Third-Year Astrophysics
Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics
(Dr Ph. Podsiadlowski)
GENERAL TEXTBOOKS
- An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, Carroll &
Ostlie
- Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics, Zeilik &
Gregory
- An Introduction to the Theory of Stellar Structure and
Evolution, Prialnik
ADVANCED TEXTBOOKS on Stellar
Structure and Evolution
- Structure and Evolution of Stars, M. Schwarzschild
(1958)
- Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis,
D.
Clayton (1983)
- Stellar Structure and Evolution, Kippenhahn &
Weigert (1994)
- Black Holes, White Dwarfs, and Neutron Stars, Shapiro
& Teukolsky (1983)
Outline of Lectures:
Podsiadlowski (Supplementary material has been italicized)
- Observable properties of stars: luminosity, surface
temperature, radius, mass.
- Correlations between stellar properties. The M - L
relation. H-R diagram. Chemical composition of stars. Brown
dwarfs. Planets.
- Physical state of the stellar interior -- hydrostatic
equilibrium
-- distribution of mass -- estimates of
P_c, T_c
-- virial theorem
-- thermal and gravitational energy -- energy
generation equation
-- transport by radiation and convection.
- Equations of stellar structure. Equation of state
for stellar interiors -- perfect gas -- degenerate gas -- sources
of opacity.
- Nuclear reaction -- hydrogen burning -- CNO cycle
-- helium burning.
- The Sun: helioseismology, neutrino astrophysics,
the solar neutrino problem, solar neutrino experiments.
- Structure of main-sequence stars. Qualitative account of
star-formation
- Ages of stellar clusters. Advanced evolutionary stages.
Planetary nebulae. Degenerate stars.
- Evolution of high-mass stars. Supernovae:
core-collapse, thermonuclear explosions, classification, SN 1987A.
- Compact stars: neutron stars/pulsars, black holes,
Schwarzschild radius, orbits around black holes, gamma-ray bursts
- Binary stars. Properties -- mass function -- Roche lobe
-- mass transfer -- eclipsing binaries -- X-ray binaries,
cataclysmic variables, etc.
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