F8601 Modelling of stellar atmospheres

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/1/0. 3 credit(s) (fasci plus compl plus > 4). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. RNDr. Jiří Kubát, CSc. (lecturer)
Mgr. Brankica Kubátová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. RNDr. Jiří Kubát, CSc. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. RNDr. Jiří Kubát, CSc.
Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics – Physics Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: doc. RNDr. Jiří Kubát, CSc.
Supplier department: Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics – Physics Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
Completion of the lecture F7600 "Physics of stellar atmospheres" is recommended.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
The goal is to offer a comprehensive view on procedures used in modeling stellar atmospheres and winds and on interrelationship of applied physical laws.
Learning outcomes
After completion of the course the students will:
  • be acquainted with the current state of knowledge of stellar atmospheres physics,
  • understand the interrelationships between the equations describing stellar atmospheres,
  • understand the current view of the formation of stellar winds,
  • be able to use modeling of stellar atmospheres and winds to analyze observations,
  • be able to continue their own study of the subject.
    • Syllabus
    • Basic general equations of stellar atmospheres
    • Grey atmosphere (Hopf function, two-step grey atmosphere, backwarming, mean opacities (flux mean opacity, Rosseland mean opacity)
    • Static LTE model atmospheres (hydrostatic equilibrium, energy equilibrium (radiative equilibrium, convection), Unsöld-Lucy tempertaure correction method, linearization method, discretiaztion of equations and their solution, accelerated lambda iteration)
    • Static NLTE model atmospheres (overview of equations, complete linearization method, application of the accelerated lambda iteration method, spherically symmetric model atmospheres, NLTE warming
    • Opacity in model atmospheres (absorption, emission and scattering, line blanketing and its treatment
    • Analysis of stellar spectra (curvew of growth, spectral classification, application of model atmospheres in analysis of stellar spectra, radiative diffusion, stellar rotation, one-dimensional models of circumstellar disks)
    • Stellar wind (types of stellar winds, pressure driven wind, isothermal stellar wind and its solution, coronal wind)
    • Line radiatively driven wind (radiative acceleration, its determination and limiting cases, CAK solution, stability of stellar wind, inhomogeneous stellar wind)
    Literature
      recommended literature
    • KUBÁT, Jiří. Základy fyziky hvězdných atmosfér, učební text
    • HUBENÝ, Ivan and Dimitri MIHALAS. Theory of stellar atmospheres : an introduction to astrophysical non-equilibrium quantitative spectroscopic analysis. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2015, xvi, 923. ISBN 9780691163291. info
    • LAMERS, Henny J. G. L. M. and Joseph P. CASSINELLI. Introduction to Stellar Winds. Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-521-59565-7. info
    Teaching methods
    Lectures and excercises.
    Assessment methods
    Oral exam.
    Language of instruction
    English
    Further Comments
    The course is taught annually.
    The course is taught: every week.
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2016, spring 2018, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
    • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2025/F8601