Search

We present ALMA observations of the $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O J=2-1 transitions and the 1.3\,mm continuum emission for the circumbinary disc around HD 142527, at an angular resolution of $\approx$\,0\farcs3. We observe multiple spiral structures in intensity, velocity and velocity dispersion for the $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO gas tracers. A newly detected $^{12}$CO spiral originates from the dust horseshoe, and is rotating at super-Keplerian velocity or vertically ascending, whilst the inter-spiral gas is rotating at sub-Keplerian velocities. This new spiral possibly connects to a previously identified spiral, thus spanning > 360$^\circ$. A spatial offset of ~30 au is observed between the $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO spirals, to which we hypothesize that the gas layers are propagating at different speeds (``surfing'') due to a non-zero vertical temperature gradient. Leveraging the varying optical depths between the CO isotopologues, we reconstruct temperature and column density maps of the outer disc. Gas surface density peaks at r\,$\approx$\,180\,au, coincident with the peak of continuum emission. Here the dust grains have a Stokes number of $\approx$\,1, confirming radial and azimuthal trapping in the horseshoe. We measure a cavity radius at half-maximum surface density of $\approx$\,100\,au, and a cavity eccentricity between 0.3 and 0.45.

Get ready for lift-off on a Martian adventure! Have you ever imagined living on another planet? What about Mars? With not enough air to breathe, sunlight to keep us warm, or any available food and water, life on Mars is going to be a challenge... but it just might be possible! Take a journey to the Red Planet in How to Survive on Mars. Discover natural wonders like ancient polar ice caps, the highest volcano in the solar system and a 45-kilometre-wide impact crater that was once a Martian lake. Packed with stunning photographs, fun activities and quizzes, this book will show you what you need to do to survive on Mars! Join scientists, engineers, archaeologists, ethicists and science-fiction writers for a space exploration adventure. Reading level varies from child to child, but we recommend this book for ages 8 to 12.

A new survey for measuring students’ astronomy and science attitudes that has been validated for use with high school students (with a future intent to expand to middle school and university) is presented. We initially present a short review of instruments in the literature that attempt to measure attitudes in astronomy together with the difficulties encountered in measuring these by researchers in the subsequent analyses of results. To illustrate this, we present an example from an Astro101-level university course to display the problems with the current, most commonly used, astronomy attitude instrument. We then present the initial design and the Factor Analysis of a new instrument designed to address the deficiencies of this existing instrument from a sample of students in a high school-level astronomy education project. The factors identified by this instrument include: Interest in Astronomy, Interest in Science Outside of School, Practical Work in Science, Teacher’s Actions in science, Perceptions of Ability in Science, Future Aspirations in Science, Benefits of Science, and Personal Relevance of School Science, all of which possess high internal response consistency and construct validity.

We present molecular-line observations at millimetre, centimetre and infrared wavelengths of the region containing OH(1720 MHz) masers in the supernova remnant (SNR) G349.7+0.2, using the Australia Telescope (AT) Mopra antenna, the Swedish-ESO Submillimeter Telescope, the AT Compact Array and the UNSW Infrared Fabry-Perot narrow-band filter installed on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Several molecular transitions were observed between 1.6 and 3 mm to constrain the physical parameters of the molecular cloud interacting with the SNR and to investigate the effects of the SNR shock on the gas chemistry. We detected shock-excited near-infrared H2 emission towards the centre of the SNR, revealing highly clumped molecular gas and a good correlation with published mid-infrared images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. An excellent correlation between the H2 clumps and OH(1720 MHz) maser positions supports the shock excitation of the OH(1720 MHz) maser emission. Furthermore, we detected OH absorption at 1665 and 1667 MHz which shows a good correlation with the shocked H2 emission and the masers. We found maser emission at 1665 MHz near the OH(1720 MHz) masers in this SNR, which is found to be associated with a GLIMPSE source SSTGLMC G349.7294+00.1747. We also detected 1665 and 1667 MHz OH masers, and weak 4.8 GHz H2CO absorption towards the ultracompact HII region IRAS 17147-3725 located to the southeast of the SNR. We found no 4.7- or 6-GHz excited-state OH masers or 6-GHz CH3OH maser towards either the SNR or the HII region.

We present the discovery of non-thermal radio and X-ray emission positionally coincident with the TeV $\gamma$-ray source HESS J1813--178. We demonstrate that the non-thermal radio emission is due to a young shell-type supernova remnant (SNR) G12.8--0.0, and constrain its distance to be greater than 4 kpc. The X-ray emission is primarily non-thermal and is consistent with either an SNR shell or unidentified pulsar/pulsar wind nebula origin; pulsed emission is not detected in archival ASCA data. A simple synchrotron+inverse Compton model for the broadband emission assuming that all of the emission arises from the SNR shell implies maximum energies of $(30-450)(B/10 microG)^{-0.5}$ TeV. Further observations are needed to confirm that the broadband emission has a common origin and better constrain the X-ray spectrum., Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters; 5 pages, Figures 1 and 3 are in color. Small changes from original version

We present high-resolution X-ray observations of the small-diameter supernova remnant (SNR) G349.7+0.2 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The overall SNR spectrum can be described by two spectral components. The soft component is in ionization equilibrium and has a temperature of ~0.8 keV; the hard spectral component has a temperature of ~1.4 keV, an ionization timescale of ~5x10^{11} cm{-3}s and enhanced abundances of Si. The spatially resolved spectral modeling shows that S may also be enhanced, at least in some regions. The enhanced abundances clearly point to the presence of an ejecta component in this remnant. The X-ray morphology of G349.7+0.2 is strikingly similar to that at radio wavelengths - an irregular shell with a brighter eastern side - which is consistent with expansion in a medium with a large scale density gradient. The remnant is known to be interacting with a molecular cloud (from the presence of OH(1720 MHz) masers), but this interaction is probably limited to the central portion of the SNR, as seen in SNR IC 443. We found that HI clouds are present in the SNR region, which supports the notion that G349.7+0.2 belongs to a class of remnants evolving in the intercloud medium (such are IC 443 and W44, Chevalier 1999), which is also responsible for the remnant's morphology. G349.7+0.2 does not have the mixed-morphology found for other maser-emitting SNRs studied to date in X-rays, but its morphology can be explained by a projection model for mixed-morphology SNRs. We have identified a point source close to the center of the SNR with a luminosity of Lx(0.5-10.0 keV) ~ (0.2-2.3)x10^{34} d_{22} erg/s, which is consistent with that of the compact central objects found in a few other Galactic SNRs., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, typos fixed

Observations of jets from stellar-mass sources located in our Galaxy offer a unique opportunity to study the dynamical evolution of relativistic jets on time scales inaccessible for active galactic nuclei jets, with implications for our understanding of the dynamics and energetics of relativistic jets from Galactic x-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei. We review recent observations of X-ray jets from Galactic black hole candidates. Spatially resolved X-ray spectra from SS 433 have provided evidence for re-heating in a hadronic jet and may offer an observational probe of jet collimation. A large-scale jet from the now quiescent transient 4U 1755–33 appears to indicate continual jet formation over a period of 10–30 years. Detection of a jet from XTE J1550–564 has provided the first direct measurement of gradual deceleration of a jet from a black hole and strong evidence for the re-energization of jet particles to energies up to 10 TeV at sites far from the jet origin.

G347.3-0.5 is one of three shell-type supernova remnants in the Galaxy whose X-ray spectrum is dominated by nonthermal emission. This puts G347.3-0.5 in the small, but growing class of SNRs for which the X-ray emission reveals directly the presence of extremely energetic electrons accelerated by the SNR shock. We have obtained new high-resolution X-ray and radio data on G347.3-0.5 using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) respectively. The bright northwestern peak of the SNR seen in ROSAT and ASCA images is resolved with Chandra into bright filaments and fainter diffuse emission. These features show good correspondence with the radio morphological structure, providing strong evidence that the same population of electrons is responsible for the synchrotron emission in both bands in this part of the remnant. Spectral index information from both observations is presented. We found significant difference in photon index value between bright and faint regions of the SNR shell. Spectral properties of these regions support the notion that efficient particle acceleration is occurring in the bright SNR filaments. We report the detection of linear radio polarization towards the SNR, which is most ordered at the northwestern shell where particle acceleration is presumably occurring. Using our new Chandra and ATCA data we model the broad-band emission from G347.3-0.5 with the synchrotron and inverse Compton mechanisms and discuss the conditions under which this is a plausible scenario. Subject headings: acceleration of particles — cosmic rays — radiation mechanisms: nonthermal — supernova remnants: individual: G347.3-0.5 — X-rays: general

We present infrared (AAT, UKIRT) and radio (VLA, SEST) observations of the Eye of the Tornado, a compact source apparently near the head of the Tornado Nebula. The near-infrared Br-gamma and He I lines are broad (FWHM 40 and 30 km/s, respectively) and have a line centre at Vlsr = -205 km/s. This corresponds to a feature at the same velocity in the 12CO J=1-0 line profile. The kinematic velocity derived from Galactic rotation places the Eye at the distance of the Galactic Centre (i.e. 8.5 kpc) and separated (probably foreground) from the Tornado Nebula. Four knots of emission are seen in the Br-gamma line and at 6 and 20 cm. Together with the flat radio spectral index, we confirm that the Eye contains ionized gas, but that this is embedded within a dense molecular core. The spectral energy distribution can be modelled as a two-component blackbody + greybody, peaking at far-IR wavelengths. The knots are UC HII regions, and the core contains a luminous (2 x 10^4 Lsun), embedded, massive young stellar source. We also propose a geometrical model for the Eye to account for both its spectral energy distribution and its morphology., 25 pages, including 5 figures. Accepted by Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on 27/10/03

We have searched the 30 Doradus nebula, a giant extragalactic H II region, for the presence of embedded supernova remnants using high-resolution radio, optical, and X-ray images. Radio images obtained at 6 and 3.5 cm with the Australia Telescope Compact Array have an angular resolution of ~2''. We compare our radio images with the optical images from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory to distinguish thermal and possible nonthermal components in the nebula. We have also mapped, for the first time, the extinction across the region at high angular resolution. We identify two sources as supernova remnant candidates in the nebula. Derived physical parameters for the adiabatic phase imply relatively young remnants (~103 yr) evolving in a very dense environment (102 cm-3). We compare our results with high-resolution data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, but with only a short exposure these preliminary X-ray data lack the sensitivity to resolve our supernova remnant candidates from intervening hot gas of the diffuse thermal X-ray component of the nebula.

We present Chandra, XMM-Newton and RXTE observations of 1WGA J1713.4-3949, a compact source at the center of the galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G347.3-0.5. The X-ray spectrum of the source is well-fitted by the sum of a blackbody component with a temperature of about 0.4 keV plus a power law component with photon index about 4. We found no pulsations down to 4% in the 0.01-0.16 Hz range and down to 25% in the 0.01-128 Hz range. This source resembles other compact central objects (CCOs) in SNRs, and we suggest that 1WGA J1713.4-3949 is the associated neutron star for G347.3--0.5. We also measured the properties of the adjacent radio pulsar PSR J1713-3945 with a 392 ms period and show that it is not associated with 1WGA J1713.4-3949 nor, most probably, with SNR G347.3-0.5 as well., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

We present ASCA observations of supernova remnant (SNR) G349.7+0.2. The remnant has an irregular shell morphology and is interacting with a molecular cloud, evident from the presence of OH(1720 MHz) masers and shocked molecular gas. The X-ray morphology is consistent with that at radio wavelengths, with a distinct enhancement in the south. The X-ray emission from the SNR is well described by a model of a thermal plasma which has yet to reach ionization equilibrium. The hydrogen column of ~6.0 X 10^{22} cm^{-2} is consistent with the large distance to the remnant of ~22 kpc estimated from the maser velocities. We derive an X-ray luminosity of L_x(0.5-10.0 keV)= 1.8 X 10^{37} d_{22}^2 erg/s, which makes G349.7+0.2 one of the most X-ray luminous shell-type SNRs known in the Galaxy. The age of the remnant is estimated to be about 2800 yrs. The ambient density and pressure conditions appear similar to those inferred for luminous compact SNRs found in starburst regions of other galaxies, and provides support for the notion that these may be the result of SNR evolution in the vicinity of dense molecular clouds.

ABSTRA C T Positions with subarcsecond accuracy have been measured for seven 22-GHz H2O masers associated with H II regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC); two of the masers are new detections. Initial position measurements were obtained with the 70-m antenna of the Canberra NASA Deep Space Network during a period of more than two years in which the antenna was used to monitor the maser emission. The positions were further improved using 22-GHz observations involving three antennas of the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The positions have been compared with those of 1.6-GHz continuum emission and other LMC masers (of OH and CH3OH). The H2O maser positions range from within 1 arcsec (270 mpc) of the centre of a compact H II component to beyond the boundary of significant continuum emission. Three of the four masers located near continuum peaks are close to OH masers. In two cases the positional agreement is better than 0.2 arcsec (53 mpc); in the third case the agreement is worse (0.9 arcsec) but the positions of the individual H2O features appear to be spread over more than 1 arcsec. The velocities of the OH masers are within the spread of the H2O velocities. The three H2O masers offset from continuum centres are located 3 ‐ 7 arcsec from optical or infrared phenomena probably associated with very early stages of star formation; no other molecular masers are known in these directions.

We have found a bar of shocked molecular hydrogen (H2) towards the OH(1720 MHz) maser located at the projected intersection of supernova remnant (SNR) G359.1–0.5 and the nonthermal radio filament, known as the Snake. The H2 bar is well aligned with the SNR shell and almost perpendicular to the Snake. The OH(1720 MHz) maser is located inside the sharp western edge of the H2 emission, which is consistent with the scenario in which the SNR drives a shock into a molecular cloud at that location. The spectral–line profiles of 12 CO, HCO + and CS towards the maser show broad–line absorption, which is absent in the 13 CO spectra and most probably originates from the pre–shock gas. A density gradient is present across the region and is consistent with the passage of the SNR shock while the H2 filament is located at the boundary between the pre–shocked and post-shock regions.

We present radio continuum observations conducted with the VLA and ATCA of a sample of 15 edge-on spiral galaxies. 11 of these galaxies, with inclination angles of $i \gtrsim 75^\circ$ and neither active galactic nuclei nor nearby interaction partners, are suitable for studies of halo properties in relation to the level of star formation in their disks. In 6 of these 11 galaxies radio halos were detected at the angular resolution of the current data. In the remaining cases the presence of halo emission could not be proven unambiguously, partly due to relatively low angular resolution. A clear trend was found that galaxies with radio halos are those with the highest far-infrared 60 μ m to 100 μ m flux ratios. This shows the suitability of high $f_{60}/f_{100}$ ratios of ≥ 0.4 as a reliable tracer of galaxies with high star formation rates and related disk-halo interactions, leading to the presence of extraplanar emission, e.g. from cosmic ray electrons. The measured exponential scale heights of those 6 radio halos that were clearly detected range from about 1.4 to 3.1 kpc. All 4 physically small galaxies in our sample do show extraplanar synchrotron radio emission, indicating that their more shallow gravitational potential compared to normal-sized spirals might facilitate the escape of cosmic-ray electrons from the sites of star formation in their disks. Although the galaxies with the highest energy input rates into the ISM of their disks are those that have the most prominent radio halos, there is no direct relation between the halo scale heights and the energy input rates. Instead, the scale heights of the radio halos are dominated by the energy losses of the cosmic ray electrons on their way out of the galaxy disks.

We present results from a Mopra 7mm-wavelength survey that targeted the dense gas-tracing CS(1-0) transition towards the young gamma-ray-bright supernova remnant, RXJ1713.7-3946 (SNR G347.3-0.5). In a hadronic gamma-ray emission scenario, where cosmic ray protons interact with gas to produce the observed gamma-ray emission, the mass of potential cosmic ray target material is an important factor. We summarise newly-discovered dense gas components, towards Cores G and L, and Clumps N1, N2, N3 and T1, which have masses of 1-10^4 solar masses. We argue that these components are not likely to contribute significantly to gamma-ray emission in a hadronic gamma-ray emission scenario. This would be the case if RXJ1713.7-3946 were at either the currently favoured distance of ~1kpc or an alternate distance (as suggested in some previous studies) of ~6kpc. This survey also targeted the shock-tracing SiO molecule. Although no SiO emission corresponding to the RXJ1713.7-3946 shock was observed, vibrationally-excited SiO(1-0) maser emission was discovered towards what may be an evolved star. Observations taken one year apart confirmed a transient nature, since the intensity, line-width and central velocity of SiO(J=1-0,v=1,2) emission varied significantly., Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in PASA

A summary of results from a 7 mm-wavelength survey towards the young X-ray and γ-ray-bright supernova remnant, RXJ1713.7–3946 (SNR G347.3–0.5) is presented. Using the Mopra telescope, the high critical density tracer CS(1–0) was targeted, complementing previous Nanten2 molecular gas studies of CO transitions. In hadronic γ-ray emission scenarios (p-p interactions), the mass of cosmic ray target material available is an important factor, so we estimate the mass of dense gas towards RX J1713.7–3946. Also of interest was the shock-tracing molecule, SiO. Although there was no evidence of SiO emission physically excited by the RXJ1713.7–3946 shock, a chance-discovery of vibrationallyexcited SiO(1–0) emission is likely to be a maser that is associated with an evolved star.

We present a new Chandra observation of supernova remnant (SNR) G350.1-0.3. The high resolution X-ray data reveal previously unresolved filamentary structures and allow us to perform detailed spectroscopy in the diffuse regions of this SNR. Spectral analysis demonstrates that the region of brightest emission is dominated by hot, metal-rich ejecta while the ambient material along the perimeter of the ejecta region and throughout the remnant's western half is mostly low-temperature, shocked interstellar/circumstellar medium (ISM/CSM) with solar-type composition. The data reveal that the emission extends far to the west of the ejecta region and imply a lower limit of 6.6 pc on the diameter of the source (at a distance of 4.5 kpc). We show that G350.1-0.3 is likely in the free expansion (ejecta-dominated) stage and calculate an age of 600-1200 years. The derived relationship between the shock velocity and the electron/proton temperature ratio is found to be entirely consistent with that of other SNRs. We perform spectral fits on the X-ray source XMMU J172054.5-372652, a candidate central compact object (CCO), and find that its spectral properties fall within the typical range of other CCOs. We also present archival 24 um data of G350.1-0.3 taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope during the MIPSGAL galactic survey and find that the infrared and X-ray morphologies are well-correlated. These results help to explain this remnant's peculiar asymmetries and shed new light on its dynamics and evolution.

We present high-resolution X-ray spectra from the young supernova remnant Cas A using a 70-ks observation taken by the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS). Line emission, dominated by Si and S ions, is used for high-resolution spectral analysis of many bright, narrow regions of Cas A to examine their kinematics and plasma state. These data allow a 3D reconstruction using the unprecedented X-ray kinematic results: we derive unambiguous Doppler shifts for these selected regions, with values ranging between -2500 and +4000 km/s. Plasma diagnostics of these regions, derived from line ratios of resolved He-like triplet lines and H-like lines of Si, indicate temperatures largely around 1 keV, which we model as O-rich reverse-shocked ejecta. The ionization age also does not vary considerably over these regions of the remnant. The gratings analysis was complemented by the non-dispersed spectra from the same dataset, which provided information on emission measure and elemental abundances for the selected Cas A regions. The derived electron density of X-ray emitting ejecta varies from 20 to 200 cm^{-3}. The measured abundances of Mg, Si, S and Ca are consistent with O being the dominant element in the Cas A plasma. With a diameter of 5 arcmin, Cas A is the largest source observed with the HETGS to date. We, therefore, describe the technique we use and some of the challenges we face in the HETGS data reduction from such an extended, complex object., Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, evised version (minor changes), accepted for publication in ApJ (Oct 20 2006)

We report on new X-ray observations of the large-scale jets recently discovered in X-rays from the black hole candidate 4U 1755-33. Our observations in 2004 show that the jets found in 2001 are still present in X-rays. However, sensitive radio observations in 2004 failed to detect the jets. We suggest that synchrotron radiation is a viable emission mechanism for the jets and that thermal bremsstrahlung and inverse-Compton emission are unlikely on energetic grounds. In the synchrotron interpretation, the production of X-rays requires acceleration of electrons up to ~ 60 TeV, the jet power is ~ 4x10^35 erg s^-1, and the radio non-detection requires a spectral index alpha > -0.65 (S_\nu \propto \nu^\alpha) which is similar to the indexes found in lobes surrounding some other compact objects. We find an upper limit on the flux of 4U 1755-33 in quiescence of 5x10^-16 erg cm^-2 s^-1 in the 0.3-8 keV band., Comment: accepted by ApJ, 11 pages, 2 color figures

We present an X-ray study of three mixed-morphology supernova remnants (SNRs), HB 21, CTB 1 and HB 3, using archival ASCA and ROSAT data. These data are complemented by archival Chandra X-ray Observatory data for CTB 1 and XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory data for HB 3. The spectra from HB 21 and HB 3 are well-described with a single-temperature thermal plasma in ionization equilibrium, while a two-temperature thermal plasma is found in CTB 1. We found enhanced abundances in all three SNRs. The elemental abundance of Mg is clearly enhanced in CTB 1, while HB 21 has enhanced abundances of Si and S. The situation is not so clear in HB 3 -- the plasma in this SNR either has significantly enhanced abundances of O, Ne and Mg, or it has marginally enhanced abundances of Mg and under-abundant Fe. We discuss the plausibility of mixed-morphology SNR models for the three SNRs and the presence of enhanced abundances. We revise a list of MM SNRs and their properties, compare the three SNRs studied here with other members of this class, and discuss the presence of enhanced elemental abundances in MM SNRs. We also report the ASCA detection of a compact source in the southern part of HB 3. The source spectrum is consistent with a power law with a photon index of ~2.7, and an unabsorbed X-ray flux of ~10^{-12} erg/cm^2/s in the 0.5--10.0 keV band. The column density towards this source differs from that towards the SNR, and it is therefore unlikely they are related., Comment: 26 pages, 15 figures, revised version (minor changes), accepted for publication in ApJ (10 Aug 2006)

We have carried out a sensitive search for OH (1720 MHz) masers in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) toward five regions using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Our source list includes the 30 Doradus region, and four supernova remnants (SNRs): N44, N49, N120, and N132D. These data have a typical resolution of ~8 arcsec and rms noise levels of 5-10 mJy/beam. We have detected OH (1720 MHz) masers in the NE part of 30 Doradus and toward the SNR N49. The OH (1720 MHz) maser emission in 30 Doradus is coincident with a cluster of young stars known as ``Knot 1'', and is almost certainly of the star formation variety. Our spectral resolution (0.68 km/s) is insufficient to detect the Zeeman effect from the strongest (320 mJy/beam) of the 30 Doradus OH (1720 MHz) masers, leading to an upper limit to the field strength of 6 mG. The weak OH (1720 MHz) maser emission (35 mJy/beam) detected toward the LMC SNR N49 is located just west of a previously identified CO cloud, and are indicative of an interaction between the SNR and the molecular cloud. Although the statistics are low, the detection rate seems consistent with that seen for Galactic star forming regions and SNR type OH (1720 MHz) masers -- both of which are low., 20 pages, 7 figures, Accepted to AJ

We present near-infrared and millimetre-line observations of the Tornado nebula (G357.7-0.1). We detected 2.12 micron_m H2 1-0 S(1) line emission towards the suspected site of interaction with a molecular cloud revealed by the presence of an OH(1720 MHz) maser. The distribution of the H2 emission is well correlated with the nonthermal radio continuum emission from the Tornado, and the velocity of the H2 emission spans over 100 km/s, which both imply that the H2 emission is shock excited. We also detected millimetre-lines from 12CO and 13CO transitions at the velocity of the maser, and mapped the distribution of the molecular cloud in a 2 x 2 arcmin^2 region around the maser. The peak of the molecular cloud aligns well with an indentation in the nebula's radio continuum distribution, suggesting that the nebula's shock is being decelerated at this location, which is consistent with the presence of the OH(1720 MHz) maser and shocked H2 emission at that location., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, minor changes, accepted to MNRAS

The giant HII region 30 Doradus is known for its violent internal motions and bright diffuse X-ray emission, suggesting the existence of supernova remnants (SNRs), but no nonthermal radio emission has been detected. Recently, Lazendic et al. compared the H-alpha/H-beta and radio/H-alpha ratios and suggested two small radio sources to be nonthermal and thus SNR candidates; however, no optical or X-ray counterparts were detected. We have used high-resolution optical images and high-dispersion spectra to examine the morphological, spectral, and kinematic properties of these two SNR candidates, and still find no optical evidence supporting their identification as SNRs. We have also determined the X-ray luminosities of these SNR candidates, and find them 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than those commonly seen in young SNRs. High extinction can obscure optical and X-ray signatures of an SNR, but would prohibit the use of a high radio/H-alpha ratio to identify nonthermal radio emission. We suggest that the SNR candidate MCRX J053831.8-690620 is associated with a young star forming region; while the radio emission originates from the obscured star forming region, the observed optical emission is dominated by the foreground. We suggest that the SNR candidate MCRX J053838.8-690730 is associated with a dust/molecular cloud, which obscures some optical emission but not the radio emission., Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ, Nov 10, 2004

We present millimetre and NIR molecular-line observations of the Tornado nebula and its Eye. The observations were motivated by the presence of OH(1720 MHz) maser emission towards the nebula, believed to be an indicator of interaction between a supernova remnant and a molecular cloud. We found that the distribution of molecular gas around the Tornado complements its radio morphology, implying that the nebula's appearance has been influenced by the structure of the surrounding molecular gas. Our NIR H$_2$ observations revealed the presence of shocked molecular gas at the location where the nebula is expanding into the surrounding molecular cloud. It has been suggested that the Eye of the Tornado is related to the nebula on the basis of their apparent proximity. Our NIR and millimetre-line observations show that the two objects are not spatially related. Br $\gamma$ line emission, in conjuction with IR data at longer wavelengths and high-resolution radio continuum observations, suggests that the Eye is a massive protostellar source deeply embedded within a dense molecular core., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Conference Proceedings of the Galactic Center Workshop 2002, November 3-8, 2002, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Astron. Nachr., Vol. 324, No. S1 (2003), Special Supplement "The central 300 parsecs of the Milky Way", Eds. A. Cotera, H. Falcke, T. R. Geballe, S. Markoff

A new investigation of the supernova remnant (SNR) N157B was carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Radio continuum images of the entire 30 Doradus region have been made at 3.5 and 6 cm wavelength with a resolution of 2". These data allow a high resolution study of the spectral index distribution and polarization properties of both N157B and the nearby 30 Doradus nebula (the latter will be reported in a subsequent paper). N157B is an extended Crab-type SNR which may be beginning the transition to a composite remnant. There is little apparent fine structure and the brightest radio region is several parsecs from the probable position of the X-ray pulsar. The SNR has a radio spectral index of -0.19 and is significantly polarized at 3.5 cm but not at longer wavelengths., 8 pages, 4 figures

As recent societal and economic changes pose increasingly complex and ill-defined challenges to today’s students, many educators call for learning environments that allow for distributed and co-operative learning through social interactions in representative authentic, real life contexts. One such approach is challenge-based learning (CBL), which involves open-ended challenges or problems from real world practice that require students to work in interdisciplinary teams. Apart from fostering students’ self-regulation and motivation, educators hope for students to acquire real-world knowledge and develop skills they can use to solve complex problems for the rest of their lives, such as self-awareness, self-leadership, teamwork, and an entrepreneurial mindset. As students’ prerequisites and learning goals for CBL may differ, it is important studying end-of-semester reflections to understand students’ learning gains. Written reflections from 19 Masters-degree students regarding the approach, analysis, synthesis, interdisciplinarity, skills and behaviour, as well as personal and team development were content-analysed for students’ learning gains. 47 categories emerged, that showed students’ focus to lie on group work, project management and problem-solving skills. While since these learnings were newer and more intense for students, further practice should also guide students to relate learning in CBL to subject-specific content knowledge.