Böcker i Cambridge Astrophysics-serien

A review covering all aspects of the study of the cosmic background radiation remnant of the hot Big Bang origin of the Universe.

This self-contained introduction to astrophysical magnetic fields provides a comprehensive review of the current state of the field and a critical discussion of the latest research. Its emphasis on results that are likely to form the basis for future progress benefits a broad audience of advanced students and active researchers.

This volume provides a comprehensive presentation of the different methods used to measure the intensity of recent or on-going star-forming activity in galaxies. It is a useful reference for students and researchers working in the field of extragalactic astrophysics and studying star-formation and the evolution of galaxies.

The first comprehensive review of globular cluster systems - for researchers and graduate students.

This book utilises the author's twenty years of research experience to describe conclusions on the nature of quasars, their distribution, and their evolution in the universe. It not only summarises existing results from various techniques but refers to the potentialities of new instruments that are presently being developed.

Authoritative volume providing a comprehensive review of the origin and evolution of planetary nebulae. Covers all the stages of their evolution, carefully synthesizes observations from across the spectrum, and clearly explains all the key physical processes at work. Ideal for graduate students and researchers.

Spectacular observational breakthroughs have led to a new epoch of CMB science long after its original discovery. Taking a physical approach, the authors of this volume probe the problem of the 'darkness' of the Universe: the origin and evolution of dark energy and matter in the cosmos.

This 2006 volume discusses the statistics of binary stars; the evolution of single stars; and several of the most important kinds of interaction between two (and even three or more) stars. A series of mathematical appendices gives a concise but full account of the mathematics of these processes.

This book describes the first 25 years of astronomical X-ray instrumentation and summarises the areas of current detector research, giving particular emphasis to imaging devices and to non-dispersive devices of high spectral resolution. It is the first book to give such a comprehensive treatment of the subject, and will provide astronomers with a valuable summary of detection techniques.

This authoritative volume, first published in 2000, provides the definitive reference on stellar rotation. Combines theory and observation in a comprehensive survey of how the rotation of stars affects the structure and evolution of the Sun, single stars and close binaries. Of primary interest to graduate students and researchers.

The authors explore the aspects of solar flares by understanding the underlying physical processes and in two parts: physics needed to understand this phenomena and the second for attacking different aspects of the phenomena. This important book is aimed primarily at beginning graduate students who have knowledge of basic physics.

this book is a comprehensive survey of the astrophysical characteristics of the hot gas that pervades clusters of galaxies. In our universe, clusters of galaxies are the largest organised structures. Dr Sarazin describes the theoretical description of the origin, dynamics, and physical state of the cluster gas.

This comprehensive combined account of the properties of sunspots and starspots covers observations and theory, and includes a substantial historical introduction. It is a valuable reference for graduate students and specialists in solar and stellar physics, astronomers, geophysicists, space physicists and experts in fluid dynamics and plasma physics.

Exploring a principal means of understanding the Sun's atmosphere, its ultraviolet and soft X-ray emission, this book includes a list of emission lines in the ultraviolet and soft X-ray region, and a glossary of terms. An ideal reference for graduate students and researchers in astrophysics and solar physics.

A comprehensive manual for studying the collisional and radiative processes observed in the interstellar medium, this second edition was thoroughly updated. This book will be ideal for researchers involved in the interstellar medium and star formation, and physical chemists specializing in collision theory and the measurement of collision rates.

Ideal for graduate students and researchers in astrophysics, this detailed introduction to luminous hot stars connects the astrophysics of massive stars with the extremes of galaxy evolution represented by starburst phenomena.

A masterful summary of what is known about the Local Group (a galaxy cluster that includes the Milky Way), and expertly places this knowledge in the wider context of understanding galaxy formation and evolution, the cosmic distance scale, and the early Universe. Includes many important previously unpublished results.

Astrophysical jets are spectacular displays of gas or dust ejected from a range of cosmic bodies; they are seemingly ubiquitous on scales from comets to black holes. This volume reviews our understanding of jet processes and provides a modern guide to their observation and the role they play in many long-standing problems in astrophysics. It covers the major discoveries in gamma-ray bursts, solar and stellar jets and cometary jets. Specific physical processes for all classes of jet are illustrated and discussed in depth, as a backdrop to explaining spectacular jet images. Current jet models raise as many issues as they solve, so the final chapter looks at the new questions to be answered. Written at an entry level for postgraduate students, this volume incorporates introductions to all the governing physics, providing a comprehensive and insightful guide to the study of jets for researchers across all branches of astrophysics.

Our understanding of the formation of stars and planetary systems has changed greatly since the first edition of this book was published. This new edition has been thoroughly updated, and now includes material on molecular clouds, binaries, star clusters and the stellar initial mass function (IMF), disk evolution and planet formation. This book provides a comprehensive picture of the formation of stars and planetary systems, from their beginnings in cold clouds of molecular gas to their emergence as new suns with planet-forming disks. At each stage gravity induces an inward accretion of mass, and this is a central theme for the book. The author brings together current observations, rigorous treatments of the relevant astrophysics, and 150 illustrations, to clarify the sequence of events in star and planet formation. It is a comprehensive account of the underlying physical processes of accretion for graduate students and researchers.

This text describes the development of astronomy in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range, from the first rocket-based experiments in the late 1960s through to later satellite missions. Discussions of the results from important space projects are followed by an analysis of the contributions made by EUV astronomy to the study of specific groups of astronomical objects. Within this framework, the book provides detailed material on the tools of EUV astronomy, dealing with the instrumentation, observational techniques, and modelling tools for the interpretation of data. Prospects for future EUV missions are discussed, and a catalogue of the known EUV sources is included. This book will be of great value to graduate students and researchers. It gives a complete overview of Extreme Ultraviolet astronomy.

This timely volume provides the first comprehensive review and synthesis of current understanding of magnetic fields in the Sun and similar stars. Magnetic activity results in a wealth of phenomena - including starspots, non-radiatively heated outer atmospheres, activity cycles, deceleration of rotation rates, and even, in close binaries, stellar cannibalism - all of which are covered clearly and authoritatively. This book brings together for the first time recent results in solar studies and stellar studies. The result is an illuminating new view of stellar magnetic activity. Key topics include radiative transfer, convective simulations, dynamo theory, outer-atmospheric heating, stellar winds and angular momentum loss. Researchers are provided with a state-of-the-art review of this exciting field, and the pedagogical style and introductory material make the book an ideal and welcome introduction for graduate students.

Stars in binary and multiple systems often interact and alter the structure and evolution of the components. This volume presents state-of-the-art models and observations aimed at studying the impact of binaries on stellar evolution in resolved and unresolved populations. It is a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers.

Highly evolved giant stars are the most efficient producers of cosmic dust, and are important specimens for infrared astronomy. This book introduces researchers and graduate students to methods of modeling circumstellar dust shells and dusty outflows from cool stars, providing a full treatment of the involved processes.

This second edition has been updated and revised and contains contributions covering important developments in this field. The only book devoted solely to the study of classical novae, this is an important reference for researchers actively engaged in the subject and graduate students seeking an introduction.

Aimed at graduate students and professionals, this book explores the various aspects of gamma ray burst physics, ranging from the observations on GRBs and their sources, to the theory of their creation, how they work, and how they can be used to probe the history of the Universe.

X-ray astronomy is the prime available window on astrophysical compact objects: black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs. In this book, prominent experts provide a comprehensive overview of the observations and astrophysics of these objects. This is a valuable reference for graduate students and active researchers.

Written for postgraduate students and researchers in molecular astrophysics, this is an up-to-date survey of the theory and observations of astrophysical maser sources and their use as astronomical tools. The history of the discovery of various maser molecules and lines is summarised, and maser observations on various scales are discussed.

Magnetic fields are important in the Universe and their effects contain the key to many astrophysical phenomena. Written for graduate students and researchers, this book presents an up-to-date overview of this fast-growing topic and will inspire readers to devise new ways of thinking about magnetic fields in space.

Dr Kenyon has researched and assembled here all the existing data for the known symbiotic stars, in which a dwarf star accretes material from its red giant companion.

X-ray binaries are some of the most intriguing and perplexing systems known to astronomers. This long-awaited volume includes fifteen specially written chapters by the world's foremost researchers in the field. They cover the X-ray, ultraviolet, optical and radio properties of these violent systems, and address all the key issues of this complex field.