Duration
15h Th, 15h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in space sciences (120 ECTS) | 4 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course allows students to acquire basic concepts of radio observations and radio astrophysical phenomena. First, the course starts with a brief history of the development of radio astronomy. The second part consists of a more in-depth discussion of the physical processes relevant for radio astrophysics (mainly continuum radiative processes), with emphasis on the scientific information accessible through observations. The third part of the course includes an introduction to observational techniques and a brief description of existing and forthcoming radio observatories. Finally, the last part is made of a discussion of several case studies providing a more practical approach to emphasize the interest of radio observations in modern astrophysics. This part addresses among other topics extragalactic sources, stars of various masses, supernova remnants, pulsars, planetary radio emission, the radio detection of cosmic rays, active galactic nuclei and radio galaxies, or even the new class of transient events called Fast Radio Bursts.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The outcomes of this course include:
- the acquirement of an overview of astrophysical topics where radio observations are relevant
- the development of a scientific culture complementary with that provided by other teaching activities of the Master in Space Sciences
- the capability to establish a clear connection between physical processes in astrophysics and measured quantities accessible by radio observations
- the clarification of the main principles on which observational radio astronomy are based
- the familiarisation with antenna and receiver concepts, specific to the field of radio astronomy
- the capability to identify whether/how radio observations could provide relevant information for many science topics addressed in the context of the Master in Space Sciences
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
No particluar prerequisite beside the conditions for admission to the Master in Space Sciences.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The theoretical part is organized in lectures illustrated by detailed lecture notes and by slideshows commented by the lecturer. Learning supports in English are made available to students via the eCampus platform.
The practical part includes various activities:
- revision and critical discussions of some theoretical parts of the course, on the basis of exercises
- discussion of science cases relevant to radio astrophysics
- multiple choice questionnaires used for self-evaluation purposes (IN/OUT questionnaire)
- a hands-on session on a virtual radio observatory for the study of pulsars
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
The course is organized in theoretical lectures (15 hours in total), complemented by practical activities (15 hours in total).
The presence of students is requested for both theoretical and practical lectures.
Organisational adjustments related to the current health context
Recommended or required readings
Lecture notes written in english including the main content of the course are provided to the students. These notes constitute the mandatory support to prepare for the exam.
The exploration of the supplementary material made available on the eCampus platform is also highly recommended.
Assessment methods and criteria
Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.
Any session :
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions ) AND oral exam
- Remote
oral exam AND written work
- If evaluation in "hybrid"
preferred in-person
Additional information:
If the in-person exam is allowed:
A written examination is organized in the May-June session. It consists of:
- a multiple choice questionnaire related to the theoretical and practical parts of the course
- two questions related to the theoretical course content; purely theoretical questions are selected from a list communicated beforehand to students
- an open question on a science topic discussed in the course
- an exercise based on the practical part of the course
- the three "killing questions": a true/false questionnaire about essential points addressed in the course
- a feedback on the written exam
- a discussion allowing students to improve mainly their answer to the open question
If the in-person exam is not allowed:
1. Students will receive questions by e-mail after the end of the last class.
2. Students will prepare detailed answers to the questions at home, and will send the answers by e-mail at the lastest 1 week before the oral exam. The description of the answers will have to be as a clear and complete as possible, though it will have to stay within the limits of the question.
3. The oral discussion will be at most 30 minutes long per students, using Lifesize (webcam and microphone will be used) or Skype.
4. During the oral discussion, students will be asked questions to warrant that they know what they are talking about in their written answers prepared in advance.
5. During the oral discussion, additional questions will be asked to evaluate the overall knowledge and understanding of the course content.
6. The evaluation will be based on the quality and consistency of the answers given during the oral discussion.
More details are communicated via an internal document available in e-Campus.
Work placement(s)
Not applicable.
Organizational remarks
Lectures are organized according to the planning of the Master in Space Sciences communicated to students. Minor changes with respect to the initial schedule can occur, upon agreement between the students and the teacher.
Contacts
Michaël De Becker
Phone: 04/3669717
E-mail: Michael.DeBecker@uliege.be
Office: Institut d'Astrophysique et Géophysique, Building B5c, 1st floor, office 1/8