The years 2012/2013 mark the 50th anniversary of the theoretical prediction that Brown Dwarfs, i.e. degenerate objects which are just t massive eugh to sustain stable hydrogen fusion, exist. Some 20 years after their discovery, how Brown Dwarfs form is still one of the main open questions in the theory of star formation. In this volume, the pioneers of Brown Dwarf research review the history of the theoretical prediction and the subsequent discovery of Brown Dwarfs. After an introduction, written by Viki Joergens, reviewing Shiv Kumar's theoretical prediction of the existence of brown dwarfs, Takeri Naka reviews his and Hayashi's calculation of the Hydrogen Burning Minimum Mass. Both predictions happened in the early 1960s. Jill Tarter then writes on the introduction of the term 'Brown Dwarf', before Ben Oppenheimer, Rafael Rebolo and Gibor Basri describe their first discovery of Brown Dwarfs in the 1990s. Lastly, Michael Cushing and Isabelle Baraffe describe the development of the field to the current state of the art. While the book is mainly aimed at the Brown Dwarf research community, the description of the pioneering period in a scientific field will attract general readers interested in astromy as well.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Springer International Publishing Ag
ISBN-10
3319011618
ISBN-13
9783319011615
eBay Product ID (ePID)
190286372
Product Key Features
Format
Hardback
Language
English
Subject
Physics
Dimensions
Weight
438g
Height
235mm
Width
155mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
Cham
Spine
11mm
Edited by
Viki Joergens
Series Part/Volume Number
401
Series Title
Astrophysics and Space Science Library
Content Note
37 Black & White Illustrations, 32 Colour Illustrations, Biography
Author Biography
Dr. Viki Joergens is research staff scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. She is also Margarete von Wrangell Fellow and EC Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow. Her research focuses on brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars. She was member of the SOC of several workshops and sessions on brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars.