ASPH 405: Extragalactic Astrophysics

Hubble Deep Field image showing numerous faint, distant galaxies

Instructor: Steven Gibson
Lectures: Tues, Thurs at 2:00-3:15pm, in ST 27
Office Hours: Tues, Thurs at 3:15-5pm, SB 519

Course Catalog Description

Textbook: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, by Carroll & Ostlie (1996)

Topics: This course is concerned with the study of objects and phenomena in the extragalactic domain, up to and including the general structure of matter and the evolution of the universe. We will mostly follow the order of presentation given in the text:

• Chapter 22: The Milky Way Galaxy (optional)
• Chapter 23: The Nature of Galaxies
• Chapter 24: Galactic Evolution
• Chapter 25: The Structure of the Universe
• Chapter 26: Active Galaxies
• Chapter 27: Cosmology
• Chapter 28: The Early Universe

Grading:

30%	Assignments & Reading Quizzes
20%	Term Project (Research Paper & Presentation)
15%	Mid-Term Examination
35%	Final Examination

Reading Quizzes: Reading assignments will be given prior to each topic being covered in lecture. As a small incentive, announced quizzes will follow each reading assignment. These will count as part of the assignment grade; in total, they might equal one homework assignment, and altogether will account for perhaps 5% of the course grade.

General Assignments: These will usually be sets of problems out of the textbook, but may be supplemented by others which look like fun, such as the following:

• Programming Exercise: We will experiment with and modify the GALAXY program given in Appendix J of the text. Click here for a copy of the sourcecode. The program is in BASIC and has graphical output designed to operate on a PC running DOS. It is quite simple to use inside an environment like QBASIC, which often comes bundled with PC operating systems; a zipped version of QBASIC (780k) has been made available by Julie. If you do not have a BASIC compiler, this one should do, or you can consult Yahoo for useful links. I can also make a PC available to work on for those who do not have access to one otherwise.

• Observing Assignment: Working in groups, you will use the radio telescope on the roof of Science B to measure the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation. A PDF copy of the assignment is available. Detailed information on the telescope is given on the web.

• ``Dry Lab'': This is a simulated observing project. You will be given data on a collection of galaxies to measure and analyze. PDF copies of the assignment are available:
  • Text
  • Images (courtesy of the SEDS NGC 2000 Browser)
  • Spectra were photocopied from Tully & Fisher 1977.
  The handout galaxy images are somewhat small; larger versions are available here (click on an image to obtain the full-sized version).

Term Project: Write a research paper (of order 10-15 pages) on a subject of interest to you, within the scope of the course, but at a greater level of detail than discussed by the book. I must approve the topic. A one-page outline or abstract is due by February 25 (before Reading Week). The paper is due the last day of class, April 15. During the last two weeks, each person will give a 10-15 minute presentation on their paper to the rest of the class.