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With its origin coming from several sources (Big Bang, stars, cosmic rays) and given its strong depletion during its stellar lifetime, the lithium element is of great interest as its chemical evolution in the Milky Way is not well understood at present. To help constrain stellar and galactic chemical evolution models, numerous and precise lithium abundances are necessary for a large range of evolutionary stages, metallicities, and Galactic volume. In the age of stellar parametrization on industrial scales, spectroscopic surveys such as APOGEE, GALAH, RAVE, and LAMOST have used data-driven methods to rapidly and precisely infer stellar labels (atmospheric parameters and abundances). To prepare the ground for future spectroscopic surveys such as 4MOST and WEAVE, we aim to apply machine learning techniques to lithium measurements and analyses. We trained a convolution neural network (CNN), coupling Gaia-ESO Survey iDR6 stellar labels (Teff, log(g), [Fe/H], and A(Li)) and GIRAFFE HR15N spectra, to infer the atm parameters and lithium abundances for ~40,000 stars. We show that the CNN properly learns the physics of the stellar labels, from relevant spectral features through a broad range of evolutionary stages and stellar parameters. The Li feature at 6707.8 A is successfully singled out by our CNN, among the thousands of lines. Rare objects such as Li-rich giants are found in our sample. This level of performance is achieved thanks to a meticulously built, high-quality, and homogeneous training sample. The CNN approach is very well adapted for the next generations of spectroscopic surveys aimed at studying (among other elements) lithium, such as the 4MIDABLE-LR/HR (4MOST Milky Way disk and bulge low- and high-resolution) surveys. In this context, the caveats of ML applications should be appropriately investigated, along with the realistic label uncertainties and upper limits for abundances., Comment: A&A, accepted 05 December 2022, 23 pages, 23 figures. Codes and trained models available at https://github.com/SamirNepal/Li\_CNN\_2022

The Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey is an ambitious project designed to obtain astrophysical parameters and elemental abundances for 100,000 stars, including large representative samples of the stellar populations in the Galaxy, and a well-defined sample of 60 (plus 20 archive) open clusters. We provide internally consistent results calibrated on benchmark stars and star clusters, extending across a very wide range of abundances and ages. This provides a legacy data set of intrinsic value, and equally a large wide-ranging dataset that is of value for homogenisation of other and future stellar surveys and Gaia's astrophysical parameters. This article provides an overview of the survey methodology, the scientific aims, and the implementation, including a description of the data processing for the GIRAFFE spectra. A companion paper (arXiv:2206.02901) introduces the survey results. Gaia-ESO aspires to quantify both random and systematic contributions to measurement uncertainties. Thus all available spectroscopic analysis techniques are utilised, each spectrum being analysed by up to several different analysis pipelines, with considerable effort being made to homogenise and calibrate the resulting parameters. We describe here the sequence of activities up to delivery of processed data products to the ESO Science Archive Facility for open use. The Gaia-ESO Survey obtained 202,000 spectra of 115,000 stars using 340 allocated VLT nights between December 2011 and January 2018 from GIRAFFE and UVES. The full consistently reduced final data set of spectra was released through the ESO Science Archive Facility in late 2020, with the full astrophysical parameters sets following in 2022., Comment: 38 pages. A&A in press

In the last 15 years different ground-based spectroscopic surveys have been started (and completed) with the general aim of delivering stellar parameters and elemental abundances for large samples of Galactic stars, complementing Gaia astrometry. Among those surveys, the Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey (GES), the only one performed on a 8m class telescope, was designed to target 100,000 stars using FLAMES on the ESO VLT (both Giraffe and UVES spectrographs), covering all the Milky Way populations, with a special focus on open star clusters. This article provides an overview of the survey implementation (observations, data quality, analysis and its success, data products, and releases), of the open cluster survey, of the science results and potential, and of the survey legacy. A companion article (Gilmore et al.) reviews the overall survey motivation, strategy, Giraffe pipeline data reduction, organisation, and workflow. The GES has determined homogeneous good-quality radial velocities and stellar parameters for a large fraction of its more than 110,000 unique target stars. Elemental abundances were derived for up to 31 elements for targets observed with UVES. Lithium abundances are delivered for about 1/3 of the sample. The analysis and homogenisation strategies have proven to be successful; several science topics have been addressed by the Gaia-ESO consortium and the community, with many highlight results achieved. The final catalogue has been released through the ESO archive at the end of May 2022, including the complete set of advanced data products. In addition to these results, the Gaia-ESO Survey will leave a very important legacy, for several aspects and for many years to come., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 30 pages, 30 figures, 4 tables

We present a catalogue of 362 million stellar parameters, distances, and extinctions derived from Gaia's early third data release (EDR3) cross-matched with the photometric catalogues of Pan-STARRS1, SkyMapper, 2MASS, and AllWISE. The higher precision of the Gaia EDR3 data, combined with the broad wavelength coverage of the additional photometric surveys and the new stellar-density priors of the {\tt StarHorse} code allow us to substantially improve the accuracy and precision over previous photo-astrometric stellar-parameter estimates. At magnitude $G=14\, (17)$, our typical precisions amount to 3% (15%) in distance, 0.13 mag (0.15 mag) in $V$-band extinction, and 140 K (180 K) in effective temperature. Our results are validated by comparisons with open clusters, as well as with asteroseismic and spectroscopic measurements, indicating systematic errors smaller than the nominal uncertainties for the vast majority of objects. We also provide distance- and extinction-corrected colour-magnitude diagrams, extinction maps, and extensive stellar density maps that reveal detailed substructures in the Milky Way and beyond. The new density maps now probe a much greater volume, extending to regions beyond the Galactic bar and to Local Group galaxies, with a larger total number density. We publish our results through an ADQL query interface ({\tt gaia.aip.de}) as well as via tables containing approximations of the full posterior distributions. Our multi-wavelength approach and the deep magnitude limit make our results useful also beyond the next Gaia release, DR3., Comment: A&A, accepted, 27 pages, 25 figures. Fig. 5 has changed with respect to v1 (post-processing bug corrected). For various options to access the data see https://data.aip.de/projects/starhorse2021.html

The low-frequency radio spectra of the hotspots within powerful radio galaxies can provide valuable information about the physical processes operating at the site of the jet termination. These processes are responsible for the dissipation of jet kinetic energy, particle acceleration, and magnetic-field generation. Here we report new observations of the powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) between 109 and 183 MHz, at an angular resolution of ~3.5 arcsec. The radio emission of the lobes is found to have a complex spectral index distribution, with a spectral steepening found towards the centre of the source. For the first time, a turnover in the radio spectrum of the two main hotspots of Cygnus A has been directly observed. By combining our LOFAR imaging with data from the Very Large Array at higher frequencies, we show that the very rapid turnover in the hotspot spectra cannot be explained by a low-energy cut-off in the electron energy distribution, as has been previously suggested. Thermal (free-free) absorption or synchrotron self absorption models are able to describe the low-frequency spectral shape of the hotspots, however, as with previous studies, we find that the implied model parameters are unlikely, and interpreting the spectra of the hotspots remains problematic., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

To better characterize the upper end of the galaxy stellar mass range, the MUSE Most Massive Galaxies (M3G) Survey targeted the most massive galaxies (M$>10^{12}$ M$_{\odot}$) found in the densest known clusters of galaxies at $z\sim0.046$. The sample is composed by 25 early-type galaxies: 14 BCGs, of which 3 are in the densest region of the Shapley Super Cluster (SSC), and 11 massive satellites in the SSC. In this work we aim at deriving the spatial distribution and kinematics of the gas, and discussing its ionisation mechanism and origin in the optical wavelength range with MUSE data. We fit the continuum of the spectra using an extensive library of single stellar population models and model the emission lines employing up to three Gaussian functions. In the M3G sample, ionized-gas was detected in 5 BCGs, of which one is in the densest region of the SSC, and 6 massive satellites in the SSC. Among these objects, [OI] and [NI] were detected in 3 BCGs and one satellite. The gas is centrally concentrated in almost all objects, except for 2 BCGs that show filaments and 2 massive satellites with extended emission. The emission line profiles of 3 BCGs present red/blueshifted components. The presence of dust was revealed by analysing Balmer line ratios obtaining a mean $E(B-V)$ of 0.2-0.3. The emission-line diagnostic diagrams show predominately LINER line ratios with little contamination from star formation. The gas was detected in 80% of fast rotators and 35% of slow rotators. The orientations of stellar and gaseous rotations are aligned with respect to each other for 60% of satellites and 25% of BCGs. The presence of misalignments points to an external origin of the gas for 3 BCGs and 2 satellites. On the other hand, some of these systems are characterized by triaxial and prolate-like stellar rotation that could support an internal origin of the gas even in case of misalignments., Comment: 32 pages, 25 figures, A&A accepted

The powerful combination of the cutting-edge multi-object spectrograph MOSAIC with the world largest telescope, the ELT, will allow us to probe deeper into the Universe than was possible. MOSAIC is an extremely efficient instrument in providing spectra for the numerous faint sources in the Universe, including the very first galaxies and sources of cosmic reionization. MOSAIC has a high multiplex in the NIR and in the VIS, in addition to multi-Integral Field Units (Multi-IFUs) in NIR. As such it is perfectly suited to carry out an inventory of dark matter (from rotation curves) and baryons in the cool-warm gas phases in galactic haloes at z=3-4. MOSAIC will enable detailed maps of the intergalactic medium at z=3, the evolutionary history of dwarf galaxies during a Hubble time, the chemistry directly measured from stars up to several Mpc. Finally, it will measure all faint features seen in cluster gravitational lenses or in streams surrounding nearby galactic halos, providing MOSAIC to be a powerful instrument with an extremely large space of discoveries. The preliminary design of MOSAIC is expected to begin next year, and its level of readiness is already high, given the instrumental studies made by the team., Comment: 8 pages, 4 Figures, Pre-edited version, to appear in the ESO Messenger No.182 - Quarter 1 2021 - Version identical to the Edited one

eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the primary instrument on the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission, which was successfully launched on July 13, 2019, from the Baikonour cosmodrome. After the commissioning of the instrument and a subsequent calibration and performance verification phase, eROSITA started a survey of the entire sky on December 13, 2019. By the end of 2023, eight complete scans of the celestial sphere will have been performed, each lasting six months. At the end of this program, the eROSITA all-sky survey in the soft X-ray band (0.2--2.3\,keV) will be about 25 times more sensitive than the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, while in the hard band (2.3--8\,keV) it will provide the first ever true imaging survey of the sky. The eROSITA design driving science is the detection of large samples of galaxy clusters up to redshifts $z>1$ in order to study the large-scale structure of the universe and test cosmological models including Dark Energy. In addition, eROSITA is expected to yield a sample of a few million AGNs, including obscured objects, revolutionizing our view of the evolution of supermassive black holes. The survey will also provide new insights into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including X-ray binaries, active stars, and diffuse emission within the Galaxy. Results from early observations, some of which are presented here, confirm that the performance of the instrument is able to fulfil its scientific promise. With this paper, we aim to give a concise description of the instrument, its performance as measured on ground, its operation in space, and also the first results from in-orbit measurements., Comment: 16 pages, 19 figures, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics

We investigate the inner regions of the Milky Way with a sample of unprecedented size and coverage thanks to APOGEE DR16 and Gaia EDR3 data. Our inner Galactic sample has more than 26,000 stars within $|X_{\rm Gal}| <5$ kpc, $|Y_{\rm Gal}| <3.5$ kpc, $|Z_{\rm Gal}| <1$ kpc, and we also make the analysis for a foreground-cleaned sub-sample of 8,000 stars more representative of the bulge-bar populations. The inner Galaxy shows a clear chemical discontinuity in key abundance ratios [$\alpha$/Fe], [C/N], and [Mn/O], probing different enrichment timescales, which suggests a star formation gap (quenching) between the high- and low-$\alpha$ populations. For the first time, we are able to fully characterize the different populations co-existing in the innermost regions of the Galaxy via joint analysis of the distributions of rotational velocities, metallicities, orbital parameters and chemical abundances. The chemo-kinematic analysis reveals the presence of the bar; of an inner thin disk; of a thick disk, and of a broad metallicity population, with a large velocity dispersion, indicative of a pressure supported component. We find and characterize chemically and kinematically a group of counter-rotating stars, which could be the result of a gas-rich merger event or just the result of clumpy star formation during the earliest phases of the early disk, which migrated into the bulge. Finally, based on the 6D information we assign stars a probability value of being on a bar orbit and find that most of the stars with large bar orbit probabilities come from the innermost 3 kpcs. Even stars with a high probability of belonging to the bar show the chemical bimodality in the [$\alpha$/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] diagram. This suggests bar trapping to be an efficient mechanism, explaining why stars on bar orbits do not show a significant distinct chemical abundance ratio signature., Comment: 25 pages, 25 figures, Accepted for publication on A&A, in press

In the context of large spectroscopic surveys of stars, data-driven methods are key in deducing physical parameters for millions of spectra in a short time. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) enable us to connect observables (e.g. spectra, stellar magnitudes) to physical properties (atmospheric parameters, chemical abundances, or labels in general). We trained a CNN, adopting stellar atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances from APOGEE DR16 (resolution R=22500) data as training set labels. As input, we used parts of the intermediate-resolution RAVE DR6 spectra (R~7500) overlapping with the APOGEE DR16 data as well as broad-band ALL_WISE and 2MASS photometry, together with Gaia DR2 photometry and parallaxes. We derived precise atmospheric parameters Teff, log(g), and [M/H] along with the chemical abundances of [Fe/H], [alpha/M], [Mg/Fe], [Si/Fe], [Al/Fe], and [Ni/Fe] for 420165 RAVE spectra. The precision typically amounts to 60K in Teff, 0.06 in log(g) and 0.02-0.04 dex for individual chemical abundances. Incorporating photometry and astrometry as additional constraints substantially improves the results in terms of the accuracy and precision of the derived labels. We provide a catalogue of CNN-trained atmospheric parameters and abundances along with their uncertainties for 420165 stars in the RAVE survey. CNN-based methods provide a powerful way to combine spectroscopic, photometric, and astrometric data without the need to apply any priors in the form of stellar evolutionary models. The developed procedure can extend the scientific output of RAVE spectra beyond DR6 to ongoing and planned surveys such as Gaia RVS, 4MOST, and WEAVE. We call on the community to place a particular collective emphasis and on efforts to create unbiased training samples for such future spectroscopic surveys., Comment: 31 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in A&A, in Press

We study the late-time evolution of the central regions of two Milky Way-like simulations of galaxies formed in a cosmological context, one hosting a fast bar and the other a slow one. We find that bar length, R_b, measurements fluctuate on a dynamical timescale by up to 100%, depending on the spiral structure strength and measurement threshold. The bar amplitude oscillates by about 15%, correlating with R_b. The Tremaine-Weinberg-method estimates of the bars' instantaneous pattern speeds show variations around the mean of up to ~20%, typically anti-correlating with the bar length and strength. Through power spectrum analyses, we establish that these bar pulsations, with a period in the range ~60-200 Myr, result from its interaction with multiple spiral modes, which are coupled with the bar. Because of the presence of odd spiral modes, the two bar halves typically do not connect at exactly the same time to a spiral arm, and their individual lengths can be significantly offset. We estimated that in about 50% of bar measurements in Milky Way-mass external galaxies, the bar lengths of SBab type galaxies are overestimated by ~15% and those of SBbc types by ~55%. Consequently, bars longer than their corotation radius reported in the literature, dubbed "ultra-fast bars", may simply correspond to the largest biases. Given that the Scutum-Centaurus arm is likely connected to the near half of the Milky Way bar, recent direct measurements may be overestimating its length by 1-1.5 kpc, while its present pattern speed may be 5-10 km/s/kpc smaller than its time-averaged value., Comment: 25 p., 19 figures, Accepted to MNRAS

We combine high-resolution spectroscopic data from APOGEE-2 Survey Data Release 16 (DR16) with broad-band photometric data from several sources, as well as parallaxes from {\it Gaia} Data Release 2 (DR2). Using the Bayesian isochrone-fitting code {\tt StarHorse}, we derive distances, extinctions and astrophysical parameters for around 388,815 APOGEE stars, achieving typical distance uncertainties of $\sim 6\%$ for APOGEE giants, $\sim 2\%$ for APOGEE dwarfs, as well as extinction uncertainties of $\sim 0.07$ mag when all photometric information is available, and $\sim 0.17$ mag if optical photometry is missing. {\tt StarHorse} uncertainties vary with the input spectroscopic catalogue, with the available photometry, and with the parallax uncertainties. To illustrate the impact of our results, we show that, thanks to {\it Gaia} DR2 and the now larger sky coverage of APOGEE-2 (including APOGEE-South), we obtain an extended map of the Galactic plane, providing unprecedented coverage of the disk close to the Galactic mid-plane ($|Z_{Gal}|<1$ kpc) from the Galactic Centre out to $R_{\rm Gal}\sim 20$ kpc. The improvements in statistics as well as distance and extinction uncertainties unveil the presence of the bar in stellar density, as well as the striking chemical duality in the innermost regions of the disk, now clearly extending to the inner bulge. We complement this paper with distances and extinctions for stars in other public released spectroscopic surveys: 324,999 in GALAH DR2, 4,928,715 in LAMOST DR5, 408,894 in RAVE DR6, and 6,095 in GES DR3, Comment: Accepted to A&A. 17 pages, 11 figures. Data products are available at https://data.aip.de/aqueiroz2020, (doi:10.17876/data/2020_2)

It is still a challenge to assess the merger fraction of galaxies at different cosmic epochs in order to probe the evolution of their mass assembly. Using the Illustris cosmological simulations, we investigate the relation between the separation of galaxies in a pair, both in velocity and projected spatial separation space, and the probability that these interacting galaxies will merge in the future. From this analysis, we propose a new set of criteria to select close pairs of galaxies along with a new corrective term to be applied to the computation of the galaxy merger fraction. We then probe the evolution of the major and minor merger fraction using the latest MUSE deep observations over the HUDF, HDFS, COSMOS-Gr30 and Abell 2744 regions. From a parent sample of 2483 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts, we identify 366 close pairs spread over a large range of redshifts ($0.2

Combining the precise parallaxes and optical photometry delivered by Gaia's second data release (Gaia DR2) with the photometric catalogues of PanSTARRS-1, 2MASS, and AllWISE, we derive Bayesian stellar parameters, distances, and extinctions for 265 million stars brighter than G=18. Because of the wide wavelength range used, our results substantially improve the accuracy and precision of previous extinction and effective temperature estimates. After cleaning our results for both unreliable input and output data, we retain 137 million stars, for which we achieve a median precision of 5% in distance, 0.20 mag in V-band extinction, and 245 K in effective temperature for G<14, degrading towards fainter magnitudes (12%, 0.20 mag, and 245 K at G=16; 16%, 0.23 mag, and 260 K at G=17, respectively). We find a very good agreement with the asteroseismic surface gravities and distances of 7000 stars in the Kepler, the K2-C3, and the K2-C6 fields, with stellar parameters from the APOGEE survey, as well as with distances to star clusters. Our results are available through the ADQL query interface of the Gaia mirror at the Leibniz-Institut f\"{u}r Astrophysik Potsdam (gaia.aip.de) and as binary tables at data.aip.de. As a first application, in this paper we provide distance- and extinction-corrected colour-magnitude diagrams, extinction maps as a function of distance, and extensive density maps, demonstrating the potential of our value-added dataset for mapping the three-dimensional structure of our Galaxy. In particular, we see a clear manifestation of the Galactic bar in the stellar density distributions, an observation that can almost be considered a direct imaging of the Galactic bar., Comment: 25 pages, 23 figures + appendix, accepted for publication in A&A. Data (doi:10.17876/gaia/dr.2/51) are available through ADQL queries at gaia.aip.de

X-ray and mid-infrared emission are signposts of the accretion of matter onto the supermassive black holes that reside at the centres of most galaxies. As a major step towards understanding accreting supermassive black holes and their role in the evolution of galaxies, we will use the 4MOST multi-object spectrograph to provide a highly complete census of active galactic nuclei over a large fraction of the extragalactic sky observed in X-rays by eROSITA that is visible to 4MOST. We will systematically follow up all eROSITA point-like extragalactic X-ray sources (mostly active galactic nuclei), and complement them with a heavily obscured active galactic nuclei selection approach using mid-infrared data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The X-ray and mid-infrared flux limits of eROSITA and WISE are well matched to the spectroscopic capabilities of a 4-metre-class telescope, allowing us to reach completeness levels of ~80-90% for all X-ray selected active galactic nuclei with fluxes $f_{0.5-2\ {\rm keV}} > 10^{-14}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$; this is about a factor of 30 deeper than the ROSAT all-sky survey. With these data we will determine the physical properties (redshift, luminosity, line emission strength, masses, etc.) of up to one million supermassive black holes, constrain their cosmic evolution and clustering properties, and explore the connection between active galactic nuclei and large-scale structure over redshifts $0 \le z \le 6$., Comment: Part of the 4MOST issue of The Messenger, published in preparation of the 4MOST Community Workshop, see http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2019/4MOST.html

The One Thousand and One Magellanic Fields (1001MC) survey aims to measure the kinematics and elemental abundances of many different stellar populations that sample the history of formation and interaction of the Magellanic Clouds. The survey will collect spectra of about half a million stars with $G < 19.5$ magnitudes (Vega) distributed over an area of about 1000 square degrees and will provide an invaluable dataset for a wide range of scientific applications., Comment: Part of the 4MOST issue of The Messenger, published in preparation of the 4MOST Community Workshop, see http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2019/4MOST.html

We introduce the 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST), a new high-multiplex, wide-field spectroscopic survey facility under development for the four-metre-class Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at Paranal. Its key specifications are: a large field of view (FoV) of 4.2 square degrees and a high multiplex capability, with 1624 fibres feeding two low-resolution spectrographs ($R = \lambda/\Delta\lambda \sim 6500$), and 812 fibres transferring light to the high-resolution spectrograph ($R \sim 20\,000$). After a description of the instrument and its expected performance, a short overview is given of its operational scheme and planned 4MOST Consortium science; these aspects are covered in more detail in other articles in this edition of The Messenger. Finally, the processes, schedules, and policies concerning the selection of ESO Community Surveys are presented, commencing with a singular opportunity to submit Letters of Intent for Public Surveys during the first five years of 4MOST operations., Comment: Part of the 4MOST issue of The Messenger, published in preparation of 4MOST Community Workshop, see http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2019/4MOST.html

The mechanisms of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way are encoded in the orbits, chemistry and ages of its stars. With the 4MOST MIlky way Disk And BuLgE Low-Resolution Survey (4MIDABLE-LR) we aim to study kinematic and chemical substructures in the Milky Way disc and bulge region with samples of unprecedented size out to larger distances and greater precision than conceivable with Gaia alone or any other ongoing or planned survey. Gaia gives us the unique opportunity for target selection based almost entirely on parallax and magnitude range, hence increasing the efficiency in sampling larger Milky Way volumes with well-defined and effective selection functions. Our main goal is to provide a detailed chrono-chemo-kinematical extended map of our Galaxy and the largest Gaia follow-up down to $G = 19$ magnitudes (Vega). The complex nature of the disc components (for example, large target densities and highly structured extinction distribution in the Milky Way bulge and disc area), prompted us to develop a survey strategy with five main sub-surveys that are tailored to answer the still open questions about the assembly and evolution of our Galaxy, while taking full advantage of the Gaia data., Comment: Part of the 4MOST issue of The Messenger, published in preparation of 4MOST Community Workshop, see http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2019/4MOST.html

We use Gaia DR2 astrometric and line-of-sight velocity information combined with two sets of distances obtained with a Bayesian inference method to study the 3D velocity distribution in the Milky Way disc. We search for variations in all Galactocentric cylindrical velocity components ($V_{\phi}$, $V_R$ and $V_z$) with Galactic radius, azimuth, and distance from the disc mid-plane. We confirm recent work showing that bulk vertical motions in the $R\text{-}z$ plane are consistent with a combination of breathing and bending modes. In the $x\text{-}y$ plane, we show that, although the amplitudes change, the structure produced by these modes is mostly invariant as a function of distance from the plane. Comparing to two different Galactic disc models, we demonstrate that the observed patterns can drastically change in short time intervals, showing the complexity of understanding the origin of vertical perturbations. A strong radial $V_R$ gradient was identified in the inner disc, transitioning smoothly from $16$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-1}$ at an azimuth of $30^\circ<\phi<45^\circ$ ahead of the Sun-Galactic centre line, to $-16$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-1}$ at an azimuth of $-45^\circ<\phi<-30^\circ$ lagging the solar azimuth. We use a simulation with no significant recent mergers to show that exactly the opposite trend is expected from a barred potential, but overestimated distances can flip this trend to match the data. Alternatively, using an $N$-body simulation of the Sagittarius dwarf-Milky Way interaction, we demonstrate that a major recent perturbation is necessary to reproduce the observations. Such an impact may have strongly perturbed the existing bar or even triggered its formation in the last $1\text{-}2$ Gyr., Comment: 17 p., 13 fig., accepted MNRAS

We propose here that the lithium decrease at super-solar metallicities observed in high resolution spectroscopic surveys can be explained by the interplay of mixed populations, coming from the inner regions of the Milky Way disc. The lower lithium content of these stars is a consequence of inside-out disc formation, plus radial migration. In this framework, local stars with super-solar metallicities would have migrated to the solar vicinity and depleted their original lithium during their travel time. To arrive to such a result, we took advantage of the AMBRE catalog of lithium abundances combined with chemical evolution models which take into account the contribution to the lithium enrichment by different nucleosynthetic sources. A large proportion of migrated stars can explain the observed lower lithium abundance at super-solar metallicities. We stress that nowadays, there is no stellar model able to predict Li-depletion for such super-solar metallicity stars, and the Solar Li-depletion has to be assumed. In addition, it currently exists no solid quantitative estimate of the proportion of migrated stars in the Solar neighborhood and their travel time. Our results illustrate how important it is to properly include radial migration when comparing chemical evolution models to observations, and that in this case, the lithium decrease at larger metallicities does not necessarily imply that stellar yields have to be modified, contrary to previous claims in literature., Comment: A&A 623, A99 (2019). 5 pages, 2 figures

Simpson's paradox, or Yule-Simpson effect, arises when a trend appears in different subsets of data but disappears or reverses when these subsets are combined. We describe here seven cases of this phenomenon for chemo-kinematical relations believed to constrain the Milky Way disk formation and evolution. We show that interpreting trends in relations, such as the radial and vertical chemical abundance gradients, the age-metallicity relation, and the metallicity-rotational velocity relation (MVR), can lead to conflicting conclusions about the Galaxy past if analyses marginalize over stellar age and/or birth radius. It is demonstrated that the MVR in RAVE giants is consistent with being always strongly negative, when narrow bins of [Mg/Fe] are considered. This is directly related to the negative radial metallicity gradients of stars grouped by common age (mono-age populations) due to the inside out disk formation. The effect of the asymmetric drift can then give rise to a positive MVR trend in high-[alpha/Fe] stars, with a slope dependent on a given survey's selection function and observational uncertainties. We also study the variation of lithium abundance, A(Li), with [Fe/H] of AMBRE:HARPS dwarfs. A strong reversal in the positive A(Li)-[Fe/H] trend of the total sample is found for mono-age populations, flattening for younger groups of stars. Dissecting by birth radius shows strengthening in the positive A(Li)-[Fe/H] trend, shifting to higher [Fe/H] with decreasing birth radius; these observational results suggest new constraints on chemical evolution models. This work highlights the necessity for precise age estimates for large stellar samples covering wide spatial regions., Comment: 13 p., 7 Fig., Accepted to MNRAS

We present the MUSE-Wide survey, a blind, 3D spectroscopic survey in the CANDELS/GOODS-S and CANDELS/COSMOS regions. Each MUSE-Wide pointing has a depth of 1 hour and hence targets more extreme and more luminous objects over 10 times the area of the MUSE-Deep fields (Bacon et al. 2017). The legacy value of MUSE-Wide lies in providing "spectroscopy of everything" without photometric pre-selection. We describe the data reduction, post-processing and PSF characterization of the first 44 CANDELS/GOODS-S MUSE-Wide pointings released with this publication. Using a 3D matched filtering approach we detected 1,602 emission line sources, including 479 Lyman-$\alpha$ (Lya) emitting galaxies with redshifts $2.9 \lesssim z \lesssim 6.3$. We cross-match the emission line sources to existing photometric catalogs, finding almost complete agreement in redshifts and stellar masses for our low redshift (z < 1.5) emitters. At high redshift, we only find ~55% matches to photometric catalogs. We encounter a higher outlier rate and a systematic offset of $\Delta$z$\simeq$0.2 when comparing our MUSE redshifts with photometric redshifts. Cross-matching the emission line sources with X-ray catalogs from the Chandra Deep Field South, we find 127 matches, including 10 objects with no prior spectroscopic identification. Stacking X-ray images centered on our Lya emitters yielded no signal; the Lya population is not dominated by even low luminosity AGN. A total of 9,205 photometrically selected objects from the CANDELS survey lie in the MUSE-Wide footprint, which we provide optimally extracted 1D spectra of. We are able to determine the spectroscopic redshift of 98% of 772 photometrically selected galaxies brighter than 24th F775W magnitude. All the data in the first data release - datacubes, catalogs, extracted spectra, maps - are available on the website https://musewide.aip.de. [abridged], Comment: 25 pages 15+1 figures. Accepted, A&A. Comments welcome

Galaxies are surrounded by large reservoirs of gas, mostly hydrogen, fed by inflows from the intergalactic medium and by outflows due to galactic winds. Absorption-line measurements along the sightlines to bright and rare background quasars indicate that this circumgalactic medium pervades far beyond the extent of starlight in galaxies, but very little is known about the spatial distribution of this gas. A new window into circumgalactic environments was recently opened with the discovery of ubiquitous extended Lyman-alpha emission from hydrogen around high-redshift galaxies, facilitated by the extraordinary sensitivity of the MUSE instrument at the ESO Very Large Telescope. Due to the faintness of this emission, such measurements were previously limited to especially favourable systems or to massive statistical averaging. Here we demonstrate that low surface brightness Lyman-alpha emission surrounding faint galaxies at redshifts between 3 and 6 adds up to a projected sky coverage of nearly 100%. The corresponding rate of incidence (the mean number of Lyman-alpha emitters penetrated by any arbitrary line of sight) is well above unity and similar to the incidence rate of high column density absorbers frequently detected in the spectra of distant quasars. This similarity suggests that most circumgalactic atomic hydrogen at these redshifts has now been detected also in emission., Comment: published in Nature, online on 01 Oct 2018, in print on 11 Oct 2018. This is the Authors' version, for the published version see https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0564-6 ; free viewing access via https://rdcu.be/8eCx

We test the performance of the semi-analytic self-consistent Just-Jahrei{\ss} disc model (JJ model) with the astrometric data from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) sub-catalogue of the first Gaia data release (Gaia DR1), as well as the radial velocities from the fifth data release of the Radial Velocity Experiment survey (RAVE DR5). We use a sample of 19,746 thin disc stars from the TGAS$\times$RAVE cross-match selected in the local solar cylinder of 300 pc radius and 1 kpc height below the Galactic plane and simulate this sample via the forward modelling technique. First, we convert the predicted vertical density laws of the thin disc populations into a mock sample. Then the obtained mock populations are reddened with a 3D dust map and are subjected to the selection criteria corresponding to the RAVE and TGAS observational limitations as well as to additional cuts applied to the data sample. We calculate the quantities of interest separately at different heights above the Galactic plane taking into account the distance error effects separately in horizontal and vertical directions. We investigate the simulated sample in terms of the vertical number density profiles, Hess diagrams and velocity distribution functions. Basing on a good agreement of our simulations with the data, we conclude that our fiducial disc model confidently reproduces the vertical trends in the thin disc stellar population properties. Thus, it can serve as a starting point for the future extension of the JJ model to other Galactocentric distances., Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy&Astrophysics

Very metal-poor halo stars are the best candidates for being among the oldest objects in our Galaxy. Samples of halo stars with age determination and detailed chemical composition measurements provide key information for constraining the nature of the first stellar generations and the nucleosynthesis in the metal-poor regime.} Age estimates are very uncertain and are available for only a small number of metal-poor stars. Here we present the first results of a pilot program aimed at deriving precise masses, ages and chemical abundances for metal-poor halo giants using asteroseismology, and high-resolution spectroscopy. We obtained high-resolution UVES spectra for four metal-poor RAVE stars observed by the K2 satellite. Seismic data obtained from K2 light curves helped improving spectroscopic temperatures, metallicities and individual chemical abundances. Mass and ages were derived using the code PARAM, investigating the effects of different assumptions (e.g. mass loss, [alpha/Fe]-enhancement). Orbits were computed using Gaia DR2 data. {The stars are found to be "normal" metal-poor halo stars (i.e. non C-enhanced), with an abundance pattern typical of old stars (i.e. alpha and Eu-enhanced), and with masses in the 0.80-1.0 M_sun range. The inferred model-dependent stellar ages are found to range from 7.4 to 13.0 Gyr, with uncertainties of ~ 30%-35%. We also provide revised masses and ages for metal-poor stars with Kepler seismic data from APOGEE survey and a set of M4 stars. {The present work shows that the combination of asteroseismology and high-resolution spectroscopy provides precise ages in the metal-poor regime. Most of the stars analysed in the present work (covering the metallicity range of [Fe/H] ~ -0.8 to -2 dex), are very old >9 Gyr (14 out of 19 stars ), and all of them are older than > 5 Gyr (within the 68 percentile confidence level)., Comment: 21 pages, 19 figures. Accepted

Having completed its commissioning phase, the Advanced Rayleigh guided Ground-layer adaptive Optics System (ARGOS) facility is coming online for scientific observations at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). With six Rayleigh laser guide stars in two constellations and the corresponding wavefront sensing, ARGOS corrects the ground-layer distortions for both LBT 8.4m eyes with their adaptive secondary mirrors. Under regular observing conditions, this set-up delivers a point spread function (PSF) size reduction by a factor of ~2--3 compared to a seeing-limited operation. With the two LUCI infrared imaging and multi-object spectroscopy instruments receiving the corrected images, observations in the near-infrared can be performed at high spatial and spectral resolution. We discuss the final ARGOS technical set-up and the adaptive optics performance. We show that imaging cases with ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO) are enhancing several scientific programmes, from cluster colour magnitude diagrams and Milky Way embedded star formation, to nuclei of nearby galaxies or extragalactic lensing fields. In the unique combination of ARGOS with the multi-object near-infrared spectroscopy available in LUCI over a 4x4 arcmin field of view, the first scientific observations have been performed on local and high-z objects. Those high spatial and spectral resolution observations demonstrate the capabilities now at hand with ARGOS at the LBT., Comment: 21 pages, 28 figures

Aims. As a new approach to the study of resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies, our goal is to demonstrate in NGC300 that integral field spectroscopy with high spatial resolution and excellent seeing conditions reaches an unprecedented depth in severely crowded fields. Methods. MUSE observations with seven pointings in NGC300 have resulted in datacubes that are analyzed in four ways: (1) PSF-fitting 3D spectroscopy with PampelMUSE yields deblended spectra of individually distinguishable stars. The technique also provides samples of planetary nebulae that are complete down to m5007=28. (2) pseudo-monochromatic images, created at the wavelengths of the most important emission lines and corrected for continuum light by using the P3D visualization tool, provide maps of HII regions, SNR, and the diffuse ISM at a high level of sensitivity, allowing for the discovery of planetary nebulae, WR stars etc. (3) The use of the P3D line-fitting tool yields emission line fluxes, surface brightness, and kinematic information for gaseous objects, corrected for absorption line profiles of the underlying stellar population. (4) Visual inspection of the datacubes is demonstrated to be effcient for data mining and the discovery of background galaxies and unusual objects. Results. We present a catalogue of luminous stars, rare stars such as WR and other emission line stars, carbon stars, symbiotic star candidates, planetary nebulae, HII regions, supernova remnants, giant shells, peculiar diffuse and filamentary emission line objects, and background galaxies, along with their spectra. Conclusions. The technique of crowded-field 3D spectroscopy is capable of deblending individual bright stars, the unresolved background of faint stars, gaseous nebulae, and the diffuse component of the interstellar medium, resulting in unprecedented legacy value for observations of nearby galaxies with MUSE., Comment: 37 pages, 27 figures. Accepted for publication at A&A

Before the publication of the Gaia DR2 we confirmed with RAVE and TGAS an observation recently made with the GALAH survey by Quillen ey al. concerning the Coma Berenices moving group in the Solar neighbourhood, namely that it is only present at negative Galactic latitudes. This allowed us to show that it is coherent in vertical velocity, providing a first evidence for incomplete vertical phase-mixing. We estimated for the first time from dynamical arguments that the moving group must have formed at most ~ 1.5 Gyr ago, and related this to a pericentric passage of the Sagittarius dwarf satellite galaxy. The present note is a rewritten version of the original arXiv post on this result now also including a confirmation of our finding with Gaia DR2., Comment: AAS Research Notes

We present a semi-empirical, largely model-independent approach for estimating Galactic birth radii, r_birth, for Milky Way disk stars. The technique relies on the justifiable assumption that a negative radial metallicity gradient in the interstellar medium (ISM) existed for most of the disk lifetime. Stars are projected back to their birth positions according to the observationally derived age and [Fe/H] with no kinematical information required. Applying our approach to the AMBRE:HARPS and HARPS-GTO local samples, we show that we can constrain the ISM metallicity evolution with Galactic radius and cosmic time, [Fe/H]_ISM(r, t), by requiring a physically meaningful r_birth distribution. We find that the data are consistent with an ISM radial metallicity gradient that flattens with time from ~-0.15 dex/kpc at the beginning of disk formation, to its measured present-day value (-0.07 dex/kpc). We present several chemo-kinematical relations in terms of mono-r_birth populations. One remarkable result is that the kinematically hottest stars would have been born locally or in the outer disk, consistent with thick disk formation from the nested flares of mono-age populations and predictions from cosmological simulations. This phenomenon can be also seen in the observed age-velocity dispersion relation, in that its upper boundary is dominated by stars born at larger radii. We also find that the flatness of the local age-metallicity relation (AMR) is the result of the superposition of the AMRs of mono-r_birth populations, each with a well-defined negative slope. The solar birth radius is estimated to be 7.3+-0.6 kpc, for a current Galactocentric radius of 8 kpc., Comment: 14 p., 9 fig., Accepted for publication by MNRAS after minor revisions

PSR J0922+0638 (B0919+06) shows unexplained anomalous variations in the on-pulse phase, where the pulse appears to episodically move to an earlier longitude for a few tens of rotations before reverting to the usual phase for approximately several hundred to more than a thousand rotations. These events, where the pulse moves in phase by up to 5$^{\circ}$, have been previously detected in observations from $\sim$300 to 2000 MHz. We present simultaneous observations from the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope at 1350 MHz and the Bornim (Potsdam) station of the LOw Frequency ARray at 150 MHz. Our observations present the first evidence for an absence of the anomalous phase-shifting behaviour at 150 MHz. Instead, the observed intensity at the usual pulse-phase typically decreases, often showing a pseudo-nulling feature corresponding to the times when phase shifts are observed at 1350 MHz. The presence of weak emission at the usual pulse-phase supports the theory that these shifts may result from processes similar to the 'profile-absorption' expected to operate for PSR J0814+7429 (B0809+74). A possible mechanism for this could be intrinsic variations of the emission within the pulsar's beam combined with absorption by expanding shells of electrons in the line of sight., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

We construct the rotation curve of the Milky Way in the extended solar neighbourhood using a sample of SEGUE (Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration) G-dwarfs. We investigate the rotation curve shape for the presence of any peculiarities just outside the solar radius as has been reported by some authors. We approach the problem in a framework of classical Jeans analysis. Using the most recent data from RAVE (RAdial Velocity Experiment), we determine the solar peculiar velocity and the radial scalelengths for the three populations of different metallicities representing the Galactic thin disc. Then with the same binning in metallicity for the SEGUE G-dwarfs, we construct the rotation curve in the range of Galactocentric distances 7-10 kpc. We derive the circular velocity by correcting the mean tangential velocity for the asymmetric drift in each distance bin. With SEGUE data we also calculate the radial scalelength of the thick disc taking as known the derived peculiar motion of the Sun and the slope of the rotation curve. The rotation curve constructed through SEGUE G-dwarfs appears to be smooth in the selected radial range. The local kinematics of the thin disc rotation as determined in the framework of our new careful analysis does not favour the presence of a massive overdensity ring just outside the solar radius., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. To be published in Astronomy&Astrophysics

We provide, for the first time, robust observational constraints on the galaxy major merger fraction up to $z\approx 6$ using spectroscopic close pair counts. Deep Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) and Hubble Deep Field South (HDF-S) are used to identify 113 secure close pairs of galaxies among a parent sample of 1801 galaxies spread over a large redshift range ($0.2

We use data from the Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) and the Tycho-Gaia astrometric solution catalogue (TGAS) to compute the velocity fields yielded by the radial (VR), azimuthal (Vphi) and vertical (Vz) components of associated Galactocentric velocity. We search in particular for variation in all three velocity components with distance above and below the disc midplane, as well as how each component of Vz (line-of-sight and tangential velocity projections) modifies the obtained vertical structure. To study the dependence of velocity on proper motion and distance we use two main samples: a RAVE sample including proper motions from the Tycho-2, PPMXL and UCAC4 catalogues, and a RAVE-TGAS sample with inferred distances and proper motions from the TGAS and UCAC5 catalogues. In both samples, we identify asymmetries in VR and Vz. Below the plane we find the largest radial gradient to be dVR / dR = -7.01+- 0.61 km\s kpc, in agreement with recent studies. Above the plane we find a similar gradient with dVR / dR= -9.42+- 1.77 km\s kpc. By comparing our results with previous studies, we find that the structure in Vz is strongly dependent on the adopted proper motions. Using the Galaxia Milky Way model, we demonstrate that distance uncertainties can create artificial wave-like patterns. In contrast to previous suggestions of a breathing mode seen in RAVE data, our results support a combination of bending and breathing modes, likely generated by a combination of external or internal and external mechanisms., Comment: 19 p., 17 fig., accepted MNRAS

Context. The Sun is an active star that produces large-scale energetic events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections and numerous smaller-scale events such as solar jets. These events are often associated with accelerated particles that can cause emission at radio wavelengths. The reconfiguration of the solar magnetic field in the corona is believed to be the cause of the majority of solar energetic events and accelerated particles. Aims. Here, we investigate a bright J-burst that was associated with a solar jet and the possible emission mechanism causing these two phenomena. Methods. We used data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to observe a solar jet, and radio data from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and the Nan\c{c}ay Radioheliograph (NRH) to observe a J-burst over a broad frequency range (33-173 MHz) on 9 July 2013 at ~11:06 UT. Results. The J-burst showed fundamental and harmonic components and it was associated with a solar jet observed at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths with SDO. The solar jet occurred at a time and location coincident with the radio burst, in the northern hemisphere, and not inside a group of complex active regions in the southern hemisphere. The jet occurred in the negative polarity region of an area of bipolar plage. Newly emerged positive flux in this region appeared to be the trigger of the jet. Conclusions. Magnetic reconnection between the overlying coronal field lines and the newly emerged positive field lines is most likely the cause of the solar jet. Radio imaging provides a clear association between the jet and the J-burst which shows the path of the accelerated electrons., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

Deciphering the assembly history of the Milky Way is a formidable task, which becomes possible only if one can produce high-resolution chrono-chemo-kinematical maps of the Galaxy. Data from large-scale astrometric and spectroscopic surveys will soon provide us with a well-defined view of the current chemo-kinematical structure of the Milky Way, but will only enable a blurred view on the temporal sequence that led to the present-day Galaxy. As demonstrated by the (ongoing) exploitation of data from the pioneering photometric missions CoRoT, Kepler, and K2, asteroseismology provides the way forward: solar-like oscillating giants are excellent evolutionary clocks thanks to the availability of seismic constraints on their mass and to the tight age-initial-mass relation they adhere to. In this paper we identify five key outstanding questions relating to the formation and evolution of the Milky Way that will need precise and accurate ages for large samples of stars to be addressed, and we identify the requirements in terms of number of targets and the precision on the stellar properties that are needed to tackle such questions. By quantifying the asteroseismic yields expected from PLATO for red-giant stars, we demonstrate that these requirements are within the capabilities of the current instrument design, provided that observations are sufficiently long to identify the evolutionary state and allow robust and precise determination of acoustic-mode frequencies. This will allow us to harvest data of sufficient quality to reach a 10% precision in age. This is a fundamental pre-requisite to then reach the more ambitious goal of a similar level of accuracy, which will only be possible if we have to hand a careful appraisal of systematic uncertainties on age deriving from our limited understanding of stellar physics, a goal which conveniently falls within the main aims of PLATO's core science., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomical Notes

We apply the twin method to determine parallaxes to 232,545 stars of the RAVE survey using the parallaxes of Gaia DR1 as a reference. To search for twins in this large dataset, we apply the t-stochastic neighbour embedding t-SNE projection which distributes the data according to their spectral morphology on a two dimensional map. From this map we choose the twin candidates for which we calculate a chi^2 to select the best sets of twins. Our results show a competitive performance when compared to other model-dependent methods relying on stellar parameters and isochrones. The power of the method is shown by finding that the accuracy of our results is not significantly affected if the stars are normal or peculiar since the method is model free. We find twins for 60% of the RAVE sample which is not contained in TGAS or that have TGAS uncertainties which are larger than 20%. We could determine parallaxes with typical errors of 28%. We provide a complementary dataset for the RAVE stars not covered by TGAS, or that have TGAS uncertainties which are larger than 20%, with model-free parallaxes scaled to the Gaia measurements., Comment: MNRAS accepted

We present a novel analysis of the metal-poor star sample in the complete Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) Data Release 5 catalog with the goal of identifying and characterizing all very metal-poor stars observed by the survey. Using a three-stage method, we first identified the candidate stars using only their spectra as input information. We employed an algorithm called t-SNE to construct a low-dimensional projection of the spectrum space and isolate the region containing metal-poor stars. Following this step, we measured the equivalent widths of the near-infrared CaII triplet lines with a method based on flexible Gaussian processes to model the correlated noise present in the spectra. In the last step, we constructed a calibration relation that converts the measured equivalent widths and the color information coming from the 2MASS and WISE surveys into metallicity and temperature estimates. We identified 877 stars with at least a 50% probability of being very metal-poor $(\rm [Fe/H] < -2\,\rm dex)$, out of which 43 are likely extremely metal-poor $(\rm [Fe/H] < -3\,\rm dex )$. The comparison of the derived values to a small subsample of stars with literature metallicity values shows that our method works reliably and correctly estimates the uncertainties, which typically have values $\sigma_{\rm [Fe/H]} \approx 0.2\,\mathrm{dex}$. In addition, when compared to the metallicity results derived using the RAVE DR5 pipeline, it is evident that we achieve better accuracy than the pipeline and therefore more reliably evaluate the very metal-poor subsample. Based on the repeated observations of the same stars, our method gives very consistent results. The method used in this work can also easily be extended to other large-scale data sets, including to the data from the Gaia mission and the upcoming 4MOST survey., Comment: Accepted by A&A

We explore the correlations between velocity and metallicity and the possible distinct chemical signatures of the velocity over-densities of the local Galactic neighbourhood. We use the large spectroscopic survey RAVE and the Geneva Copenhagen Survey. We compare the metallicity distribution of regions in the velocity plane ($v_R,v_\phi$) with that of their symmetric counterparts ($-v_R,v_\phi$). We expect similar metallicity distributions if there are no tracers of a sub-population (e.g., a dispersed cluster, accreted stars), if the disk of the Galaxy is axisymmetric, and if the orbital effects of the spiral arms and the bar are weak. We find that the metallicity-velocity space of the solar neighbourhood is highly patterned. A large fraction of the velocity plane shows differences in the metallicity distribution when comparing symmetric $v_R$ regions. The typical differences in the median metallicity are of $0.05$ dex with a statistical significance of at least $95\%$, and with values up to $0.6$ dex. For low azimuthal velocity $v_\phi$, stars moving outwards in the Galaxy have on average higher metallicity than those moving inwards. These include stars in the Hercules and Hyades moving groups and other velocity branch-like structures. For higher $v_\phi$, the stars moving inwards have higher metallicity than those moving outwards. The most likely interpretation of the metallicity asymmetry is that it is due to the orbital effects of the bar and the radial metallicity gradient of the disk. We present a simulation that supports this idea. We have also discovered a positive gradient in $v_\phi$ with respect to metallicity at high metallicities, apart from the two known positive and negative gradients for the thick and thin disks, respectively., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, minor corrections to resemble the published version

A large sample of over 38,000 chromospherically active candidate solar-like stars and cooler dwarfs from the RAVE survey is addressed in this paper. An improved activity identification with respect to the previous study was introduced to build a catalog of field stars in the Solar neighborhood with an excess emission flux in the calcium infrared triplet wavelength region. The central result of this work is the calibration of the age--activity relation for the main sequence dwarfs in a range from a few $10 \; \mathrm{Myr}$ up to a few Gyr. It enabled an order of magnitude age estimation of the entire active sample. Almost 15,000 stars are shown to be younger than $1\;\mathrm{Gyr}$ and $\sim$2000 younger than $100\;\mathrm{Myr}$. The young age of the most active stars is confirmed by their position off the main sequence in the $J-K$ versus $N_{UV}-V$ diagram showing strong ultraviolet excess, mid-infrared excess in the $J-K$ versus $W_1-W_2$ diagram and very cool temperatures ($J-K>0.7$). They overlap with the reference pre-main sequence RAVE stars often displaying X-ray emission. The activity level increasing with the color reveals their different nature from the solar-like stars and probably represents an underlying dynamo generating magnetic fields in cool stars. 50\% of the RAVE objects from DR5 are found in the TGAS catalog and supplemented with accurate parallaxes and proper motions by Gaia. This makes the database of a large number of young stars in a combination with RAVE's radial velocities directly useful as a tracer of the very recent large-scale star formation history in the Solar neighborhood. The data are available online in the Vizier database., Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures, accepted to ApJ

The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) is a deep 120-168 MHz imaging survey that will eventually cover the entire Northern sky. Each of the 3170 pointings will be observed for 8 hrs, which, at most declinations, is sufficient to produce ~5arcsec resolution images with a sensitivity of ~0.1mJy/beam and accomplish the main scientific aims of the survey which are to explore the formation and evolution of massive black holes, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and large-scale structure. Due to the compact core and long baselines of LOFAR, the images provide excellent sensitivity to both highly extended and compact emission. For legacy value, the data are archived at high spectral and time resolution to facilitate subarcsecond imaging and spectral line studies. In this paper we provide an overview of the LoTSS. We outline the survey strategy, the observational status, the current calibration techniques, a preliminary data release, and the anticipated scientific impact. The preliminary images that we have released were created using a fully-automated but direction-independent calibration strategy and are significantly more sensitive than those produced by any existing large-area low-frequency survey. In excess of 44,000 sources are detected in the images that have a resolution of 25arcsec, typical noise levels of less than 0.5 mJy/beam, and cover an area of over 350 square degrees in the region of the HETDEX Spring Field (right ascension 10h45m00s to 15h30m00s and declination 45d00m00s to 57d00m00s)., Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in A&A