AST 513: Stellar Dynamics
Fall 2007
All this information is subject to change!
For current version see http://www.ias.edu/sns/tremaine/lectures/ast513
Schedule
Monday, Wednesday 2:00-3:20, Library seminar room (Room 140), Peyton Hall
A few makeup lectures will be held Fridays at 2:00 (see below)
Textbooks
for the observations:
Binney, J., and Merrifield, M. 1998, Galactic Astronomy (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
- errata here
for the theory:
Binney, J. and Tremaine, S. 1987, Galactic Dynamics (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
A new edition should be coming out early in 2008, which unfortunately is too late for this course.
A pdf file (58 MB) containing a near-final copy of the new edition, is available here.
I am planning to get copies made for the registered students in the course.
Other books on reserve
Elmegreen, D. 1998, Galaxies and Galactic Structure (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall)
Heggie, D., and Hut, P. 2003, The Gravitational Million-Body Problem (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Sparke, L., and Gallagher, J. 2000, Galaxies in the Universe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Spitzer, L. 1987, Dynamical Evolution of Globular Clusters (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
Course requirements and grading
- five problem sets (50% of grade)
- final written examination (50% of grade); held
January 7, Room 140, 2:00-5:00 pm
January 14, Room 33, 2:00-5:00 pm
Instructor
Scott Tremaine, 734-8191, tremaine@ias.edu
Schedule
| Date | Topic | Reading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Sep 17 | Overview of a typical galaxy | BM 1 | |
| Wed Sep 19 | Astronomical measurements. 1 | BM 2.1-2.3 | |
| Mon Sep 24 | Astronomical measurements. 2 | BM 2.1-2.3 | |
| Wed Sep 26 | Astronomical measurements. 3 | BM 3.6-3.7 | powerpoint slides |
| Mon Oct 1 | Introduction to stellar dynamics I | BT 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 7.2.1 | |
| Wed Oct 3 | Introduction to stellar dynamics II | BT 3.1, 3.1.1, 4.1, Appendix F | |
| Mon Oct 8 | Spherical stellar systems | BT 4.3, 4.10.1 | assignment 1 is due |
| Wed Oct 10 | Jeans equations | BT 4.8 | |
| Mon Oct 15 | Galaxy morphology | BM 4.1 | |
| Wed Oct 17 | The Local Group | BM 4.1.4, BT Box 3.1 | powerpoint slides |
| Mon Oct 22 | Galaxy photometry | BM 42, 43 | assignment 2 (figure is here) is due |
| Wed Oct 24 | Galaxy photometry | BM 4.2, 4.3 | |
| Fall recess | |||
| Mon Nov 5 | No lecture | ||
| Wed Nov 7 | No lecture | ||
| Fri Nov 9 | Makeup lecture Galaxy photometry | BN 4.2, 4.3 | powerpoint slides |
| Mon Nov 12 | No lecture | ||
| Wed Nov 14 | Potential theory in non-spherical systems | BT 2.3-2.6, 2.8, 2.9 | assignment 3 is due |
| Fri Nov 16 | Makeup lecture - Potential theory in non-spherical systems | BT 2.3-2.6, 2.8, 2.9 | |
| Mon Nov 19 | Orbits in axisymmetric potentials | BT 3.2 | |
| Wed Nov 21 | Orbits in non-axissymmetric potentials | BT 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.5.4, 3.8.1 | |
| Mon Nov 26 | Schwarzschild's method | BM 9.1, 9.2 | |
| Wed Nov 28 | Rotation of the Milky Way | BM 9.1, 9.2 | assignment 4 is due |
| Fri Nov 30 | Makeup lecture - Dynamics of the solar neighborhood | BM 10.3, BT 4.4.3, 4.8.2, 4.9.3 | powerpoint slides |
| Mon Dec 3 | No lecture | ||
| Wed Dec 5 | Stability, disk dynamics, and spiral structure | BT 5.1, 5.2, 5.31, 6.1-6.2 | powerpoint slides |
| Fri Dec 7 | Makeup lecture - Mergers and dynamical friction | BT 8.1, 8.5; BM 4.6.1 | |
| Mon Dec 10 | Tides | BT 8.3; BM 6.2.2 | |
| Wed Dec 12 | Globular clusters (last lecture) | BT Chapter 7, BM 4.5, 6.1 | |
| Wed Dec 19 | assignment 5 is due |