adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Acceleration of Ring Current Protons Driven by Magnetosonic Waves: Comparisons of Test Particle Simulations with Quasilinear Calculations

Wave-particle interactions play important roles in local acceleration and pitch angle scattering loss of charged particle dynamics in astrophysics and space physics, and energy transfer between plasma waves and particles is a key problem in plasma physics. Using full relativistic test particle simulations, we quantitatively evaluate the magnetosonic wave-driven acceleration of Earth's ring current protons both inside and outside the plasmapause at L = 4.5. Analysis of resonance conditions indicates that the broadband magnetosonic waves can affect protons by multiple harmonic cyclotron resonances. With a representative amplitude ∼200 pT, magnetosonic waves can produce energy diffusion coefficients, obtained from test particle simulations, at rates of ∼10-4 s-1 for protons ∼1-3 keV inside the plasmapause and ∼3-30 keV outside the plasmapause, both at equatorial pitch angles ∼75°-90°. Compared with the quasilinear theory calculations, the test particle diffusion coefficients exhibit a difference due to the nonresonant transit time effect outside the plasmapause. Subsequent 2D Fokker-Planck simulations indicate that on a timescale of ∼2 days, magnetosonic waves can effectively enhance the phase space density of the ring current protons ∼10 keV inside the plasmapause and ∼100 keV outside the plasmapause at equatorial pitch angles ∼60°-90°, thereby leading to the evolvement of the ring current proton distribution from a Kappa-type to a 90°-peaked profile. Our results demonstrate that the local acceleration of the ring current protons by magnetosonic waves is an important process of energy transfer between different populations of magnetospheric protons and hence contributes to the dynamic evolution of Earth's ring current.

Keywords: planetary magnetospheres; space plasmas
Identifying Black Hole Central Engines in Gamma-Ray Bursts

The nature of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) central engine still remains an enigma. Entities widely believed to be capable of powering the extreme jets are magnetars and black holes. The maximum rotational energy that is available in a millisecond magnetar to form a jet is ∼1052 erg. We identify eight long GRBs whose jet-opening angle-corrected energetics of the prompt emission episode are >1052 erg with high confidence level and, therefore, their central engines are expected to be black holes. The majority of these GRBs present significant emission in the sub-GeV energy range. The X-ray afterglow light curves of these bursts do not show any shallow decay behavior such as a plateau; however, a few cases exhibit flares and multiple breaks instead of a single power-law decay. For a minimum mass of the black hole (∼2 M⊙), we find the efficiency of producing a jet from its rotational energy to range between 2% and 270%. Highly energetic jets requiring high efficiencies implies that either the mass of these black holes are much larger or there are, in addition, other sources of energy that power the jet. By considering the Blandford-Znajek mechanism of jet formation, we estimate the masses of these black holes to range between ∼2 and 60 M⊙. Some of the lighter black holes formed in these catastrophic events are likely candidates to lie in the mass-gap region (2-5 M⊙).

Keywords: gamma-ray bursts; black holes; magnetars; high energy astrophysics
Populating the Low-mass End of the MBH- {\sigma }_{* } Relation

We present high-resolution spectroscopy taken with the Keck Echellete Spectrograph and Imager to measure stellar velocity dispersions for eight active dwarf galaxies (M* < 3 × 109 M⊙) with virial black hole masses. We double the number of systems in this stellar mass regime with measurements of both black hole mass (MBH) and stellar velocity dispersion (σ*), and place them on the MBH-σ* relation. The tight relation between MBH and σ* for higher mass galaxies is a strong piece of evidence for the coevolution of BHs and their host galaxies, but it has been unclear whether this relation holds in the dwarf galaxy regime. Our sample is in good agreement with the extrapolation of the MBH-σ* relation to low BH/galaxy masses, suggesting that the processes that produce MBH-σ* can also operate in dwarf galaxies. These results provide important constraints for massive black hole seed formation models and models exploring the impact of active galactic nucleus feedback in dwarf galaxies.

Keywords: active galactic nuclei; dwarf galaxies; scaling relations; astrophysical black holes; intermediate-mass black holes
Five Mars Years of Cloud Observations at Gale Crater: Opacities, Variability, and Ice Crystal Habits

We update the record of cloud opacity observations conducted by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover to cover the first five Mars Years (MYs) of the mission (L s = 160° of MY 31 to L s = 160° of MY 36). Over the three MY period that we add to the previously analyzed two MY record, we achieve good diurnal coverage between 07:00 and 17:00 with nearly 1200 new observations. We derive a new scattering phase function for the clouds of the Aphelion Cloud Belt (ACB) using results from the Zenith and Suprahorizon movie data sets. Our phase function is generally smooth and featureless, which is consistent with the overall lack of atmospheric optical phenomena on Mars aside from a single instance of an observed halo. Applying our new phase function to the data, we find that there is very minimal variability in the ACB's opacity, either diurnally, intraseasonally, or interannually, noting that our observations are only sensitive to ice clouds and cannot detect any ice hazes that may be present over Gale. This contrasts with previous results, which observed a 57% difference in the opacity of morning and afternoon clouds in MY 33. The MY 33 results now appear to be an outlier, not replicated at any point during the MSL mission. We conclude that the higher morning opacities in MY 33 were a consequence of an incomplete understanding of the nature of the scattering phase function close to the Sun.

Keywords: planetary science; atmospheric science; mars; atmospheric clouds; planetary atmospheres; atmospheric variability
A Dynamic Galaxy: Stellar Age Patterns across the Disk of M101

Using deep, narrowband imaging of the nearby spiral galaxy M101, we present stellar age information across the full extent of the disk of M101. Our narrowband filters measure age-sensitive absorption features such as the Balmer lines and the slope of the continuum between the Balmer break and 4000 Å break. We interpret these features in the context of inside-out galaxy formation theories and dynamical models of spiral structure. We confirm the galaxy's radial age gradient, with the mean stellar age decreasing with radius. In the relatively undisturbed main disk, we find that stellar ages get progressively older with distance across a spiral arm, consistent with the large-scale shock scenario in a quasi-steady spiral wave pattern. Unexpectedly, we find the same pattern across spiral arms in the outer disk as well, beyond the corotation radius of the main spiral pattern. We suggest that M101 has a dynamic, or transient, spiral pattern with multiple pattern speeds joined together via mode coupling to form coherent spiral structure. This scenario connects the radial age gradient inherent to inside-out galaxy formation with the across-arm age gradients predicted by dynamic spiral arm theories across the full radial extent of the galaxy.

Keywords: galaxy ages; galaxy dynamics; stellar ages; narrow band photometry; galaxy evolution
An Explainable Deep-learning Model of Proton Auroras on Mars

Proton auroras are widely observed on the dayside of Mars, identified as a significant intensity enhancement in the hydrogen Lyα (121.6 nm) emission at altitudes of ∼110 and 150 km. Solar wind protons penetrating as energetic neutral atoms into Mars' thermosphere are thought to be primarily responsible for these auroras. Recent observations of spatially localized "patchy" proton auroras suggest a possible direct deposition of protons into Mars' atmosphere during unstable solar wind conditions. Improving our understanding of proton auroras is therefore important for characterizing the interaction of the solar wind with Mars' atmosphere. Here, we develop a first purely data-driven model of proton auroras using Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) in situ observations and limb scans of Lyα emissions between 2014 and 2022. We train an artificial neural network that reproduces individual Lyα intensities and relative Lyα peak intensity enhancements with Pearson correlations of ∼94% and ∼60% respectively for the test data, along with a faithful reconstruction of the shape of the observed altitude profiles of Lyα emission. By performing a Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) analysis, we find that solar zenith angle, solar longitude, CO2 atmosphere variability, solar wind speed, and temperature are the most important features for the modeled Lyα peak intensity enhancements. Additionally, we find that the modeled peak intensity enhancements are high for early local-time hours, particularly near polar latitudes, and the induced magnetic fields are weaker. Through SHAP analysis, we also identify the influence of biases in the training data and interdependences between the measurements used for the modeling, and an improvement of those aspects can significantly improve the performance and applicability of the ANN model.

Keywords: mars; solar wind; planetary magnetospheres; aurorae; neural networks
Removing Astrophysics in 21 cm Maps with Neural Networks

Measuring temperature fluctuations in the 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization and the cosmic dawn is one of the most promising ways to study the universe at high redshifts. Unfortunately, the 21 cm signal is affected by both cosmology and astrophysics processes in a nontrivial manner. We run a suite of 1000 numerical simulations with different values of the main astrophysical parameters. From these simulations we produce tens of thousands of 21 cm maps at redshifts 10 ≤ z ≤ 20. We train a convolutional neural network to remove the effects of astrophysics from the 21 cm maps and output maps of the underlying matter field. We show that our model is able to generate 2D matter fields not only that resemble the true ones visually but whose statistical properties agree with the true ones within a few percent down to scales ≃2 Mpc-1. We demonstrate that our neural network retains astrophysical information that can be used to constrain the value of the astrophysical parameters. Finally, we use saliency maps to try to understand which features of the 21 cm maps the network is using in order to determine the value of the astrophysical parameters.

Keywords: cosmology; cold dark matter; dark matter; dark matter distribution; h i line emission; intergalactic medium; cosmological evolution; convolutional neural networks; large-scale structure of the universe
Triplet Pairing in Neutron Matter

The presence of superfluidity in neutron star interiors can affect the cooling of neutron stars in intricate ways, enhancing certain mechanisms and suppressing others. Model calculations employing realistic nuclear potentials in Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory generally suggest the development of a 3P2-3F2 pairing gap, and therefore the presence of superfluidity in dense neutron star matter. Improved models that go beyond conventional mean-field calculations by including polarization effects suggest a suppression of the triplet gap. We have evaluated the pairing interaction by summing the "parquet" Feynman diagrams, which include both ladder and ring diagrams systematically, plus a set of important nonparquet diagrams, making this the most comprehensive diagram-based approach presently available. Our results suggest a radical suppression of the 3P2-3F2 triplet pairing gap and an enhancement of 3P0 pairing.

Keywords: nuclear physics
Statistical Analysis of H I Profile Asymmetry and Shape for Nearby Galaxies

We present a uniform analysis of the integrated profile of the H I emission line of 29,958 nearby (z < 0.06) galaxies extracted from the ALFALFA 21 cm survey. We apply the curve-of-growth technique to derive a database of spectral parameters and robust estimates of their associated uncertainties. Besides the central velocity and total flux, the main catalog provides new measures of line width, profile asymmetry, and profile shape. For a subsample of 13,511 galaxies with optical properties available from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we compute inclination angle-corrected line widths, rotation velocities empirically calibrated from spatially resolved observations, and dynamical masses based on H I sizes estimated from the H I mass. To facilitate subsequent scientific applications of the database, we also compile a number of ancillary physical properties of the galaxies, including their optical morphology, stellar mass, and various diagnostics of star formation activity. We use the homogeneous catalog of H I parameters to examine the statistical properties of profile asymmetry and shape. Across the full sample, which covers a wide range of stellar masses and environments, statistically significant H I profile asymmetry is detected in ~20% of the galaxy population. The global H I profiles are 35.2% ± 0.3% single-peaked, 26.9% ± 0.3% flat-topped, and 37.9% ± 0.3% double-horned. At a given inclination angle, double-horned profiles are preferentially associated with galaxies of higher stellar mass or optical concentration, while galaxies of lower mass or concentration tend to have single-peaked profiles.

Keywords: disk galaxies; interstellar medium; interstellar atomic gas
Constraining the Long-lived Magnetar Remnants in Short Gamma-Ray Bursts from Late-time Radio Observations

The joint detection of GW170817 and GRB 170817A indicated that at least a fraction of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) originate from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. One possible remnant of a BNS merger is a rapidly rotating, strongly magnetized neutron star, which has been discussed as one possible central engine for gamma-ray bursts. For a rapidly rotating magnetar central engine, the deposition of the rotation energy into the ejecta launched from the merger could lead to bright radio emission. The brightness of radio emission years after an SGRB would provide an estimate of the kinetic energy of ejecta and, hence, a possible constraint on the BNS merger product. We perform a more detailed calculation on the brightness of radio emission from the interaction between the merger ejecta and circumburst medium in the magnetar scenario, invoking several important physical processes such as generic hydrodynamics, relativistic effects, and the deep Newtonian phase. We use the model to constrain the allowed parameter space for 15 SGRBs that have late radio observations. Our results show that an injection energy of Einj ∼ 1052 erg is allowed for all the cases, which suggests that the possibility of a supramassive or hypermassive neutron star remnant is not disfavored by the available radio data.

Keywords: gamma-ray bursts; magnetars; radio sources
Simultaneous Multiwavelength Flare Observations of EV Lacertae

We present the first results of our ongoing project conducting simultaneous multiwavelength observations of flares on nearby active M dwarfs. We acquired data of the nearby dM3.5e star EV Lac using five different observatories: NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), NASA's Neutron Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), the University of Hawaii 2.2-meter telescope (UH88), and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) Network. During the ~25 days of TESS observations, we acquired three simultaneous UV/X-ray observations using Swift that total ~18 ks, 21 simultaneous epochs totaling ~98 ks of X-ray data using NICER, one observation (~3 hr) with UH88, and one observation (~3 hr) with LCOGT. We identified 56 flares in the TESS light curve with estimated energies in the range log ET (erg) = (30.5-33.2), nine flares in the Swift UVM2 light curve with estimated energies in the range log EUV (erg) = (29.3-31.1), 14 flares in the NICER light curve with estimated minimum energies in the range log EN (erg) = (30.5-32.3), and 1 flare in the LCOGT light curve with log EL (erg) = 31.6. We find that the flare frequency distributions (FFDs) of TESS and NICER flares have comparable slopes, βT = -0.67 ± 0.09 and βN = - 0.65 ± 0.19, and the FFD of UVOT flares has a shallower slope (βU = -0.38 ± 0.13). Furthermore, we do not find conclusive evidence for either the first ionization potential (FIP) or the inverse FIP effect during coronal flares on EV Lac.

Keywords: flare stars; m dwarf stars; stellar activity
Localized Fast Radio Bursts Are Consistent with Magnetar Progenitors Formed in Core-collapse Supernovae

With the localization of fast radio bursts (FRBs) to galaxies similar to the Milky Way and the detection of a bright radio burst from SGR J1935+2154 with energy comparable to extragalactic radio bursts, a magnetar origin for FRBs is evident. By studying the environments of FRBs, evidence for magnetar formation mechanisms not observed in the Milky Way may become apparent. In this Letter, we use a sample of FRB host galaxies and a complete sample of core-collapse supernova (CCSN) hosts to determine whether FRB progenitors are consistent with a population of magnetars born in CCSNe. We also compare the FRB hosts to the hosts of hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) and long gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) to determine whether the population of FRB hosts is compatible with a population of transients that may be connected to millisecond magnetars. After using a novel approach to scale the stellar masses and star formation rates of each host galaxy to be statistically representative of z = 0 galaxies, we find that the CCSN hosts and FRBs are consistent with arising from the same distribution. Furthermore, the FRB host distribution is inconsistent with the distribution of SLSNe-I and LGRB hosts. With the current sample of FRB host galaxies, our analysis shows that FRBs are consistent with a population of magnetars born through the collapse of giant, highly magnetic stars.

Keywords: radio transient sources; radio bursts; magnetars; neutron stars
All We Are Is Dust in the WIM: Constraints on Dust Properties in the Milky Way's Warm Ionized Medium

We present a comparison of the presence and properties of dust in two distinct phases of the Milky Way's interstellar medium: the warm neutral medium (WNM) and the warm ionized medium (WIM). Using distant pulsars at high Galactic latitudes and vertical distance (∣b∣ > 40°, $D\sin | b| \gt 2\,\mathrm{kpc}$ ) as probes, we measure their dispersion measures and the neutral hydrogen component of the warm neutral medium (WNMH I) using H I column density. Together with dust intensity along these same sightlines, we separate the respective dust contributions of each ISM phase in order to determine whether the ionized component contributes to the dust signal. We measure the temperature (T), spectral index (β), and dust opacity (τ/N H) in both phases. We find $T\,({\mathrm{WNM}}_{{\rm{H}}\,{\rm\small{I}}})={20}_{-2}^{+3}$ K, β (WNMH I) = 1.5 ± 0.4, and τ 353/N H (WNMH I) = (1.0 ± 0.1) × 10-26 cm2. Assuming that the temperature and spectral index are the same in both the WNMH I and WIM, and given our simple model that widely separated lines of sight can be fit together, we find evidence that there is a dust signal associated with the ionized gas and ${\tau }_{353}/{N}_{{\rm{H}}}\,(\mathrm{WIM})=(0.3\pm 0.3)\times {10}^{-26}$ , which is about 3 times smaller than τ 353/N H (WNMH I). We are 80% confident that ${\tau }_{353}/{N}_{{\rm{H}}}\,(\mathrm{WIM})$ is at least 2 times smaller than τ 353/N H (WNMH I).

Keywords: gas-to-dust ratio; intercloud medium
Physical Models for the Clustering of Obscured and Unobscured Quasars

Clustering measurements of obscured and unobscured quasars show that obscured quasars reside in more massive dark matter halos than their unobscured counterparts. These results are inconsistent with simple unified (torus) scenarios but might be explained by models in which the distribution of obscuring material depends on Eddington ratio or galaxy stellar mass. We test these possibilities by constructing simple physical models to compare to observed active galactic nucleus populations. We find that previously observed relationships between obscuration and Eddington ratio or stellar mass are not sufficient to reproduce the observed quasar clustering results (< {log}{M}halo}/{M}⊙ > ={12.94}-0.11+0.10 and < {log}{M}halo}/{M}⊙ > ={12.49}-0.08+0.08 for obscured and unobscured populations, respectively) while maintaining the observed fraction of obscured quasars (30%-65%). This work suggests that evolutionary models, in which obscuration evolves on the typical timescale for black hole growth, are necessary to understand the observed clustering of mid-IR-selected quasars.

Keywords: agn host galaxies; active galaxies; quasars; clustering; galaxy evolution
Linear and Nonlinear Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability and Magnetohydrodynamic Wave Emission in Sheared Astrophysical Plasma Flows

The evolution of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave emission is investigated at shear-flow boundaries of magnetized plasmas. While MHD wave emission has been suggested to be only possible during the nonlinear stages, we find that there is also significant wave emission during the KHI's linear stages. These emitted MHD waves may have stronger impacts than KHI surface waves since they can act to transport energy away from the local region of the shear flow. The removal of energy from the shear-flow region, instead of just the local redistribution considered in previous studies, and its propagation away from the interface could have major implications for the evolution of astrophysical objects characterized by fast plasma flow shears.

Keywords: space plasmas; plasma astrophysics; magnetohydrodynamics; galaxy clusters; heliopause; interacting galaxies; interstellar plasma; stellar-interstellar interactions; galaxy collisions; comet dynamics; galaxy accretion disks; stellar accretion disks
The First Habitable-zone Earth-sized Planet from TESS. I. Validation of the TOI-700 System

We present the discovery and validation of a three-planet system orbiting the nearby (31.1 pc) M2 dwarf star TOI-700 (TIC 150428135). TOI-700 lies in the TESS continuous viewing zone in the Southern Ecliptic Hemisphere; observations spanning 11 sectors reveal three planets with radii ranging from 1 R⊕ to 2.6 R⊕ and orbital periods ranging from 9.98 to 37.43 days. Ground-based follow-up combined with diagnostic vetting and validation tests enables us to rule out common astrophysical false-positive scenarios and validate the system of planets. The outermost planet, TOI-700 d, has a radius of 1.19 ± 0.11 R⊕ and resides within a conservative estimate of the host star's habitable zone, where it receives a flux from its star that is approximately 86% of Earth's insolation. In contrast to some other low-mass stars that host Earth-sized planets in their habitable zones, TOI-700 exhibits low levels of stellar activity, presenting a valuable opportunity to study potentially rocky planets over a wide range of conditions affecting atmospheric escape. While atmospheric characterization of TOI-700 d with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be challenging, the larger sub-Neptune, TOI-700 c (R = 2.63 R⊕), will be an excellent target for JWST and future space-based observatories. TESS is scheduled to once again observe the Southern Hemisphere, and it will monitor TOI-700 for an additional 11 sectors in its extended mission. These observations should allow further constraints on the known planet parameters and searches for additional planets and transit timing variations in the system.

Keywords: exoplanet systems; transit photometry; low mass stars; m dwarf stars; astronomy data analysis