The first non-electromagnetic messengers from space were discovered in the early 20th century, but it is only now that multimessenger astronomy is coming into its own. The aim of Multimessenger Astronomy in Practice is to aid an astronomer who is new to research in a particular area of multimessenger astronomy. Covering electromatic radiation from radio through to gamma-rays, and moving on to neutrino, cosmic-ray and gravitational wave astronomy, it gives the reader an overview of the celestial objects detected in each region, the unique methods used to measure them, as well as the principles and methods of data collection, calibration, reduction and analysis. Further chapters cover dark matter, the multimessenger search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and data science with machine learning. The book will help educate astronomy students taking a multimessenger approach, and add to the knowledge of professional astronomers about what is available in today's multimessenger toolbox. Key Features: Prepares astronomers new to research in a particular area of multimessenger astronomy Covers modern astrophysics across the electromatic spectrum from radio through to gamma-rays, as well as neutrino, cosmic-ray and gravitational wave astronomy Details the celestial objects detected in each region, the detection methods used, and the principles and methods of data collection, calibration, reduction and analysis Includes chapters on dark matter, the multimessenger search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and data science with machine learning
Written by a professional astronomer who has worked on a wide spectrum of topics throughout his career, this book gives a popular science level description of what has become known as multimessenger astronomy. It links the new with the traditional, showing how astronomy has advanced at increasing pace in the modern era. In the second decade of the twenty-first century astronomy has seen the beginnings of a revolution. After centuries when all our information about the Universe has come via electromagnetic waves, now several entirely new ways of exploring it have emerged. The most spectacular has been the detection of gravitational waves in 2015, but astronomy also uses neutrinos and cosmic ray particles to probe processes in the centres of stars and galaxies. The book is strongly oriented towards measurement and technique. Widely illustrated with colourful pictures of instruments, their creators and astronomical objects, it is backed with descriptions of the underlying theories and concepts, linking predictions, observations and experiments. The thread is largely historical, although obviously it cannot be encyclopaedic. Its point of departure is the beginning of the twentieth century and it aims at being as complete as possible for the date of completion at the end of 2020. The book addresses a wide public whose interest in science is served by magazines like Scientific American: lively, intelligent readers but without university studies in physics.
As the most powerful explosion that occurs in the universe, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are one of the most exciting topics being studied in astrophysics. Creating more energy than the Sun does in its entire lifetime, GRBs create a blaze of light that will outshine every other object visible in the sky, enabling us to measure galaxies that are several million years old.GRBs cover various areas of astronomy and interest in them reaches a wide range of fields. Andrew Levan explores the fascinating history of these astronomical occurrences and details our current understanding of GRBs. The science behind them is rapidly moving and this book examines the knowledge that we now have as well as the questions that are continually being raised. Predominantly aimed at PhD students and researchers in the area, Gamma-Ray Bursts addresses this captivating topic and outlines the principles and initial applications of a fascinating astronomical phenomena.
Review of Volume 4:'The Handbook can be a good reference for a higher-degree science student approaching the subject or for an expert in a similar field in astronomical instrumentation. The reader requiring an in-depth presentation of a specific topic will be guided by the rich reference lists included at the end of each chapter.'The ObservatoryOur goal is to produce a comprehensive handbook of the current state of the art of astronomical instrumentation with a forward view encompassing the next decade. The target audience is graduate students with an interest in astronomical instrumentation, as well as practitioners interested in learning about the state of the art in another wavelength band or field closely related to the one in which they currently work. We assume a working knowledge of the fundamental theory: optics, semiconductor physics, etc. The purpose of this handbook is to bring together some of the leading experts in the world to discuss the frontier of astronomical instrumentation across the electromagnetic spectrum and extending into multimessenger astronomy.
Neutron stars, the ultra-dense remnants of exploded stellar giants, are among the most fascinating objects in the cosmos. Katia Moskvitch introduces readers to their astonishing qualities and follows the scientists who are discovering what neutron stars can tell us about the mysteries of dark matter, black holes, and general relativity.
Over the last decade, astrophysical observations of neutron stars — both as isolated and binary sources — have paved the way for a deeper understanding of the structure and dynamics of matter beyond nuclear saturation density. The mapping between astrophysical observations and models of dense matter based on microscopic dynamics has been poorly investigated so far. However, the increased accuracy of present and forthcoming observations may be instrumental in resolving the degeneracy between the predictions of different equations of state. Astrophysical and laboratory probes have the potential to paint to a new coherent picture of nuclear matter — and, more generally, strong interactions — over the widest range of densities occurring in the Universe. This book provides a self-contained account of neutron star properties, microscopic nuclear dynamics and the recent observational developments in multimessenger astronomy. It also discusses the unprecedented possibilities to shed light on long standing and fundamental issues, such as the validity of the description of matter in terms of pointlike baryons and leptons and the appearance of deconfined quarks in the high density regime. It will be of interest to researchers and advanced PhD students working in the fields of Astrophysics, Gravitational Physics, Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics. Key Features: Reviews state-of-the-art theoretical and experimental developments Self-contained and cross-disciplinary While being devoted to a very lively and fast developing field, the book fundamentally addresses methodological issues. Therefore, it will not be subject to fast obsolescence. Omar Benhar is an INFN Emeritus Research Director, and has been teaching Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Electrodynamics and Structure of Compact Stars at “Sapienza” University of Rome for over twenty years. He has worked extensively in the United States, and since 2013 has served as an adjunct professor at the Center for Neutrino Physics of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prof. Benhar has authored or co-authored three textbooks on Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, Gauge Theories, and Structure and Dynamics of Compact Stars, and published more than one hundred scientific papers on the theory of many-particle systems, the structure of compact stars and the electroweak interactions of nuclei. Alessandro Lovato is a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory and an INFN researcher in Trento. His research in theoretical nuclear physics focuses on consistently modeling the self-emerging properties of atomic nuclei and neutron-star matter in terms of the microscopic interactions among the constituent protons and neutrons. He has co-authored more than eighty scientific publications on the theory of many-particle systems, the structure of compact stars, and the electroweak interactions of nuclei. He is at the forefront of high-performance computing applied to solving the quantum many-body problem. Andrea Maselli is an Associate Professor at the Gran Sasso Science Institute, in L’Aquila, where he teaches Gravitation and Cosmology and Physics of Black Hole. His research focuses on strong gravity, which plays a crucial role in many astrophysical phenomena involving black hole and neutron stars, representing natural laboratories to test fundamental physics. Prof. Maselli has co-authored more than eighty scientific papers on the modelling of black holes and neutron stars in General Relativity and extension thereof, their gravitational wave emission, and on tests of gravity in the strong filed regime. He is active in various collaborations aimed at developing next generation of gravitational wave detectors, such as the LISA satellite, the Einstein Telescope, and the Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna. Francesco Pannarale is an Associate Professor at “Sapienza” Univeristy of Rome, where he teaches Gravitational Waves, Compact Objects and Black Holes, Computing Methods for Physics, and Electromagnetism. His research interests are in gravitational-wave physics and multimessenger astronomy, and they range from modelling compact binary sources to data analysis. He has co-authored over one hundred and eighty scientific publications and was at the forefront of the joint observation of GW170817 and GRB 170817A. He is currently serving as co-chair of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Data Analysis Council.
Explores the methods, instruments, and observations of the ancient astronomers, noting their significance to modern science and the importance of such findings as Stonehenge and American Indian petroglyphs
Conflicting Models for the Origin of Life Conflicting Models for the Origin of Life provides a forum to compare and contrast the many hypotheses that have been put forward to explain the origin of life. There is a revolution brewing in the field of Origin of Life: in the process of trying to figure out how Life started, many researchers believe there is an impending second creation of life, not necessarily biological. Up-to-date understanding is needed to prepare us for the technological, and societal changes it would bring. Schrodinger’s 1944 “What is life?” included the insight of an information carrier, which inspired the discovery of the structure of DNA. In “Conflicting Models of the Origin of Life” a selection of the world’s experts are brought together to cover different aspects of the research: from progress towards synthetic life – artificial cells and sub-cellular components, to new definitions of life and the unexpected places life could (have) emerge(d). Chapters also cover fundamental questions of how memory could emerge from memoryless processes, and how we can tell if a molecule may have emerged from life. Similarly, cutting-edge research discusses plausible reactions for the emergence of life both on Earth and on exoplanets. Additional perspectives from geologists, philosophers and even roboticists thinking about the origin of life round out this volume. The text is a state-of-the-art snapshot of the latest developments on the emergence of life, to be used both in graduate classes and by citizen scientists. Audience Researchers in any area of astrobiology, as well as others interested in the origins of life, will find a modern and current review of the field and the current debates and obstacles. This book will clearly illustrate the current state-of-the-art and engage the imagination and creativity of experts across many disciplines.
Astronomy has traditionally relied on capturing photons from cosmic sources to be able to understand the Universe. During the 20th and 21st centuries, different messengers have been added to the astronomer's toolset : cosmic rays, neutrinos, and most recently gravitational waves. Each of these messengers opens a new window on the Universe, and a modern astronomer must be familiar with them. As multimessenger astronomy becomes part of the mainstream, each messenger must be understood not only as its own astronomical domain, but as part of a whole endeavour. A broad understanding of these messengers and their relationship to each other is the main goal of this book. The unique physics of each messenger is introduced, as well as the physics of their detection and interpretation. An additional focus is the discussion of techniques and topics that are common to more than one messenger. Treatments of historical background, the effect of the Earth's atmosphere, the transfer of radiation and measurement techniques are aimed at giving the reader a broad understanding of this new way of observing the cosmos. Principles of multimessenger astronomy is designed to be both an introduction and reference to modern astronomy.
