Papers for Tuesday, Jan 23 2024

In dense neutrino environments like core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and neutron star mergers (NSMs), neutrinos can undergo fast flavor conversions (FFC) when their angular distribution of neutrino electron lepton number ($\nu$ELN) crosses zero along some directions. While previous studies have demonstrated the detection of axisymmetric $\nu$ELN crossings in these extreme environments, non-axisymmetric crossings have remained elusive, mostly due to the absence of models for their angular distributions. In this study, we present a pioneering analysis of the detection of non-axisymmetric $\nu$ELN crossings using machine learning (ML) techniques. Our ML models are trained on data from two CCSN simulations, one with rotation and one without, where non-axisymmetric features in neutrino angular distributions play a crucial role. We demonstrate that our ML models achieve detection accuracies exceeding 90\%. This is an important improvement, especially considering that a significant portion of $\nu$ELN crossings in these models eluded detection by earlier methods.

We demonstrate the explicit realisation of the ultra-slow roll phase in the framework of the effective field theory of single-field Galileon inflation. The pulsar timing array (PTA) collaboration hints at the scalar-induced gravity waves (SIGW) from the early universe as an explanation for the origin of the observed signal, which, however, leads to an enhancement in the amplitude of the scalar power spectrum giving rise to the overproduction of primordial black holes (PBHs). In the setup under consideration, we examine the generation of SIGW consistent with PTA (NANOGrav15 and EPTA) data and address the PBH overproduction issue assuming linear approximations for the over-density without incorporating non-Gaussian effects from the comoving curvature perturbation. The framework is shown to give rise to SIGWs well consistent with the PTA signal with comfortable PBH abundance, $10^{-3} \lesssim f_{\rm PBH} < 1$, of near solar-mass black holes.

We propose a specialized parameterization for the Hubble parameter, inspired by $\Lambda$CDM cosmology, to investigate the cosmic expansion history of the Universe. This parameterization is employed to analyze the Universe's late-time behavior within the context of $Q^n$ gravity, where $Q$ represents non-metricity. By using data from 57 Hubble data points, 1048 supernova (SNe) data points, and 6 baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data points, we determine the optimal values for the model parameters. Additionally, we explore three distinct cosmological models based on the parameter $n$, specifically when it takes on the values of $0.55$, $1.5$, and $2.0$. The results of our analysis indicate that our proposed parameterization, along with the associated models for different values of $n$, predicts an accelerated cosmic expansion phase.

In this paper we study the impact of a recent quasar datasample in the constraint of the free parameters of an extension of general relativity. As a ruler to test, we use Rastall gravity in the context of background cosmology being a simple extension to general relativity. We compare the results from quasars dataset with other known samples such as cosmic chronometers, supernovae of the Ia type, baryon acoustic oscillations, HII galaxies, and also a joint analysis. Results are consistent with the standard cosmological model emphasizing that Rastall gravity is equivalent to General Relativity. According to the constraints provided from the joint sample, the age of the Universe is $\tau_U = 12.601^{+0.067}_{-0.066}$ Gyrs and the transition to an accelerated phase occurs at $z_T=0.620\pm0.025$ in the redshift scale, being only the phase transition consistent with the standard paradigm and having a younger Universe. With the quasars sample, the universe age differs with that expected in $\Lambda$CDM having a result of $\tau_U = 11.958^{+0.139}_{-0.109}$ Gyrs with a transition at $z_T=0.652\pm0.032$ this last consistent with standard cosmology. A remarkable result is that quasars constraints has the capability to differentiate among general relativity and Rastall gravity due to the result for the parameter $\lambda=-2.231^{+0.785}_{-0.546}$. Moreover, the parameter $j$ under quasars constraints suggests that the cause of the late universe's acceleration is a dark energy fluid different from a cosmological constant.

We present new measurements of the values of the Hubble constant, matter density, dark energy density, and dark energy density equation-of-state parameters from a full strong lensing analysis of the observed positions of 89 multiple images and 4 measured time delays of SN Refsdal multiple images in the Hubble Frontier Fields galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223. By strictly following the identical modelling methodology as in our previous work, that was done before the time delays were available, our cosmographic measurements here are essentially blind based on the frozen procedure. Without using any priors from other cosmological experiments, in an open $w$CDM cosmological model, through our reference cluster mass model, we measure the following values: $H_0 = 65.1^{+3.5}_{-3.4}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, $\Omega_{\rm DE}=0.76^{+0.15}_{-0.10}$, and $w=-0.92^{+0.15}_{-0.21}$ (at the 68.3% confidence level). No other single cosmological probe is able to measure simultaneously all these parameters. Remarkably, our estimated values of the cosmological parameters, particularly $H_0$, are very robust and do not depend significantly on the assumed cosmological model and the cluster mass modelling details. The latter introduce systematic uncertainties on the values of $H_0$ and $w$ which are found largely subdominant compared to the statistical errors. The results of this study show that time delays in lens galaxy clusters, combined with extensive photometric and spectroscopic information, offers a novel and competitive cosmological tool.

Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) experiments worldwide recently reported evidence of a nHz stochastic gravitational wave background (sGWB) compatible with the existence of slowly inspiralling massive black hole (MBH) binaries (MBHBs). The shape of the signal contains valuable information about the evolution of $z<1$ MBHs above $\rm 10^8 M_{\odot}$, suggesting a faster dynamical evolution of MBHBs towards the gravitational-wave-driven inspiral or a larger MBH growth than usually assumed. In this work, we investigate if the nHz sGWB could also provide constraints on the population of merging lower-mass MBHBs ($\rm {<} 10^7 \, M_{\odot}$) detectable by LISA. To this end, we use the $\texttt{L-Galaxies}$ semi-analytical model applied to the $\texttt{Millennium}$ suite of simulations. We generate a population of MBHs compatible simultaneously with current electromagnetic and nHz sGWB constraints by including the possibility that, in favourable environments, MBHs can accrete gas beyond the Eddington limit. The predictions of the model show that the global (integrated up to high-$z$) LISA detection rate is {\it not} significantly affected when compared to a fiducial model whose nHz sGWB signal is ${\sim}\,2$ times smaller. In both cases, the global rate yields ${\sim}\,12 \rm yr^{-1}$ and is dominated by systems of $\rm 10^{5-6} M_{\odot}$. The main differences are limited to low-$z$ ($z<3$), high-mass (${>}\rm 10^6\, M_{\odot}$) LISA MBHBs. The model compatible with the latest PTA results predicts up to ${\sim}\,1.6$ times more detections, with a rate of ${\sim}1\rm yr^{-1}$. We find that these LISA MBHB systems have 50\% probability of shining with bolometric luminosities $>10^{43}\rm erg/s$. Hence, in case PTA results are confirmed and given the current MBH modelling, our findings suggest there will be higher chances to perform multimessenger studies with LISA MBHB than previously expected.

For Sun-like stars, the generation of toroidal magnetic field from poloidal magnetic field is an essential piece of the dynamo mechanism powering their magnetism. Previous authors have estimated the net toroidal flux generated in each hemisphere of the Sun by exploiting its conservative nature. This only requires observations of the surface magnetic field and differential rotation. We explore this approach using a 3D magnetohydrodynamic dynamo simulation of a cool star, for which the magnetic field generation is known throughout the entire star. Changes to the net toroidal flux in each hemisphere were evaluated using a closed line integral bounding the cross-sectional area of each hemisphere, following the application of Stokes-theorem to the induction equation; the individual line segments corresponded to the stellar surface, base, equator, and rotation axis. The influence of the large-scale flows, the fluctuating flows, and magnetic diffusion to each of the line segments was evaluated, along with their depth-dependence. In the simulation, changes to the net toroidal flux via the surface line segment typically dominate the total line integral surrounding each hemisphere, with smaller contributions from the equator and rotation axis. The bulk of the toroidal flux is generated deep inside the convection zone, with the surface observables capturing this due to the conservative nature of the net flux. Surface magnetism and rotation can therefore be used to estimate the net toroidal flux generated in each hemisphere, allowing us to constrain the reservoir of magnetic flux for the next magnetic cycle. However, this methodology cannot identify the physical origin, nor the location, of the toroidal flux generation. In addition, not all dynamo mechanisms depend on the net toroidal field produced in each hemisphere, meaning this method may not be able to characterise every magnetic cycle.

Resolving the environments of massive stars is crucial for understanding their formation mechanisms and their impact on galaxy evolution. An important open question is whether massive stars found in diffuse regions outside spiral arms formed in-situ or migrated there after forming in denser environments. To address this question, we use multi-resolution measurements of extinction in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) to probe the ISM surrounding massive stars across galactic environments. We construct a catalog of 42,107 main-sequence massive star candidates ($M \geq 8 M_{\odot}$) using resolved stellar photometry from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) program, plus stellar and dust model fits from the Bayesian Extinction and Stellar Tool (BEAST). We quantify galactic environments by computing surrounding stellar densities of massive stars using Kernel Density Estimation. We then compare high-resolution line-of-sight extinction estimates from the BEAST with 25-pc resolution dust maps from PHAT, measuring the total column density distribution of extinction. Our key finding is that, although the average total column density of dust increases with the density of massive stars, the average line-of-sight extinction towards massive stars remains constant across all environments. This suggests that massive stars have a uniform amount of dust in their immediate environment, regardless of their location in the galaxy. One possible explanation for these findings is that small molecular clouds are still capable of forming massive stars, even if they are not resolvable at 25-pc. These results indicate that massive stars are forming in the sparse regions of M31, as opposed to migrating there.

While the available set of Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) data with known redshift is currently limited, a much larger set of GRB data without redshift is available from different instruments. This data includes well-measured prompt gamma-ray flux and spectral information. We estimate the redshift of a selection of these GRBs detected by Fermi-GBM and Konus-Wind using Machine Learning techniques that are based on spectral parameters. We find that Deep Neural Networks with Random Forest models employing non-linear relations among input parameters can reasonably reproduce the pseudo-redshift distribution of GRBs, mimicking the distribution of GRBs with spectroscopic redshift. Furthermore, we find that the pseudo-redshift samples of GRBs satisfy (i) Amati relation between the peak photon energy of the time-averaged energy spectrum in the cosmological rest frame of the GRB ${E}_{\rm i, p}$ and the isotropic-equivalent radiated energy ${E}_{\rm iso}$ during the prompt phase; and (ii) Yonetoku relation between ${E}_{\rm i, p}$ and isotropic-equivalent luminosity ${L}_{\rm iso}$, both measured during the peak flux interval.

We use simulated attenuation curves from the NIHAO-SKIRT-Catalog to test the flexibility of commonly used dust attenuation models in the face of the variations expected from realistic star-dust geometries. Motivated by lack of flexibility in these existing models, we propose a novel dust attenuation model with three free parameters that can accurately recover the simulated attenuation curves as well as the best-fitting curves from the commonly used models. This new model is fully analytic and treats all starlight equally, in contrast to two-component dust attenuation models. We use the parametrization to investigate the relationship between the overall attenuation law shape and the strength of the 2175 \AA\ bump. Our results indicate variation in star-dust geometry leads these features to correlate tightly, with grayer attenuation curves having weaker bumps.

We present new radio continuum images and a source catalogue from the MeerKAT survey in the direction of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The observations, at a central frequency of 1.3 GHz across a bandwidth of 0.8 GHz, encompass a field of view ~7 x 7 degrees and result in images with resolution of 8 arcsec. The median broad-band Stokes I image Root Mean Squared noise value is ~11 microJy/beam. The catalogue produced from these images contains 108,330 point sources and 517 compact extended sources. We also describe a UHF (544-1088 MHz) single pointing observation. We report the detection of a new confirmed Supernova Remnant (SNR) (MCSNR J0100-7211) with an X-ray magnetar at its centre and 10 new SNR candidates. This is in addition to the detection of 21 previously confirmed SNRs and two previously noted SNR candidates. Our new SNR candidates have typical surface brightness an order of magnitude below those previously known, and on the whole they are larger. The high sensitivity of the MeerKAT survey also enabled us to detect the bright end of the SMC Planetary Nebulae (PNe) sample - point-like radio emission is associated with 38 of 102 optically known PNe, of which 19 are new detections. Lastly, we present the detection of three foreground radio stars amidst 11 circularly polarised sources, and a few examples of morphologically interesting background radio galaxies from which the radio ring galaxy ESO 029-G034 may represent a new type of radio object.

We present results from conducting a theoretical chemical analysis of a sample of benchmark companion brown dwarfs whose primary star is of type F, G or K. We summarize the entire known sample of these types of companion systems, termed "compositional benchmarks", that are present in the literature or recently published as key systems of study in order to best understand brown dwarf chemistry and condensate formation. Via mass balance and stoichiometric calculations, we predict a median brown dwarf atmospheric oxygen sink of $17.8^{+1.7}_{-2.3}\%$ by utilizing published stellar abundances in the local solar neighborhood. Additionally, we predict a silicate condensation sequence such that atmospheres with bulk Mg/Si $\lesssim$ 0.9 will form enstatite (MgSiO$_3$) and quartz (SiO$_2$) clouds and atmospheres with bulk Mg/Si $\gtrsim$ 0.9 will form enstatite and forsterite (Mg$_2$SiO$_4$) clouds. Implications of these results on C/O ratio trends in substellar mass objects and utility of these predictions in future modeling work are discussed.

The interaction of $\beta$-particles with the weakly ionized plasma background is an important mechanism for powering the kilonova transient signal from neutron star mergers. For this purpose, we present an implementation of the approximate fast-particle collision kernel, described by \cite{inokuti1971} following the seminal formulation of \cite{bethe1930}, in a spectral solver of the Vlasov-Maxwell-Boltzmann equations. In particular, we expand the fast-particle plane-wave atomic excitation kernel into coefficients of the Hermite basis, and derive the relevant discrete spectral system. In this fast-particle limit, the approach permits the direct use of atomic data, including optical oscillator strengths, normally applied to photon-matter interaction. The resulting spectral matrix is implemented in the MASS-APP spectral solver framework, in a way that avoids full matrix storage per spatial zone. We numerically verify aspects of the matrix construction, and present a proof-of-principle 3D simulation of a 2D axisymmetric kilonova ejecta snapshot. Our preliminary numerical results indicate that a reasonable choice of Hermite basis parameters for $\beta$-particles in the kilonova are a bulk velocity parameter $\vec{u}=0$, a thermal velocity parameter $\vec{\alpha}=0.5c$, and a 9x9x9 mode velocity basis set (Hermite orders 0 to 8 in each dimension). The results suggest that large-angle scatters of $\beta$-particles may be a non-negligible power source for kilonova luminosity and spectra.

Double-decker filaments and their eruptions have been widely observed in recent years, but their physical formation mechanism is still unclear. Using high spatiotemporal resolution, multi-wavelength observations taken by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope and the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we show the formation of a double-decker pair of flux rope system by two successive tether-cutting eruptions in a bipolar active region. Due to the combined effect of photospheric shearing and convergence motions around the active region's polarity inversion line (PIL), the arms of two overlapping inverse-S-shaped short filaments reconnected at their intersection, which created a simultaneous upward-moving magnetic flux rope (MFR) and a downward-moving post-flare-loop (PFL) system striding the PIL. Meanwhile, four bright flare ribbons appeared at the footpoints of the newly formed MFR and the PFL. As the MFR rose, two elongated flare ribbons connected by a relatively larger PFL appeared on either side of the PIL. After a few minutes, another MFR formed in the same way at the same location and then erupted in the same direction as the first one. Detailed observational results suggest that the eruption of the first MFR might experienced a short pause before its successful eruption, while the second MFR was a failed eruption. This implies that the two newly formed MFRs might reach a new equilibrium at relatively higher heights for a while, which can be regarded as a transient double-decker flux rope system. The observations can well be explained by the tether-cutting model, and we propose that two successive confined tether-cutting eruptions can naturally produce a double-decker flux rope system, especially when the background coronal magnetic field has a saddle-like distribution of magnetic decay index profile in height.

JWST recently measured the transmission spectrum of K2-18b, a habitable-zone sub-Neptune exoplanet, detecting CH$_4$ and CO$_2$ in its atmosphere. The discovery paper argued the data are best explained by a habitable "Hycean" world, consisting of a relatively thin H$_2$-dominated atmosphere overlying a liquid water ocean. Here, we use photochemical and climate models to simulate K2-18b as both a Hycean planet and a gas-rich mini-Neptune with no defined surface. We find that a lifeless Hycean world is hard to reconcile with the JWST observations because photochemistry only supports $< 1$ part-per-million CH$_4$ in such an atmosphere while the data suggest about $\sim 1\%$ of the gas is present. Sustaining %-level CH$_4$ on a Hycean K2-18b may require the presence of a methane-producing biosphere, similar to microbial life on Earth $\sim 3$ billion years ago. On the other hand, we predict that a gas-rich mini-Neptune with $100 \times$ solar metallicity should have 4% CH$_4$ and nearly 0.1% CO$_2$, which are compatible with the JWST data. The CH$_4$ and CO$_2$ are produced thermochemically in the deep atmosphere and mixed upward to the low pressures sensitive to transmission spectroscopy. The model predicts H$_2$O, NH$_3$ and CO abundances broadly consistent with the non-detections. Given the additional obstacles to maintaining a stable temperate climate on Hycean worlds due to H$_2$ escape and potential supercriticality at depth, we favor the mini-Neptune interpretation because of its relative simplicity and because it does not need a biosphere or other unknown source of methane to explain the data.

Spectrophotometric data of the young planetary nebula M 3-27, from 2004 to 2021, are presented and discussed. We corroborate that the H I Balmer lines present features indicating they are emitted by the central star, therefore He I lines were used to correct line fluxes by effects of reddening. Important variability on the nebular emission lines between 1964 to 2021, probably related to density changes in the nebula, is reported. Diagnostic diagrams to derive electron temperatures and densities have been constructed. The nebula shows a very large density contrast with an inner density of the order of 10$^{7}$ cm$^{-3}$ and an outer density of about $10^3 - 10^4$ cm$^{-3}$. With these values of density, electron temperatures of $16,000 - 18,000$ K have been found from collisionally excited lines. Due to the central star emits in the H$^+$ lines, ionic abundances relative to He$^+$ were calculated from collisionally excited and recombination lines, and scaled to H$^+$ by considering that He$^+$/H$^+$ $=$ He/H$ = 0.11$. ADF(O$^{+2}$) values were also determined. Total abundance values obtained indicate sub-solar abundances, similarly to what is found in other comparable objects like IC 4997.

Based on all 2-minute cadence $TESS$ light curves from Sector 1 to 60, we provide a catalog of 8,651 solar-like oscillators, including frequency at maximum power ($\nu_{\rm max}$, with its median precision, $\sigma$=5.39\%), large frequency separation ($\Delta\nu$, $\sigma$=6.22\%), seismically derived masses, radii, and surface gravity. In this sample, we have detected 2,173 new oscillators and added 4,373 new $\Delta\nu$ measurements. Our seismic parameters are consistent with those from $Kepler$, $K2$, and previous $TESS$ data. The median fractional residual in $\nu_{\rm max}$ is $1.63\%$ with a scatter of $14.75\%$, and in $\Delta\nu$ it is $0.11\%$ with a scatter of $10.76\%$. We have detected 476 solar-like oscillators with $\nu_{\rm max}$ exceeding the $Nyquist$ frequency of $Kepler$ long-cadence data during the evolutionary phases of sub-giant and the base of the red-giant branch, which provide a valuable resource for understanding angular momentum transport.

We use updated gas mass fraction measurements of 44 massive dynamically relaxed galaxy clusters collated in ~\cite{Mantz22} to distinguish between the standard $\Lambda$CDM model and $R_h=ct$ universe. For this purpose, we use Bayesian model selection to compare the efficacy of both these cosmological models given the data. The gas mass fraction is modeled using both cosmology-dependent terms and also astrophysical parameters, which account for the variation with cluster mass and redshift. We find a Bayes factor of 50 for $\Lambda$CDM as compared to $R_h=ct$. This implies that $\Lambda$CDM is very strongly favored compared to $R_h=ct$.

We introduce a novel framework for studying small-scale primordial perturbations and their cosmological implications. The framework uses a deep reinforcement learning to generate scalar power spectrum profiles that are consistent with current observational constraints. The framework is shown to predict the abundance of primordial black holes and the production of secondary induced gravitational waves. We demonstrate that the set up under consideration is capable of generating predictions that are beyond the traditional model-based approaches.

Understanding the irregular variation of the solar cycle is crucial due to its significant impact on global climates and the heliosphere. Since the polar magnetic field determines the amplitude of the next solar cycle, variations in the polar field can lead to fluctuations in the solar cycle. We have explored the variability of the solar cycle at different levels of dynamo supercriticality. We observe that the variability depends on the dynamo operation regime, with the near-critical regime exhibiting more variability than the supercritical regime. Furthermore, we have explored the effects of the irregular BMR properties (emergence rate, latitude, tilt, and flux) on the polar field and the solar cycle. We find that they all produce considerable variation in the solar cycle; however, the variation due to the tilt scatter is the largest.

We conducted an analysis of 45 bursts observed from 4U 1636$-$53. To investigate the mechanism behind the light curve profiles and the impact of thermonuclear X-ray bursts on the accretion environment in accreting neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. This analysis employed both light curve and time-resolved spectroscopy methodologies, with data collected by the \textit{Insight}-HXMT instrument. We found that 30 bursts exhibited similar light curve profiles and were predominantly in the hard state, and two photospheric radius expansion (PRE) bursts were in the soft state. The light curves of most bursts did not follow a single exponential decay but displayed a dual-exponential behavior. The initial exponent had a duration of approximately 6 s. We utilized both the standard method and the `$f_{\rm a}$' method to fit the burst spectra. The majority of the `$f_{\rm a}$' values exceeded 1, indicating an enhancement of the persistent emission during the burst. Under the two comptonization components assumption, we suggest that the scattering of burst photons by the inner corona may mainly contribute to the persistent emission enhancement. We also observed an inverse correlation between the maximum $f_{\rm a}$ and the persistent emission flux in the non-PRE burst. This anti-correlation suggests that when the accretion rate is lower, there is a greater enhancement of persistent emission during the burst peak. The prediction based on Poynting-Robertson drag (P-R drag) aligns with this observed anti-correlation.

Using the integral field spectroscopic data from Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey, we study the kinematics and stellar population properties of the two counter-rotating stellar disks in a nearby galaxy SDSS J074834.64+444117.8. We disentangle the two stellar disks by three methods, including CaII $\lambda$8542 double Gaussian fit, pPXF spectral decomposition, and orbit-based dynamical model. These three different methods give consistent stellar kinematics. The pPXF spectral decomposition provides the spectra of two stellar disks, with one being more luminous across the whole galaxy named primary disk, and the other named secondary disk. The primary disk is counter-rotating with ionized gas, while the secondary disk is co-rotating with ionized gas. The secondary disk has younger stellar population and poorer stellar metallicity than the primary disk. We estimate the stellar mass ratio between the primary and secondary disks to be $\sim$5.2. The DESI $g$, $r$, $z$ color image doesn't show any merger remnant feature in this galaxy. These findings support a scenario that the counter-rotating stellar disks in SDSS J074834.64+444117.8 formed through gas accretion from the cosmic web or a gas-rich companion.

Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are intense repeating soft X-ray bursts with recurrence times about a few to ten hours from nearby galactic nuclei. The origin of QPEs is still unclear. In this work, we investigated the extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) + accretion disk model, where the disk is formed from a previous tidal disruption event (TDE). In this EMRI+TDE disk model, the QPEs are the result of collisions between a TDE disk and a stellar mass object (a stellar mass black hole or a main sequence star) orbiting around a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in galactic nuclei. This model is flexible and comprehensive in recovering different aspects of QPE observations. If this interpretation is correct, QPEs will be invaluable in probing the orbits of stellar mass objects in the vicinity of SMBHs, and further inferring the formation of EMRIs which is one the primary targets of spaceborne gravitational wave missions. Taking GSN 069 as an example, we find the EMRI wherein is of low eccentricity ($e<0.1$ at 3-$\sigma$ confidence level) and semi-major axis about $O(10^2)$ gravitational radii of the central SMBH, which is consistent with the prediction of the wet EMRI formation channel, while incompatible with alternatives.

The relevance of some galactic feedback mechanisms, in particular cosmic ray feedback and the hydrogen ionizing radiation field, has been challenging to definitively describe in a galactic context, especially far outside the galaxy in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). Theoretical and observational uncertainties prevent conclusive interpretations of multiphase CGM properties derived from ultraviolet (UV) diagnostics. We conduct three dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a section of a galactic disk with star formation and feedback, including radiative heating from stars, a UV background, and cosmic ray feedback. We utilize the temperature phases present in our simulations to generate Cloudy models to derive spatially and temporally varying synthetic UV diagnostics. We find that radiative effects \hl{without additional heating mechanisms} are not able to produce synthetic diagnostics in the observed ranges. For low cosmic ray diffusivity $\kappa_{\rm{cr}}=10^{28} \rm{cm}^2 \rm{s}^{-1}$, cosmic ray streaming heating in the outflow helps our synthetic line ratios roughly match observed ranges by producing transitional temperature gas ($T \sim 10^{5-6}$ K). High cosmic ray diffusivity $\kappa_{\rm{cr}}=10^{29} \rm{cm}^2 \rm{s}^{-1}$, with or without cosmic ray streaming heating, produced transitional temperature gas. The key parameter controlling the production of this gas phase remains unclear, as the different star formation history and outflow evolution itself influences these diagnostics. Our work demonstrates the use of UV plasma diagnostics to differentiate between galactic/circumgalactic feedback models.

Neutron star (NS) binaries can be potentially intriguing gravitational wave (GW) sources, with both high- and low-frequency radiations from the possibly aspherical individual stars and the binary orbit, respectively. The successful detection of such a dual-line source could provide fresh insights into binary geometry and NS physics. In the absence of electromagnetic observations, we develop a strategy for inferring the spin-orbit misalignment angle using the tight dual-line double NS system under the spin-orbit coupling. Based on the four-year joint detection of a typical dual-line system with LISA and Cosmic Explorer, we find that the misalignment angle and the NS moment of inertia can be measured with sub-percentage and 5% accuracy, respectively.

Light curves of ellipsoidal variables collected by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) were analyzed, in order to search for dormant black hole candidates. After the preselection based on the amplitude of ellipsoidal modulation, each object was investigated by means of the spectral energy distribution fit, which allowed us to select objects that are in close agreement with the spectrum of a single stellar object. After this final step of the preselection process, we were left with only fourteen objects that were then investigated in detail. For each candidate, we estimated basic physical parameters such as temperature, mass, luminosity, and, in some cases, radial velocity semi-amplitude. One of the objects turned out to be a spotted star while the rest are considered black-hole binary candidates. In the end, we present an alternative explanation for the ellipsoidal modulation in the form of contact binaries, which are not only vast in number, contrary to black-hole binaries, but are also in much better agreement with the radial velocity estimates for some of the systems analyzed. Even if the presented arguments suggest a noncompact character of the companion objects, each of them should be observed spectroscopically in order to verify the compact object hypothesis.

The initial distribution of rotational velocities of stars is still poorly known, and how the stellar spin evolves from birth to the various end points of stellar evolution is an actively debated topic. Binary interactions are often invoked to explain the existence of extremely fast-rotating stars ($v\sin\,i$ $\gtrsim$ 200 $km\,s^{-1}$). The primary mechanisms through which binaries can spin up stars are tidal interactions, mass transfer, and possibly mergers. To evaluate these scenarios, we investigated in detail the evolution of three known fast-rotating stars in short-period spectroscopic and eclipsing binaries, namely HD 25631, HD 191495, and HD 46485, with primaries of masses of 7, 15, and 24 $M_{\odot}$, respectively, with companions of $\sim1\,M_\odot$ and orbital periods of less than 7 days. These systems belong to a recently identified class of binaries with extreme mass ratios, whose evolutionary origin is still poorly understood. We evaluated in detail three scenarios that could explain the fast rotation observed in these binaries: it could be primordial, a product of mass transfer, or the result of a merger within an originally triple system. We computed grids of single and binary MESA models varying tidal forces and initial binary architectures to investigate the evolution and reproduce observational properties of these systems. We find that, because of the extreme mass-ratio between binary components, tides have a limited impact, regardless of the prescription used, and that the observed short orbital periods are at odds with post-mass-transfer scenarios. The most likely scenario to form such young, rapidly rotating, and short-period binaries is primordial rotation, implying that the observed binaries are pre-interaction ones. These binaries show that the initial spin distribution of massive stars can have a wide range of rotational velocities.

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the Milky Way's most massive satellite galaxy, which only recently (~2 billion years ago) fell into our Galaxy. Since stellar atmospheres preserve their natal cloud's composition, the LMC's recent infall makes its most ancient, metal-deficient ("low-metallicity") stars unique windows into early star formation and nucleosynthesis in a formerly distant region of the high-redshift universe. Previously, identifying such stars in the LMC was challenging. But new techniques have opened this window, now enabling tests of whether the earliest element enrichment and star formation in distant, extragalactic proto-galaxies deviated from what occurred in the proto-Milky Way. Here we present the elemental abundances of 10 stars in the LMC with iron-to-hydrogen ratios ranging from ~1/300th to ~1/12,000th of the Sun. Our most metal-deficient star is 50 times more metal-deficient than any in the LMC with available detailed chemical abundance patterns, and is likely enriched by a single extragalactic first star supernova. This star lacks significant carbon-enhancement, as does our overall sample, in contrast with the lowest metallicity Milky Way stars. This, and other abundance differences, affirm that the extragalactic early LMC experienced diverging enrichment processes compared to the early Milky Way. Early element production, driven by the earliest stars, thus appears to proceed in an environment-dependent manner.

We analyze the anomalies appearing in the light curves of the three microlensing events MOA-2022-BLG-563, KMT-2023-BLG-0469, and KMT-2023-BLG-0735. The anomalies exhibit common short-term dip features that appear near the peak. From the detailed analyses of the light curves, we find that the anomalies were produced by planets accompanied by the lenses of the events. For all three events, the estimated mass ratios between the planet and host are on the order of $10^{-4}$: $q\sim 8 \times 10^{-4}$ for MOA-2022-BLG-563L, $q\sim 2.5\times 10^{-4}$ for KMT-2023-BLG-0469L, and $q\sim 1.9\times 10^{-4}$ for KMT-2023-BLG-0735L. The interpretations of the anomalies are subject to a common inner-outer degeneracy, which causes ambiguity when estimating the projected planet-host separation. We estimated the planet mass, $M_{\rm p}$, host mass, $M_{\rm h}$, and distance, $D_{\rm L}$, to the planetary system by conducting Bayesian analyses using the observables of the events. The estimated physical parameters of the planetary systems are $(M_{\rm h}/M_\odot, M_{\rm p}/M_{\rm J}, D_{\rm L}/{\rm kpc}) = (0.48^{+0.36}_{-0.30}, 0.40^{+0.31}_{-0.25}, 6.53^{+1.12}_{-1.57})$ for MOA-2022-BLG-563L, $(0.47^{+0.35}_{-0.26}, 0.124^{+0.092}_{-0.067}, 7.07^{+1.03}_{-1.19})$ for KMT-2023-BLG-0469L, and $(0.62^{+0.34}_{-0.35}, 0.125^{+0.068}_{-0.070}, 6.26^{+1.27}_{-1.67})$ for KMT-2023-BLG-0735L. According to the estimated parameters, all planets are cold planets with projected separations that are greater than the snow lines of the planetary systems, they have masses that lie between the masses of Uranus and Jupiter of the Solar System, and the hosts of the planets are main-sequence stars that are less massive than the Sun.

The detection of GW170817/GRB170817A implied the strong association between short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) and binary neutron star (BNS) mergers which produce gravitational waves (GWs). More evidence is needed to confirm the association and reveal the physical processes of BNS mergers. The upcoming High Altitude Detection of Astronomical Radiation (HADAR) experiment, excelling in a wide field of view (FOV) and a large effective area above tens of GeV, is a hope for the prompt detection of very-high-energy (VHE; > 10 GeV) SGRBs. The aim of this paper is to simulate and analyse GW/SGRB joint detections by future GW detector networks in synergy with HADAR, including the second generation LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA and the third generation ET and CE. We provide a brief introduction of the HADAR experiment for SGRB simulations and its expected SGRB detections. For GW simulations, we adopt a phenomenological model to describe GWs produced by BNS mergers and introduce the signal-noise ratios (SNRs) as detector responses. Following a theoretical analysis we compute the redshift-dependent efficiency functions of GW detector networks. We then construct the simulation of GW detection by Monte Carlo sampling. We compare the simulated results of LIGO-Virgo O2 and O3 runs with their actual detections as a check. The combination of GW and SGRB models is then discussed for joint detection, including parameter correlations, triggered SNRs and efficiency skymaps. The estimated joint detection rates are 0.09-2.52 per year for LHVK network with HADAR under different possible configurations, and approximately 0.27-7.89 per year for ET+CE network with HADAR.

Self-organization in continuous systems is associated with dissipative processes. In particular, for magnetized plasmas, it is known as magnetic relaxation, where the magnetic energy is converted into heat and kinetic energy of flow through the process of magnetic reconnection. An example of such a system is the solar corona, where reconnection manifests as solar transients like flares and jets. Consequently, toward investigation of plasma relaxation in solar transients, we utilize a novel approach of data-constrained MHD simulation for an observed solar flare. The selected active region NOAA 12253 hosts a GOES M1.3 class flare. The investigation of extrapolated coronal magnetic field in conjunction with the spatiotemporal evolution of the flare reveals a hyperbolic flux tube (HFT), overlying the observed brightenings. MHD simulation is carried out with the EULAG-MHD numerical model to explore the corresponding reconnection dynamics. The overall simulation shows signatures of relaxation. For a detailed analysis, we consider three distinct sub-volumes. We analyze the magnetic field line dynamics along with time evolution of physically relevant quantities like magnetic energy, current density, twist, and gradients in magnetic field. In the terminal state, none of the sub-volumes are seen to reach a force-free state, thus remaining in non-equilibrium, suggesting the possibility of further relaxation. We conclude that the extent of relaxation depends on the efficacy and duration of reconnection, and hence, on the energetics and time span of the flare.

Uranus and Neptune have intrinsic magnetic fields generated via convection in a molten H2O layer, where the field strength is determined by its electrical conductivity (EC) along with convection size and velocity. Previous shock experiments reported that the EC of molten H2O is high enough to generate magnetic fields of these ice giant planets with adiabatic thermal structures. Here we measured the EC of ionic H2O fluid for the first time by static compression experiments up to 45 GPa and 2,750 K. The EC determined is lower by a few orders of magnitude than earlier data by shock compression measurements and not capable of generating a magnetic field with the conventional interior thermal structures. Our results necessitate recently-suggested fewfold hotter interiors of Uranus and Neptune to explain their magnetic fields.

We analyzed an observation with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array of the black-hole X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571 in the soft intermediate state, in which we detected a 2.5-ks long flare. Our spectral fitting results suggest that MAXI J1535-571 possesses a high spin of 0.97 (-0.10/+0.02) and a low inclination of approximately 24 deg. We observed a gradual increase in the inner disc radius, as determined from fits to the continuum spectrum. This trend is inconsistent with an increased flux ratio of the thermal component, as well as the source evolving towards the soft state. This inconsistency may be attributed to a gradual decrease of the color correction factor. Additionally, with a flare velocity of approximately 0.5 c and a higher hardness ratio during the flare period, the quasi-simultaneous detection of a type-B QPO in the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer data, and quasi-simultaneous ejecta launch through radio observations collectively provide strong evidence supporting the possibility that the flare originated from a discrete jet ejection.

Long-lived radioactive by-products of nucleosynthesis provide an opportunity to trace the flow of ejecta away from its sources for times beyond where ejecta can be seen otherwise. Gamma rays from such radioactive decay in interstellar space can be measured with space-borne telescopes. A prominent useful example is 26Al with a radioactive decay time of one My. Such observations have revealed that typical surroundings of massive stars are composed of large cavities, extending to kpc sizes. Implications are that material recycling into new stars is twofold: rather direct as parental clouds are hosts to new star formation triggered by feedback, and more indirect as these large cavities merge with ambient interstellar gas after some delay. Kinematic measurements of hot interstellar gas carrying such ejecta promises important measurements complementing stellar and dense gas kinematics.

Dark matter is hypothetical matter believed to address the missing mass problem in galaxies. However, alternative theories, such as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND), have been notably successful in explaining the missing mass problem in various astrophysical systems. The vertical distribution function of stars in the solar neighbourhood serves as a proxy to constrain galactic dynamics in accordance to its contents. We employ both the vertical positional and velocity distribution of stars in cylindrical coordinates with a radius of 150 pc and a half-height of 200 pc from the galactic plane. Our tracers consist of main-sequence A, F, and early-G stars from the GAIA, RAVE, APOGEE, GALAH, and LAMOST catalogues. We attempt to solve the missing mass in the solar neighbourhood, interpreting it as either dark matter or MOND. Subsequently, we compare both hypotheses newtonian gravity with dark matter and MOND, using the Bayes factor (BF) to determine which one is more favoured by the data. We found that the inferred dark matter in the solar neighbourhood is in range of $\sim (0.01$-$0.07)$ M$_{\odot}$ pc$^{-3}$. We also determine that the MOND hypothesis's acceleration parameter $a_0$ is $(1.26 \pm 0.13) \times 10^{-10}$ m s$^{-2}$ for simple interpolating function. The average of bayes factor for all tracers between the two hypotheses is $\log \textrm{BF}\sim 0.1$, meaning no strong evidence in favour of either the dark matter or MOND hypotheses.

The ages of globular clusters (GC) are conventionally constrained by models that adhere to the accepted age of the Universe, preventing their ages from exceeding approximately 13.8 Gyr. However, a recent study by llorente de Andr\'es (2023) challenges this paradigm. Drawing on the relationship between the number of blue straggler stars (BSs) and the relaxation time, the study proposes that the age of the cluster NGC104 falls between 19.04 and 20.30 Gyr. Extending this approach, the present work investigates GCs NGC 5634 and NGC 5024, finding their ages to be between 15.8 and 21.6 Gyr, surpassing the accepted age of the Universe. A plausible explanation aligns with Gupta's model (Gupta 2023), suggesting a Universe age of around 26.7 billion years, consistent with early universe observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Additionally, four other GCs (IC 4499, NGC 6273, NGC 5824 and NGC 4833) support Gupta's model. The implications of these extended GC ages challenge our current cosmic timeline understanding, prompting a comprehensive reassessment of cosmological paradigms in light of these intriguing observational results.

Magnetic fields may play a crucial role in setting the initial conditions of massive star and star cluster formation. To investigate this, we report SOFIA-HAWC+ $214\:\mu$m observations of polarized thermal dust emission and high-resolution GBT-Argus C$^{18}$O(1-0) observations toward the massive Infrared Dark Cloud (IRDC) G28.37+0.07. Considering the local dispersion of $B$-field orientations, we produce a map of $B$-field strength of the IRDC, which exhibits values between $\sim0.03 - 1\:$mG based on a refined Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi (r-DCF) method proposed by Skalidis \& Tassis. Comparing to a map of inferred density, the IRDC exhibits a $B-n$ relation with a power law index of $0.51\pm0.02$, which is consistent with a scenario of magnetically-regulated anisotropic collapse. Consideration of the mass-to-flux ratio map indicates that magnetic fields are dynamically important in most regions of the IRDC. A virial analysis of a sample of massive, dense cores in the IRDC, including evaluation of magnetic and kinetic internal and surface terms, indicates consistency with virial equilibrium, sub-Alfv\'enic conditions and a dominant role for $B-$fields in regulating collapse. A clear alignment of magnetic field morphology with direction of steepest column density gradient is also detected. However, there is no preferred orientation of protostellar outflow directions with the $B-$field. Overall, these results indicate that magnetic fields play a crucial role in regulating massive star and star cluster formation and so need to be accounted for in theoretical models of these processes.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been proposed as one of promising sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), but observational evidence is still lacking. The nearby B.O.A.T. (brightest of all time) GRB 221009A, an once-in-1000-year event, is able to accelerate protons to $\sim 10^{3}$ EeV. Protons arriving at the Milky Way are dominated by neutron-decay-induced protons. The inter-galactic magnetic fields would not yield a sizable delay of the $\geq 10{\rm~EeV}$ cosmic rays if its strength is $\lesssim 10^{-13}{\rm~G}$, while Galactic magnetic fields would cause a significant time delay. We predict that, an UHECR burst from GRB 221009A would be detectable by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the TA$\times$4, within $\sim$ 10 years. The detection of such an UHECR outburst will provide the direct evidence for UHECR acceleration in GRBs.

We report observations of a powerful ionized gas outflow in a z = 4.1 luminous ($ L_{1.4GHz} \sim 10^{28.3} \ W \ Hz^{-1}$) radio galaxy TNJ1338-1942 hosting an obscured quasar using the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on board JWST. We spatially resolve a large-scale (~15 kpc) outflow and measure resolved outflow rates. The outflowing gas shows velocities exceeding 900 $ km \ s^{-1}$ and broad line profiles with line widths exceeding 1200 $ km \ s^{-1}$ located at ~10 kpc projected distance from the central nucleus. The outflowing nebula spatially overlaps with the brightest radio lobe, indicating that the powerful radio jets are responsible for the extraordinary kinematics exhibited by the ionized gas. The ionized gas is possibly ionized by the central obscured quasar with a contribution from shocks. The spatially resolved mass outflow rate shows that the region with the broadest line profiles exhibits the strongest outflow rates, with an integrated mass outflow rate of ~500 $ M_{\odot} \ yr^{-1}$. Our hypothesis is that an over-pressured shocked jet fluid expands laterally to create an expanding ellipsoidal "cocoon" that causes the surrounding gas to accelerate outwards. The total kinetic energy injected by the radio jet is about 3 orders of magnitude larger than the total kinetic energy measured in the outflowing ionized gas. This implies that kinetic energy must be transferred inefficiently from the jets to the gas. The bulk of the deposited energy possibly lies in the form of hot (~$ 10^7$ K) X-ray-emitting gas.

Hot Jupiters (HJ) are defined as Jupiter-mass exoplanets orbiting around their host star with an orbital period < 10 days. It is assumed that HJ do not form in-situ but ex-situ. Recent discoveries show that star clusters contribute to the formation of HJ. We present direct $N$-body simulations of planetary systems in star clusters and analyze the formation of HJ in them. We combine two direct $N$-body codes: NBODY6++GPU for the dynamics of dense star clusters with 32 000 and 64 000 stellar members and LonelyPlanets used to follow 200 identical planetary systems around solar mass stars in those star clusters. We use different sets with 3, 4, or 5 planets and with the innermost planet at a semi-major axis of 5 au or 1 au and follow them for 100 Myr in our simulations. The results indicate that HJs are generated with high efficiency in dense star clusters if the innermost planet is already close to the host star at a semi-major axis of 1 au. If the innermost planet is initially beyond a semi-major axis of 5 au, the probability of a potential HJ ranges between $1.5-4.5$ percent. Very dense stellar neighborhoods tend to eject planets rather than forming HJs. A correlation between HJ formation and angular momentum deficit (AMD) is not witnessed. Young Hot Jupiters ($t_{\rm age} < 100$ Myrs) have only been found, in our simulations, in planetary systems with the innermost planet at a semi-major axis of 1 au.

With their high angular resolutions of 30-100 mas, large fields of view, and complex optical systems, imagers on next-generation optical/near-infrared space observatories, such as the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), present both new opportunities for science and also new challenges for empirical point spread function (PSF) characterization. In this context, we introduce ShOpt, a new PSF fitting tool developed in Julia and designed to bridge the advanced features of PIFF (PSFs in the Full Field of View) with the computational efficiency of PSFEx (PSF Extractor). Along with ShOpt, we propose a suite of non-parametric statistics suitable for evaluating PSF fit quality in space-based imaging. Our study benchmarks ShOpt against the established PSF fitters PSFEx and PIFF using real and simulated COSMOS-Web Survey imaging. We assess their respective PSF model fidelity with our proposed diagnostic statistics and investigate their computational efficiencies, focusing on their processing speed relative to the complexity and size of the PSF models. Despite being in active development, we find that ShOpt can already achieve PSF model fidelity comparable to PSFEx and PIFF while maintaining competitive processing speeds, constructing PSF models for large NIRCam mosaics within minutes.

Three-dimensional modeling has reached a level of maturity to provide detailed predictions of the gravitational wave emission in neutrino-driven core collapse supernovae. We review the status of these modeling efforts, current predictions for core collapse supernova gravitational wave emission, and the status of algorithms for the detection of core collapse supernova gravitational waves and the estimation of physical parameters associated with these events, which we hope to use to cull information about the central engine.

In this paper we propose that flux cancellation on small granular scales ($\lesssim 1000$ km) ubiquitously drives reconnection at a multitude of sites in the low solar atmosphere, contributing to chromospheric/coronal heating and the generation of the solar wind. We analyse the energy conversion in these small-scale flux cancellation events using both analytical models and three-dimensional, resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The analytical models -- in combination with the latest estimates of flux cancellation rates -- allow us to estimate the energy release rates due to cancellation events, which are found to be of the order $10^6-10^7$ erg cm$^{-2}$sec$^{-1}$, sufficient to heat the chromosphere and corona of the Quiet Sun and active regions, and to power the solar wind. The MHD simulations confirm the conversion of energy in reconnecting current sheets, in a geometry representing a small-scale bipole being advected towards an intergranular lane. A ribbon-like jet of heated plasma is accelerated upwards, that could also escape the Sun as the solar wind in an open-field configuration. We conclude that through two phases of atmospheric energy release -- pre-cancellation and cancellation -- the cancellation of photospheric magnetic flux fragments and the associated magnetic reconnection may provide a substantial energy and mass flux contribution to coronal heating and solar wind generation.

A viable model of large-field (chaotic) inflation with efficient production of primordial black holes is proposed in Starobinsky-like (modified) supergravity leading to the "no-scale-type" K\"ahler potential and the Wess-Zumino-type ("renormalizable") superpotential. The cosmological tilts are in good (within $1\sigma$) agreement with Planck measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation. In addition, the power spectrum of scalar perturbations has a large peak at smaller scales, which leads to a production of primordial black holes from gravitational collapse of large perturbations with the masses about $10^{17}$ g. The masses are beyond the Hawking (black hole) evaporation limit of $10^{15}$ g, so that those primordial black holes may be viewed as viable candidates for part or the whole of the current dark matter. The parameters of the superpotential were fine-tuned for those purposes, while the cubic term in the superpotential is essential whereas the quadratic term should vanish. The vacuum after inflation (relevant to reheating) is Minkowskian. The energy density fraction of the gravitational waves induced by the production of primordial black holes and their frequency were also calculated in the second order with respect to perturbations.

Radio data can give stringent constraints for annihilating dark matter. In general, radio observations can detect very accurate radio flux density with high resolution and different frequencies for nearby galaxies. We are able to obtain the radio flux density as a function of distance from the galactic center and frequencies $S(r,\nu)$. In this article, we demonstrate a comprehensive radio analysis of the M33 galaxy, combining the radio flux density profile $S(r)$ and the frequency spectrum $S(\nu)$ to get the constraints of dark matter annihilation parameters. By analyzing the archival radio data obtained from the Effelsberg telescope, we show that the dark matter annihilation contributing to the radio flux density might be insignificant in the disk region of the M33 galaxy. Moreover, by including the baryonic radio contribution, we constrain the $2\sigma$ conservative upper limits of the annihilation cross section, which can be complementary to the existing constraints based on neutrino, cosmic-ray, and gamma-ray observations. Our results indicate that analyzing the galactic multi-frequency radio flux profiles can give useful and authentic constraints on dark matter for the leptophilic annihilation channels.

Geometric distortion (GD) critically constrains the precision of astrometry. Some telescopes lack GD calibration observations, making it impossible to accurately determine the GD effect using well-established methods. This limits the value of telescope observations in certain astrometric scenarios, such as using historical observations of moving targets in the solar system to improve their orbit. We investigated a method for handling GD in the absence of calibration observations. This method requires only several frames with a dozen reference stars to derive an accurate GD solution, so that it can be used for solving GD of some telescopes which were intractable in the past. By using this GD solution, the astrometric precision of the historical observations obtained from these telescopes can be improved. We use the weighted average of the plate constants to derive the GD solution, which is implemented by Python language and released on GitHub. Then this method is applied to solve GD in the observations taken with the 60-cm, 1-m, and 2.4-m telescopes at Yunnan Observatory. The GD solutions are compared with those obtained using well-established methods to demonstrate the accuracy. Applications of our method in the reduction of observations for the moon of Jupiter (Himalia) and the binary GSC2038-0293 are presented as examples. After GD correction, the mean residual between observed and computed position ($O-C$) for the binary GSC2038-0293 decreased from 36 mas to 5 mas.

A numerical detection of the $\tau$-driven transition of galaxy spins is presented, where $\tau$ is the degree of misalignment between the initial tidal field and protogalaxy inertia tensors. Analyzing the data from the IllustrisTNG 300-1 simulations, we first measure the values of $\tau$ at the protogalactic sites found by tracing the constituents of the galactic halos in the mass range of $10.5\le \log \left[M_{h}/(h^{-1}M_{\odot})\right] \le 13$ back to the initial stage, $z_{i}=127$. The probability density functions of $\tau$ are shown to be well modeled by the $\Gamma$-distributions, whose shape and scale parameters turn out to have universal values on a certain critical scale. Then, we investigate how the strength and tendency of the galaxy spin alignments with the principal axes of the local tidal fields depend on the initial condition, $\tau$. It is found that on the scale lower than the critical one, the galaxy spin transition occurs at two different thresholds from the major to intermediate and from the intermediate to minor principal axes of the local tidal fields, respectively. Noting that the $\tau$-dependent spin transition supersedes in strength the previously found mass-dependent, morphology-dependent, and radius-dependent counterparts, we suggest that $\tau$ should be the key driver of all types of the galaxy spin transition and that the present galaxy spins are indeed excellent fossil records of the initial condition.

This paper analyzes the possibility of bouncing and non-bouncing universes in the framework of four-dimensional Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet (4D-EGB) gravity, corresponding respectively to negative and positive coupling constants $\lambda$ of the Gauss-Bonnet term. We also use the Horndeski-type scalar-tensor theory to assess the role of a scalar charge $C$ as a geometrical contribution to the radiation in the Universe. We modify the expansion history of the universe to allow for modifications induced by the 4D-EGB gravity. Using Planck measurements of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies as well as various datasets of baryonic acoustic oscillations, we set the upper bounds $\lambda \le 10^{-16} \text{(km/s/Mpc)}^{-2} $ and $\lambda \le 10^{-30} \text{(km/s/Mpc)}^{-2} $ for the non-bouncing and bouncing scenarios. The upper limit in the latter case is mainly driven by the requirement to conservatively respect the thermal history at energy scales of the standard model of particle physics. We also find that the contribution of the geometrical radiation-like term of the model cannot exceed 10\% of the current radiation in the Universe. This study shows the feasibility of a bouncing universe, even with a normal matter sector, in the 4D-EGB gravity. More theoretical investigation is required to further explore possible observational predictions of the model that can distinguish between general relativity and 4D-EGB gravity.

Strangeon stars, which are proposed to describe the nature of pulsar-like compact stars, have passed various observational tests. The maximum mass of a non-rotating strangeon star could be high, which implies that the remnants of binary strangeon star mergers could even be long-lived massive strangeon stars. We study rigidly rotating strangeon stars in the slowly rotating approximation, using the Lennard-Jones model for the equation of state. Rotation can significantly increase the maximum mass of strangeon stars with unchanged baryon numbers, enlarging the mass-range of long-lived strangeon stars. During spin-down after merger, the decrease of radius of the remnant will lead to the release of gravitational energy. Taking into account the efficiency of converting the gravitational energy luminosity to the observed X-ray luminosity, we find that the gravitational energy could provide an alternative energy source for the plateau emission of X-ray afterglow. The fitting results of X-ray plateau emission of some short gamma-ray bursts suggest that the magnetic dipole field strength of the remnants can be much smaller than that of expected when the plateau emission is powered only by spin-down luminosity of magnetars.

Understanding the high-energy emission processes and variability patterns are two of the most challenging research problems associated with relativistic jets. In particular, the long-term (months-to-years) flux variability at very high energies (VHE, $>$50 GeV) has remained an unexplored domain so far. This is possibly due to the decreased sensitivity of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) above a few GeV, hence low photon statistics, and observing constraints associated with the ground-based Cherenkov telescopes. This paper reports the results obtained from the 0.05$-$2 TeV Fermi-LAT data analysis of a sample of 29 blazars with the primary objective to explore their months-to-year long VHE flux variability behavior. This systematic search has led to, for the first time, the detection of significant flux variations in 5 blazars at $>$99\% confidence level, whereas, 8 of them exhibit variability albeit at a lower confidence level ($\sim$95\%-99\%). A comparison of the 0.05$-$2 TeV flux variations with that observed at 0.1$-$50 GeV band has revealed similar variability behavior for most of the sources. However, complex variability patterns that are not reflected contemporaneously in both energy bands were also detected, thereby providing tantalizing clues about the underlying radiative mechanisms. These results open up a new dimension to unravel the VHE emission processes operating in relativistic jets, hence sowing the seeds for their future observations with the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array.

While various methods have been proposed to disentangle the progenitor system for Type Ia supernovae, their origin is still unclear. Circumstellar environment is a key to distinguishing between the double-degenerate (DD) and single-degenerate (SD) scenarios since a dense wind cavity is expected only in the case of the SD system. We perform spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy of Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) with XMM-Newton and reveal the three-dimensional velocity structure of the expanding shock-heated ejecta measured from Doppler-broadened lines of intermediate-mass elements. Obtained velocity profiles are fairly consistent with those expected from a uniformly expanding ejecta model near the center, whereas we discover a rapid deceleration ($\sim4000$ km s$^{-1}$ to $\sim1000$ km s$^{-1}$) near the edge of the remnant in almost every direction. The result strongly supports the presence of a dense wall entirely surrounding the remnant, which is confirmed also by our hydrodynamical simulation. We thus conclude that Tycho's SNR is likely of the SD origin. Our new method will be useful for understanding progenitor systems of Type Ia SNRs in the era of high-angular/energy resolution X-ray astronomy with microcalorimeters.

Uranus' bulk composition remains unknown. Although there are clear indications that Uranus' interior is not fully convective, and therefore has a non-adiabatic temperature profile, many interior models continue to assume an adiabatic interior. In this paper we present a new method to interpret empirical structure models in terms of composition and for identifying non-convective regions. We also explore how the uncertainty in Uranus' rotation period and winds affect the inferred composition and temperature profile. We use Uranus' density profiles from previous work where the density is represented by up to three polytropes. Using our new method, we find that these empirical models imply that Uranus' interior includes non-adiabatic regions. This leads to significantly hotter internal temperatures that can reach a few 10$^3$ K and higher bulk heavy-element abundances (up to 1 M$_\oplus$) compared to standard adiabatic models. We find that the assumed rotation period strongly affects the inferred composition while the winds have a negligible effect. Although solutions with only H-He and rock are possible, we find that the maximum water-to-rock ratio in Uranus for our models ranges between 2.6 and 21. This is significantly lower compared to standard adiabatic models. We conclude that it is important to include non-adiabatic regions in Uranus structure models as they significantly affect the inferred temperature profile, and therefore the inferred bulk heavy-element abundance. In addition, we suggest that it is of great value to measure Uranus' gravitational field and determine its rotation period in order to decrease the uncertainty in Uranus' bulk composition.

We present an extensive analysis of the optical and UV properties of AT2023clx, the closest TDE to date, that occurred in the nucleus of the interacting LINER galaxy, NGC3799 (z=0.01107). From several standard methods, we estimate the mass of the central SMBH to be ~ 10^6 Msol. After correcting for the host reddening (E(B-V) = 0.177 mag) we measured its peak absolute g-band magnitude to be -18.25\pm0.05 mag, and its peak bolometric luminosity to be L_pk=(3.24\pm0.36)x10^43erg/s, making AT2023clx an intermediate luminosity TDE. The first distinctive feature of AT2023clx is that it rose to peak within only 10.4\pm2.5 days, making it the fastest rising TDE to date. Our SMBH mass estimate rules out the possibility of an intermediate mass BH as the reason of the fast rise. Dense spectral follow-up revealed a blue continuum that cools slowly and broad Balmer and HeII lines as well as weak HeI emission, features that are typically seen in TDEs. A flat Balmer decrement (~ 1.58) suggests that the lines are collisionally excited rather than being produced via photoionisation, as in typical active galactic nuclei. A second distinctive feature, seen for the first time in TDE spectra, is a sharp, narrow emission peak at a rest wavelength of ~6353 A. This feature is clearly visible up to 10d post-peak; we attribute it to clumpy material preceding the bulk outflow, and manifested as a high-velocity component of Ha (-9584km/s). The third distinctive feature is a break observed in the near-UV light curves that is reflected as a dip in the temperature evolution around ~18-28 days post-peak. Combining these findings, we propose a scenario for AT2023clx involving the disruption of a very low-mass star (<=0.1Msol) with an outflow launched in our line-of-sight with disruption properties that led to circularisation and prompt and efficient accretion disc formation, observed through a low-density photosphere.

The short Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the aftermath of the merger of binary compact objects (neutron star -- neutron star or neutron star -- black hole systems). With the simultaneous detection of Gravitational Wave (GW) signal from GW 170817 and GRB 170817A, the much-hypothesized connection between GWs and short GRBs has been proved beyond doubt. The resultant product of the merger could be a millisecond magnetar or a black hole depending upon the binary masses and their equation of state. In the case of a magnetar central engine, fraction of the rotational energy deposited to the emerging ejecta produces late time synchrotron radio emission from the interaction with the ambient medium. In this paper, we present an analysis of a sample of short GRBs located at a redshift of $z \leq 0.16$ which were observed at the late time to search for the emission from merger ejecta. Our sample consists of 7 short GRBs which have radio upper limits available from VLA and ATCA observations. We generate the model lightcurves using the standard magnetar model incorporating the relativistic correction. Using the model lightcurves and upper limits we constrain the number density of the ambient medium to be $10^{-5} - 10^{-3} cm^{-3}$ for rotational energy of the magnetar $E_{rot} \sim 5\times10^{51}$ erg. Variation of ejecta mass does not play a significant role in constraining the number density.

We present the first detection of HCNS (thiofulminic acid) in space with the QUIJOTE line survey in the direction of TMC-1. We performed a complete study of the isomers of CHNS and CHNO, including NCO and NCS. The derived column densities for HCNS, HNCS, and HSCN are (9.0+/-0.5)e9, (3.2+/-0.1)e11, and (8.3+/-0.4)e11 cm-2, respectively. The HNCS/HSCN abundance ratio is 0.38. The abundance ratios HNCO/HNCS, HCNO/HCNS, HOCN/HSCN, and NCO/NCS are 34+/-4, 8.3+/-0.7, 0.18+/-0.03, and 0.78+/-0.07, respectively. These ratios cannot be correctly reproduced by our gas-phase chemical models, which suggests that formation paths for these species are missing, and/or that the adopted dissociative recombination rates for their protonated precursors have to be revised. The isotopologues H15NCO, DNCO, N13CO, DCNO, H34SCN, and DSCN have also been detected with the ultrasensitive QUIJOTE line survey.

In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of the core parameter of Warm Higgs Inflation (WHI) $-$ the dissipation coefficient ($Q$). As a crucial parameter in the warm inflation process, $Q$ exerts profound influences on the entire evolutionary process. By meticulously deriving the relationships between various quantities and $Q$, we successfully circumvented the common preconceptions regarding strong and weak dissipation, laying the foundation for a more accurate exploration of their interconnections. Taking into account the constraints imposed by Cosmic Microwave Background, we observed that the dissipation coefficient $Q$ remains at extremely low levels throughout the entire warm inflation process, i.e., $Q \ll 1$. This observation indicates that WHI falls under the category of weakly dissipative warm inflation. Despite being weakly dissipative, $Q$ still plays a crucial role in the evolution of temperature, energy, and other quantities, highlighting its significance and non-negligibility. We delved deeper into the impact of the primordial power spectrum on the dissipation coefficient $Q$ during the warm inflation process, discovering that the dependency is not significant. Consequently, this naturally leads to the unobtrusive dependence of the gravitational wave power spectrum on $Q$. Finally, we found that gravitational waves generated by WHI hold the potential for verification in future observational experiments, especially through the SKA100 experiment. These findings provide a theoretical support for a more profound understanding of the early evolution of the universe.

The TRAPPIST-1 system is comprised of seven Earth-sized rocky planets in small orbits around a Jupiter-sized ultracool dwarf star 12 parsec away. These planets cover an irradiation range similar to the range of the inner solar system. Three of them orbit within the circumstellar habitable zone. All of them are particularly well-suited for detailed characterization, thanks to the small size of and to the infrared brightness of the host star, and to the system's compact resonant structure. An intense transit-timing monitoring campaign resulted in unprecedented precisions on the planets' masses and densities, and in strong constraints on their compositions. Transit transmission spectroscopy with HST discarded the presence of extended primary atmospheres around the seven planets. The first thermal emission measurements obtained with JWST favor low-density-atmosphere or bare-rock scenarios for the two inner planets. The detection of dense secondary atmospheres around the five outer planets could be achieved by transit transmission spectroscopy with JWST, but this will require addressing the critical problem of stellar contamination with more theoretical and observational work.

We report the identification of 64 new candidates of compact galaxies, potentially hosting faint quasars with bolometric luminosities of $L_\mathrm{bol} = 10^{43}$--10$^{46}$ erg s$^{-1}$, residing in the reionization epoch within the redshift range of $6 \lesssim z \lesssim 8$. These candidates were selected by harnessing the rich multiband datasets provided by the emerging JWST-driven extragalactic surveys, focusing on COSMOS-Web, as well as JADES, UNCOVER, CEERS, and PRIMER. Our search strategy includes two stages: applying stringent photometric cuts to catalog-level data and detailed spectral energy distribution fitting. These techniques effectively isolate the quasar candidates while mitigating contamination from low-redshift interlopers, such as brown dwarfs and nearby galaxies. The selected candidates indicate physical traits compatible with low-luminosity active galactic nuclei, likely hosting $\approx10^5$--$10^7~M_\odot$ supermassive black holes (SMBHs) living in galaxies with stellar masses of $\approx10^8$--$10^{10}~M_\odot$. The SMBHs selected in this study, on average, exhibit elevated mass compared to their hosts, with the mass ratio distribution slightly higher than those of galaxies in the local universe. As with other high-$z$ studies, this is at least in part due to the selection method for these quasars. An extensive Monte Carlo analysis provides compelling evidence that heavy black hole seeds from the direct collapse scenario appear to be the preferred pathway to mature this specific subset of SMBHs by $z\approx7$. This work underscores the significance of further spectroscopic observations, as the quasar candidates presented here offer exceptional opportunities to delve into the nature of the earliest galaxies and SMBHs formed during cosmic infancy.

In the context of the ATHENA X-IFU Cryogenic AntiCoincidence Detector (CryoAC) development, we have studied the thermalization properties of a 2mm x 2mm SQUID chip. The chip is glued on a front-end PCB and operated on the cold stage of a dilution refrigerator (TBASE < 20 mK). We performed thermal conductance measurements by using different materials to glue the SQUID chip on the PCB. These have been repeated in subsequent cryostat runs, to highlight degradation effects due to thermal cycles. Here, we present the results obtained by glues and greases widely used in cryogenic environments, i.e. GE 7031 Varnish Glue, Apiezon N Grease and Rubber Cement.

We present new theoretical period-luminosity (PL) and period-Wesenheit (PW) relations for a fine grid of convective BL Her, the shortest period T2Cs, models computed using MESA-RSP and compare our results with the empirical relations from Gaia DR3. We use the state-of-the-art 1D non-linear radial stellar pulsation tool MESA-RSP to compute models of BL Her stars over a wide range of input parameters - metallicity (-2.0 dex $\leq$ [Fe/H] $\leq$ 0.0 dex), stellar mass (0.5M$_{\odot}$-0.8M$_{\odot}$), stellar luminosity (50L$_{\odot}$-300L$_{\odot}$) and effective temperature (full extent of the instability strip; in steps of 50K). The BL Her stars in the All Sky region exhibit statistically different PL slopes compared to the theoretical PL slopes computed using the four sets of convection parameters. We find the empirical PL and PW slopes from BL Her stars in the Magellanic Clouds to be statistically consistent with the theoretical relations computed using the different convection parameter sets in the Gaia passbands. There is negligible effect of metallicity on the PL relations in the individual Gaia passbands. However, there exists a small but significant negative coefficient of metallicity in the PWZ relations for the BL Her models using the four sets of convection parameters. This could be attributed to the increased sensitivity of bolometric corrections to metallicities at wavelengths shorter than the V band. Our BL Her models also suggest a dependence of the mass-luminosity relation on metallicity. We found the observed Fourier parameter space to be covered well by our models. Higher mass models (> 0.6M$_{\odot}$) may be needed to reliably model the observed light curves of BL Her stars in the All Sky region. We also found the theoretical light curve structures (especially the Fourier amplitude parameters) to be affected by the choice of convection parameters.

The 21-cm spectral line widths, $w_{50}$, of galaxies are an approximate tracer of their dynamical masses, such that the dark matter halo mass function is imprinted in the number density of galaxies as a function of $w_{50}$. Correcting observed number counts for survey incompleteness at the level of accuracy needed to place competitive constraints on warm dark matter (WDM) cosmological models is very challenging, but forward-modelling the results of cosmological hydrodynamical galaxy formation simulations into observational data space is more straightforward. We take this approach to make predictions for an ALFALFA-like survey from simulations using the EAGLE galaxy formation model in both cold (CDM) and WDM cosmogonies. We find that for WDM cosmogonies more galaxies are detected at the low-$w_{50}$ end of the 21-cm velocity width function than in the CDM cosmogony, contrary to what might na\"ively be expected from the suppression of power on small scales in such models. This is because low-mass galaxies form later and retain more gas in WDM cosmogonies (with EAGLE). While some shortcomings in the treatment of cold gas in the EAGLE model preclude placing definitive constraints on WDM scenarios, our analysis illustrates that near-future simulations with more accurate modelling of cold gas will likely make strong constraints possible, especially in conjunction with new 21-cm surveys such as WALLABY.

We validate the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) object of interest TOI-2266.01 (TIC 348911) as a small transiting planet (most likely a super-Earth) orbiting a faint M5 dwarf ($V=16.54$) on a 2.33~d orbit. The validation is based on an approach where multicolour transit light curves are used to robustly estimate the upper limit of the transiting object's radius. Our analysis uses SPOC-pipeline TESS light curves from Sectors 24, 25, 51, and 52, simultaneous multicolour transit photometry observed with MuSCAT2, MuSCAT3, and HiPERCAM, and additional transit photometry observed with the LCOGT telescopes. TOI-2266 b is found to be a planet with a radius of $1.54\pm\0.09\,R_\oplus$, which locates it at the edge of the transition zone between rocky planets, water-rich planets, and sub-Neptunes (the so-called M~dwarf radius valley). The planet is amenable to ground-based radial velocity mass measurement with red-sensitive spectrographs installed in large telescopes, such as MAROON-X and Keck Planet Finder (KPF), which makes it a valuable addition to a relatively small population of planets that can be used to probe the physics of the transition zone. Further, the planet's orbital period of 2.33 days places it inside a `keystone planet' wedge in the period-radius plane where competing planet formation scenarios make conflicting predictions on how the radius valley depends on the orbital period. This makes the planet also a welcome addition to the small population of planets that can be used to test small-planet formation scenarios around M~dwarfs.

Convection in stars and planets must be maintained against viscous and Ohmic dissipation. Here, we present the first systematic investigation of viscous dissipation in simulations of rotating, density-stratified plane layers of convection. Our simulations consider an anelastic ideal gas, and employ the open-source code Dedalus. We demonstrate that when the convection is sufficiently vigorous, the integrated dissipative heating tends towards a value that is independent of viscosity or thermal diffusivity, but depends on the imposed luminosity and the stratification. We show that knowledge of the dissipation provides a bound on the magnitude of the kinetic energy flux in the convection zone. In our non-rotating cases with simple flow fields, much of the dissipation occurs near the highest possible temperatures, and the kinetic energy flux approaches this bound. In the rotating cases, although the total integrated dissipation is similar, it is much more uniformly distributed (and locally balanced by work against the stratification), with a consequently smaller kinetic energy flux. The heat transport in our rotating simulations is in good agreement with results previously obtained for 3D Boussinesq convection, and approaches the predictions of diffusion-free theory.

Axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) are leading candidates for dark matter. They are well motivated in many extensions of the Standard Model and supported by astronomical observations. We propose an iterative transformation of the existing facilities of the gravitational-wave detector and technology testbed GEO600, located near Ruthe in Germany, into a kilometre-scale upgrade of the laser-interferometric axion detector LIDA. The final DarkGEO detector could search for coincident signatures of axions and ALPs and significantly surpass the current constraints of both direct searches and astrophysical observations in the measurement band from $10^{-16}$ to $10^{-8}$ $\text{eV}$. We discuss realistic parameters and design sensitivities for the configurations of the different iteration steps as well as technical challenges known from the first LIDA results. The proposed DarkGEO detector will be well suited to probe the parameter space associated with predictions from theoretical models, like grand-unified theories, as well as from astrophysical evidence, like the cosmic infrared background.

Low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are high-energy sources that require multi-wavelength follow up campaigns to be fully characterized. New transients associated to LMXBs are regularly discovered, and previously known systems are often revisited by astronomers to constrain their intrinsic parameters. All of this information compiled into a catalogue may build up to a useful tool for subsequent studies on LMXBs and their population. We provide an update on past LMXB catalogues dating back 16 years and propose to the community a database on Galactic LMXBs with the most complete manually curated set of parameters and their original references. On top of a fixed version accessible through Vizier, we propose to host the catalogue independently on our GitHub collaboration, side-by-side with our previous catalogue on high-mass X-ray binaries. The database will be regularly updated based on new publications and community inputs. We build a working base by cross-matching previous LMXB catalogues and supplementing them with lists of hard X-ray sources detected in the past 20 years. We compile information from Simbad on LMXBs as a starting point for a thorough, manual search in the literature to retrieve important parameters that characterize LMXBs. We retrieve newly detected LMXBs and candidates directly from literature searches. Counterparts to these LMXBs are compiled from hard X-rays to infrared and radio domains. Every piece of information presented on the LMXBs is curated and backed by accurate references. We present a catalogue of 339 Galactic LMXBs listing their coordinates, companion star spectral type, systemic radial velocity, component masses and compact object nature, the presence of type I X-ray bursts as well as orbital data. Coordinates and identifiers of counterparts at various wavelengths are given, including 140 LMXBs detected in {\it Gaia} DR3.

Possible reasons for the non-detection of absorption in the metastable HeI(2^3S) line at transit observations of warm Neptune GJ436b, in spite of the well pronounced strong absorption features measured earlier in Ly{\alpha} for this planet, are investigated. We perform numeric simulations of the escaping upper atmosphere of this planet and its HeI(2^3S) triplet absorption with a global 3D multi-fluid self-consistent hydrodynamic model. By fitting the model parameters to the lowest detection level of absorption measurements, we constrain an upper limit the He/H abundance three times smaller than the solar value. We demonstrate that neither the significant changes of the stellar wind related with possible stellar coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or possible variations in the stellar ionization radiation, nor the presence of heavy trace elements have crucial effect on the absorption at the 10830{\AA} line of HeI(2^3S) triplet. The main reason of weak signature is that the region populated by the absorbing metastable helium is rather small (<3R_p), as well as the small size of the planet itself, in comparison to the host star. We show that the radiation pressure force acting on the HeI(2^3S) atoms spreads them along the line of sight and around the planet, thus further reducing peak absorption.

Long-term spectroscopic monitoring campaigns on active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provide a wealth of information about its interior structure and kinematics. However, a number of the observations suffer from the contamination of second-order spectra (SOS) which will introduce some undesirable uncertainties at the red side of the spectra. In this paper, we test the effect of SOS and propose a method to correct it in the time domain spectroscopic data using the simultaneously observed comparison stars. Based on the reverberation mapping (RM) data of NGC 5548 in 2019, one of the most intensively monitored AGNs by the Lijiang 2.4 m telescope, we find that the scientific object, comparison star, and spectrophotometric standard star can jointly introduce up to similar to 30% SOS for Grism 14. This irregular but smooth SOS significantly affects the flux density and profile of the emission line, while having little effect on the light curve. After applying our method to each spectrum, we find that the SOS can be corrected effectively. The deviation between corrected and intrinsic spectra is similar to 2%, and the impact of SOS on time lag is very minor. This method makes it possible to obtain the H alpha RM measurements from archival data provided that the spectral shape of the AGN under investigation does not have a large change.

Cosmic birefringence is the in-vacuo, frequency independent rotation of the polarization plane of linearly polarized radiation, induced by a parity-violating term in the electromagnetic Lagrangian. We implement an harmonic estimator for the birefringence field that only relies on the CMB E to B mode cross-correlation, thus suppressing the effect of cosmic variance from the temperature field. We derive constraints from Planck public releases 3 and 4, revealing a cosmic birefringence power spectrum consistent with zero at about $2\sigma$ up to multipole $L=1500$. Moreover, we find that the cross-correlations of cosmic birefringence with the CMB T-, E- and B-fields are also well compatible with null. The latter two cross-correlations are provided here for the first time up to $L=1500$.

We review the status of neutrino mass constraints obtained from cosmological observations, with a particular focus on the results derived considering Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data by various experiments (Planck, ACT and SPT), Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) determinations and other late-universe probes. We discuss the role played by priors and parameterizations in the Bayesian analyses, both at the time of determining neutrino masses or their ordering, and compare cosmological bounds with terrestrial constraints on both quantities.

We investigate the non-adiabatic effect of time-dependent deformations in the Milky Way (MW) halo potential on stellar streams. Specifically, we consider the MW's response to the infall of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and how this impacts our ability to recover the spherically averaged MW mass profile from observation using stream actions. Previously, action clustering methods have only been applied to static or adiabatic MW systems to constrain the properties of the host system. We use a time-evolving MW--LMC simulation described by basis function expansions. We find that for streams with realistic observational uncertainties on shorter orbital periods and without close encounters with the LMC, e.g. GD-1, the radial action distribution is sufficiently clustered to locally recover the MW mass profile across the stream radial range within a 2 sigma confidence interval determined using a Fisher information approach. For streams with longer orbital periods and close encounters with the LMC, e.g. Orphan-Chenab (OC), the radial action distribution disperses as the MW halo has deformed non-adiabatically. Hence, for OC streams generated in potentials that include a MW halo with any deformations, action clustering methods will fail to recover the mass profile within a 2 sigma uncertainty. Finally, we investigate whether the clustering of stream energies can provide similar constraints. Surprisingly, we find for OC-like streams, the recovered spherically averaged mass profiles demonstrate less sensitivity to the time-dependent deformations in the potential.

Name that Neutrino is a citizen science project where volunteers aid in classification of events for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, an immense particle detector at the geographic South Pole. From March 2023 to September 2023, volunteers did classifications of videos produced from simulated data of both neutrino signal and background interactions. Name that Neutrino obtained more than 128,000 classifications by over 1,800 registered volunteers that were compared to results obtained by a deep neural network machine-learning algorithm. Possible improvements for both Name that Neutrino and the deep neural network are discussed.

The roles that mass and environment play in the galaxy quenching are still under debate. Leveraging the Photometric objects Around Cosmic webs (PAC) method, we analyze the excess surface distribution $\bar{n}_2w_{\rm{p}}(r_{\rm{p}})$ of photometric galaxies in different color (rest-frame $u-r$) within the stellar mass range of $10^{9.0}M_{\odot}\sim10^{11.0}M_{\odot}$ around spectroscopic massive central galaxies ($10^{10.9}\sim10^{11.7}M_{\odot}$) at the redshift interval $0<z_s<0.7$, utilizing data from the Hyper SuprimeCam Subaru Strategic Program and the spectroscopic samples of Slogan Digital Sky Survey (i.e. Main, LOWZ and CMASS samples). We find that both mass and environment quenching contribute to the evolution of companion galaxies. To isolate the environment effect, we quantify the quenched fraction excess (QFE) of companion galaxies encircling massive central galaxies within $0.01h^{-1}{\rm{Mpc}}<r_{\rm{p}}<20h^{-1}\rm{Mpc}$, representing the surplus quenched fraction relative to the average. We find that the high density halo environment affects the star formation quenching up to about three times of the virial radius, and this effect becomes stronger at lower redshift. We also find that even after being scaled by the virial radius, the environment quenching efficiency is higher for more massive halos or for companion galaxies of higher stellar mass, though the trends are quite weak. We present a fitting formula that comprehensively captures the QFE across central and companion stellar mass bins, halo-centric distance bins, and redshift bins, offering a valuable tool for constraining galaxy formation models. Furthermore, we have made a quantitative comparison with Illustris-TNG that underscores some important differences, particularly in the excessive quenching of low-mass companion galaxies ($<10^{9.5}M_{\odot}$) by TNG.

Although the $\Lambda$ Cold Dark Matter model is the most accredited cosmological model, information at high redshifts ($z$) between type Ia supernovae ($z=2.26$) and the Cosmic Microwave Background ($z=1100$) is crucial to validate this model further. To this end, we have discovered a sample of 1132 quasars up to $z=7.54$ exhibiting a reduced intrinsic dispersion of the relation between ultraviolet and X-ray fluxes, $\delta_\mathrm{F}=0.22$ vs. $\delta_\mathrm{F}=0.29$ ($24\%$ less), than the original sample. This gold sample, once we correct the luminosities for selection biases and redshift evolution, enables us to determine the matter density parameter $\Omega_M$ with a precision of 0.09. Unprecedentedly, this quasar sample is the only one that, as a standalone cosmological probe, yields such tight constraints on $\Omega_M$ while being drawn from the same parent population of the initial sample.

By combining spectra from the CALSPEC and NGSL, as well as spectroscopic data from the LAMOST Data Release 7 (DR7), we have analyzed and corrected the systematic errors of the Gaia DR3 BP/RP (XP) spectra. The errors depend on the normalized spectral energy distribution (simplified by two independent ``colors'') and $G$ magnitude. Our corrections are applicable in the range of approximately $-0.5<BP-RP<2$, $3<G<17.5$ and $E(B-V)<0.8$. To validate our correction, we conduct independent tests by comparing with the MILES and LEMONY spectra. The results demonstrate that the systematic errors of $BP-RP$ and $G$ have been effectively corrected, especially in the near ultraviolet. The consistency between the corrected Gaia XP spectra and the MILES and LEMONY is better than 2 per cent in the wavelength range of $336-400$\,nm and 1 per cent in redder wavelengths. A global absolute calibration is also carried out by comparing the synthetic Gaia photometry from the corrected XP spectra with the corrected Gaia DR3 photometry. Our study opens up new possibilities for using XP spectra in many fields. A Python package is publicly available to do the corrections (https://doi.org/10.12149/101375 or https://github.com/HiromonGON/GaiaXPcorrection).

The investigation of cosmic rays holds significant importance in the realm of particle physics, enabling us to expand our understanding beyond atomic confines. However, the origin and characteristics of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays remain elusive, making them a crucial topic of exploration in the field of astroparticle physics. Currently, our examination of these cosmic rays relies on studying the extensive air showers (EAS) generated as they interact with atmospheric nuclei during their passage through Earth's atmosphere. Accurate comprehension of cosmic ray composition is vital in determining their source. Notably, the muon content of EAS and the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum serve as the most significant indicators of primary mass composition. In this study, we present two novel methods for reconstructing particle densities based on muon counts obtained from underground muon detectors (UMDs) at varying distances to the shower axis. Our methods were analyzed using Monte Carlo air shower simulations. To demonstrate these techniques, we utilized the muon content measurements from the UMD of the Pierre Auger cosmic ray Observatory, an array of detectors dedicated to measuring extensive air showers. Our newly developed reconstruction methods, employed with two distinct UMD data acquisition modes, showcased minimal bias and standard deviation. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative analysis of our approaches against previously established methodologies documented in existing literature.

IceTop is the square kilometer surface array for cosmic-ray air showers of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. IceTop consists of 81 stations, each comprised of a pair of ice-Cherenkov tanks, which over the years loses sensitivity due to snow coverage. This motivated the plan to enhance IceTop by the deployment of elevated scintillation panels and radio antennas. Coincident detection of an air shower with the IceTop tanks, the scintillators, and the antennas will increase the measurement accuracy of the cosmic-ray properties. While the radio antennas of the enhancement have a higher sensitivity to inclined showers, the current IceTop trigger, requiring coincident hits of both tanks of a station, loses efficiency for such showers. Therefore, we studied the feasibility of adding a trigger based on the multiplicity of single tank hits and studied its performance with simulations and data including a one-day test run at the South Pole. In this paper, we present the plans for the surface enhancement and the studies for the new IceTop trigger.

The reappearance of supernova Refsdal provides the time-delay distance, which serves as a powerful tool to determine the Hubble constant ($H_0$). We give a cosmological-model-independent method to estimate $H_0$ through Gaussian process regression, using time-delay measurement from this lensed supernova in combination with supernova data from Pantheon+ sample. Using eight cluster lens models for supernova Refsdal, we infer $H_0 = 64.2^{+4.4}_{-4.3} \, \rm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ and using two cluster models most consistent with the observations, we infer $H_0 = 66.3^{+3.8}_{-3.6} \, \rm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$. Our estimations of $H_0$ are in $1\sigma$ agreement with the results assuming a flat $\Lambda$CDM model and the uncertainties are comparable. Our constraint results on $H_0$ from the eight lens models and the two lens models indicate $2\sigma$ and $1.8\sigma$ tension with that estimated by SH0ES, respectively. However, our most probable values of $H_0$ from the two sets of lens models show good consistency with $H_0$ inferred from Planck CMB observations assuming $\Lambda$CDM model within $1\sigma$. We also find that our results for $H_0$ indicate $2\sigma$ deviations and $1.7\sigma$ deviations from the constraint results of $H_0$ using six time-delay quasars by H0LiCOW with the same analysis method.

Magnetic reconnection in the deep solar atmosphere can give rise to enhanced emission in the Balmer hydrogen lines, a phenomenon known as Ellerman bombs (EBs). It is most common to observe EBs in the H-alpha and H-beta lines. High quality shorter wavelength Balmer line observations of EBs are rare but have the potential to provide the most highly resolved view on reconnection. We evaluate the H-epsilon 3970 A line as an EB diagnostic by analyzing high quality observations in different Balmer lines. Observations of different targets and viewing angles were acquired with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. These observations sample EBs in different environments: active regions, quiet Sun, and the penumbra and moat of a sunspot. We employed an automated detection method for quiet Sun EBs based on k-means clustering. Ellerman bombs in the H-epsilon line show similar characteristics as in the longer wavelength Balmer lines: enhanced intensity as compared to the surroundings, rapid variability, and flame-like morphology. In a 24 min quiet Sun time series, we detected 1674 EBs in the H-epsilon line which is 1.7 times more than in H-beta. The quiet Sun EBs measured in H-epsilon are very similar as in H-beta: they have similar lifetimes, area, brightness, and spatial distribution. Most of the EBs detected in H-epsilon are closer to the limb than their H-beta counterparts. This can be explained by the H-epsilon line core EB emission being formed higher in the atmosphere than the H-beta EB wing emission. We conclude that the H-epsilon line is well suited for studying EBs and consequently probes the dynamics of magnetic reconnection in the solar atmosphere at the smallest scales. Our findings suggests that the deep atmosphere in the quiet Sun may host more than 750,000 reconnection events with EB signature at any time. That is significantly more than what was found in earlier H-beta observations.

We report on multiwavelength studies of the blazar NVSS J171822+423948, which is identified as the low-energy counterpart of 4FGL J1718.5+4237, the only gamma-ray source known to be cospatial with the IceCube neutrino event IC-201221A. After a 12-year long quiescent period undetected by Fermi-LAT, gamma-ray activities with a tenfold flux increase emerge soon (a few tens of days) after arrival of the neutrino. Associated optical flares in the ZTF $g$, $r$, and $i$ bands are observed together with elevated WISE infrared fluxes. Synchronized variations suggest that both the gamma-ray emission and the neutrino event are connected to the blazar. Furthermore, the optical spectrum reveals emission lines at a redshift $z$ = 2.68 $\pm$ 0.01. Thus, it is the first candidate for a neutrino-emitting blazar at the redshift above 2. Discussions of theoretical constraints of neutrino production and comparisons with other candidates are presented.

Protoplanetary disks, which are the natural consequence of the gravitational collapse of the dense molecular cloud cores, host the formation of the planetary systems known today in our universe. Numerous efforts have been dedicated to investigate the properties of these disks in the more mature Class II stage, either by using numerical simulations of disk evolution from a limited range of initial conditions or by observations of their dust continuum and line emission from specific molecular tracers, and to compare the results from the two standpoints. Yet few studies have investigated the main limitations at work when measuring the embedded Class 0/I disk properties from observations, especially in a statistical fashion. In this study, we provide a first attempt to compare the accuracy of some critical disk parameters in Class 0/I systems, as derived on real ALMA observational data, with the corresponding physical parameters that modellers can directly define in numerical simulations. The approach we follow is to provide full post-processing of the numerical simulations and apply on the synthetic observations the same techniques used by observers to derive the physical parameters. To that end, we performed 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer and mock interferometric observations of the disk populations formed in an MHD simulation model of disk formation through the collapse of massive clumps with the tools RADMC-3D and CASA, respectively, to obtain their synthetic observations. With these observations, we re-employ the techniques commonly used in disk modelling from their continuum emissions to infer their properties that one would likely obtain if one observed them with real interferometers. We then demonstrate how their properties vary from the gas kinematics analyses to the dust continuum modelling.

The main factors that influence the success of observations in the infrared range (central wavelengths of the photometric bands at 3.75 and 4.8~$\mu$m) on the multipurpose optical telescope are considered. Estimates of the sky background brightness are obtained for the Caucasus Mountain Observatory (CMO) of Moscow State University: $1.3\cdot10^6$~photons/(s pixel) in the 3.75~$\mu$m band and $3.4\cdot10^6$~photons/(s pixel) in the 4.8~$\mu$m; and the instrumental background for the 2.5-m CMO telescope at $0^\circ$C: $3.2\cdot10^6$~photons/(s pixel) in the 3.75~$\mu$m band and $4.3\cdot10^6$~photons/(s pixel) in the 4.8~$\mu$m band. It is shown that at this background signal level with the currently available commercial cameras in the $3-5$~$\mu$m spectral range, the telescope-camera coupling capabilities for observing faint objects will still be limited by the thermal background. For different observational conditions, estimates of the limiting magnitudes of objects available for observations in the 3.75 and 4.8~$\mu$m ranges are obtained. For average observation conditions (instrument temperature of $0^\circ$C and stellar image size of 1 arcsec), the limit is $\sim10.6^m$ and $\sim8.4^m$, respectively.

Planets with orbital periods shorter than 1 day are rare and have formation histories that are not completely understood. Small ($R_\mathrm{p} < 2\; R_\oplus$) ultra-short-period (USP) planets are highly irradiated, probably have rocky compositions with high bulk densities, and are often found in multi-planet systems. Additionally, USP planets found around small stars are excellent candidates for characterization using present-day instrumentation. Of the current full sample of approximately 5500 confirmed exoplanets, only 130 are USP planets and around 40 have mass and radius measurements. Wolf 327 (TOI-5747) is an M dwarf ($R_\star = 0.406 \pm 0.015 \; R_\odot$, $M_\star = 0.405 \pm 0.019 \; M_\odot$, $T_{\mathrm{eff}}=3542 \pm 70$ K, and $V = 13$ mag) located at a distance $d = 28.5$ pc. NASA's planet hunter satellite, TESS, detected transits in this star with a period of 0.573 d (13.7 h) and with a transit depth of 818 ppm. Ground-based follow-up photometry, high resolution imaging, and radial velocity (RV) measurements taken with the CARMENES spectrograph confirm the presence of this new USP planet. Wolf 327b is a super-Earth with a radius of $R_\mathrm{p} = 1.24 \pm 0.06 \; R_\oplus$ and a mass of $M_\mathrm{p} = 2.53 \pm 0.46 \; M_\oplus$, yielding a bulk density of $7.24 \pm 1.66 $\,g cm$^{-3}$ and thus suggesting a rocky composition. Owing to its close proximity to its host star ($a = 0.01$ au), Wolf 327b has an equilibrium temperature of $996 \pm 22$ K. This planet has a mass and radius similar to K2-229b, a planet with an inferred Mercury-like internal composition. Planet interior models suggest that Wolf 327b has a large iron core, a small rocky mantle, and a negligible (if any) H/He atmosphere.

With the goal of matching spacecraft measurements from Juno and Galileo missions, we construct ensembles of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 layer models for Jupiter's interior. All except our two layer models can match the planet's gravity field as measured by the Juno spacecraft. We find, however, that some model types are more plausible than others. In the best three layer models, for example, the transition from molecular to metallic hydrogen needs to be at ~500 GPa while theory and experiments place this transition at ~100 GPa. Four layer models with a single sharp boundary between core and mantle would be short-lived due to rapid convective core erosion. For this reason, we favor our five layer models that include a dilute core surrounded by a stably stratified core transition layer. Six layer models with a small compact core are also possible but with an upper limit of 3 Earth masses for such a compact core. All models assume a 1 bar temperature of 166.1 K, employ physical equations of state, and are constructed with the nonperturbative Concentric Maclaurin Spheroid (CMS) method. We analyze the convergence of this method and describe technical steps that are needed to make this technique so efficient that ensembles of models can be generated.

As the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft descended toward the asteroid Bennu to collect a sample from the surface in the touch-and-go (TAG) procedure, many of the instruments were actively collecting observation data. We applied the process of photogrammetric control to accurately determine the position and attitude of 190 OCAMS MapCam and SamCam descent images at the time of exposure. The average image pixel resolution is 10cm (median is 7cm). The images were controlled to ground using simulated images generated from high resolution (5cm, 44cm and 88cm ground sample distance) shape models of Bennu. After least-squares adjustment, the root mean square (rms) of all image measurement residuals was 0.16 pixels. These results were applied to 581 OTES observations by interpolation over the updated ephemeris of the OCAMS MapCam and SamCam instruments using frame transformations from OCAMS to the OTES frame. Then, the surface intercept of the OTES field of view was recomputed by ray tracing the adjusted boresight look direction onto the 44cm shape model. The average of the adjusted OTES boresight surface intercepts differed from the a priori locations on the 88cm shape model by ~37cm with an uncertainty less than 5cm.

Rare event schemes require an approximation of the probability of the rare event as a function of system state. Finding an appropriate reaction coordinate is typically the most challenging aspect of applying a rare event scheme. Here we develop an artificial intelligence (AI) based reaction coordinate that effectively predicts which of a limited number of simulations of the Solar System will go unstable using a convolutional neural network classifier. The performance of the algorithm does not degrade significantly even 3.5 billion years before the instability. We overcome the class imbalance intrinsic to rare event problems using a combination of minority class oversampling, increased minority class weighting, and pulling multiple non-overlapping training sequences from simulations. Our success suggests that AI may provide a promising avenue for developing reaction coordinates without detailed theoretical knowledge of the system.

Over recent decades, robotic (or highly automated) searches for supernovae (SNe) have discovered several thousand events, many of them in quite nearby galaxies (distances < 30 Mpc). Most of these SNe, including some of the best-studied events to date, were found before maximum brightness and have associated with them extensive follow-up photometry and spectroscopy. Some of these discoveries are so-called SN impostors, thought to be superoutbursts of luminous blue variable stars, although possibly a new, weak class of massive-star explosions. We conducted a Snapshot program with the Hubble Space Telescope(HST) and obtained images of the sites of 31 SNe and four impostors, to acquire late-time photometry through two filters. The primary aim of this project was to reveal the origin of any lingering energy for each event, whether it is the result of radioactive decay or, in some cases, ongoing late-time interaction of the SN shock with pre-existing circumstellar matter, or the presence of a light echo. Alternatively, lingering faint light at the SN position may arise from an underlying stellar population (e.g., a host star cluster, companion star, or a chance alignment). The results from this study complement and extend those from Snapshot programs by various investigators in previous HST cycles.

We present rest-frame optical spectroscopy using JWST/NIRSpec IFU for the radio galaxy TN J1338-1942 at z=4.1, one of the most luminous galaxies in the early Universe with powerful extended radio jets. Previous observations showed evidence for strong, large-scale outflows on the basis of its large (~150 kpc) halo detected in Ly-alpha, and high velocity [O II] emission features detected in ground-based IFU data. Our NIRSpec/IFU observations spatially resolve the emission line properties across the host galaxy in great detail. We find at least five concentrations of line emission, coinciding with discrete continuum features previously detected in imaging from HST and JWST, over an extent of ~2'' (~15 kpc). The spectral diagnostics enabled by NIRSpec unambiguously trace the activity of the obscured AGN plus interaction between the interstellar medium and the radio jet as the dominant mechanisms for the ionization state and kinematics of the gas in the system. A secondary region of very high ionization lies at roughly 5 kpc distance from the nucleus, and within the context of an expanding cocoon enveloping the radio lobe, this may be explained by strong shock-ionization of the entrained gas. However, it could also signal the presence of a second obscured AGN, which may also offer an explanation for an intriguing outflow feature seen perpendicular to the radio axis. The presence of a dual SMBH system in this galaxy would support that large galaxies in the early Universe quickly accumulated their mass through the merging of smaller units (each with their own SMBH), at the centers of large overdensities. The inferred black hole mass to stellar mass ratio of 0.01-0.1 for TNJ1338 points to a more rapid assembly of black holes compared to the stellar mass of galaxies at high redshifts, consistent with other recent observations.

The automatic classification of X-ray detections is a necessary step in extracting astrophysical information from compiled catalogs of astrophysical sources. Classification is useful for the study of individual objects, statistics for population studies, as well as for anomaly detection, i.e., the identification of new unexplored phenomena, including transients and spectrally extreme sources. Despite the importance of this task, classification remains challenging in X-ray astronomy due to the lack of optical counterparts and representative training sets. We develop an alternative methodology that employs an unsupervised machine learning approach to provide probabilistic classes to Chandra Source Catalog sources with a limited number of labeled sources, and without ancillary information from optical and infrared catalogs. We provide a catalog of probabilistic classes for 8,756 sources, comprising a total of 14,507 detections, and demonstrate the success of the method at identifying emission from young stellar objects, as well as distinguishing between small-scale and large-scale compact accretors with a significant level of confidence. We investigate the consistency between the distribution of features among classified objects and well-established astrophysical hypotheses such as the unified AGN model. This provides interpretability to the probabilistic classifier. Code and tables are available publicly through GitHub. We provide a web playground for readers to explore our final classification at https://umlcaxs-playground.streamlit.app.

Understanding the limits of rocky planet habitability is one of the key goals of current and future exoplanet characterization efforts. An intrinsic concept of rocky planet habitability is the Habitable Zone. To date, the most widely used estimates of the Habitable Zone are based on cloud-free, one-dimensional (vertical) radiative-convective climate model calculations. However, recent three-dimensional global climate modeling efforts have revealed that rocky planet habitability is strongly impacted by radiative cloud feedbacks, where computational expense and model limitations can prevent these tools from exploring the limits of habitability across the full range of parameter space. We leverage a patchy cloud one-dimensional radiative-convective climate model with parameterized cloud microphysics to investigate Inner Edge limits to the Habitable Zone for main sequence stars ($T_{\rm eff}$ = 2600 -7200K). We find that Inner Edge limits to the Habitable Zone can be 3.3 and 4.7 times closer than previous cloud-free estimates for Earth- and super-Earth-sized worlds, respectively, depending on bulk cloud parameters (e.g., fractional cloudiness and sedimentation efficiency). These warm, moist Inner Edge climates are expected to have extensive cloud decks that could mute deep atmosphere spectral features. To aid in rocky planet characterization studies, we identify the potential of using $\rm{CO_{\rm 2}}$ absorption features in transmission spectroscopy as a means of quantifying cloud deck height and cloud sedimentation efficiency. Moist greenhouse climates may represent key yet poorly understood states of habitable planets for which continued study will uncover new insights into the search and characterization of habitable worlds.

Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) are semi-detached binaries composed of a white dwarf orbiting a lower-mass K or M star. We investigate whether CVs are responsible for a new intriguing feature (the `hook') that appears in the Gaia DR3 colour-magnitude Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) when selecting sources with low extinction. We also aim to understand the location of CVs in the HRD based on the predictions of the disc instability model (DIM). The DIM is the foundation on which rests our basic understanding of stable (novae-like) and outbursting CVs (dwarf novae). We calculate the expected behaviour of CVs in the Gaia HRD taking into account the variable light contributed by the accretion disc, the companion, the white dwarf, and from the bright spot where the Roche lobe overflow stream from the companion intersects the disc. We find that the `hook' feature is most likely to be composed of CVs. The `hook' corresponds to the limited region where stable CVs (novae-likes) must be located in the HRD according to the DIM, with the bluest systems having the shortest orbital period. Unstable systems, giving rise to dwarf novae outbursts, trace counterclockwise loops in the HRD. The overall behaviour is consistent with the location of the various CV subtypes in the HRD. These results can be used as a basis to pinpoint interesting outliers in the HRD, either due to their location or their tracks. These outliers may signal new subtypes such as cold, stable CVs with truncated discs, or may challenge the disc instability model.

Henri Camichel was an astronomer at Pic du Midi Observatory, where he contributed to the study of planets of the solar system and their satellites with Audouin Dollfus and his team. In 1961, with Charles Boyer, he found that the upper atmosphere of Venus had a counter-clockwise rotation of four days, which was later confirmed by space probes, as were the team's accurate measurements of the diameters of planets. He was also an instrumentalist, and contributed to the maintenance and development of the telescopes, notably the 2-meter telescope and focal instruments at Pic du Midi Observatory.

Effective field theories (EFTs) of heavy particles coupled to the inflaton are rife with operator redundancies, frequently obscured by sensitivity to both boundary terms and field redefinitions. We initiate a systematic study of these redundancies by establishing a minimal operator basis for an archetypal example, the abelian gauge-Higgs-inflaton EFT. Working up to dimension 9, we show that certain low-dimensional operators are entirely redundant and identify new non-redundant operators with potentially interesting cosmological collider signals. Our methods generalize straightforwardly to other EFTs of heavy particles coupled to the inflaton.

21-cm cosmology provides an exciting opportunity to probe new physics dynamics in the early universe. In particular, a tiny sub-component of dark matter that interacts strongly with the visible sector may cool the gas in the intergalactic medium and significantly alter the expected absorption signal at Cosmic Dawn. However, the information about new physics in this observable is obscured by astrophysical systematic uncertainties. In the absence of a microscopic framework describing the astrophysical sources, these uncertainties can be encoded in a bottom up effective theory for the 21-cm observables in terms of unconstrained astrophysical fluxes. In this paper, we take a first step towards a careful assessment of the degeneracies between new physics effects and the uncertainties in these fluxes. We show that the latter can be constrained by combining measurements of the UV luminosity function, the Planck measurement of the CMB optical depth to reionization, and an upper bound on the unresolved X-ray flux. Leveraging those constraints, we demonstrate how new physics signatures can be disentangled from astrophysical effects. Focusing on the case of millicharged dark matter, we find sharp predictions, with small uncertainties within the viable parameter space.

The modification, by exotic sources of cooling, of the neutrino burst's duration following the core collapse of SN 1987A is known to provide a formidable constraint on axion interactions with matter. Compton-like nucleon-pion to nucleon-axion scattering has recently been shown to be an important mechanism, due to the large baryon and the non-negligible pion densities in the concerned proto-neutron star volume. In this context, the question arises of the role of hadronic matter beyond the first generation -- in particular strange matter. We perform a first quantitative study of this question, by consistently including the full baryon and meson octets in axion emission from Compton-like scattering and from baryon decay. We consider a range of possible thermodynamic conditions in the SN as well as various scenarios for the axion-quark couplings -- among them an "agnostic" scenario bounded only by data. Irrespective of the scenario considered, we find that axion emissivity introduces non-trivial correlations between flavour-diagonal axial couplings and constrains the off-diagonal counterpart to $O(10^{-1}$-$10^{-2})$ for $f_a = 10^9$ GeV.

The squeezed limit of the primordial curvature bispectrum is an extremely sensitive probe of new physics and encodes information about additional fields active during inflation such as their masses and spins. In the conventional setup, additional fields are stable with a positive mass squared, and hence induce a decreasing signal in the squeezed limit, making a detection challenging. Here we consider a scalar field that is temporarily unstable by virtue of a transient tachyonic mass, and we construct models in which it is embedded consistently within inflation. Assuming IR-finite couplings between the tachyon and the inflaton, we find an exchange bispectrum with an enhanced long-short scale coupling that grows in the squeezed limit parametrically faster than local non-Gaussianity. Our approximately scale-invariant signal can be thought of as a cosmological tachyon collider. In a sizeable region of parameter space, the leading constraint on our signal comes from the cross correlation of $\mu$-type spectral distortions and temperature anisotropies of the microwave background, whereas temperature and polarization bispectra are less sensitive probes. By including anisotropic spectral distortions in the analysis, future experiments such as CMB-S4 will further reduce the allowed parameter space.

Dusty plasma which is nothing but an admixture of electrons, ions and massive charged solid particles of sub-micron to micron sized in the background of neutrals. The dust grain medium exhibits fluid as well as solid-like characteristics depending on the background medium conditions. It supports various self-sustained non-linear dynamical structures as a result of the saturation of instabilities. The vortical or vortex structure in the dusty plasma medium is one of self-sustained dynamical structures that are formed either by internal instabilities or external perturbation. In this review report, the author discusses the theoretical, experimental, and computational research works on vortical and coherent structures in unmagnetized as well as in magnetized dusty plasma. The sources of vortex formation such as obstacle, ion drag shear, dust charge gradient, RT and K-H instabilities are pointed out in detail. The studies on the evolution of vortices by researchers are also discussed.

A viable radiation dominated era in the early universe is best described by the standard (FLRW) model of cosmology. In this short review, we demonstrate reconstruction of the forms of F(R) in the modified theory of gravity and the metric compatible F(T) together with the symmetric F(Q) in alternative teleparallel theories of gravity, from different perspectives, primarily rendering emphasis on a viable FLRW radiation era. Inflation has also been studied for a particular choice of the scalar potential. The inflationary parameters are found to agree appreciably with the recently released observational data.

In this work we study the GW170817-compatible Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theories during the reheating and the end of inflationary era. Given the scalar field potential $V(\phi)$ which can have some intrinsic importance for the theory, determining the scalar coupling function $\xi(\phi)$ can be cumbersome due to lack of analyticity. The GW170817 observation constrains the scalar coupling function and the scalar field potential to have some interdependence, thus during the slow-roll era one can calculate the scalar coupling function. However, when the slow-roll era ends, it is expected that the scalar coupling function should have a different form and the same applies for the reheating era, assuming that the scalar potential of the theory does not change. In this work we exactly aim to highlight this feature of Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theories, as the Universe evolves through distinct sequential evolution eras, and we focus on how to determine the scalar coupling function during the various evolutionary eras, from inflation to the reheating era. Regarding both the end of the inflationary era and the reheating era, it is found that the Hubble rate obeys a constant-roll-like condition of the form $\dot{H}=\delta H^2$, thus the determination of the scalar Gauss-Bonnet function $\xi(\phi)$ is reduced to solving a differential equation. A mentionable feature of the era exactly at the end of inflation is that the Klein-Gordon equation is decoupled from the field equations, because the Gauss-Bonnet invariant is zero. We provide several examples of interest to support our arguments.

Parker Solar Probe observations reveal that the near-Sun space is almost filled with magnetic switchbacks (``switchbacks'' hereinafter), which may be a major contributor to the heating and acceleration of solar wind. Here, for the first time, we develop an analytic model of an axisymmetric switchback with uniform magnetic field strength. In this model, three parameters control the geometry of the switchback: height (length along the background magnetic field), width (thickness along radial direction perpendicular to the background field), and the radial distance from the center of switchback to the central axis, which is a proxy of the size of the switchback along the third dimension. We carry out three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations to investigate the dynamic evolution of the switchback. Comparing simulations conducted with compressible and incompressible codes, we verify that compressibility, i.e. parametric decay instability, is necessary for destabilizing the switchback. Our simulations also reveal that the geometry of the switchback significantly affects how fast the switchback destabilizes. The most stable switchbacks are 2D-like (planar) structures with large aspect ratios (length to width), consistent with the observations. We show that when plasma beta ($\beta$) is smaller than one, the switchback is more stable as $\beta$ increases. However, when $\beta$ is greater than one, the switchback becomes very unstable as the pattern of the growing compressive fluctuations changes. Our results may explain some of the observational features of switchbacks, including the large aspect ratios and nearly constant occurrence rates in the inner heliosphere.

The memory effect in gravitational waves is a direct prediction of general relativity. The presence of the memory effect in gravitational wave signals not only serves as a test for general relativity but also establishes connections between soft theorem, and asymptotic symmetries, serving as a bridge for exploring fundamental physics. Furthermore, with the ongoing progress in space-based gravitational wave detection projects, the gravitational wave memory effect generated by the merger of massive binary black hole binaries is becoming increasingly significant and cannot be ignored. In this work, we perform the full Bayesian analysis of the gravitational wave memory effect with TianQin. The results indicate that the memory effect has a certain impact on parameter estimation but does not deviate beyond the 1$\sigma$ range. Additionally, the Bayes factor analysis suggests that when the signal-to-noise ratio of the memory effect in TianQin is approximately 2.36, the $\text{log}_{10}$ Bayes factor reaches 8. This result is consistent with the findings obtained from a previous mismatch threshold.

The Bayes factor surface is a new way to present results from experimental searches for new physics. Searches are regularly expressed in terms of phenomenological parameters - such as the mass and cross-section of a weakly interacting massive particle. Bayes factor surfaces indicate the strength of evidence for or against models relative to the background only model in terms of the phenomenological parameters that they predict. They provide a clear and direct measure of evidence, may be easily reinterpreted, but do not depend on choices of prior or parameterization. We demonstrate the Bayes factor surface with examples from dark matter, cosmology, and collider physics.

We study the emission of gravitational waves from spheroidal magnetized strange stars for both an isolated slowly rotating star and a binary system. In the first case, we compute the quadrupole moment and the amplitude of gravitational waves that may be emitted. For the binary system, the tidal deformability is obtained by solving simultaneously the system of spheroidal structure equations and the Love number equation. These results are compared with the data inferred from the GW170817 event which is also used to calculate the mass and tidal deformability of the companion star in the binary system. Our model supports binary systems formed by magnetized strange stars describing reasonable signals of gravitational waves contrasted with other models of binary systems composed of magnetized hadronic stars and non-magnetized quark stars.

This paper documents the results from the highly successful Lunar flashlight Optical Navigation Experiment with a Star tracker (LONEStar). Launched in December 2022, Lunar Flashlight (LF) was a NASA-funded technology demonstration mission. After a propulsion system anomaly prevented capture in lunar orbit, LF was ejected from the Earth-Moon system and into heliocentric space. NASA subsequently transferred ownership of LF to Georgia Tech to conduct an unfunded extended mission to demonstrate further advanced technology objectives, including LONEStar. From August-December 2023, the LONEStar team performed on-orbit calibration of the optical instrument and a number of different OPNAV experiments. This campaign included the processing of nearly 400 images of star fields, Earth and Moon, and four other planets (Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). LONEStar provided the first on-orbit demonstrations of heliocentric navigation using only optical observations of planets. Of special note is the successful in-flight demonstration of (1) instantaneous triangulation with simultaneous sightings of two planets with the LOST algorithm and (2) dynamic triangulation with sequential sightings of multiple planets.