advection problems. Extension to linear hyperbolic systems and solution of the Riemann problem. Nonlinear scalar equations and shocks: solving Burgers equation. Non-conservative versus conservative schemes.
• Isothermal hydrodynamics and basic stellar wind models. Governing equations, Rankine-Hugoniot conditions, Prandtl-Meyer shock relation. Rarefactions, integral curves and Riemann invariants. Application to transonic stellar winds: Parker solar wind solution, isothermal rotating transonic winds, shocked accretion flows.
 
3. Compressible gas dynamics and multi-dimensional applications.
• The Euler equations and finite volume methods. Conservative form, Rankine-Hugoniot shock relations, exact solution of the Riemann problem, Riemann invariants. Basic shock-capturing discretization methods: finite volume methods and the TVDLF algorithm.
Possible advanced topic: Roe solver. Godunov scheme for Euler equations, Approximate Riemann solver, Roe scheme, numerical tests.
• Extensions to multi-dimensional algorithms and example multi-dimensional stellar wind models. Example 2D Euler simulations, emphasizing stellar wind models for various evolutionary phases, for cool to massive stars. Extension to interacting wind models using optically thin radiative losses. Attention to failures of modern schemes that still plague 1D and multi-D Euler simulations.
 
4. Numerical radiative transfer.
• Basic radiative transfer. The governing equations of radiative transfer and the rate equations. Discretization, treatment of angle dependence (with angle quadrature), handling of frequencies and optical depths.
• Specific numerical treatments. Feautrier method, Lambda iteration, Multi-level iteration. Application to stellar winds which are dust or radiative driven.
 
5. Intro to Computational Magneto-Hydro-Dynamics.
• Introduction: the MHD model. Applicability, use in astrophysical context.
• Transmagnetosonic stellar winds and 1D MHD simulations. Weber-Davis MHD wind model, numerical simulations for solar and stellar rotating, magnetized winds, consequences for stellar rotational evolution. MHD shocks, Riemann problem tests.
 
A final module can be chosen depending on the interest of the students, linking to current research trends.

Course material

The lecture sheets are made available through Toledo. Additional course notes are provided online as well. Reference books are (students will not be required to purchase these, no book covers all topics):

• Numerical Methods in astrophysics, Taylor & Francis 2007, Bodenheimer et al.
• Advanced Magnetohydrodynamics, Cambridge University Press 2010, Goedbloed, Keppens, Poedts

Format: more information

Next to the lectures, students will either individually or in pair work out computerassignments, directly related to the topics covered. This will encompass both self-coding for a relevant toy problem and using advanced state-of-the-art software in a modern application. Part of these will be organized in joint computerclass sessions.

Content

Using a combination of self-written and available software to solve selected astrophysical toy problems numerically. The idea is to gain insight in method limitations, as well as get acquainted with its inherent possibilities.

In a first part, the students will be asked to program their own solver.

In a second part, the students perform selected hydrodynamic simulations, and learn how to interpret and visualize their computational data.

Course material

During the second assigment, we make use of opensource modern computational codes, specifically the MPI-AMRVAC code, widely used in astrophysical applications.

Format: more information

Assignments will be formulated and presented in teams, and we foresee access to supercomputer platforms.

Explanation

Permanent assessment, working out project assignments. At least one project will be handed in as a written report, along with the self-written computercode. The team assignment lets the students perform modern computational research, to be reported in a team presentation.

Information about retaking exams

The second exam will be formulated as an extensive take-home computerassignment, where the student ultimately reports on the numerical strategy, (astro)physical application and makes contact with relevant modern literature.

Content

Introduction and motivation
 
    * Definition of space weather
    * Space weather effects
    * Space weather components
    * Predictions and forecasts
 
A tour of the Solar System
 
    * Sun
    * Solar corona
    * Interplanetary space
    * Planetary magnetosphere
 
The Earth Environment
 
    * Magnetosphere
    * Magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling
    * Magnetosphere-thermosphere coupling
 
Solar energetic particles
 
    * Generation of high-energy particles in space weather events
    * Transport of high-energy particles in the solar system
    * Radiation belts
 
Models of space weather
 
    * fluid modeling
    * kinetic effects
 
Following a typical space weather storm
 
    * Coronal Mass Ejections (CME): initiation
    * CME: Inter−planetary evolution
    * Impact on the Earth environement
    * Geo−effectivity of magnetic storms
    * Ground and space based solar observations
    * Radio observations
    * In situ measurements (e.g. ACE, CLUSTER)
    * Unsolved problems
 
Resources and Forecast
 
    * Web-based services from NOAA and ESA
    * Simulation: NASA's community coordinated modeling center (CCMC)
    * Soteria and the SSA.
 
 

Course material

G. Lapenta, Lecture notes.

A. Hanslmeier, The Sun and Space Weather (Springer, 2008)
M. Kallenrode, Space Physics (Springer, 2004)

Format: more information

Lessons from the teaching team, including distinguished experts from space agencies and industry.

Is also included in other courses

G0B32B : Space Weather

Content

Introduction and motivation
 
The students use online web site and computer codes to build experience on space weather. For example:
 
* Use of the CCMC web site to simulate space weather
 
* Study of the astrophysics of the Sun and of the Solar System
 
* Computer simulation of spacecrafts immersed in the environment near the Earth
 
*  Space weather between the Earth and the Moon
 
* A trip to Mars: consequences of radiation and particles

Course material

A. Hanslmeier, The Sun and Space Weather (Springer, 2008)
M. Kallenrode, Space Physics (Springer, 2004)

Format: more information

Student projects guided by experts in the field.

Explanation

The exam is composed of differnt parts:

oral presentation on the project: 30%
report on the project: 40%
practical work done at  home and due before the exam: 30%

Content

*

A review of special relativistic kinematics is given using time-space diagrams and the principle of stationary action in point mechanics.  Electromagnetic interactions are also considered.
The mathematical tool that is needed to describe curved spaces (Riemannian geometry) is introduced in terms of concrete surfaces.  The main goal is to express physical laws in terms of tensors.
Einsteins theory of gravitation is introduced and compared with both non-relativistic theory of gravitation and relativistic electromagnetism.
The predictions of Einstein's theory that led to its first experimental verifications are given as a first application.  More applications such as black holes and the big bang model are considered.
Finally,  some time is spent on hot topics such as gravitational waves, or a more extensive treatment of black holes, or cosmology.
Contact with real life will be made trough a forum and a project.

Course material

Handboek: Spacetime and Geometry: An introduction to General
Relativity, Sean M. Carroll

Explanation

The exam is closed-book, but the students will be provided with a formula-sheet.  A part of the evaluation will also be based on take-home tasks. Students can use course material, references and computer help for the take-home assignments.

Information about retaking exams

There is no home-task.

The grades from the home-task during the year will also be taken into account for the resit.

Explanation

Questions to be answered orally. Preparation allowed. Notes are accepted. Questions cover full chapters of the course. 
Open book; the student will be evaluated on his/her global understanding of different subjects treated in the course.

Content

This course is organised in cooperation with the Universiteit Amsterdam.
 

• Introduction
          
• Molecular Clouds
– Basic properties
– Formation and Destruction
– Rotation
– Turbulent, magnetic, thermal pressure support
– Bonner-Ebert spheres and Singular Isothermal Spheres
– Jeans mass
           
• Collapse
– Fragmentation
– Star formation modes: cluster versus isolated
– Initial Mass Function
– Singular isothermal sphere collapse: non-rotating; rotating (disk formation);
with magnetic field (Pseudo-disk formation).
              
• Star Formation, Pre MS evolution
– Hayashi tracks
– PMS tracks
– Birthline
– Deuterium burning
– High mass star formation
               
• Disks
– Observations of disks
– Observations of Jets
– Disk Formation
– Disk Physics: passive versus active disks; disk geometry; disk timescales (formation,
accretion, dissipation); mixing (radial and vertical); dust processing.
– Disk Spectra
– Disk images at various wavelengths
– Molecular line spectra
                
• Chemistry of Star Formation
– Composition of GMCs
– Chemical processes during core formation and collapse
– Ice Formation
– Ion-molecule reactions in hot cores
– Chemistry in disks
– The role of mixing
               
• Planet Formation
– Gravitational Collapse in the Disk
– Aerodynamics of dust particles in disks
– From Dust to Planetesimals
– From Planetesimals to Planets
                    
• Extrasolar Planets
– Detection
– Properties
– Migration
                
• Comets
– Origin
– Dynamical evolution
– Composition
                 
• Vega-like stars
– Observations and models for Vega-like stars
– Late phases of the formation of a planetary system

Content

1. Continuum mechanics
• Lagrangian and Eulerian descriptions
• Reynolds transport theorem
• Conservation of mass and continuity equation
• Conservation of momentum and equation of motion
• Conservation of angular momentum and symmetry of the Cauchy stress tensor
• Stress and constitutive relations for solids and fluids
• Neglect of viscosity in stars
• Conservation of energy
• Poisson’s equation
• Boundary conditions
2. Wave equations for quasi-static, spherically symmetric bodies
• Quasi-static equilibrium models
• Lagrangian displacement
• Lagrangian and Eulerian perturbations
• Eulerian linearized equation of motion
• Pertubations of density and gravitational potential
• Linearized constitutive relations for solids and liquids
• Elastic and isentropic approximations and thermal time scale
• Linearized boundary conditions
3. Basic waves in fluids and solids
• Acoustic waves
• Dynamical timescale
• Convection
• Gravity waves
• Surface gravity waves
• seismic pressure and shear body waves
• seismic surface Rayleigh and Love surface waves
4. Normal modes
• Separation of time
• Hermitian eigenvalue problem
• Orthogonality
• Rayleigh principle
• Oscillation energy
• Stability
5. Spheroidal and toroidal modes
• Development of displacement field
• System of coupled radial equations
• Decoupling of toroidal and spheroidal oscillations
• Oscillations of the Earth
– Toroidal oscillations of the Earth
– Spheroidal oscillations of the Earth
– Reflection and refraction of seismic waves
• Spheroidal oscillations of stars
– Governing equations
– Radial modes, energy and stability
– Period-mean density relation
– Non-radial modes, energy and stability
– Cowling approximation
6. Physical properties of spheroidal stellar oscillations
• Propagation of waves in the radial direction
• Dispersion relations, propagation diagrams
• Radial modes
– Sturm-Liouville problem
– Upper and lower limits for the fundamental frequency
• Classification of non-radial modes: p- and g- and f-modes
• Influence of the stellar atmosphere on p-modes
7. Asymptotic representations of stellar oscillations
• JWKB-approximation
• Asymptotic series
• Equations with a large parameter
• Radial modes
– Governing equations
– Asymptotic solutions starting from the center
– Asymptotic solutions starting from the surface
– Eigenvalue equation
• Non-radial p- and g-modes
8. Vibrational stability of stars
• Energy
• Quasi-adiabatic approximation
• Excitation by nuclear reactions
• Radiative damping
• The _-mechanism
9. Influence of rotation on stellar oscillations
• Equilibrium state for rotating stars
• Equation of motion for rotating stars
• Perturbation method to obtain eigenfrequencies and eigenfunctions
• Fast rotation
• r-modes

Course material

C. Aerts, J. Christensen-Dalsgaard, D.W. Kurtz, Asteroseismology, Springer, 2010

Content

1. Basic characteristics of planets and moons

• Definition of a planet and evolution of the concept
• Basic properties: pressure, temperature, gravitational energy, thermal energy, size
• Mass-radius relations and classification of (exo)planets
• Relations between the host star and planetary composition; volatile and refractory elements
• Overview of planets and moons of the solar system and exoplanets

2. Interior structure and high pressure properties of planetary materials

• Hydrostatic equilibrium
• High pressure and high temperature equations of state
• Mineralogy
• Phase diagrams

3. Gravimetry

• Gravity field of non-spherically symmetric bodies
• Moments of inertia
• Clairaut’s equation for rotational flattening
• Insight into the interior structure of planets
• Gravity anomalies
• Isostasy

4. Heat flow and evolution of planets

• Energy sources: gravitational, radiogenic, latent heat
• Energy transport: conduction and convection
• subsolidus convection
• Core: formation, evolution, composition
• Thermal history models
• Planetary magnetic fields

5. Tides

• Tidal potential
• Tidal deformation, gravity variations and gravitational potential variations
• Love numbers and relation with internal structure
• Tidal dissipation
• Tidal influence on orbital and rotational motion

6. Theoretical basis of planetary chemistry

• Processes affecting atmospheric chemistry
• Chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics in the atmosphere and the interior
• Chemical disequilibrium and kinetics in the atmosphere and on the surface
• Spectroscopic signatures of planetary atmospheres and the surface

7. Retrievals of exoplanet atmospheres

• Atmospheric spectra with forward models
• Effects of disequilibrium chemistry
• Effects of clouds
• Retrievals of pressure and temperature
• Retrievals of atmospheric and cloud chemistry
• Implications for interior properties

Explanation

The report and the presentation on a project work are assessed together for 25% of the final grade (5/20). 75% of the final grade is on the exam during the examination period.

Content

Part I: General properties of stellar oscillations
• Introducing asteroseismology
– Basic properties of non-radial oscillations
– Why do stars oscillate ?
– Brief description of the mathematics of non-radial oscillations
– Contents of this course
• Stellar pulsation across the HR diagram
– Pulsations near the main sequence:
Solar-like stars;  Doradus stars;  Delta Scuti stars; Rapidly oscillating Ap stars;
Slowly pulsating B stars;  Beta Cep stars, etc.
– Pulsations in evolved low-mass stars:
_ Compact oscillators: subdwarfs and white dwarfs
– Pulsations in evolved massive stars
• Theory of non-radial oscillations in a nutshell
– Perturbation approach
– Linear non-radial oscillations
– Driving mechanisms: Modes excited by the opacity mechanism; Stochastically
excited modes
– Asymptotic behaviour
– Rotational splitting
 
Part II: Methodology
• Period analysis
– Period Analysis based upon Fourier analysis
– Harmonic analysis from non-linear least squares fitting
• Mode identification
– Multicolour photometry
– Line-profile variations
 
Part III: Applications of asteroseismology
• Helioseismology and solar-like oscillators
• Seismology of compact stars
• Seismology of massive stars
 

Explanation

Students are requested to write papers on their analysis work, put them into context of international research, and synthesize the results.

Content

    
1. Overview modern observational instruments for ground-based and space-borne astronomy

​2. Coordinate systems

3. Time in Astronomical observations

4. Photometric Observations over the EM spectrum

• photmetric systems
• reddening
• extinction

5. SED exercise

6. Basic Optics

7. Detectors: CCD

8. Spectrograph design

9. High resolution spectrograph

10 Introduction to optical interferometry

Course material

course text

book chapters

instrument manuals

Format: more information

Apart from the courses, the students will work individually on two big exercises for which they have to submit a written report. The tasks are individually different but have a main theme: the making and interpretation of an Spectral Energy Distribution of a object with multiple components (star+circumstelllar material) and the check of the optical design of a high-resolution spectrograph (HERMES).

The exam is individual and will be partly a discussion on these reports.

Explanation

During the semester, the students work on two large reports. During the exam, we discuss these reports together with the replies on specific questions on the course. Without the reports, the exam cannot take place.

You have to pass this course to succeed in the master programme.

Content

I. Stellar atmospheres

1. Basic radiative transfer
2. Analytical solutions of the transfer equation
• exponential integrals
• operators
3. Numerical solutions of the transfer equation
• discretisation
• Feautrier solutions
• ALI (approximate lambda iteration)
4. Standard model atmospheres:
• Grey atmosphere
• LTE
• Plane-parallel
• Hydrostatic equilibrium
• Radiative equilibrium
• Line blanketing
• Solutions

II. Stellar winds

1. Observations of stellar winds

2. Basic concepts: isothermal winds

3. Dust driven winds

4. Line driven winds

5. Effect of mass loss on stellar evolution

Course material

Books:

* 'Radiative transfer in Stellar Atmospheres' by R. Rutten

* `Introduction to Stellar Winds' by H.J.G.L.M. Lamers and J.P. Cassinelli

Toledo: slides + some extra course material on Toledo

Explanation

Part I: Stellar Atmospheres:

* Modality: oral exam with written preparation

* When: partial exam, open book,  midway the semester

* What: Each student prepares a discussion on a recent research article as handed out by the supervisor. The students prepares the discussion at home. The oral examination takes ~20 min.

Part II: Stellar Winds

* Modality: written exam

* When: end of the semester

* What: open book exam

Content

1. The two-body problem
• the N-body problem: general notions
• the 2-body problem: general expressions
• motion along elliptical orbits
• the orbit in space
2. Overview of the solar system
• determination of orbital elements
• orbital elements of the planets and their major satellites
• smaller bodies in the solar system
• the Earth-Moon system
3. Solar system debris
• small planets
• the Kuiper belt
• comets
• meteorites
• ring systems
4. Origin of the solar system
• major observational data
• the planet accretion model
• chemical diagnostics
• open questions
5. Exosolar planets
• detection methods of exosolar planets
• census of exosolar planets
• systematics of exoplanetary systems and their parent stars
• formation and evolution scenarios
• observational prospects
6. Debris disks
• detection of debris disks
• census of debris disks
• formation and evolution
• relation to planetary systems
7. Astrobiology
• complex chemistry in space
• exploration of the solar system
• planetary atmospheres
• evolution of the biosphere
• prospects for the detection of extraterrestrial life

Content

1. Introduction
• Star forming regions
• Final phases of stellar evolution
• Recapitulation of basic radiative transfer concepts
• Introduction to the ISM
• Physics of the ISM
                  
2. Interstellar gas
• Introduction
• HII regions
• Thermal balance of the ISM
• Phases of the ISM
               
3. Free-free (and free-bound) radiation
• The opacity of free-free radiation
• Contribution by bound-free absorption
• Application: radio continuum spectrum of PNe
• Application: emission of an ionised stellar wind
• Appendix: theory of free-free radiation
               
4. Insterstellar dust
• Introduction: literature
• The physical condition and chemical content
• Interstellar extinction and scattering
• Thermal conituum radiation of dust particles
• Dust spectroscopy
20
• Physical principles of grain surface chemistry
               
5. Circumstellar dust
• Introduction
• Red Giants and Asymptotic Red Giants (AGB stars)
• Circumstellar extinction
• Infrared emission of circumstellar dust
• A simple model for the thermal emission of dust particles
• Optically thick dust shells: IRAS colour-colour diagram
• The IR spectrum of an optically thick flat disc
• Dust condensation
• Dust driven winds
– equation of motion of the dust
– equation of motion of the gas
               
6. Atomic and molecular spectroscopy
• Atomic structure and energy levels
• N-electron atoms
• The 2-level atom
• Molecular spectroscopy
           
7. gravitational instability and starformation
• Introduction
• Jeans mass and fragmentation
• Stability of an isothermal gas sphere
• Cocoon stars
• Spectral Energy Distributions of protostars• Final remarks

Content

1. Close Binaries
• Introduction: the astrophysical context of binaries
• Formation of close binaries: capture, fragmentation
• Two-body problem: Kepler’s law revisited, determination of orbital elements,
mass function
• Effects of tides: circularisation and synchronisation
• Statistics: (P,e) relations for field stars and clusters
           
2. Mass transfer
• The Roche model and Roche lobe overflow
• Classification of close binaries
– based on Roche model: detached, semi-detached, contact
– based on observational characteristics: visual, spectroscopic, eclipsing, astrometric
• Effects of mass loss on orbital parameters
• Different types of mass transfer
• Supernovae Type I
              
3. Evolution of binaries after the main sequence
• Algols and W Serpentis stars
• AGB binaries
• Post-AGB binaries and Barium stars
• Symbiotic stars
                
4. Binaries with compact objects
• Cataclysmic variables
• X-ray binaries
• Double pulsars (including Gamma Ray bursts)
                 
5. Binary Population synthesis
• Definition
• Examples
• Confrontation with observations

Course material

* Lecture notes from previous years are available.
* All is downloadable from Toledo or /STER/roy/lectures/binarystars13
* Book: Ron Hilditch, 'An Introduction to Close Binary Stars'
Only Chapter 1, 2, 3 are used (scans available)
Cambridge University Press, 2001, ISBN 0 521 79800
* J. Andersen (1991):
'Accurate masses and radii of normal stars'
* Tauris & van den Heuvel: 'Formation and Evolution of Compact Stellar
X-ray Sources' (arXiv.org: astro-ph/0303456)

Content

1. Fundamentals of data processing
• Signal processing: introduction
• Sampling theory
• Noise models
• Visualisation
• Fourier transform
• Fundamentals of Deconvolution
• Deconvolution Algorithms
• The wavelet transform
2. Advance Spectroscopic Techniques
• Multi-Object spectrographs
• Integral field spectrographs
• Fabry-Perot spectrometers
• Fourier-transform spectrometers
3. Heterodyne and radio observations
• Antennae
• IR and Radio continuum
• Heterodyne mixing
– HEB mixers
– SiS mixers
• Single dish heterodyne spectroscopy
• Examples: APEX, IRAM etc.
4. High-energy techniques
• Gamma-ray and X-ray optics and telescopes
• High-energy detectors
• Legacy of current high-energy satellites (XMM, Chandra, Integral, Swift)
5. Interferometry in the radio domain
• Heterodyne interferometry
• Examples: Plateau de Bure, CARMA
• The ALMA project
6. Optical interferometry
• Measuring coherence with an interferometer; complex degree of visibility; amplitude
and phase, UV-coverage
• OPD corrections and delay lines
• Piston and fringe tracking
• Image plane versus pupil plane interferometry
• Imaging and closure phase
• Interferometry and astrometry
• Nulling interferometry
• Examples: VLTI, VISA
7. Astronomical data processing and analysis. Topics for exercises
• Deconvolution of images and spectra.
• Mozaic calibration strategies
• Fourier transforms, convolutions, correlation (auto-; cross-), power spectrum,
filters, ,digitisation noise, distributions, probabilities, moments, image anaysis
using wavelets etc.
• Interferometry
– From visibilities to diameters
– Constraining model parameters by X² minimalisation

Content

Galaxies and Cosmology

1. Introduction

2. Some Galaxy and Gaseous Dynamcis 

3. Disc Galaxies including Milky Way 

4. Ellipticals and Dwarfs 

5. Active Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes 

6. Galaxy Clusters 

7. Homogeneous World Models 

8. Structure Growth 

9. Galaxy Formation and Evolution

Course material

Peter Schneider (2015), "Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology: An Introduction", second edition (available as PDF-book via KU Leuven library). 

Additional course notes. 

Explanation

Partial assesment working out project assignments. At least one project will be handed in as a written report. The team assignment is to be reported in a team presentation. Final assesment then in form of oral exam during examinationperiod. 

Extra note: You have to pass this course to succeed in the master programmes 'Astronomy and Astrophysics' and 'Sterrenkunde'.

Content

The master thesis consists of research with a thesis, with the help of a supervisor from the department, and generally with help from the research Group.  Preferably the subject is connected to the specialties of the department, but other subjects with a physical character outside the department are possible.Students integrate in the research group for a few months (this also counts as the internship in a modern research laboratory) and participate in the research, including seminars, workshops, study work, and, last but not least, execution of specific experiments and/or calculations.  A report has to be written and a presentation has to be held.

Master's thesis topic: validity period

If the supervisor, at the end of the 3rd examination period of the second stage, finds that insufficient progress is made, this will be discussed with the student. The chairman of the programme committee will be informed. It may be possible that in that case the choice of the topic lapses and that a new topic must be chosen. Reasons for the cancellation of the topic may be because :

• during the academic year in which the master's thesis is included in the ISP the student has worked, without legitimate reasons, too limited on the master's thesis research, or practical arrangements or agreements have not been fulfilled, so that the master's thesis could not be completed
• the supervisor can not offer the topic in a next academic year (eg the research topic is finished / stopped, guidance will no longer be possible in the research team when needed)

Explanation

The evaluation consists of the assessment of both process and product (form and content; manuscript and defense). Four quotes are given: one by the promotor, one of each of two readers and one for the defense. The relative weight of these four quotations is 10:3:3:4. Each quotation is determined by means of the facultary assessment roster and appreciation scale. Additional information on the evaluation of the master's thesis is to be found on the faculty website.

In order to succeed the master’s thesis, the student must obtain a credit for the supervisor apart, the average of the results of the readers taken together (taking into account the rounding rules) and the defence apart. If for one or more of these components this is not the case, the maximum score will be 9/20.

For passing this course students have to upload an information skills certificate in Toledo. This certificate can be obtained in the Toledo community “Scientific integrity at the Faculty of Science”. Obtaining and submitting the information skills certificate is evaluated by ‘pass/fail’. A student with a ‘fail’ for the certificate, obtains a ‘fail’ for the course, that is converted to a non-tolerable fail. This means that students cannot pass the course and cannot use tolerance credits, if they have not obtained and submitted the certificate.

This course can not be tolerated.

Content

One project should be accomplished by the students with a workload of 3 ETCs. Different such small research projects will be defined by the staff of the institute.

Explanation

For passing this course students have to upload an information skills certificate in Toledo. This certificate can be obtained in the Toledo community “Scientific integrity at the Faculty of Science”. Obtaining and submitting the information skills certificate is evaluated by ‘pass/fail’. A student with a ‘fail’ for the certificate, obtains a ‘fail’ for the course, that is converted to a non-tolerable fail. This means that students cannot pass the course and cannot use tolerance credits, if they have not obtained and submitted the certificate.

This course can not be tolerated.

Content

· One project should be accomplished by the students with a workload of 3 ETCs.
· Small research projects are defined either by the staff or by the students themselves.
· The research projects are defined, prepared, worked out in a team of typically 2 students.
· The synthesis results in a written report as well as a scientific talk for peers. The report will be written          in scientific English
 
Within this framework, the interested students will be able to define, prepare and write down own observing proposals for the MERCATOR telescope. The observations will be performed by the students during a short visit to the observatory in the framework of ‘Research Projects III’. The students will then work on the data reduction and analysis.

Course material

Web information

Toledo page including slides

Format: more information

During the semester the students in teams of two, will work out a observing proposal using a template which is also used at the European Southern Observatory

Explanation

The endproduct is a written observing request using the stylefile which was inpired by the stylefile of the European Southern Observatory

This course can not be tolerated.

Content

· One project should be accomplished by the students with a workload of 6 ETCs.
· The research projects are defined, prepared, worked out in a team of typically 2 students.
· The synthesis results in a written report. The report will be written  in scientific English
 
Within this framework, the students who have defined, prepared and written down own observing proposals, will be able to perform the observations during a short visit to the observatory. The students will then work on the data reduction and analysis. Finally, a report in the form of a scientific article will be prepared. The evaluation is based on this report.
 

Course material

Web information

Toledo page

Instrument manuals

Reduction software

Format: more information

Visit to the Mercator telescope to perform the experiments

Workshops in datareduction

Regular meetings to present updates and discuss progress in the reduction and analyses

Content

THEORY PART

Common trunk – For all students

Plasma Basics
Plasma state, plasmas in nature, plasma experiments, plasma in industry
Field equations; particle motion in electromagnetic fields

Plasma Kinetic Theory
Boltzmann equation,
Vlasov solution: 2 stream instability
Landau solution: Fourier and Laplace transformation, integrals in phase space.
Landau damping, waves and instabilities
Computer simulations of plasma physics: the particle-particle and particle-mesh methods and their application

Plasma Fluid Theory
Moments and derivation of fluid models, MHD
Equilibrium and Stability
Principles of computer simulation of fluid models

Elective choices – Each student chooses one of the three items below

1. Space and Laboratory Plasmas
Forzen-in condition and Ohm's law.
Reconnection and energy conversion.  Particle acceleration. Shocks and Discontinuities
Example: Solar and Earth environment, Magnetic Fusion experiments

2. Relativistic Astrophysical Plasmas
Relativistic formulation, transformation properties
Radiation field and its interaction with a plasma
Examples: Astrophysical applications, Laser-plasma experiments

3. Quantum Plasmas
Strongly coupled and quantum degenerate plasmas
High energy density physics, warm dense matter
Examples: White dwarfs, Nanostructures

Content

EXERCISE PART

Take Home Exercise: Exercises will be assigned for each part of the lecture series. The exercises can be done at home but will be evaluated for the exam. The exercises will be done for a specific natural or man made plasma, chosen by the students from a list provided. The idea is to apply what we learn in class to a specific plasma of interest to the student.

Plasma Project: Each student will select from a list one project relative to the elective part chosen. The work will be in teams of 2-3. The specific project will be chosen based on the previous personal curriculum and on the interests of the students. A mixed theoretical, computational and phenomenological approach is encouraged but the students can choose the emphasis of the project. The assignment can include laboratory, industrial and astrophysical plasma applications, as well as mathematical derivations and theoretical investigations. The project will be developed during the semester and will be presented at the exam.

Format: more information

Homework: Exercises will be assigned during the semester on an approximately bi-weekly cadence for the topics of the common trunk. The examples will include theoretical derivations of specific processes and applicative exercises to put the theory into action in realistic applications.

Assignment: Each student will receive one project relative to the elective part chosen. The specific project will be chosen based on the previous personal curriculum and on the interests of the student. A mixed theoretical, computational and phenomenological approach is encouraged but the students can choose the emphasis of the project. The assignment can include laboratory, industrial and astrophysical plasma applications, as well as mathematical derivations and theoretical investigations. The project will be developed during the semester and will be presented at the exam.

Explanation

The exam is composed of differnt parts:

• oral presentation on the project: 30%
• report on the project: 30%
• take home exam part 1 - exercises: 20%
• take home exam part 2 - computer experiment: 20%

Content

1. The Expanding Universe

• Kinematics and dynamics of expanding universe (cosmic evolution, Hubble-Lemaître law, Friedmann-Lemaître eqs)
• Propagation of light and horizons (geodesics, conformal diagrams, luminosity, redshift, distance)
• composition of the universe, status cosmological observations

2. The Early Hot Universe

• Thermal history
• Cosmological nucleosynthesis

3. Structure formation

• Gravitational Instability in Newtonian theory (Jeans theory)
• Gravitational Instability in General Relativity (cosmological perturbation theory, halo formation,…)

4. Inflation

• Three puzzles (flatness, horizon, monopoles)
• Slow-roll inflation
• Inflation as origin of cosmological fluctuations

5. Anisotropies in the Microwave Sky

• Generalities
• Temperature fluctuations: scalar and tensor modes
• Polarization
• Observations

6. Quantum cosmology: which universe and why?

• Hartle-Hawking no boundary wave function of the universe
• Holographic Cosmology

7. Stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds of cosmological origin

Course material

• Textbook `Modern Cosmology’ (S. Dodelson);
• lecture notes Daniel Baumann;
• part of textbook Michele maggiore on Gravitational Waves

Format: more information

The lectures will be complemented by excercises on the topics that have been covered in the lectures.

Explanation

During the semester the students will be evaluated through take-home tasks, for which they can earn points that will be taken into account in the final score.

Information about retaking exams

The points from the take-home tasks will be transferred to the second exam period.

Only the regular examination can be repeated.

Content

Science communication aims at making science more accessible to the general public, a.o. by increasing scientific literarcy of citizens. Of crucial importance is the
creation of a relation of trust among scientists and the public. This requires a clear understanding of the aims of science communication, as well as its channels and
strategies.
The course focuses on the gap between science an the public, in particular in relation to the place of science in public media. Different forms of science communication
are related to different intended target audiences.
The topics to be treated can be arranged our four general themes.

1. Science in Public
This model introduces basic concepts in the understanding of the process of science communication: theories about of definitions and models of science communication,
the role of the expert, scientific literacy, the image of science in society.

2. Science and the media
Media play an important part in science communication, but, as they are working withintheir proper cultural value system and with speficif formats, they may also be seen
as a potential threat to the reliability and accuracy of scientific messages and of the representation of science. Attention is given to the differences and tensions between
the cultures of science and journalism. Students will also prepare written expositions on scientific themes.

3. Controversial science and risk communication
A special challenge to science communicators is to speak out on themes where no scientific certainty is avalaible, or when the topics are framed in a larger (political)
debate. To represent scientific views often merges with a taking of sides, which then may threaten the neutrality of science. This form of communication is often preferred
by audiovisual media. Also science blogs tend in this direction.

4. Interactive and participative communication
Science in the public sphere has to be viewed as an interactive process, in which the dominating role of the expert cannot be taken for granted. In this form of
communication the public takes a central role. This theme focuses on science centres, science cafés, citizen science,... and the approach to disseminate scientific
information through informal learning, based on psychological models of leanring. The course analyses the use of interactive and participative communication in different settings.
 

Course material

Slides and literature are made available by the lecturer.

Language of instruction: more information

Dit opo wordt aangeboden in de doctoraatsopleiding.  Een groot deel van de doctoraatsstudenten zijn niet-Nederlandstalig.

Explanation

Information about retaking exams

Content

Scientific knowledge on sustainability and sustainable development is an important part of the OPO science and sustainability. The following subjects will certainly be covered within this course: strong versus weak sustainability, theoretical models, systems thinking, lifecycle analysis, ecological footprint, the importance of transdisciplinary collaboration. The theory needs to be applied in the assignment.

Course material

Powerpoint, textbook, online sources.

Language of instruction: more information

Students that register for this OPO are mixed with students that take on the Dutch equivalent OPO. Lectures are in English. The greater part of the learning materials is provided in both languages.

Is also included in other courses

G0R94A : Science and Sustainability: a Socio-Ecological Approach – Theory

Content

The assignment is the application of the theory on ideas generated from academic literature. A specific article is to be personally chosen.

Course material

A personally chosen article of academic level sustainability literature.

Language of instruction: more information

The assignment encompasses the writing of an individual report. This might be written in Dutch or English.

Is also included in other courses

G0R94A : Science and Sustainability: a Socio-Ecological Approach – Theory

Content

The OPO ‘Sustainability as a socio-ecological dynamics’ is to be considered as a broadening course. Via the projects the students get in touch with ecological and social economy, psychological and sociological development and get insight in the power of money and media. The projects fit within the central theme of the year. Early may students present their project. This integrates the workshop lessons and teamwork.

Course material

Project-specific material.

Language of instruction: more information

Students that register for this OPO are mixed with students that take on the Dutch equivalent OPO. Lectures are in English. The learning materials are provided in both languages whenever possible. However is concerns mostly international literature. There will be both English and Dutch projects.

Is also included in other courses

G0R92A : Science and Sustainability: a Socio-Ecological approach - Project Work

Explanation

Throughout the first semester, regularly an open question will be posted for discussing the provided theoretical insights of the classes (digital submission - open book). This should ensure that the theoretical knowledge can be used for teamwork and the final assignment. Through peer evaluation and a random teacher check, you will individually receive a maximum of 3 points out of 20 for your discussion. Teamwork for the workplan is also organized for which you will earn 2 out of 20 points through peer evaluation. Combined, this continuous evaluation during the semester provides 25% of your individual final score.

Since the project is a group assignment mostly in the second semester, one group score is given, based on the sustainability report and the final presentation during the project day, with equal weight. Subsequently, individual scores are calculated based on peer review within the group. This score counts for 75% in the final score.

Remark: If serious problems are noticed concerning contribution to the project work, the student can be excluded from the group, based on discussion between all partners (supervisor, coordinator and the members of the team). As a consequence, this student will be graded 0/20 for the project work.

Information about retaking exams

Re-examination is possible for the sustainability report, but not for permanent evaluation throughout the first semester, nor for the presentation. If the student fails according to the final score, the sustainability report has to be retaken during the third examination period. The other scores are transferred. After the third exam period, the final score will be recalculated.

Content

Overview and basics
- Accretion
- Electro-magnetic radiation
- Detection methods
- Overview of telescopes, instruments and detectors
 
Compact objects
- Formation of white dwarfs
- Structure of white dwarfs, cooling
- Formation of neutron stars and black holes: core collapse supernovae
- Structure of neutron stars
 
Accretion onto compact objects
- Thin shell approximation
- Accretion onto white dwarfs: (Helium) Novae and type Ia Supernovae
- Accretion onto neutron stars: X-ray bursts
 
Accretion discs
- Observations of accretion discs
- Thin disk solutions 
- Disc (in)stability
- Superhumps, spiral shocks
- Radiative inefficient flows
- Jets
 
Gamma-ray bursts
- Observations
- Basic physics
- Association with supernovae
- Overview X-ray/Gamma-ray sky
 

Transients

- Observations

- Types of transients

- Connection of transients to (accretion) physics

Gravitational wave astrophysics
- Overview and basics
- Detection and detectors
- GW sources
- Testing General Relativity
- GW astrophysics
 
TeV gamma-rays, neutrino's and cosmic rays
- Shocks and particle acceleration
- Supernova remnants
- TeV gamma-ray observations
- Neutrino telescopes
- Cosmic ray observations 
 

Gravitational wave astrophysics

Overview and basics
- Detection and detectors
- GW sources
- Testing General Relativity
- Astrophysical discoveries thanks to GW

Explanation

The examination is split in two parts: presenting a lecture and a final exam

Each week students will also be given an assignment they have to finish by the next session.  

 

Content

The project is connected with research carried out at the Institute of Astronomy or the mathematical Centre for Plasma-Astrophysics

Explanation

Research project (3 ECTS), prepared on and off-campus.

Examination:

- daily work: 40% of total score

- written report (min 10 and max 15 pages): 30% of total score

- oral defense (20 min, 20% of total score) with Q&A session (10% of total score)

This opo cannot be tolerated.

Content

1. Radiation as our fundamental observable for the Universe 
2. Basic quantities and concepts in description of radiation
3. Radiation transport and equilibrium 
4. Classical description of radiation scattering processes 
5. Fundamental to describe matter and radiation interactions 
6. Bound-bound processes 
7. Bound-free and free-free processes 

8. Some selected applications: 

• cosmology and the cosmic background radiation 

• elastic scattering as classical oscillator: Eddington limit, blue sky, and powerful spectral lines

• simple example of spectral line formation

• hydrogen v. calcium in solar atmosphere 

• thermal bremstrahlung in photoionised nebula  

• limb darkening 

• radiative diffusion as a random walk of photons

Course material

Course book

Toledo page including slides + background reading

Format: more information

Exercise sessions are embedded within the normal contact hours.

Explanation

Open book exam

Content

PART I: BASIC INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY
1 Observational framework of astronomy
1.1 Magnitudes and colour indices
1.2 Spectral types and luminosity classes
1.2.1 The formation of spectral lines in the stellar spectrum
1.2.2 Spectral types
1.2.3 Luminosity classes
1.2.4 Stellar atmosphere models
1.3 The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
1.4 Stars in our Milky Way
1.5 Galaxies in the Universe
1.6 Starting point of this course

PART II: STELLAR STRUCTURE
2 A simple equation of state: an ideal gas with radiation
2.1 Introduction to thermodynamics, applied to stars
2.1.1 Thermodynamic equilibrium
2.1.2 The first law of thermodynamics
2.1.3 The entropy
2.1.4 The specific heats
2.2 An ideal gas with radiation
2.2.1 The classical ideal gas law applied to stars
2.2.2 The mean molecular weight
2.2.3 The internal energy of an ideal gas
2.2.4 The contribution of the photon gas
3 Classical mechanics applied to stellar structure
3.1 Coordinates
3.1.1 Eulerian description
3.1.2 Lagrangian description
3.2 Poisson’s equation
3.3 Conservation of momentum
3.3.1 Hydrostatic equilibrium
3.3.2 Simple solutions
3.3.3 The equation of motion in case of spherical symmetry
3.4 Conservation of energy
3.4.1 The virial theorem
3.4.2 Conservation of energy in stars
3.4.3 The different time-scales
4 Additional relevant equations of state
4.1 Polytropes
4.2 The degenerate electron gas
4.3 The Chandrasekhar limit
4.4 Schematic representation of the relevant equations of state
5 Energy transport
5.1 Transport by radiation
5.1.1 Mean free path
5.1.2 The temperature gradient
5.1.3 The diffusion approximation
5.1.4 The Rosseland mean opacity
5.2 Transport through conduction
5.3 Stability analysis
5.3.1 Dynamical instability
5.3.2 Vibrational instability and semiconvection
5.4 Convective transport
6 The chemical composition of stellar matter
6.1 Relative mass fractions
6.2 Variations of chemical composition of stars throughout their evolution
6.2.1 Variations due to nuclear reactions
6.2.2 Variations due to convection
6.3 Effective cross sections
6.4 Nuclear burning cycles
6.4.1 Basic concepts
6.4.2 Big Bang nucleosynthesis
6.4.3 Hydrogen burning
6.4.4 Helium burning
6.4.5 Fusion of heavier elements
7 Numerical computation of stellar structure
7.1 The full system of basic equations
7.2 Time-scales and simplifications
7.3 Boundary conditions
7.3.1 Central boundary conditions
7.3.2 Boundary conditions for the surface
7.4 A simple numerical solution method
7.5 The MESA stellar structure and evolution code

PART III: STELLAR EVOLUTION
8 Star formation
8.1 The interstellar medium
8.2 The Jeans criterion
8.3 Fragmentation
8.4 The formation of a protostar
8.5 Hayashi tracks in the HRdiagram
8.6 Evolution of the protostar towards the zero-age main sequence
9 The main sequence or core-hydrogen burning phase
9.1 The zero-age main sequence
9.2 The mass-luminosity relation
9.3 Chemical evolution on the main sequence
9.4 The end of core-hydrogen burning
9.5 Later stages of evolution
10 Evolution of a star with 9M⊙<∼M <∼15M⊙
10.1 The Hertzsprung gap
10.2 Helium burning
10.3 Later evolution stages
10.4 Burning cycles
10.5 Explosive versus non-explosive evolution
10.6 Neutron stars
10.6.1 Supernova explosion
10.6.2 The neutrino flux and the r-process
10.6.3 Pulsars
11 Evolution of a star with M <∼9M⊙
11.1 Post-main-sequence evolution
11.2 The helium flash
11.3 Evolution after the helium flash
11.4 AGB stars
11.5 Thermal pulses, Hot Bottom Burning and the 3rd dredge-up
11.6 The s-process in AGB stars
11.7 Post-AGB stars
11.8 White dwarfs
12 Evolution of a star with M >∼15M⊙
12.1 The spectra of hot massive stars with mass loss
12.2 Basic characteristics of radiation-driven stellar winds
12.3 Mass loss and terminal wind speed
12.3.1 Thomson scattering in the stellar wind
12.3.2 LBVs, WR stars and the Eddington limit
12.3.3 A realistic description of a line-driven stellar wind: the CAK-model
12.4 Consequences of mass loss on stellar evolution
12.5 Example: the evolution of a star with an initial mass of 60M⊙
12.6 Black holes
12.7 Chemical evolution of galaxies
12.7.1 Chemical enrichment by stellar evolution
12.7.2 Initial mass function
12.7.3 Global enrichment of the Universe
A Planck’s radiation laws
B Energy transport through convection
C Values of physical and astronomical constants
D Some key references for this discipline

Course material

Notes provided by the teacher

Explanation

the student has to pass this course to succeed for the master's programme

Content

1. Introduction to Gravity as Geometry

• equivalence principle;
• discovery of general relativity;
• curved spacetime; metric;
• geodesic (free) motion (equation, solutions, conservation laws)

2. Geometry outside Spherical Stars

• Schwarzschild geometry;
• gravitational redshift;
• particle orbits -- precession of perihelion (Mercury);
• light ray orbits -- deflection and time delay of light;
• solar system tests of General Relativity

3. Gravitational Collapse and Black Holes

• Spherical black holes;
• black hole geometry;
• Astrophysical evidence

4.  Gravitational Waves

• Introduction
• Observation
• Prospects

5. Cosmology

• Expansion of the universe
• Cosmological history, composition 
• theory and observation

Course material

Book `Gravity: An Introduction to Einstein's Theory of Relativity' (J. B. Hartle).

Format: more information

The classes are supplemented by exercise sessions on the subject matter

Content

Each lecture will start with highlighting a specific type of astronomical and/or physical data analysis problem, including many examples, for which quantitative statistical tools will then be explained. These tools include:

1. Regression revisited

• Robust regression: dealing with outliers
• Total least-squares: regression with errors in both variables
• Regularized least-squares: constraining the solution using lasso, ridge, and elastic nets
• Generalized linear models
• Overfitting, underfitting, BIC, AIC, and cross-validation

Although students are familiar with ordinary least-squares, this chapter teaches several other regression methods that often appear in the astronomical and physical literature. Regularized least-squares, for example, has important applications in e.g. helioseismology, spectral disentangling, etc.

2. Resampling methods

• Bootstrapping and jackknife
• Bootstrapping for regression models
• Bootstrap based model selection

Resampling is very regularly used in the astronomical and physical literature where it’s most often used for parameter and uncertainty estimation. This chapter teaches when it is useful to use bootstrapping, how to use it, and what are the limitations.

3. Bayesian inference

• Posterior, likelihood, and prior distributions
• Hierarchical Bayesian models
• Model selection and model averaging, Bayesian evidence
• Numerical methods for Bayesian estimation

This chapter teaches how to apply Bayesian techniques to astronomical and physical data analysis, focusing on applications in the literature. Examples include the Period-Luminosity-Color relation of contact binaries, the Initial Mass Function, the fraction of red spirals as a function of the bulge size, etc. The examples are carefully chosen to teach the students on how to set up a Bayesian hierarchical model, to bring them into contact with different types of distributions (not only Normal, but also lognormal, Bernoulli, Beta, etc) and to show how the hierarchical models can be solved using dedicated statistical software libraries. The section on the numerical methods will not give an overly detailed treatment, but rather give a basic understanding of the most popular numerical methods in the astronomical and physical literature, together with their limitations, so that the quality (e.g. convergence) of the numerical results can be assessed.

4. Count models

 Problems that involve counting or the analysis of populations sizes occur so often in astronomy that they deserve their own chapter. One example is the relation between the number of globular clusters vs the absolute visual magnitude of nearby galaxies. Statistically they involve the Poisson models, Negative Binomial models, zero-truncated models, or generalizations of these models to account e.g. for overdispersion. Students will learn which model to choose and how to estimate its parameters and uncertainties.

5. Spatial analysis of points

 Quite typical for the physical sciences is the analysis of how a group of point sources is spatially distributed, e.g. 3D or on the sky. One famous example is the clustering of Galaxies. Statistically this topic includes spatial autocorrelation, quantitative clustering measures such as the 2-point correlation function, and model-based spatial analysis with e.g. the Von Mises-Fisher distribution or more complicated mixture models.

6. Gaussian processes

 GPs are becoming more and more popular in astronomy. The have been used to model star formation histories, to model the Galactic halo, to model the 3D dust distribution in our Galaxy, to study the rotational modulation of the Sun, etc. A Gaussian process is a generalization of the Gaussian distribution. Loosely speaking, where the latter is a distribution over scalars, the former is a distribution over functions. This makes them great tools not only for regression, but also for classification and clustering. 

The course is mathematical rather than descriptive, but refrains from being overly rigorous, the focus is on application.

Course material

Course notes will be given on Toledo.

Format: more information

The course consists of 15 lectures of 2 hours each where for theoretical background of the different data analysis tools is explained using real-world astronomical and physical problems.

Content

For each of the chapters given in the Lecture sessions, the students receive in the Exercises & Applications sessions concrete astronomical and/or physical data analysis problems using real-world datasets. The students will then practice:

• Translating the (astro)physical problem at hand to one or more useful statistical models
• Implementing the models in existing software tools.
• Assessing the reliability and physical meaning of the numerical estimates
• Selecting the most optimal model
• Visualizing the dataset, the model parameters and their uncertainties, and predictions

The exercise sessions will make heavy use of the educational capabilities provided by Jupyter notebooks. Existing software tools will be used as much as possible, to keep the amount of programming to a minimum. 

Course material

Jupyter notebooks and concrete datasets will be made available to the students, either through Toledo, or through GitHub.

Format: more information

The exercise and applications course consists of 10 sessions of 2 hours each, where students will solve in small groups concrete problems using the theoretical background they received during the lecture.