Astronomy 501 | Fall 2018

Course Schedule 

Note:  The lecture material may vary, but the assignment dates are fixed. Check back to this page for updates on the topics and readings.
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on Friday.
Date Topic Assignment Due
Mon Aug 27 Introduction  
Wed Aug 29 Radiation Transfer  
Fri Aug 31 Radiation Transfer  
Mon Sept 3 Labor Day--no class meeting  
Wed Sept 5 Radiation Transfer
Fri Sept 7 Blackbody Radiation HW 1
Mon Sept 10 Kirchoff's Law  
Wed Sept 12 Radiative Equilibrium
Fri Sept 14 Kirchoff's Law, Spectral Lines HW 2
Mon Sept 17 Masers, Scattering  
Wed Sept 19 Scattering and Rosseland Approximation
Fri Sept 21 Radiation by Accelerated Charges HW 3
Mon Sept 24 Classical Electromagnetic Radiation  
Wed Sept 26 Larmor and Dipole Radiation  
Fri Sept 28 Thomson Scattering HW 4
Mon Oct 1 Thomson Scattering
Wed Oct 3 Thomson Scattering  
Fri Oct 5 Bremsstrahlung HW 5
Mon Oct 8 Bremsstrahlung
Wed Oct 10 Radiative Transitions
Fri Oct 12 Midterm Exam
Mon Oct 15 Atomic States  
Wed Oct 17 Atomic States and Selection Rules
Fri Oct 19 Thermodynamics of Atomic States HW 6
Mon Oct 22 Radiative Transitions: Atomic Lines  
Wed Oct 24 Absorption Line Profiles
Fri Oct 26 Absorption Line Profiles: Stellar Spectra HW 7
Mon Oct 29 Absorption Lines and Curve of Growth
Wed Oct 31 Hydrogen Spectroscopy  
Fri Nov 2 21 cm Radiation HW 8
Mon Nov 5 TBA
Wed Nov 7 TBA
Fri Nov 9 TBA
Mon Nov 12 21 cm Radiation
Wed Nov 14 Nebular Diagnostics
Fri Nov 16 Dust HW 9
Nov 19-23 Thanksgiving Break
Mon Nov 26 Dust  
Wed Nov 28 Special Relativity
Fri Nov 30 Jets and Cosmic Rays HW 10
Mon Dec 3 Cosmic Rays and Synchrotron Radiation
Wed Dec 5 Synchrotron Radition  
Fri Dec 7 Inverse Comptom Radiation HW 11
Mon Dec 10 Plasma Effects
Wed Dec 12 Finale  
Fri Dec 14, 7:00 to 10:00 pm Final Exam