Customer Reviews

Handbook of Isotopes in the Cosmos: Hydrogen to Gallium (Cambridge Planetary Science)

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This book is easily one of the most useful books in regard to nuclear astrophysics. While the chapters have very repetitive structure and wording, this fits very well with the books namesake of a handbook, rather than a work which is meant to be read straight through.

While this book lacks many technical details, it is, to my knowledge, the only qualitative book on nuclear astrophysics, focusing on the connection of ideas in simple language. If you are interested in a technical book on the subject, these are widely available, from Clayton's 1968 Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis, to Rolf's Cauldrons in the Cosmos: Nuclear Astrophysics (Theoretical Astrophysics Series), Pagel's Nucleosynthesis and Chemical Evolution of Galaxies, Arnett's Supernovae and Nucleosynthesis (Princeton Series in Astrophysics) and Iliadis's Nuclear Physics of Stars.

In this regard, it is a unique book and extremely useful for preparing a talk to a general audience. One requires some background in the field to understand all the material, and so in that sense the book is not the best primer to the field.

I have two complaints, however. Clayton states in the preface, "Some may criticize my omission of reference to the research literature." This I do not mind, considering the book's goal of being non-technical. However, whenever Don Clayton has done the research in question, he is sure to point that out to the reader. But rarely does he name any other scientific researchers in nuclear astrophysics who have greatly contributed as well. In this way, one who reads the book may come away with the incorrect impression that Clayton is the main contributor to this sort of research, when in fact the conclusion that Clayton is a bit self-righteous is probably more accurate. At the very least, it's poor form and becomes annoying.

My second complaint is that when I asked Clayton if he was going to write the second volume, germanium to uranium, and he laughed and said no.

My only regret about this book is the author decided not to write the second volume. From isotope to isotope Donald Clayton tells me how each came to be - from an isotope of one nucleon to the isotope of 71 nucleons of gallium. It's almost like hanging around with NASA's scientists in the cafeteria. Donald Clayton lets us in on what they have been thinking about - all the things they have gotten to know about the nucleosynthesis of everything and how they got to know them, very readable.

The glossary is full of extended descriptions of key processes.

There is nothing - nothing - else like it. (If there is, somebody, please tell me.)

It's a wonderful book.

Donald Clayton, will you please change your mind and tell us about the origin of all the other isotopes?