Oxford Physics Major Option: Astrophysics
Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics
(Dr Ph. Podsiadlowski)
GENERAL TEXTBOOKS
- An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, Carroll &
Ostlie
- The Physical Universe, F. Shu
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
- 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, pre-main-sequence evolution. Jeans instability,
the angular-momentum problem, the stellar birthline.
- Ages of stellar clusters. Advanced evolutionary stages.
Planetary nebulae. Degenerate stars.
- Binary stars. Properties -- mass function -- Roche
lobe -- mass transfer -- eclipsing binaries -- X-ray binaries, cataclysmic
variables, etc
- Evolution of high-mass stars. Supernovae: core-collapse,
thermonuclear explosions, classification, supernova evolution and light-curves,
Type Ia supernovae as standard candles, SN 1987A.
- Compact stars: neutron stars/pulsars, black holes,
Schwarzschild radius, orbits around black holes, Alfven radius, recycled
millisecond pulsars, hypernovae, gamma-ray bursts
- Stellar Atmospheres: stellar photospheres, equation
of radiative transfer, grey atmospheres, opacity, absorption line spectra,
curve of growth.
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