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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics > Astrophysics
Explore spectacular advances in cosmology, relativistic astrophysics, gravitational wave science, mathematics, computational science, and the interface of gravitation and quantum physics with this unique celebration of the centennial of Einstein's discovery of general relativity. Twelve comprehensive and in-depth reviews, written by a team of world-leading international experts, together present an up-to-date overview of key topics at the frontiers of these areas, with particular emphasis on the significant developments of the last three decades. Interconnections with other fields of research are also highlighted, making this an invaluable resource for both new and experienced researchers. Commissioned by the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation, and including accessible introductions to cutting-edge topics, ample references to original research papers, and informative colour figures, this is a definitive reference for researchers and graduate students in cosmology, relativity, and gravitational science.
Over a half century of exploration of the Earth s space environment, it has become evident that the interaction between the ionosphere and the magnetosphere plays a dominant role in the evolution and dynamics of magnetospheric plasmas and fields. Interestingly, it was recently discovered that this same interaction is of fundamental importance at other planets and moons throughout the solar system. Based on papers presented at an interdisciplinary AGU Chapman Conference at Yosemite National Park in February 2014, this volume provides an intellectual and visual journey through our exploration and discovery of the paradigm-changing role that the ionosphere plays in determining the filling and dynamics of Earth and planetary environments. The 2014 Chapman conference marks the 40th anniversary of the initial magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling conference at Yosemite in 1974, and thus gives a four decade perspective of the progress of space science research in understanding these fundamental coupling processes. Digital video links to an online archive containing both the 1974 and 2014 meetings are presented throughout this volume for use as an historical resource by the international heliophysics and planetary science communities. Topics covered in this volume include: * Ionosphere as a source of magnetospheric plasma * Effects of the low energy ionospheric plasma on the stability and creation of the more energetic plasmas * The unified global modeling of the ionosphere and magnetosphere at the Earth and other planets * New knowledge of these coupled interactions for heliophysicists and planetary scientists, with a cross-disciplinary approach involving advanced measurement and modeling techniques Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Solar System is a valuable resource for researchers in the fields of space and planetary science, atmospheric science, space physics, astronomy, and geophysics.
There are several billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy. One of them is the middle-aged G2V yellow dwarf that rules our lives. The Sun Today discusses the Sun's appearance and composition, its internal workings, and the various kinds of radiation it emits, and it puts forward a novel explanation for coronal heating. The book draws on the findings of telescopic observation, space missions, and technical and theoretical advances in many fields, and shows why we need to know more if we are to understand and manage our foothold in the Universe. From the reviews of other books by Claudio Vita-Finzi: The Sun - A User's Manual (2008) ....this, jargon-free, concise, beautifully illustrated and eminently readable book... D.W. Hughes, Times Literary Supplement Solar History (2013) ....a book that is supremely informative, intensely stimulating and enjoyable to read... Ian Seymour, Astronomy Now A History of the Solar System (2016) ...there is a huge amount of useful information in this book that would benefit anyone who needed more detail than is available in a typical popular science title. Brian Clegg, Popular Science
From the discovery of entirely new kinds of galaxies to a window into cosmic ‘prehistory’, Bothwell shows us the Universe as we’ve never seen it before – literally. Since the dawn of our species, people all over the world have gazed in awe at the night sky. But for all the beauty and wonder of the stars, when we look with just our eyes we are seeing and appreciating only a tiny fraction of the Universe. What does the cosmos have in store for us beyond the phenomena we can see, from black holes to supernovas? How different does the invisible Universe look from the home we thought we knew? Dr Matt Bothwell takes us on a journey through the full spectrum of light and beyond, revealing what we have learned about the mysteries of the Universe. This book is a guide to the ninety-nine per cent of cosmic reality we can’t see – the Universe that is hidden, right in front of our eyes. It is also the endpoint of a scientific detective story thousands of years in the telling. It is a tour through our Invisible Universe.
The methods used in the detection and characterisation of exoplanets are presented through the study of transiting systems in this unique textbook for advanced undergraduates. From determining the atmospheric properties of transiting exoplanets to measuring the planetary orbit's alignment with the stellar spin, students will discover what these measurements imply for reinvigorated theories of planet formation and evolution. Worked examples and exercises with full solutions help students to assess their understanding of concepts and results. Key points and equations are highlighted to make them easily identifiable, and there are full colour illustrations throughout. Bridging the gap between introductory, non-mathematical texts and more advanced textbooks, this book is ideal for students with some background in mathematics, physics and astronomy. Accompanying resources to this textbook are available at: http://www.cambridge.org/features/astrophysics.
A quirky, funny, and accessible blend of science and art that delves into the heart of Einstein’s theory of relativity It was a link to Albert Einstein’s 1905 paper―an early attempt at explaining his revolutionary ideas on space, time, and matter―that drew Tanya Bub into his imaginative vision of the world. What particularly struck her was how Einstein interwove words and math to create clear visuals illustrating his theories. As an artist, she naturally started doodling as she worked her way through his concepts, creating drawings that intuitively demonstrated Einstein’s core principles. In Reimagining Time, Tanya Bub teams up with her father, the distinguished physicist Jeffrey Bub, to create a quirky and accessible take on one of science’s most revolutionary discoveries. Blending original art and text, they guide readers―even nonmathematicians―through Einstein’s theory of special relativity to reveal truths about our universe: time is relative, lengths get shorter with motion, energy and mass are interchangeable, and the universe has a speed limit.
A noted astrophysicist presents a lively and accessible introduction to radical ideas and discoveries that are transforming our knowledge of the universe "A strikingly lucid account of the expansion, not just of the universe, but of the way we have tried to understand it, from the Babylonians to black holes and dark matter."-Richard Holmes, "By the Book,"New York Times Book Review "Part history, part science, all illuminating. If you want to understand the greatest ideas that shaped our current cosmic cartography, read this book."-Adam G. Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011 This book provides a tour of the "greatest hits" of cosmological discoveries-the ideas that reshaped our universe over the past century. The cosmos, once understood as a stagnant place, filled with the ordinary, is now a universe that is expanding at an accelerating pace, propelled by dark energy and structured by dark matter. Priyamvada Natarajan, our guide to these ideas, is someone at the forefront of the research-an astrophysicist who literally creates maps of invisible matter in the universe. She not only explains for a wide audience the science behind these essential ideas but also provides an understanding of how radical scientific theories gain acceptance. The formation and growth of black holes, dark matter halos, the accelerating expansion of the universe, the echo of the big bang, the discovery of exoplanets, and the possibility of other universes-these are some of the puzzling cosmological topics of the early twenty-first century. Natarajan discusses why the acceptance of new ideas about the universe and our place in it has never been linear and always contested even within the scientific community. And she affirms that, shifting and incomplete as science always must be, it offers the best path we have toward making sense of our wondrous, mysterious universe.
Relativistic objects in astrophysics present a diverse set of phenomena and cover vast ranges of time scales and spatial scales, but their descriptions rely on a similar backbone: production of a relativistic outflow in a central compact object and dissipation of the outflow at large radii, accompanied by acceleration of particles up to very high energies and production of secondary non-thermal electromagnetic radiation. This book provides a timely and comprehensive review of the main physical processes involved in the formation and dissipation of relativistic outflows. It will be particularly useful to postgraduate students and researchers active in various areas of astrophysics and space science . Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Volume 207, Issue 1-4, July 2017
Offers an accessible text and reference (a cosmic-ray manual) for graduate students entering the field and high-energy astrophysicists will find this an accessible cosmic-ray manual Easy to read for the general astronomer, the first part describes the standard model of cosmic rays based on our understanding of modern particle physics. Presents the acceleration scenario in some detail in supernovae explosions as well as in the passage of cosmic rays through the Galaxy. Compares experimental data in the atmosphere as well as underground are compared with theoretical models
With ninety per cent of visible matter in the universe existing in the plasma state, an understanding of magnetohydrodynamics is essential for anyone looking to understand solar and astrophysical processes, from stars to accretion discs and galaxies; as well as laboratory applications focused on harnessing controlled fusion energy. This introduction to magnetohydrodynamics brings together the theory of plasma behavior with advanced topics including the applications of plasma physics to thermonuclear fusion and plasma- astrophysics. Topics covered include streaming and toroidal plasmas, nonlinear dynamics, modern computational techniques, incompressible plasma turbulence and extreme transonic and relativistic plasma flows. The numerical techniques needed to apply magnetohydrodynamics are explained, allowing the reader to move from theory to application and exploit the latest algorithmic advances. Bringing together two previous volumes: Principles of Magnetohydrodynamics and Advanced Magnetohydrodynamics, and completely updated with new examples, insights and applications, this volume constitutes a comprehensive reference for students and researchers interested in plasma physics, astrophysics and thermonuclear fusion.
This volume presents the peer-reviewed proceedings of the XXIII DAE-BRNS High Energy Physics Symposium 2018, which was held at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, on 10-15 December 2018. Gathering selected contributions, the book highlights the latest developments and research trends in physics, detectors and instrumentation relevant to all branches of particle physics, astroparticle physics and closely related fields. The major topics covered include Standard Model physics, beyond Standard Model physics, neutrino physics, cosmology, formal theory, heavy ion physics & quantum chromodynamics (QCD), particle detectors and future experiments. Given the range of topics discussed, the book will be useful for beginners as well as advanced researchers in the field.
This didactic book uses a data-driven approach to connect measurements made by plasma instruments to the real world. This approach makes full use of the instruments' capability and examines the data at the most detailed level an experiment can provide. Students using this approach will learn what instruments can measure, and working with real-world data will pave their way to models consistent with these observations. While conceived as a teaching tool, the book contains a considerable amount of new information. It emphasizes recent results, such as particle measurements made from the Cluster ion experiment, explores the consequences of new discoveries, and evaluates new trends or techniques in the field. At the same time, the author ensures that the physical concepts used to interpret the data are general and widely applicable. The topics included help readers understand basic problems fundamental to space plasma physics. Some are appearing for the first time in a space physics textbook. Others present different perspectives and interpretations of old problems and models that were previously considered incontestable. This book is essential reading for graduate students in space plasma physics, and a useful reference for the broader astrophysics community.
Interest in and knowledge of the techniques utilised to investigate our solar system has been growing rapidly for decades and has now reached a stage of maturity. Therefore, the time has now arrived for a book that provides a cohesive and coherent account of how we have obtained our present knowledge of solar system objects, not including the Sun. Remote and Robotic Investigations of the Solar System covers all aspects of solar system observations: the instruments, their theory, and their practical use both on Earth and in space. It explores the state-of-the-art telescopes, cameras, spacecraft and instruments used to analyse the interiors, surfaces, atmospheres and radiation belts of solar system objects, in addition to radio waves, gamma rays, cosmic rays and neutrinos. This book would be ideal for university students undertaking physical science subjects and professionals working in the field, in addition to amateur astronomers and anyone interested in learning more about our local astronomical neighbours.
Laboratory astrophysics is the Rosetta Stone that enables astronomers to understand and interpret the distant cosmos. It provides the tools to interpret and guide astronomical observations and delivers the numbers needed to quantitatively model the processes taking place in space, providing a bridge between observers and modelers. IAU Symposium 350 was organized by the International Astronomical Union's Laboratory Astrophysics Commission (B5), and was the first topical symposium on laboratory astrophysics sponsored by the IAU. Active researchers in observational astronomy, space missions, experimental and theoretical laboratory astrophysics, and astrochemistry discuss the topics and challenges facing astronomy today. Five major topics are covered, spanning from star- and planet-formation through stellar populations to extragalactic chemistry and dark matter. Within each topic, the main themes of laboratory studies, astronomical observations, and theoretical modeling are explored, demonstrating the breadth and the plurality of disciplines engaged in the growing field of laboratory astrophysics.
Stellar cluster research is in a dynamic state. IAU Symposium 351 (also chosen as MODEST-19, within the 'Modelling and Observing DEnse STellar systems' meeting series) is a compilation of the research presented at the Symposium. It contains highlights of the latest research taking place in many areas, including the formation of stellar clusters at high redshifts, multiple stellar populations within stellar clusters, the dynamical evolution of stellar clusters, and the production of exotic objects such as black holes within stellar clusters. This volume also includes articles on the build up of larger galaxies from smaller galaxies and stellar clusters, and discussions of the latest data from large surveys and from the Gaia satellite. Looking at both the local and the high-redshift universe allows links to be established between the clusters we see today and their progenitors. IAU S351 is an ideal entry point for astronomers new to this research field.
A Telegraph Best Book of the Year A wry and compelling take on the who, how, and why of near-future colonies in space. From bone-whittling microgravity to eye-popping profits, the risks and rewards of space settlement have never been so close at hand. More than fifty years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, why is there so little human presence in space? Will we ever reach Mars? What will it take to become a multiplanet species, colonizing the solar system and traveling to other stars? Spacefarers meets these questions head on. While many books have speculated on the possibility of living beyond the Earth, few have delved into the practical challenges or plausible motives for leaving the safe confines of our home planet. Christopher Wanjek argues that there is little doubt we will be returning to the Moon and exploring Mars in the coming decades, given the potential scientific and commercial bonanza. Private industry is already taking a leading role and earning profits from human space activity. This can be, Wanjek suggests, a sustainable venture and a natural extension of earthbound science, business, and leisure. He envisions hotels in low-earth orbit and mining, tourism, and science on the Moon. He also proposes the slow, steady development of science bases on Mars, to be followed by settlements if Martian gravity will permit reproduction and healthy child development. An appetite for wonder will take us far, but if we really want to settle new worlds, we'll need the earnest plans of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Wanjek introduces us to those planners, who are striving right now to make life in space a reality.
The first extended work of its kind, "Stars as Laboratories for
Fundamental Physics" stands at the intersection of two burgeoning
fields, astrophysics and particle physics. Georg Raffelt, one of
the world's leading researchers in this field, describes what the
study of stars reveals about fundamental particle interactions.
This textbook is a unique and ambitious primer of nuclear physics, which introduces recent theoretical and experimental progresses starting from basics in fundamental quantum mechanics. The highlight is to offer an overview of nuclear structure phenomena relevant to recent key findings such as unstable halo nuclei, superheavy elements, neutron stars, nucleosynthesis, the standard model, lattice quantum chromodynamics (LQCD), and chiral effective theory. An additional attraction is that general properties of nuclei are comprehensively explained from both the theoretical and experimental viewpoints. The book begins with the conceptual and mathematical basics of quantum mechanics, and goes into the main point of nuclear physics - nuclear structure, radioactive ion beam physics, and nuclear reactions. The last chapters devote interdisciplinary topics in association with astrophysics and particle physics. A number of illustrations and exercises with complete solutions are given. Each chapter is comprehensively written starting from fundamentals to gradually reach modern aspects of nuclear physics with the objective to provide an effective description of the cutting edge in the field.
The Sun is our nearest star; it is a dynamic star, which changes with time. Solar variations have significant influence on Earth's space environment and climate through the Sun's magnetic field, irradiation and energetic particles. Long-term and reliable historical datasets of solar and stellar activity indices are crucial for understanding the variations and predicting the future solar cycle. IAU Symposium 340 brings together scientists from diverse, interdisciplinary areas to address the latest discoveries from these long-term datasets for the understanding of solar and stellar magnetic cycles. They make comparisons between different datasets and discuss how to make uniform databases. The proceedings of IAU S340 contain a selection of presentations and reviews from internationally renowned experts. They provide an up-to-date account of this field of importance to researchers and advanced students in solar, stellar, space and heliospheric physics.
This book offers an overview of the fundamental dynamical processes, which are necessary to understand astrophysical phenomena, from the viewpoint of hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, and radiation hydrodynamics. The book consists of three parts: The first discusses the fundamentals of hydrodynamics necessary to understand the dynamics of astrophysical objects such as stars, interstellar gases and accretion disks. The second part reviews the interactions between gases and magnetic fields on fluid motions - the magnetohydrodynamics - highlighting the important role of magnetic fields in dynamical phenomena under astrophysical environments. The third part focuses on radiation hydrodynamics, introducing the hydrodynamic phenomena characterized by the coupling of radiation and gas motions and further on relativistic radiation hydrodynamics. Intended as a pedagogical introduction for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, it also provides comprehensive coverage of the fundamentals of astrophysical fluid dynamics, making it an effective resource not only for graduate courses, but also for beginners wanting to learn about hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, and radiation hydrodynamics in astrophysics independently.
As featured in THE EDGE OF ALL WE KNOW - the new Netflix documentary about Black Holes For readers of Stephen Hawking, a fascinating account of the universe from the perspective of world-leading astrophysicist Heino Falcke, who took the first ever picture of a black hole. 10th April 2019: a global sensation. Heino Falcke, a man "working at the boundaries of his discipline and therefore at the limits of the universe" had used a network of telescopes spanning the entire planet to take the first picture of a black hole. Light in the Darkness examines how mankind has always looked to the skies, mapping the journey from millennia ago when we turned our gaze to the heavens, to modern astrophysics. Heino Falcke and Jorg Romer entertainingly and compellingly chart the breakthrough research of Falcke's team, an unprecedented global community of international colleagues developing a telescope complex enough to look directly into a black hole - a hole where light vanishes, and time stops. What does this development mean? Is this the beginning of a new physics? What can we learn from this about God, the world, and ourselves? For Falcke, astrophysics and metaphysics, science and faith, do not exclude one another. Black Hole is both a plea for curiosity and humility; it's interested in both what we know, and the mysteries that remain unsolved.
The Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) and the Bavarian Competence Network for Technical and Scienti?c High Performance Computing (KONWIHR) publish in the present book results of numerical simulations facilitated by the High P- formance Computer System in Bavaria (HLRB II) within the last two years. The papers were presented at the Fourth Joint HLRB and KONWIHR Review and - sult Workshop in Garching on 8th and 9th December 2009, and were selected from all progress reports of projects that use the HLRB II. Similar to the workshop two years ago, the majority of the contributed papers belong to the area of computational ?uid dynamics (CFD), condensed matter physics, astrophysics, chemistry, computer sciences and high-energy physics. We note a considerable increase of the user c- munity in some areas: Compared to 2007, the number of papers increased from 6 to 12 in condensed matter physics and from 2 to 5 in high-energy physics. Bio s- ences contributed only one paper in 2007, but four papers in 2009. This indicates that the area of application of supercomputers is continuously growing and entering new ?elds of research. The year 2007 saw two major events of particular importance for the LRZ. First, after a substantial upgrade with dual-core processors the SGI Altix 4700 superc- puter reached a peak performance of more than 62 Tera?op/s. And second, the n- pro't organization Gauss Centre for Supercomputing e. V. (GCS) was founded on April 13th.
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