E-Book Overview
In the interstellar medium - the space between the stars in galaxies - new stars are born from material that is replenished by the debris ejected by stars when they die. This book is a comprehensive manual for studying the collisional and radiative processes observed in the interstellar medium. This second edition has been thoroughly updated and extended to cover related topics in radiation theory. It considers the chemistry of the interstellar medium both at the present epoch and in the early Universe, and discusses the physics and chemistry of shock waves. The methods of calculation of the rates of collisional excitation of interstellar molecules and atoms are explained, emphasising the quantum mechanical method. This book will be ideal for researchers involved in the interstellar medium and star formation, and physical chemists specialising in collision theory or in the measurement of the rates of collision processes.
E-Book Content
This page intentionally left blank MOLECULAR COLLISIONS IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM Second Edition In the interstellar medium – which occupies the space between the stars in galaxies – new stars are born from material that is replenished by the debris ejected by stars when they die. This book presents a detailed account of the atomic and molecular processes which give rise to the radiation we observe from the interstellar medium, knowledge that is essential to understanding star formation in our own and other galaxies. This Second Edition has been thoroughly updated and extended to cover related topics in radiation theory. It considers the chemistry of the interstellar medium, both in the present epoch and the early Universe. The book discusses the physics and chemistry of shock waves, which are produced by the jets of matter generated as a consequence of star formation. The methods for calculating rates of collisional excita