adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Dust Production from Mini Outbursts of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1

Here we report on the results of observations of comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 obtained using four telescopes, in three different countries, from 2019 September 25 to 2020 January 19. During the last four months of 2019, comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 exhibited new outburst behavior indicative of small or mini outbursts in which the brightening of the comet lasted from only a few days to more than a week. We used Johnson-Cousins RC-band multi-aperture photometry measurements to calculate the dust production, via Afρ, the dust production rate, and the dust brightness profile of the comet for each night of observations. During these observations, the brightness of the comet fluctuated significantly multiple times, with notable changes in brightness ranging from 0.41 to 0.71 mag over time periods of only a couple of days to nearly two weeks.

Keywords: comets; small solar system bodies; centaur group; coma dust
Coupling a Global Heliospheric Magnetohydrodynamic Model to a Magnetofrictional Model of the Low Corona

Recent efforts coupling our Sun-to-Earth magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model and lower-corona magnetofrictional (MF) model are described. Our Global Heliospheric MHD (GHM) model uses time-dependent three-component magnetic field data from the lower-corona MF model as time-dependent boundary values. The MF model uses data-assimilation techniques to introduce the vector magnetic field data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, hence as a whole this simulation coupling structure is driven with actual observations. The GHM model employs a newly developed interface boundary treatment that is based on the concept of characteristics, and it properly treats the interface boundary sphere set at a height of the sub-Alfvénic lower corona (1.15 R⊙ in this work). The coupled model framework numerically produces twisted nonpotential magnetic features and consequent eruption events in the solar corona in response to the time-dependent boundary values. The combination of our two originally independently developed models presented here is a model framework toward achieving further capabilities of modeling the nonlinear time-dependent nature of magnetic field and plasma, from small-scale solar active regions to large-scale solar wind structures. This work is a part of the Coronal Global Evolutionary Model project for enhancing our understanding of Sun-Earth physics to help improve space weather capabilities.

Keywords: solar corona; solar wind; magnetohydrodynamics; magnetohydrodynamical simulations
ALMA Discovery of a Disk around the Planetary-mass Companion SR 12 c

We report an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 0.88 mm (Band 7) continuum detection of the accretion disk around SR 12 c, an ~11 M Jup planetary-mass companion (PMC) orbiting its host binary at 980 au. This is the first submillimeter detection of a circumplanetary disk around a wide PMC. The disk has a flux density of 127 ± 14 μJy and is not resolved by the ~0.″1 beam, so the dust disk radius is likely less than 5 au and can be much smaller if the dust continuum is optically thick. If, however, the dust emission is optically thin, then the SR 12 c disk has a comparable dust mass to the circumplanetary disk around PDS 70 c but is about five times lower than that of the ~12 M Jup free-floating OTS 44. This suggests that disks around bound and unbound planetary-mass objects can span a wide range of masses. The gas mass estimated with an accretion rate of 10-11 M ☉ yr-1 implies a gas-to-dust ratio higher than 100. If cloud absorption is not significant, a nondetection of 12CO(3-2) implies a compact gas disk around SR 12 c. Future sensitive observations may detect more PMC disks at 0.88 mm flux densities of ≲100 μJy.

Keywords: radio continuum emission; radio interferometry; accretion; extrasolar gaseous giant planets
Nonlinear Wave Damping by Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability-induced Turbulence

Magnetohydrodynamic kink waves naturally form as a consequence of perturbations to a structured medium, for example, transverse oscillations of coronal loops. Linear theory has provided many insights into the evolution of linear oscillations, and results from these models are often applied to infer information about the solar corona from observed wave periods and damping times. However, simulations show that nonlinear kink waves can host the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI), which subsequently creates turbulence in the loop, dynamics that are beyond linear models. In this paper we investigate the evolution of KHI-induced turbulence on the surface of a flux tube where a nonlinear fundamental kink mode has been excited. We control our numerical experiment so that we induce the KHI without exciting resonant absorption. We find two stages in the KHI turbulence dynamics. In the first stage, we show that the classic model of a KHI turbulent layer growing at ∝t is applicable. We adapt this model to make accurate predictions of the damping of the oscillation and turbulent heating as a consequence of the KHI dynamics. In the second stage, the now dominant turbulent motions are undergoing decay. We find that the classic model of energy decay proportional to t ‑2 approximately holds and provides an accurate prediction of the heating in this phase. Our results show that we can develop simple models for the turbulent evolution of a nonlinear kink wave, but the damping profiles produced are distinct from those of linear theory that are commonly used to confront theory and observations.

Keywords: solar coronal waves; solar coronal seismology
The Rotation of Magnetic Flux Ropes Formed during Solar Eruption

Eruptions of solar filaments often show rotational motion about their rising direction, but the mechanism governing such rotation, and how the rotation is related to the initial morphology of the preeruptive filament (and cospatial sigmoid), filament chirality, and magnetic helicity, remains elusive. The conventional view of rotation as a result of a magnetic flux rope (MFR) undergoing ideal kink instability still has difficulty explaining these relationships. Here we propose an alternative explanation for the rotation during eruptions by analyzing a magnetohydrodynamic simulation in which magnetic reconnection initiates an eruption from a sheared arcade configuration, and an MFR is formed during eruption via reconnection. The simulation reproduces a reverse-S-shaped MFR with dextral chirality, and the axis of this MFR rotates counterclockwise while rising, which compares favorably with a typical filament eruption observed from dual viewing angles. By calculating the twist and writhe numbers of the modeled MFR during its eruption, we found that, accompanied by the rotation, the nonlocal writhe of the MFR's axis decreases while the twist of its surrounding field lines increases, and this is distinct from kink instability, which converts magnetic twist into the writhe of the MFR axis.

Keywords: solar filament eruptions; solar filaments; solar prominences; solar coronal mass ejections
The Cepheid Distance to the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 4151

We derive a distance of 15.8 ± 0.4 Mpc to the archetypal Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 based on the near-infrared Cepheid period-luminosity relation and new Hubble Space Telescope multiband imaging. This distance determination, based on measurements of 35 long-period (P > 25 days) Cepheids, will support the absolute calibration of the supermassive black hole mass in this system, as well as studies of the dynamics of the feedback or feeding of its active galactic nucleus.

Keywords: cepheid variable stars; distance measure; cepheid distance; agn host galaxies; hubble space telescope; hst photometry; time series analysis; near infrared astronomy; optical observatories; distance indicators; galaxy distances
The Identification of a Dusty Multiarm Spiral Galaxy at z = 3.06 with JWST and ALMA

Spiral arms serve crucial purposes in star formation and galaxy evolution. In this paper, we report the identification of "A2744-DSG-z3," a dusty, multiarm spiral galaxy at z = 3.059 using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NIRISS imaging and grism spectroscopy. A2744-DSG-z3 was discovered as a gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxy with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This is the most distant stellar spiral structure seen thus far, consistent with cosmological simulations that suggest z ≈ 3 as the epoch when spirals emerge. Thanks to the gravitational lensing and excellent spatial resolution of JWST, the spiral arms are resolved with a spatial resolution of ≈290 pc. Based on spectral energy distribution fitting, the spiral galaxy has a delensed star formation rate of 85 ± 30 M ⊙ yr-1, and a stellar mass of ≈1010.6 M ⊙, indicating that A2744-DSG-z3 is a main-sequence galaxy. After fitting the spiral arms, we find a stellar effective radius (R e,star) of 5.0 ± 1.5 kpc. Combining with ALMA measurements, we find that the effective radii ratio between dust and stars is ≈0.4, similar to those of massive star‑forming galaxies (SFGs) at z ~ 2, indicating a compact dusty core in A2744-DSG-z3. Moreover, this galaxy appears to be living in a group environment: including A2744-DSG-z3, at least three galaxies at z = 3.05-3.06 are spectroscopically confirmed by JWST/NIRISS and ALMA, residing within a lensing-corrected projected scale of ≈70 kpc. This, along with the asymmetric brightness profile, further suggests that the spiral arms may be triggered by minor-merger events at z ≳ 3.

Keywords: spiral galaxies
Evidence for an Ancient Sea Level on Mars

Mars shares many similarities and characteristics to Earth including various geological features and planetary structure. The remarkable bimodal distribution of elevations in both planets is one of the most striking global features suggesting similar geodynamic processes of crustal differentiation on Earth and Mars. There also exists much evidence, based on geographic features resembling ancient shorelines, for the existence of an ancient Martian ocean in the northern hemisphere that covers nearly one-third of the planet's surface. However, the interpretation of some features as ancient shorelines has been thoroughly challenged, which left the existence of a primordial Martian ocean controversial. Moreover, if oceans were formerly present on Mars, there is still significant ambiguity about the volume of water with the estimations ranging over 4 orders of magnitude. Here we map the Martian sea level problem onto a percolation model that provides strong evidence that the longest isoheight line on Mars that separates the northern and southern hemispheres acts as a critical level height with divergent correlation length and plays the same role as the present mean sea level does on Earth. Our results unravel remarkable similarities between Mars and Earth, posing a testable hypothesis about the level of the ancient ocean on Mars that can be answered experimentally by the future investigations and spacecraft exploration.

Keywords: mars
On the Structure and Long-term Evolution of Ice-rich Bodies

The interest in the structure of ice-rich planetary bodies, in particular the differentiation between ice and rock, has grown due to the discovery of Kuiper Belt objects and exoplanets. We thus carry out a parameter study for a range of planetary masses M, yielding radii 50 ≲ R ≲ 3000 km, and for rock to ice mass ratios between 0.25 and 4, evolving them for 4.5 Gyr in a cold environment, to obtain the present structure. We use a thermal evolution model that allows for liquid and vapor flow in a porous medium, solving mass and energy conservation equations under hydrostatic equilibrium for a spherical body in orbit around a central star. The model includes the effect of pressure on porosity and on the melting temperature, heating by long-lived radioactive isotopes, and temperature-dependent serpentinization and dehydration. We obtain the boundary in parameter space (size, rock content) between bodies that differentiate, forming a rocky core, and those which remain undifferentiated: small bodies, bodies with a low rock content, and the largest bodies considered, which develop high internal pressures and barely attain the melting temperature. The final differentiated structure comprises a rocky core, an ice-rich mantle, and a thin dense crust below the surface. We obtain and discuss the bulk density-radius relationship. The effect of a very cold environment is investigated, and we find that at an ambient temperature of ~20 K, small bodies preserve the ice in amorphous form to the present.

Keywords: planetary interior; planetary structure; kuiper belt; exoplanet evolution
Search for Radio Remnants of Nearby Off-axis Gamma-Ray Bursts in a Sample of Swift/BAT Events

The multi-messenger discovery of gravitational waves (GWs) and light from the binary neutron star (NS) merger GW170817, associated with gamma-ray burst (GRB) 170817A and kilonova AT2017gfo, has marked the start of a new era in astrophysics. GW170817 has confirmed that binary NS mergers are progenitors of at least some short GRBs. The peculiar properties of the GRB 170817A radio afterglow, characterized by a delayed onset related to the off-axis geometry, have also demonstrated how some nearby short GRBs may not be identified as such with standard short-timescale electromagnetic follow-up observations. Building upon this new information, we performed late-time radio observations of a sample of four short GRBs with unknown redshift and no previously detected afterglow in the Swift/BAT sample in order to identify nearby ( ${d}_{L}\lesssim 200$ Mpc) off-axis GRB candidates via their potential late-time radio signatures. We find a previously uncatalogued radio source within the error region of GRB 130626 with a $3\mbox{--}6\,\mathrm{GHz}$ flux density consistent with an NS radio flare at a distance of ∼100 Mpc. An origin related to a persistent radio source unrelated to the GRB cannot be excluded nor confirmed given the high chance of false positives in error regions as large as those considered here, and the limited time baseline of our observations. Further radio (and X-ray) follow-up observations are needed to better understand the origin of this source.

Keywords: gravitational waves; non-thermal radiation sources; radio continuum emission; gamma-ray bursters
Tell-tale Spectral Signatures of MHD-driven Ultrafast Outflows in AGNs

We aim to explore spectral signatures of the predicted multi-ion ultrafast outflows (UFOs) in the broadband X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei by exploiting an accretion disk-wind model in the context of a simple magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) framework. We are focused primarily on examining the spectral dependences on a number of key properties: (1) ionizing luminosity ratio λ ion, (2) line-of-sight wind density slope p, (3) optical/UV-to-X-ray strength α OX, (4) inclination θ, (5) X-ray photon index Γ, and (6) wind density factor f D . With an emphasis on radio-quiet Seyferts in the sub-Eddington regime, multi-ion UFO spectra are systematically calculated as a function of these parameters to show that MHD-driven UFOs imprint a unique asymmetric absorption line profile with a pronounced blue tail structure on average. Such a characteristic line signature is generic to the simplified MHD disk-wind models presented in this work due to their specific kinematics and density structure. The properties of these absorption line profiles could be utilized as a diagnostics to distinguish between different wind-driving mechanisms or even the specific values of given MHD wind parameters. We also present high-fidelity microcalorimeter simulations in anticipation of the upcoming XRISM/Resolve and Athena/X-IFU instruments to demonstrate that such a "tell-tale" sign may be immune to a spectral contamination by the presence of additional warm absorbers and partially covering gas.

Keywords: black hole physics; x-ray active galactic nuclei; quasar absorption line spectroscopy; radiative magnetohydrodynamics; galaxy accretion disks; spectroscopy; plasma astrophysics
The Landscape of Galaxies Harboring Changing-look Active Galactic Nuclei in the Local Universe

We study the properties of the host galaxies of changing-look active galactic nuclei (CL AGNs) with the aim of understanding the conditions responsible for triggering CL activity. We find that CL AGN hosts primarily reside in the so-called green valley that is located between spiral-like star-forming galaxies and dead ellipticals, implying that CL AGNs are activated during distinct periods of quenching and galaxy transformation processes. CL AGN hosts have low galaxy asymmetry indicators, suggesting that secular evolutionary processes (the influence of bars and spirals, and possibly minor mergers) might be the primary mechanism for transporting gas to the vicinity of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) rather than major mergers. Similar to tidal disruption events and highly variable AGNs, we find that CL AGN hosts are associated with SMBHs residing in high-density pseudo-bulges and appear to overlap most significantly with the population of low-ionization nuclear emission-line region galaxies. As such, CL AGNs are likely fueled by strong episodic bursts of accretion activity, which appear to take place preferentially as the amount of material accessible for star formation and accretion dwindles. We also identify that CL AGN hosts are characterized by either large Sérsic indices or high bulge fractions, which suggests a simple metric for identifying candidates for spectroscopic follow-up observations in forthcoming synoptic surveys.

Keywords: agn host galaxies; active galactic nuclei; galaxy properties; black hole physics; galaxy evolution; galaxy nuclei
A Milliarcsecond-accurate Position for Sagittarius A*

The absolute position of Sgr A*, the compact radio source at the center of the Milky Way, had been uncertain by several tens of milliarcseconds. Here we report improved astrometric measurements of the absolute position and proper motion of Sgr A*. Three epochs of phase-referencing observations were conducted with the Very Long Baseline Array for Sgr A* at 22 and 43 GHz in 2019 and 2020. Using extragalactic radio sources with submilliarcsecond-accurate positions as reference, we determined the absolute position of Sgr A* at a reference epoch 2020.0 to be at α(J2000) = 17h45m40.ˢ032863 ± 0.ˢ000016 and δ(J2000) = - $29^\circ 00^{\prime} 28\buildrel{\prime\prime}\over{.} 24260\,\pm \,$ 0.″00047, with an updated proper motion -3.152 ± 0.011 and -5.586 ± 0.006 mas yr-1 in the easterly and northerly directions, respectively.

Keywords: supermassive black holes; astrometry
On the Shapes of Interstellar Grains: Modeling Infrared Extinction and Polarization by Spheroids and Continuous Distributions of Ellipsoids

Although interstellar grains are known to be aspherical, their actual shapes remain poorly constrained. We assess whether three continuous distributions of ellipsoids (CDEs) from the literature are suitable for describing the shapes of interstellar grains. Randomly selected shapes from each distribution are shown as illustrations. The often-used Bohren-Huffman CDE includes a very large fraction of extreme shapes: fully 10% of random draws have axial ratio a3/a1 > 19.7, and 5% have a3/a1 > 33. The CDE2 distribution includes a much smaller fraction of extreme shapes, and appears to be the most realistic. For each of the three CDEs considered, we derive shape-averaged cross sections for extinction and polarization in the Rayleigh limit. Finally, we describe a method for "synthesizing" a dielectric function for an assumed shape or shape distribution if the actual absorption cross sections per grain volume in the Rayleigh limit are known from observations. This synthetic dielectric function predicts the wavelength dependence of polarization, which can then be compared to observations to constrain the grain shape.

Keywords: interstellar dust
Two Major Constraints on the Inner Radii of Accretion Disks

The Stefan-Boltzmann law yields a fundamental constraint on the geometry of inner accretion disks in black hole X-ray binaries. It follows from considering the irradiating flux and the effective temperature of the inner parts of the disk, which implies that a strong quasi-thermal component with the average energy higher than that of a blackbody at the effective temperature has to be present whenever relativistic Fe K fluorescence and reflection features are observed. The apparent absence of such quasi-thermal component with the color temperature of ∼1 keV in high-luminosity hard states is not compatible with a strongly irradiated disk extending close to the innermost stable circular orbit. Instead, the disk should be either truncated at a relatively large radius or irradiated by a corona at a large height, which would reduce the effective temperature and bring it to an agreement with the data. We also study constraints on disk/corona models following from comparing the disk densities fitted in literature using variable-density reflection codes with those calculated by us from the ionization parameter, the luminosity, and the disk inner radius. We find that the fitted densities are much higher/lower in the hard/soft state of binaries, implying significant problems with the used assumptions and methods.

Keywords: accretion; non-thermal radiation sources; x-ray binary stars
A Black Hole Feedback Valve in Massive Galaxies

Star formation in the universe's most massive galaxies proceeds furiously early in time but then nearly ceases. Plenty of hot gas remains available but does not cool and condense into star-forming clouds. Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) release enough energy to inhibit cooling of the hot gas, but energetic arguments alone do not explain why quenching of star formation is most effective in high-mass galaxies. In fact, optical observations show that quenching is more closely related to a galaxy's central stellar velocity dispersion (σv) than to any other characteristic. Here we show that high σv is critical to quenching because a deep central potential well maximizes the efficacy of AGN feedback. In order to remain quenched, a galaxy must continually sweep out the gas ejected from its aging stars. Supernova heating can accomplish this task as long as the AGN sufficiently reduces the gas pressure of the surrounding circumgalactic medium (CGM). We find that CGM pressure acts as the control knob on a valve that regulates AGN feedback and suggest that feedback power self-adjusts so that it suffices to lift the CGM out of the galaxy's potential well. Supernova heating then drives a galactic outflow that remains homogeneous if ${\sigma }_{v}\gtrsim 240\,\mathrm{km}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}$ . The AGN feedback can effectively quench galaxies with a comparable velocity dispersion, but feedback in galaxies with a much lower velocity dispersion tends to result in convective circulation and accumulation of multiphase gas within the galaxy.

Keywords: early-type galaxies; elliptical galaxies; giant elliptical galaxies; quenched galaxies; red sequence galaxies; x-ray astronomy; circumgalactic medium