Astrophysics Books

Book SynopsisIntended for space crews living and working in zero gravity, as well as for the community of scientists, physicians and engineers who support them. This work offers advice on physiological and medical problems of bone loss, kidney stones, motion sickness, muscle loss, loss of balance, orthostatic intolerance, weight loss, and more.Trade ReviewI strongly recommend Space Physiology to physicians and scientists engaged in aerospace medicine and anyone interested in the US space program. I also recommend this book to our law makers, because it is they who must resolve to properly fund our aerospace medical research efforts. * JAMA *Table of Contents1. Bone Loss: Dealing with Calcium and Bone Loss in Space ; 2. Psychosocial Support: Maintaining an Effective Team ; 3. Radiation Hazards: Establishing a Safe Level ; 4. Muscle Loss: A Practical Approach to Maintaining Strength ; 5. Extravehicular Activity: Performing EVA Safely ; 6. Balance: Neurovestibular Effects of Spaceflight and Their Operational Consequences ; 7. Cardiovascular Changes: Atrophy, Arrhythmias, and Orthostatic Intolerance ; 8. Nutrition: Maintaining Body Mass and Preventing Disease ; 9. Motion Sickness in Space: Prevention and Treatment ; 10. Gender: Identifying and Managing the Relevant Differences ; 11. Preflight Preparation and Postflight Recovery: Preparation and Rehabilitation ; 12. Long-Duration Flight Medical Planning: Medical Care on the Way to the Moon and Mars

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Book SynopsisPart of the reissued Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences series, this book was first published in 1983, and has swiftly become one of the great modern classics of relativity theory. It represents a personal testament to the work of the author, who spent several years writing and working-out the entire subject matter.The theory of black holes is the most simple and beautiful consequence of Einstein''s relativity theory. At the time of writing there was no physical evidence for the existence of these objects, therefore all that Professor Chandrasekhar used for their construction were modern mathematical concepts of space and time. Since that time a growing body of evidence has pointed to the truth of Professor Chandrasekhar''s findings, and the wisdom contained in this book has become fully evident.Trade ReviewThere is no doubt in my mind that this book is a masterpiece...beautifully written and well-presented. * Roger Penrose in Nature *"Chandrasekhar has provided us with a magisterial text on the classical black holes, outstanding in the depth and detail of its coverage...Throughout, a wealth of mathematical ideas is explained and employed in the process of extracting the properties of these space-times, and the similarities and differences between the different black hole space-times are thoroughly treated. This book is an undoubted classic, and wil remain a standard reference work on black holes for many years." Mathematics Today, October 1999Table of Contents1. Mathematical preliminaries ; 2. A space-time of sufficient generality ; 3. The Schwarzchild space-time ; 4. The perturbations of the Schwarzchild black hole ; 5. The Reissner-Nordstrom solution ; 6. The Kerr metric ; 7. The geodesics in the Kerr space-time ; 8. Electromagnetic waves in Kerr geometry ; 9. The gravitational perturbations of the Kerr black hole ; 10. Spin-1/2 particles in Kerr geometry ; 11. Other solutions ; 12. Other methods

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Book SynopsisThe two-volume book Gravitational Waves provides a comprehensive and detailed account of the physics of gravitational waves. While Volume 1 is devoted to the theory and experiments, Volume 2 discusses what can be learned from gravitational waves in astrophysics and in cosmology, by systematizing a large body of theoretical developments that have taken place over the last decades. The second volume also includes a detailed discussion of the first direct detections of gravitational waves. In the author''s typical style, the theoretical results are generally derived afresh, clarifying or streamlining the existing derivations whenever possible, and providing a coherent and consistent picture of the field. The first volume of Gravitational Waves , which appeared in 2007, has established itself as the standard reference in the field. The scientific community has eagerly awaited this second volume. The recent direct detection of gravitational waves makes the topics in this book particularly tTrade ReviewThe book covers a staggering breadth of material and is extremely useful as a bird's-eye overview of the field... From now on I will recommend it as the best entry point for students who want to join this blooming research field * Emanuele Berti, Physics Today *Michele Maggiore's textbook spends equal effort reviewing the astrophysical and cosmological theories behind the production of cosmic gravitational waves and discussing the observational constraints that could be gleaned from the handful of LIGO/Virgo detections, the pulsar timing arrays and upcoming facilities like LISA. * Nature Astronomy *Table of ContentsIII: Astrophysical Sources of GWs 10: Stellar collapse 11: Neutron stars 12: Black-hole perturbation theory 13: Properties of dynamical space-times 14: GWs from coalescing compact binaries. Theory IV: Cosmology and Gravitational Waves 17: Basics of FRW cosmology 18: Helicity decomposition of the metric perturbations 19: Evolution of cosmological perturbations 20: The imprint of GWs on the CMB 21: Inflation and primordial perturbations 22: Stochastic backgrounds of cosmological origin 23: Stochastic backgrounds and pulsar timing arrays

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Book SynopsisWater dominates the surface of Earth and is vital to life on our planet. It is a remarkable liquid which shows anomalous behaviour. In this Very Short Introduction John Finney introduces the science of water, and explores how the structure of water molecules gives rise to its physical and chemical properties. Considering water in all three of its states as ice and steam as well as liquid, Finney explains the great importance of an understanding of its structure and behaviour to a range of fields including chemistry, astrophysics, and earth and environmental sciences. Finney describes the role of water in biology, and ends with a discussion of the outstanding controversies concerning water, and some of the ''magical'' properties which have been claimed for it.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Reviewa wake-up call to those who only think about it when their holiday's are washed out or their water bills arrive. * Northern Echo, Stephen Craggs *Table of Contents1. Water, water everywhere... ; 2. The water molecule and its interactions ; 3. Water as ice(s) ; 4. Water as a liquid - and as glas(ses) ; 5. The anomalies explained. ; 6. Water as a biomolecule ; 7. Some past and current controversies ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Cosmic Mystery Tour takes us on a lightning tour of the mysteries of the universe enlivened by brief stories of the colourful characters who created modern science. It explores hot topics in physics and astronomy, including the recent discovery of gravitational waves; the quest for the origin of dark matter; the study of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy; the ongoing search for Earth-like exoplanets; the search for signals from extraterrestrials; and the development of technologies to send spacecraft to the stars.The first part of the book explores the laws that govern the universe. Physics is a spiritual quest to find deep meaning in the cosmos. Its goal is to provide a concise, but accurate description of the world that accounts for all the amazing features that it contains. The second part takes a look at the history of the cosmos, studies its geography and explores some of its architectural highlights such as red giants, white dwarfs, neutron stars and the ultimate cosmic mysteries-supermassive black holes. The last part considers the possibility that life might exist elsewhere in the universe, and explores the cosmos from the outer fringes of science fiction to the ongoing search for alien civilizations.Trade ReviewAmbitious in scope and easy to read, this book is a small guide to that largest of subjects ... the many pictures are not just the usual beautiful scientific images from NASA and ESA that we've come to expect in popular science, but include relevant artistic and cultural references ... Mee is an experienced science communicator and this shows in his confident and engaging tone ... enjoyable, fast-paced account... It would be ideal for anyone wanting to know more about the underlying physics of the pretty pictures we see in the media. * Pippa Goldschmidt, BBC Sky at Night *... high-quality, small-format hardback ... The Cosmic Mystery Touris aimed at beginners looking for an easy-to-read introduction to the modern view of the Universe. It's an engaging read and provides a good springboard to further investigation of any topic that captures the reader's imagination. For those of us with a more rigorous academic background in physics, it is still an entertaining diversion for a couple of hours. * Astronomy Now *An accessible introduction to all things cosmos... * Maren Ostergard, Booklist *The book does an admirable job of following the developments and groundwork of classical physics through the latest in quantum physics and recent discoveries including gravity waves in a very comprehensible way using excellent diagrams and images. * Amateur Astronomy Magazine *Mee has a knack for introducing the reader to some of the colourful characters... His explanations are spot on, just enough to make sense of key discoveries without ever becoming overwhelming. There are also lots of colourful images photos of scientists, concept art and even movie stills that help break up the text. * Katrina Kramer, Chemistry World *Every so often a book comes along that attempts to introduce the universe to a reader in as short a context as possible. Some work, others don't. The Cosmic Mystery Tour does ... In a very small, readable format, with way over a hundred illustrations, most of which are in color, the author has given us a handy, portable collection of the cosmos. And, the reader doesnt have to read from cover to cover: Anywhere you open it up, and start to read, you will be fascinated with the study of our universe - past, present, and future. * Francine Jackson, theskyscrapers.org *Nicholas Mee, in his brilliant The Cosmic Mystery Tour: A High-Speed Journey through Space & Time, offers a chapter-by-short-chapter assemblage of the theories, discoveries, and general relativity-type great leaps of inspiration that account for the impressive amount of knowledge we have about the universe... Refreshingly comprehensible, for the subject matter, this project is a delight. * Matt Sutherland, Foreword Reviews *Packed with a wealth of scientific snippets. * David C. Barber, Contemporary Physics *Table of ContentsPart 1: The Laws of The Cosmos1: The Path to Immortality2: The Rosetta Stone and Quantum Waves3: We're Having a Field Day!4: Cosmic Ripples5: Lovely LISA6: Animated Atom Boy7: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star8: Forces of the World Unite!9: Most of the Universe is Missing!Part II: The History, Geography and Architecture of the Cosmos10: From Genesis to Revelation!11: The Battle for the Cosmos12: Alchemical Furnaces of the Cosmos13: Diamonds in the Sky14: From the Leviathan to the Behemoth15: The Crab and the Jellyfish16: The Ultimate Heavy Metal Space Rock17: Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster18: Cosmic Spacequakes19: Doctor Atomic and the Black Hole20: Supermassive Black HolesPart III: The Biology of the Cosmos21: The Gorgon's Head!22: Raise Your Glasses to the Skies!23: Life, But Not as We Know It!24: To Boldly Go...25: Somewhere Over the Rainbow26: Where is Everybody?

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Book SynopsisThe Sun, as our nearest star, is of enormous importance for life on Earth - providing the warm radiation and light which allowed complex life to evolve. The Sun plays a key role in influencing our climate, whilst solar storms and high-energy events can threaten our communication infrastructure and satellites.This Very Short Introduction explores what we know about the Sun, its physics, its structure, origins, and future evolution. Philip Judge explains some of the remaining puzzles about the Sun that still confound us, using elementary physics, and mathematical concepts. Why does the Sun form spots? Why does it flare? As he shows, these and other nagging difficulties relate to the Sun''s continually variable magnetism, which converts an otherwise dull star into a machine for flooding interplanetary space with variable radiation, high-energy particles and magnetic ejections. Throughout, Judge highlights the many reasons that the Sun is important, and why scientists engage in solar research.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1: The Sun, our star 2: The Sun's life-cycle 3: Spots and magnetic fields 4: The dynamic corona 5: Solar impacts on Earth Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisNot long ago, the Solar System was the only example of a planetary system - a star and the bodies orbiting it - that we knew. Now, we know thousands of planetary systems, and have even been able to observe planetary systems at the moment of their birth. This Very Short Introduction explores this new frontier, incorporating the latest research. The book takes the reader on a journey through the grand sweep of time, from the moment galaxies begin to form after the Big Bang to trillions of years in the future when the Universe will be a dilute soup of dim galaxies populated mostly by red dwarf stars. Throughout, Raymond T. Pierrehumbert introduces the latest insights gained from a new generation of telescopes that catch planetary systems at the moment of formation, and to the theoretical advances that attempt to make sense of these observations. He explains how the elements that make up life and the planets on which life can live are forged in the interiors of dying stars, and make their way into rocky planets. He also explores the vast array of newly discovered planets orbiting stars other than our own, and explains the factors that determine their climates. Finally, he reveals what determines how long planetary systems can live, and what happens in their end-times. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewNamed by the Lunar and Planetary Institute as a 'New and Noteworthy' book. * Lunar and Planetary Institute *Table of Contents1: Beginnings 2: Creation revealed 3: Beautiful theories, ugly facts 4: What are planets made of? 5: A grand tour of exoplanets 6: Planetary climate and habitability 7: How it all ends Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses many advances in optical physics and is intended mainly for experimentalists. The interaction of electromagnetic radiation with free atoms is introduced using classical or semi-classical calculations wherever possible. Topics discussed include the spontaneous emission of radiation, and atomic beam magnetic resonance experiments.Trade ReviewThe academic worth of this book is already well established...the book certainly offers substantial added value to the novice. The book is a handy reference for all. * The Higher Education Academy *Corney's book has much to offer. * Physics Today *The book will be of great value: to undergraduates, to beginning graduate students, even to atomic theorists. * Nature *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Review of Classical Electrodynamics ; 3. Review of Quantum Mechanics ; 4. The Spontaneous Emission of Radiation ; 5. Selection Rules for Electric Dipole Transitions ; 6. Measurement of Radiative Lifetimes of Atoms and Molecules ; 7. Forbidden Transitions and Metastable Atoms ; 8. The Width and Shape of Spectral Lines ; 9. The Absorption and Stimulated Emission of Radiation ; 10. Radiative Transfer and the Formation of Spectral Lines ; 11. Population Inversion Mechanisms in Gas Lasers ; 12. Resonant Modes of Optical Cavities ; 13. Saturation Characteristics and the Single-Frequency Operation of Gas Lasers ; 14. Turnable Dye Lasers and Atomic Spectroscopy ; 15. The Hanle Effect and the Theory of Resonance Flourescence Experiments ; 16. Optical Double Resonance Experiments ; 17. Optical Pumping Experiments ; 18. The Hyperfine Structure of Atoms and its Investigation by Magnetic Resonance Methods ; Appendix

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Book SynopsisGalaxies are the building blocks of the Universe: standing like islands in space, each is made up of many hundreds of millions of stars in which the chemical elements are made, around which planets form, and where on at least one of those planets intelligent life has emerged. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one of several hundred million other galaxies that we can now observe through our telescopes. Yet it was only in the 1920s that we realised that there is more to the Universe than the Milky Way, and that there were in fact other ''islands'' out there. In many ways, modern astronomy began with this discovery, and the story of galaxies is therefore the story of modern astronomy. Since then, many exciting discoveries have been made about our own galaxy and about those beyond: how a supermassive black hole lurks at the centre of every galaxy, for example, how enormous forces are released when galaxies collide, how distant galaxies provide a window on the early Universe, and what the formation of young galaxies can tell us about the mysteries of Cold Dark Matter. In this Very Short Introduction, renowned science writer John Gribbin describes the extraordinary things that astronomers are learning about galaxies, and explains how this can shed light on the origins and structure of the Universe.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1. A Very Short Introduction ; 2. The Great Debate ; 3. Our Island ; 4. The Expanding Universe ; 5. Across the Universe ; 6. The Origin of Galaxies ; 7. The Universe at Large ; References & Further Reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisWill we ever discover a single scientific theory that tells us everything that has happened, and everything that will happen, on every level in the Universe? The quest for the theory of everything - a single key that unlocks all the secrets of the Universe - is no longer a pipe-dream, but the focus of some of our most exciting research about the structure of the cosmos. But what might such a theory look like? What would it mean? And how close are we to getting there? In New Theories of Everything, John D. Barrow describes the ideas and controversies surrounding the ultimate explanation. Updating his earlier work Theories of Everything with the very latest theories and predictions, he tells of the M-theory of superstrings and multiverses, of speculations about the world as a computer program, and of new ideas of computation and complexity. But this is not solely a book about modern ideas in physics - Barrow also considers and reflects on the philosophical and cultural consequences of thTrade ReviewReview from previous edition A fascinating journey... Barrow gets right down to fundamental issues in addressing this central question in modern science. * Kirkus Reviews *A fine book. * John Gribbin, The Independent *A worthwhile update. * Amanda Gefter, New Scientist *A highly rewarding intellectual adventure. * Jim Al-Khalili, Focus *Table of Contents1. Ultimate Explanation ; 2. Laws ; 3. Initial Conditions ; 4. Forces and Particles ; 5. Constants of Nature ; 6. Broken Symmetries ; 7. Organizing Principles ; 8. Selection Effects ; 9. Pi in the Sky ; Bibliography and Index

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Book SynopsisEvery atom of our bodies has been part of a star. Our very own star, the Sun, is crucial to the development and sustainability of life on Earth. This Very Short Introduction presents a modern, authoritative examination of how stars live, producing all the chemical elements beyond helium, and how they die, sometimes spectacularly, to end as remnants such as black holes.Andrew King shows how understanding the stars is key to understanding the galaxies they inhabit, and thus the history of our entire Universe, as well as the existence of planets like our own. King presents a fascinating exploration of the science of stars, from the mechanisms that allow stars to form and the processes that allow them to shine, as well as the results of their inevitable death. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expeTrade ReviewPart of the extensive Very Short Introduction series, this volume by Andrew King provides an engaging overview of the science of stars. This pocket-sized book is an enjoyable read. * Dawn E. Leslie, Contemporary Physics *Table of ContentsPREFACE; FURTHER READING

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Book SynopsisCircumstellar disks are vast expanses of dust that form around new stars in the earliest stages of their birth. This work covers a range of scientific knowledge that helps in understanding circumstellar disks, including chemical processes, the properties of dust and gases, hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics, and stellar evolution.Trade Review"Garcia provides a deep, insightful presentation of the key theoretical issues relevant to understanding the protoplanetary disks that are likely sites for future planet formation. This volume will certainly be a fundamental contribution to astrophysical literature." (Suzan Edwards, Smith College)"

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Book SynopsisCircumstellar disks are vast expanses of dust that form around new stars in the earliest stages of their birth. This work covers a range of scientific knowledge that helps in understanding circumstellar disks, including chemical processes, the properties of dust and gases, hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics, and stellar evolution.Trade Review"Garcia provides a deep, insightful presentation of the key theoretical issues relevant to understanding the protoplanetary disks that are likely sites for future planet formation. This volume will certainly be a fundamental contribution to astrophysical literature." (Suzan Edwards, Smith College)"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Friendships and rivalries, the demands of war, the limits of technology . . . these are among the rich universe of forces that conflict and conspire to bring us what we usually gloss over as the inevitable march of scientific progress. Kaiser's book provides a wonderful glimpse behind the curtain into the messier--but far more human--truth of the matter. Beautifully written and extraordinarily well researched, the book makes a profound point about the sociopolitical nature of science that all readers--from physics buffs and historians to students and laypeople--need to hear."--Amanda Gefter, author of Trespassing on Einstein's Lawn "Kaiser is a master writer, and this is some of his finest work. An extraordinary combination of technical science, rich history, and telling anecdote, Quantum Legacies is cutting-edge scholarship rendered in a style equal to any popular science writing. When a non-academic asks me 'what is the history of science?' I will give them this book."--Matthew Stanley, author of Einstein's War: How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I

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Book SynopsisThis text chronicles the productive scientific career of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, one of the 20th-century's distinguished astrophysicists. Among Chandrasekhar's discoveries were the critical mass that makes a star too massive to become a white dwarf and the mathematical theory of black holes.Table of ContentsContributors: James Binney, John L. Friedman, Norman R. Lebovitz, Donald E. Osterbrock, E. N. Parker, Roger Penrose, A. R. P. Rau, George B. Rybicki, E. E. Salpeter, Bernard F. Schutz, G. Srinivasan.

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Book SynopsisUses the figure of A S Eddington (1882-1944) - a pioneer in astrophysics, relativity, and the popularization of science, and a devout Quaker - to show how religious and scientific values can interact without compromising the integrity of either. This book questions many common assumptions about the relationship between science and spirituality.Trade Review"Although Eddington's work has often been noted by scholars dealing with the relationship between science and religion, no one has attempted an analysis of his thought at anything like the level of detail now provided by Matthew Stanley. Practical Mystic throws much extra light on Eddington himself and will serve as a model for what this kind of detailed study can do to help us understand how technical science can actually be influenced by the individual scientist's position on wider issues." - Peter J. Bowler, Queen's University Belfast"

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Trade Review"Lessons in cosmology and astrophysics abound in this enthusiastic primer from physicist Davies. In answering thirty questions, Davies aims to show how 'beautiful and awe-inspiring' the world is. . . . Accessible writing and a breezy appreciation for discovery make this a great introduction for readers new to physics." * Publishers Weekly *"Dark matter, black holes, dark energy: with all this shadowy terminology in play, it’s no wonder when laypeople find cosmology off-putting, so What’s Eating the Universe? illumines the mysteries of quantum physics in a nonthreatening way." * Foreword Reviews *"A whirlwind tour through the vastness of space and the innermost recesses of subatomic matter. . . . A long career in cosmology, astrobiology, and quantum mechanics gives Davies a keen insight into the realities of research. . . . Like the immense void that gapes across the sky in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, a yawning emptiness that some have suggested may be the sign of another universe set to gobble up our own, the mysteries of space are so vast and so strange that we cannot but be amazed." * Wall Street Journal *"Astrophysicist Davies takes a tour of the cosmos’s grand questions and considers, among other things, supermassive black holes." * Publishers Weekly *"From ancient astronomy and Newton's Law of gravity to dark energy, time loops and extraterrestrial life, the distinguished science writer with a 'short, inspiring and highly entertaining' account of the history of the universe, framed through thirty cosmological conundrums." * Bookseller *"Understanding theoretical physics is a daunting task, but cosmologist Davies’s new book What’s Eating the Universe? is here to guide readers through the field. Davies covers general relativity, antimatter, time travel, the multiverse, and just about any other topic he could fit into the book’s two hundred pages. Each chapter is short—less than ten pages—but jargon-free and full of information. Davies uses a conversational tone to draw the reader in as he skims the history, experiments, and significance of each concept. Regardless of the reader’s prior physics knowledge, the book provides an accessible introduction to cosmology." * Physics Today *"A whistle-stop tour of the biggest mysteries that cosmologists are investigating today. . . . The eponymous chapter details an unexpected void-like cold spot that astronomers have found in the constellation of Eridanus. Speculations follow that our universe might be spontaneously engulfed by a collision with another, or by the quantum vacuum decaying to a lower energy level. If you can bear to contemplate such scary prospects, this book is a fun way of making sure you’re all caught up on where cosmology is at today." * Physics World *"This is physicist and renowned author Davies’s specialty—providing interesting and provocative commentary on the most profound questions the universe has to offer. And in his compelling new book, What’s Eating the Universe?, Davies excels in succinctly addressing the big intangibles; the cosmological conundrums that haven’t received as much attention as dark matter, dark energy, what triggered the big bang, and the ultimate fate of the universe." * Forbes *"What's Eating the Universe? gives a concise summary of what we know about the universe, including the Big Bang, inflation, the existence . . . of what we call dark matter and dark energy, the possibility of other universes, black holes and the nature of time—all in around 150 accessible and beautifully written pages that can be read in short, discrete chunks. As a whistle-stop tour, it is breathtaking." * Times Higher Education *“Why is the night sky dark? Where is the center of the Universe? Is time travel possible? How many universes are there? These are some of the thirty questions that Davies tackles in his latest book. Some of the answers are settled by consensus, others are more speculative; all are thought-provoking. The chapters are arranged roughly in chronological order of the observations and theoretical advances to which they relate, making the book an entertaining and accessible whistle-stop tour of (mostly Western) thinking about cosmology.” * Nature Astronomy *"Recommended [for] all readers." * Choice *“Brilliant. You won’t find a clearer, more engaging guide to what we know (or would like to know) about the universe and how it is put together.” -- Bill Bryson“What’s Eating the Universe? is a veritable feast for curious minds. Davies, a polymath and lyrical writer, masterfully tackles all the big questions ranging from why this Universe to the meaning of life and the significance of the present moment—a whirlwind journey through ideas that have shaped our understanding of the cosmos and its constituents.” -- Priyamvada Natarajan, author of "Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos"“A whistle-stop tour of the major questions in contemporary cosmology.” -- Philip Ball, author of "Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different"“Davies gives us a thought-provoking, fascinating, and delightful journey through some of the Big Questions that have perplexed and tantalized scientists throughout history. These are the questions and paradoxes that have stumped and teased history’s greatest minds. What happened before the beginning? What is the meaning of the universe? Are there other universes?” -- Michio Kaku“Davies brings his customary lucidity to a survey of some of the most fascinating and puzzling aspects of our universe, simultaneously educating us about its vertiginous wonders and giving us a real sense of science’s questions as it confronts and explores them and wrestles with their mystery. It is an absorbing and stimulating read, one of the best of its kind.” -- A. C. Grayling“What’s Eating the Universe? is Davies at his very best. He brings a lifetime of experience in explaining mysteries of space and time to offer thought-provoking essays on deep questions in bite-sized, easily digestible chunks. There is no better overview of the advances made by cosmologists in recent decades.” -- John Gribbin“Davies has selected a wonderful potpourri of deep questions with incomplete answers. The result is a delightful, fresh-smelling account of the cutting edge of modern cosmology. He is truly exceptional at explaining all of this in his inimitable style—let’s say ‘astropoetry.’” -- Simon Mitton, University of Cambridge"A lucid, simple, informative, and good-humored primer on the big questions of modern physics and cosmology, which describes not only the triumphs, but the remaining difficulties. Davies at his best!" -- Ian Stewart, author of "Calculating the Cosmos" "Davies’ What’s Eating the Universe? is an accessible and engaging introduction to cosmology that will surely pique the interest of students, scholars, and the general public. Davies’ clear and captivating narrative style brings the reader on a journey through cosmological mysteries, while covering a wide range of topics that go beyond the usual fare of popular science books. . . . Davies’s book is a valuable resource for the philosophy classroom and for those philosophers interested in a brief summary of contemporary physical cosmology." * Metascience *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Journey from the Edge of Time 2. The Search for the Key to the Universe 3. Why is It Dark at Night? 4. The Big Bang 5. Where is the Centre of the Universe? 6. Why the Cosmos is Actually Fairly Simple 7. What is the Speed of Space? 8. What is the Shape of Space? 9. Explaining the Cosmic Big Fix 10. Most of Our Universe is Missing 11. What is Dark Energy? 12. Where Does Matter Come From? 13. Gravity Conquers All 14. Warped Time and Black Holes 15. Is Time Travel Possible? 16. What is the Source of Time’s Puzzling Arrow? 17. The Black Hole Paradox 18. A Theory of Everything? 19. Fossils from the Cosmic Dawn 20. Can the Universe Come from Nothing? 21. How Many Universes Are There? 22. The Goldilocks Enigma 23. What’s Eating the Universe? 24. Is the Universe Actually a Botched Job? 25. Are We Alone? 26. Is ET in Our Backyard? 27. Why Am I Living Now? 28. The Fate of Our Universe 29. Is There a Meaning to It All? 30. What’s New on the Cosmic Horizon? Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A masterpiece of historical analysis. . . . Skillfully written and a pleasure to read." * Nature * "A work of coherence, accessibility, and rhetorical power not generally found in [these] volumes. . . . Kaiser has woven together a unique, compelling, and kaleidoscopic portrait of the quantum revolution and its implications. He doesn't hide from the messiness of science but embraces the challenge of understanding its underlying human and social conditions." -- Jose G. Perillan * Physics Today * "Quantum Legacies does not disappoint. . . . It is a breath of fresh air to see physics writing like this: lucid and friendly, sober and thoughtful, and willing to trust the reader's engagement and intelligence rather than demanding the former and underestimating the latter. . . . Superb popular science. . . . It is hard for me to imagine any physicist who wouldn't enjoy the fine cloth from which it is cut, nor the pleasing effect it makes." -- Philip Ball * Physics World * "Engrossing. . . . Leave[s] us with a richer picture of physics as a lived activity." * Los Angeles Review of Books * "Most history books written for the wider public favor a narrower understanding of science. David Kaiser's work is a welcomed exception. . . . [He] gives a witty and insightful overview of the development of modern physics. . . . An engrossing read that will give specialists and nonspecialists alike a deeper understanding of how phenom ena as diverse as geopolitics and eastern mysticism have shaped physics in the past century." * Science * "An ambitious collection of essays that merges [Kaiser's] two scholarly identities. . . . A wide-ranging anthology." -- Melinda Baldwin * Physics Today * "From Einstein to Heisenberg, Schroedinger to Hawking, Kaiser humanises the people and by extension their ideas, all the while making connections between the inner world of the academic quantum theory community and the outer world of global events. This sociopolitical standpoint is a key factor in making the technical science relevant to the non-expert reader. . . . In this collection of highly entertaining essays, he finds the perfect line between scientific scholarship and telling a good story." * Engineering & Technology * "All together it paints a very compelling picture of how strategic decisions at the public policy level shaped the way physicists have gone about studying the universe. . . . It's a good story well told." * Forbes * "Captivating. . . . You can really get the sense of the quantum mechanical impact on various and disparate fields ranging from cosmology to the early foundations of quantum mechanics, the history of quantum mechanics, all the way up through popular culture, weaving its way through how physics pedagogy and even scientific STEM pedagogy is taught to this very day. . . . It's exhaustively researched and referenced. . . . I want people to buy every single copy." -- Brian Keating * Into the Impossible * "The book paints intimate portraits of some incredible luminaries . . . . Kaiser is an incredible ambassador for physics and its history." -- Matthew Jordan * New Books in Science, Technology, and Society * "Fantastically readable. Anybody interested in either science or history on a professional or a popular level should read it. It's a fantastic introduction to the way you can think about science in all sorts of different interdisciplinary, humanistic ways. It's really a huge amount of fun." -- Matthew Stanley * What the If? * "It's [Kaiser's] careful analysis of physics's sociological aspects that makes Quantum Legacies a delightful read. . . . This is the kind of material that you won't find in other books on the history and philosophy of physics." -- Ash Jogalekar * The Curious Wavefunction * "This interesting anthology on selected topics from the rich history of quantum mechanics, especially during its glory days, will engross any reader who has even a modest acquaintance with quantum theory." * Choice, 2020 Outstanding Academic Title * "Full of striking statistics, commentary, and lovely analogies and metaphors. . . . These are engaging, though-provoking, fun-to-read essays that are compact enough that one can get through several in an evening. They will make you consider familiar physical concepts in new ways. All readers will come away richer in their knowledge of the people and circumstances behind how physics arrived at where it is. You will enjoy this book." * American Journal of Physics * "The book not only gives an insight into the development of quantum theory and the lives of the scientists involved, it also explores the complexities of funding, political and sociological considerations, and the influence of the Cold War. . . . [It] provides useful background for physics educators and deserves a place in school science libraries." * Physics Education * "Kaiser-writing in prose that sometimes soars, often intrigues, and always informs-gives us here a remarkable set of vignettes about major developments in physics and cosmology of the past century. His vignettes beautifully integrate science with human history and with insightful descriptions of outsized personalities. This book will be enjoyable and enlightening for a diverse readership: from complete novices in science, to students of science and history, and to professional scientists and historians." -- Kip Thorne, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology, and 2017 Nobel Laureate in Physics "Physicists are people! They have insecurities, love lives, monetary concerns, and political opinions, all while striving to uncover the fundamental workings of reality. Kaiser spins engaging tales that both explain fascinating aspects of physics in a lucid way and illuminate the human beings who worked to discover them." -- Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden "Have you ever wondered why Schroedinger chose such a morbid illustration of quantum physics as a half-dead cat? Want to know how an alleged Soviet spy escaped capture and went on to shake up particle physics? Can you guess what propelled The Tao of Physics to bestseller status? If questions like these spark your curiosity, this book is for you. I can imagine no better guide for an insider's tour of twentieth-century physics than Kaiser. These witty vignettes beautifully illustrate what Kaiser calls the 'doubleness' of scientific research, its ability to bequeath enduring insights while reflecting the quirks and foibles of historical circumstances." -- Deborah R. Coen, author of Climate in Motion "Explaining physics is easier than explaining physicists. In Quantum Legacies, Kaiser succeeds at both." -- George Dyson, author of Turing's Cathedral "What is extraordinary about Kaiser as a writer (and what makes his essays so much fun to read) is not only his ability to animate the range of personalities in these pages, from Einstein to Heisenberg, Schroedinger to Hawking, but also the way he brings the same humanizing impulse to their mind-bending ideas. His talent for uncovering connections between otherworldly ideas and the social and political worlds in which they take shape makes him a simply spellbinding guide to the mysteries of the universe." -- Nell Freudenberger, author of Lost and Wanted "Kaiser is a master writer, and this is some of his finest work. An extraordinary combination of technical science, rich history, and telling anecdote, Quantum Legacies is cutting-edge scholarship rendered in a style equal to any popular science writing. When a non-academic asks me 'what is the history of science?' I will give them this book." -- Matthew Stanley, author of Einstein's War: How Relativity Triumphed amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I "Friendships and rivalries, the demands of war, the limits of technology . . . these are among the rich universe of forces that conflict and conspire to bring us what we usually gloss over as the inevitable march of scientific progress. Kaiser's book provides a wonderful glimpse behind the curtain into the messier-but far more human-truth of the matter. Beautifully written and extraordinarily well researched, the book makes a profound point about the sociopolitical nature of science that all readers-from physics buffs and historians to students and laypeople-need to hear." -- Amanda Gefter, author of Trespassing on Einstein's LawnTable of ContentsForeword Alan Lightman Introduction Quanta 1 All Quantum, No Solace 2 Life-and-Death: When Nature Refuses to Select 3 Operation: Neutrino 4 Quantum Theory by Starlight Calculating 5 From Blackboards to Bombs 6 Boiling Electrons 7 Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics 8 Training Quantum Mechanics 9 Zen and the Art of Textbook Publishing Matter 10 Pipe Dreams 11 Something for Nothing 12 Higgs Hunting 13 When Fields Collide Cosmos 14 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 15 Gaga for Gravitation 16 The Other Evolution Wars 17 No More Lonely Hearts 18 Learning from Gravitational Waves 19 A Farewell to Stephen Hawking Acknowledgments Abbreviations Notes Index

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Book SynopsisOffers an introduction to the mathematical and physical techniques used in the study of high-energy astrophysics. This title approaches the basics of high-energy astrophysics with an emphasis on underlying physical processes as opposed to a more mathematical approach.Trade Review"Mario Vietri's book provides an excellent pedagogical introduction to the basic elements of high-energy astrophysics. The authoritative text is well balanced to serve both beginning students and advanced researchers. This exceptional combination of basic physics and its applications, rarely found to this level of rigor in a single textbook, demonstrates how fundamental physical principles shape observable phenomena in one of the most exciting frontiers of present-day astrophysics." - Abraham Loeb, Harvard University"

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Book SynopsisBlack holes and neutron stars are generally recognized as key components of many astrophysical systems. Based on a symposium held in honour of S. Chandrasekhar, these papers provide a comprehensive summary of progress made in the 1990s on the theory of black holes and relativistic stars.Table of ContentsContributors Preface 1: Gravitational Waves, Stars and Black Holes Valeria Ferrari 2: Rotating Relativistic Stars John L. Friedman 3: Probing Black Holes and Relativistic Stars with Gravitational Waves Kip S. Thorne 4: Astrophysical Evidence for Black Holes Martin J. Rees 5: The Question of Cosmic Censorship Roger Penrose 6: Black Hole Collisions, Toroidal Black Holes, and Numerical Relativity Saul A. Teukolsky 7: The Internal Structure of Black Holes Werner Israel 8: Black Holes and Thermodynamics Robert M. Wald 9: The Statistical Mechanics of Black Hole Thermodynamics Rafael D. Sorkin 10: Generalized Quantum Theory in Evaporating Black Hole Spacetimes James B. Hartle 11: Is Information Lost in Black Holes? Stephen W. Hawking 12: Quantum States of Black Holes Gary T. Horowitz Chandra: A Tribute Kameshwar C. Wali Our Song Lalitha Chandrasekhar

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Book SynopsisBlack holes and neutron stars are generally recognized as key components of many astrophysical systems. Based on a symposium held in honour of S. Chandrasekhar, these papers provide a comprehensive summary of progress made in the 1990s on the theory of black holes and relativistic stars.

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Book SynopsisPacked with striking photography, Eyewitness Universe explores the incredible celestial bodies in our Solar System.Become an eyewitness to outer space and beyond, in this picture-led reference guide that will take you on a visual tour of the Universe. Children will be mesmerised by how past, present, and future space exploration has helped our understanding of the Sun, our Solar System, rocky planets, gas giants, and explosive stars.This beautifully illustrated guide for kids aged 9+ gives an insight into far-off galaxies and out-of-this-world objects captured by powerful space telescopes. Striking photographs and detailed illustrations help you learn the secrets of pulsars and black holes, and how they are created by dead stars.Throughout the pages of this newly-revised book on fossils, you can expect to find: - A fresh new look; new photographs, updated information, and a new eyewitness feature.- Amazing facts, updated diagr

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Leaves the reader with a renewed sense of wonder about our bizarre and vast cosmic habitat.”—Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal“The author ranges elsewhere from ringed planets to enormous clusters of galaxies, gravity waves and the big bang, and she properly emphasizes the contributions of some unjustly overlooked women astronomers, such as Jocelyn Bell, who did not share in the 1974 Nobel Prize awarded for her team’s work on neutron stars. The overall effect of the book is like binge-watching an excellent Netflix documentary series and leaves the reader with a renewed sense of wonder about our bizarre and vast cosmic habitat.”—Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal“This is a fascinating read, but also serves as a contemporary history of some of the most momentous insights of modern science. An excellent book to see us through those cloudy nights this winter!” —Alastair Gunn, BBC Sky At Night (Book of the Month)Co-won the 2019 Science Communication Award, sponsored by The American Institute of Physics Dispatches from Planet 3 is on the longlist for the 2020 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Young Adult Science Book categoryWinner of the 2019 Epiphany awards' Science Awareness award, sponsored by the Novim GroupListed on Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles List for 2019"In this tour of the universe through a mix of well-known and not-so-well-known stories, it's hard to stop and read just one. Fascinating and binge-worthy."--Adam Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011“There is no better guide to the cosmos than Marcia Bartusiak. Here she offers a tour of the heavens that is refreshingly down-to-earth, revealing not only the mysteries of the universe but also the inspiring people who brought those secrets to light."—David Baron, author of American Eclipse“An intriguing look at the sky from a top-class science journalist who has always been attuned to the most recent advancements of research.”—Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics"A fascinating compendium of essays on what scientists currently think the cosmos is like, and on the road to achieving those insights. Bartusiak takes the reader on a breathtaking journey from our familiar solar system to the speculative multiverse and from the beginning of time to the nature of time." —Mario Livio, author of Brilliant Blunders and Why?

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Book SynopsisA quirky, funny, and accessible blend of science and art that delves into the heart of Einstein’s theory of relativityTrade Review“What makes Reimagining Time unique is the complementary talents of its authors, a father-daughter team, who together create an enjoyable yet challenging exposition of [Einstein’s theory of relatvitiy].”—J. F. Burkhart, Choice“[This book’s] aim to provide a non-mathematical but quantitative description of SR—is as laudable as it is challenging. Just maybe it will appeal to enough readers to make it a cult classic.”—Peter Main, Physics Education“Hop aboard the relativity train with this lively and creative introduction to the most significant ideas of Einstein’s relativity. A spirited intellectual adventure!”—David Kaiser, author of Quantum Legacies: Dispatches from an Uncertain World“Understanding Einstein’s theory of special relativity can be hard. In the engaging and artfully illustrated Reimagining Time Tanya and Jeffrey Bub make the effort to understand it immensely enjoyable without compromising on correctness and rigor.”—Anil Ananthaswamy, author of Through Two Doors at Once“Tanya Bub and Jeffrey Bub have done it again! Reimagining Time is a delightful read, resulting in a conceptual understanding of one of the most important paradigm shifts in physics. Totally brilliant!”—Tiffany Nichols, Harvard University“Reimagining Time is a fascinating introduction to the core concepts of special relativity. The unique illustrated format and elegant writing will appeal to readers who have not encountered these ideas before.”—Chad Orzel, author of How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog“Most introductions to Einstein's theory of special relativity teach one to accept its puzzling aspects. With clever narration and illustration, Reimagining Time helps you understand relativity.”—Craig Callender, author of What Makes Times Special?

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Book SynopsisIn this inspiring coming-of-age memoir, a world-renowned astrophysicist emerges from an impoverished childhood and crime-filled adolescence to ascend through the top ranks of research physics.Navigating poverty, violence, and instability, a young James Plummer had two guiding stars-a genius IQ and a love of science. But a bookish nerd was a soft target in his community, where James faced years of bullying and abuse. As he struggled to survive his childhood in some of the country''s toughest urban neighborhoods in New Orleans, Houston, and LA, and later in the equally poor backwoods of Mississippi, he adopted the persona of gangsta nerd-dealing weed in juke joints while winning state science fairs with computer programs that model Einstein''s theory of relativity. Once admitted to the elite physics PhD program at Stanford University, James found himself pulled between the promise of a bright future and a dangerous crack cocaine habit he developed in college. WTrade ReviewAn epic personal and scientific journey through a system stacked against him. Haunting and heroic -- Professor Sara Seager, author of THE SMALLEST LIGHTS IN THE UNIVERSEHakeem Oluseyi's journey to adulthood is not only lyrical but immensely expansive and powerful. Moving across the American west and south, A Quantum Life encompasses with equal grace matters of particle physics and matters of a fractured family, challenges that are self-wrought and challenges inflicted by racism, triumphs over an academic landscape engineered against poor African-Americans and triumphs of the human heart -- Jeff Hobbs, New York Times bestselling author of THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACEA physicist works with the statistical nature of the cosmos to predict the future - possible outcomes and unlikely ones. In A Quantum Life, you'll encounter one extraordinary turn of events after another, as the extraordinary chess player, puzzle solver, and occasional grifter, works his way from grinding poverty and deep despair to worldwide acclaim as a physicist. As you turn each page, you may not believe this outcome was possible. Read on -- Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary SocietyA Black astrophysicist delivers a memoir that demonstrates the unstoppable strength of intelligence and the human spirit ... A sharp, relatable book about self-reinvention and a loving nod to anyone who has ever believed in the potential of another * Kirkus (Starred Review) *This illuminating and candid memoir ... is a testament to human fortitude ... Fans of Neil deGrasse Tyson will embrace this invigorating account of a life devoted to science * Booklist (Starred Review) *Inspiring. His story serves as a reminder that barriers can be broken regardless of one's background and that there is no one way to be a scientist * Science *

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Book SynopsisDesigned in direct response to student surveys, focus groups and interviews, Hendrix/Thompson's EARTH SCIENCE: AN INTRODUCTION, 3rd Edition, delivers concise yet comprehensive coverage in an engaging and accessible format for majors and non-majors alike. The revised text brings concepts to life with current research and examples, a new-and-improved art program, over 150 new photos, and a clean, modern design. A second-to-none supplements package equips you with a wealth of resources, including MindTap--the digital learning solution that enables you to learn on your own terms.Table of Contents1. Earth Systems. Unit I: EARTH MATERIALS AND TIME. 2. Minerals. 3. Rocks. 4. Geologic Time: A Story in the Rocks. 5. Geologic Resources. Unit II: INTERNAL PROCESSES. 6. The Active Earth: Plate Tectonics. 7. Earthquakes and the Earth's Structure. 8. Volcanoes and Plutons. 9. Mountains. Unit III: SURFACE PROCESSES. 10. Weathering, Soil, and Erosion. 11. Fresh Water: Streams, Lakes, Ground Water, and Wetlands. 12. Water Resources. 13. Glaciers and Ice Ages. 14. Deserts and Wind. Unit IV: THE OCEANS. 15. Ocean Basins. 16. Oceans and Coastlines. Unit V: THE ATMOSPHERE. 17. The Atmosphere. 18. Energy Balance in the Atmosphere. 19. Moisture, Clouds, and Weather. 20. Climate. 21. Climate Change. Unit VI: ASTRONOMY. 22. Motions in the Heavens. 23. Planets and their Moons. 24. Stars, Space, and Galaxies.

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Book SynopsisNew York Times Bestseller  Wall Street Journal Bestseller  Publishers Weekly Bestseller  Publishers Marketplace 2020 Buzz Book   Amazon Best Book of the Year  Longlisted for the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing AwardHarvard’s top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star.“Provocative and thrilling ... Loeb asks us to think big and to expect the unexpected.”—Alan Lightman, New York Times bestselling author of Einstein’s Dreams and Searching for Stars on an Island in MaineIn late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed an object soaring through our inner solar system, moving so quickly that it could only have come from another star. Avi Loeb, Ha

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Book SynopsisThis textbook equips Masters' students studying Physics and Astronomy with the necessary mathematical tools to understand the basics of General Relativity and its applications. It begins by reviewing classical mechanics with a more geometrically oriented language, continues with Special Relativity and, then onto a discussion on the pseudo-Riemannian space-times. Applications span from the inner and outer Schwarzschild solutions to gravitational wave, black holes, spherical relativistic hydrodynamics, and Cosmology. The goal is to limit the abstract formalization of the problems, to favor a hands-on approach with a number of exercises, without renouncing to a pedagogical derivation of the main mathematical tools and findings. Features Provides a self-contained introduction to General Relativity and to its standar applications. Presents readers with all the tools necessary for further learning and research in the field. Accessible to readeTable of Contents1. Space and Time: The Classical View. 2. From Space and Time to Space-Time. 3. From Inertial to Non-Inertial Reference Frames. 4. Pseudo-Riemannian Spaces. 5. The Riemann-Christoffel Curvature Tensor. 6. From Non-Inertial Frames to Gravity: the Equivalence Principle. 7. Observational Test of the Equivalence Principle. 8. Field Equations in the "Vacuum": the Isotropic Solution. 9. Test-particles in the Schwarzschild Space-Time. 10. The Classical Tests of General Relativity. 11. Gravitational Waves in the "Vacuum". 12. Schwarzschild Black Holes. 13. Field Equations in Non-Empty Space-Times. 14. Further Applications of Some Field Equations. 15. Theoretical Cosmology. 16. The Hot Big-Bang. Appendix A. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an accessible, yet thorough, introduction to special and general relativity, crafted and class-tested over many years of teaching. Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this book provides clear descriptions of how to approach the mathematics and physics involved. It is also contains the latest exciting developments in the field, including dark energy, gravitational waves, and frame dragging.The table of contents has been carefully developed in consultation with a large number of instructors teaching courses worldwide, to ensure its wide applicability to modules on relativity and gravitation. Features: A clear, accessible writing style, presenting a sophisticated approach to the subject, that remains suitable for advanced undergraduate students and above Class-tested over many years To be accompanied by a partner volume on âAdvanced TopicsâTrade Review"In my view, this is a very readable text and very student-friendly. The presentation of the content is clear and there are lots of detailed illustrative examples (which are absent in many other GR texts). You might be aware that there is a strong interest on General Relativity course nowadays due to recent detection of gravitational wave and black imaging. This particular text will have potential to be well-like by students." — Prof. Kenneth Hong Chong Ming, National University of Singapore Table of Contents1. Relativity: A theory of space, time, and gravity 2. Basic special relativity 3. Lorentz transformation, I 4. Geometry of Lorentz invariance 5. Tensors on flat spaces 6. Lorentz transformation, II 7. Particle dynamics 8. Covariant electrodynamics 9. Energy-momentum of fields 10. Relativistic hydrodynamics 11. Equivalence of local gravity and acceleration 12. Acceleration in special relativity 13. Tensors on manifolds 14. Differential geometry 15. General relativity 16. The Schwarzschild metric 17. Physical effects of Schwarzschild spacetime 18. Linearized gravity 19. Relativistic cosmology. Appendix A: Invariance of the wave equation Appendix B: The Doppler effect Appendix C: Topics in linear algebra Appendix D: Topics in classical mechanics Appendix E: Photon and particle orbits

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Book Synopsis?This is a delightful account of one of the deepest and most fascinating explorations going on today at the frontier of our knowledge.? ?Carlo Rovelli, bestselling author of The Order of Time and Seven Brief Lessons on Physics?Musser knows that the point of popular science is [. . .] to get a sense of what?s at stake, what kinds of answers are being offered to difficult questions, and why it all matters. One could not ask more of Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation?on all three counts it delivers.? ?Julian Baggini, The Wall Street JournalA revelatory exploration of how a ?theory of everything? depends upon our understanding of the human mind.The whole goal of physics is to explain what we observe. For centuries, physicists believed that observations yielded faithful representations of what is out there. But when they began to study the subatomic realm, they found that observation often interferes with what is being observed?that the act of seeing changes what we see. The same is true of cosmology: our view of the universe is inevitably distorted by observation bias. And so whether they?re studying subatomic particles or galaxies, physicists must first explain consciousness?and for that they must turn to neuroscientists and philosophers of mind.Neuroscientists have painstakingly built up an understanding of the structure of the brain. Could this help physicists understand the levels of self-organization they observe in other systems? These same physicists, meanwhile, are trying to explain how particles organize themselves into the objects around us. Could their discoveries help explain how neurons produce our conscious experience?Exploring these questions and more, George Musser tackles the extraordinary interconnections between quantum mechanics, cosmology, human consciousness, and artificial intelligence. Combining vivid descriptive writing with portraits of scientists working on the cutting edge, Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation shows how theories of everything depend on theories of mind?and how they might be one and the same.

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Book SynopsisFor about half a century the general theory of relativity attracted little attention from physicists.Table of ContentsI. The General Theory of Relativity.- 1. Introduction.- 1.1. The Case for Nonflat Space—Time.- 1.2. The Principle of Equivalence.- 1.3. Conflict Between the Equivalence Principle and the Pseudo-Euclidean Metric: Gravitational Redshift.- 1.4. A Fifth Force.- 2. Tensor Calculus and Riemannian Geometry.- 2.1. Riemannian Geometry and the Metric Tensor.- 2.2. Vectors and Tensors.- 2.3. Invariant Volume and Volume Integral.- 2.4. Affine Connection—Parallel Transport.- 2.5. Covariant Differentiation.- 2.6. The Differential Equation of a Geodesic.- 2.7. The Integrability of Parallel Displacement.- 2.8. The Riemann—Christoffel Tensor.- 2.9. The Bianchi Identity.- 2.10. The Ricci Tensor and the Einstein Tensor.- 2.11. The Weyl Tensor.- 2.12. Geodesic Deviation.- 3. Einstein’s Field Equations.- 3.1. Einstein’s Formulation of the Field Equations.- 3.2. Weak Field Approximation (Static Case).- 3.3. Gravitational Waves in Weak Field Approximation.- 3.4. Detection of Gravitational Waves.- 3.5. Integration of the Linearized Equations for a Stationary Axially Symmetric Distribution.- 3.6. The Action Principle and the Energy—Momentum Tensors.- 3.7. The Energy—Stress Tensor.- 3.8. The Einstein Equations from the Variational Principle.- 4. The Schwarzschild Metric and Crucial Tests.- 4.1. The Schwarzschild Solution.- 4.2. Birkhoff’s Theorem.- 4.3. Three Crucial Tests.- 4.4. The PPN Formalism.- 4.5. The Schwarzschild or the Spherically Symmetric Black Hole.- 4.6. Frequency Shift of Spectral Lines of Light Emitted by a Collapsing/Exploding Spherical Body.- 4.7. Fall in Apparent Luminosity of a Collapsing Body.- 4.8. Kruskal—Szekeres Coordinates.- 4.9. Historical Note on the Schwarzschild Black Hole.- 5. Electromagnetism in General Relativity.- 5.1. Introduction.- 5.2. The Field of a Charged Particle.- 5.3. Static Electrovac.- 5.4. The Already Unified Field Theory.- 6. Axially Symmetric Fields.- 6.1. The Lie Derivative and the Killing Equation.- 6.2. Static and Stationary Metrics.- 6.3. The Axially Symmetric Static Metric.- 6.4. Weyl’s Canonical Form.- 6.5. The Case of Two Mass Particles.- 6.6. The Schwarzschild Metric in the Form (6.21).- 6.7. Stationary Axisymmetric Vacuum Solutions.- 7. The Kerr Metric or the Rotating Black Hole.- 7.1. The Kerr Metric in Boyer—Lindquist Coordinates.- 7.2. The Black Hole Property.- 7.3. Locally Nonrotating Observers.- 7.4. The Horizon as a Null Surface.- 7.5. The Kerr—Newmann Metric.- 7.6. The Penrose Process.- 8. The Energy—Momentum Pseudotensor of the Gravitational Field and Loss of Energy by Gravitational Radiation.- 8.1. The Pseudo-Energy—Momentum Tensor.- 8.2. Historical Note.- 8.3. Loss of Energy by Gravitational Radiation.- 8.4. The Case of a Binary Star.- 9. Analysis of the Observational Data of the Hulse—Taylor Pulsar. Confirmation of the Einstein Quadrupole Radiation Formula.- II. Relativistic Astrophysics.- 10. White Dwarf Stars.- 10.1. Introduction.- 10.2. The Contraction of a Radiating Star in the Absence of Energy Generation.- 10.3. Degeneracy and the Equation of State.- 10.4. Limiting Mass for White Dwarfs.- 10.5. A Simple Argument for the Mass Limit.- 10.6. Critique of Chandrasekhar’s Result and Later Works.- 10.7. Historical Note.- 10.8. Observational Data on White Dwarfs.- 10.9. The Cooling and Age of White Dwarfs.- 11. Stellar Evolution, Supernovae, and Compact Objects.- 11.1. Introduction.- 11.2. The Evolution of Stars.- 11.3. The Dynamical Collapse.- 11.4. Some Numerical Results.- 11.5. Explosive Processes.- 11.6. Supernova 1987 A.- 12. Pulsars.- 12.1. Introduction.- 12.2. Distance from Dispersion Measure.- 12.3. Identification of Pulsars as Neutron Stars.- 12.4. The Energetics of Pulsar Emission.- 12.5. The Magnetic Field at the Pulsar Surface.- 12.6. The Age of Pulsars.- 12.7. Calculation of the Braking Index.- 12.8. The Nonvacuum Model.- 12.9. Observational Determination of Pulsar Masses.- 12.10. Cooling of Neutron Stars—Theory and Observation.- 12.11. The Influence of Superfluidity.- 12.12. The Influence of Pion Condensation.- 12.13. The Influence of Quarks.- 13. Spherically Symmetric Star Models.- 13.1. Introduction.- 13.2. The Tolman, Oppenheimer—Volkoff Equation.- 13.3. The Equation of State for Cold Catalyzed Matter.- 13.4. A Model of a Neutron Star and the Mass Limits.- 13.5. The Problems of the Upper Mass Limit of Neutron Stars.- 13.6. The Influence of Rotation, etc., on the Mass Limit.- 13.7. Note on the Stability of Compact Objects.- 14. Black Holes.- 14.1. Introduction.- 14.2. The No-Hair Theorem.- 14.3. The Laws of Black Hole Physics.- 14.4. Black Hole Thermodynamics.- 14.5. The Identification of a Black Hole—Cygnus X-1.- 14.6. The Possible Locale of the Occurrence of Black Holes.- 14.7. The Quasi-Steller Objects (Quasars).- 14.8. Gravitational Lens.- 15. Accretion onto Compact Objects.- 15.1. Introduction—Spherically Symmetric Accretion.- 15.2. Disk Accretion.- 15.3. Compact X-Ray Sources.- III. Cosmology.- 16. The Standard Cosmological Model.- 16.1. Introduction to the Friedmann Metric.- 16.2. Elementary Discussion of Standard Cosmology.- 16.3. The Observational Background of Cosmology.- 16.4. Summary.- 17. The Singularity Problem.- 17.1. Introduction.- 17.2. The Raychaudhuri Equation.- 17.3. The Meaning of Shear, Vorticity, and Expansion.- 17.4. An Elementary Singularity Theorem.- 17.5. The Gödel Universe.- 17.6. General Singularity Theorems.- 18. Thermal History of the Universe—Cosmological Nucleosynthesis.- 18.1. The Thermal History.- 18.2. Cosmological Nucleosynthesis.- 19. Structure Formation in the Universe.- 19.1. The Problem.- 19.2. The Linear Growth Formula.- 19.3. Finite Perturbation.- 19:4. Structure Formation with Dark Matter.- 20. Grand Unified Theory and Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking.- 20.1. Introduction.- 20.2. Gauge Fields.- 20.3. Weak Interaction.- 20.4. Strong Interaction and Grand Unification.- 20.5. Baryon Asymmetry and the Baryon/Photon Ratio.- 21. The Inflationary Scenario.- 21.1. Introduction.- 21.2. The Problems in Terms of Entropy.- 21.3. The Vacuum Energy—Stress Tensor and the de Sitter Phase.- 21.4. The Different Models of Inflation.- 21.5. A Critique of the Inflationary Models.- 21.6. Fluctuations in the Inflationary Models.- 22. Concluding Remarks.- Appendix. Differential Forms.- A.1. Introductory Ideas and Definitions.- A.2. Connection 1-Forms and Ricci Rotation Coefficients.- A.3. Cartan’s Equations of Structure.- A.4. Bianchi Identities and Symmetry Properties of the Riemann—Christoffel Tensor.- A.5. An Example of the Calculation of the Riemann—Christoffel Tensor.- References.

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Book SynopsisHowever, most of the book can be read with very little knowledge of mathematics, and even if the reader skips the mathematically more involved sections, (s)he should get a good overview of the field of astronomy.Trade Review"No one involved in astronomy teaching or research would want to be without a copy." #The Physics Teacher#"Offers a range of expertise and authority impossible for a single-author text..." #Nature# "Fundamental ideas are developed clearly and applied to real problems, and solutions are worked out; this is the book's strength." #Sky & Telescope#Table of Contents1. Introduction.- 1.1 The Role of Astronomy.- 1.2 Astronomical Objects of Research.- 1.3 The Scale of the Universe.- 2. Spherical Astronomy.- 2.1 Spherical Trigonometry.- 2.2 The Earth.- 2.3 The Celestial Sphere.- 2.4 The Horizontal System.- 2.5 The Equatorial System.- 2.6 The Ecliptic System.- 2.7 The Galactic Coordinates.- 2.8 Perturbations of Coordinates.- 2.9 Constellations.- 2.10 Star Catalogues and Maps.- 2.11 Positional Astronomy.- 2.12 Time Reckoning.- 2.13 Astronomical Time Systems.- 2.14 Calendars.- 2.15 Exercises.- 3. Observations and Instruments.- 3.1 Observing Through the Atmosphere.- 3.2 Optical Telescopes.- 3.3 Detectors.- 3.4 Radio Telescopes.- 3.5 Other Wavelength Regions.- 3.6 Instruments of the Future.- 3.7 Other Forms of Energy.- 3.8 Exercises.- 4. Photometric Concepts and Magnitudes.- 4.1 Intensity, Flux Density and Luminosity.- 4.2 Apparent Magnitudes.- 4.3 Magnitude Systems.- 4.4 Absolute Magnitudes.- 4.5 Extinction and Optical Thickness.- 4.6 Exercises.- 5. Radiation Mechanisms.- 5.1 Radiation of Atoms and Molecules.- 5.2 The Hydrogen Atom.- 5.3 Quantum Numbers, Selection Rules, Population Numbers.- 5.4 Molecular Spectra.- 5.5 Continuous Spectra.- 5.6 Blackbody Radiation.- 5.7 Other Radiation Mechanisms.- 5.8 Radiative Transfer.- 5.9 Exercises.- 6. Temperatures.- 6.1 Exercises.- 7. Celestial Mechanics.- 7.1 Equations of Motion.- 7.2 Solution of the Equation of Motion.- 7.3 Equation of the Orbit and Kepler’s First Law.- 7.4 Orbital Elements.- 7.5 Kepler’s Second and Third Law.- 7.6 Orbit Determination.- 7.7 Position in the Orbit.- 7.8 Escape Velocity.- 7.9 Virial Theorem.- 7.10 The Jeans Limit.- 7.11 Exercises.- 8. The Solar System.- 8.1 An Overview.- 8.2 Planetary Configurations.- 8.3 Orbit of the Earth.- 8.4 Orbit of the Moon.- 8.5 Eclipses and Occultations.- 8.6 Albedos.- 8.7 Planetary Photometry, Polarimetry and Spectroscopy.- 8.8 Thermal Radiation of the Planets.- 8.9 The Structure of Planets.- 8.10 Planetary Surfaces.- 8.11 Atmospheres and Magnetospheres.- 8.12 Mercury.- 8.13 Venus.- 8.14 The Earth and the Moon.- 8.15 Mars.- 8.16 Asteroids.- 8.17 Jupiter.- 8.18 Saturn.- 8.19 Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.- 8.20 Minor Bodies of the Solar System.- 8.21 Cosmogony.- 8.22 Other Solar Systems.- 8.23 Exercises.- 9. Stellar Spectra.- 9.1 Measuring Spectra.- 9.2 The Harvard Spectral Classification.- 9.3 The Yerkes Spectral Classification.- 9.4 Peculiar Spectra.- 9.5 The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram.- 9.6 Model Atmospheres.- 9.7 What Do the Observations Tell Us.- 10. Binary Stars and Stellar Masses.- 10.1 Visual Binaries.- 10.2 Astrometric Binary Stars.- 10.3 Spectroscopic Binaries.- 10.4 Photometric Binary Stars.- 10.5 Exercises.- 11. Stellar Structure.- 11.1 Internal Equilibrium Conditions.- 11.2 Physical State of the Gas.- 11.3 Stellar Energy Sources.- 11.4 Stellar Models.- 11.5 Exercises.- 12. Stellar Evolution.- 12.1 Evolutionary Time Scales.- 12.2 The Contraction of Stars Towards the Main Sequence.- 12.3 The Main Sequence Phase.- 12.4 The Giant Phase.- 12.5 The Final Stages of Evolution.- 12.6 The Evolution of Close Binary Stars.- 12.7 Comparison with Observations.- 12.8 The Origin of the Elements.- 13. The Sun.- 13.1 Internal Structure.- 13.2 The Atmosphere.- 13.3 Solar Activity.- 14. Variable Stars.- 14.1 Classification.- 14.2 Pulsating Variables.- 14.3 Eruptive Variables.- 14.4 Exercises.- 15. Compact Stars.- 15.1 White Dwarfs.- 15.2 Neutron Stars.- 15.3 Black Holes.- 16. The Interstellar Medium.- 16.1 Interstellar Dust.- 16.2 Interstellar Gas.- 16.3 Interstellar Molecules.- 16.4 The Formation of Protostars.- 16.5 Planetary Nebulae.- 16.6 Supernova Remnants.- 16.7 The Hot Corona of the Milky Way.- 16.8 Cosmic Rays and the Interstellar Magnetic Field.- 17. Star Clusters and Associations.- 17.1 Associations.- 17.2 Open Star Clusters.- 17.3 Globular Star Clusters.- 18. The Milky Way.- 18.1 Methods of Distance Measurement.- 18.2 Stellar Statistics.- 18.3 The Rotation of the Milky Way.- 18.4 The Structure and Evolution of the Milky Way.- 18.5 Exercises.- 19. Galaxies.- 19.1 The Classification of Galaxies.- 19.2 Elliptical Galaxies.- 19.3 Spiral Galaxies.- 19.4 Lenticular Galaxies.- 19.5 Luminosities of Galaxies.- 19.6 Masses of Galaxies.- 19.7 Systems of Galaxies.- 19.8 Distances of Galaxies.- 19.9 Active Galaxies and Quasars.- 19.10 The Origin and Evolution of Galaxies.- 20. Cosmology.- 20.1 Cosmological Observations.- 20.2 The Cosmological Principle.- 20.3 Homogeneous and Isotropic Universes.- 20.4 The Friedmann Models.- 20.5 Cosmological Tests.- 20.6 History of the Universe.- 20.7 The Future of the Universe.- Appendices.- A. Mathematics.- A.1 Geometry.- A.2 Taylor Series.- A.3 Vector Calculus.- A.4 Conic Sections.- A.5 Multiple Integrals.- A.6 Numerical Solution of an Equation.- B. Quantum Mechanics.- B.1 Quantum Mechanical Model of Atoms. Quantum Numbers.- B.2 Selection Rules and Transition Probabilities.- B.3 Heisenberg’ Uncertainty Principle.- B.4 Exclusion Principle.- C. Theory of Relativity.- C.1 Basic Concepts.- C.2 Lorentz Transformation. Minkowski Space.- C.3 General Relativity.- C.4 Tests of General Relativity.- D. Radio Astronomy Fundamentals.- D.1 Antenna Definitions.- D.2 Antenna Temperature and Flux Density.- E. Tables.- Further Reading.- Photograph Credits.

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Book SynopsisThe best-selling author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity.Trade Review"[Her] style is at its most substantial—and most hilarious—in the zero-gravity realm that Packing for Mars explores.… As startling as it is funny." -- Janet Maslin - The New York Times"This is the kind of smart, smirky stuff that Roach does so well." -- Geoff Nicholson - San Francisco Chronicle"Cool answers to questions about the void you didn’t even know you had." -- People"An utterly fascinating account, made all the more entertaining by the author’s ever-amused tone." -- BookPage"An impish and adventurous writer with a gleefully inquisitive mind and stand-up comic’s timing." -- Booklist"The author’s writing comes across as reportorial, but with a clear sense of humor; even the footnotes are used to both informational and comedic effect." -- Time Out New York"Hilarious." -- The New York Times Book Review"A delightful, illuminating grab bag of space-flight curiosities." -- Kirkus Reviews

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Book Synopsis“Few people know the real story behind the building of Apollo, but Mike Gray has managed to capture the drama and excitement of those urgent times. This is a fascinating book full of lessons about what America can achieve with vision and teamwork.” —Buzz Aldrin

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Book Synopsis“Who can ask for better cosmic tour guides to the universe than Drs. Tyson and Goldsmith?”—Michio Kaku, author of Hyperspace and Parallel WorldsTrade Review"Tyson and Goldsmith search the depths of the universe for clues to how billions of heavenly bodies, Earth, and life itself began. They energetically cover the breadth of modern cosmology." -- Science News

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Book SynopsisA rip-roaring tour of the cosmos with the Bad Astronomer, revealing the sky as never seen before—from everywhere but EarthTrade Review"A terrific guide to our spectacular universe...Plait is a skilled, resourceful and, on occasion, downright visionary guide to the far reaches of outer space. " -- Simon Ings - New Scientist"Plait has a well-deserved reputation as a lively and accurate communicator of cutting-edge science, and this universal tour guide offers a great opportunity for him to flex his explanatory muscles... this is a hugely enjoyable read that brings a new perspective to the cosmos. " -- Giles Sparrow - BBC Sky at Night Magazine"Vivid and tangible… Even a visit to the Moon, our closest and most familiar heavenly body, gave me fresh insights under Philip Plait’s guidance" -- Clive Cookson - Financial Times"Phil Plait takes us to nearby worlds and star systems far, far away, where we do plenty of exploration, a bit of astronomical science, and a lot of marveling. But it’s the descriptions of your spaceships and suits that will keep you strapped in and reading on. His flights of science fiction fantasy are scientific—and absolutely spectacular. Enjoy the rides." -- Bill Nye, CEO, The Planetary Society"A rollicking, wondrous, and awe-inspiring introduction to the universe. Phil Plait’s writing transports us to other worlds and in the process helps us to appreciate our own world." -- John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed"Plait takes us on a cosmic journey—a vivid guidebook for space tourists in the distant future." -- Clive Cookson - Financial Times

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Book SynopsisNonlinear dynamo theory is central to understanding the magnetic structures of planets, stars and galaxies. In chapters contributed by some of the leading scientists in the field, this text explores some of the recent advances in the field. Both kinetic and dynamic approaches to the subject are considered, including fast dynamos, topological methods in dynamo theory, physics of the solar cycle and the fundamentals of mean field dynamo. Advances in Nonlinear Dynamos is ideal for graduate students and researchers in theoretical astrophysics and applied mathematics, particularly those interested in cosmic magnetism and related topics, such as turbulence, convection, and more general nonlinear physics.Table of ContentsThe Field, the Mean and the Meaning. Fast Dynamos. On the Theory of Convection in the Earth's Core. Dynamo Action of Magnetostropic Waves. Magnetic Flux Tubes and the Dynamo Problem. Physics of the Solar Cycle. Highly Supercritical Convection in Strong Magnetic Fields. Thin Aspect Ratio Alpha-Omega-Dynamos in Galactic Disks and Stellar Shells. Computational Aspects of Astrophysical MHD and Turbulence. Topological Quantities in Magnetohydrodynamics.

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Book SynopsisFrom the big bang to black holes, from dark matter to dark energy, from the origins of the universe to its ultimate destiny, The Edge of the Sky tells the story of the most important discoveries and mysteries in modern cosmology,with a twist. The book''s lexicon is limited to the thousand most common words in the English language, excluding physics , energy , galaxy , or even universe . Through the eyes of a fictional scientist (Student-People) hunting for dark matter with one of the biggest telescopes (Big-Seers) on Earth (Home-World), cosmologist Roberto Trotta explores the most important ideas about our universe (All-there-is) in language simple enough for anyone to understand.A unique blend of literary experimentation and science popularization, this delightful book is a perfect gift for any aspiring astronomer. The Edge of the Sky tells the story of the universe on a human scale, and the result is out of this world.Trade Review"A delightful little gem for adults and children alike that leads you on a unique journey with its hypnotic, disarming prose. There are many books that attempt to creatively explain the universe in simple terms; this is one of the few that succeeds." --Bruce Bassett, Head of Cosmology at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town, and author of Introducing Relativity "The Edge of the Sky ranges from exoplanets, through dark matter and dark energy and even supersymmetry... without any technical words. Speaking as someone who works on the "Big Ring" in the "city in a land full of safe places to put your money in": this is big fun, and amazing that so much can be said in so few words." --Jonathan Butterworth, Professor of Physics, University College London "The Edge of the Sky is a highly original book, which explains the foundations and the latest discoveries and ideas in astronomy: from planets and life elsewhere in the universe to dark energy and the multiverse. Roberto Trotta, a leading cosmologist from Imperial College London, has managed to achieve this by only using fewer than the 1,000 most common words of the English language. This is an inspiring book for everyone." --Ofer Lahav, Perren Professor of Astronomy, University College London "Cosmology and astrophysics are confusing at the best of times. But, against all the quantum odds, Dr. Roberto Trotta has managed to explain the topics using just 1,000 unique words. Readers of The Edge Of The Sky will be treated to a delightful, poetic journey into our world, other worlds and beyond without ever feeling like their vocabulary is holding them back. And yet that is not this book's greatest achievement. More impressive than the linguistic poetry and more profound that the hard science herein is the overwhelming sense of awe and wonder this book gifts the reader. This book will appeal to any adult who as eight year child looked up to the stars and wondered about the universe. Best of all, the eight year olds of today don't have to wait until they are adults to discover it for themselves." --Stephen Follows, Writer and Film Producer "Cosmology and astrophysics are confusing at the best of times. But, against all the quantum odds, Dr. Roberto Trotta has managed to explain the topics using just 1,000 unique words. Readers of The Edge Of The Sky will be treated to a delightful, poetic journey into our world, other worlds and beyond without ever feeling like their vocabulary is holding them back. And yet that is not this book's greatest achievement. More impressive than the linguistic poetry and more profound that the hard science herein is the overwhelming sense of awe and wonder this book gifts the reader. This book will appeal to any adult who as eight year child looked up to the stars and wondered about the universe. Best of all, the eight year olds of today don't have to wait until they are adults to discover it for themselves." --Stephen Follows, Writer and Film Producer "Jargon is a perpetual problem in communicating frontier science to a general audience: everyday specialists are so immersed in their specialized argot that we cease to be aware of the barrier it creates. I therefore applaud this attempt to describe the current state of cosmology in the most stripped-down language possible. The result is transparent, and also full of marvelously vivid turns of phrase, such as "Mr. Einstein's Dark Push." Definitely an original and distinctive addition to the literature in this area." --John Peacock FRS, Professor of Cosmology, University of Edinburgh "A tale as beautiful as the great spiritual stories - with the difference that this one is built on a solid foundation of fact." --David J Hand, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, Imperial College London, and author of The Improbability Principle "A delightful little gem for adults and children alike that leads you on a unique journey with its hypnotic, disarming prose. There are many books that attempt to creatively explain the universe in simple terms; this is one of the few that succeeds." --Bruce Bassett, Head of Cosmology at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town, and author of Introducing Relativity "Never before did we know so much about our universe, the All-There-Is. But are we getting any closer to understanding essential components of its true nature, dark matter and dark energy, which dominate by far over the visible, familiar matter? With rare candor and true learning, Roberto Trotta takes us on an intimate adventure in search of possible answers, as he charts the story of our universe from a tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang to the present - while conveying at the same time the very human, at once exhilarating and humbling experience of this search. All this by using merely seven hundred and seven out of the thousand most common words of the English language, charmingly arranged to shake off the familiar, leaving us to marvel at our Home-World and at the mysteries that lie beyond its edge." --Laura Baudis, Professor of Physics, University of Zurich "Roberto Trotta's clever metaphors illuminate dark matter and dark energy. This book is a delightful, poetic, and informative read about all there is in the Universe." --Edward Frenkel, Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Love and Math "The Edge of the Sky is an enthralling read that turns on its head the conventional (and in my view thoroughly misguided) wisdom that complicated scientific ideas can only be described using complicated language. Roberto Trotta takes the reader on a fascinating and entertaining journey through the very latest discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology, using only the 1000 most common English words, but never compromising on the clarity and detail of his scientific descriptions. The Edge of the Sky captures with child-like wonder the mysteries of the cosmos in language accessible to everyone, making it eminently suitable for children of all ages!" --Martin Hendry, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Glasgow "A wonder-full not-afraid story-telling try-it-and-see, about big-sky-study of today with only the ten-hundred most used words. Very not-usual, most good. Fun, too. Buy now!" --Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, and author of Visions of Infinity "A simplified but by no means simplistic introduction to modern cosmology and physics -- the flagship sciences of the 'All-There-Is.'... An entertaining exercise...for those student-people who like to ponder the All-There-Is while testing the always-inadequate limits of language." --Kirkus Reviews "Trotta's deft word choices quickly draw the reader into a surprisingly vivid alternate reality where student-persons (scientists) strive to pierce the mysteries of the All-There-Is: the universe... [T]he spare writing is elegant, even poetic. Literary experiments tend either to work or to flail with awkwardness; in Trotta's hands, this beautifully written book, with its limited vocabulary, soars." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "[A] surprisingly clear, and often poetic, primer on such complicated topics as the big bang, dark energy and the possibility of multiverses." --Scientific American "[A] poetic primer on the universe... The Edge of the Sky: All You Need to Know About the All-There-Is is one part children's book for grownups, one part imaginative exercise in economical yet lyrical language, and wholly wonderful." --Brain Pickings "Our Universe is described by only six numbers. In this entertaining and enjoyable book, Trotta recounts our knowledge of the cosmos with only the most 700-odd used words in the English dictionary. His extremely original approach conveys all the information with the most minimalistic use of language. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the latest discoveries about our Universe within the framework of an "avant-garde" and experimental writing style." --Raul Jimenez, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Barcelona "How many different chords must you know before you can appreciate a symphony? How many different brush strokes must you master before you can appreciate a painting? How many different words do you need to use to appreciate the wonders of the universe? Roberto Trotta claims just 1,000, and bravely put pen to paper to try and prove it in this enjoyable short volume." --Lawrence M. Krauss, Foundation Professor and Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University, and the author A Universe from Nothing and The Physics of Star Trek. "Our Universe is described by only six numbers. In this entertaining and enjoyable book, Trotta recounts our knowledge of the cosmos with only the most 700-odd used words in the English dictionary. His extremely original approach conveys all the information with the most minimalistic use of language. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the latest discoveries about our Universe within the framework of an "avant-garde" and experimental writing style." --Raul Jimenez, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Barcelona "How many different chords must you know before you can appreciate a symphony? How many different brush strokes must you master before you can appreciate a painting? How many different words do you need to use to appreciate the wonders of the universe? Roberto Trotta claims just 1,000, and bravely put pen to paper to try and prove it in this enjoyable short volume." --Lawrence M. Krauss, Foundation Professor and Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University, and the author A Universe from Nothing and The Physics of Star Trek "The extraordinary story of the Universe and our journey to understand it is not an easy one to tell to the general public. But because it is the story that binds us all together, it is important to tell it in myriad ways to reach as many people as possible. The Edge of the Sky is an inventive, enjoyable and thought-provoking contribution to that effort." --Nature "The Edge of the Sky... is probably the strangest and most poetic popular science book I've ever read. [Trotta] limits himself to using the 1,000 most common words in English... the effect is to produce a strangely hypnotic, poetic quality that reminded me of Longfellow attempting a science prose poem." --Brian Clegg, Huffington Post blog "A remarkable feat."--Vocabulary.com "If you are puzzled by the reports from the telescopes (Far-Seers) moving through space finding new things, then this book will satisfy the scientist (Student-Person) in you."--Roanoke Times "This charmingly accessible book is ideal for someone just dipping a toe into astrophysics and cosmology for the first time, with an interesting gimmick that lends his prose the flavor of folklore or myth."--Jennifer Ouellette, Scientif American's Cocktail Party Physics blog

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Book SynopsisAmong the most fascinating and rapidly developing areas in modem physics is the study of cosmological phenomena such as black holes, the cosmic microwave background, and the inflationary nature of the universe.Table of ContentsQuantum Theory and Path Integrals. Quantum Field Theory. Gauge Theories. Quantum Statistical Mechanics. Classical Gravity. Black Hole Evaporation. The Inflationary Universe. Quantum Cosmology. Appendices. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisIn astrophysics, stellar systems or galaxies can be thought of as individual "particles". High power computers are being developed to handle these problems. This book describes the structure, performance and applications of the world's most advanced such computer, developed in Tokyo.Trade Review"It is an excellent summary text of the GRAPE systems and what they have achieved but not such a good introduction to scientific simulations with special-purpose computers in a wider context." (The Observatory Magazine, Vol. 119, No. 1149, April 1999)Table of ContentsThe Evolution of General-Purpose Computers. Overview of Special-Purpose Systems. The GRAPE Systems. Software. Science by Special-Purpose Systems. The Future of Special-Purpose Computers. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis authoritative volume was the first to present a comprehensive and up-to-date review of our new understanding of accretion disks around black holes. It presents review papers from leading world authorities who gathered at an international conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. It will be of key interest to graduate students and researchers in astrophysics and theoretical physics.Trade ReviewReview of the hardback: '… the editors should be congratulated on assembling a collection of high-quality articles'. Roger Blandford, The ObservatoryTable of ContentsPart I. Observations of Black Holes: 1. Black holes in our Galaxy: observations P. Charles; 2. Black holes in Active Galactic Nuclei: observations G. M. Madejski; Part II. Physics Close to a Black Hole: 3. Physics of black holes I. D. Novikov; 4. Physics of black hole accretion M. A. Abramowicz; Part III. Turbulence, Viscosity: 5. Disc turbulence and viscosity A. Brandenburg; Part IV. Radiative Processes: 6. The role of electron-positron pairs in accretion flows G. Björnsson; 7. Accretion disc-corona models and X/Y-ray spectra of accreting black holes J. Poutanen; 8. Emission lines: signatures of relativistic rotation A. C. Fabian; Part V. Accretion Discs: 9. Spectral tests of models for accretion disks around black holes J. H. Krolik; 10. Advection-dominated accretion around black holes R. Narayan, R. Mahadevan and E. Quataert; 11. Accretion disc instabilities and advection dominated accretion flows J.-P. Lasota; 12. Magnetic field and multi-phase gas in AGN A. Celotti and M. J. Rees; Part V. Discs in Binary Black Holes: 13. Supermassive binary black holes in galaxies P. Artymowicz; Part VI. Stability of Accretion Discs: 14. Large scale perturbation of an accretion disc by a black hole binary companion J. C. B. Papaloizou, C. Terquem and D. N. C. Lin; 15. Stable oscillations of black hole accretion discs M. Nowak and D. Lehr; Part VI. Coherant Structures: 16. Spotted discs A. Bracco, A. Provenzale, E. A. Spiegel and P. Yecko; Self-organized critically in accretion discs P. Wiita and Y. Xiong; Summary: old and new advances in black hole accretion disc theory R. Svensson.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1982, this collection of essays provides an integrated overview of the application of nuclear science to astronomy. The book discusses, among other topics, the abundances of the nuclear and chemical species on the Earth and the Moon, in meteorites, in the stars, and in interstellar space.Table of ContentsList of contributors; Preface; 1. Two decades of collaboration with Willy Fowler Fred Hoyle; 2. Nucleosynthesis in galaxies E. M. Burbidge and G. R. Burbidge; 3. Elemental and nuclidic abundances in the solar system A. G. W. Cameron; 4. A comparison of stellar observations and the theory of nucleosynthesis Jesse L. Greenstein; 5. Improving the reliability of experimental atomic transition probabilities Ward Whaling; 6. Some short-lived nuclides in the early solar system - a connection with the placental ISM G. J. Wasserburg and D. A. Papanastassiou; 7. Meteorite actinide chemistry and cosmochronology D. S. Burnett, M. I. Stapanian and J. H. Jones; 8. Solar power R. W. Kavanagh; 9. Hydrogen burning in massive stars W. S. Rodney and C. Rolfs; 10. Nuclear reactions in highly evolved stars C. A. Barnes; 11. The rate of the 12C(α, γ)16O reaction in stellar helium burning T. A. Tombrello, S. E. Koonin and B. A. Flanders; 12. An account of the development of the solar neutrino problem John N. Bahcall and Raymond Davis Jr; 13. 3He, red dwarfs, and our next trillion years E. E. Salpeter; 14. The s-process R. K. Ulrich; 15. The r-process and nucleocosmochronology David N. Schramm; 16. The origin of the light elements Jean Audouze and Hubert Reeves; 17. Nucleosynthesis in two 25 M stars of different population S. E. Woosley and Thomas A. Weaver; 18. Cosmic radioactivity: a gamma-ray search for the origins of atomic nuclei Donald D. Clayton; 19. On the nature of supernovae W. D. Arnett; 20. Supernova theory H. A. Bethe; 21. Nuclear theory of novae James W. Truran; 22. Free and bound quarks - accelerators and the early universe Robert V. Wagoner; 23. Particle physics and cosmology Gary Steigman; Publications and research papers of William A. Fowler; Author index; Subject index.

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Book SynopsisThis well-established textbook gives a general but comprehensive introduction to positional astronomy. Originally based on the author's lecture courses at Cambridge University, it is intended primarily for undergraduates, but, due to its comprehensive nature, it is a very useful reference text for research workers in many branches of astronomy and space physics. The author considers the night sky as the celestial sphere and powerfully exploits the methods of spherical geometry. Most problems in which the precise determination of a heavenly body's position in the sky is important are considered in theoretical detail, and the necessary formulae are derived to a precision that is sufficient for all but the most specialist purposes. The present revision has ensured that the terminology and treatment correspond precisely to current astronomical practice. A guiding principle has been to re-establish compatibility with the Astronomical Ephemeris and, to a lesser extent, with the fuller explanTable of Contents1. Spherical trigonometry; 2. The celestial sphere; 3. Refraction; 4. The meridian circle; 5. Planetary motions; 6. Time; 7. Planetary phenomena and heliographic co-ordinates; 8. Aberration; 9. Parallax; 10. Precession and nutation; 11. The proper motions of the stars; 12. Astronomical photography; 13. Determination of position at sea; 14. Binary star orbits; 15. Occulations and eclipses; Appendix 1. The method of dependences; Appendix 2. Stellar magnitudes; Appendix 3. The coelostat; Appendix A. Astronomical constants; Appendix B. Dimensions of the sun, moon and planets; Appendix C. Mean elements of the planetary orbits for the epoch 1975 January 0.5 E.T.; Appendix D. Elements and dimensions of the satellites; Appendix E. Ephemeris and universal time.

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