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Last updated:

April 28, 2022

Duration:

Unlimited Duration

FREE

This course includes:

Unlimited Duration

Badge on Completion

Certificate of completion

Unlimited Duration

Description

Please note: this course will be closing on 11 May 2022. After this date, you will no longer be able to study the course but if you've already gained your cerficate this will continue to display in your learner profile.

Active galaxies provide a prime example of high energy processes operating in the Universe. This free course gives an overview of active galaxies, including the supermassive black holes that power the engines at their centres, and the emission processes by which we detect and study them. It also gives practice in mathematical techniques for analysing data and theoretical models.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • Recognise the terminology which is used to describe the properties and behaviour of active galactic nuclei (AGN)
  • Manipulate numbers, algebraic symbols and mathematical functions in equations.

Course Curriculum

  • Introduction 00:10:00
  • Learning outcomes 00:03:00
  • Meet your first active galactic nuclei 00:20:00
  • Black holes: a reminder 00:20:00
    • AGNs 00:10:00
    • QSO spectra 00:20:00
    • Luminosities 00:20:00
    • The Eddington Limit 00:45:00
    • Example 1 01:00:00
    • The Milky Way 00:30:00
    • Activity 3: Stars orbiting our local supermassive black hole 00:20:00
    • Distances in extragalactic astronomy 00:20:00
    • The key questions 00:07:00
    • Blackbody radiation 00:20:00
    • Free-free radiation 00:10:00
    • Polarization of electromagnetic radiation 00:25:00
    • Faraday depolarization 00:10:00
    • Emission from spiralling electrons: synchrotron radiation 00:30:00
    • Producing synchroton radiation in a laboratory 00:25:00
    • Radiation detection 00:25:00
    • Example 2 and questions 01:00:00
    • Compton scattering 00:25:00
    • Continuum spectra 00:45:00
    • Extended radio sources 00:40:00
    • Line spectra: ions and spectral lines 01:00:00
    • Line spectra: line flux and equivalent width 00:45:00
    • Line spectra: Activity 7 Colours and broad lines 00:30:00
    • Line spectra: Activity 8 Quasar redshifts 00:25:00
    • Luminosity functions 00:30:00
    • Conclusion 00:45:00
    • Keep on learning 00:10:00

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Open University UK