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The Cambridge Astrophysics Series (CAPS) was founded in 1978, and has become an important source of high-quality books in astrophysics, written for professionals and graduate students. The series is dedicated to the publication of research level monographs, extended reviews, and graduate textbooks, and covers all areas of contemporary astrophysics. All books are authored or edited by established experts.

  • General Editors: Andrew King, Douglas Lin, Stephen Maran, Jim Pringle, Martin Ward, Robert Kennicutt

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35 results in Cambridge Astrophysics

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The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae
  • Sun Kwok
  • Published online:
    04 November 2009
    Print publication:
    25 May 2000
  • This authoritative volume provides a comprehensive review of the origin and evolution of planetary nebulae. It covers all the stages of their evolution, carefully synthesizes observations from across the spectrum, and clearly explains all the key physical processes at work. Particular emphasis is placed on observations from space, using the Hubble Space Telescope, the Infrared Space Observatory, and the ROSAT satellite. This book presents a thoroughly modern understanding of planetary nebulae, integrating developments in stellar physics with the dynamics of nebular evolution. It also describes exciting possibilities such as the use of planetary nebulae in determining the cosmic distance scale, the distribution of dark matter and the chemical evolution of galaxies. This book provides graduate students with an accessible introduction to planetary nebulae, and researchers with an authoritative reference. It can also be used as an advanced text on the physics of the interstellar medium.

The Galaxies of the Local Group
  • Sidney Bergh
  • Published online:
    22 August 2009
    Print publication:
    15 May 2000
  • The Local Group is a small cluster of galaxies that includes the Milky Way. At least half of all galaxies in the Universe are thought to belong to similar groups. This authoritative volume provides a comprehensive synthesis of what is known about the Local Group. It begins with a summary of each member galaxy, as well as those galaxies previously regarded as possible members. The book examines the mass, stability and evolution of the Local Group as a whole and includes many important previously unpublished results and conclusions. With clarity, Professor van den Bergh provides a masterful summary of all that is known about the galaxies of the Local Group and their evolution, and expertly places this knowledge in the wider context of on-going studies of galaxy formation and evolution, the cosmic distance scale, and the conditions in the early Universe.

Stellar Rotation
  • Jean-Louis Tassoul
  • Published online:
    15 August 2009
    Print publication:
    13 April 2000
  • Like the Earth and planets, stars rotate. Understanding how stars rotate is central to modelling their structure, formation and evolution, and how they interact with their environment and companion stars. This authoritative volume, first published in 2000, provides a lucid introduction to stellar rotation and the definitive reference to the subject. It combines theory and observation in a comprehensive survey of how the rotation of stars affects the structure and evolution of the Sun, single stars and close binaries. This book will be of primary interest to graduate students and researchers studying solar and stellar rotation and close binary systems. It will also appeal to those with a more general interest in solar and stellar physics, star formation, binary stars and the hydrodynamics of rotating fluids - including geophysicists, planetary scientists and plasma physicists.

Solar and Stellar Magnetic Activity
  • C. J. Schrijver, C. Zwaan
  • Published online:
    14 August 2009
    Print publication:
    13 April 2000
  • This timely volume provides the first comprehensive review and synthesis of current understanding of magnetic fields in the Sun and similar stars. Magnetic activity results in a wealth of phenomena - including starspots, non-radiatively heated outer atmospheres, activity cycles, deceleration of rotation rates, and even, in close binaries, stellar cannibalism - all of which are covered clearly and authoritatively. This book brings together for the first time recent results in solar studies and stellar studies. The result is an illuminating new view of stellar magnetic activity. Key topics include radiative transfer, convective simulations, dynamo theory, outer-atmospheric heating, stellar winds and angular momentum loss. Researchers are provided with a state-of-the-art review of this exciting field, and the pedagogical style and introductory material make the book an ideal and welcome introduction for graduate students.

Globular Cluster Systems
  • Keith M. Ashman, Stephen E. Zepf
  • Published online:
    21 September 2009
    Print publication:
    13 May 1998
  • Globular clusters are roughly spherical, densely packed groups of stars found around galaxies. Most globular clusters probably formed at the same time as their host galaxies. They therefore provide a unique fossil record of the conditions during the formation and early evolution of galaxies. This volume presents a comprehensive review of globular cluster systems. It summarizes their observed properties, and shows how these constrain models of the structure of stars, the formation and evolution of galaxies and globular clusters, and the age of the Universe. For graduate students and researchers, this volume provides the definitive reference on globular cluster systems.

The Magellanic Clouds
  • Bengt E. Westerlund
  • Published online:
    04 August 2010
    Print publication:
    27 February 1997
  • The Magellanic Clouds – a pair of nearby, satellite galaxies – are caught in a dynamic struggle internally and with our Milky Way. Given their close proximity, they offer a unique opportunity to study in detail the dynamics and composition of other galaxies. They have a long history of study, but interest in them has blossomed in the past four decades. This is the first book to provide a synthesised and comprehensive account of the Magellanic Clouds.This authoritative volume presents the latest understanding of the structure, evolution and dynamics of these satellite galaxies. It draws together wide-ranging observations in the X-ray, far-ultraviolet, infrared and millimetre wavelengths, including results from the Hubble Space Telescope.For graduate students and researchers, this timely edition provides a definitive reference on the Magellanic Clouds; it also gives useful supplementary reading for graduate courses on galaxies, the interstellar medium, stellar evolution and the chemical composition of galaxies.

Cataclysmic Variable Stars
  • Brian Warner
  • Published online:
    23 December 2009
    Print publication:
    14 December 1995
  • The study of cataclysmic variables - interacting binary stars containing a white dwarf accreting from an orbiting companion - is undergoing an exciting renaissance, as it embraces observations at all wavelengths. Cataclysmic variables allow, in particular, the direct and detailed study of equilibrium and non-equilibrium accretion discs; in turn these developments also help in our understanding of X-ray binaries, black holes and active galactic nuclei. This timely volume provides the first comprehensive survey of cataclysmic variable stars, integrating theory and observation into a single, synthesised text. An introductory chapter gives the historical background of studies of cataclysmic variables. The author then goes on to give an up-to-date review of both the observations (at all wavelengths, and over all time-scales), the theories, the models of the structures and accretion processes believed to be involved. A very detailed bibliography is also provided to guide the reader to pertinent primary literature.

3K: The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
  • R. B. Partridge
  • Published online:
    17 September 2009
    Print publication:
    13 July 1995
  • What processes fixed the designs etched on the cosmic background radiation (CBR)? And what can they tell us about the early Universe, and the origin and evolution of cosmic structure? This review covers all aspects of three decades of study of this ghostly remnant of the hot Big Bang origin of the Universe, and examines the consequences for astrophysics, cosmology and theories of the evolution of large-scale cosmic structure. The observational techniques used to measure the spectrum of CBR, and its angular distribution on the sky, are examined in clear but critical detail: from the work of Penzias and Wilson in 1964, to results from NASA's Cosmic Microwave Background Explorer (COBE) satellite. This review takes these observations and shows how they have shaped our understanding of the early history of the Universe, and of the origin and evolution of the large-scale structures in it. As a reference this book is suitable for researchers, with introductory chapters in cosmology and radio astronomy provided for graduates in physics and astronomy entering into cosmology or CBR research.

Solar and Stellar Activity Cycles
  • Peter R. Wilson
  • Published online:
    27 October 2009
    Print publication:
    26 May 1994
  • How do you predict the parameters of future solar cycles? What is the role of dynamo theory in the cyclic activity of the Sun and similar stars? And what are the implications of chaos theory for stellar cycles? This book answers these questions and offers a timely review of studies in the cyclic activity of the Sun and other stars. This authoritative reference shows the importance of reliable predictions of the parameters of future solar cycles, and carefully explains the methods currently used to determine these (with special reference to the maximum of cycle 22). Some of the latest research into solar cycles is clearly presented; this includes helioseismology, observations of the extended activity cycle and the polar fields reversal, and contributions from dynamo theory and chaos theory. For graduate students and researchers, this monograph provides a much-needed synthesis of our understanding of activity cycles in the Sun and other stars.

Gamma-ray Astronomy
  • 2nd edition
  • P. V. Ramana Murthy, A. W. Wolfendale
  • Published online:
    06 July 2010
    Print publication:
    01 April 1993
  • The recent launch of NASA's Gamma-Ray Observatory will increase interest in gamma-ray astronomy. This is a fully up-dated new edition of the authors' earlier volume published in 1986 and covers both the background science and the current state-of-the-art in this field. The emphasis is on the astronomy and astrophysics of known sources of cosmic gamma-rays outside the solar system. The authors discuss the mechanisms for the production and absorption of gamma-rays. The gamma-ray line astronomy of the interstellar medium, galactic centre, and various discrete sources is then considered. Gamma-ray bursts are treated in considerable detail in chapter three, and the final two chapters describe medium energy and ultra-high energy gamma-rays. Relevant data from supernova SN1987A is also included in this edition. The book includes comprehensive references to the primary literature, together with many figures and tables. The concentration on phenomenology makes this book a fine introduction to gamma-ray astronomy.

Plasma Loops in the Solar Corona
  • R. J. Bray, L. E. Cram, C. Durrant, R. E. Loughhead
  • Published online:
    22 October 2009
    Print publication:
    18 July 1991
  • This book presents the first comprehensive account of the properties of plasma loops, the fundamental structural elements of the solar corona. Plasma loops cover a wide range of sizes, and range in temperature from tens of thousands to millions of degrees. They not only define the structure of individual active regions but connect different active regions - even across the solar equator. Loops also play an integral and decisive role in the enormous solar explosions called flares. Over recent years a wealth of space and ground-based observations of loops has been obtained in various widely-spaced regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this book the authors have selected the best observational material from the literature on which to base a detailed account of the properties of flare and non-flare loops. The book also explores the larger implications of the loop structures in our understanding of solar and stellar coronae. The text is enhanced by a large number of illustrations and unique and beautiful photographs obtained from the ground and from space.

Beams and Jets in Astrophysics
  • Edited by P. A. Hughes
  • Published online:
    01 March 2011
    Print publication:
    25 January 1991
  • This book is the first to provide students and researchers in the field of astrophysical jets with a comprehensive and up-to-date account of current research. An important feature of the book is that it combines discussions of both extragalactic and Galactic jets. There are ten chapters, authored by fourteen active researchers, each of whom is an expert on their chosen topic, and the book has been edited to provide a cohesive account of this field of study. This is the first volume to integrate studies of jets on all length scales. It will be an important textbook for graduate students, and a valuable reference source for researchers in many areas of extragalactic and Galactic astronomy. It will also be of interest to plasma physicists and space scientists.

X-ray Detectors in Astronomy
  • G. W. Fraser
  • Published online:
    21 May 2010
    Print publication:
    25 May 1989
  • First published in 1989, this book provides a comprehensive review of the detection techniques that are used in X-ray astronomy. Since the first discovery of a cosmic X-ray source in 1962, there has been rapid growth in X-ray astronomy, which has largely been made possible by enormous advances in the capabilities of photon counting instrumentation. The book describes the first 25 years of astronomical X-ray instrumentation and summarises the areas of current detector research, giving particular emphasis to imaging devices and to non-dispersive devices of high spectral resolution. It is the first book to give such a comprehensive treatment of the subject, and will provide astronomers with a valuable summary of detection techniques.

The Symbiotic Stars
  • S. J. Kenyon
  • Published online:
    26 May 2010
    Print publication:
    18 December 1986
  • Dr Kenyon has researched and assembled here all the existing data for the known symbiotic stars, in which a dwarf star accretes material from its red giant companion. In this book he summarises observational material covering the eruptive and quiescent phases of these objects, and emphasises the important astrophysical problems raised and resolved by results at infrared, optical, radio, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. Physical models for the eruptive and quiescent phases and the long-term evolution of symbiotic stars are discussed, with the goal of developing observational diagnostics that serve to test the basic theories. The book concludes with a detailed appendix and bibliography that will aid researchers interested in the history of individual symbiotic systems and confirm this volume as an indispensable handbook at any observatory where research on stellar objects in undertaken.

Quasar Astronomy
  • Daniel W. Weedman
  • Published online:
    18 December 2009
    Print publication:
    14 August 1986
  • This book utilises the author's twenty years of research experience to describe conclusions on the nature of quasars, their distribution, and their evolution in the universe. Concentrating on observational astrophysics rather than theory, Quasar Astronomy serves as both a summary of what is known about quasars and a guide to research methods and unanswered questions. After reviewing the cosmological framework and necessary equations, the book discusses all aspects of observed quasar properties. Techniques are summarised for analysing quasar data obtained with various kinds of telescopes and extensive references are given to recent publications. The major original contributions in chapters 5 and 6 deal with the distribution of quasars in spacetime, a subject extensively discussed in the current research literature. The book not only summarises existing results from various techniques but refers to the potentialities of new instruments that are presently being developed, resulting in a unified, up-to-date and practical account of the astronomy of quasars.

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