adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
CI Asteroid Regolith as an In Situ Plant Growth Medium for Space Crop Production

Human expansion into the solar system is currently at the forefront of space research. For our astronauts to survive, they will need to be fed a healthy and nutritious diet on a consistent basis. Right now, our current method of feeding astronauts consists of resupplied prepackaged food from Earth, which is unsustainable for long-term missions. Using planetary resources via in situ resource utilization to grow crops is the next step toward sustainability in space. Asteroids are an abundant space resource and should not be overlooked when considering crewed missions. In particular, the primordial CI carbonaceous asteroids are of interest because the regolith is suggested to contain soluble elemental nutrients, such as phosphorous and potassium, that crops can use for growth and development. We present a study on the ability of CI carbonaceous asteroid regolith simulant to sustain plant growth of lettuce (Latuca sativa), radishes (Raphanus sativus), and peppers (Capsicum annuum). We tested growing the selected crops in increasing mixtures of simulant and peat moss. The results showed that each species reacted differently to each treatment and that the radishes were more affected by the treatments. Subsequent analysis showed that the simulant contains small amounts of plant-usable nutrients, despite its high pH, low cation exchange capacity, and classification as a silt-based soil. Our results indicate that the simulant is prone to compaction and crusting, leading to drought stress on the crops. Further investigations are needed to determine mitigation strategies to make CI asteroid regolith a more conducive soil.

Keywords: space research; astrobiology; interdisciplinary astronomy
Accretion Funnel Reconfiguration during an Outburst in a Young Stellar Object: EX Lupi

EX Lupi, a low-mass young stellar object, went into an accretion-driven outburst in 2022 March. The outburst caused a sudden phase change of ∼112° ± 5° in periodically oscillating multiband lightcurves. Our high-resolution spectra obtained with the High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) on board the Southern African Large Telescope also revealed a consistent phase change in the periodically varying radial velocities (RVs), along with an increase in the RV amplitude of various emission lines. The phase change and increase in RV amplitude morphologically translates to a change in the azimuthal and latitudinal location of the accretion hotspot over the stellar surface, which indicates a reconfiguration of the accretion funnel geometry. Our three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations reproduce the phase change for EX Lupi. To explain the observations, we explored the possibility of forward shifting of the dipolar accretion funnel as well as the possibility of the emergence of a new accretion funnel. During the outburst, we also found evidence of the hotspot's morphology extending azimuthally asymmetrically with a leading hot edge and cold tail along the stellar rotation. Further, our high-cadence photometry showed that the accretion flow has clumps. We also detected possible clumpy accretion events in the HRS spectra that showed episodically highly blueshifted wings in the Ca II IR triplet and Balmer H lines.

Keywords: young stellar objects; fu orionis stars; burst astrophysics
Convection and Clouds under Different Planetary Gravities Simulated by a Small-domain Cloud-resolving Model

In this study, we employ a cloud-resolving model to investigate how gravity influences convection and clouds in a small-domain (96 × 96 km) radiative-convective equilibrium. Our experiments are performed with a horizontal grid spacing of 1 km, which can resolve large (>1 km2) convective cells. We find that under a given stellar flux, sea surface temperature increases with decreasing gravity. This is because a lower-gravity planet has larger water vapor content and more clouds, resulting in a larger clear-sky greenhouse effect and a stronger cloud warming effect in the small domain. By increasing stellar flux under different gravity values, we find that the convection shifts from a quasi-steady state to an oscillatory state. In the oscillatory state, there are convection cycles with a period of several days, comprised of a short wet phase with intense surface precipitation and a dry phase with no surface precipitation. When convection shifts to the oscillatory state, the water vapor content and high-level cloud fraction increase substantially, resulting in rapid warming. After the transition to the oscillatory state, the cloud net positive radiative effect decreases with increasing stellar flux, which indicates a stabilizing climate effect. In the quasi-steady state, the atmospheric absorption features of CO2 are more detectable on lower-gravity planets because of their larger atmospheric heights. While in the oscillatory state, the high-level clouds mute almost all of the absorption features, making the atmospheric components hard to characterize.

Keywords: exoplanet atmospheres; planetary atmospheres; habitable planets; planetary science; surface gravity; planetary climates; atmospheric clouds
EXORCISM: A Spectroscopic Survey of Young Eruptive Variables (EXor and Candidates)

We present an optical/near-IR survey of 11 variable young stars (EXors and EXor candidates) aimed at deriving and monitoring their accretion properties. About 30 optical and near-infrared spectra ( ${\mathfrak{R}}\sim 1500\mbox{--}2000$ ) were collected between 2014 and 2019 with the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). From the spectral analysis we have derived the accretion luminosity (L acc ) and mass accretion rate ( ${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{acc}}$ ), the visual extinction (A V), the temperature and density of the permitted line formation region (T, n H), and the signature of the outflowing matter. Two sources (ASASSN-13db and iPTF15afq) have been observed in outburst and quiescence, three during a high level of brightness (XZ Tau, PV Cep, and NY Ori), and the others in quiescence. These latter have L acc and ${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{acc}}$ in line with the values measured in classical T Tauri stars of similar mass. All sources observed more than once present L acc and ${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{acc}}$ variability. The most extreme case is ASASSN-13db, for which ${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{acc}}$ decreases by two orders of magnitude from the outburst peak in 2015 to quiescence in 2017. Also, in NY Ori L acc decreases by a factor 25 in one year. In 80% of the sample we detect the [O I] 6300 Å line, a tracer of mass loss. From the variability of the Hα/[O I] 6300 Å ratio, we conclude that mass accretion variations are larger than mass loss variations. From the analysis of the H I recombination lines, a correlation is suggested between the density of the line formation region, and the level of accretion activity of the source.

Keywords: star formation; pre-main sequence stars; eruptive phenomena; stellar mass loss
Circumgalactic Environments Around Distant Quasars 3C 9 and 4C 05.84

We present results from the Quasar hosts Unveiled by high Angular Resolution Techniques survey studying the circumgalactic medium (CGM) by observing rest-frame UV emission lines Lyα, C IV, and He II around two radio-loud quasars, 3C 9 (z = 2.02) and 4C 05.84 (z = 2.32), using the Keck Cosmic Web Imager. We detect large-scale Lyα nebulae around both quasars with projected diameters ∼100 kpc, with spatially resolved, embedded 15–30 kpc He II and C IV nebulae around both quasars as well as kinematically distinct He II and C IV nebulae at a physical separation of ∼15 kpc from both quasars. Observations of Hα, Hβ, and [O III] emission using Keck MOSFIRE spectroscopically confirm that the Lyα nebulae extend to companion galaxies and that these quasars are in a protogroup/protocluster environment. We confirm that the He II and C IV emission is kinematically and spatially coincident with the companion galaxies. We estimate the virial masses of the companion galaxies, their metallicities, and star formation rates, and investigate the sources of ionization. We measure the dynamical mass of the host dark matter halos and estimate that the dark matter halos of these systems will grow to a mass of 2 × 1014 M ⊙ (3C 9) and 2 × 1013 M ⊙ (4C 05.84) by z = 0. The combined CGM and companion galaxies observations indicate Lyα substructure can indicate the presence of companion galaxies in the CGM.

Keywords: galaxies; active galaxies; high-redshift galaxies; quasars; radio loud quasars; radio jets; active galactic nuclei; protoclusters; companion galaxies
Breaks in the X-Ray Spectra of High-redshift Blazars and the Intervening Medium

Flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) are a subclass of blazars characterized by prominent optical emission lines and a collimated large-scale jet along the observer's line of sight. An X-ray spectral flattening has been reported in FSRQs (at relatively high redshifts) that is attributable either to absorption from gas along the line of sight or to intrinsic jet-based radiative processes. We study a sample of 16 high-redshift FSRQs (z of 1.1-4.7; rest-frame energy up to 50 keV) observed with the XMM-Newton and Swift satellites spanning 29 epochs. The X-ray spectra are fit with a power law including free excess absorption and one multiplied by an exponential roll-off to account for the intrinsic jet-based processes. A statistical analysis is used to distinguish between these models to understand the origin of the spectral flattening. The model selection is unable to distinguish between them in 10 of the 16 FSRQs. Intrinsic jet-based radiative processes are indicated in 4 FSRQs, where we infer energy breaks consistent with their expectation from the external Compton-scattering of low-energy ambient photons. Two of the FSRQs indicate mixed results, supportive of either scenario, illustrating the difficulty of identifying X-ray absorption signatures. A clear detection can be employed to disentangle the relative contributions from the intergalactic medium and the intracluster medium, the method of which is outlined and applied to the latter two sources.

Keywords: high energy astrophysics; active galactic nuclei; intracluster medium; jets; warm-hot intergalactic medium; blazars; flat-spectrum radio quasars
The Cepheid Distance Scale: A Novel Method for Obtaining Mean Magnitudes from Single-epoch Observations

We present a novel technique for mapping single-phase observations of Cepheids in any given band into their time-averaged values, using strong priors on the known interrelations of the multiwavelength widths of Cepheid period–luminosity (PL) relations, combined with the physical ordering of individual Cepheids within and across the instability strip, as a function of temperature (or radius). The method is empirically calibrated and tested using high-precision published multiwavelength observations of Cepheids in the LMC. The example, given herein, takes a single-epoch B-band PL relation and transforms those random-phase observations to within ±0.05–0.06 mag of their time-averaged values. For high-precision single-phase data points, this method can transform single-phase magnitudes into mean magnitudes (without additional observations), bringing the statistical error budget for the PL relation at that wavelength down to the systematic floor. This technique is of particular importance for use with space-based facilities (e.g., Hubble Space Telescope or JWST) where limits on the availability of telescope time preclude dense phase coverage, often resulting in only single-epoch observations being available.

Keywords: delta cepheid variable stars; large magellanic cloud; cepheid distance; distance indicators
Anisotropic Compact Stars in the Mimetic Gravitational Theory

In this paper, we consider the mimetic gravitational theory to derive a novel category of anisotropic star models. To end and to put the resulting differential equations into a closed system, the form of the metric potential grr as used by Tolman is assumed, as well as a linear form of the equation of state. The resulting energy momentum components, energy density, and radial and tangential pressures contain five constants: three of these are determined through the junction condition, matching the interior with the exterior Schwarzschild solution; the fourth is constrained by the vanishing of the radial pressure on the boundary; and the fifth is constrained by a real compact star. The physical acceptability of our model is tested using the data of the pulsar 4U 1820-30. The stability of this model is evaluated using the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation and the adiabatic index, and it is shown to be stable. Finally, our model is challenged with other compact stars, demonstrating that it is consistent with those stars.

Keywords: s stars
Improving the Low-energy Transient Sensitivity of AMEGO-X using Single-site Events

AMEGO-X, the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer, is a proposed instrument designed to bridge the so-called "MeV gap" by surveying the sky with unprecedented sensitivity from ~100 keV to about 1 GeV. This energy band is of key importance for multimessenger and multiwavelength studies but it is nevertheless currently underexplored. AMEGO-X addresses this situation by proposing a design capable of detecting and imaging gamma rays via both Compton interactions and pair production processes. However, some of the objects that AMEGO-X will study, such as gamma-ray bursts and magnetars, extend to energies below ~100 keV where the dominant interaction becomes photoelectric absorption. These events deposit their energy in a single pixel of the detector. In this work we show how the ~3500 cm2 effective area of the AMEGO-X tracker to events between ~25 and ~100 keV will be utilized to significantly improve its sensitivity and expand the energy range for transient phenomena. Although imaging is not possible for single-site events, we show how we will localize a transient source in the sky using their aggregate signal to within a few degrees. This technique will more than double the number of cosmological gamma-ray bursts seen by AMEGO-X, allow us to detect and resolve the pulsating tails of extragalactic magnetar giant flares, and increase the number of detected less-energetic magnetar bursts-some possibly associated with fast radio bursts. Overall, single-site events will increase the sensitive energy range, expand the science program, and promptly alert the community of fainter transient events.

Keywords: gamma-ray detectors; gamma-ray astronomy; time domain astronomy; gamma-ray bursts; magnetars
Using Transverse Waves to Probe the Plasma Conditions at the Base of the Solar Wind

It has long been suggested that magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves may supply a significant proportion of the energy required to heat the corona and accelerate the solar wind. Depending on the properties of the local plasma, MHD wave modes may exhibit themselves as a variety of incompressible, transverse waves. The local magnetic field and particle density influence the properties of these waves (e.g., amplitude), thus direct measurements of transverse waves provide a mechanism to indirectly probe the local plasma conditions. We present the first statistical approach to magnetoseismology of a localized region of the solar corona, analyzing transverse waves above the south polar coronal hole on 2011 May 23. Automated methods are utilized to examine 4 hr of EUV imaging data to study how the waves evolve as a function of height (I.e., altitude) through the low corona. Between heights of 15 and 35 Mm, we find that the measured wave periods are approximately constant, and that observed displacement and velocity amplitudes increase at rates that are consistent with undamped waves. This enables us to derive a relative density profile for the coronal hole environment in question, without the use of spectroscopic data. Furthermore, our results indicate that between 5 and 15 Mm above the limb, the relative density is larger than that expected from 1D hydrostatic models, and signals a more extended transition region with a gradual change in density. This has implications for self-consistent models of wave propagation from the photosphere to the corona and beyond.

Keywords: solar coronal holes; solar extreme ultraviolet emission; solar coronal plumes; solar coronal waves
Repeating Outbursts from the Young Stellar Object Gaia23bab (=SPICY 97589)

The light curve of Gaia23bab (=SPICY 97589) shows two significant (ΔG > 2 mag) brightening events, one in 2017 and an ongoing event starting in 2022. The source's quiescent spectral energy distribution indicates an embedded (A V > 5 mag) pre-main-sequence star, with optical accretion emission and mid-infrared disk emission. This characterization is supported by the source's membership in an embedded cluster in the star-forming cloud DOBASHI 1604 at a distance of 900 ± 45 pc. Thus, the brightening events are probable accretion outbursts, likely of EX Lup-type.

Keywords: young stellar objects; optical bursts; gaia
Multiscale Decomposition of Astronomical Maps: A Constrained Diffusion Method

We propose a new, efficient multiscale method to decompose a map (or signal in general) into component maps that contain structures of different sizes. In the widely used wave transform, artifacts containing negative values arise around regions with sharp transitions due to the application of band-limited filters. In our approach, the decomposition is achieved by solving a modified, nonlinear version of the diffusion equation. This is inspired by the anisotropic diffusion methods, which establish the link between image filtering and partial differential equations. In our case, the artifact issue is addressed where the positivity of the decomposed images is guaranteed. Our new method is particularly suitable for signals which contain localized, nonlinear features, as typical of astronomical observations. It can be used to study the multiscale structures of astronomical maps quantitatively and should be useful in observation-related tasks such as background removal. We thus propose a new measure called the "scale spectrum," which describes how the image values distribute among different components in the scale space, to describe maps. The method allows for input arrays of an arbitrary number of dimensions, and a python3 implementation of the algorithms is included in the Appendix and available at https://github.com/gxli/constrained_diffusion_decomposition.

Keywords: interstellar clouds; smoothing; computational methods; astronomical methods
Mapping the Skies of Ultracool Worlds: Detecting Storms and Spots with Extremely Large Telescopes

Extremely large telescopes (ELTs) present an unparalleled opportunity to study the magnetism, atmospheric dynamics, and chemistry of very-low-mass (VLM) stars, brown dwarfs, and exoplanets. Instruments such as the Giant Magellan Telescope-Consortium Large Earth Finder (GMT/GCLEF), the Thirty Meter Telescope's Multi-Objective Diffraction-limited High-Resolution Infrared Spectrograph (TMT/MODHIS), and the European Southern Observatory's Mid-Infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (ELT/METIS) provide the spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio necessary to Doppler image ultracool targets' surfaces based on temporal spectral variations due to surface inhomogeneities. Using our publicly available code, Imber, developed and validated in Plummer & Wang, we evaluate these instruments' abilities to discern magnetic starspots and cloud systems on a VLM star (TRAPPIST-1), two L/T transition ultracool dwarfs (VHS J1256-1257 b and SIMP J0136+0933), and three exoplanets (Beta Pic b and HR 8799 d and e). We find that TMT/MODHIS and ELT/METIS are suitable for Doppler imaging the ultracool dwarfs and Beta Pic b over a single rotation. Uncertainties for longitude and radius are typically ≲10°, and latitude uncertainties range from ~10° to 30°. TRAPPIST-1's edge-on inclination and low $\upsilon \sin i$ provide a challenge for all three instruments, while GMT/GCLEF and the HR 8799 planets may require observations over multiple rotations. We compare the spectroscopic technique, photometry-only inference, and the combination of the two. We find combining spectroscopic and photometric observations can lead to improved Bayesian inference of surface inhomogeneities and offers insight into whether ultracool atmospheres are dominated by spotted or banded features.

Keywords: exoplanet atmospheres; brown dwarfs; late-type dwarf stars; doppler imaging; direct imaging
Multiwavelength Observations of the RV Tauri Variable System U Monocerotis: Long-term Variability Phenomena That Can Be Explained by Binary Interactions with a Circumbinary Disk

We present an X-ray through submillimeter observations of the classical RV Tauri (RVb-type) variable U Mon, a post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) binary with a circumbinary disk (CBD). Our SMA observations indicate a CBD diameter of ≲550 au. Our XMM-Newton observations make U Mon the first RV Tauri variable detected in X-rays. The X-ray emission is characteristic of a hot plasma (∼10 MK), with LX =5 × 1030 erg s-1, and we consider its possible origin from U Mon, its companion, and/or binary system interactions. Combining DASCH and AAVSO data, we extend the time-series photometric baseline back to the late 1880s and find evidence that U Mon has secular changes that appear to recur on a timescale of ∼60 yr, possibly caused by a feature in the CBD. From literature radial velocities we find that the binary companion is a ∼2 M⊙ A-type main-sequence star. The orientation of the binary's orbit lies along our line of sight (ω = 95°), such that apastron corresponds to photometric RVb minima, consistent with the post-AGB star becoming obscured by the near side of the CBD. In addition, we find the size of the inner-CBD hole (∼4.5-9 au) to be comparable to the binary separation, implying that one or both stars may interact with the CBD at apastron. The obscuration of the post-AGB star implicates the companion as the likely source of the enhanced Hα observed at RVb minima and of the X-ray emission that may arise from accreted material.

Keywords: binary stars; circumstellar matter; rv tauri variable stars; spectral energy distribution; submillimeter astronomy; x-ray astronomy; post-asymptotic giant branch stars
Binary Comb Models for FRB 121102

The first repeating fast radio burst source, FRB 121102, is observed to emit bursts with a periodically modulated rate. We show that FRB 121102 can be interpreted as an interacting neutron star binary system with an orbital period of ~159 days. We develop a binary comb model by introducing an eccentricity into the orbit. Besides the original funnel mode of the binary comb model, which was applied to FRB 180916.J0158+65 by Ioka & Zhang, we also identify two new modes of the binary comb model, i.e., the τ-crossing mode and the inverse funnel mode, and apply them to interpret FRB 121102. These new developments expand the applicable parameter space, allowing the companion star to be a massive star, a massive black hole, or a supermassive black hole, with the latter two having larger parameter spaces. These models are also consistent with other observations, such as the persistent bright radio counterpart associated with the source. We also argue that the observed frequency dependence of the active window does not disfavor the binary comb model, in contrast to recent claims, and propose two possible scenarios to interpret the data.

Keywords: radio transient sources; neutron stars; magnetars; non-thermal radiation sources; periodic orbit