The Structure and Evolution of the Sun (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics)

This book equips the reader with a coherent understanding of the structure of the Sun and its evolution and provides all the knowledge required to construct a simplified model of the Sun.

The early chapters cover key aspects of basic physics and describe the Sun’s size, mass, luminosity, and temperature. Using a semi-empirical approach, the structure of the present Sun is then modeled in detail, layer by layer, proceeding from the photosphere to the convection zone, radiation zone, and core. Finally, all stages of the Sun’s evolution, from its formation to the end of its life, are carefully explained.

The book is primarily intended for university students taking the initial steps in moving from physics to astrophysics. It includes worked exercises and problems to illustrate the concepts discussed, as well as additional problems for independent study. With the aim of helping the reader as much as possible, most of the mathematics required to use the book are provided in the text.

Giuseppe Severino is an Associate Astronomer at INAF/OAC (Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory, Naples, Italy). In addition, between 1998 and 2005 he was a Professor at the University of Naples Federico II with responsibility for teaching Solar Physics. Dr. Severino served on the OAC board of directors for a decade and is also a past Vice President of OAC. Since 2007 he has been an Associate Scientist on the METIS/Solar Orbiter project, and he also held leading responsibilities in a number of previous solar projects. He is author of more than one hundred scientific publications in international journals (about half in refereed journals), mainly in the field of Solar Physics.