| Unit name | The Physics of Gas and Plasma in the Universe |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHYSM3409 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Dave Newbold |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
PHYS21030 Classical Physics 203 |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Physics |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The vast majority of the baryonic Universe is in the form of gas and plasma existing in a diverse range of conditions. This course uses these astrophysical contexts as a backdrop against which to examine a broad range of physical processes that are important to understanding the behaviour of gases and plasmas. We will review important gas and plasma concepts, and then consider topics including: the Solar Wind and its impact on the Earth; accretion disks around compact objects; the interstellar medium in the Galaxy including excitation, ionisation and energy transport mechanisms, with applications to neutral hydrogen, HII regions, supernova remnants and ionization fronts; galactic winds and their effect on galaxy evolution; the plasma atmospheres of clusters of galaxies, including their heating and cooling mechanisms, the feedback between the member galaxies and this plasma, the production of radio halos; missing baryons in the Universe.
