Fall 2004
This course will review some of the key observations and develop the necessary theory to understand new developments in the field of galaxy formation. Generally, the class will be structured so that the Tuesday class of each week will be a lecture, while the Thursday class will involve a student-led discussion of a paper.
There will be approximately three problem sets throughout the term.
There is no ideal textbook for this course; however here are a number of suggested books that contain useful material:
Galaxy Formation by Malcolm Longair (Springer, 1999): Despite it's title, this text focuses heavily on the cosmological background (covering this quite well), but the observational part is rough and patchy.
The Road to Galaxy Formation by William Keel (Springer, 2002). Up-to-date and heavily observational but missing much in the way of theoretical development.
Galactic Astronomy by James Binney and Michael Merrifield (Princeton, 1998): An excellent and comprehensive review of the obseved properties of present-day galaxies. Nothing on galaxy formation itself though.
Galactic Dynamics by James Binney and Scott Tremaine (Princeton, 1987): An excellent and comprehensive review of the theory of self-gravitating, collisionless systems (i.e. Galaxies). Again, it concentrates mostly on present-day systems and stays well away from things cosmological.
Principles of Physical Cosmology by Peebles (Princeton 1993): Again this is mostly a cosmology book but chapter 25 is on Galaxy Formation.