Papers for Wednesday, Oct 26 2022

After their birth a significant fraction of all stars pass through the tidal threshold (prah) of their cluster of origin into the classical tidal tails. The asymmetry between the number of stars in the leading and trailing tails tests gravitational theory. All five open clusters with tail data (Hyades, Praesepe, Coma Berenices, COIN-Gaia 13, NGC 752) have visibly more stars within dcl = 50 pc of their centre in their leading than their trailing tail. Using the Jerabkova-compact-convergent-point (CCP) method, the extended tails have been mapped out for four nearby 600-2000 Myr old open clusters to dcl>50 pc. These are on near-circular Galactocentric orbits, a formula for estimating the orbital eccentricity of an open cluster being derived. Applying the Phantom of Ramses code to this problem, in Newtonian gravitation the tails are near-symmetrical. In Milgromian dynamics (MOND) the asymmetry reaches the observed values for 50 < dcl/pc < 200, being maximal near peri-galacticon, and can slightly invert near apo-galacticon, and the K\"upper epicyclic overdensities are asymmetrically spaced. Clusters on circular orbits develop orbital eccentricity due to the asymmetrical spill-out, therewith spinning up opposite to their orbital angular momentum. This positive dynamical feedback suggests Milgromian open clusters to demise rapidly as their orbital eccentricity keeps increasing. Future work is necessary to better delineate the tidal tails around open clusters of different ages and to develop a Milgromian direct n-body code.

We investigate whether the shapes of galaxy clusters inferred from weak gravitational lensing can be used as a test of the nature of dark matter. We analyse mock weak lensing data, with gravitational lenses extracted from cosmological simulations run with two different dark matter models (CDM and SIDM). We fit elliptical NFW profiles to the shear fields of the simulated clusters. Despite large differences in the distribution of 3D shapes between CDM and SIDM, we find that the distributions of weak-lensing-inferred cluster shapes are almost indistinguishable. We trace this information loss to two causes. Firstly, weak lensing measures the shape of the projected mass distribution, not the underlying 3D shape, and projection effects wash out some of the difference. Secondly, weak lensing is most sensitive to the projected shape of clusters, on a scale approaching the virial radius (~ 1.5 Mpc), whereas SIDM shapes differ most from CDM in the inner halo. We introduce a model for the mass distribution of galaxy clusters where the ellipticity of the mass distribution can vary with distance to the centre of the cluster. While this mass distribution does not enable weak lensing data to distinguish between CDM and SIDM with cluster shapes (the ellipticity at small radii is poorly constrained by weak lensing), it could be useful when modelling combined strong and weak gravitational lensing of clusters.

The ages of stars have historically relied on isochrone fitting of standardised grids of models. While these stellar models have provided key constraints on observational samples of massive stars, they inherit many systematic uncertainties, mainly in the internal mixing mechanisms applied throughout the grid, fundamentally undermining the isochrone method. In this work, we utilise the M-L plane of Higgins & Vink as a method of determining stellar age, with mixing-corrected models applying a calibrated core overshooting alpha_ov and rotation rate to fit the observational data. We provide multiple test-beds to showcase our new method, while also providing comparisons to the commonly-used isochrone method, highlighting the dominant systematic errors. We reproduce the evolution of individual O stars, and analyse the wider sample of O and B supergiants from the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey, providing dedicated models with estimates for alpha_ov, Omega/Omega_crit, and ultimately stellar ages. The M-L plane highlights a large discrepancy in the spectroscopic masses of the O supergiant sample. Furthermore the M-L plane also demonstrates that the evolutionary masses of the B supergiant sample are inappropriate. Finally, we utilise detached eclipsing binaries, VFTS 642 and VFTS 500, and present their ages resulting from their precise dynamical masses, offering an opportunity to constrain their interior mixing. For the near-TAMS system, VFTS 500, we find that both components require a large amount of core overshooting (alpha_ov ~ 0.5), implying an extended main-sequence width. We hence infer that the vast majority of B supergiants are still burning hydrogen in their cores.

Dwarf galaxies are ideal laboratories to study the relationship between the environment and AGN activity. However, the type of environments in which dwarf galaxies hosting AGN reside is still unclear and limited to low-redshift studies (z < 0.5). We use the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS) to investigate, for the first time, their environments at 0.5 < z < 0.9. We select a sample of 12,942 low-mass ($\rm{log}(M_\mathrm{*}/M_{\odot})\leq10$) galaxies and use the emission-line diagnostic diagram to identify AGN. We characterise their local environments as the galaxy density contrast, $\delta$, derived from the fifth nearest neighbour method. Our work demonstrates that AGN and non-AGN dwarf galaxies reside in similar environments at intermediate redshift suggesting that the environment is not an important factor in triggering AGN activity already since z = 0.9. Dwarf galaxies show a strong preference for low-density environments, independently of whether they host an AGN or not. Their properties do not change when moving to denser environments, suggesting that dwarf galaxies are not gas-enriched due to environmental effects. Moreover, AGN presence does not alter host properties supporting the scenario that AGN feedback does not impact the star formation of the host. Lastly, AGN are found to host over-massive black holes. This is the first study of dwarf galaxies hosting AGN at z > 0.5. The next generation of deep surveys will reveal whether or not such lack of environmental trends is common also for faint higher-redshift dwarf galaxy populations.

FO Aqr is a bright intermediate polar that has long displayed large amplitude photometric variations corresponding to the 20.9 min spin period of its white dwarf. Between 2016 and 2020, the system suffered a series of unprecedented low-states, but recent data shows that it has now recovered to its normal optical luminosity. We compare the light curves obtained by K2/Kepler in 2014 with photometry from the TESS mission obtained in 2021. We find that the spin pulse that had been the dominant feature of the light curve in 2014 is now weak over the second half the binary orbit and that a beat pulse is enhanced in the TESS photometry. Variations at approximately twice the spin frequency are now seen over the second half of the orbit. These photometric properties may be the new normal for FO Aqr now that its white dwarf has begun to spin down.

General relativity predicts that images of optically thin accretion flows around black holes should generically have a ``photon ring,'' composed of a series of increasingly sharp subrings that correspond to increasingly strongly lensed emission near the black hole. Because the effects of lensing are determined by the spacetime curvature, the photon ring provides a pathway to precise measurements of the black hole properties and tests of the Kerr metric. We explore the prospects for detecting and measuring the photon ring using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and the next generation EHT (ngEHT). We present a series of tests using idealized self-fits to simple geometrical models and show that the EHT observations in 2017 and 2022 lack the angular resolution and sensitivity to detect the photon ring, while the improved coverage and angular resolution of ngEHT at 230 GHz and 345 GHz is sufficient for these models. We then analyze detection prospects using more realistic images from general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations by applying ``hybrid imaging,'' which simultaneously models two components: a flexible raster image (to capture the direct emission) and a ring component. Using the Bayesian VLBI modeling package \comrade, we show that the results of hybrid imaging must be interpreted with extreme caution for both photon ring detection and measurement -- hybrid imaging readily produces false positives for a photon ring, and its ring measurements do not directly correspond to the properties of the photon ring.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) images of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy M 87 provided the first image of the accretion environment on horizon scales. General relativity predicts that the image of the shadow should be nearly circular, given the inclination angle of the black hole M 87*. A robust detection of ellipticity in the image reconstructions of M 87* could signal new gravitational physics on horizon scales. Here we analyze whether the imaging parameters used in EHT analyses are sensitive to ring ellipticity and measure the constraints on the ellipticity of M 87*. We find that the top set is unable to recover ellipticity. Even for simple geometric models, the true ellipticity is biased low, preferring circular rings. Therefore, to place a constraint on the ellipticity of M 87*, we measure the ellipticity of 550 simulated data sets of GRMHD simulations. We find that images with intrinsic axis ratios of 2:1 are consistent with the ellipticity seen from the EHT image reconstructions.

Magnetospheres of neutron stars can be perturbed by star quakes or interaction in a binary system. The perturbations are typically in the kHz band and excite magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. We show that compressive magnetospheric waves steepen into monster shocks mediated by radiation reaction, different from normal collisionless shocks. The shocks admit a simple analytical description. They expand through the magnetosphere with radiative losses, and then a blast wave is launched into the neutron-star wind. The monster shocks offer a new possible mechanism for X-ray bursts from magnetars and support the connection of magnetar X-ray activity with fast radio bursts. Similar shocks should occur in magnetized neutron-star binaries in every orbital period, generating an X-ray precursor of the binary merger. The presented method for calculating wave propagation and shock formation may have broader applications in relativistic MHD.

We present a stellar parameter catalog built to accompany the MaStar Stellar Library, which is a comprehensive collection of empirical, medium-resolution stellar spectra. We constructed this parameter catalog by using a multicomponent $\chi^{2}$ fitting approach to match MaStar spectra to models generated by interpolating the ATLAS9-based BOSZ model spectra. The total $\chi^{2}$ for a given model is defined as the sum of components constructed to characterize narrow-band features of observed spectra (e.g., absorption lines) and the broadband continuum shape separately. Extinction and systematics due to flux calibration were taken into account in the fitting. The $\chi^{2}$ distribution for a given region of model space was sampled using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, the data from which were then used to extract atmospheric parameter estimates ($T_{eff}$, log g, [Fe/H], and [$\alpha$/Fe]), their corresponding uncertainties, and direct extinction measurements. Two methods were used to extract parameters and uncertainties: one that accepts the MCMC's prescribed minimum-$\chi^{2}$ result, and one that uses Bayesian inference to compute a likelihood-weighted mean from the $\chi^{2}$ distribution sampled by the MCMC. Results were evaluated for internal consistency using repeat observations where available and by comparing them with external data sets (e.g., APOGEE-2 and Gaia DR2). Our spectral-fitting exercise reveals possible deficiencies in current theoretical model spectra, illustrating the potential power of MaStar spectra for helping to improve the models. This paper represents an update to the parameters that were originally presented with SDSS-IV DR17. The MaStar parameter catalog containing our BestFit results is available on the SDSS-IV DR17 website as part of version 2 of the MaStar stellar parameter value-added catalog.

Partial dust obscuration in active galactic nuclei (AGN) has been proposed as a potential explanation for some cases of AGN variability. The dust-gas mixture present in AGN torii is accelerated by radiation pressure leading to the launching of an AGN wind. Dust under these conditions has been shown to be unstable to a generic class of fast growing resonant drag instabilities (RDIs). We present the first set of numerical simulations of radiation driven outflows that include explicit dust dynamics in conditions resembling AGN winds and discuss the implications of the RDIs on the morphology of the AGN torus, AGN variability, and the ability of the radiation to effectively launch a wind. We find that the RDIs rapidly develop reaching saturation at times much shorter than the global timescales of the outflows, resulting in the formation of filamentary structure on box-size scales with strong dust clumping and super-Alfv\'enic velocity dispersions on micro-scales. This results in 10-20% fluctuations in dust opacity and gas column density, integrated along mock observed lines-of-sight to the quasar accretion disk, over year to decade timescales with a red-noise power spectrum which is commonly observed for AGN. Additionally, all our simulations show that the radiation is sufficiently coupled to the dust-gas mixture launching highly super-sonic winds, which entrain 70-90% of gas, with a factor of $\lesssim 3$ photon momentum loss relative to the ideal case. Therefore, the RDIs could play an important role in generating the clumpy nature of AGN torii and driving AGN variability consistent with observations.

The presence of phosphine (PH$_3$) in the atmosphere of Venus was reported by Greaves et al. (2021a), based on observations of the J=1-0 transition at 267 GHz using ground-based, millimeter-wave spectroscopy. This unexpected discovery presents a challenge for our understanding of Venus's atmosphere, and has led to a reappraisal of the possible sources and sinks of atmospheric phosphorous-bearing gases. Here we present results from a search for PH$_3$ on Venus using the GREAT instrument aboard the SOFIA aircraft, over three flights conducted in November 2021. Multiple PH$_3$ transitions were targeted at frequencies centered on 533 GHz and 1067 GHz, but no evidence for atmospheric PH$_3$ was detected. Through radiative transfer modeling, we derived a disk-averaged upper limit on the PH$_3$ abundance of 0.8 ppb in the altitude range 75-110 km, which is more stringent than previous ground-based studies.

We present Herschel, ALMA, and MUSE observations of the molecular ring of Messier 104, also known as the Sombrero galaxy. These previously unpublished archival data shed new light on the content of the interstellar medium of M104. In particular, molecular hydrogen measured by CO emission and dust measured by far-infrared light are uniformly distributed along the ring. The ionized gas revealed by H$\alpha$ and [CII] emission is distributed in knots along the ring. Despite being classified as an SAa galaxy, M104 displays features typical of early-type galaxies. We therefore compared its [CII] and dust emission to a sample of early-type galaxies observed with Herschel and SOFIA. The [CII]/FIR ratio of M104 is much lower than that of typical star-forming galaxies and is instead much more similar to that of early-type galaxies. By classifying regions using optical emission line diagnostics we also find that regions classified as HII lie closer to star-forming galaxies in the [CII]/FIR diagram than those classified as low-ionization emission regions. The good match between [CII] and H$\alpha$ emission in conjunction with the lack of correlation between CO emission and star formation suggest that there is very limited active star formation along the ring and that most of the [CII] emission is from ionized and neutral atomic gas rather than molecular gas. From the total intensity of the CO line we estimate a molecular hydrogen mass of 0.9$\times10^9$M$_{\odot}$, a value intermediate between those of early type galaxies and the content of the molecular ring of our galaxy.

Cosmic voids are known as underdense substructures of the cosmic web that cover a large volume of the Universe. It is known that cosmic voids contain a small number of dark matter halos, so the existence of primordial black holes (PBHs) in these secluded regions of the Universe is not unlikely. In this work, we calculate the merger rate of PBHs in dark matter halos structured in cosmic voids and determine their contribution to gravitational wave events resulting from black hole mergers recorded by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO)-Advanced Virgo (aVirgo) detectors. Relying on the PBH scenario, the results of our analysis indicate that about $2 \sim 3$ annual events of binary black hole mergers out of all those recorded by the aLIGO-aVirgo detectors should belong to cosmic voids. We also calculate the redshift evolution of the merger rate of PBHs in cosmic voids. The results show that the evolution of the merger rate of PBHs has minimum sensitivity to the redshift changes, which seems reasonable while considering the evolution of cosmic voids. Finally, we specify the behavior of the merger rate of PBHs as a function of their mass and fraction in cosmic voids and we estimate $\mathcal{R} (M_{PBH}, f_{PBH})$ relation, which is well compatible with our findings.

Radio-detection is a mature technique that has gained large momentum over the past decades. Its physical detection principle is mainly driven by the electromagnetic part of the shower, and is therefore not too sensitive to uncertainties on hadronic interactions. Furthermore its technical detection principle allows for a 100% duty cycle, and large surface coverage thanks to the low cost of antennas. Various detection methods of UHE particles now rely on the radio signal as main observable. For instance, ground based experiments such as AERA on the Pierre Auger Observatory or LOFAR detect the radio emission from air-showers induced by high-energy particles in the atmosphere; in-ice experiment such as ARA, IceCube, or ARIANNA benefits from a detection in denser media which reduces the interaction lengths; finally, balloon experiments such as ANITA allow for very sensitive UHE neutrino detection with only a few antennas. Radio-detection is now focused on building increasingly large-scale radio experiments to enhance the detector sensitivity and address the low fluxes at UHE. In this proceeding we give an overview of the past, current and future experiments for the detection of UHE cosmic particles using the radio technique in air (AERA, Auger-Prime, GRAND), in balloon (ANITA, PUEO) or in other media (IceCube-Gen2, BEACON, RNO-G).

Prestellar cores, the birthplace of Sun-like stars, form from the fragmentation of the filamentary structure that composes molecular clouds, from which they must inherit at least partially the kinematics. Furthermore, when they are on the verge of gravitational collapse, they show signs of subsonic infall motions. How extended these motions are, which depends on how the collapse occurs, remains largely unknown. We want to investigate the kinematics of the envelope that surrounds the prototypical prestellar core L1544, studying the cloud-core connection. To our aims, we observed the $\rm HCO^+$(1-0) transition in a large map. \hcop is expected to be abundant in the envelope, making it an ideal probe of the large-scale kinematics in the source. We modelled the spectrum at the dust peak by means of a non local-thermodynamical-equilibrium radiative transfer. In order to reproduce the spectrum at the dust peak, a large ($\sim 1\, \rm pc$) envelope is needed, with low density (tens of $\rm cm^{-3}$ at most) and contraction motions, with an inward velocity of $\approx 0.05\,\rm km \, s^{-1}$. We fitted the data cube using the Hill5 model, which implements a simple model {for the optical depth and excitation temperature profiles along the line-of-sight,} in order to obtain a map of the infall velocity. This shows that the infall motions are extended, with typical values in the range $0.1-0.2\,\rm km \, s^{-1}$. Our results suggest that the contraction motions extend in the diffuse envelope surrounding the core, which is consistent with recent magnetic field measurements in the source, which showed that the envelope is magnetically supercritical.

We present a study of barred galaxies in the cluster environment, exploiting a sample of galaxies drawn from the extended WIde-field Nearby Galaxy-cluster Survey (OmegaWINGS) that covers up to the outer regions of 32 local X-ray selected clusters. Barred galaxies are identified through a semi-automatic analysis of ellipticity and position angle profiles. We find, in agreement with previous studies, a strong co-dependence of the bar fraction with the galaxy stellar mass and morphological type, being maximum for massive late-type galaxies. The fraction of barred galaxies decreases with increasing cluster mass and with decreasing clustercentric distance, a dependence that vanishes once we control for morphological type, which indicates that the likelihood of a galaxy hosting a bar in the cluster environment is determined by its morphological transformation. At large clustercentric distances, we detect a dependence on the distance to the nearest neighbor galaxy, suggesting that tidal forces with close companions are able to suppress the formation of bars or even destroy them. Barred galaxies in our sample are either early-type, star forming galaxies located within the virial radii of the clusters or late-type quenched galaxies found beyond the virial radii of the clusters. We propose a scenario in which already quenched barred galaxies that fall into the clusters are centrally rejuvenated by the interplay of the perturbed gas by ram-pressure and the bar, in galaxies that are undergoing a morphological transformation.

We present simulations of the capabilities of the ngVLA to image at $\sim 0.75$ kpc resolution ($0.085"$), molecular line emission from star forming disk galaxies at high redshift. The results are compared to the current capabilities of ALMA. ALMA can detect the integrated emission, and determine the velocity gradient and size across the brighter emission regions of the galaxy. The ngVLA is a factor $\sim 6$ more sensitive at the adopted spatial and velocity resolution. This sensitivity is needed to recover the detailed column density distribution, velocity field, and velocity dispersion at full resolution. The ngVLA will enable detailed analysis of spectral line profiles at $0.75$~kpc resolution, even in relatively faint regions. The ngVLA will trace the rotation curves to large radii, and recover sub-structure in the disks, such as clumps, spiral arms, bars, and rings. Detection of these features is crucial in order to assess how cold gas precipitates the formation of stars at high redshift.

The luminosity of the Soft Gamma Repeater (SGR) flares significantly exceeds the Eddington luminosity. This is because they emit mainly in the E-mode, for which the radiative cross-sections are strongly suppressed. The energy is released in the magnetosphere forming a magnetically trapped pair fireball, and the surface of the star is illuminated by the powerful radiation from the fireball. We study the ablation of the matter from the surface by this radiation. The E-mode photons are scattered within the surface layer, partly being converted into O-photons, whose scattering cross-section is of the order of the Thomson cross-section. The high radiation pressure of the O-mode radiation expels the plasma upwards. The uplifted matter forms a thick baryon sheath around the fireball. If an illuminated fraction of the star's surface includes the polar cap, a heavy, mildly relativistic baryonic wind is formed.

We present results from an atmospheric retrieval analysis of Gl 229B using the BREWSTER retrieval code. We find the best fit model to be cloud-free, consistent with the T dwarf retrieval work of Line et al. 2017, Zalesky et al. 2022 and Gonzales et al. 2020. Fundamental parameters (mass, radius, log(L_{Bol}/L_{Sun}), log(g)) determined from our model agree within 1\sigma to SED-derived values except for T_{eff} where our retrieved T_{eff} is approximately 100 K cooler than the evolutionary model-based SED value. We find a retrieved mass of 50^{+12}_{-9} M_{Jup}, however, we also find that the observables of Gl 229B can be explained by a cloud-free model with a prior on mass at the dynamical value, 70 M_{Jup}. We are able to constrain abundances for H_2O, CO, CH_4, NH_3, Na and K and find a supersolar C/O ratio as compared to its primary, Gl 229A. We report an overall subsolar metallicity due to atmospheric oxygen depletion but find a solar [C/H], which matches that of the primary. We find that this work contributes to a growing trend in retrieval-based studies, particularly for brown dwarfs, toward supersolar C/O ratios and discuss the implications of this result on formation mechanisms, internal physical processes as well as model biases.

We study the observable properties of compressible MHD turbulence covering different turbulence regimes, based on synthetic synchrotron observations arising from 3D MHD numerical simulations. Using the synchrotron emissivity and intensity, we first explore how the cosmic ray spectral indices affect the measurements of turbulence properties by employing normalized correlation functions. We then study how the anisotropy of synchrotron total and polarization intensities arising from three fundamental MHD modes vary with the viewing angle, i.e., the angle between the mean magnetic field and the line of sight. We employ the ratio of quadrupole moment to the monopole one (QM) for this purpose. Our numerical results demonstrate that: (1) the two-point correlation function of synchrotron statistics for the arbitrary cosmic ray spectral index is related to the special case of magnetic field index $\gamma=2$ in agreement with the analytical formulae provided by Lazarian \& Pogosyan (2012); (2) the anisotropy of synchrotron total and polarization intensities arising from Alfv\'en and slow modes increases with the increase of the viewing angle, while that of fast mode remains almost unchanged with the viewing angle; (3) the analytical formulae of synchrotron intensities for studying turbulence can be applied to describing statistics of polarization intensities, and the QM can be successfully used to recover turbulence anisotropy. This study validates Lazarian \& Pogosyan's analytical approach and opens a way to study turbulence from observations.

The most important theory of the spiral arms of galaxies is the density wave theory based on the Lin-Shu dispersion relation. However, the density waves move with the group velocity towards the inner Lindblad resonance and tend to disappear. Various mechanisms to replenish the spiral waves have been proposed. Nonlinear effects play an important role near the inner and outer Lindblad resonances and corotation. The orbits supporting the spiral arms are precessing ellipses in normal galaxies that extend up to the 4/1 resonance. On the other hand, in barred galaxies the spiral arms extend along the manifolds of the unstable periodic orbits at the ends of the bar and they are composed of chaotic orbits. However these chaotic orbits can be found analytically.

We present a physically motivated model for the manner in which a stellar magnetic field sculpts the inner edge of a protoplanetary disk, and examine the consequence for the migration and stopping of sub-Neptune and super-Earth planets. This model incorporates a transition zone exterior to the inner truncation of the disk, where the surface density profile is modified by the diffusion of the stellar magnetic field into the disk. This modification results in a migration trap at the outer edge of the transition zone. We performed simulations of single planet migration, considering a range of stellar magnetic field strengths and magnetic diffusion profiles. Our simulations show a tight relationship between the final locations of planets and the total magnetic budget available for the disk from their host star. We found that a stellar magnetic field between 67 to 180G and a power-law index between 3 and 2.75 can reasonably reproduce the location at which the observed occurrence rate of close-in Super-Earth and Sub-Neptune populations changes slope.

Gas-phase metallicities of galaxies are typically measured through auroral or nebular emission lines, but metallicity also leaves an imprint on the overall spectral energy distribution (SED) of a galaxy and can be estimated through SED fitting. We use the ProSpect SED fitting code with a flexible parametric star formation history and an evolving metallicity history to self-consistently measure metallicities, stellar mass, and other galaxy properties for $\sim90\,000$ galaxies from the Deep Extragalactic VIsible Legacy Survey (DEVILS) and Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We use these to trace the evolution of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) and show that the MZR only evolves in normalisation by $\sim0.1\,$dex at stellar mass $M_\star = 10^{10.5}\,M_\odot$. We find no difference in the MZR between galaxies with and without SED evidence of active galactic nuclei emission at low redshifts ($z<0.3$). Our results suggest an anti-correlation between metallicity and star formation activity at fixed stellar mass for galaxies with $M_\star > 10^{10.5}\,M_\odot$ for $z<0.3$. Using the star formation histories extracted using ProSpect we explore higher-order correlations of the MZR with properties of the star formation history including age, width, and shape. We find that at a given stellar mass, galaxies with higher metallicities formed most of their mass over shorter timescales, and before their peak star formation rate. This work highlights the value of exploring the connection of a galaxy's current gas-phase metallicity to its star formation history in order to understand the physical processes shaping the MZR.

Long-term studies of binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs) provide precise tests of strong-field gravity and can be used to measure neutron-star masses. PSR~J1909$-$3744, a binary MSP has been the subject of several pulsar timing analyses. The edge-on orbit enables measurement of its mass using the Shapiro delay; however, there is degeneracy in the sense of the inclination angle, $i$, and multiple solutions for the longitude of ascending node, $\Omega$. Radio pulsars scintillate due to inhomogeneities in the ionized interstellar medium (IISM). This can result in scintillation arcs in the power spectrum of the dynamic spectrum that can use these to study the interstellar medium and constrain binary pulsar orbits. Here, we study the scintillation of PSR~J1909-3744 using observations from the 64-m Parkes Radio Telescope (Murriyang) over $\approx$13\, years, using techniques to study scintillation in a lower signal-to-noise regime. By monitoring annual and orbital variations of the arc-curvature measurements we are able to characterise the velocity of the IISM. We find that the statistics of the IISM remained stationary over this time and a slightly anisotropic model (axial ratio $\gtrsim1.2$) is preferred. We measure the relative distance to a single dominant thin scattering screen at $s=0.49\pm0.04$, or $D_s=590\pm50$\,pc, with an angle of anisotropy $\zeta=85\pm6^\circ$ (East of North) and velocity in the direction of anisotropy $V_{\textrm{IISM}, \zeta}=14\pm10$\,km\,s$^{-1}$. By combining a physical model of the IISM and current pulsar timing results, we also constrain $\Omega=225\pm3^\circ$ and $i=86.46\pm0.05^\circ$.

In certain cases of astronomical data analysis, the meaningful physical quantity to extract is the ratio $R$ between two data sets. Examples include the lensing ratio, the interloper rate in spectroscopic redshift samples, the decay rate of gravitational potential and $E_G$ to test gravity. However, simply taking the ratio of the two data sets is biased, since it renders (even statistical) errors in the denominator into systematic errors in $R$. Furthermore, it is not optimal in minimizing statistical errors of $R$. Based on the Bayesian analysis and the usual assumption of Gaussian error in the data, we derive an analytical expression of the posterior PDF $P(R)$. This result enables fast and unbiased $R$ measurement, with minimal statistical errors. Furthermore, it relies on no underlying model other than the proportionality relation between the two data sets. Even more generally, it applies to the cases where the proportionality relation holds for the underlying physics/statistics instead of the two data sets directly. It also applies to the case of multiple ratios ($R\rightarrow {\bf R}=(R_1,R_2,\cdots)$). We take the lensing ratio as an example to demonstrate our method. We take lenses as DESI imaging survey galaxies, and sources as DECaLS cosmic shear and \emph{Planck} CMB lensing. We restrict the analysis to the ratio between CMB lensing and cosmic shear. The resulting $P(R$), for multiple lens-shear pairs, are all nearly Gaussian. The S/N of measured $R$ ranges from $5.3$ to $8.4$. We perform several tests to verify the robustness of the above result.

We study different timing and spectral properties of the new Galactic X-ray transient Swift J1728.9-3613 using NICER and Swift, discovered by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The source went through multiple transitions to different spectral states during the outburst, and the complete evolution created a q-shaped track in the hardness intensity diagram. A partial hysteresis is also observed in the RMS-intensity diagram, which is another well-defined phenomenon of black hole transients. In SIMS, power density spectra were dominated by broadband noise components, and two type B QPOs were detected. We have fitted 1-10 keV energy spectra obtained from NICER observations that were performed during the outburst, and the temporal evolution of spectral parameters were studied. On MJD 58584.69, a small-scale reflare happened, and we observed that the spectral index decreased to a much lower value associated with finite changes in other spectral parameters also, and the 1-10 keV averaged flux also increased. We observed that the innermost radius of the accretion disc was almost constant during the soft state, which corresponds to the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO). We have measured the lower limit of mass of the compact object to be approximately 4.6 M, considering a non-spinning black hole binary system, by fitting 1-10 keV NICER spectra with the diskbb component. The soft-to-hard transition occurred when the bolometric luminosity was 0.01 times the Eddington luminosity. Based on our combined study of the evolution of the timing and spectral properties, we conclude that the new source Swift J1728.9-3613 is a black hole X-ray binary.

Using a combination of photostimulated desorption and resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization methods, the behaviors of OH radicals on the surface of interstellar ice analog was monitored at temperatures between 54 and 80 K. The OH number density on the surface of ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated compact amorphous solid water gradually decreased at temperatures above 60 K. Analyzing the temperature dependence of OH intensities with the Arrhenius equation, the decrease can be explained by recombination of two OH radicals, which is rate-limited by thermal diffusion of OH. The activation energy for surface diffusion was experimentally determined for the first time to be 0.14 +/- 0.01 eV, which is larger than or equivalent to those assumed in theoretical models. This value implies that the diffusive reaction of OH radicals starts to be activated at approximately 36 K on interstellar ice.

Annually-resolved measurements of the radiocarbon content in tree-rings have revealed rare sharp rises in carbon-14 production. These 'Miyake events' are likely produced by rare increases in cosmic radiation from the Sun or other energetic astrophysical sources. The radiocarbon produced is not only circulated through the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, but also absorbed by the biosphere and locked in the annual growth rings of trees. To interpret high-resolution tree-ring radiocarbon measurements therefore necessitates modelling the entire global carbon cycle. Here, we introduce 'ticktack', the first open-source Python package that connects box models of the carbon cycle with modern Bayesian inference tools. We use this to analyse all public annual 14C tree data, and infer posterior parameters for all six known Miyake events. They do not show a consistent relationship to the solar cycle, and several display extended durations that challenge either astrophysical or geophysical models.

I argue that the assumption that the jets that shape the axisymmetrical morphological features of core collapse supernova (CCSN) remnants are post-kick jets, i.e., the neutron star (NS) launches these jets after the explosion and after it acquired its natal kick velocity, leads to the conclusion that the pre-collapse cores of CCSN progenitors have sufficient angular momentum fluctuations to support jittering jets that explode the star. From the finding that the shaping-jets neither tend to be aligned with the kick velocity nor to be perpendicular to it I argue that the assumption that the shaping-jets are post-kick jets has the following implications. (1) The NS accretes mass at a radius of r~5000 km from the center of the explosion at ~10 seconds after explosion. (2) The required angular momentum fluctuations of the accreted gas to explain the medium values of jets-kick angles are also sufficient to support an intermittent pre-kick accretion disk, just before and during the explosion. Such an intermittent accretion disk is likely to launch jets that explode the star in the frame of the jittering jets explosion mechanism. This suggests that most likely the shaping-jets are the last jets in the jittering jets explosion mechanism rather than post-kick jets. (3) The expectation of the jittering jets explosion mechanism is that black holes have small natal kick velocities.

The magnetic field is believed to play a critical role in the bulk acceleration and propagation of jets produced in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Polarization observations of AGN jets provide valuable information about their magnetic fields. As a result of radiative transfer, jet structure, and stratification, among other factors, it is not always straightforward to determine the magnetic field structures from observed polarization. We review these effects and their impact on polarization emission at a variety of wavelengths, including radio, optical, and ultraviolet wavelengths in this paper. It is also possible to study the magnetic field in the launching and acceleration regions of AGN jets by using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), which occurs on a small physical scale. Due to the weak polarization of the jets in these regions, probing the magnetic field is generally difficult. However, recent VLBI observations have detected significant polarization and Faraday rotation in some nearby sources. We present the results of these observations as well as prospects for future observations. Additionally, we briefly discuss recently developed polarization calibration and imaging techniques for VLBI data, which enable more in-depth analysis of the magnetic field structure around supermassive black holes and in AGN jets.

We study a model of inflation with multiple pseudo-scalar fields coupled to a $U(1)$ gauge field through Chern-Simons interactions. Because of parity violating interactions, one polarization of the gauge field is amplified yielding to enhanced curvature perturbation power spectrum. Inflation proceeds in multiple stages as each pseudo-scalar field rolls towards its minimum yielding to distinct multiple peaks in the curvature perturbations power spectrum at various scales during inflation. The localized peaks in power spectrum generate Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) which can furnish a large fraction of Dark Matter (DM) abundance. In addition, gravitational waves (GWs) with non-trivial spectra are generated which are in sensitivity range of various forthcoming GW observatories.

HERMES-Pathfinder is a constellation of six 3U nano-satellites hosting simple but innovative X-ray detectors for determining the positions of, and monitoring cosmic high-energy transients such as gamma-ray bursts and the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational Wave Events. The HERMES Technological Pathfinder project is funded by the Italian Space Agency, while the HERMES Scientific Pathfinder project is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 821896. HERMES-Pathfinder is an in-orbit demonstration, that should be tested in orbit starting in 2023. We present the main scientific goals of HERMES-Pathfinder, as well as a description of the HERMES-Pathfinder payload and performance.

HERMES (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites) is a space-borne mission based on a constellation of six 3U CubeSats flying in a low-Earth orbit, hosting new miniaturized instruments based on a hybrid Silicon Drift Detector/GAGG:Ce scintillator photodetector system sensitive to X-rays and gamma-rays. Moreover, the HERMES constellation will operate in conjunction with the Australian-Italian Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal (SpIRIT) 6U CubeSat, that will carry in a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) an actively cooled HERMES detector system payload. In this paper we provide an overview of the ground calibrations of the first HERMES and SpIRIT flight detectors, outlining the calibration plan, detector performance and characterization.

HERMES Pathfinder (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites Pathfinder) is a space mission based on a constellation of nano-satellites in a low Earth Orbit, hosting new miniaturized detectors to probe the X-ray temporal emission of bright high-energy transients such as Gamma-Ray Bursts and the electromagnetic counterparts of Gravitational Waves. This ambitious goal will be achieved exploiting at most Commercial offthe-shelf components. For HERMES-SP, a custom Power Supply Unit board has been designed to supply the needed voltages to the payload and, at the same time, protecting it from Latch-Up events.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) offers new diagnostic possibilities that complement other commonly used diagnostics for the study of our Sun. In particular, ALMA's ability to serve as an essentially linear thermometer of the chromospheric gas at unprecedented spatial resolution at millimetre wavelengths and future polarisation measurements have great diagnostic potential. Solar ALMA observations are therefore expected to contribute significantly to answering long-standing questions about the structure, dynamics and energy balance of the outer layers of the solar atmosphere. In this regard, current and future ALMA data are also important for constraining and further developing numerical models of the solar atmosphere, which in turn are often vital for the interpretation of observations. The latter is particularly important given the Sun's highly intermittent and dynamic nature that involves a plethora of processes occurring over extended ranges in spatial and temporal scales. Realistic forward modelling of the Sun therefore requires time-dependent three-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamics that account for non-equilibrium effects and, typically as a separate step, detailed radiative transfer calculations, resulting in synthetic observables that can be compared to observations. Such artificial observations sometimes also account for instrumental and seeing effects, which, in addition to aiding the interpretation of observations, provide instructive tools for designing and optimising ALMA's solar observing modes. In the other direction, ALMA data in combination with other simultaneous observations enables the reconstruction of the solar atmospheric structure via data inversion techniques. This article highlights central aspects of the impact of ALMA for numerical modelling for the Sun, their potential and challenges, together with selected examples.

In this work, we use muon bundles which are formed in extensive air showers and detected at the ground level as a tool for searching anisotropy of high energy cosmic rays. Such choice is explained by the penetrating ability of muons which allows them to retain the direction of primary particles with a good accuracy. In 2012-2022, we performed long-term muon bundle detection with the coordinate-tracking detector DECOR, which is a part of the Experimental complex NEVOD (MEPhI, Moscow). To search for the cosmic rays anisotropy, the muon bundles arriving at zenith angles in the range from 15 to 75 degrees in the local coordinate system are used. During the entire period of data taking, about 14 million of such events have been accumulated. In this paper, we describe some methods developed in the Experimental complex NEVOD and implemented in our research, including: the method for compensating the influence of meteorological conditions on the intensity of muon bundles at the Earth's surface, the method for accounting the design features of the detector and the inhomogeneity of the detection efficiency for different directions, as well as the method for estimating primary energies of cosmic rays. Here we present the results of the search for the dipole anisotropy of cosmic rays with energies in the PeV region and also compare them with the results obtained at the other scientific facilities.

A specific modification of Newtonian dynamics known as MOND has been shown to reproduce the dynamics of most astrophysical systems at different scales without invoking non-baryonic dark matter (DM). There is, however, a long-standing unsolved problem when MOND is applied to rich clusters of galaxies in the form of a deficit (by a factor around two) of predicted dynamical mass derived from the virial theorem with respect to observations. In this article we approach the virial theorem using the velocity dispersion of cluster members along the line of sight rather than using the cluster temperature from X-ray data and hydrostatic equilibrium. Analytical calculations of the virial theorem in clusters for Newtonian gravity+DM and MOND are developed, applying pressure (surface) corrections for non-closed systems. Recent calibrations of DM profiles, baryonic ratio and baryonic ($\beta $ model or others) profiles are used, while allowing free parameters to range within the observational constraints. It is shown that solutions exist for MOND in clusters that give similar results to Newton+DM -- particularly in the case of an isothermal $\beta $ model for $\beta =0.55-0.70$ and core radii $r_c$ between 0.1 and 0.3 times $r_{500}$ (in agreement with the known data). The disagreements found in previous studies seem to be due to the lack of pressure corrections (based on inappropriate hydrostatic equilibrium assumptions) and/or inappropriate parameters for the baryonic matter profiles.

The technological progress in spatial-light modulators (SLM) technology has made it possible to use those devices as programmable active focal-plane phase coronagraphic masks, opening the door to novel versatile and adaptive high-contrast imaging observation strategies. However, the scalar nature of the SLM-induced phase response is a potential hurdle when applying the approach to wideband light, as is typical in astronomical imaging. For the first time, we present laboratory results with broadband light (up to ~12pc bandwidth) for two commercially-available SLM devices used as active focal-plane phase masks in the visible regime (640 nm). It is shown that under ideal or realistic telescope aperture conditions, the contrast performance is negligibly affected in this bandwidth regime, reaching sufficient level for ground-based high-contrast imaging, which is typically dominated by atmospheric residuals.

The liquid metal-liquid silicate partitioning of molybdenum and tungsten during core formation must be well-constrained in order to understand the evolution of Earth and other planetary bodies, in particular because the Hf-W isotopic system is used to date early planetary evolution. We combine 48 new high pressure and temperature experimental results with a comprehensive database of previous experiments to re-examine the systematics of Mo and W partitioning. W partitioning is particularly sensitive to silicate and metallic melt compositions and becomes more siderophile with increasing temperature. We show that W has a 6+ oxidation state in silicate melts over the full experimental fO2 range of $\Delta$IW -1.5 to -3.5. Mo has a 4+ oxidation state and its partitioning is less sensitive to silicate melt composition, but also depends on metallic melt composition. DMo stays approximately constant with increasing depth in Earth. Both W and Mo become more siderophile with increasing C content of the metal, so we fit epsilon interaction parameters. W and Mo along with C are incorporated into a combined N-body accretion and core-mantle differentiation model. We show that W and Mo require the early accreting Earth to be sulfur-depleted and carbon-enriched so that W and Mo are efficiently partitioned into Earth's core and do not accumulate in the mantle. If this is the case, the produced Earth-like planets possess mantle compositions matching the BSE for all simulated elements. However, there are two distinct groups of estimates of the bulk mantle's C abundance in the literature: low (100 ppm), and high (800 ppm), and all models are consistent with the higher estimated carbon abundance. The low BSE C abundance would be achievable when the effects of the segregation of dispersed metal droplets produced in deep magma oceans by the disproportionation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ plus metallic Fe is considered.

It is currently unknown if neutron stars are composed of nucleons only or are hybrid stars, i.e., in addition to nucleonic crusts and outer cores, they also possess quark cores. Quantum chromodynamics allows for such a phase transition possibility, but accurate calculations in the range of interest for compact stars are still elusive. Here we investigate some crust-breaking aspects of hybrid stars. We show that the crust-breaking orbital/gravitational wave frequency and maximum ellipticity are sensitive to the quark-hadron density jump and equation of state stiffness. Remarkably, the crust-breaking frequency related to static tides scales linearly with the mass of the star (for a given companion's mass), and its slope encompasses information about the microphysics of the star. When a liquid quark core touches an elastic hadronic phase, which could be the result of a significant energy-density jump, the maximum ellipticity can increase orders of magnitude when compared to the case the liquid quark core touches a liquid hadronic phase, such as the outer core. Our analysis also suggests that a given upper limit to the ellipticity or a crust-breaking frequency could have representatives in stars with either small or very large energy-density jumps. Therefore, upper limits to the ellipticity from continuous gravitational wave observations of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network for isolated stars, and gamma-ray precursors associated with crust breaking in inspiraling binary systems may constrain some aspects of phase transitions in neutron stars.

The dispersion measure(DM) of fast radio burst encodes important information such as its distance, properties of intervening medium. Based on simulations in the Illustris and IllustrisTNG projects, we analyze the DM of FRBs contributed by the interstellar medium and circumgalactic medium in the hosts, $\rm{DM_{host}}$. We explore two population models - tracing the star formation rate (SFR), and the stellar mass, i.e. young and old progenitors respectively. The distribution of $\rm{DM_{host}}$ shows significant differences at $z=0$ between two populations: the stellar mass model exhibits an excess at the low DM end with respect to the SFR model. The SFR (stellar mass) model has a median value of $\rm{DM_{host}}$=179 (63) $\rm{pc\, cm^{-3}}$ for galaxies with $M_*=10^{8-13}\,M_{\odot}$ in the TNG100-1. Galaxies in the Illustris-1 have a much smaller $\rm{DM_{host}}$. The distributions of $\rm{DM_{host}}$ deviate from log-normal function for both models. Furthermore, two populations differ moderately in the spatial offset from host galaxy's center, in the stellar mass function of hosts. $\rm{DM_{host}}$ increases with the stellar mass of hosts when $M_*<10^{10.5}\,M_{\odot}$, and fluctuate at higher mass. At $0<z<2$, $\rm{DM_{host}}$ increases with redshift. The differences in $\rm{DM_{host}}$ between two populations declines with increasing redshift. With more localized events available in the future, statistics such as $\rm{DM_{host}}$, the offset from galaxy center and the stellar mass function of hosts will be of great helpful to ascertain the origin of FRB. Meanwhile, statistics of $\rm{DM_{host}}$ of localized FRB events could help to constrain the baryon physics models in galaxy evolution.

In this study we present the results of a five-year follow-up campaign of the long-lived type IIn supernova SN 2017hcc, found in a spiral dwarf host of near-solar metallicity. The long rise time (57 $\pm$ 2 days, ATLAS $o$ band) and high luminosity (peaking at $-$20.78 $\pm$ 0.01 mag in the ATLAS $o$ band) point towards an interaction of massive ejecta with massive and dense circumstellar material (CSM). The evolution of SN 2017hcc is slow, both spectroscopically and photometrically, reminiscent of the long-lived type IIn, SN 2010jl. An infrared (IR) excess was apparent soon after the peak, and blueshifts were noticeable in the Balmer lines starting from a few hundred days, but appeared to be fading by around +1200 days. We posit that an IR light echo from pre-existing dust dominates at early times, with some possible condensation of new dust grains occurring at epochs >$\sim$+800 days.

Fibrils in the solar chromosphere carry transverse oscillations as determined from non-spectroscopic imaging data. They are estimated to carry an energy flux of several kW m$^{-2}$, which is a significant fraction of the average chromospheric radiative energy losses. We aim to determine oscillation properties of fibrils not only in the plane-of-the-sky (horizontal) direction, but also along the line-of-sight (vertical) direction. We obtained imaging-spectroscopy data in Fe I 6173, Ca II 8542, and Ca II K obtained with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. We created a sample of 120 bright Ca II K fibrils and measured their horizontal motions. Their vertical motion was determined through non-LTE inversion of the observed spectra. We determined the periods and velocity amplitudes of the fibril oscillations, as well as phase differences between vertical and horizontal oscillations in the fibrils. The bright Ca II K fibrils carry transverse waves with a mean period of $2.2\times10^2$ s, and a horizontal velocity amplitude of 2 km s$^{-1}$, consistent with earlier results. The mean vertical velocity amplitude is 1 km s$^{-1}$. We find that 118 out of the 120 fibrils carry waves in both the vertical and horizontal directions, and 55 of those have identical periods. For those 55, we find that all phase differences between $0$ and $2\pi$ occur, with a mild but significant preference for linearly polarized waves (phase difference of $0$ or $\pi$). The results are consistent with the scenario where transverse waves are excited by granular buffeting at the photospheric footpoints of the fibrils. Estimates of transverse wave flux based on imaging data only are too low because they ignore the contribution of the vertical velocity.

GRB 221009A is a bright Gamma-ray burst (GRB) with isotropic energy being larger than $10^{54} ~{\rm ergs}$. Its fairly low redshift makes it a promising candidate for high energy neutrino detection. However, a neutrino search for this GRB reported by the \emph{IceCube} collaboration yielded a null result. In this paper, we utilize the upper limit from IceCube observation to test different GRB prompt emission models. We find that, at least for this specific burst, the dissipative photosphere model could be ruled out in a large parameter space. The internal shock model can survive only with a large bulk motion Lorentz factor $\Gamma$, where the most stringent and conservative constraints are $\Gamma > \sim 400$ and $\Gamma > \sim 200$, respectively. For the Internal-collision-induced Magnetic Reconnection and Turbulence (ICMART) model, the constraint from GRB 221009A is modest. Under ICMART model, only for extreme situations when most dissipated energy deposit into protons and all accelerated protons are suitable for producing neutrinos, a slightly large bulk motion ($\Gamma > \sim 400$) is required.

Electron-positron pair production is the essential process for high-energy gamma-ray astrophysical observations. Following the pioneering OSO-3 counter telescope, the field evolved into use of particle tracking instruments, largely derived from high-energy physics detectors. Although many of the techniques were developed on balloon-borne gamma-ray telescopes, the need to escape the high background in the atmosphere meant that the breakthrough discoveries came from the SAS-2 and COS-B satellites. The next major pair production success was EGRET on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, which provided the first all-sky map at energies above 100 MeV and found a variety of gamma-ray sources, many of which were variable. The current generation of pair production telescopes, AGILE and Fermi LAT, have broadened high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics with particular emphasis on multiwavelength and multimessenger studies. A variety of options remain open for future missions based on pair production with improved instrumental performance.

MACS0647$-$JD is a triply-lensed $z\sim11$ galaxy originally discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope. Here we report new JWST imaging, which clearly resolves MACS0647$-$JD as having two components that are either merging galaxies or stellar complexes within a single galaxy. Both are very small, with stellar masses $\sim10^8\,M_\odot$ and radii $r<100\,\rm pc$. The brighter larger component "A" is intrinsically very blue ($\beta\sim-2.6$), likely due to very recent star formation and no dust, and is spatially extended with an effective radius $\sim70\,\rm pc$. The smaller component "B" appears redder ($\beta\sim-2$), likely because it is older ($100-200\,\rm Myr$) with mild dust extinction ($A_V\sim0.1\,\rm mag$), and a smaller radius $\sim20\,\rm pc$. We identify galaxies with similar colors in a high-redshift simulation, finding their star formation histories to be out of phase. With an estimated stellar mass ratio of roughly 2:1 and physical projected separation $\sim400\,\rm pc$, we may be witnessing a galaxy merger 400 million years after the Big Bang. We also identify a candidate companion galaxy C $\sim3\,{\rm kpc}$ away, likely destined to merge with galaxies A and B. The combined light from galaxies A+B is magnified by factors of $\sim$8, 5, and 2 in three lensed images JD1, 2, and 3 with F356W fluxes $\sim322$, $203$, $86\,\rm nJy$ (AB mag 25.1, 25.6, 26.6). MACS0647$-$JD is significantly brighter than other galaxies recently discovered at similar redshifts with JWST. Without magnification, it would have AB mag 27.3 ($M_{UV}=-20.4$). With a high confidence level, we obtain a photometric redshift of $z=10.6\pm0.3$ based on photometry measured in 6 NIRCam filters spanning $1-5\rm\mu m$, out to $4300\,\r{A}$ rest-frame. JWST NIRSpec observations planned for January 2023 will deliver a spectroscopic redshift and a more detailed study of the physical properties of MACS0647$-$JD.

The Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect is a method that allows us to measure the orbital obliquity of planets, which is an important constraint that has been used to understand the formation and migration mechanisms of planets, especially for hot Jupiters. In this paper, we present the RM observation of the Neptune-sized long-period transiting planet HIP41378 d. Those observations were obtained using the HARPS-N/TNG and ESPRESSO/ESO-VLT spectrographs over two transit events in 2019 and 2022. The analysis of the data with both the classical RM and the RM Revolutions methods allows us to confirm that the orbital period of this planet is 278 days and that the planet is on a prograde orbit with an obliquity of $\lambda$ = 57.1+26.4-17.9 degrees, a value which is consistent between both methods. HIP41378 d is the longest period planet for which the obliquity was measured so far. We do not detect transit timing variations with a precision of 30 and 100 minutes for the 2019 and 2022 transits, respectively. This result also illustrates that the RM effect provides a solution to follow-up from the ground the transit of small and long-period planets such as those that will be detected by the forthcoming ESA's PLATO mission.

Light pollution can be rigorously described in terms of the volume concentration of anthropogenic photons (light quanta) in the terrestrial atmosphere. This formulation, consistent with the basic physics of the emission, scattering and absorption of light, allows one to express light pollution levels in terms of particle volume concentrations, in a completely analogous way as it is currently done with other classical pollutants, like particulate matter or molecular contaminants. In this work we provide the explicit conversion equations between the photon volume concentration and the traditional light photometry quantities. This equivalent description of the light pollution levels provides some relevant insights that help to identify artificial light at night as a standard pollutant. It also enables a complementary way of expressing artificial light exposures for environmental and public health research and regulatory purposes.

The process of accretion in classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) has been observed to vary on different timescales. Studying this variability is vital to understanding a star's evolution and provides insight into the complex processes at work within. Understanding the dichotomy between continuum veiling and emission line veiling is integral to accurately measuring the amount of veiling present in stellar spectra. Here, 15 roughly consecutive nights of optical spectroscopic data from the spectropolarimeter ESPaDOnS are utilised to characterise the short-term accretion activity in the CTTS, RU Lup, and investigate its relationship with the veiling in the LiI 6707A absorption line. The accretion-tracing HI Balmer series emission lines were studied and used to obtain the accretion luminosity (Lacc) and mass accretion rate (Macc) for each night, which vary by a factor of ~2 between the brightest and dimmest nights. We also measured the veiling using multiple photospheric absorption lines (NaI 5688A, MnI 6021A, and LiI 6707A) for each night. We find the LiI 6707A line provides measurements of veiling that produce a strong, positive correlation with Lacc in the star. When corrected for Li depletion, the average veiling measured in the LiI 6707A line is r_LiI(avg)~3.25+/-0.20, which is consistent with the other photospheric lines studied (r_avg~3.28+/-0.65). We measured short timescale variability in the Lacc and Macc that are intrinsic and not due to geometric effects. Upon comparing the changes in veiling and Lacc, we find a strong, positive correlation. This study provides an example of how this correlation can be used as a tool to determine whether a measured variability is due to extinction or an intrinsic change in accretion. As the determination of veiling is an independent process from measuring Lacc, their relationship allows further exploration of accretion phenomena in young stars.

In this work we address the issue of whether the division of clusters in cool cores (CCs) and non-cool cores (NCCs) is due to a primordial difference or to how clusters evolve across cosmic time. Our first goal is to establish if spectra from the central regions of a subclass of NCCs known as cool core remnants (CCRs) are consistent with having a small but significant amount of short cooling time gas, thereby allowing a transformation to CC systems on a timescale of a giga year. Our second goal is to determine if low ionization Fe lines emitted from this residual cool gas will be detectable by the calorimeters that will fly on board XRISM and ATHENA. We performed a spectral analysis of CCR systems with a multi temperature model and, assuming the different components to be in pressure equilibrium with one another, derived entropy and cooling time distributions for the X-ray emitting gas. We find that in most of our systems, the spectral model allows for a fraction of low entropy, short cooling time gas with a mass that is comparable to the one in CC systems. Moreover, simulations show that future spectrometers on board XRISM and ATHENA will have the power to directly resolve emission lines from the low temperature gas, thereby providing incontrovertible evidence for its presence. Within the scenario that we have explored, the constant fraction of CCs measured across cosmic time emerges from a dynamical equilibrium where CCs transformed in NCCs through mergers are balanced by NCCs that revert to CCs. Furthermore, CCs and NCCs should not be viewed as distinct sub classes, but as ``states" between which clusters can move.

Inflationary gravitational waves, behaving as additional radiation in the Early Universe, can increase the effective number of relativistic species ($N_{\rm eff}$) by a further correction that depends on the integrated energy-density in gravitational waves over all scales. This effect is typically used to constrain (blue-tilted) models of inflation in light of the bounds resulting from the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. In this paper, we recompute this contribution, discussing some caveats of the state-of-the-art analyses. Through a parametric investigation, we first demonstrate that the calculation is dominated by the ultraviolet frequencies of the integral and therefore by the behavior of the tensor spectrum on scales corresponding to modes that cross the horizon very close to the end of inflation, when the slow-roll dynamics breaks down and the production of gravitational waves becomes strongly model dependent. Motivated by these results, we realize a theoretical Monte Carlo and, working within the framework of the Effective Field Theory of inflation, we investigate the observable predictions of a very broad class of models. For each model, we solve a system of coupled differential equations whose solution completely specifies the evolution of the spectrum up to the end of inflation. We prove the calculation of $\Delta N_{\rm eff}^{\rm GW}$ to be remarkably model-dependent and therefore conclude that accurate analyses are needed to infer reliable information on the inflationary Universe.

We show that heavy primordial black holes may originate from much lighter ones if the latter are strongly clustered at the time of their formation. While this population is subject to the usual constraints from late-time universe observations, its relation to the initial conditions is different from the standard scenario and provides a new mechanism to generate massive primordial black holes even in the absence of efficient accretion, opening new scenarios, e.g. for the generation of supermassive black holes.

The elemental abundances of planet host stars can shed light on the conditions of planet forming environments. We test if individual abundances of 130 known/candidate planet hosts in APOGEE are statistically different from those of a reference doppelganger sample. The reference set comprises objects selected with the same Teff, logg, [Fe/H], and [Mg/H] as each Kepler Object of Interest (KOI). We predict twelve individual abundances (X = C, N, O, Na, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Ni) for the KOIs and their doppelgangers using a local linear model of these four parameters, training on ASPCAP abundance measurements for a sample of field stars with high fidelity (SNR > 200) APOGEE observations. We compare element prediction residuals (model-measurement) for the two samples and find them to be indistinguishable, given a high quality sample selection. We report median intrinsic dispersions of ~0.038 dex and ~0.041 dex, for the KOI and doppelganger samples, respectively, for these elements. We conclude that the individual abundances at fixed Teff, logg, [Fe/H], and [Mg/H] are unremarkable for known planet hosts. Our results establish an upper limit on the abundance precision required to uncover any chemical signatures of planet formation in planet host stars.

We explore how finite integration time or temporal binning can affect the analysis of exoplanet phase-curves. We provide analytical formulae to account for this effect or, if neglected, to estimate the potential biases in the retrieved parameters. As expected, due to their smoother variations over longer time-scales, phase curves can be binned more heavily than transits without causing severe biases. In the simplest case of a sinusoidal phase curve with period $P$, the integration time $\Delta t$ reduces its amplitude by the scaling factor $\text{sinc}{ \left ( \pi \Delta t / P \right ) }$, without altering its phase or shape. We also provide formulae to predict reasonable parameter error bars from phase-curve observations. Our findings are tested with both synthetic and real datasets, including unmodelled astrophysical signals and/or instrumental systematic effects. Tests with the Spitzer data show that binning can affect the best-fitting parameters beyond predictions, due to the correction of high-frequency correlated noise. Finally, we summarize key guidelines for speeding up the analysis of exoplanet phase curves without introducing significant biases in the retrieved parameters.

The HR 8799 system hosts four massive planets orbiting 15 and 80 AU. Studies of the system's orbital stability and its outer debris disk open the possibility of additional planets, both interior to and exterior to the known system. Reaching a sufficient sensitivity to search for interior planets is very challenging due to the combination of bright quasi static speckle noise close to the stellar diffraction core and relatively fast orbital motion. In this work, we present a deep L-band imaging campaign using NIRC2 at Keck comprising 14 observing sequences. We further re-reduce archival data for a total of 16.75 hours, one of the largest uniform datasets of a single direct imaging target. Using a Bayesian modeling technique for detecting planets in images while compensating for plausible orbital motion, we then present deep limits on the existence of additional planets in the HR 8799 system. The final combination shows a tentative candidate, consistent with 4-7 $M_{jup}$ at 4-5 AU, detected with an equivalent false alarm probability better than $3\sigma$. This analysis technique is widely applicable to archival data and to new observations from upcoming missions that revisit targets at multiple epochs.

Barred structures are important in understanding galaxy evolution, but they were not included explicitly in most dynamical models for nearby galaxies due to their complicated morphological and kinematic properties. We modify the triaxial orbit-superposition Schwarzschild implementation by Van den Bosch et al. (2008) to include barred structures explicitly. The gravitational potential is a combination of a spherical dark matter halo and stellar mass; with the 3D stellar density distribution de-projected from the observed 2D image using a two-component de-projection method, including an axisymmetric disk and a triaxial barred bulge. We consider figure rotation of the galaxy with the bar pattern speed as a free parameter. We validate the method by applying it to a mock galaxy with IFU data created from an N-body simulation with a boxy/peanut or X-shaped bar. Our model fits the observed 2D surface density and all kinematic features well. The bar pattern speed is recovered well with a relative uncertainty smaller than 10%. Based on the internal stellar orbit distribution of the model, we decompose the galaxy into an X-shaped bar, a boxy bulge, a vertically extended structure and a disk, and demonstrate that our model recovers these structures generally well, similar to the true structures in the N-body simulation. Our method provides a realistic way of modelling the bar structure explicitly for nearby barred galaxies with IFU observations.

In this paper, we show that similar open-source codes for general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) produce different results for key features of binary neutron star mergers. First, we present a new open-source version of the publicly available IllinoisGRMHD code that provides support for realistic, finite temperature equations of state. After stringent tests of our upgraded code, we perform a code comparison between GRHydro, IllinoisGRMHD, Spritz, and WhiskyTHC, which implement the same physics, but slightly different computational methods. The benefit of the comparison is that all codes are embedded in the EinsteinToolkit suite, hence their only difference is algorithmic. We find similar convergence properties, fluid dynamics, and gravitational waves, but different merger times, remnant lifetimes, and gravitational wave phases. Such differences must be resolved before the post-merger dynamics modeled with such simulations can be reliably used to infer the properties of nuclear matter especially in the era of precision gravitational wave astronomy.

Many binary systems of interest for gravitational-wave astronomy are orbited by a third distant body, which can considerably alter their relativistic dynamics. Precision computations are needed to understand the interplay between relativistic corrections and three-body interactions. We use an effective field theory approach to derive the effective action describing the long time-scale dynamics of hierarchical three-body systems up to 1PN quadrupole order. At this level of approximation, computations are complicated by the backreaction of small oscillations on orbital time-scales as well as deviations from the adiabatic approximation. We address these difficulties by eliminating the fast modes through the method of near-identity transformations. This allows us to compute for the first time the complete expression of the 1PN quadrupole cross-terms in generic configurations of three-body systems. We numerically integrate the resulting equations of motion and show that 1PN quadrupole terms can affect the long term dynamics of relativistic three-body systems.

We propose anti-ferromagnets as optimal targets to hunt for sub-MeV dark matter with spin-dependent interactions. These materials allow for multi-magnon emission even for very small momentum transfers, and are therefore sensitive to dark matter particles as light as the keV. We use an effective theory to compute the event rates in a simple way. Among the materials studied here, we identify nickel oxide (a well-assessed anti-ferromagnet) as an ideal candidate target. Indeed, the propagation speed of its gapless magnons is very close to the typical dark matter velocity, allowing the absorption of all its kinetic energy, even through the emission of just a single magnon.

The generic properties of compact objects made of two different fluids of dark matter are studied in a scale invariant approach. We investigate compact objects with a core-shell structure, where the two fluids are separated, and with mixed dark matter components, where both dark matter fluids are immersed within each other. The constellations considered are combinations of incompressible fluids, free and interacting Fermi gases, and equations of state with a vacuum term, i.e. self-bound dark matter. We find novel features in the mass-radius relations for combined dark matter compact objects which distinguishes them from compact objects with a single dark matter fluid and compact stars made of ordinary baryonic matter, as white dwarfs, neutron stars and quark stars. The maximum compactness of certain combined dark matter stars can reach values up to the causality limit for compact stars but not beyond that limit if causality of the dark matter fluids is ensured.

Redshift drift is the phenomenon whereby the observed redshift between an emitter and observer comoving with the Hubble flow in an expanding FLRW universe will slowly evolve -- on a timescale comparable to the Hubble time. In a previous article [JCAP 04 (2020) 043; \arXiv{2001.11964}] three of the current authors had performed a cosmographic analysis of the redshift drift in a FLRW universe, temporarily putting aside the issue of dynamics (the Friedmann equations). In the current article we now add dynamics, still within the framework of an exact FLRW universe. We shall develop a suitable generic matter model, and study both the low-redshift asymptotic behaviour and the utility of using alternative variables to describe the redshift.

The abundance and biological role of potassium suggest that its unstable nuclide was present in all stages of terrestrial biogenesis. With its enhanced isotopic ratio in the Archean eon, $^{40}$K may have contributed to the special, perhaps unique, biogenetic conditions that were present in the primitive Earth. Compared to the U and Th radionuclides, $^{40}$K has a less disruptive radiochemical impact, which may drive a moderate, but persistent evolution of the structural and functional properties of proto-biological molecules. In the main $\beta$-decay route of $^{40}$K, the radiation dose generated by an Archean solution with potassium ions can be larger than the present background radiation on Earth by one to two orders of magnitude. Estimates of the rates of organic molecules indirectly affected by $\beta$ decays are provided for two schematic models of the propagation of secondary events in the solvent of prebiotic solutions. The left-handed $\beta^-$ particles emitted by $^{40}$K are the best candidates to trigger an enantiomeric excess of L-type amino acids via weak nuclear forces in the primitive Earth. The concentration-dependent radiation dose of $^{40}$K fits well in dry--wet scenarios of life's origins and should be considered in realistic simulations of prebiotic chemical pathways.

Gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence are valuable for testing theories of gravity in the strong field regime. By measuring neutron star tidal deformability in gravitational waves from binary neutron stars, stringent constraints were placed on the equation of state of matter at extreme densities. Tidal Love numbers in alternative theories of gravity may differ significantly from their general relativistic counterparts. Understanding exactly how the tidal Love numbers change will enable scientists to untangle effects from physics beyond general relativity from the uncertainty in the equation of state measurement. In this work, we explicitly calculate the fully relativistic $l \geq 2$ tidal love numbers for neutron stars in scalar-tensor theories of gravitation. We use several realistic equations of state to explore how the mass, radius, and tidal deformability relations differ from those of general relativity. We find that tidal Love numbers and tidal deformabilities can differ significantly from those in general relativity ( $>200\%$ in strong scalarization cases) in certain regimes. This difference suggests that using the tidal Love numbers from general relativity could lead to significant errors in tests of general relativity using the gravitational waves from binary neutron star and neutron star-black hole mergers.

The detectability of multiple quasi-normal (QN) modes, including overtones and higher harmonics, with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is investigated by computing the gravitational wave (GW) signal induced by an intermediate or extreme mass ratio merger involving a supermassive black hole (SMBH). We confirm that the ringdown of rapidly spinning black holes are long-lived, and higher harmonics of the ringdown are significantly excited for mergers of small mass ratios. We demonstrate that the observation of GWs from rapidly rotating SMBHs has a significant advantage for detecting multiple QN modes and testing the no-hair theorem of black holes with high accuracy.

We construct a holographic model describing the gluon sector of Yang-Mills theories at finite temperature in the non-perturbative regime. The equation of state as a function of temperature is in good accordance with the lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) data. Moreover, the Polyakov loop and the gluon condensation, which are proper order parameters to capture the deconfinement phase transition, also agree quantitatively well with the lattice QCD data. We obtain a strong first-order confinement/deconfinement phase transition at $T_c=276.5\,\text{MeV}$ that is consistent with the lattice QCD prediction. The resulting stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds from this confinement/deconfinement phase transition are obtained with potential detectability in the International Pulsar Timing Array and Square Kilometre Array in the near future when the associated productions of primordial black holes (PBHs) saturate the current observational bounds on the PBH abundances from the LIGO-Virgo-Collaboration O3 data.

We study the imprints of high scale non-thermal leptogenesis on cosmic microwave background (CMB) from the measurements of inflationary spectral index ($n_s$) and tensor-to-scalar ratio ($r$), which otherwise is inaccessible to the conventional laboratory experiments. We argue that non-thermal production of baryon (lepton) asymmetry from subsequent decays of inflaton to heavy right handed neutrinos (RHN) is sensitive to the reheating dynamics in early Universe after the end of inflation. Such dependence provides detectable imprints on the $n_s-r$ plane which is well constrained by the Planck experiment. We investigate two separate cases, (i) inflaton decays to radiation dominantly and (ii) inflaton decays to RHN dominantly which subsequently decays to the SM particles to reheat the Universe adequately. We obtain the corresponding estimates for $n_s$ and $r$ and find the latter case to be more predictive in view of recent Planck/BICEP data. We furnish the results considering $\alpha-$ attractor inflationary models, however the prescription proposed here is quite generic and can be implemented to various kinds of single field inflationary models given the conditions for non-thermal leptogeneis is satisfied.

Recently, several telescopes, including Swift-BAT, GBM, and LHAASO, have observed the ever highest-energy and long gamma-rays from a gamma-ray burst named as GRB221009A (located at a red-shift of $z=0.15$) on October 9, 2022. Conventional understanding tells us that very high-energy photons produced at such a far distance suffer severe attenuation before reaching the Earth. We propose the existence of a sub-MeV heavy neutrino with a transitional magnetic dipole moment, via which the heavy neutrino is produced at the GRB. It then travels a long distance to our galaxy and decays into a neutrino and a photon, which is observed. In such a way, the original high-energy photon produced at the GRB can survive the long-distance attenuation.