Class Schedule for AY403: Last updated 2003Oct22 (schedule subject to change)
| Date | Readings | Topics | Homework |
| Wed Sep 3 | D&W Ch.1 | Introduction | |
| Fri Sep 5 | Ch. 2 | How we obtain information on the interstellar medium
(Review of some basic physics: thermodynamics, 2-level atom, spectral line formation, radiative transfer, continuum radiation) |
|
| Mon Sep 8 | |||
| Wed Sep 10 | |||
| Fri Sep 12 | |||
| Mon Sep 15 | |||
| Wed Sep 17 | Ch. 3 | Microscopic processes (collisional processes, heating, cooling, molecule formation) | #1 due |
| Fri Sep 19 | |||
| Mon Sep 22 | |||
| Wed Sep 24 | References:Wolfire article, Dickey/Lockman 1990 | Neutral HI regions (heating, cooling, galactic distribution); Multi-phase (neutral) ISM | #2 due |
| Fri Sep 26 | |||
| Mon Sep 29 | |||
| Wed Oct 1 | Ch. 4 | Dust (optical properties, formation, destruction, composition) | #3 due |
| Fri Oct 3 | |||
| Mon Oct 6 | |||
| Wed Oct 8 | Ch. 5 | Radiatively-excited (HII) regions (ionization, stromgen sphere, radio emission, effect of dust/metals) | #4 due |
| Fri Oct 10 | |||
| Mon Oct 13 | No Class (Fall Break) | ||
| Wed Oct 15 | (HII regions continued) | ||
| Fri Oct 17 | |||
| Mon Oct 20 | Ch. 6 | Introduction to fluid mechanics (hydrodynamics, Euler equations, shocks, magneto-hydrodynamics) | #5 due |
| Wed Oct 22 | |||
| Fri Oct 24 | |||
| Mon Oct 27 | In-class review for Midterm | ||
| Wed Oct 29 | Midterm Exam (tentative schedule) | ||
| Fri Oct 31 | Ch 6. (continued) | (continued) | |
| Mon Nov 3 | Ch. 7 | Gas dynamics (photo-ionized nebula, stellar winds, supernovae, energy budget of ISM) | |
| Wed Nov 5 | #6 due | ||
| Fri Nov 7 | |||
| Mon Nov 10 | |||
| Wed Nov 12 | outside reading (TBD) | Molecular gas/clouds (H2, CO, astrochemistry, observations) | #7 due |
| Fri Nov 14 | |||
| Mon Nov 17 | |||
| Wed Nov 19 | Ch. 8 | Star formation (gravitational collapse, virial theorem, magnetic fields, rotation, observations) | |
| Fri Nov 21 | |||
| Mon Nov 24 | |||
| Wed Nov 26 | Guest Lecture | ||
| Fri Nov 28 | No Class (Thanksgiving) | ||
| Mon Dec 1 | (star formation continued) | ||
| Wed Dec 3 | Ferriere 2001 | Overview of Galactic ISM (Putting it all together, ISM in pictures, and Review Session for Final Exam | #8 due |
| Fri Dec 5 | |||
| Mon Dec 8 | |||
| Wed Dec 10 | Class Presentations (Last day of Class) | #9 due |