Radiative Processes in Astrophysics

George B. Rybicki, PhD, is retired researcher at the Harvard Smithonian Center for Astrophysics, USA. Alan P. Lightman, PhD, is retired researcher at the Harvard Smithonian Center for Astrophysics, USA, and an avid science writer. Rana Ezzeddine, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.

• CHAPTER 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIATIVE TRANSFER 1.1 The Electromagnetic Spectrum;Elementary Properties of Radiation 1.2 Radiative Flux 1.3 The Specific Intensity and Its Moments 1.4 Radiative Transfer 1.5 Thermal Radiation 1.6 The Einstein Coefficients 1.7 Scattering Effects;Random Walks 1.8 Radiative Diffusion PROBLEMS CHAPTER 2 BASIC THEORY OF RADIATION FIELDS 2.1 Review of Maxwell's Equations 2.2 Plane Electromagnetic Waves 2.3 The Radiation Spectrum 2.4 Polarization and Stokes Parameters 2.5 Electromagnetic Potentials 2.6 Applicability of Transfer Theory and the Geometrical Optics Limit PROBLEMS CHAPTER 3 RADIATION FROM MOVING CHARGES 3.1 Retarded Potentials of Single Moving Charges: The Lienard-Wiechart Potentials 3.2 The Velocity and Radiation Fields 3.3 Radiation from Nonrelativistic Systems 3.4 Thomson Scattering (Electron Scattering) 3.5 Radiation Reaction 3.6 Radiation from Harmonically Bound Particles PROBLEMS CHAPTER 4 RELATIVISTIC COVARIANCE AND KINEMATICS 4.1 Review of Lorentz Transformations 4.2 Four-Vectors 4.3 Tensor Analysis 4.4 Covariance of Electromagnetic Phenomena 4.5 A Physical Understanding of Field Transformations 4.6 Fields of a Uniformly Moving Charge 4.7 Relativistic Mechanics and the Lorentz Four-Force 4.8 Emission from Relativistic Particles 4.9 Invariant Phase Volumes and Specific Intensity PROBLEMS CHAPTER 5 BREMSSTRAHLUNG 5.1 Emission from Single-Speed Electrons 5.2 Thermal Bremsstrahlung Emission 5.3 Thermal Bremsstrahlung (Free-Free) Absorption 5.4 Relativistic Bremsstrahlung PROBLEMS CHAPTER 6 SYNCHROTRON RADIAT 6.1 Total Emitted Power 6.2 Spectrum of Synchrotron Radiation: A Qualitative Discussion 6.3 Spectral Index for Power-Law Electron Distribution 6.4 Spectrum and Polarization of Synchrotron Radiation: A Detailed Discussion 6.5 Polarization of Synchrotron Radiation 6.6 Transition from Cyclotron to Synchrotron Emission 6.7 Distinction between Received and Emitted Power 6.8 Synchrotron Self-Absorption 6.9 The Impossibility of a Synchrotron Maser in Vacuum PROBLEMS CHAPTER 7 COMPTON SCATTERING 7.1 Cross Section and Energy Transfer for the Fundamental Process 7.2 Inverse Compton Power for Single Scattering 7.3 Inverse Compton Spectra for Single Scattering 7.4 Energy Transfer for Repeated Scatterings in a Finite, Thermal Medium: The Compton Y Parameter 7.5 Inverse Compton Spectra and Power for Repeated Scatterings by Relativistic Electrons of Small Optical Depth 7.6 Repeated Scatterings by Nonrelativistic Electrons: The Kompaneets Equation 7.7 Spectral Regimes for Repeated Scattering by Nonrelativistic Electrons PROBLEMS CHAPTER 8 PLASMA EFFECTS 8.1 Dispersion in Cold, Isotropic Plasma 8.2 Propagation Along a Magnetic Field;Faraday Rotation 8.3 Plasma Effects in High-Energy Emission PROBLEMS 236 CHAPTER 9 ATOMIC STRUCTURE 9.1 A Review of the Schrodinger Equation 9.2 One Electron in a Central Field 9.3 Many-Electron Systems 9.4 Perturbations, Level Splittings, and Term Diagrams 9.5 Thermal Distribution of Energy Levels and Ionization PROBLEMS CHAPTER 10 RADIATIVE TRANSITIONS 10.1 Semi-Classical Theory of Radiative Transitions 10.2 The Dipole Approximation 10.3 Einstein Coefficients and Oscillator Strengths 10.4 Selection Rules 10.5 Transition Rates 10.6 Line Broadening Mechanisms PROBLEMS CHAPTER 11 MOLECULAR STRUCTURE 11.1 The Born-Oppenheimer Approximation: An Order 11.2 Electronic Binding of Nuclei 11.3 Pure Rotation Spectra 11.4 Rotation-Vibration Spectra 11.5 Electronic-Rotational-Vibrational Spectra PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS Appendix A: Review of Quantum Mechanics Appendix B: Review of Statistical Mechanics