Physics 612
"High Energy Astrophysics"
Spring 2011
Meets: Tues/Fri 12:00PM-1:20PM (ARC 110)
Recommended Text: "High Energy Astrophysics" (2nd edition) by Malcolm Longair
(Cambridge University Press) Vols 1 and 2. The 3rd edition is now out!
Available used at abebooks.com
Additional Texts: "Exploring the X-ray Universe" by Charles and
Seward (Cambridge); "Radiative Processes in Astrophysics" by Rybicki
and Lightman (Wiley)
General Description
The Universe is filled with diverse objects and phenomena ranging from
those with very low characteristic temperatures, such as the 2.7 K
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, to the ultrahigh energy cosmic
rays in which a single particle can carry 10 J or more of energy.
Accordingly in order to attempt a complete understanding of cosmic
objects and events, astrophysicists have been driven to conduct
studies over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In this course, the
focus will be on the study of high energy astrophysics, that is to
say, the field of astronomy that concerns itself with objects and
phenomena having a characteristic temperature greater than about 10^6
K or equivalently 0.1 keV. This includes the X-ray and gamma-ray
bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, cosmic rays, and neutrinos from
the Sun and supernovae. The field is relatively new: cosmic rays were
discovered in 1912 (although not explained as high energy particles
until 1929) and, although, X-rays were discovered by Rongten in 1895,
X-ray astronomy wasn't born until 1949 when the Sun was discovered as
the first extraterrestrial X-ray source. In general the history of
X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy has paralleled the history of space
exploration. Neutrino astronomy is even younger, commencing with the
Homestake gold mine experiment in the 1970's which gave rise to the
famous "solar neutrino" problem.
This course is intended to provide the student with sufficient
background material and knowledge in order to appreciate current
research literature in high energy astrophysics. It will draw on
graduate level physics and astronomy as prerequisites. Course
material will be taken from the texts listed above. "Radiative
Precesses in Astrophysics" by Rybicki and Lightman (Wiley), will be
particularly helpful for the lectures on radiative processes.
Students might consider looking at the readable book on X-ray
astronomy "Exploring the X-ray Universe" by Charles and Seward
(Cambridge).
Assessment
The grading criteria for this course are divided equally between
problem sets, a written observing proposal, and a presentation near
the end of the course on a topic in high energy astrophysics. Each
submitted proposal must conform precisely to the requirements of the
most recent Announcement of Opportunity for the mission or observatory
that the class, as a whole, has selected. [N.B., the class decided on
Chandra proposals for either new observations or an archival study.]
Criteria for grading of proposals will
be based on
- the description of the overall scientific goal of the proposal
- the extent to which the proposed observations are
effective at meeting the proposed science goals
- the technical feasibility of the observations
- the accuracy of supporting
simulations
Here in
ps or
pdf
is an example of a successful Chandra
proposal. You should choose the topic of your observing proposal in
consultation with Professor Hughes. Proposals will be due on Friday
April 8 at 5PM EST. As with all real proposals, this deadline
will be strictly enforced.
Homework Assignments
For more information on these missions please go to their respective
web sites. There is extensive material on-line for proposers.
Near-term list of topics to be covered and already completed with reading assignments
Useful references
N.B. Some of the links given below are through the Rutgers IRIS gateway and therefore may only work from RU computers
-
HIFLUGCS (The HIghest X-ray FLUx Galaxy Cluster Sample)"
-
"A Flux-limited Sample of Bright Clusters of Galaxies from the Southern Part of the
ROSAT All-Sky Survey: The Catalog and log N-log S"
De Granid et al., ApJ, 514, 148 [1999].
-
"X-ray Emission from Clusters of Galaxies"
Sarazin, Rev. Mod. Phys., 58, 1 [1986].
-
"Confinement of the Crab pulsar's wind by its supernova remnant"
Kennel & Coroniti, ApJ, 283, 694 [1984].
-
"On the Nature of Pulsars. I. Theory"
Ostriker & Gunn, ApJ, 157, 1395 [1969].
-
"Supernovae. Part II: the aftermath"
Trimble, Rev. Mod. Phys., 55, 511 [1983].
-
"Supernovae. Part I: the events"
Trimble, Rev. Mod. Phys., 54, 1183 [1982].
-
"Bremsstrahlung, Synchrotron Radiation, and Compton Scattering of High-Energy
Electrons Traversing Dilute Gases"
Blumenthal & Gould, RMP, vol 42, p 237 [1970].
-
"Cosmic Magnetobremsstrahlung (Synchrotron Radiation)"
Ginzburg & Syrovatskii, ARA&A, 3, 297 [1965]
-
"Cosmic Magnetobremsstrahlung (Synchrotron Radiation)"
Ginzburg & Syrovatskii, ARA&A, 3, 297 [1965]
-
"Overview of Collisional Plasma Modeling"
Smith & Brickhouse, published on CXC Web site [June 2002].
-
"Effect of Iron Ionization Balance on X-ray Spectral Analysis"
Masai, Astron. Astrophys., 324, 410 [1997].
-
"Quantum Calorimetry"
Stahle & McCammon, Physics Today, vol 52, issue 8, p 32 [August 1999].
-
"Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) Instrument on the Chandra X-Ray
Observatory" Garmire et al, SPIE [2002].
-
Rise time rejection in the ASCA GIS instrument,
ABC Guide to ASCA Data Analysis.
-
"X-ray astronomy missions"
Bradt, Ohashi, & Pounds, ARA&A, volume 30, page 391 [1992].
-
"Principles of operation of multiwire proportional and drift chambers"
Sauli, CERN Yellow Report 77-09 [1977].
-
"The Einstein (HEAO 2) X-ray Observatory"
Giacconi, et al., ApJ, volume 230, page 540 [June 1979]
-
"Instrumental technique in X-ray astronomy"
Peterson, ARA&A, Volume 13, page 423 [1975].
-
"The collisionless nature of high-temperature plasmas"
O'Neil & Coroniti, RMP, vol 71, p S404 [March 1999].
-
"Cosmic rays: the most energetic particles in the universe"
Cronin, RMP, vol 71, p S165 [March 1999].
-
"X-Rays from the rest of the Universe"
Helfand, Physics Today, vol 48, issue 11, page 58 [November 1995].
-
"Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen and the glimmer of light"
Seliger, Physics Today, vol 48, issue 11, page 25 [November 1995].
- Special issue: "X-Rays 100 Years Later"
Physics Today, vol 48, issue 11 [November 1995].
Recent results in High Energy Astrophysics
Possible topics to be covered
- Overview/Historical introduction
- Ionization losses of high energy particles
interacting with matter
- Photon interactions with matter: Photoelectric
effect, Compton scattering
- Photon interactions: pair production
- High energy particle and photon detectors
- Telescopes and Observatories
- Bremsstrahlung
- Radiative recombination (Milne relation)
- Line radiation, ion & recomb rates, ionization balance
- Cyclotron radiation
- Synchroton radiation
- Blackbody radiation
- Inverse Compton scattering/Kompaneets eqn.
- SNe (Supernovae): Rates/Types/progenitors/Explosion mechanisms
- SNRs (Supernova Remnants): thermal emission, shock waves, Sedov solution,
other evolutionary models, Coloumb equil., nonequilibrium ionization, cosmic
ray shock acceleration
- Binary X-ray sources: evidence for the black hole event horizon?
- COGs (Clusters of Galaxies): Optical/X-ray classifications,
luminosity functs, correlations, origin of Fe, Physical processes:
sound speed, mean free paths, T equilibration timescales, heat
conduction, convective stability, radiative cooling, X-ray structure,
temp, binding masses, SZ effect, clusters as cosmological probes
- AGN: Unified Scenario/Broad Fe lines
The address of this page is
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~jackph/2011s/
Please send any comments to Jack Hughes,
jph "at" physics.rutgers.edu.
Revised March 11, 2011