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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics > Astrophysics
Written in a pedagogical way, the articles in this book address graduate students as well as researchers and are well suited for seminar work. Subjects at the forefront of nuclear research, bordering other areas of many-particle physics, such as electron scattering at different energy scales, new physics with radioactive beams, multifragmentation, relativistic nuclear physics, high spin nuclear problems, chaos, the role of the continuum in nuclear physics or recent calculations with the shell model are presented. It is felt that the topics treated in this book address the main future lines of development of nuclear physics.
This volume provides an overview of our current understanding of the physics related to: coronal structures and coronal heating; large-scale coronal shock waves and coronal mass ejections; particle beams in the solar corona and in the interplanetary medium; and explosive energy-release phenomena and particle acceleration. The different articles give a well-balanced presentation of relevant observations based upon various techniques, models and theories, providing a global view of these phenomena and of the underlying physics. In-situ measurements of particles and waves with ULYSSES and WIND and spectral and imaging data from SOHO and YOHKOH provide an unprecedented richness of relevant data. For their better understanding, radio observations - also included in this book - play a key role.
This volume brings together theoretical ideas on the plasma physics of both hot and dense plasmas in the solar atmosphere and similar physics applied to the tenuous and cooler plasmas found in the heliosphere. It is complemented by recent observations. Helioseismology covers the solar interior and the neutrino problem. Solar and stellar activity cycles are addressed. The dynamics of magnetic flux tubes in the solar atmosphere and material flows through the chromosphere into the upper atmosphere are comprehensively reviewed. Energy release processes and the production of energetic particles are important to understanding events in the solar atmosphere and to the dynamics of the tenuous heliosphere. A glimpse of the future is offered by concluding chapters on new ground-based and space instrumentation.
This is the first volume of a series on a regular up-to-date coverage of important developments in astronomy and astrophysics jointly published by ESO and Springer-Verlag. Here the reader finds a thorough review of the abundances of the elements up to Boron. Special emphasis is laid on primordial abundances of interest to cosmologists in particular, and on stellar production or destruction respectively. The articles written for researchers and graduate students cover theory and most recent data from telescope observations.
The most luminous compact objects are powered by accretion of mass. Accretion disks are the one common and fundamental element of these sources on widely different scales, ranging from close stellar binaries, galactic black holes and X-ray pulsars to active galactic nuclei (AGN). Key new developments in theory and observations, reviewed by experts in the field, are presented in this book. The contributions to the workshop cover the puzzles presented by the X-UV spectra of AGN and their variability, the recent numerical simulations of magnetic fields in disks, the remarkable behavior of the superluminal source 1915+105 and the "bursting pulsar" 1744-28, to mention a few of the topics.
This book contains the proceedings of a workshop held in Schloss Ringberg to assess developments in molecular cloud research over the last 25 years, and to discuss trends for future research in the field of molecular line astronomy. The topics include the morphology, formation, and lifetimes of molecular clouds, and their relation to star formation. Also, the chemical and isotopic content of these clouds is reviewed, and comparisons with molecular clouds in external galaxies are made. This rather complete survey of this important field of research addresses researchers in astronomy and students alike."
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.
X-ray astronomy is the prime available window on astrophysical compact objects: black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs. New observational opportunities have led to an explosion of knowledge in this field. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the astrophysics of compact objects that emit X-rays. Sixteen chapters written by the foremost experts in the field cover the observations and the astrophysical interpretation of these objects. Topics covered include binary systems, gamma ray burst sources, anomalous X-ray pulsars, super-soft sources, and enigmatic fast X-ray transients. Further chapters are dedicated to isolated neutron stars and the X-ray source populations of globular clusters. The properties of X-ray binaries are discussed in depth in chapters on quasi-periodic oscillations and related aperiodic X-ray variability, X-ray bursts, black holes, and relativistic jets. This is a valuable reference for both graduate students and active researchers.
The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) is a NASA Explorer mission that is the first space mission dedicated to imaging of the Earth's magnetosphere. IMAGE was launched from Vandenberg AFB into an elliptical polar orbit by a Delta II launch vehicle on March 25, 2000. The two-year prime sci entific mission of IMAGE began on May 25, 2000 after instrument commissioning was successfully completed. IMAGE has now been approved for operation until October 1,2005, and an additional two-year extension is now being considered by NASA. The papers in this volume represent many of the scientific results obtained dur ing the IMAGE prime mission and include some of the early correlative research with ground-based measurements, measurements from other spacecraft such as Cluster II, and relevant theory and modeling programs. All of the reported work is related to the overall IMAGE science objective: How does the magnetosphere respond globally to the changing conditions in the solar wind? IMAGE addresses this question with multi-spectral imaging of most of the important plasma pop ulations of the inner magnetosphere, combined with radio sounding of gradients of total plasma content. The new experimental techniques fall into the following areas: neutral atom imaging (NAI) over an energy range from 10 eV to 500 keY for detection of ionospheric outflow, the plasma sheet, and the ring current; far ultraviolet (FUV) imaging at 121-190 nm for detection of precipitating protons and the global aurora; extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imaging at 30.
Helio- and asteroseismology are fast- developing new fields of research that probe the internal structure of stars. The complicated multi-periodic oscillations are studied from both theoretical and observational points of view. Nine articles review the state of the art, including modeling the sun, excitations of oscillations, inverse problems, and the observations of seismic phenomena. One section is devoted to the seismology of stars, a field of research still in its very early development. In addition the reader will find about forty research papers on these subjects.
Leading experts give an overview of very low frequency radio astronomy. They present for the first time in a single conference the astrophysical need for and possible instrumentation for implementing ground-based, ground-to-space, space-based, and lunar-based observations. The papers cover a wide range of topics such as solar astronomy, planetary science, supernova remnants, pulsars, interstellar thermal material, interstellar plasma refraction and diffraction, cosmic rays, extragalactic radio galaxies and quasars, ancient "fossil" radio sources, and new, coherent emission mechanisms.
Jupiter's ice moon Europa is widely regarded as the most likely place to find extraterrestrial life. This book tells the engaging story of Europa, the oceanic moon. It features a large number of stunning images of the ocean moon's surface, clearly displaying the spectacular crack patterns, extensive rifts and ridges, and refrozen pools of exposed water filled with rafts of displaced ice. Coverage also features firsthand accounts of Galileo's mission to Jupiter and its moons. The book tells the rough and tumble inside story of a very human enterprise in science that lead to the discovery of a fantastic new world that might well harbor life.
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."
The International Symposium on Supercomputing - New Horizon of Computational Science was held on September 1-3, 1997 at the Science MuseuminTokyo, tocelebrate60-yearbirthdayofProfessorDaiichiroSug imoto, who hasbeenleadingtheoreticalandnumericalastrophysicsfor 30 years. The conference coveredexceptionally wide range ofsubjects, to follow Sugimoto'saccomplishmentsinmanyfields.Onthefirstdaywehadthree talksonstellarevolutionandsixtalksonstellardynamics. Onthesecond day, six talks on special-purpose computingand four talks on large-scale computing in MolecularDynamicswere given. Onthethirdandthelast day, threetalks on dedicatedcomputerson LatticeQCDcalculationsand sixtalksonpresentandfutureofgeneral-purposeHPCsystemsweregiven. Inaddition, some30posterswerepresentedonvarioussubjectsincompu tationalscience. Instellarevolution, D.Arnett (Univ. ofArizona) gaveanexcellenttalk on the recent development in three-dimensionalsimulation ofSupernova, inparticularonquantitativecomparisonbetweendifferenttechniquessuch asgrid-basedmethodsandSPH (SmoothedParticleHydrodynamics). Y. Kondo (NASA) discussedresentadvanceinthemodelingoftheevolution ofbinarystars, and1.Hachisu(Univ. ofTokyo)discussedRayleigh-Taylor instabilitiesinsupernovae(contributionnotincluded). Instellardynamics, P.Hut(lAS)gaveasuperbreviewonthelong-term evolution ofstellarsystem, J. Makino (Univ. ofTokyo) described briefly theresultsobtainedonGRAPE-4special-purposecomputerandthefollow up project, GRAPE-6, whichisapprovedas ofJune 1997. GRAPE-6will be completed by year 2001 with the peak speed around 200 Tflops. R. Spurzem (Rechen-Inst.) and D. Heggie (Univ. of Edinburgh) talked on recentadvanceinthestudyofstarclusters, andE.Athanassoula(Marseille Observatory) describedthe work doneusingtheirGRAPE-3 systems. S. Ida (TokyoInst. ofTechnology) describedthe result ofthe simulationof theformationofMoon. Thefirst talkoftheseconddaywas given by F-H. Hsu oftheIBMT.J. Watson Research center, on "Deep Blue," the special-purpose computer for Chess, which, forthefirst timeinthehistory, wonthematchwiththe besthumanplayer, Mr. GaryKasparov(unfortunately, Hsu'scontribution isnot included in this volume). Then A. Bakker of Delft Inst. of Tech nology looked back his 20 years ofdevelopingspecial-purpose computers formoleculardynamicsandsimulationofspinsystems. J.Arnoldgavean overviewoftheemergingnewfieldofreconfigurablecomputing, whichfalls inbetweentraditionalgeneral-purposecomputersandspecial-purposecom puters. S.Okumura(NAO)describedthehistoryofultra-high-performance digital signalprocessors for radio astronomy. They havebuilt a machine with 20GaPS performance in early 80s, and keep improvingthe speed. M. Taiji (ISM) told on general aspects of GRAPE-type systems, and T. Narumi (Univ. of Tokyo) the 100-Tflops GRAPE-type machine for MD calculations, whichwillbefinished by 199
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.
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.
The book contains courses taught to a public of Ph. D. students, post-docs and con?rmed researchers in all ?elds of heliospheric plasma physics. It aims at identifying physical issues which are common to two di?erent ?elds of astr- omy: solar and magnetospheric physics. Emphasis is given to basic processes of transport and conversion of energy: magnetic reconnection is discussed in detail from the viewpoints of MHD and kinetic physics. Processes of charged particle acceleration are reviewed and confronted with recent observations. The subject is introduced by a summary of MHD and the basic structures and parameters of the solar atmosphere, terrestrial ionosphere and mag- tosphere are reviewed. The book combines a pedagogic and comprehensive presentation of physical issues and raises fully open questions, with the c- plementary and sometimes con?icting views of geophysicists and solar phy- cists. The book's focus, while basic, opens new avenues. Observatory of Meudon, France Ludwig Klein IAS, Orsay, France Jean-Claude Vial OCA, France Jean-Pierre Rozelot August 2000 The Editors Preface Following the great success of the ?rst two CNRS Summer Schools on Solar Astrophysics held in Oleron (May 1996 and May 1997 - two schools devoted to the highlights of solar physics), I came to the conclusion that the initiative should be continued."
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.
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.
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.
The genesis of IAU Colloquium 182, 'Sources and scintillations: refraction and scattering in radio astronomy,' can be traced to the desire, on the one hand, of Beijing Astronomical Observatory radio astronomers to organize a conference which would highlight the need for high sensitivity - as a way ofpromoting their own project to build the world's largest telescope (FAST) - and to a suggestion from Ron Ekers on the other. During a discussion with the two SOC co-chairs (as they then were not) in January 1999 in Epping, Ron noted the success ofa meeting on 'radio seeing' in Beijing in 1989, and wondered whether the time might not be ripe to organize another conference devoted to radio propagation. This set the ball rolling, and with enthusiastic input from SOC members, a successful application was made to the IAU. Later, the URSI also agreed to co-sponsor the meeting. From April 17-21, 2000, over 80 astronomers from a dozen countries met in Guiyang, China, to discuss the latestexciting results and theoretical ideas on radio propagation through interstellar, intergalactic and interplanetary space. These pro ceedings include almost all (95%) ofthe oral presentations given at the conference. In addition to the 52 talks presented during 5 days of the Colloquium, Ron Ekers gave a fine summary at the end to tie things up. There were also poster sessions where some twenty papers were displayed. Besides the scientific sessions, the LOC had organized a program for spouses and otheraccompanying persons.
The original plans for a meeting to celebrate the second centenary of the As tronomical Observatory of Palermo were for a celebration with a double character. The gathering was to have both a historical character, appropriate for a bicenten nial, and a technical character, to note and chronicle the new phase of the history of the Observatory, which has prospered in parallel with the development of this fairly recent topic in astronomical research, the physics of stellar and solar coronae. After the untimely death of the Observatory's Director, Giuseppe S. Vaiana (Pippo to his many friends), a number of colleagues and friends insisted that the celebration should nevertheless be held and should be dedicated to this farsighted scientist who stimulated the development of coronal physics from the early x-ray observations of the solar corona to the recognition of coronae as an observable feature of nearly all stars. This memorial dedication did not change the character of the meeting, which was held in Palermo from 22 to 26 June 1992; as his contributions are very alive in the papers presented at the meeting and collected here, Pippo Vaiana has certainly achieved his place in the history of Astronomy."
A conference on Observational Evidence for Black Holes in the Universe' was held in Calcutta during January 10-17, 1998. This was the first time that experts had gathered to debate and discuss topics such as: Should black holes exist? If so, how to detect them? Have we found them? This book is the essence of this gathering. Black holes are enigmatic objects since it is impossible to locate them through direct observations. State-of-the-art theoretical works and numerical simulations have given us enough clues of what to look for. Observations, from both ground and space-based missions, have been able to find these tell-tale signatures. This book is a compendium of our present knowledge about these theories and observations. Combined, they give a thorough idea of whether black holes, galactic as well as extragalactic, have been detected or not. Forty-one experts of the subject have contributed to this volume to make it the most comprehensive to date. |
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