adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
A Distance Determination to the Small Magellanic Cloud with an Accuracy of Better than Two Percent Based on Late-type Eclipsing Binary Stars

We present a new study of late-type eclipsing binary stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) undertaken with the aim of improving the distance determination to this important galaxy. A sample of 10 new detached, double-lined eclipsing binaries identified from the OGLE variable star catalogs and consisting of F- and G-type giant components has been analyzed. The absolute physical parameters of the individual components have been measured with a typical accuracy of better than 3%. All but one of the systems consist of young and intermediate population stars with masses in the range of 1.4 to 3.8 M⊙. This new sample has been combined with five SMC eclipsing binaries previously published by our team. Distances to the binary systems were calculated using a surface brightness—color calibration. The targets form an elongated structure, highly inclined to the plane of the sky. The distance difference between the nearest and most-distant system amounts to 10 kpc with the line-of-sight depth reaching 7 kpc. We find tentative evidence of the existence of a spherical stellar substructure (core) in the SMC coinciding with its stellar center, containing about 40% of the young and intermediate age stars in the galaxy. The radial extension of this substructure is ∼1.5 kpc. We derive a distance to the SMC center of DSMC = 62.44 ± 0.47 (stat.) ± 0.81 (syst.) kpc corresponding to a distance modulus (m - M)SMC = 18.977 ± 0.016 ± 0.028 mag, representing an accuracy of better than 2%.

Keywords: galaxy distances; galaxy structure; eclipsing binary stars; stellar distance; small magellanic cloud; late-type giant stars
Effect of the Heliospheric State on CME Evolution

The culmination of solar cycle 24 by the end of 2019 has created the opportunity to compare the differing properties of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) between two whole solar cycles: solar cycle 23 (SC 23) and solar cycle 24 (SC 24). We report on the width evolution of limb CMEs in SCs 23 and 24 in order to test the suggestion by Gopalswamy et al. that CME flux ropes attain pressure balance at larger heliocentric distances in SC 24. We measure CME width as a function of heliocentric distance for a significantly large number of limb CMEs (~1000) and determine the distances where the CMEs reach constant width in each cycle. We introduced a new parameter, the transition height (hc) of a CME, defined as the critical heliocentric distance beyond which the CME width stabilizes to a quasi-constant value. Cycle and phase-to-phase comparisons are based on this new parameter. We find that the average value of hc in SC 24 is 62% higher than that in SC 23. SC 24 CMEs attain their peak width at larger distances from the Sun than SC 23 CMEs do. The enhanced transition height in SC 24 is new observational ratification of the anomalous expansion. The anomalous expansion of SC 24 CMEs, which is caused by the weak state of the heliosphere, accounts for the larger heliocentric distance where the pressure balance between CME flux rope and the ambient medium is attained.

Keywords: solar coronal mass ejections; active sun; solar cycle; solar flares; heliosphere; solar x-ray flares
Multibeam Blind Search of Targeted SETI Observations toward 33 Exoplanet Systems with FAST

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is to search for technosignatures associated with extraterrestrial life, such as engineered radio signals. In this paper, we apply the multibeam coincidence matching (MBCM) strategy, and propose a new search mode based on the MBCM which we call the MBCM blind search mode. In our recent targeted SETI research, 33 exoplanet systems are observed by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). With this blind search mode, we search for narrowband drifting signals across 1.05-1.45 GHz in two orthogonal linear polarization directions separately. There are two special signals, one of which can only be detected by the blind search mode while the other can be found by both blind and targeted search modes. This result reveals huge advantages of the new blind search mode. However, we eliminate the possibility of the special signals being ETI signals based on much evidence, such as the polarization, drift, frequency, and beam coverage characteristics. Our observations achieve an unprecedented sensitivity and our work provides a deeper understanding to the polarization analysis of extraterrestrial signals.

Keywords: astrobiology; search for extraterrestrial intelligence; technosignatures; exoplanets
Pulsed Iron Line Emission from the First Galactic Ultraluminous X-Ray Pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124

We report the phase-resolved spectral results of the first Galactic pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (PULX) Swift J0243.6+6124, modeling its 2017–2018 outburst peak using data collected by the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT). The broad energy coverage of Insight-HXMT allows us to obtain a more accurate spectral continuum to reduce the coupling of broad iron line profiles with other components. We use three different continuum spectrum models but obtain similar iron line results. For the first time, we detect the pulse characteristics of the broad iron line in a PULX. The variation in the width and intensity of this iron line with σ ∼ 1.2–1.5 keV has a phase offset of about 0.25 from the pulse phase. We suggest that the uneven irradiation of the thick inner disk by the accretion column produces the modulated variation of the broad iron line. In addition, the nonpulsed narrow line is suggested to come from the outer disk region.

Keywords: binary pulsars; high mass x-ray binary stars; x-ray binary stars; ultraluminous x-ray sources
Tidal Evolution and Diffusive Growth During High-eccentricity Planet Migration: Revisiting the Eccentricity Distribution of Hot Jupiters

High-eccentricity tidal migration is a potential formation channel for hot Jupiters. During this process, the planetary f-mode may experience a phase of diffusive growth, allowing its energy to quickly build up to large values. In Yu et al., we demonstrated that nonlinear mode interactions between a parent f-mode and daughter f- and p-modes expand the parameter space over which the diffusive growth of the parent is triggered. We extend that study by incorporating (1) the angular momentum transfer between the orbit and the mode, and consequently the evolution of the pericenter distance; (2) a prescription to regulate the nonlinear frequency shift at high parent mode energies; and (3) dissipation of the parent's energy due to both turbulent convective damping of the daughter modes and strongly nonlinear wave-breaking events. The new ingredients allow us to follow the coupled evolution of the mode and orbit over ≳104 yr, covering the diffusive evolution from its onset to its termination. We find that the semimajor axis shrinks by a factor of nearly 10 over 104 yr, corresponding to a tidal quality factor ${ \mathcal Q }\sim 10$ . The f-mode's diffusive growth terminates while the eccentricity is still high, at around e = 0.8-0.95. Using these results, we revisit the eccentricity distribution of proto-hot Jupiters. We estimate that less than 1 proto-HJ with eccentricity >0.9 should be expected in Kepler's data once the diffusive regime is accounted for, explaining the observed paucity of this population.

Keywords: exoplanets; hot jupiters; exoplanet tides; exoplanet migration; hydrodynamics
JWST's PEARLS: Dust Attenuation and Gravitational Lensing in the Backlit-galaxy System VV 191

We derive the spatial and wavelength behavior of dust attenuation in the multiple-armed spiral galaxy VV 191b using backlighting by the superimposed elliptical system VV 191a in a pair with an exceptionally favorable geometry for this measurement. Imaging using the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope spans the wavelength range 0.3-4.5 μm with high angular resolution, tracing the dust in detail from 0.6-1.5 μm. Distinct dust lanes continue well beyond the bright spiral arms, and trace a complex web, with a very sharp radial cutoff near 1.7 Petrosian radii. We present attenuation profiles and coverage statistics in each band at radii 14-21 kpc. We derive the attenuation law with wavelength; the data both within and between the dust lanes clearly favor a stronger reddening behavior (R = A V /E B-V ≈ 2.0 between 0.6 and 0.9 μm, approaching unity by 1.5 μm) than found for starbursts and star-forming regions of galaxies. Power-law extinction behavior ∝λ -β gives β = 2.1 from 0.6-0.9 μm. R decreases at increasing wavelengths (R ≈ 1.1 between 0.9 and 1.5 μm), while β steepens to 2.5. Mixing regions of different column density flattens the wavelength behavior, so these results suggest a different grain population than in our vicinity. The NIRCam images reveal a lens arc and counterimage from a background galaxy at z ≈ 1, spanning 90° azimuthally at 2.″8 from the foreground elliptical-galaxy nucleus, and an additional weakly lensed galaxy. The lens model and imaging data give a mass/light ratio M/L B = 7.6 in solar units within the Einstein radius 2.0 kpc.

Keywords: interstellar dust extinction; spiral galaxies; strong gravitational lensing
New Look at the Molecular Superbubble Candidate in the Galactic Center

The l = +1°3 region in the Galactic center is characterized by multiple shell-like structures and their extremely broad velocity widths. We revisit the molecular superbubble hypothesis for this region, based on high-resolution maps of CO J = 1-0, 13CO J = 1-0, H13CN J = 1-0, H13CO+ J = 1-0, SiO J = 2-1, and CS J = 2-1 lines obtained from the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope, as well as CO J = 3-2 maps obtained from the James Clerk Maxwell telescope. We identified 11 expanding shells with total kinetic energy and typical expansion time Ekin ∼ 1051.9 erg and texp ∼ 104.9 yr, respectively. In addition, the l = +1°3 region exhibited high SiO J = 2-1/H13CN J = 1-0 and SiO J = 2-1/H13CO+ J = 1-0 intensity ratios, indicating that the region has experienced dissociative shocks in the past. These new findings confirm the molecular superbubble hypothesis for the l = +1°3 region. The nature of the embedded star cluster, which may have supplied 20-70 supernova explosions within 105 yr, is discussed. This work also shows the importance of compact broad-velocity-width features in searching for localized energy sources hidden behind severe interstellar extinction and stellar contamination.

Keywords: interstellar medium; molecular clouds; milky way galaxy
Likely Detection of γ-Ray Pulsations of PSR J1717+4308A in NGC 6341 and Implication of the γ-Ray Millisecond Pulsars in Globular Clusters

We report our analysis results for the globular cluster (GC) NGC 6341 (M92), as a millisecond pulsar (MSP) J1717+4308A has recently been reported found in this GC. The data used are from the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi). We detect γ-ray pulsations of the MSP at a 4.4σ confidence level (the corresponding weighted H-test value is ~28.4). This MSP, the fourth γ-ray pulsar found in a GC, does not have significant off-pulse emission and has γ-ray luminosity and efficiency 1.3 × 1034 erg s-1 and 1.7%, respectively. In order to have a clear view on the properties of the known GC γ-ray MSPs, we reanalyze the Fermi-LAT data for the other three ones. These four MSPs share the properties of either having high $\dot{E}$ (~1036 erg s-1) or being in the GCs that contain only limited numbers of known MSPs. In addition, we find that PSRs J1823-3021A and B1821-24, in NGC 6624 and NGC 6626, respectively, have detectable off-pulse γ-ray emission and PSR J1835-3259B in NGC 6652 does not. Using the obtained off-pulse spectra or spectral upper limits, we constrain the numbers of other MSPs in the four GCs. The results are consistent with the numbers of the radio pulsars reported in them. While at least in NGC 6624 and NGC 6626, the contribution of other MSPs to their observed γ-ray emission can not be ignored, our study indicates that the presence of a bright MSP could be the dominant factor for whether a GC is detectable at γ-rays or not.

Keywords: gamma-rays; globular star clusters; pulsars
A NICER View of the Massive Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 Informed by Radio Timing and XMM-Newton Spectroscopy

We report on Bayesian estimation of the radius, mass, and hot surface regions of the massive millisecond pulsar PSR J0740+6620, conditional on pulse-profile modeling of Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer X-ray Timing Instrument event data. We condition on informative pulsar mass, distance, and orbital inclination priors derived from the joint North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves and Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment/Pulsar wideband radio timing measurements of Fonseca et al. We use XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Camera spectroscopic event data to inform our X-ray likelihood function. The prior support of the pulsar radius is truncated at 16 km to ensure coverage of current dense matter models. We assume conservative priors on instrument calibration uncertainty. We constrain the equatorial radius and mass of PSR J0740+6620 to be ${12.39}_{-0.98}^{+1.30}$ km and ${2.072}_{-0.066}^{+0.067}$ M⊙ respectively, each reported as the posterior credible interval bounded by the 16% and 84% quantiles, conditional on surface hot regions that are non-overlapping spherical caps of fully ionized hydrogen atmosphere with uniform effective temperature; a posteriori, the temperature is ${\mathrm{log}}_{10}(T\,[{\rm{K}}])={5.99}_{-0.06}^{+0.05}$ for each hot region. All software for the X-ray modeling framework is open-source and all data, model, and sample information is publicly available, including analysis notebooks and model modules in the Python language. Our marginal likelihood function of mass and equatorial radius is proportional to the marginal joint posterior density of those parameters (within the prior support) and can thus be computed from the posterior samples.

Keywords: millisecond pulsars; rotation powered pulsars; pulsars; radio pulsars; x-ray astronomy; neutron stars
Bayesian Nonparametric Inference of the Neutron Star Equation of State via a Neural Network

We develop a new nonparametric method to reconstruct the equation of state (EoS) of a neutron star with multimessenger data. As a universal function approximator, the feed-forward neural network (FFNN) with one hidden layer and a sigmoidal activation function can approximately fit any continuous function. Thus, we are able to implement the nonparametric FFNN representation of the EoSs. This new representation is validated by its capability of fitting the theoretical EoSs and recovering the injected parameters. Then, we adopt this nonparametric method to analyze the real data, including the mass-tidal deformability measurement from the binary neutron star merger gravitational-wave event GW170817 and mass-radius measurement of PSR J0030+0451 by NICER. We take the publicly available samples to construct the likelihood and use the nested sampling to obtain the posteriors of the parameters of the FFNN according to the Bayesian theorem, which in turn can be translated to the posteriors of the EoS parameters. Combining all of these data for a canonical 1.4 M⊙ neutron star, we get a radius ${R}_{1.4}={11.83}_{-1.08}^{+1.25}$ km and tidal deformability ${{\rm{\Lambda }}}_{1.4}={323}_{-165}^{+334}$ (90% confidence interval). Furthermore, we find that in the high-density region (≥3ρsat), the 90% lower limits of ${c}_{{\rm{s}}}^{2}/{c}^{2}$ (where cs is the sound speed and c is the velocity of light in vacuum) are above 1/3, which means that the so-called conformal limit (i.e., ${c}_{{\rm{s}}}^{2}/{c}^{2}\lt 1/3$ ) is not always valid in the neutron stars.

Keywords: neutron stars; nonparametric inference; gravitational waves
How Dark the Sky: The JWST Backgrounds

We describe the sources of stray light and thermal background that affect JWST observations, report actual backgrounds as measured from commissioning and early-science observations, compare these background levels to prelaunch predictions, estimate the impact of the backgrounds on science performance, and explore how the backgrounds probe the achieved configuration of the deployed observatory. We find that for almost all applications, the observatory is limited by the irreducible astrophysical backgrounds, rather than scattered stray light and thermal self-emission, for all wavelengths λ < 12.5 μm, thus meeting the level 1 requirement. This result was not assured given the open architecture and thermal challenges of JWST, and it is the result of meticulous attention to stray light and thermal issues in the design, construction, integration, and test phases. From background considerations alone, JWST will require less integration time in the near-infrared compared to a system that just met the stray-light requirements; as such, JWST will be even more powerful than expected for deep imaging at 1-5 μm. In the mid-infrared, the measured thermal backgrounds closely match prelaunch predictions. The background near 10 μm is slightly higher than predicted before launch, but the impact on observations is mitigated by the excellent throughput of MIRI, such that instrument sensitivity will be as good as expected prelaunch. These measured background levels are fully compatible with JWST's science goals and the Cycle 1 science program currently underway.

Keywords: astronomical instrumentation; sky brightness; infrared astronomy
Constraints on the z ∼ 5 Star-forming Galaxy Luminosity Function From Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of an Unbiased and Complete Sample of Long Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies

We present rest-frame UV Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the largest and most complete sample of 23 long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxies between redshifts 4 and 6. Of these 23, we present new WFC3/F110W imaging for 19 of the hosts, which we combine with archival WFC3/F110W and WFC3/F140W imaging for the remaining four. We use the photometry of the host galaxies from this sample to characterize both the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF) and the size–luminosity relation of the sample. We find that when assuming the standard Schechter-function parameterization for the UV LF, the GRB host sample is best fit with $\alpha =-{1.30}_{-0.25}^{+0.30}$ and ${M}_{* }=-{20.33}_{-0.54}^{+0.44}$ mag, which are consistent with results based on z ∼ 5 Lyman-break galaxies. We find that ∼68% of our size–luminosity measurements fall within or below the same relation for Lyman-break galaxies at z ∼ 4. This study observationally confirms expectations that at z ∼ 5 Lyman-break and GRB host galaxies should trace the same population and demonstrates the utility of GRBs as probes of hidden star formation in the high-redshift Universe. Under the assumption that GRBs unbiasedly trace star formation at this redshift, our nondetection fraction of 7/23 is consistent at the 95% confidence level with 13%–53% of star formation at redshift z ∼ 5 occurring in galaxies fainter than our detection limit of M 1600Å ≈ ‑18.3 mag.

Keywords: gamma-ray bursts; high-redshift galaxies; galaxies
NEOWISE Observed CO and CO2 Production Rates of 46P/Wirtanen During the 2018-2019 Apparition

We present measurements of comet 46P/Wirtanen obtained by the NEOWISE spacecraft in 2017 through 2019. We detected signal in excess of the dust in the 4.6 μm channel attributable to the presence of CO, or more likely, CO2 emission. The excess, when the comet was outbound at a heliocentric distance of 1.9 au, was consistent with a CO2 production rate of 1.3(±0.07) × 1026 molecules per second, which is equivalent to an active area on the order of a percent of the comet nucleus' total surface. * Released on 2020 September 30th.

Keywords: infrared photometry; short period comets; comet volatiles; comets
Blue Rest-frame UV-optical Colors in z 8 Galaxies from GREATS: Very Young Stellar Populations at 650 Myr of Cosmic Time

Deep rest-optical observations are required to accurately constrain the stellar populations of z ~ 8 galaxies. Due to significant limitations in the availability of such data for statistically complete samples, observational results have been limited to modest numbers of bright or lensed sources. To revolutionize the present characterization of z ~ 8 galaxies, we exploit the ultradeep (~27 mag, 3σ) Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) 3.6 and 4.5 μm data, probing the rest-frame optical at z ~ 8, over ~200 arcmin2 of the GOODS fields from the recently completed GOODS Re-ionization Era wide-Area Treasury from Spitzer program (GREATS), combined with observations in the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS)/Ultra Deep Survey (UDS) and CANDELS/Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) fields. We stacked ≳100 z ~ 8 Lyman-break galaxies in four bins of UV luminosity (M UV ~ -20.7 to -18.4 mag) and study their H 160 - [3.6] and [3.6]-[4.5] colors. We find young ages (≲100 Myr) for the three faintest stacks, inferred from their blue H 160 - [3.6] ~ 0 mag colors, consistent with a negative Balmer break. Meanwhile, the redder H 160 - [3.6] color seen in the brightest stack is suggestive of slightly older ages. We explored the existence of a correlation between the UV luminosity and age, and find either no trend or fainter galaxies being younger. The stacked SEDs also exhibit very red [3.6]-[4.5] ~ 0.5 mag colors, indicative of intense [O III]+Hβ nebular emission and star formation rate (SFR). The correspondingly high specific SFRs, sSFR ≳10 Gyr-1, are consistent with recent determinations at similar redshifts and higher luminosities, and support the coevolution between the sSFR and the specific halo mass accretion rate.

Keywords: high-redshift galaxies; lyman-break galaxies; galaxy ages; galaxy colors; galaxy properties
Phosphorus Enrichment by ONe Novae in the Galaxy

Recent observations have shown that [P/Fe] in the Galactic stars decreases with increasing [Fe/H] for [Fe/H] ≳ ‑ 1 whereas it is almost subsolar for [Fe/H] ≲ ‑2. These [P/Fe] trends with [Fe/H] have not been well reproduced by previous theoretical models incorporating phosphorus (P) enrichment only by core collapse supernoave. We here show, for the first time, that the trends can be naturally explained by our new models incorporating P enrichment by oxygen–neon (ONe) novae, which occur at the surface of massive white dwarfs whose masses are larger than 1.25M ⊙ with a metallicity-dependence rate. We also show that the observations can be better reproduced by the models by assuming that (i) the total mass of gaseous ejecta per ONe nova (M ej) is as high as 4 × 10‑5 M ⊙ and (ii) the number of such novae per unit mass (N ONe) is as large as 0.01 at [Fe/H] ≈ ‑3. The assumed M ej is consistent with observations, and the high N ONe is expected from recent theoretical models for ONe nova fractions. We predict that (i) [P/Fe] increases with increasing [Fe/H] for ‑2 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ ‑1 and (ii) [P/Fe] and [Cl/Fe] trends with [Fe/H] are very similar to each other due to very large yields of P and Cl from ONe novae. It is thus worthwhile for future observations to assess the validity of the proposed P enrichment by ONe novae by confirming or ruling out these two predictions.

Keywords: milky way formation; galactic abundances; galaxy abundances; white dwarf stars