An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics - 2nd Edition by Francis LeBlanc (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Accessible and student-friendly textbook on the astrophysics of stars, now with new observational data and physical concepts

An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics is a concise textbook containing core content on and detailed examples of stellar physics and stellar astronomy. This new edition is revised and expanded and contains updated and new sections on nearest and brightest stars, the dynamics of double stars, the classification of binary stars, Wolf Rayet stars, and stellar remnants such as white dwarfs.

The book is divided in seven chapters: basic concepts, stellar formation, radiative transfer in stars, stellar atmospheres, stellar interiors, nucleosynthesis and stellar evolution, and chemically peculiar stars and diffusion. Student-friendly features include detailed examples, exercises with selected solutions, brief recalls of the most important physical concepts, chapter summaries, and optional and advanced sections that can be skipped on first reading.

A large number of graphs and figures are included to better explain the concepts covered. Only essential astronomical data are given, and the amount of observational results shown is deliberately limited in scope.

An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics includes information on:

• The electromagnetic spectrum, blackbody radiation, luminosity, effective temperature, the Boltzmann and Saha equations, and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
• Hydrostatic equilibrium, the Virial theorem, the Jeans criteria, free-fall times, and pre-main-sequence evolution
• Radiative opacities, specific intensity and radiative moments, local thermodynamic equilibrium, and radiative transfer at large optical depths
• Energy transport in stars, polytropic models, advanced nuclear burning, and novae and supernovae
• Diffusion theory, radiative accelerations, and other transport processes
• New to this edition: sections on nearest and brightest stars, the dynamics of double stars, the classification of binary stars, Wolf Rayet stars and stellar remnants such as white dwarfs

Delivering intermediate knowledge on stars in a concise format, An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics is an excellent textbook on the subject for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying physics and astrophysics.

About the Author

Francis LeBlanc, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Université de Moncton (Canada). His fields of expertise are diffusion in stars, chemically peculiar stars, and stellar atmospheres. Professor LeBlanc is responsible for the university's observatory and has taught several undergraduate courses on general astronomy, astrophysics and space sciences, and modern physics and nuclear physics, as well as a graduate course on stellar astrophysics.