Locally authored papers of the past 5 days

This is the list of the papers for the past 5 days that include local authors affiliated with Princeton University's Astrophysical Sciences department.

Papers with local authors from 2024-03-29

Valentina La Torre, Anna Sajina, Andy D. Goulding, Danilo Marchesini, Rachel Bezanson, Alan N. Pearl, Laerte Sodré Jr

22 pages, 12 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

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Paper 1 — arXiv:2403.18888
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Paper 1 — arXiv:2403.18888

The current and upcoming large data volume galaxy surveys require the use of machine learning techniques to maximize their scientific return. This study explores the use of Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) to estimate galaxy parameters with a focus on handling cases of missing data and providing realistic probability distribution functions for the parameters. We train a SOM with a simulated mass-limited lightcone assuming a ugrizYJHKs+IRAC dataset, mimicking the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Deep joint dataset. For parameter estimation, we derive SOM likelihood surfaces considering photometric errors to derive total (statistical and systematic) uncertainties. We explore the effects of missing data including which bands are particular critical to the accuracy of the derived parameters. We demonstrate that the parameter recovery is significantly better when the missing bands are "filled-in" rather than if they are completely omitted. We propose a practical method for such recovery of missing data.

M. Tanious, R. Le Gal, R. Neri, A. Faure, A. Gupta, C.J. Law, J. Huang, N. Cuello, J.P. Williams, F. Ménard

16 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

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Paper 7 — arXiv:2403.18905
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Paper 7 — arXiv:2403.18905

Over the past few years, chemical studies have revealed multiple structures in the vicinity of young stellar objects (YSOs). It has become evident that specific physical conditions are associated with the emission of particular molecular lines, allowing us to use molecular probes of the YSO physics. Consequently, chemical surveys are now necessary to fully constrain the origin of the observed structures. Several surveys have been conducted to explore the chemistry of YSOs, focusing on Class 0 and Class II objects. However, our knowledge of intermediate objects, that are Class I objects, remains limited. To bridge the gap and establish the relationship between observed structures and molecular line emission at the Class I evolutionary stage, we investigate the spatial distribution of key molecular gas species in the low-mass Class I protostar L1489 IRS (IRAS 04016+2610), a source part of the ChemYSO survey. We performed a 3mm line survey at high spatial and high spectral resolution using the NOEMA interferometer and the IRAM-30m telescope. We present here the ten brightest lines of our survey, in which we identified a new ~ 3 000 au long streamer in HC3N, C2H, and c-C3H2 emission, likely associated with more localized accretion shocks probed in SO. In addition, two ~ 10 000 au bubbles are seen with the dense molecular tracers HCO+, CS, and HCN around the YSO. Additionally, potential indicators of a second outflow appear in CS and HCN emission, but its nature remains to be confirmed. The late infall identified at large scales may originate from the nearby prestellar core L1489 and is likely responsible for the formation of an external warped disk in this system. The detection of a potential second outflow could be the direct evidence of a binary system. Finally, we hypothesize that the bubbles may result from the magnetic pressure as observed in numerical simulations.

J. Richard Bond, George M. Fuller, Evan Grohs, Joel Meyers, Matthew James Wilson

50 pages, 14 figures

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Paper 21 — arXiv:2403.19038
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Paper 21 — arXiv:2403.19038

Very different processes characterize the decoupling of neutrinos to form the cosmic neutrino background (C$\nu$B) and the much later decoupling of photons from thermal equilibrium to form the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The C$\nu$B emerges from the fuzzy, energy-dependent neutrinosphere and encodes the physics operating in the early universe in the temperature range $T\sim 10\,{\rm MeV}$ to $T\sim10\,{\rm keV}$. This is the epoch where beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics may be influential in setting the light element abundances and the necessarily distorted fossil neutrino energy spectra. Here we use techniques honed in extensive CMB studies to analyze the C$\nu$B as calculated in detailed neutrino energy transport and nuclear reaction simulations. Our moment method, relative entropy, and differential visibility approach can leverage future high precision CMB and primordial abundance measurements to provide new insights into the C$\nu$B and any BSM physics it encodes. We demonstrate that the evolution of the energy spectrum of the C$\nu$B throughout the weak decoupling epoch is accurately captured in the Standard Model by only three parameters per species, a non-trivial conclusion given the deviation from thermal equilibrium. Furthermore, we can interpret each of the three parameters as physical characteristics of a non-equilibrium system. The success of our compact description within the Standard Model motivates its use also in BSM scenarios. We demonstrate how observations of primordial light element abundances can be used to place constraints on the C$\nu$B energy spectrum, deriving response functions that can be applied for general C$\nu$B spectral distortions. Combined with the description of those deviations that we develop here, our methods provide a convenient and powerful framework to constrain the impact of BSM physics on the C$\nu$B.

Ting-Ting Ge, Xiao-Na Sun, Rui-Zhi Yang, Pak-Hin Thomas Tam, Ming-Xuan Lu, En-Wei Liang

8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2210.01352

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Paper 38 — arXiv:2403.19362
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Paper 38 — arXiv:2403.19362

We report the detection of gamma-ray emission by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) towards the young massive star cluster RCW 38 in the 1-500 GeV photon energy range. We found spatially extended GeV emission towards the direction of RCW 38, which is best modelled by a Gaussian disc of 0.23$\deg$ radius with a significance of the extension is $\sim 11.4 \sigma$. Furthermore, the spatial correlation with the ionized and molecular gas content favors the hadronic origin of the gamma-ray emission. The gamma-ray spectrum of RCW 38 has a relatively hard photon index of $2.44 \pm 0.03$, which is similar to other young massive star clusters. We argue that the diffuse GeV gamma-ray emission in this region likely originates from the interaction of accelerated protons in the stellar cluster with the ambient gas.

Papers with local authors from 2024-03-28

Shannon M. Duff, Jason Austermann, James A. Beall, David P. Daniel, Johannes Hubmayr, Greg C. Jaehnig, Bradley R. Johnson, Dante Jones, Michael J. Link, Tammy J. Lucas, Rita F. Sonka, Suzanne T. Staggs, Joel Ullom, Yuhan Wang

10 pages, 6 figures. Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD20). Submitted to JLTP

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Paper 15 — arXiv:2403.18225
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Paper 15 — arXiv:2403.18225

The Simons Observatory (SO) is a cosmic microwave background instrumentation suite in the Atacama Desert of Chile. More than 65,000 polarization-sensitive transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers will be fielded in the frequency range spanning 27 to 280 GHz, with three separate dichroic designs. The mid-frequency 90/150 GHz and ultra-high-frequency 220/280 GHz detector arrays, fabricated at NIST, account for 39 of 49 total detector modules and implement the feedhorn-fed orthomode transducer (OMT)-coupled TES bolometer architecture. A robust production-level fabrication framework for these detector arrays and the monolithic DC/RF routing wafers has been developed, which includes single device prototyping, process monitoring techniques, in-process metrology, and cryogenic measurements of critical film properties. Application of this framework has resulted in timely delivery of nearly 100 total superconducting focal plane components to SO with 88% of detector wafers meeting nominal criteria for integration into a detector module: a channel yield > 95% and Tc in the targeted range.

Qingcang Shui, Shu Zhang, Shuangnan Zhang, Yupeng Chen, Lingda Kong, Jingqiang Peng, Long Ji, Pengju Wang, Zhi Chang, Zhuoli Yu, Hongxing Yin, Jinlu Qu, Lian Tao, Mingyu Ge, Xiang Ma, Liang Zhang, Wei Yu, Jian Li

21 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

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Paper 18 — arXiv:2403.18272
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Paper 18 — arXiv:2403.18272

We propose a method based on the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) to recover the high-energy waveform of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs). Based on the method, we successfully obtain the modulation of the phase-folded light curve above 170 keV using the QPO phase reconstructed at lower energies in MAXI J1535-571 with Insight-HXMT observations. A comprehensive simulation study is conducted to demonstrate that such modulation indeed originates from the QPO. Thus the highest energies turn out to significantly exceed the upper limit of ~100 keV for QPOs reported previously using the Fourier method, marking the first opportunity to study QPO properties above 100 keV in this source. Detailed analyses of these high-energy QPO profiles reveal different QPO properties between the 30-100 keV and 100-200 keV energy ranges: the phase lag remains relatively stable, and the amplitude slightly increases below ~100 keV, whereas above this threshold, soft phase lags and a decrease in amplitude are observed. Given the reports of a hard tail detection in broad spectroscopy, we propose that the newly discovered QPO properties above 100 keV are dominated by the hard tail component, possibly stemming from a relativistic jet. Our findings also indicate a strong correlation between the QPOs originating from the jet and corona, supporting the scenario of jet-corona coupling precssion. We emphasize that our proposed HHT-based method can serve as an efficient manner in expanding the high energy band for studying QPOs, thereby enhancing our understanding of their origin.

Papers with local authors from 2024-03-27

Caleb Lammers, Sam Hadden, Norman Murray

20 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to AAS Journals

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Paper 53 — arXiv:2403.17928
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Paper 53 — arXiv:2403.17928

To improve our understanding of orbital instabilities in compact planetary systems, we compare suites of $N$-body simulations against numerical integrations of simplified dynamical models. We show that, surprisingly, dynamical models that account for small sets of resonant interactions between the planets can accurately recover $N$-body instability times. This points towards a simple physical picture in which a handful of three-body resonances (3BRs), generated by interactions between nearby two-body mean motion resonances (MMRs), overlap and drive chaotic diffusion, leading to instability. Motivated by this, we show that instability times are well-described by a power law relating instability time to planet separations, measured in units of fractional semi-major axis difference divided by the planet-to-star mass ratio to the $1/4$ power, rather than the frequently-adopted $1/3$ power implied by measuring separations in units of mutual Hill radii. For idealized systems, the parameters of this power-law relationship depend only on the ratio of the planets' orbital eccentricities to the orbit-crossing value, and we report an empirical fit to enable quick instability time predictions. This relationship predicts that observed systems comprised of three or more sub-Neptune mass planets must be spaced with period ratios $\mathcal{P} \gtrsim 1.35$ and that tightly-spaced systems ($\mathcal{P} \lesssim 1.5$) must possess very low eccentricities ($e \lesssim 0.05$) to be stable for more than $10^9$ orbits.

Papers with local authors from 2024-03-26

James E. Robinson, Uri Malamud, Cyrielle Opitom, Hagai Perets, Jürgen Blum

25 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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Paper 15 — arXiv:2403.15644
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Paper 15 — arXiv:2403.15644

All cometary nuclei that formed in the early Solar System incorporated radionuclides and therefore were subject to internal radiogenic heating. Previous work predicts that if comets have a pebble-pile structure internal temperature build-up is enhanced due to very low thermal conductivity, leading to internal differentiation. An internal thermal gradient causes widespread sublimation and migration of either ice condensates, or gases released from amorphous ice hosts during their crystallisation. Overall, the models predict that the degree of differentiation and re-distribution of volatile species to a shallower near-surface layer depends primarily on nucleus size. Hence, we hypothesise that cometary activity should reveal a correlation between the abundance of volatile species and the size of the nucleus. To explore this hypothesis we have conducted a thorough literature search for measurements of the composition and size of cometary nuclei, compiling these into a unified database. We report a statistically significant correlation between the measured abundance of CO/H$_{2}$O and the size of cometary nuclei. We further recover the measured slope of abundance as a function of size, using a theoretical model based on our previous thermophysical models, invoking re-entrapment of outward migrating high volatility gases in the near-surface pristine amorphous ice layers. This model replicates the observed trend and supports the theory of internal differentiation of cometary nuclei by early radiogenic heating. We make our database available for future studies, and we advocate for collection of more measurements to allow more precise and statistically significant analyses to be conducted in the future.

Siyi Xu, Sherry Yeh, Laura. K. Rogers, Amy Steele, Erik Dennihy, Alexandra E. Doyle, P. Dufour, Beth L. Klein, Christopher J. Manser, Carl Melis, Tinggui Wang, Alycia J. Weinberger

14 pages, 10 figures, 4 table, accepted for publication in AJ

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Paper 23 — arXiv:2403.15794
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Paper 23 — arXiv:2403.15794

The chemical composition of an extrasolar planet is fundamental to its formation, evolution and habitability. In this study, we explore a new way to measure the chemical composition of the building blocks of extrasolar planets, by measuring the gas composition of the disrupted planetesimals around white dwarf stars. As a first attempt, we used the photo-ionization code Cloudy to model the circumstellar gas emission around a white dwarf Gaia J0611$-$6931 under some simplified assumptions. We found most of the emission lines are saturated and the line ratios approaching the ratios of thermal emission; therefore only lower limits to the number density can be derived. Silicon is the best constrained element in the circumstellar gas and we derived a lower limit of 10$^{10.3}$ cm$^{-3}$. In addition, we placed a lower limit on the total amount of gas to be 1.8 $\times$ 10$^{19}$ g. Further study is needed to better constrain the parameters of the gas disk and connect it to other white dwarfs with circumstellar gas absorption.

Fanpeng Shi, Dong Li, Zongjun Ning, Jun Xu, Yuxiang Song, Yuzhi Yang
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Paper 34 — arXiv:2403.16193
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Paper 34 — arXiv:2403.16193

Context. Solar jets play a role in the coronal heating and the supply of solar wind. Aims. This study calculated the energies of 23 small-scale jets emerging from a quiet-Sun region to investigate their contributions for coronal heating. Conclusions. Our observations suggest that although these jets cannot provide sufficient energy for the heating of the whole quiet-Sun coronal region, they are likely to account for a significant portion of the energy demand in the local regions where the jets occur.

Xuelei Chen, Feng Gao, Fengquan Wu, Yechi Zhang, Tong Wang, Weilin Liu, Dali Zou, Furen Deng, Yang Gong, Kai He, Jixia Li, Shijie Sun, Nanben Suo, Yougang Wang, Pengju Wu, Jiaqin Xu, Yidong Xu, Bin Yue, Cong Zhang, Jia Zhou, Minquan Zhou, Chenguang Zhu, Jiacong Zhu

final submission version, 30 pages, 16 figures

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Paper 51 — arXiv:2403.16409
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Paper 51 — arXiv:2403.16409

At the Royal Society meeting in 2023, we have mainly presented our lunar orbit array concept called DSL, and also briefly introduced a concept of a lunar surface array, LARAF. As the DSL concept had been presented before, in this article we introduce the LARAF. We propose to build an array in the far side of the Moon, with a master station which handles the data collection and processing, and 20 stations with maximum baseline of 10 km. Each station consists 12 membrane antenna units, and the stations are connected to the master station by power line and optical fiber. The array will make interferometric observation in the 0.1-50 MHz band during the lunar night, powered by regenerated fuel cells (RFCs). The whole array can be carried to the lunar surface with a heavy rocket mission, and deployed with a rover in 8 months. Such an array would be an important step in the long term development of lunar based ultralong wavelength radio astronomy. It has a sufficiently high sensitivity to observe many radio sources in the sky, though still short of the dark age fluctuations. We discuss the possible options in the power supply, data communication, deployment, etc.

Dan Dicken, Macarena García Marín, Irene Shivaei, Pierre Guillard, Mattia Libralato, Alistair Glasse, Karl D. Gordon, Christophe Cossou, Patrick Kavanagh, Tea Temim, Nicolas Flagey, Pamela Klaassen, George H. Rieke, Gillian Wright, Stacey Alberts, Ruyman Azzollini, Javier Álvarez-Márquez, Patrice Bouchet, Stacey Bright, Misty Cracraft, Alain Coulais, Ors Hunor Detre, Mike Engesser, Ori D. Fox, Andras Gaspar, René Gastaud, Adrian M. Glauser, Dean C. Hines, Sarah Kendrew, Alvaro Labiano, Pierre-Oliver Lagage, David Lee, David R. Law, Jane E. Morrison, Alberto Noriega-Crespo, Olivia Jones, Polychronis Patapis, Silvia Scheithauer, Greg C. Sloan, Laszlo Tamaz
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Paper 66 — arXiv:2403.16686
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Paper 66 — arXiv:2403.16686

The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides the observatory with a huge advance in mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopy covering the wavelength range of 5 to 28 microns. This paper describes the performance and characteristics of the MIRI imager as understood during observatory commissioning activities, and through its first year of science operations. We discuss the measurements and results of the imager's point spread function, flux calibration, background, distortion and flat fields as well as results pertaining to best observing practices for MIRI imaging, and discuss known imaging artefacts that may be seen during or after data processing. Overall, we show that the MIRI imager has met or exceeded all its pre-flight requirements, and we expect it to make a significant contribution to mid-infrared science for the astronomy community for years to come.

Papers with local authors from 2024-03-25

B. Margalef-Bentabol, L. Wang, A. La Marca1, C. Blanco-Prieto, D. Chudy, H. Domínguez-Sánchez, A. D. Goulding, A. Guzmán-Ortega, M. Huertas-Company, G. Martin, W.J. Pearson, V. Rodriguez-Gomez, M. Walmsley, R.W. Bickley, C. Bottrell, C. Conselice, D. O'Ryan
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Paper 27 — arXiv:2403.15118
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Paper 27 — arXiv:2403.15118

Various galaxy merger detection methods have been applied to diverse datasets. However, it is difficult to understand how they compare. We aim to benchmark the relative performance of machine learning (ML) merger detection methods. We explore six leading ML methods using three main datasets. The first one (the training data) consists of mock observations from the IllustrisTNG simulations and allows us to quantify the performance metrics of the detection methods. The second one consists of mock observations from the Horizon-AGN simulations, introduced to evaluate the performance of classifiers trained on different, but comparable data. The third one consists of real observations from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) survey. For the binary classification task (mergers vs. non-mergers), all methods perform reasonably well in the domain of the training data. At $0.1<z<0.3$, precision and recall range between $\sim$70\% and 80\%, both of which decrease with increasing $z$ as expected (by $\sim$5\% for precision and $\sim$10\% for recall at $0.76<z<1.0$). When transferred to a different domain, the precision of all classifiers is only slightly reduced, but the recall is significantly worse (by $\sim$20-40\% depending on the method). Zoobot offers the best overall performance in terms of precision and F1 score. When applied to real HSC observations, all methods agree well with visual labels of clear mergers but can differ by more than an order of magnitude in predicting the overall fraction of major mergers. For the multi-class classification task to distinguish pre-, post- and non-mergers, none of the methods offer a good performance, which could be partly due to limitations in resolution and depth of the data. With the advent of better quality data (e.g. JWST and Euclid), it is important to improve our ability to detect mergers and distinguish between merger stages.