50 Years of Brown Dwarfs

50 Years of Brown Dwarfs PDF Author: Viki Joergens
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319011626
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
The years 2012/2013 mark the 50th anniversary of the theoretical prediction that Brown Dwarfs, i.e. degenerate objects which are just not massive enough to sustain stable hydrogen fusion, exist. Some 20 years after their discovery, how Brown Dwarfs form is still one of the main open questions in the theory of star formation. In this volume, the pioneers of Brown Dwarf research review the history of the theoretical prediction and the subsequent discovery of Brown Dwarfs. After an introduction, written by Viki Joergens, reviewing Shiv Kumar's theoretical prediction of the existence of brown dwarfs, Takenori Nakano reviews his and Hayashi's calculation of the Hydrogen Burning Minimum Mass. Both predictions happened in the early 1960s. Jill Tarter then writes on the introduction of the term 'Brown Dwarf', before Ben Oppenheimer, Rafael Rebolo and Gibor Basri describe their first discovery of Brown Dwarfs in the 1990s. Lastly, Michael Cushing and Isabelle Baraffe describe the development of the field to the current state of the art. While the book is mainly aimed at the Brown Dwarf research community, the description of the pioneering period in a scientific field will attract general readers interested in astronomy as well.

50 Years of Brown Dwarfs

50 Years of Brown Dwarfs PDF Author: Viki Joergens
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319011626
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174

Get Book Here

Book Description
The years 2012/2013 mark the 50th anniversary of the theoretical prediction that Brown Dwarfs, i.e. degenerate objects which are just not massive enough to sustain stable hydrogen fusion, exist. Some 20 years after their discovery, how Brown Dwarfs form is still one of the main open questions in the theory of star formation. In this volume, the pioneers of Brown Dwarf research review the history of the theoretical prediction and the subsequent discovery of Brown Dwarfs. After an introduction, written by Viki Joergens, reviewing Shiv Kumar's theoretical prediction of the existence of brown dwarfs, Takenori Nakano reviews his and Hayashi's calculation of the Hydrogen Burning Minimum Mass. Both predictions happened in the early 1960s. Jill Tarter then writes on the introduction of the term 'Brown Dwarf', before Ben Oppenheimer, Rafael Rebolo and Gibor Basri describe their first discovery of Brown Dwarfs in the 1990s. Lastly, Michael Cushing and Isabelle Baraffe describe the development of the field to the current state of the art. While the book is mainly aimed at the Brown Dwarf research community, the description of the pioneering period in a scientific field will attract general readers interested in astronomy as well.

Very Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs

Very Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs PDF Author: Rafael Rebolo
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521663359
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
This volume provides a state-of-the-art review of our current knowledge of brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars. The hunt for and study of these elusive objects is currently one of the most dynamic areas of research in astronomy for two reasons. Brown dwarfs bridge the gap between stars and planets, and they may constitute an important part of the 'dark matter' of the Universe. This volume presents review articles from a team of international authorities who gathered at a conference in La Palma to assess the spectacular progress that has been made in this field in the last few years.

The Initial Mass Function 50 Years Later

The Initial Mass Function 50 Years Later PDF Author: Edvige Corbelli
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402034075
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 551

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Book Description
Theideatocelebrate50yearsoftheSalpeterIMFoccurredduringtherecent IAU General Assembly in Sydney, Australia. Indeed, it was from Australia that in July 1954 Ed Salpeter submitted his famous paper "The Luminosity Function and Stellar Evolution" with the rst derivation of the empirical stellar IMF. This contribution was to become one of the most famous astrophysics papers of the last 50 years. Here, Ed Salpeter introduced the terms "original mass function" and "original luminosity function", and estimated the pro- bility for the creation of stars of given mass at a particular time, now known as the "Salpeter Initial Mass Function", or IMF. The paper was written at the Australian National University in Canberra on leave of absence from Cornell University (USA) and was published in 1955 as 7 page note in the Astroph- ical Journal Vol. 121, page 161. To celabrate the 50th anniversary of the IMF, along with Ed Salpeter’s 80th birthday, we have organized a special meeting that brought together scientists involved in the empirical determination of this fundamental quantity in a va- ety of astrophysical contexts and other scientists fascinated by the deep imp- cations of the IMF on star formation theories, on the physical conditions of the gas before and after star formation, and on galactic evolution and cosmology. The meeting took place in one of the most beautiful spots of the Tuscan countryside, far from the noise and haste of everyday life.

Stars and Stellar Evolution

Stars and Stellar Evolution PDF Author: Klaas Sjoerds de Boer
Publisher:
ISBN: 2759803562
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
The diverse forms that stars assume in the course of their lives can all be derived from the initial conditions: the mass and the original chemical composition. In this textbook Stars and Stellar Evolution the basic concepts of stellar structure and the main roads of stellar evolution are described. First, the observable parameters are presented, which are based on the radiation emerging from a stellar atmosphere. Then the basic physics is described, such as the physics of gases, radiation transport, and nuclear processes, followed by essential aspects of modelling the structure of stars. After a chapter on star formation, the various steps in the evolution of stars are presented. This leads us to brown dwarfs, to the way a star changes into the red-giant state and numerous other stages of evolution and ultimately to the stellar ashes such as white dwarfs, supernovae and neutron stars. Stellar winds, stellar rotation and convection all in uence the way a star evolves. The evolution of binary stars is included by using several canonical examples in which interactive processes lead to X-ray binaries and supernovae of type Ia. Finally, the consequences of the study of stellar evolution are tied to observed mass and luminosity functions and to the overall evolution of matter in the universe. The authors aim at reaching an understanding of stars and their evolution by both graduate students and astronomers who are not themselves investigating stars. To that end, numerous graphs and sketches, among which the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is the dominant one, help trace the ways of stellar evolution. Ample references to specialised review articles as well as to relevant research papers are included.

Through the Eyes of Hubble

Through the Eyes of Hubble PDF Author: R Naeye
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9780750304849
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
Robert Naeye is renowned for his lucid contributions to Astronomy, the world's biggest selling astronomy magazine. In Through the Eyes of Hubble: The Birth, Life and Violent Death of Stars, he uses 100 striking color images from the Hubble Space Telescope to illuminate the mind-stretching story of how stars are born, live, and die. Although focusing on astrophysics, the account is compelling, equation free, and accessible to everyone. In addition, there are eight beautiful paintings to appreciate, including works by the most famous living space artist, Michael Carroll.

A Story of More Than 5000 Worlds

A Story of More Than 5000 Worlds PDF Author: Dr. Alejandro Ruiz Rivera
Publisher: Alejandro Ruiz Rivera
ISBN: 1763565408
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
Immerse yourself on an interstellar journey through "A Story of More than 5000 Worlds'' as it explores the fascinating story of celestial discovery and the enduring quest of researchers and scientists to find life beyond Earth. This comprehensive book navigates the intricacies of star and planet formation, shedding light on the enigmatic life cycle of stars like our Sun to pulsars and black holes and the dynamic processes that define the fate of planets. Marvel at the ingenuity of exoplanet detection methods, from the accurate detection of stellar wobbles to the precise monitoring of starlight dimming during transits, and peer into the future with innovative techniques that take advantage of the deformation or curvature of the space-time caused by massive objects. The classification of these distant worlds from rocky planets to gas giants lays the groundwork for the book's climax: the search for life. Exploring biosignatures and technosignatures, from the organic and chemical traces of potential life, to the echoes of advanced technological civilizations, this book expands our understanding of the dynamicity of the universe and our place within it. It's an invitation to ponder humanity's greatest question – are we alone? – while navigating through the Drake Equation and other Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) concepts, and the silence that has prompted ideas like the Fermi Paradox, and the Great Filter. The book, in addition to acting as an engaging read for anyone interested in these subjects and given the number of topics included and the breadth of the discussions, could also be used as a complementary textbook for students at both high school and non-science bachelor levels, in introductory or fundamental astronomy courses.

New Worlds in the Cosmos

New Worlds in the Cosmos PDF Author: Michel Mayor
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521812070
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Table of contents

New Light on Dark Stars

New Light on Dark Stars PDF Author: Neill I. Reid
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1447136632
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
Perhaps the most common question that a child asks when he or she sees the night sky from a dark site for the first time is: 'How many stars are there?' This happens to be a question which has exercised the intellectual skills of many astronomers over the course of most of the last century, including, for the last two decades, one of the authors of this text. Until recently, the most accurate answer was 'We are not certain, but there is a good chance that almost all of them are M dwarfs. ' Within the last three years, results from new sky-surveys - particularly the first deep surveys at near infrared wavelengths - have provided a breakthrough in this subject, solidifying our census of the lowest-mass stars and identifying large numbers of the hitherto almost mythical substellar-mass brown dwarfs. These extremely low-luminosity objects are the central subjects of this book, and the subtitle should be interpreted accordingly. The expression 'low-mass stars' carries a wide range of meanings in the astronomical literature, but is most frequently taken to refer to objects with masses comparable with that of the Sun - F and G dwarfs, and their red giant descendants. While this definition is eminently reasonable for the average extragalactic astronomer, our discussion centres on M dwarfs, with masses of no more than 60% that of the Sun, and extends to 'failed stars' - objects with insufficient mass to ignite central hydrogen fusion.

The Lost Planets

The Lost Planets PDF Author: John Wenz
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 026204286X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
A fascinating account of the pioneering astronomer who claimed (erroneously) to have discovered a planet outside the solar system. There are innumerable planets revolving around innumerable stars across our galaxy. Between 2009 and 2018, NASA's Kepler space telescope discovered thousands of them. But exoplanets—planets outside the solar system—appeared in science fiction before they appeared in telescopes. Astronomers in the early decades of the twentieth century spent entire careers searching for planets in other stellar systems. In The Lost Planets, John Wenz offers an account of the pioneering astronomer Peter van de Kamp, who was one of the first to claim discovery of exoplanets. Van de Kamp, working at Swarthmore College's observatory, announced in 1963 that he had identified a planet around Barnard's Star, the second-closest star system to the Sun. He cited the deviations in Barnard's star's path—“wobbles” that suggested a large object was lurching around the star. Van de Kamp became something of a celebrity (appearing on a television show with “Mr. Wizard,” Don Henry), but subsequent research did not support his claims. Wenz describes van de Kamp's stubborn refusal to accept that he was wrong, discusses the evidence found by other researchers, and explains recent advances in exoplanet detection, including transit, radial velocity, direct imaging, and microlensing. Van de Kamp retired from Swarthmore in 1972, and died in 1995 at 93. In 2009, Swarthmore named its new observatory the Peter van de Kamp Observatory. In the 1990s, astronomers discovered and confirmed the first planet outside our solar system. In 2018, an exoplanet was detected around Barnard's Star—not, however, the one van de Kamp thought he had discovered in 1963.

The Five Ages of the Universe

The Five Ages of the Universe PDF Author: Fred C. Adams
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0684865769
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
This book takes readers on a fantastic voyage to the physics of eternity, with a long-term projection of the evolution of the universe.