Beams and Jets in Astrophysics [Paperback]

Provides researchers in the field with a comprehensive and up-to-date account of current research on astrophysical jets. An important feature of the book is that it combines discussions of jets on stellar as well as galactic scales. There are ten chapters, authored by fourteen active researchers, all of whom are experts on their chosen topics. Recent hydrodynamic simulations of jets are included and reference to observations of actual jets is made where appropriate. The book has been coherently edited to provide a cohesive account of this field of study. It will be an important textbook for graduate students, and a valuable reference source for researchers in high energy astrophysics. It will also be of interest to plasma physicists and space scientists.1. Introduction: synchrotron and inverse-Compton radiation P. A. Hughes and L. Miller; 2. Observations of large scale extragalactic jets T. W. B. Muxlow and S. T. Garrington; 3. Interpretation of large scale extragalactic jets J. P. Leahy; 4. Interpretation of Parsec scale jets T. V. Cawthorne; 5. From nucleus to hotspot: nine powers of ten V. Icke; 6. The stability of jets M. Birkinshaw; 7. Numerical simulations of radio source structure A. G. Williams; 8. The production of jets and their relation to active galactic nuclei P. J. Wiita; 9. Particle acceleration and magnetic field evolution J. E. Eilek and P. A. Hughes; 10. Jets in the galaxy R. Padman, A. N. Lasenby and D. A. Green. ...the evenness of the book's level and tone is a tribute to Philip Hughes's editorial skills. Although the book seems to be aimed at the practicing astrophysicist who wishes to get up to speed on the subject of jets, the treatment of technical issues is sufficiently discursive that the book could be used as a graduate text. Mitchell C. Begelman, Science