| CODE | PHY3280 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Physics | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Course work: Before each lecture a paper from the current literature will be assigned and students will be expected to read it and be prepared to discuss it in class. Aims: This study-unit aims to provide the student with an introduction to cosmology and galaxies. The study-unit is split into two sections: • 6 lectures on Cosmology This section of the study-unit aims at an introduction to cosmology and the fundamental assumptions that are associated with our model of the universe. Being an active field of research the course will expose our current understanding of the expanding universe including discussions on the cosmological constant, the geometry and evolution of the universe as well as the evidence for dark matter and dark energy. • 6 lectures on Galaxies and Galactic Dynamics This section of the study-unit aims at an introduction to galaxies and our current understanding of them. As this is a field of very active research, the course will consider current developments. Subjects will include galaxy classification, the Milky Way, dark matter, bars, spirals and bulges, elliptical galaxies, supermassive black holes, dwarf and satellite galaxies, the formation and evolution of galaxies, and N-body computer simulation methods. Learning outcomes: At the end of the cosmology section, the students will: • be able to describe the fundamental assumptions of current cosmological models including homogeneity, isotropy and the Copernican Principle; • understand the application of classical Newtonian gravity to continuous mass distributions and compare this to relativistic cosmologies and homogenous metrics including the Friedman equation; • understand Hubble’s law and the expanding universe; • understand the known contents of the universe in terms of dust and radiation; • appreciate the unknown contents of the universe including dark matter, dark energy and the role of the cosmological constant in cosmology; • understand the density, geometry and evolution of the universe in terms of components of the universe; • be able to explain the relationship between redshift and time as well as the extragalactic distance ladder; • be able to discuss the thermal history of the universe including recombination and formation of light elements; • learnt about the observational evidence and experiments being currently performed in the realm of cosmology. At the end of the galaxies study-unit, the students will: • be able to explain the Hubble classification scheme; • have developed an appreciation for size and mass scales of galaxies; • be able to describe the Milky Way galaxy including its various components be familiar with its properties, and be able to outline the historical debate regarding whether galaxies other than the Milky Way exist; • be familiar with the evidence for dark matter and have understood the current theoretical predictions for dark matter halos in the context of the concordance cosmology, including their densities, shapes, sizes and angular momenta; • know been acquainted with modern ideas of galaxy formation and growth including the concept of hierarchical growth; • have an understanding for how spiral structure develops in disk galaxies and how this may lead to the formation of bars; • be familiar with the consequences of spirals and bars, including the formation of some bulges, the development of breaks, and radial mixing; • have learned how galaxy mergers lead to elliptical galaxies and be able to describe arguments for and against this interpretation; • understand how the presence of supermassive black holes can be deduced, how in the Milky Way no other interpretation is viable, be familiar with the scaling relations of black holes, and the recently discovered similar ones for nuclear clusters; • know about dwarf galaxies and a census of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group, including the Sagittarius dwarf being cannibalized by the Milky Way, be aware of the problems associated with the number of dwarf galaxies in the standard cosmology and how this may be resolved; • learned about how simulations allow us to explore the formation and evolution of galaxies and of the current work being done in this field. Study-unit Content An introduction to Cosmology: Lecture 1: What is Cosmology? Olber’s Paradox. Fundamental assumptions: homogeneity, isotropy, and the Copernican principle. Lecture 2: Newtonian gravity of continuous mass distributions. The Friedmann equation; the fluid equation. Relativistic cosmology and homogeneous metrics. Lecture 3: Hubble’s Law, Hubble flow. The expanding Universe. The contents of the Universe, dust and radiation. Density evolution. The critical density. Lecture 4: The cosmological constant. Density, geometry and evolution of the Universe. Lecture 5: Redshift and time. The extragalactic distance ladder. The thermal history of the Universe; recombination and the formation of the light elements. Lecture 6: The three observational cornerstones of the big bang. The evidence for dark matter. An introduction to galaxies: Lecture 1: The Hubble tuning fork classification. Units of galactic astronomy. The Milky Way as a galaxy, problems associated with being in it and how this lead to uncertainty about its structure. The thin and thick disks, the bulge and the bar, the stellar halo and accreting satellites. Lecture 2: Evidence for dark matter from rotation curves. The debate about dark matter in elliptical galaxies and the difficulties associated with those measurements. Cold and hot dark matter. Dark matter constraints from WMAP. Concordance cosmology predictions for dark matter halos. Lecture 3: Swing amplification and the formation of spirals. The resonant cavity theory of bar formation. Bar formation during interactions. The dynamical effects of bars and spirals. Lecture 4: The formation of ellipticals in major mergers. Shell structure. Profiles of ellipticals. Lecture 5: The measurement of black hole masses. Sgr A*: the black hole in the Milky Way. The M-sigma relation and other relations. The relations for nuclear clusters. Theories of supermassive black hole formation. Lecture 6: The dwarf galaxies in the Local Group and methods for their detection. Discrepancy between observations and prediction from concordance cosmology. The halo of the Milky Way as a repository of cannibalized dwarf galaxies and the possibility of cannibalism into the thick/thin disk. Optional Lecture: N-body simulations; Methods used to simulate galaxy formation and evolution and issues which are thought to matter. Recommended texts: Cosmology An introduction to Modern Cosmology, Andrew Liddle, Wiley. The State of the Universe, Pedro G. Ferreira, Phoenix. Cosmological Physics, J.A. Peacock, CUP. Galaxies Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction by Sparke & Gallagher (Cambridge University Press) Galactic Dynamics Second Edition: Binney & Tremaine (Princeton University Press) Galactic Astronomy: Merrifield & Binney (Princeton University Press) The Milky Way as a Galaxy: Gilmore, King & van der Kruit (University Science Books) |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Deandra Cutajar Victor Debattista Kristian Zarb Adami |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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