In this class, we will learn about the relevant physics that govern that cosmological processes and galaxy formation and evolution. We will focus on cosmology for the first third of the semester, and galaxy formation and evolution for the remainder of the term. We will apply physics ideas from the four major disciplines (classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and electromagnetism) to describe observed behavior in galaxies and their cosmological setting.
Overview of topics covered:
Course: PHYS 7127, Cosmology & Galaxies, Fall 2019, MWF 1:55-2:45pm, Howey S106
Instructor: Prof. John Wise, Office: Boggs 1-90J, Email: jwise [ at ] physics.gatech.edu
Teaching Assistant: None.
Office Hours: Thursday 12-2pm or by appointment
Galaxy Formation and Evolution, Authors: Mo, van den Bosch, & White. ISBN: 0521857937 (author's website, Amazon)
The course grade will be entirely determined from your scores on the homework sets, projects, final paper, and class presentations. There will be no tests or final exams as this class is project-based.
Final letter grades: A = >89.5%, B = 79.5-89.4%, C = 69.5-79.4%, D = 59.5-69.4%, F = <59.4%. All decimal places smaller than tenths of a percentage point are truncated.
There will be three projects, each worth 20% of the final grade, during the semester. One will concern cosmology; one will concern large scale structure, and the other will be about galaxies. Projects are due in electronic form (upload them on Canvas) at 6pm on the specified due date. Late assignments are not accepted unless previous arrangements have been made. Students are encouraged to work and discuss projects together, but the written work must be your own.
The three projects, composed of an analytical portion, a computational portion, and your interpretation of the results, will be due
Project descriptions will be posted on Canvas approximately one month before the due date.