adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Illuminating Black Hole Subsystems in Young Star Clusters

There is increasing evidence that globular clusters retain sizeable black hole populations at present day. This is supported by dynamical simulations of cluster evolution, which have unveiled the spatial distribution and mass spectrum of black holes in clusters across cosmic age. However, black hole populations of young, high metallicity clusters remain unconstrained. Black holes hosted by these clusters mass segregate early in their evolutionary history, forming central subsystems of hundreds to thousands of black holes. We argue that after supernova feedback has subsided (≳50 Myr), the host cluster can accumulate gas from its dense surroundings, from which the black hole subsystem accretes at highly enhanced rates. The collective accretion luminosity can be substantial and provides a novel observational constraint for young massive clusters. We test this hypothesis by performing 3D hydrodynamic simulations where we embed discretized potentials, representing our black holes, within the potential of a massive cluster. This system moves supersonically with respect to a gaseous medium from which it accretes. We study the accretion of this black hole subsystem for different subsystem populations and determine the integrated accretion luminosity of the black hole subsystem. We apply our results to the young massive clusters of the Antennae Galaxies and find that a typical subsystem accretion luminosity should be in excess of ≈ 1040 erg s-1. We argue that no strong candidates of this luminous signal have been observed and constrain the subsystem population of a typical cluster in the Antennae Galaxies to ≲ 10-2 × 102 10 M⊙ black holes, given that feedback does not significantly impede accretion and that the gas remains optically thin.

Keywords: black holes; bondi accretion; star clusters; x-ray sources
Formation of c-C6H5CN Ice Using the SPACE TIGER Experimental Setup

Benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN) has been recently detected in cold and dense regions of the interstellar medium, where it has been used as a signpost of a rich aromatic organic chemistry that might lead to the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. One possible origin of this benzonitrile is interstellar ice chemistry involving benzene (c-C6H6) and nitrile molecules (organic molecules containing the -C≡N group). We have addressed the plausibility of this c-C6H5CN formation pathway through laboratory experiments using our new setup SPACE TIGER. The SPACE TIGER experimental setup is designed to explore the physics and chemistry of interstellar ice mantles using laser-based ice processing and product detection methods. We have found that c-C6H5CN is formed upon irradiation of c-C6H6:CH3CN binary ice mixtures with 2 keV electrons and Lyα photons at low temperatures (4-10 K). Formation of c-C6H5CN was also observed when c-C6H6 and CH3CN were embedded in a CO ice matrix, but it was efficiently quenched in a H2O ice matrix. The results presented in this work imply that interstellar ice chemistry involving benzene and nitrile molecules could contribute to the formation of the observed benzonitrile only if these species are present on top of the ice mantles or embedded in the CO-rich ice layer, instead of being mixed into the H2O-rich ice layer.

Keywords: laboratory astrophysics; dense interstellar clouds; interstellar molecules; interstellar medium; astrochemistry; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Orbital Dynamics and Extreme Scattering Event Properties from Long-term Scintillation Observations of PSR J1603-7202

We model long-term variations in the scintillation of binary pulsar PSR J1603-7202, observed by the 64 m Parkes radio telescope (Murriyang) between 2004 and 2016. We find that the time variation in the scintillation arc curvature is well-modeled by scattering from an anisotropic thin screen of plasma between the Earth and the pulsar. Using our scintillation model, we measure the inclination angle and longitude of ascending node of the orbit, yielding a significant improvement over the constraints from pulsar timing. From our measurement of the inclination angle, we place a lower bound on the mass of J1603-7202's companion of ≳0.5 M ⊙ assuming a pulsar mass of ≳1.2 M ⊙. We find that the scintillation arcs are most pronounced when the electron column density along the line of sight is increased, and that arcs are present during a known extreme scattering event. We measure the distance to the interstellar plasma and its velocity, and we discuss some structures seen in individual scintillation arcs within the context of our model.

Keywords: millisecond pulsars; interstellar medium; interstellar scintillation; orbit determination
Mid-infrared Variability of Young Stellar Objects on Timescales of Days to Years

Variability in the brightness of young stellar objects (YSOs) is a common phenomenon that can be caused by changes in various factors, including accretion, extinction, disk morphology, interactions between the disk and the stellar photosphere, and the rotation of hot or cold magnetic spots on the stellar photosphere. Analyzing the variability on different timescales provides insight into the mechanisms driving the changes in the brightness of YSOs. We investigate the variability of YSOs on both long and short timescales using two mid-IR data sets: the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) 7.5 yr W2 (4.6 μm) data and the YSOVAR 40 day Spitzer/IRAC2 (4.5 μm) data, respectively. We classify the variability types in each timescale following Park et al. We find a higher detection rate of variable sources in the short term (77.6%) compared to the long term (43.0%) due to the higher sensitivity of the Spitzer observations. In addition, the higher cadence of the YSOVAR data results in the weeks-long short-term variability being mostly secular, while the years-long long-term variability explored with the coarsely sampled NEOWISE data is mostly stochastic. By crossmatching the two catalogs, we statistically analyze the variability types exhibited by YSOs across both timescales. The long-term variability amplitude is mostly three times (up to 10 times) greater than the short-term variability. Furthermore, we evaluate variability on very short (1–2 days) timescales and recover a trend of the increasing amplitude of variability as the timescales increase. By comprehensively analyzing the variability of YSOs over various timescales, we contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving their variability.

Keywords: young stellar objects
First Cospatial Comparison of Stellar, Neutral-gas, and Ionized-gas Metallicities in a Metal-rich Galaxy: M83

We carry out a comparative analysis of the metallicities from the stellar, neutral-gas, and ionized-gas components in the metal-rich spiral galaxy M83. We analyze spectroscopic observations taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Large Binocular Telescope, and the Very Large Telescope. We detect a clear depletion of the H I gas, as observed from the H I column densities in the nuclear region of this spiral galaxy. We find column densities of log[N(H I) cm-2] < 20.0 at galactocentric distances of <0.18 kpc, in contrast to column densities of log[N(H I) cm-2] ∼ 21.0 in the galactic disk, a trend observed in other nearby spiral galaxies. We measure a metallicity gradient of -0.03 ± 0.01 dex kpc-1 for the ionized gas, comparable to the metallicity gradient of a local benchmark of 49 nearby star-forming galaxies of -0.026 ± 0.002 dex kpc-1. Our cospatial metallicity comparison of the multiphase gas and stellar populations shows excellent agreement outside of the nucleus of the galaxy, hinting at a scenario where the mixing of newly synthesized metals from the most massive stars in the star clusters takes longer than their lifetimes (∼10 Myr). Finally, our work shows that caution must be taken when studying the metallicity gradient of the neutral-gas component in star-forming galaxies, since this can be strongly biased, as these environments can be dominated by molecular gas. In these regions the typical metallicity tracers can provide inaccurate abundances, as they may trace both the neutral- and molecular-gas components. * Based on observations made with the Hubble Space Telescope under program ID 14681.

Keywords: metallicity; chemical abundances; interstellar medium; stellar populations; chemical enrichment
Ephemerides of the Irregular Saturnian Satellites from Earth-based Astrometry and Cassini Imaging

We report a new determination of the orbits of the irregular Saturnian satellites. We fit their numerically integrated orbits to a data set containing Earth-based observations and imaging data from the Cassini spacecraft. We include the statistics of the observation residuals, the satellites' orbital elements, and projected accuracies of the satellites' positions. We also provide astrometric positions derived from the Cassini imaging. Two of the satellites are considered lost because they have not been observed for more than one epoch and have indeterminate uncertainties in their positions. Three of the satellites appear to be in a Kozai resonance, with one being the first irregular satellite of any planet found to be in a 270° rather than 90° resonance. *

Keywords: saturnian satellites
The Signature of the Northern Galactic Center Region in Low-velocity UV Absorption

The Galactic Center (GC) is surrounded by plasma lobes that extend up to ~14 kpc above and below the plane. Until now, UV absorption studies of these lobes have only focused on high-velocity components (∣v LSR∣ > 100 km s-1) because low- and intermediate-velocity (LIV) components (∣v LSR∣ < 100 km s-1) are blended with foreground interstellar medium. To overcome this difficulty, we present a differential experiment to compare the LIV absorption between different structures within the GC region, including the Fermi Bubbles (FBs; seen in gamma rays), the eROSITA Bubbles (eBs; seen in X-rays), and the Loop I North Polar Spur (LNPS) association, an X-ray and radio feature within the northern eB. We use far-UV spectra from Hubble Space Telescope to measure LIV Si IV absorption in 61 active galactic nuclei sight lines, of which 21 pass through the FBs, 53 pass through the eBs, and 18 pass through the LNPS. We also compare our measurements to those in the literature from sight lines covering the disk-halo interface and circumgalactic medium (CGM). We find that the FBs and eBs have enhancements in measured columns of 0.22-0.29 dex in log. We also remove the contribution of a modeled disk and CGM component from the measured Si IV columns and find that the northern eB still retains a Si IV enhancement of 0.62 dex in log. A similar enhancement is not seen in the southern eB. Since a notable difference between the northern and southern eBs is the presence of the LNPS association in the nothern bubble, the northern eB enhancement may be caused by the LNPS.

Keywords: milky way galaxy; galactic center; galactic winds; circumgalactic medium; quasar absorption line spectroscopy
Interpreting the Observed Positive Correlation between the Event-integrated Fluence and the Rollover Energy of Solar Energetic Particle Events by the PAMELA Mission with Coupled Hydromagnetic Wave Excitation and Proton Acceleration at Shocks in the Low Corona

An analytical model for diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at one-dimensional stationary planar shocks in the lower corona is presented. The model introduces an upstream escape boundary through which a constant flux of protons streaming upstream out of the system is allowed. The nonvanishing flux of streaming protons out of the system limits the maximum attainable energy of DSA and produces a rollover in the high-energy spectra of the shock-accelerated protons. The condition for the rollover energy derived from the model can account for the approximately linear relation between the natural logarithm of event-integrated fluences and the natural logarithm of rollover energies as demonstrated in Bruno et al. Solar energetic particle (SEP) events with higher integrated fluences in principle exhibit higher rollover energies since proton-excited hydromagnetic waves in the turbulent sheath reduce the proton diffusion coefficient and throttle the upstream streaming of protons. The consistency between the observation and the theory of DSA at shocks in the lower corona serves as evidence for the shock origin of protons of the highest energies in large SEP events.

Keywords: solar energetic particles; solar coronal mass ejection shocks; solar particle emission
A 3D Radiation Hydrodynamic AGB Binary Model

The origin of chemically peculiar stars and nonzero eccentricity in evolved close binaries have been long-standing problems in binary stellar evolution. Answers to these questions may trace back to an intense mass transfer during the asymptotic-giant-branch (AGB) binary phase. In this work, we use AstroBEAR to solve the 3D radiation hydrodynamic equations and calculate the mass transfer rate in AGB binaries that undergo the wind-Roche-lobe overflow or Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton (BHL) accretion. MESA produces the density and temperature of the boundary condition of the AGB star. To improve the resolution of the dynamics of a circumbinary disk, we implement an azimuthal angle dependent 3D radiation transfer. We consider optically thin cooling and obtain the number density of the coolants by solving Saha equations. One of the goals of this work is to illustrate the transition from the wind-Roche-lobe overflow to BHL accretion. Both circumbinary disks and spiral structure outflows can appear in the simulations. Circumbinary disks may form when the optical thickness in the equatorial region increases. The increase of the optical thickness is due to the deflected wind. The resulting mass transfer efficiency in our models is up to a factor of 8 times higher than what the standard BHL accretion scenario predicts, and the outflow gains up to 91% of its initial angular momentum when it reaches 1.3 binary separations. Consequently, some AGB binaries may undergo orbit shrinkage, and some will expand. The high mass transfer efficiency is closely related to the presence of the circumbinary disks.

Keywords: symbiotic binary stars; asymptotic giant branch; hydrodynamics; stellar winds
A Photoionized Accretion Disk around a Young High-mass Star

We present high spatial resolution (52 au) observations of the high-mass young stellar object (HMYSO) G345.4938+01.4677 made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. This O-type HMYSO is located at 2.38 kpc and is associated with a luminosity of 1.5 × 105 L⊙. We detect circumstellar emission from the H38β hydrogen recombination line showing a compact structure rotating perpendicularly to the previously detected radio jet. We interpret this emission as tracing a photoionized accretion disk around the HMYSO. While this disk-like structure seems currently too small to sustain continued accretion, the data present direct observational evidence of how disks can effectively survive the photoionization feedback from young high-mass stars. We also report the detection of a low-mass young stellar object in the vicinity of the HMYSO and suggest that it forms a high-mass and low-mass star binary system.

Keywords: star formation; massive stars; circumstellar disks; compact h ii region; h i line emission
Using LSST Microlensing to Constrain Dark Compact Objects in Spherical and Disk Configurations

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) with the Vera Rubin Observatory will provide strong microlensing constraints on dark compact objects (DCOs) in our Galaxy. However, most current forecasts limit their analysis to Primordial Black Holes (PBH). It is unclear how well LSST microlensing will be able to constrain alternative models of DCOs with different Galactic spatial profile distributions at a subdominant DM fraction. In this work, we investigate how well LSST microlensing will constrain spherical or disk-like Galactic spatial distributions of DCOs, taking into account extended observing times, baryonic microlensing background, and sky distribution of LSST sources. These extensions represent significant improvements over existing microlensing forecasts in terms of both accuracy and versatility. We demonstrate this power by deriving new LSST sensitivity projections for DCOs in spherical and disk-like distributions. We forecast that LSST will be able to constrain one-solar-mass PBHs to have a DM fraction under 4.1 × 10-4. One-solar-mass objects in a dark disk distribution with the same dimensions as the Galactic disk will be constrained below 3.1 × 10-4, while those with m = 105 M ⊙ will be constrained to below 3.4 × 10-5. We find that compressed dark disks can be constrained up to a factor of ~10 better than ones with identical dimensions to the baryonic disk. We also find that dark disks become less tightly constrained when they are tilted with respect to our own disk. This forecasting software is a versatile tool, capable of constraining any model of DCOs in the Milky Way with microlensing, and is made publicly available.

Keywords: dark matter; particle astrophysics; navarro-frenk-white profile; microlensing event rate; gravitational microlensing; sky surveys; dark matter distribution; milky way dark matter halo; compact objects; particle physics
Rejuvenating Star Formation Activity in an Early-type Dwarf Galaxy, LEDA 1915372, with Accreted H I Gas

We report a rare astrophysical phenomenon, in which an early-type dwarf galaxy (dE), LEDA 1915372, is accreting gas from a nearby star-forming dwarf galaxy, MRK 0689, and is rejuvenating star formation activity at the center. Both LEDA 1915372 and MRK 0689 have similar brightness of M r = -16.99 and -16.78 mag, respectively. They are located in a small group environment, separated by a sky-projected distance of 20.27 kpc (up to 70 kpc in three dimension), and have a relative line-of-sight radial velocity of 6 km s-1. The observation of 21 cm emission with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope provides strong evidence of interaction between the pair of dwarf galaxies in terms of neutral hydrogen (HI) morphology and kinematics. In particular, the HI map reveals that the two galaxies are clearly connected by a gas bridge, and the gas components of both LEDA 1915372 and MRK 0689 share a common direction of rotation. We also find that the HI emission peak deviates from LEDA 1915372 toward its optical blue plume, suggesting a tidal origin of ongoing central star formation. Our findings provide a new path to the formation of blue-cored dEs.

Keywords: dwarf galaxies; galaxy interactions; early-type galaxies
The Magnetic Environment of a Stealth Coronal Mass Ejection

Interest in stealth coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is increasing due to their relatively high occurrence rate and space weather impact. However, typical CME signatures such as extreme-ultraviolet dimmings and post-eruptive arcades are hard to identify and require extensive image processing techniques. These weak observational signatures mean that little is currently understood about the physics of these events. We present an extensive study of the magnetic field configuration in which the stealth CME of 2011 March 3 occurred. Three distinct episodes of flare ribbon formation are observed in the stealth CME source active region (AR). Two occurred prior to the eruption and suggest the occurrence of magnetic reconnection that builds the structure that will become eruptive. The third occurs in a time close to the eruption of a cavity that is observed in STEREO-B 171 Å data; this subsequently becomes part of the propagating CME observed in coronagraph data. We use both local (Cartesian) and global (spherical) models of the coronal magnetic field, which are complemented and verified by the observational analysis. We find evidence of a coronal null point, with field lines computed from its neighborhood connecting the stealth CME source region to two ARs in the northern hemisphere. We conclude that reconnection at the null point aids the eruption of the stealth CME by removing the field that acted to stabilize the preeruptive structure. This stealth CME, despite its weak signatures, has the main characteristics of other CMEs, and its eruption is driven by similar mechanisms.

Keywords: solar corona; solar coronal mass ejections; solar active regions
Can the Blandford-Znajek Mechanism Power Steady Jets?

We consider the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) mechanism for extracting black hole spin energy to drive astrophysical jets. Analyses of the BZ mechanism generally take no account of any electric charge on the black hole. But, as noted by Wald and others, if the medium surrounding the black hole is an ionized plasma with mobile charges, then a spinning hole quickly acquires an electric charge. The effect of this charge is to nullify the electric field structures which drive the BZ mechanism. Since jets are now observed in a wide variety of classes of accreting objects, most of which do not contain a central black hole, it seems likely that the jet-driving mechanism in all astrophysical objects uses energy directly from the accretion disk, rather than black hole spin.

Keywords: radio jets; black hole physics; accretion
Large Ion-neutral Drift Velocities and Plasma Heating in Partially Ionized Coronal Rain Blobs

In this paper we present a numerical study of the dynamics of partially ionized coronal rain blobs. We use a two-fluid model to perform a high-resolution 2D simulation that takes into account the collisional interaction between the charged and neutral particles contained in the plasma. We follow the evolution of a cold plasma condensation as it falls through an isothermal vertically stratified atmosphere that represents the much hotter and lighter solar corona. We study the consequences of the different degrees of collisional coupling that are present in the system. On the one hand, we find that at the dense core of the blob there is a very strong coupling and the charged and neutral components of the plasma behave as a single fluid, with negligible drift velocities (of a few cm s-1). On the other hand, at the edges of the blob the coupling is much weaker and larger drift velocities (of the order of 1 km s-1) appear. In addition, frictional heating causes large increases of temperature at the transition layers between the blob and the corona. For the first time we show that such large drift velocities and temperature enhancements can develop as a consequence of ion-neutral decoupling associated to coronal rain dynamics. This can lead to enhanced emission coming from the plasma at the coronal rain-corona boundary, which possesses transition region temperature.

Keywords: solar physics; magnetohydrodynamical simulations; solar corona; plasma astrophysics