Outside Resources

• Exploring the X-ray Universe by Philip Charles and Fred Seward -
  a good (though somewhat dated) review of X-ray astrophysics, its history, techniques, and results.
• The two volume text book Astrophysics by Bowers & Deeming
• Astrophysical Techniques by C.R. Kitchen
• X-ray Detectors in Astronomy by G. Fraser

The Kitchen text and the Frazer text are good background resources for a description of high-energy detectors and analysis techniques.

In order to assist you in gaining a better understanding of the course material, we have compiled a list of web-based resources that will help give background to the topics discussed in lecture.
 

 History of X-ray Astronomy (Harvard University)
 Astronomiae Historia/History of Astronomy
 A Brief History of High-Energy Astrophysics (NASA/GSFC)

 High-Energy and Low-Energy Proportional Counters (Harvard University)
 Introduction to Scientific Imaging CCDs (Scientific Imaging Technologies, Inc.)
 Microchannel Plate Principles of Operation (Harvard University)
 Proportional Counters (NASA/GSFC)
 Microchannel Plates (NASA/GSFC)

 Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics: Statistics (Harvard University)

 X-ray Sources: Normal Stars (Harvard University)

 X-ray Sources: Stellar Evolution (Harvard University)
 Stellar Evolution and Death (NASA)

 X-ray Sources: White Dwarfs (Harvard University)
 X-ray Sources: Neutron Stars (Harvard University)

 X-ray Sources: Black Holes (Harvard University)
 Cambridge Relativity: Black Holes (Cambridge University)

 Example of a Roche Lobe
 Towards Understanding AGN: Accretion Disk Model (CalTech)

 X-ray Binaries (NASA/GSFC)

Supernovae

 X-ray Sources: Supernovae and Supernovae Remnants  (Harvard University)

 X-ray Sources: Supernovae and Supernova Remnants (Harvard University)

 Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics: Cosmic Rays (Harvard University)

 X-ray Sources: Gamma-ray Bursts (Harvard University)

 X-ray Sources: Normal & Starburst Galaxies (Harvard University)

 An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei (CalTech)
 X-ray Sources: Quasars and AGN (Harvard University)
 Active Galactic Nuclei (Cambridge University)
 Towards Understanding AGN (CalTech)

 X-ray Sources: Galaxy Clusters (Harvard University)
 X-ray Sources: X-ray Background/Deep Fields (Harvard University)
 Galaxy Clusters and Large-Scale Structures (Cambridge University)
 Clusters of Galaxies (Cambridge University)
 Soft X-ray Diffuse Background (NASA/GSFC)

 Cambridge Cosmology (Cambridge University)
 Cosmology Models
 Structure and Evolution of the Universe (NASA/GSFC)
 

Other Pages of Interest

If you'd like to read more about information on current and past missions in high-energy astrophysics, as well as current events and research in astronomy and physics, you might be interested in the following:

• High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC)
• GSFC Laboratory for High-Energy Astrophysics
• Chandra X-Ray Observatory
• The XMM-Newton Science Operations Center
• The SWIFT Observatory
• Gamma-Ray Astrophysics @ National Space Science and Technology Center
• American Astronomical Society
• American Physical Society

Questions? Email the professors at gwu_usra@olegacy.gsfc.nasa.gov
Go back to the main page