Foundations of High-Energy Astrophysics THEORETICAL ASTROPHYSICS Fulvio Melia, series editor
EDITORIAL BOARD A. C. Fabian, Roy Kerr, Douglas N. C. Lin, Angela V. Olinto, Saul Rappaport
Other Theoretical Astrophysics titles available from the University of Chicago Press Inner Space / Outer Space Edward Kolb, Michael Turner, Keith Olive, and David Seckel, editors (1985) Theory of Neutron Star Magnetospheres Curtis F. Michel (1990) High-Energy Radiation from Magnetized Neutron Stars Peter Meszaros (1992) Cauldron in the Cosmos Claus E. Rolf and William S. Rodney (1988) Stars as Laboratories for Fundamental Physics Georg G. Raffelt (1996) Foundations of High-Energy Astrophysics
Mario Vietri
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS Chicago and London MARIO VIETRI is professor of astrophysics at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London C 2008 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved. Published 2008 Printed in the United States of America
17161514131211100908 12345
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-85569-1 (cloth) ISBN-10: 0-226-85569-4 (cloth)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Vietri, Mario. Foundations of high-energy astrophysics / Mario Vietri. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-226-85569-1 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-226-85569-4 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Astrophysics—Textbooks. 2. Infrared astronomy—Textbooks. 3. X-ray astronomy—Textbooks. 4. Gamma ray astronomy—Textbooks. 5. Particles (Nuclear physics)— Textbooks. I. Title. QB468.V54 2008 523.01 976—dc22 2007030145