adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
The Role of Electrons and Helium Atoms in Global Modeling of the Heliosphere

We present a new three-dimensional, MHD-plasma/kinetic-neutrals model of the solar wind (SW) interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM), which self-consistently includes neutral hydrogen and helium atoms. This new model also treats electrons as a separate fluid and includes the effect of Coulomb collisions. While the properties of electrons in the distant SW and in the LISM are mostly unknown due to the lack of in situ observations, a common assumption for any global, single-ion model is to assume that electrons have the temperature of the ion mixture, which includes pickup ions. In the new model, electrons in the SW are colder, which results in a better agreement with New Horizons observations in the supersonic SW. In the LISM, however, ions and electrons are almost in thermal equilibrium. As for the plasma mixture, the major differences between the models are in the inner heliosheath, where the new model predicts a charge-exchange-driven cooling and a decrease of the heliosheath thickness. The filtration of interstellar neutral atoms at the heliospheric interface is discussed. The new model predicts an increase in the H density by ~2% at 1 au. However, the fraction of pristine H atoms decreases by ~12%, while the density of atoms born in the outer and inner heliosheath increases by 5% and ~35%, respectively. While at 1 au the density of He atoms remains unchanged, the contribution from the "warm breeze" increases by ~3%.

Keywords: heliosphere; solar wind; interstellar medium; astrosphere interstellar medium interactions; interstellar plasma; charge exchange ionization; heliosheath; interstellar atomic gas
Varstrometry for Off-nucleus and Dual Sub-kiloparsec Active Galactic Nuclei (VODKA): Very Long Baseline Array Searches for Dual or Off-nucleus Quasars and Small-scale Jets

Dual and off-nucleus active supermassive black holes are expected to be common in the hierarchical structure formation paradigm, but their identification at parsec scales remains a challenge due to strict angular resolution requirements. We conducted a systematic study using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) to examine 23 radio-bright candidate dual and off-nucleus quasars. The targets are selected by a novel astrometric technique (varstrometry) from Gaia, aiming to identify dual or off-nucleus quasars at (sub)kiloparsec scales. Among these quasars, eight exhibit either multiple radio components or significant (>3σ) positional offsets between the VLBA and Gaia positions. The radio emission from the three candidates, which exhibit multiple radio components, is likely to originate from small-scale jets based on their morphology. Among the remaining five candidates with significant VLBA-Gaia offsets, three are identified as potential dual quasars at parsec scales, one is likely attributed to small-scale jets, and the origin of the last candidate remains unclear. We explore alternative explanations for the observed VLBA-Gaia offsets. We find no evidence for optical jets at kiloparsec scales, nor any contamination to Gaia astrometric noise from the host galaxy; misaligned coordinate systems are unlikely to account for our offsets. Our study highlights the promise of the varstrometry technique in discovering candidate dual or off-nucleus quasars and emphasizes the need for further confirmation and investigation to validate and understand these intriguing candidates.

Keywords: quasars; radio loud quasars; double quasars; gaia; very long baseline interferometers; astrometry; astronomical techniques; active galactic nuclei; radio jets
The Distance to High-velocity Cloud Complex M

λ-21 cm HI4PI survey data are used to study the anomalous-velocity hydrogen gas associated with high-velocity cloud Complex M. These high-sensitivity, high-resolution, high-dynamic-range data show that many of the individual features, including MI, MIIa, and MIIb, are components of a long, arched filament that extends from about (l, b) = (105°, 53°) to (l, b) = (196°, 55°). Maps at different velocities, results from Gaussian analysis, and observations of associated high-energy emission make a compelling case that the MI cloud and the arched filament are physically interacting. If this is the case, we can use the distance to MI, 150 pc as reported by Schmelz & Verschuur, to set the distance to Complex M. The estimated mass of Complex M is then about 120 M ⊙, and the energy implied using the observed line-of-sight velocity, -85 km s-1, is 8.4 × 1048 erg. Integrating over 4π sr, the total energy for a spherically symmetrical explosion is estimated to be 1.9 × 1050 erg, well within the energy budget of a typical supernova.

Keywords: interstellar clouds; high-velocity clouds
The Host Galaxy of the Dwarf Seyfert UGC 06728

We present multi-color high-resolution imaging of the host galaxy of the dwarf Seyfert UGC 06728. As the lowest-mass black hole to be described with both a direct mass constraint and a spin constraint, UGC 06728 is an important source for comparison with black hole evolutionary models, yet little is known about the host galaxy. Using Hubble Space Telescope imaging in the optical and near-infrared, we find that UGC 06728 is a barred lenticular (SB0) galaxy with prominent ansae at the ends of the bar. We cleanly separated the active galactic nucleus (AGN) from the resolved galaxy with two-dimensional image decompositions, thus allowing accurate surface brightness profiles to be derived in all filters from the outer edge of the galaxy all the way into the nucleus. Based on a sample of 51 globular cluster candidates identified in the images, the globular cluster luminosity function predicts a distance to UCG 06728 of 32.5 ± 3.5 Mpc. Combining the galaxy photometry with the distance estimate, we derive a starlight-corrected AGN luminosity, the absolute magnitude of the galaxy, and a constraint on the galaxy stellar mass of $\mathrm{log}{M}_{\star }/{M}_{\odot }=9.9\pm 0.2$ .

Keywords: seyfert galaxies; lenticular galaxies; agn host galaxies; supermassive black holes; galaxy photometry; galaxy distances
Satellite Constellation Avoidance with the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time

We investigate a novel satellite avoidance strategy to mitigate the impact of large commercial satellite constellations in low-Earth orbit on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). We simulate the orbits of currently planned Starlink and OneWeb constellations (~40,000 satellites) to test how effectively an upgraded Rubin scheduler algorithm can avoid them, and assess how the overall survey is affected. Given a reasonably accurate satellite orbit forecast, we find it is possible to adjust the scheduler algorithm to effectively avoid some satellites. Overall, sacrificing 10% of LSST observing time to avoid satellites reduces the fraction of LSST visits with streaks by a factor of 2. Whether such a mitigation will be required depends on the overall impact of streaks on science, which is not yet well quantified. This is due to a lack of adequate information about satellite brightness distributions as well as the impact of glints and low surface brightness residuals on alert purity and systematic errors in cosmological parameter estimation. A significant increase in the number of satellites or their brightness during Rubin Operations may make implementing this satellite avoidance strategy worthwhile.

Keywords: light pollution; sky surveys; artificial satellites; ground-based astronomy
On an Application of the Hill Approach to the General Case of the Three-body Problem

In this work, we use the energy and angular momentum integrals as a resource for applying Hill's approach to the general three-body problem. As a result, we obtain theorems on the Lagrange stability and Hill stability in the general three-body problem. Also, specific features of the general and restricted three-body problems are discussed.

Keywords: n-body problem; three-body problem
Detection of OH 18 cm Emission from Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE Using the Arecibo Telescope

We report the detection of emission from the OH 18 cm Λ-doublet transitions toward Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE using the Arecibo Telescope. The antenna temperatures are 113 ± 3 mK for the 1667 MHz line and 57 ± 3 mK for the 1665 MHz line. The beam-averaged OH column density (centered on the comet nucleus) derived from the 1667 transition is NOH = (1.11 ± 0.06) × 1013 cm-2. We implemented the Haser model to derive an OH production rate. The estimated OH production rate using the 1667 transition is QOH = (3.6 ± 0.6) × 1028 s-1, a factor of 2.4 lower than optically derived values for the same observing day, the difference of which is likely explained by quenching.

Keywords: comet volatiles; comets; hydroxyl sources; molecular spectroscopy; radio spectroscopy
Constraints on the Circumnuclear Disk through Free-Free Absorption in the Nucleus of 3C 84 with KaVA and KVN at 43 and 86 GHz

The nearby bright radio galaxy 3C 84 at the center of the Perseus cluster is an ideal target to explore the jet in an active galactic nucleus and its parsec-scale environment. The recent research of Fujita & Nagai revealed the existence of the northern counter-jet component (N1) located 2 mas north from the central core in very long baseline interferometer (VLBI) images at 15 and 43 GHz and they are explained by the free-free absorption (FFA) due to an ionized plasma foreground. Here we report a new quasi-simultaneous observation of 3C 84 with the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) at 86 GHz and the KVN and VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry Array (KaVA) at 43 GHz in 2016 February. We succeeded the first detection of N1 at 86 GHz and the data show that N1 still has an inverted spectrum between 43 and 86 GHz with its spectral index &agr; ( ${S}_{\nu }\propto {\nu }^{\alpha }$ ) of 1.19 ± 0.43, while the approaching lobe component has a steep spectrum with an index of -0.54 ± 0.30. Based on the measured flux asymmetry between the counter and approaching lobes, we constrain the averaged number density of the FFA foreground ne as $1.8\times {10}^{4}\,{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}\lesssim {n}_{{\rm{e}}}\lesssim 1.0\times {10}^{6}\,{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$ . Those results suggest that the observational properties of the FFA foreground can be explained by the dense ionized gas in the circumnuclear disk and/or assembly of clumpy clouds at the central ∼1 pc region of 3C 84.

Keywords: active galactic nuclei; perseus cluster; radio continuum emission; radio galaxies; radio lobes; very long baseline interferometers
Time-domain Deep-learning Filtering of Structured Atmospheric Noise for Ground-based Millimeter Astronomy

The complex physics involved in atmospheric turbulence makes it very difficult for ground-based astronomy to build accurate scintillation models and develop efficient methodologies to remove this highly structured noise from valuable astronomical observations. We argue that a deep-learning approach can bring a significant advance to treat this problem because of deep neural networks' inherent ability to abstract nonlinear patterns over a broad scale range. We propose an architecture composed of long short-term memory cells and an incremental training strategy inspired by transfer and curriculum learning. We develop a scintillation model and employ an empirical method to generate a vast catalog of atmospheric-noise realizations and train the network with representative data. We face two complexity axes: the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and the degree of structure in the noise. Hence, we train our recurrent network to recognize simulated astrophysical pointlike sources embedded in three structured-noise levels, with a raw-data S/N ranging from 3 to 0.1. We find that a slow and repetitive increase in complexity is crucial during training to obtain a robust and stable learning rate that can transfer information through different data contexts. We probe our recurrent model with synthetic observational data, designing alongside a calibration methodology for flux measurements. Furthermore, we implement traditional matched filtering (MF) to compare its performance with our neural network, finding that our final trained network can successfully clean structured noise and significantly enhance the S/N compared to raw data and in a more robust way than traditional MF.

Keywords: millimeter astronomy; atmospheric scintillation; diffuse radiation; humidity; time series analysis; red noise; neural networks; astronomy data modeling; astrostatistics techniques
Redshift Estimation and Constraints on Intergalactic and Interstellar Media from Dispersion and Scattering of Fast Radio Bursts

A sample of 14 FRBs with measured redshifts and scattering times is used to assess contributions to dispersion and scattering from the intergalactic medium (IGM), galaxy halos, and the disks of host galaxies. The IGM and galaxy halos contribute significantly to dispersion measures (DMs) but evidently not to scattering, which is then dominated by host galaxies. This enables the usage of scattering times for estimating DM contributions from host galaxies and also for a combined scattering-dispersion redshift estimator. Redshift estimation is calibrated using the scattering of Galactic pulsars after taking into account different scattering geometries for Galactic and intergalactic lines of sight. The DM-only estimator has a bias of ~0.1 and rms error of ~0.15 in the redshift estimate for an assumed ad hoc value of 50 pc cm-3 for the host galaxy's DM contribution. The combined redshift estimator shows less bias by a factor of 4 to 10 and a 20%-40% smaller rms error. We find that values for the baryonic fraction of the ionized IGM f igm ≃ 0.85 ± 0.05 optimize redshift estimation using dispersion and scattering. Our study suggests that 2 of the 14 candidate galaxy associations (FRB 20190523A and FRB 20190611B) should be reconsidered.

Keywords: radio pulsars; radio transient sources; radio bursts; intergalactic medium; interstellar scattering; interstellar medium; baryon density; interstellar plasma
Apache Point Observatory (APO)/SMARTS Flare Star Campaign Observations. I. Blue Wing Asymmetries in Chromospheric Lines during Mid-M-Dwarf Flares from Simultaneous Spectroscopic and Photometric Observation Data

We conducted the time-resolved simultaneous optical spectroscopic and photometric observations of mid-M-dwarf flare stars YZ CMi, EV Lac, and AD Leo. Spectroscopic observations were obtained using Apache Point Observatory 3.5 m and Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System 1.5 m telescopes during 31 nights. Among the 41 detected flares, seven flares showed clear blue wing asymmetries in the Hα line, with various correspondences in flare properties. The duration of the blue wing asymmetries range from 20 minutes to 2.5 hr, including a flare showing the shift from blue to red wing asymmetry. Blue wing asymmetries can be observed during both white-light and candidate non-white-light flares. All of the seven flares showed blue wing asymmetries also in the Hβ line, but there are large varieties on which other chromospheric lines showed blue wing asymmetries. One among the 7 flares was also observed with soft X-ray spectroscopy, which enabled us to estimate the flare magnetic field and length of the flare loop. The line-of-sight velocities of the blueshifted components range from –73 to –122 km s‑1. Assuming that the blueshifts were caused by prominence eruptions, the mass of upward-moving plasma was estimated to be 1015–1019 g, which are roughly on the relation between flare energy and erupting mass expected from solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Although further investigations are necessary for understanding the observed various properties, these possible prominence eruptions on M-dwarfs could evolve into CMEs, assuming the similar acceleration mechanism with solar eruptions.

Keywords: stellar flares; stellar coronal mass ejections; optical flares; stellar x-ray flares; m dwarf stars; flare stars; red dwarf flare stars; stellar chromospheres
The TESS-Keck Survey. I. A Warm Sub-Saturn-mass Planet and a Caution about Stray Light in TESS Cameras

We report the detection of a Saturn-size exoplanet orbiting HD 332231 (TOI 1456) in light curves from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). HD 332231 -- an F8 dwarf star with a V-band magnitude of 8.56 -- was observed by TESS in Sectors 14 and 15. We detect a single-transit event in the Sector 15 presearch data conditioning (PDC) light curve. We obtain spectroscopic follow-up observations of HD 332231 with the Automated Planet Finder, Keck I, and SONG telescopes. The orbital period we infer from radial velocity (RV) observations leads to the discovery of another transit in Sector 14 that was masked by PDC due to scattered light contamination. A joint analysis of the transit and RV data confirms the planetary nature of HD 332231 b, a Saturn-size ( ${0.867}_{-0.025}^{+0.027}\ {R}_{{\rm{J}}} ), sub-Saturn-mass ( $0.244\pm 0.021\ {M}_{{\rm{J}}} ) exoplanet on a 18.71 day circular orbit. The low surface gravity of HD 332231 b and the relatively low stellar flux it receives make it a compelling target for transmission spectroscopy. Also, the stellar obliquity is likely measurable via the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, an exciting prospect given the 0.14 au orbital separation of HD 332231 b. The spectroscopic observations do not provide substantial evidence for any additional planets in the HD 332231 system, but continued RV monitoring is needed to further characterize this system. We also predict that the frequency and duration of masked data in the PDC light curves for TESS Sectors 14-16 could hide transits of some exoplanets with orbital periods between 10.5 and 17.5 days.

Keywords: exoplanet astronomy; radial velocity; transit photometry; exoplanet detection methods; exoplanets; f dwarf stars; spectroscopy; direct imaging
A Rotating Azimuthally Distributed Auroral Current System on Saturn Revealed by the Cassini Spacecraft

Stunning aurorae are mainly produced when accelerated electrons travel along magnetic field lines to collide with the atmosphere. The motion of electrons often corresponds to the evolution of a magnetic field-aligned current system. In the terrestrial magnetosphere, the current system is formed at the night-side sector, and thus produces an auroral bulge at night. Due to the different energy sources between Saturn and the Earth, it is expected that their auroral current systems are fundamentally different, although the specific auroral driver at Saturn is poorly understood. Using simultaneous measurements of the aurora, particles, magnetic fields, and energetic neutral atoms, we reveal that a chain of paired currents, each of which includes a downward and an upward current branch, is formed in Saturn's magnetosphere, which generates separated auroral patches. These findings inform similar auroral current structures between the Earth and Saturn, while the difference is that Saturn's unique mass and energy sources lead to a rotational characteristic.

Keywords: planetary magnetospheres; saturn; aurorae
Mass-Radius Relationships for Irradiated Ocean Planets

Massive and water-rich planets should be ubiquitous in the universe. Many of these worlds are expected to be subject to important irradiation from their host star, and display supercritical water layers surrounded by extended steam atmospheres. Irradiated ocean planets with such inflated hydrospheres have been recently shown to be good candidates for matching the mass-radius distribution of sub-Neptunes. Here we describe a model that computes a realistic structure for water-rich planets by combining an interior model with an updated equation of state (EOS) for water, and an atmospheric model that takes into account radiative transfer. We find that the use of inappropriate EOSs can lead to the overestimation of the planetary radius by up to ~10%, depending on the planet size and composition. Our model has been applied to the GJ 9827 system as a test case and indicates Earth- or Venus-like interiors for planets b and c, respectively. Planet d could be an irradiated ocean planet with a water mass fraction (WMF) of ~20% ± 10%. We also provide fits for the mass-radius relationships, allowing one to directly retrieve a wide range of planetary compositions, without the requirement to run the model. Our calculations finally suggest that highly irradiated planets lost their H/He content through atmospheric loss processes, and that the leftover material led to either super-Earths or sub-Neptunes, depending on the WMF.

Keywords: exoplanets; hydrosphere; planetary interior; planetary theory; exoplanet astronomy; exoplanet structure; computational methods
Central Star Formation in Early-type Galaxy I Zw 81 in the Bootes Void

The origin of star formation in customarily passively evolving early-type massive galaxies is poorly understood. We present a case study of a massive galaxy, I Zw 81, inside the Bootes void. The void galaxy is known to host active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our detailed 2D decomposition of the surface brightness distribution in the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) g and r bands revealed multiple structural components such as a nuclear point source, a bar, a ring, and an inner exponential disk followed by an outer low surface brightness disk. I Zw 81 turns out to be a disk-dominated galaxy with lenticular morphology. The modeling of the multiwavelength spectral energy distribution shows that the galaxy is star-forming (SF), and belongs to the blue cloud. We find that the optical (g-r) color of the bar is bluer than the disks, and the far- and near-ultraviolet emission inside the galaxy observed with Imaging Telescope onboard AstroSat is concentrated in the central few kpc region enclosing the bar. The strong bar might be playing a pivotal role in driving the gas inflow and causing SF activity in tandem with the minor merger-like interactions as evident from the deep CFHT data. The low-luminosity AGN is insufficient to quench the central SF. The results are peculiar from the standpoint of a massive barred lenticular galaxy.

Keywords: ultraviolet astronomy; lenticular galaxies; star formation; galaxy evolution
Using Hydrodynamic Similarity as a Verification Method for Impact Cratering Simulations in the FLAG Hydrocode

Hydrodynamic codes (hydrocodes) are common tools for modeling hypervelocity impacts to provide insight into the physical phenomenon. Hydrocodes can simulate impacts from micrometer to kilometer spatial scales and reach impact velocities difficult to achieve in experimental settings. However, numerical models are approximations, and demonstrating that a numerical method is capable of providing physical results for these models is essential. In this work, we employ a hydrocode verification technique that leverages hydrodynamic similarity, a mathematical property of the conservation equations of fluid mechanics that form the basis for hydrocode models. Using the FLAG hydrocode, we simulate aluminum (Al) and basalt projectiles and targets at spatial scales spanning 7 orders of magnitude (hundreds of micrometers to kilometers). These materials were chosen because Al-6061 is a common material in spacecraft and satellites and basalt is a useful approximation of rocky astronomical bodies. Our results show that hydrodynamic similarity holds for each material model used and across spatial scales. We show that under certain conditions hydrodynamic similarity can apply in the presence of gravity and that similarity does not hold in the presence of strength models. We conclude that the FLAG hydrocode preserves important mathematical properties of fluid dynamics in hypervelocity impacts of Al-6061 and basalt.

Keywords: craters; impact phenomena; meteorites; planetary surfaces; hydrodynamical simulations; hydrodynamics; space debris