Astronomy 2030H: The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation
Chris Matzner
Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:00-3:30 pm, 15th floor conference room of McLennan Labs

A graduate course covering the phases, dynamics, energetics, and observations of the Interstellar Medium and the theory of star formation within molecular clouds.
Text: Spitzer, Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium

Please refer to this (growing) reading list for your reference and the ISM / Star Formation Discussion Meetings for a format to review the papers.


Class schedule:
 
1.  Sept 11: Overview of phases of the ISM; brief discussion of hydrostatic balance  
                   and Toomre stability parameter of gaseous and stellar disks.		 Reading assignment: Ferriere 2001, Boulares & Cox 1990 from reading list. (For more on self-gravity of galaxy disks, see also Kennicutt 1989 and Schaye 2002.)
2. Sept. 17: Basic radiation transfer and hydrodynamics Problem set 1 assigned: due Tuesday Oct. 1
3. Sept. 19: Hydrodynamics and MHD 
4. Sept. 24:  Shock fronts: nonradiative, radiative, and magnetically-supported Reading: Draine & McKee 1989
5. Sept. 26: Photoionized gas; H II regions 
6. Oct. 2:   Thermal balance for photoionized gas  Problem set 1 collected 
7. Oct. 3:   Review of spectroscopic notation and quantum  mechanics (Brian Lee). 
                  Critical density; determining gas state from lines 
8. Oct.  8:  Dynamics of H II region expansion; Radio continuum & lines from H II regions
9. Oct. 10:  Ionization Fronts: D vs R, Strong vs Weak, D-critical case
                   Re-examination  of early and late phases of H II region evolution		 Problem set 2 distributed
10. Oct. 15: Cloud photoevaporation, rocket effect
11. Oct. 22: Diagnostics of the warm photoionized medium (WIM): Dispersion measure,      
                     Emission measure (+ models for Milky Way's free electron distribution)
12. Oct. 23:  More WIM diagnostics: Pulsar scintiallation; Faraday rotation
13. Oct. 24: Interstellar Dust: optical properties, composition, physical evolution, 
                     temperature 
14. Oct. 29: Diagnostics of the cool, neutral medium (CNM):  Line profiles, 21cm line Problem set 2 collected
15. Oct. 31: Obs. evidence for a two-phase neutral medium; thermal balance of HI; 
                      2-phase model of Field, Goldsmith & Habing		 Problem set 3 distributed
16. Nov 5:   Hot, collisionally ionized medium (HIM): supernova remnant evolution
17. Nov. 7:  HIM: radiation diagnostics 
18. Nov. 12: Hot gas: heating and cooling; thermal evaporation of clouds Problem set 3 collected
19. Nov 14:  A three-phase model for the interstellar medium Problem set 4 distributed
20. Nov. 19  Formation of molecules; molecular cloud population and distribution
                     (Chris traveling: class will be rescheduled)
21. Nov. 21  Formation and destruction of self-bound clouds: Galact ic perspective Problem set 4 collected; Problem set 5 distributed
22. Nov. 26  Magnetic, thermal, and turbulent pressure support; evolution towards collapse
23. Nov. 28  Star formation: stages; observations
                     (Chris traveling: class will be rescheduled)		 Problem set 6 distributed
24. Dec. 3  Theories of the stellar mass function Problem set 5 collected; 
25. Dec. 5   Protostellar jets and outflows: observations and models
26. Dec. 10  Problem set 6 collected