adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Cosmic Rays on Thermal Instability in the Circumgalactic Medium

Large reservoirs of cold (∼104 K) gas exist out to and beyond the virial radius in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of all types of galaxies. Photoionization modeling suggests that cold CGM gas has significantly lower densities than expected by theoretical predictions based on thermal pressure equilibrium with hot CGM gas. In this work, we investigate the impact of cosmic-ray physics on the formation of cold gas via thermal instability. We use idealized three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations to follow the evolution of thermally unstable gas in a gravitationally stratified medium. We find that cosmic-ray pressure lowers the density and increases the size of cold gas clouds formed through thermal instability. We develop a simple model for how the cold cloud sizes and the relative densities of cold and hot gas depend on cosmic-ray pressure. Cosmic-ray pressure can help counteract gravity to keep cold gas in the CGM for longer, thereby increasing the predicted cold mass fraction and decreasing the predicted cold gas inflow rates. Efficient cosmic-ray transport, by streaming or diffusion, redistributes cosmic-ray pressure from the cold gas to the background medium, resulting in cold gas properties that are in between those predicted by simulations with inefficient transport and simulations without cosmic rays. We show that cosmic rays can significantly reduce galactic accretion rates and resolve the tension between theoretical models and observational constraints on the properties of cold CGM gas.

Keywords: astrophysical fluid dynamics; circumgalactic medium; cosmic rays; galaxy accretion; galaxy evolution; magnetohydrodynamical simulations
An Independent Determination of the Distance to Supernova SN 1987A by Means of the Light Echo AT 2019xis

Accurate distance determination to astrophysical objects is essential for the understanding of their intrinsic brightness and size. The distance to SN 1987A has been previously measured by the expanding photosphere method and by using the angular size of the circumstellar rings with absolute sizes derived from light curves of narrow UV emission lines, with reported distances ranging from 46.77 to 55 kpc. In this study, we independently determined the distance to SN 1987A using photometry and imaging polarimetry observations of AT 2019xis, a light echo of SN 1987A, by adopting a radiative transfer model of the light echo developed in Ding et al. We obtained distances to SN 1987A in the range from 49.09 ± 2.16 kpc to 59.39 ± 3.27 kpc, depending on the interstellar polarization and extinction corrections, which are consistent with the literature values. This study demonstrates the potential of using light echoes as a tool for distance determination to astrophysical objects in the Milky Way, up to kiloparsec level scales.

Keywords: polarimetry; supernovae; large magellanic cloud; distance measure
A New Kilohertz Gravitational-wave Feature from Rapidly Rotating Core-collapse Supernovae

We present self-consistent three-dimensional core-collapse supernova simulations of a rotating 20M ⊙ progenitor model with various initial angular velocities from 0.0 to 4.0 rad s‑1 using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics code SPHYNX and the grid-based hydrodynamics code FLASH. We identify two strong gravitational-wave features with peak frequencies of ∼300 Hz and ∼1.3 kHz in the first 100 ms postbounce. We demonstrate that these two features are associated with the m = 1 deformation from the proto-neutron star (PNS) modulation induced by the low-T/∣W∣ instability, regardless of the simulation code. The 300 Hz feature is present in models with an initial angular velocity between 1.0 and 4.0 rad s‑1, while the 1.3 kHz feature is only present in a narrower range, from 1.5 to 3.5 rad s‑1. We show that the 1.3 kHz signal originates from the high-density inner core of the PNS, and the m = 1 deformation triggers a strong asymmetric distribution of electron antineutrinos. In addition to the 300 Hz and 1.3 kHz features, we also observe one weaker but noticeable gravitational-wave feature from higher-order modes in the range between 1.5 and 3.5 rad s‑1. Its initial peak frequency is around 800 Hz, and it gradually increases to 900–1000 Hz. Therefore, in addition to the gravitational bounce signal, the detection of the 300 Hz, 1.3 kHz, the higher-order mode, and even the related asymmetric emission of neutrinos could provide additional diagnostics for estimating the initial angular velocity of a collapsing core.

Keywords: core-collapse supernovae; gravitational wave astronomy; hydrodynamical simulations; neutron stars
Cosmology with Multiple Galaxies

Recent works have discovered a relatively tight correlation between Ωm and the properties of individual simulated galaxies. Because of this, it has been shown that constraints on Ωm can be placed using the properties of individual galaxies while accounting for uncertainties in astrophysical processes such as feedback from supernovae and active galactic nuclei. In this work, we quantify whether using the properties of multiple galaxies simultaneously can tighten those constraints. For this, we train neural networks to perform likelihood-free inference on the value of two cosmological parameters (Ωm and σ 8) and four astrophysical parameters using the properties of several galaxies from thousands of hydrodynamic simulations of the CAMELS project. We find that using properties of more than one galaxy increases the precision of the Ωm inference. Furthermore, using multiple galaxies enables the inference of other parameters that were poorly constrained with one single galaxy. We show that the same subset of galaxy properties are responsible for the constraints on Ωm from one and multiple galaxies. Finally, we quantify the robustness of the model and find that without identifying the model range of validity, the model does not perform well when tested on galaxies from other galaxy formation models.

Keywords: cosmological parameters; galaxy properties; galaxy processes; computational methods; astronomy data analysis
Investigating the Cross Sections of Coronal Mass Ejections through the Study of Nonradial Flows with STEREO/PLASTIC

The solar wind, when measured close to 1 au, is found to flow mostly radially outward. There are, however, periods when the flow makes angles up to 15° away from the radial direction, both in the east-west and north-south directions. Stream interaction regions (SIRs) are a common cause of east-west flow deflections. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) may be associated with nonradial flows in at least two different ways: (1) the deflection of the solar wind in the sheath region, especially close to the magnetic ejecta front boundary, may result in large nonradial flows; and (2) the expansion of the magnetic ejecta may include a nonradial component, which should be easily measured when the ejecta is crossed away from its central axis. In this work, we first present general statistics of nonradial solar wind flows as measured by STEREO/PLASTIC throughout the first 13 yr of the mission, focusing on solar cycle variation. We then focus on the larger deflection flow angles and determine that most of these are associated with SIRs near solar minimum and with CMEs near solar maximum. However, we find no clear evidence of strongly deflected flows, as would be expected if large deflections around the magnetic ejecta or ejecta with elliptical cross sections with large eccentricities were common. We use these results to develop a better understanding of CME expansion and the nature of magnetic ejecta, and point to shortcomings in our understanding of CMEs.

Keywords: solar coronal mass ejections; magnetic fields; solar wind; interplanetary physics
Efficient Methanol Production on the Dark Side of a Prestellar Core

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array maps of the starless molecular cloud core Ophiuchus/H-MM1 in the lines of deuterated ammonia (ortho- ${\mathrm{NH}}_{2}{\rm{D}}$ ), methanol ( ${\mathrm{CH}}_{3}\mathrm{OH}$ ), and sulfur monoxide (SO). The dense core is seen in ${\mathrm{NH}}_{2}{\rm{D}}$ emission, whereas the ${\mathrm{CH}}_{3}\mathrm{OH}$ and SO distributions form a halo surrounding the core. Because methanol is formed on grain surfaces, its emission highlights regions where desorption from grains is particularly efficient. Methanol and sulfur monoxide are most abundant in a narrow zone that follows the eastern side of the core. This side is sheltered from the stronger external radiation field coming from the west. We show that photodissociation on the illuminated side can give rise to an asymmetric methanol distribution but that the stark contrast observed in H-MM1 is hard to explain without assuming enhanced desorption on the shaded side. The region of the brightest emission has a wavy structure that rolls up at one end. This is the signature of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability occurring in sheared flows. We suggest that in this zone, methanol and sulfur are released as a result of grain-grain collisions induced by shear vorticity.

Keywords: interstellar molecules; astrochemistry; interstellar dust processes; dense interstellar clouds
Symbiotic Star T CrB as an Extreme SU UMa-type Dwarf Nova

T CrB is a symbiotic recurrent nova that exhibits quiescent and active phases between its classical nova eruptions. The statistical properties of these active phases have been poorly studied thus far. Because of that their nature remained unknown. Here we study statistical properties of the active phases and show that they are consistent with outburst and superoutbursts observed in SU UMa-type dwarf novae. The recurrence time of these outbursts is consistent with theoretical predictions for similar systems. Moreover, the visual and X-ray evolution of the last active phase is consistent with a superoutburst. This suggests that T CrB is a dwarf nova with an extremely long orbital period, closely related to SU UMa dwarf novae. The similarities between the last superoutburst and the reported activity preceding the 1946 nova eruption may suggest that the next classical nova eruption in T CrB could be indeed soon expected.

Keywords: dwarf novae; classical novae; su ursae majoris stars; symbiotic binary stars
Search for Astrophysical Electron Antineutrinos in Super-Kamiokande with 0.01% Gadolinium-loaded Water

We report the first search result for the flux of astrophysical electron antineutrinos for energies ${ \mathcal O }(10)\,\mathrm{MeV}$ in the gadolinium-loaded Super-Kamiokande (SK) detector. In 2020 June, gadolinium was introduced to the ultrapure water of the SK detector in order to detect neutrons more efficiently. In this new experimental phase, SK-Gd, we can search for electron antineutrinos via inverse beta decay with efficient background rejection thanks to the high efficiency of the neutron tagging technique. In this paper, we report the result for the initial stage of SK-Gd, during 2020 August 26, and 2022 June 1 with a 22.5 × 552 kton · day exposure at 0.01% Gd mass concentration. No significant excess over the expected background in the observed events is found for the neutrino energies below 31.3 MeV. Thus, the flux upper limits are placed at the 90% confidence level. The limits and sensitivities are already comparable with the previous SK result with pure water (22.5 × 2970 kton · day) owing to the enhanced neutron tagging. Operation with Gd increased to 0.03% started in 2022 June.

Keywords: supernova neutrinos; neutrino astronomy
Census of R Coronae Borealis Stars. I. Infrared Light Curves from Palomar Gattini IR

We are undertaking the first systematic infrared (IR) census of R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars in the Milky Way, beginning with IR light curves from the Palomar Gattini IR (PGIR) survey. The PGIR is a 30 cm J-band telescope with a 25 deg2 camera that is surveying 18,000 deg2 of the northern sky (δ > -28°) at a cadence of 2 days. We present PGIR light curves for 922 RCB candidates selected from a mid-IR color-based catalog. Of these 922, 149 are promising RCB candidates, as they show pulsations or declines similar to RCB stars. The majority of the candidates that are not RCB stars are either long-period variables (LPVs) or RV Tauri stars. We identify IR color-based criteria to better distinguish between RCB stars and LPVs. As part of a pilot spectroscopic run, we obtain NIR spectra for 26 of the 149 promising candidates and spectroscopically confirm 11 new RCB stars. We detect strong He I λ10830 features in the spectra of all RCB stars, likely originating within high-velocity (200-400 km s-1) winds in their atmospheres. Nine of these RCB stars show 12C16O and 12C18O molecular absorption features, suggesting that they are formed through a white dwarf merger. We detect quasiperiodic pulsations in the light curves of five RCB stars. The periods range between 30 and 125 days and likely originate from the strange-mode instability in these stars. Our pilot run results motivate a dedicated IR spectroscopic campaign to classify all RCB candidates.

Keywords: r coronae borealis variable stars; hydrogen deficient stars; near infrared astronomy; time domain astronomy
HST STIS Observations of ζ Aurigae A's Irradiated Atmosphere

The details of the processes responsible for heating the chromospheres of evolved cool stars remain uncertain. While most spectroscopic diagnostics measure spatially-integrated emission, here we examine diagnostics sensitive to localized atmospheric regions that are specific to cool evolved stars in binary systems with hot main-sequence companions: emission from Si I and C I resulting from the ultraviolet irradiation of the evolved star's atmosphere. HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) high-spectral-resolution near-ultraviolet observations of ζ Aurigae A+B (K4 Ib + B5 V) were obtained at three orbital phases, including total eclipse, to search for Si I and the corresponding C I line emission. Si I 2987.645 Å emission was detected at phases ϕ = .101 and .448 (from periastron) in-line with predictions from a previous study of optical Si I 3905 Å and Si I 4102 Å emission lines. No other Si I line emission is apparent, and the analogous C I lines at 2478.561 Å and 2582.901 Å also are not detected. High-spectral-resolution HST STIS and Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph spectra confirm the results of a previous study that showed that the intrinsic chromospheric fluxes on the visible hemisphere of ζ Aur A, observed during total eclipse, are representative of the single K supergiant λ Vel (K4 Ib). Furthermore, the HST spectra show that the chromospheric turbulent velocities are very close to those in this spectral-type proxy. These combined results highlight the importance of detailed spatially-resolved chromospheric models of ζ Aur systems, based on sequences of atmospheric eclipse spectra, to help constrain the poorly understood mechanisms that heat the atmospheres and drive stellar winds in cool evolved stars.

Keywords: stellar atmospheres; ultraviolet astronomy; stellar chromospheres; hubble space telescope; radiative processes; eclipsing binary stars
Energy Transfer by Nonlinear Alfvén Waves in the Solar Chromosphere and Its Effect on Spicule Dynamics, Coronal Heating, and Solar Wind Acceleration

Alfvén waves are responsible for the transfer of magnetic energy in magnetized plasma. They are involved in heating the solar atmosphere and driving solar wind through various nonlinear processes. Because the magnetic field configurations directly affect the nonlinearity of Alfvén waves, it is important to investigate how they relate to the solar atmosphere and wind structure through the nonlinear propagation of Alfvén waves. In this study, we carried out one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations to realize the above relation. The results show that when the nonlinearity of Alfvén waves in the chromosphere exceeds a critical value, the dynamics of the solar chromosphere (e.g., spicule) and the mass-loss rate of solar wind tend to be independent of the energy input from the photosphere. In a situation where the Alfvén waves are highly nonlinear, the strong shear torsional flow generated in the chromosphere "fractures" the magnetic flux tube. This corresponds to the formation of chromospheric intermediate shocks, which limit the transmission of the Poynting flux into the corona by Alfvén waves and also inhibits the propagation of chromospheric slow shock.

Keywords: solar chromosphere; solar wind; magnetohydrodynamics
The Double Detonation of a Double-degenerate System, from Type Ia Supernova Explosion to its Supernova Remnant

Type Ia supernovae (SNe) are believed to be caused by the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf (WD), but the nature of the progenitor system(s) is still unclear. Recent theoretical and observational developments have led to renewed interest in double-degenerate models, in particular the "helium-ignited violent merger" or "dynamically driven double-degenerate double-detonation" (D6). In this paper we take the output of an existing D6 SN model and carry it into the supernova remnant (SNR) phase up to 4000 yr after the explosion, past the time when all the ejecta have been shocked. Assuming a uniform ambient medium, we reveal specific signatures of the explosion mechanism and spatial variations intrinsic to the ejecta. The first detonation produces an ejecta tail visible at early times, while the second detonation leaves a central density peak in the ejecta that is visible at late times. The SNR shell is off-center at all times, because of an initial velocity shift due to binary motion. The companion WD produces a large conical shadow in the ejecta, visible in projection as a dark patch surrounded by a bright ring. This is a clear and long-lasting feature that is localized, and its impact on the observed morphology is dependent on the viewing angle of the SNR. These results offer a new way to diagnose the explosion mechanism and progenitor system using observations of a Type Ia SNR.

Keywords: supernovae; supernova remnants; hydrodynamical simulations
Periodic Fast Radio Bursts from Luminous X-ray Binaries

The discovery of periodicity in the arrival times of the fast radio bursts (FRBs) poses a challenge to the oft-studied magnetar scenarios. However, models that postulate that FRBs result from magnetized shocks or magnetic reconnection in a relativistic outflow are not specific to magnetar engines; instead, they require only the impulsive injection of relativistic energy into a dense magnetized medium. Motivated thus, we outline a new scenario in which FRBs are powered by short-lived relativistic outflows ("flares") from accreting black holes or neutron stars, which propagate into the cavity of the pre-existing ("quiescent") jet. In order to reproduce FRB luminosities and rates, we are driven to consider binaries of stellar-mass compact objects undergoing super-Eddington mass transfer, similar to ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) sources. Indeed, the host galaxies of FRBs, and their spatial offsets within their hosts, show broad similarities with ULXs. Periodicity on timescales of days to years could be attributed to precession (e.g., Lens-Thirring) of the polar accretion funnel, along which the FRB emission is geometrically and relativistically beamed, which sweeps across the observer line of sight. Accounting for the most luminous FRBs via accretion power may require a population of binaries undergoing brief-lived phases of unstable (dynamical-timescale) mass transfer. This will lead to secular evolution in the properties of some repeating FRBs on timescales of months to years, followed by a transient optical/IR counterpart akin to a luminous red nova, or a more luminous accretion-powered optical/X-ray transient. We encourage targeted FRB searches of known ULX sources.

Keywords: radio transient sources; ultraluminous x-ray sources; x-ray binary stars; shocks; plasma astrophysics; high energy astrophysics; burst astrophysics; x-ray transient sources
Position and Proper Motion of Sagittarius A* in the ICRF3 Frame from VLBI Absolute Astrometry

Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is a strong, compact radio source believed to be powered by a supermassive black hole at the galactic center. Extinction by dust and gas in the galactic plane prevents observing it optically, but its position and proper motion have previously been estimated using radio interferometry. We present new VLBI absolute astrometry measurements of its precise position and proper motion in the frame of the third realization of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF3). The observations used were made at 52 epochs on the VLBA at K band (24 GHz) between 2006 June and 2022 August. We find the proper motion of Sgr A* to be -3.128 ± 0.042 mas yr-1 in R.A. and -5.584 ± 0.075 mas yr-1 in decl., or 6.400 ± 0.073 mas yr-1 at a position angle of 209.°26 ± 0.°51. We also find its J2000 ICRF3 coordinates at the 2015.0 proper motion epoch to be 17h45m40.ˢ034047 ± 0.ˢ000018, -29°00'28.″21601 ± 0.″00044. In galactic coordinates, Sgr A* shows proper motion of -6.396 ± 0.071 mas yr-1 in galactic longitude and -0.239 ± 0.045 mas yr-1 in galactic latitude, indicating solar motion of 248.0 ± 2.8 km s-1 in the galactic plane and 9.3 ± 1.9 km s-1 toward the north galactic pole.

Keywords: radio astrometry; galactic center; astrometry; proper motions
Improved Measurements of the IXPE Crab Polarization

X-ray polarization from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) provides an important new probe of the geometry of the pulsar emission zone and of particle acceleration in the surrounding pulsar wind nebula. However, with IXPE's modest ~20″-30″ spatial resolution, separation of the pulsar signal from the nebula is a challenge. Conventional analysis defines an "off" phase window as pure nebular emission and subtracts its polarization to isolate the phase-varying pulsar (on-off fitting). We present a more sensitive scheme that uses external measurements of the nebula structure and the pulsar's light curve to isolate their contributions to the phase- and spatially-varying polarization via least-squares regression (simultaneous fitting). Tests with simulation data show ~30% improvement in pulse phase polarization uncertainties, decreased background systematics, and substantially improved nebular polarization maps. Applying simultaneous fitting to early IXPE Crab data extracts additional phase bins with significant polarization. These bins show interesting departures from the well-known optical polarization sweeps, although additional exposure will be needed for precise model confrontation.

Keywords: pulsar wind nebulae; polarimetry; astronomy data reduction; x-ray astronomy