Beobachtende Astronomie (MKEP5)

Summersemester, 2010

C.P. Dullemond, Roy van Boekel and Andreas Quirrenbach

Topics:

This lecture gives an overview over methods of astronomical observations across the electromagnetic spectrum (gamma-rays, X-rays, UV/optical, infrared, millimeter and radio). We will discuss this from various perspectives:

• Practicalities of the methods and of observational astronomy as a whole
  We will discuss the basics of time measurement, celestial coordinate systems (and their variations in time), aspects of absolute astrometry, catalogs of astronomical objects, web-based archives for catalogs and databases. For various observational techniques we will discuss the physical principles, data analysis, data reduction and calibration methods.
• The theory and physics behind the methods
  We will discuss issues like geometric optics, aberration, wave propagation, Fresnel/Fraunhofer diffraction, the theory of diffraction patters (point spead functions) of telescopes, atmospheric turbulence and seeing, atmospheric transmission and emission, coherence of light, stochastic signals, bias, van Cittert-Zernike theorem and the theory of interferometry.
• The techniques used, including examples of actual telescopes and instruments
  We will discuss telescope design and detector technology for the various wavelength domains, and, as a more in-depth topic, we will discuss adaptive optics.
• A few example applications
  During the course of the lecture we will also every now and then present an example of what kind of astrophysical observations are done with these techniques.

We will try to be as broad as possible, but naturally we will put some more emphasis on the wavelength domains of our own expertise.

Schedule:

Date	Lecturer	Topic
Tuesday 13.04	Roy van Boekel	Introduction slide show
Thursday 15.04	Roy van Boekel	Coordinates and time
Tuesday 20.04	Roy van Boekel	Catalogs, archives and their web-based access
Thursday 22.04	Kees Dullemond	Basics of radiation transfer
Tuesday 27.04	Kees Dullemond	Geometric optics and theory of diffraction
Thursday 29.04	Kees Dullemond	Diffraction continued (+recap of Fourier analysis)
Tuesday 04.05	Andreas Quirrenbach	Telescope design + aberrations
Thursday 06.05	Andreas Quirrenbach	Telescope design + aberrations
Tuesday 11.05	Roy van Boekel	Atmospheric transmission
Thursday 13.05	--- Ascension day ---	--- No lecture ---
Tuesday 18.05	Kees Dullemond	Atmospheric turbulence effects + signal theory
Thursday 20.05	Kees Dullemond	Atmospheric turbulence effects + signal theory
Tuesday 25.05	Kees Dullemond	Finalizing topic of seeing; Start with CCD detectors
Thursday 27.05	Roy van Boekel	Imaging with CCDs: Observational methods + Demo
Tuesday 01.06	Andreas Quirrenbach	CCD Performance, IR arrays
Thursday 03.06	--- Fronleichnam ---	--- No lecture ---
Tuesday 08.06	Roy van Boekel	Photometry, various techniques + Demo
Thursday 10.06	Roy van Boekel	Spectroscopy + spectrometers I
Tuesday 15.06	Roy van Boekel	Spectroscopy + spectrometers II
Thursday 17.06	Kees Dullemond	Interferometry I
Tuesday 22.06	Roy van Boekel	Interferometry II
Thursday 24.06	Roy van Boekel	Interferometry III
Tuesday 29.06	Kees Dullemond	X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy I
Thursday 01.07	Kees Dullemond	X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy II
Tuesday 06.07	Andreas Quirrenbach	Adaptive optics I
Thursday 08.07	Andreas Quirrenbach	Adaptive optics II
Tuesday 13.07	Kees Dullemond	Non-Electromagnetic Astronomy
Thursday 15.07	Roy van Boekel	Observational Astronomy Highlights: High-mass stars
Tuesday 20.07	Roy van Boekel	Observational Astronomy Highlights: Exoplanets
Thursday 22.07	Roy and Kees	Question Session

On-line material:

The material of this lecture will be somewhat diverse. It consists partly of Powerpoint presentations and partly (the more mathematical parts of the lecture) of LaTeX PDF documents. Also some references to material on the web will be posted. But this material will be posted as we go, and not all material will be posted in electronic form (and will instead be handed out during the lecture). The three lecturers will lecture at different dates, taking turns.

For the first few lectures by Kees Dullemond, here is the on-line material (NOTE: this is very fresh, so there may still be errors and typos):

• Chapter on Radiative Transfer
• Chapter on Geometric Optics
• Chapter on Diffraction
• Chapter on Turbulence and its effect on imaging (+corrections of 20.05.2010)
• Chapter on Semiconductor-based Detectors, CCDs
• Chapter on Interferometry
• Appendix on Fourier Transforms
• Appendix on Stochastics, Signals, etc. (+corrections of 20.05.2010)

The following demonstration computer programs are available for download:

• The Fizeau interferometry demonstration program (written in IDL-language).

R. van Boekel and C. P. Dullemond
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie
Koenigstuhl 17
69117 Heidelberg
Tel: 06221-528-405 resp. 395
Email: boekel@mpia.de resp. dullemon@mpia.de

A. Quirrenbach
Zentrum fuer Astronomie Heidelberg, Landessternwarte
Koenigstuhl
69117 Heidelberg
Tel: 06221-541792
Email: a.quirrenbach@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de