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Astrophysics

• Comparative Planetary Science, Description: 30h
  • The Solar System : 15h
    1. Formation, inventory and exploration of the solar system: from the dust grains to the gas giants: 4h
    2. Dynamics of the solar system: 1h
    3. Comparative properties of the terrestrial planets: 2h
       • differentiation
       • energy balance
       • surface geology
       • atmospheric diversity and stability
    4. Comparative properties of the gas giants: 2h
       • atmospheric composition and dynamics
       • magnetic fields
       • tidal effects, rings and satellites
    5. Water in the solar system: 1h
    6. Breaking news from space: the latest results from planetary space missions: 3h
    7. The next sample return missions from primitive asteroids, and how they can constrain the origin of the solar system and the emergence of life: 1h
    8. Life on the Earth (and elsewhere?): 1h
  • Exoplanets : 15h
    1. 20 years of exoplanetary discoveries: history and statistics
    2. The new Era of planetology: planet formation, migration and Hot Jupiters
    3. The diversity of exoplanets: from Hot Jupiters to SuperEarth
    4. The next step: Habitability
    5. Laboratory Astrophysics focused on molecular gaseous and solid phase astrochemistry
• Astrophysics, Description: 30h : Lectures : 24h ; tutorial work : 6 h
  1. Exploring the electro-magnetic spectrum (Radio → gamma): 6h
     • limits due to the atmosphere
     • basic radiation mechanisms
     • astrophysical sources
     • collectors, large equipments
     • detectors
  2. Radiation mechanisms and transfer: 6h
     • black body
     • cyclotron / synchrotron
     • free-free
     • transitions
     • basis of radiative transfer (Lambert-Beer, Barbier-Eddington)
     • the spectroscopic information
  3. Interstellar medium. Milky Way : 6h
     • Gas : atomic, molecular, ionized
     • Physical conditions (temperature, density) and processes
     • Dust : size, composition. Energetics.
     • Star formation : collapse, Initial Mass Function
     • Physics : black body, thermodynamical equilibrium, radiative transfer
  4. Galaxies and distant universe : 6h
     • Typology : the Hubble sequence
     • Dynamics
     • Evolution, interactions, stellar formation
     • Structure : clusters, super-clusters, large scale structure
     • Evolution : expansion, first phases (inflation, decoupling, dark ages, deionization, dark matter, dark energy).
     • Physics : Lemaître model
  5. The violent Universe : 6h
     • Compact objects: neutron stars, black hole, pulsars
     • Accretion disks : Active Galactic Nuclei, Young Stellar Objects, X binaries
     • Collapsing stars : gamma bursts
     • Wavelength range : X, gamma ; techniques for collecting and detecting photons, main instruments
     • Hands-on : black hole horizon, temperature