285170 Astrophysics of Compact Objects (V) (SoSe 2025)

GENERAL PROGRAMME (subject to possible changes)

Recalls of basic concepts in Astrophysics
- black body radiation; telescopes; definition of star; stellar types; Hertzsprung-Russell diagram

Stellar Structure:
- equation of stellar structure

Compact Objects:
- stellar evolution; definition of compact object; surface gravity; escape velocity; basic properties of white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes

White Dwarfs:
- electron degeneracy pressure; Lane-Emden equation; mass-radius relation; critical mass

Neutron Stars:
- structure; Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equation; supernova explosion; supernova remnants

Black Holes:
- definition; Einstein's equations; Schwarzschild radius; no-hair theorem; the M87 black hole image

Binary systems:
- recalls of Kepler's laws; orbital parameters; circular orbits and eccentric orbits; mass function; Lagrangian points; Roemer delay; Doppler effect; determination of component masses; phase-resolved spectroscopy; post-Keplerian parameters

Theory of Accretion:
- radial accretion; disk accretion; energy efficiency; Eddington luminosity

X-ray binaries:
- Low-mass X-ray binaries; High-mass X-ray binaries; Roche-Lobe overflow; wind accretion; cataclysmic variables; black hole binaries; microquasars

X-ray pulsators in binaries:
- accretion on neutron star magnetosphere; magnetospheric radius; corotation radius; Alfven radius

Ultra-luminous X-ray sources:
- main properties, intermediate-mass black holes, neutron stars, super-Eddington accretion

Radio Pulsars
- history; general properties and phenomenology; distribution; dipole model; dispersion measure; spin-down; glitches; P-Pdot diagram; classification
- binary pulsars; millisecond pulsars; evolution in the P-Pdot diagram; optical counterparts; transitional pulsars
- pulsar applications; pulsar timing; Relativistic Measurements in pulsars; Hulse-Taylor pulsar, Double Pulsar

Magnetars:
- Anomalous X-ray pulsars and Soft Gamma Repeaters; basic properties; energy budget and magnetic field; bursts; giant flares

Gamma-Ray Bursts;
- Short and Long gamma-ray bursts; main properties

Active Galactic Nuclei:
- Supermassive black holes; Sagittarius A*; Sagittarius A* cluster; standard model of AGNs; supermassive black hole binaries

Gravitational Waves:
- history; GW detectors; sources of GWs (rotating NSs, binary NS mergers), GW150914, GW170817 and kilonova; Pulsar Timing Arrays

Fast Radio Bursts:
- Observational properties; models; applications