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Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > General
This book will certainly be considered an important reference for astronomers and astrophysicists handling large amounts of data in observational and theoretical approaches to the large scale structures in the universe. The contributions are written with an emphasis on methods. The volume contains among many other topics recent observational results on redshift surveys of clusters and distributions of galaxies and quasars, together with articles on the importance of these findings for future standards and for theoretical predictions. A long historical chapter serves as an introduction. This mixture of textbook and review is aimed at the newcomer to the field as well as at the specialist. Graduate students will find it useful for additional reading.
In seven lectures of a pedagogical nature aimed at both researchers and graduate students the authors review important aspects of hadronic physics. The book contains a comprehensive review of recent experimental results obtained at the GSI collider. In particular, it covers chiral symmetry at finite temperature and statistical methods applied to relativistic heavy ion collisions and gives a detailed presentation of the astrophysics of strange quark matter.
This collection of papers describes the evolutionary path of stars of various masses. Observational data and theoretical modeling of the stellar atmosphere and the stellar interior and their interaction are presented, covering chemical peculiarities, mass loss, and explosion, all of which are strongly related to the hydrodynamic evolution of the interior. In particular the supernova SN 1987 A is discussed for the first time in detail, including the underground neutrino observations and the detection of X-rays from the supernova. The study of its progenitor, a B 3 supergiant, was related to the topics of chemical peculiarities and mass loss mechanisms and atmospheric models. The intended readers are professional astronomers and astrophysicists, as well as physicists. The book will also be an important source of information for graduate students.
In this volume the full range of astrophysical maser research is covered, with contributions from many of the foremost researchers in the field. The topics include masers in star-forming, circumstellar and extragalactic environments, solar system masers, newly discovered masing transitions, variability, proper-motion studies, and theory. Since this was the first ever conference devoted exclusively to astrophysical masers, these proceedings provide a reference for this field which has not previously been available. "Astrophysical Masers" will be useful both to those who wish to study the physics of masers, and to those who wish to better understand the astrophysically important regions with which they are associated.
There is abundant evidence that essentially all luminous hot-star winds contain time-dependent and anisotropic structures. IAU Colloquium 169 was convened to review the observations of variability and asphericity, to discuss the physical processes that might cause such behavior and to look for evolutionary consequences. The topics included OBA stars, Be stars, Wolf-Rayet stars, Be stars, and luminous blue variables (LBVs). The role played by rotation in shaping the stellar wind was a recurrent theme. Photospheric pulsations and/or magnetic fields are particularly appealing mechanisms for triggering the formation of recurrent wind structures.
I was introduced to Tiisi: and his Tadhkira some 19 years ago. That first meeting was neither happy nor auspicious. My graduate student notes from the time indicate a certain level of confusion and frustration; I seem to have had trouble with such words as tadwlr (epicycle), which was not to be found in my standard dictionary, and with the concept of solid-sphere astronomy, which, when found, was pooh-poohed in the standard sources. I had another, even more decisive reaction: boredom. Only the end of the term brought relief, and I was grateful to be on to other, more exciting aspects of the history of science. A few years later, I found myself, thanks to fellowships from Fulbright-Hays and the American Research Center in Egypt, happily immersed in the manu script collections of Damascus, Aleppo, and Cairo. Though I had intended to work on a topic in the history of mathematics, I was drawn, perhaps inevitably, to a certain type of astronomical writing falling under the rubric of hay' a. At first this fascination was based on sheer numbers; that so many medieval scientists could have written on such a subject must mean something, I told myself. (I was in a sociological mode at the time.
The purpose of this volume is to present the latest planetary studies of an international body of scientists concerned with the physical and chemical aspects of terrestrial planets. In recent years planetary science has developed in leaps and bounds. This is a result of the application of a broad range of scientific disciplines, particularly physical and chemical, to an understanding of the information received from manned and unmanned space exploration. The first five chapters expound on many of the past and recent observations in an attempt to develop meaningful physical-chemical models of planetary formation and evolution. For any discussion of the chemical processes in the solar nebula, it is important to understand the boundary conditions of the physical variables. In Chapter 1, Saf ranov and Vitjazev have laid down explicitly all the physical constraints and the problems of time-dependence of nebular evolutionary processes. Planetary scientists and students will find in this chapter a collection of astrophysical parameters on the transfer of angular momentum, formation of the disk and the gas envelope, nebular turbulence, physical mixing of particles of various origins and growth of planetesimals. The authors conclude their work with important information on ev olution of terrestrial planets. Although symbols are defined in the text of the article, readers who are not familiar with the many symbols and abbreviations in astrophysical literature will find it useful to consult the Appendix for explanations."
These proceedings are based upon the invited review papers and the research notes presented at the NATO Advanced Research Institute on "Artificial Particle Beams in Space Plasma Studies" held at Geilo, Norway April 21-26, 1981. In the last decade a number of research groups have employed artificial particle beams both from sounding rockets and satellites in order to study various ionospheric and magnetospheric phenomena. However, the artificial particle beams used in this manner have given rise to a number of puzzling effects. Thus, instead of being just a probe for studying the ambient magnetosphere, the artificial particle beams have presented a rich variety of plasma physics problems, in parti ular various discharge phenomena, which in themselves are worthy of a careful study. The experimental studies in space using artificial particle beams have in turn given rise to both theore tical and laboratory studies. In the laboratory experi ments special attention has been paid to the problem of creating spacelike conditions in the vacuum chamber. The theoretical. work has addressed the question of beam plasma-neutral interaction with emphasis on the wave generation and the modified energy distributions of the charged particles. Numerical simulations have been used extensively. With the advent of the Space Shuttle in which several artificial particle beam experiments are planned for the 1980's, there is a growing interest in such experiments. Furthermore, there is a need for coordinating these studies, both in space and in the laboratory."
This book contains the proceedings of the 1989 Crafoord Symposium organized by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The scientific field for the Crafoord Prize of 1989 was decided in 1988 by the Academy to be Magnetospheric Physics. On September 27,1989 the Academy awarded the 1989 Crafoord Prize to Professor J. A. Van Allen, Iowa City, USA "for his pioneer work in space research, in particular for the discovery of the high energy charged particles that are trapped in the Earth's magnetic field and form the radiation belts -often called the Van Allen belts - around the Earth". The subject for the Crafoord Symposium, which was held on September 28-29 at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, was Magnetospheric Physics, Achievements and Prospects. Some seventy of the world's leading scientists in magnetospheric physics (see list of participants) were invited to the Symposium. The program contained only invited papers. After the ?resentation of the Crafoord Prize Laureate, Prof. J . A. Van Allen, and his specially invited lecture: "Active Experiments in Magnetospheric Physics" follows in these proceedings two papers on the achievements of magnetospheric research hitherto. The main part of the proceedings (8 papers) deal with the main theme of the Symposium: How we shall carry on magnetospheric research in the future. The Symposium was organized by five members of the Academy representing the field of space physics: Lars Block (Stockholm), Rolf Bostrom (Uppsala), Kerstin Fredga (Stockholm), Carl-Gunne Fiilthammar (Stockholm) and Bengt Hultqvist (Kiruna, Chairman).
Astrobiology is one of the hottest areas of current research, reflecting not only impressive advances in the understanding of the origin of life but also the discovery of over 100 extrasolar planets in recent years. This volume is based on a meeting held in 2002 at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which aimed to lay the astrophysical groundwork for locating habitable places in the Universe. Written by leading scientists in the field, it covers a range of topics relevant to the search for life in the Universe, including: cosmology and its implications for the emergence of life, the habitable zone in the Milky Way Galaxy, the formation of stars and planets, the study of interstellar and interplanetary matter, searches for extrasolar planets, the synthesis of organic material in space, and spectroscopic signatures that could be used to detect life. This is an invaluable resource for both professional researchers and graduate students.
Originally published in 1989, this book provides a comprehensive account of how to handle astronomical data. Descriptions of data acquisition, handling, and interpretation are included. The advice starts with chapters on observatories and observations, followed by discussions on the archiving of data and its presentation in the literature. There are many useful suggestions on the nomenclature of astronomical objects, and descriptions of the astronomical catalogues. Three chapters concentrate on databases and astronomical data centres. Finally the author comments on publication and the growth of astronomical data. The clear advice given in this book will be of interest to professional astronomers and graduate students who handle data.
The imaging process in stellar interferometers is explained starting from first principles on wave propagation and diffraction. Wave propagation through turbulence is described in detail using Kolmogorov statistics. The impact of turbulence on the imaging process is discussed both for single telescopes and for interferometers. Correction methods (adaptive optics and fringe tracking) are presented including wavefront sensing/fringe sensing methods and closed loop operation. Instrumental techniques like beam combination and visibility measurements (modulus and phase) as well as Nulling and heterodyne interferometry are described. The book closes with examples of observing programmes linking the theory with individual astrophysical programmes. "
Huygens: The Man behind the Principle is the story of the great seventeenth-century Dutch mathematician and physicist Christiaan Huygens (1629-95). This comprehensive biography describes in detail how Huygens arrived at discoveries and inventions that are often wrongly ascribed to Newton. Huygens played a key role in the 'scientific revolution', and the Huygens Principle on the wave theory of light helped establish his reputation. The discovery of Saturn's rings and the invention of the pendulum clock made him so famous that he was invited to be the first director of the French Academy of Science, but his life as director teetered on the edge of powerlessness. Despite Huygens' many achievements no complete biography had previously been published in English. This book gives scientists and historians the opportunity to learn more about all aspects of Huygens' life while bringing his story to a wider audience.
Understanding the formation of objects at all scales in the universe, from galaxy clusters to stars and planets, is a major problem in modern astrophysics, and one of the most exciting challenges of twenty-first century astronomy. Even though they are characterized by different scales, the formation of planets, stars and galaxies share many common physical processes and are rooted in the same underlying domains of physics. This unique reference for graduate students and researchers in astrophysics was the first to cover structure formation on various scales in one volume. This book gathers together extensive reviews written by world experts in physics and astrophysics working in planet, star and galaxy formation, and related subjects. It addresses current issues in these fields and describes the recent observational status and theoretical and numerical methods aimed at understanding these problems.
In 1879, while a graduate student under Henry Rowland at the Physics Department of The Johns Hopkins University, Edwin Herbert Hall discovered what is now universally known as the Hall effect. A symposium was held at The Johns Hopkins University on November 13, 1979 to commemorate the lOOth anniversary of the discovery. Over 170 participants attended the symposium which included eleven in vited lectures and three speeches during the luncheon. During the past one hundred years, we have witnessed ever ex panding activities in the field of the Hall effect. The Hall effect is now an indispensable tool in the studies of many branches of condensed matter physics, especially in metals, semiconductors, and magnetic solids. Various components (over 200 million ) that utilize the Hall effect have been successfully incorporated into such devices as keyboards, automobile ignitions, gaussmeters, and satellites. This volume attempts to capture the important aspects of the Hall effect and its applications. It includes the papers presented at the symposium and eleven other invited papers. Detailed coverage of the Hall effect in amorphous and crystalline metals and alloys, in magnetic materials, in liquid metals, and in semiconductors is provided. Applications of the Hall effect in space technology and in studies of the aurora enrich the discussions of the Hall effect's utility in sensors and switches. The design and packaging of Hall elements in integrated circuit forms are illustrated."
'Fractal geometry addressesitselfto questions that many people have been asking themselves. It con cerns an aspect of Nature that almost everybody had been conscious of, but could not address in a formal fashion. ' 'Fractal geometry seems to be the proper language to describe the complezity of many very compli cated shapes around us. ' (Mandelbrot, 1990a) 'I believe that fractals respond to a profound un easiness in man. ' (Mandelbrot, 1990b) The catchword fractal, ever since it was coined by Mandelbrot (1975) to refer to a class of abstract mathematical objects that were already known at the turn ofthe 19th century, has found an unprecedented resonance both inside and outside the scientific community. Fractal concepts, far more than the concepts of catastrophe theory introduced a few years earlier, are currently being applied not only in the physical sciences, but also in biology and medicine (Goldberger and West 1987). In the mid-eighties, Kadanoff (1986) asked the question: 'Why all the fuss about /ractals' '. He offered a twofold answer: in the first place, it is 'because of the practical, technological importance of fractal objects'. Indeed he emphasised the relevance of these structures for materials scientists and oil drilling engineers, in search of structures with novel properties, or models for the flow of oil through the soil. His second answer was: 'Because of the intellectual interest of fractals '."
This book is based on the Proceedings of the 9th European Workshop on White Dwarfs, the most recent in a series of meetings which have become the most important events in this field. Many of the contributions, however, have been expanded considerably by the authors to include introductory material. This makes this volume a useful, up-to-date introduction into the present status of observations and theory of white dwarf stars.
This book is aimed at theoretical and mathematical physicists and mathematicians interested in modern gravitational physics. I have thus tried to use language familiar to readers working on classical and quantum gravity, paying attention both to difficult calculations and to existence theorems, and discussing in detail the current literature. The first aim of the book is to describe recent work on the problem of boundary conditions in one-loop quantum cosmology. The motivation of this research was to under stand whether supersymmetric theories are one-loop finite in the presence of boundaries, with application to the boundary-value problemsoccurring in quantum cosmology. Indeed, higher-loop calculations in the absence of boundaries are already available in the litera ture, showing that supergravity is not finite. I believe, however, that one-loop calculations in the presence of boundaries are more fundamental, in that they provide a more direct check of the inconsistency of supersymmetric quantum cosmology from the perturbative point of view. It therefore appears that higher-order calculations are not strictly needed, if the one-loop test already yields negative results. Even though the question is not yet settled, this research has led to many interesting, new applications of areas of theoretical and mathematical physics such as twistor theory in flat space, self-adjointness theory, the generalized Riemann zeta-function, and the theory of boundary counterterms in super gravity. I have also compared in detail my work with results by other authors, explaining, whenever possible, the origin of different results, the limits of my work and the unsolved problems."
The existence of jets emanating from the central sources of radio galaxies and quasars was perhaps the most important discovery for our understanding of the nature of active galactic nuclei. These proceedings present reviews and research papers on extragalactic radio sources. The book begins witha discussion of the phenomenology and models of radio sources. The main partis devoted to detailed studies of jets by VLBI, to the information obtained about the structure of the central source as deduced from variability studies, to production, confinement and velocity of jets as well as to numerical simulations of the jet phenomenon. Reviews of the two best studied jets - those in the radio galaxy M87 and the quasar 3C273 - illustrate our current observational picture of extragalactic radio jets in all accessible wavelength ranges. A section on the influence of the environment on radio galaxies concludes the book. This topical volume addresses researchers and graduate students in astrophysics.
For a better understanding of supernova explosions the contributors to this volume provide researchers and graduate students in astrophysics with a broad spectrum of alternatives. The confrontation of different theories in one volume should prompt further exploration of the driving piston for the explosions and deeper understanding of the experimental data. Properties of supernova shells are discussed, such as their kinematics, ages, sizes, temperatures, spectra, polarizations, energetics and morphologies. Special attention is given to a few shells of extreme age, viz. G 70.68+1.20, Kepler's SN, and CTB 80, as well as to their statistics.
This volume collects contributions to the workshop on "Turbulence Modeling and Vortex Dynamics, Istanbul," where engineers, physicists, and mathematicians discussed the statistical description of turbulence. They cover practical aspects as well as rigorous mathematics. This book will be a source of reference for many years for those working in this most fascinating field of scientific modeling.
The scientific life of Fred Hoyle (1915 2001) was truly unparalleled. During his career he wrote groundbreaking scientific papers and caused bitter disputes in the scientific community with his revolutionary theories. Hoyle is best known for showing that we are all, literally, made of stardust in his paper explaining how carbon, and then all the heavier elements, were created by nuclear reactions inside stars. However, he constantly courted controversy and two years later he followed this with his 'steady state' theory of the universe. This challenged another model of the universe, which Hoyle called the 'big bang' theory. Fred Hoyle was also famous amongst the general public. He popularised his research through radio and television broadcasts and wrote best-selling novels. Written from personal accounts and interviews with Hoyle's contemporaries, this book gives valuable personal insights into Fred Hoyle and his unforgettable life.
Meant as a review for students of astrophysics and particle physics, this book contains a selection of survey articles and seminar reports on "high energy cosmology." Included are contributions on topics ranging from classical cosmology, large scale structure, and primordial nucleosynthesis to quantum cosmology, covering both the theoretical aspects and the most important observations.
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. |
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