The X-ray Background

The X-ray Background
Author: Xavier Barcons
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 328
Release: 1992-07-31
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521416511

A review of the current observational knowledge and understanding of the cosmic X-ray background.

The Physics and Evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei

The Physics and Evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei
Author: Hagai Netzer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2013-09-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1107021510

A comprehensive introduction to the theory underpinning our study of active galactic nuclei and the ways we observe them.

The Spectral Energy Distribution of Galaxies - SED 2011 (IAU S284)

The Spectral Energy Distribution of Galaxies - SED 2011 (IAU S284)
Author: Richard J. Tuffs
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 533
Release: 2012-08-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781107019843

Recent observational developments are providing the first truly panchromatic view of galaxies, extending from the radio to TeV gamma-rays. This is motivating the development of new models for the interpretation of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies in terms of the formation, evolution and emission of stellar and accretion-driven sources of photons, the interaction of the photons with the gaseous and dust components of the interstellar medium, and high-energy processes involving cosmic rays. IAU Symposium 284 details progress in the development of such models, their relation to fundamental theory, and their application to the interpretation of the panchromatic emission from the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, connecting the latter with models for the evolution of the SEDs of distant galaxies, and the extragalactic background light. IAU S284 is a useful resource for all researchers working with the copious amounts of multiwavelength data for galaxies now becoming available.

Supermassive Black Holes in the Distant Universe

Supermassive Black Holes in the Distant Universe
Author: A.J. Barger
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2004-08-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781402024702

Quasars, and the menagerie of other galaxies with "unusual nuclei", now collectively known as Active Galactic Nuclei or AGN, have, in one form or another, sparked the interest of astronomers for over 60 years. The only known mechanism that can explain the staggering amounts of energy emitted by the innermost regions of these systems is gravitational energy release by matter falling towards a supermassive black hole --- a black hole whose mass is millions to billions of times the mass of our Sun. AGN emit radiation at all wavelengths. X-rays originating at a distance of a few times the event horizon of the black hole are the emissions closest to the black hole that we can detect; thus, X-rays directly reveal the presence of active supermassive black holes. Oftentimes, however, the supermassive black holes that lie at the centers of AGN are cocooned in gas and dust that absorb the emitted low energy X-rays and the optical and ultraviolet light, hiding the black hole from view at these wavelengths. Until recently, this low-energy absorption presented a major obstacle in observational efforts to map the accretion history of the universe. In 1999 and 2000, the launches of the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories finally broke the impasse. The impact of these observatories on X-ray astronomy is similar to the impact that the Hubble Space Telescope had on optical astronomy. The astounding new data from these observatories have enabled astronomers to make enormous advances in their understanding of when accretion occurs.

The Tenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting

The Tenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting
Author: M. Novello
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 844
Release: 2005
Genre: Astrophysics
ISBN: 9812569790

The Marcel Grossmann meetings were conceived to promote theoretical understanding in the fields of physics, mathematics, astronomy and astrophysics and to direct future technological, observational, and experimental efforts. They review recent developments in gravitation and general relativity, with major emphasis on mathematical foundations and physical predictions. Their main objective is to bring together scientists from diverse backgrounds and their range of topics is broad, from more abstract classical theory and quantum gravity and strings to more concrete relativistic astrophysics observations and modeling. This Tenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting was organized by an international committee composed of D Blair, Y Choquet-Bruhat, D Christodoulou, T Damour, J Ehlers, F Everitt, Fang Li Zhi, S Hawking, Y Ne'eman, R Ruffini (chair), H Sato, R Sunyaev, and S Weinberg and backed by an international coordinating committee of about 135 members from scientific institutions representing 54 countries. The scientific program included 29 morning plenary talks during 6 days, and 57 parallel sessions over five afternoons, during which roughly 500 papers were presented. These three volumes of the proceedings of MG10 give a broad view of all aspects of gravitation, from mathematical issues to recent observations and experiments. Sample Chapter(s) Part A: Plenary and Review Talks The Initial Value Problem Using Metric and Extrinsic Curvature (566k) Part B: Plenary and Review Talks The Largest Optical Telescopes: Today VLT; Tomorrow Owl. (951k) Part C: Parallel Sessions Numerical Simulation of General Relativistic Stellar Collapse (1,337k) Contents: The Initial Value Problem Using Metric and Extrinsic Curvature "(J W York Jr)"Mathematics, Physics and Ping-Pong "(Y Ne'eman)"Thermal Decay of the Cosmological Constant into Black Holes "(C Teitelboim)"Structure Formation in the Universe by Exact Methods "(A Krasinski & C Hellaby)"Overview of D-brane Worlds in String Theory "(A M Uranga)"Tachyons, D-brane Decay, and Closed Strings "(B Zwiebach)"String Compactifications -- Old and New "(A Dabholkar)"Covariant Quantization of the Superstring "(N Berkovits)"Limiting Braneworlds with the Binary Pulsar "(R Durrer & P Kocian)"Cosmological Instabilities from Vector Perturbations in Braneworlds "(R Durrer et al.)"Principles of Affine Quantum Gravity "(J R Klauder)"Developments in GRworkbench "(A Moylan et al.)"Constants of Nature? "(H B Sandvik)"Gravitational Wave Detection: A Survey of the Worldwide Program "(J Degallaix & D Blair)"Evidence for Coincident Events Between the Gravitational Wave Detectors EXPLORER and NAUTILUS "(G Pizzella)"The LIGO Gravitational Wave Observatories: Recent Results and Future Plans "(G M Harry et al.)"General Relativity in Space and Sensitive Tests of the Equivalence Principle "(C Lammerzahl)"Multiwavelength Afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts "(E Pian)"Black Hole Physics and Astrophysics: The GRB-Supernova Connection and URCA-1 -- URCA-2 "(R Ruffini et al.)"Black Holes from the Dark Ages: Exploring the Reionization Era and Early Structure Formation with Quasars and Gamma-Ray Bursts "(S G Djorgovski)"The Diagnostic Power of X-Ray Emission Lines in GRBs "(M Bottcher)"

Active Galactic Nuclei

Active Galactic Nuclei
Author: Volker Beckmann
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2012-09-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3527410783

Active Galactic Nuclei This AGN textbook gives an overview on the current knowledge of the Active Galacitc Nuclei phenomenon. The spectral energy distribution will be discussed, pointing out what can be observed in different wavebands. The different physical models are presented together with formula important for the understanding of AGN physics. Furthermore, the authors discuss the AGN with respect to its environment, host galaxy, feedback in galaxies and in clusters of galaxies, variability, etc. and finally the cosmological evolution of the AGN phenomenon. This book includes phenomena based on new results in the X-Ray and gamma-ray domain from new telescopes such as Chandra, XMM-Newton, the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, and the VHE regime not mentioned so far in AGN books. Those and other new developments as well as simulations of AGN merging events and formations, enabled through latest super-computing capabilities. From the contents: The observational picture of AGN Radiative processes The central engine AGN types and unification AGN through the electromagnetic spectrum AGN variability Environment Quasars and cosmology Formation, evolution and the ultimate fate of AGN What we do not know (yet)

An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei

An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei
Author: Bradley M. Peterson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 1997-02-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521479110

How can we test if a supermassive black hole lies at the heart of every active galactic nucleus? What are LINERS, BL Lacs, N galaxies, broad-line radio galaxies and radio-quiet quasars and how do they compare? This timely textbook answers these questions in a clear, comprehensive and self-contained introduction to active galactic nuclei - for graduate students in astronomy and physics. The study of AGN is one of the most dynamic areas of contemporary astronomy, involving one fifth of all research astronomers. This textbook provides a systematic review of the observed properties of AGN across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, examines the underlying physics, and shows how the brightest AGN, quasars, can be used to probe the farthest reaches of the Universe. This book serves as both an entry point to the research literature and as a valuable reference for researchers in the field.