Author: Biz India

Editors: Christiaan Sterken, John Hearnshaw, and David Valls-Gabaud Publisher:  Cambridge University Press – 542 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram Over 3,000 astronomers were to have attended this 100th annual gathering of astronomers from around the world, the authors write in the Preface to this book. But how many attended is not indicated. The fact that the IAU has lasted for a century is significant, and that this Union has decided what it’s going to do in the next decade is a strong sign of its purposefulness. The IAU is 100 years old and has accomplished much, as you...

Authors: Hans Goedbloed, Rony Keppens, and Stefaan Poedts Publisher:  Cambridge University Press – 974 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram About ninety percent of visible matter in the Universe exists in the plasma state, the authors point out in the Preface. Consequently, an understanding of magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) is essential for everyone looking to comprehend the nature of solar and astrophysical processes, from the formation of stars to accretion discs and galaxies. An understanding of magneto-hydrodynamics is also important to understand laboratory applications focused on harnessing controlled fusion energy. This book on magneto-hydrodynamics brings together the theory of plasma behavior...

Editors: Teruyuki Nakajima, Toshimasa Ohara, Mitsuo Uemasu and Yuichi Onda Publisher:  Cambridge University Press – 356 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram In March 2011, a devastating accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Station, and subsequent tsunami,  resulted in highly serious radioactive contamination of the environment in a large area. High seasonal winds and ocean currents led to the movement of radioactive materials. Since the accident, the effects of the contamination have been observed in many places in the Northern Hemisphere. This book published eight years later in 2019 provides a summary of events surrounding that accident, documents the...

Author: Alan Boudreau Publisher:  Cambridge University Press Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram I had never before come across the word ‘hydromagmatic’ but I figured it had something to do with water, with the root word ‘hydro’ in it. I was familiar with the word ‘magma’ which refers to molten material within or beneath the earth’s crust. Searching on Amazon’s website for books with this word, I found just three items on it: this book that I am reviewing, a second one by Kenneth Wohletz published in 1982 with no book cover and just the title Scanning Electron Microscopy of...