Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Erice, Sicily, Italy, April 20-30, 1988

Bright gamma-ray flares observed from sources far beyond our Milky Way Galaxy are best explained if enormous amounts of energy are liberated by black holes. The highest- energy particles in nature--the ultra-high-energy cosmic rays--cannot be confined by the Milky Way's magnetic field, and must originate from sources outside our Galaxy. Understanding these energetic radiations requires an extensive theoretical framework involving the radiation physics and strong-field gravity of black holes. In High Energy Radiation from Black Holes, Charles Dermer and Govind Menon present a systematic exposition of black-hole astrophysics and general relativity in order to understand how gamma rays, cosmic rays, and neutrinos are produced by black holes. Beginning with Einstein's special and general theories of relativity, the authors give a detailed mathematical description of fundamental astrophysical radiation processes, including Compton scattering of electrons and photons, synchrotron radiation of particles in magnetic fields, photohadronic interactions of cosmic rays with photons, gamma-ray attenuation, Fermi acceleration, and the Blandford-Znajek mechanism for energy extraction from rotating black holes. The book provides a basis for graduate students and researchers in the field to interpret the latest results from high-energy observatories, and helps resolve whether energy released by rotating black holes powers the highest-energy radiations in nature. The wide range of detail will make High Energy Radiation from Black Holes a standard reference for black-hole research.

“Neutrinos and Explosive Events in the Universe” brought together experts from diverse disciplines to offer a detailed view of the exciting new work in this part of High Energy Astrophysics. Sponsored by NATO as an Advanced Study Institute, and coordinated under the auspices of the International School of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics (14th biennial course), the ASI featured a full program of lectures and discussion in the ambiance of the Ettore Majorana Centre in Erice, Italy, including visits to the local Dirac and Chalonge museum collections as well as a view of the cultural heritage of southern Sicily. Enri- ment presentations on results from the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope and the Origin of Complexity complemented the program. This course was the best attended in the almost 30 year history of the School with 121 participants from 22 countries. The program provided a rich ex- rience, both introductory and advanced, to fascinating areas of observational Astrophysics Neutrino Astronomy, High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy, P- ticle Astrophysics and the objects most likely responsible for the signals - plosions and related phenomena, ranging from Supernovae to Black Holes to the Big Bang. Contained in this NATO Science Series volume is a summative formulation of the physics and astrophysics of this newly emerging research area that already has been, and will continue to be, an important contributor to understanding our high energy universe.

This book addresses three “hot” topics concerning the general problem of the origin of Galactic cosmic rays, namely (1) the acceleration, propagation, and radiation of particles in supernova remnants; (2) very high energy neutrinos from the Galactic Center; and (3) the potential held by the next-generation gamma-ray and neutrino detectors CTA and KM3NeT for studying extended non-thermal sources in the Galaxy. The topics are intrinsically connected to determining the nature (“hadronic or leptonic?”) of gamma-ray emissions from young and middle-aged supernova remnants and the search for cosmic-ray PeVatrons. The results and conclusions provided here are based on extensive analytical and numerical simulations, which are formulated and presented in a straightforward format that can be readily used in the interpretations of gamma-ray and neutrino observations, as well as for confident predictions for future measurements.

This book introduces young researchers to the exciting field of ultra-high energy astrophysics including charged particles, gamma rays and neutrinos. At ultra-high energy the radiation is produced by interactions of cosmic ray particles accelerated in explosive events such as supernovae or hypernovae, black holes or, possibly, the big bang. Through direct contact with senior scientists, now actively planning the next generation of experiments/models, the excitement and motivation for research at ultra-high energy was conveyed. The underpinning of these fields is a synthesis of knowledge and techniques from nuclear and particle physics, astronomy and cosmology. Informing the participants of this background, how it was derived, and the new challenges for the future are the major goal. Further, the course has helped to foster new astrophysical research and promoted contacts, which have resulted in new collaborations. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Gamma-Ray Burst: Discoveries With Swift (352 KB). Contents: Powerful Astrophysical Sources: Gamma Ray Bursts: Discoveries with Swift (A Wells); Gamma Ray Burst Phenomenology in the Swift Era (P M(r)sziros); The Nature of Dark Matter (P L Biermann & F Munyaneza); Cosmic Rays: Particle Acceleration and Propagation in the Galaxy (V S Ptuskin); GRB as Sources of Ultra-High Energy Particles (P M(r)sziros); The KASCADE-Grande Experiment (F Cossavela et al.); Gamma Ray and Neutrino Astronomy: Study of Galactic Gamma Ray Sources with Milagro (J Goodman); The GLAST Mission and Observability of Supernovae Remnants (O Tibolla); First Results from AMANDA using TWR System (A Silvestri); and other papers. Readership: Academics in astrophysics, high energy, cosmology and earth science."

This book, designed as a tool for young researchers and graduate students, reviews the main open problems and research lines in various fields of astroparticle physics: cosmic rays, gamma rays, neutrinos, cosmology, and gravitational physics. The opening section discusses cosmic rays of both galactic and extragalactic origin, examining experimental results, theoretical models, and possible future developments. The basics of gamma-ray astronomy are then described, including the detection methods and techniques. Galactic and extragalactic aspects of the field are addressed in the light of recent discoveries with space-borne and ground-based detectors. The review of neutrinos outlines the status of the investigations of neutrino radiation and brings together relevant formulae, estimations, and background information. Three complementary issues in cosmology are examined: observable predictions of inflation in the early universe, effects of dark energy/modified gravity in the large-scale structure of the universe, and neutrinos in cosmology and large-scale structures. The closing section on gravitational physics reviews issues relating to quantum gravity, atomic precision tests, space-based experiments, the strong field regime, gravitational waves, multi-messengers, and alternative theories of gravity.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 13th Course of the International School of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics. It focuses on major areas of astrophysics, their relation to cosmic ray physics, and our current understanding of the energetic processes in the Galaxy and the Universe that govern the acceleration and form the features of the cosmic rays that we detect at Earth.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in: ? Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)? CC Proceedings ? Engineering & Physical Sciences