ECTS - University of Pisa
Scheda programma d'esame
EXTRAGALACTIC ASTROPHYSICS AMD COSMOLOGY
MICHELE CIGNONI
Academic year2016/17
CoursePHYSICS
Code045BB
Credits6
PeriodSemester 2
LanguageItalian

ModulesAreaTypeHoursTeacher(s)
ASTROFISICA EXTRAGALATTICA E COSMOLOGIAFIS/05LEZIONI36
MICHELE CIGNONI unimap
Programma non disponibile nella lingua selezionata
Learning outcomes
Knowledge

The student who successfully completes the course will be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge of the problems (and of the tools to tackle them) in extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology
Assessment criteria of knowledge

The student will be assessed on his/her demonstrated ability to discuss the main course contents using the appropriate terminology.

Methods:

  1. Final oral exam
  2. Ability to discuss a scientific paper
  3. Continuous assessment

 
Skills

The aim of the course is to provide a comprehensive review of extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, with special emphasis on recent observational discoveries. The properties of different types of galaxies will be discussed and compared in a cosmological context. The students will gain an understanding of the galaxies that populate our universe and learn about the current cosmological model which include dark matter and dark energy.
Assessment criteria of skills

Students should be able to discuss the basic properties of galaxies and the Universe. They should be able to illustrate their understanding through the solution of simple problems.
Behaviors

Students will acquire skills, knowledge and methods to undertake a career in theoretical or observational astronomy 
Assessment criteria of behaviors

Students should be able to connect the many aspects of extragalactic astronomy (star formation, our Galaxy, distances, external galaxies, high redshift galaxies, cosmology) to the big picture, which, in turn, should make clear the general significance of the themes that are studied.
Prerequisites

Knowledge of basic astrophysics and stellar evolution is recommended but not required
Teaching methods

Delivery: face to face

Learning activities:

  1. attending lectures
  2. participation in seminar
  3. preparation of oral report
  4. participation in discussions
  5. individual study
  6. group work
  7. Bibliography search

 
Syllabus

The purpose of the course is to give students a broad overview of what current state-of-the-art observations teach us about galaxies both in the nearby universe and at earlier points in cosmic time. While learning about the observed properties of galaxies, students will be expected to learn the physical principles astronomers use in understanding how galaxies came to have the physical properties they have.

 After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

  1.  appreciate the “big questions” in galactic and extragalactic astronomy, and the current state of our knowledge on these questions;
  2. understand the concepts of galaxy formation and evolution;
  3. understand the way galaxies are classified and the approaches used to discover their properties;
  4. communicate basic principles and concepts about our and other galaxies, their properties and their constituents in a non-technical way understandable to the wider public;
  5. research an astronomy topic in depth, using dependable sources of astronomical information on the internet and refereed journal articles.
Bibliography

Lecture notes, and parts of the following books:

Binney & Merrifield: Galactic Astronomy Reid

Binney & Tremaine: Galactic Dynamics

Sparke & Gallagher: Galaxies in the Universe

Steven Shore: The Tapestry of modern astrophysics
Assessment methods

The oral exam is based on a discussion of a paper, and further discussion of the course material.
Updated: 18/05/2017 00:31