Table of contents

We present a systematic analysis to determine and improve the pulsation periods of 1637 known long-period Mira variables in M33 using gri-band light curves spanning ∼18 yr from several surveys, including the M33 variability survey, Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, Palomar Transient Factory (PTF), intermediate PTF, and Zwicky Transient Facility. Based on these collections of light curves, we found that optical-band light curves that are as complete as possible are crucial to determine the periods of distant Miras. We demonstrated that the machine-learning techniques can be used to classify Miras into O-rich and C-rich based on the (J − K_s) period–color plane. Finally, We derived the distance modulus to M33 using O-rich Miras at maximum light together with our improved periods as 24.67 ± 0.06 mag, which is in good agreement with the recommended value given in the literature.

We report the results of a search for long-period (100 < P < 600 days) periodic variability in the SDSS Stripe 82 standards catalog. The SDSS coverage of Stripe 82 enables such a search because there are on average 20 observations per band in ugriz bands for about one million sources, collected over about 6 yr, with a faint limit of r ∼ 22 mag and precisely calibrated 1%–2% photometry. We calculated the periods of variable source candidates in this sample using the Lomb–Scargle periodogram and considered the three highest periodogram peaks in each of the gri filters as relevant. Only those sources with gri periods consistent within 0.1% were later studied. We use the Kuiper statistic to ensure uniform distribution of data points in phased light curves. We present five sources with the spectra consistent with quasar spectra and plausible periodic variability. This SDSS-based search bodes well for future sensitive large-area surveys, such as the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which, due to its larger sky coverage (about a factor of 60) and improved sensitivity (∼2 mag), will be more powerful for finding such sources.

We present K-band (24 GHz) images of 731 compact extragalactic radio sources with submilliarcsecond resolution, based on radio interferometric observations made with the Very Long Baseline Array of 10 telescopes during 29 day long sessions spanning from 2015 to 2018 and recorded at 2048 Mbps. Many of these sources are imaged with submilliarcsecond resolution for the first time at frequencies above X band (8 GHz). From each of the K-band images, we derive the following source properties: peak brightness, core and total flux density, the ratio of peak and core to total flux (compactness measure), radial source extent, structure index, source size, and jet direction. The vast majority of sources are imaged at multiple epochs, providing insights into their temporal behavior. The use of K band was motivated by the fact that the sources are generally intrinsically more compact at higher frequencies, as well as by the factor of 3 improvement in interferometer resolution relative to the historically standard S/X band (2.3/8.4 GHz) used for a large amount of reference frame and calibrator work. Lastly, as most of the sources imaged here are in the K-band component of the third International Celestial Reference Frame, these images serve to characterize the objects used in that International Astronomical Union standard.

To better understand the orbital dynamics of exoplanets around close binary stars, i.e., circumbinary planets (CBPs), we applied techniques from dynamical systems theory to a physically motivated set of solutions in the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP). We applied Floquet theory to characterize the linear dynamical behavior—static, oscillatory, or exponential—surrounding planar circumbinary periodic trajectories (limit cycles). We computed prograde and retrograde limit cycles and analyzed their geometries, stability bifurcations, and dynamical structures. Orbit and stability calculations are exact computations in the CR3BP and reproducible through the open-source Python package pyraa. The periodic trajectories (doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7532982) produce a set of noncrossing, dynamically cool circumbinary orbits conducive to planetesimal growth. For mass ratios μ ∈ [0.01, 0.50], we found recurring features in the prograde families. These features include (1) an innermost near-circular trajectory, inside which solutions have resonant geometries, (2) an innermost stable trajectory (a_c ≈ 1.61 − 1.85 a_bin) characterized by a tangent bifurcating limit cycle, and (3) a region of dynamical instability (a ≈ 2.1 a_bin; Δa ≈ 0.1 a_bin), the exclusion zone, bounded by a pair of critically stable trajectories bifurcating limit cycles. The exterior boundary of the exclusion zone is consistent with prior determinations of a_c around a circular binary. We validate our analytic results with N-body simulations and apply them to the Pluto–Charon system. The absence of detected CBPs in the inner stable region, between the prograde exclusion zone and a_c, suggests that the exclusion zone may inhibit the inward migration of CBPs.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has an exceptionally large plate scale of 21'' px⁻¹, causing most TESS light curves to record the blended light of multiple stars. This creates a danger of misattributing variability observed by TESS to the wrong source, which would invalidate any analysis. We developed a method that can localize the origin of variability on the sky to better than one fifth of a pixel. Given measured frequencies of variability (e.g., from periodogram analysis), we show that the best-fit sinusoid amplitudes to raw light curves extracted from each pixel are distributed in the same way as light from the variable source. The primary assumption of this method is that other nearby stars are not variable at the same frequencies. Essentially, we are using the high frequency resolution of TESS to overcome limitations from its low spatial resolution. We have implemented our method in an open-source Python package, TESS_localize (github.com/Higgins00/TESS-Localize), that determines the location of a variable source on the sky and the most likely Gaia source given TESS pixel data and a set of observed frequencies of variability. Our method utilizes models of the TESS pixel response function, and we characterize systematics in the residuals of fitting these models to data. We find that even stars more than three pixels outside a photometric aperture can produce significant contaminant signals in the extracted light curves. Given the ubiquity of source blending in TESS light curves, verifying the source of observed variability should be a standard step in TESS analyses.

Eleven periodic variable stars were observed photometrically through two to four filters from the set UBVR_CI_C. Phase-folded data for each star cover full cycles of variation. Spectral energy distributions, based on absolute photometry extracted from the literature, are used to inform models of the stars. The stars include four eclipsing systems with hot subdwarfs of spectral type O or B (sdO/B). Periods are in the range 1.8–2.2 hr. Four reflection-effect binaries, with amplitudes as large as 0.5 mag in the R_C filter were observed; periods range from 1.6 to 2.4 hr. In two of these latter systems, the primary stars are also sdB stars, while two have white-dwarf components. In all eight of these binaries the companion stars are probably M dwarfs. The remaining three stars are pulsators: one large-amplitude δ Scuti star previously misclassified as an eclipsing system; one field SX Phe star near the Galactic plane; and one multiperiodic high-luminosity star of unknown type. The amplitude is usually a strong function of the wavelength in pulsating stars, but this is not the case for the high-luminosity variable. One possible explanation is that the luminous star has a pulsating companion. The SX Phe and high-luminosity star are both heavily reddened (A_V > 5 mag).

Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a Small Explorer mission by NASA and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, launched on 2021 December 9, dedicated to investigating X-ray polarimetry allowing angular-, time-, and energy-resolved observations in the 2–8 keV energy band. IXPE is in the science observation phase since 2022 January; it is comprised of three identical telescopes with grazing-incidence mirrors, each one having in the focal plane a gas pixel detector. In this paper, we present a possible guideline to obtain an optimal background selection in polarimetric analysis, and a rejection strategy to remove instrumental background. This work is based on the analysis of IXPE observations, aiming to improve as much as possible the polarimetric sensitivity. In particular, the developed strategies have been applied as a case study to the IXPE observation of the 4U 0142+61 magnetar.

We describe the spectroscopic data processing pipeline of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which is conducting a redshift survey of about 40 million galaxies and quasars using a purpose-built instrument on the 4 m Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The main goal of DESI is to measure with unprecedented precision the expansion history of the universe with the baryon acoustic oscillation technique and the growth rate of structure with redshift space distortions. Ten spectrographs with three cameras each disperse the light from 5000 fibers onto 30 CCDs, covering the near-UV to near-infrared (3600–9800 Å) with a spectral resolution ranging from 2000 to 5000. The DESI data pipeline generates wavelength- and flux-calibrated spectra of all the targets, along with spectroscopic classifications and redshift measurements. Fully processed data from each night are typically available to the DESI collaboration the following morning. We give details about the pipeline's algorithms, and provide performance results on the stability of the optics, the quality of the sky background subtraction, and the precision and accuracy of the instrumental calibration. This pipeline has been used to process the DESI Survey Validation data set, and has exceeded the project's requirements for redshift performance, with high efficiency and a purity greater than 99% for all target classes.

Precise fundamental atmospheric stellar parameters and abundance determination of individual elements in stars are important for all stellar population studies. Non–local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE; hereafter NLTE) models are often important for such high precision, however, can be computationally complex and expensive, which renders the models less utilized in spectroscopic analyses. To alleviate the computational burden of such models, we developed a robust 1D, NLTE fundamental atmospheric stellar parameter derivation tool, LOTUS, to determine the effective temperature T_eff, surface gravity $\mathrm{log}g$, metallicity [Fe/H], and microturbulent velocity v_mic for FGK-type stars, from equivalent width (EW) measurements of Fe i and Fe ii lines. We utilize a generalized curve of growth method to take into account the EW dependencies of each Fe i and Fe ii line on the corresponding atmospheric stellar parameters. A global differential evolution optimization algorithm is then used to derive the fundamental parameters. Additionally, LOTUS can determine precise uncertainties for each stellar parameter using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. We test and apply LOTUS on a sample of benchmark stars, as well as stars with available asteroseismic surface gravities from the K2 survey, and metal-poor stars from the Gaia-ESO and R-Process Alliance surveys. We find very good agreement between our NLTE-derived parameters in LOTUS to nonspectroscopic values on average within T_eff = ±30 K, and $\mathrm{log}g$ = ±0.10 dex for benchmark stars. We provide open access of our code, as well as of the interpolated precomputed NLTE EW grids available on Github (the software is available on GitHub³under an MIT License, and version 0.1.1 (as the persistent version) is archived in Zenodo) and documentation with working examples on the Readthedocs book.

Variability in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) emission produced by stellar activity affects photochemistry and heating in orbiting planetary atmospheres. We present a comprehensive analysis of the FUV variability of GJ 436, a field-age M2.5V star (P_rot ≈ 44 days) that is orbited by a warm Neptune-sized planet (M ≈ 25 M_⊕, R ≈ 4.1 M_⊕, P_orb ≈ 2.6 days). Observations at three epochs from 2012 to 2018 span nearly a full activity cycle, sample two rotations of the star and two orbital periods of the planet, and reveal a multitude of brief flares. From 2012 to 2018, the star's 7.75 ± 0.10 yr activity cycle produced the largest observed variations, 38% ± 3% in the summed flux of the major FUV emission lines. In 2018, the variability due to rotation was 8% ± 2%. An additional 11% ± 1% scatter at a cadence of 10 minutes, which is treated as white noise in the fits, likely has both instrumental and astrophysical origins. Flares increased time-averaged emission by 15% over the 0.88 days of cumulative exposure, peaking as high as 25× quiescence. We interpret these flare values as lower limits given that flares too weak or too infrequent to have been observed likely exist. GJ 436's flare frequency distribution at FUV wavelengths is unusual compared to other field-age M dwarfs, exhibiting a statistically significant dearth of high-energy (>4 × 10²⁸ erg) events, which we hypothesize to be the result of a magnetic star–planet interaction (SPI) triggering premature flares. If an SPI is present, GJ 436 b's magnetic field strength must be ≲100 G to explain the statistically insignificant increase in the orbit-phased FUV emission.

A novel algorithm based on the Lindstedt–Poincaré method is proposed to construct an analytical solution of the lunar orbit. Based on the analytical solution, a numerical fitting algorithm is proposed to improve the coefficients of the analytical solution so that its accuracy can reach the level of a few kilometers within 20 yr. By fitting our solution to the long-term JPL ephemerides, we are able to recover the receding speed of the Moon from the Earth due to tidal effects. The proposed algorithm also provides a general way to treat the third-body perturbation in rectangular coordinates.

We examine a sample of 340 cataclysmic variables (CVs) from the latest data release of the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) survey, along with 18 objects that are newly classified as CVs. In this paper, we focus on investigating the photometric behaviors of these CVs using data from time-domain surveys. The orbital periods of three new and five previously known objects are determined from the long-term light curves displaying eclipses or ellipsoidal variations, and/or time-resolved spectra from LAMOST. For another 16 CVs with measured periods, it is more reliable to obtain consistent periods using light curves from different surveys, as the periods derived from single-site data are still questionable. Follow-up observations are needed to confirm whether the periods have physical meanings or are orbital-related. In our sample, we find that most of the objects have longer periods above the 2 ∼ 3 hr gap. Besides period estimates, we also carry out a separate detailed analysis of some valuable CVs, in terms of spectral characteristics and subtype determination. Finally, we discuss the observational properties of this sample, including the distributions of orbital periods, absolute magnitudes, and the statistical properties of each subclass of CVs. In addition, we pick out six non-CV systems, including five illumination-effect binaries, as well as one hot subdwarf, that we came across when searching for CVs, and we investigate their properties based on the spectra and photometric data.

Earth-sized exoplanets that transit nearby, late-spectral-type red dwarfs will be prime targets for atmospheric characterization in the coming decade. Such systems, however, are difficult to find via widefield transit surveys like Kepler or TESS. Consequently, the presence of such transiting planets is unexplored and the occurrence rates of short-period Earth-sized planets around late-M dwarfs remain poorly constrained. Here, we present the deepest photometric monitoring campaign of 22 nearby late-M dwarf stars, using data from over 500 nights on seven 1–2 m class telescopes. Our survey includes all known single quiescent northern late-M dwarfs within 15 pc. We use transit injection-and-recovery tests to quantify the completeness of our survey, successfully identify most (>80%) transiting short-period (0.5–1 days) super-Earths (R >1.9 R_⊕), and are sensitive (∼50%) to transiting Earth-sized planets (1.0–1.2 R_⊕). Our high sensitivity to transits with a near-zero false-positive rate demonstrates an efficient survey strategy. Our survey does not yield a transiting planet detection, yet it provides the most sensitive upper limits on transiting planets orbiting our target stars. Finally, we explore multiple hypotheses about the occurrence rates of short-period planets (from Earth-sized planets to giant planets) around late-M dwarfs. We show, for example, that giant planets with short periods (<1 day) are uncommon around our target stars. Our data set provides some insight into the occurrence rates of short-period planets around TRAPPIST-1-like stars, and our results can help test planetary formation and system evolution models, as well as guide future observations of nearby late-M dwarfs.

Short-period comet 108P/Ciffreo is known for its peculiar double morphology, in which the nucleus is accompanied by a comoving, detached, diffuse "blob." We report new observations of 108P/Ciffreo taken with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Nordic Optical Telescope and use them to determine the cause of this unusual morphology. The separation and the longevity of the blob across several orbits together rule out the possibility of a single, slow-moving secondary object near the primary nucleus. We use a model of coma particle dynamics under the action of solar gravity and radiation pressure to show that the blob is an artifact of the turnaround of particles ejected sunward and repelled by sunlight. Numerical experiments limit the range of directions which can reproduce the morphology and explain why the comoving blob appearance is rare.

Future direct imaging missions similar to the HabEx and LUVOIR mission concepts aim to catalog and characterize Earth-mass analogs around nearby stars. The exoplanet yield of these missions will be dependent on the frequency of Earth-like planets, and potentially the a priori knowledge of which stars specifically host suitable planetary systems. Ground- or space-based radial velocity surveys can potentially perform the pre-selection of targets and assist in the optimization of observation times, as opposed to an uninformed direct imaging survey. In this paper, we present our framework for simulating future radial velocity surveys of nearby stars in support of direct imaging missions. We generate lists of exposure times, observation time-series, and radial velocity time-series given a direct imaging target list. We generate simulated surveys for a proposed set of telescopes and precise radial velocity spectrographs spanning a set of plausible global-network architectures that may be considered for next-generation extremely precise radial velocity surveys. We also develop figures of merit for observation frequency and planet detection sensitivity, and compare these across architectures. From these, we draw conclusions, given our stated assumptions and caveats, to optimize the yield of future radial velocity surveys supporting direct imaging missions. We find that all of our considered surveys obtain sufficient numbers of precise observations to meet the minimum theoretical white noise detection sensitivity for Earth-mass habitable-zone planets. While our detection rates and mass-sensitivity are optimistic, we have margin to explore systematic effects due to stellar activity and correlated noise in future work.

Dedicated surveys searching for fast radio bursts (FRBs) are subject to selection effects that bias the observed population of events. Software injection systems are one method of correcting for these biases by injecting a mock population of synthetic FRBs directly into the real-time search pipeline. The injected population may then be used to map intrinsic burst properties onto an expected signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), so long as telescope characteristics such as the beam model and calibration factors are properly accounted for. This paper presents an injection system developed for the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project (CHIME/FRB). The system was tested to ensure high detection efficiency, and the pulse calibration method was verified. Using an injection population of ∼85,000 synthetic FRBs, we found that the correlation between fluence and S/N for injected FRBs was consistent with that of CHIME/FRB detections in the first CHIME/FRB catalog. We noted that the sensitivity of the telescope varied strongly as a function of the broadened burst width, but not as a function of the dispersion measure. We conclude that some of the machine-learning based Radio Frequency Interference mitigation methods used by CHIME/FRB can be retrained using injection data to increase sensitivity to wide events, and that planned upgrades to the presented injection system will allow for determining a more accurate CHIME/FRB selection function in the near future. We also provide the full injection data sets along with usage tutorials.

We used data from the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) to study the incidence of AGN in continuum-selected galaxies at z ∼ 3. From optical and infrared imaging in the 24 deg² Spitzer HETDEX Exploratory Large Area survey, we constructed a sample of photometric-redshift selected z ∼ 3 galaxies. We extracted HETDEX spectra at the position of 716 of these sources and used machine-learning methods to identify those which exhibited AGN-like features. The dimensionality of the spectra was reduced using an autoencoder, and the latent space was visualized through t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding. Gaussian mixture models were employed to cluster the encoded data and a labeled data set was used to label each cluster as either AGN, stars, high-redshift galaxies, or low-redshift galaxies. Our photometric redshift (photoz) sample was labeled with an estimated 92% overall accuracy, an AGN accuracy of 83%, and an AGN contamination of 5%. The number of identified AGN was used to measure an AGN fraction for different magnitude bins. The ultraviolet (UV) absolute magnitude where the AGN fraction reaches 50% is M_UV = −23.8. When combined with results in the literature, our measurements of AGN fraction imply that the bright end of the galaxy luminosity function exhibits a power law rather than exponential decline, with a relatively shallow faint-end slope for the z ∼ 3 AGN luminosity function.

We have performed detailed high-resolution spectroscopic analysis on seven metal-poor stars (BD+75 348, BD+09 3019, HD238020, HE0319–0215, HE0507–1653, HE0930–0018, HE1023–1504) and derived their atmospheric parameters T_eff, log g, [Fe/H], and microturbulent velocity (ξ). The metallicity range is found to be –2.57 < [Fe/H] < –0.42. The elemental abundances of 17 light elements and 12 heavy elements are estimated. We have classified BD+75 348 and BD+09 3019 as strong Ba stars, HD238020 as a mild Ba star, and the remaining four objects as CEMP-s stars. We have estimated the masses of the stars from Hertzsprung–Russel (HR) diagram, and, compiling the data of 205 Ba stars from literature, estimated the mass distribution of Ba stars. We have also estimated the initial masses of the companion AGBs of the program stars as well as the masses of the companion AGBs of 159 Ba and 36 CEMP-s stars from literature, with the help of a parametric-model-based analysis using FRUITY models. While the primary mass distribution of mild Ba stars peaks at 3.7 M_⊙, for the strong Ba stars the peak appears at 2.5 M_⊙. We, therefore, propose that the initial masses of the progenitor AGBs dominantly control the formation of mild and strong Ba stars. However, a clear overlap, in the range 1.3–4.0 M_⊙, noticed between the progenitor masses of both the subclasses of Ba stars, may indicate that other factors, such as the metallicities and the orbital periods, may also have significant contributions. The progenitor AGBs' mass distribution of CEMP-s stars is found to peak at 2.03 M_⊙.

The legacy of NASA's K2 mission has provided hundreds of transiting exoplanets that can be revisited by new and future facilities for further characterization, with a particular focus on studying the atmospheres of these systems. However, the majority of K2-discovered exoplanets have typical uncertainties on future times of transit within the next decade of greater than 4 hr, making observations less practical for many upcoming facilities. Fortunately, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission is reobserving most of the sky, providing the opportunity to update the ephemerides for ∼300 K2 systems. In the second paper of this series, we reanalyze 26 single-planet, K2-discovered systems that were observed in the TESS primary mission by globally fitting their K2 and TESS light curves (including extended mission data where available), along with any archival radial velocity measurements. As a result of the faintness of the K2 sample, 13 systems studied here do not have transits detectable by TESS. In those cases, we refit the K2 light curve and provide updated system parameters. For the 23 systems with M_* ≳ 0.6 M_⊙, we determine the host star parameters using a combination of Gaia parallaxes, spectral energy distribution fits, and MESA Isochrones and Stellar Tracks stellar evolution models. Given the expectation of future TESS extended missions, efforts like the K2 and TESS Synergy project will ensure the accessibility of transiting planets for future characterization while leading to a self-consistent catalog of stellar and planetary parameters for future population efforts.

Etalon-based calibrators have rapidly gained popularity over the past decade in the field of high-precision radial velocity and high-resolution spectroscopy studies. Solid etalons are compact, pressure insensitive, commercially available alternatives to customized air spaced Fabry–Perot etalons. For tight-budget projects and weight-constricted missions, calibration system built from solid etalon is an interesting option to explore. For those, achievable spectral stability becomes the biggest question due to increased thermal sensitivity of the cavity material. Here, the design and performance of a low-cost solid-etalon calibrator is presented. A dual-loop temperature control system keeps the temperature fluctuations to within 1 mK rms when fully stabilized. Drift performance was tracked simultaneously with a laser frequency comb and the chromatic thermal response is measured through temperature tuning. The results indicate that a thermally controlled solid-etalon system can demonstrate sufficient short-term stability (<1 m s⁻¹) for precise wavelength calibration in combination with a hollow-cathode lamp, and the measured drift and chromatic thermal response agree with theoretical predictions. Such systems are plausible candidates for cost-effective calibration of m s⁻¹ level precision radial velocity instruments with improvement in thermal isolation, optimization in data processing, and long-term testing in the foreseeable future.

Recent observations have shown that the atmospheres of ultrahot Jupiters (UHJs) commonly possess temperature inversions, where the temperature increases with increasing altitude. Nonetheless, which opacity sources are responsible for the presence of these inversions remains largely observationally unconstrained. We used LBT/PEPSI to observe the atmosphere of the UHJ KELT-20 b in both transmission and emission in order to search for molecular agents which could be responsible for the temperature inversion. We validate our methodology by confirming a previous detection of Fe i in emission at 16.9σ. Our search for the inversion agents TiO, VO, FeH, and CaH results in non-detections. Using injection-recovery testing we set 4σ upper limits upon the volume mixing ratios for these constituents as low as ∼1 × 10⁻⁹ for TiO. For TiO, VO, and CaH, our limits are much lower than expectations from an equilibrium chemical model, while we cannot set constraining limits on FeH with our data. We thus rule out TiO and CaH as the source of the temperature inversion in KELT-20 b, and VO only if the line lists are sufficiently accurate.

A calm astronomical site means a site where astronomical observation would be less likely to be interfered with by optical turbulence. Previous turbulence measurements at a few sites in Antarctica have demonstrated very calm atmospheric conditions here. So far, to realize a wide range of measurements of the turbulence conditions above the Antarctic plateau will be a great hardship. Thus, in this study, the numerical weather model outputs provided by the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) have been used. Based on the AMPS outputs, the boundary layer height and the atmospheric Richardson number were obtained, from which the turbulence conditions above the Antarctic plateau have been evaluated. Finally, a statistical conclusion evaluating the total atmospheric turbulence above the whole Antarctic continent for an entire year is first reported. We find some sites (or regions) have a calmer atmosphere than Dome A; this is of great instructional significance for planning the next generation of ground-based optical astronomical telescopes.

We report results from the TESS photometric data and new high-resolution spectra of the Algol system X Tri showing short-period pulsations. From the echelle spectra, the radial velocities of the eclipsing pair were measured, and the rotational rate and effective temperature of the primary star were obtained to be v₁sini = 84 ± 6 km s⁻¹ and T_eff,1 = 7900 ± 110 K, respectively. The synthetic modeling of these observations implies that X Tri is in synchronous rotation and is physically linked to a visual companion TIC 28391715 at a separation of about 65. The absolute parameters of our target star were accurately and directly determined to be M₁ = 2.137 ± 0.018 M_⊙, M₂ = 1.101 ± 0.010 M_⊙, R₁ = 1.664 ± 0.010 R_⊙, R₂ = 1.972 ± 0.010 R_⊙, L₁ = 9.67 ± 0.55 L_⊙, and L₂ = 2.16 ± 0.09 L_⊙. The phase-binned mean light curve was used to remove the binary effect from the observed TESS data. Multifrequency analysis of the residuals revealed 16 significant frequencies, of which the high-frequency signals between 37 day⁻¹ and 48 day⁻¹ can be considered probable pulsation modes. Their oscillation periods of 0.021−0.027 days and pulsation constants of 0.014−0.018 days are typical values of δ Sct variables. The overall results demonstrate that X Tri is an oEA star system consisting of a δ Sct primary and its lobe-filling companion in the semidetached configuration.

New spectroscopic orbits of inner subsystems in 14 hierarchies are determined from long-term monitoring with the optical echelle spectrometer, CHIRON. Their main components are nearby solar-type stars belonging to nine triple systems (HIP 3645, 14307, 36165, 79980, 103735, 103814, 104440, 105879, 109443) and five quadruples of 2 + 2 hierarchy (HIP 41171, 49336, 75663, 78163, and 117666). The inner periods range from 254 days to 18 yr. Inner subsystems in HIP 3645, 14313, 79979, 103735, 104440, and 105879 are resolved by speckle interferometry, and their combined spectro-interferometric orbits are derived here. Astrometric orbits of HIP 49336 Aa,Ab and HIP 117666 Aa,Ab are determined from wobble in the observed motion of the outer pairs. Comparison with three spectroscopic orbits found in the Gaia data release 3 archive reveals that Gaia underestimated the amplitudes (except for HIP 109443), while the periods match approximately. This work contributes new data on the architecture of nearby hierarchical systems, complementing their statistics.

Phobos is the target of the return sample mission Martian Moons eXploration by JAXA that will analyze in great detail the physical and compositional properties of the satellite from orbit, from the surface, and in terrestrial laboratories, giving clues about its formation. Some models propose that Phobos and Deimos were formed after a giant impact giving rise to an extended debris disk. Assuming that Phobos formed from a cascade of disruptions and reaccretions of several parent bodies in this disk, and that they are all characterized by a low material cohesion, Hesselbrock & Minton showed that a recycling process may happen during the assembling of Phobos, by which Phobos's parents are destroyed into a Roche-interior ring and reaccreted several times. In this paper, we explore the recycling model in detail and pay particular attention to the characteristics of the disk using 1D models of disk/satellite interactions. In agreement with previous studies, we confirm that, if Phobos's parent bodies are gravitational aggregates (rubble piles), then the recycling process does occur. However, Phobos should be accompanied today by a Roche-interior ring. Furthermore, the characteristics of the ring are not reconcilable with today's observations of Mars' environment, which put stringent constraints on the existence of a ring around Mars. The recycling mechanism may or may not have occurred at the Roche limit for an old moon population, depending on the internal cohesion. However, the Phobos we see today cannot be the outcome of such a recycling process.

The Subaru telescope is currently performing a strategic program (SSP) using the high-precision near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer IRD to search for exoplanets around nearby mid/late M dwarfs via radial velocity (RV) monitoring. As part of the observing strategy for the exoplanet survey, signatures of massive companions such as RV trends are used to reduce the priority of those stars. However, this RV information remains useful for studying the stellar multiplicity of nearby M dwarfs. To search for companions around such "deprioritized" M dwarfs, we observed 14 IRD-SSP targets using Keck/NIRC2 with pyramid wave-front sensing at NIR wavelengths, leading to high sensitivity to substellar-mass companions within a few arcseconds. We detected two new companions (LSPM J1002+1459 B and LSPM J2204+1505 B) and two new candidates that are likely companions (LSPM J0825+6902 B and LSPM J1645+0444 B), as well as one known companion. Including two known companions resolved by the IRD fiber injection module camera, we detected seven (four new) companions at projected separations between ∼2 and 20 au in total. A comparison of the colors with the spectral library suggests that LSPM J2204+1505 B and LSPM J0825+6902 B are located at the boundary between late M and early L spectral types. Our deep high-contrast imaging for targets where no bright companions were resolved did not reveal any additional companion candidates. The NIRC2 detection limits could constrain potential substellar-mass companions (∼10–75 M_Jup) at 10 au or further. The failure with Keck/NIRC2 around the IRD-SSP stars having significant RV trends makes these objects promising targets for further RV monitoring or deeper imaging with the James Webb Space Telescope to search for smaller-mass companions below the NIRC2 detection limits.

The spatial distribution, Galactic model parameters, and luminosity function of cataclysmic variables (CVs) are established using reestimated trigonometric parallaxes from Gaia DR3. The data sample of 1587 CVs in this study is claimed to be suitable for Galactic model parameter estimation as the distances are based on trigonometric parallaxes, and the Gaia DR3 photometric completeness limits were taken into account when the sample was created. According to the analysis, the scale height of all CVs increases from 248 ± 2 to 430 ± 4 pc toward shorter periods near the lower limit of the period gap and suddenly drops to 300 ± 2 pc for the shortest orbital period CVs. The exponential scale heights of all CVs and the magnetic systems are found to be 375 ± 2 and 281 ± 3 pc, respectively, considerably larger than those suggested in previous observational studies. The local spatial density of all CVs and the magnetic systems in the sample are ${6.8}_{-1.1}^{+1.3}\times$ 10⁻⁶ and ${2.1}_{-0.4}^{+0.5}\times {10}^{-6}$ pc⁻³, respectively. Our measurements strengthen the 1–2 order of magnitude discrepancy between the CV spatial densities predicted by population synthesis models and observations. It is likely that this discrepancy is due to objects undetected by CV surveys, such as systems with very low $\dot{M}$ and ones in the period gap. A comparison of the luminosity function of white dwarfs with the luminosity function of all CVs in this study show that 500 times the luminosity function of CVs fits very well to the luminosity function of white dwarfs. We conclude that the estimations and data sample in this study can be confidently used for further analyses of CVs.

The orientation between a star's spin axis and a planet's orbital plane provides valuable information about the system's formation and dynamical history. For non-transiting planets at wide separations, true stellar obliquities are challenging to measure, but lower limits on spin–orbit orientations can be determined from the difference between the inclination of the star's rotational axis and the companion's orbital plane (Δi). We present results of a uniform analysis of rotation periods, stellar inclinations, and obliquities of cool stars (SpT ≳ F5) hosting directly imaged planets and brown dwarf companions. As part of this effort, we have acquired new $v\sin {i}_{* }$ values for 22 host stars with the high-resolution Tull spectrograph at the Harlan J. Smith telescope. Altogether our sample contains 62 host stars with rotation periods, most of which are newly measured using light curves from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Among these, 53 stars have inclinations determined from projected rotational and equatorial velocities, and 21 stars predominantly hosting brown dwarfs have constraints on Δi. Eleven of these (52${}_{-11}^{+10}$% of the sample) are likely misaligned, while the remaining 10 host stars are consistent with spin–orbit alignment. As an ensemble, the minimum obliquity distribution between 10 and 250 au is more consistent with a mixture of isotropic and aligned systems than either extreme scenario alone—pointing to direct cloud collapse, formation within disks bearing primordial alignments and misalignments, or architectures processed by dynamical evolution. This contrasts with stars hosting directly imaged planets, which show a preference for low obliquities. These results reinforce an emerging distinction between the orbits of long-period brown dwarfs and giant planets in terms of their stellar obliquities and orbital eccentricities.

Orbital motions in four hierarchical stellar systems discovered by speckle interferometry are studied. Their inner orbits are relatively well constrained, while the long outer orbits are less certain. The eccentric and misaligned inner orbits in the early-type hierarchies Cha (B9V, central star of the 5 Myr old association, P = 6.4 yr, e = 0.73) and I 385 (A0V, P ∼ 300 yr, e ∼ 0.8) suggest past dynamical interactions. Their nearly equal masses could be explained by a dynamical decay of a 2+2 quadruple progenitor consisting of four similar stars. However, there is no evidence of the associated recoil, so similar masses could be just a consequence of accretion from the same core. The other two hiearchies, HIP 32475 (F0IV, inner period 12.2 yr) and HIP 42910 (K7V, inner period 6.8 yr), have smaller masses and are double twins where both inner and outer mass ratios are close to one. A double twin could either result from a merger of one inner pair in a 2+2 quadruple or can be formed by a successive fragmentation followed by accretion.

We derive the spatial and wavelength behavior of dust attenuation in the multiple-armed spiral galaxy VV 191b using backlighting by the superimposed elliptical system VV 191a in a pair with an exceptionally favorable geometry for this measurement. Imaging using the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope spans the wavelength range 0.3–4.5 μm with high angular resolution, tracing the dust in detail from 0.6–1.5 μm. Distinct dust lanes continue well beyond the bright spiral arms, and trace a complex web, with a very sharp radial cutoff near 1.7 Petrosian radii. We present attenuation profiles and coverage statistics in each band at radii 14–21 kpc. We derive the attenuation law with wavelength; the data both within and between the dust lanes clearly favor a stronger reddening behavior (R = A_V/E_B−V ≈ 2.0 between 0.6 and 0.9 μm, approaching unity by 1.5 μm) than found for starbursts and star-forming regions of galaxies. Power-law extinction behavior ∝λ^−β gives β = 2.1 from 0.6–0.9 μm. R decreases at increasing wavelengths (R ≈ 1.1 between 0.9 and 1.5 μm), while β steepens to 2.5. Mixing regions of different column density flattens the wavelength behavior, so these results suggest a different grain population than in our vicinity. The NIRCam images reveal a lens arc and counterimage from a background galaxy at z ≈ 1, spanning 90° azimuthally at 28 from the foreground elliptical-galaxy nucleus, and an additional weakly lensed galaxy. The lens model and imaging data give a mass/light ratio M/L_B = 7.6 in solar units within the Einstein radius 2.0 kpc.

Characterizing the bulk compositions of transiting exoplanets within the M dwarf radius valley offers a unique means to establish whether the radius valley emerges from an atmospheric mass-loss process or is imprinted by planet formation itself. We present the confirmation of such a planet orbiting an early-M dwarf (T_mag = 11.0294 ± 0.0074, M_s = 0.513 ± 0.012 M_⊙, R_s = 0.515 ± 0.015 R_⊙, and T_eff = 3690 ± 50 K): TOI-1695 b (P = 3.13 days and ${R}_{p}={1.90}_{-0.14}^{+0.16}\ {R}_{\oplus }$). TOI-1695 b's radius and orbital period situate the planet between model predictions from thermally driven mass loss versus gas depleted formation, offering an important test case for radius valley emergence models around early-M dwarfs. We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-1695 b based on five sectors of TESS data and a suite of follow-up observations including 49 precise radial velocity measurements taken with the HARPS-N spectrograph. We measure a planetary mass of 6.36 ± 1.00 M_⊕, which reveals that TOI-1695 b is inconsistent with a purely terrestrial composition of iron and magnesium silicate, and instead is likely a water-rich planet. Our finding that TOI-1695 b is not terrestrial is inconsistent with the planetary system being sculpted by thermally driven mass loss. We present a statistical analysis of seven well-characterized planets within the M dwarf radius valley demonstrating that a thermally driven mass-loss scenario is unlikely to explain this population.

Understanding the physical characteristics of Venus, including its atmosphere, interior, and its evolutionary pathway with respect to Earth, remains a vital component for terrestrial planet evolution models and the emergence and/or decline of planetary habitability. A statistical strategy for evaluating the evolutionary pathways of terrestrial planets lies in the atmospheric characterization of exoplanets, where the sample size provides sufficient means for determining required runaway greenhouse conditions. Observations of potential exo-Venuses can help confirm hypotheses about Venus's past, as well as the occurrence rate of Venus-like planets in other systems. Additionally, the data from future Venus missions, such as DAVINCI, EnVision, and VERITAS, will provide valuable information regarding Venus, and the study of exo-Venuses will be complimentary to these missions. To facilitate studies of exo-Venus candidates, we provide a catalog of all confirmed terrestrial planets in the Venus zone, including transiting and nontransiting cases, and quantify their potential for follow-up observations. We examine the demographics of the exo-Venus population with relation to stellar and planetary properties, such as the planetary radius gap. We highlight specific high-priority exo-Venus targets for follow-up observations, including TOI-2285 b, LTT 1445 A c, TOI-1266 c, LHS 1140 c, and L98–59 d. We also discuss follow-up observations that may yield further insight into the Venus/Earth divergence in atmospheric properties.

Nearby M-dwarf systems currently offer the most favorable opportunities for spectroscopic investigations of terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres. The LTT 1445 system is a hierarchical triple of M dwarfs with two known planets orbiting the primary star, LTT 1445A. We observe four transits of the terrestrial world LTT 1445Ab (R = 1.3 R_⊕, M = 2.9 M_⊕) at low resolution with Magellan II/LDSS3C. We use the combined flux of the LTT 1445BC pair as a comparison star, marking the first time that an M dwarf is used to remove telluric variability from time-series observations of another M dwarf. We find Hα in emission from both LTT 1445B and C, as well as a flare in one of the data sets from LTT 1445C. These contaminated data are removed from the analysis. We construct a broadband transit light curve of LTT 1445Ab from 620 to 1020 nm. Binned to 3 minute time bins, we achieve an rms of 49 ppm for the combined broadband light curve. We construct a transmission spectrum with 20 spectrophotometric bins each spanning 20 nm and compare it to models of clear, 1× solar composition atmospheres. We rule out this atmospheric case with a surface pressure of 10 bars to 3.2σ confidence, and with a surface pressure of 1 bar to 3.1σ confidence. Upcoming secondary eclipse observations of LTT 1445Ab with the James Webb Space Telescope will further probe the cases of a high-mean-molecular-weight atmosphere, a hazy or cloudy atmosphere, or no atmosphere at all on this terrestrial world.

Terrestrial exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars are promising targets for transmission spectroscopy with existing or near-future instrumentation. The atmospheric composition of such rocky planets remains an open question, especially given the high X-ray and ultraviolet flux from their host M dwarfs that can drive atmospheric escape. The 1.3 R_⊕ exoplanet GJ 486b (T_eq ∼ 700 K), orbiting an M3.5 star, is expected to have one of the strongest transmission spectroscopy signals among known terrestrial exoplanets. We observed three transits of GJ 486b using three different high-resolution spectrographs: IRD on Subaru, IGRINS on Gemini-South, and SPIRou on the Canada–France–Hawai'i Telescope. We searched for atmospheric absorption from a wide variety of molecular species via the cross-correlation method, but did not detect any robust atmospheric signals. Nevertheless, our observations are sufficiently sensitive to rule out several clear atmospheric scenarios via injection and recovery tests, and extend comparative exoplanetology into the terrestrial regime. Our results suggest that GJ 486b does not possess a clear H₂/He-dominated atmosphere, nor a clear 100% water-vapor atmosphere. Other secondary atmospheres with high mean molecular weights or H₂/He-dominated atmospheres with clouds remain possible. Our findings provide further evidence suggesting that terrestrial planets orbiting M-dwarf stars may experience significant atmospheric loss.

The first discovered extrasolar worlds—giant, "hot Jupiter" planets on short-period orbits—came as a surprise to solar system–centric models of planet formation, prompting the development of new theories for planetary system evolution. The near absence of observed nearby planetary companions to hot Jupiters has been widely quoted as evidence in support of high-eccentricity tidal migration, a framework in which hot Jupiters form further out in their natal protoplanetary disks before being thrown inward with extremely high eccentricities, stripping systems of any close-in planetary companions. In this work, we present new results from a search for transit timing variations across the full 4 yr Kepler data set, demonstrating that at least 12% ± 6% of hot Jupiters have a nearby planetary companion. This subset of hot Jupiters is expected to have a quiescent dynamical history such that the systems could retain their nearby companions. We also demonstrate a ubiquity of nearby planetary companions to warm Jupiters (≥70% ± 16%), indicating that warm Jupiters typically form quiescently. We conclude by combining our results with existing observational constraints to propose an "eccentric migration" framework for the formation of short-period giant planets through postdisk dynamical sculpting in compact multiplanet systems. Our framework suggests that hot Jupiters constitute the natural end stage for giant planets spanning a wide range of eccentricities, with orbits that reach small enough periapses—either from their final orbital configurations in the disk phase or from eccentricity excitation in the postdisk phase—to trigger efficient tidal circularization.

We present the astrometric calibration of the Beijing–Arizona Sky Survey (BASS). The BASS astrometry was tied to the International Celestial Reference Frame via the Gaia Data Release 2 reference catalog. For effects that were stable throughout the BASS observations, including differential chromatic refraction and the low charge transfer efficiency of the CCD, we corrected for these effects at the raw image coordinates. Fourth-order polynomial intermediate longitudinal and latitudinal corrections were used to remove optical distortions. The comparison with the Gaia catalog shows that the systematic errors, depending on color or magnitude, are less than 2 milliarcseconds (mas). The position systematic error is estimated to be about −0.01 ± 0.7 mas in the region between 30° and 60° of decl. and up to −0.07 ± 0.9 mas in the region north of decl. 60°.

The habitability of exoplanets can be strongly influenced by the presence of an exomoon, and in some cases the exomoon itself could be a possible place for life to develop. For moons outside of the habitable zone, significant tidal heating may raise their surface temperatures enough for them to be considered habitable. Tidal heating of a moon depends on numerous factors such as eccentricity, semimajor axis, size of parent planet, and the presence of additional moons. In this work, we explore the degree of tidal heating possible for multimoon systems in resonance using a combination of semianalytic and numerical models. This demonstrates that even for a moon with zero initial eccentricity, when it moves into resonance with an outer moon, it can generate significant eccentricity and associated tidal heating. Depending on the mass ratio of the two moons, this resonance can either be short-lived (≤200 Myr) or continue to be driven by the tidal migration of the moons. This tidal heating can also assist in making the exomoons easier to discover, and we explore two scenarios: secondary eclipses and outgassing of volcanic species. We then consider hypothetical moons orbiting known planetary systems to identify which will be best suited for finding exomoons with these methods. We conclude with a discussion of current and future instrumentation and missions.

A gap in exoplanets' radius distribution has been widely attributed to the photoevaporation threshold of their progenitors' gaseous envelope. Giant impacts can also lead to substantial mass loss. The outflowing gas endures tidal torque from the planets and their host stars. Alongside the planet–star tidal and magnetic interaction, this effect leads to planets' orbital evolution. In multiple super-Earth systems, especially in those that are closely spaced and/or contain planets locked in mean motion resonances, modest mass loss can lead to dynamical instabilities. In order to place some constraints on the extent of planets' mass loss, we study the evolution of a series of idealized systems of multiple planets with equal masses and a general scaled separation. We consider mass loss from one or more planets either in the conservative limit or with angular momentum loss from the system. We show that the stable preservation of idealized multiple planetary systems requires either a wide initial separation or a modest upper limit in the amount of mass loss. This constraint is stringent for the multiple planetary systems in compact and resonant chains. Perturbation due to either impulsive giant impacts between super-Earths or greater than a few percent mass loss can lead to dynamical instabilities.

We analyze the MOA-2020-BLG-208 gravitational microlensing event and present the discovery and characterization of a new planet, MOA-2020-BLG-208Lb, with an estimated sub-Saturn mass. With a mass ratio $q={3.17}_{-0.26}^{+0.28}\times {10}^{-4}$, the planet lies near the peak of the mass-ratio function derived by the MOA collaboration and near the edge of expected sample sensitivity. For these estimates we provide results using two mass-law priors: one assuming that all stars have an equal planet-hosting probability, and the other assuming that planets are more likely to orbit around more massive stars. In the first scenario, we estimate that the lens system is likely to be a planet of mass ${m}_{\mathrm{planet}}={46}_{-24}^{+42}\,{M}_{\oplus }$ and a host star of mass ${M}_{\mathrm{host}}={0.43}_{-0.23}^{+0.39}\,{M}_{\odot }$, located at a distance ${D}_{L}={7.49}_{-1.13}^{+0.99}\,\mathrm{kpc}$. For the second scenario, we estimate ${m}_{\mathrm{planet}}={69}_{-34}^{+37}\,{M}_{\oplus }$, ${M}_{\mathrm{host}}={0.66}_{-0.32}^{+0.35}\,{M}_{\odot }$, and ${D}_{L}={7.81}_{-0.93}^{+0.93}\,\mathrm{kpc}$. The planet has a projected separation as a fraction of the Einstein ring radius $s={1.3807}_{-0.0018}^{+0.0018}$. As a cool sub-Saturn-mass planet, this planet adds to a growing collection of evidence for revised planetary formation models.

Directly imaging temperate rocky planets orbiting nearby, Sun-like stars with a 6 m class IR/O/UV space telescope, recently dubbed the Habitable Worlds Observatory, is a high-priority goal of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey. To prepare for future direct imaging (DI) surveys, the list of potential targets should be thoroughly vetted to maximize efficiency and scientific yield. We present an analysis of archival radial velocity data for southern stars from the NASA/NSF Extreme Precision Radial Velocity (EPRV) Working Group's list of high-priority target stars for future DI missions (drawn from the HabEx, LUVOIR, and Starshade Rendezvous studies). For each star, we constrain the region of companion mass and period parameter space we are already sensitive to based on the observational baseline, sampling, and precision of the archival radial velocity (RV) data. Additionally, for some of the targets, we report new estimates of magnetic activity cycle periods, rotation periods, improved orbital parameters for previously known exoplanets, and new candidate planet signals that require further vetting or observations to confirm. Our results show that for many of these stars we are not yet sensitive to even Saturn-mass planets in the habitable zone, let alone smaller planets, highlighting the need for future EPRV vetting efforts before the launch of a DI mission. We present evidence that the candidate temperate super-Earth exoplanet HD 85512b is most likely due to the star's rotation, and report an RV acceleration for δ Pav that supports the existence of a distant giant planet previously inferred from astrometry.

Binary stars are ubiquitous; the majority of solar-type stars exist in binaries. Exoplanet occurrence rate is suppressed in binaries, but some multiples do still host planets. Binaries cause observational biases in planet parameters, with undetected multiplicity causing transiting planets to appear smaller than they truly are. We have analyzed the properties of a sample of 119 planet-host binary stars from the Kepler mission to study the underlying population of planets in binaries that fall in and around the radius valley, which is a demographic feature in period–radius space that marks the transition from predominantly rocky to predominantly gaseous planets. We found no statistically significant evidence for a radius gap for our sample of 122 planets in binaries when assuming that the primary stars are the planet hosts, with a low probability (p < 0.05) of the binary planet sample radius distribution being consistent with the single-star population of small planets via an Anderson–Darling test. These results reveal demographic differences in the planet size distribution between planets in binary and single stars for the first time, showing that stellar multiplicity may fundamentally alter the planet formation process. A larger sample and further assessment of circumprimary versus circumsecondary transits is needed to either validate this nondetection or explore other scenarios, such as a radius gap with a location that is dependent on binary separation.

The elemental abundances of planet host stars can shed light on the conditions of planet forming environments. We test if individual abundances of 130 known/candidate planet hosts in APOGEE are statistically different from those of a reference doppelgänger sample. The reference set comprises objects selected with the same T_eff, $\mathrm{log}g$, [Fe/H], and [Mg/H] as each Kepler Object of Interest (KOI). We predict twelve individual abundances (X = C, N, O, Na, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Ni) for the KOIs and their doppelgängers using a local linear model of these four parameters, training on ASPCAP abundance measurements for a sample of field stars with high-fidelity (signal-to-noise ratio > 200) APOGEE observations. We compare element prediction residuals (model–measurement) for the two samples and find them to be indistinguishable, given a high-quality sample selection. We report median intrinsic dispersions of ∼0.038 dex and ∼0.041 dex, for the KOI and doppelgänger samples, respectively, for these elements. We conclude that the individual abundances at fixed T_eff, $\mathrm{log}g$, [Fe/H], and [Mg/H] are unremarkable for known planet hosts. Our results establish an upper limit on the abundance precision required to uncover any chemical signatures of planet formation in planet host stars.

The K-type star TOI-2525 has an estimated mass of M = ${0.849}_{-0.033}^{+0.024}$M_⊙ and radius of R = ${0.785}_{-0.007}^{+0.007}$R_⊙ observed by the TESS mission in 22 sectors (within sectors 1 and 39). The TESS light curves yield significant transit events of two companions, which show strong transit timing variations (TTVs) with a semiamplitude of ∼6 hr. We performed TTV dynamical and photodynamical light-curve analysis of the TESS data combined with radial velocity measurements from FEROS and PFS, and we confirmed the planetary nature of these companions. The TOI-2525 system consists of a transiting pair of planets comparable to Neptune and Jupiter with estimated dynamical masses of m_b = ${0.088}_{-0.004}^{+0.005}$ and m_c = ${0.709}_{-0.033}^{+0.034}$M_Jup, radii of r_b = ${0.88}_{-0.02}^{+0.02}$ and r_c = ${0.98}_{-0.02}^{+0.02}$R_Jup, and orbital periods of P_b = ${23.288}_{-0.002}^{+0.001}$ and P_c = ${49.260}_{-0.001}^{+0.001}$ days for the inner and outer planet, respectively. The period ratio is close to the 2:1 period commensurability, but the dynamical simulations of the system suggest that it is outside the mean-motion resonance (MMR) dynamical configuration. Object TOI-2525 b is among the lowest-density Neptune-mass planets known to date, with an estimated median density of ρ_b = ${0.174}_{-0.015}^{+0.016}$ g cm⁻³. The TOI-2525 system is very similar to the other K dwarf systems discovered by TESS, TOI-2202 and TOI-216, which are composed of almost identical K dwarf primaries and two warm giant planets near the 2:1 MMR.

There should be about 10,000 stellar hierarchical systems within 100 pc with primary stars more massive than 0.5 M_⊙, and a similar amount of less-massive hierarchies. A list of 8000 candidate multiples is derived from wide binaries found in the Gaia Catalog of Nearby Stars where one or both components have excessive astrometric noise or other indicators of inner subsystems. A subset of 1243 southern candidates were observed with high angular resolution at the 4.1 m Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope, and 503 new pairs with separations from 003 to 1'' were resolved. These data allow estimation of the inner mass ratios and periods, and help to quantify the ability of Gaia to detect close pairs. Another 621 hierarchies with known inner periods come from the Gaia catalog of astrometric and spectroscopic orbits. These two nonoverlapping groups, combined with existing ground-based data, bring the total number of known nearby hierarchies to 2754, reaching a completeness of ∼22% for stars above 0.5 M_⊙. Distributions of their periods and mass ratios are briefly discussed, and the prospects of further observations are outlined.

Recent atmospheric models for brown dwarfs suggest that the existence of clouds in substellar objects is not needed to reproduce their spectra, nor their rotationally induced photometric variability, believed to be due to the heterogeneous cloud coverage of brown dwarf atmospheres. Cloud-free atmospheric models also predict that their flux should not be polarized, as polarization is produced by the light scattering of particles in the inhomogeneous cloud layers of brown dwarf atmospheres. To shed light on this dichotomy, we monitored the linear polarization and photometric variability of the most variable brown dwarf, 2MASS J21392676+0220226. We used FORS2 at the UT1 telescope to monitor the object in the z band for six hours, split on two consecutive nights, covering one-third of its rotation period. We obtained the Stokes parameters, and we derived its time-resolved linear polarization, for which we did not find significant linear polarization (P = 0.14% ± 0.07%). We modeled the linear polarimetric signal expected assuming a map with one or two spot-like features and two bands using a polarization-enabled radiative transfer code. We obtained values compatible with the time-resolved polarimetry obtained for 2MASS J21392676+0220226. The lack of significant polarization might be due to photometric variability produced mostly by banded structures or small-scale vortices, which cancel out the polarimetric signal from different regions of the dwarf's disk. Alternatively, the lack of clouds in 2MASS J21392676+0220226 would also explain the lack of polarization. Further linear polarimetric monitoring of 2MASS J21392676+0220226, during at least one full rotational period, would help to confirm or discard the existence of clouds in its atmosphere.

We use TESS full-frame imaging data to investigate the angular momentum evolution of young stars in the Orion Complex. We confirm recent findings that stars with rotation periods faster than 2 days are overwhelmingly binaries, with typical separations of tens of au; such binaries quickly clear their disks, leading to a tendency for rapid rotators to be diskless. Among (nominally single) stars with rotation periods slower than 2 days, we observe the familiar gyrochronological horseshoe-shaped relationship of rotation period versus T_eff, indicating that the processes that govern the universal evolution of stellar rotation on gigayear timescales are already in place within the first few megayears. Using spectroscopic $v\sin i$, we determine the distribution of $\sin i$, revealing that the youngest stars are biased toward more pole-on orientations, which may be responsible for the systematics between stellar mass and age observed in star-forming regions. We are also able for the first time to make empirical, quantitative measurements of angular momenta and their time derivatives as functions of stellar mass and age, finding these relationships to be much simpler and monotonic as compared to the complex relationships involving rotation period alone; evidently, the relationship between rotation period and T_eff is largely a reflection of mass-dependent stellar structure and not of angular momentum per se. Our measurements show that the stars experience spin-down torques in the range of ∼10³⁷ erg at ∼1 Myr to ∼10³⁵ erg at ∼10 Myr, which provide a crucial empirical touchstone for theoretical mechanisms of angular momentum loss in young stars.

The ionospheric path delay impacts single-band, very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) group delays, which limits their applicability for absolute astrometry. I consider two important cases: when observations are made simultaneously in two bands, but delays in only one band are available for a subset of observations; and when observations are made in one-band design. I developed optimal procedures of data analysis for both cases using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ionosphere maps, provided a stochastic model that describes ionospheric errors, and evaluated their impact on source position estimates. I demonstrate that the stochastic model is accurate at a level of 15%. I found that using GNSS ionospheric maps as is introduces serious biases in estimates of declination and I developed a procedure that almost eliminates them. I found serendipitously that GNSS ionospheric maps have multiplicative errors and have to be scaled by 0.85 in order to mitigate the declination bias. A similar scale factor was found in comparison of the vertical total electron content from satellite altimetry against GNSS ionospheric maps. I favor interpretation of this scaling factor as a manifestation of the inadequacy of the thin-shell model of the ionosphere. I showed that we are able to model the ionospheric path delay to the extent that no noticeable systematic errors emerge and we are able to assess adequately the contribution of the ionosphere-driven random errors on source positions. This makes single-band absolute astrometry a viable option that can be used for source position determination.

We present a data-driven approach to automatically detect L dwarfs from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images using an improved Faster R-CNN framework based on deep learning. The established L-dwarf automatic detection (LDAD) model distinguishes L dwarfs from other celestial objects and backgrounds in SDSS field images by learning the features of 387 SDSS images containing L dwarfs. Applying the LDAD model to the SDSS images containing 93 labeled L dwarfs in the test set, we successfully detected 83 known L dwarfs with a recall rate of 89.25% for known L dwarfs. Several techniques are implemented in the LDAD model to improve its detection performance for L dwarfs, including the deep residual network and the feature pyramid network. As a result, the LDAD model outperforms the model of the original Faster R-CNN, whose recall rate of known L dwarfs is 80.65% for the same test set. The LDAD model was applied to detect L dwarfs from a larger validation set including 843 labeled L dwarfs, resulting in a recall rate of 94.42% for known L dwarfs. The newly identified candidates include L dwarfs, late M and T dwarfs, which were estimated from color (i − z) and spectral type relation. The contamination rates for the test candidates and validation candidates are 8.60% and 9.27%, respectively. The detection results indicate that our model is effective to search for L dwarfs from astronomical images.