Astronomy

• CAS AS 701: Introduction to Astrophysics
  Introduction to astronomical and astrophysical nomenclature and concepts. Coordinate systems, celestial orbits, radiation, stars, stellar structure, stellar evolution, clusters of stars, galactic components, galactic structure, galaxy types, active galaxies, cosmology.
• CAS AS 703: Introduction to Space Physics
  Survey of physical phenomena in the sun, solar wind, magnetospheres, ionospheres, and upper atmospheres of objects in the solar system. Introduction to the physical processes governing space plasmas, solar-terrestrial interactions, and ionized and neutral media surrounding the Earth and other solar system bodies.
• CAS AS 704: Cosmic Gas Dynamics
  Gas dynamics as applied to astrophysical settings. Basic fluid mechanics. Ideal gases. One-dimensional gas flow. Supersonic flows and shock waves. Quasar jets and stellar winds. Fluid instabilities, turbulence, and convection.
• CAS AS 706: Radiative Processes and Spectroscopy
  Generation, propagation, and transfer of electromagnetic radiation. Spectral energy distributions, continuum radiation, atomic and molecular spectral lines. Energy levels in atoms and molecules. Interaction of radiation with matter, transfer of radiation through astrophysical media. Thermal and nonthermal radiative processes.
• CAS AS 708: Cosmic Plasma Physics
  Physics of space and astrophysical plasmas. Individual particle drifts in fields, electrostatic and electromagnetic waves and instabilities, magnetohydrodynamics, kinetic theory of waves, instabilities, and Landau damping.
• CAS AS 709: Observational Techniques
  Telescopes, light detection, and analysis tools and techniques of experimental astronomy. Signal-to-noise calculations. Photometric and spectroscopic instrumentation and applications. Use of the observatory, CCD light detectors, modern software analysis tools, image processing. Proposal writing and science writing.
• CAS AS 720: Graduate Research and Scholarship
  An introduction to the methods of research and scholarship required for successful graduate study and the associated ethical issues. Topics include choosing a research advisor, the research topic, the research record, scholarly writing and publishing, intellectual property, and research funding.
• CAS AS 753: Normal Galaxies and the Milky Way
  Graduate Prerequisites: (GRSAS701 & GRSAS704 & GRSAS706 & GRSAS708) or consent of instructor. - Normal galaxies and the Milky Way as systems. Stellar components and clusters, elliptical and disk galaxies. Luminosity functions, radial distributions, distance indicators, triaxial spheroids, and central bars. Motions near the sun, asymmetric drift, velocity ellipsoid, galactic rotation, Oort formulae, gas distributions, galactic center.
• CAS AS 759: Cosmology
  Graduate Prerequisites: (GRSAS701 & GRSAS704 & GRSAS706) or consent of instructor. - Modern physical cosmology. The Friedmann equation, expansion of the universe and the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Determination of fundamental cosmological parameters. Large-scale structure, galaxy formation, active galaxies, and quasars. Dark matter and dark energy in the universe. The inflation era.
• CAS AS 785: Magnetospheres
  Graduate Prerequisites: (GRSAS703 & GRSAS704 & GRSAS706 & GRSAS708) or consent of instructor. - Solar wind/magnetosphere interaction. Magnetospheric dynamics and substorms. Magnetospheric electric fields and current systems. Ionosphere/magnetosphere coupling. The aurora. Magnetospheric plasma waves and instabilities. In situ plasma and field diagnostics.
• CAS AS 786: The Sun and Heliosphere
  Graduate Prerequisites: (GRSAS701 & GRSAS703 & GRSAS704 & GRSAS706 & GRSAS708) or consent of instructor. - Fundamentals of solar and heliospheric physics, including observational methods and theory from the sun's interior through interplanetary space and into the local interstellar medium. The sun as a star. Relation of our heliosphere to astrospheres surrounding other stars.
• CAS AS 850: Graduate Literature Seminar 1
  Weekly seminar offering graduate students the skills and practice needed for reading, evaluating, and discussing scientific peer-reviewed literature on current research topics.
• CAS AS 851: Graduate Literature Seminar 2
  Weekly seminar offering graduate students the skills and practice needed for reading, evaluating, and discussing scientific peer-reviewed literature on current research topics.
• CAS AS 865: Graduate Research Seminar 1
  Weekly seminar offering graduate students the skills and practice needed for oral presentations on current research topics and to receive peer and expert feedback.
• CAS AS 866: Graduate Research Seminar 2
  Weekly seminar offering graduate students the skills and practice needed for oral presentations on current research topics and to receive peer and expert feedback.