Introduction to Galactic Archaeology
~Galaxy Formation and Evolution~
［Graduate School of Science］
Professor Masashi Chiba
Course period: November 5 (Wed) - December 23(Tue)
Registration opens: August 6 (Wed)
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Galactic archaeology is a branch of astronomy that dissects galaxies into their skeletal structure—stars—and traces the formation and evolution of galaxies based on the properties of individual stars. It is named “archaeology” because the properties of old stars—their chemical composition and spatial motion characteristics—serve as “fossil” information revealing the galaxy's past, preserving the history of its physical state during formation and the evolutionary path it has taken. In other words, this information is like DNA, serving as the roots for tracing a galaxy's past. This course clearly explains the fundamentals of galactic archaeology.
Week 1 explores how humanity's worldview of the galactic universe has evolved. Building on this, we overview the overall dynamical structure of the Milky Way and the surrounding galactic universe.
Week 2 covers the general characteristics of stars that compose galaxies, their evolution, and their demise. We will also understand stars as factories for new matter and the relationship between this material cycle and galactic evolution.
Week 3 explores the current picture of galactic formation and evolution derived from analyzing old stellar systems within the Milky Way. Furthermore, based on observational data from the Andromeda Galaxy and typical galaxies, we will grasp the general concepts of galaxy formation.
Week 4 covers dark matter, which governs the dynamical structure of galaxies. We examine the evidence for its existence and its role in galaxy formation. We also explore the problems with the current standard theory regarding the nature of dark matter and future prospects.
*This course covers the same content as the 1st session (July 2019), 2nd session (January 2020), 3rd session (January 2021), 4th session (November 2021), November 2022 session, the sixth session starting in November 2023, and the seventh session starting in November 2024. Some assignments have been modified.
※This video is played in Japanese.
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