Harwit Astrophysical Concepts

3rd Auflage 1998
ISBN: 978-1-4757-2928-3
Verlag: Springer US
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 653 Seiten, eBook

Reihe: Astronomy and Astrophysics Library

Twenty-five years have passed since the first edition of Astrophysical Concepts appeared. During this time astrophysics has undergone major revolutions. We have gained new perspectives on the Universe with the aid ofpowerful gamma-ray, X ray, and infrared telescopes, whose sensitivities could not have been imagined a quarter-century earlier. We have become expert at snaring neutrinos to gain insight on nuclear processes at work in the Sun and supernovae. We have direct evidence for the existence of neutron stars and gravitational waves, and persuasive arguments for the detection of black holes on scales of individual stars as weH as galactic nuclei. With so much that is new, and so many new problems revealed by knowledge al ready gained, almost all parts ofthis book had to be reconsidered and rewritten. In the second edition, which appeared ten years ago, I had only added a chapter on the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets. For this third edition, such piecemeal mea sures no longer seemed appropriate. Much ofthe book has been completely revised. My principal aim in this third edition, as before, was to present a wide range of astrophysical topics in sufficient depth to give the reader a general quantitative understanding ofthe subject. The book outlines cosmic events but does not portray them in detail-it provides aseries of astrophysical sketches. I think this approach still befits the prevailing uncertainties and rapidly evolving views in astrophysics.

Zielgruppe

Graduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Harwit, Martin

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 An Approach to Astrophysics.- 2 The Cosmic Distance Scale.- 3 Dynamics and Masses of Astronomical Bodies.- 4 Random Processes.- 5 Photons and Fast Particles.- 6 Electromagnetic Processes in Space.- 7 Quantum Processes in Astrophysics.- 8 Stars.- 9 Cosmic Gas and Dust.- 10 Formation of Stars and Planetary Systems.- 11 The Universe We Inhabit.- 12 The Early Universe.- 13 Origins of Structure.- 14 Life in the Universe.- Epilogue.- Appendix A: Astronomical Terminology.- A:1 Introduction.- A:2 The Sun.- A:3 The Solar System.- A:4 Stellar Systems and Galaxies.- A:5 Brightness of Stars.- A:6 Classification of Stars.- A:7 The Distribution of Stars in Space and Velocity.- A:8 Pulsars, Radio Stars, and X-Ray Sources.- A:9 Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei, AGNs.- A:10 Gamma-Ray Bursts.- A:11 Photons and Cosmic Ray Particles.- Appendix B: Astrophysical Constants.- B:1 Physical Constants.- B:2 Astronomical Constants.- B:3 Units.- List of References.