Search

Line intensity mapping (LIM) can provide a powerful means to constrain the theory of gravity and the nature of dark energy at low and high redshifts by mapping the large-scale structure over many redshift epochs. In this paper, we investigate the potential of the next generation ground-based millimeter-wavelength LIM surveys in constraining several models beyond ΛCDM, involving either a dynamic dark energy component or modifications of the theory of gravity. Limiting ourselves to two-point clustering statistics, we consider the measurements of auto-spectra of several CO rotational lines (from J = 2−1 to J = 6−5) and the [C ii ] fine structure line in the redshift range of 0.25 < z < 12. We consider different models beyond ΛCDM, each one with different signatures and peculiarities. Among them, we focus on Jordan–Brans–Dicke and axion-driven early dark energy models as examples of well-studied scalar-tensor theories acting at late and early times, respectively. Additionally, we consider three phenomenological models based on an effective description of gravity at cosmological scales. We show that LIM surveys deployable within a decade (with ∼108 spectrometer hours) have the potential to improve upon the current bounds on all considered models significantly. The level of improvements range from a factor of a few to an order of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detailed structure of core-collapse supernova progenitors is crucial for studying supernova explosion engines and the corresponding multimessenger signals. In this paper, we investigate the influence of stellar rotation on binary systems consisting of a 30 M ⊙ donor star and a 20 M ⊙ accretor using the MESA stellar evolution code. We find that through mass transfer in binary systems, fast-rotating red- and blue-supergiant progenitors can be formed within a certain range of the initial orbital periods, although the correlation is not linear. We also find that even with the same initial mass ratio of the binary system, the resulting final masses of the collapsars, the iron core masses, the compactness parameters, and the final rotational rates can vary widely and are sensitive to the initial orbital periods. For instance, the progenitors with strong convection form a thinner Si shell and a wider O shell compared to those in single-star systems. In addition, we conduct 2D self-consistent core-collapse supernova simulations with neutrino transport for these rotating progenitors derived from binary stellar evolution. We find that the neutrino and gravitational-wave signatures of these binary progenitors could exhibit significant variations. Progenitors with larger compactness parameters produce more massive proto-neutron stars, have higher mass accretion rates, and emit brighter neutrino luminosity and louder gravitational emissions. Finally, we observe stellar-mass black hole formation in some of our failed exploding models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare the molecular cloud properties in subgalactic regions of two galaxies, barred spiral NGC 1313, which is forming many massive clusters, and flocculent spiral NGC 7793, which is forming significantly fewer massive clusters despite having a similar star formation rate to NGC 1313. We find that there are larger variations in cloud properties between different regions within each galaxy than there are between the galaxies on a global scale, especially for NGC 1313. There are higher masses, line widths, pressures, and virial parameters in the arms of NGC 1313 and the center of NGC 7793 than in the interarm and outer regions of the galaxies. The massive cluster formation of NGC 1313 may be driven by its greater variation in environment, allowing more clouds with the necessary conditions to emerge, although no one parameter seems primarily responsible for the difference in star formation. Meanwhile NGC 7793 has clouds that are as massive and have as much kinetic energy as the clouds in the arms of NGC 1313, but have densities and pressures more similar to those in the interarm regions and so are less inclined to collapse and form stars. The cloud properties in NGC 1313 and NGC 7793 suggest that spiral arms, bars, interarm regions, and flocculent spirals each represent distinct environments with regard to molecular cloud populations. We see surprisingly little difference in surface density between the regions, suggesting that the differences in surface densities frequently seen between arm and interarm regions in lower-resolution studies are indicative of the sparsity of molecular clouds, rather than differences in their true surface density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process whereby the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) populating the centers of galaxies have been assembled remains to be established, with the relative importance of seeds provided by collapsed Population III stars, black holes formed in nuclear star clusters via repeated mergers, or direct collapses of protogalactic disks yet to be determined. In this paper we study the prospects for casting light on this issue by future measurements of gravitational waves emitted during the inspirals and mergers of pairs of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), discussing in particular the roles of prospective measurements by LISA and the proposed atom interferometers AION and AEDGE. We find that the expected number of detectable IMBH binaries is O (100) for LISA and AEDGE and O (10) for AION in low-mass seeds scenarios and goes down to O (10) for LISA and below one for AEDGE and AION in high-mass seed scenarios. This allows all of these observatories to probe the parameters of the seed model, in particular, if at least a fraction of the SMBHs arises from a low-mass seed population. We also show that the measurement accuracy of the binary parameters is, in general, best for AEDGE, which sees very precisely the merger of the binary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1RXS J083842.1−282723 is a nearly synchronous magnetic cataclysmic variable with a simple X-ray light curve. While its orbital period was fairly well established at P orb = 98.4 minutes from optical spectroscopy, indirect estimates of P spin/ P orb ranged from 0.90 to 0.96 because the short X-ray light curves could not determine the beat period to a factor of 2. We analyze a recent 50 days TESS observation, and ground-based optical time-series photometry spanning 9 yr, that together measure precise beat, orbit, and spin periods and enable the X-ray and optical modulations to be phase aligned. Although the X-ray light curves do not distinguish between a beat period of 16.11 or 32.22 hr, all of the optical evidence favors the longer value, with complete pole switching of accretion every half beat cycle. This would require P spin/ P orb = 0.952. Long-term optical monitoring also shows a decline in accretion rate, and a change in the beat-folded light curve. It would be useful to obtain a new X-ray/optical observation of at least 32 hr duration to examine any associated change in accretion structure, and to confirm the spin and beat periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Chandra ACIS-S imaging spectroscopy results of the extended (1.″5–8″, 300–1600 pc) hard X-ray emission of NGC 5728, the host galaxy of a Compton-thick active galactic nucleus. We find spectrally and spatially resolved features in the Fe K α complex (5.0–7.5 keV) redward and blueward of the neutral Fe line at 6.4 keV in the extended narrow-line region bicone. A simple phenomenological fit of a power law plus Gaussians gives a significance of 5.4 σ and 3.7 σ for the red and blue wings, respectively. Fits to a suite of physically consistent models confirm a significance of ≥3 σ for the red wing. The significance of the blue wing may be diminished by the presence of rest-frame highly ionized Fe xxv and Fe xxvi lines (1.4 σ –3.7 σ range). A detailed investigation of the Chandra ACIS-S point-spread function and comparison with the observed morphology demonstrates that these red and blue wings are radially extended (∼5″, ∼1 kpc) along the optical bicone axis. If the wing emission is due solely to redshifted and blueshifted high-velocity neutral Fe K α, then the implied line-of-sight velocities are +/− ∼0.1 c, and their fluxes are consistent with being equal. A symmetric high-velocity outflow is then a viable explanation. This outflow has deprojected velocities ∼100 times larger than the outflows detected in optical spectroscopic studies, potentially dominating the kinetic feedback power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prompt emission, X-ray plateau, and X-ray flares of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are thought to be from internal dissipation, and the magnetar as the central engine with propeller fallback accretion is proposed to interpret the observed phenomena of GRBs. In this paper, by systematically searching for X-ray emission observed by Swift/X-ray Telescope, we find that seven robust GRBs include both X-ray flares and plateau emissions with measured redshift. More interestingly, the X-ray flares/bumps for those seven GRBs are simultaneously observed in the gamma-ray band. By adopting the propeller fallback accretion model to fit the observed data, it is found that the free parameters of two GRBs (140512A and 180329B) can be constrained very well, while in the other five cases, more or less, they are not all sufficiently constrained. On the other hand, this requires the conversion efficiency of the propeller to be two or three times higher than that of the spindown dipole radiation of the magnetar. If this is the case, it is contradictory to the expectation from the propeller model: namely, a dirtier ejecta should be less efficient in producing gamma-ray emissions. Our results hint that at least the magnetar central engine with propeller fallback accretion model cannot interpret very well both the GRB X-ray flares simultaneously observed in the gamma-ray band and the X-ray flares of GRBs with a high Lorentz factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a long-term multiwavelength investigation focusing on 12 distinct samples of Fermi-4LAC bright flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). Detailed variability and spectral analyses of γ -ray, X-ray, and ultraviolet/optical data obtained by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, the Swift X-ray Telescope, and the Swift Ultraviolet and Optical Telescope were performed over a period of about 14 yr, spanning from 2008 October to 2022 October. These analyses provide insights into characterizing the variations within different activity states. To efficiently reproduce the multiwavelength simultaneous/quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the samples, we propose a novel approach for constraining the model parameters. By analyzing the parameters of the energy spectral curvature (β), the peak frequency (ν pk), the peak luminosity (L pk), the Compton dominance parameter (A C), and the variability timescale (t var) in different activity states, we can estimate the values of the jet radiation region parameters for the samples. Subsequently, we utilize the synchrotron-self-Compton and external Compton processes, employing a logarithmic-parabolic spectral shape to approximate the observed spectra of the sample sources, while considering the induced regime for the physical parameters. The model results show that: (1) by effectively reproducing SEDs in various active states of bright FSRQs, the parameters within the emission region were reasonably constrained; (2) compared to other active states, the emission region of the jet exhibits a reduced radius during the high state, while the magnetic field strength increases during the low state; and (3) for bright FSRQs in a high-activity state, there is an enhancement of the Doppler factor, often exhibiting a tendency toward energy equipartition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational coupling between large- and small-scale density perturbations leads to anisotropic distortions to local small-scale matter fluctuations. Such local anisotropic distortions can be used to reconstruct large-scale matter distribution, known as tidal reconstruction. In this paper, we apply the tidal reconstruction methods to simulated galaxies in redshift space. We find that redshift-space distortions (RSDs) lead to anisotropic reconstruction results. While the reconstructed radial modes are more noisy mainly due to the small-scale velocity dispersion, the transverse modes are still reconstructed with high fidelity, and well correlated with the original large-scale density modes. The bias of the reconstructed field at large scales shows a simple angular dependence, which can be described by a form similar to that of the linear RSD. The noise power spectrum is nearly isotropic and scale independent on large scales. This makes the reconstructed tide fields an ideal tracer for cosmic variance cancellation and multi-tracer analysis and has profound implications for future 21 cm intensity mapping surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear gravitational evolution induces strong nonlinearities in the observed cosmological density fields, leading to positive off-diagonal correlations in the power spectrum covariance. This has caused the information saturation in the power spectrum, e.g., the neutrino mass constraints from the nonlinear power spectra are lower than their linear counterparts by a factor of ∼2 at z = 0. In this paper, we explore how nonlinear reconstruction methods improve the cosmological information from nonlinear cosmic fields. By applying nonlinear reconstruction to cold dark matter fields from the Quijote simulations, we find that nonlinear reconstruction can improve the constraints on cosmological parameters significantly, nearly reaching the linear theory limit. For neutrino mass, the result is only 12% lower than the linear power spectrum, i.e., the theoretical best result. This makes nonlinear reconstruction an efficient and useful method to extract neutrino information from current and upcoming galaxy surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cen A hosts the closest active galactic nucleus to the Milky Way, which makes it an ideal target for investigating the dynamical processes in the vicinity of accreting supermassive black holes. In this paper, we present 14 Chandra HETGS spectra of the nucleus of Cen A that were observed throughout 2022. We compared them with each other, and contrasted them against the two previous Chandra HETGS spectra from 2001. This enabled an investigation into the spectral changes occurring on timescales of months and 21 years. All Chandra spectra could be well fitted by an absorbed power law with a strong and narrow Fe K α line, a leaked power-law feature at low energies, and Si and S K α lines that could not be associated with the central engine. The flux of the continuum varied by a factor of 2.74 ± 0.05 over the course of the observations, whereas the Fe line only varied by 18.8% ± 8.8%. The photon index increased over 21 years, and the hydrogen column density varied significantly within a few months as well. The Fe K α line was found at a lower energy than expected from the Cen A redshift, amounting to an excess velocity of 326 − 94 + 84 km s − 1 relative to Cen A. We investigated warped accretion disks, bulk motion, and outflows as possible explanations of this shift. The spectra also featured ionized absorption lines from Fe xxv and Fe xxvi, describing a variable inflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies based on the data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) GO-13297 program “HST Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters: Shedding UV Light on Their Populations and Formation” have investigated the photometric properties of a large sample of Galactic globular clusters and revolutionized our understanding of their stellar populations. In this paper, we expand upon previous studies by focusing our attention on the stellar clusters’ internal kinematics. We computed proper motions for stars in 56 globular clusters and one open cluster by combining the GO-13297 images with archival HST data. The astrophotometric catalogs released with this paper represent the most complete and homogeneous collection of proper motions of stars in the cores of stellar clusters to date, and expand the information provided by the current (and future) Gaia data releases to much fainter stars and into the crowded central regions. We also census the general kinematic properties of stellar clusters by computing the velocity dispersion and anisotropy radial profiles of their bright members. We study the dependence on concentration and relaxation time, and derive dynamical distances. Finally, we present an in-depth kinematic analysis of the globular cluster NGC 5904. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotation causes an increase in a neutron star’s mass and equatorial radius. The mass and radius depend sensitively on the unknown equation of state (EOS) of cold, dense matter. However, the increases in mass and radius due to rotation are almost independent of the EOS. The EOS independence leads to the idea of neutron star universality. In this paper, we compute sequences of rotating neutron stars with constant central density. We use a collection of randomly generated EOSs to construct simple correction factors to the mass and radius computed from the equations of hydrostatic equilibrium for nonrotating neutron stars. The correction factors depend only on the nonrotating star’s mass and radius and are almost independent of the EOS. This makes it computationally inexpensive to include observations of rotating neutron stars in EOS inference codes. We also construct a mapping from the measured mass and radius of a rotating neutron star to a corresponding nonrotating star. The mapping makes it possible to construct a zero-spin massâ€"radius curve if the masses and radii of many neutron stars with different spins are measured. We show that the changes in polar and equatorial radii are symmetric, in that the polar radius shrinks at the same rate in which the equatorial radius grows. This symmetry is related to the observation that the equatorial compactness (the ratio of mass to radius) is almost constant on one of the constant-density sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An infrared L - and M -band spectral survey, performed toward the young planetary nebula NGC 7027 with the iSHELL instrument on NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), has revealed more than 20 vibrational lines of the molecules HeH+, H2, and CH+ and more than 50 spectral lines of atoms and atomic ions. The present paper focuses on the atomic line emissions, the molecular lines having been discussed in two previous publications. The atomic lines detected with high confidence in the 2.951â€"5.24 ÎĽ m region covered (incompletely) by this survey comprise (1) six collisionally excited lines of metal ions that had previously been identified in astrophysical nebulae but for which the present observations provide the most accurate wavelength determinations obtained to date; (2) a spectral line at 4.6895 ÎĽ m, not previously reported, for which the probable identification is the 4 F 7/2â€"4 F 9/2 fine-structure transition of [Zn vi ]; (3) 39 recombination lines of H and He+, with upper states of principal quantum number up to 38 (H) or 24 (He+); (4) 10 recombination lines of the multielectron species He, C2+, and C3+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the fourth paper exploring the infrared properties of giant H ii regions with the FORCAST instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Our survey utilizes the census of 56 Milky Way giant H ii regions identified by Conti & Crowther, and in this paper we present the 20 and 37 ÎĽ m imaging data we obtained from SOFIA for sources Sgr D and W42. Based upon the SOFIA data and other multiwavelength data, we derive and discuss the detailed physical properties of the individual compact sources and subregions as well as the large-scale properties of Sgr D and W42. However, improved measurements have revealed much closer distances to both regions than previously believed, and consequently, both sources are not powerful enough to be considered giant H ii regions any longer. Motivated by this, we revisit the census of giant H ii regions, performing a search of the last two decades of literature to update each source with the most recent and/or most accurate distance measurements. Based on these new distance estimates, we determine that 14 sources in total (25%) are at sufficiently reliable and closer distances that they are not powerful enough to be considered giant H ii regions. We briefly discuss the observational and physical characteristics specific to Sgr D and W42 and show that they have properties distinct from the giant H ii regions previously studied as a part of this survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We continue our series of papers on phase-space distributions of stars in the Milky Way based on photometrically derived metallicities and Gaia astrometry, with a focus on the halo−disk interface in the local volume. To exploit various photometric databases, we develop a method of empirically calibrating synthetic stellar spectra based on a comparison with observations of stellar sequences and individual stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the SkyMapper Sky Survey, and the Pan-STARRS1 surveys, overcoming band-specific corrections employed in our previous work. In addition, photometric zero-point corrections are derived to provide an internally consistent photometric system with a spatially uniform metallicity zero-point. Using our phase-space diagrams, we find a remarkably narrow sequence in the rotational velocity (v ϕ ) versus metallicity ([Fe/H]) space for a sample of high proper-motion stars (>25 mas yr−1), which runs along Gaia Sausage/Enceladus (GSE) and the Splash substructures and is linked to the disk, spanning nearly 2 dex in [Fe/H]. Notably, a rapid increase of v ϕ from a nearly zero net rotation to ∼180 km s−1 in a narrow metallicity interval (−0.6 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ −0.4) suggests that some of these stars emerged quickly on a short gas-depletion timescale. Through measurements of a scale height and length, we argue that these stars are distinct from those heated dynamically by mergers. This chain of high proper-motion stars provides additional support for recent discoveries suggesting that a starburst took place when the young Milky Way encountered the gas-rich GSE progenitor, which eventually led to the settling of metal-enriched gas onto the disk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the four-dimensional relationships between magnetic activity, rotation, mass, and age for solar-type stars in the age range 5–25 Myr. This is the late-pre-main-sequence (l-PMS) evolutionary phase when rapid changes in a star's interior may lead to changes in the magnetic dynamo mechanisms. We carefully derive rotational periods and spot sizes for 471 members of several l-PMS open clusters using photometric light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility. Magnetic activity was measured in our previous Chandra-based study, and additional rotational data were obtained from other work. Several results emerge. Mass-dependent evolution of rotation through the l-PMS phase agrees with astrophysical models of stellar angular momentum changes, although the data suggest a subpopulation of stars with slower initial rotations than commonly assumed. There is a hint of the onset of unsaturated tachoclinal dependency of X-ray activity on rotation, as reported by Argiroffi et al., but this result is not confidently confirmed. Both X-ray luminosity and starspot area decrease approximately as t −1 for solar-mass stars, suggesting that spot magnetic fields are roughly constant and l-PMS stars follow the universal solar-scaling law between the X-ray luminosity and surface magnetic flux. Assuming convective dynamos are dominant, theoretical magnetic fluxes fail to reveal the universal law for l-PMS stars that enter late Henyey tracks. Altogether we emerge with a few lines of evidence suggesting that the transition from the turbulent to solar-type dynamo occurs at the later stages of l-PMS evolution as stars approach the zero-age main sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observed breakBRD ("break bulges in red disks") galaxies are a nearby sample of face-on disk galaxies with particularly centrally concentrated star formation: they have red disks but recent star formation in their centers as measured by the D n 4000 spectral index. In Kopenhafer et al., a comparable population of breakBRD analogs was identified in the TNG simulation, in which the central concentration of star formation was found to reflect a central concentration of dense, star-forming gas caused by a lack of dense gas in the galaxy outskirts. In this paper, we examine the circumgalactic medium of the central breakBRD analogs to determine if the extended halo gas also shows differences from that around comparison galaxies with comparable stellar mass. We examine the circumgalactic medium gas mass, specific angular momentum, and metallicity in these galaxy populations. We find less gas in the circumgalactic medium of breakBRD galaxies, and that the breakBRD circumgalactic medium is slightly more concentrated than that of comparable M * galaxies. In addition, we find that the angular momentum in the circumgalactic medium of breakBRD galaxies tends to be low for their stellar mass, and shows more misalignment to the angular momentum vector of the stellar disk. Finally, we find that the circumgalactic medium metallicity of breakBRD galaxies tends to be high for their stellar mass. Together with their low star formation rate, we argue that these circumgalactic medium properties indicate a small amount of disk feeding concentrated in the central regions and a lack of low-metallicity gas accretion from the intergalactic medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our earlier study (Paper I) of this series, we examined the hemispheric sign preference (HSP) of magnetic helicity flux dH/dt across photospheric surfaces of 4802 samples of 1105 unique active regions (ARs) observed during solar cycle 24. Here, we investigate any association of the HSP, expressed as a degree of compliance, with flaring activity, analyzing the same set of dH/dt estimates as used in Paper I. The AR samples under investigation are assigned to heliographic regions (HRs) defined in the Carrington longitude–latitude plane with a grid spacing of 45° in longitude and 15° in latitude. For AR samples in each of the defined HRs, we calculate the degree of HSP compliance and the average soft X-ray flare index. The strongest flaring activity is found to be in one distinctive HR with an extremely low-HSP compliance of 41% as compared to the mean and standard deviation of 62% and 7%, respectively, over all HRs. This sole HR shows an anti-HSP (i.e., <50%) and includes the highly flare-productive AR NOAA 12673, however this AR is not uniquely responsible for the HR's low HSP. We also find that all HRs with the highest flaring activity are located in the southern hemisphere, and they tend to have lower degrees of HSP compliance. These findings point to the presence of localized regions of the convection zone with enhanced turbulence, imparting a greater magnetic complexity and a higher flaring rate to some rising magnetic flux tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We generalize the stochastic theory of hierarchical clustering presented in Paper I by Lapi & Danese to derive the (conditional) halo progenitor mass function and the related large-scale bias. Specifically, we present a stochastic differential equation that describes fluctuations in the mass growth of progenitor halos of given descendant mass and redshift, as driven by a multiplicative Gaussian white noise involving the power spectrum and the spherical collapse threshold of density perturbations. We demonstrate that, as cosmic time passes, the noise yields an average drift of the progenitors toward larger masses, which quantitatively renders the expectation from the standard extended Press and Schechter (EPS) theory. We solve the Fokker–Planck equation associated with the stochastic dynamics, and obtain as an exact, stationary solution, the EPS progenitor mass function. Then we introduce a modification of the stochastic equation in terms of a mass-dependent collapse threshold modulating the noise, and solve analytically the associated Fokker–Planck equation for the progenitor mass function. The latter is found to be in excellent agreement with the outcomes of N-body simulations; even more remarkably, this is achieved with the same shape of the collapse threshold used in Paper I to reproduce the halo mass function. Finally, we exploit the above results to compute the large-scale halo bias, and find it in pleasing agreement with the N-body outcomes. All in all, the present paper illustrates that the stochastic theory of hierarchical clustering introduced in Paper I can describe effectively not only halos' abundance, but also their progenitor distribution and their correlation with the large-scale environment across cosmic times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous paper, we found that perpendicular and parallel proton temperatures are clearly associated with the proton-scale turbulence in the solar wind, and magnetic helicity signature appears to be an important indicator in the association. Based on 15 yr of in situ measurements, the present paper further investigates the magnetic helicity of solar wind turbulence and its role in regulating magnetic energy spectra and proton temperatures. Results show that the presence of the helicity signature is very common in solar wind turbulence at scales , with k being the wavenumber and ρp the proton gyroradius. The sign of the helicity is mostly positive, indicating the dominance of right-handed polarization of the turbulence. The helicity magnitude usually increases with k and (the proton parallel beta) when and are less than unity. As helicity magnitude increases, the power index of the energy spectrum becomes more negative, and the proton temperatures and rise significantly, where and are the perpendicular and parallel temperatures with respect to the background magnetic field. In particular, the rise of is faster than when is satisfied. The faster rise of with the helicity magnitude may be interpreted as the result of the preferentially perpendicular heating of solar wind protons by kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second in a series of papers presenting the results of fully general relativistic simulations of stellar tidal disruptions in which the stars' initial states are realistic main-sequence models. In the first paper, we gave an overview of this program and discussed the principal observational implications of our work. Here we describe our calculational method, which includes a new method for calculating fully relativistic stellar self-gravity, and provide details about the outcomes of full disruptions, focusing on the stellar mass dependence of the outcomes for a black hole of mass 106M⊙. We consider eight different stellar masses, from 0.15 M⊙ to 10 M⊙. We find that, relative to the traditional order-of-magnitude estimate rt, the physical tidal radius of low-mass stars (M⋆ ≲ 0.7 M⊙) is larger by tens of percent, while for high-mass stars (M⋆ ≳ 1 M⊙) it is smaller by a factor of 2–2.5. The traditional estimate of the range of energies found in the debris is ≈1.4× too large for low-mass stars, but is a factor of ∼2 too small for high-mass stars; in addition, the energy distribution for high-mass stars has significant wings. For all stars undergoing tidal encounters, we find that mass loss continues for many stellar vibration times because the black hole's tidal gravity competes with the instantaneous stellar gravity at the star's surface until the star has reached a distance from the black hole ∼O(10)rt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a series of papers presenting a quantitative theory for the tidal disruption of main-sequence stars by supermassive black holes. Using fully general relativistic hydrodynamics simulations and MESA-model initial conditions, we explore the pericenter-dependence of tidal disruption properties for eight stellar masses () and six black hole masses (). We present here the results most relevant to observations. The effects of internal stellar structure and relativity decouple for both the disruption cross section and the characteristic energy width of the debris. Moreover, the full disruption cross section is almost independent of M⋆ for M⋆/M⊙ ≲ 3. Independent of M⋆, relativistic effects increase the critical pericenter distance for full disruption events by up to a factor of ∼3 relative to the Newtonian prediction. The probability of a direct capture is also independent of M⋆; at MBH/M⊙ ≃ 5 × 106 this probability is equal to the probability of a complete disruption. The breadth of the debris energy distribution ΔE can differ from the standard estimate by factors of 0.35 − 2, depending on M⋆ and MBH, implying a corresponding change (∝(ΔE)−3/2) in the characteristic mass-return timescale. We provide analytic forms, suitable for use in both event rate estimates and parameter inference, to describe all these trends. For partial disruptions, we find a nearly universal relation between the star's angular momentum and the fraction of M⋆ remaining. Within the "empty loss-cone" regime, partial disruptions must precede full disruptions. These partial disruptions can drastically affect the rate and appearance of subsequent total disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local escape velocity provides valuable inputs to the mass profile of the galaxy, and requires understanding the tail of the stellar speed distribution. Following Leonard & Tremaine, various works have since modeled the tail of the stellar speed distribution as , where vesc is the escape velocity, and k is the slope of the distribution. In such studies, however, these two parameters were found to be largely degenerate and often a narrow prior is imposed on k in order to constrain vesc. Furthermore, the validity of the power-law form can breakdown in the presence of multiple kinematic substructures or other mis-modeled features in the data. In this paper, we introduce a strategy that for the first time takes into account the presence of kinematic substructure. We model the tail of the velocity distribution as a sum of multiple power laws as a way of introducing a more flexible fitting framework. Using mock data and data from FIRE simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies, we show the robustness of this method in the presence of kinematic structure that is similar to the recently discovered Gaia Sausage. In a companion paper, we present the new measurement of the escape velocity and subsequently the mass of the Milky Way using Gaia eDR3 data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the escape velocity of the Milky Way is critical in obtaining the mass of the Milky Way, understanding the dark matter velocity distribution, and building the dark matter density profile. In Necib & Lin, we introduced a strategy to robustly measure the escape velocity. Our approach takes into account the presence of kinematic substructures by modeling the tail of the stellar distribution with multiple components, including the stellar halo and the debris flow called the Gaia Sausage (Enceladus). In doing so, we can test the robustness of the escape velocity measurement for different definitions of the "tail" of the velocity distribution and the consistency of the data with different underlying models. In this paper, we apply this method to the Gaia eDR3 data release and find that a model with two components is preferred, although results from a single-component fit are also consistent. Based on a fit to retrograde data with two bound components to account for the relaxed halo and the Gaia Sausage, we find the escape velocity of the Milky Way at the solar position to be km s−1. A fit with a single component to the same data gives km s−1. Assuming a Navarro−Frenck−White dark matter profile, we find a Milky Way concentration of and a mass of , which is considerably lighter than previous measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary-driven hypernova (BdHN) models have been adopted to explain the observed properties of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Here, we perform a comprehensive data analysis (temporal and spectral analysis, GeV emission, and afterglow) on GRB 130427A, GRB 160509A, and GRB 160625B. We identify three specific episodes characterized by different observational signatures and show that these episodes can be explained and predicted to occur within the framework of the BdHNe I model, as first observed in GRB 190114C and reported in an accompanying paper. Episode 1 includes the "SN-rise" with the characteristic cutoff power-law spectrum; Episode 2 is initiated by the moment of formation of the black hole, coincident with the onset of the GeV emission and the ultrarelativistic prompt emission phase, and is characterized by a cutoff power law and blackbody spectra; Episode 3 is the "cavity," with its characteristic featureless spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interstellar neutral (ISN) helium atoms penetrating the heliosphere are used to find the flow velocity and temperature of the very local interstellar medium near the heliosphere. Recently, it was found that, in addition to charge exchange collisions, elastic collisions contribute to the filtration of these atoms outside the heliopause. Momentum exchange between colliding particles related to their angular scattering modifies the properties of the primary and secondary ISN helium populations before the atoms enter the heliosphere. Here, we calculate the transport of ISN helium atoms using plasma and neutral flows from a global three-dimensional heliosphere model. We confirm earlier results based on one-dimensional calculations that the primary population is slowed down and heated by the momentum exchange. Moreover, accounting for momentum exchange in charge exchange collisions results in a faster and warmer secondary population. The paper presents how the velocity and density of these populations vary over the entrance position to the heliosphere. We point out that Maxwell distributions cannot correctly describe these populations. Finally, we calculate the expected Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) count rates and show that the filtration processes change them significantly. Consequently, future studies of IBEX or Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) observations of ISN atoms should account for these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrophysical jets are launched from strongly magnetized systems that host an accretion disk surrounding a central object. Here we address the question of how accretion-disk magnetization and the field structure required for jet launching are generated. We continue our work from Mattia & Fendt (Paper I) by considering a nonscalar accretion-disk mean-field α2Ω dynamo in the context of large-scale disk-jet simulations. We now investigate a disk dynamo that follows analytical solutions of the mean-field dynamo theory, essentially based only on a single parameter, the Coriolis number. We thereby confirm the anisotropy of the dynamo tensor acting in accretion disks, allowing both the resistivity and mean-field dynamo to be related to the disk turbulence. Our new model recovers previous simulations by applying a purely radial initial field while allowing for a more stable evolution for seed fields with a vertical component. We also present correlations between the strength of the disk dynamo coefficients and the dynamical parameters of the jet that is launched, and discuss their implications for observed jet quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the completion of a data analysis pipeline that self-consistently separates global 21 cm signals from large systematics using a pattern recognition technique. This pipeline will be used for both ground and space-based hydrogen cosmology instruments. In the first paper of this series, we obtain optimal basis vectors from signal and foreground training sets to linearly fit both components with the minimal number of terms that best extracts the signal given its overlap with the foreground. In this second paper, we utilize the spectral constraints derived in the first paper to calculate the full posterior probability distribution of any signal parameter space of choice. The spectral fit provides the starting point for a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) engine that samples the signal without traversing the foreground parameter space. At each MCMC step, we marginalize over the weights of all linear foreground modes and suppress those with unimportant variations by applying priors gleaned from the training set. This method drastically reduces the number of MCMC parameters, augmenting the efficiency of exploration, circumvents the need for selecting a minimal number of foreground modes, and allows the complexity of the foreground model to be greatly increased to simultaneously describe many observed spectra without requiring extra MCMC parameters. Using two nonlinear signal models, one based on the Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch-of-Reionization Signature (EDGES) observations and the other on phenomenological frequencies and temperatures of theoretically expected extrema, we demonstrate the success of this methodology by recovering the input parameters from multiple randomly simulated signals at low radio frequencies (10–200 MHz), while rigorously accounting for realistically modeled beam-weighted foregrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents models to estimate the structure of density and magnetic field strength in spheroidal condensations from maps of their column density and their polarization of magnetically aligned dust grains. The density model is obtained by fitting a column density map with an embedded p = 2 Plummer spheroid of any aspect ratio and inclination. The magnetic properties are based on the density model, the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi (DCF) model of Alfvénic fluctuations, and the spheroid flux freezing (SFF) model of mass and flux conservation in Paper I. The field strength model has the resolution of the column density map, which is finer than the resolution of the DCF estimate of field strength. The models are applied to ALMA observations of the envelope of the protostar BHR 71 IRS1. Column density fits give the density model from (2.0 ± 0.4) × 105 to (7 ± 1) × 107 cm−3. The density model predicts the field directions map, which fits the polarization map best within 1100 au, with standard deviation of angle differences of 17°. In this region, the DCF mean field strength is 0.7 ± 0.2 mG, and the envelope mass is supercritical, with a ratio of mass to magnetic critical mass of 1.5 ± 0.4. The SFF field strength profile scales with the DCF field strength from 60 ± 10 μG to 3 ± 1 mG. The spatial resolution of the SFF field strength estimate is finer than the DCF resolution by a factor of ∼7, and the peak SFF field strength exceeds the DCF field strength by a factor of ∼4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present an extensive analysis of the GW190521 gravitational wave event with the current (fourth) generation of phenomenological waveform models for binary black hole coalescences. GW190521 stands out from other events since only a few wave cycles are observable. This leads to a number of challenges, one being that such short signals are prone to not resolving approximate waveform degeneracies, which may result in multimodal posterior distributions. The family of waveform models we use includes a new fast time-domain model (IMRP henomTPHM), which allows us to extensively test different priors and robustness with respect to variations in the waveform model, including the content of spherical harmonic modes. We clarify some issues raised in a recent paper, Nitz & Capano, associated with possible support for a high-mass-ratio source, but confirm their finding of a multimodal posterior distribution, albeit with important differences in the statistical significance of the peaks. In particular, we find that the support for both masses being outside the pair instability supernova mass gap, and the support for an intermediate-mass-ratio binary are drastically reduced with respect to what Nitz & Capano found. We also provide updated probabilities for associating GW190521 to the potential electromagnetic counterpart from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Graham et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of our understanding of the state of coronal plasmas comes from observations that are optically thin. This means that light travels freely through the corona without being materially affected by it, which allows it to be easily seen through, but also results in a line-of-sight degeneracy that has previously thwarted attempts to recover the three-dimensional structure of the coronal plasma. However, although the corona is disorganized in the line-of-sight direction, it is highly organized in the field-aligned direction. This paper demonstrates how to exploit this organization to resolve the line-of-sight degeneracy in the plasma properties using a suitable magnetic field structure. This allows, for the first time, the two-dimensional optically thin plasma observations to directly drive the three-dimensional plasma reconstruction throughout an entire active region (or larger). A preliminary investigation with a potential field is shown, finding a solution which clearly resembles the real solar data, even with a single perspective. The results indicate that there is ample information in the resulting residuals that can be used to refine the magnetic field structure, suggesting that these residuals can in turn be used to directly constrain the magnetic field extrapolations used in the reconstruction. The paper concludes with a discussion of how these residuals can in turn be used to directly drive the magnetic field extrapolations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]