Cavendish Astrophysics Course Synopses

Astronomical Techniques (Chris Haniff, 8 lectures)

Lecture 1 - telescopes etc
	Simple telescope design, optics, mountings.
	Focal ratio, plate scale.
	PSF, beam, FT relationship between focal plane and aperture
	Sampling of images
	Effect of phase errors
	Aberrations
	RA and Dec etc

Lecture 2 - the atmosphere and its effects
	Content and structure
	Opacity of atmosphere
	Emission from atmosphere
	Phase fluctuations in atmosphere
	Effect of phase perturbations
	More precise description of phase perturbations - seeing

Lecture 3 - photometry and imaging
	Magnitudes
	Extinction
	Reddening
	Colours
	Uses of these in observational astronomy

Lecture 4 - radio observations basics 1
	Differences due to measurement of field (not intensity)
	Single dish measurements
	Antennae, gain, efficiency
	Implications for telescope designs
	Outline of receivers

Lecture 5 - radio observations basics 2
	Review signal chain in simple single dish system
	Mixers - what they do, and how
	Signal detection and noise
	Brightness temperature, Rayleigh Jeans
	Radiometer equation, sensitivity

Lecture 6 - interferometry - basic introduction
	Rational for this
	Physical basis - FT relationship between coherence function and
			source
	Spatial frequency description of source
	UV coverage
	Long baseline = high resolution etc

Lecture 7 - optical and infrared detectors
	Desirable qualities - linearity, qe, noise, resolution etc
	CCD's
	IR arrays
	Photon counting devices
	Sources of noise
	Detection limits
	Calibration of array data

Lecture 8 - spectroscopes (optical mainly)
	Basic ideas: resolution, free spectral range, etendue
	Filters, gratings (normal, blazed, echelle)
	Approaches to wide field spectrography
	Fourier transform spectroscopy
	Fabry Perot spectroscopy

Radiation & radiative transfer (Keith Grainge, 8 lectures)

1) Introduction; luminosity, flux density, surface brightness;
   radiation pressure; radiation energy density; blackbody radiation;
   polarisation, Stokes parameters.

2) Emission; absorbtion; scattering; radiative transfer equation; optical
   depth; Kirchoff's law; introduction to emission processes.

3) Bremstrahlung emission; outline of physics involved; absorbtion and
   optical depth; typical spectrum; examples.

4) Synchrotron emission; outline of physics involved; synchrotron
   self-absorbtion; typical spectrum; minimum energy arguments; spectral
   aging; examples.

5) Dust emission; optical extinction; grain optics; typical spectrum;
   composition; polarisation.

6) Emission lines; Einstein parameters; radiative transfer revisited;
   collisional excitation; equivalent widths; examples.

7) Molecular spectra; rotation and vibration lines; line splitting;
   atomic lines; recombination lines; examples.

8) CMB; Inverse Compton scattering and the S-Z effect; foreground separation.

Fluids, stellar dynamics, magnetic fields (Paul Alexander, 8 lectures)

Whenever the topic says Application this will be based on observational data

Lecture 1: Overview of states of matter in astrophysics and their dynamics
Gas dynamics and range of scales: ideal gases
Stellar systems as ideal gases
Basic dynamics: Navier Stokes to Bernouilli
Basic thermodynamics: heating and cooling
Important timescales/lengthscales and relation (or not) to celestial fluids

Lecture 2:  Equilibria of self-gravitating fluid bodies
Isothermal sphere
Application to stellar structure
Application to cluster gas: King profiles
Virial theorem: gas and stellar systems
Stability of an isolated cloud
Important timescales

Lectures 3-4: Stellar systems
Basic revision of orbits
Timescales in stellar systems
Sorts of stable stellar systems we expect
Important resonances
Collisional and Collisionless systems
Application to stars and gas
Application: the need for dark matter in galaxies and clusters
Basic ideas on collapse with star formation
Application to the Hubble sequence
Application to the ISM in galaxy types

Lecture 5: Supersonic flow
Difference between sub-sonic and supersonic flow
Shocks and other discontinuities
What is happening on a small scale?
Example: De-laval nozzle
Application: supernova remnants
Application: radio sources

Lecture 6: Magnetic fields
Basic ideas of MHD
Frozen in fields
Application to tracing flow
Maxwell stresses
Microscopic picture and realtivistic fluids
Mention of magnetic shocks
Voticity

Lecture 7: Discs and accreation
Spherical accreation and winds
Eddington luminosity
Ubiquitous discs -- why?
Stability of discs: spiral waves
Application: spiral galaxies
Accreation discs and thick discs
Application: evidence for discs around AGN and stars

Lecture 8: Instability
Basic fluid instabilities (RT, KH)
Jeans collapse
Importance of heating and cooling
Heating processes
Cooling processes
Multi-phase ISM and ICM

Statistics and Probability: (Guy Pooley, 4 lectures)

Uncertainties of measurements
Limitations of statistics

Parametric, non-parametric tests

Signal detection
Correlations: detection, evaluation of significance

Parameter estimation
Sample comparison

Time-series analysis

The basis for much of the course is presented in

J.V.Wall, Practical statistics for astronomers:

  I  QJRAS 20 138 (1979)
  II QJRAS 37 519 (1996)

(copies are available).

Theory and Practice of Observing (Richard Hills, 4 lectures)

1.   Introduction - types of observing.

2.   Applying for time - PATT, etc.

3.   Aspects of observing technique - 
      sky subtraction
      pointing
      spherical astronomy, etc.

4.   Preparation for an observing run -
      source information
      calibrators, pointing sources
      templates
      travel, health, etc.

5.   Data processing
      calibration
      general image retrieval

Interferometry (John Young, 4 lectures)

Introduction (brief)
	Why do interferometry
	Outline of course

Lecture 1 - Formal description of interferometry
	Formal derivation of van Cittert-Zernike theorem
	Response of 2-element interferometer
	Fringe rate, fringe rotation
	Phase measurement
	Effect of finite bandpass: coherence envelope
	Bandwidth smearing
	Outline of correlator design

Lecture 2 - Mapping
	Review of basic problem - inversion of sampled FT of sky
	Problems with dirty image
	Sampling and weighting
	Gridding and aliasing
	Deconvolution - CLEAN, MEM
	Model-fitting

Lecture 3 - Self-calibration
	Phase problem - what it is, when it is/isn't an issue
	Closure phases
	Hybrid mapping (Readhead and Wilkinson)
	Alternative approach - antenna errors
	Self-cal (Cornwell and Wilkinson)
	MEM-based approaches
	Actual implementations
	Closure amplitudes

Lecture 4 - Optical Interferometry
	Scientific rationale
	Major similarities and differences
	Description of a typical optical array
	Optical analogues of radio components
	Current state of the art in technology
	Current state of the art in science

Applied Electromagnetics (Ghassan Yassin, 4 lectures)

Electromagnetic design and simulation techniques for
microwave and submillimetre-wave components and systems.


Lecture 1 - Techniques for modelling the electromagnetic
            behaviour of antennas and mirror systems at
            short wavelelengths.

            Topics will be selected from:

            key theorems in electromagnetics;
            equivalent electric and magnetic current sources;
            propagation and scattering of vector fields;
            Kirchoff's vector diffraction theorem;
            GTD,PTD,MOM;
            mirror geometries and antenna design.

Lecture 2 - Electromagnetic design of waveguide horns:

            Types of horns;
            Mode matching techniques;
            Corrugated waveguide and horns;
            Potter horn;
            Horn-reflector antennas;
            Practical design examples.


Lecture 3 - Techniques for modelling the electromagnetic
            behaviour of planar thin-film structures and
            circuits at short wavelengths.

            Topics will be selected from:

            spectral domain analysis;
            conformal mapping;
            mode matching;
            microstrip lines, coplanar lines, finlines;
            losses in transmission structures;
            the electromagnetic behaviour of superconducting lines.


Lecture 4 - Superconducting electromagnetics;

            Topics could include:

            Principles of superconductivity;
            The London equations;
            Surface impedance calculations;
            Modal properties of superconducting waveguide;
            Superconducting planar circuits: microstrip, coplanar;
            Losses and transmission beyond the gap frequency;
            Application to the design of SIS mixers.

Star formation & evolution (Dave Green and John Richer, 8 lectures)

Approximate number of lectures for each section are indicated below.

(1) Galactic continuum/HI emission:
      continuum: spectrum, structure (loops and spurs, polarization)
      21 cm observations:
        rotation curves
        disk (large-scale) structure
        small-scale structures in emission
        emission/absorption

(3) Star Formation
      Overview
        The ISM and the IMF
        Molecular clouds and cloud cores
        Protostars
        Young Stars
        Disks
        Observational techniques

      Initial conditions for protostellar collapse:
        Observations of cloud cores
        Virial theorem analysis of cloud stability
        Fragmentation
        Bonnor-Ebbert clouds
        Influence of magnetic fields

      Collapse:
        Free fall collapse solution
        Generalised collapse models
        Collapse with rotation and magnetic fields
        Disks
        Approach to the main sequence

      Theory vs Observation:
        SEDs of protostars
        Structure of disks and pseudo disks
        Searches for infall
        Properties and physics of outflow sources
        Unsolved questions

(2) Stellar Evoution

      Classification of Stars
      Observational diagnostics
      H--R diagram
        Pre MS
        MS
        AGB
        Giants
      mass loss
      binary systems
      modelling/theory of stellar evolution

(2) How stars effect the ISM
      HII regions:
        continuum spectra
        structures
        recombination lines
      Planetary Nebulae: review
      Supernova Remnants:
        types (shell, filled-centre, composite)
        dynamics and timescales, distributions
      Pulsars: review

AGN, galaxies and clusters (Katherine Inskip, 8 lectures)

Evolution of normal galaxies ~3 lectures
----------------------------------------

 Theory:
  Heirarchical versus monolithic collapse
  Stellar population synthesis, chemical evolution
  Haloes, interaction between baryons & dark matter
  Semi-analytic models, importance of mergers & starbursts 

 Observations: 
  Low-z studies; fibres e.g. 2dF, IRAS, starbursts via IUE/HST
  Pencil beam surveys to z \approx 1; CFRS
  Near IR studies at z ~1; EROs
  HDF (complexity of ellipticals)
  CFRS + HDF 
  -> cosmic SFR history
  Lyman-break techniques, narrow-band Ly-alpha searches
  Scuba galaxies, ISO, SIRTF
  NGST; highest-redshift objects
 
Galaxy clusters ~2 lectures
---------------------------

 Optical and X-ray surveys
 Evolution of number density and intracluster gas; mergers
   Energy injection by SN, AGN and mergers; radio haloes
 BCGs as tests of galaxy evolution models
 Butcher Oemler effect, E+A gals & S0s (more on complexity of ellipticals)
 SZ effect, new SZ surveys

AGN ~3 lectures
---------------
 
 Classification and surveys; radio, photo plates, X-ray -> Sloan et al.
 Narrow line region physics 
 Broad line region, reverb mapping
 Accretion discs; thin/thick discs
 Unified shemes; orientation
 Radio loud/radio quiet dichotomy
  Formation of jets 
  Environmental influences
 Structure & dynamics of powerful radiosources, influence on environment 
 Probes of large scale structure; QSO absorption lines
 Host galaxies; AGN as phase of ``normal'' galaxy evolution: 
  Central SMBHs in all bulges (monolithic collapse?) 
  Dust in AGN (esp at high z) 
  -> Starburst/AGN connection, influence of mergers, Scuba galaxies as AGN 
     (heirarchical?)

Observational cosmology (Mike Jones and Rudiger Kneissl, 8 lectures)

Basics: Fundamental facts (sky is dark, CMB...), revision of
undergraduate stuff: derivation of R-W metric, meaning of redshift,
geometric concepts (angular size/ luminosity distances), expansion
equations, Mattig's relation, cosmological constant, example calculations.

Cosmology from surveys: Number counts, dN/dS, Euclidian source
counts. Famous surveys at all frequencies. 2-d surveys; relation
between 2-d and 3-d correlation fns, APM survey, failure of standard
CDM. 3-d surveys; CfA, sheets and voids, QDOT survey, 2dF and SDSS.

Structure formation: Jeans collapse, growth of structure in an
expanding universe. Inflation, dark matter (cold, hot, mixed), defect
theories.

Imprints on CMB: origin of features in power spectrum. Primordial
fluctuations, Harrison-Zel'dovich spectrum, Sachs-Wolfe effect,
acoustic oscilations, thickness of surface of last scattering, Silk
damping.


CMB and thermal history of universe: Discovery of CMB, idea of hot big
bang. History of universe from inflation onwards; decoupling of
neutrinos, matter/radiation equality, proton/neutron and photon/baryon
ratios, nucleosynthesis, light element abundances, recombination,
reionization.

Observations of CMB: Spectral observations, FIRAS. Anisotropy:
techniques of measurement, radiometers, interferometers, etc. The
dipole, measurements of structure on large, medium and small scales,
with historic (eg COBE!) and more recent examples of actual
measurements. The current state of the power spectrum, what it
means. [This lecture tends to get revised a lot from year to year...]

Clusters of galaxies: Abell and Zwicky, dark matter content, virial
mass, X-ray properties (eg Lx-Tx relation, cooling flows),
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect.

Cosmological parameters: The important parameters, how are they
measured. H0 - distance ladder, lensing, SZ. q0 - SNe Ia. Omega -
cluster abundances, peculiar velocities, CMB. Concordance between CMB,
LSS, SNe Ia. This year's best-buy universe.

Partial coherence and quantum optics in astronomy (Stafford Withington, 4 lectures)

Lecture 1 - Coherent far infrared and THz optics.

            Topics will be selected from:

            Modal optics - plane waves, Gabour modes, Gaussian
            Laguerre and Gaussian Hermite modes;
            Wide-angle modes;
            Eigenmodes of optical systems;
            Point spread functions;
            Scattering;
            Examples of complete systems, and imaging;
            Applications in astronomy.


Lecture 2 - Scalar partially coherent far-infrared and THz optics.

            Topics will be selected from:

            Correlation functions;
            Bimodal expansions;
            Finding the natural modes of the field;
            Propagation and scattering;
            Coupling partially coherent fields;
            Sources and blackbody radiation;

Lecture 3 - Vector partially coherent electromagnetics;

            Topics will be selected from:

            Cross-spectral dyadics;
            Matrix elements by projection onto basis sets;
            Polarised plane wave descriptions;
            Waveguide descriptions;
            Paraxial descriptions;
            Finding the natural modes;
            Quantising the electromagnetic field;
            Photons in free-space and waveguiding systems;
            Coupling partially coherent vector fields;
            The correlations of black-body radiation;
            Applications to astronomy.

Lecture 4 - Coherent and partially coherent astronomical detectors:

            Basic description of mixers and bolometers;
            Principles of operation of SIS mixers and TES bolometers;
            Types and design of complete detector circuits;
            Fabrication considerations;
            Examples of performance;
            Prospects for the future.

Order-of-magnitude astrophysics (Sanjoy Mahajan, 6 lectures)

1. Wetting the feet.  Scales in the universe: energies (from meV to
quasars), sizes, lengths, times, speeds.  Dimensionless numbers.

2. Materials.  Solids, liquids, gases.  Elastic moduli, transport
properties.

3. Fluids.  Reynolds number.  Turbulence: Kolmogorov scaling, von
Karman law of the logarithm.

4. Gravitation.  General relativity -- precession of Mercury, bending
of light, frame dragging, precession of the equinoxes.

5. Waves.  Sound (scalar), electromagnetic (vector), and gravitational
(tensor) radiation.  Energy transport.

6. Stars.  Temperatures, material properties.  White dwarfs, neutron
stars, black holes.

Theoretical cosmology (Anthony Challinor and Anthony Lasenby, 8 lectures)

Lecture 1: Fundamentals of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models.

Geometric and physical properties; matter constituents; dynamics; distance
measures and Eddington's reciprocity relation; geometric optics and brightness
equation.

Lectures 2 and 3: Cosmological perturbation theory.

Newtonian hydrodynamics in expanding models; Eulerian and comoving perturbation
theory; evolution of density and velocity perturbations; growth factor in
matter domination; relativistic perturbation theory and the gauge problem;
scalar perturbations in the Newtonian gauge; multiple fluids.

Lecture 4: Statistics of random fields in two and three dimensions.

Consequences of homogeneity and isotropy; correlation functions and power
spectra; projections along the line of sight and the Limber approximation.

Lectures 5 and 6: Inflation and the early universe.

Problems with the Hot Big Bang; accelerated expansion and scalar field
stress-energy; Klein-Gordon equation in expanding universe; quantum generation
of fluctuations; scalar power spectrum for power-law inflation; slow-roll and
beyond.

Lectures 7 and 8: The cosmic microwave background.

Null geodesics and the Sachs Wolfe effect; power spectrum on large scales;
tight-coupling and the acoustic peaks; Silk damping; Boltzmann equation in
Newtonian gauge; line of sight solution and Boltzmann hierarchy.

Inverse problems (Mike Hobson, 4 lectures)

Lecture 1: Bayes' theorem and parameter estimation
    Introduction to deductive logic
    Probability: Cox's axiom and basic rules
    Bayes' theorem and marginalisation
    Modelling data: the `forward' problem
    Bayesian parameter estimation: priors, best-estimates and confidence
        intervals
    Examples: Gaussian noise; lighthouse problem

Lecture 2: Multivariate parameter estimation
    Multivariate Bayesian parameter estimation: best-estimates and
        confidence intervals
    Marginal distributions
    Approximations: maximum-likelihood and least-squares
    Algorithms for maximisation and sampling of posterior distributions
    Examples: signal in presence of background; Gaussian noise revisited

Lecture 3: Model selection and the assignment of priors
    Hypothesis testing and the concept of evidence
    The Bayesian view on Occam's razor
    Example: number of lines in a spectrum
    Simple priors: location and scale parameters
    The maximum-entropy prior: monkey argument and models

Lecture 4: Regularisation and image reconstruction
    Parametric `free-form' solutions
    Regularisation of inversion
    Linear regularisation: Wiener filters
    Non-linear regularisation: the maximum-entropy method
    Spatial correlations and fuzzy pixels
    Monte-Carlo Markov-Chain methods