Papers for Tuesday, Mar 31 2026

In this article, we investigate a new parametrization of the dark energy equation of state (EoS) with a single parameter for a barotropic fluid that deviates from the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. We derive observational constraints on the model parameters using recent datasets including Observational Hubble Data (OHD), Pantheon+SH0ES (PPS), and Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Baryon Acoustic Oscillations Data Release 2 (DESI BAO DR2). We constrain the best fit value of the parameter as, $\alpha =0.239 \pm 0.07$ at 68\% CL from joint analysis, which is non-null and suggests deviations from the cosmological constant. The model accommodates varying values of Hubble constant from different datasets and joint analysis yields $H_0 = 68.40 \pm 0.23$ $\mathrm{Km\,s^ {-1} Mpc^{-1}}$ at 68\% CL. We examine the physical behavior of the model by analyzing the deceleration parameter, the age of the universe, and the Om(z) diagnose. The deceleration parameter confirms a smooth transition from the past deceleration phase to the present cosmic acceleration as well as and also a second future transition back to deceleration, when PPS data is employed.

We present a detailed study of the stellar kinematic properties of red member galaxies in the cores of four strong lensing galaxy clusters at intermediate redshift included in the the Hubble Frontier Fields programme: Abell 2744 ($z=0.307$), Abell S1063 ($z=0.346$), MACS J0416.1$-$2403 ($z=0.397$), and MACS J1149.6$+$2223 ($z=0.542$). We focussed on a sample of 723 red cluster members in the four clusters and we measured their structural parameters using MORPHOFIT for all Hubble Frontier Fields bands. Taking advantage of deep (3.1h to 17h of exposure) integral-field spectroscopy from MUSE on the Very Large Telescope, we tested a pipeline based on the public spectral fitting code pPXF to systematically measure the line-of-sight stellar velocity dispersion $\sigma$ of cluster members with a spectral $S/N\geq 10$, with a statistical uncertainty consistently below 5%. The resulting catalogue contains 213 measured $\sigma$ values across the four clusters. We calibrated the Fundamental Plane relation in the rest-frame $r$ band for the early-type cluster members, selected from their colour and morphology, finding compatible parameters both across the clusters, and noting hints of zero-point evolution with redshift. Finally, we used the calibrated Fundamental Plane relations to assign a velocity dispersion value to all 723 red cluster members and studied the velocity dispersion function for each cluster, down to $\log \sigma \, \mathrm{[km \, s^{-1}] = 1.5}$. A Schechter-function fit of the velocity functions suggests compatible parameters: a positive $\alpha$ slope with values in the range $0.55-1.60$, and $\log\sigma^*\, [\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}]$ between $2.18$ and $2.47$. Compared to previous works, we extend the systematic study of the central velocity dispersion of cluster galaxies to lower-$\sigma$ regimes.

Kilonovae (KNe) are the electromagnetic signatures of neutron star mergers and are likely the dominant site of cosmic $r$-process nucleosynthesis. However, their intrinsic rate remains poorly constrained due to a paucity of confirmed events. We use the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) to place limits on the rate of bright, nearby KNe over an 11-year baseline ranging from 2014 to 2024. To evaluate the survey's completeness for KNe, we employ an injection-recovery simulation using a shock-cooling cocoon model calibrated to the early blue emission of the only well-sampled KN, SSS17a (AT 2017gfo). Finding no KNe within the survey, we calculate a $2\sigma$ ($\sim95\%$) upper limit on the local volumetric KN rate of $R_{\mathrm{KN}} < 4400\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}\,\mathrm{Gpc}^{-3}$. Despite ASAS-SN's shallower limiting magnitude compared to other time-domain searches, its continuous, high-cadence, all-sky monitoring yields a constraint that is competitive with the strongest results from electromagnetic surveys but remains a factor of 18 higher than the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA GWTC-4 estimate of the binary neutron star merger rate.

Observations and cosmological simulations indicate that the early Universe hosted numerous compact, high-density stellar systems, where close encounters and physical collisions between stars were likely common. We develop a bottom-up framework for stellar dynamics in such environments, spanning systems with and without intermediate- and supermassive black holes, and covering regimes where stellar collisions may or may not dominate the evolution. This radially-resolved analytic model connects dense star clusters in their cosmological context to observable outcomes mediated by stellar collisions. Initial conditions and environmental properties are drawn from high-resolution cosmological simulations, enabling exploration across a broad region of parameter space. The analytic predictions are validated against Monte Carlo simulations, demonstrating good agreement across key regimes. We find that stellar collisions are ubiquitous in many high-redshift environments, with runaway sequences naturally leading to the formation of very massive stars at early times. Finally, we show that high rates of destructive collisions can rapidly build up extremely dense gaseous environments around massive black holes, potentially providing an analogue to the observed population of Little Red Dots.

Extremely low metallicity stars are intensely studied as they take observations the closest to the very first generations of stars in the universe. Widely assumed to be enriched by just one dying massive star, some of these very metal poor stars have abnormal chemical abundance ratios and have been taken to reflect a rare hypernova (with high explosion energy $\gtrsim \ 10^{52}$ erg.). Here we remodel the enrichment of three such stars and show that their abundances are better explained by enrichment from a normal (less energetic) supernova accounting for inhomogeneous distribution of the ejecta. This work establishes the importance of the inhomogeneity of supernovae, serves as a template for a required reassessment of all metal-poor/peculiar stars, and raises the need to quantify this inhomogeneity both in theory and in observations.

Water ice is expected to be the dominant volatile component of bodies formed in the outer Solar System. However, recent observations of comets and trans-Neptunian objects suggest that the relative abundances of ices can vary substantially, with some bodies exhibiting unusually high CO/H$_2$O ratios. We study the prospects of producing CO-rich pebbles and planetesimals. We use a one-dimensional protoplanetary disk model with dust evolution including coagulation, fragmentation, and radial drift, water and CO ice and vapors evolution, and planetesimal formation via the streaming instability. We compare models with and without the disk formation stage. CO-rich pebbles can be formed at the CO snow line due to the cold finger effect, regardless of whether the disk buildup is included. Models including disk buildup show stronger CO enhancement relative to water in the outer disk. However, CO-rich planetesimals do not form in the smooth disk models. The formation of CO-rich planetesimals likely requires mechanisms that preserve the CO-enriched ice reservoir, such as pressure traps or gas removal processes. Models concerning the chemical evolution of protoplanetary disks and its impact on the atmospheric C/O ratio of forming planets should consider the disk buildup stage.

We present the characterisation, including a photometric redshift (photo-$z$) analysis, of the optical counterparts (CTPs) to over 45 000 bright ($S_{856\rm MHz} \geq$ 30 mJy) compact radio sources, identified across all ASKAP First Large Absorption Survey in HI (FLASH) fields observed up to April 2025. These sources constitute a large, homogeneous population of background continuum sightlines specifically selected to enable statistical studies of cold gas at intermediate redshifts of $0.42 \leq z \leq 1$. As spectroscopic redshift measurements are not available for the majority of these candidate absorbers, we estimate photo-$z$s for the CTPs of all FLASH continuum sources cross-matched to the tenth data release of the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys (LS10). Using these estimates, we establish the redshift distribution and find that approximately 13% of continuum sources lie at $z<0.42$ (foreground), 35% within the detectability range of FLASH (`in-band'), and 52% at $z>1$ (background). We examine the subset of FLASH continuum sources with CTPs in the eROSITA X-ray survey, providing additional insight into their AGN content, multiwavelength properties, and environments. Finally, we discuss how this information can be used as a statistical prior to aid in distinguishing between associated and intervening HI absorption systems and estimating the total comoving absorption path length of the survey, establishing a framework for incorporating redshift-based priors in future large radio absorption surveys. We release a catalogue of LS10 counterparts to FLASH continuum sources, providing photo-$z$ estimates, associated uncertainties, and measures of redshift degeneracies.

Understanding heating processes in galaxy clusters is essential for predicting the regulation of radiative cooling and star formation, and for clarifying the mechanisms underlying active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback in cool-core clusters. We investigate the processes through which AGN jets deposit heat into the intracluster medium (ICM) by tracking passive entropy scalars in magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. This enables us to systematically disentangle the contributions from different heating channels. We successfully validate this method with several idealized tests, including turbulent heating, heating by anisotropic Braginskii viscosity, dissipative and adiabatic heating by shocks using in-situ shock-detection methods, and cosmic ray (CR) heating through the excitations and damping of Alfvén waves. Using this methodology, we simulate single-epoch outbursts of high-power jets with varying densities in a cluster environment. Light jets produce wider bubbles, displacing a larger fraction of the gas in the cluster's core, whereas comparatively denser jets propagate more efficiently to larger distances without significantly disturbing the central region. During early evolution, shock heating dominates for the jets irrespective of their densities. At later times, light jets primarily heat the ICM through turbulent dissipation, while the denser jets continue to dissipate most of their energy via shocks. Turbulent and/or mixing-driven heating prevails inside the cocoon, whereas shock and acoustic compressions dominate outside. In light jets, the forward shock weakens rapidly, whereas dense jets can sustain strong bow shocks to large distances. This heating estimator allows us to identify the dominant heating mechanism responsible for resolving the cooling flow problem in future self-regulated AGN jet simulations.

The internal mass structure of elliptical galaxies offers critical insights into galaxy formation, yet disentangling stellar mass from dark matter and determining the stellar initial mass function (IMF) remains challenging. We present a detailed analysis of ESO0286-G022 ($z=0.0312$), a rare nearby strong-lens system with a fast-rotating elliptical galaxy, combining high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging with VLT/MUSE integral-field stellar kinematics. We construct axisymmetric and triaxial Schwarzschild orbit-superposition models to reconstruct its intrinsic shape and mass distribution. Despite being a fast rotator, ESO0286 exhibits clear kinematic signatures of intrinsic triaxiality, characterized by rotation along both the major and minor axes, making it only the second such confirmed case. By incorporating the mass enclosed within the Einstein radius from strong lensing as a complementary constraint, we tightly anchor the total mass at large radii. This significantly reduces the uncertainty on the outer mass profile and orbital structure, demonstrating that only models with strong radial anisotropy beyond the IFU field of view are compatible with the data. In the inner regions, we robustly constrain an upper limit for the stellar mass around $r \sim 0.7$ kpc, ruling out an IMF more bottom-heavy than Kroupa, though a gentle gradient toward a slightly heavier central IMF is permitted. This aligns with recent dynamical studies of local massive early-type galaxies but contrasts with heavier IMFs reported for lenses at $z>0.1$. Our work demonstrates the power of combining lensing and dynamical modeling to resolve the detailed inner structure of massive galaxies.

Satellite galaxies undergo ram pressure stripping, in which their gas is directly removed by a hydrodynamical interaction with the surrounding host halo gas. In clusters, ram pressure stripped tails of gas have been observed to be multiphase, even forming stars within the stripped material. Some observations find a specific age gradient along the tail, with old stars closer to the galaxy disk, and a ``fireball'' toy model has been proposed in which a gas cloud being accelerated away from a galaxy continuously forms stars. In this paper, we simulate individual gas clouds (with masses of ~10$^6$ M$_\odot$ and radii of a few-100 pc) interacting with an intracluster medium wind, and include star formation. We find that our accelerating clouds do generally produce a stellar age gradient with younger stars formed farther along the wind direction and with higher velocities. However, our simulations are more physically accurate than an empirical model of monolithic cloud acceleration, leading to strongly nonmonotonic age gradients. First, the evolution of the gas cloud, both from cloud compression and collapse as well as from the shredding of cloud material into downwind filaments, can lead to stars formed simultaneously at a range of heights and velocities. Second, the gravity from the gas and stars of the cloud can lead to velocity evolution of newly-formed stars. We conclude that the most distinct fireball stellar age gradients are formed from star-forming clouds that are rapidly accelerated and shredded by their surroundings.

The integral-field unit (IFU) spectrometers on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) undersample the nearly diffraction-limited point spread function provided by the telescope optics. This undersampling produces large oscillating spectral artifacts when the data is resampled into regularly-gridded data cubes, which poses a significant challenge for many scientific analyses. We describe here a generalized technique to use cubic basis spline models to interpolate the observed spectral traces onto a higher-resolution grid prior to data cube rectification, which largely eliminates these artifacts in addition to helping reduce biases in point source spectra from clusters of bad pixels. We demonstrate the utility of this adaptive resampling technique for a variety of JWST NIRSpec and MIRI MRS observations ranging from isolated point sources to embedded AGN, crowded stellar fields with diffuse emission, and protostars with rich molecular bands.

The expansion of exoplanet observations has created a need for flexible, accessible, and user-friendly workflows. Transmission spectroscopy has become a key technique for probing atmospheric composition of transiting exoplanets. The analyses of these data require the combination of archival queries, literature search, the use of radiative transfer models, and Bayesian retrieval frameworks, each demanding specialized expertise. Modern large language models enable the coordinated execution of complex, multi-step tasks by AI agents with tool integration, structured prompts, and iterative reasoning. In this study we present ASTER, an Agentic Science Toolkit for Exoplanet Research. ASTER is an orchestration framework that brings LLM capability to the exoplanetary community by enabling LLM-driven interaction with integrated domain-specific tools, workflow planning and management, and support for common data analysis tasks. Currently ASTER incorporates tools for downloading planetary parameters and observational datasets from the NASA Exoplanet Archive, as well as the generation of transit spectra from the TauREx radiative transfer model, and the completion of Bayesian retrieval of planetary parameters with TauREx. Beyond tool integration, the agent assists users by proposing alternative modeling approaches, reporting potential issues and suggesting solutions, and interpretations. We demonstrate ASTER's workflow through a complete case study of WASP-39b, performing multiple retrievals using observational data available on the archive. The agent efficiently transitions between datasets, generates appropriate forward model spectra and performs retrievals. ASTER provides a unified platform for the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. Ongoing development and community contributions will continue expanding ASTER's capabilities toward broader applications in exoplanet research.

The conditions under which binary black hole (BBH) mergers embedded in active galactic nucleus (AGN) disks produce detectable optical counterparts remain poorly constrained observationally. We report multi-epoch optical imaging and spectroscopic follow-up of S240413p, an O4 BBH candidate with 98\% classification confidence, obtained with the T80-South telescope through the S-PLUS Transient Extension Program (STEP). Our observations cover the 99\% credible region across epochs that span $\sim$300 days post-merger. We prioritize AGN-hosted environments and identify two transient candidates, STEP2024gab/ZTF18acvgziq and STEP2024phe/ZTF19aaflhnr. SOAR/Goodman spectroscopy and archival DESI spectra yield host supermassive black hole masses of $\log M_\mathrm{SMBH}/\mathrm{M}_\odot = 7.15 \pm 0.05$ and $8.02 \pm 0.04$. We compute predicted flare delay distributions for each host using a thermal radiation-driven outflow emission model and the spectroscopically derived host properties. Migration traps produced by thermal torques occur at $R_\text{BH}/R_g \approx 10^{4.2}$ and $10^{3.4}$ for the two hosts, with predicted flare delays spanning tens to several hundred days; our late epoch at $\sim$ 300 days coincides with both the peak of these distributions and the migration trap locations, while early epochs overlap only their tails. We find no confirmed counterpart; a seasonal visibility gap leaves open the possibility that a flare occurred undetected, the merger may not have occurred within the AGN disk itself, or any emission may have been obscured by intrinsic AGN variability. These results demonstrate that long-baseline, AGN-prioritized monitoring is a necessary condition for accessing the highest probability region of BBH merger parameter space, and establish the need for physically informed follow-up strategies in the Rubin/LSST era.

We reformulate the stellar structure equations in the language of dynamical systems and show that the maximum mass of stellar sequences arises from the existence of a fixed point in the relativistic regime. In an appropriate representation of the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations, this fixed point becomes manifest and is directly associated with the turnover of the mass-radius curve. The existence of a fixed point implies an effective reduction in dimensionality near the onset of instability, which provides a simple explanation for several equation-of-state-insensitive relations and predicts new ones. In the weakly relativistic limit, we identify a complementary universal structure shared by stellar sequences at their maximum mass, which we term the "compressible limit," and derive distinct universal relations governing the maximum mass in the Newtonian and post-Newtonian regimes. Combining these theoretical results with current astrophysical constraints, we show that the J0740+6620 pulsar is unlikely to lie near the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff maximum mass unless the equation of state exhibits a strong first-order phase transition at densities just above its central density.

We present a study of the gas-driven orbital evolution of unequal mass black hole binaries with circumbinary gas disks (CBDs), varying Mach number and viscosity (nu). Using two-dimensional grid-based hydrodynamics simulations spanning a thousand binary orbits at fixed separation, we explore low to moderate mass ratios (q = 0.05-1.0) and examine how variations in Mach and q affect the torques and component accretion rates exerted by the CBD and consequently the binary evolution. Equal mass binary systems receive positive torques in low-mach disks but transition to negative torques for Mach >25. As q decreases, the transition moves to higher Mach numbers. For q<0.1, we find no torque sign reversal below Mach~52, except in sufficiently low-viscosity disks. We find that the secondary black hole cannot effectively repel the CBD, it instead accretes most of the inflowing gas from the CBD; these low mass ratio binaries in high viscosity disks therefore tend to outspiral, although inspiral can occur in less viscous environments. We also find that binaries with mass ratios in the range of 0.25 - 0.5 can show preferential accretion favoring the primary when the gas viscosity is low, exemplifying an exception to the established rule of thumb that accretion favors the secondary. We discuss differences between our results and those reported in the literature on the orbital evolution and preferential accretion, and emphasize that our simulations extend into a regime that remains largely unexplored. Overall, our results suggest that intermediate mass ratio inspirals (IMRIs) in CBDs may be less frequent, but this depends sensitively on the interplay between mass ratio, disk temperature, and viscosity.

Turbulent accretion disks threaded by a large-scale vertical field near equipartition can drive tenuous and fast self-confined jets. Self-similar solutions of these jet-emitting disks (JEDs) have been known for a long time and provide the distributions of all physical quantities, from the turbulent disk to the asymptotic regime of ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) jets. However, a thorough comparison with time-dependent numerical simulations has never been achieved, mostly because mass-loss rates found in simulations were always larger than those found analytically. This tension may have cast doubt on the analytical approach, the numerical one, or both. Our goal is to bridge the gap between these two complementary approaches and settle this long-standing issue. We performed 2.5D (axisymmetric) simulations of resistive and viscous accretion disks described by the same parameter sets as analytical JED solutions. The results demonstrate an almost perfect agreement between the numerical and analytical solutions, thereby resolving the previously observed tension. The simulations also confirm that JEDs behave as dynamical attractors: starting from different initial conditions, the system consistently converges toward the expected steady-state solution. This work demonstrates that self-similar solutions provide valuable insights into accretion-ejection physics. However, as 2.5D numerical simulations which rely on alpha-prescriptions, they strongly depend on the assumptions made for turbulent terms. In contrast, 3D simulations capture the turbulence, but become prohibitively expensive when modeling large-scale astrophysical systems. We advocate for the use of global 3D simulations to investigate turbulence and to derive physically motivated prescriptions for use in 2.5D studies.

The observed census of resonant extrasolar planets spans a tantalizing display of orbital architectures, ranging from familiar 2:1 and 3:2 mean-motion commensurabilities to nearly co-orbital configurations characterized by period ratios close to unity. While mean-motion resonances are widely recognized as signposts of convergent disk-driven migration, the process through which the most compact systems are established remains puzzling, since resonance capture must repeatedly fail at a series of first-order commensurabilities before finally succeeding at a high resonant index. Motivated by this discrepancy, here we develop an analytic theory that fuses the stability-based resonance capture criterion with the conventional paradigm of active accretion disks and the standard model of type-I migration. Within this framework, we derive an expression for the stellocentric radius of resonance capture, $r_{\rm{c}}$, and show that it depends only on the product of the disk viscosity parameter, $\alpha$, and the opacity-contributing small-grain mass fraction, $f_\mu$. Applying this formalism to Kepler-36 - the most compact known resonant system with a 7:6 period ratio - we find that resonance locking could not have been established near the disk's inner edge. Instead, capture must have occurred at $r_{\rm{c}}\approx 1-4$ AU, implying orbital decay of the planetary pair by approximately an order of magnitude. Viewed in this light, compact resonant architectures provide the clearest evidence for long-range migration among sub-Jovian planets. Moreover, the emerging picture is fully consistent with formation models in which super-Earths accrete within localized rings of planetesimals at orbital distances comparable to those that gave rise to the terrestrial planets of the Solar System.

We present new MeerKAT 21cm spectral line observations of the neutral hydrogen gas in the compact galaxy group Stephan's Quintet (HCG 92). These data provide a significantly improved view of the atomic gas distribution and kinematics in the group. New features include the first detections of HI associated with member galaxies NGC 7319 and NGC 7320C, the identification of an additional high-velocity HI component associated with SQ-A, and the detection of additional HI at low velocities filling much of the area of the NGC~7318B disk. We also find HI in the previously detected gas bridge linking NGC 7319 and NGC 7318B, and a new northern bridge linking NGC 7319 to the SQ-A star-formation region. We detect HI with a wide range of velocities along the line of sight through the northern half of the famous shock ridge, including in the 6200-6500$\rm\,km\,s^{-1}$ velocity range occupied by shocked H$\alpha$ emission. We examine the morphology and velocity structure of the HI and consider the origins of different components, finding some evidence that while the gas associated with NGC 7318B has been disturbed by its collision with the group, it may still retain a component of disk rotation. We find no gaseous connection between the tidal tails and NGC 7320C, but reaffirm the close connection between the shocked gas in the ridge (traced by X-ray, radio continuum and warm H$_2$ emission) and the southern tidal tail. Based on the integrated spectrum, we find a total HI mass in the group of 3.5$\pm$0.4$\times$10$^{10}\,M_{\odot}$, higher than the VLA estimate and comparable to FAST.

The Small Body Dynamics Tool (SBDynT) is software written for the community of Solar System small body researchers to perform dynamical classification, characterization, and investigation. SBDynT provides advanced simulation analysis capabilities that make it straightforward to determine mean motion resonance occupation, proper orbital elements, and a variety of stability indicators. These calculations can be performed for small bodies that are known, newly discovered, or simulated; observational uncertainties can be incorporated through the use of dynamical clones. In this paper, we describe the methods for producing proper orbital elements and stability indicators, which serve as essential tools for characterizing dynamical stability and long-term evolution. Through extensive validation, we demonstrate that this code offers a robust open-source framework for investigating the dynamics of Solar System small bodies with high accuracy. We also aim for computational efficiency allowing SBDynT to provide dynamical information for the several-fold increases in small bodies expected in the LSST era.

The physical quantities that directly regulate AGN feedback in massive galaxies remain poorly understood. Observations of molecular gas surrounding AGNs suggest that this gas serves as a fuel source for AGN activity. Accordingly, we study the relationship between AGN activity and molecular gas properties. In this study, we analyze a large sample of nearby AGNs with available measurements of molecular gas mass, radio luminosity, and \oiii~luminosity. Our results show that radio luminosity and \oiii~luminosity exhibit stronger correlations with molecular gas mass than with other physical parameters such as black hole mass, stellar mass, and bulge mass. Moreover, when controlling for the correlations between radio luminosity, \oiii~luminosity, and molecular gas mass, the relationships between these luminosities and other key physical parameters become significantly weaker or disappear entirely. This suggests that, of all the properties we have considered, it is the molecular gas mass that is most tightly correlated with radio and \oiii~luminosity, and may thus be the most important driver of nuclear activity.

A repeating partial tidal disruption event (rpTDE) is typically modelled as a star in a bounded orbit getting disrupted by a massive black hole at each pericenter passage. For the disruption to occur, the pericenter distance should be close to or within the characteristic tidal radius, such that the tidal field can overcome the star's binding force to trigger mass loss. However, a binary with a pericenter distance several times the tidal radius can build up its tidal perturbation over multiple orbits via a diffusive process, eventually triggering a nonlinear instability that may also eject mass and power an eruption. This leads to repeated disruptions that recur stochastically. In this letter, we propose that such a mechanism can produce a subclass of rpTDEs with large variations in the recurrence time (e.g., J0456-20), which we dub ``diffusive-tide rpTDEs''. We show that diffusive tidal growth can occur for a white dwarf or main-sequence star orbiting a massive black hole when the pericenter distance is a few times the tidal radius, provided the orbital period is shorter than the tidal energy dissipation timescale. These diffusive-tide rpTDEs may account for a significant fraction of all rpTDEs.

Tight and compact binary systems, such as double neutron star binaries, are believed to undergo a common envelope evolution phase, resulting in strongly bound orbits. During this phase, the outer layers of the primary star are expelled, resulting in orbital shrinkage. However, a part of the expelled material may remain as a circumbinary disk, which can further influence subsequent orbital evolution. In this study, we investigated orbital evolution in the presence of a circumbinary disk within a simplified framework by assuming that orbital contraction and disk dissipation occur over the viscous timescale. The results showed that the orbit of the binary system after the common envelope evolution phase was further contracted by up to $\sim 17 \%$ due to the presence of the circumbinary disk, irrespective of the disk's mass and structure. This additional orbital contraction following the common envelope evolution phase may have significant implications for the formation rate of double neutron star binaries that merge within a cosmic timescale.

In this work, we have considered a minimally modified gravity theory that effectively reproduces VCDM-like behavior to investigate its cosmological implications. The model parameters are constrained using a combination of CC, RSD, DESI BAO DR2, and Union3 datasets. The model parameters are constrained using an MCMC framework, ensuring a robust estimation of credible intervals. We examine both background and perturbation-level observables, analyzing the Hubble parameter, deceleration parameter, effective equation of state, distance modulus, and the growth rate of cosmic structures through the \(f\sigma_8(z)\) observable. Our results show that the model successfully reproduces the observed expansion history, featuring a smooth transition in the Hubble evolution around \(z \simeq 0.3\), and consistent behaviour of cosmological parameters. The model outperforms \(\Lambda\)CDM in the statistical comparisons for the full dataset combination (CC+RSD+DESI DR2+Union3). These results highlight the potential of minimally modified gravity theories with VCDM-like dynamics as consistent and competitive alternatives to the standard cosmological paradigm.

Co-orbital bodies (Trojans) share a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with a planet. Although Trojans are common in the Solar System, none has yet been confirmed in an exoplanetary system. Hot Jupiters are not expected to retain primordial co-orbitals efficiently, but their deep and frequent transits make them favorable targets for observational constraints using transit timing variations (TTVs). As part of the ExoEcho project, we analyze TESS photometry for 260 confirmed hot Jupiters with published RV-based masses to search for TTV signals compatible with Trojan companions. We derive transit times and compare the observed residuals with co-orbital models computed with REBOUND N-body simulations. Accounting for the degeneracy between Trojan mass and libration amplitude, we place upper mass limits on possible companions over a range of typical libration amplitudes. For a representative libration amplitude of 15 deg, we rule out exotrojans more massive than 1 Earth mass in 130 systems, corresponding to about 50% of the sample. A more conservative chi-square analysis that incorporates observational uncertainties raises this threshold to 3 Earth masses. We further combine these limits with dynamical-stability constraints for the 1:1 resonance to exclude unstable configurations. Our results provide population-level constraints on massive exotrojans in short-period systems and establish a framework for future high-precision searches with missions such as PLATO and ET (Earth 2.0).

Two-component jets are frequently invoked to explain complex features in gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows, such as late-time rebrightening and chromatic breaks. While many studies fit these models to individual events, a systematic exploration mapping the broader parameter space, particularly the reverse shock contribution, is currently lacking. To address this, we present a comprehensive systematic analysis of two-component jet signatures using numerical modeling with the VegasAfterglow code. Our modeling shows that observable rebrightenings in the forward shock require the wing to carry substantially more energy, while for the reverse shock the energies can be comparable. Because the two components can occupy different spectral regimes, spectral breaks may arise when the wing emission overtakes the core. When the wing's initial velocity is high, relativistic beaming can render its emission invisible to the on-axis observer. As the flow decelerates, the resulting debeaming produces a steeper rise in the observed emission, reaching temporal slopes as steep as about $4.5$ and peaking shortly after the core jet break. In this case, the wing masks the core's break, leaving only a single late-time break. Slower wings that are not initially beamed away do not obscure the core, allowing the observer to see two distinct jet breaks. At late times, the decaying post-jet-break slopes are unaffected and limited to temporal slopes of about $-p$. Additionally, the forward shock dominates the emission across most of the parameter space, while the reverse shock contributes noticeably only under conditions of high magnetization and long engine durations.

We present a comprehensive study of X-ray absorption by sulfur (S), argon (Ar), and calcium (Ca) in the interstellar medium (ISM) along the line of sight to the low-mass X-ray binary MAXI J1744$-$294, using high-resolution XRISM Resolve spectra complemented by Chandra HETG data. The analysis employs an updated ISMabs model, incorporating newly computed $R$-matrix photoabsorption cross-sections for Ca I$-$Ca III, and existing cross-sections for higher ionization states. We find that S and Ar are predominantly in low-ionization states, with S II and Ar II dominating the cold and warm ISM phases, while higher-ionization species are constrained by upper limits. Calcium is primarily detected in low-ionization states, consistent with strong depletion into dust grains, with only marginal contributions from highly ionized ions. Using the measured ionic column densities, we infer hydrogen column densities of $N_{\rm H} \sim 1.1$-$1.3 \times 10^{23}\,\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$ from S and Ar, while the Ca-based value, tracing the neutral ISM, is in agreement with these estimates, highlighting the consistency across different tracers. Our results demonstrate the diagnostic power of combining multiple elements to probe ISM ionization structure, elemental depletion, and dust composition, and provide the first X-ray constraints on calcium absorption in the interstellar medium.

Narrow, highly ionized X-ray emission lines in black hole low-mass X-ray binaries (BH-LMXBs) are rare and have been observed in only a few sources, during unusual, heavily obscured accretion states. We report on a detailed high-resolution spectral analysis of emission line features from the first XRISM observation of a BH-LMXB candidate in a bright soft state, MAXI J1744-294/Swift J174540.2-290037, in the central parsec region of our galaxy. The source was observed as part of an extensive, coordinated multi-wavelength campaign on its recurring X-ray outburst in early 2025. By carefully modeling the contributions of multiple point sources and diffuse emission within the XRISM/Resolve field of view, and combining these data with broadband X-ray coverage from XMM-Newton and NuSTAR (Paper I), we identified a narrow ($\sigma \sim 500-1000$ km s$^{-1}$), static emission component intrinsic to the system. This component likely arises from a highly ionized (log $\xi \gtrsim 5.5$) photoionized plasma in the inner disk atmosphere, and is accompanied by a weak, narrow Fe I K$\alpha$ line at 6.4 keV. We also detected at least three narrow emission features at atypical energies between 6.7 and 7.1 keV. The lack of corresponding rest-frame atomic transitions points toward highly ionized blueshifted Fe lines with outflow velocities of $-1300$ to $-6000$ km s$^{-1}$, which we model with multiple layers of photoionized or collisional plasma. We explore scenarios in which these unprecedented features are produced by multiple phases in a jet and/or a disk wind, and discuss potential similarities between MAXI J1744- 294 and the exotic microquasar SS 433.

The Galactic center is a complex and crowded region hosting the supermassive black hole Sgr A*, numerous accreting compact objects, and diffuse X-ray emission. This paper presents the first in a series of studies analyzing the XRISM observation of the X-ray transient MAXI J1744-294/Swift J174540.2-290037, located $\sim18''$ from Sgr A*. The observation, conducted in March 2025, along with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR coverage, aimed to investigate the Fe emission features of MAXI J1744-294 during its outburst. However, the region surrounding the source is heavily contaminated by X-ray emission from various diffuse and point sources, including strong line contributions from the supernova remnant Sgr A East and the Galactic center X-ray emission (GCXE). Additionally, the nearby neutron star low-mass X-ray binary (NS-LMXB) AX J1745.6-2901 was also in outburst during the XRISM observation, further complicating the spectral analysis. This study focuses on disentangling the contributions of these overlapping sources by robustly modeling the background contamination and spatial-spectral mixing. We describe the methodologies, region selection, and data reduction techniques applied to the different instruments. Two complementary approaches -- empirical and physical modeling -- are employed to characterize diffuse emission and point-source contributions. The results provide a foundation for the detailed spectral analysis of MAXI J1744-294, AX J1745.6-2901, and the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM), which will be presented in subsequent papers. This study highlights the challenges and robust solutions for analyzing XRISM/Resolve data from crowded regions in conjunction with other X-ray telescope data.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are among the main drivers of space weather hazards. In this context, HENON is a new space mission designed to carry out observations in the solar wind upstream of the Earth, aiming to provide timely alerts for hazardous perturbations propagating towards the Earth. HENON will orbit Earth on a distant retrograde orbit, approximately 0.082 AU upstream of the Earth when it is on the Sun-Earth line. The measurements taken by HENON will allow us to determine plasma and magnetic field parameters with a lead time of several hours with respect to the Lagrangian point L1. We assess the VB_z parameter variations (the product of solar wind speed V and southward magnetic field B_z) along the HENON orbit. Given its role as a primary driver of geomagnetic activity, we analyse how these measurements change with respect to Earth's position to evaluate HENON's forecasting potential. We used the FRi3D CME model of the EUHFORIA simulation code to characterize the initial properties of the CME. FRi3D allows us to set the CME magnetic field as a magnetic flux rope. From the simulation results, we evaluated the VB_z parameter at nine virtual spacecraft positions along the planned HENON orbit. The heliocentric longitudes of the virtual spacecraft range from about -6.9° to 6.9°, while the geocentric longitudes vary from -60° to +60° in steps of 15°. The initial direction of propagation of the CME central apex is either along the Sun-Earth line or at heliocentric longitudes of {\pm}30°. We find that with the proposed orbital parameters, the values of the VBz parameter along the HENON orbit are sufficiently similar to those measured in the vicinity of the Earth to be useful for space weather forecasts. HENON enables reliable VB_z estimates 2-8 hours in advance, improving space weather forecasting and protection of critical infrastructure and satellites.

Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs) are pivotal in various scientific fields, including neutrino physics, gamma-ray astronomy, and cosmic-ray research. The detection sensitivity and precision of these detectors crucially rely on photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) to capture Cherenkov radiation produced by charged particles moving faster than the speed of light in water. In recent years, employing multiPMT modules has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance large volume water and ice Cherenkov detector performance. In this work we explore the use of a multiPMT module in small WCD units, arranged in arrays as typically used to detect Extensive Air Showers (EAS). We outline a possible configuration and present the advantages it can offer for data analysis, as demonstrated through dedicated simulations. We investigate the potential of multiPMTs in capturing the features of the Cherenkov light distribution originated by single muons and discuss its possible application for muon tagging in WCD arrays.

We study a minimal modified gravity scenario in the symmetric teleparallel (non-metricity) formulation, focusing on an inverse non-metricity term with $f(Q)=Q+M^4 Q^{-1}$. The model does not introduce additional free parameters relative to $\Lambda$CDM, but modifies the late-time expansion and linear growth via an enhanced effective gravitational coupling. We identify key signatures: an enhanced matter power spectrum and CMB lensing, alongside a reduced late-time ISW effect and a shift in CMB peak positions. We confront the model with CMB data alone and in combination with BAO, RSD, SNIa, and DES large-scale structure data, considering both fixed minimal neutrino mass and varying $\Sigma m_\nu$. We find that the model typically prefers higher $H_0$ than $\Lambda$CDM, alleviating the $H_0$ tension, while its boosted growth tends to increase clustering amplitudes unless offset by larger neutrino masses when $\Sigma m_\nu$ is free. Overall, CMB-only data provide at most weak statistical support compared to $\Lambda$CDM, whereas late-time measurements impose tight restrictions that largely remove any improvement, positioning this model as a minimal yet strongly constrained alternative to dark energy.

Finding the first generation of (Population III or Pop III) stars is one of the most ambitious and exciting challenges of astrophysics. JWST opened concrete prospects for their detection during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), where increasing evidence suggests that residual Pop III formation may persist, even within pristine pockets of high-mass halos, due to inhomogeneous enrichment. However, the identification of Pop III stars within globally enriched environments will be challenging. We investigate the detectability of a subdominant Pop III component in/around massive ($M_\star \gtrsim 10^9 ~\mathrm{M_\odot}$) galaxies at $z \approx 6.5 - 9$ from the dustyGadget cosmological simulation suite, and the confusion arising from second-generation (Pop II) stars in their surroundings. We find that young ($\lesssim 1$ Myr), massive ($M_\mathrm{III} \sim 6 \times 10^5 ~\mathrm{M_\odot}$) Pop III clusters forming within these galaxy environments are responsible for strong HeII1640 line emission ($L_\mathrm{HeII1640} \gtrsim 10^{41} ~\mathrm{erg \, s^{-1}}$), which would be detectable with $\approx 10 (50)$ h of medium-resolution observations with NIRSpec/IFU at $z \approx 6 (10)$. These bright luminosities cannot be produced by standard Pop II populations alone. On the other hand, the dominant Pop II component within massive ``hybrid'' Pop III hosts powers strong metal line emission ($L_\mathrm{[OIII]5007} \gtrsim 10^{42} ~\mathrm{erg \, s^{-1}}$), indicating that the detection of metal lines alone cannot exclude the presence of Pop IIIs in high-$z$ galaxy environments. We further discuss candidate selection strategies based on Ly$\alpha$, H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ emission, and how spatially resolved observations may enable the detection of isolated, pristine pockets in the outskirts of massive halos.

Gaseous giants are characterized by their deep atmospheres, which lack clear boundaries with their interiors; therefore, their internal states could directly influence atmospheric dynamics. So far, most modeling studies have considered deep convection as the primary mechanism by which the interior influences atmospheric dynamics. In this work, we propose another possible mechanism that might crucially determine the appearance of gaseous giants' atmospheric cloud-top jet winds, tracing them to a typical hydromagnetic wave (the so-called equatorial Magnetic-Archimedes-Coriolis wave) generated within the stably stratified, strongly magnetized helium rain layer. The associated thermal perturbations can propagate upward through the convective molecular hydrogen envelope, eventually affecting the atmospheric thermal structure - the zonal inhomogeneities that are conducive to the formation of the eastward atmospheric equatorial jet (super-rotation). Our results have important implications for understanding the equatorial dynamics of gaseous giants. This mechanism could also help explain the equatorial westward jets (sub-rotation) observed on Uranus and Neptune, which lack the helium rain layers.

Building blocks of life such as amino acids, nucleobases, and fatty acids are central to prebiotic chemistry and represent key targets in the search for planetary biosignatures. In planetary materials, biomolecules typically occur at trace levels within complex matrices, posing substantial analytical challenges, particularly for quantitative characterization. Here we develop a gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method that enables robust qualitative and quantitative analysis of 56 prebiotically relevant molecules. The method is applied to a Titan aerosol analog and, for the first time, to a Martian gypsum analog from the Qaidam Basin, revealing diverse inventories of amino acids, nucleobases, and fatty acids in both samples. In the Titan aerosol analog, the first detection of phenylalanine and an extensive inventory of fatty acids, together with elevated nucleobase abundances, offers new insights into atmospheric photochemical synthesis of prebiotic molecules. In the Martian analog sample, amino acids are detectable and exhibit pronounced biotic abiotic contrasts in abundance patterns relative to those observed in the Titan aerosol analog, whereas fatty acids show more overlapping abiotic and biotic signatures, highlighting the potential of amino acids as robust biosignatures. These results provide quantitative constraints on prebiotic chemical evolution and underscore the utility of GC-MS-MS for biosignature identification in planetary exploration.

We used observations obtained with the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope on board the AstroSat satellite to measure the integrated far-ultraviolet (FUV) and optical (V) magnitudes of 30 Galactic globular clusters (GCs). We classified the UV-bright evolved stellar populations of the GCs using FUV$-$V versus FUV color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and BaSTI-IAC isochrones and subsequently quantified their contributions to the total integrated FUV emissions. We found that the horizontal branch (HB) and post-HB (post-HB) stars contribute $\sim 40\%-45$\% to the total FUV emission of GCs, while the contribution of blue straggler stars is only $\sim$3\%. The HB stars especially dominate the UV budget of the metal-poor clusters. The observed spread in FUV-optical color in the color-color diagram supports the phenomenon that the UV upturn of early-type galaxies is due to the evolved stars. We studied for the first time the variation of integrated FUV magnitudes and colors with several cluster parameters in the core, intermediate, outer, and tidal regions, such as the fraction of second-generation stars, helium mass fraction, HB morphology, and mass of the GCs. We found that the GCs with a higher second-generation star fraction, helium mass fraction, and cluster mass are brighter in all the regions. The GCs with bluer HB morphologies also have brighter and bluer FUV magnitudes in the core and intermediate regions. Metal-poor GCs show significantly bluer FUV$-$optical colors, consistent with a stronger contribution from hot evolved stars.

The Closeby Habitable Exoplanet Survey (CHES) aims to achieve microarcsecond-level astrometry of about one hundred nearby FGK-type stars within 10 parsecs to detect Earth-like planets. Such precision exceeds the capability of absolute astrometry relying on Gaia catalogs, whose positional accuracy degrades over time due to error propagation from stellar motion and epoch offsets, limiting their use in microarcsecond-level detection. Traditional relative astrometry depends on positional components along right ascension and declination, requiring precise knowledge of field rotation and satellite attitude, which introduces additional errors. To address this, we propose a new relative measurement model based solely on variations in the length of angular separation between the target and reference stars, independent of direction. The model incorporates effects such as proper motion, parallax, radial velocity, light aberration, gravitational lensing, and planetary perturbations, enabling reconstruction of planetary orbits and masses. This approach enhances measurement stability and precision, providing a framework that is not entirely dependent on the Gaia catalog and suitable for CHES and other future high-accuracy astrometric missions.

We test the cosmic distance duality relation (CDDR) using two model-independent methods. Method I is based on the PAge parametrization, which characterizes the expansion history in terms of the cosmic age. Parametrizations of possible CDDR violations are constrained using observational data from Type Ia supernovae (SN), baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), cosmic chronometers, and gamma-ray bursts (GRB), including the latest PantheonPlus and DES Dovekie SN samples and DESI DR2 BAO data. The results support the validity of the CDDR within $1\sigma$. Different combinations of data sets are further explored to assess the impact of various probes and calibration choices, demonstrating the robustness of this conclusion. Although GRB data extend to higher redshifts, their constraining power is significantly weaker than that of the other low-redshift probes. The PantheonPlus and DES Dovekie samples yield consistent results. Method II uses a non-parametric Gaussian process reconstruction of the luminosity distance from SN data, combined with BAO measurements to construct the observed CDDR violation and constrain its parametrizations. The results are consistent with those from Method I, and we find no evidence for a violation of the CDDR.

Computationally expensive and time-consuming Bayesian atmospheric retrievals pose a significant bottleneck for the rapid analysis of high-quality exoplanetary spectra from present and next generation space telescopes, such as JWST and Ariel. As these missions demand more complex atmospheric models to fully characterize the spectral features they uncover, they will benefit from data-driven analysis techniques such as machine and deep learning. We introduce and detail a novel approach that uses a transformer-based neural network ($\texttt{Exoformer}$) to rapidly generate informative prior distributions for atmospheric transmission spectra of hot Jupiters. We demonstrate the effectiveness of $\texttt{Exoformer}$ using both simulated observations and real JWST data of WASP-39b and WASP-17b within the TauREx retrieval framework, leveraging the nested sampling algorithm. By replacing standard uniform priors with $\texttt{Exoformer}$-derived informative priors, our method accelerates nested-sampling retrievals by factor of 3-8 in the tested cases, while preserving the retrieved parameters and best-fit spectra. Crucially, we ensure that the retrieved parameters and the best-fit models remain consistent with results from classical methods. Furthermore, we confirm the statistical consistency of the two retrieval approaches by comparing their log-Bayesian evidence, obtaining absolute values of each Bayes factor $|\Delta\log{Z}|<5$, i.e., with no strong preference following common scales for either model. This hybrid approach significantly enhances the efficiency of atmospheric retrieval tools without compromising their accuracy, paving the way for more rapid analysis of complex exoplanetary spectra and enabling the integration of more realistic atmospheric models.

Gravitational wave astronomy has revealed that close binaries with compact companions are widespread. Long GRBs (LGRBs) from massive star collapse face persistent challenges in achieving the rapid core rotation required by the collapsar model. Binary interaction via tidal spin-up offers a natural solution; recent population synthesis studies suggest a substantial fraction of LGRBs may originate from close binaries with a compact companion. In this scenario, supernova ejecta from the primary can be accreted by the companion, potentially launching a second relativistic jet after a delay set by the binary separation. We develop a comprehensive model for these double-jet systems, analyzing the dynamics of the second jet and its interaction with the first. The resulting observational signatures depend critically on the Lorentz factor ratio, the alignment angle, and the time delay. For aligned jets, two regimes arise: a fast second jet producing multiple gamma-ray triggers with distinct spectral/polarization evolution, and a slow second jet where its emission appears as an X-ray flare followed by an afterglow plateau from energy injection. For misaligned jets, the observed signal ranges from normal GRBs with late-time radio structures to fast X-ray transients followed by off-axis rebrightening. These features have observational parallels in existing GRB data. High-resolution radio interferometry with SKA, time-resolved polarimetry with eXTP, and multi-wavelength surveys with Einstein Probe and SVOM will test these predictions, providing constraints on the evolution of close massive binaries as progenitors of GRBs and gravitational wave sources.

Gravitational waves from core-collapse supernovae offer a unique probe of the equation of state (EOS) of dense nuclear matter. For rapidly rotating stars, previous machine-learning studies demonstrated promising EOS classification accuracy. However, these analyses relied on several simplifying assumptions. In this work, we relax three key assumptions. First, we include real detector noise. Second, we expand the analysis from a single progenitor model to four models spanning 12 to 40 solar masses, and for each mass we consider multiple rotational configurations, from slow to rapid. Third, we introduce uncertainty in the core bounce time of up to 20 ms, rather than assuming it is known precisely. We find that none of these effects significantly degrades EOS classification performance. Instead, the larger dataset associated with multiple progenitor models and noise realizations improves training and classification accuracy. This study is a step in a broader effort to progressively incorporate more realistic conditions into gravitational-wave inference for core-collapse supernovae.

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are attractive exploration targets due to their accessibility, scientific value, and resources. Although trajectory design has revealed efficient pathways to these bodies, systematic strategies for Earth-NEO transfers, especially with low thrust, remain limited. This work presents a streamlined methodology that blends the Sun-Earth circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) with the heliocentric two-body problem (2BP) to design low-energy round-trip trajectories. The current planar implementation enables efficient large-scale exploration of near-Earth space. Three-body manifold trajectories and transit orbits provide natural pathways for Earth departure and return through the L1 and L2 libration points, while the 2BP framework identifies spacecraft-NEO encounters through intersections of their elliptical orbits. This hybrid structure supports generating large collections of round-trip trajectories without heavy optimization, enabling rapid preliminary mission design across broad NEO populations. Rendezvous and takeoff maneuvers are first modeled as impulsive, then translated into low-thrust arcs to improve propellant efficiency. Round-trip transfers are assembled by combining compatible outbound and inbound branches under simple mission constraints. This modular approach is well suited for complex mission architectures that conventional patched-conics methods cannot systematically uncover. Applied to a representative NEO population, the method yields a large ensemble of round-trip trajectories with low launch and return energies, broad temporal flexibility, and competitive rendezvous and departure impulses compared to existing 2BP solutions.

We developed a computer vision-based methodology to achieve precise 3D segmentation and tracking of superbubbles within magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the supernova-driven interstellar medium. Leveraging advanced 3D transformer models, our approach effectively captures the complex morphology and dynamic evolution of these astrophysical structures. To demonstrate the technique, we specifically focused on a superbubble exhibiting interesting interactions with its surrounding medium, driven by a series of successive supernova explosions. Our model successfully generated detailed 3D segmentation masks, enabling us to visualize and analyze the bubble's structural evolution over time. The results reveal insights into the superbubble's growth patterns, energy retention, and interactions with surrounding interstellar matter. This interdisciplinary approach not only enhances our understanding of superbubble dynamics but also offers a robust framework for investigating other complex phenomena in the cosmos.

Stochastic particle acceleration in magnetized turbulent plasmas has emerged as a key mechanism to explain multi-messenger signals from compact astrophysical environments. Self-consistent modelling remains challenging because it requires to treat simultaneously several non-linear kinetic processes, especially turbulence-driven acceleration and its feedback on the turbulent cascade, as well as the radiative and hadronic losses, including the reprocessing of electromagnetic radiation in radiatively dense environments. The present paper introduces the hybrid numerical code Turb-AM3 designed to this effect. This hybrid numerical code couples the state-of-the-art time-dependent lepto-hadronic radiative solver AM3 with a stochastic acceleration module that incorporates recent theoretical advances in turbulent acceleration and accounts for the dynamical damping of turbulence by accelerated particles. In a second part, we use this code to provide self-consistent time-dependent models of proton acceleration in the turbulent black hole corona of NGC~1068. We find that the IceCube neutrino signal is well reproduced for a standard set of physical parameters describing the black hole corona. The same template model accounts in a satisfactory way for IceCube observations of other active galactic nuclei. Furthermore, our exploration of parameter space allows us to predict detailed template spectral shapes for the TeV neutrino spectrum, which in turn help understand how future neutrino observations can constrain the properties of turbulent AGN coronae and the underlying acceleration mechanism. This Turb-AM3 framework provides a powerful tool to model multi-messenger emission in a broad variety of compact astrophysical environments.

We study the physical mechanisms underlying the production of orbitally-modulated PeV photons from Cyg X-3, recently discovered by the LHAASO collaboration. Our key findings are as follows. Helium nuclei are accelerated in a compact and strongly magnetized region within the jet, but they then quickly advect downstream to regions with a weaker field, allowing them to diffuse out of the jet, where they produce pions in hadronic collisions with both the stellar photons and the stellar wind of the Wolf-Rayet donor. The optical depths across the binary are $\lesssim$1 for both types of interactions, implying that their rates are proportional to the column densities along the particle paths. Given the low viewing angle of Cyg X-3 ($i\approx26^\circ$--$28^\circ$), most of the observed photons are produced by the relativistic hadrons accelerated in the counterjet (for which the column densities toward the observer are much longer than for the jet). This also explains the peak of the phase-folded PeV photon flux to be on the opposite side of the superior conjunction than that for the (also orbitally-modulated) GeV photons, which are produced by collisions of relativistic electrons with stellar photons in the optically thick regime. This then implies that the GeV emission is produced in the approaching jet.

It is generally accepted that the launching of astrophysical jets requires a large-scale magnetic field threading a central object (black hole or star) and/or its surrounding accretion disc. However, the collimation mechanism far away from the central object has not yet been fully understood. In a previous work we investigated a mechanism in which the jet is self-collimated due to a dominant hoop stress. We ran numerical simulations in which a Jet-Emitting disc (JED) spans the entire lower computational boundary. Those were the first of their kind to showcase the steady recollimation shocks predicted by steady-state analytical studies of jets. However, the huge size of the JED prevented a complete study of the connection between the accelerating and asymptotic electric circuits, as well as the influence of the outer medium. We performed a set of axisymmetric ideal MagnetoHydroDynamics (MHD) non-relativistic jet simulations. In those, only the innermost region of the accretion disc is a jet-launching zone. The jets of finite radial extent in those simulations also produce steady recollimation shocks at large distances from the central object. Standing recollimation shocks are not a bias of self-similarity, but a generic feature of jets emitted from magnetized Keplerian accretion discs. They may produce observable features, such as a standing emission knots, a decrease of the rotation rate or a change in polarisation. We also recover previous results on the influence of external pressure on jet confinement, such as the relation between pressure profile and jet shape, and jet acceleration efficiency.

Totally similar physical process in tidal disruption events (TDEs) basically indicates that there should be potential parameter to distinguish variability properties of TDEs from the other transient events having different physical processes. Here, we try to report such a parameter, the timescale ratio $R_{2/1,rd}$ of rise timescale $t_{1/2,r}$ (from half-max to maximum) to decline timescale $t_{1/2,d}$ (from maximum to half-max), especially based on the 34 optical TDEs with reported $t_{1/2,r}$ and $t_{1/2,d}$. Among the 34 optical TDEs, AT2020wey is an outlier with $R_{2/1,rd}\sim2.7$ which is 4.5 times larger than the mean value 0.6 of the other optical TDEs. However, after considering similar but more flexible model functions, the re-determined $R_{2/1,rd}$ is $\sim$0.9 in AT2020wey, totally similar as the values of the other optical TDEs. Therefore, the parameter $R_{1/2,rd}\sim0.6$ could be a potential classification parameter for optical TDEs. Furthermore, $R_{1/2,rd}$ have been checked in the unique optical transients of AT2019avd, PS1-10adi, SDSS J0946+3512 and J2334+1457. We can find that the second flare with $R_{1/2,rd}\sim11$ in AT2019avd should be very different from the other optical TDEs, but PS1-10adi, SDSS J0946+3512, J2334+1457 and the first flare in AT2019avd should be similar as the other optical TDEs. In the near future, properties of $R_{1/2,rd}$ through large sample of optical transients could provide further clues to support whether $R_{1/2,rd}$ could be a better classification parameter to distinguish TDEs and the other transient events.

We present a wide-area and deep optical identification catalog for radio sources based on the VLASS Epoch 2 catalog at 3 GHz. Optical counterparts are identified using the final-year internal processing of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) Wide layer (DR S23B), which provides deep imaging over ~1200 deg$^2$ in $grizy$ with $i$-band depth of $i_\mathrm{AB}\sim26$. Starting from a 1.0 arcsec nearest-neighbor match between VLASS and HSC, we construct a quality-controlled primary catalog (Clean VLASS-HSC) of 22,773 sources by requiring S/N$>5$ in at least one HSC band. We further provide ancillary nearest-neighbor associations to FIRST (1.4 GHz) and LoTSS DR3 (150 MHz) within 2.5 arcsec, resulting in 18,444 FIRST-matched sources, 16,167 LoTSS-matched sources, and a 14,206-source subset matched to both surveys. The catalog contains approximately six times more optically identified radio sources than the first WERGS optical-identification effort based on the early HSC-SSP S16B data and positional cross-matching with FIRST (Yamashita et al. 2018). The VLASS Epoch 2 resolution yields more precise optical associations (median 0.199 arcsec) and, together with uniform FIRST/LoTSS matches, enables robust multi-frequency radio SED constraints. Compared to UNIONS-based VLASS identifications (Zhong et al. 2025), the deeper HSC imaging improves sensitivity to optically faint and even morphologically resolved hosts at $z\gtrsim1$. Our catalog preferentially highlights host-dominated AGN candidates, potentially including a substantial fraction of obscured systems.

High-Velocity Clouds (HVCs) are a major fuel reservoir for star formation in the Galactic disk. Determining their origin and kinematics is thus crucial for understanding Galactic evolution. In this paper, we employ simple test-particle simulations to model HVC kinematics, generating line-of-sight velocity maps and probability density functions (PDFs) for comparison with observational results. We find that models assuming low angular momentum and an initial scale of tens of kiloparsecs (kpc) successfully reproduce the observed kinematic trends for both blue-shifted and red-shifted components. This consistency may support the dominance of intermediate-halo dynamics (tens of kpc scale) in regulating Galactic evolution, consistent with HVC formation via thermal instability in metal-polluted gas in the halo. Furthermore, by considering the entire bulk mass involved in the continuous accretion process -- including diffuse or ionized components that often escape direct observation -- our theoretical estimates yield a total mass accretion rate of several solar masses per year. This indicates that HVC accretion has the potential to supply a sufficient amount of gas to the Galactic disk to sustain ongoing star formation over several Gyr. Our findings suggest that the Galactic baryon cycle and disk evolution are governed by dynamics within the intermediate halo, providing key kinematic constraints for future magnetohydrodynamical simulations that resolve spatial structures of high velocity clouds.

We complement a recent analysis comparing $R_\mathrm{h}=ct$ with $\Lambda$CDM/$w$CDM using HII galaxies and giant extragalactic HII regions, by carrying out Bayesian model comparison. For this purpose, we calculate the Bayes factors for $R_\mathrm{h}=ct$ compared to flat $\Lambda$CDM/$w$CDM using the same dataset. When we use uniform priors on cosmological parameters, we find that the Bayes factors are close to 1, implying that $R_\mathrm{h}=ct$ is equally favored compared to $\Lambda$CDM/$w$CDM. However, when we use normal priors on cosmological parameters based on Planck cosmology, we find that $R_\mathrm{h}=ct$ is strongly favored over flat $\Lambda$CDM, while $R_\mathrm{h}=ct$ is marginally favored over flat $w$CDM.

We report the results of $g-$, $r-$, and $i-$dropout selections based on optical identifications of Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) radio sources using the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program survey (HSC--SSP). By positional crossmatching within $1''.5$ between the VLASS Epoch~2 catalog and the HSC--SSP Wide-layer catalog ($i \lesssim 26$), we obtain $\sim$400 high-redshift radio AGN candidates at $z \gtrsim 4$ over a $\approx1200~\mathrm{deg}^2$ survey footprint, extending optimistically to $z \sim 7$. Optical magnitudes cluster at $i_\mathrm{AB} \simeq 24$--26, indicating that these sources are largely inaccessible to shallower surveys such as SDSS. By further cross-matching the HSC--VLASS dropout catalog with VLA Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters (FIRST) at 1.4~GHz, the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) at 144~MHz, and the TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS) at 150~MHz, the majority of the high-$z$ candidates show flat to moderately steep radio spectra ($-1 \lesssim \alpha \lesssim 0$, with $f_\nu \propto \nu^\alpha$), and some also exhibit turnover radio spectra, demonstrating that conventional ultra-steep-spectrum (USS; $\alpha<-1.3$) selection would miss most of the population selected in this study. Building on this, we perform SED fitting and obtain AGN luminosities, which show a clustering at typical bolometric luminosities of $\log(L_{\rm bol}/{\rm erg~s^{-1}})\sim46$--47. We also examine the comoving number density distribution of our samples and find a sharp decline around the $i$-dropout regime ($z \sim 6$), suggesting the possible disappearance of luminous radio AGNs toward the epoch of reionization.

We present the first public data release (DR1) of the KMTNet Synoptic Survey of Southern Sky (KS4). This deep, wide-field imaging survey covers a southern footprint of -85$^{\circ}$ < Decl. < -28.8$^{\circ}$ in the $B$, $V$, $R$, and $I$ bands using a network of three 1.6-m telescopes. Although primarily designed to secure reference imaging for gravitational wave counterpart identification, DR1 delivers science-ready data for $\sim$4,000 deg$^{2}$ to enable a broad range of astrophysical research. The release includes deep co-added images reaching median 5$\sigma$ depths of 22.0-23.5 AB mag. It is accompanied by two source catalogs containing over 200 million sources with SNR $>5$: an $I$-band-selected forced-photometry catalog optimized for consistent colors, and a band-merged catalog offering enhanced completeness. Validation demonstrates robust data quality, characterized by mean astrometric offsets of $+0.054 \pm 0.129$ arcsec in RA and $-0.015 \pm 0.120$ arcsec in Dec relative to Gaia DR3. {\refbf Photometric uniformity for point sources is maintained within $\pm 0.03$ mag relative to Gaia XP for 97.5--99.8\% of the footprint across all four bands.} A key advantage of KS4 is its uniform and contiguous spatial coverage. It extends to fainter magnitudes than other uniform surveys while filling irregular gaps in existing deep datasets. All data products are publicly available via the CDS and NOIRLab's Astro Data Lab.

China plans to return samples from the near-Earth asteroid (469219) Kamo'oalewa, which we previously identified as an LL-chondrite-compositional, highly space-weathered object with fine-grained regolith. In this study, we developed 10 mL of Kamo'oalewa regolith simulant, designated "IGCAS-AST01", by irradiating LL5/6 chondrite (Kheneg Ljou^ad) powder with a high-energy pulsed laser. We then analyzed the composition, grain size distribution, density, porosity, visible to near-infrared reflectance spectrum, thermal emission spectrum, thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity, and microstructural features of both the fresh (unirradiated) powder and IGCAS-AST01. IGCAS-AST01 is composed of 57.8 vol.% olivine, 19.9 vol.% orthopyroxene, 5.6 vol.% diopside, 12.2 vol.% plagioclase, 2.6 vol.% troilite, and minor amounts of other phases. It has a mean size of 26.99 um, a median size of 23.19 um, a density of 700 kg m^-3, and a porosity of 79.1%. Additionally, IGCAS-AST01 exhibits a low reflectance of 0.1 at 0.55 um and an extremely steep spectral slope. In the temperature range of 253.15-473.15 K, its thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity range from 3.6-4.7 x 10^-6 m^2 s^-1 and 718.43-890.20 J kg^-1 K^-1, respectively. Furthermore, thick amorphous rims and abundant nanophase metallic iron particles are observed in olivine and pyroxene grains of IGCAS-AST01. These results could support the Tianwen-2 mission's payload calibration, sampling operations, on-orbit scientific data interpretation, and future sample analysis.

China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft will return samples from the near-Earth asteroid (469219) Kamo'oalewa. We previously reported that Kamo'oalewa develops an LL-chondrite-compositional, highly space-weathered surface. This study aims to estimate Kamo'oalewa's shape, regolith grain size and thickness, sub-micrometer iron (SMFe0) content, and spectral type. Using the lightcurve data and the Cellinoid model, we modeled Kamo'oalewa's shape, rotation period, and pole orientation. We then estimated its global distribution of regolith critical size using the balance method of gravity, cohesive force, and centrifugal force. Furthermore, in the temperature range of 253.15 to 473.15 K, we measured the thermal parameters of laser-irradiated LL chondrite powder that best matches Kamo'oalewa's spectrum, estimating Kamo'oalewa's thermal inertia and skin depth (lower limit of regolith thickness). Using the radiative transfer mixing model, we also estimated the content of SMFe0 in Kamo'oalewa's regolith. Finally, using the MIT online spectral classification tool for the laser-irradiated LL chondrite powder, we obtained a virtual spectral type of Kamo'oalewa. Our model gives a size of 68 m x 46 m x 39 m, a rotation period of 27.66 minutes, and a pole orientation of 134.7 degrees longitude and -11.4 degrees latitude for Kamo'oalewa. Regolith grains with a size <2 cm can remain stable over 93.8% of the global surface area of Kamo'oalewa. Laser-irradiated LL chondrite powder shows a low thermal inertia (95.5 to 135.1 J m^-2 K^-1 s^-1/2), corresponding to a thermal skin depth of 3 to 3.5 mm on Kamo'oalewa. An SMFe0 content of 0.29 +- 0.05 wt.% is required to match Kamo'oalewa's spectrum. The virtual spectral type of Kamo'oalewa is given as "Sqw".

Tidal interactions shape the evolution of close-in giant planets and internal gravity-wave breaking offers an efficient pathway for dynamical-tide dissipation, although its population-wide impact remains poorly constrained. We aim to quantify wave-breaking tidal dissipation for 550 hot Jupiters, accounting for stellar-parameter uncertainties. We also aim to identify the most promising systems for detecting orbital decay through transit timing.\\ Stellar masses, radii, and ages were homogeneously redetermined from spectroscopic and photometric data using an isochrone fitting. For each system, these parameters were propagated through a dedicated \texttt{MESA} model grid to calculate the tidal quality factor, wave-breaking probability, orbital decay rate, transit-timing diagnostics and destruction timescales.\\ Wave breaking is predicted to be largely inactive in pre-intermediate-age main sequence (pre-IAMS) stars. The tidal quality factor for systems undergoing wave breaking peaks between $10^6$ and $10^7$, consistent with population-level inferences. About 43\% of planets, primarily with periods $\lesssim3.5$~d, are expected to inspiral on the main sequence, providing a physical explanation for the observed tendency of hot Jupiters to orbit younger stars. A further 41\% inspiral during post-main-sequence evolution within the stages considered. Systems with periods $\lesssim 1$~d, which could in principle experience the strongest tidal forcing, are unlikely to trigger wave breaking, leaving planets on stable orbits. Conversely, the most rapidly inspiralling systems with high wave-breaking probability might display measurable orbital-period shortening only over multi-decade baselines, eluding immediate detection. In contrast, the demographic imprint of wave breaking on occurrence rates should emerge more readily, with the first signs already visible in current population statistics.

We performed a comprehensive study of thermonuclear bursts from the millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4$-$3658 with XMM-Newton and NICER. We report the results from the analysis of an intense burst with NICER using a self-consistent and physically motivated disc reflection modeling approach and investigate the burst-disc interaction. The dynamic evolution of the spectral parameters suggested evidence of photospheric radius expansion (PRE) of the neutron star using the disc reflection modeling approach, which indicates a maximum expansion of the photosphere up to 14.8$\pm$0.7 km. The corresponding blackbody temperature drops to a minimum of 1.9 keV. In addition, an emission line at 1 keV is observed, possibly originating from the Ne or Fe L-band transition as a result of the reprocessing of burst photons by cold gas in the accretion disc. The 1 keV emission line flux is found to be strongly correlated with the flux of the reflection component. We also investigated a thermonuclear burst observed with XMM-Newton EPIC-PN from SAX J1808.4$-$3658 using the variable persistent emission method and the disc reflection modeling approach. The X-ray reflection feature is also investigated in persistent emission using a NuSTAR observation. The best-fitting results provide an inner disc radius of $14_{-5.9}^{+9.7}$ $R_g$ and an inclination of $ 38^\circ-60^\circ$ during the NuSTAR observation. The magnetic field is estimated to be $\simeq$3.7 $\times$10$^8$ G at the poles of the neutron star.

The second solar spectrum is the solar spectrum of Stokes parameter Q observed in linear polarization close to the solar limb. It differs significantly of the usual intensity spectrum (Stokes parameter I). The second solar spectrum contains in the visible range a few polarized lines with Q/I > 1% (such as CaI, SrI, SrII, BaII), but most lines exhibit weak or very faint polarization rates (Q/I < 0.3%). This paper presents unpublished observations made in 2004-2006 of weak polarized lines performed with the Pic du Midi Turret Dome spectropolarimeter, such as atomic lines of Na, Al, H, He, Ti, Li, Sc as well as C2 and MgH molecules.

Transition-region loops are a type of critical magnetic structure in the solar atmosphere, yet their physical properties and evolutionary characteristics remain statistically poorly constrained. We aim to statistically characterize the physical properties of propagating brightening events in transition-region loops and to explore the underlying heating mechanism responsible for these this http URL coordinated observations from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager onboard the Solar Orbiter and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we analyze 42 propagating brightening events in loops that are unambiguously detected in both instrument data. Each of these events evolve simultaneously in the AIA 94, 131, 171, 193, 211, 304, and 335 passband images, suggesting that they are in the transition-region or low-coronal temperature range. Our analyses show that these brightenings are impulsive, with an average brightening time of 118.4 s and a mean intensity decreasing time of 159.4 s. The propagating brightenings are predominantly subsonic, with velocities in the range of 0-90 km/s and an average of 51.3 km/s. The lengths of brightenings range from 3 to 11 Mm, with an average and standard deviation of 6.3 Mm, which are closely related to the propagation velocity and the lifetime. The initial brightening sites are predominantly located near the footpoints of these loops, and the number of brightening events decreases systematically with increasing of loop height. Our results are consistent with an energizing mechanism regulated by enthalpy flows and radiative cooling.

Context. Via scaling relations, it is well-known that active galactic nuclei (AGN) and bulges are linked. This link was thought to be driven by mergers, but recent studies show that secular processes are the dominant mechanism of supermassive black hole growth. One such secular mechanism is gas inflow driven by large-scale bars. Since bulges can also grow via these bars, there is likely some common process between these three features. Aims. We investigate whether the observed correlation between AGN and bars is real or arises as a result of correlations between bars and bulges. Methods. Using a catalogue of AGN identifications and galaxy morphologies in the DESI Legacy Survey at $z\leq0.1$, we control for mass and colour and investigate the AGN fraction variation with bulge prominence and bar strength. Results. We first show that the variation in AGN fraction between strongly barred, weakly barred and unbarred galaxies does not qualitatively change if we additionally control for bulge prominence. Second, we find that in fixed bins of bulge prominence, the AGN fraction increases with increasing bar strength. In subsamples split by bar strength, the AGN fraction increases with bulge prominence, indicating that AGN presence correlates with both bar strength and bulge prominence simultaneously.

Core-collapse supernova remnants (CCSNRs) are crucial for understanding the final stages of massive star evolution, as they reflect the imprints of their progenitors' pre-explosion activities. However, the evolution of CCSNRs, particularly those originating from progenitors with high mass-loss rates -- known as stripped-envelope SNRs (SESNRs) -- remains poorly understood. This is largely due to the lack of comprehensive numerical models connecting progenitor stars to their remnants, especially in the context of binarity. In this study, we perform self-consistent simulations of CCSNRs from both single and binary progenitors, utilizing mass-loss histories and supernova ejecta profiles directly derived from stellar evolution and explosion calculations. Our models reveal significant differences in the circumstellar medium (CSM) structures between single and binary progenitors, which drive distinct SNR dynamics and spectral characteristics. We find that binary-stripped progenitors tend to produce SNRs with more monotonic CSM profiles, resulting in smoother shock dynamics and less pronounced X-ray luminosity peaks compared to their single-star counterparts. Additionally, we introduce a new characteristic timescale, $t_{\rm CSM}$, defined by the total mass lost by the progenitor. This timescale effectively scales the evolutionary phases of CCSNRs in complex CSM environments, thereby facilitating the comparison of SESNRs. Given that observed elemental abundances in SNRs reflect the nucleosynthesis yields of the progenitor, our results highlight the importance of considering the dynamical state of SNRs when interpreting observed abundances. This work provides a fiducial framework for future observational and theoretical studies of CCSNRs, particularly regarding the impact of binary evolution.

Context: LHS 3844 b (TOI-136 b) is a ultra short-period, Earth-size exoplanet detected by TESS. It is one of the most favourable object for atmospheric characterisation and the study of its surface with the James Webb Space Telescope. However, the dynamical mass of this planet has not been measured yet. Aims: We aim to determine the mass of LHS 3844 b using high-precision radial velocity (RV) measurements and assess the robustness of the inferred signal across different noise and orbital modelling assumptions. Methods: We analyse 25 ESPRESSO RV observations within a fully Bayesian framework. We explore 15 competing RV models that differ in their treatment of correlated stellar variability (through different Gaussian Process kernels) and long-term drifts. Marginal likelihoods are computed for all models and used for Bayesian model comparison and evidence-weighted parameter estimation. Results: The RV planetary signal is robustly detected across all models, and the inferred semi-amplitude remains stable under all tested noise and drift prescriptions. From the evidence-weighted posterior samples we derive a planetary mass of $2.27 \pm 0.23$ M$_\oplus$ and a bulk density of $5.67 \pm 0.65$ gcm$^{-3}$, consistent with a predominantly rocky composition. Model comparison favours GP kernels including periodic or quasi-periodic components associated with stellar rotation and disfavors models with additional long-term drifts. Using interior-structure inference, we find that the core mass fraction is comparable to (or slightly smaller than) Earth's and only trace amounts of water are permitted, supporting a dry, terrestrial interior. We also investigate a tentative additional signal near $\sim 6.9$ days, but Bayesian model comparison does not provide conclusive support for its planetary interpretation.

We present the first planet mass measurement obtained with CRIRES+ radial velocity (RV) observations using the K-band gas cell. Our target, LHS 3844 b (TOI-136), is a transiting super-Earth with radius $R_b=1.286^{+0.043}_{-0.044}R_\oplus$ and an orbital period of $P_b = 0.462929709^{+0.000000044}_{-0.000000042}$d, placing it in the class of ultra-short-period (USP) planets. The host star LHS 3844 is an old ($7.8\pm1.6$Gyr), slowly rotating ($P_{rot} = 130.0^{+16.9}_{-13.4}$d) M5.0 dwarf with $M_\star = 0.151\pm0.014M_\odot$ at a distance of 15pc (V=15.2mag, K=9.2mag). Combining our CRIRES+ RVs with archival ESPRESSO spectra, and confirming the signal in each dataset independently, we detected periodic RV variations with a semi-amplitude $K_b=6.95^{+0.55}_{-0.60}$m/s, implying a planetary mass of $m_b = 2.37\pm0.25M_\oplus$ and a bulk density of $\rho_b = 6.15^{+0.60}_{-0.61}$gcm$^{-3}$, consistent with a predominantly rocky composition. We further found excess RV variability that may be attributed to stellar jitter or to an additional planetary signal, for which we identified a tentative super-Earth candidate with a period of $\approx6.88$d. Owing to its proximity to its M-dwarf host, LHS 3844 b experiences intense irradiation and is unlikely to retain a substantial H/He envelope. Interior modeling places an upper limit on the iron-core mass fraction, which is consistent with an Earth-like rocky composition. With an emission spectroscopy metric of 28, LHS 3844 b is a prime JWST target for atmospheric and surface characterization and the most promising surface-characterization target known. Phase-curve spectroscopy may reveal its surface mineralogy and enable the first robust detection of exoplanet surface spectral features. Our results demonstrate that near-infrared RVs obtained with CRIRES+ enable robust mass measurements of super-Earths orbiting late M dwarfs.

Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are a recently discovered class of highly variable X-ray bursts originating in galactic nuclei. These high-amplitude bursts exhibit periodicity ranging from tens of minutes to several days. QPEs are also characterized by variable peak amplitudes that can vary by a factor of few. While multiple physical models have been proposed to explain QPE light curves, none can fully account for all the observed features. A possible connection between QPEs and tidal disruption events (TDEs) has been suggested, particularly due to the past optical/UV outbursts that can be traced back for several sources, the long-term decay in the continuum luminosity, and the soft, thermal-dominated X-ray spectrum. Our primary goal is to verify whether the long-term decrease in eruption amplitudes detected for some QPE sources is consistent with the accretion disk being formed following a TDE. In this work, we adopt a simplified extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) scenario, where a Solar-type star orbits a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and collides with an accretion disk twice per orbit, generating eruptions. We assume a post-TDE disk that follows a temporal power-law decline in mass accretion ($\propto t^{-p}$, $p>0$). As our aim is to develop a toy-model scenario, we have used purely analytical methods without considering all intervening processes in their full generality. Indications are that (i) the observed long-term decline in QPE amplitudes can be reproduced if the first monitored epoch occurs years to a few decades after the tidal disruption, (ii) stellar mass loss caused by ablation can play an important role in the evolution of QPE amplitudes in systems with heavy main-sequence (MS) stars.

The $\Lambda$CDM model successfully explains a wide range of cosmological observations; however, persistent discrepancies most notably the $H_0$ tension between early and late time measurements challenge its completeness. No proposed extension has yet resolved this tension while retaining the overall success of $\Lambda$CDM. In this work, we investigate whether the $H_0$ tension can be associated with a specific epoch in the cosmic expansion history and identify the redshift range most relevant for understanding its origin. In addition to the cosmological constant, we consider three phenomenological models based on general parametrizations of key quantities governing cosmic expansion: the dark energy (DE) equation of state, the DE pressure density, and the scale factor. Using early time Planck data and late time Pantheon+ (with and without SH0ES calibration) and DESI measurements, we constrain model parameters and examine the evolution of the Hubble parameter $H(z)$. We find that $\Lambda$CDM exhibits discrepancies across all redshifts, whereas the other models shift the dominant deviations toward low redshifts. Among the models considered, the pressure density parametrization alleviates the $H_0$ tension, reducing it to $\sim 2.7\sigma$, while the other models do not provide significant improvement. A detailed analysis of DESI DR2 data further reveals notable deviations in $H(z)$ at $z=0.51$ and 0.706, whereas higher redshift measurements remain consistent within $1\sigma$. These results suggest that late-time modifications primarily reshape the redshift dependence of the mismatch in $H(z)$ rather than fully resolve it, in the absence of systematic effects. Furthermore, the reconstructed DE dynamics exhibit qualitatively distinct behaviors across parametrizations, highlighting a persistent inconsistency between early and late Universe probes in describing the nature of DE.

We present a far-ultraviolet (FUV) analysis of the star-forming complexes (SFCs) in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC\,2090, based on observations from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT), and compare it with emission from the optical and infrared bands. NGC\,2090 exhibits prominent star formation in its extended outer disk, with FUV emission traced out to $\sim$30 kpc, far beyond the truncation of the old stellar disk at $\sim$5 kpc. It is classified as an extended UV (XUV) disk galaxy. We identify and characterize the SFCs both within and beyond the optical radius (R$_{25}$), estimating their physical sizes and star formation rates (SFRs). The outer-disk SFCs are generally smaller in area and show a narrower distribution of SFR surface density ($\Sigma_{\mathrm{SFR}}$) compared to the inner-disk SFCs. We investigate the properties of the inner disk using mid-infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and find that the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission is strongly correlated with regions of active star formation. The specific SFR (sSFR) increases with radius, consistent with a scenario of inside-out disk growth. The observed number of SFCs and their H$\alpha$-to-FUV flux ratios in the outer disk of NGC\,2090 indicate ongoing massive star formation and are consistent with a top-heavy IMF, implying that the upper end of the IMF is not truncated in the low-density, metal-poor outskirts. These results suggest that XUV disks can host significant massive star formation despite their low stellar density and metallicity.

Microlensing detections are uniquely well-suited to probing the population of planets outside the water iceline, down to planetary masses comparable to the Earth. Here, we perform 1D pebble-accretion population synthesis simulations to explore a sample of iceline planets around stars with masses and metallicities similar to the target population of the Galactic Bulge Time-domain microlensing survey of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. We find that the planet distribution in the microlensing sensitivity space deviates from a log-uniform distribution in mass and orbital radius. When planetary core growth comes to a halt as planets reach the pebble isolation mass, $M_{\mathrm{iso}}$, the combined effects of planetary migration and runaway gas accretion create an occurrence break. Our simulations highlight that, between 1 and 50 AU, the fraction of stars hosting isolation-mass planets (1 to 5 $M_{\mathrm{iso}}$) is lower by a factor 20 compared to less massive planets (0.2 to 1 $M_{\mathrm{iso}}$). If this break in planetary occurrence rates around the pebble isolation mass is detected in future lensing surveys, it would further validate the core accretion paradigm for giant planet formation.

Energetic particle populations are ubiquitous throughout the Universe. In our solar system, the most prominent sources of energetic particles are solar flares or collisionless shocks often driven by huge eruptions of magnetised plasma called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Remotely, low energy electrons from the Sun can be observed as solar radio bursts that are produced by accelerated electron beams undergoing beam-plasma interactions. There are still many open questions on the generation of solar energetic particles (SEP): how and where are SEPs accelerated during solar flares and CMEs and how they escape the solar atmosphere? Another important question is: what is the link between the solar radio bursts and the observed SEPs at spacecraft? SKA can provide high-resolution radio images combined with spectroscopic observations to determine the acceleration time, trajectory and escape of low energy electrons from the solar corona. The synergy between SKA and current space missions will help investigate solar activity and energetic particles across a wide range of wavelengths and particle energies. Particle data from spacecraft can be used to make a connection between radio bursts and SEPs by comparing SEP inferred injection times and energies to those of electrons generating radio bursts at the Sun. Radio observations in turn can be used to distinguish between flare and shock acceleration since different radio bursts pinpoint towards different energetic processes. Since the acceleration region and origin of SEPs of various properties is still largely debated, radio observations have the potential to be an invaluable tool in unraveling these processes.

Anomalous Cepheids are radially pulsating stars observed in dwarf galaxies, the Galactic bulge and halo, and globular clusters. Similarly to other radially pulsating stars, they can be used as distance indicators through their Period-Luminosity Relations (PLRs) and the geometrical Baade-Wesselink (BW) method. We aim to calibrate the zero-point of the distance scale of Anomalous Cepheids using nearby representatives of this class of pulsating stars. We collected optical and near-infrared photometry and spectra for a sample of nearby Anomalous Cepheids with twotelescopes located at the Rolf Chini Cerro Murphy Observatory and optical telescopes offered by the Las Cumbres Observatory, and with instruments hosted and operated by the European Southern Observatory. Using parallaxesmeasured by the Gaia space mission and mean magnitudes from our new photometry, we calibrate the zero-point of the PLRs in Johnson B, V, 2MASS J, H, KS , and Pan-STARRS g, r, i passbands and selected Wesenheit indices. Using the surface brightness-colour relation version of the BW technique, we also determined the projection factors and mean radii of three nearby Anomalous Cepheids. Precision of the measured zero-points is at the level of 0.04-0.05mag and their systematic uncertainty is estimated to about 0.1mag. We used our zero-points and literature photometry of the Large Magellanic Cloud Anomalous Cepheids to measure the distance modulus of this galaxy and obtained a value of 18.454$\pm$0.045(statistical) mag, in a very good agreement with the most accurate value from eclipsing binaries. The obtained projection factors are 1.38$\pm$0.13, 1.59$\pm$0.21 and 1.35$\pm$0.14 for V716 Oph, XX Vir and UY Eri, respectively. The radii measured for V716 Oph and UY Eri are in agreement with the period-radius relation obtained from the Large Magellanic Cloud Anomalous Cepheids.

We present deep imaging of Andromeda XXXVI (And XXXVI), a dwarf galaxy discovered through visual inspection of the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey, using observations obtained with the OSIRIS+@GTC instrument. The colour-magnitude diagram of And XXXVI shows a well-defined red giant branch (RGB). However, constraining a distance is challenging because the tip of the RGB is sparsely populated and no horizontal branch stars are found. The RGB is nevertheless well matched by an old (12.5 Gyr), metal-poor ([Fe/H] = - 2.5) isochrone shifted to the distance of Andromeda (776 kpc). With a projected distance of 119 kpc from M31, And XXXVI is therefore likely a satellite of Andromeda. With $M_{V} = -6.0 \pm 0.2$, half-light radius $r_{h} = 64 ^{+30}_{-19}$ pc and an ellipticity $\epsilon = 0.015^{+0.032}_{-0.012}$ And XXXVI is one of the faintest, and potentially the second most compact, of ultra-faint M31 dwarfs discovered to date. The discovery of And XXXVI adds to the faint end of M31's satellite luminosity function, suggesting the presence of an even larger population of very faint satellites. Deeper space-based imaging and/or spectroscopic observations are needed to better constrain its position within M31's halo. Combined with a detailed star formation history, such data would help determine whether its old, metal-poor stellar population indicates early quenching, similar to the trends seen in Milky Way satellites, and whether And XXXVI could be considered a reionisation fossil.

We present 72 additional galaxy-galaxy strong lenses that complement the sample discovered in the Euclid Quick Release 1 data (63.1 deg^2) of the Strong Lens Discovery Engine (SLDE) papers A-E. It is shown that previous pre-selection of potential lenses, which excluded objects from the Gaia catalogue, led to missing several bright and low-redshift strong lenses, adding more than 10% new strong lens candidates compared to the previous search. In total, the catalogue includes 38 "grade A" (confident) and 34 "grade B" (probable) candidates. These lenses are identified through a combination of two independent searches for bright nearby objects: one based on machine-learning models followed by expert visual inspection, and the other based solely on expert visual inspection, targeting objects not included in the initial machine-learning selection (a limitation identified only after extensive visual inspection). With these additional strong lens candidates, we augment the expected number of high-confidence candidates in the Euclid Wide Survey from previous forecasts to 120000. Detailed semi-automated lens modelling confirms at least 41 systems out of 72, a fraction consistent with that found in SLDE A (315 out of 488). These include: multiple edge-on disc lenses; sources with arcs near the lens centre; "red sources"; and an edge-on disk galaxy lensing a galaxy merger, producing two sets of lensed features, an Einstein ring and a doubly imaged component. The median redshift of these systems is $\Delta$ z ~ 0.3 lower than that of the SLDE A sample.

Polarization provides additional diagnostic opportunities for probing the structured environments of massive stars as well as the illumination of those environments by stars that are not spherical. After a brief overview of polarization considerations relevant to hot massive stars, selected applications are presented. Examples related to dense Wolf-Rayet winds are chosen: clumpy wind flow, co-rotating interaction regions, and colliding wind interactions. Brief remarks are given about the prospects for opening a new window on massive star studies using UV spectropolarimetry with the {\em Polstar} mission concept.

We propose that changing-look AGN transitions arise from size variability of the inner ADAF disk. The AGN accretion disk comprises an outer thin disk and an inner thick ADAF component whose size is intrinsically unstable and evolves with time. The size variations of ADAF are accompanied by changes in accretion rate and outflow quantity, with the latter governing line of-sight absorption. From this variable ADAF perspective, changing-state and changing-observation AGN represent two faces of the same coin. We further discuss gigahertz-peaked and compact steep-spectrum radio sources as potential manifestations of small-to-intermediate scale ADAFs. Finally, we propose that AGN unification models should incorporate both orientation and ADAFsize as key parameters.

Overmassive black hole galaxies (OBGs) at redshifts $z \sim$ 10, or 450 Myr after the Big Bang, are one of the most puzzling discoveries by the James Webb Space Telescope to date because they formed by such early epochs and their black-hole to stellar mass ratios are a hundred times higher than those in galaxies today. Here we show that OBGs are simply the result of DCBH birth in primordial halos at early times. A 70,000 M$_{\odot}$ DCBH forming at $z =$ 25.7 in our cosmological simulation grows at about half the Eddington rate to $6.0 \times 10^6$ M$_{\odot}$ by $z =$ 10.1. Its host galaxy reaches a stellar mass of $4 \times 10^8$ M$_{\odot}$, a metallicity $Z =$ 0.1 Z$_{\odot}$, a star formation rate of 2 M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, and $M_{\rm BH}/M_{\ast}$ $\sim$ 0.01, on par with OBGs like GN-z11, UHZ1, and GHZ9 at $z =$ 10.6, 10.1, and 10.2, respectively. Our simulation, the first to follow the coevolution of a DCBH and its host galaxy for several hundred Myr, shows that this ratio is a natural result of initial suppression of star formation by the DCBH and the later, violent blowout of metals by Pop III supernovae. Our models provide an excellent match to the spectra of UHZ1 and GHZ9 at $z =$ 10.1 and 10.4, respectively.

Despite their key role in astrophysics, the binary properties of RR Lyrae stars (RRL) remain almost completely unknown since only a single RRL is confirmed as belonging to a binary system. Finding companions to RRL is difficult since most of them will be at wider orbits, given that close orbits will likely ensue mass transfer disrupting the conditions to develop stellar pulsations. These wide orbits open the possibility that RRL companions may be more easily found by high-resolution imaging. We observed 81 RRL with the speckle interferometers Zorro and 'Alopeke at the Gemini telescopes, reaching the diffraction limit of $\sim$20 mas of these 8m-class telescopes, and therefore exploring a new parameter space around RRL. We have detected 10 newly identified companions around these 81 RRL, with projected separations between 20 AU to 220 AU. An analysis of the field contamination shows that all of these detected companions are most likely gravitationally bound binaries. From these observations we can estimate an RRL binary fraction higher than 12%, ruling out a binary fraction higher than 25% at the 99% confidence level. These numbers are significantly more elevated than previous estimations which were close to a binary fraction of only 1%, albeit derived with methods exploring a different parameter space. For RRL with thin disc kinematics, we find that the binary fraction is significantly lower, at around 6%, with a single thin disc RRL having a companion out of the 16 observed. The nature of the companions, found to be stars in the lower red giant branch and upper main sequence, is also studied via the measurement of the minimum light colors of the RRL, which appears as a useful method for the search and analysis of RRL in binary systems.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), among the most energetic transients in the Universe, are traditionally classified into long-duration GRBs (lasting more than two seconds) and short-duration GRBs (lasting less than two seconds)\cite{Kouveliotou1993}. Long-duration GRBs are typically associated with the core collapse of massive stars (Type II), whereas short-duration GRBs originate from the merger of compact binary systems (Type I)\cite{Woosley2006, Zhang2006Natur, Zhang2009b, Berger2014}. Owing to their distinct physical origins, the two classes exhibit markedly different observational properties, which serve as key diagnostic criteria for GRB classification\cite{Norris2000, Zhang2009b, Lv2010, Lv2014, Qin2013, Li2016, Minaev2020}. Here we report a peculiar gamma-ray burst, GRB 160425A, comprising a short-sharp duration burst ($G_1$) followed by a long-broad duration burst ($G_2$), separated by only four minutes. Strikingly, nearly all standard prompt-emission observational diagnostics, including pulse morphology\cite{Norris2005}, duration\cite{Kouveliotou1993}, hardness ratio \cite{Horvath2010, Goldstein2017}, minimum variability timescale\cite{Golkhou2014, Golkhou2015}, spectral properties \cite{Dezalay1992}, spectral lag\cite{Norris2000,Norris2006, Yi2006, Bernardini2015}, and established empirical correlations (the Amati and Norris relations \cite{Amati2002, Norris2000}), consistently categorize $G_1$ as a short-like (Type-I, merger-origin) GRB and $G_2$ as a long-like (Type-II, collapsar-origin) GRB. The coexistence of merger and collapsar signatures within a single event challenges existing progenitor frameworks, calling for a fundamental re-evaluation of GRB classification schemes and progenitor scenarios.

SNR G106.3+2.7 is a complex TeV emitting source whose emission is still poorly understood. It has especially been at the center of numerous discussions on its potential for being a supernova remnant (SNR) PeVatron, since its gamma-ray spectra seems not to exhibit any significant suppression in the multi--TeV range, up to $\sim 600$ TeV, thereby indicating the presence of $\sim$ PeV particles. We study the hypothesis in which a SNR evolving in a clumpy or cloudy environment is powering the TeV gamma-ray emission, detected mainly from two regions, the "head" and the "tail". We discuss the implications of such an hypothesis. We rely on a simple physically motivated analytical modeling of the shock dynamics and of the content of accelerated particles and confront it to available gamma-ray observations. We find that the current observed TeV gamma-ray emission in the head and tail regions can be accounted for by an active single SNR, with a natural hardening of the spectrum due to the expansion in a clumpy medium or escaping to a dense region in the tail. However, in all scenarios, the broadband gamma-ray emission from the GeV range to the $\gtrsim 100$ TeV range is difficult to reconcile with a standard SNR - whether originating from a thermonuclear or a core-collapse supernova - and instead points toward an association with the pulsar.

We present SNID-SAGE (SuperNova IDentification-Spectral Analysis and Guided Exploration), a framework for supernova spectral classification with both a fully interactive graphical interface and a scriptable command-line pipeline for large-scale processing. The pipeline combines deterministic spectral preprocessing, FFT-based cross-correlation against a curated template library, ranking of candidate matches using a composite quality metric, and consolidation of redshift and classification solutions into a single result with associated quality and confidence estimates. SNID-SAGE includes an upgradeable template library (about 6000 spectra), interactive line identification with velocity measurements, and optional natural-language summaries of classification results. We evaluate SNID-SAGE using two complementary tests: (i) leave-one-out cross-validation, in which each template spectrum is matched against the remainder of the library; and (ii) large-scale application to WISeREP spectra with valid coverage across the 4000-7000 A interval, irrespective of spectral type, comprising approximately 46 000 spectra, with redshift validation against known host-galaxy measurements where available. The full validation results and the SNID-SAGE framework are publicly available, supporting integration into spectroscopic survey workflows.

The kSZ effect has recently emerged as a powerful probe for precision cosmology through its ability to reconstruct the large-scale velocity field. In particular, the kSZ-reconstructed velocity-galaxy cross-correlation is sensitive to signatures of primordial non-Gaussianity through its imprint on the galaxy bias. The kSZ velocity reconstruction is performed using small-scale information from CMB temperature and galaxy overdensities. As the sensitivity of these measurements improves, systematic effects such as extragalactic foreground contamination present in CMB maps become increasingly important. We present a study of foreground biases to the kSZ-reconstructed velocity-galaxy cross-correlation. We derive the relevant foreground contributions from the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect and the cosmic infrared background, modeling them using a halo model description of the dominant one- and two-halo terms. We compare our analytic predictions to measurements obtained using ACT DR6 temperature maps and DESI Legacy Imaging Survey galaxies, finding qualitative agreement. We introduce a parity-odd estimator constructed from antisymmetric combinations of tomographic velocity-galaxy correlations and show analytically that, under the Limber approximation, this estimator entirely cancels the foreground contamination while preserving the full cosmological signal without loss of signal-to-noise. Finally, we apply this parity-odd estimator to the data combination mentioned above and show that the fit to the velocity-galaxy correlation is dramatically improved compared to the analysis without mitigation; our estimator detects the signal at 11$\sigma$, with an amplitude consistent with recent studies.

Cosmic shear is a powerful probe of cosmological distances, matter abundance and clustering in the low-redshift Universe. Cosmological parameter extraction from cosmic shear data is limited by our understanding of baryonic astrophysics, which severely restricts the range of scales used in such analyses. We show that the remaining scales are largely perturbative and can be accurately described with two-loop effective field theory (EFT) predictions. We present the first consistent analysis of the public cosmic shear data from the DES-Y3 catalogs in EFT at the two-loop order, renormalizing small-scale sensitivity in cosmic-shear predictions via a lensing-counterterm expansion and accounting for the intrinsic alignments of galaxies with spin-2 EFT predictions. We constrain the lensing amplitude competitively with standard (empirically-modeled) methods, finding $S_8 = 0.783^{+0.038}_{-0.031}$ ($S_8 = 0.802^{+0.031}_{-0.026}$ with BAO). The perturbativity of cosmic shear suggests novel opportunities for testing new physics with ongoing and upcoming cosmic shear experiments like Roman, Euclid, and LSST. As an example, we derive matter clustering constraints within the dynamical dark energy model from a combination of our DES-EFT cosmic shear likelihood, early-universe CMB priors, DESI BAO, and supernovae data, finding $S_8 = 0.824\pm 0.029$, indicating no $S_8$ tension in the growth of cosmic structure regardless of the underlying cosmological model and expansion history.

It has been hypothesized that the Earth may have experienced snowball events in the past, during which its surface became completely covered with ice. Previous studies used general circulation models to investigate the onset and climate of such snowball events. Using the MIROC4m coupled atmosphere--ocean climate model, this study examined the changes in the oceanic circulation during the onset of a modern snowball Earth and elucidated their evolution to steady states under the snowball climate. Abruptly changing the solar constant to 94% of its present-day value caused the modern Earth climate to turn into a snowball state after ~1300 years and initiated rapid increase in sea ice thickness. During onset of the snowball, extensive sea ice formation and melting of sea ice in the mid-latitudes caused substantial freshening of surface waters and salinity stratification. By contrast, such salinity stratification was absent if the duration between the change in the solar flux and the snowball onset was short. After snowball onset, the global sea ice cover and the buildup of salinity stratification caused drastic weakening in the deep ocean circulation. However, the meridional overturning circulation resumed within several hundred years after the snowball onset because the density flux by sea ice production weakens the salinity stratification. While the evolution of the oceanic circulation would depend on the continental distribution and the evolution of continental ice sheets, our results highlight the gradual growth of sea ice and associated brine rejection are essential factors for the transient evolution of the oceanic circulation in the snowball events.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) delivered the first image of a black hole by capturing the light from its surrounding accretion flow, revealing structure but not dynamics. Simulations of black hole accretion dynamics are essential for interpreting EHT images but costly to generate and impractical for inference. Motivated by this bottleneck, BHCast presents a framework for forecasting black hole plasma dynamics from a single, blurry snapshot, such as those captured by the EHT. At its core, BHCast is a neural model that transforms a static image into forecasted future frames, revealing the underlying dynamics hidden within one snapshot. With a multi-scale pyramid loss, we demonstrate how autoregressive forecasting can simultaneously super-resolve and evolve a blurry frame into a coherent, high-resolution movie that remains stable over long time horizons. From forecasted dynamics, we can then extract interpretable spatio-temporal features, such as pattern speed (rotation rate) and pitch angle. Finally, BHCast uses gradient-boosting trees to recover black hole properties from these plasma features, including the spin and viewing inclination angle. The separation between forecasting and inference provides modular flexibility, interpretability, and robust uncertainty quantification. We demonstrate the effectiveness of BHCast on simulations of two distinct black hole accretion systems, Sagittarius A* and M87*, by testing on simulated frames blurred to EHT resolution and real EHT images of M87*. Ultimately, our methodology establishes a scalable paradigm for solving inverse problems, demonstrating the potential of learned dynamics to unlock insights from resolution-limited scientific data.

Gravitational waves (GWs) can resonate with magnetic fields through the Gertsenshtein-Zeldovich effect, producing electromagnetic signals at the same frequency. In pulsar magnetospheres, this conversion may yield a faint radio-band signal that could be detected. In this work, we focus on two specific pulsars, PSR J1856-3754 and PSR J0720-3125, and use numerical simulations to evaluate how well the FAST and SKA2-MID telescopes could detect such signals. We consider transient events, including primordial-black-hole-like mergers, as well as stochastic backgrounds, including primordial GWs. To improve detection sensitivity, we propose four observational methods to lower the detectable energy-density limit of very high-frequency (VHF) GWs; the "Multiple Pulsars with Multiple Telescopes" (MPMT) method performs best because it allows cross-validation and rejection of false candidates. Under the assumption of nearly 6000 hours of observation at 3 GHz and a $5\sigma$ detection threshold, the minimum detectable characteristic strain is projected to be $h_c \approx 10^{-23}$ for transient events and $h_c \approx 10^{-33}$ for stochastic backgrounds. Under optimistic assumptions on integration time and conversion efficiency, these projections suggest that radio-band searches may approach the sensitivity needed to begin testing representative VHF GW scenarios. More broadly, this conversion in pulsar magnetospheres could be relevant to the origin of some repeating fast radio bursts in the our galaxy.

In recent years it has become increasingly clear that the previously overlooked ``global structure'' of symmetry groups can encode significant theoretical structure and, more importantly, have substantial phenomenological implications. With this in mind we re-examine the DFSZ axion, which suffers from a domain wall problem due to the Standard Model generation structure. We show that global structure $(G_{\text{EW}} \times U(1)_{\text{PQ}})/\mathbb{Z}_2$ acting between the Peccei-Quinn symmetry and the electroweak gauge group plays a crucial role in determining the precise nature of the domain wall problem, which has important implications in both cubic and quartic DFSZ. We then demonstrate that the stability of the domain walls is enforced by a non-invertible chiral symmetry in quark flavor $Z'$ models which have additional global structure $(SU(3)_C \times G_F)/\mathbb{Z}_3$ acting between the color and the gauged quark flavor groups. The strategy of Non-invertible Naturalness then leads us to UV theories that resolve the domain wall problem through small-instanton-induced breaking of non-invertible symmetries. Finally, we sketch potential gravitational wave signatures arising from the annihilation of axion domain walls. Our work illustrates the importance of considerations of global structure in realistic models of particle physics.

Dynamical tidal deformations play a crucial role in the gravitational waves emitted by binary neutron star systems during their late inspiral. In this work, we systematically explore how relativistic (dynamical and dissipative) tidal deformations depend on the internal structure of a neutron star using two analytic classes of equations of state. The first class is a nucleonic model that is parameterized by nuclear physics observables, such as the symmetry energy coefficients and saturation properties. The second class is a toy model of quark matter, the MIT bag model. To model tidal dissipation, we self-consistently include contributions from weak-interaction-driven bulk-viscous effects while considering both the nucleonic and the quark-matter equations of state. The dissipative tide is sensitive to frequency and temperature, but its magnitude, as predicted by weak-interaction-driven bulk-viscous effects, is too small (within the equation-of-state models studied here) to be detectable by current or future observations. However, we find that the (conservative) dynamical tidal response function depends strongly on the slope of the symmetry energy and on higher-order coefficients of the symmetry energy; this implies that gravitational-wave observations could be used to probe higher-order coefficients of the symmetry energy through their effect on the (conservative) dynamical tide.

Large lepton flavor asymmetries at the QCD epoch could generate a pion condensation phase in the early Universe. For large enough tau lepton flavor asymmetries, the speed of sound can exceed the conformal value, leaving a distinctive imprint on the low-frequency gravitational wave (GW) spectrum from causal sources. Beyond probing the formation of a pion condensation phase, the detection or non-detection of this signature would provide a novel constraint on lepton asymmetries in the early Universe. We estimate the GW signal and compare it with the standard case of vanishing lepton asymmetry. Finally, we discuss the implications for the stochastic GW background reported by Pulsar Timing Arrays, using the NANOGrav 15-year dataset.

Features in the primordial power spectrum require numerical methods that are both accurate and scalable across the wide class of multifield inflationary models that produce them. Sharp turns in the background trajectories, induced by either potential or geometric effects, render these computations particularly challenging. In this work, we introduce an efficient method for evolving primordial scalar fluctuations, requiring timesteps comparable to those used for the background evolution. We demonstrate that the method accurately tracks perturbations through rapidly turning trajectories in arbitrary field-space geometries, enabling systematic exploration of spectral features across diverse multifield scenarios. Our approach scales robustly to large numbers of degrees of freedom, providing a reliable computational framework for probing regimes that significantly depart from slow-roll dynamics.

We introduce the Layered Dark Sectors with a Structuring Field (LDS-SF), a structured cosmological framework where the internal architecture of a multi-component dark sector naturally generates scale-dependent growth of structure. In this framework, the characteristic scale dependence is derived from the dominant eigenvalue, $\lambda(k)$, of the dark sector's perturbation matrix. This structurally-driven mechanism modifies structure growth while preserving the standard $\Lambda$CDM background expansion and General Relativity. We provide a minimal realization of this framework within a two-component DM $Z_4$-symmetric Inert Doublet Singlet Model ($Z_4$-IDSM). By integrating out the heavy inert doublet mediator, we derive a contact-interaction Effective Field Theory (EFT) for a 60~GeV singlet dark matter candidate. This interaction manifests macroscopically as an effective sound speed $c_s^2$, which we map to the LDS-SF eigenmode evolution. We implement this system into the CLASS Boltzmann code, employing a late-time activation function that projects virialized halo properties into the linear perturbation framework. We also compute the relic density using micrOMEGAs to further stress-test the relic abundance predictions of viable parameters. Our numerical analysis demonstrates that while the model remains indistinguishable from $\Lambda$CDM at the era of recombination, it introduces a targeted suppression of the matter power spectrum at late times ($z < 10$) and small scales ($k > 0.1~h/\text{Mpc}$). Confronting the model with Planck CMB, BAO, and growth-rate measurements, we find three instances of couplings that successfully alleviate the $S_8$ tension, bringing the predicted amplitude into $1\sigma$ agreement with weak-lensing data from KiDS-1000 and DES. This work establishes LDS-SF as a mathematically consistent and observationally viable extension of standard cosmology.

During the reheating epoch, gravitationally produced massive particle-antiparticle pairs undergo quantum oscillation. Perturbations in their relative densities cross out the horizon, leading to an asymmetry of particles and antiparticles inside the horizon. Massive particles decay into baryons and leptons, thereby explaining baryogenesis and leptogenesis, whose charged components must generate a nontrivial electric current, thereby producing a primordial magnetic field (magnetogenesis). As a result, the baryon (lepton) number-to-entropy ratio and the primordial magnetic field bounds are consistent with observational data. We also discuss the asymmetry of dark matter and anti-dark matter.

Dynamo action refers to energy exchange processes through which magnetic fields are generated at the expense of kinetic energy of the plasma flows. Dynamos can generate magnetic fields across scales larger or smaller than the flows themselves. Multi-scale dynamo processes underpin magnetic phenomena from planetary cores to stellar and galactic environments, while also shaping turbulent magnetic fields at smaller scales. Yet, experimental validation of dynamo action has remained largely confined to laboratories. Here we report evidence for a turbulent dynamo in the terrestrial magnetosheath. Observations reveal the predicted spatial topology of stretched and folded magnetic fields, compressive effects, and pressure anisotropy instabilities essential for magnetic field amplification. Our findings also highlight the central role of turbulent dynamos in energy conversion and structure formation within collisionless plasma turbulence. The observed energy exchange signatures indicate that the magnetosheath may serve as a natural testbed for validating dynamo theories and simulations.

As the population of anthropogenic space objects transitions from sparse clusters to mega-constellations exceeding 100,000 satellites, traditional orbital propagation techniques face a critical bottleneck. Standard CPU-bound implementations of the Simplified General Perturbations 4 (SGP4) algorithm are less well suited to handle the requisite scale of collision avoidance and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) tasks. This paper introduces \texttt{jaxsgp4}, an open-source high-performance reimplementation of SGP4 utilising the \texttt{JAX} library. \texttt{JAX} has gained traction in the landscape of computational research, offering an easy mechanism for Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation, automatic vectorisation and automatic optimisation of code for CPU, GPU and TPU hardware modalities. By refactoring the algorithm into a pure functional paradigm, we leverage these transformations to execute massively parallel propagations on modern GPUs. We demonstrate that \texttt{jaxsgp4} can propagate the entire Starlink constellation (9,341 satellites) each to 1,000 future time steps in under 4 ms on a single A100 GPU, representing a speedup of $1500\times$ over traditional C++ baselines. Furthermore, we argue that the use of 32-bit precision for SGP4 propagation tasks offers a principled trade-off, sacrificing negligible precision loss for a substantial gain in throughput on hardware accelerators.

We analytically derive the secular changes of the orbital parameters, i.e., energy, angular momentum, and Carter constant, for general bound orbits in Kerr spacetime, at leading order in the mass ratio, through the 6th post-Newtonian (6PN) order and the 16th order in orbital eccentricity. We validate the formulas against high-precision numerical Teukolsky results and quantify how eccentricity affects both the achievable accuracy and the PN convergence. We then construct and test a simple ``hybrid'' approximation that combines different PN and eccentricity truncations to retain accuracy at reduced computational cost. We also assess the performance of exponential resummation at higher PN orders. These results provide building blocks for fast, (analytic) adiabatic inspiral and waveform models for extreme mass ratio inspirals relevant to space-based detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).

In this work, we investigate a neutrinophilic low-mass dark matter model mediated by a pseudoscalar particle. Since dark matter lacks Standard Model gauge charges, new interactions are required to connect it to the visible sector. Traditional indirect detection searches for annihilation products, such as cosmic rays, become ineffective when the annihilation predominantly yields invisible neutrinos. In our model, the present-day annihilation cross section into neutrinos (manifesting as a neutrino line) falls below current indirect detection limits. We therefore constrain the model using complementary probes: the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest, high-energy astrophysical neutrinos from active galactic nuclei and supernovae, direct detection via nucleon and electron scattering, and invisible Higgs decays. These observables provide stringent and multifaceted constraints on neutrinophilic dark matter interactions in the low-mass regime. Our results indicate that searches for the neutrino line from dark matter annihilations, neutrino self-interactions from supernovae and collider signatures, and invisible Higgs decays offer critical tests for the model's parameter space.

Cosmological peculiar velocities have traditionally been studied within the framework of Newtonian theory. Around the turn of the century, a few quasi-Newtonian analyses appeared in the literature, but led to equations and results identical to those of the purely Newtonian approach [1]. More recently, a series of studies introduced a relativistic treatment of the peculiar-velocity problem, criticising the quasi-Newtonian approach as effectively Newtonian in nature [2]. These works also reported a linear growth-rate of $v \propto t$ for peculiar velocities, in contrast to the slower Newtonian/quasi-Newtonian scaling of $v \propto t^{1/3}$. In a manuscript uploaded to the archives a few days ago [3], the authors defended their earlier quasi-Newtonian work and criticised the more recent relativistic treatments. However, the limitations of the quasi-Newtonian approach are not a new concern, but they have been noted at least since [4]. There, it was clearly stated that the quasi-Newtonian approximation leads to Newtonian-like equations and results, and readers were cautioned against applying it to large-scale cosmological studies. Given that one of the authors of [3] was also a coauthor of [4], the self-contradiction is evident. The relativistic analyses have, in fact, confirmed the concerns of [4], clarified the underlying issues and shown how they can be resolved. Motivated by [3], we present a critical comparison of the two approaches and in the process identify several internal inconsistencies in that manuscript.

A theoretical study of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction in the astrophysical energy range with the use of ab initio methods is presented. The used approaches are No-Core Shell Model and Cluster Channels Orthogonal Functions Method. The scheme also contains elements of R-matrix theory and procedures for extrapolating various data obtained in ab initio computations. The developed approach as a whole allows one not only to calculate the astrophysical S-factor and all nuclear characteristics that determine its value, but also to evaluate the reliability of the obtained results and to identify the dominant reaction mechanisms against a background of insignificant this http URL high accuracy of the obtained results and has been demonstrated.

We implement the scenario of early relaxation of the axion via a high scale confinement within $SU(5)$ grand unified theory and study an epoch of strong QCD in inflationary cosmology. We consider scenarios in which, during inflation, the $SU(5)$ is either entirely or partially in the confining phase. This generates an early potential for the axion and dilutes its energy density removing any cosmological upper bound on the decay constant. We show that a phase of strong QCD can be realized by at least two mechanisms: 1) A direct coupling between the inflaton and the gauge fields and/or 2) by restoration of the $SU(5)$ symmetry during the inflationary epoch. In the latter case, strong coupling is already achieved via the RG running of the $SU(5)$ gauge coupling. We show that the mechanism works for all known realizations of the invisible axion idea: Peccei-Quinn (PQ) type formulations in which the anomalous global symmetry is realized via additional scalars (DFSZ) or heavy fermions (KSVZ) as well as the two-form gauge axion formulation based entirely on the QCD gauge redundancy without any anomalous global symmetry. Even if the expectation value of the PQ scalar vanishes during inflation, the axion is a well defined degree of freedom represented by the phase of the fermion 't Hooft determinant. For the DFSZ case, this phase is composed out of a condensate of the ordinary quarks, amounting to an early universe version of the $\eta'$-meson. In all considered scenarios, the present day axion can be a viable dark matter candidate for an arbitrarily large value of the decay constant.

Gravitational-wave displacement memory is a remarkable and ubiquitous phenomenon predicted by general relativity, which has not yet been detected. Unlike the oscillatory components of gravitational waveforms, displacement memory is associated with soft gravitons, making it the only observable signal of its parent event at sufficiently low frequencies. Similarly, soft waveforms may arise from velocity and integrated-displacement memory. The simple and universal spectral shapes of soft waveforms also provide effective templates for matched filtering and parameter estimation. In this paper, we systematically investigate the detection prospects for such soft memory signals with future space-based laser interferometers. As realistic examples, we examine the infrared spectral features of gravitational waves from moderately relativistic compact binary scattering and quasi-circular, non-precessing black hole mergers. In both cases, the low-frequency spectrum can be described by a soft waveform of displacement memory with a real correction factor. The results of simulated Bayesian parameter estimation demonstrate that independent measurement of a soft displacement-memory signal with a single LISA-like detector is achievable at signal-to-noise ratios $\gtrsim 10$. The measurement precision can be significantly improved by joint observations with a LISA-Taiji network. A single BBO detector would be capable of separately measuring the null memory from stellar-mass compact binary mergers. We also evaluate the detectability of an idealized stochastic background of soft displacement-memory signals. Our results indicate that gravitational-wave bursts with memory can be promising targets for space-based interferometers.