Stellar structure and evolution
HT2006, 5 pts.

Search the library and the Web for suitable books and articles.
Write an "electronic" essay, with at least two A4 pages of text, on the chosen topic.
- Each essay should preferably concentrate on the physical processes, but also briefly discuss how the problem is studied observationally.
- Include a reference list according to the format used in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Hand in a draft version of your essay to Bengt (containing a complete outline, but the text does not have to be complete).
- Deadline Monday October 9
- You will receive comments on your draft within one week.
Finalize your essay.
Mail the final version of the essay as an attachment to email: ulrike.heiter.uu@analys.urkund.se
- Deadline Thursday October 26
- The reasons for using the Urkund anti-plagiarism system.
Give the oral presentation to the entire class on Thursday November 2.
Please provide copies of your essay for the other students.

Below is a list containing some possibilities to help you choose a topic for a presentation.
Feel free to discuss your own suggestions with Bengt!

Topic	Taken by
Evolution of metal poor stars	.
Evolutionary effects of stellar rotation	.
Stellar winds	.
Theoretical vs. observed H-R diagrams	.
The Initial Mass Function (IMF) of star formation	.
Star Formation Efficiencies (SFE) in different environments	.
Binary stars as test cases for stellar evolution	.
Evolution of close binary stars	.
Neutrinos from the Sun	.
Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars	.
Be stars	.
Long-Period Variable (LPV) stars	.
Novae	.
Processes in thermonuclear supernovae	.
RR Lyrae stars	.
Wolf-Rayet stars	.
...any other topic that has been checked with Bengt...	.

The astronomy textbooks in the library are useful for learning the basics, of course.
For looking up terms and general reference, you may want to have a look at the Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics, which you can find in the "Handbooks, Encyclopedia" section of the library. (Please note that reference books like this may not be borrowed and must remain in the library.)
Books are good for background but often do not include the most recent developments in the field. It is very useful if you can find recent review articles, for example in Annual Reviews of Astronomy & Astrophysics (ARA&A) or Astronomy and Astrophysics Review (A&ARv), both of which are in the library.
Another good place to search for articles is the abstract service of NASA's Astrophysics Data System. If you cannot give the name of an author, type your subject under "Title words" or "Text words" (in quotation marks if it is more than one word). You will probably get a list with far too many articles. One way to narrow the search is to limit it to one journal like ARA&A or A&ARv. Click on the box for "Selected journals" and enter the journal's abbreviation there.

You will be the teacher on this topic, so take some time to reflect: what is the essential information on your subject, and what do you want people to learn from your talk?
Explain terminology that could be unfamiliar to your listeners.
Practice going through your talk beforehand -- 10 minutes is not as long as you may think, and it is not always easy to stay within a given time limit.
While giving your talk, remember that you will tend to speak more quickly when you are nervous...but also remember that there is no need to be nervous! The oral presentations are mandatory but not graded, so think of this as good practice....

Last modified: 2006-07-27
Originally created by: Michelle Mizuno-Wiedner
Modified by: Bengt Edvardsson, Ulrike Heiter
Corrections to: Ulrike Heiter