Stellar Evolution, Nuclear Astrophysics, and Nucleogenesis: (Dover Books on Physics)

""The content of this work, which was independently presented by Burbidge, Burbidge, Fowler, and Hoyle in 1957, represents one of the major advances in the natural sciences in the twentieth century. It effectively answered, in one fell swoop, several interrelated questions that humans have been asking since the beginning of inquiry, such as 'What are stars?' 'How does the sun shine?' 'Why is gold so rare?' 'Where did the elements in our world and in our bodies come from?'"" - Alan A. Chen, Associate Professor, McMaster UniversityHarvard professor A. G. W. Cameron - who helped develop the Giant Impact Theory, a revolutionary concept concerning the formation of the moon - originally published this survey in a technical report of Canada's Chalk River Laboratories. Nuclear astrophysics has come of age in the decades since, during which the paper by Burbidge et al. was widely available while Cameron's study remained inaccessible. Long out of print and very hard to find, this remarkable work is now available in an affordable paperback edition for the very first time. Newly edited and retypeset by an expert in atomic physics, it provides a valuable resource to cosmologists, astrophysicists, and graduate students of nuclear astrophysics.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. The Development of the Galaxies 3. Hertzsprung-Russell Diagrams 4. Physical Conditions in Stellar Interiors 5. Thermonuclear Reaction Rates 6. Hydrogen thermonuclear Reactions 7. Steallar Evolution 8. Helium Thermonuclear Reaction 9. The Abundances of the Elements 10. Neutron-Capture Cross Sections 11. Neutron Capture on a Slow Time Scale 12. Heavey-Ion Thermonuclear Reactions 13. Photonuclear Reactions on a Slow Time Scale 14. Nuclear Reations in Statistical Equilibrium 15. Supernova Explosions 16. Thermonuclear Reactions on a Fast Time Scale 17. Analysis of Nuclide Abundances 18. Nuclear Reactions in Stellar Surfaces

About the Author :
Astrophysicist Alastair G. W. Cameron helped develop the Giant Impact Theory, a revolutionary concept concerning the formation of the moon. Former Associate Director for Planetary Sciences at Harvard, he was Chairman of the Astronomy Department from 1976 to 1982.David M. Kahl is a Ph.D. Fellow at the Center for Nuclear Study at the University of Tokyo.