Welcome to Astro 580! Instructor: Prof. Steven Kawaler

Astro 580. Stellar Structure and Evolution. (3-0) Cr. 3. Prereq: 405 or 505.
Stellar structure equations and constitutive relations: energy generation, energy transport by radiation and convection; equation of state. Solutions ot the equations: general theorems, analytic approximations, numerical techniques and results. Stellar evolution from formation to final phases. Nucleosynthesis; recycling of material to the interstellar medium. Evouiont in interacting binaries. Variable stars.

We meet at 2:10-3:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays in A401 Physics addition.

Here is the current assignment.

• Online access to nuclear reaction rates from Caughlan and Fowler (1988)
• Java reaction rate plotting program

• Convection movies and other goodies (February 26)

• Iglesias & Rogers: an excellent review of astrophysical opacities

• Iben's Review of Stellar Evolution

Resources: Journals

• The Astrophysical Journal - the premier journal of astrophysics. Papers in the "ApJ" can be purely theoretical, or purely observational, but most lie somewhere in between. The "ApJ" consists of three separate publications: the main Journal, the ApJ Letters which are short papers of high interest that get published rapidly, and the ApJ Supplement which contains longer papers (frequently catalogs and other reference papers). In addtion, the ApJ publishes occasional CD-ROMs as part of the Supplement.

• The Astronomical Journal - the premier journal of observational astronomy. "AJ" papers concentrate on observations, with limited interpretation, but there is no hard and fast rule.

• Astronomy and Astrophysics - another top journal, concentrating on European research (though I publish there because there are no page charges!). The Europeans have it right - no distinction between astronomy and astrophysics - it is all there. Includes a 'Letters' section that contains short papers with rapid turnaround within the same covers. Much more material on stellar astrophysics than the ApJ.

• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society - the main journal for British astronomy, it also publishes papers from astronomers around the world. A top journal.

• Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics - authoritative reviews from experts in a wide variety of subjects - uniformly excellent papers, and a good "first place to go" when exploring a new field within astronomy.

• Other Journals - other smaller journals are more specialized in topic or approach. For example, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (or PASP) has frequent papers on astronmical instrumentation, and dissertation abstracts. Icarus is the premier journal for solar system/planetary astronomy. Nature, Science, and Scientific American frequently have important astrophysics papers of broad intrest. Etc., etc.

• Online access to the literature- In addition to the above journal links, most of the literature is available for indexed searches by author, keyword, and object via the NASA Astrophysics Data Service - an incredibly useful resource that I use at least 5 times a day. Also, there is a heavily used Preprint Server through arXiv.org - nearly all astronomy preprints are posted there before publication. Also well indexed.

Here's the course syllabus

Consider a spherical cow...