An Introduction to the Physics of Interstellar Dust
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Summary
Streamlining the extensive information from the original, highly acclaimed monograph, this new An Introduction to the Physics of Interstellar Dust provides a concise reference and overview of interstellar dust and the interstellar medium. Drawn from a graduate course taught by the author, a highly regarded figure in the field, this all-in-one book emphasizes astronomical formulae and astronomical problems to give a solid foundation for the further study of interstellar medium.
Covering all phenomena associated with cosmic dust, this inclusive text eliminates the need to consult special physical literature by providing a comprehensive introduction in one source. The book addresses the absorption and scattering of dust, its creation in old stars, as well as emission, cohesion, and electrical charge. With strong attention to detail, the author facilitates a complete understanding from which to build a more versatile application and manipulation of the information. Providing insightful explanations for the utilization of many formulae, the author instructs in the effective investigation of astronomical objects for determining basic parameters. The book offers numerous figures displaying basic properties of dust such as optical constants, specific heat, and absorption and scattering coefficients making it accessible for the reader to apply these numbers to the problem at hand. There is an extensive section and comprehensive introduction to radiative transfer in a dusty medium with many practical pieces of advice and ample illustrations to guide astronomers wishing to implement radiative transfer code themselves.
An unparalleled amount of astronomical information in an accessible and palatable resource, An Introduction to the Physics of Interstellar Dust provides the most complete foundational reference available on the subject.
Table of Contents
The Dielectric Permeability
How the electromagnetic field acts on dust
The harmonic oscillator
Waves in a conducting medium
How to Evaluate Grain Cross Sections
Defining cross sections
The optical theorem
Mie theory for a sphere
Polarization and scattering
The discrete dipole approximation
The Kramers-Kronig relations
Composite grains
Very Small and Very Big Particles
Tiny spheres
Tiny ellipsoids
The fields inside a dielectric particle
Very large particles
Grains of small refractive index
Case Studies of Mie Calculus
Efficiencies of bare spheres
Scattering by bare spheres
Linear polarization through extinction
Coated spheres
Surface modes in small grains
Structure and Composition of Dust
Crystal structure
Binding in crystals
Carbonaceous grains and silicate grains
Optical constants of dust materials
Grain sizes
Dust Radiation
Kirchhoff's law
The temperature of big grains
The emission of big grains
Calorific properties of solids
Temperature fluctuations of very small grains
The emission spectrum of very small grains
Dust and Its Environment
Grain charge
Grain motion
Dust in the solar system
Grain destruction
Grain formation
Grain Surfaces
Gas accretion on grains
Mobility of atoms on grain surfaces
Grain surface chemistry
Ice mantles
PAHs and Spectral Features of Dust
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
ERE and DIBs
The silicate bands at 10µm and 18µm
Crystalline silicates
The feature at 3.4µm
Interstellar Reddening and Dust Models
Reddening by interstellar grains
Dust models
Radiative Transport
Basic transfer relations
Spherical clouds
Passive disks
Galactic nuclei
The pursuit of random photons
Spectral Energy Distribution of Dusty Objects
Early stages of star formation
Accretion disks
Reflection nebulae
Starburst nuclei
Mass loss giants
The effective extinction curve
Appendix A: Various Dust Related Physics
Boltzmann statistics
Quantum statistics
Thermodynamics
Blackbody radiation
The classical Hamiltonian
The Hamiltonian in quantum mechanics
The Einstein coefficients A and B
Potential wells and tunneling
Appendix B: Miscellaneous
Mathematical notations
Mathematical formulae
Cosmic constants
Problem set
List of symbols
Bibliography
Index
Editorial Reviews
On the whole the book is excellent in its content as well as its presentation. It contains a wealth of valuable information relating to the physics of interstellar grains, essentially updating and replacing the existing textbooks on this subject. It exhaustively covers the theory of light scattering relevant to grains, the processes of grain heating and infrared radiation. Also included are valuable sections on radiative transfer in clouds and grain dynamics. Workers in the field of interstellar dust must find this a most valuable reference book to possess.
—Contemporary Physics, Volume 51, Issue 6, 2010
Krügel’s new book is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses and is tremendously appealing because it requires no prior knowledge of astronomy. It can be used as a textbook, a self-study guide for graduate students or more senior academics, or a general reference for active researchers to delve into as needed. A major problem in investigating cosmic dust is that a proper study incorporates so many aspects of the physical sciences, and current texts rarely bring those topics together in such a coherent and concise form as Krügel does.
—Angela Speck, University of Missouri-Columbia, Physics Today, October 2008
