For a quantitative understanding of the physics of the universe - from the solar system through the milky way to clusters of galaxies all the way to cosmology - these edited lecture notes are perhaps among the most concise and also among the most critical ones: Astrophysics has not yet stood the redundancy test of laboratory physics, hence should be wary of early interpretations. Special chapters are devoted to magnetic and radiation processes, supernovae, disks, black-hole candidacy, bipolar flows, cosmic rays, gamma-ray bursts, image distortions, and special sources. At the same time, planet earth is viewed as the arena for life, with plants and animals having evolved to homo sapiens during cosmic time.

This text is unique in covering the basic qualitative and quantitative tools, formulae as well as numbers, needed for the precise interpretation of frontline phenomena in astrophysical research. The author compares mainstream interpretations with new and even controversial ones he wishes to emphasize.

The second edition includes numerous updates throughout the book and, in addition, it contains a list of alternative explanations to astrophysical findings that can be seen as a serious testing ground for young scientists.

Unique in covering all the basic tools and numbers required for an understanding of modern astrophysics, including a representative set of formulae, in a concise manner Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Prof. Wolfgang Kundt ist 1931 in Hamburg geboren worden, hat 1956 sein Diplom in Theoretischer Physik abgelegt, 1959 doktoriert und 1965 habilitiert. Er war ein Student von Pascual Jordan, anschließend hatte er eine Stelle in Hamburg inne, anschließend in Bonn (seit 1977). Kundt ist vielfach international tätig gewesen, so unter anderem am CERN, in London, Kyoto, Boston, Taiwan, Rio und Adana. Derzeit beschäftigt er sich mit planetarer Physik, Geophysik und Biophysik. Darüber hinaus ist Wolfang Kundt Director der Erice School on 'Neutron Stars, Active Galactic Nuclei, and Jets' (seit 1985). Der Autor hat über 275 Forschungsbeiträge veröffentlicht, darunter 8 Bücher.

Inhalt
Cosmic Structures.- Gas Dynamics.- Radiation and Spectra.- Thermal Processes.- Magnetic Fields.- Disks.- Star Formation.- Stellar Evolution.- Degenerate Stars.- High-Energy Radiation.- Bipolar Flows.- Image Distortions.- Special Sources.- Astrobiology.- Alternatives.- Answers to Problems.