We identify two candidate magnetars in archival X-ray observations of HESS detected shell-type SNRs. X-ray point sources in CTB 37B coincident with HESS J1713-381 and in G353.6-0.7 coincident with HESS J1731-347 both have AXP-like spectra, much softer than those of ordinary, rotation powered pulsars, and no optical/IR counterparts. The spectrum of CXOU J171405.7-381031 in CTB 37B has a hard excess above 6 keV, which may be similar to such components seen in some AXPs. A new Chandra observation of this object reveals a highly significant pulsed signal at P = 3.82 s with pulsed fraction f_p = 0.31. Analysis of an XMM-Newton observation of the second candidate, XMMU J173203.3-344518 in G353.6-0.7, yields only marginal evidence for a 1 s period. If it is not a magnetar, then it could be a weakly magnetized central compact object (CCO). Considering that these HESS sources previously attributed to the SNR shells are possibly centrally peaked, we hypothesize that their pulsars may contribute to diffuse TeV emission. These identifications potentially double the number of magnetar/SNR associations in the Galaxy, and can be used to investigate the energetics and asymmetries of the supernovae that give rise to magnetars.

HD 15137 is an intriguing runaway O-type binary system that offers a rare opportunity to explore the mechanism by which it was ejected from the open cluster of its birth. Here we present recent blue optical spectra of HD 15137 and derive a new orbital solution for the spectroscopic binary and physical parameters of the O star primary. We also present the first XMM-Newton observations of the system. Fits of the EPIC spectra indicate soft, thermal X-ray emission consistent with an isolated O star. Upper limits on the undetected hard X-ray emission place limits on the emission from a proposed compact companion in the system, and we rule out a quiescent neutron star in the propellor regime or a weakly accreting neutron star. An unevolved secondary companion is also not detected in our optical spectra of the binary, and it is difficult to conclude that a gravitational interaction could have ejected this runaway binary with a low mass optical star. HD 15137 may contain an elusive neutron star in the ejector regime or a quiescent black hole with conditions unfavorable for accretion at the time of our observations.

The population of stellar black holes (SBHs) in the Galaxy and galaxies generally is poorly known in both number and distribution. SBHs are the fossil record of the massive stars in galaxy evolution and may have produced some (if not all) of the intermediate mass (\gsim100\Msun) black holes (IMBHs) and, in turn, the central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei. For the first time, a Galaxy-wide census of accreting black holes, and their more readily recognizable tracer population, accreting neutron stars (NSs), could be measured with a wide-field hard X-ray imaging survey and soft X-ray and optical/IR prompt followup -- as proposed for the EXIST mission.

We discuss possible radio bursts which can be generated during binary neutron stars mergers associated with short gamma-ray bursts. Low-frequency radio band appear to be advantageous due to the time delay of a radio signal propagating in the intergalactic medium, which makes it possible to use short gamma-ray burst alerts to search for specific regions on the sky by low-frequency radio instruments, especially LOFAR. The LOFAR sensitivity will allow significant detection of such bursts up to redshifts z~0.3 with a rate of ~25 events per year.

We consider the motion of charged particles in the vacuum magnetospheres of rotating neutron stars with a strong surface magnetic field, B>10^(12) G. The electrons and positrons falling into the magnetosphere or produced in it are shown to be captured by the force-free surface EB=0. Using the Dirac-Lorentz equation, we investigate the dynamics of particle capture and subsequent motion near the force-free surface. The particle energy far from the force-free surface has been found to be determined by the balance between the power of the forces of an accelerating electric field and the intensity of curvature radiation. When captured, the particles perform adiabatic oscillations along the magnetic field lines and simultaneously move along the force-free surface. We have found the oscillation parameters and trajectories of the captured particles. We have calculated the characteristic capture times and energy losses of the particles through the emission of both bremsstrahlung and curvature photons by them. The capture of particles is shown to lead to a monotonic increase in the thickness of the layer of charged plasma accumulating near the force-free surface. The time it takes for a vacuum magnetosphere to be filled with plasma has been estimated.

The gamma-ray survey of the sky by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope offers both opportunities and challenges for multiwavelength and multi-messenger studies. Gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, binary sources, flaring Active Galactic Nuclei, and Galactic transient sources are all phenomena that can best be studied with a wide variety of instruments simultaneously or contemporaneously. Identification of newly-discovered gamma-ray sources is largely a multiwavelength effort. From the gamma-ray side, a principal challenge is the latency from the time of an astrophysical event to the recognition of this event in the data. Obtaining quick and complete multiwavelength coverage of gamma-ray sources can be difficult both in terms of logistics and in terms of generating scientific interest. The Fermi LAT team continues to welcome cooperative efforts aimed at maximizing the scientific return from the mission through multiwavelength studies.

Geminga is the second brightest persistent source in the GeV gamma-ray sky. Discovered in 1975 by SAS-2 mission, it was identified as a pulsar only in the 90s, when ROSAT detected the 237 ms X-ray periodicity, that was later also found by EGRET in gamma rays. Even though Geminga has been one of the most intensively studied isolated neutron star during the last 30 years, its interest remains intact especially at gamma-ray energies, where instruments like the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi mission will provide an unprecedented view of this pulsars. We will report on the preliminary results obtained on the analysis of the first year of observations. We have been able to do precise timing of Geminga using solely gamma rays, producing a timing solution and allowing a deep study of the evolution of the light curve with energy. We have also measured and studied the high-energy cutoff in the phase-averaged spectrum and produced a detailed study of the spectral evolution with phase.

Following an extremely interesting idea \cite{R1}, published long ago, the work function at the outer crust region of a strongly magnetized neutron star is obtained using relativistic version of Thomas-Fermi type model. In the present scenario, the work function becomes anisotropic; the longitudinal part is an increasing function of magnetic field strength, whereas the transverse part diverges. An approximate estimate of the electron density in the magnetosphere due to field emission and photo emission current, from the polar cap region are obtained.

Here we briefly report on first results of self-consistent simulation of non-stationary electron-positron cascades in the polar cap of pulsar using specially developed hybrid PIC/Monte-Carlo numerical code. We consider the case of Ruderman-Sutherland cascade -- when particles cannot be extracted from the surface of the neutrons star.

We identify two candidate magnetars in archival X-ray observations of HESS detected shell-type SNRs. X-ray point sources in CTB 37B coincident with HESS J1713-381 and in G353.6-0.7 coincident with HESS J1731-347 both have AXP-like spectra, much softer than those of ordinary, rotation powered pulsars, and no optical/IR counterparts. The spectrum of CXOU J171405.7-381031 in CTB 37B has a hard excess above 6 keV, which may be similar to such components seen in some AXPs. A new Chandra observation of this object reveals a highly significant pulsed signal at P = 3.82 s with pulsed fraction f_p = 0.31. Analysis of an XMM-Newton observation of the second candidate, XMMU J173203.3-344518 in G353.6-0.7, yields only marginal evidence for a 1 s period. If it is not a magnetar, then it could be a weakly magnetized central compact object (CCO). Considering that these HESS sources previously attributed to the SNR shells are possibly centrally peaked, we hypothesize that their pulsars may contribute to diffuse TeV emission. These identifications potentially double the number of magnetar/SNR associations in the Galaxy, and can be used to investigate the energetics and asymmetries of the supernovae that give rise to magnetars.

HD 15137 is an intriguing runaway O-type binary system that offers a rare opportunity to explore the mechanism by which it was ejected from the open cluster of its birth. Here we present recent blue optical spectra of HD 15137 and derive a new orbital solution for the spectroscopic binary and physical parameters of the O star primary. We also present the first XMM-Newton observations of the system. Fits of the EPIC spectra indicate soft, thermal X-ray emission consistent with an isolated O star. Upper limits on the undetected hard X-ray emission place limits on the emission from a proposed compact companion in the system, and we rule out a quiescent neutron star in the propellor regime or a weakly accreting neutron star. An unevolved secondary companion is also not detected in our optical spectra of the binary, and it is difficult to conclude that a gravitational interaction could have ejected this runaway binary with a low mass optical star. HD 15137 may contain an elusive neutron star in the ejector regime or a quiescent black hole with conditions unfavorable for accretion at the time of our observations.

The population of stellar black holes (SBHs) in the Galaxy and galaxies generally is poorly known in both number and distribution. SBHs are the fossil record of the massive stars in galaxy evolution and may have produced some (if not all) of the intermediate mass (\gsim100\Msun) black holes (IMBHs) and, in turn, the central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei. For the first time, a Galaxy-wide census of accreting black holes, and their more readily recognizable tracer population, accreting neutron stars (NSs), could be measured with a wide-field hard X-ray imaging survey and soft X-ray and optical/IR prompt followup -- as proposed for the EXIST mission.

We discuss possible radio bursts which can be generated during binary neutron stars mergers associated with short gamma-ray bursts. Low-frequency radio band appear to be advantageous due to the time delay of a radio signal propagating in the intergalactic medium, which makes it possible to use short gamma-ray burst alerts to search for specific regions on the sky by low-frequency radio instruments, especially LOFAR. The LOFAR sensitivity will allow significant detection of such bursts up to redshifts z~0.3 with a rate of ~25 events per year.

We consider the motion of charged particles in the vacuum magnetospheres of rotating neutron stars with a strong surface magnetic field, B>10^(12) G. The electrons and positrons falling into the magnetosphere or produced in it are shown to be captured by the force-free surface EB=0. Using the Dirac-Lorentz equation, we investigate the dynamics of particle capture and subsequent motion near the force-free surface. The particle energy far from the force-free surface has been found to be determined by the balance between the power of the forces of an accelerating electric field and the intensity of curvature radiation. When captured, the particles perform adiabatic oscillations along the magnetic field lines and simultaneously move along the force-free surface. We have found the oscillation parameters and trajectories of the captured particles. We have calculated the characteristic capture times and energy losses of the particles through the emission of both bremsstrahlung and curvature photons by them. The capture of particles is shown to lead to a monotonic increase in the thickness of the layer of charged plasma accumulating near the force-free surface. The time it takes for a vacuum magnetosphere to be filled with plasma has been estimated.

The gamma-ray survey of the sky by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope offers both opportunities and challenges for multiwavelength and multi-messenger studies. Gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, binary sources, flaring Active Galactic Nuclei, and Galactic transient sources are all phenomena that can best be studied with a wide variety of instruments simultaneously or contemporaneously. Identification of newly-discovered gamma-ray sources is largely a multiwavelength effort. From the gamma-ray side, a principal challenge is the latency from the time of an astrophysical event to the recognition of this event in the data. Obtaining quick and complete multiwavelength coverage of gamma-ray sources can be difficult both in terms of logistics and in terms of generating scientific interest. The Fermi LAT team continues to welcome cooperative efforts aimed at maximizing the scientific return from the mission through multiwavelength studies.

Geminga is the second brightest persistent source in the GeV gamma-ray sky. Discovered in 1975 by SAS-2 mission, it was identified as a pulsar only in the 90s, when ROSAT detected the 237 ms X-ray periodicity, that was later also found by EGRET in gamma rays. Even though Geminga has been one of the most intensively studied isolated neutron star during the last 30 years, its interest remains intact especially at gamma-ray energies, where instruments like the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi mission will provide an unprecedented view of this pulsars. We will report on the preliminary results obtained on the analysis of the first year of observations. We have been able to do precise timing of Geminga using solely gamma rays, producing a timing solution and allowing a deep study of the evolution of the light curve with energy. We have also measured and studied the high-energy cutoff in the phase-averaged spectrum and produced a detailed study of the spectral evolution with phase.

Following an extremely interesting idea \cite{R1}, published long ago, the work function at the outer crust region of a strongly magnetized neutron star is obtained using relativistic version of Thomas-Fermi type model. In the present scenario, the work function becomes anisotropic; the longitudinal part is an increasing function of magnetic field strength, whereas the transverse part diverges. An approximate estimate of the electron density in the magnetosphere due to field emission and photo emission current, from the polar cap region are obtained.

Here we briefly report on first results of self-consistent simulation of non-stationary electron-positron cascades in the polar cap of pulsar using specially developed hybrid PIC/Monte-Carlo numerical code. We consider the case of Ruderman-Sutherland cascade -- when particles cannot be extracted from the surface of the neutrons star.

Progenitor scenarios for short gamma-ray bursts (short GRBs) include coalescenses of two neutron stars or a neutron star and black hole, which would necessarily be accompanied by the emission of strong gravitational waves. We present a search for these known gravitational-wave signatures in temporal and directional coincidence with 22 GRBs that had sufficient gravitational-wave data available in multiple instruments during LIGO's fifth science run, S5, and Virgo's first science run, VSR1. We find no statistically significant gravitational-wave candidates within a [-5, +1) s window around the time of any GRB. Using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test, we find no evidence for an excess of weak gravitational-wave signals in our sample of GRBs. We exclude neutron star-black hole progenitors to a median 90% CL exclusion distance of 6.7 Mpc.

We present a multifrequency radio investigation of the Crab-like pulsar wind nebula (PWN) G54.1+0.3 using the Very Large Array. The high resolution of the observations reveals that G54.1+0.3 has a complex radio structure which includes filamentary and loop-like structures that are magnetized, a diffuse extent similar to the associated diffuse X-ray emission. But the radio and X-ray structures in the central region differ strikingly, indicating that they trace very different forms of particle injection from the pulsar and/or particle acceleration in the nebula. No spectral index gradient is detected in the radio emission across the PWN, whereas the X-ray emission softens outward in the nebula. The extensive radio polarization allows us to image in detail the intrinsic magnetic field, which is well-ordered and reveals that a number of loop-like filaments are strongly magnetized. In addition, we determine that there are both radial and toroidal components to the magnetic field structure of the pulsar wind nebula. Strong mid-IR emission detected in Spitzer Space Telescope data is closely correlated with the radio emission arising from the southern edge of G54.1+0.3. In particular, the distributions of radio and X-ray emission compared with the mid-IR emission suggest that the PWN may be interacting with this interstellar cloud. This may be the first PWN where we are directly detecting its interplay with an interstellar cloud that has survived the impact of the supernova explosion associated with the pulsar's progenitor.

Pulsars are among the most mysterious astrophysical objects in the Universe and are believed to be rotating neutron stars formed in supernova explosions. They are unique testing grounds of dense matter theories and gravitational physics and also provide links among nuclear physics, particle physics and General Relativity. Neutron stars may exhibit some of the most extreme and exotic characteristics that could not be found elsewhere in the Universe. Their properties are largely determined by the equation of state (EOS) of neutron-rich matter, which is the chief ingredient in calculating neutron star structure and properties of related phenomena, such as gravitational wave emission from deformed pulsars. Presently, the EOS of neutron-rich matter is still very uncertain mainly due to the poorly known density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy especially at supra-saturation densities. Nevertheless, significant progress has been made recently in constraining the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy mostly at sub-saturation densities using terrestrial nuclear reactions. While there are still some uncertainties especially at supra-saturation densities, these constraints could provide useful information on the limits of the global properties of pulsars and the gravitational waves to be expected from them. Here we review our recent work on constraining properties of pulsars and gravitational radiation with data from terrestrial nuclear laboratories.

Since the first optical detection of RXJ0720.4-3125 various observations have been performed to determine astrometric and photometric data. We present the first detection of the isolated neutron star in the V Bessel filter to study the spectral energy distribution and derive a new astrometric position. At ESO Paranal we obtained very deep images with FORS 1 (three hours exposure time) of RXJ0720.4-3125 in V Bessel filter in January 2008. We derive the visual magnitude by standard star aperture photometry.Using sophisticated resampling software we correct the images for field distortions. Then we derive an updated position and proper motion value by comparing its position with FORS 1 observations of December 2000. We calculate a visual magnitude of V = 26.81 +- 0.09mag, which is seven times in excess of what is expected from X-ray data, but consistent with the extant U, B and R data. Over about a seven year epoch difference we measured a proper motion of mu = 105.1 +- 7.4mas/yr towards theta = 296.951 deg +- 0.0063 deg (NW), consistent with previous data.

Using data collected with the BeppoSAX, INTEGRAL and Swift satellites, we report and discuss the results of a study on the X-ray emission properties of the X-ray source 1ES 1210-646, recently classified as a high-mass X-ray binary through optical spectroscopy. This is the first in-depth analysis of the X-ray spectral characteristics of this source. We found that the flux of 1ES 1210-646 varies by a factor of about 3 on a timescale of hundreds of seconds and by a factor of at least 10 among observations acquired over a time span of several months. The X-ray spectrum of 1ES 1210-646 is described using a simple powerlaw shape or, in the case of INTEGRAL data, with a blackbody plus powerlaw model. Spectral variability is found in connection with different flux levels of the source. A strong and transient iron emission line with an energy of about 6.7 keV and an equivalent width of about 1.6 keV is detected when the source is found at an intermediate flux level. The line strength seems to be tied to the orbital motion of the accreting object, as this feature is only apparent at the periastron. Although the X-ray spectral description we find for the 1ES 1210-646 emission is quite atypical for a high-mass X-ray binary, the multiwavelegth information available for this object leads us to confirm this classification. The results presented here allow us instead to definitely rule out the possibility that 1ES 1210-646 is a (magnetic) cataclysmic variable as proposed previously and, in a broader sense, a white dwarf nature for the accretor is disfavoured. X-ray spectroscopic data actually suggest a neutron star with a low magnetic field as the accreting object in this system.

We present multiwavelength studies of the 106.6 ms gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1907+06 near the TeV source MGRO J1908+06. Timing observations with Fermi result in a precise position determination for the pulsar of R.A. = 19h07m547(2), decl. = +06:02:16(2) placing the pulsar firmly within the TeV source extent, suggesting the TeV source is the pulsar wind nebula of PSR J1907+0602. Pulsed gamma-ray emission is clearly visible at energies from 100 MeV to above 10 GeV. The phase-averaged power-law index in the energy range E > 0.1 GeV is = 1.76 \pm 0.05 with an exponential cutoff energy E_{c} = 3.6 \pm 0.5 GeV. We present the energy-dependent gamma-ray pulsed light curve as well as limits on off-pulse emission associated with the TeV source. We also report the detection of very faint (flux density of ~3.4 microJy) radio pulsations with the Arecibo telescope at 1.5 GHz having a dispersion measure DM = 82.1 \pm 1.1 cm^{-3}pc. This indicates a distance of 3.2 \pm 0.6 kpc and a pseudo-luminosity of L_{1400} ~ 0.035 mJy kpc^2. A Chandra ACIS observation revealed an absorbed, possibly extended, compact <(4 arcsec) X-ray source with significant non-thermal emission at R.A. = 19h07m54.76, decl. = +06:02:14.6 with a flux of 2.3^{+0.6}_{-1.4} X 10^{-14} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. From archival ASCA observations, we place upper limits on any arcminute scale 2--10 keV X-ray emission of ~ 1 X 10^{-13} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The implied distance to the pulsar is compatible with that of the supernova remnant G40.5-0.5, located on the far side of the TeV nebula from PSR J1907+0602, and the S74 molecular cloud on the nearer side which we discuss as potential birth sites.

A small subset of thermonuclear X-ray bursts on neutron stars exhibit such a strong photospheric expansion that for a few seconds the photosphere is located at a radius r_ph greater than ~1000 km. Such `superexpansions' imply a large and rapid energy release, a feature characteristic of pure He burst models. Calculations have shown that during a pure He burst, the freshly synthesized heavy-element ashes of burning can be ejected in a strong radiative wind and produce significant spectral absorption features. We find 32 superexpansion bursts from 8 different systems with the following interesting features: (1) At least 7 out of 8 systems are (candidate) ultracompact X-ray binaries in which the neutron star accretes hydrogen-deficient fuel, suggesting that these bursts indeed ignite in a helium-rich layer. (2) In two bursts we detect strong absorption edges during the expansion phase. The edge energies and depths are consistent with the H-like edge of iron-peak elements with abundances greater than ~100 times solar, suggesting that we are seeing the exposed ashes of nuclear burning. (3) The superexpansion phase is always followed by a moderate expansion phase during which r_ph~30 km and the luminosity is near the Eddington limit. (4) The decay time of the bursts, t_decay, ranges from approximately 10 s to greater than ~1000 s. However, despite the large range of tau_decay, the duration of the superexpansion is always a few seconds, independent of tau_decay. By contrast, the duration of the moderate expansion is always of order t_decay. (5) The photospheric radii during the moderate expansion phase are much smaller than steady state wind models predict. We show that this may be further indication that the wind contains highly non-solar abundances of heavy elements.

Some isolated neutron stars show harmonically spaced absorption features in their thermal soft X-ray spectra. The interpretation of the features as a cyclotron line and its harmonics has been suggested, but the usual explanation of the harmonics as caused by relativistic effects fails because the relativistic corrections are extremely small in this case. We suggest that the features correspond to the peaks in the energy dependence of the free-free opacity in a quantizing magnetic field. The peaks arise when the transitions to new Landau levels become allowed with increasing the photon energy; they are strongly enhanced by the square-root singularities in the phase-space density of quantum states in the case when the free (non-quantized) motion is effectively one-dimensional. To explore observable properties of the quantum oscillations, we calculate models of hydrogen neutron star atmospheres with B \sim 10^{10} - 10^{11} G (i.e., electron cyclotron energy E_{c,e}\sim 0.1 -1 keV) and T_{\rm eff} = 1- 3 MK. Such conditions are thought to be typical for the so-called central compact objects in supernova remnants, such as 1E 1207.4-5209 in PKS 1209-51/52. We show that observable features at the electron cyclotron harmonics form at moderately large values of the quantization parameter, b_{eff} = E_{c,e}/kT_{eff} \simeq 0.5 - 20. The equivalent widths of the features can reach 100--200 eV; they grow with increasing b_{\rm eff} and are lower for higher harmonics. We note that the harmonically spaced absorption features detected in some "dim isolated neutron stars" could be due to quantum oscillations caused by quantization of proton motion in very strong magnetic fields, B \sim (1 - 3)\times 10^{13} G.

Stars with initial masses 10 M_{solar} < M_{initial} < 100 M_{solar} fuse progressively heavier elements in their centres, up to inert iron. The core then gravitationally collapses to a neutron star or a black hole, leading to an explosion -- an iron-core-collapse supernova (SN). In contrast, extremely massive stars (M_{initial} > 140 M_{solar}), if such exist, have oxygen cores which exceed M_{core} = 50 M_{solar}. There, high temperatures are reached at relatively low densities. Conversion of energetic, pressure-supporting photons into electron-positron pairs occurs prior to oxygen ignition, and leads to a violent contraction that triggers a catastrophic nuclear explosion. Tremendous energies (>~ 10^{52} erg) are released, completely unbinding the star in a pair-instability SN (PISN), with no compact remnant. Transitional objects with 100 M_{solar} < M_{initial} < 140 M_{solar}, which end up as iron-core-collapse supernovae following violent mass ejections, perhaps due to short instances of the pair instability, may have been identified. However, genuine PISNe, perhaps common in the early Universe, have not been observed to date. Here, we present our discovery of SN 2007bi, a luminous, slowly evolving supernova located within a dwarf galaxy (~1% the size of the Milky Way). We measure the exploding core mass to be likely ~100 M_{solar}, in which case theory unambiguously predicts a PISN outcome. We show that >3 M_{solar} of radioactive 56Ni were synthesized, and that our observations are well fit by PISN models. A PISN explosion in the local Universe indicates that nearby dwarf galaxies probably host extremely massive stars, above the apparent Galactic limit, perhaps resulting from star formation processes similar to those that created the first stars in the Universe.

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) may be powered by the rotational energy of a millisecond magnetar. I argue that the GRB-driving magnetars lie at the high end of the distribution of magnetic field strengths of magnetars. The field of GRB magnetars decays on timescale of hundreds of years and can power SGR-like flares up to ~100 times more powerful than the 2004 event of SGR 1806--20. A few of these flares per year may have been observed by {\it BATSE} and classified as short-duration GRBs. Association of one of these superflares with a nearby d_L\simless 250 Mpc galaxy and the discovery of a, coincident in space, 100-year-old GRB afterglow (observed in the radio) will be the characteristic signature of the magnetar model for GRBs.

In this lecture, we give a first introduction to neutron stars, based on fundamental physical principles. After outlining their amazing macroscopic properties, as obtained from observations, we infer the extreme conditions of matter in their interiors. We then describe two crucial physical phenomena which characterize compact stars, gravitational stability of strongly degenerate matter and neutronization of nuclear matter with increasing density, and explain how the formation and properties of neutron stars are a consequence of the extreme compression of matter under gravity. Finally, we describe how astronomical observations of various external macroscopic features can give invaluable information about the exotic microscopic scenario inside: neutrons stars represent a unique probe to study super-dense, isospin-asymmetric, superfluid, bulk hadronic matter.

The Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) 1E 1547.0-5408 reactivated in 2009 January with the emission of dozens of short bursts. Follow-up observations with Swift/XRT and XMM-Newton showed the presence of multiple expanding rings around the position of the AXP. These rings are due to scattering, by different layers of interstellar dust, of a very high fluence burst emitted by 1E 1547.0-5408 on 2009 January 22. Thanks to the exceptional brightness of the X-ray rings, we could carry out a detailed study of their spatial and spectral time evolution until 2009 February 4. This analysis gives the possibility to estimate the distance of 1E 1547.0-5408. We also derived constraints on the properties of the dust and of the burst responsible for this rare phenomenon.

Glitches detected in pulsar timing observations at the Nanshan radio telescope of Urumqi Observatory between 2002 July and 2008 December are presented. In total, 29 glitches were detected in 19 young pulsars, with this being the first detection of a glitch in 12 of these pulsars. Fractional glitch amplitudes range from a few parts in 10^{-11} to 3.9 x 10^{-6}. Three "slow" glitches are identified in PSRs J0631+1036, B1822-09 and B1907+10. Post-glitch recoveries differ greatly from pulsar to pulsar and for different glitches in the same pulsar. Most large glitches show some evidence for exponential post-glitch recovery on timescales of 100 -- 1000 days, but in some cases, e.g., PSR B1758-23, there is little or no recovery. Beside exponential recoveries, permanent increases in slowdown rate are seen for the two large glitches in PSRs B1800-21 and B1823-13. These and several other pulsars also show a linear increase in nudot following the partial exponential recovery, which is similar to the Vela pulsar post-glitch behaviour. Analysis of the whole sample of known glitches show that fractional glitch amplitudes are correlated with characteristic age with a peak at about 10^5 years, but there is a spread of two or three orders of magnitude at all ages. Glitch activity is positively correlated with spin-down rate, again with a wide spread of values.

Observations of the binary pulsar PSR J1141-6545 using the Parkes radio telescope over 9.3 years show clear time-variations in pulse width, shape and polarization. We interpret these variations in terms of relativistic precession of the pulsar spin axis about the total angular momentum vector of the system. Over the nine years, the pulse width at the 50% level has changed by more than a factor of three. Large variations have also been observed in the 1400-MHz mean flux density. The pulse polarization has been monitored since 2004 April using digital filterbank systems and also shows large and systematic variations in both linear and circular polarization. Position angle variations, both across the pulse profile and over the data span, are complex, with major differences between the central and outer parts of the pulse profile. Modelling of the observed position angle variations by relativistic precession of the pulsar spin axis shows that the spin-orbit misalignment angle is about 110 deg and that the precessional phase has passed through 180 deg during the course of our observations. At the start of our observations, the line-of-sight impact parameter was about 4 deg in magnitude and it reached a minimum very close to 0 deg around early 2007, consistent with the observed pulse width variations. We have therefore mapped approximately one half of the emission beam, showing that it is very asymmetric with respect to the magnetic axis. The derived precessional parameters imply that the pre-supernova star had a mass of about 2 Msun and that the supernova recoil kick velocity was relatively small. With the reversal in the rate of change of the impact parameter, we predict that over the next decade we will see a reversed "replay" of the variations observed in the past decade.

We present the gravitational wave (GW) analysis of an extensive series of 3D MHD core-collapse simulations. Our 25 models are launched from a 15 solar mass progenitor, a spherically symmetric effective general relativistic potential, the Lattimer-Swesty or the Shen equation of state (EoS), and a neutrino parametrisation scheme which is accurate until about 5ms postbounce. For 3 representative models, we also include long-term neutrino physics by means of a leakage scheme. Non- or only slowly rotating models show GW emission due to prompt and proto-neutron star convection, allowing the distinction between the two different nuclear EoS. For moderately or fast rotation rates models, we find, in agreement with recent results, only a type I GW signature at core bounce. Models which are set up with an initial central angular velocity of >~ 2pi rad/s emit GWs due to the low T/|W| dynamical instability during the postbounce phase. Weak B-fields do not notably influence the dynamical evolution of the core and thus the GW emission. However, for strong initial poloidal B-fields (~1e12 G),flux-freezing and field winding leads to conditions where P_{mag}/P_{mat} ~ 1, causing the onset of a jet-like supernova explosion and hence the emission of a type IV GW signal. In contradiction to axisymmetric simulations, we find evidence that nonaxisymmetric fluid modes can counteract or even suppress jet formation for models with strong initial toroidal B-fields. We point out that the inclusion of the deleptonisation during the postbounce phase is an indispensable issue for the quantitative prediction of GWs from core-collapse supernovae, as it can alter the GW amplitude up to a factor of 10 compared to a pure hydrodynamical treatment.

We report on changes of the cyclotron resonance energies of the recurrent transient pulsar, X0331+53 (V0332+53). The whole RXTE data acquired in the 2004-2005 outburst were utilized. The 3-80 keV source luminosity varied between 1.7x10^36 and 3.5x10^38 ers/s, assuming a distance of 7 kpc. We confirmed that the fundamental cyclotron resonance energy changed from ~22 to ~27 keV in a clear anti-correlation to the source luminosity, and without any hysteresis effects between the rising and declining phases of the outburst. In contrast, the second harmonic energy changed from ~49 to ~54 keV, implying a weaker fractional change as a function of the luminosity. As a result, the observed resonance energy ratio between the second harmonic and the fundamental was ~2.2 when the source was most luminous, whereas the ratio decreased to the nominal value of 2.0 at the least luminous state. Although the significance of this effect is model dependent, these results suggest that the fundamental and second harmonic resonances represent different heights in the accretion column, depending on the mass accretion rate.

Measurement of at least three independent parameters, for example, mass, radius and spin frequency, of a neutron star is probably the only way to understand the nature of its supranuclear core matter. Such a measurement is extremely difficult because of various systematic uncertainties. The lack of knowledge of several system parameter values gives rise to such systematics. Low-mass X-ray binaries, which contain neutron stars, provide a number of methods to constrain the stellar parameters. Joint application of these methods has a great potential to significantly reduce the systematic uncertainties, and hence to measure three independent neutron star parameters accurately. Here we review the methods based on (1) thermonuclear X-ray bursts; (2) accretion-powered millisecond-period pulsations; (3) kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations; (4) broad relativistic iron lines; (5) quiescent emissions; and (6) binary orbital motions.

Some accreting neutron stars and young stars show unexplained episodic flares in the form of quasi-periodic oscillations or recurrent outbursts. In a series of two papers we present new work on an instability that can lead to episodic outbursts when the accretion disc is truncated by the star's strong magnetic field close to the corotation radius (where the Keplerian frequency matches the star's rotational frequency). In this paper we outline the physics of the instability and use a simple parameterization of the disc-field interaction to explore the instability numerically, which we show can lead to repeated bursts of accretion as well as steady-state solutions, as first suggested by Sunyaev and Shakura (1977). The cycle time of these bursts increases with decreasing accretion rate. These solutions show that the usually assumed `propeller' state, in which mass is ejected from the system, does not need to occur even at very low accretion rates.

We present the results of a detailed abundance analysis of one of the confirmed building blocks of the Milky Way stellar halo, a kinematically-coherent metal-poor stellar stream. We have obtained high resolution and high S/N spectra of 12 probable stream members using the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan-Clay Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and the 2dCoude spectrograph on the Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. We have derived abundances or upper limits for 51 species of 46 elements in each of these stars. The stream members show a range of metallicity (-3.4 < [Fe/H] < -1.5) but are otherwise chemically homogeneous, with the same star-to-star dispersion in [X/Fe] as the rest of the halo. This implies that, in principle, a significant fraction of the Milky Way stellar halo could have formed from accreted systems like the stream. The stream stars show minimal evolution in the alpha or Fe-group elements over the range of metallicity. This stream is enriched with material produced by the main and weak components of the rapid neutron-capture process and shows no evidence for enrichment by the slow neutron-capture process. Excepting the wide range of metallicity in the stream, the enrichment pattern and kinematics of the stream are similar to that of the massive metal-poor globular cluster M15, and both systems could have originated from a common progenitor.

The rising cosmic ray positron fraction reported by the PAMELA collaboration has lead to a great deal of interest in astrophysical sources of energetic electrons and positrons, including pulsars. In this paper, we calculate the spectrum of synchrotron emission from electrons and positrons injected from 376 young pulsars (<10^6 years) contained in the ATNF catalog, and compare our results to observations. We find that if objects such as the Vela and Crab pulsars have injected ~10^48 erg or more in energetic electrons and/or positrons, they are expected to produce bright and distinctive features in the synchrotron sky. Intriguingly, we predict hard synchrotron emission from these regions of the sky which is qualitatively similar to that observed by WMAP.

Based on the results of applying the extended ADC emission model for low mass X-ray binaries to three Z-track sources: GX340+0, GX5-1 and CygX-2, we propose an explanation of the CygnusX-2 like Z-track sources. The Normal Branch is dominated by the increasing radiation pressure of the neutron star caused by a mass accretion rate that increases between the soft apex and the hard apex. The radiation pressure continues to increase on the Horizontal Branch becoming several times super-Eddington. We suggest that this disrupts the inner accretion disk and that part of the accretion flow is diverted vertically forming jets which are detected by their radio emission on this part of the Z-track. We thus propose that high radiation pressure is the necessary condition for the launching of jets. On the Flaring Branch there is a large increase in the neutron star blackbody luminosity at constant mass accretion rate indicating an additional energy source on the neutron star. We find that there is good agreement between the mass accretion rate per unit emitting area of the neutron star mdot at the onset of flaring and the theoretical critical value at which burning becomes unstable. We thus propose that flaring in the CygnusX-2 like sources consists of unstable nuclear burning. Correlation of measurements of kilohertz QPO frequencies in all three sources with spectral fitting results leads to the proposal that the upper kHz QPO is an oscillation always taking place at the inner accretion disk edge, the radius of which increases due to disruption of the disk by the high radiation pressure of the neutron star.

Globular clusters are known to harbour a significant population of neutron star X-ray binaries that could be responsible for delaying the inevitable core collapse of these dense clusters. As a result, their progeny, namely millisecond pulsars, are also present in large numbers. Following the confirmation using the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope that millisecond pulsars are indeed gamma-ray emitters, we report on the detection of the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tuc with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This is the first detection of a Galactic globular cluster in the gamma-ray domain. The gamma-ray spectrum is consistent with gamma-ray emission from a population of millisecond pulsars. The observed gamma-ray luminosity implies an upper limit of 60 millisecond pulsars present in 47 Tucanae.

We consider the possible formation of the quark hadron mixed phase in protoneutron stars. We discuss two cases: the first one, corresponding to a vanishingly small value of the surface tension of quark matter, is the well known mixed phase in which the global electric charge neutrality condition is imposed. In turn, this produces a non-constant pressure mixed phase. In the second case, corresponding to very large values of the surface tension, the charge neutrality condition holds only locally. However, the existence in protoneutron star matter of an additional globally conserved charge, the lepton number, allows for a new type of non-constant pressure mixed phase. We discuss the properties of the new mixed phase and the possible effects of its formation during the evolution of protoneutron stars.

Recent observations suggest that many old pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) are bright TeV gamma-ray sources without a strong X-ray counterpart. In this paper, we study the spectral evolution of PWNe taking into account the energy which was injected when they were young for old PWNe. We model the evolution of the magnetic field and solve for the particle distribution inside a uniformly expanding PWN. The model is calibrated by fitting the calculated spectrum to the observations of the Crab Nebula at an age of a thousand years. We find that only a small fraction of the injected energy from the Crab Pulsar goes to the magnetic field, consistent with previous studies. The spectral evolution model of the Crab Nebula shows that the flux ratio of TeV gamma-rays to X-rays increases with time, which implies that old PWNe are faint at X-rays, but not at TeV gamma-rays. The increase of this ratio is primarily because the magnetic field decreases with time and is not because the X-ray emitting particles are cooled more rapidly than the TeV gamma-ray emitting particles. Our spectral evolution model matches the observed rate of the radio flux decrease of the Crab Nebula.

We present numerical simulations of electron-positron pair cascades in the magnetospheres of magnetic neutron stars for a wide range of surface fields (B_p = 10^{12}--10^{15} G), rotation periods (0.1--10 s), and field geometries. This has been motivated by the discovery in recent years of a number of radio pulsars with inferred magnetic fields comparable to those of magnetars. Evolving the cascade generated by a primary electron or positron after it has been accelerated in the inner gap of the magnetosphere, we follow the spatial development of the cascade until the secondary photons and pairs leave the magnetosphere, and we obtain the pair multiplicity and the energy spectra of the cascade pairs and photons under various conditions. Going beyond previous works, which were restricted to weaker fields (B < a few x 10^{12} G), we have incorporated in our simulations detailed treatments of physical processes that are potentially important (especially in the high field regime) but were either neglected or crudely treated before, including photon splitting with the correct selection rules for photon polarization modes, one-photon pair production into low Landau levels for the e^+e^-, and resonant inverse Compton scattering from polar cap hot spots. We discuss the implications of our results for the radio pulsar death line and for the hard X-ray emission from magnetized neutron stars.

We report here on the most recent results obtained on a new class of High Mass X-ray Binaries, the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients. Since October 2007, we have been performing a monitoring campaign with Swift of four SFXTs (IGRJ17544-2916, XTEJ1739-302, IGRJ16479-4514 and the X-ray pulsar AXJ1841.0-0536) for about 1-2 ks, 2-3 times per week, allowing us to derive the previously unknown long term properties of this new class of sources (their duty cycles, spectral properties in outbursts and out-of-outbursts, temporal behaviour). We also report here on additional Swift observations of two SFXTs which are not part of the monitoring: IGRJ18483-0311 (observed with Swift/XRT during a whole orbital cycle) and SAXJ1818.6-1703 (observed for the first time simultaneously in the energy range 0.3-100 keV during a bright flare).

We look at two contrasting spin-down models for isolated radio pulsars and, accounting for selection effects, synthesize observable populations. While our goal is to reproduce all of the observable characteristics, in this paper we pay particular attention to the form of the spin period vs. period derivative (P-Pdot) diagram and its dependence on various pulsar properties. We analyse the initial spin period, the braking index, the magnetic field, various beaming models, as well as the pulsar's luminosity. In addition to considering the standard magnetic dipole model for pulsar spin-down, we also consider the recent hybrid model proposed by Contopoulos & Spitkovsky. The magnetic dipole model, however, does a better job of reproducing the observed pulsar population. We conclude that random alignment angles and period dependent luminosity distributions are essential to reproduce the observed P-Pdot diagram. We also consider the time decay of alignment angles, and attempt to reconcile various models currently being studied. We conclude that, in order to account for recent evidence for the alignment found by Weltevrede & Johnston, the braking torque on a neutron star should not depend strongly on the inclination. Our simulation code is publically available and includes a web-based interface to examine the results and make predictions for yields of current and future surveys.

The linear response of a neutron spin-triplet superfluid onto external weak axial-vector field is studied for the case of $^{3}P_{2}$ pairing with a projection of the total angular momentum $m_{j}=0$. The problem is considered in the BCS approximation discarding Fermi-liquid effects. The anomalous axial-vector vertices of neutron quasiparticles possess singularities at some frequencies which specify existence of undamped spin-density waves in the Cooper condensate. The spin waves are of a low excitation energy and are kinematically able to decay into neutrino pairs through neutral weak currents. We evaluate the neutrino emissivity from the spin wave decays in the bulk neutron superfluid in old neutron stars. This calculation predicts significant energy losses from within a neutron star at lowest temperatures when all other mechanisms of neutrino emission are killed by the neutron and proton superfluidity.

SGR J1550-5418 exhibited three active bursting episodes in 2008 October and in 2009 January and March, emitting hundreds of typical Soft Gamma Repeater (SGR) bursts in soft gamma-rays. The second episode was especially intense, and our untriggered burst search on Fermi/GBM data (8-1000 keV) revealed ~450 bursts emitted over 24 hours during the peak of this activity. Using the GBM data, we identified a ~150-s-long enhanced persistent emission during 2009 January 22 that exhibited intriguing timing and spectral properties: (i) clear pulsations up to ~110 keV at the spin period of the neutron star, (ii) an additional (to a power-law) blackbody component required for the enhanced emission spectra with kT ~ 17 keV, (iii) pulsed fraction that is strongly energy dependent and highest in the 50-74 keV energy band. A total isotropic-equivalent energy emitted during this enhanced emission is estimated to be 2.9 x 10^{40}(D/5 kpc)^2 erg. The estimated area of the blackbody emitting region of ~0.046(D/5 kpc)^2 km^2 is the smallest "hot spot" ever measured for a magnetar and most likely corresponds to the size of magnetically-confined plasma near the neutron star surface.

The beamed radio emission from relativistic plasma (particles or bunches), constrained to move along the curved trajectories, occurs in the direction of velocity. We have generalized the coherent curvature radiation model to include the detailed geometry of the emission region in pulsar magnetosphere, and deduced the polarization state in terms of Stokes parameters. By considering both the uniform and modulated emissions, we have simulated a few typical pulse profiles. The antisymmetric type of circular polarization survives only when there is modulation or discrete distribution in the emitting sources. Our model predicts a correlation between the polarization angle swing and sign reversal of circular polarization as a geometric property of the emission process.

Very high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-rays have been detected from a wide range of astronomical objects, such as SNRs, pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae, AGN, gamma-ray binaries, molecular clouds, and possibly star-forming regions as well. At lower energies, sources detected using Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard Fermi provide a rich set of data which can be used to study the behavior of cosmic accelerators in the GeV to TeV energy bands. In particular, the improved angular resolution in both bands compared to previous instruments significantly reduces source confusion and facilitates the identification of associated counterparts at lower energies. In this talk, a comprehensive search for VHE gamma-ray sources which are spatially coincident with Galactic Fermi/LAT bright sources is performed, and the GeV to TeV spectra of selected coincident sources are shown. It is found that LAT bright GeV sources are correlated to TeV sources, in contrast with previous studies using EGRET data.

We present high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectroscopy of the brightest star in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Leo IV. We measure an iron abundance of [Fe/H] = -3.19, adding to the rapidly growing sample of extremely metal-poor stars being identified in Milky Way satellite galaxies. The star is enhanced in the alpha elements Mg, Ca, and Ti by ~0.3 dex, very similar to the typical Milky Way halo abundance pattern. All of the light and iron-peak elements follow the trends established by extremely metal-poor halo stars, but the neutron-capture elements Ba and Sr are significantly underabundant. These results are quite similar to those found for stars in the ultra-faint dwarfs Ursa Major II, Coma Berenices, Bootes I, and Hercules, suggesting that the chemical evolution of the lowest luminosity galaxies may be universal. The abundance pattern we observe is consistent with predictions for Population III nucleosynthesis from a massive, high energy supernova explosion. The extremely low metallicity of this star also supports the idea that a significant fraction (>10%) of the stars in the faintest dwarfs have metallicities below [Fe/H] = -3.0.

Massive black holes are key ingredients of the assembly and evolution of cosmic structures. Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) currently provide the only means to observe gravitational radiation from massive black hole binary systems with masses >10^7 solar masses. The whole cosmic population produces a signal consisting of two components: (i) a stochastic background resulting from the incoherent superposition of radiation from the all the sources, and (ii) a handful of individually resolvable signals that raise above the background level and are produced by sources sufficiently close and/or massive. Considering a wide range of massive black hole binary assembly scenarios, we investigate both the level and shape of the background and the statistics of resolvable sources. We predict a characteristic background amplitude in the interval h_c(f = 10^-8 Hz)~5*10^-16 - 5*10^-15, within the detection range of the complete Parkes PTA. We also quantify the capability of PTAs of measuring the parameters of individual sources, focusing on monochromatic signals produced by binaries in circular orbit. We investigate how the results depend on the number and distribution of pulsars in the array, by computing the variance-covariance matrix of the parameter measurements. For plausible Square Kilometre Array (SKA) observations (100 pulsars uniformly distributed in the sky), and assuming a coherent signal-to-noise ratio of 10, the sky position of massive black hole binaries can be located within a ~40deg^2 error box, opening promising prospects for detecting a putative electromagnetic counterpart to the gravitational wave emission. The planned SKA, can plausibly observe these unique systems, although the number of detections is likely to be small. (Abridged)

Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs) are one of the most intriguing (and unexpected) results of the INTEGRAL mission. They are a new class of High Mass X-ray Binaries involving about 20 sources to date, with 8 firmly identified SFXTs and many candidates. They are composed by a massive OB supergiant star as companion donor and a compact object. At least four SFXTs host a neutron star, because X-ray pulsations have been discovered, while for the others a black hole cannot be excluded. SFXTs display short X-ray outbursts (compared with Be/X-ray transients) characterized by fast flares on brief timescales of hours and large flux variability typically in the range 1,000-100,000. The INTEGRAL/IBIS sensitivity allowed to catch only the bright flares (peaking at 1E36-1E37erg/s), without persistent or quiescent emission. The investigation of their properties, in particular the rapid variability time scales of their flaring activity, will greatly benefit from observations with the Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST), with the possibility to perform a long term and continuous as possible monitoring of the hard X-ray sky.

We argue that if color-superconducting quark matter exists in the core of a neutron star, it may contain a high density of flux tubes, carrying flux that is mostly color-magnetic, with a small admixture of ordinary magnetic flux. We focus on the two-flavor color-superconducting ("2SC") phase, but the color-flavor-locked phase also supports such flux tubes. The density of flux tubes depends on the nature of the transition to the color-superconducting phase, and could be within an order of magnitude of the density of magnetic flux tubes that would be found if the core were superconducting nuclear matter. We calculate the cross-section for Aharonov-Bohm scattering of gapless fermions off the flux tubes, and the associated collision time and frictional force on a moving flux tube. We discuss the other forces on the flux tube, and find that if we take in to account only the forces that arise within the 2SC core region then the timescale for expulsion of the color flux tubes from the 2SC core is of order 10^10 years.

The analytical generalization of the classical dynamical friction formula (derived under the assumption that all the field particles have the same mass) to the case in which the masses of the field particles are distributed with a mass spectrum is presented. Two extreme cases are considered: in the first, energy equipartition is assumed, in the second all the field particles have the same (Maxwellian) velocity distribution. Three different mass spectra are studied in detail, namely the exponential, discrete (two components), and power-law cases. It is found that the dynamical friction deceleration can be significantly stronger than in the equivalent classical case, with the largest differences (up to a factor of 10 or more in extreme cases) arising for test particle velocities comparable to the mass-averaged velocity dispersion of the field particles. The present results are relevant to our understanding of the dynamical evolution of globular clusters, in particular in the modelization of mass segregation and sedimentation of Blue Straggler stars and Neutron stars, and for the study of binary black holes in galactic nuclei.

On 2008 May 14, the Burst Alert Telescope aboard the Swift mission triggered on a type-I X-ray burst from the previously unclassified ROSAT object 1RXH J173523.7-354013, establishing the source as a neutron star X-ray binary. We report on X-ray, optical and near-infrared observations of this system. The X-ray burst had a duration of ~2 h and belongs to the class of rare, intermediately long type-I X-ray bursts. From the bolometric peak flux of ~3.5E-8 erg/cm^2/s, we infer a source distance of D<9.5 kpc. Photometry of the field reveals an optical counterpart that declined from R=15.9 during the X-ray burst to R=18.9 thereafter. Analysis of post-burst Swift/XRT observations, as well as archival XMM-Newton and ROSAT data suggests that the system is persistent at a 0.5-10 keV luminosity of ~2E35 (D/9.5 kpc)^2 erg/s. Optical and infrared photometry together with the detection of a narrow Halpha emission line (FWHM=292+/-9 km/s, EW=-9.0+/-0.4 Angstrom) in the optical spectrum confirms that 1RXH J173523.7-354013 is a neutron star low-mass X-ray binary. The Halpha emission demonstrates that the donor star is hydrogen-rich, which effectively rules out that this system is an ultra-compact X-ray binary.

The Fermi LAT has released a list of the most significant 205 sources with three months of Fermi data (Bright Source List). The Milagro Gamma-Ray Observatory is sensitive to gamma rays above 100 GeV with a peak sensitivity between 10 and 30 TeV, overlapping and extending the energy range of Fermi. Of the 34 Galactic LAT sources in the field of view of Milagro, 6 are observed with significance greater than 5 sigma and 14 are observed at greater than 3 sigma. Of these 14 sources, 9 are pulsars. Since the VHE emission detected by Milagro is often found to be extended and likely un-pulsed, the VHE component presumably arises from the pulsar winds. Six of the 14 sources have not been previously detected at TeV energies. The details of the Milagro survey will be presented. We will also present the energy spectra of the high-significance detections. Should the full 1-year source list be available prior to the symposium, we will expand our analysis to include the larger Fermi catalog.

We revisit the apparent correlation between soft X-ray band photon index and spin-down rate nudot previously reported for Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) and Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) by Marsden & White (2001). Our analysis, improved thanks to new source discoveries, better spectral parameter measurements in previously known sources, and the requirement of source quiescence for parameter inclusion, shows evidence for the previously noted trend, although with greater scatter. This trend supports the twisted magnetosphere model of magnetars although the scatter suggests that factors other than nudot are also important. We also note possible correlations involving the spectra of AXPs and SGRs in the hard X-ray band. Specifically, the hard-band photon index shows a possible correlation with inferred nudot and B, as does the degree of spectral turnover. If the former trend is correct, then the hard-band photon index for AXP 1E 1048.1-5937 should be ~0--1. This may be testable with long integrations by INTEGRAL, or by the upcoming focussing hard X-ray mission NuSTAR.

A mechanism for creating amino acid enantiomerism that always selects the same global chirality is identified, and subsequent chemical replication and galactic mixing that would populate the galaxy with the predominant species is described. This involves: (1) the spin of the 14N in the amino acids, or in precursor molecules from which amino acids might be formed, coupling to the chirality of the molecules; 2) the neutrinos emitted from the supernova, together with magnetic field from the nascent neutron star or black hole formed from the supernova selectively destroying one orientation of the 14N, and thus selecting the chirality associated with the other 14N orientation; (3) chemical evolution, by which the molecules replicate and evolve to more complex forms of a single chirality on a relatively short timescale; and (4) galactic mixing on a longer timescale mixing the selected molecules throughout the galaxy.

Theoretical and observational support suggests that the spectral evolution of neutron-star LMXBs, including transient hard X-ray tails, may be explained by the interplay between thermal and bulk motion Comptonization. In this framework, we developed a new model for the X-ray spectral fitting XSPEC package which takes into account the effects of both thermal and dynamical (i.e. bulk) Comptonization, CompTB. Using data from the INTEGRAL satellite, we tested our model on broad band spectra of a sample of persistently low magnetic field bright neutron star Low Mass X-ray Binaries, covering different spectral states. The case of the bright source GX 5-1 is presented here. Particular attention is given to the transient powerlaw-like hard X-ray (above 30 keV) tail that we interpret in the framework of the bulk motion Comptonization process, qualitatively describing the physical conditions of the environment in the innermost part of the system.

Mature neutron stars are cold enough to contain a number of superfluid and superconducting components. These systems are distinguished by the presence of additional dynamical degrees of freedom associated with superfluidity. In order to consider models with mixtures of condensates we need to develop a multifluid description that accounts for the presence of rotational neutron vortices and magnetic proton fluxtubes. We also need to model the forces that impede the motion of vortices and fluxtubes, and understand how these forces act on the condensates. This paper concerns the development of such a model for the outer core of a neutron star, where superfluid neutrons co-exist with a type II proton superconductor and an electron gas. We discuss the hydrodynamics of this system, focusing on the role of the entrainment effect, the magnetic field, the vortex/fluxtube tension and the dissipative mutual friction forces. Out final results can be directly applied to a number of interesting astrophysical scenarios, e.g. associated with neutron star oscillations or the evolution of the large scale magnetic field.

We study transport properties of a strongly interacting superfluid mixture of two Fermi-liquids. A typical example of such matter is the neutron-proton liquid in the cores of neutron stars. To describe the mixture, we employ the Landau theory of Fermi-liquids, generalized to allow for the effects of superfluidity. We formulate the kinetic equation and analyze linear response of the system to vector (e.g., electromagnetic) perturbation. In particular, we calculate the transverse and longitudinal polarization functions for both liquid components. We demonstrate, that they can be expressed through the Landau parameters of the mixture and polarization functions of noninteracting matter (when the Landau quasiparticle interaction is neglected). Our results can be used, e.g., for studies of the kinetic coefficients and low-frequency long-wavelength collective modes in superfluid Fermi-mixtures.

We analyze the X-ray scattering halos around three Galactic Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) in order to constrain the distance and the optical extinction of each source. We obtain surface brightness distributions from EPIC-pn data obtained with XMM-Newton, compare the profiles of different sources, and fit them with a model based on the standard theory of X-ray scattering by dust grains, both for a uniform distribution of dust along the line of sight, and for dust distributions constrained by previous measurements. Somewhat surprisingly, we find that for all three sources, the uniform distribution reproduces the observed surface brightness as well as or better than the distributions that are informed by previous constraints. Nevertheless, the inferred total dust columns are robust, and serve to confirm that previous measurements based on interstellar edges in high-resolution X-ray spectra and on modelling of broad-band X-ray spectra were reliable. Specifically, we find Av ~= 4, 6, and 8 mag for 4U 0142+61, 1E 1048.1-5937, and 1RXS J170849.0-400910, respectively. For 1E 1048.1-5937, this is well in excess of the extinction expected towards a HI bubble along the line of sight, thus casting further doubt on the suggested association with the source.

The discovery of non-thermal X-ray emission from the jets of some X-ray binaries, and especially the discovery of GeV-TeV gamma-rays in some of them, provide a clear evidence of very efficient acceleration of particles to multi-TeV energies in these systems. The observations demonstrate the richness of non-thermal phenomena in compact galactic objects containing relativistic outflows or winds produced near black holes and neutron stars. We review here some of the main observational results on the non-thermal emission from X-ray binaries as well as some of the proposed scenarios to explain the production of high-energy gamma-rays.

We analyze the contribution of gamma-ray pulsars from the first Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) catalogue to the local flux of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons (e+e-). We present new distance estimates for all Fermi gamma-ray pulsars, based on the measured gamma-ray flux and pulse shape. We then estimate the contribution of gamma-ray pulsars to the local e+e- flux, in the context of a simple model for the pulsar e+e- emission. We find that 10 of the Fermi pulsars potentially contribute significantly to the measured e+e- flux in the energy range between 100 GeV and 1 TeV. Of the 10 pulsars, 2 are old EGRET gamma-ray pulsars, 2 pulsars were discovered with radio ephemerides, and 6 were discovered with the Fermi pulsar blind-search campaign. We argue that known radio pulsars fall in regions of parameter space where the e+e- contribution is predicted to be typically much smaller than from those regions where Fermi-LAT pulsars exist. However, comparing the Fermi gamma-ray flux sensitivity to the regions of pulsar parameter space where a significant e+e- contribution is predicted, we find that a few known radio pulsars that have not yet been detected by Fermi can also significantly contribute to the local e+e- flux if (i) they are closer than 2 kpc, and if (ii) they have a characteristic age on the order of one mega-year.

We report on the high precision timing analysis of the pulsar-white dwarf binary PSR J1012+5307. Using 15 years of multi-telescope data from the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) network, a significant measurement of the variation of the orbital period is obtained. Using this ideal strong-field gravity laboratory we derive theory independent limits for both the dipole radiation and the variation of the gravitational constant.

The vicinity of the unidentified EGRET source 3EG J1420-6038 has undergone extensive study in the search for counterparts, revealing the energetic young pulsar PSR J1420-6048 and its surrounding wind nebula as a likely candidate for at least part of the emission from this bright and extended gamma-ray source. We report on new Suzaku observations of PSR J1420-6048, along with analysis of archival XMM Newton data. The low background of Suzaku permits mapping of the extended X-ray nebula, indicating a tail stretching ~8' north of the pulsar. The X-ray data, along with archival radio and VHE data, hint at a pulsar birthsite to the North, and yield insights into its evolution and the properties of the ambient medium. We further explore such properties by modeling the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the extended nebula.

We present a new general relativistic (GR) code for hydrodynamic supernova simulations with neutrino transport in spherical and azimuthal symmetry (1D/2D). The code is a combination of the CoCoNuT hydro module, which is a Riemann-solver based, high-resolution shock-capturing method, and the three-flavor, energy-dependent neutrino transport scheme VERTEX. VERTEX integrates the neutrino moment equations with a variable Eddington factor closure computed from a model Boltzmann equation and uses the ray-by-ray plus approximation in 2D, assuming the neutrino distribution to be axially symmetric around the radial direction, and thus the neutrino flux to be radial. Our spacetime treatment employs the ADM 3+1 formalism with the conformal flatness condition for the spatial three-metric. This approach is exact in 1D and has been shown to yield very accurate results also for rotational stellar collapse. We introduce new formulations of the energy equation to improve total energy conservation in relativistic and Newtonian hydro simulations with Eulerian finite-volume codes. Moreover, a modified version of the VERTEX scheme is developed that simultaneously conserves energy and lepton number with better accuracy and higher numerical stability. To verify our code, we conduct a series of tests, including a detailed comparison with published 1D results for stellar core collapse. Long-time simulations of proto-neutron star cooling over several seconds both demonstrate the robustness of the new CoCoNuT-VERTEX code and show the approximate treatment of GR effects by means of an effective gravitational potential as in PROMETHEUS-VERTEX to be remarkably accurate in 1D. (abridged)

The Milagro hot spot A, close to the Galactic anticenter direction, has been tentatively attributed to cosmic rays from a local reservoir (at a distance ~100 pc), freely streaming along diverging and smooth magnetic field lines. This is at variance with the geometry of the ~kpc scale Galactic magnetic field, which is known to be aligned with the spiral arms. We investigate the information available on the geometry of the magnetic field on the scales (~100 pc) of relevance here. The magnetic field immediately upstream of the heliosphere has been investigated by previous authors by modeling the interaction of this field with the solar wind. At larger distances, we use the dispersion measure and the rotation measure of nearby pulsars (especially towards the third Galactic quadrant). Additional information about the local field towards the North Polar Spur is taken from previous studies of the diffuse radio emission and the polarization of starlight. The asymmetry of the heliosphere with respect to the incoming interstellar medium implies a magnetic field almost orthogonal to the local spiral arm, in the general direction of hot spot A, but more to the south. This is in good agreement with the nearby pulsar data on the one side, and the North Polar Spur data on the other. The local magnetic field on scales of ~100 parsecs around the Sun seems to be oriented so as to provide a direct connection between the Solar system and a possible site of the Geminga supernova; the residual angular difference and the shape and orientation of the Milagro hot spot can be attributed to the field trailing in the wake of the heliosphere.

PSR J0205+6449 is a young rotation-powered pulsar in SNR 3C 58. It is one of only three young (<10,000 year old) pulsars which are so far detected in the radio and the classical X-ray bands, as well as at hard X-rays above 20 keV and at high-energy (>100 MeV) $\gamma$-rays. The other two young pulsars are the Crab and PSR B1509-58. Our aim is to derive the timing and spectral characteristics of PSR J0205+6449 over the broad X-ray band from ~0.5 to ~270 keV. We used all publicly available RXTE observations of PSR J0205+6449 to first generate accurate ephemerides over the period September 30, 2000 - March 18, 2006. Next, phase-folding procedures yielded pulse profiles using data from RXTE PCA and HEXTE, and XMM-Newton EPIC PN. While our timing solutions are consistent with earlier results, our work shows sharper structures in the PCA X-ray profile. The X-ray pulse profile consists of two sharp pulses, separated in phase by 0.488(2), which can be described with 2 asymmetric Lorentzians, each with the rising wing steeper than the trailing wing, and full-width-half-maximum 1.41(5) ms and 2.35(22) ms, respectively. We find an indication for a flux increase by a factor ~2, about 3.5 sigma above the time-averaged value, for the second, weaker pulse during a two-week interval, while its pulse shape did not change. The spectrum of the pulsed X-ray emission is of non-thermal origin, exhibiting a power-law shape with photon index Gamma = 1.03(2) over the energy band ~0.5 to ~270 keV. In the energy band covered with the PCA (~3-30 keV) the spectra of the two pulses have the same photon index, namely, 1.04(3) and 1.10(8), respectively.

The most promising astrophysical sources of kHz gravitational waves (GWs) are the inspiral and merger of binary neutron star(NS)/black hole systems. Maximizing the scientific return of a GW detection will require identifying a coincident electro-magnetic (EM) counterpart. One of the most likely sources of isotropic EM emission from compact object mergers is a supernova-like transient powered by the radioactive decay of heavy elements synthesized in ejecta from the merger. We present the first calculations of the optical transients from compact object mergers that self-consistently determine the radioactive heating using a nuclear reaction network; using this heating rate, we model the light curve with a one dimensional Monte Carlo radiation transfer calculation. For an ejecta mass 1e-2 Msun [1e-3 Msun] the resulting light curve peaks on a timescale ~ 1 day at a V-band luminosity ~ 3e41 [1e41] ergs/s (M_V = -15[-14]); this corresponds to an effective "f" parameter ~3e-6 in the Li-Paczynski toy model. We argue that these results are relatively insensitive to uncertainties in the relevant nuclear physics and to the precise early-time dynamics and ejecta composition. Due to the rapid evolution and low luminosity of NS merger transients, EM counterpart searches triggered by GW detections will require close collaboration between the GW and astronomical communities. NS merger transients may also be detectable following a short-duration Gamma-Ray Burst or "blindly" with present or upcoming optical transient surveys. Because the emission produced by NS merger ejecta is powered by the formation of rare r-process elements, current optical transient surveys can directly constrain the unknown origin of the heaviest elements in the Universe.

Discovered over forty years ago, Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) remain a forefront topic in modern astrophysics. Perhaps the most fundamental question associated with GRBs is the nature of the astrophysical agent (or agents) that ultimately powers them: the central engine. In this review, I focus on the possible central engines of long-duration GRBs, and the constraints that present observations place on these models. Long GRBs are definitively associated with the deaths of massive stars, but whether the central engine is an accreting black hole or a rapidly-spinning, highly-magnetized neutron star (a "proto-magnetar") remains unsettled. This distinction has been brought into particular focus by recent MHD simulations of the core-collapse of massive, rotating "collapsar progenitors," which suggest that powerful magneto-centrifugal outflows from the proto-neutron star may stave off black hole formation entirely. Although both black hole and magnetar GRB models remain viable, I argue that the magnetar model is more mature in the sense that it provides quantitative explanations for the durations, energies, Lorentz factors, and collimation of long GRB outflows. Given these virtues, one promising strategy to break the present stalemate is to further develop the magnetar model until inescapable (and falsifiable) predictions emerge. This course of action signals a renewed challenge to translate time-dependent jet properties (power, magnetization, and Lorentz factor) into observables (gamma-ray light curves and spectra).

Monitoring of pulse period variations in accreting binary pulsars is an important tool to study the interaction between the magnetosphere of the neutron star and the accretion disk. While the X-ray flux of the brightest X-ray pulsars have been successfully monitored over many years (e.g. with RXTE/ASM, CGRO/BATSE, Swift/BAT), the possibility to monitor their pulse timing properties continuously has so far been very limited. In our work we use Swift/BAT observations to study one of the most enigmatic X-ray pulsars, Hercules X-1. For the first time, a quasi-continuous monitoring of the pulse period and the pulse period derivative of Her X-1, is achieved over a long time (> 4 yrs). We argue that together with the long-term decrease of the orbital period in Her X-1 the measured pulse period behaviour requires the presence of mass ejection from the inner parts of the accretion disk along the open magnetic field lines. The mass ejection episodes probably take place during strong spin-down episodes which are associated with the low X-ray luminosity.