An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics

Accessible and student-friendly textbook on the astrophysics of stars, now with new observational data and physical concepts.

An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics is a concise textbook containing core content on and detailed examples of stellar physics and stellar astronomy. This new edition is revised and expanded and contains updated and new material on nearest and brightest stars, binary stars, Wolf Rayet stars and blue horizontal-branch stars, stellar evolution modeling and gravitational waves.

The book is divided in seven chapters: basic concepts, stellar formation, radiative transfer in stars, stellar atmospheres, stellar interiors, nucleosynthesis and stellar evolution, and chemically peculiar stars and diffusion. Student-friendly features include detailed examples, exercises with selected solutions, brief recalls of the most important physical concepts, chapter summaries, and optional and advanced sections that can be skipped on first reading.

A large number of graphs and figures are included to better explain the concepts covered. Only essential astronomical data are given, and the amount of observational results shown is deliberately limited in scope.

An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics includes information on:

• The electromagnetic spectrum, blackbody radiation, luminosity, effective temperature, the Boltzmann and Saha equations, and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
• Hydrostatic equilibrium, the Virial theorem, the Jeans criteria, free-fall times, and pre-main-sequence evolution
• Radiative opacities, specific intensity and radiative moments, local thermodynamic equilibrium, radiative transfer and stellar atmospheres
• Energy transport in stars, polytropic models, stellar evolution, advanced nuclear burning, stellar remnants, and novae and supernovae
• Diffusion theory, radiative accelerations, and other transport processes
• New to this edition: sections on nearest and brightest stars, binary stars, the Eddington limit and stellar evolution modeling as well as several new special topics and additional exercises

Delivering intermediate knowledge on stars in a concise format, An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics is an excellent textbook on the subject for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying physics and astrophysics.