Appendices
(1) To present an integrated course of study providing students with knowledge
and understanding of the astrophysical universe, and of the methods and principles
of astrophysical enquiry;
(2) To illustrate the application of methods of mathematics and physics in an
astrophysical context;
(3) To provide the opportunity to study in depth a choice of topics relevant
to aspects of modern astronomy;
(4) To provide training and experience in the principles and practice of astronomical
observation and measurement and in the reduction and analysis of observational
data;
(5) To develop the students' ability to work effectively, singly and in small
groups, to reinforce their individual responsibility for their own learning
and understanding and to develop further their communication skills.
(1) To present an in-depth integrated course of study providing students with
knowledge and understanding of the astrophysical universe, and of the methods
and principles of astrophysical enquiry;
(2) To develop the student's competence in the application of methods of mathematics
and physics in an astrophysical context;
(3) To provide the opportunity to study in depth a choice of advanced treatments
of aspects of modern astrophysics;
(4) To offer the opportunity to apply measurement, problem solving and critical
assessment, and communication skills in performing and writing a report on an
extended and demanding project;
(5) To develop the student's problem solving ability, communication and presentation
skills to a level appropriate to an academic, research or industrial career;
(6) To encourage students to work effectively as individuals and in small groups,
to develop a professional attitude to what they do and to take full responsibility
for their own learning.
Students should be able to:
· Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the material set out in the outline
syllabus of the lecture course component;
· Answer factual questions on the topics included in the course component
outline;
· Define, and where appropriate give the SI units of, any quantities
relevant to topics in the course component outline and quote typical values
for them;
· Write down, and where appropriate either prove or discuss the underlying
basis of, physical laws related to topics in the course component outline;
· Derive formulae as discussed in the lectures;
· Describe and analyse quantitatively processes, relationships and techniques
related to the topics in the course component outline;
· Illustrate such processes, relationships and techniques using suitable
graphs, figures, drawings or other techniques, as appropriate;
· Apply ideas and techniques discussed in the lectures to solve general
classes of problems related to topics included in the course component outline,
which may include straightforward unseen elements;
· Discuss applications of the topics included in the course component
outline, and appreciate their relationship to other courses taken.
As part of a small group
The student should be able to:
· Identify, with the assistance of the laboratory head, a (set of) clear
scientific question(s) to be answered by a combination of experiment and/or
observation and/or computational work, depending on the type of project;
· Discuss, analyse and plan a path of investigation, and make an appropriate
timetable for completion of all individual and group tasks, including final
reports;
· Contribute to the management of the group (including division of tasks)
for efficient and amicable working;
· Implement a strategy for reviewing and updating the goals and direction
of the research in accordance with progress and problems;
· Evaluate the achievements of the work against the goals set at the
beginning of the project and revised during its progress.
As an individual
The student should be able to:
· (Computational projects) Demonstrate proficiency in programming in
a high level computer language or astronomical software package, and apply this
to the solution of a theoretical or data-analysis problem;
· (Practical projects) Use professional-level laboratory bench equipment,
and construct small devices where necessary, to investigate physical phenomena
or use sophisticated astronomical observing equipment and acquire data from
an astronomical source;
· Analyse and critically interpret experimental or computational results,
including their uncertainties;
· Keep a running log of individual work and team progress, and produce
a succinct and meaningful interim report where required;
· Critically review and evaluate individual achievements against the
overall project goals and if necessary negotiate adjustments to goals or working
patterns to allow completion of group and individual tasks, including the final
report;
· Write a detailed individual technical report on work undertaken, synthesising
the results of all group members, and including background information and theory,
a description of equipment and procedures, data and data analysis, and results/conclusions.
Reading component
The student should be able to
· Use online and journal resources to perform a literature search on
a chosen topic of astrophysical interest;
· Assemble a relevant body of current and review material on this topic,
drawn from reputable, predominantly peer-reviewed, sources;
· Survey the literature to plan the scope of the verbal presentation
and (if required) the written report to be made on it;
· Form opinions on material collected, including an identification of
the most significant past results and recent developments in the field.
Seminar presentation component
The student should be able to
· Prepare and give a well-researched scientific presentation on an important
topic in astronomy to an audience of staff and peers, using appropriate audio-visual
aids;
· Provide a mix of theory, observation and technical material appropriate
to the topic, from a variety of referenced sources, demonstrating discrimination
in the material presented;
· Set the topic in its wider context, discussing related current astrophysical
research, and historical aspects of the field;
· Answer questions from the audience on the material presented.
Written component
The student should be able to:
· Organise and structure a scientific review;
· Write a concise but thorough report, including diagrams and figures,
on the chosen topic;
· Fully reference the review and prepare a detailed reference list.
Literature survey / technical essay
Students should be able to:
· Recover, evaluate and summarise the professional literature and material
from other sources concerned with a chosen area of physics or astronomy;
· Prepare a written analysis of the current position in the chosen area,
which should include a critical comparison of the source material and a summary
of likely future developments.
Practical / bench-work / theoretical analysis / computational component
Students should be able to:
· With the help of the project partner and in consultation with the supervisor,
make a preliminary definition of goals to be achieved during the project;
· With the help of the project partner, analyse what experimental / theoretical
/ computational methods might be necessary to achieve the goals of the project
and hence decide how the practical phase of the project should be organised;
· Make an appropriate safety assessment for the work proposed;
· Perform the practical part of the investigation, taking due account
of experimental errors of measurement and possible assumptions and approximations
in analytical and computational work as appropriate, and record the progress
of the project in a comprehensive log;
· Revise the goals and strategies for completion of the project in the
light of the results obtained by the student and the project partner and any
difficulties encountered;
· Evaluate the achievements of the whole project against the goals set
at its beginning and revised during its progress.
Report on the M-level project
Students should be able to:
· Write a report on an extended piece of project work, which should include
a critical evaluation of the significance of the work, and how it compares with
earlier work done in the same area;
· Prepare an abstract of the work performed of length around 250 words
in the accepted scientific format.
Poster presentation of the material contained in the report,
The student should be able to:
· Prepare a poster describing the work performed in the project, and
defend the contents of this poster before scientific colleagues.
B.Sc
Admission to A3 requires a grade D in Astronomy 2Z and in Mathematics 2WXY. Since Astronomy is available only as a combined honours degree, progress from level 2 to honours will also depend on your status in your combined subject. The Faculties of Science require honours students to have 240 credits at GPA 11 or better.
Admission to A4 - normally requires a pass in Astronomy 3H at grade D or higher and satisfactory performance in your combined subject. This may be achieved in either the June or August/September Degree exam. It is essential to note, however, that in all cases where a student progresses to 4H, it is the performance in the Level 3 June exam which counts as the mark carried forward for final honours assessment in 4H, unless the second exam is taken for medical or other special reasons.
M.Sci.
Admission to A3 - pass in Astronomy 2Z and Mathematics 2WXY at Grade B or higher in June + equivalent performance in your combined subject. The Faculties of Science require all M.Sci. honours students to have 240 credits at GPA 12 or better.
Admission to A4 - normally requires a pass in Astronomy 3M at Grade D or higher and satisfactory performance in your combined subject. This must be achieved in the June Degree exam. A student who fails to achieve this must take the September resit and normally transfer to the B.Sc. course. It is essential to note, however, that in all cases where a student progresses to 4H, it is the performance in the Level 3 June exam which counts as the mark carried forward for final honours assessment in 4H, unless the second exam is taken for medical or other special reasons.
MSci. <-> BSc Transfer
Students who narrowly fail to meet the (departmental) requirements for admission to M.Sci. on entering A3 may, at the discretion of the Head of Dept., attend appropriate modules for M.Sci. in term 1 of A3 provided they safeguard their B.Sc. curriculum by taking the core B.Sc. module that is being offered that term. A proficient enough performance in the A3 class test may then permit transfer into the M.Sci. stream. Conversely, a poor A3 class test performance by a student in the M.Sci. stream may lead to that student being advised to consider moving into the B.Sc. stream.
Regular lectures take place between 2 and 5pm Wed. and Fri., in terms 1 & 2 only, in Room 312 of the Kelvin Building. Whole class tutorials will be given for each lecture course when required. The timing of a lecture course may vary from one term to the next, so please study the detailed timetables for terms 1 and 2. The modules available are listed in 4 below. Minor changes to the published timetable may be announced in the course of the session to allow for other staff commitments.
Revision Lectures, based on course material and exam questions from previous sessions will be arranged in term 3 during these same hours, in response to student requests.
Laboratories (see also separate lab guide) are based at the Garscube Observatory and take place between 2-5 pm each Monday of terms 1 and 2 for A3 and A4 and in term 3 for 3M only, plus occasional night observing sessions at the Garscube or Cochno sites.
Supervision Groups (see also section 7) meet at times arranged between individual supervisers and their groups. These groups will be announced early in term 1.
A3 Seminar Project (see also section 14). Topics should be agreed with the class head by the middle of term 1. Self study of the topic should be pursued during terms 1 and 2 in preparation for the seminar presentation in the first week of term 3. For those proceeding to A4 the written report on the project must be delivered to the class head no later than the first day of the A4 session.
The A3/4 Class is taught on a two year cycle of lecture modules (20 hours each, in two 10 hour subsections I & II). These are listed below together with the requirements and choices available to students in the two degree streams. Summaries of the aims of each module are appended. Detailed topic titles, and suggested texts, will be provided at the start of each lecture course by the lecturer concerned.
Present 4th years ONLY:
Modules Available (* M.Sci. only)
| Year A (2003-2004, 2005-2006 etc) | Year B (2004-2005 etc) |
| NLP*- Natural and Laboratory Plasmas (now called PTD) | GR* - Gravitation and Relativity |
| SP - Stellar Physics (now called SSE) | IOR - Instruments for Opt and Rad Astro |
| XRA - X-Ray Astrophysics (now called HEA) | COS - Cosmology |
| GAL - The Galaxy | NA - Numerical Astronomy |
| SAW - Stellar Atmospheres and Winds (now called CSM) | DA - Dynamical Astronomy |
Module Requirements
M.Sci. Candidates
must take the three core modules - NLP, XRA, SP (Year A) and GR,COS, IOR (Year B) - plus one of the option modules (GAL & SAW in Year A, NA & DA in Year B) in each year.
B.Sc. Candidates
must take the two core modules - SP,GAL (Year A) and IOR, NA (Year B) - and one of the option modules - XRA & SAW (Year A), COS & DA (Year B) - in each year. Note that NLP and GR, marked * above, are exclusive to M.Sci.
Options
Students may attend the lectures of both option modules in their course if they wish and do not need to commit themselves to a particular option in advance. This is possible since, for students of both streams, both options will appear in the same degree examination paper.
Status of Modules
| Year A | Year B | ||||
| Module | M.Sci. | B.Sc. | Module | M.Sci. | B.Sc. |
| SP | CORE | CORE | IOR | CORE | CORE |
| XRA | CORE | OPTION | COS | CORE | OPTION |
| NLP* | CORE | - | GR* | CORE | - |
| GAL | OPTION | CORE | NA | OPTION | CORE |
| SAW | OPTION | OPTION | DA | OPTION | OPTION |
NOTE re B.Sc. -> M.Sci TRANSFER
As noted in section 2, such a transfer may exceptionally be permitted after the December class test in A3 for B.Sc. stream candidates who have attended and been examined in an M.Sci. qualifying curriculum. Such candidates must cover any B.Sc. core modules that are taught in term 1 in case they have to remain in the B.Sc. stream. This means that NA or GAL must be taken.
Present 3rd years:
Year A Lecture Course Components (2005-6, 2007-8, etc)
|
|
Title |
|
H |
M |
BPwA |
MPwA |
|
AA01H |
Stellar Structure and Evolution |
SSE |
C |
C |
C |
C |
|
AA02H |
High Energy Astrophysics |
HEA |
O |
C |
C |
C |
|
AA03H |
Galaxies |
GAL |
C |
O |
- |
O* |
|
AA04H |
Circumstellar Matter |
CSM |
O |
O |
- |
O* |
|
AA11M |
Plasma Theory and Diagnostics |
PTD |
- |
C |
- |
C |
|
AA12M |
Pulsars & Supernovae (from 2007) |
PSN |
- |
O |
- |
- |
Year B Lecture Course Components
|
|
Title |
|
H |
M |
BPwA |
MPwA |
|
AB01H |
Instruments for Optical and Radio |
IOR |
C |
C |
C |
C |
|
AB02H |
Cosmology |
COS |
O |
C |
C |
C |
|
AB03H |
Astronomical Data Analysis |
ADA |
C |
O |
- |
O* |
|
AB04H |
Exploring Planetary Systems |
EPS |
O |
O |
- |
O* |
|
AB11M |
General Relativity and Gravitation |
GRG |
- |
C |
- |
C |
|
AB12M |
Statistical Astronomy |
STA |
- |
O |
- |
- |
B = Joint B.Sc.
M = Joint M.Sci.
BPwA = = B.Sc. Physics with Astrophysics
MPwA = M.Sci. Physics with Astrophysics
C = core lecture course component
O = optional lecture course component
O* = only one of the O* options must
be taken
Introduction:
Main Sequence (MS) observations - distance, luminosity, temperature, radius,
mass and the HR and mass-luminosity diagrams. Forces and timescales - potential
energy of a star and the Kelvin-Helmholtz timescale; nuclear and dynamical timescales;
derivation of equation of hydrostatic equilibrium and proof of the virial theorem.
Dimensional estimates of stellar parameters - central pressure and temperature
in stars supported by gas or radiation pressure; ignition temperature and minimum
stellar mass; radiation pressure and the Eddington mass.
Simplified Equilibrium Stellar Models:
Combining hydrostatic equilibrium and mass conservation - estimation of central
pressure and temperature; simple mass distributions. Polytropic stars - equations
of state of stellar matter; the polytropic equation of state; derivation of
the Lane-Emden equation and its solutions; mass of a polytrope.
Structure of Main Sequence Stars:
Nuclear fusion - main branch of the p-p chain; energy generation and luminosity
equations. Radiative transport - the radiation field and opacity; development
of the expression for radiative temperature gradient; sources of opacity; photon
diffusion timescale. Convection – breakdown in radiative equilibrium and conditions
for convection; temperature gradient of convecting star; structure of high/low
mass MS stars. Star clusters - homologous stars and the homology equations;
derivation of mass-luminosity and temperature-luminosity relations.
Observational Evidence for Stellar Evolution:
Pre-main sequence objects (e.g. T Tauri, Herbig Ae/Be stars) and post-MS objects
(e.g. white dwarfs, red giants, supergiants), positions on HR diagram
Star Formation and Pre-Main Sequence Evolution:
Calculation of the Jeans’ mass, stellar collapse and fragmentation; the initial
mass function; slope of Hiyashi and Heyney tracks on the HR diagram, lithium
burning
Nuclear Burning on the Main Sequence:
Barrier penetration and reaction rates, the proton-proton chain and the CNO
cycle, requirements for fusion of heavy elements. Solar neutrino problem -
significance of the solar neutrino problem, principles of experimental investigations
and solution of problem.
Evolution on the Main Sequence:
Core-depletion and shell-burning; effect of mass-loss on evolution, evolution
in low vs. high mass stars; mass transfer and binary evolution. The red giant
phase - transition from the MS; upper limit to mass of isothermal core,
core collapse; development of convective envelopes and dredge-up; He flash,
He core burning. The pulsation phase - importance of H and He ionisation; derivation
of the period-luminosity relationship from physics of stellar gas.
Stellar End States
Degenerate end states – derivation of degeneracy pressure (relativistic and
non-relativistic), neutron degeneracy, white dwarfs (structure and cooling),
neutron stars, pulsars. Supernovae and black holes – the routes to supernovae
and their end products, supernova energetics; derivation of BH Schwartzschild
radius and evaporation-time through Hawking radiation.
Introduction:
Types of radiation - soft X-rays, thermally-generated X-rays, atomic line contributions,
hard X-rays, gamma-ray lines and continuum. Other signatures
of energetic processes - solar and galactic cosmic rays, neutrinos and
gravitational waves. Telescopes and detectors for high energy photons – crystal
spectrometers; grazing incidence optics and Wolter telescopes; collimating optics;
CCDs at high energy, proportional counters, scintillation counters, solid state
detectors.
Basic Definitions:
Fundamentals - Planck spectrum, Stefan-Boltzmann Law, black-body X-ray
sources; optically thick/thin sources. Reaction
Cross-Section – definitions and derivation of relation between reaction
rate, incident flux and cross-section. Thomson
Scattering – classical electron radius and Thomson cross-section; derivation
of Thomson cross-section from photon flux from a single, scattered electron.
Bremsstrahlung Emission:
Emission from a non-relativistic plasma for thermal and power-law
electron energy distribution; derivation of photon spectra for a low energy
cut-off in the electron energy distribution, and for a non-thermal electron
energy distribution. Inhomogeneous
plasmas – source emission measure function; calculation of emissivity
for spherically symmetric plasmas.
Other High-Energy Emission Mechanisms:
Inverse Compton – derivation of energy gain for head-on photon-electron collision;
derivation of inverse Compton luminosity and spectrum for a power law distribution
of electron energies; inverse Compton lifetime of fast electron. Synchrotron
Radiation – synchrotron frequency, luminosity, spectrum and polarisation;
derivation of synchrotron luminosity and spectrum for a power law distribution
of electron energies; synchrotron lifetime of a fast electron. Gamma-rays – nuclear
de-excitation lines, annihilation line, neutron capture line.
Collisional Bremsstrahlung:
Recap of thermal/non-thermal emission, emission measure; inverse problem
and ill-posedness
Hot stellar winds and coronal loops, thermal conduction, other transport and
loss processes. Derivations of differential emission measures and spectra
Astrophysical X-ray Sources:
Cyclotron lines from neutron stars; emission from supernova remnants; inference
of source magnetic field; the Crab nebula (and Crab Nebula electron acceleration
problem); derivations of source field, lifetime, size. Inverse Compton X-ray
Sources - quasars, active galactic nuclei,
synchrotron self-Compton processes and luminosity; derivation of synchrotron-IC
bootstrap properties. Accreting X-ray binaries - theory: accretion luminosity, Roche
lobe and wind accretion, accretion disk formation and Eddington luminosity;
luminosity derivations; disk structure derivation; derivation of orbit evolution. Accreting X-ray binaries - observations: thermal
structure and spectrum of accretion disk, X-ray bursters, quasars as supermassive
accretion sources.
The Cosmic X-ray Background:
Observations; general derivation for diffuse emission; inverse expressions for
Compton scattering of starlight/cosmic microwave background by cosmic rays,
bremsstrahlung by intergalactic gas, contribution of distant discrete sources.
Gamma-Ray Sources:
Gamma-ray bursters, TeV sources, solar flare gamma-rays, annihilation line from
the galactic centre, solar (and atmospheric!) gamma-rays, pulsar emission.
History of Galactic Astronomy:
Early models of the Milky Way – Herschel and the star gauging method; Kapteyn
Universe; integral equation with star luminosity function as kernel; Schwartzschild’s
solution. Absorption; Shapley model - data and analysis. The nature of spiral
nebulae – Shapley and Curtis models; Van Maanen’s and Hale’s data; the solution
of the debate; position of the Sun with respect to the Galactic centre.
Kinematics of the Milky Way:
Lindblad’s theory; stellar motion in the solar neighbourhood; the local
standard of rest; effect of stellar spectral classification and its interpretation.
Oort’s theory - Calculation of vlos and m for a generic speed distribution, and for
circular motion on a plane; Oort’s constant and determination of the speed of
the LSR with respect to the Galactic Centre.
Galaxy Morphology:
Morphological classification; the Hubble sequence; the effect of environment
on morphology. Surface photometry – observational issues; definition of the
surface brightness; problem of seeing and the background luminosity. Profiles
of ellipticals and spirals – the R1/4 law, the deprojection of the
surface brightness, data from HST and new model for the surface brightness of
ellipticals
Luminosity Functions:
Definition of the luminosity function (LF), the Schechter function j(L) and derivation of j(M), LF in clusters and field galaxies, dependence
of galaxy LF on morphological type.
The Interstellar Medium:
The detection of interstellar matter, absorption spectra in the visible and
UV band, optical depth and curve of growth, simple model of propagation of radiation
through an absorbing media, absorption line shape and determination of the gas
temperature and density
Galaxy Kinematics:
Measuring mean velocities and velocity dispersions; rotation curves
for disk systems; evidence for dark matter halos and non-baryonic dark matter;
derivation of the Tully-Fisher relation for disk galaxies; derivation of the
Fundamental Plane relation for ellipticals
Abnormal and Active Galaxies:
Using spectra to classify disk systems; starburst galaxies and introduction
to star formation models; galaxies with active nuclei: Seyferts, radio galaxies,
quasars and blazers; the unified model of active galactic nuclei: evidence supporting
it; superluminal motion in AGN jets
Galaxy Formation and Evolution:
Hierarchical clustering theories; galaxy mergers and interactions; derivation
of expression for dynamical friction; virial theorem arguments for the origin
of polar ring galaxies; tidal stripping, dust lanes and ‘cannibalism’ of early
disks. Star formation and feedback mechanisms; spectral synthesis models; star
formation models- initial mass function and star formation rate; chemical evolution
models: derivation of results for the closed box model; the G-dwarf problem
Galaxies and Cosmology:
Links between galaxy formation, cosmology and large-scale structure;
galaxy clusters as sensitive probes of the background cosmological model; damped
Lyman alpha systems and the Gunn-Petersen test; when was the Universe re-ionised?
Basic Concepts:
Specific intensity and proof that it is constant along a ray path; definition
of mean intensity, energy density, radiative flux and radiation pressure; definitions
of absorption and emission coefficients, derivation of the equation of transfer.
Local thermodynamic equilibrium - thermodynamic temperature, statistical equilibrium
and detailed balance; the case of a plane-stratified atmosphere; general results
Equation of Transfer:
Examination of the equation of transfer and its formal solution, optical depth
and the source function, scattering and non-scattering processes, definitions
of the Einstein coefficients and their interrelation.
Grey Atmosphere:
Optical depth in a grey atmosphere; the Eddington approximation and comparison
with exact grey solution; application to solar limb darkening; application to
the more general problem; definition of the Rosseland opacity
Line Formation:
Definition of the atomic absorption coefficient in terms of the Einstein coefficients
and the profile function and the relation to oscillator strengths. Boltzmann
and Saha equation. Departure from local thermodynamic equilibrium. Line Profiles:
equivalent width of a spectral line; line profiles under thermal Doppler, rotational,
macroturbulence, microturbulence, natural and pressure broadening; curve of
growth and typical profiles of strong and weak spectral lines.
Solar Atmospheric Structure
Photosphere – recap of optical depth; Isothermal atmospheres in hydrostatic equilibrium and scale height; opacity and limb darkening. Chromosphere – chromospheric emission lines; the transition region and the corona; coronal heating - acoustic and Alfvenic waves; radiative instability; width of the transition region and Spitzer conductivity
Static and Dynamic Equilibrium:
Fluid equations; Conditions for a hydrostatic corona; isothermal, static atmosphere; the
Chapman model. Stellar wind theories: - the solar wind as coronal expansion; isothermal
winds; the Parker wind model; velocity profiles and the critical solution; stellar
breeze solution; ram pressure; mass-loss rate
Radiatively Driven Winds:
Optically thin solutions; Eddington luminosity Castor, Abbott, Klein velocity
profiles; accretion solutions; mass-loss rates; wind luminosity; effect of finite
stellar size on radiation pressure. Line-driven winds – P Cygni profiles
- theory and interpretation; multiple scattering, conservation of energy and
momentum; performance factor; pulsation and magnetically driven winds.
Magnetised Winds:
Magnetic fields and flux freezing; magnetic pressure; plasma beta; stream structure
and the ballerina model; the current sheet; Archemedian (Parker) spirals;
coronal holes; high and low speed streams; transients; the solar cycle; geomagnetic
effects
Plasma Basics:
Charge shielding; derivation of the Debye length and the plasma frequency; the plasma parameter. Motion of single particles – gyromotion in a magnetised plasma, cyclotron frequency.
Cold Magnetised Plasmas:
The plasma oscillation; formalism for the study of plasma wave propagation;
the dielectric tensor and the dispersion relation. Cold plasma waves – parallel
and perpendicular to the magnetic field; Fast and Shear Alfven waves, whistler
waves, O, and X modes, circularly polarised waves, plasma waves; The two-stream
instability.
The MHD Description:
The fluid approximation; MHD equations – mass and momentum continuity, energy
equation and Maxwell’s equations. MHD waves – low frequency, non-electromagnetic
fluid disturbances; derivation of Alfven waves from the cold plasma limit, magnetoacoustic
waves; proof of the frozen-flux condition for ideal MHD; resistive diffusion
Orbit Theory:
Gyromotion – the Larmor Radius and cyclotron frequency; the guiding centre;
derivation of E ´
B drift in a uniform electric and magnetic field. Derivation of expressions
for gradient and curvature drift in a non-uniform magnetic field; generalised
drifts; ring currents in planetary magnetospheres. Motion in a convergent magnetic
field – the magnetic moment and proof of its invariance; magnetic mirroring;
the loss cone; plasma mirror devices
Radiation by an Accelerated Charge;
General theory – statement of Maxwell’s Equations; scalar and vector potentials;
development of the inhomogeneous wave equation for EM wave propagation and statement
of its solution. Power radiated by a single electron in a magnetic field – relativistic
and non-relativistic limits; radiation beaming; spectrum from an accelerated
charge. Cyclotron emission line and synchrotron spectrum, Faraday rotation;
sychrotron loss time; observations from solar and non-solar astrophysics
MHD Plasmas:
MHD equilibrium - magnetohydrostatics; magnetic pressure and
tension; the plasma beta. Plasma confinement - cylindrical plasma (Bennet Pinch,
z-pinch); the diamagnetic current, sausage and kink instabilities. Diffusion
and resistivity - the effect of collisions, collision frequency; diffusion in
a magnetic field (ambipolar diffusion); concept of plasma resistivity; relation
between current and resistivity; diffusion timescale.
Astrophysical Fluids:
Concepts and derivation of the basic fluid equations – equation of motion and
energy equation; the vorticity equation. Linear theory of waves and instabilities
– perturbations at a two-fluid interface; surface gravity waves, the Rayleigh-Taylor
and Kelvin-Helmholz instabilities and relationship to supernova explosions,
Jeans instability and gravitational collapse; stabilising effect of magnetic
field. Rotating bodies – hydrodynamics in a rotating frame of reference;
Rossby number; the geostrophic approximation.
Accretion Physics:
Accretion as a source of energy; steady spherically symmetric accretion; families
of flow solutions; derivation of mass accretion rate for isothermal and adiabatic
accretion flows; thin disks – structure and luminosity; steady disks; confrontation
with observation; accretion columns.
Shocks:
Derivation of Rankine-Hugoniot conditions; hydro-magnetic shocks: switch on/off;
particle acceleration in shocks; blast waves and applications to supernovae.
Supernovae:
Models of supernovae explosions – typical parameters, timescales, luminosities,
evolution.
Radio Pulsars:
General properties and history of discovery/identification; theories of formation
and association with supernova remnants. Description of the P-Pdot plane
– spin-down rates and dipole radiation; magnetic field strength estimates
Structure of Pulsars and their Magnetospheres:
Current ideas on internal structure and equation of state of neutron stars;
magnetospheric structure and deduction of magnetic field information from pulse
shape.
Theories of Pulsar Radiation:
Polar cap and outer gap radiation; speed of light cylinder
Binary Pulsars:
Mass transfer in a binary and pulsar spin-up; millisecond pulsars and X-ray
binaries; evolutionary paths in low and high-mass binaries and the pulsar population
Late Evolutionary Stages:
Age estimates, pulse nulling and the pulsar death-line.
Pulsar Timing:
Timing experiments; the effect of interstellar dispersion of pulsar signal;
orbital decay of binary pulsars; timing ‘noise’ and its origin; gravitational
radiation
Magnetars:
Observational evidence (X-ray pulsars, soft gamma-ray repeaters), fast spin-down
and magnetic braking
History and Basic Concepts:
Historical overview; solar emission, stellar sources, pulsars, quasars, galactic
sources; different types of radio antennas and telescopes. Definition of flux,
surface brightness and brightness temperature; relationships between these in
the Rayleigh-Jeans limit; the Jansky. Radio emission – spectrum from a blackbody
and from an ionised source; simplified derivation of synchrotron spectrum.
A simple antenna;
Definition of the antenna temperature and proof of its relationship to source
brightness temperature, Antenna power-pattern and angular resolution, beam solid
angle and main beam; power received from a point source and from an extended
source; definition of aperture efficiency; surface accuracy
Radio Astronomy Measurements:
The noise-like nature of radio signals. Signal processing – amplification, band
limited noise, mixing and measurement of average power, coherence time and independent
measurements; system temperature; derivation of the equation of radio astronomy;
The ‘total power’ radio telescope.
Antenna Array and Interferometry:
Derivation of the power pattern of a linear array, definition of the aperture
distribution and its relationship to the power pattern. The two-element interferometer
– imaging of an extended source, definition of the complex fringe visibility
and the van Cittert-Zernike theorem, practical implementation.
Aperture Synthesis:
Sky co-ordinates, the complex (u-v) plane, derivation of the fringe rate; path
compensation; 2-D arrays; Earth rotation synthesis and beam of a synthesised
aperture; VLBI; signal correlation and techniques of image reconstruction
Theory of Diffraction:
Proof of Green’s Theorem and the Integral theorem of Helmoltz and Kirchhoff;
development of Kirchhoff’s diffraction theory; Fraunhoffer and Fresnel diffraction;
the case of rectangular and circular aperture; field intensity around the focal
point; definition and meaning of the Strehl ratio; primary (Seidel) aberrations
Adaptive Optics:
Introduction to aims and techniques of adaptive optics; representation by block
diagram; Phase conjugation; Samplers; Phase retrieval; Direct Wave Front Sensing:
model, zonal, division of amplitude; Wave front correction: actuators; Automatic
controls principles applied to AO
Fabry-Perot Interferometers:
Calculation of the reflected intensity; Parameters of the Fabry-Perot cavities;
F-P cavities as spectrum analyzers.
Introduction:
What is cosmology? Simplifying assumptions and concepts; typical parameter
values associated with the idealised smooth universe model of Newtonian cosmology,
including the Cosmological Principle and its implications.
Appearance of the Universe:
The general appearance of the large-scale universe, images of the sky; source
counts and derivation of distribution in depth; the Hubble law, red shifts,
and distances; what is it that's expanding?
Cosmological models:
The Cosmological Principle and deduction of Hubble's Law: statement and resolutions
of Olber's Paradox. Smoothed universe: derivation of fluid equations for a smoothed
universe, and of classes of solution; key parameters - H0, W0,
q0; analysis of the effect of the radiation pressure term
Invisible/dark datter:
Galaxy rotation theorem as an integral equation; galaxy clusters and the Virial
theorem
Theory of gravitational instability:
Jean's mass in a hot gas; Jean's mass with radiation pressure; meaning and value
of the Jeans’ mass in an expanding medium; implications for cosmic structure
Quantifying observed structure:
Correlation scale in quantifying observed structure; the need for very large
databases to achieve precision in relating this to structure theory
Cosmological Equations:
The meanings of isotropy and homogeneity; statement of the Cosmological Principle.
Mathematical description of space-time – Robertson Walker metrics; derivation
of the Friedman equations; the cosmological constant L.
Classes of Universe:
L ¹ 0 - Einstein static Universe;
exponential expansion. L = 0 - integration
of Friedman Robsertson-Walker equations to get open and closed universes; the
age of the Universe. Critical density: The Hubble parameter H0; redshifts; value of L, H0, W0 and q0
relation between L, W0 and
q0 ; dark matter
The thermal history of the Universe:
Observations of cosmic microwave background - isotropy, blackbody spectrum:
energy density and entropy for bosons and fermions; adiabatic expansion; the
radiation era - T(t) relation; change to matter dominance
Matter-dominated era:
Summary of particle physics: the “standard model” and beyond; thermal history
of the matter-dominated era - degrees of freedom - phase transitions – “freeze
out” of interactions Nucleosynthesis of Light Elements: Theory of light element abundances; sensitivity
to input parameters; agreement with observed abundances ; measurement of number
of light neutrino species; bound on baryon density; limits on n masses. Baryogenesis
- Sakharov conditions
Problems of Initial Conditions:
flatness and horizon problems; inflation scenarios
Introduction:
review of types of astronomical data; images, spectra, time-series, Fourier
components. Recap of basic statistics – ources of error (systematic versus random);
probability distributions and their moments; Gaussian and Poisson distributions;
introduction to Bayesian inference; prior and posterior probability; Bayes’
theorem.
Data Acquisition:
Sampling theorems, Nyquist theorem and its application, analogue-to-digital
conversion, data compression for space-based data.
Instrument Characteristics:
Efficiencies; filter throughput; effects of optical misalignment; scatter; point-spread
function; convolution and instrumental response. CCDs – bias level and dark
current, bleed, hot pixels, fringing, readout noise; treatment of CCD data;
bias frames and flat-fielding, removing unwanted features.
Fourier Methods:
Fourier transforms – definition and simple examples; discrete and fast Fourier
transforms; relationship between real space and Fourier space; sampling of Fourier
components. Fourier transform instruments – aperture synthesis at radio wavelengths;
collimating optics and coded masks at high photon energies; optical speckle
reconstruction; Fourier transform spectroscopy.
Interpretation of Astronomical Measurements:
What can be deduced - electron density, temperature, emission measure, composition,
magnetic field strength, bulk and random speeds.
Parameter Estimation and Model-fitting:
Bayesian versus frequentist approaches; statistics bias and variance,
sampling theory; confidence intervals. Model fitting – least squares and chi-squared
minimisation; maximum likelihood; computational methods for maximising and minimising
functions.
Inverse Methods:
Ill-posedness and instability; smoothing and regularisation; ideas of maximum
entropy, deconvolution.
Monte Carlo Methods:
Uniform random number generators; transformation method; the probability
integral transform; rejection method; Metropolis-Hastings algorithm; applications
to some simple astronomical problems.
CCD Photometry:
Stellar images – PSF fitting and recovery of flux; converting counts to photons;
flux calibration; non-stellar sources - source profiles; crowded field photometry
Spectroscopy:
Ingredients of spectroscopy; characteristic spectra for different astrophysical
objects and model atmospheres, optically thick vs. optically thin media; spectral
synthesis. Spectral fitting – xtraction of parameters of spectral lines;
the influence of radiative transfer; the cross-correlation function method.
Spectroscopic diagnostics – principles of optically-thin plasma diagnostics,
derivation of plasma temperature, density and velocity.
Time-series Analysis:
Beating and aliasing; period fitting; wavelets and other basis forms.
Orbital
Mechanics:
The general 2-body problem - reduced mass - elliptical, parabolic and hyperbolic
cases; the extended Kepler Equation. Transfer orbits – velocity impulse; Hohmann
transfer orbits; Slingshot trajectories; specific applications (Voyager Grand
Tour)
Natural
Satellites:
Tides and resonances, the dynamics of ring systems, shepherd moons
The (Restricted)
Three-Body Problem:
Equipotentials and the Roche Lobe; Lagrange Points; stability and Routh's criterion;
Specific application – SOHO
Non-Gravitational
Forces:
Atmospheric drag and the drag force, orbit decay and atmospheric braking
Space Propulsion:
Rocket equation and DeltaV; radiation pressure and solar sails; comet orbits
space tethers, ion drives
Hazards
of the Space Environment:
Thermal environment - extremes from Saturn to Venus and Mercury, challenges
to inner solar-system exploration, (Beppi Columbo). Debris hazards – natural
debris; meteors - comets – rings. (GIOTTO, NEAR, CASSINI). The plasma and electromagnetic
environment: - surface and body charging, particle damage to solar cells, killer
electrons, spacecraft shielding.
Detection
of Exoplanets:
Spectroscopic detection – detection by the
Doppler effect, sensitivity limits; spectroscopic atmosphere detection,
detection of pulsar planets. Photometric detection methods – astrometric detection
from 'wobble' in stellar position; detection of planetary transits; gravitational
microlensing searches
Current,
Future and Proposed Searches and Missions:
Direct imaging with OWL-class telescopes; interferometric methods; prospects
for future missions: Kepler, SIM, TPF, Darwin, GEST
Interpretation
of Observational Data:
Properties of known exo-planet systems around 'normal' stars; selection effects,
and their physical import for planetary system formation
Pulsar
Planets:
Formation and survival of planets around pulsars, pulsar planet detection
Formation
and Habitability of Solar and Exoplanets;
Theoretical ideas on solar system formation; comparison of solar system and
known exo-solar systems. Stellar and planetary parameters most favourable to
life – the habitable zone; magnetospheric/atmospheric protection from particles
and electromagnetic radiation; the tidal and stabilising effects of a planetary
satellite.
Exobiology
The survival of life under extreme conditions; extremophiles – radiation/temperature-
hardened organisms.
Introduction:
Overall motivation for the course -- why Special Relativity cannot provide a
complete description of gravity, and why gravity is special
Vectors, tensors and functions:
Recap of linear algebra, and an introduction to tensors, vectors and one-forms;
basis transforms and components.
Manifolds, vectors and differentiation:
Introduction to differential geometry; definition of the tangent plane,
and differentiation in flat and curved spaces; introduction to geodesics and
curvature; definition of Riemann and Ricci tensors and geodesic deviation.
Physics: energy, momentum and Einstein's equations:
Link to physics; introduction to the energy-momentum tensor; further discussion
of the equivalence principle, and a rationale for, and introduction to, Einstein's
equations linking the curvature of space-time to the presence of gravitating
objects; the Newtonian limit, and classical gravity as the weak-field limit
of Einstein's equations.
Brief resume of GR I
Static Models with Spherical Symmetry:
Orthogonal metrics; spherically symmetric metrics in curved spacetime; derivation
of the Christoffel symbols and components of the Ricci tensor
The Schwarzschild Metric:
Derivation from first principles of the standard form of the Schwarzschild
metric; derivation of the ordinary geodesics and identification with planetary
orbits; classical tests of general relativity: advance of pericentre, gravitational
light deflection; applications to gravitational lensing
Einstein's Equations for Static, Spherically Symmetric Stars:
Derivation of the Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation; outline of a general
numerical solution and derivation of the exact solution for a star of constant
density; comparison with real, astrophysical objects (e.g. white dwarfs, neutron
stars)
The Weak Gravitational Field and Gravitational Waves:
Linearisation of Einstein's equations for a weak gravitational field;
derivation of the wave equation for gravitational radiation; example of plane
gravitational wave solution – its quadrupole
nature and polarisation
Black Holes:
The infall of particles and photons towards the Schwarzschild horizon; behaviour
of the coordinate time and radial coordinate inside and outside this horizon;
new form of the metric and interpretation of the spacetime diagram; Hawking
radiation
GR and Cosmology:
The cosmological principle and derivation of the Robertson-Walker metric;
luminosity and angular diameter distances; connection to idealised Newtonian
interpretation of Cosmology
The Meaning of Probability:
Bayesian and frequentist approaches; deductive reasoning and Boolean algebra;
conditional probability and the extension to plausible reasoning; the idea of
probability as a measure of plausibility of a statement; the sum and product
rules in probability; Bayes' theorem and Bayesian Probability Theory; Frequentist
definition of probability; Probability as a limit of relative frequency, combinatorial
probability; probability distributions and random variables
Probability Distribution:
Poisson distribution and photon statistics as an example of a discrete distribution;
continuous distributions and pdfs; cumulative distribution functions; the uniform
distribution; the Central (Normal) distribution, histograms; the Central distribution
as a limiting distribution; measures and moments of a distribution - the mean,
variance, standard deviation, median, mode, skewness and kurtosis; variable
transforms; multivariate distributions; joint pdfs; marginal distributions;
statistical independence; the bivariate normal distribution; samples and parents.
Bayesian Parameter Estimation and Hypothesis Testing:
Bayes' theorem as applied to parameter estimation and examples of its application;
priors, likelihoods and posterior distributions; the biased coin problem; dependence
(or otherwise) of posterior on choice of prior; general Bayesian parameter estimation;
yhe idea of a 'model; the universality of the posterior distribution; best estimates
and error bars; the Gaussian approximation to the posterior pdf; shortest confidence
intervals; symmetric and asymmetric pdfs; the treatment of Gaussian noise, with
uniform and non-uniform variance; model fitting; marginal distributions; example
of fitting to a weak spectral line (Poisson noise); the maximum likelihood and
least-squares approximations; fitting a straight line to data - the period luminosity
relation as an example; WMAP results
as an example of Bayesian parameter estimation; Bayesian model comparison; prior
odds and the Bayes Factor; Occam's Razor.
Frequentist Parameter Estimation and Hypothesis Testing:
The idea of a statistic and of an estimator; sample mean and variance revisited;
consistency and bias; maximum likelihood method; least squares method from the
frequentist standpoint; weights; the chisquared distribution; point and interval
estimates; confidence; goodness of fit and the chisquared statistic; fitting
general models; Type I and Type II errors and significance; goodness of fit
for discrete distributions; non-parametric methods; Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.
Assigning Bayesian Probabilities:
What is ignorance? Least informative probabilities; the principle of insufficient
reason; transformational invariance; assigning probabilities to continuous parameters;
location and scale parameters; improper pdfs; the principle of maximum entropy
and its application.
Because of the nature of astronomy (i.e. the multi-faceted nature of cosmic objects as compared to the distilled basic laws of physics) specification of a single text even for one module tends to be problematic in some areas. Lecturers are asked to recommend and follow particular texts as far as possible, but in some subjects there may be no one book which encompasses the material which the individual lecturer believes most appropriate to a 20 hour module. The booklist provided lists the various course texts suggested - for the most part these should be regarded as highly recommended or suggested reading to augment self-contained lecture notes, not as obligatory purchases.
Each lecturer will provide you with exercise questions on the lecture material, and with sketch answers at a later stage. It is important that you tackle these questions promptly and discuss any problems they present with the lecturer as they are intended to develop your understanding of the lecture material. Your superviser may also be able to help. Feedback of this kind helps the lecturer improve the lectures and to focus on difficult areas in any class tutorials arranged.
At the beginning of term 1 you will be assigned a superviser who will arrange small group meetings at least three times per term. The frequency, times and format of these meetings will be arranged between the superviser and the group. While your superviser may be able to help with specific problems from lecture exercise sheets or old papers, the group meetings are not primarily intended for this purpose (which should be pursued mainly with the lecturer concerned). They are also intended as an opportunity for broader discussion of astronomy, setting lecture material in the wider context. One way to achieve this is for the group to select a recent astronomy news article (e.g. from New Scientist, Scientific American or a technical journal), and circulate copies for discussion. The scheme is also intended to establish good contact with a specific staff member to provide individual group members with someone to go to, besides their adviser, if they have problems of any kind.
A class party is usually organised, either in term 1 or in term 2, providing an opportunity to meet informally with staff, postgraduates, and classmates. Wine, soft drinks, and crisps etc will be provided but feel free to augment the supplies! AstroSoc (section 19) also provides an important medium for staff/student social events.
At the start of term 2, interviews are arranged for all A4 students to discuss and advise on plans after graduation. Dates and times will be arranged about the end of term 1. Postgraduate (Diploma, M.Sc. and Ph.D.) places are very competitive. Even if you do not restrict yourself to astronomy or even to research, job vacancies may be scarce, and students should apply as early and as widely as they can. Despite this it is very rare for our graduates not to have a job or postgraduate place soon after graduation. It is not uncommon for well over 50% of our graduates to find postgraduate training places, including Information Technology or Environmental Science and the like as well as Astronomy, Physics or Mathematics. Detailed information on careers comes mainly from the University Careers Office. Information on postgraduate openings in Astronomy, Physics, and related fields in this department, and elsewhere in the UK and abroad is available from the departmental Postgraduate Tutor, Dr P. Soler, and from the class head.
For research places in Physics or Astronomy you should in the first instance consult the research pages of the Department and discuss possibilities with your supervisor, lecturers and relevant Research Group Leaders. For places elsewhere in the UK you should write to the Head of Dept or Postgrad Admissions at the Dept concerned, or consult their Website. Extensive information on Postgrad Opportunities in Astronomy and Geophysics in the UK can be found on the Website of The Royal Astronomiucal Society. For overseas opportunities, speak to your lecturers and supervisor. In all cases start early!
Astronomy 3 and 4 each elect one representative to the appropriate Departmental Staff-Student Committee. Nominations will be called for in October, and the representatives elected before week 5. Agenda and minutes of the committee meetings will be posted on the notice boards. Please use this opportunity to express your views.
Please don't suffer in silence. If you have any difficulties with the course, whether in comprehension or related to personal circumstances, please do not be hesitant in broaching the subject with us. You can approach the lecturer concerned, your superviser, the class or lab head, or your adviser of studies. Matters of general concern to the class should also be raised with the class representative so that they can be aired at the Student-Staff Committee.
Students are expected to attend all lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions. Attendance will be taken at all labs, and occasionally during lectures and tutorials.
If you are absent for medical reasons from one lab session, or from one whole day's lectures, you should complete a Self Certificate of Absence available from the Principal Adviser's Office in the Boyd Orr building, or from the Astronomy Secretary, room 608. Please speak to the class head or lab head on your return.
In the case of prolonged or frequent absence, a medical certificate should be submitted to the Principal Adviser's office. This must also be done if a student is unable to sit any examination, including the class test, through illness, or if examination performance has been adversely affected by ill health.
Students with any disability which may affect their performance in class or at examinations, or their ability to attend, are advised to consult the Special Needs Adviser. If as a result of this consultation special examination arrangements are approved, the student should confer with the class head at least one month before the examination to ensure that these arrangements take place.
If any student has strict religious beliefs that he or she feels may cause a problem with attendance at any lecture, tutorial, laboratory or examination, he or she is required to notify the class head at the beginning of the session.
Topics may be chosen from any area of Astronomy, but should not coincide with the content of any lecture module, although specialised themes within module topics are acceptable, as are wider themes in which a lecture module content is only a small part. As far as possible major overlap between different class members' topics should be avoided. To facilitate this, each student should select a first and second choice topic in liaison with other members of the class.
Since the results of the research are intended to be at a fairly technical level, sources drawn on must include technical journal papers and review articles. However, magazines like Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Astronomy Now, New Scientist, and Scientific American and websites pitched at similar level can provide a good starting point and contextual information. Beyond that, the best step is to read a good review article such as found as hardcopy in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics - http://astro.annualreviews.org/contents-by-date.0.shtml - and, for relativity related astronomy, in e-form in Living Reviews - http://relativity.livingreviews.org/. These will refer you to standard journal articles, conference reports and books. You may search further by author, subject and date via the ADS information system at ukads.physics.nottingham.ac.uk/abs_doc/help_pages/linking.html, which in most cases allows you to call up and print abstracts and complete articles, check how often papers have been cited by others etc. Very recent articles/preprints in certain fields are accessible via astro-ph at http://uk.arXiv.org.
A list of some topics deemed suitable is appended and it is suggested you pick one of these though alternatives will be considered. Several of them have no single review article recommended as a starting point but a Web ADS search under key terms in the title should enable you, with your supervisor's help, to identify major source articles and/or books
Active and Adaptive Optics for astronomy
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 1993, Vol. 31: 13-62
Solar System
The Solar Interior
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 1995, Vol. 33: 459-503
Solar High Energy Radiation, and the RHESSI Mission
http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/hessi/team.htm
The Sun's Variable Radiation And Its Relevance For Earth
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 1997 , Vol. 35: 33-67.
The Jupiter-Io system
Structure of the Gas Giants
Moons and Rings of the Jovian Planets
Meteor Showers and Storms
The Beagle Mars Mission
Chaos In The Solar System
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 2001, Vol. 39: 581-631
Stars and Interstellar Matter
Radio Emission From Supernovae And Gamma-Ray Bursters
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 2002, Vol. 40: 387-438
Binary And Millisecond Pulsars At The New Millennium 2001-5
Living Reviews - Lorimer, Duncan:
Shapes and Shaping of Planetary Nebulae
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 2002 40:439-86
The Orion Nebula And Its Associated Population
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 2001 39:99-136
Herbig Haro Flows: Probes Of Early Stellar Evolution
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 2001 39:403-55
Eta Carina and other ultra-luminous stars
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 1997, Vol. 35: 1-32
X-ray binaries
Current and future methods for detecting extra-solar planets
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 1998,Vol. 36: 57-97,Vol.36: 507-537,2001, Vol.
39: 353-401
Cosmology & Relativity
Constraining cosmological models with the Microwave Background Radiation
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 2002, Vol. 40: 171-216;
also http://background.uchicago.edu/~whu/physics/physics.html
Evidence for a non-zero cosmological constant and dark energy
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 2001, Vol. 39: 67-98
Also
http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2001-1
Gravitational lensing as a probe of dark matter in the Universe
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 1996, Vol. 34: 419-459
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 1999 , Vol. 37: 127-189
Experimental tests of General Relativity
Clifford Will http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2001-4
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astophys. 2002, Vol. 40: 263-317
The Reionization Of The Universe By The First Stars And Quasars
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 2001 39:19-66
Cluster Magnetic Fields
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 2002 40:319-48
Detection and Origin of Cosmic Rays
It is very important to indicate sources in both your oral and written reports - omission of these or failure to explicitly "quote" material copied straight from the web are the commonest flaws and risk the serious charge of plagiarism. (See also the Appendix for the full statement of University policy on this serious matter). Sources include books, journals, magazines, and information obtained from the internet.
Class test
There will be one class test, held on the last Friday of term 1.
Degree/Honours Exams
Current 4th year students:
There is a degree exam assessment of 75 minutes duration for each module and three modules are examined in June of the A3 year for both B.Sc. and M.Sci. candidates. There is a September resit for level 3 covering the same material. For B.Sc. candidates the degree exams have the same structure in the A4 year while the M.Sci candidates are also examined on the two modules that are exclusive to M.Sci.
There are 5 exam papers over A3 and A4 and this session they are expected to be formulated as follows :
Paper I /III 75 minutes IOR
Paper II/IV 150 minutes COS, NA, DA
Paper V 150 minutes GR, NLP (4M only)
Reminder - Admission to A4 normally requires a pass in A3 at Grade D or higher. This may be achieved in either the June or September degree exams. However, it should be noted that, in all cases where a student progresses to A4, it is the performance in the level 3 June exams which count as the mark carried forward for final honours assessment. It is therefore essential that students recognise the importance of aiming at a good grade in the June exams. In particular in the case of a grade E, F or G in June, followed by a grade D in September, a student progressing to A4 carries forward his/her June level 3 performance to the final honours exams.
Assessment
Lab and Seminar work, as well as degree exam marks, are included in the A3 grade and contribute to the final honours classification.
Level 3
The final % mark (M), on which level 3 grading is based, depends on the degree exam marks (I % and II%), the oral seminar report mark SO(%) and the A3 laboratory mark P(%) with weights given by:
M = 100(6 I + 12 II + 5 P + 4 SO)/27
Guideline grading bands for level 3 are:
M >= 70 A, 60 <= M <70 B, 50 <= M <60 C, 45 <= M <50 D,
40 <= M < 45 E, 30 <= M < 40 F, M <= 30 G
B.Sc.
The final mark M(%), on which honours classification is based, depends on the degree exam paper marks I(%), II(%), III(%), IV(%), the oral SO(%) and written SW(%) seminar report marks and the laboratory mark P(%) with weights given by:
M = 100(6 I + 12 II + 6 III + 12 IV + 9 P + 3 SO + 4 SW)/52
M.Sci.
The final mark M(%), on which honours classification is based, depends on the degree exam paper marks I(%), II(%), III(%), IV(%), V(%), the oral SO(%) and written SW(%) seminar report marks and the laboratory mark P(%) with the weights given by:
M = 100(6 I + 12 II + 6 III + 12 IV + 12 V + 15 P + 5 SO + 5 SW)/73
The guideline figures for award of all honours degrees are:
M >= 70 1st Class
60 <= M < 70 Upper 2nd Class
50 <= M < 60 Lower 2nd Class
40 <= M < 50 Third Class
M < 40 Ordinary - lower limit based on individual case and class record.
Special arrangements exist for students who suffer illness or other serious problems during the degree exams and are prevented from completing them.
Current 3rd-year students:
Each lecture course component (LCC) will be assessed by a degree exam consisting of a compulsory 20-mark question and one of two 30-mark questions for each LCC (as at present). The examination for each LCC is of 75 minutes duration. The average percentage mark for all LCCs will be converted to a value on the University’s 20-point scale. The oral and written parts of the Astronomy Seminar Component are separately assessed on the University’s 20-point scale, as is each Astronomy Laboratory Project. Course components are weighted internally according to the notional number of credits associated with them.
The B.Sc. Programmes:
Three H-level LCCs will be assessed in May/June of Year 3H. There is an August/September resit covering the same material. In Year 4H the structure is the same as in 3H, but no resits are possible.
3H Course Component: A separate grade will be returned to Registry. The grade (G3) depends on the degree exam marks (percentages converted to 20-point values) for each of the 3 LCCs examined; AX01H, AX03H and AX02/04H, where X is A or B, the oral seminar report mark SO and the 3H astronomy laboratory mark LB1, weighed and combined as follows:
G3 = 2/9(AX01H+ AX03H+AX02/4H) + 1/6 (LB1 + SO)
4H Course Component: the grade (G4) depends on the degree exam marks (percentages converted to 20-point values) for the remaining LCCs; AY01H, AY03H and AY02/04H, where Y is B or A, the written seminar report mark SW and the 4H astronomy laboratory mark LB2, weighted and combined as follows:
G4 = 2/9(AY01H+ AY03H+AY02/4H) + 1/6(LB2 + SW)
Combination of Astronomy and Physics or Mathematics Course Components
In the third year, a separate grade is returned to the Registry for each subject in the combined programme. In the fourth year, a final percentage on which honours classification is based is obtained by combining the 3H and 4H course astronomy course scores components with equal weightings, and then averaging with the score from the other discipline. All averaging is done on the points scale.
The M.Sci. Programme:
3M: three H-level LCCs will be assessed in May/June. There is an August/September resit covering the same material.
3M*: three H-level LCCs and one M-level LCC will be assessed in May/June. There is an August/September resit covering the H-level material.
The grade (G3/G3*) for 3M/M* Astronomy depends on the degree exam marks (percentages converted to 20-point values) in each LCC; AX01H, AX02H, AX04/04H, AX11M (for M* students), the oral seminar report mark SO and the 3M astronomy laboratory mark LB1, plus half the score for the (physics ) Maths Methods 2 LCC weighted and combined as follows:
G3 = 2/9(AX01H+ AX02H+AX03/04H) + 1/6(LB1 + SO)
G3* = 1/6(AX01H+AX02H+AX04/04H+AX11M) + 1/12 MM2 + 1/8(LB1 + SO)
4M/5M Course Components: three H-level LCCs and one M-level LCC will be assessed in May/June of Year 4. One H-level LCC and two M-level LCCs will be assessed in May/June of Year 5. There are no resits for M-level LCCs.
The grades (G4 and G5) for the astronomy course components depend on the degree exam marks (percentages converted to values on the 20-point scale) in each LCC; AY01H, AY02H, AY03/04H, AX04/03H, AY11M, AX11M and AX12M, and half the MM2 in G4 as above. They are equally weighed. Thus,
G4 = 2/9(AY01H + AY02H + AY03/04H + AY11M) + 1/9 MM2
G5 = 1/3(AX04/03H + AX11M + AX12M)
4M* Course Components: four H-level LCCs and two M-level LCCs will be assessed in May/June of Year 4. They are equally weighted. Thus,
G4* = 1/6 (AY01H + AY02H + AY03H + AY04H + AY11M + AY12M)
Combination of Astronomy and Physics or Mathematics Course Components
A separate grade for 3M/M* is returned to the Registry for each subject in the combined programme. Internally the relative weightings for the blocks in each course component follow the number of credits associated with them.
The five (M* course) or six (M course) course components are combined according to the relative weights given in Figure 2. In M*, each course component in each subject attracts 2/9 of the total marks each, and the project 1/9. In the M course, each course component in each subject contributes 1/6 to the total, with the project being allotted equally to P5M and A5M. It is difficult to change the relative weightings of components because of the differing structures of M and M*.
Calculators
All students are expected to own an electronic calculator with a range of scientific functions and to ensure it is in working order for examinations and class work in general. It is a University Regulation however that - Calculators or other hand-held electronic aids with a facility for either textual storage or display, or for graphic display, are excluded from use in examinations.
In addition to PC cluster at Garscube and the Level 6 research machines of the Kelvin Building, the Department provides a large PC cluster. Access is open except during certain hours when class use takes priority. Security cameras, alarms, and emergency telephone are provided for safety after hours. Access after hours requires a key card for the building and a PIN number for the room lock (contact Peter Barbour room 223).
The University also has PC (Boyd Orr Building) and Macintosh (Library) clusters available for student use. All of these facilities can be used for word processing as well as for computing.
NB - VIRUSES: take great care when transfering data between machines. Avoid using floppy disks and don't install packages without consultation.
Admission to A3/4 of exchange students under the SOCRATES and other programmes is considered on an individual basis by the Class Head, the Head of Dept., and the Faculty Admissions Officer for non-graduating students. Generally both entry and curriculum arrangements for such students are very flexible. In particular Exchange students can often 'pick and mix' Astronomy courses from different years, including A3/4, to satisfy their credit and timetable constraints as well as their own interests.
Information on all aspects of the class is available on the notice board outside room 312 and the class website (http://www.astro.gla.ac.uk/honours/). Announcements are frequently made to the class through e-mail messages and it is important that you check your University email regularly.
Astrosoc is the student astronomical society, which arranges social events and invited general talks on astronomical issues. Physoc and Macsoc do the same for physics and maths. These and other campus societies can liven up your life, both academic and social. Students are also welcome to attend the research colloquia. These are announced on notice boards and, although advanced, they often contain material of general interest.