Catalog description
Examines compact objects, accretion disks, supernova remnants, pulsars, black holes, active galactic nuclei, cosmic rays, X-ray and gamma-ray instrumentation, and high-energy transient phenomena.
Learning outcomes
- Derive and apply radiation, accretion, compactness, shock, timing, and detector-response relations.
- Interpret X-ray, gamma-ray, particle, and timing evidence while separating measurement from model.
- Analyze real high-energy systems including the Crab pulsar, Cygnus X-1, supernova remnants, AGN, and transient alerts.
- Compare mission specifications and select an instrument for a science requirement.
- Quantify uncertainty, background, selection effects, and approximation limits.
- Design and defend a reproducible multimessenger research plan.
Resources and preparation
Required reading uses exact OpenStax Astronomy 2e sections 20.4, 23.1-23.4, 24.1, 24.5-24.7, and 27.1-27.2, with indexed exercise anchors recorded in the reference log. Official Chandra, Swift, Fermi, NICER, and IceCube documentation supplies instrument context. PHYS 341 is recommended because several lectures use electromagnetic radiation, synchrotron emission, and detector response.
Cadence rationale
This 3-credit elective uses 14 lectures and 7 matched two-lecture units. Each lab and problem set follows the second lecture of its unit because high-energy inference requires both the source physics and the instrument or statistical context before students analyze a record. The final unit is a multimessenger dossier rather than a separate eighth lab, leaving time for synthesis and revision. The 14/7/7 structure is therefore intentional and documented here and in the manifest.
| Lecture | Focus | Lab | Problem set |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Radiation from Extreme Plasmas | method development | spaced practice |
| 02 | Accretion Disks and X-ray Binaries | Lab 01 | PS 01 |
| 03 | White Dwarfs and Novae | method development | spaced practice |
| 04 | Core-Collapse Supernovae and Remnants | Lab 02 | PS 02 |
| 05 | Pulsars and Magnetospheric Power | method development | spaced practice |
| 06 | Neutron-Star Structure and Equation of State | Lab 03 | PS 03 |
| 07 | Black-Hole Dynamics and Relativistic Orbits | method development | spaced practice |
| 08 | Jets, Relativistic Beaming, and AGN | Lab 04 | PS 04 |
| 09 | Supernova Remnants as Particle Accelerators | method development | spaced practice |
| 10 | Cosmic Rays and High-Energy Neutrinos | Lab 05 | PS 05 |
| 11 | X-ray Imaging, Timing, and Spectroscopy | method development | spaced practice |
| 12 | Gamma-Ray Instruments and Burst Localization | Lab 06 | PS 06 |
| 13 | Transients and Time-Domain Inference | method development | spaced practice |
| 14 | Multimessenger Synthesis and Research Design | Lab 07 | PS 07 |
Assessment
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Seven data/instrument labs | 28% |
| Seven problem sets | 28% |
| Midterm derivation and interpretation exam | 20% |
| Multimessenger research dossier | 18% |
| Participation and revision record | 6% |
Revisions are encouraged to improve mastery and grade. Academic integrity, accessibility, late-work, safety, and local policy details remain instructor-configurable.