The Galactic Interstellar Medium

For years the Saas-Fee advanced courses have been greatly appreciated and highly regarded by astrophysicists and astronomers. In a form accessible to students this volume discusses interstellar matter, including the most recent theoretical and observational results.

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In this volume three extended lectures addressing bothstudents and experienced astronomers and astrophysicistscover a wealth of material on interstellar matter. The firstlecture details the most recent observationaldata oninterstellar matter inside and outside our galaxy, such asthe global distribution of matter and atomic or moleculargas and its kinematics. The second treats its large-scaledynamics, including instabilities and star formation. In thethird the physics and chemistry of molecular clouds arediscussed. This book can be used as a textbook for advancedstudents in astrophysics.

Contenu
Distribution and Observational Properties of the ISM.- Observations of HI and Other Tracers of the Low-Latitude Morphology of the Interstellar Medium in Our Galaxy.- Galactic Rotation and the Constants Specifying the Kinematic and Linear Scales of the Milky Way; Line-broadening Mechanisms Determining Profile Shapes at Low Latitudes.- Global Structural Distribution of Low-Latitude Tracers of the Inner Galaxy.- Comparative Global Properties of Interstellar Dust and Gas in the Galaxy.- Kinematics and Distribution of Neutral Interstellar Gas in the Galactic Bulge Region.- The Warped and Flaring Layer of Atomic and Molecular Gas in the Outer Galaxy.- Large Scale Dynamics of the Interstellar Medium.- Basic State of the Interstellar Gas.- Large Scale Heating and Cooling.- Explosions.- Gas Flow in Spiral Density Waves.- Gas Instabilities.- Global Star Formation.- Physics and Chemistry of Molecular Clouds.- Tools of Infrared and Radio Astronomy.- Heating and Cooling Processes.- Interstellar Chemistry.- Structure and Dynamics of Molecular Clouds.- Circumstellar Clouds and Masers.- Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center and External Galaxies.