adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
An Observational Upper Limit on the Rate of Gamma-Ray Bursts with Neutron Star-Black Hole Merger Progenitors

Compact-object binary mergers consisting of one neutron star and one black hole (NSBHs) have long been considered promising progenitors for gamma-ray bursts, whose central engine remains poorly understood. Using gravitational-wave constraints on the population-level NSBH mass and spin distributions we find that at most 20 Gpc-3 yr-1 of gamma-ray bursts in the local universe can have NSBH progenitors.

Keywords: gravitational wave sources; gamma-ray bursts; neutron stars; black holes
Discovery of a Premerger Shock in an Intercluster Filament in Abell 98

We report the first unambiguous detection of an axial merger shock in the early-stage merging cluster Abell 98 using deep (227 ks) Chandra observations. The shock is about 420 kpc south from the northern subcluster of Abell 98, in between the northern and central subclusters, with a Mach number of ${ \mathcal M }$ ≈ 2.3 ± 0.3. Our discovery of the axial merger shock front unveils a critical epoch in the formation of a massive galaxy cluster, when two subclusters are caught in the early phase of the merging process. We find that the electron temperature in the postshock region favors the instant collisionless model, where electrons are strongly heated at the shock front, by interactions with the magnetic field. We also report on the detection of an intercluster gas filament, with a temperature of kT = 1.07 ± 0.29 keV, along the merger axis of Abell 98. The measured properties of the gas in the filament are consistent with previous observations and numerical simulations of the hottest, densest parts of the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM), where WHIM filaments interface with the virialization regions of galaxy clusters.

Keywords: galaxy clusters
Pulsar Timing Arrays Require Hierarchical Models

Pulsar timing array (PTA) projects have found evidence of a stochastic background of gravitational waves (GWB) using data from an ensemble of pulsars. In the literature, minimal assumptions are made about the signal and noise processes that affect data from these pulsars, such as pulsar spin noise. These assumptions are encoded as uninformative priors in Bayesian searches, though frequentist approaches make similar assumptions. Uninformative priors are not suitable for (noise) properties of pulsars in an ensemble, and they bias estimates of model parameters such as gravitational-wave signal parameters. Both frequentist and Bayesian searches are affected. In this article, more appropriate priors are proposed in the language of hierarchical Bayesian modeling, where the properties of the ensemble of pulsars are jointly described with the properties of the individual components of the ensemble. Results by PTA projects should be reevaluated using hierarchical models.

Keywords: millisecond pulsars; radio pulsars; pulsar timing method; gravitational waves; bayesian statistics; hierarchical models; astronomy data analysis
Type W and Type 15bn Subgroups of Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernovae: Premaximum Diversity, Postmaximum Homogeneity?

In this study, we analyze the postmaximum spectra of a sample of 27 Type I superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) in order to search for physical differences between the so-called Type W and Type 15bn subtypes. This paper is a continuation of Könyves-Tóth & Vinkó and Könyves-Tóth. In the former, it was revealed that not all SLSNe-I show the W-shaped absorption feature between 4000 and 5000 Å in the premaximum spectra, and two new SLSN subgroups were disclosed. In the latter, physical differences in the premaximum phases were studied. For completeness, postmaximum data are analyzed in this paper. It is concluded that in terms of photospheric temperature and velocity, Type W and Type 15bn SLSNe-I decrease to a similar value by the postmaximum phases, and their pseudo-nebular spectra are nearly uniform. The relation between the photometric and spectroscopic phases (Φ) between the two subgroups was examined, and it was found that the Φ of Type W SLSNe-I increases monotonically with time, while Type 15bn objects tend to show larger Φ before peak brightness, which evolves slowly. Pseudo-equivalent width (pEW) calculations show that the pEWs of the wavelength range between 4166 and 5266 Å evolve differently in the cases of the two subtypes, while the other parts of the spectra seem to evolve similarly. It was found that the host galaxies of the studied objects do not differ significantly in their star formation rate, morphology, stellar mass, and absolute brightness. The main difference behind the bimodality of Type W and Type 15bn SLSNe-I therefore is in their premaximum evolution.

Keywords: supernovae
Analyses of Laser Propagation Noises for TianQin Gravitational Wave Observatory Based on the Global Magnetosphere MHD Simulations

TianQin is a proposed space-borne gravitational-wave (GW) observatory composed of three identical satellites orbiting around the geocenter with a radius of 105 km. It aims at detecting GWs in the frequency range of 0.1 mHz-1 Hz. The detection of GW relies on the high-precision measurement of optical path length at the 10-12 m level. The dispersion of space plasma can lead to the optical path difference (OPD, Δl) along the propagation of laser beams between any pair of satellites. Here, we study the OPD noises for TianQin. The Space Weather Modeling Framework is used to simulate the interaction between the Earth magnetosphere and solar wind. From the simulations, we extract the magnetic field and plasma parameters on the orbits of TianQin at four relative positions of the satellite constellation in the Earth magnetosphere. We calculate the OPD noise for single link, Michelson combination, and Time-Delay Interferometry (TDI) combinations (α and X). For single link and Michelson interferometer, the maxima of ∣Δl∣ are on the order of 1 pm. For the TDI combinations, these can be suppressed to about 0.004 and 0.008 pm for α and X. The OPD noise of the Michelson combination is colored in the concerned frequency range; while the ones for the TDI combinations are approximately white. Furthermore, we calculate the ratio of the equivalent strain of the OPD noise to that of TQ, and find that the OPD noises for the TDI combinations can be neglected in the most sensitive frequency range of TQ.

Keywords: gravitational wave detectors; space plasmas; solar wind
The Effect of Substellar Continent Size on Ocean Dynamics of Proxima Centauri b

The potential habitability of tidally locked planets orbiting M-dwarf stars has been widely investigated in recent work, typically with a nondynamic ocean and without continents. On Earth, ocean dynamics are a primary means of heat and nutrient distribution. Continents are a critical source of nutrients, strongly influence ocean dynamics, and participate in climate regulation. In this work, we investigate how the size of a substellar land mass affects the oceans ability to transport heat and upwell nutrients on the tidally locked planet Proxima Centauri b using the ROCKE-3D coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). We find that dayside ice-free ocean and nutrient delivery to the mixed layer via upwelling are maintained across all continent sizes. We also find that Proxima Centauri b's climate is more sensitive to differences among atmospheric GCMs than to the inclusion of ocean dynamics in ROCKE-3D. Finally, we find that Proxima Centauri b transitions from a "lobster" state where ocean heat transport distributes heat away from the substellar point to an "eyeball" state where heat transport is restricted and surface temperature decreases symmetrically from the substellar point when the continent size exceeds ∼20% of the surface area. Our work suggests that both a dynamic ocean and continents are unlikely to decrease the habitability prospects of nearby tidally locked targets like Proxima Centauri b that could be investigated with future observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Keywords: exoplanets; habitable planets; astrobiology
Live to Die Another Day: The Rebrightening of AT 2018fyk as a Repeating Partial Tidal Disruption Event

Stars that interact with supermassive black holes (SMBHs) can be either completely or partially destroyed by tides. In a partial tidal disruption event (TDE), the high-density core of the star remains intact, and the low-density outer envelope of the star is stripped and feeds a luminous accretion episode. The TDE AT 2018fyk, with an inferred black hole mass of 107.7±0.4 M ⊙, experienced an extreme dimming event at X-ray (factor of >6000) and UV (factor of ~15) wavelengths ~500-600 days after discovery. Here we report on the reemergence of these emission components roughly 1200 days after discovery. We find that the source properties are similar to those of the predimming accretion state, suggesting that the accretion flow was rejuvenated to a similar state. We propose that a repeated partial TDE, where the partially disrupted star is on an ~1200 day orbit about the SMBH and periodically stripped of mass during each pericenter passage, powers its unique light curve. This scenario provides a plausible explanation for AT 2018fyk's overall properties, including the rapid dimming event and the rebrightening at late times. We also provide testable predictions for the behavior of the accretion flow in the future; if the second encounter was also a partial disruption, then we predict another strong dimming event around day 1800 (2023 August) and a subsequent rebrightening around day 2400 (2025 March). This source provides strong evidence of the partial disruption of a star by an SMBH.

Keywords: tidal disruption; accretion; stellar dynamics; ultraviolet transient sources; x-ray transient sources
Helioseismic Finite-frequency Sensitivity Kernels for Flows in Spherical Geometry including Systematic Effects

Helioseismic inferences of large-scale flows in the solar interior necessitate accounting for the curvature of the Sun, both in interpreting systematic trends introduced in measurements as well as the sensitivity kernel that relates photospheric measurements to subsurface flow velocities. Additionally, the inverse problem that relates measurements to model parameters needs to be well posed to obtain accurate inferences, which necessitates a sparse set of parameters. Further, the sensitivity functions need to be computationally easy to evaluate. In this work, we address these issues by demonstrating that the sensitivity kernels for flow velocities may be computed efficiently on the basis of vector spherical harmonics. We are also able to account for line-of-sight projections in Doppler measurements, as well as center-to-limb differences in line-formation heights. We show that given the assumed spherical symmetry of the background model, it is often cheap to simultaneously compute the kernels for pairs of observation points that are related by a rotation. Such an approach is therefore particularly well suited to inverse problems for large-scale flows in the Sun, such as meridional circulation.

Keywords: the sun; helioseismology; solar meridional circulation; solar interior
Choked Jets in Expanding Envelope as the Origin of the Neutrino Emission Associated with Tidal Disruption Events

Three tidal disruption event (TDE) candidates (AT2019dsg, AT2019fdr, AT2019aalc) have been found to be coincident with high-energy astrophysical neutrinos in multimessenger follow-ups. Recent studies suggest the presence of a quasi-spherical, optically thick envelope around the supermassive black holes in TDEs, resulted from stellar debris after the disruption. The envelope may expand outwardly with a velocity of ~104 km s-1, as indicated by the emission line widths. We study whether the neutrino signal can be explained by choked relativistic jets inside the expanding envelope. While powerful jets, such as that in Swift J1644+57, can successfully break out from the envelope, those with relatively weak power could be choked by the envelope. Choked jets can still accelerate cosmic rays and produce high-energy neutrinos via interaction with the thermal photons in the envelope. We explore the parameter space of the jets that can produce detectable neutrino flux while being choked in the expanding envelope. We find that the cumulative neutrino numbers of AT2019fdr and AT2019aalc are consistent with the expected range imposed by observations, while the allowed parameter space for AT2019dsg is small. The neutrino time delay relative to the optical peak time of TDEs can be explained as the jet propagation time in the envelope before being choked. The discovery of TDE-associated neutrino events may suggest that jets might have been commonly formed in TDEs, as expected from super-Eddington accretion, but most of them are too weak to break out from the expanding envelopes.

Keywords: neutrino astronomy; relativistic jets; tidal disruption; cosmic rays
Putative Methanogenic Biosphere in Enceladus's Deep Ocean: Biomass, Productivity, and Implications for Detection

Saturn's moon Enceladus is a top candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system. Ecological thermodynamic modeling of the plume composition data collected by NASA's Cassini mission led to the hypothesis that a hydrogenotrophic methanogenic ecosystem might exist in the putative hydrothermal vents at Enceladus's seafloor. Here we extend this approach to quantify the ecosystem's expected biomass stock and production and evaluate its detectability from the collection of plume material. We find that although a hypothetical biosphere in Enceladus's ocean could be small (<10 tons of carbon), measurable amounts of cells and organics might enter the plume. However, it is critical that missions be designed to gain meaningful insights from a negative outcome (no detection). We show that in order to sample a cell from the plume with 95% confidence, >0.1 mL of material needs to be collected. This would require material from more than 100 fly-bys through the plume or using a lander. We then consider amino acid abundance as an alternative signature and find that the absolute abundance of amino acids, such as glycine, could be very informative if a detection threshold of 1 × 10-7 mol L-1 could be achieved. Altogether, our findings set relatively high bars on sample volume and amino acid detection thresholds, but these goals seem within the reach of near-future missions.

Keywords: astrobiology; saturnian satellites; planetary science; biosignatures
Aggregation and Charging of Mineral Cloud Particles under High-energy Irradiation

It is known from Earth that ionizing high-energy radiation can lead to ion-induced nucleation of cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Since the amount of high-energy radiation can vary greatly based on the radiative environment of a host star, understanding the effect of high-energy radiation on cloud particles is critical to understand exoplanet atmospheres. This study aims to explore how high-energy radiation affects the aggregation and charging of mineral cloud particles. We present experiments conducted in an atmosphere chamber on mineral SiO2 particles with diameters of 50 nm. The particles were exposed to gamma radiation in either low-humidity (RH ≈ 20%) or high-humidity (RH > 50%) environments. The aggregation and charging state of the particles were studied with a scanning mobility particle sizer. We find that the single SiO2 particles (N1) cluster to form larger aggregates (N2–N4), and that this aggregation is inhibited by gamma radiation. We find that gamma radiation shifts the charging of the particles to become more negative by increasing the charging state of negatively charged particles. Through an independent t-test, we find that this increase is statistically significant within a 5% significance level for all aggregates in the high-humidity environment and all except the N1 particles in the low-humidity environment. For the positively charged particles, the changes in charging state are not within the 5% significance level. We suggest that the overall effect of gamma radiation could favor the formation of a high number of small particles over a lower number of larger particles.

Keywords: exoplanet atmospheres; atmospheric clouds; high-energy cosmic radiation; planetary atmospheres; gamma-rays
Electron Acceleration in One-dimensional Nonrelativistic Quasi-perpendicular Collisionless Shocks

We study diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of electrons in nonrelativistic quasi-perpendicular shocks using self-consistent one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. By exploring the parameter space of sonic and Alfvénic Mach numbers we find that high Mach number quasi-perpendicular shocks can efficiently accelerate electrons to power-law downstream spectra with slopes consistent with DSA prediction. Electrons are reflected by magnetic mirroring at the shock and drive nonresonant waves in the upstream. Reflected electrons are trapped between the shock front and upstream waves, and undergo multiple cycles of shock-drift acceleration before the injection into DSA. Strong current-driven waves also temporarily change the shock obliquity and cause mild proton pre-acceleration even in quasi-perpendicular shocks, which otherwise do not accelerate protons. These results can be used to understand nonthermal emission in supernova remnants and intracluster medium in galaxy clusters.

Keywords: plasma astrophysics; particle astrophysics; supernovae
Near-infrared Spectroscopy of the Nucleus of Low-activity Comet P/2016 BA14 during Its 2016 Close Approach

The near-Earth comet P/2016 BA14 (PanSTARRS) is a slow-rotating, nearly dormant object, a likely dynamical twin of 252P/LINEAR, and was recently shown to have a mid-infrared spectrum very dissimilar to other comets. Comet BA14 was also recently selected as one of the backup targets for the ESA's Comet Interceptor, so a clearer understanding of BA14's modern properties would not just improve our understanding of how comets go dormant but could also aid in planning for a potential spacecraft visit. We present observations of BA14 during its 2016 Earth close approach taken with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on two dates, both of which are consistent with direct observations of its nucleus. The reflectance spectrum of BA14 is similar to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, albeit highly phase-reddened. Thermal emission contaminates the reflectance spectrum at longer wavelengths, which we correct with a new Markov Chain Monte Carlo thermal modeling code. The models suggest that BA14's visible geometric albedo is p V = 0.01-0.03, consistent with radar observations; its beaming parameter is typical for NEOs observed in its geometry; and its reflectance spectrum is red and linear throughout the H and K bands. It appears very much like a "normal" comet nucleus despite its mid-infrared oddities. A slow loss of fine grains as the object's activity diminished might help to reconcile some of the lines of evidence, and we discuss other possibilities. A spacecraft flyby past BA14 could get closer to the nucleus than with a more active target, and we highlight some science questions that could be addressed with a visit to a (nearly) dormant comet.

Keywords: comets; short period comets; spectroscopy
Combined ∼10 eV to ∼344 MeV Particle Spectra and Pressures in the Heliosheath along the Voyager 2 Trajectory

We report a unique combination of ∼10 eV to ∼344 MeV in situ ion measurements from the Plasma Science (PLS), Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP), and Cosmic Ray Subsystem (CRS) experiments on the Voyager 2 (V2) spacecraft, and remotely sensed ∼110 eV to ∼55 keV energetic neutral atom (ENA) measurements from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission and Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA) on the Cassini mission. This combination is done over the time period from 2009 to the end of 2016, along the V2 trajectory, toward assessing the properties of the ion energy spectra inside the heliosheath. The combined energy spectra exhibit a series of softening and hardening breaks, providing important insights on the various ion acceleration processes inside the heliosheath. Ions in the <6 keV energy range dominate the total pressure distribution inside the heliosheath but the ion distributions at higher energies (>5.2 keV) provide a significant contribution to the total pressure. With the assumption that all ENAs (∼110 eV to 55 keV) are created by charge-exchange interactions inside the heliosheath, we estimate that the magnetic field upstream at the heliopause required to balance the pressure from the heliosheath in the direction of V2 is ∼0.67 nT. This number is consistent with the measured magnetic field at V2 from 2018 November, when the spacecraft entered interstellar space.

Keywords: heliosphere; heliopause; heliosheath; termination shock; interstellar medium; interstellar magnetic fields
Pan-STARRS Pixel Analysis: Source Detection and Characterization

Over 3 billion astronomical sources have been detected in the more than 22 million orthogonal transfer CCD images obtained as part of the Pan-STARRS1 3π survey. Over 85 billion instances of those sources have been automatically detected and characterized by the Pan-STARRS Image Processing Pipeline photometry software, psphot. This fast, automatic, and reliable software was developed for the Pan-STARRS project but is easily adaptable to images from other telescopes. We describe the analysis of the astronomical sources by psphot in general as well as for the specific case of the third processing version used for the first two public releases of the Pan-STARRS 3π Survey data.

Keywords: astronomy data analysis; astronomy data reduction; ccd photometry; galaxy photometry; astrometry; astronomical techniques; astronomical object identification
The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury: Triangulum Extended Region (PHATTER). III. The Mass Function of Young Stellar Clusters in M33

We measure the star cluster mass function (CMF) for the Local Group galaxy M33. We use the catalog of stellar clusters selected from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury: Triangulum Extended Region survey. We analyze 711 clusters in M33 with $7.0\lt \mathrm{log}(\mathrm{Age}/\mathrm{yr})\lt 8.5$ , and log(M/M ⊙) > 3.0 as determined from color-magnitude diagram fits to individual stars. The M33 CMF is best described by a Schechter function with power-law slope α = - ${2.06}_{-0.13}^{+0.14}$ , and truncation mass log(M c /M ⊙) $=\,{4.24}_{-0.13}^{+0.16}$ . The data show strong evidence for a high-mass truncation, thus strongly favoring a Schechter function fit over a pure power law. M33's truncation mass is consistent with the previously identified linear trend between M c , and star formation rate surface density, ΣSFR. We also explore the effect that individual cluster mass uncertainties have on derived mass function parameters, and find evidence to suggest that large cluster mass uncertainties have the potential to bias the truncation mass of fitted mass functions at the 1σ level.

Keywords: star clusters; star formation; triangulum galaxy