X-ray Binaries

This long-awaited volume provides graduate students and researchers with the standard reference on X-ray binaries.

Walter H. G. Lewin (Edited by), Jan van Paradijs (Edited by), Edward P. J. van den Heuvel (Edited by)

9780521599344, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 16 January 1997

676 pages, 21 b/w illus. 36 tables
24.8 x 17.5 x 3.1 cm, 1.385 kg

"This book will be a valuable addition to any physics or astronomy library; even the nonexpert will benefit from a few hours browsing through it." Herbert Gursky, American Scientist

X-ray binaries are some of the most varied and perplexing systems known to astronomers. The compact object which accretes mass from its companion star may be a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole, whereas the donor star can be a 'normal' star or a white dwarf. The various combinations differ widely in their behaviour, and this timely volume provides a unique reference of our knowledge to date of all of them. Fifteen specially written chapters by a team of the world's foremost researchers in the field explore all aspects of the X-ray binaries. They cover the X-ray, ultraviolet, optical and radio properties of these violent systems and address key issues such as: how were these systems formed, and what will be their fate; how can we understand X-ray bursts, and how the quasi-periodic oscillations; what is the connection between millisecond radio pulsars and low-mass X-ray binaries; and how does the magnetic field of a neutron star decay? This long awaited review provides graduate students and researchers with the standard reference on X-ray binaries for many years to come.

Preface
1. The properties of X-ray binaries, N. E. White, F. Nagase and A. N. Parmar
2. Optical and ultraviolet observations of X-ray binaries J. van Paradijs and J. E. McClintock
3. Black-hole binaries Y. Tanaka and W. H. G. Lewin
4. X-ray bursts Walter H. G. Lewin, Jan Van Paradijs and Ronald E. Taam
5. Millisecond pulsars D. Bhattacharya
6. Rapid aperiodic variability in binaries M. van der Klis
7. Radio properties of X-ray binaries R. M. Hjellming and X. Han
8. Cataclysmic variable stars France Anne-Dominic Córdova
9. Normal galaxies and their X-ray binary populations G. Fabbiano
10. Accretion in close binaries Andrew King
11. Formation and evolution of neutron stars and black holes in binaries F. Verbunt and E. P. J. van den Heuvel
12. The magnetic fields of neutron stars and their evolution D. Bhattacharya and G. Srinivasan
13. Cosmic gamma-ray bursts K. Hurley
14. A catalogue of X-ray binaries Jan van Paradijs
15. A compilation of cataclysmic binaries with known or suspected orbital periods Hans Ritter and Ulrich Kolb
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB]