AST 201 Fall 1997 Detailed Syllabus and Reading for Unit II.
NOTE: This information is available on the web page for the class.
Address is: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/AST201. Click on "calendar"
for syllabus information. As the semester progresses, the homework
and quiz solutions will also be available on the web. The books
"Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics" by Zeilik, Gregory and
Smith (known as ZGS) and "Astronomy, a Physical Perspective" by
Kutner (known as Kutner) are now in the P/A library on reserve.
1.
More on atoms and line formation: permitted vs. forbidden lines,
Boltzmann and Saha equations, ionization and recombination,
qualitative reasoning behind using lines as temperature indicators,
line broadening mechanisms.
Reading: Ch. 5, ZGS Ch. 8. Date: 9/15
2.
Other types of radiation (synchrotron, 21 cm line), finish
up theory of spectral line formation, radiative transfer,
spectrographs and spectral data.
Reading: Ch. 3 and 5, ZGS Ch. 8. Date: 9/17
9/18 Recitation section
Go over homework problems, lecture questions
3.
Begin Interstellar Medium, general properties and background
information.
Reading: Ch. 16; ZGS Ch. 19; Kutner Ch. 14. Date: 9/19
4.
Giant Molecular Clouds, cloud cores, overall picture of star
formation.
Reading: Kutner Ch. 15, ZGS Ch. 19. Date: 9/22
5.
Gravity, Jeans mass, virial theorem, collapse, angular
momentum considerations.
Reading: Ch. 7.10, 16.4; ZGS Ch. 19; Kutner Ch. 8, 15. Date: 9/24
9/25 Recitation section
Go over homework problems, lecture questions
6.
Observational evidence: outflows, embedded IR sources, size
scales, clusters, differences between high and low mass star
formation.
Reading: Kutner Ch. 15; ARAA article in library. Date: 9/26
7.
Early stages of stars, Hayashi tracks, T Tauri stars, magnetic
fields, disks.
Reading: Ch. 12.2; Kutner Ch. 8; ZGS Ch. 19. Date: 9/29
8.
Solar system and planet formation.
Reading: Ch. 8.21 Date: 10/1
10/2 Recitation section
Go over homework problems, lecture questions
9. Homework #2 due, Quiz #2 (in class).
Date: 10/3