Papers for Friday, Nov 15 2024

We take up the investigation we had to put in the future-work stack at the end of \mbox{Sec. V B 2} of \ocite{dg2024pof}, in which we pointed out the obvious necessity to inquire about existence or absence of values of the characteristic numbers \itm{\alphay} and \itm{\betay} in correspondence to which the perfect-gas model's self gravitational effects, namely upper boundedness of the gravitational number, spiraling behavior of peripheral density, oscillating behavior of central density, and existence of multiple solutions corresponding to the same value of the gravitational number, appear also for the van der Waals' model. The development of our investigation brings to the conversion of our M$_{2}$ scheme based on a second-order differential equation into an equivalent system of two first-order differential equations that incorporates Milne's homology invariant variables. The converted scheme \fomt\ turns out to be much more efficacious than the M$_{2}$ scheme in terms of numerical calculations' easiness and richness of results. We use the perfect-gas model as benchmark to test the \fomt\ scheme; we re-derive familiar results and put them in a more general and rational perspective that paves the way to deal with the van der Waals' gas model. We introduce variable transformations that turn out to be the key to study (almost) analytically the monotonicity of the peripheral density with respect to variations of the gravitational number. ... The study brings to the proof that the gravitational number is not constrained by upper boundedness, the peripheral density does not spiral, and the central density does not oscillate for any couple of values assumed by the characteristic numbers \itm{\alphay} and \itm{\betay}; ...

The growth of ionized hydrogen bubbles in the intergalactic medium around early luminous objects is a fundamental process during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). In this study, we analyze bubble sizes and their evolution using the state-of-the-art THESAN radiation-hydrodynamics simulation suite, which self-consistently models radiation transport and realistic galaxy formation throughout a large (95.5 cMpc)^3 volume of the Universe. Analogous to the accretion and merger tree histories employed in galaxy formation simulations, we characterize the growth and merger rates of ionized bubbles by focusing on the spatially-resolved redshift of reionization. By tracing the chronological expansion of bubbles, we partition the simulation volume and construct a natural ionization history. We identify three distinct stages of ionized bubble growth: (1) initial slow expansion around the earliest ionizing sources seeding formation sites, (2) accelerated growth through percolation as bubbles begin to merge, and (3) rapid expansion dominated by the largest bubble. Notably, we find that the largest bubble emerges by z=9-10, well before the midpoint of reionization. This bubble becomes dominant during the second growth stage, and defines the third stage by rapidly expanding to eventually encompass the remainder of the simulation volume and becoming one of the few bubbles actively growing. Additionally, we observe a sharp decline in the number of bubbles with radii around ~10 cMpc compared to smaller sizes, indicating a characteristic scale in the final segmented bubble size distribution. Overall, these chronologically sequenced spatial reconstructions offer crucial insights into the physical mechanisms driving ionized bubble growth during the EoR and provide a framework for interpreting the structure and evolution of reionization itself.

Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations provide valuable insights on galaxy evolution when coupled with observational data. Comparisons with real galaxies are typically performed via scaling relations of model fitting. Here we follow an alternative approach based on the spectral variance in a model-independent way. We build upon the work presented in Sharbaf et al. (2023) that studied the covariance of high quality SDSS continuum-subtracted spectra in a relatively narrow range of velocity dispersion (100-150 km/s). Here the same analysis is applied to synthetic data from the EAGLE and Illustris TNG100 simulations, to assess the ability of these runs to mimic real galaxies. The real and simulated spectra are consistent regarding spectral variance, although with subtle differences that can inform the implementation of subgrid physics. Spectral fitting done a posteriori on stacks segregated with respect to latent space reveals that the first principal component (PC1) is predominantly influenced by the stellar age distribution, with an underlying age-metallicity degeneracy. Good agreement is found regarding star formation prescriptions but there is disagreement with AGN feedback, that also affects the subset of quiescent galaxies. We show a substantial difference in the implementation of the AGN subgrid, regarding central black hole seeding, that could lead to the mismatch. Differences are manifest between these two simulations in the star formation histories stacked with respect to latent space. We emphasise that this methodology only relies on the spectral variance to assess whether simulations provide a true representation of galaxy formation.

With a growing number of facilities able to monitor the entire sky and produce light curves with a cadence of days, in recent years there has been an increased rate of detection of sources whose variability deviates from standard behavior, revealing a variety of exotic nuclear transients. The aim of the present study is to disentangle the nature of the transient AT 2021hdr, whose optical light curve used to be consistent with a classic Seyfert 1 nucleus, which was also confirmed by its optical spectrum and high-energy properties. From late 2021, AT 2021hdr started to present sudden brightening episodes in the form of oscillating peaks in the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) alert stream, and the same shape is observed in X-rays and UV from Swift data. The oscillations occur every about 60-90 days with amplitudes of around 0.2 mag in the g and r bands. Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations show no radio emission at milliarcseconds scale. It is argued that these findings are inconsistent with a standard tidal disruption event (TDE), a binary supermassive black hole (BSMBH), or a changing-look active galactic nucleus (AGN); neither does this object resemble previous observed AGN flares, and disk or jet instabilities are an unlikely scenario. Here, we propose that the behavior of AT 2021hdr might be due to the tidal disruption of a gas cloud by a BSMBH. In this scenario, we estimate that the putative binary has a separation of about 0.83 mpc and would merge in about 70000 years. This galaxy is located at 9 kpc from a companion galaxy, and in this work we report this merger for the first time. The oscillations are not related to the companion galaxy.

The precursors of Herbig stars are called Intermediate Mass T Tauri (IMTT) stars, which have spectral types later than F, but stellar masses between 1.5 and 5 M_\odot, and will eventually become Herbig stars with spectral types of A and B. ALMA Band 6 and 7 archival data are obtained for 34 IMTT disks with continuum observations, 32 of which have at least 12CO, 13CO, or C18O observations although most of them at quite shallow integrations. The disk integrated flux together with a stellar luminosity scaled disk temperature are used to obtain a total disk dust mass by assuming optically thin emission. Using thermochemical Dust And LInes (DALI) models from previous work, we additionally obtain gas masses of 10/35 of the IMTT disks based on the CO isotopologues. The IMTT disks in this study have the same dust mass and radius distributions as Herbig disks. The dust mass of the IMTT disks is higher compared to that of the T Tauri disks, as is also found for the Herbig disks. No differences in dust mass are found for group I versus group II disks, in contrast to Herbig disks. The disks for which a gas mass could be determined show similar high mass disks as for the Herbig disks. Comparing the disk dust and gas mass distributions to the mass distribution of exoplanets shows that there also is not enough dust mass in disks around intermediate mass stars to form the massive exoplanets. On the other hand there is more than enough gas to form the atmospheres of exoplanets. We conclude that the sampled IMTT disk population is almost indistinguishable compared to Herbig disks, as their disk masses are the same, even though these are younger objects. Based on this, we conclude that planet formation is already well on its way in these objects, and thus planet formation should start early on in the lifetime of Herbig disks.

The concentration-virial mass (c-M) relation is a fundamental scaling relation within the standard cold dark matter ($\Lambda$CDM) framework well established in numerical simulations. However, observational constraints of this relation are hampered by the difficulty of characterising the properties of dark matter haloes. Recent comparisons between simulations and observations have suggested a systematic difference of the c-M relation, with higher concentrations in the latter. In this work, we undertake detailed comparisons between simulated galaxies and observations of a sample of strong-lensing galaxies. We explore several factors of the comparison with strong gravitational lensing constraints, including the choice of the generic dark matter density profile, the effect of radial resolution, the reconstruction limits of observed versus simulated mass profiles, and the role of the initial mass function in the derivation of the dark matter parameters. Furthermore, we show the dependence of the c-M relation on reconstruction and model errors through a detailed comparison of real and simulated gravitational lensing systems. An effective reconciliation of simulated and observed c-M relations can be achieved if one considers less strict assumptions on the dark matter profile, for example, by changing the slope of a generic NFW profile or focusing on rather extreme combinations of stellar-to-dark matter distributions. A minor effect is inherent to the applied method: fits to the NFW profile on a less well-constrained inner mass profile yield slightly higher concentrations and lower virial masses.

How much cosmological information can we reliably extract from existing and upcoming large-scale structure observations? Many summary statistics fall short in describing the non-Gaussian nature of the late-time Universe in comparison to existing and upcoming measurements. In this article we demonstrate that we can identify optimal summary statistics and that we can link them with existing summary statistics. Using simulation based inference (SBI) with automatic data-compression, we learn summary statistics for galaxy catalogs in the context of cosmological parameter estimation. By construction these summary statistics do not require the ability to write down an explicit likelihood. We demonstrate that they can be used for efficient parameter inference. These summary statistics offer a new avenue for analyzing different simulation models for baryonic physics with respect to their relevance for the resulting cosmological features. The learned summary statistics are low-dimensional, feature the underlying simulation parameters, and are similar across different network architectures. To link our models, we identify the relevant scales associated to our summary statistics (e.g. in the range of modes between $k= 5 - 30 h/\mathrm{Mpc}$) and we are able to match the summary statistics to underlying simulation parameters across various simulation models.

The gas dynamics of galaxies provide critical insights into the evolution of both baryons and dark matter (DM) across cosmic time. In this context, galaxies at cosmic noon -- the period characterized by the most intense star formation and black hole activities -- are particularly significant. In this work, we present an analysis of the gas dynamics of PKS 0529-549: a galaxy at $z\simeq2.6$, hosting a radio-loud active galactic nucleus (AGN). We use new ALMA observations of the [CI] (2-1) line at a spatial resolution of 0.18$''$ ($\sim$1.5 kpc). We find that (1) the molecular gas forms a rotation-supported disk with $V_{\rm rot}/\sigma_{\rm v}=6\pm3$ and displays a flat rotation curve out to 3.3 kpc; (2) there are several non-circular components including a kinematically anomalous structure near the galaxy center, a gas tail to the South-West, and possibly a second weaker tail to the East; (3) dynamical estimates of gas and stellar masses from fitting the rotation curve are inconsistent with photometric estimates using standard gas conversion factors and stellar population models, respectively; these discrepancies may be due to systematic uncertainties in the photometric masses, in the dynamical masses, or in the case a more massive radio-loud AGN-host galaxy is hidden behind the gas-rich [CI] emitting starburst galaxy along the line of sight. Our work shows that in-depth investigations of 3D line cubes are crucial for revealing the complexity of gas dynamics in high-$z$ galaxies, in which regular rotation may coexist with non-circular motions and possibly tidal structures.

Disks around intermediate mass stars called Herbig disks are the formation sites of giant exoplanets. Obtaining a complete inventory of these disks will therefore give insights into giant planet formation. However, until now no complete disk survey has been done on Herbig disks in a single star-forming region. Orion is the only nearby region with a significant number of Herbig disks (N=35) to carry out such a survey. Using new NOEMA observations of 25 Herbig disks, in combination with ALMA archival data of 10 Herbig disks, results in a complete sample of all know Herbig disks in Orion. Using uv-plane analysis for the NOEMA observed disks, and literature values of the ALMA observed disks, we obtain the dust masses of all Herbig disks and obtain a cumulative dust mass distribution. Additionally, six disks with new CO isotopologues detections are presented, one of which is detected in C17O. We calculate the external ultraviolet (UV) irradiance on each disk and compare the dust mass to it. We find a median disk dust mass of 11.7 M_\oplus for the Herbig disks. Comparing the Herbig disks in Orion to previous surveys for mainly T Tauri disks in Orion, we find that while ~50% of the Herbig disks have a mass higher than 10 M_\oplus, this is at most 25% for the T~Tauri disks. This difference is especially striking when considering that the Herbig disks are around a factor of two older than the T Tauri disks. Comparing to the Herbig disks observed with ALMA from a previous study, no significant difference is found between the distributions. We find a steeper (slope of -7.6) relationship between the dust mass and external UV irradation compared to that of the T~Tauri disks (slope of -1.3). This work shows the importance of complete samples, giving rise to the need of a complete survey of the Herbig disk population.

In the last few decades planet search surveys have been focusing on solar type stars, and only recently the high-mass regimes. This is mostly due to challenges arising from the lack of instrumental precision, and more importantly, the inherent active nature of fast rotating massive stars. Here we report NGTS-33b (TOI-6442b), a super-Jupiter planet with mass, radius and orbital period of 3.6 $\pm$ 0.3 M$_{\rm jup}$, 1.64 $\pm$ 0.07 R$_{\rm jup}$ and $2.827972 \pm 0.000001$ days, respectively. The host is a fast rotating ($0.6654 \pm 0.0006$ day) and hot (T$_{\rm eff}$ = 7437 $\pm$ 72 K) A9V type star, with a mass and radius of 1.60 $\pm$ 0.11 M$_{\odot}$ and 1.47 $\pm$ 0.06 R$_{\odot}$, respectively. Planet structure and Gyrochronology models shows that NGTS-33 is also very young with age limits of 10-50 Myr. In addition, membership analysis points towards the star being part of the Vela OB2 association, which has an age of $\sim$ 20-35 Myr, thus providing further evidences about the young nature of NGTS-33. Its low bulk density of 0.19$\pm$0.03 g cm$^{-3}$ is 13$\%$ smaller than expected when compared to transiting hot Jupiters with similar masses. Such cannot be solely explained by its age, where an up to 15$\%$ inflated atmosphere is expected from planet structure models. Finally, we found that its emission spectroscopy metric is similar to JWST community targets, making the planet an interesting target for atmospheric follow-up. Therefore, NGTS-33b's discovery will not only add to the scarce population of young, massive and hot Jupiters, but will also help place further strong constraints on current formation and evolution models for such planetary systems.

The impact of the dynamical state of gas-rich satellite galaxies at the early moments of their infall into their host systems and the relation to their quenching process are not completely understood at the low-mass regime. Two such nearby systems are the infalling Milky Way (MW) dwarfs Leo~T and Phoenix located near the MW virial radius at $414 {\rm kpc}\,(1.4 R_{\rm vir})$, both of which present intriguing offsets between their gaseous and stellar distributions. Here we present hydrodynamic simulations with {\sc ramses} to reproduce the observed dynamics of Leo~T: its $80{\rm pc}$ stellar-HI offset and the 35{\rm pc} offset between its older ($\gtrsim 5{\rm Gyr}$) and younger ($\sim\!200\!-\!1000{\rm Myr}$) stellar population. We considered internal and environmental properties such as stellar winds, two HI components, cored and cuspy dark matter profiles, and different satellite orbits considering the MW circumgalactic medium. We find that the models that best match the observed morphology of the gas and stars include mild stellar winds that interact with the HI generating the observed offset, and dark matter profiles with extended cores. The latter allow long oscillations of the off-centred younger stellar component, due to long mixing timescales ($\gtrsim200 {\rm Myr}$), and the slow precession of near-closed orbits in the cored potentials; instead, cuspy and compact cored dark matter models result in the rapid mixing of the material ($\lesssim 200{\rm Myr}$). These models predict that non-equilibrium substructures, such as spatial and kinematic offsets, are likely to persist in cored low-mass dwarfs and to remain detectable on long timescales in systems with recent star formation.

We focus on a sample of 42 sources in the vicinity of the bow-shock source IRS 1W (N-sources), located at the distance of $6.05''$ north-east of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), within the radius of $1.35''$. We present the first proper motion measurements of N-sources and find that a larger subset of N-sources (28 sources) exhibit a north-westward flying angle. These sources can be bound by an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) or the concentration that we observe is due to a disk-like distribution projection along the line of sight. We detect the N-sources in $H$, $K_s$, and $L$' bands. The north-westward flying sources could be a bound collection of stars. We discuss a tentative existence of an IMBH or an inclined disk distribution to explain a significant overdensity of stars. The first scenario of having an IMBH implies the lower limit of $\sim 10^4~M_\odot$ for the putative IMBH. Our measurements for the first time reveal that the dense association of stars containing IRS 1W is a co-moving group of massive, young stars. This stellar association might be the remnant core of a massive stellar cluster that is currently being tidally stripped as it inspirals towards Sgr A*. The second scenario suggests that the appearance of the N-sources might be influenced by the projection of a disk-like distribution of younger He-stars and/or dust-enshrouded stars.

Dust polarization, which comes from the alignment of aspherical grains to magnetic fields, has been widely employed to study the interstellar medium (ISM) dust properties. The wavelength dependence of the degree of optical polarization, known as the Serkowski relation, was a key observational discovery that advanced grain modeling and alignment theories. However, it was recently shown that line-of-sight (LOS) variations in the structure of the ISM or the magnetic field morphology contaminate the constraints extracted from fits to the Serkowski relation. These cases can be identified by the wavelength-dependent variability in the polarization angles. We aim to investigate the extent to which we can constrain the intrinsic dust properties and alignment efficiency from dust polarization data, by accounting for LOS variations of the magnetic field morphology. We employed archival data to fit the Serkowski relation and constrain its free parameter. We explored potential imprints of LOS variations of the magnetic field morphology in these constraints. We found that these LOS integration effects contaminate the majority of the existing dataset, thus biasing the obtained Serkowski parameters by approximately 10%. The constancy of the polarization angles with wavelength does not necessarily guarantee the absence of 3D averaging effects. We examined the efficiency of dust grains in polarizing starlight, as probed by the ratio of the degree of polarization to dust reddening, E(B-V). We found that all measurements respect the limit established by polarized dust emission data. A suppression in polarization efficiencies occurs at E(B-V) close to 0.5 mag, which we attribute to projection effects and may be unrelated to the intrinsic alignment of dust grains.

We combine the power of blind integral field spectroscopy from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) with sources detected by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) to construct the HETDEX-LOFAR Spectroscopic Redshift Catalog. Starting from the first data release of the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS), including a value-added catalog with photometric redshifts, we extracted 28,705 HETDEX spectra. Using an automatic classifying algorithm, we assigned each object a star, galaxy, or quasar label along with a velocity/redshift, with supplemental classifications coming from the continuum and emission line catalogs of the internal, fourth data release from HETDEX (HDR4). We measured 9,087 new redshifts; in combination with the value-added catalog, our final spectroscopic redshift sample is 9,710 sources. This new catalog contains the highest substantial fraction of LOFAR galaxies with spectroscopic redshift information; it improves archival spectroscopic redshifts, and facilitates research to determine the [O II] emission properties of radio galaxies from $0.0 < z < 0.5$, and the Ly$\alpha$ emission characteristics of both radio galaxies and quasars from $1.9 < z < 3.5$. Additionally, by combining the unique properties of LOFAR and HETDEX, we are able to measure star formation rates (SFR) and stellar masses. Using the Visible Integral-field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS), we measure the emission lines of [O III], [Ne III], and [O II] and evaluate line-ratio diagnostics to determine whether the emission from these galaxies is dominated by AGN or star formation and fit a new SFR-L$_{150MHz}$ relationship.

Observations of the Milky Way and external galaxies support the idea that large-scale magnetic fields are concentrated in galactic disks, with halo magnetic fields at least an order of magnitude weaker. However, very little is known about the transition between the two. We present the discovery of linearly polarized radio emission at the interface between interacting shells of gas within a well-known grouping of high-velocity clouds (HVCs), the Anti-Center Shell. Faraday rotation of diffuse emission and of background extragalactic compact sources demonstrates an enhancement of the field at the interface. This is the clearest observed example of an HVC altering the large-scale magnetic field at the disk-halo interface and is the first image of magnetic field effects in an HVC. These results demonstrate the possibility of future three-dimensional reconstruction of the Galactic magnetic field and showcase the versatility of the Synthesis Telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory as one of the few existing telescopes which can exploit this new method of probing Galactic magnetism.

Context. A major challenge in astrophysics is classifying galaxies by their activity. Current methods often require multiple diagnostics to capture the full range of galactic activity. Furthermore, overlapping excitation sources with similar observational signatures complicate the analysis of a galaxy's activity. Aims. This study aims to create an activity diagnostic tool that overcomes the limitations of current emission line diagnostics by identifying the underlying excitation mechanisms in mixed-activity galaxies (e.g., star formation, active nucleus, or old stellar populations) and determining the dominant ones. Methods. We use the random forest machine-learning algorithm, trained on three main activity classes -star-forming, AGN, and passive- that represent key gas excitation mechanisms. This diagnostic employs four distinguishing features: the equivalent widths of [O iii] ${\lambda}$5007, [N ii] ${\lambda}$6584, H${\alpha}$, and the D4000 continuum break index. Results. The classifier achieves near-perfect performance, with an overall accuracy of ~ 99% and recall scores of ~ 100% for star-forming, ~ 98% for AGN, and ~ 99% for passive galaxies. These exceptional scores allow for confident decomposition of mixed activity classes into the primary gas excitation mechanisms, overcoming the limitations of current classification methods. Additionally, the classifier can be simplified to a two-dimensional diagnostic using the D4000 index and log$_{10}$(EW([O iii])$^{2}$) without significant loss of diagnostic power. Conclusions. We present a diagnostic for classifying galaxies by their primary gas excitation mechanisms and deconstructing the activity of mixed-activity galaxies into these components. This method covers the full range of galaxy activity. Aditionally, D4000 index serves as an indicator for resolving the degeneracy among various activity components.

As globular clusters (GCs) orbit the Milky Way, their stars are tidally stripped forming tidal tails that follow the orbit of the clusters around the Galaxy. The morphology of these tails is complex and shows correlations with the phase of the orbit and the orbital angular velocity, especially for GCs on eccentric orbits. Here, we focus on two GCs, NGC 1261 and NGC 1904, that have potentially been accreted alongside Gaia-Enceladus and that have shown signatures of having, in addition of tidal tails, structures formed by distributions of extra-tidal stars that are misaligned with the general direction of the clusters' respective orbits. To provide an explanation for the formation of these structures, we make use of spectroscopic measurements from the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey ($S^5$) as well as proper motion measurements from Gaia's third data release (DR3), and apply a Bayesian mixture modeling approach to isolate high-probability member stars. We recover extra-tidal features similar to those found in Shipp et al. (2018) surrounding each cluster. We conduct N-body simulations and compare the expected distribution and variation in the dynamical parameters along the orbit with those of our potential member sample. Furthermore, we use Dark Energy Camera (DECam) photometry to inspect the distribution of the member stars in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD). We find that the potential members agree reasonably with the N-body simulations and that the majority of them follow a simple stellar population-like distribution in the CMD which is characteristic of GCs. In the case of NGC 1904, we clearly detect the tidal debris escaping the inner and outer Lagrange points which are expected to be prominent when at or close to the apocenter of its orbit. Our analysis allows for further exploration of other GCs in the Milky Way that exhibit similar extra-tidal features.

The discovery of a second electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave event represents a critical goal in the field of multi-messenger astronomy. In order to determine the optimal strategy for achieving this goal, we perform comprehensive simulations comparing two potential paths forward: continuing the current LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) observing run, O4, versus temporarily shutting down the detectors for upgrades before beginning the next observing run, O5. Our simulations incorporate current O4 instrument sensitivities and duty cycles, as well as projected configurations for O5, while accounting for variables such as binary neutron star merger rates, system properties, viewing angles, dust extinction, and kilonova (KN) observables. Our results indicate that a KN discovery would occur $125^{+253}_{-125}$~days (middle 50\% interval) sooner in O5 compared to O4, suggesting that extending O4 would lead to faster discovery if the shutdown period between runs is $>$4~months. Moreover, for 88\% of our simulations, continuing O4 results in earlier KN discovery when compared to the expected two-year shutdown between O4 and O5. Given these findings and the critical importance of avoiding a $>$10 year gap between first and second electromagnetic counterpart discoveries, we suggest LVK consider extending O4 operations for as long as feasible prior to shutting down for critical upgrades.

Debris disks embrace the formation and evolution histories of planetary systems. Recent detections of gas in these disks have received considerable attention, as its origin ties up ongoing disk evolution and the present composition of planet-forming materials. Observations of the CO gas alone, however, cannot reliably differentiate between two leading, competing hypotheses: (1) the observed gas is the leftover of protoplanetary disk gas, and (2) the gas is the outcome of collisions between icy bodies. We propose that such differentiation may become possible by observing cold water vapor. Order-of-magnitude analyses and comparison with existing observations are performed. We show that different hypotheses lead to different masses of water vapor. This occurs because, for both hypotheses, the presence of cold water vapor is attributed to photodesorption from dust particles by attenuated interstellar UV radiation. Cold water vapor cannot be observed by current astronomical facilities as most of its emission lines fall in the far-IR (FIR) range. This work highlights the need for a future FIR space observatory to reveal the origin of gas in debris disks and the evolution of planet-forming disks in general.

AstroSage-Llama-3.1-8B is a domain-specialized natural-language AI assistant tailored for research in astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology. Trained on the complete collection of astronomy-related arXiv papers from 2007-2024 along with millions of synthetically-generated question-answer pairs and other astronomical literature, AstroSage-Llama-3.1-8B demonstrates remarkable proficiency on a wide range of questions. AstroSage-Llama-3.1-8B scores 80.9% on the AstroMLab-1 benchmark, greatly outperforming all models -- proprietary and open-weight -- in the 8-billion parameter class, and performing on par with GPT-4o. This achievement demonstrates the potential of domain specialization in AI, suggesting that focused training can yield capabilities exceeding those of much larger, general-purpose models. AstroSage-Llama-3.1-8B is freely available, enabling widespread access to advanced AI capabilities for astronomical education and research.

Quark stars are challenging to confirm or exclude observationally because they can have similar masses and radii as neutron stars. By performing the first calculation of the non-equilibrium equation of state of decompressed quark matter at finite temperature, we determine the properties of the ejecta from binary quark-star or quark star-black hole mergers. We account for all relevant physical processes during the ejecta evolution, including quark nugget evaporation and cooling, and weak interactions. We find that these merger ejecta can differ significantly from those in neutron star mergers, depending on the binding energy of quark matter. For relatively high binding energies, quark star mergers are unlikely to produce r-process elements and kilonova signals. We propose that future observations of binary mergers and kilonovae could impose stringent constraints on the binding energy of quark matter and the existence of quark stars.

The history of gas assembly in early galaxies is reflected in their complex kinematics. While a considerable fraction of galaxies at z~5 are consistent with rotating disks, current studies indicate that the dominant galaxy assembly mechanism corresponds to mergers. Despite the important progress, the dynamical classification of galaxies at these epochs is still limited by observations' resolution. We present a detailed morphological and kinematic analysis of the far-infrared bright main sequence galaxy HZ10 at z=5.65, making use of new high-resolution ($\lesssim0.3$") [CII] 158$\mu$m ALMA and rest-frame optical JWST/NIRSpec observations. These observations reveal a previously unresolved complex morphology and kinematics of the HZ10. We confirm that HZ10 is not a single galaxy but consists of at least three components in close projected separation along the east-to-west direction. We find a [CII] bright central component (C), separated by 1.5 and 4 kpc from the east (E) and west (W) components, respectively. Our [CII] observations resolve the HZ10-C component resulting in a velocity gradient, produced by either rotation or a close-in merger. We test the rotating disk possibility using DysmalPy kinematic modeling and propose three dynamical scenarios for the HZ10 system: (i) a double merger, in which the companion galaxy HZ10-W merges with the disturbed clumpy rotation disk formed by the HZ10-C and E components; (ii) a triple merger, where the companion galaxies, HZ10-W and HZ10-E, merge with the rotation disk HZ10-C; and (iii) a quadruple merger, in which the companion galaxies HZ10-W and HZ10-E merge with the close double merger HZ10-C. Comparing [CII] with JWST/NIRSpec data, we find that [CII] emission closely resembles the broad [OIII] 5007Å emission. The latter reflects the interacting nature of the system and suggests that ionized and neutral gas phases in HZ10 are well mixed.

Two notable anomalies in radio observations -- the excess radiation in the Rayleigh-Jeans tail of the cosmic microwave background, revealed by ARCADE2, and the twice-deeper absorption trough of the global 21cm line, identified by EDGES -- remain unresolved. These phenomena may have a shared origin, as the enhancement of the 21cm absorption trough could arise from excess heating. We investigate this scenario through the framework of axion-like particles (ALPs), showing that the resonant conversion of ALPs into photons can produce a photon abundance sufficient to resolve both anomalies simultaneously. Our model naturally explains the observed radio excess between 0.4 and 10GHz while also enhances the 21cm absorption feature at 78MHz. Furthermore, it predicts a novel power-law scaling of the radio spectrum above 0.5GHz and an additional absorption trough below 30MHz, which could be verified through cross-detection in upcoming experiments.

As part of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB) project, we report 41 new Rotation Measures (RMs) from 20 repeating Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) obtained between 2019 and 2023 for which no previous RM was determined. We also report 22 additional RM measurements for eight further repeating FRBs. We observe temporal RM variations in practically all repeating FRBs. Repeaters appear to be separated into two categories: those with dynamic and those with stable RM environments, differentiated by the ratios of RM standard deviations over the averaged RM magnitudes. Sources from stable RM environments likely have little RM contributions from the interstellar medium (ISM) of their host galaxies, whereas sources from dynamic RM environments share some similarities with Galactic pulsars in eclipsing binaries but appear distinct from Galactic centre solitary pulsars. We observe a new stochastic, secular, and again stochastic trend in the temporal RM variation of FRB 20180916B, which does not support binary orbit modulation being the reason for this RM changes. We highlight two more repeaters that show RM sign change, namely FRBs 20290929C and 20190303A. We perform an updated comparison of polarization properties between repeating and non-repeating FRBs, which show a marginal dichotomy in their distribution of electron-density-weighted parallel-component line-of-sight magnetic fields.

Fainter standard stars are essential for the calibration of larger telescopes. This work adds to the CALSPEC (calibration spectra) database 19 faint white dwarfs (WDs) with all-sky coverage and V magnitudes between 16.5 and 18.7. Included for these stars is new UV (ultraviolet) HST (Hubble Space Telescope) STIS (Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer) spectrophotometry between 1150 and 3000~Å with a resolution of $\sim$500. Pure hydrogen WD models are fit to these UV spectra and to six-band HST/WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3) photometry at 0.28 to 1.6~\micron\ to construct predicted model SEDs (spectral energy distributions) covering wavelengths from 900~Å to the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) limit of 30~\micron\ using well-established CALSPEC procedures for producing flux standards with the goal of 1\% accuracy.

The observed twice abrupt ${90}^{\circ}$ rotations of the polarization angle (PA) in the prompt phase of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are difficult to be understandable within the current one-emitting-shell models. Here, we apply a model with multiple emitting shells to solve this new challenging problem. Two configurations of large-scale ordered magnetic fields in the shells are considered: toroidal and aligned. Together with the light curves and the spectral peak-energy evolutions, the twice ${90}^{\circ}$ PA rotations in GRB 170114A and GRB 160821A could be well interpreted with the multi-shell aligned magnetic fields configuration. Our numerical calculations also show that the multiple shells with the toroidal magnetic field configuration could not explain the observed twice ${90}^{\circ}$ PA rotations. An aligned magnetic field configuration in the GRB outflow usually indicate to prefer a magnetar central engine, while a toroidal field configuration is typically related to a central black hole. Therefore, the magnetar central engines for the two GRBs are favored.

The formation of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the early Universe is a subject of significant debate. In this study, we examine whether non-evaporating primordial black holes (PBHs) can offer a solution. We establish initial constraints on the range of PBH masses that correspond to Hawking radiation (HR) effective temperatures in the range needed to avoid the fragmentation of primordial gas into smaller, stellar-mass black holes. We also investigate the specific intensity of the HR from non-evaporating PBHs and compare it with the critical radiation needed for direct collapse black holes (DCBHs). We show that HR from non-evaporating PBHs cannot serve as the heating mechanism to facilitate the formation of the seeds for the SMBHs we observe in the high-redshift Universe unless, perhaps, the PBHs within the relevant mass range comprise a significant fraction of dark matter and are significantly clustered towards the center of the primordial halo.

We carried out a project involving the systematic analysis of microlensing data from the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network survey. The aim of this project is to identify lensing events with complex anomaly features that are difficult to explain using standard binary-lens or binary-source models. Our investigation reveals that the light curves of microlensing events KMT-2021-BLG-0284, KMT-2022-BLG-2480, and KMT-2024-BLG-0412 display highly complex patterns with three or more anomaly features. These features cannot be adequately explained by a binary-lens (2L1S) model alone. However, the 2L1S model can effectively describe certain segments of the light curve. By incorporating an additional source into the modeling, we identified a comprehensive model that accounts for all the observed anomaly features. Bayesian analysis, based on constraints provided by lensing observables, indicates that the lenses of KMT-2021-BLG-0284 and KMT-2024-BLG-0412 are binary systems composed of M dwarfs. For KMT-2022-BLG-2480, the primary lens is an early K-type main-sequence star with an M dwarf companion. The lenses of KMT-2021-BLG-0284 and KMT-2024-BLG-0412 are likely located in the bulge, whereas the lens of KMT-2022-BLG-2480 is more likely situated in the disk. In all events, the binary stars of the sources have similar magnitudes due to a detection bias favoring binary source events with a relatively bright secondary source star, which increases detection efficiency.

The relationship between galaxies and their supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is an area of active research. One way to investigate this is to compare parsec-scale jets formed by SMBHs with the projected shape of their kiloparsec-scale host galaxies. We analyse Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) images of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and optical images of their host galaxies. We compare the inner-jet position angle in VLBI-detected radio sources with the optical shapes of galaxies as measured by several large optical surveys. In total 6273 galaxy-AGN pairs were found. We carefully account for the systematics of the cross-matched sources and find that Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Imaging Surveys data (DESI LS) is significantly less affected by them. Using DESI LS, with which 5853 galaxy-AGN pairs were cross-matched, we find a weak but significant alignment signal (with a p-value $\leqslant$ 0.01) between the parsec-scale AGN jet and the kpc projected minor axis of the optical host galaxy in sources with measured spectroscopic redshifts. Our results show that the observed source properties are connected over 3 orders of magnitude in scale. This points towards an intimate connection between the SMBH, their host galaxies and their subsequent evolution.

The multi-window observations, including the light curve and the evolutions of the spectral peak energy ($E_p$), the polarization degree (PD) and the polarization angle (PA), are used to infer the model parameters to predict the time-integrated PD in gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt phase. We select 23 GRBs co-detected by Fermi/GBM and polarization detectors (i.e., GAP, POLAR and AstroSat). In our multi-window fitting, the light curve, $E_p$ curve, PD curve and PA curve are interpreted simultaneously under the synchrotron radiation model in ordered magnetic fields (i.e., the aligned-fields case and the toroidal-fields case). For the bursts with abrupt PA rotations, the predicted time-integrated PD of the aligned-fields case roughly matches the corresponding observed best fit value, while it is higher for the toroidal-fields case. For the bursts without abrupt PA rotation(s), the predicted PDs of the aligned-fields case and the toroidal-fields case are comparable and could interpret the observational data equally well. For GRB 170206A, its observed time-resolved and time-integrated PDs are comparable and both smaller than our predicted upper limits in ordered magnetic fields. So mixed magnetic fields, i.e., the magnetic fields with both ordered and random components, should be reside in the radiation regions of this burst. Except 1 out of the total 23 bursts, the predicted time-integrated PDs, which are around $\sim44\%$ for the aligned-fields case and around $49\%$ for the toroidal-fields case, are consistent with the corresponding observed values. Therefore, consistent with the former study, the models with synchrotron radiation in ordered magnetic fields could interpret most of the current polrization data within $1\sigma$ error bar.

In this Paper we determine the non-dissipative tidal evolution of a close binary system with an arbitrary eccentricity in which the spin angular momenta of both components is misaligned with the orbital angular momentum. We focus on the situation where the orbital angular momentum dominates the spin angular momenta and so remains at small inclination to the conserved total angular momentum. Torques arising from rotational distortion and tidal distortion taking account of Coriolis forces are included. This extends the previous work of Ivanov & Papaloizou relaxing the limitation resulting from the assumption that one of the components is compact and has zero spin angular momentum. Unlike the above study, the evolution of spin-orbit inclination angles is driven by both types of torque. We develop a simple analytic theory describing the evolution of orbital angles and compare it with direct numerical simulations. We find that the tidal torque prevails near 'critical curves' in parameter space where the time-averaged apsidal precession rate is close to zero. In the limit of small spin, these curves exist only for systems that have at least one component with retrograde rotation. As in our previous work, we find solutions close to these curves for which the apsidal angle librates. As noted there, this could result in oscillation between prograde and retrograde states. We consider the application of our approach to systems with parameters similar to those of the misaligned binary DI Her.

An emerging commonality among the recently observed pulsar halos is the presence of distinct radiation patterns at high energies, while no extended radiation is detected around the GeV energy band. This commonality suggests that pulsar halos play a crucial role in the local propagation of cosmic rays, making it necessary to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon. This work focuses on the 3D propagation study of cosmic rays, incorporating the Geminga pulsar into our propagation model to investigate its contribution to different observational spectra. We consider Geminga a dominant local source of positrons, successfully reproducing the observed positron spectrum and multi-energy spectra of the Geminga halo. Through calculations of signal and background at different angles, we find that: (1) at low energies, the slow diffusion characteristic around the pulsar region leads to a low electron density in the extended area around Geminga, causing the background radiation to exceed the signal intensity far; (2) at high energies, the larger effective diffusion radius of high-energy electrons/positrons causes the signal from Geminga to dominate the local high-energy phenomena; (3) the observed fluctuation of diffuse gamma-ray radiation by LHAASO is likely due to the incomplete subtraction of radiation from the local halo. We hope LHAASO will detect more cosmic ray halo sources to validate our model further.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a sulfur-containing molecule expected to exist as a solid in the interstellar medium (ISM). In this study, we performed laboratory experiments and computational analyses on the surface reactions of solid SO2 with hydrogen atoms on amorphous solid water (ASW) at low temperatures. After 40 min of exposure of SO2 deposited on ASW to H atoms, approximately 80% of the solid SO2 was lost from the substrate at 10-40 K, and approximately 50% even at 60 K, without any definite detection of reaction products. Quantum chemical calculations suggest that H atoms preferentially add to the S atom of solid SO2, forming the HSO2 radical. Further reactions of the HSO2 radical with H atoms result in the formation of several S-bearing species, including HS(O)OH, the S(O)OH radical, HO-S-OH, HS-OH, and H2S. In codeposition experiments involving H and SO2, we confirmed the formation of H2S, HS(O)OH, and/or HO-S-OH. However, the yields of these S-bearing species were insufficient to account for the complete loss of the initial SO2 reactant. These findings suggest that some products desorbed into the gas phase upon formation. This study indicates that a portion of SO2 in ice mantles may remain unreacted, avoiding hydrogenation, while the remainder is converted into other species, some of which may be subject to chemical desorption.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are transient radio events with millisecond-scale durations, and debated origins. Collisions between planetesimals and neutron stars have been proposed as a mechanism to produce FRBs; the planetesimal strength, size and density determine the time duration and energy of the resulting event. One source of planetesimals is the population of interstellar objects (ISOs), free-floating objects expected to be extremely abundant in galaxies across the Universe as products of planetary formation. We explore using the ISO population as a reservoir of planetesimals for FRB production, finding that the expected ISO-neutron star collision rate is comparable with the observed FRB event rate. Using a model linking the properties of planetesimals and the FRBs they produce, we further show that observed FRB durations are consistent with the sizes of known ISOs, and the FRB energy distribution is consistent with the observed size distributions of Solar System planetesimal populations. Finally, we argue that the rate of ISO-neutron star collisions must increase with cosmic time, matching the observed evolution of the FRB rate. Thus, ISO-neutron star collisions are a feasible mechanism for producing FRBs.

In this study, we focus on the simulation of accretion processes in Magnetically Arrested Disks (MADs) and investigate the dynamics of plasma during flux eruption events. We employ general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations and search for regions with a divergent velocity during a flux eruption event. These regions would experience rapid and significant depletion of matter. For this reason, we monitor the activation rate of the floor and the mass supply required for stable simulation evolution to further trace this transient stagnation surface. Our findings reveal an unexpected and persistent stagnation surface that develops during these eruptions, located around 2-3 gravitational radii (${\rm r_g}$) from the black hole. The stagnation surface is defined by a divergent velocity field and is accompanied by enhanced mass addition. This represents the first report of such a feature in this context. The stagnation surface is ($7-9\,\,{\rm r_g}$) long. We estimate the overall potential difference along this stagnation surface for a supermassive black hole like M87 to be approximately $\Delta V \approx 10^{16}$ Volts. Our results indicate that, in MAD configurations, this transient stagnation surface during flux eruption events can be associated with an accelerator of charged particles in the vicinity of supermassive black holes. In light of magnetic reconnection processes during these events, this work presents a complementary or an alternative mechanism for particle acceleration.

We critically assess the impact of significant dipole and large-scale anisotropies on galaxy clustering signals, with a focus on radio continuum surveys. Our study reveals that these anisotropies -- resulting from intrinsic cosmological effects and/or observational systematics -- profoundly influence the two-point correlation function (2PCF) and angular power spectrum ($C_\ell$). Notably, large-scale anisotropies can obscure or simulate non-Gaussianity signals, complicating the extraction of precise cosmological information. The results emphasize that it is crucial to address systematics and rigorously mask the dipole and its surrounding multipoles to obtain accurate cosmological constraints. This approach is essential for extracting cosmological results from clustering signals, particularly for future surveys such as SKA, DESI, and LSST, to ensure the precision and reliability of cosmological analyses.

Interplanetary dust grains (IDPs) originate from a variety of sources and are dynamically transported across the solar system. While in transport, high-$Z$ solar energetic particles (SEPs) with energies of $\sim$1 MeV/nuc leave damage tracks as they pass through IDPs. SEP track densities can be used as a measure of a grain's space exposure and in turn, help to constrain their lifetimes and origins. Stratospherically collected IDPs with relatively high track densities ($>10^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$) have been interpreted as originating from the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt. To further test this hypothesis, we use a dynamical dust grain tracing model to explore the accumulation of SEP tracks within EKB dust grains. We demonstrate that, neglecting collisions, dust grains with radii up to 500 $\mu$m are capable of transiting from the EKB to 1 au despite gravitational perturbations from the outer planets, albeit with decreasing probability as a function of size. Despite this, we find that EKB grains cannot accumulate sufficient tracks to match those reported in the terrestrial stratospheric IDP collection when applying SEP track accumulation rates established from lunar samples at 1 au and assuming the SEP flux scales with heliocentric distance as $r^{-1.7}$. By exploring the radial scaling of the SEP flux, we find that a shallower SEP radial distribution of $r^{-1.0}$ does allow for the accumulation of $>$$10^{10}$ tracks cm$^{-2}$ in EKB dust grains that reach 1 au. We urge further research into the propagation and distribution of high-$Z$ SEPs throughout the heliosphere in order to better constrain track accumulation in IDPs.

Spectroscopy of Earth-like exoplanets and ultra-faint galaxies are priority science cases for the coming decades. Here, broadband source flux rates are measured in photons per square meter per hour, imposing extreme demands on detector performance, including dark currents lower than \mbox{1 e-/pixel/kilosecond}, read noise less than \mbox{1 e-/pixel/frame}, and large formats. There are currently no infrared detectors that meet these requirements. The University of Hawai'i and industrial partners are developing one promising technology, linear mode avalanche photodiodes (LmAPDs), which is on track to meet the above-mentioned requirements. We present progress towards developing a science-grade, megapixel format linear-mode avalanche photodiode array for low background shortwave (1 - 2.4 um) infrared astronomy. Our latest results show outstanding performance, with dark current \textless 1e-4 electrons/pixel/second and read noise reducing by 30\% per volt of bias, reaching less than 1e-/pixel/frame in correlated double-sampling, and able to average down to $\sim$0.3 e-/pixel/frame when using multiple non-destructive reads. We present some on-sky data as well as comment on prospects for photon number resolving capability.

This study employs numerical simulations to explore the relationship between the dynamical instability of planetary systems and the uniformity of planetary masses within the system, quantified by the Gini index. Our findings reveal a significant correlation between system stability and mass uniformity. Specifically, planetary systems with higher mass uniformity demonstrate increased stability, particularly when they are distant from first-order mean motion resonances (MMRs). In general, for non-resonant planetary systems with a constant total mass, non-equal mass systems are less stable than equal mass systems for a given spacing in units of mutual Hill radius. This instability may arise from the equipartition of the total random energy, which can lead to higher eccentricities in smaller planets, ultimately destabilizing the system. This work suggests that the observed mass uniformity within multi-planet systems detected by \textit{Kepler} may result from a combination of survival bias and ongoing dynamical evolution processes.

We infer the origin channels of hierarchical mergers observed in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) O1, O2, and O3 runs using a hierarchical Bayesian analysis under a parametric population model. By assuming the active galactic nucleus (ANG) disk and nuclear star cluster (NSC) channels, we find that NSCs likely dominate the hierarchical merger rate in the universe, corresponding to a fraction of $f_{\rm NSC}=0.87_{-0.29}^{+0.10}$ at 90\% credible intervals in our fiducial model; AGN disks may contribute up to nearly half of hierarchical mergers detectable with LVK, specifically $f_{\rm det,AGN}=0.34_{-0.26}^{+0.38}$. We investigate the impact of the escape speed, along with other population parameters on the branching fraction, suggesting that the mass, mass ratio, and spin of the sources play significant roles in population analysis. We show that hierarchical mergers constitute at least $\sim$$10\%$ of the gravitational wave events detected by LVK during the O1-O3 runs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that it is challenging to effectively infer detailed information about the host environment based solely on the distribution of black hole merger parameters if multiple formation channels are considered.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are radio burst signals that lasting milliseconds. They originate from cosmological distances and have relatively high dispersion measures (DMs), making them being excellent distance indicators. However, there are many important questions about FRBs remain us to resolve. With its wide field of view and excellent sensitivity, CHIME/FRB has discovered more than half of all known FRBs. As more and more FRBs are located within or connected with their host galaxies, the study of FRB progenitors is becoming more important. In this work, we collect the currently available information related to the host galaxies of FRBs, and the MCMC analysis about limited localized samples reveals no significant difference in the $\mathrm{DM_{host}}$ between repeaters and non-repeaters. After examining CHIME/FRB samples, we estimated the volumetric rates of repeaters and non-repeaters, accounting for $\mathrm{DM_{host}}$ contributions. We compare event rate with rates of predicted origin models and transient events. Our results indicate that $\mathrm{DM_{host}}$ significantly affects volumetric rates and offer insights into the origin mechanisms of FRB populations.

Spontaneous rotation of an ultra-small satellite was observed and its driving torque was explained by the thermal interaction between the air molecules and the surfaces of the satellite heated by the radiation from the earth. This mechanism has the similarity with a usual radiometer, except the point that the velocity of the satellite is sufficiently faster than that of the thermal velocity of the air molecules, and that the mean free path of the air molecules is sufficiently longer than the characteristic length of the satellite. Using dimension analysis, the torque was found to be significant to a small size of satellite. This rotation mechanism can be applied to any small objects, which are revolting around a planet radiating a black body radiation and has the atmospheric gas.

We reanalyze the spectral lag data for of GRB 160625B using frequentist inference to constrain the energy scale ($E_{QG}$) of Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV). For this purpose, we use profile likelihood to deal with the astrophysical nuisance parameters. This is in contrast to Bayesian inference implemented in previous works, where marginalization was carried out over the nuisance parameters. We show that with profile likelihood, we do not find a global minimum for $\chi^2$ as a function of $E_{QG}$ below the Planck scale for both the linear and quadratic models of LIV, whereas bounded credible intervals were obtained using Bayesian inference. Therefore, we can set lower limits in a straightforward manner. We find that $E_{QG} \geq 3.7 \times 10^{16}$ GeV and $E_{QG} \geq 2.6 \times 10^7$ GeV at 68\% c.l., for linear and quadratic LIV, respectively. Therefore, this is the first proof of principles application of profile likelihood method to the analysis of GRB spectral lag data to constrain LIV.

We determine the spectroscopic properties of ~1000 ostensibly star-forming galaxies at redshifts (z=4-10) using prism spectroscopy from JWST/NIRSpec. With rest-wavelength coverage between Lya and [S II] in the optical, we stack spectra as a function of nebular conditions, and compare UV spectral properties with stellar age. This reveals UV lines of N III], N IV], C III], C IV, He II, and O III] in the average high-z galaxy. All UV lines are more intense in younger starbursts. We measure electron temperatures from the collisionally excited [O III] line ratios, finding Te=18000-22000 K for the O++ regions. We also detect a significant nebular Balmer Jump from which we estimate only Te=8000-13000 K. Accounting for typical temperature offsets between zones bearing doubly and singly ionized oxygen, these two temperatures remain discrepant by around 40%. We use the [O III] temperatures to estimate abundances of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. We find that log(C/O) is consistently ~-1, with no evolution of C/O with metallicity or stellar age. The average spectra are mildly enhanced in Nitrogen, with higher N/O than low-z starbursts, but are less enhanced than samples of high-z galaxies with visible UV N III] and N IV]. Whatever processes produce the N-enhancement in the individual galaxies must also be ongoing, at lower levels, in the median galaxy in the early Universe. The strongest starbursts are a source of significant ionizing emission: ionizing photon production efficiencies reach 10^25.7 Hz/erg, and show multiple signatures of high Lyman continuum escape, including Mg II escape fractions nearing 100%, significant deficits in [S II] emission, high degrees of ionization, and blue UV colors.

The dominant accretion process leading to the formation of the terrestrial planets of the Solar System is a subject of intense scientific debate. Two radically different scenarios have been proposed. The classic scenario starts from a disk of planetesimals which, by mutual collisions, produce a set of Moon to Mars-mass planetary embryos. After the removal of gas from the disk, the embryos experience mutual giant impacts which, together with the accretion of additional planetesimals, lead to the formation of the terrestrial planets on a timescale of tens of millions of years. In the alternative, pebble accretion scenario, the terrestrial planets grow by accreting sunward-drifting mm-cm sized particles from the outer disk. The planets all form within the lifetime of the disk, with the sole exception of Earth, which undergoes a single post-disk giant impact with Theia (a fifth protoplanet formed by pebble accretion itself) to form the Moon. To distinguish between these two scenarios, we revisit all available constraints: compositional (in terms of nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies and chemical composition), dynamical and chronological. We find that the pebble accretion scenario is unable to match these constraints in a self-consistent manner, unlike the classic scenario.

A subsonic flow of an ideal gas through a flat channel in the presence of a mass force field is considered. The forces acting on the gas are reduced to the attraction to the channel axis in a certain region of the channel. It has been shown that the occurrence of a zone of increased pressure along the axis of a channel leads to the formation of a pressure gradient, which acts as an effective force which opposes the flow. As a result, the flow becomes unstable. For a weak field, this instability is symmetric, while for strong fields it is asymmetric. The characteristics of this instability have been studied numerically in the present work. Possible astrophysical implications of this phenomenon are also discussed.

Dozens of B-type hypervelocity stars (HVSs) moving faster than the Galactic escape speed have been discovered in the Galactic halo and are produced most likely by the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the Galactic Center (GC). However, the velocity distribution and in particular the deficit of the HVSs above 700 km/s is seriously inconsistent with the expectations of the present models. Here we show that the high-velocity deficit is due to the deficiency in close interactions of stars with the SMBH, because an orbiting intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) of about 15,000 Solar mass kicked away slowly approaching stars 50-250 million years ago. The SMBH-IMBH binary formed probably after the merger of the Galaxy with the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE) dwarf galaxy, and coalesced about 10 million years ago. Afterwards, HVSs with speed up to above 3000 km/s are produced by binary tidal disruptions and the counterparts formed the S-star cluster at the GC.

The Gravitation Wave (GW) signals from a large number of double white dwarfs (DWDs) in the Galaxy are expected to be detected by space GW detectors, e.g., the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), Taiji, and Tianqin in the millihertz band. In this paper, we present an alternative method by directly using the time-domain GW signal detected by space GW detectors to constrain the anisotropic structure of the Galaxy. The information of anisotropic distribution of DWDs is naturally encoded in the time-domain GW signal because of the variation of the detectors' directions and consequently the pattern functions due to their annual motion around the sun. The direct use of the time-domain GW signal enables simple calculations, such as utilizing an analytical method to assess the noise arising from the superposition of random phases of DWDs and using appropriate weights to improve the constraints. We investigate the possible constraints on the scale of the Galactic thin disk and bulge that may be obtained from LISA and Taiji by using this method with mock signals obtained from population synthesis models. We further show the different constraining capabilities of the low-frequency signal (foreground) and the high-frequency signal (resolvable-sources) via the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, and find that the scale height and length of the Galactic thin disk and the scale radius of bulge can be constrained to a fractional accuracy of ~ 30%, 30%, 40% (or 20%, 10%, 40%) by using the low-frequency (or high-frequency) signal detected by LISA or Taiji.

Aims: This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of short-exposure extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations of solar flares in the study of particle acceleration, heating and energy partition in flares. This work highlights the observations now available from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument suite onboard Solar Orbiter while operating in short exposure mode. Methods: A selection of noteworthy flares observed simultaneously by the Spectrometer Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) and the Full Sun Imager of EUI (EUI/FSI) are detailed. New insights are highlighted and potential avenues of investigation are demonstrated, including forward modelling the atmospheric response to a non-thermal beam of electrons using the RADYN 1D hydrodynamic code, in order to compare the predicted and observed EUV emission. Results: The examples given in this work demonstrate that short exposure EUI/FSI observations are providing important diagnostics during flares. A dataset of more than 9000 flares observed by STIX (from November 2022 until December 2023) with at least one short exposure EUI/FSI 174 Å image is currently available. The observations reveal that the brightest parts of short-exposure observations consist of substructure in flaring ribbons which spatially overlap with the hard X-ray emission observed by STIX in the majority of cases. We show that these observations provide an opportunity to further constrain the electron energy flux required for flare modelling, among other potential applications.

The origin of the high-energy astrophysical neutrinos discovered by IceCube remains unclear, with both blazars and Seyfert galaxies emerging as potential sources. Recently, the IceCube Collaboration reported a ${\sim}{3}\sigma$ neutrino signal from the direction of a nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. However, two gamma-ray loud BL Lac objects, 4FGL 1210.3+3928 and 4FGL J1211.6+3901, lie close to NGC 4151, at angular distances of 0.08$^\circ$ and 0.43$^\circ$, respectively. We investigate the potential contribution of these two blazars to the observed neutrino signal from the direction of NGC 4151 and assess their detectability with future neutrino observatories. We model the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions of both blazars using a self-consistent numerical radiation code, AM$^3$. We calculate their neutrino spectra and compare them to the measured NGC 4151 neutrino spectrum and future neutrino detector sensitivities. Our models predict neutrino emission peaking at $\sim$10$^{17}$ eV for both blazars, with fluxes of ${\sim}10^{-12}~\mathrm{erg~cm^{-2}~s^{-1}}$. This indicates their contribution to the $\sim$10 TeV neutrino signal observed from the direction of NGC 4151 is minor. While detection with current facilities is challenging, both sources should be detectable by future radio-based neutrino telescopes such as IceCube-Gen2's radio array and GRAND, with 4FGL~J1210.3+3928 being the more promising candidate.

Low-energy cosmic rays (LECRs) play a crucial role in the formation of planetary systems, and detecting and reconstructing the properties of early LECRs is essential for understanding the mechanisms of planetary system formation. Given that LECRs interact with the surrounding medium to produce nuclear de-excitation line emissions, which are gamma-ray emissions with energy mainly within 0.1--10 MeV and are unaffected by stellar wind modulation, these emissions can accurately reflect the properties of LECRs. This study introduces an innovative method for using gamma-ray emissions to infer LECR properties. We employed the Parker transport equation to simulate the propagation and spectral evolution of LECRs in a protoplanetary disk and calculated the characteristic gamma-ray emissions resulting from interactions between LECRs and disk material. These gamma-ray emissions encapsulate the spectral information of LECRs, providing a powerful tool to reconstruct the cosmic ray environment at that time. This method, supported by further theoretical developments and observations, will fundamentally enhance our understanding of the impact of CRs on the origin and evolution of planetary systems and address significant scientific questions regarding the cosmic ray environment at the origin of life.

A novel approach is proposed to reveal a secret birth of enhanced circumstellar material (CSM) surrounding a collapsing massive star using neutrinos as a unique probe. In this scheme, non-thermal TeV-scale neutrinos produced in ejecta-CSM interactions are tied with thermal MeV neutrinos emitted from a pre-explosion burning process, based on a scenario that CSM had been formed via the pre-supernova activity. Taking a representative model of the pre-supernova neutrinos, spectrum and light curve of the corresponding high-energy CSM neutrinos are calculated at multiple mass-loss efficiencies considered as a systematic uncertainty. In addition, as a part of method demonstration, the detected event rates along time at JUNO and IceCube, as representative detectors, are estimated for the pre-supernova and CSM neutrinos, respectively, and are compared with the expected background rate at each detector. The presented method is found to be reasonably applicable for the range up to 1 kpc and even farther with future experimental efforts. Potentialities of other neutrino detectors, such as SK-Gd, Hyper-Kamiokande and KM3NeT, are also discussed. This is a pioneering work of performing astrophysics with neutrinos from diverse energy regimes, initiating multi energy neutrino astronomy in the forthcoming era where next-generation large-scale neutrino telescopes are operating.

We report on the onset of a coronal mass ejection (CME) using spectroscopic observations in 5303 Å coronal emission line with the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) onboard ADITYA-L1, the recently launched first Indian space solar mission. The CME was observed on 16 July 2024 in association with a X1.9 class soft X-ray flare from heliographic location S05W85. The VELC observations were near the west limb of Sun during the CME. The results obtained helped to constrain the onset time of the CME. In addition, they indicate ${\approx}$50% decrease in the coronal intensity near the source region of the CME due to mass depletion, ${\approx}$15% enhancement in the emission line width, and redshifted Doppler velocity of about ${\approx}10$ km/s. The non-thermal velocity associated with the line broadening is ${\approx}24.87$ km/s.

Strongly lensed type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) provide a unique cosmological probe to address the Hubble tension problem in cosmology. In addition to the sensitivity of the time delays to the value of the Hubble constant, the transient and standard candle nature of SNe Ia also enable valuable joint constraints on the model of the lens and the cosmological parameters. The upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to increase the number of observed SNe Ia by an order of magnitude in ten years of its lifetime. However, finding such systems in the LSST data is a challenge. In this work, we revisit the color-magnitude (CM) diagram used previously as a means to identify lensed SNe Ia and extend the work further as follows. We simulate LSST-like photometric data ($rizy$~bands) of lensed SNe Ia and analyze it in the CM parameter space. We find that a subset of lensed SNe Ia are redder compared to unlensed SNe Ia at a given magnitude, both in the rising and falling phases of their light curves and for SNe up to $z=3$. We propose a modified selection criterion based on these new results. We show that the contamination coming from the unlensed core-collapse (CC) SNe is negligible, whereas a small fraction of lensed CC SNe types Ib and Ic may get selected by this criterion as potential lensed SNe. Finally, we demonstrate that our criterion works well on a wide sample of observed unlensed SNe Ia, a handful of known multiply-imaged lensed SNe systems, and a representative sample of observed super-luminous supernovae.

We examined in depth the star BD+00 444 (GJ 105.5, TOI-2443; V = 9.5 mag; d = 23.9 pc), with the aim of characterizing and confirming the planetary nature of its small companion, the planet candidate TOI-2443.01, which was discovered by TESS. We monitored BD+00 444 with the HARPS-N spectrograph for 1.5 years to search for planet-induced radial-velocity (RV) variations, and then analyzed the RV measurements jointly with TESS and ground-based photometry. We determined that the host is a quiet K5 V, and we revealed that the sub-Neptune BD+00 444 b has a radius of $R_b=2.36\pm0.05 R_{\oplus}$, a mass of $M_b=4.8\pm1.1 M_{\oplus}$ and, consequently, a rather low-density value of $\rho_b=2.00+0.49-0.45$ g cm-3, which makes it compatible with both an Earth-like rocky interior with a thin H-He atmosphere and a half-rocky, half-water composition with a small amount of H-He. Having an orbital period of about 15.67 days and an equilibrium temperature of about 519 K, BD+00 444 b has an estimated transmission spectroscopy metric of about 159, which makes it ideal for atmospheric follow-up with the JWST. Notably, it is the second most eccentric inner transiting planet, $e=0.302+0.051-0.035$, with a mass below 20 $M_{\oplus}$, among those with well-determined eccentricities. We estimated that tidal forces from the host star affect both planet b's rotation and eccentricity, and strong tidal dissipation may signal intense volcanic activity. Furthermore, our analysis suggests the presence of a sub-Neptune-mass planet candidate, BD+00 444 c, having an orbital period of $P=96.6\pm1.4$ days, and a minimum mass $M\sin{i}=9.3+1.8-2.0 M_{\oplus}$. With an equilibrium temperature of about 283 K, BD+00 444 c is right inside the habitable zone; however, this candidate necessitates further observations and stronger statistical evidence to be confirmed. [...]

The 21 cm emission from neutral hydrogen surveys holds great potential as a valuable method for exploring the large-scale structure of the Universe. In this paper, we forecast for the cross-correlation between the Thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) fluctuations as probed by the Planck satellite, and fluctuations in the HI brightness temperature as probed by the ground-based Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), to trace the connection between galaxy clusters and the HI large-scale structure. Assuming that the measurement is limited by instrumental noise rather than by foreground, we estimate the potential detectability of the cross-correlation signal and their improvement in the measurement of the HI cosmic density, the hydrostatic mass bias parameter, and the universal pressure profile (UPP) parameters. We obtain a constraint on the cosmic neutral hydrogen density parameter significantly to $\sigma(\Omega_{\rm HI}) = 1.0 \times 10^{-6}$. We also find that the average halo masses contributing to the ${{\rm HI}-y}$ cross-power spectrum in the one-halo regime is $\sim 1.5\times 10^{14} M_{\odot}$. Our results also show that the HI-SZ cross-correlation has great potential to probe the distribution of neutral hydrogen (HI) within halos at low redshift.

We present and discuss two catalogues of UV-selected (NUV $< 22.8$ mag) galaxies that lie within a 200 deg$^2$ area of sky covered by the ASKAP FLASH survey and have an impact parameter of less than 20 arcsec to a FLASH radio continuum source. These catalogues are designed to enable a future search for 21 cm HI absorption in and around star-forming galaxies at redshift $0.4<z<1$. We outline the production of this UV-bright dataset, which has optical spectroscopy from the WiggleZ and SDSS surveys and a median redshift of $\sim0.6$. Analysis of the optical spectra, using multiple diagnostic diagrams, shows that galaxies with an impact parameter of less than 5 arcsec are likely to be physically associated with the radio source and are five times more likely to be an AGN than objects without a radio match. Conversely, objects with impact factors between 5 and 20 arcsec are largely (>80 percent) star-forming and resemble the overall WiggleZ population. The ($g - i$) colour evolution with redshift is consistent with a history of active star-formation, but the radio-associated objects are typically redder and have colours similar to high-excitation radio galaxies. The redshift distribution of the two catalogues matches the overall distribution for WiggleZ galaxies, despite their otherwise rare radio properties. These catalogues can be expanded in future as new radio data become available, and a forthcoming paper will present the HI absorption results.

We report the discovery of a super-Earth candidate orbiting the nearby mid M dwarf Gl\,725A using the radial velocity (RV) method. The planetary signal has been independently identified using high-precision RVs from the SOPHIE and SPIRou spectrographs, in the optical and near-infrared domains, respectively. We modelled the stellar activity signal jointly with the planet using two Gaussian Processes, one for each instrument to account for the chromaticity of the stellar activity and instrumental systematics, along with a Keplerian model. The signal is significantly detected with a RV semi-amplitude of $1.67\pm0.20$ m/s. The planet Gl 725A b is found to be in an orbit compatible with circular with a period of $11.2201\pm0.0051$ days. We analysed 27 sectors of TESS photometry on which no transit event was found. We determined a minimum mass of $M_{p}\sin{i}=2.78\pm0.35\,M_{\oplus}$ which places the planet in the super-Earth regime. Using Mass-Radius relationships we predict a planetary radius to be between 1.2 and $2.0\,R_{\oplus}$. The proximity of Gl 725A, of only 3.5 pc, makes this new exoplanet one of the closest to Earth and joins the group of S-type low-mass planets in short orbits ($P<15$ d) around close M dwarfs.

The role of internal and environmental factors in the star formation activity of galaxies is still a matter of debate, particularly at higher redshifts. Leveraging the most recent release of the COSMOS catalog, COSMOS2020, and density measurements from our previous study we disentangle the impact of environment and stellar mass on the star formation rate (SFR), and specific SFR (sSFR) of a sample of $\sim 210,000$ galaxies within redshift range $0.4< z < 4$ and present our findings in three cosmic epochs: 1) out to $z\sim 1$, the average SFR and sSFR decline at extremely dense environments and high mass end of the distribution which is mostly due to the presence of the massive quiescent population; 2) at $1<z<2$, the environmental dependence diminishes, while mass is still the dominant factor in star formation activity; 3) beyond $z\sim 2$, our sample is dominated by star-forming galaxies and we observe a reversal of the trends seen in the local universe: the average SFR increases with increasing environmental density. Our analysis shows that both environmental and mass quenching efficiencies increase with stellar mass at all redshifts, with mass being the dominant quenching factor in massive galaxies compared to environmental effects. At $2<z<4$, negative values of environmental quenching efficiency suggest that the fraction of star-forming galaxies in dense environments exceeds that in less dense regions, likely due to the greater availability of cold gas, higher merger rates, and tidal effects that trigger star formation activity.

The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (EHTC) observed the Galactic centre source Sgr A* and used emission models primarily based on single ion temperature (1T) general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations. This predicted emission is strongly dependent on a modelled prescription of the ion-to-electron temperature ratio. The two most promising models are magnetically arrested disk (MAD) states. However, these and nearly all MAD models exhibit greater light-curve variability at 230 GHz compared to historical observations. Moreover, no model successfully passes all the variability and multiwavelength constraints. This limitation possibly stems from the fact that the actual temperature ratio depends on microphysical dissipation, radiative processes and other effects not captured in ideal fluid simulations. Therefore, we investigate the effects of two-temperature (2T) thermodynamics in MAD GRMHD simulations of Sgr A*, where the temperatures of both species are evolved more self-consistently. We include Coulomb coupling, radiative cooling of electrons, and model heating via magnetic reconnection. We find that the light-curve variability more closely matches historical observations when we include the 2T treatment and variable adiabatic indices, compared to 1T simulations. Contrary to the common assumption of neglecting radiative cooling for the low accretion rates of Sgr A*, we also find that radiative cooling still affects the accretion flow, reducing the electron temperature in the inner disk by about 10%, which in turn lowers both the average flux and variability at 230 GHz by roughly 10%.

The orbital period of a cataclysmic variable stands as a crucial parameter for investigating the structure and physics of these binary systems, as well as understanding their evolution. We use photometric Gaia data for dwarf novae (DNe) in the quiescent state which are available for a number of years to determine new orbital periods and improve/modify previously suggested values. Two approaches are implemented for selecting high-inclination targets, either eclipsing or with ellipsoidal variations. We determine new orbital periods for 75 DNe and improve ephemerides for 27 more (three of which change significantly), contributing 9.4% of the known DNe periods of 0.05-2.0 days, and doubling the number of known periods exceeding 0.44 days. Their phase-folded light curves are presented and arranged by orbital period, illustrating the transition from short-period systems, dominated by radiation from the accretion disc and the hot spot, to longer-period DNe, where the Roche-lobe-filling secondary star is the primary visual flux source. This transition -which occurs around the well-known period gap (around 2-3 hours)- is expected, as DNe with larger orbital periods typically harbour more massive donors, which contribute to the visible flux. However, this transition is not abrupt. Within the same range of periods, we observe systems dominated by ellipsoidal variations, where the companion star is clearly visible, as well as others dominated by the disc and hot spot. The presence of some DNe with ellipsoidal variations near the lower edge of the period gap is striking, as the companions in these systems are expected to be cool low-mass M-dwarfs not visible in the light curve. This could indicate that we are observing systems where the donor star was originally much more massive and underwent significant nuclear evolution before mass-transfer began, as has been suggested previously for QZ Ser.

The large-scale structure of the Universe and its evolution over time contains an abundance of cosmological information. One way to unlock this is by measuring the density and momentum power spectrum from the positions and peculiar velocities of galaxies, and fitting the cosmological parameters from these power spectrum. In this paper, we will explore the cross power spectrum between the density and momentum fields of galaxies. We derive the estimator of the density-momentum cross power spectrum multipoles. The growth rate of the large-scale-structure, $f\sigma_8$ is measured from fitting the combined density monopole, momentum monopole and cross dipole power spectrum. The estimators and models of power spectrum as well as our fitting method have been tested using mock catalogues, and we find that they perform well in recovering the fiducial values of the cosmological parameters of the simulations, and we also find that the errors of the parameters can be largely reduced by including the cross-power spectrum in the fit. We measure the auto-density, auto-momentum and cross power spectrum using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 14 peculiar velocity catalogue. The fit result of the growth rate $f\sigma_8$ is $f\sigma_8=0.413^{+0.050}_{-0.058}$ at effective redshift $z_{\mathrm{eff}}=0.073$, and our measurement is consistent with the prediction of the $\Lambda$ Cold Dark Matter cosmological model assuming General Relativity.

The VLT Survey Telescope Survey of Mass Assembly and Structural Hierarchy (VST-SMASH) aims to detect tidal features and remnants around very nearby galaxies, a unique and essential diagnostic of the hierarchical nature of galaxy formation. Leveraging optimal sky conditions at ESO's Paranal Observatory, combined with the VST's multi-band optical filters, VST-SMASH aims to be the definitive survey of stellar streams and tidal remnants in the Local Volume, targeting a low surface-brightness limit of $\mu \sim$ 30 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ in the g and r bands, and $\mu \sim$ 28 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ in the i band, in a volume-limited sample of local galaxies within 11 Mpc and the Euclid footprint.

The empirical classification of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) is based on their distribution in the plane of burst duration and spectral hardness. Two distinct distributions, long-soft and short-hard bursts, are observed in this plane, forming the basis for the long and short classification scheme. Traditionally, this scheme was mapped to two different GRB progenitor classes. However, several recent bursts have challenged this mapping. This work investigates how an observer's viewing angle relative to the jet axis influences the duration-hardness plane. We simulate single-pulse GRBs using an optically and geometrically thin homogeneous top-hat jet model. Bursts are simulated with an isotropic viewing angle distribution, and we calculate the pulse duration and spectral hardness corresponding to \textit{FERMI} Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) energy bands. The viewing angle significantly impacts spectral hardness for our assumed broken power-law spectra, while its effect on duration is less pronounced. Our analysis indicates that soft and low-luminous bursts are likely off-axis events. It is possible that some of the fast X-ray transients and X-ray rich GRBs observed by the Einstein Probe and the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) missions originate from off-axis jets.

Context: Extensive, multi-wavelength monitoring campaigns of nearby and higher redshift active galactic nuclei (AGN) have shown that the UV/optical variations are well correlated with time delays which increase with increasing wavelength. Such behaviour is expected in the context of the X-ray thermal reverberation of the accretion disc in AGN. Aims: Our main objective is to use time-lag measurements of luminous AGN and fit them with sophisticated X-ray reverberation time-lags models. In this way we can investigate whether X-ray reverberation can indeed explain the observed continuum time lags, and whether time-lag measurements can be used to measure physical parameters such as the X-ray corona height and the spin of the black hole (BH) in these systems. Methods: We use archival time-lag measurements for quasars from different surveys, and we compute their rest frame, mean time-lags spectrum. We fit the data with analytical X-ray reverberation models, using $\chi^2$ statistics, and fitting for both maximal and non spinning BHs, for various colour correction values and X-ray corona heights. Results: We found that X-ray reverberation can explain very well the observed time lags, assuming the measured BH mass, accretion rate and X-ray luminosity of the quasars in the sample. The model agrees well with the data both for non-rotating and maximally rotating BHs, as long as the corona height is larger than $\sim 40$ gravitational radii. This is in agreement with previous results which showed that X-ray reverberation can also explain the disc radius in micro-lensed quasars, for the same corona heights. The corona height we measure depends on the model assumption of a perfectly flat disc. More realistic disc models may result in lower heights for the X-ray corona.

Over time, core-collapse supernova (CCSN) spectra become redder due to dust formation and cooling of the SN ejecta. A UV detection of a CCSN at late times thus indicates an additional physical process such as interaction between the SN ejecta and the circumstellar material, or viewing down to the central engine of the explosion. Both these models have been proposed to explain the peculiar transient AT2018cow, a luminous fast blue optical transient that has been detected in the UV 2-4 years after the event with only marginal fading over this time period. To identify if the late-time UV detection of AT2018cow could indicate that it is a CCSN, we investigate if CCSNe are detected in the UV between 2-5 years after the explosion. We use a sample of 51 nearby (z<0.065) CCSNe observed with the Hubble Space Telescope within 2-5 years of discovery. We measure their brightness, or determine an upper limit on the emission through an artificial star experiment if there is no detection. For two CCSNe we detect a point source within the uncertainty region of the SN position. Both have a low chance alignment probability with bright objects within their host galaxies and are thus likely related to the SNe. Comparing the absolute UV magnitude of AT2018cow to the absolute UV magnitudes of the two potential SN detections, there is no evidence that a late-time UV detection of AT2018cow is atypical for interacting SNe. However, when limiting to CCSNe closer than AT2018cow, we see that it is brighter than the upper limits on most non-detections. Combined with a very small late time photospheric radius of AT2018cow, this leads us to conclude that AT2018cow's late-time UV detection was not driven by interaction. It suggests instead that we are possibly viewing the inner region of the explosion. Such properties are naturally expected in tidal disruption models and are less straightforward in supernova scenarios.

We present a new class of interacting dark sector models that can address the Hubble tension. Interacting dark radiation (DR) has previously been put forward as a solution to the problem, but this proposal is disfavored by the high-$\ell$ cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. We modify this basic framework by introducing a subcomponent of dark matter (DM) that interacts strongly with the DR, so that together they constitute a tightly coupled fluid at early times. We show that if this subcomponent decouples from the interacting DR during the CMB epoch, the $\ell$ modes of the CMB that entered the horizon before decoupling are impacted differently from those that entered after, allowing a solution to the problem. We present a model that realizes this framework, which we dub "New Atomic Dark Matter", or nuADaM, in which the interacting dark matter (iDM) subcomponent is composed of dark atoms, and dark "neutrinos" with long-range interactions contribute to the DR, hence the name of the model. This iDM subcomponent is acoustic at early times but decouples from the DR following dark recombination. In contrast to conventional atomic dark matter (ADM) models, the dark photon is part of a richer DR sector, which ensures that it continues to be self-interacting even after recombination. We show that this model admits a fit to the available cosmological data that is significantly better than both $\Lambda$CDM and conventional ADM.

We construct equilibrium configurations for neutron stars using a specific $f(R,T)$ functional form, recently derived through gaussian process applied to measurements of the Hubble parameter. By construction, this functional form serves as an alternative explanation for cosmic acceleration, circumventing the cosmological constant problem. Here, we aim to examine its applicability within the stellar regime. In doing so, we seek to contribute to the modified gravity literature by applying the same functional form of a given gravity theory across highly distinct regimes. Our results demonstrate that equilibrium configurations of neutron stars can be obtained within this theory, with the energy density and maximum mass slightly exceeding those predicted by General Relativity. Additionally, we show that the value of some parameters in the $f(R,T)$ functional form must differ from those obtained in cosmological configurations, suggesting a potential scale-dependence for these parameters. We propose that further studies apply this functional form across different regimes to more thoroughly assess this possible dependence.

We perform a state-of-the-art study of the cosmological phase transitions of the real-scalar extended Standard Model. We carry out a broad scan of the parameter space of this model at next-to-next-to-leading order in powers of couplings. We use effective field theory to account for the necessary higher-order resummations, and to construct consistent real and gauge-invariant gravitational wave predictions. Our results provide a comprehensive account of the convergence of perturbative predictions for the gravitational wave signals in this model. For the majority of the parameter points in our study, we observe apparent convergence. While leading and next-to-leading order predictions of the gravitational wave amplitude typically suffer from relative errors between $10$ and $10^4$, at next-to-next-to-leading order the typical relative errors are reduced to between $0.5$ and $50$. Nevertheless, for those parameter points predicting the largest signals, potentially observable by future gravitational wave observatories, the validity of the perturbative expansion is in doubt.

Injection process of pickup ion acceleration at a heliospheric termination shock is investigated. Using two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulation, accelerated pickup ions are self-consistently reproduced by tracking long time evolution of shock with unprecedentedly large system size in the shock normal direction. Reflected pickup ions drive upstream large amplitude waves through resonant instabilities. Convection of the large amplitude waves causes shock surface reformation and alters the downstream electromagnetic structure. A part of pickup ions are accelerated to tens of upstream flow energy in the time scale of $\sim 100$ times inverse ion gyro frequency. The initial acceleration occurs through shock surfing acceleration mechanism followed by shock drift acceleration mechanism. Large electrostatic potential accompanied by the upstream waves enables the shock surfing acceleration to occur.

Mechanism of generating collisionless shock in magnetized gas plasma driven by laser-ablated target plasma is investigated by using one-dimensional full particle-in-cell simulation. The effect of finite injection time of target plasma, mimicking finite width of laser pulse, is taken into account. It was found that the formation of a seed-shock requires a recursor. The precursor is driven by gyrating ions, and its origin varies depending on the injection time of the target plasma. When the injection time is short, the target plasma entering the gas plasma creates a precursor, otherwise, gas ions reflected by the strong piston effect of the target plasma create a precursor. The precursor compresses the background gas plasma, and subsequently, a compressed seed-shock forms in the gas plasma. The parameter dependence on the formation process and propagation characteristics of the seed-shock was discussed. It was confirmed that the seed-shock propagates through the gas plasma exhibiting behavior similar to the shock front of supercritical shocks.

We present various post-Newtonian (PN) models for the phase evolution of compact objects moving along quasi-spherical orbits in Kerr spacetime derived by using the 12PN analytic formulas of the energy, angular momentum and their averaged rates of change calculated in the framework of the black hole perturbation theory. To examine the convergence of time-domain PN models (TaylorT families), we evaluate the dephasing between approximants with different PN orders. We found that the TaylorT1 model shows the best performance and the performance of the TaylorT2 is the next best. To evaluate the convergence of frequency-domain PN models (TaylorF families), we evaluate the mismatch between approximants with different orders. We found that the performance of the TaylorF2 model is comparable with the TaylorT2 model. Although the TaylorT2 and TaylorF2 models are not so accurate as the TaylorT1, the fully analytical expressions give us easy-to-handle templates and are useful to discuss effects beyond general relativity.

The complex structure and extensive details of solar spectral data, combined with a recent surge in volume, present significant processing challenges. To address this, we propose a deep learning-based compression technique using deep autoencoder (DAE) and 1D-convolutional autoencoder (CAE) models developed with Hinode SOT/SP data. We focused on compressing Stokes I and V polarization spectra from the quiet Sun, as well as from active regions, providing a novel insight into comprehensive spectral analysis by incorporating spectra from extreme magnetic fields. The results indicate that the CAE model outperforms the DAE model in reconstructing Stokes profiles, demonstrating greater robustness and achieving reconstruction errors around the observational noise level. The proposed method has proven effective in compressing Stokes I and V spectra from both the quiet Sun and active regions, highlighting its potential for impactful applications in solar spectral analysis, such as detection of unusual spectral signals.

We analyze the sensitivity of non-radial fluid oscillation modes and tidal deformations in neutron stars to high-order nuclear empirical parameters (NEP). In particular, we study the impact of the curvature and skewness of the symmetry energy $K_{\rm sym}$, $Q_{\rm sym}$, and the skewness of the binding energy in symmetric nuclear matter $Q_{\rm sat}$. As we are interested in the possibility of gravitational wave detection by future interferometers, we consider that the tidal interaction is the driving force for the quadrupolar non-radial fluid oscillations. We have also studied the correlations between those quantities, which will be useful to understand the strong physics of gravitational wave phenomena. Our main results show that $K_{\rm sym}$ impacts the frequencies of the fundamental mode mainly for low-mass neutron stars. The NEP $Q_{\rm sym}$ and $Q_{\rm sat}$ affect the fundamental modes of intermediate and heavy neutron stars, respectively. In the case of the first pressure mode, $K_{\rm sym}$ shows a small effect, while $Q_{\rm sat}$ shows a considerable decrease in this oscillation mode independent of the neutron star mass. Similarly, for tidal deformability, the NEP $Q_{\rm sat}$ and $Q_{\rm sym}$ show a bigger impact than $K_{\rm sym}$. Given the impact of the NEP on gravitational wave phenomena and the currently large uncertainties of these parameters, the prospect of higher sensitivity in future gravitational wave detectors promise a possible new tool to constrain high-order NEP.

According to the asymptotically safe gravity, black holes can have characteristics different from those described according to general relativity. Particularly, they are more compact, with a smaller event horizon, which in turn affects the other quantities dependent on it, like the photon ring and the size of the innermost stable circular orbit. We decided to test the latter by searching in the literature for observational measurements of the emission from accretion disk around stellar-mass black holes. All published values of the radius of the inner accretion disk were made homogeneous by taking into account the most recent and more reliable values of mass, spin, viewing angle, and distance from the Earth. We do not find any significant deviation from the expectations of general relativity. Some doubtful cases can be easily understood as due to specific states of the object during the observation or instrumental biases.

In the year 1924, a paper by Carl Wirtz appeared in Astronomische Nachrichten, entitled 'De Sitter's cosmology and the radial motion of spiral galaxies'. This paper and its author remained largely unnoticed by the community, but it seems to be the first cosmological interpretation of the redshift of galaxies as a time dilation effect and the expansion of the Universe. Edwin Hubble knew Wirtz' publications quite well. The modern reader would find Wirtz' own understanding diffuse and contradictory in some aspects, but that reflected the early literature on nebulae, to which he himself made important contributions. The 100th anniversary provides a good opportunity to present an English transcription to the community, which can be found in the appendix. This anniversary also provokes to ask for the present status of cosmology which many authors see in a crisis. From an observational viewpoint it shall be illustrated that until today there is no consistent/convincing understanding of how the Universe evolved.

We study neutrino, muon, and gamma-ray fluxes in extraterrestrial environments in our Solar System via semi-analytical estimates and Monte Carlo simulations. In sites with negligible atmosphere, we find a strong reduction in the cosmic-ray-induced neutrino and muon fluxes relative to their intensities on Earth. Neutrinos with energies between 50 MeV and 100 TeV show particularly strong suppression, by as much as 10$^3$, even at shallow depths. The solar neutrino suppression increases as the square of the site's distance from the Sun. Natural radiation due to nuclear decay is also expected to be lower in many of these locations and may be reduced to effectively negligible levels in the liquid water environments. The sites satisfying these characteristics represent an opportunity for greatly extending the physics reach of underground searches in fundamental physics, such as searches for WIMP Dark Matter, neutrinoless double-beta decay, the diffuse supernova neutrinos, and neutrinos from nearby supernova. As a potential near-term target, we propose a measurement of muon and gamma-ray fluxes in an accessible underground lunar site such as the Mare Tranquillitatis Pit to perform a first measurement of the prompt component in cosmic-ray-induced particle production, and to constrain lunar evolution models.

Silicon photo-multipliers (SiPM) have been replacing traditional photomultiplier tubes in most light sensing applications. However, when large detection surface coverage is needed, photomultipliers (PMTs) are still the preferred choice. The main reasons are the sensor thermal noise and the duration of the fast component of its signal, both increasing with the sensor surface. In this work we propose an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), called Fast ANalog SiPM Integrated Circuit (FANSIC), for the readout of large SiPMs addressing these limitations. The ASIC has an active summation stage, which allows to divide a large detection surface into smaller ones offering faster response both in single ended and differential outputs. The high input bandwidth allows to reach full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) signals or the order of 3--5 ns which limits the impact of internal and external uncorrelated noise. The results of the first implementation of FANSIC, designed in CMOS 65 nm technology, is described in this paper.