The X-ray outburst of the Galactic Centre magnetar SGR J1745−2900 during the first 1.5 year

In 2013 April a new magnetar, SGR 1745−2900, was discovered as it entered an outburst, at only 2.4 arcsec angular distance from the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*. SGR 1745−2900 has a surface dipolar magnetic field of ∼2 × 1014 G, and it is the neutron star closest to a black hole ever observed. The new source was detected both in the radio and X-ray bands, with a peak X-ray luminosity LX ∼ 5 × 1035 erg s−1. Here we report on the long-term Chandra (25 observations) and XMM–Newton (eight observations) X-ray monitoring campaign of SGR 1745−2900 from the onset of the outburst in 2013 April until 2014 September. This unprecedented data set allows us to refine the timing properties of the source, as well as to study the outburst spectral evolution as a function of time and rotational phase. Our timing analysis confirms the increase in the spin period derivative by a factor of ∼2 around 2013 June, and reveals that a further increase occurred between 2013 October 30 and 2014 February 21. We find that the period derivative changed from 6.6 × 10−12 to 3.3 × 10−11 s s−1 in 1.5 yr. On the other hand, this magnetar shows a slow flux decay compared to other magnetars and a rather inefficient surface cooling. In particular, starquake-induced crustal cooling models alone have difficulty in explaining the high luminosity of the source for the first ∼200 d of its outburst, and additional heating of the star surface from currents flowing in a twisted magnetic bundle is probably playing an important role in the outburst evolution.

1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of azomethine imines

Azomethine imines are considered 1,3-dipoles of the aza-allyl type which are transient intermediates and should be generated in situ but can also be stable and isolable compounds. They react with electron-rich and electron-poor olefins as well as with acetylenic compounds and allenoates mainly by a [3 + 2] cycloaddition but they can also take part in [3 + 3], [4 + 3], [3 + 2 + 2] and [5 + 3] with different dipolarophiles. These 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions (1,3-DC) can be performed not only under thermal or microwave conditions but also using metallo- and organocatalytic systems. In recent years enantiocatalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions have been extensively considered and applied to the synthesis of a great variety of dinitrogenated heterocycles with biological activity. Acyclic azomethine imines derived from mono and disubstituted hydrazones could be generated by prototropy under heating or by using Lewis or Brønsted acids to give, after [3 + 2] cycloadditions, pyrazolidines and pyrazolines. Cyclic azomethine imines, incorporating a C–N bond in a ring, such as isoquinolinium imides are the most widely used dipoles in normal and inverse-electron demand 1,3-DC allowing the synthesis of tetrahydro-, dihydro- and unsaturated pyrazolo[1,5-a]isoquinolines in racemic and enantioenriched forms with interesting biological activity. Pyridinium and quinolinium imides give the corresponding pyrazolopyridines and indazolo[3,2-a]isoquinolines, respectively. In the case of cyclic azomethine imines with an N–N bond incorporated into a ring, N-alkylidene-3-oxo-pyrazolidinium ylides are the most popular stable and isolated dipoles able to form dinitrogen-fused saturated and unsaturated pyrazolopyrazolones as racemic or enantiomerically enriched compounds present in many pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and other useful chemicals.