Ast 8011 High Energy Astrophysics

Fall 2004; T, Th 8:15 - 9:30 AM,
Physics 236A

T. W. Jones




Objectives: This course is intended to provide an introduction to astrophysical environments where high energy charged particles and photons are important constituents are and/or tracers, as well as the physics of the associated phenomena. Typically, these phenomena originate in locations with relatively strong gravitational fields, so that provides an underlying theme to the discussions. Thus, some basic physics of evolved stars, such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, as well as black holes will be incorporated. The physics of high energy particle acceleration, and some of the important situations for generation of very hot gas and high energy photons will be discussed. Astrophysical topics will be selected to provide some breadth, but also to emphasize what is of most current interest.
 
 
 

Outline of the Course:
 

Weeks 1-7: Background;

Compact objects, and an outline of the physics of high energy astrophysical phenomena. Some discussion of special methods associated with observations of high energy photons will be included.
 

Weeks 8-14: Current Topics in High Energy Astrophysics

Selected current topics that offer good examples of the phenomena discussed in the background section. This part of the course will be taught in a seminar style, with students leading discussions based on the literature.
 

Text: Longair, High Energy Astrophysics, Vol 2
 

Grading:
 

Homework: 3-4 sets from the first section of the course (25% of grade)

In-class participation (e.g., preparation for discussions as leader and participant) (75%)

 

 

Topics Schedule,
November 2 - December 14

 


 

Week 1: Nov 2, 4

Supernovae

Jesse, Abe, Dan, Paul E.

Week 2: Nov 9, 11

Individual Neutron Stars

Martha, Paul R., Andrew, Rick

Week 3: Nov16, 18

Accreting Binary Star Systems

Jesse, Joe, Clay, Paul E.

Week 4: Nov 23, 30

Gamma Ray Bursts

Paul R., Abe, Dan, Martha

Week 5: Dec 2, 7

Micro Quasars

Crystal, Clay, Andrew Tea

Week 6: Dec  9, 14

AGNs 

Joe, Crystal, Rick, Tea

 

Useful sources to retrieve papers and to find relevant abstracts:




To obtain papers archived by astro-ph:

http://xxx.lanl.gov/ (choose ‘abs’ if you know the abstract sequence number, then enter either the sequence number; eg 99010111. Alternatively, choose, ‘find’ and then enter  the author name in the appropriate box)
 

or send e-mail to astro-ph@xxx.lanl.gov and type "get 99010111" to receive an encoded version of astro-ph/99010111, for example.
 

To search the NASA ADS abstract server:
 

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
 

 


In the time available it will not be possible to explore each paper in detail. Discussion leaders should try to bring out at least the following issues during discussion of their assigned topics:
 

1) What is the basic scientific context for the research in the paper?

2) What is the main point of the paper under discussion?

3) How does this observation/theoretical insight relate to one or more broad classes of astrophysical phenomena?

4) Is the focus of the paper development of a new observation/insight or confirmation/refinement of existing understandings?

5) Is there any new observational or theoretical "technology" that allowed this particular discovery to be made when it was, or was it, perhaps, a "serendipitous" discovery using a mature technology/concept?
 
 


 

Readings*:

 

*Readings of a topic grouped by color should be discussed as a unit.

 

 


                        Week 1: Supernovae

    Background:
        sections 15.2 & 19.4,5 in Longair
       
       
   Working Literature:

         Phillips, ApJ, 413, L105
         "The Absolute Magnitudes of Type Ia Supernovae"

         Perlmutter and Schmidt, astro-ph/0303428
         "Measuring Cosmology with Supernovae"
     
         Hillebrandt, etal Mem. S. A. It., 74, 942, 2003
         "The Physics and Astrophysics of Type Ia Supernova Explosions"


        Hughes etal, ApJ, 528, L109, 2000
        "Nucleosynthesis and Mixing in Cassiopeia A"

       Froelich, etal astro-ph/0410208
        "Composition of the Innermost Supernova Ejecta"

 

Week 2: Neutron Stars

 

    Background reading:

        Sections 15.3-15.4 in Longair

         Kaspi, Roberts and Harding, "Isolated Neutron Stars", astro-ph/0402136

        Web site on Magnetars: http://solomon.as.utexas.edu/~duncan/magnetar.html

   
    Working Literature:
 
        Lyne etal, Science, 303, 1153, 2004 (astro-ph/0401086)
       "A Double-Pulsar System -- A Rare Laboratory for Relativistic Gravity and Plasma Physics"

        Kaspi, etal, ApJ, 613, L137, 2004
        " Green Bank Telescope Observations of the Eclipse of Pulsar ``A'' in the Double Pulsar Binary                 PSRJ0737-3039"

        Arons and Backer, astro-ph/0404159
        "Probing Relativistic Winds: The Case of PSRJ07370-3039"

 

        Weisskopf etal, ApJ, 536, L81, 2000
         "Discovery of Spatial and Spectral Structure in the X-ray Emission of the Crab Nebula"

        Pavlov etal, ApJ, 554, L189, 2001
          "Variability of the Vela Pulsar Wind Nebula Observed with Chandra"

         Komissarov and Lyubarsky, Mon Not. R.A.S., 344, L93, 2003 (also astro-ph/0306162)
           "The Origin of Peculiar Jet-Torus Structure in the Crab Nebula"

      

Week 3: Accreting Binary Systems: (X-Ray Binaries)

    Background Reading:

        Chapter 16 (especially 16.4-5) in Longair

        Chapters 7,8 and 9 in Charles and Seward
        "Exploring the X-Ray Universe" (On Reserve Shelf in Reading Room...
               DO NOT REMOVE FROM ROOM)

         Van der Klis, Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 38, 717, 2000 (astro-ph/0001167)

        “Millisecond Oscillations in X-ray Binaries”

    Working Literature:

        Ghosh & Lamb, ApJ., 223, L83, 1978
        "Disk Accretion by Magnetic Neutron Stars"

        Scott etal, ApJ, 539, 392, 2000
         "The 35 Day Evolution of the Hercules X-1 Pulse Profile..."      

        

        Wijnands etal, ApJ, 493, L87, 1998
        "Discovery of kHz Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the Z Source Cygnus X-2"

        Cui etal, ApJ, 492, L53, 1998

         “Evidence for Frame Dragging Around Spinning Black Holes in Xray Binaries”

         Campana, ApJ, 534, L79, 2000
          "Kilohertz Quasi-periodic Oscillations in Low Mass X-ray Binary Sources.."

Week 4: Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs)

Background Reading:

    Ghisellini, astro-ph/0111584, 2001
    "Gamma Ray Bursts: Some Facts and Ideas"
       Swift Web site  (Swift is the latest GRB observatory)

 

Working Literature:
 

Meszaros & Rees, ApJ, 476, 232, 1997
"Optical and Long-Wavelength Afterglow from Gamma Ray Bursts"

Kulkarni etal, Nature, 393, 35, 1998
"Identification of a host galaxy at redshift z = 3.42 for the -ray burst of 14 December 1997"

Frail etal, ApJ, 525, L81, 1999
"The Radio Afterglow and the Host Galaxy of the X-ray-rich GRB 981226"

Hjorth etal, Nature, 423, 847, 2003
"A Very Energetic Supernova Associated with the Gamma Ray Burst of 29 March 2003"

Lipkin etal, ApJ, 606, 381, 2004
"The Detailed Optical Light Curve of GRB 030329"

Zhang etal, ApJ, 608, 365, 2004
"The Propagation and Eruption of Relativistic Jets from the Stellar Progenitors of Gamma-Ray Bursts"

Week 5: Microquasars


Background Reading:

    Chapter 12 in Charles and Seward,
    "Exploring the X-Ray Universe" (ON RESERVE SHELF Astronomy Reading Room)

    Mirabel & Rodrigues in Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 37, 409, 1999
    "Sources of Relativistic Jets in the Galaxy" 

     Mirabel and Rodrigues, Nature, 392, 673, 1998, "Microquasars in our Galaxy" (handout) 

Working Literature:
 

 Margon etal, ApJ, 233, L63, 1979
 "Enormous Periodic Doppler Shifts in SS 433"

Fabian & Rees, MNRAS, 187, 13P, 1979
"SS 433 - A Double Jet in Action

Mirabel & Rodrigues, Nature, 371, 46, 1994
"A Superluminal Source in the Galaxy"

Orosz etal, ApJ, 568, 845, 2002,
 "Dynamical Evuidence for a Black Hole in the Microquasar XTE J1550-564"

Stirling etal, Mon. Not. R.A.S., 327, 1273, 2001
"A Relativistic Jet From Cygnus X-1 in the low/hard X-ray State"

Mirabel etal, Astr. & Ap., 422, L29, 2004
 "A Microquasar Shot Out From Its Birth Place"


 

Week 6: AGNs

 

Background Reading:
 

Pages 1-31; 40-66 in Peterson, "An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei" (ON RESERVE in Reading Room)

Urry, PASP, 107, 803, 1995
"Unified Schemes for Radio-Loud Active Galactic Nuclei"

Chapter 8 (also 1,2) in Peterson, "An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei"

Chapter 13 in Kellerman and Verschur, "Galactic and Extragalactic Radio Astronomy" (ON RESERVE in the Reading Room)


Working Literature:
 

Wandel, ApJ, 565, 762, 2002
"Black Holes of Active and Quiescent Galaxies. I. The Black Hole-Bulge Relation Revisited"

Pogge & Martini, ApJ, 569, 624, 2002
"Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Circumnuclear Environments ...: Nuclear Spirals and Fueling"

Marconi etal astro-ph/0409542
"Local Supermassive Black Holes, Relics of Active Galactic Nuclei and the X-ray Background"


Nulsen etal, ApJ, 568, 163, 2002
"Interaction of Radio Lobes with the Hot Intracluster Medium:...

Fujita etal, ApJ, 575, 764, 2002
"Chandra Observations of the Disruption of the Cool Core in A133"

Ensslin and Heinz, Astr. & Ap., 384, L27, 2002
"Radio and X-ray Detectability of Buoyant Radio Plasma Bubbles in Clusters of Galaxies"

 


 


 


 

Last Modified: November 7, 2004