Papers for Tuesday, Jun 24 2025

The tens of millions of spectra being captured by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) provide tremendous discovery potential. In this work we show how Machine Learning, in particular Variational Autoencoders (VAE), can detect anomalies in a sample of approximately 200,000 DESI spectra comprising galaxies, quasars and stars. We demonstrate that the VAE can compress the dimensionality of a spectrum by a factor of 100, while still retaining enough information to accurately reconstruct spectral features. We then detect anomalous spectra as those with high reconstruction error and those which are isolated in the VAE latent representation. The anomalies identified fall into two categories: spectra with artefacts and spectra with unique physical features. Awareness of the former can help to improve the DESI spectroscopic pipeline; whilst the latter can lead to the identification of new and unusual objects. To further curate the list of outliers, we use the Astronomaly package which employs Active Learning to provide personalised outlier recommendations for visual inspection. In this work we also explore the VAE latent space, finding that different object classes and subclasses are separated despite being unlabelled. We demonstrate the interpretability of this latent space by identifying tracks within it that correspond to various spectral characteristics. For example, we find tracks that correspond to increasing star formation and increase in broad emission lines along the Balmer series. In upcoming work we hope to apply the methods presented here to search for both systematics and astrophysically interesting objects in much larger datasets of DESI spectra.

The secondary anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) provide a wealth of astrophysical and cosmological information. Pairing measurements of the CMB temperature map obtained by DR5 of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) with the large-scale structure imaging survey conducted by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, DECaLS DR9, we investigate two effects that are sensitive to the gas density $\tau$: kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) and `patchy screening' (also known as `anisotropic screening'). In particular, we measure the stacked profiles around Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) at a mean redshift of $z \approx 0.7$. We detect the kSZ signal at 7.2$\sigma$, and we find a signal at $\sim 4.1\sigma$ for the patchy screening estimator, which is in excess relative to the kSZ signal. We attribute this excess to contamination from CMB lensing. We demonstrate the effect of lensing using $N$-body simulations, and we show that the screening signal is dominated by it. Accounting for lensing, our measurement places a 95\% upper bound on the optical depth of the Extended DESI LRG sample of $\tau <$ 2.5 $10^{-4}$ for a mean value of the sample of $\tau \approx$ 1.6 $10^{-4}$. Furthermore, via hydro simulations, we show that the underlying optical depth signal measured by both effects (after removing the CMB lensing contribution) is in perfect agreement when adopting either a Compensated Aperture Photometry (CAP) filter or a high-pass filter. Consistent with previous measurements, we see evidence for excess baryonic feedback around DESI LRGs in the patchy screening measurement. Provided both effects are measured with high signal-to-noise, one can measure the amplitude ratio between them, which is proportional to the root-mean-square velocity of the host halo sample, and place constraints on velocity-sensitive models such as modified gravity and phantom dark energy.

Detecting individual extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) is a major science goal of future space-based gravitational wave observatories such as Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and TianQin. However, matched-filtering can be challenging as waveform templates are required to be accurate over tens of thousands of orbits. We introduce the time-frequency spectrum as an alternative observable that can be exploited to reveal the chirping of EMRIs at the population level. We analytically calculate this spectrum and its correlators for parameterized populations of slowly chirping sources on quasi-circular orbits, assuming a simplified model of the antenna response for a proof of concept. We then exploit this observable to distinguish between Galactic white dwarf binaries and a possible EMRI population, and quantify the precision at which EMRI population parameters can be determined through a Fisher analysis. We explore several scenarios of EMRI populations and find that this new method may allow us to determine EMRI population parameters at an accuracy level of several percent. Since white dwarf binaries have much longer chirping timescales than the EMRIs do, EMRI population properties can still be determined even if their stochastic gravitational wave background has a power spectrum two orders of magnitude weaker than that of the Galactic white dwarf binaries.

We probe galactic-scale outflows in star-forming galaxies at $z\gtrsim2.5$ drawn from the JWST/NIRSpec AURORA program. For the first time, we directly compare outflow properties from the early universe to the present day using near-UV absorption lines. We measure ISM kinematics from Fe II and Mg II absorption features in 41 and 43 galaxies, respectively, and examine how these kinematics correlate with galaxy properties. We find that galaxies with outflows tend to have higher stellar masses, and that maximum outflow velocities increase with stellar mass, SFR, $\beta$, $E(B-V)$, and $A_V$. We also find that Mg II emission is more common in galaxies with lower masses, higher sSFRs, and less dust. These trends are consistent with those in star-forming galaxies at $z<2$ when using the same outflow tracers, suggesting that the feedback from star formation has played a persistent role in shaping galaxy evolution over cosmic time. We also directly compare near-UV and far-UV features in the same NIRSpec spectrum for a $z=5.19$ galaxy, finding consistent ISM kinematics and demonstrating that different tracers yield comparable measurements. We also detect Na D absorption in 10 galaxies, which have higher stellar mass, SFR, and dust attenuation compared to galaxies without Na D absorption, which is consistent with $z\sim0$ studies. The broad continuum coverage and sensitivity of NIRSpec will enable future studies with larger samples, allowing for robust tests of these trends across a wider dynamic range of galaxy properties.

Understanding the spiral arms of the Milky Way (MW) remains a key open question in galactic dynamics. Tidal perturbations, such as the recent passage of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy (Sgr), could play a significant role in exciting them. We aim to analytically characterize the dynamics of tidally induced spiral arms, including their phase-space signatures. We ran idealized test-particle simulations resembling impulsive satellite impacts, and used the Sparse Identification of Non-linear Dynamics (SINDy) method to infer their governing Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). We validated the method with analytical derivations and a realistic $N$-body simulation of a MW-Sgr encounter analogue. For small perturbations, a linear system of equations was recovered with SINDy, consistent with predictions from linearised collisionless dynamics. In this case, two distinct waves wrapping at pattern speeds $\Omega \pm \kappa/m$ emerge. For large impacts, we empirically discovered a non-linear system of equations, representing a novel formulation for the dynamics of tidally induced spiral arms. For both cases, these equations describe wave properties like amplitude and pattern speed, and their shape and temporal evolution in different phase-space projections. We fit the Gaia $L_Z-V_R$ waves with the linear model, providing a reasonable fit and plausible parameters for the Sgr passage. However, the predicted amplitude ratio of the two waves is inconsistent with observations, supporting a more complex origin for this feature (e.g. multiple passages, bar, spiral arms). We merge data-driven discovery with theory to create simple, accurate models of tidal spiral arms that match simulations and provide a simple tool to fit Gaia and external galaxy data. This methodology could be extended to model complex phenomena like self-gravity and dynamical friction. (ABR)

Aims: In this work we investigate whether the 2 min bursts every 44 min from ASKAP J1832-0911 can be explained by Lense-Thirring precession of an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) accretion disk launching a Blandford-Znajek jet, as an alternative to magnetar or white-dwarf models. Methods: We derive the Lense-Thirring period $ P_{\rm LT}=\frac{\pi G M}{a c^3}r^3 $ and solve $P_{\rm LT}=44$ min for black-hole mass M and dimensionless radius $r=R/R_g$. We estimate the equipartition field B at r, compute the Blandford-Znajek power $P_{\rm BZ}$, and the power expected from a gap at the black hole magnetosphere, and compare the resulting jet luminosity to the observed radio and X-ray fluxes at $D\approx4.5$ kpc. We also evaluate expected high-frequency variability and the angular size for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations. Results: For $a\sim0.3\!-\!0.9$, an IMBH with $M\sim10^3\!-\!10^5\,M_\odot$ yields $r\sim10\!-\!40\,R_g$ and $P_{\rm LT}=44$ min. Equipartition gives $B\sim10^5$ G at r, leading to $P_{\rm BZ}\sim10^{35\!-\!39}$ erg ${\rm s^{-1}}$. With radiative efficiency $\epsilon_j\sim10^{-2}\!-\!10^{-1}$, the predicted $L_{\rm jet}\sim10^{34\!-\!36}$ erg ${\rm s^{-1}}$ matches the observed $F_X\sim10^{-12}$ erg ${\rm cm^{-2}}$ ${\rm s^{-1}}$ and radio flux, variability on $\lesssim100$ s could be a smoking gun of this model. Conclusions:The IMBH precessing-jet model simultaneously explains the periodicity, energetics, and duty cycle of ASKAP J1832-0911. Only high-time-resolution X-ray timing (to check $\sim$s pulsations) and multi-frequency radio polarimetry can definitively distinguish it from magnetar or white-dwarf scenarios.

We analyze the ro-vibrational absorption bands of various molecular cations (HCO$^+$, HCNH$^+$, and N$_2$H$^+$) and neutral species (HCN, HNC, and HC$_3$N) detected in the JWST/MIRI MRS spectrum (4.9-27.9 $\mu$m) of the local ultra luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) IRAS~07251$-$0248. We find that the molecular absorptions are blueshifted by 160 km s$^{-1}$ relative to the systemic velocity of the target. Using local thermal equilibrium (LTE) excitation models, we derive rotational temperatures ($T_{\rm rot}$) from 42 to 185 K for these absorption bands. This range of measured $T_{\rm rot}$ can be explained by infrared (IR) radiative pumping as a byproduct of the strength, effective critical density, and opacity of each molecular band. Thus, these results suggest that these absorptions originate in a warm expanding gas shell ($\dot{M}$$\sim$90-330 $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$), which might be the base of the larger scale cold molecular outflow detected in this source. Finally, the elevated abundance of molecular cations (H$_3^+$, HCO$^+$, HCNH$^+$, and N$_2$H$^+$) can be explained by a high cosmic ray ionization rate, with log($\zeta_{\text{H}_2}$/n$_{\rm H}\, [\text{cm}^3 \text{s}^{-1}])$ in the range of -19.1 to -18.2, consistent with a cosmic ray dominated chemistry as predicted by chemical models.

We present the nebular attenuation curves and dust covering fractions for 24 redshift z=1.5-4.4 star-forming galaxies using multiple Balmer and Paschen lines from the JWST/AURORA survey. Nebular reddening derived from Paschen lines exceeds that from Balmer lines for at least half the galaxies in the sample when assuming the commonly-adopted Galactic extinction curve, implying the presence of optically-thick star formation. The nebular attenuation curves exhibit a broad range of normalizations (Rv ~ 3.2-16.4). Motivated by the offsets in reddening deduced from the Balmer and Paschen lines, and the high Rv values for the individual nebular attenuation curves, both of which suggest variations in the dust-stars geometry, we propose a model with a subunity dust covering fraction (fcov). Fitting such a model to the HI recombination line ratios indicates fcov ~ 0.6-1.0. The normalizations of the nebular attenuation curves, Rv, are driven primarily by fcov and the mix of optically-thick and thin OB associations. Thus, the diversity of nebular attenuation curves can be accommodated by assuming dust grain properties similar to that of Milky Way sightlines but with a subunity covering fraction of dust. Integrated measurements of multiple Balmer and Paschen lines can be used to place novel constraints on the dust covering fraction towards OB associations. These, in turn, provide new avenues for exploring the role of dust and gas covering fraction in a number of relevant aspects of high-redshift galaxies, including the impact of stellar feedback on ISM porosity and the escape of Ly-alpha and Lyman continuum radiation.

Protoplanetary discs are dynamic environments where the interplay between chemical processes and mass transport shapes the composition of gas and dust available for planet formation. We investigate the combined effects of volatile chemistry - including both gas-phase and surface reactions - viscous gas evolution, and radial dust drift on the composition of planetary building blocks. We explore scenarios of chemical inheritance and reset under varying ionisation conditions and for various dust grain sizes in the sub-mm regime. We simulate disc evolution using a semi-analytical 1D model that integrates chemical kinetics with gas and dust transport, accounting for viscous heating, turbulent mixing, and refractory organic carbon erosion. We find that mass transport plays a role in the chemical evolution of even sub-micron grains, especially in discs that have experienced strong heating or are exposed to relatively high levels of ionising radiation. The radial drift of relatively small icy grains can yield significant volatile enrichment in the gas phase within the snowlines, increasing the abundances of key species by up to an order of magnitude. Early planetesimal formation can lead to volatile depletion in the inner disc on timescales shorter than 0.5 Myr, while the erosion of refractory organic carbon can lead to markedly superstellar gas-phase C/O and C/N ratios. Notably, none of the analysed scenarios reproduce the monotonic radial trend of the gas-phase C/O ratio predicted by early models. Our results also show that a pairwise comparison of elemental ratios, in the context of the host star's composition, is key to isolating signatures of different scenarios in specific regions of the disc. We conclude that models of planet formation must concurrently account for the chemical and dynamical evolution of discs, as well as the diversity of their initial chemical and physical conditions.

Observing Population III (PopIII) galaxies, the hosts of first-generation stars, remains challenging even with the JWST. The current few candidates have been identified through the combination of a prominent HeII emission and the absence of metal lines, a well-known but extremely brief signature of metal-free systems. Here, we accurately model the evolution of the emission from PopIII galaxies to increase the number of candidates in JWST observations. To achieve this, we employ a locally calibrated galaxy-formation model that self-consistently follows the star formation and chemical evolution initiated by the first stars. We find that PopIII galaxies can emit metal lines in their ``self-polluted'' phase, while galaxies host only metal-free stars but the gas has been chemically-enriched by the first supernovae. In this phase, PopIII galaxies have $\rm [OIII]/H\beta \approx 1$, which opens the pool of candidates to more easily detectable sources. We predict that the high HeII emission of PopIII galaxies can last up to $\rm \approx 20 \, Myrs$ and that it is partly maintained in the ``hybrid'' phase, when PopIII and PopII stars co-exist in the host galaxy. We propose novel diagnostics involving UV metal lines to select PopIII candidates in high-z JWST surveys. In JADES, we identify 9 candidate galaxies with $>25\%$ of their stellar mass in metal-free stars, showcasing the effectiveness of our method. Ultimately, the key to discovering PopIII galaxies could be to catch them during their first episodes of chemical enrichment.

Precise initial conditions (ICs) are crucial for accurate computation in cosmological perturbation theory. We derive the consistent ICs for Horndeski theory in the Effective Field Theory (EFT) approach, assuming constant EFT functions at early times. We implement the ICs into the public Boltzmann code \texttt{EFTCAMB}, and demonstrate that the expected early-time behavior of perturbations and Weyl potential can be obtained with theory-consistent MG ICs. We identify significant deviations when comparing Cosmic Microwave Background angular power spectra in MG models obtained with consistent MG ICs versus inconsistent GR ICs. Our findings underline the importance of using accurate, theory-consistent MG ICs to ensure robust cosmological constraints on early MG models.

We present a high-quality, homogeneous sample of 157 H$\beta$ reverberation-mapped active galactic nuclei (RM AGNs) spanning redshifts $0.00308 \leq z \leq 0.8429$, which is approximately 3.8 times larger than the previously available high-quality homogeneous sample. Using the broad-line region radius$-$luminosity relation ($R-L$), which involves the broad H$\beta$ line time delay and the monochromatic luminosity at 5100\,Å\,, we show that the sample is standardizable by using six spatially flat and nonflat cosmological models. The inferred cosmological model parameters are consistent within 2$\sigma$ uncertainties with those from better established baryon acoustic oscillation and Hubble parameter measurements, with the exception of two nonflat models that are ruled out by other data. The $R-L$ relation slope is found to be flatter ($\gamma=0.428 \pm 0.025$ in the flat $\Lambda$CDM model) than the slope expected from a simple photoionization model as well as the slope found previously for the smaller homogeneous sample. In addition, we find a mild dependence of H$\beta$ $R-L$ relation parameters as well as its intrinsic scatter on the Eddington ratio by comparing the $R-L$ relations for low- and high-accreting equal-sized subsamples. A future analysis of a larger homogeneous sample containing a broader range of luminosities and Eddington ratios is necessary to confirm the standardizability of H$\beta$ AGNs.

Although the annihilation of positrons towards the Galactic centre was established more than 50 years ago through the detection of a 511 keV gamma-ray line, the origin of the positrons remains unknown. The gamma-ray line should be accompanied by continuum emission from positron in-flight annihilation, which has not until now been detected. We aim to detect positron in-flight annihilation emission as it provides information on the kinetic energy of the positrons that is key in determining the origin of Galactic positrons. We analysed archival data obtained by the COMPTEL instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite to search for positron in-flight annihilation emission at MeV energies. Our analysis revealed extended MeV emission towards the bulge of the Galaxy, which we attribute to in-flight annihilation of positrons produced with kinetic energies of $\sim2$ MeV. The observed spectrum suggests that positrons are produced quasi mono-energetically, which could occur by the annihilation of dark matter particles with masses of $\sim3$ MeV or through bulk motion in the jet of the microquasar 1E 1740.7-2942. We furthermore detected a point-like MeV emission component towards the Galactic centre that is the plausible low-energy counterpart of the Fermi/LAT source 4FGL J1745.6-2859. The broad band spectrum of the source may be explained by the injection of pair plasma from the supermassive black hole Sgr A* into the interstellar medium, which would also explain the point-like 511 keV line emission component that was discovered by INTEGRAL/SPI at the Galactic centre. The observed positron in-flight annihilation spectrum towards the Galactic bulge excludes $\beta^+$ decays from radioactivities as well as any mechanism producing highly relativistic positrons as origin of the Galactic bulge positrons.

Little is currently known about the physical properties of the hot circumgalactic medium (CGM) surrounding massive galaxies. Next-generation X-ray observatories will enable detailed studies of the hot CGM in emission. To support these future efforts, we make predictions of the X-ray emission from the hot CGM using a sample of 28 $\sim$Milky Way-mass disk galaxies at $z=0$ from seven cosmological hydrodynamical simulation suites incorporating a wide range of galactic feedback prescriptions. The X-ray surface brightness (XSB) morphology of the hot CGM varies significantly across simulations. XSB-enhanced outflows and bubble-like structures are predicted in many galaxies simulated with AGN feedback and in some stellar-feedback-only galaxies, while other galaxies exhibit more isotropic XSB distributions at varying brightnesses. Galaxies simulated without cosmic ray physics exhibit radial XSB profiles with similar shapes ($\propto r^{-3}$ within $20-200$ kpc), with scatter about this slope likely due to underlying feedback physics. The hot CGM kinematics also differ substantially: velocity maps reveal signatures of bulk CGM rotation and high-velocity biconical outflows, particularly in simulations incorporating AGN feedback. Some stellar-feedback-only models also generate similar AGN-like outflows, which we postulate is due to centrally-concentrated star formation. Simulations featuring AGN feedback frequently produce extended temperature enhancements in large-scale galactic outflows, while simulations incorporating cosmic ray physics predict the coolest CGM due to pressure support being provided by cosmic rays rather than hot CGM. Individually-resolved X-ray emission lines further distinguish hot CGM phases, with lower-energy lines (e.g., O VII) largely tracing volume-filling gas, and higher-energy lines (e.g., Fe XVII) highlighting high-velocity feedback-driven outflows.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has identified a large population of supermassive ($10^6$-$10^8~\mathrm{M}_\odot$) black holes (BHs) in the early universe ($z \sim 4$-$7$). Current measurements suggest that many of these BHs exhibit higher BH-to-stellar mass ratios than local populations, opening a new window into the earliest stages of BH-galaxy coevolution and offering the potential to place tight constraints on BH seeding and growth in the early universe. In this work, we use the BRAHMA simulations to investigate the impact of BH seeding on the $\mathrm{M_{\bullet}}-\sigma$ relation. These simulations adopt heavy $\sim10^5~\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ seeds and systematically varied BH seeding models, resulting in distinct predictions for seed abundances. We find that different seed models lead to different normalizations of the $\mathrm{M_{\bullet}}-\sigma$ relation at higher redshifts ($z > 2$) across all $\sigma$, and at low redshift for systems with low $\sigma$ ($50~\mathrm{km\ s^{-1}} \lesssim \sigma \lesssim 80~\mathrm{km\ s^{-1}}$). The most lenient seed model also shows negligible evolution in the $\mathrm{M_{\bullet}}-\sigma$ relation across redshift, while more restrictive models have substantially lower normalization on the $\mathrm{M_{\bullet}}-\sigma$ relation for high $\sigma$ ($\sim 100~\mathrm{km\ s^{-1}}$) at high redshifts, and evolve upward toward the local relation. We demonstrate that the $\mathrm{M_{\bullet}}-\sigma$ evolution is a direct consequence of merger-dominated BH growth in low mass galaxies ($\lesssim 10^9~M_{\odot}$) and accretion dominated BH growth in high mass ($\gtrsim10^9~M_{\odot}$) galaxies. Furthermore, the scatter in the $\mathrm{M_{\bullet}}-\sigma$ relation is larger for the more restrictive models due to the inability of many BHs to grow significantly beyond their seed mass.

The $1/f$ noise is a ubiquitous phenomenon in natural systems. Since the advent of space exploration, the $1/f$ range has been consistently observed in \textit{in situ} solar wind measurements throughout the heliosphere, sparking decades of debate regarding its origin. Recent Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations near the Alfvén surface have revealed a systematic absence of the $1/f$ range in pristine solar wind, providing a unique opportunity to investigate its origin in solar wind turbulence. Despite numerous observations of the $1/f$ range at varying frequencies, no study has systematically examined its properties across different solar wind conditions. Here, we identify two distinct types of $1/f$ ranges in solar wind turbulence: the fast/Alfvénic wind type and the slow/mixed wind type. The fast/Alfvénic type appears to be an intrinsic feature of Alfvénic turbulence, while the slow/mixed type resembles classical flicker noise. For the fast/Alfvénic type, we find a near-perfect WKB evolution of the frequency-averaged fluctuation amplitude and an intriguing migration pattern in frequency space. For the slow/mixed type, we examine the solar cycle dependence of the $1/f$ noise using the OMNI-LRO dataset spanning solar cycles 22 to 25. We also analyze the autocorrelation function of the magnetic field vectors and identify a clear relationship between the $1/f$ range and the decline in correlation, as well as unexpected resonance peaks in the autocorrelation function.

Clusters of galaxies trace massive dark matter halos in the Universe, but they can include multiple halos projected along lines of sight. We study the halos contributing to clusters using the Cardinal simulation, which mimics the Dark Energy Survey data. We use the red-sequence-based cluster finding algorithm redMaPPer as a case study. For each cluster, we identify the halos hosting its member galaxies, and we define the main halo as the one contributing the most to the cluster's richness ($\lambda$, the estimated number of member galaxies). At $z=0.3$, for clusters with $\lambda > 60$, the main halo typically contributes to $92\%$ of the richness, and this fraction drops to $67\%$ for $\lambda \approx 20$. Defining "clean" clusters as those with $\geq50\%$ of the richness contributed by the main halo, we find that $100\%$ of the $\lambda > 60$ clusters are clean, while $73\%$ of the $\lambda \approx 20$ clusters are clean. Three halos can usually account for more than $80\%$ of the richness of a cluster. The main halos associated with redMaPPer clusters have a completeness ranging from $98\%$ at virial mass $10^{14.6}~h^{-1}M_{\odot}$ to $64\%$ at $10^{14}~h^{-1}M_{\odot}$. In addition, we compare the inferred cluster centers with true halo centers, finding that $30\%$ of the clusters are miscentered with a mean offset $40\%$ of the cluster radii, in agreement with recent X-ray studies. These systematics worsen as redshift increases, but we expect that upcoming surveys extending to longer wavelengths will improve the cluster finding at high redshifts. Our results affirm the robustness of the redMaPPer algorithm and provide a framework for benchmarking other cluster-finding strategies.

Our results demonstrate that vortex lines in Bose-Einstein Condensate Dark Matter (BECDM) can act as gravitational seeds that induce the condensation of baryonic matter, leading to localized gas accumulation even in the absence of imposed symmetries or rotation. Our analysis is based on the numerical solution of the system of equations for the BECDM gravitationally coupled to Euler equations for a compressible ideal gas (IG) that we use as a model of baryonic matter. Numerical simulations are constructed for various scenarios that start with a vortex solution for the BECDM and a randomly distributed ideal gas, with the aim of investigating whether the matter distribution and dynamics of the vortex influences the dynamics and distribution of the gas. We find that the gas condensation process is most efficient when the IG mass dominates over the BECDM, and when the IG has low initial velocity dispersion. We also find that strong bosonic self-interaction does not guarantee the vortex stability, instead, it can trigger dynamical instabilities that disrupt both the vortex structure and the surrounding gas. An interesting finding is that the vortex drives a persistent morphological signature on the gas, often in the form of ring-like features visible in projected density maps. These patterns survive nonlinear evolution and may serve as indirect tracers of vortex structures in BECDM halos, potentially offering a novel and testable observational probe of the model.

Aims: In this work, we aim to confirm the high albedo of the benchmark ultrahot Neptune LTT9779b using 20 secondary eclipse measurements of the planet observed with CHEOPS. In addition, we perform a search for variability in the reflected light intensity of the planet as a function of time. Methods: First, we used the TESS follow-up data of LTT9779b from three sectors (2, 29, and 69) to remodel the transit signature and estimate an updated set of transit and ephemeris parameters, which were directly used in the modeling of the secondary eclipse lightcurves. This involved a critical noise-treatment algorithm, including sophisticated techniques such as wavelet denoising and Gaussian Process (GP) regression, to constrain noise levels from various sources. In addition to using the officially released reduced aperture photometry data from CHEOPS DRP, we also reduced the raw data using an independent PSF photometry pipeline, known as PIPE, to verify the robustness of our analysis. The extracted secondary eclipse lightcurves were modeled using the PYCHEOPS package, where we have detrended the background noise correlated with the spacecraft roll angle, originating from the inhomogeneous and asymmetric shape of the CHEOPS point spread function, using an N-order glint function. Results: Our independent lightcurve analyses have resulted in consistent estimations of the eclipse depths, with values of 89.9$\pm$13.7 ppm for the DRP analysis and 85.2$\pm$13.1 ppm from PIPE, indicating a high degree of statistical agreement. Adopting the DRP value yields a highly constrained geometric albedo of 0.73$\pm$0.11. No significant eclipse depth variability is detected down to a level of $\sim$37 ppm. Conclusions: Our results confirm that LTT9779b exhibits a strikingly high optical albedo, which substantially reduces the internal energy budget of the planet compared to more opaque...

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) plays a crucial role in regulating material and energy exchange between galaxies and their environments. The best means of observing this medium is through absorption-line spectroscopy, but we have yet to develop a consistent physical model that fully explains these results. Here we investigate the impact of turbulence and non-equilibrium chemistry on the properties of the CGM, using three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations that include the impact of an ionizing background. Increasing turbulence enhances small-scale density fluctuations, shifting the kinetic energy spectra from Kolmogorov to Burgers scaling. This is indicative of shock-dominated dissipation, which plays a critical role in driving carbon ionization and shaping the multiphase structure of the medium. At the same time, the presence of background radiation significantly alters the ionization balance, increasing the prevalence of C\textsc{ii} and C\textsc{iv}. Thus, turbulence and the background radiation have complementary roles: turbulence governs the spatial distribution and facilitates the formation of ionized species, whereas the background radiation modifies the overall ionization equilibrium, setting the observed distribution of multiphase carbon.

The extreme magnification from galaxy clusters and microlenses therein allows the detection of individual, luminous stars in lensed galaxies as transient events, and hence provides a valuable window into the high mass stellar population in $z>1$ galaxies. As these bright stars can only be formed at specific ages, the relative abundance of transient events at blue (B) and red (R) optical wavelengths ($B/R$ ratio) can provide insights into the star formation history of lensed galaxies. Here, we forward model the transient detection rates in an idealized mock scenario to find that the $B/R$ ratio of strongly lensed $z>1$ galaxies decreases quickly with increasing age. This ratio has comparatively low sensitivity to metallicity and dust attenuation, with no significant dependency on the stellar initial mass function. As a proof-of-concept, we show that a simple starburst cannot simultaneously fit the $B/R$ and spectral energy distribution of the ``Warhol'' arc ($z = 0.94$), indicating a more complex (recent) star formation history. Although limited only to lensed higher redshift galaxies in cluster fields, this result shows that the transient $B/R$ ratio could be used as an additional, complementary constraint on the star formation history of higher redshift galaxies in future works.

The cold, dense matter equation of state (EoS) determines crucial global properties of neutron stars (NSs), including the mass, radius and tidal deformability. However, a one-dimensional (1D), cold, and $\beta$-equilibrated EoS is insufficient to fully describe the interactions or capture the dynamical processes of dense matter as realized in binary neutron star (BNS) mergers or core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), where thermal and out-of-equilibrium effects play important roles. We develop a method to self-consistently extend a 1D cold and $\beta$-equilibrated EoS of quark matter to a full three-dimensional (3D) version, accounting for density, temperature, and electron fraction dependencies, within the framework of Fermi-liquid theory (FLT), incorporating both thermal and out-of-equilibrium contributions. We compare our FLT-extended EoS with the original bag model and find that our approach successfully reproduces the contributions of thermal and compositional dependencies of the 3D EoS. Furthermore, we construct a 3D EoS with a first-order phase transition (PT) by matching our 3D FLT-extended quark matter EoS to the hadronic DD2 EoS under Maxwell construction, and test it through the GRHD simulations of the TOV-star and CCSN explosion. Both simulations produce consistent results with previous studies, demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of our 3D EoS construction with PT.

We performed numerical simulations of magnetic reconnection with different strength of magnetic fields from the solar photosphere to the upper chromosphere. The main emphasis is to identify dominant mechanisms for heating plasmas in the reconnection region under different plasma-$\beta$ conditions in the partially ionized low solar atmosphere. The numerical results show that more plasmoids are generated in a lower $\beta$ reconnection event. The frequent coalescence of these plasmoids leads to a significant enhancement of turbulence and compression heating, which becomes the dominant mechanism for heating plasma in a lower plasma-$\beta$ reconnection process. The average power density of the compression heating (Q$_{comp}$) decreases with increasing initial plasma-$\beta$ as a power function: Q$_{comp} \sim \beta_{0}^{-a}$, where the value $a$ is $1.9$ in the photosphere and decreases to about 1.29 in the upper chromosphere. In the photosphere and lower chromosphere, the joule heating contributed by electron-neutral collisions Q$_{en}=\eta_{en} J^2$ eventually dominates over the compression heating when the initial plasma-$\beta$ is larger than the critical value $\beta_{0-critical} = 8$. In the upper chromosphere, the ambipolar diffusion heating and the viscous heating will become equally important as the compression heating when the initial plasma-$\beta$ is larger than the critical value $\beta_{0-critical} = 0.5$. These results indicate that the compression heating caused by turbulent reconnection mediated with plasmoids is likely the major heating mechanism for the small-scale reconnection events with stronger magnetic fields such as active region EBs and UV bursts. However, the heating caused by the partial ionization effects can not be ignored for those reconnection events with weaker magnetic fields such as quiet Sun EBs and cold surges.

Recent studies suggest that the most energetic cosmic rays, exceeding 100 EeV, may primarily consist of $r$-process nuclei. This highlights binary neutron star mergers and collapsars as promising sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). Building on these insights, we examine the conditions that facilitate the efficient production of UHE $r$-process nuclei during the prompt radiation (PR), extended emission (EE), and plateau emission phases of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) following neutron star mergers. Our study reveals that jets associated with the PR phase, characterized by typical bulk Lorentz factors ($\gtrsim 400-500$), dissipation radii, and magnetic field strengths, can accelerate $r$-process nuclei to energies $\gtrsim 100$ EeV while preserving them during propagation within the source. Additionally, we investigate the production of HE neutrinos from photomeson and hadronic interactions, as well as from the $\beta$ decay of accelerated $r$-process nuclei. We find that the HE neutrino fluxes from sGRBs, mainly produced via photomeson interactions, are significantly limited to preserve the accelerated heavy nuclei, leading to lower fluxes than the predictions without allowing for contributions to UHECRs. Our results suggest that sGRBs may potentially contribute to UHECRs during the PR phase and to HE neutrinos during the EE phase$-$a scenario that can be tested by future neutrino observatories.

[Abridged] We present a multi-line study of the kinematics of the molecular and ionised gas phases in the central 2 kpc of NGC6240, based on JWST/NIRSpec and ALMA observations. We devised a new spectral-line fitting approach to de-blend rotating and non-rotating gas components, which is better tailored to the extreme feedback mechanisms at work in NGC6240. We find that ~65% of the Pa$\alpha$, H$_2$, and [FeII] line fluxes within the NIRSpec field of view arise from gas components that are kinematically decoupled from the stars. The NIR H$_2$ lines show the most deviation from the stars, with peak emission between the two rotating stellar structures. The PAH 3.3$\mu$m feature does not follow the NIR H$_2$ morphology, indicating that the latter does not trace PDRs. In the non-rotating gas components, we identify a biconical wind launched from the northern AGN, expanding along the minor axis of stellar rotation. This wind is dominated by ionised gas and, although it entrains some H$_2$, it does not show a H$_2$/PAH enhancement, suggesting either high UV irradiation or expansion along a relatively gas-free path. Furthermore, we find bright non-rotating gas emission between the two AGN and around the southern AGN, which we interpret as due to an outflow launched from the southern nucleus, coinciding with the molecular outflow previously studied in cold (sub-)millimeter tracers. The strong H$_2$/PAH enhancement measured in this region, coextensive with high velocity redshifted gas ($v\sim900$ km s$^{-1}$), suggests that the shocks responsible for the high H$_2$/PAH ratios are due to the outflow rather than to the collision of media during the merger. Our results show that the bulk of the NIR line emission in NGC6240 is decoupled from the stars, and that most of the warm H$_2$ is shock-excited and embedded in a powerful outflow, where it coexists with colder molecular gas.

The gravothermal core collapse of self-interacting dark matter halos provides a compelling mechanism for seeding supermassive black holes in the early Universe. In this scenario, a small fraction of a halo, approximately $1\%$ of its mass, collapses into a dense core, which could further evolve into a black hole. We demonstrate that this process can account for the origin of JWST little red dots (LRDs) observed at redshifts $z\sim4-11$, where black holes with masses of $10^7{\rm\,M_\odot}$ can form within $500{\rm\,Myr}$ after the formation of host halos with masses of $10^{9}{\rm\,M_\odot}$. Even if the initial collapse region triggering general-relativistic instability has a mass on the order of one solar mass, the resulting seed can grow into an intermediate-mass black hole via Eddington accretion of baryonic gas. Subsequently, it can continue to grow into a supermassive black hole through dark Bondi accretion of dark matter particles. In this scenario, the majority of the black hole's mass originates from dark matter accretion rather than baryonic matter, naturally explaining the overmassive feature of LRDs.

The interstellar medium of galaxies, with temperatures reaching several million degrees, provides a pivotal perspective for understanding the physical and chemical properties of star formation, galactic evolution, and their associated feedback mechanisms. We use archival data from $Chandra$ observations to extract the diffuse X-ray emission from 23 nearby star-forming galaxies and study its correlation with star formation activity in the central region of these galaxies. The surface brightness profile of each galaxy presents a sharp decrease in the central region of $\thicksim$0.3$-$2 kpc and then varies slowly outside this range. Compared to the global relation between the diffuse thermal X-ray luminosity from hot gas ($L_{\rm 0.5 - 2\,keV}^{\rm gas}$) and the star formation rate (SFR), we found a super-linear relation of ${\rm log}(L_{\rm 0.5-2\,keV}^{\rm gas} /{\rm erg\,s^{-1}})=1.34\,{\rm log}({\rm SFR}/{M_{\rm \odot}}\,{\rm yr^{-1}})+40.15$ for the center of these sample galaxies. This result suggests that more intense stellar feedback is associated with stronger star formation activity in the central region of star-forming galaxies, where more energy output from supernovae (SNe) and stellar winds is converted into X-ray flux. Furthermore, the slope of the $L_{\rm 0.5 - 2\,keV}^{\rm gas}$$-$SFR relation anticorrelates with spatial scale in the galactic central region. This indicates that the characteristics of central hot gas emission are gradually averaged over larger areas. The diffuse X-ray luminosity also shows a good correlation with molecular gas, stellar mass, and mid-plane pressure traced by the baryonic mass, although these relations show relatively large scatter.

Research into light curves from stars (temporal variation of brightness) has completely changed how exoplanets are discovered or characterised. This study including star light curves from the Kepler dataset as a way to discover exoplanets (planetary transits) and derive some estimate of their physical characteristics by the light curve and machine learning methods. The dataset consists of measured flux (recordings) for many individual stars and we will examine the light curve of each star and look for periodic dips in brightness due to an astronomical body making a transit. We will apply variables derived from an established method for deriving measurements from light curve data to derive key parameters related to the planet we observed during the transit, such as distance to the host star, orbital period, radius. The orbital period will typically be measured based on the time between transit of the subsequent timelines and the radius will be measured based on the depth of transit. The density of the star and planet can also be estimated from the transit event, as well as very limited information on the albedo (reflectivity) and atmosphere of the planet based on transmission spectroscopy and/or the analysis of phase curve for levels of flux. In addition to these methods, we will employ some machine learning classification of the stars (i.e. likely have an exoplanet or likely do not have an exoplanet) based on flux change. This could help fulfil both the process of looking for exoplanets more efficient as well as providing important parameters for the planet. This will provide a much quicker means of searching the vast astronomical datasets for the likelihood of exoplanets.

Based on optical and infrared survey data spanning $\approx 20$ years of observations, the long-term variability of the polar V379 Vir with a brown dwarf secondary has been studied. By modeling the spectral energy distribution, we constrain the white dwarf's mass to $M_1 = 0.61 \pm 0.05~M_{\odot}$ and its effective temperature to $T_{eff} = 10930 \pm 350~K$. Near-infrared photometry yields a donor radius of $R_2 = 0.095 \pm 0.018 R_{\odot}$ and temperature $T_{eff} = 1600 \pm 180 K$. Modeling of the cyclotron emission from the accretion spot, detected with the Spitzer infrared telescope, gives an accretion rate of $\dot{M} \approx 3 \times 10^{-13} M_{\odot}/yr$. This rate is consistent with polars in a low accretion state, but significantly higher than expected from wind-driven mass transfer.

This study analyzes an 11-year cosmic ray dataset of positrons and antiprotons for planetary dependencies related to gravitationally focused dark matter streams. By projecting event timestamps onto planetary heliocentric longitudes, structured flux modulations are found. The results resemble previously reported planetary relationships in solar and terrestrial observables. This supports the possibility that streaming dark matter particles are focused toward Earth by solar system bodies, including the Moon. The findings suggest further searches using other cosmic ray channels, including existing very high-energy gamma ray data.

This work is the continuation of a series attempting to characterize the local warm ionized medium through both static and time dependent simulations. We build upon our three dimensional, observationally-derived simulation of the local photoionized interstellar medium - based on static photoionization simulations constrained by 3D dust maps - to include metals required to predict collisionally excited optical and infrared emission lines, providing the first all-sky prediction of a series of lines including [SII] 6716$\mathring{A}$, [NII] 6584$\mathring{A}$ and [OIII] 5007$\mathring{A}$. While these predictions only include O-star photoionization under ionization equilibrium, we also carry out a suite of radiation-hydrodynamics simulations including time-dependent metal ionization and the effects of supernova feedback to highlight missing features in our predicted skies. We use the simulations to estimate the very local (1 $\rm kpc^{2}$) Galactic star formation rate, finding a rate of 370 $\rm M_{\odot}~Myr^{-1}~kpc^{-2}$ provides the best match between the observationally-derived and ab-initio simulations. This is approximately a factor of four lower than previous estimates for the star formation rate required to support an observed layer of high-altitude diffuse ionized gas, possibly suggesting a `bursty' star formation history in the region surrounding the Sun. We also investigate the effects of O-star environments on their ability to ionize large volumes of diffuse ionized gas, and find it is likely ionized by a small number of luminous O-stars located in regions where the leakage of their Lyman continuum photons can produce the vast volumes of ionized gas observed in the midplane and at high galactic altitudes.

We recently identified an upturn in [Na/Fe] for the population of Solar-type stars in the Galactic thick disc ($-0.3 < [\mathrm{Fe/H}] < +0.3$ dex) at super-Solar metallicity in GALactic Archaeology with HERMES (GALAH) data. Here, we investigate the cause of this unexplained Na enrichment between ([Fe/H] $\sim 0 - 0.6$ dex) using the OMEGA$+$ galactic chemical evolution code. We investigate the increase of [Na/Fe] with four combinations of nucleosynthetic yields from the literature, with source contributions from core-collapse supernovae, asymptotic giant branch stars, and Type Ia supernovae. We focus on two possible causes for the Na-enhancement: the "metallicity effect" resulting from core-collapse supernovae at super-Solar metallicity and the contribution of metal-rich AGB stars. We adopt two sets of Type Ia supernova yields with one model assuming only Chandrasekhar-mass explosions, and another assuming only sub-Chandrasekhar-mass explosions. We find that the assumed Type Ia explosion has little effect on the [Na/Fe] Galactic chemical evolution modelling, and all Galactic chemical evolution models tested fail to reproduce the observed [\mathrm{Na/Fe}] enrichment in the young thick disc population at super-Solar metallicities. Our study indicates a possible "under-pollution effect" by SNe Ia, which are the dominant producers of iron, in the Galactic disc's Solar-type star population. These findings provide a step forward toward understanding the origin of the unexplained sodium enrichment at super-Solar metallicities in the Galactic disc.

Exploring the outer reaches of the Solar System presents significant propulsion and mission design challenges. This study assesses the feasibility of a mission to Sedna using two advanced propulsion concepts: the Direct Fusion Drive (DFD) rocket engine, based on D-$^{3}$He thermonuclear fusion, and a solar sail utilizing thermal desorption of its coating for propulsion. Both are evaluated for a one-way Earth-to-Sedna mission; however, due to the different performances the DFD would enable orbit insertion, whereas for the solar sail a flyby is envisioned. The analysis evaluates key mission parameters, including delivered payload capacity, travel time, and potential science return. For the DFD, we assume a 1.6 MW system with constant thrust and specific impulse, while for the solar sail, we consider acceleration via thermal desorption and a gravity-assist maneuver around Jupiter. The mission analysis incorporates four key phases: departure, interplanetary acceleration, interplanetary coasting, and rendezvous. Sedna is expected to pass through the perihelion of its orbit in 2075--2076 and then move again away from the Sun. Considering the distances involved, a mission targeting the object would need to be launched "relatively" soon, especially if using conventional propulsion systems, which could require up to 30 years of deep-space travel. In our study, results indicate that the DFD could reach Sedna in approximately 10 years, with 1.5 years of thrusting, while the solar sail, assisted by Jupiter's gravity, could complete the journey in 7 years. The feasibility of science payload accommodation, power availability, and communication constraints is also considered. These findings provide a comparative foundation for future deep-space mission planning.

Astrometry with the very long baseline radio interferometry (VLBI) allows us to determine the position of a point close to the brightest compact detail of the source at milliarcsecond scales. For most active galactic nuclei (AGNs), this compact detail is the opaque core of the radio jet. Rare cases of sources whose brightest detail is not the core but a prominent jet feature parsecs away from the core have been reported, but such sources remained elusive. In this work, we use a novel method for a systematic search of these sources. We scrutinize the AGNs for which the offset between their coordinates determined with VLBI and Gaia is statistically significant and coincides with the vector between two dominant features in their VLBI images, using publicly available archival multi-frequency data. We find 35 sources whose VLBI coordinates are associated with a bright component of their jet separated by several to tens of mas from the radio core. Their Gaia coordinates, in turn, correspond to the jet origin and are close to the radio jet core. The previously published jet directions of most of them must be reversed. These sources exhibit atypically low brightness temperatures of the radio cores, down to 10^9 K in the host galaxy frame, and, at the same time, extreme brightness of the dominating jet components. We argue that these bright components are standing shock fronts and discuss possible physical reasons for the low core brightness, such as ineffective particle heating, atypical absorption, or differential Doppler boosting.

A planet's axial tilt ("obliquity") substantially affects its atmosphere and habitability. It is thus essential to comprehend the various mechanisms that can excite planetary obliquities, particularly at the primordial stage. Here, we explore planetary obliquity excitation induced by the early evolution of the host star. A young, distended star spins rapidly, resulting in a large gravitational quadrupole moment that induces nodal recession of the planet's orbit. As the star contracts and spins down, the nodal recession frequency decreases and can cross the planet's spin axis precession frequency. An adiabatic encounter results in the planet's capture into a secular spin-orbit resonance and excites the obliquity to large values. We find planets within $a \lesssim 1 \ \mathrm{AU}$ are most affected, but adiabatic capture depends on the initial stellar radius and spin rate. The overall picture is complicated by other sources of perturbation, including the disk, multiple planets, and tidal dissipation. Tides make it such that stellar oblateness-induced obliquity excitation is transient since tidal perturbations cause the resonance to break once high obliquities are reached. However, this early transient excitation is important because it can prime planets for long-term capture in a secular spin-orbit resonance induced by planet-planet interactions. Thus, although stellar oblateness-induced resonances are short-lived, they facilitate the prevalence of long-lived non-zero obliquities in exoplanets.

We describe the discovery and characterization of TOI-7149~b, a 0.705 $\pm$ 0.075 $M_J$, 1.18 $\pm$ 0.045 $R_J$ gas giant on a $\sim 2.65$ day period orbit transiting an M4V star with a mass of 0.344 $\pm$ 0.030~$M_{\odot}$ and an effective temperature of 3363 $\pm$ 59 K. The planet was first discovered using NASA's TESS mission, which we confirmed using a combination of ground-based photometry, radial velocities, and speckle imaging. The planet has one of the deepest transits of all known main-sequence planet hosts at $\sim$ 12\% ($R_p/R_\star\sim 0.33$). Pushing the bounds of previous discoveries of Giant Exoplanets around M-dwarf Stars (GEMS), TOI-7149 is one of the lowest mass M-dwarfs to host a transiting giant planet. We compare the sample of transiting GEMS with a 200~pc Gaia colour magnitude diagram (CMD) and find that the GEMS hosts are likely to be high metallicity stars. We also analyze the sample of transiting giant planets using the non-parametric \texttt{MRExo} framework to compare the bulk density of warm Jupiters across stellar masses. We confirm our previous result that transiting Jupiters around early M-dwarfs have similar masses and densities to warm Jupiters around FGK stars, and extend this to mid M-dwarfs, thereby suggesting a potential commonality in their formation mechanisms.

We present a systematic study of the recently reported anti-correlation between X-ray flux and photon index ($\Gamma$) in the Crab Nebula, using archival RXTE/PCA (3 - 50 keV), RXTE/HEXTE (20 - 100 keV), and NuSTAR (3 - 78 keV) observations. Spectra were extracted in soft (3 - 10 keV) and hard bands (10 - 50 keV, 10 - 78 keV, 20 - 100 keV) and fitted with an absorbed power-law model. Across all instruments and energy ranges, we confirm the existence of a persistent negative correlation -- harder spectra at higher flux levels. The correlation is stronger in the hard bands compared to the soft bands. This is consistent with synchrotron emission modulated by magnetic field variations in the pulsar wind nebula.

We present a preliminary analysis of the largest Forbush Decrease (FD) observed in solar cycle 25 using SEVAN network data. Triggered by consecutive Earth-directed CMEs on May 30 and 31, 2025, this event produced two distinct FD minima and a prolonged recovery, with significant anisotropies in cosmic ray response across the network. The timing of interplanetary shock arrivals was confirmed by SSC signatures at 05:22 UTC on June 1 and 10:19 UTC on June 2, marking the onset of each FD phase. The depth and temporal structure of the FD varied across SEVAN detectors, providing insights into the complex heliospheric and magnetospheric dynamics during this multi-CME event.

The Cosmic Distance Duality Relation (CDDR), a fundamental assumption in modern cosmology, posits a direct link between angular diameter distance and luminosity distance. This study presents a comprehensive, model-independent, and data-driven test of the CDDR using a combination of cosmological observations, including Supernovae (SN), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), and Hubble parameter ($H(z)$) measurements. We employ both Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) and a novel Compressed Point (CPI) method for reconstructing the CDDR, alongside four distinct parameterizations for potential deviations. Nuisance parameters, such as the supernova absolute magnitude and BAO scale, are rigorously handled via both joint numerical fitting (Method I) and analytic marginalization (Method II). Our findings reveal that while direct reconstruction of the CDDR exhibits no significant deviation (less than 1-$\sigma$) under specific prior assumptions, a notable departure emerges when the SH0ES prior is incorporated, suggesting a systematic influence from the Hubble constant tension. Independently, our parameterized analysis corroborates the consistency of CDDR and confirms the equivalence of the two constraint methodologies. We also find no significant evidence for cosmic opacity. A comparative assessment of reconstruction techniques indicates that GPR generally yields higher precision. These results emphasize the critical role of prior choices and statistical methods in CDDR analyses, providing valuable insights into fundamental cosmological principles and the ongoing Hubble tension.

In this work, we propose a new model that combines holographic dark energy with modified gravity $f(Q,T)$ to explore a possible explanation for the accelerated expansion of the universe. We incorporate the holographic principle into non-metric gravity with non-minimal matter coupling and introduce the Barrow holographic dark energy model to account for a tighter corrections, allowing for a more generalized discussion. Furthermore, we perform parameter estimation using the latest observational data, including Type Ia supernova, BAO and Hubble parameter direct measurements. Our results show that the model provides a theoretical framework to describe late-time cosmic evolution and the universe's accelerated expansion. Despite the additional complexity introduced, the model offers a viable approach for investigating dark energy within modified gravity theories.

Understanding the origin of low-energy solar neutrons flux is crucial for probing solar energetic processes and neutron transport mechanisms in interplanetary space. This study investigates the role of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in modulating the low-energy solar neutrons. The neutron flux is modeled by incorporating a CME-width scaling factor into existing neutron fluence models. Our analysis, based on CME data from the SECHHI COR2 database during the DANSON experiment (2016-10-27 to 2017-03-17), identified narrow-width (20$^\circ$ $<$ $\alpha$ $<$ 80$^\circ$) and fast (v $>$ 800 km/s) CMEs as key contributors to neutron production. The revised model predicts a neutron flux of 5 - 49 neutrons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ at 1 AU for a neutron travel time of 1.66 hours, aligning with previous reports. Additionally, the estimated total flux of 2.45 MeV neutrons over a 4-hour period accounts for 10.23\% of DANSON's total flux. These findings suggest that CME-driven mechanisms may significantly influence the low-energy solar neutron flux. More observational efforts are needed to refine neutron flux estimates and improve background subtraction techniques for spaceborne neutron detectors.

Nonminimal coupling between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar plays a crucial role in shaping the predictions of single-field inflationary models. While a quartic potential with such coupling represents one of the simplest realizations compatible with cosmological observations, it generically receives important radiative corrections when the inflaton interacts with other fields, particularly those involved in the reheating process. In this work, we focus on radiative corrections arising from bosonic scalar couplings and study their impact on inflationary dynamics within the nonminimally coupled quartic potential framework. We demonstrate that bosonic corrections, unlike fermionic ones, yield predictions more compatible with the latest constraints from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6, especially when combined with Planck and BICEP/Keck data. We begin with a general model involving a gauge-singlet real scalar inflaton coupled to a complex scalar field, which could be the Standard Model Higgs or a GUT Higgs. As a concrete realization, we also investigate the case where the inflaton serves as a dark matter candidate through a Higgs portal interaction while highlighting its potential to generate observable levels of primordial gravitational waves. Notably, the nonminimally coupled inflation model studied here is field-theoretically equivalent to the Starobinsky model, and the inclusion of quantum corrections from scalar fields leads to characteristic imprints in the $(n_s, r)$ plane, allowing for refined constraints on scalar couplings from current and future observations.

We present initial results from the 4.8 GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) survey of the JWST North Ecliptic Pole Time-Domain Field (TDF). From 106 radio sources found in the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array observations in the TDF, we detected 12 sources (11% detection rate) at 3.3 $\mu$Jy rms sensitivity and 4 mas resolution. Most detections exhibit pc-scale emission (less than 40 pc) with high VLBA/VLA flux density ratios and brightness temperatures exceeding 10$^5$ K, confirming non-thermal AGN activity. Spectral indices ($>$ -0.5) correlate with higher VLBA/VLA flux ratios, consistent with synchrotron emission from AGN coronae or jets. In the majority of our sources star formation contributes less than 50% of the total VLBA radio emission, with a few cases where the emission is almost entirely AGN-driven. Although the radio emission from radio quiet AGN is thought to be primarily driven by star formation, our VLBA observations confirm that there is also often a contribution at various levels from black hole driven AGN. Eight VLBA detections have JWST/NIRCam counterparts, predominantly early-type, bulge-dominated galaxies, which we use to get an estimate of the redshift and star formation rate (SFR). WISE colors indicate that VLBA detections are either AGN or intermediate-disk-dominated systems, while VLBA non-detections correspond to extended, star-forming galaxies. We compare SFRs derived from previous SCUBA-2 850 $\mu$m observations with new JWST-based estimates, and discuss the observed discrepancies, highlighting JWST's improved capability to disentangle AGN activity from star formation.

Filaments/prominences are cold plasma (~ 10000 K) embedded in the solar corona, two orders of magnitude hotter. Filament plasma is structured by the magnetic field in thin elongated threads. Counter-streaming flows have been observed. The aim of this paper is to characterize these flows. For that, we use high spatial resolution observations of spectral data obtained with THEMIS in H-alpha and with IRIS in Mg II k lines on 29 September 2023. We best detect counter-streaming flows in both the blue and red wings of these spectral lines. They are forming long Doppler shifted strands slightly inclined on the filament axis. The blue/red shift alternates across the strands at the arc second scale. H-alpha spectral profiles with large widths are interpreted as formed by multi-strands with opposite velocity directions. The absorption in the core of Mg II k line is also broader than in the chromosphere. This corresponds also to counter-streaming velocities. We derive that a fraction of the filament plasma is moving at supersonic speed (of the order of 20 km/s ) with the assumption that the filament is optically thick. We conclude that the counter-directed Doppler shifts might not be magnetic field aligned flows but rather correspond to kink transverse oscillations of the magnetic field with independent motions in nearby strands.

The origin of cosmic rays remains an unresolved fundamental problem in astrophysics. The synergy of multiple observational probes, including the energy spectra, the mass composition, and anisotropy is a viable way to jointly uncover this mystery. In this work, we propose that the energy-dependent of those observables in a wide energy range, from $O(10)$ GeV to ultrahigh energies of $10^{11}$ GeV, share quite a few correlated features, indicating a strong co-evolution which could be a consequence of the underlying origin of different source populations. We decipher these structures with a four-component model, i.e., the ensemble of Galactic sources, a local source close to the solar system, and the ensemble of two extra-galactic source populations. In this scenario, the $O(10^2)$ GV hardening and $O(10)$ TV bump is due to the contribution of the local source, the knee is due to the maximum acceleration energy of protons by the Galactic source population, the second knee is due to the maximum acceleration energy of iron nuclei by Galactic sources, the dip feature between the two knees is due to the appearance of the extra-galactic component, the ankle comes from the transition from one extra-galactic component to the other, and the spectral suppression at the highest energies arises from the acceleration limit of the second extra-galactic component. The transition from Galactic to extra-galactic origin of cosmic rays occurs around $O(10^8)$ GeV, which is smaller than the ankle energy.

We report the discovery of high-energy $\gamma$-ray emission in the vicinity of G213.0-0.6, which is debated as a supernova remnant (SNR) or an ionized hydrogen (H$_{\rm{II}}$) region. Using 16-yr Pass 8 data from Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT), we found three extended sources with different photon spectra in this region, which will label as SrcA, SrcB and SrcC. Among them, the $\gamma$-ray source SrcA with a log-parabola spectrum is spatially coincident with a star-forming region and several OB stars. The power-law spectra source SrcB is spatially coincident with a SNR radio shell. SrcC with a harder power-law photon spectrum is located outside of the radio shell structure. All of them are spatially coincident with a dense molecular cloud (MC) in the velocity range of 35 - 54 km s$^{-1}$. In this scenario, SrcB can be interpreted as the GeV counterpart of the SNR, and its $\gamma$-ray emission originates from the shock-cloud interaction. SrcA and SrcC originate from the escaped CRs illuminating nearby MC. For SrcA, another possibility is that the $\gamma$-ray emission originates from a young stellar cluster (YSC) associated with a star-forming region (SFR), however, the supporting evidence remains insufficient to draw a definitive conclusion.

Recent discoveries of long gamma-ray bursts accompanied by kilonova emission prompted interest in understanding their progenitors. If these long-duration bursts arise from neutron star mergers, similar to short gamma-ray bursts, it raises the question of which physical properties govern burst duration. The mass of the merger stands out as a key factor, strongly influencing the lifetime of the merger remnant, which in turn determines the burst duration: lighter mergers that form long-lived remnants produce short bursts, whereas more massive mergers result in short-lived remnants that collapse into black holes, powering longer bursts. In this paper, we compare merger rates from gravitational-wave observations of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA with the rates of kilonova-associated long and short gamma-ray bursts, to identify a characteristic total neutron star mass that separates the two burst classes at $1.36^{+0.08}_{-0.09}$ (median and 68\% confidence interval) times of the neutron star Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff mass. This result suggests that massive neutron stars could survive an extended period after merger. Our findings are robust against substantial observational uncertainties and model assumptions. Moreover, we uncover correlations among various characteristic masses tied to dense nuclear matter, introducing a novel and independent approach to constrain neutron star nuclear properties through separated and combined gravitational-wave and gamma-ray burst observations.

A self-interacting dark-matter (SIDM) density spike around merging supermassive black holes (SMBHs) may be able to supply the dynamical friction needed to shrink binaries from $\sim 1\, \mathrm{pc}$ to $\sim 10^{-2} \,\mathrm{pc}$, thereby resolving the long-standing ``final-parsec problem.'' Embedding the binary-halo system in a cosmological population model, we evolve the inspiral under the combined influence of gravitational-wave (GW) emission and SIDM drag, compute the resulting nanohertz GW background, and confront it with the NANOGrav 15 year pulsar-timing data. A six-parameter Bayesian analysis, performed with a Gaussian-process-accelerated Markov chain Monte Carlo, yields posterior constraints on the cross-section per unit mass and maximum circular velocity values that were consistent with independent galaxy-rotation and cluster-lensing limits. Within this parameter space, the SIDM spike remains intact, supplies sufficient friction to overcome the stellar depletion barrier, and produces a characteristic-strain spectrum that matches the NANOGrav signal as well as phenomenological astrophysical models.

We present a comprehensive multivariate statistical analysis of 517 exoplanets from the NASA Exoplanet Archive to identify potentially habitable worlds and quantify detection bias in current surveys. Using eight key parameters (planetary radius, equilibrium temperature, insolation flux, density, and stellar effective temperature, radius, mass, metallicity), we developed a classification framework that successfully identifies Earth as an "Excellent Candidate" for habitability. Our analysis reveals that only 0.6% (3 planets including Earth) meet all habitability criteria under relaxed thresholds, while 75.0% exhibit "Good Star, Poor Planet" characteristics, indicating significant observational bias toward unsuitable planetary systems. Hotelling's T2 test demonstrates that potentially habitable planets are statistically significantly different from the general exoplanet population (p = 0.015). Mahalanobis distance analysis places Earth in the 69.4th percentile for statistical unusualness, confirming that Earth-like planets are genuine outliers in parameter space. We identify Kepler-22 b as a compelling Earth analog with remarkable parameter similarity, and reveal that 1.2% of planets represent "edge cases" orbiting M-dwarf stars with suitable planetary but marginal stellar conditions. These findings demonstrate systematic detection bias in exoplanet surveys and provide quantitative evidence for the rarity of Earth-like worlds while identifying high-priority targets for atmospheric characterization with JWST.

Experimental data collected from a triple-axis spectrometer (TAS) are typically analysed by considering the instrument resolution, as the resolution of a TAS instrument is often complex and significantly influences the measured results. Two Python packages, TasVisAn and InsPy, have been developed to visualize and analyse data from TAS instruments - particularly from the cold-neutron TAS Sika and the thermal-neutron TAS Taipan at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering. TasVisAn offers a range of functions, including data importing, reduction, plotting, contour mapping, convolution fitting, and more, for data collected on TAS instruments, especially on Sika and Taipan. It also supports data reduction of the current trendy multi-analyser and multiplexing TAS instruments, including the multiplexing mode of Sika. Besides, it includes scan simulation and batch file validation tools for both Taipan and Sika, assisting users in designing and planning experiments in advance. InsPy is a general-purpose Python package designed to calculate the four-dimensional (4D) instrument resolution in momentum-energy space for any TAS instrument. Combined with InsPy, TasVisAn supports both instrument resolution calculation and resolution-convoluted data fitting. Its flexible external data import feature further allows TasVisAn to be adapted for the visualization and convolution analysis of inelastic neutron scattering data across various TAS instruments.

We critically assess the w0waCDM model, employing the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder (CPL) parametrization, w(z) = w0 + wa * z / (1 + z), using Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) measurements from DESI Data Release 2 (DR2). While DESI BAO data broadly align with the standard LambdaCDM model, giving Omega_m = 0.3, our Markov Chain Monte Carlo fits show notable variation in best-fit values and degeneracy directions for w0waCDM across combinations of BAO observables (DV/rd, DM/rd, DH/rd, and DM/DH). When constrained solely by DESI BAO data, the w0waCDM model shows internal inconsistencies. Unlike LambdaCDM and wCDM, which fit all observables consistently, w0waCDM predicts lower values for rd-dependent observables and higher values for DM/DH. This conflict, including unphysical parameter compensation at high redshift, reflects limitations of the CPL form, especially its behavior at high redshift. The model compensates for poor individual fits by inflating Omega_m and driving wa to large negative values. Our findings suggest that DESI DR2 BAO data alone do not robustly constrain w0waCDM due to degeneracies and CPL limitations. These issues affect both rd-based and ratio observables like DM/DH. We recommend applying dynamical dark energy parametrizations directly to DV, DM, and DH measurements to better constrain wa across redshifts.

(Abridged) Clusters of galaxies, formed in the latest stages of structure formation, are unique cosmological probes. With the advent of large CMB surveys like those from the Planck satellite, the ACT and SPT telescopes, we now have access to a large number of galaxy clusters detected at millimeter wavelengths via the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect. Nevertheless, it is interesting to complement them with high-angular-resolution (tens of arcseconds) observations to target the lowest-mass and highest-redshift clusters. This is the case of observations with the NIKA2 camera, which is installed on the IRAM 30--m telescope in Pico Veleta, Spain. We used the existing 150 GHz (2 mm) data from the NIKA2 Cosmological Legacy Survey (N2CLS) Large Program to blindly search for galaxy clusters in the well-known COSMOS field, across a 877 arcmin$^2$ region centered on (R.A., Dec.)$_{J2000}$ = (10h00m28.81s, +02d17m30.44s). We first developed a dedicated data reduction pipeline to construct NIKA2 maps at 2 mm. We then used a matched-filter algorithm to extract cluster candidates assuming a universal pressure profile to model the expected cluster tSZ signal. We computed the purity and completeness of the sample by applying the previous algorithm to simulated maps of the sky signal in the COSMOS field. We find a total of 16 cluster candidates at S/N > 4, from which eight have either an optical or X-ray cluster (or group of galaxies) counterpart. This is the first blind detection of clusters of galaxies at mm wavelengths at 18" angular resolution. From this analysis, we confirm that NIKA2 and the IRAM 30--m telescope should be sensitive to low-mass clusters at intermediate and high redshift, complementing current and planned large tSZ-based cluster surveys.

We present the analysis of four new extremely metal poor turn-off stars thanks to high-resolution spectra obtained with the Subaru/HDS spectrograph. We determined the abundances and upper limits of Li, C, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba. Metallicities range from [Fe/H] = -3.3 to -4.4 dex. For one of the stars, we measure the lithium abundance Log(Li/H) = 2.1 {\pm} 0.2. Two stars of the sample have low [{\alpha}/Fe] abundances. The most metal-poor star of the sample with [Fe/H] = -4.42 dex has a high [Sr/Fe] abundance ratio [Sr/Fe] = 0.9 dex, a high value also found in HE 1327-2326. This star is the second-most iron-poor star observed with Subaru telescope, suggesting that more ultra metal-poor stars could be discovered using high-resolution spectrographs in the Northern Hemisphere.

Characterizing and accurately decomposing galaxies into structural components, such as bulges and disks, is essential for understanding galaxy formation and evolution, particularly at high redshift, where galaxies are compact and faint. Leveraging the unparalleled resolution and sensitivity of JWST and imaging data from CEERs program, we simulate galaxies with bulge+disk components and assess the effectiveness of single and double Sérsic model fittings, respectively. We first evaluate the performance of single Sérsic fits, and find it can recover total magnitudes (i.e., within 0.5 mag), and size (i.e., within 0.2 dex), down to 27 mag. The features that emerged in the residual map can properly reflect the underlying two-component structures. We also show that Sérsic indices can serve as proxies for the bulge-to-total flux ratio (B/T). For double Sérsic models, we find comparable accuracy in recovering bulge and disk magnitudes (i.e., within 0.5 mag), and effective radius (i.e., within 0.2 dex), down to 26 mag. To quantitatively determine whether a double Sérsic model better describes our two-component systems compared to a single Sérsic profile, we evaluate the Bayesian Information Criterion for both model configurations. To extend the applicability of our results to other NIRCam programs, we evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the simulated galaxies and find that model parameters are reliably reproduced when the SNR exceeds 10. Our work demonstrates the detailed morphological measurement uncertainties using single and double Sérsic models, which provides an essential reference for future JWST/NIRCam-based morphological studies, especially for high-redshift galaxies.

Sunspot engravings made in the Maunder minimum are used to evaluate the fine structure of sunspots. Based on 78 images of the full solar disk and 77 images of individual sunspots, we have evaluated the ratio of penumbral-to-umbral area (P/U) to be 4.2 $\pm$ 2.5 and 3.8 $\pm$ 2.3, respectively. These results are consistent with previous estimates before, during, and after the Maunder minimum, as well as with the P/U ratio observed in the largest sunspot groups in solar cycle 24. This suggests that the near-surface convection mode has most likely remained unchanged since the early seventeenth century. We also found that schematic sunspot drawings tend to underestimate the P/U ratio.

Strong both broad and narrow emission lines from central broad emission line regions (BLRs) and narrow emission line regions (NLRs) are fundamental spectroscopic characteristics of broad line Active Galactic Nuclei (BLAGNs). Lack of central BLRs leads to the identified true Type-2 AGNs without central hidden BLRs, providing clues on formation/suppression of AGN BLRs. Whether were there BLAGNs with lack of central NLRs is still an open question. Here, in the blue quasar SDSS J1251+0613, both blue continuum emissions and broad emission lines can be clearly detected in its SDSS spectrum, however there are no apparently detected narrow emission lines in the optical/NUV bands, leading to no central normal NLRs in the blue quasar SDSS J1251+0613. In order to explain the lack of NLRs, evolving NLRs is proposed that the radial outflows are carrying materials from BLRs to NLRs and the current narrow line emission materials are lying closer to the outer side of central BLRs in SDSS J1521+0613. The results in this manuscript can indicate a new unique subclass of BLAGNs, the BLAGNs without central normal NLRs, which will provide potential clues on physical origin/evolution of AGN NLRs.

Galactic discs are known to have exponential radial profiles in luminosity and stellar surface density in their bright inner regions. Nonetheless, their faint outer regions often display a break, with either a down-bending or an up-bending profile. Recent Euclid Early Release Observations show that down-bending breaks are scarce in the Perseus cluster, as already suspected in Virgo. We use hydrodynamic simulations of disc galaxies interacting with a Perseus-like cluster. We show that Type II profiles (down-bending) can be rapidly eroded by the cluster tidal field on a 1 Gyr timescale, while Type III (up-bending) and Type I (no break) profiles remain largely unaffected. Type II profiles are eroded through dynamical processes, including tidal stirring of stars by the cluster potential and triggering of star formation in the outer disc. Our simulations show that observations of disc breaks across environments and cosmic epochs are consistent with a coherent evolutionary picture. At high redshift, JWST reveals early break structures in isolated environments. At low redshift, field disc galaxies retain these breaks, while dense clusters, as observed by Euclid in Perseus, show significant alterations. Our findings support a scenario in which down-bending profiles result from internal processes during early formation phases and are later modified by environmental effects in clusters. This interpretation does not require additional mechanisms such as ram-pressure stripping or star formation threshold variations to explain the observed evolution of down-bending breaks.

We use DESI DR1 BAO measurements of the ratio of tranvserse comoving distance to Hubble distance in order to test the compatibility of $R_h=ct$ over flat $\Lambda$CDM. For this purpose, we used Bayesian model selection to evaluate the efficacy of these models given the observed data. When we consider the BAO measurements up to redshift of 1.3, both models are equally favored. However, when we consider the Lyman-$\alpha$ QSO measurement at redshift of 2.33, we find Bayes factors of greater than 100 for flat $\Lambda$CDM over $R_h=ct$ using two different priors for $\Omega_m$, indicating that $\Lambda$CDM is decisively favored over $R_h=ct$. The same is the case when we combine all the measurements. Therefore, the DESI DRI measurements rule out $R_h=ct$ cosmology, albeit this is driven by the Lyman-$\alpha$ QSO measurement at $z=2.33$.

An excess of soft X-ray emission (0.2-1 keV) above the contribution from the hot intra-cluster medium (ICM) has been detected in a number of galaxy clusters, including the Coma cluster. The physical origin of this emitting medium above hot ICM has not yet been determined, especially whether it be thermal or non-thermal. We aim to investigate which gas phase and gas structure more accurately reproduce the soft excess radiation from the cluster core to the outskirts, using simulations. By using the simulation TNG300, we predict the radial profile of thermodynamic properties and the Soft-X-ray surface brightness of 138 clusters within 5 $R_{200}$. Their X-ray emission is simulated for the hot ICM gas phase, the entire Warm-Hot medium, the diffuse and low-density Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM). Inside clusters, the soft excess appears to be produced by substructures of the WARM gas phase which host dense warm clumps (i.e, the Warm Circum-Galactic Medium, WCGM), and in fact the inner soft excess is strongly correlated with substructure and WCGM mass fractions. Outside of the virial radius, the fraction of WHIM gas that is mostly inside filaments connected to clusters boosts the soft X-ray excess. The more diffuse the gas is, the higher the soft X-ray excess beyond the virial region. The thermal emission of WARM gas phase, in the form of WCGM clumps and WHIM diffuse filaments, reproduces well the soft excess emission that was observed up to the virial radius in Coma and in the inner regions of other massive clusters. Moreover, our analysis suggests that soft X-ray excess is a proxy of cluster dynamical state, with larger excess being observed in the most unrelaxed clusters.

A direct interaction between dark energy and dark matter provides a natural and important extension to the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. We perform a non-parametric reconstruction of the vacuum energy ($w=-1$) interacting with cold dark matter using the cosmological data from DESI DR2, Planck CMB, and three SNIa samples (PP, DESY5, and Union3). By discretizing the coupling function $\beta(z)$ into 20 redshift bins and assuming a Gaussian smoothness prior, we reconstruct $\beta(z)$ without assuming any specific parameterization. The mean reconstructed $\beta(z)$ changes sign during cosmic evolution, indicating an energy transfer from cold dark matter to dark energy at early times and a reverse flow at late times. At high redshifts, $\beta(z)$ shows a $\sim 2\sigma$ deviation from $\Lambda$CDM. At low redshifts, the results depend on the SNIa sample: CMB+DESI and CMB+DESI+PP yield $\beta(z)$ consistent with zero within $2\sigma$, while CMB+DESI+DESY5 and CMB+DESI+Union3 prefer negative $\beta$ at $\sim2\sigma$. Both $\chi^2$ tests and Bayesian analyses favor the $\beta(z)$ model, with CMB+DESI DR2+DESY5 showing the most significant support through the largest improvement in goodness of fit ($\Delta\chi^2_{\rm MAP}=-17.76$) and strongest Bayesian evidence ($\ln\mathcal{B} = 5.98 \pm 0.69$). Principal component analysis reveals that the data effectively constrain three additional degrees of freedom in the $\beta(z)$ model, accounting for most of the improvement in goodness of fit. Our results demonstrate that the dynamical dark energy preference in current data can be equally well explained by such a sign-reversal interacting dark energy, highlighting the need for future observations to break this degeneracy.

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) are expected to release much of their energy in the far-ultraviolet (UV), which we do not observe directly. However, infrared (IR) observations can observe re-radiation of the optical/UV emission from dust, and if this dust is observed in the process of sublimation, we can infer the un-observed UV radiated energy. TDEs have also been predicted to show spectra shallower than a blackbody in the IR, but this has not yet been observed. We present near/mid-IR observations of the TDE AT 2019azh spanning from -3 d before peak until >1750 d after. We evaluate these observations for consistency with dust emission or direct emission from the TDE. We fit the IR data with a modified blackbody associated with dust emission. The UV+optical+IR data are compared with simulated spectra produced from general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations of super-Eddington accretion. We model the data at later times (> 200 d) as an IR echo. The IR data at the maximum light can not be self-consistently fit with dust emission. Instead, the data can be better fit with a reprocessing model, with the IR excess arising due to the absorption opacity being dominated by free-free processes in the dense reprocessing envelope. We infer a large viewing angle of $\sim$60$^{\circ}$, consistent with previously reported X-ray observations, and a tidally disrupted star with mass > 2 M$_{\odot}$. The IR emission at later times is consistent with cool dust emission. We model these data as an IR echo and find that the dust is distant (0.65 pc), and clumpy, with a low covering factor. We show that TDEs can have an IR excess not arising from dust and that IR observations at early times can constrain the viewing angle for the TDE in the unified model. Near-IR observations are therefore essential to distinguish between hot dust and a non-thermal IR excess.

The Pop III.1 theory for supermassive black hole (SMBH) formation predicts that a substantial fraction of the early universe was ionized by supermassive stars at redshifts $z\sim20-30$, an era we refer to as ``The Flash''. This is followed by recombination to a mainly neutral state within a few tens of Myr. Here we discuss the implication of this ionization for the scattering optical depth of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), $\tau$. We find a fiducial contribution of $\tau_{\rm PopIII.1}\sim0.04$. Combining this with the contribution to reionization by standard galaxy populations at $z\lesssim 10$ with $\tau_{\rm gal}\simeq0.06$, yields a total of $\tau\simeq0.10$. As noted recently by several authors, such a value can help resolve apparent ``problems'' faced by $\Lambda$CDM of negative neutrino masses and dynamical dark energy that have been implied by recent Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI).

Blazars, a highly energetic subclass of jetted active galactic nuclei, show a broad band spectral energy distribution (SED) with two bumps, resulting from non-thermal jet emission. In 1998, an anticorrelation between the SED luminosity and the peaks frequency was found, later confirmed in 2017, called the blazar sequence. Its origin is still unclear. This work is part of a broader effort aiming at giving a physical interpretation to the blazar sequence, by modeling the sources emission in a Synchrotron Self Compton framework, concentrating only on TeV-detected blazars of BL Lac type. Unlike the original sequence, sources were binned by synchrotron peak frequency. The SED of one representative source is modeled for each bin, using data from average activity state to ensure consistency. Here, we focus on the study of one of the selected representative sources, PKS 2155-304, a high-energy-peaked BL Lac, showing the performed data selection and preliminary modeling results.

A large fraction of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) in luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) remain undetected due to extremely high line-of-sight host galaxy dust extinction, and strong contrast between the SN and the galaxy background in the central regions of LIRGs, where the star formation is concentrated. This fraction of undetected CCSNe, unaccounted for by typical extinction corrections, is an important factor in determining CCSN rates, in particular at redshifts $z \gtrsim 1$, where LIRGs dominate the cosmic star formation. Our aim is to derive a robust estimate for the undetected fraction of CCSNe in LIRGs in the local Universe. Our study is based on the K-band multi-epoch SUNBIRD survey data set of a sample of eight LIRGs using the Gemini-North Telescope with the ALTAIR/NIRI laser guide star adaptive optics system. We used simulated SNe and a standard image subtraction method to determine limiting detection magnitudes for the data set. Subsequently, we used a Monte Carlo method to combine the limiting magnitudes with the survey cadence, and an adopted distribution of CCSN subtypes and their light curve evolution to determine SN detection probabilities. Lastly, we combined these probabilities with the intrinsic CCSN rates of the sample galaxies estimated based on their detailed radiative transfer modeling to derive the fraction of undetectable CCSNe in local LIRGs. For high angular resolution near-infrared surveys, we find an undetectable fraction of $66.0^{+8.6}_{-14.6}$\%, assuming that CCSNe with host extinctions up to $A_V$ = 16 mag are detectable, corresponding to the most obscured CCSN discovered in our data set. Alternatively, assuming a host extinction limit of $A_V$ = 3 mag, corresponding to typical optical surveys, we find an undetectable CCSN fraction of $89.7^{+2.6}_{-4.4}$\%.

Stably-stratified fluid layers are ubiquitous in gaseous planets, stellar and liquid cores, and have previously been thought not to be capable of driving a dynamo. We demonstrate that semiconvection (convection driven by a destabilising thermal gradient in an overall stably stratified region) can actually lead to dynamo action in such regions. Motivated by recent works suggesting that significant regions of Jupiter and Saturn may be prone to semiconvection, we conduct direct numerical simulations in spherical shells in the planetary relevant limit of low magnetic Prandtl numbers. We retrieve key characteristics of planetary magnetic fields, including dipolarity, magnetic field strength, and the form of the energy spectrum. This short demonstration opens the possibility for further more detailed studies of semiconvection dynamos, that can also be relevant for stellar interiors.

We present a long-term optical and X-ray photometric study of AN UMa, one of the prototypical polar-type cataclysmic variables, tracing more than 34 years of its accretion history. Observations from both ground-based and space-based facilities have been analysed to investigate state transitions within the system. Throughout this period, significant changes in the light curve have been observed, corresponding to different mass accretion states. From four years of TESS photometry, we derive a revised photometric period that agrees with the spectroscopic period to within 1.2$\sigma$. These optical observations further suggest switching between two accretion poles. During intervals of high accretion, dips in the X-ray light curve indicate that the primary accretion pole is obscured by an accretion stream elevated above the orbital plane, a feature also evident in the TESS light curves. Additionally, periodogram analysis reveals a periodicity of $\approx$437 days, which may be related to long-term accretion state changes. Following a 16-year high state, AN UMa entered two short-lived low states, lasting 180 and 123 days, during which it faded to a magnitude of 19.2, as recorded by the ZTF and ATLAS surveys. Using the system's low-state brightness and the distance provided by Gaia, we estimate that the system may have a white dwarf with an effective temperature of $\approx$15000~K, and a donor of spectral type M4.7. This work provides a useful reference for future studies of polars with variable accretion geometries and highlights the importance of long-term, multi-wavelength monitoring in the study of magnetic cataclysmic variables.

We report the discovery of J1218+1813, a circular diffuse radio source detected in the Very Large Array (VLA) FIRST survey at 1400 MHz. The source has an angular diameter of approximately one arcminute, corresponding to a physical size of ~180 kpc, and is associated with an elliptical galaxy with a redshift of z = 0.139635. To investigate its nature, we conducted a comprehensive multiwavelength analysis spanning both high and low radio frequencies, utilizing the VLA in C-configuration at L, C and X bands, along with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) at bands 3 (250-500 MHz), 4 (550-850 MHz), and 5 (1000-1460 MHz). A spectral study based on these multiwavelength observations reveals that the core of J1218+1813 exhibits a steep spectral index of 0.8, indicating that the emission is dominated by optically thin synchrotron radiation. The spectral index varies between 1.1 and 1.8, from the inner to the outer structure, with the steepest values observed at the periphery of the diffuse emission. An optical analysis of the central host galaxy using spectroscopic data is also performed. The estimated black hole mass is $2.8 \pm 0.8 \times 10^{8}$ M${_\odot}$, while the host galaxy has a stellar mass of 2.9 $\times$ 10$^{11}$ M${_\odot}$ and a stellar age of 8.58 Gyr. The identification of J1218+1813 is particularly significant because it provides insight into the mechanisms responsible for the formation of circular diffuse radio structures surrounded by an elliptical galaxy. Potential formation scenarios for J1218+1813 are discussed in this paper.

IceTop is the cosmic-ray detector located on the surface of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole, consisting of 81 pairs of ice-Cherenkov tanks. The rise in the energy threshold of air-shower measurements in IceTop due to accumulating snow emphasized the need for the next generation of IceCube surface detectors. For this purpose, the Surface Array Enhancement (SAE) is set to comprise elevated scintillator panels and radio antennas controlled by hybrid DAQ systems. The detectors of the SAE are also expected to extend to the planned IceCube-Gen2 Surface Array. An initial study with a prototype station is already conducted. We briefly review the SAE and the deployment as well as the calibration status of the upcoming stations of the planned array of 32 stations. The focus of this contribution is on the radio detection of extensive air showers. A preliminary estimation of the position of the shower maximum ($X_\mathrm{max}$), that is sensitive to the primary mass, with data from the 3 antennas of the prototype station was carried out. An extension of the method from previous analyses is also briefly discussed.

The paper discusses the possibility of implementing a plasma generation mechanism in a source of decameter radio emission associated with Ganymede and an explanation based on this mechanism of forming quasi-periodic sequences of bursts of this radiation. According to the discussed model, the registered quasi-periodic sequences of radiation pulses are a consequence of implementing in the source a pulsating mode of plasma wave conversion into extraordinary electromagnetic waves with a small refractive index. The negative frequency drift of the radiation observed in the frequency-time spectrogram is due to the group delay of waves with a small refractive index and the dispersion of the medium. Based on the plasma model, estimates of the plasma parameters in the generation region are obtained, which are in agreement with the data obtained as a result of satellite measurements.

An increasing number of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) are being identified in the TeV band by ground-based Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes such that they constitute the dominant source class of Galactic TeV emitters. However, MeV-GeV PWN counterparts are still largely lacking. To date, only a dozen PWNe are identified by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the MeV-GeV band. Most PWNe are located along the Galactic plane embedded within the prominent, diffuse Galactic gamma-ray emission, which makes these sources difficult to disentangle from the bright diffuse background. We present a systematic search for gamma-ray counterparts to known PWNe in the 300MeV-2TeV energy band using the Fermi-LAT. We target locations of previously identified PWNe that lack detected Fermi-LAT pulsars to minimize associated pulsar contamination. The sample includes 6 previously identified Fermi-LAT PWNe and 8 Fermi-LAT sources associated with PWNe. We report the analysis of 58 regions of interest and classify detected sources as either a likely PWN or a candidate PWN counterpart based on their morphological and spectral characteristics across the broadband spectrum. There are 9 unidentified Fermi-LAT sources that we consider as likely PWN counterparts, which, if confirmed to be PWNe, would greatly increase the PWN population detected by the Fermi-LAT from 12 to 21. The remaining Fermi-LAT detected sources are considered weaker PWN candidates. A second approach in the systematic search for gamma-ray emitting PWNe will involve studying the off-pulse phases of Fermi-LAT pulsars for the presence of an obscured PWN and will be reported in a subsequent paper.

JWST NIRCam images provide low-resolution spectra of the rings and inner moons orbiting Uranus and Neptune. These data reveal systematic variations in spectral parameters like the strength of the strong OH absorption band around 3 microns and the spectral slopes at continuum wavelengths. Neptune's rings show an extremely weak 3-micron band, which is likely due to the small particle sizes in these dusty rings. Neptune's small inner moons also have weaker 3-micron bands and redder continua than Uranus' small inner moons, indicating that Neptune's moons have a lower water-ice fraction. There are also clear spectral trends across the inner Uranian system. The strength of the 3-micron band clearly increases with distance from Uranus, with the rings having a noticeably weaker 3-micron band than most of the small inner moons, which have a weaker 3-micron band than the larger moons like Miranda. While the rings and most of the small moons have neutral spectra between 1.4 microns and 2.1 microns, the outermost small moon Mab exhibits a blue spectral slope comparable to Miranda, indicating that Mab's surface may also be relatively water-ice rich. The next moon interior to Mab, Puck, exhibits a stronger 3-micron band and bluer continuum slope than any of the moons orbiting interior to it, perhaps indicating that it is being covered by water-ice-rich material derived from Mab via the mu ring. Finally, the small moon Rosalind has a redder spectral slope than its neighbors, possibly due to being coated with material from the dusty nu ring.

The angular resolution measure (ARM) is widely used in Compton camera analyses to characterize angular uncertainty and to define event selection criteria. However, the ARM distribution is fundamentally different from the point spread function (PSF), which represents the true spatial imaging response of the system on the celestial sphere. In this study, motivated by applications in gamma-ray astrophysics, we investigated the consequences of using ARM-based definitions in sensitivity estimation and image reconstruction. Through Monte Carlo simulations of 662 keV gamma-rays, we demonstrated that the background rejection power of ARM-based region-of-interest selections with the ARM resolution of 7.0$^{\circ}$ is equivalent to that of a PSF resolution of 33$^{\circ}$. As a result, treating the ARM resolution as a surrogate for the PSF resolution leads to significant overestimation of the signal-to-noise ratio, particularly in analyses assuming isotropic backgrounds. We further show that image reconstructions at pixel scales finer than the PSF resolution introduce substantial statistical uncertainties, reducing the effective number of independent spatial degrees of freedom. These findings underscore the necessity of PSF-based analysis for accurate sensitivity evaluation and statistically robust imaging in Compton cameras, particularly in applications where the background discrimination is critical.

We present FuGa3D, a code for fast computation of correlation functions and power spectra for galaxy survey observables, including galaxy clustering and cosmic shear. We define the redshift-space correlation function (RCF) as the correlation function defined in the parameter space of two redshifts and an angular separation angle. Assuming that there is no preferred direction in the sky, these parameters fully define the relative position of two galaxies, independently of the assumed cosmological model. Once the RCF is constructed, it is easy to compute derived correlation metrics, such as the real-space clustering correlation function and its multipoles. We further define the redshift-space power spectrum as the harmonic counterpart of the RCF, and show that it can be computed efficiently using the discrete galaxy coordinates. We validate the code with simulated mock catalogs. Computing the RCF and the two-point correlation function at 1.5 Mpc (3 Mpc) resolution for a MICE simulation with 46 million galaxies, took 47 node-min for clustering only, and 7.3 node-hours with shear analysis included.

The existence of nearby discrete cosmic-ray sources can lead to many interesting effects on the observed properties of cosmic rays. Recent measurements of cosmic rays with the CALET and the DAMPE experiments have revealed a bump-like new feature in the proton and helium spectra in the energy range of ~ (1-100) TeV/nucleon. The origin of the feature is not clearly understood. In this paper, considering an improved and more detailed analysis than previous works, and using an updated age and distance estimates of nearby supernova remnants along with an energy-dependent escape process for cosmic rays from the remnants, we show that the spectral bump can be explained by the contribution of cosmic rays from the nearby supernova remnants, in particular, the Vela remnant. We also show that the contribution from the nearby remnants agrees well with the observed spectra of the heavier cosmic-ray elements from carbon to iron as well as with the measured all-particle cosmic-ray spectrum beyond the knee region when combined with a background flux of cosmic rays originating from distant supernova remnants.

Open clusters have long been used as tracers of Galactic structure. However, without a selection function to describe the completeness of the cluster census, it is difficult to quantitatively interpret their distribution. We create a method to empirically determine the selection function of a Galactic cluster catalogue. We test it by investigating the completeness of the cluster census in the outer Milky Way, where old and young clusters exhibit different spatial distributions. We develop a method to generate realistic mock clusters as a function of their parameters, in addition to accounting for Gaia's selection function and astrometric errors. We then inject mock clusters into Gaia DR3 data, and attempt to recover them in a blind search using HDBSCAN. We find that the main parameters influencing cluster detectability are mass, extinction, and distance. Age also plays an important role, making older clusters harder to detect due to their fainter luminosity function. High proper motions also improve detectability. After correcting for these selection effects, we find that old clusters are $2.97\pm0.11$ times more common at a Galactocentric radius of 13~kpc than in the solar neighbourhood -- despite positive detection biases in their favour, such as hotter orbits or a higher scale height. The larger fraction of older clusters in the outer Galaxy cannot be explained by an observational bias, and must be a physical property of the Milky Way: young outer-disc clusters are not forming in the outer Galaxy, or at least not with sufficient masses to be identified as clusters in Gaia DR3. We predict that in this region, more old clusters than young ones remain to be discovered. The current presence of old, massive outer-disc clusters could be explained by radial heating and migration, or alternatively by a lower cluster destruction rate in the anticentre.

We investigate the melt production of planetary impacts as a function of planet size ($R/R_\mathrm{Earth}$=0.1-1.5), impactor size ($L$=1-1000 km), and core size ratio ($R_\mathrm{core}/R$=0.2-0.8) using a combination of parameterized convection models and fully dynamical 2D impact simulations. To this end, we introduce a new method to determine impact-induced melt volumes which we normalize by the impactor volume for better comparability. We find that this normalized melt production, or melting efficiency, is enhanced for large planets when struck by smaller impactors, while for small planets, melting efficiency is elevated when impacted by larger impactors. This diverging behavior can be explained by the thickness of the planets' thermal boundary layer and the shapes of their thermal and lithostatic pressure profiles. We also find that melting efficiency maxima are usually highest on Earth-size planets. We show that the melting efficiency is only affected by core size ratio for large cores and older planets, where melt production is decreased significantly compared to smaller core size ratios. Projecting the lunar impactor flux on the generic planets, we find that Moon-sized planets produce the most melt throughout their evolution, relative to planet volume. Contrary to previous scaling laws, our method accounts for melt production by decompression or plastic work in addition to shock melting. We find that traditional scaling laws underestimate melt production on length scales where variations in the target planets' lithology, temperature, and lithostatic pressure become significant. We propose empirical formulas to predict melt generation as a function of radial structure and thermal age.

Solar corona is much hotter than lower layers of the solar atmosphere-photosphere and chromosphere. The coronal temperature is up to 1MK in quiet sun areas, while up to several MK in active regions, which implies a key role of magnetic field in coronal heating. This means that understanding coronal heating requires reliable modeling of the underlying three-dimensional (3D) magnetic structure of an active region validated by observations. Here we employ synergy between 3D modeling, optically thick gyroresonant microwave emission, and optically thin EUV emission to (i) obtain and validate the best magneto-thermal model of the active region and (ii) disentangle various components of the EUV emission known as diffuse component, bright loops, open field regions, and "moss" component produced at the transition region. Surprisingly, the best thermal model corresponds to high-frequency energy release episodes, similar to a steady-state heating. Our analysis did not reveal significant deviations of the elemental abundances from the standard coronal values.

We considered five galaxies in the MaNGA survey that show distinct azimuthal asymmetry in the abundance, in the sense that in the inner part (more than half of the optical radius, $R_{25}$) of each galaxy there is a sector-like region where the oxygen abundances (O/H)_h are higher than the abundances (O/H)_l in other sectors. M-11761-12705 is a massive galaxy with a stellar mass of log(M_star/M_sun) = 11.6; the masses of four other galaxies are moderate: 10.1 < log($M_star/M_sun) < 10.4. Abundances within both high- and low-metallicity regions show flat radial gradients. The histogram for the spaxel abundances demonstrates two distinct peaks, the difference between the (O/H)_h and the (O/H)_l abundances are of 0.06 - 0.08 dex. The high-metallicity regions are located in the O/H - N/O diagram closer to the lower envelope of the band than the low-metallicity regions. The abundance properties in the massive galaxy can be explained by the low-metallicity gas infall onto the galaxy and subsequent starburst in the diluted interstellar gas. For moderate-mass galaxies, the higher oxygen abundance in the high-metallicity region and its shift towards the lower envelope in the N/O -- O/H diagram compared to the low-metallicity region can be explained in one of two ways: either the starburst in the high-metallicity region occurred several dozens of Myr ago, or the star formation in the galaxy is accompanied by galactic winds, and the region evolved with the lower efficiency of the enriched galactic winds shows higher metallicity. Two galaxies of our sample are members of galaxy pairs. However, the asymmetry parameter, A, quantifying the asymmetry of a light distribution across the galaxy, is above the canonical threshold (A = 0.35) between non-interacting/interacting galaxies in the massive galaxy only.

HCl was detected in the Martian atmosphere by the NOMAD and ACS spectrometers aboard the ExoMars TGO. Photochemical models show that using gas-phase chemistry alone is insufficient to reproduce these data. Recent work has developed a heterogeneous chemical network within a 1D photochemistry model, guided by the seasonal variability in HCl. The aim of this work is to show that incorporating heterogeneous chlorine chemistry into a global 3D model of Martian photochemistry with conventional gas-phase chemistry can reproduce spatial and temporal changes in hydrogen chloride on Mars. We incorporated this heterogeneous chlorine scheme into the MPCM to model chlorine photochemistry during MYs 34 and 35. These two years provide contrasting dust scenarios, with MY 34 featuring a global dust storm. We also examined correlations in the model results between HCl and other key atmospheric quantities, as well as production and loss processes, to understand the impact of different factors driving changes in HCl. We find that this 3D model of Martian is consistent with the changes in HCl observed by ACS in MY 34 and MY 35, including detections and 70% of non-detections. For the remaining 30%, model HCl is higher than the ACS detection limit due to biases associated with water vapour, dust, or water ice content at these locations. As with previous 1D model calculations, we find that heterogeneous chemistry is required to describe the loss of HCl, resulting in a lifetime of a few sols that is consistent with the observed seasonal variation in HCl. As a result of this proposed chemistry, modelled HCl is correlated with water vapour, airborne dust, and temperature, and anticorrelated with water ice. Our work shows that this chemical scheme enables the reproduction of aphelion detections in MY 35.

There exist inconsistencies between the bright and faint Gaia Celestial Reference Frame 3 (Gaia-CRF3), which manifests as a systematic rotation and needs to be independently estimated then corrected in future data releases. We collected 64 radio stars with VLBI astrometry, of which 16 have new VLBI observations with reference epochs close to Gaia. We estimated the orientation and spin biases of the bright Gaia-CRF3 by comparing VLBI radio star astrometry with their Gaia DR3 counterparts. We also attempted to estimate orientation by utilizing the a priori magnitude-dependent spin parameters derived from Gaia internal estimation. Our independent estimation of the orientation at G<10.5 is [-15\pm119, +330\pm139,+218\pm109] uas (J2016.0), and the spin ([+21\pm18, +52\pm20,-7\pm20] uas/yr) agrees with Gaia internal estimation within 1-sigma range. The orientation-only estimation suggests that the orientation bias of the bright Gaia-CRF3 may also be magnitude-dependent.

Estimating the effect binarity can have on planet-formation is of crucial importance, as almost half of field stars reside in multiple systems. One effective way to assess this effect is to get an accurate picture of the population of planet-hosting binaries and compare its characteristics to that of field star binaries. We construct an extensive database, collected from intensive literature exploration, to achieve a complete census of all planet-hosting binaries known to date. Despite the heterogeneous character of the different surveys this database is built on, and the biases and selection effects that unavoidably affect any sample of planet-hosting binaries, we look for statistically significant trends and correlations within our sample. Our database provides the characteristics for 759 systems (among which 31 circumbinaries), which is an increase by a factor of 9 with respect to the previous complete census of planet-hosting binaries. Of the 728 S-type systems, 651 are binaries, 73 are triples and 4 are quadruples. The raw distribution of planet-hosting binary separations peaks around 500\,au instead of 50\,au for field binaries. By analyzing the distribution of on-sky angular separations as a function of distance $d_b$ to the systems we argue that the observed deficit of planet-hosting close-in binaries cannot be explained solely by observational biases. Likewise, by exploring how multiplicity fractions among planet-hosts vary with $d_b$ we suggest that the subsample of known planet-hosting binaries at $<500\,$pc is not bias-dominated (but not bias-free). In this $<500\,$pc domain, the multiplicity fraction of planet-hosting stars is $\sim22.5\%$, approximately half of the value for field stars, and the deficit of planet-hosting binaries extends to separations of $\sim500\,$au, giving an approximate estimate of the detrimental effect binarity has on planet-formation

We observed a newly-discovered Galactic black hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613 with the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (EVN) at 5 GHz. The observation was conducted immediately following a radio quenching event detected by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). The visibility amplitude evolution over time reveals a large-amplitude radio flare and is consistent with an ejection event. The data can be interpreted either as a stationary component (i.e., the radio core) and a moving blob, or as two blobs moving away from the core symmetrically in opposite directions. The initial angular separation speed of the two components was estimated to 30 mas d^{-1}. We respectively fitted a single circular Gaussian model component to each of 14 sliced visibility datasets. For the case of including only European baselines, during the final hour of the EVN observation, the fitted sizes exhibited linear expansion, indicating that the measured sizes were dominated by the angular separation of the two components. The 6-h EVN observation took place in a rising phase of an even larger 4-day-long radio flare, implying that the ejection events were quite frequent and therefore continuous radio monitoring is necessary to correctly estimate the power of the transient jet. Combined with X-ray monitoring data, the radio quenching and subsequent flares/ejections were likely driven by instabilities in the inner hot accretion disk.

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients of extragalactic origin, exhibiting a wide range of physical and observational properties. Distinguishing between repeating and non-repeating FRBs remains a key challenge in understanding their nature. In this work, we apply unsupervised machine learning techniques to classify FRBs based on both primary observables from the CHIME catalog and physically motivated derived features. We evaluate three hybrid pipelines combining dimensionality reduction with clustering: PCA + k-means, t-SNE + HDBSCAN, and t-SNE + Spectral Clustering. To identify optimal hyperparameters, we implement a comprehensive grid search using a custom scoring function that prioritizes recall while penalizing excessive cluster fragmentation and noise. Feature relevance is assessed using principal component loadings, mutual information with the known repeater label, and permutation-based F\textsubscript{2} score sensitivity. Our results demonstrate that the derived features including redshift, luminosity, and spectral properties, such as the spectral index and the spectral running, significantly enhance the classification performance. Finally, we identify a set of FRBs currently labeled as non-repeaters that consistently cluster with known repeaters across all methods, highlighting promising candidates for future follow-up observations and reinforcing the utility of unsupervised approaches in FRB population studies.

We present a comprehensive spectral and timing analysis of the newly discovered black hole transient Swift J1727.8$-$1613, based on broadband (2$-$150 keV) observations from $Insight$-HXMT during its 2023 outburst. We use the flexible, energy-conserving SSsed model to model both the outer disc and inner, complex Comptonisation, using the expected disc emissivity to constrain the inner disc radius, $r_{cor}$. This decreases from 45 $R_{\rm g}$ to 9 $R_{\rm g}$ duing the transition from the hard to hard intermediate and then soft intermediate state. We plot $r_{cor}$ versus the centroid frequency of the strong quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs; $\nu_{\rm c}$) seen in these data to test the inner hot flow Lense-Thirring (LT) precession model. The overall slope of the observed trend is in strong agreement with the predictions of LT precession, despite the complexities of accretion behavior, though there is an offset in absolute value which may indicate that the system parameters are still not well determined. The inner radius of the hot flow is consistent with a constant value throughout most of the outburst, indicating that changes in the jet (e.g. the discrete ejections) do not strongly affect the radiated power. Either the jet kinetic power is not a large fraction of the accretion power or the jet is instead mostly powered by the spin energy of the black hole.

We present the first complete analytical framework for computing exoplanetary transit light curves with arbitrary power-law limb darkening profiles $I(\mu) \propto \mu^\alpha$, where $\alpha$ can be any real number greater than $-1/2$, including the physically important non-integer cases. While the groundbreaking work of Agol et al. (2020) provided exact analytical solutions for polynomial limb darkening through recursion relations, stellar atmosphere models often favor power-law forms with fractional exponents (particularly $\alpha = 1/2$) that remained analytically intractable until now. We solve this fundamental limitation through two complementary mathematical approaches: (1) Riemann-Liouville fractional calculus operators that naturally handle non-integer powers through exact integral representations, and (2) a continuous differential equation framework that generalizes discrete polynomial recursions to arbitrary real exponents. Our method provides exact analytical expressions for all half-integer powers ($\alpha = k/2$) essential for 4-term limb darkening law by Claret (2000), maintains machine precision even at geometric contact points where numerical methods fail, and preserves the computational speed advantages crucial for parameter fitting. We demonstrate that the square-root limb darkening ($\alpha = 1/2$) favored by recent stellar atmosphere studies can now be computed analytically with the same efficiency as traditional quadratic models, achieving 10--100$\times$ speed improvements over numerical integration while providing exact analytical derivatives.

We present a field-level reaction framework to emulate the nonlinear effects of screened modified gravity on the cosmic web. This approach is designed to enable field-level inference with data from Stage IV cosmological surveys. Building on the reaction method, which models the nonlinear matter power spectrum in modified gravity as corrections to a "pseudo" $\Lambda$CDM cosmology, we extend the method to full field-level predictions by applying it to the output of $N$-body simulations, including both positions and velocities. We focus on modifications to gravity that are scale-independent at the linear level, allowing us to isolate and emulate nonlinear deviations, particularly screening effects. Our neural network predicts the field-level correction ("reaction") to a pseudo$\Lambda$CDM simulation whose linear clustering matches that of the target. The emulator achieves sub-percent accuracy across a broad range of summary statistics, including 0.4\% agreement in the matter power spectrum at scales $k < 1$ Mpc$/h$, and 2\% accuracy in redshift-space distortion multipoles at $k < 0.3$ Mpc$/h$. We also validate the emulator against $N$-body simulations with increased force resolution and time steps, confirming the robustness of its performance. These results demonstrate that our framework is a practical and reliable tool for incorporating screened modified gravity models into field-level cosmological inference, enabling stringent tests of extra fundamental forces at cosmological scales.

We study the holographic s-wave superfluid model with 4th and 6th power self-interaction terms $\lambda |\psi|^4$ and $\tau |\psi|^6$ with considering the full back-reaction of the matter fields on the metric in the 3+1 dimensional bulk. The self-interaction terms are good at controlling the condensate to realize various phase transitions, such as the zeroth-order, first-order, and second-order phase transitions within the single condensate s-wave superfluid model. Therefore, in this work, we are able to investigate the influence of the back-reaction strength on the various phase transitions, including the zeroth and first order phase transitions. In addition, we confirm that the influence of the 4th and 6th power terms on the superfluid phase transition in the case of finite back-reaction are qualitative the same as in the probe limit, thus present universality. We also plot the special value $\lambda_s$ of the parameter $\lambda$ at different back-reaction strength, below which the condensate grows to an opposite direction and is important in controlling the order of the superfluid phase transitions. Comparing the influence of the back-reaction parameter and that of the higher-order nonlinear coefficients, we see that the back-reaction strength brings in both the effective couplings similar to the 4th power and 6th power terms.

In this study, we present a novel algorithm for determining directionality in 2D distributions of discrete data. We compare a reference dataset with a known direction to a measured dataset with an unknown direction by the Frobenius norm of the difference (FND) to find the unknown direction. To generalize this concept, we develop a continuous Frobenius norm of the difference (CFND) as a continuous analog of the FND and derive its analytical expression. By relating fitted and normalized 2D Gaussian distributions, we show that the CFND approximates the FND, and we validate this relationship with computer simulations. We find that a first-order approximation of the CFND between two similar Gaussian distributions takes the form of an absolute sine function, offering a simple analytical form with potential for specialized applications in segmented inverse beta decay (IBD) neutrino detectors, astronomy, machine learning, and more. Although this method may easily extend to 3D scalar fields, our focus here is on 2D real-valued fields as it directly applies to directionality. Our methodology consists of modeling a 2D Gaussian distribution, binning the data into a histogram, and encoding it as a square matrix. Rotating this matrix around its geometric center and comparing it to a measured dataset using the FND gives us rotational data that we fit with an absolute sine function. The location of the minimum of this fit is the angle closest to the true angle of the direction in the measured dataset. We present the derivation and discuss initial applications of the CFND in our novel algorithm, demonstrating its success in approximating directionality in 2D distributions.

In their simplest form, bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices consist of a piezoelectric crystal between two electrodes that transduce the material's vibrations into electrical signals. They are adopted in frequency control and metrology, with well-established standards at frequencies of 5~MHz and above. Their use as a resonant-mass strain antenna for high-frequency gravitational waves has been recently proposed (Goryachev and Tobar, 2014). The estimated power spectral density sensitivity at the resonant frequencies is of the order of $10^{-21}\, \textrm{strain}/\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}$. In this paper, after introducing the science opportunity and potential of gravitational wave detection with BAWs, we describe the two-stage BAUSCIA project plan to build a multimode antenna based on commercial BAWs, followed by an optimized array of custom BAWs. We show that commercially available BAWs already provide sensitivity comparable to current experiments around 10~MHz. Finally, we outline options for optimization of custom devices to improve sensitivity in an unexplored region, probe multiple frequencies between 0.1 and 10 MHz, and target specific signals, such as post-merger emission from neutron stars or emission from various dark matter candidates.

Accurate modeling of gravitational waves from binary black hole mergers is essential for extracting their rich physics. A key detail for understanding the physics of mergers is predicting the precise time when the amplitude of the gravitational wave strain peaks, which can differ significantly among the different harmonic modes. We propose two semi-analytical methods to predict these differences using the same three inputs from Numerical Relativity (NR): the remnant mass and spin and the instantaneous frequency of each mode at its peak amplitude. The first method uses the frequency evolution predicted by the Backwards-One-Body model, while the second models the motion of an equatorial timelike geodesic in the remnant black hole spacetime. We compare our models to the SXS waveform catalog for quasi-circular, non-precessing systems and find excellent agreement for $l = |m|$ modes up to $l=8$, with mean and median differences from NR below 1$M$ in nearly all cases across the parameter space. We compare our results to the differences predicted by leading Effective-One-Body and NR surrogate waveform models and find that in cases corresponding to the largest timing differences, our models can provide significant increases in accuracy.

We propose a novel cosmological probe of dark matter (DM) through inflationary primordial gravitational wave (GW) measurements highlighting its complementarity with traditional indirect detection. In scenarios like early matter domination (EMD), the thermal DM relic is diluted and then replenished via non-thermal production, leaving characteristic imprints on the primordial GW spectrum, inducing frequency-dependent suppressions in the GW amplitudes. By analysing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and employing Fisher forecast, we show that upcoming GW experiments have good potential to probe the DM parameter space involving its mass and annihilation cross-section. We show, for instance, LISA will be sensitive to DM mass range $[2\times 10^2-10^5]$ GeV. Furthermore, we identify a significant overlap of the GW missions' sensitivity reaches with the projected reach of future indirect searches like CTA with gamma rays, ANTARES, KM3NeT with neutrinos. In those overlapping regions of interests, we forecast on the GW experiments to estimate the precision of measurements. We show, for instance, that DM mass of $10^5$ GeV with an annihilation cross-section of $10^{-24}~{\rm cm}^3{\rm /s}$, and a mass of $10^4$ GeV with an annihilation cross-section of $2\times10^{-25}~{\rm cm}^3{\rm /s}$, lie within the projections of CTA. We find that whilst the former can be probed by ET with $\sim 1\%$ uncertainties, the latter can be probed by $\mu$-ARES with $\sim 7 \%$ uncertainties. Similarly, DM mass of $10^5$ GeV, with cross-section $10^{-23}~{\rm cm}^3{\rm /s}$ lies within the projection of ANTARES and KM3NeT, which can be probed by ET with $\sim 1\%$ uncertainties.

Gravitational waves provide a unique opportunity to test general relativity in the strong-field regime, enabling the extraction of key physical parameters from observational data. Traditional likelihood-based inference methods, while robust, become computationally expensive in high-dimensional parameter spaces, such as when incorporating multiple ringdown modes or beyond Kerr deviations. In this paper, we explore the implementation of a conditional variational autoencoder-based machine-learning framework for accelerated ringdown parameter estimation. As a first application, we use the neural network to infer the remnant properties of a final black hole under the Kerr hypothesis. We demonstrate the performance of this algorithm with simulated ringdown waveforms consistent with advanced LIGO sensitivity and compare with Bayesian analysis results. We further extend the framework beyond the Kerr paradigm by incorporating deviations predicted in braneworld gravity.

We study the impact of bosonic, self-interacting dark matter on structural properties and tidal deformabilities of compact stars. As far as the gravitational theory is concerned, we assume Einstein's gravity in four dimensions with a vanishing cosmological constant. Regarding matter content, we consider a state-of-matter to a linear form of equation-of-state (EoS), while for dark matter we assume a quartic scalar potential, which implies a certain non-linear EoS obtained long time ago. Adopting the two-fluid formalism we integrate the structure equations as well as the Riccati equation for the metric even perturbations imposing appropriate initial conditions at the center of the stars and matching conditions at their surface. We compute the stellar mass and radius, factor of compactness and dimensionless deformability varying several free parameters of the model studied here. Tidal deformability and the corresponding tidal Love number determine the imprint of the underlying EoS within the signals emitted during binary coalescences, and it is expected to be altered due to the presence of dark matter inside the objects. We find that in all cases considered here, the dimensionless deformability of the canonical stellar mass remains lower than the upper bound, $\Lambda_{1.4} < 800$. We also look at the stability of these stars based on the Harrison-Zeldovich-Novikov criterion under various conditions. It is observed that the presence of dark matter implies significantly lower highest stellar mass, and also smaller and more compact stars for a given stellar mass.

The intrinsic non-perturbative features of string-theoretic corrections, particularly those arising from T-duality, have been shown to naturally introduce an effective ultraviolet (UV) cutoff into the gravitational framework. This cutoff, often referred to as the zero-point length in the context of path integral duality, acts as a fundamental minimal length scale that regulates short-distance divergences. Using the established correspondence between T-duality and path integral duality, it has been shown that the static Newtonian potential becomes regularized at small distances. Building upon this regular behavior, we proceed to construct self-consistent, spherically symmetric, and electrically neutral wormhole solutions, which remain free of curvature singularities and embodies the effects of this duality-induced UV completion. We explore wormhole configurations with the aim of minimizing violations of the null energy condition (NEC). In fact, solutions with a constant redshift function or specific shape functions generally exhibit NEC violations throughout the entire spacetime. To address this, we explore two distinct thin shell constructions: (i) wormholes formed by matching an interior wormhole geometry to an exterior Schwarzschild vacuum spacetime, thereby confining exotic matter to a localized region; and (ii) standard thin-shell wormholes generated by gluing two identical black hole spacetimes across a timelike hypersurface situated outside their event horizons. In both cases, the NEC violations are minimised and restricted to a finite region, improving the physical plausibility and traversability of the resulting configurations.

In this work, we study a scotogenic extension of the Standard Model featuring two inert scalar doublets and three singlet Majorana fermions, where neutrino masses are generated radiatively at one loop. The lightest among the Majorana fermions and neutral scalars can serve as dark matter candidates. We explore the parameter space, considering theoretical constraints (perturbativity, unitarity, vacuum stability) and experimental limits (lepton flavor violation, Higgs measurements, electroweak precision observables). Our analysis identifies regions where sizable Yukawa couplings naturally arise due to constructive interference in the scalar sector. Additionally, we estimate the oblique parameters, finding that only $\Delta T$ is sensitive to charged mass splittings, while $\Delta S$ and $\Delta U$ remain small across the viable parameter space. However, 60\% of the viable parameter space is excluded by the recent CMS measurement of the $W$ boson mass, since the shift $\Delta M_W$ depends on the oblique parameters, particularly $\Delta T$ that is sensitive to scalar mass splittings.

We consider non-linear electrodynamics (NED) minimally coupled to general relativity. We derive novel electrically charged, spherically symmetric, black-hole solutions having, for some set of parameters, all their NED fields (the electric field and the square of the electromagnetic field) regular for all values of the radial coordinate. For another set of parameters, the NED fields and the Kretschmann scalar are regular as the radial coordinate runs from one spatial infinity to another spatial infinity without the metric being a wormhole. We obtain solutions that have two distinct or the same asymptotic behaviors (two spatial infinities) with equal or unequal ADM masses and solutions with always one horizon whatever the ratio of the electric charge to mass. We comment on some regularity theorems and generalize them to multi-valued NED Lagrangians. The derived regular solutions do not violate the Weak Energy Condition.

The false vacuum decay rate is of important meaning in understanding the Universe, such as the symmetry breaking process in the early universe and the age of our universe, which is conventionally calculated with the saddle-point approximation in the field theory. Utilizing the extension of the Wigner function in quantum field theory, we numerically calculate the decay rate of the false vacuum through path integral. We study the decay rate for the thermal fluctuation scenarios and its dependence on the potential shape, and found that the false vacuum decay occurs following an exponentially decay rate, and the speed of vacuum decay decreases when the initial energy of the system decreases and the potential height increase. The discrepancy between the simulation results and the theoretical prediction of finite temperature effective field theory is observed.

Recent studies have revealed the contribution of extragalactic DWD to the astrophysical SGWB could be detectable in the mHz regime by LISA. Conversely, the presence of this SGWB could hamper the detection of cosmological SGWB, which are one of the key targets of GW astronomy. We aim to confirm the spectrum of the extragalactic DWD SGWB and estimate its detectability with LISA under different assumptions. We also aim at understanding the main uncertainties in the spectrum and estimate if the signal could be anisotropic. We use population synthesis code COSMIC with several assumptions on binary evolution and initial conditions. We incorporate a specific treatment to account for the mass transfer and tidal torques after DWDs formation. Our study is in global agreement with previous studies, although we find a lower contribution at high frequencies, due to a different treatment of mass transfer in stellar binaries. We find that the uncertainties in the amplitude are dominated by the SFR model, and to a lesser degree by the binary evolution model. The inclusion of tidal effects and mass transfer episodes in DWDs can change the amplitude of the estimated SGWB up to a factor 3 at the highest frequencies. For all the models, we find that this SGWB could be potentially observable by LISA after 4 years. Under the hypothesis of an homogeneous Universe beyond 200Mpc, anisotropies associated to the astrophysical population of DWDs will likely not be detectable. We provide fits of this SGWB under different assumptions to be used by the community. We demonstrate variability in SGWB predictions, emphasizing uncertainties due to different astrophysical assumptions. We highlight the importance of determining the position of the knee in the SGWB spectrum, as it provides insights on mass transfer models. The prediction of this SGWB is of critical importance for LISA in the context of observing other SGWB.

The most recent data release from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) reveals a larger value of the scalar spectral tilt $n_s$, ruling out a broad class of inflationary attractors. In this paper, we consider inflationary models including the power law potential, the hilltop model, the polynomial $\alpha$-attractor and exponential $\alpha-$attractor, with non-minimally derivative coupling in the high friction limit, and show how the models can fit ACT data. We also derive constraints on the model parameters using the latest ACT data.

Firmly established in astrophysical observations, dark matter evades direct detection in experiments. Axions and axion-like particles are among the leading dark-matter candidates, and numerous attempts to detect them in laboratories have been performed. Here, we propose to advance these efforts substantially, extending the sensitivity for dark-matter axions in the mass range $(38-54)~\mu$eV down to the axion-photon couplings $g_{a\gamma\gamma}\lesssim \left(10^{-14}-10^{-15}\right)$ GeV$^{-1}$, motivated by generic models of Quantum Chromodynamics axion. Single-photon detectors operating at ultra-low temperatures are key elements of the experiment. The projected sensitivity will be reached in one year of data taking with magnetic field of $(1-10)$ T, making Cosmological Axion Sarov Haloscope (CASH) the most sensitive haloscope in this mass range.

Real astrophysical lenses typically lack axisymmetry, necessitating the study of gravitational-wave (GW) lensing by elliptical mass distributions to accurately assess detectability and waveform interpretation. We investigate strong lensing using the singular isothermal ellipsoid (SIE) model, which produces two or four images depending on the source's position relative to lens caustics. Employing a quasi-geometrical optics framework, we determine that the geometrical-optics approximation holds reliably for lens masses above approximately $10^5 \, M_\odot$ at GW frequencies relevant for ground-based detectors $(\sim 10^2 \,\text{Hz})$, though wave-optics effects become significant for lower masses or sources near caustics. Our waveform mismatch analysis demonstrates that the use of three-image templates significantly improves our ability to distinguish source signals, reducing mismatches from $O(10^{-1})$ to $O(10^{-2})$, typically by factors between 1.5 and 5 compared to the standard two-image template model. At lens masses above $10^7 \, M_\odot$, diffraction effects become negligible for ground-based detectors, resulting in an additional mismatch reduction by a factor of approximately three. These findings highlight the critical need for multi-image templates in GW searches to enhance detection efficiency and accuracy.

In this work, we study of massless three-form black hole, where the three-form fields are higher $p$-form gauge fields with $p=3$. These give rise to the Schwarzschild-de Sitter (Sch-dS)-like solution through an effective cosmological constant represented by $a_1$. We analyze this solution under gravitational perturbations and find that it exhibits a single-peak potential. For this case, no echoes are produced. Furthermore, we consider the massive case of the three-form fields by introducing a Stueckelberg field to restore gauge invariance and to investigate its effect on GWs at late times. In this case, the potential exhibits a double-peak structure, with the modified potential appearing beside the gravitational perturbation potential. We also examine the impact of the relevant parameters as well as the influence of the parameter $c_0$, which arises from the equation of motion of the Stueckelberg field. For a large value of $a_1$, the two peaks of the potentials are close together, while $c_0$ affects the amplitude and decay rate of the time-domain waveform, resulting in no echoes. For small values of $a_1$, the peaks of the potentials are widely separated and $c_0$ influences both the phase and the amplitude of the echoes. In addition, the quasinormal frequencies of the black hole are also calculated using both the WKB and Prony methods. As results, these provide a potential avenue for testing deviations from GR and probing possible signatures of quantum gravity through future GWs observations.

We investigate $g$-mode oscillations in dark matter admixed neutron stars employing a relativistic mean field model to describe hadronic matter and a model for self-interacting fermionic dark matter motivated by the neutron decay anomaly. Following the construction of such admixed configurations, we derive the equilibrium and adiabatic speeds of sound therein, leading to a computation of the star's $g$-mode spectrum in the Cowling approximation. In particular, we explore the effect of dark matter self-interaction, the nucleon effective mass and dark matter fraction on the principal $g$-mode frequency, and its first overtone. We show that the effect on $g$-mode frequency depends predominantly on the dark matter fraction, and demonstrate an equation of state-independent constraint for the latter. Prospects of identifying the presence of dark matter in neutron stars using $g$-mode are discussed.