Stars and Black Holes

Catalog description

Stellar Astrophysics explores the physical principles governing stars, from their formation to their evolution on the main sequence and beyond, ultimately producing dense stellar remnants. This course will systematically describe the physics of stellar structure, radiation transport, nuclear fusion, and energy generation in order to provide a comprehensive survey of how stars evolve. Students will specifically study stellar evolution, supernovae, compact objects such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, as well as binary interactions and gravitational waves. Where applicable, the course will incorporate the use of public software and data. Students will develop analytical, numerical, and computational problem-solving skills essential for graduate research in stellar astrophysics and related fields.