Table of contents

Core rotation rates have been measured for red giant stars using asteroseismology. These data, along with helioseismic measurements and open cluster spin-down studies, provide powerful clues about the nature and timescale for internal angular momentum transport in stars. We focus on two cases: the metal-poor red giant KIC 7341231 ("Otto") and intermediate-mass core helium burning stars. For both, we examine limiting case studies for angular momentum coupling between cores and envelopes under the assumption of rigid rotation on the main sequence. We discuss the expected pattern of core rotation as a function of mass and radius. In the case of Otto, strong post-main-sequence coupling is ruled out and the measured core rotation rate is in the range of 23–33 times the surface value expected from standard spin-down models. The minimum coupling timescale (0.17–0.45 Gyr) is significantly longer than that inferred for young open cluster stars. This implies ineffective internal angular momentum transport in early first ascent giants. By contrast, the core rotation rates of evolved secondary clump stars are found to be consistent with strong coupling given their rapid main-sequence rotation. An extrapolation to the white dwarf regime predicts rotation periods between 330 and 0.0052 days, depending on mass and decoupling time. We identify two key ingredients that explain these features: the presence of a convective core and inefficient angular momentum transport in the presence of larger mean molecular weight gradients. Observational tests that can disentangle these effects are discussed.

Planck cold clumps are among the most promising objects to investigate the initial conditions of the evolution of molecular clouds. In this work, by combing the dust emission data from the survey of the Planck satellite with the molecular data of ¹²CO/¹³CO/C¹⁸O (1–0) lines from observations with the Purple Mountain Observatory 13.7 m telescope, we investigate the CO abundance, CO depletion, and CO-to-H₂ conversion factor of 674 clumps in the early cold cores sample. The median and mean values of the CO abundance are 0.89 × 10⁻⁴ and 1.28 × 10⁻⁴, respectively. The mean and median of CO depletion factor are 1.7 and 0.9, respectively. The median value of $X_{{\rm CO\scriptsize {\hbox{-}}to\scriptsize {\hbox{-}}H_{2}}}$ for the whole sample is 2.8 × 10²⁰ cm⁻² K⁻¹ km⁻¹ s. The CO abundance, CO depletion factor, and CO-to-H₂ conversion factor are strongly (anti-)correlated to other physical parameters (e.g., dust temperature, dust emissivity spectral index, column density, volume density, and luminosity-to-mass ratio). To conclude, the gaseous CO abundance can be used as an evolutionary tracer for molecular clouds.

We present observations of a population of Lyα emitters (LAEs) exhibiting fluorescent emission via the reprocessing of ionizing radiation from nearby hyperluminous QSOs. These LAEs are part of a survey at redshifts 2.5 < z < 2.9 combining narrow-band photometric selection and spectroscopic follow-up to characterize the emission mechanisms, physical properties, and three-dimensional locations of the emitters with respect to their nearby hyperluminous QSOs. These data allow us to probe the radiation field, and thus the radiative history, of the QSOs, and we determine that most of the eight QSOs in our sample have been active and of comparable luminosity for a time 1 Myr ≲ t_Q ≲ 20 Myr. Furthermore, we find that the ionizing QSO emission must have an opening angle θ ∼ 30° or larger relative to the line of sight.

Observations made by ultraviolet (UV) detectors on board Pioneer 10, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2 can be used to analyze the distribution of neutral hydrogen throughout the heliosphere, including the interaction regions of the solar wind and local interstellar medium. Previous studies of the long-term trend of decreasing intensity with increasing heliocentric distance established the need for more sophisticated heliospheric models. Here we use state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) neutral models to simulate Lyman-alpha backscatter as would be seen by the three spacecrafts, exploiting a new 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code under solar minimum conditions. Both observations and simulations of the UV backscatter intensity are normalized for each spacecraft flight path at ∼15 AU, and we focus on the slope of decreasing intensity over an increasing heliocentric distance. Comparisons of simulations with Voyager 1 Lyman-alpha data results in a very close match, while the Pioneer 10 comparison is similar due to normalization, but not considered to be in agreement. The deviations may be influenced by a low resolution of photoionization in the 3D MHD-neutral model, a lack of solar cycle activity in our simulations, and possibly issues with instrumental sensitivity. Comparing the slope of Voyager 2 and the simulated intensities yields an almost identical match. Our results predict a large increase in the Lyman-alpha intensity as the hydrogen wall is approached, which would signal an imminent crossing of the heliopause.

GRB 130702A is a nearby long-duration gamma-ray burst (LGRB) discovered by the Fermi satellite whose associated afterglow was detected by the Palomar Transient Factory. Subsequent photometric and spectroscopic monitoring has identified a coincident broad-lined Type Ic supernova (SN), and nebular emission detected near the explosion site is consistent with a redshift of z = 0.145. The SN-GRB exploded at an offset of ∼76 from the center of an inclined r = 18.1 mag red disk-dominated galaxy, and ∼06 from the center of a much fainter r = 23 mag object. We obtained Keck-II DEIMOS spectra of the two objects and find a 2σ upper limit on their line-of-sight velocity offset of ≲60 km s⁻¹. If we calculate the inclination angle of the massive red galaxy from its axis ratio and assume that its light is dominated by a very thin disk, the explosion would have a ∼60 kpc central offset, or ∼9 times the galaxy's half-light radius. A significant bulge or a thicker disk would imply a higher inclination angle and greater central offset. The substantial offset suggests that the faint source is a separate dwarf galaxy. The star-formation rate of the dwarf galaxy is ∼0.05 M_☉ yr⁻¹, and we place an upper limit on its oxygen abundance of 12 + log(O/H) < 8.16 dex. The identification of an LGRB in a dwarf satellite of a massive, metal-rich primary galaxy suggests that recent detections of LGRBs spatially coincident with metal-rich galaxies may be, in some cases, superpositions.

We report the discovery of a remarkable ultra-compact dwarf galaxy around the massive Virgo elliptical galaxy NGC 4649 (M60), which we call M60-UCD1. With a dynamical mass of 2.0 × 10⁸ M_☉ but a half-light radius of only ∼24 pc, M60-UCD1 is more massive than any ultra-compact dwarfs of comparable size, and is arguably the densest galaxy known in the local universe. It has a two-component structure well fit by a sum of Sérsic functions, with an elliptical, compact (r_h = 14 pc; n ∼ 3.3) inner component and a round, exponential, extended (r_h = 49 pc) outer component. Chandra data reveal a variable central X-ray source with L_X ∼ 10³⁸ erg s⁻¹ that could be an active galactic nucleus associated with a massive black hole or a low-mass X-ray binary. Analysis of optical spectroscopy shows the object to be old (≳ 10 Gyr) and of solar metallicity, with elevated [Mg/Fe] and strongly enhanced [N/Fe] that indicates light-element self-enrichment; such self-enrichment may be generically present in dense stellar systems. The velocity dispersion (σ ∼ 70 km s⁻¹) and resulting dynamical mass-to-light ratio (M/L_V = 4.9 ± 0.7) are consistent with—but slightly higher than—expectations for an old, metal-rich stellar population with a Kroupa initial mass function. The presence of a massive black hole or a mild increase in low-mass stars or stellar remnants is therefore also consistent with this M/L_V. The stellar density of the galaxy is so high that no dynamical signature of dark matter is expected. However, the properties of M60-UCD1 suggest an origin in the tidal stripping of a nucleated galaxy with M_B ∼ −18 to −19.

The intermediate Palomar Transient Factory reports our discovery of a young supernova, iPTF13bvn, in the nearby galaxy, NGC 5806 (22.5 Mpc). Our spectral sequence in the optical and infrared suggests a Type Ib classification. We identify a blue progenitor candidate in deep pre-explosion imaging within a 2σ error circle of 80 mas (8.7 pc). The candidate has an M_B luminosity of −5.52 ± 0.39 mag and a B − I color of 0.25 ± 0.25 mag. If confirmed by future observations, this would be the first direct detection for a progenitor of a Type Ib. Fitting a power law to the early light curve, we find an extrapolated explosion date around 0.6 days before our first detection. We see no evidence of shock cooling. The pre-explosion detection limits constrain the radius of the progenitor to be smaller than a few solar radii. iPTF13bvn is also detected in centimeter and millimeter wavelengths. Fitting a synchrotron self-absorption model to our radio data, we find a mass-loading parameter of 1.3×10¹² g cm⁻¹. Assuming a wind velocity of 10³ km s⁻¹, we derive a progenitor mass-loss rate of 3 × 10⁻⁵ M_☉ yr⁻¹. Our observations, taken as a whole, are consistent with a Wolf–Rayet progenitor of the supernova iPTF13bvn.

We report the discovery of 2010 GB₁₇₄, a likely new member of the Inner Oort Cloud (IOC). 2010 GB₁₇₄ is 1 of 91 trans-Neptunian objects and Centaurs discovered in a 76 deg² contiguous region imaged as part of the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS)—a moderate ecliptic latitude survey reaching a mean limiting magnitude of g' ≃ 25.5—using MegaPrime on the 3.6 m Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. 2010 GB₁₇₄ is found to have an orbit with a semi-major axis of a ≃ 350.8 AU, an inclination of i ≃ 216, and a pericenter of q ∼ 48.5 AU. This is the second largest perihelion distance among known solar system objects. Based on the sky coverage and depth of the NGVS, we estimate the number of IOC members with sizes larger than 300 km (H_V ⩽ 6.2 mag) to be ≃ 11, 000. A comparison of the detection rate from the NGVS and the PDSSS (a characterized survey that "rediscovered" the IOC object Sedna) gives, for an assumed a power-law luminosity function for IOC objects, a slope of α ≃ 0.7 ± 0.2. With only two detections in this region this slope estimate is highly uncertain.

We have carried out general relativistic particle simulations of stars tidally disrupted by massive black holes. When a star is disrupted in a bound orbit with moderate eccentricity instead of a parabolic orbit, the temporal behavior of the resulting stellar debris changes qualitatively. The debris is initially all bound, returning to pericenter in a short time about the original stellar orbital timescale. The resulting fallback rate can thus be much higher than the Eddington rate. Furthermore, if the star is disrupted close to the hole, in a regime where general relativity is important, the stellar and debris orbits display general relativistic precession. Apsidal precession can make the debris stream cross itself after several orbits, likely leading to fast debris energy dissipation. If the star is disrupted in an inclined orbit around a spinning hole, nodal precession reduces the probability of self-intersection, and circularization may take many dynamical timescales, delaying the onset of flare activity. An examination of the particle dynamics suggests that quasi-periodic flares with short durations, produced when the center of the tidal stream passes pericenter, may occur in the early-time light curve. The late-time light curve may still show power-law behavior which is generic to disk accretion processes. The detection triggers for future surveys should be extended to capture such "non-standard" short-term flaring activity before the event enters the asymptotic decay phase, as this activity is likely to be more sensitive to physical parameters such as the black hole spin.

We introduce a parameter, X, to predict the changes in the rotational period of a comet in terms of the rotational period itself, the nuclear radius, and the orbital characteristics. We show that X should be a constant if the bulk densities and shapes of nuclei are nearly identical and the activity patterns are similar for all comets. For four nuclei for which rotational changes are well documented, despite the nearly factor 30 variation observed among the effective active fractions of these comets, X is constant to within a factor two. We present an analysis for the sungrazing comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) to explore what rotational changes it could undergo during the upcoming perihelion passage where its perihelion distance will be ∼2.7 solar radii. When close to the Sun, barring a catastrophic disruption of the nucleus, the activity of ISON will be sufficiently strong to put the nucleus into a non-principal-axis rotational state and observable changes to the rotational period should also occur. Additional causes for rotational state changes near perihelion for ISON are tidal torques caused by the Sun and the significant mass loss due to a number of mechanisms resulting in alterations to the moments of inertia of the nucleus.

We present a large sample of stellar rotation periods for Kepler Objects of Interest, based on three years of public Kepler data. These were measured by detecting periodic photometric modulation caused by star spots, using an algorithm based on the autocorrelation function of the light curve, developed recently by McQuillan, Aigrain & Mazeh (2013). Of the 1919 main-sequence exoplanet hosts analyzed, robust rotation periods were detected for 737. Comparing the detected stellar periods to the orbital periods of the innermost planet in each system reveals a notable lack of close-in planets around rapid rotators. It appears that only slowly spinning stars with rotation periods longer than 5–10 days host planets on orbits shorter than 2 or 3 days, although the mechanism(s) that lead(s) to this is not clear.

An Australia Telescope Compact Array search for 22 GHz water masers toward 6.7 GHz class II methanol masers detected in the Methanol Multibeam survey has resulted in the detection of extremely high-velocity emission from one of the sources. The water maser emission associated with this young stellar object covers a velocity span of nearly 300 km s⁻¹. The highest velocity water maser emission is redshifted from the systemic velocity by 250 km s⁻¹, which is a new record for high-mass star formation regions. The maser is associated with a very young late O, or early B star, which may still be actively accreting matter (and driving the extreme outflow). If that is the case, future observations of the kinematics of this water maser will provide a unique probe of accretion processes in the highest mass young stellar objects and test models of water maser formation.

We present high-resolution adaptive optics (AO) corrected images of the silhouette disk Orion 218-354 taken with Magellan AO (MagAO) and its visible light camera, VisAO, in simultaneous differential imaging mode at Hα. This is the first image of a circumstellar disk seen in silhouette with AO and is among the first visible light AO results in the literature. We derive the disk extent, geometry, intensity, and extinction profiles and find, in contrast with previous work, that the disk is likely optically thin at Hα. Our data provide an estimate of the column density in primitive, ISM-like grains as a function of radius in the disk. We estimate that only ∼10% of the total submillimeter derived disk mass lies in primitive, unprocessed grains. We use our data, Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling, and previous results from the literature to make the first self-consistent multiwavelength model of Orion 218-354. We find that we are able to reproduce the 1–1000 μm spectral energy distribution with a ∼2–540 AU disk of the size, geometry, small versus large grain proportion, and radial mass profile indicated by our data. This inner radius is a factor of ∼15 larger than the sublimation radius of the disk, suggesting that it is likely cleared in the very interior.

A model of supra-arcade downflows (SADs), dark low density regions also known as tadpoles that propagate sunward during solar flares, is presented. It is argued that the regions of low density are flow channels carved by sunward-directed outflow jets from reconnection. The solar corona is stratified, so the flare site is populated by a lower density plasma than that in the underlying arcade. As the jets penetrate the arcade, they carve out regions of depleted plasma density which appear as SADs. The present interpretation differs from previous models in that reconnection is localized in space but not in time. Reconnection is continuous in time to explain why SADs are not filled in from behind as they would if they were caused by isolated descending flux tubes or the wakes behind them due to temporally bursty reconnection. Reconnection is localized in space because outflow jets in standard two-dimensional reconnection models expand in the normal (inflow) direction with distance from the reconnection site, which would not produce thin SADs as seen in observations. On the contrary, outflow jets in spatially localized three-dimensional reconnection with an out-of-plane (guide) magnetic field expand primarily in the out-of-plane direction and remain collimated in the normal direction, which is consistent with observed SADs being thin. Two-dimensional proof-of-principle simulations of reconnection with an out-of-plane (guide) magnetic field confirm the creation of SAD-like depletion regions and the necessity of density stratification. Three-dimensional simulations confirm that localized reconnection remains collimated.

We present Keck laser guide star adaptive optics observations of the nearby buried quasi-stellar object (QSO) F08572+3915:NW. We use near-infrared integral field data taken with the OH-Suppressing Infra-Red Imaging Spectrograph to reveal a compact disk and molecular outflow using Paα and H₂ rotational-vibrational transitions at a spatial resolution of 100 pc. The outflow emerges perpendicular to the disk into a bicone of one-sided opening angle 100° up to distances of 400 pc from the nucleus. The integrated outflow velocities, which reach at least −1300 km s⁻¹, correspond exactly to those observed in (unresolved) OH absorption, but are smaller (larger) than those observed on larger scales in the ionized (neutral atomic) outflow. These data represent a factor of >10 improvement in the spatial resolution of molecular outflows from mergers/QSOs, and plausibly represent the early stages of the excavation of the dust screen from a buried QSO.

This Letter utilizes composite spectral energy distributions (SEDs) constructed from NEWFIRM Medium-Band Survey photometry to constrain the dust attenuation curve in 0.5 < z < 2.0 galaxies. Based on similarities between the full SED shapes (0.3–8 μm), we have divided galaxies in 32 different spectral classes and stacked their photometry. As each class contains galaxies over a range in redshift, the resulting rest-frame SEDs are well sampled in wavelength and show various spectral features including Hα and the UV dust bump at 2175 Å. We fit all composite SEDs with flexible stellar population synthesis models, while exploring attenuation curves with varying slopes and UV bump strengths. The Milky Way and Calzetti law provide poor fits at UV wavelengths for nearly all SEDs. Consistent with previous studies, we find that the best-fit attenuation law varies with spectral type. There is a strong correlation between the best-fit dust slope and UV bump strength, with steeper laws having stronger bumps. Moreover, the attenuation curve correlates with specific star formation rate (SFR), with more active galaxies having shallower dust curves and weaker bumps. There is also a weak correlation with inclination. The observed trends can be explained by differences in the dust-to-star geometry, a varying grain size distribution, or a combination of both. Our results have several implications for galaxy evolution studies. First, the assumption of a universal dust model leads to biases in derived galaxy properties. Second, the presence of a dust bump may result in underestimated values for the UV slope, used to correct SFRs of distant galaxies.

We investigate the prospects of blind and targeted searches in the radio domain (10 MHz to 1 THz) for high-n hydrogen recombination lines from the first generation of galaxies, at z ≲ 10. The expected optically thin spontaneous α-line luminosities are calculated as a function of the absolute AB magnitude of a galaxy at 1500 Å. For a blind search, semi-empirical luminosity functions are used to calculate the number of galaxies whose expected flux densities exceed an assumed detectability threshold. Plots of the minimum sky area, within which at least one detectable galaxy is expected at a given observing frequency, in the fiducial instantaneous passband of 10⁴ km s⁻¹, allow us to assess the blind search time necessary for detection by a given facility. We show that the chances for detection are the highest in the millimeter and submillimeter domains, but finding spontaneous emission in a blind search, especially from redshifts z ≫ 1, is a challenge even with powerful facilities, such as the Actama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array and Square Kilometre Array. The probability of success is higher for a targeted search of lines with principal quantum number n ∼ 10 in Lyman-break galaxies amplified by gravitational lensing. Detection of more than one hydrogen line in such a galaxy will allow for line identification and a precise determination of the galaxy's redshift.

We consider the reincarnation of interstellar dust to be reborn in protoplanetary disks as aggregates consisting of submicron-sized grains with a crystalline or amorphous silicate core and an organic-rich carbonaceous mantle. We find that infrared spectra of reincarnated interstellar dust reproduce emission peaks at correct wavelengths where the peaks were observed in cometary comae, debris disks, and protoplanetary disks if the volume fraction of organic refractory meets the constraints on elemental abundances. We discuss what we can learn from the infrared spectra of reincarnated interstellar dust in cometary comae and circumstellar disks.

Short–hard gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are widely believed to be produced by the merger of two binary compact objects, specifically by two neutron stars or by a neutron star orbiting a black hole. According to the Li–Paczynski kilonova model, the merger would launch sub-relativistic ejecta and a near-infrared/optical transient would then occur, lasting up to days, which is powered by the radioactive decay of heavy elements synthesized in the ejecta. The detection of a late bump using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the near-infrared afterglow light curve of the short–hard GRB 130603B is indeed consistent with such a model. However, as shown in this Letter, the limited HST near-infrared light curve behavior can also be interpreted as the synchrotron radiation of the external shock driven by a wide mildly relativistic outflow. In such a scenario, the radio emission is expected to peak with a flux of ∼100 μJy, which is detectable for current radio arrays. Hence, the radio afterglow data can provide complementary evidence on the nature of the bump in GRB 130603B. It is worth noting that good spectroscopy during the bump phase in short–hard bursts can test the validity of either model above, analogous to spectroscopy of broad-lined Type Ic supernova in long–soft GRBs.

In this study, we treat Fermi bubbles as a scaled-up version of supernova remnants (SNRs). The bubbles are created through activities of the super-massive black hole (SMBH) or starbursts at the Galactic center (GC). Cosmic-rays (CRs) are accelerated at the forward shocks of the bubbles like SNRs, which means that we cannot decide whether the bubbles were created by the SMBH or starbursts from the radiation from the CRs. We follow the evolution of CR distribution by solving a diffusion-advection equation, considering the reduction of the diffusion coefficient by CR streaming. In this model, gamma rays are created through hadronic interaction between CR protons and the gas in the Galactic halo. In the GeV band, we can well reproduce the observed flat distribution of gamma-ray surface brightness because some amount of gas is left behind the shock. The edge of the bubbles is fairly sharp owing to the high gas density behind the shock and the reduction of the diffusion coefficient there. The latter also contributes the hard gamma-ray spectrum of the bubbles. We find that the CR acceleration at the shock began when the bubbles were small, and the time scale of the energy injection at the GC was much smaller than the age of the bubbles. We predict that if CRs are accelerated to the TeV regime, the apparent bubble size should be larger in the TeV band, which could be used to discriminate our hadronic model from other leptonic models. We also present neutrino fluxes.

A plausible mechanism responsible for producing asymmetric electron velocity distribution functions in the solar wind is investigated by means of one-dimensional electrostatic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. A recent paper suggests that the variation in the ion-to-electron temperature ratio influences the nonlinear wave–particle dynamics such that it results in the formation of asymmetric distributions. The present PIC code simulation largely confirms this finding, but quantitative differences between the weak turbulence formalism and the present PIC simulation are also found, suggesting the limitation of the analytical method. The inter-relationship between the asymmetric electron distribution and the ion-to-electron temperature ratio may be a new useful concept for the observation.

We discuss the impact of residual nuclear burning in the cooling sequences of hydrogen-rich (DA) white dwarfs with very low metallicity progenitors (Z = 0.0001). These cooling sequences are appropriate for the study of very old stellar populations. The results presented here are the product of self-consistent, fully evolutionary calculations. Specifically, we follow the evolution of white dwarf progenitors from the zero-age main sequence through all the evolutionary phases, namely the core hydrogen-burning phase, the helium-burning phase, and the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch phase to the white dwarf stage. This is done for the most relevant range of main-sequence masses, covering the most usual interval of white dwarf masses—from 0.53 M_☉ to 0.83 M_☉. Due to the low metallicity of the progenitor stars, white dwarfs are born with thicker hydrogen envelopes, leading to more intense hydrogen burning shells as compared with their solar metallicity counterparts. We study the phase in which nuclear reactions are still important and find that nuclear energy sources play a key role during long periods of time, considerably increasing the cooling times from those predicted by standard white dwarf models. In particular, we find that for this metallicity and for white dwarf masses smaller than about 0.6 M_☉, nuclear reactions are the main contributor to the stellar luminosity for luminosities as low as log (L/L_☉) ≃ −3.2. This, in turn, should have a noticeable impact in the white dwarf luminosity function of low-metallicity stellar populations.

Quasi-periodic propagating intensity disturbances (PDs) have been observed in large coronal loops in EUV images over a decade, and are widely accepted to be slow magnetosonic waves. However, spectroscopic observations from Hinode/EIS revealed their association with persistent coronal upflows, making this interpretation debatable. Motivated by the scenario that the coronal upflows could be the cumulative result of numerous individual flow pulses generated by sporadic heating events (nanoflares) at the loop base, we construct a velocity driver with repetitive tiny pulses, whose energy frequency distribution follows the flare power-law scaling. We then perform three-dimensional MHD modeling of an idealized bipolar active region by applying this broadband velocity driver at the footpoints of large coronal loops which appear open in the computational domain. Our model successfully reproduces the PDs with similar features as the observed, and shows that any upflow pulses inevitably excite slow magnetosonic wave disturbances propagating along the loop. We find that the generated PDs are dominated by the wave signature as their propagation speeds are consistent with the wave speed in the presence of flows, and the injected flows rapidly decelerate with height. Our simulation results suggest that the observed PDs and associated persistent upflows may be produced by small-scale impulsive heating events (nanoflares) at the loop base in the corona, and that the flows and waves may both contribute to the PDs at lower heights.

IGR J18219−1347 is a hard X-ray source discovered by INTEGRAL in 2010. We have analyzed the X-ray emission of this source exploiting the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey data up to 2012 March and the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) data that include also an observing campaign performed in early 2012. The source is detected at a significance level of ∼13 standard deviations in the 88 month BAT survey data, and shows a strong variability along the survey monitoring, going from high intensity to quiescent states. A timing analysis on the BAT data revealed an intensity modulation with a period of P₀ = 72.44 ± 0.3 days. The significance of this modulation is about seven standard deviations in Gaussian statistics. We interpret it as the orbital period of the binary system. The light curve folded at P₀ shows a sharp peak covering ∼30% of the period, superimposed to a flat level roughly consistent with zero. In the soft X-rays the source is detected only in 5 out of 12 XRT observations, with the highest recorded count rate corresponding to a phase close to the BAT folded light-curve peak. The long orbital period and the evidence that the source emits only during a small fraction of the orbit suggests that the IGR J18219−1347 binary system hosts a Be star. The broadband XRT+BAT spectrum is well modeled with a flat absorbed power law with a high-energy exponential cutoff at ∼11 keV.

We report on the temporal and spectral properties of the high-mass X-ray binary IGR J16283–4838 in the hard X-ray band. We searched the first 88 months of Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey data for long-term periodic modulations. We also investigated the broad band (0.2–150 keV) spectral properties of IGR J16283–4838 complementing the BAT dataset with soft X-ray data from the available Swift-XRT pointed observations. The BAT light curve of IGR J16283–4838 revealed a periodic modulation at P_o = 287.6 ± 1.7 days (with a significance higher than 4 standard deviations). The profile of the light curve folded at P_o shows a sharp peak lasting ∼12 days over a flat plateau. The long-term light curve also shows a ∼300 day interval of prolonged enhanced emission. The observed phenomenology suggests that IGR J16283–4838 has a Be nature, where the narrow periodic peaks and the ∼300 day outburst can be interpreted as Type I and Type II outbursts, respectively. The broad band 0.2–150 keV spectrum can be described with an absorbed power-law and a steepening in the BAT energy range.

We report on optical photopolarimetric results of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (RL-NLSy1) galaxy PMN J0948+0022 on 2012 December to 2013 February triggered by flux enhancements in the near infrared and γ-ray bands. With the one-shot polarimetry of the Hiroshima One-shot Wide field Polarimeter installed on the Kanata Telescope, we detected very rapid variability in the polarized-flux (PF) light curve on MJD 56281 (2012 December 20). The rise and decay times were about 140 s and 180 s, respectively. The polarization degree (PD) reached 36% ± 3% at the peak of the short-duration pulse, while the polarization angle remained almost constant. In addition, temporal profiles of the total flux and PD showed highly variable but well correlated behavior and discrete correlation function analysis revealed that no significant time lag of more than 10 minutes was present. The high PD and minute-scale variability in PF provides clear evidence of synchrotron radiation from a very compact emission region of ∼10¹⁴ cm size with a highly ordered magnetic field. Such micro-variability of polarization is also observed in several blazar jets, but its complex relation between total flux and PD are explained by a multi-zone model in several blazars. The implied single emission region in PMN J0948+0022 might reflect a difference of jets between RL-NLSy1s and blazars.

We present chemical abundances for 27 elements ranging from oxygen to erbium in the metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −1.67) bulge red giant branch star 2MASS 18174532–3353235. The results are based on equivalent width and spectrum synthesis analyses of a high-resolution (R ∼ 30, 000) spectrum obtained with the Magellan-MIKE spectrograph. While the light (Z ≲ 30) element abundance patterns match those of similar metallicity bulge and halo stars, the strongly enhanced heavy element abundances are more similar to "r-II" halo stars (e.g., CS 22892–052) typically found at [Fe/H] ≲ − 2.5. We find that the heaviest elements (Z ⩾ 56) closely follow the scaled-solar r-process abundance pattern. We do not find evidence supporting significant s-process contributions; however, the intermediate mass elements (e.g., Y and Zr) appear to have been produced through a different process than the heaviest elements. The light and heavy element abundance patterns of 2MASS 18174532–3353235 are in good agreement with the more metal-poor r-process enhanced stars CS 22892–052 and BD +17^o3248. 2MASS 18174532–3353235 also shares many chemical characteristics with the similar metallicity but comparatively α-poor Ursa Minor dwarf galaxy giant COS 82. Interestingly, the Mo and Ru abundances of 2MASS 18174532–3353235 are also strongly enhanced and follow a similar trend recently found to be common in moderately metal-poor main-sequence turn-off halo stars.

We present flux density measurements and pulse profiles for the millisecond pulsar PSR J2145−0750 spanning 37 to 81 MHz using data obtained from the first station of the Long Wavelength Array. These measurements represent the lowest frequency detection of pulsed emission from a millisecond pulsar to date. We find that the pulse profile is similar to that observed at 102 MHz. We also find that the flux density spectrum between ≈40 MHz to 5 GHz is suggestive of a break and may be better fit by a model that includes spectral curvature with a rollover around 730 MHz rather than a single power law.

We present the MOSFIRE spectroscopy of 13 candidate z ∼ 8 galaxies selected as Y-dropouts as part of the Brightest of Reionization Galaxies pure parallel survey. We detect no significant Lyα emission (our median 1σ rest-frame equivalent width sensitivity is in the range 2–16 Å). Using the Bayesian framework derived in a previous paper, we perform a rigorous analysis of a statistical subsample of non-detections for 10 Y-dropouts, including data from the literature, to study the cosmic evolution of the Lyα emission of Lyman break galaxies. We find that Lyα emission is suppressed at z ∼ 8 by at least a factor of three with respect to z ∼ 6 continuing the downward trend found by previous studies of z-dropouts at z ∼ 7. This finding suggests a dramatic evolution in the conditions of the intergalactic or circumgalactic media in just 300 Myr, consistent with the onset of reionization or changes in the physical conditions of the first generations of star-forming regions.

Using a newly developed modeling technique, we present orbit-based dynamical models of the Carina, Draco, Fornax, Sculptor, and Sextans dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. These models calculate the dark matter profiles non-parametrically without requiring any assumptions to be made about their profile shapes. By lifting this restriction, we discover a host of dark matter profiles in the dSphs that are different from the typical profiles suggested by both theorists and observers. However, when we scale these profiles appropriately and plot them on a common axis, they appear to follow an approximate r⁻¹ power law with considerable scatter.

We have observed a cluster forming clump (MM3) associated with the infrared dark cloud G34.43+00.24 in the 1.3 mm continuum and the CH₃OH, CS, ¹³CS, SiO, CH₃CH₂CN, and HCOOCH₃ lines with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and in K-band with the Keck telescope. We have found a young outflow toward the center of this clump in the SiO, CS, and CH₃OH lines. This outflow is likely driven by a protostar embedded in a hot core, which is traced by the CH₃CH₂CN, HCOOCH₃, ¹³CS, and high excitation CH₃OH lines. The size of the hot core is about 800 × 300 AU in spite of its low mass (<1.1 M_☉), suggesting a high accretion rate or the presence of multiple star system harboring a few hot corinos. The outflow is highly collimated, and the dynamical timescale is estimated to be less than 740 yr. In addition, we have also detected extended emission of SiO, CS, and CH₃OH, which is not associated with the hot core and the outflow. This emission may be related to past star formation activity in the clump. Although G34.43+00.24 MM3 is surrounded by a dark feature in infrared, it has already experienced active formation of low-mass stars in an early stage of clump evolution.

Plasma flows within prominences/filaments have been observed for many years and hold valuable clues concerning the mass and energy balance within these structures. Previous observations of these flows primarily come from Hα and cool extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lines (e.g., 304 Å) where estimates of the size of the prominence threads has been limited by the resolution of the available instrumentation. Evidence of "counter-steaming" flows has previously been inferred from these cool plasma observations, but now, for the first time, these flows have been directly imaged along fundamental filament threads within the million degree corona (at 193 Å). In this work, we present observations of an AR filament observed with the High-resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) that exhibits anti-parallel flows along adjacent filament threads. Complementary data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager are presented. The ultra-high spatial and temporal resolution of Hi-C allow the anti-parallel flow velocities to be measured (70–80 km s⁻¹) and gives an indication of the resolvable thickness of the individual strands (08 ± 01). The temperature of the plasma flows was estimated to be log T (K) = 5.45 ± 0.10 using Emission Measure loci analysis. We find that SDO/AIA cannot clearly observe these anti-parallel flows or measure their velocity or thread width due to its larger pixel size. We suggest that anti-parallel/counter-streaming flows are likely commonplace within all filaments and are currently not observed in EUV due to current instrument spatial resolution.