adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
ACCESS: An Optical Transmission Spectrum of the High-gravity Hot Jupiter HAT-P-23b

We present a new ground-based visible transmission spectrum of the high-gravity, hot Jupiter HAT-P-23b, obtained as part of the ACCESS project. We derive the spectrum from five transits observed between 2016 and 2018, with combined wavelength coverage between 5200 Å and 9269 Å in 200 Å bins, and with a median precision of 247 ppm per bin. HAT-P-23b's relatively high surface gravity (g ≈ 30 m s-2), combined with updated stellar and planetary parameters from Gaia DR2, gives a five-scale-height signal of 384 ppm for a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. Bayesian models favor a clear atmosphere for the planet with the tentative presence of TiO, after simultaneously modeling stellar contamination, using spots parameter constraints from photometry. If confirmed, HAT-P-23b would be the first example of a high-gravity gas giant with a clear atmosphere observed in transmission at optical/near-IR wavelengths; therefore, we recommend expanding observations to the UV and IR to confirm our results and further characterize this planet. This result demonstrates how combining transmission spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres with long-term photometric monitoring of the host stars can help disentangle the exoplanet and stellar activity signals.

Keywords: exoplanet atmospheres; stellar activity; starspots; transmission spectroscopy
The Initiation of a Solar Streamer Blowout Coronal Mass Ejection Arising from the Streamer Flank

Streamer blowout (SBO) coronal mass ejections (CMEs) represent a particular class of CMEs that are characterized by a gradual swelling of the overlying streamer and a slow CME containing a flux-rope structure. SBO CMEs arising from the streamer flank fall into a special category of SBO CMEs involving three lower arches under the higher streamer arcade. However, the initiation mechanism for this special category of SBO CMEs remains elusive, due to the observational limitations. Here we report critical observations of a SBO CME associated with the eruption of a polar crown filament that originated from the streamer flank. The filament slowly rose toward the solar equator with the writhing motion, and underwent a sudden acceleration before its eruption. Interestingly, during the rising, the filament fields experienced gradual external reconnections, which is evidenced by the dip-shaped bottom of the enveloping flux-rope structure changing from a smooth concave, the slow inflows (∼1.8 km s-1) from both the filament fields and the coronal loops beneath, and the persistent brightenings around the interface between the filament fields and the coronal loops beneath. The newly formed lower loops at the filament source and the Y-shaped structure in the stretched tail fields indicate the internal reconnections for the filament eruption. The clear signatures of external and internal reconnections shed light on the initiation mechanisms of SBO CMEs.

Keywords: solar coronal streamers; solar coronal mass ejections; solar filament eruptions; solar magnetic reconnection
M92 (NGC 6341) Is a Metal-complex Globular Cluster with an Atypical Primordial Population

We present a multiple stellar population study of the metal-poor globular cluster (GC) M92 (NGC 6341), which is long known for the substantial metallicity dispersion, using our own photometric system. We find two groups with slightly different mean metallicities, the metal-poor (MP) stars with [Fe/H] hk = -2.412 ± 0.03 and the metal-rich (MR) ones with -2.282 ± 0.002. The MP constitutes about 23% of the total mass with a more central concentration. Our populational tagging based on the [C/Fe] ch and [N/Fe] nh provides the mean n(P):n(I):n(E) = 32.2:31.6:36.2 (±2.4), where P, I, and E denote the primordial, intermediate, and extreme populations, respectively. Our populational number ratio is consistent with those of others. However, the MP has a significantly different populational number ratio than the mean value, and the domination of the primordial population in the MP is consistent with observations of Galactic GCs that less massive GCs contain larger fractions of the primordial population. Structural and constituent differences between the MP and MR may indicate that M92 is a merger remnant in a dwarf galaxy environment, consistent with recent suggestions that M92 is a GC in a dwarf galaxy or a remnant nucleus of the progenitor galaxy. Discrepancy between our method and those widely used for the Hubble Space Telescope photometry exists in the primordial population. Significant magnesium and oxygen depletions of -0.8 and -0.3 dex, respectively, and helium enhancement of ΔY ≳ 0.03 are required to explain the presence of this abnormal primordial group. No clear explanation is available with limited information of detailed elemental abundances.

Keywords: stellar populations; population ii stars; globular star clusters; hertzsprung russell diagram; chemical abundances; stellar evolution; red giant branch
New Candidates for Planetary-mass Brown Dwarfs in IC 348

We have used infrared images obtained with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope to search for planetary-mass brown dwarfs in the star-forming cluster IC 348. In those images, we have identified 12 objects that have colors indicative of spectral types later than M8, corresponding to masses of ≲30 MJup at the age of IC 348. The four brightest candidates have been observed with spectroscopy, all of which are confirmed to have late types. Two of those candidates appear to be young, and thus are likely members of the cluster, while the ages and membership of the other two candidates are uncertain. One of the former candidates is the faintest known member of IC 348 in extinction-corrected Ks and is expected to have a mass of 4-5 MJup based on evolutionary models and an assumed age of 3 Myr. Four of the remaining eight candidates have ground-based photometry that further supports their candidacy as brown dwarfs, some of which are fainter (and potentially less massive) than the known members.

Keywords: brown dwarfs; initial mass function; hubble space telescope
The Apparent Tail of the Galactic Center Object G2/DSO

Observations of the near-infrared excess object G2/DSO increased attention toward the Galactic center and its vicinity. The predicted flaring event in 2014 and the outcome of the intense monitoring of the supermassive black hole in the center of our Galaxy did not fulfill all predictions about a significantly enhanced accretion event. Subsequent observations addressed the question concerning the nature of the object because of its compact shape, especially during its periapse in 2014. Theoretical approaches have attempted to answer the contradictory behavior of the object, resisting the expected dissolution of a gaseous cloud due to tidal forces in combination with evaporation and hydrodynamical instabilities. However, assuming that the object is instead a dust-enshrouded young stellar object seems to be in line with the predictions of several groups and observations presented in numerous publications. Here we present a detailed overview and analysis of the observations of the object that have been performed with SINFONI (VLT) and we provide a comprehensive approach to clarify the nature of G2/DSO. We show that the tail emission consists of two isolated and compact sources with different orbital elements for each source rather than an extended and stretched component as it appeared in previous representations of the same data. Considering our recent publications, we propose that the monitored dust-enshrouded objects are remnants of a dissolved young stellar cluster whose formation was initiated in the circumnuclear disk. This indicates a shared history, which agrees with our analysis of the D- and X-sources.

Keywords: galactic center; supermassive black holes; young stellar objects; galaxy circumnuclear disk; pre-main sequence stars
Turbulence and Energetic Particles in Radiative Shock Waves in the Cygnus Loop. I. Shock Properties

We have obtained a contiguous set of long-slit spectra of a shock wave in the Cygnus Loop to investigate its structure, which is far from the morphology predicted by 1D models. Proper motions from Hubble Space Telescope images combined with the known distance to the Cygnus Loop provide an accurate shock speed. Earlier analyses of shock spectra estimated the shock speed, postshock density, temperature, and elemental abundances. In this paper we determine several more shock parameters: a more accurate shock speed, ram pressure, density, compression ratio, dust destruction efficiency, magnetic field strength, and vorticity in the cooling region. From the derived shock properties we estimate the emissivities of synchrotron emission in the radio and pion decay emission in the gamma-rays. Both are consistent with the observations if we assume simple adiabatic compression of ambient cosmic-rays as in the van der Laan mechanism. We also find that, although the morphology is far from that predicted by 1D models and the line ratios vary dramatically from point to point, the average spectrum is matched reasonably well by 1D shock models with the shock speed derived from the measured proper motion. A subsequent paper will analyze the development of turbulence in the cooling zone behind the shock.

Keywords: shocks; supernova remnants; gamma-rays; plasma astrophysics
Evolutionary Deformation toward the Elastic Limit by a Magnetic Field Confined in the Neutron-star Crust

Occasional energetic outbursts and anomalous X-ray luminosities are expected to be powered by the strong magnetic field in a neutron star. For a very strong magnetic field, elastic deformation becomes excessively large such that it leads to crustal failure. We studied the evolutionary process driven by the Hall drift for a magnetic field confined inside the crust. Assuming that the elastic force acts against the Lorentz force, we examined the duration of the elastic regime and maximum elastic energy stored before the critical state. The breakup time was longer than that required for extending the field to the exterior, because the tangential components of the Lorentz force vanished in the fragile surface region. The conversion of large magnetic energy, confined to the interior, into Joule heat is considered to explain the power for central compact objects. This process can function without reaching its elastic limit, unless the magnetic energy exceeds 2 × 1047 erg, which requires an average field strength of 2 × 1015 G. Thus, the strong magnetic field hidden in the crust is unlikely to cause outbursts. Furthermore, the magnetic field configuration can discriminate between central compact objects and magnetars.

Keywords: neutron star cores; compact objects; magnetars; high energy astrophysics
Two-year Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) Observations: A Measurement of Circular Polarization at 40 GHz

We report measurements of circular polarization from the first two years of observation with the 40 GHz polarimeter of the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS). CLASS is conducting a multi-frequency survey covering 75% of the sky from the Atacama Desert designed to measure the cosmic microwave background (CMB) linear E and B polarization on angular scales 1° ≲ θ ≤ 90°, corresponding to a multipole range of 2 ≤ ℓ ≲ 200. The modulation technology enabling measurements of linear polarization at the largest angular scales from the ground, the Variable-delay Polarization Modulator, is uniquely designed to provide explicit sensitivity to circular polarization (Stokes V). We present a first detection of circularly polarized atmospheric emission at 40 GHz that is well described by a dipole with an amplitude of $124\pm 4\,\mu {\rm{K}}$ when observed at an elevation of 45°, and discuss its potential impact on the recovery of linear polarization by CLASS. Filtering the atmospheric component, CLASS places a 95% confidence upper limit of $0.4\,\mu {{\rm{K}}}^{2}$ to $13.5\,\mu {{\rm{K}}}^{2}$ on ${\ell }({\ell }+1){C}_{{\ell }}^{{VV}}/(2\pi )$ for $1\leqslant {\ell }\leqslant 120$ , representing an improvement by two orders of magnitude over previous CMB limits.

Keywords: cosmic microwave background radiation; early universe; observational cosmology; astronomical instrumentation; polarimeters; sky surveys; reionization; big bang theory
Cracking the Relation between Mass and 1P Star Fraction of Globular Clusters. I. Present-day Cluster Masses as a First Tool

The phenomenon of multiple stellar populations is exacerbated in massive globular clusters, with the fraction of first-population (1P) stars a decreasing function of the cluster present-day mass. We decipher this relation in far greater detail than has been done so far. We assume (i) a fixed stellar mass threshold for the formation of second-population (2P) stars, (ii) a power-law scaling ${F}_{1{\rm{P}}}\propto {m}_{\mathrm{ecl}}^{-1}$ between the mass m ecl of newly formed clusters and their 1P star fraction F 1P, and (iii) a constant F 1P over time. The F 1P(m ecl) relation is then evolved up to an age of 12 Gyr for tidal field strengths representative of the entire Galactic halo. The 12 Gyr old model tracks cover the present-day distribution of Galactic globular clusters in the (mass, F 1P) space extremely well. The distribution is curtailed on its top right side by the scarcity of clusters at large Galactocentric distances and on its bottom left side by the initial scarcity of very high-mass clusters and dynamical friction. Given their distinct dissolution rates, "inner" and "outer" model clusters are offset from each other, as observed. The locus of Magellanic Clouds clusters in the (mass, F 1P) space is as expected for intermediate-age clusters evolving in a gentle tidal field. Given the assumed constancy of F 1P, we conclude that 2P stars do not necessarily form centrally concentrated. We infer a minimum mass of 4 · 105 M ⊙ for multiple-population clusters at secular evolution onset. This high-mass threshold severely limits the number of 2P stars lost from evolving clusters, thereby fitting the low 2P star fraction of the Galactic halo field.

Keywords: globular star clusters; chemical enrichment; stellar dynamics; stellar populations; population ii stars; chemical abundances; magellanic clouds; fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy
On the Magnetospheric Origin of Repeating Fast Radio Bursts

A bright radio burst was newly discovered in SGR 1935+2154, which exhibits some fast radio burst (FRB)-like temporal and frequency properties, suggesting a neutron star (NS)/magnetar magnetospheric origin of FRBs. We propose an explanation of the temporal and frequency properties of sub-pulses of repeating FRBs based on the generic geometry within the framework of charged-bunching coherent curvature radiation in the magnetosphere. The sub-pulses in a radio burst come from bunches of charged particles moving along different magnetic field lines. Their radiation beams sweep across the line of sight at different times, and those radiating at the more curved part tend to be seen earlier and at higher frequency. However, by considering bunches generated at slightly different times, we find there is also a small probability that the emission from the less curved part can be seen earlier. We simulate the time-frequency structures by deriving various forms of the electric acceleration field in the magnetosphere. This structure of sub-pulses is a natural consequence of coherent curvature radiation from an NS/magnetar magnetosphere with suddenly and violently triggered sparks. We apply this model to explain the time-frequency structure within a specific dipolar configuration by invoking the transient pulsar-like sparking from the inner gap of a slowly rotating NS, and we have also applied it to more generic configurations.

Keywords: radio transient sources; magnetars; neutron stars; radio bursts; non-thermal radiation sources
Scaling K2. VI. Reduced Small-planet Occurrence in High-galactic-amplitude Stars

In this study, we performed a homogeneous analysis of the planets around FGK dwarf stars observed by the Kepler and K2 missions, providing spectroscopic parameters for 310 K2 targets -including 239 Scaling K2 hosts-observed with Keck/HIRES. For orbital periods less than 40 days, we found that the distribution of planets as a function of orbital period, stellar effective temperature, and metallicity was consistent between K2 and Kepler, reflecting consistent planet formation efficiency across numerous ~1 kpc sight-lines in the local Milky Way. Additionally, we detected a 3× excess of sub-Saturns relative to warm Jupiters beyond 10 days, suggesting a closer association between sub-Saturn and sub-Neptune formation than between sub-Saturn and Jovian formation. Performing a joint analysis of Kepler and K2 demographics, we observed diminishing super-Earth, sub-Neptune, and sub-Saturn populations at higher stellar effective temperatures, implying an inverse relationship between formation and disk mass. In contrast, no apparent host-star spectral-type dependence was identified for our population of Jupiters, which indicates gas-giant formation saturates within the FGK mass regimes. We present support for stellar metallicity trends reported by previous Kepler analyses. Using Gaia DR3 proper motion and radial velocity measurements, we discovered a galactic location trend; stars that make large vertical excursions from the plane of the Milky Way host fewer super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. While oscillation amplitude is associated with metallicity, metallicity alone cannot explain the observed trend, demonstrating that galactic influences are imprinted on the planet population. Overall, our results provide new insights into the distribution of planets around FGK dwarf stars and the factors that influence their formation and evolution.

Keywords: exoplanet catalogs; astrostatistics; galactic archaeology; exoplanet formation; planet formation
Improved Lyα Tomography Using Optimized Reconstruction with Constraints on Absorption (ORCA)

In this work, we propose an improved approach to reconstruct the three-dimensional intergalactic medium from observed Lyα forest absorption features. We present our new method, the Optimized Reconstruction with Constraints on Absorption (ORCA), which outperforms the current baseline Wiener filter (WF) when tested on mock Lyα forest data generated from hydrodynamical simulations. We find that both reconstructed flux errors and cosmic web classification improve substantially with ORCA, equivalent to 30%-40% additional sight lines with the standard WF. We use this method to identify and classify extremal objects, i.e., voids and (proto)clusters, and find improved reconstruction across all summary statistics explored. We apply ORCA to existing Lyα forest data from the COSMOS Lyman Alpha Mapping and Tomography Observations (CLAMATO) Survey and compare it to the WF reconstruction.

Keywords: cosmology; spectroscopy; circumgalactic medium; intergalactic medium; protoclusters; voids
Constraining the Astrophysical Origin of Intergalactic Magnetic Fields

High-energy photons can produce electron–positron pairs upon interacting with the extragalactic background light. These pairs will in turn be deflected by the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF), before possibly up-scattering photons of the cosmic microwave background, thereby initiating an electromagnetic cascade. The nonobservation of an excess of GeV photons and an extended halo around individual blazars due to this electromagnetic cascade can be used to constrain the properties of the IGMF. In this work, we use publicly available data of 1ES 0229+200 obtained with the Fermi Large Area Telescope and the High Energy Stereoscopic System to constrain cosmological MHD simulations of various magnetogenesis scenarios, and find that all models without a strong space-filling primordial component or overoptimistic dynamo amplifications can be excluded at the 95% confidence level. In fact, we find that the fraction of space filled by a strong IGMF has to be at least f ≳ 0.67, thus excluding most astrophysical production scenarios. Moreover, we set lower limits of B 0 > 5.1 × 10‑15 G (B 0 > 1.0 × 10‑14 G) for a space-filling primordial IGMF for a blazar activity time of Δt = 104 yr (Δt = 107 yr).

Keywords: intergalactic medium; extragalactic astronomy; blazars; extragalactic magnetic fields; primordial magnetic fields
The Effects of Dark Matter and Baryonic Physics on the Milky Way Subhalo Population in the Presence of the Large Magellanic Cloud

Given recent developments in our understanding of the Large Magellanic Cloud's (LMC) impact on the Milky Way's (MW) dark matter subhalo population, we compare the signatures of dark matter and baryonic physics on subhalos in MW systems with realistic LMC analogs. In particular, we study the effects of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), warm dark matter (WDM), and the Galactic disk on the peak maximum circular velocity (Vpeak) function, radial distribution, and spatial distribution of MW and LMC-associated subhalos using cosmological dark matter-only zoom-in simulations of MW+LMC systems. For a fixed abundance of subhalos expected to host dwarf galaxies (Vpeak ≳ 20 km s-1), SIDM and WDM can produce a similar mass-dependent suppression of the subhalo Vpeak function, while disk disruption is mass independent. Subhalos in the inner regions of the MW are preferentially disrupted by both self-interactions and the disk, while suppression in WDM is radially independent. The relative abundance of LMC-associated subhalos is not strongly affected by disk disruption or WDM, but is significantly suppressed in SIDM due to self-interactions with the LMC at early times and with the MW during LMC infall at late times, erasing spatial anisotropy in the MW subhalo population. These results provide avenues to distinguish dark matter and baryonic physics by combining properties of the MW and LMC subhalo populations probed by upcoming observations of satellite galaxies and stellar streams.

Keywords: dark matter; milky way dark matter halo; galaxy abundances
The Transport Equation for the Dispersal of Passive Tracers in a Nonuniform Turbulent Fluid: Numerical Simulations

The random advection of passive additives in a turbulent fluid plays an important role in solar physics, astrophysics, and atmospheric sciences. We concern ourselves here with the case where the fluctuations are not statistically homogeneous in space, and, hence, where the transport coefficients vary with position. Using a numerical model in which the fluid turbulence is defined kinematically, we show that the evolution of the distribution of passive tracers in the fluid is not always governed by the ordinary diffusion equation. We find it is governed by a more general transport equation whose form depends on the nature of the turbulence, particularly on its compressibility, or divergence. The more general transport equation resembles the ordinary diffusion equation, but the transport coefficient appears in two places and is raised to a power that depends on the divergence of the fluid velocity. If the flow has zero divergence, the case for incompressible turbulence, the resulting transport equation is found to be the regular diffusion equation.

Keywords: plasma astrophysics; solar magnetic fields; hydrodynamics; astrophysical fluid dynamics; atmospheric science