PHY553 - Stellar Astrophysics (2022-2023)

STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS

Stars are the fundamental building blocks of the Universe. They are the principal source of electromagnetic radiation at many wavelengths. By injecting vast amounts of energy into their surroundings, they act as drivers for the evolution of their host galaxies. Likewise, through their creation of chemical elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, they are ultimately responsible for the existence of the world we live in and life as we know it. This course introduces you to the physics that governs the stars. It will cover basic astronomical quantities, the physical characteristics of stars, stellar atmospheres and spectroscopy, stellar interiors, star formation and evolution, and the products of stellar death (white dwarfs, neutron stars).

Stellar astrophysics is one of the resounding successes of modern physics. It brings together elements from almost every subfield of physics, from gravity to atomic and nuclear physics through thermodynamics and relativity. One of the goal of this course is to improve your proficiency of these fields while familiarizing you with our current knowledge of stars. We will particularly insist on nuclear physics as the full understanding of a star needs advanced notions of nuclear physics, in particular concerning thermonuclear fusion. At the end, you will understand in surprising detail what goes on deep inside objects that, to us, are a mere pinprick of light in the sky.

Bibliography :

  • « PHY553 Astrophysique stellaire » (in French) by Frédéric Daigne & Alain Lecavelier

Previous versions :
Astrophysique stellaire by Roland Lehoucq et Frédéric Daigne (2015)
Physique et Astrophysique nucléaires by Martin Lemoine and Caroline Terquem (2006)

  • Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics by Jean-Louis Basdevant, James Rich and Michel Spiro (2005)
  • D. Clayton. Principle of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis. University of Chicago press, 1984.

Requirements :
PHY431 - Relativity and variational principles 
PHY430 - Advanced Quantum Physics and PHY433 - Statistical physics

Credits ECTS : 5