Astronomy 350 Cosmology

1. Astronomy 350Cosmology Professor Lynn Cominsky Department of Physics and Astronomy Offices: Darwin 329A and NASA EPO (707) 664-2655 Best way to reach me: lynnc@charmian.sonoma.edu Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

2. Astronomy 350/Cosmology • Book:No text is required for this course • Course Organization: • Beyond Einstein: from the Big Bang to Black Holes • Outer Space (Macroworld): from the Earth through the Solar System, to the stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies & background radiation • Inner Space (Microworld): What’s the Matter in the Universe? Broken Symmetries and Grand Unification • Hyperspace and Strings Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

3. Astronomy 350/Cosmology • Five Questions for each topic • What do we know? • How do we know it? • What is its origin, evolution and how does it affect the Universe? • What are the next questions? • What are the plans to find out? Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

4. Astronomy 350/Grades • 15% - attendance as evidenced by activities or answers to questions (1% per week) • 20% - long, research style paper. Topicdue 4/22/03, paper due 5/20/03 • 15% for in-class small group presentation • 15% x 2 for “book reports” on your choice of books from class list, due 3/4/03 and 4/4/03 • 20% for short answer final exam, 5/27/03 Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

5. Astronomy 350/Books General Cosmology Overview: • The Whole Shebang by Timothy Ferris • The First Three Minutes by Steven Weinberg • A Short History of the Universe by Joseph Silk • The Shadows of Creation by Michael Riordan and David Schramm Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

6. Astronomy 350/Books Specific Topics: • Black Holes and Time Warps by Kip Thorne • Black Holes and the Universe by Igor Novikov • Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony by Marcia Bartusiak (Gravitational Waves) • Wrinkles in Time by George Smoot (Cosmic Microwave Background) • Unveiling the Edge of Time by John Gribbin (Black Holes, White Holes and Wormholes) • Flash! By Govert Schilling (Gamma-ray Bursts) Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

7. Astronomy 350/Books Higher Dimensions: • Hyperspace by Michio Kaku • Flatland by Edwin Abbott AND Sphereland by Dionys Burger • Flatland by Edwin Abbott AND Flatterland by Ian Stewart • Surfing through Hyperspace by Clifford Pickover • The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene (String Theory) Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

8. Astronomy 350/Books Modern Cosmological Theories • Before the Beginning by Martin Rees • The Inflationary Universe by Alan Guth • Strange Matters by Tom Siegfried • A Hole in the Universe by KC Cole • Accelerating Universe by Mario Livio • Runaway Universe by Donald Goldsmith • How the Universe Got Its Spots by Janna Levin • The Extravagant Universe by Robert P. Kirshner Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

9. Book Report Grading • Present a succinct, yet thorough overview of the book that encompasses the key elements of the book’s content. The goal here is to convince me that you have read the entire book. • Book report must be well written, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. • Book report must not contain any plagiarized material – use quotes and refer to page numbers!! If I detect any plagiarism, you will receive zero points for the report. Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

10. Book Report Grading • Book reports are expected to be approximately 5 pages. Your grade will be lowered if your report is either too short or too long. Use 12 point type, double spaced, and standard margins from Word or other program. • Make sure to put your name on the report. • No fancy covers please. Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

11. Book Report Grading • Address one of the following topics in greater detail: • Summarize the theoretical reasons why the author believes in extra dimensions • Summarize what it would be like to live in a world with different dimensionality • Summarize the author’s view of an inflationary period in the early Universe • Summarize the author’s view on the possible existence of other universes • Summarize the author’s view on symmetry Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

12. Book Report Grading • Address one of the following topics in greater detail (continued): • Summarize the evidence presented by the author in favor of the Big Bang theory • Summarize the evidence presented by the author in favor of the existence of black holes • Summarize an important observation presented by the author that was not made at visible wavelengths. • Summarize the evidence presented by the author in favor of dark energy and/or dark matter Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

13. Other information of interest • Class web page: http://glast.sonoma.edu/~lynnc/courses/a350/ • My group web page: http://epo.sonoma.edu • My office hours: 1 – 3 PM Tuesday in D329A • Office phone: 664-2655 • For fastest response – send me e-mail: lynnc@charmian.sonoma.edu • My other office – NASA EPO building (old Tech High School) Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

14. Beyond Einstein: from the Big Bang to Black Holes Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

15. Beyond Einstein • Essential cosmological questions - Einstein’s theories predict the answers • How did the Universe begin? (The Universe is expanding from a Big Bang) • Does time have a beginning and an end? (Space and Time both stop at the edge of a black hole) • Does space have edges?(Dark Energy could be pulling our Universe apart) Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

16. Beyond Einstein • We will explore what is known about these cosmological questions – and see what it takes to go “Beyond Einstein” to find out • What powered the Big Bang? • What happens to space, time and energy at the edge of a black hole? • What is the mysterious dark energy pulling the Universe apart? Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

17. Course Outline • Intro and Review • Outer Space: • Solar System Formation • Star Formation and Evolution • Black Holes and Spacetime • The Expanding Universe • Supernovae and Gamma-ray Bursts • Galaxies and Galaxy Evolution • Dark Matter Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

18. Course Outline • Outer Space (continued) • Clusters of Galaxies and Large Scale Structure • Background Radiation • Inflation and Dark Energy • Inner Space • What’s the Matter in the Universe? • Broken Symmetries and Grand Unification • Hyperspace and Strings Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

19. Early View of the Universe What are your ideas about the Universe? Take the Cosmic Survey Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

20. Cosmic Survey • Do this activity in small groups • You are given pictures of different astronomical objects • Put them in order of size • Put them in order of distance • Put them in order of age Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

21. Powers of Ten • Scientific Notation • 10n means 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 … [n times] • 10-n means 1/(10 x 10 x 10 ….) [n times] • 10n > 1  it is a 1 followed by n zeroes (102 = 100) • 10-n < 1  it is decimal point, (n-1) zeroes, then 1 (10-2 = 0.01) • There are 1010 –1011 stars in our galaxy, and a similar number of galaxies in the Universe Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

22. Sizes and Magnitudes • There are 1010 –1011 stars in our galaxy, and a similar number of galaxies in the Universe • Each star weighs ~1030 kg and contains more than 1057 atoms • The radius of a typical star is ~108 m • Each atom weighs ~10-27 kg and has a radius of about 10-10 m • 1 light year is 9.5 x 1015 m Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

23. Powers of Ten Video • Produced by Charles and Ray Eames • Describes the journey into Outer Space and then into Inner Space • Each step is a factor of ten in distance Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

24. Let There Be Light! l= wavelength n= frequency c = 3 x 108 m/s The speed of light is the cosmic speed limit- nothing can move faster Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

25. Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

26. Seeing the Light VLAMAPSIRTFEUVEChandraG:LAST HST/Keck Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

27. What emits EM radiation? • Everything does! • Often called thermal or blackbody radiation • the hotter the object, the shorter the wavelength of the peak • the hotter the object, the more intense the radiation Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

28. What’s a good blackbody? • You • Stars • The Universe! Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

29. Radio • Cool objects (0 to a few 10s Kelvin) • Electrons spiraling • around magnetic fields • Collisionally deaccelerated or • accelerated electrons • Cold molecular clouds • Planets • pulsars • Radio galaxies • Intergalactic matter Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

30. Microwave • a bit warmer objects (10s to 100K) • microwave generator • warm molecular clouds • Planets • water masers • Galaxies • The Universe! Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

31. Infrared • warm objects (100 to about 2000 K) • Nebulae • Planets • “Normal” stars • Enshrouded protostars • Galaxies Video from SIRTF Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

32. Visible • hot objects (2000 to about 10000 Kelvin) • the Sun of course! • Nebulae • Planets • “Normal” stars, sun-like • and hotter • Galaxies Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

33. Ultraviolet • hotter objects (10,000 to about 100,000 Kelvin) • Nebulae • Planets with magnetic fields • (aurorae) • O-F stars • Pulsars • Galaxies Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

34. X-rays • very hot objects (100,000 to a few 106 Kelvin) • electrons in magnetic fields • electrons scattering off photons • Planets • O star winds • solar corona • White dwarfs • Pulsars • Black holes • Galaxy clusters • Dark matter, indirectly Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

35. Gamma Rays • Extremely energetic objects • Radioactive decay (Co56, Ti44) • Fusion • Cosmic ray/gas interaction • matter/antimatter annihilation • supernovae • Diffuse Galactic emission • Active galaxies • (some) Pulsars • black holes • Gamma Ray Bursts Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

36. Gamma Rays • Extremely energetic objects • Radioactive decay (Co56, Ti44) • Fusion • Cosmic ray/gas interaction • matter/antimatter annihilation • supernovae • Diffuse Galactic emission • Active galaxies • (some) Pulsars • black holes • Gamma Ray Bursts Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

37. GEMS: Invisible Light Sources and Detectors • Different stations have different types of light sources and detectors • All stations have same set of materials • Try each of the 5 stations • For each material: Predict whether or not it will block the light, then test your prediction • Write your predictions and results down on the worksheets that are provided • Hand in worksheets before leaving class Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

38. Looking back through space and time Constellation-X JWST, FIRST MAP, Planck clusters and groups of galaxies LISA, GLAST first stars, galaxies, and black holes matter/radiation decoupling microwave background Big Bang inflation Early Universe Gap First Stars Gap Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

39. Ultimate Time Machine • Doing astronomical observations is like travelling back in time • If an galaxy is 1 million light years away, then the light that you are seeing left that galaxy 1 million years ago, and you are seeing what it looked like long ago • Do the Time Machine Activity Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350

40. Web Resources • Astronomy picture of the Dayhttp://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html • Electromagnetic Spectrumhttp://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov • Beyond Einstein program http://universe.gsfc.nasa.gov • Imagine the Universe http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov Lynn Cominsky - Cosmology A350