Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
  1. Home
  2. Browse subjects
  3. Physics and Astronomy
  4. Astronomy Books

Refine listing

Refine listing

Access:
Content type:
Publication date:
Apply   From and To filters
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Societies Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

16950 results

Page 315 of 848

Advanced Mechanics and General Relativity
  • Joel Franklin
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    08 July 2010
  • Aimed at advanced undergraduates with background knowledge of classical mechanics and electricity and magnetism, this textbook presents both the particle dynamics relevant to general relativity, and the field dynamics necessary to understand the theory. Focusing on action extremization, the book develops the structure and predictions of general relativity by analogy with familiar physical systems. Topics ranging from classical field theory to minimal surfaces and relativistic strings are covered in a homogeneous manner. Nearly 150 exercises and numerous examples throughout the textbook enable students to test their understanding of the material covered. A tensor manipulation package to help students overcome the computational challenge associated with general relativity is available on a site hosted by the author. A link to this and to a solutions manual can be found at www.cambridge.org/9780521762458.

Observational Astronomy
  • Techniques and Instrumentation
  • Edmund C. Sutton
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    13 October 2011
  • Astronomy is fundamentally an observational science and as such it is important for astronomers and astrophysicists to understand how their data are collected and analyzed. This book is a comprehensive review of current observational techniques and instruments. Featuring instruments such as Spitzer, Herschel, Fermi, ALMA, Super-Kamiokande, SNO, IceCube, the Auger Observatory, LIGO and LISA, the book discusses the capabilities and limitations of different types of instruments. It explores the sources and types of noise and provides statistical tools necessary for interpreting observational data. Due to the increasingly important role of statistical analysis, the techniques of Bayesian analysis are discussed, along with sampling techniques and model comparison. With topics ranging from fundamental subjects such as optics, photometry and spectroscopy, to neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves, this book is essential for graduate students in astronomy and physics. Electronic and colour versions of selected figures are available online at www. cambridge.org/9781107010468.

The Primordial Density Perturbation
  • Cosmology, Inflation and the Origin of Structure
  • David H. Lyth, Andrew R. Liddle
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    11 June 2009
  • The origin and evolution of the primordial perturbation is the key to understanding structure formation in the earliest stages of the Universe. It carries clues to the types of physical phenomena active in that extreme high-density environment. Through its evolution, generating first the observed cosmic microwave background anisotropies and later the distribution of galaxies and dark matter in the Universe, it probes the properties and dynamics of the present Universe. This graduate-level textbook gives a thorough account of theoretical cosmology and perturbations in the early Universe, describing their observational consequences and showing how to relate such observations to primordial physical processes, particularly cosmological inflation. With ambitious observational programmes complementing ever-increasing sophistication in theoretical modelling, cosmological studies will remain at the cutting edge of astrophysical studies for the foreseeable future.

Theoretical Astrophysics
  • Volume 1, Astrophysical Processes
  • T. Padmanabhan
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    02 October 2000
  • 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 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 successfully tackle research in astrophysics and cosmology.

High Energy Astrophysics
  • Volume 2, Stars, the Galaxy and the Interstellar Medium, 2nd edition
  • Malcolm S. Longair
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    28 July 1994
  • What role does viscosity play in accretion discs? How do you calculate the 'glitch function' of a pulsar? And can strong shocks account for the energy spectrum of electrons in our Galaxy? These are just some of the exciting questions that Professor Longair uses to develop the physics needed by the astronomer and high energy astrophysicist. The highly acclaimed first edition of High Energy Astrophysics instantly established itself as a classic in the teaching of contemporary astronomy. Reflecting the immense interest and developments in the subject, Professor Longair has developed the second edition into three texts; in this second volume he provides a comprehensive discussion of the high energy astrophysics of stars, the Galaxy and the interstellar medium. He develops an understanding for the essential physics with an elegance and infectious enthusiasm for which his teaching is internationally renowned, illustrating the issues throughout with results from forefront research. This book takes the student with a knowledge of physics and mathematics at the undergraduate level - but not necessarily with training in astronomy - to the point where current astronomical research can be understood.

A Photographic Atlas of Selected Regions of the Milky Way
  • Edward Emerson Barnard
  • Foreword by Gerald Orin Dobek
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    17 March 2011
  • Edward Emerson Barnard's Photographic Atlas of Selected Regions of the Milky Way was originally published in two volumes in 1927. Together, these volumes contained a wealth of information, including photographic plates of the most interesting portions of the Milky Way, descriptive text, charts and data. Only 700 copies were printed, making the original edition a collector's item. Reproduced in print for the first time, this edition combines both volumes of Barnard's Atlas. It directly replicates Barnard's text, and contains high-resolution images of the original photographic plates and charts, reordered so that they can be seen together. It also includes a biography of Barnard and his work, a Foreword and Addendum by Gerald Orin Dobek describing the importance of the Atlas and additions to this volume, and a pull-out section with a mosaic of all 50 plates combined in a single panorama.

Galaxy Formation and Evolution
  • Houjun Mo, Frank van den Bosch, Simon White
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    20 May 2010
  • The rapidly expanding field of galaxy formation lies at the interface between astronomy, particle physics, and cosmology. Covering diverse topics from these disciplines, all of which are needed to understand how galaxies form and evolve, this book is ideal for researchers entering the field. Individual chapters explore the evolution of the Universe as a whole and its particle and radiation content; linear and nonlinear growth of cosmic structure; processes affecting the gaseous and dark matter components of galaxies and their stellar populations; the formation of spiral and elliptical galaxies; central supermassive black holes and the activity associated with them; galaxy interactions; and the intergalactic medium. Emphasizing both observational and theoretical aspects, this book provides a coherent introduction for astronomers, cosmologists, and astroparticle physicists to the broad range of science underlying the formation and evolution of galaxies.

Galaxies
  • Structure and Evolution
  • Roger John Tayler
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    04 March 1993
  • Galaxies are large systems of stars, some of which contain interstellar gas and dust. They also contain much invisible matter, which may be in the form of weakly interacting elementary particles. In this introductory textbook, the first chapter introduces the study of galaxies. This is followed by two chapters on observations of galaxies, including our own. There are then three chapters on galactic structure: the manner in which motions of stars determine galactic shape, the determination of galactic masses, and the structure of discs in spirals. Galactic evolution, especially changes in chemical composition over time, is covered. The book concludes with a discussion of the origin of galaxies and their relation to more general questions in cosmology. The book includes mathematical presentation where this enables the discussion to be quantitative.

Aspects of Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime
  • Stephen A. Fulling
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    24 August 1989
  • The theory of quantum fields on curved spacetimes has attracted great attention since the discovery, by Stephen Hawking, of black-hole evaporation. It remains an important subject for the understanding of such contemporary topics as inflationary cosmology, quantum gravity and superstring theory. This book provides, for mathematicians, an introduction to this field of physics in a language and from a viewpoint which such a reader should find congenial. Physicists should also gain from reading this book a sound grasp of various aspects of the theory, some of which have not been particularly emphasised in the existing review literature. The topics covered include normal-mode expansions for a general elliptic operator, Fock space, the Casimir effect, the 'Klein' paradox, particle definition and particle creation in expanding universes, asymptotic expansion of Green's functions and heat kernels, and renormalisation of the stress tensor. The style is pedagogic rather than formal; some knowledge of general relativity and differential geometry is assumed, but the author does supply background material on functional analysis and quantum field theory as required. The book arose from a course taught to graduate students and could be used for self-study or for advanced courses in relativity and quantum field theory.

Nucleosynthesis and Chemical Evolution of Galaxies
  • 2nd edition
  • Bernard E. J. Pagel
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    15 January 2009
  • The distribution of elements in the cosmos is the result of many processes, and it provides a powerful tool to study the Big Bang, the density of baryonic matter, nucleosynthesis and the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. Covering many exciting topics in astrophysics and cosmology, this textbook, by a pioneer of the field, provides a lucid and wide-ranging introduction to the interdisciplinary subject of galactic chemical evolution for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. It is also an authoritative overview for researchers and professional scientists. This new edition includes results from recent space missions and new material on abundances from stellar populations, nebular analysis, and meteoric isotopic anomalies, and abundance analysis of X-ray gas. Simple derivations for key results are provided, together with problems and helpful solution hints, enabling the student to develop an understanding of results from numerical models and real observations.

An Introduction to Relativity
  • Jayant V. Narlikar
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    28 January 2010
  • General relativity is now an essential part of undergraduate and graduate courses in physics, astrophysics and applied mathematics. This simple, user-friendly introduction to relativity is ideal for a first course in the subject. Beginning with a comprehensive but simple review of special relativity, the book creates a framework from which to launch the ideas of general relativity. After describing the basic theory, it moves on to describe important applications to astrophysics, black hole physics, and cosmology. Several worked examples, and numerous figures and images, help students appreciate the underlying concepts. There are also 180 exercises which test and develop students' understanding of the subject. The textbook presents all the necessary information and discussion for an elementary approach to relativity. Password-protected solutions to the exercises are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521735612.

Earth
  • Evolution of a Habitable World
  • Jonathan I. Lunine
  • Illustrated by Cynthia J. Lunine
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    13 October 1998
  • This is an outstanding overview of the history of the Earth from a unique planetary perspective for introductory courses in the earth sciences. The book approaches Earth history as an evolution, encompassing the origin of the cosmos through the inner working of living cells. Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World tells how the Earth has come to its present state, why it differs from its neighboring planets, what life's place is in Earth's history, and how humanity affects the processes that make our planet liveable. Today's human influences are contemplated in the context of natural changes on Earth. The text considers the burning issues in our quest to understand the Earth. It shows how the myriad disciplines of science are interwoven to understand our world and its sister planets. It points the way to how science and engineering must be applied to today's challenges if humankind is to have a promising future on Earth. This book brings a fresh perspective to the study of the Earth for students who wish to learn how our planet evolved to its present form.

The Stars
  • Their Structure and Evolution
  • Roger John Tayler
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    23 June 1994
  • This textbook gives a clear account of the manner in which knowledge in many branches of physics such as gravitation, thermodynamics, atomic physics and nuclear physics can be combined to gain an understanding of the structure and evolution of stars. A major aim is to present the subject as one in which advances are still being made. The first half is an account of the observational properties of stars and a discussion of the equations that govern their structure. The second part discusses recent theoretical work on stellar evolution. The successes of the theory are stressed, but attention is also drawn to phenomena that are not completely understood. This is a new edition of a widely-used textbook first published in 1970. New topics include mass loss from stars and close binary stars.

Astrophysics Processes
  • The Physics of Astronomical Phenomena
  • Hale Bradt
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    22 September 2008
  • Bridging the gap between physics and astronomy textbooks, this book provides step-by-step physical and mathematical development of fundamental astrophysical processes underlying a wide range of phenomena in stellar, galactic, and extragalactic astronomy. The book has been written for upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students, and its strong pedagogy ensures solid mastery of each process and application. It contains over 150 tutorial figures, numerous examples of astronomical measurements, and 201 exercises. Topics covered include the Kepler–Newton problem, stellar structure, binary evolution, radiation processes, special relativity in astronomy, radio propagation in the interstellar medium, and gravitational lensing. Applications presented include Jeans length, Eddington luminosity, the cooling of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect, Doppler boosting in jets, and determinations of the Hubble constant. This text is a stepping stone to more specialized books and primary literature. Password-protected solutions to the exercises are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521846561.

Gravity from the Ground Up
  • An Introductory Guide to Gravity and General Relativity
  • Bernard Schutz
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    04 December 2003
  • This book invites the reader to understand our Universe, not just marvel at it. From the clock-like motions of the planets to the catastrophic collapse of a star into a black hole, gravity controls the Universe. Gravity is central to modern physics, helping to answer the deepest questions about the nature of time, the origin of the Universe and the unification of the forces of nature. Linking key experiments and observations through careful physical reasoning, the author builds the reader's insight step-by-step from simple but profound facts about gravity on Earth to the frontiers of research. Topics covered include the nature of stars and galaxies, the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, black holes, gravitational waves, inflation and the Big Bang. Suitable for general readers and for undergraduate courses, the treatment uses only high-school level mathematics, supplemented by optional computer programs, to explain the laws of physics governing gravity.

Page 315 of 848