adsabs/SciX_UAT_keywords huggingface dataset:
Retrieving Dust Grain Sizes from Photopolarimetry: An Experimental Approach

We present the experimental phase function, degree of linear polarization (DLP), and linear depolarization (δL) curves of a set of forsterite samples representative of low-absorbing cosmic dust particles. The samples are prepared using state-of-the-art size-segregating techniques to obtain narrow size distributions spanning a broad range of the scattering size parameter domain. We conclude that the behavior of the phase function at the side- and back-scattering regions provides information on the size regime, the position and magnitude of the maximum of the DLP curve are strongly dependent on particle size, the negative polarization branch is mainly produced by particles with size parameters in the ~6 to ~20 range, and the δL is strongly dependent on particle size at all measured phase angles except for the exact backward direction. From a direct comparison of the experimental data with computations for spherical particles, it becomes clear that the use of the spherical model for simulating the phase function and DLP curves of irregular dust produces dramatic errors in the retrieved composition and size of the scattering particles: The experimental phase functions are reproduced by assuming unrealistically high values of the imaginary part of the refractive index. The spherical model does not reproduce the bell-shaped DLP curve of dust particles with sizes in the resonance and/or geometric optics size domain. Thus, the use of the Mie model for analyzing polarimetric observations might prevent locating dust particles with sizes of the order of or larger than the wavelength of the incident light.

Keywords: coma dust; spectropolarimetry; experimental techniques; debris disks
ALMA Detection of Parsec-scale Blobs at the Head of a Kiloparsec-scale Jet in the Nearby Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1068

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations at ≈100 GHz with 0.″05 (3 pc) resolution of the kiloparsec-scale jet seen in the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068, and we report the presence of parsec-scale blobs at the head of the jet. The combination of the detected radio flux (≈0.8 mJy), spectral index (≈0.5), and blob size (≈10 pc) suggests a strong magnetic field of B ≈ 240 μG. Such a strong magnetic field most likely implies magnetic field amplification by streaming cosmic rays. The estimated cosmic-ray power of the jet may exceed the limit set by the star formation activity in this galaxy. This result suggests that even modest-power jets can increase the galactic cosmic-ray content while propagating through the galactic bulge.

Keywords: active galactic nuclei; high energy astrophysics; galaxy jets; cosmic ray astronomy
TOI-4201: An Early M Dwarf Hosting a Massive Transiting Jupiter Stretching Theories of Core Accretion

We confirm TOI-4201 b as a transiting Jovian-mass planet orbiting an early M dwarf discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Using ground-based photometry and precise radial velocities from NEID and the Planet Finder Spectrograph, we measure a planet mass of ${2.59}_{-0.06}^{+0.07}$ M J, making this one of the most massive planets transiting an M dwarf. The planet is ∼0.4% of the mass of its 0.63 M ⊙ host and may have a heavy-element mass comparable to the total dust mass contained in a typical class II disk. TOI-4201 b stretches our understanding of core accretion during the protoplanetary phase and the disk mass budget, necessitating giant planet formation to take place either much earlier in the disk lifetime or perhaps through alternative mechanisms like gravitational instability. *This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Keywords: exoplanet detection methods; exoplanet astronomy; exoplanet formation; exoplanets; radial velocity; transit photometry; extrasolar gaseous giant planets
TESS Giants Transiting Giants. IV. A Low-density Hot Neptune Orbiting a Red Giant Star

Hot Neptunes, gaseous planets smaller than Saturn (∼3–8 R ⊕) with orbital periods less than 10 days, are rare. Models predict this is due to high-energy stellar irradiation stripping planetary atmospheres over time, often leaving behind only rocky planetary cores. Using our TESS full-frame-image pipeline giants in conjunction with Keck/HIRES radial velocity measurements, we present the discovery of TIC365102760 b, a 6.2 R ⊕(0.55 R J), 19.2 M ⊕(0.060 M J) planet transiting a red giant star every 4.21285 days. The old age and high equilibrium temperature yet remarkably low density of this planet ( ) suggest that its gaseous envelope should have been stripped by high-energy stellar irradiation billions of years ago. The present-day planet mass and radius suggest the atmospheric stripping was slower than predicted. Unexpectedly low stellar activity and/or late-stage planet inflation could be responsible for the observed properties of this system. Further studies of this system with more precise photometry in multiple passbands will be capable of revealing more details of this planet's atmosphere.

Keywords: exoplanet detection methods; star-planet interactions; red giant branch; exoplanet atmospheric evolution; hot neptunes
What Are the Causes of Super Activity of Solar Active Regions?

Flare productivity varies among solar active regions (ARs). This study analyzed 20 ARs of contrasting sunspot areas and flare productivities to understand the super flare productivity of certain ARs. We used the flare index (FI) as an indicator of flare activity. We examined the pattern of morphological evolution of magnetic features. Further, we derived a set of magnetic feature parameters to quantitatively characterize ARs. Our study found that the correlation coefficient is the highest (r = 0.78) between FI and the length of the strong gradient polarity inversion line (SgPIL), while the coefficient is the lowest (r = 0.14) between FI and the total unsigned magnetic flux. For the selected ARs, this study also found that the super flare productive ARs have SgPILs (R value) longer (greater) than 50 Mm (4.5). These results suggest that flare productivity is mainly controlled by the size of the subregion that comprises close interaction of opposite magnetic polarities and is weakly correlated with the size of the whole ARs. Further, even though magnetic flux emergence is important, this study shows that it alone is insufficient to increase flare productivity. New emergence can drive either the interaction of like or opposite magnetic polarities of nonconjugate pairs (i.e., polarities not from the same bipole). In the former case, the magnetic configuration remains simple, and flare productivity would be low. In the latter case, the convergence of opposite magnetic fluxes of nonconjugate pairs results in a magnetic configuration with long SgPIL and an increase in flare productivity.

Keywords: solar active regions; solar flares
On Binary Formation from Three Initially Unbound Bodies

We explore three-body binary formation (3BBF), the formation of a bound system via gravitational scattering of three initially unbound bodies (3UB), using direct numerical integrations. For the first time, we consider systems with unequal masses, as well as finite-size and post-Newtonian effects. Our analytically derived encounter rates and numerical scattering results reproduce the 3BBF rate predicted by Goodman & Hut for hard binaries in dense star clusters. We find that 3BBF occurs overwhelmingly through nonresonant encounters and that the two most-massive bodies are never the most likely to bind. Instead, 3BBF favors pairing the two least-massive bodies (for wide binaries) or the most- plus least-massive bodies (for hard binaries). 3BBF overwhelmingly favors wide-binary formation with superthermal eccentricities, perhaps helping to explain the eccentric wide binaries observed by Gaia. Hard-binary formation is far rarer, but with a thermal eccentricity distribution. The semimajor axis distribution scales cumulatively as a 3 for hard and slightly wider binaries. Although mergers are rare between black holes when including relativistic effects, direct collisions occur frequently between main-sequence stars—more often than hard 3BBF. Yet, these collisions do not significantly suppress hard 3BBF at the low-velocity dispersions typical of open or globular clusters. Energy dissipation through gravitational radiation leads to a small probability of a bound, hierarchical triple system forming directly from 3UB.

Keywords: three-body problem; wide binary stars; gravitational wave sources; n-body simulations; astrodynamics; binary stars; compact binary stars; star clusters; stellar dynamics; stellar streams; tidal disruption
The Role of Outflow Feedback on Accretion of Compact Objects in Accretion Disk of Active Galactic Nuclei

Compact objects (COs) can exist and evolve in an active galactic nuclei (AGN) disk, triggering a series of attractive CO-related multimessenger events around a supermassive black hole. To better understand the nature of an embedded CO and its surroundings and to investigate CO-related events more accurately, in this paper, we study the specific accretion process of a CO in an AGN disk and explore the role of outflow feedback. We show that the asymptotically isotropic outflow generated from the CO hyper-Eddington accretion would truncate the circum-CO disk and push out its surrounding gas, resulting in recurrent formation and refilling of an outflow cavity to intermittently stop the accretion. Applying this universal cyclic process to black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs), we find that, even if it is above the Eddington rate, the mass rate accreted onto a BH is dramatically reduced compared with the initial gas captured rate and thus consumes little mass of the AGN disk; outflow feedback on an NS is generally similar, but possesses complexities on the existence of a stellar magnetic field and hard surface. We demonstrate that although outflow feedback itself may be unobservable, it remarkably alters the CO evolution via reducing its mass growth rate, and the AGN disk can survive from the otherwise drastic CO accretion overlooking outflow. In addition, we discuss the potential influence of an underdense cavity on CO-related events, which embodies the significant role of outflow feedback as well.

Keywords: compact objects; neutron stars; active galactic nuclei; accretion; black holes
Diffuse X-Ray Emission in the Cygnus OB2 Association

We present a large-scale study of diffuse X-ray emission in the nearby massive stellar association Cygnus OB2 as part of the Chandra Cygnus OB2 Legacy Program. We used 40 Chandra X-ray ACIS-I observations covering ~1.0 deg2. After removing 7924 point sources detected in our survey and applying adaptive smoothing to the background-corrected X-ray emission, the adaptive smoothing reveals large-scale diffuse X-ray emission. Diffuse emission was detected in the subbands soft (0.5-1.2 keV) and medium (1.2-2.5 keV) and marginally in the hard (2.5-7.0 keV) band. From X-ray spectral analysis of stacked spectra we compute a total (0.5-7.0 keV) diffuse X-ray luminosity of ${L}_{{\rm{X}}}^{\mathrm{diff}}\approx $ 4.2 × 1034 erg s-1, characterized by plasma temperature components at kT ≈ 0.11, 0.40, and 1.18 keV, respectively. The H I absorption column density corresponding to these temperatures has a distribution consistent with N H = (0.43, 0.80, 1.39) × 1022 cm-2. The extended medium-band energy emission likely arises from O-type stellar winds thermalized by wind-wind collisions in the most populated regions of the association, while the soft-band emission probably arises from less energetic termination shocks against the surrounding interstellar medium. Supersoft and soft diffuse emission appears more widely dispersed and intense than the medium-band emission. The diffuse X-ray emission is generally spatially coincident with low-extinction regions that we attribute to the ubiquitous influence of powerful stellar winds from massive stars and their interaction with the local interstellar medium. Diffuse X-ray emission is volume filling, rather than edge brightened, oppositely to other star-forming regions. We reveal the first observational evidence of X-ray halos around some evolved massive stars.

Keywords: x-ray stars; massive stars; stellar winds
A Sample of Edge-on H I-rich Low Surface Brightness Galaxy Candidates in the 40% ALFALFA Catalog

Low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) are defined as galaxies that are fainter than dark night sky and are important for studying our universe. Particularly, edge-on galaxies are useful for the study of rotational velocity and dynamical properties of galaxies. Hence here we focus on searching for edge-on LSBGs. In order to find these edge-on dim galaxies, a series of effects caused by inclination, including the surface brightness profile, internal extinction, and scale length, have been corrected. In this work, we present a catalog of 281 edge-on LSBG candidates, which are selected from the crossmatch between Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 and the 40% ALFALFA catalog. We also present the properties of these edge-on LSBG candidates including the absolute magnitude, central surface brightness, B - V color, scale length, and relative thickness. Our result suggests that the correction of inclination effects is very important for obtaining a complete sample of LSBGs.

Keywords: catalogs; low surface brightness galaxies; galaxies
Evolution of the Accretion Disk-Corona during the Bright Hard-to-soft State Transition: A Reflection Spectroscopic Study with GX 339-4

We present the analysis of several observations of the black hole binary GX 339-4 during its bright intermediate states from two different outbursts (2002 and 2004), as observed by the RXTE/Proportional Counter Array. We perform a consistent study of its reflection spectrum by employing the relxill family of relativistic reflection models to probe the evolutionary properties of the accretion disk including the inner disk radius (Rin), ionization parameter (ξ), temperatures of the inner disk (Tin), corona (kTe), and its optical depth (τ). Our analysis indicates that the disk inner edge approaches the innermost stable circular orbit during the early onset of the bright hard state, and that the truncation radius of the disk remains low (<9 Rg) throughout the transition from hard to soft state. This suggests that the changes observed in the accretion disk properties during the state transition are driven by variation in accretion rate, and not necessarily due to changes in the inner disk's radius. We compare the aforementioned disk properties in two different outbursts with state transitions occurring at dissimilar luminosities and find identical evolutionary trends in the disk properties, with differences only seen in the corona's kTe and τ. We also perform an analysis by employing a self-consistent Comptonized accretion disk model accounting for the scatter of disk photons by the corona, and measure the low inner disk truncation radius across the bright intermediate states, using the temperature-dependent values of the spectral hardening factor, thereby independently confirming our results from the reflection analysis.

Keywords: high energy astrophysics; compact objects; black hole physics; low-mass x-ray binary stars; accretion; x-ray astronomy; spectroscopy; astronomy data modeling; x-ray sources; general relativity; gravitation; astrophysical black holes
Multimessenger Parameter Estimation of GW170817: From Jet Structure to the Hubble Constant

The electromagnetic radiation that followed the neutron star merger event GW170817 revealed that gamma-ray burst afterglows from jets misaligned with our line of sight exhibit a light curve with slowly rising flux. The slope of the rising light curve depends sensitively on the angle of the observer with respect to the jet axis, which is likely to be perpendicular to the merger plane of the neutron star binary. Therefore, the afterglow emission can be used to constrain the inclination of the merging system. Here, we calculate the gamma-ray burst afterglow emission based on the realistic jet structure derived from general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamical simulations of a black hole torus system for the central engine of the gamma-ray burst. Combined with gravitational wave parameter estimation, we fit the multi-epoch afterglow emission of GW170817. We show that with such a jet model, the observing angle can be tightly constrained by multimessenger observations. The best fit observing angle of GW170817 is θv = 0.38 ± 0.02 rad. With such a constraint, we can break the degeneracy between inclination angle and luminosity distance in gravitational wave parameter estimation, and substantially increase the precision with which the Hubble constant is constrained by the standard siren method. Our estimation of the distance is DL = 43.4 ± 1 Mpc and the Hubble constant constraint is 69.5 ± 4 km s-1 Mpc-1. As a result, multimessenger observations of short-duration gamma-ray bursts, combined with a good theoretical understanding of the jet structure, can be powerful probes of cosmological parameters.

Keywords: gravitational waves; gamma-ray bursts; cosmological parameters; hubble constant
Polarization of Rotationally Oblate Self-luminous Exoplanets with Anisotropic Atmospheres

The young self-luminous giant exoplanets are expected to be oblate in shape, owing to the high rotational speeds observed for some objects. Similar to the case of brown dwarfs, the thermal emission from these planets should be polarized by scatterings of molecules and condensate cloud particles, and the rotation-induced asymmetry of the planet's disk would yield to net nonzero detectable polarization. Considering an anisotropic atmosphere, we present here a three-dimensional approach to estimating the disk-averaged polarization that arises due to the oblateness of the planets. We solve the multiple-scattering vector radiative transfer equations at each location on the planet's disk and calculate the local Stokes vectors, and then calculate the disk-integrated flux and linear polarization. For a cloud-free atmosphere, the polarization signal is observable only in the visible wavelength region. However, the presence of clouds in the planetary atmospheres leads to a detectable amount of polarization in the infrared wavelength region where the planetary thermal emission peaks. Considering the different broadband filters of the SPHERE-IRDIS instrument of the Very Large Telescope, we present generic models for the polarization at different wavelength bands as a function of their rotation period. We also present polarization models for the exoplanets β Pic b and ROXs 42B b, as two representative cases that can guide future observations. Our insights into the polarization of young giant planets presented here would be useful for the upcoming polarimetric observations of the directly imaged planets.

Keywords: exoplanets; exoplanet atmospheres; extrasolar gaseous giant planets; polarimetry; spectropolarimetry; atmospheric clouds; direct imaging
Forward Modeling of Double Neutron Stars: Insights from Highly Offset Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

We present a detailed analysis of two well-localized, highly offset short gamma-ray bursts—GRB 070809 and GRB 090515—investigating the kinematic evolution of their progenitors from compact object formation until merger. Calibrating to observations of their most probable host galaxies, we construct semi-analytic galactic models that account for star formation history and galaxy growth over time. We pair detailed kinematic evolution with compact binary population modeling to infer viable post-supernova velocities and inspiral times. By populating binary tracers according to the star formation history of the host and kinematically evolving their post-supernova trajectories through the time-dependent galactic potential, we find that systems matching the observed offsets of the bursts require post-supernova systemic velocities of hundreds of kilometers per second. Marginalizing over uncertainties in the stellar mass-halo mass relation, we find that the second-born neutron star in the GRB 070809 and GRB 090515 progenitor systems received a natal kick of $\gtrsim 200\,\mathrm{km}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}$ at the $78 \% $ and $91 \% $ credible levels, respectively. Applying our analysis to the full catalog of localized short gamma-ray bursts will provide unique constraints on their progenitors and help unravel the selection effects inherent to observing transients that are highly offset with respect to their hosts.

Keywords: gamma-ray bursts; supernova dynamics; neutron stars; compact binary stars; stellar evolution; galaxy evolution
Stochastic Modeling of Star Formation Histories. III. Constraints from Physically Motivated Gaussian Processes

Galaxy formation and evolution involve a variety of effectively stochastic processes that operate over different timescales. The extended regulator model provides an analytic framework for the resulting variability (or "burstiness") in galaxy-wide star formation due to these processes. It does this by relating the variability in Fourier space to the effective timescales of stochastic gas inflow, equilibrium, and dynamical processes influencing giant molecular clouds' creation and destruction using the power spectral density (PSD) formalism. We use the connection between the PSD and autocovariance function for general stochastic processes to reformulate this model as an autocovariance function, which we use to model variability in galaxy star formation histories (SFHs) using physically motivated Gaussian processes in log star formation rate (SFR) space. Using stellar population synthesis models, we then explore how changes in model stochasticity can affect spectral signatures across galaxy populations with properties similar to the Milky Way and present-day dwarfs, as well as at higher redshifts. We find that, even at fixed scatter, perturbations to the stochasticity model (changing timescales vs. overall variability) leave unique spectral signatures across both idealized and more realistic galaxy populations. Distributions of spectral features including Hα and UV-based SFR indicators, Hδ and Ca H and K absorption-line strengths, D n (4000), and broadband colors provide testable predictions for galaxy populations from present and upcoming surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The Gaussian process SFH framework provides a fast, flexible implementation of physical covariance models for the next generation of spectral energy distribution modeling tools. Code to reproduce our results can be found at https://github.com/kartheikiyer/GP-SFH.

Keywords: galaxy evolution; galaxy processes; spectral energy distribution; computational methods; astrostatistics techniques