The Origin of Stars and Planetary Systems

The Origin of Stars and Planetary Systems is a collection of tutorial reviews that critically and systematically discuss the current state of our knowledge of star formation and early stellar evolution, from the genesis of giant molecular clouds to the birth of young stars and their surrounding planetary systems. The chapters are written at the graduate student level by a group of twenty internationally distinguished scientists. The emphasis is on fundamentals rather than recent research results. The book thus provides a rigorous treatment of the basic empirical and theoretical foundations of modern star formation research. The book is a unique reference, based on the authors' own pioneering research. Readership: Primary or supplementary text for graduate courses on star formation. Basic reference for professional scientists needing a solid background in the area.