This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the physical properties of stars and their state variables. It summarises the current state of knowledge on the structure and evolution of stars and takes a look at exciting open questions in astrophysics.
Interested students of natural sciences and engineering, as well as high school graduates, lecturers, teachers and, last but not least, amateur astronomers will find this book a valuable overview of the physics of stars. All you need to bring with you is a basic knowledge of mathematics and physics, which does not go beyond the basics of integral and differential calculus. In this respect, this book is also intended to bridge the gap to the specialist literature available on the Internet today, enabling readers to benefit from it.
The first part traces the historical development that led to a detailed understanding of the nature of stars and their life cycles. The aim of the following chapters is to provide a pragmatic introduction to the physical processes that determine the structure and evolution of stars depending on their basic parameters such as mass and chemical composition. It shows what can be learned about stellar atmospheres from the analysis of starlight, the fundamental role played by the virial theorem in the life of stars, and the nuclear processes deep inside stars that provide the energy that makes them shine.
Finally, a detailed phenomenological look at the final stages of stellar evolution is provided. There, states of matter are discussed that are far from being experimentally realisable, but whose properties – supported by corresponding theoretical ideas – can at least in principle be deduced from the observation of concrete objects such as white dwarfs or neutron stars. It is precisely here that many exciting developments are to be expected in the future.
Table of contents:
- A brief history of the exploration of the stars
- What can be observed in the stars?
- Star spectra and star atmospheres
- Internal structure of stars
- Nuclear energy production processes and element synthesis
- Evolution of stars
- Final stages of star development
The author Mathias Scholz studied physics at the University of Rostock. Since 1990, he has been working as a freelancer in the field of environmental simulation and IT. He is a long-time amateur astronomer.
