This will be a reading course in Advanced Stellar Astrophysics, with weekly readings covering the basic physics that goes into stellar models and modern applications in astronomy, and weekly numerical exercises using the MESA stellar evolution code.
Prof. Andrew Cumming, Rutherford Physics Building 310, email andrew.cumming-at-mcgill.ca
You should have taken PHYS 521 Astrophysics or an equivalent upper-level undergraduate course in astrophysics.
Before the first meeting of the course, you should have installed MESA following the instructions here, and ran the example of single star evolution described here.
Wednesday and Friday 9-10.30am, MSI conference room. First meeting will be on Wednesday Sep 14. See below for the detailed schedule.
How stellar models are constructed and evolved
Physics input in stellar models:
Asteroseismology (stability and pulsations)
Stellar evolution:
We will divide into groups of two. Each week, one group will present a short summary of the highlights/important points from the reading, covering both the basic physics ideas and current open issues/questions in the field (Wednesday class). Another group will devise a numerical exercise using MESA for the rest of the class to try out (Friday).
| Week | Dates (Wed,Fri) | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 14,16 | Introduction | MESA installation and example Exercise from the CRAQ summer school 2019 (pgstar inlist ) |
| 2 | Sep 21, 23 | Equation of state | HKT Chapter 3, MESA I 4.2, II A.2, V A.1, VI 4 |
| 3 | Sep 28, 30 | Opacities | HKT eq. (4.22), sections 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, MESA I 4.3, MESA II A.3, MESA VI 8 |
| 4 | Oct 5, 7 | Nuclear reactions | HKT 6.2-6.7, MESA I 4.4,4.5, MESA II A.4, MESA III 5, MESA VI 10 |
| 5 | Oct 12, 14 | Reading break | |
| 6 | Oct 19, 21 | Convection | KWW 7, 30.4.2, MESA I 5.1,5.2, MESA II 4, 7.2, B.7, MESA IV 2, MESA V 5, MESA VI 3, 7.2 |
| 7 | Oct 19, 21 | Atmospheres and winds | Atmospheres: MESA I 5.3; MESA II A.5; MESA VI 6; Winds: MESA I 6.6; Notes on Grey atmosphere, Eddington approx (see section 1.5.2) |
| 8 | Oct 26, Nov 2 | Asteroseismology | |
| 9 | Nov 9, 11 | Rotation | |
| 10 | Nov 16, 18 | Stellar collapse and compact objects | |
| 11 | Nov 23, 25 | Binaries | |
| 12 | Nov 30, Dec 2 | Mini project (MESA olympics) | Presentations on Dec 2. |
References: HKT is Hansen, Kawaler & Trimble “Stellar Interiors”; KWW is Kippenhahn, Wiegert & Weiss “Stellar Structure and Evolution”; MESA I, MESA II etc. refers to the MESA instrument papers
McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (more information). In accord with McGill University's Charter of Students' Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change. Additional policies governing academic issues which affect students can be found in the McGill Charter of Students' Rights.