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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics > Astrophysics
This book is based on the lecture notes of a one-semester course on black hole astrophysics given by the author and is aimed at advanced undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in astrophysics. The material included goes beyond that found in classic textbooks and presents details on astrophysical manifestations of black holes. In particular, jet physics and detailed accounts of objects like microquasars, active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, and ultra-luminous X-ray sources are covered, as well as advanced topics like black holes in alternative theories of gravity. The author avoids unnecessary technicalities and to some degree the book is self-contained. The reader will find some basic general relativity tools in Chapter 1. The appendices provide some additional mathematical details that will be useful for further study, and a guide to the bibliography on the subject.
This monograph attempts to provide a systematic and consistent survey of the fundamentals of the theory of free, linear, isentropic oscillations in spherically symmetric, gaseous equilibrium stars, whose structure is affected neither by axial rotation, nor by the tidal action of a companion, nor by a magnetic eld. Three parts can be distinguished. The rst part, consisting of Chaps.1-8, covers the basic concepts and equations, the distinction between spheroidal and toroidal normal modes, the solution of Poisson's differential equation for the perturbation of the gravitational potential, and Hamilton's variational principle. The second part, consisting of Chaps.9-13, is devotedto the possible existenceof waves propagating in the radial direction, the origin and classi cation of normal modes, the comple- ness of the normal modes, and the relation between the local stability with respect to convection and the global stability of a star. In the third part, Chaps.14-18 c- tain asymptoticrepresentationsof normalmodes. Chapter 19 deals with slow period changes in rapidly evolving pulsating stars. The theory is developed within the framework of the Newtonian theory of gr- itation and the hydrodynamics of compressible uids. It is described in its present status, with inclusion of open questions. We give preference to the use of the adjective "isentropic" above that of the adjective "adiabatic," since, from a thermodynamic point of view, these stellar - cillations are described as reversible adiabatic processes and thus as processes that take place at constant entropy.
For almost three decades since Mariner 2 flew by the planet in December 1962, Venus has been the subject of intense investigation by both the Soviet and American space programs. Since the intrinsic magnetic field of Venus is exceedingly weak, if it exists at all, we expect many phenomena of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Venus to differ from their terrestrial counterparts. While flybys and landings of the many Venus missions provided useful data on these phenomena, orbital missions were needed for their detailed investigation. Such orbital missions were provided by the Soviet program with Veneras 9 and 10 in October 1975 and by the United States with the Pioneer Venus Orbiter in December 1978. Originally designed for a prime mission of only 243 days, the Pioneer Venus Orbiter is still functioning over a decade later, providing data nearly - hours a day through one of the most active solar cycles to date. We expect these transmis sions to continue until September 1992 when gravitation perturbations will lower the periapsis of the PVO orbit so that the spacecraft will be lost to the atmosphere. The Venera 9 and 10 and the Pioneer Venus observations have led to an explosion of knowledge about the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Venus and their interaction with the solar wind. The availability of data over a full solar cycle has."
During the past decade, convincing evidence has been accumulated concerning the effect of active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity on the internal and external environment of their host galaxies. Featuring contributions from well-respected researchers in the field, and bringing together work by specialists in both galaxy formation and AGN, this volume addresses a number of key questions about AGN feedback in the context of galaxy formation. The topics covered include downsizing and star-formation time scales in massive elliptical galaxies, the connection between the epochs of supermassive black hole growth and galaxy formation and the question of whether AGN and star formation coexist. Authors also discuss key challenging computational problems, including jet-interstellar/intergalactic medium interactions, and both jet- and merging-induced star formation. Suitable for researchers and graduate students in astrophysics, this volume reflects the engaging and lively discussions taking place in this emerging field of research.
This book gives both a comprehensive and detailed account of the
current theoretical and observational investigations of the radio
galaxy M87 in the Virgo cluster. A number of introductory chapters
provide a general overview, which makes the book accessible also to
non-specialists in the field.
Edgard Gunzig and Pasquale Nardone RGGR Universite Libre de Bruxelles CP231 1050 Bruxelles Belgium The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "The Origin of Structure in the Universe" was organized to bring together workers in various aspects of relativistic cosmology with the aim of assessing the present status of our knowledge on the formation and evolution of structure. As it happened, the meeting was particularly timely. Only two days before the 30 or so physicists from many countries gathered for a week at the Chateau du Pont d'Oye, in the forests of the southern Belgian province of Luxembourg, newspaper headlines all over the world announced the results of the analysis of the first full year of data from the Cosmic Background Observer Satellite (COBE). This long-awaited confirmation of the theoretically predicted anisotropy in the microwave background radiation opened a new era in observational cos mology. The realization of the new relevance of the subject of the workshop and the questions raised by the observational results, in addition to bring ing TV crews and newspaper journalists, naturally influenced and stimulated many discussions among the participants. The success of the meeting as usual is due to a combination of factors. Besides the high quality of the talks, discussions were encouraged by the warm atmosphere of the Chateau, for which we are grateful to Mme. Camille Orts, and its beautiful surroundings, not to mention the marvelous cuisine.
and In the IAU Symposium of 1979 devoted to interstellar molecules [8]. Excellent relevant monographs [ 9. 10] . related timely proceedings [ 11] . and recently published elementary textbooks [12. 13] further help to define the pedagogical scope of molecular astrophysics. A significant financial investment has been made in the establishment of ground- and satellite-based observationai facilities for molecuiar astrophysical studies. In the coming years. a wealth of experimental data is bound to accumulate. in which connection close interactions between observers. astrophysical modeliers. and molecular physicists and chemists can play a helpful role in analysis and interpretation. In view of the increasing pace of activity in the field of molecular astrophysics. and in the apparent absence of relevant international meetings since the Liege 1977 and IAU 1979 Symposia. it was deemed appropriate and timely by the organizers to hold a workshop in 1984. Consequently. the NATO Advanced Research Workshop. "Molecular Astrophysics State of the Art and Future Directions". was organized and held at Bad Wlndshelm. West Germany. from 8 to 14 July 1984. The choice of speakers and subject matter of the Workshop was largely subjective. but designed to include most of the generally accepted areas of molecular astrophysical study. Workers from the fields of radio. infrared. and uv-optlcal observations. astrophysical modelling. laboratory spectroscopy. reaction chemistry. collision physics. and theoretical molecular physics and chemistry. were Invited to present survey lectures In their areas of speciality. In addition.
This book is one result from the 1996 Millimeter-wave Summer School held at the Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE), Tonantz- intla, Puebla, Mexico. In collaboration with the University of Massachusetts, INAOE has embarked upon the ambitious project of building the world's largest filled aperture millimeter-wave telescope - the Large Millimeter-wave Tele- scope (LMT), or Gran Telescopio Milimetrico (GTM). The LMT is currently the largest scientific project in Mexico. The summer school had a dual purpose; first, to introduce the Mexican as- tronomical and physics communities to millimeter wavelength astronomy, and second, to provide a forum for a review of several important aspects of the state of the art in observations, theory, interpretation, and technology relevant to this branch of astronomy. The summer school had 18 invited speakers and 44 par- ticipants. The scientific organizing committee (SOC) consisted of Luis Carrasco (UNAM/INAOE, Mexico), Paul Goldsmith (NAIC, Cornell Univ., USA), and Andy Harris (Univ. of Maryland, USA). Members of the local organizing com- mittee (LOC) were Alberto Carramiiiana (INAOE), Emmanuel Mendez Palma (INAOE), Mari Paz Miralles (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, USA), and William Wall (INAOE).
Reference Data on Multicharged Ions summarizes spectroscopic and
collisional atomic data for highly charged positive ions:
oscillator strength, energy levels, transition probabilities, cross
sections and rate coefficients of different elementary processes
taking place in hot plasmas.
These proceedings are based on the invited talks and selected research reports presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) on "POLAR CAP BOUNDARY PHENOMENA" held at Longyearbyen, Svalbard, June 4 - 13, 1997. The role of the polar cap and its boundary is very substantial in solar-terrestrial physics. At this NATO AS! a major change in thinking on the "cusp" precipitation region in the high-latitude days ide upper atmosphere was reflected, at least for intervals when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is directed southward. It is likely that this has implications for northward IMF as well. The change comes from the now almost complete acceptance of the concept of magnetosheath particle entry along open magnetic field lines and the evolution of the precipitation into the upper atmosphere with time elapsed since magnetic reconnection which opened the field line. A key prediction of this view is that the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) is on open field lines.
V. Trimble-Concluding remarks 541 Authors Index 549 Object Index 551 Subject Index 555 List of participants and observers Ali Alpar, M. , Physics Department, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey Anderson, S. , USA California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, Araya, R. A. , The Johns Hopkins University, Deptartment of Physics and Astronomy, Baltimore MD, USA Arons, J. , Department of Astronomy, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA, USA Backer, D. , Department of Astronomy, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA, USA Bailyn, C. D. , Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge MA, USA Bandiera, R. , Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Firenze, Italy Banit, M. , Astrophysics Department, Columbia University, New York NY, USA Bhattacharya, D. , Astronomical Institute, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands Blandford, R. , Theoretical Astrophysics, CalTech, Pasadena CA, USA Blondin, J. M. , University of Virginia, Department of Astronomy, Charlottesville VA, USA Cernohorsky, J. , Center for High Energy Astrophysics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Chanmugam, G. , Louisiana State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ba- ton Rouge LA, USA Cordes, J. , Cornell University Centre for Radiophysics & Space Research, Ithaca NY, USA Dewey, R. , Jet Propulsion Laboratory, CalTech, Pasadena CA, USA Eardley, D. , University of California, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara CA,USA Edberg, T. , University of California, Center for Particle Astrophysics, Berkeley CA, USA Eggleton, P. P. , Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, United Kingdom Eichler, D.
This unique volume contains the proceedings of two "Non-Sleeping Universe" conferences: "Stars and the ISM" and "From Galaxies to the Horizon." The book provides an overview of recent developments in a variety of areas, covering a very wide range of spatial and temporal scales.
Solid particles are followed from their creation through their evolution in the Galaxy to their participation in the formation of solar systems like our own, these being now clearly deduced from observations by the Hubble Space Telescope as well as by IR and visual observations of protostellar disks, like that of the famous Beta Pictoris object. The most recent observational, laboratory and theoretical methods are examined in detail. In our own solar system, studies of meteorites, comets and comet dust reveal many features that follow directly from the interstellar dust from which they formed. The properties of interstellar dust provide possible keys to its origin in comets and asteroids and its ultimate origin in the early solar system. But this is a continuing story: what happens to the solid particles in space after they emerge from stellar sources has important scientific consequences since it ultimately bears on our own origins - the origins of solar systems and, especially, of our own earth and life in the universe.
In the last few years great improvements in the study of stellar jets and bipolar outflows have been achieved, both observationally and theoretically. High resolution observations at various frequencies (radio, IR, optical and X-ray) of these features in different types of objects have shown a large variety of morphologies at all scales often revealing contrasting symmetries which do not allow straightforward kinematic interpretations valid for all cases. In particular, at present, it seems very difficult to give a statistical definition of what the "standard properties" of jets and bipolar outflows are. On the theoretical side, the identification of physical processes capable of producing the observed rich morphological variety of jets and bipolar outflows and supporting them over long lifetimes is still controversial. Furthermore several models are actively discussed in an attempt of reaching a complete understanding of the phenomenon. The workshop provided an unique opportunity for both observers and theoreticians to gather together and produce an updated and exhaustive picture of the field. In addition the meeting has been enriched by the presentation of some works on jets in external galaxies. This topic was focused on what people working on stellar jets could learn from colleagues working on extragalactic jets and vice versa. Invited papers were prepared with the aim of giving the state of the art about scientific subjects; contributed papers and some selected poster papers presented, on the contrary, very recent results in the various fields.
A wealth of new experimental and theoretical results has been obtained in solar physics since the first edition of this textbook appeared in 1989. Thus all nine chapters have been thoroughly revised, and about 100 pages and many new illustrations have been added to the text. The additions include element diffusion in the solar interior, the recent neutrino experiments, methods of image restoration, observational devices used for spectroscopy and polarimetry, and new developments in helioseismology and numerical simulation. The book takes particular advantage of the results of several recent space missions, which lead to substantial progress in our understanding of the Sun, from the deep interior to the corona and solar wind.
Prof. Leon Mestel has been an inspiration to many to study the role of magnetism in the Cosmos. To mark the occasion of his retin'ment from the University of Sussex after 43 years in astrophysics, several of his friends and former students decided to hold an advanced research workshop in his honour. NATO agreed to finance this venture which was held at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge. The scientific organizing committee was J. Landstreet, D. Lynden-Bell, F. Pacini, M.A. Rud0rman and N.O. Weiss and most leading experts on Cosmical magnetism agreed to come. We are particularly grateful to Lyman Spitzer who, ably helped by his wife Doreen, !!;ave the after dinner addre~s on how the goddess Astrophysica had foreseen Leon's achievements in classical Greek times. Not without regret we decided to maintain the homog0neity of the material and therefore could not cover Leon Mestel's major achievements in non-magnetic astronomy. His work on the cooling of white dwarfs, his understanding that degenerate hydrogen was a nuclear explosive since its pressure was almost independent of temperature and hence, his picture of supernovae, which is now more commonly applied to novae, his seminal understanding of the 'law' of galactic rotation and his work on the non-linear development of t hp anisotropies generated in gravitational collapse.
From the beginning of Space Astronomy, the Extreme Ultraviolet band of the spectrum (roughly defined as the decade in energy from 90-900 A) was deemed to be the unobservable ultraviolet'. Pioneering results from an EUV telescope on the Apollo-Soyuz Mission in 1975 forcibly demonstrated that this view was incorrect; but it required the all-sky surveys of the English Wide-Field Camera and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer to demonstrate the broad potential of this field. Over 700 EUV sources have now been detected. Over 150 researchers from 16 countries gathered to share results in this new field at the International Astronomical Union Colloquium No. 152. Papers were presented on a wide variety of topics including cool star coronae, white dwarf atmospheres and evolution, neutron stars, the Io torus, cataclysmic variable stars, active galactic nuclei, the interstellar medium, winds and atmospheres of early type stars, and EUV plasma diagnostics. Selected manuscripts from this meeting are provided in these Conference Proceedings."
Advances in Space Environment Research - Volume I contains the
proceedings of two international workshops, the World Space
Environment Forum (WSEF2002) and the High Performance Computing in
Space Environment Research (HPC2002), organized by the World
Institute for Space Environment Research (WISER) from 22 July to 2
August 2002 in Adelaide, Australia.
NASA's Genesis mission, launched on August 8, 2001 is the fifth mission in the Discovery series. Genesis addresses questions about the materials and processes involved in the origin of the solar system by providing precise knowledge of solar isotopic and elemental compositions for comparison with the compositions of meteoritic and planetary materials. This book describes the Genesis mission, the solar wind collector materials, the solar wind concentrator and simulations of its performance, the plasma ion and electron instruments, and the way these two instruments are used to determine the solar wind flow regime on board the spacecraft. The book is of interest to all potential users of the data returned by the Genesis mission, to those studying the isotopic and chemical composition of the early solar system whose work will be influenced by the measurements made by Genesis and by all those interested in the design and implementation of space instruments to study space plasmas.
The Pacific Rim Conference originally started with one research concentration only - binary star research. The first Conference was held in Beijing, China, 1985, the second one in Seoul and Taejon, South Korea, 1990 and the third one in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1995. In recent years, the conference series evolved into a much broader area of stellar astrophysics. The first such conference was held in Hong Kong in 1997. Kwong-Sang Cheng, a. k. a. one of the three Musketeers, documented the "accidental" development in writing in the Proceedings of the 1997 Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar Astrophysics (Volume 138 of the ASP Conference Series)! The meeting at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology covered three major topics: binary stars, compact stars and solar type stars. The conference was extremely successful. There was a general feeling among the participants that the conference on stellar astrophysics provided a good means to share ideas between such closely related disciplines. Unfortunately after the very successful meeting at HKST, Kwing L. Chan (another Musketeer) thought that he had already served and would not like to chair for another LOC for at least five years! After a few drinks at one of the watering holes in Wan Chai district of Hong Kong, Kwong-Sang Cheng was in very hiRh spirit and volunteered to taking on the responsibility of hosting the 51 Pacific Rim Conference at Hong Kong University in 1999.
Heliophysics is a fast-developing scientific discipline that integrates studies of the Sun's variability, the surrounding heliosphere, and the environment and climate of planets. Over the past few centuries, our understanding of how the Sun drives space weather and climate on the Earth and other planets has advanced at an ever increasing rate. This 2010 volume, the last in this series of three heliophysics texts, focuses on long-term variability from the Sun's decade-long sunspot cycle and considers the evolution of the planetary system over ten billion years from a climatological perspective. Topics covered range from the dynamo action of stars and planets to processes in the Earth's troposphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere and their effects on planetary climate and habitability. Supplemented by online teaching materials, it can be used as a textbook for courses or as a foundational reference for researchers in fields from astrophysics and plasma physics to planetary and climate science.
This textbook provides an introduction to the fundamentals of space physics and astrophysics and covers the recent progress in various aspects of these fields. In the introductory Chapter 1, a brief historical account of space research is given, followed by short reviews of the space vehicles used and some aspects of the early years of space research. In Chapter 2, the reader is introduced to the discoveries of the radiation belts and the magnetosphere of the Earth. Chapter 3 begins with the phenomena of the quiet Sun, followed by processes in the active Sun (solar flares, radio bursts and X-ray, gamma-ray and neutron emissions). In Chapters 4 and 5, attention is paid to the physical features and properties of large bodies and aggregates in the matter of the solar system, emphasising discoveries obtained from spacecraft. In Chapter 6 solar energetic particles are presented, bringing out their dual role - as a sample of accelerated matter from the Sun and as a sensitive probe of the interplanetary fields in the heliosphere. Chapter 7 presents a discussion on galactic cosmic rays, explaining the basic features and main findings. Highlights of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and possible origins are included. Chapter 8 presents exciting results of extreme UV, infra-red, X-rays and gamma-rays from space. These are followed by outlines of the new vistas of cosmological problems as revealed by the cosmic background measurements of X-rays, gamma-rays and microwaves. In Chapter 9, the reader is introduced to the physical and dynamical properties of the interstellar medium. This chapter concludes with the astrophysical aspects of the search for the origin of life. In the concluding Chapter 10 some general trends and future directions are briefly presented. The level of presentation is aimed at senior undergraduate students who are familiar with introductory physics. Graduate students will find more advanced topics discussed through their underlying features. Each chapter is followed by a number of problems; solving these will enable students to obtain a good grasp of the topics.
The aim of this book is to present the theory and applications of the relativistic Boltzmann equation in a self-contained manner, even for those readers who have no familiarity with special and general relativity. Though an attempt is made to present the basic concepts in a complete fashion, the style of presentation is chosen to be appealing to readers who want to understand how kinetic theory is used for explicit calculations. The book will be helpful not only as a textbook for an advanced course on relativistic kinetic theory but also as a reference for physicists, astrophysicists and applied mathematicians who are interested in the theory and applications of the relativistic Boltzmann equation.
This book focuses on the recent advances in our understanding of solar convection and activity, and on new methods and results of helioseismic diagnostics. It provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of the field and presents new ideas and approaches.
This volume focuses on isotopic signatures of volatile elements as
tracers for evolutionary processes during the formation of the Sun
and the planets from an interstellar molecular cloud and, in turn,
illuminates how the isotopic compositions of the present-day solar
system objects have been established. |
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