Although Einstein's general relativity has passed all the tests so far, alternative theories are still required for deeper understanding of the nature of gravity. Double pulsars provide us a significant opportunity to test them. In order to probe some modified gravities which try to explain some astrophysical phenomena without dark matter, we use periastron advance $\dot{\omega}$ of four binary pulsars (PSR B1913+16, PSR B1534+12, PSR J0737-3039 and PSR B2127+11C) to constrain their Yukawa parameters: λ = (3.97 ± 0.01) × 108m and α = (2.40 ± 0.02) × 10−8. It might help us to distinguish different gravity theories and get closer to the new physics.

No contribution was received from this Joint Discussion.

The helicity is important to present the basic topological configuration of magnetic field in solar atmosphere. The distribution of magnetic helicity in solar atmosphere is presented by means of the observational (vector) magnetograms. As the kinetic helicity in the solar subatmosphere can be inferred from the velocity field based on the technique of the helioseismology and used to compare with the magnetic helicity in the solar atmosphere, the observational helicities provide the important chance for the confirmation on the generation of magnetic fields in the subatmosphere and solar dynamo models also. In this paper, we present the observational magnetic and kinetic helicity in solar active regions and corresponding questions, except the relationship with solar eruptive phenomena.

Lense-Thirring QPO model is a promising model to explain QPO phenomena (Ingram et al. (2009)). In this model the QPO results from Lense-Thirring precession of a optical translucent inner hot flow in a truncated disc geometry. Now we check this model with different types QPO (see (Belloni et al. (2011)) for a recent review) of black hole transient (BHT) GX 339-4 2010 outburst and suggest type C QPOs are mainly coincident with this model prediction while type B QPOs are not.

In this work, two different algorithms: Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are combined for the classification of unresolved sources from SDSS DR8 and UKIDSS DR8. The experimental result shows that this joint approach is effective for our case.

Chen et al. (2011) found that the durations (timescales) of the normal and abnormal modes of PSR B0329+54 follow a gamma distribution, and constrained the parameters of the distribution function. In this paper, we perform a further analysis on the relationship between the timescales of the two modes. The ratio between the durations of a normal mode and the succeeding abnormal mode is calculated for 54 such pairs. It is found that the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the ratio is consistent with the CDF obtained by assuming random mode switching, suggesting that the two modes work independently.

Neutron star masses can be inferred from observations of binary pulsar systems, particularly by the measurement of relativistic phenomena within these orbits. The observed distribution of masses can be used to infer or constrain the equation of state for nuclear matter and to study astrophysical processes such as supernovae and binary star evolution. In this talk, I will review our present understanding of the neutron star mass distribution with an emphasis on the observational data.

Star-formation is one of the main processes that shape galaxies, and together with black-hole accretion activity the two agents of energy production in galaxies. It is important on a range of scales from star clusters/OB associations to galaxy-wide and even group/cluster scales. Recently, studies of star-formation in sub-galactic and galaxy-wide scales have met significant advances owing to: (a) developments in the theory of stellar evolution, stellar atmospheres, and radiative transfer in the interstellar medium; (b) the availability of more sensitive and higher resolution data; and (c) observations in previously poorly charted wavebands (e.g. Ultraviolet, Infrared, and X-rays). These data allow us to study more galaxies at ever-increasing distances and nearby galaxies in greater detail, and different modes of star formation activity such as massive star formation and low level continuous star formation in a variety of environments. In this contribution we summarize recent results in the fields of multi-wavelength calibrations of star-formation rate indicators, the Stellar Initial Mass function, and radiative transfer and modeling of the Spectrale Energy Disrtributions of galaxies.

In this paper, I review some of the basic properties of the pulsar population in globular clusters (GCs) and compare it with the the Galactic disk population. The neutron stars (NSs) in GCs were likely formed - and appear to continue forming - in highly symmetric supernovae (SNe), likely from accretion-induced collapse (AIC). I review the many pulsar finds and discuss some particularly well populated GCs and why they are so. I then discuss some particularly interesting objects, like millisecond pulsars (MSPs) with eccentric orbits, which were heavily perturbed by passing stars. Some of these systems, like NGC 1851A and NGC 6544B, are almost certainly the result of exchange interactions, i.e., they are witnesses to the very same processes that created the large population of MSPs in the first place. I also review briefly the problem posed by the presence of young pulsars in GCs (with a special emphasis on a sub-class of young pulsars, the super-energetic MSPs), which suggest continuing formation of NSs in low-velocity SNe. In the final section, I discuss the possibility of an analogous population in the Galaxy and highlight a particularly interesting case, PSR J1903+0327, where the primary neutron star appears to have formed with a small-velocity kick and small fractional mass loss. Systems with primary NSs formed in electron-capture SNe should constitute a distinct low-velocity Galactic population akin in many respects to the GC population. Current high-resolution surveys of the Galactic plane should be able to detect it clearly.

Although the “donut-like” obscuring molecular torus is often postulated to explain the type-1 and -2 dichotomy in AGNs, its physical origin is still unclear. We propose a plausible mechanism to explain the formation of the geometrically and optically thick torus, i.e. radiation-driven fountain. Using 3-D hydrodynamic simulations including radiative feedback from the central source, taking into account the X-ray heating and radiation pressure on the gas, we found that a vertical circulation of gas is generated in the central few to tens parsecs. Interaction between the non-steady outflows and inflows causes the formation of a geometrically thick torus with internal turbulent motion. As a result, the AGN is obscured for a wide range of solid angles. In a quasi-steady state, the opening angles for the column density toward a black hole < 1023 cm−2 are approximately ± 30° and ± 50° for AGNs with 10% and 1% Eddington luminosity, respectively. Mass inflows through the torus coexist with the outflow and internal turbulent motion, although the average mass accretion rate to the central parsec region is about ten times smaller than the accretion rate required to maintain the assumed AGN luminosity. This implies that relatively luminous AGN activity is intrinsically intermittent or that there are other mechanisms, such as stellar energy feedback, that enhance the mass accretion to the center.

In this proceeding paper, we discuss the important underlying connections between the faint end slope αs of the stellar mass function of star-forming galaxies, the logarithmic slope β of the sSFR-mass relation and merging through the continuity approach, as we introduced in Peng et al. (2010, hereafter P10) and (2012, hereafter P12).

Losing the Dark is a six-minute PSA video created for fulldome theaters by Loch Ness Productions, the International Dark Sky Association Education Committee headed by Dr. Constance Walker of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Dome3, Adler Planetarium, and Babak Tafreshi (The World at Night). It explains light pollution, its effects, and ways to implement “wise lighting“ practices to mitigate light pollution. The show is also made in flat-screen HD format for classical planetariums, non-dome theaters, and for presentatons by IDA speakers.

We have used the package CLOUDPROPS (Rosolowsky & Leroy 2008) in order to identify clouds, which are contained in data cubes of molecular/Hα line emission, and extract their properties. The molecular data cube is taken from the ALMA public archive and the ionized hydrogen data cube was obtained with the Fabry-Perot interferometer, GHαFaS, on the 4.2 m WHT in La Palma. In our study of the overlap region of the Antennae galaxies we have identified two populations of molecular clouds, above and below log M/M⊙ = 6.75 (in agreement with Wei et al. 2012 who find the break in mass at log M/M⊙ = 6.5) and two different populations of ionized gas clouds; the break in the luminosity occurs near log L = 37.6 (see Fig. 1). We have measured the masses, velocity dispersions and luminosities of the clouds, and derived relation between them for each population. Population II clouds (both molecular and ionized) tend to be located in the most luminous regions, while population I clouds can be found in the outskirts. This work will be published in Font et al. (2013).

We report on XMM-Newton observations of the Galactic supernova remnant G296.7–0.9. A detailed spectro-imaging X-ray study of G296.7–0.9 was performed. We detected an incomplete shell-like X-ray structure which is located near the boundary of the radio emission at a frequency of 843 MHz. The X-ray spectrum can be best described by an absorbed ionization plasma model accompanied with metallic emission lines, which suggests the plasma is shock heated. No promising compact stellar remnant associated with G296.7–0.9 was found. No Gamma-ray emission of G296.7–0.9 from Fermi-LAT telescope was detected in our study.

Gravitational lensing is one of most promising tools to probe dark energy and dark matter in our Universe. Lensing by larger-scale structures distorts the shape of background galaxies. For ground-based observations the shape is further distorted by atmospheric turbulence and optical distortions. Many algorithms were proposed to measure the shear signal but the systematic biases are still too large to be acceptable for the larger-sky surveys in the future. I will present our new algorithms for PSF reconstruction and shape measurements based on several sets of basis functions.

Past investigations have shown a connection between the properties of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and their host galaxies. We refine these studies using ultraviolet through mid-infrared observations of both nearby and distant SN Ia hosts. We present new results showing that the properties of SNe Ia, both intrinsic and with respect to their use as distance indicators, appear to depend on a combination of metallicity, stellar age, and star-formation rate of the host. We suggest that the stellar population age and location of the supernova progenitor all can play a roll in using SNe Ia as precision distance indicators, and advocate that a multiwavelength approach is one way to disentangle the different influences, resulting in an improvement of 8% in distance measurements.

The 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) is an all-southern-sky galaxy survey, including 125,000 redshifts and a Fundamental Plane (FP) subsample of 10,000 peculiar velocities. This makes 6dFGS the largest peculiar-velocity sample to date. We have fitted the FP with a tri-variate Gaussian model using a maximum-likelihood approach, and derive the Bayesian probability distribution of the peculiar velocity for each of the 10,000 galaxies. We fit models of the velocity field, including comparisons to the field predicted from the redshift-survey density field, to derive the values of the redshift-space distortion parameter β, the bulk flow and the residual bulk flow in excess of that predicted from the density field. We compare these results to those derived by other authors and discuss the cosmological implications.

John Dyson was born on the 7th January 1941 in Meltham Mills, West Yorkshire, England, and later grew up in Harrogate and Leeds. The proudest moment of John's early life was meeting Freddie Trueman, who became one of the greatest fast bowlers of English cricket. John used a state scholarship to study at Kings College London, after hearing a radio lecture by D. M. McKay. He received a first class BSc Special Honours Degree in Physics in 1962, and began a Ph.D. at the University of Manchester Department of Astronomy after being attracted to astronomy by an article of Zdenek Kopal in the semi-popular journal New Scientist. John soon started work with Franz Kahn, and studied the possibility that the broad emission lines seen from the Orion Nebula were due to flows driven by the photoevaporation of neutral globules embedded in a HII region. John's thesis was entitled “The Age and Dynamics of the Orion Nebula“ and he passed his oral examination on 28th February 1966.

In recent years we have seen a wealth of new observations and analysis that sheds light on the distribution and physical properties of various ISM phases. In particular the thermal pressure from C I (Jenkins & Tripp 2011) shows the bulk of the CNM phase with a log normal pressure distribution. It appears that thermal instability is important for phase separation, but with with a thermal pressure variation about the mean driven by turbulence. In additional, there is evidence from C I, H2, and complex molecules, of both higher and lower pressure environments. An additional “phase“ that is of increasing interest for high z, low metallicity galaxies is the C+/H2 gas that is not traced by H I or CO. This review presents the observational evidence for the existence and physical properties of these various ISM phases.

The interplay between stellar rotation and turbulent flows is a major ingredient for vertical angular momentum transport in stellar convection zone. Combined with the centrifugal force and the buoyancy force due to pole-equator temperature gradients one can expect a large-scale flow structure that is usually referred to as differential rotation and meridional flows. I review such observations for stars other than the Sun, mostly for stars significantly more active, and ask the question whether such observations can constrain the dynamo process.