BL Lac Objects

Laura Maraschi, Tommaso Maccacaro, Marie-Helene Ulrich3540513892, 9783540513896

This volume gives a comprehensible survey of BL Lac objects: contributors summarize observations on these interesting astrophysical objects and present theoretical models to explain them. Understanding these objects should help to give a better insight into the physics of black holes and relativistic plasmas. Topics addressed cover radio jets expanding at superluminal velocities, possible effects of relativistic jets on interstellar matter, the continuum emission over the whole electromagnetic system and its variability, and the impact of these observations on gravitational lensing and cosmological evolution. The book should be immensely useful for graduate students.