| Number | Course Name | Instructor | Description | Next Offered | Website |
| 503 | Physics of the Solar System | Jokipii | Survey of planetary physics, planetary motions, planetary interiors, geophysics, planetary atmospheres, asteroids, comets, origin of the solar system. Graduate-level requirements include an in-depth research paper on a selected topic and an oral class presentation. This course does not count toward the major requirements in planetary sciences. | Spring 2008 | Link |
| 505B | Principles of Planetary Physics | Hubbard | PTYS Graduate Core Class. Introductory physics of planetary and interplanetary fluids, plasmas, and solid bodies. Thermodynamics, kinetic theory, fluid dynamics, transport theory, rotational and solid response theory and oribtal mechanics, applied to solar-system objects. | Spring 2008 | Link |
| 512 | Planetary Global Tectonics | Showman | PTYS Graduate Core Class. Application of the physics of solid-state deformation to global tectonics of the terrestrial planets and icy moons of the solar system. Modes of topographic support, isostasy and implications for gravity/topography ratios on one-plate planets. Theory of floating elastic plates as an approximation to the lithosphere. Use of seismic data to determine the interior structure and composition and modes of heat conduction in planets. | Spring 2008 | |
| 542 | Mars | McEwen | In-depth class about the planet Mars, including origin and evolution, geophysics, geology, atmospheric science, climate change, the search for life, and the history and future of Mars exploration. There will be guest lectures from professors and research scientists with expertise about aspects of Mars. The course will include visits to Mars exploration centers at the UofA and ASU, including the operations center for the Gamma Ray Spectrometer on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars, and an all-day trip to the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, operations center for experiments on the Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Exploration Rovers. There will be lots of discussion of recent results and scientific controversies about Mars. Graduate-level requirements include the completion of a research project that will be presented in class as well as a report. The research project could be analysis of Mars datasets, a laboratory experiment, or new theoretical modeling. | Spring 2008 | |
| Number | Course Name | Instructor | Description | Next Offered | Website |
| 505A | Principles of Planetary Physics | Jokipii | PTYS Graduate Core Class. Introductory physics of planetary and interplanetary fluids, plasmas, and solid bodies. Thermodynamics, kinetic theory, fluid dynamics, transport theory, rotational and solid response theory and oribtal mechanics, applied to solar-system objects. | Fall 2007 | Link |
| 507 | Chemistry of the Solar System | Lewis | PTYS Graduate Core Class. Abundance, origin, distribution, and chemical behavior of the chemical elements in the Solar System. Emphasis on applications of chemical equilibrium, photochemistry, and mineral phase equilibrium theory. Graduate-level requirements include an original research paper or critical review. | Spring 2009 | |
| 510 | Principles of Cosmochemistry | Lauretta | PTYS Graduate Core Class. Bulk composition of the solar system. Chemical thermodynamics, kinetics, phase equilibria. Application to the differentiation of rocky solar system bodies into metallic cores, silicate mantles, and crusts, oceans and atmospheres. | Fall 2008 | |
| 511 | Geology of the Solar System | Byrne | Geologic processes and landforms on satellites and the terrestrial planets, their modification under various planetary environments, and methods of analysis. Graduate-level requirements include an advanced research paper covering some topic in planetary geology with an extensive literature search and evaluation. | Fall 2007 | Link |
| 517 | Atmospheres and Remote Sensing | Showman | PTYS Graduate Core Class. Structure, composition, and evolution of atmospheres; atomic and molecular spectroscopy; radiative transfer and spectral line formatting. | Fall 2008 | |
| 518 | Modern Astronomical Instrumentation and Techniques | | Radiant energy; signals and noise; detectors and techniques for imaging, photometry, polarimetry and spectroscopy. Examples from stellar and planetary astronomy in the x-ray, optical, infrared and radio. Graduate-level requirements include an in-depth research paper. Identical to ASTR 518, ASTR is home department. | Fall 2007 | |
| 519 | Physics of the Earth | | Fundamentals of the physics of the solid earth, including thermodynamics, rheology, geomagnetism, gravity, and plate tectonics. Graduate-level requirements include a term paper in publication format on some aspect of a major course topic. Identical to GEOS 519, GEOS is home department. | | |
| 520 | Meteorites | Boynton | Classification; chemical, mineralogical and isotopic composition; cosmic abundances; ages; interaction with solar and cosmic radiation; relation to comets and asteroids. | | |
| 530 | The Chemical Evolution of Earth | | [Taught alternate years beginning Fall 2004]. Chemical differentiation and evolution of Earth's mantle and crust according to major-element, trace-element and isotopic characteristics of neodymium, hafnium, strontium, lead and other isotopes. Graduate-level requirements will include an additional paper. Course includes 1 or more fieldtrips. Identical to GEOS 530, GEOS is home department. | Fall 2008 | |
| 537 | The Physics of the Sun | Giacalone | The purpose of this course is to present an introduction to the physics of the Sun. Topics will include the physics of solar magnetic fields, solar interior and helioseismology, radiative transfer, solar wind, and solar-energetic particles. This course will introduce the equations of magnetohydrodynamics
and apply them to important solar-physics problems. Examples include: the solar dynamo, the physics of sunspots and flares, origin of the solar wind, and the structure of the solar atmosphere. The emphasis throughout will be on basic physical processes and the various approximations used in their application to realistic and relevant problems. | Fall 2007 | Link |
| 541A | Dynamic Meteorology | Showman or Zeng | Thermodynamics and its application to planetary atmospheres, hydrostatics, fundamental concepts and laws of dynamic meteorology. Graduate-level requirements include a more quantitative and thorough understanding of the subject matter. | Fall | |
| 541B | Dynamic Meteorology | Zeng | Thermodynamics and its application to planetary atmospheres, hydrostatics, fundamental concepts and laws of dynamic meteorology. Graduate-level requirements include a more quantitative and thorough understanding of the subject matter. | Spring | |
| 544 | Physics of High Atmospheres | Yelle | Physical properties of upper atmospheres, including gaseous composition, temperature and density, ozonosphere, and ionospheres, with emphasis on chemical transformations and eddy transport. | | |
| 545 | Stellar Atmospheres | | Radiative transfer, gray atmosphere, opacity, line formation, non-LTE, curves of growth, stellar hydrodynamics, planetary applications. Identical to ASTR 545, ASTR is home department. | | |
| 549 | Image Processing for Scientific Discovery | Greenberg | Image processing as a tool for exploration, discovery and analysis in a wide range of subjects. Suitable for both science and non-science majors, as well as pre-service and in-service mathematics and technology teachers. Graduate-level students are required to present advanced-level documentation. | | |
| 553 | Solar System Dynamics | Greenberg | Dynamical processes affecting the orbital evolution of planets, asteroids, and satellites, and the rotational evolution of solid bodies. Emphasizes modern nonlinear dynamics and chaos. | Fall 2007 | Link |
| 554 | Evolution of Planetary Surfaces | Melosh | PTYS Graduate Core Class. The geologic processes and evolution of terrestrial planet and satellite surfaces including the Galilean and Saturnian and Uranian satellites. Course includes one or two field trips to Meteor Crater or other locales. | Spring 2009 | |
| 558 | Plasma Physics with Astrophysical and Solar System Applications | | The goal of this course is to present an introduction to fundamental plasma physics and magnetohydrodymics, beginning with kinetic theory. The various important limits including the vlasov equation and magnetohydrodynamics will be derived. Applications will be mostly from astrophysics and the solar system. These will include the main dynamical processes in the solar atmosphere, interplanetary medium, magnetospheres, interstellar medium, blast waves, accretion disks, etc. The emphasis throughout will be on basic physical processes and the various approximations used in their application to concrete problems. | | |
| 567 | Inverse Problems in Geophysics | | Linear and nonlinear inverse theory, including least squares, generalized and maximum likelihood methods. Identical to GEOS 567, GEOS is home department. | Fall 2007 | |
| 571 | Terrestrial Planets | Melosh/Drake | Geophysical and geochemical techniques used to deduce composition and evolution of terrestrial planets. Topics include the Earth, Moon, Mars, Venus, and meteorites. | | |
| 582 | High Energy Astrophysics | | Radiation mechanisms, synchrotron radiation, charged particle acceleration, pulsars, black holes, accretion disks, X-ray binaries, gamma-ray sources, radio galaxies, active galactic nuclei. Identical to ASTR 582, ASTR is home department. | | |
| 583 | Physical Geochemistry | | Principles of classical and irreversible thermodynamics. Thermo-chemical and -physical properties; equations of states for solids and gases at high pressure; phase equilibrium; multicomponent systems; electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions; selected applications to petrology, mineralogy, geophysics, geochemistry, and planetary problems. Identical to GEOS 583, GEOS is home department. | | |
| 589 | Topics in Theoretical Astrophysics | | Current topics in theoretical astrophysics in depth, with emphasis on the methodology and techniques of the theorist and the cross-disciplinary nature of astrophysics theory. Example subjects are nuclear astrophysics, hydrodynamics, transient phenomena, planetary interiors and atmospheres, neutron stars, jets and the evolution of star clusters. Identical to PHYS 589, PHYS is home department | | |
| 594A | Planetary Geology Field Studies | Melosh | The practical application, on an individual basis, of previously studied theory and the collection of data for future theoretical interpretation.
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| 656A | Atmospheric Radiation and Remote Sensing | Griffith | Theory of atmospheric radiative transfer processes; specific methods for solving the relevant equations; applications to problems in radiative transfer; theoretical basis for remote sensing from the ground and from space; solutions to the "inverse" problem. | | |