Astrophysics

This volume contains the proceedings of a conference on laboratory astrophysics, which gathered a broad interdisciplinary community of astrophysicists, physicists, chemists, and geophysicists. It provides an update on outstanding results in this research field, the presentation of new laboratory developments, and the recent and expected to come space missions and other astronomical observatories with their specific needs for laboratory and theoretical studies.​Understanding the interplay between dust, ice, and gas during the star lifecycle as well as in planet forming regions and the Solar System is a vast topic in relation with space exploration and astronomical observations. It also strongly relies on laboratory astrophysics activities and chemical modelling in order to simulate the formation and evolution of matter in space. This book provides researchers and graduate students with a valuable account of the current state of this fascinating discipline.

After three decades of intense research in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, the time was ripe to summarize basic knowledge on X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy for interested students and researchers ready to become involved in new high-energy missions. This volume exposes both the scientific basics and modern methods of high-energy spectroscopic astrophysics. The emphasis is on physical principles and observing methods rather than a discussion of particular classes of high-energy objects, but many examples and new results are included in the three chapters as well.

After three decades of intense research in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, the time was ripe to summarize basic knowledge on X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy for interested students and researchers ready to become involved in new high-energy missions. This volume exposes both the scientific basics and modern methods of high-energy spectroscopic astrophysics. The emphasis is on physical principles and observing methods rather than a discussion of particular classes of high-energy objects, but many examples and new results are included in the three chapters as well.

Most of the visible matter in the universe exists in the plasma state. Plasmas are of major importance for space physics, solar physics, and astrophysics. On Earth they are essential for magnetic controlled thermonuclear fusion.

The International School on Physics and Astrophysics of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR2000) was held at the Observatoire de Paris–Meudon on June 26-29, 2000. This was the ?rst international school speci?cally dedicated to ultra high energy cosmic rays. Its aim was to familiarize with and attract students, physicists and astronomers into this quickly developing newresearch ?eld. The mysterious and currently unknown origin of the most energetic par- cles observed in Nature has triggered in recent years theoretical speculations ranging from electromagnetic acceleration to as yet undiscovered physics - yond the Standard Model. It has also lead to the development of several new detection concepts and experimental projects, some of which are currently - der construction. By its nature, the ?eld of ultra high energy cosmic rays is therefore highly interdisciplinary and borrows from astrophysics and cosmology, via particle physics, to experimental physics and observational astronomy. One main aspect of the school was to emphasize and take advantage of this interd- ciplinarity. The lectures were grouped into subtopics and are reproduced in this volume in the following order: After a general introductory lecture on cosmic rays follow two contributions on experimental detection techniques, followed by three lectures on acceleration in astrophysical objects. The next four contri- tions cover all major aspects of propagation and interactions of ultra high energy radiation, including speculative issues such as newinteractions.

A complete treatment of all aspects of dark matter physics