Astronomy

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

Overview

The Department of Astronomy offers undergraduate and graduate instruction in a wide variety of fields, including theoretical and observational astrophysics; infrared, optical, and radio astronomy; galactic structure and dynamics of stellar systems; high-energy astrophysics and cosmology; star and planet formation; and spectroscopy. A considerable amount of research and teaching related to astronomy is done in other units at UC Berkeley, including the Physics Department, Earth and Planetary Science, Space Science Laboratory, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Various professors in the Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, and Engineering departments have an active interest in astronomy and are available for consultation.

Facilities

Many instruments are available to students and staff, including two 10-meter telescopes at the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea in Hawaii; 30-inch, 40-inch and 120-inch telescopes at Lick Observatory; a 16-element millimeter-wave interferometer in Southern California; the PAPER Array in South Africa; and a 30-inch telescope at Leuschner Observatory (near the campus). Laboratories are available for the development of radio, infrared, and optical instruments and for the precise measurement of images and spectra. For further information regarding these resources, please see the Facilities page on the department's website .

Physics-Astronomy Library

The Physics-Astronomy Library  is located in 351 LeConte Hall. The Physics-Astronomy Library has approximately 95,000 volumes available (on campus and at the NRLF) and 700 journal subscriptions.

Astronomy Reading Room

The Astronomy Reading Room is located in Campbell Hall and contains a selection of useful books and journals. For further information, please see the Reading Room Catalog .

Organized Research Units

The Radio Astronomy Lab  is involved with many instruments and projects including the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) and the Allen Telescope Array (ATA).

The Theoretical Astrophysics Center  includes faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and students working on a wide variety of problems in theoretical astrophysics.

The Center for Integrative Planetary Science  is involved in many research projects including the ongoing Extrasolar Planet Search, astrobiology, and research into planetary composition and formation.

Other Research Projects and Opportunities

For further information on other research projects and opportunities, including faculty research publications, please see the research page of the Department's website .

Undergraduate Program

Astrophysics : BA (major) or Minor

Graduate Program

Astrophysics : PhD

Visit Department Website

Courses

Astronomy

ASTRON 3 Introduction to Modern Cosmology 2 Units

Description of research and results in modern extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. We read the stories of discoveries of the principles of our Universe. Simple algebra is used.

ASTRON 7A Introduction to Astrophysics 4 Units

This is the first part of an overview of astrophysics, with an emphasis on the way in which physics is applied to astronomy. This course deals with the solar system and stars, while 7B covers galaxies and cosmology. Solar system topics include orbital mechanics, geology of terrestrial planets, planetary atmospheres, and the formation of the solar system. The study of stars will treat determination of observations, properties and stellar structure, and evolution. The physics in this course includes mechanics and gravitation; kinetic theory of gases; properties of radiation and radiative energy transport; quantum mechanics of photons, atoms, and electrons; and magnetic fields.

ASTRON 7B Introduction to Astrophysics 4 Units

This is the second part of an overview of astrophysics, which begins with 7A. This course covers the Milky Way galaxy, star formation and the interstellar medium, galaxies, black holes, quasars, dark matter, the expansion of the universe and its large-scale structure, and cosmology and the Big Bang. The physics in this course includes that used in 7A (mechanics and gravitation; kinetic theory of gases; properties of radiation and radiative energy transport; quantum mechanics of photons, atoms, and electrons; and magnetic fields) and adds the special and general theories of relativity.

ASTRON 9 Selected Topics in Astronomy 3 Units

This seminar will explore one of a variety of subjects in greater depth than in introductory courses. Possible topics include stars, galaxies, the solar system, the interstellar medium, relativity and cosmology, history of astronomy, observational astronomy, and life in the universe.

ASTRON 10 Introduction to General Astronomy 4 Units

A description of modern astronomy with emphasis on the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the Universe. Additional topics optionally discussed include quasars, pulsars, black holes, and extraterrestrial communication, etc. Individual instructor's synopses available from the department.

ASTRON C10 Introduction to General Astronomy 4 Units

A description of modern astronomy with emphasis on the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the Universe. Additional topics optionally discussed include quasars, pulsars, black holes, and extraterrestrial communication, etc. Individual instructor's synopses available from the department.

ASTRON N10 Introduction to General Astronomy 3 Units

The nature and evolution of the universe: history of astronomical knowledge; overall structure of the universe; galaxies, radio galaxies, peculiar galaxies, and quasars; structure and evolution of stars; exploding stars, pulsars, and black holes; exploration of the solar system; the search for extraterrestrial life.

ASTRON C12 The Planets 3 Units

A tour of the mysteries and inner workings of our solar system. What are planets made of? Why do they orbit the sun the way they do? How do planets form, and what are they made of? Why do some bizarre moons have oceans, volcanoes, and ice floes? What makes the Earth hospitable for life? Is the Earth a common type of planet or some cosmic quirk? This course will introduce basic physics, chemistry, and math to understand planets, moons, rings, comets, asteroids, atmospheres, and oceans. Understanding other worlds will help us save our own planet and help us understand our place in the universe.

ASTRON W12 The Planets 3 Units

A tour of the mysteries and inner workings of our solar system. What are planets made of? Why do they orbit the sun the way they do? How do planets form, and what are they made of? Why do some bizarre moons have oceans, volcanoes, and ice floes? What makes the Earth hospitable for life? Is the Earth a common type of planet or some cosmic quirk? This course will introduce basic physics, chemistry, and math to understand planets, moons, rings, comets, asteroids, atmospheres, and oceans. Understanding other worlds will help us save our own planet and help us understand our place in the universe. This course is web-based.

ASTRON C13 Origins: from the Big Bang to the Emergence of Humans 4 Units

This course will cover our modern scientific understanding of origins, from the Big Bang to the formation of planets like Earth, evolution by natural selection, the genetic basis of evolution, and the emergence of humans. These ideas are of great intrinsic scientific importance and also have far reaching implications for other aspects of people's lives (e.g., philosophical, religious, and political). A major theme will be the scientific method and how we know what we know.

ASTRON 24 Freshman Seminars 1 Unit

The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

ASTRON 39 Seminar 1.5 Unit

A small-size undergraduate seminar exploring one astronomical topic in depth. Students are responsible for much of the presentation.

ASTRON 84 Sophomore Seminar 1 or 2 Units

Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.

ASTRON 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Topics will vary with instructor.

ASTRON 99 Directed Study in Astronomy 1 - 3 Units

Supervised observational studies or directed reading for lower division students.

ASTRON 120 Optical and Infrared Astronomy Laboratory 4 Units

This course requires four to six experiments such as the following: accurate position and brightness measurements of stars; laboratory exploration of the characteristics of two-dimensional charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and infrared detectors; measurement of the distance, reddening, and age of a star cluster; measurement of the Stokes parameters and linear polarization of diffuse synchrotron and reflection nebulae; measurement of the period and pulse shape of the Crab pulsar using Fourier techniques. Professional telescopes will be used such as those at Leuschner Observatory and Lick Observatory. There is a emphasis on error analysis, software development in the IDL language, and high-quality written reports.

ASTRON 121 Radio Astronomy Laboratory 4 Units

Several basic laboratory experiments that concentrate on microwave electronics and techniques; construction of receiving, observing, and data analysis systems for two radioastronomical telescopes, a single-dish 21-cm line system and a 12-GHz interferometer; use of these telescopes for astronomical observing projects including structure of the Milky Way galaxy, precise position measurement of several radio sources, and measurement of the radio brightness distributions of the sun and moon with high angular resolution. There is a heavy emphasis on digital data acquisition, software development in the IDL language, and high-quality written reports.

ASTRON 160 Stellar Physics 4 Units

Topics covered include some, but not necessarily all, of the following. Observational constraints on the properties and evolution of stars. Theory of stellar structure and evolution. Stellar atmospheres and stellar spectroscopy. Stellar nucleosynthesis. Supernovae. Degeneracy of matter and structure of collapsed stars. Elements of gas dynamics, accretion onto compact objects, and x-ray sources. Dynamics and evolution of close binary systems. Stellar pulsation.

ASTRON C161 Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology 4 Units

Elements of general relativity. Physics of pulsars, cosmic rays, black holes. The cosmological distance scale, elementary cosmological models, properties of galaxies and quasars. The mass density and age of the universe. Evidence for dark matter and dark energy and concepts of the early universe and of galaxy formation. Reflections on astrophysics as a probe of the extrema of physics.

ASTRON C162 Planetary Astrophysics 4 Units

Physics of planetary systems, both solar and extra-solar. Star and planet formation, radioactive dating, small-body dynamics and interaction of radiation with matter, tides, planetary interiors, atmospheres, and magnetospheres. High-quality oral presentations may be required in addition to problem sets and a final exam.

ASTRON H195 Special Study for Honors Candidates 2 - 4 Units

Individual project of research or study.

ASTRON 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Topics will vary with instructor.

ASTRON 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

ASTRON 201 Radiation Processes in Astronomy 4 Units

An introduction to the basic physics of astronomy and astrophysics at the graduate level. Principles of energy transfer by radiation. Elements of classical and quantum theory of photon emission; bremsstrahlung, cyclotron and synchrotron radiation. Compton scattering, atomic, molecular and nuclear electromagnetic transitions. Collisional excitation of atoms, molecules and nuclei.

ASTRON C202 Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 4 Units

Principles of gas dynamics, self-gravitating fluids, magnetohydrodynamics and elementary kinetic theory. Aspects of convection, fluid oscillations, linear instabilities, spiral density waves, shock waves, turbulence, accretion disks, stellar winds, and jets.

ASTRON 203 Astrophysical Techniques 3 Units

Introduction to the flow of astronomical signals through telescope optics and into detectors; subsequent calibration, deconvolution of instrumental artifacts, and analysis. A broad wavelength approach is maintained with focus on shared fundamental concepts. Students "adopt a wavelength band" for assignments and presentations. Analysis and simulation of astronomical signals, noise, and errors.

ASTRON 204 Numerical Techniques in Astronomy 3 Units

Methods of data analysis, model fitting, and data display, all oriented towards the detailed analysis of astronomical observation data and/or numerical results from simulations. Specific topics include probability density functions, error propagation, maximum likelihood, least squares, data and function fitting, Fourier transforms, wavelets, principal components analysis, color images. The software language used is the Interactive Data Language (IDL).

ASTRON C207 Radiation Processes in Astronomy 4 Units

An introduction to the basic physics of astronomy and astrophysics at the graduate level. Principles of energy transfer by radiation. Elements of classical and quantum theory of photon emission; bremsstrahlung, cyclotron and synchrotron radiation. Compton scattering, atomic, molecular and nuclear electromagnetic transitions. Collisional excitation of atoms, molecules and nuclei.

ASTRON 216 Interstellar Matter 3 Units

A survey of the observational data and theoretical ideas on the interstellar medium, with emphasis on the inferred physical conditions.

ASTRON 218 Stellar Dynamics and Galactic Structure 3 Units

A basic course. Structure and kinematics of the galaxy; stellar population concepts; dynamics of stellar systems with and without encounters.

ASTRON C228 Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology 3 Units

A survey of physical cosmology - the study of the origin, evolution, and fate of the universe. Topics include the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model, thermal history and big bang nucleosynthesis, evidence and nature of dark matter and dark energy, the formation and growth of galaxies and large scale structure, the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave radiation, inflation in the early universe, tests of cosmological models, and current research areas. The course complements the material of Astronomy 218.

ASTRON C249 Solar System Astrophysics 3 Units

The physical foundations of planetary sciences. Topics include planetary interiors and surfaces, planetary atmospheres and magnetospheres, and smaller bodies in our solar system. The physical processes at work are developed in some detail, and an evolutionary picture for our solar system, and each class of objects, is developed. Some discussion of other (potential) planetary systems is also included.

ASTRON 250 Special Topics in Astrophysics 3 Units

Topics will vary from semester to semester. See department for announcements.

ASTRON 252 Stellar Structure and Evolution 3 Units

Equations of stellar structure, radiative transfer and convection, thermonuclear reactions and stellar energy generations; stellar models, degenerate configurations, evolutionary sequences, supernovae, neutron stars, black holes, nucleosynthesis.

ASTRON C254 High Energy Astrophysics 3 Units

Basic physics of high energy radiation processes in an astrophysics environment. Cosmic ray production and propagation. Applications selected from pulsars, x-ray sources, supernovae, interstellar medium, extragalactic radio sources, quasars, and big-bang cosmologies.

ASTRON 255 Computational Methods in Theoretical Astrophysics 3 Units

A broad in-depth survey of state-of-the-art numerical approaches to astrophysical self-gravitational gas dynamics with application to large scale simulation of coupled non-linear astrophysical flows. Finite-difference approaches for Lagrangian and Eulerian astrophysical hydrodynamics and coupled radiation-hydrodynamics. N-body gravitation techniques including direct N-body, P-M, P3M, and hierarchical Tree. Particle gas dynamics methods such as smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH), adaptive SPH and unification of SPH, and gravity tree hierarchies (TREE-SPH). Advanced techniques such as higher order Godunov finite difference methods with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR). Applications of these approaches in three broad areas: cosmology, high energy astrophysics, and star formation and the interstellar medium.

ASTRON C285 Theoretical Astrophysics Seminar 1 Unit

The study of theoretical astrophysics.

ASTRON 290A Introduction to Current Research 1 Unit

Survey of research currently being performed in the Department or the University.

ASTRON 290B Introduction to Current Research 1 Unit

Continuation of 290A. Study of a research topic with an individual staff member.

ASTRON C290C Cosmology 2 Units

ASTRON 292 Seminar 1 - 2 Units

In addition to the weekly colloquium, the Department offers seminars in advanced topics, several of which are announced at the beginning of each semester. A maximum of 5 units may be taken per semester with a limitation of 2 in any one section.

ASTRON C292 Planetary Science Seminar 1 Unit

The departments of Astronomy and Earth and Planetary Science offer a joint research seminar in advanced topics in planetary science, featuring speakers drawn from graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and visiting scholars. Topics will span planetary interiors; surface morphology; atmospheres; dynamics; planet formation; and astrobiology. Speakers will vary from semester to semester. Meetings will be held once a week for 1 hour each, and the schedule of speakers will be determined on the first day of class. To pass the class, participants will be required to give a 30-minute presentation, either on their own research or on recent results from the literature.

ASTRON 298 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Tutorial for groups of two or three students.

ASTRON 299 Advanced Study and Research 2 - 12 Units

ASTRON 301 Undergraduate Astronomy Instruction 1 - 2 Units

Open to a limited number of highly qualified undergraduate students interested in astronomy teaching at the college level. Students will participate in a seminar on educational methods and engage in tutorial or laboratory teaching under supervision of a faculty member.

ASTRON 375 Instruction Techniques in General Astronomy 2 - 6 Units

Discussion and practice of teaching techniques as applied to astronomy. Open to graduate students who are presently teaching assistants or associates. Two units for course plus one section; three units for two discussion sections.

ASTRON 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Students 1 - 8 Units

Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D. (and other doctoral degrees). May not be used for unit or residence requirement for the doctoral degree.

Faculty

Professors

Steven Van Walter Beckwith, PhD, Professor.

Leo Blitz, Professor. Astronomy, formation of galaxies, evolution of galaxies, conversion of interstellar gases, milky way, dark matter, dwarf galaxies, interstellar medium, high velocity clouds, hydrogen atom.
Research Profile

Joshua Simon Bloom, PhD, Professor. Machine learning, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, time-domain astronomy, data-driven discovery.
Research Profile

Eugene Chiang, PhD, Professor. Planetary science, theoretical astrophysics, dynamics, planet formation, circumstellar disks.
Research Profile

Marc Davis, Professor. Astronomy, physical cosmology, large scale velocity fields, structure formation in the universe, maps of galactic dust.
Research Profile

Alexei V. Filippenko, Professor.

James R. Graham, Professor. Adaptive optics, infrared instrumentation, large telescopes.
Research Profile

Carl E. Heiles, Professor. Astronomy, interstellar medium, itsmorphology, supernovas, interstellar magnetic fields, Eridanus superbubble, interstellar gases.
Research Profile

Chung-Pei Ma, Professor. Astrophysics, dark matter, cosmology, formation and evolution of galaxies, cosmic microwave background radiation.
Research Profile

Geoffrey W. Marcy, Professor. Astrophysics, planets, optical astrophysics, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics.
Research Profile

Eliot Quataert, Professor. Compact objects, theoretical astrophysics, theoretical physics, black holes, accretion theory, plasma physics, high energy astrophysics, galaxies, stars.
Research Profile

Assistant Professors

Mariska Kriek, PhD, Assistant Professor.

Aaron Parsons, Assistant Professor.

Adjunct Faculty

Alfred E. Glassgold, Adjunct Faculty. Theoretical astrophysics and underlying physical processes, interstellar and circumstellar matter, star and planet fromationstar formation.
Research Profile

Richard I Klein, Adjunct Faculty. Astronomy, star formation, interstellar medium, coupled radiation-gas dynamical flows, supernova shockwaves, hydrodynamic collisions, high-energy astrophysics, photon bubble oscillations, hydro dynamics.
Research Profile

Contact Information

Department of Astronomy

B-20 Hearst Field Annex

Phone: 510-642-5275

Fax: 510-642-3411

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Imke de Pater, PhD

561B Campbell Hall

Phone: 510-642-1947

imke@berkeley.edu

Graduate and Undergraduate Affairs Officer

Dexter Stewart

B-30 Hearst Field Annex

Phone: 510-642-8520

dexters@berkeley.edu

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