Nuggets To Neutrinos

Rising from a Missouri boyhood and meager prospecting success to owning the most productive copper, silver, and gold mines in the world and being elected a United States senator, George Hearst (1820–91) spent decades veering between the heights of prosperity and the depths of financial ruin. In George Hearst: Silver King of the Gilded Age, Matthew Bernstein captures Hearst’s ascent, casting light on his actions during the Civil War, his tempestuous marriage to his cousin Phoebe, his role as disciplinarian and doting father to future media magnate William Randolph Hearst, and his devious methods of building the greatest mining empire in the West. Whether driving a pack of mules laden with silver from the Comstock Lode to San Francisco, bribing jurors in Pioche and Deadwood, or unearthing bonanzas in Utah and Montana Territories, Hearst’s cunning, energy, and industry were always evident, along with occasional glimmers of the villainy ascribed to him in the television series Deadwood. In this first full-length biography, George Hearst emerges in all his human dimensions and historical significance—an ambitious, complex, flawed, and quintessentially American character.

This book traces the parallel paths of physics and astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania, starting with their genesis in the 18th century, through the rising stature of both departments in the 20th century, and concluding with their unification in 1994. Along the way we meet David Rittenhouse, who observed the transit of Venus in 1769, Charles Doolittle, whose remarkable beard would freeze to his telescope on cold nights, Gaylord Harnwell, who transformed first the physics department and then the entire university, and Raymond Davis, who uncovered a mystery in the middle of the sun. The stories are tragic (Arthur Goodspeed failed to discover X-rays through inattention), horrifying (Dicran Kabakjian poisoned an entire neighborhood), and celebratory (three Penn physicists received the Nobel Prize in the late 20th Century). The reader will gain an appreciation, not just of the history of one institution, but of the ways these two disciplines both intersect and complement each other.

In 1875, a young man from Pennsylvania known as Captain Jack joined the Dodge Expedition into the Black Hills of Dakota Territory, penning letters to the Omaha Daily Bee during that time and for six months in 1876. John Wallace Crawford, aka Captain Jack, wrote a vibrant account of this fascinating time in the American West. His correspondence featured unusual and intriguing details about the relative merits of the gulches, the vagaries and difficulties of travel in the region, the art of survival in what was essentially wilderness, the hardships of inclement weather, trouble with outlaws, and interactions with American Indians. Award-winning historian Paul L. Hedren has compiled these almost unknown letters, writing an introduction and essays, which result in a treasure trove of hitherto hidden primary documents as well as a ripping yarn in the traditions of the old West. Book jacket.

“Neutrinos and Explosive Events in the Universe” brought together experts from diverse disciplines to offer a detailed view of the exciting new work in this part of High Energy Astrophysics. Sponsored by NATO as an Advanced Study Institute, and coordinated under the auspices of the International School of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics (14th biennial course), the ASI featured a full program of lectures and discussion in the ambiance of the Ettore Majorana Centre in Erice, Italy, including visits to the local Dirac and Chalonge museum collections as well as a view of the cultural heritage of southern Sicily. Enri- ment presentations on results from the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope and the Origin of Complexity complemented the program. This course was the best attended in the almost 30 year history of the School with 121 participants from 22 countries. The program provided a rich ex- rience, both introductory and advanced, to fascinating areas of observational Astrophysics Neutrino Astronomy, High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy, P- ticle Astrophysics and the objects most likely responsible for the signals - plosions and related phenomena, ranging from Supernovae to Black Holes to the Big Bang. Contained in this NATO Science Series volume is a summative formulation of the physics and astrophysics of this newly emerging research area that already has been, and will continue to be, an important contributor to understanding our high energy universe.

"Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts" appearing twice a year has become oneof the fundamental publications in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics andneighbouring sciences. It is the most important English-language abstracting journal in the mentioned branches. The abstracts are classified under more than a hundred subject categories, thus permitting a quick survey of the whole extended material. The AAA is a valuable and important publication for all students and scientists working in the fields of astronomy and related sciences. As such it represents a necessary ingredient of any astronomical library all over the world.

Cosmogony deals with no less than the genesis and development of the universe, the solar system and the earth. This book was developed from a symposium in honour of Prof. A.G.W. Cameron of Harvard University on his 60th birthday, and suitably reflects his broad and influential interests. Appropriate to this perspective, a wide variety of topics are reviewed by internationally recognized experts. Beginning with cosmology and the question of dark matter, the spotlight moves to galaxy formation and then evolution. This is followed by the topic of the production of atomic nuclei in supernovae, the clues for nucleosynthesis from isotopic anomalies, and the age of the universe from nuclear chronology. Next come supernovae and neutron stars and their exotic behaviour, then molecular clouds, star formation and the primitive solar nebula. Topics of giant protoplanets, planet formation, and comets close the discussion. A short essay by Cameron provides a fascinating personal insight into the development of some of the most interesting new interdisciplinary areas of modern science. Of particular interest in his narrative is the interplay of theory, observation, experiment and computer simulation, as seen by an active participant.

Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts aims to present a comprehensive documen tation of the literature concerning all aspects of astronomy, astrophysies, and their border fields. It is devoted to the recording, summarizing, and indexing of the relevant publications throughout the world. Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts is prepared by a special department of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union. Volume 44 records literature published in 1987 and received before February 15, 1988. Some older documents which we received late and which are not surveyed in earlier volumes are inc1uded too. We acknowledge with thanks contributions of our colleagues all over the world. We also express our gratitude to all organiza tions, observatories, and publishers which provide us with complimentary copies of their publications. Dr. Siegfried Böhme retired from his duties as co-editor of Astronomy and Astro physics Abstracts on December 31, 1987. Since 1950 he partieipated in the biblio graphie work of the institute. He served as a reviewer for the Astronomischer Jahresbericht and became one of the editors of Astronomy and Astrophysics Ab stracts in 1969. After his retirement in 1975 he took care of, particularly, the Russian literature on a voluntary basis for 12 years. It is a pleasure to thank Siegfried Böhme for his valuable contributions. Starting with Volume 33, all the recording, correction, and data processing work was done by means of computers. The recording was done by our technical staff members Ms. Helga Ballmann, Ms. Christiane Jehn, Ms. Monika Kohl, Ms.