Modern comprehensive introduction and overview of the physics of White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes, including all relevant observations. Contains a basic introduction to General Relativity, including the modern 3+1 split of spacetime and of Einstein's equations. The split is used for the first time to derive the structure equations for rapidly rotating neutron stars and Black Holes. Detailed discussions and derivations of current theoretical results. In particular also the most recent equations of state for neutron star matter are explained. Topics , such as colour superconductivity are discussed and used for modelling. A book for graduate students and researchers. Contains exercises and some solutions.

This book is intended as an undergraduate textbook in electrodynamics at basic or advanced level. The objective is to attain a general understanding of the electrodynamic theory and its basic experiments and phenomena in order to form a foundation for further studies in the engineering sciences as well as in modern quantum physics. The outline of the book is obtained from the following principles: •         Base the theory on the concept of force and mutual interaction •         Connect the theory to experiments and observations accessible to the student •         Treat the electric, magnetic and inductive phenomena cohesively with respect to force, energy, dipoles and material •         Present electrodynamics using the same principles as in the preceding mechanics course •         Aim at explaining that theory of relativity is based on the magnetic effect •         Introduce field theory after the basic phenomena have been explored in terms of force Although electrodynamics is described in this book from its 1st principles, prior knowledge of about one semester of university studies in mathematics and physics is required, including vector algebra, integral and differential calculus as well as a course in mechanics, treating Newton’s laws and the energy principle. The target groups are physics and engineering students, as well as professionals in the field, such as high school teachers and employees in the telecom industry. Chemistry and computer science students may also benefit from the book.

If the laws of nature are fine-tuned for life, can we infer other universes with different laws? How could we even test such a theory without empirical access to those distant places? Can we believe in the multiverse of the Everett interpretation of quantum theory or in the reality of other possible worlds, as advocated by philosopher David Lewis? At the intersection of physics and philosophy of science, this book outlines the philosophical challenge to theoretical physics in a measured, well-grounded manner. The origin of multiverse theories are explored within the context of the fine-tuning problem and a systematic comparison between the various different multiverse models are included. Cosmologists, high energy physicists, and philosophers including graduate students and researchers will find a systematic exploration of such questions in this important book.

When predictions of Einstein's theory of General Relativity are compared against observations of our Universe, a huge inconsistency is found. The most popular fix for this inconsistency is to "invent" around 94% of the content of the universe: dark matter and dark energy. The dark energy is some exotic substance responsible for the apparent observed acceleration of the Universe. Another fix is to modify the theory of gravity: it is entirely plausible that Einstein's theory of General Relativity breaks down on cosmological scales, just as Newton's theory of gravity breaks down in the extreme gravitational field of the Sun. There are many alternative theories of gravity, each with the aim of describing observations of our Universe where General Relativity fails. Whether it is dark energy or some modified theory of gravity, it is clear that there is some "dark sector" in the Universe. In this thesis the author constructs a unifying framework for understanding the observational impact of general classes of dark sector theories, by formulating equations of state for the dark sector perturbations.

The authors give an overview of atomic diffusion as applied to all types of stars, showing where it plays an essential role and how it can be implemented in modelling. Part I describes the tools that are required to include atomic diffusion in models of stellar interiors and atmospheres. An important role is played by the gradient of partial radiative pressure, or radiative acceleration, which is usually neglected in stellar evolution. In Part II, the authors systematically review the contribution of atomic diffusion to each evolutionary step. The dominant effects of atomic diffusion are accompanied by more subtle effects on a large number of structural properties throughout evolution. The goal of this book is to provide the means for the astrophysicist or graduate student to evaluate the importance of atomic diffusion in a given star. A fundamental physical process, atomic diffusion can significantly affect the superficial abundances of stars and/or their evolution. This guide includes all the information needed to take proper account of atomic diffusion's impact.

Understanding the stars is the bedrock of modern astrophysics. Stars are the source of life. The chemical enrichment of our Milky Way and of the Universe withallelementsheavierthanlithiumoriginatesintheinteriorsofstars.Stars arethe tracersofthe dynamics ofthe Universe,gravitationallyimplying much more than meets the eye. Stars ionize the interstellar medium and re-ionized the early intergalactic medium. Understanding stellar structure and evolution is fundamental. While stellar structure and evolution are understood in general terms, we lack important physical ingredients, despite extensive research during recent decades.Classicalspectroscopy,photometry,astrometryandinterferometryof stars have traditionally been used as observational constraints to deduce the internal stellar physics. Unfortunately, these types of observations only allow the tuning of the basic common physics laws under stellar conditions with relatively poor precision. The situation is even more worrisome for unknown aspects of the physics and dynamics in stars. These are usually dealt with by using parameterised descriptions of, e.g., the treatments of convection, rotation,angularmomentumtransport,theequationofstate,atomicdi?usion andsettlingofelements,magneto-hydrodynamicalprocesses,andmore.There is a dearth of observational constraints on these processes, thus solar values areoftenassignedtothem.Yetitishardtoimaginethatonesetofparameters is appropriate for the vast range of stars.

As we humans have expanded our horizons to see things vastly smaller, faster, larger, and farther than ever before, we have been forced to confront preconceptions born of the human experience and create wholly new ways of looking at the world around us. The theories of relativity and quantum physics were developed out of this need and have provided us with phenomenal, mind-twisting insights into the strange and exciting reality show of our universe.

"Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners" is an entertaining and accessible introduction to the bizarre concepts that fueled the scientific revolution of the 20th century and led to amazing advances in our understanding of the universe.

This is the third edition of a well-received textbook on modern physics theory. This book provides an elementary but rigorous and self-contained presentation of the simplest theoretical framework that will meet the needs of undergraduate students. In addition, a number of examples of relevant applications and an appropriate list of solved problems are provided.Apart from a substantial extension of the proposed problems, the new edition provides more detailed discussion on Lorentz transformations and their group properties, a deeper treatment of quantum mechanics in a central potential, and a closer comparison of statistical mechanics in classical and in quantum physics. The first part of the book is devoted to special relativity, with a particular focus on space-time relativity and relativistic kinematics. The second part deals with Schroedinger's formulation of quantum mechanics. The presentation concerns mainly one-dimensional problems, but some three-dimensional examples are discussed in detail. The third part addresses the application of Gibbs' statistical methods to quantum systems and in particular to Bose and Fermi gases.

The quantum and relativity theories of physics are considered to underpin all of science in an absolute sense. This monograph argues against this proposition primarily on the basis of the two theories' incompatibility and of some untenable philosophical implications of the quantum model. Elementary matter is assumed in both theories to occur as zero-dimensional point particles. In relativity theory this requires the space-like region of the underlying Minkowski space-time to be rejected as unphysical, despite its precise mathematical characterization. In quantum theory it leads to an incomprehensible interpretation of the wave nature of matter in terms of a probability function and the equally obscure concept of wave-particle duality. The most worrisome aspect about quantum mechanics as a theory of chemistry is its total inability, despite unsubstantiated claims to the contrary, to account for the fundamental concepts of electron spin, molecular structure, and the periodic table of the elements. A remedy of all these defects by reformulation of both theories as nonlinear wave models in four-dimensional space-time is described.

This is the sixth volume in a series of books on the general topics of supersymmetry, supergravity, black holes and the attractor mechanism. The present volume is based upon lectures held in May 2011 at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati School on Black Objects in Supergravity (BOSS2011), directed by Stefano Bellucci, with the participation of prestigious lecturers, including G. Lopes Cardoso, W. Chemissany, T. Ortin, J. Perz, O. Vaughan, D. Turton, L. Lusanna and S. Ferrara. All lectures were at a pedagogical, introductory level, a feature which is reflected in the specific "flavor" of this volume, which also benefited greatly from extensive discussions and related reworking of the various contributions.

This book is the first serious, book-length study of the philosophical implications of relativity. It explains the relevant technical issues of general relativity theory and discusses how these issues bear upon philosophical problems about the nature of space and time, causality and laws of nature. Features include an analysis of time travel, The Big Bang and the Horizon Problem, Eternal Recurrence and Cyclic Time amongst other much debated issues today which have been brought to light in the the face of a series of theorems, due largely to Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose. Written by a leading philosopher, this book provides an overview of the technical literature as well as analytical commentary on its philosophical significance.

This book, now in a revised and updated second edition, explains the theory of special and general relativity in detail without approaching Einstein's life or the historical background. The text is formulated in such a way that the reader will be able to understand the essence intuitively, and new sections have been added on time machines, the twin paradoxes, and tensors. The first part of the book focuses on the essentials of special relativity. It explains the famous equivalence between mass and energy and tells why Einstein was able to use the theory of electrodynamics as a template for his "electrodynamics of moving bodies". General relativity is then addressed, mainly with the help of thought experiments. Reference is made to the previously introduced special relativity and the equivalence principle and, using many figures, it is explained how space-time is bending under gravity. The climax of the book is the Einstein equation of gravity, which describes the way in which matter bends space-time. The reader is shown how to obtain the famous Schwarzschild solution. Moreover, the book presents a numerically correct and yet intuitive explanation of the classic effects such as light bending and the advance of the perihelion. The book concludes by explaining the Friedmann model of the big bang and why the theory of gravity does not fit with quantum theory.

This book provides a largely self-contained and broadly accessible exposition on two cosmological applications of algebraic quantum field theory (QFT) in curved spacetime: a fundamental analysis of the cosmological evolution according to the Standard Model of Cosmology; and a fundamental study of the perturbations in inflation. The two central sections of the book dealing with these applications are preceded by sections providing a pedagogical introduction to the subject. Introductory material on the construction of linear QFTs on general curved spacetimes with and without gauge symmetry in the algebraic approach, physically meaningful quantum states on general curved spacetimes, and the backreaction of quantum fields in curved spacetimes via the semiclassical Einstein equation is also given. The reader should have a basic understanding of General Relativity and QFT on Minkowski spacetime, but no background in QFT on curved spacetimes or the algebraic approach to QFT is required.>

This book is based upon lectures presented in the summer of 2009 at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati School on Attractor Mechanism, directed by Stefano Bellucci. The symposium included such prestigious lecturers as S. Ferrara, G. Dall'Agata, J.F. Morales, J. Simon and M. Trigiante. All lectures were given at a pedagogical, introductory level, which is reflected in the specific "flavor" of this volume. The book also benefits from extensive discussions about, and the related reworking of, the various contributions. It is the fifth volume in a series of books on the general topics of supersymmetry, supergravity, black holes and the attractor mechanism.

This unique textbook provides an accessible introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity, a subject of breathtaking beauty and supreme importance in physics. With his trademark blend of wit and incisiveness, A. Zee guides readers from the fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics to the most exciting frontiers of research today, including de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spacetimes, Kaluza-Klein theory, and brane worlds. Unlike other books on Einstein gravity, this book emphasizes the action principle and group theory as guides in constructing physical theories. Zee treats various topics in a spiral style that is easy on beginners, and includes anecdotes from the history of physics that will appeal to students and experts alike. He takes a friendly approach to the required mathematics, yet does not shy away from more advanced mathematical topics such as differential forms. The extensive discussion of black holes includes rotating and extremal black holes and Hawking radiation. The ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students, Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell also provides an essential resource for professional physicists and is accessible to anyone familiar with classical mechanics and electromagnetism. It features numerous exercises as well as detailed appendices covering a multitude of topics not readily found elsewhere. * Provides an accessible introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity * Guides readers from Newtonian mechanics to the frontiers of modern research * Emphasizes symmetry and the Einstein-Hilbert action * Covers topics not found in standard textbooks on Einstein gravity * Includes interesting historical asides * Features numerous exercises and detailed appendices * Ideal for students, physicists, and scientifically minded lay readers * Solutions manual (available only to teachers)

Expanding on the concept of the authors' previous book "Electroweak Processes in External Electromagnetic Fields," this new book systematically describes the investigation methods for the effects of external active media, both strong electromagnetic fields and hot dense plasma, in quantum processes. Solving the solar neutrino puzzle in a unique experiment conducted with the help of the heavy-water detector at the Sudbery Neutrino Observatory, along with another neutrino experiments, brings to the fore electroweak physics in an active external medium. It is effectively demonstrated that processes of neutrino interactions with active media of astrophysical objects may lead, under some physical conditions, to such interesting effects as neutrino-driven shockwave revival in a supernova explosion, a "cherry stone shooting" mechanism for pulsar natal kick, and a neutrino pulsar. It is also shown how poor estimates of particle dispersion in external active media sometimes lead to confusion. The book will appeal to graduate and post-graduate students of theoretical physics with a prior understanding of Quantum Field Theory (QFT) and the Standard Model of Electroweak Interactions, as well as to specialists in QFT who want to know more about the problems of quantum phenomena in hot dense plasma and external electromagnetic fields.

This modern introduction to particle physics equips students with the skills needed to develop a deep and intuitive understanding of the physical theory underpinning contemporary experimental results. The fundamental tools of particle physics are introduced and accompanied by historical profiles charting the development of the field. Theory and experiment are closely linked, with descriptions of experimental techniques used at CERN accompanied by detail on the physics of the Large Hadron Collider and the strong and weak forces that dominate proton collisions. Recent experimental results are featured, including the discovery of the Higgs boson. Equations are supported by physical interpretations, and end-of-chapter problems are based on datasets from a range of particle physics experiments including dark matter, neutrino, and collider experiments. A solutions manual for instructors is available online. Additional features include worked examples throughout, a detailed glossary of key terms, appendices covering essential background material, and extensive references and further reading to aid self-study, making this an invaluable resource for advanced undergraduates in physics.

This book focuses on the phenomena of inertia and gravitation, one objective being to shed some new light on the basic laws of gravitational interaction and the fundamental nature and structures of spacetime. Chapter 1 is devoted to an extensive, partly new analysis of the law of inertia. The underlying mathematical and geometrical structure of Newtonian spacetime is presented from a four-dimensional point of view, and some historical difficulties and controversies - in particular the concepts of free particles and straight lines - are critically analyzed, while connections to projective geometry are also explored. The relativistic extensions of the law of gravitation and its intriguing consequences are studied in Chapter 2. This is achieved, following the works of Weyl, Ehlers, Pirani and Schild, by adopting a point of view of the combined conformal and projective structure of spacetime. Specifically, Mach's fundamental critique of Newton's concepts of 'absolute space' and 'absolute time' was a decisive motivation for Einstein's development of general relativity, and his equivalence principle provided a new perspective on inertia. In Chapter 3 the very special mathematical structure of Einstein's field equations is analyzed, and some of their remarkable physical predictions are presented. By analyzing different types of dragging phenomena, Chapter 4 reviews to what extent the equivalence principle is realized in general relativity - a question intimately connected to the 'new force' of gravitomagnetism, which was theoretically predicted by Einstein and Thirring but which was only recently experimentally confirmed and is thus of current interest.

The Golden Oldies series of the journal General Relativity and Gravitation reprints important papers in general relativity theory that were published 30 or more years ago and are either hard to get hold of, or were originally printed in a language other than English. They play a key part in making these important papers readily accessible today, in the language that has now become the lingua franca of scientific publication. The value of this reprinting is enhanced by an accompanying editorial note for each paper, which briefly explains the significance of the work and where it has subsequently led to, together with a biographical note about the author or authors. This volume presents a selection of 14 rarities among the Golden Oldies grouped in the three categories "Basic results in differential geometry and general relativity," "Discussion of physical effects" and "Basic exact solutions and their interpretation." Researchers in the field will appreciate having these important papers collected in one book for the first time. Reprinted from the journal General Relativity and Gravitation.

This book is an introduction to the theories of Special and General Relativity. The target audience are physicists, engineers and applied scientists who are looking for an understandable introduction to the topic - without too much new mathematics. The fundamental equations of Einstein's theory of Special and General Relativity are derived using matrix calculus, without the help of tensors. This feature makes the book special and a valuable tool for scientists and engineers with no experience in the field of tensor calculus. In part I the foundations of Special Relativity are developed, part II describes the structure and principle of General Relativity. Part III explains the Schwarzschild solution of spherical body gravity and examines the "Black Hole" phenomenon. Any necessary mathematical tools are user friendly provided, either directly in the text or in the appendices.

This book is based on the experience of teaching the subject by the author in Russia, France, South Africa and Sweden. The author provides students and teachers with an easy to follow textbook spanning a variety of topics on tensors, Riemannian geometry and geometric approach to partial differential equations. Application of approximate transformation groups to the equations of general relativity in the de Sitter space simplifies the subject significantly.

THE EDITORS: DAVID L. BLOCK AND KENNETH C. FREEMAN (SOC CO-CHAIRS), IVANIO PUERARI, ROBERT GROESS AND LIZ K. BLOCK 1. Harvard College Observatory, 1958 The past century has truly brought about an explosive period of growth and discovery for the physical sciences as a whole, and for astronomy in particular. Galaxy morphology has reached a renaissance . . The year: 1958. The date: October 1. The venue: Harvard College Observatory. The lecturer: Walter Baade. With amazing foresight, Baade penned these words: "Young stars, supergiants and so on, make a terrific splash - lots of light. The total mass of these can be very small compared to the total mass of the system". Dr Layzer then asked the key question: " . . . the discussion raises the point of what this classification would look like if you were to ignore completely all the Population I, and just focus attention on the Population II . . . " We stand on the shoulders of giants. The great observer E. E. Barnard, in his pioneering efforts to photograph the Milky Way, devoted the major part of his life to identifying and numbering dusty "holes" and dust lanes in our Milky Way. No one could have dreamt that the pervasiveness of these cosmic dust masks (not only in our Galaxy but also in galaxies at high redshift) is so great, that their "penetration" is truly one of the pioneering challenges from both space-borne telescopes and from the ground.

One of the ?rst Computer Science sites in Italy, in recent years, the Friuli region has become a very active hub in Computational Physics and other applications of Informatics to Human and Natural Sciences. In particular the University of Udine has developed a tradition in innovative cross-disciplinary research areas involving Computer Science and Physics, providing digital tools for laboratories such as NASA and CERN. The sixth International Symposium "Frontiers of Fundamental and Compu- tional Physics" (FFP6) aimed at providing a platform for a wide range of phy- cists to meet and share thoughts on the latest trends in various research areas including High Energy Physics, Theoretical Physics, Gravitation and Cosmology, Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Fluid Mechanics. Such frontier lines were uni?ed by the use of computers as an, often primary, research instrument, or dealing with issues related to information theory. The present Sixth International Symposium in the series wasorganizedatthe UniversityofUdine,Italyfrom26thto29th ofSeptember2004. TheUniversity of in the Udine and the B. M. Birla Science Centre in Hyderabad have collaborated organization of this Symposium and the edition of these Proceedings, under the auspices of their joint initiative the International Institute of ApplicableMat- maticsand InformationSciences. ThecontributionsintheProceedingsaregrouped as follows: * Field Theory, Relativity and Cosmology * Foundations of Physics and of Information Sciences * Nuclear and High-Energy Particle Physics and Astrophysics; Astroparticle Physics * Complex Systems; Fluid Mechanics * New Approaches to Physics Teaching ThisSymposiumhadanattendanceofover100participants. Therewere63- pers/presentations, including 4 introductory invited lectures delivered by the - belLaureatesL. CooperandG. 'tHooft,andbytheeminentphysicistsY.

The reviews presented in this volume cover a huge range of cluster of galaxies topics. Readers will find the book essential reading on subjects such as the physics of the ICM gas, the internal cluster dynamics, and the detection of clusters using different observational techniques. The expert chapter authors also cover the huge advances being made in analytical or numerical modeling of clusters, weak and strong lensing effects, and the large scale structure as traced by clusters.

After about a century of success, physicists feel the need to probe the limits of validity of special-relativity base theories. This book is the outcome of a special seminar held on this topic. The authors gather in a single volume an extensive collection of introductions and reviews of the various facets involved, and also includes detailed discussion of philosophical and historical aspects.