adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
On the Roles of Stellar Rotation and Binarity in NGC 2423's Main-sequence Turnoff Region

Research has shown that many young and intermediate-age clusters (younger than ∼2 Gyr) have extended main sequences and extended main-sequence turnoffs (eMSTOs), which cannot be adequately described by a single isochrone. The reason for the extended main sequences is now known, with the most probable cause being the fast rotation of stars. However, a significant fraction of slowly rotating stars form a younger stellar population than their fast-rotating counterparts, leading to speculation that they have undergone rotational mixing processes internally. One speculation is that a considerable number of slowly rotating stars reside in close binary systems, where tidal forces from companion stars are the cause of their rotational deceleration. In this work, we report a relatively old open star cluster in the Milky Way, NGC 2423 (∼1 Gyr old), which exhibits an apparent eMSTO. As anticipated, many characteristics of NGC 2423 indicate that its eMSTO is driven by stellar rotations. Our calculations indicate that if slowly rotating stars commonly have a close companion star, they should exhibit significant differences in radial velocities observationally, and binary systems that can be tidally locked within the age of NGC 2423 should have a mass ratio close to 1. However, none of these predictions align with our observations. Interestingly, among the only two equal-mass binary systems in the observed region for which spectroscopic data could be obtained, we discovered that one of them is a tidally locked binary system. This further suggests the validity of our numerical simulation results.

Keywords: open star clusters; star clusters; stellar rotation
On the Detectability of Post-common-envelope Binary Central Stars of Planetary Nebulae

Common envelope evolution is widely accepted as the principal shaping agent in the formation of aspherical planetary nebulae. However, only some 20% of planetary nebulae are found to host post-common-envelope binary central stars. To probe the detectability of post-common-envelope binary central stars, and their potential to evade detection, we simulate the light curves of an array of these systems varying their stellar and orbital parameters. We find that while binaries with late-type companions and/or long orbital periods will likely go undetected, they are unlikely to represent a large fraction of the overall post-common-envelope central star population.

Keywords: common envelope binary stars; planetary nebulae
Improving Photometric Redshift Estimates with Training Sample Augmentation

Large imaging surveys will rely on photometric redshifts (photo-z's), which are typically estimated through machine-learning methods. Currently planned spectroscopic surveys will not be deep enough to produce a representative training sample for Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), so we seek methods to improve the photo-z estimates that arise from nonrepresentative training samples. Spectroscopic training samples for photo-z's are biased toward redder, brighter galaxies, which also tend to be at lower redshift than the typical galaxy observed by LSST, leading to poor photo-z estimates with outlier fractions nearly 4 times larger than for a representative training sample. In this Letter, we apply the concept of training sample augmentation, where we augment simulated nonrepresentative training samples with simulated galaxies possessing otherwise unrepresented features. When we select simulated galaxies with (g-z) color, i-band magnitude, and redshift outside the range of the original training sample, we are able to reduce the outlier fraction of the photo-z estimates for simulated LSST data by nearly 50% and the normalized median absolute deviation (NMAD) by 56%. When compared to a fully representative training sample, augmentation can recover nearly 70% of the degradation in the outlier fraction and 80% of the degradation in NMAD. Training sample augmentation is a simple and effective way to improve training samples for photo-z's without requiring additional spectroscopic samples.

Keywords: observational cosmology
The Luminosity Function of Bright QSOs at z ∼ 4 and Implications for the Cosmic Ionizing Background

Based on results by recent surveys, the number of bright quasars at redshifts z > 3 is being constantly revised upward. The current consensus is that at bright magnitudes (M1450 ≤ -27) the number densities of such sources could have been underestimated by a factor of 30%-40%. In the framework of the QUBRICS survey, we identified 58 bright QSOs at 3.6 ≤ z ≤ 4.2, with magnitudes ipsf ≤ 18, in an area of 12400 deg2. The uniqueness of our survey is underlined by the fact that it allows us, for the first time, to extend the sampled absolute magnitude range up to M1450 = -29.5. We derived a bright-end slope of β = -4.025 and a space density at <M1450> = -28.75 of 2.61 × 10-10 Mpc-3 comoving, after taking into account the estimated incompleteness of our observations. Taking into account the results of fainter surveys, active galactic nuclei (AGNs) brighter than M1450 = -23 could produce at least half of the ionizing emissivity at z ∼ 4. Considering a mean escape fraction of 0.7 for the QSO and AGN population, combined with a mean free path of 41.3 proper Mpc at z = 3.9, we derive a photoionization rate of ${\rm{Log}}({\rm{\Gamma }}\left[{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}\right])=-{12.17}_{-0.07}^{+0.13}$ , produced by AGNs at M1450 < -18, that is, ∼100% of the measured ionizing background at z ∼ 4.

Keywords: quasars; surveys; cosmology
Late Afterglow Bump/Plateau around the Jet Break: Signature of a Free-to-shocked Wind Environment in Gamma-Ray Burst

A number of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) exhibit the simultaneous bumps in their optical and X-ray afterglows around the jet break. These bumps are similar to the afterglows of GRB 170817A, except preceded by a long shallow decay. Its origin is unclear. We suggest that these late simultaneous bumps may sound a transition of circumburst environment from a free-wind medium to a constant density medium, e.g., the shocked-wind medium. In this paper, we study the emission of an external-forward shock propagating in a free-to-shocked wind environment at different viewing angles. The late simultaneous bumps/plateaux followed by a steep decay are found in the optical and X-ray afterglows for high-viewing-angle observers. In addition, these theoretical bumps are preceded by a long plateau or shallow decay, which is formed during the external-forward shock propagating in the free-wind environment. For low-viewing-angle observers, the above bumps also appear but only in the situation where the structured jet has a low characteristic angle and the deceleration radius of the in-core jet flow is at around or beyond the free-wind boundary. We search GRBs for afterglows with the late simultaneous optical and X-ray bumps followed by a steep decay. GRBs 120326A, 100901A, 100814A, and 120404A are obtained. We find that an off-core (in-core) observed external-forward shock in a free-to-shocked wind environment can well explain the optical and X-ray afterglows in GRBs 120326A, 100901A, and 100814A (GRB 120404A).

Keywords: gamma-ray bursts; interstellar medium; interstellar medium wind
Signatures of Helium Continuum in Cool Flare Loops Observed by SDO/AIA

We present an analysis of off-limb cool flare loops observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) during the gradual phase of SOL2017-09-10T16:06 X8.2-class flare. In the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) channels starting from the 335 Å one, cool loops appear as dark structures against the bright loop arcade. These dark structures were precisely coaligned (spatially and temporally) with loops observed by Swedish Solar Telescope (SST) in emission lines of hydrogen and ionized calcium. A recently published semi-empirical model of cool loops based on SST observations serves to predict the level of hydrogen and helium recombination continua. The continua were synthesized using an approximate non-LTE (I.e., departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium) approach and theoretical spectra were then transformed to AIA signals. Comparison with signals detected inside the dark loops shows that only in AIA 211 Å channel the computed level of recombination continua is consistent with observations for some models, while in all other channels that are more distant from the continua edges the synthetic continuum is far too low. In analogy with on-disk observations of flares we interpret the surplus emission as due to numerous EUV lines emitted from hot but faint loops in front of the cool ones. Finally we briefly comment on failure of the standard absorption model when used for analysis of the dark-loop brightness.

Keywords: solar flares; solar coronal loops; solar extreme ultraviolet emission; solar flare spectra; radiative transfer
Massive Stars in the SDSS-IV-APOGEE Survey: Wolf-Rayet Stars of the WN Type

In this paper, we describe the results obtained in our study of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars of the WN type, using the APOGEE2 spectrographs. The APOGEE2 WN star near-infrared spectra presented here were selected through a careful examination of the APOGEE2 DR16 sample, being compound of at least one exemplar of each Wolf-Rayet star from WN4 to WN11 types. Besides the APOGEE2 WN sample, we also identified three new Galactic exemplars of the WN type. The first is WR 147-1, a narrow-lined Wolf-Rayet star of the WN4-5 type located in the direction of the Cygnus-X North complex. The two remaining objects, WR 48-11 and WR 48-12, are found at projected angular distances of several arcminutes southwest from the Danks 1 cluster. WR 48-12 has an estimated heliocentric distance of {7.0}-3.0+5.0 kpc, which is not compatible (within the quoted uncertainties) with that of about 3.8 ± 0.6 kpc for the G305 complex. On the other hand, WR 48-11 has a probable heliocentric distance of {19.0}-4.7+6.5 kpc, which is about three times that of the former, implying that it is probably placed well behind the G305 complex, perhaps at the outermost portion of the Perseus arm.

Keywords: stellar types; o stars
A Deep Redshift Survey of the Perseus Cluster (A426): Spatial Distribution and Kinematics of Galaxies

We study the global kinematics of the Perseus galaxy cluster (A426) at redshift z = 0.017 using a large sample of galaxies from our new MMT/Hectospec spectroscopic observation for this cluster. The sample includes 1447 galaxies with measured redshifts within 60' from the cluster center (1148 from this MMT/Hectospec program and 299 from the literature). The resulting spectroscopic completeness is 67% at r-band apparent magnitude r Petro,0 ≤ 18.0 within 60' from the cluster center. To identify cluster member galaxies in this sample, we develop a new open-source Python package, CausticSNUpy. This code implements the algorithm of the caustic technique and yields 418 member galaxies within 60' of the cluster. We study the cluster using this sample of member galaxies. The cluster shows no significant signal of global rotation. A statistical test shows that the cluster does not have a noticeable substructure within 30'. We find two central regions where the X-ray-emitting intracluster medium and galaxies show significant velocity differences (>7σ). On a large scale, however, the overall morphology and kinematics between the intracluster medium and galaxies agree well. Our results suggest that the Perseus cluster is a relaxed system and has not experienced a recent merger.

Keywords: intracluster medium; perseus cluster; redshift surveys; galaxy clusters; catalogs
Identifying Ultracool Binary Systems using Machine Learning Methods

Ultracool spectral binaries are unresolved pairs of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs revealed by peculiarities in their combined light spectra. Methods to identify these systems have relied on spectral indices, which have known selection biases. We report on a pilot study examining the application of machine learning methods to identify ultracool spectral binaries. Using a sample of single and binary templates constructed from low-resolution, near-infrared spectra, we trained a random forest model to identify binaries composed of M7-L7 primaries and T1-T8 secondaries. We find that uniform data preparation and balancing of the training sample are critical to building an effective model. Our model achieves precisions of ≥95%, confirms known spectral binaries, and identifies new spectral features sensitive to multiplicity, illustrating the utility of machine learning methods to identify these rare systems.

Keywords: brown dwarfs; close binary stars; l dwarfs; m dwarf stars; t dwarfs
Optical Constants of Martian Dust Analogs at UV-Visible-Near-infrared Wavelengths

We present an advanced light-scattering model to retrieve the optical constants of three Martian dust analogs: Johnson Space Center regolith simulant, Enhanced Mojave Mars Simulant, and Mars Global Simulant. The samples are prepared to have narrow particle-size distributions within the geometric-optics domain. We carry out laboratory measurements to obtain the particle-size distributions, shapes, and diffuse reflectance spectra of the Martian analogs deposited on a surface. Our model framework includes a ray-optics code to compute scattering properties for individual particles, and a radiative-transfer treatment to simulate the surface. The irregular shapes of the dust particles are taken into account in the model. We compare our derived imaginary parts of the refractive indices with those in the literature and find that they are much smaller than the ones that are commonly used for Martian dust. A sensitivity study shows that the retrieved optical constants are sensitive to the particle shape, which needs to be accounted for in applications that use different shapes. Finally, the derived values are validated by using them to reproduce the reflectance spectrum of the Martian surface regolith as observed by the Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery instrument on board the ExoMars mission.

Keywords: mars; computational methods; planetary surfaces
The Accretion History of AGN: The Spectral Energy Distributions of X-Ray-luminous Active Galactic Nuclei

Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from X-ray to far-infrared (FIR) wavelengths are presented for a sample of 1246 X-ray-luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs; L 0.5-10 keV > 1043 erg s-1), with z spec < 1.2, selected from Stripe 82X, COSMOS, and GOODS-N/S. The rest-frame SEDs show a wide spread (~2.5 dex) in the relative strengths of broad continuum features at X-ray, ultraviolet (UV), mid-infrared (MIR), and FIR wavelengths. A linear correlation (log-log slope of 0.7 ± 0.04) is found between L MIR and L X. There is significant scatter in the relation between the L UV and L X owing to heavy obscuration; however, the most luminous and unobscured AGNs show a linear correlation (log-log slope of 0.8 ± 0.06) in the relation above this scatter. The relation between L FIR and L X is predominantly flat, but with decreasing dispersion at L X > 1044 erg s-1. The ratio between the "galaxy-subtracted" bolometric luminosity and the intrinsic L X increases from a factor of ~10 to 70 from log L bol/(erg s-1) = 44.5 to 46.5. Characteristic SED shapes have been determined by grouping AGNs based on relative strengths of the UV and MIR emission. The average L 1μm is constant for the majority of these SED shapes, while AGNs with the strongest UV and MIR emission have elevated L 1μm, consistent with the AGN emission dominating their SEDs at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. A strong correlation is found between the SED shape and both the L X and L bol, such that L bol/L X = 20.4 ± 1.8, independent of the SED shape. This is consistent with an evolutionary scenario of increasing L bol with decreasing obscuration as the AGN blows away circumnuclear gas.

Keywords: active galactic nuclei; agn host galaxies; x-ray active galactic nuclei; spectral energy distribution; surveys
Searching for Propionamide (C2H5CONH2) toward Sagittarius B2 at Centimeter Wavelengths

The formation of molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) remains a complex and unresolved question in astrochemistry. A group of molecules of particular interest involves the linkage between a carboxyl and amine group, similar to that of a peptide bond. The detection of molecules containing these peptide-like bonds in the ISM can help elucidate possible formation mechanisms, as well as indicate the level of molecular complexity available within certain regions of the ISM. Two of the simplest molecules containing a peptide-like bond, formamide (NH2CHO) and acetamide (CH3CONH2), have previously been detected toward the star-forming region Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2). Recently, the interstellar detection of propionamide (C2H5CONH2) was reported toward Sgr B2(N) with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations at millimeter wavelengths. Yet, this detection has been questioned by others from the same set of ALMA observations as no statistically significant line emission was identified from any uncontaminated transitions. Using the Prebiotic Interstellar Molecule Survey (PRIMOS) observations, we report an additional search for C2H5CONH2 at centimeter wavelengths conducted with the Green Bank Telescope. No spectral signatures of C2H5CONH2 were detected. An upper limit for C2H5CONH2 at centimeter wavelengths was determined to be N T < 1.8 × 1014 cm-2 and an upper limit to the C2H5CONH2/CH3CONH2 ratio is found to be <2.34. This work again questions the initial detection of C2H5CONH2 and indicates that more complex peptide-like structures may have difficulty forming in the ISM or are below the detection limits of current astronomical facilities. Additional structurally related species are provided to aid in future laboratory and astronomical searches.

Keywords: interstellar molecules; interstellar medium; molecular clouds
Strong Mg II and Fe II Absorbers at 2.2 < z < 6.0

We present a study of strong intervening absorption systems in the near-IR spectra of 31 luminous quasars at z > 5.7. The quasar spectra were obtained with Gemini GNIRS that provide continuous wavelength coverage from ∼0.9 to ∼2.5 μm. We detect 32 strong Mg II doublet absorbers with rest-frame equivalent width Wr(λ2796) > 1.0 Å at 2.2 < z < 6.0. Each Mg II absorber is confirmed by at least two associated Fe II absorption lines in the rest-frame wavelength range of ∼1600-2600 Å. We find that the comoving line density (dN/dX) of the strong Fe II-bearing Mg II absorbers decreases toward higher redshift at z > 3, consistent with previous studies. Compared with strong Mg II absorbers detected in damped Lyα systems at 2 < z < 4, our absorbers are potentially less saturated and show much larger rest-frame velocity widths. This suggests that the gas traced by our absorbers are potentially affected by galactic superwinds. We analyze the Hubble Space Telescope near-IR images of the quasars and identify possible associated galaxies for our strong absorbers. There are a maximum of two galaxy candidates found within 5″ radius of each absorber. The median F105W-band magnitude of these galaxy candidates is 24.8 mag, which is fainter than the L* galaxy luminosity at z ∼ 4. By using our observed dN/dX of strong Mg II absorbers and galaxy candidates median luminosity, we suggest that at high redshift, strong Mg II absorbers tend to have a more disturbed environment but smaller halo size than that at z < 1.

Keywords: circumgalactic medium; extragalactic astronomy; quasar absorption line spectroscopy
Discovery of a Radio Relic in the Massive Merging Cluster SPT-CL J2023-5535 from the ASKAP-EMU Pilot Survey

The ASKAP-EMU survey is a deep wide-field radio continuum survey designed to cover the entire southern sky and a significant fraction of the northern sky up to +30°. Here, we report a discovery of a radio relic in the merging cluster SPT-CL J2023-5535 at z = 0.23 from the ASKAP-EMU pilot 300 square degree survey (800-1088 MHz). The deep high-resolution data reveal a ∼2 Mpc scale radio halo elongated in the east-west direction, coincident with the intracluster gas. The radio relic is located at the western edge of this radio halo stretched ∼0.5 Mpc in the north-south orientation. The integrated spectral index of the radio relic within the narrow bandwidth is ${\alpha }_{800\,\mathrm{MHz}}^{1088\,\mathrm{MHz}}=-0.76\pm 0.06$ . Our weak-lensing analysis shows that the system is massive ( ${M}_{200}=1.04\pm 0.36\times {10}^{15}\,{M}_{\odot }$ ) and composed of at least three subclusters. We suggest a scenario, wherein the radio features arise from the collision between the eastern and middle subclusters. Our discovery illustrates the effectiveness of the ASKAP-EMU survey in detecting diffuse emissions in galaxy clusters and when completed, the survey will greatly increase the number of merging cluster detections with diffuse radio emissions.

Keywords: galaxy clusters; weak gravitational lensing; radio continuum emission; radio telescopes; x-ray astronomy
TIC 168789840: A Sextuply Eclipsing Sextuple Star System

We report the discovery of a sextuply eclipsing sextuple star system from TESS data, TIC 168789840, also known as TYC 7037-89-1, the first known sextuple system consisting of three eclipsing binaries. The target was observed in Sectors 4 and 5 during Cycle 1, with lightcurves extracted from TESS Full Frame Image data. It was also previously observed by the WASP survey and ASAS-SN. The system consists of three gravitationally bound eclipsing binaries in a hierarchical structure of an inner quadruple system with an outer binary subsystem. Follow-up observations from several different observatories were conducted as a means of determining additional parameters. The system was resolved by speckle interferometry with a 0"42 separation between the inner quadruple and outer binary, inferring an estimated outer period of ∼2 kyr. It was determined that the fainter of the two resolved components is an 8.217 day eclipsing binary, which orbits the inner quadruple that contains two eclipsing binaries with periods of 1.570 days and 1.306 days. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis of the stellar parameters has shown that the three binaries of TIC 168789840 are "triplets," as each binary is quite similar to the others in terms of mass, radius, and Teff. As a consequence of its rare composition, structure, and orientation, this object can provide important new insight into the formation, dynamics, and evolution of multiple star systems. Future observations could reveal if the intermediate and outer orbital planes are all aligned with the planes of the three inner eclipsing binaries.

Keywords: eclipsing binary stars; transit photometry; multiple stars; astronomy data analysis
Gravitational-wave Radiation of Double Degenerates with Extremely Low-mass White Dwarf Companions

Double degenerate (DD) systems are supposed to be significant gravitational-wave (GW) sources for future space-based GW detectors, e.g., the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Recently, one type of DD system with extremely low-mass WD (ELM WD; ≲ 0.30 M⊙) companions was found in the ELM Survey. These companions have very short orbital periods and are therefore important sources for LISA detection. Further, due to the thick envelope of ELM WDs compared with massive WDs (e.g., CO WDs), they are much easier to find through the combination of electromagnetic (EM) and GW observations. In this paper, we first obtain the population of ELM WDs in DDs by considering the detailed evolutionary tracks of ELM WDs and then analyzing the GW radiation of these systems. We found that about 6 × 103 sources could be solely detected by LISA, including ∼2 × 103 chirping sources, and ∼13 (∼107) more sources are expected to be detected by both LISA and the ELM Survey (Gaia).

Keywords: gravitational waves; close binary stars; white dwarf stars