Syllabus

Aim of the course

This is a required course in all of the Astronomy & Astrophysics programs.  This course aims to teach the physics underlying the formation, the equilibrium, and the evolution of structure on all astronomical scales. Two main topics will be discussed:

Stars

Hydrostatic equilibrium, virial theorem; Collapse of molecular clouds, star formation; Equation of state in stellar interiors; Simple stellar models: polytropes; Radiative energy transport, opacity sources; Convective energy transport; Hayashi track; pre–main sequence evolution; Energy balance: contraction, nuclear fusion; Stellar model building; The main sequence, brown dwarfs; Low-mass stars: giant phases, shell burning; High-mass stars: fusion up to iron; Supernovae.

The universe: 

Distance Ladders; Cosmological principle, basic parameters; Simple relativistic cosmology; Big Bang nucleosynthesis; Times, distances, horizons, diameters; Cosmic microwave background, inflation; Fluctuations and structure formation. Galaxy Formation; Galaxy Evolution

Pre-requisites: AST 221H & 222H, and PHY 252H (the latter can be taken concurrently), or pending  instructor permission.

Grading

. 10 Problem sets (70%)

. Individual “elevator-pitch” (3-minutes, 7%) 

if an in-person final exam will be held: final exam (23%), 3 hrs, mid-late April, closed-book

if the final exam will not be in person:

. video project (due end of term, 5-minutes, 8%)

. Final examination (15%), open book, calculator allowed, late April, 3 hours.

There will be 10 problem sets due Fridays before class.  Late submissions are accepted, but are subject to a grade reduction of 15% per late day (i.e. submission in the weekend, 15% reduction; submission in Monday, 30%; Tuesday 45%...) . You are strongly encouraged to collaborate on the problem sets but are not allowed to copy each other. The University has strict guidelines and grave punishments for academic misconduct. 

Individual “elevator-pitch” is meant to be a 3-minute discussion of a textbook concept by a student. i will assign the topics ahead of time, the student does the research/reading (preferably the textbook, not random web pages), make a short pitch to explain the concept to the fellow students. Present the concept as how you would like to hear/understand. You will be judged by how interesting and how understandable the discussion is. Check the calendar for your assigned slots. The student should follow the presentation by a little pop quiz -- this should be a multiple choice poll around the key concept you  are discussing, the purpose is to see how well you have explained it and what the common misconceptions are. 

Both the slides (1-2 slildes in pdf format) and the pop quiz should be submitted to the instructor a day before the lecture.

The video assignment (in case of no in-person final exam) runs like this: Invent a problem by youself -- these are either quantitative or qualitative, but you must get my pre-approval. In a video format (5 mins., you can show slides, writing, voice-over...), you explain the problem to the viewer (me and the TAs), why it is interesting, how to think about it using concepts from this  class, and what is the answer. Think of this as a stand-alone Khan academy video. Due end of term.

Textbook & Supplementary Readings

0. I will be following our own lecture note, but it’s terse and rather mathematical.

1. formal textbook: Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, Carroll & Ostlie, 2nd edition, 

2. Pols, On-line lecture notes for a graduate level course, last update 2011, detailed and physical

3. Stellar Structure and Evolution, Kippenhahn, Weigert & Weiss (Springer-Verlag, 2012); detailed and rigorous

Contact: who, when, where

Instructor: Prof. Yanqin Wu;   

Lectures: M2-3pm, F12-1pm (in-person from feb. 7th, GB244)

Email: wu_at_astro.utoronto.ca

Teaching Assistant: 

Shivan Khullar (shivan.khullar at mail.utoronto.ca)

Dang Pham (dang.pham at mail.utoronto.ca)

office hours: Wu: Wed. 3-4pm (online, same as lecture link)

                  Shivan/Dang: Thurs. 2-3pm (online, same as lecture link)

Office hours: If you wish to talk to me or the TA individually, please visit us during the office hours; failing that, you can try to arrange an appointment with us by email. Do not expect answers to problem-set questions by e-mail.