This two-volume text is for new graduates on astronomy courses who need to get to grips with the physics involved in the subject. Four problem sets, averaging three problems per set, accompany each volume. The problems expand on the material covered in the texts and represent the level of calculational skill needed to write scientific papers in contemporary astrophysics.

A comprehensive textbook on the foundational principles of plasmas, including material on advanced topics and related disciplines such as optics, fluid dynamics, and astrophysics Foundations of Plasma Physics for Physicists and Mathematicians covers the basic physics underlying plasmas and describes the methodology and techniques used in both plasma research and other disciplines such as optics and fluid mechanics. Designed to help readers develop physical understanding and mathematical competence in the subject, this rigorous textbook discusses the underlying theoretical foundations of plasma physics as well as a range of specific problems, focused on those principally associated with fusion. Reflective of the development of plasma physics, the text first introduces readers to the collective and collisional behaviors of plasma, the single particle model, wave propagation, the kinetic effects of gases and plasma, and other foundational concepts and principles. Subsequent chapters cover topics including the hydrodynamic limit of plasma, ideal magneto-hydrodynamics, waves in MHD plasmas, magnetically confined plasma, and waves in magnetized hot and cold plasma. Written by an acknowledged expert with more than five decades’ active research experience in the field, this authoritative text: Identifies and emphasizes the similarities and differences between plasmas and fluids Describes the different types of interparticle forces that influence the collective behavior of plasma Demonstrates and stresses the importance of coherent and collective effects in plasma Contains an introduction to interactions between laser beams and plasma Includes supplementary sections on the basic models of low temperature plasma and the theory of complex variables and Laplace transforms Foundations of Plasma Physics for Physicists and Mathematicians is the ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in plasma physics, and a valuable compendium for physicists working in plasma physics and fluid mechanics.

Proceedings of Symposium No. 107 held in College Park, Maryland, U.S.A., August 8-11, 1983

This new text surveys a series of fundamental problems in astrophysics, both analytically and computationally, for advanced students in physics and astrophysics. The contents are supported by more than 110 class-tested Mathematica® notebooks, allowing rigorous solutions to be explored in a visually engaging way. Topics covered include many classical and historically interesting problems, enabling students to appreciate the mathematical and scientific challenges that have been overcome in the subject's development. The text also shows the advantages and disadvantages of using analytical and computational methods. It will serve students, professionals and capable amateurs to master the quantitative details of modern astrophysics and the computational aspects of their research projects. Downloadable Mathematica® resources available at www.cambridge.org/koberlein.

The book presents the most recent developments of laboratory studies in astrophysics and space research. The individual chapters review laboratory investigations under simulated space conditions, studies for the design of successful space experiments or for supporting the interpretation of astronomical and space mission recorded data. Related theoretical models, numerical simulations and in situ observations demonstrate the necessity of experimental work on the Earth's surface. The expertise of the contributing scientists covers a broad spectrum and is included in general overviews from fundamental science to recent space technology. The book intends to serve as a reference for researchers and graduate students on the most recent activities and results in laboratory astrophysics, and to give reviews of their applications in astronomy, planetology, cosmochemistry, space research and Solar System exploration.

In June of 1996, at the idyllic seaside resort of Guarujá, Brazil, a renowned group of researchers in space and astrophysical plasmas met to provide a forum on Advanced Topics on Astrophysical and Space Plasmas at a school consisting of some 60 students and teachers, mainly from Brazil and Argentina, but also from all the other parts of the globe. The purpose was to provide an update on the latest theories, observations, and simulations of space-astrophysical plasma phenomena. The topics covered included space plasma mechanisms for particle acceleration, nonthermal emission in cosmic plasma, magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in solar, interstellar, and other cosmic objects, magnetic field line reconnection and merging, the nonlinear and often chaotic structure of astrophysical plasmas, and the advances in high performance supercomputing resources to replicate the observed phenomena. The lectures were presented by Professor Mark Birkinshaw of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the University of Bristol; Dr Anthony Peratt, Los Alamos National Laboratory Scientific Advisor to the United States Department of Energy; Dr Dieter Biskamp of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching, Germany; Professor Donald Melrose, Director, Centre for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Sydney, Australia; Professor Abraham Chian of the National Institute for Space Research, Brazil; and Professor Nelson Fiedler-Ferrara of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. As summarized by Professor Reuven Opher, Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, University of São Paulo, the advanced or interested student of space and astrophysical plasmas will find reference to nearly all modern aspects in the field of Plasma Astrophysics and Cosmology in the presented lectures.

"This textbook develops astrophysics from the basics without requiring any previous study in astronomy or astrophysics. Physical concepts,mathematical derivations and observational data are combined in a balanced way to provide a unified treatment"--Provided by publisher.

With the discovery of pulsars, quasars, and galactic X-ray sources in the late 60's and early 70's, and the coincident expansion in the search for gravitational waves, rela tivistic gravity assumed an important place in the astrophysics of localized objects. Only by pushing Einstein's solar-system-tested general theory of relativity to the study of the extremes of gravitational collapse and its outcomes did it seem that one could explain these frontier astronomical phenomena. This conclusion continues to be true today. Relativistic gravity had always played the central role in cosmology. The discov ery of the cosmic background radiation in 1965, the increasing understanding of matter physics at high energies in the decades following, and the growing wealth of observations on the large scale structure meant that it was possible to make increasingly detailed mod els of the universe, both today and far in the past. This development, not accidentally, was contemporary to that for localized objects described above.

Providing students with an in-depth account of the astrophysics of high energy phenomena in the Universe, the third edition of this well-established textbook is ideal for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in high energy astrophysics. Building on the concepts and techniques taught in standard undergraduate courses, this textbook provides the astronomical and astrophysical background for students to explore more advanced topics. Special emphasis is given to the underlying physical principles of high energy astrophysics, helping students understand the essential physics. The third edition has been completely rewritten, consolidating the previous editions into one volume. It covers the most recent discoveries in areas such as gamma-ray bursts, ultra-high energy cosmic rays and ultra-high energy gamma rays. The topics have been rearranged and streamlined to make them more applicable to a wide range of different astrophysical problems.