Radiative Processes in Astrophysics

An introduction to the basic physics of astronomy and astrophysics at the graduate level. Principles of energy transfer by radiation. Elements of classical and quantum theory of photon emission; bremsstrahlung, synchrotron radiation. Compton scattering, plasma effects, atomic and molecular electromagnetic transitions. With applications to current research into astrophysical phenomena.

These are a collection of lectures covering topics in an introductory graduate astrophysics course on radiative processes. The subject matter is loosely drawn from Radiative Processes in Astrophysics by Rybicki & Lightman.

At the end of the semester, each student will develop one new lecture on a subject of their choice to add to this website.

Class Code Repository[edit]

http://github.com/AaronParsons/astro207

Syllabus[edit]

Useful External References[edit]

Rybicki and Lightman, Radiative Processes in Astrophysics (course reference)
Mihalas and Mihalas, Foundations of Radiation Hydrodynamics
Osterbrock and Ferland, Astrophysics of Gaseous Nebulae and Active Galactic Nuclei
Shu, 'The Physics of Astrophysics, Volume I: Radiation
Longair, High Energy Astrophysics
Mihalas, Stellar Atmospheres
Rutten, Radiative Transfer in Stellar Atmospheres
Eddie Baron's GRK Lectures on Radiation Transport
Tony Readhead's Notes
Feynman's Lectures on Physics, Volume II

Topics by Date[edit]

(Aug. 26) Radiative Quantities (RL 1.1-1.3; Mil 1.1-1.3)[edit]

class mechanics
- syllabus
- references
  - Rybicki & Lightman
  - Astrobaki: learn better by teaching
- tools for figuring stuff out
  - theoretical derivation
  - order-of-magnitude estimation
  - physical intuition (hands-on modeling, analogies)
  - numerical simulation
- programming
  - Python Installation and Basic Programming
  - Revision Control (class repository)
  - Jupyter Notebooks (for visualizations and collaborating)
Topics
- Specific Intensity
Activities
- Activity Sheet 1 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- Activity Sheet 1 solutions

(Sep. 14) semi-classical hydrogen[edit]

Topics:
- Classical Bohr Atom
Activities
- Activity Sheet 6 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- rederivation
- Rydberg
- dipoles/quadrupoles
Problem Set 3 Assigned

(Sep. 16) Einstein coefficients[edit]

Topics:
- Einstein Coefficients
- Radiative Equilibrium
Activities
- Activity Sheet 7 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- estimating Einstein A for Ly-alpha
- effective photon absorption crosssection

(Sep. 21) spectral line broadening[edit]

Topics
- Line Profile Functions
- Zeeman splitting
Activities
- Activity Sheet 8 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- what can you learn from a spectral line
Problem Set 4 Assigned

(Sep. 23) radiation from accelerating charges (RL 3.3-3.4)[edit]

Topics
- Estimating Atomic Transition Strengths
- radiative dipole transitions
- photoexcitation cross-section
Activities
- Activity Sheet 9 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- Einstein A for He+

(Sep. 28) molecular lines (RL 11)[edit]

Topics
- Atomic and Molecular Quantum Numbers
- Rotational Transitions
Activities
- CO Lecture
No Problem Set this week

(Sep. 30) rovibrational transitions (RL 11)[edit]

Topics
- Rovibrational Transitions
Activities
- Activity Sheet 11 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- Cooling with CO

(Oct. 5) masers[edit]

Topics
- Masers
Activities
- masers as transistors
- laser pointers
Problem Set 5 assigned

(Oct. 7) collisional excitations[edit]

Topics:
- Detailed Balance
- Collisional Excitations
Activities
- Activity Sheet 12 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- more CO molecular clouds
- collisional line-driven cooling

(Oct. 12) free-free emission[edit]

Topics
- Thermal Bremsstrahlung (RL 5.1-5.3)
- Opacity
- Kramer's Opacity
Activities
- free-free polarization
- simulating a free-free interaction
Problem Set 6 assigned

(Oct. 14) charged cross-sections (RL 1.7-1.8; Mil 2.3-2.5)[edit]

Topics:
- Coulomb Focusing
- Thomson Scattering
Activities
- Activity Sheet 13 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- electrons in the IGM

(Oct. 19) bound-free transitions[edit]

Topics
- Milne Relation
- Saha Equation
Activities
- stromgren spheres
Problem Set 7 assigned

(Oct. 21) LTE and non-LTE[edit]

Topics
- Recombination Coefficients
- Review of Equilibria
Activities
- Activity Sheet 14 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- estimating recombination coefficients
- work out in detail redshift of recombination

(Oct. 26) plasma effects[edit]

Topics
- Plasma Frequency
- dispersion measure (RL 8.1)
- polarization
- Faraday rotation (RL 8.1-8.2)
- Stokes parameters
Activities
- start de-dispersion coding
Problem Set 8 assigned
- pulsar.dat

(Oct. 28) compton scattering[edit]

Topics
- Lorentz transformations
- Doppler shift
- radiation from relativistic charges (RL 4.1, 4.2, 4.8; Grif 10.1)
- Compton Scattering
Activities
- Activity Sheet 15 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- relativistic intuition, velocity raptor
- CMB coupling via compton

(Nov. 2) Inverse Compton scattering[edit]

Topics:
- Inverse Compton Scattering
- SZ Effect (RL 7.1-7.5)
Activities
- single scattering versus ensemble scattering
- compton saturation
No problem set

(Nov. 4) Synchrotron Introduction[edit]

Topics:
- Introduction to Synchrotron Radiation and Relativistic Beaming
Activities
- Activity Sheet 16 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- beaming, superluminal motion, monte carlo compton

(Nov. 9) Synchrotron Radiation[edit]

Topics
- Synchrotron Radiation
Activities
- re-deriving synchrotron spectrum
- phenomenological description of synchrotron decay
Problem Set 9 assigned

(Nov. 11) No Class (Veterans day)[edit]

(Nov. 16) Synchrotron Self-Interactions[edit]

Topics
- Synchrotron Self-Interactions
Activities
- Activity Sheet 17 (on datahub.berkeley.edu)
- reading SSC spectra, inferring castrophe

(Nov. 18) dust and grains[edit]

Topics:
- Dust Absorption and Scattering
- dust formation/sublimation
- Poynting-Robertson Effect
Activities
Problem Set 10 assigned

(Nov. 23) No Class[edit]

(Nov. 25) No Class[edit]

(Dec. 1) radiative diffusion[edit]

Topics:
- Radiative Diffusion
- bolometric radiative equilibrium
- greenhouse effect
Activities

(Dec. 2) Review[edit]

Review