Applied General Relativity by
In the late 20th and beginning 21st century high-precision astronomy, positioning and metrology strongly rely on general relativity. Supported by exercises and solutions this book offers graduate students and researchers entering those fields a self-contained and exhaustive but accessible treatment of applied general relativity. The book is written in a homogenous (graduate level textbook) style allowing the reader to understand the arguments step by step. It first introduces the mathematical and theoretical foundations of gravity theory and then concentrates on its general relativistic applications: clock rates, clock sychronization, establishment of time scales, astronomical references frames, relativistic astrometry, celestial mechanics and metrology. The authors present up-to-date relativistic models for applied techniques such as Satellite LASER Ranging (SLR), Lunar LASER Ranging (LLR), Globale Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Very Large BaselineInterferometry (VLBI), radar measurements, gyroscopes and pulsar timing. A list of acronyms helps the reader keep an overview and a mathematical appendix provides required functions and terms.
Astrometry for Astrophysics: Methods, Models, and Applications by
The field of astrometry, the precise measurement of the positions, distances and motions of astronomical objects, has been revolutionized in recent years. As we enter the high-precision era, it will play an increasingly important role in all areas of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology. This edited text starts by looking at the opportunities and challenges facing astrometry in the twenty-first century, from space and ground. The new formalisms of relativity required to take advantage of micro-arcsecond astrometry are then discussed, before the reader is guided through the basic methods required to transform our observations from detected photons to the celestial sphere. The final section of the text shows how a variety of astronomical problems can be solved using astrometric methods. Bringing together work from a broad range of experts in the field, this is the most complete textbook on observational astrometry and is ideal for graduate students and researchers alike.
Dynamics of Planetary Systems by
An introduction to celestial mechanics for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers new to the field Celestial mechanics—the study of the movement of planets, satellites, and smaller bodies such as comets—is one of the oldest subjects in the physical sciences. Since the mid-twentieth century, the field has experienced a renaissance due to advances in space flight, digital computing, numerical mathematics, nonlinear dynamics, and chaos theory, and the discovery of exoplanets. This modern, authoritative introduction to planetary system dynamics reflects these recent developments and discoveries and is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers. The book treats both traditional subjects, such as the two-body and three-body problems, lunar theory, and Hamiltonian perturbation theory, as well as a diverse range of other topics, including chaos in the solar system, comet dynamics, extrasolar planets, planetesimal dynamics, resonances, tidal friction and disruption, and more. The book provides readers with all the core concepts, tools, and methods needed to conduct research in the subject. Provides an authoritative introduction that reflects recent advances in the field Topics treated include Andoyer variables, co-orbital satellites and quasi-satellites, Hill’s problem, the Milankovich equations, Colombo’s top and Cassini states, the Yarkovsky and YORP effects, orbit determination for extrasolar planets, and more More than 100 end-of-book problems elaborate on concepts not fully covered in the main text Appendixes summarize the necessary background material Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students; some knowledge of Hamiltonian mechanics and methods of mathematical physics (vectors, matrices, special functions, etc.) required Solutions manual available on request for instructors who adopt the book for a course.
GAIA: at the Frontiers of Astrometry by
The Symposium "Gaia : at the frontiers of astrometry", held in Sèvres (Hauts de Seine, France) from 7 to 11 June 2010, was the closing conference of the European Marie Curie ELSA network (European Leadership in Space Astrometry). Gaia, selected as one of the cornerstones of the European Space Agency (ESA) Science Program in October 2000 and planned for launch in 2012, has been conceived in the wake of the success of the Hipparcos satellite, the first space astrometry mission, launched by ESA in 1989. Combining the power of discovery of a systematic and repeated survey of the sky with three complementary instruments (astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic) and extreme accuracy astrometry, Gaia will provide an unprecedented stereoscopic map of our Galaxy and the nearby universe. The objectives of the Symposium were to present the results obtained in the framework of the ELSA network on the various aspects of the preparation of the data analysis and scientific exploitation of the Gaia mission. The science expected from Gaia has been put in the 2015 context, and progresses on parallel or connected topics have been presented : progress on other astrometric satellites, performance of light detectors in astronomy, processing of massive data sets, especially in astronomy, real-time classification of transients, access to massive data sets, and propects for ground-based observations in complement to astrometry.
Modern Astrometry by
The book is an introduction to practical astrometry, dealing with the determination of positions, motions, distances and dimensions of celestial bodies ranging from quasars to artificial satellites. The main part is devoted to the description of instruments and observing techniques, and also includes the basic properties of optical instruments and a detailed description of the atmospheric effects on observations.
New Frontiers of Celestial Mechanics: Theory and Applications by
This volume contains the detailed text of the major lectures delivered during the I-CELMECH Training School 2020 held in Milan (Italy). The school aimed to present a contemporary review of recent results in the field of celestial mechanics, with special emphasis on theoretical aspects. The stability of the Solar System, the rotations of celestial bodies and orbit determination, as well as the novel scientific needs raised by the discovery of exoplanetary systems, the management of the space debris problem and the modern space mission design are some of the fundamental problems in the modern developments of celestial mechanics. This book covers different topics, such as Hamiltonian normal forms, the three-body problem, the Euler (or two-centre) problem, conservative and dissipative standard maps and spin-orbit problems, rotational dynamics of extended bodies, Arnold diffusion, orbit determination, space debris, Fast Lyapunov Indicators (FLI), transit orbits and answer to a crucial question, how did Kepler discover his celebrated laws? Thus, the book is a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers in the field of celestial mechanics and aerospace engineering.
The Role of VLBI in Astrophysics, Astrometry and Geodesy by
A masterly survey of the last 13 years of Very Long Baseline Interferometry, reviewed in light of the most advanced astronomical observations. Topics covered include: Nonthermal emission from extragalactic radio sources; Principles of synchrotron emission in relation to astrophysics; Theory of relativistic jets; Young, powerful radio sources and their evolution; Scintillation in extragalactic radio sources; Radio and optical interferometry; Radio polarimetry; Unified schemes; Deep fields; Tropospheric and ionospheric phase calibration; Supernovae; VLBI for geodesy and geodynamics
The Rotation of Sun and Stars by
The Sun and stars rotate in different ways and at different rates of velocity, and knowledge of how they rotate is important in understanding the formation and evolution of stars and their structure.
The wide variety of stars offers an equally wide variety of rotation rates and rotational evolution. From the slowly rotating stars to stars rotating close to their breakup velocities, different techniques and models have to be developed to study rotation and its effects on physical aspects of stars. In fact, one currently witnesses a complete renewal of astrophysical ideas about stellar rotation, mainly due to the development of new models including high-order effects of rotation and magnetism.
Space-Time Reference Systems by
Beyond astrometry, the main fields of application of high-precision astronomical spatial-temporal reference systems and frames are navigation (GPS, interplanetary spacecraft navigation) and global geodynamics, which provide a high-precision Celestial Reference System and its link to any terrestrial spatial-temporal reference system. Mankind’s urgent environmental questions can only be answered in the context of appropriate reference systems in which both aspects, space and time, are realized with a sufficiently high level of accuracy. This book addresses all those interested in high-precision reference systems and the various techniques (GPS, Very Long Baseline Interferometry, Satellite Laser Ranging, Lunar Laser Ranging) necessary for their realization, including the production and dissemination of time signals.
