Evolutionary Processes in Binary and Multiple Stars (Cambridge Astrophysics) [Hardcover]

Peter Eggleton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521855578 | ISBN-13: 978-0521855570 | Publication Date: July 24, 2006

Binary systems of stars are as common as single stars. Stars evolve primarily by nuclear reactions in their interiors, but a star with a binary companion can also have its evolution influenced by the companion. Multiple star systems can exist in a stable state for millions of years, but can ultimately become unstable as one star grows in radius until it engulfs another. This volume discusses the statistics of binary stars; the evolution of single stars; and several of the most important kinds of interaction between two (and even three or more) stars. A series of mathematical appendices provides a concise but complete account of the mathematics of these processes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review of the hardback: '... I know of no book quite like Peter Eggleton's monograph, which describes in great detail stellar evolution in the context of binary and to some extent multiple stars, but also gives a masterly and comprehensive one-chapter summary of single-star evolution, in a very concise style. Anyone who masters the contents will have a deep understanding of the processes involved and of the approximations that are necessary to make progress. ... the writing is clear and readable ... the text is full of nice phrases that are accessible to everyone ... A nice feature of the book, that will make it more accessible to non-experts, is that the detailed mathematical justifications have mostly been placed in the appendices that take up the last 50 pages of the book ... a remarkable book ... it is authoritative and comprehensive and will be a fruitful source of ideas for those working in the field. It should also persuade our extragalactic colleagues that stellar evolution is still a topic with lots of interesting unsolved problems.' The Observatory

Book Description

This volume discusses the statistics of binary stars; the evolution of single stars; and several of the most important kinds of interaction between two (and even three or more) stars. Some of the interactions discussed are Roche-lobe overflow, tidal friction, gravitational radiation, magnetic activity driven by rapid rotation, stellar winds, magnetic braking, and the influence of a distant third body on a close binary orbit. A series of mathematical appendices gives a concise but full account of the mathematics of these processes.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 330 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521855578
• ISBN-13: 978-0521855570
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The State of the Art as it Exists Today, January 14, 2007

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John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Evolutionary Processes in Binary and Multiple Stars (Cambridge Astrophysics) (Hardcover)

This book is aimed at the last year undergraduate student, graudade student or researchers. The reader is expected to be familiar with the terminology of stellar astrophysics (spectral types, magnitudes and like). Within that background the author presents an excellent introduction to binary and multiple stars.

The book begins with an interesting discussion on just what is a binary star. With the whole universe rotating about itself, a binary star is simply two stars that are closer than others. But in a dense star field 'closer' has to be closer than it does in a star desert where the orbits of binary stars may be on the order of centuries.

This is not a book for the amateur, the math is heavy duty, indeed the author moved to Livermore Labs to get closer to massive computing power. He has included a series of mathematical appendicies which give a concise but full account of the mathematics of the processes involved with star behavior.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on this subject, May 1, 2009

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Ronald Mennickent Cid (Concepción, Chile) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Evolutionary Processes in Binary and Multiple Stars (Cambridge Astrophysics) (Hardcover)

I was greatly surprised with this book. The author present a detailed view of conservative and non-conservative binary star evolution with many examples, tables and references, exploring different possible scenarios. I use this book often as a reference for my own research. It is excellent for anybody who wants to go deep in the field of binary star evolution. I guess the level is for graduate students, although undergraduates can also find inspiration there.