Scholarship on Middle English romance has done little to access the textual and bibliographical continuity of this remarkable literary tradition into the sixteenth century and its impact on Elizabethan works. And to an even greater extent Spenserian scholarship has failed to investigate the significant and complex debts which The Faerie Queene owes to medieval native verse romance and Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur. This book accordingly offers the first comprehensive study of the impact of Middle English romance on The Faerie Queene. It employs the concept of memory, in which both Middle English...

This timely review covers all aspects of three decades of study of this ghostly remnant of the hot Big Bang origin of the Universe, and examines the consequences for astrophysics, cosmology and theories of the evolution of large-scale cosmic structure. The observational techniques used to measure the spectrum of CBR and its angular distribution on the sky are examined in clear but critical detail: from the work of Penzias and Wilson in 1964 to the latest results from NASA's Cosmic Microwave Background Explorer (COBE) satellite. This review takes these observations and shows how they have...

Physics with Answers contains 500 problems covering the full range of introductory physics and its applications to many other subjects, along with clear, step-by-step solutions to each problem. No calculus is required. By attempting these exercises and learning from the solutions, students will gain confidence in solving class problems and improve their grasp of physics. The book is split into two parts. The first contains the problems, together with useful summaries of the main results needed for solving them. The second part gives full solutions to each problem, often accompanied by...

The study of cataclysmic variables - interacting binary stars containing a white dwarf accreting from an orbiting companion - is undergoing an exciting renaissance, as it embraces observations at all wavelengths. Cataclysmic variables allow, in particular, the direct and detailed study of equilibrium and non-equilibrium accretion discs; in turn these developments also help in our understanding of X-ray binaries, black holes and active galactic nuclei. This timely volume provides the first comprehensive survey of cataclysmic variable stars, integrating theory and observation into a single,...

This is a comprehensive account of RR Lyrae stars, and traces the story from their initial discovery a century ago, through to their present status. This book reviews our current understanding of RR Lyrae stars. It is a unique explanation of the multiple applications of these variable stars for a range of astrophysical problems. Horace A. Smith describes the use of RR Lyrae stars as probes of old stellar populations, both in the Milky Way and other galaxies, and as an outstanding testing ground for stellar evolution and pulsation theories. He stresses the significance of variable stars for...

How do you predict the parameters of future solar cycles? What is the role of dynamo theory in the cyclic activity of the Sun and similar stars? And what are the implications of chaos theory for stellar cycles? This book answers these questions and offers a timely review of studies in the cyclic activity of the Sun and other stars. This authoritative reference shows the importance of reliable predictions of the parameters of future solar cycles, and carefully explains the methods currently used to determine these (with special reference to the maximum of cycle 22). Some of the latest research...

This book describes the development of astronomy in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range, from the first rocket-based experiments in the late 1960s through to the latest satellite missions. It provides detailed material on the tools of EUV astronomy, dealing with the instrumentation, observational techniques, and modelling tools for the interpretation of data. Prospects for future EUV missions are discussed, and a catalog of known EUV sources is included.

This newly expanded and thoroughly updated third edition examines accretion as a source of energy in both binary star systems containing compact objects, and in active galactic nuclei. Assuming a basic knowledge of physics, the authors describe the physical processes at work in accretion discs and other accretion flows. New material includes a detailed treatment of disc instabilities, irradiated discs, disc warping, and general accretion flows. The treatment is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers.

Understanding how stars rotate is central to modeling their structure, formation and evolution, as well as understanding how they interact with their environment and companion stars. This lucid introduction to stellar rotation combines theory and observation, and includes all the latest developments in the field. Jean-Louis Tassoul, a leading authority on the subject, comprehensively surveys how the rotation of stars affects the structure and evolution of the Sun, single stars, and close binaries. This volume will greatly interest graduate students and researchers studying solar and stellar...