The course coversthe following topics: The diffuse universe; line emission processes; collisional excitation; line transfer effects; collision ionization equilibrium; cooling plasmas; interstellar shocks; theory of photoionised regions; parameters of photoionised regions and interstellar dust.
Students complete two assignments and a major project on the interstellar medium. The major project is presented as a written report and may be submitted to an astrophysical journal as a publication if the student chooses to prepare their report for a journal after course completion. The student presents their project to the class as an oral 20 minute (Power point style) presentation.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will
- Understand the processes by which continuum and line radiation is produced in the interstellar medium.
- Understand how collisional excitation and photoionization determine the populations of ions in their different energy levels.
- Understand the formation of the emission spectrum in photoionised regions including HII regions, planetary nebulae and active galactic nuclei; estimation of the parameters of such regions.
- Understand the formation of shocks in the interstellar medium and the resultant spectra.
- Understand the physics of the cooling function for astrophysical plasma and its important role in different contexts.
- Understand the physics of dust in the interstellar medium and its effect on the emitted spectrum.
Indicative Assessment
2 x assignments each worth 25%. LO 1-6.
Major project: 50% LO 1-6.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
4 hours per week of lectures and tutorials; 6 hours per week spent on assignments and the major project.
Prescribed Texts
Astrophysics of the Diffuse Universe by M.A. Dopita and R.S. Sutherland. Springer, 2003, ISBN 3-540-43362-7 This may be purchased in book form. Alternatively an electronic version of this will be made available at a cost of $20.
Assumed Knowledge
Students should have completed PHYS2013 – Quantum Mechanics and PHYS2016 – Electromagnetism, or their equivalents.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Students continuing in their current program of study will have their tuition fees indexed annually from the year in which you commenced your program. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3265 | 20 Jul 2015 | 07 Aug 2015 | 31 Aug 2015 | 30 Oct 2015 | In Person | N/A |
