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Astrophysics
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Hale Bradt
Bridging the gap between physics and astronomy textbooks, this book provides physical explanations of twelve fundamental astrophysical processes underlying a wide range of phenomena in stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy. Written for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, its strong pedagogy ensures solid mastery of each process and application. It contains tutorial figures and step-by-step mathematical and physical development with real examples and data. Topics covered include the Kepler-Newton problem, stellar structure, radiation processes, special relativity in astronomy, radio propagation in the interstellar medium, and gravitational lensing. Applications presented include Jeans length, Eddington luminosity, the cooling of the CMB, the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect, Doppler boosting in jets, and determinations of the Hubble constant. This text is a stepping stone to more specialized books and primary literature. Review exercises allow students to monitor their progress. Password-protected solutions are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/us/9780521846561.
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Cathie Clarke
Fluid dynamical forces drive most of9780521846561 the fundamental processes in the Universe and so play a crucial role in our understanding of astrophysics. This comprehensive textbook introduces the necessary fluid dynamics to understand a wide range of astronomical phenomena, from stellar structures to supernovae blast waves, to accretion discs. The authors' approach is to introduce and derive the fundamental equations, supplemented by text that conveys a more intuitive understanding of the subject, and to emphasise the observable phenomena that rely on fluid dynamical processes. The textbook has been developed for use by final year undergraduate and starting graduate students of astrophysics, and contains over fifty exercises. It is based on the authors' many years of teaching their astrophysical fluid dynamics course at the University of Cambridge.
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Stephan Rosswog
High-energy astrophysics covers cosmic phenomena that occur under the most extreme physical conditions. It explores the most violent events in the Universe: the explosion of stars, matter falling into black holes, and gamma-ray bursts - the most luminous explosions since the Big Bang. Driven by a wealth of new observations, the last decade has seen a large leap forward in our understanding of these phenomena. Exploring modern topics of high-energy astrophysics, such as supernovae, neutron stars, compact binary systems, gamma-ray bursts, and active galactic nuclei, this textbook is ideal for undergraduate students in high-energy astrophysics. It is a self-supporting, timely overview of this exciting field of research. Assuming a familiarity with basic physics, it introduces all other concepts, such as gas dynamics or radiation processes, in an instructive way. An extended appendix gives an overview of some of the most important high-energy astrophysics instruments, and each chapter ends with exercises.
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Linda S. Sparke
This extensively illustrated book presents the astrophysics of galaxies since their beginnings in the early Universe. It has been thoroughly revised to take into account the most recent observational data, and recent discoveries such as dark energy. There are new sections on galaxy clusters, gamma ray bursts and supermassive black holes. The authors explore the basic properties of stars and the Milky Way before working out towards nearby galaxies and the distant Universe. They discuss the structures of galaxies and how galaxies have developed, and relate this to the evolution of the Universe. The book also examines ways of observing galaxies across the whole electromagnetic spectrum, and explores dark matter and its gravitational pull on matter and light. This book is self-contained and includes several homework problems with hints. It is ideal for advanced undergraduate students in astronomy and astrophysics.
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Edited by Mark H. Jones
This textbook has been designed by a team of experts for introductory university courses in astronomy and astrophysics. Beginning with a description of the structure and history of the Milky Way, it introduces normal and active galaxies in general. A wide range of cosmological models are then presented, including a discussion of the Big Bang and Universe expansion. The text contains numerous useful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. It is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, the book is suitable for self-study.
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Edited by Simon F. Green, The Open University, Milton Keynes
Mark H. Jones, The Open University, Milton Keynes
Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in astronomy and astrophysics. It starts with a discussion of our nearest star, the Sun, and then considers how astronomers go about studying the basic physical properties and life-cycles of more distant stars. Exotic objects such as black holes are also introduced. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, and illustrated in colour throughout, this book is suitable for self-study and will appeal to amateur astronomers as well as undergraduate students.
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T. Padmanabhan, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India
This second volume of a comprehensive three-volume course on theoretical astrophysics deals with stellar physics. Designed to help graduate students and researchers develop an understanding of the key physical processes governing stars and stellar systems, it teaches the fundamentals, and then builds on them to give the reader an in-depth understanding of advanced topics. It can be used alone or in conjunction with Volumes I and III (on astrophysical processes and on galaxies and cosmology, respectively). More than seventy-five exercises test the reader's understanding.
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Juhan Frank, Louisiana State University
Andrew King, University of Leicester
Derek Raine, University of Leicester
This textbook examines accretion as a source of energy in both binary star systems containing compact objects, and in active galactic nuclei. Assuming a basic knowledge of physics, the authors describe the physical processes at work in accretion discs and other accretion flows. The third edition is greatly expanded and thoroughly updated. New material includes a detailed treatment of disc instabilities, irradiated discs, disc warping, and general accretion flows. The treatment is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers.
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Dina Prialnik, Tel-Aviv University
Using fundamental physics, the theory of stellar structure and evolution is able to predict how stars are born, how their complex internal structure changes, what nuclear fuel they burn, and what their ultimate fate is - a fading whitedwarf, or a cataclysmic explosion as a supernova, leaving behind a collapsed neutron star or black hole. This lucid textbook provides students with a clear and pedagogical introduction to the theory of stellar structure and evolution. It requires only basic physics and mathematics learnt in first- and second-year undergraduate studies, and assumes no prior knowledge of astronomy. The unique feature of this book is the emphasis throughout on the basic physical principles governing stellar evolution. Exercises and their full solutions are included to help students test their understanding. This textbook provides a stimulating introduction for undergraduates in astronomy, physics, planetary science and applied mathematics taking a course on the physics of stars.
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A. G. G. M. Tielens, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
New space and ground-based observational opportunities have enabled rapid developments in our understanding of the molecular universe in recent years. This work provides a comprehensive overview of our current theoretical and observational understanding of the interstellar medium of galaxies. With emphasis on the microscopic physical and chemical processes in space, and their influence on the macroscopic structure of the interstellar medium of galaxies, the book includes the latest developments in this exciting area of molecular astrophysics. This is an invaluable reference source for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers.
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Oded Regev, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa
The discipline of nonlinear dynamics, or chaos, has developed explosively in all areas of physics over the last two decades. This comprehensive primer for researchers and graduate students of astrophysics provides the necessary investigative tools to explore chaotic and complex phenomena. Mathematical concepts and techniques are introduced in the first part of the book, before being applied to a variety of astrophysical systems. The book demonstrates the application of ideas such as strange attractors, Poincaré sections, fractals, bifurcations and complex spatial patterns to specific astrophysical problems.
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J. Craig Wheeler
From supernovae and gamma-ray bursts to the accelerating Universe, this will be essential reading for undergraduate students in astronomy and astrophysics, and an excellent, accessible introduction for a wider audience. This fully updated second edition incorporates new material on binary stars, black holes, gamma-ray bursts, worm-holes, quantum gravity and string theory. It covers the origins of stars and their evolution, the mechanisms responsible for supernovae, and their progeny, neutron stars and black holes, and the physics of the twentieth century, discussing quantum theory and Einstein's gravity.
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James E. Pringle, University of Cambridge
Andrew King, University of Leicester
Almost all conventional matter in the Universe is fluid, and fluid dynamics plays a crucial role in astrophysics. This new graduate textbook provides a basic understanding of the fluid dynamical processes relevant to astrophysics. Topics covered include wave propagation, shocks, spherical flows, stellar oscillations, the instabilities caused by effects such as magnetic fields, thermal driving, gravity, shear flows, and the basic concepts of compressible fluid dynamics and magnetohydrodynamics. Developed from a course in astrophysical fluid dynamics, this book is suitable for graduate students in astrophysics, physics and applied mathematics.
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