The Galactic Interstellar Medium: Saas-Fee Advanced Course 21. Lecture Notes 1991. Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy (Saas-Fee Advanced Courses)

✍ Scribed by W.B. Burton, B.G. Elmegreen, R. Genzel

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 409
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In this volume three extended lectures addressing both students and experienced astronomers and astrophysicists cover a wealth of material on interstellar matter. The first lecture details the most recent observationaldata on interstellar matter inside and outside our galaxy, such as the global distribution of matter and atomic or molecular gas and its kinematics. The second treats its large-scale dynamics, including instabilities and star formation. In the third the physics and chemistry of molecular clouds are discussed. This book can be used as a textbook for advanced students in astrophysics.

✦ Table of Contents

3540558055......Page 1
The Galactic
Interstellar Medium
Saas-Fee Advanced Course 21
Lecture Notes 1991
Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy......Page 3
Foreword......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
1 Introduction......Page 12
2 Observations of HI and Other Tracers of the
Low-Latitude Morphology of the Interstellar Medium
in Our Galaxy......Page 16
3 Galactic Rotation and the Constants Specifying the
Kinematic and Linear Scales of the Milky Way;
Line-broadening Mechanisms Determining Profile
Shapes at Low Latitudes......Page 47
4 Global Structural Distribution of Low-Latitude
Tracers of the Inner Galaxy......Page 70
5 Comparative Global Properties of Interstellar Dust
and Gas in the Galaxy......Page 90
6 Kinematics and Distribution of Neutral Interstellar
Gas in the Galactic Bulge Region......Page 111
7 The Warped and Flaring Layer of Atomic and
Molecular Gas in the Outer Galaxy......Page 137
1 Introduction......Page 167
2 Basic State of the Interstellar Gas......Page 169
3 Large Scale Heating and Cooling......Page 188
4 Explosions......Page 201
5 Gas Flow in Spiral Density Waves......Page 234
6 Gas Instabilities......Page 258
7 Global Star Formation......Page 274
1 Introduction......Page 285
2 Heating and Cooling Processes......Page 329
3 Interstellar Chemistry......Page 347
4 Structure and Dynamics of Molecular Clouds......Page 359
5 Circumstellar Clouds and Masers......Page 381
6 Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center and External
Galaxies......Page 389
Subject Index......Page 402