Astrophysics

Astrofysica

Course manual 2025/2026

Course content

Astronomy requires us to bring together many different disciplines within physics. Understanding the structure and evolution of stars requires knowledge of physical processes that operate on the very smallest scale (such as nuclear fusion and quantum effects) and those that operate on a much larger scale (such as gravity and radiation transport).  But our laboratories are too far away to experiment on directly – we are reliant on what we can learn from the radiation that stars emit.  In this course we’ll explore the most important physical processes that take place in stars, and learn how to combine them in physical models that let us make sense of the properties that we observe.  You can expect to encounter atomic physics, statistical physics, thermal physics, gravity, nuclear physics, quantum physics and electromagnetism and apply them – using mathematical and computational methods - to understand the lifecycles of stars, from birth to black hole.

We will connect to much of the physics that you have learned in other courses during the first year, and lay placeholders for some of the more advanced material to come in the other second and third year courses. In addition to talking about the parts of stellar evolution that we think we understand well, we'll spend a little time each week talking about some of the unsolved puzzles. 

Study materials

Literature

• Sean G. Ryan and Andrew J. Norton, 'Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis', Cambridge University Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-521-13320-3.

Objectives

• Understand and be able to describe the observed properties of stellar populations.
• Understand the most important physical processes that play a role in stellar structure and evolution.
• Understand and be able to evaluate the key nuclear reactions inside stars that determine their properties and evolution, and ultimately the chemical make up of the Universe.
• Be able to to derive and solve simple physical models of stellar structure and key processes.
• Apply your understanding of the physical processes at work to understand the processes of stellar evolution, from birth through main sequence and post main sequence evolution to final stage as a white dwarf, neutron star or black hole.
• Be able to communicate the essence of complex scientific concepts in concise written form.
• Be able to lay out and explain calculations in a way that facilitates insight, error checking and replication.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Problem-solving classes
• Self-study

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (TER-B):

• Each student is expected to participate actively in each component of the programme that he/she signed up for. A student that does not attend the first two seminars of a course, will be administratively removed from the seminar group. A request for reregistration for the seminars can be applied to the programme coordinator.
• If a student cannot attend an obligatory component of a programme's component due to circumstances beyond his control, he must report in writing to the relevant teacher as soon as possible. The teacher, if necessary after consulting the study adviser, may decide to issue the student a replacing assignment.
• It is not allowed to miss obligatory commponents of the programme if there is no case of circumstances beyond one's control.
• In case of participating qualitatively or quantitatively insufficiently, the examiner can expel a student from further participation in the programme's component or a part of that component. Conditions for sufficient participation are set down in advance in the course manual.

Assessment

Assessment is based on the results of the final written exam (tentamen). 
There will be a practice exam, for which participating students will get feedback on their scripts. 

Inspection of assessed work

There will be a review session when students can sign up to inspect their final exams. Times for these will be announced on Canvas once the final grades have been determined.

Assignments

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

It is recommended that you have completed the following 1st year courses:  Sterrenkunde 1, Quantumfysica 1

Language:

Lectures will be given in English (but questions may be asked in Dutch if needed).

Werkcolleges will be in either Dutch or English.

Exams will be set in English.  Try to answer the questions in English if possible (it's good practice for scientific life!) but it is fine to answer the questions in Dutch if needed.

Contact information

Coordinator

• prof. dr. A.L. Watts

Anna Watts (Course coordinator, lecturer):  A.L.Watts@uva.nl (C4.134)

TAs: 

Group A: Anna Watts (Selah Melfor in Week 2)

Group B: Pravita Hallur

Group C: Nick Lust (Selah Melfor in Week 1)