Ast 8011 Seminar Topics & Readings:
---General Notes---
1) For each topic selected I have included some background readings that should be relatively easy to understand and will help with context and terminology. Please read these before the technical articles listed for discussion.
2) While I have tried to keep the discussion literature as brief as possible, it will not be possible to discuss it in full detail. Your task centers on ferreting out the essential insights of the set and the critical information behind those. That is an essential skill for a working scientist.
3) The number of assigned papers varies from 1 to 3. I included what I thought was necessary to read in order to understand the issues. It is not necessary, however, that all the papers be reviewed individually in the class. Discussion leaders should establish discussion priorities that will maximize understanding of the full group of papers.
4) It is VERY important that you read the assigned preliminary readings BEFORE you read the journal literature assigned. All the topics have a large amount of terminology and phenomenology that we just do not have time to work through systematically in class.
· Topic I: --- AGNs: Supermassive Black Holes (SMBH) in Galactic Nuclei
Preliminary readings:
*Wikipedia article on Active Galactic Nuclei: Contains a very nice summary of the phenomenology of AGN
*Longair Chapter 18: This is an easy-to-read, qualitative summary and history of the diverse AGN phenomenology
*Longair, Sections 19.2, 19.3, 19.5, 19.6: These sections provide useful background on measurements of SMBH masses and spin.
*Longair, Chapter 20: This provides a nice summary of observations of gas emissions from AGN
March 26 (Tuesday) Blazars: Charles, Karlen, Vihang
Discussion literature: VERITAS-1, VERITAS-2
April 1 (Monday) AGN Unification Models: Mehdi, Stou, Zahra
Discussion literature: Urry, Trump
April 2 (Tuesday) Black Hole Spin: Brian, Kyle, Pat
Discussion literature: Brenneman, Risaliti
(or…)
· Topic II: --- Individual Neutron Stars, Pulsars, Pulsar Winds
Preliminary Readings:
*Wikipedia articles on Pulsars and Pulsar Winds: These provide quick overviews.
*Longair Sections 13.5, 13.8, 13.9, 13.10: These provide simple summaries of some essential physics.
*Alice Harding’s review, ‘The Neutron Star Zoo’, nicely summarizes many associated phenomena.
April 4 (Thursday) Pulsar Magnetospheres Vihang, Zahra, Pat
Discussion literature: Goldreich & Julian
April 8 (Monday) The Double Pulsar J0737-3039A,B Mehdi, Kyle, Charles
Discussion literature: Burgay (alternate site), McLaughlin
April 9 (Tuesday) Pulsar Winds: Brian, Stou, Karlen
Discussion literature: Kargaltsev, deJager
· Topic III: --- Magnetars, Burster Phenomena
*Preliminary readings: Wikipedia articles on Magnetars, Soft gamma repeaters (SGR)
April 11 (Thursday) Prediction and discovery of magnetars Brian, Stou, Karlen
Discussion literature: Duncan, Kouveliotou
April 15 (Monday) Giant SGR outbursts Vihang, Mehdi, Charles
Discussion literature: Hurley, Thompson
April 16 (Tuesday) Anomolous X-ray Pulsars Zahra, Kyle, Pat
Discussion literature: Fahlman, Icdem
· Topic IV: --- Gamma Ray Bursts
*Preliminary readings: Wikipedia article on gamma ray bursts,
*Longair section 13.1 (supernovae)
April 18 (Thursday) GRB observations Zahra, Karlen, Pat
Discussion literature: Galama, Campana, Bloom
April 22 (Monday) GRB Models (long duration) Mehdi, Stou, Charles
April 23 (Tuesday) GRB Models (short duration) Brian, Vihang, Kyle
Discussion literature: Rosswog, Berger
· Topic V: --- Accreting Binary Neutron Stars
*Preliminary readings: Wikipedia articles on X-ray binaries, X-ray pulsars, GRS1915+105
*Longair sections 14.5, 14.6, 14.7, 13.11.3
April 25 (Thursday) No class – instructor absent
April 29 (Monday) X-ray pulsars Brian, Vihang, Zahra
Discussion literature: Tananbaum, Still, Foulkes
April 30 (Tuesday) Cygnus X-2 Pat, Charles, Kyle
Discussion literature: Cowley, Casares, Podsiadlowski
May 2 (Thursday) Microquasars Mehdi, Stou, Karlen
Discussion literature: Mirabel, Neilsen, (NASA press release)
*Preliminary readings: Wikipedia article on Cosmic Rays
May 6 (Monday) Acceleration of Cosmic Rays Mehdi, Zahra, Brian
Discussion literature: Blandford, Caprioli
May 7 (Tuesday) Sources of Galactic Cosmic rays Charles, Kyle, Stou
Discussion literature: Edmon, Ackermann
May 9 (Thursday) Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays Pat, Vihang, Karlen