This 2003 book develops the basic underlying physics required for a fuller, richer understanding of the science of astrophysics and the important astronomical phenomena it describes. The cosmos manifests phenomena in which physics can appear in its most extreme, and therefore more insightful, forms. A proper understanding of phenomena like black holes, quasars and extrasolar planets requires that we understand the physics that underlies all of astrophysics. Consequently, developing astrophysical concepts from fundamental physics has the potential to achieve two goals: to derive a better understanding of astrophysical phenomena from first principles and to illuminate the physics from which the astrophysics is developed. To that end, astrophysical topics are grouped according to the relevant areas of physics. The book is ideal as a text for graduate and advanced undergraduate students as well as a reference for established researchers.
The purpose of this textbook is to provide a basic knowledge of the main parts of modern astrophysics for all those starting their studies in this field at the undergraduate level. The reader is supposed to have only a high school training in physics and mathematics. In many respects this Introduction to Advanced Astrophysics could represent a volume of the Berkeley Physics Course. Thus, the primary audience for this work is composed of students in astronomy, physics, mathematics, physical chemistry and engineering. It also includes high school teachers of physics and mathematics. Many amateur astronomers will fmd it quite accessible. In the frame of approximations proper to an introductory textbook, the treatment is quite rigorous. Therefore, it is also expected to provide a firm background for a study of advanced astrophysics on a postgraduate level. A rather severe selection is made here among various aspects of the Universe accessible to modern astronomy. This allows us to go beyond simple information on astronomical phenomena - to be found in popular books - and to insist upon explanations based on modern general physical theories. More precisely, our selection of topics is determined by the following considerations: The study of the solar system (the Moon and the planets) has recently progressed at a tremendous rate. However, the very rich harvest of observations provided by space research is mainly purely descriptive and is perfectly presented in review papers of Scien tific American, Science, Physics Today and similar magazines.
Essential Astrophysics is a book to learn or teach from, as well as a fundamental reference volume for anyone interested in astronomy and astrophysics. It presents astrophysics from basic principles without requiring any previous study of astronomy or astrophysics. It serves as a comprehensive introductory text, which takes the student through the field of astrophysics in lecture-sized chapters of basic physical principles applied to the cosmos. This one-semester overview will be enjoyed by undergraduate students with an interest in the physical sciences, such as astronomy, chemistry, engineering or physics, as well as by any curious student interested in learning about our celestial science. The mathematics required for understanding the text is on the level of simple algebra, for that is all that is needed to describe the fundamental principles. The text is of sufficient breadth and depth to prepare the interested student for more advanced specialised courses in the future. Astronomical examples are provided throughout the text, to reinforce the basic concepts and physics, and to demonstrate the use of the relevant formulae. In this way, the student learns to apply the fundamental equations and principles to cosmic objects and situations. Astronomical and physical constants and units as well as the most fundamental equations can be found in the appendix. Essential Astrophysics goes beyond the typical textbook by including references to the seminal papers in the field, with further reference to recent applications, results, or specialised literature.
With the success of Cherenkov Astronomy and more recently with the launch of NASA’s Fermi mission, very-high-energy astrophysics has undergone a revolution in the last years. This book provides three comprehensive and up-to-date reviews of the recent advances in gamma-ray astrophysics and of multi-messenger astronomy. Felix Aharonian and Charles Dermer address our current knowledge on the sources of GeV and TeV photons, gleaned from the precise measurements made by the new instrumentation. Lars Bergström presents the challenges and prospects of astro-particle physics with a particular emphasis on the detection of dark matter candidates. The topics covered by the 40th Saas-Fee Course present the capabilities of current instrumentation and the physics at play in sources of very-high-energy radiation to students and researchers alike. This book will encourage and prepare readers for using space and ground-based gamma-ray observatories, as well as neutrino and other multi-messenger detectors.
This book leads directly to the most modern numerical techniques for compressible fluid flow, with special consideration given to astrophysical applications. Emphasis is put on high-resolution shock-capturing finite-volume schemes based on Riemann solvers. The applications of such schemes, in particular the PPM method, are given and include large-scale simulations of supernova explosions by core collapse and thermonuclear burning and astrophysical jets. Parts two and three treat radiation hydrodynamics. The power of adaptive (moving) grids is demonstrated with a number of stellar-physical simulations showing very crispy shock-front structures.
Designed for teaching astrophysics to physics students at advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level, this textbook also provides an overview of astrophysics for astrophysics graduate students, before they delve into more specialized volumes. Assuming background knowledge at the level of a physics major, the textbook develops astrophysics from the basics without requiring any previous study in astronomy or astrophysics. Physical concepts, mathematical derivations and observational data are combined in a balanced way to provide a unified treatment. Topics such as general relativity and plasma physics, which are not usually covered in physics courses but used extensively in astrophysics, are developed from first principles. While the emphasis is on developing the fundamentals thoroughly, recent important discoveries are highlighted at every stage.
The ideal one-semester astrophysics introduction for science undergraduates—now expanded and fully updated Winner of the American Astronomical Society's Chambliss Award, Astrophysics in a Nutshell has become the text of choice in astrophysics courses for science majors at top universities in North America and beyond. In this expanded and fully updated second edition, the book gets even better, with a new chapter on extrasolar planets; a greatly expanded chapter on the interstellar medium; fully updated facts and figures on all subjects, from the observed properties of white dwarfs to the latest results from precision cosmology; and additional instructive problem sets. Throughout, the text features the same focused, concise style and emphasis on physics intuition that have made the book a favorite of students and teachers. Written by Dan Maoz, a leading active researcher, and designed for advanced undergraduate science majors, Astrophysics in a Nutshell is a brief but thorough introduction to the observational data and theoretical concepts underlying modern astronomy. Generously illustrated, it covers the essentials of modern astrophysics, emphasizing the common physical principles that govern astronomical phenomena, and the interplay between theory and observation, while also introducing subjects at the forefront of modern research, including black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and gravitational lensing. In addition to serving as a course textbook, Astrophysics in a Nutshell is an ideal review for a qualifying exam and a handy reference for teachers and researchers. The most concise and current astrophysics textbook for science majors—now expanded and fully updated with the latest research results Contains a broad and well-balanced selection of traditional and current topics Uses simple, short, and clear derivations of physical results Trains students in the essential skills of order-of-magnitude analysis Features a new chapter on extrasolar planets, including discovery techniques Includes new and expanded sections and problems on the physics of shocks, supernova remnants, cosmic-ray acceleration, white dwarf properties, baryon acoustic oscillations, and more Contains instructive problem sets at the end of each chapter Solutions manual (available only to professors)
Beginning with basic facts about the observable universe, this book reviews the complete range of topics that make up a degree course in cosmology and particle astrophysics. The book is self-contained - no specialised knowledge is required on the part of the reader, apart from undergraduate math and physics. This paperback edition targets students of physics, astrophysics and cosmology from advanced undergraduate to early graduate level.
