John I. CastorCambridge University PressEdition: Revised ed., 1/18/2007EAN 9780521540629, ISBN10: 0521540623Paperback, 368 pages, 24.3 x 15.8 x 1.8 cmLanguage: EnglishThis broad treatment provides an accessible introduction to the theory and the large-scale simulation methods currently used in radiation hydrodynamics. Chapters cover all the central topics, including: a review of the fundamentals of gas dynamics; methods for computational fluid dynamics; theory of radiative transfer and of the dynamical coupling of matter and radiation; and quantum mechanics of matter-radiation interaction. Also covered are the details of spectral line formation out of thermodynamic equilibrium; the theory of refraction and transfer of polarized light and current computational methods for radiation transport, and a description of some notable applications of the theory in astrophysics and laboratory plasmas. This is a valuable text for research scientists and graduate students in physics and astrophysics.List of figuresPreface1. Introduction2. A quick review of gas dynamics3. Numerical hydrodynamics4. Description of radiation5. Steady-state transfer6. The comoving-frame picture7. Hydrodynamics with radiationwaves and stability8. Radiation-matter interactions9. Spectral line transport10. Refraction and polarized light11. Numerical techniques for radiation transport12. ExamplesReferencesIndex.
