STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS
Stars are the fundamental building blocks of the Universe. They are the principal source of electromagnetic radiation at many wavelengths. By injecting vast amounts of energy into their surroundings, they act as drivers for the evolution of their host galaxies. Likewise, through their formation of chemical elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, they are ultimately responsible for the existence of the world we live in and life as we know it. This course is an introduction to the physics that governs the stars. It will cover basic astronomical quantities, the physical characteristics of stars, stellar atmospheres and spectroscopy, stellar interiors, star formation and evolution, and the products of stellar death (white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes).
Stellar astrophysics is one of the resounding successes of modern physics. It brings together elements from almost every subfield of physics, from gravity to atomic and nuclear physics through thermodynamics and relativity. One of the goal of this course is to improve the proficiency in these fields while familiarizing with the current knowledge of stars. We will particularly insist on nuclear physics as the full understanding of a star needs advanced notions of nuclear physics, in particular concerning thermonuclear fusion. At the end, it will be possible to understand in surprising details what goes on deep inside objects that, to us, are a mere pinprick of light in the sky.
Bibliography :
- « PHY-51053 Stellar Astrophysics » by Sylvain Chaty & Alain Lecavelier (2025)
Previous versions :
- Astrophysique stellaire by Frédéric Daigne et Alain Lecavelier (2023)
- Astrophysique stellaire by Roland Lehoucq et Frédéric Daigne (2015)
- Physique et Astrophysique nucléaires by Martin Lemoine and Caroline Terquem (2006)
- Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics by Jean-Louis Basdevant, James Rich and Michel Spiro (2005)
- D. Clayton. Principle of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis. University of Chicago press, 1984.
