Graduate Astrophysics Curriculum in the UCSB Physics Department

OVERVIEW AND PHILOSOPHY

A critical component of the astrophysics graduate program in the UCSB physics department are the graduate courses. These courses are taught so as to provide a broad perspective on the fields covered and are accessible to all physics graduate students. We do not have prerequisites amongst and between these courses, thus allowing students to easily gain breadth in their studies. These courses will be taught in an alternating fashion every other year. Each of these courses is worth 4 units. There are no prerequisites beyond having physics graduate student standing.

COURSES

Physics 232: Stellar Structure and Evolution (Spring 2005, Martin)

Physics of stellar structure, equations of state and heat transport. Birth of stars and physics of brown dwarfs. Thermonuclear burning on the main sequence, dependences of stellar masses and hydrostatic nucleosynthesis. Evolution of stars, mass loss, and birth of compact objects via supernovae. Physical structure and cooling of neutron stars and white dwarfs, formation and observations of black holes.

Physics 233: The Interstellar Medium (2005/2006, ?)

Theory and observations of the contents of interstellar space, and the physical processes that form and shape them. Atomic, molecular and ionized gas; dust; heating and cooling; shocks; generation and evolution of cosmic rays; formation of stars.

Physics 234: High Energy Astrophysics (Winter 2005, Oh)

Accretion power in a range of astrophysical contexts, from quasars to galactic black holes. Rapid release of thermonuclear energy, Type I Bursts, Classical Novae, Type Ia supernovae. Relativistic Jets from black holes, non-thermal emission of X and Gamma rays, physics of gamma-ray bursts.

Physics 235: Extragalactic Astrophysics (Fall 2004, Antonucci)

Nebular astrophysics, active galactic nuclei, supermassive black holes, stellar dynamics, galaxies, clusters, dark matter, gravitational lensing, the intergalactic medium and galaxy formation

Physics 236: Cosmology (2005/2006, ?)

Galaxy surveys, the cosmic distance ladder, redshift and expansion, Friedmann models, classical tests, the cosmic microwave background, big bang nucleosynthesis, structure formation.