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Assignment 3

The document contains a series of physics assignments related to astrophysics, including calculations of density distribution, gravitational binding energy, pressure in stars, and distances in the Earth-Moon system. It also involves analyzing quasar spectra for redshift and recession velocity, estimating distances to the Virgo Cluster using various indicators, and plotting the rotation curve of the spiral galaxy NGC 7083. Each question requires applying theoretical concepts and mathematical calculations to derive meaningful astrophysical insights.

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telanganathletes2021
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4 views

Assignment 3

The document contains a series of physics assignments related to astrophysics, including calculations of density distribution, gravitational binding energy, pressure in stars, and distances in the Earth-Moon system. It also involves analyzing quasar spectra for redshift and recession velocity, estimating distances to the Virgo Cluster using various indicators, and plotting the rotation curve of the spiral galaxy NGC 7083. Each question requires applying theoretical concepts and mathematical calculations to derive meaningful astrophysical insights.

Uploaded by

telanganathletes2021
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Equinox-IIT Guwahati 2024-25

Assignment-3

Question-01
Suppose that a star of mass M and radius R has a density distribution ρ(r) = ρc(1 − r/R), where
ρc is the density at the center of the star. (This isn’t a particularly realistic density distribution,
but for this calculation that doesn’t matter.)

(a) Calculate ρc in terms of M and R. For all the remaining parts of the problem, express your
answer in terms of M and R rather than ρc.

(b) Calculate the mass m(r) interior to radius r.

(c) Calculate the total gravitational binding energy of the star.

(d) Using hydrostatic equilibrium, calculate the pressure P(r) at radius r. You may assume that
the P(R) = 0.

(e) Assume that the material in the star is a monatomic ideal gas. Calculate the total internal
energy of the star from P(r), and show that the virial theorem is satisfied

Question-02
Distance of the Lagrangian point L2 of the Earth–Moon system.
On 3 January 2029, the Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-5 landed on the far side of the Moon in
the area of the von Kármán crater, which was named after the world-famous Hungarian-born
physicist Theodore von Kármán.

As the Earth remains below the horizon of the spacecraft all the time, a relay station is also
necessary for the communication with mission control on the Earth. For this purpose, the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a spacecraft, Vyomsetu, which was placed into
a halo orbit around the outer Lagrangian point of the Earth–Moon system, L2, the far side of the
Moon.

Calculate the distance (ℎ) of this satellite above the surface of the Moon. The Moon’s orbit
should be considered as a perfect circle with a radius of 𝑅 = 384 400 km. Neglect perturbations

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from the Sun and other planets.
Hint: You can use the following approximation: : 1/(1 + 𝑥)^2 ≈ 1 − 2𝑥, if |𝑥| ≪ 1.

Question-3
The plots below show three quasar spectra. The most prominent line in each spectrum is due to
Ho with a rest wavelength of 6562 Å. For the purpose of this problem, assume a value for the
Hubble constant, H_{0} of 70 km s¹ Mpc-1.

a. For the most distant of these quasars, find its approximate red shift, z = (λ - λο)/λο.

b. What is the approximate recession velocity of this quasar?

c. Estimate the distance to the quasar.

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d. The energy flux from this quasar is 3 * 10 ^ - 13 ergs cm-2 sec-1 (3 x 10-16 Watts m ^ - 2 , a
substantial fraction of which is emitted in the Ha line. Find the approximate luminosity of the
quasar.

e. A model for the central object in this quasar involves a supermassive black hole of 10 ^ 7 M
odot Is this consistent or not with the concept of an "Eddington limit"? Explain.
(refer:https://ilyamandel.github.io/BackOfTheEnvelopeNotes/Eddington.pdf)

Question - 4
Virgo Cluster: The Virgo Cluster of galaxies is the nearest large cluster which extends over
nearly 10 degrees across the sky and contains a number of bright galaxies. It will be interesting
to find the distance to Virgo and to deduce certain cosmological information from it. The table
below provides the distance estimates using various distance indicators (listed in the left
column). The right column lists the mean distance (di)± the standard deviation (si).

Table

Virgo Distance
Distance Indicator (Mpc)

Cepheids 14.9 ± 1.2

Novae 21.1 ± 3.9

Planetary Nebulae 15.2 ± 1.1

Globular Cluster 18.8 ± 3.8

Surface Brightness 15.9 ± 0.9


Fluctuations

Tully-Fisher relation 15.8 ± 1.5

Faber-Jackson relation 16.8 ± 2.4

Type Ia Supernovae 19.4 ± 5.0

(a) As different methods give slightly different distances, we need to compute the average
distance. This average, calculated by applying the weighted mean, can be taken as an estimate
to the distance to Virgo Cluster.

EA: Here weights are simply inverse of variance. Lower the standard deviation, higher the
confidence hence higher the weight.

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(b) What is the rms uncertainity (in units of Mpc) in that estimate?

(c) Spectra of the galaxies in Virgo indicate an average recession velocity of 1136 km/sec for the
cluster. Can you estimate the Hubble constant H0 and error in its estimation?

(d) What is Hubble Time (age of the Universe) using the value of Hubble constant you found
and the rms uncertainity in its value?

Question-5
The image 1.1 shows a photograph of the spiral galaxy NGC 7083, which lies at a distance of
40 Mpc, and image 1.2 a fragment of its spectrum. The slit of the spectrograph was aligned with
the major axis of the image of the galaxy. The x-axis of the spectrum represents wavelength,
and the y-axis represents the angular distance of the emitting region from the core of the galaxy,
where 1 pixel corresponds to 0.82 arcsec. Two bright emission lines are visible, with rest
wavelengths of λ1 = 656.4 nm, λ2 = 658.4 nm. Use the spectrum to plot the rotation curve of the
galaxy and estimate the mass of the central bulge.
Assumption: central bulge is spherical. The photograph of the galaxy has the correct
proportions.

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Figure 1.2 – Spiral Galaxy NGC 7083.

Figure 1.2 – Spectrum of spiral Galaxy NGC 7083. In the image on left side, grid marks pixels

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