Radiative Transfer (Dover Books on Physics)

Radiative Transfer is the definitive work in the field. It provides workers and students in physics | nuclear physics | astrophysics | and atmospheric studies with the foundation for the analysis of stellar atmospheres | planetary illumination | and sky radiation. Though radiative transfer has been investigated chiefly as a phenomenon of astrophysics | in recent years it has attracted the attentions of physicists as well | since essentially the same problems arise in the theory of diffusion of neutrons. &; Morton D. Hall | Distinguished Service Professor | University of ChicagoChandrasekhar presents the subject of radiative transfer in plane-parallel atmosphere as a branch of mathematical physics | with its own characteristic methods and techniques. He begins with a formulation and analysis of fundamental problems. It is shown how allowance can be made for the polarization of the radiation field by using a set of parameters first introduced by Stokes. Successive chapters deal with transfer problems in semi-infinite and finite atmosphere; Rayleigh scattering; the radiative equilibrium of a stellar atmosphere; and related astrophysical and mathematical problems. The mathematical methods employed are extremely powerful | and by means of them it has been possible to handle problems which could not be treated previously | such as the scattering of polarized light.