Active Galactic Nuclei: From the Central Black Hole to the Galactic Environment

Front Cover
Princeton University Press, Jan 10, 1999 - Science - 598 pages

This is the first comprehensive treatment of active galactic nuclei--the cosmic powerhouses at the core of many distant galaxies. The term active galactic nuclei refers to quasars, radio galaxies, Seyfert galaxies, blazars, and related objects, all of which are believed to share a similar central engine--a supermassive black hole many times the mass of the Sun. Astrophysicists have studied these phenomena for the past several decades and have begun to develop a consensus about many of their properties and internal mechanisms. Julian Krolik, one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, sums up leading ideas from across the entire range of research, making this book an invaluable resource for astronomers, physicists interested in applications of the theory of gravitation, and graduate students.

Krolik begins by addressing basic questions about active galactic nuclei: What are they? How can they be found? How do they evolve? He assesses the evidence for massive black holes and considers how they generate power by accretion. He discusses X-ray and g-ray emission, radio emission and jets, emission and absorption lines, anisotropic appearance, and the relationship between an active nucleus and its host galaxy. He explores the mysteries of what ignites, fuels, and extinguishes active galactic nuclei, and concludes with a general review of where the field now stands. The book is unique in paying careful attention to relevant physics as well as astronomy, reflecting in part the importance of general relativity to understanding active galactic nuclei. Clear, authoritative, and detailed, this is crucial reading for anyone interested in one of the most dynamic areas of astrophysics today.

 

Contents

III
3
V
4
VI
18
VII
22
VIII
23
IX
26
X
29
XI
35
LI
309
LIII
319
LIV
321
LV
352
LVI
354
LVII
383
LVIII
390
LIX
399

XII
36
XIII
37
XIV
38
XV
42
XVII
52
XIX
54
XX
63
XXI
66
XXII
68
XXIII
71
XXIV
74
XXV
80
XXVI
90
XXVII
111
XXVIII
115
XXIX
120
XXX
121
XXXI
125
XXXII
128
XXXIII
135
XXXIV
138
XXXV
147
XXXVI
164
XXXVII
169
XXXVIII
188
XXXIX
196
XLI
202
XLII
209
XLIII
216
XLIV
223
XLV
237
XLVI
242
XLVII
250
XLVIII
256
XLIX
269
L
286
LX
407
LXI
409
LXII
412
LXIII
424
LXIV
427
LXV
429
LXVI
432
LXVII
441
LXVIII
449
LXIX
460
LXX
464
LXXII
469
LXXIII
476
LXXIV
479
LXXV
486
LXXVI
487
LXXVII
489
LXXVIII
492
LXXIX
494
LXXX
495
LXXXI
501
LXXXII
511
LXXXIII
527
LXXXIV
530
LXXXVI
531
LXXXVII
533
LXXXVIII
537
LXXXIX
542
XC
552
XCI
555
XCII
559
XCIII
566
XCIV
573
XCV
589
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About the author (1999)

Julian H. Krolik is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at The Johns Hopkins University. He has written widely on theoretical astrophysics, specializing in active galactic nuclei.

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