adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Prospects for Directly Imaging Young Giant Planets at Optical Wavelengths

In this work, we investigate the properties of young giant planet spectra in the optical and suggest that future space-based direct imaging missions should be considering young planets as a valuable and informative science case. While young planets are dimmer in the optical than in the infrared, they can still be brighter in the optical than a mature planet of similar mass. Therefore, an instrument designed to characterize mature planets should also be suitable for high-precision photometric imaging and spectroscopy of young self-luminous planets in a wavelength range and at a contrast ratio not currently attainable from the ground. We identify known young self-luminous companions that are feasible targets for coronagraphic instrument on the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST-CGI) and compute spectra for them, including a treatment of scattering and reflected light at optical wavelengths. Using these results, we highlight potentially diagnostic spectral features that will be present in the WFIRST-CGI wavelengths. Expanding to direct imaging missions beyond WFIRST-CGI, we also use evolutionary models across a grid of masses and planet-star separations as inputs to compute spectra of hypothetical objects, exploring when reflected light may contribute to a degree comparable to that of thermal emission from the residual heat of formation.

Keywords: exoplanet atmospheres; exoplanets; extrasolar gaseous giant planets; direct imaging; substellar companion stars
The Formation of Astromolecule Ethynyl Cyclopropenylidene (c-C3HCCH) from C2H and c-C3H2

Reaction schema for the formation of the recently detected ethynyl cyclopropenylidene (c-C3HCCH) molecule are currently lacking in the literature. The present quantum chemical study shows that the reaction of the abundant ethynyl (C2H) and cyclopropenylidene (c-C3H2) molecules proceeds barrierlessly through the formation of a 1 2A c-HC3HCCH intermediate at 71.2 kcal mol-1 below the reactants. The uphill exit channel climb for the C-H bond dissociation will compete with a transition state 45.9 kcal mol-1 below the reactants to form another, lower-energy intermediate ( $1{\ }^{2}A^{\prime} $ c-C3H2CCH) 84.3 kcal mol-1 below the reactants. The direct dissociation from the first intermediate is likely the dominant pathway under astrophysical conditions because the hydrogen leaving group can dissipate the energy kinetically. In either case of direct dissociation or crossing the transition state, the hydrogen atom dissociation to the final products lying 27.2 kcal mol-1 below the starting materials requires a crossover of electronic states with the singly occupied molecular orbital moving from the π cloud of the cyclopropenyl group onto the leaving H atom. As a result, this C2H + c-C3H2 → c-C3HCCH + H reaction should be as fast as theorized in astrophysical media such as TMC-1, where the titular molecule has now been observed.

Keywords: astrochemistry; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; molecule formation; molecular clouds
Minimum Orbital Periods of H-rich Bodies

In this work we derive the minimum allowed orbital periods of H-rich bodies ranging in mass from Saturn's mass to 1 M⊙, emphasizing gas giants and brown dwarfs (BDs) over the range 0.0003-0.074 M⊙. Analytic fitting formulae for ${P}_{\min }$ as a function of the mass of the body and as a function of the mean density are presented. We assume that the density of the host star is sufficiently high so as not to limit the minimum period. In many instances this implies that the host star is a white dwarf. This work is aimed, in part, toward distinguishing BDs from planets that are found transiting the host white dwarf without recourse to near-infrared or radial velocity measurements. In particular, orbital periods of ≲100 minutes are very likely to be BDs. The overall minimum period over this entire mass range is ≃37 minutes.

Keywords: exoplanets; brown dwarfs; extrasolar gaseous giant planets
Spectral Modeling of the Supersoft X-Ray Source CAL87 Based on Radiative Transfer Codes

Supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) are white dwarf (WD) binaries that radiate almost entirely below ~1 keV. Their X-ray spectra are often complex when viewed with the X-ray grating spectrometers, where numerous emission and absorption features are intermingled and hard to separate. The absorption features are mostly from the WD atmosphere, for which radiative transfer models have been constructed. The emission features are from the corona surrounding the WD atmosphere, in which incident emission from the WD surface is reprocessed. Modeling the corona requires different solvers and assumptions for the radiative transfer, which has yet to be achieved. We chose CAL87, an SSS in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which exhibits emission-dominated spectra from the corona, as the WD atmosphere emission is assumed to be completely blocked by the accretion disk. We constructed a radiative transfer model for the corona using two radiative transfer codes: xstar for a one-dimensional two-stream solver and MONACO for a three-dimensional Monte Carlo solver. We identified their differences and limitations in comparison to the spectra taken with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on board the XMM-Newton satellite. We finally obtained a sufficiently good spectral model of CAL87 based on the radiative transfer of the corona plus an additional collisionally ionized plasma. In the coming X-ray microcalorimeter era, it will be required to interpret spectra based on radiative transfer in a wider range of sources than what is presented here.

Keywords: x-ray binary stars; high energy astrophysics; radiative transfer
Retrieval Study of Brown Dwarfs across the L-T Sequence

A large suite of 228 atmospheric retrievals is performed on a curated sample of 19 brown dwarfs spanning the L0-T8 spectral types using the open-source Helios-r2 retrieval code, which implements the method of short characteristics for radiative transfer and a finite-element description of the temperature-pressure profile. Surprisingly, we find that cloud-free and cloudy (both gray and nongray) models are equally consistent with the archival SpeX data from the perspective of Bayesian model comparison. Only upper limits for cloud properties are inferred if log-uniform priors are assumed, but the cloud optical depth becomes constrained if a uniform prior is used. Water is detected in all 19 objects, and methane is detected in all of the T dwarfs, but no obvious trend exists across effective temperature. As carbon monoxide is only detected in a handful of objects, the inferred carbon-to-oxygen ratios are unreliable. The retrieved radius generally decreases with effective temperature, but the values inferred for some T dwarfs are implausibly low and may indicate missing physics or chemistry in the models. For the early L dwarfs, the retrieved surface gravity depends on whether the gray-cloud or non-gray-cloud model is preferred. Future data are necessary for constraining cloud properties and the vertical variation of chemical abundances, the latter of which is needed for distinguishing between the chemical instability and traditional cloud interpretation of the L-T transition.

Keywords: brown dwarfs; atmospheric composition; atmospheric clouds
Thermal Regulation and the Star-forming Main Sequence

We argue that the interplay between cosmic rays, the initial mass function (IMF), and star formation plays a crucial role in regulating the star-forming "main sequence." To explore these phenomena we develop a toy model for galaxy evolution in which star formation is regulated by a combination of a temperature-dependent IMF and heating due to starlight, cosmic rays, and (at very high redshift) the cosmic microwave background. This produces an attractor, near-equilibrium solution which is consistent with observations of the star-forming main sequence over a broad redshift range. Additional solutions to the same equations may correspond to other observed phases of galaxy evolution, including quiescent galaxies. This model makes several falsifiable predictions, including higher metallicities and dust masses than anticipated at high redshift and isotopic abundances in the Milky Way. It also predicts that stellar mass-to-light ratios are lower than produced using a Milky Way-derived IMF, such that inferences of stellar masses and star formation rates for high redshift galaxies are overestimated. In some cases, this may also transform inferred dark matter profiles from core-like to cusp-like.

Keywords: star formation; galaxy evolution; initial mass function; cosmic rays; cosmic ray sources; cosmic microwave background radiation
Effect of Systematic Uncertainties on Density and Temperature Estimates in Coronae of Capella

We estimate the coronal density of Capella using the O VII and Fe XVII line systems in the soft X-ray regime that have been observed over the course of the Chandra mission. Our analysis combines measures of error due to uncertainty in the underlying atomic data with statistical errors in the Chandra data to derive meaningful overall uncertainties on the plasma density of the coronae of Capella. We consider two Bayesian frameworks. First, the so-called pragmatic Bayesian approach considers the atomic data and their uncertainties as fully specified and uncorrectable. The fully Bayesian approach, on the other hand, allows the observed spectral data to update the atomic data and their uncertainties, thereby reducing the overall errors on the inferred parameters. To incorporate atomic data uncertainties, we obtain a set of atomic data replicates, the distribution of which captures their uncertainty. A principal component analysis of these replicates allows us to represent the atomic uncertainty with a lower-dimensional multivariate Gaussian distribution. A t-distribution approximation of the uncertainties of a subset of plasma parameters including a priori temperature information, obtained from the temperature-sensitive-only Fe XVII spectral line analysis, is carried forward into the density- and temperature-sensitive O VII spectral line analysis. Markov Chain Monte Carlo based model fitting is implemented including Multi-step Monte Carlo Gibbs Sampler and Hamiltonian Monte Carlo. Our analysis recovers an isothermally approximated coronal plasma temperature of ≈5 MK and a coronal plasma density of ≈1010 cm‑3, with uncertainties of 0.1 and 0.2 dex, respectively.

Keywords: x-ray astronomy; stellar coronal lines; stellar coronae; atomic data; atomic data benchmarking; astrostatistics; astrostatistics strategies; astrostatistics techniques; astrostatistics tools
Physical and Visual Evaluation of Filters for Direct Observation of the Sun and the International Standard ISO 12312-2:2015

We investigated the compliance of 43 commercially available solar filters (eclipse glasses) with the ISO 12312-2:2015 standard by measuring their spectral transmittances (280-2000 nm) and calculating their luminous, solar ultraviolet A, ultraviolet B, and infrared (IR) transmittances. We also evaluated the filters for usability by observing the full midday Sun and rating the view on a seven-point balanced scale, from "far too dark, details seen only with great difficulty" to "far too light, uncomfortable to view the Sun." The mean ratings of two observers, one experienced and one inexperienced in solar observing, differed by 0.28 (95% confidence interval of the mean = 0.26). The inexperienced observer tended to be less accepting of high transmittances. All 43 solar filters complied with the UV and IR requirements. Eighteen filters passed the luminous transmittance requirements, and 24 were borderline too light or too dark. Seven of the 15 solar filters with a luminous transmittance darker than the requirement were rated as acceptable. One filter that passed and another that was borderline too light were rated as too light or far too light. The ISO 12312-2 limits derive from welding filter standards and do not represent an appropriate evidence base for direct solar viewing. This work provides the evidence base for a maximum 0.0012% and a minimum 0.00004% luminous transmittance for solar filters. The results of this study also support the use of welding filters between shades 12 and 16. Lighter welding filters are more acceptable than solar filters of the same luminous transmittance.

Keywords: solar eclipses; solar radiation; solar instruments; solar spectral irradiance; eclipses; observational astronomy
Galaxy-scale Test of General Relativity with Strong Gravitational Lensing

Although general relativity (GR) has been precisely tested at the solar system scale, precise tests at a galactic or cosmological scale are still relatively insufficient. Here, in order to test GR at the galactic scale, we use the newly compiled galaxy-scale strong gravitational lensing (SGL) sample to constrain the parameter γ PPN in the parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism. We employ the Pantheon sample of Type Ia supernova observations to calibrate the distances in the SGL systems using the Gaussian Process method, which avoids the logical problem caused by assuming a cosmological model within GR to determine the distances in the SGL sample. Furthermore, we consider three typical lens models in this work to investigate the influences of the lens-mass distributions on the fitting results. We find that the choice of lens models has a significant impact on the constraints on the PPN parameter γ PPN. By using a minimum χ 2 comparison and the Bayesian information criterion as evaluation tools to make comparisons for the fitting results of the three lens models, we find that the most reliable lens model gives the result of ${\gamma }_{\mathrm{PPN}}={1.065}_{-0.074}^{+0.064}$ , which is in good agreement with the prediction of γ PPN = 1 by GR. As far as we know, our 6.4% constraint result is the best result so far among recent works using the SGL method.

Keywords: strong gravitational lensing; general relativity; cosmology
Relativistic Brueckner–Hartree–Fock Calculations for Cold and Hot Neutron Stars

This study investigates the properties of symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter using the relativistic Brueckner–Hartree–Fock formalism, examining both zero and finite temperatures up to 70 MeV. Employing the full Dirac space, we incorporate three Bonn potentials (A, B, and C), which account for meson masses, coupling strengths, cutoff parameters, and form factors. The calculated properties of asymmetric nuclear matter form the basis for constructing equation-of-state (EOS) models tailored for neutron stars. These models, in turn, enable the computation of bulk properties for nonrotating, uniformly rotating, and differentially rotating neutron stars. Notably, the EOS models studied in this paper are sufficiently versatile to accommodate the mass of the most massive neutron star ever detected, PSR J0952–0607, estimated to be 2.35 ± 0.17 M ⊙. Furthermore, they yield masses and radii for PSR J0030+451 that align with the confidence intervals established for this pulsar.

Keywords: neutron stars; compact objects; nuclear astrophysics
Assembly Conformity of Structure Growth: Fossil versus Normal Groups of Galaxies

Using a semianalytic method calibrated to the global star formation history and the stellar mass function at z = 0, we attempt to understand the most stellar-deficient galaxy groups. We argue that such groups are a kind of fossil group (FGs)—in comparison to the normal groups of galaxies, they assemble both halo and stellar mass earlier. We find that there is a central galaxy and satellite conformity between these FGs and normal groups: centrals and satellites in the former form earlier and are more stellar deficient than the counterparts of the latter. We term this effect "assembly conformity" of dark matter halos. This effect accounts for about 70% of the difference in stellar content between FGs and normal groups. When split by the peak redshift for the star formation rate of a group, the mass functions of satellite halos on either side of the peak redshift are found to be indistinguishable between FGs and normal groups, indicating a self-similarity of halo assembly with respect to the peak. The "baryonic environmental" effect due to ram pressure and gas heating accounts for about 30% of the difference in stellar content. While the total stellar mass of FGs is lower than that of normal groups, we predict that the mass of the brightest central galaxy of FGs is, on average, higher than that of normal groups. We also predict that in the central galaxies of FGs, there is a negative stellar age gradient from the center outward, where the opposite is expected for those in normal groups.

Keywords: galaxy groups; galaxy formation
Small Sensitivity of the Simulated Climate of Tidally Locked Aquaplanets to Model Resolution

Tidally locked terrestrial planets around low-mass stars are the prime targets of finding potentially habitable exoplanets. Several atmospheric general circulation models have been employed to simulate their possible climates; however, model intercomparisons showed that there are large differences in the results of the models even when they are forced with the same boundary conditions. In this paper, we examine whether model resolution contributes to the differences. Using the atmospheric general circulation model ExoCAM coupled to a 50 m slab ocean, we examine three different horizontal resolutions (440 km × 550 km, 210 km × 280 km, and 50 km × 70 km in latitude and longitude) and three different vertical resolutions (26, 51, and 74 levels) under the same dynamical core and the same schemes of radiation, convection, and clouds. Among the experiments, the differences are within 5 K in global-mean surface temperature and within 0.007 in planetary albedo. These differences are from cloud feedback, water vapor feedback, and the decreasing trend of relative humidity with increasing resolution. Relatively small-scale downdrafts between upwelling columns over the substellar region are better resolved and the mixing between dry and wet air parcels and between anvil clouds and their environment are enhanced as the resolution is increased. These reduce atmospheric relative humidity and high-level cloud fraction, causing a lower clear-sky greenhouse effect, a weaker cloud longwave radiation effect, and subsequently a cooler climate with increasing model resolution. Overall, the sensitivity of the simulated climate of tidally locked aquaplanets to model resolution is small.

Keywords: exoplanet atmospheres; habitable planets; astrobiology; exoplanet surfaces
Ion Heating by a Fast Magnetosonic Turbulence in the Solar Corona

Observational data at heliocentric distances of tens of solar radii suggest that fast magnetosonic modes make up a considerable fraction of the solar wind fluctuations. Furthermore, this fraction appears to increase closer to the Sun. We carry out three-dimensional kinetic simulations with particle ions and fluid electrons to evaluate the proton and alpha-particle heating produced by the damping of the fast waves in the solar corona. Realistic parameters at 5 solar radii, including the fluctuation amplitude, are used. We show that, due to the cyclotron resonance, the alphas are heated preferentially perpendicularly to the magnetic field and much more strongly than the protons. The presence of the alpha particles alters the energy partition by reducing the heating of the protons. Nevertheless, the proton heating is sufficient to account for the solar wind acceleration.

Keywords: space plasmas; solar coronal heating; solar wind
Quasi-periodic Oscillations in GX 339-4 during the 2021 Outburst Observed with Insight-HXMT

A new outburst of GX 339-4 in 2021 was monitored by the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT). By using the data of Insight-HXMT from 2021 February to March, we make an X-ray timing analysis of this new outburst. Based on the results of the count rates, hardness-intensity diagram, and power density spectrum (PDS), we confirm that the source exhibits spectral transitions from the low-hard state (LHS) to the hard-intermediate state (HIMS). During the transition from the LHS to the HIMS, low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are detected in the PDS. We found that these QPOs are all type C QPOs with centroid frequencies evolving from 0.1 to 0.6 Hz in the LHS and in the 1-3 Hz frequency range in HIMS. The QPO features above 50 keV are reported for the first time in this black hole by Insight-HXMT. The QPO rms stays stable with time but decreases with energy at a higher energy above ~10 keV. We also find that the phase lag of the type C QPO is close to zero in the early outburst stage but becomes positive as the outburst evolves, with a hard lag of ~0.6-1.2 rad in 50-100 keV. The implications of the phase lag in high energy bands and the possible physical mechanisms to explain those observations are also discussed.

Keywords: black hole physics; x-ray binary stars; stellar accretion disks
How to Become a Mini-moon: Some Hints from 2022 NX1

Low-velocity encounters between our planet and any near-Earth object (NEO) in an Earth-like orbit may induce its temporary capture as a mini-moon. Such mini-moon episodes could lead the NEO to complete one or more revolutions around Earth when gravitationally bound, a temporarily-captured orbiter, like in the cases of 2006 RH120 and 2020 CD3; sometimes not even one revolution is completed, a temporarily-captured flyby, like in the case of 1991 VG. Asteroid 2022 NX1 experienced a temporarily-captured flyby in 1981, has had another one in 2022, and will become a temporarily-captured orbiter in 2051. This object occupies the edge of Earth's co-orbital space and sometimes it approaches us following a horseshoe path.

Keywords: solar system; asteroids
Titan: Earth-like on the Outside, Ocean World on the Inside

Thanks to the Cassini-Huygens mission, Titan, the pale orange dot of Pioneer and Voyager encounters, has been revealed to be a dynamic, hydrologically shaped, organic-rich ocean world offering unparalleled opportunities to explore prebiotic chemistry. And while Cassini-Huygens revolutionized our understanding of each of the three "layers" of Titan—the atmosphere, the surface, and the interior—we are only beginning to hypothesize how these realms interact. In this paper, we summarize the current state of Titan knowledge and discuss how future exploration of Titan would address some of the next decade's most compelling planetary science questions. We also demonstrate why exploring Titan, both with and beyond the Dragonfly New Frontiers mission, is a necessary and complementary component of an Ocean Worlds Program that seeks to understand whether habitable environments exist elsewhere in our solar system.

Keywords: titan; planetary science; natural satellite surfaces; planetary atmospheres; planetary climates