Examination procedure
<p>Seminar</p>
Prerequisites
The course is designed for doctoral students, but can also be attended by master students. It requires a basic knowledge of Physics and the courses from the Bachelor in Physics are sufficient.
Syllabus
We will present some of the techniques used nowadays to observe the Universe on different scales and epochs. The thermal history of the Universe will be introduced, together with several investigation methods related to the study of the cosmic microwave background, signature of the "Recombination era" that drives the Universe in the so-called "Dark ages". Topics include also the thermal and ionization history of the intergalactic medium, galaxy formation and evolution, galactic structure and environment, the interstellar medium, black holes growth and evolution, super-massive black holes, and finally gravitational waves emitted from massive black holes. Special attention will be devoted to what can be learned from current and upcoming observational facilities.
Bibliographical references
Binney and Tremaine, "Galactic dynamics", Princeton University Press; H. Netzer: "The physics and evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei", Cambridge University Press H. Mo, F. van de Bosch, and S. White, “Galaxy formation and evolution”, Cambridge University Press. Further references will be provided during the lectures.