Professor
Volker Bromm
Office: RLM 16.214
Hours: TBA
Phone: (512) 471-3432
email
Course Website
TA
Casey Deen
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Course Objectives
We will cover the exciting phenomena happening
at the end of a star's life: supernova explosions and gamma-ray
bursts, the formation and properties of compact remnants (white dwarfs,
neutron stars, and black holes). This will lead us to topics at the
current frontier of astronomy, e.g., the still mysterious nature
of the very first stars that formed at the end of the Cosmic Dark
Ages. You will learn to look at the physics describing these
cutting-edge phenomena, and make things as simple as possible, but
still capture the important effects.
Texts
The two required texts are (available at the Co-op):
- A.C. Phillips (ACP), The Physics of Stars (2nd edition), Wiley
- Kip Thorne (KST), Black Holes and Time Warps, W.W. Norton
There is one optional text:
- James B. Hartle (JBH), Gravity, Addison Wesley
(this book is more advanced than our course, but it
is very good, and you may find it useful to consult
it for additional material)
In addition, you may find useful:
- Ostlie & Carroll, Modern Stellar
Astrophysics, if you still have it from AST 352.
Grading
The students final grade will be based on a point system:
Class Participation and Attendance
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20
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2 In-class Exams
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2x20
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Homework
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40
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We won't have a Final Exam.
The following grading scheme will be used:
A
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85 - 100
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B
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70 - 84
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C
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60 - 69
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D
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50 - 59
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Any score below 50 is failing.
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Class Participation
20% of your grade will be based on your
class attendance and participation. It is important that you come
to class. If you miss more than 2 classes without a valid excuse,
you will score zero for class attendance.
Policies
There will be make-up exams ONLY for students with valid
excuses. Scholastic dishonesty, in particular any plagiarism,
will be prosecuted in accordance with the university guidelines.
Course Calendar
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