Peer Revenue Fully funded

Papers

Fresh from arXiv, typeset properly. Highlighted words trade on the market.

Physics Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies

astro-ph.GA Watch Astrophysics of Galaxies

Friday 21 August

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Ultra-Deep imaging of the starless galaxy candidate Cloud-9

Ignacio Trujillo, Ignacio Ruiz Cejudo, Sergio Guerra Arencibia et al. (+1 more)

We report the non-detection of stellar light associated with the dark galaxy candidate Cloud-9. Ultra-deep imaging obtained with HiPERCAM at the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) reaches surface-brightness limits of 31.4 and 31.0 mag/arcsec$^2$ in g and r, respectively, approximately ten times deeper than previous deep imaging of the region. No stellar emission is detected within the central 1'$\times$1' ($\sim$1.3$\times$1.3 kpc) region of Cloud-9. Assuming an old, metal-poor stellar population, these limits imply a stellar surface mass density of no more than $\sim$0.01 M$_\odot$/pc$^2$ and an upper limit on the total stellar mass of 1.6$\times$10$^4$ M$_\odot$. This independent constraint from integrated light complements previous limits based on resolved-star counts and strengthens the case for Cloud-9 as a candidate starless galaxy.
Read the full abstract

All authors Ignacio Trujillo, Ignacio Ruiz Cejudo, Sergio Guerra Arencibia, Mireia Montes

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Pandora cluster Lensing, AGN, and Transient Exploration (PLATE) from JWST Multi-Epoch Imaging. I. Discovery of a type II supernova candidate in a spiral galaxy at $z=0.7$

Yuxuan Pang, Xin Wang, Ping Chen et al. (+14 more)

We report the discovery and multi-wavelength analysis of a $z\sim0.7$ transient PLATE-23a in the Abell 2744 field, as the first results of the Pandora Lensing, AGN, and Transient Exploration (PLATE) project. Using multi-epoch JWST NIRCam imaging spanning from 2022 to 2025, we detect PLATE-23a in 12 filters. Difference-imaging analysis reveals its rising and declining phases. The host galaxy of PLATE-23a is a barred spiral at $z=0.688$ with a stellar mass of $\sim 10^{10.4}M_{\odot}$ and a star formation rate of $\sim5.1M_{\odot}~\rm yr^{-1}$, placing it on the star-forming main sequence. Bayesian light-curve classification strongly favors a type IIP supernova (SN) origin. It lies $\sim 13\rm kpc$ (after lensing correction) from the galaxy center in a region of low local star formation, suggesting the progenitor may have migrated from a distant star-forming clump. Physical properties derived from blackbody modeling indicate a temperature decreasing from $\sim8010\rm K$ to $\sim6100\rm K$ at around 65 days after the explosion; the late-time SED is consistent with entering the radioactive decay phase at about one rest-frame year. This work demonstrates the power of deep, multi-epoch JWST observations for studying transients at cosmological distances.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yuxuan Pang, Xin Wang, Ping Chen, Subo Dong, Hang Zhou, Shengzhe Wang, Qianqiao Zhou, Xunda Sun, Jifeng Liu, Hu Zhan, Karl Glazebrook, Ivo Labbé, Themiya Nanayakkara, David A. Coulter, Justin D. R. Pierel, Armin Rest, Jujia Zhang

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.IM

Amplifying the imaging power of digital sky surveys with space telescopes data and generative AI

Sai Teja Erukude and Lior Shamir

While Digital sky surveys provide excellent throughput of image data and can cover a large footprint, their imaging power is normally inferior to that of space-based telescopes. Space-based telescopes, on the other hand, provide excellent imaging power and can image the deep Universe, but cannot provide the same throughput as advanced ground-based sky surveys. Here, we utilize generative AI to elevate the quality of galaxy images taken by ground-based telescopes to the level of details enabled by space telescopes. The solution is based on the nature of galaxy shapes, allowing generative AI trained on space-based images to convert weak signal into detailed and clear galaxy images. The method allows for combining the high throughput of ground-based sky surveys with the image quality of space-based telescopes. The source code for the method is available, as well as paired training data and a catalog of 63,202 galaxy images enhanced by the proposed method. We also provide a software tool that encapsulates the entire pipeline and the custom generative AI model to generate galaxy images with enhanced quality.
Read the full abstract

Thursday 20 August

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Mapping the z>=5 SiIV Column Density Distribution onto the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function Using the Cumulative Absorption Cross Section

Kristian Finlator, Sam Patterson, Nora Nava et al. (+4 more)

Efforts to constrain directly the activity in low-mass galaxies confront sensitivity limits even in the JWST era. Metal absorbers offer a complementary probe and are easier to detect, but leveraging them requires a known relationship between absorber strength and host mass. To this end, many studies assume a simple monotonic relationship between absorber strength and host mass. This ansatz ignores evidence that galaxies at fixed luminosity host absorbers spanning a variety of strengths. We address this issue by deriving a six-parameter model for the cumulative absorption cross section from cosmological simulations that combines with the galaxy stellar mass function to predict the absorber column density distribution (CDD). A maximum-likelihood analysis confirms that this approach reconciles the observed galaxy stellar mass function with the observed SiIV CDD at z=5-6. The extrapolated CDD grows uncertain outside the observed range and the resulting constraints contain degeneracies, highlighting the need for improved measurements. Galaxies of all masses host absorbers of all strengths, but a weak empirical association between massive galaxies and strong absorbers is indicated. Faint galaxies (M* < 10^8 Msun) host the majority of weak SiIV absorbers (log N < 13), emphasizing emission/absorber complementarity. The assumption of a power-law relationship between absorbers' geometric cross sections and host galaxy masses is empirically disfavored. The model may be applied to any combination of ion and redshift if the galaxy stellar mass function is well-constrained. Future observational tests incorporating improved host statistics will extend the model's range.
Read the full abstract

All authors Kristian Finlator, Sam Patterson, Nora Nava, Ayanah Cason, Samir Kušmić, Ezra Huscher, Farhanul Hasan

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

On what scales does strong lensing robustly constrain the mass profile of low-mass perturbers?

Maryam Tajalli and Simona Vegetti

Galaxy-galaxy strong gravitational lensing is an established method to detect and characterise low-mass haloes, which are otherwise too faint to be directly observed. Recent analyses have shown empirically that there exists a characteristic radius within which the projected enclosed mass of these haloes can be robustly measured. Here we provide a physically and mathematically motivated definition of this robust radius based on the Fisher information matrix. We show that for any spherically symmetric smooth profile with at least two free parameters, there exists a pivot radius at which estimates of the projected mass become decorrelated from the local logarithmic slope and have minimum relative uncertainty. As a result, the projected mass within this radius can be recovered consistently by any profile that fits the data well enough. This robust radius coincides, to leading order, with the weighted geometric mean of the arc pixel distances from the halo, where the weights depend on the perturber deflection angle, the macro-model magnification, and the source surface brightness gradient. Beyond leading order, corrections are of order the weighted log-width of the arc. The data constraining power on the local properties of the halo profile beyond amplitude is shown to depend on the radial leverage of the arc around the perturber, and on the imprint of the perturber deflection angle on high signal-to-noise-ratio pixels. Our definition generalises to both subhaloes and line-of-sight haloes and naturally captures the important physical aspects of the problem and the effect of the data resolution and signal-to-noise ratio.
Read the full abstract

Astrophysics of Galaxies

An Optical Illusion: High Electron Densities Create Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxy Impostors

Tiger Yu-Yang Hsiao, Danielle A. Berg, Steven L. Finkelstein et al. (+8 more)

JWST has enabled the discovery of dozens of extremely metal-poor galaxies (EMPGs) with metallicities below $5\%\,Z_{\odot}$, representing a significant leap toward detecting the first galaxies without metals. However, accurate metallicity measurements require careful determination of physical conditions in the ionized gas. In this paper, we study four galaxies that appear to be EMPGs when analyzed using the direct $T_e$ method with the common low-density assumption ($n_e=10^3\,{\rm cm}^{-3}$). To test whether their metal-poor status holds when accurately measuring the density, we apply the direct method with a self-consistent determination of electron temperature ($T_e$) and density ($n_e$) in the high-ionization zone using the [OIII]$\lambda$5008, [OIII]$\lambda$4364, and [OIII]$\lambda$1666 lines, using JWST/NIRSpec data from the SPURS program in the Abell 2744 lensed field. We find that three out of four galaxies in our sample have extremely high electron densities ($n_e \sim 10^{5}-10^{6}\,{\rm cm^{-3}}$), which suppress the [OIII]$\lambda$5008 line and lead to underestimates of metallicity by up to $\sim1.1\,$dex when this density is not accounted for, and have true metallicities of 12+log(O/H) $\sim7.3-8.2$. Failure to account for high densities can therefore lead to systematic misclassification of metal-poor galaxies and biased conclusions about early chemical enrichment.
Read the full abstract

All authors Tiger Yu-Yang Hsiao, Danielle A. Berg, Steven L. Finkelstein, Ansh R. Gupta, Zorayda Martinez, Anthony J. Taylor, Hollis B. Akins, Oscar A. Chavez Ortiz, John Chisholm, Lukas J. Furtak, Vasily Kokorev

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The Nearby Star Formation and Supernova Histories Reconstructed from Young Star Clusters

Cameren Swiggum, Catherine Zucker, Michelangelo Pantaleoni González et al. (+8 more)

We reconstruct the recent star formation and core-collapse supernova (ccSN) histories of the Solar Neighborhood from the past trajectories of young star clusters. Using a Gaia-based cluster sample with newly derived ages, masses, and bulk 3D velocities, we integrate orbits backward in an assumed axisymmetric Galactic potential and combine the trajectories with IMF sampling and stellar lifetimes to infer ccSN times and locations over the past 50 Myr. The result is an all-sky, 3D, time-resolved map of nearby ccSN activity for comparison with high-resolution 3D views of the local interstellar medium. The 0–15 Myr map shows strong enhancements toward Orion, Vela, Sco–Cen, and Cepheus, many within present-day cavities and shells. At earlier times, the dominant enhancements trace the Collinder 135, Messier 6, and Alpha Persei cluster families, showing how the remnants of massive star-forming complexes have shaped the recent local feedback history. We recover a bursty star formation history followed by a delayed, smoother ccSN history. Over the last 40 Myr, the mean star formation and ccSN rates are \(823~M_\odot~\mathrm{Myr}^{-1}\) and \(7.7~\mathrm{Myr}^{-1}\), respectively, corresponding to a Milky Way rate of \(0.55\pm0.03~\mathrm{century}^{-1}\). Present-day OB-star catalogs yield rates ranging from agreement with the cluster reconstruction to several times higher. Because the catalogs overlap weakly and require different corrections, we do not rescale the ccSN map. Our reconstruction provides an empirical framework for connecting the recent history of massive-star feedback to the 3D structure and life cycle of gas in the nearby Milky Way.
Read the full abstract

All authors Cameren Swiggum, Catherine Zucker, Michelangelo Pantaleoni González, Emily L. Hunt, Robert A. Benjamin, Sebastian Hutschenreuter, Alena K. Rottensteiner, Efrem Maconi, Lewis McCallum, João Alves, Sebastian Ratzenböck

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Re-evaluating the resolved mass-metallicity relation with a self-consistent metallicity calibration

Ziming Peng, Renbin Yan, Zesen Lin et al. (+1 more)

Aims. The mass-metallicity relation (MZR) is essential for understanding the chemical evolution of galaxies. Whether the star formation rate (SFR) plays a role in setting the metallicity has long been debated. Using various metallicity calibrations can result in different conclusions for this fundamental yet unresolved issue. Methods. We apply a self-consistent metallicity calibration based on photoionization models to re-evaluate the resolved and integrated MZR. We utilize the integral field unit data from SDSS-IV/MaNGA, with $\sim 3.5\times10^6$ spaxels and $\sim$ 4550 galaxies. We compare our preferred metallicity calibration with several strong-line calibrations in the literature and direct method metallicity. We analyze the metallicity residual of MZR to evaluate the effects of SFR and apply the partial correlation coefficient to quantify the effects. Results. The metallicity calibration we used shows the best consistency with the direct method. We provide 3 equations for resolved MZR, and verify that local SFR does not show significant correlation with metallicity. Considering the integrated properties, (s)SFR do not present correlation with the metallicity residuals. The results suggest that an equilibrium of inflow and outflow is favored, and the mass-metallicity relation does not have a secondary dependence on SFR.
Read the full abstract

All authors Ziming Peng, Renbin Yan, Zesen Lin, Xihan Ji

Astrophysics of Galaxies

ALOHA IRDCs Molecular Line Follow-up: I. Gas properties and kinematics

Jinjin Xie, Yaoting Yan, Zhiyuan Ren et al. (+109 more)

Infrared Dark Clouds are ideal sites for investigating the initial conditions of massive star and cluster formation. The A Lei Of the Habitat and Assembly of Infrared Dark Clouds (ALOHA IRDCs), a James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Large Program, has mapped nearby IRDCs with SCUBA-2. Complementary molecular line observations are needed to characterise the physical, kinematic, and chemical properties of the dense gas. We aim to determine the thermal, kinematic, and chemical properties of clumps identified in the ALOHA IRDCs, and to assess their evolutionary status and level of star-forming activity. We performed single-pointing K-band and W-band observations towards 56 ALOHA IRDCs clumps using the Effelsberg 100-m and Yebes 40-m telescopes, respectively. We derived NH3 kinetic temperatures using the hyperfine group ratio (HFGR) method and identified infall and shock signatures from HCO+, H13CO+, SiO, and HNCO profiles. Water masers and NH2D emission were used as complementary tracers of chemical evolution and star formation. The clumps exhibit kinetic temperatures of 15-29 K. We detect NH2D emission towards 18 sources, with NH2D centroid velocities consistent with NH3, indicating both species trace the same dense gas component. More than half of the clumps display blue-asymmetric HCO+ profiles, identifying them as infall candidates. Water masers are detected in 22 sources, with prominent velocity ranges and variability. Broad SiO emission (>~20 km/s) indicates strong shocks, while narrower extents (<~6km/s) likely trace large-scale interactions or low-velocity shocks. The widespread infall signatures, shock tracers, masers, and NH2D emission suggest that relatively quiescent, chemically young material can coexist with dynamically active gas affected by early protostellar feedback, providing insight into the coupled physical and chemical evolution of massive IRDC clumps.
Read the full abstract

All authors Jinjin Xie, Yaoting Yan, Zhiyuan Ren, Jarken Esimbek, Di Li, Yan Duan, Gary A. Fuller, Nicolas Peretto, Jingwen Wu, Wenjin Yang, Christian Henkel, Xuepeng Chen, Qianru He, Yongxiong Wang, Keping Qiu, Ningyu Tang, Sijia Peng, Chao-Wei Tsai, Pham Ngoc Diep, Hauyu Baobab Liu, Busaba Kramer, Kee-Tae Kim, Ken'ichi Tatematsu, Mark G. Rawlings, Maria Jesus Jimenez Donaire, Gan Luo, Xin Lyu, Jiawei Liu, Yuchen Xing, Sheng-yuan Liu, Koichiro Sugiyama, Ram K. Yadav, Willem A. Baan, Gordon Macleod, Patricio Sanhueza, Long-Fei Chen, Chang Won Lee, Yang Su, Chen Wang, Ruili Wang, Ruilin Xia, Andrej Sobolev, Dmitry A. Ladeyschikov, David Eden, Woojin Kwon, Fengwei Xu, Hongjun Ma, Daniel Harsono, Sihan Jiao, Rowan Smith, Ke Wang, Tie Liu, Guangxing Li, Xin Guan, Yuxin He, Dalei Li, Xindi Tang, Chunsheng Luo, Jianjun Zhou, Kitiyanee Asanok, Dan Bintley, Huei-Ru Vivien Chen, En Chen, Chakali Eswaraiah, Ana Duarte-Cabral, Siyi Feng, Ray S. Furuya, Tomoya Hirota, Ernar Imanaly, Xue-Jian Jiang, Qaynar Jandaolet, Abay Jengis, Weiguang Ji, Yi-Jehng Kuan, Min-Young Lee, Chong Li, Cuihuan Li, Guodong Li, Hua-bai Li, Jiasheng Li, Yujie Li, Mengting Liu, Kuan-Yu Liu, Shu Liu, Rong Liu, Yongquan Luo, Yingxiu Ma, Steve Mairs, Fumitaka Nakamura, Harriet Parsons, Jaime Pineda, Hailiang Shen, Mingke Sun, Serikbek Sailanbek, Nurzhan Shaimoldin, Ya-Wen Tang, Antneh Gashaye Tegegne, Kadirya Tursun, Glenn J. White, Gang Wu, Jifeng Xia, Yuanzhen Xiong, Naiping Yu, Nannan Yue, Xinyu Yang, Yuebin Yang, Miaomiao Zhang, Chao Zhang, Shiyu Zhang, Dongdong Zhou, Qiao Zhao, Xiang Zhao

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.SR

SN 2021pfs: A Type Ia Supernova Likely Affected by Progenitor Metallicity, as Revealed by Comparison with Its Twin Counterpart

Abdusamatjan Iskandar, Xiaofeng Wang, Ali Esamdin et al. (+16 more)

We present extensive photometric and spectroscopic observations of the normal type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) 2021pfs, which occurred in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 5427 at a redshift 0.009. SN 2021pfs reached an absolute B-band peak magnitude of $M_{\rm max}(B)=$-19.28 $\pm$ 0.40 mag. The mag and a post-peak decline rate of $\Delta m_{15}(B)=$1.13 $\pm$ 0.06 mag. The observed properties of this nearby SN Ia closely resemble those of SN 2011fe, including the main optical spectroscopic features and photometric evolution. Despite their similar decline rates, SN 2021pfs rose more rapidly in the $U$ band but more slowly in the $r$ and $i$ bands compared to SN 2011fe in very early phases. This photometric difference, particularly at short wavelengths, can introduce a systematic uncertainty of up to $\sim$12% in distance estimates. Analysis of the host galaxy's local and global environment shows an environment consistent with producing a higher-metallicity progenitor for SN 2021pfs than that of SN 2011fe.This higher progenitor metallicity may explain the observed photometric discrepancy and the resulting distance between SN 2021pfs and SN 2011fe, though a larger sample of such "twin" SNe Ia is needed to confirm this trend and assess its impact on cosmological measurements.
Read the full abstract

All authors Abdusamatjan Iskandar, Xiaofeng Wang, Ali Esamdin, Wenxiong Li, Xiangyun Zeng, Ruifeng Huang, Hu Maokai, Guoliang Lu, D. Andrew Howell, Curtis McCully, Samuel Wyatt, Daichi Hiramatsu, Estefania Padilla Gonzalez, Craig Pellegrino, Megan Newsome, Lluis Galbany, David J. Sand, Nathan Smith, Huei Sears

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.HE

Quasi-periodic Eruptions from Recurrent Satellite Black Hole Transits through Magnetized Galactic Nucleus Accretion Disks

Na Wang, Jing-Tong Xing, Tong Liu et al. (+2 more)

Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are recurrent soft X-ray flares from galactic nuclei, but their origin remains uncertain. The delayed ultraviolet (UV) counterpart detected in ZTF19acnskyy provides a new constraint on viable models. We present a two-channel model in which a satellite black hole (sBH) repeatedly crosses a nuclear accretion disk threaded by a large-scale magnetic field. Gravitational focusing and dynamical drag generate hot, optically thick ejecta whose expansion and photon diffusion power the soft X-ray QPE. For fiducial Bondi-scale parameters, the model yields a characteristic X-ray duration of $\sim10^3\ \mathrm{s}$ and luminosity of $\sim10^{42}\ \mathrm{erg\,s^{-1}}$. For ZTF19acnskyy, the model reproduces the observed day-scale X-ray duration and energetics. Simultaneously, the sBH motion compresses and bends the background magnetic field, triggering in-disk reconnection. The reconnection channel provides the energy budget and photon-diffusion delay required for the variable UV component. Unfavorable magnetic fields or diffusion times longer than the QPE recurrence period can weaken or smear out the UV signal, potentially explaining the lack of clear UV counterparts in other QPE sources.
Read the full abstract

All authors Na Wang, Jing-Tong Xing, Tong Liu, Ya-Ping Li, Shuang-Liang Li

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Cluster finding with outskirt stellar masses and percolation

Pablo Avalos, Conghao Zhou, Tesla Jeltema et al. (+5 more)

The abundance of galaxy clusters is a powerful cosmological probe, but optical cluster cosmology is limited by selection systematics, in particular the projection effects that affect cluster finders based on galaxy populations such as the red sequence. The outer stellar mass ($M_\mathrm{out}$) of cluster central galaxies – e.g., the stellar mass in a 50-100 kpc annulus – offers an alternative selection that relies only on the central galaxy and is therefore largely free from projection effects. Its primary systematic is instead satellite contamination, since massive clusters can host more than one galaxy with high outer stellar mass. Using the IllustrisTNG300 simulation at $z=0.4$, we quantify this contamination and investigate a simple, proximity-based percolation method to mitigate it, in which galaxies with lower outer stellar mass lying within a given radius of a more massive galaxy are removed from the sample. We find that the satellite fraction defined by the friends-of-friends (FoF) algorithm is modest even without percolation ($\leq 15\%$ for $M_\mathrm{out} > 10^{10}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ and $<10\%$ for $M_\mathrm{out} > 10^{11}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$), and that percolation reduces it further, with the improvement increasing for percolation radii up to $3.0\,R_{200c}$. For a moderately high outer stellar mass cut ($\sim 4\times10^{10}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$) and percolation radius ($\sim 2.0\,R_{200c}$), we recover a cluster sample that is both highly complete and pure for halo masses $\gtrsim 10^{14}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$. These results indicate that outer stellar mass, combined with simple percolation, has the potential to provide a clean and readily calibratable selection of massive galaxy clusters.
Read the full abstract

All authors Pablo Avalos, Conghao Zhou, Tesla Jeltema, Katya Leidig, Shuo Xu, Benedikt Diemer, Song Huang, Alexie Leauthaud

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.SR

The Kick Velocities of Neutron Stars in Binary Systems

Paul Disberg, Ilya Mandel and Ryosuke Hirai

Neutron stars (NSs) receive natal kicks on their formation in supernovae (SNe). We consider constraints placed on the natal kick magnitudes by NSs in different classes of binary systems. We compare observed systems to predictions from the COMPAS rapid population synthesis code, where we apply kick models with varied natal kick prescriptions. Specifically, we compare binary orbits (i.e., periods and eccentricities) and systemic kick estimates of (1) Gaia observations of NS-harboring binaries (Gaia NSs), (2) NS low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), (3) NS-white dwarf binaries (NSWDs), (4) NS high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) and in particular Be X-ray binaries (BeXBs), and (5) double NSs (DNSs). In this comparison, we find that we can reproduce most of the observed properties of the Gaia NSs, LMXBs, and NSWDs with natal kicks calibrated to the velocities of young isolated pulsars, although we need a small amount of "rocket" kicks to explain the Gaia NS eccentricities. The HMXBs and DNSs, in contrast, show evidence of significantly reduced NS natal kicks. In particular, we find that an apparent correlation between eccentricity and systemic kick for DNSs can be explained by Blaauw kicks, if the natal kicks are $\lesssim 10$ km s$^{-1}$. Although our model does not align well with low-metallicity Gaia NSs, high-eccentricity BeXBs, and DNS mass estimates, we provide alternative hypothetical explanations for these systems. We conclude that a model in which NSs that are formed in binaries with high-mass companions receive significantly reduced natal kicks can provide a relatively consistent explanation for the observed NSs in binary systems.
Read the full abstract

Astrophysics of Galaxies

OutThere Survey: Addressing $\mathrm{\xi_{ion}}$ and $\mathrm{f_{esc}}$ with a population of average galaxies at z$\sim$2

Ravi Jaiswar, Anshu Gupta, Elisabete da Cunha et al. (+24 more)

Constraining the major contributors to the ionisation of the early universe is an ongoing endeavour of high-redshift galaxy research. We measure the ionising photon production efficiency and Lyman Continuum escape fraction for a sample of 230 intermediate redshift ($1.3<z<2.6$) sources observed as a part of the OutThere survey; a pure-parallel, wide-area JWST/NIRISS survey with accompanying JWST/NIRCam, NIRISS and HST photometry. The low threshold emission selection criteria for this sample makes for a large and robust control, against which other works may be contrasted, particularly for low-mass galaxies above z$>$5. This control sample allows us to verify the correlations between ionising and spectral/physical properties suggested by previous studies. We find no significant correlations between the ionising photon production efficiency ($\mathrm{\xi_{ion}}$) with the UV slope, $\mathrm{M_{UV}}$, M$_*$ or sSFR. We do find that $\mathrm{\xi_{ion}}$ correlates with [OIII]5007Å\, equivalent width (EW) (Spearman coefficient $\rho$ =0.24; p$< 4\times10^{-4}$) and H$\alpha$ EW ($\rho$ =0.63; p$<< 1\times10^{-6}$) hold even at low EW albeit with more scatter. We also find that our novel approach to determining the ionising photon escape fraction $\mathrm{f_{esc}}$ results in values within theoretical ranges (0-10%) though vary substantially in comparison to the empirical results (median $\mathrm{f_{esc}} = 0.9\%^{+1.1}_{-0.5}$ including non-detections, median $\mathrm{f_{esc}} = 1.9\%^{+8.9}_{-1.8}$ above a $0.01\%$ threshold). We find that this escape fraction method has consistently significant correlations with the redshift, SFR and M$_{UV}$ and sample-dependent correlations with [OIII]5007Å\,EW,H$\alpha$ EW and stellar mass.
Read the full abstract

All authors Ravi Jaiswar, Anshu Gupta, Elisabete da Cunha, Cathryn M. Trott, Andrew Battisti, Isabel Perez, Karl Glazebrook, Lalitwadee Kawinwanichakij, Zackary L. Hutchens, Ivelina Momcheva, Claudia Del.P Lagos, Themiya Nanayakkara, Colin Jacobs, Danilo Marchesini, David A. Wake, Alice Shapley, Gabriel Brammer, Raphael Hviding, Casey Papovich, Ryan L. Sanders, Rhea-Silvia Remus, Mengtao Tang, Daniel Stark, Vincente Estrada-Carpenter, Joshua Speagle, Kartheik Iyer, Jasleen Matharu

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Diversity of Ionized Gas Structures in Nearby Metal-poor Dwarf Galaxies

Yuki Takagishi, Takuya Hashimoto, Kazuya Matsubayashi et al. (+13 more)

We investigate whether optical and far-infrared [O III] emission from nearby metal-poor dwarf galaxies can be represented by a homogeneous one-zone ionized-gas model with a single electron temperature and density. Our sample comprises five galaxies from the Herschel Dwarf Galaxy Survey: HS1222+3741, SBS0335-052E, POX186, Haro11, and IZw18. We combine galaxy-integrated or nearly galaxy-integrated [O III] 4363 and 5007 measurements from Seimei/KOOLS-IFU observations and published or archival spectroscopy with Herschel/PACS [O III] 88um measurements. Because [O III] 4363 is not detected in HS1222+3741, the analysis is based on the remaining four galaxies. SBS0335-052E and Haro11 lie near or slightly beyond the low-density boundary of the one-zone diagnostic. Their nominal line ratios favor effective densities of ne<1cm-3, while conservative treatment of the uncertainties allows values up to 40 and 10cm-3, respectively. These remain substantially below densities inferred from independent diagnostics. By contrast, POX186 and IZw18 show no significant discrepancy between the optical–far-infrared [O III] and low-ionization optical diagnostics. Additional optical and ultraviolet diagnostics show that inferred densities can span several orders of magnitude within a galaxy. Representative two-zone models reproduce the [O III] 4363, 5007, and 88um emission in SBS0335-052E and Haro11 by combining relatively dense gas with cooler, low-density gas. The low-density component contributes approximately 61% and 72% of the 88um luminosity, but only 14% and 23% of the 5007 luminosity, respectively. These solutions are not unique and may represent a broader unresolved distribution of gas conditions. Our results show that temperatures and densities inferred from integrated one-zone analyses are effective quantities and that similar diagnostic discrepancies can arise in nearby metal-poor galaxies.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yuki Takagishi, Takuya Hashimoto, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Matthew Hayes, Aida Wofford, Masato Hagimoto, Akio K. Inoue, Ken Mawatari, Yurina Nakazato, Wataru Osone, Yuma Sugahara, Yoshiki Toba, Hidenobu Yajima, Shunsuke Honda, Hiroshi Matsuo, Naoki Yoshida

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The UKIRT M33 Monitoring Project: A 15-Year Near-Infrared Variable Star Catalogue for the Central Kiloparsec, and Prospects for Star Formation History and Dust Return

Mina Alizadeh, Fatemeh Nikzat, Atefeh Javadi et al. (+3 more)

We present results from the UKIRT M33 Monitoring Project, a near-infrared survey of variable red giants in the Local Group spiral galaxy M33. Combining four independent photometric datasets spanning UIST (2003), UFTI (2005), WFCAM (2005-2007), and a new UKIRT Hemisphere Survey epoch (2018), we construct a homogenised 15.11-year $K$-band light-curve catalogue for 847 stars in the central kiloparsec, of which 771 (91 per cent) are variable. Cross-matching with archival Spitzer photometry identifies 120 dust-enshrouded AGB candidates. We compare the spatial coverage of this central catalogue with the earlier UIST-only (Paper I) and disc-wide WFCAM (Paper IV) variable-star surveys. Building on this catalogue, two forthcoming papers will (i) measure individual pulsation periods to reconstruct the star formation history of the central kiloparsec, and (ii) refine dust and gas mass-loss rates across the disc using the extended time baseline.
Read the full abstract

All authors Mina Alizadeh, Fatemeh Nikzat, Atefeh Javadi, Yousefali Abedini, Jacco Th. van Loon, Hedieh Abdollahi

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The VariableTNG project: mass-dependent regulation of galaxy morphology by baryonic feedback

Yikai Liu, Hong Guo, Volker Springel et al. (+3 more)

Galaxy morphology is shaped by both assembly history and baryonic processes, but their relative roles remain uncertain. We use the VariableTNG (VTNG) simulation suite to investigate how variations in baryonic feedback regulate galaxy morphology while keeping the initial conditions fixed. VTNG consists of cosmological magnetohydrodynamic simulations performed with the moving-mesh code AREPO, varying eight parameters governing stellar and AGN feedback. At $z=1$, we characterize morphology using $\kappa_{\rm co}$, $v/\sigma$, and the axis ratio $c/a$. We find substantial morphological diversity across feedback models, with the dominant mechanism strongly dependent on stellar mass. For $M_\ast \lesssim 10^{11}\,{\rm M_\odot}$, morphology is primarily controlled by the supernova temperature $T_{\rm SN}$: larger $T_{\rm SN}$ delays early star formation, promotes a denser and more rotationally supported gas reservoir, and favours subsequent disc growth through in-situ star formation. At higher masses, morphology becomes increasingly sensitive to AGN feedback, particularly the quasar-mode coupling efficiency $\epsilon_{\rm f,high}$. Higher $\epsilon_{\rm f,high}$ suppresses early black hole growth, thereby weakening subsequent radio-mode feedback associated with gas depletion and loss of rotational support. The resulting morphology–mass relation is non-monotonic, with maximum rotational support at intermediate stellar masses. Our results demonstrate that baryonic feedback regulates galaxy morphology through distinct mass-dependent pathways, with stellar feedback dominating at lower masses and AGN self-regulation becoming increasingly important at the massive end.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yikai Liu, Hong Guo, Volker Springel, Kexin Liu, Luis C. Ho, BoCheng Zhu

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.SR

Non-ideal MHD and protostellar feedback effects on disc formation and evolution in numerical simulations of star cluster formation

Nina Filippova, Stella S.R. Offner, Michael Y. Grudic et al. (+1 more)

While recent surveys have resolved hundreds of nearby protostellar discs, numerical simulations assuming ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) have historically struggled to achieve disc formation due to efficient angular momentum removal by magnetic torques. Non-ideal MHD effects, relevant at the low ionization fractions typical of molecular clouds, have been shown to reduce the effectiveness of magnetic braking and promote disc formation. In this work, we present the results from a suite of calculations following the gravitational collapse of 50 $M_{\odot}$ turbulent molecular cloud cores down to the formation and evolution of stellar systems and protostellar discs. We use the radiation-MHD code GIZMO including non-ideal MHD (Ohmic resistivity, ambipolar diffusion, and the Hall effect) and the STARFORGE numerical framework for modeling star formation and stellar feedback. We compare the effects of assuming ideal vs. non-ideal MHD and including sub-grid protostellar jet feedback on disc formation and evolution. Discs form in all of our models but are least massive in the model with ideal MHD and sub-grid jet feedback. Apart from the ideal MHD$+$jets model, we do not observe any significant differences in disc properties between the ideal and non-ideal MHD models; however, ideal MHD discs are embedded in smaller rotating envelopes. Disc sizes are in general agreement with those of observed discs. Jet feedback increases core fragmentation and reduces final stellar masses. Our results suggest that magnetic braking does not efficiently suppress disc formation, regardless of whether ideal or non-ideal MHD is assumed, under the dynamical conditions in which multiple stellar systems form.
Read the full abstract

All authors Nina Filippova, Stella S.R. Offner, Michael Y. Grudic, Philip F. Hopkins

Wednesday 19 August

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.SR

A Systematic Gaia–ZTF Search for Short-Period Blue Compact-Binary Candidates

Jiamao Lin, Liangliang Ren, Yilong Li et al. (+7 more)

We present a catalog of 147 short-period (10.34–106.46~min) blue compact-binary candidates, identified by combining Gaia DR3 astrometry and photometry with ZTF DR23 light curves via a Gaia selection, period searches, and machine-learning morphology ranking. Of these, 111 lack prior compact-binary classifications. Multiwavelength data (DESI DR1, GALEX, AllWISE) reveal a heterogeneous sample: on the Gaia colour–magnitude diagram, 52 sources lie on the white-dwarf locus, 69 in the hot-subdwarf region, and 26 are intermediate. Among 26 sources with DESI spectra, only about one third follow the white-dwarf cooling sequence; the rest are more luminous blue stars with white-dwarf-like low-resolution spectra. We highlight a prioritized subset of new white-dwarf-locus candidates for follow-up, including ten with periods below 40~min and none with existing radial-velocity data. Under fiducial binary assumptions, 17 of these newly identified white-dwarf-locus candidates would exceed the adopted LISA signal-to-noise threshold (led by a 37~pc white dwarf), with the count depending on chirp mass (9 for $0.15\,M_\odot$, 17 for $0.3\,M_\odot$, 21 for $0.6\,M_\odot$), assuming orbital modulation. However, for most of the white-dwarf-locus sample, observed modulation amplitudes exceed any plausible ellipsoidal signal by three to five orders of magnitude, implying that rotating magnetic or chemically inhomogeneous single white dwarfs offer a viable alternative that ZTF photometry alone cannot rule out—the catalog includes at least one confirmed case. We release the full 147-source catalog, including periods, Gaia/spectroscopic classifications, harmonic/ellipsoidal diagnostics, and supplementary tables of fiducial GW estimates and UV–IR photometry.
Read the full abstract

All authors Jiamao Lin, Liangliang Ren, Yilong Li, Bo Ma, Di-Chang Chen, Zi-Heng Yu, Sen Yang, Shun-Jia Huang, Yi-Ming Hu, Chengyuan Li

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Tracing Lyman alpha escape in the CRISTAL-02 galaxy at z~5.3

Arshi Ali, Lucia Guaita, Manuel Aravena et al. (+20 more)

We investigate the mechanisms regulating Lyman-alpha (Ly$\alpha$) escape in the star-forming galaxy CRISTAL-02 at z~5.3. The galaxy has clumpy morphology, suggestive that it may be interacting with other system(s). Two clumps (A and B, hereafter) are suggested as a site for intense star-formation or potential AGN candidates. We investigate how the local gas, dust, and feedback shape the escape of Ly$\alpha$ photons around these clumps. Using VLT/MUSE and JWST/NIRSpec IFU observations, complemented by NIRCam UV imaging, we constructed spatially matched emission-line maps. We derived flux, line-ratio, and extinction maps, together with spatially resolved Ly$\alpha$ escape fractions and ionizing photon production efficiencies. We find that Ly$\alpha$ is significantly more extended than H$\alpha$ and UV, reaching ~33 kpc and preferentially extending along the cold molecular gas outflow traced by [C II] emission. Clumps A and B show contrasting Ly$\alpha$ properties: Clump A has lower dust attenuation and enhanced Ly$\alpha$/H$\alpha$ ratios and escape fraction, whereas Clump B is brighter in H$\alpha$ and UV but has suppressed Ly-$\alpha$ despite a higher ionizing photon production efficiency. These results indicate that Ly$\alpha$ escape is strongly influenced by the local H I geometry, dust, and outflows and cannot be explained by ionizing photon production alone. The observed Ly$\alpha$ morphology and zELDA radiative transfer modeling favor an outflow-driven escape scenario, while the available data cannot uniquely distinguish between AGN and star formation-driven feedback.
Read the full abstract

All authors Arshi Ali, Lucia Guaita, Manuel Aravena, Rebecca L. Davies, Jorge Gonzalez, Vicente Villanueva, Diego Oyarzun, Rodrigo Herrera-Camus, Ambra Nanni, Andreas Faisst, Anton M. Koekemoer, Deanne B. Fisher, Hanae Inami, Juan Molina, Justin Spilker, Lun-Jun Liu, Manuel Solimano, Michele Ginolfi, Michael Romano, Negin Nezhad, Poulomi Dam, Wuji Wang, Yuan Li

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Reconstructing orbits of galaxies in extreme regions (roger v2.0): an extension to intermediate mass systems

Martín de los Rios, Héctor J. Martínez, Andrés N. Ruiz et al. (+3 more)

In this paper, we present an updated version of the roger code, called roger v2.0, developed to perform the orbital classification of galaxies residing in and around galaxy groups and clusters. In addition to the projected phase-space coordinates, the new version incorporates the host halo mass as an additional input parameter. Although the inclusion of the halo mass leads to only modest changes in the classification, it contributes to improving the overall robustness of the method. We also extend the range of host halo masses over which roger can be applied, enabling the analysis of systems with masses down to $10^{13.5} h^{-1} M_{\odot}$. We further provide a Python implementation of the new code, which will be made publicly available. This implementation enables users to efficiently and robustly classify arbitrary galaxy samples using either version of the method. Moreover, it allows users to train a customized classifier on an alternative training set, providing the flexibility to adapt the method to different datasets and scientific applications.
Read the full abstract

All authors Martín de los Rios, Héctor J. Martínez, Andrés N. Ruiz, Selene Levis, Valeria Coenda, Hernán Muriel

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.IM

Microlensify: a Transformer Based Machine Learning Classifier for Microlensing Events Trained on TESS Light Curves

Atousa Kalantari, Somayeh Khakpash, Sedighe Sajadian et al. (+3 more)

Microlensing can reveal populations of faint compact objects that are otherwise difficult to detect. Depending on their design, all-sky surveys have the potential to search for these objects across the sky. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), primarily designed to detect transiting exoplanets, also provides near all-sky coverage with high cadence. In this work, we use TESS data to search for microlensing candidates using both traditional and machine-learning methods and to identify associated false positives in high-cadence surveys. Microlensify is a physics-informed, transformer-based variational autoencoder trained on simulated single-lens microlensing light curves and real TESS Sector 12 data. The model classifies events, reconstructs light curves, and estimates microlensing event durations. Applied to $\sim 5.6$ million TESS light curves, it identified between $0.036\%$ and $1.89\%$ as microlensing candidates across different TESS pipelines. After applying microlensing detection metrics and cross-matching with SIMBAD, we obtained a final list of candidates and identified false positives including long-period variables, Mira variables, cataclysmic variables, red giants, and transients. We also found Gaussian-like peaks caused by asteroid crossings, a potential source of false positives in high-cadence microlensing surveys. The model also predicts event duration with an accuracy of $R^2 = 0.97$. The model was further tested on published events from different ground-based microlensing surveys, confirming 92.7% as microlensing, demonstrating its applicability across surveys with different cadences.
Read the full abstract

All authors Atousa Kalantari, Somayeh Khakpash, Sedighe Sajadian, Hosein Haghi, Willow Fox Fortino, Rosanne Di Stefano

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.HE

Modeling Relativistic Tidal Disruptions of MESA Stars

Liam M. Wang, Giovanni Maria Tomaselli and Zihan Zhou

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) occur when a star passes so close to a black hole that its self-gravity is overcome by the external tidal field. As the star passes, it initially deforms, then is ripped apart, and some of its material eventually falls back on bound orbits, forming an accretion disk around the black hole. A Newtonian model of TDEs, based on stellar perturbation theory of MESA stars, was recently introduced as an alternative to computationally intensive hydrodynamical simulations. In this work, we add relativistic corrections to the model, incorporating equatorial Kerr geodesics, relativistic tidal fields, and relativistic fallback times. Compared to the Newtonian case, we find that stars are disrupted earlier in their orbit, which gives them less time to accumulate physical deformations. Additionally, we find that the increased distance from the black hole at the time of disruption makes the fallback time longer. However, the black hole spin has a negligible impact on fallback time, except for orbits with exceptionally close pericenter. Our results allow for a more accurate calculation of fallback rates than the Newtonian model, while also remaining computationally cheap. The code is available on GitHub.
Read the full abstract

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from astro-ph.SR

Early Planet Formation in Embedded Disks (eDisk). XXIV: Systematic Investigation of Disk Structures based on Visibility Analysis

Mayank Narang, Jerry Xu, Leslie W. Looney et al. (+11 more)

The dust continuum emission from young protostellar disks encodes key information about their mass distribution and early evolution, yet uniform high-resolution comparative studies remain limited. We present a systematic uv-plane analysis of parametric intensity models applied to ALMA Band-6 (1.3 mm) observations of 23 disks (19 protostellar systems with 4 being in binary) from the eDisk sample, spanning Gaussian profiles to power-law cores with exponential tails (PLCT), including asymmetric extensions. Gaussian models generally fail to reproduce the centrally peaked emission and extended outer structure observed in most disks, whereas the PLCT framework provides a significantly improved description of radial brightness profiles. Incorporating azimuthal asymmetries further reduces residuals in 15 of 17 inclined disks, indicating that departures from axisymmetry are common at early stages. Only two disks, L1489 IRS and Oph IRS63, exhibit clear gap and ring substructures, while most appear smooth at the spatial resolution and sensitivity of our observations. These systems are among the most evolved in the sample, and the absence of flat-spectrum sources limits the evolutionary range probed, {suggesting that the detection of prominent gaps and rings is not common} in the earliest phases of disk evolution. Using a uniform definition of disk radius based on the 95% enclosed flux, we find a positive correlation with stellar mass, $R_{\rm disk} \propto M_{\star}^{1.5 \pm 0.1}$, with disks in binary systems systematically smaller than those around isolated protostars. While the models capture overall morphology and large-scale asymmetries, distinguishing intrinsic structures from radiative transfer effects in optically thick regions remains challenging.
Read the full abstract

All authors Mayank Narang, Jerry Xu, Leslie W. Looney, Nagayoshi Ohashi, Anika Khandavalli, Patrick Sheehan, Jonathan P. Williams, Shigehisa Takakuwa, Jes K. Jørgensen, Ilseung Han, Woojin Kwon, Zhi-Yun Li, Nguyen Thi Phuong, John J. Tobin

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Serendipitous discovery of an almost-dark galaxy in the Virgo Cluster

Minh Ngoc Le, Ignacio Trujillo, Sergio Guerra Arencibia et al. (+9 more)

Analogues of extreme Local Group galaxies with very low surface brightnesses and large effective radii must exist elsewhere, still hidden due to current detection limits. We report the serendipitous discovery of the low-mass almost-dark galaxy TTT J1237327+143535 in the Virgo Cluster, observed using the Two-meter Twin Telescope at the Teide Observatory. TTT J1237327+143535 has a central surface brightness of $27.9 \pm 0.2 \, \mathrm{mag\, arcsec}^{-2}$ in the $g'$ band, an effective radius of $0.9 \pm 0.1 \mathrm{kpc}$, and a total stellar mass of $(2.2 \pm 0.4) \times 10^6 \mathrm{M_\odot}$. Its effective radius and absolute magnitude are similar to those of galaxies And XXI and And XXIII. The discovery of this extremely low-surface-brightness, extended, low-mass galaxy suggests the existence of a significant population of almost-dark galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. An in-depth analysis of the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey, as well as upcoming Rubin data releases and the 10-year Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time, is expected to reveal large samples of this extreme galaxy population, which will offer insights into galaxy formation in extreme conditions.
Read the full abstract

All authors Minh Ngoc Le, Ignacio Trujillo, Sergio Guerra Arencibia, Ignacio Ruiz Cejudo, Junais, Mireia Montes, Johan H. Knapen, Željko Ivezić, Michael H.F. Wilkinson, Reynier Peletier, Miquel Serra-Ricart, Miguel R. Alarcon

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Detectable subhalo impacts in Milky Way streams

Junyang Lu, Elias Bernreuther, Tongyan Lin et al. (+3 more)

Dark matter subhalos leave gravitational imprints in the stellar streams of the Milky Way. Observing individual strong impacts of subhalos offers a compelling way to constrain and discover potentially dark subhalos down to $10^6 M_\odot$, allowing for new tests of the particle physics properties of dark matter. We develop a pipeline and statistical framework to forecast the expected number of detectable subhalo impacts on stellar streams, based on morphological and kinematic data from surveys such as LSST and Via. Starting from a catalog of confirmed stellar streams, we focus our efforts on 14 promising streams that are relatively well-modeled with a particle spray algorithm. Our criteria for a detectable impact is a deviation at 95% CL from the best-fit polynomial proxy model for the stream, which accounts for stream modeling uncertainties and regulates the effect of distant impacts that are degenerate with these uncertainties. Among the 14 streams studied, we find that 5 streams have an expected number of detectable impacts greater than 0.2. With LSST and Via data, the stream Jet has $5.15^{+1.10}_{-0.95}$ expected detectable impacts, followed by Orphan-Chenab ($1.40^{+0.62}_{-0.47}$), ATLAS-Aliqa Uma ($1.25^{+0.60}_{-0.44}$), GD-1 ($0.55^{+0.43}_{-0.28}$), and Palomar 5 ($0.40^{+0.39}_{-0.23}$), where error bars are the 95% containment on the Poisson mean. These values rely on the assumed subhalo population, which can give a factor of few systematic uncertainty in the predictions. We also consider effects of different particle dark matter models on the number of impacts, finding a suppression by a factor of $\sim 4$ for warm dark matter and fuzzy dark matter models at their current mass bounds and an $O(1)$ enhancement for a toy model of self-interacting dark matter.
Read the full abstract

All authors Junyang Lu, Elias Bernreuther, Tongyan Lin, Vincent S. H. Lee, Ana Bonaca, Ethan O. Nadler

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Low Ly$\alpha$ Visibility in Galaxy Overdensities: Reionization Topology and Neutral-Fraction Ceilings from DIVER over $4.8<z<11$

Yongda Zhu, Xiaohui Fan, Laura C. Keating et al. (+19 more)

Ly-alpha emission is widely used to trace cosmic reionization, but its interpretation depends on how Ly-alpha visibility varies with galaxy environment. We use deep JWST/NIRSpec observations from Deep Insights into UV Spectroscopy at the Epoch of Reionization (DIVER) in GOODS-N to measure Ly-alpha visibility for 250 galaxies at 4.8<z<11. The sample contains 84 Ly-alpha detections, including 44 strong emitters with rest-frame Ly-alpha equivalent width W_Lyalpha>25 A. We combine these measurements with H-alpha and [O III] emitters from JWST/NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy to map the density field around each DIVER galaxy. Galaxies with high Ly-alpha equivalent widths (W_Lyalpha>25 A) or high effective Ly-alpha escape fractions (f_esc,Lyalpha^eff>0.05) tend to lie farther from nearby H-alpha and [O III] emitters than galaxies with lower Ly-alpha visibility. The clearest signal occurs near the prominent GOODS-N overdensity at z~5.2, where fewer than 15% of galaxies show strong Ly-alpha emission. This trend is opposite to the simplest inside-out reionization expectation that overdensities produce larger ionized regions and enhance Ly-alpha visibility. Possible explanations include circumgalactic and local intergalactic opacity, dense absorbers, and gas kinematics. We also derive an empirical upper envelope for f_esc,Lyalpha^eff and calibrate it with reionization simulations. Interpreting this envelope as a limiting IGM-attenuation signal gives neutral-fraction ceilings of <x_HI>_max=0.36, 0.76, 0.74, 0.84, and 1.0 at z~5.2, 5.8, 6.7, 7.7, and 9.8, respectively. The z~8 ceiling disfavors an almost completely neutral IGM at this epoch. These results support patchy reionization already underway by z~8 and show that galaxy Ly-alpha visibility encodes both large-scale ionization topology and near-source gas structure.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yongda Zhu, Xiaohui Fan, Laura C. Keating, George D. Becker, Eiichi Egami, Xiaojing Lin, Fengwu Sun, Christopher Cain, Marcia J. Rieke, Andrew J. Bunker, Sijia Cai, Francesco D'Eugenio, Jakob M. Helton, Xiangyu Jin, Mingyu Li, Zheng Ma, Roberto Maiolino, Pierluigi Rinaldi, Christopher N. A. Willmer, Yunjing Wu, Zihao Wu, Junyu Zhang

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The THESAN-ZOOM project: clumpiness of high-redshift galaxies and its connection to bursty star formation

Zihao Wang, Xuejian Shen, Rahul Kannan et al. (+12 more)

Recent JWST observations have revealed diverse high-redshift galaxy morphologies, including a population with irregular and clumpy structures. The physical origin of these structures, and the extent to which observational biases shape their appearance, remain uncertain. We present a power-spectrum-based method for quantifying galaxy clumpiness across spatial scales, using the radiation-hydrodynamic simulation suite THESAN-ZOOM, which employs a state-of-the-art galaxy formation model that resolves the multiphase interstellar medium (ISM). Although the total stellar mass distributions in THESAN-ZOOM galaxies are usually smooth, clumpy structures appear in the H$\alpha$, far-ultraviolet (FUV), and optical light distributions. Tracers sensitive to shorter-timescale star formation exhibit more pronounced small-scale structure ($\sim10^{2}$–$10^{3}{\rm pc}$). The corresponding projected light spectra follow $P(k)\propto k^{-1}$ to $k^{-2}$, with progressively shallower slopes for tracers sensitive to more recent star formation, reflecting enhanced small-scale power and greater spatial intermittency in young stellar populations. This behaviour is consistent with a highly compressible, shock-dominated ISM in which stellar feedback and outflows reorganise dense gas into filamentary and clumpy structures. We also find that galaxy clumpiness depends on the treatment of stellar feedback. Weaker early stellar feedback enhances small-scale power in both the mass and light distributions. Clumpiness also varies strongly over the bursty star formation cycle, implying that observed samples may be biased towards galaxies caught in phases of elevated star formation. Galaxy clumpiness, therefore, could provide a complementary probe of the bursty star formation in the early Universe.
Read the full abstract

All authors Zihao Wang, Xuejian Shen, Rahul Kannan, Ewald Puchwein, Aaron Smith, Josh Borrow, Enrico Garaldi, Laura Keating, Mark Vogelsberger, Oliver Zier, William McClymont, Sandro Tacchella, Fangzhou Jiang, Hui Li, Lars Hernquist

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Diffuse HI emission in the circumgalactic medium of NGC891 and NGC4565 - III: azimuthal profiles

Mary Rickel, Sanskriti Das, Nickolas M. Pingel et al. (+4 more)

Diffuse HI emission in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of NGC891 and NGC4565 has been previously shown to trace an inflow along minor axes pointings and to co-rotate with the HI disk along major axes pointings out to ~100 kpc (Das2020b,Das2024a). To obtain a 360$^\circ$ view of the inner neutral CGM ($\rm < 25 kpc$ for NGC891, $\rm < 30 kpc$ for NGC4565), we perform deep stare observations with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) along the off-axes, 45$^\circ$ between principal axes, achieving a 5$\sigma$ column density sensitivity of $1.1-1.2 x 10^{17} \rm cm^{-2}$ over a 20 kms$^{-1}$ velocity width. While detecting HI emission in the inner CGM with single-dish telescopes is common, separating the true CGM emission from disk contamination is extremely challenging and has so far been largely unsuccessful. To achieve that, we compare our single-dish detections to deep interferometric maps from the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) HALOGAS survey, and improve upon our previous methods by incorporating velocity offset corrections and channel-wise brightness-temperature scaling. We find that $30-38$ % and $18-28$ % of the emission detected by the GBT cannot be explained by WSRT in NGC891 and NGC4565, respectively, implying a true CGM detection. There is $4-6$ ($3-7$) times more HI along the off-axes than major (minor) axes, nullifying the common assumption of azimuthal symmetry of the neutral CGM. The velocity profile of the diffuse inner CGM suggests a lagged co-rotation with the HI disk in both galaxies. This exercise illustrates the power of deep observation and careful cross-instrument comparisons to characterize the diffuse HI in the CGM.
Read the full abstract

All authors Mary Rickel, Sanskriti Das, Nickolas M. Pingel, D. J. Pisano, Adam Leroy, Smita Mathur, George Heald

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Inferring the Dark from the Observable: Estimating Halo Masses Using Galaxy Properties

Alice Chen and Syeda Lammim Ahad

The formation and evolution of galaxies are interconnected with that of their host halos. Given this closely related evolutionary history, it should follow that galaxy properties are correlated with their host halo mass. Previous works have shown that star formation rates of galaxies in cluster halos differ systematically from those in field halos, suggesting that host halo mass plays a significant role in the history of galaxy evolution. Here, we examine the correlations between observable galaxy properties - such as stellar mass, star formation rate, half-stellar radius, $r-$band magnitude, and color - and the underlying host halo mass of galaxies. Central galaxy observables are used to probe host halo mass, while satellite galaxy properties are used to estimate subhalo mass. We perform this analysis using random forest, ordinary least squares (OLS), and symbolic regression. Random forest regression can assess the relative significance of different observable galaxy properties, while OLS and symbolic regression can quantify their relationship with the host halo mass. Our results show that gas mass is generally the most significant property in central galaxies of all halo mass ranges, followed by stellar mass and observed $r-$band magnitude. Adding parameters such as the colour and magnitude of galaxies improves host halo mass estimations compared to standard stellar-to-halo mass relations. These results show that halo mass likely has a multi-dimensional dependence on galaxy properties and open the avenue of finding a simple way to constrain halo mass based on what is directly observable in galaxy surveys. Finding the observables that have the strongest correlation with halo mass can also motivate future surveys on which areas to concentrate in detail.
Read the full abstract