Table of contents

We present two bright galaxy candidates at z ∼ 12–13 identified in our H-dropout Lyman break selection with 2.3 deg² near-infrared deep imaging data. These galaxy candidates, selected after careful screening of foreground interlopers, have spectral energy distributions showing a sharp discontinuity around 1.7 μm, a flat continuum at 2–5 μm, and nondetections at <1.2 μm in the available photometric data sets, all of which are consistent with a z > 12 galaxy. An ALMA program targeting one of the candidates shows a tentative 4σ [O iii] 88 μm line at z = 13.27, in agreement with its photometric redshift estimate. The number density of the z ∼ 12–13 candidates is comparable to that of bright z ∼ 10 galaxies and is consistent with a recently proposed double-power-law luminosity function rather than the Schechter function, indicating little evolution in the abundance of bright galaxies from z ∼ 4 to 13. Comparisons with theoretical models show that the models cannot reproduce the bright end of rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity functions at z ∼ 10–13. Combined with recent studies reporting similarly bright galaxies at z ∼ 9–11 and mature stellar populations at z ∼ 6–9, our results indicate the existence of a number of star-forming galaxies at z > 10, which will be detected with upcoming space missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope, Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and GREX-PLUS.

The decay index of solar magnetic fields is known as an important parameter in regulating solar eruptions from the standpoint of the torus instability. In particular, a saddle-like profile of decay index, which hosts a local torus-stable regime at higher altitudes than where the decay index first exceeds the instability threshold, is found to be associated with some confined or two-step eruptions. To understand the occurrence of such a profile, we employed dipoles to emulate different kinds of photospheric flux distributions. Corroborated by observations of representative active regions, our major results are as follows: (1) in bipolar configurations the critical height increases away from the AR center along the polarity inversion line (PIL) and its average is roughly half of the centroid distance between opposite polarities; (2) in quadrupolar configurations saddle-like profiles appear above the PIL when the two dipoles oriented in the same direction are significantly more separated in this direction than in the perpendicular direction, and when the two dipoles are oriented differently or have unequal fluxes; and (3) saddle-like profiles in quadrupolar configurations are associated with magnetic skeletons such as a null point or a hyperbolic flux tube, and the role of such profiles in eruptions is anticipated to be double-edged if magnetic reconnection is involved.

We use Paschen-β (Paβ; 1282 nm) observations from the Hubble Space Telescope G141 grism to study the star formation and dust-attenuation properties of a sample of 29 low-redshift (z < 0.287) galaxies in the CANDELS Lyα Emission at Reionization survey. We first compare the nebular attenuation from Paβ/Hα with the stellar attenuation inferred from the spectral energy distribution, finding that the galaxies in our sample are consistent with an average ratio of the continuum attenuation to the nebular gas of 0.44, but with a large amount of excess scatter beyond the observational uncertainties. Much of this scatter is linked to a large variation between the nebular dust attenuation as measured by (space-based) Paβ to (ground-based) Hα to that from (ground-based) Hα/Hβ. This implies there are important differences between attenuation measured from grism-based/wide-aperture Paβ fluxes and the ground-based/slit-measured Balmer decrement. We next compare star formation rates (SFRs) from Paβ to those from dust-corrected UV. We perform a survival analysis to infer a census of Paβ emission implied by both detections and nondetections. We find evidence that galaxies with lower stellar mass have more scatter in their ratio of Paβ to attenuation-corrected UV SFRs. When considering our Paβ detection limits, this observation supports the idea that lower-mass galaxies experience "burstier" star formation histories. Together, these results show that Paβ is a valuable tracer of a galaxy's SFR, probing different timescales of star formation and potentially revealing star formation that is otherwise missed by UV and optical tracers.

In the present work, we study the energization and displacement of heavy ions through the use of test particles interacting with the electromagnetic fields of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. These fields are obtained from pseudospectral direct numerical solutions of the compressible three-dimensional MHD equations with a strong background magnetic field. We find particle energization to be predominantly perpendicular as the ions become heavier (lower charge-to-mass ratio) and that high displacement is detrimental for perpendicular energization. On the other hand, perpendicular displacement is unaffected by the charge-to-mass ratio, which we explain with a simple guide center model. Using Voronoi tessellation along with this model, we analyze preferential concentration and find that particles behave as tracers in the perpendicular plane, clustering in regions with ∇_⊥ · u_⊥ < 0. These regions also have (∇ × E)_z < 0, which is optimal for perpendicular energization, thus providing a mechanism to understand precedent results.

The gravitational coupling between large-scale perturbations and small-scale perturbations leads to anisotropic distortions of the small-scale matter distribution. The measured local small-scale power spectrum can thus be used to infer the large-scale matter distribution. In this paper, we present a new tidal reconstruction algorithm for reconstructing large-scale modes using the full three-dimensional tidal shear information. We apply it to simulated dark matter halo fields and find the reconstructed large-scale density field correlates well with the original matter density field on large scales, improving upon the previous tidal reconstruction method, which only uses two transverse shear fields. This has profound implications for recovering lost 21 cm radial modes due to foreground subtraction and constraining primordial non-Gaussianity using the multitracer method with future cosmological surveys.

Integral field spectroscopy of high-redshift galaxies has become a powerful tool for understanding their dynamics and evolutionary states. However, in the case of gravitationally lensed systems, it has proved difficult to model both lensing and intrinsic kinematics in a way that takes full advantage of the information available in the spectral domain. In this paper, we introduce a new method for pixel-based source reconstruction that alters standard regularization schemes for two-dimensional (2D) data in a way that leverages kinematic information in a physically motivated but flexible fashion, and that is better suited to the three-dimensional (3D) nature of integral field data. To evaluate the performance of this method, we compare its results to those of a more traditional 2D nonparametric approach using mock Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of a typical high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxy. We find that 3D regularization applied to an entire data cube reconstructs a source's intensity and velocity structure more accurately than 2D regularization applied to separate velocity channels. Cubes reconstructed with 3D regularization also have more uniform noise and resolution properties and are less sensitive to the signal-to-noise ratio of individual velocity channels than the results of 2D regularization. Our new approach to modeling integral field observations of lensed systems can be implemented without making restrictive a priori assumptions about intrinsic kinematics, and opens the door to new observing strategies that prioritize spectral resolution over spatial resolution (e.g., for multiconfiguration arrays like ALMA).

The current paradigm of cosmic-ray (CR) origin states that the greater part of galactic CRs is produced by supernova remnants. The interaction of supernova ejecta with the interstellar medium after a supernova's explosions results in shocks responsible for CR acceleration via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). We use particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and a combined PIC-magnetohydrodynamic (PIC-MHD) technique to investigate whether DSA can occur in oblique high Mach number shocks. Using the PIC method, we follow the formation of the shock and determine the fraction of the particles that gets involved in DSA. With this result, we use PIC-MHD simulations to model the large-scale structure of the plasma and the magnetic field surrounding the shock and find out whether or not the reflected particles can generate upstream turbulence and trigger DSA. We find that the feasibility of this process in oblique shocks depends strongly on the Alfvénic Mach number, and the DSA process is more likely to be triggered at high Mach number shocks.

Novel insights into the behavior of the diffusion coefficients of charged particles in the inner heliosphere are of great importance to any study of the transport of these particles and are especially relevant with regard to the transport of low-energy electrons. The present study undertakes an exhaustive investigation into the diffusion parameters needed to reproduce low-energy electron intensities as observed at Earth, using a state-of-the-art 3D cosmic ray transport code. To this end, the transport of Jovian electrons is considered, as Jupiter represents the predominant source of these particles in the inner heliosphere, and because a careful comparison of model results with observations taken during periods of good and poor magnetic connectivity between Earth and Jupiter allows for conclusions to be drawn as to both parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficients. This study then compares these results with the predictions made by various scattering theories. Best-fit parameters for parallel and perpendicular mean free paths at 1 au fall reasonably well within the span of observational values reported by previous studies, but best-fit radial and rigidity dependences vary widely. However, a large number of diffusion parameters lead to reasonable to-good fits to observations, and it is argued that considerable caution must be exercised when comparing theoretical results for diffusion coefficients with diffusion parameters calculated from particle transport studies.

Strong gravitational lensing of gravitational wave sources offers a novel probe of both the lens galaxy and the binary source population. In particular, the strong lensing event rate and the time-delay distribution of multiply imaged gravitational-wave binary coalescence events can be used to constrain the mass distribution of the lenses as well as the intrinsic properties of the source population. We calculate the strong lensing event rate for a range of second- (2G) and third-generation (3G) detectors, including Advanced LIGO/Virgo, A+, Einstein Telescope (ET), and Cosmic Explorer (CE). For 3G detectors, we find that ∼0.1% of observed events are expected to be strongly lensed. We predict detections of ∼1 lensing pair per year with A+, and ∼50 pairs per year with ET/CE. These rates are highly sensitive to the characteristic galaxy velocity dispersion, σ_*, implying that observations of the rates will be a sensitive probe of lens properties. We explore using the time-delay distribution between multiply imaged gravitational-wave sources to constrain properties of the lenses. We find that 3G detectors would constrain σ_* to ∼21% after 5 yr. Finally, we show that the presence or absence of strong lensing within the detected population provides useful insights into the source redshift and mass distribution out to redshifts beyond the peak of the star formation rate, which can be used to constrain formation channels and their relation to the star formation rate and delay-time distributions for these systems.

Understanding the chemical past of our Sun and how life appeared on Earth is no mean feat. The best strategy we can adopt is to study newborn stars located in an environment similar to the one in which our Sun was born and assess their chemical content. In particular, hot corinos are prime targets because recent studies have shown correlations between interstellar complex organic molecules abundances from hot corinos and comets. The ORion ALMA New GEneration Survey aims to assess the number of hot corinos in the closest and best analog to our Sun's birth environment, the OMC-2/3 filament. In this context, we investigated the chemical nature of 19 solar-mass protostars and found that 26% of our sample sources show warm methanol emission indicative of hot corinos. Compared to the Perseus low-mass star-forming region, where the PErseus ALMA CHEmistry Survey detected hot corinos in ∼60% of the sources, the hot corinos seem to be relatively scarce in the OMC-2/3 filament. While this suggests that the chemical nature of protostars in Orion and Perseus is different, improved statistics is needed in order to consolidate this result. If the two regions are truly different, this would indicate that the environment is likely playing a role in shaping the chemical composition of protostars.

Some of the major challenges faced in understanding the early evolution of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are due to the limited observations in the inner corona (<3 R_⊙) and the plane-of-sky measurements. In this work, we have thus extended the application of the Graduated Cylindrical Shell (GCS) model to inner coronal observations from the ground-based coronagraph K-Cor of the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, along with the pairs of observations from COR-1 on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. We study the rapid initial acceleration and width expansion phases of five CMEs in white light at the lower heights. We also study the evolution of the modeled volumes of these CMEs in the inner corona and report, for the first time, a power-law dependence of CME volume with distance from the Sun. We further find that the volumes of the ellipsoidal leading front and the conical legs follow different power laws, thus indicating differential volume expansion throughout a CME. The study also reveals two distinct power laws for the total volume evolution of CMEs in the inner and outer corona, thus suggesting different expansion mechanisms at these different heights. Besides aiding our current understanding of CME evolution, these results will also provide better constraints to CME initiation and propagation models. Also, given the loss of the STEREO-B (and hence COR-1B data) from 2016, the modified GCS model presented here will still enable stereoscopy in the inner corona for the 3D study of CMEs in white light.

Light bridges (LBs) are among the most striking substructures in sunspots, where various activities have been revealed by recent high-resolution observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Based on the variety of their physical properties, we classified these activities into four distinct categories: transient brightening (TB), intermittent jet (IJ), type-I light wall (LW-I), and type-II light wall (LW-II). In IRIS 1400/1330 Å observations, TBs are characterized by abrupt emission enhancements, and IJs appear as collimated plasma ejections with a width of 1–2 Mm at some LB sites. Most observed TBs are associated with IJs and show superpositions of some chromosphere absorption lines on enhanced and broadened wings of C ii and Si iv lines, which could be driven by intermittent magnetic reconnection in the lower atmosphere. LW-I and LW-II are wall-shaped structures with bright fronts above the whole LB. An LW-I has a continuous oscillating front with a typical height of several Mm and an almost stationary period of 4–5 minutes. On the contrary, an LW-II has an indented front with a height of over 10 Mm, which has no stable period and is accompanied by recurrent TBs in the entire LB. These results support that LW-IIs are driven by frequent reconnection occurring along the entire LB due to large-scale magnetic flux emergence or intrusion, rather than the leakage of waves producing LW-Is. Our observations reveal a highly dynamical scenario of activities above LBs driven by different basic physical processes, including magnetoconvection, magnetic reconnection, and wave leakage.

Prestellar cores represent the initial conditions in the process of star and planet formation. Their low temperatures (<10 K) allow the formation of thick icy dust mantles, which will be partially preserved in future protoplanetary disks, ultimately affecting the chemical composition of planetary systems. Previous observations have shown that carbon- and oxygen-bearing species, in particular CO, are heavily depleted in prestellar cores due to the efficient molecular freeze-out onto the surface of cold dust grains. However, N-bearing species such as NH₃ and, in particular, its deuterated isotopologues appear to maintain high abundances where CO molecules are mainly in the solid phase. Thanks to ALMA, we present here the first clear observational evidence of NH₂D freeze-out toward the L1544 prestellar core, suggestive of the presence of a "complete depletion zone" within a ≃1800 au radius, in agreement with astrochemical prestellar core model predictions. Our state-of-the-art chemical model coupled with a non-LTE radiative transfer code demonstrates that NH₂D becomes mainly incorporated in icy mantles in the central 2000 au and starts freezing out already at ≃7000 au. Radiative transfer effects within the prestellar core cause the NH₂D(1₁₁ − 1₀₁) emission to appear centrally concentrated, with a flattened distribution within the central ≃3000 au, unlike the 1.3 mm dust continuum emission, which shows a clear peak within the central ≃1800 au. This prevented NH₂D freeze-out from being detected in previous observations, where the central 1000 au cannot be spatially resolved.

The flat-spectrum radio quasar B2 1633+382 (4C 38.41) has been monitored for several years and has presented correlated variability in multiple wavelengths. In this article, we are performing different analyses for multiple frequencies, from gamma rays to radio, as well as the C ivλ1549 Å emission line and the λ1350 Å continuum. Using the nonthermal dominance parameter, we separated the C iv and the continuum light curves for when the dominant source of continuum is the accretion disk or the jet. We found a correlation at a delay consistent with zero between the line and the continuum dominated by disk emission indicating a very small broad-line region (BLR). From the resulting delay between the 15 GHz and gamma rays, we estimated the distance of the gamma-ray emission region from the jet apex to be ∼37 pc. The C iv flux decreases when the continuum and gamma rays increase at some of the high-activity periods. The C iv profile presents a larger variable component in its blue wing. The relation between the luminosities of C iv and the continuum does not completely follow the relation for a quasar sample. Our results lead us to propose an outflow of BLR material in the jet flow direction, a gamma-ray production through magnetic reconnection for the flaring event of mid-2011, and that there is not enough BLR material close to the radio core to be easily ionized by the nonthermal continuum.

The global 21 cm H i emission-line profile of a galaxy encodes valuable information on the spatial distribution and kinematics of the neutral atomic gas. Galaxy interactions significantly influence the H i disk and imprint observable features on the integrated H i line profile. In this work, we study the neutral atomic gas properties of galaxy mergers selected from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey. The H i spectra come from new observations with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope and from a collection of archival data. We quantify the H i profile of the mergers with a newly developed method that uses the curve of growth of the line profile. Using a control sample of non-merger galaxies carefully selected to match the stellar mass of the merger sample, we show that mergers have a larger proportion of single-peaked H i profiles, as well as a greater tendency for the H i central velocity to deviate from the systemic optical velocity of the galaxy. By contrast, the H i profiles of mergers are not significantly more asymmetric than those of non-mergers.

We present coordinated observations of GRB 170202A carried out by the Zadko and the Virgin Island Robotic Telescopes. The observations started 59 s after the event trigger, and provided nearly continuous coverage for two days, due to the unique locations of these telescopes. We clearly detected an early rise in optical emission, followed by late optical flares. By complementing these data with archival observations, we show that GRB 170202A is well described by the standard fireball model if multiple reverse shocks are taken into account. Its fireball is evidenced as expanding within a constant-density interstellar medium, with most burst parameters being consistent with the usual ranges found in the literature. The electron and magnetic energy parameters (_e, _B) are orders of magnitude smaller than the commonly assumed values. We argue that the global fit of the fireball model achieved by our study should be possible for any burst, pending the availability of a sufficiently comprehensive data set. This conclusion emphasizes the crucial importance of coordinated observation campaigns of gamma-ray bursts, such as the one central to this work, to answer outstanding questions about the underlying physics driving these phenomena.

The very careful Event Horizon Telescope estimate of the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of the giant cD galaxy M87, allied with recent high-quality photometric and spectroscopic measurements, yields a proper dark/luminous mass decomposition from the galaxy center to its virial radius. That provides us with decisive information on crucial cosmological and astrophysical issues. The dark and the standard matter distributions in a wide first time detected galaxy region under the supermassive black hole gravitational control. The well-known supermassive black hole mass versus stellar dispersion velocity relationship at the highest galaxy masses implies an exotic growth of the former. This may be the first case in which one can argue that the supermassive black hole mass growth was also contributed by the dark matter component. A huge dark matter halo core in a galaxy with inefficient baryonic feedback is present and consequently constrains the nature of the dark halo particles. The unexplained entanglement between dark/luminous structural properties, already emerged in disk systems, also appears.

The radiation energy of X-ray pulsars is mainly concentrated in the high-energy ray bands, so processing high-energy photon signals is helpful for discovering some young and active pulsars. To quickly and accurately detect effective pulsar signals from a large number of samples within a finite observation time, an automatic identification algorithm for pulsar candidates based on X-ray observations is developed in this paper. First, the autocorrelation operation is used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the profile and solve the initial phase misalignment problem. Then, the candidate frequency range is expanded, and the output signal is folded according to these frequencies to obtain a series of profiles. The six statistical features of these profiles are extracted to generate frequency-feature curves. Compared with the traditional epoch folding method, the frequency-feature curves show more consistent characteristics. To improve the classification accuracy, the frequency-feature curves are converted into two-dimensional images, and ConvNets are used for deep feature extraction and classification. A simulation method based on the nonhomogeneous Poisson process is utilized to create the training set, and generative adversarial networks are used for data augmentation to solve the class imbalance problem caused by limited pulsar samples. Finally, the RXTE observation data of PSR B0531+21, PSR B0540-69, and PSR B1509-58 are selected for testing. The experimental results show that the highest recall and precision reached 0.996 and 0.983, respectively. Demonstrating the considerable potential of this method for identifying pulsar candidates based on X-ray observations.

We compile a sample of 92 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z < 0.75 with gri photometric light curves from the archival data of the Zwicky Transient Facility and measure the accretion disk sizes via continuum reverberation mapping. We employ Monte Carlo simulation tests to assess the influences of data sampling and broad emission lines and select out the sample with adequately high sampling cadences (3 days apart in average) and minimum contaminations of broad emission lines. The interband time delays of individual AGNs are calculated using the interpolated cross-correlation function, and then these delays are fitted with a generalized accretion disk model, in which interband time delays are a power function of wavelength, black hole mass, and luminosity. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo method is adopted to determine the best parameter values. Overall the interband time delays can be fitted with the τ ∝ λ^4/3 relation as predicted from a steady-state, optically thick, geometrically thin accretion disk; however, the yielded disk size is systematically larger than expected, although the ratio of the measured to theoretical disk sizes depends on using the emissivity- or responsivity-weighted disk radius. These results are broadly consistent with previous studies, all together raising a puzzle about the "standard" accretion disk model.

Transmission spectroscopy is one of the premier methods used to probe the temperature, composition, and cloud properties of exoplanet atmospheres. Recent studies have demonstrated that the multidimensional nature of exoplanet atmospheres—due to nonuniformities across the day–night transition and between the morning and evening terminators—can strongly influence transmission spectra. However, the computational demands of 3D radiative-transfer techniques have precluded their usage within atmospheric retrievals. Here we introduce TRIDENT, a new 3D radiative-transfer model which rapidly computes transmission spectra of exoplanet atmospheres with day–night, morning–evening, and vertical variations in temperature, chemical abundances, and cloud properties. We also derive a general equation for transmission spectra, accounting for 3D atmospheres, refraction, multiple scattering, ingress/egress, grazing transits, stellar heterogeneities, and nightside thermal emission. After introducing TRIDENT's linear-algebra-based approach to 3D radiative transfer, we propose new parametric prescriptions for 3D temperature and abundance profiles and 3D clouds. We show that multidimensional transmission spectra exhibit two significant observational signatures: (i) day–night composition gradients alter the relative amplitudes of absorption features; and (ii) morning–evening composition gradients distort the peak-to-wing contrast of absorption features. Finally, we demonstrate that these signatures of multidimensional atmospheres incur residuals >100 ppm compared to 1D models, rendering them potentially detectable with the James Webb Space Telescope. TRIDENT's rapid radiative transfer, coupled with parametric multidimensional atmospheres, unlocks the final barrier to 3D atmospheric retrievals.

We examine the contribution of high-redshift (z > 6) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to cosmic hydrogen reionization, by tracing the growth and ionizing output of the first generation of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Our calculations are anchored to the observed population of z ≃ 6 quasars, and trace back the evolving spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the accretion flows that power these early AGNs and consider a variety of growth histories, including super-Eddington accretion. Compared to a fixed-shape SED, the evolving thin disks produce ionizing radiation that is higher by up to ∼80%. Across a variety of SMBH growth scenarios, the contribution of AGNs to reionization is limited to late epochs (z < 7), and remains subdominant compared to star-forming galaxies. This conclusion holds irrespective of the (still unknown) space density of low-luminosity z = 6 AGNs, and for growth scenarios that allow super-Eddington accretion. The contribution of AGNs to reionization can extend to earlier epochs (z ≳ 8) in scenarios with relatively slow SMBH mass growth, i.e., for low accretion rates and/or high spins. We finally demonstrate that our framework can reproduce the observed quasar proximity-zone sizes, and that compact proximity zones around z = 6 quasars can be explained by the late onset of super-Eddington accretion.

We report on the creation and application of a novel decay network that uses the latest data from experiment and evaluation. We use the network to simulate the late-time phase of the rapid neutron capture (r) process. In this epoch, the bulk of nuclear reactions, such as radiative capture, have ceased, and nuclear decays are the dominant transmutation channels. We find that the decay from short-lived to long-lived species naturally leads to an isochronic evolution in which nuclei with similar half-lives are populated at the same time. We consider random perturbations along each isobaric chain to initial solar-like r-process compositions to demonstrate the isochronic nature of the late-time phase of the r-process. Our analysis shows that detailed knowledge of the final isotopic composition allows for the prediction of late-time evolution with a high degree of confidence despite uncertainties that exist in astrophysical conditions and the nuclear physics properties of the most neutron-rich nuclei. We provide the time-dependent nuclear composition in the Appendix as supplemental material.

Using new large-area maps of the cold neutral medium (CNM) fraction, f_CNM, we investigate the relationship between the CNM, the abundance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the anomalous microwave emission (AME). We first present our f_CNM map based on full-sky HI4PI data, using a convolutional neural network to convert the spectroscopic H i data to f_CNM. We demonstrate that f_CNM is strongly correlated with the fraction of dust in PAHs as estimated from mid- and far-infrared dust emission. In contrast, we find no correlation between f_CNM and the amount of AME per dust emission and no to weakly negative correlation between f_CNM and the AME peak frequency. These results suggest PAHs preferentially reside in cold, relatively dense gas, perhaps owing to enhanced destruction in more diffuse media. The lack of positive correlation between f_CNM and AME peak frequency is in tension with expectations from theoretical models positing different spectral energy distributions of AME in the cold versus warm neutral medium. We suggest that different PAH abundances and emission physics in different interstellar environments may explain the weaker-than-expected correlation between 12 μm PAH emission and AME even if PAHs are the AME carriers.

Abundances of fluorine (¹⁹F), as well as isotopic ratios of ¹⁶O/¹⁷O, are derived in a sample of luminous young (∼10⁷–10⁸ yr) red giants in the Galactic center (with galactocentric distances ranging from 0.6–30 pc), using high-resolution infrared spectra and vibration-rotation lines of H¹⁹F near λ2.3 μm. Five of the six red giants are members of the Nuclear star cluster that orbits the central supermassive black hole. Previous investigations of the chemical evolution of ¹⁹F in Galactic thin and thick-disk stars have revealed that the nucleosynthetic origins of ¹⁹F may be rather complex, resulting from two, or more, astrophysical sites; fluorine abundances behave as a primary element with respect to Fe abundances for thick-disk stars and as a secondary element in thin-disk stars. The Galactic center red giants analyzed fall within the thin-disk relation of F with Fe, having near-solar, to slightly larger, abundances of Fe (〈[Fe/H]〉 = +0.08 ± 0.04), with a slight enhancement of the F/Fe abundance ratio (〈[F/Fe]〉 = +0.28 ± 0.17). In terms of their F and Fe abundances, the Galactic center stars follow the thin-disk population, which requires an efficient source of ¹⁹F that could be the winds from core-He burning Wolf–Rayet stars, or thermally pulsing AGB stars, or a combination of both. The observed increase of [F/Fe] with increasing [Fe/H] found in thin-disk and Galactic center stars is not predicted by any published chemical evolution models that are discussed, thus a quantitative understanding of yields from the various possible sources of ¹⁹F remains unknown.

The γ-ray spectrum of the source HAWC J1825-134 measured with the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory extends beyond 200 TeV without any evidence for a steepening or cutoff. There are some indications that the γ-rays detected with HAWC were produced by cosmic-ray protons or nuclei colliding with the ambient gas. Assuming primary protons, we inquire which shape of the primary proton spectrum is compatible with the HAWC measurements. We find that the primary proton spectrum with the power-law shape of γ_p = 2.2 and the cutoff energy E_c−p > 500 TeV describes the data well. However, much harder spectra with γ_p down to 1.3 and E_c−p as low as 200 TeV also do not contradict the HAWC measurements. The former option might be realized if the accelerator is inside or very near to the γ-ray production zone. The latter option is viable for the case of a cosmic-ray source that effectively confines low-energy (E_p < 10 TeV) accelerated protons. Using publicly available data of the Fermi-LAT space γ-ray telescope, we derive upper limits on the intensity of the HAWC J1825-134 source in the 1 GeV–1 TeV energy range. We show that the account of these upper limits drastically changes the interpretation: only hard (γ_p < 1.7) spectra describe the combined HAWC and Fermi-LAT data sets well.

White dwarfs (WDs) offer unrealized potential in solving two problems in astrophysics: stellar age accuracy and precision. WD cooling ages can be inferred from surface temperatures and radii, which can be constrained with precision by high-quality photometry and parallaxes. Accurate and precise Gaia parallaxes along with photometric surveys provide information to derive cooling and total ages for vast numbers of WDs. Here we analyze 1372 WDs found in wide binaries with main-sequence (MS) companions and report on the cooling and total age precision attainable in these WD+MS systems. The total age of a WD can be further constrained if its original metallicity is known because the MS lifetime depends on metallicity at fixed mass, yet metallicity is unavailable via spectroscopy of the WD. We show that incorporating spectroscopic metallicity constraints from 38 wide binary MS companions substantially decreases internal uncertainties in WD total ages compared to a uniform constraint. Averaged over the 38 stars in our sample, the total (internal) age uncertainty improves from 21.04% to 16.77% when incorporating the spectroscopic constraint. Higher mass WDs yield better total age precision; for eight WDs with zero-age MS masses ≥2.0 M_⊙, the mean uncertainty in total ages improves from 8.61% to 4.54% when incorporating spectroscopic metallicities. We find that it is often possible to achieve 5% total age precision for WDs with progenitor masses above 2.0 M_⊙ if parallaxes with ≤1% precision and Pan-STARRS g, r, and i photometry with ≤0.01 mag precision are available.

We report on the highest spatial resolution measurement to date of magnetic fields (B-fields) in M17 using thermal dust polarization measurements taken by SOFIA/HAWC+ centered at a wavelength of 154 μm. Using the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, in which the polarization angle dispersion calculated using the structure function technique is the quantity directly observed by SOFIA/HAWC+, we found the presence of strong B-fields of 980 ± 230 and 1665 ± 885 μG in the lower-density M17-N and higher-density M17-S regions, respectively. The B-field morphology in M17-N possibly mimics the fields in gravitationally collapsing molecular cores, while in M17-S the fields run perpendicular to the density structure. M17-S also displays a pillar feature and an asymmetric large-scale hourglass-shaped field. We use the mean B-field strengths to determine Alfvénic Mach numbers for both regions, finding that B-fields dominate over turbulence. We calculate the mass-to-flux ratio, λ, finding λ = 0.07 for M17-N and 0.28 for M17-S. These subcritical λ values are consistent with the lack of massive stars formed in M17. To study dust physics, we analyze the relationship between dust polarization fraction, p, emission intensity, I, gas column density, N(H₂), polarization angle dispersion function, S, and dust temperature, T_d. p decreases with intensity as I^−α with α = 0.51. p tends to first increase with T_d, but then decreases at higher T_d. The latter feature, seen in M17-N at high T_d when N(H₂) and S decrease, is evidence of the radiative torque disruption effect.

Following the previous research on epicyclic oscillations of accretion disks around black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs), a new model of high-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) has been proposed, so-called cusp torus (CT) model, which deals with oscillations of fluid in marginally overflowing accretion tori (i.e., tori terminated by cusps). According to preliminary investigations, the model provides better fits of the NS QPO data compared to the relativistic precession (RP) model. It also implies a significantly higher upper limit on the Galactic microquasar BH spins. A short analytic formula has been noticed to well reproduce the model's predictions on the QPO frequencies in Schwarzschild spacetimes. Here we derive an extended version of this formula that applies to rotating compact objects. We start with the consideration of Kerr spacetimes and derive a formula that is not restricted to a particular specific angular momentum distribution of the inner accretion flow, such as a Keplerian or constant one. Finally, we consider Hartle–Thorne spacetimes and include corrections implied by the NS oblateness. For a particular choice of a single parameter, our relation provides frequencies predicted by the CT model. For another value, it provides frequencies predicted by the RP model. We conclude that the formula is well applicable to rotating oblate NSs and both models. We briefly illustrate the application of our simple formula on several NS sources and confirm the expectation that the CT model is compatible with realistic values of the NS mass and provides better fits of data than the RP model.

A key observational prediction of Einstein's Equivalence Principle is that light undergoes redshift when it escapes from a gravitational field. Although astrophysics provides a wide variety of physical conditions in which this redshift should be significant, until very recently the observational evidence for this gravitational effect was limited to the light emitted by the Sun and white dwarfs. Gaia-DR2 astrometric and kinematic data, in combination with other spectroscopic observations, provides a test bench to validate such predictions in statistical terms. The aim of this paper is to analyze several thousand main-sequence and giant stars in open clusters (OCs) in order to measure the gravitational redshift effect. Observationally, a spectral shift will depend on the stellar mass-to-radius ratio as expected from the theoretical estimation of relativity. After the analysis, the obtained correlation coefficient between theoretical predictions and observations for 28 (51) OCs is a = 0.977 ± 0.218 (0.899 ± 0.137). The result has proven to be statistically robust and with little dependence on the details of the methodology or sample selection criteria. This study represents one of the more extensive validations of a fundamental prediction of gravity theories.

The Millimeter-wave Intensity Mapping Experiment (mmIME) recently reported a detection of excess spatial fluctuations at a wavelength of 3 mm, which can be attributed to unresolved emission of several CO rotational transitions between z ∼ 1 and 5. We study the implications of these data for the high-redshift interstellar medium using a suite of state-of-the-art semianalytic simulations that have successfully reproduced many other submillimeter line observations across the relevant redshift range. We find that the semianalytic predictions are mildly in tension with the mmIME result, with a predicted CO power ∼3.5σ below what was observed. We explore some simple modifications to the models that could resolve this tension. Increasing the molecular gas abundance at the relevant redshifts to ∼10⁸M_⊙ Mpc⁻³, a value well above that obtained from directly imaged sources, would resolve the discrepancy, as would assuming a CO–H₂ conversion factor α_CO of ∼1.5 M_⊙ K⁻¹ (km s⁻¹)⁻¹ pc², a value somewhat lower than is commonly assumed. We go on to demonstrate that these conclusions are quite sensitive to the detailed assumptions of our simulations, highlighting the need for more careful modeling efforts as more intensity mapping data become available.

Instabilities in a neutron star can generate Alfvén waves in its magnetosphere. Propagation along the curved magnetic field lines strongly shears the wave, boosting its electric current j_A. We derive an analytic expression for the evolution of the wavevector k and the growth of j_A. In the strongly sheared regime, j_A may exceed the maximum current j₀ that can be supported by the background e^± plasma. We investigate these charge-starved waves, first using a simplified two-fluid analytic model, then with first-principles kinetic simulations. We find that the Alfvén wave is able to propagate successfully even when κ ≡ j_A/j₀ ≫ 1. It sustains j_A by compressing and advecting the plasma along the magnetic field lines with an increasing Lorentz factor, γ ≳ κ^1/2. The simulations show how plasma instabilities lead to gradual dissipation of the wave energy. Our results suggest that an extremely high charge-starvation parameter κ ≳ 10⁴ may be required in order for this mechanism to power the observed fast radio bursts (FRBs) from SGR 1935+2154. However, cosmological FRBs with much higher luminosities are unlikely to be a result of charge-starvation.

A redshifted 21 cm line absorption signature is commonly expected from the cosmic dawn era, when the first stars and galaxies formed. The detailed traits of this signal can provide important insight on the cosmic history. However, high-precision measurement of this signal is hampered by ionosphere refraction and absorption, as well as radio frequency interference (RFI). Space observation can solve the problem of the ionosphere, and the Moon can shield the RFI from Earth. In this paper, we present simulations of the global spectrum measurement in the 30–120 MHz frequency band on the lunar orbit from the proposed Discovering the Sky at the Longest wavelength project. In particular, we consider how the measured signal varies as the satellite moves along the orbit and take into account the blockage of different parts of the sky by the Moon and the antenna response. We estimate the sensitivity for such a 21 cm global spectrum experiment. An rms noise level of ≤0.05 K is expected at 75 MHz after 10 orbits (∼1 day) observation, for a frequency channel width of 0.4 MHz. We also study the influence of a frequency-dependent beam, which may generate complex structures in the spectrum. Estimates of the uncertainties in the foreground and 21 cm model parameters are obtained.

We aim to quantify the chemical and kinematical properties of Galactic disks with a sample of 119,558 giant stars having abundances and 3D velocities taken or derived from the APOGEE DR17 and Gaia EDR3 catalogs. A Gaussian mixture model is employed to distinguish the high-α and low-α sequences along the metallicity by simultaneously using chemical and kinematical data. Four disk components are identified and quantified; they are named the hαmp, hαmr, lαmp, and lαmr disks and correspond to the high-α or low-α, and metal-poor or metal-rich properties. Combined with the spatial and stellar-age information, we confirm that they are well interpreted by the two-infall formation model. The first infall of turbulent gas quickly forms the hot and thick hαmp disk with consequent thinner hαmr and lαmr disks. Then the second gas accretion forms a thinner and outermost lαmp disk. We find that the inside-out and upside-down scenario does not only satisfy the overall Galactic disk formation of these two major episodes but is also presented in the formation sequence of the three inner disks. Importantly, we reveal the inverse age–[M/H] trend of the lαmr disk, which means its younger stars are more metal-poor, indicating that the rejuvenated gas from the second accretion gradually dominates later star formation. Meanwhile, the recently formed stars converge to [M/H] ∼ −0.1 dex, demonstrating a sufficient mixture of gas from two infalls.

CMZoom survey observations with the Submillimeter Array are analyzed to describe the virial equilibrium (VE) and star-forming potential of 755 clumps in 22 clouds in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way. In each cloud, nearly all clumps follow the column density–mass trend N ∝ M^s, where s = 0.38 ± 0.03 is near the pressure-bounded limit s_p = 1/3. This trend is expected when gravitationally unbound clumps in VE have similar velocity dispersion and external pressure. Nine of these clouds also harbor one or two distinctly more massive clumps. These properties allow a VE model of bound and unbound clumps in each cloud, where the most massive clump has the VE critical mass. These models indicate that 213 clumps have velocity dispersion 1–2 km s⁻¹, mean external pressure (0.5–4) × 10⁸ cm⁻³ K, bound clump fraction 0.06, and typical virial parameter α = 4–15. These mostly unbound clumps may be in VE with their turbulent cloud pressure, possibly driven by inflow from the Galactic bar. In contrast, most Sgr B2 clumps are bound according to their associated sources and N–M trends. When the CMZ clumps are combined into mass distributions, their typical power-law slope is analyzed with a model of stopped accretion. It also indicates that most clumps are unbound and cannot grow significantly, due to their similar timescales of accretion and dispersal, ∼0.2 Myr. Thus, virial and dynamical analyses of the most extensive clump census available indicate that star formation in the CMZ may be suppressed by a significant deficit of gravitationally bound clumps.

We report the serendipitous discovery of an overdensity of CO emitters in an X-ray-identified cluster (Log₁₀M_halo/M_⊙ ∼ 13.6 at z = 1.3188) using ALMA. We present spectroscopic confirmation of six new cluster members exhibiting CO(2–1) emission, adding to two existing optical/IR spectroscopic members undetected in CO. This is the lowest-mass cluster to date at z > 1 with molecular gas measurements, bridging the observational gap between galaxies in the more extreme, well-studied clusters (Log₁₀M_halo/M_⊙ ≳ 14) and those in group or field environments at cosmic noon. The CO sources are concentrated on the sky (within ∼1 arcmin diameter) and phase space analysis indicates the gas resides in galaxies already within the cluster environment. We find that CO sources sit in similar phase space as CO-rich galaxies in more massive clusters at similar redshifts (have similar accretion histories) while maintaining field-like molecular gas reservoirs, compared to scaling relations. This work presents the deepest CO survey to date in a galaxy cluster at z > 1, uncovering gas reservoirs down to ${M}_{{{\rm{H}}}_{2}}\gt 1.6\times {10}^{10}$M_⊙ (5σ at 50% primary beam). Our deep limits rule out the presence of gas content in excess of the field scaling relations; however, combined with literature CO detections, cluster gas fractions in general appear systematically high, on the upper envelope or above the field. This study is the first demonstration that low-mass clusters at z ∼ 1–2 can host overdensities of CO emitters with surviving gas reservoirs, in line with the prediction that quenching is delayed after first infall while galaxies consume the gas bound to the disk.

Both observations and cosmological simulations have recently shown that there is a large scatter in the number of satellites of Milky Way (MW)–like galaxies. In this study, we investigate the relation between the satellite number and galaxy group assembly history using the r-band magnitude gap (Δm₁₂) between the brightest and second-brightest galaxies as an indicator. From 20 deg² of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Wide layer, we identify 17 dwarf satellite candidates around NGC 4437, a spiral galaxy with about one-fourth of the MW stellar mass. We estimate their distances using the surface brightness fluctuation method. Then we confirm five candidates as members of the NGC 4437 group, resulting in a total of seven group members. Combining the NGC 4437 group (with Δm₁₂ = 2.5 mag) with other groups in the literature, we find a stratification of the satellite number by Δm₁₂ for a given host stellar mass. The satellite number for the given host stellar mass decreases as Δm₁₂ increases. The same trend is found in simulated galaxy groups in the TNG50 simulation of the IllustrisTNG project. We also find that the host galaxies in groups with a smaller Δm₁₂ (like NGC 4437) have assembled their halo mass more recently than those in larger gap groups, and that their stellar-to-halo mass ratios increase as Δm₁₂ increases. These results show that the large scatter in the satellite number is consistent with a large range of Δm₁₂, indicating diverse group assembly histories.

We present new XMM-Newton observations extending the mosaic of the Perseus cluster out to the virial radius to the west. Previous studies with ROSAT have reported a large excess in surface brightness to the west, possibly the result of large-scale gas sloshing. In our new XMM-Newton observations we have found two X-ray surface brightness edges at 1.2 and 1.7 Mpc to the west. The temperature measurements obtained with Suzaku data indicate that the temperature increases sharply at each edge, consistent with what would be expected from cold fronts. However the the XMM-Newton data are affected by stray light, which at present is a poorly understood source of systematic error that can also lead to curved features in X-ray images. To test our results, we compared our X-ray surface brightness profile with that obtained from ROSAT PSPC data. While the edge at 1.2 Mpc is confirmed by ROSAT PSPC, the ROSAT data quality is insufficient to confirm the outer edge at 1.7 Mpc. Further observations with future X-ray telescopes will be needed to confirm the existence of the outer edge at 1.7 Mpc. By comparing with numerical simulations, we find that these large cold fronts require a large impact parameter, and low-mass ratio mergers that can produce fast gas motions without destroying the cluster core.

The coma of comet C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS) is one of the most chemically peculiar ever observed, in particular due to its extremely high CO/H₂O and ${{\rm{N}}}_{2}^{+}$/H₂O ratios, and unusual trace volatile abundances. However, the complex shape of its CO emission lines, as well as uncertainties in the coma structure and excitation, has lead to ambiguities in the total CO production rate. We performed high-resolution, spatially, spectrally, and temporally resolved CO observations using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Submillimeter Array to elucidate the outgassing behavior of C/2016 R2. Results are analyzed using a new, time-dependent, three-dimensional radiative transfer code (SUBlimating gases in LIME; SUBLIME, based on the open-source version of the LIne Modeling Engine), incorporating for the first time, accurate state-to-state collisional rate coefficients for the CO–CO system. The total CO production rate was found to be in the range of (3.8 − 7.6) × 10²⁸ s⁻¹ between 2018 January 13 and February 1 (at r_H = 2.8–2.9 au), with a mean value of (5.3 ± 0.6) × 10²⁸ s⁻¹. The emission is concentrated in a near-sunward jet, with a half-opening angle of ∼62° and an outflow velocity of 0.51 ± 0.01 km s⁻¹, compared to 0.25 ± 0.01 km s⁻¹ in the ambient (and nightside) coma. Evidence was also found for an extended source of CO emission, possibly due to icy grain sublimation around 1.2 × 10⁵ km from the nucleus. Based on the coma molecular abundances, we propose that the nucleus ices of C/2016 R2 can be divided into a rapidly sublimating apolar phase, rich in CO, CO₂, N₂, and CH₃OH, and a predominantly frozen (or less abundant), polar phase containing more H₂O, CH₄, H₂CO, and HCN.

Using Bayesian analyses we study the solar electron density with the NANOGrav 11 yr pulsar timing array (PTA) data set. Our model of the solar wind is incorporated into a global fit starting from pulse times of arrival. We introduce new tools developed for this global fit, including analytic expressions for solar electron column densities and open source models for the solar wind that port into existing PTA software. We perform an ab initio recovery of various solar wind model parameters. We then demonstrate the richness of information about the solar electron density, n_E, that can be gleaned from PTA data, including higher order corrections to the simple 1/r² model associated with a free-streaming wind (which are informative probes of coronal acceleration physics), quarterly binned measurements of n_E and a continuous time-varying model for n_E spanning approximately one solar cycle period. Finally, we discuss the importance of our model for chromatic noise mitigation in gravitational-wave analyses of pulsar timing data and the potential of developing synergies between sophisticated PTA solar electron density models and those developed by the solar physics community.

We present a host morphological study of 1266 far-infrared galaxies (FIRGs) and submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) in the Cosmic Evolution Survey field using the F160W and F814W images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope. The FIRGs and SMGs are selected from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey and the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey, respectively. Their precise locations are based on the interferometry data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the Very Large Array. These objects are mostly at 0.1 ≲ z ≲ 3. The SMGs can be regarded as the population at the high-redshift tail of the FIRGs. Most of our FIRGs/SMGs have a total infrared luminosity (L_IR) in the regimes of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs, L_IR = 10¹¹⁻¹²L_⊙; ULIRGs, L_IR > 10¹²L_⊙). The hosts of the SMG ULIRGs, FIRG ULIRGs, and FIRG LIRGs are of sufficient numbers to allow for detailed analysis, and they are only modestly different in their stellar masses. Their morphological types are predominantly disk galaxies (type D) and irregular/interacting systems (type Irr/Int). There is a morphological transition at z ≈ 1.25 for the FIRG ULIRG hosts, above which the Irr/Int galaxies dominate and below which the D and Irr/Int galaxies have nearly the same contributions. The SMG ULIRG hosts seem to experience a similar transition. This suggests a shift in the relative importance of galaxy mergers/interactions versus secular gas accretions in "normal" disk galaxies as the possible triggering mechanisms of ULIRGs. The FIRG LIRG hosts are predominantly D galaxies over z = 0.25–1.25, where they are of sufficient statistics.

We present multiband observations of an extremely dusty star-forming lensed galaxy (HERS1) at z = 2.553. High-resolution maps of HST/WFC3, SMA, and ALMA show a partial Einstein ring with a radius of ∼3''. The deeper HST observations also show the presence of a lensing arc feature associated with a second lens source, identified to be at the same redshift as the bright arc based on a detection of the [N ii] 205 μm emission line with ALMA. A detailed model of the lensing system is constructed using the high-resolution HST/WFC3 image, which allows us to study the source-plane properties and connect rest-frame optical emission with properties of the galaxy as seen in submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths. Corrected for lensing magnification, the spectral energy distribution fitting results yield an intrinsic star formation rate of about 1000 ± 260 M_⊙ yr⁻¹, a stellar mass ${M}_{* }={4.3}_{-1.0}^{+2.2}\times {10}^{11}{M}_{\odot }$, and a dust temperature ${T}_{{\rm{d}}}={35}_{-1}^{+2}$ K. The intrinsic CO emission line (J_up = 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9) flux densities and CO spectral line energy distribution are derived based on the velocity-dependent magnification factors. We apply a radiative transfer model using the large velocity gradient method with two excitation components to study the gas properties. The low-excitation component has a gas density ${n}_{{{\rm{H}}}_{2}}={10}^{3.8\pm 0.6}$ cm⁻³ and kinetic temperature ${T}_{{\rm{k}}}={18}_{-5}^{+7}$ K, and the high-excitation component has ${n}_{{{\rm{H}}}_{2}}={10}^{3.1\pm 0.4}$ cm⁻³ and ${T}_{{\rm{k}}}={480}_{-220}^{+260}$ K. Additionally, HERS1 has a gas fraction of about 0.19 ± 0.14 and is expected to last 100 Myr. These properties offer a detailed view of a typical submillimeter galaxy during the peak epoch of star formation activity.

We have investigated electromagnetic (EM) wave pulses in a jet from a neutrino-driven accretion flow (NDAF) around a black hole (BH). NDAFs are massive accretion disks whose accretion rates are $\dot{M}\,\approx$ 0.01–10 M_⊙ s⁻¹ for stellar-mass BHs. Such an extreme accretion may produce a collimated relativistic outflow like a magnetically driven jet in active galactic nuclei and microquasars. When we consider strong toroidal magnetic field stranded in the inner region of an NDAF disk and magnetic impulses on the jet, we find that they lead to the emanation of high-energy emissions for gamma-ray bursts, as well as high-energy cosmic rays. When Alfvénic wave pulses are generated by episodic immense accretions, they propagate along the large-scale structured magnetic field in the jet. Once the Alfvénic wave pulses reach nearly the speed of light in the underdense condition, they turn into EM wave pulses, which produce plasma wakes behind them. These wakefields exert a collective accelerating force synchronous to the motion of particles. As a result, the wakefield acceleration premises various observational signatures, such as pulsating bursts of high-energy gamma rays from accelerated electrons, pulses of neutrinos from accelerated protons, and protons with maximum energies beyond 10²⁰ eV.

In this fifth paper of the series, we use the parameterized, spherically symmetric explosion method PUSH to investigate the impact of eight different nuclear equations of state (EOS). We present and discuss the explosion properties and the detailed nucleosynthesis yields, and predict the remnant (neutron star or black hole) for all our simulations. For this, we perform two sets of simulations. First, a complete study of nonrotating stars from 11 to 40 M_⊙ at three different metallicities using the SFHo EOS; and, second, a suite of simulations for four progenitors (16 M_⊙ at three metallicities and 25 M_⊙ at solar metallicity) for eight different nuclear EOS. We compare our predicted explosion energies and yields to observed supernovae and to the metal-poor star HD 84937. We find EOS-dependent differences in the explosion properties and the nucleosynthesis yields. However, when comparing to observations, these differences are not large enough to rule out any EOS considered in this work.

A kilonova (KN) signal is generally expected after a black hole–neutron star merger. The strength of the signal is related to the equation of state of neutron star matter, and it increases with the stiffness of the latter. The recent results obtained by NICER from the analyses of PSR J0740+6620 suggest a rather stiff equation of state, and the expected KN signal is therefore strong, at least if the mass of the black hole does not exceed ∼10 M_⊙, the adimensional spin parameter is not too small, and the orbit is prograde. We compare the predictions obtained by considering equations of state of neutron star matter satisfying the most recent observations and assuming that only one family of compact stars exists with the results predicted in the two-families scenario. In the latter a soft hadronic equation of state produces very compact stellar objects, while a rather stiff quark matter equation of state produces massive strange quark stars, satisfying NICER results. The expected KN signal in the two-families scenario is very weak: in particular, the hadronic star–black hole merger produces a much weaker signal than in the one-family scenario because the hadronic equation of state is very soft. Moreover, according to the only existing simulation, the strange quark star–black hole merger does not produce a KN signal because the amount of mass ejected is negligible. These predictions will be easily tested with the new generation of detectors if black holes with an adimensional spin parameter χ_BH ≳ 0.2 or a mass M_BH ≲ 4 M_⊙ can be present in the merger.

The encounter of the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) with Venus during the Venus Gravity Assist 3 on 2020 July 11 provided a unique opportunity to gather in situ solar wind data in the Venusian environment while also being able to observe Venus from ground-based facilities on Earth. The Wang–Sheeley–Arge (WSA) model was used to make accurate predictions of solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field polarity at Earth and STEREO-A, as compared to in situ data at each spacecraft. The same model was then used to predict solar wind conditions at Venus. The predictions were in good agreement with in situ PSP data, as they match the overall magnitude and structure of the solar wind velocity and magnetic polarity at multiple spacecraft. This demonstrates that WSA can be used to make reliable predictions at locations in the heliosphere when in situ data is not available. Venusian aurorae were detected via emission in the oxygen green line 5577 Å OI(¹S − ¹D) at the same time that PSP captured a heliospheric current sheet crossing, and shortly thereafter, detected an increase in proton count rate. This is the first observation of oxygen green line aurora on Venus that is not the direct result of a coronal mass ejection, a solar flare, or corotating interaction regions.

We present a novel physically motivated, parametrized temperature model for phase-curve retrieval, able to self-consistently assess the variation in thermal structure in multidimensions. To develop this approach, we drew motivation from both full three-dimensional general circulation models and analytic formulations, accounting for the dominant dynamical feature of tidally locked planets, the planetary jet. Our formulation shows notable flexibility. It can generate planetary jets of various characteristics and redistribution efficiencies seen in the literature, including both standard eastward and unusual westward offset hotspots, as well as more exotic configurations for potential future observations. In our modeling scheme we utilize a tractable set of parameters efficient enough to enable future Bayesian analysis and, in addition to the resolved temperature structure, we return physical insights not yet derived from retrievals: the amplitude and the phase offset, and the location and the extent of the equatorial jet.

We present an extensive exploration of the impact of 29 physical parameters in the oxygen abundance for a sample of 299 star-forming galaxies extracted from the extended Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey sample. We corroborate that the stellar mass is the physical parameter that better traces the observed oxygen abundance (i.e., the mass–metallicity relation; MZR), while other physical parameters could play a potential role in shaping this abundance, but with a lower significant impact. We find that the functional form that best describes the MZR is a third-order polynomial function. From the residuals between this best functional form and the MZR, we find that once considered the impact of the mass in the oxygen abundance, the other physical parameters do not play a significant secondary role in shaping the oxygen abundance in these galaxies (including the gas fraction or the star formation rate). Our analysis suggests that the origin of the MZR is related to the chemical enrichment evolution of the interstellar medium due, most likely, to the buildup of stellar mass in these star-forming galaxies.

We look for empirical evidence of a nonminimal coupling (NMC) between dark matter (DM) and gravity in the dynamics of local spiral galaxies. In particular, we consider a theoretically motivated NMC that may arise dynamically from the collective behavior of the coarse-grained DM field (e.g., via Bose–Einstein condensation) with averaging/coherence length L. In the Newtonian limit, this NMC amounts to modify the Poisson equation by a term L²∇²ρ proportional to the Laplacian of the DM density itself. We show that such a term, when acting as a perturbation over the standard Navarro–Frenk–White profile of cold DM particles, can substantially alter the dynamical properties of galaxies, in terms of their total radial acceleration within the disk and rotation velocity. Specifically, we find that this NMC model can properly fit the stacked rotation curves (RCs) of local spiral galaxies with different velocities at the optical radius, including dwarfs and low-surface-brightness systems, at a level of precision comparable to, and in some instances even better than, the phenomenological Burkert profile. Finally, we show that by extrapolating down to smaller masses the scaling of L versus halo mass found from the above RC analysis, the NMC model can adequately reproduce the radial acceleration relation in shape and normalization down to the dwarf spheroidal galaxy range, a task which constitutes a serious challenge for alternative DM models even inclusive of baryonic effects.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) recently released the first linearly polarized images of the accretion flow around the supermassive black hole Messier 87*, hereafter M87*. The spiraling polarization pattern found in the EHT images favored magnetically arrested disks as the explanation for the EHT image. With next-generation improvements to very long baseline interferometry on the horizon, understanding similar polarized features in the highly lensed structure known as the "photon ring," where photons make multiple half orbits about the black hole before reaching the observer, will be critical to the analysis of future images. Recent work has indicated that this image region may be depolarized relative to more direct emission. We expand this observation by decomposing photon half orbits in the EHT library of simulated images of the M 87* accretion system and find that images of magnetically arrested disk simulations show a relative depolarization of the photon ring attributable to destructive interference of oppositely spiraling electric field vectors; this antisymmetry, which arises purely from strong gravitational lensing, can produce up to ∼50% depolarization in the photon ring region with respect to the direct image. In systems that are not magnetically arrested and with the exception of systems with high spin and ions and electrons of equal temperature, we find that highly lensed indirect subimages are almost completely depolarized, causing a modest depolarization of the photon ring region in the complete image. We predict that next-generation EHT observations of M 87* polarization should jointly constrain the black hole spin and the underlying emission and magnetic field geometry.

Extreme emission-line galaxies, such as blue compact dwarfs (BCDs), Green Peas (GPs), and blueberries in the local universe are potential candidates for understanding the nature of galaxies that reionized the early universe. Being low-mass, metal-poor starburst systems, they are understood to be local analogs of the high-redshift Lyman continuum and Lyα emitters (LAEs). Even with their proximity to us, we know little about their spatially resolved properties; while most blueberries and GPs are indeed compact, they remain unresolved. Here, we report the detection of a disk-like lower-surface-brightness (LSB) stellar host with a very old population around a blueberry LAE system using broad i-band imaging and integral field spectroscopic data from the SDSS and SDSS-IV MaNGA surveys, respectively. The LSB stellar host is structurally similar to that observed around local starburst BCDs. Furthermore, the kinematics of the studied blueberry source bears signs of misalignment between the gas and stellar components. Our findings establish an intriguing thread connecting the blueberry and an LSB disk with an old stellar population and suggest that blueberries and their high-redshift counterparts such as GPs do not represent peculiar cases of dwarf galaxy evolution. In fact, with respect to the structural properties of their host galaxies, they are compatible with a common evolutionary track of the main population of local BCDs.

In this paper, we use high-quality rest-UV spectra of three radio galaxies at z ∼ 3 observed with the FORS2 camera on the Very Large Telescope to measure the flux of several emission lines, including relatively faint ones, such as N iv]λ1486, O iii]λ1663, and [Ne iv]λ2424. Additionally, we collect fluxes of faint rest-UV emission lines in 12 z ∼ 3 radio galaxies from the literature. Previously, physical and chemical properties of narrow-line regions (NLRs) in high-z active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been investigated mostly by using only strong rest-UV emission lines (e.g., N vλ1240, C ivλ1549, He iiλ1640, and C iii]λ1909). Such strong-line diagnostics are based on various assumptions due to the limitation in the number of available emission-line constraints. In this work, both physical and chemical properties of NLR clouds in each object are estimated by fitting detailed photoionization models to the measured emission-line fluxes. We confirm that the metallicity of NLRs in AGNs at z ∼ 3 is solar or supersolar, without assumptions about the gas density and ionization parameter thanks to the constraints from the faint emission lines. This result suggests that high-z radio galaxies are already chemically mature at z ∼ 3.

We explore atmospheric escape from close-in exoplanets with the highest mass-loss rates. First, we locate the transition from stellar X-ray and UV-driven escape to rapid Roche lobe overflow, which occurs once the 10–100 nbar pressure level in the atmosphere reaches the Roche lobe. Planets enter this regime when the ratio of the substellar radius to the polar radius along the visible surface pressure level, which aligns with a surface of constant Roche potential, is X/Z ≳ 1.2 for Jovian planets (Mp ≳ 100 M_⊕) and X/Z ≳ 1.02 for sub-Jovian planets (M_p ≈ 10–100 M_⊕). Around a Sun-like star, this regime applies to orbital periods of less than two days for planets with radii of about 3–14R_⊕. Our results agree with the properties of known transiting planets and can explain parts of the sub-Jovian desert in the population of known exoplanets. Second, we present detailed numerical simulations of atmospheric escape from a planet like Uranus or Neptune orbiting close to a Sun-like star that support the results above and point to interesting qualitative differences between hot Jupiters and sub-Jovian planets. We find that hot Neptunes with solar-metallicity hydrogen and helium envelopes have relatively more extended upper atmospheres than typical hot Jupiters, with a lower ionization fraction and higher abundances of escaping molecules. This is consistent with existing ultraviolet transit observations of warm Neptunes, and it might provide a way to use future observations and models to distinguish solar-metallicity atmospheres from higher-metallicity atmospheres.

We characterize the average X-ray and radio properties of quiescent galaxies (QGs) with $\mathrm{log}({M}_{\star }/{M}_{\odot })\gt 10$ at 0 < z < 5. QGs are photometrically selected from the latest COSMOS2020 catalog. We conduct the stacking analysis of X-ray images of the Chandra COSMOS Legacy Survey for individually undetected QGs. Thanks to the large sample and deep images, the stacked X-ray signal is significantly detected up to z ∼ 5. The average X-ray luminosity cannot be explained by the X-ray luminosity of X-ray binaries, suggesting that the low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) ubiquitously exist in QGs. Moreover, the X-ray AGN luminosity of QGs at z > 1.5 is higher than that of star-forming galaxies (SFGs), derived in the same manner as QGs. The stacking analysis of the VLA-COSMOS images is conducted for the identical sample, and the radio signal for QGs is also detected up to z ∼ 5. We find that the radio AGN luminosity of QGs at z > 1.5 is also higher than SFGs, which is in good agreement with the X-ray analysis. The enhanced AGN activity in QGs suggested by the individual analysis in the X-ray and radio wavelength supports its important role for quenching at high redshift. Their enhanced AGN activity is less obvious at z < 1.5, which can be interpreted as an increasing role of others at lower redshifts, such as environmental quenching.

All stars produce explosive surface events such as flares and coronal mass ejections. These events are driven by the release of energy stored in coronal magnetic fields, generated by the stellar dynamo. However, it remains unclear if the energy deposition in the magnetic fields is driven by direct or alternating currents. Recently, we presented observational measurements of the flare intensity distributions for a sample of ∼10⁵ stars across the main sequence observed by TESS, all of which exhibited power-law distributions similar to those observed in the Sun, albeit with varying slopes. Here we investigate the mechanisms required to produce such a distribution of flaring events via direct current energy deposition, in which coronal magnetic fields braid, reconnect, and produce flares. We adopt a topological model for this process, which produces a power-law distribution of energetic flaring events. We expand this model to include the Coriolis effect, which we demonstrate produces a shallower distribution of flare energies in stars that rotate more rapidly (corresponding to a weaker decline in occurrence rates toward increasing flare energies). We present tentative evidence for the predicted rotation-power-law index correlation in the observations. We advocate for future observations of stellar flares that would improve our measurements of the power-law exponents, and yield key insights into the underlying dynamo mechanisms that underpin the self-similar flare intensity distributions.

An estimate of the expected photon flux above 10¹⁷ eV from the interactions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with the matter in the Galactic disk is presented. Uncertainties arising from the distribution of the gas in the disk, the absolute level of the cosmic-ray flux, and the composition of the cosmic rays are taken into account. Within these uncertainties, the integrated photon flux above 10¹⁷ eV is averaged out over Galactic latitude less than 5°, between ≃3.2 × 10⁻² km⁻² yr⁻¹ sr⁻¹ and ≃8.7 × 10⁻² km⁻² yr⁻¹ sr⁻¹. The all-sky average value amounts to ≃1.1 ×10⁻² km⁻² yr⁻¹ sr⁻¹ above 10¹⁷ eV and decreases roughly as E⁻², making this diffuse flux the dominant one from cosmic-ray interactions for energy thresholds between 10¹⁷ and 10¹⁸ eV. Compared to the current sensitivities of detection techniques, a gain of between two and three orders of magnitude in exposure is required for a detection below ≃10¹⁸ eV. The implications for searches for photon fluxes from the Galactic center that would be indicative of the decay of super-heavy dark matter particles are discussed, as the photon flux presented in this study can be considered as a floor below which other signals would be overwhelmed.

We show that the gravitomagnetic interaction of a Kerr black hole (BH) with a surrounding magnetic field induces an electric field that accelerates charged particles to ultra-relativistic energies in the vicinity of the BH. Along the BH rotation axis, these electrons/protons can reach energies of even thousands of petaelectronvolts, so stellar-mass BHs in long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and supermassive BHs in active galactic nuclei can contribute to the ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays thorough this mechanism. At off-axis latitudes, the particles accelerate to energies of hundreds of gigaelectronvolts and emit synchrotron radiation at gigaelectronvolt energies. This process occurs within 60° around the BH rotation axis, and due to the equatorial symmetry, it forms a double-cone emission. We outline the theoretical framework describing these acceleration and radiation processes, how they extract the rotational energy of the Kerr BH and the consequences for the astrophysics of GRBs.

We report on proper motion measurements of the forward- and reverse shock regions of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), including deceleration/acceleration measurements of the forward shock. The measurements combine 19 yr of observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory, using the 4.2–6 keV continuum band, preferentially targeting X-ray synchrotron radiation. The average expansion rate is 0.218 ± 0.029% yr⁻¹ for the forward shock, corresponding to a velocity of ≈5800 km s⁻¹. The time derivative of the proper motions indicates deceleration in the east, and an acceleration up to 1.1 × 10⁻⁴ yr⁻² in the western part. The reverse shock moves outward in the east, but in the west it moves toward the center with an expansion rate of −0.0225 ± 0.0007 % yr⁻¹, corresponding to −1884 ± 17 km s⁻¹. In the west, the reverse shock velocity in the ejecta frame is ≳3000 km s⁻¹, peaking at ∼8000 km s⁻¹, explaining the presence of X-ray synchrotron emitting filaments there. The backward motion of the reverse shock can be explained by either a scenario in which the forward shock encountered a partial, dense, wind shell, or one in which the shock transgressed initially through a lopsided cavity, created during a brief Wolf–Rayet star phase. Both scenarios are consistent with the local acceleration of the forward shock. Finally we report on the proper motion of the northeastern jet, using both the X-ray continuum band, and the Si xiii K-line emission band. We find expansion rates of, respectively, 0.21% and 0.24% yr⁻¹, corresponding to velocities at the tip of the X-ray jet of 7830–9200 km s⁻¹.

We present statistical analysis of 11,200 proton kinetic-scale current sheets (CS) observed by the Parker Solar Probe during 10 days around the first perihelion. The CS thickness λ is in the range from a few to 200 km with the typical value around 30 km, while current densities are in the range from 0.1 to 10 μA m⁻² with the typical value around 0.7 μA m⁻². These CSs are resolved thanks to magnetic field measurements at 73–290 samples s⁻¹ resolution. In terms of proton inertial length λ_p, the CS thickness λ is in the range from about 0.1 to 10λ_p with the typical value around 2λ_p. The magnetic field magnitude does not substantially vary across the CSs, and accordingly the current density is dominated by the magnetic-field-aligned component. The CSs are typically asymmetric with statistically different magnetic field magnitudes at the CS boundaries. The current density is larger for smaller-scale CSs, J₀ ≈ 0.15 × (λ/100 km)^−0.76μA m⁻², but does not statistically exceed the Alfvén current density J_A corresponding to the ion-electron drift of the local Alfvén speed. The CSs exhibit remarkable scale-dependent current density and magnetic shear angles, ${J}_{0}/{J}_{A}\approx 0.17\times {(\lambda /{\lambda }_{p})}^{-0.67}$ and ${\rm{\Delta }}\theta \approx 21^\circ \times {(\lambda /{\lambda }_{p})}^{0.32}$. Based on these observations and comparison to recent studies at 1 au, we conclude that proton kinetic-scale CSs in the near-Sun solar wind are produced by turbulence cascade, and they are automatically in the parameter range, where reconnection is not suppressed by the diamagnetic mechanism, due to their geometry dictated by turbulence cascade.

We have observed the mass-losing carbon star V Hya that is apparently transitioning from an asymptotic giant branch star to a bipolar planetary nebula, at an unprecedented angular resolution of ∼04–06 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Our ¹³CO and ¹²CO (J = 3–2 and J = 2–1) images have led to the discovery of a remarkable set of six expanding rings within a flared, warped disk structure undergoing dynamical expansion (DUDE) that lies in the system's equatorial plane. We also find, for the first time, several bipolar, high-velocity outflows, some of which have parabolic morphologies, implying wide-opening angles, while one (found previously) is clumpy and highly collimated. The latter is likely associated with the high-velocity bullet-like ejections of ionized gas from V Hya; a possible molecular counterpart to the oldest of the four bullets can be seen in the ¹²CO images. We find a bright, unresolved central source of continuum emission (FWHM size ≲165 au); about 40% of this emission can be produced in a standard radio photosphere, while the remaining 60% is likely due to thermal emission from very large (millimeter-sized) grains, having mass ≳10⁻⁵ M_⊙. We have used a radiative transfer model to fit the salient characteristics of the DUDE's ¹³CO and ¹²CO emission out to a radius of 8'' (3200 au) with a flared disk of mass 1.7 × 10⁻³M_⊙, whose expansion velocity increases very rapidly with the radius inside a central region of size ∼200 au, and then more slowly outside it, from 9.5 to 11.5 km s⁻¹. The DUDE's underlying density decreases radially, interspersed with local increases that represent the observationally well-characterized innermost three rings.

Observed changes in protostellar brightness can be complicated to interpret. In our James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Transient Monitoring Survey, we discovered that a young binary protostar, HOPS 373, is undergoing a modest 30% brightness increase at 850 μm, caused by a factor of 1.8–3.3 enhancement in the accretion rate. The initial burst occurred over a few months, with a sharp rise and then a shallower decay. A second rise occurred soon after the decay, and the source is still bright one year later. The mid-IR emission, the small-scale CO outflow mapped with ALMA, and the location of variable maser emission indicate that the variability is associated with the SW component. The near-IR and NEOWISE W1 and W2 emission is located along the blueshifted CO outflow, spatially offset by ∼3 to 4'' from the SW component. The K-band emission imaged by UKIRT shows a compact H₂ emission source at the edge of the outflow, with a tail tracing the outflow back to the source. The W1 emission, likely dominated by scattered light, brightens by 0.7 mag, consistent with expectations based on the submillimeter light curve. The signal of continuum variability in K band and W2 is masked by stable H₂ emission, as seen in our Gemini/GNIRS spectrum, and perhaps by CO emission. These differences in emission sources complicate IR searches for variability of the youngest protostars.

We use surveys covering the redshift range 0.05 < z < 3.8 to explore quiescent galaxy scaling relations and the redshift evolution of the velocity dispersion, size, and dynamical mass at fixed stellar mass. For redshift z < 0.6, we derive mass-limited samples and demonstrate that these large samples enhance constraints on the evolution of the quiescent population. The constraints include 2985 new velocity dispersions from the SHELS F2 survey. In contrast with the known substantial evolution of size with redshift, evolution in the velocity dispersion is negligible. The dynamical-to-stellar-mass ratio increases significantly as the universe ages, in agreement with recent results that combine high-redshift data with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Like other investigators, we interpret this result as an indication that the dark matter fraction within the effective radius increases as a result of the impact of the minor mergers that are responsible for size growth. We emphasize that dense redshift surveys covering the range 0.07 < z < 1 along with strong and weak lensing measurements could remove many ambiguities in evolutionary studies of the quiescent population.

The plasmoid formation in collisionless plasmas, where magnetic reconnection within turbulence may take place driven by the electron inertia, is analyzed. We find a complex situation in which, due to the presence of strong velocity shears, the typical plasmoid formation, observed to influence the energy cascade in the magnetohydrodynamic context, has to coexist with the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability. We find that the current density layers may undergo the plasmoid or the KH instability depending on the local values of the magnetic and velocity fields. The competition among these instabilities affects not only the evolution of the current sheets, that may generate plasmoid chains or KH-driven vortices, but also the energy cascade, that is different for the magnetic and kinetic spectra.

NGC 253 is a starburst galaxy of SAB(s)c type with increasing interest because of its high activity at unrivaled closeness. Its energetic event is manifested as the vertical gas features in its central molecular zone, for which stellar feedback was proposed as the driving engine. In order to pursue details of the activity, we have undertaken a kinematic analysis of the ALMA archive data of ¹²CO(J = 3 − 2) emission at the highest resolution ∼3 pc. We revealed that one of the non-rotating gas components in the central molecular zone shows a loop-like structure of ∼200 pc radius. The loop-like structure is associated with a star cluster, whereas the cluster is not inside the loop-like structure and is not likely as the driver of the loop-like structure formation. Further, we find that the bar potential of NGC 253 seems to be too weak to drive the gas motion by the eccentric orbit. As an alternative, we frame a scenario that magnetic acceleration by the Parker instability is responsible for the creation of the loop-like structure. We show that the observed loop-like structure properties are similar to those in the Milky Way, and argue that recent magneto-hydrodynamics simulations lend support for the picture having the magnetic field strength of ≳100 μG. We suggest that cluster formation was triggered by the falling gas to the footpoint of the loop, which is consistent with a typical dynamical timescale of the loop ∼1 Myr.

Reconstruction of the sky brightness measured by radio interferometers is typically achieved through gridding techniques, or histograms in spatial Fourier space. For Epoch of Reionization (EoR) 21 cm power spectrum measurements, extreme levels of gridding resolution are required to reduce spectral contamination, as explored in other works. However, the role of the shape of the Fourier space spreading function, or kernel, also has consequences in reconstructed power spectra. We decompose the instrumental Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) beam into a series of Gaussians and simulate the effects of finite kernel extents and differing shapes in gridding/degridding for optimal map making analyses. For the MWA, we find that the kernel must extend out to 0.001–0.0001% of the maximum value in order to measure the EoR using foreground avoidance. This requirement changes depending on beam shape, with compact kernels requiring far smaller extents for similar contamination levels at the cost of less-optimal errors. However, simple calibration using pixelated degridding results, regardless of shape of the kernel, cannot recover the EoR due to catastrophic errors caused by the pixel resolution. Including an opaque horizon with widefield beams also causes significant spectral contamination via a beam–horizon interaction that creates an infinitely extended kernel in Fourier space, which cannot be represented well. Thus, our results indicate that simple calibration via degridded models and optimal map making for extreme widefield instrumentation are not feasible.

The magnetic interaction between a classical T Tauri star and its surrounding accretion disk is thought to influence its rotational evolution. We use 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic, axisymmetric simulations of star-disk interaction, computed via the PLUTO code, to calculate the net torque acting on these stars. We divide the net torque into three contributions: accretion (spin-up), stellar winds (spin-down), and magnetospheric ejections (MEs) (spin-up or down). In Paper I, we explored interaction regimes in which the stellar magnetosphere truncates the inner disk at a location spinning faster than the star, resulting in a strong net spin-up contribution from accretion and MEs ("steady accretion" regime). In this paper, we investigate interaction regimes in which the truncation radius gets closer to and even exceeds corotation, where it is possible for the disk material to gain angular momentum and be periodically ejected by the centrifugal barrier ("propeller" regime). This reduces the accretion torque, can change the sign of the ME torque, and can result in a net stellar spin-down configuration. These results suggest it is possible to have a net spin-down stellar torque even for truncation radii within the corotation radius (R_t ≳ 0.7R_co). We fit semi-analytic functions for the truncation radius, and the torque associated with star-disk interaction (i.e., the sum of accretion and ME torques) and stellar wind, allowing for the prediction of the net stellar torque for a parameter regime covering both net spin-up and spin-down configurations, as well as the possibility of investigating rotational evolution via 1D stellar evolution codes.

The faint-end slope of the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 6 and its implication on the role of quasars in reionizing the intergalactic medium at early times has been an outstanding problem for some time. The identification of faint high-redshift quasars with luminosities of <10^44.5 erg s⁻¹ is challenging. They are rare (few per square degree), and the separation of these unresolved quasars from late-type stars and compact star-forming galaxies is difficult from ground-based observations alone. In addition, source confusion becomes significant at >25 mag, with ∼30% of sources having their flux contaminated by foreground objects when the seeing resolution is ∼0''.7. We mitigate these issues by performing a pixel-level joint processing of ground and space-based data from Subaru/Hyper-SuprimeCam (HSC) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). We create a deconfused catalog over the 1.64 deg² of the COSMOS field, after accounting for spatial varying point-spread functions and astrometric differences between the two data sets. We identify twelve low-luminosity (M_UV ∼ −21 mag) z > 6 quasar candidates through (i) their red color measured between ACS/F814W and HSC/i band and (ii) their compactness in the space-based data. Nondetections of our candidates in Hubble DASH data argues against contamination from late-type stars. Our constraints on the faint end of the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 6.4 suggest a negligibly small contribution to reionization compared to the star-forming galaxy population. The confirmation of our candidates and the evolution of number density with redshift could provide better insights into how supermassive galaxies grew in the first billion years of cosmic time.

We study the effect of a tangled sub-fG level intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) on the electrostatic instability of a blazar-induced pair beam. Sufficiently strong IGMF may significantly deflect the TeV pair beams, which would reduce the flux of secondary cascade emission below the observational limits. A similar flux reduction may result from the electrostatic beam–plasma instability, which operates the best in the absence of IGMF. Considering IGMF with correlation lengths smaller than a kiloparsec, we find that weak magnetic fields increase the transverse momentum of the pair-beam particles, which dramatically reduces the linear growth rate of the electrostatic instability and hence the energy-loss rate of the pair beam. We show that the beam–plasma instability is eliminated as an effective energy-loss agent at a field strength three orders of magnitude below that needed to suppress the secondary cascade emission by magnetic deflection. For intermediate-strength IGMF, we do not know a viable process to explain the observed absence of GeV-scale cascade emission.

We observed the high-mass protostellar core G335.579–0.272 ALMA1 at ∼200 au (005) resolution with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at 226 GHz (with a mass sensitivity of 5σ = 0.2 M_⊙ at 10 K). We discovered that at least a binary system is forming inside this region, with an additional nearby bow-like structure (≲1000 au) that could add an additional member to the stellar system. These three sources are located at the center of the gravitational potential well of the ALMA1 region and the larger MM1 cluster. The emission from CH₃OH (and many other tracers) is extended (>1000 au), revealing a common envelope toward the binary system. We use CH₂CHCN line emission to estimate an inclination angle of the rotation axis of 26° with respect to the line of sight based on geometric assumptions and derive a kinematic mass of the primary source (protostar+disk) of 3.0 M_⊙ within a radius of 230 au. Using SiO emission, we find that the primary source drives the large-scale outflow revealed by previous observations. Precession of the binary system likely produces a change in orientation between the outflow at small scales observed here and large scales observed in previous works. The bow structure may have originated from the entrainment of matter into the envelope due to the widening or precession of the outflow, or, alternatively, an accretion streamer dominated by the gravity of the central sources. An additional third source, forming due to instabilities in the streamer, cannot be ruled out as a temperature gradient is needed to produce the observed absorption spectra.

We report deep Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the optically ultraluminous and radio-quiet quasar SDSS J010013.02+280225.8 (hereafter J0100+2802) at redshift z = 6.3. We detected the radio continuum emission at 1.5 GHz, 6 GHz, and 10 GHz. This leads to a radio power-law spectral index of α = −0.52 ± 0.18 (S ∝ ν^α). The radio source is unresolved in all VLA bands with an upper limit to the size of 02 (i.e., ∼1.1 kpc) at 10 GHz. We find variability in the flux density (increase by ∼33%) and the spectral index (steepened) between observations in 2016 and 2017. We also find that the VLA 1.5 GHz flux density observed in the same year is 1.5 times that detected with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) in 2016 at the same frequency. This difference suggests that half of the radio emission from J0100+2802 comes from a compact core within 40 pc, and the rest comes from the surrounding few-kiloparsec area, which is diffuse and resolved out in the VLBA observations. The diffuse emission is 4 times brighter than what would be expected if driven by star formation. We conclude that the central active galactic nucleus is the dominant power engine of the radio emission in J0100+2802.

The detection of multi-TeV gamma rays from the afterglow phase of GRB 190829A by the High Energy Stereoscopic System telescope is an addition to the already existing list of two GRBs observed in very high-energy (VHE) gamma rays in recent years. Jets of blazars and GRBs have many similarities and the photohadronic model is very successful in explaining the VHE gamma-ray spectra from the high-energy blazars. Recently, the photohadronic model has been successfully applied to study the sub-TeV gamma rays from the afterglow phases of GRB 180720B and GRB 190114C. We employed this model again to explain the VHE spectra observed for the two consecutive nights from GRB 190829A. We show that the spectra of GRB 190829A can be due to the interactions of high-energy protons with the synchrotron self-Compton photons in the forward shock region of the GRB jet, similar to the low emission state of the VHE flaring events of high-energy blazars. We speculate that, if in the future, it is possible to observe the VHE gamma-ray spectra from nearby GRBs in their afterglow phases, then some of them could only be explained by employing two different spectral indices. If confirmed, such VHE spectra could be interpreted as a result of the interactions of the high-energy protons with the photons, both from the synchrotron background and the synchrotron self-Compton background in the forward shock region.

We report on the pulse-to-pulse energy distribution and longitude-resolved modulation properties of PSR J1631+1252 discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. Our analysis made use of the data acquired at 1250 MHz from the follow-up timing observations that lasted over a year. PSR J1631+1252 has a rotational period of ∼0.310 s, and a dispersion measure of ∼32.73 pc cm⁻³. The energy distribution is well described by a lognormal distribution, the parameters of which do not vary with time. We show that large modulation occurs across the bridge emission of the pulse profile, with sporadic bright bursts at the leading emission region. The fluctuation spectral analysis reveals the existence of subpulse drifting in the leading component with vertical spacing between the drift bands of 3.28 ± 0.08 pulse periods between consecutive drift bands. Possible physical mechanisms for subpulse drifting are discussed.

We reassess the ⁶⁵As(p,γ)⁶⁶Se reaction rates based on a set of proton thresholds of ⁶⁶Se, S_p(⁶⁶Se), estimated from the experimental mirror nuclear masses, theoretical mirror displacement energies, and full pf-model space shell-model calculation. The self-consistent relativistic Hartree–Bogoliubov theory is employed to obtain the mirror displacement energies with much reduced uncertainty, and thus reducing the proton-threshold uncertainty up to 161 keV compared to the AME2020 evaluation. Using the simulation instantiated by the one-dimensional multi-zone hydrodynamic code, Kepler, which closely reproduces the observed GS 1826−24 clocked bursts, the present forward and reverse ⁶⁵As(p,γ)⁶⁶Se reaction rates based on a selected S_p(⁶⁶Se) = 2.469 ± 0.054 MeV, and the latest ²²Mg(α,p)²⁵Al, ⁵⁶Ni(p,γ)⁵⁷Cu, ⁵⁷Cu(p,γ)⁵⁸Zn, ⁵⁵Ni(p,γ)⁵⁶Cu, and ⁶⁴Ge(p,γ)⁶⁵As reaction rates, we find that though the GeAs cycles are weakly established in the rapid-proton capture process path, the ⁶⁵As(p,γ)⁶⁶Se reaction still strongly characterizes the burst tail end due to the two-proton sequential capture on ⁶⁴Ge, not found by the Cyburt et al. sensitivity study. The ⁶⁵As(p,γ)⁶⁶Se reaction influences the abundances of nuclei A = 64, 68, 72, 76, and 80 up to a factor of 1.4. The new S_p(⁶⁶Se) and the inclusion of the updated ²²Mg(α,p)²⁵Al reaction rate increases the production of ¹²C up to a factor of 4.5, which is not observable and could be the main fuel for a superburst. The enhancement of the ¹²C mass fraction alleviates the discrepancy in explaining the origin of the superburst. The waiting point status of and two-proton sequential capture on ⁶⁴Ge, the weak-cycle feature of GeAs at a region heavier than ⁶⁴Ge, and the impact of other possible S_p(⁶⁶Se) are also discussed.

During the X-ray bursts of GS 1826−24, a "clocked burster", the nuclear reaction flow that surges through the rapid-proton capture process path has to pass through the NiCu cycles before reaching the ZnGa cycles that moderate further hydrogen burning in the region above the germanium and selenium isotopes. The ⁵⁷Cu(p,γ)⁵⁸Zn reaction that occurs in the NiCu cycles plays an important role in influencing the burst light curves found by Cyburt et al. We deduce the ⁵⁷Cu(p,γ)⁵⁸Zn reaction rate based on the experimentally determined important nuclear structure information, isobaric-multiplet-mass equation, and large-scale shell-model calculations. Based on the isobaric-multiplet-mass equation, we propose a possible order of ${1}_{1}^{+}$- and ${2}_{3}^{+}$-dominant resonance states and constrain the resonance energy of the ${1}_{2}^{+}$ state. The latter reduces the contribution of the ${1}_{2}^{+}$-dominant resonance state. The new reaction rate is up to a factor of 4 lower than the Forstner et al. rate recommended by JINA REACLIB v2.2 at the temperature regime sensitive to clocked bursts of GS 1826−24. Using the simulation from the one-dimensional implicit hydrodynamic code Kepler to model the thermonuclear X-ray bursts of the GS 1826−24 clocked burster, we find that the new ⁵⁷Cu(p,γ)⁵⁸Zn reaction rate, coupled with the latest ⁵⁶Ni(p,γ)⁵⁷Cu and ⁵⁵Ni(p,γ)⁵⁶Cu reaction rates, redistributes the reaction flow in the NiCu cycles and strongly influences the burst ash composition, whereas the ⁵⁹Cu(p,α)⁵⁶Ni and ⁵⁹Cu(p,γ)⁶⁰Zn reactions suppress the influence of the ⁵⁷Cu(p,γ)⁵⁸Zn reaction and diminish the impact of nuclear reaction flow that bypasses the important ⁵⁶Ni waiting point induced by the ⁵⁵Ni(p,γ)⁵⁶Cu reaction on the burst light curve.

We present a survey of the central region of the nearest starburst galaxy, IC 10, using the W. M. Keck Observatory Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) at high spectral and spatial resolution. We map the central starburst of IC 10 to sample the kinematic and ionization properties of the individual star-forming regions. Using the low spectral resolution mode of KCWI, we map the oxygen abundance, and with the high spectral resolution mode, we identify 46 individual H II regions. These H II regions have an average radius of 4.0 pc, star formation rate ∼1.3 × 10⁻⁴M_⊙ yr⁻¹, and velocity dispersion ∼16 km s⁻¹. None of the H II regions appear to be virialized (α_vir ≫ 1), and on average, they show evidence of ongoing expansion. IC 10's H II regions are offset from the star-forming-region size–luminosity scaling relationships, as well as Larson's Law that relates size and velocity dispersion. We investigate the balance of inward and outward pressure, P_in and P_out, finding P_out > P_in in 89% of H II regions, indicating feedback-driven expansion even in these low-mass H II regions. We find warm gas pressure (P_gas) provides the dominant contribution to the outward pressure (P_out). This counteracts the inward pressure, which is dominated by turbulence in the surrounding gas rather than self-gravity. Five H II regions show evidence of outflows that are most likely supported by either stellar winds (two regions) or champagne flows (three regions). These observations provide new insights into the state of the star-forming regions in IC 10 and negative feedback from low-mass clusters.

The physical properties responsible for the formation and evolution of the corona and heliosphere are still not completely understood. 3D MHD global modeling is a powerful tool to investigate all the possible candidate processes. To fully understand the role of each of them, we need a validation process where the output from the simulations is quantitatively compared to the observational data. In this work, we present the results from our validation process applied to the wave turbulence driven 3D MHD corona-wind model WindPredict-AW. At this stage of the model development, we focus the work to the coronal regime in quiescent condition. We analyze three simulation results, which differ by the boundary values. We use the 3D distributions of density and temperature, output from the simulations at the time of around the first Parker Solar Probe perihelion (during minimum of the solar activity), to synthesize both extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and white-light-polarized (WL pB) images to reproduce the observed solar corona. For these tests, we selected AIA 193 Å, 211 Å, and 171 Å EUV emissions, MLSO K-Cor, and LASCO C2 pB images obtained on 2018 November 6 and 7. We then make quantitative comparisons of the disk and off limb corona. We show that our model is able to produce synthetic images comparable to those of the observed corona.

We present Markov Chain Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling of a joint ALMA 345 GHz and spectral energy distribution data set for a sample of 97 protostellar disks from the VLA and ALMA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity Survey of Orion Protostars. From this modeling, we derive disk and envelope properties for each protostar, allowing us to examine the bulk properties of a population of young protostars. We find that disks are small, with a median dust radius of ${29.4}_{-2.7}^{+4.1}$ au and a median dust mass of ${5.8}_{-2.7}^{+4.6}$M_⊕. We find no statistically significant difference between most properties of Class 0, Class I, and flat-spectrum sources with the exception of envelope dust mass and inclination. The distinction between inclination is an indication that the Class 0/I/flat-spectrum system may be difficult to tie uniquely to the evolutionary state of protostars. When comparing with Class II disk dust masses in Taurus from similar radiative transfer modeling, we further find that the trend of disk dust mass decreasing from Class 0 to Class II disks is no longer present, though it remains unclear whether such a comparison is fair owing to differences in star-forming region and modeling techniques. Moreover, the disks we model are broadly gravitationally stable. Finally, we compare disk masses and radii with simulations of disk formation and find that magnetohydrodynamical effects may be important for reproducing the observed properties of disks.

We use a geometric method to derive (two-dimensional) separation functions among pairs of objects within populations of specified position function ${dN}/d{\boldsymbol{R}}$. We present analytic solutions for separation functions corresponding to a uniform surface density within a circular field, a Plummer sphere (viewed in projection), and the mixture thereof—including contributions from binary objects within both subpopulations. These results enable inferences about binary object populations via direct modeling of object position and pair separation data, without resorting to standard estimators of the two-point correlation function. Analyzing mock data sets designed to mimic known dwarf spheroidal galaxies, we demonstrate the ability to recover input properties including the number of wide binary star systems and, in cases where the number of resolved binary pairs is assumed to be ≳a few hundred, characteristic features (e.g., steepening and/or truncation) of their separation function. Combined with forthcoming observational capabilities, this methodology opens a window onto the formation and/or survival of wide binary populations in dwarf galaxies, and offers a novel probe of inferred dark matter substructure on the smallest galactic scales.

We present ultraviolet spectroscopy covering the Lyα + N v complex of six candidate low-redshift (0.9 < z < 1.5) weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) based on observations with the Hubble Space Telescope. The original systematic searches for these puzzling Type 1 quasars with intrinsically weak broad emission lines revealed an N ≈ 100 WLQ population from optical spectroscopy of high-redshift (z > 3) quasars, defined by a Lyα + N v rest-frame equivalent width (EW) threshold <15.4 Å. Identification of lower-redshift (z < 3) WLQ candidates, however, has relied primarily on optical spectroscopy of weak broad emission lines at longer rest-frame wavelengths. With these new observations expanding existing optical coverage into the ultraviolet, we explore unifying the low- and high-z WLQ populations via EW[Lyα+N v]. Two objects in the sample unify with high-z WLQs, three others appear consistent with the intermediate portion of the population connecting WLQs and normal quasars, and the final object is consistent with typical quasars. The expanded wavelength coverage improves the number of available line diagnostics for our individual targets, allowing a better understanding of the shapes of their ionizing continua. The ratio of EW[Lyα+N v] to EW[Mg ii] in our sample is generally small but varied, favoring a soft ionizing continuum scenario for WLQs, and we find a lack of correlation between EW[Lyα+N v] and the X-ray properties of our targets, consistent with a "slim-disk" shielding gas model. We also find indications that weak absorption may be a more significant contaminant in low-z WLQ populations than previously thought.

We present a z = 0.94 quasar, SDSS J004846.45-004611.9, discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) BOSS survey. A visual analysis of this spectrum reveals highly broadened and blueshifted narrow emission lines, in particular, [Ne v] λ3426 and [O iii] λ5007, with outflow velocities of 4000 km s⁻¹, along with unusually large [Ne v] λ3426/[Ne iii] λ3869 ratios. The gas shows higher ionization at higher outflow velocities, indicating a connection between the powerful outflow and the unusual strength of the high ionization lines. The spectral energy distribution and the i − W3 color of the source reveal that it is likely a core extremely red quasar (ERQ); a candidate population of young active galactic nuclei (AGN) that are violently blowing out gas and dust from their centers. The dominance of host galaxy light in its spectrum and its fortuitous position in the SDSS S82 region allows us to measure its star formation history and investigate variability for the first time in an ERQ. Our analysis indicates that SDSS J004846.45-004611.9 underwent a short-lived starburst phase 400 Myr ago and was subsequently quenched, possibly indicating a time lag between star formation quenching and the onset of AGN activity. We also find that the strong extinction can be uniquely attributed to the AGN and does not persist in the host galaxy, contradicting a scenario where the source has recently transitioned from being a dusty submillimeter galaxy. In our relatively shallow photometric data, the source does not appear to be variable at 0.24–2.4 μm in the rest frame, most likely due to the dominant contribution of host galaxy starlight at these wavelengths.

In the canonical theory of stellar magnetic dynamo, the tachocline in partially convective stars serves to arrange small-scale fields, generated by stochastic movement of plasma into a coherent large-scale field. Mid-to-late-type M dwarfs, which are fully convective, show more magnetic activity than classical magnetic dynamo theory predicts. However, mid-to-late-type M dwarfs show tight correlations between rotation and magnetic activity, consistent with elements of classical dynamo theory. We use data from the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle Spectrograph to detail the relation between Ca ii H and K flux and rotation period for these low-mass stars. We measure ${R}_{\mathrm{HK}}^{{\prime} }$ values for 53 spectroscopically identified M dwarfs selected from the MEarth survey; these stars span spectral classes from M5.0 to M3.5 and have rotation periods ranging from hours to months. We present the rotation–activity relationship as traced through these data. We find power-law and saturated regimes consistent to within 1σ of previously published results and observe a mass dependence in ${R}_{\mathrm{HK}}^{{\prime} }$.

We present a detailed analysis of the rest-frame UV and optical emission-line spectrum of the partially obscured quasar J121704.70+023417.1 (hereafter J1217+0234). Here the obscuring material, very likely the dusty torus invoked by the AGN unification models, acts as a natural coronagraph, which greatly suppresses both the continuum and broad-line emission in the UV and enables a clear detection of three emission-line components at and beyond the dusty torus scale: (1) The component, with a blueshift of v ≈ 1200 km s⁻¹ and a line width of FWHM ≈ 2600 km s⁻¹, shows exceptionally large intensity ratios, such as N v/Lyα ≈ 2.3 and O vi/Lyα ≈ 1.4, indicating that the emitting gas is highly ionized and has a very high density up to n_H ∼ 10¹³ cm⁻³, possibly associated with the dusty torus. (2) The largely unshifted narrow-line component, with FWHM ≈ 510 km s⁻¹, is completely absent in all UV lines but Lyα and is significantly detected in the forbidden lines of [O iii], [O ii], and [Ne iii] in the optical, implying massive low-density (n_H ∼ 10² cm⁻³) gas ∼40 kpc from the galactic center. (3) The intermediate component is only detected in [O iii] with a blueshift and line width between (1) and (2), which might bridge the gases from the circumnuclear to the circumgalactic scales. Follow-up observations with high spatial resolution and high sensitivity are needed to confirm the speculation and are helpful to reveal outflows at multiscales in J1217+0234.

Using the relativistic mean-field model with nonlinear couplings between the isoscalar and isovector mesons, we study the properties of isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter. Not only the vector mixing, ω_μω^μρ_νρ^ν, but also the quartic interaction due to the scalar mesons, σ²δ², is taken into account to investigate the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy, E_sym, and the neutron star properties. It is found that the δ meson increases E_sym at high densities, whereas the σ–δ mixing makes E_sym soft above the saturation density. Furthermore, the δ meson and its mixing have a large influence on the radius and tidal deformability of a neutron star. In particular, the σ–δ mixing reduces the neutron star radius; thus, the present calculation can simultaneously reproduce the dimensionless tidal deformabilities of a canonical 1.4 M_⊙ neutron star observed from the binary neutron star merger GW170817 and the compact binary coalescence GW190814.

The ultrarelativistic jets triggered by neutrino annihilation processes or Blandford–Znajek (BZ) mechanisms in stellar-mass black hole (BH) hyperaccretion systems are generally considered to power gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Due to the high accretion rate, the central BHs might grow rapidly on a short timescale, providing a new way to understand the lower mass gap problem. In this paper, we use the BH hyperaccretion model to investigate BH mass growth based on observational GRB data. The results show that (i) if the initial BH mass is set as 3 M_⊙, the neutrino annihilation processes are capable of fueling the BHs to escape the lower mass gap for more than half of long-duration GRBs (LGRBs), while the BZ mechanism is inefficient in triggering BH growth for LGRBs; (ii) the mean BH mass growth in the case of LGRBs without observable supernova (SN) association is much larger than that in the case of LGRBs associated with SNe for both mechanisms, which implies that more massive progenitors or lower SN explosion energies prevail throughout the former cases; (iii) for the short-duration GRBs, the mean BH mass growth is satisfied with the mass supply limitation in the scenario of compact object mergers, but the hyperaccretion processes are unable to rescue BHs from the gap in binary neutron star (NS) mergers or the initial BH mass being 3 M_⊙ after NS−BH mergers.

We analyze Chandra X-ray Observatory imaging of 108 galaxies hosting nuclear star clusters (NSCs) to search for signatures of massive black holes (BHs). NSCs are extremely dense stellar environments with conditions that can theoretically facilitate massive BH formation. Recent work by Stone et al. finds that sufficiently dense NSCs should be unstable to the runaway growth of a stellar-mass BH into a massive BH via tidal captures. Furthermore, there is a velocity dispersion threshold (40 km s⁻¹) above which NSCs should inevitably form a massive BH. To provide an observational test of these theories, we measure X-ray emission from NSCs and compare it to the measured velocity dispersion and tidal capture runaway timescale. We find that NSCs above the 40 km s⁻¹ threshold are X-ray detected at roughly twice the rate of those below (after accounting for contamination from X-ray binaries). These results are consistent with a scenario in which dense, high-velocity NSCs can form massive BHs, providing a formation pathway that does not rely on conditions found only at high redshift.

We present an investigation of partial filament eruption on 2012 June 17 in the active region NOAA 11504. For the first time, we observed the vertical splitting process during the partial eruption with high-resolution narrowband images at 10830 Å. The active filament was rooted in a small δ-sunspot of the active region. Particularly, it underwent the partial eruption in three steps, i.e., the precursor, the first eruption, and the second eruption, while the latter two were associated with a C1.0 flare and a C3.9 flare, respectively. During the precursor, slow magnetic reconnection took place between the filament and the adjoining loops that also rooted in the δ-sunspot. The continuous reconnection not only caused the filament to split into three groups of threads vertically but also formed a new filament, which was growing and accompanied brightening took place around the site. Subsequently, the growing filament erupted together with one group splitted threads, resulted in the first eruption. At the beginning of the first eruption, a subsequent magnetic reconnection occurred between the erupting splitted threads and another ambient magnetic loop. After about 3 minutes, the second eruption occurred as a result of the eruption of two larger unstable filaments induced by the magnetic reconnection. The high-resolution observation provides a direct evidence that magnetic reconnection between filament and its ambient magnetic fields could induce the vertical splitting of the filament, resulting in partial eruption.

We present a comparison of the interstellar medium traced by [C ii] (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), and ionized halo gas traced by Lyα (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer), in and around QSO host galaxies at z ∼ 6. To date, 18 QSOs at this redshift have been studied with both MUSE and high-resolution ALMA imaging; of these, 8 objects display a Lyα halo. Using data cubes matched in velocity resolution, we compare and contrast the spatial and kinematic information of the Lyα halos and the host galaxies' [C ii] (and dust-continuum) emission. We find that the Lyα halos extend typically 3−30 times beyond the interstellar medium of the host galaxies. The majority of the Lyα halos do not show ordered motion in their velocity fields, whereas most of the [C ii] velocity fields do. In those cases where a velocity gradient can be measured in Lyα, the kinematics do not align with those derived from the [C ii] emission. This implies that the Lyα emission is not tracing the outskirts of a large rotating disk, which is a simple extension of the central galaxy seen in [C ii] emission. It rather suggests that the kinematics of the halo gas are decoupled from those of the central galaxy. Given the scattering nature of Lyα, these results need to be confirmed with James Webb Space Telescope Integral Field Unit observations that can constrain the halo kinematics further using the nonresonant Hα line.

High-precision magnetic field measurements are of great significance for the in-depth study of the physical processes in the astrophysical plasma environment. To obtain accurate natural magnetic fields, in-flight calibration is one key step to obtaining zero offset of the spaceborne fluxgate magnetometer (FGM). Mirror mode structures, widely existing in the solar wind and planetary magnetosheaths and magnetospheres, can be used to calculate the zero offset. However, it is difficult to obtain an accurate zero offset by the current methods using mirror mode structures in the planetary magnetosheath. Here, we develop a new method to calculate the zero offset of the spaceborne FGM using magnetic dips, which are a kind of mirror mode structure. This method is based on the assumption that the magnetic field is zero in the cross section of the magnetic dip. Our method is able to calculate the zero offset using only one magnetic dip. We test this method by using the data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, and find that the calculation errors of 78.1% of the estimated zero offsets are <0.5 nT when using 25 magnetic dips in the terrestrial magnetosheath. This suggests that our method is able to achieve a high accuracy of the zero offset in the planetary magnetosheath.

We report on numerical simulations of a propagating momentum pulse, representing an inclined jet structure in a stratified lower solar atmosphere model. Here, the numerical jets were generated via injection of a momentum pulse misaligned with the radial magnetic field, which resulted in a collimated structure that mimicked the observed inclined jet features in the chromosphere. The influence of inclination angle was examined for a variety of initial driver conditions (amplitude, period) and magnetic field magnitudes to identify their potential role in determining the morphological and dynamical characteristics of chromospheric jets. The numerical jets in our computational domain were consistent with the observed magnitudes of apex height and cross-sectional width for average inclination of chromospheric features. Furthermore, with an increasing misalignment between the momentum pulse and ambient magnetic field, the simulated structures showed a drop in the maximum apex height and length, while an increase in cross-sectional width magnitudes. Our numerical experiments also revealed the development of a pulse-like transverse motions in jets along with high density edges/nodes in the direction of jet displacement. It is postulated that dynamic kink instability might be responsible for the observed kinematic behavior of the inclined jet structures in the solar chromosphere.

Using photometry and proper motions from Gaia Early Data Release 3, we detect a 45° long trailing stellar debris stream associated with the old, metal-poor globular cluster NGC 7089. With a width on the order of 100 pc, the extended stream appears to be as dynamically cold as the coldest known streams found to date. There is some evidence for an extended leading tail extending between 28° and 37° from the cluster, though the greater distance of this tail, combined with proper motions that are virtually indistinguishable from those of foreground stars, make the detection much less certain. The proper motion profile and the path on the sky of the trailing tail are not well matched using a simple Galactic potential composed purely of a disk, bulge, and spherical halo. However, the addition of a moving, massive (M = 1.88 × 10¹¹M_⊙) Large Magellanic Cloud brings the model predictions into much better agreement with the observables. We provide tables of the most highly ranked candidate stream stars for follow-up by ongoing and future spectroscopic surveys.

We present the median-stacked Lyman-α (Lyα) surface brightness profiles of 968 spectroscopically selected Lyα emitting galaxies (LAEs) at redshifts 1.9 < z < 3.5 in the early data of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment. The selected LAEs are high-confidence Lyα detections with high signal-to-noise ratios observed with good seeing conditions (point-spread function FWHM <14), excluding active galactic nuclei. The Lyα luminosities of the LAEs are 10^42.4–10⁴³ erg s⁻¹. We detect faint emission in the median-stacked radial profiles at the level of $(3.6\pm 1.3)\times {10}^{-20}\,\mathrm{erg}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}\,{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}\,{\mathrm{arcsec}}^{-2}$ from the surrounding Lyα halos out to r ≃ 160 kpc (physical). The shape of the median-stacked radial profile is consistent at r < 80 kpc with that of much fainter LAEs at 3 < z < 4 observed with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), indicating that the median-stacked Lyα profiles have similar shapes at redshifts 2 < z < 4 and across a factor of 10 in Lyα luminosity. While we agree with the results from the MUSE sample at r < 80 kpc, we extend the profile over a factor of two in radius. At r > 80 kpc, our profile is flatter than the MUSE model. The measured profile agrees at most radii with that of galaxies in the Byrohl et al. cosmological radiative transfer simulation at z = 3. This suggests that the surface brightness of a Lyα halo at r ≲ 100 kpc is dominated by resonant scattering of Lyα photons from star-forming regions in the central galaxy, whereas at r > 100 kpc, it is dominated by photons from galaxies in surrounding dark matter halos.

Derivation of physical properties of galaxies using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting is a powerful method, but can suffer from various systematics arising from model assumptions. Previously, such biases were mostly studied in the context of individual galaxies. In this study, we investigate potential biases arising from performing the SED fitting on the combined light of two galaxies, as would be the case in postmerger systems. We use the GALEX-SDSS-WISE Legacy Catalog of z < 0.3 galaxies to identify 9000 galaxy pairs that could eventually merge. For these we investigate if the UV/optical SED fitting accurately determines the stellar mass and (specific) star formation rate (sSFRs) if the pair was unresolved (merged). The sum of the stellar masses (and star formation rates (SFRs)) of individual galaxies in the pair establishes the ground truth for these quantities. For star-forming galaxies no biases (<0.1 dex) are found in the stellar mass, SFR, or sSFRs. Moderate systematics in SFR (∼0.1 dex) are found for systems with an extreme contrast in dust content between the two galaxies. We conclude that biases that would arise in the determination of masses and SFRs of postmerger systems on account of the two original galaxies having potentially very different star formation histories and different dust properties are small and that the approach with simple two-component star formation histories is adequate. The approach presented in this study, using flux compositing with empirically determined ground truth, offers new opportunities for testing the results of SED fitting in general.

We investigate the fine-structure [C ii] line at 158 μm as a molecular gas tracer by analyzing the relationship between molecular gas mass (M_mol) and [C ii] line luminosity (L_{[C II]}) in 11,125 z ≃ 6 star-forming, main-sequence galaxies from the simba simulations, with line emission modeled by the Simulator of Galaxy Millimeter/Submillimeter Emission. Though most (∼50%–100%) of the gas mass in our simulations is ionized, the bulk (>50%) of the [C ii] emission comes from the molecular phase. We find a sublinear (slope 0.78 ± 0.01) $\mathrm{log}{L}_{[{\rm{C}}\,{\rm\small{II}}]}\mbox{--}\mathrm{log}{M}_{\mathrm{mol}}$ relation, in contrast with the linear relation derived from observational samples of more massive, metal-rich galaxies at z ≲ 6. We derive a median [C ii]-to-M_mol conversion factor of α_{[C II]} ≃ 18 M_⊙/L_⊙. This is lower than the average value of ≃30 M_⊙/L_⊙ derived from observations, which we attribute to lower gas-phase metallicities in our simulations. Thus, a lower, luminosity-dependent conversion factor must be applied when inferring molecular gas masses from [C ii] observations of low-mass galaxies. For our simulations, [C ii] is a better tracer of the molecular gas than CO J = 1–0, especially at the lowest metallicities, where much of the gas is CO-dark. We find that L_{[C II]} is more tightly correlated with M_mol than with star formation rate (SFR), and both the $\mathrm{log}{L}_{[{\rm{C}}\,{\rm\small{II}}]}\mbox{--}\mathrm{log}{M}_{\mathrm{mol}}$ and $\mathrm{log}{L}_{[{\rm{C}}\,{\rm\small{II}}]}\mbox{--}\mathrm{log}\,\mathrm{SFR}$ relations arise from the Kennicutt–Schmidt relation. Our findings suggest that L_{[C II]} is a promising tracer of the molecular gas at the earliest cosmic epochs.

We perform 2.5-dimensional general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations of black hole accretion disks and disk winds in the range of mass accretion rate from 0.1 to 10^4.5 times the Eddington limit. In this paper, we compare the results of the INAZUMA code, in which the frequency-integrated time-dependent radiation transfer equation is solved in order to evaluate the Eddington tensor, with those of the first momentum (M1) approximation method. In both methods, accretion disks and disk winds appear, and there is no remarkable difference in accretion rate, outflow rate, or luminosity. However, the significant difference in the radiation field appears around the rotation axis. In the M1 method, the radial component of the radiation flux tends to be amplified owing to unphysical radiation collisions. Such an enhancement of the outward radiation flux does not appear in INAZUMA. Also, the problem of radiation not reaching the rotation axis occurs with M1, but not with INAZUMA. Our results indicate that the radiation transfer equation should be solved to obtain the accurate radiation field in the optically thin region around the rotation axis.

Over the past decade, rest-frame color–color diagrams have become popular tools for selecting quiescent galaxies at high redshift, breaking the color degeneracy between quiescent and dust-reddened star-forming galaxies. In this work, we study one such color–color selection tool—the rest-frame U − V versus V − J diagram—by employing mock observations of cosmological galaxy formation simulations. In particular, we conduct numerical experiments assessing both trends in galaxy properties in UVJ space and the color–color evolution of massive galaxies as they quench at redshifts z ∼ 1–2. We find that our models broadly reproduce the observed UVJ diagram at z = 1–2, including (for the first time in a cosmological simulation) reproducing the population of extremely dust-reddened galaxies in the top right of the UVJ diagram. However, our models primarily populate this region with low-mass galaxies and do not produce as clear a bimodality between star-forming and quiescent galaxies as is seen in observations. The former issue is due to an excess of dust in low-mass galaxies and relatively gray attenuation curves in high-mass galaxies, while the latter is due to the overpopulation of the green valley in simba. When investigating the time evolution of galaxies on the UVJ diagram, we find that the quenching pathway on the UVJ diagram is independent of the quenching timescale, and instead dependent primarily on the average specific star formation rate in the 1 Gyr prior to the onset of quenching. Our results support the interpretation of different quenching pathways as corresponding to the divergent evolution of post-starburst and green valley galaxies.

Simulations indicate that the inflow of gas of star-forming galaxies is almost coplanar and corotating with the gas disk, and that the outflow of gas driven by stellar winds and/or supernova explosions is preferentially perpendicular to the disk. This indicates that the galactic gas disk can be treated as a modified accretion disk. In this work, we focus on the metal enhancement in galactic disks in this scenario of gas accretion. Assuming that the star formation rate surface density (Σ_SFR) is of exponential form, we obtain the analytic solution of gas-phase metallicity with only three free parameters: the scale length of Σ_SFR (h_R), the metallicity of the inflowing gas, and the mass-loading factor defined as the wind-driven outflow rate surface density per Σ_SFR. According to this simple model, the negative gradient of gas-phase metallicity is a natural consequence of the radial inflow of cold gas that is continuously enriched by in situ star formation as it moves toward the disk center. We fit the model to the observed metallicity profiles for six nearby galaxies chosen to have well-measured metallicity profiles extending to very large radii. Our model can well characterize the overall features of the observed metallicity profiles. The observed profiles usually show a floor at the outer regions of the disk, corresponding to the metallicity of inflow gas. Furthermore, we find the h_R of Σ_SFR inferred from these fits agree well with independent estimates from Σ_SFR profiles, supporting the basic model.

Type I X-ray bursts (XRBs) are powered by thermonuclear burning on proton-rich unstable nuclides. The construction of burst models with accurate knowledge of nuclear physics is required to properly interpret burst observations. Numerous studies that have investigated the sensitivities of burst models to nuclear inputs have commonly extracted the strength of the NiCu cycle in the rp process, determined by the ⁵⁹Cu(p,α)⁵⁶Ni and ⁵⁹Cu(p,γ)⁶⁰Zn thermonuclear reaction rates, as critical in the determination of reaction flow in the burst. In this study, the strength of the cycle at the XRB temperature range was estimated based on published experimental data. The nuclear properties of the compound nucleus ⁶⁰Zn were evaluated for the ⁵⁹Cu(p,α)⁵⁶Ni and ⁵⁹Cu(p,γ)⁶⁰Zn reaction rate calculations. Monte Carlo rate calculations were conducted to include the large uncertainties of nuclear properties in the calculations. In the current work, a weak NiCu cycle is expected, whereas the rates adopted by the previous studies suggest a strong NiCu cycle. Model simulations were performed with the new rates to assess the impact on Type I XRBs. The results show that the estimated cycle strength does not strongly influence the model predictions of the burst light curve or synthesized abundances.

We analyze the slow periodicities identified in burst sequences from FRB 121102 and FRB 180916 with periods of about 16 and 160 days, respectively, while also addressing the absence of any fast periodicity that might be associated with the spin of an underlying compact object. Both phenomena can be accounted for by a young, highly magnetized, precessing neutron star that emits beamed radiation with significant imposed phase jitter. Sporadic narrow-beam emission into an overall wide solid angle can account for the necessary phase jitter, but the slow periodicities with 25%–55% duty cycles constrain beam traversals to be significantly smaller. Instead, phase jitter may result from variable emission altitudes that yield large retardation and aberration delays. A detailed arrival time analysis for triaxial precession includes wobble of the radio beam and the likely larger, cyclical torque resulting from the changes in the spin–magnetic moment angle. These effects will confound identification of the fast periodicity in sparse data sets longer than about a quarter of a precession cycle unless fitted for and removed as with orbital fitting. Stochastic spin noise, likely to be much larger than in radio pulsars, may hinder detection of any fast periodicity in data spans longer than a few days. These decoherence effects will dissipate as sources of fast radio bursts age, so they may evolve into objects with properties similar to Galactic magnetars.

This paper reports the first possible evidence for the development of the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability at the border of coronal holes separating the associated fast wind from the slower wind originating from adjacent streamer regions. Based on a statistical data set of spectroscopic measurements of the UV corona acquired with the UltraViolet Coronagraph Spectrometer on board the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory during the minimum activity of solar cycle 22, high temperature–velocity correlations are found along the fast/slow solar wind interface region and interpreted as manifestations of KH vortices formed by the roll-up of the shear flow, whose dissipation could lead to higher heating and, because of that, higher velocities. These observational results are supported by solving coupled solar wind and turbulence transport equations including a KH-driven source of turbulence along the tangential velocity discontinuity between faster and slower coronal flows: numerical analysis indicates that the correlation between the solar wind speed and temperature is large in the presence of the shear source of turbulence. These findings suggest that the KH instability may play an important role both in the plasma dynamics and in the energy deposition at the boundaries of coronal holes and equatorial streamers.

Based on observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and Hinode, we analyze the thermodynamic evolution of the supra-arcade fan (SAF) in the 2017 September 10 flare. The SAF presents discontinuous characters during the rising process, indicating a nonuniform process of magnetic reconnection in the solar eruption. The intensity peaks of the high-temperature spectral lines (Fe xxi 1354.08 Å, Fe xxiii 263.76 Å, and Fe xxiv 255.10 Å) basically correspond to the valley of the Doppler velocity and Doppler width. The temperature and density increase spatially at the upper boundary of the SAF. These results indicate that a compressed interface may exist in the SAF, where the plasma environment shows remarkable changes in density, temperature, and turbulence. In view of the fact that the height of the SAF is close to the hard X-ray source, we conclude that the interface could be related to termination shocks (TSs), taking into account the synthetic spectral profiles obtained from numerical experiments. In turn, the variations of the spectral profiles might be useful tools for identifying TSs from EUV spectral observations.

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of multiple ¹²CO, ¹³CO, and C¹⁸O lines and 2.9 mm and 1.3 mm continuum emission toward the nearby interacting luminous infrared galaxy NGC 3110, supplemented with similar spatial resolution Hα, 1.4 GHz continuum, and K-band data. We estimate the typical CO-to-H₂ conversion factor of 1.7 M_⊙ (K km s⁻¹ pc²)⁻¹ within the disk using local thermal equilibrium-based and dust-based H₂ column densities, and measure the 1 kpc scale surface densities of the star formation rate (Σ_SFR), super star clusters (Σ_SSC), molecular gas mass, and star formation efficiency (SFE) toward the entire gas disk. These parameters show a peak in the southern part of the southern spiral arm (SFE ∼ 10^−8.2 yr⁻¹, Σ_SFR ∼ 10^−0.6M_⊙ kpc⁻² yr⁻¹, Σ_SSC ∼ 6.0 kpc⁻²), which is likely attributable to the ongoing tidal interaction with the companion galaxy MCG-01-26-013, as well as toward the circumnuclear region. We also find that thermal free–free emission contributes to a significant fraction of the millimeter continuum emission at the position of the southern peak. These measurements imply that the peak of the southern arm is an active and young star-forming region, whereas the central part of NGC 3110 is a site of long-continued star formation. We suggest that during the early stage of the galaxy–galaxy interaction in which the mass ratio was high in NGC 3110, fragmentation along the main galaxy arms is an important driver of merger-induced star formation, and that massive gas inflow results in dusty nuclear starbursts.

We consider the use of propagating kink waves, such as those observed by the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter, as a diagnostic technique. The transverse structuring of the plasma may be inferred by the frequency-dependent wave damping, which is attributed to resonant absorption. We include the effect of reflection of waves at the loop footpoints, which leads to the asymmetry parameter, describing the ratio of driven wave power at the footpoints becoming weakly constrained. The classical model of resonant absorption based on an exponential damping profile significantly overestimates the damping rate in coronal loops with low density contrast ratios. The use of the exponential profile in an analysis of observations therefore leads to underestimates for the density contrast ratio and associated parameters such as the heating rate following phase mixing.

Recent observations from the MUSTANG2 instrument on the Green Bank Telescope have revealed evidence of enhanced long-wavelength emission in the dust spectral energy distribution (SED) in the Orion Molecular Cloud (OMC) 2/3 filament on 25'' (0.1 pc) scales. Here we present a measurement of the SED on larger spatial scales (map size 05–3° or 3–20 pc), at somewhat lower resolution (120'', corresponding to 0.25 pc at 400 pc) using data from the Herschel satellite and Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). We then extend the 120''-scale investigation to other regions covered in the Herschel Gould Belt Survey (HGBS), specifically the dense filaments in the southerly regions of Orion A, Orion B, and Serpens-S. Our data set in aggregate covers approximately 10 deg², with continuum photometry spanning from 160 μm to 3 mm. These OMC 2/3 data display excess emission at 3 mm, though less (10.9% excess) than what is seen at higher resolution. Strikingly, we find that the enhancement is present even more strongly in the other filaments we targeted, with an average excess of 42.4% and 30/46 slices showing an inconsistency with the modified blackbody to at least 4σ. Applying this analysis to the other targeted regions, we lay the groundwork for future high-resolution analyses. Additionally, we also consider a two-component dust model motivated by Planck results and an amorphous grain dust model. While both of these have been proposed to explain deviations in emission from a generic modified blackbody, we find that they have significant drawbacks, requiring many spectral points or lacking experimental data coverage.

We report on the presence of numerous tiny bright dots in and around an emerging flux region (an X-ray/coronal bright point) observed with SolO's EUI/HRI_EUV in 174 Å. These dots are roundish and have a diameter of 675 ± 300 km, a lifetime of 50 ± 35 s, and an intensity enhancement of 30% ± 10% above their immediate surroundings. About half of the dots remain isolated during their evolution and move randomly and slowly (<10 km s⁻¹). The other half show extensions, appearing as a small loop or surge/jet, with intensity propagations below 30 km s⁻¹. Many of the bigger and brighter HRI_EUV dots are discernible in the SDO/AIA 171 Å channel, have significant emissivity in the temperature range of 1–2 MK, and are often located at polarity inversion lines observed in SDO/HMI LOS magnetograms. Although not as pervasive as in observations, a Bifrost MHD simulation of an emerging flux region does show dots in synthetic Fe ix/x images. These dots in the simulation show distinct Doppler signatures—blueshifts and redshifts coexist, or a redshift of the order of 10 km s⁻¹ is followed by a blueshift of similar or higher magnitude. The synthetic images of O v/vi and Si iv lines, which represent transition region radiation, also show the dots that are observed in Fe ix/x images, often expanded in size, or extended as a loop, and always with stronger Doppler velocities (up to 100 km s⁻¹) than that in Fe ix/x lines. Our observation and simulation results, together with the field geometry of dots in the simulation, suggest that most dots in emerging flux regions form in the lower solar atmosphere (at ≈ 1 Mm) by magnetic reconnection between emerging and preexisting/emerged magnetic field. Some dots might be manifestations of magnetoacoustic shocks through the line formation region of Fe ix/x emission.

We investigate the effect of radio-frequency interference (RFI) excision in estimating the cosmological H i 21 cm power spectrum. Flagging of RFI-contaminated channels results in a nonuniform sampling of the instrumental bandpass response. Hence, the Fourier transformation of visibilities from frequency to delay domain contaminates the higher foreground-free delay modes, and separating the spectrally fluctuating H i signal from spectrally smooth foregrounds becomes challenging. We have done a comparative analysis between two algorithms, one-dimensional CLEAN and least-squares spectral analysis (LSSA), which have been used widely to solve this issue in the literature. We test these algorithms using the simulated SKA-1 Low observations in the presence of different RFI flagging scenarios. We find that, in the presence of random flagging of data, both algorithms perform well and can mitigate the foreground leakage issue. But CLEAN fails to restrict the foreground leakage in the presence of periodic and periodic plus broadband RFI flagging and gives an extra bias to the estimated power spectrum. However, LSSA can restrict the foreground leakage for these RFI flagging scenarios and gives an unbiased estimate of the H i 21 cm power spectrum. We have also applied these algorithms to observations with the upgraded GMRT and found that both CLEAN and LSSA give consistent results in the presence of realistic random flagging scenarios for this observed data set. This comparative analysis demonstrates the effectiveness and robustness of these two algorithms in estimating the H i 21 cm power spectrum from data sets affected by different RFI scenarios.

Due to the lack of a global magnetic field, the charge exchange process between the solar wind protons and Martian hydrogen corona is of critical importance to Mars' atmosphere. The energetic neutral atoms and pickup H⁺ produced during this process can further excite proton aurorae and proton cyclotron waves (PCWs) in the near-Mars space, for which the observational evidence however remains very limited. Here we report a particular event to show that the PCWs and proton aurorae were simultaneously recorded by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft during 10 consecutive orbits. As the byproducts of the charge exchange process, these two phenomena are found to be highly correlated in both space and time, with the correlation coefficient >0.7 between the auroral emissions and PCW amplitudes. Moreover, the wave and ultraviolet measurements show clearly that both the PCWs and proton aurora events tend to occur more frequently and intensively within the stream interaction region, as being strongly modulated by the solar wind activity. Our results indicate that the solar wind can directly transport energy and particles into the near-Mars environment, leading to the simultaneous enhancements of plasma wave activity and proton precipitation, which therefore helps comprehend the significant role of the solar wind activity and charge exchange process in driving the energy budget to the Martian upper atmosphere.

A new nonthermal phenomenon caused by streaming cosmic rays (CRs) in the universe is proposed. The streaming CRs drive the return current of thermal electrons to compensate for the CR current. Then, electric fields are induced by the resistivity of the return current. It is shown that the resistive electric fields can accelerate secondary electrons generated by the streaming CRs. This is the self-discharge by streaming CRs. In this work, the self-discharge condition and the condition for runaway acceleration of secondary electrons are presented. The self-discharge creates high-energy secondary electrons, resulting in enhancements of ionization and nonthermal emission including the Kα emission line of neutral iron. After the self-discharge, the return current of thermal electrons is replaced by the electric current of secondary electrons. Since some generation and amplification of magnetic fields are driven by the return current of thermal electrons, the self-discharge can significantly influence them.

We measured the nickel isotope composition of troilites from chondritic meteorites using the NanoSIMS to put constraints on the abundance of iron-60 in the early solar system. The troilites were selected from petrologic type 3 ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites. Based on petrographic observations and mineral chemistry, the troilites targeted for isotope analysis crystallized from melts, most likely in a nebular setting. Our isotope analyses did not reveal any significant correlation between nickel-60 enrichments and Fe/Ni ratios, either in the entire set of troilite grains or in individual troilites. The average inferred initial ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe ratio of the studied troilites (i.e., the ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe ratio calculated for the entire troilite population) is 1.05 (±1.48) ×10⁻⁸. This value is very similar to those estimated in the past for Semarkona chondrules, angrites, as well as diogenites and eucrites, based on the isotope analyses of bulk samples (10⁻⁹–10⁻⁸), but about two orders of magnitude smaller than the average initial ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe ratios inferred previously for Semarkona troilites and many chondrules from ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites (10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶) using in situ analysis techniques. Based on petrographic evidence, and the generally unequilibrated nature of our samples, as well as on the timing of chondrule formation and planetary evolution, the lack of discernible signs of in situ iron-60 decay in the studied troilites is probably unrelated to metamorphic re-equilibration, and it is also not the result of a late formation of the troilites. We suggest that the highest inferred initial ⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe ratios reported in the literature are probably inaccurate.

We present results of an optical spectroscopic survey using SALT and the Nordic Optical Telescope to build a Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-infrared color-based, dust-unbiased sample of powerful radio-bright (>200 mJy at 1.4 GHz) active galactic nuclei (AGN) for the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS). Our sample has 250 AGN (median z = 1.8) showing emission lines, 26 with no emission lines, and 27 without optical counterparts. Overall, our sample is fainter (Δi = 0.6 mag) and redder (Δ(g−i) = 0.2 mag) than radio-selected quasars, and representative of fainter quasar population detected in optical surveys. About 20% of the sources are narrow-line AGN (NLAGN)–65% of these, at z < 0.5 are galaxies without strong nuclear emission, and 10% at z > 1.9, have emission line ratios similar to radio galaxies. The farthest NLAGN in our sample is M1513-2524 (z_em = 3.132), and the largest radio source (size ∼330 kpc) is M0909-3133 (z_em = 0.884). We discuss in detail 110 AGN at 1.9 < z < 3.5. Despite representing the radio loudest quasars (median R = 3685), their Eddington ratios are similar to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasars having lower R. We detect four C iv broad-absorption line (BAL) QSOs, all among AGN with least R, and highest black hole masses and Eddington ratios. The BAL detection rate (${4}_{-2}^{+3}$%) is consistent with that seen in extremely powerful (L_1.4GHz > 10²⁵ W Hz⁻¹) quasars. Using optical light curves, radio polarization, and γ-ray detections, we identify seven high-probability BL Lacertae objects. We also summarize the full MALS footprint to search for H i 21 cm and OH 18 cm lines at z < 2.