Papers for Wednesday, May 18 2022

We present a sample of Type Icn supernovae (SNe Icn), a newly-discovered class of transients characterized by their interaction with H- and He-poor circumstellar material (CSM). This sample is the largest collection of SNe Icn to date and includes observations of two published objects (SN 2019hgp and SN 2021csp) as well as two objects (SN 2019jc and SN 2021ckj) not yet published in the literature. The SNe Icn display a range of peak luminosities, rise times, and decline rates, as well as diverse late-time spectral features. To investigate their explosion and progenitor properties we fit their bolometric light curves to a semi-analytical model consisting of luminosity inputs from circumstellar interaction and radioactive decay of $^{56}$Ni. We infer low ejecta masses ($\lesssim$ 2 M$_\odot$) and $^{56}$Ni masses ($\lesssim$ 0.04 M$_\odot$) from the light curves, suggesting that normal stripped-envelope supernova (SESN) explosions within a dense CSM cannot be the underlying mechanism powering SNe Icn. Additionally, we find that an upper limit on the star formation rate density at the location of SN 2019jc lies at the lower end of a distribution of SESNe, in conflict with a massive star progenitor of this object. Based on the estimated ejecta masses, $^{56}$Ni masses, and explosion site properties, we favor a low-mass, ultra-stripped star as the progenitor of some SNe Icn. For others, we suggest that a Wolf-Rayet star progenitor may better explain their observed properties. This study demonstrates that multiple progenitor channels may produce SNe Icn and other interaction-powered transients.

Gravitational interactions in star-forming regions are capable of disrupting and destroying planetary systems, as well as creating new ones. In particular, a planet can be stolen, where it is directly exchanged between passing stars during an interaction; or captured, where a planet is first ejected from its birth system and is free-floating for a period of time, before being captured by a passing star. We perform sets of direct N-body simulations of young, substructured star-forming regions, and follow their evolution for 10 Myr in order to determine how many planets are stolen and captured, and their respective orbital properties. We show that in high density star-forming regions, stolen and captured planets have distinct properties. The semimajor axis distribution of captured planets is significantly skewed to wider orbits compared to the semimajor axis distribution of stolen planets and planets that are still orbiting their parent star (preserved planets). However, the eccentricity and inclination distributions of captured and stolen planets are similar, but in turn very different to the inclination and eccentricity distributions of preserved planets. In low-density star-forming regions these differences are not as distinct but could still, in principle, be used to determine whether observed exoplanets have likely formed in situ or have been stolen or captured. We find that the initial degree of spatial and kinematic substructure in a star-forming region is as important a factor as the stellar density in determining whether a planetary system will be altered, disrupted, captured or stolen.

Producing thousands of simulations of the dark matter distribution in the Universe with increasing precision is a challenging but critical task to facilitate the exploitation of current and forthcoming cosmological surveys. Many inexpensive substitutes to full $N$-body simulations have been proposed, even though they often fail to reproduce the statistics of the smaller, non-linear scales. Among these alternatives, a common approximation is represented by the lognormal distribution, which comes with its own limitations as well, while being extremely fast to compute even for high-resolution density fields. In this work, we train a machine learning model to transform projected lognormal dark matter density fields to more realistic dark matter maps, as obtained from full $N$-body simulations. We detail the procedure that we follow to generate highly correlated pairs of lognormal and simulated maps, which we use as our training data, exploiting the information of the Fourier phases. We demonstrate the performance of our model comparing various statistical tests with different field resolutions, redshifts and cosmological parameters, proving its robustness and explaining its current limitations. The augmented lognormal random fields reproduce the power spectrum up to wavenumbers of $1 \ h \ \rm{Mpc}^{-1}$, the bispectrum and the peak counts within 10%, and always within the error bars, of the fiducial target simulations. Finally, we describe how we plan to integrate our proposed model with existing tools to yield more accurate spherical random fields for weak lensing analysis, going beyond the lognormal approximation.

(Abridged) We present a detailed broadband X-ray spectrum of NGC 4258, with the goal of precisely measuring the coronal luminosity and accretion flow properties of the AGN, and track any possible variation across two decades of observations. We collect archival XMM-Newton, Chandra, Swift/BAT and NuSTAR spectroscopic observations spanning 15 years, and fit them with a suite of state of the art models, including a warped disk model which is suspected to provide the well known obscuration observed in the X-rays. We complement this information with archival results from the literature. Clear spectral variability is observed among the different epochs. The obscuring column density shows possibly periodic fluctuations on a timescale of 10 years, while the intrinsic luminosity displays a long term decrease of a factor of three in a time span of 15 years (from $L_{2-10~\text{keV}} \sim 10^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in the early 2000s, to $L_{2-10~\text{keV}} \sim 3 \times 10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in 2016). The average absorption-corrected X-ray luminosity $L_{2-10~\text{keV}}$, combined with archival determinations of the bolometric luminosity, implies a bolometric correction $k_{\rm bol} \sim 20$, intriguingly typical for Seyferts powered by accretion through geometrically thin, radiatively efficient disks. Moreover, the X-ray photon index $\Gamma$ is consistent with the typical value of the broader AGN population. However, the accretion rate in Eddington units is very low, well within the expected RIAF regime. Our results suggest that NGC 4258 is a genuinely low-luminosity Seyfert II, with no strong indications in its X-ray emission for a hot, RIAF-like accretion flow.

We report on the short and long term X-ray properties of the bright nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2992, which was extensively observed with Swift, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. Swift targeted the source more than 100 times between 2019 and 2021 in the context of two monitoring campaigns. Both time-averaged and time-resolved analyses are performed, and we find that the short-to-long term spectral properties of NGC 2992 are dominated by a highly variable nuclear continuum. The source varied in the 2-10 keV energy band from 0.6 to 12 $\times$ 10$^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ during the two year long Swift monitoring. The fastest 2-10 keV flux change (by a factor of $\sim60\%$) occurred on a timescale of a few hours. The overall emission spectrum of the source is consistent with a power law-like continuum ($\Gamma=1.69\pm0.01$) absorbed by a constant line-of-sight column density N$_{H}=(7.8\pm0.1)\times$ 10$^{21}$ $\rm cm^{-2}$. The reflected emission is likely due to matter with an average column density N$_{\rm H}=(9.6\pm2.7)\times$ 10$^{22}$ $\rm cm^{-2}$, thus NGC 2992 appears to have a globally Compton-thin circumnuclear medium. This scenario is fully supported by an independent analysis of the fractional variability and by XMM-Newton multi-year spectra.

One of the most prominent features of galaxy clusters is the presence of a dominant population of massive ellipticals in their cores. Stellar archaeology suggests that these gigantic beasts assembled most of their stars in the early Universe via starbursts. However, the role of dense environments and their detailed physical mechanisms in triggering starburst activities remain unknown. Here we report spatially resolved Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the CO $J= 3-2$ emission line, with a resolution of about 2.5 kiloparsecs, toward a forming galaxy cluster core with starburst galaxies at $z=2.51$. In contrast to starburst galaxies in the field often associated with galaxy mergers or highly turbulent gaseous disks, our observations show that the two starbursts in the cluster exhibit dynamically cold (rotation-dominated) gas-rich disks. Their gas disks have extremely low velocity dispersion ($\sigma_{\mathrm{0}} \sim 20-30$ km s$^{-1}$), which is three times lower than their field counterparts at similar redshifts. The high gas fraction and suppressed velocity dispersion yield gravitationally unstable gas disks, which enables highly efficient star formation. The suppressed velocity dispersion, likely induced by the accretion of corotating and coplanar cold gas, might serve as an essential avenue to trigger starbursts in massive halos at high redshifts.

Ghostly stellar haloes are extended haloes of stars composed solely of debris of pre-reionization fossil galaxies and should exist in dwarf galaxies with total masses $<10^{10}$ M$_\odot$. Fossil galaxies are even smaller mass dwarf galaxies that stopped forming stars after the epoch of reionization and have been identified in the Local Group as the ultra-faint dwarf satellites. Using cosmological N-body simulations we present an empirical model for the shapes and masses of ghostly stellar haloes. We compare the model to available observations of stellar haloes in six isolated dwarf galaxies in the Local Group (Leo T, Leo A, IC 10, WLM, IC 1613, NGC 6822) to infer the star formation efficiency in dwarf galaxies at the epoch of reionization. We find an efficiency of star formation in dark matter haloes with masses $10^6 - 10^8$ M$_\odot$ at $z\sim7$ in rough agreement with independent methods using data on the luminosity function of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies but systematically higher by a factor of 3-5. The systematic uncertainty of our results is still large, mainly because available observations of stellar halo profiles do not extend over a sufficiently large distance from the center of the host dwarf galaxy. Additional observations, easily within reach of current telescopes, can significantly improve the accuracy of this method and can also be used to constrain the present day dark matter masses of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. Our method is based on a set of observations never used before, hence it is a new independent test of models of hierarchical galaxy formation.

One of the challenges in understanding the quenching processes for galaxies is connecting progenitor star-forming populations to their descendant quiescent populations over cosmic time. Here we attempt a novel approach to this challenge by assuming that the underlying stellar mass distribution of galaxies is not significantly altered during environmental quenching processes that solely affect the gas content of cluster galaxies, such as strangulation and ram-pressure stripping. Using the deep, high-resolution photometry of the Hubble Frontier Fields, we create resolved stellar mass maps for both cluster and field galaxies, from which we determine 2D S\'ersic profiles, and obtain S\'ersic indices and half-mass radii. We classify the quiescent cluster galaxies into disk-like and bulge-like populations based on their S\'ersic indices, and find that bulge-like quiescent galaxies dominate the quiescent population at higher masses ($M_\star > 10^{9.5}M_\odot$), whereas disk-like quiescent galaxies dominate at lower masses ($10^{8.5}M_\odot< M_\star < 10^{9.5}M_\odot$). Using both the S\'ersic indices and half-mass radii, we identify a population of quiescent galaxies in clusters that are "morphological analogues" of field star-forming galaxies. These analogues are interpreted to be star-forming galaxies that had been environmentally quenched. We use these morphological analogues to compute the environmental-quenching efficiency, and we find that the efficiency decreases with increasing stellar mass. This demonstrates that environmental quenching is more effective on less massive galaxies and that the effect of environment on quenching galaxies is not completely separable from the effect of mass on quenching galaxies.

Rotationally supported, cold, gaseous disks are ubiquitous in astrophysics and appear in a diverse set of systems, such as protoplanetary disks, accretion disks around black holes, or large spiral galaxies. Capturing the gas dynamics accurately in these systems is challenging in numerical simulations due to the low sound speed compared to the bulk velocity of the gas, the resolution limitations of full disk models, and the fact that numerical noise can easily source spurious growth of fluid instabilities if not suppressed sufficiently well, negatively interfering with real physical instabilities present in such disks (like the magneto-rotational instability). Here we implement the so-called shearing-box approximation in the moving-mesh code ${\small AREPO}$ in order to facilitate achieving high resolution in local regions of differentially rotating disks and to address these problems. While our new approach offers manifest translational invariance across the shearing-box boundaries and offers continuous local adaptivity, we demonstrate that the unstructured mesh of ${\small AREPO}$ introduces unwanted levels of "grid-noise" in the default version of the code. We show that this can be rectified by high-order integrations of the flux over mesh boundaries. With our new techniques we obtain highly accurate results for shearing-box calculations of the magneto-rotational instability that are superior to other Lagrangian techniques. These improvements are also of value for other applications of the code that feature strong shear flows.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are short, intense extragalactic radio bursts of unknown origin. Recent polarimetric studies have shown that a noticeable fraction of the repeating FRBs display irregular, short-time variations of the Faraday rotation measure (RM). Moreover, evidence for rare propagation effects such as Faraday conversion and polarized attenuation is seen in at least one FRB repeater. Together, they suggest a highly variable magneto-active circum-burst environment. In this paper, we report similar behavior in a globular cluster pulsar binary system PSR B1744-24A. We observe irregular fast changes of RM with both signs at random orbital phases as well as profile changes of the circular polarization when the pulsar emission passes close to the companion. The latter provides strong evidence for Faraday conversion and circularly polarized attenuation. These similarities between PSR B1744-24A and some FRB repeaters, as well as the possible binary-produced long-term periodicity of two active repeaters, and the discovery of a nearby FRB in a globular cluster, where pulsar binaries are common, all suggest that some fraction of FRBs have binary companions.

The ultimate goal of astrobiology is to determine the distribution and diversity of life in the universe. But as the word "biosignature" suggests, what will be detected is not life itself, but an observation implicating a particular process associated with living systems. Technical constraints and our limited access to other worlds suggest we are more likely to detect an out-of-equilibrium suite of gasses than a writhing octopus. Yet, anything short of a writhing octopus will raise skepticism among astrobiologists about what has been detected. Resolving that skepticism requires a theory to delineate processes due to life and those due solely to abiotic mechanisms. This poses an existential question for the endeavor of life detection: How do astrobiologists plan to detect life via features shared between non-living and living systems? We argue that you cannot without an underlying theory of life. We illustrate this by analyzing the hypothetical detection of an "Earth 2.0" exoplanet. In the absence of a theory of life, we argue the community should focus on identifying unambiguous features of life via four areas of active research: understanding the principles of life on Earth, building life in the lab, detecting life in the solar system and searching for technosignatures. Ultimately, we ask, what exactly do astrobiologists hope to learn by searching for life?

We use near-infrared photometry and astrometry from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) survey to analyse microlensing events containing annual microlensing parallax information. These events are located in highly extincted and low-latitude regions of the Galactic bulge typically off-limits to optical microlensing surveys. We fit a catalog of $1959$ events previously found in the VVV and extract $21$ microlensing parallax candidates. The fitting is done using nested sampling to automatically characterise the multi-modal and degenerate posterior distributions of the annual microlensing parallax signal. We compute the probability density in lens mass-distance using the source proper motion and a Galactic model of disc and bulge deflectors. By comparing the expected flux from a main sequence lens to the baseline magnitude and blending parameter, we identify 4 candidates which have probability $> 50$% that the lens is dark. The strongest candidate corresponds to a nearby ($\approx0.78$ kpc), medium-mass ($1.46^{+1.13}_{-0.71} \ M_{\odot}$) dark remnant as lens. In the next strongest, the lens is located at heliocentric distance $\approx5.3$ kpc. It is a dark remnant with a mass of $1.63^{+1.15}_{-0.70} \ M_{\odot}$. Both of those candidates are most likely neutron stars, though possibly high-mass white dwarfs. The last two events may also be caused by dark remnants, though we are unable to rule out other possibilities because of limitations in the data.

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients with an observed dispersion measure ($DM$) greater than the expected Milky Way contribution, which suggests that such events are of extragalactic origin. Although some models have been proposed to explain the physics of the pulse, the mechanism behind the FRBs emission still unknown. From FRBs data with known host galaxies, the redshift is directly measured and can be combined with estimates of the $DM$ to constrain the cosmological parameters, such as the baryon number density and the Hubble constant. However, the poor knowledge of the fraction of baryonic mass in the intergalactic medium ($f_{IGM}$) and its degeneracy with the cosmological parameters impose limits on the cosmological application of FRBs. In this work we present a model-independent method to determine the evolution of $f_{IGM}$, combining the latest FRBs observations with localized host galaxy and current supernovae data. In our analysis we consider constant and time-dependent $f_{IGM}$ parameterizations and show, through a Bayesian model selection analysis, that there is a strong evidence in favor of a growing evolution of $f_{IGM}$ with redshift.

The main objective of this work is to study the structure, composition, and oscillation modes of color superconducting quark stars with intense magnetic fields. We adopted the MIT bag model within the color superconductivity CFL framework, and we included the effects of strong magnetic fields to construct the equation of state of stable quark matter. We calculated observable quantities, such as the mass, radius, frequency, and damping time of the oscillation fundamental $f$ mode of quark stars, taking into account current astrophysical constraints. The results obtained show that color superconducting magnetized quark stars satisfy the constraints imposed by the observations of massive pulsars and gravitational wave events. Furthermore, the quantities associated with the oscillation $f$ mode of these objects fit the universal relationships for compact objects. In the context of the new multi-messenger gravitational wave astronomy era and the future asteroseismology of neutron stars, we hope that our results contribute to the understanding of the behavior of dense matter and compact objects.

We discuss the central role that dust condensation plays in shaping the observational appearance of outflows from coalescing binary systems. As binaries enter into a common envelope phase or merger, they shock-heat and expel material into their surroundings. Depending on the properties of the merging system, this material can expand to the point where molecules and dust form, dramatically increasing the gas opacity. We use the existing population of Luminous Red Novae (LRNe) to constrain the thermodynamics of these ejecta, then apply our findings to the progressive obscuration of merging systems in the lead in to their coalescence. Compact progenitor stars near the main sequence or in the Hertzsprung gap along with massive progenitor stars have sufficiently hot circumstellar material to remain unobscured by dust. By contrast, more extended, low-mass giants should become completely optically obscured by dust formation in the circumbinary environment. We predict that approximately half of stellar merger and common envelope transients for solar-mass stars will be dusty, infrared-luminous sources. The dusty, infrared transients will selectively trace the population of systems that may successfully eject their common envelopes, while the unobscured, optical transients correspond to the LRNe population of stellar mergers.

Polluted white dwarfs offer a unique way to study the bulk compositions of exoplanetary material, but it is not always clear if this material originates from comets, asteroids, moons, or planets. We combine N-body simulations with an analytical model to assess the prevalence of extrasolar moons as white dwarf (WD) polluters. Using a sample of observed polluted white dwarfs we find that the extrapolated parent body masses of the polluters are often more consistent with those of many solar system moons, rather than solar-like asteroids. We provide a framework for estimating the fraction of white dwarfs currently undergoing observable moon accretion based on results from simulated white dwarf planetary and moon systems. Focusing on a three-planet white dwarf system of Super-Earth to Neptune-mass bodies, we find that we could expect about one percent of such systems to be currently undergoing moon accretions as opposed to asteroid accretion.

A critical aspect of solar activity is the coupling between eruptions and the surrounding coronal magnetic field, which determines the trajectory and morphology of the eruptive event. Pseudostreamers (PSs) are coronal magnetic structures formed by arcs of twin loops capped by magnetic field lines from coronal holes of the same polarity that meet at a central spine. They contain a single magnetic null point in the spine, potentially influencing the evolution of nearby flux ropes (FRs). To understand the net effect of the PS on FR eruptions is first necessary to study diverse and isolated FR-PS scenarios, which are not influenced by other magnetic structures. We performed numerical simulations in which a FR structure is in the vicinity of a PS magnetic configuration. The combined magnetic field of the PS and the FR results in the formation of two magnetic null points. We evolve this scenario by numerically solving the magnetohydrodynamic equations in 2.5D. The simulations consider a fully ionised compressible ideal plasma in the presence of a gravitational field and a stratified atmosphere. We find that the dynamic behaviour of the FR can be categorised into three different classes based on the FR trajectories and whether it is eruptive or confined. Our analysis indicates that the magnetic null points are decisive in the direction and intensity of the FR deflection and their hierarchy depends on the topological arrangement of the scenario. Moreover, the PS lobe acts as a magnetic cage enclosing the FR. We report that the total unsigned magnetic flux of the cage is a key parameter defining whether the FR is ejected or not.

Foreground emission makes it difficult to detect the highly-redshifted cosmological 21 cm signal at any frequency. However, at low frequencies foregrounds are likely to become optically thick, which would make it completely impossible to see a 21 cm signal behind them. To find out which regions of the sky might be optically thick for the highest redshifts of the 21 cm signal, we fit the measurements from LWA1 and the Haslam 408 MHz map with a two-component spectral model and calculate the frequency-dependent foreground optical depth point-by-point across the sky. Limitations of the current data prevent us from making any strong conclusions at high statistical significance, but there is suggestive evidence ($\sim1\sigma$) that as much as 25% of the sky could be obscured for the highest redshift 21 cm signals.

We present the first direct measurement of the proper motion of pulsar J1124-5916 in the young, oxygen-rich supernova remnant G292.0+1.8. Using deep Chandra ACIS-I observations from 2006 and 2016, we measure a positional change of $0.^{\prime\prime}21$ $\pm$ $0.^{\prime\prime}05$ over the $\sim$ 10 year baseline, or $\sim$ $0.^{\prime\prime}02$ yr$^{-1}$. At a distance of 6.2 $\pm$ 0.9 kpc, this corresponds to a kick velocity in the plane of the sky of $\mathrm{612\pm 152\,km \, s^{-1}}$. We compare this direct measurement against the velocity inferred from estimates based on the center of mass of the ejecta. Additionally, we use this new proper motion measurement to compare the motion of the neutron star to the center of expansion of the optically emitting ejecta. We derive an age estimate for the supernova remnant of $\gtrsim$ 2000 years. The high measured kick velocity is in line with recent studies of high proper motion neutron stars in other Galactic supernova remnants, and consistent with a hydrodynamic origin to the neutron star kick.

Using modern isochrones with customized physics and carefully considered statistical techniques, we recompute the age distribution for a sample of 91 micro-lensed dwarfs in the Galactic bulge presented by Bensby et al. (2017) and do not produce an age distribution consistent with their results. In particular, our analysis finds that only 15 of 91 stars have ages younger than 7 Gyr, compared to their finding of 42 young stars in the same sample. While we do not find a constituency of very young stars, our results do suggest the presence of an $\sim8$ Gyr population at the highest metallicities, thus contributing to long-standing debate about the age--metallicity distribution of the Galactic bulge. We supplement this with attempts at independent age determinations from two sources of photometry, BDBS and \textit{Gaia}, but find that the imprecision of photometric measurements prevents reliable age and age uncertainty determinations. Lastly, we present age uncertainties derived using a first-order consideration of global modeling uncertainties in addition to standard observational uncertainties. The theoretical uncertainties are based on the known variance of free parameters in the 1D stellar evolution models used to generate isochrones, and when included, result in age uncertainties of $2$--$5$ Gyr for this spectroscopically well-constrained sample. These error bars, which are roughly twice as large as typical literature values, constitute realistic lower limits on the true age uncertainties.

Anisotropic neutrino emission from a core-collapse supernova (CCSN) causes a permanent change in the local space-time metric, called the gravitational wave (GW) memory. Long considered unobservable, this effect will be detectable in the near future, at deci-Hertz GW interferometers. I will present a novel idea, where observations of the neutrino GW memory from CCSNe will enable time-triggered searches of supernova neutrinos at megaton (Mt) scale detectors, which will open a new avenue to studying supernova neutrinos.

X-ray observations have been made of a sample of 20 classical Cepheids, including two new observations (Polaris and {\it l} Car) reported here. The occurrence of X-ray flux around the pulsation cycle is discussed. Three Cepheids are detected ($\delta$ Cep, $\beta$ Dor, and Polaris). X-rays have also been detected from the low--mass F, G, and K companions of 4 Cepheids (V473 Lyr, R Cru, V659 Cen, and W Sgr), and one hot companion (S Mus). Upper limits on the X-ray flux of the remaining Cepheids provide an estimate that 28\% have low mass companions. This fraction of low--mass companions in intermediate mass Cepheids is significantly lower than expected from random pairing with the field IMF. Combining the companion fraction from X-rays with that from ultraviolet observations results in a binary/multiple fraction of 57\% $\pm$12\% for Cepheids with the ratios q $>$ 0.1 and separations a $>$ 1 au. This is a lower limit since M stars are not included. X-ray observations detect less massive companions than other existing studies of intermediate mass stars. Our measured occurrence rate of unresolved, low-mass companions to Cepheids suggests that intermediate-period binaries derive from a combination of disk and core fragmentation and accretion. This yields a hybrid mass-ratio distribution that is skewed toward small values compared to a uniform distribution but is still top-heavy compared to random pairings drawn from the IMF.

We explore whether an independent determination of the distance-redshift relation, and hence cosmological model parameters, can be obtained from the apparent correlations between two different waveband luminosities or fluxes, as has been claimed in recent works using the X-ray and ultraviolet luminosities and fluxes of quasars. We show that such an independent determination is possible only if the correlation between luminosities is obtained independent of the cosmological model, and measured fluxes and redshifts; for example, being based on sound theoretical models or unrelated observations. In particular, we show that if the correlation is determined empirically from two luminosities obtained from fluxes and redshifts, then the method suffers from circularity. In case, as claimed in recent works, the observed correlation between fluxes in very narrow redshift bins are used as proxy for the luminosity correlation, then we show that one is dealing with a pure tautology with no information on distances and cosmological model. We argue that the problem arises because of the incomplete treatment of the correlation and we use numerical methods with a joint X-ray and ultraviolet quasar data set to demonstrate this shortcoming.

It is important to map the large-scale matter distribution in the local Universe for cosmological studies, such as the tracing of the large-scale peculiar velocity flow, the characterisation of the environment for different astronomical objects, and for precision measurements of cosmological parameters. We used X-ray luminous clusters to map this matter distribution and find that about 51% of the groups and clusters are members of superclusters which occupy only a few percent of the volume. In this paper we provide a detailed description of these large-scale structures. With a friends-to-friends algorithm, we find eight superclusters with a cluster overdensity ratio of at least two with five or more galaxy group and cluster members in the cosmic volume out to z = 0.03. The four most prominent ones are the Perseus-Pisces, the Centaurus, the Coma, and the Hercules supercluster, with lengths from about 40 to over 100 Mpc and estimated masses of 0.6 - 2.2 10^16 Msun. The largest of these structures is the Perseus-Pisces supercluster. The four smaller superclusters include the Local and the Abell 400 supercluster and two superclusters in the constellations Sagittarius and Lacerta. We provide detailed maps, member catalogues, and physical descriptions of the eight superclusters. By constructing superclusters with a range of cluster sub-samples with different lower X-ray luminosity limits, we show that the main structures are always reliably recovered.

Broadband time-ordered data obtained from telescopes with a wavelength-dependent, asymmetric beam pattern can be used to extract maps at multiple wavelengths from a single scan. This technique is especially useful when collecting data on cosmic phenomena such as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, as it provides the ability to separate the CMB signal from foreground contaminants. We develop a method to determine the optimal linear combinations of wavelengths ("colors") that can be reconstructed for a given telescope design and the number of colors that are measurable with high signal-to-noise ratio. The optimal colors are found as eigenvectors of a matrix derived from the inverse noise covariance matrix. When the telescope is able to scan the sky isotropically, it is useful to transform to a spherical harmonic basis, in which this matrix has a particularly simple form. We propose using the optimal colors determined from the isotropic case even when the actual scanning pattern is not isotropic (e.g., covers only part of the sky). We perform simulations showing that maps in multiple colors can be reconstructed accurately from both full-sky and partial-sky scans. Although the original motivation for this research comes from mapping the CMB, this method of polychromatic map-making will have broader applications throughout astrophysics.

Since FRB 200428 has been found to be associated with an X-ray burst from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154, it is interesting to explore whether the magnetar bursts also follow the similar active periodic behavior as repeating FRBs. Previous studies show that there is possible period about 230 day in SGR J1935+2154 bursts. Here, we collected an updated burst sample from SGR J1935+2154, including all bursts reported by Fermi/GBM and GECAM till 2022 January. We also developed a targeted search pipeline to uncover more bursts from SGR J1935+2154 in the Fermi/GBM data from 2008 August to 2014 December (i.e. before the first burst detected by Swift/BAT). With this burst sample, we re-analyzed the possible periodicity of SGR J1935+2154 bursts using the Period Folding and Lomb-Scargle Periodogram methods. We caution that the observation effects may introduce false periods (such as 55, 158, 238 and 498 day), as evident in simulation tests. Finally, our results show that the most likely period is 126.88$\pm$2.05 day, which might be interpreted as the precession of the magnetar.However, we also note that the whole burst history is very complicated and difficult to be perfectly accommodated with any period reported thus far. More monitoring observations of SGR J1935+2154 are required to further test any periodicity hypothesis.

We present GaiaHub, a publicly available tool that combines $Gaia$ measurements with $Hubble$ $Space$ $Telescope$ ($HST$) archival images to derive proper motions (PMs). It increases the scientific impact of both observatories beyond their individual capabilities. $Gaia$ provides PMs across the whole sky, but the limited mirror size and time baseline restrict the best PM performance to relatively bright stars. $HST$ can measure accurate PMs for much fainter stars over a small field, but this requires two epochs of observation which are not always available. GaiaHub yields considerably improved PM accuracy compared to $Gaia$-only measurements, especially for faint sources $(G \gtrsim 18)$, requiring only a single epoch of $HST$ data observed more than $\sim 7$ years ago (before 2012). This provides considerable scientific value especially for dynamical studies of stellar systems or structures in and beyond the Milky Way (MW) halo, for which the member stars are generally faint. To illustrate the capabilities and demonstrate the accuracy of GaiaHub, we apply it to samples of MW globular clusters (GCs) and classical dwarf spheroidal (dSph) satellite galaxies. This allows us, e.g., to measure the velocity dispersions in the plane of the sky for objects out to and beyond $\sim 100$ kpc. We find, on average, mild radial velocity anisotropy in GCs, consistent with existing results for more nearby samples. We observe a correlation between the internal kinematics of the clusters and their ellipticity, with more isotropic clusters being, on average, more round. Our results also support previous findings that Draco and Sculptor dSph galaxies appear to be radially anisotropic systems.

In this work, we explore the phenomenology of generalized dark matter (GDM) which interacts with photons ($\gamma$). We assume that DM establishes elastic scattering with $\gamma$ when it has already become nonrelativistic, otherwise the abundance of DM today is disfavored by current observations. Within this scenario, the equation of state (EoS) of DM is determined by its mass ($m_\chi$) and the DM-$\gamma$ scattering cross-section. The distinctive imprints of a nonzero EoS of DM on CMB angular power spectrum allow us to set a lower limit on $m_\chi$ with Planck 2018 data alone, i.e., $m_{\chi} > 8.7$ keV at $95\%$ C.L. In the study of cosmic concordance problems, we find that the GDM scenario preserves the sound horizon ($r_s(z_*)$) predicted in the fiducial $\Lambda$CDM model, and thus does not solve the $H_0$ tension. When performing the joint analysis of Planck+LSS datasets, the best-fit $S_8= 0.785\pm 0.017$ closely matches the given $S_8$ prior. This suggests that the GDM scenario can be counted as a viable candidate to restore the $S_8$ ($\sigma_{8}$) tension.

We report individual dynamical masses of $66.92 \pm 0.36 \; M_{Jup}$ and $53.25 \pm 0.29 \; M_{Jup}$ for the binary brown dwarfs $\varepsilon$ Indi Ba and Bb, measured from long term ($\approx 10$ yr) relative orbit monitoring and absolute astrometry monitoring data on the VLT. Relative astrometry with NACO fully constrains the Keplerian orbit of the binary pair, while absolute astrometry with FORS2 measures the system's parallax and mass ratio. We find a parallax consistent with the Hipparcos and Gaia values for $\varepsilon$ Indi A, and a mass ratio for $\varepsilon$ Indi Ba to Bb precise to better than $0.2\%$. $\varepsilon$ Indi Ba and Bb have spectral types T1-1.5 and T6, respectively. With an age of $3.5^{+0.8}_{-1.0}$ Gyr from $\varepsilon$ Indi A's activity, these brown dwarfs provide some of the most precise benchmarks for substellar cooling models. Assuming coevality, the very different luminosities of the two brown dwarfs and our moderate mass ratio imply a steep mass-luminosity relationship $L \propto M^{5.37 \pm 0.08}$ that can be explained by a slowed cooling rate in the L/T transition, as previously observed for other L/T binaries. Finally, we present a periodogram analysis of the near-infrared photometric data, but find no definitive evidence of periodic signals with a coherent phase.

We have developed a neural network model to perform event reconstruction of Compton telescopes. This model reconstructs events that consist of three or more interactions in a detector. It is essential for Compton telescopes to determine the time order of the gamma-ray interactions and whether the incident photon deposits all energy in a detector or it escapes from the detector. Our model simultaneously predicts these two essential factors using a multi-task neural network with three hidden layers of fully connected nodes. For verification, we have conducted numerical experiments using Monte Carlo simulation, assuming a large-area Compton telescope using liquid argon to measure gamma rays with energies up to $3.0\,\mathrm{MeV}$. The reconstruction model shows excellent performance of event reconstruction for multiple scattering events that consist of up to eight hits. The accuracies of hit order prediction are around $60\%$ while those of escape flags are higher than $70\%$ for up to eight-hit events of $4\pi$ isotropic photons. Compared with two other algorithms, a classical model and a physics-based probabilistic one, the present neural network method shows high performance in estimation accuracy particularly when the number of scattering is small, 3 or 4. Since simulation data easily optimize the network model, the model can be flexibly applied to a wide variety of Compton telescopes.

The Odd Radio Circles are newly identified diffuse radio sources at ~1 GHz frequency, with edge-brightened nearly circular morphology, which is remarkably similar to supernova remnants although a physical association with previous population of Galactic supernova remnants is challenging due to detections of the Odd Radio Circles at high Galactic latitudes. Here, a serendipitous identification of a new source in a LOFAR 144 MHz image with similar morphology as that of Odd Radio Circles is reported. This is the first reported identification of an Odd Radio Circle at a very low frequency and with the LOFAR.

Recently, a collision-induced magnetic reconnection (CMR) mechanism was proposed to explain a dense filament formation in the Orion A giant molecular cloud. A natural question is that whether CMR works elsewhere in the Galaxy. As an initial attempt to answer the question, this paper investigates the triggering of CMR and the production of dense gas in a flat-rotating disk with a modified BiSymmetric Spiral (BSS) magnetic field. Cloud-cloud collisions at field reversals in the disk are modeled with the Athena++ code. Under the condition that is representative of the warm neutral medium, the cloud-cloud collision successfully triggers CMR at different disk radii. However, dense gas formation is hindered by the dominating thermal pressure, unless a moderately stronger initial field $\gtrsim5\mu$G is present. The strong-field model, having a larger Lundquist number $S_L$ and lower plasma $\beta$, activates the plasmoid instability in the collision midplane, which is otherwise suppressed by the disk rotation. We speculate that CMR can be common if more clouds collide along field reversals. However, to witness the CMR process in numerical simulations, we need to significantly resolve the collision midplane with a spatial dynamic range $\gtrsim10^6$. If Milky Way spiral arms indeed coincide with field reversals in BSS, it is possible that CMR creates or maintains dense gas in the arms. High-resolution, high-sensitivity Zeeman/Faraday-Rotation observations are crucial for finding CMR candidates that have helical fields.

In a galaxy cluster, the relative spatial distributions of dark matter, member galaxies, gas, and intracluster light (ICL) may connote their mutual interactions over the cluster evolution. However, it is a challenging problem to provide a quantitative measure for the shape matching between two multi-dimensional scalar distributions. We present a novel methodology, named the {\em Weighted Overlap Coefficient (WOC)}, to quantify the similarity of 2-dimensional spatial distributions. We compare the WOC with a standard method known as the Modified Hausdorff Distance (MHD). We find that our method is robust, and performs well even with the existence of multiple sub-structures. We apply our methodology to search for a visible component whose spatial distribution resembled with that of dark matter. If such a component could be found to trace the dark matter distribution with high fidelity for more relaxed galaxy clusters, then the similarity of the distributions could also be used as a dynamical stage estimator of the cluster. We apply the method to six galaxy clusters at different dynamical stages simulated within the GRT simulation, which is an N-body simulation using the galaxy replacement technique. Among the various components (stellar particles, galaxies, ICL), the ICL+ brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) component most faithfully trace the dark matter distribution. Among the sample galaxy clusters, the relaxed clusters show stronger similarity in the spatial distribution of the dark matter and ICL+BCG than the dynamically young clusters. While the MHD results show weaker trend with the dynamical stages.

Dynamically, cosmic rays with energies above about one GeV/nucleon may be important agents of galaxy evolution. Their pressures compare with the thermal and magnetic ones impacting galactic gas accretion, fountains and galactic outflows, and alter the mass cycling between the gas phases, its efficiency depends on the properties of CR transport in the different media. We aim to study the dynamical role of CRs in shaping the interstellar medium of a galaxy when changing their propagation mode. We perform MHD simulations with the AMR code RAMSES of the evolution of the same isolated galaxy (dwarf galaxy of $10^{11}$ M$_{\odot}$ down to 9-pc resolution) and compare the impact of the simplest cosmic-ray transport assumption of uniform diffusion. We have also updated the observational relation seen between the $\gamma$-ray luminosities and SFR of galaxies using the latest detection of Fermi LAT sources. We find that the radial and vertical distributions, and mass fractions of the gas in the different phases are marginally altered when changing CR transport. We observe positive feedback of CR on the amplification of the magnetic field in the inner half of the galaxy, except for fast isotropic diffusion. The increase in CR pressure for slow or anisotropic diffusion can suppress star formation by up to 50\%, but the dual effect of cosmic-ray pressure and magnetic amplification can reduce star formation by a factor 2.5. The $\gamma$-ray luminosities and SFR of the simulated galaxies are fully consistent with the trend seen in the observations in the case of anisotropic $10^{27.5-29}$ cm$^2$ s$^{-1}$ diffusion and for isotropic diffusion slower or equal to $3 \times 10^{28}$cm$^2$ s$^{-1}$. These results, therefore, do not confirm claims of very fast $10^{29-31}$ cm$^2$ s$^{-1}$ diffusion to match the Fermi LAT observations.

We provide detailed background, theoretical and practical, on the specific heat cp of minerals and mixtures thereof, 'astro-materials', as well as background information on common minerals and other relevant solid substances found on the surfaces of solar system bodies. Furthermore, we demonstrate how to use specific heat and composition data for lunar samples and meteorites as well as a new database of endmember mineral heat capacities (the result of an extensive literature review) to construct reference models for the isobaric specific heat cP as a function of temperature for common solar system materials. Using a (generally linear) mixing model for the specific heat of minerals allows extrapolation of the available data to very low and very high temperatures, such that models cover the temperature range between 10 and 1000 K at least (and pressures from zero up to several kbars). We describe a procedure to estimate cp(T) for virtually any solid solar system material with a known mineral composition, e.g., model specific heat as a function of temperature for a number of typical meteorite classes with known mineralogical compositions. We present, as examples, the cp(T) curves of a number of well-described laboratory regolith analogues, as well as for planetary ices and 'tholins' in the outer solar system. Part II will review and present the heat capacity database for minerals and compounds and part III is going to cover applications, standard reference compositions, cp(T) curves and a comparison with new and literature experimental data.

We analyze multicolor light curves of six totally eclipsing, short-period W UMa binaries and derive, for the first time, their orbital and stellar parameters. The mass ratios are established robustly through an automated q-search procedure that performs a heuristic survey of the parameter space. Five stars belong to the W and one to the A subtype. The mass ratios range from 0.23 to 0.51 and the fillouts from 10 to 15%. We estimate the ages and discuss the evolutionary status of these objects in comparison with a sample of other short-period W UMa binaries from the literature.

We present an analysis of the NuSTAR and Swift spectra of the black hole candidate MAXI J1813-095 in a failed-transition outburst in 2018. The NuSTAR observations show evidence of reflected emission from the inner region of the accretion disc. By modelling the reflection component in the spectra, we find a disc inner radius of $R_{\rm in}<7$ $r_{\rm g}$. This result suggests that either a slightly truncated disc or a non-truncated disc forms at a few percent of the Eddington limit in MAXI J1813-095. Our best-fit reflection models indicate that the geometry of the innermost accretion remains consistent during the period of NuSTAR observations. The spectral variability of MAXI J1813-095 from multi-epoch observations is dominated by the variable photon index of the Comptonisation emission.

We present a detailed analysis of the XMM-Newton observations of five narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s). They all show very soft continuum emission in the X-ray band with a photon index of $\Gamma\gtrsim 2.5$. Therefore, they are referred to as `ultra-soft' NLS1s in this paper. By modeling their optical/UV-X-ray spectral energy distribution (SED) with a reflection-based model, we find indications that the disc surface in these ultra-soft NLS1s is in a higher ionisation state than other typical Seyfert 1 AGN. Our best-fit SED models suggest that these five ultra-soft NLS1s have an Eddington ratio of $\lambda_{\rm Edd}=1-20$ assuming available black hole mass measurements. In addition, our models infer that a significant fraction of the disc energy in these ultra-soft NLS1s is radiated away in the form of non-thermal emission instead of the thermal emission from the disc. Due to their extreme properties, X-ray observations of these sources in the iron band are particularly challenging. Future observations, e.g. from Athena, will enable us to have a clearer view of the spectral shape in the iron band and thus distinguish the reflection model from other interpretations of their broadband spectra.

Gas-phase metallicity gradients in galaxies provide important clues to those galaxies' formation histories. Using SDSS-IV MaNGA data, we previously demonstrated that gas metallicity gradients vary systematically and significantly across the galaxy mass--size plane: at stellar masses beyond approximately $10^{10}$ $\mathrm{M_\odot}$, more extended galaxies display steeper gradients (in units of $\mathrm{dex/R_e}$) at a given stellar mass. Here, we set out to develop a physical interpretation of these findings by examining the ability of local $\sim$kpc-scale relations to predict the gradient behaviour along the mass--size plane. We find that local stellar mass surface density, when combined with total stellar mass, is sufficient to reproduce the overall mass--size trend in a qualitative sense. We further find that we can improve the predictions by correcting for residual trends relating to the recent star formation histories of star-forming regions. However, we find as well that the most extended galaxies display steeper average gradients than predicted, even after correcting for residual metallicity trends with other local parameters. From these results, we argue that gas-phase metallicity gradients can largely be understood in terms of known local relations, but we also discuss some possible physical causes of discrepant gradients.

The multiplicity of metal-free (Population III) stars may influence their feedback efficiency within their host dark matter halos, affecting subsequent metal enrichment and the transition to galaxy formation. Radiative feedback from massive stars can trigger nearby star formation in dense self-shielded clouds. In model radiation self-shielding, the H$_2$ column density must be accurately computed. In this study, we compare two local approximations based on the density gradient and Jeans length with a direct integration of column density along rays. After the primary massive star forms, we find that no secondary stars form for both the direct integration and density gradient approaches. The approximate method reduces the computation time by a factor of 2. The Jeans length approximation overestimates the H$_2$ column density by a factor of 10, leading to five numerically enhanced self-shielded, star-forming clumps. We conclude that the density gradient approximation is sufficiently accurate for larger volume galaxy simulations, although one must still caution that the approximation cannot fully reproduce the result of direct integration.

We revisit the mass-size relation of molecular cloud structures based on the column density map of the Cygnus-X molecular cloud complex. We extract 135 column density peaks in Cygnus-X and analyze the column density distributions around these peaks. The averaged column density profiles, $N(R)$, around all the peaks can be well fitted with broken power-laws, which are described by an inner power-law index $n$, outer power-law index $m$, and the radius $R_{\rm TP}$ and column density $N_{\rm TP}$ at the transition point. We then explore the $M-R$ relation with different samples of cloud structures by varying the $N(R)$ parameters and the column density threshold, $N_0$, which determines the boundary of a cloud structure. We find that only when $N_0$ has a wide range of values, the $M - R$ relation may largely probe the density distribution, and the fitted power-law index of the $M-R$ relation is related to the power-law index of $N(R)$. On the contrary, with a constant $N_0$, the $M - R$ relation has no direct connection with the density distribution; in this case, the fitted power-law index of the $M - R$ relation is equal to 2 (when $N_0\ge N_{\rm TP}$ and $n$ has a narrow range of values), larger than 2 (when $N_0\ge N_{\rm TP}$ and $n$ has a wide range of values), or slightly less than 2 (when $N_0< N_{\rm TP}$).

The close correlation observed between emission state and spin-down rate change of pulsars has many implications both for the magnetospheric physics and the neutron star interior. The middle-aged pulsar PSR J0738--4042, which had been observed to display variations in the pulse profile associated with its spin-down rate change due to external effects, is a remarkable member of this class. In this study, based on the 12.5-yr combined public timing data from UTMOST and Parkes, we have detected a new emission-rotation correlation in PSR J0738--4042 concurrent with a glitch. The first glitch occurred in this pulsar at MJD 57359(5) (December 3, 2015) is considered to be underlying reason of the variability. Unlike the usual glitch behaviours, the braking torque on the pulsar has continued to increase over 1380 d since small spin-up event ($\Delta\nu/\nu \sim 0.36(4)\times 10^{-9}$), corresponding to a significant decrease in $\ddot{\nu}$. As for changes in the pulse profile after the glitch, the relative amplitude of the leading component weakens drastically, while the middle component becomes stronger. A combined model of crustquake induced platelet movement and vortex creep response is invoked to account for this rare correlation. In this scenario, magnetospheric state-change is naturally linked to the pulsar-intrinsic processes that give rise to a glitch.

An accurate tabulation of stellar brightness in physical units is essential for a multitude of scientific endeavors. The HST/CALSPEC database of flux standards contains many stars with spectral coverage in the 0.115--1 \micron\ range with some extensions to longer wavelengths of 1.7 or 2.5 \micron. Modeled flux distributions to 32 \micron\ for calibration of JWST complement the shorter wavelength HST measurements. Understanding the differences between IRAC observations and CALSPEC models is important for science that uses IR fluxes from multiple instruments, including JWST. The absolute flux of Spitzer IRAC photometry at 3.6--8 \micron\ agrees with CALSPEC synthetic photometry to 1\% for the three prime HST standards G191B2B, GD153, and GD71. For a set of 17--22 A-star standards, the average IRAC difference rises from agreement at 3.6 \micron\ to 3.4 $\pm$0.1\% brighter than CALSPEC at 8 \micron. For a smaller set of G-stars, the average of the IRAC photometry falls below CALSPEC by as much as 3.7 $\pm$0.3\% for IRAC1, while one G-star, P330E, is consistent with the A-star ensemble of IRAC/CALSPEC ratios.

We use 789 (596 HI detections) disk-like, star-forming galaxies from HI follow-up observations for the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey to study the possible role of inner HI gas in causing secondary dependences in the mass--gas phase metallicity relation. We use the gas-phase metallicity derived at the effective radius of galaxies. We derive the inner HI mass within the optical radius, but also use the total HI mass and SFR for a comparison. We confirm the anti-correlation between total HI mass and gas-phase metallicity at a fixed stellar mass, but the anti-correlation is significantly strengthened when the total HI mass is replaced by the inner HI mass. Introducing a secondary relation with the inner HI mass can produce a small but noticeable decrease (16%) in the scatter of MZR, in contrast to the negligible effect with the SFR. The correlation with the inner HI mass is robust when using different diagnostics of the metallicity while the correlation with SFR is not. The correlation with the inner HI mass becomes much weaker when the gas-phase metallicity is derived in the central region instead of at the effective radius. These results support the idea that the scatter in the mass-metallicity relation is regulated by gas accretion but not directly by SFR, and stress the importance of deriving gas mass and metallicity from roughly the same region. The new relation between inner HI mass and gas-phase metallicity provides new constraints to chemical and galaxy evolution models.

In supernovae (SNe), where the light curves show evidence of strong and early interaction between the ejecta and the circumstellar matter (CSM), the formation of new dust is estimated to take place in a dense shell of gas between the forward (FS) and the reverse shock (RS). For the first time, in this study, the mechanism of dust formation in this dense shell is modeled. A set of 9 cases, considering variations of the ejecta mass, and the pre-explosion mass-loss rates is considered, accounting for the diverse nature of interactions reported in such SNe. For a single main sequence mass, the variation of ejecta mass was manifested as a variation of the H-shell mass of the star, lost due to pre-explosion mass-loss. We find that the dust masses in the dense shell range between 10$^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$ and 0.8 M$_{\odot}$, composed of O-rich and C-rich grains, whose relative proportions are determined by the nature of interaction. Dust formation in the post-shock gas is characterized by a gradual production rate, mostly ranging from 10$^{-6}$ to 10$^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$ day$^{-1}$, which may continue for a decade, post-explosion. A higher mass-loss rate leads to a larger mass of dust, while a smaller ejecta mass (smaller left-over H-shell) increases the efficiency of dust production in such SNe. Dust formed behind the RS, as in our calculations, is not subject to destruction by either the FS or RS and is thus likely to survive in larger proportion than dust formed in the ejecta.

For decades, perhaps even centuries, the exchange of publications between observatories was the most important source of information on new astronomical results, either in the form of observational data or new scientific theories. In particular, small observatories or institutions used this method. The exchange of physical material between observatories has now been replaced by the exchange of information via the Internet. Yet much of the ancient material has never been digitized and can only be found in the few existing collections of observatory publications. A recent donation of such a collection from the University of Copenhagen to our own library at the University of Southern Denmark has led us to investigate the uniqueness of such collections: Which observatories and publications are represented in the collections that still exist today? We also examine the availability of the material in the collections.

Using the EAGLE suite of simulations, we demonstrate that both cold gas stripping {\it and} starvation of gas inflow play an important role in quenching satellite galaxies across a range of stellar and halo masses, $M_{\star}$ and $M_{200}$. By quantifying the balance between gas inflows, outflows, and star formation rates, we show that even at $z=2$, only $\approx30\%$ of satellite galaxies are able to maintain equilibrium or grow their reservoir of cool gas - compared to $\approx50\%$ of central galaxies at this redshift. We find that the number of orbits completed by a satellite is a very good predictor of its quenching, even more so than the time since infall. On average, we show that intermediate-mass satellites with $M_{\star}$ between $10^{9}{\rm M}_{\odot}-10^{10}{\rm M}_{\odot}$ will be quenched at first pericenter in massive group environments, $M_{200}>10^{13.5}{\rm M}_{\odot}$; and will be quenched at second pericenter in less massive group environments, $M_{200}<10^{13.5}{\rm M}_{\odot}$. On average, more massive satellites ($M_{\star}>10^{10}{\rm M}_{\odot}$) experience longer depletion time-scales, being quenched between first and second pericenters in massive groups; while in smaller group environments, just $\approx30\%$ will be quenched even after two orbits. Our results suggest that while starvation alone may be enough to slowly quench satellite galaxies, direct gas stripping, particularly at pericenters, is required to produce the short quenching time-scales exhibited in the simulation.

Systematic uncertainties in the mass measurement of galaxy clusters limit the cosmological constraining power of future surveys that will detect more than $10^5$ clusters. Previously, we argued that aperture masses can be inferred more accurately and precisely than 3D masses without loss of cosmological constraining power. Here, we use the Baryons and Haloes of Massive Systems (BAHAMAS) cosmological, hydrodynamical simulations to show that aperture masses are also less sensitive to changes in mass caused by galaxy formation processes. For haloes with $m_\mathrm{200m,dmo} > 10^{14} \, h^{-1} \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$, binned by their 3D halo mass, baryonic physics affects aperture masses and 3D halo masses similarly when measured within apertures similar to the halo virial radius, reaching a maximum reduction of $\approx 3 \, \%$. For lower-mass haloes, $10^{13.5} < m_\mathrm{200m,dmo} / (h^{-1} \, \mathrm{M}_\odot) < 10^{14}$, and aperture sizes $\sim 1 \, h^{-1} \, \mathrm{cMpc}$, representative of weak lensing observations, the aperture mass is consistently reduced less ($\lesssim 5 \, \%$) than the 3D halo mass ($\lesssim 10 \, \%$ for $m_\mathrm{200m}$). The halo mass reduction evolves only slightly, by up to $2$ percentage points, between redshift 0.25 and 1 for both the aperture mass and $m_\mathrm{200m}$. Varying the strength of the simulated feedback so the mean simulated hot gas fraction covers the observed scatter inferred from X-ray observations, we find that the aperture mass is consistently less biased than the 3D halo mass, by up to $2 \, $ percentage points at $m_\mathrm{200m,dmo} = 10^{14} \, h^{-1} \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$. Therefore, cluster aperture mass calibrations provide a fruitful path forward for future cluster surveys to reduce their sensitivity to systematic uncertainties.

The physical composition of the ejecta of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remains an open question. The radiation mechanism of the prompt gamma-rays is also in debate. This problem can be solved for the bursts hosting distinct thermal radiation. However, the events with dominant thermal spectral components are still rare. In this work, we focus on GRB 220426A, a recent event detected by Fermi-GBM. The time-resolved and time-integrated data analyses yield very hard low-energy spectrum but rather soft high-energy spectrum. This means that the spectra of GRB 220426A are narrowly distributed, similar to GRB 090902B. And the Bayesian inference results are in favor of the multicolor blackbody (mBB) model. The physical properties of the relativistic outflow are calculated. Assuming a redshift $z= 1.4$, the bulk Lorentz factors $\Gamma$ of the shells are found to be between $274.15_{-18.22}^{+24.19}$ and $827.03_{-71.48}^{+100.72}$, and the corresponding photosphere radii $R_{\rm ph}$ are in the range of $1.83_{-0.50}^{+0.52} \times 10^{11}$ and $2.97_{-0.15}^{+0.14} \times 10^{12}$ cm. Similar to GRB 090902B, the time-resolved properties of GRB 220426A satisfy the observed $\Gamma-L$ and $E_p-L$ correlations, where $L$ is the luminosity of the prompt emission and $E_{\rm p}$ is the spectral peak energy.

Astrophysical jets are often observed as bent or curved structures. We also know that the different jet sources may be binary in nature, which may lead to a regular, periodic motion of the jet nozzle, an orbital motion or precession. Here, we present the results of 2D (M)HD simulations in order to investigate how a precessing or orbiting jet nozzle affects the propagation of a high-speed jet. We have performed a parameter study of systems with different precession angles, orbital periods or separations, and different magnetic field strengths. We find that these kinds of nozzles lead to curved jet propagation which is determined by the main parameters that define the jet nozzle. We find C-shaped jets from orbiting nozzles and S-shaped jets from precessing nozzles. Over long time and long distances, the initially curved jet motion bores a broad channel into the ambient gas that is filled with high-speed jet material which lateral motion is damped, however. A strong (longitudinal) magnetic field can damp the jet curvature that is enforced by either precession of orbital motion of the jet sources. We have investigated the force balance across the jet and ambient medium and found that the lateral magnetic pressure and gas pressure gradients are almost balanced, but that a lack of gas pressure on the concave side of the curvature is leading to the lateral motion. Magnetic tension does not play a significant role. Our results are obtained in code units, but we provide scaling relations such that our results may be applied to young stars, micro-quasars, symbiotic stars or AGN.

The multi-messenger detection of the gravitational-wave signal GW170817, the corresponding kilonova AT2017gfo and the short gamma-ray burst GRB170817A, as well as the observed afterglow has delivered a scientific breakthrough. For an accurate interpretation of all these different messengers, one requires robust theoretical models that describe the emitted gravitational-wave, the electromagnetic emission, and dense matter reliably. In addition, one needs efficient and accurate computational tools to ensure a correct cross-correlation between the models and the observational data. For this purpose, we have developed the NMMA (Nuclear-physics and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics) framework. The code allows incorporation of nuclear-physics constraints at low densities as well as X-ray and radio observations of isolated neutron stars. It also enables us to classify electromagnetic observations, e.g., to distinguish between supernovae and kilonovae. In previous works, the NMMA code has allowed us to constrain the equation of state of supranuclear dense matter, to measure the Hubble constant, and to compare dense-matter physics probed in neutron-star mergers and in heavy-ion collisions. The extension of the NMMA code presented here is the first attempt of analysing the gravitational-wave signal, the kilonovae, and the GRB afterglow simultaneously, which reduces the uncertainty of our constraints. Incorporating all available information, we estimate the radius of a 1.4 solar mass neutron star to be $R=11.98^{+0.35}_{-0.40}$ km.

Radiative transfer modelling offers a powerful tool for understanding the enigmatic hydrogen emission lines from T Tauri stars. This work compares optical and near-IR spectroscopy of 29 T Tauri stars with our grid of synthetic line profiles. The archival spectra, obtained with VLT's X-Shooter, provide simultaneous coverage of many optical and infrared hydrogen lines. The observations exhibit similar morphologies of line profiles seen in other studies. We used the radiative transfer code TORUS to create synthetic H$\alpha$, Pa$\beta$, Pa$\gamma$, and Br$\gamma$ emission lines for a fiducial T Tauri model that included axisymmetric magnetospheric accretion and a polar stellar wind. The distribution of Reipurth types and line widths for the synthetic H$\alpha$ lines is similar to the observed results. However, the modelled infrared lines are narrower than the observations by $\approx 80{~\rm kms}^{-1}$, and our models predict a significantly higher proportion ($\approx 90$ per cent) of inverse P-Cygni profiles. Furthermore, our radiative transfer models suggest that the frequency of P-Cygni profiles depends on the ratio of the mass loss to mass accretion rates and blue-shifted sub-continuum absorption was predicted for mass loss rates as low as $10^{-12}~M_{\odot}{\rm~ yr}^{-1}$. We explore the effect of rotation, turbulence, and the contributions from red-shifted absorption in an attempt to explain the discrepancy in widths. Our findings show that, singularly, none of these effects is sufficient to explain the observed disparity. However, a combination of rotation, turbulence, and non-axisymmetric accretion may improve the fit of the models to the observed data.

We study the quantum vacuum zero point energy in the Schwarzschild black hole as well as in the Nariai limit of the dS-Schwarzschild backgrounds. We show that the regularized vacuum energy density near the black hole and also in the Nariai setup match exactly with the corresponding value in the flat background, scaling with the fourth power of the mass of the quantum field. The horizon radius of the dS space created from the vacuum zero point energy introduces a new length scale which should be compared with the black hole horizon radius. There is an upper limiting mass for the black hole immersed in the vacuum zero point energy which is determined by the mass of the Nariai metric associated to the dS background constructed from zero point energy. This result supports the proposal made recently that the dS spacetime created from the vacuum zero point energy develops strong inhomogeneities on sub-horizon scales in which the regions inside the dS horizon radius may collapse to form black holes.

We derive a Fisher matrix for the parameters characterising a population of gravitational-wave events. This provides a guide to the precision with which population parameters can be estimated with multiple observations, which becomes increasingly accurate as the number of events and the signal-to-noise ratio of the sampled events increases. The formalism takes into account individual event measurement uncertainties and selection effects, and can be applied to arbitrary population models. We illustrate the framework with two examples: an analytical calculation of the Fisher matrix for the mean and variance of a Gaussian model describing a population affected by selection effects, and an estimation of the precision with which the slope of a power law distribution of supermassive black-hole masses can be measured using extreme-mass-ratio inspiral observations. We compare the Fisher predictions to results from Monte Carlo analyses, finding very good agreement.

We show that in theories of axionlike particles (ALPs) coupled to electrons at tree-level, the one-loop effective coupling to photons is process dependent: the effective coupling relevant for decay processes, $g_{a\gamma}^{\text{(D)}}$, differs significantly from the coupling appearing in the phenomenologically important Primakoff process, $g_{a\gamma}^{\text{(P)}}$. We show that this has important implications for the physics of massive ALPs in hot and dense environments, such as supernovae. We derive, as a consequence, new limits on the ALP-electron coupling, $\hat{g}_{ae}$, from SN 1987A by accounting for all relevant production processes, including one-loop processes, and considering bounds from excess cooling as well as the absence of an associated gamma-ray burst from ALP decays. Our limits are among the strongest to date for ALP masses in the range $0.03 \, \text{MeV} \, < m_a< 310 \, \text{MeV}$. Moreover, we also show how cosmological bounds on the ALP-photon coupling translate into new, strong limits on $\hat{g}_{ae}$ at one loop. Our analysis emphasises that large hierarchies between ALP effective couplings are difficult to realise once quantum loops are taken into account.

Deep space exploration offers the most profound opportunity for the expansion of humanity and our understanding of the Universe, but remains extremely challenging. Progress will continue to be paced by uncrewed missions followed up by crewed missions to ever further destinations. Major space powers continue to invest in crewed deep space exploration as an important national strategy. An improved model based on previous work is developed, which projects the earliest possible launch dates for human-crewed missions from cis-lunar space to selected destinations in the Solar System and beyond based on NASA's historic budget trend and overall development trends of deep space exploration research. The purpose of the analysis is to provide a projected timeframe for crewed missions beyond Mars. Our findings suggest the first human missions from a spacefaring nation or international collaboration to the Asteroid Belt and Jovian System could be scheduled as soon as ~2071 to ~2087 and ~2101 to ~2121, respectively, while a launch to the Saturn System may occur by the year ~2132, with an uncertainty window of ~2129 to ~2153.

We present a model of self-interacting dark matter based on QCD-like theories and inspired by the proximity of $a_0(980\pm 20)$ to the $K\bar{K}(990)$ threshold. Dark matter is comprised of dark pions which self-scatter via the $\sigma$ resonance close to the $\pi\pi$ threshold. While the linear sigma model serves as a qualitative guide, a fully unitary description of the scattering in the strongly coupled regime is given by effective range theory. The introduction of a kinetically mixed dark photon allows the dark pion to either freeze-out or -in. We study the viable parameter space which explains the observed relic abundance while evading all current constraints. Searches for dark matter self interactions at different scales, (in)direct detection signals, and (in)visibly-decaying dark photons will test this model in the near future.

The observation of gravitational waves from compact objects has now become an active part of observational astronomy. For a sound interpretation, one needs to compare such observations against detailed Numerical Relativity simulations, which are essential tools to explore the dynamics and physics of compact binary mergers. To date, essentially all simulation codes that solve the full set of Einstein's equations are performed in the framework of Eulerian hydrodynamics. The exception is our recently developed Numerical Relativity code \SpB which solves the commonly used BSSN formulation of Einstein equations on a structured mesh and the matter equations via Lagrangian particles. We show here, for the first time, \SpB neutron star merger simulations with piecewise polytropic approximations to four nuclear matter equations of state. We introduce some further methodological refinements (a new way of steering dissipation, an improved particle-mesh mapping) and we explore the impact of the exponent that enters in the calculation of the thermal pressure contribution. We find that it leaves a noticeable imprint on the gravitational wave amplitude (calculated via both quadrupole approximation and the $\Psi_4$-formalism) and has a noticeable impact on the amount of dynamic ejecta. Consistent with earlier findings, we only find a few times $10^{-3}$ \Msun as dynamic ejecta in the studied equal mass binary systems, with softer equations of state (which are more prone to shock formation) ejecting larger amounts of matter. We also see a credible high-velocity ($\sim0.5 .. 0.7c$) ejecta component of $\sim 10^{-4}$ \Msun in all our cases. Such a high-velocity component has been suggested to produce an early, blue precursor to the main kilonova emission and it could also potentially cause a kilonova afterglow.

The last findings on stellar and substellar objects in modified gravity are presented, allowing a reader to quickly jump into this topic. Early stellar evolution of low-mass stars, cooling models of brown dwarfs and giant gaseous exoplanets as well as internal structure of terrestrial planets are discussed. Moreover, possible test of models of gravity with the use of the discussed objects are proposed.

The f\'eeton is the gauge boson of the $B-L$ gauge symmetry motivated from the successful generation of the seasaw mechanism and leptogenesis. We show that if the f\'eeton constitutes a small fraction of the dark matter (DM) it can originates the Galactic $511$ keV emission. For the first time among all the proposed DM sources, the f\'eeton DM predicts the injection energy of positrons to be $\lesssim3$\,MeV. This prediction is verified by current observations. The model suggests the $B-L$ breaking scale is in a relatively narrow range, i.e., $V_{B-L}\sim10^{15}-10^{16}\,$GeV, which is consistent with a Grand Unification (GUT) scale seasaw mechanism and has important impacts on early-universe phenomenology. A further investigation on the emission morphology is warranted for a robust test of this f\'eeton scenario.

It has been theoretically studied that superconductivity (SC) can reflect gravitational wave (GW) in the weak gravitational field limit [1]. Based on the feature, in this article an experimental proposal is raised to probe the expected SC in neutron star by means of GW detection. Two binary systems are considered, neutron star-black hole and binary neutron star systems, with weak gravitational field condition imposed. Non-negligible modulation on the total signal caused by the GW reflection is found, which contributes frequency components different from GW frequency. Correspondingly, in time domain, the modulation leads to fluctuation on the amplitude and phase, increasing with the angular velocity. We show that such modulation signals are detectable by the Cosmic Explorer at $100\,\mbox{Mpc}$. Identification of those signals can evince the existence of the long-sought SC in neutron stars as well as the exotic superconductivity-induced GW reflection.

We investigate a consistent scenario of time-varying neutrino masses, and discuss its impact on cosmology, beta decay, and neutrino oscillation experiments. Such time-varying masses are assumed to be generated by the coupling between a sterile neutrino and an ultralight scalar field, which in turn affects the light neutrinos by mixing. We demonstrate how various cosmological bounds, such as those coming from Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the cosmic microwave background, as well as large scale structures, can be evaded in this model. This scenario can be further constrained using multiple terrestrial experiments. In particular, for beta-decay experiments like KATRIN, non-trivial distortions to the electron spectrum can be induced, even when time-variation is fast and gets averaged out. Furthermore, the presence of time-varying masses of sterile neutrinos will alter the interpretation of light sterile neutrino parameter space in the context of the reactor and gallium anomalies. In addition, we also study the impact of such time-varying neutrino masses on results from the BEST collaboration, which have recently strengthened the gallium anomaly. If confirmed, we find that the time-varying neutrino mass hypothesis could give a better fit to the recent BEST data.