This class will provide the student with a pancromatic view of the Universe, with special emphasis on High Energy processes, using an approach which combines theoretical, experimental and phenomenological aspects.
The course is divided in 3 parts:
Part I - Introduction to high energy processes: photoelectric absorption, Bremsstrahlung, Thomson and Compton scattering, Comptonization, Synchrotron emission;
Part II - Detection techniques in High-Energy astrophysics and comparison with optical /ground-based astronomy: X-ray and gamma telescopes, scintillators, proportional counters, solid state devices (CCD), coded-masks; diffraction gratings;
Part III - Astrophysical phenomena characterized by high-energy emission: cosmic ray sources, stellar coronae, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, accreting binary systems, active galactic nuclei, galaxy and cluster gaseous halos.
2. Absorption and scattering processes – Part I
3. Absorption and scattering processes – Part II
4. Emission processes – Part I
5. Emission processes – Part II
6. Instruments for X-ray and γ-ray Astrophysics – Part I
7. Instruments for X-ray and γ-ray Astrophysics – Part II
8. X-rays from the solar system
9. X-rays from low-mass and PMS stars
12. Evolution of Shell-type Supernova remnants
13. X-ray binaries
14. X-ray emission in normal galaxies
15. Active Galactic Nuclei – part I
16. Active Galactic Nuclei – Part II
17. Active Galactic Nuclei – Part III
18. Clusters of Galaxies – Part I
He graduated in Physics (Astrophysics) in 1998 at the University of Naples Federico II. He got his PhD in Physics in 2002 at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Palermo and the Palermo Astronomical Observatory, carrying out part of his doctoral work at the Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge (USA).
He is now an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physical Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II since 2004, as well as head of the Naples section of the Interuniversity Network for Astronomy and Astrophysics.
He works mainly on the study of the origin and evolution of galaxies, of Active Galactic Nuclei and High Energy phenomena in the Universe, conducting his research within Universities and Astronomical Observatories both in Italy and abroad, including the Johns Hopkins University within the group of Prof.R. Giacconi (Nobel Laureate in Physics 2002), and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.