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Physics Astrophysics

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Monday 27 October

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Constraining and Comparing the Dynamical Dark Energy and f(R) Modified Gravity Models with Cosmological Distance Measurements

We constrain and compare the $w_{0}w_{a}$CDM dynamical dark energy model and three $f(R)$ modified gravity models using the current cosmological distance measurements, including 112 high-quality localized FRBs, BAO measurements from the DESI-DR2 and the BOSS-DR12, Type~Ia supernovae (SNe~Ia) from the PantheonPlus compilation and the DESY5 sample, cosmic chronometers (CC), and the angular scale of the first acoustic peak of the CMB from Planck~2018. These datasets allow us to effectively break parameter degeneracy, obtain stringent cosmological constraint results, and conduct systematic model comparison and selection. By using the FRB+PantheonPlus+DESI+CC+CMB dataset, we constrain the parameters of the dark energy equation of state in the $w_{0}w_{a}$CDM model, obtaining $w_{0} = -0.867 \pm 0.060$ and $w_{a} = -0.35^{+0.29}_{-0.25}$. For the $f(R)$ modified gravity models, the deviation parameter $b$, which characterizes departure from general relativity, is constrained to be $b = 0.206 \pm 0.084$, $b = 0.700^{+0.190}_{-0.130}$, and $b = 0.198 \pm 0.081$ for Hu-Sawicki, Starobinsky, and ArcTanh models, respectively. Besides, we compare the impacts of different SNe Ia datasets (PantheonPlus and DESY5) and BAO datasets (DESI-DR2 and BOSS-DR12) on the constraints of the cosmological models. By employing Bayesian evidence and other model selection criteria, we find that the choice of SNe Ia and BAO datasets can significantly influence the inferred preference for cosmological models. Specifically, the DESY5 and DESI datasets tend to favor $w_{0}w_{a}$CDM and $f(R)$ models, whereas the PantheonPlus and BOSS datasets show a comparatively stronger preference for the $\Lambda$CDM model.
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All authors Shuai Feng, Yan Gong, Xiaohui Liu, Jun-Hui Yan, Xuelei Chen

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

A Search for Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidates in 46-Year Radio Light Curves of 83 Blazars

The combined University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory (UMRAO) and Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) blazar monitoring programs at 14.5/15 GHz provide uninterrupted light curves of $\sim~46-50$ yr duration for 83 blazars, selected from amongst the brightest and most rapidly flaring blazars north of declination $-20^\circ$. In a search for supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) candidates, we carried out tests for periodic variability using generalized Lomb-Scargle (GLS), weighted wavelet-Z (WWZ), and sine-wave fitting (SWF) analyses of this sample. We used simulations to test the effects of the power law spectrum of the power spectral density (PSD) on our findings, and show that the irregular sampling in the observed light curves has very little effect on the GLS spectra. Apparent periodicities and putative harmonics appear in all 83 of the GLS spectra of the blazars in our sample. We tested the reality of these apparent periodicities and harmonics with simulations, and found that in the overwhelming majority of cases they are due to the steep slope of the PSD, and should therefore be treated with great caution. We find one new SMBHB candidate: PKS 1309+1154, which exhibits a 17.9 year periodicity. The fraction of SMBHB candidates in our sample is $2.4_{-0.8}^{+3.2}\%$.
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All authors B. Molina, P. Mróz, P. V. De la Parra, A. C. S. Readhead, T. Surti, M. F. Aller, J. D. Scargle, R. A. Reeves, H. Aller, M. C. Begelman, R. D. Blandford, Y. Ding, M. J. Graham, F. Harrison, T. Hovatta, I. Liodakis, M. L. Lister, W. Max-Moerbeck, V. Pavlidou, T. J. Pearson, V. Ravi, A. G. Sullivan, A. Synani, K. Tassis, S. E. Tremblay, J. A. Zensus

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Cross-listed from physics.optics

Tensor network methods for quantum-inspired image processing and classical optics

Tensor network methods strike a middle ground between fully-fledged quantum computing and classical computing, as they take inspiration from quantum systems to significantly speed up certain classical operations. Their strength lies in their compressive power and the wide variety of efficient algorithms that operate within this compressed space. In this work, we focus on applying these methods to fundamental problems in image compression and processing and classical optics such as wave-front propagation and optical image formation, by using directly or indirectly parallels with quantum mechanics and computation. These quantum-inspired methods are expected to yield faster algorithms with applications ranging from astronomy and earth observation to microscopy and classical imaging more broadly.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Evaluating the chromospheric structure model of AD Leo using RH1.5D and magnetic field data

Context. The interplay between surface magnetic topology and chromospheric heating in active M dwarfs remains poorly constrained, limiting our understanding of their magnetic cycles and high-energy environments. Aims. We aim to test whether detailed Zeeman-Doppler imaging (ZDI) maps of AD Leo can be used to spatially anchor a multi-component chromospheric model and validate the link between magnetic flux distribution and emission-line formation. Methods. We analyze high-resolution CARMENES spectra of H-alpha and the Ca II infrared triplet, together with ZDI maps. Synthetic profiles are computed using the RH1.5D non-LTE radiative transfer code with two active atmospheric components (low-latitude near the equator and polar near the pole) and a quiet background. Their relative filling factors and temperature structures are optimized per epoch. The ZDI maps serve as qualitative references for the large-scale magnetic topology but are not used as input to the optimization. Results. Our model reproduces the spectral line profiles across multiple epochs. The low-latitude active region shows notable variability, accounting for approximately 55-86% of the emission, while the polar region remains relatively constant in area (12-17%) but exhibits temperature variations over time, particularly during periods of increased activity. The spatial locations of the active regions derived from spectroscopy agree well with the radial magnetic field distribution from ZDI. Conclusions. Combining spectroscopic modeling with magnetic field maps is an effective approach for mapping magneto-chromospheric structures in M dwarfs. This framework deepens our understanding of stellar magnetic cycles and chromospheric dynamics, paving the way for detailed time-resolved studies in active low-mass stars.
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All authors Shuai Liu, Jianrong Shi, Huigang Wei, Wenxian Li, Jifeng Liu, Shangbin Yang, Henggeng Han

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

A Statistical Study of delta-Sunspots from Solar Cycle 23 to 25

Sunspots or active regions (ARs) with a delta-magnetic configuration are known to be associated with strong eruptions such as flares and mass ejections. This article investigates the relationship between delta-ARs and flares over the course of three solar cycles (SCs), from 1996 to 2024, with respect to the former's area, lifetime, latitudinal distribution, and phase of its magnetic complexity. Solar cycle 25 has produced the least number of delta-ARs in comparison to the previous two solar cycles, yet the number of M- and X-class flares exceed that of cycle 24 by 25%. Flare occurrence is higher in C-, M-, and X-class events during the presence of the delta-configuration which is seen in all 3 SCs. The total number of flares produced by delta- and non-delta-ARs were 15875 and 17033, respectively across all 3 SCs. The latter are dominated by B- and C-class flares, while the number of M- and X-class flares across all 3 SCs was significantly less than compared to delta-ARs. The median lifetime of an AR in the delta- and non-delta phase is about 5 and 8 days, respectively. The typical number of flares produced by a delta-AR is 20, with maximum values ranging from 80-156 for lifetimes between 6-13 days. However, about 30% of delta-ARs do not produce flares when their lifetimes are between 6-12 days. The latitudinal distribution of delta-ARs across the northern and southern hemispheres is nearly symmetric on either side of the equator for SCs 23 and 24, peaking around +/-10 deg-20 deg. For solar cycles 23 and 24, about 30% of the host delta-ARs have an area exceeding the mean value over the above latitudinal belt while for SC 25, there is a large scatter possibly due to the cycle still being in progress. It remains to be seen if the latter phase of SC 25 will be as active as its earlier phase and whether the number of delta-ARs emerging during that period scale with the total sunspot number.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Testing the cosmic distance duality relation using model-independent approach

In this work, we test the cosmic distance duality relation (CDDR) using the arbitrary redshift pivot Padé-(2,1) expansion methodology developed in arXiv:2509.16196. This approach allows us to constrain cosmography parameters and test CDDR at any redshift. Further, it does not rely on data reconstructions or extrapolations of the cosmography parameters to higher redshifts. We employ observational data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Baryon Acoustic Oscillation dataset, cosmic chronometers (CC), and Type Ia supernovae from the Pantheon Plus (PP) and Dark Energy Survey Year 5 (DESY5) compilations. We find no significant deviations from the standard CDDR relation in the range $0\lesssim z \lesssim 1$ when considering DESI$+r_d$ dataset in combination with PP$+$CC and DESY5$+$CC datasets. However, on imposing a Gaussian prior on $M_B \in \mathcal{N}(-19.253, 0.027)$ (instead of treating it as a free parameter) in the dataset combination PP$+$CC, we find CDDR violation at a level of $(3-5)\sigma.$
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All authors Shubham Barua, Sujit K. Dalui, Rikiya Okazaki, Shantanu Desai

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Exploring the Landscape of Spontaneous CP Violation in Supersymmetric Theories

The strong CP problem remains one of the most important unresolved issues in the Standard Model. Spontaneous CP violation (SCPV) is a promising approach to the problem by assuming that CP is an exact symmetry of the Lagrangian but broken spontaneously at the vacuum, which enables the generation of the observed Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) phase without reintroducing a nonzero strong CP phase. Supersymmetry (SUSY) provides a natural framework to accommodate such a mechanism, as SUSY can not only protect the scale of SCPV from radiative corrections but also suppress problematic higher-dimensional operators generating a strong CP phase. In the present study, we explore the realization of SCPV in two distinct SUSY scenarios. First, we investigate SCPV in the exact SUSY limit by extending the spurion formalism developed in non-supersymmetric theories to identify the necessary condition for stabilizing CP-violating phases, and by analyzing the stabilization of radial vacuum expectation values through R-symmetry constraints on the superpotential. Second, we construct a model in which CP is spontaneously broken at an intermediate scale along pseudo-flat directions, stabilized by soft SUSY breaking and non-perturbative effects of a gauge theory. The latter setup predicts light scalars in the SCPV sector whose masses are determined by the SUSY breaking scale.
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All authors Fangchao Liu, Shota Nakagawa, Yuichiro Nakai, Yaoduo Wang

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Exploring the accelerating black holes from the observations of quasi-periodic oscillations in X-ray binaries

Black holes in dense astrophysical environments, such as globular clusters or in the vicinity of other massive objects, may possess accelerations. Such acceleration would modulate the characteristics of the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in X-ray black hole binaries. In this paper, we explore the influence of spin-aligned acceleration of a black hole on QPOs observed in X-ray binaries. For this purpose, we compute the fundamental frequencies arising from the motion of test particles around an accelerating (spin-aligned) black hole and apply the relativistic precession, parametric resonance, and forced resonance models to establish their correspondence with several observed QPOs of X-ray binaries (GRO J1655-40, XTE J1550-564, XTE J1859+226, GRS 1915+105, H1743-322, M82~X-1, and Sgr~A$^{*}$). We then employ the Bayesian Markov-Chain Monte Carlo method to constrain the black hole parameters. Our results show no evidence for spin-aligned acceleration in any of the analyzed sources, suggesting that most of these X-ray binaries reside in isolated environments and therefore experience only small perturbations to the background spacetime geometries.
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All authors Hamza Rehman, Saddam Hussain, G. Abbas, Tao Zhu

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Spatially Resolved, Multiphase Mass Outflows of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 3227

We present spatially resolved mass outflow rates of the ionized and molecular gas in the narrow line region of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3227. Using long-slit spectroscopy and [O III] imaging from from Hubble Space Telescope's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and Apache Point Observatory's Kitt Peak Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph, in conjunction with Cloudy photoionization models and emission line diagnostics, we find a peak ionized mass outflow rate of $\dot M_{\text{ion}} =$ $19.9\pm9.2$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ at a distance of $47\pm6$ pc from the supermassive black hole (SMBH). Using archival data from the Gemini-North Near-infrared Field Spectrograph measuring H$_2$ $\lambda2.1218$ $\mu$m emission, we find a maximum peak warm molecular outflow rate of $\dot M_{\mathrm{H_2}} \le 9 \times 10^{-4}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ at a distance of $36\pm6$ pc from the SMBH. Using archival data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array measuring CO(2-1) emission, we find a maximum peak cold molecular gas mass outflow rate of $\dot M_{\mathrm{CO}} \le$ $23.1$ M$_\odot$ year$^{-1}$ at a distance of $57\pm6$ pc from the SMBH. For the first time, we calculate spatially resolved gas evacuation timescales for the cold molecular gas reservoirs ostensibly sourcing the outflows, and find that evacuating gas to $\sim$400 pc from the SMBH occurs on timescales of $10^{6.0} - 10^{7.6}$ years. These results indicate that the multi-phase AGN outflows are effective in clearing the inner few hundred parsecs of NGC 3227's gas content on timescales that may set the AGN duty cycle of $10^5 - 10^8$ years.
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All authors Julia Falcone, D. Michael Crenshaw, Mitchell Revalski, Travis C. Fischer, Beena Meena, Maura Kathleen Shea, Jacob Tutterow, Zo Chapman, Kesha Patel

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

SN 2024iss: A Double-peaked Type IIb Supernova with Evidence of Circumstellar Interaction

We present optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray observations of supernova (SN) 2024iss, a Type IIb SN that shows a prominent double-peaked light curve. We modeled the first peak with a semianalytical shock-cooling model and the X-ray emission with a free-free model. We compare the envelope radius and mass-loss rate with other Type IIb SNe to explore the relationships between the progenitor envelope and the circumstellar material (CSM). The shock-cooling peak in the $V$-band light curve reached $M_V = -17.33\pm 0.26$mag, while the $^{56}$Ni-powered second peak attained $M_V = -17.43\pm 0.26$mag. Early spectra show an photospheric velocity of $\sim19,400\,km\,s^{-1}$ at 3.82days from the H$\alpha$ P~Cygni profile. The Balmer lines persist at least +87 days after the explosion, characterizing hydrogen-rich ejecta. Modeling the first light-curve peak suggests an extended envelope with a mass of $0.11\pm0.04\,M_{\odot}$ and a radius of $244\pm43~R_{\odot}$. Fitting the second light-curve peak with an Arnett-like model indicates a typical $^{56}$Ni mass of $ 0.117\pm0.013~M_{\odot}$ and a relatively low ejecta mass of $1.272\pm0.343\,M_{\odot}$. X-ray observations reveal bright thermal bremsstrahlung emission and indicate a mass-loss rate of $1.6\times10^{-5}\ M_{\odot} \ \rm{yr}^{-1}$. SN 2024iss occupies a transitional position between the two subclasses of extended (eIIb) and compact (cIIb) Type IIb SNe. Its envelope radius and pre-explosion mass-loss rate appear to be correlated as theoretically predicted. The observational properties of SN 2024iss are compatible with a binary interaction scenario being the dominant mechanism for envelope stripping. Furthermore, the low column density of neutral hydrogen suggests a compact CSM with an outer radius of $\lesssim1.3\times10^{14}$ cm, indicating that the progenitor star experienced eruptive mass loss within $\sim4\,yr$ of its terminal explosion.
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All authors Liyang Chen, Xiaofeng Wang, Qinyu Wu, Moira Andrews, Joseph Farah, Paolo Ochner, Andrea Reguitti, Thomas G. Brink, Jujia Zhang, Cuiying Song, Jialian Liu, Alexei V. Filippenko, David J. Sand, Irene Albanese, Kate D. Alexander, Jennifer Andrews, K. Azalee Bostroem, Yongzhi Cai, Collin Christy, Ali Esamdin, Andrea Farina, Noah Franz, D. Andrew Howell, Brian Hsu, Maokai Hu, Abdusamatjan Iskandar, Liping Li, Gaici Li, Dongyue Li, Wenxiong Li, Jinzhong Liu, Curtis McCully, Megan Newsome, Yuan Qi Ni, Andrea Pastorello, Estefania Padilla Gonzalez, Jeniveve Pearson, Haowei Peng, Conor Ransome, Manisha Shrestha, Nathan Smith, Bhagya Subrayan, Giacomo Terreran, Giorgio Valerin, J. Vinkó, Sergiy S.Vasylyev, Letian Wang, Zhenyu Wang, Hao Wang, J. Craig Wheeler, Kathryn Wynn, Danfeng Xiang, Shengyu Yan, Weimin Yuan, Juan Zhang, WeiKang Zheng, Yu Zhang

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

SN2017ckj: A linearly declining Type IIb supernova with a relatively massive hydrogen envelope

We present optical observations of the Type IIb supernova (SN) 2017ckj, covering approximately 180 days after the explosion. Its early-time multi-band light curves display no clear evidence of a shock-cooling tail, resembling the behavior of SN2008ax. The $V$-band light curve exhibits a short rise time of about 5 days and reaches an absolute fitted peak magnitude of $M_{\rm V}=-18.49\pm0.18\mathrm{mag}$. The late-time multi-band light curves reveal a linear decline. We modelled the bolometric light curve of SN2017ckj to constrain the progenitor and the explosion parameters. We estimated a total mass of $\rm ^{56}Ni$ synthesized by SN2017ckj of $M_{\rm Ni} = 0.21^{+0.05}_{-0.03}\ M_\odot$, with a massive H-rich envelope of $M_{\rm env} = 0.4^{+0.1}_{-0.1}\ M_\odot$. Both the $\rm ^{56}Ni$ mass and the envelope mass of SN2017ckj are higher than those of typical SNe IIb, in agreement with its peculiar light curve evolution. The early-time spectra of SN2017ckj are dominated by a blue continuum, accompanied by narrow $\rm H_\alpha$ and \Heii emission lines. The earliest spectrum exhibits flash ionization features, from which we estimated a progenitor mass-loss rate of $\sim 3\times10^{-4}M_\odot \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. At later epochs, the spectra develop broad P-Cygni profiles and become increasingly similar to those of SNe IIb, especially SN2018gk. The late-time spectrum at around 139 days does not show a distinct decline in the strength of $\rm H_\alpha$ emission profile, also indicating a relatively massive envelope of its progenitor. Aside from the $\rm H_\alpha$ feature, the nebular spectrum exhibits prominent emission lines of \Oi, \Caii, [\Caii], and \Mgi], which are consistent with the prototypical SN1993J.
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All authors L.-H. Li, S. Benetti, Y.-Z. Cai, B. Wang, A. Pastorello, N. Elias-Rosa, A. Reguitti, L. Borsato, E. Cappellaro, A. Fiore, M. Fraser, M. Gromadzki, J. Harmanen, J. Isern, T. Kangas, E. Kankare, P. Lundqvist, S. Mattila, P. Ochner, Z.-H. Peng, T. M. Reynolds, I. Salmaso, S. Srivastav, M. D. Stritzinger, L. Tomasella, G. Valerin, Z.-Y. Wang, J.-J. Zhang, C.-Y. Wu

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The Velocity Map Asymmetry of Ionized Gas in MaNGA II. Correlation between Velocity Map Morphology, Star Formation, and Metallicity in Regular Disk Galaxies

The morphology of ionized gas velocity maps provides a direct probe of the internal gas kinematics of galaxies. Using integral field spectroscopy from SDSS-IV MaNGA, we analyze a sample of 528 low-inclination, regular disk galaxies to investigate the correlations between velocity map morphology, star formation rate, and gas-phase metallicity. We quantify velocity map morphology using harmonic expansion and adopt two complementary diagnostics: the global kinematic asymmetry, which traces non-axisymmetric perturbations, and the first-order term ratio, which captures axisymmetric radial motions. We find that galaxies with higher kinematic asymmetry are more likely to deviate from the scaling relations, typically lying either above or below the star formation main sequence and systematically below the mass-metallicity relation. In contrast, the first-order term ratio shows only a correlation with gas-phase metallicity in the low-mass range and no significant dependence on star formation rate. Moreover, galaxies below the mass-metallicity relation generally exhibit higher HI gas fractions. These results suggest that external gas accretion is the primary driver of the observed phenomena: inflowing metal-poor gas increases velocity map asymmetry in disk galaxies, dilutes the metallicity, and triggers enhanced star formation. Feedback-driven outflows, bar- and spiral-driven inflows, and galaxy mergers may also contribute, but likely play a secondary role.
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All authors Shuai Feng, Shiyin Shen, Yanmei Chen, Y.Sophia Dai, Jun Yin, Wenyuan Cui, Mengting Ju, Linlin Li

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

A test of Amati relation using HII galaxy distances

We use model-independent luminosity distances of 186 HII galaxy observations to address the circularity problem in the Amati relation for Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs). For this purpose, we used Artificial Neural Network based interpolation to reconstruct the luminosity distance corresponding to the GRB redshift. We then use two independent GRB datasets to test the robustness of the Amati relation at redshifts below $z=2.6$. Our best-fit Amati relation parameters are consistent for the same datasets to within $1\sigma$. The intrinsic scatters which we obtain for the two datasets of about 28% and 35%, are comparatively larger. This implies that the Amati relation using HII galaxies as distance anchors cannot be used as a probe of precision cosmology.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

Detecting Intermediate-Mass Black Holes out to 20 Mpc with ELT/HARMONI: The Case of FCC 119

Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs; $M_{BH} \approx 10^{3-5} M_\odot$) play a critical role in understanding the formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe. In this study, we expand on Nguyen et al. simulated measurements of IMBH masses using stellar kinematics, which will be observed with the High Angular Resolution Monolithic Optical and Near-infrared Integral (HARMONI) field spectrograph on the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) up to the distance of 20 Mpc. Our sample focuses on both the Virgo Cluster in the northern sky and the Fornax Cluster in the southern sky. We begin by identifying dwarf galaxies hosting nuclear star clusters, which are thought to be nurseries for IMBHs in the local universe. As a case study, we conduct simulations for FCC 119, the second faintest dwarf galaxies in the Fornax Cluster at 20 Mpc, which is also fainter than most of Virgo Cluster members. We use the galaxy's surface brightness profile from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, combined with an assumed synthetic spectrum, to create mock observations with the HSIM simulator and Jeans Anisotropic Models (JAM). These mock HARMONI datacubes are analyzed as if they were real observations, employing JAM within a Bayesian framework to infer IMBH masses and their associated uncertainties. We find that ELT/HARMONI can detect the stellar kinematic signature of an IMBH and accurately measure its mass for $M_{BH} \gtrsim 10^5 M_\odot$ out to distances of $\sim$20 Mpc.
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All authors Hai N. Ngo, Dieu D. Nguyen, Tinh T.Q. Le, Tien H.T. Ho, Truong N. Nguyen, Trung H. Dang

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Coronal Mass Ejections Deflected by Newly Emerging Flux: A Combined Analytic and Numerical Study

Newly emerging flux (NEF) has been widely studied as a trigger of solar filament eruptions, but its influence on the subsequent dynamics remains poorly explored. Because NEF typically emerges adjacent to filaments, it imposes magnetic asymmetry that can drive non-radial eruptions and complicate space-weather forecasting. We bridge analytic catastrophe theory with 2D resistive MHD simulations: analytic solutions provide magnetic configurations containing a flux rope at the loss-of-equilibrium point, which are then used as initial conditions for simulations to examine the following dynamics. We find that NEF governs the kinematics of filament eruptions in two ways. First, by reshaping coronal stability, NEF can create or eliminate a higher equilibrium in corona, thereby producing failed eruptions or CMEs. In the transitional situation where a metastable equilibrium appears, the rising filament decelerates and stalls before re-accelerating into a CME, consistent with observed two-step eruptions. Second, by breaking symmetry, NEF deflects eruptions away from the radial direction: depending on its polarity, it acts as a repulsor or an attractor on eruptive filaments, and the deflection magnitude increases with the degree of asymmetry. Our theory yields two characteristic angles that predict the deflection directions of CMEs and failed eruptions, and simulations closely aligns with these predictors. These results highlight the NEF not only as a trigger but also as a key factor that governs both the acceleration and deflection of eruptions during their propagation in the low corona.
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All authors Yuhao Chen, Chengcai Shen, Zhixing Mei, Jing Ye, Jialiang Hu, Zehao Tang, Guanchong Cheng, Shanshan Xu, Abdullah Zafar, Yujia Song, Jun Lin

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Revisiting the 150 MHz Radio Luminosity Function of Star-Forming Galaxies with LOFAR Deep Fields through a Refined Statistical Framework

We present a comprehensive analysis of the 150~MHz radio luminosity function (LF) of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) using deep observations from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey in the ELAIS-N1, Boötes, and Lockman Hole fields. Our sample comprises $\sim$56,000 SFGs over $0 < z < 5.7$. We first analyze the deepest field (ELAIS-N1), then jointly model all three fields while accounting for their distinct flux limits and selection functions. Using adaptive kernel density estimation (KDE), we reconstruct the LF continuously across redshift and luminosity without binning or parametric assumptions. The KDE results reveal clear signatures of joint luminosity and density evolution (LADE). Motivated by this, we construct and fit three parametric models–pure luminosity evolution (PLE) and two LADE variants–using a full maximum-likelihood method that includes completeness corrections and constraints from the local radio LF and Euclidean-normalized source counts (SCs). Model selection using Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria strongly favors LADE over PLE. For ELAIS-N1, the more flexible LADE model (Model C) provides the best fit, while for the combined fields, the simpler Model B balances fit quality and complexity more effectively. Both LADE models reproduce the observed LFs and SCs across luminosity and flux density ranges, whereas PLE underperforms. We also identify a mild excess at the bright end of the LF, likely due to residual AGN contamination. This study demonstrates that combining KDE with parametric modeling offers a robust framework for quantifying the evolving radio LF of SFGs, paving the way for future work with next-generation surveys like the SKA.
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All authors Wenjie Wang, Zunli Yuan, Hongwei Yu, Yang Liu, Yu Luo, Puxun Wu

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Impact of Subsurface Temperature Gradients on Emission Spectra of Airless Exoplanets: the Solid-state Greenhouse and Anti-Greenhouse

An emerging goal of exoplanet science is to constrain the surface composition of airless exoplanets. Without the protection of an atmosphere, these planets are likely covered by a powder-like regolith, similar to the Moon. Laboratory studies show that, under vacuum conditions, such regoliths can develop subsurface temperature gradients, also known as the solid-state greenhouse effect. This effect can significantly modify the emission features of airless bodies, but its potential impact on exoplanets is still unexplored. Here we derive analytic solutions of the two-stream radiative transfer equations with scattering, absorption, plus emission, and combine them with Mie theory calculations to model subsurface temperature gradients and emission spectra of airless exoplanets. The results show exo-regoliths can develop strong solid-state greenhouse or anti-greenhouse effects, with temperature gradients $>200$~K in the upper-most subsurface ($\mathcal{O}(100)\mu$m). These temperature gradients alter surface emission features, modify secondary eclipse depths by up to $\sim50\%$, and can produce higher-than-blackbody emission at some wavelengths. In addition, we study whether subsurface temperature gradients can be disentangled from other microscopic effects, such as changes in space weathering or particle size. At least in some cases, the co-existence of these effects makes it essentially impossible to distinguish different surface compositions within the precisions achievable by JWST. Overall, subsurface temperature gradients thus open potentially new ways to characterize surfaces of airless exoplanets, but they also complicate the interpretation of airless exoplanet spectra. In either case, their effect can be important and should be included in future modeling studies.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Morphological and Kinematical Diagnostic of FU Orionis-type Outburst Mechanisms

We investigated the possibility of determining the mechanism of the FU Orionis-type outburst based on molecular line observations of protoplanetary disks with synthetic observations of distinct numerical burst models. The morphology of the synthetic $\mathrm{C^{18}O}$ emission is sensitive to gas temperature and does not coincide with the actual gas disk structures, particularly in the magnetorotational instability (MRI) and clump-infall models, which exhibit peculiar temperature distributions. This highlights the need for careful interpretation of morphologies of line emission from disks under accretion outbursts. The synthetic $\mathrm{C^{18}O}$ emission of each model exhibits distinct kinematic features that can be used to distinguish outburst scenarios. In the MRI model, kinematic features of the gravitational instability (GI), which fuels MRI-driven accretion bursts, are small in both amplitude and spatial extent, resulting in no prominent local features in the residual velocity map at a typical distance for FU Orionis-type objects. In contrast, the clump-infall model shows a clear sign of gas expansion along a spiral, which is caused by exchange of angular momentum between an infalling clump and surrounding gas. The intruder model exhibits a highly asymmetric velocity structure with respect to the systemic velocity of the primary protostar in velocity channel maps. These distinct kinematic features may serve as promising diagnostics for distinguishing the physical mechanisms responsible for FU Orionis-type outbursts.
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All authors Jinshi Sai, Eduard I. Vorobyov, Alexandr Skliarevskii, Michihiro Takami

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

The cosmochemistry of planetary systems

Planets form and obtain their compositions from the leftover material present in protoplanetary disks of dust and gas surrounding young stars. The chemical make-up of a disk influences every aspect of planetary composition including their overall chemical properties, volatile content, atmospheric composition, and potential for habitability. This Review discusses our knowledge of the chemical and isotopic composition of Solar System materials and how this information can be used to place constraints on the formation pathways of terrestrial planets. We conclude that planetesimal formation by the streaming instability followed by rapid accretion of drifting pebbles within the protoplanetary disk lifetime reproduces most of the chemical and isotopic observables in Solar System. This finding has important implications for planetary habitability beyond the Solar System because in pebble accretion, volatiles important for life are accreted during the main growth phase of rocky planets as opposed to the late-stage. Finally, we explore how bulk chemical inventories and masses of planetary bodies control the composition of their primordial atmospheres and their potential to develop habitable conditions.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Constraint on the Physical Origin of Gamma-Ray Burst Prompt Emission via Its Nondetected Diffuse Neutrino Emission

The physical origin of prompt emission in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remains an open question since it has been studied more than half a century. Three alternative models (i.e. dissipative photosphere, internal shock, and Internal-Collision-induced MAgnetic Reconnection and Turbulence, ICMART) have been proposed to interpret the observations of GRB prompt emission, but none of them can fully interpret all of the observational data collected so far. The question is what is the fraction of these three theoretical models in the prompt emission of GRBs. In this paper, we propose to utilize an innovative method and constrain the fraction of GRB prompt emission models via its nondetected diffuse neutrinos. By adopting two methods (e.g., summing up the individual GRB contributions and assumed luminosity functions of GRB) to calculate diffuse neutrino flux of GRBs for given the benchmark parameters of $\Gamma=300$ and $\varepsilon_{p} \text{/} \varepsilon_{e}=10$, both approaches indicate that most GRBs should be originated from the ICMART model. Moreover, we find that the fractions of the dissipative photosphere model, the internal shock model, and the ICMART model are constrained to be [0, $0.5\%$], [0, $1.1\%$], and [$98.9\%$, 1], respectively, for the method of summing up the individual GRB contributions. For the method of luminosity functions, the fractions of above three models are constrained to be [0, $6.1\%$], [0, $8.2\%$], and [$91.8\%$, 1], respectively. However, such fractions of different models are also dependent on the parameters of $\Gamma$ and $\varepsilon_{p} \text{/} \varepsilon_{e}$.
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All authors Yang-Dong-Jun Ou, Hou-Jun Lü, Jia-Ming Chen, Ben-Yang Zhu, En-Wei Liang

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Discovery and Timing Follow-Up of Two FAST-Discovered Pulsars from the FAST CRAFTS Survey

We present the results of Green Bank Telescope (GBT) observations of two pulsars discovered with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) during the 19-beam Commensal Radio Astronomy FasT Survey (CRAFTS). We highlight the first timing solutions, pulse profiles, flux densities, and polarization measurements at 820 MHz for PSR J0535-0231, with a spin period of 415 ms, and PSR J1816-0518, with a spin period of 1.93 s, from a year-long follow-up campaign. PSR J0535-0231 appears to be partially recycled, but isolated, and likely belongs to the class of disrupted recycled pulsars (DRPs). We find that the two widely used electron density models, NE2001 and YMW16, both fall short of accurately modeling the line-of-sight to PSR J0535-0231, as the maximum dispersion measure (DM) predicted by both models is lower than the pulsar's DM of 118.1 pc cm$^{-3}$. Finally, we place both pulsar discoveries in the context of other FAST pulsars discovered in the CRAFTS survey and of the currently known pulsar population, in general, and discuss ways in which future FAST discoveries of faint, distant pulsars might facilitate the development of improved versions of the aforementioned electron density models in certain regions of our Galaxy.
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All authors Victoria A. Blackmon, Maura A. McLaughlin, De Zhao, Jianping Yuan, Qingdong Wu, Chen-Chen Miao, Meng-Yao Xue, Di Li, Wei-Wei Zhu

Astrophysics of Galaxies

HI Content of Group Galaxies from the FAST All Sky HI Survey

We investigate the atomic gas (HI) content of galaxies in groups using early data from the FAST All Sky HI survey (FASHI). Taking advantage of FAST's blind, wide-area coverage and uniform sensitivity, we assemble a sample of $230$ group galaxies belonging to $182$ groups at $z\leq0.03$. These groups were identified using a halo-based group finder, and they have an median membership of $4$ galaxies. We also derived a matched control sample of isolated systems, and apply censored-data modeling to include both detections and non-detections. At fixed stellar mass and color, we find that the global median HI fraction of group galaxies differs from that of controls by only $-0.04$ dex ($95\%$ CI [$-0.18,\ 0.16$]), indicating at most a mild average offset. The signal is not uniform across populations: satellites are HI-poor (median $\Delta f_{\mathrm{HI}}=-0.12$ dex), whereas centrals are not HI-deficient (median $\Delta f_{\mathrm{HI}}=0.13$ dex). Group galaxies located within $0.5R_{180}$ and in denser systems (richness $>10$ or local density $\Sigma>10\ \mathrm{gal\ Mpc^{-2}}$) show stronger negative offsets, whereas galaxies in the outskirts are statistically indistinguishable from the controls. These results refine earlier reports of global group HI deficiency: with deeper blind data and uniform treatment of upper limits, we show that HI depletion is primarily confined to satellites and compact cores rather than being ubiquitous across groups.
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All authors Shulan Yan, Andrew Ma, Qingzheng Yu, Taotao Fang, Chuan He, Ming Zhu

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

The MDW H{\alpha} Sky Survey: Data Release 1

The Mittelman-di Cicco-Walker (MDW) H$\alpha$ Sky Survey is an autonomously-operated all-sky narrow-band (3nm) H$\alpha$ imaging survey. The survey was founded by amateur astronomers and the northern sky (Decl. $\geq$ 0$^\circ$) is presented here in its second stage of refinement for academic use. Each 3.6$\times$3.6 sq. deg MDW field has 12 20-minute individual exposures with a pixel scale of 3.6", a typical PSF of 6", and a stack point source depth of 16-17 magnitudes. The northern MDW Survey Data Release 1 (DR1) includes: calibrated and raw mean and individual images, star-removed mean fields, and point source catalogs for all images matched to Data Release 1 of the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS1) and the INT Galactic Plane Survey (IGAPS). Our initial study of H$\alpha$ filament widths finds a typical FWHM of 30-45" in the Lyra region. The matched catalogs (with a median match distance of ~0.5"), combined with our distinctive narrow-band photometry, are used to identify H$\alpha$ variable and excess sources. These initial studies highlight some of the many scientific uses of the MDW H$\alpha$ survey.
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All authors Noor Aftab, Xunhe Zhang, Sean Walker, Dennis di Cicco, David R. Mittelman, Sanya Gupta, Andrew K. Saydjari, Mary Putman, David Schiminovich

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Stellar Wind-Blown Bubbles as Environments for Late-Time Rebrightening of Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

We presented the multi-wavelength afterglow fitting results for three events that exhibit late afterglow rebrightening behavior: EP240414a ($z=0.401$), GRB 240529A ($z=2.695$), and GRB 240218A ($z=6.782$), which span a broad range of redshifts, from the local to the high-redshift universe.We prove that the peculiar afterglow light curves of three bursts can be well fitted by structured jets propagated in free-to-shocked stellar wind environment of stellar wind blown bubbles. This scenario offers a self-consistent explanation for the observed subclass of afterglows that exhibit rebrightening that is characterized by steep rises and rapid decays. It also provides a unified solution for such events and offers pathways to study both the jet generation mechanism and the propagation process of jets through the envelope of the progenitor. This study reveals that the structured jets produced by such events exhibit a narrow jet core and a steep angle-dependent energy decay index, suggesting highly magnetized jets. The derived transition radii from free stellar winds to shocked stellar winds for all three events are smaller than 0.5 pc, with statistical analysis of similar events indicating a median value of 0.1 pc, which conflicts with numerical simulation results. We anticipate that future observations by EP and SVOM missions will enhance the understanding of analogous events and further reveal information about progenitors and their circum-environments.
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All authors Jia Ren, Xiao-Yan Li, Yun Wang, Lu-Lu Zhang, Da-Ming Wei, Zi-Gao Dai, Zhi-Ping Jin, Da-Bin Lin

Sunday 26 October

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Pulsar Detection with Deep Learning

Pulsar surveys generate millions of candidates per run, overwhelming manual inspection. This thesis builds a deep learning pipeline for radio pulsar candidate selection that fuses array-derived features with image diagnostics. From approximately 500 GB of Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) data, raw voltages are converted to filterbanks (SIGPROC), then de-dispersed and folded across trial dispersion measures (PRESTO) to produce approximately 32,000 candidates. Each candidate yields four diagnostics–summed profile, time vs. phase, subbands vs. phase, and DM curve–represented as arrays and images. A baseline stacked model (ANNs for arrays + CNNs for images with logistic-regression fusion) reaches 68% accuracy. We then refine the CNN architecture and training (regularization, learning-rate scheduling, max-norm constraints) and mitigate class imbalance via targeted augmentation, including a GAN-based generator for the minority class. The enhanced CNN attains 87% accuracy; the final GAN+CNN system achieves 94% accuracy with balanced precision and recall on a held-out test set, while remaining lightweight enough for near–real-time triage. The results show that combining array and image channels improves separability over image-only approaches, and that modest generative augmentation substantially boosts minority (pulsar) recall. The methods are survey-agnostic and extensible to forthcoming high-throughput facilities.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

On the Short Dissipation Scales and Current-Sheet Properties of Low-Coronal EUV Brightenings

Solar Orbiter EUV observations reveal ubiquitous small-scale brightenings in the quiet-Sun low corona. We analyze the spatial and temporal dissipation scales of these events with a focus on the formation, evolution, and dissipation of associated current sheets. The brightenings are observed at heights of 1-5 Mm and span energies of 10^20 - 10^24 erg, well below the classical nanoflare regime, with the lowest-energy brightenings preferentially originating in the lowest coronal layers. Two distinct dissipation regimes are identified: impulsive brightenings with timescales of 1-10 s, consistent with fast, Alfvenic magnetic reconnection in low-beta plasma, and longer-lived heating episodes lasting 10-100 s, indicative of slower, resistive current-sheet dissipation under higher-beta conditions. The observed dissipation scales suggest a transition from kinetic-scale reconnection to macroscopic current-sheet heating in the low corona. These results support a multi-scale energy-release framework and highlight the role of low-altitude, small-scale current-sheet dissipation in quiet-Sun coronal heating.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Overlapping of photon rings in black hole imaging

In this paper, we investigate the overlapping of photon rings - higher-order images of a black hole's luminous environment, concentrated near the shadow boundary and expected to be resolved in future observations. We consider a broad class of static spherically symmetric spacetimes and geometrically thin equatorial accretion disk with a prescribed inner radius and infinite outer extent, viewed by a polar observer. Depending on the inner radius of the disk, the thickness of each photon ring varies, and the rings may or may not overlap. By overlapping, we mean that portions of images appear at the same angular position on the observer's sky. To characterize the overlapping, we introduce the radius of merging - the value of the disk's inner radius at which two photon rings of given orders begin to overlap. Since each radius of merging is labeled by two indices corresponding to the image orders, it becomes possible to arrange these radii in the form of an infinite-dimensional matrix where only the upper right-hand corner is filled. This matrix, which we call the "matrix of merging", is a signature of spacetime only, and, once known, it provides a qualitative understanding of the overlapping pattern for any chosen value of the inner radius of the disk. Remarkably, the matrix of merging exhibits several universal properties that hold for all spherically symmetric metrics and can be established even without explicit calculation of light trajectories. Based on these properties, we demonstrate that certain overlapping patterns are universally forbidden across all such spacetimes and for any inner radius of the disk. Examples for the Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordström black holes are provided. The main application of our study is constraining the spacetime metric and the accretion model using observed photon ring overlaps.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

FOXES: A Framework For Operational X-ray Emission Synthesis

Understanding solar flares is critical for predicting space weather, as their activity shapes how the Sun influences Earth and its environment. The development of reliable forecasting methodologies of these events depends on robust flare catalogs, but current methods are limited to flare classification using integrated soft X-ray emission that are available only from Earth's perspective. This reduces accuracy in pinpointing the location and strength of farside flares and their connection to geoeffective events. In this work, we introduce a Vision Transformer (ViT)-based approach that translates Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) observations into soft x-ray flux while also setting the groundwork for estimating flare locations in the future. The model achieves accurate flux predictions across flare classes using quantitative metrics. This paves the way for EUV-based flare detection to be extended beyond Earth's line of sight, which allows for a more comprehensive and complete solar flare catalog.
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All authors Griffin T. Goodwin, Jayant Biradar, Alison J. March, Christoph Schirninger, Robert Jarolim, Angelos Vourlidas, Lorien Pratt

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Radio Follow-Up Observations of a Weak-Line Quasar Exhibiting Remarkable X-ray Variability

SDSSJ1539+3954 ($z\approx 1.935$), a radio-quiet weak-line quasar (WLQ), exhibited exceptional X-ray variability in 2019$-$2020, with its X-ray flux increasing by over 20 times from 2013 to 2019 and subsequently dropping by at least a factor of nine in 2020. Motivated by the empirical correlations between X-ray and radio emission in AGN cores, we carried out a follow-up radio study in the 0.3$-$10 GHz range using GMRT (2020, 2022, 2024) and VLA (2022), and analyzed archival VLASS 3 GHz data (2017-2023) to investigate the source's radio properties and potential connection with the X-ray behavior. Our observations reveal a compact radio source with a spectral index of -0.65$\pm$0.15 in the frequency range of 0.3$-$1.4 GHz and -1.09$\pm$0.16 in 3$-$10 GHz. While the source was undetected in VLA-FIRST (1994) and VLASS epochs, the GMRT and VLA observations show no statistically significant variability over the monitored period. The absence of detectable changes in the radio flux, despite strong X-ray variability, suggests no direct connection between the X-ray variability and the radio emission, consistent with the Thick-Disk plus Outflow (TDO) model for WLQs. However, the sensitivity limit of the surveys prevents us from drawing definitive conclusions regarding longer timescale variability between the VLA-FIRST and GMRT epochs. We further explore possible mechanisms driving the radio emission from this source. Our analysis rules out small-scale jets and coronal emission as the primary drivers of the radio emission, suggesting that extended emission from AGN winds and star formation is the more plausible mechanism.
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All authors Ayushi Chhipa, M. Vivek, Nayana A. J., P. Kharb, W. N. Brandt, Preshanth Jagannathan, Janhavi Baghel, Savithri H. Ezhikode, C. H. Ishwara-Chandra

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Prospects for Observing the Microquasar SS 433 with the LACT Array

We investigate the observational capabilities of the upcoming LACT Cherenkov telescope array for the microquasar SS 433 through detailed simulations. Our results indicate that a detection significance of 5 sigma can be achieved with approximately 30 hours of observation. This exposure, coupled with LACT's excellent angular resolution, enables the spatial separation of the eastern and western jets. Furthermore, based on the LHAASO spectral and morphological findings, the array is expected to distinguish the central hadronic component after roughly 100 hours of observation. We also examine its ability to differentiate between the H.E.S.S. and LHAASO spectral models. These findings demonstrate LACT's strong potential to provide critical insights into particle acceleration in PeVatrons and the radiation mechanisms of microquasars.
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