Instructor: Ting-Wen Lan https://www.tingwenlan.com/
Time: Monday and Thursday 10:20 am - 12:10 pm
Place: AstroMath 812
How do galaxies form and evolve in the Universe? This question has puzzled astronomers since the discovery of galaxies over 100 years ago, and addressing it remains one of the central research directions in modern astronomy.
In this course, we will discuss our current understanding of galaxies from both observational and theoretical perspectives. The course is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the observational properties of galaxies. We will discuss how the physical properties of galaxies are estimated and/or inferred from observational datasets. We will cover all major components, including stars, supermassive black holes, the interstellar medium (ISM), the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium (CGM/IGM), dark matter halos, and the connections among these components. We will also introduce the techniques astronomers use to study galaxy properties.
Building on this overview of observed galaxy properties, the second part of the course focuses on the theoretical aspects of galaxy evolution. We will discuss the formation and evolution of dark matter halos within which galaxies form and evolve. We will then cover key baryonic processes—such as gas cooling, inflows, and feedback—that are thought to play crucial roles in driving galaxy evolution. We will examine how these processes are implemented in numerical simulations and summarize our current theoretical understanding of galaxy evolution. Finally, we will discuss future directions in the study of galaxy evolution.
(1) This course is designed for graduate students and advanced undergrad students who are conducting astronomical research or plan to conduct astronomical research. Therefore, background knowledge of physics and astronomy is expected.
(2) This course is offered in English.
(3) This course requires reading papers and oral presentations.
(4) Programming abilities (such as Python) are expected. [Examples and exercises are all in Python]
(1) We will discuss the observed properties of galaxies, including the observational techniques that use to obtain those results;
(2) We will discuss the theoretical components for forming galaxies in the cosmological context;
(3) We will discuss the open questions of galaxy evolution.