640-351 Astrophysics & Optics III

Note

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Physics 640-237; (Prior to 1999: physics 640-247 or 640-227) mathematics 620-231 or 620-233; and mathematics 620-232 or 620-234.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject develops the study of astrophysics and optics using more advanced mathematics. In astrophysics, the course will concentrate on emission processes, high-energy astrophysics and cosmology with applications to quasars, degenerate stars and black holes. Topics include radiation processes, degenerate stars, black holes, accretion processes and relativisitic cosmology. The second part of this subject provides an introduction to Fourier optics and its applications to actual systems such as aperture synthesis telescopes. The production and interpretation of diffraction patterns is discussed and an introduction to the fundamentals of laser physics and fibre optics presented. Subject content includes physical optics formalism for diffraction and imaging; Fourier transforms and convolution integrals to describe Fraunhofer diffraction; the physics of lasers and applications; and introduction to optical fibres.

Assessment

A 3-hour end-of-semester written examination plus test and/or assignments, set during the semester, which may account for up to 20% of the final mark.

Prescribed Texts

• E Hecht, Optics. 2nd ed., Addison-Wesley.
• B Carol and D Ostlie, An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics. Addison-Wesley.