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Department of Physics & Astronomy
Georgia State University |
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ASTR 6000 Fundamentals of Astrophysics (3) Three lecture hours a week. Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. This course is prerequisite for all 8000-level astronomy courses. Application of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and atomic and nuclear physics to the solution of astrophysical problems. ASTR 6100 Astronomical Techniques and Instrumentation (3) Three lecture hours a week. Fundamentals and practical application of photography, spectroscopy, photometry, astrometry, interferometry, and current developments in detector technology and telescope design. ASTR 6300 Teaching Astronomy (1) Prerequisite: Demonstrated ability in basic astronomy via an undergraduate program or consent of the instructor. Research on student learning, understanding concepts, teaching styles and models, types of tests and other evaluations, and presentation techniques; participation in the faculty enrichment seminars organized by the Center for Teaching and Learning. ASTR 6310 Teaching Astronomy Lab Practicum (1) One half-hour seminar and two laboratory hours a week. Prerequisite: Astronomy 6300 or current enrollment in Astr 6300 or consent of the instructor. Hands-on experience in teaching introductory laboratories; the syllabus will vary according to the specific lab taught. ASTR 7010 Astronomy for Teachers I (4) Designed to give teachers a basic understanding of introductory astronomy, including celestial motions of the stars, sun, moon, and planets; historical development of our understanding of gravitation and orbital motion. Electromagnetic radiation and basic light emitting processes. Telescopes and astronomical instrumentation. Physical nature of the earth, moon, and terrestrial and Jovian planets. Information on teaching resources in astronomy will be available. ASTR 7020 Astronomy for Teachers II (4) Prerequisite: Astr 7010. Designed to extend a teacher's understanding of our observations of the sun and stars with the derivation of their fundamental properties, including the conditions and fusion reactions below their surfaces. Matter between stars and stellar birth; old-age; and death, including neutron stars and black holes. Our Milky Way and other galaxies; quasars and peculiar galaxies; evidence for and interpretation of an expanding universe. Information on teaching resources will be available. ASTR 7910 Directed Study in Astronomy (1-3) Areas of study and credit to be determined by the department. ASTR 8000 Stellar Atmospheres (3) Three lecture hours a week. Physics of radiative transfer in stellar atmospheres and the formation of continuous and line spectra with particular emphasis on the spectroscopic analysis of stellar photospheres and chromospheres. ASTR 8100 Stellar Structure and Evolution (4) Four lecture hours a week. Applications of the time-dependent equations of stellar structure to models of stellar interiors: thermodynamics, hydrostatics, energy transport, nuclear energy generation, protostars, red giants, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. ASTR 8200 Galactic Structure (3) Three lecture hours a week. Structure, kinematics, and dynamics of the Milky Way Galaxy and its various components. ASTR 8300 The Interstellar Medium (3) Three lecture hours a week. Physical conditions within the various components of the interstellar medium and the observational approaches to understanding these components. ASTR 8400 Extragalactic Astronomy (3) Three lecture hours a week. Observed distribution and properties of normal galaxies, active galaxies, and quasars; introduction to cosmology. ASTR 8500 Binary Stars (3) Three lecture hours a week. Various observational approaches to the study of binary stars; their formation, evolution, statistics and importance in astrophysics. ASTR 8600 Stellar Spectroscopy (3) Three lecture hours a week. Prerequisite: Astr 8000. Multilayer stellar atmosphere models; absorption line formation, deviations from local thermodynamical equilibrium, determination of chemical abundances in stars. ASTR 8700 Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology (4) Four lecture hours a week. Prerequisite: Phys 8100 or equivalent. Introduction to the theory of general relativity; coordinate systems, tensor analysis and Einstein's equations. Applications to problems of astronomical concern such as black holes, quasars, and gravitational radiation. Observation cosmology and relativistic cosmologies; dark matter and dark energy. ASTR 8800 Optics in Astronomy (3) Three lecture hours a week. Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. Optical design and Fourier optics with emphasis on astronomical applications: first and third order ray theory results (foci, pupils, stops, and Seidel aberrations); experience with ZEMAX code on a variety of examples will be emphasized; linear systems and Fourier transforms; scalar diffraction theory; and astronomical applications. A class project will be assigned. ASTR 8850 Planetary Science (3) Three lecture hours a week. Prerequisite: ASTR 6000 or equivalent. Study of planets in our Solar System, including the formation of the Solar System, Terrestrial, and Jovian planets. Special emphasis will be placed on Mars, Jupiter, Europa and Titan, relative hot spots of research. Recent discoveries and the characterization of two entirely new class of objects --- extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs --- will be discussed. The nascent field of Astrobiology, or the search for and study of extraterrestrial life forms, will be explored. ASTR 8900 Seminar in Astronomy (1-3) May be repeated for no more than three total credit hours. Prerequisite: Departmental consent. Discussion of current research in astronomy. ASTR 8910 Directed Study in Astronomy (1-6) Area of study and credit to be determined by the department. |