AST 494 / AST 591 — Astrophysics Seminar — Fall 2025

``Astrophysics Seminar: Astrophysics and Cosmology with Webb, Hubble, and other Facilities''

Backup Zoom link (only if the above Zoom link fails): https://asu.zoom.us/j/7191824655

[Zoom passwd: 1234 in case Zoom asks for one. You must login via: asu.zoom.us and my.asu.edu to enter any ASU Zoom room, or the Google drive with presentations. If you get stuck in the Zoom waiting room, you need to go to the Zoom app and sign into Zoom with your ASU email address. Then, sign back into Zoom]. We are aware of a few on-line students that can only attend class by Zoom, who have permission to do so. If you are an in-person student, you are expected to attend in GWC-505. Prof. Windhorst will need to Zoom into class and his office hours for the first couple of weeks due to medical reasons, as he will be recovering from surgeries. ASU Research Scientist Dr. Tim Carleton has kindly agreed to setup the Zoom in GWC-505 before each Mo noon class-time.

Scroll down to table of Fall 2025 Seminar and Journal Club presentations and presenters  

Course Objectives and Topic for this Semester:

The aim of this course is to introduce the students to a series of short seminal papers on more recently published work in the general area of this semester's broad topic: Astrophysics and Cosmology with the Webb and Hubble Space Telescope, and with other Facilities. The emphasis is on the development of scientific method and theory, and on the latest scientific discoveries, rather than just on new measurements or incremental improvement in one particular technique.

Course Requirements:

During this semester's Journal Club, each enrolled student will give a 20-25 min oral presentation on their selected paper in class. Given the large number of AST 494/591 students signed up this semester, we will hold of two ~20-25 minute presentations per week, each followed by 5-10 min discussion. We will therefore strictly start on time and adhere to two 30 min slots for each class period --- just like the strict time schedule used during our AAS conferences! Students who have not been able to sign up for a paper presentation slot (because there may be more students than available speaker slots this semester) may suffice with leading the discussion of other presenter's papers during the semester, for which they may also receive credit. Paper presentations by volunteer senior graduate students, postdocs, and others not enrolled in this class, will be allowed only if speaker slots become available.

The presentation of your paper should consist of a general introduction covering the scope of the paper and where it fits within the larger field of research of which the paper is part, followed by a more detailed summary of the paper and a discussion of its impact. This includes a summary of the assumptions made in the paper, the new observational data obtained or theoretical methods used, the reduction and analysis procedures applied to the data, the reliability and completeness of these procedures, and the reliability and relevance of the new scientific results presented in the paper. Each presentation is followed by a 5-10 min time slot for questions & answers, and subsequent discussion, in which especially the students who take this class for a grade will engage.

Class Grading:

Your grade will be based on your active participation in this class, on the quality of your presentation, the importance of your presented paper for the field, and how well you answer all questions on you representation from other class students who will act as your peers. Typically, students will receive an A (or A+) in this class for a job (very) well done -- we do not intend to give out B-D grades (unless you throw in the towel), but students who could not sign up for a presentation, or are auditing the class, may opt for a Pass/Fail grade instead.

Journal Club Presentations and Schedule:

Dates for the presentations(s) by each student will be assigned within the first week of the first class --- on a first come, first serve basis. The choice of paper to discuss will be up to the student, but certain restrictions and requirements will apply (see also Tips., below). We will be happy to discuss your choice of a particular paper, and offer suggestions when you are in doubt as to what is best.

The majority of the work for this class will revolve around computer-based presentations (i.e., PDF, PPT, or HTML format). A laptop computer running Redhat 9, or CentOS Linux, or MAC O/S (with a Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser, Acrobat PDF Reader, and OpenOffice for PPT files) will be available in the classroom to give the presentation, but students are encouraged to bring and use their own Windows, Linux or Macintosh laptop should they have one. If you use your own laptop, remember to bring the proper HDMI cable adapter ("dongle"), as the assortment in GWC-505 is limited.

At least ONE WEEK BEFORE their scheduled presentation, each student should provide Tim Carleton and Rogier Windhorst with the reference to a paper of their choice. We will place a link on this class web-page to an electronic version of this paper (URL or PDF file), so that all other students can download and read it, and formulate questions well before the class starts, and so more effectively participate in the discussion of that paper during class. From experience, students will learn a lot less if they don't read the paper before it is being discussed.

If you prepare a presentation and do not plan to use your own laptop, post your PDF (preferred format) or PPT presentation no later than the afternoon preceding class to Tim by e-mail attachment or via an URL, so that we can check that it displays properly (Windows' proprietary fonts, e.g., math symbols, often don't!). Tim will place all presentations and papers (PDF, PPT, or URL format) on the URL repository below, so they can be accessed by all class students. Details are available via links in the Table below that contains this semester's TENTATIVE Journal Club schedule (this Schedule is subject to change throughout the semester!).

Tips for finding a suitable paper:

Papers that had/have a large impact will be cited by many other authors. Papers with few or no citations, or mostly self-citations by the authors, are not suitable for discussion. Papers are required to: (1) have been peer reviewed, and preferably be already published a peer reviewed journal and (2) have at least 3 citations by researchers other than the authors of that paper. In general, discussion of a paper that recently appeared on 'astro-ph' is discouraged, unless the "Comments" give a specific volume/issue of the peer-reviewed journal, where such paper is scheduled to appear and/or the citation requirement is satisfied. (This semester we will be a bit more lenient on these rules, given the very recent nature of the new JWST etc data that is coming in).

For a 20-25 min presentation, a single 4 or 5-page ApJ Letters may be suitable, or a longer journal paper. Typically, papers should be the equivalent of 8–10 pages in a main journal (multi-page tables or atlases of figures, and the list of references don't count).

Although not a complete depository of all scientific literature in astronomy and astrophysics, astronomy has nonetheless a very large, full-text digital library: the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS): http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html . The best and most complete astronomical preprint server is on: https://arxiv.org/archive/astro-ph .

You are encouraged to consider choosing papers that you find based on the main topics in Astrophysics and Cosmology with Webb, Hubble or other modern facilities. If you are not certain what paper to choose for this semesters Journal Club, or need some more background information, please browse some of the papers and references on the following preprint server: ADS or on: https://arxiv.org/archive/astro-ph

Course Schedule and Guidelines:

The Google docs at the bottom contains the TENTATIVE schedule of AST 591/494 presentations. During the first day of classes, we will discuss the program and syllabus for the semester. Each student who signed up for AST 591/494 will be asked to volunteer for a time slot to give a presentation on a paper, and/or lead its discussion.

Since we may have both graduate and undergraduate students signed up for this class this semester, we have the following guidelines:

(a) All students that take this class for credit will make one 20-25 min presentation on a significant paper related to this semester's topic, followed by a 5-10 min discussion of that paper and its presentation.

(b) If there are more students than time slots (likely this semester), all class periods will have two students present a 20-25-min presentation of a paper, each followed by a 5-10 min discussion.

At the end of each class, you will be asked to evaluate the student speaker of that day. Please fill out the Speaker Evaluation Form, and return it to Tim at the end of that class period. (An electronic way of logging these comments may instead be used, i.e. via a Google docs, TBD). Like the real refereeing process in publishing scientific papers, you may remain anonymous in your comments. But please be polite in your comments, because you, too, will one day will be judged by your peers!

You will be asked to select/modify the preferred day of your presentation below during the first day of class. The listed days are placeholders on this TENTATIVE SCHEDULE until that time. If students --- who signed up for this class --- do not volunteer on time for a slot and/or a topic, we will schedule enrolled students in one of the remaining slots, in which case you may not get the slot you want!

For astronomy classes (and mode detailed ASU rules) and other events at ASU this semester, see also:

http://windhorst111lab.asu.edu/   (Click on Syllabus, scroll to bottom)

SESE Colloquia — We. 3:30-4:30 pm in ISTB4-Marston.

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