This contribution gives some results on the kinematics and ages of stars near the Sun. These results are mainly based on the catalogue of nearby stars compiled by Gliese (1957, 1969 and minor recent modifications). Table I shows the number of objects under consideration. While the old catalogue (1957) contained only stars with distances r up to 20 pc, the new edition (1969) includes many stars with slightly larger distances. In Table I, a ‘system’ is either a single star or a binary or a multiple system. The number of systems with known space velocities nearer than 20 pc has increased by about 30% from 1957 to 1969. The first edition of Gliese’s catalogue (1957) has been analyzed in detail by Gliese (1956) and von Hoerner (1960).

Carbonaceous materials play an important role in space. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a ubiquitous component of organic matter in space. Their contribution is invoked in a broad spectrum of astronomical observations that range from the ultraviolet to the far-infrared and cover a wide variety of objects and environments from meteorites and interplanetary dust particles to outer Solar System bodies to the interstellar medium in the local Milky Way and in other galaxies. Extensive efforts have been devoted in the past two decades to experimental, theoretical, and observational studies of PAHs. A brief review is given here of the evidence obtained so far for the contribution of PAHs to the phenomena aforementioned. An attempt is made to distinguish the cases where solid evidence is available from cases where reasonable assumptions can be made to the cases where the presence - or the absence - of PAHs is purely speculative at this point.

Binaries are excellent astrophysical laboratories that provide us with direct measurements of fundamental stellar parameters. Compared to single isolated stars, multiplicity induces new processes, offering the opportunity to confront our understanding of a broad range of physics under the extreme conditions found in, and close to, astrophysical objects.

In this contribution, we will discuss the parameter space occupied by massive binaries, and the observational means to investigate it. We will review the multiplicity fraction of OB stars within each regime, and in different astrophysical environments. In particular we will compare the O star spectroscopic binary fraction in nearby open clusters and we will show that the current data are adequately described by an homogeneous fraction of f ≈ 0.44.

We will also summarize our current understanding of the observed parameter distributions of O + OB spectroscopic binaries. We will show that the period distribution is overabundant in short period binaries and that it can be described by a bi-modal Öpik law with a break point around P ≈ 10 d. The distribution of the mass-ratios shows no indication for a twin population of equal mass binaries and seems rather uniform in the range 0.2 ≤ q = M2/M1 ≤ 1.0.

The performance of high contrast imaging systems is very often limited by the presence of static speckles in the point-spread function of the central source. Several techniques have already been proposed to discriminate a faint companion from these residual speckles. These techniques used different criteria to separate a speckle from a companion: polarization, spectral information or coherence. Here, we propose a new imaging device, the Self-Coherent Camera (SCC), that is based on the lack of coherence between the stellar light and the planet that is searched for. This SCC is a simple instrument that allows us to reach the fundamental limitation of the photon noise by calibrating the speckles in the recorded images. After the description of the general problem of discriminating speckles from planets, we will explain the principle of the SCC. Then, we will analyze the different limitations of this technique as well as the performance that can be reached with current telescopes.

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) project performed its five year formal survey since Sep. 2012, already fulfilled the pilot survey and the 1st two years general survey with an output - spectroscopic data archive containing more than 4.1 million observations. One of the scientific objectives of the project is for better understanding the structure and evolution of the Milky Way. Thus, credible derivation of the physical properties of the stars plays a key role for the exploration. We developed and implemented the LAMOST stellar parameter pipeline (LASP) which can automatically determine the fundamental stellar atmospheric parameters (effective temperature Teff, surface gravity log g, metallicity [Fe/H], radial velocity Vr) for late A, FGK type stars observed during the survey. An overview of the LASP, including the strategy, the algorithm and the process is presented in this work.

Repeated bursts of microwave emission were observed by Slottje (1978) during the solar flares of April 11 and April 28, 1978. The high brightness temperatures which are inferred for these bursts indicate that a coherent mechanism must be responsible for the observed radiation. Slottje suggests that the emission is plasma radiation at the fundamental plasma frequency. We consider here the alternative possibility that the emission is coherent gyrosynchrotron radiation.

Grains are injected into the interstellar medium (ISM) from evolved stars and supernovae; in addition, supernova ejecta may condense onto pre-existing grains before becoming well-mixed with the interstellar gas. Once in the ISM, grains can grow by accretion, but are also subject to destruction by interstellar shocks. The current status of the theory of shock destruction of interstellar grains is reviewed briefly. Small grains are destroyed by thermal sputtering in fast, nonradiative shocks; large grains are destroyed by grain-grain collisions and eroded by nonthermal sputtering in radiative shocks. The dominant shocks in the ISM are from supernova remnants (SNRs), and the mass of grains destroyed is proportional to the energy of the SNR. In a multiphase ISM, these shocks destroy the grains at a rate proportional to the volume filling factor of the phase; since the density of the hot phase is too low for efficient grain destruction, most of the destruction occurs in the warm phase. Not all SNRs are effective at destroying grains, however: some are above the gas disk, and some —Type IPs in associations—are highly correlated in space and time. The galactic SN rate is observed to about 2.2 per century (van den Bergh, 1983), but the effective supernova rate for grain destruction is estimated to be only about 0.8 per century. As a result, the timescale for the destruction of a typical refractory grain in the ISM is inferred to be about 4 × 108 yr for either a two-phase or a three-phase ISM. Most of the refractory material in the ISM (other than carbon) is injected by supernovae, not evolved stars; the net injection timescale is estimated as about 1.5 × 109 yr. Comparison of the destruction and injection timescales indicates that the fraction of grains injected by stars which survive in the ISM is only about 20%. Most of the refractory material in interstellar grains must, therefore, have accreted onto the grains in the ISM. Nonetheless, a significant fraction of dust formed in stars survives in the ISM and may be detectable in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles.

A brief overview of the field of infrared solar physics is given with particular reference to the topics to be considered during the Symposium.

Rotation in massive stars has been studied on the main sequence and during helium burning for decades, but only recently have realistic numerical simulations followed the transport of angular momentum that occurs during more advanced stages of evolution. The results affect such interesting issues as whether rotation is important to the explosion mechanism, whether supernovae are strong sources of gravitational radiation, the star's nucleosynthesis, and the initial rotation rate of neutron stars and black holes. We find that when only hydrodynamic instabilities (shear, Eddington-Sweet, etc.) are included in the calculation, one obtains neutron stars spinning at close to critical rotation at their surface – or even formally in excess of critical. When recent estimates of magnetic torques (Spruit 2002) are added, however, the evolved cores spin about an order of magnitude slower. This is still more angular momentum than observed in young pulsars, but too slow for the collapsar model for gamma-ray bursts.

In the inner parts of spiral galaxies, of high or low surface brightness, there is a close correlation between rotation curve shape and light distribution. For any feature in the luminosity profile there is a corresponding feature in the rotation curve and vice versa. This implies that the gravitational potential is strongly correlated with the distribution of luminosity: either the luminous mass dominates or there is a close coupling between luminous and dark matter. in a similar way, the declining rotation curves observed in the outer parts of high luminosity systems are a clear signature of the stellar disk which either dominates or traces the distribution of mass.

The notion that the baryons are dynamically important in the centres of galaxies, including LSBs, undermines the whole controversy over the cusps in CDM halos and the comparison with the observations. If the baryons dominate in the central regions of all spirals, including LSBs, how can the CDM profiles be compared with the observations? Alternatively, if the baryons do not dominate but simply trace the DM distribution, why, in systems of comparable luminosity, are some DM halos cuspy (like the light) and others (also like the light) are not?

Some thoughts on the state of our subject, as described in the presentations at the Symposium, are given here.

The general properties of PN of Type I are reviewed. A list of 29 PN of Type I is presented, most of them are bipolar. Their bipolar nature might be a direct consequence of the large masses and angular momenta of their progenitor stars. PN of Type I are He and N rich, their observed chemical abundances are compared with theoretical predictions. A group of Type I PN candidates is presented.

This paper presents a short review on the current state of SN Ia progenitor origin. Type Ia supernova explosions (meaning thermonuclear disruption of a white dwarf) are observed to be widely diverse in peak luminosity, lightcurve width and shape, spectral features, and host stellar population environment. In the last decade alone, theoretical simulations and observational data have come together to seriously challenge the long-standing paradigm that all SNe Ia arise from explosions of Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs. In this review I highlight some of the major developments (and changing views) of our understanding of the nature of SN Ia progenitor systems. I give a brief overview of binary star configurations and their plausible explosion mechanisms, and infer links between some of the various (observationally-categorized) SN Ia sub-classes and their progenitor origins from a theoretical standpoint.

Soft X-ray (3–60 Å) photographs of the solar corona have been obtained on four flights of a rocket-borne grazing incidence telescope having a resolution of a few arc seconds. The configuration of the X-ray emitting structures in the corona has been compared to the magnetic field distribution measured by photospheric longitudinal magnetograms. The X-ray structures trace the three dimensional configuration of the magnetic field through the lower corona.

Active regions in the corona take the form of tubular structures connecting regions of opposite magnetic polarity within the same or adjacent chromospheric active regions.

Higher, larger structures link widely separated active regions into complexes of activity covering substantial fractions of the disk. The complexes are separated by areas of low average field in the photosphere. Interconnections across the solar equator appear to originate over areas of preceding polarity.

Enhanced X-ray emission is observed, outside the active belt, over areas of enhanced general magnetic field. Bright point-like X-ray features are observed above bipolar areas in the general coronal field.

Two, probably related, classes of X-ray features are associated with points of high field gradient along the longitudinal magnetic, ‘neutral line’. Both in the non-flaring active region and in flares the brightest emission is observed from one or more small line sources (at our present resolution). In flares this can account for a substantial fraction of the total soft X-ray emission of the flare.

Solar eruptions are due to a sudden destabilization of force-free coronal magnetic fields. But the detailed mechanisms which can bring the corona towards an eruptive stage, then trigger and drive the eruption, and finally make it explosive, are not fully understood. A large variety of storage-and-release models have been developed and opposed to each other since 40 years. For example, photospheric flux emergence vs. flux cancellation, localized coronal reconnection vs. large-scale ideal instabilities and loss of equilibria, tether-cutting vs. breakout reconnection, and so on. The competition between all these approaches has led to a tremendous drive in developing and testing all these concepts, by coupling state-of-the-art models and observations. Thanks to these developments, it now becomes possible to compare all these models with one another, and to revisit their interpretation in light of their common and their different behaviors. This approach leads me to argue that no more than two distinct physical mechanisms can actually initiate and drive prominence eruptions: the magnetic breakout and the torus instability. In this view, all other processes (including flux emergence, flux cancellation, flare reconnection and long-range couplings) should be considered as various ways that lead to, or that strengthen, one of the aforementioned driving mechanisms.

The outward transfer of angular momentum of accreting matter can lead to the formation of a disk around the black hole. The structure and radiation spectrum of the disk depends, in the main, on the rate of matter inflow Ṁ into the disk at its external boundary. Dependence on the efficiency of mechanisms of angular momentum transport (connected with the magnetic field and turbulence) is weaker. If Ṁ = 10−9–3 × 10−8 M⊙/yr, the disk around the black hole is a powerful source of X-radiation with hv ∼ 1–10 keV and luminosity L ∼ 1037–1038 erg s−1. If the flux of the accreting matter decreases, the effective temperature of radiation and the luminosity will drop. At the same time when Ṁ > 10−9M⊙ yr−1, the optical luminosity of the disk exceeds the solar one. The main contribution to the optical luminosity of the black hole is due to the re-radiation of that part of the X-ray and ultraviolet energy which is initially produced in the central high temperature regions of the disk and which is then absorbed by the low temperature outer regions. The optical radiation spectrum of such objects must be saturated by the broad emission recombination and resonance lines. Variability is connected with the character of the motion of the black hole and the gas flow in binary systems and possibly with eclipses. For well defined conditions, the hard radiation can evaporate the gas. This can counteract the matter inflow into the disk and lead to autoregulation of the accretion.

If M ≫ 3 × 10−8 (M/M⊙) M⊙ yr−1, the luminosity of the disk around the black hole is stabilized at the critical level of Lcr = 1038 (M/M⊙) erg s−1. A small fraction of the accreting matter falls under the gravitational radius whereas the major part of it flows out with high velocities from the central regions of the disk. The outflowing matter is opaque to the disk radiation and completely transforms its spectrum. As a consequence, a black hole in a supercritical regime of accretion can appear as a bright star with a strong outflow of matter.

The origin and dynamics of magnetic fields depend crucially on the dynamics of a gas in the Galaxy. In turn the magnetic field is needed to isotropize the cosmic rays (the influence on chemistry) and is of importance for the formation of stars (local dynamics). Thus the appearance of this topic at the Colloquium is justified.

The fate of nuclear energy carried by matter accreted onto a neutron star was considered e.g. by Rosenbluth et al. (1973). They examined pycnonuclear reactions on an originally cold star, and found that the whole star is thereby heated up to 106−107 °K. The thermonuclear reactions that can be ignited then, have been studied by Hansen and Van Horn (1975), who computed stationary burning shells, finding, however, that in most cases the shells are thermally unstable.

We consider here the possibility that X-ray bursts are due to instabilities of this type. The observational constraints fix the parameters uniquely.

The characteristics of 12 moving type IV bursts observed with the 80 MHz radioheliograph at the Culgoora Observatory between February 1968 and April 1970 are summarized.

Three classes of moving sources can be recognized; they are described as: (1) Expanding arch; (2) Advancing front; (3) Isolated source.

The first class has been identified (Wild, 1969) with the expansion of a magnetic arch or loop; the second class is here identified with an advancing MHD disturbance which may accelerate the radiating electrons in situ when moving at greater than Alfvén speed; the third with solar ejecta in the form of magnetized plasma clouds, or plasmoids. In all cases the radiation mechanism is probably synchrotron radiation from mildly relativistic electrons; energies in the range ∼0.1 to ∼1 MeV could account for the observed strong circular polarizations.

With an expanding magnetic arch, source and magnetic-field movement are inseparable; the field remains a closed loop throughout the event. The MHD front probably moves largely along and the plasmoids between the open magnetic-field lines of unipolar regions or helmet structures. In the latter case it is the internal magnetic field – possibly toroidal – of the moving plasmoid that determines the polarization of the synchrotron radiation. A preliminary comparison of moving type IV sources with Newkirk-Altschuler maps of coronal magnetic fields shows suitably located closed loops for 2 events identified as expanding magnetic arches and unipolar open field lines along the path of a moving source identified as a plasmoid.