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At least 1,099 records · Page 61

A 12 MINUTE ORBITAL PERIOD DETACHED WHITE DWARF ECLIPSING BINARY

We have discovered a detached pair of white dwarfs (WDs) with a 12.75 minute orbital period and a 1315 km s{sup -1} radial velocity amplitude. We measure the full orbital parameters of the system using its light curve, which shows ellipsoidal variations, Doppler boosting, and primary and secondary eclipses. The primary is a 0.25 M{sub sun} tidally distorted helium WD, only the second tidally distorted WD known. The unseen secondary is a 0.55 M{sub sun} carbon-oxygen WD. The two WDs will come into contact in 0.9 Myr due to loss of energy and angular momentum via gravitational wave radiation. Upon contact the systems may merge (yielding a rapidly spinning massive WD), form a stable interacting binary, or possibly explode as an underluminous Type Ia supernova. The system currently has a gravitational wave strain of 10{sup -22}, about 10,000 times larger than the Hulse-Taylor pulsar; this system would be detected by the proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna gravitational wave mission in the first week of operation. This system's rapid change in orbital period will provide a fundamental test of general relativity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Joint analysis of 6dFGS and SDSS peculiar velocities for the growth rate of cosmic structure and tests of gravity

ABSTRACT Measurement of peculiar velocities by combining redshifts and distance indicators is a powerful way to measure the growth rate of a cosmic structure and test theories of gravity at low redshift. Here we constrain the growth rate of the structure by comparing observed Fundamental Plane peculiar velocities for 15 894 galaxies from the 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with predicted velocities and densities from the 2M++ redshift survey. We measure the velocity scale parameter $\beta \equiv {\Omega _{\rm m}^\gamma }/b = 0.372^{+0.034}_{-0.050}$ and $0.314^{+0.031}_{-0.047}$ for 6dFGS and SDSS, respectively, where Ωm is the mass density parameter, γ is the growth index, and b is the bias parameter normalized to the characteristic luminosity of galaxies, L*. Combining 6dFGS and SDSS, we obtain β = 0.341 ± 0.024, implying that the amplitude of the product of the growth rate and the mass fluctuation amplitude is fσ8 = 0.338 ± 0.027 at an effective redshift z = 0.035. Adopting Ωm = 0.315 ± 0.007, as favoured by Planck and using γ = 6/11 for General Relativity and γ = 11/16 for DGP gravity, we get $S_8(z=0) = \sigma _8 \sqrt{\Omega _{\rm m}/0.3} =0.637 \pm 0.054$ and 0.741 ± 0.062 for GR and DGP, respectively. This measurement agrees with other low-redshift probes of large-scale structure but deviates by more than 3σ from the latest Planck CMB measurement. Our results favour values of the growth index γ > 6/11 or a Hubble constant H0 > 70 km s−1 Mpc−1 or a fluctuation amplitude σ8 < 0.8 or some combination of these. Imminent redshift surveys such as Taipan, DESI, WALLABY, and SKA1-MID will help to resolve this tension by measuring the growth rate of cosmic structure to 1 per cent in the redshift range 0 < z < 1.

Said, Khaled↗

Singling out modified gravity parameters and data sets reveals a dichotomy between Planck and lensing

ABSTRACT An important route to testing general relativity (GR) at cosmological scales is usually done by constraining modified gravity (MG) parameters added to the Einstein perturbed equations. Most studies have analysed so far constraints on pairs of MG parameters, but here, we explore constraints on one parameter at a time while fixing the other at its GR value. This allows us to analyse various models while benefiting from a stronger constraining power from the data. We also explore which specific data sets are in tension with GR. We find that models with (μ = 1, η) and (μ, η = 1) exhibit a 3.9σ and 3.8σ departure from GR when using Planck18 + Supernovae type Ia (SNe) + Baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), while (μ, η) shows a tension of 3.4σ. We find no tension with GR for models with the MG parameter Σ fixed to its GR value. Using a Bayesian model selection analysis, we find that some one-parameter MG models are moderately favoured over ΛCDM when using all data set combinations except Planck cosmic microwave background lensing and dark energy survey data. Namely, Planck18 shows a moderate tension with GR that only increases when adding any combination of redshift space distortion, SNe, or BAO. However, adding lensing diminishes or removes these tensions, which can be attributed to the ability of lensing in constraining the MG parameter Σ. The two overall groups of data sets are found to have a dichotomy when performing consistency tests with GR, which may be due to systematic effects, lack of constraining power, or modelling. These findings warrant further investigation using more precise data from ongoing and future surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Gravitomagnetic vorticity generation in black hole accretion discs: a potential spatial constraint on plasma flow stability

We calculate the vorticity generation rate in the accretion disc near a slowly rotating black hole in the low-velocity, weak-field limit of general relativity. Specifically, we find that the frame-dragging effect due to the black hole’s rotation – manifested through the gravitomagnetic field – can generate vorticity in a moving plasma in the accretion disc. The mechanism remains operational as long as the accretion disc has non-negligible vertical height and is independent of the exact thermodynamical profile of the disc. The enstrophy density generation rate, as a measure of turbulence and dissipation, is presented, which indicates that the frame-dragging effect can disrupt the stability of the disc away from the z = 0 plane.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Testing horndeski gravity with S2 star orbit

ABSTRACT We have explored a completely new and alternative way to restrict the parameter space of Horndeski theory of gravity. Using its Newtonian limit, it is possible to test the theory at a regime where, given its complexity and the small magnitude of the expected effects, it is poorly probed. At Newtonian level, it gives rise to a generalized Yukawa-like Newtonian potential which we have tested using S2 star orbit data. Our model adds five parameters to the General Relativity model, and the analysis constrains two of them with unprecedented precision to these energy scales, while it only gives an exclusion region for the remaining parameters. We have shown the potential of weak-field tests to constrain Horndeski gravity opening, as a matter of fact, which is a new avenue that deserves to be further, and deeply, explored in the near future.

Della Monica, R. (ORCID:0000000238429297)↗

Magnetic frame-dragging correction to the electromagnetic solution of a compact neutron star

ABSTRACT Neutron stars are usually modelled as spherical, rotating perfect conductors with a predominant intrinsic dipolar magnetic field anchored to their stellar crust. Due to their compactness, General Relativity corrections must be accounted for in Maxwell’s equations, leading to modified interior and exterior electromagnetic solutions. We present analytical solutions for slowly rotating magnetized neutron stars, taking into account the magnetic frame-dragging correction. For typical compactness values, i.e. Rs ∼ 0.5 [R*], we show that the new terms lead to a per cent order correction in the magnetic field orientation and strength compared to the case, with no magnetic frame-dragging correction. Also, we obtain a self-consistent redistribution of the surface azimuthal current. We verify the validity of the derived solution through two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of an isolated neutron star. Defining the azimuthal electric and magnetic field amplitudes during the transient phase as observables, we prove that the magnetic frame-dragging correction reduces the transient wave amplitude, as expected from the analytical solution. We show that simulations are more accurate and stable, when we include all first-order terms. The increased accuracy at lower spatiotemporal resolutions translates into a reduction in simulation runtimes.

Torres, R. (ORCID:0000000291820228)↗

The r -modes of slowly rotating, stratified neutron stars

ABSTRACT The only r-modes that exist in a globally barotropic, rotating, Newtonian star are the fundamental l = |m| solutions, where l and m are the indices of the spherical harmonic $Y_l^m$ that describe the mode’s angular dependence. This is in stark contrast to a stellar model that is non-barotropic throughout its interior, which hosts all the l ≥ |m| perturbations including radial overtones. In reality, neutron stars are stratified with locally barotropic regions. Therefore, we explore how stratification alters a star’s ability to support r-modes. We consider the globally stratified case and examine the behaviour of the modes as the star gets close to barotropicity. In this limit, we find that all but the fundamental l = |m| perturbations change character and become generic inertial modes. Restricting the analysis to l = |m| perturbations, we develop the r-mode equations in order to consider stellar models that exhibit local barotropicity. Our results for such models show that the r-mode overtones diverge and join the inertial modes. In order to see which r-modes persist and retain their character in realistic neutron stars, these calculations will need to be brought into full general relativity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Exploring modified gravity: constraints on the μ and Σ parametrization with WMAP , ACT, and SPT

ABSTRACT The cosmic acceleration problem remains one of the most significant challenges in cosmology. One of the proposed solutions to this problem is the modification of gravity on large scales. In this paper, we explore the well-known μ–Σ parametrization scenarios and confront them with observational data, including the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), and South Pole Telescope (SPT), as well as large-scale structure data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS; baryon acoustic oscillation + redshift-space distortion) and Pantheon supernova (SN) catalogue. We employ a Bayesian framework to constrain the model parameters and discuss the implications of our results on the viability of modified gravity theories. Our analysis reveals the strengths and limitations of the μ–Σ parametrization and provides valuable insights into the nature of gravity on cosmological scales. From the joint analysis of the ACT + WMAP + SDSS + SN, we find μ0 − 1 = 0.02 ± 0.19 and Σ0 − 1 = 0.021 ± 0.068 at 68 per cent confidence level (CL). In light of the SPT + WMAP + SDSS + SN, we find μ0 − 1 = 0.07 ± 0.18 and $\Sigma _0 -1 = -0.009^{+0.078}_{-0.11}$ at 68 per cent CL. In all the analyses carried out, we do not find any deviations from the theory of general relativity. Our results represent an observational update on the well-known μ–Σ parametrization in view of current CMB data, independent of and competitive with the constraints obtained with the Planck data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Reducing model error using optimized galaxy selection: weak lensing cluster mass estimation

Galaxy clusters are one of the most powerful probes to study extensions of General Relativity and the Standard Cosmological Model. Upcoming surveys like the Vera Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time are expected to revolutionise the field, by enabling the analysis of cluster samples of unprecedented size and quality. To reach this era of high-precision cluster cosmology, the mitigation of sources of systematic error is crucial. A particularly important challenge is bias in cluster mass measurements induced by the mismodelling of photometric redshift estimates of source galaxies. This work proposes a method to optimise the source sample selection in cluster weak lensing analyses drawn from wide-field survey lensing catalogs to reduce the bias on reconstructed cluster masses. We use a combinatorial optimisation scheme and methods from variational inference to select galaxies in latent space to produce a probabilistic galaxy source sample catalog for highly accurate cluster mass estimation. We show that our method reduces the critical surface mass density Σ crit relative modelling bias on the 60-70% level, while maintaining up to 90% of galaxies. We highlight that our methodology has applications beyond cluster mass estimation as an approach to jointly combine galaxy selection and model inference under sources of systematics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The impact of camera optical alignments on weak lensing measures for the Dark Energy Survey

Telescope point spread function (PSF) quality is critical for realizing the potential of cosmic weak lensing observations to constrain dark energy and test general relativity. In this paper, we use quantitative weak gravitational lensing measures to inform the precision of lens optical alignment, with specific reference to the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We compute optics spot diagrams and calculate the shear and flexion of the PSF as a function of position on the focal plane. For perfect optical alignment, we verify the high quality of the DES optical design, finding a maximum PSF contribution to the weak lensing shear of 0.04 near the edge of the focal plane. However, this can be increased by a factor of approximately 3 if the lenses are only just aligned within their maximum specified tolerances. We calculate the E- and B-mode shear and flexion variance as a function of the decentre or tilt of each lens in turn. We find tilt accuracy to be a few times more important than decentre, depending on the lens considered. Finally, we consider the compound effect of decentre and tilt of multiple lenses simultaneously, by sampling from a plausible range of values of each parameter. We find that the compound effect can be around twice as detrimental as when considering any one lens alone. Furthermore, this combined effect changes the conclusions about which lens is most important to align accurately. For DES, the tilt of the first two lenses is the most important.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Lensing is low: cosmology, galaxy formation or new physics?

Here, we introduce high signal-to-noise galaxy-galaxy lensing measurements of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey constant mass (CMASS) sample using 250 deg 2 of weak-lensing data from Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Stripe 82 Survey. We compare this signal with predictions from mock catalogues trained to match observables including the stellar mass function and the projected and two-dimensional clustering of CMASS. We show that the clustering of CMASS, together with standard models of the galaxy-halo connection, robustly predicts a lensing signal that is 20-40 per cent larger than observed. Detailed tests show that our results are robust to a variety of systematic effects. Lowering the value of S 8 = σ 8 √{Ω m /0.3 compared to Planck Collaboration XIII reconciles the lensing with clustering. However, given the scale of our measurement (r < 10 h -1 Mpc), other effects may also be at play and need to be taken into consideration. We explore the impact of baryon physics, assembly bias, massive neutrinos and modifications to general relativity on ΔΣ and show that several of these effects may be non-negligible given the precision of our measurement. Disentangling cosmological effects from the details of the galaxy-halo connection, the effect of baryons, and massive neutrinos, is the next challenge facing joint lensing and clustering analyses. This is particularly true in the context of large galaxy samples from Baryon Acoustic Oscillation surveys with precise measurements but complex selection functions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The clustering of galaxies in the completed SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: On the measurement of growth rate using galaxy correlation functions

We present a measurement of the linear growth rate of structure, ƒ, from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Data Release 12 (DR12) using convolution Lagrangian perturbation theory (CLPT) with Gaussian streaming redshift space distortions (GSRSD) to model the two-point statistics of BOSS galaxies in DR12. The BOSS-DR12 data set includes 1198 006 massive galaxies spread over the redshift range 0.2 < z < 0.75. These galaxy samples are categorized in three redshift bins. Using CLPT-GSRSD in our analysis of the combined sample of the three redshift bins, we report measurements of fσ8 for the three redshift bins. We find ƒσ 8 = 0.430 ± 0.054 at z eff = 0.38, ƒσ 8 = 0.452 ± 0.057 at z eff = 0.51 and ƒσ 8 = 0.457 ± 0.052 at z eff = 0.61. Our results are consistent with the predictions of Planck Λ cold dark matter-general relativity. Our constraints on the growth rates of structure in the Universe at different redshifts serve as a useful probe, which can help distinguish between a model of the Universe based on dark energy and models based on modified theories of gravity. This paper is part of a set that analyses the final galaxy clustering data set from BOSS. Lastly, the measurements and likelihoods presented here are combined with others in Alam et al., to produce the final cosmological constraints from BOSS.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The clustering of the SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey DR14 quasar sample: a tomographic measurement of cosmic structure growth and expansion rate based on optimal redshift weights

We develop a new method, which is based on the optimal redshift weighting scheme, to extract the maximal tomographic information of baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) and redshift space distortions (RSD) from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) Data Release 14 quasar (DR14Q) survey. We validate our method using the Extended Zel’dovich mocks, and apply our pipeline to the eBOSS DR14Q sample in the redshift range of 0.8 < z < 2.2. We report a joint measurement of fσ8 and two-dimensional BAO parameters D A and H at four effective redshifts of z eff = 0.98, 1.23, 1.52, and 1.94, and provide the full data covariance matrix. Using our measurement combined with BOSS DR12, Main Galaxy Sample (MGS), and 6 degree Field Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) BAO measurements, we find that the existence of dark energy is supported by observations at a 7.4σ significance level. Combining our measurement with BOSS DR12 and Planck observations, we constrain the gravitational growth index to be γ = 0.580 ± 0.082, which is fully consistent with the prediction of general relativity. This paper is part of a set that analyses the eBOSS DR14 quasar sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The clustering of the SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey DR14 quasar sample: measurement of the growth rate of structure from the anisotropic correlation function between redshift 0.8 and 2.2

We present the clustering measurements of quasars in configuration space based on the Data Release 14 (DR14) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS). This data set includes 148 659 quasars spread over the redshift range 0.8 ≤ z ≤ 2.2 and spanning 2112.9 deg 2 . We use the Convolution Lagrangian Perturbation Theory approach with a Gaussian Streaming model for the redshift space distortions of the correlation function and demonstrate its applicability for dark matter haloes hosting eBOSS quasar tracers. At the effective redshift z eff = 1.52, we measure the linear growth rate of structure fσ 8 (zeff) = 0.426 ± 0.077, the expansion rate H(z eff ) = 159$+12\atop{-13}$(r$fid\atop{s}$ /r s ) kms -1 Mpc -1 , and the angular diameter distance DA(z eff ) = 1850$+90\atop{-115}$ (r s /r$fid\atop{s}$) Mpc, where r s is the sound horizon at the end of the baryon drag epoch and rfid s is its value in the fiducial cosmology. The quoted uncertainties include both systematic and statistical contributions. The results on the evolution of distances are consistent with the predictions of flat Λ-cold dark matter cosmology with Planck parameters, and the measurement of fσ 8 extends the validity of General Relativity to higher redshifts (z > 1). This paper is released with companion papers using the same sample. The results on the cosmological parameters of the studies are found to be in very good agreement, providing clear evidence of the complementarity and of the robustness of the first full-shape clustering measurements with the eBOSS DR14 quasar sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Is the dark-matter halo spin a predictor of galaxy spin and size?

ABSTRACT The similarity between the distributions of spins for galaxies (λgal) and for dark-matter haloes (λhalo), indicated both by simulations and observations, is naively interpreted as a one-to-one correlation between the spins of a galaxy and its host halo. This is used to predict galaxy sizes in semi-analytic models via Re ≃ fjλhaloRvir, where Re is the half-mass radius of the galaxy, fj is the angular momentum retention factor, and Rvir is the halo radius. Using two suites of zoom-in cosmological simulations, we find that λgal and the λhalo of its host halo are in fact barely correlated, especially at z ≥ 1, in line with previous indications. Since the spins of baryons and dark matter are correlated at accretion into Rvir, the null correlation in the end reflects an anticorrelation between fj and λhalo, which can arise from mergers and a ‘wet compaction’ phase that many high-redshift galaxies undergo. It may also reflect that unrepresentative small fractions of baryons are tapped to the galaxies. The galaxy spin is better correlated with the spin of the inner halo, but this largely reflects the effect of the baryons on the halo. While λhalo is not a useful predictor for Re, our simulations reproduce a general relation of the form of Re = ARvir, in agreement with observational estimates. We find that the relation becomes tighter with A = 0.02(c/10)−0.7, where c is the halo concentration, which in turn introduces a dependence on mass and redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Probing cosmic velocities with the pairwise kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich signal in DESI Bright Galaxy Sample DR1 and ACT DR6

We present a measurement of the pairwise kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (kSZ) signal using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Bright Galaxy Sample (BGS) Data Release 1 (DR1) galaxy sample overlapping with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) CMB temperature map. Our analysis makes use of 1.6 million galaxies with stellar masses log⁡ 𝑀 ⋆ /𝑀 ⊙ >10, and we explore measurements across a range of aperture sizes (2.1′ <𝜃 ap <3.5′) and stellar mass selections. This statistic directly probes the velocity field of the large-scale structure, a unique observable of cosmic dynamics and modified gravity. In particular, at low redshifts, this quantity is especially interesting, as deviations from General Relativity are expected to be largest. Notably, our result represents the highest-significance low-redshift (𝑧 ∼ 0.3) detection of the kSZ pairwise effect yet. In our most optimal configuration (𝜃 ap =3.3′, log⁡ 𝑀 ⋆ >11), we achieve a 5⁢𝜎 detection. Assuming that an estimate of the optical depth and galaxy bias of the sample exists via e.g., external observables, this measurement constrains the fundamental cosmological combination 𝐻 0 ⁡𝑓⁡𝜎$^2_8$. A key challenge is the degeneracy with the galaxy optical depth. We address this by combining CMB lensing, which allows us to infer the halo mass and galaxy population properties, with hydrodynamical simulation estimates of the mean optical depth, $\bar{𝜏}$ . We stress that this is a proof-of-concept analysis; with BGS DR2 data we expect to improve the statistical precision by roughly a factor of two, paving the way toward robust tests of modified gravity with kSZ-informed velocity-field measurements at low redshift.

Hadzhiyska, Boryana [Institute of Astronomy; Kavli↗

Centrality fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions

Volume or centrality fluctuations (CF) are one of the main uncertainties for interpreting the centrality dependence of many experimental observables. The CF is constrained by centrality selection based on particle multiplicity in a reference subevent and contributes to observables measured in another subevent. Using a Glauber-based independent source model, we study the influence of CF on several distributions of multiplicity N and eccentricities ε n : p(N), p(ε n ), p(ε n ,ε m ), and p(N,ε n ), where the effects of CF are quantified using multiparticle cumulants of these distributions. In midcentral collisions, a general relation is established between the multiplicity fluctuation and resulting CF in the reference subevent. In ultracentral collisions, where distribution of particle production sources is strongly distorted, we find these cumulants exhibit rich sign-change patterns, due to observable-dependent non-Gaussianity in the underlying distributions. The details of sign-change pattern change with the size of the collision systems. Simultaneous comparison of these different types of cumulants between model prediction and experimental data can be used to constrain the CF and particle production mechanism in heavy-ion collisions. Since the concepts of centrality and CF are expected to fluctuate in the longitudinal direction within a single event, we propose to use the pseudorapidity-separated subevent cumulant method to explore the nature of intraevent fluctuations of centrality and collective dynamics. The subevent method can be applied for any bulk observable that is sensitive to centrality and has the potential to separate different mechanisms for multiplicity and flow fluctuations happening at different timescales. As a result, the forward detector upgrades at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider will greatly enhance such studies in the future.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Impact of transforming to conformal Fermi coordinates on quasisingle field non-Gaussianity

In general relativity, predictions for observable quantities can be expressed in a coordinate independent way. Nonetheless it may be inconvenient to do so. Using a particular frame may be the easiest way to connect theoretical predictions to measurable quantities. For the cosmological curvature bispectrum such frame is described by the conformal Fermi coordinates. In single field inflation it was shown that going to this frame cancels the squeezed limit of the density perturbation bispectrum calculated in global coordinates. Furthermore, we explore this issue in quasisingle field inflation when the curvaton mass and the curvaton-inflaton mixing are small. In this case, the contribution to the bispectrum from the coordinate transformation to conformal Fermi coordinates is of the same order as that from the inflaton-curvaton interaction term but does not cancel it.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗