AY 124:   Structure and Dynamics of Galaxies              Winter Term 2012-13

                       Chuck Steidel 
                       252 Cahill                               Grades:  Homework   40%
                       ph. 395-4168                             Final Exam 30%
                       ccs@astro                                Lit. proj. 30%
                     office hrs by appt (e-mail)                        

  TAs:  Ben Montet  (255 Cahill, btm@astro.caltech.edu) 
        Antonija Oklopcic (357 Cahill, oklopcic@astro.caltech.edu))

                                                                        

Class WWW URL:  http://astro.caltech.edu/~ccs/ay124/ay124.html

Class hours:  T/Th 2:30-4pm in 219 Cahill  

                            Part I:  The Milky Way
     L#          Topic                                               (Reading)            

  ****Week 1: no class due to AAS meeting***

  1. (1/15) Overview, Distance Determinations, solar nbhd.   (BM Ch. 1; BM2.1-2.3)
  2. (1/17) Stellar Populations I                           (BM 3)        

  3. (1/22) Stellar Lum Fn., IMF                            (BM 6,7)
  4. (1/23) The Galactic disk; structure and kinematics     (BM 9.4, 10; notes)


  5. (1/29) Stellar Populations II-- ages, chem. abundances, (BM 5,10)
                  MW formation scenarios
  6. (1/31) Galactic halo, bulge, bar, and center           (BM 10; BM 6)

  7. (2/05) Stellar Dynamics I                              (BT 2,3)
  8. (2/07) Stellar Dynamics II                             (BT 3,4) 

  9. (2/12) Dynamics of star clusters, core collapse        (BM 6; BT 8)


                           Part II External Galaxies

 10. (2/14)  Intro galaxies--classification, structure       (BM 4, notes)

 11. (2/19) Galaxy scaling relations; mass measurements     (BM 4,7)
 12. (2/21) Dynamics of Elliptical Galaxies                 (BM 11.2, notes) 

 13. (2/26) Galaxy spectra, SEDs, non-stellar emission      (BM 5)
 14. (2/28) Tidal shocks, dynamical friction                (BT 7, notes)

 15. (3/05)  Galaxy mergers, interactions     (notes, review articles)
 16. (3/07)  Galaxy Clusters  

        ****** literature projects due Friday, March 8 by 5:00 pm ****

 17. (3/12)  Galaxy Evolution (last day of class)

 (TBD)  In-class presentations of literature project material (10min+5) 
    
      ******** final exam--available March 14, due by 5:00pm March 19, 2013. ********

Possibly Useful Texts:

BM: Binney & Merrifield, Galactic Astronomy, 1998 
BT: Binney & Tremaine, Galactic Dynamics (second edition, 2008)