A Panchromatic View of Galaxies

“This book is well-sourced and draws widely on the literature, giving access to a wide range of examples of use of the methods the author advocates – and making the book an especially useful resource for those starting in the field.”  (Astronomy & Geophysics, 1 August 2012)

 

A Panchromatic View of Galaxies illustrates how galaxies can be studied through multifrequency analysis. Divided into three different sections, the author first describes the data currently available at different frequencies, from X-rays to UV, optical, infrared and radio, and discusses the different emission processes and the nature of the emitting sources. In the second section, he explains how these data can be used to determine the most important physical, structural and kinematical parameters and quantities necessary for a coherent study of galaxies. The final section describes how these derived quantities can be used in a multifrequency analysis to study the matter cycle that gave birth to galaxies and, at the same time, pose strong observational constraints on models of galaxy formation. This book is thus a useful and practical guide for the interpretation and the use of all kind of multifrequency data in the study of galaxy evolution.

From the Contents:

Part I: Emitting Sources and Radiative Processes in Galaxies

• X-ray
• UV-Optical-NIR
• The Infrared
• Millimeter and Centimeter Radio

Part II: Derived Quantities

• Properties of the Hot X-ray Emitting Gas
• Dust Properties
• Radio Properties
• The Spectral Energy Distribution
• Spectral Features
• Gas Properties
• Dust Extinction
• Star Formation Tracers
• Light Profi les and Structural Parameters
• Stellar and Dynamical Masses

Part III: Constraining Galaxy Evolution

• Statistical Tools
• Scaling Relations
• Matter Cycle in Galaxies
• The Role of the Environment on Galaxy Evolution