Stellar Structure and Evolution

Code:

AST4009

Acronym:

AST4009

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Astronomy

Instance: 2016/2017 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	https://moodle.up.pt/course/view.php?id=206
Responsible unit:	Department of Physics and Astronomy
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:AST	4	Plano de Estudos oficial desde_2013/14	1	-	6	42	162
M:F	7	Official Study Plan	1	-	6	42	162
			2

Teaching language

English

Objectives

The main objective is to learn the fundamental principles that establish the internal structure and evolution of stars. To do so it is required to study in detail what are stars, their most important features and how stars work. A detailed formulation of the problem is covered by defining the equations of stellar structure and the physical relations, together with a careful identification of the relevant boundary conditions that determine the solution that represents the observations. Thus the student learns how to apply the physical principles to interpret the different phases of a star’s life, using the observations to validate the model. Some topics of active research are addressed in order to consolidate the concepts and techniques being discussed, allowing the student to learn with applications to specific/real cases.

Learning outcomes and competences

In order to acquire a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of stellar physics and how stellar models can be validated with the observations, the program is defined including the physics and mathematical principles required by stellar structure and evolution models. The program includes the concepts required to construct the model and the discussion on how this model can predict the expected observational behavior of stars, supporting the confrontation between models and astronomical observations in regimes not available in the laboratory. Thus, the contents include not only the theoretical formulation of the relevant fundamental concepts but also the detailed discussion of the observational information that is avaliable and how it can be interpreted using the models from the theoretical analysis.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Observation of stars and clusters


2. Stellar structure equations


3. Physical relations relevant for the stellar interior


4. Description of the internal structure of a star and its evolution


5. Methods for study of solar/stellar interior


6. Ongoing research topics and open questions

Mandatory literature

Kippenhahn R.; Stellar structure and evolution. ISBN: 3540502114

Complementary Bibliography

Clayton Donald D.; Principles of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis. ISBN: 0-226-10953-4 (pbk)
Hansen C. J.; Stellar interiors. ISBN: 0-387-94138-X

Comments from the literature

References (books and reserach articles) on specific sections of the program are provided in the lecture notes and/or during the lectures.

Teaching methods and learning activities

The contents are discussed in the class by using the blackboard and the projection of plots. In the final part there is the discussion of scientific articles. Along the semester some time is used to solve exercises/examples, made available in the lecture notes, and support is given for the preparation of the individual work. All course material is available through the Aulas na Web, including a copy of the slides used, the exercises, statements of previous exams, and the lecture notes for stellar structure and evolution. There is a reference book that is used as the primary reference, but for some itens complementary books and/or scientific articles are also provided.

Teaching is organized to enable the acquisition of the formalism that describe how stars work (Chapters 2, 3 and 5), while other components develop the capacity to analyze the observations and interpret them based on the formalism being discussed (chapters 1 and 4). To do so, the lectures are a combination of theoretical discussion of the physics, identification of typical applications of stellar astronomy, and problem solving, always with emphasis on the participation of the student. Chapter 6 seeks to use active research topics to reinforce the importance of the concepts discussed and to allow the student to recongnize the value of what is learned in the various chapters, as a necessary and useful tool for research in stellar physics.

Software

LaTeX

keywords

Physical sciences
Physical sciences > Astronomy
Physical sciences > Astronomy > Astrophysics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	70,00
Participação presencial	5,00
Trabalho escrito	25,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	40,00
Estudo autónomo	80,00
Frequência das aulas	42,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The student will no be able to complete the course if he/she does not participate in half of the lectures and does not submit the report for the individual work. There will be an attendance log in all classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final rating has the following components:

1. 14 points - the final written exam with consultation (minimum grade is required in this component of 40%)
2. 5 points - individual work
3. 1 point - active participation in classes, to be evaluated by submitting questions, solutions for problems to be proposed, discussion of the individual work and its progress, discussion of research articles, etc.

The student may request an additional assessment as allowed by the Evaluation Regulation of FCUP.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Individual work will be a review of a current research topic: the student is asked to produce a detailed review of a topic of Stellar Structure and Evolution in the style used for writing scientific papers. The choice of topic is made from the selection of a scientific paper published in 2014, 2015 or 2016 (to be agreed with the lecturer), which will serve as the starting point of the work. It is expected that the student will serach other sources, particularly in scientific articles (eg the Astrophysics Data System or in specialised journals).

The report must be delivered in the form of article for Astronomy and Astrophysics and must follow the rules laid down for a scientific article. The final version can not be longer than 6 pages.

The evaluation marks are associated with the structure, clarity and depth of approach to the subject, the quality of the text produced (abstract, introduction, conclusion and references) as well as the relevance of the figures and tables included.

Classification improvement

The student may improve the written components of the evaluation: (i) examination and/or (ii) individual work, but there is no improvement in the component associated with participation in the lectures.