Papers for Friday, Apr 07 2023

The upcoming Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) will produce images of neutral hydrogen distribution during the epoch of reionization by observing the corresponding 21-cm signal. However, the 21-cm signal will be subject to instrumental limitations such as noise, foreground contamination, and limited resolution, which pose a challenge for accurate detection. In this study, we present the \texttt{SegU-Net v2} framework, which is an enhanced version of our U-Net architecture-based convolutional neural network built for segmenting image data into meaningful features. This framework is designed to identify neutral and ionized regions in the 21-cm signal contaminated with foreground emission that is $\sim$3 order of magnitude larger. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by estimating the true ionization history from mock observations of SKA with an observation time of 1000 h, achieving an average classification accuracy of 71 per cent. As the photon sources driving reionization are expected to be located inside the ionised regions identified by \texttt{SegU-Net v2}, this tool can be used to identify locations for follow-up studies with infrared/optical telescopes to detect these sources. Additionally, we derive summary statistics, such as the size distribution of neutral islands, from evaluating the reliability of our method on the tomographic data expected from the SKA-Low. Our study suggests that \texttt{SegU-Net v2} can be a stable and reliable tool for analyzing the 3D tomographic data produced by the SKA and recovering important information about the non-Gaussian nature of the reionization process.

Stripped-envelope supernovae (SE SNe) were considered as the explosions of single massive stars with strong stellar winds, while later observations favor binary origins. One direct evidence to support the binary origins is to find the surviving companions of SE SNe since previous numerical studies suggested that the binary companion should survive the supernova impact and could be detectable. Recently, Gagliano et al. (2022) reported that the nearby Type Ic SN 2020oi in M100 (~17.1 Mpc) resulted from a binary system based on the HST photometric and spectroscopic observation. Based on the suggested binary properties of SN 2020oi, we conduct two-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations of supernova-companion interactions and the subsequent post-impact evolution of the companion. Our results suggest that a surviving companion becomes brighter in two orders of magnitude and temporarily redder after the SN impact. The companion might be detectable with the JWST NIRCam short wavelength channel in a few years. Furthermore, the predicted magnitudes of surviving companions show a significant magnitude gradient around the peak. This could be another indicator to identify the surviving companion from a SE SN.

The global network of interferometric gravitational wave (GW) observatories (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA) has detected and characterized nearly 100 mergers of binary compact objects. However, many more real GWs are lurking sub-threshold, which need to be sifted from terrestrial-origin noise triggers (known as glitches). Because glitches are not due to astrophysical phenomena, inference on the glitch under the assumption it has an astrophysical source (e.g. binary black hole coalescence) results in source parameters that are inconsistent with what is known about the astrophysical population. In this work, we show how one can extract unbiased population constraints from a catalog of both real GW events and glitch contaminants by performing Bayesian inference on their source populations simultaneously. In this paper, we assume glitches come from a specific class with a well-characterized effective population (blip glitches). We also calculate posteriors on the probability of each event in the catalog belonging to the astrophysical or glitch class, and obtain posteriors on the number of astrophysical events in the catalog, finding it to be consistent with the actual number of events included.

Lyman-alpha (Ly$\alpha$) emission from galaxies can be used to trace neutral hydrogen in the epoch of reionization, however, there is a degeneracy between the attenuation of Ly$\alpha$ in the intergalactic medium (IGM) and the line profile emitted from the galaxy. Large shifts of Ly$\alpha$ redward of systemic due to scattering in the interstellar medium can boost Ly$\alpha$ transmission in the IGM during reionization. The relationship between Ly$\alpha$ velocity offset from systemic and other galaxy properties is not well-established at high-redshift or low luminosities, due to the difficulty of observing emission lines which trace systemic redshift. Rest-frame optical spectroscopy with JWST/NIRSpec has opened a new window into understanding of Ly$\alpha$ at z>3. We present a sample of 12 UV-faint galaxies ($-20 \lesssim$ MUV $\lesssim -16$) at $3 \lesssim z \lesssim 6$, with Ly$\alpha$ velocity offsets, $\Delta v_{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha}$, measured from VLT/MUSE and JWST/NIRSpec from the GLASS-JWST Early Release Program. We find median $\Delta v_{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha}$ of 205 km s$^{-1}$ and standard deviation 75 km s$^{-1}$, compared to 320 and 170km s$^{-1}$ for MUV < -20 galaxies in the literature. Our new sample demonstrates the previously observed trend of decreasing Ly$\alpha$ velocity offset with decreasing UV luminosity and optical line velocity dispersion, extends to MUV $\gtrsim$ -20, consistent with a picture where the Ly$\alpha$ profile is shaped by gas close to the systemic redshift. Our results imply that during reionization Ly$\alpha$ from UV-faint galaxies will be preferentially attenuated, but that detecting Ly$\alpha$ with low $\Delta v_{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha}$ can be an indicator of large ionized bubbles.

The magnetic processes associated with the non-thermal broadening of optically thin emission lines appear to carry enough energy to heat the corona and accelerate the solar wind. We investigate whether non-thermal motions in cool stars exhibit the same behaviour as on the Sun by analysing archival stellar spectra taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and full-disc Solar spectra taken by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. We determined the non-thermal velocities by measuring the excess broadening in optically thin emission lines formed in the stellar atmosphere; the chromosphere, the transition region and the corona. Assuming the non-thermal broadening is caused by the presence of Alfv\'en waves, we also determined the associated wave energy densities. Our results show that, with a non-thermal velocity of $\sim$23 kms$^{-1}$ the Sun-as-a-star results are in very good agreement with values obtained from spatially-resolved solar observations. The non-thermal broadening in our sample show correlation to stellar rotation, with the strength of the non-thermal velocity decreasing with decreasing rotation rate. Finally, the non-thermal velocity in cool Sun-like stars varies with atmospheric height or temperature of the emission lines, and peaks at transition region temperatures. This points towards a solar-like Alfv\'en wave driven heating in stellar atmospheres. However, the peak is at a lower temperature in some cool stars suggesting that, other magnetic process such as flaring events could also dominate.

Propagation of cosmic rays (CRs) in turbulent and magnetized astrophysical media is a long-standing problem that requires both understanding of the properties of turbulent magnetic fields and their interaction with energetic particles. This review focuses on selected recent theoretical findings made based on the progress in understanding and simulating magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. In particular, we address the problem of perpendicular and parallel propagation of CRs and identify the conditions when the perpendicular propagation is superdiffusive and diffusive. For the parallel diffusion, we discuss the problems of the traditionally used diffusion mechanism arising from pitch angle scattering and the possible solutions provided by the recently identified ``mirror diffusion" in the presence of turbulent magnetic mirrors.

Hycean worlds are a proposed subset of sub-Neptune exoplanets with substantial water inventories, liquid surface oceans and extended hydrogen-dominated atmospheres that could be favourable for habitability. In this work, we aim to quantitatively define the inner edge of the Hycean habitable zone using a 1D radiative-convective model. As a limiting case, we model a dry hydrogen-helium envelope above a surface ocean. We find that 10 to 20 bars of atmosphere produces enough greenhouse effect to drive a liquid surface ocean supercritical when forced with current Earth-like instellation. Introducing water vapour into the atmosphere, we show the runaway greenhouse instellation limit is greatly reduced due to the presence of superadiabatic layers where convection is inhibited. This moves the inner edge of the habitable zone from $\approx$ 1 AU for a G-star to 1.6 AU (3.85 AU) for a Hycean world with a H$_2$-He inventory of 1 bar (10 bar). For an M-star, the inner edge is equivalently moved from 0.17 AU to 0.28 AU (0.54 AU). Our results suggest that most of the current Hycean world observational targets are not likely to sustain a liquid water ocean. We present an analytical framework for interpreting our results, finding that the maximum possible OLR scales approximately inversely with the dry mass inventory of the atmosphere. We discuss the possible limitations of our 1D modelling and recommend the use of 3D convection-resolving models to explore the robustness of superadiabatic layers.

Results of a large program of spectroscopic monitoring of nearby solar-type stellar hierarchical systems using the CHIRON echelle spectrograph at the 1.5 m telescope are summarized. Ten papers of this series contain 102 spectroscopic orbits and substantially contribute to the knowledge of periods and eccentricties, providing input for the study of their formation and early evolution. Radial velocities of additional 91 targets without CHIRON orbits (members of wide physical pairs) are published here. Our results are compared to the recent Gaia Non-Single Star (NSS) catalog, revealing its strengths and weaknesses. The NSS provides orbital periods for 31 objects of the CHIRON sample (about one third). Of the 22 spectroscopic NSS orbits in common, 14 are in good agreement with CHIRON, the rest have reduced velocity amplitudes or other problems. Hence ground-based monitoring gives, so far, a more accurate and complete picture of nearby hierarchies than Gaia. The distribution of inner periods in hierarchical systems is non-monotonic, showing a shallow minimum in the 30-100 days bin and a strong excess at shorter periods, compared to the smooth distribution of simple binaries in the field. The period-eccentricity diagram of inner subsystems updated by this survey, recent literature, and Gaia, displays an interesting structure.

We decompose the Pantheon+ Type Ia supernovae (SN) sample in hemispheres on the sky finding angular variations up to $4$ km/s/Mpc in the Hubble constant $H_0$ both in the SH0ES redshift range $0.0233 < z < 0.15$ and in the extended redshift range $0.01 < z < 0.7$. We assume the $\Lambda$CDM model, so our findings become model dependent in extended redshift ranges. $H_0$ is larger in a hemisphere encompassing the CMB dipole direction. The variations we see exceed the errors on the recent SH0ES determination, $H_0 = 73.04 \pm 1.04$ km/s/Mpc, but are not large enough to explain early versus late Universe discrepancies in the Hubble constant. The removal of low redshift SN leads to a weakening of angular $H_0$ variations, but we confirm that they persist beyond the influence of the Shapley supercluster $z > 0.06$

The Large Array Survey Telescope (LAST) is designed to survey the variable and transient sky at high temporal cadence. The array is comprised of 48 F/2.2 telescopes of 27.9cm aperture, coupled to full-frame backside-illuminated cooled CMOS detectors with $3.76$$\mu$m pixels, resulting in a pixel scale of $1.25\mathrm{arcsec}$. A single telescope with a field of view of $7.4\mathrm{deg}^2$ reaches a $5\sigma$ limiting magnitude of $19.6$ in $20$s. LAST 48 telescopes are mounted on 12 independent mounts -- a modular design which allows us to conduct optimized parallel surveys. Here we provide a detailed overview of the LAST survey strategy and its key scientific goals. These include the search for gravitational-wave (GW) electromagnetic counterparts with a system that can cover the uncertainty regions of the next-generation GW detectors in a single exposure, the study of planetary systems around white dwarfs, and the search for near-Earth objects. LAST is currently being commissioned, with full scientific operations expected in mid 2023. This paper is accompanied by two complementary publications in this issue, giving an overview of the system (Ofek et al. 2023a) and of the dedicated data reduction pipeline (Ofek et al. 2023b).

Polarized synchrotron emission from multiple Faraday depths can be separated by calculating the complex Fourier transform of the Stokes' parameters as a function of the wavelength squared, known as Faraday Synthesis. As commonly implemented, the transform introduces an additional term $\lambda_0^2$, which broadens the real and imaginary spectra, but not the amplitude spectrum. We use idealized tests to investigate whether additional information can be recovered with a clean process restoring beam set to the narrower width of the peak in the real ``full" resolution spectrum with $\lambda_0^2=0$. We find that the $\lambda_0^2$ choice makes no difference, except for the use of a smaller restoring beam. With this smaller beam, the accuracy and phase stability are unchanged for single Faraday components. However, using the smaller restoring beam for multiple Faraday components we find a) better discrimination of the components, b) significant reductions in blending of structures in tomography images, and c) reduction of spurious features in the Faraday spectra and tomography maps. We also discuss the limited accuracy of information on scales comparable to the width of the amplitude spectrum peak, and note a clean-bias, reducing the recovered amplitudes. We present examples using MeerKAT L-band data. We also revisit the maximum width in Faraday depth to which surveys are sensitive, and introduce the variable $W_{max}$, the width for which the power drops by a factor of 2. We find that most surveys cannot resolve continuous Faraday distributions unless the narrower full restoring beam is used.

The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been conducted for over sixty years, yet no technosignatures have been identified. Previous studies have focused on stars in our galaxy, with few searches in the extragalactic Universe despite a larger volume being available. Civilizations capable of harvesting energy from a star or a galaxy are classified as KII or KIII on the Kardashev scale, respectively. Technosignatures from such advanced civilizations would be extremely luminous and detectable by current radio telescopes, even from distant galaxies. To explore the frontier of extragalactic SETI, we investigate the likely prevalence of extragalactic civilizations possessing a radio transmitter, known as the transmitter rate, based on observational results from the Breakthrough Listen (BL) observations. We calculated the transmitter rate by considering the background galaxies in the field of view of target stars in BL observations. We used a statistical method to derive the total mass of stars in those background galaxies from a galaxy stellar mass function. Our statistical method suggests that less than one in hundreds of trillions of extragalactic civilizations within 969 Mpc possess a radio transmitter above 7.7$\times$10$^{26}$ W of power, assuming one civilization per one-solar-mass stellar system. Additionally, we cross-matched the BL survey fields with the WISE$\times$SuperCOSMOS Photometric Redshift Catalogue and compared with the statistical method. Our result sets the strictest limits to date on the transmitter rate at such high power levels, emphasizing the high efficiency of searching for radio transmitters in galaxies and the rarity of technologically advanced civilizations in our Universe.

We present here the signal-to-noise (S/N) calculator developed for the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) mission. CUTE is a 6U CubeSat operating in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) observing exoplanetary transits to study their upper atmospheres. CUTE was launched into a low-Earth orbit in September 2021 and it is currently gathering scientific data. As part of the S/N calculator, we also present the error propagation for computing transit depth uncertainties starting from the S/N of the original spectroscopic observations. The CUTE S/N calculator is currently extensively used for target selection and scheduling. The modular construction of the CUTE S/N calculator enables its adaptation and can be used also for other missions and instruments.

K2-136 is a late-K dwarf ($0.742\pm0.039$ M$_\odot$) in the Hyades open cluster with three known, transiting planets and an age of $650\pm70$ Myr. Analyzing K2 photometry, we found that planets K2-136b, c, and d have periods of $8.0$, $17.3$, and $25.6$ days and radii of $1.014\pm0.050$ R$_\oplus$, $3.00\pm0.13$ R$_\oplus$, and $1.565\pm0.077$ R$_\oplus$, respectively. We collected 93 radial velocity measurements (RVs) with the HARPS-N spectrograph (TNG) and 22 RVs with the ESPRESSO spectrograph (VLT). Analyzing HARPS-N and ESPRESSO data jointly, we found K2-136c induced a semi-amplitude of $5.49\pm0.53$ m s$^{-1}$, corresponding to a mass of $18.1\pm1.9$ M$_\oplus$. We also placed $95$% upper mass limits on K2-136b and d of $4.3$ and $3.0$ M$_\oplus$, respectively. Further, we analyzed HST and XMM-Newton observations to establish the planetary high-energy environment and investigate possible atmospheric loss. K2-136c is now the smallest planet to have a measured mass in an open cluster and one of the youngest planets ever with a mass measurement. K2-136c has $\sim$75% the radius of Neptune but is similar in mass, yielding a density of $3.69^{+0.67}_{-0.56}$ g cm$^{-3}$ ($\sim$2-3 times denser than Neptune). Mass estimates for K2-136b (and possibly d) may be feasible with more RV observations, and insights into all three planets' atmospheres through transmission spectroscopy would be challenging but potentially fruitful. This research and future mass measurements of young planets are critical for investigating the compositions and characteristics of small exoplanets at very early stages of their lives and providing insights into how exoplanets evolve with time.

Strong lensed quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) are valuable probes of the universe in numerous aspects. Two of these applications, reverberation mapping and measuring time delays for determining cosmological parameters, require the source QSOs to be variable with sufficient amplitude. In this paper, we forecast the number of strong lensed QSOs with sufficient variability to be detected by the Vera C. Rubin Telescope Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The damped random walk model is employed to model the variability amplitude of lensed QSOs taken from a mock catalog by Oguri & Marshall (2010). We expect 30--40% of the mock lensed QSO sample, which corresponds to $\sim$1000, to exhibit variability detectable with LSST. A smaller subsample of 250 lensed QSOs will show larger variability of $>0.15$~mag for bright lensed images with $i<21$ mag, allowing for monitoring with smaller telescopes. We discuss systematic uncertainties in the prediction by considering alternative prescriptions for variability and mock lens catalog with respect to our fiducial model. Our study shows that a large-scale survey of lensed QSOs can be conducted for reverberation mapping and time delay measurements following up on LSST.

Precision pulsar timing is integral to the detection of the nanohertz stochastic gravitational-wave background as well as understanding the physics of neutron stars. Conventional pulsar timing often uses fixed time and frequency-averaged templates to determine the pulse times of arrival, which can lead to reduced accuracy when the pulse profile evolves over time. We illustrate a dynamic timing method that fits each observing epoch using basis functions. By fitting each epoch separately, we allow for the evolution of the pulse shape epoch to epoch. We apply our method to PSR J1103$-$5403 and demonstrate that it undergoes mode changing, making it the fourth millisecond pulsar to exhibit such behaviour. Our method, which is able to identify and time a single mode, yields a timing solution with a root-mean-square error of 1.343 $\mu \mathrm{s}$, a factor of 1.78 improvement over template fitting on both modes. In addition, the white-noise amplitude is reduced 4.3 times, suggesting that fitting the full data set causes the mode changing to be incorrectly classified as white noise. This reduction in white noise boosts the signal-to-noise ratio of a gravitational-wave background signal for this particular pulsar by 32%. We discuss the possible applications for this method of timing to study pulsar magnetospheres and further improve the sensitivity of searches for nanohertz gravitational waves.

The presence of transitional dwarf galaxies in filaments and cluster outskirts may be closely related to pre-processing in the filament; however, the underlying mechanism is not yet comprehensively understood. We present the spatially resolved chemical and kinematical properties of three blue-cored dwarf early-type galaxies (dE(bc)s) in the Virgo cluster and Virgo-related filaments (Crater & Virgo III) using the Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral-field spectrograph (SAMI) Galaxy Survey. We map the spatial distribution of H-alpha, oxygen abundance (O/H), nitrogen-to-oxygen abundance ratio (N/O), stellar population age, and gas-stellar internal kinematics. We find irregular shapes of enhanced star-forming regions from the centers to the outlying regions of blue cores in dE(bc)s. These regions are relatively metal-poor compared with the surrounding regions, rendering the overall metallicity gradient of each galaxy positive. Furthermore, they exhibit higher N/O ratios at a given O/H relative to their surroundings, implying metal-poor gas infall by external processes. The equivalent width of the H-alpha emission line in metal-poor regions indicates young age of star formation, 6-8 Myr. The disturbed ionized gas velocity field, one of the most prominent features of galaxy mergers is also discovered in two dE(bc)s. We propose that a moderately dense filament environment is favorable for the formation of blue cores in dEs, in which dE(bc)s in filaments may have already been transformed before they fall into the Virgo cluster. This process may contribute to the composition of galaxy population at the outskirts of the cluster.

We investigate the data collected by the high-cadence microlensing surveys during the 2022 season in search for planetary signals appearing in the light curves of microlensing events. From this search, we find that the lensing event MOA-2022-BLG-249 exhibits a brief positive anomaly that lasted for about 1 day with a maximum deviation of $\sim 0.2$~mag from a single-source single-lens model. We analyze the light curve under the two interpretations of the anomaly: one originated by a low-mass companion to the lens (planetary model) and the other originated by a faint companion to the source (binary-source model). It is found that the anomaly is better explained by the planetary model than the binary-source model. We identify two solutions rooted in the inner--outer degeneracy, for both of which the estimated planet-to-host mass ratio, $q\sim 8\times 10^{-5}$, is very small. With the constraints provided by the microlens parallax and the lower limit on the Einstein radius, as well as the blend-flux constraint, we find that the lens is a planetary system, in which a super-Earth planet, with a mass $(4.83\pm 1.44)~M_\oplus$, orbits a low-mass host star, with a mass $(0.18\pm 0.05)~M_\odot$, lying in the Galactic disk at a distance $(2.00\pm 0.42)$~kpc. The planet detection demonstrates the elevated microlensing sensitivity of the current high-cadence lensing surveys to low-mass planets.

The commonly accepted mechanism governing the formation of the nascent wind in oxygen-rich AGB stars combines an initial boost above the photosphere, given by shock waves resulting from stellar pulsations and convective cell granulation, with a subsequent acceleration fuelled by the radiation pressure of the star on dust grains. We use six nearby stars, for which detailed studies of visible and infrared observations at the VLT and millimetre observations at ALMA are available, to assess the extent to which the validity of this picture is currently corroborated. We show that while providing a very useful guide to current research and having received general support and suffered no contradiction, it still requires many additional observations to be reliably validated. In particular, observations of the highest possible angular resolution at both millimetre and visible/infrared wavelengths, performed in conjunction with measurements of the light curve, are necessary to tell apart the respective roles played by convection and stellar pulsations. A major unanswered question is the lack of understanding of the apparent contradiction between the observed high variability near the photosphere and the persistence over decades, or even centuries, of the global anisotropy displayed by the CSE. New observations of the close neighbourhood of the star are required to elucidate the mechanism that governs rotation, in particular in the cases of R Dor, L2 Pup and EP Aqr. We argue that the presence of stellar or planetary companions does not seriously impact the formation of the nascent wind and only modifies its subsequent evolution.

We present, for the first time, spatially resolved spectroscopy for the entire Hickson Compact Group 31 obtained with the MUSE instrument at the VLT,and an in-depth analysis of this compact group. To obtain a complete understanding of the system, we derived radial velocity and dispersion velocity maps, maps of the ionization mechanism of the system, chemical abundances and their distribution over the whole system, star formation rates and ages of the different star-forming regions, and the spatial distribution of the Wolf-Rayet stellar population. We also reconstructed the star formation history of the galaxies HCG 31 A, C, B and F, measured the emission-line fluxes, and performed a stellar population synthesis. Our main findings are: (i) that there is clearly disturbed kinematics due to the merger event that the system is experiencing; (ii) that the ionization is produced exclusively via star formation except for the nucleus of the galaxy HCG 31 A, where there is a small contribution of shocks; (iii) that there is low oxygen abundance distributed homogeneously through the system; (iv) that there is a prominent population of carbon Wolf-Rayet stars in the central zone of the group; and (v) that there are clear evidences of the tidal origin of the galaxies HCG 31 E, HCG 31 H, and HCG 31 F because they show quite high oxygen abundances for their stellar mass. All these findings are clear evidence that HCG 31 is currently in an early merging phase and manifesting a starburst in its central region.

Noting that the extensive astrometric observations of the double comet Wirtanen (C/1956 F1) made by E. Roemer have never been published, I replicate the contents of a fortuitously discovered copy of her measurement records of the companion's offsets from the main mass in 1957-1959 and use with such data by others to refine the fragmentation solution. The sublimation-driven nongravitational acceleration is shown to essentially control the companion's motion in the orbital plane. The fragmentation parameters derived by the author in 1978 have now been improved and strong disagreement with the independent results by Roemer is noted. The revised model is employed to predict the positions of the companion on the plates exposed by Roemer on 25 September 1960, which she reported to show the principal nucleus but not the companion. At my request, these plates have now been scanned and processed at the Lowell Observatory, and the companion is found to be located at the predicted position. The images of the main mass and the companion on one of the two plates are displayed.

The origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is currently an open question with several proposed sources and corresponding mechanisms for their production. Among them are compact binary coalescences (CBCs) that also generate gravitational waves (GWs). Spatial and temporal coincidences between GWs and FRBs have so far been used to search for potential FRB counterparts to GWs from CBCs. However, such methods suffer from relatively poor sky-localisation of the GW sources, and similarly poor luminosity distance estimates of both GW and FRB sources. The time delay between the GW and radio emission is also poorly understood. In this work, we propose an astrophysical scenario that could potentially provide an unambiguous association between CBCs and FRBs, if one exists, or unambiguously rule out FRB counterparts to a given CBC GW event. We demonstrate that, if a CBC that emitted both GWs and FRBs, is gravitationally lensed, we can make a $> 5\sigma$ association using time-delay estimates of the lensed GW and FRB images (in strong lensing), which are expected to be measured with mili-second (for GW) and nano-second (FRB) precisions. We also demonstrate that the CBC-FRB association can be made in the microlensing regime as well where wave-optics effects modulate the GW waveform. We further investigate the rate of such detected associations in future observing scenarios of both GW and radio detectors.

The particularly abundant presence of blue straggler stars (BSS) in Galactic open clusters offers favorable conditions for detailed studies on the statistical properties and the origin of the blue straggler population. With the help of Gaia DR3, the number of identified open clusters continuously increases, and the determination of star cluster members is more reliable. We performed a more thorough search for BSS in newly found open clusters based on Gaia data. We implemented a uniform membership determination for over one thousand newly identified open clusters with larger sky coverage based on the astrometric and photometric data from Gaia DR3. The membership probabilities of stars were assigned by the pyUPMASK algorithm. Then we estimated the physical parameters of these clusters by isochrone fitting on their CMDs and picked out BSS in the specific region of these CMDs. We identified 138 BSS that had not been reported before in 50 open clusters. Compared with recent catalogs that present more than 1500 BSS in 339 open clusters, our new catalog increased the number of BSS in Galactic open clusters by about 10%, and the number of open clusters with BSS by nearly 17%. In the future, more accurate abundance measurements are anticipated to better probe the origin of BSS in open clusters.

We conducted optical polarimetry and near-infrared spectroscopy of JAXA's Hayabusa2# mission target, (98943) 2001 CC21, in early 2023. Our new observations indicated that this asteroid has a polarimetric inversion angle of ~21 deg, absorption bands around 0.9 and 1.9 um, and a geometric albedo of 0.285 +- 0.083. All these features are consistent with those of S-type but inconsistent with L-type. Based on this evidence, we conclude that JAXA's Hayabusa2# spacecraft will explore an S-type asteroid with albedo and size (0.42-0.56 km when we assume the absolute magnitude of 18.6) similar to (25143) Itokawa.

Crescent-shaped structures in transition disks hold the key to studying the putative companions to the central stars. The dust dynamics, especially that of different grain sizes, is important to understanding the role of pressure bumps in planet formation. In this work, we present deep dust continuum observation with high resolution towards the Oph IRS 48 system. For the first time, we are able to significantly trace and detect emission along $95\%$ of the ring crossing the crescent-shaped structure. The ring is highly eccentric with an eccentricity of $0.27$. The flux density contrast between the peak of the flux and its counter part along the ring is $\sim 270$. In addition, we detect a compact emission toward the central star. If the emission is an inner circumstellar disk inside the cavity, it has a radius of at most a couple of astronomical units with a dust mass of $1.5\times 10^{-8}\rm\, M_\odot$, or $0.005\rm\, M_\oplus$. We also discuss the implications of the potential eccentric orbit on the proper motion of the crescent, the putative secondary companion, and the asymmetry in velocity maps.

We investigate the radial metallicity gradients and azimuthal metallicity distributions on the Galactocentric $X$--$Y$ plane using mono-temperature stellar populations selected from LAMOST MRS young stellar sample. The estimated radial metallicity gradient ranges from $-$0.015\,dex/kpc to $-$0.07\,dex/kpc, which decreases as effective temperature decreases (or stellar age increases) at $7500 < T_{\rm eff} < 12500$\,K ($\tau < $1.5 Gyr). The azimuthal metallicity excess (metallicity after subtracting radial metallicity gradient, $\Delta$\,[M/H]) distributions exhibit inhomogeneities with dispersions of 0.04\,dex to 0.07\,dex, which decrease as effective temperature decreases. We also identify five potential metal-poor substructures with large metallicity excess dispersions. The metallicity excess distributions of these five metal-poor substructures suggest that they contain a larger fraction of metal-poor stars compared to other control samples. These metal-poor substructures may be associated with high-velocity clouds that infall into the Galactic disk from the Galactic halo, which are not quickly well-mixed with the pre-existing ISM of the Galactic disk. As a result, these high-velocity clouds produce some metal-poor stars and the observed metal-poor substructures. The variations of metallicity inhomogeneities with different stellar populations indicate that high-velocity clouds are not well mixed with the pre-existing Galactic disk ISM within 0.3\,Gyr.

Hyper-velocity stars (HVS) are enigmatic objects because they are travelling so fast that they escape from the Galaxy. Among hot subdwarfs, only one such star is known, the He-sdO US 708. The Hyper-MUCHFUSS collaboration provided additional HVS candidates. Here we revisit the fastest candidates including US 708 by analysing optical spectra and spectral energy distributions using a new grid of tailored model atmospheres and report preliminary results. The sample is dominated by H-rich subdwarfs and their distribution in the Kiel diagram appears to be bimodal for the sdB stars but otherwise fits canonical evolutionary models well. Gaia proper motion measurements allowed a precise kinematic investigation to be made. It turns out that all previously proposed HVS candidates are actually bound to the Galaxy, except US 708. The original candidate sample turns out to belong to an extreme halo population. The scarcity of available observations of US 708 calls for space-based UV and IR photometry as well as high precision radial velocity measurements.

Although the spectrum of primordial fluctuations has been accurately measured on scales above $\sim 0.1~\rm{Mpc}$, only upper limits exist on smaller scales. In this study, we investigate generic monochromatic enhancements to the $\Lambda$CDM spectrum that trigger the collapse of ultracompact minihalos (UCMHs) well before standard structure formation. We refine previous treatments by considering a mixed population of halos with different density profiles, that should realistically arise as a consequence of late-time accretion and mergers. Assuming that dark matter (DM) can self-annihilate, we find, as expected, that UCMHs can greatly enhance the annihilation rate around recombination, significantly imprinting the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. However, we provide additional insight on the theoretical uncertainties that currently impact that boost and which may affect late-time probes such as the 21 cm line or $\gamma$-ray signals. We derive constraints on the primordial power spectrum on small scales using the ExoCLASS/HYREC codes and the Planck legacy data. We account for the velocity dependence of the DM annihilation cross-section ($s$- or $p$-wave), annihilation channel, the DM particle mass and the inclusion of late-time halo mergers. Our $s$-wave constraints are competitive with previous literature, excluding primordial amplitudes $A_{\star} \gtrsim 10^{-6.5}$ at wavenumbers $k \sim 10^4-10^7 \ \rm{Mpc}^{-1}$. For the first time, we highlight that even $p$-wave processes have constraining power on the primordial spectrum for cross-sections still allowed by currently the strongest astrophysical constraints. Finally, we provide an up-to-date compilation of the most stringent limits on the primordial power spectrum across a wide range of scales.

The microwave radio dynamic spectra of the Crab pulsar interpulse contain fine structures represented via narrow-band quasiharmonic stripes. This pattern significantly constrains any potential emission mechanism. Similarly to the zebra patterns observed in, for example, type IV solar radio bursts or decameter and kilometer Jupiter radio emission, the double plasma resonance (DPR) effect of the cyclotron maser instability may interpret observations. We present the first electromagnetic relativistic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of the electron-positron cyclotron maser for cyclotron frequency smaller than the plasma frequency. In four distinct simulation cycles, we focused on the effects of varying plasma parameters on the instability growth rate and saturation energy. In contrast to the results obtained from electron-proton plasma simulations, we found that the pulsar electron-positron maser instability does not generate distinguishable X and Z modes. On the contrary, a singular electromagnetic XZ mode is generated close to or above the plasma frequency. Highest instability growth rates were obtained for the simulations with integer plasma-to-cyclotron frequency ratios. The instability is most efficient for plasma with characteristic loss-cone velocity in the range $v_\mathrm{th}=$ 0.2 - 0.3$c$. For low density ratios, the highest peak of the XZ mode is at the double frequency of the highest peak of the Bernstein modes, indicating that the radio emission is produced by a coalescence of two Bernstein modes with the same frequency and opposite wave numbers. Our estimate of the radiative flux generated from the simulation is up to $\sim$ 30 mJy from an area of 100 km$^2$ for an observer at 1 kpc distance without the inclusion of relativistic beaming effects, which may account for multiple orders of magnitude.

In solving the solar coronal heating problem, it is crucial to comprehend the mechanisms by which energy is conveyed from the photosphere to the corona. Recently, magnetic tornadoes, characterized as coherent, rotating magnetic field structures extending from the photosphere to the corona, have drawn growing interest as a possible means of efficient energy transfer. Despite its acknowledged importance, the underlying physics of magnetic tornadoes remains still elusive. In this study, we conduct a three-dimensional radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulation that encompasses the upper convective layer and extends into the corona, with a view to investigating how magnetic tornadoes are generated and efficiently transfer energy into the corona. We find that a single event of magnetic flux concentration merger on the photosphere gives rise to the formation of a single magnetic tornado. The Poynting flux transferred into the corona is found to be four times greater in the presence of the magnetic tornado, as compared to its absence. This increase is attributed to a reduction in energy loss in the chromosphere, resulting from the weakened magnetic energy cascade. Based on an evaluation of the fraction of the merging events, our results suggest that magnetic tornadoes contribute approximately 50% of the Poynting flux into the corona in regions where the coronal magnetic field strength is 10 G. Potentially, the contribution could be even greater in areas with a stronger coronal magnetic field.

Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the broad-band continuum emission from black-hole accretion discs can serve as a tool to measure parameters of the central body and constrain the geometry of the inner accretion flow. We focus on the case of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), with an accretion disc dominating the UV/optical bands. We parameterize the changes in the thermal and power-law components, which can reveal the diminution of the emissivity. To this end we explore the effects of gaps in the accretion disc and the emerging SED that can be caused by the presence of either (i) the inner, optically thin, radiatively inefficient hot flow; (ii) a secondary black hole embedded within the accretion disc; or (iii) a combination of both components. We suggest that the resulting changes in the SED of the underlying continuum can help us to understand some departures from the standard-disc scenario. We estimate that the data required for such a project must be sampled in detail over the far-UV to soft X-ray bands during the interval of about a month corresponding to the characteristic variability timescale of an AGN. Detecting a gap at intermediate radii of a few 100 gravitational radii would require quality photometry with uncertainties up to $\sim$ 1%. The presence of the central cavity in the standard disc can be recovered in UV photometric data with an accuracy of 5% and better. We show the effect of the intrinsic reddening of the source and demonstrate when it can be disentangled.

We report the methods of and initial scientific inferences from the extraction of precision photometric information for the $>800$ trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) discovered in the images of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Scene-modelling photometry is used to obtain shot-noise-limited flux measures for each exposure of each TNO, with background sources subtracted. Comparison of double-source fits to the pixel data with single-source fits are used to identify and characterize two binary TNO systems. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo method samples the joint likelihood of the intrinsic colors of each source as well as the amplitude of its flux variation, given the time series of multiband flux measurements and their uncertainties. A catalog of these colors and light curve amplitudes $A$ is included with this publication. We show how to assign a likelihood to the distribution $q(A)$ of light curve amplitudes in any subpopulation. Using this method, we find decisive evidence (i.e. evidence ratio $<0.01$) that cold classical (CC) TNOs with absolute magnitude $6<H_r<8.2$ are more variable than the hot classical (HC) population of the same $H_r$, reinforcing theories that the former form in situ and the latter arise from a different physical population. Resonant and scattering TNOs in this $H_r$ range have variability consistent with either the HC's or CC's. DES TNOs with $H_r<6$ are seen to be decisively less variable than higher-$H_r$ members of any dynamical group, as expected. More surprising is that detached TNOs are decisively less variable than scattering TNOs, which requires them to have distinct source regions or some subsequent differential processing.

We analysed spectroscopic data obtained with VLT-VIMOS for two multiple-cluster systems, PLCKG$214.6+36.9$ and PLCKG$334.8-38.0$, discovered via their thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signal by $Planck$. Combining the Optical spectroscopy, for the redshift determination, and photometric data from galaxy surveys (SDSS, WISE, DESI), we were able to study the structure of the two multiple-cluster systems, to determine their nature and the properties of their member galaxies. We found that the two systems are populated mainly with passive galaxies and that PLCKG$214.6+36.9$ consists of a pair of clusters at redshift $z = 0.445$ and a background isolated cluster at $z = 0.498$, whereas the system PLCKG$334.8-38.0$ is a chance association of three independent clusters at redshifts $z = 0.367$, $z =0.292$, and $z = 0.33$. We also find evidence for remaining star formation activity in the highest-redshift cluster of PLCKG$214.6+36.9$, at $z = 0.498$.

In this work, we report periodicity search analyses in the gamma-ray light curve of the blazar S4 0954+658 monitoring undertaken by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Four analytical methods and a tool are adopted to detect any periodic flux modulation and corresponding significance level, revealing that (i) a 66 d quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) with the significance level of $> 5\sigma$ spanning over 600 d from 2015 to 2016 (MJD 57145--57745), resulting in continuous observation of nine cycles, which is one of the highest cycles discerned in blazar gamma-ray light curve; (ii) a possible QPO of 210 d at a moderate significance of $\sim3.5\sigma$ lasted for over 880 d from 2020 to 2022 (MJD 59035--59915), which lasted for four cycles. In addition, we discuss several physical models to explain the origin of the two transient QPOs and conclude that a geometrical scenario involving a plasma blob moving helically inside the jet can explain the time scale of the QPO.

We analysed a dedicated NuSTAR observation of the neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary Z-source GX 13+1 to study the timing and spectral properties of the source. From the colour-colour diagram, we conclude that during that observation the source transitioned from the normal branch to the flaring branch. We fitted the spectra of the source in each branch with a model consisting of an accretion disc, a Comptonised blackbody, relativistic reflection (relxillNS), and photo-ionised absorption (warmabs). Thanks to the combination of the large effective area and good energy resolution of NuSTAR at high energies, we found evidence of relativistic reflection in both the Fe K line profile, and the Compton hump present in the 10--25 keV energy range. The inner disc radius is $R_{\rm in} \lesssim 9.6~r_g$, which allowed us to further constrain the magnetic field strength to $B \lesssim 1.8 \times 10^8$ G. We also found evidence for the presence of a hot wind leading to photo-ionised absorption of Fe and Ni, with a Ni overabundance of $\sim$6 times solar. From the spectral fits, we find that the distance between the ionising source and the slab of ionised absorbing material is $\sim 4-40 \times 10^5$ km. We also found that that the width of the boundary layer extends $\sim$3 km above the surface of a neutron star, which yielded a neutron-star radius $R_{\rm NS}\lesssim 16$ km. The scenario inferred from the spectral modelling becomes self-consistent only for high electron densities in the accretion disk, $n_e \sim 10^{22}-10^{23}$ cm$^{-3}$, as expected for a Shakura-Sunyaev disc, and significantly above the densities provided by relxillNS models. These results have implications for our understanding of the physical conditions in GX 13+1.

The photometric time series of solar-like stars can exhibit rotational modulation due to active regions co-rotating with the stellar surface, allowing us to constrain stellar rotation and magnetic activity. In this work we investigate the behavior, particularly the variability, of the photometric magnetic activity of Kepler solar-like stars and compare it with that of the Sun. We adopted the photometric magnetic activity proxy Sph, which was computed with a cadence of 5 x the rotation period, Prot. The average Sph was taken as the mean activity level, and the standard deviation was taken as a measure of the temporal variation of the magnetic activity over the observations. We also analyzed Sun-as-a-star photometric data from VIRGO. Sun-like stars were selected from a very narrow parameter space around the solar properties. We also looked into KIC 8006161 (HD 173701), an active metal-rich G dwarf, and we compared its magnetic activity to that of stars with similar stellar parameters. We find that the amplitude of Sph variability is strongly correlated with its mean value, independent of spectral type. An equivalent relationship has been found for ground-based observations of chromospheric activity emission and magnetic field strength, but in this work we show that photometric Kepler data also present the same behavior. While, depending on the cycle phase, the Sun is among the less active stars, we find that the solar Sph properties are consistent with those observed in Kepler Sun-like stars. KIC 8006161 is, however, among the most active of its peers, which tend to be metal-rich. This results from an underlying relationship between Prot and metallicity and supports the following interpretation of the magnetic activity of KIC 8006161: its strong activity is a consequence of its high metallicity, which affects the depth of the convection zone and, consequently, the efficiency of the dynamo.

The joint effect of gravity and thermal misbalance on the dynamics of acoustic-gravity waves (AGW) in the solar atmosphere is considered. It is shown that the heating and cooling taken in the form of power functions lead to the linear dependence of stationary temperature profile. Estimates of the ratio of the characteristic length associated with thermal processes to the gravitational height show a predominant influence of thermal processes in the temperature range up to 2 MK and a comparable influence on the dynamics of AGW in the range from 2 to 10 MK. A study of the dispersion properties of AGW in an isothermal atmosphere showed that in regimes with an overwhelming influence of thermal processes, the acoustic cut-off frequency decreases up to $\sqrt{\gamma}$ times. At the same time, the maximum frequency of the gravitational mode (analog of the Brunt-Vaisala frequency in the medium without non-adiabatic heating and cooling) decreases with increasing power of thermal processes, and then the gravitational mode can become purely oscillatory.

The transmission spectrum of the ultrahot Jupiter KELT-9b ($T_{eq}$ $\sim$ 4000 K) exhibits absorption by several metal species. We searched for atomic and molecular lines in its emission spectrum by observing partial phase curves with the CARMENES spectrograph ($R$ $\sim$ 80,000 $-$ 95,000). We find evidence for emission by Si I in the atmosphere of KELT-9b for the first time. Additionally we find evidence for emission by Mg I and Ca II, which were previously detected in transmission, and confirmed earlier detections of Fe I emission. Conversely, we find no evidence for dayside emission from Al I, Ca I, Cr I, FeH, Fe II, K I, Li I, Mg II, Na I, OH, Ti I, TiO, V I, V II, VO, and Y I. By employing likelihood mapping, we find indications of there being little variation in emission line contrast between the day- and nightsides $-$suggesting that KELT-9b may harbor iron emission on its nightside. Our results demonstrate that high-resolution ground-based emission spectroscopy can provide valuable insights into exoplanet atmospheres.

We present the Texas Euclid Survey for Lyman-Alpha (TESLA), a spectroscopic survey in the 10 square degree of the Euclid North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) field. Using TESLA, we study how the physical properties of Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) correlate with Lyman-alpha emission to understand the escape of Lyman alpha from galaxies at redshifts 2 -- 3.5. We present an analysis of 43 LAEs performed in the NEP field using early data from the TESLA survey. We use Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam imaging in the grizy-bands, Spitzer/IRAC channels 1 and 2 from the Hawaii 20 square degree (H20) survey and spectra acquired by the Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS) on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. We perform spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to compute the galaxy properties of 43 LAEs, and study correlations between stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and dust, to the Lyman-alpha rest-frame equivalent widths (EW). We uncover marginal (1 sigma significance) correlations between stellar mass and Lyman-alpha EW, and star formation rate (SFR) and Lyman-alpha EW, with a Spearman correlation coefficient of -0.$34_{-.14}^{+.17}$ and -0.$37_{-.14}^{+.16}$ respectively. We show that the Lyman-alpha distribution of the 43 LAEs is consistent with being drawn from an exponential distribution with an e-folding scale of 150 Angstrom. Once complete the TESLA survey will enable the study of ~ thousands of LAEs to explore correlations between galaxy properties and Lyman-alpha EW. The large sample size will allow the construction of a predictive model for the Lyman-alpha EW as a function of SED-derived galaxy properties, which could be used to improve Lyman-alpha based constraints on reionization.

We describe a general constitutive framework for a teleparallel extension of the general theory of relativity. This approach goes beyond the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity (TEGR) by broadening the analogy with the electrodynamics of media. In particular, the main purpose of this paper is to investigate in detail a local constitutive extension of TEGR that is the local limit of nonlocal gravity (NLG). Within this framework, we study the modified FLRW cosmological models. Of these, the most cogent turns out to be the modified flat model which is shown to be inconsistent with the existence of a positive cosmological constant. Moreover, dynamic dark energy and other components of the modified flat model evolve differently with the expansion of the universe as compared to the standard flat cosmological model. The observational consequences of the modified flat model are briefly explored and it is shown that the model is capable of resolving the H_0 tension.

We provide the indication of high flux of $^{40}$K geo-antineutrino and geo-neutrino ($^{40}$K-geo-($\bar{\nu} + \nu$)) with Borexino Phase III data. This result was obtained by introducing a new source of single events, namely $^{40}$K-geo-($\bar{\nu} + \nu$) scattering on electrons, in multivariate fit analysis of Borexino Phase III data. Simultaneously we obtained the count rates of events from $^7$Be, $pep$ and CNO solar neutrinos. These count rates are consistent with the prediction of the Low metallicity Sun model SSM B16-AGSS09. MC pseudo-experiments showed that the case of High metallicity Sun and absence of $^{40}$K-geo-($\bar{\nu} + \nu$) can not imitate the result of multivariate fit analysis of Borexino Phase III data with introducing $^{40}$K-geo-($\bar{\nu} + \nu$) events. We also provide arguments for the high abundance of potassium in the Earth.

$SU(\infty)$-QGR is a quantum approach to Universe and gravity. Its main assumption is infinite mutually commuting observables in the Universe, leading to representation of $SU(\infty)$ by its Hilbert spaces and those of its subsystems. The Universe as a whole is static, topological, and characterized by two continuous parameters. Nonetheless, quantum fluctuations induce clustering and finite rank internal symmetries, which approximately divide the Universe to infinite interacting subsystems. Their Hilbert space depends on an additional dimensionful parameter, and selection of a subsystem as clock induces a relative dynamics, with $SU(\infty)$ sector as gravity. The Lagrangian defined on the (3+1)-dimensional parameter space is Yang-Mills for both symmetries. When quantumness of gravity is undetectable, it is perceived as curvature of an effective spacetime.

Asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANC) determine the overall normalization of cross sections of peripheral radiative capture reactions. In a recent paper [Blokhintsev {\em et al.}, Eur. Phys. J. A {\bf 58}, 257 (2022)], we considered the ANC $C_0$ for the virtual decay $^{16}$O$(0^+; 6.05$ MeV)$\to \alpha+^{12}$C(g.s.). In the present paper, which can be regarded as a continuation of the previous, we treat the ANCs $C_l$ for the vertices $^{16}$O$(J^\pi)\to \alpha+^{12}$C(g.s.) corresponding to the other three bound excited states of $^{16}$O ($J^\pi=3^-$, $2^+$, $1^-$, $l=J$). ANCs $C_l$ ($l=3,\,2,\,1$) are found by analytic continuation in energy of the $\alpha^{12}$C $l$-wave partial scattering amplitudes, known from the phase-shift analysis of experimental data, to the pole corresponding to the $^{16}$O bound state and lying in the unphysical region of negative energies. To determine $C_l$, the scattering data are approximated by the sum of polynomials in energy in the physical region and then extrapolated to the pole. For a more reliable determination of the ANCs, various forms of functions expressed in terms of phase shifts were used in analytical approximation and subsequent extrapolation.

We propose a new non-thermal dark matter which feebly couples to the standard model charged leptons.The feeble interactions allow it $(1)$ to freeze-in from standard model thermal bath with its relic density being a partial or a whole of the observed dark matter density and $(2)$ to radiatively decay to two photons in the dark matter mass ranges of order keV scale with lifetime larger than the age of Universe.These features make this non-thermal dark matter a realistic realization of dark matter with late-time decay as a solution to Hubble tension.We show that the $68\%$ CL best fit value of $H_{0}=68.3~(69.6)$ km s$^{-1}$Mpc$^{-1}$ compared to CMB+BAO (+LSS) data sets.We then use complimentary stellar cooling data to place stringent constraints on the parameter space.While the universal coupling scenario is excluded, the hierarchical coupling scenario can be tested by future observations on white dwarfs after a careful look into photon annihilation, Primakoff and Bremsstrahlung emission of the dark matter in various stellar systems.The viable parameter space may be linked to anomalies in future X-ray telescopes.

Muon counting is an effective strategy for discriminating between gamma and hadron-initiated air showers. However, their detection, which requires shielded detectors, is highly costly and almost impossible to implement in large ${\rm km^2}$ environmentally sensitive areas. This work shows that the gamma/hadron discriminators, based on the new $LCm$ variable and the number of muons, have equivalent proton rejection levels at the PeV energies. It is, therefore, possible to build, at an affordable cost, a large, high-performant, wide field-of-view gamma-ray observatory.

The seesaw mechanism with three right-handed neutrinos has one as a well-motivated dark matter candidate if stable and the other two can explain baryon asymmetry via the thermal leptogenesis scenario. We explore the possibility of introducing additional particles to make the right-handed neutrino dark matter in thermal equilibrium and freeze out through a forbidden annihilation channel. Nowadays in the Universe, this forbidden channel can be reactivated by a strong gravitational potential such as the supermassive black hole in our galaxy center. The Fermi-LAT gamma ray data and dark matter relic density require this right-handed neutrino dark matter to have mass below $100\,$GeV and the existence of an additional boson $\phi$ that can be tested at future lepton colliders.

When a particle crosses a region of space where the curvature radius of the magnetic field line shrinks below the gyroradius $r_{\rm g}$, it experiences a non-adiabatic (magnetic moment violating) change in pitch-angle. The present paper carries that observation into MHD turbulence to examine the influence of intermittent, sharp bends of the magnetic field lines on particle transport. On the basis of dedicated measurements in a simulation of incompressible turbulence, it is argued that regions of sufficiently large curvature may exist in sufficient numbers on all scales to promote pitch-angle diffusion. The parallel mean free path predicted by the powerlaw statistics of the curvature strength scales as $\sim r_{\rm g}^{0.3}\,\ell_{\rm c}^{0.7}$ ($\ell_{\rm c}$ coherence scale of the turbulence), of direct interest to cosmic-ray phenomenology. Particle tracking in that numerical simulation confirms that the magnetic moment diffuses through localized, violent interactions, in agreement with the above picture. Correspondingly, the overall transport process is non-Brownian up to length scales $\gtrsim\ell_{\rm c}$.

We consider axial (or odd-parity) perturbations of non-spinning hairy black holes (BH) in shift-symmetric DHOST (Degenerate Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor) theories, including terms quartic and cubic in second derivatives of the scalar field. We give a new formulation of the effective metric in which axial perturbations propagate as in general relativity. We then introduce a generic parametrization of the effective metric in the vicinity of the background BH horizon. Writing the dynamics of the perturbations in terms of a Schr\"odinger-like operator, we discuss in which cases the operator is (essentially) self-adjoint, thus leading to an unambiguous time evolution, according to the choice of parameters characterizing the near-horizon effective metric. This is in particular useful to investigate the stability of the perturbations. We finally illustrate our general analysis with two examples of BH solutions.

Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHB) are expected to be detected by the future space-based gravitational-wave detector LISA with a large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This prospect enhances the possibility of differentiating higher harmonics in the inspiral-merger-ringdown (IMR) waveform. In this study, we test the ability of LISA to identify the presence of different modes in the IMR waveform from a SMBHB. We analyze the contribution of each mode to the total SNR for different sources. We show that higher modes, in particular, the mode $(3, 3)$ and $(4, 4)$, can dominate the signal observed through the LISA detector for SMBHB of the order of $10^8 M_\odot$. With Bayesian analysis, we can discriminate models with different IMR modes. While higher modes are often considered to be orthogonal, it is no longer the case in the merger-ringdown phase. Therefore, omitting harmonics not only diminishes the SNR but can also lead to biases in the parameter estimation. We analyze the bias for each model for our example system and quantify the threshold SNR where we can expect the parameter bias to be comparable to the statistical error. Our work highlights the importance of higher modes to describe the gravitational waveform of events detected by LISA.

Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) have recently attracted much attention as they may explain some of the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA observations and significantly contribute to the dark matter in our universe. The next generation of Gravitational Wave (GW) detectors will have the unique opportunity to set stringent bounds on this putative population of objects. Focusing on the Einstein Telescope (ET), in this paper we analyse in detail the impact of systematics and different detector designs on our future capability of observing key quantities that would allow us to discover and/or constrain a population of PBH mergers. We also perform a population analysis, with a mass and redshift distribution compatible with the current observational bounds. Our results indicate that ET alone can reach an exquisite level of accuracy on the key observables considered, as well as detect up to tens of thousands of PBH binaries per year, but for some key signatures (in particular high--redshift sources) the cryogenic instrument optimised for low frequencies turns out to be crucial, both for the number of observations and the error on the parameters reconstruction. As far as the detector geometry is concerned, we find that a network consisting of two separated L--shaped interferometers of 15 (20)~km arm length, oriented at $45^{\circ}$ with respect to each other performs better than a single triangular shaped instrument of 10 (15)~km arm length, for all the metrics considered.