Table of contents for issue 2, volume 923, The Astrophysical Journal

Quasiperiodic pulsations (QPPs) are frequently observed in the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum during solar flares, and there can be many possible mechanisms leading to this phenomenon. In the present work, we demonstrate the possibility of the generation of QPPs by a nonlinear fast sausage mode in a coronal loop. The coronal loop itself is represented by an infinitely long homogenous magnetic flux tube, which in many cases is a good approximation, and the nonlinearity of the fast sausage mode is modeled by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NSE) with a cubic nonlinearity. We have shown that the frequency-renormalized plane wave solution, which happens to be an exact solution of the NSE, transforms into a series of quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) due to the so-called modulational instability or the Benjamin–Feir instability. Our numerical solutions show that such QPOs evolve at almost every point above a certain height along the magnetic flux tube, which represents the coronal loop. As the fast sausage mode perturbs the plasma density strongly, the density perturbations caused by the QPOs of the nonlinear fast sausage mode correspondingly modulate the radiation throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, resulting in the emergence of the corresponding QPPs. This mechanism should therefore be able to describe some of the observed QPPs.

Magnetic reconnection is a complex mechanism that converts magnetic energy into particle kinetic energy and plasma thermal energy in space and astrophysical plasmas. In addition, magnetic reconnection and turbulence appear to be intimately related in plasmas. We analyze the magnetic-field turbulence at the exhaust of four reconnection events detected in the solar wind using the Jensen–Shannon complexity-entropy index. The interplanetary magnetic field is decomposed into the LMN coordinates using the hybrid minimum variance technique. The first event is characterized by an extended exhaust period that allows us to obtain the scaling exponents of higher-order structure functions of magnetic-field fluctuations. By computing the complexity-entropy index we demonstrate that a higher degree of intermittency is related to lower entropy and higher complexity in the inertial subrange. We also compute the complexity-entropy index of three other reconnection exhaust events. For all four events, the B_L component of the magnetic field displays a lower degree of entropy and higher degree of complexity than the B_M and B_N components. Our results show that coherent structures can be responsible for decreasing entropy and increasing complexity within reconnection exhausts in magnetic-field turbulence.

Granules observed in the solar photosphere are believed to be convective and turbulent, but the physical picture of the granular dynamical process remains unclear. Here we performed an investigation of granular dynamical motions of full length scales based on data obtained by the 1 m New Vacuum Solar Telescope and the 1.6 m Goode Solar Telescope. We developed a new granule segmenting method, which can detect both small faint and large bright granules. A large number of granules were detected, and two critical sizes, 265 and 1420 km, were found to separate the granules into three length ranges. The granules with sizes above 1420 km follow Gaussian distribution, and demonstrate flat in flatness function, which shows that they are non-intermittent and thus are dominated by convective motions. Small granules with sizes between 265 and 1420 km are fitted by a combination of power-law function and Gauss function, and exhibit nonlinearity in flatness function, which reveals that they are in the mixing motions of convection and turbulence. Mini granules with sizes below 265 km follow the power-law distribution and demonstrate linearity in flatness function, indicating that they are intermittent and strongly turbulent. These results suggest that a cascade process occurs: large granules break down due to convective instability, which transports energy into small ones; then turbulence is induced and grows, which competes with convection and further causes the small granules to continuously split. Eventually, the motions in even smaller scales enter in a turbulence-dominated regime.

The coagulation of micrometer-sized particles marks the beginning of planet formation. For silicates a comprehensive picture already exists, which describes under which conditions growth can take place and which barriers must be overcome. With increasing distance to the central star volatiles freeze out and the collision dynamics is governed by the properties of the frozen volatiles. We present a novel experiment facility to analyze collisions of CO₂ agglomerates consisting of micrometer-sized particles with agglomerate sizes up to 100 μm. Experiments are conducted at temperatures around 100 K with collision velocities up to 3.4 m s⁻¹. Below impact velocities of around 0.1 m s⁻¹ sticking is observed and at collision velocities of 1 m s⁻¹ fragmentation also starts to occur. The experiments show that agglomerates of CO₂ ice behave like silicate agglomerates with a comparable grain size distribution. Models developed to describe the collision dynamics of silicate dust can be applied to CO₂ ice. This holds for the coefficient of restitution as well as for the threshold conditions for the transitions between sticking, bouncing, or fragmentation.

The afterglow of GRB 190114C has been observed at 60–1200 s after the burst in the sub-TeV range by the MAGIC Cerenkov telescope. The simultaneous observations in the X-ray range, which is presumed to be of synchrotron origin, and in the sub-TeV range, where the emission is presumed to be inverse Compton, provide new stringent constraints on the conditions within the emitting regions and their evolution in time. While the additional data contain a lot of new information, it turns out that fitting both the X-ray and the TeV emission is much more complicated than what was originally anticipated. We find that optical flux measurements provide important complementary information that, in combination with TeV measurements, breaks degeneracy in the parameter space. We present here a numerical fit to the multiwavelength observed spectrum using a new code that calculates the single-zone synchrotron including self-Compton emission, taking into account the exact Klein–Nishina cross sections, as well as pair production via absorption of the high-energy photons inside the emitting zone and the emission from the resulting secondary pairs. We also present a revised set of single-zone parameters and a method for fitting the data to the observations. Our model for GRB 190114C that fits all the observations, from the optical data point to the sub-TeV range, suggests that it is in the fast-cooling regime. The inferred parameters for observations at two separate moments of time show significant deviations from some of the common expectations in afterglow modeling but are all consistent with the predictions of the pair-balance model.

We use magnetic field measurements by the Juno spacecraft to catalog and investigate interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) beyond 1 au. During its cruise phase, Juno spent about 5 yr in the solar wind between 2011 September and 2016 June, providing measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) between 1 and 5.4 au. Juno therefore presents the most recent opportunity for a statistical analysis of ICME properties beyond 1 au since the Ulysses mission (1990–2009). Our catalog includes 80 such ICME events, 32 of which contain associated flux-rope-like structures. We find that the dependency of the mean magnetic field strength of the magnetic flux ropes decreases with heliocentric distance as r^{−1.24±0.43} between 1 and 5.4 au, in good agreement with previous relationships calculated using ICME catalogs at Ulysses. We combine the Juno catalog with the HELCATS catalog to create a data set of ICMEs covering 0.3–5.4 au. Using a linear regression model to fit the combined data set on a double-logarithmic plot, we find that there is a clear difference between global expansion rates for ICMEs observed at shorter heliocentric distances and those observed farther out beyond 1 au. The cataloged ICMEs at Juno present a good basis for future multispacecraft studies of ICME evolution between the inner heliosphere, 1 au, and beyond.

The high incidence rate of the O vi λλ1032, 1038 absorption around low-redshift, ∼L^* star-forming galaxies has generated interest in studies of the circumgalactic medium. We use the high-resolution EAGLE cosmological simulation to analyze the circumgalactic O vi gas around z ≈ 0.3 star-forming galaxies. Motivated by the limitation that observations do not reveal where the gas lies along the line of sight, we compare the O vi measurements produced by gas within fixed distances around galaxies and by gas selected using line-of-sight velocity cuts commonly adopted by observers. We show that gas selected by a velocity cut of ±300 km s⁻¹ or ±500 km s⁻¹ produces a higher O vi column density, a flatter column density profile, and a higher covering fraction compared to gas within 1, 2, or 3 times the virial radius (r_vir) of galaxies. The discrepancy increases with impact parameter and worsens for lower-mass galaxies. For example, compared to the gas within 2 r_vir, identifying the gas using velocity cuts of 200–500 km s⁻¹ increases the O vi column density by 0.2 dex (0.1 dex) at 1 r_vir to over 0.75 dex (0.7 dex) at ≈ 2 r_vir for galaxies with stellar masses of 10⁹–10^9.5 M_⊙ (10¹⁰–10^10.5 M_⊙). We furthermore estimate that excluding O vi outside r_vir decreases the circumgalactic oxygen mass measured by Tumlinson et al. (2011) by over 50%. Our results demonstrate that gas at large line-of-sight separations but selected by conventional velocity windows has significant effects on the O vi measurements and may not be observationally distinguishable from gas near the galaxies.

One prominent feature in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn is the appearance of large-scale vortices (LSVs). However, the mechanism that sustains these LSVs remains unclear. One possible mechanism is that these LSVs are driven by rotating convection. Here, we present numerical simulation results on a rapidly rotating Rayleigh–Bénard convection at a small Prandtl number Pr = 0.1 (close to the turbulent Prandtl numbers of Jupiter and Saturn). We identified four flow regimes in our simulation: multiple small vortices, a coexisting large-scale cyclone and anticyclone, large-scale cyclone, and turbulence. The formation of LSVs requires that two conditions be satisfied: the vertical Reynolds number is large (), and the Rossby number is small (Ro ≤ 0.4). A large-scale cyclone first appears when Ro decreases to be smaller than 0.4. When Ro further decreases to be smaller than 0.1, a coexisting large-scale cyclone and anticyclone emerges. We have studied the heat transfer in rapidly rotating convection. The result reveals that the heat transfer is more efficient in the anticyclonic region than in the cyclonic region. Besides, we find that the 2D effect increases and the 3D effect decreases in transporting convective flux as the rotation rate increases. We find that aspect ratio has an effect on the critical Rossby number in the emergence of LSVs. Our results provide helpful insights into understanding the dynamics of LSVs in gas giants.

We study the stellar binary black holes (BBHs) inspiraling/merging in galactic nuclei based on our numerical method GNC. We find that 3%–40% of all newborn BBHs will finally merge due to various dynamical effects. In a five-year mission, up to 10⁴, 10⁵, and ∼100 of BBHs inspiraling/merging in galactic nuclei can be detected with signal-to-noise ration >8 in Advanced LIGO (aLIGO), Einstein/DECIGO, and TianQin/LISA/TaiJi, respectively. Roughly tens are detectable in both LISA/TaiJi/TianQin and aLIGO. These BBHs have two unique characteristics. (1) Significant eccentricities: 1%–3%, 2%–7%, or 30%–90% of them have e_i > 0.1 when they enter into aLIGO, Einstein, or space observatories, respectively. Such high eccentricities provide a possible explanation for that of GW190521. Most highly eccentric BBHs are not detectable in LISA/Tianqin/TaiJi before entering into aLIGO/Einstein, as their strain becomes significant only at f_GW ≳ 0.1 Hz. DECIGO becomes an ideal observatory to detect those events, as it can fully cover the rising phase. (2) Up to 2% of BBHs can inspiral/merge at distances ≲10³r_SW from the massive black hole, with significant accelerations, such that the Doppler phase drift of ∼10–10⁵ of them can be detected with signal-to-noise ratio >8 in space observatories. The energy density of the gravitational-wave backgrounds (GWBs) contributed by these BBHs deviates from the power-law slope of 2/3 at f_GW ≲ 1 mHz. The high eccentricity, significant accelerations, and the different profile of the GWB of these sources make them distinguishable, and thus interesting for future gravitational-wave detections and tests of relativities.

A significant fraction of Milky Way (MW) satellites exhibit phase-space properties consistent with a coherent orbital plane. Using tailored N-body simulations of a spherical MW halo that recently captured a massive (1.8 × 10¹¹M_⊙) LMC-like satellite, we identify the physical mechanisms that may enhance the clustering of orbital poles of objects orbiting the MW. The LMC deviates the orbital poles of MW dark matter particles from the present-day random distribution. Instead, the orbital poles of particles beyond R ≈ 50 kpc cluster near the present-day orbital pole of the LMC along a sinusoidal pattern across the sky. The density of orbital poles is enhanced near the LMC by a factor = 30% (50%) with respect to underdense regions and δρ_iso = 15% (30%) relative to the isolated MW simulation (no LMC) between 50 and 150 kpc (150–300 kpc). The clustering appears after the LMC’s pericenter (≈50 Myr ago, 49 kpc) and lasts for at least 1 Gyr. Clustering occurs because of three effects: (1) the LMC shifts the velocity and position of the central density of the MW’s halo and disk; (2) the dark matter dynamical friction wake and collective response induced by the LMC change the kinematics of particles; (3) observations of particles selected within spatial planes suffer from a bias, such that measuring orbital poles in a great circle in the sky enhances the probability of their orbital poles being clustered. This scenario should be ubiquitous in hosts that recently captured a massive satellite (at least ≈1:10 mass ratio), causing the clustering of orbital poles of halo tracers.

Balmer-dominated shells in supernova remnants (SNRs) are produced by collisionless shocks advancing into a partially neutral medium and are most frequently associated with Type Ia supernovae. We have analyzed Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images and Very Large Telescope (VLT)/Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) or AAT/Wide Field Integral Spectrograph observations of five Type Ia SNRs containing Balmer-dominated shells in the LMC: 0509–67.5, 0519–69.0, N103B, DEM L71, and 0548–70.4. Contrary to expectations, we find bright forbidden-line emission from small dense knots embedded in four of these SNRs. The electron densities in some knots are higher than 10⁴ cm⁻³. The size and density of these knots are not characteristic for interstellar medium—they most likely originate from a circumstellar medium ejected by the SN progenitor. Physical property variations of dense knots in the SNRs appear to reflect an evolutionary effect. The recombination timescales for high densities are short, and HST images of N103B taken 3.5 yr apart already show brightness changes in some knots. VLT/MUSE observations detect [Fe xiv] line emission from reverse shocks into SN ejecta as well as forward shocks into the dense knots. Faint [O iii] line emission is also detected from the Balmer shell in 0519–69.0, N103B, and DEM L71. We exclude the postshock origin because the [O iii] line is narrow. For the preshock origin, we considered three possibilities: photoionization precursor, cosmic-ray precursor, and neutral precursor. We conclude that the [O iii] emission arises from oxygen that has been photoionized by [He ii] λ304 photons and is then collisionally excited in a shock precursor heated mainly by cosmic rays.

We investigate the failed partial eruption of a filament system in NOAA AR 12104 on 2014 July 5, using multiwavelength EUV, magnetogram, and Hα observations, as well as magnetic field modeling. The filament system consists of two almost co-spatial segments with different end points, both resembling a C shape. Following an ejection and a precursor flare related to flux cancellation, only the upper segment rises and then displays a prominent twisted structure, while rolling over toward its footpoints. The lower segment remains undisturbed, indicating that the system possesses a double-decker structure. The erupted segment ends up with a reverse-C shape, with material draining toward its footpoints, while losing its twist. Using the flux rope insertion method, we construct a model of the source region that qualitatively reproduces key elements of the observed evolution. At the eruption onset, the model consists of a flux rope atop a flux bundle with negligible twist, which is consistent with the observational interpretation that the filament possesses a double-decker structure. The flux rope reaches the critical height of the torus instability during its initial relaxation, while the lower flux bundle remains in stable equilibrium. The eruption terminates when the flux rope reaches a dome-shaped quasi-separatrix layer that is reminiscent of a magnetic fan surface, although no magnetic null is found. The flux rope is destroyed by reconnection with the confining overlying flux above the dome, transferring its twist in the process.

We apply a friends-of-friends (FoF) algorithm to identify galaxy clusters and we use the catalog to explore the evolutionary synergy between brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and their host clusters. We base the cluster catalog on the dense HectoMAP redshift survey (2000 redshifts deg⁻²). The HectoMAP FoF catalog includes 346 clusters with 10 or more spectroscopic members within the range 0.05 < z < 0.55 and with a median z = 0.29. We list these clusters and their members. We also include central velocity dispersions (σ_*,BCG) for the FoF cluster BCGs, a distinctive feature of the HectoMAP FoF catalog. HectoMAP clusters with higher galaxy number density (80 systems) are all genuine clusters with a strong concentration and a prominent BCG in Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam images. The phase-space diagrams show the expected elongation along the line of sight. Lower-density systems include some low reliability systems. We establish a connection between BCGs and their host clusters by demonstrating that σ_*,BCG/σ_cl decreases as a function of cluster velocity dispersion (σ_cl), in contrast, numerical simulations predict a constant σ_*,BCG/σ_cl. Sets of clusters at two different redshifts show that BCG evolution in massive systems is slow over the redshift range z < 0.4. The data strongly suggest that minor mergers may play an important role in BCG evolution in clusters with σ_cl ≳ 300 km s⁻¹. For lower mass systems (σ_cl < 300 km s⁻¹), major mergers may play a significant role. The coordinated evolution of BCGs and their host clusters provides an interesting test of simulations in high-density regions of the universe.

Exoplanets with radii between those of Earth and Neptune have stronger surface gravity than Earth, and can retain a sizable hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. In contrast to gas giant planets, we call these planets gas dwarf planets. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will offer unprecedented insight into these planets. Here, we investigate the detectability of ammonia (NH₃, a potential biosignature) in the atmospheres of seven temperate gas dwarf planets using various JWST instruments. We use petitRadTRANS and PandExo to model planet atmospheres and simulate JWST observations under different scenarios by varying cloud conditions, mean molecular weights (MMWs), and NH₃ mixing ratios. A metric is defined to quantify detection significance and provide a ranked list for JWST observations in search of biosignatures in gas dwarf planets. It is very challenging to search for the 10.3–10.8 μm NH₃ feature using eclipse spectroscopy with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) in the presence of photon and a systemic noise floor of 12.6 ppm for 10 eclipses. NIRISS, NIRSpec, and MIRI are feasible for transmission spectroscopy to detect NH₃ features from 1.5–6.1 μm under optimal conditions such as a clear atmosphere and low MMWs for a number of gas dwarf planets. We provide examples of retrieval analyses to further support the detection metric that we use. Our study shows that searching for potential biosignatures such as NH₃ is feasible with a reasonable investment of JWST time for gas dwarf planets given optimal atmospheric conditions.

Red clump stars (RCs) are useful tracers of distances, extinction, chemical abundances, and Galactic structures and kinematics. Accurate estimation of RC parameters—absolute magnitude and intrinsic color—is the basis for obtaining high-precision RC distances. By combining astrometric data from Gaia; spectroscopic data from APOGEE and LAMOST; and multiband photometric data from Gaia, APASS, Pan-STARRS1, 2MASS, and WISE surveys, we use a Gaussian process regression to train machine learners to derive the multiband absolute magnitudes M_λ and intrinsic colors for each spectral RC. The dependence of M_λ on metallicity decreases from optical to infrared bands, while the dependence of M_λ on age is relatively similar in each band. are more affected by metallicity than age. The RC parameters are not suitable to be represented by simple constants but are related to the Galactic stellar population structure. By analyzing the variation of M_λ and in the spatial distribution, we construct (R, z) dependent maps of mean absolute magnitudes and mean intrinsic colors of the Galactic RCs. Through external and internal validation, we find that using three-dimensional (3D) parameter maps to determine RC parameters avoids systematic bias and reduces dispersion by about 20% compared to using constant parameters. Based on Gaia's EDR3 parallax, our 3D parameter maps, and extinction–distance profile selection, we obtain a photometric RC sample containing 11 million stars with distance and extinction measurements.

Galaxies can grow through their mutual gravitational attraction and subsequent union. While orbiting a regular high-surface-brightness galaxy, the body of a low-mass galaxy can be stripped away. However, the stellar heart of the infalling galaxy, if represented by a tightly bound nuclear star cluster, is more resilient. From archival Hubble Space Telescope images, we have discovered a red, tidally stretched star cluster positioned ∼5″ (∼400 pc in projection) from, and pointing toward the center of, the post-merger spiral galaxy NGC 4424. The star cluster, which we refer to as “Nikhuli,” has a near-infrared luminosity of (6.88 ± 1.85) × 10⁶L_⊙,F160W and likely represents the nucleus of a captured/wedded galaxy. Moreover, from our Chandra X-ray Observatory image, Nikhuli is seen to contain a high-energy X-ray point source, with erg s⁻¹ (90% confidence). We argue that this is more likely to be an active massive black hole than an X-ray binary. Lacking an outward-pointing comet-like appearance, the stellar structure of Nikhuli favors infall rather than the ejection from a gravitational-wave recoil event. A minor merger with a low-mass early-type galaxy may have sown a massive black hole, aided an X-shaped pseudobulge, and be sewing a small bulge. The stellar mass and the velocity dispersion of NGC 4424 predict a central black hole of (0.6–1.0) × 10⁵M_⊙, similar to the expected intermediate-mass black hole in Nikhuli, and suggestive of a black hole supply mechanism for bulgeless late-type galaxies. We may potentially be witnessing black hole seeding by capture and sinking, with a nuclear star cluster the delivery vehicle.

With a mass of ∼1000 M_⊙ and a surface density of ∼0.5 g cm⁻², G023.477+0.114, also known as IRDC 18310-4, is an infrared dark cloud (IRDC) that has the potential to form high-mass stars and has been recognized as a promising prestellar clump candidate. To characterize the early stages of high-mass star formation, we have observed G023.477+0.114 as part of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Survey of 70 μm Dark High-mass Clumps in Early Stages. We have conducted ∼12 resolution observations with ALMA at 1.3 mm in dust continuum and molecular line emission. We have identified 11 cores, whose masses range from 1.1 to 19.0 M_⊙. Ignoring magnetic fields, the virial parameters of the cores are below unity, implying that the cores are gravitationally bound. However, when magnetic fields are included, the prestellar cores are close to virial equilibrium, while the protostellar cores remain sub-virialized. Star formation activity has already started in this clump. Four collimated outflows are detected in CO and SiO. H₂CO and CH₃OH emission coincide with the high-velocity components seen in the CO and SiO emission. The outflows are randomly oriented for the natal filament and the magnetic field. The position-velocity diagrams suggest that episodic mass ejection has already begun even in this very early phase of protostellar formation. The masses of the identified cores are comparable to the expected maximum stellar mass that this IRDC could form (8–19 M_⊙). We explore two possibilities on how IRDC G023.477+0.114 could eventually form high-mass stars in the context of theoretical scenarios.

In recent years, dust masses of a few tenths of a solar mass have been found in the expanding ejecta of a number of core-collapse supernovae. How dust forms in such quantities remains poorly understood; theories of dust formation predict lower total masses and much faster formation rates than observations imply. One suggestion to reconcile observations and theory was made by Dwek et al., who proposed that the dust forms very rapidly, and because of its optical depth, is not initially observationally detectable, only being gradually revealed as the ejecta expand. Observational dust masses at early times would then only be lower limits. Using a large grid of radiative transfer models covering dust masses from 10⁻⁴ to 1 M_⊙ to calculate both the spectral energy distribution and the emission line profiles from clumpy dust shells, we show that this cannot be the case. Some clump distributions allow dust masses of ∼0.01 M_⊙ to be concealed in clumps and still predict an SED consistent with the observations. However, these geometries predict emission line profiles that are inconsistent with the observations. Similarly, clump geometries that reproduce the observed emission line profiles with dust masses >0.01 M_⊙ do not reproduce the SED. However, models with ∼10⁻³M_⊙ of amorphous carbon can reproduce both the SED and the emission line profiles. We conclude that no large masses of dust can be hidden from view in the ejecta of SN 1987A at early epochs, and that the majority of dust must thus have formed at epochs >1000 days.

Stellar streams are excellent probes of the underlying gravitational potential in which they evolve. In this work, we fit dynamical models to five streams in the Southern Galactic hemisphere, combining observations from the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey (S⁵), Gaia EDR3, and the Dark Energy Survey, to measure the mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). With an ensemble of streams, we find a mass of the LMC ranging from ∼14–19 × 10¹⁰M_⊙, probed over a range of closest approach times and distances. With the most constraining stream (Orphan–Chenab), we measure an LMC mass of , probed at a closest approach time of 310 Myr and a closest approach distance of 25.4 kpc. This mass is compatible with previous measurements, showing that a consistent picture is emerging of the LMC’s influence on structures in the Milky Way. Using this sample of streams, we find that the LMC’s effect depends on the relative orientation of the stream and LMC at their point of closest approach. To better understand this, we present a simple model based on the impulse approximation and we show that the LMC’s effect depends both on the magnitude of the velocity kick imparted to the stream and the direction of this kick.

Galactic bars are frequent in disk galaxies and they may support the transfer of matter toward the central engine of active nuclei. The barred galaxy NGC 1097 has magnetic forces controlling the gas flow at several kpc scales, which suggest that magnetic fields (B-fields) are dynamically important along the bar and nuclear ring. However, the effect of the B-field on the gas flows in the central kpc scale has not been characterized. Using thermal polarized emission at 89 μm with HAWC+/SOFIA, here, we measure that the polarized flux is spatially located at the contact regions of the outer bar with the starburst ring. The linear polarization decomposition analysis shows that the 89 μm and radio (3.5 and 6.2 cm) polarization traces two different modes, m, of the B-field: a constant B-field orientation and dominated by m = 0 at 89 μm, and a spiral B-field dominated by m = 2 at radio. We show that the B-field at 89 μm is concentrated in the warmest region of a shock driven by the galactic-bar dynamics in the contact regions between the outer bar with the starburst ring. Radio polarization traces a superposition of the spiral B-field outside and within the starburst ring. According to Faraday rotation measures between 3.5 and 6.2 cm, the radial component of the B-field along the contact regions points toward the galaxy's center on both sides. We conclude that gas streams outside and within the starburst ring follow the B-field, which feeds the black hole with matter from the host galaxy.

Magnetic field line reconnection is a universal plasma process responsible for the conversion of magnetic field energy to plasma heating and charged particle acceleration. Solar flares and Earth's magnetospheric substorms are two of the most investigated dynamical systems where global magnetic field reconfiguration is accompanied by energization of plasma populations. Such a reconfiguration includes formation of a long-living current system connecting the primary energy release region and cold dense conductive plasma of the photosphere/ionosphere. In both flares and substorms the evolution of this current system correlates with the formation and dynamics of energetic particle fluxes (although energy ranges can be different for these systems). Our study is focused on the similarity between flares and substorms. Using a wide range of data sets available for flare and substorm investigations, we qualitatively compare the dynamics of currents and energetic particle fluxes for one flare and one substorm. We show that there is a clear correlation between energetic particle precipitations (associated with energy release due to magnetic reconnection seen from riometer and hard X-ray measurements) and magnetic field reconfiguration/formation of the current system, whereas the long-term current system evolution correlates better with hot plasma fluxes (seen from in situ and soft X-ray measurements). We then discuss how data sets of in situ measurements of magnetospheric substorms can help interpret solar flare data.

Surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) magnitudes are a powerful standard candle to measure distances to semiresolved galaxies in the local universe, a majority of which are dwarf galaxies that often have bluer colors than bright early-type galaxies. We present an empirical i-band SBF calibration in a blue regime, 0.2 ≲ (g − i)₀ ≲ 0.8 in the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) magnitude system. We measure SBF magnitudes for 12 nearby dwarf galaxies of various morphological types with archival HSC imaging data, and use their tip of the red giant branch distances to derive fluctuation–color relations. In order to subtract contributions of fluctuations due to young stellar populations, we use five different g-band magnitude masking thresholds, M_g,thres = −3.5, −4.0, −4.5, −5.0, and −5.5 mag. We find that the rms scatter of the linear fit to the relation is the smallest (rms = 0.16 mag) in the case of M_g,thres = −4.0 mag, = (−2.65 ± 0.13) + (1.28 ± 0.24) × (g − i)₀. This scatter is much smaller than those in the previous studies (rms = 0.26 mag), and is closer to the value for bright red galaxies (rms = 0.12 mag). This calibration is consistent with predictions from metal-poor simple stellar population models.

Low-density points (LDPs), obtained by removing high-density regions of observed galaxies, can trace the large-scale structures (LSSs) of the universe. In particular, it offers an intriguing opportunity to detect weak gravitational lensing from low-density regions. In this work, we investigate the tomographic cross-correlation between Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing maps and LDP-traced LSSs, where LDPs are constructed from the DR8 data release of the DESI legacy imaging survey, with about 10⁶–10⁷ galaxies. We find that, due to the large sky coverage (20,000 deg²) and large redshift depth (z ≤ 1.2), a significant detection (10σ–30σ) of the CMB lensing–LDP cross-correlation in all six redshift bins can be achieved, with a total significance of ∼53σ over ℓ ≤ 1024. Moreover, the measurements are in good agreement with a theoretical template constructed from our numerical simulation in the WMAP 9 yr ΛCDM cosmology. A scaling factor for the lensing amplitude A_lens is constrained to A_lens = 1 ± 0.12 for z < 0.2, A_lens = 1.07 ± 0.07 for 0.2 < z < 0.4, and A_lens = 1.07 ± 0.05 for 0.4 < z < 0.6, with the r-band absolute magnitude cut of −21.5 for LDP selection. A variety of tests have been performed to check the detection reliability against variations in LDP samples and galaxy magnitude cuts, masks, CMB lensing maps, multipole ℓ cuts, sky regions, and photo-z bias. We also perform a cross-correlation measurement between CMB lensing and galaxy number density, which is consistent with the CMB lensing–LDP cross-correlation. This work therefore further convincingly demonstrates that LDP is a competitive tracer of LSS.

We apply a new galaxy group-finder to the Main Galaxy Sample of the SDSS. This algorithm introduces new freedom to assign halos to galaxies that is self-calibrated by comparing the catalog to complementary data. These include galaxy clustering data and measurements of the total satellite luminosity from deep-imaging data. We present constraints on the galaxy-halo connection for star-forming and quiescent populations. The results of the self-calibrated group catalog differ in several key ways from previous group catalogs and halo-occupation analyses. The transition halo mass scale, where half of the halos contain quiescent central galaxies, is at M_h ∼ 10^12.4h⁻¹M_⊙, significantly higher than other constraints. Additionally, the width of the transition from predominantly star-forming halos to quiescent halos occurs over a narrower range in halo mass. Quiescent central galaxies in low-mass halos are significantly more massive than star-forming centrals at the same halo mass, but this difference reverses above the transition halo mass. We find that the scatter in at fixed M_h is ∼0.2 dex for massive halos, in agreement with previous estimates, but rises sharply at lower halo masses. The halo masses assigned by the group catalog are in good agreement with weak-lensing estimates for star-forming and quiescent central galaxies. We discuss possible improvements to the algorithm made clear by this first application to data. The group catalog is made publicly available.

We report the detection of more than 120 emission lines corresponding to eight complex organic molecules (COMs; CH₃OH, CH₃CH₂OH, CH₃OCH₃, CH₃OCHO, CH₃COCH₃, NH₂CHO, CH₂DCN, and CH₃CH₂CN) and three isotopologues (CH₂DOH, ¹³CH₃CN, and CH₃C¹⁵N) toward the western component of the Ser-emb 11 binary young stellar object using observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array at ∼1 mm. The complex organic emission was unresolved with a ∼05 beam (∼220 au) in a compact region around the central protostar, and a population diagram analysis revealed excitation temperatures above 100 K for all COMs, indicating the presence of a hot corino. The estimated column densities were in the range of 10¹⁷−10¹⁸ cm⁻² for the O-bearing COMs, and three orders of magnitude lower for the N-bearing species. We also report the detection of H₂CO and CH₃OH emission in a nearby millimeter source that had not been previously cataloged. Ser-emb 11 is classified in the literature as a Class I source near the Class 0/I cutoff. The estimated COM relative abundances in Ser-emb 11 W and the other three Class I hot corino sources reported in the literature are consistent with those of Class 0 hot corinos, suggesting a continuity in the chemical composition of hot corinos during protostellar evolution.

We identify a sample of spectroscopically measured emission line galaxy (ELG) Pairs up to z = 1.6 from the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) Infrared Spectroscopic Parallels (WISP) survey. WISP obtained slitless, near-infrared grism spectroscopy along with direct imaging in the J and H bands by observing in the pure-parallel mode with the WFC3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. From our search of 419 WISP fields covering an area of ∼0.5 deg², we find 413 ELG pair systems, mostly H_α emitters. We then derive reliable star formation rates (SFRs) based on the attenuation-corrected H_α fluxes. Compared to isolated galaxies, we find an average SFR enhancement of 40%–65%, which is stronger for major Pairs and Pairs with smaller velocity separations (Δ_v < 300 km s⁻¹). Based on the stacked spectra from various subsamples, we study the trends of emission line ratios in pairs, and find a general consistency with enhanced lower ionization lines. We study the pair fraction among ELGs, and find a marginally significant increase with redshift f ∝ (1 + z)^α, where the power-law index α = 0.58 ± 0.17 from z ∼ 0.2 to ∼1.6. The fraction of active galactic nuclei is found to be the same in the ELG Pairs as compared to the isolated ELGs.

The recently developed J-region asymptotic giant branch (JAGB) method has extraordinary potential as an extragalactic standard candle, capable of calibrating the absolute magnitudes of locally accessible Type Ia supernovae, thereby leading to an independent determination of the Hubble constant. Using Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) parallaxes, we calibrate the zero-point of the JAGB method, based on the mean luminosity of a color-selected subset of carbon-rich AGB stars. We identify Galactic carbon stars from the literature and use their near-infrared photometry and Gaia EDR3 parallaxes to measure their absolute J-band magnitudes. Based on these Milky Way parallaxes we determine the zero-point of the JAGB method to be M_J = −6.14 ± 0.05 (stat) ± 0.11 (sys) mag. This Galactic calibration serves as a consistency check on the JAGB zero-point, agreeing well with previously published, independent JAGB calibrations based on geometric, detached eclipsing binary distances to the LMC and SMC. However, the JAGB stars used in this study suffer from the high parallax uncertainties that afflict the bright and red stars in EDR3, so we are not able to attain the higher precision of previous calibrations, and ultimately will rely on future improved DR4 and DR5 releases.

The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft is performing the first in situ exploration of the solar wind within 0.2 au of the Sun. Initial observations confirmed the Alfvénic nature of aligned fluctuations of the magnetic field B and velocity V in solar wind plasma close to the Sun, in domains of nearly constant magnetic field magnitude ∣B∣, i.e., approximate magnetic pressure balance. Such domains are interrupted by particularly strong fluctuations, including but not limited to radial field (polarity) reversals, known as switchbacks. It has been proposed that nonlinear Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities form near magnetic boundaries in the nascent solar wind leading to extensive shear-driven dynamics, strong turbulent fluctuations including switchbacks, and mixing layers that involve domains of approximate magnetic pressure balance. In this work we identify and analyze various aspects of such domains using data from the first five PSP solar encounters. The filling fraction of domains, a measure of Alfvénicity, varies from median values of 90% within 0.2 au to 38% outside 0.9 au, with strong fluctuations. We find an inverse association between the mean domain duration and plasma β. We examine whether the mean domain duration is also related to the crossing time of spatial structures frozen into the solar wind flow for extreme cases of the aspect ratio. Our results are inconsistent with long, thin domains aligned along the radial or Parker spiral direction, and compatible with isotropic domains, which is consistent with prior observations of isotropic density fluctuations or flocculae in the solar wind.

With the presence of evermore complex S-bearing molecules being detected lately, studies of their chemical formation routes need to keep up the pace to rationalize observations, suggest new candidates for detection, and provide input for chemical evolution models. In this paper, we theoretically characterize the hydrogenation channels of OCS on top of amorphous solid water (ASW) as an interstellar dust grain analog in molecular clouds. Our results show that the significant reaction outcome is trans-HC(O)SH, a recently detected prebiotic molecule toward G+0.693. The reaction is diastereoselective, explaining the apparent absence of the cis isomer in astronomical observations. We found that the reaction proceeds through a highly localized radical intermediate (cis-OCSH), which could be essential in the formation of other sulfur-bearing complex organic molecules due to its slow isomerization dynamics on top of ASW.

We study the ionization and excitation structure of the interstellar medium in the late-stage gas-rich galaxy merger NGC 6240 using a suite of emission-line maps at ∼25 pc resolution from the Hubble Space Telescope, Keck/NIRC2 with Adaptive Optics, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). NGC 6240 hosts a superwind driven by intense star formation and/or one or both of two active nuclei; the outflows produce bubbles and filaments seen in shock tracers from warm molecular gas (H₂ 2.12 μm) to optical ionized gas ([O iii], [N ii], [S ii], and [O i]) and hot plasma (Fe XXV). In the most distinct bubble, we see a clear shock front traced by high [O iii]/Hβ and [O iii]/[O i]. Cool molecular gas (CO(2−1)) is only present near the base of the bubble, toward the nuclei launching the outflow. We interpret the lack of molecular gas outside the bubble to mean that the shock front is not responsible for dissociating molecular gas, and conclude that the molecular clouds are partly shielded and either entrained briefly in the outflow, or left undisturbed while the hot wind flows around them. Elsewhere in the galaxy, shock-excited H₂ extends at least ∼4 kpc from the nuclei, tracing molecular gas even warmer than that between the nuclei, where the two galaxies’ interstellar media are colliding. A ridgeline of high [O iii]/Hβ emission along the eastern arm aligns with the southern nucleus’ stellar disk minor axis; optical integral field spectroscopy from WiFeS suggests this highly ionized gas is centered at systemic velocity and likely photoionized by direct line of sight to the southern active galactic nucleus.

Becker et al. measured the mean free path of Lyman-limit photons in the intergalactic medium (IGM) at z = 6. The short value suggests that absorptions may have played a prominent role in reionization. Here we study physical properties of ionizing photon sinks in the wake of ionization fronts (I-fronts) using radiative hydrodynamic simulations. We quantify the contributions of gaseous structures to the Lyman-limit opacity by tracking the column-density distributions in our simulations. Within Δt = 10 Myr of I-front passage, we find that self-shielding systems (N_{H I} > 10^17.2 cm⁻²) are comprised of two distinct populations: (1) overdensity Δ ∼ 50 structures in photoionization equilibrium with the ionizing background, and (2) Δ ≳ 100 density peaks with fully neutral cores. The self-shielding systems contribute more than half of the opacity at these times, but the IGM evolves considerably in Δt ∼ 100 Myr as structures are flattened by pressure smoothing and photoevaporation. By Δt = 300 Myr, they contribute ≲10% to the opacity in an average 1 Mpc³ patch of the universe. The percentage can be a factor of a few larger in overdense patches, where more self-shielding systems survive. We quantify the characteristic masses and sizes of self-shielding structures. Shortly after I-front passage, we find M = 10⁴–10⁸M_⊙ and effective diameters d_eff = 1–20 ckpc h⁻¹. These scales increase as the gas relaxes. The picture herein presented may be different in dark matter models with suppressed small-scale power.

We present the far-UV (FUV) photometry of images acquired with UVIT on AstroSat to probe the horizontal branch (HB) population of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 2298. UV-optical color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) are constructed for member stars in combination with Hubble Space Telescope UV Globular Cluster Survey data for the central region and Gaia and ground-based photometric data for the outer region. A blue HB (BHB) sequence with a spread and four hot HB stars are detected in all FUV-optical CMDs and are compared with theoretical updated BaSTI isochrones and synthetic HB models with a range in helium abundance, suggesting that the hot HB stars are helium enhanced when compared to the BHB. The estimated effective temperature, radius, and luminosity of HB stars, using the best spectral energy distribution fits, were compared with various HB models. BHB stars span a temperature range from 7500 to 12,250 K. Three hot HB stars have 35,000–40,000 K, whereas one star has around ∼100,000 K. We suggest the following evolutionary scenarios: two stars are likely to be the progeny of extreme HB (EHB) stars formed through an early hot-flasher scenario, one is likely to be an EHB star with probable helium enrichment, and the hottest HB star, which is about to enter the white dwarf cooling phase, could have evolved from the BHB phase. Nevertheless, these are interesting spectroscopic targets to understand the late stages of evolution.

Magnetic reconnection is widely accepted to be a major contributor to nonthermal particle acceleration in the solar atmosphere. In this paper we investigate particle acceleration during the impulsive phase of a coronal jet, which involves bursty reconnection at a magnetic null point. A test-particle approach is employed, using electromagnetic fields from a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of such a jet. Protons and electrons are found to be accelerated nonthermally both downwards toward the domain’s lower boundary and the solar photosphere, and outwards along the axis of the coronal jet and into the heliosphere. A key finding is that a circular ribbon of particle deposition on the photosphere is predicted, with the protons and electrons concentrated in different parts of the ribbon. Furthermore, the outgoing protons and electrons form two spatially separated beams parallel to the axis of the jet, signatures that may be observable in in-situ observations of the heliosphere.

An optical monitoring survey in the nearby dwarf galaxies was carried out with the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope. 55 dwarf galaxies and four isolated globular clusters in the Local Group were observed with the Wide Field Camera. The main aims of this survey are to identify the most evolved asymptotic giant branch stars and red supergiants at the endpoint of their evolution based on their pulsational instability, use their distribution over luminosity to reconstruct the star-formation history (SFH), quantify the dust production and mass loss from modeling the multiwavelength spectral energy distributions, and relate this to luminosity and radius variations. In this second of a series of papers, we present the methodology used to estimate SFH based on long-period variable (LPV) stars and then derive it for Andromeda I (And I) dwarf galaxy as an example of the survey. Using our identified 59 LPV candidates within two half-light radii of And I and Padova stellar evolution models, we estimated the SFH of this galaxy. A major epoch of star formation occurred in And I peaking around 6.6 Gyr ago, reaching 0.0035 ± 0.0016 M_⊙ yr⁻¹ and only slowly declining until 1–2 Gyr ago. The presence of some dusty LPVs in this galaxy corresponds to a slight increase in recent star formation peaking around 800 Myr ago. We evaluate a quenching time around 4 Gyr ago (z < 0.5), which makes And I a late-quenching dSph. A total stellar mass (16 ± 7) × 10⁶M_⊙ is calculated within two half-light radii of And I for a constant metallicity Z = 0.0007.

Recent ALMA observations have identified a variety of dust gaps in protoplanetary disks, which are commonly interpreted to be generated by unobserved planets. Predicting mass of such embedded planets is of fundamental importance in comparing those disk architectures with the observed diversity of exoplanets. The prediction, however, depends on the assumption that whether the same gap structure exists in the dust component alone or in the gas component as well. We assume a planet can only open a gap in the gas component when its mass exceeds the pebble isolation mass by considering the core-accretion scenario. We then propose two criteria to distinguish if a gap is opened in the dust disk alone or the gas gap as well when observation data on the gas profile is not available. We apply the criteria to 35 disk systems with a total of 55 gaps compiled from previous studies and classify each gap into four different groups. The classification of the observed gaps allows us to predict the mass of embedded planets in a consistent manner with the pebble isolation mass. We find that outer gaps are mostly dust alone, while inner gaps are more likely to be associated with a gas gap as well. The distribution of such embedded planets is very different from the architecture of the observed planetary systems, suggesting that significant inward migration is required in their evolution.

To explore overshoot mixing beyond the convective core in core helium-burning stars, we use the k−ω model, which is incorporated into the Modules of Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics to investigate overshoot mixing in the evolution of subdwarf B (sdB) stars. Our results show that the development of the convective core can be divided into three stages. The mass of the convective core increases monotonically when the radiative temperature gradient, ∇_rad, monotonically decreases outwardly, and overshoot mixing presents an exponential decay similar to Herwig. The splitting of the convective core occurs repeatedly when the minimum value of ∇_rad near the convective boundary is smaller than the adiabatic temperature gradient, ∇_ad. The mass at the outer boundary of the convective shell M_sc can exceed 0.2 M_⊙ after the central helium abundance drops to about Y_c ≈ 0.45. It is close to the convective core masses derived by asteroseismology for younger models (0.22 to ∼0.28 M_⊙). In the final stage, “core breathing pulses” occurred two or three times. Helium was injected into the convective core by overshoot mixing and increased the lifetime of sdB stars. The mass of the mixed region M_mixed can rise to 0.303 M_⊙ by the end. The oxygen content in the central core of our g-mode sdB models is about 80% by mass. The high amounts of oxygen deduced from asteroseismology may be evidence supporting the existence of core breathing pulses.

We present the 30 minutes cadence Kepler/K2 light curve of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2018agk, covering approximately one week before explosion, the full rise phase, and the decline until 40 days after peak. We additionally present ground-based observations in multiple bands within the same time range, including the 1 day cadence DECam observations within the first ∼5 days after the first light. The Kepler early light curve is fully consistent with a single power-law rise, without evidence of any bump feature. We compare SN 2018agk with a sample of other SNe Ia without early excess flux from the literature. We find that SNe Ia without excess flux have slowly evolving early colors in a narrow range (g − i ≈ −0.20 ± 0.20 mag) within the first ∼10 days. On the other hand, among SNe Ia detected with excess, SN 2017cbv and SN 2018oh tend to be bluer, while iPTF16abc’s evolution is similar to normal SNe Ia without excess in g − i. We further compare the Kepler light curve of SN 2018agk with companion-interaction models, and rule out the existence of a typical nondegenerate companion undergoing Roche lobe overflow at viewing angles smaller than 45°.

Unbiased understanding of molecular distributions in a disk/envelope system of a low-mass protostellar source is crucial for investigating physical and chemical evolution processes. We have observed 23 molecular lines toward the Class 0 protostellar source L483 with ALMA and have performed principal component analysis (PCA) for their cube data (PCA-3D) to characterize their distributions and velocity structures in the vicinity of the protostar. The sum of the contributions of the first three components is 63.1%. Most oxygen-bearing complex organic molecule lines have a large correlation with the first principal component (PC1), representing the overall structure of the disk/envelope system around the protostar. Contrary, the C¹⁸O and SiO emissions show small and negative correlations with PC1. The NH₂CHO lines stand out conspicuously at the second principal component (PC2), revealing more compact distribution. The HNCO lines and the high-excitation line of CH₃OH have a similar trend for PC2 to NH₂CHO. On the other hand, C¹⁸O is well correlated with the third principal component (PC3). Thus, PCA-3D enables us to elucidate the similarities and the differences of the distributions and the velocity structures among molecular lines simultaneously, so that the chemical differentiation between the oxygen-bearing complex organic molecules and the nitrogen-bearing ones is revealed in this source. We have also conducted PCA for the moment 0 maps (PCA-2D) and that for the spectral line profiles (PCA-1D). While they can extract part of characteristics of the molecular line data, PCA-3D is essential for comprehensive understandings. Characteristic features of the molecular line distributions are discussed on NH₂CHO.

In the first two papers of this series, we demonstrated the dynamism of machine learning applied to optical spectral analysis by using neural networks to extract kinematic parameters and emission-line ratios directly from the spectra observed by the SITELLE instrument located at the Canada–France–Hawai’i Telescope. In this third installment, we develop a framework using a convolutional neural network trained on synthetic spectra to determine the number of line-of-sight components present in the SN3 filter (656–683 nm) spectral range of SITELLE. We compare this methodology to standard practice using Bayesian inference. Our results demonstrate that a neural network approach returns more accurate results and uses fewer computational resources over a range of spectral resolutions. Furthermore, we apply the network to SITELLE observations of the merging galaxy system NGC 2207/IC 2163. We find that the closest interacting sector and the central regions of the galaxies are best characterized by two line-of-sight components while the outskirts and spiral arms are well-constrained by a single component. Determining the number of resolvable components is crucial in disentangling different galactic components in merging systems and properly extracting their respective kinematics.

Less abundant but still dynamically important solar wind components are the proton beam and alpha particles, which usually contribute similarly to the total ion momentum. The main characteristics of alpha particles are determined by the solar wind source region, but the origin of the proton beam and its properties are still not fully explained. We use the plasma data measured in situ on the path from 0.3 to 1 au (Helios 1 and 2) and focus on the proton beam development with an increasing radial distance as well as on the connection between the proton beam and alpha particle properties. We found that the proton beam relative abundance increases with increasing distance from the Sun in the collisionally young streams. Among the mechanisms suggested for beam creation, we have identified the wave–particle interactions with obliquely propagating Alfvén modes being consistent with observations. As the solar wind streams get collisionally older, the proton beam decay gradually dominates and the beam abundance is reduced. In search for responsible mechanisms, we found that the content of alpha particles is correlated with the proton beam abundance, and this effect is more pronounced in the fast solar wind streams during the solar maximum. We suggest that Coulomb collisions are the main agent leading to merging of the proton beam and core. We are also showing that the variations of the proton beam abundance are correlated with a decrease of the alpha particle velocity in order to maintain the total momentum balance in the solar wind frame.

The eruptive young star V899 Mon shows characteristics of both FUors and EXors. It reached a peak brightness in 2010, then briefly faded in 2011, followed by a second outburst. We conducted multifilter optical photometric monitoring, as well as optical and near-infrared spectroscopic observations, of V899 Mon. The light curves and color–magnitude diagrams show that V899 Mon has been gradually fading after its second outburst peak in 2018, but smaller accretion bursts are still happening. Our spectroscopic observations taken with Gemini/IGRINS and VLT/MUSE show a number of emission lines, unlike during the outbursting stage. We used the emission line fluxes to estimate the accretion rate and found that it has significantly decreased compared to the outbursting stage. The mass-loss rate is also weakening. Our 2D spectroastrometric analysis of emission lines recovered jet and disk emission of V899 Mon. We found that the emission from permitted metallic lines and the CO bandheads can be modeled well with a disk in Keplerian rotation, which also gives a tight constraint for the dynamical stellar mass of 2 M_⊙. After a discussion of the physical changes that led to the changes in the observed properties of V899 Mon, we suggest that this object is finishing its second outburst.

The SDSS-IV Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) survey has obtained high-resolution spectra for thousands of red giant stars distributed among the massive satellite galaxies of the Milky Way (MW): the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC/SMC), the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy (Sgr), Fornax (Fnx), and the now fully disrupted Gaia Sausage/Enceladus (GSE) system. We present and analyze the APOGEE chemical abundance patterns of each galaxy to draw robust conclusions about their star formation histories, by quantifying the relative abundance trends of multiple elements (C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Fe, Ni, and Ce), as well as by fitting chemical evolution models to the [α/Fe]–[Fe/H] abundance plane for each galaxy. Results show that the chemical signatures of the starburst in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) observed by Nidever et al. in the α-element abundances extend to C+N, Al, and Ni, with the major burst in the SMC occurring some 3–4 Gyr before the burst in the LMC. We find that Sgr and Fnx also exhibit chemical abundance patterns suggestive of secondary star formation epochs, but these events were weaker and earlier (∼5–7 Gyr ago) than those observed in the MCs. There is no chemical evidence of a second starburst in GSE, but this galaxy shows the strongest initial star formation as compared to the other four galaxies. All dwarf galaxies had greater relative contributions of AGB stars to their enrichment than the MW. Comparing and contrasting these chemical patterns highlight the importance of galaxy environment on its chemical evolution.

Accretion disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been proposed as promising sites for producing both (stellar-mass) compact object mergers and extreme mass ratio inspirals. Along with disk-assisted migration, ambient gas inevitably accretes onto compact objects. In previous studies, it was commonly assumed that either an Eddington rate or a Bondi rate takes place, although they can differ by several orders of magnitude. As a result, the mass and spin evolution of compact objects within AGN disks are essentially unknown. In this work, we construct a relativistic supercritical inflow–outflow model for black hole (BH) accretion. We show that the radiation efficiency of the supercritical accretion of a stellar-mass BH (sBH) is generally too low to explain the proposed electromagnetic counterpart of GW 190521. Applying this model to sBHs embedded in AGN disks, we find that, although the gas inflow rates at Bondi radii of these sBHs are commonly highly super-Eddington, a large fraction of inflowing gas eventually escapes as outflows so that only a small fraction accretes onto the sBH, resulting in mildly super-Eddington BH absorption in most cases. We also apply this model to neutron stars (NSs) and white dwarfs (WDs) in AGN disks. It turns out to be difficult for WDs to grow to the Chandrasekhar limit via accretion because WDs are spun up more efficiently to reach the shedding limit before the Chandrasekhar limit. For NSs accretion-induced collapse is possible if NS magnetic fields are sufficiently strong to keep the NS slowly rotating during accretion.

One of the striking observations from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft is the prevalence in the inner heliosphere of large amplitude, Alfvénic magnetic field reversals termed switchbacks. These ) fluctuations occur over a range of timescales and in patches separated by intervals of quiet, radial magnetic field. We use measurements from PSP to demonstrate that patches of switchbacks are localized within the extensions of plasma structures originating at the base of the corona. These structures are characterized by an increase in alpha particle abundance, Mach number, plasma β and pressure, and by depletions in the magnetic field magnitude and electron temperature. These intervals are in pressure balance, implying stationary spatial structure, and the field depressions are consistent with overexpanded flux tubes. The structures are asymmetric in Carrington longitude with a steeper leading edge and a small (∼1°) edge of hotter plasma and enhanced magnetic field fluctuations. Some structures contain suprathermal ions to ∼85 keV that we argue are the energetic tail of the solar wind alpha population. The structures are separated in longitude by angular scales associated with supergranulation. This suggests that these switchbacks originate near the leading edge of the diverging magnetic field funnels associated with the network magnetic field—the primary wind sources. We propose an origin of the magnetic field switchbacks, hot plasma and suprathermals, alpha particles in interchange reconnection events just above the solar transition region and our measurements represent the extended regions of a turbulent outflow exhaust.

In this paper we present relxilldgrad_nk, a relativistic reflection model in which the electron density of the accretion disk is allowed to have a radial power-law profile. The ionization parameter also has a nonconstant radial profile and is calculated self-consistently from the electron density and the emissivity. We show the impact of the implementation of the electron density gradient in our model by analyzing a NuSTAR spectrum of the Galactic black hole in EXO 1846–031 during its last outburst in 2019 and a putative future observation of the same source with Athena and eXTP. For the NuSTAR spectrum, we find that the new model provides a better fit, but there is no significant difference in the estimation of the model parameters. For the Athena+eXTP simulation, we find that a model without a disk density profile is unsuitable to test the spacetime metric around the compact object in the sense that modeling uncertainties can incorrectly lead to finding a nonvanishing deformation from the Kerr solution.

To simulate solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and predict their time of arrival and geomagnetic impact, it is important to accurately model the background solar wind conditions in which CMEs propagate. We use the Alfvén Wave Solar atmosphere Model (AWSoM) within the the Space Weather Modeling Framework to simulate solar maximum conditions during two Carrington rotations and produce solar wind background conditions comparable to the observations. We describe the inner boundary conditions for AWSoM using the ADAPT global magnetic maps and validate the simulated results with EUV observations in the low corona and measured plasma parameters at L1 as well as at the position of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft. This work complements our prior AWSoM validation study for solar minimum conditions and shows that during periods of higher magnetic activity, AWSoM can reproduce the solar plasma conditions (using properly adjusted photospheric Poynting flux) suitable for providing proper initial conditions for launching CMEs.

We present a large-scale study of stellar rotation for T Tauri stars in the Orion star-forming complex. We use the projected rotational velocity () estimations reported by the APOGEE-2 collaboration as well as individual masses and ages derived from the position of the stars in the HR diagram, considering Gaia-EDR3 parallaxes and photometry plus diverse evolutionary models. We find an empirical trend for decreasing with age for low-mass stars (0.4M_⊙ < M_* < 1.2M_⊙). Our results support the existence of a mechanism linking to the presence of accreting protoplanetary disks, responsible for regulating stellar rotation on timescales of about 6 Myr, which is the timescale in which most of the T Tauri stars lose their inner disk. Our results provide important constraints to models of rotation in the early phases of evolution of young stars and their disks.

It is well established that transverse MHD waves are ubiquitous in the solar corona. One of the possible mechanisms for heating both open (e.g., coronal holes) and closed (e.g., coronal loops) magnetic field regions of the solar corona is MHD wave-driven turbulence. In this work, we study the variation of the filling factor of overdense structures in the solar corona due to the generation of transverse MHD wave-driven turbulence. Using 3D MHD simulations, we estimate the density filling factor of an open magnetic structure by calculating the fraction of the volume occupied by the overdense plasma structures relative to the entire volume of the simulation domain. Next, we perform forward modeling and generate synthetic spectra of Fe xiii 10749 Å and 10800 Å density-sensitive line pairs using FoMo. Using the synthetic images, we again estimate the filling factors. The estimated filling factors obtained from both methods are in reasonable agreement. Also, our results match fairly well with the observations of filling factors in coronal holes and loops. Our results show that the generation of turbulence increases the filling factor of the solar corona.

Global models of the heliosphere are critical tools used in the interpretation of heliospheric observations. There are several three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) heliospheric models that rely on different strategies and assumptions. Until now only one paper has compared global heliosphere models, but without magnetic field effects. We compare the results of two different MHD models, the BU and Moscow models. Both models use identical boundary conditions to compare how different numerical approaches and physical assumptions contribute to the heliospheric solution. Based on the different numerical treatments of discontinuities, the BU model allows for the presence of magnetic reconnection, while the Moscow model does not. Both models predict collimation of the solar outflow in the heliosheath by the solar magnetic field and produce a split tail where the solar magnetic field confines the charged solar particles into distinct north and south columns that become lobes. In the BU model, the interstellar medium (ISM) flows between the two lobes at large distances due to MHD instabilities and reconnection. Reconnection in the BU model at the port flank affects the draping of the interstellar magnetic field in the immediate vicinity of the heliopause. Different draping in the models cause different ISM pressures, yielding different heliosheath thicknesses and boundary locations, with the largest effects at high latitudes. The BU model heliosheath is 15% thinner and the heliopause is 7% more inwards at the north pole relative to the Moscow model. These differences in the two plasma solutions may manifest themselves in energetic neutral atom measurements of the heliosphere.

Electron velocity distributions in the solar wind are known to have field-aligned skewness, which has been characterized by the presence of secondary populations such as the halo and strahl. Skewness may provide energy for the excitation of electromagnetic instabilities, such as the whistler heat flux instability (WHFI), which may play an important role in regulating the electron heat flux in the solar wind. Here we use kinetic theory to analyze the stability of the WHFI in a solar-wind-like plasma where solar wind core, halo, and strahl electrons are described as a superposition of two distributions: a Maxwellian core, and another population modeled by a Kappa distribution to which an asymmetry term has been added, representing the halo and also the strahl. Considering distributions with small skewness, we solve the dispersion relation for the parallel-propagating whistler mode and study its linear stability for different plasma parameters. Our results show that the WHFI can develop in this system and provide stability thresholds for this instability, as a function of the electron beta and the parallel electron heat flux, to be compared with observational data. However, since different plasma states, with different stability level to the WHFI, can have the same moment heat flux value, it is the skewness (i.e., the asymmetry of the distribution along the magnetic field), and not the heat flux, that is the best indicator of instabilities. Thus, systems with high heat flux can be stable enough to WHFI, so that it is not clear whether the instability can effectively regulate the heat flux values through wave–particle interactions.

We present observational constraints for the initial-to-final mass relation (IFMR) derived from 11 white dwarfs (WDs) in wide binaries (WBs) that contain a turnoff/subgiant primary. Because the components of WBs are coeval to a good approximation, the age of the WD progenitor can be determined from the study of its wide companion. However, previous works that used WBs to constrain the IFMR suffered from large uncertainties in the initial masses because their main-sequence primaries are difficult to age-date with good precision. Our selection of WBs with slightly evolved primaries avoids this problem by restricting to a region of parameter space where isochrone ages are significantly easier to determine with precision. The WDs of two of our originally selected binaries were found to be close double degenerates and are not used in the IFMR analysis. We obtained more precise constraints than existing ones in the mass range 1–2 M_⊙, corresponding to a previously poorly constrained region of the IFMR. Having introduced the use of turnoff/subgiant–WD binaries, the study of the IFMR is not limited anymore by the precision in initial mass, but now the pressure is on final mass, i.e., the mass of the WD today. Looking at the full data set, our results would suggest a relatively large dispersion in the IFMR at low initial masses. More precise determinations of the mass of the WD components of our targets are necessary for settling this question.

We perform 2.5D particle-in-cell simulations of decaying turbulence in the presence of a guide (out-of-plane) background magnetic field. The fluctuating magnetic field initially consists of Fourier modes at low wavenumbers (long wavelengths). With time, the electromagnetic energy is converted to plasma kinetic energy (bulk flow+thermal energy) at the rate per unit volume of J· E for current density J and electric field E. Such decaying turbulence is well known to evolve toward a state with strongly intermittent plasma current. Here we decompose the electric field into components that are irrotational, E_ir, and solenoidal (divergence-free), E_so. E_ir is associated with charge separation, and J · E_ir is a rate of energy transfer between ions and electrons with little net change in plasma kinetic energy. Therefore, the net rate of conversion of electromagnetic energy to plasma kinetic energy is strongly dominated by J · E_so, and for a strong guide magnetic field, this mainly involves the component E_so,∥ parallel to the total magnetic field B. We examine various indicators of the spatial distribution of the energy transfer rate J_∥ · E_so,∥, which relates to magnetic reconnection, the best of which are (1) the ratio of the out-of-plane electric field to the in-plane magnetic field, (2) the out-of-plane component of the nonideal electric field, and (3) the magnitude of the estimate of current helicity

This work presents a first attempt to apply fuzzy cluster analysis (FCA) to analyzing stellar spectra. FCA is adopted to categorize line indices measured from LAMOST low-resolution spectra, and automatically remove the least metallicity-sensitive indices. The FCA-processed indices are then transferred to the artificial neural network (ANN) to derive metallicities for 147 very metal-poor (VMP) stars that have been analyzed by high-resolution spectroscopy. The FCA-ANN method could derive robust metallicities for VMP stars, with a precision of ∼0.2 dex compared with high-resolution analysis. The recommended FCA threshold value λ for this test is between 0.9965 and 0.9975. After reducing the dimension of the line indices through FCA, the derived metallicities are still robust, with no loss of accuracy, and the FCA-ANN method performs stably for different spectral quality from [Fe/H] ∼ −1.8 down to −3.5. Compared with traditional classification methods, FCA considers ambiguity in groupings and noncontinuity of data, and is thus more suitable for observational data analysis. Though this early test uses FCA to analyze low-resolution spectra, and feeds the input to the ANN method to derive metallicities, FCA should be able to, in the large data era, also analyze slitless spectroscopy and multiband photometry, and prepare the input for methods not limited to ANN, in the field of stellar physics for other studies, e.g., stellar classification, identification of peculiar objects. The literature-collected high-resolution sample can help improve pipelines to derive stellar metallicities, and systematic offsets in metallicities for VMP stars for three published LAMOST catalogs have been discussed.

The distribution of orbital energies imparted into stellar debris following the close encounter of a star with a supermassive black hole is the principal factor in determining the rate of return of debris to the black hole, and thus in determining the properties of the resulting lightcurves from such events. We present simulations of tidal disruption events for a range of β ≡ r_t/r_p where r_p is the pericenter distance and r_t the tidal radius. We perform these simulations at different spatial resolutions to determine the numerical convergence of our models. We compare simulations in which the heating due to shocks is included or excluded from the dynamics. For β ≲ 8, the simulation results are well-converged at sufficiently moderate-to-high spatial resolution, while for β ≳ 8, the breadth of the energy distribution can be grossly exaggerated by insufficient spatial resolution. We find that shock heating plays a non-negligible role only for β ≳ 4, and that typically the effect of shock heating is mild. We show that self-gravity can modify the energy distribution over time after the debris has receded to large distances for all β. Primarily, our results show that across a range of impact parameters, while the shape of the energy distribution varies with β, the width of the energy spread imparted to the bulk of the debris is closely matched to the canonical spread, , for the range of β we have simulated.

We have surveyed magnetic field data from the Ulysses spacecraft and found examples of magnetic waves with the expected characteristics that point to excitation by newborn pickup He⁺. With interstellar neutrals as the likely source for the pickup ions, we have modeled the ion production rates and used them to produce wave excitation rates that we compare to the background turbulence rates. The source ions are thought to be always present, but the waves are seen when growth rates are comparable to or exceed the turbulence rates. With the exception of the fast latitude scans, and unlike the waves excited by newborn interstellar pickup H⁺, the waves are seen throughout the Ulysses orbit.

We perform a detailed theoretical study of the atomic structure of ions with ns²np^m ground configurations and focus on departures from LS coupling, which directly affect the Landé g factors of magnetic dipole lines between levels of the ground terms. Particular emphasis is given to astrophysically abundant ions formed in the solar corona (those with n = 2,3) with M1 transitions spanning a broad range of wavelengths. Accurate Landé g factors are needed to diagnose coronal magnetic fields using measurements from new instruments operating at visible and infrared wavelengths, such as the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. We emphasize an explanation of the dynamics of atomic structure effects for nonspecialists.

We report on a discovery of an X-ray emitting circumstellar material (CSM) knot inside the synchrotron dominant supernova remnant RX J1713.7−3946. This knot was previously thought to be a Wolf–Rayet star (WR 85), but we realized that it is in fact ∼40″ away from WR 85, indicating no relation to WR 85. We performed high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on board XMM-Newton. The RGS spectrum clearly resolves a number of emission lines, such as N Lyα, O Lyα, Fe xviii, Ne x, Mg xi, and Si xiii. The spectrum can be well represented by an absorbed thermal-emission model with a temperature of k_BT_e = 0.65 ± 0.02 keV. The elemental abundances are obtained to be , , , , , and . The enhanced N abundance with others being about the solar values allows us to infer that this knot is CSM ejected when the progenitor star evolved into a red supergiant. The abundance ratio of N to O is obtained to be . By comparing this to those in outer layers of red supergiant stars expected from stellar evolution simulations, we estimate the initial mass of the progenitor star to be 15 M_⊙ ≲ M ≲ 20 M_⊙.

Line-intensity mapping observations will find fluctuations of integrated line emission are attenuated by varying degrees at small scales due to the width of the line emission profiles. This attenuation may significantly impact estimates of astrophysical or cosmological quantities derived from measurements. We consider a theoretical treatment of the effect of line broadening on both the clustering and shot-noise components of the power spectrum of a generic line-intensity power spectrum using a halo model. We then consider possible simplifications to allow easier application in analysis, particularly in the context of inferences that require numerous, repeated, fast computations of model line-intensity signals across a large parameter space. For the CO Mapping Array Project and the CO(1–0) line-intensity field at z ∼ 3 serving as our primary case study, we expect a ∼10% attenuation of the spherically averaged power spectrum on average at relevant scales of k ≈ 0.2–0.3 Mpc⁻¹ compared to ∼25% for the interferometric Millimetre-wave Intensity Mapping Experiment targeting shot noise from CO lines at z ∼ 1–5 at scales of k ≳ 1 Mpc⁻¹. We also consider the nature and amplitude of errors introduced by simplified treatments of line broadening and find that while an approximation using a single effective velocity scale is sufficient for spherically averaged power spectra, a more careful treatment is necessary when considering other statistics such as higher multipoles of the anisotropic power spectrum or the voxel intensity distribution.

We present the results of the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph-Intragroup Medium (COS-IGrM) Survey that used the COS on the Hubble Space Telescope to observe a sample of 18 UV bright quasars, each probing the IGrM of a galaxy group. We detect Lyα, C ii, N v, Si ii, Si iii, and O vi in multiple sightlines. The highest ionization species detected in our data is O vi, which was detected in eight out of 18 quasar sightlines. The wide range of ionization states observed provide evidence that the IGrM is patchy and multiphase. We find that the O vi detections generally align with radiatively cooling gas between 10^5.8 and 10⁶ K. The lack of O vi detections in 10 of the 18 groups illustrates that O vi may not be the ideal tracer of the volume filling component of the IGrM. Instead, it either exists at trace levels in a hot IGrM or is generated in the boundary between the hotter IGrM and cooler gas.

Exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs within habitable zones are exposed to stellar environments more extreme than that terrestrial planets experience in our solar system, which can significantly impact the atmospheres of the exoplanets and affect their habitability and sustainability. This study provides the first prediction of hot oxygen corona structure and the associated photochemical loss from a 1 bar CO₂-dominated atmosphere of a Venus-like rocky exoplanet, where dissociative recombination of O₂⁺ ions is assumed to be the major source reaction for the escape of neutral O atoms and formation of the hot O corona (or exospheres) as on Mars and Venus. We employ a 3D Monte Carlo code to simulate the exosphere of Proxima Centauri b (PCb) based on the ionosphere simulated by a 3D magnetohydrodynamic model. Our simulation results show that variability of the stellar wind dynamic pressure over one orbital period of PCb does not affect the overall spatial structure of the hot O corona but contributes to the change in the global hot O escape rate that varies by an order of magnitude. The escape increases dramatically when the planet possesses its intrinsic magnetic fields as the ionosphere becomes more extended with the presence of a global magnetic field. The extended hot O corona may lead to a more extended H exosphere through collisions between thermal H and hot O, which exemplifies the importance of considering nonthermal populations in exospheres to interpret future observations.

The long-period, highly eccentric Wolf-Rayet star binary system WR 140 has exceptionally well-determined orbital and stellar parameters. Bright, variable X-ray emission is generated in shocks produced by the collision of the winds of the WC7pd+O5.5fc component stars. We discuss the variations in the context of the colliding-wind model using broadband spectrometry from the RXTE, Swift, and NICER observatories obtained over 20 yr and nearly 1000 observations through three consecutive 7.94 yr orbits, including three periastron passages. The X-ray luminosity varies as expected with the inverse of the stellar separation over most of the orbit; departures near periastron are produced when cooling shifts to excess optical emission in C iiiλ5696 in particular. We use X-ray absorption to estimate mass-loss rates for both stars and to constrain the system morphology. The absorption maximum coincides closely with the inferior conjunction of the WC star and provides evidence of the ion-reflection mechanism that underlies the formation of collisionless shocks governed by magnetic fields probably generated by the Weibel instability. Comparisons with K-band emission and He iλ10830 absorption show that both are correlated after periastron with the asymmetric X-ray absorption. Dust appears within a few days of periastron, suggesting formation within shocked gas near the stagnation point. The X-ray flares seen in η Car have not occurred in WR 140, suggesting the absence of large-scale wind inhomogeneities. Relatively constant soft emission revealed during the X-ray minimum is probably not from recombining plasma entrained in outflowing shocked gas.

A joint X-ray (0.2–2 keV) and ultraviolet (1150–3000 Å) time-domain study has been carried out on three nearby bright late-type stars, bracketing the Sun in properties. Alpha Cen A (HD 128620: G2 V) is a near twin to the Sun, although slightly more massive and luminous, slightly metal-rich, but older. Alpha Cen B (HD 128621: K1 V) is cooler than the Sun, somewhat less massive and lower in luminosity. Procyon (HD 61421: F5 IV–V) is hotter, more massive and more luminous than the Sun, half the age, but more evolved. Stellar observations were from Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Sun provided a benchmark through high-energy spectral scans from solar irradiance satellites and novel high-dispersion full-disk profiles of key UV species—Mg ii, C ii, and Si iv—from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. Procyon’s flux history was strikingly constant at all wavelengths, in contrast to the other three cycling-dynamo stars. Procyon also displays a strong subcoronal (T ∼ 1 × 10⁵ K) emission excess, relative to chromospheric Mg ii (T ≲ 10⁴ K), although its X-rays (T ∼ 2 MK) appear to be more normal. At the same time, the odd sub-Gaussian shapes, and redshifts, of the subgiant’s “hot lines” (such as Si iv and C iv) are remarkably similar to the solar counterparts (and α Cen AB). This suggests a Sun-like origin, namely a supergranulation network supplied by magnetic flux from a noncycling “local dynamo.”

Solar wind magnetic fluctuations exhibit anisotropy due to the presence of a mean magnetic field in the form of the Parker spiral. Close to the Sun, direct measurements were not available until the recently launched Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission. The nature of the anisotropy and geometry of the magnetic fluctuations play a fundamental role in dissipation processes and in the transport of energetic particles in space. Using PSP data, we present measurements of the geometry and anisotropy of the inner heliosphere magnetic fluctuations, from fluid to kinetic scales. The results are surprising and different from 1 au observations. We find that fluctuations evolve characteristically with size scale. However, unlike 1 au solar wind, at the outer scale, the fluctuations are dominated by wavevectors quasi-parallel to the local magnetic field. In the inertial range, average wavevectors become less field aligned, but still remain more field aligned than near-Earth solar wind. In the dissipation range, the wavevectors become almost perpendicular to the local magnetic field in the dissipation range, to a much higher degree than those indicated by 1 au observations. We propose that this reduced degree of anisotropy in the outer scale and inertial range is due to the nature of large-scale forcing outside the solar corona.

Air-Cherenkov telescopes have detected pulsations at energies above 50 GeV from a growing number of Fermi pulsars. These include the Crab, Vela, PSR B1706−44, and Geminga, with the first two having pulsed detections above 1 TeV. In some cases, there appears to be very-high-energy (VHE) emission that is an extension of the Fermi spectra to high energies, while in other cases, additional higher-energy spectral components that require a separate emission mechanism may be present. We present results of broadband spectral modeling using global magnetospheric fields and multiple emission mechanisms that include synchro-curvature (SC) and inverse Compton scattered (ICS) radiation from accelerated particles (primaries) and synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission from lower-energy pairs. Our models predict three distinct VHE components: SC from primaries whose high-energy tail can extend to 100 GeV, SSC from pairs that can extend to several TeV, and ICS from primary particles accelerated in the current sheet that scatter pair synchrotron radiation, which appears beyond 10 TeV. Our models suggest that H.E.S.S.-II and MAGIC have detected the high-energy tail of the primary SC component that produces the Fermi spectrum in Vela, Geminga, and PSR B1706−44. We argue that the ICS component peaking above 10 TeV from Vela has been seen by H.E.S.S. Detection of this emission component from the Crab and other pulsars is possible with the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory and Cherenkov Telescope Array, and will directly measure the maximum particle energy in pulsars.

We report the probable detection of energetic neutral hydrogen atoms (ENAs) at >0.8 MeV in several large solar energetic particle events observed between 1997 and 2004. The low Earth orbiting SAMPEX satellite detected transient increases of quasi-trapped equatorial protons beginning typically ∼3 hr after the X-ray flare and lasting for up to several hours. Since the magnetic cutoff rigidity is >10 GV at the magnetic latitude where the particles were observed, we interpret the signal as due to ENAs that penetrate Earth’s magnetic field and charge exchange in the upper atmosphere, whereupon the charged particles may become trapped. One event outside our survey period (2006 December 5) had previously reported solar flare ENAs, the only example of this phenomenon of which we are aware. Although the statistics are limited, the events we report suggest that the ENAs are produced as the flare-associated coronal mass wjection moves through the corona, as concluded previously for the 2006 December 5 event. The finding of ENAs emitted in conjunction with large solar flares opens a new avenue to understanding these events.

The origin and evolution of the ¹⁴N/¹⁵N ratio of Titan’s atmosphere has long been a subject of debate. Clearly a better understanding of the N isotopic fractionation mechanism would greatly help resolve this. Photodissociation of N₂ by solar radiation has been suggested to either play a negligible role in fractionating the N isotopes in Titan, due to its rather low escape velocity, or to preferentially remove ¹⁵N through self-shielding controlled photochemical reactions. Here, we systematically measure the branching ratios of ¹⁴N¹⁵N between N(⁴S)+N(²P) and N(⁴S)+N(²D) channels. We find that many of its absorption states predominantly dissociate into N(⁴S)+N(²P) with a strong isotope effect between ¹⁴N₂ and ¹⁴N¹⁵N. Since N atoms produced from N(⁴S)+N(²P) acquire velocities close to Titan’s escape velocity, these findings provide a new N isotope fractionation mechanism for Titan that has not been considered before, potentially providing important constraints on the origin and evolution of Titan’s N₂-dominated atmosphere.

We analyze 143 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed in H band (1.6–1.8 μm) and find that SNe Ia are intrinsically brighter in H band with increasing host galaxy stellar mass. We find that SNe Ia in galaxies more massive than 10^10.43 M_⊙ are 0.13 ± 0.04 mag brighter in H than SNe Ia in less massive galaxies. The same set of SNe Ia observed at optical wavelengths, after width–color–luminosity corrections, exhibit a 0.10 ± 0.03 mag offset in the Hubble residuals. We observe an outlier population ( mag) in the H band and show that removing the outlier population moves the mass threshold to 10^10.65 M_⊙ and reduces the step in H band to 0.08 ± 0.04 mag, but the equivalent optical mass step is increased to 0.13 ± 0.04 mag. We conclude that the outliers do not drive the brightness–host-mass correlation. Less massive galaxies preferentially host more higher-stretch SNe Ia, which are intrinsically brighter and bluer. It is only after correction for width–luminosity and color–luminosity relationships that SNe Ia have brighter optical Hubble residuals in more massive galaxies. Thus, finding that SNe Ia are intrinsically brighter in H in more massive galaxies is an opposite correlation to the intrinsic (pre-width–luminosity correction) optical brightness. If dust and the treatment of intrinsic color variation were the main driver of the host galaxy mass correlation, we would not expect a correlation of brighter H-band SNe Ia in more massive galaxies.

We present our third set of results from our mid-infrared imaging survey of Milky Way Giant H ii regions with our detailed analysis of W49A, one of the most distant, yet most luminous, GH ii regions in the Galaxy. We used the FORCAST instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to obtain 20 and 37 μm images of the entire ∼50 × 35 infrared-emitting area of W49A at a spatial resolution of ∼3″. Utilizing these SOFIA data in conjunction with previous multiwavelength observations from the near-infrared to radio, including Spitzer-IRAC and Herschel-PACS archival data, we investigate the physical nature of individual infrared sources and subcomponents within W49A. For individual compact sources, we used the multiwavelength photometry data to construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and fit them with massive young stellar object (MYSO) SED models and find 22 sources that are likely to be MYSOs. Ten new sources are identified for the first time in this work. Even at 37 μm we are unable to detect infrared emission from the sources on the western side of the extremely extinguished ring of compact radio emission sources known as the Welch Ring. Utilizing multiwavelength data, we derived luminosity-to-mass ratio and virial parameters of the extended radio subregions of W49A to estimate their relative ages and find that overall the subcomponents of W49A have a very small spread in evolutionary state compared to our previously studied GH ii regions.

We present our investigation of the extended ultraviolet (XUV) disk galaxy, NGC 3344, conducted as part of Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium survey. We use surface and aperture photometry of individual young stellar complexes to study star formation and its effect on the physical properties of the interstellar medium. We measure the specific star formation rate (sSFR) and find it to increase from 10⁻¹⁰ yr⁻¹ in the inner disk to >10⁻⁸ yr⁻¹ in the extended disk. This provides evidence for inside-out disk growth. If these sSFRs are maintained, the XUV disk stellar mass can double in ∼0.5 Gyr, suggesting a burst of star formation. The XUV disk will continue forming stars for a long time due to the high gas depletion times (τ_dep). The stellar complexes in the XUV disk have high-Σ_{H I} and low-Σ_SFR with τ_dep ∼ 10 Gyr, marking the onset of a deviation from the traditional Kennicutt–Schmidt law. We find that both far-ultraviolet (FUV) and a combination of FUV and 24 μm effectively trace star formation in the XUV disk. Hα is weaker in general and prone to stochasticities in the formation of massive stars. Investigation of the circumgalactic medium at 29.5 kpc resulted in the detection of two absorbing systems with metal-line species: the stronger absorption component is consistent with gas flows around the disk, most likely tracing inflow, while the weaker component is likely tracing corotating circumgalactic gas.

We present ALMA observations on and around the radio-quiet quasar UM 287 at z = 2.28. Together with a companion quasar, UM 287 is believed to play a major role in powering the surrounding enormous Lyα nebula (ELAN), dubbed the Slug ELAN, that has an end-to-end size of 450 physical kpc. In addition to the quasars, we detect a new dusty star-forming galaxy (DSFG), dubbed the Slug-DSFG, in 2 mm continuum with a single emission line consistent with CO(4−3). The Slug-DSFG sits at a projected distance of 100 kpc southeast from UM 287, with a systemic velocity difference of −360 ± 30 km s⁻¹ with respect to UM 287, suggesting it is a possible contributor to the powering of the Slug ELAN. With careful modeling of the SED and dynamical analyses, it is found that the Slug-DSFG and UM 287 appear low in both gas fraction and gas-to-dust ratio, suggesting environmental effects due to the host’s massive halo. In addition, our Keck long-slit spectra reveal significant Lyα emissions from the Slug-DSFG, as well as a Lyα tail that starts at the location and velocity of the Slug-DSFG and extends toward the south, with a projected length of about 100 kpc. Supported by various analytical estimates we propose that the Lyα tail is a result of the Slug-DSFG experiencing ram pressure stripping. The gas mass stripped is estimated to be about 10⁹M_⊙, contributing to the dense warm/cool gas reservoir that is believed to help power the exceptional Lyα luminosity.

Gravitational waves (GWs) provide unobscured insight into the birthplace of neutron stars and black holes in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). The nuclear equation of state (EOS) describing these dense environments is yet uncertain, and variations in its prescription affect the proto−neutron star (PNS) and the post-bounce dynamics in CCSN simulations, subsequently impacting the GW emission. We perform axisymmetric simulations of CCSNe with Skyrme-type EOSs to study how the GW signal and PNS convection zone are impacted by two experimentally accessible EOS parameters, (1) the effective mass of nucleons, m^⋆, which is crucial in setting the thermal dependence of the EOS, and (2) the isoscalar incompressibility modulus, K_sat. While K_sat shows little impact, the peak frequency of the GWs has a strong effective mass dependence due to faster contraction of the PNS for higher values of m^⋆ owing to a decreased thermal pressure. These more compact PNSs also exhibit more neutrino heating, which drives earlier explosions and correlates with the GW amplitude via accretion plumes striking the PNS, exciting the oscillations. We investigate the spatial origin of the GWs and show the agreement between a frequency-radial distribution of the GW emission and a perturbation analysis. We do not rule out overshoot from below via PNS convection as another moderately strong excitation mechanism in our simulations. We also study the combined effect of effective mass and rotation. In all our simulations we find evidence for a power gap near ∼1250 Hz; we investigate its origin and report its EOS dependence.

This study revisits the role that nitrogen inclusion in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; those with nitrogen inclusion, PANHs) plays in their infrared (IR) spectral properties. We present spectra of pure PAHs, PANHs, and protonated PANHs, computed using density functional theory and basis sets that treat polarization. We investigate trends in peak position and relative intensities as a function of nitrogen position, charge, and geometry. We use Spitzer-IRS spectral map data of the northwest photodissociation region of NGC 7023 and a database-fitting approach, using exclusively the PA(N)H spectra computed in this paper, to assess their IR contribution to the cosmic PAH emission. We find that, by including the treatment of polarization, pure PAH cations can account for the class A 6.2 μm PAH emission, with the 6.2 μm band position being dependent on the molecular geometry. PANH cations are required to reproduce the most blueshifted 6.2 μm bands observed in class A sources, albeit PANH cations come with strong 11.0 μm emission. Blind database fits demonstrate that the restriction imposed by the 11.0 μm emission in the astronomical spectra limits the contribution of PANH cations and the fits have to use neutral PANHs to avoid inflating the 11.0 μm feature even further. By assuming that all of the 11.0 μm emission is due to PANHs, we derive an upper limit for the contribution of PANH cations to the astronomical 6.2 μm PAH band of ∼12%. The fits further show hydrogenated PANHs significantly contributing in NGC 7023's more benign region, supporting the view that shielded environments could sustain protonated PA(N)Hs.

We report on the gas-phase metallicity gradients of a sample of 238 star-forming galaxies at 0.6 < z < 2.6, measured through deep near-infrared Hubble Space Telescope slitless spectroscopy. The observations include 12 orbit depth Hubble/WFC3 G102 grism spectra taken as a part of the CANDELS Lyα Emission at Reionization (CLEAR) survey, and archival WFC3 G102+G141 grism spectra overlapping the CLEAR footprint. The majority of galaxies in this sample are consistent with having a zero or slightly positive metallicity gradient (dZ/dR ≥ 0, i.e., increasing with radius) across the full mass range probed (8.5 < log M_*/M_⊙ < 10.5). We measure the intrinsic population scatter of the metallicity gradients, and show that it increases with decreasing stellar mass—consistent with previous reports in the literature, but confirmed here with a much larger sample. To understand the physical mechanisms governing this scatter, we search for correlations between the observed gradient and various stellar population properties at fixed mass. However, we find no evidence for a correlation with the galaxy properties we consider—including star formation rates, sizes, star formation rate surface densities, and star formation rates per gravitational potential energy. We use the observed weakness of these correlations to provide material constraints for predicted intrinsic correlations from theoretical models.

Here, we report ALMA detections of polarized emission from dust, CS(J = 5 → 4), and C³³S(J = 5 → 4) toward the high-mass star-forming region NGC 6334I(N). A clear “hourglass” magnetic field morphology was inferred from the polarized dust emission, which is also directly seen from the polarized CS emission across velocity, where the polarization appears to be parallel to the field. By considering previous findings, the field retains a pinched shape that can be traced to clump length scales from the envelope scales traced by ALMA, suggesting that the field is dynamically important across multiple length scales in this region. The CS total intensity emission is found to be optically thick (τ_CS = 32 ± 12) while the C³³S emission appears to be optically thin (). This suggests that sources of anisotropy other than large velocity gradients, i.e., anisotropies in the radiation field, are required to explain the polarized emission from CS seen by ALMA. By using four variants of the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi technique and the angle dispersion function methods (ADF), we obtain an average of the estimates for the magnetic field strength on the plane of the sky of mG from the dust and mG from the CS emission, where each emission traces different molecular hydrogen number densities. This effectively enables a tomographic view of the magnetic field within a single ALMA observation.

The morphology and structure of galaxies reflect their star formation and assembly histories. We use the framework of mutual information (MI) to quantify the interdependence among several structural variables and to rank them according to their relevance for predicting the specific star formation rate (SSFR) by comparing the MI of the predictor variables with the SSFR and penalizing variables that are redundant. We apply this framework to study ∼3700 face-on star-forming galaxies (SFGs) with varying degrees of bulge dominance and central concentration and with stellar mass M_⋆ ≈ 10⁹M_⊙−5 × 10¹¹M_⊙ at redshift z = 0.02–0.12. We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 deep i-band imaging data, which improve measurements of asymmetry and bulge dominance indicators. We find that star-forming galaxies are a multiparameter family. In addition to M_⋆, asymmetry emerges as the most powerful predictor of SSFR residuals of SFGs, followed by bulge prominence/concentration. Star-forming galaxies with higher asymmetry and stronger bulges have higher SSFR at a given M_⋆. The asymmetry reflects both irregular spiral arms and lopsidedness in seemingly isolated SFGs and structural perturbations by galaxy interactions or mergers.

We observed with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array three deeply buried nuclei in two galaxies, NGC 4418 and Arp 220, at ∼02 resolution over a total bandwidth of 67 GHz in f_rest = 215–697 GHz. Here we (1) introduce our program, (2) describe our data reduction method for wide-band, high-resolution imaging spectroscopy, (3) analyze in visibilities the compact nuclei with line forests, (4) develop a continuum-based estimation method of dust opacity and gas column density in heavily obscured nuclei, which uses the buried galactic nuclei (BGN) model and is sensitive to ∼ 25–26 at λ ∼ 1 mm, and (5) present the continuum data and diagnosis of our targets. The three continuum nuclei have major-axis FWHMs of ∼01–03 (20–140 pc) aligned to their rotating nuclear disks of molecular gas. However, each nucleus is described better with two or three concentric components than with a single Gaussian. The innermost cores have sizes of 005–010 (8–40 pc), peak brightness temperatures of ∼100–500 K at 350 GHz, and more fractional flux at lower frequencies. The intermediate components correspond to the nuclear disks. They have axial ratios of ≈0.5 and hence inclinations ≳60°. The outermost elements include the bipolar outflow from Arp 220W. We estimate 1 mm dust opacity of τ_{d,1 mm} ≈ 2.2, 1.2, and ≲0.4, respectively, for NGC 4418, Arp 220W, and Arp 220E. The first two correspond to for conventional dust-opacity laws, and hence the nuclei are highly Compton thick.

We compare results of simulations of solar facular-like conditions performed using the numerical codes MURaM and STAGGER. Both simulation sets have a similar setup, including the initial condition of ≈200 G vertical magnetic flux. After interpolating the output physical quantities to constant optical depth, we compare them and test them against inversion results from solar observations. From the snapshots, we compute the monochromatic continuum in the visible and infrared, and the full Stokes vector of the Fe i spectral line pair around 6301–6302 Å. We compare the predicted spectral lines (at the simulation resolution and after smearing to the HINODE SP/SOT resolution) in terms of their main parameters for the Stokes I line profiles, and of their area and amplitude asymmetry for the Stokes V profiles. The codes produce magnetoconvection with similar appearance and distribution in temperature and velocity. The results also closely match the values from recent relevant solar observations. Although the overall distribution of the magnetic field is similar in both radiation-magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) simulation sets, a detailed analysis reveals substantial disagreement in the field orientation, which we attribute to the differing boundary conditions. The resulting differences in the synthetic spectra disappear after spatial smearing to the resolution of the observations. We conclude that the two sets of simulations provide robust models of solar faculae. Nevertheless, we also find differences that call for caution when using results from RMHD simulations to interpret solar observational data.

A strong super-Alfvénic drift of energetic particles (or cosmic rays) in a magnetized plasma can amplify the magnetic field significantly through nonresonant streaming instability (NRSI). While the traditional analysis is done for an ion current, here we use kinetic particle-in-cell simulations to study how the NRSI behaves when it is driven by electrons or by a mixture of electrons and positrons. In particular, we characterize the growth rate, spectrum, and helicity of the unstable modes, as well the level of the magnetic field at saturation. Our results are potentially relevant for several space/astrophysical environments (e.g., electron strahl in the solar wind, at oblique nonrelativistic shocks, around pulsar wind nebulae), and also in laboratory experiments.

Over the past two decades scientists have significantly improved our understanding of the transport of energetic particles across a mean magnetic field. Due to test-particle simulations, as well as powerful nonlinear analytical tools, our understanding of this type of transport is almost complete. However, previously developed nonlinear analytical theories do not always agree perfectly with simulations. Therefore, a correction factor a² was incorporated into such theories with the aim to balance out inaccuracies. In this paper a new analytical theory for perpendicular transport is presented. This theory contains the previously developed unified nonlinear transport theory, the most advanced theory to date, in the limit of small Kubo number turbulence. New results have been obtained for two-dimensional turbulence. In this case, the new theory describes perpendicular diffusion as a process that is sub-diffusive while particles follow magnetic field lines. Diffusion is restored as soon as the turbulence transverse complexity becomes important. For long parallel mean-free paths, one finds that the perpendicular diffusion coefficient is a reduced field line random walk limit. For short parallel mean-free paths, on the other hand, one gets a hybrid diffusion coefficient that is a mixture of collisionless Rechester & Rosenbluth and fluid limits. Overall, the new analytical theory developed in the current paper is in agreement with heuristic arguments. Furthermore, the new theory agrees almost perfectly with previously performed test-particle simulations without the need of the aforementioned correction factor a² or any other free parameter.

We present a study of the influence of magnetic field strength and morphology in Type Ia supernovae and their late-time light curves and spectra. In order to both capture self-consistent magnetic field topologies and evolve our models to late times, a two-stage approach is taken. We study the early deflagration phase (∼1 s) using a variety of magnetic field strengths and find that the topology of the field is set by the burning, independent of the initial strength. We study late-time (∼1000 days) light curves and spectra with a variety of magnetic field topologies and infer magnetic field strengths from observed supernovae. Lower limits are found to be 10⁶ G. This is determined by the escape, or lack thereof, of positrons that are tied to the magnetic field. The first stage employs 3D MHD and a local burning approximation and uses the code Enzo. The second stage employs a hybrid approach, with 3D radiation and positron transport and spherical hydrodynamics. The second stage uses the code HYDRA. In our models, magnetic field amplification remains small during the early deflagration phase. Late-time spectra bear the imprint of both magnetic field strength and morphology. Implications for alternative explosion scenarios are discussed.

We have estimated flux densities of several pulsars from radio interferometric observations mainly at 325 MHz using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. The new observations allowed us to update the spectral nature of the observed pulsars, and in six sources we identified relatively high frequency turnovers, which can be classified as new GHz-peaked spectrum (GPS) pulsars. For such objects the turnover in the spectrum is most likely caused by absorption in the immediate vicinity of the pulsar (or in the interstellar medium). We modeled the turnover spectra using the thermal free–free absorption model and the physical parameters obtained from the fits enabled us to identify the environments that could potentially be responsible for the observed absorption, such as pulsar wind nebulae, supernova remnant nebulae or H ii regions. The discovery of 6 new GPS pulsars brings the total number of such objects to 33 and we discuss the properties of the entire sample.

Braneworld models with induced gravity exhibit phantom-like behavior of the effective equation of state of dark energy. They can, therefore, naturally accommodate higher values of H₀, preferred by recent local measurements while satisfying the cosmic microwave background constraints. We test the background evolution in such phantom braneworld scenarios with the current observational data sets. We find that the phantom braneworld prefers a higher value of H₀ even without the R19 prior, thereby providing a much better fit to the local measurements. Although this braneworld model cannot fully satisfy all combinations of cosmological observables, among existing dark energy candidates the phantom brane provides one of the most compelling explanations of cosmic evolution.

Magnetic flux ropes are the centerpiece of solar eruptions. Direct measurements for the magnetic field of flux ropes are crucial for understanding the triggering and energy release processes, yet they remain heretofore elusive. Here we report microwave imaging spectroscopy observations of an M1.4-class solar flare that occurred on 2017 September 6, using data obtained by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array. This flare event is associated with a partial eruption of a twisted filament observed in Hα by the Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. The extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray signatures of the event are generally consistent with the standard scenario of eruptive flares, with the presence of double flare ribbons connected by a bright flare arcade. Intriguingly, this partial eruption event features a microwave counterpart, whose spatial and temporal evolution closely follow the filament seen in Hα and EUV. The spectral properties of the microwave source are consistent with nonthermal gyrosynchrotron radiation. Using spatially resolved microwave spectral analysis, we derive the magnetic field strength along the filament spine, which ranges from 600 to 1400 Gauss from its apex to the legs. The results agree well with the nonlinear force-free magnetic model extrapolated from the preflare photospheric magnetogram. We conclude that the microwave counterpart of the erupting filament is likely due to flare-accelerated electrons injected into the filament-hosting magnetic flux rope cavity following the newly reconnected magnetic field lines.

The cosmic origin of carbon, a fundamental building block of life, is still uncertain. Yield predictions for massive stars are almost exclusively based on single-star models, even though a large fraction interact with a binary companion. Using the MESA stellar evolution code, we predict the amount of carbon ejected in the winds and supernovae of single and binary-stripped stars at solar metallicity. We find that binary-stripped stars are twice as efficient at producing carbon (1.5–2.6 times, depending on choices regarding the slope of the initial mass function and black hole formation). We confirm that this is because the convective helium core recedes in stars that have lost their hydrogen envelope, as noted previously. The shrinking of the core disconnects the outermost carbon-rich layers created during the early phase of helium burning from the more central burning regions. The same effect prevents carbon destruction, even when the supernova shock wave passes. The yields are sensitive to the treatment of mixing at convective boundaries, specifically during carbon-shell burning (variations up to 40%), and improving upon this should be a central priority for more reliable yield predictions. The yields are robust (variations less than 0.5%) across our range of explosion assumptions. Black hole formation assumptions are also important, implying that the stellar graveyard now explored by gravitational-wave detections may yield clues to better understand the cosmic carbon production. Our findings also highlight the importance of accounting for binary-stripped stars in chemical yield predictions and motivates further studies of other products of binary interactions.

We present the characteristics of 2 mm selected sources from the largest Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) blank-field contiguous survey conducted to date, the Mapping Obscuration to Reionization with ALMA (MORA) survey covering 184 arcmin² at 2 mm. Twelve of 13 detections above 5σ are attributed to emission from galaxies, 11 of which are dominated by cold dust emission. These sources have a median redshift of primarily based on optical/near-infrared photometric redshifts with some spectroscopic redshifts, with 77% ± 11% of sources at z > 3 and 38% ± 12% of sources at z > 4. This implies that 2 mm selection is an efficient method for identifying the highest-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs). Lower-redshift DSFGs (z < 3) are far more numerous than those at z > 3 yet are likely to drop out at 2 mm. MORA shows that DSFGs with star formation rates in excess of 300 M_⊙ yr⁻¹ and a relative rarity of ∼10⁻⁵ Mpc⁻³ contribute ∼30% to the integrated star formation rate density at 3 < z < 6. The volume density of 2 mm selected DSFGs is consistent with predictions from some cosmological simulations and is similar to the volume density of their hypothesized descendants: massive, quiescent galaxies at z > 2. Analysis of MORA sources’ spectral energy distributions hint at steeper empirically measured dust emissivity indices than reported in typical literature studies, with . The MORA survey represents an important step in taking census of obscured star formation in the universe’s first few billion years, but larger area 2 mm surveys are needed to more fully characterize this rare population and push to the detection of the universe’s first dusty galaxies.

The role of whistler-mode waves in the solar wind and the relationship between their electromagnetic fields and charged particles is a fundamental question in space physics. Using high-temporal-resolution electromagnetic field and plasma data from the Magnetospheric MultiScale spacecraft, we report observations of low-frequency whistler waves and associated electromagnetic fields and particle behavior in the Earth’s foreshock. The frequency of these whistler waves is close to half the lower-hybrid frequency (∼2 Hz), with their wavelength close to the ion gyroradius. The electron bulk flows are strongly modulated by these waves, with a modulation amplitude comparable to the solar wind velocity. At such a spatial scale, the electron flows are forcibly separated from the ion flows by the waves, resulting in strong electric currents and anisotropic ion distributions. Furthermore, we find that the low-frequency whistler wave propagates obliquely to the background magnetic field (B₀), and results in spatially periodic magnetic gradients in the direction parallel to B₀. Under such conditions, large pitch-angle electrons are trapped in wave magnetic valleys by the magnetic mirror force, and may provide free perpendicular electron energy to excite higher-frequency whistler waves. This study offers important clues and new insights into wave–particle interactions, wave generation, and microscale energy conversion processes in the solar wind.

We describe the survey design, calibration, commissioning, and emission-line detection algorithms for the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). The goal of HETDEX is to measure the redshifts of over a million Lyα emitting galaxies between 1.88 < z < 3.52, in a 540 deg² area encompassing a comoving volume of 10.9 Gpc³. No preselection of targets is involved; instead the HETDEX measurements are accomplished via a spectroscopic survey using a suite of wide-field integral field units distributed over the focal plane of the telescope. This survey measures the Hubble expansion parameter and angular diameter distance, with a final expected accuracy of better than 1%. We detail the project’s observational strategy, reduction pipeline, source detection, and catalog generation, and present initial results for science verification in the Cosmological Evolution Survey, Extended Groth Strip, and Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey North fields. We demonstrate that our data reach the required specifications in throughput, astrometric accuracy, flux limit, and object detection, with the end products being a catalog of emission-line sources, their object classifications, and flux-calibrated spectra.

Establishing the spatial extents and the nature of the outer stellar populations of dwarf galaxies is necessary for the determination of their total masses, current dynamical states, and past evolution. We here describe our investigation of the outer stellar content of the Boötes I ultra-faint dwarf galaxy, a satellite of the the Milky Way. We identify candidate member blue horizontal branch and blue straggler stars of Boötes I, both tracers of the underlying ancient stellar population, using a combination of multiband Pan-STARRS photometry and Gaia astrometry. We find a total of twenty-four candidate blue horizontal branch member stars with apparent magnitudes and proper motions consistent with membership of Boötes I, nine of which reside at projected distances beyond the nominal King profile tidal radius derived from earlier fits to photometry. We also identify four blue straggler stars of appropriate apparent magnitude to be at the distance of Boötes I, but all four are too faint to have high-quality astrometry from Gaia. The outer blue horizontal branch stars that we have identified confirm that the spatial distribution of the stellar population of Boötes I is quite extended. The morphology on the sky of these outer envelope candidate member stars is evocative of tidal interactions, a possibility that we explore further with simple dynamical models.

The astrophysical sites where r-process elements are synthesized remain mysterious: it is clear that neutron star mergers (kilonovae (KNe)) contribute, and some classes of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) are also possible sources of at least the lighter r-process species. The discovery of ⁶⁰Fe on the Earth and Moon implies that one or more astrophysical explosions have occurred near the Earth within the last few million years, probably SNe. Intriguingly, ²⁴⁴Pu has now been detected, mostly overlapping with ⁶⁰Fe pulses. However, the ²⁴⁴Pu flux may extend to before 12 Myr ago, pointing to a different origin. Motivated by these observations and difficulties for r-process nucleosynthesis in SN models, we propose that ejecta from a KN enriched the giant molecular cloud that gave rise to the Local Bubble, where the Sun resides. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements of ²⁴⁴Pu and searches for other live isotopes could probe the origins of the r-process and the history of the solar neighborhood, including triggers for mass extinctions, e.g., that at the end of the Devonian epoch, motivating the calculations of the abundances of live r-process radioisotopes produced in SNe and KNe that we present here. Given the presence of ²⁴⁴Pu, other r-process species such as ⁹³Zr, ¹⁰⁷Pd, ¹²⁹I, ¹³⁵Cs, ¹⁸²Hf, ²³⁶U, ²³⁷Np, and ²⁴⁷Cm should be present. Their abundances and well-resolved time histories could distinguish between the SN and KN scenarios, and we discuss prospects for their detection in deep-ocean deposits and the lunar regolith. We show that AMS ¹²⁹I measurements in Fe–Mn crusts already constrain a possible nearby KN scenario.

We determine radial velocities and mass flow rates in a sample of 54 local spiral galaxies by modeling high-resolution and high-sensitivity data of the atomic hydrogen emission line. We found that, although radial inflow motions seem to be slightly preferred over outflow motions, their magnitude is generally small. Most galaxies show radial flows of only a few km s⁻¹ throughout their H i disks, either inward or outward, without any clear increase in magnitude in the outermost regions, as we would expect for continuous radial accretion. Gas mass flow rates for most galaxies are less than 1 M_⊙ yr⁻¹. Over the entire sample, we estimated an average inflow rate of 0.3 M_⊙ yr⁻¹ outside the optical disk and of 0.1 M_⊙ yr⁻¹ in the outskirts of the H i disks. These inflow rates are about 5–10 times smaller than the average star formation rate of 1.4 M_⊙ yr⁻¹. Our study suggests that there is no clear evidence for systematic radial accretion inflows that alone could feed and sustain the star formation process in the inner regions of local spiral galaxies at its current rate.

The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is the nearest dense star-forming region at ∼400 pc away, making it an ideal target to study the impact of high stellar density and proximity to massive stars (the Trapezium) on protoplanetary disk evolution. The OMC1 molecular cloud is a region of high extinction situated behind the Trapezium in which actively forming stars are shielded from the Trapezium’s strong radiation. In this work, we survey disks at high resolution with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array at three wavelengths with resolutions of 0095 (3 mm; Band 3), 0048 (1.3 mm; Band 6), and 0030 (0.85 mm; Band 7) centered on radio Source I. We detect 127 sources, including 15 new sources that have not previously been detected at any wavelength. 72 sources are spatially resolved at 3 mm, with sizes from ∼8–100 au. We classify 76 infrared-detected sources as foreground ONC disks and the remainder as embedded OMC1 disks. The two samples have similar disk sizes, but the OMC1 sources have a dense and centrally concentrated spatial distribution, indicating they may constitute a spatially distinct subcluster. We find smaller disk sizes and a lack of large (>75 au) disks in both our samples compared to other nearby star-forming regions, indicating that environmental disk truncation processes are significant. While photoevaporation from nearby massive Trapezium stars may account for the smaller disks in the ONC, the embedded sources in OMC1 are hidden from this radiation and thus must truncated by some other mechanism, possibly dynamical truncation or accretion-driven contraction.

We present and publicly release (www.gclasshst.com) the first spatially resolved Hα maps of star-forming cluster galaxies at z ∼ 1, made possible with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) G141 grism on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Using a similar but updated method to 3D-HST in the field environment, we stack the Hα maps in bins of stellar mass, measure the half-light radius of the Hα distribution, and compare it to the stellar continuum. The ratio of the Hα to stellar continuum half-light radius, , is smaller in the clusters by (6 ± 9)%, but statistically consistent within 1σ uncertainties. A negligible difference in R[Hα/C] with environment is surprising, given the higher quenched fractions in the clusters relative to the field. We postulate that the combination of high quenched fractions and no change in R[Hα/C] with environment can be reconciled if environmental quenching proceeds rapidly. We investigate this hypothesis by performing similar analysis on the spectroscopically confirmed, recently quenched cluster galaxies. 87% have Hα detections, with star formation rates 8 ± 1 times lower than star-forming cluster galaxies of similar stellar mass. Importantly, these galaxies have an R[Hα/C] that is (81 ± 8)% smaller than coeval star-forming field galaxies at fixed stellar mass. This suggests the environmental quenching process occurred outside-in. We conclude that disk truncation due to ram pressure stripping is occurring in cluster galaxies at z ∼ 1, but more rapidly and/or efficiently than in z ≲ 0.5 clusters, such that the effects on R[Hα/C] become observable just after the cluster galaxy has recently quenched.

We present a new investigation of the intergalactic medium (IGM) near the end of reionization using “dark gaps” in the Lyα forest. Using spectra of 55 QSOs at z_em > 5.5, including new data from the XQR-30 VLT Large Programme, we identify gaps in the Lyα forest where the transmission averaged over 1 comoving h⁻¹ Mpc bins falls below 5%. Nine ultralong (L > 80 h⁻¹ Mpc) dark gaps are identified at z < 6. In addition, we quantify the fraction of QSO spectra exhibiting gaps longer than 30 h⁻¹ Mpc, F₃₀, as a function of redshift. We measure F₃₀ ≃ 0.9, 0.6, and 0.15 at z = 6.0, 5.8, and 5.6, respectively, with the last of these long dark gaps persisting down to z ≃5.3. Comparing our results with predictions from hydrodynamical simulations, we find that the data are consistent with models wherein reionization extends significantly below redshift six. Models wherein the IGM is essentially fully reionized that retain large-scale fluctuations in the ionizing UV background at z ≲6 are also potentially consistent with the data. Overall, our results suggest that signatures of reionization in the form of islands of neutral hydrogen and/or large-scale fluctuations in the ionizing background remain present in the IGM until at least z ≃ 5.3.

We use Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) observations at 98 GHz (2015–2019), 150 GHz (2013–2019), and 229 GHz (2017–2019) to perform a blind shift-and-stack search for Planet 9. The search explores distances from 300 au to 2000 au and velocities up to 63 per year, depending on the distance (r). For a 5 Earth-mass Planet 9 the detection limit varies from 325 au to 625 au, depending on the sky location. For a 10 Earth-mass planet the corresponding range is 425 au to 775 au. The predicted aphelion and most likely location of the planet corresponds to the shallower end of these ranges. The search covers the whole 18,000 square degrees of the ACT survey. No significant detections are found, which is used to place limits on the millimeter-wave flux density of Planet 9 over much of its orbit. Overall we eliminate roughly 17% and 9% of the parameter space for a 5 and 10 Earth-mass Planet 9, respectively. These bounds approach those of a recent INPOP19a ephemeris-based analysis, but do not exceed it. We also provide a list of the 10 strongest candidates from the search for possible follow-up. More generally, we exclude (at 95% confidence) the presence of an unknown solar system object within our survey area brighter than 4–12 mJy (depending on position) at 150 GHz with current distance 300 au < r < 600 au and heliocentric angular velocity , corresponding to low-to-moderate eccentricities. These limits worsen gradually beyond 600 au, reaching 5–15 mJy by 1500 au.

Propagating transverse waves are thought to be a key transporter of Poynting flux throughout the Sun’s atmosphere. Recent studies have shown that these transverse motions, interpreted as the magnetohydrodynamic kink mode, are prevalent throughout the corona. The associated energy estimates suggest the waves carry enough energy to meet the demands of coronal radiative losses in the quiescent Sun. However, it is still unclear how the waves deposit their energy into the coronal plasma. We present the results from a large-scale study of propagating kink waves in the quiescent corona using data from the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP). The analysis reveals that the kink waves appear to be weakly damped, which would imply low rates of energy transfer from the large-scale transverse motions to smaller scales via either uniturbulence or resonant absorption. This raises questions about how the observed kink modes would deposit their energy into the coronal plasma. Moreover, these observations, combined with the results of Monte Carlo simulations, lead us to infer that the solar corona displays a spectrum of density ratios, with a smaller density ratio (relative to the ambient corona) in quiescent coronal loops and a higher density ratio in active-region coronal loops.

Single-line spectroscopic binaries have recently contributed to stellar-mass black hole discovery, independently of the X-ray transient method. We report the identification of a single-line binary system, LTD064402+245919, with an orbital period of 14.50 days. The observed component is a subgiant with a mass of 2.77 ± 0.68 M_⊙, radius 15.5 ± 2.5 R_⊙, effective temperature T_eff 4500 ± 200 K, and surface gravity log g 2.5 ± 0.25 dex. The discovery makes use of the Large Sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope time-domain and Zwicky Transient Facility survey. Our general-purpose software pipeline applies a Lomb–Scargle periodogram to determine the orbital period and uses machine learning to classify the variable type from the folded light curves. We apply a combined model to estimate the orbital parameters from both the light and radial velocity curves, taking constraints on the primary star mass, mass function, and detection limit of secondary luminosity into consideration. We obtain a radial velocity semiamplitude of 44.6 ± 1.5 km s⁻¹, mass ratio of 0.73 ± 0.07, and an undetected component mass of 2.02 ± 0.49 M_⊙ when the type of the undetected component is not set. We conclude that the inclination is not well constrained, and that the secondary mass is larger than 1 M_⊙ when the undetected component is modeled as a compact object. According to our investigations using a Monte Carlo Markov Chain simulation, increasing the spectra signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of 3 would enable the secondary light to be distinguished (if present). The algorithm and software in this work are able to serve as general-purpose tools for the identification of compact objects quiescent in X-rays.

The dynamics of magnetic reconnection in the solar current sheet (CS) is studied by high-resolution 2.5-dimensional MHD simulation. With the commencing of magnetic reconnection, a number of magnetic islands are formed intermittently and move quickly upward and downward along the CS. Upon collision with the semi-closed flux of the flare loops, the downflow islands cause a second reconnection with a rate comparable with that in the main CS. Though the time-integrated magnetic energy release is still dominated by the reconnection in the main CS, the second reconnection can release substantial magnetic energy, annihilating the main islands and generating secondary islands with various scales at the flare loop top. The distribution function of the flux of the secondary islands is found to follow a power law varying from (small scale) to ψ⁻² (large scale), which seems to be independent to background plasma β and thermal conduction (TC). However, the spatial scale and the strength of the termination shocks driven by the main reconnection outflows or islands decrease if β increases or if TC is included. We suggest that the annihilation of magnetic islands at the flare loop top, which is not included in the standard flare model, plays a nonnegligible role in releasing magnetic energy to heat flare plasma and accelerate particles.

PSR J1813–1749 has peculiarities that make it a very interesting object of study. It is one of the most energetic and the most scattered pulsars known. It is associated with HESS J1813–178, one of the brightest and most compact TeV sources in the sky. Recently, Ho et al. used archival X-ray Chandra observations separated by more than 10 yr and determined that the total proper motion of PSR J1813–1749 is ∼66 mas yr⁻¹, corresponding to a velocity of ∼1900 km s⁻¹ for a distance of 6.2 kpc. These results would imply that this pulsar is the fastest neutron star known in the Galaxy and, by estimating the angular separation with respect to the center of the associated supernova remnant, has an age of only ∼300 yr, making it one of the youngest pulsars known. Using archival high angular resolution VLA observations taken over 12 yr we have estimated the radio proper motions of PSR J1813–1748 to be much smaller: () = (−5.0 ± 3.7, −13.2 ± 6.7) mas yr⁻¹, or a total proper motion of 14.8 ± 5.9 mas yr⁻¹. The positions referenced against quasars make our results reliable. We conclude that PSR J1813–1749 is not a very fast moving source. Its kinematic age using the new total proper motion is ∼1350 yr. This age is consistent within a factor of a few with the characteristic age of the pulsar and with the age estimated from the broadband spectral energy distribution of HESS J1813–178, as well as the age of the associated supernova remnant.

The Lyα luminosity function (LF) of Lyα emitters (LAEs) has been used to constrain the neutral hydrogen fraction in the intergalactic medium (IGM) and thus the timeline of cosmic reionization. Here we present the results of a new narrowband imaging survey for z = 7.3 LAEs in a large area of ∼3 deg² with Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam. No LAEs are detected down to L_Lyα ≃ 10^43.2 erg s⁻¹ in an effective cosmic volume of ∼2 × 10⁶ Mpc³, placing an upper limit on the bright part of the z = 7.3 Lyα LF for the first time and confirming a decrease in bright LAEs from z = 7.0. By comparing this upper limit with the Lyα LF in the case of fully ionized IGM, which is predicted using an observed z = 5.7 Lyα LF on the assumption that the intrinsic Lyα LF evolves in the same way as the UV LF, we obtain the relative IGM transmission and then the volume-averaged neutral fraction x_{H I}(7.3) > 0.28. Cosmic reionization is thus still ongoing at z = 7.3, consistent with results from other x_{H I} estimation methods. A similar analysis using literature Lyα LFs finds that at z = 6.6 and 7.0, the observed Lyα LF agrees with the predicted one, consistent with full ionization.

We collect 133 fast radio bursts (FRBs), including 110 nonrepeating and 23 repeating ones, and systematically investigate their observational properties. To check the frequency dependence of FRB classifications, we define our samples with a central frequency below/above 1 GHz as subsample I/II. First, we find that there is a clear bimodal distribution of pulse width for subsample I. If we classify FRBs into short FRBs (sFRBs; <100 ms) and long FRBs (lFRBs; >100 ms) as done for short and long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the sFRBs at higher central frequency are commonly shorter than those at lower central frequency not only for nonrepeating but also repeating sFRBs. Second, we find that fluence and peak flux density are correlated with a power-law relation of for both sFRBs and lFRBs whose distributions are obviously different. Third, the lFRBs with isotropic energies ranging from 10⁴² to 10⁴⁴ erg are more energetic than the sFRBs in the F–DM_EX plane, indicating that they are two representative types. Finally, it is interesting to note that the peak flux density behaves independently on the redshift when the distance of the FRBs becomes far enough, which is similar to the scenario of the peak flux evolving with redshift in the field of GRBs. We predict that fainter FRBs at a higher redshift of z > 2 can be successfully detected by FAST and the Square Kilometre Array in the near future.

We use 3 mm continuum NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array and NH₃ Very Large Array observations toward the First Hydrostatic Core (FHSC) candidate CB 17 MMS in order to reveal the dust structure and gas properties to 600–1100 au scales and to constrain its evolutionary stage. We do not detect any compact source at the previously identified 1.3 mm point source, despite expecting a minimum signal-to-noise ratio of 9. The gas traced by NH₃ exhibits subsonic motions, with an average temperature of 10.4 K. A fit of the radial column density profile derived from the ammonia emission finds a flat inner region of radius ∼1800 au and a central density of ∼6 × 10⁵ cm⁻³. Virial and density structure analysis reveals the core is marginally bound (α_vir = 0.73). The region is entirely consistent with that of a young starless core, hence ruling out CB 17 MMS as an FHSC candidate. Additionally, the core exhibits a velocity gradient aligned with the major axis, showing an arc-like structure in the position–velocity diagram and an off-center region with high velocity dispersion, caused by two distinct velocity peaks. These features could be due to interactions with the nearby outflow, which appears to deflect due to the dense gas near the NH₃ column density peak. We investigate the specific angular momentum profile of the starless core, finding that it aligns closely with previous studies of similar radial profiles in Class 0 sources. This similarity to more evolved objects suggests that motions at 1000 au scales are determined by large-scale dense cloud motions, and may be preserved throughout the early stages of star formation.

This work establishes the most complete sample of red supergiants (RSGs) in 12 low-mass galaxies (WLM, IC 10, NGC 147, NGC 185, IC 1613, Leo A, Sextans B, Sextans A, NGC 6822, Pegasus Dwarf, SMC, and LMC) of the Local Group, which forms a solid basis to study the properties of RSGs as well as the star formation rate and initial mass function of the galaxies. After removing the foreground dwarf stars by their obvious branch in the near-infrared color–color diagram () with the UKIRT/WFCAM and 2MASS photometry as well as the Gaia/EDR3 measurements of proper motion and parallax, RSGs are identified from their location in the color–magnitude diagram of the member stars of the specific galaxy. A total of 2190 RSGs are found in 10 dwarf galaxies, and additionally, 4823 and 2138 RSGs are found in LMC and SMC, respectively. The locations of the tip of the red giant branch in the diagram are determined to serve as an indicator of the metallicity and distance modulus of the galaxies.

The youngest Galactic supernova remnant, G1.9+0.3, probably the result of a Type Ia supernova, shows surprising anomalies in the distribution of its ejecta in space and velocity. In particular, high-velocity shocked iron is seen in several locations far from the remnant center, in some cases beyond prominent silicon and sulfur emission. These asymmetries strongly suggest a highly asymmetric explosion. We present high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations in two and three dimensions of the evolution from ages of 100 s to hundreds of years of two asymmetric Type Ia models, expanding into a uniform medium. At the age of G1.9+0.3 (about 100 yr), our 2D model shows almost no iron shocked to become visible in X-rays. Only in a much higher-density environment could significant iron be shocked, at which time the model's expansion speed is completely inconsistent with the observations of G1.9+0.3. Our 3D model, evolving the most asymmetric of a suite of Type Ia supernova models from Seitenzahl et al. (2013), shows some features resembling G1.9+0.3. We characterize its evolution with images of composition in three classes: C and O, intermediate-mass elements (IMEs), and iron-group elements (IGEs). From ages of 13 to 1800 yr, we follow the evolution of the highly asymmetric initial remnant as the explosion asymmetries decrease in relative strength, to be replaced by asymmetries due to evolutionary hydrodynamic instabilities. At an age of about 100 yr, our 3D model has comparable shocked masses of C+O, IMEs, and IGEs, with about 0.03 M_⊙ each. Evolutionary changes appear to be rapid enough that continued monitoring with the Chandra X-ray Observatory may show significant variations.

The ZrO B¹Π—X¹Σ⁺ transition is an important opacity source in the near-infrared and optical spectrum of S-type stars. The 0–0, 0–1, 0–2, 1–0, 1–2, 1–3, 2–0, 2–1, 2–3, 2–4, 3–1, 3–4, and 4–2 bands of the ⁹⁰Zr¹⁶O B¹Π—X¹Σ⁺ transition are reanalyzed using a high-temperature (2390 K) high-resolution (0.04 cm⁻¹) emission spectrum collected at the National Solar Observatory (Kitt Peak). A modern spectroscopic analysis was performed using the PGOPHER program to provide updated spectroscopic constants and to produce a high-precision line list with line strengths based on an ab initio calculation of the transition dipole moment.

It has been proposed that the filament environment is closely connected to the pre-processing of galaxies, where their properties may have been changed by environmental effects in the filament before they fell into the galaxy cluster. We present the chemical properties of star-forming dwarf galaxies (SFDGs) in five filamentary structures (Virgo III, Leo Minor, Leo II A, Leo II B, and Canes Venatici) around the Virgo cluster using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical spectroscopic data and Galaxy Evolution Explorer ultraviolet photometric data. We investigate the relationship between stellar mass, gas-phase metallicity, and specific star formation rate (sSFR) of the SFDGs in the Virgo filaments in comparison to those in the Virgo cluster and field. We find that, at a given stellar mass, SFDGs in the Virgo filaments show lower metallicity and higher sSFR than those in the Virgo cluster on average. We observe that SFDGs in the Virgo III filament show enhanced metallicities and suppressed star formation activities comparable to those in the Virgo cluster, whereas SFDGs in the other four filaments exhibit similar properties to the field counterparts. Moreover, about half of the galaxies in the Virgo III filament are found to be morphologically transitional dwarf galaxies that are supposed to be on the way to transforming into quiescent dwarf early-type galaxies. Based on the analysis of the galaxy perturbation parameter, we propose that the local environment represented by the galaxy interactions might be responsible for the contrasting features in chemical pre-processing found in the Virgo filaments.

Due to the chaotic nature of planetary dynamics, there is a non-zero probability that Mercury’s orbit will become unstable in the future. Previous efforts have estimated the probability of this happening between 3 and 5 billion years in the future using a large number of direct numerical simulations with an N-body code, but were not able to obtain accurate estimates before 3 billion years in the future because Mercury instability events are too rare. In this paper we use a new rare-event sampling technique, Quantile Diffusion Monte Carlo (QDMC), to estimate that the probability of a Mercury instability event in the next 2 billion years is approximately 10⁻⁴ in the REBOUND N-body code. We show that QDMC provides unbiased probability estimates at a computational cost of up to 100 times less than direct numerical simulation. QDMC is easy to implement and could be applied to many problems in planetary dynamics in which it is necessary to estimate the probability of a rare event.

We present optical and near-infrared (NIR, Y-, J-, H-band) observations of 42 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the untargeted intermediate Palomar Transient Factory survey. This new data set covers a broad range of redshifts and host galaxy stellar masses, compared to previous SN Ia efforts in the NIR. We construct a sample, using also literature data at optical and NIR wavelengths, to examine claimed correlations between the host stellar masses and the Hubble diagram residuals. The SN magnitudes are corrected for host galaxy extinction using either a global total-to-selective extinction ratio, R_V = 2.0, for all SNe, or a best-fit R_V for each SN individually. Unlike previous studies that were based on a narrower range in host stellar mass, we do not find evidence for a “mass step,” between the color- and stretch-corrected peak J and H magnitudes for galaxies below and above . However, the mass step remains significant (3σ) at optical wavelengths (g, r, i) when using a global R_V, but vanishes when each SN is corrected using their individual best-fit R_V. Our study confirms the benefits of the NIR SN Ia distance estimates, as these are largely exempted from the empirical corrections dominating the systematic uncertainties in the optical.

Although large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are likely to be responsible for IR emission of gaseous and dusty regions, their neutral experimental high-resolution gas-phase IR spectra—needed to construct accurate astronomical models—have so far remained out of reach because of their nonvolatility. Applying laser desorption to overcome this problem, we report here the first IR spectra of the jet-cooled large PAHs coronene (C₂₄H₁₂), peropyrene (C₂₆H₁₄), ovalene (C₃₂H₁₄), and hexa(peri)benzocoronene (C₄₂H₁₈) in the 3–100 μm region. Apart from providing experimental spectra that can be compared directly to astronomical data, such IR spectra are crucial for assessing the accuracy of theoretically predicted spectra used to interpret interstellar IR emission. Here we use the experimental spectra to evaluate the performance of conventional calculations using the harmonic approximation, as well as calculations with an anharmonic (GVPT2) treatment. The harmonic prediction agrees well with the experiment between 100 and 1000 cm⁻¹ (100 and 10 μm) but shows significant shortcomings in the combination band (1600–2000 cm⁻¹, 6.25–5 μm) and CH-stretch (2950–3150 cm⁻¹, 3.4–3.17 μm) regions. Especially the CH-stretch region is known to be dominated by the effects of anharmonicity, and we find that large PAHs are no exception. However, for the CH out-of-plane region (667–1000 cm⁻¹, 15–10 μm) the anharmonic treatment that significantly improves the predicted spectra for small PAHs leads to large and unrealistic frequency shifts, and intensity changes for large PAHs, thereby rendering the default results unreliable. A detailed analysis of the results of the anharmonic treatment suggests a possible route for improvement, although the underlying cause for the large deviations remains a challenge for theory.

The results of the first synoptic survey of novae in the barred spiral and starburst galaxy, M83 (NGC 5236), are presented. A total of 19 novae and one background supernova were discovered during the course of a nearly 7 year survey comprised of over 200 individual nights of observation between 2012 December 12 and 2019 March 14. After correcting for the limiting magnitude and the spatial and temporal coverage of the survey, the nova rate in M83 was found to be R = 19⁺⁵₋₃ yr⁻¹. This rate, when normalized to the K-band luminosity of the galaxy, yields a luminosity-specific nova rate, ν_K = 3.0^+0.9_−0.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ yr ⁻¹L_⊙,K⁻¹. The spatial distribution of the novae is found to be more extended than the overall galaxy light suggesting that the observed novae are likely dominated by a disk population. This result is consistent with the observed novae light curves, which reveals that the M83 novae are on average more luminous at maximum light and fade faster when compared with novae observed in M31. Generally, the more luminous M83 novae were observed to fade more rapidly, with the complete sample being broadly consistent with a linear maximum magnitude versus rate of decline relation.

We present the line observations in our Atacama Millimeter-Submillimeter Array imaging spectral scan toward three deeply buried nuclei in NGC 4418 and Arp 220. We cover 67 GHz in f_rest = 215–697 GHz at about 02 (30, 80 pc) resolution. All the nuclei show dense line forests; we report our initial line identification using 55 species. The line velocities generally indicate gas rotation around each nucleus, tracing nuclear disks of ∼100 pc in size. We confirmed the counter-rotation of the nuclear disks in Arp 220 and that of the nuclear disk and the galactic disk in NGC 4418. While the brightest lines exceed 100 K, most of the major lines and many ¹³C isotopologues show absorption against even brighter continuum cores of the nuclei. The lines with higher upper-level energies, including those from vibrationally excited molecules, tend to arise from smaller areas, indicating radially varying conditions in these nuclei. The outflows from the two Arp 220 nuclei cause blueshifted line absorption below the continuum level. The absorption mostly has small spatial offsets from the continuum peaks to indicate the outflow orientations. The bipolar outflow from the western nucleus is also imaged in multiple emission lines, showing the extent of ∼1″ (400 pc). Redshifted line absorption against the nucleus of NGC 4418 indicates either an inward gas motion or a small collimated outflow slanted to the nuclear disk. We also resolved some previous confusions due to line blending and misidentification.

The results of gamma-ray observations of the binary system HESS J0632 + 057 collected during 450 hr over 15 yr, between 2004 and 2019, are presented. Data taken with the atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS at energies above 350 GeV were used together with observations at X-ray energies obtained with Swift-XRT, Chandra, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and Suzaku. Some of these observations were accompanied by measurements of the Hα emission line. A significant detection of the modulation of the very high-energy gamma-ray fluxes with a period of 316.7 ± 4.4 days is reported, consistent with the period of 317.3 ± 0.7 days obtained with a refined analysis of X-ray data. The analysis of data from four orbital cycles with dense observational coverage reveals short-timescale variability, with flux-decay timescales of less than 20 days at very high energies. Flux variations observed over a timescale of several years indicate orbit-to-orbit variability. The analysis confirms the previously reported correlation of X-ray and gamma-ray emission from the system at very high significance, but cannot find any correlation of optical Hα parameters with fluxes at X-ray or gamma-ray energies in simultaneous observations. The key finding is that the emission of HESS J0632 + 057 in the X-ray and gamma-ray energy bands is highly variable on different timescales. The ratio of gamma-ray to X-ray flux shows the equality or even dominance of the gamma-ray energy range. This wealth of new data is interpreted taking into account the insufficient knowledge of the ephemeris of the system, and discussed in the context of results reported on other gamma-ray binary systems.

Thermal emission has now been observed from dozens of exoplanet atmospheres, opening the gateway to population-level characterization. Here, we provide theoretical explanations for observed trends in Spitzer IRAC channel 1 (3.6 μm) and channel 2 (4.5 μm) photometric eclipse depths (EDs) across a population of 34 hot Jupiters. We apply planet-specific, self-consistent atmospheric models, spanning a range of recirculation factors, metallicities, and C/O ratios, to probe the information content of Spitzer secondary eclipse observations across the hot-Jupiter population. We show that most hot Jupiters are inconsistent with blackbodies from Spitzer observations alone. We demonstrate that the majority of hot Jupiters are consistent with low-energy redistribution between the dayside and nightside (hotter dayside than expected with efficient recirculation). We also see that high-equilibrium temperature planets (T_eq ≥ 1800 K) favor inefficient recirculation in comparison to the low temperature planets. Our planet-specific models do not reveal any definitive population trends in metallicity and C/O ratio with current data precision, but more than 59% of our sample size is consistent with the C/O ratio ≤ 1 and 35% are consistent with whole range (0.35 ≤ C/O ≤ 1.5). We also find that for most of the planets in our sample, 3.6 and 4.5 μm model EDs lie within ±1σ of the observed EDs. Intriguingly, few hot Jupiters exhibit greater thermal emission than predicted by the hottest atmospheric models (lowest recirculation) in our grid. Future spectroscopic observations of thermal emission from hot Jupiters with the James Webb Space Telescope will be necessary to robustly identify population trends in chemical compositions with its increased spectral resolution, range, and data precision.

We report on the Swift/XRT Deep Galactic Plane Survey discovery and multiwavelength follow-up observations of a new intermediate polar (IP) cataclysmic variable, Swift J183920.1-045350. A 449.7 s spin period is found in XMM-Newton and NuSTAR data, accompanied by a 459.9 s optical period that is most likely the synodic, or beat period, produced from a 5.6 hr orbital period. The orbital period is seen with moderate significance in independent long-baseline optical photometry observations taken with the ZTF and SAAO telescopes. We find that the X-ray pulse fraction of the source decreases with increasing energy. The X-ray spectra are consistent with the presence of an Fe emission line complex with both local and interstellar absorption. In the optical spectra, strong Hα, H i, He i, and He ii emission lines are observed, all common features in magnetic CVs. The source properties are thus typical of known IPs, with the exception of its estimated distance of kpc, which is larger than typical, extending the reach of the CV population in our Galaxy.

Nonstandard modeling of KIC 11145123, a possible blue straggler star, has been asteroseismically carried out based on a scheme to compute stellar models with the chemical compositions in their envelopes arbitrarily modified, mimicking the effects of some interactions with other stars through which blue straggler stars are thought to be born. We have constructed a nonstandard model of the star with the following parameters: M = 1.36 M_⊙, Y_init = 0.26, Z_init = 0.002, and f_ovs = 0.027, where f_ovs is the extent of overshooting described as an exponentially decaying diffusive process. The modification is down to the depth of r/R ∼ 0.6 and the extent ΔX, which is a difference in surface hydrogen abundance between the envelope-modified and unmodified models, is 0.06. The residuals between the model and the observed frequencies are comparable with those for the previous model computed assuming standard single-star evolution, suggesting that it is possible that the star was born with a relatively ordinary initial helium abundance of ∼0.26 compared with that of the previous models (∼0.30–0.40), then experienced some modification of the chemical compositions and gained helium in the envelope. Detailed analyses of the nonstandard model have implied that the elemental diffusion in the deep radiative region of the star might be much weaker than that assumed in current stellar evolutionary calculations; we need some extra mechanisms inside the star, rendering the star a much more intriguing target to be further investigated.

Transport equations for electron thermal energy in the high-β_e intracluster medium (ICM) are developed that include scattering from both classical collisions and self-generated whistler waves. The calculation employs an expansion of the kinetic electron equation along the ambient magnetic field in the limit of strong scattering and assumes whistler waves with low phase speeds V_w ∼ v_te/β_e ≪ v_te dominate the turbulent spectrum, with v_te the electron thermal speed and β_e ≫ 1 the ratio of electron thermal to magnetic pressure. We find: (1) temperature-gradient-driven whistlers dominate classical scattering when L_c > L/β_e, with L_c the classical electron mean free path and L the electron temperature scale length, and (2) in the whistler-dominated regime the electron thermal flux is controlled by both advection at V_w and a comparable diffusive term. The findings suggest whistlers limit electron heat flux over large regions of the ICM, including locations unstable to isobaric condensation. Consequences include: (1) the Field length decreases, extending the domain of thermal instability to smaller length scales, (2) the heat flux temperature dependence changes from to , (3) the magneto-thermal- and heat-flux-driven buoyancy instabilities are impaired or completely inhibited, and (4) sound waves in the ICM propagate greater distances, as inferred from observations. This description of thermal transport can be used in macroscale ICM models.

Building upon three late-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster with both a predicted black hole mass of less than ∼10⁵M_⊙ and a centrally located X-ray point source, we reveal 11 more such galaxies, more than tripling the number of active intermediate-mass black hole candidates among this population. Moreover, this amounts to a ∼36 ± 8% X-ray detection rate (despite the sometimes high, X-ray-absorbing, H i column densities), compared to just 10 ± 5% for (the largely H i-free) dwarf early-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster. The expected contribution of X-ray binaries from the galaxies’ inner field stars is negligible. Moreover, given that both the spiral and dwarf galaxies contain nuclear star clusters, the above inequality appears to disfavor X-ray binaries in nuclear star clusters. The higher occupation, or rather detection, fraction among the spiral galaxies may instead reflect an enhanced cool gas/fuel supply and Eddington ratio. Indeed, four of the 11 new X-ray detections are associated with known LINERs or LINER/H ii composites. For all (four) of the new detections for which the X-ray flux was strong enough to establish the spectral energy distribution in the Chandra band, it is consistent with power-law spectra. Furthermore, the X-ray emission from the source with the highest flux (NGC 4197: L_X ≈ 10⁴⁰ erg s⁻¹) suggests a non-stellar-mass black hole if the X-ray spectrum corresponds to the “low/hard state”. Follow-up observations to further probe the black hole masses, and prospects for spatially resolving the gravitational spheres of influence around intermediate-mass black holes, are reviewed in some detail.

Recent astronomical observations obtained with the Kepler and TESS missions and their related ground-based follow-ups revealed an abundance of exoplanets with a size intermediate between Earth and Neptune (1 R_⊕ ≤ R ≤ 4 R_⊕). A low occurrence rate of planets has been identified at around twice the size of Earth (2 × R_⊕), known as the exoplanet radius gap or radius valley. We explore the geometry of this gap in the mass–radius diagram, with the help of a Mathematica plotting tool developed with the capability of manipulating exoplanet data in multidimensional parameter space, and with the help of visualized water equations of state in the temperature–density (T–ρ) graph and the entropy–pressure (s–P) graph. We show that the radius valley can be explained by a compositional difference between smaller, predominantly rocky planets (<2 × R_⊕) and larger planets (>2 × R_⊕) that exhibit greater compositional diversity including cosmic ices (water, ammonia, methane, etc.) and gaseous envelopes. In particular, among the larger planets (>2 × R_⊕), when viewed from the perspective of planet equilibrium temperature (T_eq), the hot ones (T_eq ≳ 900 K) are consistent with ice-dominated composition without significant gaseous envelopes, while the cold ones (T_eq ≲ 900 K) have more diverse compositions, including various amounts of gaseous envelopes.

In accepted models, magnetic tension drives reconnected magnetic flux away from the reconnection site at the local Alfvén speed. Numerous observational signatures of these outflows have been identified in solar flares, notable among them being supra-arcade downflows (SADs), almost none move at the Alfvén speed as predicted by models. Well-studied examples of SADs or SAD loops found in the flare of 2017 September 10 (SOL2017-09-10T15:35:00) move at a quarter or less of the expected Alfvén speed. Among those reasons posited to explain such discrepancies is the possibility that reconnected flux experiences a drag force during its outflow. Drag has not been included in previous reconnection models. Here, we develop the first such model in order to test the possibility that drag can explain sub-alfveńic reconnection outflows. Our model uses thin flux tube dynamics, previously shown to match features of flare observations other than outflow speed, including for the 2017 September 10 flare. We supplement the dynamics with a drag force representing the tube’s interaction with surrounding plasma through the formation of a wake. The wake’s width appears as a parameter in the force. We perform simulations, varying the drag parameter and synthesizing EUV observations, to test whether a drag force can produce a reasonable fit to observed features of the September 10 flare. We find that that slower retraction increases the brightness of emission and lowers the temperature of the synthetic plasma sheet. With proper choice of parameters the drag enables the simulation to agree reasonably with the observations.

We report on a Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observation of the young, energetic pulsar PSR J1617–5055. Parkes Observatory 3 GHz radio observations of the pulsar (taken about 7 yr before the NuSTAR observations) are also reported here. NuSTAR detected pulsations at a frequency of f ≈ 14.4 Hz (P ≈ 69.44 ms) and, in addition, the observation was long enough to measure the source’s frequency derivative, Hz s⁻¹. We find that the pulsar shows one peak per period at both hard X-ray and radio wavelengths, but that the hard X-ray pulse is broader (having a duty cycle of ∼0.7), than the radio pulse (having a duty cycle of ∼0.08). Additionally, the radio pulse is strongly linearly polarized. J1617's phase-integrated hard X-ray spectrum is well fit by an absorbed power-law model, with a photon index Γ = 1.59 ± 0.02. The hard X-ray pulsations are well described by three Fourier harmonics, and have a pulsed fraction that increases with energy. We also fit the phase-resolved NuSTAR spectra with an absorbed power-law model in five phase bins and find that the photon index varies with phase from Γ = 1.52 ± 0.03 at phases around the flux maximum to Γ = 1.79 ± 0.06 around the flux minimum. Last, we compare our results with other pulsars whose magnetospheric emission is detected at hard X-ray energies and find that, similar to previous studies, J1617's hard X-ray properties are more similar to the MeV pulsars than the GeV pulsars.

The structured hadron-quark mixed phase, known as the pasta phase, is expected to appear in the core of massive neutron stars. Motivated by the recent advances in astrophysical observations, we explore the possibility of the appearance of quarks inside neutron stars and check its compatibility with current constraints. We investigate the properties of the hadron-quark pasta phases and their influences on the equation of state (EOS) for neutron stars. In this work, we extend the energy minimization (EM) method to describe the hadron-quark pasta phase, where the surface and Coulomb contributions are included in the minimization procedure. By allowing different electron densities in the hadronic and quark matter phases, the total electron chemical potential with the electric potential remains constant, and local β equilibrium is achieved inside the Wigner–Seitz cell. The mixed phase described in the EM method shows the features lying between the Gibbs and Maxwell constructions, which is helpful for understanding the transition from the Gibbs construction to the Maxwell construction with increasing surface tension. We employ the relativistic mean-field model to describe the hadronic matter, while the quark matter is described by the MIT bag model with vector interactions. It is found that the vector interactions among quarks can significantly stiffen the EOS at high densities and help enhance the maximum mass of neutron stars. Other parameters like the bag constant can also affect the deconfinement phase transition in neutron stars. Our results show that hadron-quark pasta phases may appear in the core of massive neutron stars that can be compatible with current observational constraints.

We present the results of second-epoch ALMA observations of 321 GHz H₂O emission toward two nearby active galactic nuclei, NGC 4945 and the Circinus galaxy, together with Tidbinbilla 70 m monitoring of their 22 GHz H₂O masers. The two-epoch ALMA observations show that the strengths of the 321 GHz emission are variable by a factor of at least a few, confirming a maser origin. In the second epoch, 321 GHz maser emission from NGC 4945 was not detected, while for the Circinus galaxy the flux density significantly increased and the velocity gradient and dispersion have been measured. With the velocity gradient spanning ∼110 km s⁻¹, we calculate the disk radius to be ∼28 pc, assuming disk rotation around the nucleus. We also estimate the dynamical mass within the central 28 pc to be 4.3 × 10⁸M_☉, which is significantly larger than the larger-scale dynamical mass, suggesting the velocity gradient does not trace circular motions on that scale. The overall direction of the velocity gradient and velocity range of the blueshifted features are largely consistent with those of the 22 GHz maser emission in a thin disk with smaller radii of 0.1–0.4 pc and molecular outflows within ∼1 pc from the central engine of the galaxy, implying that the 321 GHz masers could trace part of the circumnuclear disk or the nuclear outflows.

Recent wide-field integral-field spectroscopy has revealed the detailed properties of high-redshift Lyα nebulae, most often targeted due to the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Here, we use VLT/MUSE to resolve the morphology and kinematics of a nebula initially identified due to strong Lyα emission at z ∼ 3.2 (LABn06). Our observations reveal a two-lobed Lyα nebula, at least ∼173 pkpc in diameter, with a light-weighted centroid near a mid-infrared source (within ≈17.2 pkpc) that appears to host an obscured AGN. The Lyα emission near the AGN is also coincident in velocity with the kinematic center of the nebula, suggesting that the nebula is both morphologically and kinematically centered on the AGN. Compared to AGN-selected Lyα nebulae, the surface-brightness profile of this nebula follows a typical exponential profile at large radii (>25 pkpc), although at small radii, the profile shows an unusual dip at the location of the AGN. The kinematics and asymmetry are similar to, and the C iv and He ii upper limits are consistent with, other AGN-powered Lyα nebulae. Double-peaked and asymmetric line profiles suggest that Lyα resonant scattering may be important in this nebula. These results support the picture of the AGN being responsible for powering a Lyα nebula that is oriented roughly in the plane of the sky. Further observations will explore whether the central surface-brightness depression is indicative of either an unusual gas or dust distribution or variation in the ionizing output of the AGN over time.

We report analysis of sub-Alfvénic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) perturbations in the low-β radial-field solar wind employing the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft data from 2018 October 31 to November 12. We calculate wavevectors using the singular value decomposition method and separate MHD perturbations into three eigenmodes (Alfvén, fast, and slow modes) to explore the properties of sub-Alfvénic perturbations and the role of compressible perturbations in solar wind heating. The MHD perturbations show a high degree of Alfvénicity in the radial-field solar wind, with the energy fraction of Alfvén modes dominating (∼45%–83%) over those of fast modes (∼16%–43%) and slow modes (∼1%–19%). We present a detailed analysis of a representative event on 2018 November 10. Observations show that fast modes dominate magnetic compressibility, whereas slow modes dominate density compressibility. The energy damping rate of compressible modes is comparable to the heating rate, suggesting the collisionless damping of compressible modes could be significant for solar wind heating. These results are valuable for further studies of the imbalanced turbulence near the Sun and possible heating effects of compressible modes at MHD scales in low-β plasma.

The third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo took place between 2019 April and 2020 March and resulted in dozens of gravitational-wave candidates, many of which are now published as confident detections. A crucial requirement of the third observing run was the rapid identification and public reporting of compact binary mergers, which enabled massive follow-up observation campaigns with electromagnetic and neutrino observatories. PyCBC Live is a low-latency search for compact binary mergers based on frequency-domain matched filtering, which was used during the second and third observing runs, together with other low-latency analyses, to generate these rapid alerts from the data acquired by LIGO and Virgo. This paper describes and evaluates the improvements made to PyCBC Live after the second observing run, which defined its operation and performance during the third observing run.

The space weather effects in the near-Earth environment as well as in atmospheres of other terrestrial planets arise by corpuscular radiation from the Sun, known as the solar wind. The solar magnetic fields govern the solar corona structure. Magnetic-field strength values in the solar wind sources—key information for modeling and forecasting the space weather climate—are derived from various solar space- and ground-based observations, but so far not accounting for specific types of radio bursts. These are “fractured” type II radio bursts attributed to collisions of shock waves with coronal structures emitting the solar wind. Here, we report on radio observations of two “fractured” type II bursts to demonstrate a novel tool for probing of magnetic-field variations in the solar wind sources. These results have a direct impact on interpretations of this class of bursts and contribute to the current studies of the solar wind emitters.

Outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are an important channel for accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) to interact with their host galaxies and clusters. Properties of the outflows are however poorly constrained due to the lack of kinetically resolved data of the hot plasma that permeates the circumgalactic and intracluster space. In this work, we use a single parameter, outflow-to-accretion mass-loading factor , to characterize the outflows that mediate the interaction between SMBHs and their hosts. By modeling both M87 and Perseus, and comparing the simulated thermal profiles with the X-ray observations of these two systems, we demonstrate that m can be constrained between 200 and 500. This parameter corresponds to a bulk flow speed between 4000 and 7000 km s⁻¹ at around 1 kpc, and a thermalized outflow temperature between 10^8.7 and 10⁹ K. Our results indicate that the dominant outflow speeds in giant elliptical galaxies and clusters are much lower than in the close vicinity of the SMBH, signaling an efficient coupling with and deceleration by the surrounding medium on length scales below 1 kpc. Consequently, AGNs may be efficient at launching outflows ∼10 times more massive than previously uncovered by measurements of cold, obscuring material. We also examine the mass and velocity distribution of the cold gas, which ultimately forms a rotationally supported disk in simulated clusters. The rarity of such disks in observations indicates that further investigations are needed to understand the evolution of the cold gas after it forms.

We present new redshift measurements for 19 candidate ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) from the Systematically Measuring Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (SMUDGes) survey after conducting a long-slit spectroscopic follow-up campaign on 23 candidates with the Large Binocular Telescope. We combine these results with redshift measurements from other sources for 29 SMUDGes and 20 non-SMUDGes candidate UDGs. Together, this sample yields 44 spectroscopically confirmed UDGs (r_e ≥ 1.5 kpc and μ_g(0) ≥ 24 mag arcsec⁻² within uncertainties) and spans cluster and field environments, with all but one projected on the Coma cluster and environs. We find no statistically significant differences in the structural parameters of cluster and noncluster confirmed UDGs, although there are hints of differences among the axis ratio distributions. Similarly, we find no significant structural differences among those in locally dense or sparse environments. However, we observe a significant difference in color with respect to projected clustercentric radius, confirming trends observed previously in statistical UDG samples. This trend strengthens further when considering whether UDGs reside in either cluster or locally dense environments, suggesting starkly different star formation histories for UDGs residing in high- and low-density environments. Of the 16 large (r_e ≥ 3.5 kpc) UDGs in our sample, only one is a field galaxy that falls near the early-type galaxy red sequence. No other field UDGs found in low-density environments fall near the red sequence. This finding, in combination with our detection of Galaxy Evolution Explorer NUV flux in nearly half of the UDGs in sparse environments, suggests that field UDGs are a population of slowly evolving galaxies.

We present optical follow-up imaging obtained with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Nickel Telescope, Swope Telescope, and Thacher Telescope of the LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) signal from the neutron star–black hole (NSBH) merger GW190814. We searched the GW190814 localization region (19 deg² for the 90th percentile best localization), covering a total of 51 deg² and 94.6% of the two-dimensional localization region. Analyzing the properties of 189 transients that we consider as candidate counterparts to the NSBH merger, including their localizations, discovery times from merger, optical spectra, likely host galaxy redshifts, and photometric evolution, we conclude that none of these objects are likely to be associated with GW190814. Based on this finding, we consider the likely optical properties of an electromagnetic counterpart to GW190814, including possible kilonovae and short gamma-ray burst afterglows. Using the joint limits from our follow-up imaging, we conclude that a counterpart with an r-band decline rate of 0.68 mag day⁻¹, similar to the kilonova AT 2017gfo, could peak at an absolute magnitude of at most −17.8 mag (50% confidence). Our data are not constraining for “red” kilonovae and rule out “blue” kilonovae with M > 0.5 M_⊙ (30% confidence). We strongly rule out all known types of short gamma-ray burst afterglows with viewing angles <17° assuming an initial jet opening angle of ∼52 and explosion energies and circumburst densities similar to afterglows explored in the literature. Finally, we explore the possibility that GW190814 merged in the disk of an active galactic nucleus, of which we find four in the localization region, but we do not find any candidate counterparts among these sources.

We have carried out a detailed study of single-pulse emission from the pulsar J2048−1616 (B2045−16), observed at 732, 1369, and 3100 MHz frequencies using the Parkes 64 m radio telescope. The pulsar possesses three well-resolved emission components, with the central component resembling core emission. The single pulses show the presence of two distinct periodic modulations using fluctuation spectral analysis. About 12% nulls are found to create alternating bunches of nulls and bursts in a quasiperiodic manner with longer periodicities of 83, 28, and 14 rotational periods for simultaneous observations at 732 and 3100 MHz. At 1369 MHz, the quasiperiodic nulling is detected, as well, to modulate across the entire profile both in the core and conal components simultaneously with a fluctuation rate of about 50 rotational periods, and the nulling fraction is estimated to be around 10%. Additionally, the quasiperiodic modulations are significantly dependent on time. In addition to nulling, the pulsar also presents subpulse drifting in the single-pulse sequences with shorter periodicity. The subpulse drifting is presented in the conal components and is absent in the central core emission. The leading component is modulated in longitude with a period of three pulses. The trailing component remains phase stationary within the pulse window but periodically modulates in amplitude with a period of three pulses. Finally, possible physical mechanisms are discussed.

We present estimates for the number of shadow-resolved supermassive black hole (SMBH) systems that can be detected using radio interferometers, as a function of angular resolution, flux density sensitivity, and observing frequency. Accounting for the distribution of SMBHs across mass, redshift, and accretion rate, we use a new semianalytic spectral energy distribution model to derive the number of SMBHs with detectable and optically thin horizon-scale emission. We demonstrate that (sub)millimeter interferometric observations with ∼0.1 μas resolution and ∼1 μJy sensitivity could access >10⁶ SMBH shadows. We then further decompose the shadow source counts into the number of black holes for which we could expect to observe the first- and second-order lensed photon rings. Accessing the bulk population of first-order photon rings requires ≲2 μas resolution and ≲0.5 mJy sensitivity, whereas doing the same for second-order photon rings requires ≲0.1 μas resolution and ≲5 μJy sensitivity. Our model predicts that with modest improvements to sensitivity, as many as ∼5 additional horizon-resolved sources should become accessible to the current Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), whereas a next-generation EHT observing at 345 GHz should have access to ∼3 times as many sources. More generally, our results can help guide enhancements of current arrays and specifications for future interferometric experiments that aim to spatially resolve a large population of SMBH shadows or higher-order photon rings.

The hyperfine transitions of the ground-rotational state of the hydroxyl radical (OH) have emerged as a versatile tracer of the diffuse molecular interstellar medium. We present a novel automated Gaussian decomposition algorithm designed specifically for the analysis of the paired on-source and off-source optical depth and emission spectra of these OH transitions. In contrast to existing automated Gaussian decomposition algorithms, Amoeba (Automated Molecular Excitation Bayesian line-fitting Algorithm) employs a Bayesian approach to model selection, fitting all four optical-depth and four emission spectra simultaneously. Amoeba assumes that a given spectral feature can be described by a single centroid velocity and full width at half maximum, with peak values in the individual optical-depth and emission spectra then described uniquely by the column density in each of the four levels of the ground-rotational state, thus naturally including the real physical constraints on these parameters. Additionally, the Bayesian approach includes informed priors on individual parameters that the user can modify to suit different data sets. Here we describe Amoeba and establish its validity and reliability in identifying and fitting synthetic spectra with known (but hidden) parameters, finding that the code performs very well in a series of practical tests. Amoeba’s core algorithm could be adapted to the analysis of other species with multiple transitions interconnecting shared levels (e.g., the 700 MHz lines of the first excited rotational state of CH). Users are encouraged to adapt and modify Amoeba to suit their own use cases.

We report the results of near-infrared spectroscopic observations of 37 quasars in the redshift range 6.3 < z ≤ 7.64, including 32 quasars at z > 6.5, forming the largest quasar near-infrared spectral sample at this redshift. The spectra, taken with Keck, Gemini, VLT, and Magellan, allow investigations of central black hole mass and quasar rest-frame ultraviolet spectral properties. The black hole masses derived from the Mg ii emission lines are in the range (0.3–3.6) × 10⁹M_⊙, which requires massive seed black holes with masses ≳10³–10⁴M_⊙, assuming Eddington accretion since z = 30. The Eddington ratio distribution peaks at λ_Edd ∼ 0.8 and has a mean of 1.08, suggesting high accretion rates for these quasars. The C iv–Mg ii emission-line velocity differences in our sample show an increase of C iv blueshift toward higher redshift, but the evolutionary trend observed from this sample is weaker than the previous results from smaller samples at similar redshift. The Fe ii/Mg ii flux ratios derived for these quasars up to z = 7.6, compared with previous measurements at different redshifts, do not show any evidence of strong redshift evolution, suggesting metal-enriched environments in these quasars. Using this quasar sample, we create a quasar composite spectrum for z > 6.5 quasars and find no significant redshift evolution of quasar broad emission lines and continuum slope, except for a blueshift of the C iv line. Our sample yields a strong broad absorption line quasar fraction of ∼24%, higher than the fractions in lower-redshift quasar samples, although this could be affected by small sample statistics and selection effects.

We have observed a sample of nine Extended Green Objects (EGOs) at 1.3 and 5 cm with the Very Large Array (VLA) with subarcsecond resolution and ∼7–14 μJy beam⁻¹-sensitivities in order to characterize centimeter continuum emission as it first appears in these massive protoclusters. We find an EGO-associated continu um emission—within 1″ of the extended 4.5 μm emission—in every field, which is typically faint (order 10¹–10²μJy) and compact (unresolved at 0″.3–0″.5). The derived spectral indices of our 36 total detections are consistent with a wide array of physical processes, including both non-thermal (19% of detections) and thermal free–free processes (e.g., ionized jets and compact H ii regions, 78% of sample) and warm dust (1 source). We also find an EGO-associated 6.7 GHz CH₃OH and 22 GHz H₂O maser emission in 100% of the sample and a NH₃ (3,3) masers in ∼45%; we do not detect any NH₃ (6,6) masers at ∼5.6 mJy beam⁻¹ sensitivity. We find statistically-significant correlations between L_radio and L_bol at two physical scales and three frequencies, consistent with thermal emission from ionized jets, but no correlation between and L_radio for our sample. From these data, we conclude that EGOs likely host multiple different centimeter continuum-producing processes simultaneously. Additionally, at our ∼1000 au resolution, we find that all EGOs except G18.89−0.47 contain 1 ∼ 2 massive sources based on the presence of CH₃OH maser groups, which is consistent with our previous work suggesting that these are typical massive protoclusters, in which only one to a few of the young stellar objects are massive.

We present an update of the open-source photochemical kinetics code VULCAN to include C–H–N–O–S networks and photochemistry. The additional new features are advection transport, condensation, various boundary conditions, and temperature-dependent UV cross sections. First, we validate our photochemical model for hot Jupiter atmospheres by performing an intercomparison of HD 189733b models between Moses et al., Venot et al., and VULCAN, to diagnose possible sources of discrepancy. Second, we set up a model of Jupiter extending from the deep troposphere to upper stratosphere to verify the kinetics for low temperature. Our model reproduces hydrocarbons consistent with observations, and the condensation scheme successfully predicts the locations of water and ammonia ice clouds. We show that vertical advection can regulate the local ammonia distribution in the deep atmosphere. Third, we validate the model for oxidizing atmospheres by simulating Earth and find agreement with observations. Last, VULCAN is applied to four representative cases of extrasolar giant planets: WASP-33b, HD 189733b, GJ 436b, and 51 Eridani b. We look into the effects of the C/O ratio and chemistry of titanium/vanadium species for WASP-33b, we revisit HD 189733b for the effects of sulfur and carbon condensation, the effects of internal heating and vertical mixing (K_zz) are explored for GJ 436b, and we test updated planetary properties for 51 Eridani b with S₈ condensates. We find that sulfur can couple to carbon or nitrogen and impact other species, such as hydrogen, methane, and ammonia. The observable features of the synthetic spectra and trends in the photochemical haze precursors are discussed for each case.

A spectral-energy distribution (SED) model for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is a critical tool for measuring precise and accurate distances across a large redshift range and constraining cosmological parameters. We present an improved model framework, SALT3, which has several advantages over current models—including the leading SALT2 model (SALT2.4). While SALT3 has a similar philosophy, it differs from SALT2 by having improved estimation of uncertainties, better separation of color and light-curve stretch, and a publicly available training code. We present the application of our training method on a cross-calibrated compilation of 1083 SNe with 1207 spectra. Our compilation is 2.5× larger than the SALT2 training sample and has greatly reduced calibration uncertainties. The resulting trained SALT3.K21 model has an extended wavelength range 2000–11,000 Å (1800 Å redder) and reduced uncertainties compared to SALT2, enabling accurate use of low-z I and iz photometric bands. Including these previously discarded bands, SALT3.K21 reduces the Hubble scatter of the low-z Foundation and CfA3 samples by 15% and 10%, respectively. To check for potential systematic uncertainties, we compare distances of low (0.01 < z < 0.2) and high (0.4 < z < 0.6) redshift SNe in the training compilation, finding an insignificant 3 ± 14 mmag shift between SALT2.4 and SALT3.K21. While the SALT3.K21 model was trained on optical data, our method can be used to build a model for rest-frame NIR samples from the Roman Space Telescope. Our open-source training code, public training data, model, and documentation are available at https://saltshaker.readthedocs.io/en/latest/, and the model is integrated into the sncosmo and SNANA software packages.

We introduce a novel method for reconstructing the projected matter distributions of galaxy clusters with weak-lensing (WL) data based on a convolutional neural network (CNN). Training data sets are generated with ray-tracing through cosmological simulations. We control the noise level of the galaxy shear catalog such that it mimics the typical properties of the existing ground-based WL observations of galaxy clusters. We find that the mass reconstruction by our multilayered CNN with the architecture of alternating convolution and trans-convolution filters significantly outperforms the traditional reconstruction methods. The CNN method provides better pixel-to-pixel correlations with the truth, restores more accurate positions of the mass peaks, and more efficiently suppresses artifacts near the field edges. In addition, the CNN mass reconstruction lifts the mass-sheet degeneracy when applied to our projected cluster mass estimation from sufficiently large fields. This implies that this CNN algorithm can be used to measure the cluster masses in a model-independent way for future wide-field WL surveys.

The ejecta velocities of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), as measured by the Si iiλ6355 line, have been shown to correlate with other supernova properties, including color and standardized luminosity. We investigate these results using the Foundation Supernova Survey, with a spectroscopic data release presented here, and photometry analyzed with the SALT2 light-curve fitter. We find that the Foundation data do not show significant evidence for an offset in color between SNe Ia with high and normal photospheric velocities, with Δc = 0.004 ± 0.015. Our SALT2 analysis does show evidence for redder high-velocity SNe Ia in other samples, including objects from the Carnegie Supernova Project, with a combined sample yielding Δc = 0.018 ± 0.008. When split on velocity, the Foundation SNe Ia also do not show a significant difference in Hubble diagram residual, ΔHR = 0.015 ± 0.049 mag. Intriguingly, we find that SN Ia ejecta velocity information may be gleaned from photometry, particularly in redder optical bands. For high-redshift SNe Ia, these rest-frame red wavelengths will be observed by the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Our results are in line with previous work that suggests SN Ia host-galaxy stellar mass is correlated with ejecta velocity: high-velocity SNe Ia are found nearly exclusively in high-stellar-mass hosts. However, host-galaxy properties alone do not explain velocity-dependent differences in supernova colors and luminosities across samples. Measuring and understanding the connection between intrinsic explosion properties and supernova environments, across cosmic time, will be important for precision cosmology with SNe Ia.

A GOES M1.9 flare took place in active region AR 11153 on 2011 February 9. With a resolution of 200 kHz and a time cadence of 80 ms, the reverse-drifting (RS) type-III bursts, intermittent sequence of type-U bursts, drifting pulsation structure (DPS), and fine structures were observed by the Yunnan Observatories Solar Radio Spectrometer (YNSRS). Combined information revealed by the multiwavelength data indicated that after the DPS was observed by YNSRS, the generation rate of type-U bursts suddenly increased to 5 times what it had been. In this event, the generation rate of type-U bursts may depend on the magnetic-reconnection rate. Our observations are consistent with previous numerical simulation results. After the first plasmoid produced (plasma instability occurred), the magnetic-reconnection rate suddenly increased by 5 to 8 times. Furthermore, after the DPS, the frequency range of the turnover frequency of type-U bursts was obviously broadened to thrice what it was before, which indicates a fluctuation amplitude of the density in the loop top. Our observations also support numerical simulations during the flare-impulsive phase. Turbulence occurs at the top of the flare loop and the plasmoids can trap nonthermal particles, causing density fluctuation at the loop top. The observations are generally consistent with the results of numerical simulations, helping us to better understand the characteristics of the whole physical process of eruption.

Exoplanet and brown dwarf atmospheres commonly show signs of disequilibrium chemistry. In the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) era, high-resolution spectra of directly imaged exoplanets will allow the characterization of their atmospheres in more detail, and allow systematic tests for the presence of chemical species that deviate from thermochemical equilibrium in these atmospheres. Constraining the presence of disequilibrium chemistry in these atmospheres as a function of parameters such as their effective temperature and surface gravity will allow us to place better constraints on the physics governing these atmospheres. This paper is part of a series of works presenting the Sonora grid of atmosphere models. In this paper, we present a grid of cloud-free, solar metallicity atmospheres for brown dwarfs and wide-separation giant planets with key molecular species such as CH₄, H₂O, CO, and NH₃ in disequilibrium. Our grid covers atmospheres with T_eff ∈ [500 K, 1300 K], log g ∈ [3.0, 5.5] (cgs) and an eddy diffusion parameter of and 7 (cgs). We study the effect of different parameters within the grid on the temperature and composition profiles of our atmospheres. We discuss their effect on the near-infrared colors of our model atmospheres and the detectability of CH₄, H₂O, CO, and NH₃ using the JWST. We compare our models against existing MKO and Spitzer observations of brown dwarfs and verify the importance of disequilibrium chemistry for T dwarf atmospheres. Finally, we discuss how our models can help constrain the vertical structure and chemical composition of these atmospheres.

Previous observations have shown that the ≲10 au, ≳400 K hot inner disk of the archetypal accretion outburst young stellar object, FU Ori, is dominated by viscous heating. To constrain dust properties in this region, we have performed radio observations toward this disk using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in 2020 June–July, September, and November. We also performed complementary optical photometric monitoring observations. We found that the dust thermal emission from the hot inner disk mid-plane of FU Ori has been approximately stationary and the maximum dust grain size is ≳1.6 mm in this region. If the hot inner disk of FU Ori, which is inward of the 150–170 K water snowline, is turbulent (e.g., corresponding to a Sunyaev & Shakura viscous α_t ≳ 0.1), or if the actual maximum grain size is still larger than the lower limit we presently constrain, then as suggested by the recent analytical calculations and the laboratory measurements, water-ice-free dust grains may be stickier than water-ice-coated dust grains in protoplanetary disks. Additionally, we find that the free–free emission and the Johnson B- and V-band magnitudes of these binary stars were brightening in 2016–2020. The optical and radio variability might be related to the dynamically evolving protostellar- or disk-accretion activities. Our results highlight that the hot inner disks of outbursting objects are important laboratories for testing models of dust grain growth. Given the active nature of such systems, to robustly diagnose the maximum dust grain sizes, it is important to carry out coordinated multiwavelength radio observations.

We consider the spectrum of eigenmodes in a stellar system dominated by gravitational forces in the limit of zero collisions. We show analytically and numerically using the Lenard–Bernstein collision operator that the Landau modes, which are not true eigenmodes in a strictly collisionless system (except for the Jeans unstable mode), become part of the true eigenmode spectrum in the limit of zero collisions. Under these conditions, the continuous spectrum of true eigenmodes in a collisionless system, also known as the Case–van Kampen modes, is eliminated. Furthermore, because the background distribution function in a weakly collisional system can exhibit significant deviations from a Maxwellian distribution function over long times, we show that the spectrum of Landau modes can change drastically even in the presence of slight deviations from a Maxwellian, primarily through the appearance of weakly damped modes that may be otherwise heavily damped for a Maxwellian distribution. Our results provide important insights for developing statistical theories to describe thermal fluctuations in a stellar system, which are currently a subject of great interest for N-body simulations as well as observations of gravitational systems.

We study the effects of including a nonzero positron-to-electron fraction in emitting plasma on the polarized spectral energy distributions and submillimeter images of jet and accretion flow models for near-horizon emission from M87* and Sgr A*. For M87*, we consider a semi-analytic fit to the force-free plasma regions of a general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic jet simulation, which we populate with power-law leptons with a constant electron-to-magnetic pressure ratio. For Sgr A*, we consider a standard self-similar radiatively inefficient accretion flow where the emission is predominantly from thermal leptons with a small fraction in a power-law tail. In both models, we fix the positron-to-electron ratio throughout the emission region. We generate polarized images and spectra from our models using the general relativistic ray tracing and radiative transfer from GRTRANS. We find that a substantial positron fraction reduces the circular polarization fraction at IR and higher frequencies. However, in submillimeter images, higher positron fractions increase polarization fractions due to strong effects of Faraday conversion. We find an M87* jet model that best matches the available broadband total intensity, and 230 GHz polarization data is a sub-equipartition, with positron fraction of ≃10%. We show that jet models with significant positron fractions do not satisfy the polarimetric constraints at 230 GHz from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). Sgr A* models show similar trends in their polarization fractions with increasing pair fraction. Both models suggest that resolved, polarized EHT images are useful to constrain the presence of pairs at 230 GHz emitting regions of M87* and Sgr A*.

We study the present-day connection between galaxy morphology and angular momentum using the Dark Sage semi-analytic model of galaxy formation. For a given stellar mass in the range 10¹⁰–10¹²M_⊙, the model predicts that galaxies with more prominent disks exhibit higher stellar disk specific angular momentum (j_stellar,disk). However, when we include the gas in the disk, bulge-dominated galaxies have the highest total disk specific angular momentum (j_total,disk). We attribute this to a large contribution from an extended disk of cold gas in typical bulge-dominated galaxies. Note that while the specific angular momenta (j = J/M) of these disks are large, their masses (M) are negligible. Thus, the contribution of these disks to the total angular momentum of the galaxy is small. We also find the relationship between the specific angular momentum of the dark matter (j_{dark matter}) and morphology to be counterintuitive. Surprisingly, in this stellar mass range, not only do bulge-dominated galaxies tend to live in halos with higher j_{dark matter} than disk-dominated galaxies, but intermediate galaxies (those with roughly equal fractions of bulge and disk mass) have the lowest j_{dark matter} of all. Yet, when controlling for halo mass, rather than stellar mass, the relationship between j_{dark matter} and morphology vanishes. Based on these results, we find that halo mass—rather than angular momentum—is the main driver of the predicted morphology sequence in this high mass range. In fact, in our stellar mass range, disk-dominated galaxies live in dark matter halos that are roughly one-fifth the mass of their bulge-dominated counterparts.

The cosmographic approach, a Taylor expansion of the Hubble function, has been used as a model-independent method to investigate the evolution of the universe in the presence of cosmological data. Apart from possible technical problems like the radius of convergence, there is an ongoing debate about the tensions that appear when one investigates some high-redshift cosmological data. In this work, we consider two common data sets, namely, Type Ia supernovae (Pantheon sample) and the Hubble data, to investigate advantages and disadvantages of the cosmographic approach. To do this, we obtain the evolution of cosmographic functions using the cosmographic method, as well as two other well-known model-independent approaches, namely, the Gaussian process and the genetic algorithm. We also assume a ΛCDM model as the concordance model to compare the results of mentioned approaches. Our results indicate that the results of cosmography compared with the other approaches are not exact enough. Considering the Hubble data, which are less certain, the results of q₀ and j₀ obtained in cosmography provide a tension at more than 3σ away from the best result of ΛCDM. Assuming both of the data samples in different approaches, we show that the cosmographic approach, because it provides some biased results, is not the best approach for reconstruction of cosmographic functions, especially at higher redshifts.

We present results on the nature of extreme ejective feedback episodes and the physical conditions of a population of massive (M_* ∼ 10¹¹M_⊙), compact starburst galaxies at z = 0.4–0.7. We use data from Keck/NIRSPEC, SDSS, Gemini/GMOS, MMT, and Magellan/MagE to measure rest-frame optical and near-IR spectra of 14 starburst galaxies with extremely high star formation rate surface densities (mean Σ_SFR ∼ 2000 M_⊙ yr⁻¹ kpc⁻²) and powerful galactic outflows (maximum speeds v₉₈ ∼ 1000–3000 km s⁻¹). Our unique data set includes an ensemble of both emission ([O ii]λλ3726,3729, Hβ, [O iii]λλ4959,5007, Hα, [N ii]λλ6549,6585, and [S ii]λλ6716,6731) and absorption (Mg iiλλ2796,2803, and Fe iiλ2586) lines that allow us to investigate the kinematics of the cool gas phase (T ∼ 10⁴ K) in the outflows. Employing a suite of line ratio diagnostic diagrams, we find that the central starbursts are characterized by high electron densities (median n_e ∼ 530 cm⁻³), and high metallicity (solar or supersolar). We show that the outflows are most likely driven by stellar feedback emerging from the extreme central starburst, rather than by an AGN. We also present multiple intriguing observational signatures suggesting that these galaxies may have substantial Lyman continuum (LyC) photon leakage, including weak [S ii] nebular emission lines. Our results imply that these galaxies may be captured in a short-lived phase of extreme star formation and feedback where much of their gas is violently blown out by powerful outflows that open up channels for LyC photons to escape.

Polarized scattered light from low (few tens of megameter altitudes) coronal transients has been recently reported in Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Image (HMI) observations. In a classic paper, Minnaert (1930) provided an analytic theory of polarization via electron scattering in the corona. His work assumed axisymmetric input from the photosphere with a single-parameter limb-darkening function. This diagnostic has recently been used to estimate the free-electron number and mass of HMI transients near the solar limb, but it applies equally well to any coronal material, at any height. Here we extend his work numerically to incorporate sunspots, which can strongly effect the polarization properties of the scattered light in the low corona. Sunspot effects are explored first for axisymmetric model cases, and then applied to the full description of two sunspot groups as observed by HMI. We find that (1) as previously reported by Minnaert, limb darkening has a strong influence, usually increasing the level of linear polarization tangential to the limb; (2) unsurprisingly, the effects of the sunspot generally increase at the lower scatterer altitudes, and increase the larger the sunspot is and the closer to their center the scatterer subpoint is; (3) assuming the Stokes Q > 0 basis to be tangential to the limb, sunspots typically decrease the Stokes Q/I polarization and the perceived electron densities below the spotless case, sometimes dramatically; and (4) typically, a sizeable non-zero Stokes U/I polarization component will appear when a sunspot’s influence becomes non-negligible. However, that is not true in rare cases of extreme symmetry (e.g., scattering mass at the center of an axisymmetric sunspot). The tools developed here are generally applicable to an arbitrary image input.

Most massive stars are born in binaries close enough for mass transfer episodes. These modify the appearance, structure, and future evolution of both stars. We compute the evolution of a 100-day-period binary, consisting initially of a 25 M_⊙ star and a 17 M_⊙ star, which experiences stable mass transfer. We focus on the impact of mass accretion on the surface composition, internal rotation, and structure of the accretor. To anchor our models, we show that our accretor broadly reproduces the properties of ζ Ophiuchi, which has long been proposed to have accreted mass before being ejected as a runaway star when the companion exploded. We compare our accretor to models of single rotating stars and find that the later and stronger spin-up provided by mass accretion produces significant differences. Specifically, the core of the accretor retains higher spin at the end of the main sequence, and a convective layer develops that changes its density profile. Moreover, the surface of the accretor star is polluted by CNO-processed material donated by the companion. Our models show effects of mass accretion in binaries that are not captured in single rotating stellar models. This possibly impacts the further evolution (either in a binary or as single stars), the final collapse, and the resulting spin of the compact object.

We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 near-UV and Advanced Camera for Surveys Wide Field Channel optical study into the star cluster populations of a sample of 10 luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey. Through integrated broadband photometry we have derived ages, masses, and extinctions for a total of 1027 star clusters in galaxies with d_L < 110 Mpc in order to avoid issues related to cluster bending. The measured cluster age distribution slope of is steeper than what has been observed in lower-luminosity star-forming galaxies. Further, differences in the slope of the observed cluster age distribution between inner- () and outer-disk () star clusters provide evidence of mass-dependent cluster destruction in the central regions of LIRGs driven primarily by the combined effect of strong tidal shocks and encounters with massive giant molecular clouds. Excluding the nuclear ring surrounding the Seyfert 1 nucleus in NGC 7469, the derived cluster mass function (CMF; ) offers marginal evidence for a truncation in the power law at M_t ∼ 2×10⁶M_⊙ for our three most cluster-rich sources, which are all classified as early stage mergers. Finally, we find evidence of a flattening of the CMF slope of for clusters in late-stage mergers relative to early stage (α = −1.65 ± 0.02), which we attribute to an increase in the formation of massive clusters over the course of the interaction.