Cambridge Contemporary Astrophysics – serie

Observations of distant supernovae have provided startling evidence that the expansion of the Universe may be accelerating, rather than decelerating. If this result is verified by future studies, it has profound implications for cosmology. The reliability of this finding and its implications for both the study of supernovae and cosmology are the subject of this exciting volume. Based on a conference at the University of Chicago, this timely volume, originally published in 2000, presents articles by leading experts on the theory of Type Ia supernovae, observational astronomy, and cosmology. It examines the observational data, the nature of the likely progenitor binary systems, the outburst mechanisms of Type Ia supernovae events, and the cosmological implications. This is a unique and wide-ranging review of one of the most dramatic and controversial results in astronomy in recent decades. It makes fascinating reading for all researchers and graduate students.

This authoritative volume was the first to present a comprehensive review of our new understanding of accretion disks around black holes. Interest in black hole accretion disks has undergone a renaissance in recent years because of developments in three complementary areas: theoretical modelling of relativistic plasmas, numerical simulations with supercomputers, and observational tests now possible using new observatories such as the Japanese X-ray satellite, ASCAR. This volume presents review papers on all these topics from leading world authorities who gathered at an international conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. The authors are M. Abramowicz, P. Artymowicz, A. Brandenburg, G. Bjornsson, P. Charles, A. Fabian, J. Krolik, J. -P. Lasota, G. Madejski, R. Narayan, I. Novikov, J. Papaloizou, J. Poutanen, J. Pringle, M. Rees, E. Spiegel, R. Svensson, P. Witta. This 1998 volume provides a far-reaching review of the theory of black hole accretion disks for graduate students and researchers in astrophysics and theoretical physics.

The chemical composition of the Universe has evolved over billions of years. A host of astrophysical processes and observations must be understood in order to explain why celestial objects have the chemical compositions observed. Originally published in 2004, this book contains the lectures delivered at the XIII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics, which was dedicated to reviewing current knowledge about the origin and evolution of the chemical elements in the Universe. Written by seven prestigious astrophysics researchers, it covers cosmological and stellar nucleosynthesis, abundance determinations in stars and ionised nebulae, chemical composition of nearby and distant galaxies, and models of chemical evolution of galaxies and intracluster medium. This is a timely review of developments in cosmochemistry over the last decade.

With the advent of large, ground-based telescopes and space telescopes, it is now possible to study in detail stars outside our galaxy - in neighbouring galaxies in the so-called Local Group. The VIII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics gathered leading experts from around the world to review this exciting area of research - extragalactic stellar astrophysics. This volume presents eight specially written articles based on the meeting, reviewing how the study of stars in nearby galaxies can be used to understand stellar and galactic structure and evolution in general. This book covers all aspects of extragalactic stellar astrophysics: stellar physics, stellar winds, stellar evolution, the use of photometric and spectroscopic techniques for studying extragalactic stars, stellar populations, chemical evolution, star formation histories and the calibration of the extragalactic distance scale. This volume provides graduate students and researchers with an invaluable introduction to and reference on the new subject of extragalactic stellar astrophysics.

Understanding the formation of objects at all scales in the universe, from galaxy clusters to stars and planets, is a major problem in modern astrophysics, and one of the most exciting challenges of twenty-first century astronomy. Even though they are characterized by different scales, the formation of planets, stars and galaxies share many common physical processes and are rooted in the same underlying domains of physics. This unique reference for graduate students and researchers in astrophysics was the first to cover structure formation on various scales in one volume. This book gathers together extensive reviews written by world experts in physics and astrophysics working in planet, star and galaxy formation, and related subjects. It addresses current issues in these fields and describes the recent observational status and theoretical and numerical methods aimed at understanding these problems.

Due to the advent of a new generation of detectors, X-ray polarimetry promises to join X-ray imaging, spectroscopy and timing as one of the main observational techniques in high energy astrophysics. This has renewed interest in the field, and indeed several polarimetric missions have recently been proposed. This volume provides a complete and up-to-date view of the subject for researchers in astrophysics. The contributors discuss the present status and perspectives of instruments, review current theoretical models, and examine future missions. As well as detailed papers, the book contains broad reviews that can be easily understood by astrophysicists new to the field.

During the past decade, convincing evidence has been accumulated concerning the effect of active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity on the internal and external environment of their host galaxies. Featuring contributions from well-respected researchers in the field, and bringing together work by specialists in both galaxy formation and AGN, this volume addresses a number of key questions about AGN feedback in the context of galaxy formation. The topics covered include downsizing and star-formation time scales in massive elliptical galaxies, the connection between the epochs of supermassive black hole growth and galaxy formation and the question of whether AGN and star formation coexist. Authors also discuss key challenging computational problems, including jet-interstellar/intergalactic medium interactions, and both jet- and merging-induced star formation. Suitable for researchers and graduate students in astrophysics, this volume reflects the engaging and lively discussions taking place in this emerging field of research.

With the advent of large, ground-based telescopes and space telescopes, it is now possible to study in detail stars outside our galaxy - in neighbouring galaxies in the so-called Local Group. The VIII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics gathered leading experts from around the world to review this exciting area of research - extragalactic stellar astrophysics. This volume presents eight specially written articles based on the meeting, reviewing how the study of stars in nearby galaxies can be used to understand stellar and galactic structure and evolution in general. This book covers all aspects of extragalactic stellar astrophysics: stellar physics, stellar winds, stellar evolution, the use of photometric and spectroscopic techniques for studying extragalactic stars, stellar populations, chemical evolution, star formation histories and the calibration of the extragalactic distance scale. This volume provides graduate students and researchers with an invaluable introduction to and reference on the new subject of extragalactic stellar astrophysics.

The chemical composition of the Universe has evolved over billions of years. A host of astrophysical processes and observations must be understood in order to explain why celestial objects have the chemical compositions observed. Originally published in 2004, this book contains the lectures delivered at the XIII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics, which was dedicated to reviewing current knowledge about the origin and evolution of the chemical elements in the Universe. Written by seven prestigious astrophysics researchers, it covers cosmological and stellar nucleosynthesis, abundance determinations in stars and ionised nebulae, chemical composition of nearby and distant galaxies, and models of chemical evolution of galaxies and intracluster medium. This is a timely review of developments in cosmochemistry over the last decade.

Supernovae and gamma-ray bursts are the strongest explosions in the Universe. Observations show that, rather than being symmetrical, they are driven by strong jets of energy and other asymmetrical effects. These observations demand theories and computations that challenge the biggest computers. This volume marks the transition to a fresh paradigm in the study of stellar explosions. It highlights the burgeoning era of routine supernova polarimetry and the insights into core collapse and thermonuclear explosions. With chapters by leading scientists, the book summarises the status of a fresh perspective on stellar explosions and should be a valuable resource for graduate students and research scientists.

Metal-rich stars accumulate their metals from previous generations of stars, and so contain the history of their galaxy. By studying these stars we can gain valuable insights into how metals change the formation and evolution of stars, and explain the extraordinary massive star populations observed in the metal-rich region of our own galaxy. Observations of metal-rich regions have shown that stars hosting giant planets are generally metal-rich, which has triggered further observations of metal-rich stars. This has led to the discovery of new exoplanets, and advances in the study of planet formation and the late chemical evolution of galaxies. This book covers many aspects, from spectral line formation to stellar formation and evolution in high metallicity regimes. It is invaluable to researchers and graduate students in stellar evolution, extragalactic astronomy, and planet formation.

Understanding the formation of objects at all scales in the universe, from galaxy clusters to stars and planets, is a major problem in modern astrophysics, and one of the most exciting challenges of twenty-first century astronomy. Even though they are characterized by different scales, the formation of planets, stars and galaxies share many common physical processes and are rooted in the same underlying domains of physics. This unique reference for graduate students and researchers in astrophysics was the first to cover structure formation on various scales in one volume. This book gathers together extensive reviews written by world experts in physics and astrophysics working in planet, star and galaxy formation, and related subjects. It addresses current issues in these fields and describes the recent observational status and theoretical and numerical methods aimed at understanding these problems.

Supernovae and gamma-ray bursts are the strongest explosions in the Universe. Observations show that, rather than being symmetrical, they are driven by strong jets of energy and other asymmetrical effects. These observations demand theories and computations that challenge the biggest computers. This volume marks the transition to a fresh paradigm in the study of stellar explosions. It highlights the burgeoning era of routine supernova polarimetry and the insights into core collapse and thermonuclear explosions. With chapters by leading scientists, the book summarises the status of a fresh perspective on stellar explosions and should be a valuable resource for graduate students and research scientists.