Gravitational Wave Astrophysics

Gravitational Wave Astrophysics

This bookoffers review chapters written by invited speakers of the 3rd Session of the Sant Cugat Forum on Astrophysics – Gravitational Waves Astrophysics. All chapters have been peer reviewed. The book goes beyond normal conference proceedings in that itprovides a wide panorama of the astrophysics of gravitational waves and serves as a reference work for researchers in the field.

Carlos F. Sopuerta is working at the Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC-IEEC)Barcelonaas a Ramn y Cajal Researcher. His main research interest lies in the new area of Gravitational Wave Astronomy.,

Gravitational Wave Astrophysics

Giants of Eclipse: The Aurigae Stars and Other Binary Systems

Giants of Eclipse: The Aurigae Stars and Other Binary Systems

The zeta Aurigae stars are the rare but illustrious sub-group of binary stars that undergo the dramatic phenomenon of ‘chromospheric eclipse’. This book provides detailed descriptions of the ten known systemsillustrates them richly with examples of new spectraand places them in the context of stellar structure and evolution.Comprised of a large cool giant plus a small hot dwarfthese key eclipsing binaries reveal fascinating changes in their spectra very close to total eclipsewhen the hot star shines through differing heights of the ‘chromosphere’or outer atmosphereof the giant star. The phenomenon provides astrophysics with the means of analyzing the outer atmosphere of a giant star and how that material is shed into space. The physics of these critical events can be explained qualitativelybut it is more challenging to extract hard facts from the observationsand tough to model the chromosphere in any detail.The book offers current thinking on mechanisms for heating a star’s chromosphere and on how a star loses massand relates this science synergistically to studies of other stars and binariesand to the increasing relevance of contributions from new techniques in interferometry and asteroseismology. It also includes a detailed discussion of the enigmatic star epsilon Aurigaewhich had recently undergone one of its very infrequent and very baffling eclipses. Though not a zeta Aurigae systemepsilon Aurigae is a true ‘Giant’ among eclipsing stars.The 7 chapters of this bookwritten by a group of expertshave been carefully edited to form a coherent volume that offers a thorough overview of the subject to both professional and student.

For many years Dr Griffin pursued research into stellar spectraprincipally of composite-spectrum binariesat Cambridge (UK)supporting it with observations acquired at major telescopes overseas. She now continues those interests in Canadaat the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory near Victoriaand makes her observations there. The prime research objectives are to determine the masses and other fundamental parameters of both component starsand to examine their evolutionary status. She also champions initiatives to recover the information in pre-digital (photographic) observations through programmes of appropriate digitization.Dr. Ake is a Program Director at Computer Sciences Corporation supporting the Hubble Space Telescopethe James Webb Space Telescopethe Milkulski Archive for Space Telescopesand the Kepler Data Management Center projects at Space Telescope Science Institute. His research interests center on evolved stars and binary systemsparticularly UV and FUV spectroscopic investigations from space of red giants and supergiants with hot secondary companions. He is currently studying the evolutionary status of cool stars with main sequence B- and A-type secondaries to refine the fundamental stellar parameters of the evolved components.,

Giants of Eclipse: The Aurigae Stars and Other Binary Systems

Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics

Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics

This course explores nuclear physics and its applications ranging from the structure of nuclei and their reactions, to astrophysics and cosmology. The physics is introduced with arguments based on simple ideas such as the empirical structure of nuclear forces and its interplay with the Pauli principle and Coulomb repulsion. The book then develops elementary nuclear models and illustrates nuclear systematics with experimental data. Reactions and decays are discussed both phenomenologically and from the point of view of fundamental electro-weak interaction theory. The discussions of fission and fusion emphasize nuclear energy production. This leads directly into nuclear astrophysics and nucleosynthesis. The book ends with a presentation of the latest ideas about cosmology. As a primer this course will lay the foundations for more specialized subjects within the vast domain of nuclear physics as a whole.

Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics

New Trends in Atomic and Molecular Physics

New Trends in Atomic and Molecular Physics

The field of Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMP) has reached significant advances in highprecision experimental measurement techniques. The area covers a wide spectrum ranging from conventional to new emerging multi-disciplinary areas like physics of highly charged ions (HCI), molecular physics, optical science, ultrafast laser technology etc. This book includes the important topics of atomic structure, physics of atomic collision, photoexcitation, photoionization processes, Laser cooling and trapping, Bose Einstein condensation and advanced technology applications of AMP in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics, fusion, biology and nanotechnology. This book is useful for researchers, professors, graduate, postgraduate and PhD students dealing with atomic and molecular physics. The book has a wide scope with applications in neighboring fields like plasma physics, astrophysics, cold collisions, nanotechnology and future fusion energy sources like ITER (international Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Tokomak plasma machine, which need accurate AMP data.

New Trends in Atomic and Molecular Physics

Nanodust in the Solar System

Nanodust in the Solar System

Nanodust and nanometer-sized structures are important components of many objects in space. Nanodust is observed in evolved stars, young stellar objects, protoplanetary disks, and dust debris disks. Within the solar system, nanodust is observed with in-situ experiments from spacecraft. Nanometer-sized substructures are found in the collected cometary and interplanetary dust particles and in meteorites. Understanding the growth and destruction of dust, its internal evolution, as well as the optical properties and the detection of nanoparticles is of fundamental importance for astrophysical research.This book provides a focused description of the current state of research and experimental results concerning nanodust in the solar system. It addresses three major questions: What is nanodust? How was it discovered in the solar system? And how do we interpret the observations? The book serves as a self-contained reference work for space researchers and provides solid information on nanodust in cosmic environments for researchers working in astrophysics or in other fields of physics.

Nanodust in the Solar System

Clusters in Nuclei, Volume 1

Clusters in Nuclei, Volume 1

Following the pioneering discovery of alpha clustering and of molecular resonances, the field of nuclear clustering is presently one of the domains of heavy-ion nuclear physics facing both the greatest challenges and opportunities. After many summer schools and workshops, in particular over the last decade, the community of nuclear molecular physics decided to team up in producing a comprehensive collection of lectures and tutorial reviews covering the field. This first volume, gathering seven extensive lectures, covers the follow topics: * Cluster Radioactivity * Cluster States and Mean Field Theories * Alpha Clustering and Alpha Condensates * Clustering in Neutron-rich Nuclei * Di-neutron Clustering * Collective Clusterization in Nuclei * Giant Nuclear Molecules By promoting new ideas and developments while retaining a pedagogical nature of presentation throughout, these lectures will both serve as a reference and as advanced teaching material for future courses and schools in the fields of nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics.

Clusters in Nuclei, Volume 1

Axions

Axions

Axions are peculiar hypothetical particles that could both solve the CP problem of quantum chromodynamics and at the same time account for the dark matter of the universe. Based on a series of lectures by world experts in this field held at CERN (Geneva), this volume provides a pedagogical introduction to the theory, cosmology and astrophysics of these fascinating particles and gives an up-to-date account of the status and prospect of ongoing and planned experimental searches. Learners and practitioners of astroparticle physics will find in this book both a concise introduction and a current reference work to a showcase topic that connects the ‘inner space’ of the elementary particle world with the ‘outer space’ of the universe at large.

Axions

Astrophysics

Astrophysics

0

Astrophysics

Gravitation

Gravitation

Although gravity is the dominant force of nature at large distances (from intermediate scales to the Hubble length), it is the weakest of forces in particle physics, though it is believed to become important again at very short scales (the Planck length). The conditions created in particle accelerators are similar to those at the time of the early universe. While particle physics offers insight to early universe physics, there is a need to understand gravity at extremes of large and short distances to further understand cosmology and the development of the universe. Gravitation: From the Hubble Length to the Planck Length fulfills this need by providing an overview of relativistic astrophysics, early universe physics, cosmology, and their interface with particle physics.

Gravitation

The Fundamental Constants

The Fundamental Constants

The speed of light, the fine structure constant, and Newton’s constant of gravity – these are just three among the many physical constants that define our picture of the world. Where do they come from? Are they constant in time and across space? In this book, physicist and author Harald Fritzsch invites the reader to explore the mystery of the fundamental constants of physics in the company of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and a modern-day physicist. The conversation that the three scientists are imagined to have provides an entertaining introduction to the constants and covers topics ranging from atomic, nuclear, and particle physics to astrophysics and cosmology. Book jacket.

The Fundamental Constants

The Analysis of Starlight

The Analysis of Starlight

First published in 1986, this is the story of the analysis of starlight by astronomical spectroscopy. Beginning with Joseph Fraunhofer’s discovery of spectral lines in the early nineteenth century, this new edition continues the story through to the year 2000. In addition to the key discoveries, it presents the cultural and social history of stellar astrophysics by introducing the leading astronomers and their struggles, triumphs and disagreements. Basic concepts in spectroscopy and spectral analysis are included, so both observational and theoretical aspects are described, in a non-mathematical framework. This new edition covers the final decades of the twentieth century, with its major advances in stellar astrophysics: the discovery of extrasolar planets, new classes of stars and the observation of the ultraviolet spectra of stars from satellites. The in-depth coverage of the subject makes it essential reading for graduate students working in stellar spectroscopy, as well as a major reference for professional and amateur astronomers and historians of science.

The Analysis of Starlight