Astronomy 2. Celestial Navigation
Catalog Number: 2179 Enrollment: Limited to 30.
Philip M. Sadler and assistants
Half course (fall term). Tu., 11:30–1:30, and Tu., 7–10 pm. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14, 18
Never be lost again! Find your way on sea, land, or air by employing celestial and terrestrial techniques. Acquire expertise in using navigators’ tools (sextant, compass, and charts) while learning the steps to the celestial dance of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. This 107-year-old course continues to rely on practical skills and collaborative problem-solving, while utilizing historical artifacts (instruments, maps, captains’ logs) and student-built devices.
Note: Minimal lecturing; predominantly practical laboratory activities with individual attention from teaching staff. Math beyond high school trigonometry and geometry unnecessary. Some familiarity with sailing and/astronomy is helpful.
Astronomy 7. Black Holes and the Violent Universe
Catalog Number: 6873
Julia C. Lee
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Observations of the Universe reveal a host of compact objects with deep gravitational potential wells: black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs. A number of energetic phenomena are seen to be associated with these remarkable objects. The course will survey the field and will describe the underlying physical principles, including ideas from relativity, which allow us to understand the observations.
Astronomy 16. Introduction to Stellar and Planetary Astronomy
Catalog Number: 8813
David Charbonneau
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
This course provides an introduction to the basic astrophysical principles describing the formation and evolution of stars and their planetary companions. Topics include thermal radiation and stellar spectra, telescopes, energy generation in stars, stellar evolution and black holes, orbital dynamics, the physics of bodies within the Solar system, and extrasolar planets. This course includes a significant observational component: Students will detect exoplanets and study stellar evolution with the Clay Telescope atop the Science Center, and use the millimeter-wavelength telescope at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics to determine the mass of the Milky Way.
Prerequisite: Physics 15a or equivalent, may be taken concurrently.
*Astronomy 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 1545
James M. Moran and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Supervised reading and research in subjects not normally included in the regular course offerings of the department.
Note: Students must arrange for course supervision with an individual member of the Department. The course may not be counted for the concentration requirements except by special permission and may not be taken more than twice.
*Astronomy 97. Introductory Tutorial
Catalog Number: 6604
Edo Berger
Half course (spring term). W., F., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Students will learn the basic techniques of astronomical data analysis, and how measurable properties of stars relate to their physical properties. This is a hands-on class with an introduction to the Unix operating system, astronomical optics, detectors, signal to noise considerations, and image analysis. Culminates in a project at the end of the course, and a written paper.
Note: Open to sophomore concentrators and others (including freshmen with Physics 15a or advanced placement) considering the concentration or a combined concentration.
Prerequisite: Physics 15a, b or equivalent (may be taken concurrently).
*Astronomy 98. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 3121
David Charbonneau and members of the Department
Half course (spring term). M., 3–4:30, W., 5:30–7:30 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
This tutorial introduces students to research at the forefront of astrophysics. Students meet weekly for a lecture and discussion over dinner with a faculty member, preceded by a reading and a preparatory seminar. Students will be mentored throughout the term on a research project of their choosing. The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is home to one of the largest groups of astronomers in the world, providing extensive opportunities for undergraduate research.
Note: Normally a required course for junior concentrators in Astronomy. Open in special cases to concentrators in other physical sciences.
*Astronomy 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 5413
David Charbonneau and members of the Department
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
For honors candidates in Astronomy. Individually supervised reading and research leading to the honors thesis.
Prerequisite: Astronomy 98.
Astronomy 150. Radiative Processes in Astrophysics
Catalog Number: 8993
Ramesh Narayan
Half course (fall term). M., W., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Survey of radiative processes of astrophysical importance from radio waves to gamma rays. Thermal and non-thermal processes, including bremsstrahlung, synchrotron radiation, and Compton scattering. Radiation in plasmas. Atomic and molecular structure and spectra.
Prerequisite: Physics 143a (may be taken concurrently).
[Astronomy 151. Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics]
Catalog Number: 3025
Lars Hernquist
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Fluid and gas dynamics with applications drawn from astrophysical phenoma. Topics include: kinetic theory, diffusive effects, incompressible fluids, inviscid and viscous flows, boundary layer theory, accretion disks, fluid instabilities, turbulance, convection, gas dynamics, linear (sound) waves, method of characteristics, Riemann invariants, supersonic flow, non-linear waves, shocks, similarity solutions, blast waves, radiative shocks, ionization fronts, magnetohygrodynamics, hydromagnetic shocks, dynamos, gravitational collapse, principles of plasma physics, Landau damping, computational approaches, stability criteria, particle based (Lagrangian) methods, adaptive mesh refinement, radiation hydrodynamics.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2008–09. Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Astronomy 191. Astrophysics Laboratory
Catalog Number: 3615 Enrollment: Limited to 16.
Patrick Thaddeus
Half course (spring term). F., at 2. EXAM GROUP: 7
Laboratory and observational projects in astrophysics. Students choose two projects from a selection including: measurement of the cosmic microwave background radiation, molecules in interstellar clouds, the rotation of the galaxy, galactic molecular sources with the submillimeter Array (SMA), stars and clusters with the Clay Telescope; and laboratory experiments including super-conducting submillimeter detectors, x-ray CCDs, and hard x-ray imaging detectors and telescopes.
Note: Primarily for concentrators in astronomy and astrophysics or combined concentrators with physics. Students with physics as their primary concentration, but with a serious interest in astrophysics, may take this to satisfy their laboratory requirement (in lieu of Physics 191) upon petition to the Head Tutor in Physics.
Prerequisite: Physics 15c or equivalent.
[Astronomy 192. Tools and Techniques of Astronomical Measurements]
Catalog Number: 4741
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Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Presentation of physical principles and techniques used for detection across the frequency domain of both electromagnetic and gravitational radiation. Description and analysis of the corresponding tools used for detection, including telescopes and basic instrumentation, present and (near-term) future. Discussion of different types of measurements—intensity, imaging, spectroscopic, polarimetric, astrometric, and interferometric—throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, including related parameter estimation and error analyses.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2008–09. Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Prerequisite: Physics 15a, b, c and Applied Mathematics 105 (or equivalents).
Astronomy 193. Noise and Data Analysis in Astrophysics
Catalog Number: 4495
James M. Moran
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
How to design experiments and get the most information from noisy, incomplete, flawed, and biased data sets. Basic of Probability theory; Bernoulitrials: Bayes theorem; random variables; distributions; functions of random variables; moments and characteristic functions; Fourier transform analysis; Stochastic processes; estimation of power spectra:sampling theorem, filtering; fast Fourier transform; spectrum of quantized data sets. Weighted least mean squares analysis and nonlinear parameter estimation. Bootstrap methods. Noise processes in periodic phenomena. Image processing and restoration techniques. The course will emphasize a Bayesian approach to problem solving and the analysis of real data sets.
Prerequisite: Mathematics 21b or equivalent.
Astronomy 201a. Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics
Catalog Number: 4303
Dimitar D. Sasselov
Half course (fall term). M., W., 11–12:30. EXAM GROUP: 4, 5
Stars are studied as the elementary baryonic building blocks of the Universe, and the main source of the evolution of baryonic matter (nucleosynthesis). Planetary systems are studied in terms of the stellar environments for their formation and survival.
Prerequisite: Astronomy 150 (may be taken concurrently).
Astronomy 201b. Interstellar Medium and Star Formation
Catalog Number: 4206
Douglas Finkbeiner
Half course (spring term). M., W., 11–12:30. EXAM GROUP: 4, 5
Nature of the Interstellar Medium (ISM): composition, energetics, densities and interactions; observations and theory. Processes leading to the formation of stars and planets, as well as studies of the feedback on the ISM from stellar deaths.
[Astronomy 202a. Galaxies and Dynamics]
Catalog Number: 8237
Abraham Loeb and Matias Zaldarriaga
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
An overview of extragalactic astronomy . Galaxy formation, evolution and properties, galactic dynamics, clustering, gas dynamics, star formation and other topics at the frontiers of extragalactic astronomy.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2008–09. Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Astronomy 202b. Cosmology]
Catalog Number: 2446
Abraham Loeb and Matias Zaldarriaga
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The cosmological principle: isotropy and homogeneity, cosmological world models, thermal history of the Big Bang, the microwave background, inflation, growth of density fluctuations, large scale structure and other topics at the frontiers of cosmology.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2008–09. Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Astronomy 218. Radio Astronomy]
Catalog Number: 2883
James M. Moran
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Historical development; diffraction theory of antennas and interferometers; signal detection and measurement techniques. Thermal, synchrotron and spectral-line emission in the context of radio observations of the sun, planets, pulsars, masers, hydrogen clouds, molecular clouds, ionized regions, active galaxies, quasars, and the cosmic background.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2008–09. Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Prerequisite: Astronomy 150 or Physics 153 recommended.
Astronomy 219. High Energy Astrophysics
Catalog Number: 1858
Jonathan E. Grindlay and Ramesh Narayan
Half course (spring term). M., W., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Discussion of relativistic and high-energy astrophysical phenomena and observational techniques. Accretion onto compact stars (white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes); active galactic nuclei, galaxy clusters. Gamma-ray bursts and cosmic rays. X-ray and gamma-ray background.
[Astronomy 225. Formation of Stars and Planets]
Catalog Number: 0983
David J. Wilner
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Physical properties of interstellar medium, molecular clouds and their cores, young stellar objects in isolation and in clusters, dynamical processes in star formation and circumstellar disk evolution, properties of the primitive solar nebula and solar system development, extrasolar planetary systems.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2008–09. Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Astronomy 251. Quantum Mechanics for Astrophysics
Catalog Number: 5381
Lars Hernquist
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Quantum mechanics with applications to atomic and molecular processes important in astronomical environments. Atomic and molecular structure; spectroscopy (selection rules, oscillator strengths, photoionization); scattering theory (elastic, inelastic, approximate methods); line broadening; collision processes (cross sections, rate coefficients) involving electrons, ions, atoms, and molecules.
Prerequisite: Physics 143a or the equivalent, or permission of instructor.
*Astronomy 301hf. Research Forum
Catalog Number: 5224
Julia C. Lee 5305
Half course (throughout the year). Tu., 4–5:30.
Each week, a speaker (ordinarily faculty in the fall and students in the spring) will describe research in progress. Forum participants will discuss the ongoing work with the presenter, offering both questions and suggestions.
Note: Intended both as an opportunity for substantive discussion, and as training in the clear presentation of scientific ideas. To encourage an informal atmosphere and to facilitate interaction between speaker and audience. No visual aids other than a blackboard and a one-page handout will be allowed (e.g. no PowerPoint).
*Astronomy 302. Scientists Teaching Science
Catalog Number: 9869
Philip M. Sadler 2231
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2–3:30.
Learn the secrets of lecturing well, leading discussions, connecting to real-world applications, and creating tests in any scientific discipline as we focus on relevant educational research and case studies, plus engage in practical classroom activities.
Note: Open to graduate students in all areas of science and uses activities to draw upon research findings from the life, earth, and physical sciences.
Prerequisite: Experience as an instructor of science or as a teaching fellow.