The first part of this module is concerned with our understanding of the births, lives and deaths of stars. The starting point is the observational study and classification of stars, arriving at the Hertzsprung-Russell and Mass-Luminosity diagrams. The physics of stars, including the mechanisms by which stars support themselves against gravitational collapse, and how they derive power from nuclear processes and generate elements heavier than Helium, is then examined. The final section of the course is dedicated to astronomical instrumentation where the design of telescopes used in astronomy to detect electromagnetic radiation from radio waves to gamma rays is explored. The module draws on ideas and laws from many different areas of physics and so a reasonable background in physics is expected for students to undertake this course.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module students should be able to:
(1) describe the techniques and results of observations of stars
(2) derive/calculate information about stars' physical properties from the measurement data
(3) apply the laws of physics to understand the properties and evolution of stars, and apply models to determine parameters such as central pressure, central temperature, lifetime etc.
(4) describe the processes of stellar nucleosynthesis
(5) describe the compact objects that form at the end of stars' lives, including White Dwarf stars, Neutron stars and Pulsars.
(6) discuss the detection methods and techniques used by astronomical telescopes for operation in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and perform basic calculations of telescope performance and sensitivity
Indicative Module Content:
Rough outline of the course
- Introduction: stellar properties (distances, magnitude, luminosities, etc); The HR diagram; ...
- Stellar structure
- Stellar evolution
- Astronomical techniques: Earth atmosphere; Fundamental concepts; Telescopes
