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| Preface to the second edition page | |
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| Preface to the first edition | |
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| Observational background and basic assumptions | |
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| What is a star? | |
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| What can we learn from observations? | |
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| Basic assumptions | |
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| The H-R diagram: a tool for testing stellar evolution | |
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| The equations of stellar evolution | |
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| Local thermodynamic equilibrium | |
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| The energy equation | |
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| The equation of motion | |
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| The virial theorem | |
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| The total energy of a star | |
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| The equations governing composition changes | |
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| The set of evolution equations | |
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| The characteristic timescales of stellar evolution | |
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| Elementary physics of gas and radiation in stellar interiors | |
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| The equation of state | |
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| The ion pressure | |
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| The electron pressure | |
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| The radiation pressure | |
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| The internal energy of gas and radiation | |
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| The adiabatic exponent | |
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| Radiative transfer | |
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| Nuclear processes that take place in stars | |
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| The binding energy of the atomic nucleus | |
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| Nuclear reaction rates | |
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| Hydrogen burning I: the p - p chain | |
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| Hydrogen burning II: the CNO bi-cycle | |
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| Helium burning: the triple-a reaction | |
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| Carbon and oxygen burning | |
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| Silicon burning: nuclear statistical equilibrium | |
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| Creation of heavy elements: the s- and r-processes | |
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| Pair production | |
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| Iron photodisintegration | |
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| Equilibrium stellar configurations - simple models | |
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| The stellar structure equations | |
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| What is a simple stellar model? | |
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| Polytropic models | |
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| The Chandrasekhar mass | |
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| The Eddington luminosity | |
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| The standard model | |
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| The point-source model | |
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| The stability of stars | |
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| Secular thermal stability | |
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| Cases of thermal instability | |
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| Dynamical stability | |
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| Cases of dynamical instability | |
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| Convection | |
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| Cases of convective instability | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| The evolution of stars - a schematic picture | |
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| Characterization of the (log T, log p) plane | |
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| The evolutionary path of the central point of a star in the (log T, log p) plane | |
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| The evolution of a star, as viewed from its centre | |
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| The theory of the main sequence | |
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| Outline of the structure of stars in late evolutionary stages | |
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| Shortcomings of the simple stellar evolution picture | |
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| Mass loss from stars | |
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| Observational evidence of mass loss | |
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| The mass loss equations | |
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| Solutions to the wind equations - the isothermal case | |
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| Mass loss estimates | |
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| Empirical solutions | |
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| The evolution of stars - a detailed picture | |
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| The Hayashi zone and die pre-main-sequence phase | |
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| The main-sequence phase | |
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| Solar neutrinos | |
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| The red giant phase | |
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| Helium burning in the core | |
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| Thermal pulses and the asymptotic giant branch | |
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| The superwind and the planetary nebula phase | |
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| White dwarfs: the final state of nonmassive stars | |
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| The evolution of massive stars | |
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| The H-R diagram - Epilogue | |
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| Exotic stars: supernovae, pulsars and black holes | |
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| What is a supernova? | |
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| Iron-disintegration supernovae: Type II - the fate of massive stars | |
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| Nucleosynthesis during Type II supernova explosions | |
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| Supernova progenies: neutron stars - pulsars | |
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| Carbon-detonation supernovae: Type Ia | |
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| Pair-production supernovae and black holes - the fate of very massive stars | |
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| Interacting binary stars | |
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| What is a binary star? | |
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| The general effects of stellar binarity | |
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| The mechanics of mass transfer between stars | |
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| Conservative mass transfer | |
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| Accretion discs | |
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| Cataclysmic phenomena: Nova outbursts | |
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| The stellar life cycle | |
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| The interstellar medium | |
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| Star formation | |
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| Stars, brown dwarfs and planets | |
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| The initial mass function | |
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| The global stellar evolution cycle | |
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| The equation of radiative transfer | |
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| The equation of state for degenerate electrons | |
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| Solutions to all the exercises | |
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| Physical and astronomical constants and conversion factors | |
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