Cosmological Enigmas: Pulsars, Quasars, and Other Deep-Space Questions

Mark Kidger, quot;Cosmological Enigmas: Pulsars, Quasars, and Other Deep-Space Questionsquot;
The Johns Hopkins University |272 pages | File type: PDF | 4,7 mb

The universe is big. Really big. And it gets bigger every day. In Cosmological Enigmas, Mark Kidger weaves together history, science, and science fiction to consider questions about the bigness of space and the strange objects that lie trembling at the edge of infinity.

What are quasars, blazars, and gamma-ray bursters? Could we ever travel to the stars? Can we really expect aliens to contact us? From the profound (what evidence do we have to support the big bang theory?) to the bizarre (can there be more than one universe and, if so, how many dimensions does it possess?) to the everyday-yet-profound (why is the sky dark at night?), Kidger explains not only what we know but how we came to know it. Reflecting on how stars shine and what may lie beyond the edge of the universe, Kidger takes us on the ultimate cosmic journey.

Astronomical Optics

Astronomical Optics
Publisher: Academic Press | File type: PDF | 352 pages | 16,5 mb

Written by a recognized expert in the field, this clearly presented, well-illustrated book provides both advanced level students and professionals with an authoritative, thorough presentation of the characteristics, including advantages and limitations, of telescopes and spectrographic instruments used by astronomers of today.

Space and Astronomy: An Illustrated Guide to Science

Diagram Group, quot;Space and Astronomy: An Illustrated Guide to Sciencequot;
Chelsea House Publications | 208 pages | File type: PDF | 16,9 mb

quot;Space and Astronomy: An Illustrated Guide to Sciencequot; is one of eight volumes in quot;Facts On File'squot; new quot;Science Visual Resourcesquot; set. Containing eight sections, a comprehensive glossary, a Web site guide, and an index, quot;Space and Astronomyquot; is an ideal learning tool for students and teachers of science. Full-color diagrams, graphs, charts, and maps on every page illustrate the essential elements of the subject, while parallel text pres key definitions and step-by-step explanations. The eight sections include: quot;The Universequot; - pres an overview of the physical dimensions of space and current theories concerning the origin and eventual fate of the universe. This section also defines and illustrates the main classes of objects, from black holes to binary stars, that populate the known universe; quot;The Sun's Familyquot; - examines our solar system and defines all the classes of celestial bodies that it includes. There are detailed comparisons of all nine planets, as well as information about asteroids, meteoroids, moons, and the Sun; and quot;Astronomyquot; - is concerned with the human effort to observe and understand objects beyond the Earth from the earliest times to the present day. It describes the different methods of astronomy that are used to examine the universe across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It also includes: quot;Space Travelquot; - is an overview of the practical and theoretical challenges of getting into space and traveling through it. Everything from the basics of celestial mechanics to the advantages and disadvantages of different types of propulsion systems is covered in this section; quot;Uncrewed Explorationquot; - is a history of the exploration of space by uncrewed spacecraft; and quot;Crewed Explorationquot; is a history of the human exploration of space from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong and the crews of the International Space Station. Space Shuttle and Using Space are concerned with the economic and scientific importance of space travel today. The many classes of satellite that pre the world with communications and vital data are examined here...

Stability and Chaos in Celestial Mechanics

Alessandra Celletti, quot;Stability and Chaos in Celestial Mechanicsquot;
Springer | 2009 | 264 pages | File type: PDF | 4,3 mb
Alessandra Celletti��s proposed book presents classical celestial mechanics and its interplay with dynamical systems in a way that would be suitable for advance level undergraduate students as well as postgraduate students and researchers. First she uses paradigmatic models, such as the logistic map or the standard map, to introduce the reader to the concepts of order, chaos, invariant curves, cantori, etc. The main numerical methods to investigate a dynamical system are presented: Poincare' maps, Lyapunov exponents, frequency analysis, Fast Lyapunov Indicators, etc. Then she reviews the classical two-body problem and proceeds to explore the three-body model in order to investigate orbital resonances and Lagrange solutions. As far as rotational dynamics are concerned, she details the derivation of the rigid body motion, and continues by discussing related topics, from spin-orbit resonances to dumbbell satellite dynamics.

Perturbation theory is then explored in full detail, both in classical, resonant and degenerate cases; practical examples of the application of perturbation theory are presented in connection to the precession of the perihelion or to the precession of the equinoxes. The main ideas of KAM theory are provided, and also a dissipative version of the theorem is discussed; furthermore long-term stability and converse KAM results are presented. She then explains the implementation of computer-assisted techniques, which allow the user to obtain rigorous results in good agreement with the astronomical expectations.

A perturbative approach to find periodic orbits is presented together with an application to the computation of the libration in longitude of the Moon. The study of collisions in the solar system is approached through regularization theory...

Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and Atmosphere of the Sun

S. Hasan, R. J. Rutten Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and Atmosphere of the Sun (Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings)
Springer | 2010 | 548 pages | File type: PDF | 15 mb
These are the proceedings of the conference on Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the Atmosphere of the Sun held December 2-5, 2008, which was planned to coincide with the centenary of the discovery of the Evershed effect at Kodaikanal in 1909. The aim of this meeting was to bring a critical focus to the comprehensive understanding of the important issues pertaining to solar magnetism, with particular emphasis on the various MHD processes that operate in the solar atmosphere. The participants reviewed the current status of magnetic field measurements and their implications with regard to recent theories and numerical models that address the fundamental scales and processes in the highly magnetized, turbulent plasma. The conference also provided a platform for in-depth discussions of new results from various space missions, as well as a comparison with ground-based observing facilities such as the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope...

Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Near Side of the Moon

Charles J. Byrne, quot;Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Near Side of the Moonquot;
Springer | 329 pages | File type: PDF | 66 mb

In 1967, Lunar Orbiter Mission 4 sent back to Earth a superb series of photographs of the surface of the Moon, despite severe degradation caused by scanning artifacts and the reconstruction processes involved in transmission from lunar orbit.

Using 21st century techniques, Charles Byrne ? previously System Engineer of the Apollo Program for Lunar Orbiter Photography ? has removed the artifacts and imperfections to produce the most comprehensive and beautifully detailed set of images of the lunar surface.

The book has been organized to make it easy for astronomers to use, enabling ground-based images and views to be compared with the Orbiter photographs. The photographs are striking for their consistent Sun angles (for uniform appearance). All features have been identified with their current IAU-approved names, and each photograph has been located in terms of latitude and longitude. To help practical astronomers, all the photographs are systematically related to an Earth-based view.

The Rainbow Sky: An Exploration of Colors in the Solar System and Beyond

Tony Buick, quot;The Rainbow Sky: An Exploration of Colors in the Solar System and Beyondquot;
Springer | 2009 | 359 pages | File type: PDF | 32,3 mb
There are many more astronomical and meteorological phenomena involving color than most people are aware of, let alone have observed. Visual double stars with contrasting color are obvious targets for amateur astronomers, but there are many more - everything from colors on the Moon, through colors on the planets and in deep-sky objects, to man-made colors in the night sky. A great deal of these colored phenomena can be seen with the unaided eye, and can be visible in - and imaged with - a modest telescope, but all require preparation, anticipation and planning. The result will be some breathtaking sights, along with some amazing images.

Just browsing through this book will captivate the reader. Some events are familiar but present severe challenges to photograph. Some can be captured only by using previously unfamiliar techniques. And it is almost certain that some will never have been seen before by readers.

All the colored objects and phenomena are accessible by using the right techniques, for which Tony Buick provides easy-to-follow instructions...

Mars: From Myth and Mystery to Recent Discoveries

Mars: From Myth and Mystery to Recent Discoveries By Markus Hotakainen
Publisher: Springer | 256 Pages |File type: PDF | 13 mb

This book tells the story of Mars since the dawn of mankind's curiosity for celestial wonders and the ancient beliefs through the revolution in our concepts of the cosmos around us in the 1600's to the present day knowledge and beyond, all the way to the futuristic visions of science fiction and terraformed Mars with conditions suitable to Earth life. It also tells the story of Martian life: pluralistic view of the 1700's with all the bodies of the Solar System being thought to be inhabited, certainty on the existence of Martian civilization in the end of the 1800's and the beginning of the 1900's based on the observations of canals, the sudden death of Mars in the 1960's due to the images sent back by the first space probes, and the resurrection in the 1990's and 2000's due to the controversial findings in Martian meteorite ALH84001 and ever-increasing evidence for the watery and possibly more temperate past of Mars. All this is told in a very readable form with no math nor terminology only the experts in the field are familiar with. The up-to-date text is supported by both informative imagery and a simple, but inspiring layout with some special features like a flip movie of the rotation of Mars and a very illustrative comparison of the distances of the Martian satellites versus the distance of our Moon from their respective parent planets.

How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera

How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera
Publisher: Springer | edition 2006 | File type: PDF | 270 pages | 26,1 mb

Since the advent of astronomical CCD imaging it has been possible for amateurs to produce images of a quality that was attainable only by universities and professional observatories just a decade ago. However, astronomical CCD cameras are still very expensive, and technology has now progressed so that digital cameras �C the kind you use on holiday �C are more than capable of photographing the brighter astronomical objects, notably the Moon and major planets.
Tony Buick has worked for two years on the techniques involved, and has written this illustrated step-by-step manual for anyone who has a telescope (of any size) and a digital camera. The color images he has produced �C there are over 300 of them in the book �C are of breathtaking quality.
His book is more than a manual of techniques (including details of how to make a low-cost DIY camera mount) and examples; it also provides a concise photographic atlas of the whole of the nearside of the Moon �C with every image made using a standard digital camera �C and describes the various lunar features, including the sites of manned and robotic landings.

Astrophysical Concepts

Astrophysical Concepts
Publisher: Springer | edition 2000 | File type: PDF | 651 pages | 19,7 mb

This is a popular book among professional astrophysicists, produced with that meticulous detail and completeness of the house of Springer �� This is indeed a theoretician��s book [and] Harwit has made a prodigious effort in organizing all this information in a logical sequence �� A masterly mathematical exposition of a galaxy of astrophysical processes.

The Principles of Astronomical Telescope Design

Jingquan Cheng, quot;The Principles of Astronomical Telescope Designquot;
Springer | 2009 | 634 pages | File type: PDF | 10,3 mb

This book presents a complete summary of the author's twenty five years of experience in telescope design. It provides a general introduction to every aspect of telescope design. It also discusses the theory behind telescope design in depth, which makes it a good reference book for professionals. It covers Radio, Infrared, Optical, X-Ray and Gamma-Ray wavelengths. Originally published in Chinese.

Substance Abuse Treatment for Youth and Adults: Clinician's Guide to Evidence-Based Practice

Substance Abuse Treatment for Youth and Adults: Clinician's Guide to Evidence-Based Practice (Re-post)
Publisher:Wiley | Pages:432 | File type: PDF | 3 mb

quot;David Springer and Allen Rubin have compiled a valuable practice guide for any professional who works with substance�Cabusing youth or adults. This is a volume that should be on every practitioner��s bookshelf!quot;
�CC. Aaron McNeece, Dean and Walter W. Hudson Professor (Emeritus), College of Social Work, Florida State University

quot;This edited book is an important addition for clinicians wishing to incorporate the latest in evidence�Cbased practices into their work with substance abusing clients. The detailed descriptions, case examples and supportive materials in each chapter provide invaluable guidelines to both beginning and experienced clinicians. It is a book that belongs in the libraries of all substance abuse educators, students and clinicians.quot;
�CS. Lala A. Straussner, Professor and Director, Post�CMaster��s Certificate Program in the Clinical Approaches to Addictions Treatment, Silver School of Social Work, New York University

quot;A major stumbling block to adoption of evidence�Cbased practice in the real world of clinical practice has been the absence of clinician�Cfriendly guides. Such guides need to be understandable, free of technical research jargon, infused with clinical expertise, and rich with real�Clife examples. Rubin and Springer have hit a home run with this series, which has all of these characteristics and more.quot;
�CEdward J. Mullen, Willma Albert Musher Chair and Professor, Columbia University
Product Description State�Cof�Cthe�Cart, empirical support for the treatmentof substance abuse

Part of the Clinician��s Guide to Evidence�CBased Practice Series, Substance Abuse Treatment for Youth and Adults provides busy mental health practitioners with detailed, step�Cby�Cstep guidance for implementing clinical interventions that are supported by the latest scientific evidence.

Edited by renowned educators David W. Springer and Allen Rubin, this thorough yet practical reference draws on a roster of experts and researchers in the field who have assembled state�Cof�Cthe�Cart knowledge into this well�Crounded guide. Each chapter serves as a practitioner�Cfocused how�Cto guide and covers interventions that have the best empirical support for treating substance abuse problems, including:

* Family behavior therapy for substance abuse and associated problems
* Motivational interviewing
* Problem solving and social skills training
* Adolescent community reinforcement approach (A�CCRA)
* Cognitive behavioral coping skills therapy for adults
* Seeking Safety treatment for clients with PTSD and substance abuse

Easy�Cto�Cuse and accessible in tone, Substance Abuse Treatment for Youth and Adults is an indispensable resource for practitioners who would like to implement evidence�Cbased, compassionate, effective interventions in their care of substance�Cabusing clients.

Scattering of Photons by Many-Electron Systems

Scattering of Photons by Many-Electron Systems
Springer | Pages: 133 | File type: PDF | 1.4 mb

This book deals with quantum physical calculations of anomalous scattering of photons by bound electrons. The main attention is paid to studies of the process of photon scattering in the energy range of deep levels of such many-electron systems as atoms, atomic ions and simple molecules. The book is written for scientists and graduate students, working in the field of atomic and molecular spectroscopy, physics of plasmas, lasers, solid state, ionizing radiation and astrophysics. It can also be used as additional textbook for a special topic of quantum mechanics.

Further Linear Algebra

Further Linear Algebra
Publisher: Springer | pages: 235 |File type: PDF | 10,9 mb

Further Linear Algebra is a natural sequel to the authors' highly acclaimed Basic Linear Algebra (ISBN 3-540-76122-5). The more advanced topics covered here take the reader to the very heart of the subject, and include inner product spaces, direct sums of subspaces, the primary decomposition theorem and various canonical forms for matrices. Furthermore, the authors provide a brief introduction to the use of MAPLE in linear algebra calculations, and biographical profiles of eminent mathematicians associated with the subject.

Noncommutative Stationary Processes (Lecture Notes in Mathematics)

Noncommutative Stationary Processes (Lecture Notes in Mathematics)
Publisher: Springer | File type: PDF | 181 pages | 12,4 mb
Quantum probability and the theory of operator algebras are both concerned with the study of noncommutative dynamics. Focusing on stationary processes with discrete-time parameter, this book presents (without many prerequisites) some basic problems of interest to both fields, on topics including extensions and dilations of completely positive maps, Markov property and adaptedness, endomorphisms of operator algebras and the applications arising from the interplay of these themes. Much of the material is new, but many interesting questions are accessible even to the reader equipped only with basic knowledge of quantum probability and operator algebras.

Readings in Virtual Research Ethics: Issues and Controversies {Repost}

Readings in Virtual Research Ethics: Issues and Controversies
Publisher: Information Science Publishing | File type: PDF | 379 pages | 12,6 mb
Readings in Virtual Research Ethics: Issues and Controversies provides an in-depth look at the emerging field of online research and the corresponding ethical dilemmas associated with it. Issues related to traditional research ethics such as autonomy or respect for persons, justice, and beneficence are extended into the virtual realm and such areas as subject selection and recruitment, informed consent, privacy, ownership of data, and research with minors, among many others are explored in the media and contexts of email surveys and interviews, synchronous chat, virtual ethnography, asynchronous discussion lists, and newsgroups.

Fundamentals of Quantum Chemistry: Molecular Spectroscopy and Modern Electronic Structure Computations

Fundamentals of Quantum Chemistry: Molecular Spectroscopy and Modern Electronic Structure Computations
Publisher: Kap/Plenum| File type: PDF | 280 pages | 12,6 mb
Fundamentals of Quantum Chemistry: Molecular Spectroscopy and Modern Electronic Structure Computations..

The New Space Race: China vs. USA

Erik Seedhouse, quot;The New Space Race: China vs. USAquot;
Springer | 2010 |256 pages | File type: PDF | 12,4 mb

The world��s most populous nation views space as an asset, not only from a technological and commercial perspective, but also from a political and militaristic one. The repercussions of this ideology already extend far beyond Washington. China vs. United States offers a glimpse of future Chinese aspirations in space and the politico-militaristic implications of a looming space race, and explains why an interplanetary spaceship called the Tsien Hsue Shen might one day travel to the outer planets.
Until China successfully launched taikonauts into orbit, China��s space program had attracted little international attention. The book opens with an analysis of the short fifteen-year history of the China National Space Administration and its long list of accomplishments. Chapter 2 assesses Sino-U.S. technological and commercial interests in space and their implications in fuelling a potential space race. The national security objectives of the U.S. and China are examined, showing how their intentions are increasingly leading to the military integration of space technologies. Chapter 3 describes China��s anxieties about U.S. space power, its obsession with national prestige, and how manned spaceflight is viewed as a crucial element to sustain the legitimacy of the Communist Party. China is currently focusing on similar goals to those of NASA��s Constellation Program - lunar and Mars exploration. The following chapter examines the ambitious plans of both nations, and evaluates whether China��s bold goal of landing taikonauts on the Moon by 2020 is matched by the necessary capability.
In Chapter 5 Dr Seedhouse describes the space hardware being developed by the U.S. and China and the strides taken by China in its attempt to match the technological capability of the U.S. The following chapter provides an overview of China��s introductory manned spaceflights and shows how, despite a lack of experience, the Chinese may soon be in a position to challenge the U.S. in a race to the Moon. In Chapter 7, the author discusses how China��s manned space program can boost the country��s international prestige and also examines the notion of manned spaceflight as a risky way to boost national status and the potential implications of a disaster akin to Challenger and Columbia.
Chapter 8 addresses the questions of alliances and cooperation between NASA and ESA and China and Russia, or, alternatively, the U.S. and China pursuing their space ambitions alone. The implications of each way forward in the context of a looming competition in space are considered. Chapter 9 discusses the repercussions of a Chinese space program overtaking NASA and whether the U.S. has the political will to advance its own space program to prevent its position as sole space superpower being usurped. Given the mutual suspicions existing in both countries, it is perhaps inevitable that Washington and Beijing are on a collision course in space. The final chapter describes the implications of such a confrontation and discusses what, if anything, can be done to avert a new space race...

Nanoscale Magnetic Materials and Applications

J. Ping Liu, Eric Fullerton, Oliver Gutfleisch, D.J. Sellmyer, quot;Nanoscale Magnetic Materials and Applicationsquot;
Springer | 2009 | 732 pages | File type: PDF | 16,9 mb
Nanoscale Magnetic Materials and Applications covers exciting new developments in the field of advanced magnetic materials. Readers will find valuable reviews of the current experimental and theoretical work on novel magnetic structures, nanocomposite magnets, spintronic materials, domain structure and domain-wall motion, in addition to nanoparticles and patterned magnetic recording media.

Cutting-edge applications in the field are described by leading experts from academic and industrial communities. These include new devices based on domain wall motion, magnetic sensors derived from both giant and tunneling magnetoresistance, thin film devices in micro-electromechanical systems, and nanoparticle applications in biomedicine.

In addition to providing an introduction to the advances in magnetic materials and applications at the nanoscale, this volume also presents emerging materials and phenomena, such as magnetocaloric and ferromagnetic shape memory materials, which motivate future development in this exciting field.

Nanoscale Magnetic Materials and Applications also features a foreword written by Peter Gr��nberg, recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Organic Crystal Engineering: Frontiers in Crystal Engineering

Prof Edward R.T. Tiekink, Jagadese Vittal, Michael Zaworotk, quot;Organic Crystal Engineering: Frontiers in Crystal Engineeringquot;
Wiley | 2010 | 336 pages | File type: PDF | 8 mb
Organic Crystal Engineering provides reviews of topics in organic crystal engineering that will be of interest to all researchers in molecular solid-state chemistry. Specialist reviews written by internationally recognized researchers, drawn from both academia and industry, cover topics including crystal structure prediction features, polymorphism, reactions in the solid-state, designing new arrays and delineating prominent intermolecular forces for important organic molecules.

Lectures on Solar and Planetary Dynamos

M. R. E. Proctor, A. D. Gilbert, quot;Lectures on Solar and Planetary Dynamosquot;
Cambridge University Press | 1995 | 392 pages | File type: PDF | 6,9 mb

Dynamo theory is the study of the generation and maintenance of magnetic fields by fluid motion. It is important in many areas of physics, ranging from stellar and galactic dynamics, through solar physics and geomagnetism to reactor physics. This volume is the only modern introduction to the subject, and is comprised of the lectures given by leading specialists for an intensive course held at the Newton Institute in Cambridge, U.K. as part of a NATO Advanced Study Institute. Topics covered include planetary and solar dynamos, fast dynamos, and the use of symmetry principles to derive evolution equations. Each chapter starts with background material and goes right up to the forefront of current research. Detailed bibliographies are provided. This book will be welcome reading for graduate students in planetary and solar physics, plasma physics, and astrophysics....