F3501 Scientific workflow in astrophysics

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Ernst Paunzen, Dr.rer.nat (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Michal Prišegen, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Ernst Paunzen, Dr.rer.nat
Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics – Physics Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: doc. Ernst Paunzen, Dr.rer.nat
Supplier department: Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics – Physics Section – Faculty of Science
Timetable
Wed 16:00–17:50 Fcom,01034
Prerequisites
The course is for all students after the second year of study with a basic knowledge about physics and astrophysics. The main language of the course will be English because we will execute one specific scientific project. But questions and discussions can be also done in Czech and Slovak.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The second proper Gaia data release (GDR2) provides precise kinematics and photometric information for an unprecedented number of stars. This release has also lead to the identification of many thousands of white dwarfs (WDs) and white dwarf candidates. WDs are an evolutionary end-point of stars with masses similar to that of the Sun, meaning they are ubiquitous throughout the Galaxy. They are responsible for several high-energy phenomena and are crucial for the understanding of the stellar evolution. GDR2 provides the parallaxes (thus distances) to many WDs, however, even more valuable information can be obtained if some WDs can be associated with a star cluster or association. These structures share the same age, kinematics and original metallicity, which can be used, in conjunction with the distances, to significantly advance the understanding of not only WDs but also star clusters. It is obvious that the catalog of WDs in star clusters would be beneficial to the community. We theorize that the creation of a WD cluster catalog would facilitate the exploration of several research avenues, for instance:
1) The population of cluster WDs can be studied with respect to cluster parameters, such as the age and metallicity - putting constraints on the physical processes that lead to WD formation.
2) If we can confirm the cluster membership of a WD that has spectroscopic measurements in a suitable spectral range, we can obtain an accurate WD mass via the gravitational redshift of suitable spectral lines.
3) The presence of WDs in clusters can be used to put constraints on the initial mass of a star that can produce a neutron star.
We will match the catalog of WDs and star clusters to find the matches of star cluster areas. Then we will compare the proper motions to find WDs which are members of the star clusters. This will yield in a corresponding catalog for which we will write a peer-reviewed paper that we will submit at the end of the semester.
Learning outcomes
- advanced archival search and analysis of scientific data
- matching kinematic and astrometric data
- understating of Gaia DR2 data
- understanding of star clusters
- fitting of isochrones and determination of astrophysical parameters
- working in a team on a specific scientific topic
- writing a scientific paper
- following the publication and referee process of a scientific paper
Syllabus
  • The following astrophysical topics will be discussed: star clusters, white dwarfs, stellar formation and evolution
  • Techniques used: advanced search in data archives, combination of astrometric and kinematic data, isochrones fitting
  • Additional skills: working in a team, writing a scientific paper
Teaching methods
lectures, group project and paper, literature search, data analysis, class discussion
Assessment methods
final peer-review paper
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
none
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2019, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/autumn2019/F3501