adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Classification of Enhanced Geoeffectiveness Resulting from High-speed Solar Wind Streams Compressing Slower Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections

High-speed solar wind streams (HSSs) interact with the preceding ambient solar wind to form stream interaction regions (SIRs), which are a primary source of recurrent geomagnetic storms. However, HSSs may also encounter and subsequently interact with interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). In particular, the impact of the interaction between slower ICMEs and faster HSSs represents an unexplored area that requires further in-depth investigation. This specific interaction can give rise to unexpected geomagnetic storm signatures, diverging from the conventional expectations of individual SIR events sharing similar HSS properties. Our study presents a comprehensive analysis of solar wind data spanning from 1996 to 2020, capturing 23 instances where such encounters led to geomagnetic storms (SymH < ‑30 nT). We determined that interaction events between preceding slower ICMEs and faster HSSs possess the potential to induce substantial storm activity, statistically nearly doubling the geoeffective impact in comparison to SIR storm events. The increase in the amplitude of the SymH index appears to result from heightened dynamic pressure, often coupled with the concurrent amplification of the CMEs rearward ∣B∣ and/or B z components.

Keywords: the sun; solar coronal mass ejections; solar wind; fast solar wind; solar-terrestrial interactions; space weather
Spacecraft Floating Potential Measurements for the Wind Spacecraft

Analysis of 8,804,545 electron velocity distribution functions, observed by the Wind spacecraft near 1 au between 2005 January 1 and 2022 January 1, was performed to determine the spacecraft floating potential, ϕ sc. Wind was designed to be electrostatically clean, which helps keep the magnitude of ϕ sc small (i.e., ~5-9 eV for nearly all intervals) and the potential distribution more uniform. We observed spectral enhancements of ϕ sc at frequencies corresponding to the inverse synodic Carrington rotation period with at least three harmonics. The two-dimensional histogram of ϕ sc versus time also shows at least two strong peaks, with a potential third, much weaker peak. These peaks vary in time, with the intensity correlated with solar maximum. Thus, the spectral peaks and histogram peaks are likely due to macroscopic phenomena like coronal mass ejections (solar cycle dependence) and stream interaction regions (Carrington rotation dependence). The values of ϕ sc are summarized herein and the resulting data set is discussed.

Keywords: solar wind; deep space probes; heliosphere; the sun; solar activity
Mixed-mode Asteroseismology of Red Giant Stars Through the Luminosity Bump

Most current models of low-mass red giant stars do not reproduce the observed position of the red giant branch luminosity bump, a diagnostic of the maximum extent of the convective envelope during the first dredge up. Global asteroseismic parameters, the large frequency separation and frequency of maximum oscillation power, measured for large samples of red giants, show that modeling convective overshoot below the convective envelope helps match the modeled luminosity bump positions to observations; however, these global parameters cannot be used to probe envelope overshoot in a star-by-star manner. Red giant mixed modes, which behave like acoustic modes at the surface and like gravity modes in the core, contain important information about the interior structure of the star, especially near the convective boundary. Therefore, these modes may be used to probe interior processes, such as overshoot. Using a grid of red giant models with varying mass, metallicity, surface gravity, overshoot treatment, and amount of envelope overshoot, we find that changing the overshoot amplitude (and prescription) of overshoot below the convection zone in red giant stellar models results in significant differences in the evolution of the models' dipole mixed-mode oscillation frequencies, the average mixed-mode period spacing (<ΔP>), and gravity-mode phase offset term (ϵ g ).

Keywords: asteroseismology; stellar physics; stellar evolution; red giant bump; red giant branch
Intensity Interferometry Observations of the Hα Envelope of γCas with MéO and a Portable Telescope

We report on observations of the extended environment of the bright Be star γ-Cas performed using intensity interferometry measurements within its Hα emission line. These observations were performed using a modified version of the I2C intensity interferometry instrument installed onto the 1.54 m MéO optical metrology telescope and a portable 1 m telescope (T1M). In order to better constrain the extent of the H α envelope, observations were performed for two different positions of the T1M telescope, corresponding to an intermediate and long baselines in which the extended region was partially and fully resolved. We find that the observed data are consistent with past interferometric observations of γ-Cas. These observations demonstrate the capability to equip optical telescopes of different optical designs with intensity interferometry capabilities and illustrate the potential to scale a similar system onto many additional telescopes.

Keywords: emission line stars; interferometers; high angular resolution; be stars
The Rapid Rotation of the Strongly Magnetic Ultramassive White Dwarf EGGR 156

The distribution of white dwarf rotation periods provides a means for constraining angular momentum evolution during the late stages of stellar evolution, as well as insight into the physics and remnants of double degenerate mergers. Although the rotational distribution of low-mass white dwarfs is relatively well constrained via asteroseismology, that of high-mass white dwarfs, which can arise from either intermediate-mass stellar evolution or white dwarf mergers, is not. Photometric variability in white dwarfs due to rotation of a spotted star is rapidly increasing the sample size of high-mass white dwarfs with measured rotation periods. We present the discovery of 22.4 minute photometric variability in the light curve of EGGR 156, a strongly magnetic, ultramassive white dwarf. We interpret this variability as rapid rotation, and our data suggest that EGGR 156 is the remnant of a double degenerate merger. Finally, we calculate the rate of period change in rapidly-rotating, massive, magnetic WDs due to magnetic dipole radiation. In many cases, including EGGR 156, the period change is not currently detectable over reasonable timescales, indicating that these WDs could be very precise clocks. For the most highly-magnetic, rapidly-rotating massive WDs, such as ZTF J1901+1450 and RE J0317-853, the period change should be detectable and may help constrain the structure and evolution of these exotic white dwarfs.

Keywords: white dwarf stars; stellar rotation; magnetic variable stars; radiative braking; stellar mergers
Cosmic Amorphous Dust Model as the Origin of Anomalous Microwave Emission

We have shown that the thermal emission of the amorphous dust composed of amorphous silicate dust (a-Si) and amorphous carbon dust (a-C) provides an excellent fit both to the observed intensity and the polarization spectra of molecular clouds. The anomalous microwave emission (AME) originates from the resonance transition of the two-level systems attributed to the a-C with an almost spherical shape. On the other hand, the observed polarized emission in submillimeter wave bands is coming from a-Si. By taking into account a-C, the model prediction of the polarization fraction of the AME is reduced dramatically. Our model prediction of the 3σ lower limits of the polarization fraction of the Perseus and W 43 molecular clouds at 17 GHz are 8.129 × 10-5 and 8.012 × 10-6, respectively. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity of a-C shows the peculiar behavior compared with that of a-Si. So far, the properties of a-C are unique to interstellar dust grains. Therefore, we coin our dust model as the cosmic amorphous dust model.

Keywords: interstellar dust; radio continuum emission; molecular clouds; cosmic microwave background radiation
Follow-up of Young Stars Identified with BANYAN Σ: New Low-mass Members of Nearby Moving Groups

The characterization of moving groups offers a powerful means to identify large populations of young stars. In this paper, we present a sample of follow-up observations for 56 systems that have previously been proposed as members of young stellar associations through the application of the BANYAN Σ kinematic classification tool. Our measurements, which probe seven different associations, provide a sample of 39 stellar systems that either are confirmed or appear consistent with being young members of their respective associations. Nineteen of these are single M dwarfs. This sample expands our knowledge of Upper Centaurus Lupus, Coma Berenices, and AB Doradus Major to cooler temperatures and also significantly increases the known population of the Carina-Near association. The young systems present excellent targets for future planet searches and would also be valuable for studies of star formation and evolution. Additionally, we find two stellar systems that show indications of being rare instances of late-stage circumstellar accretion. Lastly, our follow-up measurements serve as a test of BANYAN Σ, finding an overall contamination rate that is consistent with previous findings (29% for systems with RV measurements, 37% without).

Keywords: accretion; binary stars; low mass stars; pre-main sequence stars; stellar associations; young star clusters
A Census of Outflow to Magnetic Field Orientations in Nearby Molecular Clouds

We define a sample of 200 protostellar outflows showing blue- and redshifted CO emission in the nearby molecular clouds Ophiuchus, Taurus, Perseus, and Orion, to investigate the correlation between outflow orientations and local, but relatively large-scale, magnetic field directions traced by Planck 353 GHz dust polarization. At high significance (p ~ 10-4), we exclude a random distribution of relative orientations and find that there is a preference for alignment of projected plane of sky outflow axes with magnetic field directions. The distribution of relative position angles peaks at ~30° and exhibits a broad dispersion of ~50°. These results indicate that magnetic fields have dynamical influence in regulating the launching and/or propagation directions of outflows. However, the significant dispersion around perfect alignment orientation implies that there are large measurement uncertainties and/or a high degree of intrinsic variation caused by other physical processes, such as turbulence or strong stellar dynamical interactions. Outflow to magnetic field alignment is expected to lead to a correlation in the directions of nearby outflow pairs, depending on the degree of order of the field. Analyzing this effect, we find limited correlation, except on relatively small scales ≲0.5 pc. Furthermore, we train a convolutional neural network to infer the inclination angle of outflows with respect to the line of sight and apply it to our outflow sample to estimate their full 3D orientations. We find that the angles between outflow pairs in 3D space also show evidence of small-scale alignment.

Keywords: interstellar medium; stellar jets; convolutional neural networks; stellar feedback; molecular clouds; star formation; interstellar magnetic fields
Arecibo Radar Astrometry of the Galilean Satellites from 1999 to 2016

Harmon et al. Arecibo radar observations from 1992 provided some of the most precise line-of-sight distance (ranging) measurements of Ganymede and Callisto to date. We report 18 new ranges obtained at Arecibo from 1999 to 2016, among which are the first measurements of Io and Europa. We also report accompanying line-of-sight velocity (Doppler frequency) measurements. In 2015, we detected Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto with time-delay (range) resolutions as fine as 10 μs (1.5 km) while Io was detected with 70 μs (10.5 km) resolution. We estimated residuals for the radar measurements with respect to the latest JPL satellite ephemeris JUP310 and planetary ephemeris DE438. We found that the rms of the time-delay residuals are 29 μs for Io, 21 μs for Europa, 58 μs for Ganymede, and 275 μs for Callisto. When normalized by the measurement uncertainties, these correspond to the rms of 0.82, 1.25, 2.17, and 3.17 respectively. As such, the orbit of Callisto has the largest residuals and may benefit from an orbital update that will use radar astrometry. All Doppler residuals were small and consistent with their 1σ uncertainties.

Keywords: astrometry; radar astronomy; galilean satellites
TOI-199 b: A Well-characterized 100 day Transiting Warm Giant Planet with TTVs Seen from Antarctica

We present the spectroscopic confirmation and precise mass measurement of the warm giant planet TOI-199 b. This planet was first identified in TESS photometry and confirmed using ground-based photometry from ASTEP in Antarctica including a full 6.5 hr long transit, PEST, Hazelwood, and LCO; space photometry from NEOSSat; and radial velocities (RVs) from FEROS, HARPS, CORALIE, and CHIRON. Orbiting a late G-type star, TOI-199 b has a ${104.854}_{-0.002}^{+0.001}\,{\rm{day}}$ period, a mass of 0.17 ± 0.02 M J, and a radius of 0.810 ± 0.005 R J. It is the first warm exo-Saturn with a precisely determined mass and radius. The TESS and ASTEP transits show strong transit timing variations (TTVs), pointing to the existence of a second planet in the system. The joint analysis of the RVs and TTVs provides a unique solution for the nontransiting companion TOI-199 c, which has a period of ${273.69}_{-0.22}^{+0.26}\,{\rm{days}}$ and an estimated mass of ${0.28}_{-0.01}^{+0.02}\,{M}_{{\rm{J}}}$ . This period places it within the conservative habitable zone.

Keywords: exoplanet astronomy; exoplanet detection methods; transit timing variation method; radial velocity; transit photometry; exoplanet systems
Astrophysical Background and Dark Matter Implication Based on Latest AMS-02 Data

The cosmic-ray (CR) positrons and antiprotons are often regarded as the collision products of CR nucleons with the interstellar medium. However, the predicted fluxes of CR positrons and antiprotons by the conventional models are not consistent with the experimental data from PAMELA, Fermi-LAT, AMS-02, etc. In this work, we choose the latest AMS-02 data to analyze the astrophysical background of CR positrons and antiprotons. QGSJET-II-04 is chosen as the hadronic interaction model. The GALPROP package is used to solve the propagation equation numerically. The results show that the predicted flux of CR positrons at low energies is consistent with AMS-02 data in the reacceleration and convection-diffusion (DCR) model. In the DCR model and the hadronic interaction model, QGSJET-II-04, the excess of CR antiprotons at low energies is excluded. The dark matter interpretation of the positron excess is analyzed with the total fluxes of CR electrons and positrons from AMS-02. The predicted best-fit mass of dark matter ranges from 400 GeV to 4 TeV. Moreover, in the above models the predicted flux of CR protons is completely consistent with AMS-02 data, which matches the hardening feature above 330 GeV.

Keywords: galactic cosmic rays; dark matter
GTC/CanariCam Mid-infrared Polarimetry of Magnetic Fields in Star-forming Region W51 IRS2

We present 0.″4 resolution imaging polarimetry at 8.7, 10.3, and 12.5 μm, obtained with CanariCam at the Gran Telescopio Canarias, of the central 0.11 pc × 0.28 pc (4.″2 × 10.″8) region of W51 IRS2. The polarization, as high as ~14%, arises from silicate particles aligned by the interstellar magnetic field (B-field). We separate, or unfold, the polarization of each sightline into emission and absorption components, from which we infer the morphologies of the corresponding projected B-fields that thread the emitting- and foreground-absorbing regions. We conclude that the projected B-field in the foreground material is part of the larger-scale ambient field. The morphology of the projected B-field in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) emitting region spanning the cometary H II region W51 IRS2W is similar to that in the absorbing region. Elsewhere, the two B-fields differ significantly with no clear relationship between them. The B-field across the W51 IRS2W cometary core appears to be an integral part of a champagne outflow of gas originating in the core and dominating the energetics there. The bipolar outflow, W51north jet, that appears to originate at or near SMA1/N1 coincides almost exactly with a clearly demarcated north-south swath of lower polarization. While speculative, comparison of mid-IR and submillimeter polarimetry on two different scales may support a picture in which SMA1/N1 plays a major role in the B-field structure across W51 IRS2.

Keywords: magnetic fields; star formation; stellar jets
Characterization of a pnCCD-based Camera for Applications at the 100 m X-Ray Test Facility

The 100 m long X-ray test facility (100XF for clarity) in Institute of High Energy Physics of CAS has been playing an increasingly important role in the X-ray astronomy field in China. 100XF has been contributing to the missions under development, such as the Einstein Probe mission. The facility has also been providing support to R&D of focusing X-ray optics in China that will enable future X-ray telescopes to be realized, such as the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarization (eXTP) mission. A pnCCD-based camera has been employed at 100XF to rapidly measure the performance of the X-ray optics. In this work, we study the performance of the camera and its spectral and imaging applications at 100XF. The camera system can provide a high frame readout rate, with a low readout noise <3 e-. It is sensitive to X-ray photons in the 3-10 keV energy band with a high quantum efficiency exceeding 90%. Actually, the low threshold of detection energy range can reach down to 0.2 keV. The energy resolution can reach 145.2 eV for single events and 154.8 eV for all valid events (including single events and split events) at 6.4 keV. The camera also exhibits excellent imaging capability in both the full frame mode and the windowing mode, with a readout rate of up to 1000 Hz. Finally, a prototype of a focusing X-ray mirror shell of eXTP was smoothly measured with this camera. The obtained on-axis point-spread function and half-power diameter are consistent with expectations. It is proven that the camera can improve the capability of 100XF in characterizing the X-ray optics. This camera will be very useful for performing on-ground calibrations for future X-ray telescope missions. *Released on xxx, XXst, 2023.

Keywords: astronomical instrumentation; x-ray detectors; calibration
Initial Ni-56 Masses in Type Ia Supernovae

We infer initial masses of the synthesized radioactive nickel-56 in a sample of recent Type Ia supernovae applying a new formalism introduced recently by Khatami & Kasen. It is shown that the nickel masses we derive do not differ significantly from previous estimates based on the traditional Arnett-model. We derive the β parameter for our sample SNe and show that these are consistent with the fiducial value of ~1.6 given by Khatami & Kasen from SN Ia hydrodynamical simulations.

Keywords: type ia supernovae; explosive nucleosynthesis; radiative transfer
Devouring the Centaurus A Satellites: Modeling Dwarf Galaxies with Galacticus

For the first time, systematic studies of dwarf galaxies are being conducted throughout the Local Volume, including the dwarf satellites of the nearby giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A (NGC 5128). Given Centaurus A's mass (roughly 10 times larger than that of the Milky Way), AGN activity, and recent major mergers, investigating the dwarf galaxies of Centaurus A and their star formation physics is imperative. However, simulating the faintest dwarfs around a galaxy of Centaurus A's mass with sufficient resolution in a hydrodynamic simulation is computationally expensive and currently infeasible. In this study, we seek to reproduce the properties of Centaurus A dwarfs using the semianalytic model GALACTICUS to model dwarfs within a 700 kpc region around Centaurus A, corresponding approximately to its splashback radius. We investigate the effects of host halo mass and environment and predict observable properties of Centaurus A dwarfs using astrophysical prescriptions and parameters previously tuned to match properties of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies. This approach allows us to approximately replicate cumulative luminosity functions, and luminosity–metallicity and luminosity–half-light-radii relations observed in the Centaurus A satellites. We provide predictions for the velocity dispersions, and star formation histories of Centaurus A dwarfs. The agreement between our predicted star formation histories for Centaurus A dwarfs and those of the Milky Way dwarfs implies the presence of universal processes governing star formation in dwarf galaxies. Overall, our findings shed light on the star formation physics of dwarf galaxies in the Centaurus A system, revealing insights into their properties and dependence on the host environment.

Keywords: galaxy evolution; n-body simulations; dwarf galaxies; galaxy formation
Accretion Flow Evolution of a New Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1348-630 during the 2019 Outburst

Galactic black hole (BH) candidate MAXI J1348-630 was recently discovered by MAXI and Swift/BAT satellites during its first outburst in 2019 January, which continued for ∼4 months. We study the spectral and timing properties of the source in detail. The combined 1-150 keV Swift/XRT, Swift/BAT, and MAXI/GSC spectra are investigated with the two-component advective flow (TCAF) solution. Physical flow parameters of TCAF, such as the Keplerian disk accretion rate, the sub-Keplerian halo accretion rate, the shock location, and the shock compression ratio, are estimated from our spectral fits. Based on the variation of flux in soft and hard X-ray ranges, the hardness ratio, TCAF model fitted accretion rates, and the accretion rate ratio, we show how the source evolved through four spectral states, viz., hard, hard-intermediate, soft-intermediate, and soft, in rising and declining states. Low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations are observed in two observations during the rising phase of the outburst. From the spectral analysis, we estimate the mass of the BH to be ${9.1}_{-1.2}^{+1.6}$ M⊙. We also find that the viscous timescale in this outburst is ∼3.5 days. The distance of the source is also estimated as 5-10 kpc from state transition luminosity.

Keywords: stellar mass black holes; accretion; astrophysical black holes