Stellar Magnetism

Ongoing studies in mathematical depth, and inferences from 'helioseismological' observations of the internal solar rotation have shown up the limitations in our knowledge of the solar interior and of our understanding of the solar dynamo, manifested in particular by the sunspot cycle, the Maunder minimum, and solar flares. This second edition retains the identical overall structure as the first edition, but is designed so as to be self-contained with the early chapters presenting the basic physics and mathematics underlying cosmical magnetohydrodynamics, followed by studies of the specific applications appropriate for a book devoted to a central area in astrophysics. Each chapter is complete with illustrations, a full set of references and a discussion of the challenges facing future astrophysicists. This is a magnificent volume representing a lifetime of research by its distinguished author. R. Ellis, California Institute of Technology, Contemporary Science a spectacularly good job ... an amazing achievement. ... Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is in the clarity of the exposition and the ease of reading. Professor Mestel has an engaging style, which makes the 700 pages seem much less. This means that, in addition to being an invaluable reference book that can be dipped into, the book can easily be read straight-forwardly from start to finish. ... I am sure that this, now up-to-date, treatise will remain the book of choice in this field for a number of years to come. Steven Tobias, The Observatory1. Introduction ; 2. Theoretical basis ; 3. Applications ; 4. Magnetism and convection ; 5. Magnetic fields in stellar interiors ; 6. Dynamo processes in stars ; 7. Stellar winds: magnetic braking ; 8. Late-type stars ; 9. The early-type magnetic stars ; 10. Pre-main sequence stars ; 11. Magnetism and star formation I ; 12. Magnetism and star formation II ; Index