Stellar Interiors - Hansen, Carl J.

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Résumé :
Some praise for the previous edition: Besides being well-written, it presents some fresh perspectives . . . Well-designed . . . for students interested in astronomy and space, planetary, and earth sciences . . . It can also provide a readable introduction to the subject for scientists working in related areas . . . -Physics Today Designed for beginners in stellar physics, this book introduces the fundamentals of stellar structure and evolution. In emphasizing the general picture of the life cycles of stars and the physics responsible,?Stellar?Interiors?also allows prospective specialists a taste of many of the detailed aspects of this mature discipline. The authors develop a solid foundation in important theory that is often overlooked in typical courses, yet steer clear of extraneous intensive mathematics and physics. The new edition has been updated throughout to incorporate new observational and theoretical insights, and the programs have been updated to modern standards....

Sommaire:
1 Preliminaries.- 1.1 Hydrostatic Equilibrium.- 1.2 An Energy Principle.- 1.3 The Virial Theorem and Its Applications.- 1.4 The Constant-Density Model.- 1.5 Energy Generation and Transport.- 1.6 Stellar Dimensional Analysis.- 1.7 Evolutionary Lifetimes on the Main Sequence.- 1.8 The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram.- 1.9 Summary Remarks.- 1.10 Exercises.- 1.11 References and Suggested Readings.- 2 An Overview of Stellar Evolution.- 2.1 Young Stellar Objects (YSOs).- 2.2 The Zero-Age Main Sequence (ZAMS).- 2.3 Leaving the Main Sequence.- 2.4 Red Giants and Supergiants.- 2.5 Helium Flash or Fizzle.- 2.6 Later Phases, Initial Masses M ?6?10 M?.- 2.7 Advanced Phases, Initial Masses M ?6?10 M?.- 2.8 Core Collapse and Nucleosynthesis.- 2.9 Variable Stars: A Brief Overview.- 2.10 Pulsational Variables.- 2.11 Explosive Variables.- 2.12 White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes.- 2.13 Binary Stars.- 2.14 Star Formation.- 2.15 Supplemental Material.- 2.16 Exercises.- 2.17 References and Suggested Readings.- 3 Equations of State.- 3.1 Distribution Functions.- 3.2 Blackbody Radiation.- 3.3 Ideal Monatomic Gas.- 3.4 The Saha Equation.- 3.5 Fermi-Dirac Equations of State.- 3.6 Almost Perfect Equations of State.- 3.7 Adiabatic Exponents and Other Derivatives.- 3.8 Exercises.- 3.9 References and Suggested Readings.- 4 Radiative and Conductive Heat Transfer.- 4.1 Radiative Transfer.- 4.2 The Diffusion Equation.- 4.3 A Simple Atmosphere.- 4.4 Radiative Opacity Sources.- 4.5 Heat Transfer by Conduction.- 4.6 Tabulated Opacities.- 4.7 Some Observed Spectra.- 4.8 Line Profiles and the Curve of Growth.- 4.9 Exercises.- 4.10 References and Suggested Readings.- 5 Heat Transfer by Convection.- 5.1 The Mixing Length Theory.- 5.2 Variations on the MLT.- 5.3 HydrodynamicCalculations.- 5.4 Exercises.- 5.5 References and Suggested Readings.- 6 Stellar Energy Sources.- 6.1 Gravitational Energy Sources.- 6.2 Thermonuclear Energy Sources.- 6.3 The Proton-Proton Chains.- 6.4 The Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen Cycles.- 6.5 Helium-Burning Reactions.- 6.6 Carbon, Neon, and Oxygen Burning.- 6.7 Silicon Burning.- 6.8 Neutrino Emission Mechanisms.- 6.9 Exercises.- 6.10 References and Suggested Readings.- 7 Stellar Modeling.- 7.1 The Equations of Stellar Structure.- 7.2 Polytropic Equations of State and Polytropes.- 7.3 The Approach to Real Models.- 7.4 Exercises.- 7.5 References and Suggested Readings.- 8 Asteroseismology.- 8.1 Adiabatic Radial Pulsations.- 8.2 Nonadiabatic Radial Motions.- 8.3 An Introduction to Nonradial Oscillations.- 8.4 Exercises.- 8.5 References and Suggested Readings.- 9 Structure and Evolution of the Sun.- 9.1 Vital Statistics of the Sun.- 9.2 From the ZAMS to the Present.- 9.3 The Solar Neutrino Problem.- 9.4 The Role of Rotation in Evolution.- 9.5 Helioseismology.- 9.6 References and Suggested Readings.- 10 Structure and Evolution of White Dwarfs.- 10.1 Observed Properties of White Dwarfs.- 10.2 White Dwarf Evolution.- 10.3 The Magnetic White Dwarfs.- 10.4 The Variable White Dwarfs.- 10.5 Exercises.- 10.6 References and Suggested Readings.- A Mini Stellar Glossary.- B Table of Symbols and Physical Constants.- C List of Journal Abbreviations.

From the reviews of the second edition:

This updated edition will be welcomed by the scientific community. ... gives an excellent general introduction to the subject. ...This book is especially suited for students in astrophysics and astronomy at the master level or starting a Ph.D. thesis, but also for post-graduate science students looking to enlarge their horizon. (Cyriel Wagemans, Physicalia, Vol. 57(3), 2005)

This book is aimed at senior undergraduate or early graduate students in astronomy ... . It provides a broad overview of the physical basics of stellar structure and evolution sufficient to whet the appetite of the student sufficiently ... . Recommended, yes, but only for serious students of stellar physics, as light reading, or a pretty picture book, it is not. (Roger Feasey, Journal of the Auckland Astronomical Society AAS, February, 2005)

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