PHYS 633: Intro to stellar astrophysics

PHYS 633: Intro to stellar astrophysics#

Basic information#

Instructor: Dr. Véronique Petit Office: 202 Sharp Lab Email: VPetit@udel.edu

  • Times/Location: Tuesday/Thursday 14:20-15:40 (80 minutes) in ISE 315 (DSpOC)

  • Zoom link: see on canvas.

Office hours: TBD during together first lecture, by appointment, or just stop by my office!

Course websites:

  • Most class material is grouped here (and in the associated GitHub repository)

  • Canvas will be used to track grades, submit assignments for grading, and for private information. I will also use it to host videos sporadically.

  • Large data files will be shared through Google Drive links.

Course description: Introduction to the physics of stellar interiors and atmospheres. The evolution of stars is explored by studying the changes in internal composition due to nuclear reactions. The physical processes underlying stellar spectra are investigated. Computer simulations of stars and their atmospheres will be used.

Note: During this course, we will use Python Notebooks on Google Colab (freeware) during lectures to produce graphs and perform calculations – please bring your laptop at every lectures.

Background knowledge: There is no official pre-requisite for this course, because it is at the graduate level. I expect good knowledge equivalent to PHYS207 Fundamentals of Physics I, PHYS310 Thermodynamics, and PHYS309 20th/21st Century Physics. For mathematics, calculus in very important (infinitesimal quantities, definite integration, and differential equation solutions).

About your instructor#

My main area of research is stellar physics, more specifically the study of massive stars, their stellar winds, and their magnetic fields. I use spectroscopy and spectropolatimetry at many wavelengths, and regularly use data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope. My goal for this course is not only to give you a strong understanding of the key physical principles that govern the life of stars, but also to give you a taste of the outstanding questions that have yet to be answered and are currently the subject to active research.

Welcome to Stellar Astrophysics!#

Astrophysics is a fascinating topic. Even after a decade of research in this field, I am still amazed on how we can tell so much about these faint white dots in the sky, with a good telescope and more importantly with our knowledge of physics.

Even though you are all here because at some level you love space, you probably do not all aspire to become astronomers. However, I will say that stellar astrophysics is one of the best subjects to learn how we integrate what seems to be very different aspects of physics to solve a problem in a given topic. This is very important skills for a physicist in any career path.