adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
IXPE and XMM-Newton Observations of the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1806-20

Recent observations with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) of two anomalous X-ray pulsars provided evidence that X-ray emission from magnetar sources is strongly polarized. Here we report on the joint IXPE and XMM-Newton observations of the soft γ-repeater SGR 1806-20. The spectral and timing properties of SGR 1806-20 derived from XMM-Newton data are in broad agreement with previous measurements; however, we found the source at an all-time low persistent flux level. No significant polarization was measured apart from the 4-5 keV energy range, where a probable detection with PD = 31.6% ± 10.5% and $\mathrm{PA}=-17\buildrel{\circ}\over{.} {6}_{-15\buildrel{\circ}\over{.} 0}^{+15\buildrel{\circ}\over{.} 5}$ was obtained. The resulting polarization signal, together with the upper limits we derive at lower and higher energies (2-4 and 5-8 keV, respectively), is compatible with a picture in which thermal radiation from the condensed star surface is reprocessed by resonant Compton scattering in the magnetosphere, similar to what was proposed for the bright magnetar 4U 0142+61.

Keywords: neutron stars; magnetars; polarimetry; x-ray sources
Investigating the Origin of the Absorption-line Variability in the Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxy WPVS 007

Broad absorption line quasars are actively accreting supermassive black holes that have strong outflows characterized by broad absorption lines in their rest-UV spectra. Variability in these absorption lines occurs over months to years depending on the source. WPVS 007, a low-redshift, low-luminosity narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) shows strong variability over shorter timescales, providing a unique opportunity to study the driving mechanism behind this variability that may mimic longer-scale variability in much more massive quasars. We present the first variability study using the spectral synthesis code SimBAL, which provides velocity-resolved changes in physical conditions of the gas using constraints from multiple absorption lines. Overall, we find WPVS 007 to have a highly ionized outflow with a large mass-loss rate and kinetic luminosity. We determine the primary cause of the absorption-line variability in WPVS 007 to be a change in covering fraction of the continuum by the outflow. This study is the first SimBAL analysis where multiple epochs of observation were fit simultaneously, demonstrating the ability of SimBAL to use the time domain as an additional constraint in spectral models.

Keywords: broad-absorption line quasar; quasars; active galactic nuclei; spectroscopy
Deep Chandra Observation of the Remarkable Ionization Cones of NGC 5252

Seyfert galaxy NGC 5252 harbors enormously extended ionization cones that have been previously detected in the optical and X-ray band, offering a unique opportunity to investigate the interaction between the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) and the surrounding gas in the AGN host galaxy. We present deep Chandra imaging spectroscopy of NGC 5252 with a total exposure time of 230 ks. The morphology in the soft X-rays shows resolved extended structure from the nucleus to a large radial distance, and for the first time we detect the outermost X-ray arc at ∼20 kpc. The X-ray cone mostly follows the direction of the optical ionization cones in the southeast and northwest directions, about 20° misaligned with the major axis of the galactic disk of NGC 5252. Fitting the spectra extracted from radial sectors with photoionization models supports that extended emission is mainly photoionized by the central AGN. We also examine the variation of the photoionization parameter along the radial extension and infer a decreasing ionizing continuum of the central engine by a factor of ∼50 over the past 64,000 yr. These findings are consistent with previous suggestions that NGC 5252 resembles a quasar relic with an M ∼ 109 M ⊙ supermassive black hole that went through a minor merger event and switched to a low accretion rate state.

Keywords: agn host galaxies; x-ray active galactic nuclei; photoionization; hot ionized medium
Evolution from Spherical AGB Wind to Multipolar Outflow in Pre-planetary Nebula IRAS 17150-3224

We have mapped the pre-planetary nebula IRAS 17150-3224 in the 350 GHz continuum and CO J = 3-2 line at an angular resolution of ∼0"09 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. A continuum source is detected at the center of the nebula, elongated along the equatorial plane, likely tracing a dusty torus around the central source. Continuum emission is also detected on both sides of the central continuum source in the equatorial plane, probably resulting from interactions of collimated fast winds (CFWs) with envelope material in the equator. CO emission is detected along the optical lobe. Although the optical lobe appears as bipolar, the CO map shows that it is actually a quadrupolar outflow consisting of two overlapping bipolar outflows. Two additional younger bipolar outflows are also detected in CO, one at the lower latitude and the other along the equatorial plane. In the CO position-velocity maps, blueshifted absorption stripes are detected in the outflow emissions, due to absorption by a series of shells produced by a series of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) wind ejections. By modeling the morphology and kinematics of the AGB wind and outflows, we find that the AGB wind could have ended ∼1300 yr ago, the quadrupolar outflow was ejected ∼350 yr ago, and the two additional bipolar outflows were ejected ∼280 and 200 yr ago, respectively. The outflows could be produced either by bullets coming from an explosion, or by a precessing CFW with a time-dependent ejection velocity.

Keywords: asymptotic giant branch stars; protoplanetary nebulae; stellar winds; stellar mass loss; post-asymptotic giant branch; stellar jets
Overview of the Instrumentation for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) embarked on an ambitious 5 yr survey in 2021 May to explore the nature of dark energy with spectroscopic measurements of 40 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will determine precise redshifts and employ the baryon acoustic oscillation method to measure distances from the nearby universe to beyond redshift z > 3.5, and employ redshift space distortions to measure the growth of structure and probe potential modifications to general relativity. We describe the significant instrumentation we developed to conduct the DESI survey. This includes: a wide-field, 3.°2 diameter prime-focus corrector; a focal plane system with 5020 fiber positioners on the 0.812 m diameter, aspheric focal surface; 10 continuous, high-efficiency fiber cable bundles that connect the focal plane to the spectrographs; and 10 identical spectrographs. Each spectrograph employs a pair of dichroics to split the light into three channels that together record the light from 360–980 nm with a spectral resolution that ranges from 2000–5000. We describe the science requirements, their connection to the technical requirements, the management of the project, and interfaces between subsystems. DESI was installed at the 4 m Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory and has achieved all of its performance goals. Some performance highlights include an rms positioner accuracy of better than 0.″1 and a median signal-to-noise ratio of 7 of the [O II] doublet at 8 × 10‑17 erg s‑1 cm‑2 in 1000 s for galaxies at z = 1.4–1.6. We conclude with additional highlights from the on-sky validation and commissioning, key successes, and lessons learned.

Keywords: dark energy; spectroscopy; astronomical instrumentation; spectrometers; optical telescopes
A Radio, Optical, UV, and X-Ray View of the Enigmatic Changing-look Active Galactic Nucleus 1ES 1927+654 from Its Pre- to Postflare States

The nearby Type II active galactic nucleus (AGN) 1ES 1927+654 went through a violent changing-look (CL) event beginning 2017 December during which the optical and UV fluxes increased by four magnitudes over a few months, and broad emission lines newly appeared in the optical/UV. By 2018 July, the X-ray coronal emission had completely vanished, only to reappear a few months later. In this work we report the evolution of the radio, optical, UV and X-rays from the preflare state through mid-2021 with new and archival data from the Very Long Baseline Array, the European VLBI Network, the Very Large Array, the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, Gran Telescopio Canarias, The Neil Gehrels Swift observatory, and XMM-Newton. The main results from our work are (i) the source has returned to its pre-CL state in optical, UV, and X-ray; the disk-corona relation has been reestablished as it has been in the pre-CL state, with an α OX ~ 1.02. The optical spectra are dominated by narrow emission lines. (ii) The UV light curve follows a shallower slope of ∝ t -0.91±0.04 compared to that predicted by a tidal disruption event. We conjecture that a magnetic flux inversion event is the possible cause for this enigmatic event. (iii) The compact radio emission which we tracked in the pre-CL (2014), during CL (2018), and post-CL (2021) at spatial scales <1 pc was at its lowest level during the CL event in 2018, nearly contemporaneous with a low 2-10 keV emission. The radio to X-ray ratio of the compact source L Radio/L X-ray ~ 10-5.5 follows the Güdel-Benz relation, typically found in coronally active stars and several AGNs. (iv) We do not detect any presence of nascent jets at the spatial scales of ~5-10 pc.

Keywords: active galaxies
The Chemistry of Cosmic Dust Analogs from C, C2, and C2H2 in C-rich Circumstellar Envelopes

Interstellar carbonaceous dust is mainly formed in the innermost regions of circumstellar envelopes around carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars (AGBs). In these highly chemically stratified regions, atomic and diatomic carbon, along with acetylene, are the most abundant species after H2 and CO. In a previous study, we addressed the chemistry of carbon (C and C2) with H2 showing that acetylene and aliphatic species form efficiently in the dust formation region of carbon-rich AGBs whereas aromatics do not. Still, acetylene is known to be a key ingredient in the formation of linear polyacetylenic chains, benzene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as shown by previous experiments. However, these experiments have not considered the chemistry of carbon (C and C2) with C2H2. In this work, by employing a sufficient amount of acetylene, we investigate its gas-phase interaction with atomic and diatomic carbon. We show that the chemistry involved produces linear polyacetylenic chains, benzene, and other PAHs, which are observed with high abundances in the early evolutionary phase of planetary nebulae. More importantly, we have found a nonnegligible amount of pure and hydrogenated carbon clusters as well as aromatics with aliphatic substitutions, both being a direct consequence of the addition of atomic carbon. The incorporation of alkyl substituents into aromatics can be rationalized by a mechanism involving hydrogen abstraction followed by methyl addition. All the species detected in the gas phase are incorporated into nanometric-sized dust analogs, which consist of a complex mixture of sp, sp2, and sp3 hydrocarbons with amorphous morphology.

Keywords: asymptotic giant branch; post-asymptotic giant branch; circumstellar matter; circumstellar dust; laboratory astrophysics; molecular physics; plasma physics; protoplanetary nebulae
Sensitivity Kernels for Inferring Lorentz Stresses from Normal-mode Frequency Splittings in the Sun

Departures from standard spherically symmetric solar models, in the form of perturbations such as global and local-scale flows and structural asphericities, result in the splitting of eigenfrequencies in the observed spectrum of solar oscillations. Drawing from prevalent ideas in normal-mode-coupling theory in geophysical literature, we devise a procedure that enables the computation of sensitivity kernels for general Lorentz-stress fields in the Sun. Mode coupling due to any perturbation requires careful consideration of self- and cross coupling of multiplets. Invoking the isolated-multiplet approximation allows for limiting the treatment to purely self coupling, requiring significantly less computational resources. We identify the presence of such isolated multiplets under the effect of Lorentz stresses in the Sun. Currently, solar missions allow for precise measurements of self coupling of multiplets via "a-coefficients" and the cross-spectral correlation signal that enables the estimation of the "structure coefficients". We demonstrate the forward problem for both self coupling (a-coefficients) and cross coupling (structure coefficients). In doing so, we plot the self-coupling kernels and estimate a-coefficients arising from a combination of deep-toroidal and surface-dipolar axisymmetric fields. We also compute the structure coefficients for an arbitrary general magnetic field (real and solenoidal) and plot the corresponding "splitting function", a convenient way to visualize the splitting of multiplets under 3D internal perturbations. The results discussed in this paper pave the way to formally pose an inverse problem and infer solar internal magnetic fields.

Keywords: helioseismology; solar physics; solar magnetic fields; asteroseismology; solar interior; magnetohydrodynamics
On the Use of Field RR Lyrae as Galactic Probes. III. The α-element Abundances

We provide the largest and most homogeneous sample of α-element (Mg, Ca, Ti) and iron abundances for field RR Lyrae (RRLs; 162 variables) by using high-resolution spectra. The current measurements were complemented with similar abundances available in the literature for 46 field RRLs brought to our metallicity scale. We ended up with a sample of old (t ≥ 10 Gyr), low-mass stellar tracers (208 RRLs: 169 fundamental, 38 first overtone, and 1 mixed mode) covering 3 dex in iron abundance (-3.00 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 0.24). We found that field RRLs are ~0.3 dex more α poor than typical halo tracers in the metal-rich regime ([Fe/H] ≥ -1.2), while in the metal-poor regime ([Fe/H] ≤ -2.2) they seem to be on average ~0.1 dex more α enhanced. This is the first time that the depletion in α elements for solar iron abundances is detected on the basis of a large, homogeneous, and coeval sample of old stellar tracers. Interestingly, we also detected a close similarity in the [α/Fe] trend between α-poor, metal-rich RRLs and red giants (RGs) in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy as well as between α-enhanced, metal-poor RRLs and RGs in ultrafaint dwarf galaxies. These results are supported by similar elemental abundances for 46 field horizontal branch stars. These stars share with RRLs the same evolutionary phase and the same progenitors. This evidence further supports the key role that old stellar tracers play in constraining the early chemical enrichment of the halo and, in particular, in investigating the impact that dwarf galaxies have had in the mass assembly of the Galaxy. * Based on observations obtained with the du Pont telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, operated by Carnegie Institution for Science. Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Based partly on data obtained with the STELLA robotic telescopes in Tenerife, an AIP facility jointly operated by AIP and IAC. Some of the observations reported in this paper were obtained with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). Based on observations made with the Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) operated on the island of La Palma by the Fundación Galileo Galilei of the INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere.

Keywords: rr lyrae variable stars; pulsating variable stars; milky way stellar halo; high resolution spectroscopy; spectroscopy
Confirmation of Color-dependent Centroid Shift Measured After 1.8 Years with HST

We measured the precise masses of the host and planet in the OGLE-2003-BLG-235 system, when the lens and source were resolving, with 2018 Keck high resolution images. This measurement is in agreement with the observation taken in 2005 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). In the 2005 data, the lens and sources were not resolved and the measurement was made using color-dependent centroid shift only. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will measure masses using data typically taken within 3-4 yr of the peak of the event, which is a much shorter baseline when compared to most of the mass measurements to date. Hence, the color-dependent centroid shift will be one of the primary methods of mass measurements for the Roman telescope. Yet, mass measurements of only two events (OGLE-2003-BLG-235 and OGLE-2005-BLG-071) have been done using the color-dependent centroid shift method so far. The accuracy of the measurements using this method are neither completely known nor well studied. The agreement of the Keck and HST results, as shown in this paper, is very important because this agreement confirms the accuracy of the mass measurements determined at a small lens-source separation using the color-dependent centroid shift method. It also shows that with >100 high resolution images, the Roman telescope will be able to use color-dependent centroid shift at a 3-4 yr time baseline and produce mass measurements. We find that OGLE-2003-BLG-235 is a planetary system that consists of a 2.34 ± 0.43M Jup planet orbiting a 0.56 ± 0.06M ⊙ K-dwarf host star at a distance of 5.26 ± 0.71 kpc from the Sun.

Keywords: gravitational microlensing exoplanet detection; infrared astronomy
Searching for Compact Object Candidates from LAMOST Time-domain Survey of Four K2 Plates

The time-domain (TD) surveys of the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) yield high-cadence radial velocities, paving a new avenue to study binary systems including compact objects. In this work, we explore LAMOST TD spectroscopic data of four K2 plates and present a sample of six single-lined spectroscopic binaries that may contain compact objects. We conduct analyses using phase-resolved radial velocity measurements of the visible star to characterize each source and to infer the properties of invisible companion. By fitting the radial velocity curves for the six targets, we obtain accurate orbital periods, ranging from ~(0.6 to 6) days, and radial velocity semiamplitudes, ranging from ~(50 to 130) km s-1. We calculate the mass function of the unseen companions to be between 0.08 and 0.17 M ⊙. Based on the mass function and the estimated stellar parameters of the visible star, we determine the minimum mass of the hidden star. Three targets-J034813, J063350, and J064850-show ellipsoidal variability in the light curves from K2, ZTF, and TESS surveys. Therefore, we can put constraints on the mass of the invisible star using the ellipsoidal variability. We identify no X-ray counterparts for these targets except for J085120, of which the X-ray emission can be ascribed to stellar activity. We note that the nature of these six candidates is worth further characterization utilizing multiwavelength follow-up observations.

Keywords: close binary stars; light curves; compact objects; radial velocity
Infrared H2O Absorption in Massive Protostars at High Spectral Resolution: Full Spectral Survey Results of AFGL 2591 and AFGL 2136

We have performed a high-resolution 4-13 μm spectral survey of the hot molecular gas associated with the massive protostars AFGL 2591 and AFGL 2136. Here we present the results of the analysis of the ν 2 band of H2O, detected with the Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph on board the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy between wavelengths of 5 and 8 μm. All lines are seen in absorption. Rotation diagrams indicate that the gas is optically thick and lines are observed to saturate at 40% and 15% relative to the continuum for AFGL 2136 and AFGL 2591, respectively. We applied two curve of growth analyses to derive the physical conditions, one assuming a foreground origin and one a circumstellar disk origin. We find temperatures of 400-600 K. A foreground origin would require the presence of externally heated clumps that are smaller than the continuum source. The disk analysis is based on stellar atmosphere theory, which takes into consideration the temperature gradient in the disk. We discuss the challenges with each model, taking into consideration the properties of other species detected in the spectral survey, and conclude that further modeling efforts are required to establish whether the absorption has a disk or foreground origin. The main challenge to the foreground model is that molecules are expected to be observed in emission. The main challenges to the disk model are the midplane heating mechanism and the presence of narrow absorption lines shifted from the systemic velocity.

Keywords: star formation; water vapor; circumstellar disks; protoplanetary disks; stellar accretion disks; chemical abundances; astrochemistry
Probing the Stellar Populations and Star Formation History of Early-type Galaxies at 0 < z < 1.1 in the Rest-frame Ultraviolet

We measure the evolution of the rest-frame near-ultraviolet (NUV)‑V colors for early-type galaxies in clusters at 0 < z < 1.1 using data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program, CFHT Large Area U-band Deep Survey, and local Sloan Digital Sky Survey clusters observed with Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Our results show that there is an excess in the ultraviolet spectrum in most quiescent galaxies (compared to the expectations from models fitting their optical/infrared colors and spectra) below z ∼ 0.6, beyond which the excess UV emission fades rapidly. This evolution of the UV color is only consistent with the presence of a highly evolved, hot horizontal branch subpopulation in these galaxies (among the majority of cool and optically bright stars), comprising on average 10% of the total stellar mass and forming at z > 3. The blue UV colors of early-type galaxies at low–intermediate redshifts are likely driven by this subpopulation being enriched in helium up to ∼44%. At z > 0.8 (when the extra UV component has not yet appeared) the data allow us to constrain the star formation histories of galaxies by fitting models to the evolution of their UV colors: we find that the epoch at which the stellar populations formed lies in the range 3 < z form < 10 (corresponding to 0.5–2.2 Gyr after the Big Bang) with a star formation e-folding timescale of τ = 0.35–0.7 Gyr, suggesting that these galaxies formed the majority of stars at very high redshift, with a brief yet intense burst of star formation activity. The star formation history and chemical evolution of early-type galaxies resemble those of globular clusters, albeit on much larger scales.

Keywords: galaxy evolution; galaxy formation; horizontal branch stars; extreme horizontal branch stars