We propose that the observed difference in the formation rates of bright low-mass X-ray binaries in metal-rich and metal-poor globular clusters can be explained by taking into account the difference in the stellar structure of main sequence donors with masses between ${\sim}0.85 M_\odot$ and ${\sim}1.25 M_\odot$ at different metallicities. This difference is caused by the absence of an outer convective zone in metal-poor main sequence stars in this mass range. In the result, magnetic braking, a powerful mechanism of orbital shrinkage, does not operate and dynamically formed main sequence – neutron star binaries fail to start mass transfer or appear as bright low-mass X-ray binaries.

The population of HMXBs in the MCs and the Galaxy is investigated. The SMC has an over-abundant population of HMXBs. This provides the clues that the SMC should be more active in massive star formation. The pulse periods in the SMC are slightly shorter than those in the Galaxy, implying that most of the pulsars in Be/X-ray binaries are not spin-up.

Pure rotational spectra of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – acenaphthene, acenaphthylene and fluorene – have been obtained by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy of a molecular beam and subsequently by millimeter wave absorption spectroscopy for acenaphthene and fluorene. The data presented here will be useful for deep radio astronomical searches for PAHs employing large radio telecopes.

Cataclysmic variables (CVs) formed through close encounters may be the most abundant class of compact binaries in globular clusters. As part of a systematic search for CVs undergoing dwarf nova eruptions (DN) in globular clusters, our 2004 monitoring program of M22 detected an outburst of a CV candidate during May. We present a light curve for the May 2004 period, obtained using the ISIS image subtraction routine. Our ground based results are in good agreement with previous HST measurements, and confirm the DN nature of the outburst and the object's CV status. Further application of the ISIS software will enable us to identify other DN candidates in the core of M22 with the aim of characterizing the properties of these systems, as opposed to similar ones in the field.

I will review the discovery of microquasars and their importance in our understanding of High Energy Sources in Galaxies.

We discuss populations of X-ray and $\gamma$-ray sources in star-forming regions (SFR). Interacting winds of massive stars and high supernova activity in SFRs can be powerful sources of high energy emission. Models of nonthermal particle acceleration in the vicinity of active SFRs are reviewed. A class of hard emission sources where a fast wind from a massive star collides with a supernova shell is described. Stellar winds of massive stars and core collapsed supernova explosions with great energy release in the form of multiple interacting shock waves inside the superbubbles are argued as favorable sites of nonthermal particle acceleration. Young stellar objects and supernova activity in the dense environment of starforming regions produce an another potentially abundant class of hard faint X-ray sources due to interaction of fast moving knots with the dense ambient medium. The knots could have very different physical nature, e.g. supernova ejecta fragments or Herbig-Haro-like objects. We argue that the sources may have rather steep logN—logS distribution and can contribute substantially to the galactic diffuse emission including the both low-ionized 6.4 keV and He-like Fe lines.

Interpretative analyses of the X-ray emission from the giant starformation region R 136 have concluded that several colliding-wind binaries are likely to contribute to its X-ray output. Using our dedicated high-energy stellar population synthesis programme, we try to reproduce the suggested number of colliding-wind binaries. It appears that only assuming a very high binary fraction for the cluster's stellar population we can reproduce the observed X-ray luminosity distribution, if also the two most luminous sources are in fact multiple sources.

The original idea for this IAU Symposium arose from realizing that present-day X-ray satellites, XMM-Newton and Chandra, are now allowing us to conduct studies of individual X-ray sources in other galaxies, much like this was until recently mostly confined to sources in our own Galaxy and in the Magellanic Clouds. In addition, $\gamma$-ray astronomy is catching up as it were, now being able to study well-defined sources in our own Galaxy with the INTEGRAL satellite, and also the highest-energy sources accessible, at TeV, with the newly constructed Cherenkov receiver array(s).

As the nearest galaxies around us, the Local Group systems offer especially good opportunities for observations of their nuclear X-ray radiation. Certain or possible nuclear X-ray sources in the Local Group suggest a minimum luminosity for activity to become manifest.

Recent studies suggested that there might be a correlation between unidentified $\gamma$-ray sources from the third EGRET catalogue and OB associations. Moreover, when extrapolating the fluxes measured by EGRET at energies above 100 MeV with a power-law down to the energy range of ISGRI, the expected count rates should be large enough to be detectable with INTEGRAL. Most of those OB associations being located in the Galactic plane, they are monitored by INTEGRAL as part of the Core Program during both the Galactic Plane Scans and the Galactic Center Deep Exposure. Combining public and CP data, we have performed a search for gamma-ray emission from OB associations and the first results are presented.

An account of a free-ranging Panel Discussion held during the Symposium.

The distribution and composition of the dust and gas surrounding Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) is of continuing interest. Fortunately, rapid advances in observational capabilities have led to data of high spatial and spectral resolution, as well as the opportunity to observe in previously unavailable windows using satellites. Such high-quality data have motivated enhancements in theoretical models. Key to these models is the chemical evolution of the gas. Since the chemical evolution depends upon temperature, density, and time, the state and history of the source is encoded in the spatial distribution of the chemical abundances.

It is possible, using both parametric and detailed physical-chemical modeling, to constrain many source properties, and identify potential reactions of further laboratory interest. Using specific examples, I discuss some successes toward constraining the source properties, as well as challenges posed by current problems. Finally, I discuss the potential effect of infall dynamics and recent laboratory measurements of temperature programmed desorption of ices from grains on inferring source properties.

The joint U.S. and German SOFIA project to develop and operate a 2.5-meter infrared airborne telescope in a Boeing 747-SP is now in the final stages of development. First science flights will begin in 2008. The observatory is expected to operate for over 20 years. The sensitivity, characteristics, science instrument complement, and examples of 1-st light spectroscopic astrochemistry science are discussed.

The status of Very High Energy (VHE, E$\,{>}\,$50 GeV) gamma-ray observations of BL Lacertae objects is presented. The catalogue of well-established BL Lacertae objects detected at VHE energies contains seven members, and there have been recent reports of the detection of another four. All are nearby, X-ray bright sources. The temporal, spectral and broadband multi-wavelength properties of the sources are reviewed and possible implications for the gamma-ray production mechanism discussed. The most recent detections provide more stringent constraints on the cosmic extragalactic background light level and imply that the Universe is more transparent to VHE gamma radiation than previously thought.

The great sensitivities of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton are allowing us to explore the X-ray emission from galaxies at moderate to high redshift. By using the stacking method with CXO data, we show that we can detect the ensemble emission from normal elliptical, spiral and irregular galaxies out to redshifts approaching one. The average X-ray luminosity can then be compared with the results of models of the evolution in the numbers of X-ray binaries and can possibly be used to constrain models of star formation. In order to account for the increasing luminosity of spiral galaxies from low to moderate redshift, AGN components may need to be invoked.

Interstellar aldehydes have been called the “sugars of space” ever since the discoveries of formaldehyde (H2CO) in 1969 and acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) in 1973. At present, more than 135 interstellar molecular species have been identified. Excluding diatomic species, 30% of all interstellar molecules have isomeric counterparts. The newest instrument in the interstellar molecule search arsenal is the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), which is credited with the discovery of the large aldehydes propenal (CH2CHCHO) and propanal (CH3CH<2CHO). In addition, the GBT has been used to observe interstellar glycolaldehyde (CH2OHCHO), the simplest possible aldehyde sugar, and interstellar ethylene glycol (HOCH2CH2OH), the sugar alcohol of glycolaldehyde. These new GBT observations that suggest a universal prebiotic chemistry are presented and discussed. While there is no consensus regarding how large complex interstellar molecules are formed, it may be that the first step in the polymerization of interstellar formaldehyde (H2CO) with its isomer trans hydroxy methylene (t-HCOH) is responsible for the formation of interstellar glycolaldehyde. We discuss this polymerization mechanism that can result in the generation of more complex sugars. We assess the likelihood of interstellar trans hydroxy methylene and suggest a search strategy for it using the GBT.

We present the preliminary results of simultaneous XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations of the highly absorbed INTEGRAL source IGR J16320-4751. We refine the X-ray position with XMM-Newton, and then examine the spectral properties of the source using both satellites, separating two periods visible in the lightcurves, an initial flare and a more steady period. We show that the source spectrum and its behaviour are compatible with IGR J16320-4751 being a pulsar accreting from a high mass companion.

The EGRET experiment detected pulsed emission from several pulsars in the HE energy range 20 MeV < E < 10 GeV. However, no pulsed emission has ever been detected above 300 GeV, which points to a cut-off in pulsed emission somewhere between ∼10 GeV and ∼300 GeV. Software has been developed at UCD which is capable of examining gamma-ray events in the energy range $E>130$ GeV and detecting the signature periodicity of pulsars if it exists. Data recorded on the Crab pulsar with the Whipple Imaging Atmospheric Cerenkov Telescope has been analysed with this software and upper limits on pulsed emission have been obtained.

We have performed evolutionary population synthesis calculations to investigate the nature of the faint X-ray sources in the Galactic center region detected by recent Chandra surveys. Our results show that neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries contribute significantly to the observed sources, but the majority of the sources in Wang et al. (2002) survey are still beyond our expectation. We also point out that wind-accreting neutron stars and intermediate polars play a minor role in accounting for the faint X-ray sources in Wang et al. (2002) and Muno et al. (2003) surveys, respectively.

Although a direct link between the HED meteorites and the asteroid 4 Vesta is generally acknowledged, several issues continue to be actively examined that tie Vesta to early processes in the solar system. Vesta is no longer the only basaltic asteroid in the Main belt. In addition to the Vestoids of the Vesta family, the small asteroid Magnya is basaltic but appears to be unrelated to Vesta. Similarly, diversity now identified in the collection of basaltic meteorites requires more than one basaltic parent body, consistent with the abundance of differentiated parent bodies implied by iron meteorites. The timing of the formation of the Vestoids (and presumably the large crater at the south pole of Vesta) is unresolved. Peaks in Ar-Ar dates of eucrites suggest this impact event could be related to a possible late heavy bombardment at least 3.5 Gyr ago. On the other hand, the optically fresh appearance of both Vesta and the Vestoids requires either a relatively recent resurfacing event or that their surfaces do not weather in the same manner thought to occur on other asteroids such as the ordinary chondrite parent body. Diversity across the surface of Vesta has been observed with HST and there are hints of compositional variations (possibly involving minor olivine) in near-infrared spectra.