Papers for Tuesday, Oct 25 2022

Here, we demonstrate that polarization properties show a wide diversity depending on viewing angles. To simulate images of a supermassive black hole and surrounding plasma, we performed a full-polarimetric general relativistic radiative transfer based on three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics models with moderate magnetic strengths. Under an assumption of a hot-jet and cold-disk in the electron temperature prescription, we confirmed a typical scenario where polarized synchrotron emissions from the funnel jet experience Faraday rotation and conversion in the equatorial disk. Further, we found that linear polarization vectors are inevitably depolarized for edge-on-like observers, whereas a portion of vectors survive and reach the observers in face-on-like cases. We also found that circular polarization components have persistent signs in the face-on cases, and changing signs in the edge-on cases. It is confirmed that these features are smoothly connected via intermediate viewing-angle cases. These results are due to Faraday rotation/conversion for different viewing angles, and suggest that a combination of linear and circular polarimetry can give a constraint on the inclination between the observer and black hole's (and/or disk's) rotating-axis and plasma properties in the jet--disk structure. These can also lead to a more statistical and unified interpretation for a diversity of emissions from active galactic nuclei.

In this review article, we briefly outline our current understanding of the physics associated with the HI 21-cm signal from cosmic dawn. We discuss different phases of cosmic dawn as the ambient gas and the background radiations evolve with the redshift. We address the consequences of several possible heating sources and radiation background on the global 21-cm signal. We further review our present perspective of other important aspects of the HI 21-cm signal such as the power spectrum and imaging. Finally, we highlight the future key measurements of the Square Kilometre Array and other ongoing/upcoming experiments that will enlighten our understanding of the early Universe.

A dissociative merger is formed by the interplay of ram pressure and gravitational forces, which can lead to a spatial displacement of the dark matter and baryonic components of the recently collided subclusters. CIZA J0107.7+5408 is a nearby (z=0.105) dissociative merger that hosts two X-ray brightness peaks and a bimodal galaxy distribution. Analyzing MMT/Hectospec observations, we investigate the line-of-sight and spatial distribution of cluster galaxies. Utilizing deep, high-resolution \textit{Hubble} Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging and large field-of-view Subaru Hyper-Suprime-Cam observations, we perform a weak-lensing analysis of CIZA J0107.7+5408. Our weak-lensing analysis detects a bimodal mass distribution that is spatially consistent with the cluster galaxies but significantly offset from the X-ray brightness peaks. Fitting two NFW halos to the lensing signal, we find an equal-mass merger with subcluster masses of $M_{200,NE}=2.8^{+1.1}_{-1.1}\times10^{14}$ M$_\odot$ and $M_{200,SW}=3.1^{+1.2}_{-1.2}\times10^{14}$ M$_\odot$. Moreover, the mass-to-light ratios of the subclusters, $(M/L)_{NE}=571^{+89}_{-91}$ $M_\odot/L_{\odot,B}$ and $(M/L)_{SW}=564^{+87}_{-89}$ $M_\odot/L_{\odot,B}$, are found to be consistent with each other and within the range of mass-to-light ratios found for galaxy clusters.

We present simulated optical light curves of super-Eddington tidal disruption events (TDEs) using the zero-Bernoulli accretion (ZEBRA) flow model, which proposes that during the super-Eddington phase, the disc is quasi-spherical, radiation-pressure dominated, and accompanied by the production of strong jets. We construct light curves for both on- and off-axis (with respect to the jet) observers to account for the anisotropic nature of the jetted emission. We find that at optical wavelengths, emission from the accretion flow is orders of magnitude brighter than that produced by the jet, even with boosting from synchrotron self-Compton. Comparing to the observed jetted TDE Swift J2058.4+0516, we find that the ZEBRA model accurately captures the timescale for which accretion remains super-Eddington and reproduces the luminosity of the transient. However, we find the shape of the light curves deviate at early times and the radius and temperature of our modelled ZEBRA are $\sim2.7 - 4.1$ times smaller and $\sim1.4 - 2.3$ times larger, respectively, than observed. We suggest that this indicates the ZEBRA inflates more, and more rapidly, than currently predicted by the model, and we discuss possible extensions to the model to account for this. Such refinements, coupled with valuable new data from upcoming large scale surveys, could help to resolve the nature of super-Eddington TDEs and how they are powered.

Gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by binary sources are interesting signals for testing gravity on cosmological scales since they allow measurements of the luminosity distance. When followed by electromagnetic counterparts, in particular, they enable a reconstruction of the GW-distance-redshift relation. In the context of several modified gravity (MG) theories, even when requiring that the speed of propagation is equal to that of light, this GW distance differs from the standard electromagnetic luminosity distance due to the presence of a modified friction in the GW propagation. The very same source of this friction, which is the running of an effective Planck mass, also affects the scalar sector generating gravitational slip, i.e. a difference between the scalar potentials, an observable that can be inferred from large-scale structure (LSS) probes. In this work, we use Horndeski MG to exemplify precisely the fact that, at the linear perturbation level, parametrizing a single function is enough to describe the simultaneous deviations in the GW distance and the slip. By simulating multimessenger GW events that might be detected by the Einstein Telescope in the future, we compare the constraining power of the two observables on this single degree of freedom. We then combine forecasts of an $\textit{Euclid}$-like survey with GW simulations, coming to the conclusion that, when using $\textit{Planck}$ data to better constrain the cosmological parameters, those future data on the scalar and tensor sectors are competitive to probe such deviations from General Relativity, with LSS giving stronger (but more model-dependent) results than GWs.

GraphNeT is an open-source python framework aimed at providing high quality, user friendly, end-to-end functionality to perform reconstruction tasks at neutrino telescopes using graph neural networks (GNNs). GraphNeT makes it fast and easy to train complex models that can provide event reconstruction with state-of-the-art performance, for arbitrary detector configurations, with inference times that are orders of magnitude faster than traditional reconstruction techniques. GNNs from GraphNeT are flexible enough to be applied to data from all neutrino telescopes, including future projects such as IceCube extensions or P-ONE. This means that GNN-based reconstruction can be used to provide state-of-the-art performance on most reconstruction tasks in neutrino telescopes, at real-time event rates, across experiments and physics analyses, with vast potential impact for neutrino and astro-particle physics.

Post-starburst galaxies (PSBs) have recently and rapidly quenched their star-formation, thus they are an important way to understand how galaxies transition from star-forming late-types to quiescent early-types. The recent discovery of large cold gas reservoirs in PSBs calls into question the theory that galaxies must lose their gas to become quiescent. Optical Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) surveys have revealed two classes of PSBs: central PSBs with central quenching regions and ring PSBs with quenching in their outskirts. We analyze a sample of 13 nearby (z < 0.1) PSBs with spatially resolved optical IFS data from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey and matched resolution Atacama Large (sub-)Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of $^{12}$CO(1-0). Disturbed stellar kinematics in 7/13 of our PSBs and centrally concentrated molecular gas is consistent with a recent merger for most of our sample. In galaxies without merger evidence, alternate processes may funnel gas inwards and suppress star-formation, which may include outflows, stellar bars, and minor mergers or interactions. The star-formation efficiencies of the post-starburst regions in nearly half our galaxies are suppressed while the gas fractions are consistent with star-forming galaxies. AGN feedback may drive this stabilization, and we observe AGN-consistent emission in the centers of 5/13 galaxies. Finally, our central and ring PSBs have similar properties except the ionized and molecular gas in central PSBs is more disturbed. Overall, the molecular gas in our PSBs tends to be compact and highly disturbed, resulting in concentrated gas reservoirs unable to form stars efficiently.

We report on observations of highly-varying Si IV 1402.77 line profiles observed with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) during the M-class flare from 2022 January 18 at an unprecedented 0.8 s cadence. Moment analysis of this line observed in flare ribbon kernels showed that the intensity, Doppler velocity, and non-thermal broadening exhibited variations with periods below 10 s. These variations were found to be correlated with properties of the Gaussian fit to a well-resolved secondary component of the line redshifted by up to 70 km s$^{-1}$, while the primary component was consistently observed near the rest wavelength of the line. A particularly high correlation was found between the non-thermal broadening of the line resulting from the moment analysis and the redshift of the secondary component. This means that the oscillatory enhancements in the line broadening were due to plasma flows (away from the observer) with varying properties. A simple de-projection of the Doppler velocities of the secondary component based on a three-dimensional reconstruction of flare loops rooted in the kernel suggests that the observed flows were caused by downflows and compatible with strong condensation flows recently predicted by numerical simulations. Furthermore, peaks of the intensity and the trends of Doppler velocity of the Gaussian fit to the secondary component (averaged in the ribbon) were found to correspond to one of the quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) detected during the event in the soft X-ray flux (as measured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES) and the microwave radio flux (as measured by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array, EOVSA). This result supports a scenario in which the QPPs were driven by repeated magnetic reconnection.

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are significant contributors of matter and energy to the interstellar medium. Understanding the impact and the mechanism of this contribution requires knowledge of the physical size, energy, and expansion rate of individual SNRs, which can only come if reliable distances can be obtained. We aim to determine the distance to the SNR DA 530 (G93.3+6.9), an object of low surface brightness. To achieve this, we used the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory Synthesis Telescope and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array to observe the absorption by intervening HI of the polarized emission from DA 530. Significant absorption was detected at velocities $-28$ and -67 km/s (relative to the local standard of rest), corresponding to distances of 4.4 and 8.3 kpc, respectively. Based on the radio and X-ray characteristics of DA 530, we conclude that the minimum distance is 4.4$^{+0.4}_{-0.2}$ kpc. At this minimum distance, the diameter of the SNR is 34$^{+4}_{-1}$ pc, and the elevation above the Galactic plane is 537$^{+40}_{-32}$ pc. The $-67$ km/s absorption likely occurs in gas whose velocity is not determined by Galactic rotation. We present a new data processing method for combining Stokes $Q$ and $U$ observations of the emission from an SNR into a single HI absorption spectrum, which avoids the difficulties of the noise-bias subtraction required for the calculation of polarized intensity. The polarized absorption technique can be applied to determine distances to many more SNRs.

We present high-precision radial velocities (RVs) from the HARPS-N spectrograph for HD79210 and HD79211, two M0V members of a gravitationally-bound binary system. We detect a planet candidate with a period of $24.421^{+0.016}_{-0.017}$ days around HD79211 in these HARPS-N RVs, validating the planet candidate originally identified in CARMENES RV data alone. Using HARPS-N, CARMENES and HIRES RVs spanning a total of 25 years, we further refine the planet candidate parameters to $P=24.422\pm0.014$ days, $K=3.19\pm0.27$ m/s, $M$ sin $i = 10.6 \pm 1.2 M_\oplus$, and $a = 0.142 \pm0.005$ au. We do not find any additional planet candidate signals in the data of HD79211 nor do we find any planet candidate signals in HD79210. This system adds to the number of exoplanets detected in binaries with M dwarf members, and serves as a case study for planet formation in stellar binaries.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has produced images of the plasma flow around the supermassive black holes in Sgr A* and M87* with a resolution comparable to the projected size of their event horizons. Observations with the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT) will have significantly improved Fourier plane coverage and will be conducted at multiple frequency bands (86, 230, and 345 GHz), each with a wide bandwidth. At these frequencies, both Sgr A* and M87* transition from optically thin to optically thick. Resolved spectral index maps in the near-horizon and jet-launching regions of these supermassive black hole sources can constrain properties of the emitting plasma that are degenerate in single-frequency images. In addition, combining information from data obtained at multiple frequencies is a powerful tool for interferometric image reconstruction, since gaps in spatial scales in single-frequency observations can be filled in with information from other frequencies. Here we present a new method of simultaneously reconstructing inteferometric images at multiple frequencies along with their spectral index maps. The method is based on existing Regularized Maximum Likelihood (RML) methods commonly used for EHT imaging and is implemented in the eht-imaging Python software library. We show results of this method on simulated ngEHT data sets as well as on real data from the VLBA and ALMA. These examples demonstrate that simultaneous RML multi-frequency image reconstruction produces higher-quality and more scientifically useful results than is possible from combining independent image reconstructions at each frequency.

The short-lived buckling instability is responsible for the formation of at least some box/peanut (B/P) shaped bulges, which are observed in most massive, $z=0$, barred galaxies. Nevertheless, it has also been suggested that B/P bulges form via the slow trapping of stars onto vertically extended resonant orbits. The key difference between these two scenarios is that when the bar buckles, symmetry about the mid-plane is broken for a period of time. We use a suite of simulations (with and without gas) to show that when the buckling is sufficiently strong, a residual mid-plane asymmetry persists for several Gyrs after the end of the buckling phase, and is visible in simulation images. On the other hand, images of B/P bulges formed through resonant trapping and/or weak buckling remain symmetric about the mid-plane. We develop two related diagnostics to identify and quantify mid-plane asymmetry in simulation images of galaxies that are within 3{\deg} of edge-on orientation, allowing us to test whether the presence of a B/P-shaped bulge can be explained by a past buckling event. We apply our diagnostics to two nearly edge-on galaxies with B/P bulges from the ${\it Spitzer}$ Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies, finding no mid-plane asymmetry, implying these galaxies formed their bulges either by resonant trapping or by buckling more than $\sim 5$ Gyr ago. We conclude that the formation of B/P bulges through strong buckling may be a rare event in the past $\sim 5$ Gyr.

The conditions under which galactic nuclear regions become active are largely unknown, although it has been hypothesized that secular processes related to galaxy morphology could play a significant role. We investigate this question using optical i-band images of 3096 SDSS quasars and galaxies at 0.3<z<0.6 from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program, which posses a unique combination of area, depth and resolution, allowing the use of residual images, after removal of the quasar and smooth galaxy model, to investigate internal structural features. We employ a variational auto-encoder which is a generative model that acts as a form of dimensionality reduction. We analyze the lower dimensional latent space in search of features which correlate with nuclear activity. We find that the latent space does separate images based on the presence of nuclear activity which appears to be associated with more pronounced components (i.e., arcs, rings and bars) as compared to a matched control sample of inactive galaxies. These results suggest the importance of secular processes, and possibly mergers (by their remnant features) in activating or sustaining black hole growth. Our study highlights the breadth of information available in ground-based imaging taken under optimal seeing conditions and having accurate characterization of the point spread function (PSF) thus demonstrating future science to come from the Rubin Observatory.

The millisecond pulsar J1713+0747 underwent a sudden and significant pulse shape change between April 16 and 17, 2021 (MJDs 59320 and 59321). Subsequently, the pulse shape gradually recovered over the course of several months. We report the results of continued multi-frequency radio observations of the pulsar made using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) and the 100-meter Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in a two-year period encompassing the shape change event, between February 2020 and March 2022. The amplitude of the shape change and the accompanying TOA residuals display a strong non-monotonic dependence on radio frequency, demonstrating that the event is neither a glitch (the effects of which should be independent of frequency) nor a simple change in electron density along the line of sight (the effects of which should depend monotonically on frequency). However, it does bear some resemblance to the two previous "chromatic timing events" observed in J1713+0747 (Demorest et al. 2013; Lam et al. 2016), as well as to a similar event observed in PSR J1643-1224 in 2015 (Shannon et al. 2016).

We present Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the young, gas-rich debris disk around HD110058 at 0.3-0.6\arcsec resolution. The disk is detected in the 0.85 and 1.3~mm continuum, as well as in the J=2-1 and J=3-2 transitions of $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO. The observations resolve the dust and gas distributions and reveal that this is the smallest debris disk around stars of similar luminosity observed by ALMA. The new ALMA data confirm the disk is very close to edge-on, as shown previously in scattered light images. We use radiative transfer modeling to constrain the physical properties of dust and gas disks. The dust density peaks at around 31~au and has a smooth outer edge that extends out to $\sim70$~au. Interestingly, the dust emission is marginally resolved along the minor axis, which indicates that it is vertically thick if truly close to edge-on with an aspect ratio between 0.13 and 0.28. We also find that the CO gas distribution is more compact than the dust \ah{(similarly to the disk around 49 Ceti)}, which could be due to a low viscosity and a higher gas release rate at small radii. Using simulations of the gas evolution taking into account the CO photodissociation, shielding, and viscous evolution, we find that HD~110058's CO gas mass and distribution are consistent with a secondary origin scenario. Finally, we find that the gas densities may be high enough to cause the outward drift of small dust grains in the disk.

We present KaRMMa 2.0, an updated version of the mass map reconstruction code introduced in Fiedorowicz et al. (2022). KaRMMa is a full-sky Bayesian algorithm for reconstructing weak lensing mass maps from shear data. It forward-models the convergence field as a realization of a lognormal field. The corresponding shear map is calculated using the standard Kaiser-Squires transformation, and compared to observations at the field level. The posterior distribution of maps given the shear data is sampled using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo chains. Our work improves on the original algorithm by making it numerically efficient, enabling full-sky reconstructions at $\approx$ 7 arcmin resolution with modest computational resources. These gains are made with no loss in accuracy or precision relative to KaRMMa 1.0. We compare the KaRMMa 2.0 posteriors against simulations across a variety of summary statistics (one-point function, two-point functions, and peak/void counts) to demonstrate our updated algorithm provides an accurate reconstruction of the convergence field at mildly non-linear scales. Unsurprisingly, the lognormal model fails as we approach non-linear scales ($\ell \gtrsim 200$), which in turn biases the map posteriors. These biases are at the 2% level in the recovered power spectrum, and at the 5% to 15% level for other statistics, depending on the resolution.

The spins of black holes in merging binaries can reveal information related to the formation and evolution of these systems. Combining events to infer the astrophysical distribution of black hole spins allows us to determine the relative contribution from different formation scenarios to the population. Many previous works have modeled spin population distributions using parametric models. While these are valuable approaches when the observed population is small, they make strong assumptions about the shape of the underlying distribution and are highly susceptible to biases due to mismodeling. The results obtained with such parametric models are only valid if the allowed shape of the distribution is well-motivated (i.e. for astrophysical reasons). In this work, we relax these prior assumptions and model the spin distributions using a more data-driven approach, modeling these distributions with flexible cubic spline interpolants in order to allow for capturing structures that the parametric models cannot. We find that adding this flexibility to the model substantially increases the uncertainty in the inferred distributions, but find a general trend for lower support at high spin magnitude and a spin tilt distribution consistent with isotropic orientations. We infer that 62 - 87% of black holes have spin magnitudes less than a = 0.5, and 27- 50% of black holes exhibit negative $\chi_{\rm eff}$. Using the inferred $\chi_{\rm eff}$ distribution, we place a conservative upper limit of 37% for the contribution of hierarchical mergers to the astrophysical BBH population. Additionally, we find that artifacts from unconverged Monte Carlo integrals in the likelihood can manifest as spurious peaks and structures in inferred distributions, mandating the use of a sufficient number of samples when using Monte Carlo integration for population inference.

The speeds of isolated pulsars are generally inferred from their observed 2-d velocities on the plane of the sky under the assumption that the unobserved radial velocity is not special, i.e., that the measured 2-d velocity is an isotropic projection of the full 3-d velocity. However, if pulsar spins are preferentially aligned with kicks, then the observer's location is in fact special because the direction of the spin impacts the detectability of the pulsar. This means that the measured 2-d velocity of observable pulsars is not an isotropic projection, which affects inference on 3-d velocities. We estimate this effect and conclude that it could lead to a $\sim 15\%$ systematic over-estimate of neutron star natal kicks if young pulsars have high obliquity angles and narrow beams.

We present new large field-of-view ($\sim$1\deg$\times$1\deg) Ca-CN photometry of the prototypical metal-rich globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104). Our results are the following. (1) The populational number ratios of the red giant branch (RGB) and red horizontal branch (RHB) are in excellent agreement: n(CN-w):n(CN-s) = 30:70 ($\pm$1--2), where the CN-w and CN-s stand for the CN-weak and CN-strong populations, respectively. Both the CN-s RGB and RHB populations are more centrally concentrated than those of CN-w populations are. (2) Our photometric metallicities of individual RGB stars in each population can be well described by bimodal distributions with two metallicity peaks, [Fe/H] $\sim$ $-$0.72 and $-$0.92 dex, where the metal-poor components occupy $\sim$ 13% of the total RGB stars. The metal-poor populations are more significantly centrally concentrated than the metal-rich populations, showing a similar result that we found in M3. (3) The RGB bump $V$ magnitudes of individual populations indicate that there is no difference in the helium abundance between the two metal-poor populations, while the helium enhancement of $\Delta Y$ $\sim$ 0.02--0.03 is required between the the two metal-rich populations. (4) The RHB morphology of 47 Tuc appears to support our idea of the bimodal metallicity distribution of the cluster. We suggest that 47 Tuc could be another example of merger remnants of two globular clusters, similar to M3 and M22.

We combine the kinematics of 159 globular clusters (GCs) provided by the Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR 3) with other observational data to classify the GCs, and to estimate the mass of Milky Way (MW). We use the age-metallicity relation, integrals of motion, action space and the GC orbits to identify the GCs as either formed in-situ (Bulge and Disk) or ex-situ (via accretion). We find that $45.3\%$ have formed in-situ, $38.4\%$ may be related to known merger events: Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, the Helmi streams, the Sequoia galaxy, and the Kraken galaxy. We also further identify three new sub-structures associated with the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. The remaining $16.3\%$ of GCs are unrelated to the known mergers and thought to be from small accretion events. We select 46 GCs which have the radii $8.0<r<37.3$ kpc and obtain the anisotropy parameter $\beta=0.315_{-0.049}^{+0.055}$, which is lower than the recent result using the sample of GCs in Gaia Data Release 2, but still in agreement with it by considering the error bar. By using the same sample, we obtain the MW mass inside the outermost GC as $M(<37.3 kpc)=0.423_{-0.02}^{+0.02}\times10^{12}M_{\odot}$, and the corresponding $M_{200}=1.11_{-0.18}^{+0.25}$. The estimated mass is consistent with the results in many recent studies. We also find that the estimated $\beta$ and mass depend on the selected sample of GCs. However, it is difficult to determine whether a GC fully traces the potential of the MW.

We present the analysis of seven microlensing planetary events with planet/host mass ratios $q < 10^{-4}$: KMT-2017-BLG-1194, KMT-2017-BLG-0428, KMT-2019-BLG-1806, KMT-2017-BLG-1003, KMT-2019-BLG-1367, OGLE-2017-BLG-1806, and KMT-2016-BLG-1105. They were identified by applying the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) AnomalyFinder algorithm to 2016--2019 KMTNet events. A Bayesian analysis indicates that all the lens systems consist of a cold super-Earth orbiting an M or K dwarf. Together with 17 previously published and three that will be published elsewhere, AnomalyFinder has found a total of 27 planets that have solutions with $q < 10^{-4}$ from 2016--2019 KMTNet events, which lays the foundation for the first statistical analysis of the planetary mass-ratio function based on KMTNet data. By reviewing the 27 planets, we find that the missing planetary caustics problem in the KMTNet planetary sample has been solved by AnomalyFinder. We also find a desert of high-magnification planetary signals ($A \gtrsim 65$), and a follow-up project for KMTNet high-magnification events could detect at least two more $q < 10^{-4}$ planets per year and form an independent statistical sample.

Mid-Infrared (IR) silicate dust bands observed in heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) include information on the mineralogical properties of silicate dust. We aim to investigate the mineralogical picture of the circumnuclear region of heavily obscured AGNs to reveal obscured AGN activities through the picture. In our previous study Tsuchikawa et al. (2021), we investigated the properties of silicate dust in heavily obscured AGNs focusing on the mineralogical composition and the crystallinity with Spitzer/IRS 5.3-12 micron spectra. In this study, we model the full-range Spitzer/IRS 5-30 micron spectra of 98 heavily obscured AGNs using a one-dimensional radiative transfer calculation with four dust species in order to evaluate wider ranges of the properties of silicate dust more reliably. Comparing fitting results between four dust models with a different size and porosity, 95 out of the 98 galaxies prefer a porous silicate dust model without micron-sized large grains. The pyroxene mass fraction and the crystallinity are overall consistent with but significantly different from the previous results for the individual galaxies. The pyroxene-poor composition, small dust size and high porosity are similar to newly formed dust around mass-loss stars as seen in our Galaxy, which presumably originates from the recent circumnuclear starburst activity. The high crystallinity on average suggests dust processing induced by AGN activities.

Although H$_{2}$ is the simplest and the most abundant molecule in the Universe, its formation in the interstellar medium, especially in the photodissociation regions is far from being fully understood. According to suggestions, the formation of H$_{2}$ is catalyzed by polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the surface of interstellar grains. In the present study, we have investigated the catalytic effect of small PAHs with an imperfect aromatic system. Quantum chemical computations were performed for the H-atom-abstraction and H-atom-addition reactions of benzene, cyclopentadiene, cycloheptatriene, indene, and 1H-phenalene. Heights of reaction barriers and tunneling reaction rate constants were computed with density functional theory using the MPWB1K functional. For each molecule, the reaction path and the \warn{rate constants} were determined at 50 K using ring-polymer instanton theory, and the temperature dependence of the \warn{rate constants} was investigated for cyclopentadiene and cycloheptatriene. The computational results reveal that defects in the aromatic system compared to benzene can increase the rate of the catalytic H$_{2}$ formation at 50 K.

The existence of the flat rotation curves of galaxies is still perplexing. The dark matter paradigm was proposed long ago to solve this conundrum; however, this proposal is still under debate. In this paper, we search for universal relationships solely involving the baryonic density that incorporate both galactic dynamics and gravitational lensing in galaxy clusters without requiring dark matter. If this type of formula exists, we show that it is possible that it can clearly indicate that dark matter is either perfectly tailored to baryonic matter or, from a more radical point of view, even perhaps useless. If the latter situation is true, then we must give greater visibility to models such as modified inertia (MOND) or even modified gravity (MOG).

The high-speed variability of the local water vapor content in the Earth atmosphere is a significant contributor to ground-based wavefront quality throughout the infrared domain. Unlike dry air, water vapor is highly chromatic, especially in the mid-infrared. This means that adaptive optics correction in the visible or near-infrared domain does not necessarily ensure a high wavefront quality at longer wavelengths. Here, we use literature measurements of water vapor seeing, and more recent infrared interferometric data from the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), to evaluate the wavefront quality that will be delivered to the METIS mid-infrared camera and spectrograph for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), operating from 3 to 13 {\mu}m, after single-conjugate adaptive optics correction in the near-infrared. We discuss how the additional wavefront error due to water vapor seeing is expected to dominate the wavefront quality budget at N band (8-13 {\mu}m), and therefore to drive the performance of mid-infrared high-contrast imaging modes at ELT scale. Then we present how the METIS team is planning to mitigate the effect of water vapor seeing using focal-plane wavefront sensing techniques, and show with end-to-end simulations by how much the high-contrast imaging performance can be improved.

Our goal is to determine, with high accuracy, the physical and orbital parameters of two double-lined eclipsing binary systems, where the components are two giant stars. We also aim to study the evolutionary status of the binaries, to derive the distances towards them by using a surface brightness-colour relation, and to compare these measurements with the measurements presented by the Gaia mission. In order to measure the physical and orbital parameters of the systems, we analysed the light curves and radial-velocity curves with the Wilson-Devinney code. We used V band and I-band photometry from the OGLE catalogue and near-infrared photometry obtained with the New Technology Telescope (NTT) equipped with the SOFI instrument. The spectroscopic data were collected with the HARPS spectrograph mounted at the ESO 3.6m telescope and the MIKE spectrograph mounted at the 6.5m Clay telescope. We present the first analysis of this kind for two evolved eclipsing binary systems from the OGLE catalogue: OGLE-BLG-ECL-305487 and OGLE-BLG-ECL-116218. The masses of the components of OGLE-BLG-ECL-305487 are $M_1$ = 1.059 $\pm$ 0.019 and $M_2$ = 0.991 $\pm$ 0.018 $M_\odot$, and the radii are $R_1$ = 19.27 $\pm$ 0.28 and $R_2$ = 29.99 $\pm$ 0.24 R$_\odot$. For OGLE-BLG-ECL-116218, the masses are $M_1$= 0.969 $\pm$ 0.012 and $M_2$= 0.983 $\pm$ 0.012 $M_\odot$, while the radii are $R_1$= 16.73 $\pm$ 0.28 and $R_2$= 22.06 $\pm$ 0.26 $R_\odot$. The evolutionary status of the systems is discussed based on the PARSEC and MIST isochrones. The ages of the systems were established to be between 7.3-10.9 Gyr for OGLE-BLG-ECL-305487 and around 10 Gyr for OGLE-BLG-ECL-116218. We also measured the distances to the binaries. For OGLE-BLG-ECL-305487, $d$= 7.80 $\pm$ 0.18 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.19 (syst.) kpc and for OGLE-BLG-ECL-116218, $d$= 7.57 $\pm$ 0.28 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.19 (syst.) kpc.

We investigate collapse of magnetic protostellar clouds of mass $10$ and $1 M_{\odot}$. The collapse is simulated numerically using the two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code `Enlil'. The simulations show that protostellar clouds acquire a hierarchical structure by the end of the isothermal stage of collapse. Under the action of the electromagnetic force, the protostellar cloud takes the form of an oblate envelope with the half-thickness to radius ratio $Z/R \sim (0.20-0.95)$. A geometrically and optically thin primary disk with radius $0.2-0.7 R_0$ and $Z/R \sim (10^{-2}-10^{-1})$ forms inside the envelope, where $R_0$ is the initial radius of the cloud. Primary disks are the structures in magnetostatic equilibrium. They form when the initial magnetic energy of the cloud exceeds $20 \%$ of its gravitational energy. The mass of the primary disk is $30-80 \%$ of the initial mass of the cloud. The first hydrostatic core subsequently forms in the center of the primary disc. We discuss the role of primary disks in the further evolution of clouds, as well as possible observational appearance of the internal hierarchy of the collapsing cloud from the point of view of the features of the magnetic field geometry and the distribution of angular momentum at different levels of the hierarchy

New molecular line lists for calcium monohydride ($^{40}$Ca$^{1}$H) and magnesium monohydride ($^{24}$Mg$^{1}$H) and its minor isotopologues ($^{25}$Mg$^{1}$H and $^{26}$Mg$^{1}$H) are presented. The rotation-vibration-electronic (rovibronic) line lists, named \texttt{XAB}, consider transitions involving the \X, \A, and \BBp\ electronic states in the 0--30\,000~cm$^{-1}$ region (wavelengths $\lambda > 0.33$~$\mu$m) and are suitable for temperatures up to 5000 K. A comprehensive analysis of the published spectroscopic literature on CaH and MgH is used to obtain new extensive datasets of accurate rovibronic energy levels with measurement uncertainties and consistent quantum number labelling. These datasets are used to produce new spectroscopic models for CaH and MgH, composed of newly empirically-refined potential energy curves and couplings in/between the different electronic states (e.g.\ spin-orbit, electronic angular momentum, Born-Oppenheimer breakdown, spin-rotation, $\Lambda$-doubling) and previously published \textit{ab initio} transition dipole moment curves. Along with Einstein $A$ coefficients, state lifetimes and Land\'e $g$-factors are provided, the latter being particularly useful as CaH and MgH can be used to probe stellar magnetic fields. Computed energy levels have been replaced with the more accurate empirical values (if available) when post-processing the line lists, thus tailoring the line lists to high resolution applications. The \texttt{XAB} line lists are available from the ExoMol database at this http URL and the CDS astronomical database.

In spite of decades of theoretical efforts, the physical origin of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is still debated. We aim at understanding the influence of various physical processes such as radiative stellar feedback, magnetic field and non-ideal magneto-hydrodynamics on the IMF. We present a series of numerical simulations of collapsing 1000 M$_\odot$ clumps taking into account radiative feedback and magnetic field with spatial resolution down to 1 AU. Both ideal and non-ideal MHD runs are performed and various radiative feedback efficiencies are considered. We also develop analytical models that we confront to the numerical results. The sum of the luminosities produced by the stars in the calculations is computed and it compares well with the bolometric luminosities reported in observations of massive star forming clumps. The temperatures, velocities and densities are also found to be in good agreement with recent observations. The stellar mass spectrum inferred for the simulations is, generally speaking, not strictly universal and in particular varies with magnetic intensity. It is also influenced by the choice of the radiative feedback efficiency. In all simulations, a sharp drop in the stellar distribution is found at about $M_{min} \simeq$ 0.1 M$_\odot$, which is likely a consequence of the adiabatic behaviour induced by dust opacities at high densities. As a consequence, when the combination of magnetic and thermal support is not too large, the mass distribution presents a peak located at 0.3-0.5 M$_\odot$. When magnetic and thermal support are large, the mass distribution is better described by a plateau, i.e. $d N / d \log M \propto M^{-\Gamma}$, $\Gamma \simeq 0$. Abridged

Silicon mononitride ($^{28}$Si$^{14}$N, $^{29}$Si$^{14}$N, $^{30}$Si$^{14}$N, $^{28}$Si$^{15}$N) line lists covering infrared, visible and ultraviolet regions are presented. The \name\ line lists produced by ExoMol include rovibronic transitions between six electronic states: \XS, \AS, \BS, \DS, \asi, \bsi. The \ai\ potential energy and coupling curves, computed at the multireference configuration interaction (MRCI/aug-cc-pVQZ) level of theory, are refined for the observed states by fitting their analytical representations to 1052 experimentally derived SiN energy levels determined from rovibronic bands belonging to the $X$--$X$, $A$--$X$ and $B$--$X$ electronic systems through the MARVEL procedure. The SiNful line lists are compared to previously observed spectra, recorded and calculated lifetimes, and previously calculated partition functions. SiNful is available via the \url{www.exomol.com} database.

Any future detection of the calcium monohydroxide radical (CaOH) in stellar and exoplanetary atmospheres will rely on accurate molecular opacity data. Here, we present the first comprehensive molecular line list of CaOH covering the \A--\X\ rotation-vibration-electronic and \X--\X\ rotation-vibration bands. The newly computed OYT6 line list contains over 24.2 billion transitions between 3.2 million energy levels with rotational excitation up to $J=175.5$. It is applicable to temperatures up to $T=3000$~K and covers the 0\,--\,35\,000~cm$^{-1}$ range (wavelengths $\lambda > 0.29$~$\mu$m) for rotational, rotation-vibration and the \A--\X\ electronic transition. The strong band around 16\,000~cm$^{-1}$ ($\lambda = 0.63$~$\mu$m) is likely to be of interest in future astronomical observations, particularly in hot rocky exoplanets where temperatures can become extremely high. The OYT6 line list has been generated using empirically-refined \X\ and \A\ state potential energy surfaces, high-level \textit{ab initio} transition dipole moment surfaces and a rigorous treatment of both Renner-Teller and spin-orbit coupling effects, which are necessary for correctly modelling the CaOH spectrum. Post-processing of the CaOH line list has been performed so as to tailor it to high-resolution applications, i.e.\ by replacing calculated energy levels with more accurate empirically-derived values (where available), hence improving the accuracy of the predicted line positions in certain regions. The OYT6 line list is available from the ExoMol database at this http URL and the CDS astronomical database.

The WALLABY pilot survey has been conducted using the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP). The integrated 21-cm HI line spectra are formed in a very different manner compared to usual single-dish spectra Tully-Fisher measurements. It is thus extremely important to ensure that slight differences (e.g. biases due to missing flux) are quantified and understood in order to maximise the use of the large amount of data becoming available soon. This article is based on four fields for which the data are scientifically interesting by themselves. The pilot data discussed here consist of 614 galaxy spectra at a rest wavelength of 21cm. Of these spectra, 472 are of high enough quality to be used to potentially derive distances using the Tully-Fisher relation. We further restrict the sample to the 251 galaxies whose inclination is sufficiently close to edge-on. For these, we derive Tully-Fisher distances using the deprojected WALLABY velocity widths combined with infrared (WISE W1) magnitudes. The resulting Tully-Fisher distances for the Eridanus, Hydra, Norma and NGC 4636 clusters are 21.5, 53.5, 69.4 and 23.0 Mpc respectively, with uncertainties of 5--10\%, which are better or equivalent to the ones obtained in studies using data obtained with giant single dish telescopes. The pilot survey data show the benefits of WALLABY over previous giant single-dish telescope surveys. WALLABY is expected to detect around half a million galaxies with a mean redshift of $z = 0.05 (200 Mpc)$. This study suggests that about 200,000 Tully-Fisher distances might result from the survey.

Star formation is a complex process that typically occurs in dense regions of molecular clouds mainly regulated by magnetic fields, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, and self-gravity. However, it remains a challenging endeavor to trace the magnetic field and determine regions of gravitational collapse where the star is forming. Based on the anisotropic properties of MHD turbulence, a new technique termed Velocity Gradient Technique (VGT) has been proposed to address these challenges. In this study, we apply the VGT to two regions of the giant California Molecular Cloud (CMC), namely, L1478 and L1482, and analyze the difference in their physical properties. We use the $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, and C$^{18}$O emission lines observed with the Submillimeter Telescope. We compare VGT results calculated in the resolutions of $3.3'$ and $10'$ to Planck polarization at 353 GHz and $10'$ to determine areas of MHD turbulence dominance and gravitational collapse dominance. We show that the resolution difference can introduce misalignment between the two measurements. We find the VGT-measured magnetic fields globally agree with that from Planck in L1478 suggesting self-gravity's effect is insignificant. The best agreement appears in VGT-$^{12}$CO. As for L1482, the VGT measurements are statistically perpendicular to the Planck polarization indicating the dominance of self-gravity. This perpendicular alignment is more significant in VGT-$^{13}$CO and VGT-C$^{18}$O.

We present total-intensity and polarized-intensity images of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant (SNR) observed by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The high angular-resolution and high-sensitivity images enable us to thoroughly compare the properties of the northern part with the southern part of the SNR. The central filament in the northern part and the southern part have a similar foreground rotation measure, meaning their distances are likely similar. The polarization analysis indicates that the random magnetic field is larger than the regular field in the northern part, but negligible in the southern part. The total-intensity image is decomposed into components of various angular scales, and the brightness-temperature spectral index of the shell structures in the northern part is similar to that in the southern part in the component images. All these evidence suggest that the northern and southern part of the Cygnus Loop are situated and thus evolved in different environments of interstellar medium, while belonging to the same SNR.

We present XSLIDE (X-Ray Spectral Line IDentifier and Explorer), a graphical user interface that has been designed as a quick-look tool for the upcoming X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). XSLIDE is a simple and user-friendly application that allows for the interactive plotting of spectra from XRISM's Resolve instrument without requiring the selection of models for forward-fitting. XSLIDE performs common tasks such as rebinning, continuum fitting, automatically detecting lines, assigning detected lines to known atomic transitions, spectral diagnostics, and more. It is expected that XSLIDE will allow XRISM's scientific investigators to rapidly examine many spectra to find those which contain spectral lines of particular interest, and it will also allow astronomers from outside the field of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy to easily interact with XRISM data.

An important tracer of the origin and evolution of cometary ices is the comparison with ices found in dense clouds and towards Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). We present a survey of ices in the 2-5 micron spectra of 23 massive YSOs, taken with the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility SpeX spectrometer. The 4.90 micron absorption band of OCS ice is detected in 20 sight-lines, more than five times the previously known detections. The absorption profile shows little variation and is consistent with OCS being embedded in CH3OH-rich ices, or proton-irradiated H2S or SO2-containing ices. The OCS column densities correlate well with those of CH3OH and OCN-, but not with H2O and apolar CO ice. This association of OCS with CH3OH and OCN- firmly establishes their formation location deep inside dense clouds or protostellar envelopes. The median composition of this ice phase towards massive YSOs, as a percentage of H2O, is CO:CH3OH:OCN-:OCS=24:20:1.53:0.15. CS, due to its low abundance, is likely not the main precursor to OCS. Sulfurization of CO is likely needed, although the source of this sulfur is not well constrained. Compared to massive YSOs, low mass YSOs and dense clouds have similar CO and CH3OH ice abundances, but less OCN- and more apolar CO, while OCS awaits detection. Comets tend to be under-abundant in carbon-bearing species, but this does not appear to be the case for OCS, perhaps signalling OCS production in protoplanetary disks.

We investigate the effect of photon-ALP oscillations on the gamma-ray spectra of TXS 0506+056 using observations by Fermi Large Area Telescope (FERMI-LAT) and Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes (MAGIC) data. We individually used both the quiescent and the two VHE flaring phases around IC170922-A and additionally, the 2014 neutrino flare phase for the source to study the ALP effect at sub-PeV energies.

The vertical structure of the accretion disks of young stars with fossil large-scale magnetic field is studied. The equations of magnetostatic equilibrium of the disk are solved taking into account the stellar gravity, gas and magnetic pressure, turbulent heating, and heating by stellar radiation. The modelled physical structure of the disk is used to simulate its chemical structure, in particular, to study the spatial distribution of CN molecules. The disk of the typical T Tauri star is considered. Simulations show that the temperature within the disk in the region $r<50$ au decreases with height and density profiles are steeper than in the isothermal case. Outside the `dead' zone, vertical profiles of the azimuthal component of the magnetic field are nonmonotonic, and the magnetic field strength maximum is reached within the disk. The magnetic pressure gradient can cause an increase in the disk thickness in comparison with the hydrostatic one. The CN molecule concentration is maximum near the photosphere and in the disk atmosphere where the magnetic field strength at chosen parameters is $\sim 0.01$ G. Measurements of the Zeeman splitting of CN lines in the submm range can be used to determine the magnetic field strength in these regions of accretion disks.

The tomographic Alcock-Paczynski (AP) method is a promising method that uses the redshift evolution of the anisotropic clustering in redshift space to calibrate cosmology. It extends the applicable range of AP method to substantially nonlinear scales, yielding very tight cosmological constraints. For future stage-IV slitless spectroscopic surveys, the non-negligible redshift errors might reduce the advantage of the tomographic AP method by suppressing the resolution of the nonlinear structure along the line of sight. The present work studies how redshift errors propagate to cosmological parameters in the tomographic AP analysis. We use a formula $\sigma_z = \sigma(1+z)^{\alpha} $ to model the redshift errors, with $\sigma$ varying from 0.001 to 0.006 and $\alpha$ varying from 0.5 to 1.5. The redshift errors produce a signal of anisotropic clustering that is similar to a strong finger-of-god effect, which smears out both the AP signal and the contamination caused by the redshift space distortions (RSD). For the target precision of the Chinese Space Station Telescope optical survey ($\sigma\lesssim 0.002$), the decrement of constraining power on the dark energy equation of state is mild ($\lesssim 50\%$), and the suppression of RSD contamination leads to a smaller bias-to-signal ratio. Our results indicate that the tomographic AP method will remain a useful and complementary tool for analyses of future slitless spectroscopic surveys.

The properties of dust change during the transition from diffuse to dense clouds as a result of ice formation and dust coagulation, but much is still unclear about this transformation. We present 2-20 micron spectra of 49 field stars behind the Perseus and Serpens Molecular Clouds and establish relationships between the near-infrared continuum extinction (AK) and the depths of the 9.7 micron silicate (tau97) and 3.0 micron H2O ice (tau30) absorption bands. The tau97/AK ratio varies from large, diffuse interstellar medium-like values (~0.55), to much lower ratios (~0.26). Above extinctions of AK~1.2 (AV~10; Perseus, Lupus, dense cores) and ~2.0 (AV~17; Serpens), the tau97/AK ratio is lowest. The tau97/AK reduction from diffuse to dense clouds is consistent with a moderate degree of grain growth (sizes up to ~0.5 micron), increasing the near-infrared color excess (and thus AK), but not affecting ice and silicate band profiles. This grain growth process seems to be related to the ice column densities and dense core formation thresholds, highlighting the importance of density. After correction for Serpens foreground extinction, the H2O ice formation threshold is in the range of AK=0.31-0.40 (AV=2.6-3.4) for all clouds, and thus grain growth takes place after the ices are formed. Finally, abundant CH3OH ice (~21% relative to H2O) is reported for 2MASSJ18285266+0028242 (Serpens), a factor of >4 larger than for the other targets.

We report an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) with extremely high equivalent width (EW), EW(LyA+NV,rest)>921 AA in the rest-frame, at z~2.24 in the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment Survey (HETDEX) as a representative case of the high EW AGN population. The continuum level is a non-detection in the HETDEX spectrum, thus the measured EW is a lower limit. The source is detected with significant emission lines (>7sigma) at LyA+NV, CIV, and moderate emission line (~4sigma) at HeII within the wavelength coverage of HETDEX (3500 AA - 5500 AA). The r-band magnitude is 24.57 from the Hyper Suprime-Cam-HETDEX joint survey with a detection limit of r=25.12 at 5sigma. The LyA emission line spans a clearly resolved region of ~10 arcsec (85 kpc) in diameter. The LyA line profile is strongly double peaked. The spectral decomposed blue gas and red gas Ly$\alpha$ emission are separated by ~1.2 arcsec (10.1 kpc) with a line-of-sight velocity offset of ~1100 km/s. This source is probably an obscured AGN with powerful winds.

We consider the gas dynamics in an accreting binary system of degenerate stars within the framework of the Newtonian approximation. In such a system, the accretion stream can impact the surface of a white dwarf (WD) or neutron star (NS) as a result of the very compact orbit. This causes a loss of angular momentumfrom the orbit and spin-up of the accretor. We construct approximations for the specific angular momentum of the accreting matter which goes to spin up the accretor and some other parameters of the system. It is shown that the obtained approximation of the specific momentum is qualitatively different from the widely used Keplerian formula. It should affect the boundary between scenarios of immediate tidal disruption and slow mass loss of the donor in WD-WD and NS-NS binaries, as well as the time of stable mass transfer in the stripping scenario.

Context. Planets around stars in the solar neighbourhood will be prime targets for characterisation with upcoming large space- and ground-based facilities. Since large-scale exoplanet searches will not be feasible with such telescopes, it is crucial to use currently available data and instruments to find possible target planets before next generation facilities come online. Aims. We aim at detecting new extrasolar planets around stars in the solar neighbourhood by blind radial velocity (RV) search with ESPRESSO. Our target sample consist of nearby stars (d < 11 pc) with little (< 10) or no previous RV measurements. Methods. We use 31 radial velocity measurements obtained with ESPRESSO at the VLT between December 2020 and February 2022 of the nearby M dwarf star (M_star = 0.21 M_sun, d = 10.23 pc) L 363-38 to derive the orbital parameters of the newly discovered planet. In addition, we use TESS photometry and archival VLT/NaCo high contrast imaging data to put further constraints on the orbit inclination and the possible planetary system architecture around L 363-38. Results. We present the detection of a new extrasolar planet orbiting the nearby M dwarf star L 363-38. L 363-38 b is a planet with minimum mass mp sin(i) = 4.67+/-0.43 M_Earth orbiting its star with a period P = 8.781+/-0.007 d, corresponding to a semi-major axis a = 0.048+/-0.006 AU, which is well inside the inner edge of the habitable zone. We further estimate a minimum radius rp sin(i) = 1.55 - 2.75 R_Earth and an equilibrium temperature Teq = 330K.

Magnetic flux emergence from the solar interior to the atmosphere is believed to be a key process of formation of solar active regions and driving solar eruptions. Due to the limited capability of observation, the flux emergence process is commonly studied using numerical simulations. In this paper, we developed a numerical model to simulate the emergence of a twisted magnetic flux tube from the convection zone to the corona using the AMR--CESE--MHD code, which is based on the conservation-element solution-element method with adaptive mesh refinement. The result of our simulation agrees with that of many previous ones with similar initial conditions but using different numerical codes. In the early stage, the flux tube rises from the convection zone as driven by the magnetic buoyancy until it reaches close to the photosphere. The emergence is decelerated there and with piling-up of the magnetic flux, the magnetic buoyancy instability is triggered, which allows the magnetic field to partially enter into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, two gradually separated polarity concentration zones appear in the photospheric layer, transporting the magnetic field and energy into the atmosphere through their vortical and shearing motions. Correspondingly, the coronal magnetic field has also been reshaped to a sigmoid configuration containing a thin current layer, which resembles the typical pre-eruptive magnetic configuration of an active region. Such a numerical framework of magnetic flux emergence as established will be applied in future investigations of how solar eruptions are initiated in flux emergence active regions.

To reach the full potential of the new generation of ground based telescopes, an extremely fine adjustment of the phase is required. Wavefront control and correction before detection has therefore become one of the cornerstones of instruments to achieve targeted performance, especially for high-contrast imaging. A crucial feature of accurate wavefront control leans on the wavefront sensor (WFS). We present a strategy to design new Fourier-Filtering WFS that encode the phase close from the fundamental photon efficiency limit. This strategy seems promising as it generates highly sensitive sensors suited for different pupil shape configurations.

The growth of a longitudinal or quasi-longitudinal Langmuir mode in the outward-moving beam of ions and protons that forms the open sector of an ion-proton pulsar magnetosphere radiates as an analogue of an end-fed high-impedance horizontal straight-wire antenna an integral number of half-waves in length. The radiation has, broadly, the energy flux, linear polarization and spectral index that are widely observed: also, the notch phenomenon seen in some integrated pulse profiles occurs naturally. The new field of pulsar observations below 100 MHz may lead to productive tests of the radio emission mechanism.

In this paper, we present a deep learning system approach to estimating luminosity, effective temperature, and surface gravity of O-type stars using the optical region of the stellar spectra. In previous work, we compare a set of machine learning and deep learning algorithms in order to establish a reliable way to fit a stellar model using two methods: the classification of the stellar spectra models and the estimation of the physical parameters in a regression-type task. Here we present the process to estimate individual physical parameters from an artificial neural network perspective with the capacity to handle stellar spectra with a low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), in the $<$20 S/N boundaries. The development of three different recurrent neural network systems, the training process using stellar spectra models, the test over nine different observed stellar spectra, and the comparison with estimations in previous works are presented. Additionally, characterization methods for stellar spectra in order to reduce the dimensionality of the input data for the system and optimize the computational resources are discussed.

The collapse of the magnetic rotating protostellar cloud with mass of $10\,M_{\odot}$ is numerically studied. The initial ratios of the thermal, magnetic, and rotational energies of the cloud to the modulus of its gravitational energy are 0.3, 0.2 and 0.01, respectively. The emphasis is on the evolution and properties of the quasi-magnetostatic primary disk formed at the isothermal stage of the collapse. Simulations show that the primary disk size and mass increase during evolution from $1500$ au to $7400$ au and from $0.3\,M_{\odot}$ to $5.2\,M_{\odot}$, respectively. Magnetic field is quasi-radial in the cloud envelope and quasi-uniform within the primary disk. A toroidal magnetic field is generated behind the front of the fast shock MHD wave propagating from the primary disk boundary and in the region of the outflow formed near the first hydrostatic core. The hierarchical structure of collapsing protostellar clouds can be revealed in observations in terms of the magnetic field geometry and the angular momentum distribution.

We search for a spatial association between radio pulsars and ultra-high energy neutrinos using the publicly available IceCube point source neutrino events catalog. For this purpose we use the unbinned maximum likelihood method to search for a statistically significant excess from each of the pulsars in the ATNF catalog. We do not find any pulsars with detection significance much higher than that expected from a Gaussian distribution, Therefore, we conclude that none of the currently known pulsars contribute to the diffuse neutrino flux detected by IceCube.

We study how supersonic streaming velocities of baryons relative to dark matter -- a large-scale effect imprinted at recombination and coherent over $\sim 3$ Mpc scales -- affects the formation of dwarf galaxies at $z \gtrsim 5$. We perform cosmological hydrodynamic simulations, including and excluding streaming velocities, in regions centered on halos with $M_{\rm vir}(z=0) \approx 10^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$; the simulations are part of the Feedback In Realistic Environments (FIRE) project and run with FIRE-3 physics. Our simulations comprise many thousands of systems with halo masses between $M_{\rm vir} = 2\times10^{5}$ M$_{\odot}$ and $2\times10^9$ M$_{\odot}$ in the redshift range $z=20-5$. A few hundred of these galaxies form stars and have stellar masses ranging from 100 to $10^7$ M$_{\odot}$. While star formation is globally delayed by approximately 50 Myr in the streaming relative to non-streaming simulations and the number of luminous galaxies is correspondingly suppressed at high redshift in the streaming runs, these effects decay with time. By $z=5$, the properties of the simulated galaxies are nearly identical in the streaming versus non-streaming runs, indicating that any effects of streaming velocities on the properties of galaxies at the mass scale of classical dwarfs and larger do not persist to $z=0$.

We introduce the first complete non-parametric model for the astrophysical distribution of the binary black hole (BBH) population. Constructed from basis splines, we use these models to conduct the most comprehensive data-driven investigation of the BBH population to date, simultaneously fitting non-parametric models for the BBH mass ratio, spin magnitude and misalignment, and redshift distributions for the first time. Using the BBHs in GWTC-3, we report the same features recovered with similarly flexible models of the mass distribution, most notably the peaks in merger rates at primary masses of ${\sim}10\,M_\odot$ and ${\sim}35\,M_\odot$. We find a suppressed merger rate at low primary masses and a mass ratio distribution consistent with a power law. The distribution for primary spin misalignments we infer peaks away from alignment, while the magnitude distribution exhibits broad agreement with previous inferences: the majority of BBH spins are small ($a<0.5$), the distribution peaks at $a\sim0.2$, and there is mild support for a non-spinning subpopulation, which may be resolved with larger catalogs. With a modulated power law describing the BBH merger rate's evolution in redshift, we see hints of the rate evolution either flattening or decreasing at $z\sim0.2-0.5$, but the full distribution remains entirely consistent with a monotonically increasing power law. We conclude with a discussion of the astrophysical context of our new findings and how non-parametric methods in gravitational-wave population inference are uniquely poised to complement to the parametric approach as we enter the data-rich era of gravitational-wave astronomy.

Observations of WASP-121 b have suggested an under-abundance of titanium and titanium-oxide from its terminator region. In this study, we aim to determine whether this depletion is global by investigating the day-side emission spectrum. We analyse 8 epochs of high-resolution spectra obtained with the ESPRESSO spectrograph at optical wavelengths, targeting orbital phases when the day-side is in view. We use a cross-correlation method to search for various atoms, TiO and VO and compare to models. We constrain the velocities and phase-function of the emission signal using a Bayesian framework. We report significant detections of Ca I, V I, Cr I, Fe I and Ni I, but not T i or TiO. Models containing Ti are unable to reproduce the data. The detected signals are consistent with the known orbital and systemic velocities and with peak emission originating from the sub-stellar point. We find that Ti is depleted from regions of the atmosphere where transmission and emission spectroscopy are sensitive. Supported by recent HST observations that constrain the night-side temperature, we interpret this as evidence for the night-side condensation of titanium, preventing it from being mixed back into the upper layers of the atmosphere elsewhere on the planet. Species with lower condensation temperatures are unaffected, implying sharp chemical transitions exist between ultra-hot Jupiters that have slight differences in temperature or dynamical properties. As TiO can act as a strong source of stratospheric heating, cold-trapping creates a coupling between the thermal structures on the day-side and night-side, and thus condensation chemistry needs to be included in global circulation models. Observed elemental abundances in hot Jupiters are not reliably representative of bulk abundances unless night-side condensation is accounted for or the planet is hot enough to avoid night-side cold-traps entirely.

Recently an extraordinarily bright gamma-ray burst, GRB 221009A, was observed by several facilities covering the whole electromagnetic spectrum. Gamma rays with energies up to 18 TeV were detected, as well as a photon with 251 TeV. Such energetic events are not expected because they would be attenuated by pair-production interactions with the extragalactic background light. This tension is, however, only apparent, and does not call for any unconventional explanation. Here I show that these observations could be interpreted as the result of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) interacting with cosmological radiation fields during their journey to Earth, provided that intergalactic magnetic fields are reasonably weak. If this hypothesis is correct, it would establish bursts like GRB 221009A as UHECR sources.

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, a key mission in multiwavelength and multimessenger studies, has been surveying the gamma-ray sky from its low-Earth orbit since 2008. Its two scientific instruments, the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and the Large Area Telescope (LAT), cover 8 orders of magnitude in photon energy. The GBM consists of 12 Sodium Iodide detectors and 2 Bismuth Germinate detectors, covering the 10 keV - 40 MeV energy range, arrayed on two sides of the spacecraft so as to view the entire sky that is not occulted by the Earth. The LAT is a pair production telescope based on silicon strip trackers, a Cesium Iodide calorimeter, and a plastic scintillator anticoincidence system. It covers the energy range from about 20 MeV to more than 500 GeV, with a field of view of about 2.4 steradians. Thanks to their huge fields of view, the instruments can observe the entire sky with a cadence of about an hour for GBM and about three hours for LAT. All gamma-ray data from Fermi become public immediately, enabling a broad range of multiwavelength and multimessenger research. Over 3000 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), including GRB 170817A associated with a neutron star merger detected in gravitational waves, and 5000 high-energy sources, including the blazar TXS 0506+056 associated with high-energy neutrinos, have been detected by the Fermi instruments. The Fermi Science Support Center provides a wide array of resources to enable scientific use of the data, including background models, source catalogs, analysis software, documentation, and a Help Desk.

We simulate the propagation and dissipation of tidally induced nonlinear gravity waves in the cores of solar-type stars. We perform hydrodynamical simulations of a previously developed Boussinesq model using a spectral-element code to study the stellar core as a wave cavity that is periodically forced at the outer boundary with a given azimuthal wavenumber and an adjustable frequency. For low-amplitude forcing, the system exhibits resonances with standing g-modes at particular frequencies, corresponding to a situation in which the tidal torque is highly frequency-dependent. For high-amplitude forcing, the excited waves break promptly near the centre and spin up the core so that subsequent waves are absorbed in an expanding critical layer, as found in previous work, leading to a tidal torque with a smooth frequency-dependence. For intermediate-amplitude forcing, we find that linear damping of the waves gradually spins up the core such that the resonance condition can be altered drastically. The system can evolve towards or away from g-mode resonances, depending on the difference between the forcing frequency and the closest eigenfrequency. Eventually, a critical layer forms and absorbs the incoming waves, leading to a situation similar to the high-amplitude case in which the waves break promptly. We study the dependence of this process on the forcing amplitude and frequency, as well as on the diffusion coefficients. We emphasize that the small Prandtl number in the centre of solar-like stars facilitates the development of a differentially rotating core owing to the nonlinear feedback of waves. Our simulations and analysis reveal that this important mechanism may drastically change the phase of gravity waves and thus the classical picture of resonance locking in solar-type stars needs to be revised.

Interstellar (ISM) and circumgalactic medium (CGM) around galaxies are linked to several physical processes that drive galaxy evolution. For example, the X-ray emission from the CGM gas around ellipticals has been linked to the AGN feedback occurring in the host. Upcoming telescopes such as HUBS, with ~ 1 eV resolution, can provide us with deep insights about the hot gas properties of such galaxies thus constrain these processes. In this project, we discuss X-ray emission of the ISM and CGM of elliptical galaxies simulated using MACER code. We generate X-ray emission data from the MACER simulations with various feedback models and produce mock observations for an instrument with high spectral resolution, which is a necessary step of selecting sources for the future observations with planned mission such as HUBS. More importantly, we establish connections between the physics of AGN and stellar feedback with the emission spectra from the ISM and CGM to investigate the possibility of using observations to constrain feedback models. We fit the X-ray spectra from these simulations with standard fitting procedures and compare the retrieved physical properties with their counterparts from the simulations to understand whether the future high-resolution observations can reliably reveal the properties of the gas in the galaxies.

The GRB 190829A has been widely studied due to its nature and the high energy emission presented. Due to the detection of a very-high-energy component by the High Energy Stereoscopic System and the event's atypically middling luminosity, it has been categorized in a select, limited group of bursts bordering classic GRBs and nearby sub-energetic events. Given the range of models utilized to adequately characterize the afterglow of this burst, it has proven challenging to identify the most probable explanation. Nevertheless, the detection of polarization data provided by the MASTER collaboration has added a new aspect to GRB 190829A that permits us to attempt to explore this degeneracy. In this paper, we present a polarization model coupled with a synchrotron forward-shock model -- a component in all models used to describe GRB 190829A's afterglow -- in order to fit the polarization's temporal evolution with the existing upper limits ($\Pi < 6\%$). We find that the polarization generated from an on-axis emission is favored for strongly anisotropic magnetic field ratios, while an off-axis scenario cannot be fully ruled out when a more isotropic framework is taken into account.

AI super-resolution, combining deep learning and N-body simulations has been shown to successfully reproduce the large scale structure and halo abundances in the Lambda Cold Dark Matter cosmological model. Here, we extend its use to models with a different dark matter content, in this case Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM), in the approximation that the difference is encoded in the initial power spectrum. We focus on redshift z = 2, with simulations that model smaller scales and lower masses, the latter by two orders of magnitude, than has been done in previous AI super-resolution work. We find that the super-resolution technique can reproduce the power spectrum and halo mass function to within a few percent of full high resolution calculations. We also find that halo artifacts, caused by spurious numerical fragmentation of filaments, are equally present in the super-resolution outputs. Although we have not trained the super-resolution algorithm using full quantum pressure FDM simulations, the fact that it performs well at the relevant length and mass scales means that it has promise as technique which could avoid the very high computational cost of the latter, in some contexts. We conclude that AI super-resolution can become a useful tool to extend the range of dark matter models covered in mock catalogs.

Radio frequency data in astronomy enable scientists to analyze astrophysical phenomena. However, these data can be corrupted by a host of radio frequency interference (RFI) sources that limit the ability to observe underlying natural processes. In this study, we extended recent work in image processing to remove RFI from time-frequency spectrograms containing auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), a coherent radio emission originating from the Earth's auroral zones that is used to study astrophysical plasmas. We present a Denoising Autoencoder for Auroral Radio Emissions (DAARE) trained with synthetic spectrograms to denoise AKR spectrograms collected at the South Pole Station. DAARE achieved 42.2 peak-signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and 0.981 structural similarity (SSIM) on synthesized AKR observations, improving PSNR by 3.9 and SSIM by 0.064 compared to state-of-the-art filtering and denoising networks. Qualitative comparisons demonstrate DAARE's denoising capability to effectively remove RFI from real AKR observations, despite being trained completely on a dataset of simulated AKR. The framework for simulating AKR, training DAARE, and employing DAARE can be accessed at https://github.com/Cylumn/daare.

Fallback supernovae and the collapsar scenario for long-gamma ray burst and hypernovae have received considerable interest as pathways to black-hole formation and extreme transient events. Consistent simulations of these scenarios require a general relativistic treatment and need to deal appropriately with the formation of a singularity. Free evolution schemes for the Einstein equations can handle the formation of black holes by means of excision or puncture schemes. However, in constrained schemes, which offer distinct advantages in long-term numerical stability in stellar collapse simulations over well above $10^{4}$ light-crossing time scales, the dynamical treatment of black-hole spacetimes is more challenging. Building on previous work on excision in conformally flat spacetimes, we here present the implementation of a black-hole excision scheme for supernova simulations with the CoCoNuT-FMT neutrino transport code. We describe in detail a choice of boundary conditions that ensures long-time numerical stability, and also address upgrades to the hydrodynamics solver that are required to stably evolve the relativistic accretion flow onto the black hole. The scheme is currently limited to a spherically symmetric metric, but the hydrodynamics can be treated multi-dimensionally. For demonstration, we present a spherically symmetric simulation of black-hole formation in an $85 M_\odot$ star, as well as a two-dimensional simulation of the fallback explosion of the same progenitor. These extend past 9s and 0.3s after black-hole formation, respectively.

Neutrinos associated with solar flares (solar-flare neutrinos) provide information on particle acceleration mechanisms during the impulsive phase of solar flares. We searched using the Super-Kamiokande detector for neutrinos from solar flares that occurred during solar cycles $23$ and $24$, including the largest solar flare (X28.0) on November 4th, 2003. In order to minimize the background rate we searched for neutrino interactions within narrow time windows coincident with $\gamma$-rays and soft X-rays recorded by satellites. In addition, we performed the first attempt to search for solar-flare neutrinos from solar flares on the invisible side of the Sun by using the emission time of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). By selecting twenty powerful solar flares above X5.0 on the visible side and eight CMEs whose emission speed exceeds $2000$ $\mathrm{km \, s^{-1}}$ on the invisible side from 1996 to 2018, we found two (six) neutrino events coincident with solar flares occurring on the visible (invisible) side of the Sun, with a typical background rate of $0.10$ ($0.62$) events per flare in the MeV-GeV energy range. No significant solar-flare neutrino signal above the estimated background rate was observed. As a result we set the following upper limit on neutrino fluence at the Earth $\mathit{\Phi}<1.1\times10^{6} \mathrm{cm^{-2}}$ at the $90\%$ confidence level for the largest solar flare. The resulting fluence limits allow us to constrain some of the theoretical models for solar-flare neutrino emission.

The Pierre Auger Observatory, being the largest air-shower experiment in the world, offers an unprecedented exposure to neutral particles at the highest energies. Since the start of data taking more than 18 years ago, various searches for ultra-high-energy (UHE, $E\gtrsim10^{17}\,\text{eV}$) photons have been performed: either for a diffuse flux of UHE photons, for point sources of UHE photons or for UHE photons associated with transient events like gravitational wave events. In the present paper, we summarize these searches and review the current results obtained using the wealth of data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Jet re-orientation associated with the time evolution of radio quasars explains the formation of X-shaped radio galaxies and their preference for isolated environments. But since X-shaped radio galaxies are generally not found in dense environments (e.g. groups/clusters), the jet re-orientation phenomenon for radio galaxies in groups and clusters has been ignored. We take a closer look at the re-orientation of FRI jets with respect to FRII jets, and find that it may constitute the as-yet unidentified trigger for star formation suppression in radio galaxies. We show how the recently explored radio "red geyser" galaxies can be interpreted in this context and ultimately reveal a deeper understanding of why FRII radio galaxies are on one side of the star formation enhancement/suppression divide compared to FRI radio galaxies.

We analyze two distinct samples of GRBs, with and without radio afterglow emission. We use a sample of 211 GRBs which is an update of the previous sample from arXiv:1902.01974, and find, in agreement with previous results (although with a sample that is almost twice as large) as the intrinsic gamma-ray duration (Tint) and isotropic equivalent energy (Eiso) distributions between these two populations appear to differ significantly. The redshift (z) distributions of the two samples are not statistically different. We analyze several correlations between variables (Eiso, Tint, jet opening angle, and z), accounting for selection effects and redshift evolution using the Efron-Petrosian method. We find a statistically significant anti-correlation between the jet opening angle and redshift, as well as between Tint and redshift, for both radio-bright and radio-dark GRBs. Finally, in agreement with previous work, we find that very high energy (0.1 - 100 GeV) extended emission is present in the radio-bright GRB sample only. Our work supports the possibility that the radio-bright and the radio-dark GRBs originate from different progenitors.

The 1.3deg (G1.3) and 1.6deg (G1.6) cloud complexes in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy have been proposed to possibly reside at the intersection region of the X1 and X2 orbits for several reasons. This includes the detection of co-spatial low- and high-velocity clouds, high velocity dispersion, high fractional molecular abundances of shock-tracing molecules, and kinetic temperatures that are higher than for usual CMZ clouds. We mapped both cloud complexes in molecular lines in the frequency range from 85 to 475GHz with the IRAM 30m and the APEX 12m telescopes. The kinematic structure of G1.3 reveals an `emission bridge' at intermediate velocities (~150km/s) connecting low-velocity (~100km/s) and high-velocity (~180km/s) gas and an overall fluffy shell-like structure. These may represent observational evidence of cloud-cloud interactions. Low- and high-velocity gas components in G1.6 do not show such evidence of interaction, suggesting that they are spatially separated. We selected three positions in each cloud complex for further analysis. Based on non-LTE modelling of an ensemble of CH3CN lines, we derived kinetic temperatures of 60-100K and H2 volume densities of 10$^4$-10$^5$cm-3 in both complexes. Molecular abundances relative to H2 suggest a similar chemistry of the two clouds, which is moreover similar to that of other GC clouds. We conclude that G1.3 may indeed exhibit signs of cloud-cloud interactions. We propose an interaction of gas that is accreted from the near-side dust lane to the CMZ, with gas pre-existing at this location. Low- and high-velocity components in G1.6 are rather coincidentally observed along the same line of sight. They may be associated with either overshot decelerated gas from the far-side dust line or actual CMZ gas and high-velocity gas moving on a dust lane. These scenarios would be in agreement with numerical simulations.

The fast evolving TeV-PeV transients and their delayed GeV-TeV cascade emission in principle server as an ideal probe of the inter-galactic magnetic fields which are hard to be measured by other methods. Very recently, LHASSO has detected the very high energy emission of the extraordinary powerful GRB 221009A up to $\sim 18$ TeV within $\sim 2000$ s after the burst trigger. Here we report the detection of a $\sim 400$ GeV photon, without accompanying prominent $\gamma$ rays down to $\sim 2$ GeV, by Fermi-LAT in the direction of GRB 221009A at about 0.4 days after the burst. Such a hard spectrum is unexpected in the inverse Compton radiation of the electrons accelerated by the external forward shock. Instead, the inverse Compton scattering of the $e^\pm$ pairs, produced from the cascade of the early primary $\sim 20$ TeV $\gamma$ rays, off the diffuse far-infrared and microwave backgrounds can generate $\gamma$ rays up to $\sim 400$ GeV with a rather hard low energy spectrum. We infer that an inter-galactic magnetic field strength of $B_{\rm IGMF}\sim 10^{-16}$ Gauss can naturally account for the arrival time of the $\sim 400$ GeV photon. Such a $B_{\rm IGMF}$ is comparable to the limits set by the statistical studies of the high energy emission of TeV blazars.

Several attempts to detect extensive air showers (EAS) induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays have been conducted in the last decade based on the molecular Bremsstrahlung radiation (MBR) at GHz frequencies from quasi-elastic collisions of ionisation electrons left in the atmosphere after the passage of the cascade of particles. These attempts have led to the detection of a handful of signals only, all of them forward-directed along the shower axis and hence suggestive of originating from geomagnetic and Askaryan emissions extending into GHz frequencies close to the Cherenkov angle. In this contribution to ARENA2022, the lack of detection of events is explained by the coherent suppression of the MBR in frequency ranges below the collision rate due to the destructive interference impacting the emission amplitude of photons between the successive collisions of the electrons. The spectral intensity at the ground level is shown to be several orders of magnitude below the sensitivity of experimental setups. Consequently the MBR cannot be seen as the basis of a new detection technique of EAS for the next decades. The formalism developed to get at this conclusion allowed the key role of the two-point correlation function of the ionisation electron velocities to be highlighted. This can serve to study the intensity of the re-radiation of these ionization electrons subject to the passage of an incoming coherent wave from a radar transmitter. Some hints on this will be presented.

We report our new analysis of Oort-cloud comet C/2020 T2 (Palomar) (T2) observed at 2.06 au from the Sun (phase angle of 28.5 deg) about two weeks before perihelion. T2 lacks a significant dust tail in scattered light, showing a strong central condensation of the coma throughout the apparition, reminiscent of so-called Manx comets. Its spectral slope of polarized light increases and decreases in the J (1.25 um) and H (1.65 um) bands, respectively, resulting in an overall negative (blue) slope (-0.31+/-0.14 % um^-1) in contrast to the red polarimetric color of active comets observed at similar geometries. The average polarization degree of T2 is 2.86+/-0.17 % for the J and 2.75+/-0.16 % for the H bands. Given that near-infrared wavelengths are sensitive to the intermediate-scale structure of cometary dust (i.e., dust aggregates), our light-scattering modeling of ballistic aggregates with different porosities and compositions shows that polarimetric properties of T2 are compatible with low-porosity (~66 %), absorbing dust aggregates with negligible ice contents on a scale of 10--100 um (density of ~652 kg m^-3). This is supported by the coma morphology of T2 which has a viable beta (the relative importance of solar radiation pressure on dust) range of <~10^-4. Secular evolution of the r-band activity of T2 from archival data reveals that the increase in its brightness accelerates around 2.4 au pre-perihelion, with its overall dust production rate ~100 times smaller than those of active Oort-cloud comets. We also found an apparent concentration of T2 and Manx comets toward ecliptic orbits. This paper underlines the heterogeneous nature of Oort-cloud comets which can be investigated in the near future with dedicated studies of their dust characteristics.

Aims: We aim to spatially and spectrally resolve the Br-gamma hydrogen emission line with the methods of interferometry in order to examine the kinematics of the hydrogen gas emission region in the inner accretion disk of a sample of solar-like young stellar objects. The goal is to identify trends and categories among the sources of our sample and to discuss whether or not they can be tied to different origin mechanisms associated with Br-gamma emission in T Tauri stars, chiefly and most prominently magnetospheric accretion. Methods: We observed a sample of seven T Tauri stars for the first time with VLTI GRAVITY, recording spectra and spectrally dispersed interferometric quantities across the Br-gamma line in the NIR K-band. We use them to extract the size of the Br-gamma emission region and the photocenter shifts. To assist in the interpretation, we also make use of radiative transfer models of magnetospheric accretion to establish a baseline of expected interferometric signatures if accretion is the primary driver of Br-gamma emission. Results: From among our sample, we find that five of the seven T~Tauri stars show an emission region with a half-flux radius in the range broadly expected for magnetospheric truncation. Two of the five objects also show Br-gamma emission primarily originating from within the corotation radius, while two other objects exhibit extended emission on a scale beyond 10 R$_*$, one of them even beyond the K~band continuum half-flux radius of 11.3 R$_*$. Conclusions: We find strong evidence to suggest that for the two weakest accretors in the sample, magnetospheric accretion is the primary driver of Br-gamma radiation. The results for the remaining sources imply either partial or strong contributions coming from spatially extended emission components in the form of outflows, such as stellar or disk winds.

Over 150 resolved, kpc-scale X-ray jets hosted by active galactic nuclei have been discovered with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. A significant fraction of these jets have an X-ray spectrum either too high in flux or too hard to be consistent with the high-energy extension of the radio-to-optical synchrotron spectrum, a subtype we identify as Multiple Spectral Component (MSC) X-ray jets. A leading hypothesis for the origin of the X-rays is the inverse-Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background by the same electron population producing the radio-to-optical synchrotron spectrum (known as the IC/CMB model). In this work, we test the IC/CMB model in 45 extragalactic X-ray jets using observations from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to look for the expected high level of gamma-ray emission, utilizing observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) when possible to best constrain the predicted gamma-ray flux. Including this and previous works, we now find the IC/CMB model to be ruled out in a total of 24/45 MSC X-ray jets due to its overprediction for the observed MeV-to-GeV gamma-ray flux. We present additional evidence against the IC/CMB model, including the relative X-ray-to-radio relativistic beaming in these sources, and the general mismatch between radio and X-ray spectral indexes. Finally, we present upper limits on the large scale bulk-flow Lorentz factors for all jets based on the Fermi upper limits, which suggest that these jets are at most mildly relativistic.

Protoplanetary disks are gaseous systems in Keplerian rotation around young stars, known to be turbulent. They include a small fraction of dust from which planets form. In the incremental scenario for planet growth, the formation of kilometer-size objects (planetesimals) from pebbles is a major open question. Clustering of particles is necessary for solids to undergo a local gravitational collapse. To address this question, the dynamic of inertial particles in turbulent flows with Keplerian rotation and shear is studied. Two-dimensional direct numerical simulations are performed to explore systematically two physical parameters: the rotation rate, which depends on the distance to the star, and the particle response time, which relates to their size. Shear is found to drastically affect the characteristics of the turbulent flow destroying cyclones and favoring the survival of anticyclones. Faster rotation enhances clustering of particles in anticyclones, especially for intermediate particles sizes. These clusters form in a hierarchical manner and merge together with time. For parameter values falling outside this regime, solids still concentrate on fractal sets. The mass distribution of particles is then found to be multifractal with small dimensions at large orders, intriguing for triggering their gravitational collapse. Such results are promising for a precise description and better understanding of planetesimal formation.

Context. About 0.2-2% of giant stars are Li-rich, whose lithium abundance (A(Li)) is higher than 1.5 dex. Among them, near 6% are super Li-rich with A(Li) exceeding 3.2 dex. Meanwhile, the formation mechanism of these Li-rich and super Li-rich giants is still under debate. Aims. Considering the compact He core of red giants, attention is paid to the effect of element diffusion on A(Li). In particular, when the He core flash occurs, the element diffusion makes the thermohaline mixing zone extend inward and connect to the inner convection region of stars. Then, a large amount of 7Be produced by the He flash can be transferred to stellar surface, finally turning into 7Li. Thus, the goal of this work is to propose the mechanism of A(Li) enrichment and achieve the consistency between the theoretical and observation data. Methods. Using the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA), we simulate the evolution of low-mass stars, with considering the effects of element diffusion on the Li abundances. The timescale ratio of Li-rich giants to normal giants is estimated by population synthesis method. Then we get the theoretical value of A(Li) and make a comparison with observations. Results. Considering the influence of element diffusion in the model results in the increase of lithium abundance up to about 1.8dex, which can reveal Li-rich giants. Simultaneously, introducing high constant diffusive mixing coefficients (Dmix) with the values from 10e11 to 10e15in the model allows A(Li) to increase from 2.4 to 4.5dex, which can explain the most of Li-rich and super Li-rich giant stars. The population synthesis method reveals that the amount of Li-rich giants among giants is about 0.2-2%, which is consistent with observation estimated levels.

Aims. We begin by exploring the influence of two classes of commonly adopted heating models on the formation behaviour of solar prominences. These models consider either an exponential variation dependent on height alone, or local density and magnetic field conditions. We highlight and address some of the limitations inherent to these early approximations by proposing a new, dynamic 2D flux rope heating model that qualitatively accounts for the 3D topology of the twisted flux rope field. Methods. We performed 2.5D grid-adaptive numerical simulations of prominence formation via the levitation-condensation mechanism. A linear force-free arcade is subjected to shearing and converging motions, leading to the formation of a flux rope containing material that may succumb to thermal instability. The eventual formation and subsequent evolution of prominence condensations was then quantified as a function of the specific background heating prescription adopted. For the simulations that consider the topology of the flux rope, reduced heating was considered within a dynamically evolving ellipse that traces the flux rope cross-section. This ellipse is centred on the flux rope axis and tracked during runtime using an approach based on the instantaneous magnetic field curvature. Results. We find that the nature of the heating model is clearly imprinted on the evolution and morphology of any resulting prominences: one large, low-altitude condensation is obtained for the heating model based on local parameters, while the exponential model leads to the additional formation of smaller blobs throughout the flux rope which then relocate as they tend towards achieving hydrostatic equilibrium. Finally, a study of the condensation process in phase space reveals a non-isobaric evolution with an eventual recovery of uniform pressure balance along flux surfaces.

This paper presents a polarization calibration method applied to a microwave polarimeter demonstrator based on a near-infrared (NIR) frequency up-conversion stage that allows both optical correlation and signal detection at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The instrument was designed to measure the polarization of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation from the sky, obtaining the Stokes parameters of the incoming signal simultaneously, in a frequency range from 10 to 20 GHz. A linearly polarized input signal with a variable polarization angle is used as excitation in the polarimeter calibration setup mounted in the laboratory. The polarimeter systematic errors can be corrected with the proposed calibration procedure, achieving high levels of polarization efficiency (low polarization percentage errors) and low polarization angle errors. The calibration method is based on the fitting of polarization errors by means of sinusoidal functions composed of additive or multiplicative terms. The accuracy of the fitting increases with the number of terms in such a way that the typical error levels required in low-frequency CMB experiments can be achieved with only a few terms in the fitting functions. On the other hand, assuming that the calibration signal is known with the required accuracy, additional terms can be calculated to reach the error levels needed in ultrasensitive B-mode polarization CMB experiments.

In this Letter, using classified 197 supernovae (SNe) Ia, we perform an analyses of their height distributions from the disc in edge-on spirals and investigate their light-curve (LC) decline rates $(\Delta m_{15})$. We demonstrate, for the first time, that 91T-, 91bg-like, and normal SNe Ia subclasses are distributed differently toward the plane of their host disc. The average height from the disc and its comparison with scales of thin/thick disc components gives a possibility to roughly estimate the SNe Ia progenitor ages: 91T-like events, being at the smallest heights, originate from relatively younger progenitors with ages of about several 100 Myr, 91bg-like SNe, having the highest distribution, arise from progenitors with significantly older ages $\sim 10$ Gyr, and normal SNe Ia, which distributed between those of the two others, are from progenitors of about one up to $\sim 10$ Gyr. We find a correlation between LC decline rates and SN Ia heights, which is explained by the vertical age gradient of stellar population in discs and a sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf explosion models, where the $\Delta m_{15}$ parameter is a progenitor age indicator.

Stellar flares present challenges to the potential habitability of terrestrial planets orbiting M dwarf stars through inducing changes in the atmospheric composition and irradiating the planet's surface in large amounts of ultraviolet light. To examine their impact, we have coupled a general circulation model with a photochemical kinetics scheme to examine the response and changes of an Earth-like atmosphere to stellar flares and coronal mass ejections. We find that stellar flares increase the amount of ozone in the atmosphere by a factor of 20 compared to a quiescent star. We find that coronal mass ejections abiotically generate significant levels of potential bio-signatures such as N$_2$O. The changes in atmospheric composition cause a moderate decrease in the amount of ultraviolet light that reaches the planets surface, suggesting that while flares are potentially harmful to life, the changes in the atmosphere due to a stellar flare act to reduce the impact of the next stellar flare.

We present a field-based signal extraction of weak lensing from noisy observations on the curved and masked sky. We test the analysis on a simulated Euclid-like survey, using a Euclid-like mask and noise level. To make optimal use of the information available in such a galaxy survey, we present a Bayesian method for inferring the angular power spectra of the weak lensing fields, together with an inference of the noise-cleaned tomographic weak lensing shear and convergence (projected mass) maps. The latter can be used for field-level inference with the aim of extracting cosmological parameter information including non-gaussianity of cosmic fields. We jointly infer all-sky $E$-mode and $B$-mode tomographic auto- and cross-power spectra from the masked sky, and potentially parity-violating $EB$-mode power spectra, up to a maximum multipole of $\ell_{\rm max}=2048$. We use Hamiltonian Monte Carlo sampling, inferring simultaneously the power spectra and denoised maps with a total of $\sim 16.8$ million free parameters. The main output and natural outcome is the set of samples of the posterior, which does not suffer from leakage of power from $E$ to $B$ unless reduced to point estimates. However, such point estimates of the power spectra, the mean and most likely maps, and their variances and covariances, can be computed if desired.

First such observations were made in 1892 and since then various sites around the world have carried out regular observations, with Kodaikanal, Meudon, Mt Wilson, and Coimbra being some of the most prominent ones. By now, Ca II K observations from over 40 different sites allow an almost complete daily coverage of the last century. Ca II K images provide direct information on plage and network regions on the Sun and, through their connection to solar surface magnetic field, offer an excellent opportunity to study solar magnetism over more than a century. This makes them also extremely important, among others, for solar irradiance reconstructions and studies of the solar influence on Earth's climate. However, these data also suffer from numerous issues, which for a long time have hampered their analysis. Without properly addressing these issues, Ca II K data cannot be used to their full potential. Here, we first provide an overview of the currently known Ca II K data archives and sources of the inhomogeneities in the data, before discussing existing processing techniques, followed by a recap of the main results derived with such data so far.

Generally the dynamical state of superclusters is poorly known. We study properties of superclusters and select a sample of quasi-spherical superclusters, the dynamics of which can be studied using the $\Lambda$ significance diagram. We extracted our supercluster sample with an adaptive local threshold density method from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 (SDSS DR7) data and estimated their masses using the dynamical masses for member galaxies and groups. We used topological analysis based on Minkowski functionals and the positions of galaxies and galaxy groups in superclusters. Finally, we highlight the dynamical state of a few exceptional types of superclusters found in this study using the $\Lambda$ significance diagram. Our final sample contains 65 superclusters in the distance range of 130 to 450 Mpc. Supercluster masses range between $1.1 \times 10^{15} M_{\sun}$ and $1.4 \times 10^{16} M_{\sun}$ and sizes between 25 Mpc and 87 Mpc. We find that pancake-type superclusters form the low-luminosity, small, poor and low-mass end of superclusters. We find four superclusters of unusual types, exhibiting exceptionally spherical shapes. These so-called quasi-spherical systems contain a high-density core surrounded by a relatively spherical density and galaxy distribution.The mass-to-light ratio of these quasi-sphericals is higher than those of the other superclusters, suggesting a relatively high dark matter content. Using the $\Lambda$ significance diagram for oblate and prolate spheroids, we find that three quasi-spherical superclusters are gravitationally bound at the present epoch. Quasi-spherical superclusters are among the largest gravitationally bound systems found to date, and form a special class of giant systems that, dynamically, are in between large gravitationally unbound superclusters and clusters of galaxies in an equilibrium configuration.

We conducted the first dedicated search for signatures of exoplanet-exomoon interactions using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) as part of the radio-loud exoplanet-exomoon survey (RLEES). Due to stellar tidal heating, irradiation, and subsequent atmospheric escape, candidate `exo-Io' systems are expected to emit up to $10^6$ times more plasma flux than the Jupiter-Io DC circuit. This can induce detectable radio emission from the exoplanet-exomoon system. We analyze three `exo-Io' candidate stars: WASP-49, HAT-P 12, and HD 189733. We perform 12-hour phase-curve observations of WASP-49b at 400 MHz during primary $\&$ secondary transit, as well as first $\&$ third quadratures achieving a 3$\sigma$ upper-limit of 0.18 mJy/beam averaged over four days. HAT-P~12 was observed with GMRT at 150 and 325 MHz. We further analyzed the archival data of HD 189733 at 325 MHz. No emission was detected from the three systems. However, we place strong upper limits on radio flux density. Given that most exo-Io candidates orbit hot Saturns, we encourage more multiwavelength searches (in particular low frequencies) to span the lower range of exoplanet B-field strengths constrained here.

Recent spatially-resolved observations of protoplanetary disks revealed a plethora of substructures, including concentric rings and gaps, inner cavities, misalignments, spiral arms, and azimuthal asymmetries. This is the major breakthrough in studies of protoplanetary disks since Protostars and Planets VI and is reshaping the field of planet formation. However, while the capability of imaging substructures in protoplanetary disks has been steadily improving, the origin of many substructures are still largely debated. The structured distributions of gas and solids in protoplanetary disks likely reflect the outcome of physical processes at work, including the formation of planets. Yet, the diverse properties among the observed protoplanetary disk population, for example, the number and radial location of rings and gaps in the dust distribution, suggest that the controlling process may differ between disks and/or the outcome may be sensitive to stellar or disk properties. In this review, we (1) summarize the existing observations of protoplanetary disk substructures collected from the literature; (2) provide a comprehensive theoretical review of various processes proposed to explain observed protoplanetary disk substructures; (3) compare current theoretical predictions with existing observations and highlight future research directions to distinguish between different origins; and (4) discuss implications of state-of-the-art protoplanetary disk observations to protoplanetary disk and planet formation theory.

The optical data transport system of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea will provide each of the more than 6000 optical modules in the detector arrays with a point-to-point optical connection to the control stations onshore. The ARCA and ORCA detectors of KM3NeT are being installed at a depth of about 3500 m and 2500 m, respectively; their distance to the control stations is about 100 kilometers and 40 kilometers. The expected maximum data rate is 200 Mbps per optical module. The implemented optical data transport system matches the layouts of the networks of electro-optical cables and junction boxes in the deep sea. For efficient use of the fibres in the system the technology of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing is applied. The performance of the optical system in terms of measured bit error rates, optical budget and the next steps in the implementation of the system are presented.

Interesting discrepancies in cosmological parameters are challenging the success of the $\Lambda$CDM model. Direct measurements of the Hubble constant $H_0$ using Cepheid variables and supernovae turn out to be higher than inferred from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Weak galaxy lensing surveys consistently report values of the strength of matter clustering $\sigma_8$ lower than values derived from the CMB in the context of $\Lambda$CDM. In this paper we address these discrepancies in cosmological parameters by considering Dark Energy (DE) as a fluid with evolving equation of state $w_{\mathrm{de}}(z)$, constant sound speed squared $\hat{c}_{\mathrm{s}}^{2}$, and vanishing anisotropic stress $\sigma$. Our $w_{\mathrm{de}}(z)$ is derived from the Holographic Principle and can consecutively exhibit radiation-like, matter-like, and DE-like behaviour, thus affecting the sound horizon and the comoving angular diameter distance, hence $H_0$. Here we show DE sound speed plays a part in the matter clustering behaviour through its effect on the evolution of the gravitational potential. We compute cosmological constraints using several data set combinations including primary CMB, CMB lensing, redshift-space-distortions, local distance-ladder, supernovae, and baryon acoustic oscillations. In our analysis we marginalise over $\hat{c}_{\mathrm{s}}^{2}$ and find $\hat{c}_{\mathrm{s}}^{2}=1$ is excluded at $\gtrsim 3\sigma$. For our baseline result including the whole data set we found $H_0$ and $\sigma_8$ in good agreement (within $\approx 2\sigma$) with low redshift probes. Our constraint for the baryon energy density $\omega_{\rm{b}}$ is however in $\approx 3\sigma$ tension with BBN constraints. We conclude evolving DE also having non-standard clustering properties [e.g., $\hat{c}_{\mathrm{s}}^{2}(z,k)$] might be relevant for the solution of current discrepancies in cosmological parameters.

We study the luminous blue variable candidate J004229.87+410551.8 in the Andromeda Galaxy. Earlier, the star displayed a spectral anomaly: although a hot emission spectrum had been detected, it had strong CaII H and K absorption lines. Subsequently the star was assumed to be a hot hypergiant or a B[e] supergiant. For the purpose of clear star classification, we conducted spectroscopic and photometric analysis of the object and its surroundings with the 6-m telescope of SAO RAS, the 3.5-m ARC telescope of the Apache Point Observatory and the 2.5-m telescope of the Caucasus Mountain Observatory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute. The spectrum of the star has the FeII, [FeII], [OI], and Balmer emission lines. Its spectral energy distribution shows an excess in the near-infrared range due to hot circumstellar dust. The indicated features and a high estimated value of star's luminosity ($\log (L/L_{\odot}) = 4.6\pm 0.2$) allow us to finally classify the object as a B[e] supergiant.

A significant fraction of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes are thought to experience an extreme loss of volatiles because of atmospheric evaporation in the early stages of their life. Though the mechanisms behind the extreme mass loss are not fully understood, two contenders have been widely discussed: photoevaporation from X-ray and ultraviolet irradiation and core powered mass loss. Here, it is shown that both mechanisms occur but with different timescales, and that atmospheric loss can take place over three regimes. In the first regime, a planet has very high internal temperatures arising from its high-energy formation processes. These high temperatures give rise to a fully convecting atmosphere that efficiently loses mass without much internal cooling. The second regime applies to planets with lower internal temperatures, so a radiative region forms but the photosphere still remains outside the Bondi radius. Hence, mass loss continues to depend only on the internal temperatures. Planets with the lowest internal temperatures are in the third regime, when the photosphere forms below the Bondi radius and mass is lost primarily because of X-ray and ultraviolet irradiation. This paper provides the first unifying framework for modeling atmospheric evaporation through the lifespan of a planet.

The brightest long gamma-ray burst detected so far by the Swift-BAT and Fermi-GBM telescopes, GRB~221009A provides an unprecedented opportunity for understanding the high-energy processes in extreme transient phenomena. We find that the conventional leptonic models, synchrotron and synchrotron-self-Compton, for the afterglow emission from this source is unable to explain observation of $\gamma$ rays, by the LHAASO detector, extending up to 18 TeV energies. We model $\gamma$-ray spectrum estimated in the energy range 0.1-1 GeV, by the Fermi-LAT detector. The flux predicted by our leptonic models is severely attenuated at $> 1$ TeV due to $\gamma\gamma$ pair production with extragalactic background light, and hence an additional component is required. Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays can be accelerated in the GRB jet and their propagation induces an electromagnetic cascade in the extragalactic medium. The line of sight component of this flux can explain TeV emission detected by LHAASO, requiring a fraction of the GRB blastwave energy in ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. This could be the first direct evidence of ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray acceleration in GRBs.

This paper analyse the properties of minimal solutions for the reconstruction of the lens potential in the singular perturbative approach. These minimal solutions corresponds to an expansion with a minimal degree in Fourier expansion of the perturbative fields. Using these minimal solutions prevent spurious physically meaningless terms in the reconstruction of the fields. In effect a perturbative analysis indicates that a small change in the source model will corresponds to the higher order terms in the expansion of the fields. The results of the perturbative analysis are valid not only for slightly non-circular sources but also for more distorted sources to order two. It is thus of crucial importance to minimize the number of terms used in the modelling of the lens. Another important asset of the minimal solutions is that they offers a de-coupling between the source and lens model and thus help to break the source lens degeneracy issue. The possible drawback of minimal solutions is to under-estimate the higher order terms in the solution. However this bias has its merit since the detection of higher order terms using this method will ensure that these terms are real. This type of analysis using minimal solutions will be of particular interest when considering the statistical analysis of a large number of lenses, especially in light of the incoming satellite surveys.

We explore the effects of the 2029 Earth encounter on asteroid (99942) Apophis' non-principal axis spin state, leveraging refined orbit, spin state, and inertia information provided by more recent optical and radar observations. Propagating the asteroids' coupled orbit and rigid body attitude dynamics through the flyby, we present the range of possible post-flyby spin states. These spin state distributions will be valuable for planning Apophis observation campaigns and spacecraft missions, most notably OSIRIS-APEX. The simulations indicate that gravitationally induced changes to the asteroid's tumbling periods and rotational angular momentum direction (pole) will likely be significant and measurable. For the current spin state and inertia estimates and their uncertainties, Apophis is likely to remain in a short axis mode (SAM) tumbling state but its effective spin rate could halve or double. Its pole is likely to shift by 10 degrees or more and increase in longitude while moving closer to the ecliptic plane. These spin state changes are very sensitive to the asteroid's close approach attitude and mass distribution. With ground-based tracking of the asteroid's spin state through the encounter, this sensitivity will help refine mass distribution knowledge. We also discuss the implications of this abrupt spin state alteration for Apophis' Yarkovsky acceleration and geophysical properties, identifying possible pathways for surface and internal changes, most notably if Apophis is a contact binary. Comparison of the pre and post-flyby inertia estimates obtained from the ground-based observations will help assess the extent of possible geophysical changes.

Photometric investigations have revealed that Galactic globular clusters exhibit internal metallicity variations amongst the so-called first-population stars, until now considered to have a homogeneous initial chemical composition. This is not fully supported by the sparse spectroscopic evidence, which so far gives conflicting results. Here, we present a high-resolution re-analysis of five stars in the Galactic globular cluster NGC 2808 taken from the literature. Target stars are bright red giants with nearly identical atmospheric parameters belonging to the first population according to their identification in the chromosome map of the cluster, and we have measured precise differential abundances for Fe, Si, Ca, Ti, and Ni to the ~0.03 dex level. Thanks to the very small uncertainties associated to the differential atmospheric parameters and abundance measurements, we find that target stars span a range of iron abundance equal to 0.25 +/- 0.06 dex. The individual elemental abundances are highly correlated with the position of the star along the extended sequence described by first population objects in the cluster chromosome map: bluer stars have a lower iron content. This agrees with inferences from the photometric analysis. The differential abundances for all other elements also show statistically significant ranges that point to intrinsic abundance spreads. The Si, Ca, Ti, and Ni variations are highly correlated with iron variations and the total abundance spreads for all elements are consistent within the error bars. This suggests a scenario in which short-lived massive stars exploding as supernovae contributed to the self-enrichment of the gas in the natal cloud while star formation was still ongoing.

Gaseous outflows are key phenomena in the evolution of galaxies, as they affect star formation (either positively or negatively), eject gas from the core or disk, and directly cause mixing of pristine and processed material. Active outflows may be detected through searches for broad spectral line emission or high-velocity gas, but it is also possible to determine the presence of past outflows by searching for extended reservoirs of chemically enriched molecular gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) around galaxies. In this work, we examine the CO(3-2) emission of a set of seven z~2.0-2.5 AGN host galaxies, as observed with ALMA. Through a three-dimensional stacking analysis we find evidence for extended CO emission of radius r~13kpc. We extend this analysis to the HST/ACS i-band images of the sample galaxies, finding a complex small-scale (r<10kpc) morphology but no robust evidence for extended emission. In addition, the dust emission (traced by rest-frame FIR emission) shows no evidence for significant spatial extension. This indicates that the diffuse CO emission revealed by ALMA is morphologically distinct from the stellar component, and thus traces an extended reservoir of enriched gas. The presence of a diffuse, enriched molecular reservoir around this sample of AGN host galaxies at cosmic noon hints at a history of AGN-driven outflows that likely had strong effects on the star formation history of these objects.

Spin state predictions for defunct satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) are valuable for active debris removal and servicing missions as well as material shedding studies and attitude-dependent solar radiation pressure (SRP) modeling. Previous studies have shown that solar radiation torques can explain the observed spin state evolution of some GEO objects via the Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect. These studies have focused primarily on uniform rotation. Nevertheless, many objects are in non-principal axis rotation (i.e. tumbling). Recent exploration of the tumbling regime for the family of retired GOES 8-12 satellites has shown intriguing YORP-driven behavior including spin-orbit coupling, tumbling cycles, and tumbling period resonances. To better explore and understand the tumbling regime, we develop a semi-analytical tumbling-averaged rotational dynamics model. The derivation requires analytically averaging over the satellite's torque-free rotation, defined by Jacobi elliptic functions. Averaging is facilitated by a second order Fourier series approximation of the facet illumination function. The averaged model is found to capture and explain the general long-term behavior of the full dynamics while reducing computation time by roughly three orders of magnitude. This improved computation efficiency promises to enable rapid exploration of general long-term rotational dynamics for defunct satellites and rocket bodies.

We report on the development of new code to support the beam waveguide antenna mount types in AIPS, which will allow polarisation analysis of observations made using these antennas. Beam Wave-guide antennas in VLBI are common in communication antennas that have been repurposed (e.g. Warkworth, Yamaguchi). The mount type affects the differential phase between the left and the right hand circular polarisations (LHC and RHC) for different points on the sky. We demonstrate that the corrections for the Warkworth beam wave guide antenna can be applied.

Context: Recent observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) have shown that the large dust aggregates observed at millimeter wavelengths settle to the midplane into a remarkably thin layer. Aims: We intend to find out if the geometric thinness of these layers is evidence against the vertical shear instability (VSI) operating in these disks. Methods: We performed hydrodynamic simulations of a protoplanetary disk with a locally isothermal equation of state, and let the VSI fully develop. We sprinkled dust particles and followed their motion as they got stirred up by the VSI. We determined for which grain size the layer becomes geometrically thin enough to be consistent with ALMA observations. We then verified if, with these grain sizes, it is still possible to generate a moderately optically thick layer at millimeter wavelengths, as observations appear to indicate. Results: We found that even very large dust aggregates with Stokes numbers close to unity get stirred up to relatively large heights above the midplane by the VSI, which is in conflict with the observed geometric thinness. For grains so large that the Stokes number exceeds unity, the layer can be made to remain thin, but we show that it is hard to make dust layers optically thick at ALMA wavelengths (e.g., tau(1.3mm)>=1) with such large dust aggregates. Conclusions: We conclude that protoplanetary disks with geometrically thin midplane dust layers cannot be VSI unstable, at least not down to the disk midplane. Explanations for the inhibition of the VSI include a reduced dust-to-gas ratio of the small dust grains that are responsible for the radiative cooling of the disk. A reduction of small grains by a factor of between 10 and 100 is sufficient to quench the VSI. Such a reduction is plausible in dust growth models, and still consistent with observations at optical and infrared wavelengths.

An accurate calibration of the source redshift distribution $p(z)$ is a key aspect in the analysis of cosmic shear data. This, one way or another, requires the use of spectroscopic or high-quality photometric samples. However, the difficulty to obtain colour-complete spectroscopic samples matching the depth of weak lensing catalogs means that the analyses of different cosmic shear datasets often use the same samples for redshift calibration. This introduces a source of statistical and systematic uncertainty that is highly correlated across different weak lensing datasets, and which must be accurately characterised and propagated in order to obtain robust cosmological constraints from their combination. In this paper we introduce a method to quantify and propagate the uncertainties on the source redshift distribution in two different surveys sharing the same calibrating sample. The method is based on an approximate analytical marginalisation of the $p(z)$ statistical uncertainties and the correlated marginalisation of residual systematics. We apply this method to the combined analysis of cosmic shear data from the DESY1 data release and the HSC-DR1 data, using the COSMOS 30-band catalog as a common redshift calibration sample. We find that, although there is significant correlation in the uncertainties on the redshift distributions of both samples, this does not change the final constraints on cosmological parameters significantly. The same is true also for the impact of residual systematic uncertainties from the errors in the COSMOS 30-band photometric redshifts. Additionally, we show that these effects will still be negligible in Stage-IV datasets. Finally, the combination of DESY1 and HSC-DR1 allows us to constrain the ``clumpiness'' parameter to $S_8 = 0.768^{+0.021}_{-0.017}$. This corresponds to a $\sim\sqrt{2}$ improvement in uncertainties with respect to either DES or HSC alone.

Gravitational lensing of gravitational waves provides a potential new probe of dark matter structures. In this work, we consider the microlensing effect on gravitational wave signals from black hole binaries induced by low-mass dark matter halos that do not retain enough baryonic matter to hold stars. We clarify systematically when this microlensing effect is relevant and study in detail its detectability by future gravitational wave observatories. We consider lensing by cold dark matter halos and by solitonic cores that reside in fuzzy dark matter halos. Our results show that although the effect can be detectable at relatively large impact parameters, the probability of detecting such lensed events is low. In particular, we find that the expected number of events lensed by cold dark matter halos is $\mathcal{O}(0.01)$ per year for BBO and the expected number of events lensed by solitonic cores inside fuzzy dark matter halos is $\mathcal{O}(0.01)$ per year for ET. In the case that a significant fraction of dark matter consists of $\mathcal{O}(100 M_\odot)$ objects that are relatively compact, $R < \mathcal{O}(0.1\,{\rm pc})$, we show that the expected number of lensed events per year ET can be very large, $\mathcal{O}(1000)$.

We introduce a two-particle correlation function (2PCF) for the Milky Way, constructed to probe spatial correlations in the orthogonal directions of the stellar disk in the Galactic cylindrical coordinates of $R$, $\phi$, and $z$. We use this new tool to probe the structure and dynamics of the Galaxy using the carefully selected set of solar neighborhood stars ($d \lesssim 3\, \rm kpc$) from Gaia Data Release 2 we previously employed for studies of axial symmetry breaking in stellar number counts. We make additional, extensive tests, comparing to reference numerical simulations, to ensure our control over possibly confounding systematic effects. Supposing either axial or North-South symmetry we divide this data set into two nominally symmetric sectors and construct the 2PCF, in the manner of the Landy-Szalay estimator, from the Gaia data. In so doing, working well away from the mid-plane region in which the spiral arms appear, we have discovered distinct symmetry-breaking patterns in the 2PCF in its orthogonal directions, thus establishing the existence of correlations in stellar number counts at sub-kiloparsec length scales for the very first time. Particularly, we observe extensive wave-like structures of amplitude greatly in excess of what we would estimate if the system were in a steady state. We study the variations in these patterns across the Galactic disk, and with increasing $|z|$, and we show how our results complement other observations of non-steady-state effects near the Sun, such as vertical asymmetries in stellar number counts and the Gaia snail.

In this proceeding, we present results from a global fit of Dirac fermion dark matter (DM) effective field theory (EFT) based on arXiv:2106.02056 using the GAMBIT framework. Here we show results only for the dimension-6 operators that describe the interactions between a gauge-singlet Dirac fermion and Standard Model quarks. Our global fit combines the latest constraints from \textit{Planck}, direct and indirect DM detection, and the LHC. For DM mass below 100 GeV, it is impossible to simultaneously satisfy all constraints while maintaining the EFT validity at high energies. For higher masses, however, large regions of parameter space remain viable where the EFT is valid and saturates the observed DM abundance.

The Saturnian moon Titan has a thick, organic-rich atmosphere, and condensed phases of small organic molecules are anticipated to be stable on its surface. Of particular importance are crystalline phases of organics, known as cryominerals, which can play important roles in surface chemistry and geological processes on Titan. Many of these cryominerals could exhibit rich phase behavior, especially multicomponent cryominerals whose component molecules have multiple solid phases. One such cryomineral is the acetylene:ammonia (1:1) co-crystal, and here we use density functional theory-based ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to quantify its structure and dynamics at Titan conditions. We show that the acetylene:ammonia (1:1) co-crystal is a plastic co-crystal (or rotator phase) at Titan conditions because the ammonia molecules are orientationally disordered. Moreover, the ammonia molecules within this co-crystal rotate on picosecond timescales, and this rotation is accompanied by the breakage and reformation of hydrogen bonds between the ammonia hydrogens and the {\pi}-system of acetylene. The robustness of our predictions is supported by comparing the predictions of two density functional approximations at different levels of theory, as well as through the prediction of infrared and Raman spectra that agree well with experimental measurements. We anticipate that these results will aid in understanding geochemistry on the surface of Titan.

We consider the accretion of dark energy by constituent black holes in binary formations during the present epoch of the Universe. In the context of an observationally consistent dark energy model, we evaluate the growth of black holes' masses due to accretion. We show that accretion leads to faster circularization of the binary orbits. We compute the average power of the gravitational waves emitted from binaries, which exhibits a considerable enhancement due to the effect of growth of masses as a result of accretion. This in turn, leads to a significant reduction of the coalescence time of the binaries. We present examples pertaining to various choices of the initial masses of the black holes in the stellar mass range and above, in order to clearly establish a possible observational signature of dark energy in the emerging era of gravitational wave astronomy.

The properties of rotating turbulence driven by precession are studied using direct numerical simulations and analysis of the underlying dynamical processes in Fourier space. The study is carried out in the local rotating coordinate frame, where precession gives rise to a background shear flow, which becomes linearly unstable and breaks down into turbulence. We observe that this precession-driven turbulence is in general characterized by coexisting two dimensional (2D) columnar vortices and three dimensional (3D) inertial waves, whose relative energies depend on the precession parameter $Po$. The vortices resemble the typical condensates of geostrophic turbulence, are aligned along the rotation axis (with zero wavenumber in this direction, $k_z=0$) and are fed by the 3D waves through nonlinear transfer of energy, while the waves (with $k_z\neq0$) in turn are directly fed by the precessional instability of the background flow. The vortices themselves undergo inverse cascade of energy and exhibit anisotropy in Fourier space. For small $Po<0.1$ and sufficiently high Reynolds numbers, the typical regime for most geo- and astrophysical applications, the flow exhibits strongly oscillatory (bursty) evolution due to the alternation of vortices and small-scale waves. On the other hand, at larger $Po>0.1$ turbulence is quasi-steady with only mild fluctuations, the coexisting columnar vortices and waves in this state give rise to a split (simultaneous inverse and forward) cascade. Increasing the precession magnitude causes a reinforcement of waves relative to vortices with the energy spectrum approaching Kolmogorov scaling and, therefore, the precession mechanism counteracts the effects of the rotation.

ALETHEIA is a newly established dark matter direct detection project that aims at hunting for low-mass WIMPs. TPB is widely implemented in liquid helium and argon experiments to shift VUV photons to visible light. We first report that we have successfully coated $\sim 3 ~\mu$m TPB on the inner walls of a 10-cm cylindrical PTFE detector; we split the coating process into two steps to have all of the surfaces being coated with the same thickness; three independent methods were applied to figure out the thickness of the TPB coating layers, and consistent results were obtained. Second, with an SEM machine, we scanned the surface of TPB coating sample films exposed to different cryogenic temperatures. The first sample layer was immersed into a liquid nitrogen dewar for forty hours, the second sample was cooled to 4.5 K for three hours, and the third sample stayed at room temperature after coating. The SEM-scanned images of the sample films barely show any noticeable difference.

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has reported the detection of a large number of multi-TeV-scale photon events including also several PeV-scale gamma-ray-photon events with energy as high as 1.4~PeV. The possibility that some of these events may have extragalactic origins is not yet excluded. Here we propose a mechanism for the traveling of very-high-energy (VHE) and ultra-high-energy (UHE) photons based upon the axion-photon conversion scenario, which allows extragalactic above-threshold photons to be detected by observers on the Earth. We show that the axion-photon conversation can serve as an alternative mechanism for the very-high-energy features of the newly observed gamma ray burst GRB 221009A.

We measured the vibration of a prototype superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) operating at liquid nitrogen temperature. This prototype system was designed as a breadboard model for LiteBIRD low-frequency telescope (LFT) polarization modulator unit. We set an upper limit of the vibration amplitude at $36~\mathrm{\mu m}$ at the rotational synchronous frequency. During the rotation, the amplitude of the magnetic field produced varies. From this setup, we compute the static and AC amplitude of the magnetic fields produced by the SMB magnet at the location of the LFT focal plane as $0.24~\mathrm{G}$ and $3\times10^{-5}$$~\mathrm{G}$, respectively. From the AC amplitude, we compute TES critical temperature variation of $7\times10^{-8}$$~\mathrm{K}$ and fractional change of the SQUID flux is $\delta \Phi/\Phi_0|_{ac}=3.1\times10^{-5}$. The mechanical vibration can be also estimated to be $3.6\times 10^{-2}$$~\mathrm{N}$ at the rotation mechanism location.

For the first time, an Italian University has the possibility to perform a multi-year observing campaign at a world-class telescope. This hands-on experience had a significant impact on the students' university path: from learning specific observing techniques on-site to teamwork and collaboration. In this paper we present the results of an observing campaign carried out at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) located in La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) by undergraduate students of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, at the University of Firenze.

We investigate the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of viscous fluids in a spatially flat Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker cosmology using the most general causal and stable viscous energy-momentum tensor defined at first order in spacetime derivatives. In this new framework a pressureless viscous fluid having density $\rho$ can evolve to an asymptotic future solution in which the Hubble parameter approaches a constant while $\rho \rightarrow 0$, even in the absence of a cosmological constant (i.e., $\Lambda = 0$). Thus, while viscous effects in this model drive an accelerated expansion of the universe, the density of the viscous component itself vanishes, leaving behind only the acceleration. This behavior emerges as a consequence of causality in first-order theories of relativistic fluid dynamics and it is fully consistent with Einstein's equations.

In extensive air shower experiments, the number of muons crossing a detector at a given position, as well as their arrival time, arrival direction, and energy, are determined by a more fundamental 3-dimensional distribution linked to the hadronic core of the shower. Muons are produced high up in the atmosphere after the decay of mesons in the hadronic cascade. The distributions of production depth, energy, and transverse momentum of muons are enough to fully predict the muon component of air showers in any particular observational condition. By using air-shower simulations with the state-of-the-art hadronic interaction models, the mentioned distributions at production are analyzed as a function of zenith angle, primary mass, and hadronic interaction model, and their level of universality is studied and assessed in an exhaustive manner for the first time.

Plasma models built on extensive atomic data are essential to interpreting the observed cosmic spectra. H-like Lyman series and He-like triplets observable in the X-ray band are powerful diagnostic lines to measure the physical properties of various types of astrophysical plasmas. Electron-impact excitation is a fundamental atomic process for the formation of H-like and He-like key diagnostic lines. Electron-impact excitation data adopted by the widely used plasma codes (AtomDB, CHIANTI, and SPEX) do not necessarily agree with each other. Here we present a systematic calculation of electron-impact excitation data of H-like and He-like ions with the atomic number Z=6-30 (i.e., C to Zn). Radiation damped R-matrix intermediate coupling frame transformation calculation was performed for each ion with configurations up to $n=6$. We compare the present work with the above three plasma codes and literature to assess the quality of the new data, which are relevant for current and future high-resolution X-ray spectrometers.