This long-awaited second edition of the classical textbook on Stellar Structure and Evolution by Kippenhahn and Weigert is a thoroughly revised version of the original text. Taking into account modern observational constraints as well as additional physical effects such as mass loss and diffusion, Achim Weiss and Rudolf Kippenhahn have succeeded in bringing the book up to the state-of-the-art with respect to both the presentation of stellar physics and the presentation and interpretation of current sophisticated stellar models. The well-received and proven pedagogical approach of the first edition has been retained.

The book provides a comprehensive treatment of the physics of the stellar interior and the underlying fundamental processes and parameters. The models developed to explain the stability, dynamics and evolution of the stars are presented and great care is taken to detail the various stages in a star’s life. Just as the first edition, which remained astandard work for more than 20 years after its first publication, the second edition will be of lasting value not only for students but also for active researchers in astronomy and astrophysics.

Table of Contents

Part I The Basic Equations

Chapter 1 Coordinates, Mass Distribution, and Gravitational Field in Spherical Stars

Chapter 2 Conservation of Momentum

Chapter 3 The Virial Theorem

Chapter 4 Conservation of Energy

Chapter 5 Transport of Energy by Radiation and Conduction

Chapter 6 Stability Against Local, Non-spherical Perturbations

Chapter 7 Transport of Energy by Convection

Chapter 8 The Chemical Composition

Chapter 9 Mass Loss

Part II The Overall Problem

Chapter 10 The Differential Equations of Stellar Evolution

Chapter 11 Boundary Conditions

Chapter 12 Numerical Procedure

Part Ill Properties of Stellar Matter

Chapter 13 The Perfect Gas with Radiation

Chapter 14 Ionization

Chapter 15 The Degenerate Electron Gas

Chapter 16 The Equation of State of Stellar Matter

Chapter 17 Opacity

Chapter 18 Nuclear Energy Production

Part IV Simple Stellar Models

Chapter 19 Polytropic Gaseous Spheres

Chapter 20 Homology Relations

Chapter 21 Simple Models in the U-V Plane

Chapter 22 The Zero-Age Main Sequence

Chapter 23 Other Main Sequences

Chapter 24 The Hayashi Line

Chapter 25 Stability Considerations

Part V Early Stellar Evolution

Chapter 26 The Onset of Star Formation

Chapter 27 The Formation of Protostars

Chapter 28 Pre-Main-Sequence Contraction

Chapter 29 From the Initial to the Present Sun

Chapter 30 Evolution on the Main Sequence

Part VI Post-Main-Sequence Evolution

Chapter 31 Evolution Through Helium Burning: Intermediate-Mass Stars

Chapter 32 Evolution Through Helium Burning: Massive Stars

Chapter 33 Evolution Through Helium Burning: Low-Mass Stars

Part VII Late Phases of Stellar Evolution

Chapter 34 Evolution on the Asymptotic Giant Branch

Chapter 35 Later Phases of Core Evolution

Chapter 36 Final Explosions and Collapse

Part VIII Compact Objects

Chapter 37 White Dwarfs

Chapter 38 Neutron Stars

Chapter 39 Black Holes

Part IX Pulsating Stars

Chapter 40 Adiabatic Spherical Pulsations

Chapter 41 Non-adiabatic Spherical Pulsations

Chapter 42 Non-radial Stellar Oscillations

Part X Stellar Rotation

Chapter 43 The Mechanics of Rotating Stellar Models

Chapter 44 The Thermodynamics of Rotating Stellar Models

Chapter 45 The Angular-Velocity Distribution in Stars

About the Authors

Rudolf Kippenhahn is author of very successful academic astronomy books as well of a large number of best-selling popular science books on astronomy, atomic physics and cryptology. From 1965-1975 he was professor for astronomy and astrophysics in Göttingen, Germany, and from 1975-1991 he was the director of the Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching. He has received several medals and awards including the Eddington medal by the Royal Astronomical Society and the Karl-Schwarzschild medal of the Astronomische Gesellschaft.

Alfred Weigert was professor for astrophysics at the University of Hamburg, Germany. His research forcussed on the simulation of stellar evolution and on the solution of the set of equations describing the structure of stars. He was not only Rudolf Kippenhahn’s co-author of the first edition of Stellar Structure and Evolution, but also author (with Heinrich J. Wendker) of the successful German introductory textbook “Astronomie und Astrophysik”. He died in 1992.

Achim Weiss is an astrophysicist at the Max-Planck Instiute for Astrophysics in Garching and lecturer at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. Dr. Weiss’ research interests are on stellar evolution of low- and intermediate mass stars, population synthesis and AGB- and post-AGB evolution.