Papers for Tuesday, Jul 09 2024

Cosmic strings that are attached to rapidly spinning black holes can extract significant amounts of rotational energy and angular momentum. Here we study the effect on primordial black holes, which are expected to form with one or more cosmic strings attached. Although large primordial black holes are predicted to rapidly spin up due to accretion soon after forming, we argue that cosmic strings will spin them down again. As a result, the spins of primordial black holes should consequently be observed to be near zero. We also investigate the effect on a supermassive black hole of capturing a cosmic string and the possibility of observing the subsequent spin down by its effect on a pulsar orbiting the black hole.

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) project is a future CubeSat mission orbiting the Earth aimed to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band, by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will allow us to study the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures of our star. The project is in the framework of the Italian Space Agency Alcor Program, which aims to develop new CubeSat missions. CUSP is approved for a Phase B study that will last for 12 months, starting in mid-2024. We report on the current status of the CUSP mission project as the outcome of the Phase A.

X-ray polarimetry of solar flares is still a not well established field of observation of our star. Past polarimeters were not able to measure with a high significance the polarization in X-rays from solar flares. Moreover, they had no imaging capabilities and measured only the polarization by integrating on all the image of the source. We propose a mission concept based on a gas photoelectric polarimeter, coupled with multilayer lobster-eye optics, to perform imaging-spectro-polarimetry of solar flares while monitoring the entire solar disc.

The scaling relation between the size of a galaxy's globular cluster (GC) population ($N_{GC}$) and the galaxy's stellar mass ($M_*$) is usually described with a continuous, linear model, but in reality it is a count relationship that should be modeled as such. For massive galaxies, a negative binomial (NB) model has been shown to describe the data well, but it is unclear how the scaling relation behaves at low galaxy masses where a substantial portion of galaxies have $N_{GC}=0$. In this work, we test the utility of Poisson and NB models for describing the low-mass end of the $N_{GC}-M_*$ scaling relation. We introduce the use of zero-inflated versions of these models, which allow for larger zero populations (e.g. galaxies without GCs) than would otherwise be predicted. We evaluate our models with a variety of predictive model comparison methods, including predictive intervals, leave-one-out cross-validation criterion, and posterior predictive comparisons. We find that the NB model is consistent with our data, but the naive Poisson is not. Moreover, we find that zero inflation of the models is not necessary to describe the population of low-mass galaxies that lack GCs, suggesting that a single formation and evolutionary process acts over all galaxy masses. Under the NB model, there does not appear to be anything unique about the lack of GCs in many low-mass galaxies; they are simply the low-mass extension of the larger $N_{GC}-M_*$ scaling relation.

Exoplanet systems are thought to evolve on secular timescales over billions of years. This evolution is impossible to directly observe on human timescales in most individual systems. While the availability of accurate and precise age inferences for individual exoplanet host stars with ages $\tau$ in the interval $1~\text{Gyr}\lesssim~\tau~\lesssim10~\text{Gyr}$ would constrain this evolution, accurate and precise age inferences are difficult to obtain for isolated field dwarfs like the host stars of most exoplanets. The Galactic velocity dispersion of a thin disk stellar population monotonically grows with time, and the relationship between age and velocity dispersion in a given Galactic location can be calibrated by a stellar population for which accurate and precise age inferences are possible. Using a sample of subgiants with precise age inferences, we calibrate the age--velocity dispersion relation in the Kepler field. Applying this relation to the Kepler field's planet populations, we find that Kepler-discovered systems plausibly in second-order mean-motion resonances have $1~\text{Gyr}\lesssim~\tau~\lesssim2~\text{Gyr}$. The same is true for systems plausibly in first-order mean-motion resonances, but only for systems likely affected by tidal dissipation inside their innermost planets. These observations suggest that many planetary systems diffuse away from initially resonant configurations on secular timescales. Our calibrated relation also indicates that ultra-short-period (USP) planet systems have typical ages in the interval $5~\text{Gyr}\lesssim~\tau~\lesssim6~\text{Gyr}$. We propose that USP planets tidally migrated from initial periods in the range $1~\text{d}\lesssim~P~\lesssim2~\text{d}$ to their observed locations at $P<1~\text{d}$ over billions of years and trillions of cycles of secular eccentricity excitation and inside-planet damping.

Binary neutron-star (BNS) mergers are accompanied by multi-messenger emissions, including gravitational wave (GW), neutrino, and electromagnetic signals. Some fraction of BNS mergers may result in a rapidly spinning magnetar as a remnant, which can enhance both the EM and neutrino emissions. In this study, we model the neutrino emissions from such systems and discuss the prospects for detecting the neutrinos coincident with GW signatures. We consider a scenario where a magnetar remnant drives a pulsar wind using its spin energy. The wind interacts with the surrounding kilonova ejecta, forming a nebula filled with non-thermal photons. Ions and nuclei extracted from the magnetar's surface can be accelerated in the polar-cap and the termination-shock regions. We investigate the neutrino fluences resulting from photomeson interactions, where accelerated CR protons interact with the photons in the nebula. Our findings indicate that the peak neutrino fluence is $\sim 10^{-2}\rm GeV~cm^{-2}$ for a source at $40$ Mpc, which is reached approximately $\mathcal{O}( 1-10\ {\rm days})$ post merger. Finally, we examine the potential for GW-triggered stacking searches with IceCube-Gen2 using next-generation GW detectors such as the Cosmic Explorer (CE) and the Einstein Telescope (ET). We conclude that, assuming an optimistic neutrino emission model, a combination of CE+ET would offer a high probability of neutrino detection from these sources within an operational timescale of $\sim 20$ years. In case of non-detection, $2 \sigma$ level constraints on model parameters can be established within similar joint operation timescales.

Our understanding of neutrino flavor conversion in the innermost regions of core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers is mostly limited to spherically symmetric configurations that facilitate the numerical solution of the quantum kinetic equations. In this paper, we simulate neutrino quantum kinetics within a (2+1+1) dimensional setup: we model the flavor evolution during neutrino decoupling from matter in two spatial dimensions, one neutrino momentum variable, and time; taking into account non-forward neutral current and charged current collisions of neutrinos with the matter background, as well as neutrino advection. In order to mimic fluctuations in the neutrino emission and matter background, and explore their effect on the flavor evolution, we introduce perturbations in the collision term as well as in the vacuum term of the Hamiltonian. Because of such perturbations, the initial symmetry of the neutrino field across the simulation annulus is broken and flavor conversion is qualitatively affected, with regions of larger flavor conversion alternating across the simulation annulus. In addition, neutrino advection is responsible for spreading flavor waves across neighboring spatial regions. Although based on a simplified setup, our findings highlight the importance of modeling neutrino quantum kinetics in multi-dimensions to assess the impact of neutrinos on the physics of compact astrophysical sources and nucleosynthesis.

Strong gravitational lensing observations can provide extremely valuable information on the structure of galaxies, but their interpretation is made difficult by selection effects, which, if not accounted for, introduce a bias between the properties of strong lens galaxies and those of the general population. A rigorous treatment of the strong lensing bias requires, in principle, to fully forward model the lens selection process. However, doing so for existing lens surveys is prohibitively difficult. With this work we propose a practical solution to the problem: using an empirical model to capture the most complex aspects of the lens finding process, and constraining it directly from the data together with the properties of the lens population. We applied this method to real data from the SLACS sample of strong lenses. Assuming a power-law density profile, we recovered the mass distribution of the parent population of galaxies from which the SLACS lenses were drawn. We found that early-type galaxies with a stellar mass of $\log{M_*/M_\odot}=11.3$ and average size have a median projected mass enclosed within a $5$~kpc aperture of $\log{M_5/M_\odot}=11.332\pm0.013$, and an average logarithmic density slope of $\gamma=1.99\pm0.03$. These values are respectively $0.02$~dex and $0.1$ lower than inferred when ignoring selection effects. According to our model, most of the bias is due to the prioritisation of SLACS follow-up observations based on the measured velocity dispersion. As a result, the strong lensing bias in $\gamma$ reduces to $\sim0.01$ when controlling for stellar velocity dispersion.

Close binary systems are the progenitors to both Type Ia supernovae and the compact object mergers that can be detected via gravitational waves. To achieve a binary with a small radial separation, it is believed that the system likely undergoes common envelope (CE) evolution. Despite its importance, CE evolution may be one of the largest uncertainties in binary evolution due to a combination of computational challenges and a lack of observed benchmarks where both the post-CE and pre-CE conditions are known. Identifying post-CE systems in star clusters can partially circumvent this second issue by providing an independent age constraint on the system. For the first time, we conduct a systematic search for white dwarf (WD) and main-sequence (MS) binary systems in 299 Milky Way open star clusters. Coupling Gaia DR3 photometry and kinematics with multi-band photometry from Pan-STARRS1 and 2MASS, we apply a machine learning based approach and find 52 high-probability candidates in 38 open clusters. For a subset of our systems, we present follow-up spectroscopy from the Gemini and Lick Observatories and archival light curves from TESS, Kepler/K2 and the Zwicky Transient Facility. Examples of M-dwarfs with hot companions are spectroscopically observed, along with regular system variability. While the kinematics of our candidates are consistent with their host clusters, some systems have spatial positions offset relative to their hosts, potentially indicative of natal kicks. Ultimately, this catalogue is a first step to obtaining a set of observational benchmarks to better link post-CE systems to their pre-CE progenitors.

JWST has uncovered a substantial population of high-$z$ ($z \gtrsim 4$) galaxies exhibiting broad H$\alpha$ emission line with a Full Width at Half Maximum exceeding $1,000$~km~s$^{-1}$. This population includes a subset known as 'Little Red Dots', characterized by their compact morphology and extremely red rest-frame optical colors. If all of these broad H$\alpha$ emitters were attributed to type $1-1.9$ Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), it would imply a significantly higher number density of low-luminosity AGNs than extrapolated from that of more luminous AGNs. Here, we have examined the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV)-optical flux variability of five JWST broad H$\alpha$ emitters using multi-epoch, multi-band JWST/NIRCam imaging data. The rest-frame temporal sampling interval of the NIRCam data ($\sim 400-500$~days$/(1+z)$) is comparable to typical variability timescales of AGNs with black hole (BH) masses of $M_{\text{BH}} \sim 10^{7}~M_{\odot}$; thus, the flux variations should be detectable if AGNs were present. However, no measurable flux variation over the rest-frame wavelength range of $\lambda_{\text{rest}} \sim 1,500-9,000$Å has been detected, placing stringent upper limits on the variability amplitudes. This result, combined with the X-ray faintness confirmed by the ultra-deep {\it Chandra} data, indicates that, under the AGN scenario, we need to postulate peculiar Compton-thick broad-line AGNs with either ($a$) an intrinsically non-variable AGN disk continuum, ($b$) a host galaxy-dominated continuum, or ($c$) scattering-dominated AGN emission. Alternatively, ($d$) they could be non-AGNs where the broad-line emission originates from unusually fast and dense/low-metallicity star-formation-driven outflows or inelastic Raman scattering of stellar UV continua by neutral hydrogen atoms.

Understanding the chemical enrichment of different elements is crucial to gaining a complete picture of galaxy chemical evolution. In this study, we present a new sample of 46 low-redshift, low-mass star-forming galaxies at $M_*\sim 10^{8-10}M_{\odot}$ along with two quiescent galaxies at $M_*\sim 10^{8.8}M_{\odot}$ observed with the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), aiming to investigate the chemical evolution of galaxies in the transition zone between Local Group satellites and massive field galaxies. We develop a novel method to simultaneously determine stellar abundances of iron and magnesium in star-forming galaxies. With the gas-phase oxygen abundance (O/H)$_{\rm g}$ measured using the strong line method, we are able to make the first-ever apples-to-apples comparison of $\alpha$ elements in the stars and the ISM. We find that the [Mg/H]$_*$-[O/H]$_{\rm g}$ relation is much tighter than the [Fe/H]$_*$-[O/H]$_{\rm g}$ relation, which can be explained by the similar production processes of $\alpha$ elements. Most galaxies in our sample exhibit higher [O/H]$_{\rm g}$ than [Fe/H]$_*$ and [Mg/H]$_*$. In addition, we construct mass-metallicity relations (MZRs) measured as three different elements (Fe$_*$, Mg$_*$, O$_{\rm g}$). Compared to the gas O-MZR, the stellar Fe- and Mg-MZRs show larger scatter driven by variations in specific star formation rates (sSFR), with star-forming galaxies exhibiting higher sSFR and lower stellar abundances at fixed mass. The excess of [O/H]$_{\rm g}$ compared to stellar abundances as well as the anti-correlation between sSFR and stellar abundance suggests that galaxy quenching of intermediate-mass galaxies at $M_*\sim 10^{8-10}M_{\odot}$ is primarily driven by starvation.

We present the [OIII]52{\mu}m map of the dwarf galaxy IC10, obtained with the Field-Imaging Far-Infrared Line Spectrometer (FIFI-LS) on board the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). We combine the [OIII]52{\mu}m map with Herschel and Spitzer observations, to estimate the electron density distribution of the brightest HII regions of IC10. We find that the line ratio [OIII]88{\mu}m/[OIII]52{\mu}m gives electron density (n_e) values (n_e_OIII) that cover a broad range, while the n_e values obtained using the line ratio [SIII]33{\mu}m/[SIII]18{\mu}m (n_e_SIII) are all similar within the uncertainties. n_e_OIII is similar to n_e_SIII for the M1, M2 and A1 regions, and it is higher than n_e_SIII for the two regions, A2 and M1b, which are the brightest in the 24{\mu}m continuum emission. These results suggest that for these regions the two ions, O++ and S++, trace two different ionised gas components, and that the properties of the ionised gas component traced by the O++ ion are more sensitive to the local physical conditions. In fact, while the gas layer traced by [SIII] does not keep track of the characteristics of the radiation field, the n_e_OIII, correlates with the star formation rate (SFR), the dust temperature and the 24{\mu}m. Therefore, n_e_OIII is an indicator of the evolutionary stage of the HII region and the radiation field, with higher n_e_OIII, found in younger SF regions and in more energetic environments.

In this work we use Lagrangian perturbation theory to analyze the harmonic space galaxy clustering signal of Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS) and Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) targeted by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), combined with the galaxy--galaxy lensing signal measured around these galaxies using Dark Energy Survey Year 3 source galaxies. The BGS and LRG galaxies are extremely well characterized by DESI spectroscopy and, as a result, lens galaxy redshift uncertainty and photometric systematics contribute negligibly to the error budget of our ``$2\times2$-point'' analysis. On the modeling side, this work represents the first application of the \texttt{spinosaurus} code, implementing an effective field theory model for galaxy intrinsic alignments, and we additionally introduce a new scheme (\texttt{MAIAR}) for marginalizing over the large uncertainties in the redshift evolution of the intrinsic alignment signal. Furthermore, this is the first application of a hybrid effective field theory (HEFT) model for galaxy bias based on the $\texttt{Aemulus}\, \nu$ simulations. Our main result is a measurement of the amplitude of the lensing signal, $S_8=\sigma_8 \left(\Omega_m/0.3\right)^{0.5} = 0.850^{+0.042}_{-0.050}$, consistent with values of this parameter derived from the primary CMB. This constraint is artificially improved by a factor of $51\%$ if we assume a more standard, but restrictive parameterization for the redshift evolution and sample dependence of the intrinsic alignment signal, and $63\%$ if we additionally assume the nonlinear alignment model. We show that when fixing the cosmological model to the best-fit values from Planck PR4 there is $> 5 \sigma$ evidence for a deviation of the evolution of the intrinsic alignment signal from the functional form that is usually assumed in cosmic shear and galaxy--galaxy lensing studies.

Many experimental efforts are striving to provide deep maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to shed light on key questions in modern cosmology. The primary science goal for some of these experiments is to further constrain the energy scale of cosmic inflation. It has been shown that these experiments are particularly sensitive to optical systematics. Near-field vector beam mapping, or holography, is now employed in a variety of CMB-focused experimental efforts due to the technique's ability to provide full details of electromagnetic field propagation through complex systems. In this proceeding, we describe the development of a measurement bench for millimeter-wave phase-sensitive beam mapping with the goal of characterizing optical components for CMB experiments. We discuss the testing of a beam scanner based on a 6-axis robot arm, the related custom control software, the readout architecture, and the overall validation of the system through various testing procedures. Dynamic range of 70 dB is demonstrated for the presented setup. With the current mechanical setup, we derive an upper limits of 45 $\mu$m on the absolute positioning error and 10 $\mu$m on positional repeatability.

Recent observations suggest that planets formation starts early, in protostellar disks of $\le10^5$ yrs, which are characterized by strong interactions with the environment, e.g., through accretion streamers and molecular outflows. To investigate the impact of such phenomena on disk physical and chemical properties it is key to understand what chemistry planets inherit from their natal environment. In the context of the ALMA Large Program Fifty AU STudy of the chemistry in the disk/envelope system of Solar-like protostars (FAUST), we present observations on scales from ~1500 au to ~60 au of H$_2$CO, HDCO, and D$_2$CO towards the young planet-forming disk IRS~63. H$_2$CO probes the gas in the disk as well as in a large scale streamer (~1500 au) impacting onto the South-East (SE) disk side. We detect for the first time deuterated formaldehyde, HDCO and D$_2$CO, in a planet-forming disk, and HDCO in the streamer that is feeding it. This allows us to estimate the deuterium fractionation of H$_2$CO in the disk: [HDCO]/[H$_2$CO]$\sim0.1-0.3$ and [D$_2$CO]/[H$_2$CO]$\sim0.1$. Interestingly, while HDCO follows the H$_2$CO distribution in the disk and in the streamer, the distribution of D$_2$CO is highly asymmetric, with a peak of the emission (and [D]/[H] ratio) in the SE disk side, where the streamer crashes onto the disk. In addition, D$_2$CO is detected in two spots along the blue- and red-shifted outflow. This suggests that: (i) in the disk, HDCO formation is dominated by gas-phase reactions similarly to H$_2$CO, while (ii) D$_2$CO was mainly formed on the grain mantles during the prestellar phase and/or in the disk itself, and is at present released in the gas-phase in the shocks driven by the streamer and the outflow. These findings testify on the key role of streamers in the build-up of the disk both concerning the final mass available for planet formation and its chemical composition.

We argue that the difference in infrared-to-radio luminosity ratio between local and high-redshift star-forming galaxies reflects {the alternative physical conditions} -- including magnetic field configurations -- of the dominant population of star-forming galaxies in different redshift ranges. We define three galactic types, based on our reference model, with reference to ages of stellar populations. ``Normal'' late-type galaxies dominate the star formation in the nearby Universe; ``starburst'' galaxies take over at higher redshifts, up to z ~1.5; while ``protospheroidal'' galaxies dominate at high redshift. A reanalysis of data from the COSMOS field combined with literature results shows that, for each population, the data are consistent with an almost redshift-independent mean value of the parameter q_IR, which quantifies the infrared-radio correlation. However, we find a hint of an upturn of the mean q_IR at z>~3.5 consistent with the predicted dimming of synchrotron emission due to cooling of relativistic electrons by inverse Compton scattering off the cosmic microwave background. The typical stellar masses increase from normal, to starburst, and to protospheroidal galaxies, accounting for the reported dependence of the mean q_IR on stellar mass. Higher values of q_IR found for high-z strongly lensed dusty galaxies selected at 500 micron might be explained by differential magnification.

We present a detailed model atmosphere analysis of massive white dwarfs with $M > 0.9~M_\odot$ and $T_{\rm eff}\geq11,000$ K in the Montreal White Dwarf Database 100 pc sample and the Pan-STARRS footprint. We obtained follow-up optical spectroscopy of 109 objects with no previous spectral classification in the literature. Our spectroscopic follow-up is now complete for all 204 objects in the sample. We find 118 normal DA white dwarfs, including 45 massive DAs near the ZZ Ceti instability strip. There are no normal massive DBs: the six DBs in the sample are strongly magnetic and/or rapidly rotating. There are 20 massive DQ white dwarfs in our sample, and all are found in the crystallization sequence. In addition, 66 targets are magnetic (32% of the sample). We use magnetic white dwarf atmosphere models to constrain the field strength and geometry using offset dipole models. We also use magnetism, kinematics, and rotation measurements to constrain the fraction of merger remnant candidates among this population. The merger fraction of this sample increases from 25% for 0.9-$1~M_{\odot}$ white dwarfs to 49% for 1.2-$1.3~M_{\odot}$. However, this fraction is as high as $78_{-7}^{+4}$% for 1.1-$1.2~M_{\odot}$ white dwarfs. Previous works have demonstrated that 5-9% of high-mass white dwarfs stop cooling for $\sim8$ Gyr due to the $^{22}$Ne distillation process, which leads to an overdensity of Q-branch stars in the solar neighborhood. We demonstrate that the over-abundance of the merger remnant candidates in our sample is likely due to the same process.

We present beam measurements of the CHIME telescope using a radio calibration source deployed on a drone payload. During test flights, the pulsing calibration source and the telescope were synchronized to GPS time, enabling in-situ background subtraction for the full $N^{2}$ visibility matrix for one CHIME cylindrical reflector. We use the autocorrelation products to estimate the primary beam width and centroid location, and compare these quantities to solar transit measurements and holographic measurements where they overlap on the sky. We find that the drone, solar, and holography data have similar beam parameter evolution across frequency and both spatial coordinates. This paper presents the first drone-based beam measurement of a large cylindrical radio interferometer. Furthermore, the unique analysis and instrumentation described in this paper lays the foundation for near-field measurements of experiments like CHIME.

Tilted disk precession exists in different objects. Negative superhumps (NSHs) in cataclysmic variable stars (CVs) are hypothesized to arise from the interaction between the reverse precession of a tilted disk and the streams from the secondary star. Utilizing TESS photometry, we present a comprehensive investigation into the tilted disk precession and NSHs in the dwarf nova (DN) HS 2325+8205, employing eclipse minima, eclipse depths, NSH frequencies, and NSH amplitudes and the correlation between them as the windows. We report the discovery of NSHs in HS 2325+8205 with a period of 0.185671(17) d. The NSH frequency was found to vary with a period of 3.943(9) d, similar to the tilted disk precession period validated in novae-like star (NL, SDSS J0812) and intermediate polar (IP, TV Col). The eclipsing minima of O-C were similarly found to vary cyclically in period 4.135(5) d, showing faster rise than fall. Furthermore, NSH amplitude varies parabolically, linearly increasing with periodic variations, potentially linked to changes in disk radius, mass transfer rate, and apparent area of the hot spot. Additionally, for the first time in DNe, we observe bi-periodic variations in eclipse depth (P1= 4.131(4) d and P2= 2.065(2) d ~ Pprec/2), resembling those seen in IPs, suggesting that variations with P2 are not attributable to the accretion curtain. Moreover, NSH amplitude and eclipse depth decrease with increasing NSH frequency, while NSH amplitude correlates positively with eclipse depth.These complex variations observed across multiple observational windows provide substantial evidence for understanding of tilted disk precession and NSHs.

Over the past decades, cosmology has become largely based on experimental data, the most important sources of which are studies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). CMB is present in the Universe since the very first moments of its existence, and the features of CMB recorded now reflect the fundamental processes of the evolution of the Universe. These processes cause a weak anisotropy of CMB, which is no more than 0.01 percent. The structure of anisotropy, which is interpreted on the basis of a sufficiently detailed standard theory of primary recombination, allows us to establish the most important cosmological parameters. One of these parameters is the Hubble constant (more precisely, the Hubble parameter). However, the difference between the value of the Hubble constant, obtained from the results of the Planck mission, and obtained from independent local measurements, is 10%. Such a big difference is called the Hubble tension problem, and is an important problem of cosmology. The interpretation of the Planck measurements (as well as the interpretation of WMAP results, where a close value of the Hubble constant is obtained) is critically based on the predictions of the standard recombination theory. This work shows that the recombination rate is higher than predicted by standard theory and is caused by the excitation of the kinetic degrees of freedom of hydrogen atoms, which is ignored by standard theory. The calculations performed demonstrate that taking into account this process leads to a good coincidence of the values of the Hubble constant obtained from the results of the Planck experiment and local measurements.

This paper presents the first public data release of the S-PLUS Ultra-Short Survey (USS), a photometric survey with short exposure times, covering approximately 9300 deg$^{2}$ of the Southern sky. The USS utilizes the Javalambre 12-band magnitude system, including narrow and medium-band and broad-band filters targeting prominent stellar spectral features. The primary objective of the USS is to identify bright, extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] $\leq -3$) and ultra metal-poor (UMP; [Fe/H] $\leq -4$) stars for further analysis using medium- and high-resolution spectroscopy.}{This paper provides an overview of the survey observations, calibration method, data quality, and data products. Additionally, it presents the selection of EMP and UMP candidates.}{The data from the USS were reduced and calibrated using the same methods as presented in the S-PLUS DR2. An additional step was introduced, accounting for the offset between the observed magnitudes off the USS and the predicted magnitudes from the very low-resolution Gaia XP spectra.}{This first release contains data for 163 observed fields totaling $\sim$324 deg$^{2}$ along the Celestial Equator. The magnitudes obtained from the USS are well-calibrated, showing a difference of $\sim 15$ mmag compared to the predicted magnitudes by the GaiaXPy toolkit. By combining colors and magnitudes, 140 candidates for EMP or UMP have been identified for follow-up studies.}{The S-PLUS USS DR1 is an important milestone in the search for bright metal-poor stars, with magnitudes in the range 10 $ < r \leq 14$. The USS is an ongoing survey; in the near future, it will provide many more bright metal-poor candidate stars for spectroscopic follow-up.

The MRS mode of the JWST-MIRI instrument gives insights into the chemical richness and complexity of the inner regions of planet-forming disks. Here, we analyse the H$_2$O-rich spectrum of the compact disk DR Tau. We probe the excitation conditions of the H$_2$O transitions observed in different wavelength regions across the entire spectrum using LTE slab models, probing both the rovibrational and rotational transitions. These regions suggest a radial temperature gradient, as the excitation temperature (emitting radius) decreases (increases) with increasing wavelength. To explain the derived emitting radii, we require a larger inclination for the inner disk (i~20-23 degrees) compared to the outer disk (i~5 degrees), agreeing with our previous analysis on CO. We also analyse the pure rotational spectrum (<10 micron) using a large, structured disk (CI Tau) as a template, confirming the presence of the radial gradient, and by fitting multiple components to further characterise the radial and vertical temperature gradients present in the spectrum. At least three temperature components (T~180-800 K) are required to reproduce the rotational spectrum of H$_2$O arising from the inner ~0.3-8 au. These components describe a radial temperature gradient that scales roughly as ~R$^{-0.5}$ in the emitting layers. As the H$_2$O is mainly optically thick, we derive a lower limit on the abundance ratio of H$_2$O/CO~0.17, suggesting a potential depletion of H$_2$O. Similarly to previous work, we detect a cold H$_2$O component (T~180 K) originating from near the snowline. We cannot conclude if an enhancement of the H$_2$O reservoir is observed following radial drift. A consistent analysis of a larger sample of compact disks is necessary to study the importance of drift in enhancing the H$_2$O abundances.

The regular behavior of the pulsations of high-amplitude Delta Sct (HADS) stars gives a greater chance to investigate the interiors of stars. We analyzed seven HADS stars showing peak-to-peak amplitudes of more than 0.3 mag that were newly observed by TESS. We obtained that TIC374753270, TIC710783, and TIC187386415 pulsate in fundamental radial mode, also, TIC130474019 and TIC160120432 show double radial modes. On the other hand, TIC148357344 and TIC 278119167 demonstrate triple-mode behavior. Our analysis shows that these seven stars are close to the red edge of the (inside) instability strip in the Hertzsprung Russell diagram. The fundamental mode of these seven targets follows the period-luminosity (PL) relation for Delta Sct stars. However, TIC278119167 deviates slightly from the fundamental PL relation. The double-mode and triple-mode HADS stars (TIC130474019, TIC160120432, TIC148357344, and TIC278119167) are in agreement with the period ratio ranges (fundamental to first and second overtones). Using the information of 176 HADS stars (Netzel and Smolec), we find a scaling relation ([Fe/H] ~log((M**7.95+-0.15)(L**-1.83+-0.11)(P0**0.79+-0.14)(Teff**0.047+-0.02))) between the metallicity ([Fe/H]) and mass (M), luminosity (L), effective temperature (Teff), and the fundamental period (P0). We estimate the metallicity of the seven newly identified HADS stars ranging from -0.62 to 0.37 dex.

We showcase a study on the physical properties of the Circumnuclear Disk surrounding the Sgr A* of the Galactic Center, emphasizing the role of magnetic field (B field) with 0.47 pc spatial resolution, based on the sensitive {\lambda} = 850 {\mu}m polarization data taken with the JCMT. The B field within the CND exhibits a coherent spiral pattern. Applying the model described by Wardle and Ko\ddot{o}nigl 1990 (WK model) to the observed B field pattern, it favors gas-pressure-dominant models without dismissing a gas-and-B field comparable model, leading us to estimate the B-field strength in the ionized cavity around Sgr A* as 0.24 + 0.05 mG. Analysis -0.04 based on the WK model further allows us to derive representative B-field strengths for the radial, azimuthal, and vertical components as (Br,B{\phi},Bz) = (0.4 \pm 0.1,-0.7 \pm 0.2,0.2 \pm 0.05) mG, respectively. A key finding is that the |{\phi}| component is dominant over Br and Bz components, consistent with the spiral morphology, indicating that the CND' s B-field is predominantly toroidal, possibly shaped by accretion dynamics. Considering the turbulent pressure, estimated plasma \{beta} values indicate the effective gas pressure should surpass the magnetic pressure. Assessing the CND of our MWG in the toroidal-and-vertical stability parameter space, we propose that such an "effective" magnetoro-tational instability (MRI) may likely be active. The estimated maximum unstable wavelength, {\lambda}max = 0.1 \pm 0.1 pc, is smaller than the CND' s scale height (0.2 \pm 0.1 pc), which indicates the potential for the effective MRI intermittent cycles of \sim 10^{6} years, which should profoundly affect the CND's evolution, considering the estimated mass accretion rate of 10^{-2}M_{\odot} yr^{-1} to the Sgr A*.

JWST has revealed a ubiquitous population of "little red dots" (LRDs) at $z\gtrsim4$, selected via their red rest-frame optical emission and compact morphologies. They are thought to be reddened by dust, whether in tori of active galactic nuclei or the interstellar medium (ISM), though none have direct dust detections to date. Informed by the average characteristics of 675 LRDs drawn from the literature, we provide ballpark constraints on the dust characteristics of the LRD population and estimate they have average dust masses of $\langle M_{dust}\rangle=(1.6^{+4.8}_{-0.9})\times10^{4}$ M$_\odot$, luminosities of $\langle L_{IR}\rangle = (8^{+3}_{-5})\times10^{10}$ L$_\odot$ and temperatures of $\langle T_{dust}\rangle = 110^{+21}_{-36}$ K. Notably, the spectral energy distributions are thought to peak at $\sim$100 K (rest-frame 20-30$\mu m$) regardless of heating mechanism, whether AGN or star formation. Our predictions likely mean LRDs have, on average, submillimeter emission a factor of $\sim$100$\times$ fainter than current ALMA limits provide. If one assumes LRDs' rest-optical light is dominated by stars, the star-to-dust ratio is a factor of $\sim$100$\times$ larger than expected from dust formation models; this suggests LRDs' stellar masses may be significantly overestimated. Despite their high apparent volume density, LRDs contribute negligibly (0.1%) to the cosmic dust budget at $z\gtrsim4$ due to their low dust masses.

We present a design for a wide-field spectroscopic telescope. The only large powered mirror is spherical, the resulting spherical aberration is corrected for each target separately, giving exceptional image quality. The telescope is a transit design, but still allows all-sky coverage. Three simultaneous modes are proposed: (a) natural seeing multi-object spectroscopy with 12m aperture over 3dg FoV with ~25,000 targets; (b) multi-object AO with 12m aperture over 3dg FoV with ~100 AO-corrected Integral Field Units each with 4 arcsec FoV; (c) ground layer AO-corrected integral field spectroscopy with 15m aperture and 13 arcmin FoV. Such a telescope would be uniquely powerful for large-area follow-up of imaging surveys; in each mode, the AOmega and survey speed exceed all existing facilities combined. The expected cost of this design is relatively modest, much closer to $500M than $1000M.

Primordial black holes (PBH) can form in the early Universe from peaks of the primordial curvature perturbations. The statistics of the peaks determines the abundance of PBHs, and is related to the amplitude of the primordial curvature spectrum. We study single field inflationary models with local features of the inflaton potential which induce a growth of curvature perturbations on super-horizon scales, which can increase the spectrum, and consequently the predicted PBHs abundance. We compute the effects of the different parameters of the features on the PBHs abundance, giving some example of models compatible with observational constraints. The mechanism is general, and can induce the PBH production in diffent mass ranges by appropriately tuning the parameters, and we give a specific example producing PBHs with abundance compatible with asteroid mass constraints.

We present in this paper an analysis of near-infrared observations of the 0.3 Msun protostar V347 Aur collected with the SPIRou high-resolution spectropolarimeter and velocimeter at the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope from October 2019 to April 2023. From a set of 79 unpolarized and circularly polarized spectra of V347 Aur to which we applied Least-Squares Deconvolution (LSD), we derived radial velocities and longitudinal fields, along with their temporal variations over our monitoring campaign of 1258 d. Our data show that V347 Aur is an eccentric binary system with an orbital period 154.6$\pm$0.7 d, experiencing strong to extreme accretion events near periastron. The companion is a 29.0$\pm$1.6 Mjup brown dwarf, a rare member in the brown dwarf desert of close companions around M dwarfs. We detect weak longitudinal fields (<100~G) at the surface of V347 Aur, significantly weaker than those of more evolved prototypical T Tauri stars. These fields show small-amplitude rotational modulation, indicating a mainly axisymmetric parent large-scale magnetic topology, and larger fluctuations at half the orbital period, suggesting that a pulsed dynamo triggered by orbital motion operates in V347 Aur. Applying Zeeman-Doppler imaging to our circularly polarised LSD profiles, we find that the large-scale field of V347 Aur is mainly toroidal for most of our observations, with the toroidal component switching sign near periastron and apoastron. The weak large-scale dipole (~30 G) is not able to disrupt the disc beyond 1.3 Rstar even outside accretion episodes, implying longitudinally distributed (rather than localized) accretion at the surface of the protostar.

In hierarchical triple systems, the inner binary is slowly perturbed by a distant companion, giving rise to large-scale oscillations in eccentricity and inclination, known as von-Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai (ZLK) oscillations. Stable systems with a mild hierarchy, where the period ratio is not too small, require an additional corrective term, known as the Brown Hamiltonian, to adequately account for their long-term evolution. Although the Brown Hamiltonian has been used to accurately describe the highly eccentric systems on circulating orbits where the periapse completes a complete revolution, the analysis near its elliptical fixed points had been overlooked. We derive analytically the modified fixed points including the Brown Hamiltonian and analyse its librating orbits (where the periapse motion is limited in range). We compare our result to the direct three-body integrations of millions of orbits and discuss the regimes of validity. We numerically discover the regions of orbital instability, allowed and forbidden librating zones with a complex, fractal, structure. The retrograde orbits, where the mutual inclination is $\iota > 90\ \rm deg$, are more stable and allowed to librate for larger areas of the parameter space. We find numerical fits for the librating-circulating boundary. Finally, we discuss the astrophysical implications for systems of satellites, stars and compact objects. In a companion paper (paper II), we apply our formalism to the orbits of irregular satellites around giant planets.

Irregular satellites (IS) are believed to have been captured during the Solar system's dynamical history and provide clues for the Solar system's formation and evolution. IS occupy a large fraction of the Hill sphere of their host planet and their orbits are highly perturbed by the Sun. Nevertheless, the phase portrait is much better described by the Brown Hamiltonian for all satellites. We use a novel formalism developed in paper I to characterise their orbits in terms of an effective secular Hamiltonian (the Brown Hamiltonian) that accounts for their large orbital separations. We find that prograde satellites generally follow the Brown Hamiltonian, while retrograde satellites (which extend further) deviate more significantly. We construct a semi-analytic criterion that predicts the librating orbit based on the effective energy due to the Brown Hamiltonian. We also check our results with highly accurate N-body integrations of satellite orbits, where initial conditions are loaded directly from the updated ephemeris from the NASA Horizons database. Although the retrograde librating orbits occupy more area in the parameter space, the vast majority of librating IS are prograde. Using our method we find $13$ librating satellites, $8$ of them previously known to librate, and the rest shown to librate for the first time. Further observations of existing and new satellites could shed more light on the dynamical history of the Solar system and satellite formation and test our results.

Aims. We aim to elucidate the pulsar radio emission by studying several single-pulse phenomena, how they relate to each other, and how they evolve with observing frequency. We intend to inspire models for the pulsar radio emission and fast radio bursts. Methods. We set up an observing programme called the SUSPECT project running at the Nancay Radio Observatory telescopes in France (10 - 85 MHz, 110 - 240 MHz, 1 - 3.5 GHz) and the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) in India. In this first paper, we focus on high-sensitivity data obtained of PSR B1822-09 with the uGMRT between 550 and 750 MHz. The pulsar has precursor (PC), main pulse (MP), and interpulse (IP) emission, and exhibits mode-switching. We present its single-pulse stacks, investigate its mode-switching using a hidden Markov switching model, and analyse its single-pulse morphology. Results. PSR B1822-09's pulse profile decomposes into seven components. We show that its mode-switching is well described using a hidden Markov switching model. The pulsar exhibits at least three stable emission modes, one of which is a newly discovered bright flaring mode. We confirm that the PC and MP switch synchronously to each other, and both asynchronously to the IP, indicating information transfer between the polar caps. Additionally, we performed a fluctuation spectral analysis and discovered three fluctuation features in its quiescent Q-mode emission, one of which is well known. We conclude that it is longitude-stationary amplitude modulation. Finally, we visually classified the single-pulses into four categories. We found extensive 0.2 - 0.4 ms microstructure in the PC with a typical quasi-periodicity of 0.8 ms. There is low-level PC activity during the Q-mode, indicating mode mixing. We discovered low-intensity square-like pulses and extremely bright pulses in the MP, which suggest bursting.

Abundances, apparent sizes, and individual chemical compositions of chondrules, refractory inclusions, other objects and surrounding matrix have been determined for Semarkona (LL3.00) and Renazzo (CR2) using consistent methods and criteria on x-ray element intensity maps. These represent the non-carbonaceous (NC, Semarkona) and carbonaceous chondrite (CC, Renazzo) superclans of chondrite types. We compare object and matrix abundances with similar data for CM, CO, K, and CV chondrites. We assess, pixel-by-pixel, the major element abundance in each object and in the entire matrix. We determine the abundance of "metallic chondrules" in LL chondrites. Chondrules with high Mg/Si and low Fe/Si and matrix carrying opposing ratios complement each other to make whole rocks with near-solar major element ratios in Renazzo. Similar Mg/Si and Fe/Si chondrule-matrix relationships are seen in Semarkona, which is within 11% of solar Mg/Si but significantly Fe-depleted. These results provide a robust constraint in support of single-reservoir models for chondrule formation and accretion, ruling out whole classes of astrophysical models and constraining processes of chondrite component formation and accretion into chondrite parent bodies.

The Dragonfly Telephoto Array employs a unique design to detect very large and diffuse galaxies, which might be missed with conventional telescopes. The Dragonfly Ultrawide Survey (DFUWS) is a new wide-field survey which will cover 10,000 deg$^2$ of the northern sky, and it provides an ideal dataset to find these large diffuse galaxies. From 3100 deg$^2$ of DFUWS data, we identified eleven large, low surface brightness galaxies as a pilot sample for spectroscopic follow-up. These are the largest galaxies in the examined area that appear smooth and isolated, with effective radii of 12"-27". Eight are below 24 $\mathrm{mag\,arcsec^{-2}}$ in central $g$-band surface brightness. Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) spectra of the diffuse light show that all eleven galaxies in this sample are quiescent, and seven qualify as ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs). Eight galaxies have distances between 15 and 30 Mpc, while the other three are in the Pegasus cluster at 50 Mpc. Their spectra show evidence of a $\sim 1$Gyr old stellar population in addition to an even older stellar population. The intermediate-age component is present in group and satellite galaxies but not in the Pegasus cluster UDGs. All galaxies in this sample are detected in both Dragonfly and Legacy imaging, and the sample partially overlaps with existing UDG catalogs. This pilot sample provides an excellent training set for our analysis of the upcoming full 10,000 deg$^2$ DFUWS data, from which we may expect to discover even larger, previously-unknown galaxies.

We present a census of photometrically detected rotation periods for white dwarf stars. We analyzed the light curves of 9285 white dwarf stars observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) up to sector 69. Using Fourier transform analyses and the TESS localize software, we detected variability periods for 318 white dwarf stars. The 115 high probability likely single white dwarfs in our sample have a median rotational period of 3.9 hours and a median absolute deviation of 3.5 h. Our distribution is significantly different from the distribution of the rotational period from asteroseismology, which exhibits a longer median period of 24.3 hours and a median absolute deviation of 12.0 h. In addition, we reported non-pulsating periods for three known pulsating white dwarfs with rotational period previously determined by asteroseismology: NGC 1501, TIC 7675859, and G226-29. We also calculated evolutionary models that include six angular momentum transfer mechanisms from the literature throughout evolution in an attempt to reproduce our findings. Our models indicate that the temperature-period relation of most observational data is best fitted by models with low metallicity, probably indicating problems with the computations of angular-momentum loss during the high-mass-loss phase. Our models also generate internal magnetic fields through the Tayler-Spruit dynamo.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale ejections of magnetized plasma from the Sun and are associated with the most extreme space weather events. The geoeffectiveness of a CME is primarily determined by the southward component of its magnetic fields (CME-$B_z$). Recent studies have shown that CMEs evolve significantly in the inner heliosphere ($\sim20-90\ R_\odot$), and relying on extrapolations from low coronal heights can lead to wrong predictions of CME-$B_z$ in the vicinity of Earth. Hence, it is important to measure CME magnetic fields at these heights to improve CME-$B_z$ prediction. A promising method to measure the CME-entrained magnetic field in the inner heliosphere is by measuring the changes in Faraday rotation (FR) of linearly polarized emission from background radio sources as their line-of-sight crosses the CME plasma. Here, we present the current preparation of new-generation ground-based radio telescopes for this purpose.

We present an energy-dependent analysis for the type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in the black hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8-1613 using Insight-HXMT observations. We find that the QPO fractional rms at energies above 40 keV is significantly higher than that below 20 keV. This is the first report of a high energy (HE)-rms excess in the rms spectrum of a black hole X-ray binary. In the high energy band, an extra hard component is observed in additional to the standard thermal Comptonization component at similar energy band. The value of the QPO HE-rms excess is not only correlated with the disk parameters and the photon index of the standard Comptonization component, but also exhibits a moderate positive correlation with the flux of the additional hard spectral component. No features in the QPO phase-lag spectra are seen corresponding to the additional hard component. We propose that the additional hard component in the spectrum may originate from jet emission and the associated QPO HE-rms excess can be explained by the precession of the jet base.

The influence of space weathering on the observed spectra of C-complex asteroids remains uncertain. This has long hindered our understanding of their composition through telescope observations. Multi-band imaging of Ryugu by ONC-T on Hayabusa2 and that of Bennu by MapCam on OSIRIS-REx found opposite spectral trends of space weathering; Ryugu darkened/reddened while Bennu brightened/blued. How the spectra of Ryugu and Bennu evolved relative to each other would place a constraint for understanding their origins and evolutions. In this study, we compared the space weathering trends on Ryugu and Bennu by applying the results of cross calibration between ONC-T and MapCam. We show that the average Bennu surface is brighter by 18.0 $\pm$ 1.5% at 550 nm and bluer by 0.18 $\pm$ 0.03 $\mu$m$^{-1}$ (480-850 nm slope) than Ryugu. The spectral slopes of surface materials are more uniform on Bennu than on Ryugu at spatial scales $\gtrsim$1 m, but Bennu is more heterogeneous at $\lesssim$1 m. This suggests that lateral mixing due to resurfacing may have been more efficient on Bennu. The reflectance-spectral slope distributions of craters on Ryugu and Bennu appeared to follow two trend lines with an offset before cross calibration, but they converged to a single straight trend without a bend after cross calibration. We show that the spectra of the freshest craters on Ryugu and Bennu are indistinguishable within the uncertainty of cross calibration. These results suggest that Ryugu and Bennu initially had similar spectra before space weathering and that they evolved in completely opposite directions along the same trend line, subsequently evolving into asteroids with different disk-averaged spectra. These findings further suggest that space weathering likely expanded the spectral slope variation of C-complex asteroids, implying that they may have formed from materials with more uniform spectral slopes.

Observations with the Gaia satellite have confirmed that the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way (MW) are not distributed as homogeneously as expected. The same occurs in galaxies such as Andromeda and Centaurus A, where satellite galaxies around their host galaxies have been observed to have orbits aligned perpendicular to the galactic plane of the host galaxy. This problem is known as Vast Polar Structure (VPOS) for the MW. The Scalar Field Dark Matter Field (SFDM), also known as Ultralight-, Fuzzy-, BEC-, Axion-dark matter, proposes that DM is a scalar field (SF), which in the non-relativistic limit follows the Schrödinger equation coupled to the Poisson equation. Although the SF here is classical, the Schrödinger equation contains a ground and excited states as part of its nature. In this work, we show that such quantum character of the SFDM can naturally explain the VPOS observed in galaxies. By taking into account the finite temperature corrections for a complex, self-interacting SF at very early epochs of the Universe, we show that the resulting ground and first excited states only, we can fit the rotation curves of the galaxies in a very simple way, and with the best-fit parameters obtained, we can explain the VPOS. We do this with particular galaxies, such as the MW, M31, Centaurus A, and other six galaxies whose satellites have been observed. From this result, it follows that the multistate SFDM is not distributed homogeneously around the galaxy, and therefore might explain the anisotropic distribution of the satellite galaxies. According to this result, this could be a general characteristic of the galaxies in the Universe. Finally, we also show how the scale of each galaxy depends on a parameter that is determined by the final temperature of the SF of the galaxy halo under study. This explains why different galaxies with SFDM give different values of the mass of the SF.

Additive manufacturing (AM; 3D printing) has clear benefits in the production of lightweight mirrors for astronomy: it can create optimised lightweight structures and combine multiple components into one. New capabilities in AM ceramics, silicon carbide infiltrated with silicon and fused silica, offer the possibility to combine the design benefits of AM with a material suitable for visible, ultraviolet and X-ray applications. This paper will introduce the printing methods and post-processing steps to convert AM ceramic samples into reflective mirrors. Surface roughness measurements after abrasive polishing of the AM ceramics will be presented.

We report detections of fast radio bursts (FRBs) from the repeating source FRB 20201124A with Apertif/WSRT and GMRT, and measurements of basic burst properties, especially the dispersion measure (DM) and fluence. Based on comparisons of these properties with previously published larger samples, we argue that the excess DM reported earlier for pulses with integrated signal to noise ratio $\lesssim 1000$ is due to incompletely accounting for the so-called sad trombone effect, even when using structure-maximizing DM algorithms. Our investigations of fluence distributions next lead us to advise against formal power-law fitting, especially dissuading the use of the least-square method, and we demonstrate the large biases involved. A maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) provides a much more accurate estimate of the power law and we provide accessible code for direct inclusion in future research. Our GMRT observations were fortuitously scheduled around the end of the activity cycle as recorded by FAST. We detected several bursts (one of them very strong) at 400/600 MHz, a few hours after sensitive FAST non-detections already showed the 1.3 GHz FRB emission to have ceased. After FRB 20180916B, this is a second example of a frequency-dependent activity window identified in a repeating FRB source. Since numerous efforts have so-far failed to determine a spin period for FRB 20201124A, we conjecture it to be an ultra-long period magnetar, with a period on the scale of months, and with a very wide, highly irregular duty cycle. Assuming the emission comes from closed field lines, we use radius-to-frequency mapping and polarization information from other studies to constrain the magnetospheric geometry and location of the emission region. Our initial findings are consistent with a possible connection between FRBs and crustal motion events.

XB 1254-690 is a neutron star low-mass X-ray binary with an orbital period of 3.88 hrs, and it exhibits energy-dependent intensity dips, thermonuclear bursts, and flares. We present the results of an analysis of a long observation of this source using the AstroSat satellite. The X-ray light curve gradually changed from a high-intensity flaring state to a low-intensity one with a few dips. The hardness intensity diagram showed that the source is in a high-intensity banana state with a gradually changing flux. Based on this, we divide the observation into four flux levels for a flux-resolved spectral study. The X-ray spectra can be explained by a model consisting of absorption, thermal emission from the disc and non-thermal emission from the corona. From our studies, we detect a correlation between the temperature of the thermal component and the flux and we examine the implications of our results for the accretion disc geometry of this source.

We investigate star formation from subparsec to kpc scales with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models of a cloud structure and a section of galactic spiral arm. We aim to understand how magnetic fields affect star formation, cloud formation and how feedback couples with magnetic fields on scales of clouds and clumps. We find that magnetic fields overall suppress star formation by $\sim$10% with a weak field (5 $\mu$G), and $\sim50$% with a stronger field (50 $\mu$G). Cluster masses are reduced by about 40% with a strong field but show little change with a weak field. We find that clouds tend to be aligned parallel to the field with a weak field, and become perpendicularly aligned with a stronger field, whereas on clump scales the alignment is more random. The magnetic fields and densities of clouds and clumps in our models agree with the Zeeman measurements of the Crutcher relation $B-\rho$ in the weaker field models, whilst the strongest field models show a relation which is too flat compared to the observations. In all our models, we find both subcritical and supercritical clouds and clumps are present. We also find that if using a line of sight (1D) measure of the magnetic field to determine the critical parameter, the magnetic field, and thereby also criticality, can vary by a factor of 3-4 depending on whether the direction the field is measured along corresponds to the direction of the ordered component of the magnetic field.

Broad emission lines of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) originate from the broad-line region (BLR), consisting of dense gas clouds in orbit around an accreting supermassive black hole. Understanding the geometry and kinematics of the region is crucial for gaining insights into the physics and evolution of AGNs. Conventional velocity-resolved reverberation mapping may face challenges in disentangling the degeneracy between intricate motion and geometry of this region. To address this challenge, new key constraints are required. Here, we report the discovery of an asymmetric BLR using a novel technique: velocity-resolved ionization mapping, which can map the distance of emitting gas clouds by measuring Hydrogen line ratios at different velocities. By analyzing spectroscopic monitoring data, we find that the Balmer decrement is anticorrelated with the continuum and correlated with the lags across broad emission line velocities. Some line ratio profiles deviate from the expectations for a symmetrically virialized BLR, suggesting that the red-shifted and blue-shifted gas clouds may not be equidistant from the supermassive black hole (SMBH). This asymmetric geometry might represent a formation imprint, provide new perspectives on the evolution of AGNs, and influence SMBH mass measurements.

X-ray polarization is a powerful tool for unveiling the anisotropic characteristics of high-energy celestial objects. We present a novel imaging reconstruction method designed for hard X-ray polarimeters employing a Si CMOS sensor and coded apertures, which function as a photoelectron tracker and imaging optics, respectively. Faced with challenges posed by substantial artifacts and background noise in the coded aperture imaging associated with the conventional balanced correlation method, we adopt the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm as the foundation of our imaging reconstruction method. The newly developed imaging reconstruction method is validated with imaging polarimetry and a series of X-ray beam experiments. The method demonstrates the capability to accurately reproduce an extended source comprising multiple segments with distinct polarization degrees. Comparative analysis exhibits a significant enhancement in imaging reconstruction accuracy compared to the balanced correlation method, with the background noise levels reduced to 17%. The outcomes of this study enhance the feasibility of Cube-Sat imaging polarimetry missions in the hard X-ray band, as the combination of Si CMOS sensors and coded apertures is a promising approach for realizing it.

HR 8799 is an A5/F0 V star where exoplanets were first directly imaged. Four exoplanets were found within $\simeq 2\rlap.{''}0$ from the star. Here we report the VLA detection of a faint (19.1$\pm$2.7 $\mu$Jy) radio continuum (3.0 GHz) source projected at $\simeq 2\rlap.{''}2$ from the star. The \sl a priori \rm probability of finding a background source with this flux density within a radius of $2\rlap.{''}2$ is only 0.0046. However, the astrometry made with the VLA and ALMA images, separated by 5.5 years, indicates no significant proper motions and rules out the association of the radio source with the HR 8799 system and suggests it is a background millimeter galaxy with dust emission in the millimeter and partially thick synchrotron emission in the centimeter.

We use mid-infrared variability in galaxies to search for active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the local universe. We use a sample of 10,220 galaxies from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey, part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV). For each galaxy, we examine its mid-infrared variability in the $W2$ $[4.6\mu m]$ band over thirteen years using data from the Wide Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) All-Sky and Near Earth Objects WISE (NEOWISE) missions. We demonstrate that we can detect variability signatures as small as about $7\%$ in the root-mean-square variation of $W2$ flux for the majority of cases. Using other AGN signatures of the variable galaxies, such as optical narrow lines, optical broad lines, and WISE $W1-W2$ colors, we show that $\sim 75\%$ of the variables show these additional AGN signatures, indicating that the bulk of these cases are likely to be AGN. We also identify seven galaxies that have light-curves characteristic of tidal disruption events. We present here a publicly available catalog of the light-curve variability in $W2$ of these galaxies.

Due to high dynamic range and ease of use, continuous wave terahertz spectroscopy is an increasingly popular method for optical characterization of components used in cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. In this work, we describe an optical testbed that enables simultaneous measurements of transmission and reflection properties of various radiation absorbing dielectric materials, essential components in the reduction of undesired optical loading. To demonstrate the performance of the testbed, we have measured the reflection response of five absorbers commonly used for such applications: TKRAM, carbon- and iron-loaded Stycast, HR10, AN72, and an in-house 3D printed absorber across a frequency range of 100 to 500 GHz, for both S- and P-polarization, with incident angles varying from 15 to 45 degrees. We present results on both the specular and scattered reflection response of these absorbers.

In this work, we perform a cosmological-model-independent test on the cosmic distance duality relation (CDDR) by comparing the angular diameter distance (ADD) obtained from the compact radio quasars (QSOs) with the luminosity distance (LD) from the Pantheon Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) sample. The binning method and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) are employed to match ADD data with LD data at the same redshift, and three different parameterizations are adopted to quantify the possible deviations from the CDDR. We initially investigate the impacts of the specific prior values for the absolute magnitude $M_{\rm B}$ from SNIa and the linear size scaling factor $l$ from QSOs on the CDDR test, demonstrating that these prior values introduce significant biases in the CDDR test. To avoid the biases, we propose a method independent of $M_{\rm B}$ and $l$ to test CDDR, which treats the fiducial value of a new variable $\kappa\equiv10^{M_{\rm B} \over 5}\,l$ as a nuisance parameter and then marginalize its impact with a flat prior in the statistical analysis. We demonstrate that the parametric method for testing CDDR can not only be used to reduce the computational complexity associated with numerical integration but also be independent of cosmological models. The results indicate that the CDDR is consistent with the observational data, and QSOs can serve as a powerful tool for testing the CDDR.

We study the evidence for dark energy (DE) evolution at low redshift, using baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs) from the DESI Early Data Release, Pantheon+ Type Ia supernovae (SNe-Ia), and redshift space distortions (RSDs) to constrain cosmological parameters. Furthermore, we make use of the angular acoustic scale to analyse the effect of introducing condensed CMB information on the cosmological parameters informing DE evolution. The analysis is divided into cases based on the variability of priors inferred from early-time physics. Using a quadratic parametrisation, $X(z)$, for DE density, we find evidence for DE evolution in all cases, both with and without the angular acoustic scale. We reconstruct $X(z)$ using best fit parameters and find that DE density starts to exhibit dynamical behaviour at $z \sim 0.5 $, assuming negative values beyond $z\sim 1.5$. The data show no significant preference for $X(z)$CDM over a $\Lambda$CDM, with both models performing equally well according to our chosen metrics of reduced $\chi^2$ and the Durbin-Watson statistic.

We present a comprehensive study of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs), leveraging data from the IRAS Faint Source Catalogue (FSC) and the spectroscopic catalog in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR16. Our meticulous cross-matching technique significantly enhances the reliability of ULIRG identification, resulting in the identification of 283 reliable ULIRGs, including 102 new detections, while discarding 120 previously reported false sources. Covering a redshift range of $z = 0.018 - 0.996$, with a median redshift of $\bar{z} = 0.259$, our uniform sample reveals apparent interaction features in approximately 40\% of ULIRGs, increasing to 92\% for those with $z < 0.1$. Through optical spectra analysis, it is indicated that over 58\% of ULIRGs host an AGN, which is twice as high as the detections based solely on infrared colors. Moreover, a pronounced excess of radio emissions associated with AGN activity results in a steeper radio-far-infrared correlation. Notably, Type I ULIRGs exhibit properties similar to those of narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s), with an elevated incidence rate of \ion{Mg}{2} BALs (16.7\%), surpassing that of typical optically selected quasars by over tenfold, consistent with current evolutionary models. We anticipate that forthcoming telescopes such as the China Space Station Telescope (CSST) and Leighton Chajnantor Telescope (LCT) will provide deeper insights into ULIRG morphology, dust distribution, molecular gas, and AGN activity.

Observation datasets acquired by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) on the Subaru Telescope for NASA's New Horizons mission target search were analyzed through a method devised by JAXA. The method makes use of Field Programmable Gate arrays and was originally used to detect fast-moving objects such as space debris or near-Earth asteroids. Here we present an application of the method to detect slow-moving Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) in the New Horizons target search observations. A cadence that takes continuous images of one HSC field of view for half a night fits the method well. The observations for the New Horizons Kuiper Belt Extended Mission (NH/KEM) using HSC began in May 2020, and are ongoing. Here we show our result of the analysis of the dataset acquired from May 2020 through June 2021 that have already passed the proprietary period and are open to the public. We detected 84 KBO candidates in the June 2020 and June 2021 datasets, when the observation field was close to opposition.

The growing tensions between the early Universe and the late Universe increasingly highlight the importance of developing precise probes for late cosmology. As significant late-Universe probes, Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and gravitational waves (GWs) can provide measurements of relative and absolute distances, respectively. Their complementary nature is likely to break the degeneracies among cosmological parameters, thereby yielding more precise constraints. In this study, we use 43 gravitational-wave sources from the Third LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) and 1590 SNe Ia from Pantheon+ compilation to constrain the dark energy models, as an attempt to achieve precise late-Universe cosmological constraints. For the dark siren GW event, we estimate the corresponding redshift using the binary black hole redshift distribution model. The combination of GW and SNe Ia data could provide the precision on the Hubble constant (H0) and the present matter density (Omega_m) of approximately 20% and 8% for the LambdaCDM model. If we consider the equation of state of dark energy (w), the combination sample constrains the precision of w to approximately 30%. Although the combination of GW and SNe Ia observations effectively breaks degeneracies among various cosmological parameters, yielding more stringent constraints, the precision of these constraints still does not meet the stringent standards required by precision cosmology. However, it is reasonable to anticipate that, in the near future, the joint observations of GWs and SNe Ia will become a powerful tool, particularly in the late Universe, for the precise measurement of cosmological parameters.

Aims. Numerous planetary nebulae show complicated inner structures not obviously explained. For one such object we undertake a detailed 3D photoionization and kinematical model analysis for a better understanding of the underlying shaping processes. Methods. We obtained 2D ARGUS/IFU spectroscopy covering the whole nebula in selected, representative emission lines. A 3D photoionization modelling was used to compute images and line profiles. Comparison of the observations with the models was used to fine-tune the model details. This predicts the approximate nebular 3D structure and kinematics. Results. We found that within a cylindrical outer nebula there is a hidden, very dense, bar-like or cylindrical inner structure. Both features are co-axial and are inclined to the sky by 40 deg. A wide asymmetric one-sided plume attached to one end of the bar is proposed to be a flat structure. All nebular components share the same kinematics, with an isotropic velocity field which monotonically increases with distance from the star before reaching a plateau. The relatively low velocities indicate that the observed shapes do not require particularly energetic processes and there is no indication for the current presence of a jet. The 3D model reproduces the observed line ratios and the detailed structure of the object significantly better than previous models.

The hot inner flow in black-hole X-ray binaries is not just a static corona rotating around the black hole, but it must be partially outflowing. We have developed a model, in which Comptonization takes place in this outflowing corona. We are able to reproduce quantitatively five observed correlations: a) the time lag as a function of Fourier frequency, b) the time lag as a function of photon energy, c) the time lag as a function of $\Gamma$, d) the time lag as a function of the cut-off energy in the spectrum, and e) the long-standing radio - X-ray correlation. All of them with only two parameters (optical depth and width of the outflow), which vary in the same ranges for all the correlations. Our model does not require a compact, narrow relativistic jet, although its presence does not affect the results. The essential ingredient of our model is the parabolic shape of the Comptonizing corona. The outflow speed also plays a minor role. Furthermore, the bottom of the outflow, in the hard state, looks like a ``slab'' to the incoming soft photons from the disk, and this can explain the observed X-ray polarization, which is along the outflow.

The northwest side of the disk of M31 is known to be the near side because of the differential reddening of globular clusters found from their photographic photometry. This paper reports a simple geometric model to evaluate the visibility of the effect and its application to published CCD photometry on globular cluster systems of three spiral galaxies, M31, M33, and NGC253. The color difference of globular cluster systems due to differential reddening was confirmed for M31 and NGC253; however, the data for M33 were insufficient. The analysis reaffirms the currently adopted interpretation that the side on the minor axis of the galactic disk, where more conspicuous dust features and interstellar reddening are visible, is the nearer side to us and provides an additional basis for using spiral galaxies with identified spiral windings, S-wise or Z-wise, to study the large-scale spin distribution of galaxies in the universe.

Stellar spectra emulators often rely on large grids and tend to reach a plateau in emulation accuracy, leading to significant systematic errors when inferring stellar properties. Our study explores the use of Transformer models to capture long-range information in spectra, comparing their performance to The Payne emulator (a fully connected multilayer perceptron), an expanded version of The Payne, and a convolutional-based emulator. We tested these models on synthetic spectra grids, evaluating their performance by analyzing emulation residuals and assessing the quality of spectral parameter inference. The newly introduced TransformerPayne emulator outperformed all other tested models, achieving a mean absolute error (MAE) of approximately 0.15% when trained on the full grid. The most significant improvements were observed in grids containing between 1000 and 10,000 spectra, with TransformerPayne showing 2 to 5 times better performance than the scaled-up version of The Payne. Additionally, TransformerPayne demonstrated superior fine-tuning capabilities, allowing for pretraining on one spectral model grid before transferring to another. This fine-tuning approach enabled up to a tenfold reduction in training grid size compared to models trained from scratch. Analysis of TransformerPayne's attention maps revealed that they encode interpretable features common across many spectral lines of chosen elements. While scaling up The Payne to a larger network reduced its MAE from 1.2% to 0.3% when trained on the full dataset, TransformerPayne consistently achieved the lowest MAE across all tests. The inductive biases of the TransformerPayne emulator enhance accuracy, data efficiency, and interpretability for spectral emulation compared to existing methods.

Studies of Galactic HII regions are of crucial importance for studying star formation and the evolution of the interstellar medium. Gaining an insight into their physical characteristics contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of these phenomena. The GLOSTAR project aims to provide a GLObal view on STAR formation in the Milky Way by performing an unbiased and sensitive survey. This is achieved by using the extremely wideband (4{-}8 GHz) C-band receiver of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and the Effelsberg 100 m telescope. Using radio recombination lines observed in the GLOSTAR survey with the VLA in D-configuration with a typical line sensitivity of 1{\sigma} {\sim} 3.0 mJy beam{^-1} at {\sim} 5 km s{^-1} and an angular resolution of 25", we cataloged 244 individual Galactic HII regions and derived their physical properties. We examined the mid-infrared (MIR) morphology of these HII regions and find that a significant portion of them exhibit a bubble-like morphology in the GLIMPSE 8 {\mu}m emission. We also searched for associations with the dust continuum and sources of methanol maser emission, other tracers of young stellar objects, and find that 48\% and 14\% of our HII regions, respectively, are coextensive with those. We measured the electron temperature for a large sample of HII regions within Galactocentric distances spanning from 1.6 to 13.1 kpc and derived the Galactic electron temperature gradient as {\sim} 372 {\pm} 28 K kpc{^-1} with an intercept of 4248 {\pm} 161 K, which is consistent with previous studies.

We explore the elemental abundances in Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) compared with those of their stellar progenitors (Red Giant Branch and Asymptotic Giant Branch, RGB and AGB, stars), to explore and quantify the expected -- i.e., due to AGB evolution or condensation onto grains -- differences. We gleaned the current literature for the nebular abundances while we used the APOGEE DR~17 survey data for the stellar sample. We examined the elements in common between the nebular and stellar samples, namely, C, N, O, Fe, and S. We confirm that iron in PNe is mostly entrapped in grains, with an average depletion $<$D[Fe/H]$>$=1.741$\pm$0.486 dex, and we disclose a weak correlation between iron depletion and the [O/H] abundance, D[Fe/H]$=(6.6003\pm2.443)\times{\rm [O/H]} +(1.972\pm0.199)$. Sulfur may also be mildly depleted in PNe, with $<$D[S/H]$>=0.179\pm0.291$ dex. We also found an indication of nitrogen enrichment for PNe $<$E[N/H]$>$=0.393$\pm$0.421 dex, with maximum enrichment (0.980$\pm$0.243) occurring for the PNe whose progenitors have gone through the HBB. The carbon enrichment is $<$E[C/H]$>$=0.332$\pm$0.460 dex when measured for the general PN populations. Our results will be relevant for future Galactic and extragalactic studies comparing nebular and stellar samples.

The recurrent and symbiotic nova RS Ophiuchi (RSOph) underwent a new outburst phase during August 2021, about 15 years after the last event occurred in 2006. This represents the first nova event ever detected at very-high energies (VHE, E>100\,GeV), and a whole set of coordinated multi-wavelength observations were triggered. The main goals of this work are to characterize the evolving morphology of the expanding bipolar ejecta with high accuracy and determine the physical conditions of the surrounding medium in which they propagate. By means of high-resolution very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) radio observations, we monitored RSOph with the European VLBI Network (EVN) and e-MERLIN at 1.6 and 5\,GHz during multiple epochs from 14 to 65 days after the explosion. We reveal an evolving source structure, consisting of a central and compact core and two elongated bipolar outflows, expanding on opposite sides from the core in east-west direction. The ejecta angular separation with time is consistent with a linear expansion with an average speed of $\sim7000$ km s$^{-1}$. We find clear evidence of a radial dependence of the density along the density enhancement on the orbital plane (DEOP), going from 1.1$\times$10$^7$ ~cm$^{-3}$ close to the central binary to 3.8$\times$10$^5$~cm$^{-3}$ at $\sim175$~AU. Thanks to the accurate source astrometric position provided by Gaia DR3, in this work we draw a detailed scenario of the geometry and physics of the RSOph evolving source structure after the most recent nova event. We conclude that most of the mass lost by the red giant companion goes in the DEOP, for which we estimate a total mass of $4.3 \times 10^{-6} ~\mathrm{M_\odot}$, and in the circumstellar region, while only a small fraction (about one-tenth) is accreted by the white dwarf.

We present new $P -\phi_{31}-{\rm [Fe/H]}$ and $P -\phi_{31}- A_2 - {\rm [Fe/H]}$ relations for fundamental-mode (RRab) and first-overtone mode (RRc) RR Lyrae stars (RRLs), respectively. The relations were calibrated based on pulsation periods and Fourier parameters of the RRL light curves in the Gaia $G$-band published in the Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3), and accurate spectroscopically measured metallicities available in the literature. We apply the feature selection algorithm to identify the most relevant parameters for the determination of metallicity. To fit the relations, we used the Bayesian approach, which allowed us to carefully take into account uncertainties in various parameters and the intrinsic scatter of the relations. The root mean squared errors of the predicted metallicity values in the training samples are 0.28 dex and 0.21 dex for RRab and RRc stars, respectively, comparable with the typical uncertainty of low/intermediate resolution spectroscopic metallicity measurements. We applied the new relations to measure individual metallicities and distances to $\sim$ 134,000 RRLs from the Gaia DR3 catalogue, as well as mean metallicities and distances to 38 Milky Way globular clusters. We also estimate the mean metallicity and distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC): ${\rm [Fe/H]_{LMC} = -1.63\pm0.36}$ and $\mu_{\rm LMC}=18.55\pm0.18$~mag, ${\rm [Fe/H]_{SMC}=-1.86\pm0.36}$~dex and $\mu_{\rm SMC}=19.01\pm 0.17$~mag, respectively, in excellent agreement with previous measurements.

This study introduces a data-driven approach using machine learning (ML) techniques to explore and predict albedo anomalies on the Moon's surface. The research leverages diverse planetary datasets, including high-spatial-resolution albedo maps and element maps (LPFe, LPK, LPTh, LPTi) derived from laser and gamma-ray measurements. The primary objective is to identify relationships between chemical elements and albedo, thereby expanding our understanding of planetary surfaces and offering predictive capabilities for areas with incomplete datasets. To bridge the gap in resolution between the albedo and element maps, we employ Gaussian blurring techniques, including an innovative adaptive Gaussian blur. Our methodology culminates in the deployment of an Extreme Gradient Boosting Regression Model, optimized to predict full albedo based on elemental composition. Furthermore, we present an interactive analytical tool to visualize prediction errors, delineating their spatial and chemical characteristics. The findings not only pave the way for a more comprehensive understanding of the Moon's surface but also provide a framework for similar studies on other celestial bodies.

Planetary surface habitability has so far been, in the main, considered in its entirety. The increasing popularity of 3D modelling studies of (exo)planetary climate has highlighted the need for a new measure of surface habitability. Combining the observed thermal limits of modern Earth-based life with surface water fluxes, we introduce such a measure which can be calculated from the climatological outputs from general circulation model simulations. In particular, we pay attention to not only the thermal bounds of macroscopic complex life, but additionally the limits of microbial and extremophilic life which have been vital to the generation of Earth's own biosignatures. This new metric is validated on Earth, using ERA5 reanalysis data to predict the distribution of surface habitability which is compared to the observed habitability generated from satellite-derived data of photosynthetic life. The validation against observed habitability is additionally repeated for a selection of other defined metrics of surface habitability, allowing for the first time a comparison of metric performance with respect to Earth-based surface life, finding that future climatologically-based metric definitions should include both conditions for temperature and water/nutrient availability.

Cosmic rays are charged particles that are accelerated to relativistic speeds by astrophysical shocks. Numerical models have been successful in confirming the acceleration process for (quasi-)parallel shocks, which have the magnetic field aligned with the direction of the shock motion. However, the process is less clear when it comes to (quasi-)perpendicular shocks, where the field makes a large angle with the shock-normal. For such shocks, the angle between the magnetic field and flow ensures that only highly energetic particles can travel upstream at all, reducing the upstream current. This process is further inhibited for relativistic shocks, since the shock can become superluminal when the required particle velocity exceeds the speed of light, effectively inhibiting any upstream particle flow. In order to determine whether such shocks can accelerate particles, we use the particle-in-cell (PIC) method to determine what fraction of particles gets reflected initially at the shock. We then use this as input for a new simulation that combines the PIC method with grid-based magnetohydrodynamics to follow the acceleration (if any) of the particles over a larger time-period in a two-dimensional grid. We find that quasi-perpendicular, relativistic shocks are capable of accelerating particles through the DSA process, provided that the shock has a sufficiently high Alfvenic Mach number.

The tilt-to-length coupling during the LISA Pathfinder mission has been numerically and analytically modeled for particular timespans. In this work, we investigate the long-term stability of the coupling coefficients of this noise. We show that they drifted slowly (by 1\,$\mu$m/rad and 6$\times10^{-6}$ in 100 days) and strongly correlated to temperature changes within the satellite (8\,$\mu$m/rad/K and 30$\times10^{-6}$/K). Based on analytical TTL coupling models, we attribute the temperature-driven coupling changes to rotations of the test masses and small distortions in the optical setup. Particularly, we show that LISA Pathfinder's optical baseplate was bent during the cooldown experiment, which started in late 2016 and lasted several months.

Studying the interiors of the outer planets is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of our planetary system, and provides key knowledge on the origin of the solar system, the behavior of materials at extreme conditions, the relation between the planetary interior and atmosphere, and exoplanet characterization. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the interiors and atmospheres of the giant planets in the solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. We describe the principles of interior structure and evolution models and discuss the link between the planetary atmospheres and deep interiors. We summarize the current understanding of the bulk compositions and internal structures of the outer planets and the remaining future challenges.

Soft gamma-ray emission (100 keV -- 10 MeV) has previously been detected in the hard state of several microquasars. In some sources, this emission was found to be highly polarized and was suggested to be emitted at the base of the jet. Until now, no $\gamma$-ray polarization had been found in any other state. Using INTEGRAL/IBIS, we studied the soft gamma-ray spectral and polarization properties of Swift J1727.8-1613 throughout its outburst. We detect a highly polarized spectral component in both the hard intermediate state and the early stages of the soft intermediate state above 210 keV. In the hard intermediate state, the polarization angle significantly deviates from the compact jet angle projected onto the sky, whereas in the soft intermediate they are closely aligned. This constitutes the first detection of jet-aligned polarization in the soft gamma-ray for a microquasar. We attribute this polarized spectral component to synchrotron emission from the jet, which indicates that some of the jet might persist into the softer states.

Galactic stellar haloes are largely composed of the remnants of galaxies accreted during the assembly of their host galaxies, and hence their properties reflect the mass spectrum and post-accretion evolution of their satellites. As the nature of dark matter (DM) can affect both, we explore how the properties of the accreted stellar component vary across cold (CDM), warm (WDM) and self-interacting (SIDM) models. We do this by studying accreted stellar populations around eight MW-mass haloes using cosmological hydrodynamical simulations based on the EAGLE galaxy formation model, in which we find that the accreted stellar mass remains similar across models. Contrary to WDM, which only presents minor differences relative to CDM, the distribution of accreted stars in SIDM changes significantly within $0.05R_{200}$ ($10\,\mathrm{kpc}$). The central density reduces to $\langle \rho^{\mathrm{SIDM}}_{\mathrm{exsitu}} / \rho^{\mathrm{CDM}}_{\mathrm{exsitu}} \rangle = 0.3$ and has a shallower radial dependence, with logarithmic density slopes of $\langle \alpha_{\mathrm{SIDM}} \rangle = -1.4$ vs $\langle \alpha_{\mathrm{CDM}} \rangle = -1.7$. Additionally, stars are on more tangential orbits than their CDM counterparts, with a change in the velocity anisotropy of $\langle \Delta \beta \rangle = - 0.2$. Finally, SIDM stellar haloes have the largest number and prominence of overdensities in radius vs radial velocity space. This is due to a combination of shorter stellar halo progenitor merging timescales and shallower host potentials, with the former resulting in less time for dynamical friction and radialisation to operate. In summary, we show that the phase-space structure of Galactic stellar haloes encode key information that can be used to distinguish and rule out different DM models.

We report the detection of Lyman-continuum (LyC) photons from a massive interacting system at $z=1.097$ in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The LyC detection is made in the far-ultraviolet F154W band of the UVIT telescope onboard AstroSat. Both JWST and HST imaging of the system reveal signs that it is a likely merger. In particular, high-resolution imaging in the JWST bands reveals an infrared luminous object within the system that is faint in the bluer HST bands. The ionized-gas kinematics from the MUSE-UDF data supports the merger hypothesis. We estimate that the entire system is leaking more than $8 \%$ of its ionizing photons to the intergalactic medium. The SED-derived stellar masses of the two components indicate that this is a major merger with a mass ratio of ${1.13 \pm 0.37}$. This detection hints at the potential contribution of massive interacting systems at higher redshifts, when major mergers were more frequent, to the ionizing budget of the universe.

We aim to unveil the structure of the continuum and broad-emission line (BEL) emitting regions in the gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS J1339+1310 by examining the distinct signatures of microlensing present in this system. Our study involves a comprehensive analysis of ten years (2009-2019) of photometric monitoring data and seven spectroscopic observations acquired between 2007 and 2017. This work focuses on the pronounced deformations in the BEL profiles between images A and B, alongside the chromatic changes in their adjacent continua and the striking microlensing variability observed in the $r$-band light curves. We employed a statistical model to quantify the distribution and impact of microlensing magnifications and utilized a Bayesian approach to estimate the dimensions of various emission regions within the quasar. The analysis of the $r$-band light curves reveals substantial microlensing variability in the rest-frame UV continuum, suggesting that image B is amplified relative to image A by a factor of up to six. This finding is corroborated by pronounced microlensing-induced distortions in all studied BEL profiles (Ly$\alpha$, Si IV, C IV, C III], and Mg II), especially a prominent magnification of image B's red wing. We estimated the average dimensions of the BLR to be notably smaller than usual: the region emitting the blue wings measures $R_{1/2} = 11.5 \pm 1.7$ light-days, while the red wings originate from a more compact area of $R_{1/2} = 2.9\pm0.6$ light-days. From the photometric monitoring data, we inferred that the region emitting the $r$-band is $R_{1/2} = 2.2\pm0.3$ light-days across. Furthermore, by assessing the gravitational redshift of the UV Fe III blend and combining it with the blend's microlensing-based size estimate, we calculated the central SMBH's mass to be $M_{BH} \sim2 \times 10^8 M_\odot$.

The precise reconstruction of Compton-scatter events is paramount for an imaging medium-energy gamma-ray telescope. The proposed AMEGO-X is enabled by a silicon tracker utilizing AstroPix chips - a pixelated silicon HVCMOS sensor novel for space use. To achieve science goals, each 500 x 500 $\mu$m$^2$ pixel must be sensitive for energy deposits ranging from 25 - 700 keV with an energy resolution of 5 keV at 122 keV (< 10%). This is achieved through depletion of the 500 $\mu$m thick sensor, although complete depletion poses an engineering and design challenge. This work will summarize the current status of depletion measurements highlighting direct measurement with TCT laser scanning and the agreement with simulation. Future plans for further testing will also be identified.

We conducted an investigation on the chemical abundances of 4,316 stars in the red giant branch (RGB) phase from the recently released APO-K2 catalogue. Our aim was to characterize the abundance trends of the single elements with [$\alpha$/Fe], mainly focusing on C, N, and O, which are the most relevant for the estimation of stellar ages. The chemical analysis of the RGB sample involved cross-matching data from the APO-K2 catalogue with individual element abundances from APOGEE DR17. The analysis detected a statistically significant difference in the [(C+N+O)/Fe] - [$\alpha$/Fe] trend with respect to the simple $\alpha$-enhancement scenario. This difference remained robust across different choices for the reference solar mixture and potential zero-point calibrations of C and N abundances. The primary discrepancy was a steeper increase in [O/Fe] with [$\alpha$/Fe], reaching a 0.1 dex difference at [$\alpha$/Fe] = 0.3. Notably, the impact on the evolutionary timescale of such oxygen over-abundance with respect to the commonly adopted uniform $\alpha$-enhancement is rather limited. We verified that stellar models computed using an ad hoc O-rich mixture sped up the evolution by only 1% at [$\alpha$/Fe] = 0.3, due to the counterbalancing effects of O enrichment on both the evolutionary timescale and the Z-to-[Fe/H] relationship.

We present the first prediction for the mass distribution function of Galactic free-floating planets (FFPs) that aims to accurately include the relative contributions of multiple formation pathways and stellar populations. We derive our predicted distribution from dedicated simulations of planet birth, growth, migration, and ejection around circumbinary systems and extend these results to also include the contributions from single and wide binary systems. Our resulting FFP mass distribution shows several distinct features, including a strong peak at $\sim 8 M_{\oplus}$ arising from the transition between pebble and gas accretion regimes and a trough at $\sim 1 M_{\oplus}$ due to the shift in the dominant ejection process from planet-planet scattering to ejection through interactions with stars in circumbinary systems. We find that interactions with the central binary in close circumbinary systems are likely the dominant progenitor for FFPs more massive than Earth, leading to a steep power-law dependence in mass that agrees well with existing observations. In contrast, we find planet-planet scattering events in single and wide binary systems likely produce the majority of planets at Mars mass and below, resulting in a shallower power-law dependence. Our results suggest that existing extrapolations into the sub-terrestrial mass range may significantly overestimate the true FFP abundance. The features we predict in the mass distribution of FFPs will be detectable by upcoming space-based microlensing surveys and, if observed, will provide key insight into the origins of FFPs and the environments in which they form.

Context. The dissipation process responsible for the long gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission and the kind of dynamics that drives the release of energy as a function of time are still key open issues. We recently found that the distribution of the number of peaks per GRB is described by a mixture of two exponentials, suggesting the existence of two behaviours that turn up as peak-rich and peak-poor time profiles. Aims. Our aims are to study the distribution of the number of peaks per GRB of the entire catalogue of about 3000 GRBs observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and to make a comparison with previous results obtained from other catalogues. Methods. We identified GRB peaks using the MEPSA code and modelled the resulting distribution following the same procedure that was adopted in the previous analogous investigation. Results. We confirm that only a mixture of two exponentials can model the distribution satisfactorily, with model parameters that fully agree with those found from previous analyses. In particular, we confirm that (21 +- 4)% of the observed GRBs are peak-rich (8 +- 1 peaks per GRB on average), while the remaining 80% are peak-poor (2.12 +- 0.10 peaks per GRB on average). Conclusions. We confirm the existence of two different components, peak-poor and peak-rich GRBs, that make up the observed GRB populations. Together with previous analogous results from other GRB catalogues, these results provide compelling evidence that GRB prompt emission is governed by two distinct regimes.

Based on a proposal to observe 18 bright radio sources from the SMS4 catalog with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (hereafter Swift), we obtained X-ray observations of 17 targets (one target was not observed). Following up our first paper that discussed 31 sources (see Maselli et al. 2022; 20 sources detected as point sources and one very extended source), we present results for this final sample of 17 radio sources, that previously lacked dedicated, pointed narrow FOV X-ray observations. One of these 17 sources, undetected by Swift due to a very short exposure, was instead detected by eROSITA, and given in the Data Release 1 (DR1) Catalog. No 1eRASS source was found in the DR1 for the remaining source, unobserved by Swift. The new Swift observations led to eleven X-ray source detections in the 0.3-10 keV band and six upper limits. We investigated the extent of the X-ray emission, the hardness ratio, and when statistics allowed we carried out a spectral analysis. The X-ray emission of eight sources is consistent with point-like emission, while three sources show clear evidence of extent, each with peculiar properties. We used the X-ray determined positions and uncertainties of the twelve detected sources to establish associations with infrared and optical sources from the AllWISE and the GSC 2.4.2 catalogs. Requiring a detection in both the infrared and the optical bands to establish a candidate counterpart for our X-ray detections, we identify counterparts for all twelve sources. We discuss the interesting structure of MRC B0344-345 and PKS B2148-555, two of the six extended X-ray sources that we detected in both our Swift campaigns, and suggest they are very promising for further X-ray and radio investigations. For the 38 SMS4 sources that lack pointed, narrow FOV X-ray telescope observations, after our Swift campaigns, we list 18 likely counterparts from the eROSITA DR1 catalog.

A thorough MCMC analysis of any inflationary model against the current cosmological data is essential for assessing the validity of such a model as a viable inflationary model. Warm Inflation, producing both thermal and quantum fluctuations, yield a complex form of scalar power spectrum, which, in general, cannot be directly written as a function of the comoving wavenumber $k$, an essential step to incorporate the primordial spectra into CAMB to do an MCMC analysis through CosmoMC/Cobaya. In this paper, we devised an efficient generalized methodology to mould the WI power spectra as a function of $k$, without the need of slow-roll approximation of the inflationary dynamics. The methodology is directly applicable to any Warm Inflation model, including the ones with complex forms of the dissipative coefficient and the inflaton potential.

Chemical compositions of planets reveal much about their formation environments. Such information is well sought-after in studies of Solar System bodies and extra-solar ones. Here, we investigate the composition of planetesimals in the beta Pic debris disk, by way of its secondary gas disk. We are stimulated by the recent JWST detection of an Ar II emission line, and aim to reproduce extensive measurements from the past four decades. Our photo-ionization model reveals that the gas has to be heavily enriched in C, N, O, and Ar (but not S and P), by a uniform factor of about 100 relative to other metals. Such an abundance pattern is both reminiscent of, and different from, that of Jupiter's atmosphere. The fact that Ar, the most volatile and therefore the hardest to capture into solids, is equally enriched as C/N/O suggests that the planetesimals were formed in a very cold region (T < 35K) with abundant water ice. In the debris disk phase, these volatile are preferentially outgassed from the dust grains, likely via photo-desorption. The debris grains must be 'dirty' aggregates of icy and refractory clusters. Lastly, the observed strength of the Ar II line can only be explained if the star beta Pic (a young A6V star) has sizable chromospheric and coronal emissions, on par with those from the modern Sun. In summary, observations of the beta Pic gas disk rewind the clock to reveal the formation environment of planetesimals.

As a massive star evolves along the main sequence, its core contracts, leaving behind a stable stratification in helium. We simulate 2D convection in the core at three different stages of evolution of a $5M_{\odot}$ star, with three different stratifications in helium atop the core. We study the propagation of internal gravity waves in the stably-stratified envelope, along with the overshooting length of convective plumes above the convective boundary. We find that the stratification in helium in evolved stars hinders radial motions and effectively shields the radiative envelope against plume penetration. This prevents convective overshooting from being an efficient mixing process in the radiative envelope. In addition, internal gravity waves are less excited in evolved models compared to the zero-age-main-sequence model, and are also more damped in the stratified region above the core. As a result, the wave power is several orders of magnitude lower in mid- and terminal-main-sequence models compared to zero-age-main-sequence stars.

High-frequency primordial gravitational waves (PGWs) with wave numbers larger than the Hubble parameter at the end of inflation are originated from the ultraviolet (UV) modes, which are never stretched out of the horizon. Such a UV tail of the PGW energy spectrum has a spurious logarithmic divergence. We study the origin of such a divergence, and find that it comes from the instantaneous inflation-to-post-inflation transition, which can be removed by considering a finite duration. For the first time, we obtain a semi-analytical expression for the PGW energy spectrum. We find that the UV tail decays exponentially, while the decay rate depends solely on the transition rate. When there is a stiff post-inflationary stage, the enhanced PGW displays a characteristic spectral shape of power-law increasing and exponential decaying. We propose a fitting formula which can be used for signal searching.

Among the thousands of exoplanets discovered to date, approximately a few hundred gas giants on short-period orbits are classified as "lonely" and only a few are in a multi-planet system with a smaller companion on a close orbit. The processes that formed multi-planet systems hosting gas giants on close orbits are poorly understood, and only a few examples of this kind of system have been observed and well characterised. Within the contest of multi-planet system hosting gas-giant on short orbits, we characterise TOI-1130 system by measuring masses and orbital parameters. This is a 2-transiting planet system with a Jupiter-like planet (c) on a 8.35 days orbit and a Neptune-like planet (b) on an inner (4.07 days) orbit. Both planets show strong anti-correlated transit timing variations (TTVs). Furthermore, radial velocity (RV) analysis showed an additional linear trend, a possible hint of a non-transiting candidate planet on a far outer orbit. Since 2019, extensive transit and radial velocity observations of the TOI-1130 have been acquired using TESS and various ground-based facilities. We present a new photo-dynamical analysis of all available transit and RV data, with the addition of new CHEOPS and ASTEP+ data that achieve the best precision to date on the planetary radii and masses and on the timings of each transit. We were able to model interior structure of planet b constraining the presence of a gaseous envelope of H/He, while it was not possible to assess the possible water content. Furthermore, we analysed the resonant state of the two transiting planets, and we found that they lie just outside the resonant region. This could be the result of the tidal evolution that the system underwent. We obtained both masses of the planets with a precision less than 1.5%, and radii with a precision of about 1% and 3% for planet b and c, respectively.

Recent findings from DESI BAO, combined with Planck CMB data, have set an upper limit on the total neutrino mass of $\sum m_\nu < 0.072 \, \text{eV}$ (95% confidence level). This rules out the minimum sum for the inverted hierarchy, and interestingly, the most likely value for the total neutrino mass is actually zero. Indeed, methods that rely on the background expansion of the Universe tend to suggest negative neutrino masses. In this work, we contribute to the quest for accurately constraining neutrino mass using cosmological probes. By conducting a full-shape analysis of data from BOSS, eBOSS, and synthetic power spectra, we discovered that constraints on neutrino mass can be significantly influenced by projection effects from the Bayesian marginalization process, rendering these constraints largely unreliable. Our results highlight the need for better techniques to accurately measure the neutrino mass. Based on the large-scale structure suppression, we identified a critical blind spot in the full-shape analysis. By splitting the galaxy power spectrum into broadband and wiggles, we noticed that information on neutrino mass is primarily extracted from the suppressed wiggles rather than broadband suppression. This opens the possibility of developing alternative methods based only on the wiggles of the power spectrum that can be more robust compared to those heavily reliant on background evolution.

A detailed and systematic investigation of polytropic gas effects in Parker's solar wind model and coronal-hole flows is given. We present a viable equation governing the acceleration of solar wind of a polytropic gas and give its analytical and numerical solution and deduce its asymptotic analytic properties (i) near the sun, (ii) far away from the sun, (iii) near the Parker sonic critical point (where the wind speed is equal to the speed of sound in the wind). We proceed to give a detailed and systematic investigation of coronal-hole polytropic gas outflows which contribute to bulk of the solar wind. We will model coronal-hole outflow by considering a single radial stream tube and use phenomenological considerations to represent its rapidly-diverging flow geometry. We give analytical and numerical solutions for this outflow and deduce its asymptotic analytic properties in the three flow regimes above. We find that, in general, the polytropic effects cause the Parker sonic critical point to move closer to the sun than that for the case with isothermal gas. Furthermore, the flow acceleration is found to exhibit (even for an infinitesimal deviation from isothermality of the gas) a power-law behavior rather than an exponential-law behavior near the sun or a logarithmic-law behavior far away from the sun, thus implying a certain robustness of the power-law behavior. The Parker sonic critical point is shown to continue to be of X-type, hence facilitating a smooth transition from subsonic to supersonic wind flow through the transonic regime. Our analytical and numerical solutions show that the super-radiality of the stream tube causes the Parker sonic critical point to move further down in the corona, and the gas to become more diabatic (the polytropic exponent $\gamma$ drops further below 5/3), and the flow acceleration to be enhanced.

Explosive transient events occur throughout the solar atmosphere. The differing manifestations range from coronal mass ejections to Ellermann bombs. The former may have negligible signatures in the lower atmosphere, and the latter may have negligible nonthermal emissions such as hard X-radiation. A solar flare generally involves a broad range of emission signatures. Using a suite of four space-borne telescopes, we report a solar event that combines aspects of simple UV bursts and hard X-ray emitting flares at the same time. The event is a compact C-class flare in active region AR11861, SOL2013-10-12T00:30. By fitting a combined isothermal and nonthermal model to the hard X-ray spectrum, we inferred plasma temperatures in excess of 15\,MK and a nonthermal power of about $3\times10^{27}$\,erg\,s$^{-1}$ in this event. Despite these high temperatures and evidence for nonthermal particles, the flare was mostly confined to the chromosphere. However, the event lacked clear signatures of UV spectral lines, such as the Fe\,{\sc xii} 1349\,Å and Fe\,{\sc xxi} 1354\,Å emission lines, which are characteristic of emission from hotter plasma with a temperature over 1\,MK. Moreover, the event exhibited very limited signatures in the extreme-UV wavelengths. Our study indicates that a UV burst -- hard X-ray flare hybrid phenomenon exists in the low solar atmosphere. Plasma that heats to high temperatures coupled with particle acceleration by magnetic energy that is released directly in the lower atmosphere sheds light on the nature of active region core heating and on inferences of flare signatures.

As the closest transiting hot Jupiter to Earth, HD 189733b has been the benchmark planet for atmospheric characterization. It has also been the anchor point for much of our theoretical understanding of exoplanet atmospheres from composition, chemistry, aerosols to atmospheric dynamics, escape, and modeling techniques. Prior studies of HD 189733b have detected carbon and oxygen-bearing molecules H2O and CO in the atmosphere. The presence of CO2 and CH4 has been claimed but later disputed. The inferred metallicity based on these measurements, a key parameter in tracing planet formation locations, varies from depletion to enhancement, hindered by limited wavelength coverage and precision of the observations. Here we report detections of H2O (13.4 sigma), CO2 (11.2 sigma), CO (5 sigma), and H2S (4.5 sigma) in the transmission spectrum (2.4-5 micron) of HD 189733b. With an equilibrium temperature of ~1200K, H2O, CO, and H2S are the main reservoirs for oxygen, carbon, and sulfur. Based on the measured abundances of these three major volatile elements, we infer an atmospheric metallicity of 3-5 times stellar. The upper limit on the methane abundance at 5 sigma is 0.1 ppm which indicates a low carbon-to-oxygen ratio (<0.2), suggesting formation through the accretion of water-rich icy planetesimals. The low oxygen-to-sulfur and carbon-to-sulfur ratios also support the planetesimal accretion formation pathway.

Hopes are being widely expressed that C/2023 A3 could become a naked-eye object about the time of its perihelion passage in late 2024. However, based on its past and current performance, the comet is expected to disintegrate before reaching perihelion. Independent lines of evidence point to its forthcoming inevitable collapse. The first issue, which was recently called attention to by I. Ferrin, is this Oort cloud comet's failure to brighten at a heliocentric distance exceeding 2 AU, about 160 days preperihelion, accompanied by a sharp drop in the production of dust (Af\rho). Apparent over a longer period of time, but largely ignored, has been the barycentric original semimajor axis inching toward negative numbers and the mean residual increasing after the light-curve anomaly, suggesting a fragmented nucleus whose motion is being affected a nongravitational acceleration; and an unusually narrow, teardrop dust tail with its peculiar orientation, implying copious emission of large grains far from the Sun but no microscopic material recently. This evidence suggests that the comet has entered an advanced phase of fragmentation, in which increasing numbers of dry, fractured refractory solids stay assembled in dark, porous blobs of exotic shape, becoming undetectable as they gradually disperse in space.