A resource page for the two-volume set of textbooks on
quasar absorption line science and methods
Christopher W. Churchill
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New Youtube Channel: "all things Quasar Absorption Lines"
Quasar Absorption Lines is a two-volume set of textbooks that is the product of more than a decade of research and synthesis. These books provide the most comprehensive and detailed treatment of the topic of quasar absorption lines compiled into a single resource, including its historical development, scientific findings, theoretical foundations, and methods of analysis.
This site contains supplementary material for this powerful resource, including review questions for lesson planning and self-review, problem sets and practical exercises, a supporting tutorial video library, an online discussion forum, and documentation of errata.
Volume 1 chronicles six decades of quasar spectroscopy. The book details the nature of the Ly-alpha forest, Lyman limit systems, damped Ly-alpha absorbers, deuterium (D/H), 21-cm absorbers, HI and HeII Reionization, the WHIM, and the multiple ionization phases of metal line absorbers. Galaxies and their connections to these absorbers are treated in depth, as are the taxonomy and classes of AGN/quasar spectra and their associated absorption lines.
Volume 2 treats the theory and analysis of absorption lines, including the physics of atomic transitions, gas and ionization physics, the cosmological model, radiative transfer, spectrograph design, analysis of spectra, and multi-component, multiphase chemical-ionization modeling. Pragmatic approaches to conducting and assessing absorber counts in large absorption line surveys is presented. Throughout, objective analysis methods are emphasized and presented for clarity of practical application.
Table of Contents
Volume 1
Volume 1
Introduction, Discoveries, and Methods
Introduction, Discoveries, and Methods
695 pages, 227 figures; 2575 references
ISBN: 9780521867603
Part 1 Breakthrough Astrophysics 1. A New Science 2. Modern Framework 3. Introduction to Methods Part 2 Intervening Absorbers 4. Neutral Hydrogen Absorbers 5. Deuterium and the Big Bang 6. 21-cm Absorbers 7. Helium Absorbers 8. Low Ionization Metal-line Absorbers 9. Intermediate Ionization Metal-line Absorbers10. The Warm/Hot Diffuse Universe11. High Ionization Metal-line Absorbers Part 3 Galaxies and Their Gas12. Baryons and Dark Matter Halos13. Studying the Circumgalactic Medium14. The Nature of the Circumgalactic Medium15. Friends of Friends and Their Gas16. Groups and Clusters17. Starbursts, AGN, and Quasars18. Active Black Holes and Eddington19. BALs, NALs, and QPQs
Volume 2
Astrophysics, Analysis, and Modeling
621 pages, 188 figures; 518 references
ISBN: 9781009715218
Part 4 Ions and Photons in the Cosmos20. Hydrogen and Hydrogenic Ions21. Transitions of Hydrogenic Ions22. Multi-Electron Ions and Transitions23. Atomic Properties and Spectra24. The ΛCDM Cosmological Paradigm25. Applied Cosmology26. Cosmological Radiative TransferPart 5 Analyzing Quasar Spectra27. Spectrographs and Spectra28. Absorption Lines and Ionization Breaks29. Absorption Line Analysis30. Profile Fitting and Column Densities31. Absorption Line Surveys32. Absorber Populations StatisticsPart 6 Modeling Absorbers33. Macro Properties of Astrophysical Gas34. The Microphysics of Ionized Gas35. Introduction to Ionization Modeling36. Modeling Absorbers
Endorsements
"Churchill has produced a masterful textbook that is both comprehensive and readable. From the field's historical foundations through to modern analysis methods and discoveries, this book is a deep dive into the field of quasar absorption lines. Combined with supporting material on topics from cosmology and simulations to instrumentation and the interstellar medium, Churchill's two-volume set is the ultimate reference for students and seasoned researchers alike."
Professor Sara Ellison
University of Victoria
"To collect all this encyclopedia of relevant knowledge under one assemblage has never been attempted before and is the phenomenal achievement of these two volumes. Students and experts in the field will find them an endless source of information and a much used reference text for many years to come."
Professor Emeritus Max Pettini (RAS)
Cambridge University
"This remarkable two-volume book set on quasar absorption lines is, all at once, a historical reference, a comprehensive review article, a presentation of a remarkable amount of relevant fundamental physics and cosmology, a tutorial on numerous facets of spectral analysis, a description of modeling methodology and of insights from cosmological simulations, and a presentation of current results on the nature of the variety of absorption line systems and their relationships to galaxies over most of cosmic history. Churchill covers all of this systematically, clearly, and in depth, with unique, profound insights interwoven throughout. Not only student researchers of all levels, but also seasoned veteran researchers, will find this reference to teach them something which could substantially increase their productivity in the field. There is nothing else like it."
Professor Jane Charlton
The Pennsylvania State University
"This outstanding two-volume set is long overdue for the Astrophysics community. Prof. Churchill captures the physics, science, and history of the rich field of quasar absorption lines. It can serve as the primary textbook for any class on the intergalactic medium or provide the foundational reference for research on the topic."
J. Xavier Prochaska
University of California, Santa Cruz
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