Schedule#
Topics are subject to change based on course pace and student needs.
All assignments are turned in using D2L as a PDF and/or Jupyter notebook.
Week 1#
Week 2#
Day |
Topic |
Pre-class reading |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
20 Jan |
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No Class |
||
22 Jan |
The Constant-Density Model, Composition, Energy Generation |
HKT Chapter 1.4-1.7 |
(PCA 2, Due: Jan. 24) and (HW 1, Due: Jan. 29), (ICA 2, Due: Jan. 22) |
24 Jan |
The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram |
HKT Chapter 2.1-2.3 |
(ICA 3, Due: Jan. 24) and Reading: HKT Chapter 2.4-2.5 |
Week 3#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
27 Jan |
Late Stages of Stellar Evolution and Close Binaries |
(PCA 3, Due: Jan. 29), Readings: HKT Chapter 3.1-3.5, (ICA 4, Due: Jan. 27) |
29 Jan |
Equations of State |
(PCA 4, Due: Jan. 31), Readings: HKT Chapter 3.6-3.7, (ICA 5, Due: Jan. 29) |
31 Jan |
Equations of State, Continued |
Readings: HKT Chapter 2.8-2.12,2.14 |
Week 4#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
3 Feb |
Explosions, Variable Stars, and Compact Remnants |
(PCA 5, Due: Feb. 5), HKT Chapter 4.1-4.5, (ICA 6, Due: EoD), (Project Proposal, Due: Feb. 21) |
5 Feb |
Radiative and Conductive Heat Transfer |
(PCA 6, Due: Feb. 7), (ICA 7, Due: EoD), Readings: Spectroscopy: The Key to the Stars Chapter & HKT Chapter 4.7-4.8 |
7 Feb |
Stellar Spectra |
(HW2, Due: Feb. 14 (sorry)), (ICA 8, Due: EoD), Readings: Exoplanet Handbook Chapter & Readings: Exoplanet Handbook Chapter |
Week 5#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
10 Feb |
Exoplanet Transits, Transmission Spectroscopy, and Limb Darkening |
(PCA 7, Due: Feb. 12), (ICA 9, Due: EoD), Readings: HKT Chapter 5.1-5.3 |
12 Feb |
Convection |
|
14 Feb |
Internal Structure of Giant and Icy Planets |
(PCA 8, Due: Feb. 17), (ICA 11, Due: EoD), Readings: HKT Chapter 6.1-6.2 |
Week 6#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
17 Feb |
Stellar Energy Sources |
(PCA 9, Due: Feb. 19), (ICA 12, Due: EoD), Readings: HKT Chapter 6.3-6.8 |
19 Feb |
Nuclear Burning in Stars + HW2 Review |
(HW3, Due: Feb. 28), No ICA, Readings: HKT Chapter 7.1-7.2 |
21 Feb |
Models for Stellar Structure |
(PCA 10, Due: Feb. 24), (ICA 13, Due: EoD) Readings: HKT Chapter 8.1-8.2 |
Week 7#
Week 8#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
3 Mar |
Review |
|
5 Mar |
Review |
|
7 Mar |
Midterm, Mid-course survey |
Week 9#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
17 Mar |
Homework 3 Review |
(HW3 Resubmission for 50% extra credit, Due: Mar. 21 EoD) |
19 Mar |
Mid-Term Review |
(Mid-Term Resubmission for 50% extra credit, Due: Mar. 26 EoD), Readings: HKT Chapter 9.4, Heger et al. 2000, Sec 1-3, and MESA V Sec. 4 |
21 Mar |
Stellar Rotation |
(ICA 15, Not for credit) Readings: Chapter 15, Open Astrophysics Bookshelf Stellar Astrophysics notes / SN Handbook Chapter |
Week 10#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
24 Mar |
Products of Binary Evolution I |
(ICA 16, Not for credit), Readings: MESA III Sec. 2 |
26 Mar |
Products of Binary Evolution II |
(PCA 12, Due: Mar. 28), (ICA 17, Not for credit), Readings: Observational Constraints on Theoretical Models |
28 Mar |
Neutron Stars |
(ICA 18, Not for credit) Readings: GW Handbook Chapter, Sec#2-Sec#15 |
Week 11#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
31 Mar |
Black holes and their mergers |
(ICA 19, Not for credit), Readings: Sec 1,5, and one SubSection (eg., 3.2) of Theory of Star Formation |
2 Apr |
Star Formation |
(HW4, Due: Apr 11), (ICA 20, Not for credit), Readings: Exoplanet Handbook Chapter, Sec#1-Sec#17 |
4 Apr |
Exoplanet Demographics |
(ICA 21, Not for credit), Readings: Exoplanet Handbook Chapter |
Week 12#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
7 Apr |
Exoplanet Relations with Host Star |
(ICA 22, Due: EoD), Readings: HPC Sec. 2.8-2.10.2 |
9 Apr |
Python Programming with GPUs |
|
11 Apr |
Homework 4 Review |
Readings: SN Handbook Chapter |
Week 13#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
14 Apr |
Core-Collapse and Thermonuclear Supernovae |
|
16 Apr |
Observational and Physical Classification of Supernovae |
(ICA 25, Due: EoD), Readings: Chapter 10, Sec 10.1-10.3, Pols |
18 Apr |
Post-MS Evolution through Helium Burning |
(PCA 13, Due: Apr. 21), (ICA 26, Not for credit) Readings: Chapter 11, Pols |
Week 14#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
21 Apr |
Late evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars |
(HW5, Due: Apr 28), (ICA 27, Not for credit), Readings: Chapter 12, Pols |
23 Apr |
Pre-supernova evolution of massive stars |
(ICA 28, Not for credit), Readings: Chapter 2.1-2.4, Stellar spectral classification |
25 Apr |
Stellar Spectra II |
(ICA 29, Not for credit) |
Week 15#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
28 Apr |
Homework 5 Review |
|
30 Apr |
Review |
|
2 May |
Review |
Week 16#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
5 May |
Review |
|
7 May |
Review, Final class survey |
|
Week 17#
Day |
Topic |
Assignments |
|---|---|---|
12 May |
Final Exam (10:30am-12:30p) |
|