IISER Pune via NPTEL

Fluid Dynamics for Astrophysics

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Overview

Physics course by Prof. Prasad Subramanian.

Syllabus 13

Week 1
- Introduction to the course
- Continuum hypothesis, distribution function and stress-viscosity relation
- Continuum hypothesis, distribution function and stress-viscosity relation - Recap
- Fluid Kinematics
- Fluid Kinematics - Recap
Week 2
- Conservation laws: Mass conservation and incomprehensibility
- Conservation laws: Momentum conservation and Euler equation
- Conservation laws - Recap
- Potential flows
- Bernoulli constant, its applications and voracity equation
Week 3
- Recap - Potential flows, Bernoulli constant and its applications
- Voracity dynamics -- Kelvin's voracity theorem and Magus effect
- Navier-Stokes equation
- Navier-Stokes equation (contd.) and energy equation
- Energy equation in a conservative form
- Boundary conditions in Navier-Stokes equation, d'Alembert's paradox
- Poiseuille flow, deriving viscosity from microscopics
Week 4
- Dimensionless numbers -- Mach number, Reynolds number
- DimDimensionless numbers contd -- plasma beta, magnetic Reynolds number, Alfven Mach number, Prandl numberensionless numbers -- Mach number, Reynolds number
- Reynolds number and dynamic similarity
- Reynolds number recap, Low Re flows, and drag on a sphere (Stokes law)
- High Re flows -- turbulent drag law, vortex shedding and drag crisis
Week 5
- Lift on a body, introduction to compressible flows
- Compressible flows -- derivation of sound speed and dispersion relation
- Subsonic and supersonic flows
- Propagation of sonic information, shock tube problem and piston problem
- Criterion for neglect of compressibility, method of characteristics
Week 6
- Shock thickness
- Shock thickness recap, shock jump conditions
- Shock jump conditions (contd), transonic 1D flows, converging/diverging channels
- Coverging/diverging channels, de Laval nozzle and its application to astrophysical jets
- Spherically symmetric transonic flows
- Spherically symmetric transonic flows (contd)
Week 7
- Solar wind : Parker's solution
- Solar wind : Modifications in Parker's solution
- Spherical accretion onto a compact object : Eddington luminosity and accretion rate
- Spherical accretion onto a compact object : Solutions for flow properties
- Spherical accretion (contd), disk accretion--Roche lobe overflow
Week 8
- Disk accretion : Mass conservation and vertical hydrostatic equilibrium
- Disk accretion : Removal of angular momentum, Shakura-Sunyaev viscosity parameter
- Disk accretion : Viscous dissipation and the energy equation, two-temperature criterion
- Particle acceleration in astrophysical settings : Shocks and non-thermal energy distribution
- Particle acceleration in astrophysical settings : Diffusive shock acceleration
Week 9
- Spherical blast waves : Bomb explosion and supernova explosion
- Spherical blast waves : Sedov-Taylor solution
- Spherical blast waves : Sedov-Taylor solution (contd.)
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Introduction
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : The induction equation
Week 10
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Currents in MHD, momentum equation and magnetic stress tensor
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Magnetic stresses and magnetic buoyancy
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Plasma beta, force-free fields and potential configurations
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Magnetic flux-freezing
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Magnetic flux-freezing (contd.), magnetic dynamos
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Dynamo theory
Week 11
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Waves in MHD - Alfven waves
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Waves in MHD - Alfven waves and magnetosonic waves
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Waves in MHD - Magnetosonic waves
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Shocks in MHD
- Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) : Shocks in MHD - Shock jump conditions
Week 12
- Non-ideal MHD : Introduction to magnetic reconnection
- Non-ideal MHD : Magnetic reconnection - The Sweet-Parker model
- Non-ideal MHD : Magnetic reconnection - The Petscheck model
- Sun's atmosphere : Solar corona and the coronal heating problem
- Solar eruptions : Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and solar flares
Live Session
- Live Session 26-02-2021

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

Taught by IIT and IISc professors, and it follows the Indian university syllabus closely.
All videos and assignments are free on NPTEL and SWAYAM.
The certificate is recognised by many Indian universities for credit transfer and by GATE aspirants.
Great for GATE and semester exam preparation.
From Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, a well-regarded name.
Completely free.
Self-paced: start any time.
A clear syllabus (13 parts) you can see before you start.

Disadvantages

The certificate needs a proctored exam at a centre, which has a fee.
Recorded classroom lectures: thorough, but slower than made-for-online courses.
New runs start on fixed dates (January and July).
Learning is free, but the certificate costs money.

Some points apply to every course of this kind; see how we rank.

Free to learn

Free: Every video and assignment is free on NPTEL and SWAYAM. Enrol when the next run opens.
Certificate: Optional. It needs a proctored exam at a centre, which has a fee.