The millimeter and sub-millimeter wavebands are unique in astronomy in
containing several thousands of spectral lines of molecules as well as
the thermal continuum spectrum of cold dust. They are the only bands in
the electromagnetic spectrum in which we can detect the molecular gas
reservoir for star formation and cold dust far away in high-redshift
galaxies, and nearby in low-temperature cocoons of protostars and
protoplanets.
This book is based on and extensively updated from the lectures given
during the Saas-Fee Advanced Course 38 on millimeter astronomy. It
presents both the observing techniques and the scientific perspectives
of observations at millimeter wavelengths, here in particular the star
and planet formation.
The chapters by Thomas L. Wilson and Stéphane Guilloteau have been
edited by Miroslava Dessauges-Zavadsky and Daniel Pfenniger. The book is
part of the series of Saas-Fee Advanced Courses published since 1971.
The targeted audience are graduate PhD and advanced undergraduate
students, but the book also serves as reference for post-doctoral
researchers or newcomers to the field.