| INSTRUCTOR: | Neal Evans |
| Office: | RLM 17.344 |
| Phone: | 471-4396 |
| E-mail: | nje@astro.as.utexas.edu |
| Office Hours: | T 3:30 - 4:00 p.m., W 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. |
| REQUIRED TEXTS: |
The Physics of the Interstellar Medium, by Dyson and Williams (DW) Physical Processes in the ISM, by Lyman Spitzer (S) |
| EXAMS AND GRADING: | There will be homework, three exams, and one comprehensive final. Class discussion and questions are appreciated and will be rewarded with credit. The homework is important in providing a basis for understanding the tests. The course grade will be determined according to the following plan: |
| Top two exam scores | 20% each |
| Final exam | 30 % |
| Homework and Class Participation | 30 % |
| GOALS OF THE CLASS: | The primary goal of the class is to help students develop an understanding of the physical processes at work in the interstellar medium; this goal provides the organizing framework for the course. A secondary goal is to introduce students to the different components of the interstellar medium, which span an enormous range of conditions. The role of the interstellar medium in forming stars will be discussed in some detail, and the return of matter and energy from stars to the interstellar medium will also be covered. In addition to the connections to stars, the ISM is connected through disks around forming stars to the origin of planetary systems and life. The larger scale issues of star formation in galaxies as a whole and in the early Universe will be discussed. |