The ALMA Survey of 70 μm Dark High-mass Clumps in Early Stages (ASHES). VIII. Dynamics of Embedded Dense Cores [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01718


We present the dynamical properties of 294 cores embedded in twelve IRDCs observed as part of the ASHES Survey. Protostellar cores have higher gas masses, surface densities, column densities, and volume densities than prestellar cores, indicating core mass growth from the prestellar to the protostellar phase. We find that ~80% of cores with virial parameter ($\alpha$) measurements are gravitationally bound ($\alpha$< 2). We also find an anti-correlation between the mass and the virial parameter of cores, with massive cores having on average lower virial parameters. Protostellar cores are more gravitationally bound than prestellar cores, with an average virial parameter of 1.2 and 1.5, respectively. The observed non-thermal velocity dispersion (from N$_{2}$D$^{+}$ or DCO$^{+}$) is consistent with simulations in which turbulence is continuously injected, whereas the core-to-core velocity dispersion is neither in agreement with driven nor decaying turbulence simulations. We find no significant increment in the line velocity dispersion from prestellar to protostellar cores, suggesting that dense gas within the core traced by these deuterated molecules is not yet severely affected by turbulence injected from outflow activity at the early evolutionary stages traced in ASHES. The most massive cores are strongly self-gravitating and have greater surface density, Mach number, and velocity dispersion than cores with lower masses. Dense cores have not significant velocity shifts relative to their low-density envelopes, suggesting that dense cores are co-moving with their envelopes. We conclude that the observed core properties are more in line with predictions of clump-fed" scenarios rather than withcore-fed” scenarios.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Li, P. Sanhueza, Q. Zhang, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
38/62

Comments: 29 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication by ApJ. Tables 2 and 3 are available here: this https URL

Prediction of solar wind speed by applying convolutional neural network to potential field source surface (PFSS) magnetograms [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01234


An accurate solar wind speed model is important for space weather predictions, catastrophic event warnings, and other issues concerning solar wind – magnetosphere interaction. In this work, we construct a model based on convolutional neural network (CNN) and Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) magnetograms, considering a solar wind source surface of $R_{\rm SS}=2.5R_\odot$, aiming to predict the solar wind speed at the Lagrange 1 (L1) point of the Sun-Earth system. The input of our model consists of four Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) magnetograms at $R_{\rm SS}$, which are 7, 6, 5, and 4 days before the target epoch. Reduced magnetograms are used to promote the model’s efficiency. We use the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) photospheric magnetograms and the potential field extrapolation model to generate PFSS magnetograms at the source surface. The model provides predictions of the continuous test dataset with an averaged correlation coefficient (CC) of 0.52 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 80.8 km/s in an eight-fold validation training scheme with the time resolution of the data as small as one hour. The model also has the potential to forecast high speed streams of the solar wind, which can be quantified with a general threat score of 0.39.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Lin, Z. Luo, J. He, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
39/62

Comments: N/A

Evolved Massive Stars at Low-metallicity V. Mass-Loss Rate of Red Supergiant Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01835


We assemble the most complete and clean red supergiant (RSG) sample (2,121 targets) so far in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with 53 different bands of data to study the MLR of RSGs. In order to match the observed spectral energy distributions (SEDs), a theoretical grid of 17,820 Oxygen-rich models (normal'' anddusty” grids are half-and-half) is created by the radiatively-driven wind model of the DUSTY code, covering a wide range of dust parameters. We select the best model for each target by calculating the minimal modified chi-square and visual inspection. The resulting MLRs from DUSTY are converted to real MLRs based on the scaling relation, for which a total MLR of $6.16\times10^{-3}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ is measured (corresponding to a dust-production rate of $\sim6\times10^{-6}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$), with a typical MLR of $\sim10^{-6}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ for the general population of the RSGs. The complexity of mass-loss estimation based on the SED is fully discussed for the first time, indicating large uncertainties based on the photometric data (potentially up to one order of magnitude or more). The Hertzsprung-Russell and luminosity versus median absolute deviation diagrams of the sample indicate the positive relation between luminosity and MLR. Meanwhile, the luminosity versus MLR diagrams show a “knee-like” shape with enhanced mass-loss occurring above $\log_{10}(L/L_\odot)\approx4.6$, which may be due to the degeneracy of luminosity, pulsation, low surface gravity, convection, and other factors. We derive our MLR relation by using a third-order polynomial to fit the sample and compare our result with previous empirical MLR prescriptions. Given that our MLR prescription is based on a much larger sample than previous determinations, it provides a more accurate relation at the cool and luminous region of the H-R diagram at low-metallicity compared to previous studies.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Yang, A. Bonanos, B. Jiang, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
41/62

Comments: 16 pages, 19 figures, accepted by A&A

Testing protoplanetary disc evolution with CO fluxes. A proof of concept in Lupus and Upper Sco [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01760


The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) revolutionised our understanding of protoplanetary discs. However, the available data have not given conclusive answers yet on the underlying disc evolution mechanisms (viscosity or MHD winds). Improving upon the current results, mostly based on the analysis of disc sizes, is difficult because larger, deeper and higher angular resolution surveys would be required, which could be prohibitive even for ALMA. In this Letter, we introduce an alternative method to study disc evolution based on $^{12}$CO fluxes. In fact, fluxes can be readily collected using less time-consuming, lower resolution observations, while tracing the same disc physico-chemical processes as sizes: assuming that $^{12}$CO is optically thick, fluxes scale with the disc surface area. We developed a semi-analytical model to compute $^{12}$CO fluxes and benchmarked it against the results of DALI thermochemical models, recovering an agreement within a factor of three. As a proof of concept we compared our models with Lupus and Upper Sco data, taking advantage of the increased samples, by a factor 1.3 (Lupus) and 3.6 (Upper Sco), when studying fluxes instead of sizes. Models and data agree well only if CO depletion is considered. However, the uncertainties on the initial conditions limited our interpretation of the observations. Our new method can be used to design future ad hoc observational strategies to collect better data and give conclusive answers on disc evolution.

Read this paper on arXiv…

F. Zagaria, S. Facchini, A. Miotello, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
43/62

Comments: 10 pages, 9 figures; accepted for publication in A&A Letters. Code and data available at this https URL

Heating and dynamics of the Solar atmosphere [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01553


The solar atmosphere shows anomalous variation in temperature, starting from the 5500 K photosphere to the million-degree Kelvin corona. The corona itself expands into the interstellar medium as the free streaming solar wind, which modulates and impacts the near-Earth space weather. The precise source regions of different structures in the solar wind, their formation height, and the heating of the solar atmosphere are inextricably linked and unsolved problems in astrophysics. Observations suggest correlations between Coronal holes (CHs), which are cool, intensity deficit structures in the solar corona, with structures in the solar wind. Observations also suggest the local plasma heating in the corona through power-law distributed impulsive events. In this thesis, we use narrowband photometric, spectroscopic, and disc-integrated emission of the solar atmosphere ranging from Near Ultraviolet to X-rays along with in-situ solar wind measurements to understand (i). the source regions of the solar wind, (ii). the underlying mechanism of solar coronal heating, and (iii). the differentiation in dynamics of CHs with the background Quiet Sun (QS) regions, which do not show any significant signature of the solar wind. We leverage machine learning and numerical modeling tools to develop solar wind forecasting codes using interpretable AI, inversion codes to infer the properties of impulsive events and to understand the differences in the thermodynamics of CHs and QS regions. We finally present a unified scenario of solar wind emergence and heating in the solar atmosphere and discuss the implications of inferences from this thesis.

Read this paper on arXiv…

V. Upendran
Wed, 5 Apr 23
44/62

Comments: PhD thesis presented to IUCAA and JNU. Refer to the thesis for list of papers

Alfvénic motions arising from asymmetric acoustic wave drivers in solar magnetic structures [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01606


Alfv\’enic motions are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere and their observed properties are closely linked to those of photospheric p-modes. However, it is still unclear how a predominantly acoustic wave driver can produce these transverse oscillations in the magnetically dominated solar corona. In this study we conduct a 3D ideal MHD numerical simulation to model a straight, expanding coronal loop in a gravitationally stratified solar atmosphere which includes a transition region and chromosphere. We implement a driver locally at one foot-point corresponding to an acoustic-gravity wave which is inclined by $\theta = 15^{\circ}$ with respect to the vertical axis of the magnetic structure and is similar to a vertical driver incident on an inclined loop. We show that transverse motions are produced in the magnetic loop, which displace the axis of the waveguide due to the breaking of azimuthal symmetry, and study the resulting modes in the theoretical framework of a magnetic cylinder model. By conducting an azimuthal Fourier analysis of the perturbed velocity signals, the contribution from different cylindrical modes is obtained. Furthermore, the perturbed vorticity is computed to demonstrate how the transverse motions manifest themselves throughout the whole non-uniform space. Finally we present some physical properties of the Alfv\’enic perturbations and present transverse motions with velocity amplitudes in the range of $0.2-0.75$ km s$^{-1}$ which exhibit two distinct oscillation regimes corresponding to $42$ s and $364$ s, where the latter value is close to the period of the p-mode driver in the simulation.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Skirvin, Y. Gao and T. Doorsselaere
Wed, 5 Apr 23
45/62

Comments: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted in ApJ

The period–luminosity relation for Mira variables in the Milky Way using Gaia DR3: a further distance anchor for $H_0$ [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01671


Gaia DR3 parallaxes are used to calibrate preliminary period–luminosity relations of O-rich Mira variables in the 2MASS $J$, $H$ and $K_s$ bands using a probabilistic model accounting for variations in the parallax zeropoint and underestimation of the parallax uncertainties. The derived relations are compared to those measured for the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy, globular cluster members and the subset of Milky Way Mira variables with VLBI parallaxes. The Milky Way linear $JHK_s$ relations are slightly steeper and thus fainter at short period than the corresponding LMC relations suggesting population effects in the near-infrared are perhaps larger than previous observational works have claimed. Models of the Gaia astrometry for the Mira variables suggest that, despite the intrinsic photocentre wobble and use of mean photometry in the astrometric solution of the current data reduction, the recovered parallaxes should be on average unbiased but with underestimated uncertainties for the nearest stars. The recommended Gaia EDR3 parallax zeropoint corrections evaluated at $\nu_\mathrm{eff}=1.25\,\mu\mathrm{m}^{-1}$ require minimal ($\lesssim5\,\mu\mathrm{as}$) corrections for redder five-parameter sources, but over-correct the parallaxes for redder six-parameter sources, and the parallax uncertainties are underestimated, at most by a factor $\sim1.6$ at $G\approx12.5\,\mathrm{mag}$. The derived period–luminosity relations are used as anchors for the Mira variables in the Type Ia host galaxy NGC 1559 to find $H_0=(73.7\pm4.4)\,\mathrm{km\,s}^{-1}\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Sanders
Wed, 5 Apr 23
51/62

Comments: 31 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Surveying the Giant HII Regions of the Milky Way with SOFIA: V. DR7 and K3-50 [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01390


We present our fifth set of results from our mid-infrared imaging survey of Milky Way Giant HII (GHII) regions with our detailed analysis of DR7 and K3-50. We obtained 20/25 and 37um imaging maps of both regions using the FORCAST instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). We investigate the multi-scale properties of DR7 and K3-50 using our data in conjunction with previous multi-wavelength observations. Near to far-infrared spectral energy distributions of individual compact infrared sources were constructed and fitted with massive young stellar object (MYSO) models. We find eight out of the ten (80%) compact sources in K3-50 and three out of the four (75%) sources in DR7 are likely to be MYSOs. We derived luminosity-to-mass ratios of the extended radio sub-regions of DR7 and K3-50 to estimate their relative ages. The large spread in evolutionary state for the sub-regions in K3-50 likely indicates that the star-forming complex has undergone multiple star-forming events separated more widely in time, whereas the smaller spread in DR7 likely indicates the star formation sub-regions are more co-eval. DR7 and K3-50 have Lyman continuum photon rates just above the formal threshold criterion for being categorized as a GHII region (10^50 photons/s) but with large enough errors that this classification is uncertain. By measuring other observational characteristics in the infrared, we find that K3-50 has properties more akin to previous bona fide GHII regions we have studied, whereas DR7 has values more like those of the non-GHII regions we have previously studied.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Buizer, W. Lim, J. Radomski, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
55/62

Comments: 29 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Catalog of Planetary Nebulae detected by GALEX and corollary optical surveys [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01970


Planetary nebulae (PNe) consist of an ionized envelope surrounding a hot central star (CSPN) that emits mostly at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths. Ultraviolet observations, therefore, provide important information on both the CSPN and the nebula. We have matched the PNe in The Hong Kong/AAO/Strasbourg H$\alpha$ (HASH) catalog with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) UV sky surveys, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 16 (SDSS), and the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) PS1 second release. A total of 671 PNe were observed by GALEX with the far-UV (FUV; 1344-1786{\AA}) and/or the near-UV (NUV; 1771-2831{\AA}) detector on (GUVPNcat); 83 were observed by SDSS (PNcatxSDSSDR16) and 1819 by Pan-STARRS (PNcatxPS1MDS). We merged a distilled version of these matched catalogs into GUVPNcatxSDSSDR16xPS1MDS, which contains a total of 375 PNe with both UV and optical photometry over a total spectral coverage of $\sim$1540–9610{\AA}. We analysed separately 170 PNe resolved in GALEX images and determined their UV radius by applying a flux profile analysis. The CSPN flux could be extracted separately from the PN emission for 8 and 50 objects with SDSS and Pan-STARRS counterparts respectively. The multi-band photometry was used to distinguish between compact and extended PNe and CSPNe (binary CSPNe) by color–color diagram analysis. We found that compact PNe candidates could be identified by using the $r-i < -0.4$ and $-$1$<$FUV$-$NUV$<$1 colors, whereas binary CSPNe candidates in given $T_\mathrm{eff}$ ranges (all with color r$-$i$>-$0.4) can be identified in the color region (FUV$-$NUV)$\leq$6(r$-$i)+1.3, $-$0.8$<$FUV$-$NUV$<$0.4 and r$-$i$<$0.75.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Gómez-Muñoz, L. Bianchi and A. Manchado
Wed, 5 Apr 23
58/62

Comments: Accepted for publication in ApJS. 26 pages, 8 figures

Cluster aggregates surrounding Pismis 5 in the Vela Molecular Ridge [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00226


Context. In the Gaia era, the precision of astrometric data is unprecedented. High-quality data make it easier to find more cluster aggregates and support further confirmation of these open clusters. Aims. We use Gaia DR3 to redetermine the open clusters surrounding Pismis 5 in the Vela Molecular Ridge. We also investigate the basic properties of these clusters. Methods. We apply two clustering algorithms (StarGO and pyUPMASK) to identify the open cluster members in a five-dimensional space with Gaia DR3. Results. We identify eight open clusters surrounding Pismis 5 in the Vela Molecular Ridge. The open cluster QZ 1 is newly discovered. Through investigating the comprehensive properties of the clusters, one open binary cluster candidate (Alessi 43 and Collinder 197) and one triple open cluster candidate (Pismis 5, Pismis 5A, and Pismis 5B) are discussed. Conclusions. Binary and triple open cluster candidates have been identified as potential primordial aggregates based on their similar age, position, and motion. According to kinematic speculations, the two aggregate candidates will gradually separate, and their interiors will slowly disintegrate.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Qin, Y. Zhang, J. Liu, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
5/111

Comments: 10 pages, 7 figures

Multi-campaign Asteroseismic Analysis of eight Solar-like pulsating stars observed by the K2 mission [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00087


The NASA K2 mission that succeeded the nominal Kepler mission observed several hundreds of thousands of stars during its operations. While most of the stars were observed in single campaigns of 80 days, some of them were targeted for more than one campaign. We perform an asteroseismic study of a sample of eight solar-like stars observed during K2 Campaigns 6 and 17. We first extract the light curves for the two campaigns using two different pipelines, EVEREST and Lightkurve. The seismic analysis is done on the combined light curve of C6 and C17 where the gap between them was removed and the two campaigns were stitched together. We determine the global seismic parameters of the solar-like oscillations using two different methods (A2Z pipeline and the apollinaire code). We perform the peak-bagging of the modes to characterize their individual frequencies. By combining the frequencies with the Gaia DR2 effective temperature and luminosity, and metallicity for five of the targets, we determine the fundamental parameters of the targets using the IACgrids based on the MESA code. While the masses and radii of our targets probe a similar parameter space compared to the Kepler solar-like stars with detailed modeling, we find that for a given mass our more evolved stars seem to be older compared to previous seismic stellar ensembles. We calculate the stellar parameters using two different grids of models, incorporating and excluding the treatment of diffusion, and find that the results agree generally within the uncertainties, except for the ages. The seismic radii and the Gaia DR2 radii present an average difference of 4% with a dispersion of 5%. Although the agreement is quite good, the seismic radii are slightly underestimated compared to Gaia DR2 for our stars, the disagreement being greater for the more evolved ones.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. González-Cuesta, S. Mathur, R. García, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
10/111

Comments: 10 pages (without annexes), 13 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

The Environments around W Serpentis Systems: Independent Limits on System Masses and Extended Envelopes [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00080


Information extracted from the GAIA Data Release 3 is used to examine the stellar contents within projected separations of 10 parsecs from eight close binary systems that are either classical W Serpentis systems or related objects. The goal is to search for remnant star clusters or moving groups with proper motions that are similar to those of the binaries. While some of the binary systems have proper motions that are distinct from those of the majority of stars within the search area, there is still a tendency for W Ser stars to be accompanied by companions with separations on parsec or larger scales. At least three candidate companions are identified within the search area for each system, although in the majority of cases the numbers are much higher. Evidence is presented that SX Cas is near the center of a diffuse cluster. Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of the groupings associated with the binaries are compared with isochrones, and the majority of the groupings are found to have ages in excess of 1 Gyr, indicating that they have an intermediate age. The masses of stars at the main sequence turn-off of the groupings are estimated, and these provide insights into the initial mass of the donor star in each binary system. Images from the WISE Allsky survey are also used to search for circumsystem envelopes. Extended thermal emission is found around six systems in W2 (i.e. ~4.5um) images.

Read this paper on arXiv…

T. Davidge
Tue, 4 Apr 23
13/111

Comments: To appear in the Astronomical Journal

Globular Cluster UVIT Legacy Survey (GlobULeS) $-$ II. Evolutionary status of hot stars in M3 and M13 [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00865


We present a far-ultraviolet (FUV) study of hot stellar populations in the second parameter pair globular clusters (GCs) M3 and M13, as a part of the Globular cluster UVIT Legacy Survey program (GlobULeS). We use observations made with F148W and F169M filters of the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard {\em AstroSat} along with ground-based data (UBVRI filters), {\em Hubble Space Telescope (HST)} GC catalogue, and {\em Gaia} EDR3 catalogue. Based on the FUV-optical colour-magnitude diagrams, we classify the sources into the horizontal branch (HB) stars, post-HB stars, and hot white dwarfs (WDs) in both the GCs. The comparison of synthetic and observed colours of the observed HB stars suggests that the mass-loss at the red giant branch (RGB) and He spread in both clusters have a simultaneous effect on the different HB distributions detected in M3 and M13, such that, HB stars of M13 require a larger spread in He (${\rm 0.247-0.310}$) than those of M3 (${\rm Y= 0.252-0.266}$). The evolutionary status of HB stars, post-HB stars, and WDs are studied using SED fit parameters and theoretical evolutionary tracks on the H-R diagram. We found that the observed post-HB stars have evolved from zero-age HB (ZAHB) stars of the mass range $0.48-0.55$ \Msun\ in M3 and M13. We detect 24 WD candidates in each cluster having ${\rm \log(L_{bol}/L_\odot)}$ in the range $-0.8$ to $+0.6$ and ${\rm \log(T_{eff}/K)}$ in the range of 4.2 to 5.0. Placing the WDs on the H-R diagram and comparing them with models suggest that M13 has a population of low-mass WDs, probably originating from binary evolution.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Kumar, A. Pradhan, S. Sahu, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
14/111

Comments: Accepted for publication in MNRAS main journal

Magnetic Field of Solar Dark Filaments Obtained from He I 10830 Angstrom Spectro-polarimetric Observation [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00422


Solar filaments are dense and cool plasma clouds in the solar corona. They are supposed to be supported in a dip of coronal magnetic field. However, the models are still under argument between two types of the field configuration; one is the normal polarity model proposed by Kippenhahn & Schlueter (1957), and the other is the reverse polarity model proposed by Kuperus & Raadu (1974). To understand the mechanism that the filaments become unstable before the eruption, it is critical to know the magnetic structure of solar filaments. In this study, we performed the spectro-polarimetric observation in the He I (10830 angstrom) line to investigate the magnetic field configuration of dark filaments. The observation was carried out with the Domeless Solar Telescope at Hida Observatory with a polarization sensitivity of 3.0×10^-4. We obtained 8 samples of filaments in quiet region. As a result of the analysis of full Stokes profiles of filaments, we found that the field strengths were estimated as 8 – 35 Gauss. By comparing the direction of the magnetic field in filaments and the global distribution of the photospheric magnetic field, we determined the magnetic field configuration of the filaments, and we concluded that 1 out of 8 samples have normal polarity configuration, and 7 out of 8 have reverse polarity configuration.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Yamasaki, Y. Huang, Y. Hashimoto, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
42/111

Comments: 27 pages, 17 figures. Accepted for the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan

First results on the behaviour of solar wind protons and alphas in the Stream Interaction Region in solar cycle 23 and 24 [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00274


Although the enhancements in the alpha-proton ratio in the solar wind (expressed as $A_{He} = N_{a}/N_p*100$) in the Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) have been studied in the past, $A_{He}$ enhancements at the stream interface region received very little attention so far. In this letter, by extensively analyzing the stream interaction region (SIR) events observed in solar cycle 23 and 24, we show that the stream interface of alphas starts separating out from that of protons from the minimum of solar cycle 23. We show that more alpha particles are distributed towards higher pitch angles as compared to protons in the fast wind region compared to background solar wind. By analysing the differential velocities of alphas and protons, we also show that the faster alpha particles accumulate near the fast wind side of the stream interface region leading to enhancement of $A_{He}$. The investigation brings out, for the first time, the salient changes in $A_{He}$ in SIRs for the two solar cycles and highlight the important roles of pitch angle and differential velocities of alpha and protons in the fast wind region for the changes in $A_{He}$ in SIRs.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Y. Yogesh, D. Chakrabarty and N. Srivastava
Tue, 4 Apr 23
45/111

Comments: N/A

Origin of high-velocity ejecta and early red excess emission in the infant Type Ia supernova 2021aefx [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00625


\object{SN 2021aefx} is a normal Type Ia Supernova (SN) with red excess emission over the first $\sim$ 2 days. We present detailed analysis of this SN using our high-cadence KMTNet multi-band photometry, spectroscopy, and publicly available data. We provide the first measurements of its epochs of explosion (MJD 59529.32 $\pm$ 0.16) as well as first light'' (MJD 59529.85 $\pm$ 0.55) associated with the main ejecta ${\rm{^{56}Ni}}$ distribution. This places our first detection of SN 2021aefx at $\sim -$0.5 hours sincefirst light”, indicating the presence of additional power sources. Our peak-spectrum confirms its Type Ia sub-classification as intermediate between Core-Normal and Broad-Line, and we estimate the ejecta mass to be $\sim$ 1.34 $M_{\odot}$. The pre-peak spectral evolution identifies fast-expanding material reaching $>$ 40,000 km s$^{-1}$ (the fastest ever observed in Type Ia SNe) and at least two distinct homologously-expanding ejecta components: (1) a normal-velocity (12,400 km s$^{-1}$) component consistent with the typical photospheric evolution of Chandrasekhar-mass ejecta; and (2) a high-velocity (23,500 km s$^{-1}$) component visible during the first $\sim$ 3.6 days post-explosion, which locates the component within the outer $<$ 16\% of the ejecta mass. Asymmetric, subsonic explosion processes producing a non-spherical photosphere provide an explanation for the simultaneous presence of the two components, as well as the red excess emission via a slight ${\rm{^{56}Ni}}$ enrichment in the outer $\sim$ 0.5\% of the ejecta mass. Our spectrum from 300 days post-peak advances the constraint against non-degenerate companions and further supports a near-Chandrasekhar-mass explosion origin. Off-center ignited delayed-detonations of Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs may be responsible for the observed features of SN 2021aefx in some normal Type Ia SNe.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Y. Ni, D. Moon, M. Drout, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
47/111

Comments: Submitted for publication in ApJ. 29 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables

Solar radio emissions and ultralight dark matter [CL]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01056


Ultralight axions and dark photons are well-motivated dark matter candidates. Inside the plasma, once the mass of ultralight dark matter candidates equals the plasma frequency, they can resonantly convert into electromagnetic waves, due to the coupling between the ultralight dark matter particles and the standard model photons. The converted electromagnetic waves are monochromatic. In this article, we review the development of using radio detectors to search for ultralight dark matter conversions in the solar corona and solar wind plasma.

Read this paper on arXiv…

H. An, S. Ge and J. Liu
Tue, 4 Apr 23
51/111

Comments: 13 pages, 3 figures. An invited review for the special issue “Solar Radio Emissions” in the journal Universe

Value-added catalog of M-giant stars in LAMOST DR9 [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00308


In this work, we update the catalog of M-giant stars from the low-resolution spectra of the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Data Release 9. There are 58,076 M giants identified from the classification pipeline with seven temperature subtypes from M0 to M6. The 2471 misclassified non-M-giant stars are white dwarf binaries, early types, and M dwarfs. And the contamination rate is 4.2$\%$ in the M-giants sample. A total of 372 carbon stars were identified by CaH spectral indices, and were further confirmed by the LAMOST spectra. We update the correlation between the $(W1-W2)_0$ color and [M/H] from APOGEE DR17. We calculate the radial velocities of all M giants by applying cross-correlation to the spectra between 8000 and 8950 \AA with synthetic spectra from ATLAS9. Taking star distances less than 4 kpc from Gaia EDR3 as the standard, we refitted the photometric distance relation of M giants. And based on our M-giant stars, we select a group of Sagittarius stream members, whose sky and 3D velocity distributions are well consistent with K-giant Saggitarius stream members found in Yang et al. With our M giants, we find that the disk is asymmetric out to R = 25 kpc, which is 5 kpc further out than detected using K giants.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Li, L. Long, J. Zhong, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
54/111

Comments: 23 pages, 10 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1908.01128

The X-ray activity of F stars with hot Jupiters: KELT-24 versus WASP-18 [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00854


X-rays emitted by the coronae of solar-type stars are a feature present in up to late-A types during the main sequence phase. F stars, either with or without hot Jupiters, are usually X-ray emitters. The very low level of X-ray emission of the F5 star WASP-18 despite its relatively young age and spectral type is thus quite peculiar. [Abridged] We observed KELT-24 with \xmm\ for a total of 43 ks in order to test if the X-ray activity of this star is depressed by the interaction with its massive hot Jupiter, as is the case of WASP-18. KELT-24 is detected in combined EPIC images with a high significance level. Its average coronal spectrum is well described by a cool component at 0.36 keV and a hotter component at 0.98 keV. We detected a flare with a duration of about 2 ks, during which the coronal temperature reached 3.5 keV. The unabsorbed quiescent flux in 0.3-8.0 keV is $\sim1.33\times10^{-13}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, corresponding to a luminosity of $1.5\times10^{29}$ erg s$^{-1}$ at the distance of the star. The luminosity is well within the range of the typical X-ray luminosity of F stars in Hyades, which are coeval. We conclude that the activity of KELT-24 appears normal, as expected, and is not affected by any star–planet interaction. From the analysis of TESS light curves, we infer a distribution of optical flares for KELT-24 and WASP-18. Small optical flickering similar to flares is recognized in WASP-18 but at lower levels of energy and amplitude than in KELT-24. We discuss the causes of the low activity of WASP-18. Either WASP-18b could hamper the formation of a corona bright in X-rays in its host star through some form of tidal interaction, or the star has entered a minimum of activity similar to the solar Maunder minimum. This latter hypothesis would make WASP-18 among the few candidates showing such a quench of stellar activity.

Read this paper on arXiv…

I. Pillitteri, S. Colombo, G. Micela, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
55/111

Comments: 6 pages, 7 figures, A&A accepted

Electrostatic Model for Antenna Signal Generation From Dust Impacts [CL]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00452


Dust impacts on spacecraft are commonly detected by antenna instruments as transient voltage perturbations. The signal waveform is generated by the interaction between the impact-generated plasma cloud and the elements of the antenna-spacecraft system. A general electrostatic model is presented that includes the two key elements of the interaction, namely the charge recollected from the impact plasma by the spacecraft and the fraction electrons and cations that escape to infinity. The clouds of escaping electrons and cations generate induced signals, and their vastly different escape speeds are responsible for the characteristic shape of the waveforms. The induced signals are modeled numerically for the geometry of the system and the location of the impact. The model employs a Maxwell capacitance matrix to keep track of the mutual interaction between the elements of the system. A new reduced-size model spacecraft is constructed for laboratory measurements using the dust accelerator facility. The model spacecraft is equipped with four antennas: two operating in a monopole mode, and one pair configured as a dipole. Submicron-sized iron dust particles accelerated to > 20 km/s are used for test measurements, where the waveforms of each antenna are recorded. The electrostatic model provides a remarkably good fit to the data using only a handful of physical fitting parameters, such as the escape speeds of electrons and cations. The presented general model provides the framework for analyzing antenna waveforms and is applicable for a range of space missions investigating the distribution of dust particles in relevant environments.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Shen, Z. Sternovsky, A. Garzelli, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
60/111

Comments: Manuscript accepted online by JGR: Space Physics on 13 August 2021

Angular momentum transport by magnetic fields in main sequence stars with Gamma Doradus pulsators [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00674


Context. Asteroseismic studies showed that cores of post main-sequence stars rotate slower than theoretically predicted by stellar models with purely hydrodynamical transport processes. Recent studies on main sequence stars, particularly Gamma Doradus ($\gamma$ Dor) stars, revealed their internal rotation rate for hundreds of stars, offering a counterpart on the main sequence for studies of angular momentum transport. Aims. We investigate whether such a disagreement between observed and predicted internal rotation rates is present in main sequence stars by studying angular momentum transport in $\gamma$ Dor stars. Furthermore, we test whether models of rotating stars with internal magnetic fields can reproduce their rotational properties. Methods. We compute rotating models with the Geneva stellar evolution code taking into account meridional circulation and the shear instability. We also compute models with internal magnetic fields using a general formalism for transport by the Tayler-Spruit dynamo. We then compare these models to observational constraints for $\gamma$ Dor stars that we compiled from the literature, combining so the core rotation rates, projected rotational velocities from spectroscopy, and constraints on their fundamental parameters. Results. We show that combining the different observational constraints available for $\gamma$ Dor stars enable to clearly distinguish the different scenarios for internal angular momentum transport. Stellar models with purely hydrodynamical processes are in disagreement with the data whereas models with internal magnetic fields can reproduce both core and surface constraints simultaneously. Conclusions. Similarly to results obtained for subgiant and red giant stars, angular momentum transport in radiative regions of $\gamma$ Dor stars is highly efficient, in good agreement with predictions of models with internal magnetic fields.

Read this paper on arXiv…

F. Moyano, P. Eggenberger, S. Salmon, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
71/111

Comments: Submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics. 15 pages, 16 figures

V606 Cen: A Newly Formed Massive Contact Binary in a Hierarchical Triple System [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00297


V606 Centauri (V606 Cen) is an early B-type close binary with an orbital period of 1.4950935\,d and the complete light curves are very difficult to be observed on the ground. By analyzing the unbroken and continuous light curve obtained by TESS, we found that it is a marginal contact binary with a very low fill-out factor of about 2\%. The O-C diagram of V606 Cen is constructed for the first time based on the 118.8-years eclipse times. It is found that the O-C diagram shows a downward parabolic change together with a cyclic oscillation with an amplitude of 0.0544\, d and a period of 88.8\, yr. The downward parabolic variation reveals a linear period decrease at a rate of $dP/dt = -2.06 \times{10^{-7}} d \cdot yr^{-1}$ that can be explained by the mass transfer from the more massive component to the less massive one. Both the marginal contact configuration and the continuous period decrease suggest that V606 Cen is a newly formed contact binary via Case A mass transfer. Meanwhile, the cyclic change in the O-C diagram can be explained by the Light-Travel Time Effect via the presence of a third body. The lowest mass of the tertiary companion is determined as M${3}$ = 4.51($\pm0.38$)M${\odot}$ that is orbiting around the central eclipsing binary in a nearly circular orbit (e=0.32). All the results indicate that V606 Cen is a newly formed massive contact binary and just reaches the contact configuration during the mass transfer in a hierarchical triple system.

Read this paper on arXiv…

F. Li, W. Liao, S. Qian, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
72/111

Comments: N/A

Digging into the Interior of Hot Cores with ALMA (DIHCA). III: The Chemical Link between NH$_{2}$CHO, HNCO, and H$_{2}$CO [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00267


We have analyzed the NH${2}$CHO, HNCO, H${2}$CO, and CH${3}$CN ($^{13}$CH${3}$CN) molecular lines at an angular resolution of $\sim 0.3”$ obtained by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 toward 30 high-mass star-forming regions. The NH${2}$CHO emission has been detected in 23 regions, while the other species have been detected toward 29 regions. A total of 44 hot molecular cores (HMCs) have been identified using the moment 0 maps of the CH${3}$CN line. The fractional abundances of the four species have been derived at each HMC. In order to investigate pure chemical relationships, we have conducted a partial correlation test to exclude the effect of temperature. Strong positive correlations between NH${2}$CHO and HNCO ($\rho=0.89$) and between NH${2}$CHO and H${2}$CO (0.84) have been found. These strong correlations indicate their direct chemical links; dual-cyclic hydrogen addition and abstraction reactions between HNCO and NH${2}$CHO and gas-phase formation of NH${2}$CHO from H${2}$CO. Chemical models including these reactions can reproduce the observed abundances in our target sources.

Read this paper on arXiv…

K. Taniguchi, P. Sanhueza, F. Olguin, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
75/111

Comments: Accepted for The Astrophysical Journal. 27 pages, 10 tables, and 13 figures

TIRCAM2 Camera Interface on the Side port of the 3.6 meter Devasthal Optical Telescope [IMA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00243


The TIFR Near Infrared Imaging Camera-II (TIRCAM2) is being used at the 3.6 m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) operated by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. Earlier, the TIRCAM2 was used at the main port of the DOT on time shared basis. It has now been installed at the side port of the telescope. Side port installation allows near simultaneous observations with the main port instrument as well as longer operating periods. Thus, the TIRCAM2 serves the astronomical community for a variety of observations ranging from lunar occultations, transient events and normal scheduled observations.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Bhagat, M. Naik, S. Poojary, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
81/111

Comments: Accepted for publication in the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy

The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs — A deep transfer learning method to determine Teff and [M/H] of target stars [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00224


The large amounts of astrophysical data being provided by existing and future instrumentation require efficient and fast analysis tools. Transfer learning is a new technique promising higher accuracy in the derived data products, with information from one domain being transferred to improve the accuracy of a neural network model in another domain. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of applying the deep transfer learning (DTL) approach to high-resolution spectra in the framework of photospheric stellar parameter determination. To this end, we used 14 stars of the CARMENES survey sample with interferometric angular diameters to calculate the effective temperature, as well as six M dwarfs that are common proper motion companions to FGK-type primaries with known metallicity. After training a deep learning (DL) neural network model on synthetic PHOENIX-ACES spectra, we used the internal feature representations together with those 14+6 stars with independent parameter measurements as a new input for the transfer process. We compare the derived stellar parameters of a small sample of M dwarfs kept out of the training phase with results from other methods in the literature. Assuming that temperatures from bolometric luminosities and interferometric radii and metallicities from FGK+M binaries are sufficiently accurate, DTL provides a higher accuracy than our previous state-of-the-art DL method (mean absolute differences improve by 20 K for temperature and 0.2 dex for metallicity from DL to DTL when compared with reference values from interferometry and FGK+M binaries). Furthermore, the machine learning (internal) precision of DTL also improves as uncertainties are five times smaller on average. These results indicate that DTL is a robust tool for obtaining M-dwarf stellar parameters comparable to those obtained from independent estimations for well-known stars.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Bello-García, V. Passegger, J. Ordieres-Meré, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
89/111

Comments: N/A

Coherent radio bursts from known M-dwarf planet host YZ Ceti [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00031


Observing magnetic star-planet interactions (SPI) offers promise for determining magnetic fields of exoplanets. Models of sub-Alfv\’enic SPI predict that terrestrial planets in close-in orbits around M~dwarfs can induce detectable stellar radio emission, manifesting as bursts of strongly polarized coherent radiation observable at specific planet orbital positions. We present 2-4 GHz detections of coherent radio bursts on the slowly-rotating M dwarf YZ Ceti, which hosts a compact system of terrestrial planets, the innermost orbiting with a 2-day period. Two coherent bursts occur at similar orbital phases of YZ Cet b, suggestive of an enhanced probability of bursts near that orbital phase. We model the system’s magnetospheric environment in the context of sub-Alfv\’enic SPI and determine that YZ Ceti b can plausibly power the observed flux densities of the radio detections. However, we cannot rule out stellar magnetic activity, without a well characterized rate of non-planet-induced coherent radio bursts on slow rotators. YZ Ceti is therefore a candidate radio SPI system, with unique promise as a target for the long-term monitoring.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Pineda and J. Villadsen
Tue, 4 Apr 23
92/111

Comments: Authors’ version of article published in Nature Astronomy, see their website for official version of scientific record

Solar oxygen abundance using SST/CRISP center-to-limb observations of the O I 7772 Å line [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01048


Solar oxygen abundance measurements based on the O I near-infrared triplet have been a much-debated subject for several decades since non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) calculations with 3D radiation-hydrodynamics model atmospheres introduced a large change to the 1D LTE modelling. In this work, we aim to test solar line formation across the solar disk using new observations obtained with the SST/CRISP instrument. The observed dataset is based on a spectroscopic mosaic stretching from disk center to the solar limb. By comparing the state-of-the-art 3D NLTE models with the data, we find that the 3D NLTE models provide an excellent description of line formation across the disk. We obtain an abundance value of $A(\mathrm{O}) = (8.73 \pm 0.03)$ dex, with a very small angular dispersion across the disk. We conclude that spectroscopic mosaics are excellent probes for geometric and physical properties of hydrodynamics models and non-LTE line formation.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Pietrow, R. Hoppe, M. Bergemann, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
95/111

Comments: Accepted in A&A

The Kepler Giant Planet Search. I: A Decade of Kepler Planet Host Radial Velocities from W. M. Keck Observatory [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00071


Despite the importance of Jupiter and Saturn to Earth’s formation and habitability, there has not yet been a comprehensive observational study of how giant exoplanets correlate with the architectural properties of close-in, sub-Neptune sized exoplanets. This is largely because transit surveys are particularly insensitive to planets at orbital separations > 1 AU, and so their census of Jupiter-like planets is incomplete, inhibiting our study of the relationship between Jupiter-like planets and the small planets that do transit. To establish the relationship between small and giant planets, we conducted the Kepler Giant Planet Survey (KGPS). Using W. M. Keck Observatory HIRES, we spent over a decade collecting 2858 RVs (2181 of which are presented here for the first time) of 63 sun-like stars that host 157 transiting planets. We had no prior knowledge of which systems would contain giant planets beyond 1 AU, making this survey unbiased in detected Jovians. In this paper, we announce RV-detected companions to 20 stars from our sample. These include 13 Jovians (0.3 MJ < M sin i < 13 MJ, 1 < a < 10 AU), 7 non-transiting sub-Saturns, and 3 stellar-mass companions. We also present updated masses and densities of 84 transiting planets. The KGPS project leverages the longest-running and most data-rich collection of RVs of the NASA Kepler systems yet, and will provide a basis for addressing whether giant planets help or hinder the growth of sub-Neptune sized and terrestrial planets. Future KGPS papers will examine the relationship between small, transiting planets and their companions.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. Weiss, H. Isaacson, G. Marcy, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
97/111

Comments: 118 pages, 69 figures, submitted to ApJS. Machine-readable versions of Tables 3 and 4 are hosted at www.astroweiss.com/Publications

Multi-thermal jet formation triggered by flux emergence [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01043


Flux emergence is responsible for various solar eruptions. Combining observation and simulations, we investigate the influence of flux emergence at one footpoint of an arcade on coronal rain as well as induced eruptions. The emergence changes the pressure in the loops, and the internal coronal rain all moves to the other side. The emerging flux reconnects with the overlying magnetic field, forming a current sheet and magnetic islands. The plasma is ejected outwards and heated, forming a cool jet ~ 6000 K and a hot X-ray jet ~ 4 MK simultaneously. The jet dynamical properties agree very well between observation and simulation. In the simulation, the jet also displays transverse oscillations with a period of 8 minutes, a so-called whip-like motion. The movement of the jet and dense plasmoids changes the configuration of the local magnetic field, facilitating the occurrence of Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, and vortex-like structures form at the boundary of the jet. Our simulation clearly demonstrates the effect of emergence on coronal rain, the dynamical details of reconnecting plasmoid chains, the formation of multi-thermal jets, and the cycling of cool mass between the chromosphere and the corona.

Read this paper on arXiv…

X. Li, R. Keppens and Y. Zhou
Tue, 4 Apr 23
102/111

Comments: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Unravelling optical and X-ray properties of the disc-dominated intermediate polar IGR J15094-6649 [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00099


We present analyses of an Intermediate Polar, IGR J15094-6649, based on the archival optical data obtained from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and X-ray data obtained from the Suzaku, NuSTAR, and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift). Present analysis confirms and refines the previously reported spin period of IGR J15094-6649 as 809.49584$\pm$0.00075 s. Clear evidence of a beat period of 841.67376$\pm$0.00082 s is found during the long-term TESS optical observations, which was not evident in the earlier studies. The dominance of X-ray and optical spin pulse unveils the disc-fed dominance accretion, however, the presence of an additional beat frequency indicates that part of the accreting material also flows along the magnetic field lines. The energy-dependent spin pulsations in the low (< 10 keV) energy band are due to the photoelectric absorption in the accretion flow. However, the complex absorbers may be responsible to produce low amplitude spin modulations via Compton scattering in the hard ( > 10 keV) energy band and indicate that the height of the X-ray emitting region may be negligible. The observed double-humped X-ray profiles with a pronounced dip are indicative of the photoelectric absorption in the intervening accretion stream. Analysis of the X-ray spectra reveals the complexity of the X-ray emission, being composed of multi-temperature plasma components with a soft excess, reflection, and suffers from strong absorption.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Joshi, N. Rawat, A. Schwope, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
104/111

Comments: 15 pages, 10 figures, and 5 Tables, Accepted for publication in MNRAS. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2112.06270

Features of Gaia DR3 Spectroscopic Binaries I. Tidal circularization of Main-Sequence Stars [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00043


Previous studies pointed out that many observed samples of short-period binaries display a cutoff period, $P_{\rm cut}$, such that almost all binaries with periods shorter than $P_{\rm cut}$ have circular orbits. This feature is probably due to long-term circularization processes induced by tidal interaction between the two stars of each binary. It seemed as if coeval main-sequence (MS) samples of open clusters display $P_{\rm cut}$ that depends on the sample age. Using the unprecedentedly large sample of MS spectroscopic orbits recently released by $\textit{Gaia}$ we have found that the $P_{\rm cut}$ does not depend on the stellar age but, instead, varies with stellar temperature, decreasing linearly from $6.5$ day at $T_{\rm eff}\sim 5700$ K to $\sim 2.5$ day at $6800$ K. $P_{\rm cut}$ was derived by a new algorithm that relied on clear upper envelopes displayed in the period-eccentricity diagrams. Our $P_{\rm cut}$ determines both the border between the circular and eccentric binaries and the location of the upper envelope. The results are inconsistent with the theory which assumes circularization occurs during the stellar MS phase, a theory that was adopted by many studies. The circularization has probably taken place at the pre-main-sequence phase, as suggested already in 1989 by Zahn and Bouchet, and later by Khaluillin and Khaluillina in 2011. Our results suggest that the weak dependence of $P_{\rm cut}$ on the cluster age is not significant, and/or might be due to the different temperatures of the samples. If indeed true, this has far-reaching implications for the theory of binary and exoplanet circularization, synchronization, and alignment.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Bashi, T. Mazeh and S. Faigler
Tue, 4 Apr 23
106/111

Comments: 13 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Laboratory Study of Antenna Signals Generated by Dust Impacts on Spacecraft [CL]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00453


Space missions often carry antenna instruments that are sensitive to dust impacts, however, the understanding of signal generation mechanisms remained incomplete. A signal generation model in an analytical form is presented that provides a good agreement with laboratory measurements. The model is based on the direct and induced charging of the spacecraft from the collected and escaping fraction of free charges from the impact-generated plasma cloud. A set of laboratory experiments is performed using a 20:1 scaled-down model of the Cassini spacecraft in a dust accelerator facility. The results show that impact plasmas can be modeled as a plume of ions streaming away from the impact location and a cloud of isotropically expanding electrons. The fitting of the model to the collected antenna waveforms provides some of the key parameters of the impact plasma. The model also shows that the amplitudes of the impact signals can be significantly reduced in typical space environments due to the discharging effects in the ambient plasma.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Shen, Z. Sternovsky, M. Horányi, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
107/111

Comments: Manuscript accepted online by JGR: Space Physics on 05 April 2021

The efficiency of electron acceleration during the impulsive phase of a solar flare [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01088


olar flares are known to be prolific electron accelerators, yet identifying the mechanism(s) for such efficient electron acceleration in solar flare (and similar astrophysical settings) presents a major challenge. This is due in part to a lack of observational constraints related to conditions in the primary acceleration region itself. Accelerated electrons with energies above $\sim$20~keV are revealed by hard X-ray (HXR) bremsstrahlung emission, while accelerated electrons with even higher energies manifest themselves through radio gyrosynchrotron emission. Here we show, for a well-observed flare on 2017~September~10, that a combination of \emph{RHESSI} hard X-ray and and SDO/AIA EUV observations provides a robust estimate of the fraction of the ambient electron population that is accelerated at a given time, with an upper limit of $\lapprox 10^{-2}$ on the number density of nonthermal ($\ge 20$~keV) electrons, expressed as a fraction of the number density of ambient protons in the same volume. This upper limit is about two orders of magnitude lower than previously inferred from microwave observations of the same event. Our results strongly indicate that the fraction of accelerated electrons in the coronal region at any given time is relatively small, but also that the overall duration of the HXR emission requires a steady resupply of electrons to the acceleration site. Simultaneous measurements of the instantaneous accelerated electron number density and the associated specific electron acceleration rate provide key constraints for a quantitative study of the mechanisms leading to electron acceleration in magnetic reconnection events.

Read this paper on arXiv…

E. Kontar, A. Emslie, G. Motorina, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
108/111

Comments: 5 figures, 10 pages

Variability of Antenna Signals From Dust Impacts [CL]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00454


Electric field instruments carried by spacecraft (SC) are complementary to dedicated dust detectors by registering transient voltage perturbations caused by impact-generated plasma. The signal waveform contains information about the interaction between the impact-generated plasma cloud and the elements of SC-antenna system. The variability of antenna signals from dust impacts has not yet been systematically characterized. A set of laboratory measurements are performed to characterize signal variations in response to SC parameters (bias voltage and antenna configuration) and impactor parameters (impact speed and composition). The measurements demonstrate that dipole antenna configurations are sensitive to dust impacts and that the detected signals vary with impact location. When dust impacts occur at low speeds, the antennas typically register smaller amplitudes and less characteristic impact signal shapes. In this case, impact event identification may be more challenging due to lower signal-to-noise ratios and/or more variable waveforms shapes, indicating the compound nature of nonfully developed impact-generated plasmas. To investigate possible variations in the impacting materials, the measurements are carried out using two dust samples with different mass densities: iron and aluminum. No significant variations of the measured waveform or plasma parameters obtained from data analysis are observed between the two materials used.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Shen, Z. Sternovsky and D. Malaspina
Tue, 4 Apr 23
110/111

Comments: Manuscript accepted online by JGR: Space Physics on 22 March 2023

Simulation of a Solar Jet Formed from an Untwisting Flux Rope Interacting with a Null Point [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18098


Coronal jets are eruptions identified by a collimated, sometimes twisted spire. They are small-scale energetic events compared with flares. Using multi-wavelength observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) and a magnetogram from Hinode/Spectro-Polarimeter (Hinode/SP), we study the formation and evolution of a jet occurring on 2019 March 22 in the active region NOAA 12736. A zero-$\beta$ magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation is conducted to probe the initiation mechanisms and appearance of helical motion during this jet event. As the simulation reveals, there are two pairs of field lines at the jet base, indicating two distinct magnetic structures. One structure outlines a flux rope lying low above the photosphere in the north of a bald patch region and the other structure shows a null point high in the corona in the south. The untwisting motions of the observed flux rope was recovered by adding an anomalous (artificial) resistivity in the simulation. A reconnection occurs at the bald patch in the flux rope structure, which is moving upwards and simultaneously encounters the field lines of the null point structure. The interaction of the two structures results in the jet while the twist of the flux rope is transferred to the jet by the reconnected field lines. The rotational motion of the flux rope is proposed to be an underlying trigger of this process and responsible for helical motions in the jet spire.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Zhu, Y. Guo, M. Ding, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
2/53

Comments: 17pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Minute-Cadence Observations of the LAMOST Fields with the TMTS: II. Catalogues of Short-Period Variable Stars from the First Two-Year Surveys [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18050


Over the past few years, wide-field time-domain surveys like ZTF and OGLE have led to discoveries of various types of interesting short-period stellar variables, such as ultracompact eclipsing binary white dwarfs, rapidly rotating magnetised white dwarfs (WDs), transitional cataclysmic variables between hydrogen-rich and helium accretion, and blue large-amplitude pulsators (BLAPs), which greatly enrich our understandings of stellar physics under some extreme conditions. In this paper, we report the first-two-year discoveries of short-period variables (i.e., P<2 hr) by the Tsinghua University-Ma Huateng Telescopes for Survey (TMTS). TMTS is a multi-tube telescope system with a field of view up to 18 deg^2, which started to monitor the LAMOST sky areas since 2020 and generated uninterrupted minute-cadence light curves for about ten million sources within 2 years. Adopting the Lomb-Scargle periodogram with period-dependent thresholds for the maximum powers, we identify over 1 100 sources that exhibit a variation period shorter than 2 hr. Compiling the light curves with the Gaia magnitudes and colours, LAMOST spectral parameters, VSX classifications, and archived observations from other prevailing time-domain survey missions, we identified 1 076 as delta Scuti stars, which allows us study their populations and physical properties in the short-period regime. The other 31 sources include BLAPs, subdwarf B variables (sdBVs), pulsating WDs, ultracompact/short-period eclipsing/ellipsoidal binaries, cataclysmic variables below the period gap, etc., which are highly interesting and worthy of follow-up investigations.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Lin, X. Wang, J. Mo, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
4/53

Comments: 22 pages, 15 figures, 5 tables, accepted by MNRAS

The saturation mechanism of thermal instability [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18198


The nonlinear outcome of plasma instabilities range from a gentle reconfiguration of the initial state to an explosive one, and a non-disruptive outcome in between can nevertheless still be a route to turbulence. The literature on thermal instability (TI) reveals that even for a simple homogeneous plasma, all these possibilities can occur, depending on whether the condensations that form evolve in an isobaric or nonisobaric manner. Here we derive several general identities from the evolution equation for entropy that reveals the mechanism by which TI saturates: whenever the boundary of the instability region (the Balbus contour) is crossed, a dynamical change is triggered that causes the comoving time derivative of the pressure to change sign. This temporal event implies that the gas pressure force reverses direction, slowing the continued growth of the condensation. For isobaric evolution, this `pressure reversal’ occurs nearly simultaneously for every fluid element in the condensation and a steady state is quickly reached. For nonisobaric evolution, the condensation is no longer in mechanical equilibrium and the contracting gas rebounds with greater force during the expansion phase that accompanies gas reaching the equilibrium curve. The cloud then pulsates because the return to mechanical equilibrium becomes wave-mediated as a result of the pressure reversal occurring at different times for different locations in the cloud core. We show that both the contraction rebound event and the subsequent pulsation behavior follow analytically from an analysis of the new identities.

Read this paper on arXiv…

T. Waters and D. Proga
Mon, 3 Apr 23
8/53

Comments: 19 pages, 2 figures. Submitted as a contribution to the research topic “Thermal Imbalance and Multiphase Plasmas Across Scales: From the Solar Corona to the Intracluster Medium”

Exploring Thousands of Nearby Hierarchical Systems with Gaia and Speckle Interferometry [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17620


There should be about 10,000 stellar hierarchical systems within 100 pc with primary stars more massive than 0.5 Msun, and a similar amount of less massive hierarchies. A list of 8000 candidate multiples is derived from wide binaries found in the Gaia Catalog of Nearby Stars where one or both components have excessive astrometric noise or other indicators of inner subsystems. A subset of 1243 southern candidates were observed with high angular resolution at the 4.1 m telescope, and 503 new pairs with separations from 0.03″ to 1″ were resolved. These data allow estimation of the inner mass ratios and periods and help to quantify the ability of Gaia to detect close pairs. Another 621 hierarchies with known inner periods come from the Gaia catalog of astrometric and spectroscopic orbits. These two non-overlapping groups, combined with existing ground-based data, bring the total number of known nearby hierarchies to 2754, reaching a completeness of ~22% for stars above 0.5 Msun. Distributions of their periods and mass ratios are briefly discussed, and the prospects of further observations are outlined.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Tokovinin
Mon, 3 Apr 23
16/53

Comments: 13 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables

Which Upstream Solar Wind Conditions Matter Most in Predicting Bz within Coronal Mass Ejections [CL]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17682


Accurately predicting the z-component of the interplanetary magnetic field, particularly during the passage of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME), is a crucial objective for space weather predictions. Currently, only a handful of techniques have been proposed and they remain limited in scope and accuracy. Recently, a robust machine learning (ML) technique was developed for predicting the minimum value of Bz within ICMEs based on a set of 42 ‘features’, that is, variables calculated from measured quantities upstream of the ICME and within its sheath region. In this study, we investigate these so-called explanatory variables in more detail, focusing on those that were (1) statistically significant; and (2) most important. We find that number density and magnetic field strength accounted for a large proportion of the variability. These features capture the degree to which the ICME compresses the ambient solar wind ahead. Intuitively, this makes sense: Energy made available to CMEs as they erupt is partitioned into magnetic and kinetic energy. Thus, more powerful CMEs are launched with larger flux-rope fields (larger Bz), at greater speeds, resulting in more sheath compression (increased number density and total field strength).

Read this paper on arXiv…

P. Riley, M. Reiss and C. Mostl
Mon, 3 Apr 23
18/53

Comments: N/A

Classical Novae in the ASKAP Pilot Surveys [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17759


We present a systematic search for radio counterparts of novae using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). Our search used the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey, which covered the entire sky south of declination $+41^{\circ}$ ($\sim34,000$ square degrees) at a central frequency of 887.5 MHz, the Variables and Slow Transients Pilot Survey, which covered $\sim5,000$ square degrees per epoch (887.5 MHz), and other ASKAP pilot surveys, which covered $\sim200-2000$ square degrees with 2-12 hour integration times. We crossmatched radio sources found in these surveys over a two-year period, from April 2019 to August 2021, with 440 previously identified optical novae, and found radio counterparts for four novae: V5668 Sgr, V1369 Cen, YZ Ret, and RR Tel. Follow-up observations with the Australian Telescope Compact Array confirm the ejecta thinning across all observed bands with spectral analysis indicative of synchrotron emission in V1369 Cen and YZ Ret. Our light-curve fit with the Hubble Flow model yields a value of $1.65\pm 0.17 \times 10^{-4} \rm :M_\odot$ for the mass ejected in V1369 Cen. We also derive a peak surface brightness temperature of $250\pm80$ K for YZ Ret. Using Hubble Flow model simulated radio lightcurves for novae, we demonstrate that with a 5$\sigma$ sensitivity limit of 1.5 mJy in 15-min survey observations, we can detect radio emission up to a distance of 4 kpc if ejecta mass is in the range $10^{-3}\rm :M_\odot$, and upto 1 kpc if ejecta mass is in the range $10^{-5}-10^{-3}\rm :M_\odot$. Our study highlights ASKAP’s ability to contribute to future radio observations for novae within a distance of 1 kpc hosted on white dwarfs with masses $0.4-1.25:\rm M_\odot$ , and within a distance of 4 kpc hosted on white dwarfs with masses $0.4-1.0:\rm M_\odot$.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Gulati, T. Murphy, D. Kaplan, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
26/53

Comments: This paper has been accepted for publication in PASA. It consists of 13 pages, 5 figures and 4 tables

188,000 Candidate Very Metal-poor Stars in Gaia DR3 XP Spectra [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17676


Very metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < -2) in the Milky Way are fossil records of early chemical evolution and the assembly and structure of the Galaxy. However, they are rare and hard to find. Gaia DR3 has provided over 200 million low-resolution (R = 50) XP spectra, which provides an opportunity to greatly increase the number of candidate metal-poor stars. In this work, we utilise the XGBoost classification algorithm to identify about 188,000 very metal-poor star candidates. Compared to past work, we increase the candidate metal-poor sample by about an order of magnitude, with comparable or better purity than past studies. Firstly, we develop three classifiers for bright stars (BP < 16). They are classifier-T (for Turn-off stars), classifier-GC (for Giant stars with high completeness), and classifier-GP (for Giant stars with high purity) with expected purity of 47%/47%/74% and completeness of 40%/94%/65% respectively. These three classifiers obtained a total of 11,000/116,000/45,000 bright metal-poor candidates. We apply model-T and model-GP on faint stars (BP > 16) and obtain 13,000/48,500 additional metal-poor candidates with purity 40%/50%, respectively. We make our metal-poor star catalogs publicly available, for further exploration of the metal-poor Milky Way.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Y. Yao, A. Ji, S. Koposov, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
27/53

Comments: Catalogs to be made public available after review

2021 superoutburst of WZ Sge-type dwarf nova V627 Pegasi lacks an early superhump phase [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17960


Superoutbursts in WZ Sge-type dwarf novae (DNe) are characterized by both early superhumps and ordinary superhumps originating from the 2:1 and 3:1 resonances, respectively. However, some WZ Sge-type DNe show a superoutburst lacking early superhumps; it is not well established how these differ from superoutbursts with an early superhump phase. We report time-resolved photometric observations of the WZ Sge-type DN V627 Peg during its 2021 superoutburst. The detection of ordinary superhumps before the superoutburst peak highlights that this 2021 superoutburst of V627 Peg, like that {in} 2014, did not feature an early superhump phase. The duration of stage B superhumps was slightly longer in the 2010 superoutburst accompanying early superhumps than that in the 2014 and 2021 superoutbursts which lacked early superhumps. This result suggests that an accretion disk experiencing the 2:1 resonance may have a larger mass at the inner part of the disk and hence take more time for the inner disk to become eccentric. The presence of a precursor outburst in the 2021 superoutburst suggests that the maximum disk radius should be smaller than that of the 2014 superoutburst, even though the duration of quiescence was longer than that before the 2021 superoutburst. This could be accomplished if the 2021 superoutburst was triggered as an inside-out outburst or if the mass transfer rate in quiescence changes by a factor of two, suggesting that the outburst mechanism and quiescence state of WZ Sge-type DNe may have more variety than ever thought.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Y. Tampo, T. Kato, N. Kojiguchi, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
36/53

Comments: 15 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in PASJ

Globular Clusters in the Galactic Center Region: expected behavior in the infalling and merger scenario [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18123


The infall and merger scenario of massive clusters in the Milky Way’s potential well, as one of the Milky Way formation mechanisms, is reexamined to understand how the stars of the merging clusters are redistributed during and after the merger process using, for the first time, simulations with a high resolution concentrated in the 300 pc around the Galactic center. We adopted simulations developed in the framework of the “Modelling the Evolution of Galactic Nuclei” (MEGaN) project. We compared the evolution of representative clusters in the mass and concentration basis in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole. We used the spatial distribution, density profile, and the $50\%$ Lagrange radius (half mass radius) as indicators along the complete simulation to study the evolutionary shape in physical and velocity space and the final fate of these representative clusters. We detect that the least massive clusters are quickly (<10 Myr) destroyed. Instead, the most massive clusters have a long evolution, showing variations in the morphology, especially after each passage close to the supermassive black hole. The deformation of the clusters depends on the concentration, with general deformations for the least concentrated clusters and outer strains for the more concentrated ones. At the end of the simulation, a dense concentration of stars belonging to the clusters is formed. The particles that belong to the most massive and most concentrated clusters are concentrated in the innermost regions, meaning that the most massive and concentrated clusters contribute with a more significant fraction of particles to the final concentration, which suggests that the population of stars of the nuclear star cluster formed through this mechanism comes from massive clusters rather than low-mass globular clusters.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Navarro, R. Capuzzo-Dolcetta, M. Arca-Sedda, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
41/53

Comments: 9 pages, 5 figures

Chromaticity Effects on the Outcomes of Spheroid-based Scored Events [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17637


The immense popularity of spheroid-based scored events (colloquially “football games”) motivates the desire to better understand the underlying mechanisms affecting their outcomes. By construction of these events, participants must distinguish the spheroidal ball from not only the background, but also their team and enemy players, which are marked by self-assigned linear combinations of specific frequencies of electromagnetic magnetic radiation, known as uniform color. We investigate chromatic effects on the outcome of such events. We do this by finding the correlation between the color contrast and the success of several key spheroidal ball match tactics. We perform this analysis for the 2020 NFL regular season, focusing on moves in which uniform colors may be a factor in performance. We conduct a primary analysis using each team’s cumulative results over the season, but in doing so neglect non-uniformity in the chosen uniform color per individual. We then conduct a secondary analysis of the performance per game of a single team, the Seattle Seahawks, which exhibited large uniform color variability for the 2020 NFL regular season. In this work, tackles and completions are considered. The Pearson correlation coefficient is then calculated for both tactics. We find little evidence of chromaticity effects, with correlation values of $r_t=-0.0885\pm 0.1819$ and $r_c-0.0292\pm0.1825 $, respectively, for the primary analysis.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. McBride and M. Pagano
Mon, 3 Apr 23
46/53

Comments: 8 pages, 4 Figures

The relation of metal-poor stars to nearby solar analogues [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17673


Sun-like dwarf stars in the solar neighborhood reflect ages, an “average” chemical evolution, and departures from that average. We show the chemical, and kinematic properties of four groups of Sunlike dwarfs form a continuum related to age. We plot [Fe/H] vs. age, as well as kinematical values for the four groups. The vertical (negative) scatter in [Fe/H] increases with age in a systematic way: as the age increases, [Fe/H] decreases. The sets of Solar and metal-poor stars in the solar neighborhood are related by distributions in [Fe/H] vs. age, as well as in Galactic position (XYZ) and velocity space (UVW). Among the samples there are no clusters of points that set one sample apart from the others. The distributions vary slowly from one set to the next, suggesting a mixture of stellar populations. A plot in Energy vs angular momentum phase space, with coordinate origin moved to the Galactic center, highlights different aspects of the kinematics of the four groups of stars. We finally compare the kinematic properties of these four groups with those of two sets of ultra metal-poor stars.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Cowley and R. Stencel
Mon, 3 Apr 23
47/53

Comments: 8 pages, 6 figures

Particle-In-Cell Simulations of Sunward and Anti-sunward Whistler Waves in the Solar Wind [CL]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18214


Spacecraft observations showed that electron heat conduction in the solar wind is probably regulated by whistler waves, whose origin and efficiency in electron heat flux suppression is actively investigated. In this paper, we present Particle-In-Cell simulations of a combined whistler heat flux and temperature anisotropy instability that can operate in the solar wind. The simulations are performed in a uniform plasma and initialized with core and halo electron populations typical of the solar wind. We demonstrate that the instability produces whistler waves propagating both along (anti-sunward) and opposite (sunward) to the electron heat flux. The saturated amplitudes of both sunward and anti-sunward whistler waves are strongly correlated with their {\it initial} linear growth rates, $B_{w}/B_0\sim (\gamma/\omega_{ce})^{\nu}$, where for typical electron betas we have $0.6\lesssim \nu\lesssim 0.9$. The correlations of whistler wave amplitudes and spectral widths with plasma parameters (electron beta and temperature anisotropy) revealed in the simulations are consistent with those observed in the solar wind. The efficiency of electron heat flux suppression is positively correlated with the saturated amplitude of sunward whistler waves. The electron heat flux can be suppressed by 10–60% provided that the saturated amplitude of sunward whistler waves exceeds about 1% of background magnetic field. Other experimental applications of the presented results are discussed.

Read this paper on arXiv…

I. Kuzichev, I. Vasko, A. Artemyev, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
49/53

Comments: N/A

Specialist Discussion Meeting: 3D structure of the flare chromosphere [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16901


David Kuridze, Lyndsay Fletcher and Hugh Hudson report on the RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting ‘3D Structure of the Flare Chromosphere’.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Kuridze, L. Fletcher and H. Hudson
Fri, 31 Mar 23
2/70

Comments: Journal: Astronomy & Geophysics (URL) to the published version of the Article – this https URL

Multi-wavelength aperture polarimetry of debris disc host stars [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17179


Debris discs around main sequence stars have been extensively characterised from infrared to millimetre wavelengths through imaging, spectroscopic, and total intensity (scattered light and/or thermal emission) measurements. Polarimetric observations have only been used sparingly to interpret the composition, structure, and size of dust grains in these discs. Here we present new multi-wavelength aperture polarisation observations with parts-per-million sensitivity of a sample of twelve bright debris discs, spanning a broad range of host star spectral types, and disc properties. These measurements were mostly taken with the HIgh Precision Polarimetric Instrument on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. We combine these polarisation observations with the known disc architectures and geometries of the discs to interpret the measurements. We detect significant polarisation attributable to circumstellar dust from HD 377 and HD 39060, and find tentative evidence for HD 188228 and HD 202628.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Marshall, D. Cotton, K. Bott, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
7/70

Comments: 25 pages, 8 figures, 9 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Electromagnetic fields in compact binaries: a post-Newtonian approach [CL]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17536


Galactic binaries, and notably double white dwarfs systems, will be a prominent source for the future LISA and Einstein Telescope detectors. Contrarily to the black holes observed by the current LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network, such objects bear intense magnetic fields, that are naturally expected to leave some imprints on the gravitational wave emission. The purpose of this work is thus to study those imprints within the post-Newtonian (PN) framework, particularly adapted to double white dwarfs systems. To this end, we construct an effective action that takes into account the whole electromagnetic structure of a star, and then specify it to dipolar order. With this action at hand, we compute the acceleration and Noetherian quantities for generic electric and magnetic dipoles, at a relative 2PN order. Finally, focusing on physically relevant systems, we show that the magnetic effects on the orbital frequency, energy and angular momentum is significant, confirming previous works conclusions.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Q. Henry, F. Larrouturou and C. Poncin-Lafitte
Fri, 31 Mar 23
11/70

Comments: 23 pages, no figure, supplementary material attached

Coronal Loops with Different Metallicities and Generalized RTV Scaling Laws [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17469


Stellar metallicity is a critical factor to characterize the stellar coronae because it directly affects the radiative energy loss from the atmosphere. By extending theoretical relations for solar coronal loops introduced by \cite{Rosner1978}, we analytically derive scaling relations for stellar coronal loops with various metallicities. In order to validate the derived relations, we also perform magnetohydrodyamic simulations for the heating of coronal loops with different metallicities by changing radiative loss functions according to the adopted elemental abundances. The simulation results nicely explain the generalized analytical scaling relations and show a strong dependence of the thermodynamical and radiative properties of the loops on metallicity. Higher density and temperature are obtained in lower-metallicity coronae because of the inefficient radiative cooling, provided that the surface condition is unchanged. Thus, it is estimated that the X-ray radiation from metal-poor coronae is higher because of their denser coronal gas. The generalized scaling laws can also be used as a tool to study the condition of high-energy radiation around magnetically active stars and their impact on planetary environments.

Read this paper on arXiv…

H. Washinoue and T. Suzuki
Fri, 31 Mar 23
13/70

Comments: 14 pages, 12 figures, submitted to ApJ

The He I 10830 A line: Radiative Transfer and differential illumination effects [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17585


We study the formation of the Stokes profiles of the He I multiplet at 10830 A when relaxing two of the approximations that are often considered in the modeling of this multiplet, namely the lack of self-consistent radiation transfer and the assumption of equal illumination of the individual multiplet components. This He I multiplet is among the most important ones for the diagnostic of the outer solar atmosphere from spectropolarimetric observations, especially in prominences, filaments, and spicules. However, the goodness of these approximations is yet to be assessed, especially in situations where the optical thickness is of the order or larger than one, and radiation transfer has a significant impact in the local anisotropy and the ensuing spectral line polarization. This issue becomes particularly relevant in the ongoing development of new inversion tools which take into account multi-dimensional radiation transfer effects. To relax these approximations we generalize the multi-term equations for the atomic statistical equilibrium to allow for differential illumination of the multiplet components and implement them in a one-dimensional radiative transfer code. We find that, even for this simple geometry and relatively small optical thickness, both radiation transfer and differential illumination effects have a significant impact on the emerging polarization profiles. This should be taken into account in order to avoid potentially significant errors in the inference of the magnetic field vector.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Arevalo, J. Stepan, T. Aleman, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
15/70

Comments: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics

A Modest Proposal for the Non-existence of Exoplanets: The Expansion of Stellar Physics to Include Squars [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16915


The search for exoplanets has become a focal point of astronomical research, captivating public attention and driving scientific inquiry; however, the rush to confirm exoplanet discoveries has often overlooked potential alternative explanations leading to a scientific consensus that is overly reliant on untested assumptions and limited data. We argue that the evidence in support of exoplanet observation is not necessarily definitive and that alternative interpretations are not only possible, but necessary. Our conclusion is therefore concise: exoplanets do not exist. Here, we present the framework for a novel type of cuboid star, or squar, which can precisely reproduce the full range of observed phenomena in stellar light curves, including the trapezoidal flux deviations (TFDs) often attributed to “exoplanets.” In this discovery paper, we illustrate the power of the squellar model, showing that the light curve of the well-studied “exoplanet” WASP-12b can be reconstructed simply from a rotating squar with proportions $1:1/8:1$, without invoking ad-hoc planetary bodies. Our findings cast serious doubt on the validity of current “exoplanetary” efforts, which have largely ignored the potential role of squars and have instead blindly accepted the exoplanet hypothesis without sufficient critical scrutiny. In addition, we discuss the sociopolitical role of climate change in spurring the current exoplanet fervor which has lead to the speculative state of “exoplanetary science” today. We strongly urge the astronomical community to take our model proposal seriously and treat its severe ramifications with the utmost urgency to restore rationality to the field of astronomy.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Woodrum, R. Hviding, R. Amaro, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
16/70

Comments: 7 pages, 4 figures, publication pending litigation. For all intents and purposes this manuscript is dated April 1st, 2023

A huge-amplitude white-light superflare on a L0 brown dwarf discovered by GWAC survey [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17415


White-light superflares from ultra cool stars are thought to be resulted from magnetic reconnection, but the magnetic dynamics in a fully convective star is not clear yet. In this paper, we report a stellar superflare detected with the Ground Wide Angle Camera (GWAC), along with rapid follow-ups with the F60A, Xinglong 2.16m and LCOGT telescopes. The effective temperature of the counterpart is estimated to be $2200\pm50$K by the BT-Settl model, corresponding to a spectral type of L0. The $R-$band light curve can be modeled as a sum of three exponential decay components, where the impulsive component contributes a fraction of 23\% of the total energy, while the gradual and the shallower decay phases emit 42\% and 35\% of the total energy, respectively. The strong and variable Balmer narrow emission lines indicate the large amplitude flare is resulted from magnetic activity. The bolometric energy released is about $6.4\times10^{33}$ ergs, equivalent to an energy release in a duration of 143.7 hours at its quiescent level. The amplitude of $\Delta R=-8.6 $mag ( or $\Delta V=-11.2$ mag), placing it one of the highest amplitudes of any ultra cool star recorded with excellent temporal resolution. We argue that a stellar flare with such rapidly decaying and huge amplitude at distances greater than 1 kpc may be false positive in searching for counterparts of catastrophic events such as gravitational wave events or gamma-ray bursts, which are valuable in time-domain astronomy and should be given more attention.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. Xin, H. Li, J. Wang, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
18/70

Comments: 9 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, MNRAS accepted

Investigating the effect of solar ambient and data characteristics on Ca II K observations and line profile measurements [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17160


We analysed state-of-the-art observations of the solar atmosphere to investigate the dependence of the \ca brightness of several solar features on spectral bandwidth and spatial resolution of the data. Specifically, we study data obtained at the Swedish Solar Telescope with the CRiSP and CHROMIS instruments. The analyzed data, which are characterized by spectral bandwidth of 0.12 \AA \ and spatial resolution of 0.078\arcsec, were acquired close to disc center by targeting a quiet Sun area and an active region. We convolved the original observations with Gaussian kernels to degrade their spectral bandwidth and spatial resolution to the instrumental characteristics of the most prominent series of \ca observations available to date. We then studied the effect of data degradation on the observed regions and on parameters derived from \ca line measurements that are largely employed as diagnostics of the solar and stellar chromospheres. We find that the effect of degrading the spectral resolution of \ca observations and line profiles depends on both the employed bandwidth and observed solar region. Besides, we found that the spatial degradation impacts the data characterized by a broad bandwidth to a larger extent compared to those acquired with a narrow band. However, the appearance of the observed solar regions is only slightly affected by the spatial resolution of data with bandwidths up to 1 \AA \ and in the range [3,10] \AA. Finally, we derived relationships that can be used to intercalibrate results from observations taken with different instruments in diverse regions of the solar atmosphere.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Murabito, I. Ermolli, T. Chatzistergos, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
31/70

Comments: 26 pages, 17 figures, ApJ accepted

JWST/NIRCam discovery of the first Y+Y brown dwarf binary: WISE J033605.05$-$014350.4 [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16923


We report the discovery of the first brown dwarf binary system with a Y dwarf primary, WISE J033605.05$-$014350.4, observed with NIRCam on JWST with the F150W and F480M filters. We employed an empirical point spread function binary model to identify the companion, located at a projected separation of 84 milliarcseconds, position angle of 295 degrees, and with contrast of 2.8 and 1.8 magnitudes in F150W and F480M, respectively. At a distance of 10$\,$pc based on its Spitzer parallax, and assuming a random inclination distribution, the physical separation is approximately 1$\,$au. Evolutionary models predict for that an age of 1-5 Gyr, the companion mass is about 4-12.5 Jupiter masses around the 7.5-20 Jupiter mass primary, corresponding to a companion-to-host mass fraction of $q=0.61\pm0.05$. Under the assumption of a Keplerian orbit the period for this extreme binary is in the range of 5-9 years. The system joins a small but growing sample of ultracool dwarf binaries with effective temperatures of a few hundreds of Kelvin. Brown dwarf binaries lie at the nexus of importance for understanding the formation mechanisms of these elusive objects, as they allow us to investigate whether the companions formed as stars or as planets in a disk around the primary.

Read this paper on arXiv…

P. Calissendorff, M. Furio, M. Meyer, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
34/70

Comments: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters

The Bactrian? Broad-lined Type-Ic supernova SN 2022xxf with extraordinary two-humped light curves [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16925


We report on our study of SN 2022xxf during the first four months of its evolution. The light curves (LCs) display two humps at similar maximum brightness separated by 75d, unprecedented for a broad-lined Type Ic supernova (SN IcBL). SN~2022xxf is the most nearby SN IcBL to date (in NGC~3705, $z = 0.0037$, 20 Mpc). Optical and NIR photometry and spectroscopy are used to identify the energy source powering the LC. Nearly 50 epochs of high S/N-ratio spectroscopy were obtained within 130d, comprising an unparalleled dataset for a SN IcBL, and one of the best-sampled SN datasets to date. The global spectral appearance and evolution of SN~2022xxf points to typical SN Ic/IcBL, with broad features (up to $\sim14000$ km~s$^{-1}$) and a gradual transition from the photospheric to the nebular phase. However, narrow emission lines (corresponding to $\sim1000-2500$ km~s$^{-1}$) are present from the time of the second rise, suggesting slower-moving circumstellar material (CSM). These lines are subtle, but some are readily noticeable at late times such as in Mg~I $\lambda$5170 and [O~I] $\lambda$5577. Unusually, the near-infrared spectra show narrow line peaks, especially among features formed by ions of O and Mg. We infer the presence of CSM that is free of H and He. We propose that the radiative energy from the ejecta-CSM interaction is a plausible explanation for the second LC hump. This interaction scenario is supported by the color evolution, which progresses to the blue as the light curve evolves along the second hump, and the slow second rise and subsequent rapid LC drop. SN~2022xxf may be related to an emerging number of CSM-interacting SNe Ic, which show slow, peculiar LCs, blue colors, and subtle CSM interaction lines. The progenitor stars of these SNe likely experienced an episode of mass loss shortly prior to explosion consisting of H/He-free material.

Read this paper on arXiv…

H. Kuncarayakti, J. Sollerman, L. Izzo, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
36/70

Comments: Submitted. SN~2022xxf is still bright ($\sim18$ mag), has good sky visibility in the next few months, and shows a flattening in the current LC. The community is urged to join the monitoring effort in all wavelengths in order to understand this extraordinary object and its pre-SN behavior

When Tails Tell Tales [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16941


The enigmatic open clusters serve as a constant reminder of the mysteries of the universe, helping to confront astronomical theories. Unknown to many, these clusters often possess tails with inappropriate labels, serving as the tell-tale signs of their historical journey. But unlike typical tails, these extensions can either precede or follow the body, yet they consistently unfold a cosmic mystery to be solved. I present a succinct survey of this subject matter, detailing the intrepid efforts of astronomers who have dared to challenge our knowledge about these creatures, and offer a novel proposal for their nomenclature, while not disregarding the philosophical ramifications.

Read this paper on arXiv…

H. Boffin
Fri, 31 Mar 23
38/70

Comments: The Astronomical Enquirer – Other articles in this journal are available at this https URL

On the impact of spectral template uncertainties in synthetic stellar populations [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16920


Uncertainties in stellar population models, both in terms of stellar evolution and stellar spectra, translate into uncertainties in our interpretation of stellar populations in galaxies, since stars are the source of most of the light we receive from them. Observations by JWST are revealing high-redshift galaxies in great detail, which must then be compared to models. One significant source of uncertainty is in the stellar spectra used to generate composite spectra of stellar populations, which are then compared to data. Confidence in theoretical models is important to enable reliable determination of the properties of these galaxies such as their ages and star formation history. Here we present a comparison of spectral synthesis carried out with 6 different stellar spectral libraries using the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) framework. In photometric colours, the differences between theoretical libraries are relatively small (<0.10 mag), similar to typical observational uncertainties on individual galaxy observations. Differences become more pronounced when detailed spectroscopic properties are examined. Predictions for spectral line indices can vary significantly, with equivalent widths differing by a factor of two in some cases. With these index strengths, some of the libraries yield predictions of ages and metallicities which are unphysical. Many spectral libraries lack wavelength coverage in the ultraviolet, which is of growing importance in the era of JWST observations of distant galaxies, whose flux is dominated by hot, young stars.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Byrne and E. Stanway
Fri, 31 Mar 23
39/70

Comments: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Supplemental material attached as an appendix. Output data available from this https URL or this https URL

Evidence of a Decreased Binary Fraction for Massive Stars Within 20 Milliparsecs of the Supermassive Black Hole at the Galactic Center [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16977


We present the results of the first systematic search for spectroscopic binaries within the central 2 x 3 arcsec$^2$ around the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. This survey is based primarily on over a decade of adaptive optics-fed integral-field spectroscopy (R$\sim$4000), obtained as part of the Galactic Center Orbits Initiative at Keck Observatory, and has a limiting $K$’-band magnitude of 15.8, which is at least 4 magnitudes deeper than previous spectroscopic searches for binaries at larger radii within the central nuclear star cluster. From this primary dataset, over 600 new radial velocities are extracted and reported, increasing by a factor of 3 the number of such measurements. We find no significant periodic signals in our sample of 28 stars, of which 16 are massive, young (main-sequence B) stars and 12 are low-mass, old (M and K giant) stars. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we derive upper limits on the intrinsic binary star fraction for the young star population at 47% (at 95% confidence) located $\sim$20 mpc from the black hole. The young star binary fraction is significantly lower than that observed in the field (70%). This result is consistent with a scenario in which the central supermassive black hole drives nearby stellar binaries to merge or be disrupted and may have important implications for the production of gravitational waves and hypervelocity stars.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Chu, T. Do, A. Ghez, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
44/70

Comments: Accepted by ApJ. 22 pages, 14 figures

Correlation between activity indicators: H$α$ and Ca II lines in M-dwarf stars [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17237


Different approaches have been adopted to study short- and long-term stellar magnetic activity, and although the mechanisms by which low-mass stars generate large-scale magnetic fields are not well understood, it is known that stellar rotation plays a key role. There are stars that show a cyclical behaviour in their activity which can be explained by solar dynamo or $\alpha\Omega$ dynamo models. However, when studying late-type dwarf stars, it is necessary to implement other indicators to analyse their magnetic activity. In the present work, we perform a comparative study between the best-known activity indicators so far defined from the Ca II and H$\alpha$ lines to analyse M-dwarf stars. We studied a sample of 29 M stars with different chromospheric activity levels and spectral classes ranging from dM0 to dM6. To do so, we employed 1796 wide range spectra from different instruments with a median time span of observations of 21 yr. In addition, we complemented our data with photometric observations from the TESS space mission for better stellar characterisation and short-term analysis. We obtained a good and significant correlation ($rho = 0.91$) between the indexes defined from the two lines for the whole set of stars in the sample. However, we found that there is a deviation for faster rotators (with $P_{rot} < 4$ days) and higher flare activity (at least one flare per day). There is an overall positive correlation between Ca II and H$\alpha$ emission in dM stars, except during flare events. In particular, we found that low-energy high-frequency flares could be responsible for the deviation in the linear trend in fast-rotator M dwarfs. This implies that the rotation period could be a fundamental parameter to study the stellar activity and that the rotation could drive the magnetic dynamo in low-mass active stars.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Bustos, A. Buccino, M. Flores, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
46/70

Comments: N/A

Don't believe the hype(r): The Yellow Supergiants of Westerlund 1 [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16937


Yellow hypergiants (YHGs) are often presumed to represent a transitional post-red supergiant (RSG) phase for stars $\sim$30-40 \msun. Here we present visual-wavelength echelle spectra of six YHG candidates in the Galactic cluster Westerlund 1, and we compare them to known YHGs, IRC +10420 and Hen3-1979. We find that the six YHG candidates do not exhibit any metallic emission lines, nor do they show strong H$\alpha$ emission, and as such do not meet the criteria necessary to be classified as YHGs. In conjunction with their moderate luminosities of \logl = 4.7-5.4 estimated from optical/infrared photometry, we suggest instead that they are normal yellow supergiants (YSGs) with more modest initial masses around 15-20 \msun. This adds additional support to the hypothesis that Wd1 is a multi-age cluster with an older age than previously assumed, and is not a $\sim$5 Myr old cluster caught at a very specific transitional point when single-star evolution might yield Wolf-Rayet stars, luminous blue variables (LBVs), RSGs, and YHGs in the same cluster. Nevertheless, the population of YSGs in Wd1 is very unusual, with YSGs outnumbering RSGs, but with both spanning a large luminosity range. Here, we discuss evolutionary scenarios that might have led to the high fraction of YSGs. The number of YSGs and their significant luminosity spread cannot be explained by simple population synthesis models with single or binary stars. Even with multiple ages or a large age spread, the high YSG/RSG ratio remains problematic. We suggest instead that the objects may experience a prolonged YSG phase due to evolution in triple systems.

Read this paper on arXiv…

E. Beasor, N. Smith and J. Andrews
Fri, 31 Mar 23
47/70

Comments: Accepted to ApJ

Diagnosis of 3D magnetic field and modes composition in MHD turbulence with Y-parameter [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17282


Magnetic field is ubiquitous in interstellar media and channels turbulent flow from kilo-parsec to sub-parsec scales in both diffuse ISM and molecular clouds. The determination of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence and 3D magnetic field properties in ISM is notoriously difficult. In this study, we establish a statistical recipe `Y-parameter’ based on the recent development of turbulence statistical theory, namely the turbulence anisotropy analysis, to reconstruct 3D magnetic fields in MHD simulations and understand the mode-decomposition of MHD turbulence. In our analysis, we used 25 MHD turbulence datacubes simulated using ZEUS-MP and Athena++ codes. We found that the anisotropy of Stokes parameters can act as a diagnostic for retrieving the magnetic field inclination in ISM and identifying dominating mode. It is supported by the value space separation of the Y-parameter for decomposed Alfvenic and compressible MHD cubes and which is decreasing and increasing with mean field inclination angle, $\theta_{\lambda}$, respectively. In the total cube analysis, Y$\sim 1.5$ (with Y$>1.5$ for A-mode and Y$<1.5$ for C-mode) provides a statistical demarcation to obtain the dominant fraction of MHD turbulence modes. Furthermore, we have found that the (i) if Y$\gtrsim 2.5$, $10^\circ<\theta_{\lambda}< 30^\circ$ and A mode or $5^\circ<\theta_{\lambda}< 10^\circ$ and C-mode (ii) if Y$ \lesssim 1.0 $, $\theta_{\lambda} \lesssim 5^\circ$ and C-mode or $\theta_{\lambda} \gtrsim 60^\circ$ and A-mode (iii) $40^\circ \lesssim \theta_{\lambda} \lesssim 60^\circ$ with A-mode or $\theta_{\lambda} \gtrsim 70^\circ$ with C-mode, if Y-parameter is in the intermediate range. As a consequence, in the future with the availability of vast radio polarisation surveys, this technique can play a leading role in detecting 3D magnetic field in ISM and characterizing the nature of the interstellar turbulence.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Malik, K. Yuen and H. Yan
Fri, 31 Mar 23
51/70

Comments: 12 pages, 9 figures, 1 table

A novel survey for young substellar objects with the W-band filter VI: Spectroscopic census of sub-stellar members and the IMF of $σ$ Orionis cluster [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17424


Low-mass stars and sub-stellar objects are essential in tracing the initial mass function (IMF). We study the nearby young $\sigma$ Orionis cluster (d$\sim$408 pc; age$\sim$1.8 Myr) using deep NIR photometric data in J, W and H-bands from WIRCam on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We use the water absorption feature to photometrically select the brown dwarfs and confirm their nature spectroscopically with the IRTF-SpeX. Additionally we select candidate low-mass stars for spectroscopy and analyze their membership and that of literature sources using astrometry from Gaia DR3. We obtain the near-IR spectra for 28 very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs and estimate their spectral type between M3-M8.5 (mass ranging between 0.3-0.01 M${\odot}$). Apart from these, we also identify 5 new planetary mass candidates which require further spectroscopic confirmation of youth. We compile the comprehensive catalog of 170 spectroscopically confirmed members in the central region of the cluster, for a wide mass range of $\sim$19-0.004 M${\odot}$. We estimate the star/BD ratio to be $\sim$4, within the range reported for other nearby star forming regions. With the updated catalog of members we trace the IMF down to 4 M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ and we find that a two-segment power-law fits the sub-stellar IMF better than the log-normal distribution.

Read this paper on arXiv…

B. Damian, J. Jose, B. Biller, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
52/70

Comments: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ). 27 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables

Constraining fundamental nuclear physics parameters using neutron star mass-radius measurements I: Nucleonic models [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17518


Measurements of neutron star mass and radius or tidal deformability deliver unique insight into the equation of state (EOS) of cold dense matter. EOS inference is very often done using generalized parametric or non-parametric models which deliver no information on composition. In this paper we consider a microscopic nuclear EOS model based on a field theoretical approach. We show that current measurements from NICER and gravitational wave observations constrain primarily the symmetric nuclear matter EOS. We then explore what could be delivered by measurements of mass and radius at the level anticipated for future large-area X-ray timing telescopes. These should be able to place very strong limits on the symmetric nuclear matter EOS, in addition to constraining the nuclear symmetry energy that determines the proton fraction inside the neutron star.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Huang, G. Raaijmakers, A. Watts, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
60/70

Comments: submitted to MNRAS

X-ray polarimetry of X-ray pulsar X Persei: another orthogonal rotator? [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17325


X Persei is a persistent low-luminosity X-ray pulsar of period of $\sim$835 s in a Be binary system. The field strength at the neutron star surface is not known precisely, but indirect signs indicate a magnetic field above $10^{13}$ G, which makes the object one of the most magnetized known X-ray pulsars. Here we present the results of observations X Persei performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The X-ray polarization signal was found to be strongly dependent on the spin phase of the pulsar. The energy-averaged polarization degree in 3-8 keV band varied from several to $\sim$20 per cent over the pulse with a positive correlation with the pulsed X-ray flux. The polarization angle shows significant variation and makes two complete revolutions during the pulse period resulting in nearly nil pulse-phase averaged polarization. Applying the rotating vector model to the IXPE data we obtain the estimates for the rotation axis inclination and its position angle on the sky as well as for the magnetic obliquity. The derived inclination is close to the orbital inclination reported earlier for X Persei. The polarimetric data imply a large angle between the rotation and magnetic dipole axes, which is similar to the result reported recently for the X-ray pulsar GRO J1008$-$57. After eliminating the effect of polarization angle rotation over the pulsar phase using the best-fitting rotating vector model, the strong dependence of the polarization degree with energy was discovered with its value increasing from 0% at $\sim$2 keV to 30% at 8 keV.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Mushtukov, S. S.Tsygankov, J. Poutanen, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
64/70

Comments: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to MNRAS

NGC 6302: The Tempestuous Life of a Butterfly [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16439


NGC 6302 (The ”Butterfly Nebula”) is an extremely energetic bipolar nebula whose central star is among the most massive, hottest, and presumably rapidly evolving of all central stars of planetary nebulae. Our proper-motion study of NGC 6302, based on excellent HST WFC3 images spanning 11 yr, has uncovered at least four different pairs of expanding internal lobes that were ejected at various times over the past two millennia at speeds ranging from 10 to 600 km s^-1. In addition, we find a pair of off-axis flows in constant motion at 760 +/- 100 km s^-1 within which bright [Fe II] feathers are conspicuous. Combining our results with those previously published, we find that the ensemble of flows has an ionized mass > 0.1 M_sun. The kinetic energy of the ensemble, 10^46 – 10^48 ergs, lies at the upper end of gravity-powered processes such as stellar mergers or mass accretion and is too large to be explained by stellar radiation pressure or convective ejections. The structure and dynamics of the Butterfly Nebula suggests that its central engine has had a remarkable history, and the highly unusual patterns of growth within its wings challenge our current understanding of late stellar mass ejection.

Read this paper on arXiv…

B. Balick, L. Borchert, J. Kastner, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
2/66

Comments: 17 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

Disk or Companion: Characterizing Excess Infrared Flux in Seven White Dwarf Systems with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16330


Excess infrared flux from white dwarf stars is likely to arise from a dusty debris disk or a cool companion. In this work, we present near-infrared spectroscopic observations with Keck/MOSFIRE, Gemini/GNIRS, and Gemini/Flamingos-2 of seven white dwarfs with infrared excesses identified in previous studies. We confirmed the presence of dust disks around four white dwarfs (Gaia J0611-6931, Gaia J0006+2858, Gaia J2100+2122, and WD 0145+234) as well as two new white dwarf brown dwarf pairs (Gaia J0052+4505 and Gaia J0603+4518). In three of the dust disk systems, we detected for the first time near-infrared metal emissions (Mg I, Fe I, and Si I) from a gaseous component of the disk. We developed a new Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework to constrain the geometric properties of each dust disk. In three systems, the dust disk and the gas disk appear to coincide spatially. For the two brown dwarf white dwarf pairs, we identified broad molecular absorption features typically seen in L dwarfs. The origin of the infrared excess around Gaia J0723+6301 remains a mystery. Our study underlines how near-infrared spectroscopy can be used to determine sources of infrared excess around white dwarfs, which has now been detected in hundreds of systems photometrically.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Owens, S. Xu, E. Manjavacas, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
4/66

Comments: 23 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables, AJ, in press

The ratio of horizontal to vertical displacement in solar oscillations estimated from combined SO/PHI and SDO/HMI observations [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16844


In order to make accurate inferences about the solar interior using helioseismology, it is essential to understand all the relevant physical effects on the observations. One effect to understand is the (complex-valued) ratio of the horizontal to vertical displacement of the p- and f-modes at the height at which they are observed. Unfortunately, it is impossible to measure this ratio directly from a single vantage point, and it has been difficult to disentangle observationally from other effects. In this paper we attempt to measure the ratio directly using 7.5 hours of simultaneous observations from the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager on board Solar Orbiter and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. While image geometry problems make it difficult to determine the exact ratio, it appears to agree well with that expected from adiabatic oscillations in a standard solar model. On the other hand it does not agree with a commonly used approximation, indicating that this approximation should not be used in helioseismic analyses. In addition, the ratio appears to be real-valued.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Schou, J. Hirzberger, D. Suárez, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
5/66

Comments: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 8 pages, 8 figures

He abundance of Dense Circumstellar Clumps in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16497


We report on the result of He abundance analysis of dense circumstellar clumps in the young supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. These clumps, which are called quasi-stationary flocculi (QSFs), are known from previous optical studies to be enriched in He along with N, but the degree of He overabundance relative to H has remained uncertain. For several QSFs with near-infrared spectroscopic data, we have analyzed their He I 1.083 $\mu$m/Pa$\gamma$ ratios together with the ratios of [Fe II] lines by using the Raymond shock code. According to our analysis, He is overabundant relative to H by a factor of $\lesssim 3$ in most of these QSFs. This He abundance of QSFs is consistent with the previous conclusion from the N overabundance that QSFs were ejected when a substantial amount of the H envelope of the progenitor star had been stripped off. We discuss the mass-loss history of the progenitor star and the origin of QSFs.

Read this paper on arXiv…

B. Koo, D. Kim, S. Yoon, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
6/66

Comments: 20 pages, 8 figures

Self-consistent Models of Y Dwarf Atmospheres with Water Clouds and Disequilibrium Chemistry [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16295


Y dwarfs are the coolest spectral class of brown dwarf. They have effective temperatures less than 500 K, with the coolest detection as low as ~250 K. Their spectra are shaped predominantly by gaseous water, methane, and ammonia. At the warmer end of the Y dwarf temperature range, spectral signatures of disequilibrium carbon monoxide have been observed. Cooler Y dwarfs could host water clouds in their atmospheres. Since they make up the low-mass tail of the star formation process, and are a valuable analogue to the atmospheres of giant gaseous exoplanets in a temperature range that is difficult to observe, understanding Y dwarf atmospheric compositions and processes will both deepen our understanding of planet and star formation, and provide a stepping stone towards characterizing cool exoplanets. JWST spectral observations are anticipated to provide an unprecedented level of detail for these objects, and yet published self-consistent model grids do not accurately replicate even the existing HST and ground-based observations. In this work, we present a new suite of 1-d radiative-convective equilibrium models to aid in the characterization of Y dwarf atmospheres and spectra. We compute clear, cloudy, equilibrium-chemistry and disequilibrium-chemistry models, providing a comprehensive suite of models in support of the impending JWST era of panchromatic Y dwarf characterization. Comparing these models against current observations, we find that disequilibrium CH4-CO and NH3-N2 chemistry and the presence of water clouds can bring models and observations into better, though still not complete, agreement.

Read this paper on arXiv…

B. Lacy and A. Burrows
Thu, 30 Mar 23
14/66

Comments: main text: 27 pages, 19 figures, 4 tables; appendix + references: 13 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables; model grid available on zenodo this https URL

Iron-rich Metal-poor Stars and the Astrophysics of Thermonuclear Events Observationally Classified as Type Ia Supernovae. I. Establishing the Connection [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16357


The progenitor systems and explosion mechanisms responsible for the thermonuclear events observationally classified as Type Ia supernovae are uncertain and difficult to uniquely constrain using traditional observations of Type Ia supernova host galaxies, progenitors, light curves, and remnants. For the subset of thermonuclear events that are prolific producers of iron, we use published theoretical nucleosynthetic yields to identify a set of elemental abundance ratios infrequently observed in metal-poor stars but shared across a range of progenitor systems and explosion mechanisms: [Na,Mg,Co/Fe]<0. We label stars with this abundance signature “iron-rich metal-poor” or IRMP stars. We suggest that IRMP stars formed in environments dominated by thermonuclear nucleosynthesis and consequently that their elemental abundances can be used to constrain both the progenitor systems and explosion mechanisms responsible for thermonuclear explosions. We identify three IRMP in the literature and homogeneously infer their elemental abundances. We find that the elemental abundances of BD+80 245, HE 0533–5340, and SMSS J034249.53–284216.0 are best explained by the (double) detonations of sub-Chandrasekhar mass CO white dwarfs. If our interpretation of IRMP stars is accurate, then they should be very rare in globular clusters and more common in the Magellanic Clouds and dwarf spheroidal galaxies than in the Milky Way’s halo. We propose that future studies of IRMP stars will quantify the relative occurrences of different thermonuclear event progenitor systems and explosion mechanisms.

Read this paper on arXiv…

H. Reggiani, K. Schlaufman and A. Casey
Thu, 30 Mar 23
17/66

Comments: Accepted for publication at AJ

FAUST VIII. The protostellar disk of VLA 1623-2417 W and its streamers imaged by ALMA [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16257


More than 50% of solar-mass stars form in multiple systems. It is therefore crucial to investigate how multiplicity affects the star and planet formation processes at the protostellar stage. We report continuum and C$^{18}$O (2-1) observations of the VLA 1623-2417 protostellar system at 50 au angular resolution as part of the ALMA Large Program FAUST. The 1.3 mm continuum probes the disks of VLA 1623A, B, and W, and the circumbinary disk of the A1+A2 binary. The C$^{18}$O emission reveals, for the first time, the gas in the disk-envelope of VLA 1623W. We estimate the dynamical mass of VLA 1623W, $M_{\rm dyn}=0.45\pm0.08$ M${\odot}$, and the mass of its disk, $M{\rm disk}\sim6\times10^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$. C$^{18}$O also reveals streamers that extend up to 1000 au, spatially and kinematically connecting the envelope and outflow cavities of the A1+A2+B system with the disk of VLA 1623W. The presence of the streamers, as well as the spatial ($\sim$1300 au) and velocity ($\sim$2.2 km/s) offset of VLA 1623W suggest that either sources W and A+B formed in different cores, interacting between them, or that source W has been ejected from the VLA 1623 multiple system during its formation. In the latter case, the streamers may funnel material from the envelope and cavities of VLA 1623AB onto VLA 1623W, thus concurring to set its final mass and chemical content.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Mercimek, L. Podio, C. Codella, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
20/66

Comments: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRAS

Near-IR and optical radial velocities of the active M-dwarf star Gl 388 (AD Leo) with SPIRou at CFHT and SOPHIE at OHP [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16712


Context: The search for extrasolar planets around the nearest M-dwarfs is a crucial step towards identifying the nearest Earth-like planets. One of the main challenges in this search is that M-dwarfs can be magnetically active and stellar activity can produce radial velocity (RV) signals that could mimic those of a planet.
Aims: We aim to investigate whether the 2.2 day period observed in optical RVs of the nearby active M-dwarf star Gl 388 (AD Leo) is due to stellar activity or to a planet which co-rotates with the star as suggested in the past.
Methods: We obtained quasi-simultaneous optical RVs of Gl 388 from 2019 to 2021 with SOPHIE (R$\sim$75k) at the OHP in France, and near-IR RV and Stokes V measurements with SPIRou at the CFHT (R$\sim$70k).
Results: The SOPHIE RV time-series displays a periodic signal with 2.23$\pm$0.01 days period and 23.6$\pm$0.5 m/s amplitude, which is consistent with previous HARPS observations obtained in 2005-2006. The SPIRou RV time-series is flat at 5 m/s rms and displays no periodic signals. RV signals of amplitude higher than 5.3 m/s at a period of 2.23 days can be excluded with a confidence level higher than 99%. Using the modulation of the longitudinal magnetic field (Bl) measured with SPIRou, we derive a stellar rotation period of 2.2305$\pm$0.0016 days.
Conclusions: SPIRou RV measurements provide solid evidence that the periodic variability of the optical RVs of Gl 388 is due to stellar activity rather than to a co-rotating planet. The magnetic activity nature of the optical RV signal is further confirmed by the modulation of Bl with the same period. The SPIRou campaign on Gl 388 demonstrates the power of near-IR RV to confirm or infirm planet candidates discovered in the optical around active stars. SPIRou observations reiterate how effective spectropolarimetry is at determining the stellar rotation period.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Carmona, X. Delfosse, S. Bellotti, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
29/66

Comments: 25 pages, 23 figures, Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics

Multi-scale CLEAN in hard X-ray solar imaging [IMA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16272


Multi-scale deconvolution is an ill-posed inverse problem in imaging, with applications ranging from microscopy, through medical imaging, to astronomical remote sensing. In the case of high-energy space telescopes, multi-scale deconvolution algorithms need to account for the peculiar property of native measurements, which are sparse samples of the Fourier transform of the incoming radiation. The present paper proposes a multi-scale version of CLEAN, which is the most popular iterative deconvolution method in Fourier space imaging. Using synthetic data generated according to a simulated but realistic source configuration, we show that this multi-scale version of CLEAN performs better than the original one in terms of accuracy, photometry, and regularization. Further, the application to a data set measured by the NASA Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) shows the ability of multi-scale CLEAN to reconstruct rather complex topographies, characteristic of a real flaring event.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Volpara, M. Piana and A. Massone
Thu, 30 Mar 23
31/66

Comments: N/A

Wide binary stars formed in the turbulent interstellar medium [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16224


The ubiquitous interstellar turbulence regulates star formation and the scaling relations between the initial velocity differences and the initial separations of stars. We propose that the formation of wide binaries with initial separations $r$ in the range $\sim 10^3~\text{AU} \lesssim r \lesssim 10^5$ AU is a natural consequence of star formation in the turbulent interstellar medium. With the decrease of $r$, the mean turbulent relative velocity $v_\text{tur}$ between a pair of stars decreases, while the largest velocity $v_\text{bon}$ at which they still may be gravitationally bound increases. When $v_\text{tur} < v_\text{bon}$, a wide binary can form. In this formation scenario, we derive the eccentricity distribution $p(e)$ of wide binaries for an arbitrary relative velocity distribution. By adopting a turbulent velocity distribution, we find that wide binaries at a given initial separation generally exhibit a superthermal $p(e)$. This provides a natural explanation for the observed superthermal $p(e)$ of the wide binaries in the Solar neighborhood.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Xu, H. Hwang, C. Hamilton, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
32/66

Comments: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJL

The puzzle of the formation of T8 dwarf Ross 458c [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16863


At the lowest masses, the distinction between brown dwarfs and giant exoplanets is often blurred and literature classifications rarely reflect the deuterium burning boundary. Atmospheric characterisation may reveal the extent to which planetary formation pathways contribute to the population of very-low mass brown dwarfs, by revealing if their abundance distributions differ from those of the local field population or, in the case of companions, their primary stars. The T8 dwarf Ross 458c is a possible planetary mass companion to a pair of M dwarfs, and previous work suggests that it is cloudy. We here present the results of the retrieval analysis of Ross 458c, using archival spectroscopic data in the 1.0 to 2.4 micron range. We test a cloud free model as well as a variety of cloudy models and find that the atmosphere of Ross 458c is best described by a cloudy model (strongly preferred). The CH4/H2O is higher than expected at 1.97 +0.13 -0.14. This value is challenging to understand in terms of equilibrium chemistry and plausible C/O ratios. Comparisons to thermochemical grid models suggest a C/O of ~ 1.35, if CH4 and H2O are quenched at 2000 K, requiring vigorous mixing. We find a [C/H] ratio of +0.18, which matches the metallicity of the primary system, suggesting that oxygen is missing from the atmosphere. Even with extreme mixing, the implied C/O is well beyond the typical stellar regime, suggesting a either non-stellar formation pathway, or the sequestration of substantial quantities of oxygen via hitherto unmodeled chemistry or condensation processes.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Gaarn, B. Burningham, J. Faherty, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
41/66

Comments: 16 pages, 9 figures

Saturn's Seismic Rotation Revisited [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16219


Normal mode seismology is a promising means of measuring rotation in gas giant interiors, and ring seismology presents a singular opportunity to do so at Saturn. We calculate Saturn’s normal modes of oscillation and zonal gravity field, using nonperturbative methods for normal modes in the rigidly rotating approximation, and perturbative methods for the shifts that Saturn’s deep winds induce in the mode frequencies and zonal gravity harmonics. The latter are calculated by solving the thermo-gravitational wind equation in an oblate geometry. Comparing many such models to gravity data and the frequencies of ring patterns excited by Saturn normal modes, we use statistical methods to estimate that Saturn’s cloud-level winds extend inward along cylinders before decaying at a depth 0.125-0.138 times Saturn’s equatorial radius, or 7,530-8,320 km, consistent with analyses of Cassini gravity and magnetic field data. The seismology is especially useful for pinning down Saturn’s poorly constrained deep rotation period, which we estimate at 634.7 min (median) with a 5/95% quantile range 633.8-635.5 min. Outstanding residuals in mode frequencies at low angular degree suggest a more complicated deep interior than has been considered to date. Smaller but still significant residuals at high angular degree also show that our picture for the thermal, composition, and/or rotation profile in Saturn’s envelope is not yet complete.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Mankovich, J. Dewberry and J. Fuller
Thu, 30 Mar 23
42/66

Comments: Accepted to PSJ

The ultraviolet habitable zone of exoplanets [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16229


The dozens of rocky exoplanets discovered in the Circumstellar Habitable Zone (CHZ) currently represent the most suitable places to host life as we know it outside the Solar System. However, the presumed presence of liquid water on the CHZ planets does not guarantee suitable environments for the emergence of life. According to experimental studies, the building blocks of life are most likely produced photochemically in presence of a minimum ultraviolet (UV) flux. On the other hand, high UV flux can be life-threatening, leading to atmospheric erosion and damaging biomolecules essential to life. These arguments raise questions about the actual habitability of CHZ planets around stars other than Solar-type ones, with different UV to bolometric luminosity ratios. By combining the “principle of mediocricy” and recent experimental studies, we define UV boundary conditions (UV-habitable Zone, UHZ) within which life can possibly emerge and evolve. We investigate whether exoplanets discovered in CHZs do indeed experience such conditions. By analysing Swift-UV/Optical Telescope data, we measure the near ultraviolet (NUV) luminosities of 17 stars harbouring 23 planets in their CHZ. We derive an empirical relation between NUV luminosity and stellar effective temperature. We find that eighteen of the CHZ exoplanets actually orbit outside the UHZ, i.e., the NUV luminosity of their M-dwarf hosts is decisively too low to trigger abiogenesis – through cyanosulfidic chemistry – on them. Only stars with effective temperature >3900 K illuminate their CHZ planets with enough NUV radiation to trigger abiogenesis. Alternatively, colder stars would require a high-energy flaring activity.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Spinelli, F. Borsa, G. Ghirlanda, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
44/66

Comments: 8 pages, 3 figures

The CORALIE survey for southern extrasolar planets XIX. Brown dwarfs and stellar companions unveiled by radial velocity and astrometry [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16717


A historical planet-search on a sample of 1647 nearby southern main sequence stars has been ongoing since 1998 with the CORALIE spectrograph at La Silla Observatory, with a backup subprogram dedicated to the monitoring of binary stars. We review 25 years of CORALIE measurements and search for Doppler signals consistent with stellar or brown dwarf companions to produce an updated catalog of both known and previously unpublished binary stars in the planet-search sample, assessing the binarity fraction of the stellar population and providing perspective for more precise planet-search in the binary sample. We perform new analysis on the CORALIE planet-search sample radial velocity measurements, searching for stellar companions and obtaining orbital solutions for both known and new binary systems. We perform simultaneous radial velocity and proper motion anomaly fits on the subset of these systems for which Hipparcos and Gaia astrometry measurements are available, obtaining accurate estimates of true mass for the companions. We find 218 stars in the CORALIE sample to have at least one stellar companion, 130 of which are not yet published in the literature and for which we present orbital solutions. The use of proper motion anomaly allow us to derive true masses for the stellar companions in 132 systems, which we additionally use to estimate stability regions for possible planetary companions on circumprimary or circumbinary orbits. Finally, we produce detection limit maps for each star in the sample and obtain occurrence rates of $0.43^{+0.23}{-0.11}\%$ and $12.69^{+0.87}{-0.77}\%$ for brown dwarf and stellar companions respectively in the CORALIE sample.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Barbato, D. Ségransan, S. Udry, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
47/66

Comments: 34 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Magnetic fields inferred by Solar Orbiter: A comparison between SO/PHI-HRT and SDO/HMI [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16771


The High Resolution Telescope (HRT) of the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager on board the Solar Orbiter spacecraft (SO/PHI) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) both infer the photospheric magnetic field from polarised light images. SO/PHI is the first magnetograph to move out of the Sun–Earth line and will provide unprecedented access to the Sun’s poles. This provides excellent opportunities for new research wherein the magnetic field maps from both instruments are used simultaneously. We aim to compare the magnetic field maps from these two instruments and discuss any possible differences between them. We used data from both instruments obtained during Solar Orbiter’s inferior conjunction on 7 March 2022. The HRT data were additionally treated for geometric distortion and degraded to the same resolution as HMI. The HMI data were re-projected to correct for the $3^{\circ}$ separation between the two observatories. SO/PHI-HRT and HMI produce remarkably similar line-of-sight magnetograms, with a slope coefficient of $0.97$, an offset below $1$ G, and a Pearson correlation coefficient of $0.97$. However, SO/PHI-HRT infers weaker line-of-sight fields for the strongest fields. As for the vector magnetic field, SO/PHI-HRT was compared to both the $720$-second and $90$-second HMI vector magnetic field: SO/PHI-HRT has a closer alignment with the $90$-second HMI vector. In the weak signal regime ($< 600$ G), SO/PHI-HRT measures stronger and more horizontal fields than HMI, very likely due to the greater noise in the SO/PHI-HRT data. In the strong field regime ($\gtrsim 600$ G), HRT infers lower field strengths but with similar inclinations (a slope of $0.92$) and azimuths (a slope of $1.02$). The slope values are from the comparison with the HMI $90$-second vector.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Sinjan, D. Calchetti, J. Hirzberger, et. al.
Thu, 30 Mar 23
50/66

Comments: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A; manuscript is a part of Astronomy & Astrophysics special issue: Solar Orbiter First Results (Nominal Mission Phase)

Determining electron column density fluctuations in a dominant scattering region using pulsar scintillation [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16338


Density fluctuations in the ionised interstellar medium have a profound effect on radio pulsar observations, through angular scattering, intensity scintillations, and small changes in time delays from dispersion. Here we show that it is possible to recover the variations in dispersive delays that originate from a dominant scattering region using measurements of the dynamic spectrum of intensity scintillations, provided that the pulsar velocity and scattering region location are known. We provide a theoretical framework for the technique, which involves estimating the phase gradient from the dynamic spectra and integrating that gradient to obtain phase variations. It can be used to search for “extreme scattering events” (ESEs) in pulsars for which precision dispersion delay measurements are not otherwise possible, or to separate true dispersion variations from apparent variability caused by frequency-dependent pulse shape changes. We demonstrate that it works in practice by recovering an ESE in PSR J1603$-$7202, which is known from precision dispersion delay measurements from pulsar timing. For this pulsar, we find that the phase gradients also track the long-term variations in electron column density observed by pulsar timing, indicating that the column density variations and the scattering are dominated by the same thin scattering screen. We identify a sudden increase in the scintillation strength and magnitude of phase gradients over $\sim$days in 2010, indicating a compact structure. A decrease in the electron density in 2012 was associated with persistent phase gradients and preceded a period of decreased scintillation strength and an absence of scintillation arcs.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Reardon and W. Coles
Thu, 30 Mar 23
54/66

Comments: 9 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS

The connection between starspots and superflares: a case study of two stars [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16051


How do the characteristics of starspots influence the triggering of stellar flares? Here we investigate the activity of two K-type stars, similar in every way from mass to rotation periods and planetary systems. Both stars exhibit about a hundred spots, however, Kepler-411 produced 65 superflares, while Kepler-210 presented none. The spots of both stars were characterized using the planetary transit mapping technique, which yields the intensity, temperature, and radius of starspots. The average radius was $(17\pm7) \times 10^3$ km and $(58 \pm 23) \times 10^3$ km, while the intensity ratio with respect to the photosphere was $(0.35\pm0.24)$ $I_{c}$ and $(0.64\pm0.15)$ $I_{c}$, and the temperature was $(3800 \pm 700)$ K and $(4180 \pm 240)$ K for spots of Kepler-411 and Kepler-210, respectively. Therefore, spots on the star with no superflares, Kepler-210, are mostly larger, less dark, and warmer than those on the flaring star, Kepler-411. This may indicate magnetic fields with smaller magnitude and complexity of the spots on Kepler-210 when compared to those on Kepler-411. Thus, starspot area appears not to be the main culprit of superflares triggering. Perhaps the magnetic complexity of active regions is more important.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Araújo and A. Valio
Wed, 29 Mar 23
5/73

Comments: 5 pages,4 Figures

Exploring the internal rotation of the extremely low-mass He-core white dwarf GD 278 with TESS asteroseismology [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15962


(Abridged) We present an exploration of the internal rotation of GD 278, the first pulsating extremely low-mass white dwarf that shows rotational splittings within its periodogram. We assess the theoretical frequency splittings expected for different rotation profiles and compare them to the observed frequency splittings of GD 278. To this aim, we employ an asteroseismological model representative of the pulsations of this star, obtained by using the LPCODE stellar evolution code. We also derive a rotation profile that results from detailed evolutionary calculations carried out with the MESA stellar evolution code and use it to infer the expected theoretical frequency splittings. We found that the best-fitting solution when assuming linear profiles for the rotation of GD 278 leads to values of the angular velocity at the surface and the center that are only slightly differential, and still compatible with rigid rotation. The values of the angular velocity at the surface and the center for the simple linear rotation profiles and for the rotation profile derived from evolutionary calculations are in very good agreement. Also, the resulting theoretical frequency splittings are compatible with the observed frequency splittings, in general, for both cases. The results obtained from the different approaches followed in this work to derive the internal rotation of GD 278 agree. The fact that they were obtained employing two independent stellar evolution codes gives robustness to our results. Our results suggest only a marginally differential behavior for the internal rotation in GD 278, and considering the uncertainties involved, very compatible with the rigid case, as has been observed previously for white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs. The rotation periods derived for this star are also in line with the values determined asteroseismologically for white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs in general.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. Calcaferro, A. Córsico, L. Althaus, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
7/73

Comments: 9 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

TOI-5375 B: A Very Low Mass Star at the Hydrogen-Burning Limit Orbiting an Early M-type Star [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16193


The TESS mission detected a companion orbiting TIC 71268730, categorized it as a planet candidate, and designated the system TOI-5375. Our follow-up analysis using radial velocity data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF), photometric data from Red Buttes Observatory (RBO), and speckle imaging with NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI) determined that the companion is a very low mass star (VLMS) near the hydrogen-burning mass limit with a mass of 0.080$\pm{0.002} M_{\Sun}$ ($83.81\pm{2.10} M_{J}$), a radius of 0.1114$^{+0.0048}{-0.0050} R{\Sun}$ (1.0841$^{0.0467}{0.0487} R{J}$), and brightness temperature of $2600\pm{70}$ K. This object orbits with a period of 1.721553$\pm{0.000001}$ days around an early M dwarf star ($0.62\pm{0.016}M_{\Sun}$). TESS photometry shows regular variations in the host star’s TESS light curve, which we interpreted as activity-induced variation of $\sim$2\%, and used this variability to measure the host star’s stellar rotation period of 1.9716$^{+0.0080}_{-0.0083}$ days. The TOI-5375 system provides tight constraints on stellar models of low-mass stars at the hydrogen-burning limit and adds to the population in this important region.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Lambert, C. Bender, S. Kanodia, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
8/73

Comments: 15 pages, 8 figures, Accepted to the Astronomical Journal

Imaging and spectroscopic observations of extreme-ultraviolet brightenings using EUI and SPICE on board Solar Orbiter [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15979


The smallest extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) brightening events that were detected so far, called campfires, have recently been uncovered by the High Resolution EUV telescope (HRIEUV), which is part of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on board Solar Orbiter. HRIEUV has a broad bandpass centered at 17.4 nm that is dominated by Fe ix and Fe x emission at about 1 MK. We study the thermal properties of EUI brightening events by simultaneously observing their responses at different wavelengths using spectral data from the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) also on board Solar Orbiter and imaging data from EUI. We studied three EUI brightenings that were identified in HRIEUV data that lie within the small areas covered by the slit of the SPICE EUV spectrometer. We obtained the line intensities of the spectral profiles by Gaussian fitting. These diagnostics were used to study the evolution of the EUI brightenings over time at the different line-formation temperatures. We find that (i) the detection of these EUI brightenings is at the limit of the SPICE capabilities. They could not have been independently identified in the data without the aid of HRIEUV observations. (ii) Two of these EUI brightenings with longer lifetimes are observed up to Ne viii temperatures (0.6 MK). (iii) All of the events are detectable in O vi (0.3 MK), and the two longer-lived events are also detected in other transition region (TR) lines. (iv) In one case, we observe two peaks in the intensity light curve of the TR lines that are separated by 2.7 min for C iii and 1.2 min for O vi. The Ne viii intensity shows a single peak between the two peak times of the TR line intensity. Spectral data from SPICE allow us to follow the thermal properties of EUI brightenings. Our results indicate that at least some EUI brightenings barely reach coronal temperatures.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Z. Huang, L. Teriaca, R. Cuadrado, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
9/73

Comments: 13 pages, 16 figures, language editing, accepted in A&A

Mother of Dragons: A Massive, quiescent core in the dragon cloud (IRDC G028.37+00.07) [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15499


Context: Core accretion models of massive star formation require the existence of massive, starless cores within molecular clouds. Yet, only a small number of candidates for such truly massive, monolithic cores are currently known. Aims: Here, we analyse a massive core in the well-studied infrared dark cloud (IRDC) called the “dragon cloud” (G028.37+00.07 or “Cloud C”). This core (C2c1) sits at the end of a chain of a roughly equally spaced actively star-forming cores near the center of the IRDC. Methods: We present new high-angular resolution 1 mm ALMA dust continuum and molecular line observations of the massive core. Results: The high-angular resolution observations show that this region fragments into two cores C2c1a and C2c1b, which retain significant background subtracted masses of 23 Msun and 2 Msun (31 Msun and 6 Msun without background subtraction), respectively. The cores do not appear to fragment further on the scales of our highest angular resolution images (0.200 arcsec, 0.005 pc ~ 1000 AU). We find that these cores are very dense (nH2 > 10^6 cm-3) and have only trans-sonic non-thermal motions (Ms ~ 1). Together the mass, density and internal motions imply a virial parameter of < 1, which suggests the cores are gravitationally unstable, unless supported by strong magnetic fields with strengths of ~ 1 – 10 mG. From CO line observations, we find that there is tentative evidence for a weak molecular outflow towards the lower-mass core, yet the more massive core remains devoid of any star formation indicators. Conclusions: We have presented evidence for the existence of a massive, prestellar core, which has implications for theories of massive star formation. This source warrants follow-up higher-angular resolution observations to further assess its monolithic and prestellar nature.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Barnes, J. Liu, Q. Zhang, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
10/73

Comments: 8+4 pages, 4+2 Figures, 2 Tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Evidence of external reconnection between an erupting mini-filament and ambient loops observed by Solar Orbiter/EUI [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16046


Mini-filament eruptions are one of the most common small-scale transients in the solar atmosphere. However, their eruption mechanisms are still not understood thoroughly. Here, with a combination of 174 A images of high spatio-temporal resolution taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter and images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board Solar Dynamics Observatory, we investigate in detail an erupting mini-filament over a weak magnetic field region on 2022 March 4. Two bright ribbons clearly appeared underneath the erupting mini-filament as it quickly ascended, and subsequently, some dark materials blew out when the erupting mini-filament interacted with the outer ambient loops, thus forming a blowout jet characterized by a widening spire. At the same time, multiple small bright blobs of 1-2 Mm appeared at the interaction region and propagated along the post-eruption loops toward the footpoints of the erupting fluxes at a speed of ~ 100 km/s. They also caused a semi-circular brightening structure. Based on these features, we suggest that the mini-filament eruption first experiences internal and then external reconnection, the latter of which mainly transfers mass and magnetic flux of the erupting mini-filament to the ambient corona.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Z. Li, X. Cheng, M. Ding, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
15/73

Comments: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Distribution and Kinematics of H I through Raman He II Spectroscopy of NGC 6302 [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16060


The young planetary nebula NGC 6302 is known to exhibit Raman-scattered He II features at 6545 and 4851 Angstrom. These features are formed through inelastic scattering of He II$\lambda\lambda$ 1025 and 972 with hydrogen atoms in the ground state, for which the cross sections are $1.2 \times 10^{-21}$ and $1.4\times 10^{-22} {\rm\ cm^2}$, respectively. We investigate the spectrum of NGC 6302 archived in the ESO Science Portal. Our Gaussian line fitting analysis shows that the Raman-scattered He II features are broader and more redshifted than the hypothetical model Raman features that would be formed in a cold static H I medium. We adopt a simple scattering geometry consisting of a compact He II emission region surrounded by a H I medium to perform Monte Carlo simulations using the radiative transfer code ${\it STaRS}$. Our simulations show that the H I region is characterized by the H I column density $N_{\rm HI}=3\times 10^{21}{\rm\ cm^{-2}}$ with the random speed component $v_{\rm ran}=10{\rm\ km\ s^{-1}}$ expanding with a speed $v_{\rm exp}= 13{\rm\ km\ s^{-1}}$ from the He II emission region. Based on our best fit parameters, we estimate the H I mass of the neutral medium $M_{\rm HI} \simeq 1.0\times 10^{-2}\ {\rm M_\odot}$, pointing out the usefulness of Raman He II spectroscopy as a tool to trace H I components.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Chang, H. Lee, J. Kim, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
16/73

Comments: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Heating of quiescent coronal loops caused by nearby eruptions observed with the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15758


How structures, e.g., magnetic loops, in the upper atmosphere, i.e., the transition region and corona, are heated and sustained is one of the major unresolved issues in solar and stellar physics. Various theoretical and observational studies on the heating of coronal loops have been undertaken. The heating of quiescent loops caused by eruptions is, however, rarely observed. In this study, employing data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar Upper Transition Region Imager (SUTRI), we report the heating of quiescent loops associated with nearby eruptions. In active regions (ARs) 13092 and 13093, a long filament and a short filament, and their overlying loops are observed on 2022 September 4. In AR 13093, a warm channel erupted toward the northeast, whose material moved along its axis toward the northwest under the long filament, turned to the west above the long filament, and divided into two branches falling to the solar surface. Subsequently, the short filament erupted toward the southeast. Associated with these two eruptions, the quiescent loops overlying the long filament appeared in SDO/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) high-temperature images, indicating the heating of loops. During the heating, signature of magnetic reconnection between loops is identified, including the inflowing motions of loops, and the formation of X-type structures and newly reconnected loops. The heated loops then cooled down. They appeared sequentially in AIA and SUTRI lower-temperature images. All the results suggest that the quiescent loops are heated by reconnection between loops caused by the nearby warm channel and filament eruptions.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. Li, H. Tian, H. Chen, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
18/73

Comments: 20 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The impact of dust evolution on the dead zone outer edge in magnetized protoplanetary disks [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15675


[Abridged] Aims. We provide an important step toward a better understanding of the magnetorotational instability (MRI)-dust coevolution in protoplanetary disks by presenting a proof of concept that dust evolution ultimately plays a crucial role in the MRI activity. Methods. First, we study how a fixed power-law dust size distribution with varying parameters impacts the MRI activity, especially the steady-state MRI-driven accretion, by employing and improving our previous 1+1D MRI-driven turbulence model. Second, we relax the steady-state accretion assumption in this disk accretion model, and partially couple it to a dust evolution model in order to investigate how the evolution of dust (dynamics and grain growth processes combined) and MRI-driven accretion are intertwined on million-year timescales. Results. Dust coagulation and settling lead to a higher gas ionization degree in the protoplanetary disk, resulting in stronger MRI-driven turbulence as well as a more compact dead zone. On the other hand, fragmentation has an opposite effect because it replenishes the disk in small dust particles. Since the dust content of the disk decreases over million years of evolution due to radial drift, the MRI-driven turbulence overall becomes stronger and the dead zone more compact until the disk dust-gas mixture eventually behaves as a grain-free plasma. Furthermore, our results show that dust evolution alone does not lead to a complete reactivation of the dead zone. Conclusions. The MRI activity evolution (hence the temporal evolution of the MRI-induced $\alpha$-parameter) is controlled by dust evolution and occurs on a timescale of local dust growth, as long as there is enough dust particles in the disk to dominate the recombination process for the ionization chemistry. Once it is no longer the case, it is expected to be controlled by gas evolution and occurs on a viscous evolution timescale.

Read this paper on arXiv…

T. Delage, M. Gárate, S. Okuzumi, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
19/73

Comments: 23 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for publication in A&A

Binary black hole mergers from Population III stars: uncertainties from star formation and binary star properties [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15515


Population III (Pop. III) binary stars likely produced the first stellar-born binary black hole (BBH) mergers in the Universe. Here, we quantify the main sources of uncertainty for the merger rate density evolution and mass spectrum of Pop. III BBHs by considering four different formation histories of Pop. III stars and 11 models of the initial orbital properties of their binary systems. The uncertainty on the orbital properties affects the BBH merger rate density by up to two orders of magnitude; models with shorter initial orbital periods lead to higher BBH merger rates, because they favour the merger via stable mass transfer episodes. The uncertainty on the star formation history also has a substantial impact on both the shape and the normalisation of the BBH merger rate density: the peak of the merger rate density shifts from $z\sim{8}$ up to $z\sim{16}$ depending on the assumed star formation rate, while the maximum BBH merger rate density for our fiducial binary population model spans from $\sim{2}$ to $\sim{30}$ Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$. The typical BBH masses are not affected by the star formation rate model and only mildly influenced by the binary population parameters. The primary black holes born from Pop. III stars tend to be rather massive ($30-40$ M$\odot$) with respect to those born from metal-rich stars ($8-10$ M$\odot$). However, we expect that Pop. III BBH mergers with primary mass $m_1>60$ M$_\odot$ are rare ($<10^{-2}$ Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$). Finally, we estimate that the Einstein Telescope will detect $10-10^4$ Pop. III BBH mergers per year, depending on the star formation history and binary star properties.

Read this paper on arXiv…

F. Santoliquido, M. Mapelli, G. Iorio, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
21/73

Comments: 16 pages, 16 figures, 1 table. Comments are welcome. Submitted to MNRAS

Insights on the Sun birth environment in the context of star-cluster formation in hub-filament systems [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15695


Cylindrical molecular filaments are observed to be the main sites of Sun-like star formation, while massive stars form in dense hubs, at the junction of multiple filaments. The role of hub-filament configurations has not been discussed yet in relation to the birth environment of the solar system and to infer the origin of isotopic ratios of Short-Lived Radionuclides (SLR, such as $^{26}$Al) of Calcium-Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs) observed in meteorites. In this work, we present simple analytical estimates of the impact of stellar feedback on the young solar system forming along a filament of a hub-filament system. We find that the host filament can shield the young solar system from the stellar feedback, both during the formation and evolution of stars (stellar outflow, wind, and radiation) and at the end of their life (supernovae). We show that the young solar system formed along a dense filament can be enriched with supernova ejecta (e.g., $^{26}$Al) during the formation timescale of CAIs. We also propose that the streamers recently observed around protostars may be channeling the SLR-rich material onto the young solar system. We conclude that considering hub-filament configurations as the birth environment of the Sun is important when deriving theoretical models explaining the observed properties of the solar system.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Arzoumanian, S. Arakawa, M. Kobayashi, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
23/73

Comments: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Understanding the deflection of the `Cartwheel CME': data analysis and modeling [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15998


We study the low corona evolution of the Cartwheel' coronal mass ejection (CME; 2008-04-09) by reconstructing its 3D path and modeling it with magneto-hydrodynamic simulations. This event exhibits a double-deflection that has been reported and analyzed in previous works but whose underlying cause remained unclear. TheCartwheel CME’ travels toward a coronal hole (CH) and against the magnetic gradients. Using a high-cadence, full trajectory reconstruction, we accurately determine the location of the magnetic flux rope (MFR) and, consequently, the magnetic environment in which it is immersed. We find a pseudostreamer (PS) structure whose null point may be responsible for the complex evolution of the MFR at the initial phase. From the pre-eruptive magnetic field reconstruction, we estimate the dynamic forces acting on the MFR and provide a new physical insight on the motion exhibited by the 2008-04-09 event. By setting up a similar magnetic configuration in a 2.5D numerical simulation we are able to reproduce the observed behavior, confirming the importance of the PS null point. We find that the magnetic forces directed toward the null point cause the first deflection, directing the MFR towards the CH. Later, the magnetic pressure gradient of the CH produces the reversal motion of the MFR.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Sahade, A. Vourildas, L. Balmaceda, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
25/73

Comments: N/A

Rebuilding the Habitable Zone from the Bottom Up with Computational Zones [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16111


Computation, if treated as a set of physical processes that act on information represented by states of matter, encompasses biological systems, digital systems, and other constructs, and may be a fundamental measure of living systems. The opportunity for biological computation, represented in the propagation and selection-driven evolution of information-carrying organic molecular structures, has been partially characterized in terms of planetary habitable zones based on primary conditions such as temperature and the presence of liquid water. A generalization of this concept to computational zones is proposed, with constraints set by three principal characteristics: capacity, energy, and instantiation (or substrate). Computational zones naturally combine traditional habitability factors, including those associated with biological function that incorporate the chemical milieu, constraints on nutrients and free energy, as well as element availability. Two example applications are presented by examining the fundamental thermodynamic work efficiency and Landauer limit of photon-driven biological computation on planetary surfaces and of generalized computation in stellar energy capture structures (a.k.a. Dyson structures). It is shown that computational zones involving nested structures or substellar objects could manifest unique observational signatures as cool far-infrared emitters. While this is an entirely hypothetical example, its simplicity offers a useful, complementary introduction to computational zones.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Scharf and O. Witkowski
Wed, 29 Mar 23
27/73

Comments: 31 pages, 3 figures, submitted to The Astrobiology Journal

Comparison of chromospheric diagnostics in a 3D model atmosphere: H$α$ linewidth and mm continua [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15612


The Ha line, one of the most studied chromospheric diagnostics, is a tracer for magnetic field structures, while its line core intensity provides an estimate of the mass density. The brightness temperatures from Atacama Large Millimetre-submm Array (ALMA) observations provide a complementary view of the activity and the thermal structure of stellar atmospheres. These two diagnostics together can provide insights into the physical properties of stellar atmospheres. In this paper, we present a comparative study between synthetic continuum brightness temperature maps for mm wavelengths (0.3 mm to 8.5 mm) and the width of the Ha 6565{\AA} line. The 3D radiative transfer codes Multi3D and Advanced Radiative Transfer (ART) are used to calculate synthetic spectra for the Ha line and the mm continua respectively, from an enhanced network atmosphere model with non-equilibrium hydrogen ionisation generated with the state-of-the-art 3D rMHD code Bifrost. We use Gaussian Point Spread Function (PSF) for simulating the effect of ALMA’s limited spatial resolution and calculate the Ha vs. mm continuum correlations and slopes of scatter plots for the original and degraded resolution of the whole box, quiet sun and enhanced network patches separately. The Ha linewidth and mm brightness temperatures are highly correlated and the correlation is highest at a wavelength 0.8 mm i.e. ALMA Band 7. The correlation increases with decreased resolution. On the other hand, the slopes decrease with increasing wavelength. The degradation of resolution does not have a significant impact on the calculated slopes. With decreasing spatial resolution the standard deviations of the observables, Ha linewidth and brightness temperatures decrease and the correlations between them increase, but the slopes do not change significantly. Hence, these relations may prove useful to calibrate the mm continuum maps observed with ALMA.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Pandit, S. Wedemeyer, M. Carlsson, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
29/73

Comments: 20 pages, 26 figures

Search for lithium-rich giants in 32 open clusters with high-resolution spectroscopy [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16124


Lithium-rich giant stars are rare and their existence challenges our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. We profit from the high-quality sample gathered with HARPS and UVES, in order to search for Li-rich giants and to identify the Li enrichment mechanisms responsible. We derive stellar parameters for 247 stars belonging to 32 open clusters, with 0.07 Ga < ages < 3.6 Ga. We employed the spectral synthesis technique code FASMA for the abundance analysis of 228 stars from our sample. We also determined ages, distances, and extinction using astrometry and photometry from Gaia and PARSEC isochrones to constrain their evolutionary stage. Our sample covers a wide range of stellar masses from 1 to more than 6 solar masses where the majority of the masses are above 2 solar masses. We have found 14 canonical Li-rich giant stars which have experienced the first dredge-up. This corresponds to 6% of our total sample, which is higher than what is typically found for field stars. Apart from the canonical limit, we use the maximum Li abundance of the progenitor stars as a criterion for Li enrichment. We find Li enhancement also among eight stars which have passed the first dredge up and show strong Li lines based on the fact that stars at the same evolutionary stage in the same cluster have significantly different Li abundances. We confirm that giants with higher Li abundance correspond to a higher fraction of fast-rotating giants, suggesting a connection between Li enhancement and stellar rotation as predicted by stellar models. Our Li-rich giants are found in various evolutionary stages implying that no unique Li production mechanism is responsible for Li enrichment but rather different intrinsic or external mechanisms can be simultaneously at play.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Tsantaki, E. Delgado-Mena, D. Bossini, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
40/73

Comments: accepted in A&A, online data will be available in CDS

Massive binary black holes from Population II and III stars [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15511


Population III stars, born from the primordial gas in the Universe, lose a negligible fraction of their mass via stellar winds and possibly follow a top-heavy mass function. Hence, they have often been regarded as the ideal progenitors of massive black holes (BHs), even above the pair instability mass gap. Here, we evolve a large set of Population III binary stars (metallicity $Z=10^{-11}$) with our population-synthesis code SEVN, and compare them with Population II binary stars ($Z=10^{-4}$). In our models, the lower edge of the pair-instability mass gap corresponds to a BH mass of $\approx{86}$ ($\approx{91}$) M$\odot$ for single Population III (II) stars. Overall, we find only mild differences between the properties of binary BHs (BBHs) born from Population III and II stars, especially if we adopt the same initial mass function and initial orbital properties. Most BBH mergers born from Population III and II stars have primary BH mass below the pair-instability gap, and the maximum secondary BH mass is $ < 50$ M$\odot$. Only up to $\approx{3.3}$% ($\approx{0.09}$%) BBH mergers from Population III (II) progenitors have primary mass above the gap. Unlike metal-rich binary stars, the main formation channel of BBH mergers from Population III and II stars involves only stable mass transfer episodes in our fiducial model.

Read this paper on arXiv…

G. Costa, M. Mapelli, G. Iorio, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
45/73

Comments: 15 pages, 17 figures, comments are welcome

On Secular Gravitational Instability in Vertically Stratified Disks [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15607


Secular gravitational instability (GI) is one promising mechanism for explaining planetesimal formation. The previous studies on secular GI utilized a razor-thin disk model and derived the growth condition in terms of the vertically integrated physical values such as dust-to-gas surface density ratio. However, in weakly turbulent disks where secular GI can operate, a dust disk can be orders of magnitude thinner than a gas disk, and analyses treating the vertical structures are necessary to clarify the interplay of the midplane dust motion and the upper gas motion. In this work, we perform vertically global linear analyses of secular GI with the vertical domain size of a few gas scale heights. We find that dust grains accumulate radially around the midplane while gas circulates over the whole vertical region. We obtain well-converged growth rates when the outer gas boundary is above two gas scale heights. The growth rates are underestimated if we assume the upper gas to be steady and regard it just as the source of external pressure to the dusty lower layer. Therefore, treating the upper gas motion is important even when the dust disk is much thinner than the gas disk. Conducting a parameter survey, we represent the growth condition in terms of the Toomre’s $Q$ value for dust and dust-to-gas surface density ratio. The critical dust disk mass for secular GI is $\sim10^{-4}$ stellar mass for the dust-to-gas surface density ratio of 0.01, the Stokes number of 0.1, and dimensionless radial dust diffusivity of $10^{-4}$.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Tominaga, S. Inutsuka and S. Takahashi
Wed, 29 Mar 23
53/73

Comments: 23 pages, 17 figures; Submitted to ApJ

A systematic survey of millimetre-wavelength flaring variability of Young Stellar Objects in the Orion Nebula Cluster [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15516


High-energy processes are ubiquitous even in the earliest stages of protostellar evolution. Motivated by the results of our systematic search for intense centimeter radio flares in Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) and by rare findings of strong millimeter-wavelength variability, we have conducted a systematic search for such variability in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Rapid variability on timescales of minutes to hours in the (centimeter)millimeter-wavelength range indicates (gyro)synchrotron radiation. Additionally, mass accretion will also affect the millimeter-wavelength luminosity but typically on longer timescales. Beyond studies of individual YSOs, our characterization of strong millimeter-wavelength variability with ALMA in the ONC sets first systematic constraints on the occurrence of such variability in a large number of YSOs ($\sim$130). We report the discovery of an order of magnitude millimeter-flare within just a few minutes from a known YSO previously reported as a radio flaring source at cm-wavelengths (the “ORBS” source). We also present an assessment of the systematic variability effects caused by the use of time-sliced imaging of a complex region. These are mostly due to the impact of a changing synthesized beam throughout the observations. We use simulated ALMA observations to reproduce and quantify these effects and set a lower limit for the variability that can be studied using our method in a complex region such as the ONC. Our results demonstrate that the utility of time domain analysis of YSOs extends into the millimeter-wavelength range, potentially interfering with the conversion of observed fluxes into dust masses.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Vargas-González, J. Forbrich, V. Rivilla, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
55/73

Comments: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Euclid preparation. XXXII. A UV-NIR spectral atlas of compact planetary nebulae for wavelength calibration [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15525


The Euclid mission will conduct an extragalactic survey over 15000 deg$^2$ of the extragalactic sky. The spectroscopic channel of the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) has a resolution of $R\sim450$ for its blue and red grisms that collectively cover the $0.93$–$1.89 $\micron;range. NISP will obtain spectroscopic redshifts for $3\times10^7$ galaxies for the experiments on galaxy clustering, baryonic acoustic oscillations, and redshift space distortion. The wavelength calibration must be accurate within $5$\AA to avoid systematics in the redshifts and downstream cosmological parameters. The NISP pre-flight dispersion laws for the grisms were obtained on the ground using a Fabry-Perot etalon. Launch vibrations, zero gravity conditions, and thermal stabilisation may alter these dispersion laws, requiring an in-flight recalibration. To this end, we use the emission lines in the spectra of compact planetary nebulae (PNe), which were selected from a PN data base. To ensure completeness of the PN sample, we developed a novel technique to identify compact and strong line emitters in Gaia spectroscopic data using the Gaia spectra shape coefficients. We obtained VLT/X-SHOOTER spectra from $0.3$ to $2.5$ \micron;for 19 PNe in excellent seeing conditions and a wide slit, mimicking Euclid’s slitless spectroscopy mode but with 10 times higher spectral resolution. Additional observations of one northern PN were obtained in the $0.80$–$1.90$ \micron range with the GMOS and GNIRS instruments at the Gemini North observatory. The collected spectra were combined into an atlas of heliocentric vacuum wavelengths with a joint statistical and systematic accuracy of 0.1 \AA in the optical and 0.3 \AA in the near-infrared. The wavelength atlas and the related 1D and 2D spectra are made publicly available.

Read this paper on arXiv…

E. Collaboration, K. Paterson, M. Schirmer, et. al.
Wed, 29 Mar 23
56/73

Comments: Accepted in A&A