Astrophysical Formulae

Lang - Astrophysical Formulae Volume I

Astrophysical Formulae is a comprehensive, widely-used reference to the fundamental formulae employed in astronomy, astrophysics and general physics. All the basic formulae in a particular field are given, with references to both the original work and recent research papers. Where possible the formulae have been developed from basic principles. If you want to know something about a given area, or find the formula that you need or know might exist, the first step is to look for it in Astrophysical Formulae or its references, rather than searching through a library or journals.

Over the past two decades, Astrophysical Formulae has become a standard reference found on numerous individual bookshelves and in all libraries that deal with astronomy, astrophysics and physics. This third, enlarged and revised edition will be similarly used by current and future generations of students and scientists in these fields.

The new edition of Astrophysical Formulae has been divided into two books - Volume I. Radiation, Gas Processes and High Energy Astrophysics and Volume II. Space, Time, Matter and Cosmology. They together contain over 4000 formulae and 5000 references, more than doubling the number found in previous versions. Past editions have also been improved upon by collecting all the references together in one alphabetical bibliography, instead of listing by chapter, and numerous references have been added for papers published during the past three decades.

This Volume I. Radiation, Gas Processes and High Energy Astrophysics includes electromagnetic radiation, scattering and scintillation, atomic and molecular spectra with the various broadening and shifting effects, statistical mechanics and thermodynamics of gases, hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics, and particle physics as far as it is applicable to astrophysics, including nucleosynthesis of the elements and energetic particles or radiation in the cosmos.

The material in Volume I has been updated with references to important review articles and books, and new formulae, data and references have been added for contemporary topics such as accretion, brown dwarfs, cosmic rays, spallation reactions, equations of state for degenerate gases, gamma ray bursts, gamma ray lines, interstellar gas and dust, molecular clouds, molecular masers, origin and abundance of the elements, particle acceleration by shock waves, star formation, supernovae explosions and remnants, supernova SN 1987A, and thermonuclear reactions. Entirely new sections include those on helioseismology, solar neutrinos, neutrino oscillations, neutrino emission from stellar collapse and supernovae, and energetic particles and radiation from solar flares.