ASTR410: Radio Astronomy
Spring 2016

Meeting Place and Time: CSS2416 TTh, 12:30-1:45

Instructor:

Textbook: Essential Radio Astronomy
by J. Condon and S. Ransom, c. 2016
Princeton University Press
(ISBN 9780691137797, Hardback; ISBN 9781400881161)
But since it hasn't quite been published yet, the authors have graciously agreed
that I can release the relevant materials to you in PDF!

Course Overview:

Astronomical observations at radio wavelengths are a vital part of the study of nearly any object in the universe. Radio astronomy plays a key role in discovering and understanding objects as diverse as the Cosmic Background Radiation, the huge jets of relativistic matter from the nuclei of luminous galaxies, ionized gas around young stars, pulsars, diffuse clouds of hydrogen atoms orbiting in galactic gravitational potentials, dense molecular clouds with embedded star formation, evolved stellar atmospheres, the Sun, and the planets. This course is an introduction to the basic physics, instrumentation, and observational targets of radio astronomy. This is an upper-division course that assumes some background in basic physics (waves and E&M in particular) and mathematics (calculus, vector analysis, simple differential equations).

Course work includes twice-weekly lectures, approximately weekly take-home problem sets, a midterm, a cumulative final exam, and a term paper or project with topic to be decided by mutual agreement with class members and the instructor.

Course Expectations:

Lecture attendance: Lectures meet in CSS 2416 on TuTh from 12:30-1:45 PM. Prof. Harris will lead the lectures but you will be expected to raise questions and participate in discussions. In order to do best in this course, you will need to attend ALL lectures. This is very important! The material on the homeworks and exams are based upon the material covered in the lectures and the textbook. If you have to miss a lecture, be sure to look at another student's notes and make sure that you understand what was covered. Please ask Prof. Harris or the TA if you have questions. You should read over the material before lecture and be prepared to discuss it. A more careful reading is recommended after lecture. You should study your class notes sometime before the next lecture to make sure that everything is clear. You are encouraged to ask questions in class -- any question you have is certain to be one others have -- or during office hours, or over email.

Study Habits: Study wisely and ask for help if you need it. If you just cram the night before the exam, you probably will not do very well. It is better (and easier) if you keep up with the material on a daily basis. If you have questions, please see Prof. Harris. I am here to help you learn.

Grading:

Grading is on a point scale with different assignments weighted as shown in the table. A description of each of these components is contained in this syllabus.

ASSIGNMENT	Project	Homework	Midterm	Final	Total
PERCENTAGE	25%	35%	15%	25%	100%

The Midterm and Final Exams are Major Scheduled Grading events defined in the University's policy on attendance (http://www.president.umd.edu/policies/v100g.html). Exam grades are adjusted upward, if need be, so the median score is at least 72%. Letter grades will be assigned based upon your cumulative score. Here is how your grade will be determined from your point total in the class.

Letter Grade	Percentage
A	87.5%-100%
B	75.0%-87.5%
C	62.5%-75.0%
D	50.0%-62.5%
F	< 50.0%

Plus/minus grades will be given within each letter grade for scores near the top and bottom of the percentage ranges.

This point scale makes it possible for everyone in the class to do well. For example, if everyone scores above 75% in the course, everyone would receive either an A or a B letter grade. Any adjustments to the scores will make it easier to get a given grade, never more difficult.

Project:

A major component of this class is a research project. This will be due toward the end of the term. The exact form will be by agreement between the student and the instructor. This is most likely to be a research term paper that uses a number of papers from the literature, but it could also be something else at a comparable level. The goal is to find something that allows a deeper investigation of something related to the class.

Homework

There will be approximately weekly homework problem sets in this course. All homeworks and solutions will be available from the Assignments link on the class ELMS page.

All homeworks must be turned in, neatly written or typed, on 8.5x11 inch paper in class on the assignment due date. If for whatever reason, the University is officially closed on the due date, the due date shifts to the next lecture date. Homework is due in hard copy, and except by prior special arrangement with Prof. Harris; electronically mailed versions of your homework will not be accepted. Homeworks turned in after the lecture ends will be considered late and will receive 20% of the credit at most until 24 hours after the end of lecture, and 50% credit at most for homework turned in at the next lecture; no credit will be given for homework handed in more than one lecture late. If you have an excused absence that prevents you from handing your homework in on time, you must document it in writing (see Attendance and Absences, above) and arrange to have the homework turned in as soon as possible, but no later than during the next lecture.

I encourage discussions with your fellow students on how to best tackle the problems, but I will not tolerate copying or other forms of cheating. Such activities will be promptly reported to the UMD Student Honor Council. Please review the Honor Code of the University (see Academic Integrity below). Although you may discuss the homework problems with your friends, the final writeup must be your own work, formulated in the way you best understand it, and in your own words. If you consult a reference other than the course text, please acknowledge it in your homework - this includes websites!

Midterm Exam

There will be an in-class 75-minute midterm examination, which will be held in CSS 2416 on Tuesday, March 8 (the Tuesday before Spring Break). This exam is closed book with one page of notes allowed, and do bring a calculator. The schedule of lectures included in this syllabus shows what material will be covered on the midterm exam. The midterm exam is a Major Grading Event (see policy on attendances and absences).

If for whatever reason, the University is officially closed on the exam date, the exam date shifts to the next lecture date.

Final Exam

According to University rules, the final exam for this course will be held on Tuesday, May 17, from 1:30 am to 3:30 PM in CSS 2416. This final exam is cumulative, that is, it will cover all material discussed in this course. Material not covered by the midterm exam (see Lecture Schedule) will be somewhat emphasized in the final exam. This exam is closed book with one page of notes, and do bring a calculator. The final exam is a Major Grading Event (see policy on attendances and absences).

Problem Set and Exam Corrections

If you would like to ask for problem set or exam markings to be reevaluated, you must bring it to Prof. Harris within one month of the original due date. There is no time limit on errors in addition for scores, however.

Extra Credit

There will be no extra credit assignments in this class.

Attendance and Absences

Please review the University's Attendance and Assessment Policy at http://www.umd.edu/catalog/index.cfm/show/content.section/c/27/ss/1584/s/1540 and the University policy on medically-necessitated absences at http://www.president.umd.edu/policies/v100g.html. Some basic points for this class:

If you wish to claim an excused absence, you must do so in writing and furnish supporting documentation.
You must notify Prof. Harris of the reason for an excused absence as soon as possible. This will include sending Prof. Harris email or leaving a voicemail message as long as possible before absences from exams or homework deadlines. For absences known far in advance (for instance, religious observance or participation in activities at the request of University authorities), you must notify Prof. Harris by the end of the schedule adjustment period.
The Midterm, Final exam, and Projects are Major Scheduled Grading Events for this class.
A prolonged absence in the sense of the University's policies on attendance and absence is two or more consecutive lectures.
If you will be absent on a day homework is due you may hand in homework assignments early, either to Prof. Harris or in his mailbox in the Department office. A classmate may turn in your homework for you if you are able to attend the class in which it is due (but please understand the University's policies on Academic Integrity and its potential implications before you do this).
If you have a medical or other excused absence for a single lecture that coincides with a homework deadline, and wish to turn in the homework up to one class meeting later, the policy in Sec. II.A. of http://www.president.umd.edu/policies/docs/V-100G.pdf applies.
Requesting to have three or more late homeworks, assignments, or in-class exercises accepted is possible only with written documentation justifying the request, and the consent of the instructor (see Sec. II.B.1).
Exams on alternative dates or for make-up are possible only in cases of excused absences. When possible, exams will be given before the regularly-scheduled exams. For unexpected absences from the Midterm or Final Exams, it is your responsibility to contact Prof. Harris to discuss make-up work within 48 hours of the missed exam.

Academic Integrity

The academic community at the University abides by a Code of Academic Integrity. Acts of academic dishonesty include cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism. Activities such as cheating on exams or quizzes, copying homework from a friend or book, allowing your homework or paper to be copied, and submitting forged excuses for absences from exams are violations of this code. If we suspect that an incident of academic dishonesty has occurred, we will turn the case over to the Student Honor Council to investigate and resolve. If the suspected party is judged `responsible' for the act(s) of academic dishonesty, the normal sanction is a course grade of `XF' which denotes failure due to academic dishonesty. This grade is recorded onto the student's academic transcript. The Code of Academic Integrity can be found in the Academic Info section of the Schedule of Classes. It is printed in full in the Undergraduate catalog and on the web at http://www.president.umd.edu/policies/docs/III-100A.pdf. Please refer to this Code if you have further questions about what is construed as academic dishonesty. We are very serious about this.

Class Web Page

The World Wide Web is a very useful resource that we will make use of in this class (e.g., students will be asked to use the internet for some of the questions on the problem sets). The primary web connection for enrolled students is the University's ELMS page found by logging into https://elms.umd.edu. If you have difficulty accessing the internet, please discuss this with Prof. Harris before the end of the schedule adjustment period. In addition, the class site is also a gateway to many other astronomy links, including sites with up-to-date astronomical images that are made available to the public from telescopes in space and on the ground.

Laptop, Tablet, and Mobile Device Policy

In principle, laptops and tablets can allow you to take notes faster and access the class website. In practice, they are frequently distracting and used for non-class purposes. Displays showing non-class material can be very distracting for other students who have a view of your screen.

If the use of laptops and tablets turns out to be too distracting for the class as a whole, Prof. Harris may need to ban them entirely. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

There is no need to use phones or other mobile devices during class, even for texting. Please refrain.

Special Circumstances

Students with a documented disability should inform Prof. Harris as soon as possible (preferably on the first day of class, and certainly by the end of the schedule adjustment period) so that appropriate academic accommodations can be made.

ASTR410: Radio Astronomy Spring 2016