Table of contents

We demonstrate the presence of an extended and massive circumgalactic medium (CGM) around Messier 31 using archival HST Cosmic Origins Spectrograph ultraviolet spectroscopy of 18 QSOs projected within two virial radii of M31 ( kpc). We detect absorption from Si iii at km s⁻¹ toward all three sightlines at , 3 of 4 sightlines at , and possibly 1 of 11 at . We present several arguments that the gas at these velocities observed in these directions originates from the M31 CGM rather than the Local Group or Milky Way CGM or Magellanic Stream. We show that the dwarf galaxies located in the CGM of M31 have very similar velocities over similar projected distances from M31. We find a non-trivial relationship only at these velocities between the column densities (N) of all the ions and R, whereby N decreases with increasing R. At , the covering fraction is close to unity for Si iii and C iv (–97% at the 90% confidence level), but drops to –20% at . We show that the M31 CGM gas is bound, multiphase, predominantly ionized, and is more highly ionized gas at larger R. We estimate using Si ii, Si iii, and Si iv, a CGM metal mass of M and gas mass of M within , and possibly a factor of ~10 larger within , implying substantial metal and gas masses in the CGM of M31.

We describe a method to extract resonant orbits from N-body simulations, exploiting the fact that they close in frames rotating with a constant pattern speed. Our method is applied to the N-body simulation of the Milky Way by Shen et al. This simulation hosts a massive bar, which drives strong resonances and persistent angular momentum exchange. Resonant orbits are found throughout the disk, both close to the bar and out to the very edges of the disk. Using Fourier spectrograms, we demonstrate that the bar is driving kinematic substructure even in the very outer parts of the disk. We identify two major orbit families in the outskirts of the disk, one of which makes significant contributions to the kinematic landscape, namely, the m:l = 3:−2 family, resonating with the bar. A mechanism is described that produces bimodal distributions of Galactocentric radial velocities at selected azimuths in the outer disk. It occurs as a result of the temporal coherence of particles on the 3:−2 resonant orbits, which causes them to arrive simultaneously at pericenter or apocenter. This resonant clumping, due to the in-phase motion of the particles through their epicycle, leads to both inward and outward moving groups that belong to the same orbital family and consequently produce bimodal radial velocity distributions. This is a possible explanation of the bimodal velocity distributions observed toward the Galactic anticenter by Liu et al. Another consequence is that transient overdensities appear and dissipate (in a symmetric fashion), resulting in a periodic pulsing of the disk's surface density.

The high abundances of Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) with respect to methanol, the most abundant COM, detected toward low-mass protostars, tend to be underpredicted by astrochemical models. This discrepancy might come from the large beam of the single-dish telescopes, encompassing several components of the studied protostar, commonly used to detect COMs. To address this issue, we have carried out multi-line observations of methanol and several COMs toward the two low-mass protostars NGC 1333-IRAS 2A and -IRAS 4A with the Plateau de Bure interferometer at an angular resolution of 2'', resulting in the first multi-line detection of the O-bearing species glycolaldehyde and ethanol and of the N-bearing species ethyl cyanide toward low-mass protostars other than IRAS 16293. The high number of detected transitions from COMs (more than 40 methanol transitions for instance) allowed us to accurately derive the source size of their emission and the COM column densities. The COM abundances with respect to methanol derived toward IRAS 2A and IRAS 4A are slightly, but not substantitally, lower than those derived from previous single-dish observations. The COM abundance ratios do not vary significantly with the protostellar luminosity, over five orders of magnitude, implying that low-mass hot corinos are quite chemically rich as high-mass hot cores. Astrochemical models still underpredict the abundances of key COMs, such as methyl formate or di-methyl ether, suggesting that our understanding of their formation remains incomplete.

Helical magnetic flux rope (MFR) is a fundamental structure of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and has been discovered recently to exist as a sigmoidal channel structure prior to its eruption in the EUV high-temperature passbands of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). However, when and where the MFR is built up are still elusive. In this paper, we investigate two MFRs (MFR1 and MFR2) in detail, whose eruptions produced two energetic solar flares and CMEs on 2014 April 18 and 2014 September 10, respectively. The AIA EUV images reveal that for a long time prior to their eruption, both MFR1 and MFR2 are under formation, which is probably through magnetic reconnection between two groups of sheared arcades driven by the shearing and converging flows in the photosphere near the polarity inversion line. At the footpoints of the MFR1, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph Si iv, C ii, and Mg ii lines exhibit weak to moderate redshifts and a non-thermal broadening in the pre-flare phase. However, a relatively large blueshift and an extremely strong non-thermal broadening are found at the formation site of the MFR2. These spectral features consolidate the proposition that the reconnection plays an important role in the formation of MFRs. For the MFR1, the reconnection outflow may propagate along its legs, penetrating into the transition region and the chromosphere at the footpoints. For the MFR2, the reconnection probably takes place in the lower atmosphere and results in the strong blueshift and non-thermal broadening for the Mg ii, C ii, and Si iv lines.

The physical properties of galactic winds are of paramount importance for our understanding of galaxy formation. Fortunately, they can be constrained using background quasars passing near star-forming galaxies (SFGs). From the 14 quasar–galaxy pairs in our Very Large Telescope (VLT)/SINFONI Mg ii Program for Line Emitters sample, we reobserved the 10 brightest galaxies in Hα with the VLT/SINFONI with 0 7 seeing and the corresponding quasar with the VLT/UVES spectrograph. Applying geometrical arguments to these 10 pairs, we find that four are likely probing galactic outflows, three are likely probing extended gaseous disks, and the remaining three are not classifiable because they are viewed face-on. In this paper we present a detailed comparison between the line-of-sight kinematics and the host galaxy emission kinematics for the pairs suitable for wind studies. We find that the kinematic profile shapes (asymmetries) can be well reproduced by a purely geometrical wind model with a constant wind speed, except for one pair (toward J2357−2736) that has the smallest impact parameter b = 6 kpc and requires an accelerated wind flow. Globally, the outflow speeds are ~100 km s⁻¹ and the mass ejection rates (or ) in the gas traced by the low-ionization species are similar to the star formation rate (SFR), meaning that the mass loading factor, SFR, is ≈1.0. The outflow speeds are also smaller than the local escape velocity, which implies that the outflows do not escape the galaxy halo and are likely to fall back into the interstellar medium.

We explore the emission properties of a dissipative pulsar magnetosphere model introduced by Kalapotharakos et al. comparing its high-energy light curves and spectra, due to curvature radiation, with data collected by the Fermi LAT. The magnetosphere structure is assumed to be near the force-free solution. The accelerating electric field, inside the light cylinder (LC), is assumed to be negligible, while outside the LC it rescales with a finite conductivity (σ). In our approach we calculate the corresponding high-energy emission by integrating the trajectories of test particles that originate from the stellar surface, taking into account both the accelerating electric field components and the radiation reaction forces. First, we explore the parameter space assuming different value sets for the stellar magnetic field, stellar period, and conductivity. We show that the general properties of the model are in a good agreement with observed emission characteristics of young γ-ray pulsars, including features of the phase-resolved spectra. Second, we find model parameters that fit each pulsar belonging to a group of eight bright pulsars that have a published phase-resolved spectrum. The σ values that best describe each of the pulsars in this group show an increase with the spin-down rate and a decrease with the pulsar age, expected if pair cascades are providing the magnetospheric conductivity. Finally, we explore the limits of our analysis and suggest future directions for improving such models.

We study how the matter dispersed when a supermassive black hole tidally disrupts a star joins an accretion flow. Combining a relativistic hydrodynamic simulation of the stellar disruption with a relativistic hydrodynamics simulation of the subsequent debris motion, we track the evolution of such a system until of the stellar mass bound to the black hole has settled into an accretion flow. Shocks near the stellar pericenter and also near the apocenter of the most tightly bound debris dissipate orbital energy, but only enough to make its characteristic radius comparable to the semimajor axis of the most bound material, not the tidal radius as previously envisioned. The outer shocks are caused by post-Newtonian relativistic effects, both on the stellar orbit during its disruption and on the tidal forces. Accumulation of mass into the accretion flow is both non-monotonic and slow, requiring several to 10 times the orbital period of the most tightly bound tidal streams, while the inflow time for most of the mass may be comparable to or longer than the mass accumulation time. Deflection by shocks does, however, cause some mass to lose both angular momentum and energy, permitting it to move inward even before most of the mass is accumulated into the accretion flow. Although the accretion rate still rises sharply and then decays roughly as a power law, its maximum is the previous expectation, and the timescale of the peak is longer than previously predicted. The geometric mean of the black hole mass and stellar mass inferred from a measured event timescale is therefore the value given by classical theory.

Due to the low gamma-ray fluxes from pulsars above 50 GeV and the small collecting area of space-based telescopes, the gamma-ray emission discovered by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) in ~150 pulsars is largely unexplored at these energies. In this regime, the uncertainties on the spectral data points and/or the constraints from upper limits are not sufficient to provide robust tests of competing emission models in individual pulsars. The discovery of power-law-type emission from the Crab pulsar at energies exceeding 100 GeV provides a compelling justification for exploration of other pulsars at these energies. We applied the method of aperture photometry to measure pulsar emission spectra from Fermi-LAT data and present a stacked analysis of 115 pulsars selected from the Second Fermi-LAT catalog of gamma-ray pulsars. This analysis, which uses an average of ~4.2 yr of data per pulsar, aggregates low-level emission which cannot be resolved in individual objects but can be detected in an ensemble. We find no significant stacked excess at energies above 50 GeV. An upper limit of 30% of the Crab pulsar level is found for the average flux from 115 pulsars in the 100–177 GeV energy range at the 95% confidence level. Stacked searches exclusive to the young pulsar sample, the millisecond pulsar sample, and several other promising sub-samples also return no significant excesses above 50 GeV.

We find Green functions for the accretion disk with fixed outer radius and time-independent viscosity. With the Green functions, a viscous evolution of the disk with any initial conditions can be described. Two types of inner boundary conditions are considered: the zero stress tensor and the zero accretion rate. The variable mass inflow at the outer radius can also be included. The well-known exponential decline of the accretion rate is a part of the solution with the inner zero stress tensor. The solution with the zero central accretion rate is applicable to disks around stars whose magnetosphere's boundary exceeds the corotation radius. Using the solution, the viscous evolution of disks in some binary systems can be studied. We apply the solution with zero inner stress tensor to outbursts of short-period X-ray transients during the time around the peak. It is found that for the Kramers' regime of opacity and the initial surface density proportional to the radius, the rise time to the peak is and the e-folding time of the decay is . Comparison to non-stationary α-disks shows that both models with the same value of viscosity at the outer radius produce similar behavior on the viscous time-scale. For six bursts in X-ray novae, which exhibit fast-rise–exponential-decay and are fitted by the model, we find a way to restrict the turbulent parameter α.

Type II radio bursts are thought to be a signature of coronal shocks. In this paper, we analyze a short-lived type II burst that started at 07:40 UT on 2011 February 28. By carefully checking white-light images, we find that the type II radio burst is not accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, only by a C2.4 class flare and narrow jet. However, in the EUV images provided by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we find a wave-like structure that propagated at a speed of ~600 km s⁻¹ during the burst. The relationship between the type II radio burst and the wave-like structure is, in particular, explored. For this purpose, we first derive the density distribution under the wave by the differential emission measure method, which is used to restrict the empirical density model. We then use the restricted density model to invert the speed of the shock that produces the observed frequency drift rate in the dynamic spectrum. The inverted shock speed is similar to the speed of the wave-like structure. This implies that the wave-like structure is most likely a coronal shock that produces the type II radio burst. We also examine the evolution of the magnetic field in the flare-associated active region and find continuous flux emergence and cancellation taking place near the flare site. Based on these facts, we propose a new mechanism for the formation of the type II radio burst, i.e., the expansion of the strongly inclined magnetic loops after reconnecting with a nearby emerging flux acts as a piston to generate the shock wave.

We present methods and results from "21 cm Spectral Line Observations of Neutral Gas with the EVLA" (21-SPONGE), a large survey for Galactic neutral hydrogen (H i) absorption with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). With the upgraded capabilities of the VLA, we reach median rms noise in optical depth of per channel for the 31 sources presented here. Upon completion, 21-SPONGE will be the largest H i absorption survey with this high sensitivity. We discuss the observations and data reduction strategies, as well as line fitting techniques. We prove that the VLA bandpass (BP) is stable enough to detect broad, shallow lines associated with warm H i, and we show that BP observations can be combined in time to reduce spectral noise. In combination with matching H i emission profiles from the Arecibo Observatory (35 angular resolution), we estimate excitation (or spin) temperatures (T_s) and column densities for Gaussian components fitted to sightlines along which we detect H i absorption (30/31). We measure temperatures up to for individual lines, showing that we can probe the thermally unstable interstellar medium (ISM) directly. However, we detect fewer of these thermally unstable components than expected from previous observational studies. We probe a wide range in column density between and for individual H i clouds. In addition, we reproduce the trend between cold gas fraction and average T_s found by the Kim et al. synthetic observations of a hydrodynamic ISM simulation. Finally, we compare methods for estimating T_s using H i observations.

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) rest-frame ultraviolet imaging of the host galaxies of 16 hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), including 11 events from the Pan-STARRS Medium Deep Survey. Taking advantage of the superb angular resolution of HST, we characterize the galaxies' morphological properties, sizes, and star formation rate (SFR) densities. We determine the supernova (SN) locations within the host galaxies through precise astrometric matching and measure physical and host-normalized offsets as well as the SN positions within the cumulative distribution of UV light pixel brightness. We find that the host galaxies of H-poor SLSNe are irregular, compact dwarf galaxies, with a median half-light radius of just 0.9 kpc. The UV-derived SFR densities are high (), suggesting that SLSNe form in overdense environments. Their locations trace the UV light of their host galaxies, with a distribution intermediate between that of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs; which are strongly clustered on the brightest regions of their hosts) and a uniform distribution (characteristic of normal core-collapse SNe), though cannot be statistically distinguished from either with the current sample size. Taken together, this strengthens the picture that SLSN progenitors require different conditions than those of ordinary core-collapse SNe to form and that they explode in broadly similar galaxies as do LGRBs. If the tendency for SLSNe to be less clustered on the brightest regions than are LGRBs is confirmed by a larger sample, this would indicate a different, potentially lower-mass progenitor for SLSNe than LRGBs.

We study the effect of a massive planetesimal disk on the dynamical stability of the outer planets in a system representing the early solar system assuming, as has been suggested recently, that these planets were initially locked in a compact and multiresonant configuration as a result of gas-driven migration in a protoplanetary disk. The planetesimal disk is represented by an ensemble of 2000 lunar mass bodies for which the gravitational interaction is calculated self-consistently using the Mercury6.5 code. Several initial multiresonant configurations and planetesimal disk models are considered. Under such conditions a strong dynamical instability, manifested as a rapid giant planet migration and planetesimal disk dispersal, develops on a timescale of less than 40 Myr in most cases. Dynamical disk heating due to the gravitational interactions among planetesimals leads to more frequent interactions between the planetesimals and the ice giants, in comparison to models in which planetesimal–planetesimal interactions are neglected. The number of particles used to represent the planetesimal disk has implications for our results, and although our studies represent the first self-consistent calculations of unstable planetesimal-driven migration, our results point toward the need for using more realistic treatments of the planetesimal disk. Finally, in the framework of our model, we discuss the possible implications of our results on the early evolution of the solar system.

We present a sample of brown dwarfs identified with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) for which we have obtained Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) near-infrared grism spectroscopy. The sample (22 in total) was observed with the G141 grism covering 1.10–1.70 μm, while 15 were also observed with the G102 grism, which covers 0.90–1.10 μm. The additional wavelength coverage provided by the G102 grism allows us to (1) search for spectroscopic features predicted to emerge at low effective temperatures (e.g.,ammonia bands) and (2) construct a smooth spectral sequence across the T/Y boundary. We find no evidence of absorption due to ammonia in the G102 spectra. Six of these brown dwarfs are new discoveries, three of which are found to have spectral types of T8 or T9. The remaining three, WISE J082507.35+280548.5 (Y0.5), WISE J120604.38+840110.6 (Y0), and WISE J235402.77+024015.0 (Y1), are the 19th, 20th, and 21st spectroscopically confirmed Y dwarfs to date. We also present HST grism spectroscopy and reevaluate the spectral types of five brown dwarfs for which spectral types have been determined previously using other instruments.

We report results from a continuation of our searches for high field magnetic white dwarfs (WDs) paired in a detached binary with non-degenerate companions. We made use of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 catalog of Kleinman et al. (2013) with 19,712 spectroscopically identified WDs. These include 1735 WD plus M dwarf detached pairs (almost 10% of the Kleinman et al.'s list). No new pairs were found, although we did recover the polar (AM Herculis system) ST LMi in a low state of accretion. With the larger sample the original situation reported 10 yr ago remains intact now at a much higher level of statistical significance: in the selected SDSS sample, high field magnetic WDs are not found in an apparently detached pairing with an M dwarf, unless they are a magnetic cataclysmic variable (CV) in a low state of accretion. This finding strengthens the case that the fields in the isolated high field magnetic WDs are generated by stellar mergers but also raises questions on the nature of the progenitors of the magnetic CVs.

We use a planetary albedo model to investigate variations in visible wavelength phase curves of exoplanets. Thermal and cloud properties for these exoplanets are derived using one-dimensional radiative-convective and cloud simulations. The presence of clouds on these exoplanets significantly alters their planetary albedo spectra. We confirm that non-uniform cloud coverage on the dayside of tidally locked exoplanets will manifest as changes to the magnitude and shift of the phase curve. In this work, we first investigate a test case of our model using a Jupiter-like planet, at temperatures consistent to 2.0 AU insolation from a solar type star, to consider the effect of H₂O clouds. We then extend our application of the model to the exoplanet Kepler-7b and consider the effect of varying cloud species, sedimentation efficiency, particle size, and cloud altitude. We show that, depending on the observational filter, the largest possible shift of the phase curve maximum will be ~2°–10° for a Jupiter-like planet, and up to ~30° (~0.08 in fractional orbital phase) for hot-Jupiter exoplanets at visible wavelengths as a function of dayside cloud distribution with a uniformly averaged thermal profile. The models presented in this work can be adapted for a variety of planetary cases at visible wavelengths to include variations in planet–star separation, gravity, metallicity, and source-observer geometry. Finally, we tailor our model for comparison with, and confirmation of, the recent optical phase-curve observations of Kepler-7b with the Kepler space telescope. The average planetary albedo can vary between 0.1 and 0.6 for the 1300 cloud scenarios that were compared to the observations. Many of these cases cannot produce a high enough albedo to match the observations. We observe that smaller particle size and increasing cloud altitude have a strong effect on increasing albedo. In particular, we show that a set of models where Kepler-7b has roughly half of its dayside covered in small-particle clouds high in the atmosphere, made of bright minerals like MgSiO₃ and Mg₂SiO_4, provide the best fits to the observed offset and magnitude of the phase-curve, whereas Fe clouds are found to be too dark to fit the observations.

Recent observations of gaps and non-axisymmetric features in the dust distributions of transition disks have been interpreted as evidence of embedded massive protoplanets. However, comparing the predictions of planet–disk interaction models to the observed features has shown far from perfect agreement. This may be due to the strong approximations used for the predictions. For example, spiral arm fitting typically uses results that are based on low-mass planets in an isothermal gas. In this work, we describe two-dimensional, global, hydrodynamical simulations of disks with embedded protoplanets, with and without the assumption of local isothermality, for a range of planet-to-star mass ratios 1–10 for a 1 star. We use the Pencil Code in polar coordinates for our models. We find that the inner and outer spiral wakes of massive protoplanets () produce significant shock heating that can trigger buoyant instabilities. These drive sustained turbulence throughout the disk when they occur. The strength of this effect depends strongly on the mass of the planet and the thermal relaxation timescale; for a planet embedded in a thin, purely adiabatic disk, the spirals, gaps, and vortices typically associated with planet–disk interactions are disrupted. We find that the effect is only weakly dependent on the initial radial temperature profile. The spirals that form in disks heated by the effects we have described may fit the spiral structures observed in transition disks better than the spirals predicted by linear isothermal theory.

In a search for common proper motion companions using the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and the 2MASS catalogs we have identified a very red ( mag) late-L dwarf companion of a previously unrecognized M dwarf VHS J125601.92-125723.9 (hereafter VHS 1256-1257), located at a projected angular separation of 8 06 ± 0 03. In this work we present a suite of astrometric, photometric, and spectroscopic observations of this new pair in an effort to confirm the companionship and characterize the components. From low-resolution (R ~ 130–600) optical and near-infrared spectroscopy we classified the primary and the companion as M7.5 ± 0.5 and  L7 ± 1.5, respectively. The primary shows slightly weaker alkali lines than field dwarfs of similar spectral type, but still consistent with either a high-gravity dwarf or a younger object of hundreds of millions of years. The secondary shows spectral features characteristic for low surface gravity objects at ages below several hundred million years, like the peaked triangular shape of the H-band continuum and alkali lines weaker than in field dwarfs of the same spectral type. The absence of lithium in the atmosphere of the primary and the likely kinematic membership to the Local Association allowed us to constrain the age of the system to the range of 150–300 Myr. We report a measurement of the trigonometric parallax π = 78.8 ± 6.4 mas, which translates into a distance of 12.7 ± 1.0 pc; the pair thus has a projected physical separation of 102 ± 9 AU. We derived the bolometric luminosities of the components and compared them with theoretical evolutionary models to estimate the masses and effective temperatures. For the primary, we determined a luminosity of  ± 0.10, and inferred a mass of 73 M_Jup at the boundary between stars and brown dwarfs and an effective temperature of 2620 ± 140 K. For the companion we obtained a luminosity of and a mass of , placing it near the deuterium-burning mass limit. The effective temperature derived from evolutionary models is 880 K, about 400–700 K cooler than the temperature expected for field late-L dwarfs.

We present the results of our Hubble Space Telescope program and describe how our analysis methods were used to re-evaluate the habitability of some of the most interesting Kepler planet candidates. Our program observed 22 Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) host stars, several of which were found to be multiple star systems unresolved by Kepler. We use our high-resolution imaging to spatially resolve the stellar multiplicity of Kepler-296, KOI-2626, and KOI-3049, and develop a conversion to the Kepler photometry (Kp) from the F555W and F775W filters on WFC3/UVIS. The binary system Kepler-296 (five planets) has a projected separation of (80 AU); KOI-2626 (one planet candidate) is a triple star system with a projected separation of (70 AU) between the primary and secondary components and (55 AU) between the primary and tertiary; and the binary system KOI-3049 (one planet candidate) has a projected separation of (225 AU). We use our measured photometry to fit the separated stellar components to the latest Victoria–Regina Stellar Models with synthetic photometry to conclude that the systems are coeval. The components of the three systems range from mid-K dwarf to mid-M dwarf spectral types.We solved for the planetary properties of each system analytically and via an MCMC algorithm using our independent stellar parameters. The planets range from , mostly Super Earths and mini-Neptunes. As a result of the stellar multiplicity, some planets previously in the Habitable Zone are, in fact, not, and other planets may be habitable depending on their assumed stellar host.

The deuterium fraction, [N₂D⁺]/[N₂H⁺], may provide information about the ages of dense, cold gas structures, which are important for comparing dynamical models of cloud core formation and evolution. Here we introduce a complete chemical network with species containing up to three atoms, with the exception of the oxygen chemistry, where reactions involving H₃O⁺ and its deuterated forms have been added, significantly improving the consistency with comprehensive chemical networks. Deuterium chemistry and spin states of H₂ and H₃⁺ isotopologues are included in this primarily gas-phase chemical model. We investigate the dependence of deuterium chemistry on these model parameters: density (), temperature, cosmic ray ionization rate, and gas-phase depletion factor of heavy elements (). We also explore the effects of time-dependent freeze-out of gas-phase species and the dynamical evolution of density at various rates relative to free-fall collapse. For a broad range of model parameters, the timescales to reach large values of , observed in some low- and high-mass starless cores, are relatively long compared to the local free-fall timescale. These conclusions are unaffected by introducing time-dependent freeze-out and considering models with evolving density, unless the initial 10. For fiducial model parameters, achieving requires collapse to be proceeding at rates at least several times slower than that of free-fall collapse, perhaps indicating a dynamically important role for magnetic fields in supporting starless cores and thus the regulation of star formation.

We present new methodology to use cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations to probe sources at from a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)/NIRCam configuration that will isolate known galaxies to 28 AB mag at 0.5–5 μm. At present significant mutually consistent source-subtracted CIB fluctuations have been identified in the Spitzer and AKARI data at ~2–5 μm, but we demonstrate internal inconsistencies at shorter wavelengths in the recent CIBER data. We evaluate CIB contributions from remaining galaxies and show that the bulk of the high-z sources will be in the confusion noise of the NIRCam beam, requiring CIB studies. The accurate measurement of the angular spectrum of the fluctuations and probing the dependence of its clustering component on the remaining shot noise power would discriminate between the various currently proposed models for their origin and probe the flux distribution of its sources. We show that the contribution to CIB fluctuations from remaining galaxies is large at visible wavelengths for the current instruments precluding probing the putative Lyman-break of the CIB fluctuations. We demonstrate that with the proposed JWST configuration such measurements will enable probing the Lyman-break. We develop a Lyman-break tomography method to use the NIRCam wavelength coverage to identify or constrain, via the adjacent two-band subtraction, the history of emissions over as the universe comes out of the "Dark Ages." We apply the proposed tomography to the current Spitzer/IRAC measurements at 3.6 and 4.5 μm, to find that it already leads to interestingly low upper limit on emissions at .

Dielectronic recombination (DR) is the dominant recombination process for most heavy elements in photoionized clouds. Accurate DR rates for a species can be predicted when the positions of autoionizing states are known. Unfortunately such data are not available for most third- and higher-row elements. This introduces an uncertainty that is especially acute for photoionized clouds, where the low temperatures mean that DR occurs energetically through very low-lying autoionizing states. This paper discusses S²⁺ S⁺ DR, the process that is largely responsible for establishing the [S iii]/[S ii] ratio in nebulae. We derive an empirical rate coefficient using a novel method for second-row ions, which do have accurate data. Photoionization models are used to reproduce the [O iii]/[O ii]/[O i]/[Ne iii] intensity ratios in central regions of the Orion Nebula. O and Ne have accurate atomic data and can be used to derive an empirical S²⁺ S⁺ DR rate coefficient at ~10⁴ K. We present new calculations of the DR rate coefficient for S²⁺ S⁺ and quantify how uncertainties in the autoionizing level positions affect it. The empirical and theoretical results are combined and we derive a simple fit to the resulting rate coefficient at all temperatures for incorporation into spectral synthesis codes. This method can be used to derive empirical DR rates for other ions, provided that good observations of several stages of ionization of O and Ne are available.

Previous MHD simulations have shown that wind must exist in black hole hot accretion flows. In this paper, we continue our study by investigating the detailed properties of wind and the mechanism of wind production. For this aim, we make use of a 3D general relativistic MHD simulation of hot accretion flows around a Schwarzschild black hole. To distinguish real wind from turbulent outflows, we track the trajectories of the virtual Lagrangian particles from simulation data. We find two types of real outflows, i.e., a jet and a wind. The mass flux of wind is very significant, and its radial profile can be described by , with being the mass accretion rate at the black hole horizon and r_s being the Schwarzschild radius. The poloidal wind speed almost remains constant once they are produced, but the flux-weighted wind speed roughly follows , with v_k(r) being the Keplerian speed at radius r. The mass flux of the jet is much lower, but the speed is much higher, ~ (0.3–0.4)c. Consequently, both the energy and momentum fluxes of the wind are much larger than those of the jet. The wind is produced and accelerated primarily by the combination of centrifugal force and magnetic pressure gradient, while the jet is mainly accelerated by the magnetic pressure gradient. Finally, we find that the wind production efficiency is in good agreement with the value required from large-scale galaxy simulations with active galactic nucleus feedback.

It is generally believed that the evolution of magnetic helicity has a close relationship with solar activity. Before the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), earlier studies had mostly used Michelson Doppler Imager/SOHO line of sight (LOS) magnetograms and assumed that magnetic fields are radial when calculating the magnetic helicity injection rate from photospheric magnetograms. However, this assumption is not necessarily true. Here we use the vector magnetograms and LOS magnetograms, both taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on SDO, to estimate the effects of the non-radial magnetic field on measuring the magnetic helicity injection rate. We find that: (1) the effect of the non-radial magnetic field on estimating tangential velocity is relatively small; (2) when estimating the magnetic helicity injection rate, the effect of the non-radial magnetic field is strong when active regions are observed near the limb and is relatively weak when active regions are close to disk center; and (3) the effect of the non-radial magnetic field becomes minor if the amount of accumulated magnetic helicity is the only concern.

We investigate the sizes of z ~ 6–8 dropout galaxies using the complete data of the Abell 2744 cluster and parallel fields in the Hubble Frontier Fields program. By directly fitting light profiles of observed galaxies with lensing-distorted Sérsic profiles on the image plane with the glafic software, we accurately measure intrinsic sizes of 31 z ~ 6–7 and 8  galaxies, including those as faint as . We find that half-light radii r_e positively correlates with UV luminosity at each redshift, although the correlation is not very tight. The largest ( kpc) galaxies are mostly red in UV color while the smallest ( kpc) ones tend to be blue. We also find that galaxies with multiple cores tend to be brighter. Combined with previous results at , our result confirms that the average of bright ((0.3–1)) galaxies scales as with . We find that the ratio of r_e to virial radius is virtually constant at 3.3 ± 0.1% over a wide redshift range, where the virial radii of hosting dark matter halos are derived based on the abundance matching. This constant ratio is consistent with the disk formation model by Mo et al. with , where j_d and m_d are the fractions of the angular momentum and mass within halos confined in the disks. A comparison with various types of local galaxies indicates that our galaxies are most similar to circumnuclear star-forming regions of barred galaxies in the sense that a sizable amount of stars are forming in a very small area.

We construct the rest-frame 2–10 keV intrinsic X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from a combination of X-ray surveys from the all-sky Swift BAT survey to the Chandra Deep Field South. We use ~3200 AGNs in our analysis, which covers six orders of magnitude in flux. The inclusion of XMM and Chandra COSMOS data has allowed us to investigate the detailed behavior of the XLF and evolution. In deriving our XLF, we take into account realistic AGN spectrum templates, absorption corrections, and probability density distributions in photometric redshift. We present an analytical expression for the overall behavior of the XLF in terms of the luminosity-dependent density evolution, smoothed two-power-law expressions in 11 redshift shells, three-segment power-law expression of the number density evolution in four luminosity classes, and binned XLF. We observe a sudden flattening of the low luminosity end slope of the XLF slope at z 0.6. Detailed structures of the AGN downsizing have also been revealed, where the number density curves have two clear breaks at all luminosity classes above . The two-break structure is suggestive of two-phase AGN evolution, consisting of major merger triggering and secular processes.

One of the most energetic gamma-ray bursts, GRB 110731A, was observed from an optical to GeV energy range. Previous analysis of the prompt phase revealed similarities between the Large Area Telescope (LAT) bursts observed by Fermi: (1) a delayed onset of the high-energy emission ( MeV), (2) a short-lasting bright peak at later times, and (3) a temporally extended component from this phase, lasting hundreds of seconds. Additionally to the prompt phase, multiwavelength observations over different epochs showed that the spectral energy distribution was better fitted by a wind afterglow model. We present a leptonic model based on an early afterglow that evolves in a stellar wind of its progenitor. We apply this model to interpret the temporally extended LAT emission and the brightest LAT peak exhibited by the prompt phase of GRB 110731A. Additionally, using the same set of parameters, we describe the multiwavelength afterglow observations. The origin of the temporally extended LAT, X-ray, and optical flux is explained through synchrotron radiation from the forward shock (FS) and the brightest LAT peak is described, evoking the synchrotron self-Compton emission from the reverse shock (RS). The bulk Lorentz factor required in this model (Γ 520) lies in the range of values demanded for most LAT-detected GRBs. We show that the strength of the magnetic field in the RS region is ~50 times stronger than that in the FS region. This result suggests that, for GRB 110731A, the central engine is likely entrained with strong magnetic fields.

Studies of planets in binary star systems are especially important because it was estimated that about half of binary stars are capable of supporting habitable terrestrial planets within stable orbital ranges. One-planet binary star systems (OBSS) have a limited analogy to objects studied in atomic/molecular physics: one-electron Rydberg quasimolecules (ORQ). Specifically, ORQ, consisting of two fully stripped ions of the nuclear charges Z and Z' plus one highly excited electron, are encountered in various plasmas containing more than one kind of ion. Classical analytical studies of ORQ resulted in the discovery of classical stable electronic orbits with the shape of a helix on the surface of a cone. In the present paper we show that despite several important distinctions between OBSS and ORQ, it is possible for OBSS to have stable planetary orbits in the shape of a helix on a conical surface, whose axis of symmetry coincides with the interstellar axis; the stability is not affected by the rotation of the stars. Further, we demonstrate that the eccentricity of the stars' orbits does not affect the stability of the helical planetary motion if the center of symmetry of the helix is relatively close to the star of the larger mass. We also show that if the center of symmetry of the conic-helical planetary orbit is relatively close to the star of the smaller mass, a sufficiently large eccentricity of stars' orbits can switch the planetary motion to the unstable mode and the planet would escape the system. We demonstrate that such planets are transitable for the overwhelming majority of inclinations of plane of the stars' orbits (i.e., the projections of the planet and the adjacent start on the plane of the sky coincide once in a while). This means that conic-helical planetary orbits at binary stars can be detected photometrically. We consider, as an example, Kepler-16 binary stars to provide illustrative numerical data on the possible parameters and the stability of the conic-helical planetary orbits, as well as on the transitability. Then for the general case, we also show that the power of the gravitational radiation due to this planet can be comparable or even exceed the power of the gravitational radiation due to the stars in the binary. This means that in the future, with a progress of gravitational wave detectors, the presence of a planet in a conic-helical orbit could be revealed by the noticeably enhanced gravitational radiation from the binary star system.

Between 2012 July and 2013 February, NuSTAR and XMM-Newton performed four long-look joint observations of the type 1.8 Seyfert, NGC 1365. We have analyzed the variable absorption seen in these observations in order to characterize the geometry of the absorbing material. Two of the observations caught NGC 1365 in an unusually low absorption state, revealing complexity in the multi-layer absorber that had previously been hidden. We find the need for three distinct zones of neutral absorption in addition to the two zones of ionized absorption and the Compton-thick torus previously seen in this source. The most prominent absorber is likely associated with broad-line region clouds with column densities of around ~10²³ cm⁻² and a highly clumpy nature as evidenced by an occultation event in 2013 February. We also find evidence of a patchy absorber with a variable column around ~10²² cm⁻² and a line-of-sight covering fraction of 0.3–0.9, which responds directly to the intrinsic source flux, possibly due to a wind geometry. A full-covering, constant absorber with a low column density of ~1 × 10²² cm⁻² is also present, though the location of this low density haze is unknown.

Solar flares primarily occur in active regions. Hard X-ray flares have been found to occur only in active regions. They are often associated with the eruption of active region filaments and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). CMEs can also be associated with the eruption of quiescent filaments, not located in active regions. Here we report the first identification of a solar X-ray flare outside an active region observed by the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). The X-ray emission was directly associated with the eruption of a long, quiescent filament and fast CME. Images from RHESSI show this flare emission to be located along a section of the western ribbon of the expanding, post-eruption arcade. EUV images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory Atmospheric Imaging Assembly show no connection between this location and nearby active regions. Therefore the flare emission is found not to be located in or associated with an active region. However, a nearby, small, magnetically strong dipolar region provides a likely explanation for the existence and location of the flare X-ray emission. This emerging dipolar region may have also triggered the filament eruption.

NGC 5053 provides a rich environment to test our understanding of the complex evolution of globular clusters (GCs). Recent studies have found that this cluster has interesting morphological features beyond the typical spherical distribution of GCs, suggesting that external tidal effects have played an important role in its evolution and current properties. Additionally, simulations have shown that NGC 5053 could be a likely candidate to belong to the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy (Sgr dSph) stream. Using the Wisconsin–Indiana–Yale–NOAO–Hydra multi-object spectrograph, we have collected high quality (signal-to-noise ratio ~ 75–90), medium-resolution spectra for red giant branch stars in NGC 5053. Using these spectra we have measured the Fe, Ca, Ti, Ni, Ba, Na, and O abundances in the cluster. We measure an average cluster [Fe/H] abundance of −2.45 with a standard deviation of 0.04 dex, making NGC 5053 one of the most metal-poor GCs in the Milky Way (MW). The [Ca/Fe], [Ti/Fe], and [Ba/Fe] we measure are consistent with the abundances of MW halo stars at a similar metallicity, with alpha-enhanced ratios and slightly depleted [Ba/Fe]. The Na and O abundances show the Na–O anti-correlation found in most GCs. From our abundance analysis it appears that NGC 5053 is at least chemically similar to other GCs found in the MW. This does not, however, rule out NGC 5053 being associated with the Sgr dSph stream.

In earlier work we showed that a dark matter halo with a virial mass of 10⁷ can survive feedback from its own massive stars and form stars for Myr. We also found that our modeled systems were consistent with observations of ultrafaint dwarfs (UFDs), the least massive known galaxies. Very metal-poor damped Lyα systems (DLAs) recently identified at may represent the gas that formed at least some of the observed stars in UFDs. We compare projected sightlines from our simulations to the observed metal-poor DLAs and find that our models can reach the densities of the observed sightlines; however the metallicities are inconsistent with the single supernova simulations, suggesting enrichment by multiple supernovae. We model two scenarios for the history of these systems. The first explains the gas abundances in DLAs by a single burst of star formation. This model can produce the observed DLA abundances, but does not provide an explanation as to why the DLAs show suppressed [α/Fe] compared to the stellar population of UFDs. The second scenario splits the DLAs into a population which is enriched by a single burst, and a population that is enriched by a second burst after the accretion of metal-poor gas. In this scenario, the suppressed average [α/Fe] in DLAs compared to UFDs results from enrichment of second-burst systems by Type Ia supernovae.

Blazars exhibit flares across the electromagnetic spectrum. Many γ-ray flares are highly correlated with flares detected at optical wavelengths; however, a small subset appears to occur in isolation, with little or no variability detected at longer wavelengths. These "orphan" γ-ray flares challenge current models of blazar variability, most of which are unable to reproduce this type of behavior. We present numerical calculations of the time-variable emission of a blazar based on a proposal by Marscher et al. to explain such events. In this model, a plasmoid ("blob") propagates relativistically along the spine of a blazar jet and passes through a synchrotron-emitting ring of electrons representing a shocked portion of the jet sheath. This ring supplies a source of seed photons that are inverse-Compton scattered by the electrons in the moving blob. The model includes the effects of radiative cooling, a spatially varying magnetic field, and acceleration of the blob's bulk velocity. Synthetic light curves produced by our model are compared to the observed light curves from an orphan flare that was coincident with the passage of a superluminal knot through the inner jet of the blazar PKS 1510–089. In addition, we present Very Long Baseline Array polarimetric observations that point to the existence of a jet sheath in PKS 1510–089, thus providing further observational support for the plausibility of our model. An estimate of the bolometric luminosity of the sheath within PKS 1510–089 is made, yielding . This indicates that the sheath within PKS 1510–089 is potentially a very important source of seed photons.

Two entwined problems have remained unresolved since pulsars were discovered nearly 50 yr ago: the orientation of their polarized emission relative to the emitting magnetic field and the direction of putative supernova "kicks" relative to their rotation axes. The rotational orientation of most pulsars can be inferred only from the ("fiducial") polarization angle of their radiation, when their beam points directly at the Earth and the emitting polar fluxtube field is ∥ to the rotation axis. Earlier studies have been unrevealing owing to the admixture of different types of radiation (core and conal, two polarization modes), producing both ∥ or ⊥ alignments. In this paper we analyze some 50 pulsars having three characteristics: core radiation beams, reliable absolute polarimetry, and accurate proper motions (PMs). The "fiducial" polarization angle of the core emission, we then find, is usually oriented ⊥ to the PM direction on the sky. The primary core emission is polarized ⊥ to the projected magnetic field in Vela and other pulsars where X-ray imaging reveals the orientation. This shows that the PMs usually lie ∥ to the rotation axes on the sky. Two key physical consequences then follow: first, to the extent that supernova "kicks" are responsible for pulsar PMs, they are mostly ∥ to the rotation axis; and, second, most pulsar radiation is heavily processed by the magnetospheric plasma such that the lowest altitude "parent" core emission is polarized ⊥ to the emitting field, propagating as the extraordinary (X) mode.

Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) calculations for Mg i in red supergiant stellar atmospheres are presented to investigate the importance of NLTE for the formation of Mg i lines in the NIR J-band. Recent work using medium resolution spectroscopy of atomic lines in the J-band of individual red supergiant stars has demonstrated this technique is a very promising tool for investigating the chemical composition of the young stellar population in star forming galaxies. As in previous work, where NLTE effects were studied for iron, titanium, and silicon, substantial effects are found resulting in significantly stronger Mg i absorption lines. For the quantitative spectral analysis the NLTE effects lead to magnesium abundances significantly smaller than in local thermodynamic equilibrium with the NLTE abundance corrections varying smoothly between −0.4 dex and −0.1 dex for effective temperatures between 3400 and 4400 K. We discuss the physical reasons of the NLTE effects and the consequences for extragalactic J-band abundance studies using individual red supergiants in the young massive galactic double cluster h and χ Persei.

Advanced ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) detectors begin operation imminently. Their intended goal is not only to make the first direct detection of GWs, but also to make inferences about the source systems. Binary neutron-star mergers are among the most promising sources. We investigate the performance of the parameter-estimation (PE) pipeline that will be used during the first observing run of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (aLIGO) in 2015: we concentrate on the ability to reconstruct the source location on the sky, but also consider the ability to measure masses and the distance. Accurate, rapid sky localization is necessary to alert electromagnetic (EM) observatories so that they can perform follow-up searches for counterpart transient events. We consider PE accuracy in the presence of non-stationary, non-Gaussian noise. We find that the character of the noise makes negligible difference to the PE performance at a given signal-to-noise ratio. The source luminosity distance can only be poorly constrained, since the median 90% (50%) credible interval scaled with respect to the true distance is 0.85 (0.38). However, the chirp mass is well measured. Our chirp-mass estimates are subject to systematic error because we used gravitational-waveform templates without component spin to carry out inference on signals with moderate spins, but the total error is typically less than . The median 90% (50%) credible region for sky localization is (), with 3% (30%) of detected events localized within Early aLIGO, with only two detectors, will have a sky-localization accuracy for binary neutron stars of hundreds of square degrees; this makes EM follow-up challenging, but not impossible.

We report on a series of spectroscopic observations of PSR J1311–3430, an extreme black-widow gamma-ray pulsar with a helium-star companion. In a previous study we estimated the neutron star mass as (statistical error), based on limited spectroscopy and a basic (direct heating) light-curve model; however, much larger model-dependent systematics dominate the mass uncertainty. Our new spectroscopy reveals a range of complex source behavior. The variable He i companion wind emission lines can dominate broadband photometry, especially in red filters or near minimum brightness, and the wind flux should complete companion evaporation in a spin-down time. The heated companion face also undergoes dramatic flares, reaching ~40,000 K over ~20% of the star; this is likely powered by a magnetic field generated in the companion. The companion center-of-light radial velocity is now well measured with km s⁻¹. We detect non-sinusoidal velocity components due to the heated face flux distribution. Using our spectra to excise flares and wind lines, we generate substantially improved light curves for companion continuum fitting. We show that the inferred inclination and neutron star mass, however, remain sensitive to the poorly constrained heating pattern. The neutron star's mass, , is likely less than the direct heating value and could range as low as 1.8 M for extreme equatorial heating concentration. While we cannot yet pin down , our data imply that an intrabinary shock reprocesses the pulsar emission and heats the companion. Improved spectra and, especially, models that include such shock heating are needed for precise parameter measurement.

The discovery of O i atoms and C ii ions in the upper atmosphere of HD 209458b, made with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) using the G140L grating, showed that these heavy species fill an area comparable to the planet's Roche lobe. The derived ~10% transit absorption depths require super-thermal processes and/or supersolar abundances. From subsequent Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) observations, C ii absorption was reported with tentative velocity signatures, and absorption by Si iii ions was also claimed in disagreement with a negative STIS G140L detection. Here, we revisit the COS data set showing a severe limitation in the published results from having contrasted the in-transit spectrum against a stellar spectrum averaged from separate observations, at planetary phases 0.27, 0.72, and 0.49. We find variable stellar Si iii and C ii emissions that were significantly depressed not only during transit but also at phase 0.27 compared to phases 0.72 and 0.49. Their respective off-transit 7.5% and 3.1% flux variations are large compared to their reported 8.2 ± 1.4% and 7.8 ± 1.3% transit absorptions. Significant variations also appear in the stellar line shapes, questioning reported velocity signatures. We furthermore present archive STIS G140M transit data consistent with no Si iii absorption, with a negative result of 1.7 ± 18.7 including ~15% variability. Silicon may still be present at lower ionization states, in parallel with the recent detection of extended magnesium, as Mg i atoms. In this frame, the firm detection of O i and C ii implying solar or supersolar abundances contradicts the recent inference of potential 20–125× subsolar metallicity for HD 209458b.

We present the discovery of two galaxy overdensities in the Hubble Space Telescope UDF: a proto-cluster, HUDFJ0332.4-2746.6 at , and a group, HUDFJ0332.5-2747.3 at  ± 0.01. Assuming viralization, the velocity dispersion of HUDFJ0332.4-2746.6 implies a mass of , consistent with the lack of extended X-ray emission. Neither overdensity shows evidence of a red sequence. About of their members show interactions and/or disturbed morphologies, which are signatures of merger remnants or disk instability. Most of their ETGs have blue colors and show recent star formation. These observations reveal for the first time large fractions of spectroscopically confirmed star-forming blue ETGs in proto-clusters at . These star-forming ETGs are most likely among the progenitors of the quiescent population in clusters at more recent epochs. Their mass–size relation is consistent with that of passive ETGs in clusters at . If these galaxies are the progenitors of cluster ETGs at these lower redshifts, their size would evolve according to a similar mass-size relation. It is noteworthy that quiescent ETGs in clusters at also do not show any significant size evolution over this redshift range, contrary to field ETGs. The ETG fraction is , compared to the typical quiescent ETG fraction of in cluster cores at . The fraction, masses, and colors of the newly discovered ETGs imply that other cluster ETGs will be formed/accreted at a later time.

Radio-loud active galactic nuclei at are typically located in dense environments and their host galaxies are among the most massive systems at those redshifts, providing key insights for galaxy evolution. Finding radio-loud quasars at the highest accessible redshifts () is important to the study of their properties and environments at even earlier cosmic time. They could also serve as background sources for radio surveys intended to study the intergalactic medium beyond the epoch of reionization in HI 21 cm absorption. Currently, only five radio-loud () quasars are known at . In this paper we search for quasars by cross–matching the optical Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System 1 and radio Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty cm surveys. The radio information allows identification of quasars missed by typical color-based selections. While we find no good quasar candidates at the sensitivities of these surveys, we discover two new radio-loud quasars at . Furthermore, we identify two additional radio-loud quasars that were not previously known to be radio-loud, nearly doubling the current sample. We show the importance of having infrared photometry for quasars to robustly classify them as radio-quiet or radio-loud. Based on this, we reclassify the quasar J0203+0012 (z = 5.72), previously considered radio-loud, to be radio-quiet. Using the available data in the literature, we constrain the radio-loud fraction of quasars at , using the Kaplan–Meier estimator, to be . This result is consistent with there being no evolution of the radio-loud fraction with redshift, in contrast to what has been suggested by some studies at lower redshifts.

The measure of the third-order structure function, , is employed in the solar wind to compute the cascade rate of turbulence. In the absence of a mean field , is expected to be isotropic (radial) and independent of the direction of increments, so its measure yields directly the cascade rate. For turbulence with mean field, as in the solar wind, is expected to become more two-dimensional (2D), that is, to have larger perpendicular components, losing the above simple symmetry. To get the cascade rate, one should compute the flux of , which is not feasible with single-spacecraft data; thus, measurements rely on assumptions about the unknown symmetry. We use direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence to characterize the anisotropy of . We find that for strong guide field the degree of two-dimensionalization depends on the relative importance of shear-Alfvén and pseudo-Alfvén polarizations (the two components of an Alfvén mode in incompressible MHD). The anisotropy also shows up in the inertial range. The more is 2D, the more the inertial range extent differs along parallel and perpendicular directions. We finally test the two methods employed in observations and find that the so-obtained cascade rate may depend on the angle between B₀ and the direction of increments. Both methods yield a vanishing cascade rate along the parallel direction, contrary to observations, suggesting a weaker anisotropy of solar wind turbulence compared to our DNSs. This could be due to a weaker mean field and/or to solar wind expansion.

The sunspot activity is the end result of the cyclic destruction and regeneration of magnetic fields by the dynamo action. We propose a new method to analyze the daily sunspot areas data recorded since 1874. By computing the power spectral density of daily data series using the Mexican hat wavelet, we found a power spectrum with a well-defined shape, characterized by three features. The first term is the 22 yr solar magnetic cycle, estimated in our work to be 18.43 yr. The second term is related to the daily volatility of sunspots. This term is most likely produced by the turbulent motions linked to the solar granulation. The last term corresponds to a periodic source associated with the solar magnetic activity, for which the maximum power spectral density occurs at 22.67 days. This value is part of the 22–27 day periodicity region that shows an above-average intensity in the power spectra. The origin of this 22.67 day periodic process is not clearly identified, and there is a possibility that it can be produced by convective flows inside the star. The study clearly shows a north–south asymmetry. The 18.43 yr periodical source is correlated between the two hemispheres, but the 22.67 day one is not correlated. It is shown that toward the large timescales an excess occurs in the northern hemisphere, especially near the previous two periodic sources. To further investigate the 22.67 day periodicity, we made a Lomb–Scargle spectral analysis. The study suggests that this periodicity is distinct from others found nearby.

Cosmic strings are linear topological defects which are hypothesized to be produced during inflation. Most searches for strings have relied on the string's lensing of background galaxies or the cosmic microwave background. In this paper, I obtained a solution for the supersonic flow of collisional gas past the cosmic string which has two planar shocks with a shock compression ratio that depends on the angle defect of the string and its speed. The shocks result in the compression and heating of the gas and, given favorable conditions, particle acceleration. Gas heating and over-density in an unusual wedge shape can be detected by observing the Hi line at high redshifts. Particle acceleration can occur in the present-day universe when the string crosses the hot gas contained in galaxy clusters and, since the consequences of such a collision persist for cosmological timescales, could be located by looking at unusual large-scale radio sources situated on a single spatial plane.

This paper presents the results of searches for anisotropy in the arrival directions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (CRs) detected with the Yakutsk Array during the 1974–2008 observational period as well as searches in available data from other giant extensive air shower arrays working at present. A method of analysis based on a comparison of the minimum width of distributions in equatorial coordinates is used. As a result, a hypothesis of isotropy in arrival directions is rejected at the 99.5% significance level. The observed decrease in the minimum width of the distribution can be explained by the presence of CR sources in energy intervals and sky regions according to recent indications inferred from data of the Yakutsk Array and Telescope Array experiments.

We present a survey of star clusters in the halo of IC 10, a starburst galaxy in the Local Group, based on Subaru R-band images and NOAO Local Group Survey UBVRI images. We find five new star clusters. All of these star clusters are located far from the center of IC 10, while previously known star clusters are mostly located in the main body. Interestingly, the distribution of these star clusters shows an asymmetrical structure elongated along the east and southwest directions. We derive UBVRI photometry of 66 star clusters, including these new star clusters, as well as previously known star clusters. Ages of the star clusters are estimated from a comparison of their UBVRI spectral energy distribution with the simple stellar population models. We find that the star clusters in the halo are all older than 1 Gyr, while those in the main body have various ages, from very young (several Myr) to old ( Gyr). The young clusters ( Myr) are mostly located in the Hα emission regions and are concentrated on a small region at in the southeast direction from the galaxy center, while the old clusters are distributed in a wider area than the disk. Intermediate-age clusters (~100 Myr) are found in two groups. One is close to the location of the young clusters and the other is at from the location of the young clusters. The latter may be related to past mergers or tidal interaction.

G349.7+0.2 is a supernova remnant (SNR) expanding in a dense medium of molecular clouds and interacting with clumps of molecular material emitting gamma-rays. We analyzed the gamma-ray data of the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and detected G349.7+0.2 in the energy range of 0.2–300 GeV with a significance of ~13σ, showing no extended morphology. Modeling of the gamma-ray spectrum revealed that the GeV gamma-ray emission dominantly originates from the decay of neutral pions, where the protons follow a broken power-law distribution with a spectral break at ~12 GeV. To search for features of radiative recombination continua in the eastern and western regions of the remnant, we analyzed the Suzaku data of G349.7+0.2 and found no evidence for overionized plasma. In this paper, we discuss possible scenarios to explain the hadronic gamma-ray emission in G349.7+0.2 and the mixed morphology nature of this SNR.

We present an analysis of the data produced by the MaNGA prototype run (P-MaNGA), aiming to test how the radial gradients in recent star formation histories, as indicated by the 4000 Å break (D_n(4000)), Hδ absorption (EW(Hδ_A)), and Hα emission (EW(Hα)) indices, can be useful for understanding disk growth and star formation cessation in local galaxies. We classify 12 galaxies observed on two P-MaNGA plates as either centrally quiescent (CQ) or centrally star-forming (CSF), according to whether D_n(4000) measured in the central spaxel of each datacube exceeds 1.6. For each spaxel we generate both 2D maps and radial profiles of D_n(4000), EW(Hδ_A), and EW(Hα). We find that CSF galaxies generally show very weak or no radial variation in these diagnostics. In contrast, CQ galaxies present significant radial gradients, in the sense that D_n(4000) decreases, while both EW(Hδ_A) and EW(Hα) increase from the galactic center outward. The outer regions of the galaxies show greater scatter on diagrams relating the three parameters than their central parts. In particular, the clear separation between centrally measured quiescent and star-forming galaxies in these diagnostic planes is largely filled in by the outer parts of galaxies whose global colors place them in the green valley, supporting the idea that the green valley represents a transition between blue-cloud and red-sequence phases, at least in our small sample. These results are consistent with a picture in which the cessation of star formation propagates from the center of a galaxy outward as it moves to the red sequence.

Imaging solar wind structures via Thomson scattered sunlight has proved important to understanding the inner heliosphere. The principal challenge of heliospheric imaging is background subtraction: typical solar wind features are fainter than the zodiacal light and starfield by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Careful post-processing is required to separate the solar wind signal from the static background. Remnant background, and not photon noise, is the dominant noise source in current STEREO data. We demonstrate that 10× shorter exposure times would not strongly affect the noise level in these data. Further, we demonstrate that current processing techniques are sufficient to separate not only the existing background of the STEREO images but also diffuse variable backgrounds such as are expected to be seen from low Earth orbit. We report on a hare-and-hounds style study, demonstrating blind signal extraction from STEREO/HI-2 data that have been degraded by the addition of large-scale, time-dependent artifacts to simulate viewing through airglow or high-altitude aurora. We demonstrate removal of these effects via image processing, with little degradation compared to the original. Even with as few as three highly degraded source images over 48 hr, it is possible to detect and track large coronal mass ejections more than 40° from the Sun. This implies that neither the high altitude aurora discovered by Coriolis/SMEI, nor airglow effects seen from low Earth orbit, are impediments to a hypothetical next-generation heliospheric imager in low Earth orbit; and also that post-processing is as important to heliospheric image qualitiy as are optical contamination effects.

We report contemporaneous imaging observations of the short-period comet 2P/Encke in infrared and optical wavelengths during the 2003 return. Both images show the same unique morphology consisting of a spiky dust cloud near the nucleus and a dust trail extending along the orbit. We conducted a dynamical simulation of dust particles to characterize the morphology and found that dust particles were ejected intensively for a short duration (10 days) a few days after perihelion passage. The maximum particle size is at least on the order of 1 cm in radius following a differential power-law size distribution with an index of −3.2 to −3.6. The total mass ejected in the 2003 return is at least 1.5 × 10⁹–1.2 × 10¹⁰ kg, which corresponds to 0.003%–0.03% of the nucleus mass. We derived the albedo of the dust cloud as 0.01–0.04 at a solar phase angle of 262, which is consistent with or possibly greater than that of the nucleus. We suppose that impulsive activity such as an outburst is a key to understanding the peculiar appearance of 2P/Encke.

Direct numerical integrations of the Fokker–Planck equation in energy-angular momentum space are carried out for stars orbiting a supermassive black hole (SBH) at the center of a galaxy. The algorithm, which was described in detail in an earlier paper, includes diffusion coefficients that describe the effects of both random ("classical") and correlated ("resonant") encounters. Steady-state solutions are similar to the Bahcall–Wolf solution, but are modified at small radii due to the higher rate of diffusion in angular momentum, which results in a low-density core. The core radius is a few percent of the influence radius of the SBH. The corresponding phase-space density drops nearly to zero at low energies, implying almost no stars on tightly bound orbits about the SBH. Steady-state rates of stellar disruption are presented, and a simple analytic expression is found that reproduces the numerical feeding rates with good accuracy. The distribution of periapsides of disrupted stars is computed. Time-dependent solutions, are also computed, starting from initial conditions similar to those produced by a binary SBH. In these models, feeding rates evolve on two timescales: rapid evolution during which the region evacuated by the massive binary is refilled by angular-momentum diffusion; and slower evolution as diffusion in energy causes the density profile at large radii to attain the Bahcall–Wolf form.

We present Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of PLCK G036.7+14.9 from the Chandra–Planck Legacy Program. The high resolution X-ray observations reveal two close (~72'' = 193 kpc in projection) subclusters, G036N and G036S, which were not resolved by previous ROSAT, optical, or recent Planck observations. We perform detailed imaging and spectral analyses and use a simplified model to study the kinematics of this system. The basic picture is that PLCK G036.7+14.9 is undergoing a major merger (mass ratio close to unity) between the two massive subclusters, with the merger largely along the line of sight (~80° between the merger axis and the plane of the sky from the simplified model) and probably at an early stage (less than ~0.4–0.7 Gyr since the merger began). G036N hosts a small (~27 kpc), moderate cool core (cooling time –4.7 Gyr), while G036S has at most a very weak cool core (–10.3 Gyr) in the central ~40 kpc region. The difference in core cooling times is unlikely to be caused by the ongoing merger disrupting a pre-existing cool core in G036S. G036N also hosts an unresolved radio source in the center, which may be heating the gas if the radio source is extended. The total mass of the whole cluster determined from XMM-Newton is , and is from Chandra. The Planck derived mass, , is higher than the X-ray measured mass of either subcluster, but is lower than the X-ray measured mass of the whole cluster, due to the fact that Planck does not resolve PLCK G036.7+14.9 into subclusters and interprets it as a single cluster. This mass discrepancy could induce significant bias to the mass function if such previously unresolved systems are common in the Planck cluster sample. High resolution X-ray observations are necessary to identify the fraction of such systems and correct such a bias for the purpose of precision cosmological studies.

We present a simple gravitational lens model to illustrate the ease of using the embedded lensing theory when studying cosmic voids. It confirms the previously used repulsive lensing models for deep voids. We start by estimating magnitude fluctuations and weak-lensing shears of background sources lensed by large voids. We find that sources behind large (~90 Mpc) and deep voids (density contrast about −0.9) can be magnified or demagnified with magnitude fluctuations of up to ~0.05 mag and that the weak-lensing shear can be up to the ~10⁻² level in the outer regions of large voids. Smaller or shallower voids produce proportionally smaller effects. We investigate the "wiggling" of the primary cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies caused by intervening cosmic voids. The void-wiggling of primary CMB temperature gradients is of the opposite sign to that caused by galaxy clusters. Only extremely large and deep voids can produce wiggling amplitudes similar to galaxy clusters, ~15 μK by a large void of radius ~4° and central density contrast −0.9 at redshift 0.5 assuming a CMB background gradient of ~10 μK arcmin⁻¹. The dipole signal is spread over the entire void area, and not concentrated at the lens center as it is for clusters. Finally, we use our model to simulate CMB sky maps lensed by large cosmic voids. Our embedded theory can easily be applied to more complicated void models and used to study gravitational lensing of the CMB, to probe dark matter profiles, to reduce the lensing-induced systematics in supernova Hubble diagrams, and to study the integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect.

We consider the cosmological consequences if a small fraction () of the dark matter is ultra-strongly self-interacting, with an elastic self-interaction cross section per unit mass . This possibility evades all current constraints that assume that the self-interacting component makes up the majority of the dark matter. Nevertheless, even a small fraction of ultra-strongly self-interacting dark matter (uSIDM) can have observable consequences on astrophysical scales. In particular, the uSIDM subcomponent can undergo gravothermal collapse and form seed black holes in the center of a halo. These seed black holes, which form within several hundred halo interaction times, contain a few percent of the total uSIDM mass in the halo. For reasonable values of , these black holes can form at high enough redshifts to grow to quasars by , alleviating tension within the standard Λ cold dark matter cosmology. The ubiquitous formation of central black holes in halos could also create cores in dwarf galaxies by ejecting matter during binary black hole mergers, potentially resolving the "too big to fail" problem.

We derive an analytical expression for a novel large-scale structure observable: the line correlation function. The line correlation function, which is constructed from the three-point correlation function of the phase of the density field, is a robust statistical measure allowing the extraction of information in the nonlinear and non-Gaussian regime. We show that, in perturbation theory, the line correlation is sensitive to the coupling kernel F₂, which governs the nonlinear gravitational evolution of the density field. We compare our analytical expression with results from numerical simulations and find a 1σ agreement for separations r 30 h⁻¹ Mpc. Fitting formulae for the power spectrum and the nonlinear coupling kernel at small scales allow us to extend our prediction into the strongly nonlinear regime, where we find a 1σ agreement with the simulations for r 2 h⁻¹ Mpc. We discuss the advantages of the line correlation relative to standard statistical measures like the bispectrum. Unlike the latter, the line correlation is independent of the bias, in the regime where the bias is local and linear. Furthermore, the variance of the line correlation is independent of the Gaussian variance on the modulus of the density field. This suggests that the line correlation can probe more precisely the nonlinear regime of gravity, with less contamination from the power spectrum variance.

We report on the search for steady point-like sources of neutral particles around 10¹⁸ eV between 2008 and 2013 May with the scintillator SD of the Telescope Array experiment. We found overall no significant point-like excess above 0.5 EeV in the northern sky. Subsequently, we also searched for coincidence with the Fermi bright Galactic sources. No significant coincidence was found within the statistical uncertainty. Hence, we set an upper limit on the neutron flux that corresponds to an averaged flux of 0.07 km⁻² yr⁻¹ for EeV in the northern sky at the 95% confidence level. This is the most stringent flux upper limit in a northern sky survey assuming point-like sources. The upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the neutron flux from Cygnus X-3 is also set to 0.2 km⁻² yr⁻¹ for EeV. This is an order of magnitude lower than previous flux measurements.

We present deep g and i band Dark Energy Camera stellar photometry of the Hercules Milky Way satellite galaxy, and its surrounding field, out to a radial distance of 5.4 times the tidal radius. We have identified nine extended stellar substructures associated with the dwarf; preferentially distributed along the major axis of the galaxy. Two significant over-densities lie outside the 95% confidence band for the likely orbital path of the galaxy and appear to be free-floating tidal debris. We estimate the luminosity of the new stellar substructures, and find that approximately the same amount of stellar flux is lying in these extended structures as inside the main body of Hercules. We also analyze the distribution of candidate blue-horizontal-branch stars and find agreement with the alignment of the substructures at a confidence level greater than 98%. Our analysis provides a quantitative demonstration that Hercules is a strongly tidally disrupted system, with noticeable stellar features at least 1.9 kpc away from the galaxy.

We analyze the model of stochastic re-acceleration of electrons that are emitted by supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Galactic Disk and then propagate into the Galactic Halo in order to explain the origin of nonthermal (radio and gamma-ray) emission from Fermi bubbles (FB). We assume that the energy for re-acceleration in the Halo is supplied by shocks generated by processes of star accretion onto the central black hole. Numerical simulations show that regions with strong turbulence (places for electron re-acceleration) are located high up in the Galactic Halo several kpc above the disk. The energy of the SNR electrons that reach these regions does not exceed several GeV due to synchrotron and inverse Compton energy losses. At appropriate parameters of re-acceleration these electrons can be re-accelerated up to an energy of 10¹² eV, which explains in this model the origin of the observed radio and gamma-ray emission from the FB. However, although the model gamma-ray spectrum is consistent with the Fermi results, the model radio spectrum is steeper than that observed by WMAP and Planck. If adiabatic losses due to plasma outflows from the Galactic central regions are taken into account, then the re-acceleration model nicely reproduces the Planck data points.

We explore the quenching of low-mass galaxies (10 10⁸ ) as a function of lookback time using the star formation histories (SFHs) of 38 Local Group dwarf galaxies. The SFHs were derived by analyzing color–magnitude diagrams of resolved stellar populations in archival Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 imaging. We find: (1) lower-mass galaxies quench earlier than higher-mass galaxies; (2) inside of R there is no correlation between a satellite's current proximity to a massive host and its quenching epoch; and (3) there are hints of systematic differences in the quenching times of M31 and Milky Way (MW) satellites, although the sample size and uncertainties in the SFHs of M31 dwarfs prohibit definitive conclusions. Combined with results from the literature, we qualitatively consider the redshift evolution (z = 0–1) of the quenched galaxy fraction over ~7 dex in stellar mass (10 10 ). The quenched fraction of all galaxies generally increases toward the present, with both the lowest and highest-mass systems exhibiting the largest quenched fractions at all redshifts. In contrast, galaxies between 10⁸–10¹⁰ have the lowest quenched fractions. We suggest that such intermediate-mass galaxies are the least efficient at quenching. Finally, we compare our quenching times with predictions for infall times for low-mass galaxies associated with the MW. We find that some of the lowest-mass satellites (e.g., CVn II, Leo IV) may have been quenched before infall, while higher-mass satellites (e.g., Leo I, Fornax) typically quench ~1–4 Gyr after infall.

In a radiatively heated and cooled medium, thermal instability (TI) is a plausible mechanism for forming clouds, while the radiation force provides a natural acceleration, especially when ions recombine and opacity increases. Here we extend Field's theory to self-consistently account for a radiation force resulting from bound–free and bound–bound transitions in the optically thin limit. We present physical arguments for clouds to be significantly accelerated by a radiation force due to lines during a nonlinear phase of the instability. To qualitatively illustrate our main points, we perform both one- and two-dimensional (1D/2D) hydrodynamical simulations that allow us to study the nonlinear outcome of the evolution of thermally unstable gas subjected to this radiation force. Our 1D simulations demonstrate that the TI can produce long-lived clouds that reach a thermal equilibrium between radiative processes and thermal conduction, while the radiation force can indeed accelerate the clouds to supersonic velocities. However, our 2D simulations reveal that a single cloud with a simple morphology cannot be maintained due to destructive processes, triggered by the Rayleigh–Taylor instability and followed by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. Nevertheless, the resulting cold gas structures are still significantly accelerated before they are ultimately dispersed.

This is the third in a series of papers reporting on a large reverberation-mapping campaign aimed to study the properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with high accretion rates. We present new results on the variability of the optical Fe ii emission lines in 10 AGNs observed by the Yunnan Observatory 2.4 m telescope from 2012 to 2013. We detect statistically significant time lags, relative to the AGN continuum, in nine of the sources. This accurate measurement is achieved using a sophisticated spectral fitting scheme that allows for apparent flux variations of the host galaxy, and several narrow lines, due to the changing observing conditions. Six of the newly detected lags are indistinguishable from the Hβ  lags measured in the same sources. Two are significantly longer and one is slightly shorter. Combining these findings with the Fe ii lags reported in previous studies, we find an Fe ii radius–luminosity relationship similar to the one for Hβ, although our sample by itself shows no clear correlation. The results support the idea that Fe ii emission lines originate in photoionized gas, which, for the majority of the newly reported objects, is indistinguishable from the Hβ-emitting gas. We also present a tentative correlation between the lag and intensity of Fe ii and Hβ  and comment on its possible origin.

About one-third of early-type barred galaxies host small-scale secondary bars. The formation and evolution of such double-barred (S2B) galaxies remain far from being well understood. In order to understand the formation of such systems, we explore a large parameter space of isolated pure-disk simulations. We show that a dynamically cool inner disk embedded in a hotter outer disk can naturally generate a steady secondary bar while the outer disk forms a large-scale primary bar. The independent bar instabilities of inner and outer disks result in long-lived double-barred structures whose dynamical properties are comparable to those in observations. This formation scenario indicates that the secondary bar might form from the general bar instability, the same as the primary bar. Under some circumstances, the interaction of the bars and the disk leads to the two bars aligning or single, nuclear, bars only. Simulations that are cool enough of the center to experience clump instabilities may also generate steady S2B galaxies. In this case, the secondary bars are "fast," i.e., the bar length is close to the co-rotation radius. This is the first time that S2B galaxies containing a fast secondary bar are reported. Previous orbit-based studies had suggested that fast secondary bars were not dynamically possible.

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) ultraviolet Fe i and Fe ii images of the remnant of Supernova 1885 (S And) which is observed in absorption against the bulge of the Andromeda galaxy, M31. We compare these Fe i and Fe ii absorption line images to previous HST absorption images of S And, of which the highest quality and theoretically cleanest is Ca ii H and K. Because the remnant is still in free expansion, these images provide a 2D look at the distribution of iron synthesized in this probable Type Ia explosion, thus providing insights and constraints for theoretical SN Ia models. The Fe i images show extended absorption offset to the east from the remnant's center as defined by Ca ii images and is likely an ionization effect due to self-shielding. More significant is the remnant's apparent Fe ii distribution which consists of four streams or plumes of Fe-rich material seen in absorption that extend from remnant center out to about 10,000 km s⁻¹. This is in contrast to the remnant's Ca ii absorption, which is concentrated in a clumpy, broken shell spanning velocities of 1000–5000 km s⁻¹ but which extends out to 12,500 km s⁻¹. The observed distributions of Ca- and Fe-rich ejecta in the SN 1885 remnant are consistent with delayed detonation white dwarf models. The largely spherical symmetry of the Ca-rich layer argues against a highly anisotropic explosion as might result from a violent merger of two white dwarfs.

Sufficiently massive clumps of molecular gas collapse under self-gravity and fragment to spawn a cluster of stars that have a range of masses. We investigate observationally the early stages of formation of a stellar cluster in a massive filamentary infrared dark cloud, G28.34+0.06 P1, in the 1.3 mm continuum and spectral line emission using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. Sensitive continuum data reveal further fragmentation in five dusty cores at a resolution of several 10³ AU. Spectral line emission from C¹⁸O, CH₃OH, ¹³CS, H₂CO, and N₂D⁺ is detected for the first time toward these dense cores. We found that three cores are chemically more evolved as compared with the other two; interestingly, though, all of them are associated with collimated outflows as suggested by evidence from the CO, SiO, CH₃OH, H₂CO, and SO emission. The parsec-scale kinematics in exhibit velocity gradients along the filament, consistent with accretion flows toward the clumps and cores. The moderate luminosity and the chemical signatures indicate that the five cores harbor low- to intermediate-mass protostars that likely become massive ones at the end of the accretion. Despite the fact that the mass limit reached by the dust continuum sensitivity is 30 times lower than the thermal Jeans mass, there is a lack of a distributed low-mass protostellar population in the clump. Our observations indicate that in a protocluster, low-mass stars form at a later stage after the birth of more massive protostars.

Tracing magnetic field is crucial as magnetic field plays an important role in many astrophysical processes. Earlier studies have demonstrated that ground state alignment (GSA) is an effective way to detect a weak magnetic field in a diffuse medium. We explore the atomic alignment in the presence of an extended radiation field for both absorption lines and emission lines. The alignment in the circumstellar medium, binary systems, disks, and the local interstellar medium are considered in order to study the alignment in the radiation field where the pumping source has a clear geometric structure. Furthermore, the multipole expansion method is adopted to study GSA induced in the radiation field with unidentified pumping sources. We study the alignment in the dominant radiation components of the general radiation field: the dipole and quadrupole radiation field. We discuss the approximation of GSA in a general radiation field by summing the contribution from the dipole and quadrupole radiation field. We conclude that GSA is a powerful tool for detecting weak magnetic fields in the diffuse medium in general radiation fields.

We imaged circumstellar disks around 22 Herbig Ae/Be stars at 25 μm using Subaru/COMICS and Gemini/T-ReCS. Our sample consists of an equal number of objects from each of the two categories defined by Meeus et al.; 11 group I (flaring disk) and II (flat disk) sources. We find that group I sources tend to show more extended emission than group II sources. Previous studies have shown that the continuous disk is difficult to resolve with 8 m class telescopes in the Q band due to the strong emission from the unresolved innermost region of the disk. This indicates that the resolved Q-band sources require a hole or gap in the disk material distribution to suppress the contribution from the innermost region of the disk. As many group I sources are resolved at 25 μm, we suggest that many, but not all, group I Herbig Ae/Be disks have a hole or gap and are (pre-)transitional disks. On the other hand, the unresolved nature of many group II sources at 25 μm supports the idea that group II disks have a continuous flat disk geometry. It has been inferred that group I disks may evolve into group II through the settling of dust grains into the mid-plane of the protoplanetary disk. However, considering the growing evidence for the presence of a hole or gap in the disk of group I sources, such an evolutionary scenario is unlikely. The difference between groups I and II may reflect different evolutionary pathways of protoplanetary disks.

Classical Cepheid variable stars are crucial calibrators of the cosmic distance scale thanks to a relation between their pulsation periods and luminosities. Their archetype, δ Cephei, is an important calibrator for this relation. In this paper, we show that δ Cephei is a spectroscopic binary based on newly obtained high-precision radial velocities. We combine these new data with literature data to determine the orbit, which has period 2201 days, semi-amplitude 1.5 km s⁻¹, and high eccentricity (e = 0.647). We re-analyze Hipparcos intermediate astrometric data to measure δ Cephei's parallax ( mas) and find tentative evidence for an orbital signature, although we cannot claim detection. We estimate that Gaia will fully determine the astrometric orbit. Using the available information from spectroscopy, velocimetry, astrometry, and Geneva stellar evolution models ( ), we constrain the companion mass to within . We discuss the potential of ongoing and previous interactions between the companion and δ Cephei near pericenter passage, informing reported observations of circumstellar material and bow shock. The orbit may have undergone significant changes due to a Kozai–Lidov mechanism driven by the outer (visual and astrometric) companion HD 213307. Our discovery of δ Cephei's nature as a spectroscopic binary exposes a hidden companion and reveals a rich and dynamical history of the archetype of classical Cepheid variables.

We present stellar evolution models for 0.5–1.2  at scaled metallicities of 0.1–1.5 Z and O/Fe values of 0.44–2.28 O/Fe. The time-dependent evolution of habitable zone (HZ) boundaries is calculated for each stellar evolution track based on stellar mass, effective temperature, and luminosity parameterizations. The rate of change of stellar surface quantities and the surrounding HZ position are strong functions of all three quantities explored. The range of orbits that remain continuously habitable, or habitable for at least 2 Gyr, are provided. The results show that the detailed chemical characterization of exoplanet host stars and a consideration of their evolutionary history are necessary to assess the likelihood that a planet found in the instantaneous HZ has had sufficient time to develop a biosphere capable of producing detectable biosignatures. This model grid is designed for use by the astrobiology and exoplanet communities to efficiently characterize the time evolution of host stars and their HZs for planetary candidates of interest.

Age determination is undertaken for nearby early type (BAF) stars, which constitute attractive targets for high-contrast debris disk and planet imaging surveys. Our analysis sequence consists of acquisition of photometry from catalogs, correction for the effects of extinction, interpolation of the photometry onto model atmosphere grids from which atmospheric parameters are determined, and finally, comparison to the theoretical isochrones from pre-main sequence through post-main sequence stellar evolution models, accounting for the effects of stellar rotation. We calibrate and validate our methods at the atmospheric parameter stage by comparing our results to fundamentally determined and values. We validate and test our methods at the evolutionary model stage by comparing our results on ages to the accepted ages of several benchmark open clusters (IC 2602, α Persei, Pleiades, Hyades). Finally, we apply our methods to estimate stellar ages for 3493 field stars, including several with directly imaged exoplanet candidates.

We have obtained Hα high spatial and time resolution observations of the upper solar chromosphere and supplemented these with multi-wavelength observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Hinode Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer. The Hα observations were conducted on 2012 February 11 with the Hydrogen-Alpha Rapid Dynamics Camera instrument at the National Solar Observatory's Dunn Solar Telescope. Our Hα observations found large downflows of chromospheric material returning from coronal heights following a failed prominence eruption. We have detected several large condensations ("blobs") returning to the solar surface at velocities of ≈200 km s⁻¹ in both Hα and several SDO Atmospheric Imaging Assembly band passes. The average derived size of these "blobs" in Hα is 500 by 3000 km² in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the direction of travel, respectively. A comparison of our "blob" widths to those found from coronal rain, indicate that there are additional, smaller, unresolved "blobs" in agreement with previous studies and recent numerical simulations. Our observed velocities and decelerations of the "blobs" in both Hα and SDO bands are less than those expected for gravitational free-fall and imply additional magnetic or gas pressure impeding the flow. We derived a kinetic energy of ≈2 orders of magnitude lower for the main eruption than a typical coronal mass ejection, which may explain its partial nature.

Short-lived intermittent phases of super-critical (super-Eddington) growth, coupled with star formation via positive feedback, may account for early growth of massive black holes (MBH) and coevolution with their host spheroids. We estimate the possible growth rates and duty cycles of these episodes, both assuming slim accretion disk solutions and adopting the results of recent numerical simulations. The angular momentum of gas joining the accretion disk determines the length of the accretion episodes and the final mass that an MBH can reach. The latter can be related to the gas velocity dispersion and, in galaxies with low-angular momentum gas, the MBH can reach a higher mass. When the host galaxy is able to sustain inflow rates at 1–100 , replenishing and circulation lead to a sequence of short ( yr), heavily obscured accretion episodes that increase the growth rates, with respect to an Eddington-limited case, by several orders of magnitude. Our model predicts that the ratio of the MBH accretion rate-to-star formation rate is 10⁻² or higher, leading, at early epochs, to a ratio of MBH-to-stellar mass that is higher than the "canonical" value of , which is in agreement with current observations. Our model makes specific predictions that long-lived super-critical accretion occurs only in galaxies with copious low-angular momentum gas, and, in this case, the MBH is more massive at a fixed velocity dispersion.

We use a sample of 262 spectroscopically confirmed star-forming galaxies at redshifts to compare Hα, ultraviolet (UV), and IR star formation rate (SFR) diagnostics and to investigate the dust properties of the galaxies. At these redshifts, the Hα line shifts to the band. By comparing -band photometry to underlying stellar population model fits to other UV, optical, and near-infrared data, we infer the Hα flux for each galaxy. We obtain the best agreement between Hα- and UV-based SFRs if we assume that the ionized gas and stellar continuum are reddened by the same value and that the Calzetti attenuation curve is applied to both. Aided with MIPS 24 μm data, we find that an attenuation curve steeper than the Calzetti curve is needed to reproduce the observed IR/UV ratios of galaxies younger than 100 Myr. Furthermore, using the bolometric SFR inferred from the UV and mid-IR data (SFR+SFR), we calculated the conversion between the Hα luminosity and SFR to be for a Salpeter initial mass function, which is consistent with the Kennicutt conversion. The derived conversion factor is independent of any assumption of the dust correction and is robust to stellar population model uncertainties.

We present a comprehensive analysis of planetary phase variations, including possible planetary light offsets, using eighteen quarters of data from the Kepler space telescope. Our analysis found fourteen systems with significant detections in each of the phase curve components: planet's phase function, secondary eclipse, Doppler boosting, and ellipsoidal variations. We model the full phase curve simultaneously, including primary and secondary transits, and derive albedos, day- and night-side temperatures and planet masses. Most planets manifest low optical geometric albedos (< 0.25), with the exception of Kepler-10b, Kepler-91b, and KOI-13b. We find that KOI-13b, with a small eccentricity of 0.0006 ± 0.0001, is the only planet for which an eccentric orbit is favored. We detect a third harmonic for HAT-P-7b for the first time, and confirm the third harmonic for KOI-13b reported in Esteves et al.: both could be due to their spin–orbit misalignments. For six planets, we report a planetary brightness peak offset from the substellar point: of those, the hottest two (Kepler-76b and HAT-P-7b) exhibit pre-eclipse shifts or on the evening-side, while the cooler four (Kepler-7b, Kepler-8b, Kepler-12b, and Kepler-41b) peak post-eclipse or on the morning-side. Our findings dramatically increase the number of Kepler planets with detected planetary light offsets, and provide the first evidence in the Kepler data for a correlation between the peak offset direction and the planet's temperature. Such a correlation could arise if thermal emission dominates light from hotter planets that harbor hot spots shifted toward the evening-side, as theoretically predicted, while reflected light dominates cooler planets with clouds on the planet's morning-side.