| The physics and astrophysics of stellar collapse and compact objects are central to many of the energetic cosmic phenomena now being observed intensively with a wide range of modern facilities. The most energetic events in the modern universe occur in regions where gravity is very strong and where, according to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (GR), curvature of spacetime is large. Collapsing massive stars form neutron stars or black holes and are responsible for supernova explosions and gamma-ray bursts that polute the universe with the nucleosynthesis products of stellar evolution. Inspiralling and merging systems of binary neutron stars and neutron star--black hole binaries can also yield energetic gamma-ray bursts, while the coalescence of supermassive black holes involves the dynamical mergers of galaxies or clusters of galaxies. Another important stimulus to investigations in this area is the possibility of observing gravitational radiation from such highly dynamical, strongly gravitating systems with detectors such as LIGO, VIRGO, GEO600 and others which are now coming on line. The study of the phenomena described above is important both for understanding the astrophysical processes involved, as well as for the challenge it provides to theory and numerical modelling to extend understanding of the physics of matter and radiation to conditions more extreme than can be realized on Earth. The school will provide an up-to-date account of the area at a level appropriate for graduate students and fresh postdocs. The material to be presented will cover the observational background, describing the various situations in which compact objects play an important role. A second theme of the school will be the microscopic physics of importance for understanding the phenomena, as well as an introduction to the numerical simulation of astrophysical events. Among the important topics will be the equation of state of hot dense matter and the properties and interactions of neutrinos at high densities. Lectures will be given by a number of international authorities in the field. CompSchool2009 is made possibly by support from the Danish Astrophysics Research School, The Danish National Space Institute (DTU Space), the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute, and the Niels Bohr International Academy. The following topics will be covered by the invited lecturers: (Exact lecture titles are subject to change and a detailed program will be posted in early August). |
| Nuclear Astrophysics, Stellar Evolution and Thermonuclear Supernovae | W. David Arnett (University of Arizona) |
| Binary systems and evolution, pulsars, gravitational waves from compact binaries. |
Thomas Tauris (NBI) (replacing Vicky Kalogera who cannot come) |
| The Equation of State of Matter at High Densities | James Lattimer (SUNY Stony Brook) |
| Stellar Collapse, Core-Collapse Supernovae and Neutrino Transport | Matthias Liebendörfer (University of Basel) |
| Gamma-Ray Bursts | Darach Watson (NBI/Dark Cosmology Centre) |
| Magnetic Fields and Magnetic Processes in Neutron Stars | Feryal Özel (University of Arizona) |
| The Physics of Accretion Disks | Maximilian Ruffert (University of Edinburgh) |
| Gravitational Waves and Instabilities in Neutron Stars | Anna Watts (University of Amsterdam) |
In addition, there will be the following lectures/practical sessions with computer exercises:
| The stellar evolution code TYCHO. | W. David Arnett (University of Arizona) |
| Computer Exercises: TOV equations, The Linear Wave Equation, A one-zone model of Stellar Collapse |
Christian D. Ott (California Institute of Technology and NBIA) and Erik Schnetter (Center for Computation & Technology, Louisiana State University) |
