Astrochemistry: From Astronomy to Astrobiology by Andrew M. Shaw Softcover - 352 pages Shipped in CLICK HERE Cat.# JW-AST4 $ 76.30 BUY Published:  2006   ISBN:  9780470091371

The dynamic field of astrochemistry brings together ideas of physics, astrophysics, biology and chemistry to the study of molecules between stars, around stars and on planets. Astrochemistry: from Astronomy to Astrobiology provides a clear and concise introduction to this rapidly evolving multidisciplinary subject. Starting with the Molecular Universe, the text covers the formation of the elements, simple models of stars and their classification. It then moves on to draw on the theme of the Origins of Life to study interstellar chemistry, meteorite and comet chemistry as well as the chemistry of planets. Prebiotic chemistry and astrobiology are explored by examining the extremes of the biosphere on Earth, seeing how this may be applied to life in other solar systems.

Astrochemistry assumes a basic familiarity with principles of physical and organic chemistry but no prior knowledge of biology or astrophysics. This innovative text incorporates results from the latest research and ground and space missions, with key images enhanced by a colour plate section.

• includes latest research and results from ground and space missions
• colour plate section
• summary of concepts and calculations at the end of each chapter

This book will be an ideal text for an undergraduate course in Astrochemistry and an essential tool for postgraduates entering the field.

Table of Contents:

Preface

1. The molecular universe
1.1 The Standard Model Big Bang Theory
1.2 Galaxies, stars and planets
1.3 Origins of life
1.4 Other intelligent life
1.5 Theories of the origin of life

Concepts and calculations

2. Starlight, galaxies and clusters
2.1 Simple stellar models–black body radiation
2.2 2.726 K–cosmic microwave background radiation
2.3 Stellar classification
2.4 Constellations
2.5 Galaxies
2.6 Cosmology

Concepts and calculations
Problems

3. Atomic and molecular astronomy
3.1 Spectroscopy and the structure of matter
3.2 Line shape
3.3 Telescopes
3.4 Atomic spectroscopy
3.5 Molecular astronomy
3.6 Molecular masers
3.7 Detection of hydrogen
3.8 Diffuse interstellar bands
3.9 Spectral mapping

Concepts and calculations
Problems

4. Stellar chemistry
4.1 Classes of stars
4.2 Herzprung–Russell diagram
4.3 Stellar evolution
4.4 Stellar spectra
4.5 Exotic stars
4.6 Cycle of star formation

Concepts and calculations
Problems

5. The interstellar medium
5.1 Mapping clouds of molecules
5.2 Molecules in the interstellar and circumstellar medium
5.3 Physical conditions in the interstellar medium.
5.4 Rates of chemical reactions
5.5 Chemical reactions in the interstellar medium
5.6 Photochemistry
5.7 Charged particle chemistry
5.8 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
5.9 Dust grains
5.10 Kinetic models of molecular clouds
5.11 Prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium

Concepts and calculations
Problems

6. Meteorite and comet chemistry
6.1 Formation of the solar system
6.2 Classification of meteorites
6.3 Meteorite mineralogy
6.4 Geological time
6.5 Chemical analysis of meteorites by µL2MS
6.6 The Murchison meteorite–kerogen
6.7 Meteorite ALH84001
6.8 Comet chemistry
6.9 Structure of a comet
6.10 Physicochemical conditions in a cometary coma
6.11 Chemical composition of comets
6.12 Cometary collisions
6.13 The Rosetta mission–origin of the solar system.

Concepts and calculations
Problems

7. Planetary chemistry
7.1 Structure of a star–planet system
7.2 Surface gravity
7.3 Formation of the Earth
7.4 Earth–Moon system
7.5 Geological time
7.6 Radiative heating
7.7 The habitable zone
7.8 Extrasolar planets
7.9 Planetary atmospheres
7.10 Atmospheric photochemistry
7.11 Biomarkers in the atmosphere

Concepts and calculations
Problems

8. Prebiotic chemistry
8.1 Carbon- and water-based life forms
8.2 Spontaneous chemical reactions
8.3 Rates of chemical reactions
8.4 Endogenous production of organic molecules
8.5 Exogenous delivery of organic molecules
8.6 Homochirality
8.7 Surface metabolism–'clay organisms'
8.8 Geothermal vents–'black smokers'
8.9 RNA World hypothesis

Concepts and calculations
Problems

9. Primitive life forms
9.1 Self-assembly and encapsulation.
9.2 Protocells
9.3Universal tree of life
9.4 Astrobiology
9.5 Microbial Mars

Concepts and calculations
Problems

10. Titan
10.1 Physical properties
10.2 The atmosphere
10.3 Temperature-dependent chemistry
10.4 Energy balance and the greenhouse effect
10.5 Atmospheric chemistry
10.6 Astrobiology on Titan

Concepts and calculations
Problems

Glossary of terms and abbreviations
Appendix A: constants and units
Appendix B: astronomical data
Appendix C: thermodynamic properties of selected compounds
Answers to problems
Bibliography
Index

Reviews in Modern Astronomy: The Many Facets of the Universe - Revelations by New Instruments by Siegfried Röser Hardcover - 353 pages Shipped in CLICK HERE Cat.# JW-AST1 $199.95 BUY Published:  2007   ISBN:  9783527406623

Volume 19 continues the Reviews in Modern Astronomy with invited reviews and highlight contributions which were presented during the International Scientific Conference of the Astronomical Society on the topic "The Many Facets of the Universe - Revelations by New Instruments", held at the University of Cologne, Germany, September 26 - October 1, 2005.

The contributions to the meeting published in this volume discuss, among other subjects, astrochemistry, astrobiology, cosmology, star and planet formation, and present overviews on new instruments in the infrared and sub-millimeter wavelength range.

Highlight: Karl-Schwarzschild-Lecture by G. A. Tammann (Basel) "The Ups and downs of the Hubble constant".

Table of Contents:

1. Karl Schwarzschild Lecture:
The Ups and Downs of the Hubble Constant - By G. Andreas Tammann (With 12 Figures).

2. Ludwig Biermann Award Lecture:
High-Velocity Clouds and the Local Intergalactic Medium - By Philipp Richter (With 10 Figures).

3. Talk in honor of Albrecht Unsöld’s 100th anniversary:
Physics of stellar atmospheres – new aspects of old problems - By Bodo Baschek.

4. The circumstellar environment of asymptotic giant branch stars - By Hans Olofsson (With 19 Figures).

5. Stellar evolution of massive stars at very low metallicities - By Raphael Hirschi et al. (With 10 Figures)

6. Multi-dimensional numerical simulations of type Ia supernova explosions
By F. K. Röpke (With 7 Figures).

7. The Formation of Turbulent Molecular Clouds: A Modeler’s View - By Fabian Heitsch (With 6 Figures).

8. Astrochemistry and Star Formation: Successes and Challenges - By Eric Herbst (With 2 Figures).

9. Protoplanetary Disks and embedded Planets - By Wilhelm Kley (With 9 Figures).

10. Search for life in the Universe – What can we learn from our own Biosphere?
By Gerda Horneck (With 5 Figures).

11. Progress and Perspectives in Solid State Astrophysics – From ISO to Herschel
By Thomas Posch et al. (With 11 Figures).

12. German LOFAR – A New Era in Radio Astronomy
By Marcus Brüggen, Rainer Beck and Heino Falcke (With 6 Figures).

13. SOFIA: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy - By Jürgen Stutzki (With 11 Figures)

14. GQ Lup and its companion - By E.W. Guenther (With 7 Figures).

15. Astronomy with CARMA – Raising Our Sites By Anneila Sargent and Douglas Bock (With 8 Figures).

Index of Contributors
General Table of Contents

Nuclear Physics of Stars by Christian Iliadis Softcover - 680 pages Shipped in CLICK HERE Cat.# JW-AST2 $125.40 BUY Published:  2007   ISBN:  9783527406029

Thermonuclear reactions in stars is a major topic in the field of nuclear astrophysics, and deals with the topics of how precisely stars generate their energy through nuclear reactions, and how these nuclear reactions create the elements the stars, planets and - ultimately - we humans consist of. The present book treats these topics in detail. It also presents the nuclear reaction and structure theory, thermonuclear reaction rate formalism and stellar nucleosythesis. The topics are discussed in a coherent way, enabling the reader to grasp their interconnections intuitively. The book serves both as a textbook, with many examples and end-of-chapter exercises, but also as a reference book for use by researchers working in the field of nuclear astrophysics.

Table of Contents:

1. INTRODUCTION

2. NUCLEAR REACTIONS
2.1 Cross sections
2.2 Elastic scattering and method of partial waves
2.3 Scattering by potentials
2.4 Theory of resonances

3. NUCLEAR STRUCTURE
3.1 Bound state potential
3.2 Shell-model
3.3 Excitation energies
3.4 Spectroscopic factors

4. THERMONUCLEAR REACTIONS
4.1 Nuclear masses, energies and abundances
4.2 Cross sections and reaction rates
4.3 Non-resonant and resonant thermonuclear reaction rates
4.4 Electron screening

5. NUCLEAR BURNING STAGES AND NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
5.1 General aspects
5.2 Hydrostatic hydrogen burning
5.3 Explosive hydrogen burning
5.4 Hydrostatic helium burning
5.5 Advanced burning stages
5.6. s-process
5.7 r-process

6. NUCLEAR PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS
6.1 General aspects
6.2 Interaction of radiation with matter
6.3 Targets and related equipment
6.4 Detectors
6.5 Nuclear spectroscopy
6.6 Background radiation
6.7 Yields and cross sections
6.8 Angular correlations

7. APPENDIX
7.1 Kinematics
7.2 Schroedinger equation in three dimensions
7.3 Angular momentum vector addition
7.4 Compilation of reaction rates

Complete Course in Astrobiology by Gerda Horneck, and Petra Rettberg Softcover - 434 pages Shipped in CLICK HERE Cat.# JW-AST3 $110.85 BUY Published:  2007   ISBN:  9783527406609

This up-to-date resource is based on lectures developed by experts in the relevant fields and carefully edited by the leading astrobiologists within the European community. Aimed at graduate students in physics, astronomy and biology and their lecturers, the text begins with a general introduction to astrobiology, followed by sections on basic prebiotic chemistry, extremophiles, and habitability in our solar system and beyond. A discussion of astrodynamics leads to a look at experimental facilities and instrumentation for space experiments and, ultimately, astrobiology missions, backed in each case by the latest research results from this fascinating field. Includes a CD-ROM with additional material.

Table of Contents:

1. Astrobiology: From the Origin of Life on Earth to Life in the Universe
1.1 General Aspects of Astrobiology
1.2 Reconstructing Life in a Test Tube
1.3 The Search for Traces of Primitive Life
1.4 The Search for Life in the Solar System
1.5 The Search for Life Beyond the Solar System
1.6 Conclusions
1.7 Further Reading

2. From the Big Bang to the Molecules of Life
2.1 Building Blocks of Life
2.2 Big Bang: Formation of H and He
2.3 First Stars: Formation of Small Amounts of C, O, N, S and P and Other Heavy Elements
2.4 Normal Modern Stars, Bulk Formation of C, O, N, S, P and Other Heavy Elements
2.5 The First Molecules (CO and H2O)
2.6 Interstellar Matter
2.7 Generation of Stars: Formation of the Sun and Planets
2.8 Further Reading.
2.9 Questions for Students

3. Basic Prebiotic Chemistry
3.1 Key Molecules of Life
3.2 Historical Milestones
3.3 Sources of Prebiotic Organic Molecules
3.4 From Simple to Slightly More Complex Compounds
3.5 Conclusions
3.6 Further Reading
3.7 Questions for Students

4. From Molecular Evolution to Cellular Life
4.1 History of Life at Its Beginnings
4.2 Life as It Is Known
4.3 Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)
4.4 “Life” in the RNA–Protein World: Issues and Possible Solutions
4.5 “Life” Before the Appearance of the Progenote
4.6 The RNA World
4.7 Beginning of Life
4.8 Further Reading
4.9 Questions for Students

5. Extremophiles, the Physicochemical Limits of Life (Growth and Survival)
5.1 A Brief History of Life on Earth
5.2 Extremophiles and Extreme Environments
5.3 Microbial Survival of Extreme Conditions
5.4 Conclusions
5.5 Further Reading
5.6 Questions for Students

6. Habitability
6.1 A Brief History of the Assessment of Habitability
6.2 What Determines Habitability?
6.3 Uninhabited Habitable Worlds
6.4 Factors Determining Habitability
6.5 A Postulate for Habitability
6.6 Some Test Cases for Habitability
6.7 Conclusions
6.8 Further Reading
6.9 Questions for Students

7. Astrodynamics and Technological Aspects of Astrobiology Missions in Our Solar System
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The Rocket Equation
7.3 Orbital Mechanics and Astrodynamics
7.4 Orbital Maneuvers
7.5 Example: Missions to Mars
7.6 Further Reading
7.7 Questions for Students

8. Astrobiology of the Terrestrial Planets, with Emphasis on Mars
8.1 The Solar System
8.2 Terrestrial Planets
8.3 Further Reading
8.4 Questions for Students

9. Astrobiology of Saturn’s Moon Titan
9.1 Extraterrestrial Bodies of Astrobiological Interest
9.2 Some Historical Milestones in the Exploration of Titan
9.3 General Properties, Formation and Internal Structure of Titan
9.4 Atmosphere and Surface of Titan
9.5 Astrobiological Aspects of Titan
9.6 Outlook: Astrobiology and Future Exploration of Titan
9.7 Further Reading
9.8 Questions for Students

10. Jupiter’s Moon Europa: Geology and Habitability
10.1 A Short Survey of the Past Exploration of Europa
10.2 Geology of the Moon Europa
10.3 Internal Structure of the Moon Europa
10.4 Models of Evolution of the Moon Europa
10.5 Astrobiological Considerations about Possibilities for Life on the Moon Europa
10.6 Summary and Conclusions
10.7 Outlook and Plans for Future Missions
10.8 Further Reading
10.9 Questions for Students

11 Astrobiology Experiments in Low Earth Orbit: Facilities, Instrumentation, and Results
11.1 Low Earth Orbit Environment, a Test Bed for Astrobiology
11.2 Astrobiology Questions Tackled by Experiments in Earth Orbit
11.3 Exposure Facilities for Astrobiology Experiments
11.4 Results from Astrobiology Experiments in Earth Orbit
11.5 Future Development and Applications of Exposure Experiments
11.6 Further Reading
11.7 Questions for Students

12. Putting Together an Exobiology Mission: The ExoMars Example
12.1 Background of the ExoMars Mission
12.2 ExoMars Science Objectives
12.3 ExoMars Science Strategy
12.4 ExoMars Mission Description
12.5 Outlook and Conclusions
12.6 Further Reading
12.7 Questions for Students

13. Astrobiology Exploratory Missions and Planetary Protection Requirements
13.1 Rationale and History of Planetary Protection
13.2 Current Planetary Protection Guidelines
13.3 Implementation of Planetary Protection Guidelines
13.4 Astrobiology Exploratory Missions of Concern to Planetary Protection
13.5 Outlook: Future Tasks of Planetary Protection
13.6 Further Reading
13.7 Questions for students

Index

Encyclopedia of the Solar System 2e by Paul Weissman, and Lucy-Ann L. McFadden Hardcover - 992 pages Shipped in CLICK HERE Cat.# EL-AST1 $150.00 BUY Published:  2006   ISBN:  9780120885893

This self-contained reference follows the trail blazed by the bestselling first edition. It provides a framework for understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system, historical discoveries, and details about planetary bodies and how they interact - and has jumped light years ahead in terms of new information and visual impact. Offering more than 50% new material, the Encyclopedia includes the latest explorations and observations, hundreds of new colour digital images and illustrations, and more than 1,000 pages. It stands alone as the definitive work in this field, and will serve as a modern messenger of scientific discovery and provide a look into the future of our solar system.

Features:

• Forty-seven chapters from 75+ eminent authors review fundamental topics as well as new models, theories, and discussions
• Each entry is detailed and scientifically rigorous, yet accessible to undergraduate students and amateur astronomers
• More than 700 full-color digital images and diagrams from current space missions and observatories amplify the chapters
• Thematic chapters provide up-to-date coverage, including a discussion on the new International Astronomical Union (IAU) vote on the definition of a planet
• Information is easily accessible with numerous cross-references and a full glossary and index

Table of Contents:

Preface
Foreword

The Solar System and Its Place in the Galaxy
Paul R. Weissman
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

The Origin of the Solar System
Alex N. Halliday - University of Oxford, UK
John E. Chambers - NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California, USA

A History of Solar System Studies
David Leverington - BAE Systems, UK (Retired)

The Sun
Markus J. Aschwanden - Lockheed-Martin ATC, Palo Alto, California, USA

The Solar Wind
John T. Gosling - University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

Mercury
Robert G. Strom - University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

Venus: Atmosphere
Donald M. Hunten - University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

Venus: Surface and Interior
Suzanne E. Smrekar
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Ellen R. Stofan Proxemy Research, Bowie, Maryland, USA

Earth as a Planet: Atmosphere and Oceans
Timothy E. Dowling - University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Adam Showman - University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

Earth as a Planet: Surface and Interior
David C. Pieri - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Adam M. Dziewonski - Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

The Sun-Earth Connection
Janet G. Luhmann - University of California, Berkeley, USA
Stanley C. Solomon - Boston University, Massacheusetts, USA

The Moon
Stuart Ross Taylor - Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Meteorites
Michael E. Lipschutz - Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Ludolf Schultz - Max-Planck-Institut fur Chemie, Mainz, Germany

Near-Earth Objects
Lucy A. McFadden - University of Maryland, College Park, USA
Richard P. Binzel - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA

Mars Atmosphere: History and Surface Interaction
David C. Catling and Conway Leovy
University of Washington, Seattle, USA

Mars: Surface and Interior
Michael H. Carr - U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, USA

Mars: Landing Site Geology, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry
Matthew P. Golombek
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Harry McSween, Jr. - University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

Main-Belt Asteroids
Daniel T. Britt - University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA
Larry Lebofsky - University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

Planetary Satellites
Bonnie J. BurattiJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Peter C. Thomas
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

Atmospheres of the Giant Planets
Robert A. West
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

Interiors of the Giant Planets
Mark S. Marley - NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
Jonathan J. Fortney - University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

Io: The Volcanic Moon
Rosaly M. C. Lopes
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

Europa
Louise M. Prockter
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Robert T. Pappalardo
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

Ganymede and Callisto
Geoffrey Collins
Wheaton College, Massachusetts, USA
Torrence V. Johnson
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

Titan
Athena Coustenis - Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, France

Triton
William B. McKinnon - Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Randy L. Kirk - U.S Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Planetary Rings
Carolyn C. Porco - Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Douglas P. Hamilton - University of Maryland, College Park, USA

Planetary Magnetospheres
Margaret Galland Kivelson - University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Fran Bagenal - University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

Pluto and Charon
Alan Stern - Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Physics and Chemistry of Comets
John Brandt - University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA

Cometary Dynamics
Harold F. Levison - Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Kuiper Belt: Dynamics
Alessandro Morbidelli
CNRS, Nice, France
Harold F. Levison
Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Kuiper Belt Objects: Physical Studies
Stephen C. Tegler - Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA

Solar System Dust
Eberhard Grün - Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg, Germany

X-Rays in the Solar System
Anil Bhardwaj
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India
Carey M. Lisse
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA

The Solar System at Ultraviolet Wavelengths
Amanda R. Hendrix and Robert M. Nelson
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA
Deborah L. Domingue
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA

Infrared Views of the Solar System from Space
Mark V. Sykes - Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA

The Solar System at Radio Wavelengths
Imke de Pater - University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
William S. Kurth - University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA

New Generation Optical/Infrared Telescopes
Alan T. Tokunaga and Robert Jedicke - University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA

Planetary Radar
Steven J. Ostro - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA

Remote Chemical Analysis
Thomas H. Prettyman - Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA

Solar System Dynamics: Regular and Chaotic Motion
Jack J. Lissauer - NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
Carl D. Murray - University of London, UK

Planetary Impacts
Richard A. F. Grieve
Humboldt-Universitet zu Berlin, Germany
Mark J. Cintala and Roald Tagle
NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA

Planetary Volcanism
Lionel Wilson - University of Lancaster, UK

Planets and the Origin of Life
Christopher P. McKay and Wanda L. Davis - NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA

Planetary Exploration Missions
James D. Burke - The Planetary Society, Pasadena, California, USA

Extra-Solar Planets
Michael Endl and William D. Cochran - University of Texas, Austin, USA

Appendices
Glossary
Index