Astrophysics Processes

The Physics of Astronomical Phenomena

Hale Bradt

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN:
  9780521846561
• eBook ISBN:
  9780511451188
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Astronomy & Astrophysics

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Figures
• Tables
• Preface
• Also by Hale Bradt
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Kepler, Newton, and the mass function
• 2 Equilibrium in stars
• 3 Equations of state
• 4 Stellar structure and evolution
• 5 Thermal bremsstrahlung radiation
• 6 Blackbody radiation
• 7 Special theory of relativity in astronomy
• 8 Synchrotron radiation
• 9 Compton scattering
• 10 Hydrogen spin-flip radiation
• 11 Dispersion and Faraday rotation
• 12 Gravitational lensing
• Credits, further reading, and references
• Glossary
• Appendix Units, symbols, and values
• Index