Astrophysical Jets and Beams

Written at a level that assumes no prior knowledge, this text is a comprehensive and insightful guide to the study of jets on all scales. Suitable for researchers across all branches of astrophysics, it discusses our current understanding of jet processes and reviews major discoveries, observations and jet models.

Astrophysical jets are spectacular displays of gas or dust ejected from a range of cosmic bodies; they are seemingly ubiquitous on scales from comets to black holes. This volume reviews our understanding of jet processes and provides a modern guide to their observation and the role they play in many long-standing problems in astrophysics. It covers the major discoveries in gamma-ray bursts, solar and stellar jets and cometary jets. Specific physical processes for all classes of jet are illustrated and discussed in depth, as a backdrop to explaining spectacular jet images. Current jet models raise as many issues as they solve, so the final chapter looks at the new questions to be answered. Written at an entry level for postgraduate students, this volume incorporates introductions to all the governing physics, providing a comprehensive and insightful guide to the study of jets for researchers across all branches of astrophysics.