Interstellar Medium course Fall 2010

This web page contains the information for Fall 2010 course on the Interstellar Medium at Leiden University. The page will be continuously updated and new material will be added as it becomes available. [Click here for the complete material of the (very similar) Fall 2008 class]

Synopsis

The space between the stars is filled with matter, magnetic fields, and radiation. This course describes this 'interstellar medium' as an an integral part of galactic 'ecosystems'. It provides an overview of the known constituents of the ISM (ionized, atomic, and molecular gas; dust; magnetic fields; cosmic rays; EM radiation), and the different environments in which these are encountered (the 2- and 3-phase models of the ISM) along with the observational diagnostics (atomic and molecular spectroscopy; spectral energy distributions). It discusses the physical processes that govern the interactions within the ISM and with stars (energy balance; shocks). And it highlights the relationships between the ISM and stars and their host galaxies (birth and death of stars; supernovae; nuclei of active galaxies).

Information

LecturerDr. Michiel Hogerheijde
AssistantMher Khazandjian
Target groupMaster students
PrerequisitesRadiative Processes in Astrophysics (Stralingsprocessen)
Period 16 September - 16 December 2010
Programme Form Lectures and discussion sessions based on assignments
ExaminationOral, by appointment
Level/Appreciation500, 6 EC
Recommended literatureThe Physics and Chemistry of the Interstellar Medium, A.G.G.M. Tielens, Cambridge University Press, ISBN-13: 978-0521826341 (currently out of print)
Recommended literatureAstrophysics Of Gaseous Nebulae And Active Galactic Nuclei, Osterbrock & Ferland, University Science Books; 2 edition, ISBN-13: 978-1891389344
More information atthe ISM class web page

Schedule

Lectures are on Thursday mornings from 1115 to 1300 in Huygens 427, and start on September 16. Four additional lectures are on different days & times: Friday 0900-1045 on Oct 8, Oct 22, Nov 12, and Dec 3; the lecture on November 25 is cancelled. These lectures still take place in Oort 427.

[Click on the lecture titles to download the pdf file of the handouts])

Thu Sep 16Lecture 1: Introduction: Overview of the Interstellar Medium
Part I: Regions of ionized hydrogen
Thu Sep 23Lecture 2: Pure hydrogen nebulae
Thu Sep 30Lecture 3: Nebulae with heavier elements
Thu Oct 7Lecture 4: Heating and cooling of nebulae
Fri Oct 8, 0900-1045Lecture 5: Diagnostics of HII regions
Thu Oct 14Discussion session 1 (cancelled)
Thu Oct 21Lecture 6: Xray nebulae, novae, supernovae, and AGN
Part II: Regions of atomic hydrogen
Fri Oct 22, 0900-1045Lecture 7: Observational probes of atomic gas
Thu Oct 28Discussion session 2 [solutions]
Thu Nov 4Lecture 8: Thermal balance & Galactic distribution
Leiden-Argentina-Bonn HI Survey: movie (Galatic center)
Leiden-Argentina-Bonn HI Survey: movie (Galatic anticenter)
Thu Nov 11Lecture 9: Shock waves
Fri Nov 12, 0900-1045Lecture 10: The three-phase model for the ISM
Thu Nov 18Discussion session 3 [solutions]
Part III: Regions of molecular hydrogen
Thu Nov 25Cancelled
Thu Dec 2Lecture 11: Interstellar dust
Fri Dec 3, 0900-1045Lecture 12: Molecular spectra
Thu Dec 9Lecture 13: Molecular clouds
Thu Dec 16Lecture 14: Dense molecular clouds and star formation
Take-homeDiscussion session 4 [solutions]

To take the exam, please contact Michiel Hogerheijde by e-mail at michiel-at-strw.leidenuniv.nl to set up a date & time.

Supplementary material


Last modified: Thu Jan 6 15:41:30 2011