Papers for Thursday, Aug 10 2023

We improved the algorithm presented in Rubie et al. (2015) to model the chemical evolution of Earth driven by iron/silicate differentiation during the planet's accretion. The pressure at which the equilibration occurs during a giant impact is no longer a free parameter but is determined by the smooth particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations of Nakajima et al. (2021). Moreover, impacting planetesimals are now assumed to be too small to cause melting and differentiation and thus their materials are stored in the crystalline upper mantle of the growing planet until a hydrostatically relaxed global magma ocean forms in the aftermath of a giant impact, whose depth is also estimated from Nakajima et al. (2021). With these changes, not all dynamical simulations lead to a satisfactory reproduction of the chemical composition of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE). Thus, the latter becomes diagnostic of the success of dynamical models. In the successful cases also the BSE abundances of W and Mo can be reproduced, that were previously hard to fit (Jennings et al., 2021).

We have searched for lines of the radioactive element technetium (Tc) in the spectrum of Przybylski's star (HD101065). The nuclei of this chemical element are formed in the slow process of capturing thermalized neutrons. The possible lines of Tc~I are heavily blended. We have synthesized the profile of one resonance line at 4297.06 \AA~, which is also a part of the complex blend, and we arrived at a decision that it is not visible in the spectrum (as was first noted by Ryabchikova), casting doubt on the existence of technetium in the atmosphere of the Przybylski's star. Therefore, based on our calculated combined profile, which has been adjusted to the observed blend profile at ~4297.2 A (that may possibly contain the resonance technetium line 4297.06 A), we reduce the maximum technetium abundance to $\log\epsilon$(Tc/H) = 2.5. This value can be considered only as an upper limit of the technetium abundance in the Przybylski's star.

When galactic discs settle and become massive enough, they are able to form stellar bars. These non-axisymmetric structures induce shocks in the gas, causing it to flow to the centre where nuclear structures, such as nuclear discs and rings, are formed. Previous theoretical and observational studies have hinted at the co-evolution of bars and nuclear discs, suggesting that nuclear discs grow "inside-out", thereby proposing that smaller discs live in younger bars. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the bar and the nuclear structures form and evolve with time. The smallest nuclear discs discovered to date tend to be larger than $\sim200~\rm{pc}$, even though some theoretical studies find that when nuclear discs form they can be much smaller. Using MUSE archival data, we report for the first time two extragalactic nuclear discs with radius sizes below $100~\rm{pc}$. Additionally, our estimations reveal the youngest bars found to date. We estimate that the bars in these galaxies formed $4.50^{+1.60}_{-1.10}\rm{(sys)}^{+1.00}_{-0.75}\rm{(stat)}$ and $0.7^{+2.60}\rm{(sys)}^{+0.05}_{-0.05}\rm{(stat)}~\rm{Gyr}$ ago, for NGC\,289 and NGC\,1566, respectively. This suggests that at least some disc galaxies in the Local Universe may still be dynamically settling. By adding these results to previous findings in the literature, we retrieve a stronger correlation between nuclear disc size and bar length and we derive a tentative exponential growth scenario for nuclear discs.

The fluid forces associated with primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) generate small-scale fluctuations in the primordial density field, which add to the $\mathrm{\Lambda CDM}$ linear matter power spectrum on small scales. These enhanced small-scale fluctuations lead to earlier formation of galactic halos and stars and thus affect cosmic reionization. We study the consequences of these effects on 21 cm observables using the semi-numerical code 21cmFAST v3.1.3. We find the excess small-scale structure generates strong stellar radiation backgrounds in the early Universe, resulting in altered 21 cm global signals and power spectra commensurate with earlier reionization. We restrict the allowed PMF models using the CMB optical depth to reionization. Lastly, we probe parameter degeneracies and forecast experimental sensitivities with an information matrix analysis subject to the CMB optical depth bound. Our forecasts show that interferometers like HERA are sensitive to PMFs of order $\sim \mathrm{pG}$, nearly an order of magnitude stronger than existing and next-generation experiments.

The Interplanetary Network (IPN) is a detection, localization and alert system that utilizes the arrival time of transient signals in gamma-ray detectors on spacecraft separated by planetary baselines to geometrically locate the origin of these transients. Due to the changing astrophysical landscape and the new emphasis on time domain and multi-messenger astrophysics (TDAMM) from the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s, this Gamma-ray Transient Network Science Analysis Group was tasked to understand the role of the IPN and high-energy monitors in this new era. The charge includes describing the science made possible with these facilities, tracing the corresponding requirements and capabilities, and highlighting where improved operations of existing instruments and the IPN would enhance TDAMM science. While this study considers the full multiwavelength and multimessenger context, the findings are specific to space-based high-energy monitors. These facilities are important both for full characterization of these transients as well as facilitating follow-up observations through discovery and localization. The full document reports a brief history of this field, followed by our detailed analyses and findings in some 68 pages, providing a holistic overview of the role of the IPN and high-energy monitors in the coming decades.

Some massive stars likely fail to produce core-collapse supernovae, but these failed supernovae (FSNe) can generate an electromagnetic outburst prior to the disappearance of the star, as the mass lost to neutrinos during the stellar core-collapse results in the formation and breakout of a second shock. We show that when the mass lost to neutrinos is sufficiently small, there are two self-similar solutions that describe the propagation of a weak shock into a hydrodynamically expanding envelope that simultaneously yield accretion onto the black hole. The larger-Mach number solution is unstable and yields the minimum Mach number that a shock must have to strengthen into the energy-conserving regime. Above a critical mass loss there are no weak-shock solutions, implying that there are only strong explosions if the neutrino mass loss is above a critical value, and this value is a few percent of the mass of the star (and is physically achievable) for typical parameters. Our results imply that the fate of the explosion from a FSN -- weak with little to no mass ejection or strong with the expulsion of the majority of the envelope -- is a sensitive function of the stellar properties and the neutrino mass loss. We also show that there is a second type of self-similar solution for the shock that results in the ``settling'' of the gas near the compact object, which may be applicable to non-terminal stellar eruptions and the response of a gaseous disc to gravitational-wave induced mass loss from a binary black hole merger.

In this paper, we study the cosmological inflation phenomenon in symmergent gravity theory. Symmergent gravity is a novel framework which merges gravity and the standard model (SM) so that the gravity emerges from the matter loops and restores the broken gauge symmetries along the way. Symmergent gravity is capable of inducing the gravitational constant $G$ and the quadratic curvature coefficient $c_O$ from the loop corrections of the matter sector in a flat space-time. In the event that all the matter fields, including the beyond the standard model (BSM) sector, are mass degenerate, the vacuum energy can be expressed in terms of $G$ and $c_O$. The parameter which measures the deviation from the mass degeneracy is dubbed $\hat{\alpha}$. The parameters, $c_O$ and $\hat{\alpha}$, of symmergent gravity convey the information about the fermion and boson balance in the matter (SM+BSM) sector in number and in mass, respectively. In our analysis, we have investigated the space of the symmergent parameters $c_O$ and $\hat{\alpha}$ wherein they produce results that comply with the inflationary observables $n_s$, $r$, and $\mathrm{d}n_s/\mathrm{d}\ln k$. We have shown that the vacuum energy together with the quadratic curvature term arising in the symmergent gravity prescription are capable of inflating the universe provided that the quadratic curvature coefficient $c_O$ is negative (which corresponds to fermion dominance in number in the matter sector) and the deviation from the mass degeneracy in the matter sector is minute for both boson mass dominance and fermion mass dominance cases.

Ultra-hot Jupiters are tidally locked with their host stars dividing their atmospheres into a hot dayside and a colder nightside. As the planet moves through transit, different regions of the atmosphere rotate into view revealing different chemical regimes. High-resolution spectrographs can observe asymmetries and velocity shifts, and offer the possibility for time-resolved spectroscopy. In this study, we search for other atoms and molecules in the planet`s transmission spectrum and investigate asymmetric signals. We analyse and combine eight transits of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b taken with the HARPS, HARPS-N, ESPRESSO and MAROON-X high-resolution spectrographs. Using the cross-correlation technique, we search for neutral and ionised atoms, and oxides and compare the obtained signals to model predictions. We report significant detections for H, Na, Mg, Ca, Ca+, Ti, Ti+, TiO, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Fe+, Ni, Sr, Sr+, and Ba+. Of these, Sr, Sr+, and Ba+ are detected for the first time in the transmission spectrum of WASP-189 b. In addition, we robustly confirm the detection of titanium oxide based on observations with HARPS and HARPS-N using the follow-up observations performed with MAROON-X and ESPRESSO. By fitting the orbital traces of the detected species by means of time-resolved spectroscopy using a Bayesian framework, we infer posterior distributions for orbital parameters as well as lineshapes. Our results indicate that different species must originate from different regions of the atmosphere to be able to explain the observed time dependence of the signals. Throughout the course of the transit, most signal strengths are expected to increase due to the larger atmospheric scale height at the hotter trailing terminator. For some species, however, the signals are instead observed to weaken due to ionisation for atoms and their ions, or the dissociation of molecules on the dayside.

Multi-messenger searches for binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star-black hole (NSBH) mergers are currently one of the most exciting areas of astronomy. The search for joint electromagnetic and neutrino counterparts to gravitational wave (GW)s has resumed with Advanced LIGO (aLIGO)'s, Advanced Virgo (AdVirgo)'s and KAGRA's fourth observing run (O4). To support this effort, public semi-automated data products are sent in near real-time and include localization and source properties to guide complementary observations. Subsequent refinements, as and when available, are also relayed as updates. In preparation for O4, we have conducted a study using a simulated population of compact binaries and a Mock Data Challenge (MDC) in the form of a real-time replay to optimize and profile the software infrastructure and scientific deliverables. End-to-end performance was tested, including data ingestion, running online search pipelines, performing annotations, and issuing alerts to the astrophysics community. In this paper, we present an overview of the low-latency infrastructure as well as an overview of the performance of the data products to be released during O4 based on a MDC. We report on expected median latencies for the preliminary alert of full bandwidth searches (29.5 s) and for the creation of early warning triggers (-3.1 s), and show consistency and accuracy of released data products using the MDC. This paper provides a performance overview for LVK low-latency alert structure and data products using the MDC in anticipation of O4.

We present the Unified Cluster Catalogue, the largest catalogue of stellar clusters with almost 14000 objects listed to date. In this initial version only Milky Way open clusters are present, but other objects will be included in the future. Each cluster is processed with a new probability membership algorithm designed to incorporate each star's coordinates, parallax, proper motions, and their uncertainties into the probability assignment process. We employ Gaia DR3 data up to a G magnitude of 20, resulting in more than a million probable members identified. The catalogue is accompanied by a public web site aimed at facilitating the search and data exploration of stellar clusters.

Double-peaked profiles associated with the broad-line region (BLR) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are regarded as the clearest evidence of the presence of an accretion disk. They are most commonly detected by means of optical spectroscopy in the Balmer lines and in the Mg II $\lambda$2798 ultraviolet line. Here, we report the first unambiguous detection of a double-peak broad emission line associated with the O I $\lambda$11297 emission line in the near-infrared (NIR) in the local Seyfert 1 galaxy III Zw 002. Additionally, we detect simultaneously in the spectrum the double-peak emission in the Pa$\alpha$ line and very likely in the He II $\lambda$10830. This is the first time that several broad double-peaked NIR emission lines have been detected simultaneously. The double-peaked profiles are fit using a disk-based model, with an additional Gaussian component attributed to nondisk clouds, which represents the classical BLR. Our results obtained from the fits reveal important parameters, such as disk inclination and geometry. From the double-peaked profile fits, we suggest that the BLR in III Zw 002 has a disk-like geometry, as it extends up to the outer edge of the BLR.

Gaia's exquisite parallax measurements allowed for the discovery and characterization of the Q branch in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, where massive C/O white dwarfs (WDs) pause their dimming due to energy released during crystallization. Interestingly, the fraction of old stars on the Q branch is significantly higher than in the population of WDs that will become Q branch stars or that were Q branch stars in the past. From this, Cheng et al. inferred that ~6% of WDs passing through the Q branch experience a much longer cooling delay than that of standard crystallizing WDs. Previous attempts to explain this cooling anomaly have invoked mechanisms involving super-solar initial metallicities. In this paper, we describe a novel scenario in which a standard composition WD merges with a subgiant star. The evolution of the resulting merger remnant leads to the creation of a large amount of 26Mg, which, along with the existing 22Ne, undergoes a distillation process that can release enough energy to explain the Q branch cooling problem without the need for atypical initial abundances. The anomalously high number of old stars on the Q branch may thus be evidence that mass transfer from subgiants to WDs leads to unstable mergers.

Nearly 30 years after the first detailed studies of low-ionization structures (LISs) in planetary nebulae (PNe), we perform a statistical analysis of their physical, chemical and excitation properties, by collecting published data in the literature. The analysis was made through the contrast between LISs and high-ionization structures -- rims or shells -- for a large sample of PNe, in order to highlight significant differences between these structures. Our motivation was to find robust results based on the largest sample of LISs gathered so far. (i) Indeed, LISs have lower electron densities (N$_{e}$[S~II]) than the rims/shells. (ii) The nitrogen electron temperatures (T$_{e}$[N~II]) are similar between the two groups, while a bimodal distribution is observed for the T$_{e}$ based on [O~III] of the rims/shells, although the high- and low-ionization structures have T$_{e}$[O~III] of similar median values. (iii) No significant variations are observed in total abundances of He, N, O, Ne, Ar, Cl and S between the two groups. (iv) Through the analysis of several diagnostic diagrams, LISs are separated from rims/shells in terms of excitation. From two large grids of photoionization and shock models, we show that there is an important overlap between both mechanisms, particularly when low-ionization line-ratios are concerned. We found a good tracer of high-velocity shocks, as well as an indicator of high- and low-velocity shocks that depends on temperature-sensitive line ratios. In conclusion, both excitation mechanisms could be present, however shocks cannot be the main source of excitation for most of the LISs of PNe.

The measurement of a diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux using starting track events marks the first time IceCube has observed and subsequently measured the astrophysical diffuse flux using a dataset composed primarily of starting track events. Starting tracks combine an excellent angular and energy resolution. This enables us to take advantage of the self-veto effect in the southern sky reducing the atmospheric neutrino rate allowing us to detect astrophysical neutrinos to energies well below 100 TeV. We measure the astrophysical flux as $\phi^{per-flavor}_{Astro}=1.68^{+0.19}_{-0.22}$(at 100 TeV) and $\gamma_{Astro} = 2.58^{+0.10}_{-0.09}$ assuming a single power law flux. The astrophysical flux 90% sensitive energy range is 3 TeV to 500 TeV, extending IceCube's reach to the low energy astrophysical flux by an order of magnitude. A brief summary of tests performed to search for neutrinos from the galactic plane using this dataset is also provided. With this sample, we did not find statistically significant evidence for emission from the galactic plane. We then tested the impact of these galactic plane neutrinos on the isotropic diffuse flux, with at most 10% effect on the overall normalization and negligible impact to the spectral index.

Tidal interactions between short-period exoplanets and their host stars drive orbital decay and have likely led to engulfment of planets by their stars. Precise transit timing surveys, with baselines now spanning decades for some planets, are directly detecting orbital decay for a handful of planets, with corroboration for planetary engulfment coming from independent lines of evidence. More than that, recent observations have perhaps even caught the moment of engulfment for one unfortunate planet. These portentous signs bolster prospects for ongoing surveys, but optimizing such a survey requires considering the astrophysical parameters that give rise to robust timing constraints and large tidal decay rates, as well as how best to schedule observations conducted over many years. The large number of possible targets means it is not feasible to continually observe all planets that might exhibit detectable tidal decay. In this study, we explore astrophysical and observational properties for a short-period exoplanet system that can maximize the likelihood for observing tidally driven transit-timing variations. We consider several fiducial observational strategies and real exoplanet systems reported to exhibit decay. We show that moderately frequent (a few transits per year) observations may suffice to detect tidal decay within just a few years. Tidally driven timing variations take time to grow to detectable levels, and so we estimate how long that growth takes as a function of timing uncertainties and tidal decay rate and provide thresholds for deciding that tidal decay has been detected.

The detection of the stochastic gravitational wave background by NANOGrav imposes constraints on the mass of compact cores of ultralight dark matter, also known as "solitons", surrounding supermassive black holes found at the centers of large galaxies. The strong dynamical friction between the rotating black holes and the solitons competes with gravitational wave emission, resulting in a suppression of the characteristic strain in the nHz frequency range. Our findings rule out solitons arising from the condensation of ultralight dark matter particles with masses ranging from $1.3\times 10^{-21}$ eV to $1.4\times 10^{-20}$ eV.

The asynchrony of the polar SDSS~J085414.02+390537.3 was revealed using the data of ZTF photometric survey. The light curves show a beat period $P_{beat} = 24.6 \pm 0.1$~days. During this period the system changes its brightness by $\sim 3^m$. The periodograms show power peaks at the white dwarf's rotation period $P_{spin} = 113.197 \pm 0.001$~min and orbital period $P_{orb} = 113.560 \pm 0.001$~min with the corresponding polar asynchrony $1-P_{orb}/P_{spin} = 0.3\%$. The photometric behavior of the polar indicates a change of the main accreting pole during the beat period. Based on the Zeeman splitting of the H$\beta$ line, an estimate of the mean magnetic field strength of the white dwarf is found to be $B = 28.5\pm 1.5$~MG. The magnetic field strength $B \approx 34$~MG near the magnetic pole was found by modeling cyclotron spectra. Doppler tomograms in the H$\beta$ line demonstrate the distribution of emission sources typical for polars.

This research investigates the influence of distant encounters between an asteroid and perturbing bodies on the deflection process, aiming to provide valuable guidelines for the trajectory design of a deflecting spacecraft. Analytical approximations are commonly used in the preliminary design phase to quickly explore a large design space. However, the dynamics involved in asteroid deflection are intricate, and simple models may not capture the full complexity of the system. We examine the accuracy and limitations of analytical models compared to more accurate numerical simulations. The study reveals that encounters with perturbing bodies, even at considerable distances (of dozens of radii of the sphere of influence), can significantly perturb the asteroid's trajectory, leading to discrepancies between analytical and numerical predictions. To address this, we propose a heuristic rule to guide trajectory designers in determining the suitability of analytical models for specific deflection scenarios. By understanding the impact of distant encounters on deflection, our study equips designers with the knowledge to make informed decisions during the trajectory planning process, facilitating efficient and effective asteroid deflection missions.

The mean free path of ionizing photons, $\lambda_{\rm mfp}$, is a critical parameter for modeling the intergalactic medium (IGM) both during and after reionization. We present direct measurements of $\lambda_{\rm mfp}$ from QSO spectra over the redshift range $5<z<6$, including the first measurements at $z\simeq5.3$ and 5.6. Our sample includes data from the XQR-30 VLT large program, as well as new Keck/ESI observations of QSOs near $z \sim 5.5$, for which we also acquire new [C II] 158$\mu$m redshifts with ALMA. By measuring the Lyman continuum transmission profile in stacked QSO spectra, we find $\lambda_{\rm mfp} = 9.33_{-1.80}^{+2.06}$, $5.40_{-1.40}^{+1.47}$, $3.31_{-1.34}^{+2.74}$, and $0.81_{-0.48}^{+0.73}$ pMpc at $z=5.08$, 5.31, 5.65, and 5.93, respectively. Our results demonstrate that $\lambda_{\rm mfp}$ increases steadily and rapidly with time over $5<z<6$. Notably, we find that $\lambda_{\rm mfp}$ deviates significantly from predictions based on a fully ionized and relaxed IGM as late as $z=5.3$. By comparing our results to model predictions and indirect $\lambda_{\rm mfp}$ constraints based on IGM Ly$\alpha$ opacity, we find that the $\lambda_{\rm mfp}$ evolution is consistent with scenarios wherein the IGM is still undergoing reionization and/or retains large fluctuations in the ionizing UV background well below redshift six.

Some key issues in AGN and galaxy formation are discussed. Very successful Unified Models explain much of the variety of AGN with orientation effects; ingredients are shadowing by a dusty "torus" and relativistic beaming. A spinoff result is described which is important for the formation of massive elliptical galaxies. It's the most spectacular and unequivocal AGN feedback phenomenon known. This is the so-called "alignment effect" in powerful radio galaxies at z>~1. One of them is a BAL radio galaxy! I explain a very robust derivation of the reddening law for nuclear dust, which reveals a dearth of small grains. Then the quasistatic thin accretion disk model, thought by many to explain the energetically dominant optical/UV continuum, is thoroughly debunked. Much of this was known when the model was proposed 35 years ago. A new argument is given that trivially falsifies a huge superset of such models. It's possible to see the central engine spectrum with the atomic and dust emission surgically removed! Few noticed this breakthrough work. The far IR dust emission in Cygnus A is 10% polarized, and so far high nuclear dust polarization is seen in all radio loud objects, but no radio quiet ones.

The rapidly increasing number of satellites in Earth's orbit motivates the development of Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capabilities using wide field-of-view sensor systems that can perform simultaneous detections. This work demonstrates preliminary orbit determination capability for Low Earth Orbit objects using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) at commercial FM frequencies. The developed method was tested on observations of 32 satellite passes and the extracted measurements were used to perform orbit determination for the targets using a least-squares fitting approach. The target satellites span a range in altitude and Radar Cross Section, providing examples of both high and low signal-to-noise detections. The estimated orbital elements for the satellites are validated against the publicly available TLE updates provided by the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) and the preliminary estimates are found to be in close agreement. The work successfully test for re-acquisition using the determined orbital elements and finds the prediction to improve when multiple orbits are used for orbit determination. The median uncertainty in the angular position for objects in LEO (range less than 1000 km) is found to be 860 m in the cross-track direction and 780 m in the in-track direction, which are comparable to the typical uncertainty of 1 km in the publicly available TLE. The techniques, therefore, demonstrate the MWA to be capable of being a valuable contributor to the global SDA community. Based on the understanding of the MWA SDA system, this paper also briefly describes methods to mitigate the impact of FM-reflecting LEO satellites on radio astronomy observations, and how maintaining a catalog of FM-reflecting LEO objects is in the best interests of both SDA and radio astronomy.

We study how the bounds on the abundance of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) and the constraints to the power spectrum (PS) are modified if a non-standard evolution phase takes place between the end of inflation and the Standard Big Bang (SBB). The constraints on PBH abundance and PS are computed using the new, freely available, PBHBeta library, which accounts for the effects of non-standard expansion and specific criteria for PBH formation. As working examples, we consider three different scenarios: a pure matter-dominated (MD) phase, a scalar field-dominated (SFD) universe, and a stiff fluid-dominated (SD) scenario. While the background expansion is the same for the MD and SFD scenarios, the PBH formation criteria lead to different constraints to the PS. Additionally, the duration of the non-standard expansion phase alters the bounds, with longer MD periods resulting in weaker constraints on the PS, and longer SD scenarios leading to an enhanced abundance due to the dust-like redshifting of PBHs. The modifications to the constraints are reported in all cases, and we highlight those where the PS may be significantly more constrained.

SiRGraF Integrated Tool for Coronal dynaMics (SITCoM) is based on Simple Radial Gradient Filter (SiRGraF) used to filter the radial gradient in the white-light coronagraph images and bring out dynamic structures. SITCoM has been developed in Python and integrated with SunPy and can be installed by users with the command pip install sitcom. This enables the user to pass the white-light coronagraph data to the tool and generate radially filtered output with an option to save in various formats as required. We have implemented the functionality of tracking the transients such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), outflows, plasma blobs, etc., using height-time plots and deriving their kinematics. In addition, SITCoM also supports oscillation and waves studies such as for streamer waves. This is done by creating a distance-time plot at a user-defined location (artificial slice) and fitting a sinusoidal function to derive the properties of waves, such as time period, amplitude, and damping time (if any). We provide the provision to manually or automatically select the data points to be used for fitting. SITCoM is a tool to analyze some properties of coronal dynamics quickly. We present an overview of the SITCoM with the applications for deriving coronal dynamics' kinematics and oscillation properties. We discuss the limitations of this tool along with prospects for future improvement.

As one of the closest supernovae (SNe) in the last decade, SN 2023ixf is an unprecedented target to investigate the progenitor star that exploded. However, there is still significant uncertainty in the reported progenitor properties. In this work, we present a detailed study of the progenitor of SN 2023ixf with two independent analyses. We first modelled its spectral energy distribution (SED) based on Hubble Space Telescope optical, Spitzer mid-infrared (IR), and ground-based near-IR data. We find that stellar pulsation and circumstellar extinction have great impacts on SED fitting, and the result suggests a relatively massive red supergiant (RSG) surrounded by C-rich dust with an initial mass of 16.2--17.4 Msun. The corresponding mass-loss rate estimate is 1e-5 Msun/yr. We also derived the star formation history of the SN environment based on resolved stellar populations, and the most recent star-forming epoch corresponds to a progenitor initial mass of 17--19 Msun, in agreement with that from our SED fitting. Therefore, we conclude that the progenitor of SN 2023ixf is close to the high-mass end for Type II SN progenitors.

We present the spectroscopy of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1636-53 using six simultaneous XMM-Newton and Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations. We applied different self-consistent reflection models to explore the features when the disk is illuminated by either the corona or the neutron star surface. We found that the spectra could be well fitted by these two types of models, with the derived emissivity index below a typical value of 3. The relative low emissivity can be explained if the neutron star and the corona, working together as an extended illuminator, simultaneously illuminate and ionize the disk. Additionally, the derived ionization parameter in the lamppost geometry is larger than the theoretical prediction. This inconsistency likely suggests that the corona does not emit isotropically in a realistic context. Furthermore, we also found that there is a possible trend between the height of the corona and the normalization of the disk emission. This could be understood either as a variation in the reflected radiation pressure or in the context of a jet base. Finally, we found that the disk is less ionized if it is illuminated by the neutron star, indicating that the illuminating source has significant influence on the physical properties of the disk.

Star-forming galaxies (SFGs) have been established as an important source population in the extra-galactic $\gamma$-ray background (EGB). Their intensive star-formation creates an abundance of environments able to accelerate particles, and these build-up a rich sea of cosmic rays (CRs). Above GeV energies, CR protons can undergo hadronic interactions with their environment to produce $\gamma$-rays. SFGs can operate as CR proton "calorimeters", where a large fraction of the CR energy is converted to $\gamma$-rays. However, CRs also deposit energy and momentum to modify the thermal and hydrodynamic conditions of the gas in SFGs, and can become a powerful driver of outflows. Such outflows are ubiquitous among some types of SFGs, and have the potential to severely degrade their CR proton calorimetry. This diminishes their contribution to the EGB. In this work, we adopt a self-consistent treatment of particle transport in outflows from SFGs to assess their calorimetry. We use 1D numerical treatments of galactic outflows driven by CRs and thermal gas pressure, accounting for the dynamical effects and interactions of CRs. We show the impact CR-driven flows have on the relative contribution of SFG populations to the EGB, and investigate the properties of SFGs that contribute most strongly.

Dark matter could decay into Standard Model particles producing neutrinos directly or indirectly. The resulting flux of neutrinos from these decays could be detectable at neutrino telescopes and would be associated with massive celestial objects where dark matter is expected to be accumulated. Recent observations of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos at IceCube might hint at a signal produced by the decay of TeV to PeV scale dark matter. This analysis searches for neutrinos from decaying dark matter in nearby galaxy clusters and galaxies. We focus on dark matter masses from 10 TeV to 1 EeV and four decay channels: $\nu\bar{\nu}$, $\tau^{+}\tau^{-}$, $W^{+}W^{-}$, $b\bar{b}$. Three galaxy clusters, seven dwarf galaxies, and the Andromeda galaxy are chosen as targets and stacked within the same source class. A well-established IceCube data sample is used, which contains 11 years of upward-going track-like events. In this contribution, we present preliminary results of the analysis.

In the conventional theory of planet formation, it is assumed that protoplanetary disks are axisymmetric and have a smooth radial profile. However, recent radio observations of protoplanetary disks have revealed that many of them have complex radial structures. In this study, we perform a series of $N$-body simulations to investigate how planets are formed in protoplanetary disks with radial structures. For this purpose, we consider the effect of continuous pebble accretion onto the discontinuity boundary within the terrestrial planet-forming region ($\sim0.6$ AU). We found that protoplanets grow efficiently at the discontinuity boundary, reaching the Earth mass within $\sim10^4$ years. We confirmed that giant collisions of protoplanets occur universally in our model. Moreover, we found that multiple planet-sized bodies form at regular intervals in the vicinity of the discontinuity boundary. These results indicate the possibility of the formation of solar system-like planetary systems in radially structured protoplanetary disks.

The ISWAT clusters H1+H2 have a focus on interplanetary space and its characteristics, especially on the large-scale co-rotating and transient structures impacting Earth. SIRs, generated by the interaction between high-speed solar wind originating in large-scale open coronal magnetic fields and slower solar wind from closed magnetic fields, are regions of compressed plasma and magnetic field followed by high-speed streams that recur at the ca. 27 day solar rotation period. Short-term reconfigurations of the lower coronal magnetic field generate flare emissions and provide the energy to accelerate enormous amounts of magnetised plasma and particles in the form of CMEs into interplanetary space. The dynamic interplay between these phenomena changes the configuration of interplanetary space on various temporal and spatial scales which in turn influences the propagation of individual structures. While considerable efforts have been made to model the solar wind, we outline the limitations arising from the rather large uncertainties in parameters inferred from observations that make reliable predictions of the structures impacting Earth difficult. Moreover, the increased complexity of interplanetary space as solar activity rises in cycle 25 is likely to pose a challenge to these models. Combining observational and modeling expertise will extend our knowledge of the relationship between these different phenomena and the underlying physical processes, leading to improved models and scientific understanding and more-reliable space-weather forecasting. The current paper summarizes the efforts and progress achieved in recent years, identifies open questions, and gives an outlook for the next 5-10 years. It acts as basis for updating the existing COSPAR roadmap by Schrijver+ (2015), as well as providing a useful and practical guide for peer-users and the next generation of space weather scientists.

We present the results of photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaigns of the changing look AGN NGC~2617 carried out from 2016 until 2022 and covering the wavelength range from the X-ray to the near-IR. The facilities included the telescopes of the SAI MSU, MASTER Global Robotic Net, the 2.3-m WIRO telescope, Swift, and others. We found significant variability at all wavelengths and, specifically, in the intensities and profiles of the broad Balmer lines. We measured time delays of ~ 6 days (~ 8 days) in the responses of the H-beta (H-alpha) line to continuum variations. We found the X-ray variations to correlate well with the UV and optical (with a small time delay of a few days for longer wavelengths). The K-band lagged the B band by 14 +- 4 days during the last 3 seasons, which is significantly shorter than the delays reported previously by the 2016 and 2017--2019 campaigns. Near-IR variability arises from two different emission regions: the outer part of the accretion disc and a more distant dust component. The HK-band variability is governed primarily by dust. The Balmer decrement of the broad-line components is inversely correlated with the UV flux. The change of the object's type, from Sy1 to Sy1.8, was recorded over a period of ~ 8 years. We interpret these changes as a combination of two factors: changes in the accretion rate and dust recovery along the line of sight.

The Rubin Observatory's 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time will observe near to 20 billion galaxies. For each galaxy the properties can be inferred. Approximately $10^5$ galaxies observed per year will contain Type Ia supernovae (SNe), allowing SN host-galaxy properties to be calculated on a large scale. Measuring the properties of SN host-galaxies serves two main purposes. The first is that there are known correlations between host-galaxy type and supernova type, which can be used to aid in the classification of SNe. Secondly, Type Ia SNe exhibit correlations between host-galaxy properties and the peak luminosities of the SNe, which has implications for their use as standardisable candles in cosmology. We have used simulations to quantify the improvement in host-galaxy stellar mass ($M_\ast$) measurements when supplementing photometry from Rubin with spectroscopy from the 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) instrument. We provide results in the form of expected uncertainties in $M_\ast$ for galaxies with 0.1 < $z$ < 0.9 and 18 < $r_{AB}$ < 25. We show that for galaxies mag 22 and brighter, combining Rubin and 4MOST data reduces the uncertainty measurements of galaxy $M_\ast$ by more than a factor of 2 compared with Rubin data alone. This applies for elliptical and Sc type hosts. We demonstrate that the reduced uncertainties in $M_\ast$ lead to an improvement of 7\% in the precision of the "mass step" correction. We expect our improved measurements of host-galaxy properties to aid in the photometric classification of SNe observed by Rubin.

Episodic mass loss is not understood theoretically, neither accounted for in state-of-the-art models of stellar evolution, which has far-reaching consequences for many areas of astronomy. We introduce the ERC-funded ASSESS project (2018-2024), which aims to determine whether episodic mass loss is a dominant process in the evolution of the most massive stars, by conducting the first extensive, multi-wavelength survey of evolved massive stars in the nearby Universe. It hinges on the fact that mass-losing stars form dust and are bright in the mid-infrared. We aim to derive physical parameters of $\sim$1000 dusty, evolved massive stars in $\sim$25 nearby galaxies and estimate the amount of ejected mass, which will constrain evolutionary models, and quantify the duration and frequency of episodic mass loss as a function of metallicity. The approach involves applying machine-learning algorithms to select dusty, luminous targets from existing multi-band photometry of nearby galaxies. We present the first results of the project, including the machine-learning methodology for target selection and results from our spectroscopic observations so far. The emerging trend for the ubiquity of episodic mass loss, if confirmed, will be key to understanding the explosive early Universe and will have profound consequences for low-metallicity stars, reionization, and the chemical evolution of galaxies.

By comparing the physical properties of pulsars hosted by core-collapsed (CCed) and non-core-collapsed (Non-CCed) globular clusters (GCs), we find that pulsars in CCed GCs rotate significantly slower than their counterparts in Non-CCed GCs. Additionally, radio luminosities at 1.4 GHz in CCed GCs are higher. These findings are consistent with the scenario that dynamical interactions in GCs can interrupt angular momentum transfer processes and surface magnetic field decay during the recycling phase. Our results suggest that such effects in CCed GCs are stronger due to more frequent disruptions of compact binaries. This is further supported by the observation that both estimated disruption rates and the fraction of isolated pulsars are predominantly higher in CCed GCs.

Recently we established a fundamental mechanism of solar eruption initiation, in which an eruption can be initiated from a bipolar field through magnetic reconnection in the current sheet (CS) that is formed slowly in the core field as driven by photospheric shearing motion. Here using a series of fully 3D MHD simulations with a range of different photospheric magnetic flux distributions, we extended this fundamental mechanism to the quadrupolar magnetic field containing a null point above the core field, which is the basic configuration of the classical breakout model. As is commonly believed, in such multipolar configuration, the reconnection triggered in the CS originated at the null point (namely, the breakout reconnection) plays the key role in eruption initiation by establishing a positive feedback-loop between the breakout reconnection and the expansion of the core field. However, our simulation showed that the key of eruption initiation in such multipolar configuration remains to be the slow formation of the CS in the sheared core rather than the onset of fast breakout reconnection. The breakout reconnection only helps the formation of the core CS by letting the core field expand faster, but the eruption cannot occur when the bottom surface driving is stopped well before the core CS is formed, even though the fast reconnection has already been triggered in the breakout CS. This study clarified the role of breakout reconnection and confirmed formation of the core CS as the key to the eruption initiation in a multipolar magnetic field.

One of the early hypotheses about the origin of FUOR outbursts explains them by the fall of gas clumps from the remnants of protostellar clouds onto protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars (Hartmann and Kenyon 1985). To calculate the consequences of such an event we make 3D hydrodynamic simulations by SPH method. It is shown that the fall of the clump on the disk in the vicinity of the star actually causes a burst of the star's accretion activity, resembling in its characteristics the flares of known FUORs. In the region of incidence, an inhomogeneous gas ring is formed, which is inclined relative to the outer disk. During several revolutions around the star, this ring combines with the inner disk and forms a tilted disk. In the process of evolution, the inner disk expands, and its inclination relative to the outer disk decreases. After 100 revolutions, the angle of inclination is a few degrees. This result is of interest in connection with the discovery in recent years of protoplanetary disks, the inner region of which is inclined relative to the outer one. Such structures are usually associated with the existence in the vicinity of a star of a massive body (planet or brown dwarf), whose orbit is inclined relative to the plane of the disk. The results of our modeling indicate the possibility of an alternative explanation for this phenomenon.

We present a novel methodology for exploring local features directly in the primordial power spectrum using a genetic algorithm (GA) pipeline coupled with a Boltzmann solver and Cosmic Microwave Background data (CMB). After testing the robustness of our pipeline using mock data, we apply it to the latest CMB data, including Planck 2018 and CamSpec PR4. Our model-independent approach provides an analytical reconstruction of the power spectra that best fits the data, with the unsupervised machine learning algorithm exploring a functional space built off simple ``grammar'' functions. We find significant improvements upon the simple power-law behaviour, by $\Delta \chi^2 \lesssim -21$, consistently with more traditional model-based approaches. These best-fits always address both the low$\ell$ anomaly in the TT spectrum and the residual high$\ell$ oscillations in the TT, TE and EE spectra. The proposed pipeline provides an adaptable tool for exploring features in the primordial power spectrum in a model-independent way, providing valuable hints to theorists for constructing viable inflationary models that are consistent with the current and upcoming CMB surveys.

The inner kiloparsec regions surrounding sub-Eddington (luminosity less than 10$^{-3}$ in Eddington units, L$_{Edd}$) supermassive black holes (BHs) often show a characteristic network of dust filaments that terminate in a nuclear spiral in the central parsecs. Here we study the role and fate of these filaments in one of the least accreting BHs known, M31 (10$^{-7}$ L$_{Edd}$) using hydrodynamical simulations. The evolution of a streamer of gas particles moving under the barred potential of M31 is followed from kiloparsec distance to the central parsecs. After an exploratory study of initial conditions, a compelling fit to the observed dust/ionized gas morphologies and line-of-sight velocities in the inner hundreds of parsecs is produced. After several million years of streamer evolution, during which friction, thermal dissipation, and self-collisions have taken place, the gas settles into a disk tens of parsecs wide. This is fed by numerous filaments that arise from an outer circumnuclear ring and spiral toward the center. The final configuration is tightly constrained by a critical input mass in the streamer of several 10$^3$ M$_{\odot}$ (at an injection rate of 10$^{-4}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$); values above or below this lead to filament fragmentation or dispersion respectively, which are not observed. The creation of a hot gas atmosphere in the region of $\sim$10$^6$ K is key to the development of a nuclear spiral during the simulation. The final inflow rate at 1pc from the center is $\sim$1.7 $\times$ 10$^{-7}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, consistent with the quiescent state of the M31 BH.

While the $\mathbb{Z}_3$ symmetric dark matter models have shown tremendous prospects in addressing a number of (astro-)particle physics problems, they can leave interesting imprints on cosmological observations as well. We consider two such promising models: semi-annihilating dark matter (SADM) and Co-SIMP $2\rightarrow 3$ interaction, and investigate their effects on the global 21-cm signal. SADM is found to address the EDGES observation with the aid of an excess radio background, whereas Co-SIMP can explain the EDGES dip by virtue of an intrinsic cooling effect without invoking any such excess radiation. Hence, the latter model turns out to be a rare model within the domain of CDM, that uses leptophilic interaction to achieve the EDGES dip. Further, keeping in mind the ongoing debate between EDGES and SARAS 3 on the global 21-cm signal, we demonstrate that our chosen models can still remain viable in this context, even if the EDGES data requires reassessment in future. We then extend our investigation to possible reflections on the Dark Ages, followed by a consistency check with the CMB and BAO observations via Planck 2018(+BAO) datasets. This work thus presents a compelling case of exploring these interesting particle physics models in the light of different cosmological observations.

We present explicit expressions for Rayleigh and Raman scattering cross-sections and phase matrices of the ground $1s$ state hydrogen atom based on the Kramers-Heisenberg dispersion formula. The Rayleigh scattering leaves the hydrogen atom in the ground-state while the Raman scattering leaves the hydrogen atom in either $ns$ ($n\geq2$; $s$-branch) or $nd$ ($n\geq3$; $d$-branch) excited state, and the Raman scattering converts incident ultraviolet (UV) photons around the Lyman resonance lines into optical-infrared (IR) photons. We show that this Raman wavelength conversion of incident flat UV continuum in dense hydrogen gas with a column density of $N_{\text{H}} > 10^{21}~\text{cm}^{-2}$ can produce broad emission features centred at Balmer, Paschen, and higher-level lines, which would mimic Doppler-broadened hydrogen lines with the velocity width of $\gtrsim 1,000~\text{km}~\text{s}^{-1}$ that could be misinterpreted as signatures of Active Galactic Nuclei, supernovae, or fast stellar winds. We show that the phase matrix of the Rayleigh and Raman $s$-branch scatterings is identical to that of the Thomson scattering while the Raman $d$-branch scattering is more isotropic, thus the Paschen and higher-level Raman features are depolarized compared to the Balmer features due to the flux contribution from the Raman $d$-branch. We argue that observations of the line widths, line flux ratios, and linear polarization of multiple optical/IR hydrogen lines are crucial to discriminate between the Raman-scattered broad emission features and Doppler-broadened emission lines.

We study the response of hot Jupiters to a static tidal perturbation using the Concentric MacLaurin Spheroid (CMS) method. For strongly irradiated planets, we first performed radiative transfer calculations to relate the planet's equilibrium temperature, T_eq, to its interior entropy. We then determined the gravity harmonics, shape, moment of inertia, and the static Love numbers for a range of two-layer interior models that assume a rocky core plus a homogeneous and isentropic envelope composed of hydrogen, helium, and heavier elements. We identify general trends and then study HAT-P-13b, the WASP planets 4b, 12b, 18b, 103b, and 121b, as well as Kepler-75b and CoRot-3b. We compute the Love numbers, k_nm, and transit radius correction, Delta R, which we compare with predictions in the literature. We find that the Love number, k_22, of tidally locked giant planets cannot exceed the value 0.6, and that the high T_eq consistent with strongly irradiated hot Jupiters tend %lead to further lower k_22. While most tidally locked planets are well described by a linear-regime response of k_22 = 3 J_2/q_0 (where q_0 is the rotation parameter of the gravitational potential), for extreme cases such as WASP-12b, WASP-103b and WASP-121b, nonlinear effects can account for over 10% of the predicted k_22. k_22 values larger than 0.6, as they have been reported for planets WASP-4b and HAT-P13B, cannot result from a static tidal response without extremely rapid rotation, and thus are inconsistent with their expected tidally-locked state.

Asymmetric emission of gravitational waves during mergers of black holes (BHs) produces a recoil kick, which can set a newly formed BH on a bound orbit around the center of its host galaxy, or even completely eject it. To study this population of recoiling BHs we extract properties of galaxies with merging BHs from Illustris TNG300 simulation and then employ both analytical and numerical techniques to model unresolved process of BH recoil. This comparative analysis between analytical and numerical models shows that, on cosmological scales, numerically modeled recoiling BHs have a higher escape probability and predict a greater number of offset active galactic nuclei (AGN). BH escaped probability $>40~ \%$ is expected in 25 $\%$ of merger remnants in numerical models, compared to 8$\%$ in analytical models. At the same time, the predicted number of offset AGN at separations $>5$ kpc changes from 58 $\%$ for numerical models to 3 $\%$ for analytical models. Since BH ejections in major merger remnants occur in non-virialized systems, static analytical models cannot provide an accurate description. Thus we argue that numerical models should be used to estimate the expected number density of escaped BHs and offset AGN.

Far ultraviolet (FUV) emission lines from dwarf stars are important driving sources of photochemistry in planetary atmospheres. Properly interpreting spectral features of planetary atmospheres critically depends on the emission of its host star. While the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of K- and M-type stars have been extensively characterized by previous observational programs, the full X-ray to infrared SED of F-type stars has not been assembled to support atmospheric modeling. On the second flight of the Suborbital Imaging Spectrograph for Transition-region Irradiance from Nearby Exoplanet host stars (SISTINE-2) rocket-borne spectrograph, we successfully captured the FUV spectrum of Procyon A (F5 IV-V) and made the first simultaneous observation of several emission features across the FUV bandpass (1010 - 1270 and 1300 - 1565 \r{A}) of any cool star. We combine flight data with stellar models and archival observations to develop the first SED of a mid-F star. We model the response of a modern Earth-like exoplanet's upper atmosphere to the heightened X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation within the habitable zone of Procyon A. These models indicate that this planet would not experience significant atmospheric escape. We simulate observations of the Ly$\alpha$ transit signal of this exoplanet with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). While marginally detectable with HST, we find that H I Ly$\alpha$ transits of potentially habitable exoplanets orbiting high radial velocity F-type stars could be observed with HWO for targets up to 150 pc away.

We study the relationship of zonal gravity coefficients, J_2n, zonal winds, and axial moment of inertia (MoI) by constructing models for the interiors of giant planets. We employ the nonperturbative concentric Maclaurin spheroid (CMS) method to construct both physical (realistic equation of state and barotropes) and abstract (small number of constant-density spheroids) interior models. We find that accurate gravity measurements of Jupiter's and Saturn's J_2, J_4, and J_6 by Juno and Cassini spacecrafts do not uniquely determine the MoI of either planet but do constrain it to better than 1%. Zonal winds (or differential rotation, DR) then emerge as the leading source of uncertainty. For Saturn, they are predicted to decrease the MoI by 0.4% because they reach a depth of ~9000 km while on Jupiter, they appear to reach only ~3000 km. We thus predict DR to affect Jupiter's MoI by only 0.01%, too small by one order of magnitude to be detectable by the Juno spacecraft. We find winds primarily affect the MoI indirectly via the gravity harmonic J_6 while direct contributions are much smaller because the effects of pro- and retrograde winds cancel. DR contributes +6% and -0.8% to Saturn's and Jupiter's J_6 value, respectively. This changes the J_6 contribution that comes from the uniformly rotating bulk of the planet that correlates most strongly with the predicted MoI. With our physical models, we predict Jupiter's MoI to be 0.26393+-0.00001. For Saturn, we predict 0.2181+-0.0002, assuming a rotation period of 10:33:34 h that matches the observed polar radius.

Among the diverse progenitor channels leading to Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia), there are explosions originating from white dwarfs with sub-Chandrasekhar masses. These white dwarfs undergo detonation and explosion triggered by primary detonation in the helium shell, which has been accreted from a companion star. The double-detonation model predicts a correlation between the age of the progenitor system and the near peak brightness: the younger the exploding progenitors, the brighter the SNe. In this paper, we present our recent achievements on the study of SNe Ia properties in different locations within host galactic discs and the estimation of their progenitor population ages. Observationally, we confirm the validity of the anticipated correlation between the SN photometry and the age of their progenitors.

We construct models for Jupiter's interior that match the gravity data obtained by the Juno and Galileo spacecrafts. To generate ensembles of models, we introduce a novel quadratic Monte Carlo technique that is more efficient in confining fitness landscapes than affine invariant method that relies on linear stretch moves. We compare how long it takes the ensembles of walkers in both methods to travel to the most relevant parameter region. Once there, we compare the autocorrelation time and error bars of the two methods. For a ring potential and the 2d Rosenbrock function, we find that our quadratic Monte Carlo technique is significantly more efficient. Furthermore we modified the walk moves by adding a scaling factor. We provide the source code and examples so that this method can be applied elsewhere. Here we employ our method to generate five-layer models for Jupiter's interior that include winds and a prominent dilute core, which allows us to match the planet's even and odd gravity harmonics. We compare predictions from the different model ensembles and analyze how much an increase of the temperature at 1 bar and ad hoc change to the equation of state affects the inferred amount of heavy elements in atmosphere and in the planet overall.

We present a comprehensive search and analysis of high-redshift galaxies in a suite of nine public JWST extragalactic fields taken in Cycle 1, covering a total effective search area of $\sim358{\rm arcmin^2}$. Through conservative ($8\sigma$) photometric selection, we identify 339 galaxies at $5<z<14$, with 109 having spectroscopic redshift measurements from the literature, including recent JWST NIRSpec observations. Our regression analysis reveals that the rest-frame UV size-stellar mass relation follows $R_{\rm eff}\propto M_*^{0.20\pm0.03}$, similar to that of star-forming galaxies at $z\sim3$, but scaled down in size by $\sim0.7$dex. We find a much slower rate for the average size evolution over the redshift range, $R_{\rm eff}\propto(1+z)^{-0.4\pm0.2}$, than that derived in the literature. A fraction ($\sim13\,\%$) of our sample are marginally resolved even in the NIRCam imaging ($<100$pc), located at $>1.5\,\sigma$ below the derived size-mass slope. These compact sources exhibit a high star formation surface density $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}>10\,M_\odot\,{\rm yr^{-1}\,kpc^{-2}}$, a range in which only $<0.01\,\%$ of the local star-forming galaxy sample is found. For those with available NIRSpec data, no evidence of ongoing supermassive black hole accretion is observed. A potential explanation for the observed high [OIII]-to-Hbeta ratios could be high shock velocities, likely originating within intense star-forming regions characterized by high $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$. Lastly, we find that the rest-frame UV and optical sizes of our sample are comparable. Our results are consistent with these early galaxies building up their structures inside-out and yet to exhibit the strong color gradient seen at lower redshift.

We investigate the evolution of deuterium to hydrogen mass ratio (D/H) driven by EUV photoevaporation of hydrogen-rich atmospheres of close-in sub-Neptunes around solar-type stars. For the first time, the diffusion-limited approach in conjunction with energy-limited photoevaporation is considered in evaluating deuterium escape from evolving exoplanet H/He envelopes. We find that the planets with smaller initial gas envelopes and thus smaller sizes can lead to weaker atmospheric escape, which facilitates hydrogen-deuterium fractionation. Specifically, in our grid of simulations with a low envelope mass fraction less than 0.005, a low-mass sub-Neptune (4-$5M_\oplus$) at about 0.25-0.4 au or a high-mass sub-Neptune (10-$15M_\oplus$) at about 0.1-0.25 au can increase the D/H values by greater than 20% over 7.5 Gyrs. Akin to the helium-enhanced envelopes of sub-Neptunes due to photoevaporating escape, the planets along the upper boundary of the radius valley are the best targets to detect high D/H ratios. The ratio can rise by a factor of $\lesssim$ 1.65 within 7.5 Gyrs in our grid of evolutionary calculations. D/H is expected to be higher in thinner envelopes so long as the planets do not become bare rocky cores.

Here, we delineate a comprehensive abundance analysis of four $r$-process enhanced metal-poor stars observed with HORuS spectrograph on a 10-m class telescope, GTC. The high signal-to-noise ratio at $R \approx 25000$ spectral resolution allowed us to detect 16 light and 20 neutron-capture elements along with Th in two stars. Four of our program stars show signatures of mixing in their atmosphere. Through detailed abundance analysis of four $r$-process enhanced stars together with already identified $r$-process-rich stars in literature, we probe the production sites of neutron-capture elements. The [Zr/Eu] ratio as a function of metallicity shows the evidence of multiple channels for the production of $r$-process. Thorium to first and second $r$-process peak elements ratios also support the similar non-universality of neutron-capture elements. An increased sample of $r$-process enhanced stars will enable us understand different formation channels of neutron capture elements. Using the kinematic analysis, we found the clues of accretion for two of our program stars.

The spin orientations of spinning binary black hole (BBH) mergers detected by ground-based gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO and Virgo can provide important clues about the formation of such binaries. However, these spin tilts, i.e., the angles between the spin vector of each black hole and the binary's orbital angular momentum vector, can change due to precessional effects as the black holes evolve from a large separation to their merger. The tilts inferred at a frequency in the sensitive band of the detectors by comparing the signal with theoretical waveforms can thus be significantly different from the tilts when the binary originally formed. These tilts at the binary's formation are well approximated in many scenarios by evolving the BBH backwards in time to a formally infinite separation. Using the tilts at infinite separation also places all binaries on an equal footing in analyzing their population properties. In this paper, we perform parameter estimation for simulated BBHs and investigate the differences between the tilts one infers directly close to merger and those obtained by evolving back to infinite separation. We select simulated observations such that their configurations show particularly large differences in their orientations close to merger and at infinity. While these differences may be buried in the statistical noise for current detections, we show that in future plus-era (A$+$ and Virgo$+$) detectors, they can be easily distinguished in some cases. We also consider the tilts at infinity for BBHs in various spin morphologies and at the endpoint of the up-down instability. In particular, we find that we are able to easily identify the up-down instability cases as such from the tilts at infinity.

When modeling the population of merging binary black holes, analyses generally focus on characterizing the distribution of primary (i.e. more massive) black holes in the binary, while simplistic prescriptions are used for the distribution of secondary masses. However, the secondary mass distribution provides a fundamental observational constraint on the formation history of coalescing binary black holes. If both black holes experience similar stellar evolutionary processes prior to collapse, as might be expected in dynamical formation channels, the primary and secondary mass distributions would show similar features. If they follow distinct evolutionary pathways (for example, due to binary interactions that break symmetry between the initially more massive and less massive star), their mass distributions may differ. We explicitly fit the secondary mass distribution, finding that if the primary and secondary mass distributions are different, the previously-identified peak in the primary mass distribution may be driven by an even larger peak in the secondary mass distribution. Alternatively, if we assume that the two masses are drawn from the same underlying distribution, they both show a peak at $31.4_{-2.6}^{+2.3} \, M_{\odot}$. This value is shifted lower than that obtained when assuming the peak only exists in the marginal primary mass distribution, placing this feature in further tension with expectations from a pulsational pair-instability supernova pileup. We anticipate that by the end of the fifth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run, we will be able to determine whether the data prefer distinct or identical component mass distributions to $>4\sigma$, providing important clues to the formation history of coalescing binary black holes.

Detections of extended Ly$\alpha$ halos (LAHs) around Ly$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) have lately been reported on a regular basis, but their origin is still under investigation. Simulation studies predict that the outer regions of the extended LAHs contain a major contribution from the Ly$\alpha$ emission of faint, individually undetected LAEs. To address this matter from an observational angle, we use halo occupation distribution (HOD) modeling to reproduce the clustering of a spectroscopic sample of 1265 LAEs at $3<z<5$ from the MUSE-Wide survey. We integrate the Ly$\alpha$ luminosity function (LF) to estimate the background surface brightness due to discrete faint LAEs. We then extend the HOD statistics inwards towards small separations and compute the factor by which the measured Ly$\alpha$ surface brightness (SB) is enhanced by undetected close physical neighbors. We consider various clustering scenarios for the undetected sources and compare the corresponding radial profiles. The resulting inferred Ly$\alpha$ SB of faint LAEs ranges between $(0.4-2)\times10^{20}\;\rm{erg}\;\rm{s}^{-1}~\rm{cm}^{-2}~\rm{arcsec}^{-2}$, with a very slow radial decline outwards. Our results suggest that the outer regions of observed LAHs ($R\gtrsim50$~pkpc) could indeed contain a strong component from external (but physically associated) LAEs, possibly even be dominated by them. Only for a relatively shallow faint-end slope of the Ly$\alpha$ LF would this contribution from clustered LAEs become unimportant. We also confirm that the observed emission from the inner regions ($R\le20-30$~pkpc) is too bright to be significantly affected by clustering. We compare our findings with predicted profiles from simulations and find good overall agreement. We outline possible future measurements to further constrain the impact of discrete undetected LAEs on observed extended LAHs.

Einstein formulated the general theory of relativity (GR) with an aim to mathematically incorporate Mach's principle. Despite early hopes, it became evident that GR did not follow Mach's proposition. Nevertheless, due to its accurate explanation of various observational results, Einstein refrained from further attempts to formulate Mach's principle. Over time, multiple researchers attempted to develop gravity theories aligned with the Machian model of inertia. However, each of these theories possessed its own strengths and weaknesses. This paper presents a novel theory of gravity that fully embraces Mach's principle. This metric-based theory, termed as Machian Gravity (MG), can be derived from the action principle, ensuring compliance with all conservation laws. The theory demonstrates its efficacy by providing precise explanations for galactic rotation curves. Moreover, it effectively resolves the discrepancy between dynamic mass and photometric mass in galaxy clusters without resorting to dark matter. It also presents a resolution for the expansion history of the universe without requiring any dark matter and dark energy. Consequently, MG presents a viable and compelling alternative to the standard gravity theory.

We study the cancellation of quantum corrections on the superhorizon curvature perturbations from subhorizon physics beyond the single-clock inflation from the viewpoint of the cosmological soft theorem. As an example, we focus on the transient ultra-slow-roll inflation scenario and compute the one-loop quantum corrections to the power spectrum of curvature perturbations taking into account nontrivial surface terms in the action. We find that Maldacena's consistency relation is satisfied and guarantees the cancellation of contributions from the short-scale modes. As a corollary, primordial black hole production in single-field inflation scenarios is not excluded by perturbativity breakdown even for the sharp transition case in contrast to some recent claims in the literature. We also comment on the relation between the tadpole diagram in the in-in formalism and the shift of the elapsed time in the stochastic-$\delta N$ formalism. We find our argument is not directly generalisable to the tensor perturbations.

Previous discussions of charged dark matter neglected PBH spin and employed the Reissner-Nordstrom metric. In Nature we expect the PBHs to possess spin which require use of the technically more challenging Kerr-Newman metric. It is shown that the use of K-N metric retains the principal properties already obtained using the R-N metric, in particular the dominance of Coulomb repulsion requires super-extremality and the presence of naked singularities. In this sense, the spin of the PBHs is not an essential complication.

With the increasing volume of astronomical data generated by modern survey telescopes, automated pipelines and machine learning techniques have become crucial for analyzing and extracting knowledge from these datasets. Anomaly detection, i.e. the task of identifying irregular or unexpected patterns in the data, is a complex challenge in astronomy. In this paper, we propose Multi-Class Deep Support Vector Data Description (MCDSVDD), an extension of the state-of-the-art anomaly detection algorithm One-Class Deep SVDD, specifically designed to handle different inlier categories with distinct data distributions. MCDSVDD uses a neural network to map the data into hyperspheres, where each hypersphere represents a specific inlier category. The distance of each sample from the centers of these hyperspheres determines the anomaly score. We evaluate the effectiveness of MCDSVDD by comparing its performance with several anomaly detection algorithms on a large dataset of astronomical light-curves obtained from the Zwicky Transient Facility. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of MCDSVDD in detecting anomalous sources while leveraging the presence of different inlier categories. The code and the data needed to reproduce our results are publicly available at https://github.com/mperezcarrasco/AnomalyALeRCE.

We demonstrate the feasibility of probing the charged lepton flavor violating decay $\mu^{+}\!\!\rightarrow \!e^{+} X^{0}$ for the presence of a slow-moving neutral boson $X^{0}$ capable of undergoing gravitational binding to large structures, and as such able to participate in some cosmological scenarios. A short exposure to surface antimuons from beamline M20 at TRIUMF generates a branching ratio limit of $\lesssim 10^{-5}$. This is comparable or better than previous searches for this channel, although in a thus-far unexplored region of $X^{0}$ phase space very close to the kinematic limit of the decay. The future improved sensitivity of the method using a customized p-type point contact germanium detector is described.