Papers for Monday, Mar 28 2022

We present the systematic broadband X-ray spectral analysis of 52 Compton-thick ($24 \leq \log N_{\mathrm{H}}^{\mathrm{LOS}}/\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$) active galactic nucleus (CTAGN) candidates selected by the Swift/BAT all-sky hard X-ray survey observed with Chandra, XMM--Newton, Swift/XRT, Suzaku, and NuSTAR. The XMM--Newton data of 10 objects and the NuSTAR data of 15 objects are published for the first time. We use an X-ray spectral model from a clumpy torus (XClumpy) to determine the torus properties. As a result, the hydrogen column density along the line of sight $N_{\mathrm{H}}^{\mathrm{LOS}}$ obtained from the XClumpy model indicate that 24 objects are Compton-thin AGNs and 28 objects are Compton-thick AGNs in the 90\% confidence interval. The main reason is the difference in the torus model applied. The hydrogen column density along the equatorial direction $N_{\mathrm{H}}^{\mathrm{Equ}}$ of CTAGNs inferred from the XClumpy model is larger than that of less obscured AGNs. The Compton-thin torus covering factor $C_{22}$ obtained from the XClumpy model is consistent with that of Ricci et al. (2017) in the low Eddington ratio ($\log R_{\mathrm{Edd}} \leq -1.0$), whereas $C_{22}$ inferred from the XClumpy model is larger than that of Ricci et al. (2017) in the high Eddington ratio ($-1.0 \leq \log R_{\mathrm{Edd}}$). The average value of the Compton-thick torus covering factor $C_{24}$ obtained from the XClumpy model is $36_{-4}^{+4}$\%. This value is larger than that of Ricci et al. (2015) ($C_{24} \simeq 27_{-4}^{+4}$\%) based on the assumption that all AGNs have intrinsically the same torus structure. These results suggest that the structure of CTAGN may be intrinsically different from that of less obscured AGN.

Context. Many questions on the nature of astrophysical counterparts of high-energy neutrinos remain unanswered. There is increasing evidence of a connection between blazar jets and neutrino events, with the flare of the gamma-ray blazar TXS0506+056 in spatial and temporal proximity of IC170922A representing one of the most outstanding associations of high-energy neutrinos with astrophysical sources reported so far. Aims. With the purpose of characterising potential blazar counterparts to high-energy neutrinos, we analysed the parsec-scale regions of gamma-ray blazars in spatial coincidence with neutrinos detected by IceCube. Specifically, we intended to investigate peculiar radio properties of the candidate counterparts related to neutrino production, as radio flares coincident to the neutrino detection or features in jets morphology (limb brightening, transverse structures). Methods. We collected multi-frequency VLBI follow-up observations of candidate counterparts of four high-energy neutrino events detected by IceCube between January 2019 and November 2020. We analysed their radio characteristics soon after the neutrino arrival in comparison with archival VLBI observations and low-frequency radio observations. We discussed our results with respect to previous statistical works and studies on the case of TXS 0506+056. Results. We identified and analysed in detail five potential neutrino emitting blazars. Our results suggest an enhanced state of radio activity for one source, PKS1725+123. However, the lack of adequate monitoring prior to the neutrino events was a limitation in tracing radio activity and morphological changes in all the sources. Conclusions. We suggest that PKS1725+123 is a promising neutrino source candidate. For the other four sources, our results alone do not allow us to reveal a strong connection between the radio activity state at neutrino arrival.

The enhancement of $\alpha$ elements such as oxygen is an important phase in the chemical evolution of the early Universe, with nebular material becoming enriched in these elements sooner than iron. Here we present models which incorporate stellar spectra with $\alpha$-enhanced compositions, focusing on the impact on the integrated light of young stellar populations, including those with large binary star fractions using the Binary Populations and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) framework, while using Solar-scaled stellar evolution models. We find that broad spectrum outputs such as production of ionising flux, the ultraviolet spectral slope and optical colours are only weakly affected by a change in [$\alpha$/Fe]. A number of features such as ultraviolet line indices (e.g. at 1719 and 1853\r{A}) and optical line indices (such as MgB) are sensitive to such changes in composition for a continuously star-forming population and a single starburst population respectively. We find that at ages of more than 1Gyr, $\alpha$-enhanced stellar populations appear bluer than their Solar-scaled counterparts, and show expected sensitivity of optical line indices to composition, in agreement with previous work. The ultraviolet stellar absorption lines are relatively insensitive to subtleties in the abundances ratios, although with sufficient measurement precision, a combination of UV line indices may enable a simultaneous measurement of total metallicity mass fraction and [$\alpha$/Fe] in young stellar populations. The output models are designated as BPASS v2.3 and made available to the community with the aim of assisting interpretation of observations of high-redshift galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope.

We explore the validity of the recently reported fundamental plane (FP) relation of gamma-ray pulsars using 190 pulsars included in the latest 4FGL-DR3 catalog. This sample number is more than twice as large as that of the original study. The FP relation incorporates 4 parameters, i.e., the spin-down power, $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$, the surface magnetic field, $B_{\star}$, the total gamma-ray luminosity, $L_{\gamma}$, and a spectral cutoff energy, $\epsilon_{\rm cut}$. The derivation of $\epsilon_{\rm cut}$ is the most intriguing one because $\epsilon_{\rm cut}$ depends on the proper interpretation of the available phase-averaged spectra. We construct synthetic phase-averaged spectra, guided by the few existing phase-resolved ones, to find that the best fit cutoff energy, $\epsilon_{\rm c1}$, corresponding to a purely exponential cutoff (plus a power law) spectral form, is the parameter that optimally probes the maximum cutoff energy of the emission that originates from the core of the dissipative region, i.e., the equatorial current sheet. Computing this parameter for the 190 4FGL pulsars, we find that the resulting FP relation, i.e. the gamma-ray luminosity in terms of the other observables, reads $L_{\gamma}=10^{14.3\pm 1.3}(\epsilon_{\rm c1}/{\rm MeV})^{1.39\pm0.17}(B_{\star}/{\rm G})^{0.12\pm 0.03}(\dot{\mathcal{E}}/{\rm erg\;s^{-1}})^{0.35\pm 0.05}{\rm ~erg\;s^{-1}}$; this is in good agreement with both the empirical relation reported by Kalapotharakos et al. (2019) and the theoretically predicted relation for curvature radiation. Finally, we revisit the radiation reaction limited condition, to find it is a sufficient but not necessary condition for the theoretical derivation of the FP relation. However, the assumption of the radiation reaction limited acceleration reveals the underlying accelerating electric field component and its scaling with $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$.

This paper reviews past research and new studies underway of the local interstellar environment and its changing influence on the heliosphere. The size, shape, and physical properties of the heliosphere outside of the heliopause are determined by the surrounding environment - now the outer region of the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC). Analysis of high-resolution HST spectra led to a kinematic model with many interstellar clouds. This analysis identified fifteen clouds located within about 10 pc of the Sun and their mean temperatures, turbulence, and velocity vectors. With the increasing number of sight lines now being analyzed, we find that temperatures and turbulent velocities have spatial variations within the LIC and other nearby clouds much larger than measurement uncertainties, and that these spatial variations appear to be randomly distributed and can be fit by Gaussians. The inhomogeneous length scale is less than 4,000 AU, a distance that the heliosphere will traverse in less than 600 years. The temperatures and turbulent velocities do not show significant trends with stellar distance or angle from the LIC center. If/when the Sun enters an inter-cloud medium, the physical properties of the future heliosphere will be very different from the present. For the heliosheath and the very local interstellar medium (VLISM) just outside of the heliopause, the total pressures are approximately equal to the gravitational pressure of overlying material in the Galaxy. The internal pressure in the LIC is far below that in the VLISM, but there is an uncertain ram pressure term produced by the flow of the LIC with respect to its environment.

We examine the cradle-to-grave magnetic evolution of 10 bipolar ephemeral active regions (BEARs) in solar coronal holes, especially aspects of the magnetic evolution leading to each of 43 obvious microflare events. The data are from Solar Dynamics Observatory: 211 A coronal EUV images and line-of-sight photospheric magnetograms. We find evidence that (1) each microflare event is a magnetic explosion that results in a miniature flare arcade astride the polarity inversion line (PIL) of the explosive lobe of the BEARs anemone magnetic field; (2) relative to the BEAR's emerged flux-rope omega loop, the anemone's explosive lobe can be an inside lobe, an outside lobe, or an inside & outside lobe; (3) 5 events are confined explosions, 20 events are mostly-confined explosions, and 18 events are blowout explosions, which are miniatures of the magnetic explosions that make coronal mass ejections (CMEs); (4) contrary to the expectation of Moore et al (2010), none of the 18 blowout events explode from inside the BEARs omega loop during the omega loops emergence; (5) before and during each of the 43 microflare events there is magnetic flux cancellation at the PIL of the anemone's explosive lobe. From finding evident flux cancellation at the underlying PIL before and during all 43 microflare events - together with BEARs evidently being miniatures of all larger solar bipolar active regions - we expect that in essentially the same way, flux cancellation in sunspot active regions prepares and triggers the magnetic explosions for many major flares and CMEs.

We show how to increase the accuracy of estimates of the two-point correlation function without sacrificing efficiency. We quantify the error of the pair-counts and of the Landy-Szalay estimator by comparing with exact reference values. The standard method, using random point sets, is compared to geometrically motivated estimators and estimators using quasi Monte-Carlo integration. In the standard method the error scales proportional to $1/\sqrt{N_r}$, with $N_r$ the number of random points. In our improved methods the error is scaling almost proportional to $1/N_q$, where $N_q$ is the number of points from a low discrepancy sequence. In an example we achieve a speedup by a factor of $10^4$ over the standard method, still keeping the same level of accuracy. We also discuss how to apply these improved estimators to incompletely sampled galaxy catalogues.

The exomoon candidate Kepler-1708 b-i was recently reported using two transits of Kepler data. Supported by a 1% false-positive probability, the candidate is promising but requires follow-up observations to confirm/reject its validity. In this short paper, we calculate the detectability of the exomoon candidate's transit in the next window (March 2023) using the WFC3 instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Using realistic noise estimates, accounting for the visit-long trends, and propagating the model posteriors derived using the Kepler data, we perform 50 injection-recovery trials with Bayesian model selection. Defining a detection criterion that the moon transit must be detected to a Bayes factor exceeding 10 using HST alone, only 18 of the injections were recovered, yielding a true-positive probability (TPP) of $(36\pm7)$%. Despite HST's superior aperture to Kepler, both instrumental systematics and the compactness of the candidate exomoon's orbit typically obfuscate a strong detection. Although the noise properties of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have not yet been characterized in flight, we estimate the signal would be easily recovered using NIRSpec operating in its Bright Object Time Series mode.

We report on the discovery of a new diffuse stellar sub-structure protruding for 5 degrees from the North-Eastern rim of the LMC disc. The structure, that we dub North-East Structure (NES), was identified by applying a Gaussian Mixture Model to a sample of strictly selected candidate members of the Magellanic System, extracted from the Gaia EDR3 catalogue. The NES fills the gap between the outer LMC disk and other known structures in the same region of the LMC, namely the Northern tidal arm (NTA) and the Eastern sub-structures (ES). Particularly noteworthy is that the NES is placed in a region where N-body simulations foresee a bending of the LMC disc due to tidal stresses induced by the MW. The velocity field in the plane of the sky indicates that the complex of tidal structures in the North-Eastern part of the LMC, including NES, is subject to coherent radial motions. Additional data, as well as extensive dynamical modeling, is required to shed light on the origin of NES as well as on the relationships with the surrounding substructures.

Systems with ultra-short-period planets (USPs) tend to possess larger mutual inclinations compared to those with planets located farther from their host stars. This could be explained due to precession caused by stellar oblateness at early times when the host star was rapidly spinning. However, stellar oblateness reduces over time due to the decrease in the stellar rotation rate, and this may further shape the planetary mutual inclinations. In this work, we investigate in detail how the final mutual inclination varies under the effect of a decreasing $J_2$. We find that different initial parameters (e.g., the magnitude of $J_2$ and planetary inclinations) will contribute to different final mutual inclinations, providing a constraint on the formation mechanisms of USPs. In general, if the inner planets start in the same plane as the stellar equator (or co-planar while misaligned with the stellar spin-axis), the mutual inclination decreases (or increases then decreases) over time due to the decay of the $J_2$ moment. This is because the inner orbit typically possesses less orbital angular momentum than the outer ones. However, if the outer planet is initially aligned with the stellar spin while the inner one is misaligned, the mutual inclination nearly stays the same. Overall, our results suggest that either the USP planets formed early and acquired significant inclinations (e.g., $\gtrsim30^\circ$ with its companion or $\gtrsim10^\circ$ with its host star spin-axis for Kepler-653c) or they formed late ($\gtrsim$Gyr) when their host stars rotate slower.

We demonstrate the utility of the bispectrum, the Fourier three-point correlation function, for studying driving scales of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in the interstellar medium. We calculate the bispectrum by implementing a parallelized Monte Carlo direct measurement method, which we have made publicly available. In previous works, the bispectrum has been used to identify non-linear scaling correlations and break degeneracies in lower-order statistics like the power spectrum. We find that the bicoherence, a related statistic which measures phase coupling of Fourier modes, identifies turbulence driving scales using density and column density fields. In particular, it shows that the driving scale is phase-coupled to scales present in the turbulent cascade. We also find that the presence of an ordered magnetic field at large-scales enhances phase coupling as compared to a pure hydrodynamic case. We therefore suggest the bispectrum and bicoherence as tools for searching for non-locality for wave interactions in MHD turbulence.

Galaxy clusters are promising probes of precision cosmology. Their ability to deliver precise, unbiased, results depends on a better understanding of the intracluster medium (ICM). Active galactic nuclei (AGN) powered by the central Super-Massive Black Holes (SMBHs) play a major role in modifying the thermal properties of the ICM. Therefore, understanding the AGN feedback mechanism is essential for cluster cosmology. In this work, we implement two AGN heating models: (i) by buoyant cavities rising through stratified ICM (Effervescent model) and, (ii) by viscous and conductive dissipation of sound waves (Acoustic model). Our aim is to determine whether these heating models are consistent with ICM observables and if one is preferred over the other. We study the evolution of ICM thermal profiles with effervescent and acoustic models of AGN heating. We assume an initial entropy profile of ICM expected from the purely gravitational infall of the gas in the potential of the dark matter halo. We then incorporate heating, radiative cooling, and thermal conduction over the age of the clusters. Our results are: (i) We find that both heating processes match well with observations, with some tuning of relevant parameters. (ii) Thermal conduction is crucially important, even at the level of 10\% of the Spitzer values, in transferring the injected energy beyond the central regions, and without which the temperature/entropy profiles do not match with observations. (iii) We show that the required injected AGN power scales with cluster mass as $M_{\rm vir}^{1.5}$ for both models. (iv) Moreover, the required AGN luminosity is comparable with the observed radio jet power, reinforcing the idea that AGNs provide the most dominant heating sources in clusters. (v) Finally, we estimate that the fraction of the total AGN luminosity available as the AGN mechanical luminosity at $0.02r_{500}$ is less than 0.05\%.

Interstellar ice grains are believed to play a key role in the formation of many of the simple and complex organic species detected in space. However, many fundamental questions on the physicochemical processes linked to the formation and survival of species in ice grains remain unanswered. Field work at large-scale facilities such as free-electron lasers (FELs) can aid the investigation of the composition and morphology of ice grains by providing novel tools to the laboratory astrophysics community. We combined the high tunability, wide infrared spectral range and intensity of the FEL beam line FELIX-2 at the HFML-FELIX Laboratory in the Netherlands with the characteristics of the ultrahigh vacuum LISA end station to perform wavelength-dependent mid-IR irradiation experiments of space-relevant pure carbon dioxide (CO2) ice at 20 K. We used the intense monochromatic radiation of FELIX to inject vibrational energy at selected frequencies into the CO2 ice to study ice restructuring effects in situ by Fourier Transform Reflection-Absorption Infrared (FT-RAIR) spectroscopy. This work improves our understanding of how vibrational energy introduced by external triggers such as photons, electrons, cosmic rays, and thermal heating coming from a nascent protostar or field stars is dissipated in an interstellar icy dust grain in space. Moreover, it adds to the current literature debate concerning the amorphous and polycrystalline structure of CO2 ice observed upon deposition at low temperatures, showing that, under our experimental conditions, CO2 ice presents amorphous characteristics when deposited at 20 K and is unambiguously crystalline if deposited at 75 K.

Shell-wise orbital slotting in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) can improve space safety, simplify space traffic coordination and management, and optimize orbital capacity. This paper describes two methods to generate 2D Lattice Flower Constellations (2D-LFCs) that are defined with respect to either an arbitrary degree or an arbitrary degree and order Earth geopotential. By generating shells that are quasi-periodic and frozen with respect to the Earth geopotential, it is possible to safely stack shells with vertical separation distances smaller than the osculating variation in semi-major axis of each shell or a corresponding Keplerian 2D-LFC propagated under an aspherical geopotential. This helps mitigate the single inclination per shell requirement in prior work by admitting more shells for a given orbital volume while retaining self-safe phasing in each shell. These methods exploit previous work on the Time Distribution Constellation formulation and designs of closed 2D-LFCs under arbitrary Earth geopotentials using repeating ground track orbits. Factors that influence the widths and shapes of these frozen shells are identified. Simplified formulas for estimating shell geometry and thickness are presented. It is shown that sequencing shells to group similar or ascending inclinations improves capacity versus arbitrary inclination ordering.

We explore the evolution of the X-ray luminosity function of quasars and the intrinsic correlation between the X-ray and 2500 Angstrom ultraviolet luminosities, utilizing techniques verified in previous works and a sample of over 4000 quasars detected with Chandra and XMM-Newton in the range $0<z<5$. We find that quasars have undergone significantly less evolution with redshift in their total X-ray luminosity than in other wavebands. We then determine that the best fit intrinsic power law correlation between the X-ray and ultraviolet luminosities, of the form $L'_{\rm X} \propto ({L'_{\rm UV}})^{\gamma}$, is $\gamma=0.28\pm$0.03, and we derive the luminosity function and density evolution in the X-ray band. We discuss the implications of these results for models of quasar systems.

We present five decades of chromospheric activity measurements in 59 Sun-like stars as time series. These include and extend the 35 yr of stellar chromospheric activity observations by the Mount Wilson Survey (1966--2001), and continued observations at Keck by the California Planet Search (1996--). The Mount Wilson Survey was studied closely in 1995, and revealed periodic activity cycles similar to the Sun's 11 yr cycle. The California Planet Search provides more than five decades of measurements, significantly improving our understanding of these stars' activity behavior. We have curated the activity measurements in order to create contiguous time series, and have classified the stellar sample according to a predetermined system. We have analyzed 29 stars with periodic cycles using the Lomb-Scargle periodogram, and present best-fit sinusoids to their activity time series. We report the best-fit periods for each cycling star, along with stellar parameters (T$_{eff}$, log(g), v$sin(i)$, etc.) for the entire sample. As a first application of these data, we offer a possible Maunder minimum candidate, HD 166620.

Diffusion coefficients are essential microphysics input for modeling white dwarf evolution, as they impact phase separation at crystallization and sedimentary heat sources. Present schemes for computing diffusion coefficients are accurate at weak coupling ($\Gamma \ll 1$), but they have errors as large as a factor of two in the strongly coupled liquid regime ($1 \lesssim \Gamma \lesssim 200$). With modern molecular dynamics codes it is possible to accurately determine diffusion coefficients in select systems with percent-level precision. In this work, we develop a theoretically motivated law for diffusion coefficients which works across the wide range of parameters typical for white dwarf interiors. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of pure systems and two mixtures that respectively model a typical-mass C/O white dwarf and a higher-mass O/Ne white dwarf, and resolve diffusion coefficients for several trace neutron-rich nuclides. We fit the model to the pure systems and propose a physically motivated generalization for mixtures. We show that this model is accurate to roughly 15% when compared to molecular dynamics for many individual elements under conditions typical of white dwarfs, and is straightforward to implement in stellar evolution codes.

Our main goal is to study the formation of rocky planets and the first $100~\textrm{Myr}$ of their dynamical evolution around a star with mass $0.08 M_\odot$ close to the sub-stellar mass limit. We developed two sets of $N$-body simulations assuming an embryo population affected by tidal and general relativistic effects refined by the inclusion of the spin-up and contraction of the central star, and immerse in a gas disk during the first 10 Myr. Each set of simulations incorporates a different prescription from literature to calculate the interaction between the gas disk and the embryos: one, widely used, based on results from hydrodynamics simulations, and a recent one based on the analytic treatment of dynamical friction. We found that given a standard disk model, the dynamical evolution and the final architectures of the resulting rocky planets is strongly related with the prescription used to treat the interaction within the gas and the embryos, having a big impact on the resulting close-in planet population and particularly on those located inside the habitable zone. We found a good agreement within the distribution of period ratio of adjacent confirmed exoplanets observed around very low mass stars and brown dwarfs and those obtained from our simulations only when the prescription based on dynamical friction for gas-embryo interaction is used. Our results also reproduce a close-in planet population of interest located inside the habitable zone. We remark that a fraction of those planets will be exposed for a long period of time to the stellar irradiation inside the inner edge of the evolving habitable zone until it reaches them.

We have applied Zeeman-Doppler imaging (ZDI) to an extensive spectropolarimetric HARPSpol data set of the magnetically active young solar analogue V889 Her, covering 35 spectra obtained during six nights in May 2011. The data set allows us to study Stokes V profiles of the star at almost identical rotational phases, separated by one or more stellar rotations. We use these data to study if the line profiles evolve from one rotation to the next, and find that some evolution does indeed occur. We consider two possible explanations for this: abrupt changes in the large-scale magnetic field or differential rotation. We find it quite difficult to distinguish between the two alternatives using ZDI alone, but the most likely explanation seems to be that both hypotheses are true. Commonly, rapidly rotating stars are assumed to have only weak differential rotation. If the strong differential rotation of V889 Her is indeed present, as has been found in other studies as well, it could indicate that the theoretical and numerical results of differential rotation still need to be revised. The rapid changes that seem to occur in the magnetic field indicate that one should be quite cautious when interpreting ZDI maps constructed from data over long time intervals.

Wayne State University's Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory is a fully robotic 0.5m telescope and imaging system located under the dark skies of New Mexico. The observatory is particularly suited to time domain astronomy: the observation of variable objects, such as tidal disruption events, supernovae, and active galactic nuclei. We have developed a software suite for image reduction, alignment and stacking, and calculation of absolute photometry in the Sloan filters used at the telescope. Our pipeline also performs image subtraction to enable photometry of objects embedded in bright backgrounds such as galaxies. The 5 sigma detection limit of the Zowada Observatory for integration of 16 x 90 second exposures is 19.0 magnitude in g-band, 18.1 magnitude in r-band, 17.9 magnitude in i-band, and 16.6 magnitude in z-band. For a 3 sigma detection limit, measurements may be performed with greater uncertainties as deep as 19.9, 19.1. 18.9 and 17.5 magnitude in griz bands, respectively.

We present a uniform analysis of the integrated profile of the H I emission line of 29,958 nearby ($z < 0.06$) galaxies extracted from the ALFALFA 21 cm survey. We apply the curve-of-growth technique to derive a database of spectral parameters and robust estimates of their associated uncertainties. Besides the central velocity and total flux, the main catalog provides new measures of line width, profile asymmetry, and profile shape. For a subsample of 13,511 galaxies with optical properties available from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we compute inclination angle-corrected line widths, rotation velocities empirically calibrated from spatially resolved observations, and dynamical masses based on H I sizes estimated from the H I mass. To facilitate subsequent scientific applications of the database, we also compile a number of ancillary physical properties of the galaxies, including their optical morphology, stellar mass, and various diagnostics of star formation activity. We use the homogeneous catalog of H I parameters to examine the statistical properties of profile asymmetry and shape. Across the full sample, which covers a wide range of stellar masses and environments, statistically significant H I profile asymmetry is detected in $\sim 20\%$ of the galaxy population. The global H I profiles are $35.2 \pm 0.3\%$ single-peaked, $26.9 \pm 0.3\%$ flat-topped, and $37.9 \pm 0.3\%$ double-horned. At a given inclination angle, double-horned profiles are preferentially associated with galaxies of higher stellar mass or optical concentration, while galaxies of lower mass or concentration tend to have single-peaked profiles.

We use a sample of 13,511 nearby galaxies from the ALFALFA and SDSS spectroscopic surveys to study the relation between the spatial distribution of H I 21 cm emission and star formation rate (SFR). We introduce a new non-parametric quantity $K$, measured from the curve-of-growth of the line, to describe the shape of the integrated H I profile. The value of $K$ increases from double-horned to single-peaked profiles, depending on projection effects and the spatial and velocity distribution of the gas. Using carefully chosen samples to control for the competing factors that influence the integrated line profile, we argue that useful inferences can be made on the spatial distribution of the gas. We find that galaxies with a high value of $K$ tend to have more centrally concentrated H I distribution within the optical disk of the galaxy at fixed conditions, and that larger values of $K$ are associated with higher levels of total and central SFR. The results suggest that the global concentration of H I plays an important role in facilitating the conversion of neutral atomic hydrogen to molecular hydrogen gas, which, in turn, affects the star formation activity throughout the optical disk. Our sample is biased against quiescent galaxies, and thus the conclusions may not hold for galaxies with low SFR or low H I content.

Recent work by Chia et al [arXiv:2105.06486] raises questions about the nature of the binary black hole event GW151226. While LVK initially determined this event to be an "ordinary" merger with a modest mass ratio $q \equiv m_2/m_1 = 7.5 M_\odot / 14 M_\odot$ and modest effective inspiral spin $\chi_{\rm eff}\approx 0.15$, Chia et al find support for a far more interesting system: with a significant mass asymmetry $q \approx 4.3 M_\odot / 29 M_\odot$, substantial spin $\chi_{\rm eff}\approx 0.5$, and signs of Lense-Thirring precession. Chia et al find that the "low-$q$" likelihood peak is preferred over the high-$q$ peak with a posterior odds of ${\cal O}\approx 96$ while LVK find the low-$q$ peak is disfavored with an odds of ${\cal O}\approx 8$ (meaning the two studies differ by a ratio of $\approx 770$). This discrepancy has been challenging to resolve since Chia et al argue that the low-$q$ peak is present only when the data are analyzed with substantial computing resources. In this letter, we introduce a "deep follow-up" framework to efficiently compute the posterior odds between two different points in parameter space: in this case, one corresponding to the "high-$q$" LVK peak and one corresponding to the "low-$q$" peak identified by Chia et al. We find the high-$q$ interpretation is barely preferred with a posterior odds of $\sim1.2$, suggesting that GW151226 may well be an unusual (low-$q$) event, though, it is equally well explained as an ordinary merger. This result implies that the LVK analysis did not adequately sample parameter space. At the same time, we find less evidence for a low-$q$ peak than reported by Chia et al. We discuss strategies to produce more reliable parameter estimation studies in gravitational-wave astronomy.

By mining the data from $Gaia$ EDR3, SDSS/SEGUE DR16 and LAMOST DR8, 11 member stars of the NGC 5466 tidal stream are detected and 7 of them are newly identified. To reject contaminators, a variety of cuts are applied in sky position, color-magnitude diagram, metallicity, proper motion and radial velocity. We compare our data to a mock stream generated by modeling the cluster's disruption under a smooth Galactic potential plus the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The concordant trends in phase-space between the model and observations imply that the stream might have been perturbed by LMC. The two most distant stars among 11 detected members trace the stream's length to $60^\circ$ of sky, supporting and extending the previous length of $45^\circ$. Given that NGC 5466 is so distant and potentially has a longer tail than previously thought, we expect that NGC 5466 tidal stream could be a useful tool in constraining the Milky Way gravitational field.

We have conducted a new long-term multi-wavelength campaign on one of the most super- Eddington narrow-line Seyfert 1s (NLS1s) known, namely RX J0134.2-4258. In this first paper, we report deep simultaneous X-ray observations performed by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR in 2019-12-19, during which RX J0134.2-4258 was fortuitously at one of its lowest X-ray flux states. However, there is a clear rise above 4 keV which implies that the intrinsic source flux may be higher. The X-ray spectra observed between 1996 and 2019 show drastic variability, probably due to complex, variable absorption along the line of sight. Unusually, the soft X-ray excess appears extremely weak in all these spectra, even when the hard X-ray spectrum has a steep slope of $\Gamma \simeq 2.2$. We explore the spectral-timing properties of the new (low X-ray flux) and archival (high X-ray flux) XMM-Newton data, fitting their time-average, rms and lag spectra simultaneously. The variability spectra indicate the presence of a very weak soft X-ray Comptonisation component, whose shape is similar to the soft excess in normal super-Eddington NLS1s, but with flux relative to the power law which is lower by more than one order of magnitude. Above 4 keV the low-flux data are dominated by a different component, which lags with respect to the lower energy emission. This is consistent with an origin of reflection or partial covering absorption from low ionization material located within 100 Rg. We interpret this as a further indication of the presence of a clumpy disc wind.

We consider agglomerates of misaligned tori orbiting a supermassive black hole. The aggregate of tilted tori is modeled as a single orbiting configuration by introducing a leading function governing the distribution of toroids (and maximum pressure points inside the disks) around the black hole attractor. The orbiting clusters are composed by geometrically thick, pressure supported, perfect fluid tori. This analysis places constraints on the existence and properties of tilted tori and more general aggregates of orbiting disks. We study the constraints on the tori collision emergence and the instability of the agglomerates of tori with general relative inclination angles, the possible effects of the tori geometrical thickness and on the oscillatory phenomena. Some notes are discussed on the orbiting ringed structure in dependence of the dimensionless parameter ${\xi}$ representing the (total) BH rotational energy extracted versus the mass of the BH, associating ${\xi}$ to the characteristics of the accretion processes.

The G31.41+0.31 (G31) hot molecular core (HMC) is a high-mass protocluster showing accelerated infall and rotational spin-up that is well studied at high-angular resolution. To complement the accurate view of the small scale in G31, we have traced the kinematics of the large-scale material by carrying out N$_2$H$^+$\,(1--0) observations with the IRAM 30m telescope of an area of $\sim$6$\times6$\,arcmin$^2$ around the HMC. The N$_2$H$^+$ observations have revealed a large-scale (5\,pc) hub-filament system (HFS) composed by at least four filamentary arms and a NNE--SSW velocity gradient ($\sim$0.4\,km/s/pc) between the northern and southern filaments. The linewidth increases towards the hub at the center of the HFS reaching values of 2.5--3\,km\,s$^{-1}$ in the central 1\,pc. The origin of the large-scale velocity gradient is likely cloud-cloud collision. In this scenario, the filaments in G31 would have formed by compression resulting from the collision and the rotation of the HMC observed at scales of 1000\,au would have been induced by shear caused by the cloud-cloud collision at scales of a few pc. We conclude that G31 represents a HFS in a compressed layer with an orthogonal orientation to the plane of the sky, and represents a benchmark for the filaments-to-clusters paradigm of star formation.

The nonlinear behaviour of low-viscosity warped discs is poorly understood. We verified a nonlinear bending-wave theory, in which fluid columns undergo affine transformations, with direct 3D hydrodynamical simulations. We employed a second-order Godunov-type scheme, Meshless Finite Mass (MFM), and also the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method, with up to 128M particles. For moderate nonlinearity, MFM maintains well the steady nonlinear warp predicted by the affine model for a tilted inviscid disc around a central object with a quadrupole moment. However, numerical dissipation in SPH is so severe that even a low-amplitude nonlinear warp degrades at a resolution where MFM performs well. A low-amplitude arbitrary warp tends to evolve towards a nonlinear steady state. However, no such state exists in our thin disc with an angular semi-thickness H/R = 0.02 when the outer tilt angle is beyond about 14 degrees. The warp breaks tenuously and reconnects in adiabatic simulations, or breaks into distinct annuli in isothermal simulations. The breaking radius lies close to the location with the most extreme nonlinear deformation. Parametric instability is captured only in our highest-resolution simulation, leading to ring structures that may serve as incubators for planets around binaries.

Pulses from 16 previously known rotating radio transients (RRAT) have been searched at the 110 MHz daily monitor program for 4 to 5.5 years by using the Large-Phased-Array (LPA) at Pushchino. The total number of pulses detected in such a long observation interval is only 90 pulses for RRAT J0640+07 or is as high as 10,751 pulses for RRAT J0302+22. The number and amplitude of pulses varies at a time-scales from six to twenty months for RRATs J1336+33, J1404+11, J1848+15, J2051+12, J2105+22, and the pulse number can increase by one or two orders of magnitude in active phases. The long-term trends are found for RRATs J0139+33 and J0302+22, showing a 2-3 times increase in detected pulse number over 1,959 days. Some RRATs show the annual variations on both pulse number and pulse amplitude. It is hard to explain all these variation time scales by refractive scintillation on the interstellar medium. The annual and semi-annual variations are likely caused by scintillations of the inhomogeneous interplanetary plasma. Our data show that the number of observational sessions with no pulse detection over the threshold decreases exponentially with the length of pulse silence.

In this paper we introduce a new observable to measure cosmic shear. We show that if we can measure with good accuracy both, the orientation of a galaxy and the polarisation direction of its radio emission, the angle between them is sensitive to the foreground cosmic shear. Even if the signal-to-noise ratio for a single measurement is expected to be rather small, the fact that all galaxies in a given pixel are subject to the same shear can be used to overcome the noise. An additional advantage of this observable is that the signal is not plagued by intrinsic alignment. We estimate the SNR for the shear correlation functions measured in this way with the future SKA II survey.

Tidal interaction between an exoplanet and its host star is a possible pathway to transfer angular momentum between the planetary orbit and the stellar spin. In cases where the planetary orbital period is shorter than the stellar rotation period, this may lead to angular momentum being transferred into the star's rotation, possibly counteracting the intrinsic stellar spin-down induced by magnetic braking. Observationally, detecting altered rotational states of single, cool field stars is challenging, as precise ages for such stars are rarely available. Here we present an empirical investigation of the rotation and magnetic activity of a sample of planet-hosting stars that are accompanied by wide stellar companions. Without needing knowledge about the absolute ages of the stars, we test for relative differences in activity and rotation of the planet hosts and their co-eval companions, using X-ray observations to measure the stellar activity levels. Employing three different tidal interaction models, we find that host stars with planets that are expected to tidally interact display elevated activity levels compared to their companion stars. We also find that those activity levels agree with the observed rotational periods for the host stars along the usual rotation-activity relationships, implying that the effect is indeed caused by a tidal interaction and not a purely magnetic interaction which would be expected to affect the stellar activity, but not necessarily the rotation. We conclude that massive, close-in planets have an impact on the stellar rotational evolution, while the smaller, more distant planets do not have a significant influence.

We study the accretion properties of pre-main sequence low-mass stars in the LH 91 association within the Large Magellanic Clouds. Using optical multiband photometry obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, we identify 75 candidates showing H$\alpha$ excess emission above the 3$\sigma$ level with equivalent width $EW_{H\alpha}$ $\ge$ 10 \AA. We estimate the physical parameters (effective temperature, luminosity, age, mass, accretion luminosity and mass accretion rate) of the pre-main sequence stellar candidates. The age distribution suggests a star formation ranging from few Myr up to $\sim$ 60 Myr with a gap between $\sim$ 5 Myr and 10 Myr. The masses of the PMS candidates span from 0.2 $M_{\odot}$ for the cooler objects to 1.0 $M_{\odot}$ with a median of $\sim$ 0.80 $M_{\odot}$. The median value of the accretion luminosity of our 75 PMS stars is about 0.12 $L_{\odot}$, the median value of the mass accretion rate is about 4.8 $\times$ $10^{-9}$ $M_{\odot} yr^{-1}$ with higher values for the younger population ($\sim$ 1.2 $\times$ $10^{-8}$ $M_{\odot} yr^{-1}$), and lower values for the older candidates ($\sim$ 4.7 $\times$ $10^{-9}$ $M_{\odot} yr^{-1}$). We compare our results with the findings on LH 95, the closer region to LH 91 for which accretion properties of PMS candidates were derived. An interesting qualitative outcome is that LH 91 seems to be in a more evolved stage. Moreover, we find that the PMS candidates are distributed homogeneously, without any evidence of clumps around more massive stars.

Aims: There is a spatially resolved star-forming main sequence (rSFMS) and mass-metallicity relation (rMZR) of galaxies in local universe. We know that the global mass-metallicity relation (MZR) results from the integral of rMZR, and it will evolve with the redshift. However, the evolution of rMZR with redshift is still unclear due to the low spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. There are currently too few observations beyond local universe, and only simulations can reproduce the evolution of rMZR with redshift. Methods: In this work, we select ten emission-line galaxies with an average redshift of $z\sim 0.26$ from MUSE-Wide DR1. We obtain the spatially resolved star formation rate (SFR) and metallicity from the integral field spectroscopy (IFS), as well as the stellar mass surface density from the 3D-HST photometry. We derive the rSFMS and rMZR at $z\sim 0.26$ and compare them with local galaxies. Results: We find the rSFMS of galaxies at $z\sim 0.26$ has a slope of $\sim$0.771. The rMZR exists at $z\sim 0.26$, showing a similar shape to the local universe but a lower average metallicity about $\sim$0.11 dex than the local one. In addition, we also study their spatially resolved fundamental metallicity relation (rFMR). However, there is no obvious evidence that rFMR exists at $z\sim$0.26 and it is not an extension of rMZR at a high SFR. Conclusions: Similar to their global versions, the rSFMS and rMZR of galaxies also evolve with redshift. Given the fixed stellar mass, galaxies at higher redshift show higher SFR and lower metallicity. These suggest that the evolution of the global galaxy properties with redshift may result from integrating the evolution of spatially resolved properties of galaxies.

Inspired by the role of correlations in the statistical mechanics of nonideal self-interacting fluids, we suggest that unresolved sub-structures (i.e. correlations) have to be taken into account in the Virial theorem of self-gravitating astrophysical systems. We demonstrate that their omission leads to a missing mass problem by using the semi-analytic polytropic solutions of the Lane-Emden equation. This problem suggests to extend the Friedmann equations to the nonideal regime by taking into account correlations in the dynamics of the expansion. The increase of correlations induced by the formation of the large-scale structures could explain naturally the accelerated expansion of the Universe in such a paradigm.

TRAPPIST-1 is a nearby ultra-cool dwarf star transited by seven rocky planets. We observed three transits of its outermost planet, TRAPPIST-1h, using the G141 grism of the Wide Field Camera 3 instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope to place constraints on its potentially cold atmosphere. In order to deal with the effect of stellar contamination, we model TRAPPIST-1 active regions as portions of a cooler and a hotter photosphere, and generate multi-temperature models that we compare to the out-of-transit spectrum of the star. Using the inferred spot parameters, we produce corrected transmission spectra for planet h under five transit configurations and compare these data to planetary atmospheric transmission models using the forward model CHIMERA. Our analysis reveals that TRAPPIST-1h is unlikely to host an aerosol-free H/He-dominated atmosphere. While the current data precision limits the constraints we can put on the planetary atmosphere, we find that the likeliest scenario is that of a flat, featureless transmission spectrum in the WFC3/G141 bandpass due to a high mean molecular weight atmosphere (>1000x solar), no atmosphere, or an opaque aerosol layer, all in absence of stellar contamination. This work outlines the limitations of modeling active photospheric regions with theoretical stellar spectra, and those brought by our lack of knowledge of the photospheric structure of ultracool dwarf stars. Further characterization of the planetary atmosphere of TRAPPIST-1h would require higher precision measurements over wider wavelengths, which will be possible with the James Webb Space Telescope.

We present a systematic analysis on the possible presence of dark mass components inside globular clusters (GCs). A spherical Jeans analysis is applied to the stellar kinematics of 9 nearby GCs. On top of the mass distribution provided by the luminous stellar component, we add either dark matter (DM), described by an NFW mass profile, or an intermediate mass black-hole (IMBH), described by a point-like mass. Their existence would have important implications in the context of indirect DM searches. After profiling over the stellar parameters, we find no evidence neither for DM nor for IMBH. Upper limits on the two components are reported.

The direction of parsec-scale jets in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is essential information for many astrophysical and astrometric studies, including linear polarization and magnetic field structure, frequency-dependent synchrotron opacity, proper motion, and reference frame alignment. We developed a rigorous, simple, and completely automated method to measure the directions from calibrated interferometric visibility data at frequencies ranging from 1.4 GHz to 86 GHz. We publish the results for 9220 AGNs with the typical accuracy below 10 degrees. An internal check of the method comparing the directions between different observing frequencies as well as with previous publications verifies the robustness of the measured values.

We study the inner structure of the group-scale lens CASSOWARY 31 (CSWA 31) by adopting both strong lensing and dynamical modeling. CSWA 31 is a peculiar lens system. The brightest group galaxy (BGG) is an ultra-massive elliptical galaxy at z = 0.683 with a weighted mean velocity dispersion of $\sigma = 432 \pm 31$ km s$^{-1}$. It is surrounded by group members and several lensed arcs probing up to ~150 kpc in projection. Our results significantly improve previous analyses of CSWA 31 thanks to the new HST imaging and MUSE integral-field spectroscopy. From the secure identification of five sets of multiple images and measurements of the spatially-resolved stellar kinematics of the BGG, we conduct a detailed analysis of the multi-scale mass distribution using various modeling approaches, both in the single and multiple lens-plane scenarios. Our best-fit mass models reproduce the positions of multiple images and provide robust reconstructions for two background galaxies at z = 1.4869 and z = 2.763. The relative contributions from the BGG and group-scale halo are remarkably consistent in our three reference models, demonstrating the self-consistency between strong lensing analyses based on image position and extended image modeling. We find that the ultra-massive BGG dominates the projected total mass profiles within 20 kpc, while the group-scale halo dominates at larger radii. The total projected mass enclosed within $R_{eff}$ = 27.2 kpc is $1.10_{-0.04}^{+0.02} \times 10^{13}$ M$_\odot$. We find that CSWA 31 is a peculiar fossil group, strongly dark-matter dominated towards the central region, and with a projected total mass profile similar to higher-mass cluster-scale halos. The total mass-density slope within the effective radius is shallower than isothermal, consistent with previous analyses of early-type galaxies in overdense environments.

The formation of the stellar mass within galaxy cluster cores is a poorly understood process. It features the complicated physics of cooling flows, AGN feedback, star formation and more. Here, we study the growth of the stellar mass in the vicinity of the Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG) in a z = 1.7 cluster, SpARCS1049+56. We synthesize a reanalysis of existing HST imaging, a previously published measurement of the star formation rate, and the results of new radio molecular gas spectroscopy. These analyses represent the past, present and future star formation respectively within this system. We show that a large amount of stellar mass -- between $(2.2 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{10} \: M_\odot$ and $(6.6 \pm 1.2) \times 10^{10}\: M_\odot$ depending on the data processing -- exists in a long and clumpy tail-like structure that lies roughly 12 kpc off the BCG. Spatially coincident with this stellar mass is a similarly massive reservoir ($(1.0 \pm 0.7) \times 10^{11} \: M_\odot$) of molecular gas that we suggest is the fuel for the immense star formation rate of $860 \pm 130 \: M_\odot$/yr, as measured by infrared observations. Hlavacek-Larrondo et al. 2021 surmised that massive, runaway cooling of the hot intracluster X-ray gas was feeding this star formation, a process that had not been observed before at high-redshift. We conclude, based on the amount of fuel and current stars, that this event may be rare in the lifetime of a cluster, producing roughly 15 to 21% of the Intracluster Light (ICL) mass in one go, though perhaps a common event for all galaxy clusters.

Strongly lensed systems are powerful probes of the distribution of dark matter on small scales. In this paper, we show that line-of-sight halos between the source and the observers give rise to a distinct anisotropic signature in the two-point function of the effective lensing deflection field. We show in particular that the nonlinear coupling between line-of-sight halos and the main lens plane imprints a characteristic quadrupole moment on this two-point function whose amplitude reflects the abundance of such halos within the strongly lensed field. We discuss how, by taking ratios of different multipole moments, such observables could be made robust under the mass-sheet transform. We also demonstrate that future extremely large telescopes have the ability to detect the quadrupole moment due to this unique anisotropic signature. Our approach opens the door to statistically distinguish the effect of line-of-sight halos from that of the main-lens substructure on lensed images, hence allowing one to probe dark matter physics in a new way.

Forecast constraints for a Symmetric Teleparallel Gravity model with a $\Lambda$CDM background are made using forthcoming ground and space based gravitational waves observatories. A Bayesian analysis resorting to generated mock catalogs shows that LIGO is not expected to be able to distinguish this model from $\Lambda$CDM, while both LISA and the ET will, with the ET outperforming LISA. We also show that low redshift events are favored in order to improve the quality of the constrains.

While spacetime in the vicinity outside astrophysical black holes is believed to be well understood, the event horizon and the interior remain elusive. Here, we discover a degenerate infinite spectrum of novel general relativity solutions with the same mass-energy and entropy that describe a dark energy universe inside an astrophysical black hole. This regular cosmological black hole is stabilized by a finite tangential pressure applied on the dual cosmological-black hole event horizon, localized up to a quantum indeterminacy. We recover the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula from the classical fluid entropy, calculated at a Tolman temperature equal to the cosmological horizon temperature. We further calculate its gravitational quasi-normal modes. We find that cosmological black holes are detectable by gravitational-wave experiments operating within the $\mu{\rm Hz}-{\rm Hz}$ range, like LISA space-interferometer.

Using the Schwarzschild metric as a rudimentary toy-model, we pedagogically revisit the curious prediction that the mass of a classical black hole in a constant temperature thermal bath diverges in a finite amount of time. We study in details how this instability behaves if the temperature of the bath is allowed to vary with time and conclude that whatever the background behavior (but for a zero-measure subspace of the initial conditions), the black hole mass either diverges or vanishes in a finite time if the Hawking radiation is taken into account. The competition between both effects is subtle and not entirely governed by the hierarchy of the relevant temperatures. This instability is also shown to be reached before the background singularity in a contracting universe, which has implications for bouncing models. The results are generalized to spaces with extra-dimensions and the main conclusions are shown to remain true. The limitations of the model are reviewed, both from the point of view of the dynamical black hole horizon and from the point of view of the background space expansion. Comparisons with other approaches are suggested and possible developments are underlined.

We investigate the effects of the neutrino flavor change by the neutrino self-interaction, the shock effect and the matter effect on the neutrino-process of the core-collapsing supernova (CCSN). For the hydrodynamics, we compare the results of a simple thermal bomb and a specified hydrodynamic model for SN1987A. As a pre-supernova model, we take an updated model adjusted to explain the SN1987A employing recent development of the $(n,\gamma)$ reaction rates calculated for nuclei near the stability line $(A \sim 100)$. As for the neutrino luminosity, we adopt two different models: equivalent neutrino luminosity and non-equivalent luminosity models. The latter is taken from the synthetic analysis of the CCSN simulation data which compared quantitatively the results obtained by various neutrino transport models. Relevant neutrino-induced reaction rates are calculated by a shell model for light nuclei and a quasi-particle random phase approximation model for heavy nuclei. For each model, we present and discuss abundances of the light nuclei ($^7$Li, $^7$Be, $^{11}$B and $^{11}$C) and heavy nuclei ($^{92}$Nb, $^{98}$Tc, $^{138}$La and $^{180}$Ta). The light nuclei are known to be sensitive to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein region around O-Ne-Mg region. Through the detailed analysis of the numerical abundances, we find that neutrino self-interaction becomes a key ingredient in addition to the MSW effect for understanding the neutrino-process and the relevant nuclear abundances. However, the whole results are shown to depend on the adopted neutrino luminosity scheme. Detailed analyses of the nuclear abundances for the two possible neutrino mass hierarchies are also performed with the data from the meteorite analyses. The normal mass hierarchy is shown to be more compatible with the meteoritic data.

We study the so-called Gravitational Wave luminosity distance-redshift relation $d_L^{\,GW}(z)$ during cosmological eras driven by non-perfect fluids. In particular, we show that the presence of a shear viscosity in the energy momentum tensor turns out to be the most relevant effect. Within this scenario, a constant shear viscosity imprints the gravitational wave propagation through a friction term $\delta(z)$ with a uniquely given redshift dependence. This peculiar evolution predicts a specific shape for the ratio $d_{L}^{GW}/d_{L}^{EM}$ which tends to a constant value when the sources are at $z\gtrsim 1$, whereas scales linearly with the shear viscosity at lower redshifts, regardless of the value of $\Omega_{m0}$. According to our final discussion, the predicted redshift dependence $\delta(z)$ provided by a shear viscosity could be tested by upcoming surveys of multi-messenger sources against analogous scenarios provided by some widely studied theories of modified gravity.

In order to bypass the big bang singularity, we develop an emergent universe scenario within a covariant extension of General Relativity known as \emph{"Energy-Momentum Squared Gravity"}. The extra terms of the model emerge in the high energy regime. Considering dynamics in a Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker background, critical points, representing stable Einstein static states of the phase space, result as solutions. It then turns out that as the equation of state parameter $\omega$ gradually declines from a constant value as $t\rightarrow-\infty$, eventually some of the static past eternal solutions find the chance to naturally enter into thermal history through a graceful exit mechanism. In this way, the successful realization of the emergent universe allows an expanding thermal history without the big bang singularity for the spatially flat universe free of cosmological constant.

The early expansion history of the Universe is constrained by combining the most recent limits on the cosmic gravitons in the audio band and the claimed evidences of the nHz domain. The simplest scenario stipulates that between the end of inflation and the formation of light nuclei the evolution consists of a single phase expanding at a rate that is either faster or slower than the one of radiation. If there are instead multiple post-inflationary stages evolving at different rates, the spectral energy density always undershoots the signals potentially attributed to relic gravitons by the pulsar timing arrays at intermediate frequencies but ultimately develops a local maximum. After examining further complementary possibilities (like the presence of a secondary stage of inflation at low-scales) we analyze the early modifications of the effective expansion rate and argue that if the refractive index of the relic gravitons increases during a conventional inflationary epoch the spectral energy density is blue above the fHz and then flattens out in the $\mu$Hz region. In this instance the signal is compatible with the unconfirmed nHz observations, with the most recent limits of the wide-band interferometers and with the further constraints customarily imposed on the backgrounds of relic gravitons produced during inflation.

It is well-known that quantum field theory (QFT) induces a huge value of the cosmological constant, $\Lambda$, which is outrageously inconsistent with cosmological observations. We review here some aspects of this fundamental theoretical conundrum (`the cosmological constant problem') and strongly argue in favor of the possibility that the cosmic vacuum density $\rho_{\rm vac}$ may be mildly evolving with the expansion rate $H$. Such a `running vacuum model' (RVM) proposal predicts an effective dynamical dark energy without postulating new ad hoc fields (quintessence and the like). Using the method of adiabatic renormalization within QFT in curved spacetime we find that $\rho_{\rm vac}(H)$ acquires a dynamical component ${\cal O}(H^2)$ caused by the quantum matter effects. There are also ${\cal O}(H^n)$ ($n=4,6,..$) contributions, some of which may trigger inflation in the early universe. Remarkably, the evolution of the adiabatically renormalized $\rho_{\rm vac}(H)$ is not affected by dangerous terms proportional to the quartic power of the masses ($\sim m^4$) of the fields. Traditionally, these terms have been the main source of trouble as they are responsible for the extreme fine tuning feature of the cosmological constant problem. In the context under study, however, the late time $\rho_{\rm vac}(H)$ around $H_0$ is given by a dominant term ($\rho_{\rm vac}^0$) plus the aforementioned mild dynamical component $\propto \nu (H^2-H_0^2)$ (with $|\nu|\ll1$), which makes the RVM to mimic quintessence. Finally, on the phenomenological side we show that the RVM may be instrumental in alleviating some of the most challenging problems (so-called `tensions') afflicting nowadays the observational consistency of the `concordance' $\Lambda$CDM model, such as the $H_0$ and $\sigma_8$ tensions.