AST 301 — Unit Four Outline

Prof. Paul R. Shapiro
Unit Four: Radiation and Matter: Light, Atoms and Spectra

(1) Temperature
      (a) Kelvin Scale
      (b) Absolute Zero

(2) Absorption and Radiation
      (a) Color of Opaque Objects

(3) Thermal Radiation

(4) Blackbody Radiation Laws
      (a) Ideal, equilibrium state of matter
      (b) Blackbody emission spectrum and radiation curves
            (i) Intensity I(lambda) versus lambda
            (ii) Wien's Law
            (iii) Stefan-Boltzmann Law
      (c) Using the Radiation Laws to Observe Stars

(5) Quantum Nature of Light
      (a) Planck Spectrum and Quantum Hypothesis
      (b) Planck formula: E = hf
      (c) Photons

(6) Line and Continuous Spectra: Kirchoff's Laws

(7) Atoms
      (a) Atoms, elements, nucleus, protons, electrons
      (b) Energy Levels and Origin of spectral lines
      (c) Hydrogen Atom and Spectrum

(8) Stellar Spectra
      (a) The Spectral Sequence
      (b) Stellar Composition: Most Abundant Elements		 link to outline
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The University of Texas at Austin Department of Astronomy Astrophysics Theory Group