Syllabus for |
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| FAS030 - The interstellar medium |
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| Owner: TTFYA |
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4,0 Credits (ECTS 6) |
| Grading: TH - Five, Four, Three, Not passed |
| Level: C |
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Department: 75 - EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES
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Teaching language: English
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Credit distribution |
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Examination dates |
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Sp1 |
Sp2 |
Sp3 |
Sp4 |
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No Sp |
| 0101 |
Examination |
4,0 c |
Grading: TH |
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4,0 c
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Contact examiner |
In programs
TTFYA ENGINEERING PHYSICS, Year 4 (elective)
RAMAS MSc PROGRAMME IN ADVANCED TECHNIQUES IN RADIO ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCE, Year 1 (elective)
Examiner:
Professor
John Black
Eligibility:
For single subject courses within Chalmers programmes the same eligibility requirements apply, as to the programme(s) that the course is part of.
Course specific prerequisites
The course is open to 4th/5th-year students (or students at an equivalent
level) and graduate students with background in physics and mathematics.
Aim
Interstellar matter plays a central role in the evolution of galaxies, both
as the repository of matter processed in earlier generations of stars and as
the raw material for continuing star formation. The study of interstellar
matter also introduces many aspects of applied spectroscopy and atomic
physics that have wide application in other fields.
Content
Processes by which atoms and simple molecules interact with each other and
with radiation will be introduced with emphasis on quantitative analysis of
spectra. The theory of the photoionized nebula will be developed. Methods
of studying the large-scale distribution of interstellar matter in galaxies
will be discussed. The basic physics and chemistry of interstellar dust will
be presented. Elements of gas dynamics will be introduced with applications
to the stability of gas clouds and the propagation of shocks. The theory of
the photon-dominated boundaries of molecular clouds will be developed, with
emphasis on the chemistry of simple hydrogen- and carbon-containing
molecules. Intergalactic matter and the nebular spectra of active galaxies
will be discussed.
Organisation
EXAMINER: John Black
Literature
J.E. Dyson and D.A. Williams, "The Physics of the Interstellar Medium",
Institute of Physics Publishing, (Bristol UK), 2nd edition, 1997. ISBN
0-7503-0460-X. Additional lecture notes will be provided.
Examination
There will be written exercises, possible computational experiments, and a
written examination.