Radiative Processes in Astrophysics: This clear, straightforward, and fundamental introduction is designed to present-from a physicist's point of view-radiation processes and their applications to astrophysical phenomena and space science. It covers such topics as radiative transfer theory, relativistic covariance and kinematics, bremsstrahlung radiation, synchrotron radiation, Compton scattering, some plasma effects, and radiative transitions in atoms. Discussion begins with first principles, physically motivating and deriving all results rather than merely presenting finished formulae. However, a reasonably good physics background (introductory quantum mechanics, intermediate electromagnetic theory, special relativity, and some statistical mechanics) is required. Much of this prerequisite material is provided by brief reviews, making the book a self-contained reference for workers in the field as well as the ideal text for senior or first-year graduate students of astronomy, astrophysics, and related physics courses. Radiative Processes in Astrophysics also contains about 75 problems, with solutions, illustrating applications of the material and methods for calculating results. This important and integral section emphasizes physical intuition by presenting important results that are used throughout the main text; it is here that most of the practical astrophysical applications become apparent.

Study Edition

Proceedings of the International Conference on The Nucleus: New Physics for the New Millennium, held January 18-22, 1999, at the National Accelerator Centre, Faure, South Africa

Atomic and Molecular Physics : Atomic Physics (1001--1122) - Molecular Physics (1123--1142) - Nuclear Physics : Basic Nuclear Properties (2001--2023) - Nuclear Binding Energy, Fission and Fusion (2024--2047) - The Deuteron and Nuclear forces (2048--2058) - Nuclear Models (2059--2075) - Nuclear Decays (2076--2107) - Nuclear Reactions (2108--2120) - Particle Physics : Interactions and Symmetries (3001--3037) - Weak and Electroweak Interactions, Grand Unification Theories (3038--3071) - Structure of Hadros and the Quark Model (3072--3090) - Experimental Methods and Miscellaneous Topics : Kinematics of High-Energy Particles (4001--4061) - Interactions between Radiation and Matter (4062--4085) - Detection Techniques and Experimental Methods (4086--4105) - Error Estimation and Statistics (4106--4118) - Particle Beams and Accelerators (4119--4131).

Electric dipole moments (EDMs) have interested physicists since 1950, when it was first suggested that there was no experimental evidence that nuclear forces are symmetric under parity (P) transformation. This question was regarded as speculative because the existence of an EDM, in addition to P violation, requires a violation of time-reversal (T) symmetry. In 1964 it was discovered that the invariance under CP transformation, which combines charge conjugation (C) with parity, is violated in K-meson decays. This provided a new incentive for EDM searches. Since the combined operations of CPT are expected to leave a system invariant, breakdown of CP invariance should be accompanied by a violation of time-reversal symmetry. Thus there is a reason to expect that EDMs should exist at some level. The original neutron EDM experiments were later supplemented with checks of T invariance in atoms and molecules. These investigations are pursued now by many groups. Over the years, the upper limit on the neutron EDM has been improved by seven orders of magnitude, and the upper limit on the electron EDM obtained in atomic experiments is even more strict.