High Energy Radiation from Black Holes
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-14408-5 (ISBN)
Bright gamma-ray flares observed from sources far beyond our Milky Way Galaxy are best explained if enormous amounts of energy are liberated by black holes. The highest- energy particles in nature--the ultra-high-energy cosmic rays--cannot be confined by the Milky Way's magnetic field, and must originate from sources outside our Galaxy. Understanding these energetic radiations requires an extensive theoretical framework involving the radiation physics and strong-field gravity of black holes. In High Energy Radiation from Black Holes, Charles Dermer and Govind Menon present a systematic exposition of black-hole astrophysics and general relativity in order to understand how gamma rays, cosmic rays, and neutrinos are produced by black holes.
Beginning with Einstein's special and general theories of relativity, the authors give a detailed mathematical description of fundamental astrophysical radiation processes, including Compton scattering of electrons and photons, synchrotron radiation of particles in magnetic fields, photohadronic interactions of cosmic rays with photons, gamma-ray attenuation, Fermi acceleration, and the Blandford-Znajek mechanism for energy extraction from rotating black holes. The book provides a basis for graduate students and researchers in the field to interpret the latest results from high-energy observatories, and helps resolve whether energy released by rotating black holes powers the highest-energy radiations in nature. The wide range of detail will make High Energy Radiation from Black Holes a standard reference for black-hole research.
Charles D. Dermer is a theoretical astrophysicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Govind Menon is professor of physics at Troy University.
Preface xix Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Chapter 2. Relativistic Kinematics 14 Chapter 3. Introduction to Curved Spacetime 25 Chapter 4. Physical Cosmology 36 Chapter 5. Radiation Physics of Relativistic Flows 50 Chapter 6. Compton Scattering 70 Chapter 7. Synchrotron Radiation 117 Chapter 8. Binary Particle Collision Processes 160 Chapter 9. Photohadronic Processes 187 Chapter 10. delta Pair Production 227 Chapter 11. Blast-Wave Physics 258 Chapter 12. Introduction to Fermi Acceleration 314 Chapter 13. First-Order Fermi Acceleration 327 Chapter 14. Second-Order Fermi Acceleration 351 Chapter 15. The Geometry of Spacetime 379 Chapter 16. Black-Hole Electrodynamics 417 Chapter 17. High-Energy Radiations from Black Holes 452 Appendix A: Essential Tensor Calculus 473 Appendix B: Mathematical Functions 488 Appendix C: Solutions of the Continuity Equation 492 Appendix D: Basics of Monte Carlo Calculations 497 Appendix E: Supplementary Information 499 Appendix F: Glossary and Acronym List 505 Bibliography 509 Index 531
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 11.10.2009 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Princeton Series in Astrophysics |
| Zusatzinfo | 115 line illus. |
| Verlagsort | New Jersey |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 152 x 235 mm |
| Gewicht | 765 g |
| Themenwelt | Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Hochenergiephysik / Teilchenphysik | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-691-14408-7 / 0691144087 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-691-14408-5 / 9780691144085 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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