Astrophysical Jets and Beams

An up-to-date study of astrophysical jets that will appeal to students and researchers in all areas of astrophysics.

Michael D. Smith (Author)

9780521834766, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 February 2012

240 pages, 84 b/w illus.
25.3 x 17.8 x 1.5 cm, 0.63 kg

'The book seems well thought out, and I would certainly recommend it; at least a copy (or two) in your departmental library, and one for any student starting work in this field … highly recommended.' The Observatory

Astrophysical jets are spectacular displays of gas or dust ejected from a range of cosmic bodies; they are seemingly ubiquitous on scales from comets to black holes. This volume reviews our understanding of jet processes and provides a modern guide to their observation and the role they play in many long-standing problems in astrophysics. It covers the major discoveries in gamma-ray bursts, solar and stellar jets and cometary jets. Specific physical processes for all classes of jet are illustrated and discussed in depth, as a backdrop to explaining spectacular jet images. Current jet models raise as many issues as they solve, so the final chapter looks at the new questions to be answered. Written at an entry level for postgraduate students, this volume incorporates introductions to all the governing physics, providing a comprehensive and insightful guide to the study of jets for researchers across all branches of astrophysics.

1. Introduction
2. Detection and measurement
3. The dynamical toolbox
4. Observations of extragalactic jets
5. Jets in galactic nuclei
6. Jets from young stars and protostars
7. Jets associated with evolved stars
8. Jets within the solar system
9. Jet launching
10. Jet propagation
11. New questions
Index.

Subject Areas: Cosmology & the universe [PGK], Astronomy, space & time [PG], Mathematics & science [P]