Spurred by the current development of numerous large-scale projects for detecting gravitational radiation, with the aim to open a completely new window to the observable Universe, numerical relativity has become a major field of research over the past years. Indeed, numerical relativity is the standard approach when studying potential sources of gravitational waves, where strong fields and relativistic velocities are part of any physical scenario. This book can be considered a primer for both graduate students and non-specialist researchers wishing to enter the field. Starting from the most basic insights and aspects of numerical relativity, Elements of Numerical Relativity develops coherent guidelines for the reliable and convenient selection of each of the following key aspects: evolution formalism, gauge, initial and boundary conditions as well as various numerical algorithms. The tests and applications proposed in this book can be performed on a standard PC.

This textbook is intended to be used in a lecture course for college students majoring in Earth Sciences. Planetary science provides an opportunity for these students to apply a wide range of subject matter pertaining to the Earth to the study of other planets and their principal satellites. In this way, planetary science tends to unify subjects in the Earth Sciences that are traditionally taught separately. Therefore, planetary science is well-suited to be taught as a capstone course for senior undergraduates in geology departments and as an introduction to the solar system in astronomy departments. Both groups of students will benefit because planetary science bridges the gap between geology and astronomy and it prepares geologists and astronomers to participate actively in the on-going exploration of the solar system.

This book was written in 1944 by Abraham Zelmanov, a prominent scientist working in General relativity and cosmology. Herein he constructs the theory of physical observable quantities in General Relativity (Chronometric Invariants), and applies it to determine all possible cosmological models within the framework of Einstein theory scenarios of evolution which could be theoretically conceivable for a truly inhomogeneous and anisotropic Universe.

Solar science has evolved rapidly over the past ten years as the results of a new generation of solar space missions have become available. This book provides a thorough introduction to the subject of solar physics, based on those spacecraft observations. The author introduces the solar corona, which has a temperature of several million degrees, and sets it in the context of basic plasma physics before moving on to discuss plasma instabilities and plasma heating processes. The latest results on coronal heating and radiation, which are fundamental processes in all stars, are presented. Spectacular phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections are described in detail, together with their potential effects on the Earth. The author draws together observations made at many wavelengths from hard X-rays, soft X-rays, extreme UV and radio wavelengths.

Studies of stellar formation in galaxies have a profound impact on our understanding of the present and the early universe. The book describes complex physical processes involved in the creation of stars and during their young lives. It illustrates how these processes reveal themselves from radio wavelengths to high energy X-rays and gamma -rays, with special reference towards high energy signatures. Several sections devoted to key analysis techniques demonstrate how modern research in this field is pursued.

The Big Bang, the birth of the universe, was a singular event. All of the matter of the universe was concentrated at a single point, with temperatures so high that even the familiar protons and neutrons of atoms did not yet exist, but rather were replaced by a swirling maelstrom of energy, matter and antimatter. Exotic quarks and leptons flickered briefly into existence, before merging back into the energy sea.

In a brilliant flash about fourteen billion years ago, time and matter were born in a single instant of creation. An immensely hot and dense universe began its rapid expansion everywhere, creating space where there was no space and time where there was no time. In the intense fire just after the beginning, the lightest elements were forged, later to form primordial clouds that eventually evolved into galaxies, stars, and planets. This evolution is the story told in this fascinating book. Interwoven with the storyline are short pieces on the pioneering men and women who revealed those wonders to us.

Among the most fascinating and rapidly developing areas in modem physics is the study of cosmological phenomena such as black holes, the cosmic microwave background, and the inflationary nature of the universe. Recent theoretical and experimental developments in these fields have significantly increased our understanding of these exciting and important topics. In order to allow the reader fully to understand these new developments, Quantum Theory, Black Holes and Inflation begins by introducing the theory of quantised fields in a mathematically rigorous fashion. Concentrating on the path integral approach to quantum field theory, the essential mathematical tools are developed to allow the reader to get to grips with the ways in which the theory has been successfully applied to a number of areas in modern cosmology. The second half of Quantum Theory, Black Holes and Inflation explains a number of the most successful applications to date, including the theory of black hole evaporation and thermodynamics, and the theory of quantum effects in the inflationary model of the universe.

"Star Ware is still a tour de force that any experienced amateur will find invaluable, and which hardware-minded beginners will thoroughly enjoy."
-Robert Burnham, Sky & Telescope magazine.

This book is a comprehensive and coherent introduction to the role of cosmic strings and other topological defects in the universe. After an introduction to standard cosmological theory and the theory of phase transitions in the early universe, the book then describes, in turn, the properties, formation, and cosmological implications of cosmic strings, monopoles, domain walls and textures. It concludes with a chapter considering the role of topological defects in inflationary universe models. Ample introductory material is included to make the book readily accessible. It will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.