Papers for Tuesday, May 27 2025

Astrophysical compact objects, viz., white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, are the remnants of stellar deaths at the end of their life cycles. They are ideal testbeds for various fundamental physical processes under extreme conditions that are unique in nature. Observational radio astronomy with uGMRT and OORT facilities has led to several important breakthroughs in studies of different kinds of pulsars and their emission mechanisms. On the other hand, accretion processes around compact objects are at the core of Indian astronomy research. In this context, AstroSat mission revolutionized spectro-temporal observations and measurements of accretion phenomena, quasi-periodic oscillations, and jet behaviour in binary systems hosting compact objects. Moreover, recently launched XPoSat mission is set to provide an impetus to these high-energy phenomena around compact objects by enabling us to conduct polarization measurements in the X-ray band. Further, during the past decade, numerous gravitational wave signals have been observed from coalescing black holes and neutron stars in binary systems. Recent simultaneous observation of the GW170817 event in both gravitational waves and electromagnetic channels has ushered in the era of multi-messenger astronomy. In the future, synergistic efforts among several world-class observational facilities, e.g., LIGO-India, SKA, TMT, etc., within the Indian astrophysics community will provide a significant boost to achieve several key science goals that have been delineated here. In general, this article plans to highlight scientific projects being pursued across Indian institutions in this field, the scientific challenges that this community would be focusing on, and the opportunities in the coming decade. Finally, we have also mentioned the required resources, both in the form of infrastructural and human resources.

We present a new two-fluid conduction scheme to simulate the evolution of an isolated, self-gravitating, equilibrium cluster of stars and collisionless dark matter on secular (gravothermal) timescales. We integrate the equations in Lagrangian coordinates via a second-order, semi-implicit algorithm, which is unconditionally stable when the mass of the lighter species is much less than that of the heavier species. The method can be straightforwardly generalized to handle a multi-species system with a population of stars or components beyond collisionless dark matter and stars. We apply the method to simulate the dynamical evolution of stellar-dark matter systems, exploring the consequences of mass segregation and gravothermal core collapse, and assessing those effects for observed globular clusters and dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume.

We present uniformly measured resolved stellar photometry and star formation histories (SFHs) for 36 nearby ($\lesssim$ 400 kpc) ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs; $-7.1 \le M_V \le +0.0$) from new and archival HST imaging. We measure homogeneous distances to all systems via isochrone fitting and find good agreement ($\le$ 2%) for the 18 UFDs that have literature RR Lyrae distances. From the ensemble of SFHs, we find: (i) an average quenching time (here defined as the lookback time by which 80% of the stellar mass formed, $\tau_{80}$) of 12.48 $\pm$ 0.18 Gyr ago ($z = 4.6_{-0.5}^{+0.6}$), which is compatible with reionization-based quenching scenarios; and (ii) modest evidence of a delay ($\lesssim$ 800 Myr) in quenching times of UFDs thought to be satellites of the LMC or on their first infall, relative to long-term Galactic satellites, which is consistent with previous findings. We show that robust SFH measurement via the ancient main sequence turnoff (MSTO) requires a minimum effective luminosity (i.e., luminosity within the observed field of view) of $M_V \leq -2.5$, which corresponds to $\sim$100 stars around the MSTO. We also find that increasing the S/N above $\sim$100 at the MSTO does not improve SFH precision, which remains dominated by stochastic effects associated with the number of available stars. A main challenge driving the precision of UFD SFHs is limitations in the accuracy of foreground dust maps. We make all photometry catalogs public as the first data release of a larger HST archival program targeting all dwarf galaxies within $\sim$1.3 Mpc.

Mass transfer is crucial in binary evolution, yet its theoretical treatment has long relied on analytic models whose key assumptions remain debated. We present a direct and systematic evaluation of these assumptions using high-resolution 3D hydrodynamical simulations including the Coriolis force. We simulate streams overflowing from both the inner and outer Lagrangian points, quantify mass transfer rates, and compare them with analytic solutions. We introduce scaling factors, including the overfilling factor, to render the problem dimensionless. The donor-star models are simplified, with either an isentropic initial stratification and adiabatic evolution or an isothermal structure and evolution, but the scalability of this formulation allows us to extend the results for a mass-transferring system to arbitrarily small overfilling factors. We find that the Coriolis force -- often neglected in analytic models -- strongly impacts the stream morphology: breaking axial symmetry, reducing the stream cross section, and shifting its origin toward the donor's trailing side. Contrary to common assumptions, the sonic surface is not flat and does not always intersect the Lagrangian point: instead, it is concave and shifted, particularly toward the accretor's trailing side. Despite these structural asymmetries, mass transfer rates are only mildly suppressed relative to analytic predictions and the deviation is remarkably small -- within a factor of two (ten) for the inner (outer) Lagrangian point over seven orders of magnitude in mass ratio. We use our results to extend the widely-used mass-transfer rate prescriptions by Ritter(1988) and Kolb&Ritter(1990), for both the inner and outer Lagrangian points. These extensions can be readily adopted in stellar evolution codes like MESA, with minimal changes where the original models are already in use.

When the effective temperature of a cooling white dwarf $T_{\rm eff}$ drops below the ionization limit, it develops a surface convection zone that may generate a magnetic field $B$ through the dynamo mechanism. We revisit the surface dynamo theory systematically using detailed stellar evolution computations, as well as a simple analytical model that tracks the expansion of the convection zone. The magnetic field reaches a maximum of several kG (for a hydrogen atmosphere) shortly after a convection zone is established at a cooling time $t=t_{\rm conv}$. The field then declines as $B\propto T_{\rm eff}\propto t^{-7/20}$ until the convective envelope couples to the degenerate core at $t=t_{\rm coup}$. We compare the onset of convection $t_{\rm conv}\propto M^{25/21}$ to the crystallization of the white dwarf's core $t_{\rm cryst}\propto M^{-5/3}$, and find that in the mass range $0.5\,{\rm M}_\odot<M<0.9\,{\rm M}_\odot$ the order of events is $t_{\rm conv}<t_{\rm cryst}<t_{\rm coup}$. Specifically, surface dynamos are active for a period $\Delta t\approx t_{\rm cryst}-t_{\rm conv}$ of about a Gyr (shorter for higher masses), before the convection zone is overrun by a stronger magnetic field emanating from the crystallizing core. Our predicted magnetic fields are at the current detection limit, and we do not find any observed candidates that fit the theory. None the less, surface dynamos may be an inevitable outcome of white dwarf cooling, significantly affecting white dwarf accretion and seismology.

The impact of feedback from galaxy formation on cosmological probes is typically quantified in terms of the suppression of the matter power spectrum in hydrodynamical compared to gravity-only simulations. In this paper, we instead study how baryonic feedback impacts halo assembly histories and thereby imprints on cosmological observables. We investigate the sensitivity of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (tSZ) power spectrum, X-ray number counts, weak lensing and kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) stacked profiles to halo populations as a function of mass and redshift. We then study the imprint of different feedback implementations in the FLAMINGO suite of cosmological simulations on the assembly histories of these halo populations, as a function of radial scale. We find that kSZ profiles target lower-mass halos ($M_{\rm 200m}\sim 10^{13.1}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$) compared to all other probes considered ($M_{200\mathrm{m}}\sim 10^{15}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$). Feedback is inefficient in high-mass clusters with $\sim 10^{15} \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ at $z=0$, but was more efficient at earlier times in the same population, with a $\sim 5$-$10\%$ effect on mass at $2<z<4$ (depending on radial scale). Conversely, for lower-mass halos with $\sim10^{13}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ at $z=0$, feedback exhibits a $\sim5$-$20\%$ effect on mass at $z=0$ but had little impact at earlier times ($z>2$). These findings are tied together by noting that, regardless of redshift, feedback most efficiently redistributes baryons when halos reach a mass of $M_{\rm 200m} \simeq {10^{12.8}}\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ and ceases to have any significant effect by the time $M_{\rm 200m} \simeq {10^{15}}\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$. We put forward strategies for minimizing sensitivity of lensing analyses to baryonic feedback, and for exploring baryonic resolutions to the unexpectedly low tSZ power in cosmic microwave background observations.

Mergers play a critical role in galaxy evolution, but their relationship to their surrounding environments is unexplored at high redshift. We investigate the galaxy merger rate among 124 [OIII] emitters at $5.3<z<6.9$ as a function of local galaxy density. Identified in the ASPIRE JWST/NIRCam grism survey, we investigate three density regimes: a $z=6.6$ quasar-centered protocluster, two overdensities at $z=5.4$ and $z=6.2$, and field galaxies. We evaluate merger candidates through close pair and morphological criteria in NIRCam imaging, finding that the $z=6.6$ protocluster contains the highest fraction of galaxies meeting either criterion. We observe a $>3\sigma$ enhancement of the merger fraction amongst all three overdense structures compared to the field. Eleven galaxies are classified as ``active mergers" satisfying both merger criteria, all of which occur within the overdensity samples. We conclude that environment affects the merger rates of galaxies at $z>6$, leading to increased specific star formation at the 4$\sigma$ level.

We investigate the viability of $f(Q)$ gravity as an alternative framework to address the $H_0$ and $S_8$ tensions in cosmology. Focusing on three representative $f(Q)$ models, we perform a comprehensive Bayesian analysis using a combination of cosmological observations, including cosmic chronometers, Type Ia supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, baryon acoustic oscillations, and redshift-space distortions. Our results demonstrate that most of these models can yield higher values of $H_0$ than those predicted by $\Lambda$CDM, offering a partial alleviation of the tension. In addition, one model satisfies the condition $G_{\mathrm{eff}} < G$ and predicts $S_8$ values consistent with weak lensing observations, making it a promising candidate for addressing the $S_8$ tension. However, these improvements are accompanied by mild internal inconsistencies between different subsets of data, which limit the overall statistical preference relative to $\Lambda$CDM. Despite this, $f(Q)$ gravity remains a promising and flexible framework for late-time cosmology, and our results motivate further exploration of extended or hybrid models that may reconcile all observational constraints.

We explore a class of minimal plateau inflationary models constrained by the latest cosmological observations from ACT DR6, Planck 2018, BICEP/Keck 2018, and DESI, collectively referred to as P-ACT-LB-BK18. These models, characterized by a non-polynomial potential, are analyzed using both inflationary and post-inflationary reheating dynamics, and the limits on the viable model parameter space are obtained. Our results show that the minimal model with matter-like post inflationary reheating phase remains consistent with current data at both $1\sigma$ and $2\sigma$ levels. The inflaton potential's exponent $n$ and reheating epoch are intertwined in that upon its increase, corresponding to the stiffer reheating equation of state, the viable model parameter space in accordance with ACT shrinks, which is further facilitated by the primordial gravitational waves (PGWs) overproduction. We further explored a supergravity-inspired extension of the model under study with similar results, but with tighter constraints on the model parameters. These results emphasize the importance of jointly analyzing CMB data and reheating physics to test inflationary models.

Analysis of ion-kinetic instabilities in solar wind plasmas is crucial for understanding energetics and dynamics throughout the heliosphere, as evident from spacecraft observations of complex ion velocity distribution functions (VDFs) and ubiquitous ion-scale kinetic waves. In this work, we explore machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) classification models to identify unstable cases of ion VDFs driving kinetic waves. Using 34 hybrid particle-in-cell simulations of kinetic protons and $\alpha$-particles initialized using plasma parameters derived from solar wind observations, we prepare a dataset of nearly 1600 VDFs representing stable/unstable cases and associated plasma and wave properties. We compare feature-based classifiers applied to VDF moments, such as Support Vector Machine and Random Forest, with DL convolutional neural networks (CNN) applied directly to VDFs as images in the gyrotropic velocity plane. The best-performing classifier, Random Forest, has an accuracy of $0.96\pm0.01$, and a true skill score of $0.89\pm0.03$, with the majority of missed predictions made near stability thresholds. We study how the variations of the temporal derivative thresholds of anisotropies and magnetic energies and sampling strategies for simulation runs affect classification. CNN-based models have the highest accuracy of $0.88\pm0.18$ among all considered if evaluated on the runs entirely not used during the model training. The addition of the $E_{\perp}$ power spectrum as an input for the ML models leads to the improvement of instability analysis for some cases. The results demonstrate the potential of ML and DL for the detection of ion-scale kinetic instabilities using spacecraft observations of solar wind and magnetospheric plasmas.

Understanding the thermal and turbulence properties of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) is essential for analyzing their evolution and interactions with the surrounding medium. This study explores these characteristics across different regions of two distinct ICMEs observed at 1 AU, utilizing in-situ measurements from the Wind spacecraft. The polytropic indices, Gamma_e for electrons and Gamma_p for protons) reveal significant deviations from adiabatic expansion, suggesting sustained heating mechanisms within the ICMEs even at 1AU. The effective polytropic index (Gamma_eff) of the magnetic ejecta (ME) in both ICME1 and ICME2 is found to be near-isothermal (Gamma_eff = 0.88 and 0.76), aligning with measurements near the Sun, highlighting consistent heating across heliospheric distances. Spectral analysis at the inertial scale reveals Kolmogorov-like turbulence in the fast ICME1's ME, while the ME of the slower ICME2 exhibits less developed turbulence with a shallower spectral index (alpha_B). The turbulence analysis in the dissipation scale indicates that the ME of slower ICME2 is less affected by the ambient medium than the faster ICME2. The MEs of both ICMEs show magnetic compressibility much smaller than unity (C_B < 1), suggesting dominant Alfvenic fluctuations in the MEs. Notably, the partial variance of increments (PVI) method identifies more intermittent structures, such as current sheets and reconnection sites, in the sheath and post-ICME regions. Higher PVI values correlate with regions of increased electron and proton temperature (for the sheath region), as well as higher C_B values, highlighting their role in local energy dissipation. These results underscore the importance of ongoing heating and turbulence processes in shaping the evolution of ICMEs.

The detection of low surface brightness galaxies beyond the Local Group poses significant observational challenges, yet these faint systems are fundamental to our understanding of dark matter, hierarchical galaxy formation, and cosmic structure. Their abundance and distribution provide crucial tests for cosmological models, particularly regarding the small-scale predictions of $\Lambda$CDM. We present a systematic detection framework for dwarf galaxy candidates in Ultraviolet Near Infrared Optical Northern Survey (UNIONS) data covering 4,861 deg$^{2}$. Our pipeline preprocesses UNIONS gri-band data through binning, artifact removal, and stellar masking, then employs MTObjects (MTO) for low surface brightness detection. After parameter cuts and cross-matching, we obtain $\sim$360 candidates per deg$^{2}$, totaling $\sim$1.5 million candidates forming our GOBLIN (Galaxies OBserved as Low-luminosity Identified Nebulae) catalog. We fine-tuned the deep learning model Zoobot, pre-trained on Galaxy Zoo labels, for classification. Training data came from visual inspection of literature candidates with probability labels from expert assessments, capturing consensus and uncertainty. Applied to all MTO objects, our method identifies 42,965 dwarf candidates with probability $>$ 0.8, including 23,072 with probability $>$ 0.9. High-probability candidates correlate spatially with massive galaxies (log$(M_{*}/M_{\odot}) \geq$ 10) within 120 Mpc. While some of these objects may have been previously identified in other surveys, we present this extensive catalog of candidates, including their positions, structural parameter estimates, and classification probabilities, as a resource for the community to enable studies of galaxy formation, evolution, and the distribution of dwarf galaxies in different environments.

Planetary nebulae (PNe) are pivotal for advancing our knowledge of stellar evolution and galactic chemical enrichment. Recent progress in surveys and data analysis has revolutionized PN research, leading to the discovery of new objects and deeper insights into their properties. We have devised a novel photometric selection method, integrating GAIA and Pan-STARRS photometry, to identify compact PN candidates. This approach utilizes color-color diagrams, specifically (G-g) versus (GBP-GRP) and (G-r) versus (GBP-GRP), as primary criteria for candidate selection. The subsequent verification step involves confirming these candidates through LAMOST spectroscopic data. By cross-referencing a comprehensive dataset of PNe, GAIA, Pan-STARRS, and LAMOST DR7 spectra, we explore the potential of our approach and the crucial role played by these surveys in PN research. The LAMOST spectra provide compelling evidence supporting our selection criteria, especially for compact PNe characterized by strong emission lines and low continuum. Applying these criteria to a catalog of emission line objects, we have selected a PN candidate. Detailed analysis of its LAMOST spectrum unveiled classical Balmer emission lines and high-ionization lines (He II, [Ar V], [Ar III], [Ne III]), characteristic of high-ionization PNe, without low-excitation lines. Using the photoionization code Cloudy, our modeling revealed parameters including an ionizing source temperature of 180x10^3 K, luminosity around 3400 Lsun, and gas abundances encompassing various elements. Comparing the PNe evolution track, the progenitor star was estimated to have a mass of 2 Msun. Our findings show strong promise for separating compact PNe from other objects and provide a robust framework for further exploration of these surveys in the context of planetary nebulae.

Historically, a sequence of nuclear pasta shapes was predicted to appear in the deepest region of the inner crust of a neutron star within the compressible liquid-drop picture, when the filling fraction $u$ exceeds some threshold values. However, later calculations showed that these values depend on the details of the liquid-drop model. Here we investigate the existence of pasta in neutron stars within the semiclassical extended Thomas-Fermi approach using various generalized Skyrme functionals. The filling fractions for the different transitions are found to be quasi-universal, unlike the pasta density ranges governed by the symmetry energy at relevant densities. In particular, pasta emerge at $u_\mathrm{sp}\approx0.13-0.15$. By applying a simplified stability criterion within the liquid-drop framework, we show that these values of $u_\mathrm{sp}$ can be explained by the nuclear curvature correction. In this way, the abundance of pasta can be easily estimated. This criterion can also be used to optimize the search of pasta within the more realistic extended Thomas-Fermi approach.

We extended the $O-C$ diagram for V965 Cep with all currently available observations in the Johnson V filter and added unfiltered ones. The new, up-to-date $O-C$ diagram shows that the seeming period change previously revealed by the author does not occur uniformly. Instead, the near-parabolic part of the $O-C$ diagram can be a part of a periodic curve. This could be a sign of the second body in the system.

Recently, two independent analyses have asserted that the cause of the Long Secondary Period (LSP) observed in the variability spectrum of our nearest red supergiant, Betelgeuse ($\alpha$ Ori), is an as-yet undetected, low-mass binary companion dubbed $\alpha$ Ori B. In this paper, we present the results of a far-UV observational campaign using the STIS echelle spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope aimed at detecting spectral signatures of the companion. The four-quadrant tiling pattern and timing of the observations were optimized to isolate the companion, with observations taking place during a period of maximum angular and velocity separation between Betelgeuse and the putative companion. Spectral differencing between quadrants recovers no spectral features at the companion's velocity in excess of the background or Betelgeuse's chromosphere, i.e. a non-detection. Having determined that $\alpha$ Ori B is most likely a Young Stellar Object (YSO) thanks to constraints from a complementary X-ray campaign with the Chandra X-ray Observatory in a companion paper, comparison of our data against canonical spectra from YSOs in the ULLYSES database allows us to confidently exclude masses above $\gtrsim1.5M_\odot$ and companion continuum or line emission in excess of $\approx10^{-14}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ angstrom$^{-1}$ in the FUV ($\approx1200-1700$ angstroms). Future observational campaigns aware of the LSP phase are needed to place deeper constraints on the spectroscopic nature of $\alpha$ Ori B.

The $\sim$$2100$d Long Secondary Period of Betelgeuse's optical lightcurve and radial velocity motivated the prediction of a low-mass stellar companion, expected to be at maximal apparent separation from Betelgeuse around December 2024. We carried out Director's Discretionary Time observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory to identify any X-ray emission from the companion and constrain its nature as either a compact object or young stellar object (YSO). Past X-ray observations occurred at the wrong phase of the companion's orbit for optimal detection prospects and/or lacked the deep exposure required to constrain the typical X-ray luminosities of YSOs. In our 41.85 ks exposure with Chandra, we do not detect an X-ray source at the position of Betelgeuse. For an estimated hydrogen column density $N_H$$=$$6\times10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$, we place a limit on the X-ray luminosity of $L_X$$\lesssim$$2\times10^{30}$ erg s$^{-1}$ ($\lesssim$$4.7\times10^{-4}L_\odot$) in $0.5$$-$$8$ keV for a 10 MK plasma temperature spectral model, or $L_X$$\lesssim$$5\times10^{29}$ erg s$^{-1}$ ($\lesssim$$1.2\times10^{-4}L_\odot$) for an absorbed power law with photon index $\Gamma$$=$$2$. These limits robustly exclude an accreting compact object (white dwarf or neutron star) as the companion. Solar mass YSOs with an age similar to Betelgeuse ($\sim$10 Myr) display a range of X-ray luminosities ($10^{28-32}$ erg s$^{-1}$), and we can place upper bounds within this range for most absorbing columns. Based on these considerations, we conclude that the companion to Betelgeuse is likely a low-mass YSO.

Old open clusters can constrain the chemical evolution of the Galactic disc through their metallicity gradients and age-metallicity relation but they suffer from low statistics. This work aims to determine precise and homogeneous metallicities for a number of old ($\geq$ 500 Myr) clusters from all-sky catalogues of stellar parameters leveraging Gaia spectrophotometry. Our purpose was to revisit the metallicity distribution of the oldest open clusters as a function of their Galactic position and age with improved statistics. Our sample includes ~600 old open clusters with a typical precision of 0.05 dex in metallicity. We identified metal-poor or metal-rich clusters never studied before, as well as moving groups as the remnants of dissolving clusters. Galactic maps show a smooth decrease of metallicity from inside to outside the disc. Metal-rich and metal-poor clusters exist at all ages but dominate respectively in the inner and the outer disc, with different scale this http URL radial metallicity gradient was found to have a knee shape with a steep value of -0.084$\pm$0.004 dex/kpc in the inner side and -0.018$\pm$0.004 dex/kpc outside the knee. The inner radial gradient flattens with age. Vertically, the metallicity gradient is -0.415$\pm$0.030 dex/kpc. The large scatter in the distribution of metallicity versus age is well explained by the superposition of OC populations standing at different Galactocentric distances, each with its own mean metallicity and small dispersion, less than 0.08 dex in radius bins of 1 this http URL results are consistent with a negative radial metallicity gradient of interstellar matter that was present in the disc when the clusters formed. The low metallicity dispersion in each radius bin reflects weak radial mixing.

Spectropolarimetry, the observation of polarization and intensity as a function of wavelength, is a powerful tool in stellar astrophysics. It is particularly useful for characterizing stars and circumstellar material, and for tracing the influence of magnetic fields on a host star and its environment. Maintaining modern, flexible, and accessible computational tools that enable spectropolarimetric studies is thus essential. The SpecpolFlow package is a new, completely Pythonic workflow for analyzing stellar spectropolarimetric observations. Its suite of tools provides a user-friendly interface for working with data from an assortment of instruments and telescopes. SpecpolFlow contains tools for spectral normalization and visualization, the extraction of Least-Squares Deconvolution (LSD) profiles, the generation and optimization of line masks for LSD analyses, and the calculation of longitudinal magnetic field measurements from the LSD profiles. It also provides Python classes for the manipulation of spectropolarimetric products. The SpecpolFlow website includes an array of tutorials that guide users through common analysis cases using the software. SpecpolFlow is distributed as a free, open-source package, with fully documented tools (via an API and command line interface) which are actively maintained by a team of contributors.

The aim of this work is to characterize the thermodynamic state of fuel mixed into the turbulent flame brush in the context of the Zel'dovich deflagration-to-detonation transition (ZDDT) mechanism of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). We perform a series of three-dimensional computer simulations of thermonuclear deflagrations subject to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) for conditions found in model explosions of centrally ignited realistic, Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf progenitors. These conditions correspond to explosion times when the flame reaches low density progenitor regions where DDT is expected to occur. The flame database is constructed using a thickened flame model. High numerical resolution is achieved with the help of the adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) approach allowing, for the first time, to resolve mesoscale buoyancy-driven flame turbulence. The system is evolved to a quasi-steady state, and flow properties in the turbulent region, where turbulence is most isotropic, is analyzed in a co-moving frame of reference. We find evidence for strong buoyancy-driven adiabatic heating of fuel layers adjacent to the flame front. The heating results in a dramatic reduction of fuel ignition times by between $\approx$2 and more than about 5 orders of magnitude. The heating increases with the RTI forcing. The observed shortening of fuel burning timescales suggests a new source of energy is important inside fuel penetrating the flame brush. These regions are up to several hundred meters wide. On the basis of the previous results of turbulent combustion in SNe Ia, preconditioning required by the ZDDT mechanism can occur there.

We present the first data release of the Hawaii Infrared Supernova Study (\textit{HISS}), consisting of a large sample of near-infrared (NIR) spectra, $0.7 - 2.5 \mathrm{\mu m}$, obtained with the Keck-II/NIRES and IRTF/SpeX spectrographs. This sample is comprised of 90 NIR spectra of 48 transient events, spanning from hours after explosion to $\geq + 350$ days. Acquired over three years (2021-2024), this data release includes 17 Type Ia SNe, 15 Type II SNe, 8 Stripped Envelope SNe, 6 interacting SNe, 1 TDE, and 1 SLSN-I. These spectra were all systematically reduced using either the \textsc{Python}-based reduction code \textsc{Pypeit} or the \textsc{IDL}-based \textsc{Spextool} and constitute one of the largest NIR samples of transients available to the astrophysical community. We show the utility of NIR spectra and identify the key spectral features across multiple types of SNe. We show how both early-time and nebular-phase NIR spectra can be used to investigate the physics of the explosion, and to reveal the properties of the progenitor. With the addition of this dataset, the number of publicly available NIR spectra spanning multiple transient types has been substantially increased. In its next phase, \textit{HISS} will leverage target-of-opportunity spectral observations and NIR imaging from telescopes on Maunakea. Expanding the NIR dataset of SNe is vital to the transient community, particularly in light of the increasing emphasis on the infrared regime following the recent launch of the \textit{James Webb Space Telescope} and the forthcoming launch of the \textit{Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope}.

The Universe's magnetogenesis can be investigated with radio observations of cosmic filaments, where the information on the initial magnetic field seeds is expected to be preserved in time. In this work, we update the comparison between recent observational results in filaments with the predictions from recent cosmological simulations to check whether one of them is favoured. The radio probes we use are the rotation measure (RM) of filaments as a function of the redshift ($z$), stacking of synchrotron emission from filaments, and the RM radial profile away from galaxy groups. The first two probes favour the presence of a dominant primordial magnetic field component and disfavour a sole astrophysical scenario, the third probe does not yet give an unambiguous outcome. We also estimate the average field strength in filaments. Independently of the scenario and the shape of the astrophysical component RM, it is in the range 10--60 nG at $z=0$, while, when restricted to the model that gives the best match to the simulations, it gives $43\pm 7$ nG, with an astrophysical component RM rapidly decreasing with the redshift.

Most massive stars will interact with a binary companion during their lifetimes. These interactions can remove the hydrogen-rich envelope, producing intermediate-mass ($\sim$2-8 M$_\odot$) and helium-rich stars. These "stripped stars" are predicted to emit predominantly in the ultraviolet (UV) and can therefore be identified via a UV excess provided they are not outshone by their companion. However, despite their importance to binary evolution, supernovae, and ionizing feedback, few stripped stars have been confirmed. This is likely due to the scarcity of wide-field, high angular resolution, UV surveys of stellar populations with reliable distances and extinction estimates. To address this, we present the Stripped-Star Ultraviolet Magellanic Clouds Survey (SUMS) catalog. We use the Tractor forward modeling software to perform PSF photometry on 2,420 Swift-UVOT images of the LMC and SMC. The resulting public catalog contains 734,869 sources in three UV filters to a depth of $\sim$20 Vega mag. We perform validation tests on the photometry pipeline and highlight the catalog's broad applicability. We then identify sources with excess UV light compared to main-sequence stars and apply a series of quality cuts. From this, we identify 522 candidate stripped stars in the LMC and 298 in the SMC. We assess the potential contamination from other UV excess systems and argue the dominant uncertainty to be dust: early main-sequence stars can mimic the colors of stripped star binaries when extinction is overcorrected. This survey lays the groundwork for the first systematic census of stripped stars and opens new windows into binary evolution and massive star populations.

Detecting anomalies in radio astronomy is challenging due to the vast amounts of data and the rarity of labeled anomalous examples. Addressing this challenge requires efficient methods capable of identifying unusual radio galaxy morphologies without relying on extensive supervision. This work introduces an innovative approach to anomaly detection based on morphological characteristics of the radio sources using trainable COSFIRE (Combination of Shifted Filter Responses) filters as an efficient alternative to complex deep learning methods. The framework integrates COSFIRE descriptors with an unsupervised Local Outlier Factor (LOF) algorithm to identify unusual radio galaxy morphologies. Evaluations on a radio galaxy benchmark data set demonstrate strong performance, with the COSFIRE-based approach achieving a geometric mean (G-Mean) score of 79%, surpassing the 77% achieved by a computationally intensive deep learning autoencoder. By characterizing normal patterns and detecting deviations, this semi-supervised methodology overcomes the need for anomalous examples in the training set, a major limitation of traditional supervised methods. This approach shows promise for next-generation radio telescopes, where fast processing and the ability to discover unknown phenomena are crucial.

In October 2024, the object BL Lacertae experienced the brightest flaring event in gamma-ray ($>$100 MeV) with a historically bright $\gamma$-ray flux of $\sim$2.59 $\times 10^{-5}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ with a detection of a 175.7 GeV photon with Fermi-LAT. This event was also followed by very high-energy $\gamma$-ray detection with LHAASO, VERITAS, and MAGIC. Soon after, Swift-XRT and Swift-UVOT follow-up confirmed the concurrent flare in X-ray, UV, and optical bands. A minimum flux doubling/halving time of 1.06 $\pm$ 0.26 hour with 4$\sigma$ significance has been observed with the Fermi-LAT orbit binned light curve. No compelling correlation has been found between $\gamma$-ray spectral indices and fluxes. The log-normal $\gamma$-ray flux distribution during the flare confirms the multiplicative nature of the non-linear perturbation causing the flare. We applied a one-zone leptohadronic model to fit the broadband SED during the flaring period. The broadband SED modeling reveals that the sudden enhancement of the magnetic field and bulk factor might promote the flare. The SED modeling also suggested a more compact emission region, which may be described by a shorter variability time than the observed one. The hadronic part best fitted the high energy part of the spectrum, suggesting the jets of BL Lac could provide a promising environment to accelerate the cosmic ray particles, such as protons. The jets of BL Lacertae could also be the possible source of astrophysical neutrinos, as an upper limit on neutrinos has already been reported from IceCube.

Neutron star + helium star systems are attracting more and more attentions. Following the rotationally delayed accretion-induced-collapse (RD-AIC) scenario, I predict that there could be eccentric millisecond pulsar + subdwarf B (MSP + sdB), at least eccentric neutron star + subdwarf B (NS + sdB) systems in the Galaxy. I show the predictions on their orbital parameters, including MSP mass, secondary mass, eccentricity and orbital period. Based on two detailed binary population synthesis calculations, we find that their Galactic birth rate is $(0.67-1.5)\times10^{\rm -4}~{\rm yr^{\rm -1}}$. Then, a very conservative upper limit of their number in the Galaxy is 6700-15000. They have an age of hundreds of Myr and then should be discovered in relatively young environments. In addition, most of the MSPs in the eccentric MSP + sdB systems have a mass less massive than 1.5 $M_{\odot}$. I simply discuss their future potential applications in astrophysical fields.

Context: Before JWST, telescope observations were not sensitive enough to constrain the nature of clouds in exo-atmospheres. Recent observations, however, have inferred cloud signatures as well as haze-enhanced scattering slopes motivating the need for modern inversion techniques and a deeper understanding of the JWST information content. Aims: We aim to investigate the information content of JWST exoplanet spectra. We particularly focus on designing an inversion technique able to handle a wide range of cloud and hazes. Methods: We build a flexible aerosol parameterization within the TauREx framework, enabling us to conduct atmospheric retrievals of planetary atmospheres. The method is evaluated on available Cassini occultations of Titan. We then use the model to interpret the recent JWST data for the prototypical hot Jupiters HAT-P-18 b, WASP-39 b, WASP-96 b, and WASP-107 b. In parallel, we perform complementary simulations on controlled scenarios to further understand the information content of JWST data and provide parameterization guidelines. Results: Our results use free and kinetic chemistry retrievals to extract the main atmospheric properties of key JWST exoplanets, including their molecular abundances, thermal structures, and aerosol properties. In our investigations, we show the need for a wide wavelength coverage to robustly characterize clouds and hazes-which is necessary to mitigate biases arising from our lack of priors on their composition-and break degeneracies with atmospheric chemical composition. With JWST, the characterization of clouds and hazes might be difficult due to the lack of simultaneous wavelength coverage from visible to mid-infrared by a single instruments and the likely presence of temporal variability between visits (from e.g., observing conditions, instrument systematics, stellar host variability, or planetary weather).

The high quiescent X-ray luminosity observed in some magnetars is widely attributed to the decay and evolution of their ultra-strong magnetic fields. Several dissipation mechanisms have been proposed, each operating with different efficiencies depending on the region of the star. In this context, ambipolar diffusion, i.e., the relative motion of charged particles with respect to neutrons in the neutron star core, has been proposed as a promising candidate due to its strong dependence on magnetic field strength and its capacity to convert magnetic energy into heat. We perform axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic simulations to study the long-term magnetic evolution of a NS core composed of normal (non-Cooper paired) matter under the influence of ambipolar diffusion. The core is modeled as a two-fluid system consisting of neutrons and a charged-particle fluid (protons and electrons), coupled to the magnetic field. Simulations are performed both at constant and variable temperatures. In the latter case, a strategy that decouples the magnetic and thermal evolution is employed, enabling efficient thermal modeling across a range of initial magnetic field strengths. At constant temperature, we obtained the expected result where neutrons reach diffusive equilibrium, the Lorentz force is balanced by chemical potential gradients of charged particles, and the magnetic field satisfies a non-linear Grad-Shafranov equation. When thermal evolution is included, fields $B \gtrsim 5 \times 10^{15} \,\text{G}$ can balance ambipolar heating and neutrino cooling, delaying the evolution over $\sim 10^{3} \,[B/(5 \times 10^{15}\,\text{G})]^{-6/5}$ yr. Although the surface luminosity is enhanced compared to passive cooling, the heating from ambipolar diffusion alone is insufficient to fully explain the persistent X-ray emission observed in magnetars.

The collapse of singular magnetized toroids (Li & Shu 1996) is a natural representation of an early phase in star formation, bridging the prestellar and protostellar phases of the collapse of molecular cloud cores. We revisit the collapse study of Allen et al. (2003b), now with explicit nonideal MHD (Ohmic diffusivity $\eta$) and higher resolution using a code able to cover a broader range of the magnetization parameter $H_0$. Galli-Shu equatorial pseudodisks form for all values of $H_0$ and $\eta$, and the asymptotic central mass growth rate is in the scale $\dot{M}_*\sim(a^3/G)(1+H_0)$, where $a$ is the isothermal sound speed, consistent with previous results and predictions. The explicit Ohmic diffusivity makes the field line structure less radial than in previous work, connecting the pseudodisk more effectively to its surroundings. Matter can fall efficiently onto the pseudodisk surfaces, forming oblique shocks, where shock heating and large density gradients raise the possibility of rich astrochemistry. Pseudodisk size and structure are influenced by magnetic diffusivity. Force and velocity ratios were computed to explore the magnetic support within the pseudodisk and its induced slowdown in infall velocity. Magnetic diffusivity was measured to control the strength of these effects and their location within the pseudodisk. The dependence of the field line configurations, pseudodisk structure, and velocity ratios on magnetic diffusivity has observable consequences for collapsing envelopes.

The spatial distribution and clustering property of massive and luminous galaxies have provided important constraints on the fundamental cosmological parameters and physical processes governing galaxy formation. In this work, we construct and compare independent galaxy-halo connection models in the application of clustering measurement at non-linear scales of BOSS-CMASS galaxies. In particular, we adopt a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model with 11 parameters and a semi-analytical model (SAM) with 16 parameters to describe the galaxy correlation function including the projected correlation function, redshift space monopole and quadrupole. We focus on the redshift space distortion effect caused by the galaxy peculiar velocity. With a empirical model for the velocity field and the emulator technique, we can explore the parameter space of both models. We find that the HOD model is able to recover the underlying velocity field of SAM with an accuracy of 3\%, and can be improved to 1\% when the analysis is restricted to scales above 1$h^{-1}$Mpc. The comparison is based on multiple samplings in the parameter space which can verify the convergence of the empirical and physical model for galaxy formation. Then we perform constraints on the model parameters using clustering measurement of CMASS galaxies. Although limited by the emulator accuracy and the flexibility of the model, we find that the clustering measurement is capable of constraining a subset of the SAM parameters, especially for components sensitive to the star formation rate. This result leads us to anticipate that a joint analysis of both clustering and abundance measurements can significantly constrain the parameters of galaxy formation physics, which requires further investigation from both theoretical and observational aspects.

Dark matter admixed neutron stars provide a promising avenue for observationally probing the dark matter characteristic. In this study, we examine non-radial oscillations in neutron stars containing self-interacting dark matter, which interacts with normal matter exclusively via gravity. To achieve this, we derive a new set of perturbation equations for a multi-fluid system under the Cowling approximation. Using these equations, we analyze the oscillation spectra and identify additional modes associated with dark matter, alongside those of normal matter. We find that the frequency behavior becomes more intricate with increasing self-coupling strength of dark matter, particularly as the stellar structure transitions between dark core and dark halo configurations, depending on the total stellar mass. Nevertheless, we find that in the dark core structure, the fundamental ($f$) mode frequencies associated with dark matter exceed those of normal matter, at least when the central energy densities of both fluids are equal. Furthermore, we find that the $f$-mode frequencies associated with normal matter in dark core configurations adhere to a universal relation between the mass-scaled frequency and stellar compactness.

By virtue of their red color, the dust in little red dots (LRDs) has been thought to be of appreciable influence, whether that dust is distributed in a torus around a compact active galactic nucleus (AGN) or diffuse in the interstellar medium (ISM) of nascent galaxies. In Casey et al. (2024) we predicted that, based on the compact sizes of LRDs (unresolved in JWST NIRCam imaging), detection of an appreciable dust mass would be unlikely. Here we present follow-up ALMA 1.3mm continuum observations of a sample of 60 LRDs drawn from Akins et al. (2024). None of the 60 LRDs are detected in imaging that reaches an average depth of $\sigma_{rms}=22\,\mu Jy$. A stack of the 60 LRDs also results in a non-detection, with an inverse-variance weighted flux density measurement of $S_{1.3mm}=2.1\pm2.9\,\mu Jy$. This observed limit translates to a 3$\sigma$ upper limit of 10$^6$ M$_\odot$ in LRDs' dust mass, and $\lesssim10^{11}$ L$_\odot$ in total dust luminosity; both are a factor of 10$\times$ deeper than previous submm stack limits for LRDs. These results are consistent with either the interpretation that LRDs are reddened due to compact but modest dust reservoirs (with $A_{V}\sim2-4$) or, alternatively, that instead of being reddened by dust, they have extreme Balmer breaks generated by dense gas ($>10^{9}\,cm^{-3}$) enshrouding a central black hole.

We investigate the dynamical properties of dark energy through a detailed analysis of its equation of state parameter $w(z)$ as a function of redshift. We derive a general expression for $w(z)$ from the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) equations, establishing a direct relationship between the dark energy equation of state and the observable Hubble parameter $H(z)$ and its derivative. Using the relation $w(z) = -1 + \frac{2(1+z)}{3H(z)} \frac{dH}{dz}$, we develop an approximation method valid for $z \lesssim 1$ that accounts for the changing balance between matter and dark energy contributions to cosmic expansion. We compare our theoretical framework with recent observational data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) DR2, analysing how well the commonly used Chevallier-Polarski-Linder (CPL) parametrization $w(z) = -1 + w_a \frac{z}{1+z}$ captures the evolution of dark energy. Our results indicate that the dark energy equation of state exhibits a monotonic evolution with redshift, transitioning from deceleration to acceleration around $z \approx 0.7$. Notably, our predicted $w_{\mathrm{DE}}$ remains greater than $-1$ across all redshifts, avoiding phantom energy scenarios that would violate the null energy condition. This work demonstrates how precise measurements of the cosmic expansion history can constrain the nature of dark energy and provides a framework for testing dynamical dark energy models against current and future cosmological observations.

Solar flares are widely accepted to be powered by magnetic reconnection that involves complex dynamics in various scales. The flare supra-arcade and loop-top region, directly impacted by fast reconnection downflows, contains a wealth of microscopic dynamics, which are, however, difficult to resolve in imaging. We present simultaneous spectroscopic and imaging observations of hot flaring plasma above the loop tops by IRIS and SDO/AIA. IRIS continuously observed high-temperature Fe XXI 1354.08 A spectral emissions throughout the long-duration gradual phase of the X-class flare. We found weak Doppler blue shifts near the loop-top region, indicative of bulk plasma motions from chromospheric evaporation based on the 3D flare loop orientation. Strong nonthermal velocities are detected at the bottom of the flare supra-arcade fan/plasma sheet, suggestive of the presence of turbulence in the flare current sheet region. In addition, disorganized nonthermal plasma motions are constantly detected until the very end of the flare, indicating irregular unresolved plasma flows in the cusp and loop-top region. The spatial and temporal evolution of spectral parameters follow the dynamics resulting from on-going magnetic reconnection during the prolonged gradual phase. The long-lasting nonthermal plasma motions may contribute to the high and steady temperature of flaring plasmas above flare loops.

We examine data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration which has implications for the nature of dark energy. We consider classes of models that manifestly obey the null energy condition, with a focus on quintessence models. We find that hilltop potentials and exponential potentials provide modest improvement compared to a cosmological constant, but the statistical evidence is only marginal at this stage. We correct some analyses in the existing literature which attempted to compare some quintessence models to the data, giving an overly positive result.

TOI-2109b is the hot Jupiter with the shortest orbital period ($\sim16\,$hr). At this close distance, strong tidal interactions can produce a significant exchange of angular momentum with the star. Since the orbital period of this planet is shorter than the stellar rotation period, TOI-2109b may be an optimal candidate for studying orbital decay. This process depends on how efficiently the star and the planet dissipate energy, due mainly to interior mechanisms that are poorly constrained in exoplanet systems. In this work, we study for the first time the tidal evolution of TOI-2109b under a formalism of inertial waves (IWs) in convective envelopes and internal gravity waves (IGWs) in stellar radiative regions. We find that uncertainties in the age of TOI-2109 ($t_\mathrm{\star, age}$) significantly affect the rate of orbital evolution, as IWs and IGWs interact differently depending on $t_\mathrm{\star, age}$. For an 'old' host star, we find that TOI-2109b would undergo fast orbital decay. Conversely, if TOI-2109b orbits a 'young' host star, a rather slow decay rate for $Q_\star'>2.3\times10^7$ would suggest a constant-period orbit. Our calculated mid-transit times and transit-timing variations (TTVs) support a 'young' host star with $Q_\star'>3.7\times10^7$, suggesting a decay rate of $\dot{P}\sim4\,$ms yr$^{-1}$ that could lead to mid-transit-time shifts $\lesssim10\,$s over three years. Orbital decay and other TTV-inducing effects will be confirmed or ruled out with future higher-quality timing data. The results presented here aim at constraining the current modeling of tides and TTVs for TOI-2109b, helping us further understand those light-curve changes associated to the long-term evolution of ultra-short-period planets.

Recent space missions have provided substantial evidence of regolith movement on the surfaces of near Earth asteroids. To investigate this phenomenon, we present a continuum-based model that describes regolith motion on nearly spherical asteroids. The theoretical framework employs a depth averaged approach, traditionally used for simulating terrestrial landslides, and is extended to include additional terms that account for spherical geometry, shallow topography and the asteroids rotation. The governing equations couple the resurfacing process with the asteroids spin evolution through angular momentum conservation. The axisymmetric form of these equations is then employed to study the transition of an initially spherical asteroid into a top-shaped.

We present new simulations of the formation and evolution of the first star-forming cloud within a massive minihalo of mass of $1.05 \times 10^7\, M_{\odot}$, carried out using the GIZMO code with detailed modeling of primordial gas cooling and chemistry. Unlike previous studies that simulated the formation of the first stars within a smaller cosmological boxsize of $\sim 1-2$ Mpc, our work adopts initial conditions from the large-scale cosmological simulations, IllustrisTNG spanning $\sim 50$ Mpc to study the formation of primordial clouds that give birth to the first stars. We increase the original resolution of IllustrisTNG by a factor of $\sim10^5$ using a particle-splitting technique, achieving an extremely high resolution that allows us to resolve turbulence driven by gravitational collapse during early structure formation. We find that strong supersonic turbulence with a characteristic Mach number of $\sim 5.2$ naturally develops within the collapsing halo. This turbulence efficiently stirs the gas, promoting fragmentation of the star-forming cloud into multiple dense clumps. Among them, we identify a gravitationally bound core with a mass of $8.07\,M_{\odot}$ and a size of $0.03$ pc, which exceeds its local Jeans mass and is on the verge of collapsing into a star. Our results indicate that supersonic turbulence may be common in primordial halos and can play a crucial role in cloud-scale fragmentation, potentially lowering the characteristic mass scale of the first stars.

We continue scientific scrutiny of the DESI dynamical dark energy (DE) claim by explicitly demonstrating that the result depends on the analysis pipeline. Concretely, we define a likelihood that converts the $w_0 w_a$CDM model back into the flat $\Lambda$CDM model, which we fit to DESI constraints on the flat $\Lambda$CDM model from DR1 Full-Shape (FS) modelling and BAO. We further incorporate CMB constraints. Throughout, we find that $w_0$ and $w_a$ are within $1 \sigma$ of the flat $\Lambda$CDM Model. Our work makes it explicit that, in contrast to DR1 and DR2 BAO, there is no dynamical DE signal in FS modelling, even when combined with BAO and CMB. Moreover, one confirms late-time accelerated expansion today $(q_0 < 0)$ at $ \gtrsim 3.4 \sigma$ in FS modelling+BAO. On the contrary, DR1 and DR2 BAO fail to confirm $q_0 < 0$ under similar assumptions. Our analyses highlight the fact that trustable scientific results should be independent of the analysis pipeline.

Direct imaging of black hole shadow halos has firmly confirmed the existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), with millions of solar masses, residing at the centers of the Milky Way and M87 galaxies. These groundbreaking discoveries represent a monumental success of Einstein's theory of general relativity and have revealed the hidden "monsters" lurking at the centers of galaxies. Moreover, observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) indicate that SMBHs with billions of solar masses were already in place within the first billion years after the Big Bang. However, the origins of these SMBHs, as well as their co-evolution with host galaxies, remain poorly understood. This review focuses on the origin of SMBHs, particularly on the formation of their seed black holes. We also highlight several outstanding challenges in modeling seed formation and discuss possible observational signatures. These signatures may be testable with current and future facilities, including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the upcoming gravitational wave observatory, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).

Accurate measurements of fundamental cosmological parameters, especially the Hubble constant ($H_0$) and present-day matter density ($\Omega_{m0}$), are crucial for constraining dark energy (DE) evolution. We analyze the sensitivities of cosmological observables ($H(z)$, $D_L(z)$, $\EG$) to $\Omega_{m0}$, $\omega_0$, and $\omega_a$ under different parametrizations. Our results show observables are far more sensitive to $\Omega_{m0}$ than to DE equation of state parameters (e.g., at $z \sim 0.5$, $H(z)$'s $\Omega_{m0}$ sensitivity is $\sim 0.7$ vs. $\omega_a$'s $\sim 0.04$). This hierarchy mandates high-precision $\Omega_{m0}$ measurements to accurately constrain time-varying DE. We also find DE parameter sensitivity highly depends on parametrization; the standard CPL form shows low sensitivity to $\omega_a$, but $\omega(z) = \omega_0 + \omega_a \ln(1+z)$ significantly enhances it. Our analysis of DESI DR1/DR2 data confirms these theoretical limits: standalone DESI data primarily provides only upper limits for $\omega_a$, underscoring insufficient constraining power for a definitive time-varying DE detection. While combined datasets offer tighter constraints, interpretation requires caution due to parametrization influence. In conclusion, improving $\Omega_{m0}$ precision and adopting optimized parametrizations are imperative for future surveys like DESI to fully probe dark energy's nature.

Recent observational analyses have revealed potential evidence for a preferred spatial direction in cosmological data. Such directional parameterization inherently places observers at a privileged spatial position, thereby conflicting with the Copernican principle and suffering from the look-elsewhere effect. To restore the Copernican principle which is the foundation of modern astronomy, we propose a stochastic framework for cosmological principle violations. The almost uniform temperature of cosmic microwave background suggests that the deviation of isotropy is negligible ($\lesssim 10^{-5}$ level) on the last scattering surface, which can be used as a zero boundary condition to construct an orthogonal basis below the redshift of recombination. The relative deviation from Hubble diagram of isotropic ($\Lambda$CDM or $w_0w_a$CDM) models is expanded with the orthogonal basis with a hierarchy of increasing resolution. Using this new approach, we test cosmological principle with type Ia supernovae, strong lens time delay, and gravitational-wave standard siren. The data sets are consistent with statistical isotropy on large scales.

The infrared (IR)/X-ray correlation of GX 339$-$4 is investigated based on a jet model with a modification by linking the magnetic field at the jet base to the accretion rate of the inner accretion flow though the the equilibrium between magnetic pressure at horizon and the ram pressure of the accretion flow. The IR flux is attributed to the synchrotron radiation of the jet, and the X-ray flux is attributed to the advective dominated accretion flow (ADAF), synchrotron radiation of the jet and synchrotron self-Compton scattering (SSC) of the jet, respectively. We find that the observed IR/X-ray correlation with a break is well reproduced with the variation of the accretion rate if the X-ray flux originates from SSC of the jet. Either a conical ballistic jet with the magnetic field parallel to the jet axis or a conical adiabatic jet with an isotropic field can account for the correlation. The power-law index of the energy distribution of electrons $p\sim3$, the minimum Lorentz factor of the electrons $\gamma_{\rm min}\sim60$, the magnetic field $B_0\sim10^5\ {\rm G}$ and the jet radius $R_0\sim10^{10}\ {\rm cm}$ at the jet base are required for both the ballistic jet and the adiabatic jet. This study helps us clarify the complex interaction between the accretion and jet in GX 339$-$4, as well as the properties and geometric structure of the jet, laying the groundwork for exploring similar astrophysical systems.

In this work, we perform a model-agnostic reconstruction of the cosmic expansion history by combining DESI-DR2 BAO and DES-SN5YR data, with a focus on geometric determination of characteristic redshifts where notable tensions in the expansion rate are found to emerge. Employing Gaussian process regression alongside knot-based spline techniques, we reconstruct cosmic distances and their derivatives to pinpoint these characteristic redshifts and infer $E(z)$. Our analysis reveals significant deviations of approximately 4 to 5$\sigma$ from the Planck 2018 $\Lambda$CDM predictions, particularly pronounced in the redshift range $z \sim 0.35-0.55$. These anomalies are consistently observed across both reconstruction methods and combined datasets, indicating robust late-time departures that could signal new physics beyond the standard cosmological framework. The joint use of BAO and SN probes enhances the precision of our constraints, allowing us to isolate these deviations without reliance on specific cosmological assumptions. Our findings underscore the role of characteristic redshifts as sensitive indicators of expansion rate anomalies and motivate further scrutiny with forthcoming datasets from DESI-5YR BAO, Euclid, and LSST. These future surveys will tighten constraints and help distinguish whether these late-time anomalies arise from new fundamental physics or unresolved systematics in the data.

This study evaluates ejecta properties from multi-messenger observations to understand the absence of detectable KN associated to the four NSBH candidates from May 2023 to July 2024: we use GW public information and joint observations taken from 05.2023 to 07.2024 (LVK, ATLAS, DECam, GECKO, GOTO, GRANDMA, SAGUARO, TESS, WINTER, ZTF) in the followup of S230518h, GW230529, S230627c and S240422ed. First, our analysis on follow-up observation strategies shows that, on average, more than 50\% of the simulated KNe associated with NSBH mergers reach their peak luminosity around one day after merger in the $g,r,i$- bands, which is not necessarily covered for each NSBH GW candidate. We also analyze the trade-off between observation efficiency and the intrinsic properties of the KN emission, to understand the impact on how these constraints affect our ability to detect the KN, and underlying ejecta properties for each GW candidate.

Coronal dimmings associated with coronal mass ejections (CME) from the Sun have gained much attention since the late 1990s when they were first observed in high-cadence imagery of the SOHO/EIT and Yohkoh/SXT instruments. They appear as localized sudden decreases of the coronal emission at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) wavelengths, that evolve impulsively during the lift-off and early expansion phase of a CME. Coronal dimmings have been interpreted as "footprints" of the erupting flux rope and also as indicators of the coronal mass loss by CMEs. However, these are only some aspects of coronal dimmings and how they relate to the overall CME/flare process. The goal of this review is to summarize our current understanding and observational findings on coronal dimmings, how they relate to CME simulations, and to discuss how they can be used to provide us with a deeper insight and diagnostics of the triggering of CMEs, the magnetic connectivities and coronal reconfigurations due to the CME as well as the replenishment of the corona after an eruption. In addition, we go beyond a pure review by introducing a new, physics-driven categorization of coronal dimmings based on the magnetic flux systems involved in the eruption process. Finally, we discuss the recent progress in studying coronal dimmings on solar-like and late-type stars, and to use them as a diagnostics for stellar coronal mass ejections and their properties.

We describe the results of observations with the 100m Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in the HI line of 105 nearby dwarf galaxies, 60 of which were discovered recently in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. Of 105 objects observed, we detected 77 galaxies with the following median parameters: an HI-flux of 0.69 Jy km/s, a heliocentric velocity of 732 km/s, and a $W_{50}$ line width of 32 km/s. 70 are isolated late-type objects and 35 are new probable satellites of nearby spiral galaxies (NGC 628, NGC 2787, NGC 3556, NGC 4490, NGC 4594 and NGC 5055). The detected galaxies are predominantly gas-rich systems with a median gas-to-stellar-mass ratio of 1.87. In general, they follow the classic Tully-Fisher relation obtained for large disk-dominated spiral galaxies if their $M_{21}$ magnitudes are used instead of B-magnitudes.

We introduce a novel machine learning dataset tailored for the classification of bent radio active galactic nuclei (AGN) in astronomical observations. Bent radio AGN, distinguished by their curved jet structures, provide critical insights into galaxy cluster dynamics, interactions within the intracluster medium, and the broader physics of AGN. Despite their astrophysical significance, the classification of bent radio AGN remains a challenge due to the scarcity of specialized datasets and benchmarks. To address this, we present a dataset, derived from a well-recognized radio astronomy survey, that is designed to support the classification of NAT (Narrow-Angle Tail) and WAT (Wide-Angle Tail) categories, along with detailed data processing steps. We further evaluate the performance of state-of-the-art deep learning models on the dataset, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), and transformer-based architectures. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of advanced machine learning models in classifying bent radio AGN, with ConvNeXT achieving the highest F1-scores for both NAT and WAT sources. By sharing this dataset and benchmarks, we aim to facilitate the advancement of research in AGN classification, galaxy cluster environments and galaxy evolution.

Novel studies are presented demonstrating that the data of ESA's XMM-Newton mission are efficiently used by an engaged and productive community. 87% of the available time budget during the reference period 2000-2024 of 556Ms was used in at least one of 8486 publications (84% of 16894 observations) with a re-use of a factor up to 15 in dedicated publications. The duration between observations and first publication peaks around 2 years with a second peak at 3 years. The publication rate remains stable at ~400 refereed articles per year. Since 2010, the annual number of first-time as well as last-time authors has remained constant at ~100 authors per year yielding ~4300 scientists engaged in research utilising XMM-Newton data including 570 lead (first) authors. We find 51% of first authors to have published for one year, 24% were active for up to six years, and 25% are permanently active yielding a core community of ~120 scientists. The considerable number of time-limited activities may indicate a high level of utilisation within the context of university education. All studied trends indicate a vital community with positive perspectives to continue their active interest in XMM-Newton for the future.

The origin of supermassive black holes is an open question that has been explored considering gas- and collision-based formation channels to explain the high number of quasars observed in the early Universe. According to numerical simulations, supermassive stars can be formed in atomic cooling halos when protostars reach accretion rates greater than $\sim 10^{-2}~\mathrm{M_{\odot}~yr^{-1}}$ and fragmentation is inhibited on parsec scales. It remains uncertain, however, whether fragmentation on smaller scales leads to the formation of a star cluster instead of a supermassive star in the presence of possible cooling mechanisms. We explored the formation of a central massive object through collisions and the accretion of Population III stars in a primordial gas cloud in a gravitationally unstable system by varying the gas temperature and the degree of gravitational instability. We performed multiphysics simulations in the AMUSE framework with a hydrodynamical gas treatment through Smoothed-particle hydrodynamics and $N$-body dynamics for the protostars represented through sink particles. Our results show that central massive objects with masses $\sim 10^4~\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ can be formed by accretion and collisions at different temperatures and that the most massive object can reach efficiencies of $\sim 0.61$ for atomic cooling conditions and $\sim 0.95$ for more unstable conditions. We observe a quasi-disk formation for warmer temperatures and a higher contribution through collisions to the mass of a central massive object. Our results show that the embedded cluster is in a supercompetitive accretion regime in which it obtains mass by accretion that is regulated by self-gravity. Our results suggest that in more unstable conditions with lower gas temperatures, a more massive supermassive black hole seed can form.

Extensive radio frequency interference (RFI) monitoring is essential in the site selection process before constructing radio astronomy observatories, followed by mitigation strategies to minimize its adverse effects. Malaysia has an enormous prospect for radio astronomy due to its prominent location in the centre of Southeast Asia, but is challenged by its relatively high population density. In this research article, we perform high-cadence, low-frequency RFI monitoring at two sites, each representing an urban and a rural environment. Using modified generalized spectral kurtosis (GSK) as an RFI detection method, we ascertain the suitability of Glami Lemi, a rural area in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia previously assigned as a candidate radio notification zone (RNZ), as a potential site for radio astronomy observations due to its lower RFI contamination in our high-cadence monitoring, especially when compared with urban areas. We identified a number of persistent and transient RFI in our dataset, associate each of them with their potential origins and, if present, characterize their temporal evolution. A few types of RFI mitigation strategies were also tested and discussed. This study lays the groundwork for Malaysia's endeavours in establishing its first research-grade radio telescope, emphasizing the importance of robust RFI detection and mitigation strategies in optimizing observational outcomes.

The detailed investigation of the polar magnetic field and its time evolution is one of the major achievements of Hinode. Precise measurements of the polar magnetic field are essential for understanding the solar cycle, as they provide important constraints for identifying the source regions of the solar wind. The Spectropolarimeter (SP) of the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) on board Hinode has been the instrument best suited to make such measurements. In this study, we compare the SOT-SP data for the polar regions, processed using two representative Milne-Eddington inversion codes, MILOS and MERLIN. These codes are applied to the same level-1 SOT-SP data, and the same disambiguation algorithm is used on the maps that go through the two inversions. We find that the radial magnetic-flux density (the magnetic-flux density with respect to the local vertical) provided by the MERLIN inversion tends to be approximately 7%-10% larger than that obtained from the MILOS inversion. The slightly higher radial magnetic-flux density from MERLIN appears to be common to the polar magnetic fields observed at different phases of the solar cycle. When MILOS is run with the same scattered-light profile and the same magnetic filling factor that are derived with the MERLIN inversion, the radial magnetic-flux density derived from the two inversions is almost the same. We attribute the difference in the radial magnetic-flux density to different filling factors adopted by the two inversions, based on whether the scattered-light profiles are assumed to be the Stokes I profiles averaged over the neighboring pixels or over the entire field of view. The relationship between the radial magnetic-flux density and magnetic filling factor could be more complex in the polar (limb) observations due to the possible contributions of the transverse magnetic-field component to the estimation of the radial magnetic-flux density.

About 30\% of disk galaxies show lopsidedness in their stellar disk. Although such a large-scale asymmetry in the disk can be primarily looked upon as a long-lived mode ($m=1$), the physical origin of the lopsidedness in the disk continues to be a puzzle. In this work, we develop an automated approach to identify lopsided galaxies from the SDSS DR18 using a Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) based on the publicly available AlexNet architecture. We select nearly face-on spiral galaxies from SDSS DR18 with the Petrosian 90\% light radius (\textit{petroR90\_i}) greater than $20^{''}$. Based on the visual inspection, we choose 106 lopsided spiral galaxies and 105 symmetric spiral galaxies, as our training set. Our trained model achieves a testing accuracy of 92.8\% at the end of 150 epochs. We then employ the trained model on a set of 813 face-on spiral galaxies from SDSS DR18 with $17^{''} \le petroR90\_i \le 20^{''} $ and identify 452 new lopsided spiral galaxies. We next investigate the cosmic web environments in which the galaxies are located, using the Hessian matrix of the density field. We find that 39\% of the lopsided galaxies are located in sparser environments such as sheets and voids. This may provide interesting clues towards understanding the origin of lopsidedness in isolated galaxies, where distortion due to the tidal interactions is less frequent.

Core-collapse supernovae undergoing a first-order quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase transition experience the collapse of the central proto-neutron star that leads to a second bounce. This event is accompanied by the release of a second neutrino burst. Unlike the first stellar core bounce neutrino burst which consists exclusively of electron neutrinos, the second burst is dominated by electron antineutrinos. Such a condition makes QCD supernovae an ideal site for the occurrence of fast neutrino flavor conversion (FFC), which can lead to rapid flavor equilibration and significantly impact the related neutrino signal. In this work, we perform a detailed analysis of the conditions for fast flavor instability (FFI) around and after the second neutrino burst in a QCD phase transition supernova model launched from a 25~$M_\odot$ progenitor mass. We evaluate the relevant instability criteria and find two major phases of FFC. The first phase is closely associated with the collapse and the rapidly expanding shock wave, which is a direct consequence of the proto-neutron star collapse due to the phase transition. The second phase takes place a few milliseconds later when electron degeneracy is restored near the proto-neutron star surface. We also characterize the growth rate of FFI and estimate its impact on the evolution of the neutrino flavor content. The potential observational consequences on neutrino signals are evaluated by comparing a scenario assuming complete flavor equipartition with other scenarios without FFC. Finally, we investigate how FFC may influences $r$-process nucleosynthesis associated with QCD phase transition driven supernova explosions.

Eclipsing binaries are perfect laboratories to measure precise, accurate and model-independent stellar radii and stellar masses, so long as both components are spectroscopically resolved. Resolving both components is difficult in high-contrast binaries, for instance, those composed of an FGK main-sequence star with an M-type companion. In those cases, the secondary can contribute <1% of the total flux in optical wavelengths. This makes measuring dynamical masses challenging and has typically only been attempted with large-aperture telescopes (8-10-m). The High-Resolution Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy (HRCCS) method was developed to extract weak emission and transmission spectra for exoplanet atmospheres. This method was recently adapted and applied to measure dynamical masses in high-contrast binaries. In this work, we apply the HRCCS method to optical spectra of the high-contrast binary and circumbinary planet host Kepler-16AB, obtained with the SOPHIE spectrograph at the 1.93-m telescope at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence. The secondary, which has a contrast ratio of ~ 6 x 10-3, is resolved with a detection significance of 9.5-sigma. We derive dynamical masses with a precision of 1.5% and 0.9% for the primary and secondary respectively. These are comparable, but slightly higher (within 2-7%) to previous mass-measurements, which has -- within the uncertainties -- no implication for the mass of the known circumbinary planet. This work demonstrates that dynamical mass measurements of high-contrast binaries can be done with 2-m class telescopes. We also investigate different analysis protocols to ensure we derive robust uncertainties for dynamical masses.

Neutrinos from supernovae, especially those emitted during the late phase of core collapse, are essential for understanding the final stages of massive star evolution. We have been dedicated to developing methods for the analysis of neutrinos emitted during the late phase and observed at Super-Kamiokande (SK). Our previous studies have successfully demonstrated the potential of various analysis methods in extracting essential physical properties; however, the lack of background consideration has limited their practical application. In this study, we address this issue by incorporating a realistic treatment of the experimental signal and background events with the on-going SK experiment. We therefore optimize our analysis framework to reflect realistic observational conditions, including both signal and background events. Using this framework we study several long-time supernova models, simulating the late phase neutrino observation in SK and focusing in particular on the identification of the last observed event. We discuss the possibility of model discrimination methods using timing information from this last observed event.

Recent multifrequency polarimetric observations of the eponymous blazar BL Lac reveal an extremely large degree of polarization in the optical band (average of $25\%$, reaching $45\%$), together with a small ($\lesssim 7\%$) degree of polarization in the X-ray band. This has been interpreted as evidence that the X-rays are produced through inverse Compton emission by relativistic electrons, thus ruling out alternative models based on hadronic processes. Here we revisit the observational evidence, interpreting it in a framework where the observed radiation is entirely produced through synchrotron emission. Electrons produce the radio-to-optical component and protons produce the X-rays and the gamma-rays. We determine the jet magnetic fields from an MHD model of magnetically dominated stationary axisymmetric outflows, and show that the X-ray emission from the protons is naturally less polarized than the optical emission from the electrons. The model parameters required to reproduce the multifrequency polarimetric observations are fully compatible with blazar jets.

Nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer calculations of red-supergiant and He-star explosions are presented, extending previous work to focus on the infrared emission from atoms and ions in the ejecta during the nebular-phase (i.e., ~200 to ~500d) -- molecules and dust are ignored. We cover non-rotating, solar-metallicity progenitors spanning an initial mass between 10 and about 40Msun, and exploding as Type II or Ibc supernovae (SNe). Both photometrically and spectroscopically, the SN II models evolve distinctly from the SN Ibc models, primarily because of the greater ejecta kinetic-energy-to-mass ratio in the latter, which leads to a greater gamma-ray escape together with a lower density and a higher ionization in our H-deficient ejecta. Type II SN models remain optically luminous at all times, whereas SN Ibc models progressively brighten in the infrared (which holds 80% of their luminosity at 500d), causing strong infrared lines such as [NeII]12.81mic or [NiII]6.634mic to evolve essentially at constant luminosity. We find that the strength of [NeII]12.81mic correlates with progenitor mass but with additional strong sensitivity to, for example, ejecta ionization -- this line radiates alone up to 20% of the SN luminosity after ~300d in our SN Ibc models. The numerous infrared Ni lines are found to be good tracers of the material that underwent explosive nucleosynthesis and can thus be used to constrain the level of 56Ni mixing in core-collapse SNe. The evolution of the integrated flux in infrared Fe and Co lines shows much diversity, which compromises their use as diagnostic of the 56Ni-decay power source in our models. Future spectroscopic observations of core-collapse SNe by the JWST will provide unprecedented information on the emission from atoms and ions in their ejecta, delivering critical constraints on the inner workings of massive star explosions.

We carried out the near-infrared ($JHK_{\rm s}$) imaging polarimetric observation with the polarimeter SIRPOL on the Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF) 1.4 m telescope and [CII] line mapping observation with a Fabry-Pérot spectrometer on board a 100-cm TIFR balloon-borne far-infrared telescope toward NGC 6334, and revealed the relationship between the plane-of-sky (POS) magnetic fields and [CII] emission lines to investigate the star formation in the molecular cloud. The polarization vector map shows that the POS magnetic fields are approximately perpendicular to the main filament elongation of NGC 6334. On the other hand, the POS magnetic fields tend to be parallel or random for the other filaments in NGC 6334. The [CII] emission shows a distribution well aligned with the main filament. Strong [CII] emission is also seen in the hub-filament system. Since the main filament is sandwiched between two HII regions, it is most likely that gas is efficiently accreting from the shells of the HII regions along the magnetic field resulting in active star formation. This is consistent with the NGC 6334 being bright in [CII] emission.

The recently identified \textit{memory burden} effect has the potential to significantly decelerate the evaporation of black holes. Specifically, when approximately half of a black hole's initial mass has been radiated away, the evaporation process is halted. This mechanism allows very light primordial black holes (PBHs) with masses $m_{\rm PBH}<10^{15}$ g to persist until the present day and may contribute to the dark matter (DM) content of the universe. In this work, we focus on PBHs with masses $\lesssim 10^{9}$ g. Due to the memory burden effect, these PBHs emit high-energy gamma-rays, which in turn alter the corresponding observed energy spectra. To investigate the constraints on the masses and DM abundance of PBHs, we analyze data from four Galactic sources measured by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), including the Crab Nebula, LHAASO J2226+6057, LHAASO J1908+0621, and LHAASO J1825-1326. Our findings indicate that the ultra-high-energy gamma-ray spectra from these Galactic sources provide crucial probes for light PBHs, thereby significantly constraining their potential contribution to DM.

Stellar abundances, coupled with kinematics are a unique way to understand the chemo-dynamical processes that occurred to build the Milky Way and its local volume as we observe today. However, measuring abundances is challenging as one needs to properly address the effect of departure from the Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE), as well as the commonly used 1-dimensional model atmosphere. In this work, we constrain the chemical evolution of [O/Fe] in FG stars of the RAVE survey with [O/Fe] abundances derived in non-LTE (NLTE) and with horizontally-temporally-averaged 3D (<3D>) model atmospheres. Using standard spectral fitting method, we determine for the first time LTE and NLTE [O/Fe] ratios from the O triplet at 8446A in turn-off and dwarf stars thanks to intermediate-resolution RAVE spectra, assuming both 1D and <3D> model atmosphere. NLTE effects play a significant role when determining oxygen even at a resolution of R= 7500. Typical NLTE-LTE corrections of the order of -0.12 dex are measured in dwarfs and turn-off stars using 1D MARCS models. In contrast to applying <3D> NLTE abundance corrections or the classical 1D LTE, the full <3D> NLTE spectral fitting yields improving the precision of abundances by nearly 10%. We show that the decrease of [O/Fe] in the super-solar [Fe/H] regime is rather characterised by a flat trend when [O/Fe] is computed in <3D> NLTE from full spectral fitting. We attribute this flattening at super-solar [Fe/H] to the interplay between locally born stars with negative [O/Fe] and stars migrated from the inner MW regions with super-solar [O/Fe], supporting the complex chemo-dynamical history of the Solar neighbourhood. Our results are key for understanding the effects of <3D> and NLTE when measuring [O/Fe]. This work is a test bed for the analysis of 4MOST low-resolution spectra that will share similar properties as RAVE in the red wavelength domain.

Cyanopolyynes, a family of nitrogen containing carbon chains, are common in the interstellar medium and possibly form the backbone of species relevant to prebiotic chemistry. Following their gas phase formation, they are expected to freeze out on ice grains in cold interstellar regions. In this work we present the hydrogenation reaction network of isolated HC_{3}N, the smallest cyanopolyyne, that consists over-a-barrier radical-neutral reactions and barrierless radical-radical reactions. We employ density functional theory, coupled cluster and multiconfigurational methods to obtain activation and reaction energies for the hydrogenation network of HC_{3}N. This work explores the reaction network of the isolated molecule and constitutes a preview on the reactions occurring on the ice grain surface. We find that the reactions where the hydrogen atom adds to the carbon chain at carbon atom opposite of the cyano-group give the lowest and most narrow barriers. Subsequent hydrogenation leads to the astrochemically relevant vinyl cyanide and ethyl cyanide. Alternatively, the cyano-group can hydrogenate via radical-radical reactions, leading to the fully saturated propylamine. These results can be extrapolated to give insight into the general reactivity of carbon chains on interstellar ices.

We investigate the prospects for probing large-scale statistical anisotropy through galaxy clustering and intrinsic alignments (IA) in Stage IV galaxy surveys. Specifically, we consider a dipolar modulation in the primordial power spectrum and evaluate the Fisher information matrix using the two-point statistics of both the galaxy clustering and IA. Our analysis reveals that while IA alone provides limited improvement in constraining the anisotropy amplitude, the cross-spectrum between galaxy density and IA can contribute up to half the constraining power of galaxy clustering, especially for surveys with low galaxy bias and high number density of galaxies, such as Euclid. This demonstrates the potential of IA-clustering cross-correlations as a robust consistency check against systematics, and highlights the complementary roles of galaxy clustering and IA in constraining cosmic statistical anisotropy. We also show that marginalizing over galaxy bias and IA bias parameters has a negligible impact on the final constraint on the anisotropy amplitude.

Recent works have demonstrated the necessity of capturing the local inhomogeneous physics in axion inflation, and showed new genuine features, most notably the extension of the inflationary period dictated by an electromagnetic slow-roll phase. In this work, we further investigate the model by performing a systematic study of the effect of the inflationary potential in the dynamics during the strong backreaction regime. The results indicate that the novel features associated with the local backreaction are universal and intrinsic to the model, hence independent on the choice of inflationary potential. We find that the main quantitative differences between the different choices manifest in the lengthening of inflation. We discuss the possible observational impact of this. Finally, we assess the possible reconciliation of the homogeneous backreaction method with fully inhomogeneous lattice techniques, and obtain that the former fails to provide a correct description for the regime studied in this work.

Several models based on General Relativity and Modified Gravity aim to reproduce the observed universe with precision comparable to the standard flat-$\Lambda$CDM model. In this study, we investigate the consistency of some of these models with current high-redshift cosmic data, assessing their ability to simultaneously describe both the background expansion and matter clustering, using measurements of the Hubble parameter $H(z)$, the luminosity distance $D_L(z)$, and the growth rate of structures $[f\sigma_8](z)$ through parametric and non-parametric methods. Our results indicate that background observables alone offer limited capacity to distinguish between models, while the inclusion of growth of structures data proves useful in revealing deviations, even if small. An $F(Q)$ model, the non-flat $\Lambda$CDM and the $\omega$CDM emerge as alternatives well supported by data, closely matching the growth data and showing performance comparable to $\Lambda$CDM, as revealed by the Akaike Information Criterion. In contrast, $F(R)$ models are strongly disfavored compared to $\Lambda$CDM and $F(Q)$. These analyses illustrate the usefulness of both parametric and non-parametric approaches to explore the observational viability of alternative cosmological models.

The Einstein Telescope (ET) is a proposed third-generation, wide-band gravitational wave (GW) detector which will have an improved detection sensitivity in low frequencies, leading to a longer observation time in the detection band and higher detection rate for binary neutron stars (BNSs). Despite the fact that ET will have a higher detection rate, a large fraction of BNSs will remain undetectable. We present a scheme to estimate accurate detection efficiency and to reconstruct the true merger rate density of the population of the BNSs, as a function of redshift. We show that with ET as a single instrumnet, for a population of BNSs with $R_{mer} \sim 100 (300)$ $\rm Gpc^{-3} yr^{-1}$ at $z\sim 0(2)$, we can reconstruct the merger rate density uptil $z \sim 2$ , with a relative error of $12\%$ at ($z \sim 2$), despite the loss in detection of the bulk of the BNS population.

Stellar activity is fundamental to stellar evolution and the formation and habitability of exoplanets. The interaction between convective motions and rotation in cool stars results in a dynamo process that drives magnetic surface activity. In single stars, activity increases with rotation rate until it saturates for stars with rotation periods Prot < 3 - 10 d. However, the mechanism responsible for saturation remains unclear. Observations indicate that red giants in binary systems that are in spin-orbit resonance exhibit stronger chromospheric activity than single stars with similar rotation rates, suggesting that tidal flows can influence surface activity. Here, we investigate the chromospheric activity of main-sequence binary stars to understand the impact of tidal forces on saturation phenomena. For binaries with 0.5 < Prot/d < 1, mainly contact binaries that share a common thermal envelope, we find enhanced activity rather than saturation. This result supports theoretical predictions that a large-scale $\alpha$ - $\omega$ dynamo during common-envelope evolution can generate strong magnetic fields. We also observe supersaturation in chromospheric activity, a phenomenon tentatively noted previously in coronal activity, where activity levels fall below saturation and decrease with shorter rotation periods. Our findings emphasise the importance of studying stellar activity in stars with extreme properties compared to the Sun's.

The atmospheres of low-temperature stars, brown dwarfs, and exoplanets are challenging to model due to strong molecular features and complex gas and condensate chemistry. Self-consistent atmosphere models are commonly used for spectral fitting, but computational limits restrict the production of finely-sampled multi-dimensional parameter grids, necessitating interpolation methods to infer precise parameters and uncertainties. Here, we compare two grid-model fitting approaches: a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm interpolating across spectral fluxes, and a Random Forest Retrieval (RFR) algorithm trained on a grid model set. We test these with three low-temperature model grids -- Sonora Diamondback, Sonora Elf Owl, and Spectral ANalog of Dwarfs (SAND) -- and a sample of eleven L and T dwarf companions to FGKM stars with known distances, compositions, and ages. Diamondback models are optimal for early- and mid-type L dwarfs, Elf Owl for mid- and late T dwarfs, and SAND for young L dwarfs and L/T transition objects. The MCMC approach yields higher fit quality and more precise parameters, though best-fit parameters are generally consistent between approaches. RFR analysis is orders of magnitude faster after training. Both approaches yield mixed results when comparing fit parameters to expected values based on primary (metallicity and surface gravity) or evolutionary models (temperature and radius). We propose modeling low-temperature spectra efficiently by first fitting multiple model sets using RFR, followed by a more accurate MCMC assessment, to accelerate improved grid development.

High-resolution spectrographs with precise radial velocity (PRV) capabilities require careful considerations in instrumental design and data processing in order to reach the 10 cm/s-level precision, which is needed for detecting Earth-like planets. In this work, we investigate the impact of fiber cross contamination on the RV precision via simulations, as modern PRV spectrographs often have multiple fiber traces on their spectral images. We simulated extracted 1-D spectra under the preliminary design of CHORUS, short for the Canary Hybrid Optical high-Resolution Ultra-stable Spectrograph, a dual-arm PRV spectrograph under construction for the Gran Telescopio de Canarias. We considered two types of fiber cross contaminations: contamination from calibration traces to neighboring science traces (or cal-sci contamination) and between science traces (or sci-sci contamination). We present results in four different scenarios: photon noise only, cal-sci contamination only, sci-sci contamination only, and all effects combined. For the preliminary design of CHORUS, we estimated that the cal-sci contamination fraction is smaller than 0.0001% in flux across the whole CCD for either arm, resulting in a negligible impact on the RV precision. Assuming worst-case scenarios, we estimated the sci-sci contamination to be up to 0.1% in some traces, corresponding to an additional RV error of up to 10 cm/s. We demonstrate the importance of considering fiber-trace spacing and cross contamination in PRV spectrographs, and we recommend careful design, operation, and spectral extraction algorithms to minimize and mitigate cross contamination to achieve the best possible instrumental RV precision.

MAXI J1834-021 is a new X-ray transient that was discovered in February 2023. We analysed the spectral and timing properties of MAXI J1834-021 using NICER, NuStar and Swift data collected between March and October 2023. The light curve showed a main peak followed by a second activity phase. The majority of the spectra extracted from the individual NICER observations could be adequately fitted with a Comptonisation component alone, while a few of them required an additional thermal component. The spectral evolution is consistent with a softening trend as the source gets brighter in X-rays. We also analysed the broadband spectrum combining data from simultaneous NICER and NuStar observations on 2023 March 10. This spectrum can be fitted with a disc component with a temperature at the inner radius of $kT_{\rm in} \sim 0.4$ keV and a Comptonisation component with a power-law photon index of $\Gamma \sim 1.8$. By including a reflection component in the modelling, we obtained a 3$\sigma$ upper limit for the inner disc radius of 11.4 gravitational radii. We also detected a quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO), whose central frequency varies with time (from 2 Hz to $\sim$0.9 Hz) and anti-correlates with the hardness ratio. Based on the observed spectral-timing properties, MAXI J1834-021, can be classified as a low-mass X-ray binary in outburst. However, we are not able to draw a definitive conclusion on the nature of the accreting compact object, which at the moment could as well be a black hole or a neutron star.

Finding out whether there is any correlation between the presence of short-period small planets (SPs) with $P\lesssim100~d$ ($a \lesssim0.4~AU$) and $1<M_{p}<20~M_\oplus$ and that of outer cold Jupiters (CJs) with $a=1-10~AU$ and $M_{p}=0.5-20~M_{Jup}$ around solar-type stars may provide crucial constraints on the models of formation and/or migration of SPs. However, somehow discrepant results about the occurrence rates of CJs in SP systems have been reported in the literature, with a few recent works claiming a strong SP-CJ correlation but only at super-solar metallicity and/or mass of the host stars. Here we homogeneously recomputed the occurrence rates of CJs at average, sub-solar ($[Fe/H]<-0.1$), solar ($-0.1\le[Fe/H]\le0.1$), and super-solar ($[Fe/H]>0.1$) metallicity as well as at average and sub-intervals of stellar mass, namely 0.6-0.8, 0.8-1.0, and 1.0-1.2 $M_\odot$, with (i) a carefully-selected sample of 217 SP systems, and (ii) a large comparison sample of 1167 solar-type stars. We determined the integrated occurrence rate of CJs in SP systems to be $f_{CJ|SP}=11.1^{+2.5}_{-1.8}\%$; this is consistent with the estimated frequencies of CJs in both the comparison sample ($f_{CJ}=9.8^{+0.9}_{-0.8}\%$) and the HARPS-N survey of transiting SP systems. We found a possible correlation ($f_{CJ|SP}>f_{CJ}$) only at super-solar mass and metallicity, though with a statistical confidence less than $3\sigma$. To test some theoretical predictions, we also searched for possible SP-CJ relations as a function of SP and CJ multiplicity as well as SP composition, and found none. We show that the architectures of SP systems are not indifferent to the presence of CJs as the multiplicity of SPs strongly depends on the CJ eccentricity, as expected from planetary dynamics. A more comprehensive understanding of the relation between SPs and CJs requires larger samples of SP systems. [Abridged]

X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) with POLarimeter Instrument in X-rays (POLIX), is India's first spacecraft dedicated to study medium energy X-ray polarisation from celestial objects. X-Ray Spectroscopy and Timing (XSPECT) instrument on XPoSat is configured to study long term spectral behaviour of select sources in Soft X-ray regime. The instrument uses Swept Charge Devices (SCD)s to provide large area and spectral performance with passive cooling arrangement. The instrument consists of set of collimators with two different FOVs, optical light blocking filters, and signal processing electronics. The instrument was designed, tested and calibrated on ground. The unique opportunity is provided by ISRO's XPoSat mission, where a source is observed for longer duration. The device used also enables spectroscopy study of brighter sources compared to the CCD based spectrometers. The first results demonstrate instrument capability for spectral studies in the 0.8 keV-15 keV energy band.

The early stages of planet formation, involving dust grain growth and planetesimals formation, remain shrouded in mystery. The analysis of the Scattering Phase Function (SPF) measured in disks surrounding young stars holds great potential for revealing crucial information about dust grain properties. Given the increasing number of high-quality datasets available, an efficient method to extract the SPF is required. DRAGyS is a tool designed for the quick and comprehensive analysis of ring-shaped protoplanetary disks. It directly estimates the disk geometry and extracts the total and polarized SPF from scattered light images, without requiring any radiative transfer modeling, a limitation of previous efforts. Key disk parameters (inclination, position angle, aspect ratio) are obtained by fitting ellipses to the disk intensity peaks from the ring surface, assuming the disks are circular. We validated the method using simulated disk images and then applied it to archival polarized-intensity images of nine images for six protoplanetary disks. DRAGyS provides a method to correct for the effect of limb brightening on the SPF. DRAGyS recovers well the injected geometry and the SPF from synthetic images where the parameters are known. When compared to previously published results extracted from images without considering limb brightening, DRAGyS yields similar results for the inclination, position angle, and SPF. We show that the effect of limb brightening on the SPF is significant, with consequences for the inference of dust properties. DRAGyS takes advantage of a fast and purely geometrical approach to estimate ringed-disk geometries. It allows the efficient extraction of SPF either globally or by sectors, allowing it to deal with disk asymmetries. By bypassing the need for a full modeling of the disk geometry before SPF extraction, DRAGyS is well suited to study large samples of disk images.

Determining the dust properties of high-redshift galaxies from their far-infrared continuum emission is challenging due to limited multi-frequency data. As a result, the dust spectral energy distribution (SED) is often modeled as a single-temperature modified blackbody. We assess the accuracy of the single-temperature approximation by constructing realistic dust SEDs using a physically motivated prescription where the dust temperature probability distribution function (PDF) is described by a skewed normal distribution. This approach captures the complexity of the mass-weighted and luminosity-weighted temperature PDFs of simulated galaxies and quasars, and yields far-infrared SEDs that match high-redshift observations. We explore how varying the mean temperature ($\bar{T}_d$), width, and skewness of the temperature PDF affects the recovery of the dust mass, IR luminosity, and dust emissivity index $\beta_d$ at z=7. Fitting the dust SEDs with a single-temperature approximation, we find that dust masses are generally well-recovered, although they may be underestimated by up to 0.6 dex for broad temperature distributions with a low $\bar{T}_d <$ 40 K, as seen in some high-redshift quasars and/or evolved galaxies. IR luminosities are generally recovered within the $1\sigma$ uncertainty (< 0.3 dex), except at $\bar{T}_d >$ 80 K, where the peak shifts well beyond ALMA's wavelength coverage. The inferred dust emissivity index is consistently shallower than the input one ($\beta_d$=2) due to the effect of multi-temperature dust, suggesting that a steep $\beta_d$ may probe dust composition and grain size variations. With larger galaxy samples and well-sampled dust SEDs, systematic errors from multi-temperature dust may dominate over fitting uncertainties and should thus be considered.

Many of the Milky Way's accreted substructures have been discovered and studied in the space of energy $E$, and angular momentum components $L_z$ and $L_{\bot}$. In a static axisymmetric system, these quantities are (reasonable approximations of) the integrals of motion of an orbit. However, in a galaxy like the Milky Way with a triaxial, rotating bar, none of these quantities are conserved, and the only known integral is the Jacobi energy $E_J$. This may result in chaotic orbits, especially for inner halo stars. Here, we investigate the bar's effect on the dynamics of nearby halo stars, and more specifically its impact on their distribution in $(E, L_z, L_{\bot})$ space. To this end, we have integrated and characterised the orbits of halo stars located within 1 kpc from the Sun. We computed their orbital frequencies and quantified the degree of chaoticity and associated timescales, using the Lyapunov exponent and the frequency diffusion rate. We find that the bar introduces a large degree of chaoticity on the stars in our sample: more than half are found to be on chaotic orbits, and this fraction is highest for stars on very bound and/or radial orbits. Such stars wander in $(E, L_z, L_{\bot})$ space on timescales shorter than a Hubble time. This introduces some overlap and hence contamination amongst previously identified accreted substructures with these orbital characteristics, although our assessment is that this is relatively limited. The bar also induces a number of resonances in the stellar halo, which are of larger importance for lower inclination, prograde orbits. Because the effect of the Galactic bar on the local halo is important for stars on very bound and/or radial orbits, clustering analyses in these regions should be conducted with care. Replacing the energy by $E_J$ in such analyses could be an improvement.

The Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal galaxy is one of the most prominent satellites of the Milky Way (MW). It is currently undergoing tidal disruption, forming an extensive stellar stream that provides key insights into the assembly history of the MW halo. In this study we analyzed RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) in the Sgr stream provided in Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3), for which new estimates of photometric metallicities are available in the literature, and accurate distances were calculated using the reddening-free period-Wesenheit-metallicity ($PWZ$) relation. We determine the mean metallicity of RRLs in the Sgr stream to be ${\rm [Fe/H]}=-1.62 \pm 0.01$ dex. We measure a metallicity gradient as a function of stripping time from the Sgr progenitor of $0.05 \pm 0.02$ dex/Gyr, indicating that the metal-poor RRLs were stripped earlier during the accretion process. The far arm is found to be the most metal-poor structure of the Sgr stream, with a mean metallicity of ${\rm [Fe/H]}=-1.98 \pm 0.37$ dex, significantly lower than that of the leading ($-1.69\pm0.31$ dex) and trailing ($-1.64 \pm 0.28$ dex) arms. Our findings show that the RRLs in the far arm of the Sgr stream exhibit a bimodal metallicity distribution with peaks at [Fe/H]=$-2.4$ dex and $-1.7$ dex. The main body of the stream is the most metal-rich structure, with a mean metallicity of ${\rm [Fe/H]}=-1.58 \pm 0.31$ dex and a radial gradient of $-0.008 \pm 0.005$ dex/kpc. We find almost negligible metallicity gradients of $(-0.2 \pm 0.3)\times 10^{-3}$ dex/deg in the trailing arm and $(-1.0 \pm 0.5)\times 10^{-3}$ dex/deg in the leading arm, in agreement with previous studies. Finally, we investigate the bifurcation of the Sgr stream and conclude that the metallicity difference between the faint and bright branches is not confirmed based on the RRLs in our sample.

We present a broadband UV/X-ray spectral study of two Seyfert 1 galaxies, Mrk 813 and RBS 688, primarily based on AstroSat observations. These active galactic nuclei host relatively large super-massive black holes ($M_{BH} \sim 10^8 - 10^9M_{\odot}$), suffer negligible internal extinction/absorption, and are well suited for probing the inner regions of their accretion disks using far UV and soft X-ray spectra. In the case of Mrk 813, the AstroSat and HST far UV spectra are steeper than those expected from a standard accretion disk; the deficit of emission at shorter wavelengths suggests a truncated accretion disk with an inner radius $r_{in} \sim 70r_g$. Joint UV/X-ray broadband spectral modelling with FAGNSED and RELAGN models suggests that the apparent truncation in Mrk 813 is most likely due to the presence of a warm Comptonising disk in the inner regions that is responsible for the observed soft X-ray excess emission. RBS 688 lacks the soft X-ray excess emission, and the UV data are entirely consistent with a standard disk that appears to extend very close to the innermost stable circular orbit. Our study suggests the formation of the warm, optically-thick Comptonising corona in the innermost disk regions at higher Eddington fraction.

The possibility that stellar mass primordial black holes may make up at least a significant fraction of dark matter has recently received much attention, partly as a result of gravitational wave observations, but more specifically from observations of microlensing in the Galactic halo and in quasar gravitational lens systems. If this is the case then a number of observable consequences are to be expected. This paper focusses on the prediction that dark matter in the form of primordial black holes will result in a web of caustics which when traversed by quasars will result in a complex but characteristic amplification of the accretion disc light source. Caustic crossings produce features in quasar light curves which are relatively straightforward to identify, and are hard to associate with any intrinsic mode of variation. Microlensing simulations are used to clarify the nature of the expected light curve features, and compared with observed light curves to demonstrate that caustic crossing features can be present. A further test of microlensing is based on the expected statistical symmetry of the light curves, which is not predicted for most models of intrinsic quasar variability, but is found in large samples of quasar light curves. The conclusion of the paper is that observations of quasar light curves are consistent with the expected microlensing amplifications from dark matter made up of stellar mass primordial black holes, but cannot easily be explained by intrinsic variations of the quasar accretion disc.

Decaying dark matter (DDM) has emerged as an interesting framework to extend the Lambda-cold-dark-matter (LCDM) model, as many particle physics models predict that dark matter may not be stable over cosmic time and can impact structure formation. In particular, a model in which DM decays at a rate $\Gamma$ and imprints a velocity kick $v$ onto its decay products leads to a low amplitude of fluctuations, as quantified by the parameter $S_8$, in better agreement with that measured by some past weak lensing surveys. Bayesian analyses have provided mixed conclusions regarding its viability, with a reconstructed clustering amplitude only slightly below the standard LCDM value. In this paper, we perform a frequentist analysis of Planck+BAO data. We find $1\sigma$ constraints on the half-life of $6.93^{+7.88}_{-2.85}$Gyr and a velocity kick of $1250^{+1450}_{-1000}$km/s which differ from their Bayesian counterparts, indicating the presence of volume effects. Moreover, we find that under the DDM model, the frequentist analysis predicts lower values of $S_8$, in agreement with those found by KiDS-1000 and DES-Y3 at $1.5\sigma$. We further show that previously derived KiDS-1000 constraints that appeared to exclude the best-fit model from Planck data were driven by priors on the primordial parameters $A_s$ and $n_s$. When those are removed from the analysis, KiDS-1000 constraints on the DDM parameters are fully relaxed. It is only when applying Planck-informed priors on $A_s$ and $n_s$ to the KiDS-1000 analysis that one can constrain the model. We further highlight that in the absence of such priors, the region of scales best-measured by KiDS-1000 does not exactly match the $S_8$ kernel, but rather a slightly smaller range of scales centered around $k\sim 0.3\, h/$Mpc. One must thus be careful in applying $S_8$ constraints to a model instead of the full data likelihood.

Stellar oscillation codes are software instruments that evaluate the normal-mode frequencies of an input stellar model. While inter-code comparisons are often used to confirm the correctness of calculations, they are not suitable for characterizing the numerical error of an individual code. To address this issue, we introduce a set of tools -- 'error measures' -- that facilitate this characterization. We explore the behavior of these error measures as calculation parameters, such as the number of radial grid points used to discretize the oscillation equations, are varied; and we summarize this behavior via an idealized error model. While our analysis focuses on the GYRE code, it remains broadly applicable to other oscillation codes.

RX J0209.6-7427 is an ultraluminous X-ray pulsar (ULXP) having spin period of about 9.3 s. To date, no cyclotron resonance scattering features have been detected in this source, which can enable direct measurement of the magnetic field of the pulsar. We estimate the surface magnetic field of the neutron star in this source using different models and find that the inferred magnetic field lies in the range of $2.4-4 \times 10^{13}$G. We study the magnetic field and spin period evolution of the source using existing models and find that the magnetic field will decay to about $\sim 10^{9}$G and the source will become a millisecond pulsar at the end of the accretion phase of the accreting binary. Comparison between the magnetic field and the spin period of other ULXPs with those of magnetars suggests that some ULXPs may be accreting magnetars. Studying the magnetic and spin period evolution of ULXPs may be helpful for understanding magnetar evolution and the millisecond pulsar formation.

The nature of the first, so-called Population III (Pop III), stars has for long remained largely unconstrained. However, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) finally opened new concrete prospects for their detection during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), notably providing promising observational constraints on the Pop III ultra-violet luminosity function (UVLF) at $z \sim 6.5$. These preliminary data hint towards an unexpected population of UV-bright Pop III sources, which challenges the prevailing view that Pop III star formation is confined to molecular-cooling mini-halos. Here we show that there are two families of models that can explain these surprising observations, either by allowing for late-time Pop III formation within massive, atomic-cooling halos (with halo masses up to $M_\mathrm{up}^\mathrm{III} \gtrsim 10^{10.5} ~\mathrm{M_\odot}$) or by invoking a highly bursty Pop III star-formation activity (with a stochasticity parameter $\sigma_\mathrm{UV}^\mathrm{III} \gtrsim 1.5$). In these scenarios Pop III systems would have to be either heavier or burstier than usually assumed, underscoring the need to reconsider common assumptions about Pop III star-formation sites, and the potential implications of JWST candidates for current and future observations.

We present the results of an analysis of the precise spatial orientation of colonial Christian churches located in the Canary Island of Fuerteventura (Spain). Our sample consists of 48 churches, most built during the period between the Castilian conquest led by the Norman Jean de Béthencourt in the 15th century and the end of the 19th century. We examine whether the standard tradition was followed regarding the orientation of the apses of historic churches eastwards. While most of the religious constructions in the sample have their main axes oriented within the solar range, the statistical analysis also reveals the presence of two different groups of churches with different possible interpretations. For the first group, mainly composed of churches located in the central part of the island, an anomalous tendency to orientate them towards a declination of c. -14 degrees is detected. We provide some possible explanations for this, which include the date of a traditional Canarian celebration, an eventual imprint of topography, and the possibility of sunset orientations. Also, this particular value of declination is close to -16.3 degrees, the declination of Sirius during the 17th century. Therefore, we provide ethnographic data that might support an eventually controversial 'bright star' orientation. For the second group, meanwhile, we find a pattern of orientation where the apse of the churches points slightly to the north of due east. We propose this might signal constructions that were oriented to the rising Sun on dates close to Easter, one of the most important festivities of Christianity.

The paper reassesses the largely neglected contribution of Avicenna (Ibn Sina, 980-1037) to medieval Tajik-Persian astronomy. Drawing on published primary and secondary sources, it reconstructs the main directions of his scientific activity - the construction of an observatory at Isfahan, the design of a high-precision angular instrument that anticipates the modern vernier principle, the formulation of an original method for determining terrestrial longitude from lunar culmination, a systematic refutation of predictive astrology, an optical explanation for the daytime invisibility of the fixed stars, and the earliest extant descriptions of both the transit of Venus on 24 May 1032 and the supernova SN 1006. These achievements not only anticipated comparable European advances by several centuries but also shaped subsequent developments within the Islamic and Latin astronomical traditions. The paper further notes Avicenna's modern scientific commemoration in the naming of asteroid (2755) Avicenna and the lunar crater Avicenna.

We investigate the phenomenology of a model in which the proton is rendered absolutely stable by an IR mechanism that remains robust against unknown quantum gravity effects. A linear combination of baryon number and lepton flavors is gauged and spontaneously broken to a residual $\mathbb{Z}_9$ discrete gauge symmetry enforcing a strict selection rule: $\Delta B = 0\,(\mathrm{mod}\,3)$. Despite its minimal field content, the model successfully accounts for established empirical evidence of physics beyond the SM. High-scale symmetry breaking simultaneously provides a seesaw mechanism explaining the smallness of neutrino masses, minimal thermal leptogenesis, and a viable phenomenology of the majoron as dark matter. Any cosmic string-wall network remaining after inflation is unstable for numerous charge assignments. Lepton flavor non-universality, central to the construction, leads to predictive neutrino textures testable via oscillation experiments, neutrinoless double beta decay, and cosmology. The model motivates searches in $X$- and $\gamma$-ray lines, neutrino telescopes, and predicts CMB imprints.

We revisit the modelling of black hole ringdown beyond General Relativity (GR), emphasizing the limitations of approaches that rely solely on shifted quasinormal mode (QNM) frequencies. Starting from modified Teukolsky equations in such scenarios, we classify the distinct types of deviations that can arise -- those shifting QNM frequencies, and those introducing additional frequencies associated with extra fields. We then construct the most general ansatz for metric perturbations in this context and discuss its implications for QNM modelling and theory-agnostic tests of GR using gravitational wave data.

The solar steady emission in gamma rays is due to the interactions of Galactic cosmic rays with the solar atmosphere and with the low-energy solar photon field via inverse Compton scattering. The emission is sensitive to the magnetic field nearby the Sun and to the cosmic-ray transport in the magnetic field in the inner solar system. Modeling the inverse Compton emission in the presence of a magnetic field is therefore crucial to better interpret the observations. In a previous work we have presented a comprehensive calculation of the secondary productions due to the collision of cosmic rays with the solar atmosphere in presence of magnetic fields. In this paper, we present a general approach to calculate the (anisotropic) inverse Compton scattering in a 3D Monte Carlo simulation, also in presence of magnetic and electric fields. After a short review of the scattering process of photons with electrons, examples of inverse Compton emission are presented, including the predictions for the Sun.

The study of modified gravity models has garnered significant attention because of their potential to provide alternative explanations for cosmological phenomena, such as the accelerated expansion of the universe and the nature of dark energy. One such model, the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet-Myrzakulov $R + F(T, G)$ gravity (EGBMG), which incorporates the curvature $R$, torsion $T$, and the Gauss-Bonnet term $G$, offers a promising framework to explore the dynamics of the universe and its evolution. This paper delves into the theoretical and observational implications of the EGBMG model, focusing on its ability to address long-standing challenges in cosmology, including the evolution of dark energy and the transition from early-time inflationary behavior to late-time acceleration. We review recent advancements in the model, including its compatibility with observational data and its ability to provide new insights into cosmic acceleration. Through a combination of theoretical models, dynamical systems analysis, and cosmological diagnostics, we demonstrate the robustness of the EGBMG framework in explaining the large-scale structure of the universe and its accelerated expansion. This paper serves as a step toward further exploring the potential of this model to understand the fundamental forces driving Weitzenb$ö$ck spacetime.

Low-latency pipelines analyzing gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence events rely on matched filter techniques. Limitations in template banks and waveform modeling, as well as nonstationary detector noise cause errors in signal parameter recovery, especially for events with high chirp masses. We present a quantile regression neural network model that provides dynamic bounds on key parameters such as chirp mass, mass ratio, and total mass. We test the model on various synthetic datasets and real events from LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA gravitational-wave transient catalogs. We find that the model accuracy is consistently over 90% across all the datasets. We explore the possibility of employing the neural network bounds as priors in online parameter estimation. We find that they reduce by 9% the number of likelihood evaluations. This approach may shorten parameter estimation run times without affecting sky localizations.

The strong evidence for low-frequency gravitational waves from pulsar timing arrays (PTAs), published in 2023, has widened the scope for teaching about gravitational wave astronomy. This article provides a simple, unified overview of the detection of gravitational waves using light waves that encompasses the recent PTA detections, the by-now classic interferometric detections using LIGO and similar detectors, and the yet-to-be-accomplished detections using long-arm detectors like the spaceborne LISA. The presentation is at a level accessible for undergraduate students. The influence of gravitational waves on light is derived in a way that makes use only of basic gravitational wave properties and Einstein's equivalence principle.

The fourth observing run (O4) of Advanced LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA has started in May 2023 and is planned to continue until October 2025. On behalf of the LVK Collaboration, I will cover two topics: Status of the O4 run and latest non-CBC results. Status of the O4 run. The focus will be on detectors' performance and online searches/alerts, drawing on publicly available sources provided by the collaboration. Additionally, I will give an overview of removing noise techniques, including AI approaches that help gain sensitivity at a small cost. Latest non-CBC results. Compact Binary Coalescence (CBC) is just one of the potential GW sources: Continuous Waves, Bursts, and Stochastic are still being hunted down. Here, O4 public results of searches will be presented, or the latest O3 will be discussed when the former are not yet available. So far, no GW detections have been associated with these non-CBC sources in any of the searches conducted.

The kinetic equations describing electromagnetic showers from high-energy electron beams interacting with targets are solved, building on the analytical framework developed in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 135001 (2025)]. Two regimes are defined by the ratio of the target thickness L to the radiation length Lr , which depends on the electron energy and target composition. For thin targets (L < Lr ), we derive explicit expressions for the spectra of produced photons and pairs, as well as the number of pairs. For thick targets (L>Lr ), we obtain the total pair number and photon spectrum. Analytical results agree well with Geant4 simulations, which show that significant pair escape requires L<Lr . The divergence, density and characteristic dimensions of the escaping pair jets are obtained, and a criterion for pair plasma formation is derived. While current laser wakefield beams are not well adapted, multi-petawatt lasers may provide new electron or photon sources suitable for laboratory pair plasma production, opening new avenues for studying extreme plasma astrophysics in the laboratory.

A proto-neutron star (PNS) gets formed after a successful supernova when the stellar remnant decouples from the ejecta. In this study, we explore a relativistic framework for the finite-temperature $\beta$-equilibrium limit of equation of state (EOS), constrained via a Bayesian inference methodology. The EOS is constrained by minimal approximations on a few nuclear saturation properties, low-density pure neutron matter constraints from chiral effective field theory, and a neutron star (NS) maximum mass greater than 2.0 $M_{\odot}$. Two sets of EOS derived from the relativistic mean field model for nucleonic and hyperonic matter constrained by a Bayesian inference calculation at the zero temperature limit are used. The thermal adiabatic index ($\Gamma_{\rm Th}$) is calculated as a function of the baryonic density across several temperatures for both the sets. Our results suggest that the maximum NS mass is of the order of 2.15 $M_\odot$ if hyperons are present. In addition, the present study suggests that an observation of NS with mass larger than $2.2\ M_{\odot}$ can indirectly indicates the absence of hyperons in its core. The deleptonization of hyperonic PNS reduces the stellar maximum mass rendering the PNS exceeding the zero temperature maximum stellar (baryonic) mass limit becomes metastable which is prone to collapse into a black hole while PNS below such a mass threshold evolves to a stable NS.

Bayesian model mixing (BMM) is a statistical technique that can combine constraints from different regions of an input space in a principled way. Here we extend our BMM framework for the equation of state (EOS) of strongly interacting matter from symmetric nuclear matter to asymmetric matter, specifically focusing on zero-temperature, charge-neutral, $\beta$-equilibrated matter. We use Gaussian processes (GPs) to infer constraints on the neutron star matter EOS at intermediate densities from two different microscopic theories: chiral effective field theory ($\chi$EFT) at baryon densities around nuclear saturation, $n_B \sim n_0$, and perturbative QCD at asymptotically high baryon densities, $n_B \geqslant 20 n_0$. The uncertainties of the $\chi$EFT and pQCD EOSs are obtained using the BUQEYE truncation error model. We demonstrate the flexibility of our framework through the use of two categories of GP kernels: conventional stationary kernels and a non-stationary changepoint kernel. We use the latter to explore potential constraints on the dense matter EOS by including exogenous data representing theory predictions and heavy-ion collision measurements at densities $\geqslant 2n_0$. We also use our EOSs to obtain neutron star mass-radius relations and their uncertainties. Our framework, whose implementation will be available through a GitHub repository, provides a prior distribution for the EOS that can be used in large-scale neutron-star inference frameworks.

The microhertz gravitational wave (GW) band (0.1 $\mu$Hz-0.1 mHz) holds critical insights into coalescing supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) and the stochastic GW background, yet remains observationally inaccessible due to technical barriers. This work presents a strategy to unlock this band by exploiting orbital resonance effects in the proposed geocentric GW antennas, circumventing the need for impractical ultralong baselines or advanced technologies. We demonstrate that when GW frequencies resonate with integer multiples of a satellite's orbital frequency (e.g., 1$\times$, 3$\times$), sustained orbital deviations amplify signals through time-cumulative effects. Benifit from orbital modulation and resonance phenomena, detector sensitivity can be enhanced by 1-2 orders of magnitude in the microhertz regime. For proposed missions like TianQin, gLISA, and GADFLI, this resonance-driven mechanism extends detectable GW frequencies and expands the observable parameter space of SMBHBs to lower masses and higher redshifts, exceeding conventional sensitivity assessments. This approach may leverage geocentric missions as cost-effective platforms to bridge the microhertz observational gap.

Instrumental artefacts, such as glitches, can significantly compromise the scientific output of LISA. Our methodology employs advanced Bayesian techniques, including Reversible Jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo and parallel tempering to find and characterize glitches and astrophysical signals. The robustness of the pipeline is demonstrated through its ability to simultaneously handle diverse glitch morphologies and it is validated with a 'Spritz'-type data set from the LISA Data Challenge. Our approach enables accurate inference on Massive Black Hole Binaries, while simultaneously characterizing both instrumental artefacts and noise. These results present a significant development in strategies for differentiating between instrumental noise and astrophysical signals, which will ultimately improve the accuracy and reliability of source population analyses with LISA.

Recent trends are emerging in the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) as autonomous agents that take actions based on the content of the user text prompts. We intend to apply these concepts to the field of Control in space, enabling LLMs to play a significant role in the decision-making process for autonomous satellite operations. As a first step towards this goal, we have developed a pure LLM-based solution for the Kerbal Space Program Differential Games (KSPDG) challenge, a public software design competition where participants create autonomous agents for maneuvering satellites involved in non-cooperative space operations, running on the KSP game engine. Our approach leverages prompt engineering, few-shot prompting, and fine-tuning techniques to create an effective LLM-based agent that ranked 2nd in the competition. To the best of our knowledge, this work pioneers the integration of LLM agents into space research. The project comprises several open repositories to facilitate replication and further research. The codebase is accessible on \href{this https URL}{GitHub}, while the trained models and datasets are available on \href{this https URL}{Hugging Face}. Additionally, experiment tracking and detailed results can be reviewed on \href{this https URL}{Weights \& Biases

We investigate the effects of temperature on the properties of the inner crust of a non-accreting neutron star. To this aim, we employ two different treatments: the compressible liquid drop model (CLDM) and the temperature-dependent extended Thomas-Fermi (TETF) method. Our systematic comparison shows an agreement between the two methods on their predictions for the crust thermodynamic properties. We find that the CLDM description can also reproduce reasonably well the TETF composition especially if the surface energy is optimized on the ETF calculation. However, the neglect of neutron skin in CLDM leads to an overestimation of the proton radii.