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The ionization parameter ${\cal U}$ is potentially useful as a tool to measure radiation pressure feedback from massive star clusters, as it directly reflects the ratio of radiation to gas pressure and is readily derived from mid-infrared line ratios. We consider a number of physical effects which combine to determine the apparent value of ${\cal U}$ in observations encompassing one or many H ii regions. An upper limit is set by the compression of gas by radiation pressure, when this is important. The pressure of shocked stellar winds and the presence of neutral clumps both tend to reduce ${\cal U}$ for a given intensity of irradiation. The most intensely irradiated regions are selectively dimmed by internal dust absorption of ionizing photons, leading to a bias for observations on galactic scales. We explore these effects in analytical and numerical models for dusty H ii regions and use them to interpret previous observational results. We find that radiation pressure confinement sets the upper limit $\log _{10} {\cal U}\simeq -1$ seen in individual regions. Unresolved starbursts are known to display a maximum value of ≃ − 2.3. While lower, this is also consistent with a large portion of their H ii regions being radiation pressure dominated, given the different technique used to interpret unresolved regions, and given the bias caused by dust absorption. We infer that many individual, strongly illuminated regions cannot be significantly overpressured by stellar winds, and that even when averaged on galactic scales, the shocked wind pressure cannot be large compared to radiation pressure. Therefore, most H ii regions cannot be adiabatic wind bubbles. Our models imply a metallicity dependence in the physical structure and dust attenuation of radiation-dominated regions, both of which should vary strongly across a critical metallicity of about one-twentieth solar.

The orbital angular momentum of a close-orbiting giant planet can be sufficiently large that, if transferred to the envelope of the host star during the red giant branch (RGB) evolution, it can spin-up the star's rotation to unusually large speeds. This spin-up mechanism is one possible explanation for the rapid rotators detected among the population of generally slow-rotating red giant stars. These rapid rotators thus comprise a unique stellar sample suitable for searching for signatures of planet accretion in the form of unusual stellar abundances due to the dissemination of the accreted planet in the stellar envelope. In this study, we look for signatures of replenishment in the Li abundances and (to a lesser extent) ¹²C/¹³C, which are both normally lowered during RGB evolution. Accurate abundances were measured from high signal-to-noise echelle spectra for samples of both slow and rapid rotator red giant stars. We find that the rapid rotators are on average enriched in lithium compared to the slow rotators, but both groups of stars have identical distributions of ¹²C/¹³C within our measurement precision. Both of these abundance results are consistent with the accretion of planets of only a few Jupiter masses. We also explore alternative scenarios for understanding the most Li-rich stars in our sample—particularly Li regeneration during various stages of stellar evolution. Finally, we find that our stellar samples show non-standard abundances even at early RGB stages, suggesting that initial protostellar Li abundances and ¹²C/¹³C may be more variable than originally thought.

We report the identification of the M9 dwarf SDSS J000649.16−085246.3 as a spectral binary and radial velocity (RV) variable with components straddling the hydrogen-burning mass limit. Low-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy reveals spectral features indicative of a T dwarf companion, and spectral template fitting yields component types of M8.5 ± 0.5 and T5 ± 1. High-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy with Keck/NIRSPEC reveals pronounced RV variations with a semi-amplitude of 8.2 ± 0.4 km s⁻¹. From these we determine an orbital period of 147.6 ± 1.5 days and eccentricity of 0.10 ± 0.07, making SDSS J0006−0852AB the third tightest very low mass binary known. This system is also found to have a common proper motion companion, the inactive M7 dwarf LP 704-48, at a projected separation of 820 ± 120 AU. The lack of Hα emission in both M dwarf components indicates that this system is relatively old, as confirmed by evolutionary model analysis of the tight binary. LP 704-48/SDSS J0006−0852AB is the lowest-mass confirmed triple identified to date, and one of only seven candidate and confirmed triples with total masses below 0.3 M_☉ currently known. We show that current star and brown dwarf formation models cannot produce triple systems like LP 704-48/SDSS J0006−0852AB, and we rule out Kozai–Lidov perturbations and tidal circularization as a viable mechanism to shrink the inner orbit. The similarities between this system and the recently uncovered low-mass eclipsing triples NLTT 41135AB/41136 and LHS 6343ABC suggest that substellar tertiaries may be common in wide M dwarf pairs.

We report the results of a spectroscopic study of the high-mass protostellar object NGC 7538 IRS 9 and compare our observations to published data on the nearby object NGC 7538 IRS 1. Both objects originated in the same molecular cloud and appear to be at different points in their evolutionary histories, offering an unusual opportunity to study the temporal evolution of envelope chemistry in objects sharing a presumably identical starting composition. Observations were made with the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph, a sensitive, high spectral resolution (R = λ/Δλ  ≃ 100,000) mid-infrared grating spectrometer. Forty-six individual lines in vibrational modes of the molecules C₂H₂, CH₄, HCN, NH₃, and CO were detected, including two isotopologues (¹³CO, ¹²C¹⁸O) and one combination mode (ν₄ + ν₅ C₂H₂). Fitting synthetic spectra to the data yielded the Doppler shift, excitation temperature, Doppler b parameter, column density, and covering factor for each molecule observed; we also computed column density upper limits for lines and species not detected, such as HNCO and OCS. We find differences among spectra of the two objects likely attributable to their differing radiation and thermal environments. Temperatures and column densities for the two objects are generally consistent, while the larger line widths toward IRS 9 result in less saturated lines than those toward IRS 1. Finally, we compute an upper limit on the size of the continuum-emitting region (∼2000 AU) and use this constraint and our spectroscopy results to construct a schematic model of IRS 9.

We present interferometric angular diameter measurements of 21 low-mass, K- and M-dwarfs made with the CHARA Array. This sample is enhanced by adding a collection of radius measurements published in the literature to form a total data set of 33 K–M-dwarfs with diameters measured to better than 5%. We use these data in combination with the Hipparcos parallax and new measurements of the star's bolometric flux to compute absolute luminosities, linear radii, and effective temperatures for the stars. We develop empirical relations for ∼K0 to M4 main-sequence stars that link the stellar temperature, radius, and luminosity to the observed (B − V), (V − R), (V − I), (V − J), (V − H), and (V − K) broadband color index and stellar metallicity [Fe/H]. These relations are valid for metallicities ranging from [Fe/H] = −0.5 to +0.1 dex and are accurate to ∼2%, ∼5%, and ∼4% for temperature, radius, and luminosity, respectively. Our results show that it is necessary to use metallicity-dependent transformations in order to properly convert colors into stellar temperatures, radii, and luminosities. Alternatively, we find no sensitivity to metallicity on relations we construct to the global properties of a star omitting color information, e.g., temperature–radius and temperature–luminosity. Thus, we are able to empirically quantify to what order the star's observed color index is impacted by the stellar iron abundance. In addition to the empirical relations, we also provide a representative look-up table via stellar spectral classifications using this collection of data. Robust examinations of single star temperatures and radii compared to evolutionary model predictions on the luminosity–temperature and luminosity–radius planes reveal that models overestimate the temperatures of stars with surface temperatures <5000 K by ∼3%, and underestimate the radii of stars with radii <0.7 R_☉ by ∼5%. These conclusions additionally suggest that the models over account for the effects that the stellar metallicity may have on the astrophysical properties of an object. By comparing the interferometrically measured radii for the single star population to those of eclipsing binaries, we find that for a given mass, single and binary star radii are indistinguishable. However, we also find that for a given radius, the literature temperatures for binary stars are systematically lower compared to our interferometrically derived temperatures of single stars by ∼200 to 300 K. The nature of this offset is dependent on the validation of binary star temperatures, where bringing all measurements to a uniform and correctly calibrated temperature scale is needed to identify any influence stellar activity may have on the physical properties of a star. Lastly, we present an empirically determined H-R diagram using fundamental properties presented here in combination with those in Boyajian et al. for a total of 74 nearby, main-sequence, A- to M-type stars, and define regions of habitability for the potential existence of sub-stellar mass companions in each system.

We present infrared observations of the ultracompact H ii region W3(OH) made by the FORCAST instrument aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and by the Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera. We contribute new wavelength data to the spectral energy distribution (SED), which constrains the optical depth, grain size distribution, and temperature gradient of the dusty shell surrounding the H ii region. We model the dust component as a spherical shell containing an inner cavity with radius ∼600 AU, irradiated by a central star of type O9 and temperature ∼31, 000 K. The total luminosity of this system is 7.1 × 10⁴ L_☉. An observed excess of 2.2–4.5 μm emission in the SED can be explained by our viewing a cavity opening or clumpiness in the shell structure whereby radiation from the warm interior of the shell can escape. We claim to detect the nearby water maser source W3 (H₂O) at 31.4 and 37.1 μm using beam deconvolution of the FORCAST images. We constrain the flux densities of this object at 19.7–37.1 μm. Additionally, we present in situ observations of four young stellar and protostellar objects in the SOFIA field, presumably associated with the W3 molecular cloud. Results from the model SED fitting tool of Robitaille et al. suggest that two objects (2MASS J02270352+6152357 and 2MASS J02270824+6152281) are intermediate-luminosity (∼236–432 L_☉) protostars; one object (2MASS J02270887+6152344) is either a high-mass protostar with luminosity 3 × 10³L_☉ or a less massive young star with a substantial circumstellar disk but depleted envelope; and the other (2MASS J02270743+6152281) is an intermediate-luminosity (∼768 L_☉) protostar nearing the end of its envelope accretion phase or a young star surrounded by a circumstellar disk with no appreciable circumstellar envelope.

We present 21 examples of C iv broad absorption line (BAL) trough disappearance in 19 quasars selected from systematic multi-epoch observations of 582 bright BAL quasars (1.9 < z < 4.5) by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-I/II (SDSS-I/II) and SDSS-III. The observations span 1.1–3.9 yr rest-frame timescales, longer than have been sampled in many previous BAL variability studies. On these timescales, ≈2.3% of C iv BAL troughs disappear and ≈3.3% of BAL quasars show a disappearing trough. These observed frequencies suggest that many C iv BAL absorbers spend on average at most a century along our line of sight to their quasar. Ten of the 19 BAL quasars showing C iv BAL disappearance have apparently transformed from BAL to non-BAL quasars; these are the first reported examples of such transformations. The BAL troughs that disappear tend to be those with small-to-moderate equivalent widths, relatively shallow depths, and high outflow velocities. Other non-disappearing C iv BALs in those nine objects having multiple troughs tend to weaken when one of them disappears, indicating a connection between the disappearing and non-disappearing troughs, even for velocity separations as large as 10,000–15,000 km s⁻¹. We discuss possible origins of this connection including disk-wind rotation and changes in shielding gas.

The temporal–spectral evolution of the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts is simulated numerically for both leptonic and hadronic models. For weak enough magnetic fields, leptonic models can reproduce the few seconds delay of the onset of GeV photon emission observed by Fermi-LAT, due to the slow growth of the target photon field for inverse Compton scattering. For stronger magnetic fields, the GeV delay can be explained with hadronic models, due to the long acceleration timescale of protons and the continuous photopion production after the end of the particle injection. While the FWHMs of the MeV and GeV light curves are almost the same in one-zone leptonic models, the FWHMs of the 1–30 GeV light curves in hadronic models are significantly wider than those of the 0.1–1 MeV light curves. The amount of the GeV delay depends on the importance of the Klein–Nishina effect in both the leptonic and hadronic models. In our examples of hadronic models the energies of the escaped neutrons are comparable to the gamma-ray energy, although their contribution to the ultra high-energy cosmic rays is still subdominant. The resulting neutrino spectra are hard enough to avoid the flux limit constraint from IceCube. The delay of the neutrino emission onset is up to several times longer than the corresponding delay of the GeV photon emission onset. The quantitative differences in the light curves for various models may be further tested with future atmospheric Cerenkov telescopes whose effective area is larger than that of Fermi-LAT, such as CTA.

We measure apparent velocities (v_app) of absorption lines for 36 white dwarfs (WDs) with helium-dominated atmospheres—16 DBAs and 20 DBs—using optical spectra taken for the European Southern Observatory SN Ia progenitor survey. We find a difference of 6.9 ± 6.9 km s⁻¹ in the average apparent velocity of the Hα lines versus that of the He i 5876 Å lines for our DBAs. This is a measure of the blueshift of this He line due to pressure effects. By using this as a correction, we extend the gravitational redshift method employed by Falcon et al. to use the apparent velocity of the He i 5876 Å line and conduct the first gravitational redshift investigation of a group of WDs without visible hydrogen lines. We use biweight estimators to find an average apparent velocity, 〈v_app〉_BI, (and hence average gravitational redshift, 〈v_g〉_BI) for our WDs; from that we derive an average mass, 〈M〉_BI. For the DBAs, we find 〈v_app〉_BI = 40.8 ± 4.7 km s⁻¹ and derive 〈M〉_BI = 0.71^+0.04_{− 0.05} M_☉. Though different from 〈v_app〉 of DAs (32.57 km s⁻¹) at the 91% confidence level and suggestive of a larger DBA mean mass than that for normal DAs derived using the same method (0.647^+0.013_{− 0.014} M_☉; Falcon et al.), we do not claim this as a stringent detection. Rather, we emphasize that the difference between 〈v_app〉_BI of the DBAs and 〈v_app〉 of normal DAs is no larger than 9.2 km s⁻¹, at the 95% confidence level; this corresponds to roughly 0.10 M_☉. For the DBs, we find 〈v^He_app〉_BI = 42.9 ± 8.49 km s⁻¹ after applying the blueshift correction and determine 〈M〉_BI = 0.74^+0.08_{− 0.09} M_☉. The difference between 〈v^He_app〉_BI of the DBs and 〈v_app〉 of DAs is ⩽11.5 km s⁻¹ (∼0.12 M_☉), at the 95% confidence level. The gravitational redshift method indicates much larger mean masses than the spectroscopic determinations of the same sample by Voss et al. Given the small sample sizes, it is possible that systematic uncertainties are skewing our results due to the potential of kinematic substructures that may not average out. We estimate this to be unlikely, but a larger sample size is necessary to rule out these systematics.

It is now generally accepted that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are due to the collapse of massive rotating stars. The precise collapse process itself, however, is not yet fully understood. Strong winds, outbursts, and intense ionizing UV radiation from single stars or strongly interacting binaries are expected to destroy the molecular cloud cores that give birth to them and create highly complex circumburst environments for the explosion. Such environments might imprint features on GRB light curves that uniquely identify the nature of the progenitor and its collapse. We have performed numerical simulations of realistic environments for a variety of long-duration GRB progenitors with ZEUS-MP and have developed an analytical method for calculating GRB light curves in these profiles. Though a full, three-dimensional, relativistic magnetohydrodynamical computational model is required to precisely describe the light curve from a GRB in complex environments, our method can provide a qualitative understanding of these phenomena. We find that, in the context of the standard afterglow model, massive shells around GRBs produce strong signatures in their light curves, and that this can distinguish them from those occurring in uniform media or steady winds. These features can constrain the mass of the shell and the properties of the wind before and after the ejection. Moreover, the interaction of the GRB with the circumburst shell is seen to produce features that are consistent with observed X-ray flares that are often attributed to delayed energy injection by the central engine. Our algorithm for computing light curves is also applicable to GRBs in a variety of environments such as those in high-redshift cosmological halos or protogalaxies, both of which will soon be targets of future surveys such as the Joint Astrophysics Nascent Satellite or Lobster.

We revisit the calculation of the ohmic dissipation in a hot Jupiter presented by Laine et al. by considering more realistic interior structures, stellar obliquity, and the resulting orbital evolution. In this simplified approach, the young hot Jupiter of one Jupiter mass is modeled as a diamagnetic sphere with a finite resistivity, orbiting across tilted stellar magnetic dipole fields in vacuum. Since the induced ohmic dissipation occurs mostly near the planet's surface, we find that the dissipation is unable to significantly expand the young hot Jupiter. Nevertheless, the planet inside a small corotation orbital radius can undergo orbital decay by the dissipation torque and finally overfill its Roche lobe during the T Tauri star phase. The stellar obliquity can evolve significantly if the magnetic dipole is parallel/antiparallel to the stellar spin. Our results are validated by the general torque–dissipation relation in the presence of the stellar obliquity. We also run the fiducial model of Laine et al. and find that the planet's radius is sustained at a nearly constant value by the ohmic heating, rather than being thermally expanded to the Roche radius as suggested by the authors.

We present the analysis of four candidate short-duration binary microlensing events from the 2006–2007 MOA Project short-event analysis. These events were discovered as a by-product of an analysis designed to find short-timescale single-lens events that may be due to free-floating planets. Three of these events are determined to be microlensing events, while the fourth is most likely caused by stellar variability. For each of the three microlensing events, the signal is almost entirely due to a brief caustic feature with little or no lensing attributable mainly to the lens primary. One of these events, MOA-bin-1, is due to a planet, and it is the first example of a planetary event in which the stellar host is only detected through binary microlensing effects. The mass ratio and separation are q = (4.9 ± 1.4) × 10⁻³ and s = 2.10 ± 0.05, respectively. A Bayesian analysis based on a standard Galactic model indicates that the planet, MOA-bin-1Lb, has a mass of m_p = 3.7 ± 2.1 M_Jup and orbits a star of $M_\ast = 0.75{+0.33\atop -0.41}\ M_\odot$ at a semimajor axis of $a = 8.3 {+4.5\atop -2.7}$ AU. This is one of the most massive and widest separation planets found by microlensing. The scarcity of such wide-separation planets also has implications for interpretation of the isolated planetary mass objects found by this analysis. If we assume that we have been able to detect wide-separation planets with an efficiency at least as high as that for isolated planets, then we can set limits on the distribution of planets in wide orbits. In particular, if the entire isolated planet sample found by Sumi et al. consists of planets bound in wide orbits around stars, we find that it is likely that the median orbital semimajor axis is >30 AU.

This paper studies the properties of kiloparsec-scale clumps in star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2 through multi-wavelength broadband photometry. A sample of 40 clumps is identified from Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) z-band images through auto-detection and visual inspection from 10 galaxies with 1.5 < z < 2.5 in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, where deep and high-resolution HST/WFC3 and ACS images enable us to resolve structures of z ∼ 2 galaxies down to the kiloparsec scale in the rest-frame UV and optical bands and to detect clumps toward the faint end. The physical properties of clumps are measured through fitting spatially resolved seven-band (BVizYJH) spectral energy distribution to models. On average, the clumps are blue and have similar median rest-frame UV–optical color as the diffuse components of their host galaxies, but the clumps have large scatter in their colors. Although the star formation rate (SFR)–stellar mass relation of galaxies is dominated by the diffuse components, clumps emerge as regions with enhanced specific star formation rates, contributing individually ∼10% and together ∼50% of the SFR of the host galaxies. However, the contributions of clumps to the rest-frame UV/optical luminosity and stellar mass are smaller, typically a few percent individually and ∼20% together. On average, clumps are younger by 0.2 dex and denser by a factor of eight than diffuse components. Clump properties have obvious radial variations in the sense that central clumps are redder, older, more extincted, denser, and less active on forming stars than outskirt clumps. Our results are broadly consistent with a widely held view that clumps are formed through gravitational instability in gas-rich turbulent disks and would eventually migrate toward galactic centers and coalesce into bulges. Roughly 40% of the galaxies in our sample contain a massive clump that could be identified as a proto-bulge, which seems qualitatively consistent with such a bulge-formation scenario.

We present our X-ray imaging spectroscopic analysis of data from deep Suzaku and XMM-Newton Observatory exposures of the Virgo Cluster elliptical galaxy NGC 4649 (M60), focusing on the abundance pattern in the hot interstellar medium (ISM). All measured elements show a radial decline in abundance, with the possible exception of O. We construct steady-state solutions to the chemical evolution equations that include infall in addition to stellar mass return and Type Ia supernova (SNIa) enrichment, and consider recently published SNIa yields. By adjusting a single model parameter to obtain a match to the global abundance pattern in NGC 4649, we infer that introduction of subsolar metallicity external gas has reduced the overall ISM metallicity and diluted the effectiveness of SNIa to skew the pattern toward low α/Fe ratios, and estimate the combination of SNIa rate and level of dilution. Evidently, newly introduced gas is heated as it is integrated into, and interacts with, the hot gas that is already present. These results indicate a complex flow and enrichment history for NGC 4649, reflecting the continual evolution of elliptical galaxies beyond the formation epoch. The heating and circulation of accreted gas may help reconcile this dynamic history with the mostly passive evolution of elliptical stellar populations. In an Appendix, we examine the effects of the recent updated atomic database AtomDB in spectral fitting of thermal plasmas with hot ISM temperatures in the elliptical galaxy range.

Understanding the interaction between galaxies and their surroundings is central to building a coherent picture of galaxy evolution. Here we use Galaxy Evolution Explorer imaging of a statistically representative sample of 23 galaxy groups at z ≈ 0.06 to explore how local and global group environments affect the UV properties and dust-corrected star formation rates (SFRs) of their member galaxies. The data provide SFRs out to beyond 2R₂₀₀ in all groups, down to a completeness limit and limiting galaxy stellar mass of 0.06 M_☉ yr⁻¹ and 1 × 10⁸M_☉, respectively. At fixed galaxy stellar mass, we find that the fraction of star-forming group members is suppressed relative to the field out to an average radius of R ≈ 1.5 Mpc ≈2R₂₀₀, mirroring results for massive clusters. For the first time, we also report a similar suppression of the specific SFR within such galaxies, on average by 40% relative to the field, thus directly revealing the impact of the group environment in quenching star formation within infalling galaxies. At fixed galaxy density and stellar mass, this suppression is stronger in more massive groups, implying that both local and global group environments play a role in quenching. The results favor an average quenching timescale of ≳ 2 Gyr and strongly suggest that a combination of tidal interactions and starvation is responsible. Despite their past and ongoing quenching, galaxy groups with more than four members still account for at least ∼25% of the total UV output in the nearby universe.

Observations of radio halos and relics in galaxy clusters indicate efficient electron acceleration. Protons should likewise be accelerated and, on account of weak energy losses, can accumulate, suggesting that clusters may also be sources of very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission. We report here on VHE gamma-ray observations of the Coma galaxy cluster with the VERITAS array of imaging Cerenkov telescopes, with complementing Fermi Large Area Telescope observations at GeV energies. No significant gamma-ray emission from the Coma Cluster was detected. Integral flux upper limits at the 99% confidence level were measured to be on the order of (2–5) × 10⁻⁸ photons m⁻² s⁻¹ (VERITAS, >220 GeV) and ∼2 × 10⁻⁶ photons m⁻² s⁻¹ (Fermi, 1–3 GeV), respectively. We use the gamma-ray upper limits to constrain cosmic rays (CRs) and magnetic fields in Coma. Using an analytical approach, the CR-to-thermal pressure ratio is constrained to be <16% from VERITAS data and <1.7% from Fermi data (averaged within the virial radius). These upper limits are starting to constrain the CR physics in self-consistent cosmological cluster simulations and cap the maximum CR acceleration efficiency at structure formation shocks to be <50%. Alternatively, this may argue for non-negligible CR transport processes such as CR streaming and diffusion into the outer cluster regions. Assuming that the radio-emitting electrons of the Coma halo result from hadronic CR interactions, the observations imply a lower limit on the central magnetic field in Coma of ∼(2–5.5) μG, depending on the radial magnetic field profile and on the gamma-ray spectral index. Since these values are below those inferred by Faraday rotation measurements in Coma (for most of the parameter space), this renders the hadronic model a very plausible explanation of the Coma radio halo. Finally, since galaxy clusters are dark matter (DM) dominated, the VERITAS upper limits have been used to place constraints on the thermally averaged product of the total self-annihilation cross section and the relative velocity of the DM particles, 〈σv〉.

Dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs) as a population in a special phase during the evolution of merging galaxies have been found largely from candidates selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). In this paper, we develop a simple model of dual AGNs, which are composed of two optically thin spheres emitting narrow lines and co-rotating governed by gravity between them. In order to show how profiles are sensitive to the orientation angles of the orbiting plane and phase angles, we make detailed calculations of profiles for a large space of the two angles. The dual AGNs observationally appear as ones with double-peaked profiles of emission lines, but there are still quite large ranges of orientation and phase angles where they appear only with a single-peaked profile. This implies a large fraction of dual AGN candidate missed by selecting AGNs with double-peaked profiles. We show that the highly sensitive dependence of profiles on orientation and phase angles makes them robust to deproject dual AGN systems. Deprojection by the present model has potential implications for discussion of the triggering mechanism of black hole activity in light of the deprojected distance. We apply the present model to two dual AGN, SDSS J095207.6+255257 and J171544.05+600835.7, for deprojection of the binary cores.

We present mid-infrared spectra and photometry of 13 redshift 0.4 < z < 1 dust reddened quasars obtained with Spitzer IRS and MIPS. We compare properties derived from their infrared spectral energy distributions (intrinsic active galactic nucleus (AGN) luminosity and far-infrared luminosity from star formation) to the host luminosities and morphologies from Hubble Space Telescope imaging, and black hole masses estimated from optical and/or near-infrared spectroscopy. Our results are broadly consistent with models in which most dust reddened quasars are an intermediate phase between a merger-driven starburst triggering a completely obscured AGN, and a normal, unreddened quasar. We find that many of our objects have high accretion rates, close to the Eddington limit. These objects tend to fall below the black hole mass–bulge luminosity relation as defined by local galaxies, whereas most of our low accretion rate objects are slightly above the local relation, as typical for normal quasars at these redshifts. Our observations are therefore most readily interpreted in a scenario in which galaxy stellar mass growth occurs first by about a factor of three in each merger/starburst event, followed sometime later by black hole growth by a similar amount. We do not, however, see any direct evidence for quasar feedback affecting star formation in our objects, for example, in the form of a relationship between accretion rate and star formation. Five of our objects, however, do show evidence for outflows in the [O iii]5007 Å emission line profile, suggesting that the quasar activity is driving thermal winds in at least some members of our sample.

We present a three-dimensional analysis of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A using high-resolution spectra from the Spitzer Space Telescope. We observe supernova ejecta both immediately before and during the shock–ejecta interaction. We determine that the reverse shock of the remnant is spherical to within 7%, although the center of this sphere is offset from the geometric center of the remnant by 810 km s⁻¹. We determine that the velocity width of the nucleosynthetic layers is ∼1000 km s⁻¹ over 4000 arcsec² regions, although the velocity width of a layer along any individual line of sight is <250 km s⁻¹. Si and O, which come from different nucleosynthetic layers in the progenitor star, are observed to be coincident in velocity space in some directions, but segregated by up to ∼500 km s⁻¹ in other directions. We compare these observations of the nucleosynthetic layers to predictions from supernova explosion models in an attempt to constrain such models. Finally, we observe small-scale, corrugated velocity structures that are likely caused during the supernova explosion itself, rather than hundreds of years later by dynamical instabilities at the remnant's reverse shock.

We describe the physical and orbital properties of C/2011 W3. After surviving perihelion passage, the comet was observed to undergo major physical changes. The permanent loss of the nuclear condensation and the formation of a narrow spine tail were observed first at Malargue, Argentina, on December 20 and then systematically at Siding Spring, Australia. The process of disintegration culminated with a terminal fragmentation event on December 17.6 UT. The postperihelion dust tail, observed for ∼3 months, was the product of activity over <2 days. The nucleus' breakup and crumbling were probably caused by thermal stress due to the penetration of the intense heat pulse deep into the nucleus' interior after perihelion. The same mechanism may be responsible for cascading fragmentation of sungrazers at large heliocentric distances. The delayed response to the hostile environment in the solar corona is at odds with the rubble-pile model, since the residual mass of the nucleus, estimated at ∼10¹² g (equivalent to a sphere 150–200 m across) just before the terminal event, still possessed nontrivial cohesive strength. The high production rates of atomic oxygen, observed shortly after perihelion, are compatible with a subkilometer-sized nucleus. The spine tail—the product of the terminal fragmentation—was a synchronic feature, whose brightest part contained submillimeter-sized dust grains, released at velocities of up to 30 m s⁻¹. The loss of the nuclear condensation prevented an accurate orbital-period determination by traditional techniques. Since the missing nucleus must have been located on the synchrone, whose orientation and sunward tip have been measured, we compute the astrometric positions of this missing nucleus as the coordinates of the points of intersection of the spine tail's axis with the lines of forced orbital-period variation, derived from the orbital solutions based on high-quality preperihelion astrometry from the ground. The resulting orbit gives 698 ± 2 yr for the osculating orbital period, showing that C/2011 W3 is the first member of the expected new, 21st-century cluster of bright Kreutz-system sungrazers, whose existence was predicted by these authors in 2007. From the spine tail's evolution, we determine that its measured tip, populated by dust particles 1–2 mm in diameter, receded antisunward from the computed position of the missing nucleus. The bizarre appearance of the comet's dust tail in images taken only hours after perihelion with the coronagraphs on board the SOHO and STEREO spacecraft is readily understood. The disconnection of the comet's head from the tail released before perihelion and an apparent activity attenuation near perihelion have a common cause—sublimation of all dust at heliocentric distances smaller than about 1.8 solar radii. The tail's brightness is strongly affected by forward scattering of sunlight by dust. From an initially broad range of particle sizes, the grains that were imaged the longest had a radiation-pressure parameter β ≃ 0.6, diagnostic of submicron-sized silicate grains and consistent with the existence of the dust-free zone around the Sun. The role and place of C/2011 W3 in the hierarchy of the Kreutz system and its genealogy via a 14th-century parent suggest that it is indirectly related to the celebrated sungrazer X/1106 C1, which, just as the first-generation parent of C/2011 W3, split from a common predecessor during the previous return to perihelion.

We obtain lower limits on the amplitude of convective velocities in the deep solar convection zone (CZ) based only on the observed properties of the differential rotation and meridional circulation together with simple and robust dynamical balances obtained from the fundamental magnetohydrodynamics equations. The linchpin of the approach is the concept of gyroscopic pumping whereby the meridional circulation across isosurfaces of specific angular momentum is linked to the angular momentum transport by the convective Reynolds stress. We find that the amplitude of the convective velocity must be at least 30 m s⁻¹ in the upper CZ (r ∼ 0.95R) and at least 8 m s⁻¹ in the lower CZ (r ∼ 0.75R) in order to be consistent with the observed mean flows. Using the base of the near-surface shear layer as a probe of the rotational influence, we are further able to show that the characteristic length scale of deep convective motions must be no smaller than 5.5–30 Mm. These results are compatible with convection models but suggest that the efficiency of the turbulent transport assumed in advection-dominated flux-transport dynamo models is generally not consistent with the mean flows they employ.

We present a detailed analysis of the spatially and spectrally resolved ¹²CO J = 2–1 and J = 3–2 emission lines from the TW Hya circumstellar disk, based on science verification data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). These lines exhibit substantial emission in their high-velocity wings (with projected velocities out to 2.1 km s⁻¹, corresponding to intrinsic orbital velocities >20 km s⁻¹) that trace molecular gas as close as 2 AU from the central star. However, we are not able to reproduce the intensity of these wings and the general spatio-kinematic pattern of the lines with simple models for the disk structure and kinematics. Using three-dimensional non-local thermodynamic equilibrium molecular excitation and radiative transfer calculations, we construct some alternative models that successfully account for these features by modifying either (1) the temperature structure of the inner disk (inside the dust-depleted disk cavity; r < 4 AU), (2) the intrinsic (Keplerian) disk velocity field, or (3) the distribution of disk inclination angles (a warp). The latter approach is particularly compelling because a representative warped disk model qualitatively reproduces the observed azimuthal modulation of optical light scattered off the disk surface. In any model scenario, the ALMA data clearly require a substantial molecular gas reservoir located inside the region where dust optical depths are known to be substantially diminished in the TW Hya disk, in agreement with previous studies based on infrared spectroscopy. The results from these updated model prescriptions are discussed in terms of their potential physical origins, which might include dynamical perturbations from a low-mass companion with an orbital separation of a few AU.

The dark matter content of the universe is likely to be a mixture of matter and antimatter, perhaps comparable to the measured asymmetric mixture of baryons and antibaryons. During the early stages of the universe, the dark matter particles are produced in a process similar to baryogenesis, and dark matter freezeout depends on the dark matter asymmetry and the annihilation cross section (s-wave and p-wave annihilation channels) of particles and antiparticles. In these η-parameterized asymmetric dark matter (ηADM) models, the dark matter particles have an annihilation cross section close to the weak interaction cross section, and a value of dark matter asymmetry η close to the baryon asymmetry η_B. Furthermore, we assume that dark matter scattering of baryons, namely, the spin-independent scattering cross section, is of the same order as the range of values suggested by several theoretical particle physics models used to explain the current unexplained events reported in the DAMA/LIBRA, CoGeNT, and CRESST experiments. Here, we constrain ηADM by investigating the impact of such a type of dark matter on the evolution of the Sun, namely, the flux of solar neutrinos and helioseismology. We find that dark matter particles with a mass smaller than 15 GeV, a spin-independent scattering cross section on baryons of the order of a picobarn, and an η-asymmetry with a value in the interval 10⁻¹²–10⁻¹⁰, would induce a change in solar neutrino fluxes in disagreement with current neutrino flux measurements. This result is also confirmed by helioseismology data. A natural consequence of this model is suppressed annihilation, thereby reducing the tension between indirect and direct dark matter detection experiments, but the model also allows a greatly enhanced annihilation cross section. All the cosmological ηADM scenarios that we discuss have a relic dark matter density Ωh² and baryon asymmetry η_B in agreement with the current WMAP measured values, Ω_DMh² = 0.1109 ± 0.0056 and η_B = 0.88 × 10⁻¹⁰.

We present a method to extract the redshift-space distortion β parameter in configuration space with a minimal set of cosmological assumptions. We show that a novel combination of the observed monopole and quadrupole correlation functions can remove efficiently the impact of mild nonlinearities and redshift errors. The method offers a series of convenient properties: it does not depend on the theoretical linear correlation function, the mean galaxy density is irrelevant, only convolutions are used, and there is no explicit dependence on linear bias. Analyses based on dark matter N-body simulations and Fisher matrix demonstrate that errors of a few percent on β are possible with a full-sky, 1 (h⁻¹ Gpc)³ survey centered at a redshift of unity and with negligible shot noise. We also find a baryonic feature in the normalized quadrupole in configuration space that should complicate the extraction of the growth parameter from the linear theory asymptote, but that does not have a major impact on our method.

We have investigated the color–magnitude diagram of ω Centauri and find that the blue main sequence (bMS) can be reproduced only by models that have a helium abundance in the range Y = 0.35–0.40. To explain the faint subgiant branch of the reddest stars ("MS-a/RG-a" sequence), isochrones for the observed metallicity ([Fe/H] ≈−0.7) appear to require both a high age (∼13 Gyr) and enhanced CNO abundances ([CNO/Fe] ≈0.9). Y ≈ 0.35 must also be assumed in order to counteract the effects of high CNO on turnoff colors and thereby to obtain a good fit to the relatively blue turnoff of this stellar population. This suggests a short chemical evolution period of time (<1 Gyr) for ω Cen. Our intermediate-mass (super-)asymptotic giant branch (AGB) models are able to reproduce the high helium abundances, along with [N/Fe] ∼2 and substantial O depletions if uncertainties in the treatment of convection are fully taken into account. These abundance features distinguish the bMS stars from the dominant [Fe/H] ≈−1.7 population. The most massive super-AGB stellar models (M_ZAMS ⩾ 6.8 M_☉, M_{He, core} ⩾ 1.245 M_☉) predict too large N enhancements, which limit their role in contributing to the extreme populations. In order to address the observed central concentration of stars with He-rich abundance, we show here quantitatively that highly He- and N-enriched AGB ejecta have particularly efficient cooling properties. Based on these results and on the reconstruction of the orbit of ω Cen with respect to the Milky Way, we propose the Galactic plane passage gas purging scenario for the chemical evolution of this cluster. The bMS population formed shortly after the purging of most of the cluster gas as a result of the passage of ω Cen through the Galactic disk (which occurs today every ∼40 Myr for ω Cen) when the initial mass function of the dominant population had "burned" through most of the Type II supernova mass range. AGB stars would eject most of their masses into the gas-depleted cluster through low-velocity winds that sink to the cluster core due to their favorable cooling properties and form the bMS population. In our discussion we follow our model through four passage events, which could explain some key properties not only of the bMS but also of the MS-a/RGB-a and the s-enriched stars.

We present three new eclipsing white-dwarf/M-dwarf binary systems discovered during a search for transiting planets around M-dwarfs. Unlike most known eclipsing systems of this type, the optical and infrared emission is dominated by the M-dwarf components, and the systems have optical colors and discovery light curves consistent with being Jupiter-radius transiting planets around early M-dwarfs. We detail the PTF/M-dwarf transiting planet survey, part of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). We present a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based box-least-squares search for transits that runs approximately 8 × faster than similar algorithms implemented on general purpose systems. For the discovered systems, we decompose low-resolution spectra of the systems into white-dwarf and M-dwarf components, and use radial velocity measurements and cooling models to estimate masses and radii for the white dwarfs. The systems are compact, with periods between 0.35 and 0.45 days and semimajor axes of approximately 2 R_☉ (0.01 AU). The M-dwarfs have masses of approximately 0.35 M_☉, and the white dwarfs have hydrogen-rich atmospheres with temperatures of around 8000 K and have masses of approximately 0.5 M_☉. We use the Robo-AO laser guide star adaptive optics system to tentatively identify one of the objects as a triple system. We also use high-cadence photometry to put an upper limit on the white-dwarf radius of 0.025 R_☉ (95% confidence) in one of the systems. Accounting for our detection efficiency and geometric factors, we estimate that $\rm 0.08\%^{+0.10\%}_{-0.05\%}$ (90% confidence) of M-dwarfs are in these short-period, post-common-envelope white-dwarf/M-dwarf binaries where the optical light is dominated by the M-dwarf. The lack of detections at shorter periods, despite near-100% detection efficiency for such systems, suggests that binaries including these relatively low-temperature white dwarfs are preferentially found at relatively large orbital radii. Similar eclipsing binary systems can have arbitrarily small eclipse depths in red bands and generate plausible small-planet-transit light curves. As such, these systems are a source of false positives for M-dwarf transiting planet searches. We present several ways to rapidly distinguish these binaries from transiting planet systems.

Sun-like stars are thought to be regularly disrupted by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) within galactic nuclei. Yet, as stars evolve off the main sequence their vulnerability to tidal disruption increases drastically as they develop a bifurcated structure consisting of a dense core and a tenuous envelope. Here we present the first hydrodynamic simulations of the tidal disruption of giant stars and show that the core has a substantial influence on the star's ability to survive the encounter. Stars with more massive cores retain large fractions of their envelope mass, even in deep encounters. Accretion flares resulting from the disruption of giant stars should last for tens to hundreds of years. Their characteristic signature in transient searches would not be the t^−5/3 decay typically associated with tidal disruption events, but a correlated rise over many orders of magnitude in brightness on timescales of months to years. We calculate the relative disruption rates of stars of varying evolutionary stages in typical galactic centers, then use our results to produce Monte Carlo realizations of the expected flaring event populations. We find that the demographics of tidal disruption flares are strongly dependent on both stellar and black hole mass, especially near the limiting SMBH mass scale of ∼10⁸ M_☉. At this black hole mass, we predict a sharp transition in the SMBH flaring diet beyond which all observable disruptions arise from evolved stars, accompanied by a dramatic cutoff in the overall tidal disruption flaring rate. Black holes less massive than this limiting mass scale will show observable flares from both main-sequence and evolved stars, with giants contributing up to 10% of the event rate. The relative fractions of stars disrupted at different evolutionary states can constrain the properties and distributions of stars in galactic nuclei other than our own.

We present new observations from Z-Spec, a broadband 185–305 GHz spectrometer, of five submillimeter bright lensed sources selected from the Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey science demonstration phase catalog. We construct a redshift-finding algorithm using combinations of the signal to noise of all the lines falling in the Z-Spec bandpass to determine redshifts with high confidence, even in cases where the signal to noise in individual lines is low. We measure the dust continuum in all sources and secure CO redshifts for four out of five (z ∼ 1.5–3). In one source, SDP.17, we tentatively identify two independent redshifts and a water line, confirmed at z = 2.308. Our sources have properties characteristic of dusty starburst galaxies, with magnification-corrected star formation rates of 10^{2 − 3}M_☉ yr⁻¹. Lower limits for the dust masses (∼ a few 10⁸M_☉) and spatial extents (∼1 kpc equivalent radius) are derived from the continuum spectral energy distributions, corresponding to dust temperatures between 54 and 69 K. In the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) approximation, we derive relatively low CO excitation temperatures (≲ 100 K) and optical depths (τ ≲ 1). Performing a non-LTE excitation analysis using RADEX, we find that the CO lines measured by Z-Spec (from J = 4 → 3 to 10 → 9, depending on the galaxy) localize the best solutions to either a high-temperature/low-density region or a low/temperature/high-density region near the LTE solution, with the optical depth varying accordingly. Observations of additional CO lines, CO(1–0) in particular, are needed to constrain the non-LTE models.

We examine the detailed physics of the feedback mechanism by relativistic active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets interacting with a two-phase fractal interstellar medium (ISM) in the kpc-scale core of galaxies using 29 three-dimensional grid-based hydrodynamical simulations. The feedback efficiency, as measured by the amount of cloud dispersal generated by the jet–ISM interactions, is sensitive to the maximum size of clouds in the fractal cloud distribution but not to their volume filling factor. Feedback ceases to be efficient for Eddington ratios P_jet/L_edd ≲ 10⁻⁴, although systems with large cloud complexes ≳ 50 pc require jets of Eddington ratio in excess of 10⁻² to disperse the clouds appreciably. Based on measurements of the bubble expansion rates in our simulations, we argue that sub-grid AGN prescriptions resulting in negative feedback in cosmological simulations without a multi-phase treatment of the ISM are good approximations if the volume filling factor of warm-phase material is less than 0.1 and the cloud complexes are smaller than ∼25 pc. We find that the acceleration of the dense embedded clouds is provided by the ram pressure of the high-velocity flow through the porous channels of the warm phase, flow that has fully entrained the shocked hot-phase gas it has swept up, and is additionally mass loaded by ablated cloud material. This mechanism transfers 10% to 40% of the jet energy to the cold and warm gas, accelerating it within a few 10 to 100  Myr to velocities that match those observed in a range of high- and low-redshift radio galaxies hosting powerful radio jets.

We present results from monitoring observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar RX J1131−1231 performed with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The X-ray observations were planned with relatively long exposures that allowed a search for energy-dependent microlensing in the soft (0.2–2 keV) and hard (2–10 keV) light curves of the images of RX J1131−1231. We detect significant microlensing in the X-ray light curves of images A and D, and energy-dependent microlensing of image D. The magnification of the soft band appears to be larger than that in the hard band by a factor of ∼1.3 when image D becomes more magnified. This can be explained by the difference between a compact, softer-spectrum corona that is producing a more extended, harder spectrum reflection component off the disk. This is supported by the evolution of the fluorescent iron line in image D over three consecutive time-averaged phases of the light curve. In the first period, an Fe line at E = 6.35^+0.14_{− 0.14} keV is detected (at >99% confidence). In the second period, two Fe lines are detected, one at E = 5.50^+0.03_{− 0.08} keV (detected at >99% confidence) and another at E = 6.04^+0.10_{− 0.07} keV (marginally detected at >90% confidence), and in the third period, a broadened Fe line at 6.42^+0.16_{− 0.14} keV is detected (at >99% confidence). This evolution of the Fe line profile during the microlensing event is consistent with the line distortion expected when a caustic passes over the inner disk where the shape of the fluorescent Fe line is distorted by general relativistic and Doppler effects.

In order to test a recent hypothesis that the dispersion in the Schmidt–Kennicutt law arises from variations in the evolutionary stage of star-forming molecular clouds, we compared molecular gas and recent star formation in an early-phase merger galaxy pair, Taffy I (UGC 12915/UGC 12914, VV 254) which went through a direct collision 20 Myr ago and whose star-forming regions are expected to have similar ages. Narrowband Paα image is obtained using the ANIR near-infrared camera on the mini-TAO 1 m telescope. The image enables us to derive accurate star formation rates within the galaxy directly. The total star formation rate, 22.2 M_☉ yr⁻¹, was found to be much higher than previous estimates. Ages of individual star-forming blobs estimated from equivalent widths indicate that most star-forming regions are ∼7 Myr old, except for a giant H ii region at the bridge which is much younger. Comparison between star formation rates and molecular gas masses for the regions with the same age exhibits a surprisingly tight correlation, a slope of unity, and star formation efficiencies comparable to those of starburst galaxies. These results suggest that Taffy I has just evolved into a starburst system after the collision, and the star-forming sites are at a similar stage in their evolution from natal molecular clouds except for the bridge region. The tight Schmidt–Kennicutt law supports the scenario that dispersion in the star formation law is in large part due to differences in evolutionary stage of star-forming regions.

We present one of the most ultraviolet (UV) luminous Lyman break galaxies (LBGs; J1432+3358) at z = 2.78, discovered in the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Boötes field. The R-band magnitude of J1432+3358 is 22.29 AB, more than two magnitudes brighter than typical L* LBGs at this redshift. The deep z-band image reveals two components of J1432+3358 separated by 10 with a flux ratio of 3:1. The high signal-to-noise ratio rest-frame UV spectrum shows Lyα emission line and interstellar medium absorption lines. The absence of N v and C iv emission lines, and the non-detection in X-ray and radio wavelengths and mid-infrared (MIR) colors indicates weak or no active galactic nuclei (<10%) in this galaxy. The galaxy shows a broader line profile, with a FWHM of about 1000 km s⁻¹ and a larger outflow velocity (≈500 km s⁻¹) than those of typical z ∼ 3 LBGs. The physical properties are derived by fitting the spectral energy distribution (SED) with stellar synthesis models. The dust extinction, E(B − V) = 0.12, is similar to that in normal LBGs. The star formation rates (SFRs) derived from the SED fitting and the dust-corrected UV flux are consistent with each other, ∼300 M_☉ yr⁻¹, and the stellar mass is (1.3 ± 0.3) × 10¹¹ M_☉. The SFR and stellar mass in J1432+3358 are about an order of magnitude higher than those in normal LBGs. The SED-fitting results support that J1432+3358 has a continuous star formation history, with a star formation episode of 6.3 × 10⁸ yr. The morphology of J1432+3358 and its physical properties suggest that J1432+3358 is in an early phase of a 3:1 merger process. The unique properties and the low space number density (∼10⁻⁷ Mpc⁻³) are consistent with the interpretation that such galaxies are either found in a short unobscured phase of the star formation or that a small fraction of intensive star-forming galaxies are unobscured.

Young radio galaxies (YRGs) provide an ideal laboratory to explore the connection between the accretion disk and radio jet thanks to their recent jet formation. We investigate the relationship between the emission-line properties, the black hole accretion rate, and the radio properties using a sample of 34 low-redshift (z < 0.4) YRGs. We classify YRGs as high-excitation galaxies (HEGs) and low-excitation galaxies (LEGs) based on the flux ratio of high-ionization to low-ionization emission lines. Using the Hα luminosities as a proxy of accretion rate, we find that HEGs in YRGs have ∼1 dex higher Eddington ratios than LEGs in YRGs, suggesting that HEGs have a higher mass accretion rate or higher radiative efficiency than LEGs. In agreement with previous studies, we find that the luminosities of emission lines, in particular Hα, are correlated with radio core luminosity, suggesting that accretion and young radio activities are fundamentally connected.

The frequency and properties of multiple star systems offer powerful tests of star formation models. Multiplicity surveys over the past decade have shown that binary properties vary strongly with mass, but the functional forms and the interplay between frequency and semimajor axis remain largely unconstrained. We present the results of a large-scale survey of multiplicity at the bottom of the initial mass function in several nearby young associations, encompassing 78 very low mass members observed with Keck laser guide star adaptive optics. Our survey confirms the overall trend observed in the field for lower-mass binary systems to be less frequent and more compact, including a null detection for any substellar binary systems with separations wider than ∼7 AU. Combined with a Bayesian re-analysis of existing surveys, our results demonstrate that the binary frequency and binary separations decline smoothly between masses of 0.5 M_☉ and 0.02 M_☉, though we cannot distinguish the functional form of this decline due to a degeneracy between the total binary frequency and the mean binary separation. We also show that the mass ratio distribution becomes progressively more concentrated at q ∼ 1 for declining masses, though a small number of systems appear to have unusually wide separations and low-mass ratios for their mass. Finally, we compare our results to synthetic binary populations generated by smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations, noting the similarities and discussing possible explanations for the differences.

We calculated the influence of the limb-darkened finite-disk correction factor in the theory of radiation-driven winds from massive stars. We solved the one-dimensional m-CAK hydrodynamical equation of rotating radiation-driven winds for all three known solutions, i.e., fast, Ω-slow, and δ-slow. We found that for the fast solution, the mass-loss rate is increased by a factor of ∼10%, while the terminal velocity is reduced about 10%, when compared with the solution using a finite-disk correction factor from a uniformly bright star. For the other two slow solutions, the changes are almost negligible. Although we found that the limb darkening has no effects on the wind-momentum–luminosity relationship, it would affect the calculation of synthetic line profiles and the derivation of accurate wind parameters.

IGR J18179−1621 is an obscured accreting X-ray pulsar discovered by INTEGRAL on 2012 February 29. We report on our 20 ks Chandra-High Energy Transmission Gratings Spectrometer observation of the source performed on 2012 March 17, on two short contemporaneous Swift observations, and on our two near-infrared (K_s, H_n, and J_n) observations performed on 2012 March 13 and 26. We determine the most accurate X-ray position of IGR J18179−1621, α_J2000 = 18^h17^m5218, δ_J2000 = −16°21'3168 (90% uncertainty of 06). A strong periodic variability at 11.82 s is clearly detected in the Chandra data, confirming the pulsating nature of the source, with the light-curve softening at the pulse peak. The quasi-simultaneous Chandra–Swift spectra of IGR J18179−1621 can be well fit by a heavily absorbed hard power law (N_H = 2.2  ±  0.3 × 10²³ cm⁻² and photon index Γ = 0.4  ±  0.1) with an average absorbed 2–8 keV flux of 1.4 × 10⁻¹¹ erg cm⁻² s⁻¹. At the Chandra-based position, a source is detected in our near-infrared (NIR) maps with K_s = 13.14 ± 0.04 mag, H_n = 16 ± 0.1 mag, and no J_n-band counterpart down to ∼18 mag. The NIR source, compatible with 2MASS J18175218−1621316, shows no variability between 2012 March 13 and 26. Searches of the UKIDSS database show similar NIR flux levels at epochs six months prior to and after a 2007 February 11 archival Chandra observation where the source's X-ray flux was at least 87 times fainter. In many ways IGR J18179−1621 is unusual: its combination of a several week long outburst (without evidence of repeated outbursts in the historical record), high absorption column (a large fraction of which is likely local to the system), and 11.82 s period does not fit neatly into existing X-ray binary categories.

We study the capability of Planck data to constrain deviations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) blackbody temperature from adiabatic evolution using the thermal Sunyaev–Zeldovich anisotropy induced by clusters of galaxies. We consider two types of data sets depending on how the cosmological signal is removed: using a CMB template or using the 217 GHz map. We apply two different statistical estimators, based on the ratio of temperature anisotropies at two different frequencies and on a fit to the spectral variation of the cluster signal with frequency. The ratio method is biased if CMB residuals with amplitude ∼1 μK or larger are present in the data, while residuals are not so critical for the fit method. To test for systematics, we construct a template from clusters drawn from a hydro-simulation included in the pre-launch Planck Sky Model. We demonstrate that, using a proprietary catalog of X-ray-selected clusters with measured redshifts, electron densities, and X-ray temperatures, we can constrain deviations of adiabatic evolution, measured by the parameter α in the redshift scaling T(z) = T₀(1 + z)^{1 − α}, with an accuracy of σ_α = 0.011 in the most optimal case and with σ_α = 0.018 for a less optimal case. These results represent a factor of 2–3 improvement over similar measurements carried out using quasar spectral lines and a factor 6–20 with respect to earlier results using smaller cluster samples.

We compare the cosmological first-order post-Newtonian (1PN) approximation with the relativistic cosmological linear perturbation theory in a zero-pressure medium with the cosmological constant. We compare equations and solutions in several different gauge conditions available in both methods. In the PN method we have perturbation equations for density, velocity, and gravitational potential independently of the gauge condition to 1PN order. However, correspondences with these 1PN equations are available only in certain gauge conditions in the perturbation theory. Equations of perturbed velocity and the perturbed gravitational potential in the zero-shear gauge exactly coincide with the Newtonian equations, which remain valid even to 1PN order (the same is true for perturbed velocity identified in the comoving gauge), and equations of perturbed density in the zero-shear gauge and the uniform-expansion gauge coincide to 1PN order. We identify other correspondences available in different gauge conditions of the perturbation theory.

We propose a scenario that explains the apparent nitrogen deficiency in comets in a way that is consistent with the fact that the surfaces of Pluto and Triton are dominated by nitrogen-rich ice. We use a statistical thermodynamic model to investigate the composition of the successive multiple guest clathrates that may have formed during the cooling of the primordial nebula from the most abundant volatiles present in the gas phase. These clathrates agglomerated with the other ices (pure condensates or stoichiometric hydrates) and formed the building blocks of comets. We report that molecular nitrogen is a poor clathrate former, when we consider a plausible gas-phase composition of the primordial nebula. This implies that its trapping into cometesimals requires a low disk temperature (∼20 K) in order to allow the formation of its pure condensate. We find that it is possible to explain the lack of molecular nitrogen in comets as a consequence of their postformation internal heating engendered by the decay of short-lived radiogenic nuclides. This scenario is found to be consistent with the presence of nitrogen-rich ice covers on Pluto and Triton. Our model predicts that comets should present xenon-to-water and krypton-to-water ratios close to solar xenon-to-oxygen and krypton-to-oxygen ratios, respectively. In contrast, the argon-to-water ratio is predicted to be depleted by a factor of ∼300 in comets compared to solar argon-to-oxygen, as a consequence of poor trapping efficiency and radiogenic heating.

We present a method for performing data-driven simulations of solar active region formation and evolution. The approach is based on magnetofriction, which evolves the induction equation assuming that the plasma velocity is proportional to the Lorentz force. The simulations of active region (AR) coronal field are driven by temporal sequences of photospheric magnetograms from the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager instrument on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Under certain conditions, the data-driven simulations produce flux ropes that are ejected from the modeled AR due to loss of equilibrium. Following the ejection of flux ropes, we find an enhancement of the photospheric horizontal field near the polarity inversion line. We also present a method for the synthesis of mock coronal images based on a proxy emissivity calculated from the current density distribution in the model. This method yields mock coronal images that are somewhat reminiscent of images of ARs taken by instruments such as SDO's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths.

The scattering of f-modes by magnetic tubes is analyzed using three-dimensional numerical simulations. An f-mode wave packet is propagated through a solar atmosphere embedded with three different flux tube models that differ in radius and total magnetic flux. A quiet-Sun simulation without a tube present is also performed as a reference. Waves are excited inside the flux tube and propagate along the field lines, and jacket modes are generated in the surroundings of the flux tube, carrying 40% as much energy as the tube modes. The resulting scattered wave is mainly an f-mode composed of a mixture of m = 0 and m = ±1 modes. The amplitude of the scattered wave approximately scales with the magnetic flux. A small amount of power is scattered into the p₁-mode. We have evaluated the absorption and phase shift from a Fourier–Hankel decomposition of the photospheric vertical velocities. They are compared with the results obtained from the ensemble average of 3400 small magnetic elements observed in high-resolution MDI Doppler datacubes. The comparison shows that the observed dependence of the phase shift with wavenumber can be matched reasonably well with the simulated flux tube model. The observed variation of the phase shifts with the azimuthal order m appears to depend on details of the ensemble averaging, including possible motions of the magnetic elements and asymmetrically shaped elements.

We report one of the several homologous non-radial eruptions from NOAA active region (AR) 11158 that are strongly modulated by the local magnetic field as observed with the Solar Dynamic Observatory. A small bipole emerged in the sunspot complex and subsequently created a quadrupolar flux system. Nonlinear force-free field extrapolation from vector magnetograms reveals its energetic nature: the fast-shearing bipole accumulated ∼2 × 10³¹ erg free energy (10% of AR total) over just one day despite its relatively small magnetic flux (5% of AR total). During the eruption, the ejected plasma followed a highly inclined trajectory, over 60° with respect to the radial direction, forming a jet-like, inverted-Y-shaped structure in its wake. Field extrapolation suggests complicated magnetic connectivity with a coronal null point, which is favorable of reconnection between different flux components in the quadrupolar system. Indeed, multiple pairs of flare ribbons brightened simultaneously, and coronal reconnection signatures appeared near the inferred null. Part of the magnetic setting resembles that of a blowout-type jet; the observed inverted-Y structure likely outlines the open field lines along the separatrix surface. Owing to the asymmetrical photospheric flux distribution, the confining magnetic pressure decreases much faster horizontally than upward. This special field geometry likely guided the non-radial eruption during its initial stage.

It has recently been noted that solar eruptions can be associated with the contraction of coronal loops that are not involved in magnetic reconnection processes. In this paper, we investigate five coronal eruptions originating from four sigmoidal active regions, using high-cadence, high-resolution narrowband EUV images obtained by the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO). The magnitudes of the flares associated with the eruptions range from GOES class B to class X. Owing to the high-sensitivity and broad temperature coverage of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board SDO, we are able to identify both the contracting and erupting components of the eruptions: the former is observed in cold AIA channels as the contracting coronal loops overlying the elbows of the sigmoid, and the latter is preferentially observed in warm/hot AIA channels as an expanding bubble originating from the center of the sigmoid. The initiation of eruption always precedes the contraction, and in the energetically mild events (B- and C-flares), it also precedes the increase in GOES soft X-ray fluxes. In the more energetic events, the eruption is simultaneous with the impulsive phase of the nonthermal hard X-ray emission. These observations confirm that loop contraction is an integrated process in eruptions with partially opened arcades. The consequence of contraction is a new equilibrium with reduced magnetic energy, as the contracting loops never regain their original positions. The contracting process is a direct consequence of flare energy release, as evidenced by the strong correlation of the maximal contracting speed, and strong anti-correlation of the time delay of contraction relative to expansion, with the peak soft X-ray flux. This is also implied by the relationship between contraction and expansion, i.e., their timing and speed.

We confirm that there are at least three separate low-latitude overdensities of blue F turnoff stars near the Milky Way anti-center: the Monoceros Ring, the Anti-Center Stream (ACS), and the Eastern Banded Structure (EBS). There might also be a small number of normal thick disk stars at the same location. The ACS is a tilted component that extends to higher Galactic latitude at lower Galactic longitude, 10 kpc from the Sun toward the anti-center. It has a sharp cutoff on the high-latitude side. Distance, velocity, and proper motion measurements are consistent with previous orbit fits. The mean metallicity is [Fe/H] =−0.96 ± 0.03, which is lower than the thick disk and Monoceros Ring. The Monoceros Ring is a higher density substructure that is present at 15° < b < 22° at all longitudes probed in this survey. The structure likely continues toward lower latitudes. The distances are consistent with a constant distance from the Galactic center of 17.6 kpc. The mean line-of-sight velocity of the structure is consistent with a thick disk rotation. However, the velocity dispersion of these stars is ∼15 km s⁻¹ and the metallicity is [Fe/H] =−0.80 ± 0.01. Both of these quantities are lower than the canonical thick disk. We suggest that this ring structure is likely different from the thick disk, though its association with the disk cannot be definitively ruled out. The EBS is detected primarily photometrically, near (l, b) = (225°, 30°), at a distance of 10.9 kpc from the Sun.

Spatially extended emission regions of active galactic nuclei respond to continuum variations, if such emission regions are powered by energy reprocessing of the continuum. The response from different parts of the reverberating region arrives at different times lagging behind the continuum variation. The lags can be used to map the geometry and kinematics of the emission region (i.e., reverberation mapping, RM). If the extended emission region is not spherically symmetric in configuration and velocity space, reverberation may produce astrometric offsets in the emission region photocenter as a function of time delay and velocity, detectable with future μas to tens of μas astrometry. Such astrometric responses provide independent constraints on the geometric and kinematic structure of the extended emission region, complementary to traditional RM. In addition, astrometric RM is more sensitive to infer the inclination of a flattened geometry and the rotation angle of the extended emission region.

We test models for the evolution of neutron star (NS) magnetic fields (B). Our model for the evolution of the NS spin is taken from an analysis of pulsar timing noise presented by Hobbs et al.. We first test the standard model of a pulsar's magnetosphere in which B does not change with time and magnetic dipole radiation is assumed to dominate the pulsar's spin-down. We find that this model fails to predict both the magnitudes and signs of the second derivatives of the spin frequencies ($\ddot{\nu }$). We then construct a phenomenological model of the evolution of B, which contains a long-term decay (LTD) modulated by short-term oscillations; a pulsar's spin is thus modified by its B-evolution. We find that an exponential LTD is not favored by the observed statistical properties of $\ddot{\nu }$ for young pulsars and fails to explain the fact that $\ddot{\nu }$ is negative for roughly half of the old pulsars. A simple power-law LTD can explain all the observed statistical properties of $\ddot{\nu }$. Finally, we discuss some physical implications of our results to models of the B-decay of NSs and suggest reliable determination of the true ages of many young NSs is needed, in order to constrain further the physical mechanisms of their B-decay. Our model can be further tested with the measured evolutions of $\dot{\nu }$ and $\ddot{\nu }$ for an individual pulsar; the decay index, oscillation amplitude, and period can also be determined this way for the pulsar.

Recent observational results for magnetic fields in molecular clouds reviewed by Crutcher seem to be inconsistent with the predictions of the ambipolar diffusion theory of star formation. These include the measured decrease in mass to flux ratio between envelopes and cores, the failure to detect any self-gravitating magnetically subcritical clouds, the determination of the flat probability distribution function (PDF) of the total magnetic field strengths implying that there are many clouds with very weak magnetic fields, and the observed scaling B∝ρ^2/3 that implies gravitational contraction with weak magnetic fields. We consider the problem of magnetic field evolution in turbulent molecular clouds and discuss the process of magnetic field diffusion mediated by magnetic reconnection. For this process that we termed "reconnection diffusion," we provide a simple physical model and explain that this process is inevitable in view of the present-day understanding of MHD turbulence. We address the issue of the expected magnetization of cores and envelopes in the process of star formation and show that reconnection diffusion provides an efficient removal of magnetic flux that depends only on the properties of MHD turbulence in the core and the envelope. We show that as the amplitude of turbulence as well as the scale of turbulent motions decrease from the envelope to the core of the cloud, the diffusion of the magnetic field is faster in the envelope. As a result, the magnetic flux trapped during the collapse in the envelope is being released faster than the flux trapped in the core, resulting in much weaker fields in envelopes than in cores, as observed. We provide simple semi-analytical model calculations which support this conclusion and qualitatively agree with the observational results. Magnetic reconnection is also consistent with the lack of subcritical self-gravitating clouds, with the observed flat PDF of field strengths, and with the scaling of field strength with density. In addition, we demonstrate that the reconnection diffusion process can account for the empirical Larson relations and list a few other implications of the reconnection diffusion concept. We argue that magnetic reconnection provides a solution to the magnetic flux problem of star formation that agrees better with observations than the long-standing ambipolar diffusion paradigm. Due to the illustrative nature of our simplified model we do not seek quantitative agreement, but discuss the complementary nature of our approach to the three-dimensional MHD numerical simulations.

We present high spatial resolution observations of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the eastern part of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6946 obtained with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA). We have observed CO(1 → 0), CO(2 → 1) and ¹³CO(1 → 0), achieving spatial resolutions of 54 × 50, 25 × 20, and 56 × 54, respectively, over a region of 6 × 6 kpc. This region extends from 1.5 kpc to 8 kpc galactocentric radius, thus avoiding the intense star formation in the central kpc. We have recovered short-spacing u-v components by using single dish observations from the Nobeyama 45 m and IRAM 30 m telescopes. Using the automated CPROPS algorithm, we identified 45 CO cloud complexes in the CO(1 → 0) map and 64 GMCs in the CO(2 → 1) maps. The sizes, line widths, and luminosities of the GMCs are similar to values found in other extragalactic studies. We have classified the clouds into on-arm and inter-arm clouds based on the stellar mass density traced by the 3.6 μm map. Clouds located on-arm present in general higher star formation rates than clouds located in inter-arm regions. Although the star formation efficiency shows no systematic trend with galactocentric radius, some on-arm clouds—which are more luminous and more massive compared to inter-arm GMCs—are also forming stars more efficiently than the rest of the identified GMCs. We find that these structures appear to be located in two specific regions in the spiral arms. One of them shows a strong velocity gradient, suggesting that this region of high star formation efficiency may be the result of gas flow convergence.

We predict the space density of molecular gas reservoirs in the universe and place a lower limit on the number counts of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN) molecular, and [C ii] atomic emission lines in blind redshift surveys in the submillimeter–centimeter spectral regime. Our model uses (1) recently available HCN spectral line energy distributions (SLEDs) of local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs, L_IR > 10¹¹ L_☉), (2) a value for _⋆ = SFR/M_dense(H₂) provided by new developments in the study of star formation feedback on the interstellar medium, and (3) a model for the evolution of the infrared luminosity density. Minimal "emergent" CO SLEDs from the dense gas reservoirs expected in all star-forming systems in the universe are then computed from the HCN SLEDs since warm, HCN-bright gas will necessarily be CO-bright, with the dense star-forming gas phase setting an obvious minimum to the total molecular gas mass of any star-forming galaxy. We include [C ii] as the most important of the far-infrared cooling lines. Optimal blind surveys with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) could potentially detect very distant (z ∼ 10–12) [C ii] emitters in the ⩾ULIRG galaxy class at a rate of ∼0.1–1 hr⁻¹ (although this prediction is strongly dependent on the star formation and enrichment history at this early epoch), whereas the (high-frequency) Square Kilometer Array will be capable of blindly detecting z > 3 low-J CO emitters at a rate of ∼40–70 hr⁻¹. The [C ii] line holds special promise for detecting metal-poor systems with extensive reservoirs of CO-dark molecular gas where detection rates with ALMA can reach up to 2–7 hr⁻¹ in Bands 4–6.

We make use of our "minimal" cold interstellar medium emission line model that predicts the molecular and atomic line emission per unit dense, star-forming gas mass to examine the utility of key line ratios in surveys of the so-called star formation "mode" as traced by ξ_SF = M_dense(H₂)/M_total(H₂). We argue that ξ_SF and its proxies provide very sensitive, extinction-free discriminators of rapid starburst/merger-driven versus secular quiescent/disk-like stellar mass assembly, with the most promising diagnostic to be applied in the near-future being CO J(4 → 3)/ [C i](³P₁ → ³P₀). These lines are accessible across nearly the full range 0 < z < 2 (thus covering the bulk of galaxy evolution) with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. In addition to their diagnostic power, another advantage of this combination is the similar observed frequencies (Δν₀ ≈ 30 GHz) of the lines, resulting in nearly spatially matched beams for a fixed aperture, thus mitigating the effects of resolution/morphology bias in the interpretation of galaxy-averaged line ratios. Finally, we discuss the capability of deep blind redshift surveys with the high-frequency component of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) in discovering H₂-rich galaxies with very low ξ_SF values. These could be the progenitors of starburst galaxies seen prior to the onset of star formation; such galaxies could be a class of extreme outliers from local (gas surface density)–(star formation rate) scaling laws, which would exclude them from current star formation or stellar-mass-selected samples. Our conservative model suggests that SKA could detect such systems residing at z ∼ 3 at a rate of 20–200 hr⁻¹.

Very high energy (VHE; E ⩾ 100  GeV) and high-energy (HE; 100  MeV ⩽ E ⩽ 100  GeV) data from γ-ray observations performed with the H.E.S.S. telescope array and the Fermi-LAT instrument, respectively, are analyzed in order to investigate the non-thermal processes in the starburst galaxy NGC 253. The VHE γ-ray data can be described by a power law in energy with differential photon index Γ = 2.14 ± 0.18_stat ± 0.30_sys and differential flux normalization at 1 TeV of F₀ = (9.6 ± 1.5_stat(+ 5.7, −2.9)_sys) × 10⁻¹⁴ TeV⁻¹ cm⁻² s⁻¹. A power-law fit to the differential HE γ-ray spectrum reveals a photon index of Γ = 2.24 ± 0.14_stat ± 0.03_sys and an integral flux between 200 MeV and 200 GeV of F(0.2–200  GeV) = (4.9 ± 1.0_stat ± 0.3_sys) × 10⁻⁹ cm⁻² s⁻¹. No evidence for a spectral break or turnover is found over the dynamic range of both the LAT instrument and the H.E.S.S. experiment: a combined fit of a power law to the HE and VHE γ-ray data results in a differential photon index Γ = 2.34 ± 0.03 with a p-value of 30%. The γ-ray observations indicate that at least about 20% of the energy of the cosmic rays (CRs) capable of producing hadronic interactions is channeled into pion production. The smooth alignment between the spectra in the HE and VHE γ-ray domain suggests that the same transport processes dominate in the entire energy range. Advection is most likely responsible for charged particle removal from the starburst nucleus from GeV to multiple TeV energies. In a hadronic scenario for the γ-ray production, the single overall power-law spectrum observed would therefore correspond to the mean energy spectrum produced by the ensemble of CR sources in the starburst region.

During its 16 years of service, the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) mission has provided an extensive archive of data, which will serve as a primary source of high cadence observations of variable X-ray sources for fast timing studies. It is, therefore, very important to have the most reliable calibration of RXTE instruments. The Proportional Counter Array (PCA) is the primary instrument on board RXTE which provides data in 3–50 keV energy range with submillisecond time resolution in up to 256 energy channels. In 2009, the RXTE team revised the response residual minimization method used to derive the parameters of the PCA physical model. The procedure is based on the residual minimization between the model spectrum for Crab Nebula emission and a calibration data set consisting of a number of spectra from the Crab and the on-board Am₂₄₁ calibration source, uniformly covering the whole RXTE mission operation period. The new method led to a much more effective model convergence and allowed for better understanding of the PCA energy-to-channel relationship. It greatly improved the response matrix performance. We describe the new version of the RXTE/PCA response generator PCARMF v11.7 (HEASOFT Release 6.7) along with the corresponding energy-to-channel conversion table (version e05v04) and their difference from the previous releases of PCA calibration. The new PCA response adequately represents the spectrum of the calibration sources and successfully predicts the energy of the narrow iron emission line in Cas-A throughout the RXTE mission.

We use images of high spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, obtained using both ground- and space-based instrumentation, to investigate the coupling between wave phenomena observed at numerous heights in the solar atmosphere. Analysis of 4170 Å continuum images reveals small-scale umbral intensity enhancements, with diameters ∼06, lasting in excess of 30 minutes. Intensity oscillations of ≈3 minutes are observed to encompass these photospheric structures, with power at least three orders of magnitude higher than the surrounding umbra. Simultaneous chromospheric velocity and intensity time series reveal an 87° ± 8° out-of-phase behavior, implying the presence of standing modes created as a result of partial wave reflection at the transition region boundary. We find a maximum waveguide inclination angle of ≈40° between photospheric and chromospheric heights, combined with a radial expansion factor of <76%. An average blueshifted Doppler velocity of ≈1.5 km s⁻¹, in addition to a time lag between photospheric and chromospheric oscillatory phenomena, confirms the presence of upwardly propagating slow-mode waves in the lower solar atmosphere. Propagating oscillations in EUV intensity are detected in simultaneous coronal fan structures, with a periodicity of 172 ± 17 s and a propagation velocity of 45 ± 7 km s⁻¹. Numerical simulations reveal that the damping of the magnetoacoustic wave trains is dominated by thermal conduction. The coronal fans are seen to anchor into the photosphere in locations where large-amplitude umbral dot (UD) oscillations manifest. Derived kinetic temperature and emission measure time series display prominent out-of-phase characteristics, and when combined with the previously established sub-sonic wave speeds, we conclude that the observed EUV waves are the coronal counterparts of the upwardly propagating magnetoacoustic slow modes detected in the lower solar atmosphere. Thus, for the first time, we reveal how the propagation of 3 minute magnetoacoustic waves in solar coronal structures is a direct result of amplitude enhancements occurring in photospheric UDs.

We report homogeneous spectroscopic determinations of the effective temperature, metallicity, and projected rotational velocity for the host stars of 56 transiting planets. Our analysis is based primarily on the stellar parameter classification (SPC) technique. We investigate systematic errors by examining subsets of the data with two other methods that have often been used in previous studies (Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) and MOOG). The SPC and SME results, both based on comparisons between synthetic spectra and actual spectra, show strong correlations between T_eff, [Fe/H], and log g when solving for all three quantities simultaneously. In contrast the MOOG results, based on a more traditional curve-of-growth approach, show no such correlations. To combat the correlations and improve the accuracy of the temperatures and metallicities, we repeat the SPC analysis with a constraint on log g based on the mean stellar density that can be derived from the analysis of the transit light curves. Previous studies that have not taken advantage of this constraint have been subject to systematic errors in the stellar masses and radii of up to 20% and 10%, respectively, which can be larger than other observational uncertainties, and which also cause systematic errors in the planetary mass and radius.

Vela X-1 is the archetype of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), composed of a neutron star and a massive B supergiant. The supergiant is a source of a strong radiatively driven stellar wind. The neutron star sweeps up this wind and creates a huge amount of X-rays as a result of energy release during the process of wind accretion. Here, we provide detailed NLTE models of the Vela X-1 envelope. We study how the X-rays photoionize the wind and destroy the ions responsible for the wind acceleration. The resulting decrease of the radiative force explains the observed reduction of the wind terminal velocity in a direction to the neutron star. The X-rays create a distinct photoionized region around the neutron star filled with a stagnating flow. The existence of such photoionized bubbles is a general property of HMXBs. We unveil a new principle governing these complex objects, according to which there is an upper limit to the X-ray luminosity the compact star can have without suspending the wind due to inefficient line driving.

It has recently been shown that a significant fraction of late-type members of nearby, very young associations (age ≲10 Myr) display excess emission at mid-IR wavelengths indicative of dusty circumstellar disks. We demonstrate that the detection of mid-IR excess emission can be utilized to identify new nearby, young, late-type stars including two definite new members ("TWA 33" and "TWA 34") of the TW Hydrae Association (TWA). Both new TWA members display mid-IR excess emission in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer catalog and they show proper motion and youthful spectroscopic characteristics—namely, Hα emission, strong lithium absorption, and low surface gravity features consistent with known TWA members. We also detect mid-IR excess—the first unambiguous evidence of a dusty circumstellar disk—around a previously identified UV-bright, young, accreting star (2M1337) that is a likely member of the Lower-Centaurus Crux region of the Scorpius–Centaurus Complex.

Oxygen abundances of 67 dwarf stars in the metallicity range −1.6 < [Fe/H] < −0.4 are derived from a non-LTE analysis of the 777 nm O i triplet lines. These stars have precise atmospheric parameters measured by Nissen and Schuster, who find that they separate into three groups based on their kinematics and α-element (Mg, Si, Ca, Ti) abundances: thick disk, high-α halo, and low-α halo. We find the oxygen abundance trends of thick-disk and high-α halo stars very similar. The low-α stars show a larger star-to-star scatter in [O/Fe] at a given [Fe/H] and have systematically lower oxygen abundances compared to the other two groups. Thus, we find the behavior of oxygen abundances in these groups of stars similar to that of the α elements. We use previously published oxygen abundance data of disk and very metal-poor halo stars to present an overall view (−2.3 < [Fe/H] < +0.3) of oxygen abundance trends of stars in the solar neighborhood. Two field halo dwarf stars stand out in their O and Na abundances. Both G53-41 and G150-40 have very low oxygen and very high sodium abundances, which are key signatures of the abundance anomalies observed in globular cluster (GC) stars. Therefore, they are likely field halo stars born in GCs. If true, we estimate that at least 3% ± 2% of the local field metal-poor star population was born in GCs.

Schlickeiser & Shalchi suggested that a first-order Fermi mechanism of focused particle acceleration could be important in several astrophysical applications. In order to investigate focused acceleration, we express the Fokker–Planck equation as an equivalent system of stochastic differential equations. We simplify the system for a set of physically motivated parameters, extend the analytical theory, and determine the evolving particle distribution numerically. While our numerical results agree with the focused acceleration rate of Schlickeiser & Shalchi for a weakly anisotropic particle distribution, we establish significant limitations of the analytical approach. Momentum diffusion is found to be more significant than focused acceleration at early times. Most critically, the particle distribution rapidly becomes anisotropic, leading to a much slower momentum gain rate. We discuss the consequences of our results for the role of focused acceleration in astrophysics.

We use Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry of 73 million stars to simultaneously constrain best-fit main-sequence stellar spectral energy distribution (SED) and amount of dust extinction along the line of sight toward each star. Using a subsample of 23 million stars with Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) photometry, whose addition enables more robust results, we show that SDSS photometry alone is sufficient to break degeneracies between intrinsic stellar color and dust amount when the shape of extinction curve is fixed. When using both SDSS and 2MASS photometry, the ratio of the total to selective absorption, R_V, can be determined with an uncertainty of about 0.1 for most stars in high-extinction regions. These fits enable detailed studies of the dust properties and its spatial distribution, and of the stellar spatial distribution at low Galactic latitudes (|b| < 30°). Our results are in good agreement with the extinction normalization given by the Schlegel et al. (SFD) dust maps at high northern Galactic latitudes, but indicate that the SFD extinction map appears to be consistently overestimated by about 20% in the southern sky, in agreement with recent study by Schlafly et al. The constraints on the shape of the dust extinction curve across the SDSS and 2MASS bandpasses disfavor the reddening law of O'Donnell, but support the models by Fitzpatrick and Cardelli et al. For the latter, we find a ratio of the total to selective absorption to be R_V = 3.0 ± 0.1(random)±0.1 (systematic) over most of the high-latitude sky. At low Galactic latitudes (|b| < 5°), we demonstrate that the SFD map cannot be reliably used to correct for extinction because most stars are embedded in dust, rather than behind it, as is the case at high Galactic latitudes. We analyze three-dimensional maps of the best-fit R_V and find that R_V = 3.1 cannot be ruled out in any of the 10 SEGUE stripes at a precision level of ∼0.1–0.2. Our best estimate for the intrinsic scatter of R_V in the regions probed by SEGUE stripes is ∼0.2. We introduce a method for efficient selection of candidate red giant stars in the disk, dubbed "dusty parallax relation," which utilizes a correlation between distance and the extinction along the line of sight. We make these best-fit parameters, as well as all the input SDSS and 2MASS data, publicly available in a user-friendly format. These data can be used for studies of stellar number density distribution, the distribution of dust properties, for selecting sources whose SED differs from SEDs for high-latitude main-sequence stars, and for estimating distances to dust clouds and, in turn, to molecular gas clouds.

We unveil the three-dimensional structure of quiet-Sun EUV bright points and their temporal evolution by applying a triangulation method to time series of images taken by SECCHI/EUVI on board the STEREO twin spacecraft. For this study we examine the heights and lengths as the components of the three-dimensional structure of EUV bright points and their temporal evolutions. Among them we present three bright points which show three distinct changes in the height and length: decreasing, increasing, and steady. We show that the three distinct changes are consistent with the motions (converging, diverging, and shearing, respectively) of their photospheric magnetic flux concentrations. Both growth and shrinkage of the magnetic fluxes occur during their lifetimes and they are dominant in the initial and later phases, respectively. They are all multi-temperature loop systems which have hot loops (∼10^6.2 K) overlying cooler ones (∼10^6.0 K) with cool legs (∼10^4.9 K) during their whole evolutionary histories. Our results imply that the multi-thermal loop system is a general character of EUV bright points. We conclude that EUV bright points are flaring loops formed by magnetic reconnection and their geometry may represent the reconnected magnetic field lines rather than the separator field lines.

We present observations and magnetic field modeling of the large polar crown prominence that erupted on 2010 December 6. Combination of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and STEREO_Behind/EUVI allows us to see the fine structures of this prominence both at the limb and on the disk. We focus on the structures and dynamics of this prominence before the eruption. This prominence contains two parts: an active region part containing mainly horizontal threads and a quiet-Sun part containing mainly vertical threads. On the northern side of the prominence channel, both AIA and EUVI observe bright features which appear to be the lower legs of loops that go above then join in the filament. Filament materials are observed to frequently eject horizontally from the active region part to the quiet-Sun part. This ejection results in the formation of a dense-column structure (concentration of dark vertical threads) near the border between the active region and the quiet Sun. Using the flux rope insertion method, we create nonlinear force-free field models based on SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager line-of-sight magnetograms. A key feature of these models is that the flux rope has connections with the surroundings photosphere, so its axial flux varies along the filament path. The height and location of the dips of field lines in our models roughly replicate those of the observed prominence. Comparison between model and observations suggests that the bright features on the northern side of the channel are the lower legs of the field lines that turn into the flux rope. We suggest that plasma may be injected into the prominence along these field lines. Although the models fit the observations quiet well, there are also some interesting differences. For example, the models do not reproduce the observed vertical threads and cannot explain the formation of the dense-column structure.

We present detailed analysis of the transient X-ray source 2XMMi J003833.3+402133 detected by XMM-Newton in 2008 January during a survey of M31. The X-ray spectrum is well fitted by either a steep power law plus a blackbody model or a double blackbody model. Prior observations with XMM-Newton, Chandra, Swift, and ROSAT spanning 1991–2007, as well as an additional Swift observation in 2011, all failed to detect this source. No counterpart was detected in deep optical imaging with the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope down to a 3σ lower limit of g = 26.5 mag. This source has previously been identified as a black hole X-ray binary in M31. While this remains a possibility, the transient behavior, X-ray spectrum, and lack of an optical counterpart are equally consistent with a magnetar interpretation for 2XMMi J003833.3+402133. The derived luminosity and blackbody emitting radius at the distance of M31 argue against an extragalactic location, implying that if it is indeed a magnetar it is located within the Milky Way but 22° out of the plane. The high Galactic latitude could be explained if 2XMMi J003833.3+402133 were an old magnetar, or if its progenitor was a runaway star that traveled away from the plane prior to going supernova.

Wide binaries made up of two white dwarfs (WDs) receive far less attention than their tight counterparts. However, our tests using the binary population synthesis code StarTrack indicate that, for any set of reasonable initial conditions, there exists a significant observable population of double white dwarfs (WDWDs) with orbital separations of 10²–10⁵ AU. We adapt the technique of Dhital et al. to search for candidate common proper-motion WD companions separated by <10' around the >12,000 spectroscopically confirmed hydrogen-atmosphere WDs recently identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Using two techniques to separate random alignments from high-confidence pairs, we find nine new high-probability wide WDWDs and confirm three previously identified candidate wide WDWDs. This brings the number of known wide WDWDs to 45; our new pairs are a significant addition to the sample, especially at small proper motions (<200 mas yr⁻¹) and large angular separations (>10''). Spectroscopic follow-up and an extension of this method to a larger, photometrically selected set of SDSS WDs may eventually produce a large enough dataset for WDWDs to realize their full potential as testbeds for theories of stellar evolution.

In this work we explore the possible evolutionary track of the neutron star in the newly discovered Be/X-ray binary SXP 1062, which is believed to be the first X-ray pulsar associated with a supernova remnant. Although no cyclotron feature has been detected to indicate the strength of the neutron star's magnetic field, we show that it may be ≳ 10¹⁴ G. If so, SXP 1062 may belong to the accreting magnetars in binary systems. We attempt to reconcile the short age and long spin period of the pulsar taking account of different initial parameters and spin-down mechanisms of the neutron star. Our calculated results show that to spin down to a period ∼1000 s within 10–40 kyr requires efficient propeller mechanisms. In particular, the model for angular momentum loss under energy conservation seems to be ruled out.

We present an analysis of selection biases in the M_bh–σ relation using Monte Carlo simulations including the sphere of influence resolution selection bias and a selection bias in the velocity dispersion distribution. We find that the sphere of influence selection bias has a significant effect on the measured slope of the M_bh–σ relation, modeled as β_intrinsic = −4.69 + 2.22β_measured, where the measured slope is shallower than the model slope in the parameter range of β > 4, with larger corrections for steeper model slopes. Therefore, when the sphere of influence is used as a criterion to exclude unreliable measurements, it also introduces a selection bias that needs to be modeled to restore the intrinsic slope of the relation. We find that the selection effect due to the velocity dispersion distribution of the sample, which might not follow the overall distribution of the population, is not important for slopes of β ∼ 4–6 of a logarithmically linear M_bh–σ relation, which could impact some studies that measure low (e.g., β < 4) slopes. Combining the selection biases in velocity dispersions and the sphere of influence cut, we find that the uncertainty of the slope is larger than the value without modeling these effects and estimate an intrinsic slope of β = 5.28^+0.84_{− 0.55}.

We examine the influence of noise and Alfvén wave turbulence on magnetic reconnection in a reduced magnetohydrodynamics model. We focus on the dynamics of magnetic helicity density. Helicity conservation is then used to calculate the global reconnection rate in terms of the helicity density flux. Two specific scenarios are explored—noisy reconnection and Alfvén wave turbulent reconnection. For noisy reconnection, the current sheet is assumed to sit in a noisy state, marginal to plasmoid formation instability. The scaling of the reconnection rate in the presence of noise is proportional to (S²₀/V_AL²)^1/11, where S²₀/V_AL² is the relative amplitude of the noise. We obtain this prediction using a symmetry analysis of the helicity density flux. For Alfvén wave turbulent reconnection, a mean field closure scheme is applied. A reconnection rate proportional to $(\langle \tilde{B}^2\rangle /\langle B\rangle ^2)^{1/8}$ is obtained, where $\langle \tilde{B}^2\rangle /\langle B\rangle ^2$ and 〈B〉 are the relative energy of Alfvén wave turbulence and the reconnecting field. The constraint on reconnection rate enforced mean-square magnetic potential conservation is reexamined. A critical magnetic Reynolds number R_{m, c} is identified. For R_m ≫ R_{m, c}, the reconnection rate becomes independent of Spitzer resistivity and thus can be higher than the Sweet–Parker model prediction. Both cases exhibit a weak dependence of the reconnection rate on the amplitude of the turbulence. Therefore, even noise or weak turbulence can trigger fast reconnection if the system is marginally stable. The important distinction between turbulent reconnection and turbulent dissipation of magnetic energy is also discussed.

We search the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) archives of the two best-studied dwarf novae in an attempt to find light curves for long outbursts that are extremely well characterized. The systems are U Gem and SS Cyg. Our goal is to search for embedded precursors such as those that have been found recently in the high-fidelity Kepler data for superoutbursts (SOs) of some members of the SU UMa subclass of dwarf novae. For the vast majority of AAVSO data, the combination of low data cadence and large errors associated with individual measurements precludes one from making any strong statement about the shape of the long outbursts. However, for a small number of outbursts, extensive long-term monitoring with digital photometry yields high-fidelity light curves. We report the discovery of embedded precursors in two of three candidate long outbursts. This is the first time that such embedded precursors have been found in dwarf novae above the period gap in other than kepler data, and reinforces van Paradijs' finding that long outbursts in dwarf novae above the period gap and SOs in systems below the period gap constitute a unified class. The thermal-tidal instability to account for SOs in the SU UMa stars predicts embedded precursors only for short orbital period dwarf novae, therefore the presence of embedded precursors in long orbital period systems—U Gem and SS Cyg—argues for a more general mechanism to explain long outbursts.

We present a study exploring a systematic effect on the brightness of Type Ia supernovae using numerical models that assume the single-degenerate paradigm. Our investigation varied the central density of the progenitor white dwarf at flame ignition, and considered its impact on the explosion yield, particularly the production and distribution of radioactive ⁵⁶Ni, which powers the light curve. We performed a suite of two-dimensional simulations with randomized initial conditions, allowing us to characterize the statistical trends that we present. The simulations indicate that the production of Fe-group material is statistically independent of progenitor central density, but the mass of stable Fe-group isotopes is tightly correlated with central density, with a decrease in the production of ⁵⁶Ni at higher central densities. These results imply that progenitors with higher central densities produce dimmer events. We provide details of the post-explosion distribution of ⁵⁶Ni in the models, including the lack of a consistent centrally located deficit of ⁵⁶Ni, which may be compared to observed remnants. By performing a self-consistent extrapolation of our model yields and considering the main-sequence lifetime of the progenitor star and the elapsed time between the formation of the white dwarf and the onset of accretion, we develop a brightness–age relation that improves our prediction of the expected trend for single degenerates and we compare this relation with observations.

We present deep optical and X-ray follow-up observations of the bright unassociated Fermi-LAT gamma-ray source 1FGL J1311.7-3429. The source was already known as an unidentified EGRET source (3EG J1314-3431, EGR J1314-3417), hence its nature has remained uncertain for the past two decades. For the putative counterpart, we detected a quasi-sinusoidal optical modulation of Δm ∼ 2 mag with a period of ≃1.5 hr in the Rc, r', and g' bands. Moreover, we found that the amplitude of the modulation and peak intensity changed by ≳1 mag and ∼0.5 mag, respectively, over our total six nights of observations from 2012 March to May. Combined with Swift UVOT data, the optical–UV spectrum is consistent with a blackbody temperature, kT ≃ 1 eV and the emission volume radius R_bb ≃ 1.5 × 10⁴d_kpc km (d_kpc is the distance to the source in units of 1 kpc). In contrast, deep Suzaku observations conducted in 2009 and 2011 revealed strong X-ray flares with a light curve characterized with a power spectrum density of P(f) ∝ f^{−2.0  ±  0.4}, but the folded X-ray light curves suggest an orbital modulation also in X-rays. Together with the non-detection of a radio counterpart, and significant curved spectrum and non-detection of variability in gamma-rays, the source may be the second "radio-quiet" gamma-ray emitting millisecond pulsar candidate after 1FGL J2339.7-0531, although the origin of flaring X-ray and optical variability remains an open question.

We report our observations of the new pulsating hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf SDSS J132350.28+010304.22. We discovered periodic photometric variations in frequency and amplitude that are commensurate with nonradial g-mode pulsations in ZZ Ceti stars. This, along with estimates for the star's temperature and gravity, establishes it as a massive ZZ Ceti star. We used time-series photometric observations with the 4.1 m SOAR Telescope, complemented by contemporary McDonald Observatory 2.1 m data, to discover the photometric variability. The light curve of SDSS J132350.28+010304.22 shows at least nine detectable frequencies. We used these frequencies to make an asteroseismic determination of the total mass and effective temperature of the star: M_⋆ = 0.88  ±  0.02 M_☉ and T_eff = 12, 100 ± 140 K. These values are consistent with those derived from the optical spectra and photometric colors.

Observations from the last decade have indicated the existence of a general class of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), in which the peak luminosity exceeds 10⁴⁴ erg s⁻¹. Here we focus on a subclass of these events, where the light curve is also tens of days wide, so the total radiated energy is of order 10⁵¹ erg. If the origin of these SLSNe is a core-collapse-driven explosion of a massive star, then the mechanism that converts the explosion energy into radiation must be very efficient (much more than in typical core-collapse SNe, where this efficiency is of order 1%). We examine the scenario where the radiated luminosity is due to efficient conversion of kinetic energy of the ejected stellar envelope into radiation by interaction with an optically thick, pre-existing circumstellar material, presumably the product of a steady wind from the progenitor. We base the analysis on analytical derivations of various limits, and on a simple, numerically solved, hydrodynamic diffusion model, which allows us to explore the regime of interest, which does not correspond to the analytical limits. In our results, we identify the qualitative behavior of the observable light curves, and relate them to the parameters of the wind. We specifically show that a wide and superluminous supernova requires the mass of the relevant wind material to be comparable to that of the ejected material from the exploding progenitor. We find the wind parameters that explain the peak luminosity and width of the bolometric light curves of three particular SLSNe, namely, SN 2005ap, SN 2006gy, and SN 2010gx, and show that they are best fitted with a wind that extends to a radius of order 10¹⁵ cm. These results serve as an additional indication that at least some SLSNe may be powered by interaction of the ejected material with a steady wind of similar mass.

We present XMM-Newton observations of the Chandra-detected nuclear X-ray source in NGC 4561. The hard X-ray spectrum can be described by a model composed of an absorbed power law with Γ = 2.5^+0.4_{− 0.3} and column density N_H = 1.9^+0.1_{− 0.2} × 10²² atoms cm⁻². The absorption-corrected luminosity of the source is L(0.2–10.0 keV) =2.5 × 10⁴¹ erg s⁻¹, with bolometric luminosity over 3 × 10⁴² erg s⁻¹. Based on the spectrum and the luminosity, we identify the nuclear X-ray source in NGC 4561 to be an active galactic nucleus (AGN), with a black hole (BH) of mass M_BH >2 × 10⁴M_☉. The presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of this bulgeless galaxy shows that BH masses are not necessarily related to bulge properties, contrary to general belief. Observations such as these call into question several theoretical models of BH–galaxy coevolution that are based on merger-driven BH growth; secular processes clearly play an important role. Several emission lines are detected in the soft X-ray spectrum of the source which can be well parameterized by an absorbed diffuse thermal plasma with non-solar abundances of some heavy elements. Similar soft X-ray emission is observed in spectra of Seyfert 2 galaxies and low-luminosity AGNs, suggesting an origin in the circumnuclear plasma.

Low-ionization (Mg ii, Fe ii, and Fe iii) broad absorption line quasars (LoBALs) probe a relatively obscured quasar population and could be at an early evolutionary stage for quasars. We study the intrinsic fractions of LoBALs using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), Two Micron All Sky Survey, and Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty cm survey. We find that the LoBAL fractions of the near-infrared (NIR) and radio samples are approximately 5–7 times higher than those measured in the optical sample. This suggests that the fractions measured in the NIR and radio bands are closer to the intrinsic fractions of the populations, and that the optical fractions are significantly biased due to obscuration effects, similar to high-ionization broad absorption line quasars (HiBALs). Considering a population of obscured quasars that do not enter the SDSS, which could have a much higher LoBAL fraction, we expect that the intrinsic fraction of LoBALs could be even higher. We also find that the LoBAL fractions decrease with increasing radio luminosities, again, similarly to HiBALs. In addition, we find evidence for increasing fractions of LoBALs toward higher NIR luminosities, especially for FeLoBALs with a fraction of ∼18% at $M_{K_s} < -31$ mag. This population of NIR-luminous LoBALs may be at an early evolutionary stage of quasar evolution. To interpret the data, we use a luminosity-dependent model for LoBALs that yields significantly better fits than those from a pure geometric model.

We estimate the relative contributions of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) accretion disk, corona, and obscuring torus to the bolometric luminosity of Seyfert galaxies, using Spitzer mid-infrared (MIR) observations of a complete sample of 68 nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the INTEGRAL all-sky hard X-ray (HX) survey. This is the first HX-selected (above 15 keV) sample of AGNs with complementary high angular resolution, high signal-to-noise, MIR data. Correcting for the host galaxy contribution, we find a correlation between HX and MIR luminosities: L_15 μm∝L^{0.74 ± 0.06}_HX. Assuming that the observed MIR emission is radiation from an accretion disk reprocessed in a surrounding dusty torus that subtends a solid angle decreasing with increasing luminosity (as inferred from the declining fraction of obscured AGNs), the intrinsic disk luminosity, L_Disk, is approximately proportional to the luminosity of the corona in the 2–300 keV energy band, L_Corona, with the L_Disk/L_Corona ratio varying by a factor of 2.1 around a mean value of 1.6. This ratio is a factor of ∼2 smaller than for typical quasars producing the cosmic X-ray background. Therefore, over three orders of magnitude in luminosity, HX radiation carries a large, and roughly comparable, fraction of the bolometric output of AGNs. We estimate the cumulative bolometric luminosity density of local AGNs at ∼(1–3) × 10⁴⁰ erg s⁻¹ Mpc⁻³. Finally, the Compton temperature ranges between kT_c ≈ 2 and ≈6 keV for nearby AGNs, compared to kT_c ≈ 2 keV for typical quasars, confirming that radiative heating of interstellar gas can play an important role in regulating SMBH growth.

By combining large-scale mosaics of ROSAT PSPC, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku X-ray observations, we present evidence for large-scale motions in the intracluster medium of the nearby, X-ray bright Perseus Cluster. These motions are suggested by several alternating and interleaved X-ray bright, low-temperature, low-entropy arcs located along the east–west axis, at radii ranging from ∼10 kpc to over a Mpc. Thermodynamic features qualitatively similar to these have previously been observed in the centers of cool-core clusters, and were successfully modeled as a consequence of the gas sloshing/swirling motions induced by minor mergers. Our observations indicate that such sloshing/swirling can extend out to larger radii than previously thought, on scales approaching the virial radius.

Blazars are expected to produce both gamma rays and cosmic rays. Therefore, observed high-energy gamma rays from distant blazars may contain a significant contribution from secondary gamma rays produced along the line of sight by the interactions of cosmic-ray protons with background photons. Unlike the standard models of blazars that consider only the primary photons emitted at the source, models that include the cosmic-ray contribution predict that even ∼10 TeV photons should be detectable from distant objects with redshifts as high as z ⩾ 0.1. Secondary photons contribute to signals of point sources only if the intergalactic magnetic fields are very small, B ≲ 10⁻¹⁴ G, and their detection can be used to set upper bounds on magnetic fields along the line of sight. Secondary gamma rays have distinct spectral and temporal features. We explore the temporal properties of such signals using a semi-analytical formalism and detailed numerical simulations, which account for all the relevant processes, including magnetic deflections. In particular, we elucidate the interplay of time delays coming from the proton deflections and from the electromagnetic cascade, and we find that, at multi-TeV energies, secondary gamma rays can show variability on timescales of years for B ∼ 10⁻¹⁵ G.

We present the first spectroscopic study of the globular clusters (GCs) in the giant elliptical galaxy (gE) M86 in the Virgo Cluster. Using spectra obtained in the Multi-Object Spectroscopy mode of the Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph on the Subaru telescope, we measure the radial velocities for 25 GCs in M86. The mean velocity of the GCs is derived to be $\overline{v_p}=-354^{+81}_{-79}$ km s⁻¹, which is different from the velocity of the M86 nucleus (v_gal = −234 ± 41 km s⁻¹). We estimate the velocity dispersion of the GCs, σ_p = 292⁺³²_{− 32} km s⁻¹, and find a hint of rotation in the M86 GC system. A comparison of the observed velocity dispersion profiles of the GCs and stars with a prediction based on the stellar mass profile strongly suggests the existence of an extended dark matter halo in M86. We also estimate the metallicities and ages for 16 and 8 GCs, respectively. The metallicities of M86 GCs are in the range of −2.0 < [Fe/H] <−0.2 with a mean value of −1.13 ± 0.47. These GCs show a wide age distribution from 4 to 15 Gyr.

To understand elementary processes leading to H₂ formation, and the hydrogenation and deuteration reactions of adsorbed species on dust grains in dense clouds, we experimentally investigated the diffusion of atomic hydrogen and deuterium on amorphous solid water (ASW) at temperatures of 8–15 K. The present study extended our previous study for selective detections of H and D atoms, and of H₂ (J = 0 and 1) and D₂ (J = 0 and 1) molecules adsorbed on ASW using both photo-stimulated desorption and resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization, to investigate potential sites on ASW for diffusion, recombination dynamics, and the diffusion mechanism of H and D atoms. Our results demonstrate that the ASW surface contains various potential sites that can be categorized into at least three groups: very shallow, middle-, and deep-potential sites, with diffusion activation energies of ⩽18, 22 (23 meV for D atoms), and ⩾30 meV, respectively. The present study pictured the outline of H₂ formation on cosmic ice dust at low temperatures: H atoms landing on the dust will diffuse rapidly at the abundant shallow and middle sites on ASW, and finally become trapped at deep sites. The H atoms that arrive next recombine with such trapped H atoms to yield H₂ molecules. The small isotopic difference between the diffusion of H and D atoms on ASW indicates that the diffusion mechanism can be explained by thermal hopping, at least at middle-potential sites.

We consider nonaxisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes in a zero-beta cylindrical compressible thin magnetic flux tube modeled as a twisted core surrounded by a magnetically twisted annulus, with both embedded in a straight ambient external field. The dispersion relation is derived and solved analytically and numerically to obtain the frequencies of the nonaxisymmetric MHD waves. The main result is that the twisted magnetic annulus does affect the period ratio P₁/P₂ of the kink modes. For the kink modes, the magnetic twist in the annulus region can achieve deviations from P₁/P₂ = 2 of the same order of magnitude as in the observations. Furthermore, the effect of the internal twist on the fluting modes is investigated.

We use a global Monte Carlo simulation of the formation of the solar photospheric magnetic network to investigate the origin of the scale invariance characterizing magnetic flux concentrations visible on high-resolution magnetograms. The simulations include spatially and temporally homogeneous injection of small-scale magnetic elements over the whole photosphere, as well as localized episodic injection associated with the emergence and decay of active regions. Network elements form in response to cumulative pairwise aggregation or cancellation of magnetic elements, undergoing a random walk on the sphere and advected on large spatial scales by differential rotation and a poleward meridional flow. The resulting size distribution of simulated network elements is in very good agreement with observational inferences. We find that the fractal index and size distribution of network elements are determined primarily by these post-emergence surface mechanisms, and carry little or no memory of the scales at which magnetic flux is injected in the simulation. Implications for models of dynamo action in the Sun are briefly discussed.

A 2.5D, time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic model is used to test the proposition that observed type II spicule velocities can be generated by a Lorentz force under chromospheric conditions. It is found that current densities localized on observed space and time scales of type II spicules and that generate maximum magnetic field strengths ⩽50 G can generate a Lorentz force that accelerates plasma to terminal velocities similar to those of type II spicules. Maximum vertical flow speeds are ∼150–460 km s⁻¹, horizontally localized within ∼2.5–10 km from the vertical axis of the spicule, and comparable to slow solar wind speeds, suggesting that significant solar wind acceleration occurs in type II spicules. Horizontal speeds are ∼20 times smaller than vertical speeds. Terminal velocity is reached ∼100 s after acceleration begins. The increase in the mechanical and thermal energy of the plasma during acceleration is (2–3) × 10²² ergs. The radial component of the Lorentz force compresses the plasma during the acceleration process by factors as large as ∼100. The Joule heating flux generated during this process is essentially due to proton Pedersen current dissipation and can be ∼0.1–3.7 times the heating flux of ∼10⁶ ergs cm⁻² s⁻¹ associated with middle-upper chromospheric emission. About 84%–94% of the magnetic energy that accelerates and heats the spicules is converted into bulk flow kinetic energy.

We have investigated an expected deviation of the positions or the proper motions of stars as the cosmic error caused by the gravitational microlensing effect. In observing stars in the Galactic bulge region, we obtain an expected deviation of a star positions by the gravitational microlensing effect of about 7 μas. We have also estimated the expected deviation of the proper motions of stars in the Galactic bulge caused by the gravitational microlensing effect. The expected deviation of the proper motions is mainly caused by the lens object located at the nearest angular distance from the source star. Each deviation of the proper motion has a value of less than 0.02 μas yr⁻¹ for 99% of the sources. We have investigated the correlation of the deviation of Galactic bulge stars caused by the gravitational microlensing effect. The value of the correlation angle of the positional deviation is estimated to be about 1 arcmin. In the same way, we have estimated the correlation angle of the deviation of the proper motions. The angle is estimated to be about 1 arcsec. The following difference distinguishes the deviation of the position and that of the proper motion. The positional deviation is affected not only by lenses near the source but also by the lenses far from the source. On the other hand, the deviation of the proper motion by microlensing is mainly only caused by the nearest lens from the source. This difference causes that of the correlation angle.

We studied solar-like oscillations in 115 red giants in the three open clusters, NGC 6791, NGC 6811, and NGC 6819, based on photometric data covering more than 19 months with NASA's Kepler space telescope. We present the asteroseismic diagrams of the asymptotic parameters δν₀₂, δν₀₁, and , which show clear correlation with fundamental stellar parameters such as mass and radius. When the stellar populations from the clusters are compared, we see evidence for a difference in mass of the red giant branch stars and possibly a difference in structure of the red clump stars, from our measurements of the small separations δν₀₂ and δν₀₁. Ensemble échelle diagrams and upper limits to the linewidths of ℓ = 0 modes as a function of Δν of the clusters NGC 6791 and NGC 6819 are also shown, together with the correlation between the ℓ = 0 ridge width and the T_eff of the stars. Lastly, we distinguish between red giant branch and red clump stars through the measurement of the period spacing of mixed dipole modes in 53 stars among all the three clusters to verify the stellar classification from the color–magnitude diagram. These seismic results also allow us to identify a number of special cases, including evolved blue stragglers and binaries, as well as stars in late He-core burning phases, which can be potentially interesting targets for detailed theoretical modeling.

We study the dynamics of continuum-driven winds from rotating stars and develop an approximate analytical model. We then discuss the evolution of stellar angular momentum, and show that just above the Eddington limit, the winds are sufficiently concentrated toward the poles to spin-up the star. A twin-lobe structure of the ejected nebula is seen to be a generic consequence of critical rotation. We find that if the pressure in such stars is sufficiently dominated by radiation, an equatorial ejection of mass will occur during eruptions. These results are then applied to η-Carinae. We show that if it began its life with a high enough angular momentum, the present-day wind could have driven the star toward critical rotation, if it is the dominant mode of mass loss. We find that the shape and size of the Homunculus nebula, as given by our model, agree with recent observations. Moreover, the contraction expected due to the sudden increase in luminosity at the onset of the Great Eruption explains the equatorial "skirt" as well.

We have used recent surveys of the composition of exoplanet host stars to investigate the expected composition of condensed material in planetesimals formed beyond the snow line in the circumstellar nebulae of these systems. Of the major solid-forming elements, C and O abundances (and particularly the C/O abundance ratio) strongly affect the amounts of volatile ices and refractory phases in icy planetesimals formed in these systems. This results from these elements' effects on the partitioning of O among gas, refractory solid and ice phases in the final condensate. The calculations use a self-consistent model for the condensation sequence of volatile ices from the nebula gas after refractory (silicate and metal) phases have condensed. The resultant mass fractions (compared to the total condensate) of refractory phases and ices were calculated for a range of nebular temperature structures and redox conditions. Planetesimals in systems with sub-solar C/O should be water ice-rich, with lower than solar mass fractions of refractory materials, while in super-solar C/O systems planetesimals should have significantly higher mass fractions of refractories, in some cases having little or no water ice. C-bearing volatile ices and clathrates also become increasingly important with increasing C/O depending on the assumed nebular temperatures. These compositional variations in early condensates in the outer portions of the nebula will be significant for the equivalent of the Kuiper Belt in these systems, icy satellites of giant planets, and the enrichment (over stellar values) of volatiles and heavy elements in giant planet atmospheres.