adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
The TRENDS High-contrast Imaging Survey. VIII. Compendium of Benchmark Objects

The physical properties of faint stellar and substellar objects often rely on indirect, model-dependent estimates. For example, the masses of brown dwarfs are usually inferred using evolutionary models, which are age dependent and have yet to be properly calibrated. With the goal of identifying new benchmark objects to test low-mass stellar and substellar models, we have carried out a comprehensive adaptive optics survey as part of the TaRgetting bENchmark-objects with the Doppler Spectroscopy high-contrast imaging program. Using legacy radial velocity measurements from the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer at Keck, we have identified several dozen stars that show long-term Doppler accelerations. We present follow-up high-contrast observations from the campaign and report the discovery of 31 comoving companions, as well as 11 strong candidate companions, to solar-type stars with well-determined parallax and metallicity values. Benchmark objects of this nature lend themselves to orbit determinations, dynamical mass estimates, and independent compositional assessment. This compendium of benchmark objects will serve as a convenient test group to substantiate theoretical evolutionary and atmospheric models near the hydrogen fusing limit.

Keywords: astrometric binary stars; binary stars; visual binary stars; spectroscopic binary stars; direct imaging; brown dwarfs; low mass stars; radial velocity; m stars
Quiescent Low-mass Galaxies Observed by JWST in the Epoch of Reionization

The surprising JWST discovery of a quiescent, low-mass (M ⋆ = 108.7 M ⊙) galaxy at redshift z = 7.3 (JADES-GS-z7-01-QU) represents a unique opportunity to study the imprint of feedback processes on early galaxy evolution. We build a sample of 130 low-mass (M ⋆ ≲ 109.5 M ⊙) galaxies from the SERRA cosmological zoom-in simulations, which show a feedback-regulated, bursty star formation history (SFH). The fraction of time spent in an active phase increases with the stellar mass from f duty ≈ 0.6 at M ⋆ ≈ 107.5 M ⊙ to ≈0.99 at M ⋆ ≥ 109 M ⊙, and it is in agreement with the value f duty ≈ 0.75 estimated for JADES-GS-z7-01-QU. On average, 30% of the galaxies are quiescent in the range 6 < z < 8.4; they become the dominant population at M ⋆ ≲ 108.3 M ⊙. However, none of these quiescent systems matches the spectral energy distribution of JADES-GS-z7-01-QU, unless their SFH is artificially truncated a few Myr after the main star formation peak. As supernova feedback can only act on a longer timescale (≳30 Myr), this implies that the observed abrupt quenching must be caused by a faster physical mechanism, such as radiation-driven winds from young massive stars and/or an active galactic nucleus.

Keywords: high-redshift galaxies; galaxy evolution; galaxy formation; cosmology
Structure of a Quasi-parallel Shock Front

The aim of this study is to compare observations of the magnetic field structure of observed quasi-parallel collisionless shock fronts with the results obtained analytically. A two-fluid analytic model of the shock front structure was derived under the assumptions that the shock is stationary and planar. The ion and electron kinetic pressures were assumed to be scalar, and polytropic state equations were used. The results of this analytical approach show that the shock magnetic field has an oscillatory structure. Venus Express (VEX) observations of the Venusian bow shock have been used to validate these theoretical findings. The Venusian bow shock and corresponding foreshock are significantly smaller than those of Earth. Thus, observations of the underlying structure of the quasi-parallel shock at Venus are not masked by the presence of high-amplitude waves and nonlinear structures originating in the foreshock. It is shown that the structure of the shock front, as observed by VEX, has a very strong similarity to the structure obtained analytically.

Keywords: shocks; planetary bow shocks
Probabilistic Modeling of Asteroid Diameters from Gaia DR2 Errors

The Gaia Data Release 2 provides precise astrometry for nearly 1.5 billion sources across the entire sky, including several thousand asteroids. In this work, we provide evidence that reasonably large asteroids (diameter >20 km) have high correlations with Gaia relative flux uncertainties and systematic R.A. errors. We further capture these correlations using a logistic Bayesian additive regression tree model. We compile a small list of probable large asteroids that can be targeted for direct diameter measurements and shape reconstruction.

Keywords: solar system; asteroids; astrostatistics techniques
Are Centaurs Comet Nuclei?

Centaurs are an interesting class of small bodies orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune. Several show some sort of activity and are classified as comets, in addition to minor planets. However, is activity a sufficient criterion for comet classification? The ancient definition of a comet as a small body orbiting the Sun that shows activity needs to be revisited in light of detailed knowledge gathered by spacecraft missions and modern telescopes. A new definition should take into account physico-chemical properties, dynamics, time and place of origin, activity mechanisms, and other important aspects. In this paper, the ability of Centaurs to bind an atmospheres is discussed from a cometary perspective. Large Centaurs may represent transition objects between comets with extensive exospheres and bodies with thin, tightly bound atmospheres, typical of some planets and large satellites. In this regard, large Centaurs are more like comets, sharing the characteristic of unbound gaseous atmospheres.

Keywords: comets; comet nuclei; centaur group
Radio Recombination Line Observations toward the Fermi Bubble

We use Green Bank Telescope radio recombination line (RRL) observations to constrain the morphology of warm ionized gas in the Fermi Bubble. Our limits on hydrogen RRL emission allow us to constrain the emission measure of the ionized gas and to estimate the beam filling factor of previous Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper observations. Our results indicate that the warm ionized gas on the Fermi Bubble boundary spans at least 1000 pc2 with a depth of less than a pc, suggesting either a sheet-like structure or a structure consisting of many small clumps. Our data will enable us to properly calibrate future Hα observations and aid in calculating the Lyman continuum flux needed to maintain the ionized gas.

Keywords: warm ionized medium; interstellar phases; radio astronomy
ALMA Detection of Dust Trapping around Lagrangian Points in the LkCa 15 Disk

We present deep high-resolution (~50 mas, 8 au) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 0.88 and 1.3 mm continuum observations of the LkCa 15 disk. The emission morphology shows an inner cavity and three dust rings at both wavelengths, but with slightly narrower rings at the longer wavelength. Along a faint ring at 42 au, we identify two excess emission features at ~10σ significance at both wavelengths: one as an unresolved clump and the other as an extended arc, separated by roughly 120° in azimuth. The clump is unlikely to be a circumplanetary disk (CPD) as the emission peak shifts between the two wavelengths even after accounting for orbital motion. Instead, the morphology of the 42 au ring strongly resembles the characteristic horseshoe orbit produced in planet-disk interaction models, where the clump and the arc trace dust accumulation around Lagrangian points L 4 and L 5, respectively. The shape of the 42 au ring, dust trapping in the outer adjacent ring, and the coincidence of the horseshoe ring location with a gap in near-IR scattered light, are all consistent with the scenario of planet sculpting, with the planet likely having a mass between those of Neptune and Saturn. We do not detect pointlike emission associated with a CPD around the putative planet location (0.″27 in projected separation from the central star at a position angle of ~60°), with upper limits of 70 and 33 μJy at 0.88 and 1.3 mm, respectively, corresponding to dust mass upper limits of 0.02-0.03 M ⊕.

Keywords: planetary-disk interactions; protoplanetary disks; exoplanet formation
Gravity Modes on Rapidly Rotating Accreting White Dwarfs and Their Variation after Dwarf Novae

Accreting white dwarfs (WDs) in cataclysmic variables (CVs) show short-period (tens of minutes) brightness variations that are consistent with nonradial oscillations similar to gravity (g) modes observed in isolated WDs. The dwarf nova GW Librae was the first CV in which nonradial oscillations were observed and continues to be the best-studied accreting WD displaying these pulsations. Unlike isolated WDs, accreting WDs rotate rapidly, with spin periods comparable to or shorter than typical low-order oscillation periods. Accreting WDs also have a different relationship between their interior and surface temperatures. The surface temperature of an accreting WD varies on a months-to-year timescale between dwarf nova accretion events, allowing study of how this temperature change affects g-mode behavior. Here we show results from adiabatic seismological calculations for accreting WDs, focusing on low-order (ℓ = 1) modes. We demonstrate how g-modes vary in response to temperature changes in the subsurface layers due to a dwarf nova accretion event. These calculations include rotation nonperturbatively, required by the high spin rate. We discuss the thermal history of these accreting WDs and compare the seismological properties with and without rotation. Comparison of g-mode frequencies to observed objects may allow inference of features of the structure of the WD such as mass, surface abundance, accretion history, and more. The variation of mode frequencies during cooling after an outburst provides a novel method of identifying modes.

Keywords: white dwarf stars; cataclysmic variable stars; asteroseismology; stellar oscillations; classical novae
Statistics of Galactic-scale Quasar Pairs at Cosmic Noon

The statistics of galactic-scale quasar pairs can elucidate our understanding of the dynamical evolution of supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs, the duty cycles of quasar activity in mergers, or even the nature of dark matter, but they have been challenging to measure at cosmic noon, the prime epoch of massive galaxy and SMBH formation. Here we measure a double quasar fraction of ~6.2 ± 0.5 × 10-4 integrated over ~0.″3-3″ separations (projected physical separations of ~3-30 kpc at z ~ 2) in luminous (L bol > 1045.8 erg s-1) unobscured quasars at 1.5 < z < 3.5 using Gaia EDR3-resolved pairs around SDSS DR16 quasars. The measurement was based on a sample of 60 Gaia-resolved double quasars (out of 487 Gaia pairs dominated by quasar+star superpositions) at these separations, corrected for pair completeness in Gaia, which we quantify as functions of pair separation, magnitude of the primary, and magnitude contrast. The double quasar fraction increases toward smaller separations by a factor of ~5 over these scales. The division between physical quasar pairs and lensed quasars in our sample is currently unknown, requiring dedicated follow-up observations (in particular, deep, subarcsecond-resolution IR imaging for the closest pairs). Intriguingly, at this point, the observed pair statistics are in rough agreement with theoretical predictions both for the lensed quasar population in mock catalogs and for dual quasars in cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. Upcoming wide-field imaging/spectroscopic space missions such as Euclid, CSST, and Roman, combined with targeted follow-up observations, will conclusively measure the abundances and host galaxy properties of galactic-scale quasar pairs, offset AGNs, and subarcsecond lensed quasars across cosmic time.

Keywords: black hole physics; active galaxies; double quasars
Snowflakes in a Furnace: Formation of CO and Dust in a Recurrent Nova Eruption

We report the detection of carbon monoxide (CO) and dust, formed under hostile conditions, in recurrent nova V745 Sco about 8.7 days after its 2014 outburst. The formation of molecules or dust has not been recorded previously in the ejecta of a recurrent nova. The mass and temperature of the CO and dust are estimated to be T CO = 2250 ± 250 K, M CO = (1-5) × 10-8 M ⊙, and T dust = 1000 ± 50 K, M dust ~ 10-8-10-9 M ⊙, respectively. At the time of their detection, the shocked gas was at a high temperature of ~107 K as evidenced by the presence of coronal lines. The ejecta were simultaneously irradiated by a large flux of soft X-ray radiation from the central white dwarf. Molecules and dust are not expected to form and survive in such harsh conditions; they are like snowflakes in a furnace. However, it has been posited in other studies that, as the nova ejecta plow through the red giant's wind, a region exists between the forward and reverse shocks that is cool, dense and clumpy where the dust and CO could likely form. We speculate that this site may also be a region of particle acceleration, thereby contributing to the generation of γ-rays.

Keywords: recurrent novae; chemical abundances; dust shells; explosive nucleosynthesis
Fast Acceleration of Transrelativistic Electrons in Astrophysical Turbulence

Highly energetic, relativistic electrons are commonly present in many astrophysical systems, from solar flares to the intracluster medium, as indicated by observed electromagnetic radiation. However, open questions remain about the mechanisms responsible for their acceleration, and possible reacceleration. Ubiquitous plasma turbulence is one of the possible universal mechanisms. We study the energization of transrelativistic electrons in turbulence using a hybrid particle-in-cell method, which provides a realistic model of Alfvénic turbulence from MHD to subion scales, and test particle simulations for electrons. We find that, depending on the electron initial energy and turbulence strength, electrons may undergo a fast and efficient phase of energization due to the magnetic curvature drift during the time they are trapped in dynamic magnetic structures. In addition, electrons are accelerated stochastically, which is a slower process that yields lower maximum energies. The combined effect of these two processes determines the overall electron acceleration. With appropriate turbulence parameters, we find that superthermal electrons can be accelerated up to relativistic energies. For example, with heliospheric parameters and a relatively high turbulence level, rapid energization to megaelectronvolt energies is possible.

Keywords: interplanetary particle acceleration; interplanetary turbulence; plasma astrophysics
The IceCube Pie Chart: Relative Source Contributions to the Cosmic Neutrino Flux

Neutrino events from IceCube have recently been associated with multiple astrophysical sources. Interestingly, these likely detections represent three distinct astrophysical source types: active galactic nuclei (AGNs), blazars, and tidal disruption events (TDEs). Here, we compute the expected contributions of AGNs, blazars, and TDEs to the overall cosmic neutrino flux detected by IceCube based on the associated events, IceCube's sensitivity, and the source types' astrophysical properties. We find that, despite being the most commonly identified sources, blazars cannot contribute more than 11% of the total flux (90% credible level), consistent with existing limits from stacked searches. On the other hand, we find that either AGNs or TDEs could contribute more than 50% of the total flux (90% credible level), although stacked searches further limit the TDE contribution to ≲30%. We also find that so-far unknown source types contribute at least 10% of the total cosmic flux with a probability of 80%. We assemble a pie chart that shows the most likely fractional contribution of each source type to IceCube's total neutrino flux.

Keywords: cosmological neutrinos; neutrino astronomy
Effect of Sea-ice Drift on the Onset of Snowball Climate on Rapidly Rotating Aqua-planets

Previous studies have shown that sea-ice drift effectively promotes the onset of a globally ice-covered snowball climate for paleo Earth and for tidally locked planets around low-mass stars. Here, we investigate whether sea-ice drift can influence the stellar flux threshold for a snowball climate onset on rapidly rotating aqua-planets around a Sun-like star. Using a fully coupled atmosphere-land-ocean-sea-ice model and turning sea-ice drift on or off, circular orbits with no eccentricity (e = 0) and an eccentric orbit (e = 0.2) are examined. When sea-ice drift is turned off, the stellar flux threshold for the snowball onset is 1250-1275 and 1173-1199 W m-2 for e = 0 and 0.2, respectively. The difference is mainly due to the poleward retreat of sea ice and snow edges when the planet is close to the perihelion in the eccentric orbit. When sea-ice drift is turned on, the respective stellar flux threshold is 1335-1350 and 1250-1276 W m-2. This means that sea-ice drift increases the snowball onset threshold by ≈80 W m-2 for both e = 0 and 0.2, promoting the formation of a snowball climate state. We further show that oceanic dynamics have a small effect, ≤26 W m-2, on the snowball onset threshold. This is because oceanic heat transport becomes weaker and weaker as the sea-ice edge is approaching the equator. These results imply that sea-ice dynamics are important for the climate of planets close to the outer edge of the habitable zone, but oceanic heat transport is less important.

Keywords: extrasolar rocky planets; habitable planets; astrobiology; hydrodynamics; computational methods
The mini-JPAS: A Study of the Wavelength Dependence of the Photon Response Nonuniformity of the JPAS-Pathfinder Camera

Understanding the origins of small-scale flats of CCDs and their wavelength-dependent variations plays an important role in high-precision photometric, astrometric, and shape measurements of astronomical objects. Based on the unique flat data of 47 narrowband filters provided by JPAS-Pathfinder, we analyze the variations of small-scale flats as a function of wavelength. We find moderate variations (from about 1.0% at 390 nm to 0.3% at 890 nm) of small-scale flats among different filters, increasing toward shorter wavelengths. Small-scale flats of two filters close in central wavelengths are strongly correlated. We then use a simple physical model to reproduce the observed variations to a precision of about ±0.14% by considering the variations of charge collection efficiencies, effective areas, and thicknesses between CCD pixels. We find that the wavelength-dependent variations of the small-scale flats of the JPAS-Pathfinder camera originate from inhomogeneities of the quantum efficiency (particularly charge collection efficiency), as well as the effective area and thickness of CCD pixels. The former dominates the variations in short wavelengths, while the latter two dominate at longer wavelengths. The effects on proper flat-fielding, as well as on photometric/flux calibrations for photometric/slitless spectroscopic surveys, are discussed, particularly in blue filters/wavelengths. We also find that different model parameters are sensitive to flats of different wavelengths, depending on the relations between the electron absorption depth, photon absorption length, and CCD thickness. In order to model the wavelength-dependent variations of small-scale flats, a small number (around 10) of small-scale flats with well-selected wavelengths are sufficient to reconstruct small-scale flats in other wavelengths.

Keywords: ccd observation; ccd photometry; flux calibration; astronomy data reduction
Self-consistent Analysis of Stellar Clusters: An Application to HST Data of the Halo Globular Cluster NGC 6752

The Bayesian isochrone fitting using the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is applied, to derive the probability distribution of the parameters age, metallicity, reddening, and absolute distance modulus. We introduce the SIRIUS code by means of simulated color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), including the analysis of multiple stellar populations (MPs). The population tagging is applied from the red giant branch to the bottom of the main sequence. Through sanity checks using synthetic Hubble Space Telescope CMDs of globular clusters we verify the code reliability in the context of simple and MPs. In such tests, the formal uncertainties in age or age difference, metallicity, reddening, and absolute distance modulus can reach 400 Myr, 0.03 dex, 0.01 mag, and 0.03 mag, respectively. We apply the method to analyze NGC 6752, using Dartmouth stellar evolutionary models. Assuming a single stellar population, we derive an age of 13.7 ± 0.5 Gyr and a distance of ${d}_{\odot }=4.11\pm 0.08\,\mathrm{kpc}$ , with the latter in agreement within 3σ with the inverse Gaia parallax. In the analysis of the MPs, three populations are clearly identified. From the Chromosome Map and UV/Optical two-color diagrams inspection, we found a fraction of stars of 25 ± 5, 46 ± 7, and 29 ± 5 %, for the first, second, and third generations, respectively. These fractions are in good agreement with the literature. An age difference of 500 ± 410 Myr between the first and the third generation is found, with the uncertainty decreasing to 400 Myr when the helium enhancement is taken into account.

Keywords: bayesian statistics; globular star clusters; open star clusters; hertzsprung russell diagram
Dependence of the Fundamental Plane of Early-type Galaxies on Age and Internal Structure

We investigate the scatter in the fundamental plane (FP) of early-type galaxies (ETGs) and its dependence on age and internal structure of ETGs, using 16,283 ETGs with Mr ≤ -19.5 and 0.025 ≤ z < 0.055 in Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. We use the relation between the age of ETGs and photometric parameters such as color, absolute magnitude, and central velocity dispersion of ETGs and find that the scatter in the FP depends on age. The FP of old ETGs with age ≳9 Gyr has a smaller scatter of ∼0.06 dex (∼14%), while that of young ETGs with age ≲6 Gyr has a larger scatter of ∼0.075 dex (∼17%). In the case of young ETGs, less compact ETGs have a smaller scatter in the FP (∼0.065 dex; ∼15%) than more compact ones (∼0.10 dex; ∼23%). On the other hand, the scatter in the FP of old ETGs does not depend on the compactness of galaxy structure. Thus, among the subpopulations of ETGs, compact young ETGs have the largest scatter in the FP. This large scatter in compact young ETGs is caused by ETGs that have low dynamical mass-to-light ratio (Mdyn/L) and blue color in the central regions. By comparing with a simple model of the galaxy that has experienced a gas-rich major merger, we find that the scenario of recent gas-rich major merger can reasonably explain the properties of the compact young ETGs with excessive light for a given mass (low Mdyn/L) and blue central color.

Keywords: early-type galaxies; galaxy evolution; galaxy colors; galaxy properties; galaxy mergers; red sequence galaxies; galaxy ages; galaxy structure