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Student topics

Today will be devoted to brief student reports on some aspect of observational technology and techniques related to the topics we've covered so far. In other words, related to

Each student should find a paper which involves one (or more) of these areas; it may have been published at any time. The student must focus on the observational aspects of the paper, and prepare to give a 3-minute presentation on the topic. By "presentation", I mean "an oral address to the class, which may include any and all relevant audio-visual aids." It is not necessary to create a Powerpoint slide deck ...

In addition, each student must write one test question centered on this aspect of observational astrophysics. The question should be appropriate for a graduate-level course, and should take no more than 5 or 10 minutes to answer. Below are a few sample questions:

  1. Why are photomultiplier tubes used in Cerenkov-type neutrino telescopes?

  2. Joe Scorpio observes an X-ray source near the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The source appears to produce brehmsstrahlung radiation. Joe does not realize the source lies behind thick clouds of dust and gas in the line of sight.
    1. How will the dust affect the X-rays?
    2. Joe derives a temperature of 30 million Kelvin for gas in the source. Is the true temperature of the gas likely to be lower, higher, or roughly this value? Explain.

  3. You are asked to design a gamma-ray detector for a small satellite mission.
    1. What sort of device would be a good choice?
    2. Describe the good points of this device
    3. Describe the drawbacks of this device

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.