We present a catalogue of the 322 damped Lyman alpha absorbers taken from the literature. All damped Lyman alpha absorbers are included, with no selection on redshift or quasar magnitude. Of these, 123 are candidates and await confirmation using high resolution spectroscopy. For all 322 objects we catalogue the radio properties of the background quasars, where known. Around 60 quasars have radio flux densities above 0.1 Jy and approximately half of these have optical magnitudes brighter than V = 18. This compilation should prove useful in several areas of extragalactic/cosmological research.

A simple model of cosmic ray electron acceleration at the jet boundary yields a power law particle energy distribution of ultra-relativistic electrons with an energy cut-off growing with time, and, finally, a growing particle bump at the energy where energy gains equal radiation losses. For such electron distribution, in tens-of-kpc scale jets, we derived the observed time-varying spectra of synchrotron and inverse Compton radiation, including Comptonisation of synchrotron and cosmic microwave background photons. Slowly varying spectral index along the jet in the ‘low frequency’ spectral range is a natural consequence of boundary layer acceleration. Variations of the high energy bump of the electron distribution can give rise to anomalous behaviour in the X-ray band in comparison to the lower frequencies.

A progress report of the MASTER project is presented here. MASTER is a system of three heterodyne receivers based on SIS (superconductor–insulator–superconductor) tunnel junction mixers. In our instrument these mixers will allow direct down-conversion from 94, 225, and 345 to 1.5 GHz, the IF where the signal will be detected. This instrument, coupled to a 2–4 m telescope like the one proposed for the DOME C base in Antarctica and in conjunction with an Acusto Optical Spectrometer, can be used to detect emission lines associated with molecular clouds in the interstellar medium. The current status of a 94 GHz receiver, the prototype of MASTER, will be presented too. The study of the optical coupling between the receiver and MITO telescope in the Italian Alps will also be described.

The diverse isotopic and elemental signatures produced in different nucleosynthetic sites are passed on to successive generations of stars. By tracing these chemical signatures back through the stellar populations of the Galaxy, it is possible to unravel its nucleosynthetic history and even to study stars which are now extinct. This review considers recent applications of ‘stellar genetics’ to examine the earliest episodes of nucleosynthesis in the universe, in Population iii stars and the Big Bang.

In this review we compare the three existing sets of theoretical yields of zero metal massive stars available in the literature. We also show how each of these three different sets of yields fits the element abundance ratios observed in the extremely metal poor star CD 38°245. We find that, at present, no theoretical set of yields of zero metal massive stars is able to satisfactorily reproduce the elemental ratios [X/Fe] of this star.

We have observed eight AGN since 1993 in the energy region above several hundred GeV using the CANGAROO telescopes. We observed Mrk 421 for ten nights with the CANGAROO-II 10 m telescope during its active state in early 2001 using the very large zenith angle technique. Our preliminary result implies the detection of gamma-ray emission from Mrk 421 in the energy range above 9.3 TeV. The high energy peaked BL Lacs (HBLs) PKS 2005–489 and PKS 2155–304 have been also observed. No statistically significant signals are found for both HBLs and flux upper limits are obtained. A summary of results of observations of AGN is presented in this paper.

A new astronomical window into the southern skies has been opened with the high-frequency upgrade to the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), which allows radio-interferometric mapping of sources at wavelengths as short as 3 mm. In anticipation of the upgrade's completion, a two-day workshop was held at the University of Melbourne in November 2001. The workshop covered a diverse range of fields, tied together by a common theme of identifying key areas where ATCA observations can have an impact. More than half of the talks were concerned with molecular clouds and star formation, with the remainder covering topics such as molecular gas in the Galactic Centre, Seyfert nuclei, and high-redshift objects. Some early results from the 3 and 12 mm prototype systems were also presented. In consultation with the speakers, we are presenting in this article a summary of the talks. The original slides are available from the ATNF website.

The near infrared sky spectral brightness has been measured at the South Pole with the Near Infrared Sky Monitor (NISM) throughout the 2001 winter season. The sky is found to be typically more than an order of magnitude darker than at temperate latitude sites, consistent with previous South Pole observations. Reliable robotic operation of the NISM, a low power, autonomous instrument, has been demonstrated throughout the Antarctic winter. Data analysis yields a median winter value of the 2.4μm (Kdark) sky spectral brightness of ˜120μJy arcsec−2 and an average of 210 ± 80μJy arcsec−2. The 75%, 50%, and 25% quartile values are 270 ± 100, 155 ± 60, and 80 ± 30μJy arcsec−2, respectively.

We are undertaking an observational program using the ATCA to monitor the intraday variability (IDV) of a sample of sources at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz. The sources were selected to include the known strong southern IDV sources plus a number of sources whose IDV was recently discovered. The present monitoring program will extend over a full year in order to search for any annual cycle that may be present in the long-term IDV characteristics of these sources. In this paper we discuss the observing strategy and data analysis, and present the first results from our observations.

The relationship between observed variability time and emission region geometry is explored for the case of emission by relativistic jets.The approximate formula for the jet-frame size of the emission region, R′ = DcΔtobs, is shown to lead to large systematic errors when used together with observed luminosity and assumed or estimated Doppler factor D to estimate the jet-frame photon energy density. These results have implications for AGN models in which low-energy photons are targets for interaction of high energy particles and photons, e.g. synchrotron-self Compton models and hadronic blazar models, as well as models of intraday variable sources in which the photon energy density imposes a brightness temperature limit through Compton scattering.

The actual relationship between emission region geometry and observed variability is discussed for a variety of geometries including cylinders, spheroids, bent, helical and conical jet structures, and intrinsic variability models including shock excitation. The effects of time delays due to finite particle acceleration and radiation timescales are also discussed.

AAT/WFI optical images of a candidate extragalactic HI cloud, HIPASS J1712–64, are presented. The g and r band CCD mosaic camera frames were processed using a new data pipeline recently installed at the AAO. The resultant stacked images reach significantly deeper levels than those of previous published optical imaging of this candidate, providing a detection limit Mg ˜ −7 at a distance of 3 Mpc, the inferred distance to HIPASS J1712–64. However, detailed analysis of the images fails to uncover any stellar population associated with the HI emission. If this system is a member of the Local Group then it is pathologically different to other members. Hence, our observations reinforce earlier suggestions that this HI cloud is most likely Galactic in origin and not a Local Volume dwarf galaxy.

When a star with a mass of one to a few solar masses enters the red giant stage of its evolution, the radius of its atmosphere reaches several astronomical units. Pulsational instability is typical for this stage. Most stars become Mira-type or semiregular variables with light cycles of a few hundred days. Red giants lose mass at a rate M = 10−7−10−5M⊙ yr−1. Extensive gas–dust circumstellar envelopes form. These envelopes contain various molecular species. Some of these molecules (OH, H2O, SiO, HCN) manifest themselves in maser radio emission. Data on the H2O maser variability and its connection with the stellar brightness variations are discussed. In the H2O line circumstellar masers can be divided into ‘stable’ (showing persistent emission — R Aql, U Her, S CrB, X Hya) and ‘transient’ (appearing in the H2O line once per 10–15 stellar light cycles — R Leo, R Cas, U Aur). Physical mechanisms of the maser variability are discussed. The most probable process explaining the observed visual–H2O correlation is the influence of shock waves on the masing region. Usually it is assumed that shocks in Mira atmospheres are driven by stellar pulsations. Here an alternative explanation is proposed. If a star during its main sequence life possessed a planetary system, similar to the solar system, the planets will be embedded in a rather dense and hot medium. Effects of a planet revolving around a red giant at a short distance (inside its circumstellar envelope) are discussed. A shock produced by the supersonic motion of a planet can account for the correlated variability of the Hα line emission and H2O maser. If the planetary orbit is highly eccentric, then the connected Hα–H2O flare episodes may be explained by the periastron passage of the planet. New tasks for the upgraded ATCA are discussed.

The inverse Compton (IC) limit, TB1012 K, on synchrotron sources places a severe limit on models for intraday variables. The conventional limit is relaxed for proton synchrotron emission, or when acceleration balances IC losses. Coherent emission avoids the limit entirely but introduces other difficulties that have been inadequately discussed.

The 2.12 μm v = 1−0 S(1) line of molecular hydrogen has been imaged in the Hourglass region of M8. The line is emitted from a roughly bipolar region, centred around the O7 star Herschel 36. The peak H2 1−0 S(1) line intensity is 8.2 × 10−15 erg s−1 cm−2arcsec−2. The line centre emission velocity varies from −25 kms−1 in the SE lobe to +45 kms−1 in the NW lobe. The distribution is similar to that of the CO J = 3−2 line. The H2 line appears to be shock-excited when a bipolar outflow from Herschel 36 interacts with the ambient molecular cloud. The total luminosity of all H2 lines is estimated to be ˜16 L⊙ and the mass of the hot molecular gas ˜9 × 10−4 M⊙ (without any correction for extinction).

We present results from a spectral line survey of the young stellar object IRAS 17470-2853, undertaken to examine chemical changes during the evolution from hot molecular cores to ultracompact HII regions. Observations were carried out with the Mopra 22 m radio telescope in the frequency range from 86.1 to 92.1 GHz. A total of 21 lines from 9 molecules were detected. Except for CH3CN they are all simple molecules. We compare the results to the ultracompact HII region G34.3+0.15, where spectral line surveys in the frequency range 80–115 GHz and 330–360 GHz have been performed. While the molecular lines detected are similar, their widths and intensities are somewhat narrower and lower, respectively, in IRAS 17470-2853. The typical line width of ˜5 km s−1 indicates relatively quiet or quasi-thermal emission. On the other hand, a significant difference in TA* (HNC)/TA*(HCN) has been found: 0.8 for IRAS 17470-2853 compared to 2.6 for G34.3+0.15. The broad line width of SiO (υ=0, J=2–1), ˜9 km s−1, suggests that IRAS 17470-2853 is experiencing a shock generated by the embedded object. Column densities, or lower limits to them, are derived for observed molecules.

In blazar models both protons and electrons may be efficiently accelerated in jets and produce γ-rays. Here we discuss the interactions of these γ-rays with different radiation fields. The external radiation fields within a few parsecs from the black hole involved in such interactions could be the direct radiation from the accretion disk coupled with the jet, the infrared radiation from a dusty torus, and the emission line radiation from the broad line region surrounding the accretion disk. The optical thickness for absorption of γ-ray photons in the external radiation fields is analysed for blazars and quasars.

Based on the unification theory of active galactic nuclei we briefly review the evidence for the existence of small scale dust tori in blazars/FR I. We propose that the existing jet–accretion disk symbiosis extrapolates to a large scale symbiosis between other important dusty constituents of the blazar/FR I family.

The first ‘Australian Cluster Workshop’ was held at the Australia Telescope National Facility in Sydney on 2001 February 6. The aim of the workshop was to bring together the many and varied groups working on clusters of galaxies in Australia, to forge new multi-disciplinary links, and to generate enthusiasm and support for new cluster work and further cluster meetings in Australia. In this paper I present a summary of the workshop as well as some additional review material intended to place current Australian research in a broader perspective, looking ahead to the major issues still to be addressed.

Using the formalism of Hamaker, Bregman & Sault (1996), I derive a method for the polarisation calibration of observations made with a single radio telescope. This method is particularly appropriate for observations of pulsars, where the sign and magnitude of the circular polarisation are useful for understanding the emission processes at work. I apply the method to observations of PSR J1359–6038 made using the multibeam receiver on the Parkes radio telescope.

We present new evolutionary sequences for low and intermediate mass stars (1−6M⊙) for three different metallicities, Z = 0.02, 0.008, and 0.004. We evolve the models from the pre-main sequence to the thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch phase. We have two sequences of models for each mass, one which includes mass loss and one without mass loss. Typically 20 or more pulses have been followed for each model, allowing us to calculate the third dredge-up parameter for each case. Using the results from this large and homogeneous set of models, we present an approximate fit for the core mass at the first thermal pulse, Mc1, as well as for the third dredge-up efficiency parameter, λ, and the core mass at the first dredge-up episode, Mcmin, as a function of metallicity and total mass. We also examine the effect of a reduced envelope mass on the value of λ.

We discuss the constraints that recent observations place on circular polarisation in AGN. In many sources the circular polarisation is variable on short timescales, indicating that it originates in compact regions of the sources. The best prospects for gleaning further information about circular polarisation are high resolution VLBI and scintillation ‘imaging’ which probe source structure on milliarcsecond and microarcsecond scales respectively.