adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Stability of Atmospheric Redox States of Early Mars Inferred from Time Response of the Regulation of H and O Losses

The ratio of total losses of H and O from the atmosphere is crucial for determining the Martian atmospheric redox state. The H and O escapes are shown to be regulated in a stoichiometric 2:1 ratio in a converged model of present-day Mars over a timescale of ∼105 yr, which is called self-regulation. Self-regulation timescales under different atmospheric conditions on early Mars are not well understood. Here we use a 1D photochemical model to calculate the timescales of self-regulation for denser CO2 atmospheres with various surface temperatures as benchmark cases for early Mars. Self-regulation is driven by variations in the amount of O2 or CO in the atmosphere, depending on the atmospheric redox state. Self-regulation timescales are likely to be controlled by the net redox balance. A 1 bar CO2 atmosphere with a surface temperature of 240 K has a self-regulation timescale of a few million years. Denser atmospheres of early Mars have a longer regulation timescale and are less redox-stable than the atmosphere of present-day Mars. Obliquity variations cause atmospheric CO2 fluctuations, producing a difference in the self-regulation timescale between high and low obliquity. Because an increase in CO2 suppresses H escape, the net effect of the obliquity cycle could have driven the atmospheric redox states to be more reducing. Our results also suggest the possibility of a CO-dominated atmosphere of 10-100 mbars at 3 Ga. The redox state of ancient Mars might have fluctuated more easily than that of the present.

Keywords: planetary atmospheres; atmospheric composition; mars; habitable planets
On Internal and External Alignment of Dust Grains in Protostellar Environments

Multiwavelength observations toward protostars reveal complex properties of dust polarization, which are challenging to interpret. Here we study the physical processes inducing the alignment of the grain axis of the maximum inertia moment with the angular momentum ( J ; i.e., internal alignment) and of J with the magnetic field (i.e., external alignment) of very large grains (VLGs; of radius a > 10 μm) using the alignment framework based on radiative torques (RATs) and mechanical torques (METs). We derive analytical formulae for critical sizes of grain alignment, assuming grains aligned at low-J and high-J attractors by RATs (METs). For protostellar cores, we find that super-Barnett relaxation induces efficient internal alignment for VLGs with large iron inclusions, but inelastic relaxation is efficient for VLGs regardless of composition aligned at high-J attractors by RATs (METs). For external alignment, VLGs with iron inclusions aligned at high-J attractors have magnetic alignment by RATs (B-RAT) or METs (B-MET), enabling dust polarization as a reliable tracer of magnetic fields in dense regions. Still, grains at low-J attractors or without iron inclusions have alignment with J along the radiation direction (k-RAT) or gas flow (v-MET). For protostellar disks, we find that super-Barnett relaxation is efficient for grains with large iron inclusions in the outer disk thanks to spin-up by METs, but inelastic relaxation is inefficient. VLGs aligned at low-J attractors can have k-RAT (v-MET) alignment, but grains aligned at high-J attractors likely exhibit B-RAT (B-MET) alignment. We also find that grain alignment by METs is more important than that by RATs in protostellar disks.

Keywords: starlight polarization; interstellar dust; interstellar magnetic fields; protostars; protoplanetary disks; interstellar dust processes
Impact of Magnetorotational Instability on Grain Growth in Protoplanetary Disks. I. Relevant Turbulence Properties

Turbulence in protoplanetary disks induces collisions between dust grains, and thus facilitates grain growth. We investigate the two fundamental assumptions about the turbulence in obtaining grain collisional velocities—the kinetic energy spectrum and the turbulence autocorrelation time—in the context of the turbulence generated by the magnetorotational instability (MRI). We carry out numerical simulations of the MRI, as well as driven turbulence, for a range of physical and numerical parameters. We find that the convergence of the turbulence α-parameter does not necessarily imply the convergence of the energy spectrum. The MRI turbulence is largely solenoidal, for which we observe a persistent kinetic energy spectrum of k-4/3. The same is obtained for solenoidal driven turbulence with and without a magnetic field, over more than 1 dex near the dissipation scale. This power-law slope appears to be converged in terms of numerical resolution, and to be due to the bottleneck effect. The kinetic energy in the MRI turbulence peaks at the fastest growing mode of the MRI. In contrast, the magnetic energy peaks at the dissipation scale. The magnetic energy spectrum in the MRI turbulence does not show a clear power-law range, and is almost constant over approximately 1 dex near the dissipation scale. The turbulence autocorrelation time is nearly constant at large scales, limited by the shearing timescale, and shows a power-law drop close to k-1 at small scales, with a slope steeper than that of the eddy crossing time. The deviation from the standard picture of the Kolmogorov turbulence with the injection scale at the disk scale height can potentially have a significant impact on grain collisional velocities.

Keywords: interstellar dust; protoplanetary disks
Biconical-dominated Accretion Flow onto Seed Black Holes in a Hyperaccretion Regime

Hyperaccretion occurs when the gas inflow rate onto a black hole (BH) is so high that the radiative feedback cannot reverse the accretion flow. This extreme process is a promising mechanism for the rapid growth of seed BHs in the early universe, which can explain high-redshift quasars powered by billion solar mass BHs. In theoretical models, spherical symmetry is commonly adopted for hyperaccretion flows; however, the sustainability of such structures on timescales corresponding to the BH growth has not been addressed yet. Here we show that stochastic interactions between the ionizing radiation from the BH and nonuniform accretion flow can lead to the formation of a rotating gas disk around the BH. Once the disk forms, the supply of gas to the BH preferentially occurs via biconical-dominated accretion flow perpendicular to the disk, avoiding the centrifugal barrier of the disk. Biconical dominated accretion flows from opposite directions collide in the vicinity of the BH supplying high-density, low angular momentum gas to the BH, whereas most of the gas with nonnegligible angular momentum is deflected to the rotationally supported outflowing decretion disk. The disk becomes reinforced progressively as more mass from the biconical flow transfers to the disk and some of the outflowing gas from the disk is redirected to the biconical accretion funnels through a meridional structure. This axisymmetric hydrodynamic structure of a biconical-dominated accretion flow and decretion disk continues to provide uninterrupted flow of high-density gas to the BH.

Keywords: accretion; black hole physics; hydrodynamics; radiative transfer; hydrodynamical simulations; radiative transfer simulations
Gamma Rays from Fast Black-hole Winds

Massive black holes at the centers of galaxies can launch powerful wide-angle winds that, if sustained over time, can unbind the gas from the stellar bulges of galaxies. These winds may be responsible for the observed scaling relation between the masses of the central black holes and the velocity dispersion of stars in galactic bulges. Propagating through the galaxy, the wind should interact with the interstellar medium creating a strong shock, similar to those observed in supernovae explosions, which is able to accelerate charged particles to high energies. In this work we use data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to search for the γ-ray emission from galaxies with an ultrafast outflow (UFO): a fast (v ~ 0.1 c), highly ionized outflow, detected in absorption at hard X-rays in several nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN). Adopting a sensitive stacking analysis we are able to detect the average γ-ray emission from these galaxies and exclude that it is due to processes other than UFOs. Moreover, our analysis shows that the γ-ray luminosity scales with the AGN bolometric luminosity and that these outflows transfer ~0.04% of their mechanical power to γ-rays. Interpreting the observed γ-ray emission as produced by cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated at the shock front, we find that the γ-ray emission may attest to the onset of the wind-host interaction and that these outflows can energize charged particles up to the transition region between galactic and extragalactic CRs.

Keywords: active galactic nuclei; galactic winds; gamma-rays
Stars, Gas, and Star Formation of Distant Post-starburst Galaxies

We present a comprehensive multiwavelength study of five post-starburst galaxies with M * > 1011 M ⊙ at z ~ 0.7, examining their stars, gas, and current and past star formation activities. Using optical images from the Subaru Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope, we observe a high incidence of companion galaxies and low surface brightness tidal features, indicating that quenching is closely related to interactions between galaxies. From optical spectra provided by the LEGA-C survey, we model the stellar continuum to derive the star formation histories and show the stellar masses of progenitors ranging from 2 × 109 M ⊙ to 1011 M ⊙, undergoing a burst of star formation several hundred million years prior to observation, with a decay timescale of ~100 Myr. Our Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations detect CO(2-1) emission in four galaxies, with the molecular gas spreading over up to >1″, or ~10 kpc, with a mass of up to ~2 × 1010 M ⊙. However, star-forming regions are unresolved by either the slit spectra or 3 GHz continuum observed by the Very Large Array. Comparisons between the star formation rates (SFRs) and gas masses, and the sizes of CO emission and star-forming regions suggest a low star-forming efficiency. We show that the SFRs derived from IR and radio luminosities with commonly used calibrations tend to overestimate the true values because of the prodigious amount of radiation from old stars and the contribution from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), as the optical spectra reveal weak AGN-driven outflows.

Keywords: galaxy quenching; galaxy evolution; galaxy stellar content; interstellar medium; galaxy kinematics; active galactic nuclei; star formation; post-starburst galaxies
HAZMAT. VIII. A Spectroscopic Analysis of the Ultraviolet Evolution of K Stars: Additional Evidence for K Dwarf Rotational Stalling in the First Gigayear

Efforts to discover and characterize habitable zone planets have primarily focused on Sun-like stars and M dwarfs. K stars, however, provide an appealing compromise between these two alternatives that has been relatively unexplored. Understanding the ultraviolet (UV) environment around such stars is critical to our understanding of their planets, as the UV can drastically alter the photochemistry of a planet's atmosphere. Here we present near-UV and far-UV Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations of 39 K stars at three distinct ages: 40 Myr, 650 Myr, and ≈5 Gyr. We find that the K star (0.6-0.8 M ⊙) UV flux remains constant beyond 650 Myr before falling off by an order of magnitude by field age. This is distinct from early M stars (0.3-0.6 M ⊙), which begin to decline after only a few hundred megayears. However, the rotation-UV activity relation for K stars is nearly identical to that of early M stars. These results may be a consequence of the spin-down stalling effect recently reported for K dwarfs, in which the spin-down of K stars halts for over a gigayear when their rotation periods reach ≈10 days, rather than the continuous spin-down that G stars experience. These results imply that exoplanets orbiting K dwarfs may experience a stronger UV environment than thought, weakening the case for K stars as hosts of potential "super-habitable" planets.

Keywords: stellar evolution; k dwarf stars; ultraviolet astronomy
What Is the Nature of Little Red Dots and what Is Not, MIRI SMILES Edition

We study 31 little red dots (LRD) detected by JADES/NIRCam and covered by the SMILES/MIRI survey, of which ∼70% are detected in the two bluest MIRI bands and 40% in redder MIRI filters. The median/quartiles redshifts are (55% spectroscopic). The spectral slopes flatten in the rest-frame near-infrared, consistent with a 1.6 μm stellar bump but bluer than direct pure emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN) tori. The apparent dominance of stellar emission at these wavelengths for many LRDs expedites stellar mass estimation: the median/quartiles are . The number density of LRDs is 10‑4.0±0.1 Mpc‑3, accounting for 14% ± 3% of the global population of galaxies with similar redshifts and masses. The rest-frame near-/mid-infrared (2–4 μm) spectral slope reveals significant amounts of warm dust (bolometric attenuation ∼3–4 mag). Our spectral energy distribution modeling implies the presence of <0.4 kpc diameter knots, heated by either dust-enshrouded OB stars or an AGN producing a similar radiation field, obscured by A(V) > 10 mag. We find a wide variety in the nature of LRDs. However, the best-fitting models for many of them correspond to extremely intense and compact starburst galaxies with mass-weighted ages 5–10 Myr, very efficient in producing dust, with their global energy output dominated by the direct (in the flat rest-frame ultraviolet and optical spectral range) and dust-recycled emission from OB stars with some contribution from an obscured AGN (in the infrared).

Keywords: galaxy formation; galaxy evolution; high-redshift galaxies; galaxy stellar content; stellar populations; broad band photometry; galaxy ages; james webb space telescope; active galactic nuclei
Where Is the Water? Jupiter-like C/H Ratio but Strong H2O Depletion Found on τ Boötis b Using SPIRou

The present-day envelope of gaseous planets is a relic of how these giant planets originated and evolved. Measuring their elemental composition therefore presents a powerful opportunity to answer long-standing questions regarding planet formation. Obtaining precise observational constraints on the elemental inventory of giant exoplanets has, however, remained challenging owing to the limited simultaneous wavelength coverage of current space-based instruments. Here, we present thermal emission observations of the nontransiting hot Jupiter τ Boo b using the new wide wavelength coverage (0.95-2.50 μm) and high spectral resolution (R = 70,000) CFHT/SPIRou spectrograph. By combining a total of 20 hr of SPIRou data obtained over five nights in a full atmospheric retrieval framework designed for high-resolution data, we constrain the abundances of all the major oxygen- and carbon-bearing molecules and recover a noninverted temperature structure using a new free-shape, nonparametric temperature-pressure profile retrieval approach. We find a volume mixing ratio of log(CO) = - ${2.46}_{-0.29}^{+0.25}$ and a highly depleted water abundance of less than 0.0072 times the expected value for a solar composition envelope. Combined with upper limits on the abundances of CH4, CO2, HCN, TiO, and C2H2, this results in a gas-phase C/H ratio of ${5.85}_{-2.82}^{+4.44}$ × solar, consistent with the value of Jupiter, and an envelope C/O ratio robustly greater than 0.60, even when taking into account the oxygen that may be sequestered out of the gas phase. Combined, the inferred supersolar C/H, O/H, and C/O ratios on τ Boo b support a formation scenario beyond the water snowline in a disk enriched in CO owing to pebble drift.

Keywords: exoplanet atmospheres; exoplanet atmospheric composition; exoplanet structure; high resolution spectroscopy; molecular spectroscopy; astronomical instrumentation; astronomy data analysis
Identification of Cosmic Voids as Massive Cluster Counterparts

We develop a method to identify cosmic voids from the matter density field by adopting a physically motivated concept that voids are the counterpart of massive clusters. To prove the concept we use a pair of ΛCDM simulations, a reference and its initial density-inverted mirror simulation, and study the relation between the effective size of voids and the mass of corresponding clusters. Galaxy cluster-scale dark matter halos are identified in the Mirror simulation at z = 0 by linking dark matter particles. The void corresponding to each cluster is defined in the Reference simulation as the region occupied by the member particles of the cluster. We study the voids corresponding to the halos more massive than 1013 h-1 M⊙. We find a power-law scaling relation between the void size and the corresponding cluster mass. Voids with a corresponding cluster mass above 1015 h-1 M⊙ occupy ∼1% of the total simulated volume, whereas this fraction increases to ∼54% for voids with a corresponding cluster mass above 1013 h-1 M⊙. It is also found that the density profile of the identified voids follows a universal functional form. Based on these findings, we propose a method to identify cluster-counterpart voids directly from the matter density field without their mirror information by utilizing three parameters such as the smoothing scale, density threshold, and minimum core fraction. We recover voids corresponding to clusters more massive than 3 × 1014 h-1 M⊙ at a 70%-74% level of completeness and reliability. Our results suggest that we are able to identify voids in a way to associate them with clusters of a particular mass scale.

Keywords: voids
Total X-Ray Emission from the LMC Observed with HaloSat

We constrain the global parameters of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) by modeling the first soft X-ray (0.4-6.8 keV) observations of the entire LMC produced in a single pointing with moderate spectral resolution by the HaloSat CubeSat. These data are best fit with the sum of two thermal plasma components in collisional ionization equilibrium and a power law. We find cool (0.210 ± 0.014 keV) and hot (0.89 ± 0.14 keV) components. The total X-ray luminosity of the LMC is (1.08 ± 0.14) × 1039 erg s-1. X-ray binaries make up a large fraction of the emission with a luminosity of (6.0 ± 0.8) × 1038 erg s-1, followed by cool gas from superbubbles, supernovae, and diffuse emission with a luminosity of (3.0 ± 0.3) × 1038 erg s-1. The hot gas from star formation contributes the smallest fraction, with a luminosity of (1.9 ± 0.5) × 1038 erg s-1. We estimate the total volume of the cool gas to be between (0.2-1.2) × 1010 pc3 and the hot gas to be between (1.0-5) × 107 pc3 for filling factors of f = 1 and 0.2. These volumes result in a total thermal energy for the cool gas between (1.4-3) × 1054 erg for electron densities of 0.017-0.04 cm-3, and a thermal energy for the hot gas between (1.7-4) × 1053 erg for electron densities of 0.12-0.3 cm-3. This yields cooling timescales for the cool and hot gas of (1.5-3) × 108 yr and (1.8-6) × 107 yr, respectively.

Keywords: large magellanic cloud; magellanic clouds; x-ray astronomy; x-ray surveys; surveys; interstellar thermal emission; interstellar emissions; dwarf irregular galaxies; dwarf galaxies
Turbulent Magnetic Reconnection as an Acceleration Mechanism in Earth's Magnetotail

Using electric and magnetic fields measured by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we construct a test-particle simulation of a turbulent magnetic reconnection region to investigate observed ion acceleration. We identify three types of energized ions: (1) ion jets, (2) Speiser-like energized ions—both of which carry significant energy but do not produce a strong energetic (>80 keV) tail in the ion distribution—and (3) a separate but sizable population of ions that are accelerated to significantly higher energies (>80 keV) by the turbulent fields. The majority of ions that undergo energization by the turbulent fields cross the magnetic null plane multiple times. By preferentially energizing these particles, the turbulence creates a separate population of ions that mostly exits in the dawn direction of the magnetotail and forms a high-energy power-law tail in the ion flux-energy distribution. We also find that the highest acceleration energies are limited by the size of the turbulent region (with respect to ion gyroradii). Since turbulence is widespread in astrophysical plasmas and has no a priori limit on scale size, the MMS observations suggest turbulence may have a significant role in particle acceleration.

Keywords: planetary magnetospheres; interplanetary particle acceleration
The Thermal Reprocessing of Reflected Radiation in the AGN Accretion Disk

We present a reflected reprocessing model to study the thermal lag-wavelength relationship in the AGN accretion disk. The main radiation produced from the corona assumed with the lamppost geometry on the axis of the black hole irradiates the accretion disk to affect the temperature structure via reflection processes. Considering the thermal emission of the disk responded to coronal irradiation, we obtain the lag-wavelength relationship of the disk emission by calculating the response function. We then fit the observed data of four Seyfert 1-1.5 galaxies, NGC4151 , Mrk509, NGC5548, and NGC4593, to test the reflected reprocessing model compared with the X-ray spectrum fitting, and the main results present as follows: (I) The actual geometry of the disk corona is more complex than the lamppost. (II) The option of the reference band is sensitive to fitting the observed time lags. (III) The intrinsic bolometric luminosity is larger than the observed luminosity.

Keywords: active galactic nuclei
Solar Cycle Variation of 0.3-1.29 MeV Nucleon-1 Heavy Ion Composition During Quiet Times Near 1 au in Solar Cycles 23 and 24

We report on the annual variation of quiet-time suprathermal ion composition for C through Fe using Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)/Ultra-Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer data over the energy range 0.3-1.28 MeV nuc-1 from 1998 through 2019, covering solar cycle 23's rising phase through Solar Cycle 24's declining phase. Our findings are: (1) quiet-time suprathermal abundances resemble CIR-associated particles during solar minima; (2) quiet-time suprathermals are M/Q fractionated in a manner that is consistent with M/Q fractionation in large gradual solar energetic particle events (GSEP) during solar maxima; and (3) variability within the quiet-time suprathermal pool increases as a function of M/Q and is consistent with the analogous variability in GSEP events. From these observations, we infer that quiet-time suprathermal ions are remnants of CIRs in solar minima and GSEP events in solar maxima. Coincident with these results, we also unexpectedly show that S behaves like a low FIP ion in the suprathermal regime, and is therefore drawn from low FIP solar sources.

Keywords: solar energetic particles; sunspot number
S5: The Destruction of a Bright Dwarf Galaxy as Revealed by the Chemistry of the Indus Stellar Stream

The recently discovered Indus stellar stream exhibits a diverse chemical signature compared to what is found for most other streams due to the abundances of two outlier stars, Indus_0 and Indus_13. Indus_13 exhibits an extreme enhancement in rapid neutron-capture (r-)process elements with [Eu/Fe] = + 1.81. It thus provides direct evidence of the accreted nature of r-process-enhanced stars. In this paper we present a detailed chemical analysis of the neutron-capture elements in Indus_13, revealing the star to be slightly actinide poor. The other outlier, Indus_0, displays a globular cluster-like signature with high N, Na, and Al abundances, while the rest of the Indus stars show abundances compatible with a dwarf galaxy origin. Hence, Indus_0 provides the first chemical evidence of a fully disrupted dwarf containing a globular cluster. We use the chemical signature of the Indus stars to discuss the nature of the stream progenitor which was likely a chemically evolved system, with a mass somewhere in the range from Ursa Minor to Fornax.

Keywords: stellar abundances; dwarf galaxies; milky way stellar halo; globular star clusters