Physics 343: Observational Radio Astronomy
Spring 2020

Professor Andrew Baker Serin W309 Phone: 848-445-8887 Email: ajbaker[at]physics.rutgers.edu Instructor Anna Wright Serin W332 Email: awright[at]physics.rutgers.edu

Course meetings
Lectures: ARC 206, Monday 10:20-11:40am
Labs: Serin 401, according to your assigned weekly time slots:

SECTION	TIME	STUDENTS
A	Mon 3:20-4:40pm	AAG, TB, YB, ME
B	Wed 12:00-1:20pm	FM, AW, CW, DZ
C	Thu 3:20-4:40pm	AA, RC, HD, NT
D	Fri 10:20-11:40am	BC, MT, PT, MW

Office hours
Every week: by appointment

Textbooks
This course does not have an official textbook.

Overview
Here's the official course catalog listing for Physics 343:
"Observational study of the solar system, stars, and galaxies, using the Serin 3 meter radio telescope. Emphasizes computer techniques for data reduction and analysis. Topics may include calibrating system properties, the variability of the Sun, Jupiter, or quasars, and mapping the distribution of hydrogen in our Milky Way galaxy and measuring its rotation."

This semester, in anticipation of a new course number, Physics 343 will be taught for the first time as a panchromatic observational astronomy course, i.e., spanning the radio, optical/infrared, and X-ray regimes. You will gain experience working with data (and in some cases, obtaining new data) in at least two of these regimes. A significant goal of the course is to develop skills (including programming) that are useful in the context of research and other STEM careers.

Schedule
Lectures: The sequence of lecture topics may be updated during the course of the semester. The last lecture is tentatively reserved for a topic related to observational astronomy to be chosen shortly after spring break by the students enrolled in the course, and may include a discussion with a guest speaker who joins us in person or by videocon.
Projects: A majority of your grade will be determined by two group projects that will occupy slightly less than half of the semester apiece. The first project will feature the analysis of imaging data; the second project will feature the analysis of spectroscopic data. Groups will be assigned on the basis of schedule availability, balance of previous experience, and preference among multiple project options (tentatively, choices will include one X-ray, two optical/infrared, and two radio options for each of the two projects). Weekly meetings of your group with the professor and/or instructor to work on the project are required. Each project will have three key milestones:

• demonstration that you have successfully processed your data to a level enabling analysis (typically, this will be two weeks into the project)
• presentation of a 20-minute group report (with slides) in class
• submission of a written lab report, prepared in LaTeX and including all necessary supporting figures

WEEK	LECTURE	LECTURE TOPIC	LAB	DUE
1	Jan 27	course organization; radiative processes; specific intensity
2	Feb 3	practical aspects of observing guest instructor: Prof. Saurabh Jha
3	Feb 10	imaging vs. spectroscopy; coherent vs. incoherent detection
4	Feb 17	Fourier transforms, convolution, and cross-correlation		first project data check
5	Feb 24	radio astronomy: telescopes
6	Mar 2	radio astronomy: aperture synthesis
7	Mar 9	first project presentations
8	Mar 23	radio astronomy: deconvolution
	Mar 25			first project report (11:59pm, by email)
9	Mar 30	optical astronomy: instruments
10	Apr 6	optical astronomy: telescopes
11	Apr 13	optical astronomy: adaptive optics		second project data check
12	Apr 20	X-ray astronomy
13	Apr 27	second project presentations
14	May 4	student choice		second project report

Grading
Your course grade will be based on a combination of four elements:

• quizzes during lectures (10%)
• participation during lectures, which includes no use of cell phones for texting or emailing (10%)
• participation during labs (10%)
• presentations of projects (20%)
• written reports on projects (50%)

Other items

• Instructor absences
  I will need to miss at least one of our regular lectures, which will be taught by a guest lecturer in my absence.
• Student absences
  If you miss a lecture or lab, unless I have given prior permission or it is a medical emergency, you will receive a zero for that day's participation (and, for a lecture, quiz) points and will need to rely on your classmates' notes to catch up on the material you missed. All absences should be reported at this website.
• Late assignments
  I am willing to be somewhat flexible, but unless I tell you otherwise, I will deduct 10% off the top for each day an assignment is handed in late (the first deduction hits at 11:59pm on the nominal due date). This means, e.g., that an assignment handed in three days late will receive at best a grade of 70%.
• Auditors
  Students not enrolled for credit are welcome to attend the lectures if space permits.
• Students with disabilities
  If you have a disability, let me know early in the semester so that we can make the necessary arrangements for you to have a successful learning experience. Please consult this web page for more details.
• Student wellness services
  The School of Arts and Sciences and the Rutgers University Student Assembly have requested that all course syllabi include the following information on resources to support student wellness:
  • The Just In Case Web App provides access to helpful mental health information and resources for yourself or a friend in a mental health crisis on your smartphone or tablet, and easily contacts CAPS or RUPD.
  • Rutgers Counseling, ADAP & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) (848-932-7884; 17 Senior Street in New Brunswick) is a University mental health support service that includes counseling, alcohol and other drug assistance, and psychiatric services staffed by a team of professionals within Rutgers Health Services to support students' efforts to succeed at Rutgers University. CAPS offers a variety of services that include individual therapy, group therapy and workshops, crisis intervention, referral to specialists in the community and consultation, and collaboration with campus partners.
  • The Office for Violence Prevention & Victim Assistance (VPVA) (848-932-1181; 3 Bartlett Street in New Brunswick) provides confidential crisis intervention, counseling, and advocacy for victims of sexual and relationship violence and stalking to students, staff, and faculty. Staff can be reached by phone during office hours when the university; advocates can be reached by phone after hours.
  • The Office of Disability Services (848-445-6800; Lucy Stone Hall, Suite A145, Livingston Campus, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue in Piscataway) works with students with documented disabilities to determine eligibility for reasonable accommodations, facilitates and coordinates those accommodations when applicable, and lastly engages with the Rutgers community at large to provide and connect students to appropriate resources.
  • Scarlet Listeners (732-247-5555) is a free and confidential peer counseling and referral hotline, providing a comforting and supportive safe space.