Teaching: Current and Past Courses


Courses I currently teach

  1. Cosmology (click here to download Lectures PDF, and here for notes on Structure Formation)

    This course treats the global structure and evolution of the Universe, mainly in the frame-work of the `standard' Friedmann-Robertson-Walker `Hot Big Bang' theory. This course is also a basis for the courses `Large Scale Structure in the Universe' and `Formation and Evolution of Galaxies'. The course does not assume prior knowledge of General Relativity. Specific subjects that are taught include:

    1. The cosmological priciple, the expanding universe and Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models. Friedmann's Equation (derived from Newtonian mechanics) and its solutions. Classical cosmological tests, cosmological distances, volumes, source counts etc.
    2. Determination of cosmological constants: Hubble parameter, cosmic density parameter and cosmological constant.
    3. `Standard' thermodynamical history of the Hot Big Bang:
      (i) primordial nucleosynthesis and the formation of light elements
      (ii) origin and thermal character of the microwave background radiation.
    4. The very early universe, elementary particles, baryonsynthese etc.
    5. Cosmic inflation: the horizon problem, the flatness problem, monopoles, cosmic phase transitions and the inflation paradigm.

    Course Material: The lecture slides (with relatively extensive text) are provided (see PDF file). These slides will broadly follow the course book but will once in a while deviate from it.

    Course Book: ``Introduction to Cosmology'', Barbara Ryden, Publisher: Addison-Wesley

    Additional Reading:
    1 - ``Cosmology: The Origin and Evolution of Cosmic Structure'' by P. Coles and F. Lucchin. Publisher: Wiley, Second Edition.
    2 - ``The Early Universe'' by E.W. Kolb and M. S. Turner. Publisher: Addison-Wesley.

  2. Physics of the Epoch of Reionization (click here for lecture slides 1, 2, 3 and 4, click here for Field's 1958 paper and here for review article)

    This is an advanced course that will cover our current understanding of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), which is the second of two major phase transitions of hydrogen in the Universe, the first phase being recombination when the Cosmic Microwave background was emitted. The EoR is related to many fundamental questions in cosmology, galaxy formation, quasars and ultra-low metallicity stars; all leading research topics in modern astrophysics.

    The course will start with reviewing the current observational facts and how they could be interpreted. Then it will discuss the formation of the first objects in the Universe, that probably drive the EoR, and what determine their properties. A special focus will be given to the physics of the first stars (so called Population III stars) and what are the various uncertainties related to them. We will also discuss the formation of the first black hole driven objects. Other possible causes of reionization, e.g., decaying dark matter particles, will be briefly discussed. The last part of the course will deal with the possible observability of the EoR, especially, through the redshifted 21 cm emission line from neutral hydrogen and the various physical issues related to its detectability from the fist 400 Myrs of the Universe' s life.

Previous Courses

  1. Astrophysical Hydrodynamic (click here to download Lectures PDF)

    The course's purpose is cover the basic physics of fluids especially the part that is relevant for astrophysical systems. The topics that will be covered in the course are:

    1. Ideal fluids (the fluid approx., the continuity & Euler equations, isentropic fluids, vorticity & its equation, Bernoulli's equation, Kelvin's circulation theorem, hydrostatic fluids, compressible and incompressible fluids. The MHD approximation.
    2. Simple astrophyscial applications (stellar models and oscillations)
    3. Sound waves (wave equation, sound speed, Mach number)
    4. Hydrodynamical Instabilities: Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, Rayleigh Taylor Ins., Thermal Instability, Gravitational Intability, ...
    5. Introduction to Supersonic Flow: Shock tube, Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions, Rayleigh's line, Hugoniot curve, density, and pressure, radratios across a shock, shock speed.
    6. Viscous fluids: the Navier-Stokes equation, viscosity coefficients, energy disppation in incompressible fluids, examples of viscous flow, Reynolds number, similarity law.
    7. Turbulence: similarity solutions, weak fully developed turbulence, Kolmogorov spectrum.

    I will not use a specific book in the course but there are a number of books that could be used to help with the course.

    1. Principles of Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics Cambirdge University Press Authors: C. Clarke and B. Carswell
    2. Astrophysical Flows Cambridge University Press Authors: J. Pringle and A. King
    3. Fluid Mechanics (2nd edition) Volume 6 of Course of Theoretical Physics Authors: L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz


    Older Courses
    (For description please Click Here )

  2. Asrtophysics A (Radiative Processes)

  3. Asrtophysics B (Quantum Physics of atoms and molecules & Hydrodynamics)

  4. Statstical Methods in Astrophysics


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