Book Description
This extensively illustrated book presents the astrophysics of galaxies since their beginnings in the early Universe. It has been thoroughly revised to take into account the most recent observational data, and recent discoveries such as dark energy. There are new sections on galaxy clusters, gamma ray bursts and supermassive black holes. The authors explore the basic properties of stars and the Milky Way before working out towards nearby galaxies and the distant Universe. They discuss the structures of galaxies and how galaxies have developed, and relate this to the evolution of the Universe. The book also examines ways of observing galaxies across the whole electromagnetic spectrum, and explores dark matter and its gravitational pull on matter and light. This book is self-contained and includes several homework problems with hints. It is ideal for advanced undergraduate students in astronomy and astrophysics.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not great.......2004-05-16
This book is a little dense and its homework problems are especially confusing because of the poor framework laid out to solve them.
Average customer rating:
- A Subset of Introduction to Modern Astrophysics
|
An Introduction to Modern Galactic Astrophysics And Cosmology
Bradley W. Carroll
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
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Introduction to Modern Stellar Astrophysics
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Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, An (2nd Edition)
ASIN: 0805303472 |
Customer Reviews:
A Subset of Introduction to Modern Astrophysics.......2006-12-15
Aimed at the advanced physics or astronomy undergraduate student, this is an offspring of Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, often called BOB (Big Orange Book).
The one problem most often reported about BOB is its size, 1400 pages. Consequently this new, less expensive, smaller book has been produced that is smaller, more compact, and aimed at specific subject areas. In this book numerous subjects have been simply left out. These include: optics, the Solar System, and pulsars. Other areas have been greatly reduced in size: stellar evolution and radiative transfer. What's left is the core material needed for a course in Galactic Astrophysics and Cosmology.
This new second edition, badly needed since the first edition is now ten years old. In these ten years, there seems to have been just about as much discovered as in the centuries before. Discoveries like the universe is not slowing down but, rather, is actually accelerating, Dark energy wasn't even imagined at that time (and isn't easy to imagine now).
The book is aimed at the advanced undergraduate level after the student has had several previous physics classes and mathematics through differential equasions.
Average customer rating:
- A Superb Introduction to Galactic Astronomy and Cosmology
- A must for those wishing to be introduced to the topic
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An Introduction to Galaxies and Cosmology
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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An Introduction to the Sun and Stars
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An Introduction to the Solar System
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An Introduction to Astrobiology
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Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, An (2nd Edition)
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Astrobiology: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach
ASIN: 0521546230 |
Book Description
This textbook has been designed by a team of experts for introductory university courses in astronomy and astrophysics. Beginning with a description of the structure and history of the Milky Way, it introduces normal and active galaxies in general. A wide range of cosmological models are then presented, including a discussion of the Big Bang and Universe expansion. The text contains numerous useful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. It is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, the book is suitable for self-study.
Customer Reviews:
A Superb Introduction to Galactic Astronomy and Cosmology.......2007-05-11
This book deserves six stars. It is the companion book to "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars", (actually there are four books in the series but these two are the most closely related). I bought both books to follow-up the introductory astronomy text "Voyages to the Stars and Galaxies" by Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff. I was so impressed with "Voyages", it has been the standard by which I have measured other astronomy texts. "Sun and Stars", was an excellent book, but it didn't quite measure up to the clarity of "Voyages". In contrast, "Galaxies and Cosmology" is every bit as good as "Voyages". The scope is more limited than "Voyages", but the depth of the material covered is deeper. It is a perfect book to follow an introductory text such as "Voyages". Where "Voyages" gave a broad introduction to astronomy with essentially no math, "Galaxies and Cosmology" follows up with a more in depth treatment of galactic astronomy and cosmology that includes a fair amount of math, but nothing beyond basic algebra. Only algebra? Absolutely! This text walks an incredible line between a purely conceptual book, and a university level math heavy text for an astronomy major.
As with "An Intro to the Sun and Stars", "An Intro to Galaxies and Cosmology" has an excellent set of questions and problems which do a very good job of illuminating and clarifying key concepts. The problems are not difficult, requiring nothing more than a decent high school math background including algebra and trigonometry, but their strength is in illuminating the concepts beyond just a descriptive narrative. The problems are not as in depth or rigorous as you might find in a degree oriented program in astronomy, but they are certainly rewarding for the interested amateur, and will take you a step beyond purely descriptive introductions.
CONTENT
The book covers the following material, (if you don't want to read about every chapter, just skip to the summary).
Chapter 1 - The Milky Way Galaxy
A very good description of how we have come to know what we do about our Galaxy, the Milky Way, including how we determine size, mass, shape, etc.
Chapter 2 - Normal Galaxies
Describes the standard Hubble classification of galaxies including how we are able to determine such things as their size, mass, and composition. Provides a clear indroduction to theories of the formation and evolution of galaxies, and includes a an excellent description of the methods used to determine galactic distances.
Chapter 3 - Active Galaxies
Very good introduction to quasars, radio galaxies, Seyferts, and other galaxies with an active galactic nucleus, and the theories of what produces the incredible amounts of power emanating from the center of these galaxies. Also has an excellent detailed description of galactic spectra.
Chapter 4 - The Spatial Distribution of Galaxies
Nice introduction to large scale structure within the universe, including galaxy clusters, superclusters, and larger scale structure. Talks about recent and on-going surveys to map out these large scale structures. Also includes a nice description of how the distribution of intergalactic gas clouds can be investigated via a spectral feature known as the Lyman alpha forest. Also provides a pretty good explanation of the reionization epoch.
Chapter 5 - Introducing Cosmology - The Science of the Universe
This was one of my favorite chapters. It briefly introduces General Relativity's Field Equations and then introduces the main cosmological models that have been derived from them. At this level, the introduction is essentially conceptual, but amazingly the authors have been able to use only algebra to give greater insight into the concepts and to give a feel for some of the quantitative issues. If you have ever wanted to really know about Einstein's cosmological constant, or exactly what the FRW models are and where Einstein's initial model of the universe fits in relation to these, this is the book to get. Other topics touched on include how Hubble's constant is tied to cosmology, what vacuum energy density is, what cosmological models say about the age of the universe, and a whole host of other interesting topics.
Chapter 6 - Big Bang Cosmology - The Evolving Universe
Following chapter 5's introduction to the various models of the universe consistent with General Relativity, chapter 6 goes into more detail about the early universe in those models which begin with a "big bang". This chapter walks you through the first fractions of a second, minutes, and years following the "big bang". It goes into more detail about energy density, the interaction of fundamental particles and forces, recombination, and the cosmic microwave background radiation, among other things. This was the only chapter however that did seem a little dry in parts... primarily the sections on nucleosyntheis. The material was well covered though, so it is probably just a reflection of what interests me and what does not rather than a reflection on the book.
Chapter 7 - Observational Cosmology - Measuring the Universe
Chapter 7 picks up again with a thoroughly fascinating discussion of astronomers' efforts to measure the primary parameters associated with the FRW models that would determine what kind of universe we actually live in. The parameters include the Hubble constant, the deceleration parameter, and several density parameters. The last part of the chapter provides an excellent introduction on how the angular power spectrum of the CMB is being used as one method to determine the cosmological parameters to great precision, (basically curve fitting). Overall, this is one of the most interesting chapters in the book.
Chapter 8 - Questioning Cosmology - Outstanding Problems About the Universe
This closing chapter highlights some of the questions yet to be answered. Perhaps of necessity details are rather slim in this chapter, but it still provides a nice end of book perspective on how much we still don't know. The questions discussed include,
1. What is dark matter? -- A discussion of MACHOS and WIMPS
2. What is dark energy? -- Einstein's cosmological constant? Quantum vacuum energy? Quintessence?
3. Why is the universe so uniform?
4. Why does the universe have a flat geometry?
5. Where did the structure come from?
Inflation theory could solve these three, but inflation is still a theory with many unanswered questions. Some of these are discussed.
6. Why is there more matter than antimatter? -- lack of baryon number conservation at extremely high energies?
7. What happened at t=0? -- a few paragraphs mentioning chaotic inflation, quantum cosmology, and m-theory.
8. Why is the Universe the way it is? - Why do the fundamental constants of nature have the values they do? A discussion of the anthropic principle.
SUMMARY
Bottom line is this is an excellent introduction to galactic astronomy and cosmology. It is recommended that you have some understanding of stellar astronomy including basic stellar evolution such as you would find in an introductory book such as "Voyages to the Stars and Galaxies" by Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff or "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars" by Green and Jones, and that your be comfortable with basic algebra and trig, but beyond that the book is very self contained and rewarding to read. It is a perfect balance between armchair reading and textbook. I only wish more popular science books were written at this level.
As a side note, if anyone knows of other astronomy texts written at a similar level, leave a comment. I would love to find other texts at the level and quality of this one.
A must for those wishing to be introduced to the topic.......2005-09-07
I was amazed by this book, as well as by the others completing the series. The argument is handled in a very clear way and I really believe this book is just perfect for those starting their interest or studies in astronomy. It is well up-to-date and provides nice images.
Definitely a must have, also for those working in different areas and wishing to 2refresh2 their knowledge.
Book Description
Starting with the description of our home galaxy the Milky Way, this cogently written textbook introduces the reader to the astronomy of galaxies, their structure, active galactic nuclei, evolution and large scale distribution. Then, from the extensive and thorough introduction to modern observational and theoretical cosmology, the text turns to the formation of structures and astronomical objects in the early universe. The basics of classical astronomy and stellar astrophysics needed for extragalactic astronomy are given in the appendix.
In particular, Peter Schneider’s Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology has the goal of imparting the fundamental knowledge of this fascinating subfield of astronomy, while leading readers to the forefront of astronomical research. But it seeks to accomplish this not only with extensive textual information and insights. In addition, the author’s evident admiration for the workings of the universe that shines through the lines and the many supporting color illustrations will deeply inspire the reader.
While this book has grown out of introductory university courses on astronomy and astrophysics, it will not only be appreciated by undergraduate students and lecturers. Through the comprehensive coverage of the field, even graduate students and researchers specializing in related fields will appreciate it as reliable reference.
Average customer rating:
- Interesting mathematical treatment of topics in cosmology
- More of a Review Than an Introduction
|
An Introduction to Mathematical Cosmology
J. N. Islam
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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An Introduction to Modern Cosmology
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Modern Cosmology
ASIN: 0521496500 |
Book Description
This book provides a concise introduction to the mathematical aspects of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe. The book begins with a brief overview of observational and theoretical cosmology, along with a short introduction of general relativity. It then goes on to discuss Friedmann models, the Hubble constant and deceleration parameter, singularities, the early universe, inflation, quantum cosmology and the distant future of the universe. This new edition contains a rigorous derivation of the Robertson-Walker metric. It also discusses the limits to the parameter space through various theoretical and observational constraints, and presents a new inflationary solution for a sixth degree potential. This book is suitable as a textbook for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. It will also be of interest to cosmologists, astrophysicists, applied mathematicians and mathematical physicists.
Download Description
This book provides a concise introduction to the mathematical aspects of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe. The book begins with a brief overview of observational and theoretical cosmology, along with a short introduction to general relativity. It then goes on to discuss Friedmann models, the Hubble constant and deceleration parameter, singularities, the early universe, inflation, quantum cosmology and the distant future of the universe. This new edition contains a rigorous derivation of the Robertson-Walker metric. It also discusses the limits to the parameter space through various theoretical and observational constraints, and presents a new inflationary solution for a sixth degree potential. This book is suitable as a textbook for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. It will also be of interest to cosmologists, astrophysicists, applied mathematicians and mathematical physicists.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting mathematical treatment of topics in cosmology.......2004-12-28
Some books on cosmology specialize in stating the concepts while keeping the mathematics to a minimum. Others state everything in more mathematical terms. Yet others are textbooks which get one to practice the mathematics. This book takes a different approach from any of these.
To understand cosmology, one needs to know some mathematics. And that would be true even if we knew all the answers to our questions. Given that there are actually multiple models of the universe that are being used and debated, it is even more important to see the mathematics that gets used to characterize them.
Still, this is not a textbook with problem sets. It is more of a review text in some areas (particularly general relativity), and a supplementary book in others. It addresses several important topics in cosmology in useful detail.
The book begins with an overview of cosmology and a review of general relativity. Then Islam spends a significant amount of time on the Robertson-Walker metric, with two different derivations of it. Next, we look at Friedman models of the universe. And then, we look at observational cosmology, with estimates and ranges for the Hubble constant and the resulting age of the universe (which hopefully comes out larger than the ages of the stars and galaxies).
After that, Islam discusses models with a cosmological constant. That's a good idea given that in the last few years, we have obtained more and more evidence for the existence of this (or of a dark energy term). He then includes an interesting chapter on singularities.
After this, there are chapters on the early universe. That means the temperature of the early universe and big bang nucleosynthesis. And we find out about the amounts of primordial helium and deuterium (I think these are still very intriguing issues). The author also shows us a variety of inflationary models (I had fun comparing this chapter with what Roger Penrose said about inflation in "The Road to Reality"). Islam then gives a brief account of quantum cosmology, including a mention of the Hartle-Hawking proposal for the wave function of the "ground state" of the universe.
The book concludes with a chapter about the distant future of the universe, including black hole evaporation and proton decay. While such a section may seem speculative and unsophisticated, I think such topics are a genuine part of cosmology.
This is a useful book, and I recommend it as a supplement to almost any cosmology text.
More of a Review Than an Introduction.......2000-11-01
This book presents a review the basics of mathematical cosmology. For example a review of basic general relativity (a co-ordinate approach) is presented early on (Chapter 2). There are no exercises or problems. You could not learn general relativity from this.The discussion of the geometric and kinematic properties of the RW metric were good. Sufficient material is presented for reviews of standard cosmological models in chapters 3 and 5 although the material concerning the relativistic Friedmann models is covered much more clearly in Foster and Nightingale with the same end results and nice do-able exercises.. Chapter five presents a review of models with a cosmological constant.Some exact solutions (original work by the author) are presented. Rather frustratingly, solutions of some equations are presented with no hints at all as to how they are arrived at. Some approximate relationships are stated without suggesting how they are taken.This makes independent study of the book frustrating at times.There are two chapters later on that present the material from the mathematical supplement to Weinberg's 'three minutes' book in more detail. These are quite fun and could be dipped into independently. I bought this book 'hardback at paperback price - 14.95' which was fair. I would not pay the full price for this book - save up and get Weinberg's Gravitation and Cosmology or get it from the library. It is not really suitable for independent study.
Book Description
The study of AGN is one of the most dynamic areas of contemporary astronomy, involving one-fifth of all research astronomers. This textbook provides a systematic review of the observed properties of AGN across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, examines the underlying physics, and shows how the brightest AGN--quasars--can be used to probe the farthest reaches of the Universe. This timely textbook is a clear, comprehensive and self-contained introduction to active galactic nuclei (AGN)--for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in astronomy and physics.
Customer Reviews:
Observers look on AGN.......2007-02-09
I'm using this text for my course on accretion power in AGN and till now have found the book to be extremely useful. However the author does seem to gloss over many of the derivations where an in depth look might have been preferred. Definitely a useful book to have if your studying AGN.
Excellent Introduction.......2001-08-28
Clear introduction to the field. I recommend this book to my undergraduate students who are starting to do research with me, and to my students in our upper division astrophysics class.
Book Description
This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive account of quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGN). The latest observations and theoretical models are combined in this clear, pedagogic textbook for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Researchers will also find this wide-ranging and coherent review invaluable. Throughout, detailed derivations of important results are provided to ensure the book is self contained. And theories and models are critically compared with detailed and often puzzling observations from across the spectrum. We are led through all the key topics, including quasar surveys, continuum radiation, time variability, relativistic beaming, accretion disks, jet sidedness, gravitational lensing, unification and detailed, multi-wavelength studies of individual objects. Particular emphasis is placed on radio, X- and gamma-ray observations--not covered in depth in any previous book. All those entering into this exciting and dynamic area of astronomy research will find this book an ideal introduction.
Product Description
Course Guidebook includes three video tapes (Tape ONe, Two and Three) covering lectures Twenty-five to Thirty-two. All boxed in one slipcase.
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