Astrophysics in a Nutshell: Second Edition

✍ Scribed by Dan Maoz

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2016
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 311
• Edition: 2
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The ideal one-semester astrophysics introduction for science undergraduates―now expanded and fully updated

Winner of the American Astronomical Society's Chambliss Award, Astrophysics in a Nutshell has become the text of choice in astrophysics courses for science majors at top universities in North America and beyond. In this expanded and fully updated second edition, the book gets even better, with a new chapter on extrasolar planets; a greatly expanded chapter on the interstellar medium; fully updated facts and figures on all subjects, from the observed properties of white dwarfs to the latest results from precision cosmology; and additional instructive problem sets. Throughout, the text features the same focused, concise style and emphasis on physics intuition that have made the book a favorite of students and teachers.

Written by Dan Maoz, a leading active researcher, and designed for advanced undergraduate science majors, Astrophysics in a Nutshell is a brief but thorough introduction to the observational data and theoretical concepts underlying modern astronomy. Generously illustrated, it covers the essentials of modern astrophysics, emphasizing the common physical principles that govern astronomical phenomena, and the interplay between theory and observation, while also introducing subjects at the forefront of modern research, including black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and gravitational lensing.

In addition to serving as a course textbook, Astrophysics in a Nutshell is an ideal review for a qualifying exam and a handy reference for teachers and researchers.

• The most concise and current astrophysics textbook for science majors―now expanded and fully updated with the latest research results
• Contains a broad and well-balanced selection of traditional and current topics
• Uses simple, short, and clear derivations of physical results
• Trains students in the essential skills of order-of-magnitude analysis
• Features a new chapter on extrasolar planets, including discovery techniques
• Includes new and expanded sections and problems on the physics of shocks, supernova remnants, cosmic-ray acceleration, white dwarf properties, baryon acoustic oscillations, and more
• Contains instructive problem sets at the end of each chapter
• Solutions manual (available only to professors)

✦ Table of Contents

Astrophysics in a Nutshell_ Sec - Dan Maoz.pdf
Cover
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Preface
Constants and Units
1 Introduction
1.1 Observational Techniques
Problems
2 Stars: Basic Observations
2.1 Review of Blackbody Radiation
2.2 Measurement of Stellar Parameters
2.3 The Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram
Problems
3 Stellar Physics
3.1 Hydrostatic Equilibrium and the Virial Theorem
3.2 Mass Continuity
3.3 Radiative Energy Transport
3.4 Energy Conservation
3.5 The Equations of Stellar Structure
3.6 The Equation of State
3.7 Opacity
3.8 Scaling Relations on the Main Sequence
3.9 Nuclear Energy Production
3.10 Nuclear Reaction Rates
3.11 Solution of the Equations of Stellar Structure
3.12 Convection
Problems
4 Stellar Evolution and Stellar Remnants
4.1 Stellar Evolution
4.2 White Dwarfs
4.3 Supernovae and Neutron Stars
4.4 Pulsars
4.5 Black Holes
4.6 Interacting Binaries
Problems
5 Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium
5.1 Cloud Collapse and Star Formation
5.2 H II Regions
5.3 Components of the Interstellar Medium
5.4 Shocks, Supernova Remnants, and Cosmic Rays
Problems
6 Extrasolar Planets
6.1 Planet Detection Methods
6.2 Planetary System Occurrence and Architecture
6.3 Planet Formation and Evolution
6.4 Habitable Zones and the Search for Life
Problems
7 The Milky Way and Other Galaxies
7.1 Structure of the Milky Way
7.2 Galaxy Demographics
7.3 Active Galactic Nuclei and Quasars
7.4 Groups and Clusters of Galaxies
Problems
8 Cosmology: Basic Observations
8.1 The Olbers Paradox
8.2 Extragalactic Distances
8.3 Hubble’s Law
8.4 Age of the Universe from Cosmic Clocks
8.5 Isotropy of the Universe
Problems
9 Big Bang Cosmology
9.1 The Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker Metric
9.2 The Friedmann Equations
9.3 History and Future of the Universe
9.4 A Newtonian Derivation of the Friedmann Equations
9.5 Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe
Problems
10 Tests and Probes of Big Bang Cosmology
10.1 Cosmological Redshift and Hubble’s Law
10.2 The Cosmic Microwave Background
10.3 Anisotropy of the Microwave Background
10.4 Baryon Acoustic Oscillations
10.5 Nucleosynthesis of the Light Elements
10.6 Quasars and Other Distant Sources as Cosmological Probes
Problems
Appendix
Index