Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics

Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics is the branch of astrophysics dedicated to the study of stars, encompassing their entire life cycle from birth in interstellar gas clouds to their eventual demise as remnants like white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. By applying the principles of physics—particularly nuclear physics, thermodynamics, and radiative transfer—to observational data, this field seeks to understand the internal structure, atmospheric properties, energy generation, and chemical evolution of stars. This knowledge is fundamental not only for understanding individual celestial objects but also for deciphering the larger-scale evolution of galaxies and the synthesis of chemical elements throughout the cosmos.

1. Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics
   1. Fundamental Concepts and Scales
      1. Definition of a Star
         1. Physical Characteristics
         2. Energy Generation Mechanisms
         3. Distinction from Planets and Brown Dwarfs
      2. Astronomical Units of Measurement
         1. Distance Units
            1. Astronomical Unit
            2. Parsec
            3. Light-year
            4. Kiloparsec
            5. Megaparsec
         2. Mass Units
            1. Solar Mass
            2. Jupiter Mass
            3. Earth Mass
         3. Luminosity Units
            1. Solar Luminosity
            2. Absolute Bolometric Magnitude
         4. Time Units
            1. Year
            2. Megayear
            3. Gigayear
         5. Energy Units
            1. Electron Volt
            2. Erg
            3. Joule
      3. The Celestial Sphere and Coordinate Systems
         1. Celestial Equator and Poles
         2. Ecliptic and Equinoxes
         3. Right Ascension and Declination
         4. Galactic Coordinates
         5. Precession and Nutation
         6. Proper Motion
   2. Foundational Physics
      1. Classical Mechanics
         1. Newton's Laws of Motion
         2. Law of Universal Gravitation
         3. Gravitational Potential Energy
         4. Orbital Mechanics
      2. Principles of Thermodynamics
         1. Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
         2. First Law of Thermodynamics
         3. Second Law of Thermodynamics
         4. Third Law of Thermodynamics
         5. Energy Conservation
         6. Entropy and Heat Transfer
         7. Ideal Gas Law
         8. Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution
      3. Electromagnetic Theory
         1. Maxwell's Equations
         2. Electromagnetic Radiation
         3. Blackbody Radiation
         4. Planck's Law
         5. Wien's Displacement Law
         6. Stefan-Boltzmann Law
      4. Fundamentals of Nuclear Physics
         1. Atomic Structure
         2. Nuclear Binding Energy
         3. Mass-Energy Equivalence
         4. Radioactive Decay
         5. Nuclear Fusion
         6. Nuclear Fission
         7. Cross Sections and Reaction Rates
      5. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
         1. Quantization of Energy
         2. Wave-Particle Duality
         3. Uncertainty Principle
         4. Pauli Exclusion Principle
         5. Quantum States and Energy Levels
         6. Transition Probabilities
      6. Special and General Relativity
         1. Postulates of Special Relativity
         2. Time Dilation and Length Contraction
         3. Mass-Energy Equivalence
         4. Four-Momentum
         5. Principles of General Relativity
         6. Gravitational Redshift
         7. Curvature of Spacetime
         8. Schwarzschild Metric
   3. Observational Tools and Techniques
      1. Telescopes and Instrumentation
         1. Optical Telescopes
            1. Refracting Telescopes
            2. Reflecting Telescopes
            3. Telescope Mounts
            4. Adaptive Optics
         2. Radio Telescopes
            1. Single Dish Telescopes
            2. Interferometric Arrays
         3. Infrared Telescopes
            1. Thermal Background Issues
            2. Detector Technology
         4. Ultraviolet Telescopes
            1. Atmospheric Absorption
            2. Space-based Requirements
         5. X-ray Telescopes
            1. Grazing Incidence Optics
            2. Focusing Systems
         6. Gamma-ray Telescopes
            1. Detection Methods
            2. Coded Aperture Imaging
         7. Space-based vs Ground-based Observatories
            1. Advantages and Limitations
            2. Major Observatory Examples
      2. Photometry
         1. Photometric Systems
            1. Johnson-Cousins System
            2. Sloan Digital Sky Survey System
            3. Infrared Photometric Systems
         2. CCD Photometry
            1. Charge-Coupled Devices
            2. Data Reduction Techniques
         3. Light Curves
            1. Periodic Variables
            2. Transient Events
         4. Calibration and Error Analysis
            1. Standard Stars
            2. Systematic and Random Errors
      3. Spectroscopy
         1. Spectrographs and Gratings
            1. Diffraction Gratings
            2. Prism Spectrographs
            3. Echelle Spectrographs
         2. Spectral Resolution
            1. Resolving Power
            2. Instrumental Profile
         3. Absorption and Emission Lines
            1. Line Formation Mechanisms
            2. Equivalent Width
            3. Line Profiles
         4. Doppler Shift Measurements
            1. Radial Velocity Determination
            2. Precision Requirements
      4. Astrometry
         1. Measuring Stellar Positions
            1. Reference Frames
            2. Catalog Systems
         2. Proper Motion
            1. Tangential Velocity
            2. Space Motion
         3. Parallax Measurements
            1. Trigonometric Parallax
            2. Statistical Parallax
            3. Photometric Parallax
      5. Interferometry
         1. Principles of Interferometry
            1. Wave Interference
            2. Fringe Visibility
         2. Baseline and Angular Resolution
            1. Resolution Limits
            2. Baseline Synthesis
         3. Applications in Stellar Astronomy
            1. Stellar Diameter Measurements
            2. Binary Star Orbits
            3. Surface Imaging