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 mor
This text describes the gravitational interactions and evolution of astronomical systems on all scales, from small groups of stars through galaxies and clusters of galaxies to the Universe itself. In a rapidly developing area of astronomy, it is the first comprehensive treatise on the subject to be published since the early 1960s. Concentrating on the basic physics, at a graduate student level, it also develops many astronomical applications in considerable detail. The book is self-contained. Most results are derived from preceding ones in a straightforward way. It is written to bring out the physical content behind the mathematical formulae, and contains a number of exercises and suggestions for research topics. Bibliographies with nearly 300 selected references provide gateways into the literature.
The Earth's mantle plays a crucial role in a variety of geologic processes and provides researchers with important insights into the development of our planet. Interdisciplinary in scope, The Earth's Mantle is a comprehensive overview of the composition, structure and evolution of the mantle layer. Striking a balance between established consensus and continuing controversy, the book provides researchers and graduate students with an authoritative review of this important part of our planet. Written by internationally recognized scientists from the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University, it draws on perspectives from cosmochemistry, isotope geochemistry, fluid dynamics and petrology, seismology and geodynamics, and mineral and rock physics. The hardback edition received excellent reviews.
The Chain of Change, first published in 1990, is a philosophical commentary devoted to Aristotle's Physics VII, in which Aristotle argues for the existence of a first, unmoved cosmic mover. This study systematically considers the major issues of the book, and argues for the fundamental importance of Physics VII in our understanding of Aristotelian cosmology and natural science. Physics VII is extant in two versions, and therefore poses special editorial problems. For this reason one of the features of Dr Wardy's study is the provision of an improved text and translation in both versions. The author's comprehensive comparison of their merits, philosophical and philological, has a significant bearing on our understanding of the nature and evolution of the Aristotelian corpus. The second part of the book is devoted to critical examination of the argument, including one of the most elaborate and challenging in the entire Aristotelian corpus.
The Chain of Change, first published in 1990, is a philosophical commentary devoted to Aristotle's Physics VII, in which Aristotle argues for the existence of a first, unmoved cosmic mover. This study systematically considers the major issues of the book, and argues for the fundamental importance of Physics VII in our understanding of Aristotelian cosmology and natural science. Physics VII is extant in two versions, and therefore poses special editorial problems. For this reason one of the features of Dr Wardy's study is the provision of an improved text and translation in both versions. The author's comprehensive comparison of their merits, philosophical and philological, has a significant bearing on our understanding of the nature and evolution of the Aristotelian corpus. The second part of the book is devoted to critical examination of the argument, including one of the most elaborate and challenging in the entire Aristotelian corpus.
Stellar Physics is a rather unique book among the growing literature on star formation and evolution. Not only does the author, a leading expert in the field, give a very thorough description of the c
This book traces the evolution of Atomic Physics from precision spectroscopy to the manipulation of atoms at a billionth of a degree above absolute zero. Quantum worlds can be simulated and fundamenta
In the twenty-first century, we take the means to measure time for granted, without contemplating the sophisticated concepts on which our time scales are based. This volume presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping up to the present day. It outlines the progression of time based on sundials, water clocks, and the Earth's rotation, to time measurement using pendulum clocks, quartz crystal clocks, and atomic frequency standards. Time scales created as a result of these improvements in technology and the development of general and special relativity are explained. This second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances and discusses the redefinition of SI units and the future of UTC. A new chapter on time and cosmology has been added. This broad-ranging reference benefits a diverse readership, including historians, scientists, engineers, educators, and it is accessible to general readers.
Are we alone in the Universe? What is our place in it? How did we get here? We have long searched for the answers to questions such as these, and scientists are beginning to find some of the answers. In this beautifully illustrated book, Daniel Altschuler provides the reader with the elements to understand the questions and their answers as far as we know them. He explores subjects from physics and astronomy, to geology and palaeontology. Along the way he touches on topics such as the search for life on other worlds and the hazards of asteroid impacts. Daniel Altschuler is director of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. He writes in an engaging and readable style with wit, warmth and erudition at a level that any interested reader can understand.
Using fundamental physics, the theory of stellar structure and evolution can predict how stars are born, how their complex internal structure changes, what nuclear fuel they burn, and their ultimate fate. This textbook is a stimulating introduction for undergraduates in astronomy, physics and applied mathematics, taking a course on the physics of stars. It uniquely emphasises the basic physical principles governing stellar structure and evolution. This second edition contains two new chapters on mass loss from stars and interacting binary stars, and new exercises. Clear and methodical, it explains the processes in simple terms, while maintaining mathematical rigour. Starting from general principles, this textbook leads students step-by-step to a global, comprehensive understanding of the subject. Fifty exercises and full solutions allow students to test their understanding. No prior knowledge of astronomy is required, and only a basic background in physics and mathematics is necessary.
These notes investigate the time evolution of quantum systems, and in particular the rigorous derivation of effective equations approximating the many-body Schrodinger dynamics in certain physically i
A causally integrated account linking basic natural laws with biological evolution and the evolution of consciousness has remained elusive, despite many key publications seeking integration between biology, physics, and the study of consciousness. Quantum Mechanics, Cell-Cell Signaling, and Evolution offers a detailed account of the latest research and theorizing on the integration of quantum physics with biological action, to produce a novel perspective on evolution. Quantum Mechanics, Cell-Cell Signaling, and Evolution advocates for a paradigm shift towards understanding biology and medicine causally as predictive sciences, presenting quantum mechanics and physiology as vertically integrated. The author has taken a unique approach to the question of how and why evolution has occurred. The account is based on extensive knowledge of lipid physical chemistry, and its role in the evolution of the lung under the influence of hormonal effects on structure and function. The title arranges l
Transmuted Past follows the development of theories of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis in the twentieth century and describes radiometric methods for estimating the age of the Earth. Professor B
Dynamical evolution over long time scales is a prominent feature of all the systems we intuitively think of as complex — for example, ecosystems, the brain or the economy. In physics, the term ageing
Reporting a novel breakthrough in the identification and investigation of solvable and integrable nonlinearly coupled evolution ordinary differential equations (ODEs) or partial differential equations (PDEs), this text includes practical examples throughout to illustrate the theoretical concepts. Beginning with systems of ODEs, including second-order ODEs of Newtonian type, it then discusses systems of PDEs, and systems evolving in discrete time. It reports a novel, differential algorithm which can be used to evaluate all the zeros of a generic polynomial of arbitrary degree: a remarkable development of a fundamental mathematical problem with a long history. The book will be of interest to applied mathematicians and mathematical physicists working in the area of integrable and solvable non-linear evolution equations; it can also be used as supplementary reading material for general applied mathematics or mathematical physics courses.
The purpose of this book is to introduce two recent topics in mathematical physics and probability theory: the Schramm–Loewner evolution (SLE) and interacting particle systems related to random matrix
This landmark work chronicles the origin and evolution of solid state physics, which grew to maturity between 1920 and 1960. The book examines the early roots of the field in industrial, scientific an
A primer on the evolution of particle physics and the search for the fundamental building blocks of matter, this book presents the full current body of understanding of particle physics in a way that
These proceedings include short reviews on the evolution of accelerator physics, low-energy and high-energy experiments at Fermilab and Brookhaven, as well on the phenomenology of the standard model
This systematic book covers in simple language the physical foundations of evolution equations, stochastic processes and generalized Master equations applied on complex economic systems, helping to un
