It is sometimes said that astronomy is the crossroads of physics. In the same spirit, it can forcefully be argued that galaxies are the crossroads of astronomy. Internal pro ces ses within galaxies involve all of the fundamental components of astrophysics: stellar evolution, star formation, low-density astrophysics, dynamics, hydrodynamics, and high-energy astrophysics. Indeed, one can hardly name an observational datum in any wavelength range on any kind of celestial object that does not provide a useful clue to galaxy formation and evolution. Although internal processes in galaxies until recently occupied most of our attention, we now know that it is also vital to relate galaxies to their environment. How galaxies congregate in larger structures and are in turn influenced by them are crucial questions for galactic evolution. On a grander level we have also come to regard galaxies as the basic building blocks of the universe, the basic units whereby the large scale structure of the universe is apprehended and quantified. On a grander level still, we also believe strongly that galaxies are the direct descendents of early density irregularities in the Big Bang. Galaxy properties are now viewed as providing a crucial constraint on the physics of the Big Bang and a vital link between the macroscopic and microscopic structure of the universe.
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ISBN-13
978-1-4612-4762-3 (9781461247623)
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4612-4762-3
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Session 1 - Stellar Evolution in Galaxies.- The Stellar Population of the Nuclear Bulge.- Stellar Populations in Local Group Galaxies.- Star Formation in Colliding and Merging Galaxies.- Star Formation in Disks and Spheroids.- Star Formation in Disks: IRAS Results.- The Metallicity Distribution of the Extreme Halo Population.- Session 2 - Small Objects.- Systematic Properties of Extragalactic Globular Clusters.- Stellar Populations in Dwarf Spheroidals.- Blue Compact Dwarfs: Extreme Dwarf Irregular Galaxies.- Dwarf Galaxies and Dark Matter.- Session 3 - Galactic Structure and Dynamics: Observations.- Photometry and Mass Modeling of Spiral Galaxies.- The Stellar Population at the Galactic Center.- Hot Gas Evolution in Nearly Normal Elliptical Galaxies.- Hot Coronae Around Early Type Galaxies.- The Relative Masses of the Milky Way's Components, the Ostriker-Caldwell Approach, and Differential Rotation Beyond the Solar Circle.- Mass Models for Disk and Halo Components in Spiral Galaxies.- Session 4 - Galactic Structure and Dynamics: Theory.- The Structure and Evolution of Disk Galaxies.- The Effects of Satellite Accretion on Disk Galaxies.- Self-Regulating Star Formation and Disk Structure.- Halo Response to Galaxy Formation.- Session 5 - Global Parameters of Galaxies.- Cores of Early-Type Galaxies: The Nature of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies.- Global Scaling Relations for Elliptical Galaxies and Implications for Formation.- Musings Concerning the Possible Significance of Surface Brightness Variations in Disk Galaxies.- The Luminosity Function: Dependence on Hubble Type and Environment.- Core Properties of Elliptical Galaxies.- Session 6 - Galaxies in Relation to Larger Structures.- Voids and Galaxies in Voids.- The Large Scale Distribution of Galaxy Types.- CoherentOrientation Effects of Galaxies and Clusters.- Galaxy Formation and Large Scale Structure.- Scenarios of Biased Galaxy Formation.- Biasing and Suppression of Galaxy Formation.- Session 7 - Distant Galaxies.- Stellar Populations in Distant Galaxies.- Evolution of Cluster Galaxies Since z = 1.- Galaxies at Very High Redshifts (z > 1).- Dynamics of Galaxies at Large Redshift: Prospects for the Future.- Session 8 - Dark Matter.- Dark Matter in Binary Galaxies and Small Groups.- Dark Matter in Dwarf Galaxies.- Dark Matter in Early-Type Galaxies.- What is the Cosmological Density Parameter ?0?.- Fundamental Physics and Dark Matter.- Session 9 - Galaxies Before Recombination.- Inflationary Universe Models and the Formation of Structure.- Formation and Evolution of Cosmic Strings.- The Quark-Hadron Phase Transition and Primordial Nucleosynthesis.- Testing Cosmic Fluctuation Spectra.- Session 10 - Galaxies After Recombination.- Models of Protogalaxy Collapse and Dissipation.- Unstable Dark Matter and Galaxy Formation.- Halos and Angular Momentum Generation.- Cosmic Strings and the Formation of Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies.- Large Scale Drift and Peculiar Acceleration as Cosmological Tests.- Conference Summary.
