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00872 - Radioastronomy

Academic Year 2011/2012

Teacher Loretta Gregorini
Number of credits 5
SSD FIS/05
Teaching Mode Traditional lectures
Lingua Italian
Versione italiana

Course contents

a) Emission mechanisms and some aspects of synchrotron theory (e.g. polarization, ageing, magnetic field etc.)

b) Radio emission of normal galaxies: HII regions, supernovae, different components, the Milky Way (outline of the optical and radio emission of the different components (disk, halo), the spectral characteristics, the thermal and non-thermal components; outline of the X and gamma emission; the magnetic field).

c) Magnetic field: synchrotron emission, polarization, Faraday rotation, Zeeman effect, magnetic field in the Galaxy and in the galactic centre.

d) Interstellar medium: brief description of the composition, HI, masers, molecules. Molecules and star formation in galaxies. Molecules and kinematics in galaxies.

e) A multi-wavelength view of the Galactic Center: HI, radio (spectrum, variability, polarization of the various components), IR, molecules and maser, X emission.

f) Supernovae: optical characteristics, supernovae remnants ( radio properties, dynamical evolution, brightness-diameter relation, energy considerations).

g) Pulsars: properties (distribution, period, prifile, radio spectrum, brightness temperature, age, distance, luminosity function). Neutron stars: mass, radius, moment of inertia, structure, magnetosphere, energetics, gravitational physics in the strong-field regime, keplerian and post-keplerian parameters, the double pulsars.  

h) Radio emission from stellar end-products: jets in cataclismic variables, X binaries, microquasars (general properties, superluminal motions, multi-frequency data in the context of the current model).

i) Radio emission in spiral galaxies: spectrum, polarization of the components, comparison with the X-ray emission, luminosity function, radio-IR/radio-CO correlation and discussion of a simple model, estimates of stellar formation, HI, rotation curves, dark matter, Tully-Fisher relation, the environment.

l) Radio faint population: observational technique, counts, radio/FIR relation, composition, optical and radio properties.

m) New radiotelescopes.

Readings/Bibliography

a) Verschuur G.L., Kellermann K.I., "Galactic and Extragalactic Radioastronomy", Springer-Verlag

b) Longair M.S., "High Energy Astrophysics", Cambridge University Press -  

c) Manchester R.N., Taylor J.H., "Pulsars", Freeman and Co., San Francisco -

d) Rohlfs K., Wilson T.L., "Tools of Radio Astronomy" Springer -

e) articles published in scientific journals

Teaching methods

Lectures and exercises 

Assessment methods

oral examination

Teaching tools

a) Verschuur G.L., Kellermann K.I., "Galactic and Extragalactic Radioastronomy", Springer-Verlag

b) Longair M.S., "High Energy Astrophysics", Cambridge University Press - 

c) Manchester R.N., Taylor J.H., "Pulsars", Freeman and Co., San Francisco -

d) Rohlfs K., Wilson T.L., "Tools of Radio Astronomy" Springer

e) papers published in scientific articoli pubblicati in riviste scientifich

Language of instruction

Italian

Office hours

See the Faculty member's website