Astrophysics of Dust in Cold Clouds

Abstract

Nine lectures reviewing the astrophysics of dust in interstellar clouds. Topics include: (1) Summary of observational evidence concerning interstellar dust: broadband extinction, scattering of starlight, polarization of starlight, spectroscopy of dust, IR and FIR emission, and depletions of grain-forming elements. (2) Optics of interstellar dust grains: dielectric functions of nonconducting and conducting materials, calculational techniques, formulae valid in the Rayleigh limit, Kramers-Kronig relations, microwave emission mechanisms, and X-ray scattering. (3) IR and FIR emission: heating of interstellar dust, including single-photon heating, and resulting IR emission spectrum. (4) Charging of dust grains: collisional charging, photoelectric emission, and resulting charge distribution functions. (5) Dynamics: gas drag, Lorentz force, forces due to anisotropic radiation, and resulting drift velocities. (6) Rotational dynamics: brownian rotation, suprathermal rotation, and effects of starlight torques. (7) Alignment of interstellar dust: observations and theories. (8) Evolution of the grain population: dust formation in outflows, grain growth in the ISM, photodesorption, and grain destruction in shock waves. (9) Effects of dust grains: photoelectric heating, H2 formation, ion recombination, coupling of gas to magnetic fields, and dust grains as indicators of magnetic field direction.