Stellar Structure and Evolution

This book is the final one in a series of three texts which together provide a modern, complete and authoritative account of our present knowledge of the stars. It discusses the internal structure and the evolution of stars, and is completely self-contained. There is an emphasis on the basic physics governing stellar structure and the basic ideas on which our understanding of stellar structure is based. The book also provides a comprehensive discussion of stellar evolution. Careful comparison is made between theory and observation, and the author has thus provided a lucid and balanced introductory text for the student. As for volumes 1 and 2, volume 3 is self-contained and can be used as an independent textbook. The author has not only taught but has also published many original papers in this subject. Her clear and readable style should make this text a first choice for undergraduate and beginning graduate students taking courses in astronomy and particularly in stellar astrophysics.

Introduction; Hydrostatic equilibrium; Thermal equilibrium; The opacities; Convective instability; Theory of convective energy transport; Depths of outer convection zones; Energy generation in stars; Basic stellar structure equations; Homologous stars in radiative equilibrium; Influence of convection zones on stellar structure; Calculation of stellar models; Models for main sequence stars; Evolution of low mass stars; Evolution of massive stars; Late stages of stellar evolution; Observational tests of stellar evolution theory; Pulsating stars; The cepheid mass problem; Star formation; Problems; Bibliography; Index.