Astrophysics and astroparticles

Teacher(s)

de Wasseige Gwenhaël;

Language

English
> French-friendly

Main themes

'      Short overview of astronomy and its basic concepts.
'      Formation and evolution of stars ; stellar collapses.
'      Neutron stars, pulsars and black holes.
'      Galaxies and galactic centers ; dark matter and cosmic rays.
'      Binary systems and gravitational waves.
'      Cosmic microwave background radiation and evolution of universe.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	a.     Contribution of the teaching unit to the learning outcomes of the programme (PHYS2M and PHYS2M1) AA1 : A1.2, A1.6 AA2 : A2.1, A2.5 AA3 : A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4 AA4 : A4.1, A4.2 AA5 : A5.1, A5.2, A5.3, A5.4 AA6 : A6.1 AA7 : A7.1, A7.3, A7.4 AA8 : A8.1 b.    Specific learning outcomes of the teaching unit By the end of this teaching unit, the student will be able to : 1.     applyfundamental physics laws for modeling crucial phenomena in astrophysics ; 2.     explain and discussthe roles of both nuclear reactions and fundamental interactions in stellar evolution ; 3.     explain and discuss the specific mechanisms behind the variety of major phenomena in astrophysics ; 4.     further the study of a specific topic of modern astrophysics ; 5.     relate the contents of the course to current developments in astrophysics as well as in astroparticle physics.

Content

• Fundamental notions of astronomy, units and variables, basic measurements ; star catalogues (spectra & luminosities); Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

• Star formation mechanisms; nuclear fusion and star evolution ; astrophysics of the Sun and solar neutrinos..
• Particles and radiation in the cosmos: electromagnetic emission, particle acceleration, interaction, and propagation, dark matter detection.
• Galactic and extragalactic high-energy phenomena: interstellar medium and magnetic fields, accretion power, supernovae, neutron stars, white dwarfs, black holes, active galactic nuclei,...
• Multi-messenger astronomy: first detected sources, theoretical implications, alert systems, real-time astronomy,...

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures in class and flipped classrooms.
Reading portfolio for personal study.

Evaluation methods

Individual oral exam based on scientific paper readings and discussion.

Bibliography

• D. Perkins, Particle Astrophysics (Oxford master series).
• M. Longair, High Energy Astrophysics (Cambridge University press).
• M. Spurio, The Probes of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (Springer, 2020).

Faculty or entity

PHYS