Stellar Explosions by Jose, Jordi;

Short description:

Written by a specialist in stellar astrophysics, this book presents a rigorous but accessible treatment of the physics of stellar explosions from a multidisciplinary perspective at the crossroads of computational astrophysics, observational astronomy, cosmochemistry, and nuclear physics. Basic concepts from all these different fields are applied to the study of classical and recurrent novae, type I and II supernovae, X-ray bursts and superbursts, and stellar mergers. The book shows how a multidisciplinary approach has been instrumental in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in stars.

Long description:

Stars are the main factories of element production in the universe through a suite of complex and intertwined physical processes. Such stellar alchemy is driven by multiple nuclear interactions that through eons have transformed the pristine, metal-poor ashes leftover by the Big Bang into a cosmos with 100 distinct chemical species. The products of stellar nucleosynthesis frequently get mixed inside stars by convective transport or through hydrodynamic instabilities, and a fraction of them is eventually ejected into the interstellar medium, thus polluting the cosmos with gas and dust.

The study of the physics of the stars and their role as nucleosynthesis factories owes much to cross-fertilization of different, somehow disconnected fields, ranging from observational astronomy, computational astrophysics, and cosmochemistry to experimental and theoretical nuclear physics. Few books have simultaneously addressed the multidisciplinary nature of this field in an engaging way suitable for students and young scientists.

Providing the required multidisciplinary background in a coherent way has been the driving force for Stellar Explosions: Hydrodynamics and Nucleosynthesis. Written by a specialist in stellar astrophysics, this book presents a rigorous but accessible treatment of the physics of stellar explosions from a multidisciplinary perspective at the crossroads of computational astrophysics, observational astronomy, cosmochemistry, and nuclear physics. Basic concepts from all these different fields are applied to the study of classical and recurrent novae, type I and II supernovae, X-ray bursts and superbursts, and stellar mergers. The book shows how a multidisciplinary approach has been instrumental in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in stars, particularly during explosive events.

"The text is well-written throughout and treats the topic with mathematical rigour. It is fully referenced to scientific publications, mostly journal articles...the book features end-of-chapter problems with solutions available on the corresponding CRC website. As a nice feature, there are also end-of-chapter boxes with the main take-home messages and open scientific problems for each topic. The text is illustrated by numerous black and white figures and photographs...Owing to this breadth of scientific work involved in the discussion, the book may not only be recommended as a textbook for students taking a corresponding course within astronomy or astrophysics, but also as a reference for more advanced readers."
—Manuel Vogel, in Contemporary Physics (October 2016)

"In this thorough textbook, José uniquely and ambitiously addresses stellar astrophysics from a theoretical, a computational, and an observational perspective. The book is written to introduce astronomers to underlying nuclear physics and to introduce physicists to the observational astronomy of these systems. Many researchers utilize advanced computational modeling to study phenomena such as novae and supernovae; José presents an excellent overview of the types of codes used as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each. Along with the appendix, a sample FORTRAN code, useful for learning the techniques in more advanced codes, is presented. For researchers studying stellar explosions and their connection to the creation of elements in the universe, each chapter provides derivations and quantitative analysis necessary to understand astronomical observations of these phenomena. Models are also used to interpret the observations. Helpful features within the text are chapters ending with a summary and a page of unsolved problems currently under investigation in the astronomical community."
— Dr. C. Palma, Pennsylvania State University, in Choice (Octob

Table of Contents:

Computational Hydrodynamics. Nuclear Physics. Cosmochemistry and Presolar Grains. Classical and Recurrent Novae. Type Ia Supernovae. X-Ray Bursts and Superbursts. Core-Collapse Supernovae. Appendices.