Papers for Friday, Mar 05 2021

We analyse the impact that spatial resolution has on the inferred numbers and types of Wolf-Rayet (WR) and other massive stars in external galaxies. Continuum and line images of the nearby galaxy M33 are increasingly blurred to mimic effects of different distances from 8.4Mpc to 30Mpc, for a constant level of seeing. We use differences in magnitudes between continuum and Helium II line images, plus visual inspection of images, to identify WR candidates via their ionized helium excess. The result is a surprisingly large decrease in the numbers of WR detections, with only 15% of the known WR stars predicted to be detected at 30Mpc. The mixture of WR sub-types is also shown to vary significantly with increasing distance (poorer resolution), with cooler WN stars more easily detectable than other subtypes. We discuss how spatial clustering of different subtypes and line dilution could cause these differences and the implications for their ages, this will be useful for calibrating numbers of massive stars detected in current surveys. We investigate the ability of ELT/HARMONI to undertake WR surveys and show that by using adaptive optics at visible wavelengths even the faintest (Mv = -3mag) WR stars will be detectable out to 30Mpc.

We present a study of the environment of 27 z=3-4.5 bright quasars from the MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) survey. With medium-depth MUSE observations (4 hours on target per field), we characterise the effects of quasars on their surroundings by studying simultaneously the properties of extended gas nebulae and Lyalpha emitters (LAEs) in the quasar host haloes. We detect extended (up to ~ 100 kpc) Lyalpha emission around all MAGG quasars, finding a very weak redshift evolution between z=3 and z=6. By stacking the MUSE datacubes, we confidently detect extended emission of CIV and only marginally detect extended HeII up to ~40 kpc, implying that the gas is metal enriched. Moreover, our observations show a significant overdensity of LAEs within 300 km/s from the quasar systemic redshifts estimated from the nebular emission. The luminosity functions and equivalent width distributions of these LAEs show similar shapes with respect to LAEs away from quasars suggesting that the Lyalpha emission of the majority of these sources is not significantly boosted by the quasar radiation or other processes related to the quasar environment. Within this framework, the observed LAE overdensities and our kinematic measurements imply that bright quasars at z=3-4.5 are hosted by haloes in the mass range ~ 10^{12.0}-10^{12.5} Msun.

Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) are promising observable proxies to building blocks of galaxies formed in the early Universe. We study the formation and evolution of UFDs using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. In particular, we show that a major merger of two building block galaxies with 3,900 Msun and 7,500 Msun at the cosmic age of 510 Myr results in a system with an extended stellar distribution consistent with the de Vaucouleurs profile. The simulated galaxy has an average stellar metallicity of [Fe/H]=-2.7 and features a metallicity gradient. These results closely resemble the properties of a recently discovered UFD, Tucana II, which is extremely metal-poor and has a spatially extended stellar halo with the more distant stars being more metal-poor. Our simulation suggests that the extended stellar halo of Tucana II may have been formed through a past major merger. Future observational searches for spatially extended structures around other UFDs, combined with further theoretical studies, will provide tangible measures of the evolutionary history of the ancient, surviving satellite galaxies.

Many proposed scenarios for black hole (BH) mergers involve a tertiary companion that induces von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai (ZLK) eccentricity cycles in the inner binary. An attractive feature of such mechanisms is the enhanced merger probability when the octupole-order effects, also known as the eccentric Kozai mechanism, are important. This can be the case when the tertiary is of comparable mass to the binary components. Since the octupole strength [$\propto (1-q)/(1+q)$] increases with decreasing binary mass ratio $q$, such ZLK-induced mergers favor binaries with smaller mass ratios. We use a combination of numerical and analytical approaches to fully characterize the octupole-enhanced binary BH mergers and provide analytical criteria for efficiently calculating the strength of this enhancement. We show that for hierarchical triples with semi-major axis ratio $a/a_{\rm out}\gtrsim 0.01$-$0.02$, the binary merger fraction can increase by a large factor (up to $\sim 20$) as $q$ decreases from unity to $0.2$. The resulting mass ratio distribution for merging binary BHs produced in this scenario is in tension with the observed distribution obtained by the LIGO/VIRGO collaboration, although significant uncertainties remain about the initial distribution of binary BH masses and mass ratios.

Line intensity mapping (LIM) is a rapidly emerging technique for constraining cosmology and galaxy formation using multi-frequency, low angular resolution maps. Many LIM applications crucially rely on cross-correlations of two line intensity maps, or of intensity maps with galaxy surveys or galaxy/CMB lensing. We present a consistent halo model to predict all these cross-correlations and enable joint analyses, in 3D redshift-space and for 2D projected maps. We extend the conditional luminosity function formalism to the multi-line case, to consistently account for correlated scatter between multiple galaxy line luminosities. This allows us to model the scale-dependent decorrelation between two line intensity maps, a key input for foreground rejection and for approaches that estimate auto-spectra from cross-spectra. This also enables LIM cross-correlations to reveal astrophysical properties of the interstellar medium inacessible with LIM auto-spectra. We expose the different sources of luminosity scatter or "line noise" in LIM, and clarify their effects on the 1-halo and galaxy shot noise terms. In particular, we show that the effective number density of halos can in some cases exceed that of galaxies, counterintuitively. Using observational and simulation input, we implement this halo model for the H$\alpha$, [Oiii], Lyman-$\alpha$, CO and [Cii] lines. We encourage observers and simulators to measure galaxy luminosity correlation coefficients for pairs of lines whenever possible. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/EmmanuelSchaan/HaloGen/tree/LIM . In a companion paper, we use this halo model formalism and code to highlight the degeneracies between cosmology and astrophysics in LIM, and to compare the LIM observables to galaxy detection for a number of surveys.

The fundamental nature of dark matter is entirely unknown. A compelling candidate is Twin Higgs mirror matter, invisible hidden-sector cousins of the Standard Model particles and forces. This generically predicts mirror neutron stars, degenerate objects made entirely of mirror nuclear matter. We find their structure using realistic equations of state, robustly modified based on first-principle quantum chromodynamic calculations. We predict their detectability with gravitational waves and binary pulsars, suggesting an impressive discovery potential and ability to probe the dark sector.

The many unusual properties of the enigmatic AT2018cow suggested that at least some subset of the empirical class of fast blue optical transients (FBOTs) represents a genuinely new astrophysical phenomenon. Unfortunately, the intrinsic rarity and fleeting nature of these events have made it difficult to identify additional examples early enough to acquire the observations necessary to constrain theoretical models. We present here the Zwicky Transient Facility discovery of AT2020xnd (ZTF20acigmel, the "Camel") at z=0.243, the first unambiguous AT2018cow analog to be found and confirmed in real time. AT2018cow and AT2020xnd share all key observational properties: a fast optical rise, sustained high photospheric temperature, absence of a second peak attributable to ejection of a radioactively-heated stellar envelope, extremely luminous radio, millimetre, and X-ray emission, and a dwarf-galaxy host. This supports the argument that AT2018cow-like events represent a distinct phenomenon from slower-evolving radio-quiet supernovae, likely requiring a different progenitor or a different central engine. The sample properties of the four known members of this class to date disfavour tidal disruption models but are consistent with the alternative model of an accretion powered jet following the direct collapse of a massive star to a black hole. Contextual filtering of alert streams combined with rapid photometric verification using multi-band imaging provides an efficient way to identify future members of this class, even at high redshift.

Using the astrometry and integrated photometry from the Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3), we map the density variations in the distribution of young Upper Main Sequence (UMS) stars, open clusters and classical Cepheids in the Galactic disk within several kiloparsecs of the Sun. Maps of relative over/under-dense regions for UMS stars in the Galactic disk are derived, using both bivariate kernel density estimators and wavelet transformations. The resulting overdensity maps exhibit large-scale arches, that extend in a clumpy but coherent way over the entire sampled volume, indicating the location of the spiral arms segments in the vicinity of the Sun. Peaks in the UMS overdensity are well-matched by the distribution of young and intrinsically bright open clusters. By applying a wavelet transformation to a sample of classical Cepheids, we find that their overdensities possibly extend the spiral arm segments on a larger scale (~10 kpc from the Sun). While the resulting map based on the UMS sample is generally consistent with previous models of the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm, the geometry of the arms in the III quadrant (galactic longitudes $180^\circ > l > 270^\circ$) differs significantly from many previous models. In particular we find that our maps favour a larger pitch angle for the Perseus arm, and that the Local Arm extends into the III quadrant at least 4 kpc past the Sun's position, giving it a total length of at least 8 kpc.

Line intensity mapping (LIM) proposes to efficiently observe distant faint galaxies and map the matter density field at high redshift. Building upon the formalism in the companion paper, we first highlight the degeneracies between cosmology and astrophysics in LIM. We discuss what can be constrained from measurements of the mean intensity and redshift-space power spectra. With a sufficient spectral resolution, the large-scale redshift-space distortions of the 2-halo term can be measured, helping to break the degeneracy between bias and mean intensity. With a higher spectral resolution, measuring the small-scale redshift-space distortions disentangles the 1-halo and shot noise terms. Cross-correlations with external galaxy catalogs or lensing surveys further break degeneracies. We derive requirements for experiments similar to SPHEREx, HETDEX, CDIM, COMAP and CONCERTO. We then revisit the question of the optimality of the LIM observables, compared to galaxy detection, for astrophysics and cosmology. We use a matched filter to compute the luminosity detection threshold for individual sources. We show that LIM contains information about galaxies too faint to detect, in the high-noise or high-confusion regimes. We quantify the sparsity and clustering bias of the detected sources and compare them to LIM, showing in which cases LIM is a better tracer of the matter density. We extend previous work by answering these questions as a function of Fourier scale, including for the first time the effect of cosmic variance, pixel-to-pixel correlations, luminosity-dependent clustering bias and redshift-space distortions.

Reverberation mapping is a robust method to measure the masses of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) outside of the local universe. Measurements of the radius -- luminosity ($R-L$) relation using the Mg II emission line are critical for determining these masses near the peak of quasar activity at $z \approx 1 - 2$, and for calibrating secondary mass estimators based on Mg II that can be applied to large samples with only single-epoch spectroscopy. We present the first nine Mg II lags from our five-year Australian Dark Energy Survey (OzDES) reverberation mapping program, which substantially improves the number and quality of Mg II lag measurements. As the Mg II feature is somewhat blended with iron emission, we model and subtract both the continuum and iron contamination from the multi-epoch spectra before analyzing the Mg II line. We also develop a new method of quantifying correlated spectroscopic calibration errors based on our numerous, contemporaneous observations of F-stars. The lag measurements for seven of our nine sources tightly fall on the H$\beta$ $R - L$ relation of \citet{Bentz2013} that has a slope of $\sim0.5$. Our simulations verify the lag reliability of our nine measurements, and we estimate that the median false positive rate of the lag measurements is $4\%$.

It has recently been shown that stellar clustering plays an important role in shaping the properties of planetary systems. We investigate how the multiplicity distributions and orbital periods of planetary systems depend on the 6D phase space density of stars surrounding planet host systems. We find that stars in high stellar phase space density environments (overdensities) have a factor 1.6 - 2.0 excess in the number of single planet systems compared to stars in low stellar phase space density environments (the field). The multiplicity distribution of planets around field stars is much flatter (i.e. there is a greater fraction of multi-planet systems) than in overdensities. This result is primarily driven by the combined facts that: (i) `hot Jupiters' (HJs) are almost exclusively found in overdensities; (ii) HJs are predominantly observed to be single-planet systems. Nevertheless, we find that the difference in multiplicity is even more pronounced when only considering planets in the Kepler sample, which contains few HJs. This suggests that the Kepler dichotomy -- an apparent excess of systems with a single transiting planet -- plausibly arises from environmental perturbations. In overdensities, the orbital periods of single-planet systems are smaller than orbital periods of multiple-planet systems. As this difference is more pronounced in overdensities, the mechanism responsible for this effect may be enhanced by stellar clustering. Taken together, the pronounced dependence of planetary multiplicity and orbital period distributions on stellar clustering provides a potentially powerful tool to diagnose the impact of environment on the formation and evolution of planetary systems.

The Coronagraph Instrument (CGI) on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will demonstrate the high-contrast technology necessary for visible-light exoplanet imaging and spectroscopy from space via direct imaging of Jupiter-size planets and debris disks. This in-space experience is a critical step toward future, larger missions targeted at direct imaging of Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. This paper presents an overview of the current instrument design and requirements, highlighting the critical hardware, algorithms, and operations being demonstrated. We also describe several exoplanet and circumstellar disk science cases enabled by these capabilities. A competitively selected Community Participation Program team will be an integral part of the technology demonstration and could perform additional CGI observations beyond the initial tech demo if the instrument performance warrants it.

An analysis of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) WC4 star BAT99-9 (HD 32125, FD 4, Brey 7, WS 3) shows that the star still contains photospheric nitrogen. Three N emission features (N V $\lambda\lambda 1238,1242$, N IV $\lambda 1719$, N IV $\lambda\lambda 3479 - 3485$) are unambiguously identified in the spectrum. CMFGEN models of the star yield a N/C ratio of $0.004 \pm 0.002$ (by number) and a C/He ratio of $0.15_{-0.05}^{+0.10}$. Due to the similarity of BAT99-9 to other WC4 stars, and the good fit achieved by CMFGEN to both the classic WC4 spectrum, and the N lines, we argue that the N lines are intrinsic to BAT99-9. An examination of a limited set of rotating models for single star evolution at LMC and Galactic metallicities shows that a model with a Galactic metallicity ($z=0.014$) and a progenitor mass of around $50\,M_\odot$ can have a N/C ratio similar to, or larger than, what we observe for a significant fraction of its lifetime. However, the LMC models ($z=0.006$) are inconsistent with the observations. Both the single and binary BPASS models predict that many WC stars can have a N/C ratio similar to, or larger than, what we observe for a significant fraction of their lifetime. While the binary models cover a wider range of luminosities and provide a somewhat better match to BAT99-9, it is not currently possible to rule out BAT99-9 being formed through single star evolution, given the uncertainties in mass-loss rates, and the treatment of convection and mixing processes.

We present the OptiBounce algorithm, a new and fast method for finding the bounce action for cosmological phase transitions. This is done by direct solution of the "reduced" minimisation problem proposed by Coleman, Glaser, and Martin. By using a new formula for the action, our method avoids the rescaling step used in other algorithms based on this formulation. The bounce path is represented using a pseudo-spectral Gauss-Legendre collocation scheme leading to a non-linear optimisation problem over the collocation coefficients. Efficient solution of this problem is enabled by recent advances in automatic differentiation, sparse matrix representation and large scale non-linear programming. The algorithm is optimised for finding nucleation temperatures by sharing model initialisation work between instances of the calculation when operating at different temperatures. We present numerical results on a range of potentials with up to 20 scalar fields, demonstrating O(1%) agreement with existing codes and highly favourable performance characteristics.

Thermal gas in the center of galaxy clusters can show substantial motions that generate surface brightness and temperature discontinuities known as cold fronts. The motions may be triggered by minor or off-axis mergers that preserve the cool-core of the system. The dynamics of the thermal gas can also generate radio emission from the intra-cluster medium (ICM) and impact the evolution of clusters radio sources. We study the central region of Abell 1775, a system in an ambiguous dynamical state at $z=0.072$ which is known to host an extended head-tail radio galaxy, with the aim of investigating the connection between thermal and non-thermal components in its center. We made use of a deep (100 ks) Chandra observation accompanied by LOFAR 144 MHz, GMRT 235 MHz and 610 MHz, and VLA 1.4 GHz radio data. We find a spiral-like pattern in the X-ray surface brightness that is mirrored in the temperature and pseudo-entropy maps. Additionally, we characterize an arc-shaped cold front in the ICM. We interpret these features in the context of a slingshot gas tail scenario. The structure of the head-tail radio galaxy "breaks" at the position of the cold front, showing an extension that is detected only at low frequencies, likely due to its steep and curved spectrum. We speculate that particle re-acceleration is occurring in the outer region of this tail, that in total covers a projected size of $\sim800$ kpc. We also report the discovery of revived fossil plasma with ultra-steep spectrum radio emission in the cluster core together with a central diffuse radio source that is bounded by the arc-shaped cold front. The results reported in this work demonstrate the interplay between thermal and non-thermal components in the cluster center and the presence of ongoing particle re-acceleration in the ICM on different scales.

We present the discovery of rapid photometric variability in three ultra-cool dwarfs from long-duration monitoring with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The T7, L3.5, and L8 dwarfs have the shortest photometric periods known to date: ${1.080}^{+0.004}_{-0.005}$ h, ${1.14}^{+0.03}_{-0.01}$ h, and ${1.23}^{+0.01}_{-0.01}$ h, respectively. We confirm the rapid rotation through moderate-resolution infrared spectroscopy that reveals projected rotational velocities between 79 and 104 km s$^{-1}$. We compare the near-infrared spectra to photospheric models to determine the objects' fundamental parameters and radial velocities (RVs). We find that the equatorial rotational velocities for all three objects are $\gtrsim$100 km s$^{-1}$. The three L and T dwarfs reported here are the most rapidly spinning and likely the most oblate field ultra-cool dwarfs known to date. Correspondingly, all three are excellent candidates for seeking auroral radio emission and net optical/infrared polarization. As of this writing, 78 L-, T-, and Y-dwarf rotation periods have now been measured. The clustering of the shortest rotation periods near 1 h suggests that brown dwarfs are unlikely to spin much faster.

Despite thousands of spectroscopic detections, only four isolated white dwarfs exhibit Balmer emission lines. The temperature inversion mechanism is a puzzle over 30 years old that has defied conventional explanations. One hypothesis is a unipolar inductor that achieves surface heating via ohmic dissipation of a current loop between a conducting planet and a magnetic white dwarf. To investigate this model, new time-resolved spectroscopy, spectropolarimetry, and photometry of the prototype GD 356 are studied. The emission features vary in strength on the rotational period, but in anti-phase with the light curve, consistent with a cool surface spot beneath an optically thin chromosphere. Possible changes in the line profiles are observed at the same photometric phase, potentially suggesting modest evolution of the emission region, while the magnetic field varies by 10 per cent over a full rotation. These comprehensive data reveal neither changes to the photometric period, nor additional signals such as might be expected from an orbiting body. A closer examination of the unipolar inductor model finds points of potential failure: the observed rapid stellar rotation will inhibit current carriers due to the centrifugal force, there may be no supply of magnetospheric ions, and no anti-phase flux changes are expected from ohmic surface heating. Together with the highly similar properties of the four cool, emission-line white dwarfs, these facts indicate that the chromospheric emission is intrinsic. A tantalizing possibility is that intrinsic chromospheres may manifest in (magnetic) white dwarfs, and in distinct parts of the HR diagram based on structure and composition.

We present "Citizen ASAS-SN", a citizen science project hosted on the Zooniverse platform which utilizes data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN). Volunteers are presented with ASAS-SN $g$-band light curves of variable star candidates. The classification workflow allows volunteers to classify these sources into major variable groups, while also allowing for the identification of unique variable stars for additional follow-up.

SW Sextantis systems are nova-like cataclysmic variables that have unusual spectroscopic properties, which are thought to be caused by an accretion geometry having part of the mass flux trajectory out of the orbital plane. Accretion onto a magnetic white dwarf is one of the proposed scenarios for these systems. To verify this possibility, we analysed photometric and polarimetric time-series data for a sample of six SW Sex stars. We report possible modulated circular polarization in BO Cet, SW Sex, and UU Aqr with periods of 11.1, 41.2 and 25.7 min, respectively, and less significant periodicities for V380 Oph at 22 min and V442 Oph at 19.4 min. We confirm previous results that LS Peg shows variable circular polarization. However, we determine a period of 18.8 min, which is different from the earlier reported value. We interpret these periods as the spin periods of the white dwarfs. Our polarimetric results indicate that 15% of the SW Sex systems have direct evidence of magnetic accretion. We also discuss SW Sex objects within the perspective of being magnetic systems, considering the latest findings about cataclysmic variables demography, formation and evolution.

We review recent advances in our understanding of magnetism in the solar nebular and protoplanetary disks (PPDs). We discuss the implications of theory, meteorite measurements, and astronomical observations for planetary formation and nebular evolution. Paleomagnetic measurements indicate the presence of fields of 0.54$\pm$0.21 G at $\sim$1 to 3 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun and $\gtrsim$0.06 G at 3 to 7 AU until >1.22 and >2.51 million years (Ma) after solar system formation, respectively. These intensities are consistent with those predicted to enable typical astronomically-observed protostellar accretion rates of $\sim$10$^{-8}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, suggesting that magnetism played a central role in mass and angular momentum transport in PPDs. Paleomagnetic studies also indicate fields <0.006 G and <0.003 G in the inner and outer solar system by 3.94 and 4.89 Ma, respectively, consistent with the nebular gas having dispersed by this time. This is similar to the observed lifetimes of extrasolar protoplanetary disks.

Although ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULX) are important for astrophysics due to their extreme apparent super-Eddington luminosities, their nature is still poorly known. Theoretical and observational studies suggest that ULXs could be a diversified group of objects composed of low-mass X-ray binaries, high-mass X-ray binaries and marginally also systems containing intermediate-mass black holes, which is supported by their presence in a variety of environments. Observational data on the ULX donors could significantly boost our understanding of these systems, but only a few were detected. There are several candidates, mostly red supergiants (RSGs), but surveys are typically biased toward luminous near-infrared objects. Nevertheless, it is worth exploring if RSGs can be members of ULX binaries. In such systems matter accreted onto the compact body would have to be provided by the stellar wind of the companion, since a Roche-lobe overflow could be unstable for relevant mass-ratios. Here we present a comprehensive study of the evolution and population of wind-fed ULXs and provide a theoretical support for the link between RSGs and ULXs. Our estimated upper limit on contribution of wind-fed ULX to the overall ULX population is $\sim75$--$96\%$ for young ($<100$ Myr) star forming environments, $\sim 49$--$87\%$ for prolonged constant star formation (e.g., disk of Milky Way), and $\lesssim1\%$ for environments in which star formation ceased long time ($>2$ Gyr) ago. We show also that some wind-fed ULXs (up to $6\%$) may evolve into merging double compact objects (DCOs), but typical systems are not viable progenitors of such binaries because of their large separations. We demonstrate that, the exclusion of wind-fed ULXs from population studies of ULXs, might have lead to systematical errors in their conclusions.

Much of our understanding of the state of coronal plasmas comes from observations that are optically thin. This means that light travels freely through the corona without being materially affected by it, which allows it to be easily seen through, but also results in a line-of-sight degeneracy which has previously thwarted attempts to recover the three-dimensional structure of the coronal plasma. However, although the corona is disorganized in the line-of-sight direction, it is highly organized in the field-aligned direction. This paper demonstrates how to exploit this organization to resolve the line-of-sight degeneracy in the plasma properties using a suitable magnetic field structure. A preliminary investigation with a potential field is shown, finding a solution which clearly resembles the real solar data, even with a single perspective. The results indicate that there is ample information in the resulting residuals that can be used to refine the magnetic field structure, allowing, for the first time, the optically thin plasma observations to speak directly to the magnetic field extrapolations.

We scrutinize the red dwarf component in the eclipsing binary system V471 Tau in order to unravel relations between different activity layers from the stellar surface through the chromosphere up to the corona. We aim at studying how the magnetic dynamo in the late-type component is affected by the close white dwarf companion. We use space photometry, high resolution spectroscopy and X-ray observations from different space instruments to explore the main characteristics of magnetic activity. From K2 photomery we find that 5-10 per cent of the apparent surface of the red dwarf is covered by cool starspots. From seasonal photometric period changes we estimate a weak differential rotation. From the flare activity we derive a cumulative flare frequency diagram which suggests that frequent flaring could have a significant role in heating the corona. Using high resolution spectroscopy we reconstruct four Doppler images for different epochs which reveal an active longitude, that is, a permanent dominant spot facing the white dwarf. From short term changes in the consecutive Doppler images we derive a weak solar-type surface differential rotation with 0.0026 shear coefficient, similar to that provided by photometry. The long-term evolution of X-ray luminosity reveals a possible activity cycle length of 12.7 ys, traces of which were discovered also in the H$\alpha$ spectra. We conclude that the magnetic activity of the red dwarf component in V471 Tau is strongly influenced by the close white dwarf companion. We confirm the presence of a permanent dominant spot (active longitude) on the red dwarf facing the white dwarf. The weak differential rotation of the red dwarf is very likely the result of tidal confinement by the companion. We find that the periodic appearance of the inter-binary H$\alpha$ emission from the vicinity of the inner Lagrangian point is correlated with the activity cycle.

The Earth-Moon system is unusual in several respects. The Moon is roughly 1/4 the radius of the Earth - a larger satellite-to-planet size ratio than all known satellites other than Pluto's Charon. The Moon has a tiny core, perhaps with only ~1% of its mass, in contrast to Earth whose core contains nearly 30% of its mass. The Earth-Moon system has a high total angular momentum, implying a rapidly spinning Earth when the Moon formed. In addition, the early Moon was hot and at least partially molten with a deep magma ocean. Identification of a model for lunar origin that can satisfactorily explain all of these features has been the focus of decades of research.

The Milky Way contains thousands of H II region candidates identified by their characteristic mid-infrared morphology, but lacking detections of ionized gas tracers such as radio continuum or radio recombination line emission. These targets thus remain unconfirmed as H II regions. With only $\sim$2500 confirmed H II regions in the Milky Way, Galactic surveys are deficient by several thousand nebulae when compared to external galaxies with similar star formation rates. Using sensitive 9 GHz radio continuum observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), we explore a sample of H II region candidates in order to set observational limits on the actual total population of Galactic H II regions. We target all infrared-identified "radio quiet" sources from the WISE Catalog of Galactic H II regions between $245^{\circ}\geq\ell\geq90^{\circ}$ with infrared diameters less than 80$^{\prime\prime}$. We detect radio continuum emission from 50% of the targeted H II region candidates, providing strong evidence that most of the radio quiet candidates are bona fide HII regions. We measure the peak and integrated radio flux densities and compare the inferred Lyman continuum fluxes using models of OB-stars. We conclude that stars of approximately spectral type B2 and earlier are able to create H II regions with similar infrared and radio continuum morphologies as the more luminous H II regions created by O-stars. From our 50% detection rate of "radio quiet" sources, we set a lower limit of $\sim$7000 for the H II region population of the Galaxy. Thus the vast majority of the Milky Way's H II regions remain to be discovered.

Sky imaging systems use lenses to acquire images concentrating light beams in an imager. The light beams received by the imager have an elevation angle with respect to the normal of the device. This produces that the pixels in an image contain information from different areas of the sky within imaging system Field Of View (FOV). The area of the field of view contained in the pixels increases as the elevation angle of the incident light beams decreases. When the sky imaging system are mounted on a solar tracker the angle of incidence of the light beams varies along time. This investigation introduces a transformation that projects the original euclidean frame of the plane of the imager to the geospatial frame of the sky imaging system field of view.

The surface brightness -- colour relation (SBCR) is a basic tool in establishing precise and accurate distances within the Local Group. Detached eclipsing binary stars with accurately determined radii and trigonometric parallaxes allow for a calibration of the SBCRs with unprecedented accuracy. We analysed four nearby eclipsing binary stars containing late F-type main sequence components: AL Ari, AL Dor, FM Leo and BN Scl. We determined very precise spectroscopic orbits and combined them with high precision ground- and space-based photometry. We derived the astrophysical parameters of their components with mean errors of 0.1% for mass and 0.4% for radius. We combined those four systems with another 24 nearby eclipsing binaries with accurately known radii from the literature for which $Gaia$ EDR3 parallaxes are available, in order to derive the SBCRs. The resulting SBCRs cover stellar spectral types from B9 V to G7 V. For calibrations we used Johnson optical $B$ and $V$, $Gaia$ $G_{\rm BP}$ and $G$ and 2MASS $JHK$ bands. The most precise relations are calibrated using the infrared $K$ band and allow to predict angular diameters of A-, F-, and G-type dwarf and subgiant stars with a precision of 1%.

In Stage-IV imaging surveys, a significant amount of the cosmologically useful information is due to sources whose images overlap with those of other sources on the sky. The cosmic shear signal is primarily encoded in the estimated shapes of observed galaxies and thus directly impacted by overlaps. We introduce a framework based on the Fisher formalism to analyze effects of overlapping sources (blending) on the estimation of cosmic shear. For the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), we present the expected loss in statistical sensitivity for the ten-year survey due to blending. We find that for approximately 62% of galaxies that are likely to be detected in full-depth LSST images, at least 1% of the flux in their pixels is from overlapping sources. We also find that the statistical correlations between measures of overlapping galaxies and, to a much lesser extent the higher shot noise level due to their presence, decrease the effective number density of galaxies, $N_{eff}$, by $\sim$18%. We calculate an upper limit on $N_{eff}$ of 39.4 galaxies per arcmin$^2$ in $r$ band. We study the impact of varying stellar density on $N_{eff}$ and illustrate the diminishing returns of extending the survey into lower Galactic latitudes. We extend the Fisher formalism to predict the increase in pixel-noise bias due to blending for maximum-likelihood (ML) shape estimators. We find that noise bias is sensitive to the particular shape estimator and measure of ensemble-average shape that is used, and properties of the galaxy that include redshift-dependent quantities such as size and luminosity. Based on the magnitude of the estimated biases and these many dependencies, we conclude that it will not be possible to estimate noise biases of ML shear estimators using simulations, at the sensitivity required for LSST measurements of cosmic shear.

Total solar eclipses (TSEs) provide a unique opportunity to quantify the properties of the K-corona (electrons), F-corona (dust) and E-corona (ions) continuously from the solar surface out to a few solar radii. We apply a novel inversion method to separate emission from the K- and F-corona continua using unpolarized total brightness (tB) observations from five 0.5 nm bandpasses acquired during the 2019 July 2 TSE between 529.5 nm and 788.4 nm. The wavelength dependence relative to the photosphere (i.e., color) of the F-corona itself is used to infer the tB of the K- and F-corona for each line-of-sight. We compare our K-corona emission results with the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO) K-Cor polarized brightness (pB) observations from the day of the eclipse, and the forward modeled K-corona intensity from the Predictive Science Inc. (PSI) Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model prediction. Our results are generally consistent with previous work and match both the MLSO data and PSI-MHD predictions quite well, supporting the validity of our approach and of the PSI-MHD model. However, we find that the tB of the F-corona is higher than expected in the low corona, perhaps indicating that the F-corona is slightly polarized -- challenging the common assumption that the F-corona is entirely unpolarized.

The Hubble constant ($H_0$) tension between Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) and Planck measurements ranges from 4 to 6 $\sigma$. To investigate this tension, we estimate $H_{0}$ in the $\Lambda$CDM and $w_{0}w_{a}$CDM models by dividing the Pantheon sample, the largest compilation of SNe Ia, into 3, 4, 20 and 40 bins. We fit the extracted $H_{0}$ values with a function mimicking the redshift evolution: $g(z)={H_0}(z)=\tilde{H}_0/(1+z)^\alpha$, where $\alpha$ indicates an evolutionary parameter and $\tilde{H}_0=H_0$ at $z=0$. We set the absolute magnitude of SNe Ia so that $H_0=73.5\,\, \textrm{km s}^{-1}\,\textrm{Mpc}^{-1}$, and we fix fiducial values for $\Omega_{0m}^{\Lambda CDM}=0.298$ and $\Omega_{0m}^{w_{0}w_{a}CDM}=0.308$. We find that $H_0$ evolves with redshift, showing a slowly decreasing trend, with $\alpha$ coefficients consistent with zero only from 1.2 to 2.0 $\sigma$. Although the $\alpha$ coefficients are compatible with 0 in 3 $\sigma$, this however may affect cosmological results. We measure locally a variation of $H_0(z=0)-H_0(z=1)=0.4\, \textrm{km s}^{-1}\,\textrm{Mpc}^{-1}$ in 3 and 4 bins. Extrapolating ${H_0}(z)$ to $z=1100$, the redshift of the last scattering surface, we obtain values of $H_0$ compatible in 1 $\sigma$ with Planck measurements independently of cosmological models and number of bins we investigated. Thus, we have reduced the $H_0$ tension from $54\%$ to $72\%$ for the $\Lambda$CDM and $w_{0}w_{a}$CDM models, respectively. If the decreasing trend of $H_0(z)$ is real, it could be due to astrophysical selection effects or to modified gravity.

The first solids that form as a cooling white dwarf (WD) starts to crystallize are expected to be greatly enriched in actinides. This is because the melting points of WD matter scale as $Z^{5/3}$ and actinides have the largest charge $Z$. We estimate that the solids may be so enriched in actinides that they could support a fission chain reaction. This reaction could ignite carbon burning and lead to the explosion of an isolated WD in a thermonuclear supernova (SN Ia). Our mechanism could potentially explain SN Ia with sub-Chandrasekhar ejecta masses and short delay times.

We use deep high resolution HST/ACS imaging of two fields in the core of the Coma cluster to investigate the occurrence of nuclear star clusters (NSCs) in quiescent dwarf galaxies as faint as $M_{I} = -10$ mag. We employ a hierarchical Bayesian logistic regression framework to model the faint end of the nucleation fraction ($f_{n}$) as a function of both galaxy luminosity and environment. We find that $f_n$ is remarkably high in Coma: at $M_{I} \approx -13$ mag half of the cluster dwarfs still host prominent NSCs. Comparison with dwarf systems in nearby clusters and groups shows that, within the uncertainties, the rate at which the probability of nucleation varies with galaxy luminosity is nearly universal. On the other hand, the fraction of nucleated galaxies at fixed luminosity does exhibit an environmental dependence. More massive environments feature higher nucleation fractions and fainter values of the half-nucleation luminosity, which roughly scales with host halo virial mass as $L_{I,f_{n50}} \propto \mathcal{M}_{200}^{-0.2}$. Our results reinforce the role of galaxy mass as a major driver of the efficiency of NSC formation and also indicate a clear secondary dependence on the environment, hence paving the way to more refined theoretical models.

In the last few years, significant advances have been made in understanding the distributions of exoplanet populations and the architecture of planetary systems. We review the recent progress of planet statistics, with a focus on the inner <~ 1 AU region of the planetary system that has been fairly thoroughly surveyed by the Kepler mission. We also discuss the theoretical implications of these statistical results for planet formation and dynamical evolution.

This Letter capitalizes on a unique set of total solar eclipse observations, acquired between 2006 and 2020, in white light, Fe XI 789.2 nm ($\rm T_{fexi}$ = $1.2 \pm 0.1$ MK) and Fe XIV 530.3 nm ($\rm T_{fexiv}$ = $ 1.8 \pm 0.1$ MK) emission, complemented by in situ Fe charge state and proton speed measurements from ACE/SWEPAM-SWICS, to identify the source regions of different solar wind streams. The eclipse observations reveal the ubiquity of open structures, invariably associated with Fe XI emission from $\rm Fe^{10+}$, hence a constant electron temperature, $\rm T_{c}$ = $\rm T_{fexi}$, in the expanding corona. The in situ Fe charge states are found to cluster around $\rm Fe^{10+}$, independently of the 300 to 700 km $\rm s^{-1}$ stream speeds, referred to as the continual solar wind. $\rm Fe^{10+}$ thus yields the fiducial link between the continual solar wind and its $\rm T_{fexi}$ sources at the Sun. While the spatial distribution of Fe XIV emission, from $\rm Fe^{13+}$, associated with streamers, changes throughout the solar cycle, the sporadic appearance of charge states $> \rm Fe^{11+}$, in situ, exhibits no cycle dependence regardless of speed. These latter streams are conjectured to be released from hot coronal plasmas at temperatures $\ge \rm T_{fexiv}$ within the bulge of streamers and from active regions, driven by the dynamic behavior of prominences magnetically linked to them. The discovery of continual streams of slow, intermediate and fast solar wind, characterized by the same $\rm T_{fexi}$ in the expanding corona, places new constraints on the physical processes shaping the solar wind.

Dark Matter (DM) is one of the most critical questions to be understood and answered in fundamental physics today. Observations with varied astronomical and cosmological technologies already pinned down that DM exists in the Universe, the Milky Way, and the Solar System. However, the understanding of DM under the language of elementary physics is still in progress. DM direct detection aims to test the interactive cross-section between galactic DM particles and an underground detector's nucleons. Although Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs) is the most discussed DM candidate, the null-WIMPs conclusion has been consistently addressed by most convincing experiments in the field. The low-mass WIMPs region (100s MeV/c$^2$ - 10 GeV/c$^2$) has not been fully exploited comparing to high-mass WIMPs (10 GeV/c$^2$ - 1 TeV/c$^2$) experiments which implement liquid xenon or argon TPCs (Time Projection Chambers). The ALETHEIA experiment aims to hunt for low-mass WIMPs with liquid helium-filled TPCs. In this paper, we go through the physics motivation of low-mass DM, the ALETHEIA detector's design, a series of R&D programs that should be launched to address a liquid helium TPC's functionality, and possible analysis channels available for DM searches.

Quiescent black hole X-ray binaries (X-ray luminosities <1e34 erg/s) are believed to be fed by hot accretion flows that launch compact, relativistic jets. However, due to their low luminosities, quiescent jets have been detected in the radio waveband from only five systems so far. Here, we present radio observations of two quiescent black hole X-ray binaries with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. One system, GS 1124-684, was not detected. The other system, BW Cir, was detected over two different epochs in 2018 and 2020, for which we also obtained quasi-simultaneous X-ray detections with Chandra and Swift. BW Cir is now the sixth quiescent X-ray binary with a confirmed radio jet. However, the distance to BW Cir is uncertain, and we find that BW Cir shows different behaviour in the radio/X-ray luminosity plane depending on the correct distance. Estimates based on its G-type subgiant donor star place BW Cir at >25 kpc, while initial optical astrometric measurements from Gaia Data Release 2 suggested likely distances of just a few kpc. Here, we use the most recent measurements from Gaia Early Data Release 3 and find a distance d=7.1(+4.8/-3.9) kpc and a potential kick velocity PKV=165(+81/-17) km/s, with distances up to ~20 kpc possible based on its parallax and proper motion. Even though there is now less tension between the parallax and donor-star based distance measurements, it remains an unresolved matter, and we conclude with suggestions on how to reconcile the two measurements.

Internetwork (IN) magnetic fields are highly dynamic, short-lived magnetic structures that populate the interior of supergranular cells. Since they emerge all over the Sun, these small-scale fields bring a substantial amount of flux, and therefore energy, to the solar surface. Because of this, IN fields are crucial for understanding the quiet Sun (QS) magnetism. However, they are weak and produce very small polarization signals, which is the reason why their properties and impact on the energetics and dynamics of the solar atmosphere are poorly known. Here we use coordinated, high-resolution, multiwavelength observations obtained with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) and the \textit{Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph} (IRIS) to follow the evolution of IN magnetic loops as they emerge into the photosphere and reach the chromosphere and transition region. We studied in this paper three flux emergence events having total unsigned magnetic fluxes of $1.9\times10^{18}$, $2.5\times10^{18}$, and $5.3\times10^{18}$~Mx. The footpoints of the emerging IN bipoles are clearly seen to appear in the photosphere and to rise up through the solar atmosphere, as observed in \ion{Fe}{1} 6173 \AA\/ and \ion{Mg}{1} b$_2$ 5173 \AA\/ magnetograms, respectively. For the first time, our polarimetric measurements taken in the chromospheric \ion{Ca}{2} 8542 \AA\/ line provide direct observational evidence that IN fields are capable of reaching the chromosphere. Moreover, using IRIS data, we study the effects of these weak fields on the heating of the chromosphere and transition region.

We have obtained sensitive dust continuum polarization observations at 850 $\mu$m in the B213 region of Taurus using POL-2 on SCUBA-2 at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), as part of the BISTRO (B-fields in STar-forming Region Observations) survey. These observations allow us to probe magnetic field (B-field) at high spatial resolution ($\sim$2000 au or $\sim$0.01 pc at 140 pc) in two protostellar cores (K04166 and K04169) and one prestellar core (Miz-8b) that lie within the B213 filament. Using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, we estimate the B-field strengths in K04166, K04169, and Miz-8b to be 38$\pm$14 $\mu$G, 44$\pm$16 $\mu$G, and 12$\pm$5 $\mu$G, respectively. These cores show distinct mean B-field orientations. B-field in K04166 is well ordered and aligned parallel to the orientations of the core minor axis, outflows, core rotation axis, and large-scale uniform B-field, in accordance with magnetically regulated star formation via ambipolar diffusion taking place in K04166. B-field in K04169 is found to be ordered but oriented nearly perpendicular to the core minor axis and large-scale B-field, and not well-correlated with other axes. In contrast, Miz-8b exhibits disordered B-field which show no preferred alignment with the core minor axis or large-scale field. We found that only one core, K04166, retains a memory of the large-scale uniform B-field. The other two cores, K04169 and Miz-8b, are decoupled from the large-scale field. Such a complex B-field configuration could be caused by gas inflow onto the filament, even in the presence of a substantial magnetic flux.

UVscope is an instrument, based on a multi-pixel photon detector, developed to support experimental activities for high-energy astrophysics and cosmic ray research. The instrument, working in single photon counting mode, is designed to directly measure light flux in the wavelengths range 300-650~nm. The instrument can be used in a wide field of applications where the knowledge of the nocturnal environmental luminosity is required. Currently, one UVscope instrument is allocated onto the external structure of the ASTRI-Horn Cherenkov telescope devoted to the gamma-ray astronomy at very high energies. Being co-aligned with the ASTRI-Horn camera axis, UVscope can measure the diffuse emission of the night sky background simultaneously with the ASTRI-Horn camera, without any interference with the main telescope data taking procedures. UVscope is properly calibrated and it is used as an independent reference instrument for test and diagnostic of the novel ASTRI-Horn telescope.

We present results from seven cosmological simulations that have been extended beyond the present era as far as redshift $z=-0.995$ or $t\approx96\,{\rm Gyr}$, using the Enzo simulation code. We adopt the calibrated star formation and feedback prescriptions from our previous work on reproducing the Milky Way with Enzo with modifications to the simulation code, chemistry and cooling library. We then consider the future behaviour of the halo mass function (HMF), the equation of state (EOS) of the IGM, and the cosmic star formation history (SFH). Consistent with previous work, we find a freeze-out in the HMF at $z\approx-0.6$. The evolution of the EOS of the IGM presents an interesting case study of the cosmological coincidence problem, where there is a sharp decline in the IGM temperature immediately after $z=0$. For the SFH, the simulations produce a peak and a subsequent decline into the future. However, we do find a turnaround in the SFH after $z\approx-0.98$ in some simulations, probably due to the limitations of the criteria used for star formation. By integrating the SFH in time up to $z=-0.92$, the simulation with the best spatial resolution predicts an asymptotic total stellar mass that is very close to that obtained from extrapolating the fit of the observed SFR. Lastly, we investigate the future evolution of the partition of baryons within a Milky Way-sized galaxy, using both a zoom and a box simulation. Despite vastly different resolutions, these simulations predict individual haloes containing an equal fraction of baryons in stars and gas at the time of freeze-out ($t\approx30\,{\rm Gyr}$).

"Changing-look" quasars are a new class of highly variable active galactic nuclei that have changed their spectral type over surprisingly short timescales of just a few years. The origin of this phenomenon is debated, but is likely to reflect some change in the accretion flow. To investigate the disk-corona systems in these objects, we measure optical/UV-X-ray spectral indices ($\alpha_{\rm OX}$) and Eddington ratios ($\lambda_{\rm Edd}$) of ten previously-discovered changing-look quasars at two or more epochs. By comparing these data with simulated results based on the behavior of X-ray binaries, we find possible similarities in spectral indices below 1% Eddington ratio. We further investigate the Eddington ratios of changing-look quasars before and after their spectral type changes, and find that changing-look quasars cross the 1% Eddington ratio boundary when their broad emission lines disappear/emerge. This is consistent with the disk-wind model as the origin of broad emission lines.

We study the consequences of a hadron-quark phase transition (PT) in failing core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) which give birth to stellar-mass black holes (BH). We perform a suite of neutrino-transport general-relativistic hydrodynamic simulations in spherical symmetry with 21 progenitor models and a hybrid equation of state (EoS) including hadrons and quarks. We find that the effect of the PT on the CCSN postbounce dynamics is a function of the bounce compactness parameter $\xi_{2.2}$. For $\xi_{2.2}\gtrsim0.24$, the PT leads to a second dynamical collapse of the protocompact star (PCS). While BH formation starts immediately after this second collapse for models with $\xi_{2.2}\gtrsim0.51$, the PCS experiences a second bounce and oscillations for models with $0.24\lesssim\xi_{2.2}\lesssim0.51$. These models emit potent oscillatory neutrino signals with a period of $\sim$ms for tens of ms after the second bounce, which can be a strong indicator of the PT in failing CCSNe if detected in the future. However, no shock revival occurs and BH formation inevitably takes place in our spherically-symmetric simulations. Furthermore, via a diagram of mass-specific entropy evolution of the PCS, the progenitor dependence can be understood through the appearance of third-family of compact stars emerging at large entropy induced by the PT.

Differential atmospheric dispersion is a wavelength-dependent effect introduced by Earth's atmosphere that affects astronomical observations performed using ground-based telescopes. It is important, when observing at a zenithal angle different from zero, to use an Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC) to compensate this atmospheric dispersion. The design of an ADC is based on atmospheric models that, to the best of our knowledge, were never tested against on-sky measurements. We present an extensive models analysis in the wavelength range of 315-665 nm. The method we used was previously described in the paper I of this series. It is based on the use of cross-dispersion spectrographs to determine the position of the centroid of the spatial profile at each wavelength of each spectral order. The accuracy of the method is 18 mas. At this level, we are able to compare and characterize the different atmospheric dispersion models of interest. For better future ADC designs, we recommend to avoid the Zemax model, and in particular in the blue range of the spectra, when expecting residuals at the level of few tens of milli-arcseconds.

Fundamental astrophysical parameters have been derived for Be 55 open cluster based on UBVI CCD photometric data, observed with the AZT-22 1.5m telescope at Maidanak Astronomical Observatory in Uzbekistan. The mean reddening is obtained as E(B-V)=1.77+-0.10 mag from early type members. The zero age main sequence fitting in the Q(VA)- Q0 diagrams indicates the distance modulus, (V0 - MV)=12.4+-0.20 mag (d=3.02+-0.28 kpc). This photometric distance is consistent with the distances of Gaia EDR3 (d=3.09+-0.16 kpc) and period-luminosity relation (d=2.78+-0.32 kpc) of its Cepheid S5 within the uncertainties. This distance also locates the cluster near the Perseus spiral arm. The Geneva isochrone fittings to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and observational colourmagnitude diagrams derive turn-off age, 85+-13 Myr, by taking care five red supergiants/bright giants. The possible inconsistences on the locations of the bright giants with the rotating/non-rotating isochrones may be due to both the age spread of stars in young open clusters and the diversity in rotational velocities.

With its high sensitivity, the Pyramid wavefront sensor (PyWFS) is becoming an advantageous sensor for astronomical adaptive optics (AO) systems. However, this sensor exhibits significant non-linear behaviours leading to challenging AO control issues. In order to mitigate these effects, we propose to use, in addition to the classical pyramid sensor, a focal plane image combined with a convolutive description of the sensor to perform a fast tracking of the PyWFS non-linearities, the so-called optical gains (OG). We show that this additional focal plane imaging path only requires a small fraction of the total flux, while representing a robust solution to estimate the PyWFS OG. Finally, we demonstrate the gain brought by our method with the specific examples of bootstrap and Non-Common Path Aberrations (NCPA) handling.

We present a study of the Corona Borealis (CB) supercluster. We determined the high-density cores of the CB and the richest galaxy clusters in them, and studied their dynamical state and galaxy content. We determined filaments in the supercluster to analyse the connectivity of clusters. We compared the mass distribution in the CB with predictions from the spherical collapse model and analysed the acceleration field in the CB. We found that at a radius $R_{\mathrm{30}}$ around clusters in the CB (A2065, A2061, A2089, and Gr2064) (corresponding to the density contrast $\Delta\rho \approx 30$), the galaxy distribution shows a minimum. The $R_{30}$ values for individual clusters lie in the range of $3 - 6$ $h^{-1}$ Mpc. The radii of the clusters (splashback radii) lie in the range of $R_{\mathrm{cl}} \approx 2 - 3$ $R_{\mathrm{vir}}$. The projected phase space diagrams and the comparison with the spherical collapse model suggest that $R_{\mathrm{30}}$ regions have passed turnaround and are collapsing. Galaxy content in clusters varies strongly. The cluster A2061 has the highest fraction of galaxies with old stellar populations, and A2065 has the highest fraction of galaxies with young stellar populations. The number of long filaments near clusters vary from one at A2089 to five at A2061. During the future evolution, the clusters in the main part of the CB may merge and form one of the largest bound systems in the nearby Universe. Another part of the CB, with the cluster Gr2064, will form a separate system. The structures with a current density contrast $\Delta\rho \approx 30$ have passed turnaround and started to collapse at redshifts $z \approx 0.3 - 0.4$. The comparison of the number and properties of the most massive collapsing supercluster cores from observations and simulations may serve as a test for cosmological models.

A current sheet, where magnetic energy is liberated through reconnection and is converted to other forms, is thought to play the central role in solar flares, the most intense explosions in the heliosphere. However, the evolution of a current sheet and its subsequent role in flare related phenomena such as particle acceleration is poorly understood. Here we report observations obtained with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory that reveal a multi-phase evolution of a current sheet in the early stages of a solar flare, from its formation to quasi-stable evolution and disruption. Our observations have implications for the understanding of onset and evolution of reconnection in early stages of eruptive solar flares.

By analyzing photometric and spectroscopic time series in this paper, we show that the pulsator V764 Mon, assumed to be the brightest RR Lyrae star in the sky, is in fact a rapidly rotating delta Scuti star with an unusually long dominant period (P1=0.29 d). Our spectroscopy confirmed the discovery of the Gaia satellite about the binarity of V764 Mon. In the case of HY Com, a `bona fide' RRc star, we present its first complete radial velocity curve. Additionally, we found that the star continues its strong phase variation reported before.

The solar spectrum conveys most of our diagnostics to find out how our star works. They must be understood for utilization, but solar spectrum formation is complex because the interaction of matter and radiation within the solar atmosphere suffers non-local control in space, wavelength, and time. These complexities are summarized and illustrated with classic literature.

The tectonic regime of rocky planets fundamentally influences their long-term evolution and cycling of volatiles between interior and atmosphere. Earth is the only known planet with active plate tectonics, but observations of exoplanets may deliver insights into the diversity of tectonic regimes beyond the solar system. Observations of the thermal phase curve of super-Earth LHS 3844b reveal a solid surface and lack of a substantial atmosphere, with a temperature contrast between the substellar and antistellar point of around 1000 K. Here, we use these constraints on the planet's surface to constrain the interior dynamics and tectonic regimes of LHS 3844b using numerical models of interior flow. We investigate the style of interior convection by assessing how upwellings and downwellings are organized and how tectonic regimes manifest. We discover three viable convective regimes with a mobile surface: (1) spatially uniform distribution of upwellings and downwellings, (2) prominent downwelling on the dayside and upwellings on the nightside, and (3) prominent downwelling on the nightside and upwellings on the dayside. Hemispheric tectonics is observed for regimes (2) and (3) as a direct consequence of the day-to-night temperature contrast. Such a tectonic mode is absent in the present-day solar system and has never been inferred from astrophysical observations of exoplanets. Our models offer distinct predictions for volcanism and outgassing linked to the tectonic regime, which may explain secondary features in phase curves and allow future observations to constrain the diversity of super-Earth interiors.

The spectrum of cosmic ray protons and electrons released by supernova remnants throughout their evolution is poorly known, because of the difficulty in accounting for particle escape and confinement in the downstream of a shock front, where both adiabatic and radiative losses are present. Here we calculate the spectrum of cosmic ray protons released during the evolution of supernovae of different types, accounting for the escape from upstream and for adiabatic losses of particles advected downstream of the shock and liberated at later times. The same calculation is carried out for electrons. The magnetic field in the post-shock region is calculated by using an analytic treatment of the magnetic field amplification due to non--resonant and resonant streaming instability and their saturation. We find that when the field is the result of the growth of the cosmic-ray--driven non--resonant instability alone, the spectrum of electrons and protons released by a supernova remnant are indeed different, but such a difference becomes appreciable only at energies $\gtrsim 100-1000$ GeV, while observations of the electron spectrum require such a difference to be present at energies as low as $\sim 10$ GeV. An effect at such low energies requires substantial magnetic field amplification in the late stages of the supernova remnant evolution (shock velocity $\ll 1000$ km/s), perhaps not due to streaming instability but hydrodynamical processes. We comment on the feasibility of such conditions and speculate on the possibility that the difference in spectral shape between electrons and protons may reflect either some unknown acceleration effect, or additional energy losses in cocoons around the sources.

The color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of young star clusters show that, particularly at ultraviolet wavelengths, their upper main sequences (MSs) bifurcate into a sequence comprising the bulk population and a blue periphery. The spatial distribution of stars is crucial to understand the reasons for these distinct stellar populations. This study uses high-resolution photometric data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope to study the spatial distributions of the stellar populations in seven Magellanic Cloud star clusters. The cumulative radial number fractions of blue stars within four clusters are strongly anti-correlated with those of the high-mass-ratio binaries in the bifurcated region, with negative Pearson coefficients < -0.7. Those clusters generally are young or in an early dynamical evolutionary stage. In addition, a supporting N-body simulation suggests the increasing percentage of blue-MS stars from the cluster centers to their outskirts may be associated with the dissolution of soft binaries. This study provides a different perspective to explore the MS bimodalities in young clusters and adds extra puzzles. A more comprehensive study combined with detailed simulations is needed in the future.

The DSHARP survey evidenced the ubiquity of substructure in the mm dust distribution of large, bright protoplanetary discs. Intriguingly, these datasets have yet higher resolution information that is not recovered in a CLEAN image. We first identify that the various resolution limitations in the CLEAN algorithm effectively increase the CLEAN beam width by a mean factor of 1.16 across the survey. Then analyzing all 20 DSHARP sources using the 1D, super-resolution code Frankenstein (frank), we accurately fit the visibilities to a mean factor of 4.1 longer baseline than CLEAN (determined by the baseline out to which the frank and CLEAN visibility fit errors are <20%). This yields a higher resolution brightness profile for each source, identifying new substructure interior to 30 au in multiple discs; resolving known gaps to be deeper, wider, and more structured; and known rings to be narrower and brighter. Categorizing these brightness profiles into trends, we find that the relative scarcity of features interior to 30 au in the survey's CLEAN images is an artifact of resolving power, rather than an intrinsic rarity of inner disc (or compact disc) substructure.

Understanding the origin of chondritic components and their accretion pathways is critical to unravel the magnitude of mass transport in the protoplanetary disk, the accretionary history of the terrestrial planet region and, by extension, its prebiotic inventory. Here, we trace the heritage of pristine components from the relatively unaltered CV chondrite Leoville through their mass-independent Cr and mass-dependent Zn isotope compositions. Investigating these chondritic fractions in such detail reveals an onion-shell structure of chondrules, which is characterized by 54Cr- and 66Zn-poor cores surrounded by increasingly 54Cr- and 66Zn-rich igneous rims and an outer coating of fine-grained dust. This is interpreted as a progressive addition of 54Cr- and 66Zn-rich, CI-like material to the accretion region of these carbonaceous chondrites. Our findings show that the observed Cr isotopic range in chondrules from more altered CV chondrites is the result of chemical equilibration between chondrules and matrix during secondary alteration. The 54Cr-poor nature of the cores of Leoville chondrules implies formation in the inner Solar System and subsequent massive outward chondrule transport past the Jupiter barrier. At the same time, CI-like dust is transferred inwards. We propose that the accreting Earth acquired CI-like dust through this mechanism within the lifetime of the disk. This radial mixing of chondrules and matrix shows the limited capacity of Jupiter to act as an efficient barrier and maintain the proposed non-carbonaceous and carbonaceous chondrite dichotomy over time. Finally, also considering current astrophysical models, we explore both inner and outer Solar System origins for the CV chondrite parent body.

The Advanced LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave observatories detected a signal on 2019 August 14 during their third observing run, named GW190814. A large number of electromagnetic facilities conducted follow-up campaigns in the search for a possible counterpart to the gravitational wave event, which was made especially promising given the early source classification of a neutron star-black hole merger.We present the results of the GW follow-up campaign taken with the wide-field optical telescope MeerLICHT, located at the South African Astronomical Observatory Sutherland site. We use our results to constrain possible kilonova models. MeerLICHT observed more than 95% of the probability localisation each night for over a week in three optical bands (u,q,i) with our initial observations beginning almost 2 hours after the GW detection. We describe the search for new transients in MeerLICHT data and investigate how our limiting magnitudes can be used to constrain an AT2017gfo-like kilonova. A single new transient was found in our analysis of MeerLICHT data, which we exclude from being the electromagnetic counterpart to GW190814 due to the existence of a spatially unresolved source at the transient's coordinates in archival data. Using our limiting magnitudes, the confidence with which we can exclude the presence of an AT2017gfo-like kilonova at the distance of GW190814 was low ($<10^{-4}$).

An appearance or disappearance of QPOs associated with the variation of X-ray flux can be used to decipher the accretion ejection mechanism of black hole X-ray sources. We searched and studied such rapid transitions in H1743-322 using RXTE archival data and found eight such events, where QPO vanishes suddenly along with the variation of X-ray flux. The appearance/disappearance of QPOs were associated to the four events exhibiting type-B QPOs at $\sim$ 4.5 Hz, one with type-A QPO at $\nu$ $\sim$ 3.5 Hz, and the remaining three were connected to type-C QPOs at $\sim$ 9.5 Hz. Spectral studies of the data unveiled that an inner disk radius remained at the same location around 2-9 r$_g$ , depending on the used model but power-law indices were varying, indicating that either corona or jet is responsible for the events. The probable ejection radii of corona were estimated to be around 4.2-15.4 r$_g$ based on the plasma ejection model. Our X-ray and quasi-simultaneous radio correlation studies suggest that the type-B QPOs are probably related to the precession of a weak jet though a small and weak corona is present at its base and the type-C QPOs are associated to the base of a relatively strong jet which is acting like a corona.

In a previous paper we introduced a new method for simulating collisional gravitational $N$-body systems with linear time scaling on $N$, based on the Multi-Particle Collision (MPC) approach. This allows us to simulate globular clusters with a realistic number of stellar particles in a matter of hours on a typical workstation. We evolve star clusters containing up to $10^6$ stars to core collapse and beyond. We quantify several aspects of core collapse over multiple realizations and different parameters, while always resolving the cluster core with a realistic number of particles. We run a large set of N-body simulations with our new code. The cluster mass function is a power-law with no stellar evolution, allowing us to clearly measure the effects of the mass spectrum. Leading up to core collapse, we find a power-law relation between the size of the core and the time left to core collapse. Our simulations thus confirm the theoretical self-similar contraction picture but with a dependence on the slope of the mass function. The time of core collapse has a non-monotonic dependence on the slope, which is well fit by a parabola. This holds also for the depth of core collapse and for the dynamical friction timescale of heavy particles. Cluster density profiles at core collapse show a broken power law structure, suggesting that central cusps are a genuine feature of collapsed cores. The core bounces back after collapse, and the inner density slope evolves to an asymptotic value. The presence of an intermediate-mass black hole inhibits core collapse. We confirm and expand on several predictions of star cluster evolution before, during, and after core collapse. Such predictions were based on theoretical calculations or small-size direct $N$-body simulations. Here we put them to the test on MPC simulations with a much larger number of particles, allowing us to resolve the collapsing core.

A significant opportunity for synergy between pure research and asteroid resource research exists. We provide an overview of the state of the art in asteroid resource utilization, and highlight where we can accelerate the closing of knowledge gaps, leading to the utilization of asteroid resources for growing economic productivity in space.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no specific calculations of gravity-darkening exponents for white dwarfs in the literature. On the other hand, the number of known eclipsing binaries whose components are tidally and/or rotationally distorted white dwarfs is increasing year on year. Our main objective is to present the first theoretical approaches to the problem of the distribution of temperatures on the surfaces of compact stars distorted by rotation and/or tides in order to compare with relevant observational data. We find discrepancies between the gravity-darkening exponents calculated with our methods and the predictions of the von Zeipel theorem, particularly in the cases of cold white dwarfs; although the discrepancy also applies to higher effective temperatures under determined physical conditions. We find physical connections between the gravity-darkening exponents calculated using our modified method of triangles strategy with the convective efficiency (defined here as the ratio of the convective to the total flux). A connection between the entropy and the gravity-darkening coefficients is also found: variations of the former cause changes in the way the temperature is distributed on distorted stellar surfaces. On the other hand, we have generalised the von Zeipel theorem for the case of hot white dwarfs. Such a generalisation allows us to predict that, under certain circumstances, the value of the gravity-darkening exponent may be smaller than 1.0, even in the case of high effective temperatures.

We propose a novel scenario for possible electromagnetic (EM) emission by compact binary mergers in the accretion disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Nuclear star clusters in AGNs are a plausible formation site of compact-stellar binaries (CSBs) whose coalescences can be detected through gravitational waves (GWs). We investigate the accretion onto and outflows from CSBs embedded in AGN disks. We show that these outflows are likely to create outflow "cavities" in the AGN disks before the binaries merge, which makes EM or neutrino counterparts much less common than would otherwise be expected. We discuss the necessary conditions for detectable EM counterparts to mergers inside the outflow cavities. If the merger remnant black hole experiences a high recoil velocity and can enter the AGN disk, it can accrete gas with a super-Eddington rate, newly forming a cavity-like structure. This bubble can break out of the disk within a day to a week after the merger. Such breakout emission can be bright enough to be detectable by current soft X-ray instruments, such as {\it Swift}-XRT and {\it Chandra}.

We present ALMA CO (2-1) detections of 24 star-forming Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) over $0.2<z<1.2$, constituting the largest and most distant sample of molecular gas measurements in BCGs to date. The BCGs are selected from the Spitzer Adaptation of the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (SpARCS) to be IR-bright and therefore star-forming. We find that molecular gas is common in star-forming BCGs, detecting CO at a detection rate of 80% in our target sample of 30 objects. We additionally provide measurements of the star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass, calculated from existing MIPS 24 $\mu$m and IRAC 3.6 $\mu$m fluxes, respectively. We find these galaxies have molecular gas masses of $0.7-11.0\times 10^{10}\ \mathrm{M}_\odot$, comparable to other BCGs in this redshift range, and specific star formation rates which trace the Elbaz et al. (2011) Main Sequence. We compare our BCGs to those of the lower-redshift, cooling-flow BCG sample assembled by Edge (2001) and find that at z $\lesssim 0.6$ the two samples show very similar correlations between their gas masses and specific SFRs. We suggest that, in this redshift regime, the $\sim10\%$ (Webb et al., 2015) of BCGs that are star-forming process any accreted molecular gas into stars through means that are agnostic to both their redshift and their cluster mass.

As the signal-to-noise of Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) cross-correlation measurements of galaxies improves our ability to infer properties about the circumgalactic medium (CGM), we will transition from being limited by statistical uncertainties to systematic uncertainties. Using thermodynamic profiles of the CGM created from the IllustrisTNG (The Next Generation) simulations we investigate the importance of specific choices in modeling the galaxy sample. These choices include different sample selections in the simulation (stellar vs. halo mass, color selections) and different fitting models (matching by the shape of the mass distribution, inclusion of a two-halo term). We forward model a mock galaxy sample into projected SZ observable profiles and fit these profiles to a generalized Navarro-Frenk-White profile using forecasted errors of the upcoming Simons Observatory experiment. We test the number of free parameters in the fits and show that this is another modeling choice that yields different results. Finally, we show how different fitting models can reproduce parameters of a fiducial profile, and show that the addition of a two-halo term and matching by the mass distribution of the sample are extremely important modeling choices to consider.

We apply the helioseismic methodology of Legendre Function Decomposition to 88 months of Dopplergrams obtained by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) as the basis of inferring the depth variation of the mean meridional flow, as averaged between 20 and 60 degrees latitude and in time, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. We develop and apply control procedures designed to assess and remove center-to-limb artifacts, using measurements obtained by performing the analysis with respect to artificial poles at the east and west limbs. Forward modeling is carried out, using sensitivity functions proportional to the mode kinetic energy density, to evaluate the consistency of the corrected frequency shifts with models of the depth variation of the meridional circulation in the top half of the convection zone. The results, taken at face value, imply substantial differences between the meridional circulation in the northern and southern hemisphere. The inferred presence of a return (equator-ward propagating) flow at a depth of approximately 40 Mm below the photosphere in the northern hemisphere is surprising and appears to be inconsistent with many other helioseismic analyses. This discrepancy may be the result of an inadequacy of our methodology to remove systematic errors in HMI data. Our results appear to be at least qualitative similar to those by Gizon et al. (2020) which point to an anomaly in HMI data that is not present in MDI or GONG data.

The determination of absolute and relative distances of molecular clouds along the line-of-sight towards the central molecular zone (CMZ) is crucial to infer its orbital structure, dynamics, and to understand star formation in the clouds. Recent results by Zoccali et al. 2021 suggest that the G0.253 + 0.016 cloud (the Brick) does not belong to the CMZ. This motivated us to cross check their results computing the absolute and relative distance to the Brick and also to other two molecular clouds (the 50 km/s, and the 20 km/s clouds), and discuss their CMZ membership. We used the colour magnitude diagrams $K_s$ vs. $H-K_s$ to compare stars detected towards the target clouds with stars detected towards three reference regions in the nuclear stellar disc (NSD) and the Galactic bulge. We used red clump (RC) stars to estimate the distance to each region. We obtained that all the clouds present a double RC feature. Such a double RC has been reported in previous work for the NSD, but not for the bulge adjacent to it. We exclude the possibility that the different RC features are located at significantly different distances. The obtained absolute and relative distances are compatible with the Galactic centre distance ($\sim8$ kpc).

We performed observations of the HC$_3$N (24-23, 17-16, 11-10, 8-7) lines towards a sample consisting of 19 Galactic massive star-forming regions with the Arizona Radio Observatory 12-m and Caltech Submillimeter Observatory 10.4-m telescopes. HC$_3$N (24-23, 17-16, 11-10, 8-7) lines were detected in sources except for W44, where only HC$_3$N (17-16, 11-10) were detected. Twelve of the nineteen sources showed probable line wing features. The excitation temperatures were estimated from the line ratio of HC$_3$N (24-23) to HC$_3$N (17-16) for 18 sources and are in the range 23-57 K. The line widths of higher-$J$ transitions are larger than lower-$J$ ones for most sources. This indicates that the inner dense warm regions have more violent turbulence or other motions (such as rotation) than outer regions in these sources. A possible cutoff tendency was found around $L_{\rm IR}$ $\sim$ 10$^{6}$ $L_\odot$ in the relation between $L_{\rm IR}$ and full width at half maximum line widths.

We measured the components of the 31-m-long vector between the two Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) antennas at the Kokee Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO), Hawaii, with approximately 1 mm precision using phase-delay observables from dedicated VLBI observations in 2016 and 2018. The two KPGO antennas are the 20 m legacy VLBI antenna and the 12 m VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS) antenna. Independent estimates of the vector between the two antennas were obtained by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) using standard optical surveys in 2015 and 2018. The uncertainties of the latter survey were 0.3 and 0.7 mm in the horizontal and vertical components of the baseline, respectively. We applied corrections to the measured positions for the varying thermal deformation of the antennas on the different days of the VLBI and survey measurements, which can amount to 1 mm, bringing all results to a common reference temperature. The difference between the VLBI and survey results are 0.2 +/- 0.4 mm, -1.3 +/- 0.4 mm, and 0.8 +/- 0.8 mm in the East, North, and Up topocentric components, respectively. We also estimate that the Up component of the baseline may suffer from systematic errors due to gravitational deformation and uncalibrated instrumental delay variations at the 20 m antenna that may reach +/-10 mm and -2 mm, respectively, resulting in an accuracy uncertainty on the order of 10 mm for the relative heights of the antennas. Furthermore, possible tilting of the 12 m antenna increases the uncertainties in the differences in the horizontal components to 1.0 mm. These results bring into focus the importance of (1) correcting to a common reference temperature the measurements of the reference points of all geodetic instruments within a site, (2) obtaining measurements of the gravitational deformation of all antennas, and (3) monitoring local motions of the geodetic instruments.

We take a pragmatic definition of reconnection to find locations where a reconnection electric field causes a ExB drift that carries two components of the magnetic field towards their elimination. With this in mind as our target, we observe that such locations can be found using a new indicator: the velocity of the Lorentz transformation that eliminates two components of the local magnetic field. Serendipitously, the indicator naturally becomes subluminal in the close proximity of a point where two components of the magnetic field vanish and it is hard zero at the vanishing location. Everywhere else the velocity of this Lorentz frame change far exceeds the speed of light. This property can be quickly applied in practice because computing the frame change is a local operation that requires only the knowledge of the local magnetic and electric field: it can be applied in a simulation or in observational data from a field instrument. We further show that the points identified can be classified in 6 categories that extend the usual types of magnetic nulls to the case of 3D reconnection in presence of a guide field. The approach is used to identify secondary electron scale reconnection sites in a turbulent outflow from a primary reconnection site in a highly resolved massively parallel fully kinetic particle in cell simulation. Numerous points are found and their detailed analysis is reported.

We study the high-energy properties of GRB 181123B, a short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) at redshift z$\approx$1.75. We show that, despite its nominal short duration with T90 < 2 s, this burst display evidence of a temporally extended emission (EE) at high energies and that the same trend is observed in the majority of sGRBs at z > 1. We discuss the impact of instrumental selection effects on the GRB classification, stressing that the measured T90 is not an unambiguous indicator of the burst physical origin. By examining their environment (e.g. stellar mass, star formation, offset distribution), we find that these high-z sGRBs share many properties of long GRBs at a similar distance and are consistent with a short-lived progenitor system. If produced by compact binary mergers, these sGRBs with EE may herald a larger population of sGRBs in the early universe.

Observations support the hypothesis that gas disk gravitational instability might explain the formation of massive or wide-orbit gas giant exoplanets. The situation with regard to Jupiter-mass exoplanets orbiting within $\sim$ 20 au is more uncertain. Theoretical models yield divergent assessments often attributed to the numerical handling of the gas thermodynamics. Boss (2019) used the $\beta$ cooling approximation to calculate three dimensional hydrodynamical models of the evolution of disks with initial masses of 0.091 $M_\odot$ extending from 4 to 20 au around 1 $M_\odot$ protostars. The models considered a wide range (1 to 100) of $\beta$ cooling parameters and started from an initial minimum Toomre stability parameter of $Q_i = 2.7$ (gravitationally stable). The disks cooled down from initial outer disk temperatures of 180 K to as low as 40 K as a result of the $\beta$ cooling, leading to fragmentation into dense clumps, which were then replaced by virtual protoplanets (VPs) and evolved for up to $\sim$ 500 yr. The present models test the viability of replacing dense clumps with VPs by quadrupling the spatial resolution of the grid once dense clumps form, sidestepping in most cases VP insertion. After at least $\sim$ 200 yr of evolution, the new results compare favorably with those of Boss (2019): similar numbers of VPs and dense clumps form by the same time for the two approaches. The results imply that VP insertion can greatly speed disk instability calculations without sacrificing accuracy.

Dynamical scenarios of terrestrial planets formation involve strong perturbations of the inner part of the solar system by the giant-planets, leading to enhanced impact velocities and subsequent collisional erosion. We quantitatively estimate the effect of collisional erosion on the resulting composition of Earth, and estimate how it may provide information on the dynamical context of its formation. We simulate and quantify the erosion of Earth's crust in the context of Solar System formation scenarios, including the classical model and Grand Tack scenario that invokes orbital migration of Jupiter during the gaseous disk phase (Walsh et al., 2011; Raymond et al., 2018). We find that collisional erosion of the early crust is unlikely to produce an excess of about 6% of the Sm/Nd ratio in terrestrial rock samples compared to chondrites for most simulations. Only Grand Tack simulations in which the last giant impact on Earth occurred later than 50 million years after the start of Solar System formation can account for such an offset. However, this time frame is consistent with current cosmochemical and dynamical estimates of the Moon forming impact (Chyba, 1991; Walker, 2009; Touboul et al.,2007, 2009, 2015; Pepin and Porcelli, 2006; Norman et al., 2003; Nyquist et al., 2006; Boyet et al.,2015). Such a late fractionation in the Sm/Nd ratio is unlikely to be responsible for a 20-ppm $^{142}$Nd excess in terrestrial rocks due to the half life of the radiogenic system. Additionally, such a large and late fractionation in the Sm/Nd ratio would accordingly induce non-observed anomalies in the $^{143}$Nd/$^{144}$Nd ratio. Considering our results, the Grand Tack model with a late Moon-forming impact cannot be easily reconciled with the Nd isotopic Earth contents.

With its first flight in 2018, Micro-X became the first program to fly Transition-Edge Sensors and their SQUID readouts in space. The science goal was a high-resolution, spatially resolved X-ray spectrum of the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant. While a rocket pointing error led to no time on target, the data was used to demonstrate the flight performance of the instrument. The detectors observed X-rays from the on-board calibration source, but a susceptibility to external magnetic fields limited their livetime. Accounting for this, no change was observed in detector response between ground operation and flight operation. This paper provides an overview of the first flight performance and focuses on the upgrades made in preparation for reflight. The largest changes have been upgrading the SQUIDs to mitigate magnetic susceptibility, synchronizing the clocks on the digital electronics to minimize beat frequencies, and replacing the mounts between the cryostat and the rocket skin to improve mechanical integrity. As the first flight performance was consistent with performance on the ground, reaching the instrument goals in the laboratory is considered a strong predictor of future flight performance.

Context. The interactions between the SMC and LMC created the Magellanic Bridge, a stream of gas and stars pulled out of the SMC towards the LMC about 150 Myr ago. The tidal counterpart of this structure, which should include a trailing arm, has been predicted by models but no compelling observational evidence has confirmed the Counter-Bridge so far. Aims. The main goal of this work is to find the stellar counterpart of the Magellanic Bridge and Counter-Bridge. We use star clusters in the SMC outskirts as they provide 6D phase-space vector, age and metallicity that help characterise the outskirts of the SMC. Methods. Distances, ages and photometric metallicities are derived from fitting isochrones to the colour-magnitude diagrams from the VISCACHA survey. Radial velocities and spectroscopic metallicities are derived from the spectroscopic follow-up using GMOS in the CaII triplet region. Results. Among the seven clusters analysed in this work, five belong to the Magellanic Bridge and one belongs to the Counter-Bridge and the other to the transition region. Conclusions. The existence of the tidal counterpart of the Magellanic Bridge is evidenced by star clusters. The stellar component of the Magellanic Bridge and Counter-Bridge are confirmed in the SMC outskirts. These results are an important constraint for models that seek to reconstruct the history of the orbit and interactions between LMC-SMC and constrain their future interaction including with the Milky Way.

We study a minimal scenario to realize non-thermal leptogenesis and UV freeze-in of a Standard Model (SM) gauge singlet fermionic dark matter (DM) simultaneously, with inflaton field playing a non-trivial role in their yields. The renormalizable interactions are restricted to the SM fields, two right handed neutrinos (RHN) and inflaton coupling exclusively to the RHNs, while the DM couples to both the SM and the RHNs only via operators of dimension $d>4$. Considering two separate cases of $d=\{5,6\}$, we show that for $d=5$, inflaton decay into RHNs followed by their subsequent decay into SM particles lead to both reheating as well as DM production from the SM bath. This requires a cut-off scale as large as $\Lambda\sim 10^{17}~\rm GeV$ depending on the DM mass. On the other hand, for $d=6$, DM production happens directly from scattering of RHNs (for $\Lambda\gtrsim 10^{14}~\rm GeV$) that results in a very non-trivial evolution of the DM yield. In both these cases, it is possible to explain the observed baryon asymmetry through successful non-thermal leptogenesis via the decay of the RHNs, together with the PLANCK observed relic density of the DM via pure UV freeze-in mechanism. Taking into account both instantaneous as well as non-instantaneous reheating separately, we constrain the parameter space of this minimal scenario from relevant phenomenological requirements including sub-eV scale active neutrino masses and their mixing.

In this work, we further study a metric modified theory of gravity which contains a non-minimal coupling to matter, more precisely, we assume two functions of the scalar curvature, $f_1$ and $f_2$, where the first one generalises the Hilbert-Einstein action, while the second couples to the matter Lagrangian. On the one hand, assuming a $\Lambda$CDM background, we calculate analytical solutions for the functions $f_1$ and $f_2$. We consider two setups: on the first one, we fix $f_2$ and compute $f_1$ and on the second one, we fix $f_1$ and compute $f_2$. Moreover, we do the analysis for two different energy density contents, a matter dominated universe and a general perfect fluid with a constant equation of state fuelling the universe expansion. On the other hand, we complete our study by performing a cosmographic analysis for $f_1$ and $f_2$. We conclude that the gravitational coupling to matter can drive the accelerated expansion of the universe.

The study of current gravitational waves catalogues provide an interesting model independent way to understand further the nature of dark energy. Taking advantage of them, in this work we present an update of the constraints related to dynamical dark energy parameterisations using recent Gravitational-Wave Transient catalogues (GWTC1 and GWTC-2). Also, we present a new treatment for GW to establish the relation between the standard luminosity distance and the siren distance. According to our Bayesian results developed with our join SNeIa+CC+GW database, the $\Lambda$CDM model shows a preference against all the dark energy parameterisations considered here. Moreover, with the current GW transient database the GR standard luminosity and siren distances ratio shows a strong preference against the modified gravity $\delta$-models considered here.

We study the influence of running vacuum on the baryon-to-photon ratio in running vacuum models (RVMs). When there exists non-minimal coupling between photons and other matter in the expanding universe, the energy-momentum tensor of photons is no longer conserved, but the energy of photons could remain conserved. We discuss the conditions for the energy conservation of photons in RVMs. The photon number density and baryon number density, from the epoch of photon decoupling to the present day, are obtained in the context of RVMs by assuming that photons and baryons can be coupled to running vacuum, respectively. Both cases cause the baryon-to-photon ratio to no longer be a constant. However the evolution of the baryon-to-photon ratio is strictly constrained by observations. It is found that if the dynamic term of running vacuum is indeed coupled to photons or baryons, the coefficient of the dynamic term must be extremely small, which is unnatural. Therefore, our study basically rules out the possibility that running vacuum is coupled to photons or baryons in RVMs.

We propose a new framework for studying the cosmology of $f(R)$ gravity which completely avoids using the reconstruction programme. This allows us to easily obtain a qualitative feel of how much the $\Lambda$CDM model differs from other $f(R)$ theories of gravity at the level of linear perturbation theory for theories that share the same background dynamics. This is achieved by using the standard model independent cosmographic parameters to develop a new dynamical system formulation of $f(R)$ gravity which is free from the limitation of having to first specify the functional form of $f(R)$. By considering a set of representative trajectories, which are indistinguishable from $\Lambda$CDM, we use purely qualitative arguments to determine the extent to which these models deviate from the standard model by including an analysis of the linear growth rate of density fluctuations and also whether or not they suffer from the Dolgov-Kawasaki instability. We find that if one demands that a late time $f(R)$ cosmology is observationally close to the $\Lambda$CDM model, there is a higher risk that it suffers from a Dolgov-Kawasaki instability. Conversely, the more one tries to construct a physically viable late time $f(R)$ cosmology, the more likely it is observationally different from the $\Lambda$CDM model.

We show that the gravitational waves generated by the perturbations of general relativistic black holes can be considered as a direct probe of the existence of dark sector interactions. Working within the framework of Horndeski theory and linear perturbations, we show that dark sector interactions effectively reduce to an interaction charge that influences both scalar and tensor waveforms. Furthermore, we show that the total dark matter field, including the effects of dark sector interactions, satisfies a conservation equation embodying the equivalence principle. We exploit this realization to setup the Regge-Wheeler equation and the coupled Zerilli and scalar wave equations for a Schwarzschild-(anti) de Sitter black hole. We then present numerical integration of the coupled even-parity wave equations for the case of a dark matter particle falling straight down into a Schwarzschild black hole.

We consider particle collisions in the background of nonextremal spherically symmetric static black holes. It is shown that debris of collision can have indefinitely large energy at infinity, i.e. the super-Penrose process (SPP) can occur. This property is sharply contrasted with that of rotating black holes for which it is already established that the SPP is forbidden. The Reissner-Nordstrom black hole serves as an example. If an external central force exerts on particles, even the Schwarzschild background is suitable for the SPP.

With the successes of $f(R)$ theory as a neutral modification of the Einstein general relativity (GR), we continue our study in this field and attempt to find general natural and charged black hole (BH) solutions. In the previous papers (arXiv:2012.05711 and arXiv:2010.04701), we applied the field equation of the $f(R)$ gravity to a spherically symmetric space-time $ds^2=-U(r)dt^2+\frac{dr^2}{V(r)}+r^2 \left( d\theta^2+\sin^2\theta d\phi^2 \right)$ with unequal metric potentials $U(r)$ and $V(r)$ and with/without electric charge. To ensure the closed form of system of the resulting differential equations, we assumed the derivative of the $f(R)$ with respect to the scalar curvature $R$ to have a form $F_1(r)=\frac{df(R(r))}{dR(r)} \propto \frac{c}{r^n}$ but in case $n>2$, the resulting black hole solutions with/without charge do not generate asymptotically GR BH solutions in the limit $c\rightarrow 0$ which means that the only case that can generate GR BHs is $n=2$. In this paper, we assume another form, i.e., $F_1(r)= 1-\frac{F_0-\left(n-3\right)}{r^n}$ with a constant $F_0$ and show that we can generate asymptotically GR BH solutions for $n>2$ but we show that $n=2$ case is not allowed. This form of $F_1(r)$ could be the most acceptable physical form that we can generate from it physical metric potentials that can have well known asymptotic form and we obtain the metric of the Einstein general relativity in the limit of $F_0\to n-3$. We show that the form of the electric charge depends on $n$ and that $n\neq 2$. Our study shows that the power $n$ is sensitive and why we should exclude the case $n=2$ for the choice of $F_1(r)$ presented in this study. We also study the physics of these black hole solutions by calculating their thermodynamical quantities, like entropy, the Hawking temperature and Gibb's free energy, and derive the stability conditions by using geodesic deviations.

Effective theory framework based on symmetry has recently gained widespread interest in the field of cosmology. In this paper, we apply the same idea on the genesis of the primordial magnetic field and its evolution throughout the cosmological universe. Given the broken time-diffeomorphism symmetry by the cosmological background, we considered the most general Lagrangian of electromagnetic and metric fluctuation up to second order, which naturally breaks conformal symmetry in the electromagnetic (EM) sector. We also include parity violation in the electromagnetic sector with the motivation that has potential observational significance. In such a set-up, we explore the evolution of EM, scalar, and tensor perturbations considering different observational constraints. In our analysis we emphasize the role played by the intermediate reheating phase which has got limited interest in all the previous studies. Assuming the vanishing electrical conductivity during the entire period of reheating, the well-known Faraday electromagnetic induction has been shown to play a crucial role in enhancing the strength of the present-day magnetic field. We show how such physical effects combined with the PLANCK and the large scale magnetic field observation makes a large class of models viable and severely restricts the reheating equation of state parameter within a very narrow range of $0.01 < \omega_\mathrm{eff} < 0.27$, which is nearly independent of reheating scenarios we have considered.

We show that the observed primordial perturbations can be entirely sourced by a light spectator scalar field with a quartic potential, akin to the Higgs boson. The framework relies on the indirect modulation of reheating, which is implemented without any direct coupling between the spectator field and the inflaton and does not require non-renormalisable interactions. The scenario gives rise to local non-Gaussianity with $f_{\rm NL}\simeq 5$ as the typical signal and it can be realised for the Higgs boson in the Standard Model extended with right-handed neutrinos. However, the Standard Model running should be modified for the setup to produce the observed perturbation.

Tayal and Zatsarinny [Astrophys. J. 850 (2017) 147] have reported results for energy levels, radiative rates (A-values), lifetimes, and effective collision strengths ($\Upsilon$) for transitions among 202 levels of C-like O~III. For the calculations they have adopted the multi-configuration Hartree-Fock (MCHF) code for the energy levels and A-values, and B-spline $R$-matrix (BSR) code for $\Upsilon$. Their reported results cover a (much) larger range of levels/transitions than generally available in the literature, and appear to be accurate for energy levels and A-values. However, the magnitude and behaviour of $\Upsilon$ do not appear to be correct for several transitions. We demonstrate this through our independent calculations by adopting the flexible atomic code (FAC) and recommend a fresh calculation for this important ion.