adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Intrusion of Magnetic Peninsula toward the Neighboring Opposite-polarity Region That Triggers the Largest Solar Flare in Solar Cycle 24

The largest X9.3 solar flare in solar cycle 24 and the preceding X2.2 flare occurred on 2017 September 6, in the solar active region NOAA 12673. This study aims to understand the onset mechanism of these flares via analysis of multiple observational data sets from the Hinode and Solar Dynamics Observatory and results from a nonlinear force-free field extrapolation. The most noticeable feature is the intrusion of a major negative-polarity region, appearing similar to a peninsula, oriented northwest into a neighboring opposite-polarity region. We also observe proxies of magnetic reconnection related to the intrusion of the negative peninsula: rapid changes of the magnetic field around the intruding negative peninsula; precursor brightening at the tip of the negative peninsula, including a cusp-shaped brightening that shows a transient but significant downflow (∼100 km s-1) at a leg of the cusp; a dark tube-like structure that appears to be a magnetic flux rope that erupted with the X9.3 flare; and coronal brightening along the dark tube-like structure that appears to represent the electric current generated under the flux rope. Based on these observational features, we propose that (1) the intrusion of the negative peninsula was critical in promoting the push-mode magnetic reconnection that forms and grows a twisted magnetic flux rope that erupted with the X2.2 flare, and (2) the continuing intrusion progressing even beyond the X2.2 flare is further promoted to disrupt the equilibrium that leads the reinforcement of the magnetic flux rope that erupted with the X9.3 flare.

Keywords: the sun; sunspots; delta sunspots; active sun; solar flares; space weather; solar coronal mass ejections; solar active region magnetic fields
Potential Habitability as a Stellar Property: Effects of Model Uncertainties and Measurement Precision

Knowledge of a star's evolutionary history combined with estimates of planet occurrence rates allows one to infer whether a star would be a good target in a search for biosignatures, and to quantify this intuition using long-term habitability metrics. In this study, we analyze the sensitivity of the biosignature yield metrics formulated by Tuchow & Wright to uncertainties in observable stellar properties and to model uncertainties. We characterize the uncertainties present in fitting models to stellar observations by generating a stellar model with known properties and adding synthetic uncertainties in the observable properties. We scale the uncertainty in individual observables and observe the effects on the precision of properties such as stellar mass, age, and our metrics. To determine model uncertainties, we compare four well-accepted stellar models using different model physics and see how they vary in terms of the values of our metrics. We determine the ability of future missions to rank target stars according to these metrics, given the current precision to which host star properties can be measured. We show that obtaining independent age constraints decreases both the model and systematic uncertainties in determining these metrics and is the most powerful way to improve assessments of the long-term habitability of planets around low-mass stars.

Keywords: exoplanets; exoplanet evolution; astrobiology; biosignatures; direct imaging; planet hosting stars; habitable zone; stellar properties
Formation of the Lyman Continuum during Solar Flares

The Lyman continuum (LyC; <911.12 Å) forms at the top of the chromosphere in the quiet Sun, making LyC a powerful tool for probing the chromospheric plasma during solar flares. To understand the effects of nonthermal energy deposition in the chromosphere during flares, we analyzed LyC profiles from a grid of field-aligned radiative-hydrodynamic models generated using the RADYN code as part of the F-CHROMA project. The spectral response of LyC, the temporal evolution of the departure coefficient of hydrogen, b 1, and the color temperature, T c , in response to a range of nonthermal electron distribution functions, were investigated. The LyC intensity was seen to increase by 4-5.5 orders of magnitude during solar flares, responding most strongly to the nonthermal electron flux of the beam. Generally, b 1 decreased from 102-103 to closer to unity during solar flares, indicating a stronger coupling to local conditions, while T c increased from 8-9 to 10-16 kK. T c was found to be approximately equal to the electron temperature of the plasma when b 1 was at a minimum. Both optically thick and optically thin components of LyC were found to be in agreement with the interpretation of recent observations. The optically thick layer forms deeper in the chromosphere during a flare compared to quiescent periods, whereas the optically thin layers form at higher altitudes due to chromospheric evaporation, in low-temperature, high-density regions propagating upward. We put these results in the context of current and future missions.

Keywords: solar flares; solar chromosphere
The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the HUDF: A Model to Explain Observed 1.1 and 0.85 mm Dust Continuum Number Counts

We present a new semiempirical model for the dust continuum number counts of galaxies at 1.1 mm and 850 μm. Our approach couples an observationally motivated model for the stellar mass and star formation rate distribution of galaxies with empirical scaling relations to predict the dust continuum flux density of these galaxies. Without a need to tweak the IMF, the model reproduces the currently available observations of the 1.1 mm and 850 μm number counts, including the observed flattening in the 1.1 mm number counts below 0.3 mJy and the number counts in discrete bins of different galaxy properties. Predictions of our work include the following: (1) the galaxies that dominate the number counts at flux densities below 1 mJy (3 mJy) at 1.1 mm (850 μm) have redshifts between z = 1 and z = 2, stellar masses of ∼5 × 1010 M⊙, and dust masses of ∼108 M⊙; (2) the flattening in the observed 1.1 mm number counts corresponds to the knee of the 1.1 mm luminosity function. A similar flattening is predicted for the number counts at 850 μm; (3) the model reproduces the redshift distribution of current 1.1 mm detections; and (4) to efficiently detect large numbers of galaxies through their dust continuum, future surveys should scan large areas once reaching a 1.1 mm flux density of 0.1 mJy rather than integrating to fainter fluxes. Our modeling framework also suggests that the amount of information on galaxy physics that can be extracted from the 1.1 mm and 850 μm number counts is almost exhausted.

Keywords: galaxy evolution; high-redshift galaxies; dust continuum emission; interstellar medium; galaxy formation
Citlalmitl: A Laser-based Device for Meteoritical Sample Fabrication with Arbitrary Thermal Histories

We present Citlalmitl (the word for meteorite in the Nahuatl language), a new experimental device designed and built to simulate high-temperature processes relevant for meteoritics, including chondrule formation and the atmospheric entry of micrometeorites (MMs). The main component of Citlalmitl is a 50 W CO2 laser, used to melt samples that simulate the precursors of meteoritical materials. As examples of the operation of our device, we have irradiated silicate samples controlling the laser duty cycle to reproduce heating profiles predicted by shock-wave simulations. Citlalmitl records the sample temperature during and after irradiation, a unique feature that allows us to directly measure the thermal history of the sample, a key parameter for the characteristics observed in MMs and chondrules. We demonstrate that Citlalmitl can reproduce different heating profiles useful to mimic thermal histories in meteoritical processes.

Keywords: astronomical instrumentation; meteorites; micrometeorites; chondrules
Ages of Main-sequence Turnoff Stars from the GALAH Survey

Main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) stars are good tracers of Galactic populations since their ages can be reliably estimated from atmospheric parameters. Based on the GALAH survey, we use the Yale rotation evolution code to determine the ages of 2926 MSTO stars with a mean age uncertainty of ~10% considering the variation of C and O abundances. The ages of CO-poor stars are systematically affected by ~10% due to the C and O abundances, globally shifting to ~0.5 Gyr older compared to the results using solar metal mixture. Of the stars with [Fe/H] ~ 0.3-0.5 or [O/Fe] ≤ -0.25, many have fractional age differences of ≥20%, and even reach up to 36%. The age-metallicity relation appears to possibly indicate the existence of two distinct sequences: a young sequence of stars with ages mostly <7 Gyr, and a relatively older sequence of stars with ages mostly >7 Gyr, overlapping at 5 Gyr ≤ age ≤ 7 Gyr. Moreover, the trends of abundances-to-age ratios show two corresponding sequences, especially in the [O/Fe]-age plane. We also find that [Y/Mg] is a good chemical clock in disk populations. The young sequence and the old sequence cannot be separated based on chemistry or kinematics; therefore, stellar age is an important parameter to distinguish these two sequences in our sample.

Keywords: chemical abundances; milky way disk; fundamental parameters of stars
Implications for Primordial Black Holes from Cosmological Constraints on Scalar-induced Gravitational Waves

Sufficiently large scalar perturbations in the early universe can create overdense regions that collapse into primordial black holes (PBHs). This process is accompanied by the emission of scalar-induced gravitational waves that behave like an extra radiation component, thus contributing to the relativistic degrees of freedom (N eff). We show that the cosmological constraints on N eff can be used to pose stringent limits on PBHs created from this particular scenario as well as the relevant small-scale curvature perturbation ( ${{ \mathcal P }}_{{ \mathcal R }}(k)$ ). We show that the combination of cosmic microwave background (CMB), baryon acoustic oscillation, and Big Bang nucleosynthesis data sets can exclude supermassive PBHs with peak mass M • ∈ [5 × 105, 5 × 1010] M ⊙ as the major component of dark matter, while the detailed constraints depend on the shape of the PBHs' mass distribution. A future CMB mission such as CMB-S4 can greatly broaden this constraint window to M • ∈ [8 × 10-5, 5 × 1010] M ⊙, covering substellar masses. These limits on PBHs correspond to a tightened constraint on ${{ \mathcal P }}_{{ \mathcal R }}$ on scales of k ∈ [10, 1022] Mpc-1, much smaller than those probed by direct CMB and large-scale structure power spectra.

Keywords: cosmological perturbation theory
Evidence for a Past Martian Ring from the Orbital Inclination of Deimos

We numerically explore the possibility that the large orbital inclination of the Martian satellite Deimos originated in an orbital resonance with an ancient inner satellite of Mars more massive than Phobos. We find that Deimos's inclination can be reliably generated by outward evolution of a Martian satellite that is about 20 times more massive than Phobos through the 3:1 mean-motion resonance with Deimos at 3.3 Mars radii. This outward migration, in the opposite direction from tidal evolution within the synchronous radius, requires interaction with a past massive ring of Mars. Our results therefore strongly support the cyclic Martian ring-satellite hypothesis of Hesselbrock & Minton. Our findings, combined with the model of Hesselbrock & Minton, suggest that the age of the surface of Deimos is about 3.5-4 Gyr, and require Phobos to be significantly younger.

Keywords: martian satellites; orbital resonances; celestial mechanics; n-body simulations
A Search for MeV to TeV Neutrinos from Fast Radio Bursts with IceCube

We present two searches for IceCube neutrino events coincident with 28 fast radio bursts (FRBs) and 1 repeating FRB. The first improves on a previous IceCube analysis—searching for spatial and temporal correlation of events with FRBs at energies greater than roughly 50 GeV—by increasing the effective area by an order of magnitude. The second is a search for temporal correlation of MeV neutrino events with FRBs. No significant correlation is found in either search; therefore, we set upper limits on the time-integrated neutrino flux emitted by FRBs for a range of emission timescales less than one day. These are the first limits on FRB neutrino emission at the MeV scale, and the limits set at higher energies are an order-of-magnitude improvement over those set by any neutrino telescope.

Keywords: astronomical radiation sources; neutrino astronomy; high energy astrophysics
An Isolated Mass-gap Black Hole or Neutron Star Detected with Astrometric Microlensing

We present the analysis of five black hole candidates identified from gravitational microlensing surveys. Hubble Space Telescope astrometric data and densely sampled light curves from ground-based microlensing surveys are fit with a single-source, single-lens microlensing model in order to measure the mass and luminosity of each lens and determine if it is a black hole. One of the five targets (OGLE-2011-BLG-0462/MOA-2011-BLG-191 or OB110462 for short) shows a significant >1 mas coherent astrometric shift, little to no lens flux, and has an inferred lens mass of 1.6-4.4 M ⊙. This makes OB110462 the first definitive discovery of a compact object through astrometric microlensing and it is most likely either a neutron star or a low-mass black hole. This compact-object lens is relatively nearby (0.70-1.92 kpc) and has a slow transverse motion of <30 km s-1. OB110462 shows significant tension between models well fit to photometry versus astrometry, making it currently difficult to distinguish between a neutron star and a black hole. Additional observations and modeling with more complex system geometries, such as binary sources, are needed to resolve the puzzling nature of this object. For the remaining four candidates, the lens masses are <2M ⊙, and they are unlikely to be black holes; two of the four are likely white dwarfs or neutron stars. We compare the full sample of five candidates to theoretical expectations on the number of black holes in the Milky Way (~108) and find reasonable agreement given the small sample size.

Keywords: astrophysical black holes; astrometric microlensing effect; stellar populations; astrometry
Modeling Circumstellar Gas Emission around a White Dwarf Using CLOUDY

The chemical composition of an extrasolar planet is fundamental to its formation, evolution, and habitability. In this study, we explore a new way to measure the chemical composition of the building blocks of extrasolar planets by measuring the gas composition of the disrupted planetesimals around white dwarf stars. As a first attempt, we used the photoionization code CLOUDY to model the circumstellar gas emission around white dwarf Gaia J0611‑6931 under some simplified assumptions. We found that most of the emission lines are saturated, and the line ratios approach the ratios of thermal emission; therefore, only lower limits to the number density can be derived. Silicon is the best-constrained element in the circumstellar gas, and we derived a lower limit of 1010.3 cm‑3. In addition, we placed a lower limit on the total amount of gas to be 1.8 × 1019 g. Further study is needed to better constrain the parameters of the gas disk and connect it to other white dwarfs with circumstellar gas absorption.

Keywords: circumstellar gas; chemical abundances; debris disks; planetesimals; extrasolar rocky planets; white dwarf stars
On the Role of Solar Wind Expansion as a Source of Whistler Waves: Scattering of Suprathermal Electrons and Heat Flux Regulation in the Inner Heliosphere

The role of solar wind expansion in generating whistler waves is investigated using the EB-iPic3D code, which models solar wind expansion self-consistently within a fully kinetic semi-implicit approach. The simulation is initialized with an electron velocity distribution function modeled after observations of the Parker Solar Probe during its first perihelion at 0.166 au, consisting of a dense core and an antisunward strahl. This distribution function is initially stable with respect to kinetic instabilities. Expansion drives the solar wind into successive regimes where whistler heat flux instabilities are triggered. These instabilities produce sunward whistler waves initially characterized by predominantly oblique propagation with respect to the interplanetary magnetic field. The excited waves interact with the electrons via resonant scattering processes. As a consequence, the strahl pitch angle distribution broadens and its drift velocity reduces. The strahl electrons are scattered in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field, and an electron halo is formed. At a later stage, resonant electron firehose instability is triggered and further affects the electron temperature anisotropy as the solar wind expands. Wave-particle interaction processes are accompanied by a substantial reduction of the solar wind heat flux. The simulated whistler waves are in qualitative agreement with observations in terms of wave frequencies, amplitudes, and propagation angles. Our work proposes an explanation for the observations of oblique and parallel whistler waves in the solar wind. We conclude that solar wind expansion has to be factored in when trying to explain kinetic processes at different heliocentric distances.

Keywords: solar wind; plasma astrophysics; space plasmas
The SPHINX M-dwarf Spectral Grid. I. Benchmarking New Model Atmospheres to Derive Fundamental M-dwarf Properties

About 70%-80% of stars in our solar and Galactic neighborhood are M dwarfs. They span a range of low masses and temperatures relative to solar-type stars, facilitating molecule formation throughout their atmospheres. Standard stellar atmosphere models primarily designed for FGK stars face challenges when characterizing broadband molecular features in spectra of cool stars. Here, we introduce SPHINX-a new 1D self-consistent radiative-convective thermochemical equilibrium chemistry model grid of atmospheres and spectra for M dwarfs in low resolution (R ~ 250). We incorporate the latest precomputed absorption cross sections with pressure broadening for key molecules dominant in late-K, early/main-sequence-M stars. We then validate our grid models by determining fundamental properties (T eff, log g, [M/H], radius, and C/O) for 10 benchmark M+G binary stars with known host metallicities and 10 M dwarfs with interferometrically measured angular diameters. Incorporating the Gaussian process inference tool Starfish, we account for correlated and systematic noise in low-resolution (spectral stitching of SpeX, SNIFS, and STIS) observations and derive robust estimates of fundamental M-dwarf atmospheric parameters. Additionally, we assess the influence of photospheric heterogeneity on inferred [M/H] and find that it could explain some deviations from observations. We also probe whether the adopted convective mixing length parameter influences inferred radii, effective temperature, and [M/H] and again find that may explain discrepancies between interferometric observations and model-derived parameters for cooler M dwarfs. Mainly, we show the unique strength in leveraging broadband molecular absorption features occurring in low-resolution M dwarf spectra and demonstrate the ability to improve constraints on fundamental properties of exoplanet hosts and brown-dwarf companions.

Keywords: m dwarf stars; stellar atmospheres; planet hosting stars; theoretical models; fundamental parameters of stars
Energy and Temperature Dependencies for Electron-induced Sputtering from H2O Ice: Implications for the Icy Galilean Moons

To better assess the role that electrons play in exosphere production on icy bodies, we measured the total and O2 sputtering yields from H2O ice for electrons with energies between 0.75 and 10 keV and temperatures between 15 and 124.5 K. We find that both total and O2 yields increase with decreasing energy over our studied range, that they increase rapidly at temperatures above 60 K, and that the relative amount of H2O in the sputtered flux decreases quickly with increasing energy. Combining our data with other electron data in the literature, we show that the accuracy of a widely used sputtering model can be improved significantly for electrons by adjusting some of the intrinsic parameter values. Applying our results to Europa, we estimate that the contribution of electrons to the production of the O2 exosphere is equal to the combined contribution of all ions. In contrast, sputtering of O2 from Ganymede and Callisto appears to be dominated by irradiating ions, though electrons still likely contribute a nonnegligible amount. While our estimates could be further refined by examining the importance of spatial variations in electron flux, we conclude that, at the very least, electrons seem to be important for exosphere production on icy surfaces and should be included in future modeling efforts.

Keywords: ice physics; radiation interactions (ice); callisto; ganymede; europa; galilean satellites; markov chain monte carlo; experimental data; laboratory astrophysics; surface ices; astrochemistry; surface processes
Dynamically Tagged Groups of Very Metal-poor Halo Stars from the HK and Hamburg/ESO Surveys

We analyze the dynamical properties of ∼1500 very metal-poor (VMP; [Fe/H] ≲ -2.0) halo stars, based primarily on medium-resolution spectroscopic data from the HK and Hamburg/ESO surveys. These data, collected over the past 30 yr, are supplemented by a number of calibration stars and other small samples, along with astrometric information from Gaia DR2. We apply a clustering algorithm to the 4D energy-action space of the sample, and identify a set of 38 dynamically tagged groups (DTGs), containing between 5 and 30 member stars. Many of these DTGs can be associated with previously known prominent substructures such as Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus (GSE), Sequoia, Helmi Stream (HStr), and Thamnos. Others are associated with previously identified smaller dynamical groups of stars and streams. We identify 10 new DTGs as well, many of which have strongly retrograde orbits. We also investigate possible connections between our DTGs and ∼300 individual r-process-enhanced (RPE) stars from a recent literature compilation. We find that several of these objects have similar dynamical properties to GSE (5), the HStr (4), Sequoia (1), and Rg5 (1), indicating that their progenitors might have been important sources of RPE stars in the Galaxy. Additionally, a number of our newly identified DTGs are shown to be associated with at least two RPE stars each (DTG-2: 3, DTG-7: 2; DTG-27: 2). Taken as a whole, these results are consistent with ultra-faint and/or dwarf spheroidal galaxies as birth environments in which r-process nucleosynthesis took place, and then were disrupted by the Milky Way.

Keywords: milky way dynamics; milky way evolution; r-process; population ii stars; milky way stellar halo