Pulsar-wind nebulae and magnetar outflows: observations at radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths

We review observations of several classes of neutron-star-powered outflows: pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe) inside shell supernova remnants (SNRs), PWNe interacting directly with interstellar medium (ISM), and magnetar-powered outflows. We describe radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations of PWNe, focusing first on integrated spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) and global spectral properties. High-resolution X-ray imaging of PWNe shows a bewildering array of morphologies, with jets, trails, and other structures. Several of the 23 so far identified magnetars show evidence for continuous or sporadic emission of material, sometimes associated with giant flares, and a few possible "magnetar-wind nebulae" have been recently identified.Comment: 61 pages, 44 figures (reduced in quality for size reasons). Published in Space Science Reviews, "Jets and Winds in Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Gamma-ray Bursts and Blazars: Physics of Extreme Energy Release

Pulsar Wind Nebulae with Bow Shocks: Non-thermal Radiation and Cosmic Ray Leptons

Pulsars with high spin-down power produce relativistic winds radiating a non-negligible fraction of this power over the whole electromagnetic range from radio to gamma-rays in the pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). The rest of the power is dissipated in the interactions of the PWNe with the ambient interstellar medium (ISM). Some of the PWNe are moving relative to the ambient ISM with supersonic speeds producing bow shocks. In this case, the ultrarelativistic particles accelerated at the termination surface of the pulsar wind may undergo reacceleration in the converging flow system formed by the plasma outflowing from the wind termination shock and the plasma inflowing from the bow shock. The presence of magnetic perturbations in the flow, produced by instabilities induced by the accelerated particles themselves, is essential for the process to work. A generic outcome of this type of reacceleration is the creation of particle distributions with very hard spectra, such as are indeed required to explain the observed spectra of synchrotron radiation with photon indices Γ≲ 1.5. The presence of this hard spectral component is specific to PWNe with bow shocks (BSPWNe). The accelerated particles, mainly electrons and positrons, may end up containing a substantial fraction of the shock ram pressure. In addition, for typical ISM and pulsar parameters, the e+ released by these systems in the Galaxy are numerous enough to contribute a substantial fraction of the positrons detected as cosmic ray (CR) particles above few tens of GeV and up to several hundred GeV. The escape of ultrarelativistic particles from a BSPWN—and hence, its appearance in the far-UV and X-ray bands—is determined by the relative directions of the interstellar magnetic field, the velocity of the astrosphere and the pulsar rotation axis. In this respect we review the observed appearance and multiwavelength spectra of three different types of BSPWNe: PSR J0437-4715, the Guitar and Lighthouse nebulae, and Vela-like objects. We argue that high resolution imaging of such objects provides unique information both on pulsar winds and on the ISM. We discuss the interpretation of imaging observations in the context of the model outlined above and estimate the BSPWN contribution to the positron flux observed at the Earth

Hydrofluorination of alkynes catalysed by gold bifluorides

The ERC (Advanced Investigator Award FUNCAT and PoC award GOLDCAT), the EPSRC and Syngenta are gratefully acknowledged for support of this work. Umicore AG is acknowledged for their generous gift of auric acid. S.P.N. is a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holder.We report the synthesis of nine new N-heterocyclic carbene gold bifluoride complexes starting from the corresponding N-heterocyclic carbene gold hydroxides. A new methodology to access N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene gold(I) fluoride starting from N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene gold(I) hydroxide and readily available potassium bifluoride is also reported. These gold bifluorides were shown to be efficient catalysts in the hydrofluorination of symmetrical and unsymmetrical alkynes, thus affording fluorinated stilbene analogues and fluorovinyl thioethers in good to excellent yields with high stereo- and regioselectivity. The method is exploited further to access a fluorinated combretastatin analogue selectively in two steps starting from commercially available reagents.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Trapping atmospheric CO₂ with gold

The ability of gold-hydroxides to fix CO2 is reported. [Au(IPr)(OH)] and [{Au(IPr)}(2)(mu-OH)][BF4] react with atmospheric CO2 to form the trigold carbonate complex [{Au(IPr)}(3)(mu(3)-CO3)][BF4]. Reactivity studies revealed that this complex behaves as two basic and one cationic Au centres, and that it is catalytically active. DFT calculations and kinetic experiments have been carried out

Outbreak of legionnaires' disease from a cooling water system in a power station

In September and October 1981 six cases of pneumonia occurred among men working in a power station under construction. Three were identified as cases of legionella pneumonia and two others had serology suggestive of legionella infection. In a sample of 92 men from the site 10 had low levels of antibodies to legionella; a similar sample of men working on an adjacent site showed none with positive serology. In a case control study it was found that cases of pneumonia were more likely than controls to have worked on a part of the site where four small capacity cooling towers were located. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from the water systems of these four towers but was not found in samples from any other cooling towers or hot or cold water outlets on the site. It would appear that there was airborne spread of the organism from these cooling water systems which had not received conventional treatment to inhibit corrosion and organic growth. This is the first outbreak of legionnaires' disease to be recorded in an industrial setting in the United Kingdom. No cases of legionella infection have occurred on the site since the introduction of control measures

Cockayne syndrome proteins CSA and CSB promote transcription-coupled repair of DNA-protein crosslinks independently of nucleotide excision repair

Covalent DNA–protein cross-links (DPCs) are toxic DNA lesions that block replication and require repair by multiple pathways. Whether transcription blockage contributes to the toxicity of DPCs and how cells respond when RNA polymerases stall at DPCs is unknown. Here we find that DPC formation arrests transcription and induces ubiquitylation and degradation of RNA polymerase II. Using genetic screens and a method for the genome-wide mapping of DNA–protein adducts, DPC sequencing, we discover that Cockayne syndrome (CS) proteins CSB and CSA provide resistance to DPC-inducing agents by promoting DPC repair in actively transcribed genes. Consequently, CSB- or CSA-deficient cells fail to efficiently restart transcription after induction of DPCs. In contrast, nucleotide excision repair factors that act downstream of CSB and CSA at ultraviolet light-induced DNA lesions are dispensable. Our study describes a transcription-coupled DPC repair pathway and suggests that defects in this pathway may contribute to the unique neurological features of CS.Genome Instability and CancerDermatology-oncolog

The Energetics of Transmembrane Helix Insertion into a Lipid Bilayer

Free energy profiles for insertion of a hydrophobic transmembrane protein α-helix (M2 from CFTR) into a lipid bilayer have been calculated using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and umbrella sampling to yield potentials of mean force along a reaction path corresponding to translation of a helix across a lipid bilayer. The calculated free energy of insertion is smaller when a bilayer with a thinner hydrophobic region is used. The free energies of insertion from the potentials of mean force are compared with those derived from a number of hydrophobicity scales and with those derived from translocon-mediated insertion. This comparison supports recent models of translocon-mediated insertion and in particular suggests that: 1), helices in an about-to-be-inserted state may be located in a hydrophobic region somewhat thinner than the core of a lipid bilayer; and/or 2), helices in a not-to-be-inserted state may experience an environment more akin (e.g., in polarity/hydrophobicity) to the bilayer/water interface than to bulk water