Galaxies and Galactic Dynamics, undergraduate course

The URL of this page is http://planets.utsc.utoronto.ca/~pawel/teach.html

Several hundred galaxies (some formed less than 1 Gyr after the Big Bang) in the Hubble Deep Field project image. [Click on the fragment above to see the whole image (0.5 MB)]. Besides the classical spiral and elliptical shaped galaxies, there is a bewildering variety of other galaxy shapes and colors. (courtesy: NASA). See also the Summary Of Key Findings From The Hubble Deep Field.

UNDERGRADUATE COURSE INFORMATION

Title: Galaxies and Galactic Dynamics (AI 1280)

Term: Fall 2002
Teacher: doc Pawel Artymowicz (tel 5537 8549; pawel@astro.su.se)
Teaching Assistant: Alexis Brandeker (tel 5537 8552; alexis@astro.su.se)

Times of lectures : 10:15 am - 12:00 am (hopefully with a break)
Place: Stockholm Observatory SCFAB (Albanova Ctr), 6th floor, seminar room C61
Dates of lectures:
September: 25 (Wed), 30(Mo),
October: 7 (Mo), 9 (Wed)*, 16 (Wed) , 21(Mo)*, 23(Wed), 28(Mo), 30 (Wed)*,
November: 4 (Mo; rm C6:1038)

3 problem sessions: 1:15pm - 3:00pm; their dates are denoted by * following
the lecture day given above
Dates/times of 2 laboratory excercises: to be arranged with the TA (teaching asst.)

Additional optional event: Cosmonova film, e.g., `Den Oendliga Resan' (Contact udergrad. secretary).

Date of the final exam: 11 November (Mo), 10.00-12.30 and 13.30-15:30
Omtentamen (re-exam) at one date convenient for all the interested.

Basic course reference: Binney and Tremaine, "Galactic dynamics" (Princeton,1994)

Suggested additional reading includes at least two of the following:
o Internet (we recommend www.google.com to look for keywords; also the links below);
o Binney & Merrifield "Galactic Astronomy", Princeton Ser. in Astroph. (1998);
o Carroll & Ostlie "An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics" Addison-Wesley (1996)
o D. Elmegreen "Galaxies and Galactic Structure", Prentice Hall (1998);
o Gilmore, King & van der Kruit "The Milky Way as a galaxy", Univ. Sci. Books (1989);

Course grading will be based on:
6 sets of homework problems, which will be handed out (20% of the total score),
the written exam (50% for problems, 30% for test = large set of Yes/No questions).
>75% of the max score required for VG, >50% for G grade.

Lab exercises are required to be successfully done and described to the satisfaction of theTA, before or shortly after the final exam.

SYLLABUS (=TOPICS)

with references to the main textbook: ch.=chapter;
ADD= handout with additional material.
Note: topic numbers do not necessarily coincide with `lecture number'.

Gentle introduction to galaxies

Dicovery of galaxies - historical perspective
Stellar populations, globular and open star clusters
The Great Debate (1920)
Galaxy's kinematics, asymmetric drift diagram

Literature: ch. 1 (pages 3-29) + ADD

Galaxies

Large-scale structure of the Universe and galaxy clustering
Epoch of galaxy formation
Morfology and classification of galaxies
Galatic nuclei and other components
Comparison of the Milky Way with other galaxies

Literature: ch. 1 (pages 3-29) + ADD

Gravitation

Potentials of spherical systems
Potentials of axisymmetric systems
General methods

Literature: ch. 2 (pages 30-49, 74-80) ESPECIALLY pp. 32, 36-37, 41-43, 48, 74-80

Orbits

The Kepler problem (2-body problem)
Motion in spherical potential
Motion in axisymmetric potentials
Lindblad resonances in nonaxisymmetric systems

Literature: ch. 3 (pages 103-126) + ADD, ESPECIALLY pp. 103-108, 112-126, 149

Collisionless stellar systems

Fundamental equations of stellar dynamics
Virial equations
Isothermal sphere

Literature: ch. 4.1-4.3 (pages 187-231), 4.7 (pages 266-278) ESPECIALLY pp. 190-192, 195-200, 213-214, 226-231, 269-278

Disk dynamics

Stability of disks
Spiral waves
Resonances and the global spiral structure
Bars and warps

Literature: ch. 6 (pages 336-413) + ADD, ESPECIALLY pp. 336-345, 355-359, 362-370, 375-405

Encounters and collisions

Observations of interacting galaxies
Simulations
Dynamical friction
Thickening of disks
Galaxy mergers vs. the virial theorem

Literature: ch. 7 + ADD, ESPECIALLY pp. 424-430, 454-469

Introduction to chemo-dynamics

Dynamical evolution in stellar systems
Chemical evolution

Literature: ch. 9.2 (pages 564-578) + ADD, ESPECIALLY pp. 564-577

Dark matter

Dark matter: hot vs. cold, candidate constituents
Dark matter: how much where

Literature: ch. 10 (pages 589-638) ESPECIALLY pp. 589-605, 614-618, 629-635

SAMPLE EXAM

Here you can see the text files with the final exam (1999)

About the homework problems

For a guide to the style of solutions of homework (also the exam) involving math see here.
Please remember also to: staple together your homework or at least number the pages clearly and sign them with your name. Write legibly: all unusually messy homeworks will be returned to you. The usually-messy homeworks will be accepted but run the risk of being misunderstrood and/or underappreciated. Please give enough details of the solution procedure. It's as important as the correct final answer.
Importantly, please keep a copy of your solutions for your use (you can use the Observatory copy machine for that). Most solutions will be discussed during the 3 problem sessions. Finally, plan for a timely submission of solutions. Occasional delays will be tolerated, but very late submissions will earn very little credit.

Useful / interesting links:

This way to the home page of Pawel Artymowicz.