Compact Stellar X-Ray Sources

X-ray astronomy is the prime available window on astrophysical compact objects: black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs. In the last ten years new observational opportunities have led to an explosion of knowledge in this field. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the astrophysics of compact objects that emit X-rays. Sixteen chapters written by the foremost experts in the field cover the observations and the astrophysical interpretation of these objects. Topics covered include binary systems, gamma ray burst sources, soft gamma ray repeaters, anomalous X-ray pulsars, super-soft sources, and enigmatic fast X-ray transients.

X-ray astronomy is the prime available window on astrophysical compact objects: black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs. In the last ten years new observational opportunities have led to an explosion of knowledge in this field. In this book, the foremost experts provide a comprehensive overview of the observations and astrophysics of these objects. Topics covered include binary systems, gamma ray burst sources, soft gamma ray repeaters, anomalous X-ray pulsars, super-soft sources, and fast X-ray transients. This is a valuable reference for graduate students and active researchers.