From Luminous Hot Stars to Starburst Galaxies

Paul A. Conti is an Emeritus Professor at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) and the Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences Department at the University of Colorado. Paul A. Crowther is a Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield. Claus Leitherer is an Astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Observed properties; 3. Stellar atmospheres; 4. Stellar winds; 5. Evolution of single stars; 6. Binaries; 7. Birth of massive stars and star clusters; 8. The interstellar environment; 9. From giant HII regions to HII galaxies; 10. Starburst phenomena; 11. Cosmological implications; References; Index.

"It has been almost 20 years since the last comprehensive monograph on luminous hot stars and in that time advances in instrumentation, the Hubble Space Telescope, and computational power have enhanced the knowledge of these objects many fold. Astrophysicist Conti and his co-authors bring these developments together into a cogent work suitable for both graduate students and research professionals. ... Stars of these sizes and masses eject enormous amounts of matter, wind, and energy into the surrounding space, often detected as stellar bursts. These effects are far reaching and have impact on a cosmological scale. This larger view of things is rather rare among books of this caliber and a much welcomed inclusion." - Margaret F. Dominy, American Reference Books Annual