Sarazin's ASTR 545 Class Home Page

High Energy Astrophysics

Fall 2008

An introduction to radiation and particle interactions, fluid and plasma dynamics, and other physical processes important to the study of high energy phenomena in astronomy. Applications to cosmic rays, pulsars, supernovae, binary X-ray sources, gamma-ray sources, and active galactic nuclei will be discussed. Techniques for X-ray, gamma-ray, and cosmic ray astronomy may be discussed briefly.

Launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory

Class Announcements

The Final Exam has been graded, and class grades have been assigned.
Final Exam
- Statistics:
  - Perfect Score = 140
  - Average = 116
  - Standard Deviation = 19.2
  - Highest Grade in Class = 139
  - Lowest Grade in Class = 74
- Copies of Final Exam and Solutions
  - Final Exam - Acrobat PDF File
  - Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Total Semester Numerical Grades
- The Total Semester Numerical Grades were determined by weighting the sum of the homework grades and the final exam grades by the averages for the class, multiplying each by 50 (HWs worth 50% of grade, Final Exam worth 50% of grade), and renormalizing so that the highest possible numerical grade was 100.
- The formula was: Numerical Grade = 0.09394 * (Sum of HWs) + 0.37877 * Final Exam
- Statistics:
  - Perfect Score = 100
  - Average = 87.7
  - Standard deviation = 7.7
  - Highest Grade = 98.5
  - Lowest Grade = 71.9

Letter Grades

Letter Grade Scale

     97  <=   A+   <=  100
     92  <=   A    <    97
     87  <=   A-   <    92
     82  <=   B+   <    87
     71  <=   B    <    82

Grades are available on UVa Collab.
The grader for the class is Dan Wik, office ASTR 267, phone 924-0686, E-mail drw2x@virginia.edu.

Syllabus

Class Handouts

Reading

Introduction [Preface]
Special Relativity [Chap. 1]
Interaction of High Energy Particles with Matter [Secs. 2-2.2]
Hydrodynamics [Secs. 2.3-2.11]
Radiative Processes [Chap. 3]
Neutron Stars - Pulsars [Chap. 5]
Supernovae and Remnants [Chap. 4]
Cosmic Rays - Origins [Sec. 2.8,4.4.2-4.4.3]
Observational Techniques in High Energy Astrophysics [App. A]
Binary X-ray Sources [Chap. 6]
Gamma-ray Bursts [Chap. 7]

XMM/Newton in Orbit (artist conception)

Homeworks

Homework 1 - Due Monday, September 8
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 2 - Due September 15
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 3 - Due September 22
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 4 - Due September 29
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 5 - Due October 6
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 6 - Due October 15 *** NOTE DATE ***
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 7 - Due October 27
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 8 - Due November 3
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 9 - Due November 10
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 10 - Due November 17
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Homework 11 - Due November 24
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
No Homework for Thanksgiving week
Homework 12 - Due December 5 in Dan Wik's mailbox
- Problems - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File

Final Exam

Copies of Exam and Solutions
- Final Exam - Acrobat PDF File
- Solutions - Acrobat PDF File
Statistics:
- Perfect Score = 140
- Average = 116
- Standard Deviation = 19.2
- Highest Grade in Class = 139
- Lowest Grade in Class = 74

Class Notes

HTML Versions

PDF Versions

Websites for More Information

Current High Energy Observatories
- Chandra X-ray Observatory
- XMM/Newton X-ray Observatory
- GLAST - Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope
- RXTE - Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
- HETE-2 - High Energy Transient Explorer
  - Overview
  - MIT Center
- INTEGRAL - the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory ESA Science Center
- Swift (Gamma-ray Burst Explorer)
- Suzaku
- AGILE - Astro-rivelatore Gamma a Immagini LEggero (Italian for Light Weight Gamma Ray Satellite)
- MAXI - Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, on Japanese science module on ISS
Future High Energy Observatories
- International X-ray Observatory (IXO, formerly Con-X and XEUS)
  - IXO - US side
  - IXO - European side
- NuSTAR - Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array
- ASTROSAT - Indian X-ray & UV mission
- HXMT - Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Chinese)
- MIRAX, Brazilian X-ray Monitor
- Astro H (formerly NeXT), Japanese spectroscopy and hard X-ray mission
- Simbol-X, hard X-ray imager
- Spectrum-X-Gamma, major Russian mission with several observatories
  - eROSITA, All Sky Survey in Hard X-rays (German)
  - LOBSTER, UK All-Sky X-ray monitor
  - ART, Russian hard X-ray telescope
- EXIST - Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope
- MAXIM - Micro-Arcsecond X-ray Imaging Mission
- Generation-X

Last modified December 16, 2008 at 14:16:02 EST by cls7i
http://www.astro.virginia.edu/class/sarazin/astr545