adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Variability in the Massive Open Cluster NGC 1817 from K2: A Rich Population of Asteroseismic Red Clump, Eclipsing Binary, and Main-sequence Pulsating Stars

We present a survey of variable stars detected in K2 Campaign 13 within the massive intermediate-age (∼1 Gyr) open cluster NGC 1817. We identify a complete sample of 44 red clump stars in the cluster, and have measured asteroseismic quantities (νmax and/or Δν) for 29 of them. Five stars showed suppressed dipole modes, and the occurrence rates indicate that mode suppression is unaffected by evolution through core helium burning. A subset of the giants in NGC 1817 (and in the similarly aged cluster NGC 6811) have νmax and Δν values at or near the maximum observed for core helium-burning stars, indicating they have core masses near the minimum for fully nondegenerate helium ignition. Further asteroseismic study of these stars can constrain the minimum helium core mass in red clump stars and the physics that determines this limit. Two giant stars show photometric variations on timescales similar to previously measured spectroscopic orbits. Thirteen systems in the field show eclipses, but only five are probable cluster members. We identify 32 δ Sct pulsators, 27 γ Dor candidates, and 7 hybrids that are probable cluster members, with most being new detections. We used the ensemble properties of the δ Sct stars to identify stars with possible radial pulsation modes. Among the oddities we have uncovered are: an eccentric orbit for a short-period binary containing a δ Sct pulsating star; a rare subgiant within the Hertzsprung gap showing δ Sct pulsations; and two hot γ Dor pulsating star candidates.

Keywords: eclipsing binary stars; spectroscopic binary stars; open star clusters; asteroseismology; low mass stars; stellar distance; stellar evolution
Comprehensive Data for Depolarization of the Second Solar Spectrum by Isotropic Collisions with Neutral Hydrogen

Interpretation of the second solar spectrum (SSS) requires a complete determination of the depolarizing effect due to collisions with neutral hydrogen. In this paper, we provide comprehensive collision data for simple atoms, complex atoms, and atoms with hyperfine structure. Grids of interaction potentials were computed for a large range of effective quantum numbers n* that characterize states of hypothetical simple atoms. After that, the Schrödinger equation is solved to calculate the collisional transition matrix for each value of n*. Thus, we constructed a database of collisional polarization transfer and depolarization rates of all p-, d-, and f-states of simple atoms. The obtained results are fitted to deduce 48 variation laws, leading to the determination of all depolarization and polarization transfer rates of solar simple atoms. These laws are general and can be applied for any simple atom. We demonstrate how these laws can be used to efficiently obtain the collision rates associated with complex atoms, as well as with atoms with hyperfine structure. We show how the reader may use the variation laws to reproduce all new (de)polarization rates of this paper, as well as all rates of our previous papers published since 2003. Accuracy of our variation laws is discussed. Our analytical laws can be easily implemented in the numerical models developed to simulate the formation of the SSS.

Keywords: solar physics
Three Dusty Star-forming Galaxies at z ∼ 1.5: Mergers and Disks on the Main Sequence

The main sequence of galaxies, a correlation between the star formation rates (SFRs) and stellar masses of galaxies, has been observed out to z ∼ 4. Galaxies within the scatter of the correlation are typically interpreted to be secularly evolving while galaxies with SFRs elevated above the main sequence are interpreted to be undergoing interactions or to be Toomre-unstable disks with starbursting clumps. In this paper, we investigate the recent merger histories of three dusty star-forming galaxies, identified by their bright submillimeter emission at z ∼ 1.5. We analyze rest-frame optical and UV imaging, rest-frame optical emission line kinematics using slit spectra obtained with the Multi-Object Spectrometer For Infra-Red Exploration (MOSFIRE) on Keck I, and calculate Gini and M20 statistics for each galaxy and conclude two are merger driven while the third is an isolated disk galaxy. The disk galaxy lies ∼4× above the main sequence, one merger lies within the scatter of the main sequence, and one merger lies ∼4× below the main sequence. This hints that the location of a galaxy with respect to the main sequence may not be a useful discriminator of the recent star formation history of high-M\star galaxies at z ∼ 1.

Keywords: galaxy kinematics; high-redshift galaxies; galaxy evolution
Collapsar R-process Yields Can Reproduce [Eu/Fe] Abundance Scatter in Metal-poor Stars

It is unclear if neutron star mergers can explain the observed r-process abundances of metal-poor stars. Collapsars, defined here as rotating massive stars whose collapse results in a rapidly accreting disk around a black hole that can launch jets, are a promising alternative. We find that we can produce a self-consistent model in which a population of collapsars with stochastic europium yields synthesizes all of the r-process material in metal-poor ([Fe/H] < - 2.5) stars. Our model reproduces the observed scatter and evolution of scatter of [Eu/Fe] abundances. We find that if collapsars are the dominant r-process site for metal-poor stars, r-process synthesis may be linked to supernovae that produce long γ-ray bursts. Our results also allow for the possibility that core-collapse supernovae beyond those that launch γ-ray bursts also produce r-process material (e.g., potentially a subset of Type Ic-BL supernovae). Furthermore, we identify collapsar jet properties (isotropic energy, engine luminosity, or engine time) that may trace r-process yield and verify that the amount of r-process yield produced per collapsar in our model ( ~ 0.07M⊙) is consistent with other independent estimates. In the future, achieving 0.05 dex precision on distribution scatter or a reliable selection function would further constrain our probe of r-process production. Our model would also hold for another prompt r-process site with a power-law yield, and work is needed to determine if, for example, fast-merging neutron stars can also explain abundance scatter.

Keywords: core-collapse supernovae; stellar jets; r-process; nucleosynthesis; stellar abundances
Is A2261 a Fossil Galaxy Cluster in a Transitional Dynamical State?

Fossil cluster A2261 is well studied, but previous studies give contradictory results on its dynamical states, such as its X-ray central entropy and magnitude gap. To improve our understanding of its dynamical state, we conduct multiobject spectroscopic observations with Hectospec on the MMT, covering an area out to 5 virial radii from the cluster center, and get improved completeness and membership. Using these new data, we calculate multiple dynamical indicators, including Gaussianity, distance offset, and velocity offset. These indicators suggest that A2261 is moderately relaxed. However, a Dressler-Shectman test reveals a group candidate to the south at a projected distance that is near the virial radius and overlaps with an X-ray tail-like feature. One of the galaxies associated with that group would be sufficiently bright to reduce the fossil magnitude gap. This raises the possibility that A2261 could have recently transited in fossil status, if the group had previously crossed the cluster and is only now found outside. In the cluster outskirts, we see an extended feature of galaxies located on the opposite side of the cluster from the group candidate. On even larger scales, we find that this feature connects, both on the sky and in velocity space, with a long (4.4 Mpc) filamentary structure in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. This could support the idea that a group was fed into the cluster through the filament, temporarily breaking the fossil status and resulting in a minor merger that weakly disturbed the intracluster medium of the cluster.

Keywords: galaxy clusters; abell clusters; galaxy dynamics; galaxy interactions
Varying Calcium Abundances in Solar Flares Seen by the Solar Maximum Mission

We report on calcium abundance A(Ca) estimates during the decay phases of 194 solar X-ray flares using archived data from the Bent Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) on the Solar Maximum Mission (operational 1980-1989). The abundances are derived from the ratio of the total calcium X-ray line emission in BCS channel 1 to that in neighboring continuum, with temperature from a satellite-to-resonance line ratio. Generally, the calcium abundance is found to be about 3 times the photospheric abundance, as previously found, indicating a "first ionization potential" (FIP) effect for calcium, which has a relatively low FIP value. The precision of the abundance estimates (referred to hydrogen on a logarithmic scale with A(H) = 12), is typically ~± 0.01, enabling any time variations of A(Ca) during the flare decay to be examined. For a total of 270 short time segments with A(Ca) determined to better than 2.3% accuracy, many (106; 39%) showed variations in A(Ca) at the 3σ level. For the majority, in 74 (70%) of these 106 segments A(Ca) decreased with time, and for 32 (30%) A(Ca) increased with time. For 79 out of 270 (29%) we observed constant or nearly constant A(Ca), and the remaining 85 (31%) with irregular time behavior. A common feature was the presence of discontinuities in the time behavior of A(Ca). Relating these results to the ponderomotive force theory of Laming, we attribute the nature of varying A(Ca) to the emergence of loop structures in addition to the initial main loop, each with its characteristic calcium abundance.

Keywords: solar flares
The ALMA Survey of 70 μm Dark High-mass Clumps in Early Stages (ASHES). VII. Chemistry of Embedded Dense Cores

We present a study of the chemistry toward 294 dense cores in 12 molecular clumps, using data obtained from the ALMA Survey of 70 μm dark High-mass clumps in Early Stages. We identified 97 protostellar cores and 197 prestellar core candidates, based on the detection of outflows and molecular transitions of high upper-energy levels (E u /k > 45 K). The detection rate of the N2D+ emission toward the protostellar cores is 38%, which is higher than 9% for the prestellar cores, indicating that N2D+ does not exclusively trace prestellar cores. The detection rates of the DCO+ emission are 35% for the prestellar cores and 49% for the protostellar cores, which are higher than those for N2D+, implying that DCO+ appears more frequently than N2D+ in both prestellar and protostellar cores. Both the N2D+ and DCO+ abundances appear to decrease from the prestellar to the protostellar stage. The DCN, C2D, and 13CS emission lines are rarely seen in the dense cores of early evolutionary phases. The detection rate of the H2CO emission toward dense cores is 52%, three times higher than that for CH3OH (17%). In addition, the H2CO detection rate, abundance, line intensities, and line widths increase with the core evolutionary status, suggesting that the H2CO line emission is sensitive to protostellar activity.

Keywords: infrared dark clouds; star forming regions; star formation; massive stars; protostars; protoclusters; interstellar medium; interstellar line emission; astrochemistry
The Spectroscopic Binaries from the LAMOST Medium-resolution Survey. I. Searching for Double-lined Spectroscopic Binaries with a Convolutional Neural Network

We developed a convolutional neural network model to distinguish the double-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s) from others based on single-exposure medium-resolution spectra (R ~ 7500). The training set consists of a large set of mock spectra of single stars and binaries synthesized based on the MIST stellar evolutionary model and ATLAS9 atmospheric model. Our model reaches a novel theoretic false-positive rate by adding a proper penalty on the negative sample (e.g., 0.12% and 0.16% for the blue/red arm when the penalty parameter Λ = 16). Tests show that the performance is as expected and favors FGK-type main-sequence (MS) binaries with high mass ratio (q ≥ 0.7) and large radial velocity separation (Δv ≥ 50 km s-1). Although the real false-positive rate cannot be estimated reliably, validating on eclipsing binaries identified from Kepler light curves indicates that our model predicts low binary probabilities at eclipsing phases (0, 0.5, and 1.0) as expected. The color-magnitude diagram also helps illustrate its feasibility and capability of identifying FGK MS binaries from spectra. We conclude that this model is reasonably reliable and can provide an automatic approach to identify SB2s with period ≲10 days. This work yields a catalog of binary probabilities for over 5 million spectra of 1 million sources from the LAMOST medium-resolution survey (MRS) and a catalog of 2198 SB2 candidates whose physical properties will be analyzed in a follow-up paper. Data products are made publicly available online, as well as our Github website.

Keywords: astronomy data analysis; close binary stars; convolutional neural networks; sky surveys; spectroscopy; spectroscopic binary stars
The HST Large Program on ω Centauri. V. Exploring the Ultracool Dwarf Population with Stellar Atmosphere and Evolutionary Modeling

Brown dwarfs can serve as both clocks and chemical tracers of the evolutionary history of the Milky Way due to their continuous cooling and high sensitivity of spectra to composition. We focus on brown dwarfs in globular clusters that host some of the oldest coeval populations in the galaxy. Currently, no brown dwarfs in globular clusters have been confirmed, but they are expected to be uncovered with advanced observational facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In this paper we present a new set of stellar models specifically designed to investigate low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in ω Centauri-the largest known globular cluster. The parameters of our models were derived from iterative fits to Hubble Space Telescope photometry of the main-sequence members of the cluster. Despite the complex distribution of abundances and the presence of multiple main sequences in ω Centauri, we find that the modal color-magnitude distribution can be represented by a single stellar population with parameters determined in this study. The observed luminosity function is well represented by two distinct stellar populations having solar and enhanced helium mass fractions and a common initial mass function, in agreement with previous studies. Our analysis confirms that the abundances of individual chemical elements play a key role in determining the physical properties of low-mass cluster members. We use our models to draw predictions of brown dwarf colors and magnitudes in anticipated JWST NIRCam data, confirming that the beginning of the substellar sequence should be detected in ω Centauri in forthcoming observations.

Keywords: brown dwarfs; globular star clusters; stellar atmospheres; galactic archaeology
Delay-time Distributions of Solar Energetic Particles. II. Effects of Magnetic Focusing

We extend a recently published analytic model for the intensity-time profile of solar energetic particle (SEP) events, in which the dominant physical mechanism is turbulent pitch-angle scattering of a collimated distribution of particles accelerated at the Sun. The present model includes the effect of magnetic focusing in the expanding magnetic field geometry of the inner heliosphere. For a power-law variation of the magnetic field strength with distance (B ∼ s-α) that lacks a characteristic focusing length scale, the fundamental shape of the intensity-time profile (I.e., a Lévy distribution at times up to and just past the time of peak intensity, followed by an exponential decay) is preserved. The effect of magnetic focusing is essentially to produce a rescaling of the stochastic process describing the angular diffusion of the particles, making the typical time that characterizes the SEP time profile quantitatively lower by a factor of (α + 1), 3 for the radial field geometry B ∼ s-2.

Keywords: solar activity; solar energetic particles; solar flares
Reconnection-generated Plasma Flows in the Quasi-separatrix Layer in Localized Solar Corona

Multiwavelength observations of the propagating disturbances (PDs), discovered by Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), are analyzed to determine their driving mechanism and physical nature. Two magnetic strands in the localized corona are observed to approach and merge with each other, followed by the generation of brightening, which further propagates in a cusp-shaped magnetic channel. Differential emission measure analysis shows an occurrence of heating in this region of interest. We extrapolate potential magnetic field lines at coronal heights from the observed Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager vector magnetogram via Green's function method using MPI-AMRVAC. We analyze the field to locate magnetic nulls and quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs), which are preferential locations for magnetic reconnection. Dominant QSLs including a magnetic null are found to exist and match the geometry followed by PDs; therefore, this provides conclusive evidence of magnetic reconnection. In addition, spectroscopic analysis of Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph Si IV λ1393.77 line profiles show a rise of line width in the same time range depicting the presence of mass motion in the observed cusp-shaped region. PDs are observed to exhibit periodicities of around 4 minutes. The speeds of PDs measured by the surfing transform technique are close to each other in four different SDO/AIA bandpasses, i.e., 304, 171, 193, and 131 Å, excluding the interpretation of PDs in terms of slow magnetoacoustic waves. We describe comprehensively the observed PDs as quasiperiodic plasma flows generated as a result of periodic reconnection in the vicinity of a coronal magnetic null.

Keywords: solar corona; solar magnetic reconnection; solar coronal transients
Monte Carlo Applications for Partially Polarized Inverse External-Compton Scattering (MAPPIES). II. Application to the UV/Soft X-Ray Excess in Blazar Spectra

The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of some blazars exhibit an ultraviolet (UV) and/or soft X-ray excess that can be modeled with different radiation mechanisms. Polarization measurements of the UV/X-ray emission from blazars may provide new and unique information about the astrophysical environment of blazar jets, and could thus help to distinguish between different emission scenarios. In this paper, a new Monte Carlo code—Monte Carlo Applications for Partially Polarized Inverse External-Compton Scattering—for polarization-dependent Compton scattering is used to simulate the polarization signatures in a model where the UV/soft X-ray excess arises from the bulk Compton process. Predictions of the expected polarization signatures of Compton emission from the soft X-ray excess in the SED of AO 0235+164 and the UV excess in the SED of 3C 279 are made for upcoming and proposed polarimetry missions.

Keywords: polarimetry; polarimeters; blazars; active galactic nuclei; active galaxies; relativistic jets; x-ray active galactic nuclei; non-thermal radiation sources; bl lacertae objects; flat-spectrum radio quasars
Electron Firehose Instabilities in High-β Intracluster Shocks

The preacceleration of electrons through reflection and shock drift acceleration (SDA) is essential for the diffusive shock acceleration of nonthermal electrons in collisionless shocks. Previous studies suggested that, in weak quasi-perpendicular (Q\bot) shocks in the high-β (β = Pgas/PB) intracluster medium (ICM), the temperature anisotropy due to SDA-reflected electrons can drive the electron firehose instability, which excites oblique nonpropagating waves in the shock foot. In this paper, we investigate, through a linear analysis and particle-in-cell simulations, the firehose instabilities driven by an electron temperature anisotropy (ETAFI) and also by a drifting electron beam (EBFI) in β ∼ 100 ICM plasmas. The EBFI should be more relevant to describing the self-excitation of upstream waves in Q\bot-shocks, since backstreaming electrons in the shock foot behave more like an electron beam rather than an anisotropic bi-Maxwellian population. We find that the basic properties of the two instabilities, such as the growth rate, γ, and the wavenumber of fast-growing oblique modes, are similar in the ICM environment, with one exception; while the waves excited by the ETAFI are nonpropagating (ωr = 0), those excited by the EBFI have a nonzero frequency (ωr ≠ 0). However, the frequency is small with ωr < γ. Thus, we conclude that the interpretation of previous studies for the nature of upstream waves based on the ETAFI remains valid in Q\bot-shocks in the ICM.

Keywords: galaxy clusters; shocks; plasma astrophysics; cosmic rays
A Catalog of Short Period Spectroscopic and Eclipsing Binaries Identified from the LAMOST and PTF Surveys

Binaries play key roles in determining stellar parameters and exploring stellar evolution models. We build a catalog of 88 eclipsing binaries with spectroscopic information, taking advantage of observations from both the Large Sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope and the Palomar Transient Factory surveys. A software pipeline is constructed to identify binary candidates by examining their light curves. The orbital periods of binaries are derived from the Lomb-Scargle method. The key distinguishing features of eclipsing binaries are recognized by a new filter, Flat Test. We classify the eclipsing binaries by applying a Fourier analysis on the light curves. Among all the binary stars, 13 binaries are identified as eclipsing binaries for the first time. The catalog contains the following information: the position, primary eclipsing magnitude and time, eclipsing depth, the number of photometry and radial velocity observations, largest radial velocity difference, binary type, the effective temperature of the observable star Teff, and surface gravity of the observable star log g. The false-positive probability is calculated by using both a Monte Carlo simulation and real data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 Standard Catalog. The binaries in the catalog are mostly with a period of less than one day. The period distribution shows a 0.22 day cutoff, which is consistent with the low probability of an eclipsing binary rotating with such a period.

Keywords: eclipsing binary stars; close binary stars; spectroscopic binary stars; binary stars; detached binary stars; contact binary stars