Theoretical Astrophysics

Volume 1: Astrophysical Processes

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Paperback | 12 February 2001

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Graduate students and researchers in astrophysics and cosmology need a solid understanding of a wide range of physical processes. This clear and authoritative book has been designed to help them to develop the necessary toolkit of theory. The book is modular in design, allowing the reader to pick and choose a selection of chapters, if necessary. It can be used alone, or in conjunction with the forthcoming accompanying two volumes (covering stars and stellar systems, and galaxies and cosmology, respectively). After reviewing the basics of dynamics, electromagnetic theory, and statistical physics, the book carefully develops a solid understanding of radiative processes, spectra, fluid mechanics, plasma physics and MHD, dynamics of gravitating systems, general relativity, nuclear physics, and other key concepts. Throughout, the reader's understanding is developed and tested with problems and helpful hints. This welcome volume provides graduate students with an indispensable introduction to and reference on all the physical processes they will need to tackle successfully cutting-edge research in astrophysics and cosmology.

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'This welcome volume provides graduate students with an indispensable introduction to and reference on all the physical processes they will need to successfully tackle ... research in astrophysics and cosmology.' Europe & Astronomy

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Science Physics Applied Physics Astrophysics Astronomy, Space & Time Theoretical & Mathematical Astronomy Cosmology & The Universe Relativity Physics Materials & States of Matter Plasma Physics Medicine

Medicine in General Mathematics Applied Mathematics

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Published: 26th September 2002

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Published: 12th December 2002

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Preface	p. xv
Order-of-Magnitude Astrophysics	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Energy Scales of Physical Phenomena	p. 2
Rest-Mass Energy	p. 3
Atomic Binding Energies	p. 3
Molecular Binding Energy	p. 4
Nuclear Energy Scales	p. 5
Gravitational Binding Energy	p. 5
Thermal and Degeneracy Energies of Particles	p. 6
Classical Radiative Processes	p. 10
Thermal Bremsstrahlung	p. 11
Synchrotron Radiation	p. 12
Radiative Processes in Quantum Theory	p. 13
Fine Structure and Hyperfine Structure	p. 13
Transition Rates and Cross Sections	p. 14
Thermal Radiation	p. 16
Photon Opacities in Matter	p. 18
Varieties of Astrophysical Structures	p. 21
t[subscript cool] [approximate] t[subscript grav]: Existence of Galaxies	p. 24
[epsilon subscript grav] [approximate] [epsilon subscript a]: Existence of Giant Planets	p. 26
[epsilon subscript grav] [bsime] [epsilon subscript nucl]: Existence of Stars	p. 28
Existence of H-R Diagram for Stars	p. 29
[epsilon subscript grav] [bsime] [epsilon subscript F]: Existence of Stellar Remnants	p. 30
Detecting the Photons	p. 33
Role of Earth's Atmosphere	p. 33
Radio	p. 35
Microwave and Submillimeter	p. 36
Infrared	p. 37
Optical and Ultraviolet	p. 37
X-ray and [gamma] ray	p. 38
Dynamics	p. 42
Introduction	p. 42
Time Evolution of Dynamical Systems	p. 42
Examples of Dynamical Systems	p. 47
Motion Under a Central Force	p. 47
Motion in a Rotating Frame	p. 48
The Reduced Three-Body Problem	p. 51
Canonical Transformations	p. 54
Integrable Systems	p. 60
Adiabatic Invariance	p. 70
Perturbation Theory for Nonintegrable Systems	p. 73
Surface of Section	p. 77
Special Relativity, Electrodynamics, and Optics	p. 83
Introduction	p. 83
The Principles of Special Relativity	p. 83
Transformation of Coordinates and Velocities	p. 85
Four Vectors	p. 89
Particle Dynamics	p. 93
Distribution Functions and Moments	p. 95
External Fields of Force	p. 99
Motion of Charged Particles in External Fields	p. 104
Motion in a Coulomb Field	p. 104
Motion in a Constant, Uniform, Electric Field	p. 107
Motion in a Constant, Uniform, Magnetic Field	p. 107
Motion in a Slowly Varying Magnetic Field	p. 108
Drifts in Magnetic Fields	p. 109
Maxwell's Equations	p. 113
Energy and Momentum of the Electromagnetic Field	p. 116
Time-Independent Electromagnetic Fields	p. 118
Coulomb Field of a Charged Particle	p. 119
Dipole and Multipole Moments	p. 120
Magnetic Field of a Steady Current	p. 121
Maxwell's Equations in a Polarisable Medium	p. 122
Electromagnetic Waves	p. 123
Monochromatic Plane Waves	p. 124
Polarisation of Light	p. 126
Diffraction	p. 129
Fraunhofer Diffraction (r [double greater-than sign] D[superscript 2]/[lambda])	p. 132
Fresnel Diffraction (r [double less-than sign] D[superscript 2]/[lambda])	p. 134
Interference and Coherence	p. 136
Linear Optical Systems	p. 140
Wave Propagation through a Random Medium	p. 144
Basics of Electromagnetic Radiation	p. 150
Introduction	p. 150
Radiation from an Accelerated Charge	p. 150
Why Does an Accelerated Charge Radiate?	p. 150
Relativistically Invariant Derivation	p. 153
General Properties of the Radiation Field	p. 157
Radiation in the Nonrelativistic Case	p. 157
Radiation in the Relativistic Case	p. 160
Radiation During an Impulsive Motion	p. 162
Relativistic Formula for Radiated Four Momentum	p. 163
Radiation Reaction	p. 164
Quantum Theory of Radiation	p. 167
Quantisation of an Electromagnetic Field	p. 168
Interaction of Matter and Radiation	p. 173
Quantum Dipole Radiation	p. 177
Statistical Mechanics	p. 183
Introduction	p. 183
Operational Basis of Statistical Mechanics	p. 183
The Density of States and Microcanonical Distribution	p. 187
Mean Values in Canonical Distribution	p. 194
Derivation of Classical Thermodynamics	p. 196
Description of Macroscopic Thermodynamics	p. 200
Quantum Statistical Mechanics	p. 207
Partition Function for Bosons and Fermions	p. 212
Fermions	p. 217
Classical Limit: z [double less-than sign] 1	p. 218
Quantum Limit: z [double greater-than sign] 1	p. 220
Bosons	p. 225
Statistical Mechanics of the Electromagnetic Field	p. 228
Ionisation and Pair-Creation Equilibria	p. 233
Ionisation Equilibrium for Hydrogen	p. 233
Pair Creation	p. 239
Nuclear Statistical Equilibrium	p. 240
Time Evolution of Distribution Functions	p. 241
Evolution under Scattering	p. 245
Radiative Processes	p. 251
Introduction	p. 251
Macroscopic Quantities for Radiation	p. 251
Absorption and Emission in the Continuum Case	p. 263
Scattering of Electromagnetic Radiation	p. 265
Radiation Drag on a Charged Particle	p. 271
Compton Scattering and Comptonisation	p. 273
Kompaneets Equation	p. 277
Equations of Radiative Transport	p. 285
Bremsstrahlung	p. 295
Classical Bremsstrahlung	p. 295
Quantum Bremsstrahlung	p. 298
Thermal Bremsstrahlung	p. 300
Free-free Absorption	p. 302
Synchrotron Radiation: Basics	p. 304
Synchrotron Radiation: Rigorous Results	p. 307
Angular Distribution of Radiation	p. 308
Spectral Distribution of Radiation	p. 309
Radiation from a Power-Law Spectrum of Electrons	p. 312
Synchrotron Self-Absorption	p. 313
Photoionisation	p. 315
Collisional Ionisation	p. 324
Spectra	p. 326
Introduction	p. 326
Width of Spectral Lines	p. 326
Natural Width of Spectral Lines	p. 327
Doppler Width of Spectral Lines	p. 330
Collisional Broadening of Spectral Lines	p. 331
Curve of Growth	p. 335
Atomic-Energy Levels	p. 339
Energy Levels in the Nonrelativistic Theory	p. 339
Fine Structure of Energy Levels	p. 343
Hyperfine Structure of Energy Levels	p. 345
X-ray Emission From Atoms	p. 348
Selection Rules	p. 349
Energy Levels of Diatomic Molecules	p. 351
Aspects of Diatomic Spectra	p. 356
Rotational Transitions	p. 356
Vibrational-Rotational Spectrum	p. 358
Electronic-Vibrational-Rotational Transitions	p. 359
Neutral Fluids	p. 361
Introduction	p. 361
Molecular Collisions and Evolution of the Distribution Function	p. 361
Stress Tensor for an Ideal Fluid	p. 367
Stress Tensor for a Viscous Fluid	p. 368
Equations of Motion for the Viscous Fluid	p. 372
Flow of Ideal Fluids	p. 378
Barotropic Fluids	p. 380
Steady Flows of Ideal Fluids	p. 380
Irrotational, Isoentropic Flow of Ideal Fluids	p. 382
Incompressible, Irrotational Flow of Ideal Fluids	p. 383
Flow of Viscous Fluids	p. 383
Incompressible Flow of Viscous Fluids	p. 383
Scaling Relations in Viscous Flows	p. 384
Sound Waves	p. 385
Supersonic Flows	p. 387
de Laval Nozzle	p. 388
Spherical Accretion	p. 391
Steepening of Sound Waves	p. 397
Shock Waves	p. 401
Sedov Solution for Strong Explosions	p. 407
Fluid Instabilities	p. 409
Rayleigh-Taylor Instability	p. 410
Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability	p. 413
Thermal Instability	p. 416
Conduction and Convection	p. 420
Turbulence	p. 425
Plasma Physics	p. 428
Introduction	p. 428
The Mean Field and Collisions in Plasma	p. 428
Collisions in Plasmas	p. 433
Collisionless Plasmas	p. 440
Waves in Magnetised Cold Plasmas	p. 452
Propagation Along the Magnetic Field	p. 454
Propagation Perpendicular to the Magnetic Field	p. 456
Propagation Along a General Direction	p. 456
Magnetohydrodynamics	p. 458
The assumptions and Equations of Magnetohydrodynamics	p. 458
Batteries and Generation of the Magnetic Field	p. 462
Ambipolar Diffusion	p. 463
Magnetic Virial Theorem	p. 466
Hydromagnetic Waves	p. 467
Alfven waves	p. 468
Fast and Slow Magnetohydrodynamic Waves	p. 469
Gravitational Dynamics	p. 474
Introduction	p. 474
Gravitational Interaction in Astrophysical Systems	p. 474
Self-Gravitating Barotropic Fluids	p. 476
Polytropic Equation of State	p. 477
Degenerate Fermionic Systems	p. 479
Isothermal Sphere	p. 480
Time-Dependent Isothermal Sphere Solutions	p. 485
Fluid Spheroids	p. 486
Collisionless Gravitating Systems in Steady State	p. 489
Moment Equations for Collisionless Systems	p. 493
Approach of a Collisionless System to Steady State	p. 494
Collisional Evolution	p. 499
Dynamical Evolution of Gravitating Systems	p. 504
General Theory of Relativity	p. 508
Introduction	p. 508
Inescapable Connection between Gravity and Geometry	p. 508
Metric Tensor and Gravity	p. 513
Particle Trajectories in a Gravitational Field	p. 517
Physics in Curved Space-Time	p. 522
Curvature	p. 524
Dynamics of Gravitational Field	p. 528
Action for the Gravitational Field	p. 528
Field Equations for the Gravitational Field	p. 531
Properties of the Energy-Momentum Tensor	p. 533
General Properties of the Gravitational-Field Equations	p. 535
Schwarzschild Metric	p. 538
Orbits in the Schwarzschild Metric	p. 543
Precession of the Perihelion	p. 546
Deflection of an Ultrarelativistic Particle	p. 548
Post-Newtonian Precession	p. 550
Gravitational Collapse and Black Holes	p. 552
The Energy-Momentum Pseudotensor for Gravity	p. 553
Gravitational Waves	p. 554
Basics of Nuclear Physics	p. 563
Introduction	p. 563
Nuclear Structure	p. 563
Thermonuclear Reactions	p. 567
Nonresonant Reaction Rates	p. 570
Resonant Reaction Rates	p. 572
Specific Thermonuclear Reactions	p. 577
Hydrogen Burning: PP Chain	p. 577
Hydrogen Burning: CNO Cycle	p. 580
Helium Burning	p. 581
Burning of Heavier Elements	p. 583
Neutron Capture Reactions	p. 584
Notes and References	p. 587
Index	p. 593
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Theoretical Astrophysics

Volume 1: Astrophysical Processes

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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