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8.902

Astrophysics II

3-0-9 units · Graduate

Galactic dynamics: potential theory, orbits, collisionless Boltzmann equation, etc. Galaxy interactions. Groups and clusters; dark matter. Intergalactic medium; x-ray clusters. Active galactic nuclei: unified models, black hole accretion, radio and optical jets, etc. Homogeneity and isotropy, redshift, galaxy distance ladder. Newtonian cosmology. Roberston-Walker models and cosmography. Early universe, primordial nucleosynthesis, recombination. Cosmic microwave background radiation. Large-scale structure, galaxy formation.

Fall 2023

This course broadly covers galactic dynamics and large-scale structure in the universe. Major topics include: galaxies, cosmology, structure formation, cosmic microwave background, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and thermal history of the universe.

Readings

Fall 2004

Topics

  • Introduction: What is a Galaxy?
  • How Do You Build a Galaxy?
  • How are Galaxies Described?
  • Gravitational Potentials: General Results
  • Interesting and Special Cases
  • Orbits in Spherical Potentials and Integrals
  • Orbits in Axisymmetric Potentials
  • Equilibria of Stellar Systems
  • Jeans’ Equations in Spherical Coordinates
  • Jeans’ Equations Applied
  • Stability: Jeans Mass and Spiral Structure
  • Gravitational Mirages (aka lenses) via Fermat’s Principle
  • Applied Gravitational Lensing
  • Weak Lensing
  • Clusters of Galaxies
  • Physics in Clusters of Galaxies
  • The Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect
  • Cosmology: Recent History and a Serviceable Newtonian Model
  • The Spherical Model
  • Recombination
  • From Fields to Objects: The Press-Schecter Recipe
  • Adding GR to Cosmology
  • Distances in Cosmology
  • Cosmological Parameters
  • Growing Modes in Expanding Universes: Jeans Redux
  • Growing Modes: Radiation Dominated and Non-baryonic Universes
  • Statistical Measures of Cosmic Structure
  • The Cosmic Microwave Background and its Fluctuations
  • Cosmological Helium Production
  • Details of Helium Production
  • Absorbers along Quasar Lines of Sight
  • Active Galactic Nuclei
  • The Black Hole Paradigm for AGN
  • Accretion Disks
  • Superluminality and Jets
  • Extragalactic Sky Brightness: Present and Past Superposed
  • Bonus Lecture #1
  • Bonus Lecture #2

Readings

  • Binney, James, and Michael Merrifield. Galactic Astronomy. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 17 August 1998. ISBN: 9780691025650.
    Recommended
  • Blandford, R. D., H. Netzer, and L. Woltjer. Active Galactic Nuclei. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1991. ISBN: 9780387532851.
    Recommended
  • Krolik, Julian H. Active Galactic Nuclei. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 21 December 1998. ISBN: 9780691011516.
    Recommended
  • Peacock, John A. Cosmological Physics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 28 December 1998. ISBN: 9780521422703.
    Recommended
  • Peebles, Phillip James Edwin. Physical Cosmology. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1971. ISBN: 9780691081083.
    Recommended
  • ———. Principles of Physical Cosmology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 19 April 1993. ISBN: 9780691019338.
    Recommended
  • Schneider, P., J. Ehlers, E. E. Falco, I. Appenzeller, G. Borner, M. Harwit, R. Kippenhahn, J. Lequeux, P. A. Strittmatter, and V. Trimble. Gravitational Lenses. Study ed. edition. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1 December 1999. ISBN: 9783540665069.
    Recommended
  • Silk, Joseph. The Big Bang. 3rd ed. New York: W. H. Freeman, 2001. ISBN: 9780716738787.
    Recommended
  • Weinberg, Steven. The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe. 2nd/Update ed. New York: Basic Books, 1 June 1993. ISBN: 9780465024377.
    Recommended
  • ———. Gravitation and Cosmology: Principles and Applications of the General Theory of Relativity. New York: Wiley, July 1972. ISBN: 9780471925675.
    Recommended
  • Binney, James, and Scott Tremaine. Galactic Dynamics . Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1 January 1988. ISBN: 9780691084459.
    Required
  • Longair, Malcolm S. Galaxy Formation . New York: Springer-Verlag, 1 December 1998. ISBN: 9783540637851.
    Required

Prerequisites & course information

Prereq: 8.901 G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

Sources