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We report on the Swift/X-ray Telescope (XRT) monitoring of the field of view around the candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGR J17354-3255, which is positionally associated with the AGILE/GRID gamma-ray transient AGL J1734-3310. Our observations, which cover 11 days for a total on-source exposure of about 24 ks, span 1.2 orbital periods (P_orb=8.4474 d) and are the first sensitive monitoring of this source in the soft X-rays. These new data allow us to exploit the timing variability properties of the sources in the field to unambiguously identify the soft X-ray counterpart of IGR J17354-3255. The soft X-ray light curve shows a moderate orbital modulation and a dip. We investigated the nature of the dip by comparing the X-ray light curve with the prediction of the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion theory, assuming both spherical and nonspherical symmetry of the outflow from the donor star. We found that the dip cannot be explained with the X-ray orbital modulation. We propose that an eclipse or the onset of a gated mechanism is the most likely explanation for the observed light curve., Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 9 pages

We review the X-ray observations of hot subdwarf stars. While no X-ray emission has been detected yet from binaries containing B-type subdwarfs, interesting results have been obtained in the case of the two luminous O-type subdwarfs HD 49798 and BD +37 442. Both of them are members of binary systems in which the X-ray luminosity is powered by accretion onto a compact object: a rapidly spinning (13.2 s) and massive (1.28 M_sun) white dwarf in the case of HD 49798 and most likely a neutron star, spinning at 19.2 s, in the case of BD +37 442. Their study can shed light on the poorly known processes taking place during common envelope evolutionary phases and on the properties of wind mass loss from hot subdwarfs., Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the 40th Liege International Astrophysical Colloquium "Ageing low mass stars: from red giants to white dwarfs"

The X-ray source RX J0648.0-4418 is the only confirmed binary system in which a compact object, most likely a massive white dwarf, accretes from a hot subdwarf companion, the bright sdO star HD 49798. The X-ray emission from this system is characterized by two periodic modulations caused by an eclipse, at the orbital period of 1.55 d, and by the rotation of the compact object with a spin period of 13.2 s. In 2011 we obtained six short XMM-Newton observations centered at orbital phase 0.75, in order to study the system during the eclipse, and spaced at increasingly long time intervals in order to obtain an accurate measure of the spin-period evolution through phase-connected timing. The duration of the eclipse ingress and egress, 500 s, indicates the presence of an X-ray emitting region with dimensions of the order of a few 10^4 km, surrounding the pulsar and probably due to scattering in the companion's wind. We derived an upper limit on the spin-period derivative |Pdot, Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

We present a review of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT) Project, a systematic investigation of the properties of SFXTs with a strategy that combines Swift monitoring programs with outburst follow-up observations. This strategy has quickly tripled the available sets of broad-band data of SFXT outbursts, and gathered a wealth of out-of-outburst data, which have led us to a broad-band spectral characterization, an assessment of the fraction of the time these sources spend in each phase, and their duty cycle of inactivity. We present some new observational results obtained through our outburst follow-ups, as fitting examples of the exceptional capabilities of Swift in catching bright flares and monitor them panchromatically., Comment: Accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research. Proceedings of the 39th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, E1.4, "Unveiling Properties of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients". 9 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables

It is now widely accepted that soft gamma repeaters and anomalous X-ray pulsars are the observational manifestations of magnetars, i.e. sources powered by their own magnetic energy. This view was supported by the fact that these `magnetar candidates' exhibited, without exception, a surface dipole magnetic field (as inferred from the spin-down rate) in excess of the electron critical field (~4.4E+13 G). The recent discovery of fully-qualified magnetars, SGR 0418+5729 and Swift J1822.3-1606, with dipole magnetic field well in the range of ordinary radio pulsars posed a challenge to the standard picture, showing that a very strong field is not necessary for the onset of magnetar activity (chiefly bursts and outbursts). Here we summarize the observational status of the low-magnetic-field magnetars and discuss their properties in the context of the mainstream magnetar model and its main alternatives., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures; minor changes to match the published version

We report on the long term X-ray monitoring of the outburst decay of the low magnetic field magnetar SGR 0418+5729, using all the available X-ray data obtained with RXTE, SWIFT, Chandra, and XMM-Newton observations, from the discovery of the source in June 2009, up to August 2012. The timing analysis allowed us to obtain the first measurement of the period derivative of SGR 0418+5729: \dot{P}=4(1)x10^{-15} s/s, significant at ~3.5 sigma confidence level. This leads to a surface dipolar magnetic field of B_dip ~6x 10^{12} G. This measurement confirms SGR 0418+5729 as the lowest magnetic field magnetar. Following the flux and spectral evolution from the beginning of the outburst up to ~1200 days, we observe a gradual cooling of the tiny hot spot responsible for the X-ray emission, from a temperature of ~0.9 to 0.3 keV. Simultaneously, the X-ray flux decreased by about 3 orders of magnitude: from about 1.4x10^{-11} to 1.2x10^{-14} erg/s/cm^2 . Deep radio, millimeter, optical and gamma-ray observations did not detect the source counterpart, implying stringent limits on its multi-band emission, as well as constraints on the presence of a fossil disk. By modeling the magneto-thermal secular evolution of SGR 0418+5729, we infer a realistic age of ~550 kyr, and a dipolar magnetic field at birth of ~10^{14} G. The outburst characteristics suggest the presence of a thin twisted bundle with a small heated spot at its base. The bundle untwisted in the first few months following the outburst, while the hot spot decreases in temperature and size. We estimate the outburst rate of low magnetic field magnetars to be about one per year per galaxy, and we briefly discuss the consequences of such result in several other astrophysical contexts., Comment: ApJ in press (15 pages, 11 figures)

Soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) and anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) are slowly rotating, isolated neutron stars that sporadically undergo episodes of long-term flux enhancement (outbursts) generally accompanied by the emission of short bursts of hard X-rays. This behaviour can be understood in the magnetar model, according to which these sources are mainly powered by their own magnetic energy. This is supported by the fact that the magnetic fields inferred from several observed properties of AXPs and SGRs are greater than - or at the high end of the range of - those of radio pulsars. In the peculiar case of SGR 0418+5729, a weak dipole magnetic moment is derived from its timing parameters, whereas a strong field has been proposed to reside in the stellar interior and in multipole components on the surface. Here we show that the X-ray spectrum of SGR 0418+5729 has an absorption line, the properties of which depend strongly on the star's rotational phase. This line is interpreted as a proton cyclotron feature and its energy implies a magnetic field ranging from 2E14 gauss to more than 1E15 gauss., Comment: Nature, 500, 312 (including Supplementary Information)

We report on the discovery of pulsations at a period of ~47 s in the persistent X-ray source 1RXS J225352.8+624354 (1RXS J2253) using five Chandra observations performed in 2009. The signal was also detected in Swift and ROSAT data, allowing us to infer over a 16-yr baseline an average, long-term period increasing rate of ~17 ms per year and therefore to confirm the signal as the spin period of an accreting, spinning-down neutron star. The pulse profile of 1RXS J2253 (~50-60% pulsed fraction) is complex and energy independent (within the statistical uncertainties). The 1-10 keV Chandra spectra are well fit by an absorbed power-law model with photon index ~1.4 and observed flux of (2-5)e-12 erg cm^-2 s^-1. The source was also detected by INTEGRAL in the 17-60 keV band at a persistent flux of ~6e-12 erg cm^-2 s^-1, implying a spectral cut off around 15 keV. We also carried out optical spectroscopic follow-up observations of the 2MASS counterpart at the Nordic Optical Telescope. This made it possible to first classify the companion of 1RXS J2253 as a B0-1III-Ve (most likely a B1Ve) star at a distance of about 4-5 kpc (favouring an association with the Perseus arm of the Galaxy). The latter finding implies an X-ray luminosity of ~3e34 erg s^-1, suggesting that 1RXS J2253 is a new member of the sub-class of low-luminosity long-orbital-period persistent Be/X-ray pulsars in a wide and circular orbit (such as X Persei)., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables; MNRAS, in press

We report on the long term X-ray monitoring with Swift, RXTE, Suzaku, Chandra, and XMM-Newton of the outburst of the newly discovered magnetar Swift J1822.3-1606 (SGR 182-1606), from the first observations soon after the detection of the short X-ray bursts which led to its discovery (July 2011), through the first stages of its outburst decay (April 2012). Our X-ray timing analysis finds the source rotating with a period of P = 8.43772016(2) s and a period derivative Pdot = 8.3(2) x 10e-14 s s-1, which entails an inferred dipolar surface magnetic field of 2.7 x 10e13 G at the equator. This measurement makes Swift J1822.3-1606 the second lowest magnetic field magnetar (after SGR 0418+5729; Rea et al. 2010). Following the flux and spectral evolution from the beginning of the outburst, we find that the flux decreased by about an order of magnitude, with a subtle softening of the spectrum, both typical of the outburst decay of magnetars. By modeling the secular thermal evolution of Swift J1822.3+1606, we find that the observed timing properties of the source, as well as its quiescent X-ray luminosity, can be reproduced if it was born with a poloidal and crustal toroidal fields of Bp ~ 1.5 x 10e14 G and Btor ~ 7 x 10e14 G, respectively, and if its current age is ~550 kyr (more details in Rea et al. 2012)., Comment: Proceedings of IAUS 291 "Neutron Stars and Pulsars: Challenges and Opportunities after 80 years", J. van Leeuwen (ed.); 3 pages, 2 figures

We present a long-term study of the 2011 outburst of the magnetar Swift J1834.9-0846 carried out using new Chandra observations, as well as all the available Swift, RXTE, and XMM-Newton data. The last observation was performed on 2011 November 12, about 100 days after the onset of the bursting activity that had led to the discovery of the source on 2011 August 07. This long time span enabled us to refine the rotational ephemeris and observe a downturn in the decay of the X-ray flux. Assuming a broken power law for the long-term light curve, the break was at ~46 d after the outburst onset, when the decay index changed from alpha ~ 0.4 to ~4.5. The flux decreased by a factor ~2 in the first ~50 d and then by a factor ~40 until November 2011 (overall, by a factor ~70 in ~100 d). At the same time, the spectrum, which was well described by an absorbed blackbody all along the outburst, softened, the temperature dropping from ~1 to ~0.6 keV. Diffuse X-ray emission extending up to 20" from the source was clearly detected in all Chandra observations. Its spatial and spectral properties, as well as its time evolution, are consistent with a dust-scattering halo due to a single cloud located at a distance of $\approx$200 pc from Swift J1834.9-0846, which should be in turn located at a distance of ~5 kpc. Considering the time delay of the scattered photons, the same dust cloud might also be responsible for the more extended emission detected in XMM-Newton data taken in September 2011. We searched for the radio signature of Swift J1834.9-0846 at radio frequencies using the Green Bank Radio Telescope and in archival data collected at Parkes from 1998 to 2003. No evidence for radio emission was found, down to a flux density of 0.05 mJy (at 2 GHz) during the outburst and ~0.2-0.3 mJy (at 1.4 GHz) in the older data., 11 pages, 9 figures and 4 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The present paper aims to investigate the universe of concession companies that have implemented IFRIC 12, in order to offer a comprehensive evidence on IFRIC 12 distinctiveness, before and after its introduction. The analysis of IFRIC 12 allows us to handle the issue of the interaction between public body and private sectors in the field of the construction and management of infrastructure. The analysis of national legislation and regulation regarding concessions essentially aims to identify several business areas to which these aspects apply.

During the early 90s and in the last 30 years, researchers, scholars and professionals focussed their attention on management practices, tools and models referring to arts and cultural heritage organisations (Peacock et al., 1982; Esposito, 2013; Esposito and Ricci, 2015) as well as on the development of new and different organisational forms under pressure from the New Public Management. These studies aimed at analysing, developing and proposing different conceptual and management frameworks within a context characterised by increasing scarcity of financial resources in addition to regulatory complexity. The work aims to achieve the research objectives through an inductive/deductive research method. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the growing phenomenon represented by the 'Cultural Heritage Management' of archaeological sites, observing and discussing international strategies and innovation management of virtual museums in global competition, supporting users and different generations of users 'accessibility' to services and cultural products.

We report on the Swift observations of the candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGR J16418-4532, which has an orbital period of ~3.7 d. Our monitoring, for a total of ~43 ks, spans over three orbits and represents the most intense and complete sampling along the orbital period of the light curve of this source. If one assumes a circular orbit, the X-ray emission from this source can be explained by accretion from a spherically symmetric clumpy wind from a blue supergiant, composed of clumps with different masses, ranging from ~5x10^16 g to 10^21g., 4 pages; Proceedings, 5th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy, (Gamma2012) Heidelberg, Germany, July 9-13th, 2012

Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT) are a class of High-Mass X-ray Binaries whose optical counterparts are O or B supergiant stars, and whose X-ray outbursts are ~ 4 orders of magnitude brighter than the quiescent state. LOFT, the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing, with its coded mask Wide Field Monitor (WFM) and its 10 m^2 class collimated X-ray Large Area Detector (LAD), will be able to dramatically deepen the knowledge of this class of sources. It will provide simultaneous high S/N broad-band and time-resolved spectroscopy in several intensity states, and long term monitoring that will yield new determinations of orbital periods, as well as spin periods. We show the results of an extensive set of simulations performed using previous observational results of these sources obtained with Swift and XMM-Newton. The WFM will detect all SFXT flares within its field of view down to a 15-20 mCrab in 5ks. Our simulations describe the outbursts at several intensities (F_(2-10keV)=5.9x10^-9 to 5.5x10^-10 erg cm^-2 s^-1), the intermediate and most common state (10^-11 erg cm^-2 s^-1), and the low state (1.2x10^-12 to 5x10^-13 erg cm^-2 s^-1). We also considered large variations of N_H and the presence of emission lines, as observed by Swift and XMM-Newton., Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2012), Heidelberg. 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

We report the results of the first X-ray observation of the luminous and helium-rich O-type subdwarf BD+37 442, carried out with the XMM-Newton satellite in August 2011. X-ray emission is detected with a flux of about 3x10^(-14) erg/cm2/s (0.2-1 keV) and a very soft spectrum, well fit by the sum of a blackbody with temperature kT_BB = 45^(+11)_(-9) eV and a power law with a poorly constrained photon index. Significant pulsations with a period of 19.2 s are detected, indicating that the X-ray emission originates in a white dwarf or neutron star companion, most likely powered by accretion from the wind of BD+37 442., 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal Letters

We present multi-wavelength observations of the radio magnetar PSR J1622-4950 and its environment. Observations of PSR J1622-4950 with Chandra (in 2007 and 2009) and XMM (in 2011) show that the X-ray flux of PSR J1622-4950 has decreased by a factor of ~50 over 3.7 years, decaying exponentially with a characteristic time of 360 +/- 11 days. This behavior identifies PSR J1622-4950 as a possible addition to the small class of transient magnetars. The X-ray decay likely indicates that PSR J1622-4950 is recovering from an X-ray outburst that occurred earlier in 2007, before the 2007 Chandra observations. Observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array show strong radio variability, including a possible radio flaring event at least one and a half years after the 2007 X-ray outburst that may be a direct result of this X-ray event. Radio observations with the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope reveal that PSR J1622-4950 is 8' southeast of a diffuse radio arc, G333.9+0.0, which appears non-thermal in nature and which could possibly be a previously undiscovered supernova remnant. If G333.9+0.0 is a supernova remnant then the estimates of its size and age, combined with the close proximity and reasonable implied velocity of PSR J1622-4950, suggests that these two objects could be physically associated., 14 pages with 3 tables and 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

We report on a 250 ks long X-ray observation of the supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGR J16479-4514 performed with Suzaku in 2012 February. About 80% of the short orbital period (Porb=3.32 days) was covered as continuously as possible for the first time. The source light curve displays variability of more than two orders of magnitude, starting with a very low emission state lasting the first 46 ks (1E-13 erg/cm2/s, 1-10 keV), consistent with being due to the X-ray eclipse by the supergiant companion. The transition to the uneclipsed X-ray emission is energy dependent. Outside the eclipse, the source spends most of the time at a level of (6-7)x10^-12 erg/cm2/s punctuated by two structured faint flares with a duration of about 10 and 15 ks. Remarkably, the first faint flare occurs at a similar orbital phase of the bright flares previously observed in the system. This indicates the presence of a phase-locked large scale structure in the supergiant wind, driving a higher accretion rate onto the compact object. The scattered component visible during the X-ray eclipse allowed us to directly probe the wind density at the orbital separation, resulting in rho=7E-14 g/cm3. Assuming a spherical geometry for the supergiant wind, the derived wind density translates into a ratio Mdot_w/v_terminal = 7E-17 solar masses/km which, assuming terminal velocities in a large range 500-3000 km/s, implies an accretion luminosity two orders of magnitude higher than that observed. As a consequence, a mechanism is at work reducing the mass accretion rate. Different possibilities are discussed., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 10 pages, 5 figures

In October 2007 a hard X-ray burst was detected by the INTEGRAL satellite from a direction consistent with the position of AX J1818.8-1559, an X-ray source at low Galactic latitude discovered with the ASCA satellite in 1996-1999. The short duration (0.8 s) and soft spectrum (power law photon index of 3.0+/-0.2) of the burst in the 20-100 keV range are typical of Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars. We report on the results of an observation of AX J1818.8-1559 obtained with the Suzaku satellite in October 2011. The source spectrum, a power law with photon index 1.5, and flux 2x10^{-12} erg cm^-2 s^-1 (2-10 keV), do not show significant variations with respect to the values derived from archival data of various satellites (ROSAT, XMM-Newton, Chandra, Swift) obtained from 1993 to 2011. We discuss possible interpretations for AX J1818.8-1559 and, based on its association with the INTEGRAL burst, we propose it as a new member of the small class of magnetar candidates., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) are a class of high-mass X-ray binaries with possible counterparts in the high energy gamma rays. The Swift SFXT Project has conducted a systematic investigation of the properties of SFTXs on timescales ranging from minutes to years and in several intensity states (from bright flares, to intermediate intensity states, and down to almost quiescence). We also performed broad-band spectroscopy of outbursts, and intensity-selected spectroscopy outside of outbursts. We demonstrated that while the brightest phase of the outburst only lasts a few hours, further activity is observed at lower fluxes for a remarkably longer time, up to weeks. Furthermore, we assessed the fraction of the time these sources spend in each phase, and their duty cycle of inactivity. We present the most recent results from our investigation. The spectroscopic and, most importantly, timing properties of SFXTs we have uncovered with Swift will serve as a guide in search for the high energy emission from these enigmatic objects., Comment: Proceedings, 5th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy, (Gamma2012) Heidelberg, Germany, July 9-13th, 2012

We report on the long term X-ray monitoring with Swift, RXTE, Suzaku, Chandra and XMM-Newton of the outburst of the newly discovered magnetar Swift J1822.3-1606 (SGR 1822-1606), from the first observations soon after the detection of the short X-ray bursts which led to its discovery, through the first stages of its outburst decay (covering the time-span from July 2011, until end of April 2012). We also report on archival ROSAT observations which witnessed the source during its likely quiescent state, and on upper limits on Swift J1822.3-1606's radio-pulsed and optical emission during outburst, with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), respectively. Our X-ray timing analysis finds the source rotating with a period of P=8.43772016(2) s and a period derivative \dot{P}=8.3(2)x10^{-14} s s^{-1} , which entails an inferred dipolar surface magnetic field of B~2.7x10^{13} G at the equator. This measurement makes Swift J1822.3-1606 the second lowest magnetic field magnetar (after SGR 0418+5729; Rea et al. 2010). Following the flux and spectral evolution from the beginning of the outburst, we find that the flux decreased by about an order of magnitude, with a subtle softening of the spectrum, both typical of the outburst decay of magnetars. By modeling the secular thermal evolution of Swift J1822.3-1606, we find that the observed timing properties of the source, as well as its quiescent X-ray luminosity, can be reproduced if it was born with a poloidal and crustal toroidal fields of B_{p}~1.5x10^{14} G and B_{tor}~7x10^{14} G, respectively, and if its current age is ~550 kyr., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures; new observations added; ApJ in press

SGR 0418+5729 is a transient Soft Gamma-ray Repeater which underwent a major outburst in June 2009, during which the emission of short bursts was observed. Its properties appeared quite typical of other sources of the same class until long-term X-ray monitoring failed to detect any period derivative. The present upper limit on $\dot P$ implies that the surface dipole field is $B_p\lesssim 7.5\times 10^{12}\ {\rm G}$ (Rea et al 2010), well below those measured in other Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters (SGRs) and in the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs), a group of similar sources. Both SGRs and AXPs are currently believed to be powered by ultra-magnetized neutron stars (magnetars, $B_p\approx 10^{14}$--$10^{15}\ {\rm G}$). SGR 0418+5729 hardly seems to fit in such a picture. We show that the magneto-rotational properties of SGR 0418+5729 can be reproduced if this is an aged magnetar, $\approx 1\ {\rm Myr}$ old, which experienced substantial field decay. The large initial toroidal component of the internal field required to match the observed properties of SGR 0418+5729 ensures that crustal fractures, and hence bursting activity, can still occur at present time. The thermal spectrum observed during the outburst decay is compatible with the predictions of a resonant compton scattering model (as in other SGRs/AXPs) if the field is low and the magnetospheric twist moderate., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

P. Romano∗,a S. Vercellone,a V. La Parola,a G. Cusumano,a V. Mangano,a P. Esposito,b J.A. Kennea,c D.N. Burrows,c H.A. Krimm,de C. Pagani, f N. Gehrels,g aINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy bINAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, localita Poggio dei Pini, strada 54, I-09012 Capoterra, Italy cDepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA dCRESST/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA eUniversities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, USA f Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK gNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA E-mail: romano@ifc.inaf.it http://www.ifc.inaf.it/sfxt/

SGR 1833-0832 was discovered on 2010 March 19 thanks to the Swift detection of a short hard X-ray burst and follow-up X-ray observations. Since then, it was repeatedly observed with Swift, Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, and XMM-Newton. Using these data, which span about 225 days, we studied the long-term spectral and timing characteristics of SGR 1833-0832. We found evidence for diffuse emission surrounding SGR 1833-0832, which is most likely a halo produced by the scattering of the point source X-ray radiation by dust along the line of sight, and we show that the source X-ray spectrum is well described by an absorbed blackbody, with temperature kT=1.2 keV and absorbing column nH=(10.4+/-0.2)E22 cm^-2, while different or more complex models are disfavoured. The source persistent X-ray emission remained fairly constant at about 3.7E-12 erg/cm^2/s for the first 20 days after the onset of the bursting episode, then it faded by a factor 40 in the subsequent 140 days, following a power-law trend with index alpha=-0.5. We obtained a phase-coherent timing solution with the longest baseline (225 days) to date for this source which, besides period P=7.5654084(4) s and period derivative dP/dt=3.5(3)E-12 s/s, includes higher order period derivatives. We also report on our search of the counterpart to the SGR at radio frequencies using the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Parkes radio telescope. No evidence for radio emission was found, down to flux densities of 0.9 mJy (at 1.5 GHz) and 0.09 mJy (at 1.4 GHz) for the continuum and pulsed emissions, respectively, consistently with other observations at different epochs.

We report the results of XMM-Newton observations of HD49798/RXJ0648.0-4418, the only known X-ray binary consisting of a hot sub-dwarf and a white dwarf. The white dwarf rotates very rapidly (P=13.2 s) and has a dynamically measured mass of 1.28+/-0.05 M_sun. Its X-ray emission consists of a strongly pulsed, soft component, well fit by a blackbody with kT~40 eV, accounting for most of the luminosity, and a fainter hard power-law component (photon index ~1.6). A luminosity of ~10^{32} erg/s is produced by accretion onto the white dwarf of the helium-rich matter from the wind of the companion, which is one of the few hot sub-dwarfs showing evidence of mass-loss. A search for optical pulsations at the South African Astronomical Observatory 1.9-m telescope gave negative results. X-rays were detected also during the white dwarf eclipse. This emission, with luminosity 2x10^{30} erg/s, can be attributed to HD 49798 and represents the first detection of a hot sub-dwarf star in the X-ray band. HD49798/RXJ0648.0-4418 is a post-common envelope binary which most likely originated from a pair of stars with masses ~8-10 M_sun. After the current He-burning phase, HD 49798 will expand and reach the Roche-lobe, causing a higher accretion rate onto the white dwarf which can reach the Chandrasekhar limit. Considering the fast spin of the white dwarf, this could lead to the formation of a millisecond pulsar. Alternatively, this system could be a Type Ia supernova progenitor with the appealing characteristic of a short time delay, being the descendent of relatively massive stars., Accepted for publication on The Astrophysical Journal

With a distance of 170 pc, PSR J2144-3933 is the closest isolated radio pulsar currently known. It is also the slowest and least energetic radio pulsar; indeed, its radio emission is difficult to account for with standard pulsar models, since its position in the P-Pdot diagram is far beyond typical "death lines". Here we present the first deep X-ray and optical observations of PSR J2144-3933, performed in 2009 with XMM-Newton and the VLT, from which we can set one of the most robust upper limits on the surface temperature of a neutron star. We have also explored the possibility of measuring the neutron star mass from the gravitational lensing effect on a background optical source., 4 pages, 3 figures; to appear in the Proceedings of the Pulsar Conference 2010, Chia, Sardinia (Italy), 10-15 October 2010

We compare population synthesis results for inner and outer magnetosphere emission models with the various characteristics measured in the first LAT pulsar catalogue for both the radio-loud and radio-weak or radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars. We show that all models fail to reproduce the observations: for each model there is a lack of luminous and energetic objects that suggest a non dipolar magnetic field structure or spin-down evolution. The large dispersion that we find in the simulated gamma-ray luminosity versus spin-down power relation does not allow to use the present trend seen in the Fermi data to distinguish among models. For each model and each Fermi detected pulsar, we have generated light curves as a function of obliquity and inclination angles. The theoretical curves were fitted to the observed one, using a maximum-likelihood approach, to derive the best-fit orientations and to compare how well each model can reproduce the data. Including the radio light-curve gives an additional key constraint to restrict the orientation space, 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the Pulsar 2010 Conference, Italy, 10 - 15 October 2010

We present results of our pulsar population synthesis of normal pulsars from the Galactic disk using our previously developed computer code. On the same footing, we use slot gap and outer gap models for gamma-ray emission from normal pulsars to obtain statistics of radio-loud and radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars. From recently improved understanding of HII and star forming regions in the Galaxy, we develop a new surface density model of the birth location of neutron stars. We explore models of neutron star evolution with magnetic field-decay, and with different initial period and magnetic field distributions. We present preliminary results including simulated population statistics that are compared with recent detections by Fermi of normal, isolated pulsars., 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the Pulsar 2010 Conference, Italy, 10 - 15 October 2010

We present the status of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) project, a new general purpose, fully steerable 64 m diameter parabolic radio telescope under construction in Sardinia. The instrument is funded by Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), by the Sardinia Regional Government (RAS), and by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and it is charge to three research structures of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF): the Institute of Radio Astronomy of Bologna, the Cagliari Astronomical Observatory (in Sardinia), and the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory in Florence. The radio telescope has a shaped Gregorian optical configuration with a 8 m diameter secondary mirror and additional Beam‐Wave Guide (BWG) mirrors. One of the most challenging feature of SRT is the active surface of the primary reflector which provides good efficiency up to about 100 GHz. This paper reports on the most recent advances of the construction.

The Square‐Kilometre‐Array (SKA) represents the future of radio astronomy and will have a profound impact on a wide range of science. In particular, it will completely change the field of pulsar astronomy, providing not only a vast number of sources that can be studied but will also deliver an unprecedented sensitivity and timing precision for such studies. The result will be applications impossible with current technology, for example, in the field of gravitational physics. With the SKA we will study the nHz‐gravitational wave sky, will probe the properties of gravitational waves and will also establish the properties of black holes.

The last few years have seen a revolution in very high γ‐ray astronomy (VHE; E>100 GeV) driven largely by a new generation of Cherenkov telescopes. These new facilities, namely H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System), MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope) and its upgrade MAGIC 2, Veritas (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) and CANGAROO (Collaboration of Australia and Nippon for a Gamma Ray Observatory in the Outback) were designed to increase the flux sensitivity in the energy regime of hundreds of GeV, expanding the observed energy range from 100 (50) GeV to multi‐TeV, and fostered as a result a period of rapid growth in our understanding of the Non‐Thermal Universe. As a result of this fast development the number of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) detected has increased from a few in the early 90’s to more than two dozen of firm candidates nowadays. A review of the most relevant VHE results concerning pulsars and their relativistic winds is discussed here in the...

In this project single pulse energy histograms of five pulsars in three different wavelengths—2.8 cm, 6 cm, 21 cm‐were constructed. Not only have we constructed the ON‐pulse histograms, but also the histograms of individual components. Furthermore we have estimated the fraction of null pulses for the ON‐pulse window and for each component individually.

Observations of twelve newly discovered pulsars were performed at 610 MHz using GMRT. We have found some candidates for pulsars with Gigahertz‐Peaked Spectra (GPS) with PSR J1705−3950 and PSR J1852−0635 being the most promising.

Pulsars, and more in general rotating neutron stars, are expected to permanently emit gravitational waves, mainly at the double of the rotational frequency. This type of signals requires long observation times in order to distinguish the peak at the emission frequency in the antenna signal spectrum from the incoherent noise floor. The energy of the signal spectral peak is smeared by the Doppler phase modulation due to the antenna motion with respect to the source and by the phase shift induced by the source rotational frequency slowing because of energy losses due to emissions. The correction to these effects requires, in general, the knowledge of the source emission frequency, of the spin‐down and of the source sky position. We propose a very effective method to compensate for Doppler and spin‐down. The technique is particularly useful for semi‐targeted searches. It consists in a fast resampling of the antenna signal aimed to synchronize with a large accuracy the detector time with the source one. The ap...

We present the new pulsars discovered in the 350‐MHz survey with the Green Bank Telescope. The survey took advantage of the time available during the track refurbishing during the Northern hemisphere summer of 2007. So far we have discovered 26 new pulsars, including 5 millisecond pulsars, 6 binary pulsars, and 1 rotating radio transient in the 1491 hours of data. Many exciting pulsars have been discovered but in the present work together with the survey overview we highlight only one pulsar, J2222−0137, a pulsar with a minimum mass companion of 1.1 M⊙ and the second lowest dispersion measure of any known binary pulsar.

γ‐ray telescopes cannot focus incident high‐energy radiation, and the background emission from sources nearby in projection can obscure the periodic emission from pulsars, making unambiguous detection of pulsations difficult. In the context of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), we present modified statistical tests for periodicity in which each photon is weighted by its probability to have originated from the candidate pulsar. Since the probabilities are calculated using the instrument response function and a full spectral model, they provide powerful background rejection. With Monte Carlo methods, we demonstrate that the new tests increase the sensitivity to pulsars by more than 50% under a wide range of conditions.

The ∼800 yr‐old pulsar PSR J1846‐0258 in the supernova remnant Kes 75 is a unique transition object between rotation‐powered pulsars and magnetars. While it typically behaves as a rotation‐powered pulsar, in 2006 it exhibited a distinctly magnetar‐like outburst accompanied by a large glitch with an unusual over‐recovery. We present X‐ray timing observations taken with the Rossi X‐ray Timing Explorer after the X‐ray outburst and accompanying glitch had recovered. We observe that the braking index of the pulsar, previously measured to be n = 2.65±0.01 has decreased by 18±5%. We also note a persistent increase in the timing noise relative to the pre‐outburst level, reminiscent of behavior previously observed from some magnetars.

An intriguing paper has recently been published claiming that the long‐sought Rosetta Stone needed to decipher the nature of pulsar radio emission has been finally identified as the bifurcated features in averaged pulsar profiles. The authors argued that highly symmetric bifurcated features observed in PSR J1012+5307 and other pulsars are produced by a split‐fan beams of extraordinary‐mode curvature radiation emitted by thin streams of sources conducted by a very narrow bundles of magnetic field lines. We examined the arguments leading to such a profound conclusion and found at least one fatal flaw. Using an elementary pulsar physics we showed that there is not enough energy to power the bifurcated feature in J1012+5307 within a split‐fan beams model. If the source streams are indeed so thin that their emission can reveal the signatures of elementary radiation mechanism, then the energy deficit reaches several orders of magnitude.

Soft gamma-ray repeaters and anomalous X-ray pulsars are a small (but growing) group of X-ray sources characterized by the emission of short bursts and by a large variability in their persistent flux. They are believed to be magnetars, i.e. neutron stars powered by extreme magnetic fields 1E14-1E15 G). We found evidence for a magnetar with a low magnetic field, SGR 0418+5729, recently detected after it emitted bursts similar to those of soft gamma-ray repeaters. New X-ray observations show that its dipolar magnetic field cannot be greater than 8E12 G, well in the range of ordinary radio pulsars, implying that a high surface dipolar magnetic field is not necessarily required for magnetar-like activity. The magnetar population may thus include objects with a wider range of magnetic-field strengths, ages and evolutionary stages than observed so far., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; to appear in the Proceedings of the Pulsar Conference 2010, Chia, Sardinia (Italy), 10-15 October 2010

“Tsubame” is a university‐built small satellite mission that measures polarization of hard X‐ray photons (30–100 keV) from gamma‐ray bursts (GRB) using azimuthal angle anisotropy of Compton scattering. The satellite is intended for a piggy‐back launch on the H‐IIA rocket. It uses Control moment gyros to quickly orient itself to GRBs within 15 seconds from triggers. We are now developing the engineering model of the two detector systems on Tsubame, the polarimeter and the bust monitor. In this paper, we present an overview of the Tsubame mission, and detail of development of engineering model of our polarimeter and burst monitor.

The recycling model argues the existence of an evolutionary connection between low mass X-ray binaries and radio millisecond pulsars. The main difficulties which this model finds in predict the parameters of the fully recycled millisecond pulsars, as mass and spin period, can be overcome by the onset of the so-called radio-ejection mechanism. This work is to provide observational support to the radio-ejection mechanism by inspecting the orbital and spin parameters of the known population of fully recycled radio pulsars and compare these with the expectation for the occurrence of this mechanism.

Terzan5 is the globular cluster (GC)-like stellar system harboring the largest known population of MSPs. Using the Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics demonstrator MAD at the ESO - VLT, we recently obtained a superb (K, J - K) color-magnitude diagram, which has revealed the existence of two horizontal branches (HBs) well separated in magnitude and colour (Ferraro et al. 2009, Nature,462, 483). A prompt spectroscopic follow-up with NIRSPEC@Keck has shown that the two populations have (1) significantly different iron content ([Fe/H]= -0.2 and +0.3 for the faint and the bright HB, respectively), (2) distinct [alpha/Fe] abundance patterns and (3) no evidence of the Al-O anti-correlation commonly observed in GCs. All these properties suggest that Ter 5 is far from being a genuine globular. Instead it has experienced the explosion of a huge number of supernovae (SNe), thus accounting for its high metal content and it should have been much more massive in the past than today, thus to retain the SN ejecta within its potential well. The many type II SNe should have also produced a large number of neutron stars (NSs), which could finally explain its exceptionally large population of MSPs., Comment: Contributed Talk at the conference "Radio Pulsars: a key to unlock the secrets of the Universe", Baia Chia, Sardinia, Italy, 11-15 Oct. 2010, 4 pages, 2 figures

Don Backer was a true founding father of pulsar astronomy, a dedicated and passionate scientist who, alongside a career of tremendous and varied scientific accomplishment, was friendly, easy‐going, dignified, and kind. This tribute summarizes Don’s work, highlighting his many contributions to pulsar astronomy and other fields.

GRB 041219A is one of the longest and brightest gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs) ever observed. It was discovered by the INTEGRAL satellite, and, thanks to a precursor happening about 300 s before the bulk of the burst, ground based telescopes were able to catch the rarely‐observed prompt emission in the optical and in the near‐infrared bands. Here we present the late‐time multi‐band near‐infrared imaging data, collected at the CFHT, that allowed us to identify the host galaxy of the GRB as an under‐luminous, irregular galaxy of -5*10(9) M at best-fit redshift of z= 0.31 - 0.26 (+0.54). In addition we model the broad‐band prompt optical to γ‐ray emission of GRB 041219A within the internal shock model, where we were able to reproduce the spectra and light curve invoking the synchrotron emission of relativistic electrons accelerated by a series of propagating shock waves inside a relativistic outflow.

With two consecutive outbursts recorded in four months (October 2008 and January 2009), and a possible third outburst in 2007, 1E 1547.0-5408 is one of the most active transient anomalous X-ray pulsars known so far. Thanks to extensive X-ray observations, obtained both in the quiescent and active states, 1E 1547.0-5408 represents a very promising laboratory to get insights into the outburst properties and magnetar emission mechanisms. We performed a detailed timing and spectral analysis of four Chandra, three INTEGRAL, and one XMM observations collected over a two week interval after the outburst onset in January 2009. Several Swift pointings, covering a 1.5 year interval, were also analyzed in order to monitor the decay of the X-ray flux. We compare the characteristics of the two outbursts, as well as those of the active and quiescent states. We also discuss the long-term X-ray flux history of 1E 1547.0-5408 since its first detection in 1980, and show that the source displays three flux levels: low, intermediate and high., 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted by A&A (ref AA/2010/16197) on 19/02/2011

HD49798/RXJ0648.0-4418 is the only known X-ray binary composed of a hot subdwarf and a massive white dwarf (M=1.28+/-0.05 Msun). This system, with an orbital period of 1.55 days, is the outcome of a common envelope evolution, most likely of a pair of stars with initial masses of about 8-10 Msun. When the hot subdwarf, currently in a He-burning phase, will expand again and fill its Roche-lobe, the enhanced mass transfer can rapidly bring the already massive white dwarf above the Chandrasekhar limit. The possible final fate, either a Type Ia supernova explosion or an accretion induced collapse, is particularly interesting in view of the high rotational velocity of this star, which has the shortest spin period (13 s) observed in a white dwarf., Comment: 4 pages, to appear in Proceedings of IAU Symp. 281, Binary Paths to Type Ia Supernovae Explosions, ed. R. Di Stefano and M. Orio

Observational evidences of erratic 1(st) harmonic pulse phase shifts in accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars pulse phase evolution was reported by several authors. This effect always go together with much more stable 2(nd) harmonics pulse phase delays. Different possible explanations of these phase shifts have been given in literature. But all these interpretations do not explain why the 2(nd) harmonic are more stable than the 1(st) harmonic. The explanation of such a behaviour is of fundamental importance in order to gain an insight on the NS rotational behaviour and to remove the still present interpretative ambiguity on the results of timing analysis. We propose a simple toy-model to interpret these phenomena as effect of small variations of the ratio between the fluxes from the two hot-spots. We show how it affects the phase of the overall pulse profile, when the two amplitudes are similar and the two hot-spots are not perfectly antipodal. Using this model, we give a detailed explanation of the phase jump observed in the 2002 outburst of SAX J1808.4-3658.