Showing 1–50 of 476 results for author: Liu, W

Enhanced Non-Thermal Line Broadening inside Coronal Cavities above Solar Prominences revealed by Spectral Imaging CoronaGraph

Authors: Chenxi Huangfu, Hui Fu, Bo Li, ZhengHua Huang, MingZhe Sun, WeiXin Liu, XiaoYu Yu, LiDong Xia

Abstract: Coronal cavities, often associated with prominences, are crucial structures in understanding coronal heating and the eruption mechanism of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). Previous studies have identified their lower density, higher temperature, and flux rope structures. However, spectroscopic observations are still relatively scarce. In this study, we utilize the newly developed Spectral Imaging Co… ▽ More Coronal cavities, often associated with prominences, are crucial structures in understanding coronal heating and the eruption mechanism of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). Previous studies have identified their lower density, higher temperature, and flux rope structures. However, spectroscopic observations are still relatively scarce. In this study, we utilize the newly developed Spectral Imaging Coronagraph (SICG), Chinese H$α$ Solar Explorer (CHASE), and AIA/SDO to analyze the morphology, temperature, Doppler shift, and non-thermal velocity of two coronal cavities observed on November 13, 2024. We find that coronal cavities are distinctly visible in SICG \ion{Fe}{14} 5303~Å and AIA 193~Å, whereas they are nearly absent in SICG \ion{Fe}{10} 6374~Å and AIA 171~Å. The spectroscopic measurements show that the two coronal cavities display asymmetric, ring-like structures in the \ion{Fe}{14} 5303~Å Doppler shift maps. The non-thermal velocities inside coronal cavities are significantly higher than those of the surrounding streamer areas. In addition, the core regions of coronal cavities, located directly above the prominences, exhibit the highest non-thermal velocities and Doppler velocities. Our results suggest the presence of waves and turbulence in coronal cavities, which are likely more intense than those in the adjacent streamer regions. We suggest that the interaction and exchange between the cold, dense prominence materials and the hot, low-density coronal materials are the main drivers of the waves and turbulence inside coronal cavities. △ Less

Submitted 22 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Shedding the envelope: JWST reveals a kiloparsec-scale [OIII]-weak Balmer shell around a z=7.64 quasar

Authors: Julien Wolf, Eduardo Bañados, Xiaohui Fan, Antoine Dumont, James E. Davies, David S. N. Rupke, Jinyi Yang, Weizhe Liu, Silvia Belladitta, Aaron Barth, Sarah Bosman, Tiago Costa, Frederick B. Davies, Roberto Decarli, Dominika Ďurovčíková, Anna-Christina Eilers, Hyunsung D. Jun, Yichen Liu, Federica Loiacono, Alessandro Lupi, Chiara Mazzucchelli, Maria Pudoka, Sofía Rojas-Ruiz, Jan-Torge Schindler, Wei Leong Tee , et al. (3 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Luminous quasars at the redshift frontier z>7 serve as stringent probes of super-massive black hole formation and they are thought to undergo much of their growth obscured by dense gas and dust in their host galaxies. Fully characterizing the symbiotic evolution of SMBHs and hosts requires rest-frame optical observations that span spatial scales from the broad-line region to the ISM and CGM. JWST… ▽ More Luminous quasars at the redshift frontier z>7 serve as stringent probes of super-massive black hole formation and they are thought to undergo much of their growth obscured by dense gas and dust in their host galaxies. Fully characterizing the symbiotic evolution of SMBHs and hosts requires rest-frame optical observations that span spatial scales from the broad-line region to the ISM and CGM. JWST now provides the necessary spatially resolved spectroscopy to do so. But the physical conditions that regulate the interplay between SMBHs and their hosts at the highest redshifts, especially the nature of early feedback phases, remain unclear. We present JWST/NIRSpec IFU observations of J0313$-$1806 at z=7.64, the most distant luminous quasar known. From the restframe optical spectrum of the unresolved quasar, we derive a black hole mass of $M_\mathrm{BH}=(1.63 \pm 0.10)\times10^9 M_\odot$ based on H$β$ and an Eddington rate of $λ=L/L_\mathrm{Edd}=0.80\pm 0.05$, consistent with previous MgII-based estimates. J0313-1806 exhibits no detectable [O III] emission on nuclear scales. Most remarkably, we detect an ionized gas shell extending out to $\sim 1.8$ kpc traced by H$β$ emission that also lacks any significant [O III], with a $3σ$ upper limit on the [O III]$ λ$5007 to H$β$ flux ratio of $\log_{10} \left( F(\mathrm{[OIII]})/F(\mathrm{H}β)\right)=-1.15$. Through photoionization modelling, we demonstrate that the extended emission is consistent with a thin, clumpy outflowing shell where [OIII] is collisionally de-excited by dense gas. We interpret this structure as a fossil remnant of a recent blowout phase, providing evidence for episodic feedback cycles in one of the earliest quasars. These findings suggest that dense ISM phases may play a crucial role in shaping the spectral properties of quasars accross cosmic time. △ Less

Submitted 17 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Comments: Revised version submitted after the first referee review

Data Quality Issues in Flare Prediction using Machine Learning Models

Authors: Ke Hu, Kevin Jin, Victor Verma, Weihao Liu, Ward Manchester IV, Lulu Zhao, Tamas Gombosi, Yang Chen

Abstract: Machine learning models for forecasting solar flares have been trained and tested using a variety of data sources, such as Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) operational and science-quality data. Typically, data from these sources is minimally processed before being used to train and validate a forecasting model. However, predictive performance can be impaired if defects in and inconsistencies… ▽ More Machine learning models for forecasting solar flares have been trained and tested using a variety of data sources, such as Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) operational and science-quality data. Typically, data from these sources is minimally processed before being used to train and validate a forecasting model. However, predictive performance can be impaired if defects in and inconsistencies between these data sources are ignored. For a number of commonly used data sources, together with softwares that query and then output processed data, we identify their respective defects and inconsistencies, quantify their extent, and show how they can affect the predictions produced by data-driven machine learning forecasting models. We also outline procedures for fixing these issues or at least mitigating their impacts. Finally, based on our thorough comparisons of the impacts of data sources on the trained forecasting model in terms of predictive skill scores, we offer recommendations for the use of different data products in operational forecasting. △ Less

Submitted 15 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Probing AGN Feedback in Dwarf Galaxies with Spatially Resolved NIR Coronal Lines from JWST

Authors: Archana Aravindan, Thomas Bohn, Gabriela Canalizo, Shobita Satyapal, Vivian U, Weizhe Liu, William Matzko, Sara Doan, Matthew Malkan, Lee Armus, Tohru Nagao, Tanio Diaz-Santos, Aditya Togi, Thomas S. Y. Lai, Sean T. Linden, Marina Bianchin, Yiqing Song, Loreto Barcos-Munoz, Aaron Evans, Hanae Inami, Kirsten Larson, Sabrina Stierwalt, Jason Surace

Abstract: We present the first spatially resolved investigation of near-infrared coronal lines in dwarf galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN), using JWST/NIRSpec integral field spectroscopy. Coronal lines (CLs), which are forbidden transitions from highly ionized species with ionization potentials up to 450 eV, act as sensitive tracers of the AGN ionizing continuum and feedback processes. Across fou… ▽ More We present the first spatially resolved investigation of near-infrared coronal lines in dwarf galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN), using JWST/NIRSpec integral field spectroscopy. Coronal lines (CLs), which are forbidden transitions from highly ionized species with ionization potentials up to 450 eV, act as sensitive tracers of the AGN ionizing continuum and feedback processes. Across four dwarf galaxies with ionized gas outflows traced by the optical [O III] lines, we report the detection of 16 unique species of near-infrared CLs. Line ratio diagnostics indicate that photoionization from the AGN dominates the excitation of CLs. We find that the coronal line region in dwarf galaxies, traced by the various CLs, extends up to 0.5 kpc, and can constitute up to 10% of their host galaxy size. Correlations between CL luminosities and [O III] ionized gas outflow properties are consistent with a scenario in which AGN-driven outflows likely facilitate the detection of CLs and contribute to their extent. Several CLs, including [Si VI], [Si VII], and [Mg VIII], exhibit a secondary broad component (W$_{80}$ > 300 km/s). If we interpret this spatially compact gas as part of an outflow, this would indicate that the outflowing gas includes a wide range of ionizations. The estimated energetics imply this highly ionized component is compact yet powerful enough to perturb gas in the central regions of the host dwarfs. These results indicate that AGN in low-mass galaxies may produce outflows capable of influencing their structure and evolution. △ Less

Submitted 4 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Comments: 21 pages, 14 figures, submitted to ApJ. Comments welcome!

A Deep Chandra X-ray Survey of a Luminous Quasar Sample at $z\sim$ 7

Authors: Xiangyu Jin, Feige Wang, Jinyi Yang, Xiaohui Fan, Fuyan Bian, Jiang-Tao Li, Weizhe Liu, Yichen Liu, Jianwei Lyu, Maria Pudoka, Wei Leong Tee, Yunjing Wu, Haowen Zhang, Yongda Zhu

Abstract: We present new Chandra observations of seven luminous quasars at $z>6.5$. Combined with archival Chandra observations of all other known quasars, they form nearly complete X-ray observations of all currently known $z\sim7$ quasars with $M_{1450}<-26.5$, except for J0313$-$1806 at $z=7.642$ and J0910$-$0414 at $z=6.636$. Together with existing ground-based NIR spectroscopy and ALMA observations, we… ▽ More We present new Chandra observations of seven luminous quasars at $z>6.5$. Combined with archival Chandra observations of all other known quasars, they form nearly complete X-ray observations of all currently known $z\sim7$ quasars with $M_{1450}<-26.5$, except for J0313$-$1806 at $z=7.642$ and J0910$-$0414 at $z=6.636$. Together with existing ground-based NIR spectroscopy and ALMA observations, we investigate the correlations between X-ray emission (the X-ray luminosity $L_{\rm X}$ and the optical/UV-to-X-ray spectral slope $α_{\rm OX}$) and various quasar properties (rest-UV luminosity $L_{\mathrm{2500\ \mathring{A}}}$, bolometric luminosity $L_{\rm bol}$, C IV blueshift, and infrared luminosity $L_{\rm IR}$). We find most $z>6.5$ quasars follow a similar $α_{\rm OX}-L_{\mathrm{2500\ \mathring{A}}}$ relation as $z\sim1-6$ quasars, but also display a large scatter. We find a potential correlation between $α_{\rm OX}$ and the C IV blueshift, suggesting a soft optical/UV-to-X-ray SED shape is frequently associated with fast disk winds. Furthermore, we analyze the X-ray spectrum of 11 quasars at $z>6.5$ with Chandra detection, and find the best-fit photon index $Γ$ is $2.41\pm0.27$, which is likely driven by high accretion rates of $z>6.5$ quasars. In addition, we find there are no significant correlations between either $L_{\rm X}$ and $L_{\rm IR}$, nor $L_{\rm bol}$ and $L_{\rm IR}$, suggesting no strong correlations between quasar luminosity and star formation luminosity for the most luminous quasars at $z>6.5$. △ Less

Submitted 2 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Comments: 17 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

Impact of Nuclear Reaction Rate Uncertainties on Type I X-ray Burst Nucleosynthesis: A Monte Carlo Study

Authors: Qing Wang, Ertao Li, Zhihong Li, Youbao Wang, Bing Guo, Yunju Li, Jun Su, Shipeng Hu, Yinwen Guan, Dong Xiang, Yu Liu, Lei Yang, Weiping Liu

Abstract: To investigate the impact of nuclear reaction rate uncertainties on type I X-ray burst nucleosynthesis, comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations are performed with temperature-independent and -dependent variations in reaction rates using the REACLIB and STARLIB libraries, respectively. A total of 1,711 $(p, γ)$, $(p, α)$, $(α, p)$, and $(α, γ)$ reactions are varied simultaneously, along with their in… ▽ More To investigate the impact of nuclear reaction rate uncertainties on type I X-ray burst nucleosynthesis, comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations are performed with temperature-independent and -dependent variations in reaction rates using the REACLIB and STARLIB libraries, respectively. A total of 1,711 $(p, γ)$, $(p, α)$, $(α, p)$, and $(α, γ)$ reactions are varied simultaneously, along with their inverse reactions, via detailed balance. For the first time, it is found that Monte Carlo sampling with larger perturbations to these reaction rates may lead to multi-peaked abundance distributions for some isotopes. These multi-peak structures arise not only from coupled reactions but also, in some cases, from single reactions. Our study also confirmed previously identified key reactions and provides more robust lists. These reactions deserve priority consideration in future study. △ Less

Submitted 1 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Comments: 23 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables

COSMOS-3D: Two obscured X-ray AGNs with hot dust and He I$λ$10830 absorption at z~3

Authors: Zi-Jian Li, Siwei Zou, Jianwei Lyu, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Jia-Sheng Huang, Cheng Cheng, Shuqi Fu, Zijian Zhang, Danyang Jiang, Khee-Gan Lee, Feige Wang, Xiaohui Fan, Jinyi Yang, Ruancun Li, Hollis B. Akins, Fuyan Bian, Y. Sophia Dai, Andreas L. Faisst, Luis C. Ho, Kohei Inayoshi, Linhua Jiang, Xiangyu Jin, Koki Kakiichi, Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe, Zihao Li , et al. (3 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We report the discovery of two broad-line X-ray AGNs cid_414 and cid_947 at z~3 that exhibit prominent He I$λ$10830+ Pa$γ$ emission and absorption, identified from the JWST Cycle 3 large GO treasury program COSMOS-3D using NIRCam F444W grism spectroscopy. Additional UV/optical line measurements (e.g., Ly$α$, Si IV, C IV) come from complementary COSMOS-field spectroscopy. Both sources are robustly… ▽ More We report the discovery of two broad-line X-ray AGNs cid_414 and cid_947 at z~3 that exhibit prominent He I$λ$10830+ Pa$γ$ emission and absorption, identified from the JWST Cycle 3 large GO treasury program COSMOS-3D using NIRCam F444W grism spectroscopy. Additional UV/optical line measurements (e.g., Ly$α$, Si IV, C IV) come from complementary COSMOS-field spectroscopy. Both sources are robustly detected in the mid-infrared, with detections in MIRI F1000W for both AGNs and an additional detection in MIRI F2100W for cid_414, indicating the presence of hot dust emission. The source cid_947 shows a higher He I$λ$10830 absorption column density and X-ray-inferred $N_{\rm H}$, and displays strong outflow signatures in He I, Si IV, and C IV with velocity offsets exceeding 5000 km/s. The source cid_414 shows a narrow Ly$α$ emission line with luminosity $\log L_{\rm Lyα}=42.49\pm0.01~\mathrm{erg~s^{-1}}$ and a higher intrinsic 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity. Host-galaxy decomposition and multi-component SED fitting indicate that cid_947 hosts a more massive black hole but lower star formation rate than cid_414. From simplified photoionization modeling, we infer that the dense absorbing gas has a characteristic size comparable to the nuclear broad-line region and is likely kinematically coupled to the obscuration associated with the dust torus. He I$λ$1083 absorption has also been identified in several compact little red dots at similar redshifts. Together with the two AGNs reported here, these findings suggest that dense circumnuclear gas are plausibly prevalent at high redshift and plays an important role in regulating AGN obscuration and black hole--host co-evolution. △ Less

Submitted 3 December, 2025; v1 submitted 1 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Comments: 16 pages, 6 figures and 1 table in the main text

The impact of Solar magnetic field configurations on the production of gamma rays at the Solar disk

Authors: Julien Dörner, Frederic Effenberger, Horst Fichtner, Julia Becker Tjus, Meng Jin, Wei Liu, Vahe' Petrosian

Abstract: The Sun produces a steady signal of high-energy gamma rays through interactions of Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) with its atmosphere. Observations with Fermi-LAT and HAWC have revealed a gamma-ray flux significantly higher than early theoretical predictions, with unexpected temporal and spectral features that suggest a crucial role of the solar magnetic field. In this work, we model GCR-induced gamm… ▽ More The Sun produces a steady signal of high-energy gamma rays through interactions of Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) with its atmosphere. Observations with Fermi-LAT and HAWC have revealed a gamma-ray flux significantly higher than early theoretical predictions, with unexpected temporal and spectral features that suggest a crucial role of the solar magnetic field. In this work, we model GCR-induced gamma-ray emission at the solar disk using the CRPropa framework with realistic hadronic interactions, chromospheric density profiles, and several magnetic field configurations over the solar cycle. This allows us to quantify the gamma-ray emission of the entire solar disk for different phases of the solar activity cycle and we present, for the first time, maps of the production locations of gamma rays on the solar surface. We consider both mono-energetic and realistic power-law injection spectra in a simplified dipole-quadrupole current sheet model and potential-field source surface (PFSS) extrapolations for Carrington rotations during solar maximum and minimum. Our results show that magnetic mirroring and large-scale field topology strongly affect the spectral shape and spatial distribution of the emission, with slightly enhanced fluxes predicted at solar minimum. While our simulated baseline fluxes remain below observations, additional effects, such as heavier nuclei, Parker-field mirroring, and deeper atmospheric interactions, could result in further enhancements of fluxes closer to observational values. Hadronic interactions do not only produce gamma rays but also neutrinos. We estimate the expected neutrino flux from the Sun based on our gamma-ray predictions. We find that the expected flux is slightly below current upper limits from IceCube. △ Less

Submitted 1 December, 2025; originally announced December 2025.

Simulated Real-Time Testing of the Prototype Implementation of the SOFIE Model: The 2025 Space Weather Prediction Testbed Exercise

Authors: Weihao Liu, Lulu Zhao, Igor V. Sokolov, Kathryn Whitman, Tamas I. Gombosi, Nishtha Sachdeva, Eric T. Adamson, Hazel M. Bain, Claudio Corti, M. Leila Mays, Michelangelo Romano, Carina R. Alden, Madeleine M. Anastopulos, Mary E. Aronne, Janet E. Barzilla, Wesley T. Cook, Shawn D. Dahl, Hannah Hermann, Anthony J. Iampietro, A. Steve Johnson, Elizabeth A. Juelfs, Melissa R. Kane, Jonathan D. Lash, Kimberly Moreland, Briana K. Muhlestein , et al. (7 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The CLEAR Space Weather Center of Excellence's solar energetic particle (SEP) prediction model, SOlar wind with FIeld lines and Energetic particles (SOFIE), was run and evaluated on-site during the Space Weather Prediction Testbed (SWPT) exercise at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in May 2025. As a physics-based SEP simulation and prediction model, SOFIE simulates the acceleration an… ▽ More The CLEAR Space Weather Center of Excellence's solar energetic particle (SEP) prediction model, SOlar wind with FIeld lines and Energetic particles (SOFIE), was run and evaluated on-site during the Space Weather Prediction Testbed (SWPT) exercise at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in May 2025. As a physics-based SEP simulation and prediction model, SOFIE simulates the acceleration and transport of energetic particles in the coronal mass ejection (CME) driven shock in the solar corona and inner heliosphere. It has been validated against historical events. However, questions remain regarding whether a physics-based model, traditionally considered computationally expensive, could meet operational needs. The SWPT exercise offered a valuable opportunity to evaluate SOFIE's performance under simulated real-time conditions. Interactive feedback during the exercise from SWPC forecasters, SRAG console operators, CCMC personnel, and M2M SWAO analysts led to significant strategic improvements in the model setup to meet operational requirements. The resolution of the simulation domain was optimized by combining a coarser background grid with higher-resolution regions along the CME path and facing toward Earth, reducing computational cost without compromising accuracy. In this work, we present the operational performance of SOFIE and its capability to predict SEP fluxes significantly faster than real time. SOFIE was able to complete a 4-day SEP simulation within 5 hours on a supercomputer with 1,000 CPU cores during the SWPT exercise. This marks a critical milestone in demonstrating both the robustness and operational usefulness of SOFIE to support future human space exploration. △ Less

Submitted 12 November, 2025; originally announced November 2025.

Comments: 35 pages, 2 tables, 9 figures

A JWST/NIRSpec Integral Field Unit Survey of Luminous Quasars at z ~ 5-6 (Q-IFU): Rest-frame Optical Nuclear Properties and Extended Nebulae

Authors: Weizhe Liu, Xiaohui Fan, Huan Li, Richard Green, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Xiangyu Jin, Jianwei Lyu, Maria Pudoka, Wei Leong Tee, Feige Wang, Jinyi Yang, Yongda Zhu, Nayera Abdessalam

Abstract: It remains debatable how billion-solar-mass supermassive black holes (SMBHs) form and evolve within the first billion years. We report results from a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)/NIRSpec integral field unit (IFU) survey of 27 luminous quasars at $z \sim 5$-$6$, enabling a systematic investigation of their key physical properties and the associated, extended line emission. Our sample hosts SMB… ▽ More It remains debatable how billion-solar-mass supermassive black holes (SMBHs) form and evolve within the first billion years. We report results from a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)/NIRSpec integral field unit (IFU) survey of 27 luminous quasars at $z \sim 5$-$6$, enabling a systematic investigation of their key physical properties and the associated, extended line emission. Our sample hosts SMBHs with $\log(M_{\mathrm{BH}}/M_\odot) \sim 8.6$-$9.7$ and Eddington ratios of $\sim 0.1$-$2.6$ based on H$β$, and the H$β$-based and H$α$-based BH mass are broadly consistent with each other. Our sample may have a slightly smaller median BH mass and larger median Eddington ratio than lower-redshift quasars within the same luminosity range, although the difference could still be explained by statistical uncertainties. They generally follow the empirical correlations between [O III] $λ$5007 equivalent width and bolometric luminosities or Eddington ratios formed by lower-redshift quasars. The majority of them fall within the Eigenvector~1 planes formed by lower-redshift quasars. Nevertheless, a subset of the sample shows enhanced, blueshifted [O III] emission associated with fast outflows. Spatially extended [O III] line emission is detected in 6 objects and shows morphologies and kinematics consistent with merging activities and/or turbulent and clumpy interstellar media (ISM). Tentative evidence of quasar radiative feedback shaping the ISM of a merging companion galaxy is seen in the object with the most extended [O III] emission. Our results provide crucial insight into the rapid growth of SMBHs and the gaseous environments they reside in at z$\sim$5-6. △ Less

Submitted 8 November, 2025; originally announced November 2025.

Comments: 22 pages, 12 figures, submitted to ApJ, comments are more than welcome!

A close look at the black hole masses and hot dusty toruses of the first quasars with MIRI-MRS

Authors: Sarah E. I. Bosman, Javier Álvarez-Márquez, Frederick B. Davies, Klaudia Protušová, Joseph F. Hennawi, Jinyi Yang, Benedetta Spina, Luis Colina, Xiaohui Fan, Göran Östlin, Fabian Walter, Feige Wang, Martin Ward, Almudena Alonso Herrero, Aaron J. Barth, Silvia Belladitta, Leindert Boogaard, Karina I. Caputi, Thomas Connor, Dominika Ďurovčíková, Anna-Christina Eilers, Alejandro Crespo Gómez, Jens Hjorth, Hyunsung D. Jun, Danial Langeroodi , et al. (7 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The presence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs, $M_\text{BH}\sim10^9 M_\odot$) at $z>7$ remains a puzzle. While their existence appears to require exotic formation or growth processes, it is possible that BH mass estimates are incorrect due to differences from the low-$z$ quasars where BH mass scaling relations are calibrated. In this work, we employ JWST MIRI-MRS spectroscopy to measure the rest… ▽ More The presence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs, $M_\text{BH}\sim10^9 M_\odot$) at $z>7$ remains a puzzle. While their existence appears to require exotic formation or growth processes, it is possible that BH mass estimates are incorrect due to differences from the low-$z$ quasars where BH mass scaling relations are calibrated. In this work, we employ JWST MIRI-MRS spectroscopy to measure the rest-frame optical/IR properties of the four highest-redshift known luminous type-1 quasars at $7.08\leq z<7.64$. We use three new broad lines to measure updated BH masses, H$α$, Pa$α$ and Pa$β$, finding them to be in the range $(4-15)\cdot10^8 M_\odot$. Our black hole mass estimates from all tracers agree with each other and with previous, less accurate, ground-based measurements based on MgII. The flux ratios of the H lines deviate from expectations for case A and B recombination in the same way as in $z<3$ quasars, indicating similar physical conditions in the Broad Line Region. Rest-frame near-IR continuum emission from a hot dusty torus surrounding the accretion disc is unambiguously detected in all four objects. We model the emission with SKIRTOR and constrain the inclination (face-on) and the opening angle ($θ=40-60^\circ$) of the tori. These constraints are consistent for the four objects and with expectations from luminous quasars. We estimate a total dust mass $(1-4)\cdot10^6 M_\odot$ in the tori, corresponding to $(0.2-7)\%$ of the total dust in the quasar host galaxies. Given observed accretion rates, these SMBHs will deplete their tori in only $\sim5$ Myr. Overall, we confirm that $z>7$ SMBHs in quasars could not have grown from stellar-remnant BHs if the radiative efficiency of accretion is $10\%$. We also find no evidence that inferred BH masses and accretion processes in $z>7$ quasars differ significantly from their near-identical counterparts at $z<3$. △ Less

Submitted 4 November, 2025; originally announced November 2025.

Comments: Submitted to ApJ; 26 pages, 12 figures

Evidence of cosmic-ray acceleration up to sub-PeV energies in the supernova remnant IC 443

Authors: Zhen Cao, F. Aharonian, Y. X. Bai, Y. W. Bao, D. Bastieri, X. J. Bi, Y. J. Bi, W. Bian, A. V. Bukevich, C. M. Cai, W. Y. Cao, Zhe Cao, J. Chang, J. F. Chang, A. M. Chen, E. S. Chen, G. H. Chen, H. X. Chen, Liang Chen, Long Chen, M. J. Chen, M. L. Chen, Q. H. Chen, S. Chen, S. H. Chen , et al. (291 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Supernova remnants (SNRs) have been considered as the primary contributors to cosmic rays (CRs) in our Galaxy. However, the maximum energy of particles that can be accelerated by shocks of SNRs is uncertain observationally and theoretically, and the role of contribution to CRs around PeV energies by SNRs is unclear. In this study, we present observations of high-energy $γ$-ray emission from the SN… ▽ More Supernova remnants (SNRs) have been considered as the primary contributors to cosmic rays (CRs) in our Galaxy. However, the maximum energy of particles that can be accelerated by shocks of SNRs is uncertain observationally and theoretically, and the role of contribution to CRs around PeV energies by SNRs is unclear. In this study, we present observations of high-energy $γ$-ray emission from the SNR IC 443 using the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). The morphological analysis reveals a pointlike source whose location and spectrum are consistent with those of the Fermi-LAT-detected compact source with $π^0$-decay signature, and a more extended source which is consistent with a newly discovered source, previously unrecognized by Fermi-LAT. The spectrum of the point source can be described by a power-law function with an index of $\sim3.0$, extending beyond $\sim 30$ TeV without apparent cutoff. Assuming a hadronic origin of the $γ$-ray emission, the $95\%$ lower limit of accelerated protons reaches about 300 TeV. The extended source might be coincident with IC 443, SNR G189.6+3.3 or the putative pulsar wind nebula CXOU J061705.3+222127, and can be explained by either a hadronic or leptonic model. The LHAASO results provide compelling evidence that CR protons up to sub-PeV energies can be accelerated by the SNR. △ Less

Submitted 29 October, 2025; originally announced October 2025.

The Photometric Analysis of the Environment Around Two Dusty Star-Forming Galaxies at $z \sim 2$

Authors: Joe Bhangal, Allison W. S. Man, Tom J. L. C. Bakx, Darko Donevski, Pierre Cox, Helmut Dannerbauer, Stephen Serjeant, Masato Hagimoto, Pluto Jiang, Wenxiao Liu

Abstract: Studying the environments of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) provides insight into whether these luminous systems are reliable signposts of large-scale overdensities. Evidence suggests that individual DSFGs can trace overdense environments, although this association may not be universal. To test this, we investigate the environments surrounding two luminous, gravitationally-lensed DSFGs (SDP.1… ▽ More Studying the environments of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) provides insight into whether these luminous systems are reliable signposts of large-scale overdensities. Evidence suggests that individual DSFGs can trace overdense environments, although this association may not be universal. To test this, we investigate the environments surrounding two luminous, gravitationally-lensed DSFGs (SDP.17b at $z_\text{spec} = 2.3049$ and HELMS-55 at $z_\text{spec} = 2.2834$). Using Gemini South Flamingos-2 (F2) $K_s$-band imaging together with ancillary Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam and Hubble Space Telescope multi-band photometry, we obtain photometric redshifts, $z_\text{phot}$, as well as star formation rates and stellar mass estimates for companion galaxies of the DSFGs. At least $5\pm2$ and $15\pm3$ companion galaxies exist with consistent $z_\text{phot}$ ($dz \leq 0.2$) within a projected separation of 5.5 cMpc of SDP.17b and HELMS-55, respectively. These correspond to galaxy overdensities of $δ= 0.1 \pm 0.2$ and $δ =1.0 \pm 0.3$, with significances of $(0.2 \pm 0.4)σ$ and $(2.2 \pm 0.6) σ$, respectively. On the $M_{\rm H_2}$-overdensity-significance plane, HELMS-55 may follow the positive correlation between the gas mass and the overdensity significance, while SDP.17b lies well above the relation despite its large gas reservoir, making it a potential outlier. Based on this study of two DSFGs, our photometric analysis suggests that DSFGs can trace the outskirts of protoclusters or associated large-scale structures. However, our small sample prevents firm conclusions about their ability to pinpoint dense cluster cores. Future multi-object spectroscopic observations are required to confirm the membership and star formation properties of the companion galaxies. △ Less

Submitted 20 October, 2025; originally announced October 2025.

Comments: 23 pages (16 main text, 7 Appendix), 8 figures, 7 tables. Accepted to ApJ

Journal ref: ApJ 995 28 (2025)

JWST COSMOS-3D: Spectroscopic Census and Luminosity Function of [O III] Emitters at 6.75<z<9.05 in COSMOS

Authors: Romain A. Meyer, Feige Wang, Koki Kakiichi, Gabe Brammer, Jackie Champagne, Katharina Jurk, Zihao Li, Zijian Li, Marat Musin, Sindhu Satyavolu, Jan-Torge Schindler, Marko Shuntov, Yi Xu, Siwei Zou, Fuyan Bian, Caitlin Casey, Eiichi Egami, Xiaohui Fan, Danyang Jiang, Nicolas Laporte, Weizhe Liu, Pascal Oesch, Lidia Tasca, Jinyi Yang, Zijian Zhang , et al. (15 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We present a spectroscopically-selected [OIII]+Hb emitters catalogue at 6.75<z<9.05 and the resulting [OIII] 5008 ÅLuminosity Function (LF) in the COSMOS field. We leverage the 0.3 deg$^{2}$ covered to date by COSMOS-3D using NIRCam/WFSS F444W (90% of the survey) to perform the largest spectroscopic search for [OIII] emitters at 6.75<z<9.05. We present our catalogue of 237 [OIII] emitters and thei… ▽ More We present a spectroscopically-selected [OIII]+Hb emitters catalogue at 6.75<z<9.05 and the resulting [OIII] 5008 ÅLuminosity Function (LF) in the COSMOS field. We leverage the 0.3 deg$^{2}$ covered to date by COSMOS-3D using NIRCam/WFSS F444W (90% of the survey) to perform the largest spectroscopic search for [OIII] emitters at 6.75<z<9.05. We present our catalogue of 237 [OIII] emitters and their associated completeness function. The inferred constraints on the [OIII] LF enable us to characterise the knee of the [OIII] LF, resulting in improved [OIII] LF constraints at z~7,8. Notably, we find evidence for an accelerated decline of the [OIII] luminosity density between z~7 and z~8, which could be expected if the metallicity of [OIII] emitters, as well as the cosmic star-formation rate density, is declining at these redshifts. We find that theoretical models that reproduce the z~7,8 [OIII] LF do not reproduce well the [OIII] equivalent width distribution, pointing to potential challenges in the modelling of[OIII] and other nebular lines in the early Universe. Finally, we provide the first constraints on the cosmic variance of [OIII] emitters, estimating at 15% the relative uncertainty for the z~7,8 [OIII] LF in the 0.3 deg$^2$ field. This estimate is in good agreement with that inferred from clustering, and shows that the [OIII] LF derived from smaller extragalactic legacy fields is strongly affected by cosmic variance. Our results highlight the fundamental role that wide-area JWST slitless surveys play to map the galaxy large-scale structure down into the reionisation era, serving as a springboard for a variety of science cases. △ Less

Submitted 13 October, 2025; originally announced October 2025.

Comments: Submitted to A&A. 10 pages + appendices. [OIII] catalogue release after acceptance. Comments welcome!

Comprehensive X-ray Spectral-timing Analysis of GRS 1915+105 Based on Insight-HXMT Observations

Authors: Xiao Chen, Weiping Liu, Wei Wang

Abstract: GRS 1915+105 has been well studied since its discovery, and is well-known for its complex light curve variability. Using the full currently available Insight-HXMT dataset from July 2017 to June 2023, we make a comprehensive spectral-timing analysis of this source and report four main findings. First, we uncover a QPO frequency rising branch between MJD 58206 and 58230, where the centroid frequency… ▽ More GRS 1915+105 has been well studied since its discovery, and is well-known for its complex light curve variability. Using the full currently available Insight-HXMT dataset from July 2017 to June 2023, we make a comprehensive spectral-timing analysis of this source and report four main findings. First, we uncover a QPO frequency rising branch between MJD 58206 and 58230, where the centroid frequency increases from $\sim$2 Hz to $\sim$6 Hz, consistent with a spectral state transition from the hard to intermediate state. This rising branch completes the full QPO frequency evolution cycle when combined with the subsequent frequency decay phase, and had been missed in prior NICER and Insight-HXMT studies. Second, we identify a previously unreported Flare 3 during the obscured state, which shows distinct spectral and timing properties compared to the earlier flares. Third, we detect sub-Hz QPOs (<1 Hz) in all three flares, specifically at $\sim$0.01 Hz in Flare 1 and $\sim$0.2 Hz in both Flares 2 and 3. In particular, the weak $\sim$0.2 Hz signals observed in Flare 3 indicate ongoing coronal activity despite strong obscuration. Finally, a comparison between QPOs above and below 1 Hz suggests distinct origins, with the former likely arising from Lense-Thirring precession of the inner hot flow and the latter from magnetic perturbations driving a failed disk wind. These findings offer new insights into the unique accretion geometry and variability behaviors of GRS 1915+105. △ Less

Submitted 11 October, 2025; originally announced October 2025.

Comments: 12 pages, 12 figures, accepted by MNRAS

A Giant Peanut-shaped Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emitter Off the Galactic Plane

Authors: Zhen Cao, Felix Aharonian, Yunxiang Bai, Yiwei Bao, Denis Bastieri, Xiaojun Bi, YuJiang Bi, Mr Bian WenYi, A. Butkevich, Chengmiao Cai, Wenyu Cao, Zhe Cao, Jin Chang, Jinfan Chang, Mr Aming Chen, Ensheng Chen, Mr Guo-Hai Chen, Mr Huaxi Chen, Liang Chen, Long Chen, Mingjun Chen, Mali Chen, Qihui Chen, Shi Chen, Suhong Chen , et al. (291 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Ultra-high-energy (UHE), exceeding 100 TeV (10^12 electronvolts), γ-rays manifests extreme particle acceleration in astrophysical sources. Recent observations by γ-ray telescopes, particularly by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), have revealed a few tens of UHE sources, indicating numerous Galactic sources capable of accelerating particles to PeV (10^15 electronvolts) energi… ▽ More Ultra-high-energy (UHE), exceeding 100 TeV (10^12 electronvolts), γ-rays manifests extreme particle acceleration in astrophysical sources. Recent observations by γ-ray telescopes, particularly by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), have revealed a few tens of UHE sources, indicating numerous Galactic sources capable of accelerating particles to PeV (10^15 electronvolts) energies. However, discerning the dominant acceleration mechanisms (leptonic versus hadronic), the relative contributions of specific source classes, and the role of particle transport in shaping their observed emission are central goals of modern UHE astrophysics. Here we report the discovery of a giant UHE γ-ray emitter at -17.5° off the Galactic plane - a region where UHE γ-ray sources are rarely found. The emitter exhibits a distinctive asymmetric shape, resembling a giant "Peanut" spanning 0.45° \times 4.6°, indicative of anisotropic particle distribution over a large area. A highly aged millisecond pulsar (MSP) J0218+4232 is the sole candidate accelerator positionally coincident with the Peanut region. Its association with UHE γ-rays extending to 0.7 PeV, if confirmed, would provide the first evidence of a millisecond pulsar powering PeV particles. Such a finding challenges prevailing models, which posit that millisecond pulsars cannot sustain acceleration to PeV energies. The detection reveals fundamental gaps in understanding particle acceleration, cosmic-ray transport, and interstellar magnetic field effects, potentially revealing new PeV accelerator (PeVatron) classes. △ Less

Submitted 25 October, 2025; v1 submitted 8 October, 2025; originally announced October 2025.

MUSEQuBES: Physical conditions, origins, and multi-element abundances of the circumgalactic medium of an isolated, star-forming dwarf galaxy at z=0.57

Authors: Sean D. Johnson, Nishant Mishra, Sowgat Muzahid, Gwen C. Rudie, Fakhri S. Zahedy, Zhijie Qu, Claude-André Faucher-Giguère, Jonathan Stern, Jennifer I-Hsiu Li, Elise Fuller, Sebastiano Cantalupo, Hsiao-Wen Chen, Ahmad Kadri, Suyash Kumar, Zhuoqi Will Liu, Gregory Walth

Abstract: In dwarf galaxy models, outflows expel metal-enriched interstellar medium (ISM) into the circumgalactic medium (CGM) to reproduce their observed low metallicities, but measurements of dwarf CGM properties are scarce. We present a study of the CGM of an isolated dwarf at $z=0.5723$ with a stellar mass of $\approx5\times10^7\rm\,M_{\odot}$ and star-formation rate (… ▽ More In dwarf galaxy models, outflows expel metal-enriched interstellar medium (ISM) into the circumgalactic medium (CGM) to reproduce their observed low metallicities, but measurements of dwarf CGM properties are scarce. We present a study of the CGM of an isolated dwarf at $z=0.5723$ with a stellar mass of $\approx5\times10^7\rm\,M_{\odot}$ and star-formation rate ($\approx0.05\,\rm M_\odot\,yr^{-1}$) and ISM metallicity ($\rm [O/H]\approx-0.9$) consistent with the star-forming main sequence and mass-metallicity relation. A background quasar sightline with archival UV spectra probes the dwarf's CGM at a projected distance of 28 kpc, corresponding to approximately half of the estimated virial radius. The dwarf's CGM is detected in H I, intermediate metal ions of C III, O III, and O IV, and kinematically broader, highly-ionized O VI, but is undetected in N IV and Ne VIII. Photoionization modeling of the intermediate ions indicates a modest volume-filling factor ($\sim 6\%$ along the sightline or $\sim 2\%$ globally), and a mass of $\sim2\times10^8 {\rm\,M_\odot}$, $\sim4\times$ higher than the dwarf's stellar mass, but $\sim10\times$ less than the highly ionized CGM. The O VI kinematics are comparable to the dwarf's estimated virial velocity, suggesting it is likely associated with cool, photoionized, and volume-filling CGM, with bulk motion or turbulence dominating over thermal pressure. The metallicity inferred for the intermediate ions is $\rm [O/H]=-0.6$, but with low relative abundances of $\rm [C/O]=-0.6$ and $\rm [N/O]<-0.9$. The [N/O] is below levels expected of the dwarf's ISM, but consistent with core-collapse supernova ejecta, suggesting that supernova-enriched gas escaped the dwarf without mixing significantly with ISM enriched in nitrogen from evolved, low-mass stars. △ Less

Submitted 7 October, 2025; originally announced October 2025.

Comments: Submitted to AAS Journals; 5 figures, 1 table, 1 appendix figure

Probing the \ion{He}{2} re-Ionization ERa via Absorbing \ion{C}{4} Historical Yield (HIERACHY) IV: A complex redshifted absorption system intrinsic to quasar

Authors: Huiyang Mao, Jiang-Tao Li, Xiaodi Yu, Zhijie Qu, Weizhe Liu, Li Ji

Abstract: High-resolution spectra provide a powerful tool in studying the associated absorption lines (AALs) in quasars. We present a case study of the quasar J014741-030247 at $z \sim$ 4.75, which hosts complex intrinsic absorption lines revealed by the high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectrum obtained from the HIERACHY program. We focus on one of the strongest absorption systems ($z$ $\sim$ 4.7804) and dete… ▽ More High-resolution spectra provide a powerful tool in studying the associated absorption lines (AALs) in quasars. We present a case study of the quasar J014741-030247 at $z \sim$ 4.75, which hosts complex intrinsic absorption lines revealed by the high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectrum obtained from the HIERACHY program. We focus on one of the strongest absorption systems ($z$ $\sim$ 4.7804) and determine the column densities of multiple ionization species. We find that the Apparent Optical Depth method may significantly underestimate the column densities of high ions. Decomposing the absorption into multiple components yields a better fit and reveals clear evidence of partial coverage. The variation in covering fractions among different ions suggests that high ions are distributed more extensively in this system. We estimate electron densities of different components ($630 - 4070 \ \mathrm{cm}^{-3}$), these are based on the column densities of \ion{Si}{2}* and \ion{C}{2}*. By combining these with the hydrogen number density and ionization parameter derived from photoionization modeling, we infer that the different components are located at distances of 2.3 to 9.5 kpc from the quasar. The derived $N_{\mathrm H} / n_{\mathrm e}$ and the partial coverage observed in low ions all require cloud sizes smaller than 1 pc, even down to 0.01 pc. Finally, the low kinetic luminosity of the gas ($< 0.5\% L_\mathrm{bol}$) indicates that it is insufficient to drive significant AGN feedback and may only suppress star formation via `multistage' mechanism. △ Less

Submitted 29 September, 2025; originally announced September 2025.

Comments: 18 pages, 19 figures, accepted by ApJ

Towards the Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND): the GRANDProto300 and GRAND@Auger prototypes

Authors: GRAND Collaboration, Jaime Álvarez-Muniz, Rafael Alves Batista, Aurélien Benoit-Lévy, Teresa Bister, Martina Bohacova, Mauricio Bustamante, Washington Carvalho, Yiren Chen, LingMei Cheng, Simon Chiche, Jean-Marc Colley, Pablo Correa, Nicoleta Cucu Laurenciu, Zigao Dai, Rogerio M. de Almeida, Beatriz de Errico, João R. T. de Mello Neto, Krijn D. de Vries, Valentin Decoene, Peter B. Denton, Bohao Duan, Kaikai Duan, Ralph Engel, William Erba , et al. (96 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) is a proposed multi-messenger observatory of ultra-high-energy (UHE) particles of cosmic origin. Its main goal is to find the long-sought origin of UHE cosmic rays by detecting large numbers of them and the secondary particles created by their interaction -- gamma rays, and, especially, neutrinos. GRAND will do so using large arrays of radio ant… ▽ More The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) is a proposed multi-messenger observatory of ultra-high-energy (UHE) particles of cosmic origin. Its main goal is to find the long-sought origin of UHE cosmic rays by detecting large numbers of them and the secondary particles created by their interaction -- gamma rays, and, especially, neutrinos. GRAND will do so using large arrays of radio antennas that look for the radio signals emitted by the air showers initiated by the interactions of the UHE particles in the atmosphere. Since 2023, three small-scale prototype GRAND arrays have been in operation: GRAND@Nançay in France, GRAND@Auger in Argentina, and GRANDProto300 in China. Together, their goal is to validate the detection principle of GRAND under prolonged field conditions, achieving efficient, autonomous radio-detection of air showers. We describe the hardware, software, layout, and operation of the GRAND prototypes and show the first radio spectra measured by them. Despite challenges, the successful operation of the prototypes confirms that the GRAND instrumentation is apt to address the goals of the experiment and lays the groundwork for its ensuing stages. △ Less

Submitted 25 September, 2025; originally announced September 2025.

Comments: 28 pages, 16 figures, 2 tables

An updated constraint on the Effective Field Theory of Dark Energy

Authors: Chi Zheng, Wei Liu, Zonghao Zhan, Wenjuan Fang

Abstract: The Effective Field Theory of Dark Energy (EFTofDE) provides a systematic and model-independent framework to study dark energy (DE) and modified gravity (MG) with one additional scalar degree of freedom. It can describe the known models such as Quintessence, k-essence, DGP, $f(R)$, and Horndeski theories. In this work, we update constraints on EFTofDE by utilizing the most up-to-date public data i… ▽ More The Effective Field Theory of Dark Energy (EFTofDE) provides a systematic and model-independent framework to study dark energy (DE) and modified gravity (MG) with one additional scalar degree of freedom. It can describe the known models such as Quintessence, k-essence, DGP, $f(R)$, and Horndeski theories. In this work, we update constraints on EFTofDE by utilizing the most up-to-date public data including the BAO (DESI DR2), CMB (Planck 2018 \& ACT DR6), SNIa (DESY5), weak lensing (DESY3) and full-shape galaxy power (BOSS DR12). We find with the $Λ$CDM background, general relativity (GR) is favored by the data, while with the $w0wa$CDM background, slight modification to GR is favored, but still consistent with GR within $1.5σ$. We also find the significance level for dynamical DE is greatly reduced within EFTofDE compared to within GR, indicating the degeneracy between dynamical DE and MG. △ Less

Submitted 17 September, 2025; originally announced September 2025.

Comments: Accepted to RAA (Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics)

Origin of the lunar farside highlands from Earthshine-induced global circulation in lunar magma ocean

Authors: Wenshuai Liu

Abstract: The lunar farside highlands, referred to as the lunar farside thicker crust compared with the nearside crust, presents a challenge to the theory of formation and evolution of the Moon. Here, we show that, after the Moon reached synchronous rotation, Earthshine could induce global circulation in lunar magma ocean due to the imposed surface temperature gradient generated by the hot, post-giant impac… ▽ More The lunar farside highlands, referred to as the lunar farside thicker crust compared with the nearside crust, presents a challenge to the theory of formation and evolution of the Moon. Here, we show that, after the Moon reached synchronous rotation, Earthshine could induce global circulation in lunar magma ocean due to the imposed surface temperature gradient generated by the hot, post-giant impact Earth. The global circulation, generating downwellings on the farside and a deeper return flow on the nearside, results that magmas flow from the nearside to the farside in the shallow magma ocean while the the direction of flow is opposite in the deep magma ocean. Such flow in the shallow magma ocean would transport anorthositic crystals formed in the nearside to the farside. Furthermore, since the lunar farside is cooler than the nearside, crystallization is much more efficient at the farside, resulting that farside magmas transported from the nearside produce anorthositic crystals rapidly. The theory proposed here may provide a natural way of explaining the origin of the lunar farside highlands. △ Less

Submitted 14 September, 2025; originally announced September 2025.

Comments: 3 pages, 1 figure

Frequent Extreme Galaxy-scale Outflows among Luminous Early Quasars

Authors: Weizhe Liu, Xiaohui Fan, Huan Li, Richard Green, Jinyi Yang, Xiangyu Jin, Jianwei Lyu, Maria Pudoka, Yongda Zhu, Eduardo Banados, Silvia Belladitta, Thomas Connor, Tiago Costa, Roberto Decarli, Anna-Christina Eilers, Hyunsung Jun, Madeline A. Marshall, Chiara Mazzucchelli, Jan-Torge Schindler, Yue Shen, Sylvain Veilleux, Julien Wolf, Huanian Zhang, Mingyang Zhuang, Siwei Zou , et al. (1 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The existence of abundant post-starburst/quiescent galaxies just $\sim$1-2 Gyrs after the Big Bang challenges our current paradigm of galaxy evolution. Cosmological simulations suggest that quasar feedback is likely the most promising mechanism responsible for such rapid quenching. Here we report a high detection rate (6/27) of exceptionally fast and powerful galaxy-scale outflows traced by [O III… ▽ More The existence of abundant post-starburst/quiescent galaxies just $\sim$1-2 Gyrs after the Big Bang challenges our current paradigm of galaxy evolution. Cosmological simulations suggest that quasar feedback is likely the most promising mechanism responsible for such rapid quenching. Here we report a high detection rate (6/27) of exceptionally fast and powerful galaxy-scale outflows traced by [O III] emission in z $\sim$ 5-6 luminous quasars as revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with velocity up to $\sim$8400 km s$^{-1}$ and order-of-magnitude kinetic energy outflow rates up to $\sim$260% the observed quasar bolometric luminosities. This fraction is $\gtrsim$6.6 times larger than that in luminosity-matched comparison samples at z $\sim$ 1.5-3.5 (0/58) and z $<$ 1 (5/148). These extreme outflows are comparable to or even faster than the most rapid [O III] outflows reported at z $\lesssim$ 3, and could reach the circumgalactic medium (CGM) or even the intergalactic medium (IGM). The average kinetic energy outflow rate of our entire sample is $\sim$230$\times$ higher than that at cosmic noon. The substantially higher frequency of outflows with energetics well above the threshold for negative feedback in our sample strongly suggests that quasar feedback plays a significant role in efficiently quenching/regulating early massive galaxies. △ Less

Submitted 10 September, 2025; originally announced September 2025.

Comments: 24 pages, 6 figures. Nature in review. This manuscript represents the original submitted version following journal policy. Comments are welcome!

Origin of the lunar isotopic crisis from solidification of a stratified lunar magma ocean

Authors: Wenshuai Liu

Abstract: According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed through accreting the debris disk produced by a collision between Theia and the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system, however, simulations with respect to giant impact between a planetary embryo and the growing proto-Earth show that more than 40 percent of the materials in the circum-t… ▽ More According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed through accreting the debris disk produced by a collision between Theia and the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system, however, simulations with respect to giant impact between a planetary embryo and the growing proto-Earth show that more than 40 percent of the materials in the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by the giant impact originates from the impactor. Thus, the giant impact theory has difficulty explaining the Moon's Earth-like isotopic compositions, which is referred to as the lunar isotopic crisis. With the assumption that Theia may have possessed an iron-rich mantle compared with proto-Earth's mantle, here we show that, after the formation of the stratified lunar magma ocean, solidification of the stratified lunar magma ocean would result that the upper solid layer is composed of proto-Earth's mantle and the lower solid layer is made of Theia's mantle, meaning that the Moon's Earth-like isotopic composition is a natural result of the giant impact. The theory proposed here may provide a way of explaining the lunar isotopic crisis. △ Less

Submitted 8 September, 2025; originally announced September 2025.

Comments: 5 pages, 3 figures

Quasar Radiative Feedback May Suppress Galaxy Growth on Intergalactic Scales at $z = 6.3$

Authors: Yongda Zhu, Eiichi Egami, Xiaohui Fan, Fengwu Sun, George D. Becker, Christopher Cain, Huanqing Chen, Anna-Christina Eilers, Yoshinobu Fudamoto, Jakob M. Helton, Xiangyu Jin, Maria Pudoka, Andrew J. Bunker, Zheng Cai, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Zhiyuan Ji, Xiaojing Lin, Weizhe Liu, Hai-Xia Ma, Zheng Ma, Roberto Maiolino, George H. Rieke, Marcia J. Rieke, Pierluigi Rinaldi, Yang Sun , et al. (5 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We present observational evidence that intense ionizing radiation from a luminous quasar suppresses nebular emission in nearby galaxies on intergalactic scales at $z=6.3$. Using JWST/NIRCam grism spectroscopy from the SAPPHIRES and EIGER programs, we identify a moderate but statistically significant decline in [O\,\textsc{iii}]\,$\lambda5008$ luminosity relative to the UV continuum (… ▽ More We present observational evidence that intense ionizing radiation from a luminous quasar suppresses nebular emission in nearby galaxies on intergalactic scales at $z=6.3$. Using JWST/NIRCam grism spectroscopy from the SAPPHIRES and EIGER programs, we identify a moderate but statistically significant decline in [O\,\textsc{iii}]\,$\lambda5008$ luminosity relative to the UV continuum ($L_{5008}/L_{1500}$) among galaxies within $\sim$ 7 comoving Mpc (cMpc) of the quasar J0100$+$2802, the most UV-luminous quasar known at this epoch ($M_{1450}=-29.26$). While $L_{1500}$ remains roughly constant with transverse distance, $L_{5008}$ increases significantly, suggesting suppression of very recent star formation toward the quasar. The effect persists after controlling for completeness, local density, and UV luminosity, and correlates with the projected photoionization-rate profile $Γ_{\mathrm{qso}}$. A weaker but directionally consistent suppression in $L_{5008}/L_{1500}$ is also observed along the line of sight. The transverse suppression radius ($\sim$ 7 cMpc) implies a recent radiative episode with a cumulative duration $\sim$ 3.1 Myr, shorter than required for thermal photoheating to dominate and thus more naturally explained by rapid H$_2$ photodissociation and related radiative processes. Environmental effects alone appear insufficient to explain the signal. Our results provide direct, geometry-based constraints on large-scale quasar radiative feedback and recent quasar lifetimes. △ Less

Submitted 19 November, 2025; v1 submitted 29 August, 2025; originally announced September 2025.

Comments: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters (ApJL); to be presented at AAS 247

Lightweight posterior construction for gravitational-wave catalogs with the Kolmogorov-Arnold network

Authors: Wenshuai Liu, Yiming Dong, Ziming Wang, Lijing Shao

Abstract: Neural density estimation has seen widespread applications in the gravitational-wave (GW) data analysis, which enables real-time parameter estimation for compact binary coalescences and enhances rapid inference for subsequent analysis such as population inference. In this work, we explore the application of using the Kolmogorov-Arnold network (KAN) to construct efficient and interpretable neural d… ▽ More Neural density estimation has seen widespread applications in the gravitational-wave (GW) data analysis, which enables real-time parameter estimation for compact binary coalescences and enhances rapid inference for subsequent analysis such as population inference. In this work, we explore the application of using the Kolmogorov-Arnold network (KAN) to construct efficient and interpretable neural density estimators for lightweight posterior construction of GW catalogs. By replacing conventional activation functions with learnable splines, KAN achieves superior interpretability, higher accuracy, and greater parameter efficiency on related scientific tasks. Leveraging this feature, we propose a KAN-based neural density estimator, which ingests megabyte-scale GW posterior samples and compresses them into model weights of tens of kilobytes. Subsequently, analytic expressions requiring only several kilobytes can be further distilled from these neural network weights with minimal accuracy trade-off. In practice, GW posterior samples with fidelity can be regenerated rapidly using the model weights or analytic expressions for subsequent analysis. Our lightweight posterior construction strategy is expected to facilitate user-level data storage and transmission, paving a path for efficient analysis of numerous GW events in the next-generation GW detectors. △ Less

Submitted 19 November, 2025; v1 submitted 26 August, 2025; originally announced August 2025.

Comments: 17 pages, 12 figures; accepted by PRD. Code is publicly available at https://github.com/liu-ws/KMADE

Journal ref: Phys. Rev. D 112 (2025) 122003

Discovery of a Little Red Dot candidate at $z\gtrsim10$ in COSMOS-Web based on MIRI-NIRCam selection

Authors: Takumi S. Tanaka, Hollis B. Akins, Yuichi Harikane, John D. Silverman, Caitlin M. Casey, Kohei Inayoshi, Jan-Torge Schindler, Kazuhiro Shimasaku, Dale D. Kocevski, Masafusa Onoue, Andreas L. Faisst, Brant Robertson, Vasily Kokorev, Marko Shuntov, Anton M. Koekemoer, Maximilien Franco, Eiichi Egami, Daizhong Liu, Anthony J. Taylor, Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe, Sarah E. Bosman, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Koki Kakiichi, Santosh Harish, Zijian Zhang , et al. (42 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: JWST has revealed a new high-redshift population called little red dots (LRDs). Since LRDs may be in the early phase of black hole growth, identifying them in the early universe is crucial for understanding the formation of the first supermassive black holes. However, no robust LRD candidates have been identified at $z>10$, because commonly-used NIRCam photometry covers wavelengths up to… ▽ More JWST has revealed a new high-redshift population called little red dots (LRDs). Since LRDs may be in the early phase of black hole growth, identifying them in the early universe is crucial for understanding the formation of the first supermassive black holes. However, no robust LRD candidates have been identified at $z>10$, because commonly-used NIRCam photometry covers wavelengths up to $\sim5\,{\rm μm}$ and is insufficient to capture the characteristic V-shaped spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of LRDs. In this study, we present the first search for $z\gtrsim10$ LRD candidates using both NIRCam and MIRI imaging from COSMOS-Web, which provides the largest joint NIRCam-MIRI coverage to date ($0.20\,{\rm deg^2}$). Taking advantage of MIRI/F770W to remove contaminants, we identify one robust candidate, CW-LRD-z10 at $z_{\rm phot}=10.5^{+0.7}_{-0.6}$ with $M_{\rm UV}=-19.9^{+0.1}_{-0.2}\,{\rm mag}$. CW-LRD-z10 exhibits a compact morphology, a distinct V-shaped SED, and a non-detection in F115W, all consistent with being an LRD at $z\sim10$. Based on this discovery, we place the first constraint on the number density of LRDs at $z\sim10$ with $M_{\rm UV}\sim-20$ of $1.2^{+2.7}_{-1.0}\times10^{-6}\,{\rm Mpc^{-3}\,mag^{-1}}$, suggesting that the fraction of LRDs among the overall galaxy population increases with redshift, reaching $\sim3\%$ at $z\sim10$. Although deep spectroscopy is necessary to confirm the redshift and the nature of CW-LRD-z10, our results imply that LRDs may be a common population at $z>10$, playing a key role in the first supermassive black hole formation. △ Less

Submitted 20 October, 2025; v1 submitted 31 July, 2025; originally announced August 2025.

Comments: 34 pages, 12 figures, and 5 tables, accepted in ApJ

Einstein Probe Discovery of EP J182730.0-095633: A New Black Hole X-ray Binary Candidate in Faint Outburst?

Authors: Huaqing Cheng, Qingchang Zhao, L. Tao, H. Feng, F. Coti Zelati, H. W. Pan, A. L. Wang, Y. N. Wang, M. Y. Ge, A. Rau, A. Marino, L. Zhang, W. J. Zhang, F. Carotenuto, L. Ji, C. C. Jin, D. Y. Li, B. F. Liu, Y. Liu, E. L. Qiao, N. Rea, R. Soria, S. Wang, Z. Yan, W. Yuan , et al. (56 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Black hole X-ray binaries (candidates) currently identified in our galaxy are mainly transient sources, with the majority discovered through the detection of their X-ray outbursts. Among these, only four were found during faint outbursts exhibiting peak X-ray luminosities $L_{\rm X}\lesssim10^{36}~{\rm erg~s^{-1}}$, likely due to the previous lack of sensitive, wide-field monitoring instruments in… ▽ More Black hole X-ray binaries (candidates) currently identified in our galaxy are mainly transient sources, with the majority discovered through the detection of their X-ray outbursts. Among these, only four were found during faint outbursts exhibiting peak X-ray luminosities $L_{\rm X}\lesssim10^{36}~{\rm erg~s^{-1}}$, likely due to the previous lack of sensitive, wide-field monitoring instruments in the X-ray band. In this Letter, we present the discovery of an intriguing X-ray transient, EP J182730.0-095633, via the Einstein Probe (EP) and subsequent multi-wavelength follow-up studies. This transient, located on the Galactic plane, experienced a faint and brief X-ray outburst lasting about 20 days. Its X-ray spectrum is non-thermal and consistent with a power-law model with a nearly constant photon index of $Γ\sim2$ throughout the outburst. A long-lasting millihertz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) signal was detected in its X-ray light curve, centered around a frequency of $\sim0.04$ Hz. A transient near-infrared source was identified as its counterpart, although no optical emission was detectable, likely due to significant extinction. A radio counterpart was also observed, displaying an inverted radio spectrum with $α\sim0.45$. The X-ray spectral and temporal characteristics, along with the multi-wavelength properties, indicate that the source is a faint low-mass X-ray binary, with the compact object likely being a black hole. This work demonstrates the potential of the EP in discovering new X-ray binaries by capturing faint-level X-ray outbursts. △ Less

Submitted 17 July, 2025; originally announced July 2025.

Comments: 22 pages, 5 figures (plus 3 in appendix), 3 tables in appendix. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

The Discovery of Little Red Dots in the Local Universe: Signatures of Cool Gas Envelopes

Authors: Xiaojing Lin, Xiaohui Fan, Zheng Cai, Fuyan Bian, Hanpu Liu, Fengwu Sun, Yilun Ma, Jenny E. Greene, Michael A. Strauss, Richard Green, Jianwei Lyu, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Andy D. Goulding, Kohei Inayoshi, Xiangyu Jin, Gene C. K. Leung, Mingyu Li, Weizhe Liu, Yichen Liu, Junjie Mao, Maria Anne Pudoka, Wei Leong Tee, Ben Wang, Feige Wang, Yunjing Wu , et al. (3 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: JWST observations have revealed a population of high-redshift "little red dots" (LRDs) that challenge conventional AGN models. We report the discovery of three local LRDs at $z = 0.1$-$0.2$, initially selected from the SDSS database, with follow-up optical/near-IR spectroscopy and photometry. They exhibit properties fully consistent with those of high-redshift LRDs, including broad hydrogen and he… ▽ More JWST observations have revealed a population of high-redshift "little red dots" (LRDs) that challenge conventional AGN models. We report the discovery of three local LRDs at $z = 0.1$-$0.2$, initially selected from the SDSS database, with follow-up optical/near-IR spectroscopy and photometry. They exhibit properties fully consistent with those of high-redshift LRDs, including broad hydrogen and helium emission lines, compact morphologies, V-shaped UV-optical SED, declining near-IR continua, and no significant variability. Two sources were targeted but not detected in X-rays with statistical significance. All three sources show blue-shifted He I absorption, while two exhibit H$α$ and Na D absorption lines. We detect full Balmer and Paschen line series in all three objects, along with abundant narrow [Fe II] emission in two. The emission line analyses suggest narrow lines originate from AGN-powered, metal-poor regions with minimal dust; broad lines come from inner regions with exceptionally high density or atypical dust properties; and [Fe II] emission arises from dense gas between broad and narrow-line regions. One of our objects, J1025+1402 (nicknamed $The~Egg$), shows extremely high equivalent width Na D, K I, and Ca II triplet absorption lines, along with other potential low-ionization absorption features, suggesting the presence of a cool ($\sim$5000 K), metal-enriched gas envelope. The optical/near-IR continua of these LRDs are also consistent with theoretical models featuring an atmosphere around black holes. The WISE-detected IR emission is consistent with weak dust emission of $T \sim 10^2-10^3$ K. We propose a conceptual model consisting of a largely thermalized cool-gas envelope surrounding the central black hole and an extended emission line region with high-density outflowing gas to explain the observed properties of these local LRDs. △ Less

Submitted 12 December, 2025; v1 submitted 14 July, 2025; originally announced July 2025.

Comments: Main text 27 pages, 15 figures, 5 tables. Measurement and line identification updated; more absorption features in Figure 12. No changes to major conclusions. Accepted by ApJ

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) Collaboration -- Contributions to the 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2025)

Authors: Jaime Álvarez-Muñiz, Rafael Alves Batista, Aurélien Benoit-Lévy, Teresa Bister, Martina Bohacova, Mauricio Bustamante, Washington Carvalho Jr., Yiren Chen, LingMei Cheng, Simon Chiche, Jean-Marc Colley, Pablo Correa, Nicoleta Cucu Laurenciu, Zigao Dai, Rogerio M. de Almeida, Beatriz de Errico, João R. T. de Mello Neto, Krijn D. de Vries, Valentin Decoene, Peter B. Denton, Bohao Duan, Kaikai Duan, Ralph Engel, William Erba, Yizhong Fan , et al. (113 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) is an envisioned observatory of ultra-high-energy particles of cosmic origin, with energies in excess of 100 PeV. GRAND uses large surface arrays of antennas to look for the radio emission from extensive air showers that are triggered by the interaction of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos in the atmosphere or underground.… ▽ More The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) is an envisioned observatory of ultra-high-energy particles of cosmic origin, with energies in excess of 100 PeV. GRAND uses large surface arrays of antennas to look for the radio emission from extensive air showers that are triggered by the interaction of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos in the atmosphere or underground. In particular, for ultra-high-energy neutrinos, the future final phase of GRAND aims to be sensitive enough to detect them in spite of their plausibly tiny flux. Three prototype GRAND radio arrays have been in operation since 2023: GRANDProto300, in China, GRAND@Auger, in Argentina, and GRAND@Nançay, in France. Their goals are to field-test the GRAND detection units, understand the radio background to which they are exposed, and develop tools for diagnostic, data gathering, and data analysis. This list of contributions to the 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2025) presents an overview of GRAND, in its present and future incarnations, and a first look at data collected by GRANDProto300 and GRAND@Auger, including the first cosmic-ray candidates detected by them. △ Less

Submitted 13 July, 2025; originally announced July 2025.

Comments: Note: To access the list of contributions, please follow the "HTML" link that can be found on the arXiv page

The optimal Padé polynomial for reconstruction of luminosity distance based on 10-fold cross-validation

Authors: Bo Yu, Wenhu Liu, XiaoFeng Yang, Tong-Jie zhang, Yanke Tang

Abstract: The cosmography known as the Padé polynomials has been widely used in the reconstruction of luminosity distance, and the orders of Padé polynomials influence the reconstructed result derived from Padé approximation. In this paper, we present a more general scheme of selecting optimal Padé polynomial for reconstruction of luminosity distance based on 10-fold cross-validation. Then the proposed sche… ▽ More The cosmography known as the Padé polynomials has been widely used in the reconstruction of luminosity distance, and the orders of Padé polynomials influence the reconstructed result derived from Padé approximation. In this paper, we present a more general scheme of selecting optimal Padé polynomial for reconstruction of luminosity distance based on 10-fold cross-validation. Then the proposed scheme is applied to Pantheon+ dataset. The numerical results clearly indicate that the proposed procedure has a remarkable ability to distinguish Padé approximations with different orders for the reconstruction of the luminosity distance. We conclude that the (2,1) Padé approximation is the optimal approach that can well explain Pantheon+ data at low and high red-shifts. Future applications of this scheme could help choose the optimal model that is more suitable for cosmological observation data at hand and gain a deeper understanding of the universe. △ Less

Submitted 11 July, 2025; originally announced July 2025.

Comments: 13 pages, 8 figures,1 table and accepted to APJ

MSC Class: 62H12 62H12 ACM Class: G.3.6

Journal ref: The Astrophysical Journal,988:158 (6pp), 2025 August 1

Balmer Decrement and IRX Break in Tracing Dust Attenuation at Scales of Individual Star-forming Regions in NGC 628

Authors: Man Qiao, Mingfeng Liu, Zongfei Lyu, Shuang Liu, Chao Yang, Dong Dong Shi, Fangxia An, Zhizheng Pan, Wenhao Liu, Binyang Liu, Run Wen, Yu Heng Zhang, Xian Zhong Zheng

Abstract: We investigate the relationships between infrared excess (IRX=$L_{\rm IR}/L_{\rm UV}$) and Balmer decrement (${\rm H}α/{\rm H}β$) as indicators of dust attenuation for 609 ${\rm {H\,{\small II}}}$ regions at scales of $\sim 50-200$ pc in NGC 628, utilizing data from AstroSat, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). Our findings indicate that about three fift… ▽ More We investigate the relationships between infrared excess (IRX=$L_{\rm IR}/L_{\rm UV}$) and Balmer decrement (${\rm H}α/{\rm H}β$) as indicators of dust attenuation for 609 ${\rm {H\,{\small II}}}$ regions at scales of $\sim 50-200$ pc in NGC 628, utilizing data from AstroSat, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). Our findings indicate that about three fifths of the sample ${\rm {H\,{\small II}}}$ regions reside within the regime occupied by local star-forming galaxies (SFGs) along the dust attenuation correlation described by their corresponding color excess parameters $E(B-V)_{\rm IRX} = 0.51\,E(B-V)_{{\rm H}α/{\rm H}β}$. Nearly 27$\%$ of the sample exhibits $E(B-V)_{\rm IRX}> E(B-V)_{{\rm H}α/{\rm H}β}$, while a small fraction ($\sim 13\%$) displays significantly lower $E(B-V)_{\rm IRX}$ compared to $E(B-V)_{{\rm H}α/{\rm H}β}$. These results suggest that the correlation between the two dust attenuation indicators no longer holds for spatially resolved ${\rm {H\,{\small II}}}$ regions. Furthermore, the ratio of $E(B-V)_{\rm IRX}$ to $E(B-V)_{{\rm H}α/{\rm H}β}$ remains unaffected by various physical parameters of the ${\rm {H\,{\small II}}}$ regions, including star formation rate (SFR), SFR surface density, infrared luminosity ($L_{\rm IR}$), $L_{\rm IR}$ surface density, stellar mass, gas-phase metallicity, circularized radius, and the distance to galactic center. We argue that the ratio is primarily influenced by the evolution of surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) of the star-forming regions, transitioning from an early dense and thick phase to the late blown-away stage. △ Less

Submitted 26 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 20 pages, 20 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in RAA

A Glimpse of Satellite Galaxies in the Milky Way with the 2.5-meter Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST): Bootes III and Draco

Authors: Chao Yang, Zhizheng Pan, Min Fang, Xian Zhong Zheng, Binyang Liu, Guoliang Li, Tian-Rui Sun, Ji-An Jiang, Miaomiao Zhang, Zhen Wan, Shuang Liu, Han Qu, Ji Yang, Xu Kong, Wenhao Liu, Yiping Shu, Jiang Chang, Tinggui Wang, Lulu Fan, Yongquan Xue, Wentao Luo, Hongxin Zhang, Zheng Lou, Haibin Zhao, Bin Li , et al. (12 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We carry out deep imaging of the Milky Way satellite galaxies, Bootes III and Draco, with WFST as one pilot observing program to demonstrate the capability of WFST. Combining catalogs with PS1 DR2 and Gaia DR3, we derive proper motions for candidate member stars in these two satellite galaxies over a 12-year time baseline, yielding uncertainties of ~1.8 mas/yr at 21 mag and ~3.0 mas/yr at 22 mag i… ▽ More We carry out deep imaging of the Milky Way satellite galaxies, Bootes III and Draco, with WFST as one pilot observing program to demonstrate the capability of WFST. Combining catalogs with PS1 DR2 and Gaia DR3, we derive proper motions for candidate member stars in these two satellite galaxies over a 12-year time baseline, yielding uncertainties of ~1.8 mas/yr at 21 mag and ~3.0 mas/yr at 22 mag in the r band. The proper motions derived from bright and faint stars are consistent, indicating no significant variation in proper motion across stellar luminosity as these galaxies undergo tidal interactions with the MW. Meanwhile, we suggest that Bootes III represents the bound remnant of the progenitor galaxy that gave rise to the Styx stream, as evidenced by its elongated density profile and overdensity in both spatial and kinematic space. This is the first paper to use WFST to measure the proper motions of faint stars in Milky Way satellite galaxies. More detailed analyses will be presented in forthcoming papers from the wide field survey (WFS) program. △ Less

Submitted 26 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 17 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Evidence of Time-Dependent Diffusive Shock Acceleration in the 2022 September 5 Solar Energetic Particle Event

Authors: Xiaohang Chen, Lulu Zhao, Joe Giacalone, Nishtha Sachdeva, Igor Sokolov, Gabor Toth, Christina Cohen, David Lario, Fan Guo, Athanasios Kouloumvakos, Tamas Gombosi, Zhenguang Huang, Ward Manchester, Bart van der Holst, Weihao Liu, David McComas, Matthew Hill, George Ho

Abstract: On 2022 September 5, a large solar energetic particle (SEP) event was detected by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Solar Orbiter (SolO), at heliocentric distances of 0.07 and 0.71 au, respectively. PSP observed an unusual velocity-dispersion signature: particles below $\sim$1 MeV exhibited a normal velocity dispersion, while higher-energy particles displayed an inverse velocity arrival feature, with t… ▽ More On 2022 September 5, a large solar energetic particle (SEP) event was detected by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Solar Orbiter (SolO), at heliocentric distances of 0.07 and 0.71 au, respectively. PSP observed an unusual velocity-dispersion signature: particles below $\sim$1 MeV exhibited a normal velocity dispersion, while higher-energy particles displayed an inverse velocity arrival feature, with the most energetic particles arriving later than those at lower energies. The maximum energy increased from about 20-30 MeV upstream to over 60 MeV downstream of the shock. The arrival of SEPs at PSP was significantly delayed relative to the expected onset of the eruption. In contrast, SolO detected a typical large SEP event characterized by a regular velocity dispersion at all energies up to 100 MeV. To understand these features, we simulate particle acceleration and transport from the shock to the observers with our newly developed SEP model - Particle ARizona and MIchigan Solver on Advected Nodes (PARMISAN). Our results reveal that the inverse velocity arrival and delayed particle onset detected by PSP originate from the time-dependent diffusive shock acceleration processes. After shock passage, PSP's magnetic connectivity gradually shifted due to its high velocity near perihelion, detecting high-energy SEPs streaming sunward. Conversely, SolO maintained a stable magnetic connection to the strong shock region where efficient acceleration was achieved. These results underscore the importance of spatial and temporal dependence in SEP acceleration at interplanetary shocks, and provide new insights to understand SEP variations in the inner heliosphere. △ Less

Submitted 16 December, 2025; v1 submitted 25 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

New Determination of the $^{14}$C(n, $γ$)$^{15}$C Reaction Rate and Its Astrophysical Implications

Authors: Yuchen Jiang, Zhenyu He, Yudong Luo, Wenyu Xin, Jie Chen, Xinyue Li, Yangping Shen, Bing Guo, Guo Li, Danyang Pang, Tianli Ma, Weike Nan, Toshitaka Kajino, Weiping Liu

Abstract: We present a novel experiment to investigate the spectroscopic factor of the $^{15}$C ground state for the first time using single-neutron $removal$ transfer reactions on $^{15}$C. Two consistent spectroscopic factors were derived from the (p, d) and (d, t) reactions, which were subsequently used to deduce the $^{14}$C(n, $γ$)$^{15}$C reaction cross section and the corresponding stellar reaction r… ▽ More We present a novel experiment to investigate the spectroscopic factor of the $^{15}$C ground state for the first time using single-neutron $removal$ transfer reactions on $^{15}$C. Two consistent spectroscopic factors were derived from the (p, d) and (d, t) reactions, which were subsequently used to deduce the $^{14}$C(n, $γ$)$^{15}$C reaction cross section and the corresponding stellar reaction rate. A typical cross section of (3.89 $\pm$ 0.76) $μ$b is determined at $E_\mathrm{_{c.m.}}$ = 23.3 keV. At the temperature range of 0.01-4 GK, our new reaction rate is 2.4-3.7 times higher than that of the first direct measurement and 20\%-25\% lower than that of the most recent direct measurement, respectively. Moreover, it is interesting that we can associate a long-standing nuclear structure issue, i.e., the so-called ``quenching'' effect, with this astrophysically relevant reaction. Finally, motivated by astrophysical interests of this reaction decades ago, implications of our new rate on several astrophysical problems are evaluated using state-of-the-art theoretical models. Our calculations demonstrate that the abundances of $^{14}$N and $^{15}$N can be enhanced in the inner regions of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, though with minimal impact on the chemical compositions of the interstellar medium. In the inhomogeneous Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the updated reaction rate can lead to a $\sim 20\%$ variation in the final yields of $^{15}$N in neutron rich regions. For the $r$-process in the core-collapse supernovae, a slight difference of $\sim 0.2\%$ in the final abundances of heavy elements with $A > 90$ can be found by using our new rate. △ Less

Submitted 21 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 20 pages, 8 figures, accepted by "The Astrophysical Journal"

SETI@home: Data Acquisition and Front-End Processing

Authors: Eric J. Korpela, David P. Anderson, Jeff Cobb, Matt Lebofsky, Wei Liu, Dan Werthimer

Abstract: SETI@home is a radio Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project, looking for technosignatures in data recorded at multiple observatories from 1998 to 2020. Most radio SETI projects analyze data using dedicated processing hardware. SETI@home uses a different approach: time-domain data is distributed over the Internet to $\gt 10^{5}$ volunteered home computers, which analyze it. The lar… ▽ More SETI@home is a radio Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project, looking for technosignatures in data recorded at multiple observatories from 1998 to 2020. Most radio SETI projects analyze data using dedicated processing hardware. SETI@home uses a different approach: time-domain data is distributed over the Internet to $\gt 10^{5}$ volunteered home computers, which analyze it. The large amount of computing power this affords ($\sim 10^{15}$ floating-point operations per second (FPOP/s)) allows us to increase the sensitivity and generality of our search in three ways. We use coherent integration, a technique in which data is transformed so that the power of drifting signals is confined to a single discrete Fourier transform (DFT) bin. We perform this coherent search over 123 000 Doppler drift rates in the range ($\pm$100 Hz s$^{-1}$). Second, we search for a variety of signal types, such as pulsed signals and arbitrary repeated waveforms. The analysis uses a range of DFT sizes, with frequency resolutions ranging from 0.075 Hz to 1221 Hz. The front end of SETI@home produces a set of detections that exceed thresholds in power and goodness of fit. We accumulated $\sim 1.2\times 10^{10}$ such detections. The back end of SETI@home takes these detections, identifies and removes radio frequency interference (RFI), and looks for groups of detections that are consistent with extraterrestrial origin and that persist over long timescales. This paper describes the front end of SETI@home and provides parameters for the primary data source, the Arecibo Observatory; the back end and its results are described in a companion paper. △ Less

Submitted 17 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 21 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables. Accepted to AJ

Journal ref: AJ, 170, 112 (2025)

A 13-Billion-Year View of Galaxy Growth: Metallicity Gradient Evolution from the Local Universe to $z=9$ with JWST and Archival Surveys

Authors: Zihao Li, Zheng Cai, Xin Wang, Zhaozhou Li, Avishai Dekel, Kartick C. Sarkar, Eduardo Bañados, Fuyan Bian, Aklant K. Bhowmick, Laura Blecha, Sarah E. I. Bosman, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Xiaohui Fan, Emmet Golden-Marx, Hyunsung D. Jun, Mingyu Li, Xiaojing Lin, Weizhe Liu, Fengwu Sun, Maxime Trebitsch, Fabian Walter, Feige Wang, Yunjing Wu, Jinyi Yang, Huanian Zhang , et al. (3 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: The galaxy gas-phase metallicity gradients have been extensively studied over the past four decades, both in the local and high-redshift universe, as they trace the baryon cycle and growth of galaxies. With the unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity of JWST, it is now possible to measure metallicity and its radial gradients out to redshifts as high as $z = 9$. Here, we present a sample o… ▽ More The galaxy gas-phase metallicity gradients have been extensively studied over the past four decades, both in the local and high-redshift universe, as they trace the baryon cycle and growth of galaxies. With the unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity of JWST, it is now possible to measure metallicity and its radial gradients out to redshifts as high as $z = 9$. Here, we present a sample of 455 spectroscopically confirmed galaxies from redshifts $1.7 \lesssim z \lesssim 9$ that are spatially resolved on sub-kiloparsec (kpc) scales by deep JWST NIRCam or NIRISS Wide Field Slitless Spectroscopy (WFSS). Synthesizing these new JWST observations with legacy observations from the literature, we observe that at redshift $z > 5$, galaxy centers are more metal-rich, exhibiting negative metallicity gradients of $\sim-0.4$ dex kpc$^{-1}$. These gradients flatten over time, reaching near-zero around $z \approx 2$, coinciding with the peak of the cosmic star formation rate. Beyond this point, the gradients become negative again at lower redshifts approaching $z=0$. This evolution likely reflects transitions in galaxy formation modes: an inside-out growth phase dominated by intense central star formation with inefficient feedback and limited gas mixing during ``cosmic dawn", enhanced gas mixing due to feedback-driven wind and gas accretion at ``cosmic noon", and a later phase of slow evolution and reduced feedback toward the present day. These physical processes, including gas accretion and feedback, not only regulate star and galaxy formation on a cosmic scale but also shape the evolutionary pathways of individual galaxies over cosmic time. △ Less

Submitted 6 August, 2025; v1 submitted 13 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: Accepted for publication in ApJS. Comments are welcome

JWST IFU observations uncover host galaxy continua in extremely red and obscured quasars

Authors: Yu-Ching Chen, Nadia L. Zakamska, Andrey Vayner, Jack M. M. Neustadt, Dominika Wylezalek, David S. N. Rupke, Sylvain Veilleux, Caroline Bertemes, Yuzo Ishikawa, Marie Wingyee Lau, Weizhe Liu, Marshall D. Perrin

Abstract: Uncovering bright quasars' host galaxies at cosmic noon is challenging because of the high contrast between the quasar and its host and redshifted light, making them primarily visible in the infrared. We present JWST NIRSpec integral field unit (IFU) observations of six extremely red quasars (ERQs) at $z=2.4-2.9$ and two dust-obscured quasars at lower redshifts. Using image decomposition across th… ▽ More Uncovering bright quasars' host galaxies at cosmic noon is challenging because of the high contrast between the quasar and its host and redshifted light, making them primarily visible in the infrared. We present JWST NIRSpec integral field unit (IFU) observations of six extremely red quasars (ERQs) at $z=2.4-2.9$ and two dust-obscured quasars at lower redshifts. Using image decomposition across the spectral range, we successfully separate quasar and host galaxy continuum emission, model host morphologies, and extract spectra. The ERQs and obscured quasars have compact host galaxies with half-light radii of 1.4$-$2.9 kpc and stellar masses of 10$^{10.6-10.9}$ $M_{\odot}$. Their stellar masses are consistent with the average stellar mass of quasar hosts as expected from abundance matching and clustering analysis. Most of the quasars in our sample exhibit significant spatial offsets (0.4$-$1.3 kpc) between the quasar and host galaxy, potentially caused by post-merger dynamics or non-uniform dust obscuration. The ERQs reside 0.5$-$2 dex above the local black hole-stellar mass relation, similar to other heavily obscured populations such as HotDOGs, optically selected quasars at cosmic noon, and high-redshift SMBH candidates identified with JWST. However, this "over-massive" feature might be attributed to selection bias. Compared to HST-based studies, our JWST measurements reveal more compact host galaxies, smaller Sersic indices, and lower stellar masses, likely because of improved resolution, more accurate modeling, and minimal line contamination. These findings highlight the unique capabilities of JWST IFU in revealing quasar host galaxy properties and potential evolutionary stages of obscured quasars at cosmic noon. △ Less

Submitted 13 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 14 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables, submitted to ApJ, comments are welcome

The Identification of Two JWST/NIRCam-Dark Starburst Galaxies at $z=6.6$ with ALMA

Authors: Fengwu Sun, Jinyi Yang, Feige Wang, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Roberto Decarli, Xiaohui Fan, George H. Rieke, Eduardo Bañados, Sarah E. I. Bosman, Zheng Cai, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Luis Colina, Francesco D'Eugenio, Yoshinobu Fudamoto, Mingyu Li, Xiaojing Lin, Weizhe Liu, Jianwei Lyu, Chiara Mazzucchelli, Xiangyu Jin, Hyunsung D. Jun, Yunjing Wu, Huanian Zhang

Abstract: We analyze two dusty star-forming galaxies at $z=6.6$. These galaxies are selected from the ASPIRE survey, a JWST Cycle-1 medium and ALMA Cycle-9 large program targeting 25 quasars and their environments at $z\simeq6.5 - 6.8$. These galaxies are identified as companions to UV-luminous quasars and robustly detected in ALMA continuum and [C II] emission, yet they are extraordinarily faint at the NIR… ▽ More We analyze two dusty star-forming galaxies at $z=6.6$. These galaxies are selected from the ASPIRE survey, a JWST Cycle-1 medium and ALMA Cycle-9 large program targeting 25 quasars and their environments at $z\simeq6.5 - 6.8$. These galaxies are identified as companions to UV-luminous quasars and robustly detected in ALMA continuum and [C II] emission, yet they are extraordinarily faint at the NIRCam wavelengths (down to $>28.0$ AB mag in the F356W band). They are more obscured than galaxies like Arp220, and thus we refer to them as "NIRCam-dark" starburst galaxies (star formation rate $\simeq 80 - 250\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$). Such galaxies are typically missed by (sub)-millimeter blank-field surveys. From the star-formation history (SFH), we show that the NIRCam-dark galaxies are viable progenitors of massive quiescent galaxies at $z\gtrsim4$ and descendants of UV-luminous galaxies at $z>10$. Although it is hard to constrain their number density from a quasar survey, we conclude that NIRCam-dark galaxies can be as abundant as $n\sim10^{-5.5}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ assuming a light halo occupation model. If true, this would equal to $\sim$30% of the number densities of both the quiescent galaxies at $z\gtrsim4$ and UV-luminous galaxies at $z>10$. We further predict that analogs at $z\sim8$ should exist according to the SFH of early massive quiescent galaxies. However, they may fall below the current detection limits of wide JWST and ALMA surveys, thus remaining "JWST-dark". To fully trace the evolution of massive galaxies and dust-obscured cosmic star formation at $z\gtrsim8$, wide-field JWST/NIRCam imaging and slitless spectroscopic surveys of early protoclusters are essential. △ Less

Submitted 6 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 14 pages, 5 figures, submitted to an AAS journal. Comments are welcome

JWST Insights into Narrow-line Little Red Dots

Authors: Zijian Zhang, Linhua Jiang, Weiyang Liu, Luis C. Ho, Kohei Inayoshi

Abstract: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a population of red and compact objects with a unique V-shape SED at z >= 4 known as Little Red Dots (LRDs). Most of the LRDs with existing spectral observations exhibit broad Balmer lines and are thus likely to host active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Here we present a study of LRDs with no broad H-alpha component. Our sample consists of five LRDs at z~5… ▽ More James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a population of red and compact objects with a unique V-shape SED at z >= 4 known as Little Red Dots (LRDs). Most of the LRDs with existing spectral observations exhibit broad Balmer lines and are thus likely to host active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Here we present a study of LRDs with no broad H-alpha component. Our sample consists of five LRDs at z~5 with H-alpha line widths of about 250 km/s. They are selected from 32 LRDs that have NIRSpec high- or medium-resolution grating spectra covering H-alpha. During our construction of the sample, we find that approximately 20 percent of the LRD candidates previously selected do not show red continuum emission but resemble the V-shape spectra due to strong line emission. Compared to normal star-forming galaxies, narrow-line LRDs tend to have relatively higher H-alpha line widths and luminosities. If these LRDs are dominated by galaxies, our SED modeling suggests that they are dusty, compact star-forming galaxies with high stellar masses and star formation rates (SFRs). Alternatively, if their SEDs are produced by AGNs, the inferred central black hole masses (MBH) are in the range of 10^5 to 10^6 solar masses, placing them at the low-mass end of the AGN population. They may represent an early stage of super-Eddington growth, where the black holes have yet to accumulate significant masses. With large measurement uncertainties, these black holes appear slightly overmassive relative to the local MBH-Mstar relation, but consistent or undermassive with respect to the MBH-sigma and MBH-Mdyn relations. We further find that nearly half of the high-redshift broad-line AGNs exhibit V-shape SEDs. (abridged) △ Less

Submitted 4 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 24 pages, 16 figures, and 2 tables. Submitted to ApJ. Comments welcome!

Testing the Young FRB Progenitor Hypothesis: A Crossmatch of Catalog-1 CHIME Bursts with Historic Local Universe Supernovae

Authors: Wanqing Liu, Mohit Bhardwaj, Ben Margalit

Abstract: Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are among the most energetic and enigmatic transients in the radio sky, with mounting evidence suggesting newborn, highly magnetized neutron stars formed in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) as their sources. A definitive spatial association between an FRB and a historic CCSN would confirm this link and tightly constrain young neutron star source models. Here we report on t… ▽ More Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are among the most energetic and enigmatic transients in the radio sky, with mounting evidence suggesting newborn, highly magnetized neutron stars formed in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) as their sources. A definitive spatial association between an FRB and a historic CCSN would confirm this link and tightly constrain young neutron star source models. Here we report on the first systematic cross-matching of 886 spectroscopically classified CCSNe in the local Universe (z $\leq$ 0.043) against 241 CHIME/FRB Catalog 1 events, applying rigorous spatial, dispersion measure (DM), and scattering time ($τ$) criteria. We identify four positional overlaps, all consistent with chance alignment; however, one pair, FRB 20190412B-SN 2009gi, also satisfies independent host-DM and $τ$ constraints, making it a promising candidate for targeted follow-up. Next, we search for compact (persistent or transient) radio emission at all matched supernova sites using multi-epoch VLASS data and detect none. Treating every CCSN sight line as a non-detection, we derive Poisson upper limits on the FRB burst rate at these locations, which lie well below the rates observed for the most active repeaters unless their activity is heavily suppressed by beaming, intermittency, or residual free-free absorption. We then develop a galaxy-integrated FRB-rate model that incorporates an intrinsic spectral index, secular magnetar-activity decay, and frequency-dependent free-free opacity. Applying this formalism to existing FRB data shows that reproducing the observed CHIME/CRAFT all-sky rate ratio requires a steep decline in magnetar burst rates with age. Finally, our work underscores the necessity of sub-arcsecond localizations and multiwavelength follow-up to definitively test the young neutron star source hypothesis. △ Less

Submitted 1 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 20 pages, 8 figures, and 4 tables; submitted; comments welcome

All-sky search for individual Primordial Black Hole bursts with LHAASO

Authors: Zhen Cao, F. Aharonian, Y. X. Bai, Y. W. Bao, D. Bastieri, X. J. Bi, Y. J. Bi, W. Bian, A. V. Bukevich, C. M. Cai, W. Y. Cao, Zhe Cao, J. Chang, J. F. Chang, A. M. Chen, E. S. Chen, G. H. Chen, H. X. Chen, Liang Chen, Long Chen, M. J. Chen, M. L. Chen, Q. H. Chen, S. Chen, S. H. Chen , et al. (293 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Primordial Black Holes~(PBHs) are hypothetical black holes with a wide range of masses that formed in the early universe. As a result, they may play an important cosmological role and provide a unique probe of the early universe. A PBH with an initial mass of approximately $10^{15}$~g is expected to explode today in a final burst of Hawking radiation. In this work, we conduct an all-sky search for… ▽ More Primordial Black Holes~(PBHs) are hypothetical black holes with a wide range of masses that formed in the early universe. As a result, they may play an important cosmological role and provide a unique probe of the early universe. A PBH with an initial mass of approximately $10^{15}$~g is expected to explode today in a final burst of Hawking radiation. In this work, we conduct an all-sky search for individual PBH burst events using the data collected from March 2021 to July 2024 by the Water Cherenkov Detector Array of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Three PBH burst durations, 10~s, 20~s, and 100~s, are searched, with no significant PBH bursts observed. The upper limit on the local PBH burst rate density is set to be as low as 181~pc$^{-3}$~yr$^{-1}$ at 99$\%$ confidence level, representing the most stringent limit achieved to date. △ Less

Submitted 2 November, 2025; v1 submitted 30 May, 2025; originally announced May 2025.

Comments: 8 pages, 2 figures

First Identification and Precise Spectral Measurement of the Proton Component in the Cosmic-Ray `Knee'

Authors: The LHAASO Collaboration, Zhen Cao, F. Aharonian, Y. X. Bai, Y. W. Bao, D. Bastieri, X. J. Bi, Y. J. Bi, W. Bian, A. V. Bukevich, C. M. Cai, W. Y. Cao, Zhe Cao, J. Chang, J. F. Chang, A. M. Chen, E. S. Chen, G. H. Chen, H. X. Chen, Liang Chen, Long Chen, M. J. Chen, M. L. Chen, Q. H. Chen, S. Chen , et al. (292 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We report the first high-purity identification of cosmic-ray (CR) protons and a precise measurement of their energy spectrum from 0.15 to 12 PeV using the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Abundant event statistics, combined with the simultaneous detection of electrons/photons, muons, and Cherenkov light in air showers, enable spectroscopic measurements with statistical and syst… ▽ More We report the first high-purity identification of cosmic-ray (CR) protons and a precise measurement of their energy spectrum from 0.15 to 12 PeV using the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Abundant event statistics, combined with the simultaneous detection of electrons/photons, muons, and Cherenkov light in air showers, enable spectroscopic measurements with statistical and systematic accuracy comparable to satellite data at lower energies. The proton spectrum shows significant hardening relative to low-energy extrapolations, culminating at 3 PeV, followed by sharp softening. This distinct spectral structure - closely aligned with the knee in the all-particle spectrum - points to the emergence of a new CR component at PeV energies, likely linked to the dozens of PeVatrons recently discovered by LHAASO, and offers crucial clues to the origin of Galactic cosmic rays. △ Less

Submitted 20 May, 2025; originally announced May 2025.

Lyman-Break Galaxies in the Mpc-Scale Environments Around Three $z\sim7.5$ Quasars With JWST Imaging

Authors: Maria Pudoka, Feige Wang, Xiaohui Fan, Jinyi Yang, Jaclyn Champagne, Zijian Zhang, Sofía Rojas-Ruiz, Eduardo Bañados, Silvia Belladitta, Sarah E. I. Bosman, Anna-Christina Eilers, Xiangyu Jin, Hyunsung D. Jun, Mingyu Li, Weizhe Liu, Chiara Mazzucchelli, Jan-Torge Schindler, Julien Wolf, Yunjing Wu

Abstract: We study the Mpc-scale environments of the three highest redshift luminous quasars at $z\geq 7.5$ (J031343.84-180636.40, J134208.11+092838.61, and J100758.27+211529.21) to understand their connection to large-scale structure. Cosmological simulations show that these early supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are expected to form in the most massive dark matter halos. Therefore, it is expected that the… ▽ More We study the Mpc-scale environments of the three highest redshift luminous quasars at $z\geq 7.5$ (J031343.84-180636.40, J134208.11+092838.61, and J100758.27+211529.21) to understand their connection to large-scale structure. Cosmological simulations show that these early supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are expected to form in the most massive dark matter halos. Therefore, it is expected that they are anchors of galaxy overdensities if luminous matter traces the underlying dark matter structure of the Universe. Using JWST NIRCam (F090W/F115W/F250M/F360M/F430M) imaging, we observe the large-scale structure out to $\sim13$ comoving Mpc around these quasars. We select F090W-dropout Lyman Break galaxies (LBGs) and F430M-excess [OIII] emitters in the three fields. We find 18, 21, and 6 LBG candidates in the fields of J0313, J1342, and J1007, respectively, resulting in a wide range of overdensities ($1+δ\sim 19,\,24,$ and $7$). The photometric redshifts indicate serendipitous foreground and background overdensities in the J0313 field. The joint angular autocorrelation of the combined LBG sample shows significant clustering on $<1.8$ comoving Mpc scales, demonstrating that the selected galaxies are likely associated with the large-scale structure surrounding the quasars. This first systematic study of $z\sim 7.5$ quasars shows a diverse set of quasar environments at the onset of their formation, providing empirical data to help constrain theoretical predictions of early structure formation. △ Less

Submitted 12 May, 2025; originally announced May 2025.

Comments: 31 Pages, 10 Figures, Accepted by ApJ

SAPPHIRES: Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxy Candidates with $12+{\rm log(O/H)}<7.0$ at $z\sim5-7$ from Deep JWST/NIRCam Grism Observations

Authors: Tiger Yu-Yang Hsiao, Fengwu Sun, Xiaojing Lin, Dan Coe, Eiichi Egami, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Yoshinobu Fudamoto, Andrew J. Bunker, Xiaohui Fan, Yuichi Harikane, Jakob M. Helton, Koki Kakiichi, Yichen Liu, Weizhe Liu, Roberto Maiolino, Masami Ouchi, Wei Leong Tee, Feige Wang, Yunjing Wu, Yi Xu, Jinyi Yang, Yongda Zhu

Abstract: Population III stars, the hypothetical first generation metal-free stars, have yet to be discovered. Even after three years of successful JWST operations, studies have shown that most galaxies identified to date at $z > 5$ exhibit a metallicity floor of $Z\gtrsim2\%\,Z_{\odot}$, possibly due to unknown selection biases toward bright galaxies or rapid metal enrichment. To address this question, we… ▽ More Population III stars, the hypothetical first generation metal-free stars, have yet to be discovered. Even after three years of successful JWST operations, studies have shown that most galaxies identified to date at $z > 5$ exhibit a metallicity floor of $Z\gtrsim2\%\,Z_{\odot}$, possibly due to unknown selection biases toward bright galaxies or rapid metal enrichment. To address this question, we search for galaxies with low R3$=$[OIII]$\,λ$5008/H$β$ ratios as part of the JWST Cycle-3 large treasury program, the Slitless Areal Pure-Parallel HIgh-Redshift Emission Survey (SAPPHIRES). Using deep NIRCam Wide-Field Slitless Spectrscopy (WFSS) data, we report the discovery of seven extremely metal-poor galaxy candidates in the SAPPHIRES Early Data Release field, with estimated $12+{\rm log(O/H)}<7.0$ at $z\sim5-7$, including two sources with $Z<1\%\,Z_{\odot}$, significantly breaking the metallicity floor observed both locally and at high redshift. These candidates appear extremely faint ($\sim28-30\,$ F200W AB mag) and low-mass (${\rm log}(M_{*}/M_{\odot})\sim6.8-7.8$), as expected from the mass-metallicity relation. They also exhibit very blue UV slopes ($-2.6\lesssimβ\lesssim-2.0$), likely due to low dust content $A_{V}\lesssim0.2\,{\rm mag}$ or young stellar ages $\sim5-20\,{\rm Myr}$. Compared to galaxies at similar redshift, they appear exceptionally bursty in their star formation activity. Our results highlight the power of NIRCam/WFSS in identifying extremely metal-poor galaxies, from just a single pointing, with more data to come in SAPPHIRES. This underscores the potential of pure-parallel programs towards achieving JWST's primary science goal: discovering the first pristine stars and galaxies. Deep JWST/NIRSpec follow-up observations will also be essential to confirm their nature and perform detailed chemical abundance analyses. △ Less

Submitted 6 May, 2025; originally announced May 2025.

Comments: 18 pages, 7 figures, submitted

Sequential ejections of plasma blobs due to unbraiding of tangled loops in the solar atmosphere

Authors: Xiuhui Zuo, Zhenghua Huang, Hengyuan Wei, Chao Zhang, Boyu Sun, Youqian Qi, Hui Fu, Weixin Liu, Mingzhe Sun, Ming Xiong, Lidong Xia

Abstract: Nanoflares, which are consequences of braids in tangled magnetic fields, are an important candidate to heat the solar corona to million degrees. However, their observational evidence is sparse and many of their observational characteristics are yet to be discovered. With the high-resolution observations taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager onboard the Solar Orbiter, here we study a series of ej… ▽ More Nanoflares, which are consequences of braids in tangled magnetic fields, are an important candidate to heat the solar corona to million degrees. However, their observational evidence is sparse and many of their observational characteristics are yet to be discovered. With the high-resolution observations taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager onboard the Solar Orbiter, here we study a series of ejections of plasma blobs resulted from a braided magnetic loops in the upper transition region and reveal some critical characteristics of such processes. The cores of these ejections have a size of about 700\,km, a duration less than 1 minute and a speed of about 90\,\kms. An important characteristic is that these plasma blobs are apparently constrained by the post-reconnection magnetic loops, along which they show an extension of up to about 2\,000\,km. The propagation of unbraiding nodes along the main axis of the tangled loops has a speed of about 45\,\kms. The separation angles between the post-reconnection loops and the main axis of the tangled loops are about 30\degree. The observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly reveal that the braiding loops are upper transition region structures. Based on these observations, the typical magnetic free energy producing a blob is estimated to be about $3.4\times10^{23}$\,erg, well in the nano-flare regime, while the kinematic energy of a blob is about $2.3\times10^{23}$\,erg, suggesting that a majority of magnetic free energy in a magnetic braid is likely transferred into kinematic energy. △ Less

Submitted 17 April, 2025; originally announced April 2025.

Origin of the Moon's Earth-like isotopic composition from giant impact on a differential rotating proto-Earth

Authors: Wenshuai Liu

Abstract: According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed by accreting the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by Theia colliding with the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system, however, simulations of giant impact between a planetary embryo and the growing proto-Earth indicate that the materials in the circum-terrestrial debris disk produ… ▽ More According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed by accreting the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by Theia colliding with the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system, however, simulations of giant impact between a planetary embryo and the growing proto-Earth indicate that the materials in the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by the impact originate mainly from the impactor. Thus, the giant impact theory has difficulty explaining the Moon's Earth-like isotopic compositions. More materials from the proto-Earth could be delivered to the circum-terrestrial debris disk when a slightly sub-Mars-sized body collides with a fast rotating planet of rigid rotation but the resulting angular momentum is too large compared with that of the current Earth-Moon system. Since planetesimals accreted by the proto-Earth hit the surface of the proto-Earth, enhancing the rotation rate of the surface of the proto-Earth. The surface's fast rotation rate relative to the slow rotation rate of the inner region of the proto-Earth leads to transfer of angular momentum from surface to inner, resulting in the differential rotation. Here, we show that the giant impact of a sub-Mars-sized body on a differential rotating proto-Earth with a fast rotating outer region and a relative slow rotating inner region could result in a circum-terrestrial debris disk with materials predominately from the proto-Earth without violating the angular momentum constraint. The theory proposed here may provide a viable way of explaining the similarity in the isotopic compositions of the Earth and Moon. △ Less

Submitted 14 May, 2025; v1 submitted 16 April, 2025; originally announced April 2025.

Comments: 4 pages, 3 figures

Bridging Quasars and Little Red Dots: Insights into Broad-Line AGNs at $z=5-8$ from the First JWST COSMOS-3D Dataset

Authors: Xiaojing Lin, Xiaohui Fan, Feige Wang, Fengwu Sun, Jaclyn B. Champagne, Eiichi Egami, Koki Kakiichi, Jianwei Lyu, Wei Leong Tee, Jinyi Yang, Fuyan Bian, Sarah E. I. Bosman, Zheng Cai, Caitlin M. Casey, Roberto Decarli, Andreas L. Faisst, Seiji Fujimoto, Santosh Harish, Olivier Ilbert, Akio K. Inoue, Xiangyu Jin, Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe, Dale D. Kocevski, Mingyu Li, Weizhe Liu , et al. (8 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: We report the discovery of 13 broad-line AGNs at $z = 5 - 8$ from the first 10% data of the JWST Cycle 3 Treasury Program COSMOS-3D. These AGNs are identified by their broad H$α$ or H$β$ emission lines through the NIRCam grism wide-field slitless spectroscopy. One object at $z = 7.646$ with broad H$β$ emission has an F444W magnitude of 23.6 mag, making it one of the brightest $z > 7.5$ broad-line… ▽ More We report the discovery of 13 broad-line AGNs at $z = 5 - 8$ from the first 10% data of the JWST Cycle 3 Treasury Program COSMOS-3D. These AGNs are identified by their broad H$α$ or H$β$ emission lines through the NIRCam grism wide-field slitless spectroscopy. One object at $z = 7.646$ with broad H$β$ emission has an F444W magnitude of 23.6 mag, making it one of the brightest $z > 7.5$ broad-line AGNs yet known. Among the 13 AGNs, 10 objects have reddened optical continua with slopes $β_{\rm opt}>0$. The remaining three objects have their overall SEDs that resemble those of UV-luminous quasars at similar redshifts, but their $β_{\rm opt}$, though negative, are not as blue as those of unobscured quasars. We also obtain MIRI photometry at 7.7-18 $μ$m for two AGNs and place strong constraints on their rest-frame near-IR SED. We find no significant variability in the rest-frame UV by comparing the COSMOS-3D and COSMOS-Web F115W images taken apart by 60 days in the rest-frame. We compute the H$α$ luminosity functions (LFs) for the broad H$α$ emitters at $z \approx 5-6$ and find a potential redshift evolution when compared with that of the $z \approx 4-5$ sample. We also derive the H$β$ LF at $z\sim8$ for AGNs and galaxies by combining our sample with those from the literature. The broad H$β$ emitters in this work suggest a number density two orders of magnitude higher than that predicted by the quasar LF based on rest-frame UV-selected samples. As a preview, our work showcases the ability of the COSMOS-3D grism survey to provide a complete view of the properties, growth, and evolution of bright broad-line AGNs at $z>5$. △ Less

Submitted 8 December, 2025; v1 submitted 10 April, 2025; originally announced April 2025.

Comments: Main text: 15 pages, 12 figures. Accepted by ApJ. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae1b9b

Nuclear Winds Drive Cold Gas Outflows on Kiloparsec Scales in Reionization-Era Quasars

Authors: Yongda Zhu, Marcia J. Rieke, Luis C. Ho, Yang Sun, George H. Rieke, Feng Yuan, Tom J. L. C. Bakx, George D. Becker, Jinyi Yang, Eduardo Bañados, Manuela Bischetti, Christopher Cain, Xiaohui Fan, Yoshinobu Fudamoto, Seyedazim Hashemi, Ryota Ikeda, Zhiyuan Ji, Xiangyu Jin, Weizhe Liu, Yichen Liu, Jianwei Lyu, Hai-Xia Ma, Tsutomu T. Takeuchi, Hideki Umehata, Feige Wang , et al. (1 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are thought to influence the evolution of their host galaxies through multi-phase feedback driven by powerful nuclear outflows. Although this mechanism is central to theoretical models of SMBH-galaxy co-evolution across cosmic time, direct observational evidence connecting nuclear winds to large-scale cold gas outflows remains limited, especially in the e… ▽ More Accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are thought to influence the evolution of their host galaxies through multi-phase feedback driven by powerful nuclear outflows. Although this mechanism is central to theoretical models of SMBH-galaxy co-evolution across cosmic time, direct observational evidence connecting nuclear winds to large-scale cold gas outflows remains limited, especially in the early universe. Here we report statistical evidence for such a connection in a sample of luminous quasars at $z \sim 5.5$. We compare stacked [C\,{\sc ii}] 158 $μ$m emission profiles from ALMA observations, which trace galactic-scale neutral gas, for quasars with and without broad absorption lines (BALs) that indicate powerful nuclear winds on sub-kiloparsec scales. The BAL quasar stack exhibits a significant (S/N = 4.45) blueshifted broad component in the [C\,{\sc ii}] line profile, with a velocity offset of $Δv_{\rm b} = -2.1 \times 10^2\,\rm km\,s^{-1}$ and a full width at half maximum of $1.18 \times 10^3\,\rm km\,s^{-1}$, whereas the non-BAL stack shows no such feature. We estimate that a few percent to one-quarter of the nuclear wind energy may be transferred to cold neutral gas on kiloparsec scales. These results suggest that BAL winds can couple to the host galaxy's interstellar medium, providing empirical support for models of multi-phase AGN feedback. This mechanism may also contribute to the observed divers ity in $M_{\rm BH}/M_*$ among luminous quasars recently identified by JWST. △ Less

Submitted 22 July, 2025; v1 submitted 3 April, 2025; originally announced April 2025.

Comments: 17 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; re-submitted to ApJ

The Compton-Getting origin of the large-scale anisotropy of Galactic cosmic rays

Authors: Bing-qiang Qiao, Wei Liu, Huirong Yan, Yi-qing Guo

Abstract: Recent studies suggest that the anisotropy in cosmic-ray arrival directions can provide insight into local acceleration sites and propagation conditions. We developed a unified framework to interpret both the observed energy spectra and the large-scale anisotropy. In this work, we explore the influence of the Sun's motion relative to the local plasma frame - the Compton-Getting (CG) effect - on th… ▽ More Recent studies suggest that the anisotropy in cosmic-ray arrival directions can provide insight into local acceleration sites and propagation conditions. We developed a unified framework to interpret both the observed energy spectra and the large-scale anisotropy. In this work, we explore the influence of the Sun's motion relative to the local plasma frame - the Compton-Getting (CG) effect - on the anisotropy. We find that incorporating the CG effect could slightly reduce the dipole amplitude and shift the phase away from the direction of the local regular magnetic field at tens of TeV. At lower energies, where the anisotropy from the cosmic-ray density gradient is weak, the Sun's relative motion becomes more prominent. Below $\sim 200$ GeV, the dipole amplitude increases again, approaching the value expected from the CG effect. Additionally, a phase flip is observed at a few hundred GeV, aligning with the CG direction. Future anisotropy measurements from $100$ GeV to TeV energies could serve as a critical test of this effect. △ Less

Submitted 22 November, 2025; v1 submitted 23 March, 2025; originally announced March 2025.

Comments: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted by APJ

SAPPHIRES: A Galaxy Over-Density in the Heart of Cosmic Reionization at $z=8.47$

Authors: Yoshinobu Fudamoto, Jakob M. Helton, Xiaojing Lin, Fengwu Sun, Peter Behroozi, Tiger Yu-Yang Hsiao, Eiichi Egami, Andrew J. Bunker, Yuichi Harikane, Masami Ouchi, Yichen Liu, Weizhe Liu, Roberto Maiolino, Zhiyuan Ji, Xiangyu Jin, Wei Leong Tee, Feige Wang, Christopher N. A. Willmer, Yi Xu, Yongda Zhu

Abstract: We report the discovery of a galaxy proto-cluster candidate (dubbed MACS0416-OD-z8p5) at a spectroscopic redshift of $z\sim8.47$, dating back to $\sim550$Myr after the Big Bang. The observations are part of the JWST Cycle-3 treasury program, Slitless Areal Pure-Parallel HIgh-Redshift Emission Survey (SAPPHIRES) with NIRCam-grism. Using wide field slitless spectroscopy (WFSS) obtained in the MACS04… ▽ More We report the discovery of a galaxy proto-cluster candidate (dubbed MACS0416-OD-z8p5) at a spectroscopic redshift of $z\sim8.47$, dating back to $\sim550$Myr after the Big Bang. The observations are part of the JWST Cycle-3 treasury program, Slitless Areal Pure-Parallel HIgh-Redshift Emission Survey (SAPPHIRES) with NIRCam-grism. Using wide field slitless spectroscopy (WFSS) obtained in the MACS0416 parallel field, we robustly confirm nine galaxies at $z_{\rm spec}\sim8.47$ via emission line detections of [OIII]5008A (with $>5\,σ$) and tentatively confirm one additional galaxy (at $\sim3\,σ$). This discovery represents the highest-redshift, spectroscopically confirmed galaxy over-density known to date, which is $\sim6$--$8$ times more dense than the average volume density of galaxies at the same redshift. Furthermore, a galaxy hosting a low-mass active galactic nucleus (``Little-Red-Dot'') is found as a member, suggesting an early emergence of active, massive black holes and feedback between these black holes and their surrounding environments. We also discuss the spatial structures connecting the galaxy over-density to nearby massive star-forming galaxies (separated by $\sim 5$pMpc, including MACS0416-Y1 and MACS0416-JD. This finding of a massive dark matter halo hosting a galaxy over-density at $z\sim8.5$ is surprising given that our survey covered only a small, random field ($16.5\,{\rm arcmin^2}$) as part of a pure parallel observation. The comparison with cosmological simulations shows that the likelihood of finding such a large-scale structure is $<5\,\%$ under the current galaxy formation scenario and the observed survey volume. Our results demonstrate the power of WFSS observations to build a complete line-emitter sample and suggest an important role for over-densities in enhancing galaxy formation by funneling large-scale gas supplies into small cosmological volumes. △ Less

Submitted 19 March, 2025; originally announced March 2025.

Comments: 17 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables, submitted to ApJ