Overview

"With an emphasis on numerical modeling, Physics of the Sun: A First Course presents a quantitative examination of the physical structure of the Sun and the conditions of its extended atmosphere. It gives step-by-step instructions for calculating the numerical values of various physical quantities. The text covers a wide range of topics on the Sun and stellar astrophysics, including the structure of the Sun, solar radiation, the solar atmosphere, and Sun-space interactions. It explores how the physical conditions in the visible surface of the Sun are determined by the opacity of the material in the atmosphere. It also presents the empirical properties of convection in the Sun and discusses how the physical parameters increase with depth through the convection zone. The author shows how certain types of ""real stars"" are actually polytropes and offers a simplified version of oscillation equations to highlight the properties of p- and g-modes in the Sun. He also focuses on the initial temperature rise into the chromosphere, why the temperature in the quiet corona has the value it does, and how the physics of magnetic fields help us to understand various striking phenomena that are observed on the Sun. This text enables a practical appreciation of the physical models of solar processes. Through the included numerical modeling problems, it encourages a firm grasp of the numerical values of actual physical parameters as a function of radial location in the Sun."

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9781420083071

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Physics of the Sun indeed starts as a 'first course' with a discussion of the sun's global properties which can be easily observed and quantified. Very skillfully this information is used for a phenomenological description of the sun as observed from the earth. ... very clear and easy to read. It is full of interesting bits of information ... The quality of the paper, the print, and the book as a whole is very good. As far as the scope is concerned, it is clearly written for undergraduate students, but also accessible for non-students with some understanding of physics and mathematics. Style-wise, however, the book is a nice read also for experts and can thus be recommended without constraint. -Contemporary Physics, Volume 52, Issue 3, 2011 ... the scope of core physics that can be taught with the Sun as an illuminating vehicle is impressive ... . For colleagues interested enough to think a bit more about this possibility or immediately keen to try, Mullan's book is an excellent starting place. ... this is a very useful book with lots of nice details supported by accessible calculations. ... The idea of teaching general physics through the Sun, in both senses of the word, is surely a promising one. -James L. Collett, Reviews, Volume 11, Issue 1, 2010

! the scope of core physics that can be taught with the Sun as an illuminating vehicle is impressive ! . For colleagues interested enough to think a bit more about this possibility or immediately keen to try, Mullan's book is an excellent starting place. ! this is a very useful book with lots of nice details supported by accessible calculations. ! The idea of teaching general physics through the Sun, in both senses of the word, is surely a promising one. --James L. Collett, Reviews, Volume 11, Issue 1, 2010

Author Information

Dermott J. Mullan is a professor in the Bartol Research Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware. He is also director of the NASA Space Grant Program and the NASA EPSCoR Program in Delaware.

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