Astrophysical Jets

Though they differ vastly in scale and energy, protostars and extragalactic radio sources show a remarkable similarity in their morphology. What physics do they share? As the first of its kind, a workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute provided a unique forum for astronomers from the fields of extragalactic and galactic/stellar jets to share their expertise and synthesize astrophysical links. A dozen invited reviews from internationally renowned figures are presented here as an edited and coherent review. Topics include acceleration and collimation mechanisms, magnetized accretion disks, thermal and synchrotron jets, optical and molecular outflow, and emission-line radiative bow shocks. Together these reviews provide a unique overview of astrophysical jets, crossing the usual boundaries of scale and energy, theory and observation. They summarize our present knowledge, highlight outstanding problems, and provide focus for future work. In this way they provide a unique reference for graduates and professionals in astronomy, astrophysics and physics.