| Unit name | Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHYS30052 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Bremer |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
PHYS10012 Core Physics I: Classical, Quantum and Thermal Physics PHYS20040 From Classical to Modern Physics |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
- |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
- |
| School/department | School of Physics |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
You will gain an understanding of the physics that shape galaxies and their evolution and will learn how the presence of supermassive black holes at their centres (Active Galactic Nuclei, AGN) influence their properties.
These properties will be studied in galaxies near and far, demonstrating how they evolve over the course of cosmic time. The effect of a galaxy's environment (e.g. whether it is in a dense cluster or the rarefied field) on the details of its properties and its evolution will be explored. Students will learn how astronomers describe these systems in detail and how these descriptions relate to their fundamental parameters.
You will explore the details of the most energetic events in the Universe and how they manifest in AGN and other galactic sources, e.g. supernovae. We will also explore how the interaction between the central supermassive black hole and its surroundings can produce these energetic events and explore the diversity of their observational signatures.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is a key compulsory component of the Physics with Astrophysics programmes, and forms part of the third-year options portfolio for other physics students; this portfolio is a suite of options designed to explore the wider applications of physics as well as further depth in specific areas. Your choice of options will help to shape the physicist you will become.
An overview of content
This unit introduces you to galaxies in a cosmological context and will allow you to generate an understanding of galaxies and their components – stars, gas, dust, central black holes etc. You will gain an understanding of the processes and physics involved in their evolution and how they are distributed across the cosmos. You will learn the application of analytical and quantitative skills to study energetic phenomena in distant astronomical objects, particularly the AGN found at the centres of many galaxies.
In addition to this, you will learn:
Additionally, you will explore the theoretical background for the generation and propagation of photons and relativistic particles by high energy processes and apply these concepts in order to understand the observable characteristics of a diversity of astrophysical objects in particular supermassive black holes (AGN) and including supernovae, and galaxies’ larger scale environment, e.g. clusters of galaxies.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
By the end of this unit, you will have gained knowledge of the application of the relevant physics to characterise galaxies, the AGN they contain and the high energy phenomena that they and other astrophysical objects exhibit.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
Course material and information will be provided through the university on-line learning environment (currently Blackboard). This is where you will find information about the unit, lecture notes, any pre-recorded videos, recordings of lectures and live sessions and other learning resources.
The course consists of a series of face-to-face lectures, all intended to be captured by Re/Play, supplemented by pre-recorded video material where appropriate. Face-to-face Example Classes will be used to provide practice of how to tackle problems associated with the course and provide feedback on how to tackle those problems. These example classes will be scheduled to support the timeline for assessed coursework or revision for the examination, as appropriate.
There will be approximately 30 hours of face-to-face teaching, and the student is expected to spend a comparable amount of time watching the related video material, attempting the formative exercises and carrying out any summatively-assessed coursework. Along with this time, there is an expectation of personal study in line with the University statement on student workloads.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Question sets will be provided during the course with solutions released in good time prior to any assessment. Example classes will be used to go through some of these and other unseen problems in detail in order to prepare students for summative assessments. During these classes there will be opportunity to ask questions of the facilitator to help quantify your own understanding and that of others, and to gain verbal feedback on your problem solving skills.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Both exercises cover and develop all ILOs for the unit.
Exercises are releases at least one week prior to submission deadline.
When assessment does not go to plan
If you do not pass the unit, you may have the opportunity to retake a single coursework assignment in the next available assessment period. *
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHYS30052).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
