adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Absorption of Millimeter-band CO and CN in the Early Universe: Molecular Clouds in the Radio Galaxy B2 0902+34 at Redshift 3.4

Using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, we have detected absorption lines due to carbon monoxide, CO(J = 0 → 1), and the cyano radical, CN(N = 0 → 1), associated with radio galaxy B2 0902+34 at redshift z = 3.4. The detection of millimeter-band absorption observed 1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang facilitates studying molecular clouds down to gas masses inaccessible to emission-line observations. The CO absorption in B2 0902+34 has a peak optical depth of τ ≥ 8.6% and consists of two components, one of which has the same redshift as previously detected 21 cm absorption of neutral hydrogen (H I) gas. Each CO component traces an integrated H2 column density of ${N}_{{{\rm{H}}}_{2}}$ ≳ 3 × 1020 cm‑2. CN absorption is detected for both CO components, as well as for a blueshifted component not detected in CO, with CO/CN line ratios ranging from ≲0.4 to 2.4. We discuss the scenario that the absorption components originate from collections of small and dense molecular clouds that are embedded in a region with more diffuse gas and high turbulence, possibly within the influence of the central active galactic nucleus or a starburst region. The degree of reddening in B2 0902+34, with rest-frame color B ‑ K ∼ 4.2, is lower than the very red colors (B ‑ K > 6) found among other known redshifted CO absorption systems at z < 1. Nevertheless, when including the many nondetections from the literature, a potential correlation between the absorption-line strength and B ‑ K color is evident, giving weight to the argument that the red colors of CO absorbers are due to a high dust content.

Keywords: radio spectroscopy; galaxy jets; quasar absorption line spectroscopy; extinction; cosmological parameters; radio sources; molecular clouds; galaxy evolution
Massive Black Hole Formation in Dense Stellar Environments: Enhanced X-Ray Detection Rates in High-velocity Dispersion Nuclear Star Clusters

We analyze Chandra X-ray Observatory imaging of 108 galaxies hosting nuclear star clusters (NSCs) to search for signatures of massive black holes (BHs). NSCs are extremely dense stellar environments with conditions that can theoretically facilitate massive BH formation. Recent work by Stone et al. finds that sufficiently dense NSCs should be unstable to the runaway growth of a stellar-mass BH into a massive BH via tidal captures. Furthermore, there is a velocity dispersion threshold (40 km s-1) above which NSCs should inevitably form a massive BH. To provide an observational test of these theories, we measure X-ray emission from NSCs and compare it to the measured velocity dispersion and tidal capture runaway timescale. We find that NSCs above the 40 km s-1 threshold are X-ray detected at roughly twice the rate of those below (after accounting for contamination from X-ray binaries). These results are consistent with a scenario in which dense, high-velocity NSCs can form massive BHs, providing a formation pathway that does not rely on conditions found only at high redshift.

Keywords: nucleated dwarf galaxies; intermediate-mass black holes; astrophysical black holes; low-luminosity active galactic nuclei
Observations of the 2019 April 4 Solar Energetic Particle Event at the Parker Solar Probe

A solar energetic particle event was detected by the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS⊙IS) instrument suite on Parker Solar Probe (PSP) on 2019 April 4 when the spacecraft was inside of 0.17 au and less than 1 day before its second perihelion, providing an opportunity to study solar particle acceleration and transport unprecedentedly close to the source. The event was very small, with peak 1 MeV proton intensities of ∼0.3 particles (cm2 sr s MeV)-1, and was undetectable above background levels at energies above 10 MeV or in particle detectors at 1 au. It was strongly anisotropic, with intensities flowing outward from the Sun up to 30 times greater than those flowing inward persisting throughout the event. Temporal association between particle increases and small brightness surges in the extreme-ultraviolet observed by the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory, which were also accompanied by type III radio emission seen by the Electromagnetic Fields Investigation on PSP, indicates that the source of this event was an active region nearly 80° east of the nominal PSP magnetic footpoint. This suggests that the field lines expanded over a wide longitudinal range between the active region in the photosphere and the corona.

Keywords: the sun; solar energetic particles
CLASS Data Pipeline and Maps for 40 GHz Observations through 2022

The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) is a telescope array that observes the cosmic microwave background over 75% of the sky from the Atacama Desert, Chile, at frequency bands centered near 40, 90, 150, and 220 GHz. This paper describes the CLASS data pipeline and maps for 40 GHz observations conducted from 2016 August to 2022 May. We demonstrate how well the CLASS survey strategy, with rapid (~10 Hz) front-end modulation, recovers the large-scale Galactic polarization signal from the ground: the mapping transfer function recovers ~67% (85%) of EE and BB (VV) power at ℓ = 20 and ~35% (47%) at ℓ = 10. We present linear and circular polarization maps over 75% of the sky. Simulations based on the data imply the maps have a white noise level of $110\,\mu {\rm{K}}\,\mathrm{arcmin}$ and correlated noise component rising at low-ℓ as ℓ -2.4. The transfer-function-corrected low-ℓ component is comparable to the white noise at the angular knee frequencies of ℓ ≈ 18 (linear polarization) and ℓ ≈ 12 (circular polarization). Finally, we present simulations of the level at which expected sources of systematic error bias the measurements, finding subpercent bias for the Λ cold dark matter EE power spectra. Bias from E-to-B leakage due to the data reduction pipeline and polarization angle uncertainty approaches the expected level for an r = 0.01 BB power spectrum. Improvements to the instrument calibration and the data pipeline will decrease this bias.

Keywords: astronomy data analysis; cosmic microwave background radiation; observational cosmology; early universe
Atmospheric Characterization and Further Orbital Modeling of κ Andromeda b

We present κ Andromeda b’s photometry and astrometry taken with Subaru/SCExAO+HiCIAO and Keck/NIRC2, combined with recently published SCExAO/CHARIS low-resolution spectroscopy and published thermal infrared photometry to further constrain the companion’s atmospheric properties and orbit. The Y/Y-K colors of κ And b are redder than field dwarfs, consistent with its youth and lower gravity. Empirical comparisons of its Y-band photometry and CHARIS spectrum to a large spectral library of isolated field dwarfs reaffirm the conclusion from Currie et al. that it likely has a low gravity but admit a wider range of most plausible spectral types (L0-L2). Our gravitational classification also suggests that the best-fit objects for κ And b may have lower gravity than those previously reported. Atmospheric models lacking dust/clouds fail to reproduce its entire 1-4.7 μm spectral energy distribution (SED), and cloudy atmosphere models with temperatures of ∼1700-2000 K better match κ And b data. Most well-fitting model comparisons favor 1700-1900 K, a surface gravity of log(g) ∼ 4-4.5, and a radius of 1.3-1.6 R Jup; the best-fit model (DRIFT-PHOENIX) yields the coolest and lowest-gravity values: T eff = 1700 K and log g = 4.0. An update to κ And b’s orbit with ExoSOFT using new astrometry spanning 7 yr reaffirms its high eccentricity (0.77 ± 0.08). We consider a scenario where unseen companions are responsible for scattering κ And b to a wide separation and high eccentricity. If three planets, including κ And b, were born with coplanar orbits, and one of them was ejected by gravitational scattering, a potential inner companion with mass ≳10 M Jup could be located at ≲25 au.

Keywords: exoplanet astronomy; exoplanet evolution; exoplanet atmospheres; exoplanet formation
The Universal Specific Merger Rate of Dark Matter Halos

We employ a set of high resolution N-body simulations to study the merger rate of dark matter halos. We define a specific merger rate by normalizing the average number of mergers per halo with the logarithmic mass growth change of the hosts at the time of accretion. Based on the simulation results, we find that this specific merger rate, ${{dN}}_{\mathrm{merge}}(\xi | M,z)/d\xi /d\mathrm{log}M(z)$ , has a universal form, which is only a function of the mass ratio of merging halo pairs, ξ, and does not depend on the host halo mass, M, or redshift, z, over a wide range of masses (1012 ≲ M ≲ 1014 M ⊙ h -1) and merger ratios (ξ ≥ 1e - 2). We further test with simulations of different Ω m and σ 8, and get the same specific merger rate. The universality of the specific merger rate shows that halos in the universe are built up self-similarly, with a universal composition in the mass contributions and an absolute merger rate that grows in proportion to the halo mass growth. As a result, the absolute merger rate relates with redshift and cosmology only through the halo mass variable, whose evolution can be readily obtained from the universal mass accretion history (MAH) model of Zhao et al. Last, we show that this universal specific merger rate immediately predicts an universal unevolved subhalo mass function that is independent on the redshift, MAH or the final halo mass, and vice versa.

Keywords: cold dark matter
Lopsided Satellite Distributions around Isolated Host Galaxies

We summarize preliminary results from a new analysis of the spatial distributions of the satellites of isolated host galaxies. We identify 789 host-satellite systems in the NASA-Sloan Atlas, each with 5 or more satellites. Consistent with previous studies, we find that, on average, the satellites of red hosts are located preferentially close to their hosts' major axes, while the satellites of blue hosts are distributed isotropically. The pairwise clustering of the satellites reveals a strong tendency for pairs of satellites to be located on the same side of their host, resulting in lopsided satellite distributions. The signal is most pronounced for the satellites of blue hosts, where we find ∼50% more satellite pairs on the same side of their host than on opposite sides. For red hosts, we find ∼6% more satellite pairs on the same side of their host than on opposite sides.

Keywords: galaxies
The Large Dispersion and Scattering of FRB 20190520B Are Dominated by the Host Galaxy

The repeating fast radio burst FRB 20190520B is localized to a galaxy at z = 0.241, much closer than expected given its dispersion measure DM = 1205 ± 4 pc cm-3. Here we assess implications of the large DM and scattering observed from FRB 20190520B for the host galaxy's plasma properties. A sample of 75 bursts detected with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope shows scattering on two scales: a mean temporal delay τ(1.41 GHz) = 10.9 ± 1.5 ms, which is attributed to the host galaxy, and a mean scintillation bandwidth Δν d(1.41 GHz) = 0.21 ± 0.01 MHz, which is attributed to the Milky Way. Balmer line measurements for the host imply an Hα emission measure (galaxy frame) EMs = 620 pc cm-6 × (T/104 K)0.9, implying DMHα of order the value inferred from the FRB DM budget, ${\mathrm{DM}}_{{\rm{h}}}={1121}_{-138}^{+89}$ pc cm-3 for plasma temperatures greater than the typical value 104 K. Combining τ and DMh yields a nominal constraint on the scattering amplification from the host galaxy $\widetilde{F}G\,=\,{1.5}_{-0.3}^{+0.8}{({\mathrm{pc}}^{2}\,\mathrm{km})}^{-1/3}$ , where $\widetilde{F}$ describes turbulent density fluctuations and G represents the geometric leverage to scattering that depends on the location of the scattering material. For a two-screen scattering geometry where τ arises from the host galaxy and Δν d from the Milky Way, the implied distance between the FRB source and dominant scattering material is ≲100 pc. The host galaxy scattering and DM contributions support a novel technique for estimating FRB redshifts using the τ-DM relation, and are consistent with previous findings that scattering of localized FRBs is largely dominated by plasma within host galaxies and the Milky Way.

Keywords: radio bursts; radio transient sources; interstellar medium; intergalactic medium; interstellar scattering
The Effect of the Ambient Solar Wind Medium on a CME-driven Shock and the Associated Gradual Solar Energetic Particle Event

We present simulation results of a gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) event detected on 2021 October 9 by multiple spacecraft, including BepiColombo (Bepi) and near-Earth spacecraft such as the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). A peculiarity of this event is that the presence of a high-speed stream (HSS) affected the low-energy ion component (≲5 MeV) of the gradual SEP event at both Bepi and ACE, despite the HSS having only a modest solar wind speed increase. Using the EUHFORIA (European Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset) magnetohydrodynamic model, we replicate the solar wind during the event and the coronal mass ejection (CME) that generated it. We then combine these results with the energetic particle transport model PARADISE (PArticle Radiation Asset Directed at Interplanetary Space Exploration). We find that the structure of the CME-driven shock was affected by the nonuniform solar wind, especially near the HSS, resulting in a shock wave front with strong variations in its properties such as its compression ratio and obliquity. By scaling the emission of energetic particles from the shock to the solar wind compression at the shock, an excellent match between the PARADISE simulation and in situ measurements of ≲5 MeV ions is obtained. Our modeling shows that the intricate intensity variations observed at both ACE and Bepi were influenced by the nonuniform emission of energetic particles from the deformed shock wave and demonstrates the influence of even modest background solar wind structures on the development of SEP events.

Keywords: solar energetic particles; solar coronal mass ejections; solar wind; interplanetary shocks
The Potential of the Wavelength-integrated Scattering Polarization of the Hydrogen Lyα Line for Probing the Solar Chromosphere

The intensity and the linear scattering polarization profiles of the hydrogen Lyα line encode valuable information on the thermodynamic and magnetic structure of the upper layers of the solar chromosphere. The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) sounding rocket experiment provided unprecedented spectropolarimetric data of this line, as well as two-dimensional broadband images in intensity and linear polarization. We theoretically investigate the potential of the Lyα broadband polarimetric signals for probing the solar chromosphere and its magnetic fields. We analyze the synthetic Stokes profiles obtained from a series of radiative transfer (RT) calculations out of local thermodynamic equilibrium, considering semi-empirical one-dimensional models of the solar atmosphere. The wavelength-integrated linear polarization signal is found to be dominated by the contribution from the wings when considering a Gaussian weighting function with a FWHM that corresponds to the CLASP slit-jaw broadband filter. These broadband linear polarization signals are strongly sensitive to magnetic fields of strengths on the order of 50 G, via the action of magneto-optical (MO) effects, and are expected to encode information on the middle-upper chromosphere. The two-dimensional broadband intensity and linear polarization images observed by CLASP can be suitably mimicked using synthetic wavelength-integrated signals obtained considering atmospheric models and magnetic fields that are representative of solar regions with different levels of activity, provided that the impact of MO effects is taken into account. Despite the limitations of a one-dimensional RT modeling, this work illustrates the diagnostic potential of filter-polarimetric Lyα signals for probing the solar chromosphere and its magnetism.

Keywords: solar chromosphere; spectropolarimetry; solar magnetic fields; radiative transfer
The Mg-K Anticorrelation in ω Centauri

We present [K/Fe] abundance ratios for a sample of 450 stars in ω Centauri, using high-resolution spectra acquired with the multiobject spectrograph FLAMES@VLT. Abundances for Fe, Na, and Mg were also derived. We detected intrinsic K variations in the analyzed stars. Moreover, [K/Fe] shows a significant correlation with [Na/Fe] and an anticorrelation with [Mg/Fe]. The presence of a clear-cut Mg-K anticorrelation makes ω Centauri the third stellar system, after NGC 2419 and NGC 2808, hosting a subpopulation of stars with [Mg/Fe] < 0.0 dex, K-enriched in the case of ω Centauri by ~0.3 dex with respect to Mg-rich stars ([Mg/Fe] > 0.0 dex). The correlation/anticorrelation between K and other light elements involved in chemical anomalies supports the idea that the spread in [K/Fe] can be associated with the same self-enrichment process typical of globular clusters. We suggest that significant variations in K abundances perhaps can be found in the most massive and/or metal-poor globular clusters as a manifestation of an extreme self-enrichment process. Theoretical models face problems explaining K production in globular clusters. Indeed, models where asymptotic giant branch stars are responsible for the Mg-K anticorrelation only qualitatively agree with the observations. Finally, we discovered a peculiar star with an extraordinary K overabundance ([K/Fe] = +1.60 dex) with respect to the other stars with similar [Mg/Fe]. We suggest that this K-rich star could be formed from the pure ejecta of AGB stars before dilution with pristine material.

Keywords: chemical abundances
A Parameterized Neutrino Emission Model to Study Mass Ejection in Failed Core-collapse Supernovae

Some massive stars end their lives as failed core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and become black holes (BHs). Although in this class of phenomena the stalled supernova (SN) shock is not revived, the outer stellar envelope can still be partially ejected. This occurs because the hydrodynamic equilibrium of the star is disrupted by the gravitational mass loss of the protoneutron star (PNS) due to neutrino emission. We develop a simple parameterized model that emulates PNS evolution and its neutrino emission and use it to simulate failed CCSNe in spherical symmetry for a wide range of progenitor stars. Our model allows us to study mass ejection of failed CCSNe where the PNS collapses into a BH within ~100 ms and up to ~106 s. We perform failed CCSNe simulations for 262 different pre-SN progenitors and determine how the energy and mass of the ejecta depend on progenitor properties and the equation of state (EOS) of dense matter. In the case of a future failed CCSN observation, the trends obtained in our simulations can be used to place constraints on the pre-SN progenitor characteristics, the EOS, and on PNS properties at BH formation time.

Keywords: compact objects; hydrodynamics; neutron stars; core-collapse supernovae; nuclear astrophysics; stellar mass black holes
Size and Spectroscopic Evolution of HectoMAP Quiescent Galaxies

The HectoMAP survey provides a complete, mass-limited sample of 30,231 quiescent galaxies with i-band Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC SSP) imaging that spans the redshift range 0.2 < z < 0.6. We combine half-light radii based on HSC SSP imaging with redshifts and D n 4000 to explore the size-mass relation, ${R}_{e}=A\times {M}_{* }^{\alpha }$ , and its evolution for the entire HectoMAP quiescent population and for two subsets of the data. Newcomers with 1.5 < D n 4000 < 1.6 at each redshift show a steeper increase in A as the universe ages than the population that descends from galaxies that are already quiescent at the survey limit, z ~ 0.6 (the resident population). In broad agreement with previous studies, evolution in the size-mass relation both for the entire HectoMAP sample and for the resident population (but not for the newcomers alone) is consistent with minor merger driven growth. For the resident population, the evolution in the size-mass relation is independent of the population age at z ~ 0.6. The contrast between the sample of newcomers and the resident population provides insight into the role of commonly termed "progenitor bias" on the evolution of the size-mass relation.

Keywords: galaxy spectroscopy; galaxy photometry; redshift surveys; galaxy structure; galaxy stellar content; galaxy evolution; quenched galaxies
A Compound Poisson Generator Approach to Point-source Inference in Astrophysics

The identification and description of point sources is one of the oldest problems in astronomy, yet even today the correct statistical treatment for point sources remains one of the field's hardest problems. For dim or crowded sources, likelihood-based inference methods are required to estimate the uncertainty on the characteristics of the source population. In this work, a new parametric likelihood is constructed for this problem using compound Poisson generator (CPG) functionals that incorporate instrumental effects from first principles. We demonstrate that the CPG approach exhibits a number of advantages over non-Poissonian template fitting (NPTF)-an existing method-in a series of test scenarios in the context of X-ray astronomy. These demonstrations show that the effect of the point-spread function, effective area, and choice of point-source spatial distribution cannot, generally, be factorized as they are in NPTF, while the new CPG construction is validated in these scenarios. Separately, an examination of the diffuse-flux emission limit is used to show that most simple choices of priors on the standard parameterization of the population model can result in unexpected biases: when a model comprising both a point-source population and diffuse component is applied to this limit, nearly all observed flux will be assigned to either the population or to the diffuse component. A new parameterization is presented for these priors that properly estimates the uncertainties in this limit. In this choice of priors, CPG correctly identifies that the fraction of flux assigned to the population model cannot be constrained by the data.

Keywords: astrostatistics strategies; prior distribution; parametric hypothesis tests; bayesian statistics; x-ray telescopes; spatial point processes; x-ray point sources
Dependence of Energetic Storm Particle Heavy Ion Peak Intensities and Spectra on Source CME Longitude and Speed

We examine variations in energetic storm particle (ESP) heavy ion peak intensities and energy spectra at CME-driven interplanetary shocks. We focus on their dependence with heliolongitude relative to the source region of their associated CMEs, and with CME speed, for events observed in Solar Cycle 24 at the STEREO-A, STEREO-B, and/or ACE spacecraft. We find that observations of ESP events at 1 au are organized by longitude relative to their CME solar source. The ESP event longitude distribution also showed organization with CME speed. The near-Sun CME speeds (V i ) for these events ranged from ~560 to 2650 km s-1 while the average CME transit speeds to 1 au were significantly slower. The angular width of the events had a clear threshold at V i of ~1300 km s-1, above which events showed significantly larger angular extension compared to events with speeds below. High-speed events also showed larger heavy ion peak intensities near the nose of the shock compared to the flanks while their spectral index was smaller near the nose and larger near the flanks. This organization for events with V i < 1300 km s-1 was not as clear. These ESP events were observed over a narrower range of longitudes though the heavy ion peak intensities still appeared largest near the nose of the shock. Their heavy ion spectra showed no clear organization with longitude. These observations highlight the impact of spacecraft position relative to the CME source longitude and V i on the properties of ESP events at 1 au.

Keywords: solar energetic particles; interplanetary physics; solar coronal mass ejections