The first lab is dedicated to spectral line formation. Before the lab, read and become familiar with the following two exercises written by Prof. Rob Rutten (Sterrekundig Instituut Utrecht):
In the second lab we will construct a stellar interior model, based loosely on the material of Appendix~L of the textbook.
I assume that you have some exposure to programming, ideally through AST/PHY 277 or AST 443. You will be expected to know the basics of the linux operating system (see here for some basic linux help).
Both labs will utilize the IDL language. If you have never used IDL, there are a number of on-line resources, including
All of you will have accounts on the linux workstations at the Math SINC site. You are encouraged to log in and either learn, or practice with, linux commands and IDL before the lab first meets. Work your way through Rutten's exercises.
There will be homework problems later in the course that depend on your mastering some of this computational work.