Book description
This concise and systematic account of the current state of this new
branch of astrophysics presents the theoretical foundations of plasma
astrophysics, magneto-hydrodynamics and coronal magnetic structures,
taking into account the full range of available observation techniques
-- from radio to gamma.
The book discusses stellar loops during flare energy releases, MHD
waves and oscillations, plasma instabilities and heating and charged
particle acceleration. Current trends and developments in MHD seismology
of solar and stellar coronal plasma systems are also covered, while
recent progress is presented in the observational study of
quasi-periodic pulsations in solar and stellar flares with radio,
optical, X and gamma rays. In addition, the authors investigate the
origin of coherent radio emission from stellar loops, paying special
attention to their fine structure.
For advanced students and specialists in astronomy, as well as
theoretical and plasma physics. Alexander V. Stepanov is director of
the Pulkovo Observatory, Russia, and elected member of the European
Astronomical Society Council. 150 papers on various processes related to
flares and the solar corona and how to measure and interpret their
emissions prove his standing with the community.
Valery V. Zaitsev is head of the Laboratory of Plasma Physics of the
Atmospheres of the Sun and Planets at the Russian Academy of Sciences,
and Founding Member of the European Astronomical Society. Various
assignments have taken him to the European Southern Observatory and the
Astrophys. Institute Potsdam, Germany, among others.
His research centers on solar and stellar flares, winds and radio
emission, coronal structures and plasma kinetics. It is documented in
over 200 publications.
Valery M. Nakariakov is Professor at the University of Warwick, UK,
Councilor of the Royal Astronomical Society and Vice President of the
European Solar Physics Division of the European Physical Society. His
research focuses on astrophysical and laboratory plasmas, on solar
coronal physics and magnetohydrodynamic coronal seismology.
