We report on broad multi-wavelength observations of the 2010-2011 periastron passage of the γ-ray loud binary system PSR B1259−63. High resolution interferometric radio observations establish extended radio emission trailing the position of the pulsar. Observations with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveal GeV γ-ray flaring activity of the system, reaching the spin-down luminosity of the pulsar, around 30 days after periastron. There are no clear signatures of variability at radio, X-ray and TeV energies at the time of the GeV flare. Variability around periastron in the Hα emission line, can be interpreted as the gravitational interaction between the pulsar and the circumstellar disk. The equivalent width of the Hα grows from a few days before periastron until a few days later, and decreases again between 18 and 46 days after periastron. In near infrared we observe the similar decrease of the equivalent width of Brγ line between the 40th and 117th day after the periastron. For the idealized disk, the variability of the Hα line represents the variability of the mass and size of the disk. We discuss possible physical relations between the state of the disk and GeV emission under assumption that GeV flare is directly related to the decrease of the disk size.

Local parity-odd domains are theorized to form inside a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) which has been produced in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. The local parity-odd domains manifest themselves as charge separation along the magnetic field axis via the chiral magnetic effect (CME). The experimental observation of charge separation has previously been reported for heavy-ion collisions

We report the detections of the anticorrelated soft and hard X-rays, and the time lags of $hectosecond from the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Cyg X-2, a well-known Z-type luminous source. Both anticorrelation and the positive correlation were detected during the low-intensity states, while only the latter showed up during highintensity states. Comparing with the lower part of normal branch and flaring branch, we find that more observations located on the horizontal and the upper normal branches are accompanied with anticorrelation, implying the occurrence of the anticorrelation when there is a low mass accretion rate. So far anticorrelated hard lags of 1000 s timescale are only reported from Galactic black hole candidates in their hard states. Here we provide the first evidence that a similar feature can also be established in neutron star systems such as Cyg X-2. Finally, the possible origins of the observed time lags are discussed under current LMXB models.

It has been suggested that the high metallicity generally observed in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars originates from ongoing star formation in the self-gravitating part of accretion disks around the supermassive black holes. We designate this region as the star forming (SF) disk, in which metals are produced from supernova explosions (SNexp) while at the same time inflows are driven by SNexp-excited turbulent viscosity to accrete onto the SMBHs. In this paper, an equation of metallicity governed by SNexp and radial advection is established to describe the metal distribution and evolution in the SF disk. We find that the metal abundance is enriched at different rates at different positions in the disk, and that a metallicity gradient is set up that evolves for steady-state AGNs. Metallicity as an integrated physical parameter can be used as a probe of the SF disk age during one episode of SMBH activity. In the SF disk, evaporation of molecular clouds heated by SNexp blast waves unavoidably forms hot gas. This heating is eventually balanced by the cooling of the hot gas, but we show that the hot gas will escape from the SF disk before being cooled, and diffuse into the BLRs forming with a typical rate of ∼ 1M ⊙ yr −1 . The diffusion of hot gas from a SF disk depends on ongoing star formation, leading to the metallicity gradients in BLR observed in AGNs. We discuss this and other observable consequences of this scenario.