New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622–4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100× larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800× larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111 ± 19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3–6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6–8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation.

Abstract. We present J = 1−0 and J = 2−1 12 CO maps of several star-forming regions in both the Large and the Small Magellanic Cloud, and briefly discuss their structure. Many of the detected molecular clouds are relatively isolated and quite small with dimensions of typically 20 pc. Some larger complexes have been detected, but in all cases the extent of the molecular clouds sampled by CO emission is significantly less than the extent of the ionized gas of the star-formation region. Very little diffuse extended CO emission was seen; diffuse CO in between or surrounding the detected discrete clouds is either very weak or absent. The majority of all LMC lines of sight detected in 13 CO has an isotopic emission ratio I( 12 CO)/I( 13 CO) of about 10, i.e. twice higher than found in Galactic star-forming complexes. At the lowest 12 CO intensities, the spread of isotopic emission ratios rapidly increases, low ratios representing relatively dense and cold molecular gas and high ratios marking CO photodissociation at cloud edges.

Abstract. The second-brightest star formation complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud, N 11, was surveyed extensively in the J = 1-0 transition of 12 CO. In this paper we present maps and a catalogue containing the parameters of 29 individual molecular clouds in the complex, although more may be present. The distribution of molecular gas in the N 11 complex is highly structured. In the southwestern part of N 11, molecular clouds occur in a ring or shell surrounding the major OB star association LH 9. In the northeastern part, a chain of molecular clouds delineates the rim of one of the so-called supergiant shells in the LMC. There appears to be very little diffuse molecular gas in-between the individual well-defined clouds, especially in the southwestern ring. Most of the clouds have dimensions only slightly larger than those of the survey beam, i.e. diameters of 25 pc or less. A subset of the clouds mapped in J = 1-0 12 CO transition was also observed in the J = 2-1 12 CO transition, and in the corresponding transitions of 13 CO. Clouds mapped in J = 2-1 12 CO with a two times higher angular resolution show further, clear substructure. The elements of this substructure, however, have dimensions once again comparable to those of the mapping beam. For a few clouds, sufficient information was available to warrant an attempt at modelling their physical parameters. They contain fairly warm (T kin = 60-150 K) and moderately dense (n H 2 = 3000 cm −3 ) gas. The northeastern chain of CO clouds, although lacking in diffuse intercloud emission, is characteristic of the more quiescent regions of the LMC, and appears to have been subject to relatively little photo-processing. The clouds forming part of the southwestern shell or ring, however, are almost devoid of diffuse intercloud emission, and also exhibit other characteristics of an extreme photon-dominated region (PDR).

IRAS 15194-5115 was discovered by IRAS and identified as a carbon star by Meadows et al. (1987). It is the third brightest carbon star at 12 μm, the brighter ones are IRC+10216 and CIT6. Its infrared properties are similar to those of IRC+10216. Le Bertre and Epchtein (1990) have monitored the star in the near-infrared and derived a period of 578 days. The distance to IRAS 15194-5115 is estimated to about 1 kpc from infrared observations, and also by comparing its bolometric luminosity with that of IRC+10216.