Proposal for a One-Semester Graduate Extragalactic Astronomy Course
This is the syllabus for a proposed semester course covering extragalactic
astronomy and the lower redshigt Universe, designed to provide a sophisticated
survey dealing with astronomical sources as cosmological probes and as products
of evolution and structure formation in cosmology.
The course develops succintly the required tools in general relativity,
statistical mechanics, field theory and observational techniques so as to limit
the number of required prerequisites.
One year of quantum mechanics and one year of classical mechanics are required.
A course in introductory astronomy or astrophysics is strongly recommended.
Mathematics includes integral calculus, tensors, some differential equations
and special functions (gamma functions, spherical harmonics, elliptical
integrals, etc.)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
G600x: RXTRAGALACTIC ASTRONOMY AND
THE LOW-REDSHIFT UNIVERSE
The upshot of all these recent developments is that no textbook exists
that covers the whole field. John Peacock's Cosmological Physics (1998)
or Sparke and GallagherGalaxies in the Universe (2002) do a good job of
covering cosmological theory, and a satisfactory treatment of the observational
side.
In truth, much of the material is too recent to be found in any textbook.
Much material will only be covered in the lecture notes (photocopies of the
lecture viewgraphs).
To accomodate the more recent material, about 10% of the course will
consist of a "journal club" where members of the class report (for about 20
minutes at a time) on papers that interest them.
These are selected from the list at the back of this course description
(or choose your own! - consult with the professor first).
Depending on class size, each student will present one or two of these during
the semester.
The professor
will lecture the bulk of the remaining time (expect some guest lecturers for
some of special topics); there will be a final which counts for 50% of the
course grade, and a short midterm quiz.
A few problem sets will also be assigned.
Attendance is important!
Course Outline
- I. Thumbnail History and Gravitational Theory
- A. Data and Paradigm Shifts in Ancient and Classical Astronomy
- 1. Solar System and Distant Stars
- a. Ancient Measurements: Earth/Moon/Sun
- b. Copernicus and Heliocentric Universe
- c. Bruno and Cosmological Principle
- d. Interstellar Distances
- 2. Island Universe
- a. Galileo
- b. Herschel
- c. Wright/Kant
- d. Kapteyn
- e. Shapley
- B. Theories of Gravitation
- 1. Newtonian Cosmology
- a. No Static, Homogeneous, Massive Solution
- b. Birkoff's Approximation
- 2. General Relativity - Cosmological Summary[Peacock, ch. 1.1-1.5]
- a. Einstein Field Equations
- b. Stress/Energy Terms
- i. Normal Matter: "Dust"
- ii. Pressure/Radiation
- iii. Cosmological Constant
- iv. Quintescence and Equation of State
- c. Robertson-Walker Metric [Peacock, ch. 3.1-3.3]
- d. Friedmann Equations
- e. Cosmological Models/Parameters
- E. Galaxian Universe
- 1. Curtis/Shapley Debate
- 2. Hubble
- a. Extragalactic Distance Scale
- b. Redshift/Distance Relation
- II. Extragalactic Menagerie
- A. Galaxies [Peacock, ch. 12-13, Sparke and Gallagher, ch. 5-6]
- 1. Luminosity Function
- 2. Morphology
- 3. Multiwavelength Survey
- a. Environmental dependence
- b. Mass dependence
- 3. Kinematic/Surface Brightness Regularities
- a. Spiral Arm Surface Brightness and Tully-Fisher Law
- b. Elliptical Core Surface Brightness and D_n vs. sigma
- 4. Evidence for Galaxian Dark Matter (Peebles 1993, sec. 18)
- a. Solar Neighborhood Measurements
- b. Milky Way Rotation
- c. LMC Dynamics
- d. Spiral Rotation Curves
- e. Disk Stability
- f. Elliptical Masses
- i. Stellar Velocity Dispersion
- ii. Planetary Nebulae
- iii. Globular Clusters
- g. Dwarf Galaxies
- h. MACHO searches [Peacock, ch. 4.5]
- 5. Radio Properties & Types
- 6. Infrared Properties
- 7. High Energy Emission
- B. Active Galactic Nuclei [Peacock, ch. 1,4; Sparke and Gallagher, ch. 7]
- 1. Seyfert Galaxies
- a. Type I
- b. Type II
- c. Unified Model
- 2. BL Lacs
- 3. Quasars
- 4. Point-source X-ray Background
- C. Lyman-alpha Clouds [Peebles 1993, sec. 23]
- 1. Low-redshift Identification
- 2. High-redshift Nature
- 3. Redshift Evolution
- 4. Numerical Models
- 5. Size Constraints
- 6. Collapse versus Evaporation
- D. Intergalactic Medium
- 1. Gunn-Peterson Test
- a. neutral H
- b. He II
- c. He I
- d. Reionization Epochs
- 2. Heating and Cooling
- 3. X-ray Background
- E. Gamma-Ray Bursts
- F. Highest Energy Cosmic Rays
- III. Expanding Universe [K & T, ch. 3]
- A. Tests for Cosmological Expansion
- 1. Surface Brightness versus Redshift
- 2. Temperature versus Redshift
- 3. Foreground/Background Pair Redshifts
- 4. Gravitational Lensing
- B. Distance Ladders [Jacoby et al. 1992, Peacock, ch. 5.3-5.6]
- 1. Local Kinematic Distance Indicators
- a. Parallax
- b. Moving Cluster Method
- c. Statistical Proper Motion
- 2. Stellar Indicators
- a. Main Sequence Photometry
- b. RR Lyrae Variable Stars
- c. Delta Cephei/W Virginis stars
- d. Novae
- e. Supernovae
- 3. Cluster/Nebular Indicators
- a. H II Regions
- b. Globular Clusters
- 4. Galaxian Indicators
- a. Brightest Cluster Galaxies
- b. Surface Brightness Fluctuations
- c. Tully-Fisher Relation
- d. D_n - sigma Relation
- e. Fundamental Plane
- 5. Possible Systematic Errors
- a. Observational Selection Biases
- i. Malmqvist Bias
- ii. Scott Effect
- iii. Object Confusion
- aa. Crowding
- bb. Misidentification
- b. Galaxian Evolution
- c. Deviations from Hubble Flow
- 6. Hubble Constant Measurements
- 7. Quasar Grav. Lensing Determinations [Peacock, ch. 4.1-4.4]
- 8. Sunyaev-Zeldovich
- C. q_0 Indicators [Peacock, ch. 3.4]
- 1. Standard Candles
- a. Brightest Galaxies
- b. High-redshift Tully-Fisher/Faber-Jackson Relation
- c. Supernovae
- 2. Standard Rulers
- a. Radio Galaxies
- b. Void Spacing
- c. theta(z) versus dz (Alcock-Paczynski) Test
- 3. Population Number Density
- D. Tests for Homogeneity and Isotropy
- 1. Radio Source Counts
- 2. Infrared Source Counts
- 3. X-ray Background
- 4. Microwave Background
- 5. Alignment Anisotropy
- IV. Galaxy Evolution [Peacock, ch. 5.1]
- A. Lookback Time
- B. K-correction and Lyman Dropouts
- C. Observed versus Evolving Colors
- D. Stellar Population Synthesis
- E. Observed Samples
- 1. Field Galaxies
- a. HDF, HDFS
- b. CFH sample
- c. CNOC, etc.
- 2. Cluster Galaxies
- F. Butcher-Oemler Effect
- G. Red Envelope Ellipticals
- H. Faint Blue Galaxies
- I. Morpological Evolution
- J. Bottom-Up Scenario
- V. Large Scale Structure [Peebles 1980, sec. 29-33; Peebles 1993, sec. 19, Sparke and Gallagher, ch. 8]
- A. Galaxy-galaxy Clustering [Peacock, ch. 16]
- 1. Two-point Clustering
- 2. Power Spectrum
- 3. Three-point Measures and Bispectrum
- 4. Other Measures
- B. Galaxy Clusters
- 1. Cluster Classification
- 2. Galaxy Type versus Cluster Environment
- 3. Hot Gas in Clusters
- 4. Dark Matter in Galaxian Systems [Peacock, ch. 4.6]
- a. Small Groups
- b. Rich Clusters
- 5. Cluster-cluster Two-point Function
- C. Galaxy Superclusters
- D. Voids
- E. Bulk Motions
- F. Large Scale Perturbation Spectrum [Peacock, ch. 15]
- G. Early Structure Formation
- 1. Quasars
- 2. Galaxies
- a. High Redshift Carbon Monoxide
- b. Damped Ly alpha
REQUIRED
TEXTS:
Cosmological Physics John A. Peacock 1998 (Cambridge
Univ. Press; Cambridge), ISBN 0521422701 (paperback - $40 at Barnes and Noble);
chapters on general
relativity, isotropic universe, gravitational lensing, age and distance scales,
hot big bang, matter in the Universe, galaxies and their evolution, active
galaxies, structure formation, cosmological density fields, galaxy formation,
cosmic background fluctuations, quantum mechanics, quantum fields, inflationary
cosmology
Galaxies in the Universe : An Introduction Linda S. Sparke, III; John S.
Gallagher 2000 (Cambridge Univ. Press; Cambridge), ISBN 0521597404 (paperback
- $36 at Amazon.com)
REQUIRED ARTICLES (To Be Distributed):
G.H. Jacoby, D. Branch, R. Ciardullo, R.L. Davies, W.E. Harris, M.J.
Pierce, C.J. Pritchet, J.L. Tonry, D.L. Welch 1992, Proc. Astron. Soc. Pac.,
104, 570. "A Critical Review of Selected Techniques for Measuring Extragalactic
Distances"
BACKUP TEXTS (On Reserve):
Gravitation and Cosmology: Principles and Applications of the
General Theory of Relativity Steven Weinberg 1972 (Wiley: New York)
Principles of Physical
Cosmology P.J.E. Peebles 1993 (Princeton U. Press: Princeton), sections on
Expanding Universe; Dark Matter; Young Galaxies and Intergalactic Medium;
Galaxy Formation
Large-Scale Structure of
the Universe P. J. E. Peebles 1980 (Princeton U. Press: Princeton)
Man Discovers the Galaxies R. Berendzen, R. Hart & D. Seely
1976 (Science History Publishers: New York)
Darkness
at Night: A Riddle of the Cosmos Edward Harrison 1987 (Harvard U:
Cambridge)
The Fifth Essence: A Search for Dark Matter in the Universe
Lawrence Krauss 1990 (Basic Books: New York)