ASTR 222 -
Galaxies and Cosmology
Spring 2018, T/Th 10:00-11:15
Instructor:
Professor Chris Mihos
Email: mihos@case.edu
Office: Sears 557
Office Hours: drop in or by appointment
|
Teaching Assistant:
Joe Curro
Email: jjc188@case.edu
Office: Sears 561
Office Hours: M 11:30-12:30, W 3:15-4:15
|
Course Website:
http://burro.case.edu/Academics/Astr222/
Textbooks: There are no required textbooks, but
supplemental readings will come from:
Other Help Sources:
|
Grading Policies:
Homeworks can be discussed collaboratively, but each
person must turn in their own solutions with unique writeup/analysis.
Collaborative means talking with each other about approaches,
techniques, etc. Collaborative does not mean sitting side-by-side
working out the answers, or swapping final solutions to copy!
Homework will be accepted in hardcopy form only -- no electronic/email
submissions. Assignments are due at 4:00pm on the due date unless
otherwise noted.
Late HW policy: You get one free late homework (up to one
week late), no questions asked. After that, it's a penalty
of 20% for every day late, unless you have an prearranged, excused
reason.
Missed test policy: Don't miss tests. If you are ill or
have some other critical reason for missing a test, you must let me
know in advance of the test, and document the reason through
Undergrad Studies.
Grade Weights:
Homework
|
40%
|
Midterm
#1
|
15%
|
Midterm #2
|
15%
|
Final
Exam
|
30%
|
|
Due Dates:
(subject to change...)
HW
#1
|
Jan
30
|
HW
#2
|
Feb
15
|
Midterm #1
|
Feb 27
|
HW
#3
|
Mar
8
Mar 9, 3pm
|
HW
#4
|
Apr
3
Apr 5
|
Midterm
#2
|
Apr
12
|
HW #5
|
Apr 24
May 1
(any late HW must be in by May 4!)
|
Final
Exam
|
take home, open notes
available May 1;
due 4pm on May 7
|
Grading Scale:
A
|
90-100
|
B
|
80-89
|
C
|
70-79
|
D
|
55-69
|
F
|
<55
|
|
Learning Outcomes
After taking this course, students should be able to:
- Describe the structure and kinematics of the Milky Way galaxy.
- Understand techniques for determining distances both within our Galaxy and to other galaxies.
- Characterize the properties of galaxies of different morphological type.
- Describe how galaxies cluster in the universe.
- Understand the kinematic scaling relationships for galaxies of different types.
- Explain how galaxy interactions drive evolution in galaxies and clusters.
- Describe the various cosmological parameters and their effect on the expansion history of the Universe.
- Derive quantitative relationships for the expansion history of the universe.
- Describe qualitatively the evolution of the hot big bang model.
- Describe the growth of structure and the evolution of galaxies as a function of cosmic time.
- Describe current galaxy formation models.
- Retrieve and use online datasets to study our Galaxy and other galaxies.
- Write quantitative computational tools to analyse astronomical datasets.
Schedule and
Content
(all subject to
change)
Date |
Topic |
Reading
|
Jan 16 |
Introduction
to the Milky Way, Star
Counts
|
K: 16.1
CO: 24.1
|
Jan 18 |
Size
of the Milky Way
Distances
to Stars
|
K: 2.6,
3.5, 10.2, 13.1, 13.4, 14.2
CO: 3.1, 12.1, 13.3, 14.1
|
Jan 23
|
Variable
Stars: Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars
Metallicity and
Stellar Populations
|
|
Jan 25 |
Structure of the Milky Way: Disk, Bulge
Face-on
Milky Way schematic
The
Galactic Halo
|
K: 16.1
CO: 24.2 |
Jan 30
|
The Interstellar Medium,
Multiwavelength Milky Way
(with helpful finder chart!)
Solar Motion
|
K:14.4,
16.4
CO: 12.1, 24.3
http://www.chromoscope.net/
|
Feb 1
|
The Velocities of
Stars
|
K: 16.2, 16.3
CO: 24.3 |
Feb 6
|
Discussion of HW #1 and HW #2
|
|
Feb 8
|
Galactic Rotation and Dark Matter
|
K: 16.2,
16.3, 16.6
CO: 24.3, 24.4 |
Feb 13
|
The
Galactic Center, The
Central Object
|
K: 16.6
CO: 24.4 |
Feb 15 |
Environment:
Satellite Galaxies and the Local Group
Intro to Galaxies: The Great Debate
Galaxies: Morphology of Galaxies,
General Properties
|
K: 17.1-17.3
CO: 25.1-25.3
|
Feb 20
|
Galaxies: Stellar Populations and Stellar
Mass-to-Light Ratios
|
|
Feb 22
|
Discussion of HW #2, Stellar Pop mixing, Filters, Colors, spectra.
|
|
Feb 27
|
Midterm Exam #1 (covering material up
to and including Feb 20)
|
|
Mar 1
|
Disk Galaxies: Kinematic Properties
Discussion of HW #3; statistics and error propagation
|
K: 17.1.2
CO: 25.2
Error propagation
|
Mar 6
|
Disk Galaxies: Photometric Properties
|
K: 17.1.2
CO: 25.2 |
Mar 8
|
Disk Galaxies: Spiral Structure
Elliptical Galaxies: Structure and Stellar
Populations
|
K: 17.1
CO: 25.4
|
Mar 13
|
Spring Break - no class
|
|
Mar 15 |
Spring Break - no class
|
|
Mar 20
|
Elliptical Galaxies: Kinematics
Peculiar Galaxies: Starbursts
Extragalactic
Distances and Hubble's Law
|
CO 25.4, 27.2
K 19.1-19.6
|
Mar 22
|
Discussion of HW#3 and HW#4
|
|
Mar 27 |
Peculiar Galaxies: Interactions
Active Galaxies and
Quasars
|
CO: 26.1, 28.1-28.2
K 19.2-19.6
|
Mar 29 |
Active
Galaxies and Quasars
Galaxy Clusters and
Large Scale Structure |
CO 28.1-28.2, 27.3
K 18.1-19.2
|
Apr 3
|
The
Expanding Universe
|
CO 27.2, 29.1
K 18.3, 20.2
|
Apr
5
|
The Age of the Universe:
first attempt
The Microwave Background
|
CO 29.1, 29.2
K 20.3, 21.1
|
Apr 10
|
Observational Cosmology with Supernovae
The Cosmological Constant
|
CO 29.1, 29.2
K 20.2-20.4
|
Apr 12
|
Midterm Exam #2
(covering material
through Microwave Background)
|
|
Apr 17
|
The Growth of
Primordial Fluctuations
Hot and Cold Dark Matter,
Structure Formation
|
CO 30.2
K 21.4
|
Apr 19
|
Cosmological Models: Observational Constraints
Ages and Lookback Times
The Early Universe: Inflation,
BBN, and Recombination
|
CO 30.1, 30.2
|
Apr 24
|
The Early Universe: Inflation,
BBN, and Recombination
Observing
the High Redshift Universe
|
|
Apr 26
|
Galaxy Formation
(Theory)
Galaxy
Formation (Observational)
|
K 21.4.3
CO 26.2
|
May 1-7
|
Final Exam: take home, open notes
Available May 1; due back no later than 4pm on May 7
|
|
Other Items of Interest
|