Papers for Thursday, Aug 07 2025

We present a microscopic model of the dark sector that resolves the Hubble tension within standard current datasets based on well-known fundamental principles, gauge symmetry and spontaneous symmetry breaking. It builds on the Hot New Early Dark Energy (Hot NEDE) setup, featuring a dark $SU(N)$ gauge symmetry broken to $SU(N-1)$ in a supercooled phase transition that creates a thermal bath of self-interacting dark radiation in the epoch between Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and recombination. Adding a fermion multiplet charged under the gauge symmetry provides a naturally stable component of dark matter that interacts with dark radiation. Spontaneous symmetry breaking predicts a decoupling of this interaction once the dark sector cools down, that we refer to as dark radiation matter decoupling (DRMD). We find agreement between the SH${}_0$ES determination of $H_0$ as well as combined Planck 2018, Pantheon+ and DESI baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data at 1.4$\sigma$ level, compared to a 5.7$\sigma$ tension in the $\Lambda$ Cold Dark Matter model. We also provide a simplified three-parameter DRMD model encoding the essential features, while the full model offers additional falsifiable predictions.

Two nearby B-type stars, $\epsilon$ CMa ($124\pm2$ pc) and $\beta$ CMa ($151\pm5$ pc), are important contributors to the photoionization of the local interstellar clouds. At spectral type B1 II-III, $\beta$ CMa is slightly hotter than $\epsilon$ CMa (B2 II-III), but its ionizing flux at Earth is attenuated by a much larger H I column density. At the external surface of the clouds, the two stars produce similar fluxes in the Lyman continuum (LyC). From the $\beta$ CMa angular diameter, bolometric flux, and position on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, we obtain a consistent set of stellar parameters: $T_{\rm eff} = 25,180\pm1120$ K, $\log g = 3.70\pm0.08$, radius $R = 8.44\pm0.56\,R_{\odot}$, mass $M = 13\pm1\,M_{\odot}$, and luminosity $L = 10^{4.41\pm0.06}\, L_{\odot}$. The EUVE-observed fluxes and non-LTE model atmospheres are used to determine the ionizing photon production rate $Q_{\rm H} = 10^{46.0}$ photons s$^{-1}$ and fluxes incident on the local clouds, $\Phi_{\rm HI} \approx 3700$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ and $\Phi_{\rm HeI} \approx 110$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ in the H I and He I continua. The corresponding photoionization rates are $\Gamma_{\rm HI} \approx 1.5\times10^{-14}$ s$^{-1}$ and $\Gamma_{\rm HeI} \approx 7.3\times10^{-16}$ s$^{-1}$. Within the local cloud, the LyC flux is attenuated by an H I column density $N_{\rm HI} = (1.9\pm0.1)\times10^{18}$ cm$^{-2}$, with optical depth $\tau_{\rm LL} = 12.0\pm 0.6$ at the Lyman limit. The radial velocities and proper motions of $\beta$ CMa and $\epsilon$ CMa indicate that both stars passed within $10\pm1$ pc of the Sun approximately 4.4 Myr ago, with incident ionizing fluxes 180-200 times larger. Their EUV radiation photoionized and heated the tunnel in the local interstellar gas, associated dynamically with past supernova explosions in the Sco-Cen OB association.

Transiting exoplanet atmospheric characterization is currently in a golden age as dozens of exoplanet atmospheres are being studied by NASA's Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. This trend is expected to continue with NASA's Pandora Smallsat and Roman Space Telescope and ESA's Ariel mission (all expected to launch within this decade) and NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory (expected to launch in the early 2040s) all of which are centered around studying the atmospheres of exoplanets. Here we explore a new approach to constructing large scale exoatmospheric survey lists, which combines the use of traditional transmission/emission spectroscopy figures of merit with a focus on more-evenly sampling planets across a range of radii and equilibrium temperatures. After assembling a sample target list comprised of 750 transmission spectroscopy targets and 150 emission spectroscopy targets, we quantify the potential time lost to stale transit and eclipse ephemerides and find that hundreds of hours of space-based observing could be wasted given current uncertainties in orbital periods, transit epochs, and orbital eccentricities. We further estimate the amount of ground-based telescope time necessary to obtain sufficiently precise exoplanet masses and find that it exceeds 100 nights of 10m telescope time. Based upon these findings, we provide a list of recommendations that would make community efforts for preparation and interpretation of atmospheric characterization endeavors more effective and efficient. The strategies we recommend here can be used to support both current (e.g., HST and JWST) and future exoplanet atmosphere characterization missions (e.g., Pandora, Ariel, Roman, and the Habitable Worlds Observatory).

Isocurvature fluctuations can be generated in various scenarios in the early Universe. In particular, some specific models predict those with a blue-tilted spectrum, which is consistent with the constraints from cosmic microwave background such as Planck, although isocurvature fluctuations with an almost scale-invariant spectrum are severely constrained. We argue that cold dark matter (CDM) isocurvature fluctuations with blue-tilted spectrum are not only consistent with current cosmological data, but also can loosen the bound on the masses of warm dark matter (WDM), which suppresses small-scale power. In pure thermal WDM models with the adiabatic initial condition, a combination of the data from Lyman-$\alpha$, gravitational lensing, and Milky Way satellites gives a lower bound on the WDM mass as $6~{\rm keV}$ at $95\%$ C.L. while mixed WDM+CDM models loosen these bounds to $m_{\rm WDM}\sim1$ keV for a warm-fraction $f_{\rm WDM}\lesssim0.14$ and $m_{\rm WDM}\sim600$ eV for $f_{\rm WDM}\lesssim0.08$. On the other hand, as we demonstrate, WDM scenarios with a blue-tilted CDM isocurvature power spectrum, even with only $1\%$ CDM contribution ($f_{\rm WDM}\sim0.99$), can allow WDM masses as low as $600$ eV. We further assess the implications of this ``warm + cold-isocurvature'' extension for the small-scale structure by performing $N$-body simulations, particularly focusing on nonlinear matter power spectrum and halo mass function.

We present the first multi-epoch broadband radio and millimeter monitoring of an off-nuclear TDE using the VLA, ALMA, ATA, AMI-LA, and the SMA. The off-nuclear TDE 2024tvd exhibits double-peaked radio light curves and the fastest evolving radio emission observed from a TDE to date. With respect to the optical discovery date, the first radio flare rises faster than $F_{\rm \nu} \sim t^{9}$ at $\Delta t = 88-131$ days, and then decays as fast as $F_{\rm \nu} \sim t^{-6}$. The emergence of a second radio flare is observed at $\Delta t \approx 194$ days with an initial fast rise of $F_{\rm \nu} \sim t^{18}$, and an optically thin decline of $F_{\rm \nu} \sim t ^{-12}$. We interpret these observations in the context of a self-absorbed and free-free absorbed synchrotron spectrum, while accounting for both synchrotron and external inverse-Compton cooling. We find that a single prompt outflow cannot easily explain these observations and it is likely that either there is only one outflow that was launched at $\Delta t \sim 80$ days, or two distinct outflows, with the second launched at $\Delta t \sim 170-190$ days. The nature of these outflows, whether sub-, mildly-, or ultra-relativistic, is still unclear, and we explore these different scenarios. Finally, we find a temporal coincidence between the launch time of the first radio-emitting outflow and the onset of a power-law component in the X-ray spectrum, attributed to inverse-Compton scattering of thermal photons.

The origin of binary black hole (BH) mergers remains a topic of active debate, with effective spins (chi_eff) measured by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration providing crucial insights. In this study, our objective is to investigate the empirical chi_eff distribution (and constrain individual spin components) of binary BH mergers and compare them with extensive simulations, assuming that they originate purely from isolated binaries or a mixture of formation channels. We explore scenarios using BH kicks with and without the effect of spin-axis tossing during BH formation. We employ simple yet robust Monte Carlo simulations of the final core collapse forming the second-born BH, using minimal assumptions to ensure transparency and reproducibility. The synthetic chi_eff distribution is compared to the empirical data from LVK science runs O1-O3 using functional data analysis, kernel density estimations, and three different statistical tests, accounting for data uncertainties. We find strong indications for spin-axis tossing during BH formation if LVK sources are dominated by the isolated binary channel. Simulations with spin-axis tossing achieve high p-values (up to 0.882) using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Cramer-von Mises, and Anderson-Darling tests, while without tossing, all p-values drop below 0.001 for isolated binaries. A statistically acceptable solution without tossing, however, emerges if ~72+/-8% of detected binary BH mergers result from dynamical interactions causing random BH spin directions. Finally, for an isolated binary origin, we find a preference for mass reversal in ~30% of the progenitor binaries. Predictions from this study can be tested with LVK O4+O5 data as well as the 3G detectors, Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, enabling improved constraints on formation channel ratios and the critical question of BH spin-axis tossing.

Atmospheric carbon has been detected in the optical spectra of six hydrogen-rich ultra-massive white dwarfs, revealing large carbon abundances (log C/H > $-$0.5) attributable to the convective dredge-up of internal carbon into thin hydrogen surface layers. These rare white dwarfs likely originate from stellar mergers, making them "smoking guns" for one of the binary evolution channels leading to thermonuclear supernovae. However, optical spectroscopy can uncover only the most carbon-enriched objects, suggesting that many more merger remnants may masquerade as normal pure-hydrogen atmosphere white dwarfs. Here, we report the discovery of atmospheric carbon in a Hubble Space Telescope far-ultraviolet spectrum of WD$\,$0525+526, a long-known hydrogen-rich ultra-massive white dwarf. The carbon abundance (log C/H = $-$4.62) is 4$-$5 dex lower than in the six counterparts and thus detectable only at ultraviolet wavelengths. We find that the total masses of hydrogen and helium in the envelope ($10^{-13.8}$ and $10^{-12.6}$ of the total white dwarf mass) are substantially lower than those expected from single-star evolution, implying that WD$\,$0525+526 is a merger remnant. Our modelling indicates that the low surface carbon abundance arises from an envelope structure in which a thin hydrogen-rich layer floats atop a semi-convection zone$-$a process that has been largely overlooked in white dwarfs. Our study highlights the importance of ultraviolet spectroscopy in identifying and characterising merger remnants.

JWST observed our closest solar twin, $\alpha$ Cen A, with the MIRI coronagraph in F1550C (15.5 $\mu$m) at three distinct epochs between August 2024 and April 2025. For the first time with JWST, we demonstrate the application of reference star differential imaging to simultaneously subtract the coronagraphic image of a primary star and the point spread function (PSF) of its binary companion to conduct a deep search for exoplanets and dust emission. We achieve a typical 5$\sigma$ point source contrast sensitivity between $\sim$$10^{-5}$-$10^{-4}$ at separations $\gtrsim$ 1" and an exozodiacal disk (coplanar with $\alpha$ Cen AB) sensitivity of $\sim$5-8$\times$ the Solar System's zodiacal cloud around $\alpha$ Cen A. The latter is an extraordinary limit, representing the deepest sensitivity to exozodiacal disks achieved for any stellar system to date. Post-processing with the PCA-KLIP algorithm reveals a point source, called $S1$, in August 2024, detected at S/N $=$ 4-6 (3.3-4.3$\sigma$), a separation of $\approx$1.5" (2 au), and with a F1550C flux (contrast) of $\approx$3.5 mJy ($\approx 5.5 \times 10^{-5}$). Various tests conducted with the data show that $S1$ is unlikely to be a detector or PSF subtraction artifact and confirm that it is neither a background nor a foreground object. $S1$ is not re-detected in the two follow-up observations (February and April 2025). If $S1$ is astrophysical in nature, the only explanation is that it has moved to a region of poor sensitivity due to orbital motion. We perform PSF injection-recovery tests and provide 2D sensitivity maps for each epoch to enable orbital completeness calculations. Additional observations are necessary to re-detect candidate $S1$ and confirm its nature as a planet orbiting our nearest solar-type neighbor.

We report on coronagraphic observations of the nearest solar-type star, $\alpha$ Cen A, using the MIRI instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope. With three epochs of observation (August 2024, February 2025, and April 2025), we achieve a sensitivity sufficient to detect $T_{\rm eff}\approx$ 225-250 K (1-1.2 $R_{\rm Jup}$) planets between 1"-2" and exozodiacal dust emission at the level of $>$5-8$\times$ the brightness of our own zodiacal cloud. The lack of exozodiacal dust emission sets an unprecedented limit of a few times the brightness of our own zodiacal cloud$-$a factor of $\gtrsim$10 more sensitive than measured toward any other stellar system to date. In August 2024, we detected a F$_\nu$(15.5 $\mu$m) = 3.5 mJy point source, called $S1$, at a separation of 1.5" from $\alpha$ Cen A. Because the August 2024 epoch had only one successful observation at a single roll angle, it is not possible to unambiguously confirm $S1$ as a bona fide planet. Our analysis confirms that $S1$ is neither a background nor a foreground object. $S1$ is not recovered in the February and April 2025 epochs. However, if $S1$ is the counterpart of the object, $C1$, seen by the VLT/NEAR program in 2019, we find that there is a 52% chance that the $S1+C1$ candidate was missed in both follow-up JWST/MIRI observations due to orbital motion. Incorporating constraints from the non-detections, we obtain families of dynamically stable orbits for $S1+C1$ with periods between 2-3 years. These suggest that the planet candidate is on an eccentric ($e \approx 0.4$) orbit significantly inclined with respect to $\alpha$ Cen AB orbital plane ($i_{\rm mutual} \approx 50^\circ$, or $\approx 130^\circ$). Based on the photometry and orbital properties, the planet candidate could have a temperature of 225 K, a radius of $\approx$1-1.1 $R_{\rm Jup}$ and a mass between 90-150 $M_{\rm Earth}$, consistent with RV limits.

Double-lobed radio sources associated with active galactic nuclei (DRAGNs) are typically found in elliptical galaxies, while supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in disk galaxies rarely produce powerful kpc-scale jets. However, the growing number of spiral- and disk-hosted DRAGNs challenges this classical dichotomy. We present a study of the jet collimation profile for one such source, 0313-192, using VLBA and VLA data, tracing the jet morphology across nearly five orders of magnitude in scale -- from $\sim$ pc to $\sim100$ kpc (projected). We find that the jet exhibits a parabolic expansion up to $\sim 610$ pc ($\sim 7.9 \times 10^6$ Schwarzschild radii), followed by a transition to a nearly conical shape, assuming kpc-scale emission primarily originates from the jet rather than the lobe. This structural evolution closely resembles those in AGNs hosted by elliptical galaxies and provides an explanation for how the jet in this system could extend to large distances by magnetohydrodynamic collimation and acceleration. However, this collimation break occurs beyond the sphere of gravitational influence of the SMBH ($\sim7.3\times10^{5} R_{S}$), and no extended X-ray halos or dense molecular gas structures are detected to provide the necessary external pressure. Therefore we suggest that jet confinement in 0313-192 is mediated by contributions from non-thermal components, such as ram and magnetic pressure from magnetized disk winds. These mechanisms may enable jet collimation even in the absence of dense ambient gas. Our results highlight how large-scale jets can arise in disk galaxies under rare conditions and demonstrate the need to broaden studies of AGN jet formation beyond traditional models.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, instrumenting about 1 km$^3$ of deep, glacial ice at the geographic South Pole, is due to be enhanced with the IceCube Upgrade. The IceCube Upgrade, to be deployed during the 2025/26 Antarctic summer season, will consist of seven new strings of photosensors, densely embedded near the bottom center of the existing array. Aside from a world-leading sensitivity to neutrino oscillations, a primary goal is the improvement of the calibration of the optical properties of the instrumented ice. These will be applied to the entire archive of IceCube data, improving the angular and energy resolution of the detected neutrino events. For this purpose, the Upgrade strings include a host of new calibration devices. Aside from dedicated calibration modules, several thousand LED flashers have been incorporated into the photosensor modules. We describe the design, production, and testing of these LED flashers before their integration into the sensor modules as well as the use of the LED flashers during lab testing of assembled sensor modules.

We consider the extraction of parameters of dark matter halos hosting ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, in the case where there are only ${\cal O}(10)$ identified member stars with measured line-of-sight velocities. This scenario is likely to be increasingly common, as upcoming newly discovered dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way, by e.g. the Rubin Observatory, will likely (at least initially) have only a few identified members. Assuming an NFW dark matter profile, equilibrium modeling likely can only robustly extract one halo parameter ($\rho_s r_s$), but the scale radius itself will typically be unconstrained. In these cases, the results obtainable from Jeans modeling can be well replicated by a simple scaling relation motivated by the half-light mass estimator. As a application, we examine the recently discovered stellar system Ursa Major III, which has been optimistically assessed to have the largest $J$-factor of any known object. We suggest that, because of the presence of outlier stars, the $J$-factor obtained from modeling of Ursa Major III is likely inflated, as it is inconsistent with the half-light mass estimator, while removal of the outliers will leave the $J$-factor unconstrained from below.

Recently, Nakajima et al. (2025) presented James Webb Space Telescope observations of the $z=6.6$ Population III (Pop III) candidate LAP1-B, which is gravitationally lensed by galaxy cluster MACS J0416. We argue that this is the first object to agree with three key theoretical predictions for Pop III stars: (1) formation in extremely low-metallicity halos with virial temperatures ranging from $T_{\rm vir}\sim 10^3-10^4~{\rm K}$, (2) a top-heavy initial mass function, and (3) formation of low-mass clusters with ${\sim}{\rm a ~few}\times 1000~M_\odot$ in massive Pop III stars. LAP1-B is consistent with recently formed Pop III stars hosted in a $\sim 5\times 10^7~M_\odot$ dark matter halo, some of which have enriched their surrounding gas either with supernovae or stellar winds. We use the semi-analytic model of Visbal et al. (2020) to predict the abundance of Pop III clusters observable at the high magnification provided by the foreground galaxy cluster MACS J0416. Using fiducial parameters unmodified from previous work, we expect about one observable Pop III galaxy similar to LAP1-B in the range $z=6-7$. At earlier times, the intrinsic abundance is higher, but Pop III systems would not have been detected because of their increased luminosity distance and lower mass dark matter halos, which would host fewer stars. Thus, we find that LAP1-B was found at the redshift theoretically expected, given current observable limits, despite the fact that most Pop III systems form much earlier.

Meridional circulation in stratified stellar/planetary interiors in the presence of stable molecular weight gradients remains poorly understood, thereby affecting angular momentum transport in evolutionary models. We extend the downward control principle of atmospheric sciences to include compositional stratification. Using a linearized analysis we show that stable compositional gradients slow down the penetration of circulation into the depths, emphasizing the importance of time-dependent solutions. However, additional effects such as horizontal turbulence or magnetic fields are needed to halt it completely. We also find limits demarcating linear and nonlinear regimes in terms of Schmidt and Rossby numbers. Nonlinear simulations exhibit compositional mixing due to meridional currents, enabling deeper penetration than otherwise. We propose slowly evolving and steady-state for the solar tachocline, and helioseismically observed heavy element abundances, acknowledging the absence of constraints on the radial variation of the Schmidt number. In the context of stellar evolution, differential rotation profiles of solar-type main-sequence stars may follow analytical solutions extending from Banik & Menou (2024), thereby aiding further probes into magneto/hydrodynamic instabilities and outward angular momentum transport.

Current structure models of Jupiter and Saturn suggest that helium becomes immiscible in hydrogen in the outer part of the planets' electrically conducting regions. This likely leads to a layer in which overturning convection is inhibited due to a stabilizing compositional gradient. The presence of such a stably stratified layer impacts the location and mechanism of convectively-driven dynamo action. Juno's measurements of Jupiter's magnetic field enabled an estimate of its dynamo radius based on the magnetic Lowes spectrum. A depth of ~0.8R_J is obtained, where 1R_J is Jupiter's radius. This is rather deep, considering that the electrical conductivity inside Jupiter is expected to reach significant values at ~0.9R_J. Here we use 3-dimensional numerical dynamo simulations to explore the effects of the existence and location of a stably stratified helium rain layer on both the inferred Lowes radius and location of the radial extent of dynamo action. We focus on a Jupiter-like internal structure and electrical conductivity profile. We find that for shallower stable layers, there is no magnetic field generation occurring above the stable layer and the effective dynamo radius and the inferred Lowes radius is at the base of the layer. For deeper stable layers, Lowes radii of ~0.87R_J are inferred as a shallow secondary dynamo operates above the stable layer. Our results strongly suggest the existence of a stable layer extending from ~0.8R_J up to at least ~0.9R_J inside Jupiter. The physical origin of this extended stable layer and its connection to helium rain remain to be elucidated.

We present a photometric analysis of globular clusters (GCs) in the massive galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 (z = 0.397) using deep JWST/NIRCam imaging from the PEARLS program. PSF photometry in the F090W, F115W, F150W, and F200W filters was performed with DAOPHOT, yielding a catalog of 2,971 unresolved, point-like sources consistent with a GC population. Artificial star tests indicate 50% completeness at F200W = 30.63 AB mag and 80% completeness at F200W = 30.36 AB mag. Color-magnitude diagrams reveal broad color distributions with increasing scatter toward fainter magnitudes. We apply both the KMM algorithm and Gaussian Mixture Modeling to the F115W-F200W and F150W-F200W color indices, finding limits to possible subpopulations at the highest completeness thresholds. The globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF) is modeled as a log-normal distribution modulated by a hyperbolic tangent completeness function. While the data do not reach the expected turnover magnitude at M_abs = -8.93 mag, the observed luminosity function peaks around M_F200W approximately -12 mag and declines sharply at fainter magnitudes due to incompleteness, probing only the bright tail of the GCLF.

We report the discovery of optical variability in vdB 24 on timescales of a few days. This reflection nebula surrounds the Herbig Ae/Be star XY Per, whose changing brightness appears to influence the nebular illumination.

We present Synthesizer, a fast, flexible, modular and extensible platform for modelling synthetic astrophysical observables. Synthesizer can be used for a number of applications, but is predominantly designed for generating mock observables from analytical and numerical galaxy formation simulations. These use cases include (but are not limited to) analytical modelling of the star formation and metal enrichment histories of galaxies, the creation of mock images and integral field unit observations from particle based simulations, detailed photoionisation modelling of the central regions of active galactic nuclei, and spectro-photometric fitting. We provide a number of stellar population synthesis models, photoionisation code configurations, dust models, and imaging configurations that can be used 'out-of-the-box' interactively. We invite and encourage the community to use, test and develop the code, and hope that the foundation developed will provide a flexible framework for a number of tasks in forward and inverse modelling of astrophysical observables.

X-ray emission arising from active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity may potentially mimic the expected emission of Tidal disruption events (TDEs). Ongoing and upcoming wide-field X-ray surveys will detect thousands of TDE-like sources, and classifying them securely as TDEs or AGNs is a challenging task. To this aim, we measure the average X-ray variability of AGNs and derive a threshold of maximum variation as a function of time separating the TDEs from AGN flares. For the comparison between TDE and AGN X-ray variability, we cross-match the publicly available XMM-Newton and Swift-XRT point source catalogs with the Million Quasars Catalog and optically selected TDEs. Then we compute the X-ray structure function (SF) and maximum variability of the AGN and TDE samples. The X-ray SF of AGNs has a power-law index $\gamma\sim0.11-0.14$ when fitted with a simple power-law model. However, the SF of AGNs is best described by a broken power-law or a power exponential model with a damping time scale $\tau=950\pm300$ days. The maximum variability comparison between TDE and simulated AGN light curves indicates they have a similar order of variation on a time scale of less than 20 days. However, at a longer time scale of ~20 days or more, the large-scale variations expected from power-law-like decay in TDEs become less frequent in AGNs. Furthermore, we compare the maximum variability of eROSITA TDE candidates with AGN, finding that many of the eROSITA-DE TDE candidates are consistent with flares from AGNs, and may not be TDEs.

The power spectrum of light curves from satellites like CoRoT and TESS of massive main-sequence stars have shown stochastic low-frequency (SLF) variability or excess power in the low frequency regime. To investigate the origin of this phenomenon, we conducted high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic \texttt{PPMstar} simulations of a non-rotating $25 \mathrm{M_\odot}$ zero-age main sequence star, modeling 95\% of the stellar structure with both core and thin outer envelope convection zones. The thin outer envelope convection zone was implemented through modification of the opacity model, shifting the Fe opacity bump inward and enhancing its amplitude to ensure computational feasibility. The luminosity power spectrum from our primary simulation (M424) exhibits qualitative and quantitative characteristics similar to observed SLF variability, with a two-order-of-magnitude difference between high and low frequencies matching observational data. The spectrum displays distinct features attributable to internal gravity waves (IGWs) evanescent in the thin outer envelope convection zone, originating from the thin outer envelope convective boundary. To isolate the contributions of different stellar regions, we performed controlled numerical experiments with suppressed core convection, envelope convection and thin outer envelope-only configurations. The comparative analysis demonstrates that thin outer envelope convection alone produces significantly less power at low frequencies than the full-star configuration. Our results indicate that IGWs excited at the thin outer envelope convection inner boundary and interacting with the thin outer envelope convection are the dominant contributors to SLF variability in our simulations. The IGW spectral characteristics depend on the complete stellar stratification, demonstrating that interior structure could influence observable surface variability.

Recent studies have claimed the detection of an active massive black hole (BH) in the low-metallicity blue compact dwarf galaxy SBS 0335-052 E based on near-infrared (NIR) time variability and broad H$\alpha$ wings. This interpretation remains questionable given the observed broad wings in forbidden [O III] emission. Based on spectroscopic properties derived from our KCWI/KCRM integral-field observation of super star clusters 1 and 2 (SSCs 1$\&$2), we propose instead that these BH signatures originate from a luminous blue variable (LBV) outburst in a binary system like $\eta$ Carinae. First, the [Fe II] emission-line ratio and detected O I 8446 pumped emission require high-density gas ($n_e \sim 10^6$ $\rm{cm^{-3}}$). This dense gas resides in the circumstellar medium (CSM) formed by pre-outburst stellar winds. Subsequent shock interaction between the LBV outburst ejecta and CSM efficiently produces warm dust and the corresponding NIR excess. Second, SSCs 1$\&$2 are nitrogen-enriched relative to other SSCs. This enrichment arises from ejections of CNO-cycled material by multiple LBV outbursts. Third, we detect asymmetric broad H$\alpha$ wings extending from $\sim -5\,000$ to $\sim 10\,000\ \rm{km\,s^{-1}}$. This asymmetry results from electron scattering in the expanding, optically thick CSM. The proposed CSM shock interaction naturally explains the luminosities of [Fe V] and ultra-luminous X-ray emission. Contrarily, [Fe II] and [Fe IV] emission originates primarily from gas photoionized by the cool primary LBV and hot secondary stars, respectively. Our results highlight how the shock interaction of massive stars with high-density CSM mimics active massive BH signatures in low-metallicity dwarf galaxies.

The radical hydrocarbon molecule C$_2$H is widely detected in various stages of star and planet formation, and has emerged as a useful tracer of high-C/O gas within the photochemically active surface layers of mature (Class II) protoplanetary disks. However, the chemistry and evolution of C$_2$H within younger (Class 0/I) protostars remains much more poorly understood. Here, using data observed as part of the PEACHES survey along with new ALMA ACA observations, we investigate the C$_2$H emission towards an unbiased sample of 35 Class 0/I low-mass protostars in Perseus. With this large sample, we identify a clear association between C$_2$H emission and the protostellar outflow cavity walls, and a consistent spatial anti-correlation between C$_2$H and SO emission. Together, these trends confirm that C$_2$H is tracing photochemically active, O-poor gas in these younger sources. We fitted the C$_2$H spectra with a simple LTE model to yield column density maps, and find values ranging from 10$^{14}$ -- 10$^{15}$ cm$^{-2}$ in these sources. We also looked for trends in the C$_2$H emission morphology as a function of various protostellar evolutionary metrics, but find no clear patterns: the C$_2$H emission remains spatially extended in most sources, independent of age. This indicates that the transition to the compact C$_2$H emission observed on the surface of Class II disks must happen rapidly, sometime just after the embedded stage.

We describe the coronagraphic upgrade underway for the Mid-Infrared Array Camera-5 (MIRAC-5) to be used with the 6.5-m MMT telescope utilizing the new MMT Adaptive optics exoPlanet characterization System (MAPS). Mid-IR ground-based coronagraphic adaptive-optics-assisted imaging can be a powerful tool for characterizing exoplanet atmospheres and studying protoplanets in formation within circumstellar disks around young stars. In addition to enabling ground-based observations of bright targets in the background limit, high actuator density 1-2 kHz adaptive optics systems can be competitive with JWST in the contrast limit. We have procured an annular groove phase mask (AGPM) and performed preliminary characterization of its on-axis source rejection as a function of wavelength. We present an optimized Lyot Stop design for use with the AGPM using the High-contrast End-to-End Performance Simulator (HEEPS). Future work includes implementing the Quadrant Analysis of Coronagraphic Images for Tip-tilt Sensing (QACITS) control loop algorithm with MAPS. We present the system overview, pupil mask design, and expected performance metrics aligned with our scientific goals, building upon recent advances with MIRAC-5 (Bowens et al. 2025) and MAPS.

We present James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of four Luminous Red Novae (LRNe): dusty, extragalactic transients from stellar mergers following common-envelope evolution (CEE) in massive binary stars. Our targets - AT2021blu, AT2021biy, AT2018bwo, and M31-LRN-2015 - span a broad range in progenitor primary masses ($\approx$3-24M$_{\odot}$) and post-merger ages ($\approx$1100-3700 days). All four were observed with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) from 5-25$\mu$m; AT2021blu and AT2021biy additionally have 5-12$\mu$m spectra from the Low-Resolution Spectrometer. These spectra show strong features of oxygen-rich molecules, including water vapor, supporting the recent association of water fountain sources with CEE. Radiative transfer modeling of the spectral energy distributions yields dust masses of $\approx$4.2$\times10^{-5}$, 3$\times10^{-4}$, 7.5$\times10^{-5}$, and 7.7$\times10^{-4}$M$_{\odot}$ respectively - corresponding to $\approx10$%, 60%, 6% and 12% of median dust masses in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) at similar phases. Accounting for their occurrence rates, we estimate that LRNe can contribute $\sim$25% as much dust as CCSNe to the cosmic dust budget. Furthermore, the lower expansion velocities of LRNe may reduce dust destruction by reverse shocks compared to CCSNe, potentially increasing this contribution. In addition to dust masses, we use our \emph{JWST} observations to measure late-time properties such as the luminosities, temperatures, radii, and dust-to-gas ratios of the merger remnants. Our results highlight the need for broader infrared studies of LRNe to quantify their contribution to the cosmic dust budget, study the evolution of oxygen-rich molecules, and probe the final fates of CEE.

Ultra-light primordial black holes (PBHs) with masses $M_\mathrm{PBH}<5\times 10^{8}\mathrm{g}$ can trigger an early matter-dominated (eMD) era before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and reheat the Universe through their evaporation. Notably, the initial isocurvature in nature PBH energy density fluctuations can induce abundantly gravitational waves (GWs) due to second-order gravitational effects. In this work, we study this induced GW signal within the context of $f(R)$ gravity theories investigating the effect of $f(R)$ gravity on the behaviour of scalar perturbations during the PBH-driven eMD era as well as on the source of the second-order induced tensor modes. In particular, we focus on two very minimal $f(R)$ models, that is $R^2$ and $R^{1+\epsilon}$, with $\epsilon\ll 1$, gravity theories as illustrative examples, finding at the end that $R^2$ gravity presents very small deviations from general relativity (GR) at the level of both the scalar and tensor perturbations. However, $R^{1+\epsilon}$ gravity features a different behaviour, exhibiting in particular an exponential growth of scalar perturbations during a matter-dominated era. This unique feature leads ultimately to an enhanced induced GW signal even for very small initial PBH abundances, being characterized by a linear frequency scaling on large infrared scales away from the peak frequency, i.e. $\Omega_\mathrm{GW}(k)\propto f$ for $f\ll f_\mathrm{peak}$, and a spiky behaviour close to the non-linear cut-off scale below which perturbation theory breaks down. Interestingly, one finds as well that the induced GW signal can be well within the sensitivity curves of GW detectors, namely that of LISA, ET, BBO and SKA.

The carbon to oxygen (C/O) abundance ratio is a valuable tracer of star formation history, as C and O enrichment occurs on different timescales. However, measurements based on ultraviolet (UV) collisionally excited lines and those based on optical recombination lines may be subject to biases from the abundance discrepancy factor (ADF), which is well established for oxygen but uncertain for carbon. We present precise UV-based measurements of gas-phase C$^{2+}$/O$^{2+}$ ionic abundance in four H II regions which have prior optical-based measurements, combined with archival UV data for two additional H II regions, in order to establish a reliable abundance scale and to investigate biases between the two methods. We find a clear ADF for the C$^{2+}$ ion which is consistent with that of O$^{2+}$, assuming a similar temperature structure in the zones of the nebula which these ions occupy. The C/O abundance derived from UV collisional lines and optical recombination lines is therefore also consistent to within $<0.1$ dex, with an offset of $0.05\pm0.03$ dex in C$^{2+}$/O$^{2+}$ for the standard T$_e$ method. While the absolute C/H and O/H abundances are subject to large uncertainty from the ADF, our results establish that C/O abundances measured from these different methods can be reliably compared. Thus we confirm the robustness of gas-phase C/O measurements for studying galaxy evolution and star formation timescales, including from rest-UV observations of high redshift galaxies with JWST.

Main-sequence dipper stars, characterized by irregular and often aperiodic luminosity dimming events, offer a unique opportunity to explore the variability of circumstellar material and its potential links to planet formation, debris disks, and broadly star-planet interactions. The advent of all-sky time-domain surveys has enabled the rapid discovery of these unique systems. We present the results of a large systematic search for main-sequence dipper stars, conducted across a sample of 63 million FGK main-sequence stars using data from Gaia eDR3 and the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) survey. Using a novel light curve scoring algorithm and a scalable workflow tailored for analyzing millions of light curves, we have identified 81 new dipper star candidates. Our sample reveals a diverse phenomenology of light curve dimming shapes, such as skewed and symmetric dimmings with timescales spanning days to years, some of which closely resemble exaggerated versions of KIC 8462852. Our sample reveals no clear periodicity patterns sensitive to ZTF in many of these dippers and no infrared excess or irregular variability. Using archival data collated for this study, we thoroughly investigate several classification scenarios and hypothesize that the mechanisms of such dimming events are either driven by circumstellar clumps or occultations by stellar/sub-stellar companions with disks. Our study marks a significant step forward in understanding main-sequence dipper stars.

Yukawa gravity provides a generalized framework for modeling gravity modification. We investigate the rotation curve profiles of spiral galaxies under Yukawa-like theories governed by the coupling strength $\beta$ and the interaction range $\lambda$. We develop a unified analytical and numerical framework to calculate rotational velocities under Yukawa gravity, which includes contributions from all major galactic components: stellar bulge, disk, dark matter (DM) halo, and central supermassive black hole. The calculations show that $\beta$ and $\lambda$ strongly influence velocity distributions, shifting peaks, creating double-peak structures, or enhancing dark matter dominance in the bulge or disk. To assess observational implications, we perform Bayesian analyses using data from the Milky Way (MW) and Andromeda (M31), which offer complementary characteristics: MW provides precise velocity profiles across multiple scales, while M31 includes broader morphological constraints. We examine four scenarios: Yukawa gravity without dark matter, dark matter with non-trivial coupling, fully modified gravity, and standard Newtonian gravity. Results show that MW models with $\lambda < 1$ kpc yield high Bayes factors but risk overfitting, as dark matter mimics baryonic kinematics, while M31's photometric priors from conjugate observations mitigate this, yielding robust parameter estimates. However, in M31, Bayes factors favor Newtonian gravity, suggesting that current data lack the precision to resolve more complex models. This finding highlights two key needs: (i) realistic, physically or empirically informed priors to avoid biased constraints, and (ii) high-precision data with independent photometry to guard against overfitting. Our framework offers a scalable approach for testing gravity with large galactic rotation curve datasets.

Stars that contain only trace amounts of elements heavier than helium, referred to as having low "metallicity", preserve the chemical fingerprints of the first generation of stars and supernovae. In the Milky Way, the lowest metallicity stars show an extreme over-abundance of carbon relative to other elements, which has been hypothesized to be a unique result of the first low-energy supernovae. However, the origin of this signature has remained a mystery, since no such stars have been discovered in the ancient dwarf galaxies where they are thought to have formed. Here, we present observations of a star in the >10 billion year old ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pictor II, that shows the lowest iron and calcium abundances outside the Milky Way (<1/43,000th solar and ~1/160,000th solar), with a factor of >3000x relative carbon enhancement. As the first unambiguous second-generation star in a relic dwarf galaxy, this object demonstrates that carbon-enhanced second-generation stars can originate in primordial small-scale systems. This star supports the hypothesis that carbon-enhancement is produced by low-energy-supernovae, since the yields of energetic supernovae are harder to retain in small-scale environments. This key local signature of chemical enrichment by the first stars traces a regime inaccessible to current high-redshift observations, which cannot detect the early enrichment of the smallest galaxies.

We present precise parameters for two compact double white dwarf binaries, SDSS J232230.20+050942.0 (J2322+0509) and SDSS J063449.92+380352.2 (J0634+3803), with orbital periods of 20 and 26.5 minutes, respectively. These systems will serve as verification sources for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). To significantly improve the electromagnetic (EM) constraints on these two systems and the LISA detectability predictions, we conducted spectroscopic follow-up observations using HST/STIS, Keck I/LRIS, and Keck II/ESI. Our analysis significantly improves the temperature, surface gravity, and mass constraints for both primary and secondary components in J2322+0509, as well as dynamical properties such as radial velocities and orbital periods in both systems. For J2322+0509, we derive an updated inclination of $i$ = 25$^{+4.5}_{-3.0}$ deg, while for J0634+3803, we obtain $i$ = 43$^{+7.0}_{-5.6}$ deg. We assess the detectability of these sources using LDASOFT. Incorporating EM priors on inclination significantly enhances the gravitational wave signal recovery, reducing uncertainties in amplitude by a factor of 2-4 and shortening the detection time by up to a few months. Our results underscore the importance of multi-messenger observations in characterizing double white dwarf binaries and maximizing LISA's early scientific capabilities.

We explore the properties of interferometric data from high-redshift 21~cm measurements using the Murchison Widefield Array. These data contain redshifted 21~cm signal, contamination from continuum foreground sources, and radiometric noise. The 21~cm signal from the Epoch of Reionization is expected to be highly-Gaussian, which motivates the use of the power spectrum as an effective statistical tool for extracting astrophysical information. We find that foreground contamination introduces non-Gaussianity into the distribution of measurements, and then use this information to separate Gaussian from non-Gaussian signal. We present improved upper limits on the 21cm EoR power spectrum from the MWA using a Gaussian component of the data, based on the existing analysis from Nunhokee et al (2025). This is extracted as the best-fitting Gaussian to the measured data. Our best 2 sigma (thermal+sample variance) limit for 268 hours of data improves from (30.2~mK)^2 to (23.0~mK)^2 at z=6.5 for the EW polarisation, and from (39.2~mK)^2 to (21.7~mK)^2 = 470~mK^2 in NS. The best limits at z=6.8 (z=7.0) improve to P < (25.9~mK)^2 (P < (32.0~mK)^2), and k = 0.18h/Mpc (k = 0.21h/Mpc). Results are compared with realistic simulations, which indicate that leakage from foreground contamination is a source of the non-Gaussian behaviour.

Resolved measurements of gas-phase metallicities in galaxies that both do and do not host active galactic nuclei (AGN) are crucial for understanding the role of AGN in regulating galaxy growth over cosmic time. Recent work at $z=0$ has demonstrated that a self-consistent comparison of metallicities in AGN-host and non-AGN galaxies can be conducted within a Bayesian framework given sufficient coverage of rest-frame optical emission lines. The next generation of adaptive optics-assisted optical and near-infrared integral field spectrographs promise to deliver the improved sensitivity and spatial resolution required conduct comparable measurements at intermediate redshift ($z\sim 1-3$), albeit with a restricted set of emission lines dictated by the various filter and grating combinations available. In this work, we explore optimal strategies for recovering the metallicities of both AGN-host and non-AGN galaxies given these constraints. We consider suites of emission lines that will be practical to obtain at different redshifts, and test a range of strategies to measure metallicity using just these lines, evaluating their performance by comparison to measurements using all the lines to which we have access in $z=0$ optical spectra. Our results facilitate straightforward estimates of exposure times required by future instruments to reach specified accuracy goals in a range of redshift windows using optimal sets of lines, enabling the development of efficient observing strategies for future surveys. This study can be extended to spatially resolved galaxies in order to design optimal strategies for measuring metallicity fluctuation maps in addition to the mean metallicities we consider here.

HP Dra is a well-detached eclipsing binary containing two late-F stars on an orbit with a relatively large period of 10.76 d and a small eccentricity of 0.036. It has been observed in 14 sectors using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). We use these data plus literature spectroscopic measurements to establish the properties of the component stars to high precision, finding masses of 1.135 +/- 0.002 Msun and 1.098 +/- 0.002 Msun and radii of 1.247 +/- 0.005 Rsun and 1.150 +/- 0.005 Rsun. We find a much smaller third light than previous analyses, resulting in significant changes to the measured radii. These properties match theoretical predictions for an age of 3.5 Gyr and a solar metallicity. We present a spectrum of the Ca H and K lines in which chromospheric activity is visible from both components. The distance we find to the system, 77.9 +/- 1.2 pc, matches the Gaia DR3 parallax value of 79.2 +/- 0.3 pc.

(abridged) $R$-modes are oscillations in rotating stars, primarily restored by the Coriolis force. These oscillations are the most susceptible to the Chandrasekhar-Friedman-Schutz (CFS) instability driven by gravitational wave emission, which makes them promising targets for current and future gravitational wave searches. In order to develop, the instability must overcome dissipative processes within the star. As a result, $r$-modes become unstable only for certain combinations of stellar angular velocity $\Omega$ and (redshifted) temperature $T^\infty$, defining the so-called instability window on the $(\Omega, T^\infty)$ plane. At high temperatures, bulk viscosity $\zeta$, arising from out-of-equilibrium chemical reactions, is the dominant dissipative agent. Dissipation due to $\zeta$ can be greatly enhanced by two independent mechanisms: (1) the presence of hyperons, which significantly increases the bulk viscosity, and (2) the distinctive properties of relativistic $r$-modes in nonbarotropic matter, which further amplify dissipation beyond Newtonian predictions. In this work, we present the first investigation of the combined impact of these mechanisms on $r$-mode instability windows. Our calculations also account for the fact that chemical reactions modify the adiabatic index, in addition to producing bulk viscosity. We further estimate the influence of nucleon pairing effects on the instability windows. By comparing our predictions with recent observations of neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries, we find that bulk viscosity in hyperonic matter may provide the necessary dissipation to stabilize $r$-modes in the fastest-spinning and moderately hot stars, even when nucleon superfluidity and superconductivity are taken into account. These results have important implications for the interpretation of observations and for the broader understanding of relativistic $r$-mode physics.

We investigate the phenomenon of clustering of galaxies in an expanding universe by applying the fluctuation theory. We evaluate the fluctuation moments for the number of particles and the correlated fluctuations for number and energy of particles, clustering under their mutual gravitation. The correlated fluctuations $<\Delta N\Delta U>$ show that the value of $<\Delta N>$ can be both positive as well as negative, because it is the difference between $N$ and the mean value of $N$. A negative $<\Delta N>$ corresponds to regions of under density and positive $<\Delta N>$ corresponds to regions of over density, as described by the clustering parameter $b$. The present work is concerned in the region $b\ge 0$, at which gravitational interaction has already started causing the galaxies to cluster. Thus for this work the value of $<\Delta N>$ is positive. Similarly, the energy fluctuations $<\Delta U>$ can also be both positive and negative. For large correlations, the overdense regions typically have negative total energy and underdense regions have usually positive total energy. The critical value at which this switch occurs has been calculated analytically. The results obtained by fluctuation theory closely match with those obtained earlier by Specific heat analysis and Lee Yang theory. The evaluation has been extended to multicomponent systems, having a variety of masses. It has been found that the gravitational clustering of galaxies is more sensitive to mass ratios and less sensitive to galaxies number densities. This means there is little effect of $\nu$ (number density) but significant effect of $\mu$ (mass) on the clustering phenomenon. The clustering of galaxies is quicker when mass of individual galaxies increases. As the mass of galaxies increases, the transition from positive to negative energy occurs at a higher stage of clustering as compared to a single component system.

The inner regions of protoplanetary disks, within ten astronomical units, are where terrestrial planets are born. By developing a new class of multi-dust radiative magnetized inner rim models, we can gain valuable insights into the conditions during planet formation. Our goal is twofold: to study the influence of highly refractory dust species on the inner rim shape and to determine how the magnetic field affects the inner disk structure. The resulting temperature and density structures are analyzed and compared to observations. The comparison focuses on a median SED of Herbig stars and interferometric constraints from the H, K, and N-band of three Herbig-type star-disk systems: HD 100546, HD 163296, and HD 169142. We investigate 1) the influence of a large-scale magnetic field on the inner disk structure and 2) the effect of having the four most important dust species (corundum, iron, forsterite, and enstatite) shaping the rim. We use frequency-dependent irradiation and the effect of accretion heating. With the Optool package, we obtain frequency-dependent opacities for each dust grain family and calculate the corresponding temperature-dependent Planck and Rosseland opacities. Our models with multiple dust species show a smoother and radially more extended inner rim. Strongly magnetized disks show a substantial increase in the emission flux between the L and N-bands. Weakly magnetized disk models with large-scale vertical magnetic fields < 0.3 Gauss at 1 au best fit with NIR interferometric observations. Our model comparison supports the existence of moderate magnetic fields ($\beta$ > $10^4$), which could still drive a magnetic wind in the inner disk. Our results show that multi-dust models, including magnetic fields, still lack NIR emission, especially in the H-band. One potential solution might be a heated gas disk or evaporating objects like planetesimals close to the star.

This study examines the evolution of the global properties of magnetized proto-neutron stars (PNSs) across four key stages: neutrino-trapping, deleptonization, the neutrino-transparent phase, and the formation of a cold, catalyzed neutron star (NS). We perform general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations with strong magnetic fields of approximately 10^17 Gauss. The stellar matter is modeled using equations of state (EoS) derived from relativistic mean-field theory, employing density-dependent couplings calibrated by the DDME2 parameterization. We analyze how the gravitational mass, equatorial radius, shape deformation, magnetic flux, and the magnetic-to-binding energy ratio evolve in response to changes in internal composition, thermodynamic conditions, and magnetic field configuration. Our results show that as PNSs evolve, increasing entropy per baryon and decreasing lepton fractions lead to higher core temperatures. These thermodynamic changes enhance the star's susceptibility to magnetic field-induced deformation, facilitate greater magnetic flux confinement, and increase the magnetic-to-binding energy ratio, especially during the deleptonization and neutrino-transparent phases. The PNS's core temperature also determines the efficiency of magnetic field decay. We find that dissipation is fastest during the deleptonization and neutrino-transparent phases, a process that ultimately defines the observable magnetic field of the mature NS.

The MONOS project (Multiplicity Of Northern O-type Spectroscopic systems) aims to characterize O-type spectroscopic binaries in the northern hemisphere (dec > -20 deg) using high-resolution spectroscopy and multi-epoch photometry. This study uses Gaia DR3 epoch photometry and TESS light curves to detect periodic variability and refine orbital solutions. We analyze ten O-type binaries with quality Gaia and TESS data and available high-resolution spectra, complemented by Hipparcos or MUDEHaR photometry. Periods are derived using three techniques and combined with radial velocities to model each system with the phoebe code, yielding orbital and stellar parameters. We present eight previously unpublished orbits-two with new periods-and refine two others. In several cases, our periods match Gaia's, though we highlight issues such as half-period aliases. Among our key results, we report the first known Oe+O spectroscopic binary (BD +61 487) and a system of overcontact O-type supergiants in an eccentric orbit with evidence of past mass transfer (HD 169 727). The solutions are consistent with spectral classifications and theory, including short periods (< 3 days), high mass ratios, and semi-detached or overcontact configurations. These results expand the sample of O-type binaries with robust orbital characterization, especially in the short-period regime where tidal effects and mass transfer dominate. The combined use of Gaia, TESS, and spectroscopy proves effective and scalable, supporting future surveys and aiding our understanding of massive multiple-star evolution.

Recently, the Covarying Coupling Constants and Tired Light (CCC+TL) hybrid model was proposed to explain the unexpectedly small angular diameters of high-redshift galaxies observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that are challenging to reconcile with the $\Lambda$CDM model. In this work, we test the CCC+TL model against model-independent Hubble parameter [$H(z)$] measurements obtained from cosmic chronometers. It turns out that the parameter set optimized for the type-Ia supernova (SN Ia) dataset within the CCC+TL model fails to reproduce the $H(z)$ data, but the $\Lambda$CDM model works well. Statistical comparison using the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) strongly favors $\Lambda$CDM over CCC+TL for the $H(z)$ data, with $\Delta \mathrm{BIC} = 60.85$. Additionally, the fit of the CCC+TL model to the $H(z)$ data results in a best-fit value for the speed-of-light variation index parameter $\alpha$ disagreeing with that for the SN Ia data at the $\sim 6\sigma$ level, demonstrating significant internal tension within the CCC+TL framework.

We search for dipole variations in the Hubble constant $H_0$ using gamma-ray burst (GRB) data, as such anisotropies may shed light on the Hubble tension. We employ the most recent and reliable GRB catalogs from the $E_{p}-E_{iso}$ and the $L_0-E_{p}-T$ correlations. Despite their large uncertainties, GRBs are particularly suited for this analysis due to their redshift coverage up to $z\sim9$, their isotropic sky distribution that minimizes directional bias, and their strong correlations whose normalizations act as proxies for $H_0$. To this aim, a whole sky scan - partitioning GRB data into hemispheres - enabled to define dipole directions by fitting the relevant GRB correlation and cosmological parameters. The statistical significance across the full $H_0$ dipole maps, one per correlation, is then evaluated through the normalization differences between hemispheres and compared against the CMB dipole direction. The method is then validated by simulating directional anisotropies via Markov Chain Monte Carlo analyses for both correlations. Comparison with previous literature confirms the robustness of the method, while no significant dipole evidence is detected, consistently with the expected isotropy of GRBs. This null result is discussed in light of future analyses involving larger datasets.

Dark sector interactions can be explored via the so-called Type 3 model where dark matter and dark energy exchange momentum only, so as to minimize deviations from the $\Lambda$CDM background expansion history. Using N-body simulations, we analyze the imprint of Type 3 model parameters, the momentum exchange coupling constant $\beta$ and the slope of scalar field potential $\lambda$, on large-scale structure (LSS) observables, particularly the matter pairwise velocity statistics. We find that the effects of $\beta$ ($< 0$) and $\lambda$ on the mean matter peculiar pairwise velocity and velocity dispersion are degenerate. Our results highlight the potential of velocity statistics as a probe of dark sector interactions and underscore the importance of disentangling $\beta$ and $\lambda$ in cosmological analyses.

We theoretically investigate the interplay between magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves and shear flows in a partially ionized solar plasma, focusing on the energy exchange mediated by the flow and the transformation between wave modes. We consider a simple model composed of a uniform partially ionized plasma with a straight magnetic field. A shear flow is present in the direction of the magnetic field with a velocity that varies linearly across the magnetic field. The linearized MHD equations in the single-fluid approximation are used, which include the ambipolar diffusion term due to ion-neutral collisions. A nonmodal approach is adopted, in order to convert the flow spatial inhomogeneity into a temporal one, adding a temporal dependence into the component of the wavevector in the direction of the flow inhomogeneity. A system of three ordinary differential equations is derived, which generally governs the temporal evolution of the coupled MHD waves, their interaction with the shear flow, and their ambipolar damping. Numerical solutions are computed to study the coupling and mutual transformation between the fast magnetosonic wave and the Alfvén wave. A detailed parameter study is conducted, demonstrating how the energy transfer and mode transformation are affected. The role of ambipolar diffusion is investigated by comparing the results of the ideal case with those obtained when ambipolar diffusion is included. It is found that ambipolar diffusion can significantly affect the efficiency of the energy exchange between modes and introduces a new coupling mechanism. Additionally, a specific application to solar prominence threads is included, showing that wave coupling and energy exchange can occur within these and other similar structures in the solar atmosphere.

Neutron star high-mass X-ray binaries, where the compact object orbits a massive star in a sufficiently tight orbit to allow accretion to occur, are well-studied in wavebands between the infrared and hard X-rays. Their low-frequency millimeter and radio properties, on the other hand, remain poorly understood. In this paper, we present the first work in a series focusing on the millimeter and radio emission of systems where a neutron star accretes from an OB supergiant. We report ALMA and NOEMA millimeter observations of twelve systems, supplemented by VLA radio observations of six of those targets. Our targets include six Supergiant X-ray Binaries (SgXBs), four Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs), and two intermediate systems. Nine out of twelve targets, including all SFXTs, are detected in at least one millimeter band, while in the radio, only two targets are detected. All detected targets display inverted radio/millimeter spectra, with spectral indices in the range $\alpha =0.6-0.8$ for those systems where accurate SED fits could be performed. We conclude, firstly, that the low-frequency SEDs of neutron star SFXTs and SgXBs are dominated by free-free emission from the OB supergiant's stellar wind, and that jet emission is unlikely to be observed unless the systems can be detected at sub-GHz frequencies. Secondly, we find that SFXTs are fainter at 100 GHz than prototypical SgXBs, probably due to systematically less dense winds in the former, as supported further by the differences in their fluorescence Fe K$\alpha$ lines. We furthermore compare the stellar wind constraints obtained from our millimeter observations with those from IR/optical/UV studies and bow shock detections, and present evidence for long-term stellar wind variability visible in the thermal emission.

H$\alpha$ observations of the solar chromosphere reveal dynamic small-scale structures known as spicules at the limb and rapid blue and red shifted excursions (RBEs/RREs) on-disk. We want to understand what drives these dynamic features, their magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) properties and their role in energy and heat transport to the upper solar atmosphere. To do this, we aim to develop a proxy for synthetic H$\alpha$ observations in radiative-MHD simulations to help identify these features. We use the chromospheric extension to the MURaM code (MURaM-ChE) to simulate an enhanced network region. We develop a proxy for H$\alpha$ based on a photon escape probability. This is a Doppler-shifted proxy that we use to identify fine structures in the line wings. We study on-disk features in 3D, obtaining their 3D structure from the absorption coefficient. We validate the H$\alpha$ proxy by comparing it against features detected in the wings of H$\alpha$ synthesized using MULTI3D. We detect numerous small-scale structures rooted at the network patches, similar to observations in H$\alpha$. The dynamics of an example feature (RBE) at a Doppler shift of 37 km/s show that flux emergence and consequent reconnection drive the formation of this feature. Pressure gradient forces build up to drive a flow along the field line carrying the feature, making it a jet. There is strong viscous and resistive heating at the first appearance of the feature associated with the flux emergence. At the same time and location, a heating front appears and propagates along the field lines at speeds comparable to the Alfven velocity. We show that a synthetic observable based on an escape probability is able to reliably identify features observed with the H$\alpha$ spectral line. We demonstrate its applicability by studying the formation, dynamics and properties of an RBE.

We critically examine recent claims challenging the viability of the G-step model (GSM) as a solution to the Hubble tension. The GSM proposes a $\sim$4 % increase in the effective gravitational constant $G_{\text{eff}}$ beyond $z \approx 0.01$ to reconcile local and early-universe measurements of the Hubble constant. Through detailed quantitative analysis, we demonstrate that many proposed constraints on the model require careful reconsideration. Key findings include: (1) Modern stellar modeling indicates a weaker $L \propto G^4$ scaling rather than the traditional $G^7$, significantly reducing tension with stellar evolution constraints; (2) The fluid-like behavior of Earth 150 Myr ago preserves the day/year ratio across any $G$ transition; (3) Paleoclimate data showing $\sim$20°C cooling over relevant timescales appears consistent with, rather than challenging, the GSM; (4) Distance indicator comparisons allow for $\Delta G/G$ variations up to $\sim$20 % at 2$\sigma$ when systematic uncertainties are properly included; (5) The discrete nature of the proposed $G$ transition preserves relative stellar population ages used in cosmic chronometry. When accounting for proper uncertainty levels in both observations and theoretical modeling, we find the GSM remains a viable candidate for resolving the Hubble tension. We identify specific observational tests with next-generation facilities that could definitively confirm or rule out the model.

We use a subsample of co-detections of the ACT and MaDCoWS cluster catalogs to verify the predicted relation between the observed X-ray flux $F_X$ in the 0.5-2~keV band and the cluster mass $M_{\rm 500c}$ for halos at $z>0.6-0.7$. We modify this relation by introducing a correction coefficient $\eta$, which is supposed to encapsulate factors associated with a particular method of flux estimation, the sample selection function, the definition of the cluster mass, etc. We show that the X-ray flux, being the most basic X-ray observable, serves as a convenient and low-cost mass indicator for distant galaxy clusters with photometric or even missing redshifts (by setting $z=1$) as long as it is known that $z\gtrsim 0.6-0.7$. The correction coefficient $\eta$ is $\approx 0.8$ if $M^{\rm UPP}_{\rm 500c}$ from the ACT-DR5 catalog are used as cluster masses and $\eta\approx 1.1$ if weak-lensing-calibrated masses $M^{\rm Cal}_{\rm 500c}$ are used instead.

Reconstructing the longitudinal profile of extensive air showers, generated from the interaction of cosmic rays in the Earth's atmosphere, is crucial to understanding their mass composition, which in turn provides valuable insight on their possible sources of origin. Dense radio antenna arrays such as the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) telescope as well as the upcoming Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) are ideal instruments to explore the potential of air shower profile reconstruction, as their high antenna density allows cosmic ray observations with unprecedented accuracy. However, current analysis approaches can only recover $X_\mathrm{max}$, the atmospheric depth at shower maximum, and heavily rely on computationally expensive simulations. As such, it is ever more crucial to develop new analysis approaches that can perform a full air shower profile reconstruction efficiently. In this work, we develop a novel framework to reconstruct the longitudinal profile of air showers using measurements from radio detectors with Information Field Theory (IFT), a state-of-the-art reconstruction framework based on Bayesian inference. Through IFT, we are able to exploit all available information in the signal (amplitude, phase, and pulse shape) at each antenna position simultaneously and explicitly utilise models that are motivated through our current understanding of air shower physics. We verify our framework on simulated datasets prepared for LOFAR, showcasing that we can not only reconstruct the air shower profile with uncertainties in each atmospheric depth bin but also recover the reconstructed trace at each antenna position. Our framework demonstrates that radio measurements with dense antenna layouts such as LOFAR and SKAO have the capability to go beyond reconstruction of $X_\mathrm{max}$ and will thus aid in our understanding of the mass composition of cosmic rays.

We present a comprehensive study of the star-forming main sequence (SFMS) and its scatter at redshifts $3 \leq z \leq 9$, using NIRCam photometry from the JADES survey in the GOODS-S and GOODS-N fields. Our analysis is based on a sample of galaxies that is stellar mass complete down to $\log \left(M_{\star}/M_{\odot}\right) \approx 8.1$. The redshift evolution of the SFMS at an averaging timescale of 10 Myr follows a relation, quantified by the specific star-formation rates (sSFR$_{10}$), of $\mathrm{sSFR}\propto(1+z)^{\mu}$ with $\mu = 2.30^{+0.03}_{-0.01}$, in good agreement with theoretical predictions and the specific mass accretion rate of dark matter halos. We find that the SFMS normalisation varies in a complex way with the SFR averaging timescale, reflecting the combined effects of bursty star formation and rising star formation histories (SFHs). We quantify the scatter of the SFMS, revealing that it decreases with longer SFR averaging timescales, from $\sigma_{\rm{int}} \approx 0.4-0.5~\mathrm{dex}$ at 10 Myr to $\sigma_{\rm{int}} \approx 0.2~\mathrm{dex}$ at 100 Myr, indicating that shorter-term fluctuations dominate the scatter, although long-term variations in star formation activity are also present. Our findings suggest that bursty SFHs are more pronounced at lower stellar masses. Furthermore, we explore the implications of our results for the observed over-abundance of UV-bright galaxies at $z > 10$, concluding that additional mechanisms, such as top-heavy initial mass functions, increased star-formation efficiencies, or increased burstiness in star formation are needed to explain these observations. Finally, we emphasize the importance of accurate stellar mass completeness limits when fitting the SFMS, especially for galaxies with bursty SFHs.

About two-thirds of disk galaxies host spiral arms, ranging from well-delineated grand-design spirals to fragmented flocculent spiral galaxies. We introduce fractal dimension $D_B$ as a non-parametric measure to distinguish between grand-designs and flocculents. We calculate the $D_B$ of 197 grand-designs and 322 flocculents from SDSS DR18, using the samples of \citet{Buta..2015} and \citet{Sarkar..2023}. Our calculated median values of $D_B$ are $1.29^{+0.06}_{-0.04}$ and $1.38^{+0.05}_{-0.06}$ for the grand-designs and flocculents, respectively. In addition, a Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test rejects null hypothesis that these distributions are drawn from the same population. Finally, using a Random Forest (RF) model, we compare the effectiveness of $D_B$ in classifying spiral arm morphology, as compared to five other parameters viz. total atomic hydrogen HI mass $M_{HI}$, ratio of atomic hydrogen mass-to-blue luminosity $M_{HI} /L_B$, concentration index $C_i$, clumpiness $S$ and arm-contrast $C$. Our results indicate that $D_B$ has the highest feature index (30.8\%), followed by $C_i$ (26.0\%) and $M_{HI}$ (21.0\%). In fact, C, the metric routinely used to distinguish between the spiral morphologies has a feature importance of 8.3\%. Further, $D_B$ for grand-designs is found to anti-correlate with the central velocity dispersion with a correlation coefficient of -0.3 and $p \ll 0.05$. A high value of central velocity dispersion indicates a central Q-barrier, which favors the formation of grand designs according to the density wave theory. Thus, fractal dimension serves as a robust metric to distinguish between spiral morphologies and also links to the formation mechanism of spiral features.

We study the scaling relation between the black hole and stellar mass ($M_\bullet-M_*$), diagnosing the residual $\Delta \log(M_\bullet/M_\odot)$ ($\Delta$) in this relation to understand the coevolution of the galaxy and black hole (BH) in the cosmological hydrodynamic simulation SIMBA. We showed that SIMBA can reproduce the observed $M_\bullet-M_*$ relation well with little difference between central and satellite galaxies. By using the median value to determine the residuals, we found that the residual is correlated with galaxy cold gas content, star formation rate, colour and black hole accretion properties. Both torque and Bondi models implemented in SIMBA, contribute to this residual, with torque accretion playing a major role at high redshift and low-mass galaxies, while Bondi (also BH merge) takes over at low redshift and massive galaxies. By dividing the sample into two populations: $\Delta>0$ and $\Delta <0$, we compared their evolution paths following the main progenitors. With evolution tracking, we proposed a simple picture for the BH-galaxy coevolution: Early-formed galaxies seeded black holes earlier, with stellar mass increasing rapidly to quickly reach the point of triggering `jet mode' feedback. This process reduced the cold gas content and stopped the growth of $M_*$, effectively quenching galaxies. Meanwhile, during the initial phase of torque accretion growth, the BH mass is comparable between galaxies formed early and those formed later. However, those galaxies that formed earlier appear to attain a marginally greater BH mass when shifting to Bondi accretion, aligning with the galaxy transition time. As the early-formed galaxies reach this point earlier -- leaving a longer time for them to have Bondi accretion as well as merging, their residuals become positive, i.e., having more massive BHs at $z=0$ compared to these late-formed galaxies at the same $M_*$. This picture is further supported by the strong positive correlation between the residuals and the galaxy age, which we are proposing as a verification with observation data on this story suggested by SIMBA.

Using 148 out-axis gamma-ray bursts, we build their spectrum-energy relations of peak energy versus isotropic energy, peak energy versus peak luminosity and peak energy versus jet-calibrated energy which are corrected for a structured jet model. These relations are found to depend on the observer's viewing angle as long as the observer is within the jet cone. After converting the out-axis energy relations to the in-axis situations, we find that the corresponding in-axis energy relations are universally steeper, of which all of them can be roughly interpreted by the Synchrotron radiation mechanism as shown in Xu et al.. Meanwhile, we notice that the in-axis means of isotropic energies are about one order of magnitude larger than the out-axis means for both short and long bursts except the Supernova-associated gamma-ray bursts. Furthermore, we apply all the newly-found energy relations to construct the Hubble diagrams of out/in-axis bursts. It is found that the in-axis Hubble diagrams are better cosmological indicators.

We investigate the evolution of red supergiant (RSG) progenitors of core-collapse (CC) supernovae (SNe) with initial masses between 12-20 Msun focusing on effects of enhanced mass loss due to pulsation-driven instabilities in their envelopes and subsequent dynamical ejections during advanced stages of nuclear burning. Using time-dependent mass loss rates from detailed MESA stellar evolution models, including prescriptions for both pulsation-driven superwinds and shock-induced ejections, we construct the circumstellar medium (CSM) before the SN explosion. We calculate resulting CSM density profiles and column densities considering the radiation-driven acceleration of the stellar wind. Our models produce episodes of enhanced mass loss ~10^-4-10^-2 Msun/yr in the last centuries-decades before explosion forming dense CSM (>~10^-15 g/cm^3 at distances <~10^15 cm) - consistent with multi-wavelength observations of Type II SNe such as SN 2023ixf, SN 2020ywx, SN 2017hcc, SN 2005ip and SN 1998S. The formation of such dense CS shells, as predicted by our single star RSG models, provides a natural explanation for observed flash-ionization signatures, X-ray and radio emission, and has important implications for dust formation around Type II SNe.

We detected the linear $^3\Sigma^-$ radicals SiC$_3$ and SiC$_5$ toward IRC+10216 using an ultrasensitive line survey gathered with the Yebes 40\,m radio telescope. The derived column densities of $l$-SiC$_3$ and $l$-SiC$_5$ are (3.6$\pm$0.4)$\times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ and (1.8$\pm$0.2)$\times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$, respectively. The linear SiC$_3$ radical is $\sim$2 times less abundant that its singlet rhomboidal prolate isomer, for which we provide a new analysis based on recent sensitive observations in the Q band (7\,mm), and at 3 and 2\,mm with the IRAM 30m telescope. The emission detected from these species arises from the cool external layers of the circumstellar envelope. We speculate whether ion-neutral routes involving SiC$_n$H$_m$$^+$ cations or neutral-neutral reactions involving Si and SiC$_2$ could efficiently synthesize these species.

The detection of side-scattered ultraviolet light from spaceborne lasers with fluorescence telescopes of cosmic ray observatories offers unique opportunities for systematic studies of the aerosol content of the local atmosphere. It also enables the validation of the optical calibration of the telescopes. Additionally, these observations provide valuable ground-based monitoring of the performance of the scientific instruments aboard satellites used for Earth climate observation. Here, we report on results from the reconstruction of laser shots from the spaceborne lidar instrument ALADIN aboard the Aeolus satellite in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, we present initial observations of laser shots from ATLID, the atmospheric lidar of the EarthCARE satellite, launched in 2024. EarthCARE's orbit is particularly well-suited for enabling laser detection within a few days at both the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array Experiment, facilitating a relative calibration of the energy scales of these observatories.

We combine different methods to investigate the rotation, determine the shape and estimate the density of near-Earth asteroid (153201) 2000 WO$_{107}$. We carried out photometric observations of the asteroid during the 2020 apparition. Then we created a program able to simulate the lightcurves, and used it within a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to reconstruct the asteroid shape model from the observational data. The Goldstone radar observations of the asteroid were used as an additional constraint on the asteroid model in the MCMC algorithm. The estimated shape and rotation rate of the contact binary were used to compute its density. The photometric observations of (153201) 2000 WO$_{107}$ obtained at a wide range of the phase angles from 5 to 68 degrees in the time interval November 28 -- December 8, 2020, show lightcurves typical for contact binary asteroids, which agrees with the results of the radar data. The lightcurves have a maximum amplitude of up to 1.24 mag. The best-fit modelled shape of the asteroid is composed of two ellipsoidal lobes with the axes $0.68\times 0.38 \times 0.36$ km and $0.44 \times 0.42 \times 0.16$ km. Its sidereal rotation period is determined to be $5.017\pm 0.002$ hr. The most probable solution for the angular velocity vector of the asteroid points at the ecliptic coordinates $\lambda=96^\circ \pm 8^\circ$ and $\beta=-78^\circ \pm 1^\circ$, whereas another less probable solution around $\lambda=286^\circ \pm 11 ^\circ$, $\beta=-76^\circ \pm 2 ^\circ$ cannot be disregarded. The estimated density of the asteroid $\rho=4.80^{+0.34}_{-0.63}$ g/cm$^3$ is consistent with its possible metallic composition. From the orbital simulation of this potentially hazardous asteroid, we find that its integral probability of colliding with the Earth in the next 10,000 years is $7\cdot 10^{-5}.$

Recent detections of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) at TeV energies opened new prospects for investigating radiative environments and particle acceleration mechanisms under extreme conditions. In this paper, we study the afterglows of these GRBs - namely GRB 180720B, GRB 190114C, GRB 190829A, GRB 201216C, and GRB 221009A - modeling their synchrotron and inverse Compton emission within the framework of an optimized relativistic fireball model. We constrain the model parameters and their temporal evolution by applying our theoretical model to the high-energy emission in the X-ray and GeV-TeV energy bands observed at intermediate and late times. Our results reveal interesting differences among the TeV-detected GRBs, potentially reflecting a variety of underlying physical processes that lead to different maximum energies $E_{\text{max}}= \, \gamma_{\text{max}}\, m_e \, c^2$ of the accelerated particles responsible for the GRB high-energy emission. We indeed obtain different behaviors of the late TeV afterglows that ultimately depend on $\gamma_{\text{max}}$. We discuss how late afterglow observations - on timescales of hours and days - of X-ray and GeV-TeV emissions are crucial for providing diagnostics of the physical processes behind GRBs, and we emphasize the theoretical expectations for future TeV observations.

M dwarfs are known to host magnetic fields, impacting exoplanet studies and playing a key role in stellar and planetary formation and evolution. Observations revealed the long-term evolution of the large-scale magnetic field reconstructed with Zeeman-Doppler imaging, and a diversity of their topologies. These large-scale magnetic fields only account for a small amount of the unsigned magnetic flux that can be probed by directly modeling the Zeeman broadening of spectral lines in unpolarized spectra. We aim at investigating the long-term behavior of the average small-scale magnetic field of M dwarfs with time, and assess our ability to detect rotational modulation from time series of field measurements derived from unpolarized spectra. We perform fits of synthetic spectra computed with ZeeTurbo to near-infrared high-resolution spectra recorded with SPIRou between 2019 and 2024 in the context of the SLS and SPICE large programs. The analysis is performed on the spectra of 2 partially convective (AD Leo, DS Leo) and 3 fully convective (PM J18482+0741, CN Leo, Barnard star) M dwarfs, along with EV Lac whose mass is close to the fully-convective limit. Our analysis provides measurements of the average small-scale magnetic field, which are compared to longitudinal magnetic field and temperature variation measurements (d$Temp$) obtained from the same data. We were able to detect the rotation period in the small-scale magnetic field series for 4 of the 6 stars in our sample. We find that the average magnetic field can vary by up to 0.3 kG throughout the year (e.g., CN Leo), or of up to 1 kG across rotation phases. The rotation periods retrieved from longitudinal and small-scale magnetic fields are found in agreement within error bars. d$Temp$ measurements are found to anti-correlate with small-scale magnetic field measurements for three stars (EV Lac, DS Leo and Barnard's star).

The sky-averaged Compton-$y$ distortion in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) energy spectrum, $\langle y \rangle$, provides information about energy injection in the Universe occurring at $z \lesssim 5\times10^{4}$. It is primarily sourced by the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect -- the up-scattering of CMB photons on free electrons in collapsed dark matter halos. In this work and our companion paper, Ref. [1], we perform a re-analysis of the archival COBE/FIRAS data to constrain $\langle y \rangle$. We utilize two analysis approaches: (i) fitting the sky-averaged intensity spectrum (frequency monopole) and (ii) fitting the sky spectrum in each pixel (pixel-by-pixel). We obtain the baseline upper limits $\langle y \rangle < 31\times 10^{-6}$ and $\langle y \rangle < 8.3\times 10^{-6}$ (both at $95\%$ C.L.) for these two approaches, respectively. We present the first detailed comparison of these analysis methods on both mock skies and real data. Our findings suggest that accounting for the spatial variability of foregrounds via pixel-by-pixel fitting allows for tighter constraints on $\langle y \rangle$ by a factor of $\approx 3-5$ as compared to the frequency monopole method. We show that our frequency monopole results agree well with predictions from Fisher forecast techniques based on the sky-averaged signal, which have been used for forecasting future spectral distortion experiments. Our results thus suggest that the scientific reach of future spectral distortion experiments can potentially be enhanced by a factor of a few via more optimal component separation methods, and we identify the pixel-by-pixel method as one such robust way to achieve this. We discuss the implications of our improved constraints on $\langle y \rangle$ from the pixel-by-pixel method in Ref. [1].

The recent Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large-Area Central Molecular Zone Exploration (FIREPLACE) survey with SOFIA has mapped plane-of-the-sky magnetic field orientations within the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way. Applying the Histogram of Relative Orientation (HRO) analysis to the FIREPLACE data, we find that the relative orientation between magnetic fields and column density structures is random in low-density regions (2x10^22<N(H2)<10^23 cm^{-2}), but becomes preferentially parallel in high-density regions (>10^23 cm^{-2}). This trend is in contrast with that of the nearby molecular clouds, where the relative orientation transitions from parallel to perpendicular with increasing column densities. However, the relative orientation varies between individual CMZ clouds. Comparisons with MHD simulations specific to the CMZ conditions suggest that the observed parallel alignment is intrinsic rather than artifacts caused by the projection effect. The origin of this parallel configuration may arise from the fact that most dense structures in the CMZ are not self-gravitating, as they are in super-virial states, except for the mini-starburst region Sgr B2. These findings are consistent with the low star formation efficiency observed in the CMZ compared to that in the Galactic disk.

Astronomical telescopes suffer from a tradeoff between field of view (FoV) and image resolution: increasing the FoV leads to an optical field that is under-sampled by the science camera. This work presents a novel computational imaging approach to overcome this tradeoff by leveraging the existing adaptive optics (AO) systems in modern ground-based telescopes. Our key idea is to use the AO system's deformable mirror to apply a series of learned, precisely controlled distortions to the optical wavefront, producing a sequence of images that exhibit distinct, high-frequency, sub-pixel shifts. These images can then be jointly upsampled to yield the final super-resolved image. Crucially, we show this can be done while simultaneously maintaining the core AO operation--correcting for the unknown and rapidly changing wavefront distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere. To achieve this, we incorporate end-to-end optimization of both the induced mirror distortions and the upsampling algorithm, such that telescope-specific optics and temporal statistics of atmospheric wavefront distortions are accounted for. Our experimental results with a hardware prototype, as well as simulations, demonstrate significant SNR improvements of up to 12 dB over non-AO super-resolution baselines, using only existing telescope optics and no hardware modifications. Moreover, by using a precise bench-top replica of a complete telescope and AO system, we show that our methodology can be readily transferred to an operational telescope. Project webpage: this https URL

We present a search for single photometric exocomet transits using a magnitude-limited sample of stars observed by the TESS primary mission. These events are asymmetric, with a sharp ingress and more gradual egress expected because the comet tail trails behind the coma. Our goals are to estimate the occurrence rate of exocomet transits, and given sufficient numbers comment on whether the host stars are biased towards being A/F spectral types, as suggested by a previous survey with Kepler data. We recovered the previously identified exocomet transit with TESS around $\beta$ Pic (TIC 270577175) and identified three additional main sequence systems with exocomet-like transits (TIC 280832588, TIC 73149665, and TIC 143152957). We also identified one exocomet candidate around a giant star (TIC 229790952) and one around a probable supergiant (TIC 110969638). We find a total occurrence rate of $2.64\times10^{-4}$ star$^{-1}$ year$^{-1}$, much higher than Kepler's rate of $6.7 \times 10^{-6}$ star$^{-1}$ year$^{-1}$. Some of this difference may be because our rate includes a correction for detection efficiency, where the Kepler search did not. However, with only a handful of detections in each survey, the rates are also very uncertain. In contrast to the Kepler search, we find two candidate hosts that may be G types, but the spectral types would be better supported with spectroscopic follow-up. Primarily, we conclude that exocomet-like transits are very rare at 0.1%-1% transit depth levels, and that higher precision photometry to detect and characterise shallower transits effectively is the most likely path to more detections and stronger statistical conclusions.

We report the first detection of water activity in the third confirmed interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, based on ultraviolet imaging with the \emph{Neil Gehrels-Swift Observatory}. Observations acquired with the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope on 2025 July 31st - Aug 1st revealed OH (A$^2\Sigma$ -- X$^2\Pi$) emission near 3085~Å. The water production rate results highly depend on the reddening assumption. For a reddening of 38.6\% between 5437.8~Å and 3325.7~Å, the water production rate is $(1.35 \pm 0.27) \times 10^{27} $ molecules\,s$^{-1}$ (40~kg\,s$^{-1}$) at a heliocentric distance of 3.51~au. This places 3I/ATLAS among the few comets with confirmed OH emission beyond 3~au, where water ice sublimation is typically inefficient. The inferred production rate is consistent with an active area of at least 19~km$^2$, assuming equilibrium sublimation. Based on current upper limits of the nucleus' radius, this requires that over 20\% of the surface is active, which is larger than activity levels observed in most solar system comets. Contemporaneous near-infrared spectroscopy indicates the presence of large icy grains in the coma, which may serve as an extended source of water vapor. The detection of OH emission prior to any CN detection is unusual and may reflect differences in grain-driven outgassing or volatile inventory compared to typical comets. While similar behavior has been observed in solar system comets, the mechanisms controlling distant activity and the storage and release of volatiles remain poorly understood. If 3I/ATLAS' coma continues to be dominated by H$_2$O, supporting the early and low-metallicity formation hypothesis, the derived large size of the nucleus could be indicative of a key knowledge gap in low-metallicity system planetesimal formation and loss mechanisms.

Context. The most prominent cases of young star variability are accretion outbursts in FU Ori-type systems. The high power of such outbursts causes dramatic changes in the physical and chemical structure of a surrounding protoplanetary disk. As characteristic thermal timescales in the disk are comparable to the duration of the outburst, the response of its thermal structure is inherently time dependent. Aims. We analyzed how the disk thermal structure evolves under the substantial-yet transient-eating of the outburst. To cover different possible physical mechanisms driving the outburst, we examined two scenarios: one in which the increased accretion rate is confined to a compact sub-au inner region and the other where it affects the entire disk. Methods. To model the disk temperature response to the outburst we performed time-dependent radiation transfer using the HURAKAN code. The disk structure and the luminosity profile roughly correspond to those of the FU Ori system itself, which went into outburst about 90 years ago and reached a luminosity of 450 L_Sun. Results. We find that optically thick disk regions require several years to become fully heated during the outburst and a decade to cool after it. The upper layers and outer parts of the disk, which are optically thin to thermal radiation, are heated and cooled almost instantaneously. This creates an unusual radial temperature profile during the early heating phase with minima at several au both for the fully active and compact active disk scenarios. At the cooling phase, upper layers being colder than the midplane for both scenarios. Near- and mid-infrared SEDs demonstrate a significant and almost instantaneous rise by 1 - 2 orders of magnitude during the outburst, while the millimeter flux shows a change of only a factor of a few, and is slightly delayed with respect to the central region luminosity profile.

The chemical composition of the inner regions of disks around young stars will determine the properties of planets forming there. Many disk physical processes drive the chemical evolution, some of which depend on/correlate with the stellar properties. We aim to explore the connection between stellar properties and inner disk chemistry, using mid-infrared spectroscopy. We use JWST-MIRI observations of a large, diverse sample of sources to explore trends between C$_2$H$_2$ and H$_2$O. Additionally, we calculate the average spectrum for the T Tauri ($M_{*}$$>$0.2 $M_{\odot}$) and very low-mass star (VLMS, $M_{*}$$\leq$0.2 $M_{\odot}$) samples and use slab models to determine the properties. We find a significant anti-correlation between the flux ratio of C$_2$H$_2$/H$_2$O and the stellar luminosity. Disks around VLMS have significantly higher $F_{\rm{C_2H_2}}$/$F_{\rm{H_2O}}$ flux ratios than their higher-mass counterparts. We also explore trends with the strength of the 10 $\mu$m silicate feature, stellar accretion rate, and disk dust mass, all of which show correlations with the flux ratio, which may be related to processes driving the carbon-enrichment in disks around VLMS, but also have degeneracies with system properties. Slab model fits to the average spectra show that the VLMS H$_2$O emission is quite similar in temperature and column density to a warm ($\sim$600 K) H$_2$O component in the T Tauri spectrum, indicating that the high C/O gas phase ratio in these disks is not due to oxygen depletion alone. Instead, the presence of many hydrocarbons, including some with high column densities, points to carbon enhancement in the disks around VLMS. The observed differences in the inner disk chemistry as a function of host properties are likely to be accounted for by differences in the disk temperatures, stellar radiation field, and the evolution of dust grains.

In the context of a theory of minimally modified gravity called VCDM, one can realize any cosmological behavior at the level of the homogeneous and isotropic background without introducing fatal instabilities for perturbations. Therefore, VCDM provides a theoretically-consistent and observationally-testable framework of dynamical dark energy parameterizations with or without phantom behaviors. In this paper, we propose the VCDM realizations of various phenomenological parameterizations present in the literature: the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder (CPL), Barboza-Alcaniz (BA), Jassal-Bagla-Padmanabhan (JBP), Exponential (EXP), and Logarithmic (LOG) models. Using the VCDM equations for cosmological perturbations, we test them against the recent cosmological datasets, Planck 2018 and DESI BAO DR2, and then discuss their implications.

The axion is a well-motivated and generic extension of the Standard Model. If produced in the early universe, axions may still be relativistic today, forming a Cosmic Axion Background (C$a$B) potentially detectable in direct detection experiments. A key challenge, however, is that the C$a$B is expected to have a broad energy spectrum, limiting the effectiveness of resonant cavity experiments designed for narrowband searches. We propose a new strategy using multi-cavity arrays to distinguish signal from background noise by exploiting spatial correlations in the axion-induced electric fields. We compute the two-point correlation function for electric fields in spatially separated cavities sourced by an isotropic C$a$B. Analyzing various cavity geometries, we find that stacked, wide-base cavity arrays offer optimal sensitivity to the axion signal. We apply our formalism to prospective upgrades of the ADMX experiment, including configurations with four and eighteen coupled cavities.

Dark matter halos can develop a density spike, e.g., around a galactic supermassive black hole, with the profile $\rho \propto r^{-\gamma_{\rm sp}}$ determined both by the galaxy's formation history and the microphysics of dark matter. We show that future LISA/DECIGO observations, of intermediate/stellar-mass binary mergers inside the spike around the supermassive black hole, can measure $\gamma_{\rm sp}$ at a few-percent--level precision. The spike induces a distinctive time-dependent acceleration along the non-circular orbit taken by the binary's center of mass, which is observable as a secular modulation of the gravitational wave signal. This method -- insensitive to confounding astrophysical effects (dynamical friction, tidal effects, etc.) and not reliant on unknown dark matter particle physics -- provides a clean diagnostic of density spikes and a new probe of dark matter.

Indirect searches for Dark Matter (DM) particles with mass in the MeV -- GeV scale have received significant attention lately. Pair-annihilations of such DM particles in the Galaxy can give rise to (at the same time) MeV to GeV $\gamma$-rays via prompt emission, sub-GeV $e^\pm$ in cosmic-rays, as well as a broad photon spectrum ranging from $X$-rays to soft $\gamma$-rays, produced by the DM induced $e^\pm$ via inverse Compton scattering, bremsstrahlung and in-flight annihilation processes (collectively called `secondary emissions'). We focus on two representative realistic sub-GeV DM models, namely, the vector-portal kinetic-mixing model and the higgs-portal model, and perform a detailed study of the indirect detection constraints from existing $X$-rays, $\gamma$-rays and cosmic-ray observations, based on all of the above-mentioned signals. We also estimate the future prospects from the upcoming MeV photon telescope COSI, including all possible types of prompt and secondary emission signals. We compare our results with the constraints and (or) projections from cosmological and terrestrial observations. We find that, for both the sub-GeV DM models, the current observations constrain the annihilation cross-section at the level of $\langle \sigma v \rangle \lesssim 10^{-27} {\rm cm}^3/{\rm s}$, or lower for some specific mass ranges or under optimistic assumptions. Moreover, new unconstrained DM parameter space can be probed at the upcoming instruments like COSI, thanks to the inclusion of secondary photons which in many cases provide the dominant signal.

Globular clusters (GCs) are crucial for studying stellar dynamics and galactic structure, yet precise measurements of their distances and masses are often limited by uncertainties in electromagnetic (EM) observations. We present a novel method that leverages gravitational waves (GWs) from stellar-mass binary black holes (BBHs) orbiting within GCs to enhance the precision of GC parameter measurements. The BBH's orbital motion imprints characteristic modulations on the GW waveform, encoding information about the host GC. Using post-Newtonian waveforms and Lorentz transformations, we simulate modulated GW signals and evaluate the resulting parameter constraints via a Fisher information matrix analysis. Our results show that incorporating GW observations can significantly reduce the uncertainties in GC distance and mass measurements, in many cases achieving improvements by an order of magnitude. These findings demonstrate the value of BBHs as dynamical probes and highlight the power of GWs to advance GC studies beyond the limits of traditional EM methods.

We present a fast Bayesian inference framework to address the growing computational cost of gravitational-wave parameter estimation. The increased cost is driven by improved broadband detector sensitivity, particularly at low frequencies due to advances in detector commissioning, resulting in longer in-band signals and a higher detection rate. Waveform models now incorporate features like higher-order modes, further increasing the complexity of standard inference methods. Our framework employs meshfree likelihood interpolation with radial basis functions to accelerate Bayesian inference using the IMRPhenomXHM waveform model that incorporates higher modes of the gravitational-wave signal. In the initial start-up stage, interpolation nodes are placed within a constant-match metric ellipsoid in the intrinsic parameter space. During sampling, likelihood is evaluated directly using the precomputed interpolants, bypassing the costly steps of on-the-fly waveform generation and overlap-integral computation. We improve efficiency by sampling in a rotated parameter space aligned with the eigenbasis of the metric ellipsoid, where parameters are uncorrelated by construction. This speeds up sampler convergence. This method yields unbiased parameter recovery when applied to 100 simulated neutron-star-black-hole signals (NSBH) in LIGO-Virgo data, while reducing computational cost by up to an order of magnitude for the longest-duration signal. The meshfree framework equally applies to symmetric compact binary systems dominated by the quadrupole mode, supporting parameter estimation across a broad range of sources. Applied to a simulated NSBH signal in Einstein Telescope data, where the effects of Earth's rotation are neglected for simplicity, our method achieves an O(10^4) speed-up, demonstrating its potential use in the third-generation (3G) era.

We present a bounce universe in modified $f(Q,C)$ gravity considering linear as well as exponential form of gravity. Bounce cosmological models are introduced to remove the singularity problem of the early universe. A new quadratic boundary term ($C^2$), which is added in the modified gravity to study different features of the universe in the framework of bouncing cosmology. Both power law expansion and exponential emergent universe are explored in linear modified gravity. The energy conditions and stability of cosmological bounce are investigated. We also compared power law expansion in linear and exponential form of modified gravity.

Understanding compressible turbulence is critical for modeling atmospheric, astrophysical, and engineering flows. However, compressible turbulence poses a more significant challenge than incompressible turbulence. We present a novel mathematical framework to compute \textit{mode-to-mode energy transfer rates} and energy fluxes for compressible flows. The formalism captures detailed energy conservation within triads and allows decomposition of transfers into rotational, compressive, and mixed components, providing a clear picture of energy exchange among velocity and internal energy modes. We also establish analogies with incompressible hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic flows, highlighting the framework's universality in studying energy transfers.

For an uncharged test particle in the Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson spacetime, two classes of remarkable orbits are worked out, both in exact forms. First, for both prograde and retrograde motions, the radii of innermost stable circular orbits are expressed fully in terms of the outer and inner horizon radii just like Kerr black holes, despite the fact that Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson black holes have three parameters. Second, closed analytic solutions are given to the problem of a test particle inspiraling toward the Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson black hole from innermost stable circular orbits at the infinitely distant past. These exact solutions can serve as a springboard for more general solutions and astrophysical applications in the future.