Interstellar dust grains catalyse chemical reactions, absorb, scatter, polarise and re-radiate starlight and constitute the building blocks for the formation of planets. Understanding this interstellar component is therefore of primary importance in many areas of astronomy & astrophysics. For example, observers need to understand how dust effects light passing through molecular clouds. Astrophysicists wish to comprehend how dust enables the collapse of clouds or how it determines the spectral behaviour of protostars, star forming regions or whole galaxies. This book gives a thorough theoretical description of the fundamental physics of interstellar dust: its composition, morphology, size distribution, dynamics, optical and thermal properties, alignment, polarisation, scattering, radiation and spectral features. This encyclopedic book provides the basic physics towards understanding the solid matter in interstellar space. It includes all the necessary physics, including solid state physics, radiative transport, optical properties, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. It then uses all of this basic physics in the specific case of dust grains in the interstellar medium. Interstellar dust clouds catalyze simple chemical reactions, absorbs, scatters, polarizes and re-radiates starlight and forms the building blocks for planet and stellar formation. Understanding this interstellar medium is then of primary importance in many areas of astronomy & astrophysics. For example observers need to understand how it effects light passing through dust and molecular clouds, astrophysicists need to comprehend the formation and structure of dust clouds and how it collapses to form stars and planets. Written in an accessible and descriptive manner, this will be essential supplementary reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on the interstellar medium and active researchers in need of a single source of well illustrated and detailed information.

Dark matter in the Universe has become one of the most exciting and central fields of astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology. The lectures and talks in this book emphasize the experimental and theoretical status and perspectives of the ongoing search for dark matter, and the future potential of the field into the next millennium, stressing in particular the interplay between astro- and particle physics.

The aim of the inaugural meeting of the Sant Cugat Forum on Astrophysics was to address, in a global context, the current understanding of and challenges in high-energy emissions from isolated and non-isolated neutron stars, and to confront the theoretical picture with observations of both the Fermi satellite and the currently operating ground-based Cherenkov telescopes. Participants have also discussed the prospects for possible observations with planned instruments across the multi-wavelength spectrum (e.g. SKA, LOFAR, E-VLT, IXO, CTA) and how they will impact our theoretical understanding of these systems.
In keeping with the goals of the Forum, this book not only represents the proceedings of the meeting, but also a reflection on the state-of-the-art in the topic.

This volume contains the proceedings from the conference "The Labyrinth of Star Formation" that was held in Crete, Greece, in June 2012, to honour the contributions to the study of star formation made by Professor Anthony Whitworth of Cardiff University.

The book covers many aspects of theoretical and observational star formation: low-mass star formation; young circumstellar discs; computational methods; triggered star formation; the stellar initial mass function; high-mass star formation and stellar clusters. Each section starts with a review paper, followed by papers discussing recent theoretical and observational work.

This volume summarises our current understanding of star formation and is useful for both graduate students and researchers alike.

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?; And 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 at the end of the 20th century. Combined, they give an idea of whether black holes, galactic as well as extragalactic, have been detected or not.

Magnetic Fields play a key role in the physics of star formation on all scales: from the formation of the large complexes of molecular clouds to the formation of solar-like planetary systems. The plasma physics involved is non-linear and very complex, which requires the development of large numerical codes. An additional difficulty is that the detection and study of magnetic fields is not easy from an observational point of view, and therefore theoretical models cannot easily be constrained.

In the week from April 21st to 25th in 2003, a meeting was held on the Campus of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) to join theoretical and observational efforts to address these issues. The objective was to define a set of relevant problems for the physics of star formation that can be properly addressed with the current or near-future instruments.

This book summarizes the results of this intensive week of work. The book is written in a comprehensive manner and reviews our current knowledge of the subject. It also represents an updated account of the ideas and thoughts of the scientists working in the field of Star Formation. The contributions are presented in six chapters which correspond to the six fundamental issues (sessions) on which the discussion was focused during the workshop: the physics of turbulence in the Interstellar Medium (ISM), the formation of structure in the ISM, the formation of stars within dense cores of molecular gas, the physics of accretion disks, the physics of outflows and their interaction with the ISM, and the interaction between the stellar magnetosphere and accretion disk.

Each chapter starts with a comprehensive summary written by one of the editors, which includes input from the contributions as well as the editor's own thoughts on the subject. For all these reasons the book is well-suited as a primer to introduce graduate students in the richness of this field of research.

This book presents a complete overview of what we know, and would like to know, about the evolution and structure of massive stars. The spectra of early-type stars are produced by elaborate model atmospheres enveloping the internal structure. The book should be of value to researchers into the evolution, structure and atmospheres of massive stars. The book is also appropriate for astrophysics courses at university level, where it can be used to get acquainted with the most recent observational data, modelling of the internal and atmospheric structure, and the refined development of single and binary evolution scenarios of massive stars.

Modern cosmology has changed significantly over the years, from the discovery to the precision measurement era. The data now available provide a wealth of information, mostly consistent with a model where dark matter and dark energy are in a rough proportion of 3:7. The time is right for a fresh new textbook which captures the state-of-the art in cosmology. Written by one of the world's leading cosmologists, this brand new, thoroughly class-tested textbook provides graduate and undergraduate students with coverage of the very latest developments and experimental results in the field. Prof. Nicola Vittorio shows what is meant by precision cosmology, from both theoretical and observational perspectives. This book is divided into three main parts: Part I provides a pedagogical, but rigorous, general relativity-based discussion of cosmological models, showing the evidence for dark energy, the constraints from primordial nucleosynthesis and the need for inflation Part II introduces density fluctuations and their statistical description, discussing different theoretical scenarios, such as CDM, as well as observations Part III introduces the general relativity approach to structure formation and discusses the physics behind the CMB temperature and polarization pattern of the microwave sky Carefully adapted from the course taught by Prof. Vittorio at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, this book will be an ideal companion for advanced students undertaking a course in cosmology. Features: Incorporates the latest experimental results, at a time of rapid change in this field, with balanced coverage of both theoretical and experimental perspectives Each chapter is accompanied by problems, with detailed solutions The basics of tensor calculus and GR are given in the appendices

See the full beauty of our night sky revealed as never before in over 200 photographs from around the world in this stunning and giftable title. Bringing together the images of over 40 photographers across 25 countries, be astounded by the lights of the night sky in some of the darkest places on earth; discover the beauty of galaxies, planets and stars; view great celestial events; and see some of the world's most important landmarks against the backdrop of an incredible nightscape. Babak Tafreshi, founder of the international organisation The World at Night, has curated the images in this collection - many of them previously unseen - to reveal the true splendour of the sky at night. A specialist guide to night-sky photography will help you capture your own gorgeous images of the heavens. Commentary on the science, astronomy and photography accompany stunning images organised by theme: Symbols of all nations and religions embraced by one sky of endless beauties UNESCO World Heritage Sites at night The Universe revealed through constellations, sky motions, atmospheric phenomenon, Aurora and other wonders Images highlighting the beauty of dark skies away from light-polluted urban areas Celestial events, from great comets to spectacular eclipses Astro-tourism destinations, like ancient astronomical monuments and modern observatories

'Krumholz has a strong writing style, didactic to be sure, but also fairly conversational within the limits of the material. While hardly casual reading, this text would be a good resource for a stellar astrophysicist, or any individual seeking to become one.'CHOICEThis book provides a modern introduction to the study of star formation, at a level suitable for graduate students or advanced undergraduates in astrophysics. The first third of the book provides a review of the observational phenomenology and then the basic physical processes that are important for star formation. The remainder then discusses the major observational results and theoretical models for star formation on scales from galactic down to planetary. The book includes recommendations for complementary reading from the research literature, as well as five problem sets with solutions.

One approach to learning about stellar populations is to study them at three different levels of resolution. First in our own galaxy; secondly from nearby galaxies where stars can still be resolved; and thirdly in remote galaxies in which the stellar population can only be studied in integrated light. This International Astronomical Union Symposium covered the range of galaxies in its study of their stellar populations. Interspersed with theoretical papers, the observational papers provide a presentation of the progress that has been made in the field.

The idea for organizing an Advanced Study Institute devoted largely to neutron star timing arose independently in three places, at Istanbul, Garching and Amster dam; when we became aware of each other's ideas we decided to join forces. The choice of a place for the Institute, in Turkey, appealed much to us all, and it was then quickly decided that Qe me would be an excellent spot. When the preparations for the Institute started, early in 1987, we could not have guessed how timely the subject actually was. Of course, the recently dis covered QPO phenomena in accreting neutron stars and half a dozen binary and millisecond radio pulsars known at the time formed one of the basic motivations for organizing this Institute. But none of us could have guessed that later in 1987 we were to witness the wonderful discovery of the binary and millisecond radio pulsars in globular clusters and, -as if Nature wished to give us a special present for this the discovery in March 1988 of a millisecond pulsar in an eclipsing binary Institu- system, the first eclipsing radio pulsar ever found, and the second fastest in the sky The discussion of this pulsar, its formation and fate was one of the highlights of this meeting, especially since its discoverers were among the participants of the Institute and could provide us with first-hand information."

Cosmical Aerodynamics - Why was it so Difficult?.- Shaping Planetary Nebulae.- Investigating the Kinematics of the Faint Giant Haloes of Planetary Nebulae.- Shock Modelling of Planetary Nebulae.- Imaging Polarimetry of Proto-Planetary Nebulae.- IRAS 17423-1755: a BQ[ ] Star with a Variable Velocity Outflow.- Spectroscopic Constraints on Outflows from BN-type Objects.- First Wavelet Analysis of Emission Line Variations in Wolf-Rayet Stars-Turbulence in Hot-Star Outflows.- Complex Structure Associated with the Wolf-Rayet Star WR147.- The Importance of Continuum Radiation for the Stellar Wind Hydrodynamics of Hot Stars.- Herbig Ae/Be Stars.- 3-D Radiative Line Transfer for Be Star Envelopes.- Radiatively Driven Winds Using Lagrangian Hydrodynamics.- Parametric Determination of the Inclination of Keplerian Circumstellar Discs from Spectropolarimetric Profiles of Scattered Lines.- Observational Evidence for Global Oscillations in Be Star Disks.- Coupled Stellar Jet/Molecular Outflow Models.- Modelling Jet-Driven Molecular Outflows.- Jets.- A Simulation of a Jet with the Hiccups.- Interactions Between Molecular Outflows and Optical Jets.- Proper Motion Measurements in the HH 46/47 Outflow.- The Serpens Radio Jet: Evidence of Precession or Nutation.- Fragmentation and Heating of Streamers in Orion.- Highly Supersonic Molecular Flows in Wind-Clump Boundary Layers.- High Density Tracers in Outflow Regions: NH3 vs. CS.- Modelling the Constancy of X.- Gas-Grain Interaction in the Low Mass Star-Forming Region B335.- The Structure and Dynamics of M17SW.- The Hydrodynamics of Bipolar Explosions.- Shock-Heated Gas in the Outbursts of Classical Novae.- The Crab Nebula Revisited.- Pulsar Magnetospheres: Classical and Quasi-Classical Descriptions.- The Global Structure of the Insterstellar Medium.- A Power Spectrum Description of Galactic Neutral Hydrogen.- A Statistical Description of Astrophysical Turbulence.- Rosat Wide Field Camera Data and the Temperature of the Interstellar Medium.- Hierarchial Galactic Dynamo and Seed Magnetic Field Problem.- Cosmic Ray Diffusion at Energies of 1 MeV to 105 GeV.- Alfvenic Waves and Alignment of Large Grains.- An Interstellar Thermostat: Gas Temperature Regulated by Grain Charge.- Recent Optical Observations of Circumstellar and Interstellar Phenomena.- Internal Motions of HII Regions and Giant HII Regions.- High-Speed Flows in the Vicinity of the Trapezium Stars.- The Orion Nebula: Structure, Dynamics, and Population.- An Evolutionary Model for the Wolf Rayet Nebula NGC 2539.- Supersonic Turbulence in Giant Extragalactic HII Regions.- The Dynamics of the Ring Nebula Surrounding the LBV Candidate He 3-519.- Turbulent Mixing in Wind-Blown HII Regions.- Shock Wave Structure in the Cygnus Loop.- Catastrophic Cooling Diagnostics.- Star Formation in Shocked Layers.- Binary and Multiple Star Formation.- Galactic Fountains.- The Solution Topology of Galactic Winds.- Galactic Scale Gas Flows in Colliding Galaxies: 3-Dimensional, N-Body/Hydrodynamics Experiments.- Gas Flow in a Two Component Galactic Disk.- How Faithful Are N-Body Simulations of Disc Galaxies? - Artificial Suppression of Gaseous Dynamical Instabilities.- Long-Lived Spiral Structure in N-Body Simulations: Work in Progress.- The Use of Gravitational Microlensing to Scan the Structure of BAL QSOs.- Anomalous Component Motion in the MAS Double Radio Source 0646+600.- Effects of Dense Medium Surrounding Galactic-Sized Radio Sources.- 8.4 Ghz Vla Observations of the CfA Seyfert Sample.- Relativistic Jet Simulations.- Active Galactic Nuclei Flow Velocities and the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays.- Hidden Broad Line Regions and Anisotropy in AGN.- The Starburst Galaxy NGC1808: Another M82?.- List of Forthcoming Papers.- The 'KLUWER' LaTeX Style File.

Distant galaxies encapsulate the various stages of galaxy evolution and formation from over 95% of the development of the universe. As early as twenty-five years ago, little was known about them, however since the first systematic survey was completed in the 1990s, increasing amounts of resources have been devoted to their discovery and research. This book summarises for the first time the numerous techniques used for observing, analysing, and understanding the evolution and formation of these distant galaxies.In this rapidly expanding research field, this text is an every-day companion handbook for graduate students and active researchers. It provides guidelines in sample selection, imaging, integrated spectroscopy and 3D spectroscopy, which help to avoid the numerous pitfalls of observational and analysis techniques in use in extragalactic astronomy. It also paves the way for establishing relations between fundamental properties of distant galaxies. At each step, the reader is assisted with numerous practical examples and ready-to-use methodology to help understand and analyse research.Francois Hammer worked initially in general relativity and made the first modelling of gravitational lenses prior to their spectroscopic confirmation. Following this, he became co-leader of the first complete survey of distant galaxies, the Canada-France-Redshift Survey. This led to the discovery of the strong decrease of the cosmic star formation density measured from UV light as z=1, which, alongside Hector Flores, they confirmed as bolometric and dust independent. With Mathieu Puech, they then pioneered the 3D spectroscopy of distant galaxies, leading to a major increase of understanding of the dynamic state of distant galaxies evidenced by the scatter of the Tully-Fisher relation. This led them to propose, with the addition to the team of Myriam Rodrigues, that galactic disks may survive or be rebuilt in gas-rich mergers, a scenario that is consistent with contemporary cosmological simulations. Besides extensive observational experience, the authors have led, or are leading, several instruments implemented or to be implemented at the largest telescopes, including VLT/Giraffe, VLT/X-shooter, VLT/MOONS and E-ELT/MOSAIC. They have also developed several observational techniques in adaptive optics, and in sky subtraction for integral field units and fibre instruments.

Distant galaxies encapsulate the various stages of galaxy evolution and formation from over 95% of the development of the universe. As early as twenty-five years ago, little was known about them, however since the first systematic survey was completed in the 1990s, increasing amounts of resources have been devoted to their discovery and research. This book summarises for the first time the numerous techniques used for observing, analysing, and understanding the evolution and formation of these distant galaxies.In this rapidly expanding research field, this text is an every-day companion handbook for graduate students and active researchers. It provides guidelines in sample selection, imaging, integrated spectroscopy and 3D spectroscopy, which help to avoid the numerous pitfalls of observational and analysis techniques in use in extragalactic astronomy. It also paves the way for establishing relations between fundamental properties of distant galaxies. At each step, the reader is assisted with numerous practical examples and ready-to-use methodology to help understand and analyse research.Francois Hammer worked initially in general relativity and made the first modelling of gravitational lenses prior to their spectroscopic confirmation. Following this, he became co-leader of the first complete survey of distant galaxies, the Canada-France-Redshift Survey. This led to the discovery of the strong decrease of the cosmic star formation density measured from UV light as z=1, which, alongside Hector Flores, they confirmed as bolometric and dust independent. With Mathieu Puech, they then pioneered the 3D spectroscopy of distant galaxies, leading to a major increase of understanding of the dynamic state of distant galaxies evidenced by the scatter of the Tully-Fisher relation. This led them to propose, with the addition to the team of Myriam Rodrigues, that galactic disks may survive or be rebuilt in gas-rich mergers, a scenario that is consistent with contemporary cosmological simulations. Besides extensive observational experience, the authors have led, or are leading, several instruments implemented or to be implemented at the largest telescopes, including VLT/Giraffe, VLT/X-shooter, VLT/MOONS and E-ELT/MOSAIC. They have also developed several observational techniques in adaptive optics, and in sky subtraction for integral field units and fibre instruments.

From the Big Bang to the Gaia Mission, this is a very personal history of the universe through the author's favourite 100 stars. Astronomer Florian Freistetter has chosen 100 stars that have almost nothing in common. Some are bright and famous, some shine so feebly you need a huge telescope. There are big stars, small stars, nearby stars and faraway stars. Some died a while ago, others have not even yet come into being. Collectively they tell the story of the whole world, according to Freistetter. There is Algol, for example, the Demon Star, whose strange behaviour has long caused people sleepless nights. And Gamma Draconis, from which we know that the earth rotates around its own axis. There is also the star sequence 61 Cygni, which revealed the size of the cosmos to us. Then there are certain stars used by astronomers to search for extra-terrestrial life, to explore interstellar space travel, or to explain why the dinosaurs became extinct. In 100 short, fascinating and entertaining chapters, Freistetter not only reveals the past and future of the cosmos, but also the story of the people who have tried to understand the world in which we live.

This volume collects the contributions to the 10th European Workshop on White Dwarfs held in Blanes, Spain, in June 1996. The Workshop gathered together a number of specialists working in this area of research and provided an updated description of the current work of the field as well as its connections with other topics. This text provides a snapshot of current understanding of the origin, structure and evolution of white dwarf stars from both the theoretical and the observational points of view. It also takes into account the properties of white dwarfs as members of binary systems, stellar clusters and galactic populations.

Stars are the main factories of element production in the universe through a suite of complex and intertwined physical processes. Such stellar alchemy is driven by multiple nuclear interactions that through eons have transformed the pristine, metal-poor ashes leftover by the Big Bang into a cosmos with 100 distinct chemical species. The products of stellar nucleosynthesis frequently get mixed inside stars by convective transport or through hydrodynamic instabilities, and a fraction of them is eventually ejected into the interstellar medium, thus polluting the cosmos with gas and dust. The study of the physics of the stars and their role as nucleosynthesis factories owes much to cross-fertilization of different, somehow disconnected fields, ranging from observational astronomy, computational astrophysics, and cosmochemistry to experimental and theoretical nuclear physics. Few books have simultaneously addressed the multidisciplinary nature of this field in an engaging way suitable for students and young scientists. Providing the required multidisciplinary background in a coherent way has been the driving force for Stellar Explosions: Hydrodynamics and Nucleosynthesis. Written by a specialist in stellar astrophysics, this book presents a rigorous but accessible treatment of the physics of stellar explosions from a multidisciplinary perspective at the crossroads of computational astrophysics, observational astronomy, cosmochemistry, and nuclear physics. Basic concepts from all these different fields are applied to the study of classical and recurrent novae, type I and II supernovae, X-ray bursts and superbursts, and stellar mergers. The book shows how a multidisciplinary approach has been instrumental in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in stars, particularly during explosive events.

Interstellar carbon monoxide (CO) was first detected in 1970 by R. W. Wilson, K. B. Jefferts, and A. A. Penzias through observations of its lowest rotational transition at 2.6 mm wavelength. This discovery opened the door to a profound new understanding of several diverse yet related fields, including the phases of the interstellar medium, the initial and final phases of stellar evolution, the chemistry of dense and diffuse interstellar matter and of the solar system, the structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and the content and structure of other galaxies. These are among the most fundamental research areas in astrophysics, and spectroscopic information about CO and other molecules serves as a primary tool of investigation. Continuing developments in instrumentation will further increase the power and utility of millimeter and submillimeter-wavelength molecular line spectroscopy. The 25th anniversary of the detection of CO was an opportunity for researchers from all branches of millimeter-wave astronomy to gather and review progress and future directions. These Proceedings discuss the state of the field and consider important unanswered questions.

It was a general feeling among those who attended the NATO / ARW meeting on the Galaxy Distances and Deviations from Universal Expansion, that during the week in Hawaii a milestone had been passed in work on the distance scale. While not until the last minute did most of the participants know who else would be attending, no one was displeased with the showing. As it turned out, scarcely a single active worker in the field of the distance scale missed the event. Few knew all of the outstanding work that was to be revealed, and/or the long-term programs that were to be encapsulated in the first few days. Areas of general agreement were pinpointed with candid speed, and most of the discussion moved on quickly to new data, and areas deserving special new attention. As quickly as one project was reported as being brought successfully to a close, a different group would report on new discoveries with new directions to go. New data, new phenomena; but the sentiment was that we were building on a much safer foundation, even if the Universe was unfolding in a much more complex and unexpected way than was previously anticipated. In editing these proceedings a decision was made well in advance of the Meet ing that no attempt would made to record the discussion. This was done for many reasons."

Proceedings of the Workshop held at the University of Rome, March 24-28, 1980

In this symposium on Wolf-Rayet stars, binary aspects received ample attention, notably because of the recognition that many observations of spectral and photometric variability at all accessible wavelengths are related to colliding winds or other forms of wind interaction. The basic structure of the conference and its proceedings is: basic parameters and general properties of WR stars; state of the art model atmospheres for WR stars, anisotropic mass loss and disk formation of WR stars, properties of WR binaries; influence of stellar winds on mass transfer in hot massive binary evolution; dust formation near WR stars and other circumstellar phenomena; and hydrodynamics and high-energy physics of colliding winds in WR+O binaries and of WR winds interacting with compact objects. Within this framework 20 invited reviews, 38 invited oral contributions, and 76 poster papers were presented at the Symposium, entertaining 111 astronomers from 24 countries. These proceedings provide up-to-date information on all aspects of Wolf-Rayet atmospheres, binaries, and colliding winds.

A major fraction of star formation in the universe occurs in starbursts. These regions of particularly rapid star formation are often located towards the centers of host galaxies. Studies of this kind of star formation at high redshift have produced astonishing results over recent years that were only possible with the latest generation of large ground-based and space telescopes. The papers collected in this volume present these results in the context of the much firmer foundation of star formation in the local universe, and they emphasize all the important topics, from star formation in different environments to the cosmic star formation history.