The laws of physics are universal – the atoms that make up our bodies obey the same principles as the dark clouds of cold gas from which stars are born; the same gravitational effects that govern an apple falling from a tree drove the formation of our solar system. At the same time, astronomical situations allow us to test physics to its limits by examining extremes that can’t be replicated here on Earth, and astronomy has often been the driver for new developments in fundamental physics.
This course will use a series of astronomical case studies to explore topics in modern physics, drawing connections between events on cosmic scales and behaviour we can directly observe here on Earth. We will begin in the world of classical physics, asking the question “why does everything in the Universe rotate?” and exploring the formation of our solar system and the structure of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. We will then move to the quantum world in order to understand the source of energy for life on Earth, investigating how nuclear fusion operates in the centre of the Sun, and how we can directly test this by measuring elusive neutrinos passing through the Earth. We will study dying stars and their beautiful remnants, in order to explore fluids and shock waves, before moving onto the intriguing theories of special and general relativity. Here we will examine jets from supermassive black holes, which travel close to the speed of light (but not faster?) and finish the course by exploring how pulsars – exotic stars made of neutrons – can be used to test the theory of general relativity.
By the end of the course you will have developed your understanding of the laws of physics, by investigating how they can be applied to a range of astronomical situations, and should be able to draw connections between cosmic-scale physics and everyday experience.
