Gamma ray astronomy, the branch of high energy astrophysics that studies the sky in energetic ?-ray photons, is destined to play a crucial role in the exploration of nonthermal phenomena in the Universe in their most extreme and violent forms. The great potential of this discipline offers impressive coverage of many OC hot topicsOCO of modern astrophysics and cosmology, such as the origin of galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays, particle acceleration and radiation processes under extreme astrophysical conditions, and the search for dark matter."

Recent discoveries in astronomy and relativistic astrophysics as well as experiments on particle and nuclear physics have blurred the traditional boundaries of physics. It is believed that at the birth of the Universe, a whirlwind of matter and antimatter, of quarks and exotic leptons, briefly appeared and merged into a sea of energy. The new phenomena and new states of matter in the Universe revealed the deep connection between quarks and the Cosmos. Motivated by these themes, this book discusses different topics: gravitational waves, dark matter, dark energy, exotic contents of compact stars, high-energy and gamma-ray astrophysics, heavy ion collisions and the formation of the quark-gluon plasma in the early Universe. The book presents some of the latest researches on these fascinating themes and is useful for experts and students in the field.

Acclaimed by Nature as "excellent and uncompromising," this reader-friendly book explores exploding stars, black holes, and the Big Bang. Clear and lively, it conveys the excitement of modern cosmology. 1982 edition.

Very-high-energy astrophysics studies the most energetic photons in the sky allowing the exploration of the violent and extreme non-thermal phenomena in the Universe. Significant advances in knowledge have been made in this field using ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) as detectors to study the very-high-energy physical processes in the Universe. This book reviews the progress in the field since the advent of the second generation IACTs in around 2004.Going through the scientific highlights obtained by the three current instruments of this kind, H.E.S.S., VERITAS and MAGIC, operating now for more than ten years, this book presents a state-of-the-art knowledge in four areas of modern astrophysics and cosmology, namely the origin of the cosmic rays, the physic of compact objects and their resulting relativistic outflows, gamma-ray cosmology and the search for dark matter. Along with a detailed review of the outstanding scientific outcome, a summary of the key technological developments that yielded to the recognized success of the technique is also provided.This book is written for young academics in the fields of astrophysics, high energy physics and cosmology. At the same time, it can serve as a source of reference for the expert in the field.