Astrophysics is the application of physical principles to astronomical systems. In Physics 341 and 342 you will learn how to use gravity, electromagnetism, and atomic, nuclear, and gas physics to understand planets, stars, galaxies, dark matter, and the Universe as a whole. Gravity is the dominant force in many astronomical systems, and it will be our focus in Physics 341.
Some astrophysical systems are described by equations that are fairly easy to solve, and we will study them. However, many interesting systems cannot be solved exactly. Nevertheless, we can often use physical insight and carefully chosen approximations to understand the key features of a system without sweating the details. One goal of the course is to develop that skill. As you will see, it will take us very far (through the whole Universe, in fact!). Another goal is to learn about recent advances in astrophysics, a very dynamic field of research.
Prerequisites for this class are two semesters of physics and two semesters of calculus. I will briefly review physical principles as we need them, but it is assumed that you have seen them before. I will also assume familiarity with vector calculus. Some of the assignments may involve a bit of computation that can be done with programs like Excel, Google Spreadsheets, Maple, Matlab, or Mathematica.
The recommended textbook for Physics 341 (and 342) is Principles of Astrophysics: Using Gravity and Stellar Physics to Explore the Cosmos, by Prof. Chuck Keeton. (It was written specifically for this course.)
Auditors are welcome. Please let me know if you are interested in auditing the class.
Students with disabilities should consult the department policy.
Prof. Alyson Brooks
Room 306, Serin Physics Building (across Allison Road from the classroom), Busch campus
Email: abrooks[at]physics.rutgers.edu
Phone: 848-445-8877
Office hours: Wed 2-3:30 (or by appointment)
The final exam will occur on Friday, Dec 14 at 8am, location SEC 209.
This syllabus may be modified as the semester progresses.
Note: Under the "Text" column, "Ch" mark the Chapters in Keeton. "CO" refers to Carroll & Ostlie. Both books are on reserve at the Library of Science and Medicine.
Week |
General concept |
Topics |
Text |
Due |
Sept 4, 6 | Introduction | gravity; estimation; dimensional analysis | Ch. 1, Sections 1.1 & 1.2 | |
Sept 11, 13 | 1-body problem | Newton's laws of motion and gravitation; conservation laws |
Ch. 2; CO 1.1,1.2,2.1,2.2 |
PS1 due |
Sept 18, 20 | deriving Kepler's laws; the Galactic center | Ch. 3; CO 2.3,6.1,24.4 |
PS2 due | |
Sept 25, 27 | Doppler effect; supermassive black holes | Ch. 3, Sections 3.2 and 3.3 | PS3 due | |
Oct 2, 4 | begin 2-body problem | 2-body theory; binary stars | Ch. 4, Sections 4.1 & 4.2; CO 2.3,5.4,8.1,7.1,7.2,7.3 | PS4 due |
Oct 9, 11 | binary stars cont'd; midterm exam | Ch. 4.3; CO 7.5 | Thurs in-class midterm | |
Oct 16, 18 | extrasolar planets; tidal forces | Ch. 5; CO 19.2 | PS5 due | |
Oct 23, 25 | N-body problems and galaxies | basic properties of galaxies; spiral galaxy rotation curves | Ch. 7.1 - 7.3; CO 25.1,25.2,24.1,24.2 | PS6 due |
Oct 30, Nov 1 | dark matter; virial theorem | Ch. 7.3 - 7.4; CO 24.3 |
PS7 due | |
Nov 6, 8 | gravitational lensing | elliptical galaxies lensing principles |
Ch.8, Ch. 9.1 - 9.2; CO 2.4,25.4,28.4 | PS8 due |
Nov 13, 15 | lensing principles; microlensing | Ch.8, Ch. 9.1 - 9.2; CO 2.4,25.4,28.4 | Thurs in-class midterm | |
Nov 20, 22 | galaxy and cluster lensing | Ch. 9.3 | Thursday Thanksgiving | |
Nov 27, 29 | relativistic cosmology | the expanding Universe; the accelerating Universe | Ch. 11; CO 27.1, 27.2,29.1,29.3 |
PS9 due |
Dec 4, 6 | general relativity; applications of general relativity | Ch. 10.3 - 10.5; CO 17.1,17.2 |
PS10 due | |
Dec 11, 13 | black holes | Ch. 10.6, Ch. 11; CO 17.3 |
final exam SERC 209 Dec 14, 8-11am |
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Astrophysics at Rutgers • Department of Physics and Astronomy • Rutgers University
Last updated: Aug 02, 2017 by Alyson Brooks