PHYS 554

Course Outline:        

1. Preliminaries. 

1.0) Units, dimensions, and estimates. 

1.1) Elementary statistical mechanics: Distribution functions, Fermi gases, equation of state, heat capacity, sound speed.  

1.2) Neutrinos & weak interactions: Neutron and muon decay, neutrino flavor, neutrino oscillations in vacuum.    

1.3) Nuclei as droplets of nuclear matter: Nuclear matter, liquid drop model, pairing. 

1.4) Nuclear shell model and structure: Shell effects, nuclear masses, magic numbers and stability, elemental abundances. 

2. Nuclear reactions and Nucleosynthesis.

2.0) Elementary aspects of nuclear reactions. 

2.1) Big Bang nucleosynthesis: nuclear reactions in the early universe.   

2.2) Nuclear reactions in stars: pp chain, CNO cycle, 3α reaction, and 12C(α,γ)

2.3) Nuclear reactions under extreme conditions and the r-process. 

2.4) Unstable nuclear burning, type I supernova, and x-ray bursts. 

3. Supernova and Neutron Stars.

3.0) Equation of state and hydrostatic equilibrium of degenerate stars. 

3.1) Chandrashekar mass and core collapse.    

3.2) Supernova energetics and thermodynamics.

3.3) Dense nucleon matter. 

3.4) Neutron star structure. 

4. Neutrinos in Astrophysics. 

4.0) Neutrino production in stars. 

4.1) Solar neutrinos.

4.2) Neutrino oscillations in matter.

4.3) Neutrino cooling.   

4.4) Neutrinos and nucleosynthesis.    

Homeworks:

1. HW01 (Due 4/5/24) 

2. HW02 (Due 4/12/24)

3. HW03 (DUE 4/19/24)

4. HW04 (DUE 4/24/24)

5. HW05 (DUE 5/10/24)