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Structural disturbances, such as galaxy mergers or instabilities, are key candidates for driving galaxy evolution, so it is important to detect and quantify galaxies hosting these disturbances spanning a range of masses, environments, and cosmic times. Traditionally, this is done by quantifying the asymmetry of a galaxy as part of the concentration-asymmetry-smoothness system, $A_{\rm{CAS}}$, and selecting galaxies above a certain threshold as merger candidates. However, in this work, we show that $A_{\rm{CAS}}$, is extremely dependent on imaging properties -- both resolution and depth -- and thus defining a single $A_{\rm{CAS}}$ threshold is impossible. We analyze an alternative root-mean-squared asymmetry, $A_{\rm{RMS}}$, and show that it is independent of noise down to the average SNR per pixel of 1. However, both metrics depend on the resolution. We argue that asymmetry is, by design, always a scale-dependent measurement, and it is essential to define an asymmetry at a given physical resolution, where the limit should be defined by the size of the smallest features one wishes to detect. We measure asymmetry of a set of $z\approx0.1$ galaxies observed with HST, HSC, and SDSS, and show that after matching the resolution of all images to 200 pc, we are able to obtain consistent $A_{\rm{RMS, 200pc}}$ measurements with all three instruments despite the vast differences in the original resolution or depth. We recommend that future studies use $A_{\rm{RMS, x pc}}$ measurement when evaluating asymmetry, where $x$ is defined by the physical size of the features of interest, and is kept consistent across the dataset, especially when the redshift or image properties of galaxies in the dataset vary.

Li and Mn-rich layered cathode (LLC) materials show great potential as the next generation cathode materials because of their high, practical and achievable specific capacity of ~250 mAh/g, thermal stability and lower raw material cost. However, LLC materials suffer from degradation of specific capacity, voltage fading due to phase transformation upon cycling and transition-metal dissolution, which presents a significant barrier for commercialization. Here, we report the effects of Ni content on the electrochemical performance, structural and thermal stability of a series of Co-free, LLC materials (Li1.2NixMn0.8-xO2, x = 0.12, 0.18, 0.24, 0.30 and 0.36) synthesized via a sol-gel method. Our study shows that the structure of the material as well as the electrochemical and thermal stability properties of the LLC materials are strongly dependent on the Ni or Mn content. An increase in the Ni to Mn ratio results in an increase in the average discharge voltage and capacity, as well as improved structural stability but decreased thermal stability.

The Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and ultraviolet Research (CASTOR) is a proposed Canadian-led 1 m class space telescope that will carry out ultraviolet and blue optical wide-field imaging, spectroscopy, and photometry. CASTOR will provide an essential bridge in the post-Hubble era, preventing a protracted UV-optical gap in space astronomy and enabling an enormous range of discovery opportunities from the solar system to the nature of the cosmos, in conjunction with the other great wide-field observatories of the next decade (e.g., Euclid, Roman, Vera Rubin). FORECASTOR (Finding Optics Requirements and Exposure times for CASTOR) will supply a coordinated suite of mission-planning tools that will serve as the one-stop shop for proposal preparation, data reduction, and analysis for the CASTOR mission. We present the first of these tools: a pixel-based, user-friendly, extensible, multi-mission exposure time calculator built in Python, including a modern browser-based graphical user interface that updates in real time. We then provide several illustrative examples of FORECASTOR’s use that advance the design of planned legacy surveys for the CASTOR mission: a search for the most massive white dwarfs in the Magellanic Clouds, a study of the frequency of flaring activity in M stars and their distribution and impacts on habitability of exoplanets, mapping the proper motions of faint stars in the Milky Way, wide and deep galaxy surveys, and time-domain studies of active galactic nuclei.

We have developed a method to operate lithium-silicon (Li-Si) thick-film electrodes in a manner consistent with traction applications. Key to the operating strategy is the voltage control of the electrode. It is expected that strong reducing environments, created by operating the electrode at low potentials (near that of Li), reduce battery life. We show that operating Li-Si at higher potentials is also damaging, and this is counterintuitive in that common negative electrodes (e.g., graphites and titanates) do not suffer from this limitation. Arguments based on measured Coulombic efficiencies, cycle life tests, in-situ stress measurements, and high-resolution microscopy resolve the otherwise anomalous findings. We show that promising half-cell (cells constructed with a lithium counter electrode) cycling data are reflected in full cells that employ a 622-NMC positive electrode (Ni0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2). Last, a modified hysteresis model, based in part on our earlier approach to treat NiMH (nickel metal hydride) cells, is shown to represent well the constant-current cycling data, and open questions associated with needed improvements in modeling Li-Si hysteresis and related low-current phenomena are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results on the rest-frame H-band luminosity functions (LFs) of red-sequence galaxies in seven clusters at 1.0 < z < 1.3 from the Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments Survey. Using deep GMOS and IRAC 3.6 μm imaging, we identify red-sequence galaxies and measure their LFs down to . By stacking the entire sample, we derive a shallow faint-end slope of and , suggesting that there is a deficit of faint red-sequence galaxies in clusters at high redshift. By comparing the stacked red-sequence LF of our sample with a sample of clusters at z ∼ 0.6, we find an evolution of the faint end of the red sequence over the ∼2.6 Gyr between the two samples, with the mean faint-end red-sequence luminosity growing by more than a factor of 2. The faint-to-luminous ratio of our sample () is consistent with the trend of decreasing ratio with increasing redshift proposed in previous studies. A comparison with the field shows that the faint-to-luminous ratios in clusters are consistent with those in the field at z ∼ 1.15 and exhibit a stronger redshift dependence. Our results support the picture that the buildup of faint red-sequence galaxies occurs gradually over time and suggest that faint cluster galaxies, similar to bright cluster galaxies, already experience the quenching effect induced by the environment at z ∼ 1.15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the Local Cluster Survey is to look for evidence of environmentally driven quenching among star-forming galaxies in nearby galaxy groups and clusters. Quenching is linked with environment and stellar mass, and much of the current observational evidence comes from the integrated properties of galaxies. However, the relative size of the stellar and star-forming disk is sensitive to environmental processing and can help identify the mechanisms that lead to a large fraction of quenched galaxies in dense environments. Toward this end, we measure the size of the star-forming disks for 224 galaxies in nine groups and clusters (0.02 < z < 0.04; SFR > 0.1 M⊙ yr−1) using 24 μm imaging from the Spitzer Space Telescope. We normalize the 24 μm effective radius (R24) by the size of the stellar disk (Rd). We find that star-forming galaxies with higher bulge-to-total ratios (B/T) and galaxies in more dense environments have more centrally concentrated star formation. Comparison with H i mass fractions and NUV − r colors indicates that a galaxy’s transition from gas-rich and blue to depleted and red is accompanied by an increase in the central concentration of star formation. We build a simple model to constrain the timescale over which the star-forming disks shrink in the cluster environment. Our results are consistent with a long-timescale (>2 Gyr) mechanism that produces outside-in quenching, such as the removal of the extended gas halo or weak stripping of the cold disk gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]