Cosmic Rays, Supernovae and the Interstellar Medium
Cosmic Rays, Supernovae and the Interstellar Medium

Author: M.M. Shapiro

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 9401131589

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The Galactic cosmic rays have far-reaching effects on the interstellar medium, and they are, in turn, profoundly affected by the particles and fields in space. Supernova remnants and their expanding shock fronts pervade the Galaxy, heating the interstellar medium, and accelerating the cosmic rays. The interplay among the cosmic rays, the interstellar medium in which they propagate, and supernovae has been investigated for decades; yet these studies have generated as many enigmas as they have resolved. These puzzles continue to challenge observers and theorists alike. th This volume is devoted to selected lectures presented in the 7 Course of the International School of Cosmic-Ray Astrophysics in Erice, Italy in July-August, 1990. Alltogether, some 400 participants have attended the biennial sessions of this School since its inception in 1978. As its name implies, the School deals with cosmic-ray phenomena viewed in the broader context of astrophysics. Students and Lecturers are attracted from many astrophysical disciplines. Like earlier courses in this series, the present one was organized under the aegis of the Ettore Majorana Centre as a NATO Advanced Study Institute. Given the diverse scientific backgrounds of the students, it was deemed useful to include lectures at the introductory level. Other lectures and contributed talks were at a more advanced level, featuring new developments. If this collection is useful pedagogically, and if it provides some stimulus and information for the mature research worker, then the editors will feel well rewarded.

Supernovae
Supernovae

Author: Albert G. Petschek

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1461232864

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For millennia mankind has watched as the heavens move in their stately progression from night to night and from year to year, presaging with their changes the changing seasons. The sun, the moon, and the planets move in what appears to be an unchanging firmament, except occasionally when a new "star" appears. Among the new stars there are comets, novae, and finally supernovae, the subject of this book. Superstitious mankind regarded these events as significant portents and recorded them carefully so that we have records of supernovae that may reach back as far as 1300 B. C. (Clark and Stephenson, 1977; Murdin and Murdin, 1985). The Cygnus Loop, believed to be a 15,000-year-old supernova remnant at a distance of only 800 pc (Chevalier and Seward, 1988), must have awed our ancestors. Tycho's supernova of 1572, at a distance of 2500 pc, had a magnitude of -4. 0, comparable to Venus at its brightest, and Kepler's supernova of 1604 had a magnitude of - 3 or so. Thus the Cygnus Loop supernova might have had a magnitude of - 6 or so, and should have been readily visible in daytime. A supernova in Vela, about 8000 B. C. was comparably close, as was SN 1006, whose magnitude may have been -9. While most of the supernova records come from the Old World, the supernova of 1054 is recorded in at least one petroglyph in the American West.

Historical Supernovae and Their Remnants
Historical Supernovae and Their Remnants

Author: Francis Richard Stephenson

Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9780198507666

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This text, written by two leading experts, reviews the historical observations of supernova explosions in our Galaxy over the past two thousand years and discusses modern observations of the remnants of these explosions at radio and other wavelengths.

Cosmic Ray Astrophysics
Cosmic Ray Astrophysics

Author: Reinhard Schlickeiser

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-14

Total Pages: 521

ISBN-13: 3662048140

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In the first part, the book gives an up-to-date summary of the observational data. In the second part, it deals with the kinetic description of cosmic ray plasma. The underlying diffusion-convection transport equation, which governs the coupling between cosmic rays and the background plasma, is derived and analyzed in detail. In the third part, several applications of the solutions of the transport equation are presented and how key observations in cosmic ray physics can be accounted for is demonstrated.

Exploration of the Outer Heliosphere and the Local Interstellar Medium
Exploration of the Outer Heliosphere and the Local Interstellar Medium

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-11-25

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 0309091861

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This report is the summary of a workshop held in May 2003 by the Space Studies Board's Committee on Solar and Space Physics to synthesize understanding of the physics of the outer heliosphere and the critical role played by the local interstellar medium (LISM) and to identify directions for the further exploration of this challenging environment.

Supernovae and Nucleosynthesis
Supernovae and Nucleosynthesis

Author: David Arnett

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-11-10

Total Pages: 598

ISBN-13: 0691221669

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This book investigates the question of how matter has evolved since its origin in the Big Bang, from the cosmological synthesis of hydrogen and helium to the generation of the complex set of nuclei that comprise our world and our selves. A central theme is the evolution of gravitationally contained thermonuclear reactors, otherwise known as stars. Our current understanding is presented systematically and quantitatively, by combining simple analytic models with new state-of-the-art computer simulations. The narrative begins with the clues (primarily the solar system abundance pattern), the constraining physics (primarily nuclear and particle physics), and the thermonuclear burning in the Big Bang itself. It continues with a step-by-step description of how stars evolve by nuclear reactions, a critical investigation of supernova explosion mechanisms and the formation of neutron stars and of black holes, and an analysis of how such explosions appear to astronomers (illustrated by comparison with recent observations). It concludes with a synthesis of these ideas for galactic evolution, with implications for nucleosynthesis in the first generation of stars and for the solar system abundance pattern. Emphasis is given to questions that remain open, and to active research areas that bridge the disciplines of astronomy, cosmochemistry, physics, and planetary and space science. Extensive references are given.

The Supernova Story
The Supernova Story

Author: Laurence A. Marschall

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-11-11

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1489963014

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Astronomers believe that a supernova is a massive explosion signaling the death of a star, causing a cosmic recycling of the chemical elements and leaving behind a pulsar, black hole, or nothing at all. In an engaging story of the life cycles of stars, Laurence Marschall tells how early astronomers identified supernovae, and how later scientists came to their current understanding, piecing together observations and historical accounts to form a theory, which was tested by intensive study of SN 1987A, the brightest supernova since 1006. He has revised and updated The Supernova Story to include all the latest developments concerning SN 1987A, which astronomers still watch for possible aftershocks, as well as SN 1993J, the spectacular new event in the cosmic laboratory.

The Interstellar Medium
The Interstellar Medium

Author: James Lequeux

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2005-08-29

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 3540266933

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Describing interstellar matter in our galaxy in all of its various forms, this book also considers the physical and chemical processes that are occurring within this matter. The first seven chapters present the various components making up the interstellar matter and detail the ways that we are able to study them. The following seven chapters are devoted to the physical, chemical and dynamical processes that control the behaviour of interstellar matter. These include the instabilities and cloud collapse processes that lead to the formation of stars. The last chapter summarizes the transformations that can occur between the different phases of the interstellar medium. Emphasizing methods over results, The Interstellar Medium is written for graduate students, for young astronomers, and also for any researchers who have developed an interest in the interstellar medium.

High Energy Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysics

Author: Malcolm S. Longair

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-02-03

Total Pages: 885

ISBN-13: 1139494546

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Providing students with an in-depth account of the astrophysics of high energy phenomena in the Universe, the third edition of this well-established textbook is ideal for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in high energy astrophysics. Building on the concepts and techniques taught in standard undergraduate courses, this textbook provides the astronomical and astrophysical background for students to explore more advanced topics. Special emphasis is given to the underlying physical principles of high energy astrophysics, helping students understand the essential physics. The third edition has been completely rewritten, consolidating the previous editions into one volume. It covers the most recent discoveries in areas such as gamma-ray bursts, ultra-high energy cosmic rays and ultra-high energy gamma rays. The topics have been rearranged and streamlined to make them more applicable to a wide range of different astrophysical problems.