Course Syllabus - PHY 490
Introduction to Astrophysics and Cosmology  

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Course Description:

Our views of the universe have changed a lot in the past century, and in the last decade. It is now believed that the universe is expanding and that we only know a fraction of it while we begin the search for dark matter and dark energy. If ones runs the history of the universe backwards, what do we find? What was the universe like in the first three minutes? How does one do useful science for a time in which nobody existed? How did our view of the universe get to this point and where are we headed in the next decade?

Prerequisites: Students should be familiar with Classical Dynamics and Differential Equations. Modern Physics is a plus.

Course Content:

Required Texts:

We will cover the topics in both Ryden and Owocki as outlined in the schedule. Additional resources will be posted or linked to the course web site: http://people.uncw.edu/hermanr/AstroCosmo.

In this course we will study the origin and general structure of the physical universe. We will be lead into curved spacetimes, general relativity, black holes, and topics from the big bang to gravitational waves, gravitational lensing, and cosmological models of the universe. We will also explore topics such as the birth, life and death of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae, dark matter, and dark energy.

Course Objectives:

• Develop a solid foundation in astrophysical principles and concepts.
• Understand the observational methods and techniques used in astrophysics.
• Explore the formation, evolution, and characteristics of various celestial objects.
• Examine the structure and dynamics of galaxies and galaxy clusters.
• Gain a deper understanding of large scale physics including special and general relativity.
• Investigate the fundamental theories and models of cosmology.

Learning Outcomes:

The student will be able to

• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of Special and General Relativity.
• Discuss the observational evidence for compact astrophysical objects.
• Describe stellar properties and structures.
• Convey the stages of stellar collapse to compacts objects.
• Identify important aspects of using different coordinate systems describing spacetimes.
• Discuss different cosmological models.
• Describe the dynamic and thermal history of the universe.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the most effective techniques to explore the Universe.
• Discuss different constituents of the universe from galaxies to neutron stars and black holes.

Course Requirements:

Participation/Attendence: You are expected to attend every class and to contribute to the class baed upon your reading. After three excused absences, there will be a penalty of 2% for each absence from your total grade.

Homework: Homework assignments will be collected on a regular basis and you will be told when the work is due. As doing homework is very important for learning the material in this course, it will count as 30% of your grade.

Papers: You will do an in depth exploration into a topic not covered in class. This will result in a written paper and will count 10% of your grade.

Exams and Grades: There will be two exams and a final for this course. The exams will cover the basic material up to the date of the exam. The tentative dates for the exams are below.

This syllabus is subject to change!