Statistical analysis of astrophysical data
Course Brief Description
Number of credits: 5 ECTS
Course period: 1 semester / 1 class per week
Language of Instruction: English
Instructor: Jun-ichi Nakashima (name, surname)
Name of the Institute: Institute for Natural Sciences
Office Phone: +7-343-2617445
E-mail: nakashima.junichi@gmail.com
Course description:
The main aim of the course is to provide knowledge with the methods that are used in a
radio interferometric researches, as well as with modern multivariate methods of
mathematical statistics, which are used in radio astronomy significantly in the recent years.
The material explaining the main steps of radio interferometric research is presented as
computer presentations. To learn the material it is offered to make reduction of the real
astronomical data.
Lectures and reading materials. Participating in the lectures and reading the assigned
papers is the most essential part of the course. All enrolled students are therefore expected
to participate in all lectures and read all assigned papers.
Seminars. The seminars are organized and conducted by the Instructor. The student
performance at the seminars will be assessed based on three criteria: attendance,
preparedness, and activity.
Assignments. For each part of the course there will be an individual assignment to solve
some individual exercises. The assignments will be graded and commented by the
Instructor with one paragraph of comments.
Points for participation in discussions are awarded if the students use additional
information from supplementary readings and make explicit reference to the author and to
the book/article they have used.
Mid-term exam not planned.
Final Exam is the oral examination on two questions based on the material covered within
the course.
Grading:
ECTS Grade
Points
Russian grade
A
100-91 points
“excellent”: 100-87 points
B
90-81
“good”:
86 - 73 points
C
80-71
“satisfactory”: 72 - 60 points
D
F: failed
70-61
less than 60 points:
failed
“unsatisfactorily”: failed, less than 60 points
Week 1. Lecture 1. Atmospheric Window. Optical and radio telescopes.
Week 2. Lecture 2. Interferometry in radio astronomy.
Week 3. Lecture 3. Masers in space.
Week 4. Lecture 4. Maser variability.
Week 5. Lecture 5. Systematic circumstellar maser surveys.
Week 6. Lecture 6. Enigmatic IRAS source 19312+1950.
Week 7. Lecture 7. SiO maser pumping mechanism.
Week 8. Lecture 8. Red super giants in massive star clusters.
Week 9. Lecture 9. Analytic formula for mass-loss rate estimation.
Week 10. Lecture 10. Radio Molecular Line Observation.
Week 11. Lecture 11. High velocity flow in AGB stars.
Week 12. Lecture 12. CO emission in Water Fountains.
Week 13. Lecture 13. Single-Dish CO observations.
Week 14. Lecture 14. Multiple Jets Model.
Week 15. Lecture 15. Interferometric CO Imaging.
Week 16. Lecture 16. Methods of analysis of interferometric data
Week 17. Lecture 17. Morpho-kinematic Modeling of CO emission.
Week 18. Lecture 18. Galactic dynamics and structure based on maser observations.
Final exam