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Aims. We aim to understand the formation of dense cores by magnetosonic waves in regions where the thermal to magnetic pressure ratio is small. Because of the low-ionisation fraction in molecular clouds, neutral and charged particles are weakly coupled. Ambipolar diffusion then plays an important rôle in the formation process.

The star Cyg OB2 No. 9 is a well-known non-thermal radio emitter. Recent theoretical work suggests that all such O-stars should be in a binary or a multiple system. However, there is no spectroscopic evidence of a binary component. Re-analysis of radio observations from the VLA of this system over 25 years has revealed that the non-thermal emission varies with a period of 2.35±0.02 yr. This is interpreted as a strong suggestion of a binary system, with the non-thermal emission arising in a wind-collision region. We derived some preliminary orbital parameters for this putative binary and revised the mass-loss rate of the primary star downward from previous estimates.

Aims.Our aim is to understand the formation of a magnetically dominated molecular cloud out of an atomic cloud.

HD 167971 is a triple system consisting of a 3.3-day eclipsing binary (O5-8 V + O5-8 V) and an O8 supergiant. It is also a well known non-thermal radio emitter. We observed the radio emission of HD 167971 with the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). By combining these data with VLA archive observations we constructed a radio lightcurve covering a 20-yr time-range. We searched for, but failed to find, the 3.3-day spectroscopic period of the binary in the radio data. This could be due to the absence of intrinsic synchrotron radiation in the colliding-wind region between the two components of the eclipsing binary, or due to the large amount of free-free absorption that blocks the synchrotron radiation. We are able to explain many of the observed characteristics of the radio data if the non-thermal emission is produced in a colliding-wind region between the supergiant and the combined winds of the binary. Furthermore, if the system is gravitationally bound, the orbital motion occurs over a period of ~20 years or longer, as suggested by the long-term variability in the radio data. We argue that the variability is due to the free-free absorption that changes with orbital phase or may also in part be due to changes in separation, should the orbit be eccentric.

We present a model for the non-thermal radio emission from presumably single O stars, in terms of synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons accelerated in wind-embedded shocks. These shocks are associated with an unstable, chaotic wind. The main improvement with respect to earlier models is the inclusion of the radial dependence of the shock velocity jump and compression ratio, based on one-dimensional time-dependent hydrodynamical simulations. The decrease of the velocity jump and the compression ratio as a function of radius produces a rapidly decreasing synchrotron emissivity. This effectively prohibits the models from reproducing the spectral shape of the observed non-thermal radio emission. We investigate a number of “escape routes” by which the hydrodynamical predictions might be reconciled with the radio observations. We find that the observed spectral shape can be reproduced by a slower decline of the compression ratio and the velocity jump, by the re-acceleration of electrons in many shocks or by adopting a lower mass-loss rate. However, none of these escape routes are physically plausible. In particular, re-acceleration by feeding an electron distribution through a number of shocks, is in contradiction with current hydrodynamical simulations. These hydrodynamical simulations have their limitations, most notably the use of one-dimensionality. At present, it is not feasible to perform two-dimensional simulations of the wind out to the distances required for synchrotron-emission models. Based on the current hydrodynamic models, we suspect that the observed non-thermal radio emission from O stars cannot be explained by wind-embedded shocks associated with the instability of the line-driving mechanism. The most likely alternative mechanism is synchrotron emission from colliding winds. That would imply that all O stars with non-thermal radio emission should be members of binary or multiple systems.

We present a radio lightcurve of the O5.5 III(f+) star HD 168112, based on archive data from the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). The fluxes show considerable variability and a negative spectral index, thereby confirming that HD 168112 is a non-thermal radio emitter. The non-thermal radio emission is believed to be due to synchrotron radiation from relativistic electrons that have been Fermi accelerated in shocks. For HD 168112, it is not known whether these shocks are due to a wind-wind collision in a binary system or to the intrinsic instability of the stellar wind driving mechanism. Assuming HD 168112 to be a single star, our synchrotron model shows that the velocity jump of the shocks should be very high, or there should be a very large number of shocks in the wind. Neither of these is compatible with time-dependent hydrodynamical calculations of O star winds. If, on the other hand, we assume that HD 168112 is a binary, the high velocity jump is easily explained by ascribing it to the wind-wind collision. By further assuming the star to be an eccentric binary, we can explain the observed radio variability by the colliding-wind region moving in and out of the region where free-free absorption is important. The radio data presented here show that the binary has a period of between one and two years. By combining the radio data with X-ray data, we find that the most likely period is ~1.4 yr.

We present a model for the non-thermal radio emission from bright O stars, in terms of synchrotron emission from wind-embedded shocks. The model is an extension of an earlier one, with an improved treatment of the cooling of relativistic electrons. This improvement limits the synchrotron-emitting volume to a series of fairly narrow layers behind the shocks. We show that the width of these layers increases with increasing wavelength, which has important consequences for the shape of the spectrum. We also show that the strongest shocks produce the bulk of the emission, so that the emergent radio flux can be adequately described as coming from a small number of shocks, or even from a single shock.
A single shock model is completely determined by four parameters: the position of the shock, the compression ratio and velocity jump of the shock, and the surface magnetic field. Applying a single shock model to the O5 If star Cyg OB2 No. 9allows a good determination of the compression ratio and shock position and, to a lesser extent, the magnetic field and velocity jump.
Our main conclusion is that strong shocks need to survive out to distances of a few hundred stellar radii. Even with multiple shocks, the shocks needed to explain the observed emission are stronger than predictions from time-dependent hydrodynamical simulations.

We report the results of a multiwavelength study of the non-thermal radio emitter HD 168112 (O5.5III(f+)). The detailed analysis of two quasi-simultaneous XMM-Newtonand VLA observations reveals strong variability of this star both in the X-ray and radio ranges. The X-ray observations separated by five months reveal a decreaseof the X-ray flux of ~30%. The radio emission on the other hand increasesby a factor 5–7 between the two observations obtained roughly simultaneously with the XMM-Newtonpointings. The X-ray data reveal a hard emission that is most likely produced by a thermal plasma at kT~ 2–3 keV while the VLA data confirm the non-thermal status of this star in the radio waveband. Comparison with archive X-ray and radio data confirms the variability of this source in both wavelength ranges over a yet ill defined time scale. The properties of HD 168112 in the X-ray and radio domain point towards a binary system with a significant eccentricity and an orbital period of a few years. However, our optical spectra reveal no significant changes of the star's radial velocity suggesting that if HD 168112 is indeed a binary, it must be seen under a fairly low inclination.

We present a theoretical model for the non-thermal radio emission from single hot stars, in terms of synchrotron radiation from electrons accelerated in wind-embedded shocks. The model is described by five independent parameters each with a straightforward physical interpretation. Applying the model to a high-quality observation of Cyg OB2 No. 9(O5 If), we obtain meaningful constraints on most parameters. The most important result is that the outer boundary of the synchrotron emission region must lie between 500 and 2200 stellar radii. This means that shocks must persist up to that distance. We also find that relatively weak shocks (with a compression ratio <3) are needed to produce the observed radio spectrum. These results are compatible with current hydrodynamical predictions. Most of our models also show a relativistic electron fraction that increases outwards. This points to an increasing efficiency of the acceleration mechanism, perhaps due to multiple acceleration, or an increase in the strength of the shocks. Implications of our results for non-thermal X-ray emission are discussed.

We report the results of a multi-wavelength investigation of the O4 V star 9 Sgr (= HD 164794). Our data include observations in the X-ray domain with XMM-Newton, in the radio domain with the VLA as well as optical spectroscopy. 9 Sgr is one of a few presumably single OB stars that display non-thermal radio emission. This phenomenon is attributed to synchrotron emission by relativistic electrons accelerated in strong hydrodynamic shocks in the stellar wind. Given the enormous supply of photospheric UV photons in the wind of 9 Sgr, inverse Compton scattering by these relativistic electrons is a priori expected to generate a non-thermal power law tail in the X-ray spectrum. Our EPIC and RGS spectra of 9 Sgr reveal a more complex situation than expected from this simple theoretical picture. While the bulk of the thermal X-ray emission from 9 Sgr arises most probably in a plasma at temperature ~$3 \times 10^6$K distributed throughout the wind, the nature of the hard emission in the X-ray spectrum is less clear. Assuming a non-thermal origin, our best fitting model yields a photon index of ≥2.9 for the power law component which would imply a low compression ratio of ≤1.79 for the shocks responsible for the electron acceleration. However, the hard emission can also be explained by a thermal plasma at a temperature ≥$2 \times 10^7$K. Our VLA data indicate that the radio emission of 9 Sgr was clearly non-thermal at the time of the XMM-Newtonobservation. Again, we derive a low compression ratio (1.7) for the shocks that accelerate the electrons responsible for the synchrotron radio emission. Finally, our optical spectra reveal long-term radial velocity variations suggesting that 9 Sgr could be a long-period spectroscopic binary.

In this paper we discuss the implementation of a discrete, piecewise power-law grain-size distribution method into a numerical multifluid MHD code as described in Sumpter and Van Loo (2020). Such a description allows to capture the full size range of dust grains and their dynamical effects. The only assumptions are that grains within a single discrete bin have the same velocity and charge. We test the implementation by modelling plane-parallel C-type shocks and compare the results with shock models of multispecies grain models. We find that both the discrete and multispecies grain models converge to the same shock profile. However, the convergence for the discrete models is faster than for the multispecies grain models. For the pure advection models a single discrete bin is sufficient, while the multispecies grain models need a minimum of 8 grain species. When including grain sputtering the necessary number of discrete bins increases to 4, as the grain distribution cannot be described by a single power-law as in the advection models. The multispecies grain models still need more grain species to model the distribution, but the number does not increase compared to the pure advection models. Our results show that modelling the grain distribution function using a discrete distribution reduces the computational cost needed to capture the grain physics significantly.

The complement system is an essential part of our innate immune system. Three enzymatic activation pathways are described, all converging into a common terminal pathway which causes lysis of the target cell. Late complement deficiencies (LCDs) are typically diagnosed in children or adolescents with invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). However, IMD can also be a first manifestation in adulthood and should prompt for the evaluation of the LCD. We report the case of a young adult with IMD who was found to have a LCD, caused by a compound heterozygous mutation in C6. His vaccination status was optimized and prophylactic antibiotic treatment was initiated. By means of this case, we would like to raise awareness of underlying LCD in (young) adults presenting with IMD by N. meningitidis. Screening for complement deficiencies after IMD, followed by genetic testing, can be lifesaving and allows for genetic counselling. In addition, we discuss the diagnosis and treatment of LCD.

AbstractWe report a case of a 54-year-old, morbid obese man who presented with melena, hematemesis and fatigue over the last two days. The cause of this upper gastrointestinal bleeding was found on endoscopy which revealed an ulcerated submucosal mass in the gastric antrum. The haemorrhagia could not be stopped with injection of Aethoxysclerol. The mass was resected by an antrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction.Histologic examination showed a lipoma. No further treatment was necessary. In this case report, we would like to stress the need for histologic diagnosis to differentiate a benign gastric lesion from a malign.

Context. Outflows of young stars drive shocks into dusty, molecular regions. Most models of such shocks are restricted by the assumptions that they are steady and propagating in directions perpendicular to the magnetic fields. However, the media through which shocks propagate are inhomogeneous and shocks are not steady. Furthermore, only a small fraction of shocks are nearly perpendicular.Aims. We identify features that develop when a shock encounters a density inhomogeneity and ascertain if any part of the precursor region of a non-steady multifluid shock ever behaves in a quasi-steady fashion. If it does, some time-dependent shocks may be modelled approximately without solving the time-dependent hydromagnetic equations.Methods. We use the code employed previously to produce the first time-dependent simulations of fast-mode oblique C-type shocks including a self-consistent calculation of the thermal and ionisation balances and a fluid treatment of grains.Results. Simulations were made for initially steady oblique C-type shocks, each of which encounters one of three types of density inhomogeneities. For a semi-finite inhomogeneity with a density larger than the surrounding medium's, a transmitted shock evolves from being of J-type to a steady C-type shock on a timescale comparable to the ion-flow time through it. A sufficiently upstream part of the precursor of an evolving J-type shock is quasi-steady. The ion-flow timescale is also relevant for the evolution of a shock moving into a region of decreasing density. The models for shocks propagating into regions in which the density increases and then decreases to its initial value cannot be entirely described in terms of the results obtained for monotonically increasing and decreasing densities.Conclusions. We present the first time-dependent simulations of dusty C-type shocks interacting with density perturbations. We studied the transient evolution of the shock structure and find that the initial interaction always produces a transition to a J-type shock. Furthermore, the long-term evolution back to a C-type shock cannot always be approximated by quasi-steady models.

Context. Outflows of young stars drive shocks into dusty, molecular regions. Most models of such shocks are restricted by the assumptions that they are steady and propagating in directions perpendicular to the magnetic fields. However, the media through which shocks propagate are inhomogeneous and shocks are not steady. Furthermore, only a small fraction of shocks are nearly perpendicular.