SCIENCE AND CULTURE SERIES - ASTROPHYSICS – serie

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 13th Course of the International School of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics. It focuses on major areas of astrophysics, their relation to cosmic ray physics, and our current understanding of the energetic processes in the Galaxy and the Universe that govern the acceleration and form the features of the cosmic rays that we detect at Earth.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in:• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)• CC Proceedings — Engineering & Physical Sciences

The book gathers articles that were exposed during the seventh edition of the Workshop “Data Analysis in Astronomy”. It illustrates a current trend to search for common expressions or models transcending usual disciplines, possibly associated with some lack in the Mathematics required to model complex systems. In that, data analysis would be at the epicentre and a key facilitator of some current integrative phase of Science.It is all devoted to the question of “representation in Science”, whence its name, IMAGe IN AcTION, and main thrustsSuch a classification makes concepts as “complexity” or “dynamics” appear like transverse notions: a measure among others or a dimensional feature among others.Part A broadly discusses a dialogue between experiments and information, be information extracted-from or brought-to experiments. The concept is fundamental in statistics and tailors to the emergence of collective behaviours. Communication then asks for uncertainty considerations — noise, indeterminacy or approximation — and its wider impact on the couple perception-action. Clustering being all about uncertainty handling, data set representation appears not to be the only solution: Introducing hierarchies with adapted metrics, a priori pre-improving the data resolution are other methods in need of evaluation. The technology together with increasing semantics enables to involve synthetic data as simulation results for the multiplication of sources.Part B plays with another couple important for complex systems: state vs. transition. State-first descriptions would characterize physics, while transition-first would fit biology. That could stem from life producing dynamical systems in essence. Uncertainty joining causality here, geometry can bring answers: stable patterns in the state space involve constraints from some dynamics consistency. Stable patterns of activity characterize biological systems too. In the living world, the complexity — i.e. a global measure on both states and transitions — increases with consciousness: this might be a principle of evolution. Beside geometry or measures, operators and topology have supporters for reporting on dynamical systems. Eventually targeting universality, the category theory of topological thermodynamics is proposed as a foundation of dynamical system understanding.Part C details examples of actual data-system relations in regards to explicit applications and experiments. It shows how pure computer display and animation techniques link models and representations to “reality” in some “concrete” virtual, manner. Such techniques are inspired from artificial life, with no connection to physical, biological or physiological phenomena! The Virtual Observatory is the second illustration of the evidence that simulation helps Science not only in giving access to more flexible parameter variability, but also due to the associated data and method storing-capabilities. It fosters interoperability, statistics on bulky corpuses, efficient data mining possibly through the web etc. in short a reuse of resources in general, including novel ideas and competencies. Other examples deal more classically with inverse modelling and reconstruction, involving Bayesian techniques or chaos but also fractal and symmetry.

This volume provides an updated understanding of the progress and current problems in the interplay between fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology.In the last years, the cross section between these fields has been increasing, both at the theoretical and experimental levels: particle physics experiments, astronomical observations, space satellite data. Such interplay has fruitfully influenced research activity setting up Astrofundamental physics.Topics covered in this volume are: early universe, large scale structure of the universe, dark matter problem, cosmic microwave background radiation, gravitational wave astronomy and neutrino astrophysics. The inter-relation between these topics is important and a source of problems at the frontiers of present knowledge and experimental limits. Latest available data are constraining theory and models in these topics. The book reviews achievements, confronts theory and models with observations and provides information on the latest developments and discussions on future prospects.It also includes a section on stellar spectroscopy and spectrophotometry which covers Daniel Chalonge's work as well as present progress and future prospects in these fields.

This book provides an updated understanding of the progress and current problems in the interplay between fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology.

In recent years, the cross-section between fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology has been increasing, both at the theoretical and experimental levels: particle physics experiments, astronomical observations, space satellite data. Such interplay fruitfully influenced research activity setting up Astrofundamental physics.Topics covered both theory and observations, and allowed for different approaches and different lines of research. Topics included are: dark matter, neutrinos in astrophysics, gamma-ray astrophysics, and a section devoted to gravity, cosmology and strings. Each of these topics has matter enough to constitute a course on its own. The interrelation between these topics is important and a source of problems at the frontiers of present knowledge and experimental limits. Latest available data are constraining theory and models in these topics. These lecture notes provide an occasion to review achievements, to confront theory and models with observations and among themselves, to exchange information on the latest developments and to discuss future prospects.

This volume provides an up-to-date understanding, from a fundamental and deep point of view, of the progress and current problems in the early universe, cosmic microwave background radiation, large scale structure, the dark matter problem and the interplay between them. Emphasis is given to the mutual impact of fundamental physics and cosmology, at both the theoretical and the experimental or observational level, within a deep and well-defined programme, and a global unifying view, which provides, in addition, a careful interdisciplinary approach. Special lectures are devoted to neutrinos in astrophysics and high energy astrophysics.

This volume covers a number of areas of high energy astrophysics, focusing on the current status/understanding of the field, outstanding problems to be resolved and, in many cases, new experiments that will be providing some answers after the turn of the century. Featured are the following topics: high energy frontier, including the enigmatic observations of events beyond the cut-off energy; gamma ray bursts — local and cosmological models; high energy astrophysical neutrinos; cosmic ray matter and antimatter; solar system astrophysics; and galactic physics. The discussion is suitable for the nonexpert and expert alike.

This volume, marking the 20th Anniversary of the International School of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics, provides a wide-ranging overview of modern astrophysics — from the infra-red to X-rays and γ-rays, from neutrinos to galactic cosmic rays, and from shock wave acceleration to cosmology. The separate topics contain both background information and the newest results in the field, making the discussion suitable for the nonexpert and the expert alike. Featured are high energy neutrinos (including the new generation of experiments coming on line), new results from X-ray astronomy and from the infra-red, particle acceleration in astrophysical plasmas, new results on the composition of cosmic rays (spanning six decades in energy), and cosmology.

This proceedings volume contains results presented at the Sixth International Workshop on Data Analysis in Astronomy — “Modeling and Simulation in Science” held on April 15-22, 2007, at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Center for Scientific Culture, Erice, Italy. Recent progress and new trends in the field of simulation and modeling in three branches of science — astrophysics, biology, and climatology — are described in papers presented by outstanding scientists. The impact of new technologies on the design of novel data analysis systems and the interrelation among different fields are foremost in scientists' minds in the modern era. This book therefore focuses primarily on data analysis methodologies and techniques.