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.

From a Chandra survey of nine interacting galaxy systems the evolution of X-ray emission during the merger process has been investigated. From comparing LX/LK and LFIR/LB it is found that the X-ray luminosity peaks ∼300 Myr before nuclear coalescence, even though we know that rapid and increasing star formation is still taking place at this time. It is likely that this drop in X-ray luminosity is a consequence of outflows breaking out of the galactic discs of these systems. At a time ∼1 Gyr after coalescence, the merger-remnants in our sample are X-ray dim when compared to typical X-ray luminosities of mature elliptical galaxies. However, we do see evidence that these systems will start to resemble typical elliptical galaxies at a greater dynamical age, given the properties of the 3 Gyr system within our sample, indicating that halo regeneration will take place within low LX merger-remnants.

In this paper, we will review recent progress made in the understanding of cosmic silicates and the experimental characterization of relevant analogue materials. We will introduce the main structural properties of silicates. Then we will discuss recent infrared observations with a special emphasis on protoplanetary disks and AGNs. In the experimental section we will describe the optical properties of silicate grains. Here we will concentrate on fundamental optical data and the dependence of the optical behavior on particle shape and temperature.

The central controversy over whether or not ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) contain a new “intermediate-mass” class of black holes (IMBHs) remains essentially unresolved. Indeed, whilst many recent X-ray spectroscopy results find evidence for a cool (100–200 eV) accretion disc – the expected signature of a ${\sim} 1000$ M$_{\odot}$ IMBH – in ULX spectra, most of the circumstantial evidence (a combination of multiwavelength counterparts, theoretical modelling and the behaviour of accreting black holes in our own Galaxy) argues that the black holes underlying ULXs could be substantially less massive. I will present a new analysis of the deepest XMM-Newton observations of ULXs that directly addresses their underlying nature. This includes the results of a new 100-ks observation of the archetypal ULX Holmberg II X-1. Though a slight soft excess in its X-ray spectrum can be fitted by a cool accretion disc model, a rigorous analysis of the temporal data shows that the black hole cannot be larger than ${\sim}100$ M$_{\odot}$. Interestingly, we find evidence that the putative accretion disc corona is cool and optically thick in this source, unlike most Galactic binaries. We have also undertaken a detailed spectral analysis of the next 12 best ULX datasets in the XMM-Newton archive. Using physically self-consistent spectral modelling we show that whilst all the ULXs show possible cool accretion discs, the majority of these ULXs appear dominated by an optically-thick Comptonising medium. I will argue that this is evidence that most (though not necessarily all) ULXs contain black holes that are at most a few tens of solar masses in size.

Disks surrounding young stars play a fundamental role in the formation of stars and planets. Accretion through disks is believed to be responsible for the build up of stellar masses, and the gas and dust in disks is a reservoir for the potential formation of planets. As a result, one of the motivations for observing the inner regions of disks (i.e., the region within 10 AU) is to obtain clues to the processes that govern how stars and planets form. Significant progress has been made over the last decade in probing the inner regions of gaseous disks through the use of infrared molecular transitions. I discuss the observational tools that are currently available to study the gaseous component. These tools can be used to explore the evolution of gas in the inner disk and thereby help us to understand the processes of giant and terrestrial planet formation. These same tools may also be used to place constraints on the physical mechanisms that drive the disk accretion process.

We report on analysis of the poorly studied source 2RXP J130159.6-635806 at different epochs with ASCA, BeppoSAX, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL. The source shows coherent X-ray pulsations at a period ${\sim}700$ s with $\dot{\nu}\sim 2\times 10^{-13}$ Hz s$^{-1}$. A broad band (1–60 keV) spectral analysis of 2RXP J130159.6-635806 based on almost simultaneous XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL data demonstrates that the source spectrum is an absorbed power law with a photon index $\Gamma\sim 0.5-1.0$ and a cut-off energy of ${\sim}25$ keV. We also report on the identification of the likely infrared counterpart to 2RXP J130159.6-635806. The interstellar reddening does not allow us to strongly constrain the spectral type of the counterpart. The latter is, however, consistent with a Be star, the kind of which is often observed in accretion powered X-ray pulsars.