Instructor: Dr. René Walterbos
Office: Department of Astronomy, Room 204
Phone: 646-5990
Email: rwalterb@nsmu.edu
Web information: Supplemental
Information on Web: http:/home/httpd/html/rwalterb/a605
Class time: TuTh 8:55-10:10 am in Astr 119
Office hours: Posted near my door. Also whenever my door is open or by
appointment.
Useful Texts: I did not assign a text book, since there is not one
book that would cover most. You might consider getting the Rybicki and
Lightman
book since it is a basic useful reference. If you get another book, I
would recommend the Lequeux book. I will prepare lecture notes which
will be handed out. The web page lists some additional notes, this
syllabus, and I will also put occasional links to papers and figures
there.
1. Rybicki and Lightman, Radiative Processes in Astrophysics, 1979
(don't know if there is a later version).
This is a good reference for the basics of radiative transfer, line
broadening mechanisms, continuum radiation processes including
bremsstrahlung and synchrotron. But it does not do anything on specific
ISM lines.
2. James Lequeux, The Interstellar Medium, Springer Verlag 2003. I
will use this book this semester in preparing some of the notes. I have
ordered two copies for the library and will put one on reserve in the
reading room when they arrive.
3. Lyman Spitzer, Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium.
Compact, dense,
but rather complete in its coverage of the various physical processes.
This
is the traditional standard, which now may have been replaced by some
other
books. I will put one of those in the reading room this semester if I
can find my second copy.
Other useful books:
4. Osterbrock, Astrophysics and Gaseous Nebulae and Active Galactic
Nuclei. Useful for discussion of HII region and PNe spectra, and
supernova remnants and of course AGN. The second edition came out with
Gary Ferland as the 2nd author. It is a very good book, it has added
quite a bit of actual observed data (you could not find a spectrum of
an HII region in the original version!), but as an overall ISM book it
is too limited. It focuses on optical/IR diagnostics of ionized gas,
and in that area it is unsurpassed.
5. Verschuur and Kellermann, Editors, Galactic and Extra-galactic
Radio Astronomy. Many useful chapters for ISM related stuff, but
obviously limited to radio astronomical applications, and getting a bit
dated though still quite useful.
6. Any good book on the Milky Way, e.g. Binney & Merrifield,
will
have a chapter on the ISM which gives a useful overview of the ISM
distribution in our Galaxy.
Grades will be based on:
| Homework | 40% |
| Midterms |
35% |
| Final (oral) | 25% |