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Galactic Astronomy Teaching plan for the course unit General information Course unit name: Galactic Astronomy Course unit code: 568426 Academic year: 2019-2020 Coordinator: Francesca Figueras Siñol Department: Department of Quantum Physics and Astrophysics Credits: 6 Single program: S Estimated learning time Total number of hours 150 Face-to-face learning activities 60 - Lecture Face-to-face 52 - Special practices Face-to-face 8 Supervised project 10 Independent learning 80 Competences to be gained during study — Capacity to acquire basic knowledge of galactic astronomy. — Capacity to undertake a doctoral thesis related to the field of study. Learning objectives Referring to knowledge — Acquire a basic understanding of the structure, kinematics and dynamics of the Milky Way. — Advance in the knowledge of processes of formation and evolution of spiral galaxies. — Become familiar with the physical properties of the interstellar medium and of the stellar components of the Milky Way. — Understand which observables properties are available to us. Understand the precision in what can be attained today. — Acquire knowledge of statistical analysis techniques. Teaching blocks 1. Introduction 1.1. Galaxies and their place in the Universe 1.2. History of galactic astronomy 1.3. Overview of galaxies: current knowledge 2. Astronomical units 2.1. Stellar component 2.2. Interstellar matter 2.3. Catalogues and large surveys 2.4. Interstellar extinction 3. Stellar statistics 3.1. Apparent distribution of stars 3.2. Fundamental equation of stellar statistics 3.3. Luminosity function of stars 3.4. The initial mass function and the star formation rate 3.5. Galaxy models for predicting stellar recounts 4. Kinematics 4.1. Kinematics of stars in the solar neighbourhood 4.2. Large scale kinematics 4.3. Kinematic of external galaxies 5. Fundamental equations of stellar dynamics 5.1. Poisson’s equation 5.2. Boltzmann equations without collisions 6. The orbits of the stars in the galactic potential 6.1. Integrals of motion 6.2. Energy and angular momentum: Lindblad’s diagram 6.3. The orbital structure in spherical, asymmetrical and non-asymmetric potentials 6.4. Force and movement perpendicular to the galactic disc 7. Collisions and encounters of star systems 7.1. Dynamic friction and some examples 7.2. Encounters in stellar discs: heating of the disc 7.3. Fusions and tidal effects 8. Introduction to the chemical evolution of galaxies 8.1. Observational evidence 8.2. Gas surface density, rate of supernova explosions, enrichment 8.3. Basic elements of a chemical evolution model: star birth rate and rate of fall of matter 8.4. Some simplified models 9. Formation and evolution of galaxies 9.1. Global properties of galactic subsystems at the cosmological scale: key point in the training process 9.2. Galaxy formation models 9.3. Large-scale star formation Teaching methods and general organization — Lectures. — Presentation of assignments by students to the rest of the class. Official assessment of learning outcomes Assignments proposed to students (optional) and oral presentation (15 minutes) in front of the class. Examination-based assessment Single assessment consists of a written examination to assess student progress. Repeat assessment criteria Repeat assessment takes place in June and consists of a written examination to assess the improvement in student progress. The final grade includes proposed assignments (optional) and oral presentations carried out by students throughout the course (20% of the final grade). Reading and study resources Consulteu la disponibilitat a CERCABIB Book BINNEY, JAMES, 1950- ; MERRIFIELD, MICHAEL.. Galactic astronomy. Princeton : Princeton University Press, cop. 1998 BINNEY, JAMES, 1950- ; TREMAINE, SCOTT, 1950-. Galactic dynamics. (2nd ed. Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2008 GREEN, ROBIN M. (ROBIN MICHAEL), 1937-. Spherical astronomy. Cambridge [etc]: Cambridge University Press, 1985 JASCHEK, CARLOS ; JASCHEK, MERCEDES. The classification of stars. Cambridge : Cambrdige University Press, 1987 MIHALAS, DIMITRI, 1939-. ; BINNEY, J.AMES, 1950-. Galactic astronomy: structre and kinematics. 2nd ed. San Francisco : Freeman, cop. 1981 SCHEFFLER, HELMUT ; ELSÄSSER, HANS, 1929-. Physics of the galaxy and interstellar matter. Berlin : Springer, 1988 TRUMPLER, ROBERT J. ; WEAVER, HAROLD F. Statistical astronomy. Mineola : Dover, 1953 Checked by UB Language Services..
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