High Energy Astrophysics

Objectives

Skills

• Formulate and tackle problems, both open and more defined, identifying the most relevant principles and using approaches where necessary to reach a solution, which should be presented with an explanation of the suppositions and approaches.
• Understand the bases of advanced topics selected at the frontier of high energy physics, astrophysics and cosmology and apply them consistently.

Learning outcomes

1. Analyze the different sources of cosmic radiation.
2. Distinguish and analyze the different classs of cosmic radiation detectors.
3. Understand the physical processes responsible for the emission, propagation and absorption of cosmic radiation (charged particles, photons and neutrinos).

Content

1. Theory 1.1. Physical processes. Introduction about cosmic rays, X and gamma rays

2. Detectors 2.1. X- and gamma-ray detectors. Main instrumentation in space and ground based, e.g. INTEGRAL, Fermi, Cherenkov telescopes 2.2. Cosmic ray detectors

3. The high-energy sky 3.1. Accretion powered sources: white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes in binaries 3.2. Nova and supernova explosions 3.3. Supernova remnants, pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae 3.4. Gamma-ray emission related to nucleosynthesis. Diffuse and line emission 3.5. Gamma-ray emission related to matter anti - matter annihilation 3.6. Gamma-Ray Bursts 3.7. Other sources of high-energy radiation

Prerequisites

It is mandatory to have followed the course of Introduction to the Physics of the Cosmos. It is also recommended - but not mandatory - to have followed the Observational Techniques course.