Advanced Stellar Astrophysics

by William K. Rose

Overview

In the past two decades, scientists have made remarkable progress in understanding stars. This graduate-level textbook provides a systematic, self-contained and lucid introduction to the physical processes and fundamental equations underlying all aspects of stellar astrophysics. The timely volume provides authoritative astronomical discussions as well as rigorous mathematical derivations and illuminating explanations of the physical concepts involved. In addition to traditional topics such as stellar interiors and atmospheres, the reader is introduced to stellar winds, mass accretion, nuclear astrophysics, weak interactions, novae, supernovae, pulsars, neutron stars and black holes. A concise introduction to general relativity is also included. At the end of each chapter, exercises and helpful hints are provided to test and develop the understanding of the student. As the first advanced textbook on stellar astrophysics for nearly three decades, this long-awaited volume provides a thorough introduction for graduate students and an up-to-date review for researchers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521588331
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/16/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	6.89(w) x 9.72(h) x 0.94(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Star formation and stellar evolution: an overview; 2. Introduction to the physics of stellar interiors and the equations of stellar structure; 3. Statistical physics; 4. Absorption processes; 5. Stellar atmospheres, convective envelopes and stellar winds; 6. Thermonuclear reactions and nucleosynthesis; 7. Weak interactions in stellar interiors; 8. Stellar stability and hydrodynamics; 9. Binary stars, mass accretion, stellar rotation and meridional circulation; 10. Stellar magnetic fields; 11. White dwarfs, novae and supernovae; 12. General relativity; 13. Neutron stars and black holes; Appendix A: physical and astronomical constants; Appendix B: further comments on the Dirac equation; Appendix C: mathematical appendix; Appendix D: polytropes and the isothermal gas sphere; Appendix E: solutions to selected problems; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...this book is the first in several years and brings the reader up to date with the significant experimental findings and theoretical developments that have come about in recent years.... provides a good insight into the current theories to match the observations in areas like stellar winds, mass accretion, nuclear astrophysics, weak interactions, novae, supernovae, pulsars, neutron stars, black holes and more."
Publisher Review

From the Publisher