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At least 595 records · Page 33

The K2 Galactic Archaeology Program Data Release 3: Age-abundance Patterns in C1–C8 and C10–C18

We present the third and final data release of the K2 Galactic Archaeology Program (K2 GAP) for Campaigns C1–C8 and C10–C18. We provide asteroseismic radius and mass coefficients, κ R and κ M , for ~19,000 red giant stars, which translate directly to radius and mass given a temperature. As such, K2 GAP DR3 represents the largest asteroseismic sample in the literature to date. K2 GAP DR3 stellar parameters are calibrated to be on an absolute parallactic scale based on Gaia DR2, with red giant branch and red clump evolutionary state classifications provided via a machine-learning approach. Combining these stellar parameters with GALAH DR3 spectroscopy, we determine asteroseismic ages with precisions of ~20%–30% and compare age-abundance relations to Galactic chemical evolution models among both low- and high-α populations for α, light, iron-peak, and neutron-capture elements. We confirm recent indications in the literature of both increased Ba production at late Galactic times as well as significant contributions to r-process enrichment from prompt sources associated with, e.g., core-collapse supernovae. With an eye toward other Galactic archeology applications, we characterize K2 GAP DR3 uncertainties and completeness using injection tests, suggesting that K2 GAP DR3 is largely unbiased in mass/age, with uncertainties of 2.9% (stat.) ± 0.1% (syst.) and 6.7% (stat.) ± 0.3% (syst.) in κ R and κ M for red giant branch stars and 4.7% (stat.) ± 0.3% (syst.) and 11% (stat.) ± 0.9% (syst.) for red clump stars. We also identify percent-level asteroseismic systematics, which are likely related to the time baseline of the underlying data, and which therefore should be considered in TESS asteroseismic analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Measuring the Hubble Constant with Dark Neutron Star–Black Hole Mergers

Abstract Detection of gravitational waves (GWs) from neutron star-black hole (NSBH) standard sirens provides local measurements of the Hubble constant (H 0 ), regardless of the detection of an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart, given that matter effects can be exploited to break the redshift degeneracy of the GW waveforms. The distinctive merger morphology and the high-redshift detectability of tidally disrupted NSBH make them promising candidates for this method. Also, the detection prospects of an EM counterpart for these systems will be limited toz< 0.8 in the optical, in the era of future GW detectors. Using recent constraints on the equation of state of NSs from multi-messenger observations of NICER and LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA, we show the prospects of measuringH 0 solely from GW observation of NSBH systems, achievable by the Einstein telescope (ET) and Cosmic Explorer (CE) detectors. We first analyze individual events to quantify the effect of high-frequency (≥500 Hz) tidal distortions on the inference of NS tidal deformability parameter (Λ) and hence onH 0 . We find that disruptive mergers can constrain Λ up to  ( 60 % ) more precisely than nondisruptive ones. However, this precision is not sufficient to place stringent constraints on theH 0 from individual events. By performing Bayesian analysis on simulated NSBH data (up toN= 100 events, corresponding to a day of observation) in the ET+CE detectors, we find that NSBH systems enable unbiased 4%–13% precision on the estimate ofH 0 (68% credible interval). This is a similar measurement precision found in studies analyzing NSBH mergers with EM counterparts in the LVKC O5 era.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

$\mathrm{D}$ark$\mathrm{F}$lux: A new tool to analyze indirect-detection spectra of next-generation dark matter models

Here we present DarkFlux, a software tool designed to analyze indirect-detection signatures for next-generation models of dark matter (DM) with multiple annihilation channels. Version 1.0 of this tool accepts user-generated models with 2→2 tree-level dark matter annihilation to pairs of Standard Model (SM) particles and analyzes DM annihilation to γ rays. The tool consists of three modules, which can be run in a loop in order to scan over DM mass if desired: The annihilation fraction module calls an internal installation of MadDM, a dark matter phenomenology plugin for the Monte Carlo event generator MadGraph5 _ aMC@NLO, to compute the thermally averaged cross section $\langle σv\rangle_i$ for each annihilation channel $χχ$ ($\bar{χ}$,$χ^†$)→ i $\∈{SM, SM}. . The module then computes the fractional annihilation rate (annihilation fraction) into each channel. The flux module combines the flux spectrum from each annihilation channel, weighted by the appropriate annihilation fractions, to compute the total flux at Earth due to DM annihilation. In DarkFlux v1.0, this module specifically computes the γ-ray flux for each channel using the publicly available PPPC4DMID tables. The analysis module compares the total flux to observational data and computes the upper limit at 95% confidence level (CL) on the total thermally averaged DM annihilation cross section. In DarkFlux v1.0, this module compares the total γ-ray flux to a joint-likelihood analysis of fifteen dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) analyzed by the Fermi-LAT collaboration. DarkFlux v1.0 automatically provides data tables and can plot the output of these three modules. In this manual, we briefly motivate this indirect-detection computer tool and review the essential DM physics. We then describe the several modules of DarkFlux in greater detail. Finally, we show how to install and run DarkFlux and provide two worked examples demonstrating its capabilities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

LSST Undergraduate Internships at Fermilab

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) plans to leverage the laboratory’s long tradition of hosting internships in high-energy physics and cosmology by setting up a mentoring laboratory program for undergraduate students to study data and model driven Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) science at the laboratory’s Center for Particle Astrophysics. The laboratory program will form an intern group that will explore the science of combining of LSST analysis using DC2 simulations and CosmoSIS modeling. Interns will be empowered to learn from each other while under the supervision of experienced cosmic frontier scientists, a model that has been successful in the laboratory setting. In addition, many of these undergraduate interns will form future candidate graduate student classes

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Construction and Operation of 1-5 Micron Array Camera (Minne-Cam) for the University of Minnesota Observatories

The 1-5 Micron Imaging Infrared (IR) Camera (MinneCam) for the University of Minnesota (UM) observatories has been constructed. It is presently housed at the Mt. Lemmon Observing Facility (MLOF) in Arizona for its inaugural observing run. MinneCam is testing and comparing various observational approaches, and will produce data sets that can be used to define and test data analysis algorithms. The camera is being used in support of studies to define strategies for using NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) for observations of comets and other targets of opportunity. A long term goal is to modify the instrument to accommodate imaging polarimetry. This instrument is presently putting the University of Minnesota observatories in competition with other major IR observatories and is allowing us to develop state-of-the-art instrumentation for the U of M's proposed 2.4 meter telescope proposed jointly with NOAO and the University of Colorado. The camera has provided important research opportunities for the Minnesota IR group, including other faculty and graduate students in the Department of Astronomy.

Gehrz, Robert D.↗

Cosmology with persistent homology: a Fisher forecast

Abstract Persistent homology naturally addresses the multi-scale topological characteristics of the large-scale structure as a distribution of clusters, loops, and voids. We apply this tool to the dark matter halo catalogs from theQuijotesimulations, and build a summary statistic for comparison with the joint power spectrum and bispectrum statistic regarding their information content on cosmological parameters and primordial non-Gaussianity. Through a Fisher analysis, we find that constraints from persistent homology are tighter for 8 out of the 10 parameters by margins of 13–50%. The complementarity of the two statistics breaks parameter degeneracies, allowing for a further gain in constraining power when combined. We run a series of consistency checks to consolidate our results, and conclude that our findings motivate incorporating persistent homology into inference pipelines for cosmological survey data.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

A spatially resolved spectral analysis of giant radio galaxies with MeerKAT

ABSTRACT In this study we report the spatially resolved, wideband spectral properties of three giant radio galaxies (GRGs) in the COSMOS field: MGTC J095959.63+024608.6, MGTC J100016.84+015133.0, and MGTC J100022.85+031520.4. One of these galaxies, MGTC J100022.85+031520.4, is reported here for the first time, with a projected linear size of 1.29 Mpc at a redshift of 0.1034. Unlike the other two, it is associated with a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), making it one of the few GRGs known to inhabit cluster environments. We examine the spectral age distributions of the three GRGs using new MeerKAT UHF-band (544–1088 MHz) observations, and L-band (900–1670 MHz) data from the MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey. We test two models of spectral ageing, the Jaffe–Perola and Tribble models, using the Broadband Radio Astronomy Tools (brats) software, and find that they agree well with each other. We estimate the Tribble spectral age for MGTC J095959.63+024608.6 as 68 Myr, for MGTC J100016.84+015133.0 as 47 Myr, and for MGTC J100022.85+031520.4 as 67 Myr. We find significant disagreements between these spectral age estimates and the estimates of the dynamical ages of these GRGs, modelled in cluster and group environments. Our results highlight the need for additional processes that are not accounted for in either the dynamic age or the spectral age estimations.

Charlton, K. K. L. (ORCID:0000000229252047)↗

Testing for coherence and nonstandard neutrino interactions in COHERENT data

We analyze data from the CsI, liquid Ar and Ge detectors of the COHERENT experiment and confirm within 1.5 σ that the measured elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering cross section is proportional to the square of the number of neutrons in the nucleus, as expected for coherent scattering in the standard model. We also show how various degeneracies involving nonstandard neutrino interaction parameters are broken in a combined analysis of the three datasets. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Systematics in the XENON1T data: The 15-keV anti-axion

The XENON1T collaboration Aprile et al. [2020] has found an excess of electron recoil events in their Science Run 1 data below ~7 keV with a spectral shape consistent with that expected from a solar-axion-induced signal. The claimed statistical significance of the solar-axion model over the null hypothesis is 3.5σ. In this work we provide suggestive evidence for mismodeling in the electron recoil data that may decrease the local significance of the axion model. To reach this conclusion, we search for a signal with the spectral template of the solar axion model, but shifted to higher (unphysical) energies above ~7 keV. We find that the distribution of significances found from this side-band analysis does not follow the expected chi-square distribution. For example, we find a high-significance feature in the data, with a global $p$-value $p≈0.026$, when the solar axion model is shifted upwards in energy by ~15 keV and allowed to have a negative normalization. We argue that such statistical tests, if performed a priori, provide a data-driven way to test and potentially account for systematic uncertainties on the background model in low-threshold dark matter experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Wide-angle effects for peculiar velocities

ABSTRACT The line-of-sight peculiar velocities of galaxies contribute to their observed redshifts, breaking the translational invariance of galaxy clustering down to a rotational invariance around the observer. This becomes important when the line-of-sight direction varies significantly across a survey, leading to what are known as ‘wide-angle’ effects in redshift-space distortions. Wide-angle effects will also be present in measurements of the momentum field, i.e. the galaxy density-weighted velocity field, in upcoming peculiar velocity surveys. In this work, we study how wide-angle effects modify the predicted correlation function and power spectrum for momentum statistics, both in autocorrelation and in cross-correlation with the density field. Using both linear theory and the Zel'dovich approximation, we find that deviations from the plane-parallel limit are large and could become important in data analysis for low-redshift surveys. We point out that even multipoles in the cross-correlation between density and momentum are non-zero regardless of the choice of line of sight, and therefore contain new cosmological information that could be exploited. We discuss configuration space, Fourier space, and spherical analyses; providing exact expressions in each case rather than relying on an expansion in small angles. We hope these expressions will be of use in the analysis of upcoming surveys for redshift-space distortions and peculiar velocities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Crystal gazing. Part 2: Implications of advanced in digital data storage technology

During the next 5-10 years it is likely that the bit density available in digital mass storage systems (magnetic tapes, optical and magnetic disks) will be increased to such an extent that it will greatly exceed that of the conventional photographic emulsions like IIIaJ which are used in astronomy. These developments imply that it will soon be advantageous for astronomers to use microdensitometers to completely digitize all photographic plates soon after they are developed. Distribution of digital copies of sky surveys and the contents of plate vaults will probably become feasible within ten years. Copies of other astronomical archieves (e.g., Space Telescope) could also be distributed with the same techniques. The implications for designers of future microdensitometers are: (1) there will be a continuing need for precision digitization of large-format photographic imagery, and (2) that the need for real-time analysis of the output of microdensitometers will decrease.

Wells, D. C.↗

Recent developments at JPL in the application of image processing to astronomy

Four applications of image processing to astronomy, automated location and analysis of star and galaxy images, geometric and radiometric decalibration of vidicon spectra, display of multiband radio images, and generation of high resolution polarization direction and magnitude maps from images are presented with illustrative examples. The technique by which a digital image can be analyzed automatically to locate and segregate between stars and galaxies and the steps performed by the classifier to determine the nature of each object are outlined. The classification program executed on a 48 inch Schmidt plate of the cluster of galaxies 655 is described. The calibration and decalibration steps to remove geometric and radiometric distortions from a silicon vidicon camera digital spectra are discussed. Three methods of displaying multispectral radio data, generating a mosaic of each image, producing a color coded image to depict radio velocity, and producing a stereo pair with radial velocity as depth are described. The generation of polarization information from images obtained through linear polarizing filters is illustrated, and it is concluded that in each case information was displayed using digital techniques which could not readily have been provided visually.

Lorre, J. J.↗

FASTER - A tool for DSN forecasting and scheduling

FASTER (Forecasting And Scheduling Tool for Earth-based Resources) is a suite of tools designed for forecasting and scheduling JPL's Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN is a set of antennas and other associated resources that must be scheduled for satellite communications, astronomy, maintenance, and testing. FASTER consists of MS-Windows based programs that replace two existing programs (RALPH and PC4CAST). FASTER was designed to be more flexible, maintainable, and user friendly. FASTER makes heavy use of commercial software to allow for customization by users. FASTER implements scheduling as a two pass process: the first pass calculates a predictive profile of resource utilization; the second pass uses this information to calculate a cost function used in a dynamic programming optimization step. This information allows the scheduler to 'look ahead' at activities that are not as yet scheduled. FASTER has succeeded in allowing wider access to data and tools, reducing the amount of effort expended and increasing the quality of analysis.

Werntz, David↗

FASTER -- A Tool for DSN Forecasting and Scheduling

FASTER (Forecasting And Scheduling Tool for Earth-based Resources) is a suite of tools designed for forecasting and scheduling of JPL's DSN. The DSN is a set of antennas and other associated resources that must be scheduled for satellite communications, astronomy, maintenance, and testing. FASTER is a MS-Windows based program that replaces two existing programs (RALPH and PC4CAST). FASTER was designed to be more flexible, maintainable, and user friendly. FASTER makes heavy use of commercial software to allow for customization by users. FASTER implements scheduling as a two pass process: the first pass calculates a predictive profile of resource utilization; the second pass uses this information to calculate a cost function used in a dynamic programming optimization step. This information allows the scheduler to "look ahead" at activities that are not as yet scheduled. FASTER has succeeded in allowing wider access to data and tools, reducing the amount of effort expended and increasing the quality of analysis.

forecasting↗

KELT-11 b: Abundances of Water and Constraints on Carbon-bearing Molecules from the Hubble Transmission Spectrum

In the past decade, the analysis of exoplanet atmospheric spectra has revealed the presence of water vapor in almost all the planets observed, with the exception of a fraction of overcast planets. Indeed, water vapor presents a large absorption signature in the wavelength coverage of the Hubble Space Telescope’s (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), which is the main space-based observatory for atmospheric studies of exoplanets, making its detection very robust. However, while carbon-bearing species such as methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide are also predicted from current chemical models, their direct detection and abundance characterization has remained a challenge. Here we analyze the transmission spectrum of the puffy, clear hot-Jupiter KELT-11 b from the HST WFC3 camera. We find that the spectrum is consistent with the presence of water vapor and an additional absorption at longer wavelengths than 1.5 μm, which could well be explained by a mix of carbon bearing molecules. CO{sub 2}, when included is systematically detected. One of the main difficulties to constrain the abundance of those molecules is their weak signatures across the HST WFC3 wavelength coverage, particularly when compared to those of water. Through a comprehensive retrieval analysis, we attempt to explain the main degeneracies present in this data set and explore some of the recurrent challenges that are occurring in retrieval studies (e.g., the impact of model selection, the use of free versus self-consistent chemistry, and the combination of instrument observations). Our results make this planet an exceptional example of a chemical laboratory to test current physical and chemical models of the atmospheres of hot Jupiters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Population-level Dark Energy Constraints from Strong Gravitational Lensing using Simulation-Based Inference

In this work, we present a scalable approach for inferring the dark energy equation-of-state parameter ($w$) from a population of strong gravitational lens images using Simulation-Based Inference (SBI). Strong gravitational lensing offers crucial insights into cosmology, but traditional Monte Carlo methods for cosmological inference are computationally prohibitive and inadequate for processing the thousands of lenses anticipated from future cosmic surveys. New tools for inference, such as SBI using Neural Ratio Estimation (NRE), address this challenge effectively. By training a machine learning model on simulated data of strong lenses, we can learn the likelihood-to-evidence ratio for robust inference. Our scalable approach enables more constrained population-level inference of $w$ compared to individual lens analysis, constraining $w$ to within $1\sigma$. Our model can be used to provide cosmological constraints from forthcoming strong lens surveys, such as the 4MOST Strong Lensing Spectroscopic Legacy Survey (4SLSLS), which is expected to observe 10,000 strong lenses.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Analytical Modeling of Exoplanet Transit Spectroscopy with Dimensional Analysis and Symbolic Regression

Abstract The physical characteristics and atmospheric chemical composition of newly discovered exoplanets are often inferred from their transit spectra, which are obtained from complex numerical models of radiative transfer. Alternatively, simple analytical expressions provide insightful physical intuition into the relevant atmospheric processes. The deep-learning revolution has opened the door for deriving such analytical results directly with a computer algorithm fitting to the data. As a proof of concept, we successfully demonstrate the use of symbolic regression on synthetic data for the transit radii of generic hot-Jupiter exoplanets to derive a corresponding analytical formula. As a preprocessing step, we use dimensional analysis to identify the relevant dimensionless combinations of variables and reduce the number of independent inputs, which improves the performance of the symbolic regression. The dimensional analysis also allowed us to mathematically derive and properly parameterize the most general family of degeneracies among the input atmospheric parameters that affect the characterization of an exoplanet atmosphere through transit spectroscopy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

First results from Spacelab 2

Preliminary results of physical experiments carried out during the Spacelab 2 Shuttle mission are summarized. Attention is given to experiments in the fields of plasma dynamics; solar physics; high-energy astrophysics; and astronomy. Plasma experiments included an ejectable plasma diagnosics package and measurements of the passive charging of the Shuttle vehicle in the surrounding space plasma. The solar physics instrument package consisted of a solar spectral irradiance monitor; a solar optical universal polarimeter (SOUP); and a solar helium abundance high-resolution telescope and spectrograph (HRTS). Astronomical observations were performed using a scanning infrared telescope (IRT) which consisted of a highly baffled herschelian telescope and 10 detectors covering wavelengths from 2 to 120 microns. Cosmic-ray nuclei were detected and analyzed using gas Cerenkov counters and a transition radiation detector. Addition experiments included a thin film fluid dynamics payload and analysis of blood samples taken from the mission specialists. Complete data records from the experiments have now been distributed for an analysis period which will take at least a year. A table listing the Spacelab 2 experiments and their principal investigators is provided.

Urban, E. W.↗