University of Manitoba, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2

Winter 2015 Astronomy PHYS4230/7660 Reading Course

Phenomenology of Galaxies

Instructor Information

Jayanne English
email:
Jayanne_English@umanitoba.ca
homepage :
http://www.physics.umanitoba.ca/~english
coordinates:
office: Allen Building Room 514 phone: (204)-474-7105
FAX: (204)-474-7622
contact hours:
By appointment.

Class Information

Weekly Meetings - by arrangement
Allen 514
Format:
Data Analysis Training
Weekly meetings will be used to instruct the student on techniques used for their project.
Guided Readings
Also at the weekly meetings the student will be guided through the required textbook and brief a professional paper. This paper will be assigned by the instructor.
Presentation and Reports
Students will submit a report on their project, present one colloquium at a Journal Club on their project, and follow-up with a brief report on the response at the colloquium.
Assignments
The work will be mainly project based. Students will submit related assignments for evaluation. All assignments will briefly answer questions outlined in learning portfolios.

Topic Overview and Course Goals

Summary:
This course provides the foundation in observational astronomy that is required for doing research involving the material between stars, or galaxies as a whole. Our current understanding of astronomical phenomena (including empirical laws, the characteristics of stars and the interstellar medium) are outlined in the context of the structure of galaxies. Emphasis is placed on our Milky Way Galaxy and text material will be supplemented with the current research results in the professional literature.

The format reflects my teaching goals which include giving the students the opportunity:
-- to be independent and responsible for their learning,
-- to learn time management skills,
-- to learn teaching and presentation skills
Level:
Offered to upper year undergraduates, this course is intended to provide strong preparation for studies at the graduate school level. However it will also enhance the activities of science students outside of astronomy who describe themselves as serious amateur astronomers.
Pre-requisites:
3rd year math and physics requirements at the level of Honours or Majors in the Department of Physics and Astronomy should have been completed. A course on stars (e.g. from a text such as Carroll and Ostlie) would be an advantage.

Detailed Topics List

Literature

Required Textbooks:
"Galaxies in the Universe", Sparke, Linda and Gallagher, John S. III. Cambridge University Press, Second Edition, 2007
Supplemental Textbooks:
"Galactic Astronomy. Binney, James, and Merrifield, Michael." Princeton University Press, 1998. "Galactic Astronomy. Mihalas, Dimitri and Binney, James." Princeton University Press, 1981.
"Astrophysics: Decoding the Cosmos. Judith Irwin." Wiley, 2007
Journal Papers:
Galaxy Disks P.C. van der Kruit and K.C. Freeman 2011, Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 49, p.301
Galaxies and Their Environments, Judith A. Irwin 1995, PASP, 107,715
---- colour version of Figure 1
Rotation Curves of Spiral Galaxies, Yoshiaki Sofue & Vera Rubin 2001, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. Vol. 39
Other References:
"Galaxies and Galactic Structure", Elmegreen, Debra Meloy. Prentice Hall, 1997
"Galactic Dynamics", Binney, James and Tremaine, Scott. Princeton Series in Astrophysics, 1987
"Galaxies and cosmology", Combes, Francoise. Springer, 1995
Websites:
Level 5 at NASA/Ipac Extragalactic Database (NED)











Evaluation of Performance 2014

Project
30% Analysis of Professional Data:
Data will be provided that will help determine the dark matter content of a specific galaxy. The student will be trained to analyze these data. They may need to write computer scripts to do the analysis or software testing. They will, for example, generate a rotation curve or luminosity profile, 2 components which need to be compared to estimate the amount of non-luminous matter. These will be contributions to a professional paper in which the students will be acknowledged or be co-authors.
10% Written Report on the Project
The report is brief but includes the background relevant to understanding the project (e.g. may include a review of a professional paper), a summary of the project, and an evalution of the project. It may be useful to consult the outline for extended learning portfolios for this report. An extensive outline is available at Description of Learning Portfolios.
15% Project Colloquium (presentation criteria):
Seminar/colloquium at an Astronomy Journal Club which reviews the project. Expected to be 45-50 mins long, including the question period.
5% Follow-up report on the questions from the colloquium audience, a hardcopy of the presentation, and final reflections on the material.
Course Material

Topics are listed below but others may be added at the discretion of the student. The total of 40% will be redistributed to accommodate these.
Assignments
Note: Students will work out a submission schedule with the professor at the beginning of the course. If these are handed in late, 1% is deducted per 2 days.
5% Photometry of Spirals
5% Photometry of Ellipticals
10% Atomic and Molecular Hydrogen Gas - conversion between CO and H2
10% Galaxy Deprojection and Rotation Curves
5% Dark Matter in Disk Galaxies
5% A topic relevant to your presentation
Note that graduate students are expected to acheive a mark of B+ or higher in this course.

Academic Policies

The Faculty of Science asks us to inform you that academic dishonesty has serious consequences. To learn how to avoid fraud, plagiarism, and inappropriate collaboration, as well as the consequences please visit:
Academic Dishonesty Guidelines and Penalties at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/science/undergrad/resources/webdisciplinedocuments.html
Penalties for Academic Dishonesty. at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/science/resources/Acad_Dishon_TABLE_RevCSS_AdminC_Jul2012_WEB.pdf
The Student Discipline Bylaw may be accessed http://umanitoba.ca/admin/governance/governing_documents/students/868.htm

Student Affairs also has a page:
Honesty and Integrity at http://www.umanitoba.ca/student/resource/student_advocacy/index.html
How to avoid cheating and plagiarism -- take the Academic Honesty Quiz at http://umanitoba.ca/student/resource/student_advocacy/academic_honesty_quiz.html
And see the Course Credit and Changes to Fee Cancellation Policy and Practices document (last 2 sections).