Abelian Chern-Simons-Maxwell theory from a tight-binding model of spinless fermions.
Abelian Chern-Simons-Maxwell theory can emerge from the bosonization of the (2+1)-dimensional Thirring model that describes interacting Dirac fermions. Here we show how the Thirring model manifests itself in the low energy limit of a two-dimensional tight-binding model of spinless fermions. To establish that, we employ a modification of Haldane's model, where the "doubling" of fermions is rectified by adiabatic elimination. Subsequently, fermionic interactions are introduced that lead to the analytically tractable Thirring model. By local density measurements of the lattice fermions we can establish that for specific values of the couplings the model exhibits the confining (2+1)-dimensional QED phase or a topological ordered phase that corresponds to the Chern-Simons theory. The implementation of the model as well as the measurement protocol are accessible with the current technology of cold atoms in optical lattices.

title: Gravitational Behaviour of an Effective Topological Field Theory
abstract: Effective topological field theories describe the properties of Dirac fermions in the low-energy regime. In this work, we introduce a new emergent gravity model by considering Dirac fermions invariant under local de Sitter transformations in four-dimensional open manifolds. In the context of Cartan geometry, fermions couple to spacetime through a $Spin(5)$ Cartan connection that can be decomposed in spin connection and tetrads. In presence of a gravitational instanton background, we show that the corresponding effective topological field theory becomes equivalent to a dynamical gravitational theory with positive cosmological constant and Barbero-Immirzi parameter. At classical level and in absence of matter, this theory is compatible with general relativity.

title: First ASCA results for high-redshift Radio-Quiet Quasars
abstract: Here we report the X-ray spectral analysis of 5 high-redshift ($z \geq 2$) radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) observed with the ASCA satellite. A simple power law with Galactic absorption model well fits the data. There is no evidence of a reflection component. The average spectral slope in the observed 0.5--10 keV energy range, $ = 1.68\pm{0.09}$ (dispersion $\sigma \sim 0.11$), places the high-z objects of the present sample in the lower-\Gamma tail of the RQQs spectral indices distribution.

title: BeppoSAX detection of the Fe K line in the starburst galaxy NGC253
abstract: Preliminary results obtained from BeppoSAX observation of the starburst galaxy NGC253 are presented. X-ray emission from the object is cleerly extended but most of the emission is concentrated on the optical nucleus. Preliminary analysis of the LECS and MECS data obtained using the central 4' region indicates that the continuum is well fitted by two thermal components at 0.9 keV and 7 keV. Fe K line at 6.7 keV is detected for the first time in this galaxy; the line has an equivalent width of ∼ 300 eV. The line enegy and the shape of the 2–10 keV continuum strongly support thermal origin of the hard X-ray emission of NGC253. From the measurement of the Fe K line the abundances can be unambiguously constrained to ∼ 0.25 the solar value. Other lines clearly detected are Si, S and Fe XVIII /Ne, in agreement with ASCA results.

title: Variability of the Fe K line relativistic component in a sample of Seyfert 1 galaxies
abstract: We present the analysis of X-ray spectral varability made on a sample of 7 Seyfert 1 bright galaxies, using XMM-Newton data. From the "XMM-Newton Science Archive" we selected those bright Seyfert 1 showing one or more prominent flares in their 2-10 keV light curves. For each of them we extracted spectra in 3 different time intervals: before, during and after the flare. We fitted them with a simple power law and then shifted a narrow emission and absorption line template across the 2.5-10 keV data, in order to investigate the presence of line-like features with a confidence level greater than 99%. Some highly significant features were detected in 3 out of 7 sources studied. In particular, the 3 sources, namely PG 1211+143, NGC 4051 and NGC 3783, showed the presence of a variable emission feature in the 4.5-5.8 keV band, characterized by an increase of its intensity after the flare peak. Because of the observed variability pattern, this feature seems to be ascribable to a reverbered redshifted relativistic component of the Fe K line.

title: HIGH-FREQUENCY RADIO PULSES FROM EXTENSIVE AIR SHOWERS.

title: Unveiling the AGN powering the \Composite" Seyfert/Star-forming galaxy NGC 7679: BeppoSAX and ASCA results
abstract: We discuss BeppoSAX observations and archive ASCA data of NGC 7679, a nearby, nearly face-on SB0 galaxy in which starburst and AGN activities coexist. The X-ray observations reveal a bright (L0:1 50 keV 2:9 10 43 erg s 1 ) and variable source having a minimum observed doubling/halving time scale of10{20 ksec. A simple power law with photon index of 1:75 and small absorption (NH < 4 10 20 cm 2 ) can reproduce the NGC 7679 spectrum from 0.1 up to 50 keV. These X-ray properties are unambiguous signs of Seyfert 1 activity in the nucleus of NGC 7679. The starburst activity, revealed by the IR emission, optical spectroscopy and H imaging, and dominating in the optical and IR bands, is clearly overwhelmed by the AGN in the X-ray band. Although, at rst glance, this is similar to what is observed in other starburst-AGN galaxies (e.g. NGC 6240, NGC 4945), most strikingly here and at odds with the above examples, the X-ray spectrum of NGC 7679 does not appear to be highly absorbed. The main peculiarity of objects like NGC 7679 is not the strength of their starburst but the apparent optical weakness of the Seyfert 1 nucleus when compared with its X-ray luminosity. To date NGC 7679 is one of the few Seyfert 1/Starburst composites for which the broad-band X-ray properties have been investigated in detail. The results presented here imply that optical and infrared spectroscopy could be highly inecient in revealing the presence of an AGN in these kinds of objects, which instead is clearly revealed from X-ray spectroscopic and variability investigations.