Astrophysics

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Department of Physics

Synopsis:

The lecture „Astrophysics“ is a continuation of the basic physics courses. In this relatively captivating area of physics, students will review and deepen their understanding of significant aspects of physics, such as mechanics, optics, the theory of relativity, quantum theory, radiation, and more.

Requirements:

Attendance at exercises and achieving a minimum of 50% success in the credit test.

Syllabus of lectures:

1.Expressing distances in space: astronomical unit, Titius-Bode formula, light-year, parsec, parallax.

2.Blackbody radiation (Planck's law, Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien's law), stellar radiation; relative and absolute magnitude, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

3.Motion in a central gravitational field - Kepler's problem.

4.Elementary particles and interactions (introduction).

5.Basics of stellar physics: hydrostatic equilibrium of stars, thermonuclear reactions, energy transfer in stars, Vogt-Russell theorem.

6.Star formation - Jeans criterion, gravitational collapse, movement on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

7.Final evolutionary stages of stars: white dwarfs, neutron stars (pulsars), black holes.

8.Special theory of relativity: events, Lorentz transformation, spacetime interval, world line, proper time.

9.Basic ideas of general theory of relativity, equivalence principle, local inertial frame, light in a gravitational field, geodesics, Schwarzschild metric.

10.Applications of the Schwarzschild metric: spacetime deformation in a gravitational field, time dilation in a gravitational field.

11.Motion in a gravitational field from the perspective of general theory of relativity: Euler's equation, circular orbit.

12.Introduction to cosmology: Olbers' paradox, cosmological principle, Hubble-Lemaitre law, cosmological redshift, Friedman's equation.

13.Geometry of the universe, FRW metric.

14.Propagation of light in an expanding universe, cosmological redshift, volume of the universe, particle horizon, inflation.

Syllabus of tutorials:

1.Orientation in the sky: horizon and equatorial coordinates, sidereal time.

2.Gravity inside a sphere, applications: tunneling through the Earth, virial theorem.

3.Motion in a central gravitational field (examples), space velocities, travel within the solar system.

4.Particles and interactions - quark composition of composite particles, Feynman diagrams.

5.Particle collisions - examples.

6.Basics of stellar physics - examples.

7.Fundamental concepts of special theory of relativity - example: photon clocks, time dilation, length contraction.

8.Minkowski metric, applications of special theory of relativity - Doppler effect for light.

9.Applications of special theory of relativity - journey to the center of the Galaxy (interstellar travel).

10.Applications of general theory of relativity - gravitational Doppler effect, clocks on telecommunication satellites (GPS system).

11.Motion in a gravitational field from the perspective of general theory of relativity - examples: falling into a black hole, last stable orbit around a black hole, circular light orbit around a black hole.

12.Models of the universe expansion - examples of solutions to Friedman's equation.

13.Cosmology - examples.

14.Credit test.

Study Objective:

Study materials:

1. Bradley W. Carroll, Dale A. Ostlie , An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, Cambridge University Press; 2nd edition, 2017

2. Andrew Liddle, An Introduction to Modern Cosmology, Wiley; 3rd edition, 2015

3. James Hartle, Gravity: An Introduction to Einstein's General Relativity, Pearson Education Limited, 2013

4. Edwin F. Taylor, John Archibald Wheeler, Exploring Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity 1st Edition, Addison Wesley Longman; 1st edition, 2000

5. David Griffiths, Introduction to Elementary Particles, Wiley-VCH; 2nd edition, 2008, (chapters 1 and 2).

Note:

Further information:

No time-table has been prepared for this course

The course is a part of the following study plans: