Invitation to Particle Cosmology: radiative processes in particle astrophysics/cosmology 1100-IPC4

The topic changes every year and this year is devoted to radiative processes in particle astrophysics/cosmology.
First, we derive and discuss radiation emitted by charged particles, based on fully relativistic treatment of Maxwell equations.
Second, we derive and discuss how photon propagation is affected in the presence of (say, Galactic) plasma and magnetic field, by introducing linear response theory, effective field theory, and thermal field theory.

The course will be composed of two parts.
1) Lectures on the basics:
- Brief review of classical electrodynamics (relativistic formulation, Liénard–Wiechert potentials, electrodynamics in medium, polarization tensor)
- Relativistic radiation (Synchrotron radiation, Bremsstrahlung, Weizsäcker-Williams approximation, Cherenkov radiation)
- Photon propagation in non-relativistic plasma (plasma frequency, Faraday rotation)
- Photon propagation in the presence of external magnetic field (effective field theory, Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian, vacuum birefringence)
- Electrodynamics in thermal plasma (Debye screening, thermal field theory, linear response)

2) Presentations by students:
Students read and explain a (part of) literature of their choice (preferably in particle cosmology).
Continuous supports for choosing and reading the literature are provided.
Some literatures are recommended also during the lectures.