Related papers: Plerions and pulsar-powered nebulae
I discuss the development and resolution of the solar neutrino problem, as well as opportunities now open to us to extend our knowledge of main-sequence stellar evolution and neutrino astrophysics.
The thesis focuses on different aspects of radio pulsars: on the one hand it describes research on the pulsar emission mechanism (nulling, drifting subpulses, single-pulse polarisation and their mutual interaction). On the other it gives an…
Planetary Nebulae (PNs) in the Magellanic Clouds are studied to understand stellar populations and evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars in different chemical environments. Using HST observations from our LMC and SMC PN…
Pulsars are potentially the most remarkable physical laboratories we will ever use. Although in many senses they are extremely clean systems there are a large number of instabilities and variabilities seen in the emission and rotation of…
High velocity jets are among the most prominent features of a wide class of planetary nebulae, but their origins are not understood. Several different types of physical model have been suggested to power the jets, but there is no consensus…
Planetary nebulae (PNe) can be roughly categorized into several broad morphological classes. The high quality images of PNe acquired in recent years, however, have revealed a wealth of fine structures that preclude simplistic models for…
The shaping of the nebula is currently one of the outstanding unsolved problems in planetary nebula (PN) research. Several mechanisms have been proposed, most of which require a binary companion. However, direct evidence for a binary…
Young pulsars spin incredibly quickly, but are also slowing down at a very rapid rate. This process carries away enormous amounts of energy from the star in the form of a relativistic wind. Through the high resolution now offered by the…
The most numerous source class that emerged from the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane Survey are Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe). The 2013 reanalysis of this survey, undertaken after almost 10 years of observations, provides us with the most sensitive…
Pulsars are remarkably precise "celestial clocks" that can be used to explore many different aspects of physics and astrophysics. In this article I give a brief summary of pulsar properties and describe some of the applications of pulsar…
We present a brief review of Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of neutron stars. The outstanding spatial and spectral resolution of this great observatory have allowed for observations of unprecedented clarity and accuracy. Many of…
Pulsars are fantastic objects, which show the extreme states of matters and plasma physics not understood yet. Pulsars can be used as probes for the detection of interstellar medium and even the gravitational waves. Here I review the basic…
New Planetary Nebulae (PNe) were discovered through an [O III] 5007 A emission line survey in the Galactic bulge region with l>0 deg. We detected 240 objects, including 44 new PNe. Deep Halpha+[N II] CCD images as well as low resolution…
We present new results of a program aimed at studying the physical properties, origin and evolution of those phenomena which go under the somewhat generic definition of "low-ionization, small-scale structures in PNe". We have obtained…
I outline, from a theoretical and somewhat personal perspective, significant features of Pulsar Wind Nebulae as Cosmic Accelerators. I discuss recent studies of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe). I pay special attention to the recently discovered…
The study of extragalactic planetary nebulae (EPN) is a rapidly expanding field. The advent of powerful new instrumentation such as the PN spectrograph has led to an avalanche of new EPN discoveries both within and between galaxies. We now…
This review attempts to place the observations of extragalactic planetary nebulae in the context of galactic dynamics. From this point of view only the radial velocities of the PNe are important. We have built a specialised instrument to…
Recent progress in the studies of pulsating variable stars is summarized from an observational point of view. A number of unexpected phenomena have been revealed in the case of pulsators in the classical instability strip. These discoveries…
Neutron stars are fascinating astrophysical objects immersed in strong gravitational and electromagnetic fields, at the edge of our current theories. These stars manifest themselves mostly as pulsars, emitting a timely very stable and…
A pulsar wind nebula inside a supernova remnant provides a unique insight into the properties of the central neutron star, the relativistic wind powered by its loss of rotational energy, its progenitor supernova, and the surrounding…