PHYS 42094

>< Type/ Status : Compulsory
>< Title : Cosmology and Astrophysics
>< Pre-requisites : All PHYS Core Course units
>< Objectives :
By the end of course, students will understand the properties of the cosmos and the laws of physics which govern the observed behaviour of the universe and its constituents.
>< Course Content :

Celestial sphere, The Solar system, Milky way, Local clusters of Galaxies, Absolute and apparent luminosity, Spectroscopy in cosmology, Telescopes, Structure of stars, Evolution of stars, Neutron stars, White Dwarfs, Supernovae explosions, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Types of Galaxies, Intergalactic matter, dust, and nebulae. Hubble's Law, Red shift and the expansion of the universe. Death of stars. General Relativity and Cosmology, Geodesics and curved spaces. Implosion of Stars; Chandrasekhar's mass limit, Black holes and pulsars, Wormholes and Time Machines. Histories of model universes; Steady state theory, Quantum mechanics and the inflationary big bang theory, Cosmic microwave background radiation. Nuclear synthesis in the early universe. Life in the universe. The future of the universe; Existing theories.

>< Methodology : A combination of lectures, seminars, and tutorial discussions.
>< Scheme of Evaluation : End of course written examination.
>< Recommended Reading :
1. Berry, M. V. (1989). Principles of Cosmology and Gravitation, IOP publishing Ltd..
2. Chaisson, E. and McMillan, S. (2002). Astronomy Today.
3. Giancoli, D. C. (1998). Physics, Prentice Hall.
4. Wienberger, S., The First Three Minutes.
5. Friedman, M. Foundation of Space-Time Theories: Relativistic Physics and Philosophy of Science
6.Thorne, K. S. (1994) Black Holes and Time Warps-Einstein's Outrages Legacy, W. W. Norton & Co.

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