Theoretical Astrophysics: Volume 2, Stars and Stellar Systems

This authoritative text guides graduate students and researchers through the key physical processes governing stars and stellar systems.

T. Padmanabhan (Author)

9780521562416, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 April 2001

594 pages, 112 b/w illus. 27 tables 76 exercises
25.4 x 18.2 x 3.3 cm, 1.166 kg

'The book should not be missing in any astrophysical library.' Claudia-Veronika Meister, Zbl. MATH

This authoritative textbook - the second volume of a comprehensive three-volume course on theoretical astrophysics - deals with stellar physics. Designed to help graduate students and researchers develop an understanding of the key physical processes governing stars and stellar systems, it teaches the fundamentals, and then builds on them to give the reader an in-depth understanding of advanced topics. The book's modular design allows the chapters to be approached individually, yet seamless transitions create a coherent and connected whole. It can be used alone or in conjunction with Volume I, which covers a wide range of astrophysical processes, and the forthcoming Volume III, on galaxies and cosmology. After reviewing the key observational results and nomenclature used in stellar astronomy, the book develops a solid understanding of central concepts including stellar structure and evolution, the physics of stellar remnants, pulsars, binary stars, the sun and planetary systems, interstellar medium and globular clusters. Throughout, the reader's comprehension is developed and tested with more than seventy-five exercises. This indispensable volume provides graduate students with a self-contained introduction to stellar physics, and will allow them to master the material sufficiently to read and engage in research with heightened understanding.

Preface
1. Overview: stars and stellar systems
2. Stellar structure
3. Stellar evolution
4. Supernova (Type II)
5. White dwarfs, neutron stars and blackholes
6. Pulsars
7. Binary stars and accretion
8. Sun and the solar system
9. Interstellar medium
10. Globular clusters
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB], Theoretical & mathematical astronomy [PGC]