Frontiers of Astrophysics
天体物理前沿
2019 fall
Information
Responsible teacher: Zhuo Li (黎卓) (Rm 108, KIAA bldg; zhuo.li@pku.edu.cn; phone 62754891).
Time: 10:10-12:00am, Thursday.
Place: Rm 2907, Dept of Astronomy, No. 2 Science Building (理科2号楼9层2907室).
Course description
This course aims at the beginners, i.e., senior undergraduates and first-year postgraduates, who have little experience in astrophysics research. The class consists of a series of lectures covering many active fields and hot topics in astrophysics. Each week there will be one focused topic, presented by one of KIAA and DoA faculty, or astronomers from the other institutes. The in-class teaching leaves a significant fraction of time for free discussions and for questions from students. At the end of the course, the students are expected to grasp the general ideas and status of the advanced topics in modern astrophysics.
Schedule
Date |
Lecturer |
Topic |
Sep 12 |
Zhang Huawei |
First generation stars |
19 |
Chen Xian |
Re-discover the cosmos through gravitational waves |
26 |
Li Hong (IHEP) |
Cosmic microwave background and Ali project |
Oct 3 |
Holiday |
|
10 |
Zhan Hu (NAOC) |
Cosmological probes |
17 |
Gregory Herczeg |
Star and planet formation |
24 |
Shao Lijing |
Gravitational waves and fundamental physics |
27 |
grad homework: No. 1 |
|
31 |
Kohei Inayoshi |
Star & galaxy formation at high z |
Nov 7 |
Wang Jing |
HI observation of low-z galaxies |
14 |
Cui Wei (THU) |
Missing baryons |
21 |
Wang Ke |
High-mass star formation at high resolution |
28 |
Wang Ran |
Millimeter/radio study of high-z quasars |
Dec 1 |
grad homework: No. 2 |
|
5 |
Lee Kejia |
high precision metrology with pulsar timing array aiming at GW detection |
12 |
Jiang Linhua |
High-z quasars and galaxies |
19 |
Yu Qingjuan |
Hearing, seeing, and understanding the universe |
26 |
Li Zhuo |
High energy neutrinos |
Jan 2 |
Exam week |
|
5 |
grad homework: No. 3 |
|
Homework
Graduates:
Please select THREE topics from No. 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15 lectures, respectively, and write THREE summaries. The length is more than two pages (A4), with letters of 12pt/小四 size. Submit homework by emails (to 1801110211[at]pku.edu.cn). The due times are Oct 27, Dec 1 and Jan 5, respectively. Note, submission after due time is NOT accepted. Please use “frontier homework: No. # + name” as emails’ title. The attached files are named as: No. # + name.pdf.
Please include in your summary:
1. WHAT the problems discussed in the lecture are, describing also the background knowledge (things known) and the current status of the field;
2. the scientific significance (WHY the problems are important);
3. the difficulties, and the prospects (HOW to solve the problems in the future).
Undergraduates:
Write weekly summary notes for each lecture. The length is half-page (A4) with 12pt/小四 size. Submit homework by emails (to 1801110211[at]pku.edu.cn), and the due time is the next Wednesday. Submission after due time is NOT accepted.
Please use “frontier homework: No. # week + ID number + name” as emails’ title. The attaced files are named as: No. # + ID number + name.pdf (or .doc, .docx). The notes are expected to summarize the present situation and the frontier problems of the related topics.
Grading
The final grade of this course will be determined roughly as the following.
Graduates:
Homework: 80%.
Participation: 20% - Attend and participate by actively interacting with teachers in the class.
Undergraduates:
Homework: 60%
Participation: 10% - Attend and participate by actively interacting with teachers in the class. Ask at least 5 questions for full score.
Exam: 30% - book-opening exam.