HIGH ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2016/2017
- Teacher
- RUBEN FARINELLI
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- FIS/05
Training objectives
- Goal of the course is the study of the main radiative processes in astrophysics and their application in the field of high energy astrophysics. In particular, the emission mechanisms presented in the course will be used to interpret the spectral properties of compact
objects such as the accreting super massive black holes within Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Students who take this course are able to understand the emission from accreting black holes across the entire
electromagnetic spectum. In more detail, the gained background in this High Energy Astrophysics course will allow them to carefully interprete the observational data obtained from various X-ray and high energy space missions. Prerequisites
- Familiarity with the basic courses of General, Theoretical,
Mathematical Physics and Mathematics. The course is designed for those with a reasonably good physics background, including introductory quantum mechanics, intermediate electromagnetic theory, special relativity, and some statistical mechanics. At the beginning of the course a brief review of the prerequisite material will be presented. Course programme
- X-ray spectroscopy and fundamentals of radiative processes.
Basic theory of radiation fields. Radiation from moving charges. Bremsstrahlung, Synchrotron radiation and Compton scattering. Elements of accretion theory and standard accretion models. AGN high energy spectra. Comparison between theoretical models and observational data. Didactic methods
- Classic teaching with whiteboard or blackboard, discussion
and interaction with the students. Astronomical images shown with the beamer from time to time. Learning assessment procedures
- Examination at the end of the course.
Reference texts
- Radiative processes in Astrophysics by G.B. Rybicki, and A. Lightman, ISBN 0471-82759-2.
