adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Precision Speckle Pattern Reconstruction for High-contrast Imaging

In high-contrast imaging, a large instrumental, technological, and algorithmic effort is made to reduce residual speckle noise and improve the detection capabilities. In this work, we explore the potential of using a precise physical description of speckle images, in conjunction with the optimal detection statistic to perform high-contrast imaging. Our method uses short-exposure speckle images, reconstructing the point-spread function (PSF) of each image with phase retrieval algorithms. Using the reconstructed PSFs, we calculate the optimal detection statistic for all images. We analyze the arising bias due to the use of a reconstructed PSF and correct for it completely up to its accumulation over 104 images. We measure in simulations the method's sensitivity loss due to overfitting in the reconstruction process and get to an estimated 5σ detection limit of 5 × 10-7 flux ratio at angular separations of 0.″1-0.″5 for a 1h observation of Sirius A with a 2 m telescope.

Keywords: high contrast techniques; astronomical seeing; astronomy data analysis
The Gravitational-wave Background Null Hypothesis: Characterizing Noise in Millisecond Pulsar Arrival Times with the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array

The noise in millisecond pulsar (MSP) timing data can include contributions from observing instruments, the interstellar medium, the solar wind, solar system ephemeris errors, and the pulsars themselves. The noise environment must be accurately characterized in order to form the null hypothesis from which signal models can be compared, including the signature induced by nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves (GWs). Here we describe the noise models developed for each of the MSPs in the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) third data release, which have been used as the basis of a search for the isotropic stochastic GW background. We model pulsar spin noise, dispersion measure variations, scattering variations, events in the pulsar magnetospheres, solar wind variability, and instrumental effects. We also search for new timing model parameters and detected Shapiro delays in PSR J0614-3329 and PSR J1902-5105. The noise and timing models are validated by testing the normalized and whitened timing residuals for Gaussianity and residual correlations with time. We demonstrate that the choice of noise models significantly affects the inferred properties of a common-spectrum process. Using our detailed models, the recovered common-spectrum noise in the PPTA is consistent with a power law with a spectral index of γ = 13/3, the value predicted for a stochastic GW background from a population of supermassive black hole binaries driven solely by GW emission.

Keywords: gravitational waves; gravitational wave astronomy; millisecond pulsars; pulsar timing method; bayesian statistics
Designing a New Coronal Magnetic Field Energy Diagnostic

In the solar corona, the free energy, i.e., the excess in magnetic energy over a ground-state potential field, forms the reservoir of energy that can be released during solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Such free energy provides a measure of the magnetic field nonpotentiality. Recent theoretical and observational studies indicate that the presence of nonpotential magnetic fields is imprinted into the structures of infrared, off-limb, coronal polarization. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of exploiting such observations for mapping and studying the accumulation and release of coronal free magnetic energy, with the goal of developing a new tool for identifying "hot spots" of coronal free energy such as those associated with twisted and/or sheared coronal magnetic fields. We applied forward modeling of infrared coronal polarimetry to three-dimensional models of nonpotential and potential magnetic fields. From these we defined a quantitative diagnostic of nonpotentiality that in the future could be calculated from a comparison of infrared, off-limb, coronal polarization observations from, e.g., the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter or the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, and the corresponding polarization signal forward-modeled from a potential field extrapolated from photospheric magnetograms. We considered the relative diagnostic potential of linear and circular polarization, and the sensitivities of these diagnostics to coronal density distributions and assumed boundary conditions of the potential field. Our work confirms the capacity of polarization measurements for diagnosing nonpotentiality and free energy in the solar corona.

Keywords: solar magnetic fields; infrared astronomy; solar corona; solar flares
Looking for the "Blue Bump" in the Early Light Curve of SN Ia using an Open Supernovae Catalog

In this study we used archival supernova data from a publicly available database to look for a blue excess in the early light curves of SN Ia. This blue excess represents a simple proposed method to differentiate between single- and double-degenerate formation scenarios. Our search found 2 candidates out of 40 SN Ia, and including selection effects implies an upper limit of ~50% of the supernovae in the sample originated in a binary with a non-degenerate companion.

Keywords: type ia supernovae; white dwarf stars; degenerate matter; optical astronomy; light curves; astronomy databases
Relative Astrometry in an Annular Field

Background. Relative astrometry at or below the microarcsec level with a 1 m class space telescope has been repeatedly proposed as a tool for exo-planet detection and characterization, as well as for several topics at the forefront of Astrophysics and Fundamental Physics. Aim. This paper investigates the potential benefits of an instrument concept based on an annular field of view, as compared to a traditional focal plane imaging a contiguous area close to the telescope optical axis. Method. Basic aspects of relative astrometry are reviewed as a function of the distribution on the sky of reference stars brighter than G = 12 mag (from Gaia EDR3). Statistics of field stars for targets down to G = 8 mag is evaluated by analysis and simulation. Results. Observation efficiency benefits from prior knowledge on individual targets, since source model is improved with few measurements. Dedicated observations (10-20 hr) can constrain the orbital inclination of exoplanets to a few degrees. Observing strategy can be tailored to include a sample of stars, materialising the reference frame, sufficiently large to average down the residual catalog errors to the desired microarcsec level. For most targets, the annular field provides typically more reference stars, by a factor four to seven in our case, than the conventional field. The brightest reference stars for each target are up to 2 mag brighter. Conclusions. The proposed annular field telescope concept improves on observation flexibility and/or astrometric performance with respect to conventional designs. It appears therefore as an appealing contribution to optimization of future relative astrometry missions.

Keywords: astronomical instrumentation; space astrometry; astrometric exoplanet detection; space vehicle instruments
The Impact of Initial-Final Mass Relations on Black Hole Microlensing

Uncertainty in the initial-final mass relation (IFMR) has long been a problem in understanding the final stages of massive star evolution. One of the major challenges of constraining the IFMR is the difficulty of measuring the mass of nonluminous remnant objects (i.e., neutron stars and black holes). Gravitational-wave detectors have opened the possibility of finding large numbers of compact objects in other galaxies, but all in merging binary systems. Gravitational lensing experiments using astrometry and photometry are capable of finding compact objects, both isolated and in binaries, in the Milky Way. In this work we improve the Population Synthesis for Compact object Lensing Events (PopSyCLE) microlensing simulation code in order to explore the possibility of constraining the IFMR using the Milky Way microlensing population. We predict that the Roman Space Telescope's microlensing survey will likely be able to distinguish different IFMRs based on the differences at the long end of the Einstein crossing time distribution and the small end of the microlensing parallax distribution, assuming the small (π E ≲ 0.02) microlensing parallaxes characteristic of black hole lenses are able to be measured accurately. We emphasize that future microlensing surveys need to be capable of characterizing events with small microlensing parallaxes in order to place the most meaningful constraints on the IFMR.

Keywords: gravitational microlensing; stellar evolution; astrophysical black holes; stellar mass black holes
Catalog of High-velocity Dispersion Compact Clouds in the Central Molecular Zone of Our Galaxy

This study developed an automated identification procedure for compact clouds with broad velocity widths in the spectral-line data cubes of highly crowded regions. The procedure was applied to the CO J = 3 - 2 line data, obtained using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, to identify 184 high-velocity dispersion compact clouds (HVDCCs), which are a category of peculiar molecular clouds found in the central molecular zone of our Galaxy. A list of HVDCCs in the area -1.°4 ≤ l ≤ +2.°0, -0.°25 ≤ b ≤ +0.°25 was presented with their physical parameters, CO J = 3 - 2/J = 1 - 0 intensity ratios, and morphological classifications. Consequently, the list provides several intriguing sources that may have been driven by encounters with pointlike massive objects, local energetic events, or cloud-to-cloud collisions.

Keywords: galactic center
Generating Stellar Obliquity in Systems with Broken Protoplanetary Disks

Recent advances in submillimeter observations of young circumstellar nebulae have opened an unprecedented window into the structure of protoplanetary disks that has revealed the surprising ubiquity of broken and misaligned disks. In this work, we demonstrate that such disks are capable of torquing the spin axis of their host star, representing a hitherto unexplored pathway by which stellar obliquities may be generated. The basis of this mechanism is a crossing of the stellar spin precession and inner disk regression frequencies, resulting in adiabatic excitation of the stellar obliquity. We derive analytical expressions for the characteristic frequencies of the inner disk and star as a function of the disk gap boundaries and place an approximate limit on the disk architectures for which frequency crossing and the resulting obliquity excitation are expected, thereby illustrating the efficacy of this model. Cumulatively, our results support the emerging consensus that significant spin-orbit misalignments are an expected outcome of planet formation.

Keywords: planetary system formation; planet formation; protoplanetary disks; pre-main sequence stars; pre-main sequence; stellar accretion disks
Broadband X-Ray Spectroscopy of the Pulsar Wind Nebula in HESS J1640-465

We present updated measurements of the X-ray properties of the pulsar wind nebula associated with the TeV γ-ray source HESS J1640-465 derived from Chandra and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array data. We report a high N H value along the line of sight, consistent with previous work, which led us to incorporate the effects of dust scattering in our spectral analysis. Due to uncertainties in the dust scattering, we report a range of values for the PWN properties (photon index and unabsorbed flux). In addition, we fit the broadband spectrum of this source and found evidence for spectral softening and decreasing unasborbed flux as we go to higher photon energies. We then used a one-zone time-dependent evolutionary model to reproduce the dynamical and multiwavelength spectral properties of our source. Our model suggests a short spin-down timescale, a relatively higher than average magnetized pulsar wind, a strong pulsar wind nebula magnetic field and maximum electron energy up to PeV, suggesting HESS J1640-465 could be a PeVatron candidate.

Keywords: millisecond pulsars; pulsars; rotation powered pulsars; neutron stars; pulsar wind nebulae; supernova remnants; x-ray astronomy; gamma-ray sources
Metal-poor Stars Observed with the Southern African Large Telescope

We present the first release of a large-scale study of relatively bright (V < 13.5) metal-poor stars observed with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), based on high-resolution spectra of 50 stars with a resolving power of R ∼ 40,000 and S/N ∼ 20 per pixel at 4300 Å. The elemental abundances of C, Sr, Ba, and Eu are reported, as well as several α-elements (Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, and V) and iron-peak elements (Mn, Co, Ni, and Zn). We find a diverse array of abundance patterns, including several consistent with the signatures of carbon-enhanced metal-poor CEMP-i and CEMP-r stars. We find that 15 of 50 (30%) are carbon enhanced (with [C/Fe] > +0.70), and that a large fraction (26 of 50, 52%) are enhanced in r-process elements. Among the r-process-enhanced stars, five are strongly enhanced r-II ([Eu/Fe] > +1.0) stars (two of which are newly discovered) and 21 are newly discovered moderately enhanced r-I (+0.3 ≤ [Eu/Fe] ≤ +1.0) stars. There are eight stars in our sample that, on the basis of their abundances and kinematics, are possible members of the metal-weak thick-disk population. We also compare our measured abundances to progenitor-enrichment models, and find that the abundance patterns for the majority of our stars can be attributed to a single (rather than multiple) enrichment event.

Keywords: stellar nucleosynthesis; explosive nucleosynthesis; milky way stellar halo; stellar abundances; stellar dynamics
Optical Identification and Spectroscopy of Supernova Remnants in the Galaxy M51

Using a combination of ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope imaging, we have constructed a catalog of 179 supernova remnants (SNRs) and SNR candidates in the nearby spiral galaxy M51. Follow-up spectroscopy of 66 of the candidates confirms that 61 of these are SNRs and suggests that the vast majority of the unobserved objects are SNRs as well. A total of 55 of the candidates are coincident with (mostly soft) X-ray sources identified in deep Chandra observations of M51; searching the positions of other soft X-ray sources resulted in several additional possible optical candidates. There are 16 objects in the catalog coincident with known radio sources. None of the sources with spectra show the high velocities (≳500 km s-1) characteristic of young, ejecta-dominated SNRs like Cas A; instead, most if not all appear to be middle-aged SNRs. The general properties of the SNRs, size distribution and spectral characteristics, resemble those in other nearby spiral galaxies, notably M33, M83, and NGC 6946, where similar samples exist. However, the spectroscopically observed [N II]:Hα ratios appear to be significantly higher than in any of these other galaxies. Although we have explored various ideas to explain the high ratios in M51, none of the explanations appear to be satisfactory. * Based in part on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated, under NASA contract NAS5-26555. Support for program Nos. 14638 and 15216 was provided through a grant from the STScI under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

Keywords: supernova remnants; nebulae; interstellar medium; spiral galaxies
Clumpy Wind Studies and the Nondetection of a Cyclotron Line in OAO 1657-415

Winds of massive stars are suspected to be inhomogeneous (or clumpy), which biases the measures of their mass-loss rates. In high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), the compact object can be used as an orbiting X-ray point source to probe the wind and constrain its clumpiness. We perform a spectrotiming analysis of the HMXB OAO 1657-415 with nonsimultaneous NuSTAR and NICER observations. We compute the hardness ratio from the energy-resolved light curves, and, using an adaptive rebinning technique, we thus select appropriate time segments to search for rapid spectral variations on timescales of a few hundred to thousands of seconds. The column density and intensity of the iron Kα line were strongly correlated, and the recorded spectral variations were consistent with accretion from a clumpy wind. We also illustrate a novel framework to measure clump sizes and masses in HMXBs more accurately based on the absorption measurements and orbital parameters of the source. We then discuss the limitations posed by current X-ray spacecraft in such measurements and present prospects with future X-ray missions. We find that the source pulse profiles show a moderate dependence on energy. We identify a previously undetected dip in the pulse profile visible throughout the NuSTAR observation near spin phase 0.15 possibly caused by intrinsic changes in accretion geometry close to the neutron star. We do not find any evidence for the debated cyclotron line at ~36 keV in the time-averaged or phase-resolved spectra with NuSTAR.

Keywords: high mass x-ray binary stars; x-ray binary stars
Kilonova Luminosity Function Constraints Based on Zwicky Transient Facility Searches for 13 Neutron Star Merger Triggers during O3

We present a systematic search for optical counterparts to 13 gravitational wave (GW) triggers involving at least one neutron star during LIGO/Virgo's third observing run (O3). We searched binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star black hole (NSBH) merger localizations with the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and undertook follow-up with the Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH) collaboration. The GW triggers had a median localization area of 4480 deg2, a median distance of 267 Mpc, and false-alarm rates ranging from 1.5 to 10-25 yr-1. The ZTF coverage in the g and r bands had a median enclosed probability of 39%, median depth of 20.8 mag, and median time lag between merger and the start of observations of 1.5 hr. The O3 follow-up by the GROWTH team comprised 340 UltraViolet/Optical/InfraRed (UVOIR) photometric points, 64 OIR spectra, and three radio images using 17 different telescopes. We find no promising kilonovae (radioactivity-powered counterparts), and we show how to convert the upper limits to constrain the underlying kilonova luminosity function. Initially, we assume that all GW triggers are bona fide astrophysical events regardless of false-alarm rate and that kilonovae accompanying BNS and NSBH mergers are drawn from a common population; later, we relax these assumptions. Assuming that all kilonovae are at least as luminous as the discovery magnitude of GW170817 (-16.1 mag), we calculate that our joint probability of detecting zero kilonovae is only 4.2%. If we assume that all kilonovae are brighter than -16.6 mag (the extrapolated peak magnitude of GW170817) and fade at a rate of 1 mag day-1 (similar to GW170817), the joint probability of zero detections is 7%. If we separate the NSBH and BNS populations based on the online classifications, the joint probability of zero detections, assuming all kilonovae are brighter than -16.6 mag, is 9.7% for NSBH and 7.9% for BNS mergers. Moreover, no more than <57% (<89%) of putative kilonovae could be brighter than -16.6 mag assuming flat evolution (fading by 1 mag day-1) at the 90% confidence level. If we further take into account the online terrestrial probability for each GW trigger, we find that no more than <68% of putative kilonovae could be brighter than -16.6 mag. Comparing to model grids, we find that some kilonovae must have Mej < 0.03 M⊙, Xlan > 10-4, or φ > 30° to be consistent with our limits. We look forward to searches in the fourth GW observing run; even 17 neutron star mergers with only 50% coverage to a depth of -16 mag would constrain the maximum fraction of bright kilonovae to <25%.

Keywords: neutron stars; black holes; gravitational waves; nucleosynthesis; r-process; compact objects; spectroscopy; sky surveys; photometry
A Random Walk Model for Dark Matter Halo Concentrations

For idealized (spherical, smooth) dark matter halos described by single-parameter density profiles (such as the Navarro-Frenk-White profile), there exists a one-to-one mapping between the energy of the halo and the scale radius of its density profile. The energy therefore uniquely determines the concentration parameter of such halos. We exploit this fact to predict the concentrations of dark matter halos via a random walk in halo energy space. Given a full merger tree for a halo, the total internal energy of each halo in that tree is determined by summing the internal and orbital energies of progenitor halos. We show that, when calibrated, this model can accurately reproduce the mean of the concentration-mass relation measured in N-body simulations and reproduces more of the scatter in that relation than previous models. We further test this model by examining both the autocorrelation of scale radii across time and the correlations between halo concentration and spin, and comparing them to results measured from cosmological N-body simulations. In both cases, we find that our model closely matches the N-body results. Our model is implemented within the open-source GALACTICUS toolkit.

Keywords: galaxy dark matter halos
Mapping the Milky Way Disk with Gaia DR3: 3D Extended Kinematic Maps and Rotation Curve to ≈30 kpc

We apply a statistical deconvolution of the parallax errors based on Lucy's inversion method (LIM) to the Gaia DR3 sources to measure their 3D velocity components in the range of Galactocentric distances R between 8 and 30 kpc with their corresponding errors and rms values. We find results that are consistent with those obtained by applying LIM to the Gaia DR2 sources, and we conclude that the method gives convergent and more accurate results by improving the statistics of the data set and lowering observational errors. The kinematic maps reconstructed with LIM up to R ≈ 30 kpc show that the Milky Way is characterized by asymmetrical motions with significant gradients in all velocity components. Furthermore, we determine the Galaxy rotation curve V C (R) up to ≈27.5 kpc with the cylindrical Jeans equation assuming an axisymmetric gravitational potential. We find that V C (R) is significantly declining up to the largest radius investigated. Finally, we also measure V C (R) at different vertical heights, showing that, for R < 15 kpc, there is a marked dependence on Z, whereas at larger R the dependence on Z is negligible.

Keywords: milky way disk