From Twilight to Highlight: The Physics of Supernovae


Book Description

Supernovae, their bearing on cosmology and their connection to gamma-ray bursts are now at the center of astrophysical research programs. This volume deals with astronomical observations of supernovae and their relation to nuclear and particle astrophysics. All known aspects of supernovae explosions are investigated in articles specifically written for researchers and advanced graduate students. It also includes recent numerical "experiments" related to the question of hydrodynamical instability in two and three dimensions and to problems concerning the complexity of radiation transport in the models. Other contributions discuss the possible energy sources needed to drive these powerful stellar explosions.







Cosmic Explosions


Book Description

Supernovae are among the most energetic phenomena in the Universe and - lated to almost all aspects of modern astrophysics including starburst gal- ies, cosmic ray acceleration, neutron star and black hole formation, nuc- osynthesis and ISM chemical enrichment, energy input to the ISM, cosmic distance scale determination, dark energy related cosmological acceleration, gamma-ray bursts, extra-solar system neutrino burst detection, gravity wave generation, and many more. Additionally, the past 15 years have been p- ticularly productive with many new results and new understanding due in particular to the closest SN in 400 years in SN 1987A in the Large M- ellanic Cloud, and the unusually bright and close SN 1993J and SN 1994I in the nearby galaxies M81 and M51, respectively. In addition, the disc- ery of the ?-ray burst GRB 980425 and its related supernova SN 1998bw, and the con?rmation of GRB 030329/SN 2003dh, tied the study of SNe and GRBs inextricably together. With the many developments since the last - jor supernova meeting in La Serena, Chile in 1997, we felt that it was an appropriate time to bring together experts and students interested in the subject for a meeting where SN and GRB properties and interrelationships could be discussed. The tenth anniversary of SN 1993J provided such an - portunity and, appropriately, the meeting was held in Spain where SN 1993J was discovered on the early morning of 28 March 1993 by a Spanish amateur astronomer, Francisco Garc ́ ?a.




Open Issues in Core Collapse Supernova Theory


Book Description

Efforts to uncover the explosion mechanism of core collapse supernovae and to understand all of their associated phenomena have been ongoing for nearly four decades. Despite this, our theoretical understanding of these cosmic events remains limited; two- and three-dimensional modeling of these events is in its infancy. Most of the modeling efforts over the past four decades have, by necessity, been constrained to spherical symmetry, with the first two-dimensional, albeit simplified, models appearing only during the last decade. Simulations to understand the complex interplay between the turbulent stellar core fluid flow, its magnetic fields, the neutrinos produced in and emanating from the proto-neutron star, the stellar core rotation, and the strong gravitational fields have yet to be performed. Only subsets of these fundamental ingredients have been included in the models thus far, often with approximation. The purpose of this volume is to identify the outstanding issues that remain in order to come to a complete understanding of these important astrophysical events. As the book focuses on open issues rather than the current state of the art in the field OCo although the latter will certainly be discussed OCo it will remain relevant for some time."




The Physics and Astrophysics of Neutron Stars


Book Description

This book summarizes the recent progress in the physics and astrophysics of neutron stars and, most importantly, it identifies and develops effective strategies to explore, both theoretically and observationally, the many remaining open questions in the field. Because of its significance in the solution of many fundamental questions in nuclear physics, astrophysics and gravitational physics, the study of neutron stars has seen enormous progress over the last years and has been very successful in improving our understanding in these fascinating compact objects. The book addresses a wide spectrum of readers, from students to senior researchers. Thirteen chapters written by internationally renowned experts offer a thorough overview of the various facets of this interdisciplinary science, from neutron star formation in supernovae, pulsars, equations of state super dense matter, gravitational wave emission, to alternative theories of gravity. The book was initiated by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action MP1304 “Exploring fundamental physics with compact stars” (NewCompStar).




Encyclopedia of Astrobiology


Book Description

Astrobiology is a remarkably interdisciplinary field. This reference serves as a key to understanding technical terms from the different subfields of astrobiology, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, the geosciences and the space sciences.




Cosmic Explosions in Three Dimensions


Book Description

Supernovae and gamma-ray bursts are the strongest explosions in the Universe. Observations show that, rather than being symmetrical, they are driven by strong jets of energy and other asymmetrical effects. These observations demand theories and computations that challenge the biggest computers. This volume marks the transition to a fresh paradigm in the study of stellar explosions. It highlights the burgeoning era of routine supernova polarimetry and the insights into core collapse and thermonuclear explosions. With chapters by leading scientists, the book summarises the status of a fresh perspective on stellar explosions and should be a valuable resource for graduate students and research scientists.




Science Perspectives for 3D Spectroscopy


Book Description

This volume contains the proceedings of possibly the last conference ever on integral-field spectroscopy. The contributors, noted authorities in the field, focus on the scientific questions that can be answered with integral-field spectroscopy, ranging from solar system studies all the way to high redshift surveys. Overall readers get a state-of-the-science review of astronomical 3D spectroscopy.




The Many Facets of Cosmic Explosions


Book Description

Over the past few years, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), including the subclass of X-ray flashes (XRFs), have been revealed to be a rare variety of Type Ibc supernova (SN Ibc). While all these events result from the death of massive stars, the electromagnetic luminosities of GRBs and XRFs exceed those of ordinary Type Ibc SNe by many orders of magnitude. The observed diversity of stellar death corresponds to large variations in the energy, velocity, and geometry of the explosion ejecta. Using multi-wavelength (radio, optical, X-ray) observations of the nearest GRBs, XRFs, and SNe Ibc, I show that GRBs and XRFs couple at least 1048 erg to relativistic material while SNe Ibc typically couple less than 1048 erg to their fastest (albeit non-relativistic) outflows. Specifically, I find that less than 3 percent of local SNe Ibc show any evidence for association with a GRB or XRF. Interestingly, this dichotomy is not echoed by the properties of their optical SN emission, dominated by the radioactive decay of Nickel-56; I find that GRBs, XRFs, and SNe Ibc show significant overlap in their optical peak luminosity and photospheric velocities. Recently, I identified a new class of GRBs and XRFs that are under-luminous in comparison with the statistical sample of GRBs. Owing to their faint high-energy emission, these sub-energetic bursts are only detectable nearby (z




Stellar Collapse


Book Description

Supernovae, hypernovae and gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic explosions in the universe. The light from these outbursts is, for a brief time, comparable to billions of stars and can outshine the host galaxy within which the explosions reside. Most of the heavy elements in the universe are formed within these energetic explosions. Surprisingly enough, the collapse of massive stars is the primary source of not just one, but all three of these explosions. As all of these explosions arise from stellar collapse, to understand one requires an understanding of the others. Stellar Collapse marks the first book to combine discussions of all three phenomena, focusing on the similarities and differences between them. Designed for graduate students and scientists newly entering this field, this book provides a review not only of these explosions, but the detailed physical models used to explain them from the numerical techniques used to model neutrino transport and gamma-ray transport to the detailed nuclear physics behind the evolution of the collapse to the observations that have led to these three classes of explosions.