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Physics Astrophysics

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Monday 8 December

Astrophysics of Galaxies

How is cold, star-forming gas in galaxies affected by magnetic fields?

Numerical simulations provide a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of the role of magnetic fields in the interstellar medium of galaxies and in star formation. However, many existing galaxy-scale numerical simulations impose a Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) star formation law by construction. In this paper, we present two Arepo simulations of an isolated star-forming galaxy with and without magnetic fields, using sink particles to model star formation without imposing a KS relation. We examine global differences between the models, and investigate the impacts on star formation. We include a time-dependent, non-equilibrium chemical network coupled to a thermal evolution scheme and supernova feedback. Our magnetic field amplifies via dynamo action from a small initial seed field. We find a more compact magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) disc (radius ~ 5.1kpc, compared to ~ 7.4kpc), with a diffuse atomic envelope above and below the plane that is not seen in the hydrodynamic (HD) case. The HD disc displays a smoother, more even radial distribution of gas and star formation, and more bubbly substructure. Our MHD simulation has a higher proportion of dense, gravitationally unbound gas than the HD case, but a lower star formation rate, an average between 125-150Myr of ~ 4.8 solar masses per year, compared to ~ 8.4 solar masses per year. We see a clear shift in the KS relation to higher gas surface densities in the MHD case, more consistent with observations. The additional magnetic support against gravitational collapse seems to raise the threshold gas surface density required for star formation.
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All authors Kamran R. J. Bogue, Rowan J. Smith, Robin G. Tress, Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, David Whitworth, Ralf S. Klessen, Noé Brucy, Philipp Girichidis, Simon C. O. Glover, Junia Göller, Juan D. Soler, Alessio Traficante

Astrophysics of Galaxies

On the missing dust of super-early galaxies: Supernova blowout and gas-dust venting in Blue Monsters

A subset of very young, super-early galaxies at $z\gtrsim10$, often termed Blue Monsters, shows extremely blue UV continua and faint far-IR emission, which could imply much less dust than expected from standard enrichment scenarios. We seek to understand the possible reason behind the apparent absence of dust in the Blue Monsters. We show how clustered supernovae drive mechanical blowout in stratified, self-gravitating clouds by combining full 3-D hydrodynamical dust-survival yields with 3-D thin-shell scalings, and we predict the retained dust-to-stellar mass ratio at the cluster scale and the corresponding galaxy-integrated value. We take the net dust yield per unit stellar mass from existing 3-D hydrodynamical studies of young stellar clusters with sequential supernovae, and we set the blowout radius as a function of gas concentration using established 3-D thin-shell scalings. Assuming gas-dust coupling across the blowout boundary, the retained dust-to-stellar ratio accounts for the fraction of supernovae that remain confined versus those that vent mechanically. Across typical cluster masses, sizes, and cloud-scale star formation efficiencies, mechanical venting removes a large share of gas and dust. The retained dust-to-stellar mass ratio is lowered by about half to two orders of magnitude relative to the supernova net dust yield. The outcome depends mainly on gas concentration and only weakly on metallicity, so it remains effective at low $Z$. After weighting by a Schechter cluster mass function and a Weibull core-radius distribution, the galaxy-integrated value falls in the same range inferred for spectroscopically confirmed Blue Monsters. Thus, mechanical venting at the cluster scale can account for the very low dust fractions inferred for Blue Monsters without requiring extreme in situ destruction and without fine-tuning.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Heavy element enriched atmospheres and where they are born

The heavy element content of giant exoplanets, inferred from structure models based on their radius and mass, often exceeds predictions based on classical core accretion. Pebble drift, coupled with volatile evaporation, has been proposed as a possible remedy to this with the level of heavy element enrichment a planet can accrete, as well as its atmospheric composition, being strongly dependent on where in the disc it is forming. We use a planet formation model which simulates the evolution of the protoplanetary disc, accounting for pebble growth, drift and evaporation, and the formation of planets from pebble and gas accretion. The growth and migration of planetary embryos is simulated in 10 different protoplanetary discs which have their chemical compositions matched to the host stars of the planets which we aim to reproduce, providing a more realistic model of their growth than previous studies. The heavy element content of giant exoplanets is used to infer their formation location and thus make a prediction of their atmospheric abundances. We focus here on giants more massive than Saturn, as we expect that their heavy element content is dominated by their envelope rather than their core. The heavy element content of 9 out of the 10 planets simulated is successfully matched to their observed values. Our simulations predict formation in the inner disc regions, where the majority of the volatiles have already evaporated and can thus be accreted onto the planet via the gas. As the majority of the planetary heavy element content originates from water vapour accretion, our simulations predict a high atmospheric O/H ratio in combination with a low atmospheric C/O ratio, in general agreement with observations. For certain planets, namely WASP-84b, these properties may be observable in the near future, offering a method of testing the constraints made on the planet's formation.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

The mass-to-flux ratio in molecular clouds. What are we really measuring?

The mass-to-magnetic flux ratio of molecular clouds is a parameter of central importance as it quantifies the dynamical significance of the magnetic field with respect to gravitational forces. Therefore, it can provide invaluable information on the fate of clouds, and the sites of star formation. Our objective was to study the accuracy with which we can measure the true mass-to-flux ratio in molecular clouds under various projection angles and identify systematic biases. We used a 3D nonideal magnetohydrodynamic chemo-dynamical simulation of a turbulent collapsing molecular cloud. We quantified the accuracy with which the mass-to-flux ratio is recovered under various projection angles and dynamical stages by analyzing the magnetic field - gas column density relation, and comparing the "observed" mass-to-flux ratio against the true values. We find that projection effects have a major effect on measurements of the mass-to-flux ratio. Zeeman measurements can overestimate the true mass-to-flux ratio of the cloud by more than an order of magnitude when the magnetic field primarily lies on the plane of the sky. Therefore, measurements of the mass-to-flux ratio based on Zeeman observations should be considered as upper limits. Mass-to-flux ratio estimates inferred from polarization observations do not provide a physically meaningful probe of the true mass-to-flux ratio and can lead to unphysical results as they fail to capture the underlying correlation between the magnetic field and column density.
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Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

The HIP 54515 b Superjovian Planet as an Early, Critical Look at the Roman Coronagraph's Performance in the Faint Target Star, Small IWA Limit

The Roman Coronagraph's capabilities in the faint star, small IWA limit has enormous scientific (programmatic) impacts. Testing its performance in this limit provides a first look at challenges that may be encountered with the Habitable Worlds Observatory in imaging rocky planets around the nearest K and M stars. We propose such a rigorous test with the HLC/575nm targeting a newly-discovered superjovian planet HIP 54515 b, whose predicted contrast is $\sim$4.7 $\times$10$^{-8}$–2.5 $\times$10$^{-7}$. The companion lies close to the coronagraph IWA (well interior to the TTR5 performance region) and orbits a V = 6.8 star, near the limit for which the coronagraph may yield deep contrasts. Multiple reference stars are available that will further test CGI's performance as a function of $\Delta$ pitch angle to assess how the telescope's thermal environment impacts contrasts.
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All authors Thayne Currie, Yiting Li, Brianna Lacy, Mona El Morsy, Masayuki Kuzuhara, Naoshi Murakami, Danielle Bovie

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

Open Effective Field Theory and the Physics of Cosmological Collider Signals

We examine the origin of the cosmological collider signal using the framework of open effective field theories. Focusing on the single exchange of a massive scalar field, we demonstrate that the trispectrum splits cleanly into its local and non-local components once the heavy-field propagators are decomposed in the Keldysh basis. Integrating out the massive degree of freedom yields a single-field effective field theory for the light scalar that necessarily contains both unitary operators and non-unitary contributions associated with dissipation and stochastic noise. We show that the leading local signal in parity-preserving theories arises from the unitary part of this effective field theory, whereas the non-local signal is intrinsically associated with its stochastic sector. The effective field theory coefficients themselves are a priori non-analytic in the external kinematics; however, this non-analyticity can be softened when a scale hierarchy - such as the heavy-mass expansion - is imposed, up to spurious contributions that ultimately cancel in observables. Finally, we establish a connection between the cosmological collider signal and entropy production, linking the observable non-local signal to intrinsic properties of the quantum state, including its degree of mixedness.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Detecting Neutrino Emission from Supernova Remnants: A Theoretically Motivated Target Catalog

Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) are thought to accelerate cosmic rays (CRs) to several PeV energies, but this has yet to be confirmed as general behavior. Although several sources show ~100 TeV gamma rays, their hadronic origin is uncertain; a matching neutrino signal would provide definitive evidence. Using insight from the theory of diffusive shock acceleration, we evaluate the spectra and environments of the sample of Galactic SNRs to identify those most likely to be hadronic, categorizing them into a tiered catalog depending on their likelihood to produce neutrinos detectable in the TeV-PeV range. We then calculate the estimated stacked sensitivity of IceCube for each tier using IceCube's ten-year public data. Our results suggest that this strategy of stacking SNRs and carefully excluding leptonic sources by using theoretical arguments may allow for a detection of this source class that would otherwise be impossible. A follow-up analysis of these catalogs using TeV-PeV sensitive neutrino data from IceCube (or similar telescopes like KM3NeT/ARCA) offers the most decisive, near-future test for the hadronic nature of these SNRs and the maximum energies of their CR spectra.
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All authors Emily Simon, Rebecca Diesing, Damiano Caprioli, Stephen Sclafani

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

The Type IIn SN 2025cbj coincidence with the high-energy neutrino IceCube-250421A

Context. The origin of the astrophysical high-energy neutrino flux remains uncertain. Core-collapse supernovae with strong CSM interaction (Type IIn) are compelling candidates for efficient hadronic acceleration and neutrino production. Aims. We investigate the possible association between the Type IIn supernova SN2025cbj and the IceCube high-energy neutrino IceCube-250421A, and assess whether the observed properties of the SN permit an appreciable neutrino yield. Methods. We combined rapid optical follow-up with LAST and archival ZTF photometry with spectroscopy from LT/SPRAT and MMT/BINOSPEC to characterize the SN evolution and CSM interaction. We estimated the explosion and peak times from early light-curve fitting, and quantified the chance-coincidence probability with resampling simulations that scramble neutrino right ascensions while preserving declinations and error contours. Using a simple post-shock-breakout interaction model in a dense wind, we estimated the expected muon-neutrino yield for IceCube real-time Bronze stream. Results. Spectra of SN2025cbj obtained after the neutrino epoch show persistent narrow Balmer lines superposed on broad Lorentzian electron-scattering wings, consistent with sustained dense-CSM interaction. For the multi-messenger association, resampling simulations against the TNS catalog give a chance-coincidence probability for observing $k \ge 1$ events of $p \simeq 0.24$ (and $p \simeq 0.078$ against the ZTF-BTS catalog). These values are sensitive to the size of the SNe and neutrino samples. A post-breakout interaction scenario predicts an expected $N_{\nu_\mu} \sim 10^{-3}$ events in the IceCube Bronze alert stream over 76 days per this one candidate. We discuss the implications of these numbers and possible biases that may affect these results.
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All authors S. Garrappa, E. A. Zimmerman, T. Wasserman, E. O. Ofek, A. Gal-Yam, R. Konno, P. Chen, O. Yaron, S. Ben-Ami, C. M. Copperwheat, S. Fainer, A. Horowicz, A. Humpe, P. A. Mazzali, D. Polishook, E. Segre, S. A. Spitzer

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Detection of 27 candidate circumbinary planets through apsidal precession of eclipsing binaries observed by TESS

Most circumbinary planets have been discovered by their transits, limiting our understanding of such systems to those with mutually coplanar architectures. This bias makes it difficult to infer the true circumbinary planet population, highlighting the need for alternative detection methods that do not rely on transits. In this work, we explore one such approach by leveraging apsidal precession as a dynamical signature of planetary companions. We analyse TESS photometry of a sample of 1590 eclipsing binaries from the Gaia DR3 Catalogue of Eclipsing Binary Candidates to identify systems exhibiting measurable apsidal precession that cannot be explained by general relativistic, tidal, or rotational effects alone. These excess precession signals point to the presence of additional gravitational perturbers and allow constraints to be placed on the masses and orbital separations of potential companions. We present a new set of 27 candidate circumbinary planets identified through this precession-based method, as well as 6 candidate companions with a higher minimum mass. Their inferred properties remain degenerate, as the same dynamical signatures can arise from lower-mass planets at less than 1 AU or from more massive companions on wider, few-AU orbits, reflecting the current uncertainty in characterising these systems. Radial velocities can help break this degeneracy and provide direct confirmation.
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All authors Margo Thornton, Benjamin T. Montet, Riley White, Arden Shao, Diya T. Kumar

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Probing the warm dark matter mass with [C II] intensity mapping

The nature of dark matter (DM) is still debated. While cold DM (CDM) is the standard paradigm, warm DM (WDM) may ease some small-scale tensions in the $\Lambda$CDM framework. Line-intensity mapping (LIM) offers a novel probe of DM properties. To explore the potential of LIM surveys in constraining the WDM particle mass ($m_\mathrm{WDM}$) by means of the [C II] power spectrum (PS), we provide forecasts for the Deep Spectroscopic Survey (DSS) at $z\simeq3.6$ and extend the analysis to larger sky coverage, higher sensitivity, and/or increased spectral resolution. We developed a formulation for the [C II] PS based on the halo-model approach, incorporating the uncertainty in the luminosity function (LF) through two alternative parameterisations. We performed a Bayesian analysis on mock data to derive constraints on $m_\mathrm{WDM}$. In a CDM universe, the DSS yields lower limits on $m_\mathrm{WDM}$, at a $95\%$ credibility level, of $1.10$ keV and $0.58$ keV when considering the optimistic and pessimistic LF ($\alpha = -1.1$), respectively. Ambitious surveys can improve these figures to $5.82$ keV and $1.90$ keV, and assuming a steeper faint-end slope ($\alpha = -1.9$) further boosts these limits. A fivefold increase in spectral resolution enhances sensitivity to the damping scale associated with redshift-space distortions, tightening the constraints on $m_\mathrm{WDM}$ by a factor of up to $\sim1.8$. Finally, Bayesian inference on mock data with $m_\mathrm{WDM}=3$ keV results in a well-constrained and unbiased posterior only in futuristic survey setups. Upcoming LIM surveys can provide meaningful limits on $m_\mathrm{WDM}$, although the negligible contribution from small haloes reduces the constraining power of the [C II] PS. Future progress will benefit from combining multiple redshifts and emission lines, opening the way to competitive constraints on the nature of DM.
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All authors Elena Marcuzzo, Cristiano Porciani, Emilio Romano-Díaz, Azadeh Moradinezhad Dizgah, Prachi Khatri, Matteo Viel

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Evidence for evolving Dark Energy from a new cosmic probe

The $\Lambda$CDM concordance cosmological model provides a remarkably successful description of the formation and evolution of structure in the Universe. However, a growing discrepancy between measurements of the expansion rate $H_0$ from the near and distant Universe now appears to be significant at the ~4-7 $\sigma$ level. This inconsistency, known as the “Hubble tension”, has arisen either due to unrecognized systematics in these measurements or new physics beyond the standard model, such as an evolving dark energy equation of state. Modeling ~20-year, multi-band optical light curves for 6992 active galactic nuclei (AGN), we find a tight relation linking the variability amplitude and characteristic timescale to their intrinsic luminosity. This empirical law enables us to construct an AGN-based Hubble diagram to z ~3.5. Joint inference with supernova distances reveals evidence for an evolving dark energy equation of state at the 3.8-3.9 $\sigma$ level over constant w models and 4.4-4.8 $\sigma$ over $\Lambda$CDM. Our results establish AGN light curves as a powerful tool for cosmography that could offer a novel pathway to test deviations from the standard $\Lambda$CDM expansion history.
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All authors Isaque Dutra, Colin J. Burke, Priyamvada Natarajan, Weixiang Yu

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

Inflationary Particle Production and the Swampland

We investigate the impact of particle production during inflation in scenarios where an infinite tower of states features a mass scale that decreases exponentially along the inflationary trajectory. Such couplings naturally arise in string effective field theories and are in fact motivated by the Swampland Distance Conjecture (SDC). We show that the corrections to inflationary observables sourced by the tower scale as $(H/\Lambda_{\text{sp}})^{2+p}$, with $H$ being the Hubble scale, $\Lambda_{\text{sp}}$ being the species scale, that is the quantum gravity cut-off, and $p\geq 1$ characterizes the density of states in the tower. As a result, in gravitationally weakly coupled cosmological effective theories, the tower-induced contributions are suppressed relative to the standard single-field predictions, leaving the inflationary phenomenology essentially unchanged. We demonstrate this explicitly across a set of well-motivated inflationary potentials, and we compare the resulting predictions with the most recent observational constraints, including those from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.
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All authors Dieter Lüst, Joaquin Masias, Mauro Pieroni, Marco Scalisi

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

Infrared Freeze-In of Magnetic Dipole Dark Matter

We propose a novel mechanism for the cosmological production of keV - GeV mass dark matter that interacts with the Standard Model through a small effective magnetic dipole moment. Such an interaction can be radiatively generated if dark matter couples to heavier charged particles. Previous studies have focused on the case where these charged states are much heavier than the reheat temperature, such that freeze-in production of dark matter is sensitive to the ultraviolet details of reheating. Here, we instead consider the possibility that these heavy states have masses comparable to the dark matter mass and are charged under a new kinetically-mixed $U(1)'$. As a result, dark matter production is dominated by the infrared freeze-in of the heavy charged states that subsequently thermalize the rest of the dark sector to a temperature much below that of the visible bath. We delineate regions of parameter space consistent with cosmological and astrophysical constraints and identify benchmark scenarios that can guide the next generation of direct detection experiments searching for spin-dependent scattering of sub-GeV dark matter.
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Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Microlensing Signatures of Dyson Sphere-like Structures around Primordial Black Holes as Technosignatures of Extraterrestrial Advanced Civilizations

We investigate the microlensing detectability of extraterrestrial technosignatures originating from Dyson sphere \textendash like structures, such as Dyson Swarms surrounding primordial black holes (PBHs). These hypothetical swarms consist of stochastically varying, partially opaque structures that could modulate standard microlensing light curves through time-dependent transmission effects. We introduce a probabilistic framework that includes a stochastic transmission model governed by variable optical depth and random gap distributions. We perform a parameter scan and generate heatmaps of the optical transit duration. We study the infrared excess radiation and peak emission wavelength as complementary observational signatures. Additionally, we define and analyze the effective optical depth and the anomalous microlensing event rate for these stochastic structures. Our findings provide a new avenue for searching for extraterrestrial advanced civilizations by extending microlensing studies to include artificial, dynamic modulation signatures.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Impact on orbital period of X-ray Binary system attached to a cosmic string

Cosmic strings attached to rotating black holes extract its rotational energy, resulting in a mass loss and reduced spin. In this paper we discuss the proposed methods to detect these phenomena and present a novel methodology based on existing literature, by considering a Low Mass X-ray binary system. We investigate the impact of a cosmic string interacting with a black hole in an X-ray binary system and attempt to explain the observations of unexpected orbital period changes in such systems by proposing mass loss by cosmic strings to be a potential cause. For a period change of order $10^{-10}$, the string tension is $\sim 10^{-17}$, lying in the predicted range for cosmic string tension. An analysis of multiple low mass X-ray binary systems is carried out and it is shown that a significant and observable change occurs for a string tension $\sim 10^{-11}$.
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Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

The interstellar signature: A computational framework for open source interstellar tracking

Interstellar objects such as 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov offer a unique window into the formation and evolution of other star systems, yet the tracking and analysis of their trajectories remain limited to specialized research institutions. Existing interstellar and solar system datasets are large, complex, and difficult to navigate, reducing accessibility for developers, researchers, and enthusiasts. To address this, we present The Interstellar Signature: a computational framework for open-source interstellar tracking, implemented through a web-based platform. Interstellar Signature bridges raw astronomical data and an intuitive, developer-friendly interface. The framework integrates live data streams from public repositories and APIs with physics-based simulation methods to model and visualize the motion of interstellar and solar system objects in real time. The platform supports interactive visualizations, comparative orbital analysis, and modular tools that allow users to explore and extend the system for research, experimentation, or development. As an open-source project, the framework encourages collaboration and hands-on engagement with complex datasets. It exists within NexusCosmos, an ecosystem envisioned as a "Linux for the space race," aimed at democratizing access to space science tools and data. By transforming large datasets into visual, interactive, and customizable simulations, Interstellar Signature expands participation in interstellar research and observation. Future extensions will add AI-driven trajectory prediction, anomaly detection, and advanced visualization. By combining open-source accessibility with computational rigor, this framework lowers the barrier to interstellar analysis and serves as a step toward bridging professional astronomy and public scientific engagement.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

DESI Strong Lens Foundry V: A Sample of HST-Observed Strong Lenses Modeled with GIGA-Lens

We present six galaxy-scale strong lenses with HST imaging modeled using GIGA-Lens. This is Paper V of the DESI Strong Lens Foundry series. These systems were discovered in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys using ML/AI methods and confirmed with DESI, Keck/NIRES, and VLT/MUSE spectroscopy. They span $z_d = 0.39 - 1.1$ and $z_s = 1.4 - 3.3$. This is the first HST strong lens sample modeled with full forward modeling – all lens and source parameters sampled simultaneously in a single inference – with explicit convergence validation using both $\widehat{R}$ and effective sample size (ESS) for each system. All inferred parameters satisfy $\widehat{R} < 1.1$ and ${\rm ESS} \gtrsim 10,000$, demonstrating that GIGA-Lens achieves statistically robust inference even for some of the most complex galaxy-scale lenses known. These results pave the way for scaling to much larger, high-resolution strong lens samples from HST, Euclid, JWST, and Roman. Convergence-validated modeling will be critical for key science goals, including constraining the mass-density profile of galaxies, detecting low-mass dark matter (sub)halos, and delivering precise and accurate cosmological constraints.
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All authors Xiaosheng Huang, David Alvarez-Garcia, Monica Ubeda, Vikram Bhamre, Sean Xu, S. Baltasar, N. Ratier-Werbin, F. Urcelay, S. Agarwal, A. Cikota, Y. Hsu, E. Lin, D. J. Schlegel, E. Silver, C. J. Storfer, M. Tamargo-Arizmendi

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Hot, Photoionized X-ray Gas in Two Luminous Type 2 Quasars: Chandra-HST Evidence for a Wind-Driven Sequence

We present new Chandra/ACIS-S imaging spectroscopy of two luminous type 2 quasars, FIRST J120041.4+314745 ($z$=0.116) and 2MASX J13003807+5454367 ($z$=0.088), and compare their X-ray emission with Hubble Space Telescope [O III]$\lambda$5007 morphologies and kinematics. Both systems show kiloparsec-scale soft X-ray emission. In FIRST J120041, the X-ray morphology is clumpy and closely follows the [O III] structures, with surface-brightness peaks co-spatial with the highest [O III] velocities (600-750 km s$^{-1}$) and broadest line widths ($\sim$1700 km s$^{-1}$). In 2MASX J130038, the X-ray emission is centrally concentrated and weakly correlated with rotational [O III] kinematics. Spectral modeling indicates that photoionization dominates the soft X-rays in both quasars. The inferred hot-gas reservoirs are substantial, $M_{\rm x-ray}\sim4.5\times10^{8}M_\odot$ (FIRST J120041) and $M_{\rm x-ray}\sim1.8\times10^{8}M_\odot$ (2MASX J130038), exceeding the outflowing [O III] masses by factors of $\sim$4 and $\sim$16. In 2MASX J130038, we identify a tentative blueshifted Fe XXVI Ly$\alpha$ line at $E_{\rm rest}=7.14\pm0.06$ keV ($v\sim7600$ km s$^{-1}$), consistent with a hot wind confined to the inner few hundred parsecs. Combining these results with a broader sample of twelve type 2 quasars, we argue that luminous quasars evolve along a continuous feedback sequence regulated by progressive clearing of circumnuclear gas. As AGN radiation and winds pierce the surrounding medium, systems transition from heavily enshrouded, compact configurations to phases where the X-ray and [O III] components strongly couple and, eventually, to energetically dominant outflows. FIRST J120041 and 2MASX J130038 represent two points along this sequence, tracing the emergence and growth of hot winds as primary drivers of quasar-scale feedback.
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All authors Anna Trindade Falcão, S. Kraemer, L. Feuillet, R. Middei, T. J. Turner, J. Reeves, V. Braito, A. Ptak, H. R. Schmitt, T. C. Fischer, D. M. Crenshaw, Luis C. Ho, M. Revalski, T. Storchi-Bergmann, M. Vestergaard, C. M. Gaskell, W. P. Maksym, M. Elvis, M. J. Ward, H. Netzer

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Microquasar remnants as hidden PeVatrons

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has revealed numerous ultrahigh-energy gamma-ray sources of unknown origin. We propose that a fraction of them can be explained by microquasar remnants, i.e., binary systems where mass transfer has ceased and the central engine is quenched. Cosmic rays injected during the active phase of a microquasar may remain confined within its cocoon and subsequently interact with nearby molecular clouds, producing bright gamma-ray emission through $pp$ collisions. Remnants of former super-Eddington systems can act as dark PeVatrons, releasing particles up to $\sim$10 PeV that illuminate surrounding clouds producing gamma rays reaching hundreds of TeV. This scenario provides a natural explanation for several unidentified Galactic LHAASO sources.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

The heartbeat of stellar halos: Insights from the stellar halo mass-metallicity relation

This work investigates the presence and evolution of the MZhR from redshift z=3.5 to z=0, and identifies when galaxies settle on the present-day MZhR. We used central galaxies with log10(Mgal/Msun)=[9,11] from CIELO simulations. We identified stellar halos, from z=3.5 to z=0, using the AM-E method, focusing on the region between the 1.5 optical radius and the virial radius. We presented halo cardiograms, a novel approach to studying the assembly history of stellar halos. Using them, we defined a stability time (tst) as the first time that the median halo metallicity does not change more than \pm 0.1 dex with respect to its value at z=0. CIELO stellar halos reproduce the present-day observed MZhR. At z=3.5, stellar halos already define an MZhR whose slope is similar to the slope at z=0. For a fixed stellar halo mass, the metallicity increases ~0.21 dex from z=3.5 to z=0, reflecting the progressive chemical enrichment provided by the accretion of satellites with diverse masses and different levels of enrichment. When the first stellar halo main contributor (SHMC1) provides a mass fraction at least 20% higher than the remaining contributors, the stellar halo metallicity is set once SHMC1 is fully disrupted (tmerger). This yields a clear correlation between tst and tmerger, with a scatter of 2.2 Gyr driven by the relative importance of the second and third main contributing satellites. We provide two observational tracers for tst: t90 and a stability time from the age-metallicity relation. Our results suggest that estimating tst could serve as a proxy for dating the moment at which the stellar halo reaches the present-day MZhR, as well as for dating the last major merger that builds them. Combined with an estimation of the merger time of the main contributing satellite, it can provide insights into the relative importance of the second and third contributing satellites. (abridged)
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All authors Jenny Gonzalez-Jara, Patricia B. Tissera, Antonela Monachesi, Brian Tapia-Contreras, Susana Pedrosa, Catalina Casanueva-Villarreal, Rosa Dominguez-Tenreiro, Lucas Bignone

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

X-ray Analysis of Gamma-Ray Burst Flares and Underlying Afterglows: Insights into Origin of Flares

Gamma-ray burst (GRB) X-ray light curves exhibit a variety of complex temporal structures, such as flares and plateaus. The origin of flares seen in many GRB early afterglows is still uncertain. Here, we analyze a sample of 89 GRBs, 61 of them with flares, both with and without a "plateau" phase. We fit the Swift-XRT light curves with synchrotron emission from a forward shock propagating into either a constant-density ISM or a stellar wind, and flares on top of that. We find that the flare light curves are not symmetric, with a decay time that is $\sim$five times longer than the rise time. We do not find any differences in flare properties between GRBs with and without a "plateau" phase. Moreover, additional afterglow properties such as the electron power-law index and the end time of the plateau are consistent between bursts with and without flares. These results strongly indicate that flares originate from a mechanism distinct from that producing the plateau and afterglow. When looking at the prompt emission properties, we do find some tendencies: GRBs with flares tend to be brighter and longer lasting than GRBs without flares. We therefore conclude that, unlike plateaus, flares are unlikely to arise from an external origin and are more plausibly associated with prolonged central engine activity that lasts longer than the main episode that produces the prompt phase. As the plateau cannot have the same origin, this result excludes models of late-time energy injection as the source of the GRB plateau.
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All authors H. Dereli-Bégué, A. Pe'er, D. Bégué, F. Ryde, A. Gowri

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Multi-Wavelength Afterglows as Diagnostic Probes of Dense Circumburst Medium in GRBs

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are generally believed to occur in environments where the surrounding medium is either a uniform interstellar medium (ISM) or, in some cases, a dense stellar wind from a massive progenitor. Recently, GRB 191019A has been proposed to originate within the accretion disk of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), suggesting that some GRBs may occur in extremely dense environments, although this interpretation remains under debate. This scenario has drawn considerable attention, as AGN disks are promising sites that can host progenitors of both long and short GRBs, and whose dense, gas-rich environment could significantly influence jet propagation and afterglow emission. Yet, our theoretical understanding of the resulting afterglow signatures in such environments is limited, and further systematic exploration is required. In this study, we investigate how multi-wavelength afterglow light curves can be utilized as diagnostic tools to probe the nature of the circumburst environment. Our results show that in dense environments, GRB afterglows exhibit distinct frequency-dependent behaviors. For jets with large opening angles, the X-ray light curve displays a shallow decay or bump due to a transition from synchrotron to SSC dominance, while the optical and high-energy (GeV) light curves follow typical power-law decays. On the other hand, for small opening angles, the light curves exhibit wavelength-dependent jet breaks: the GeV and optical bands break simultaneously, while the X-ray break is delayed as the SSC component gradually compensates for the fading synchrotron component. These signatures provide potential diagnostics of GRBs occurring in dense media such as AGN disks.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

A 43 day transiting Neptune and two 25 day Saturns from TESS, NGTS and ASTEP

Beyond orbital periods of 10 days, there is a dearth of known transiting gas giants. On longer orbits, planets are less affected by their host star, and become ideal probes of planet formation, migration and evolution. We report the discovery of a long period Neptune and two Saturns, each initially identified as single transits in the TESS photometry, and solved through additional transits from ground-based follow-up photometric observations by NGTS and ASTEP. High-resolution radial velocity mass measurements using CORALIE and HARPS confirm their planetary nature. From joint modelling of the photometric and spectroscopic data, we determine an orbital period of $43.12655_{-0.00017}^{+0.00012}~$days, radius of $3.65\pm0.22~\mathrm{R_{\oplus}}$, and mass of $19.1_{-4.5}^{+4.9}~\mathrm{M_{\oplus}}$ for NGTS-34b, making it one of the longest period well-characterized transiting Neptunes. Orbiting a late F-type star, bright in the K-band (Kmag$~\simeq7.9$), it is amenable for cool atmosphere studies using JWST or Ariel. TOI-4940b is a small Saturn on a $25.867811_{-0.000056}^{+0.000058}~$day orbit with a radius of $6.61\pm0.37~\mathrm{R_{\oplus}}$ and an upper mass limit $<89~\mathrm{M_{\oplus}}$. NGTS-35b(=TOI-6669b) is a larger Saturn on a $25.241192\pm0.000022~$day, moderately eccentric orbit ($e = 0.192_{-0.033}^{+0.037}$), with a radius of $10.90\pm0.65~\mathrm{R_{\oplus}}$ and a mass of $152_{-19}^{+22}~\mathrm{M_{\oplus}}$. With an assumed albedo $A=0.3$, each of these planets has an equilibrium temperature below 700K, with NGTS-35b especially cold at $450~$K. These three giants add to the small but growing population of long period planets that can further our understanding of planet formation mechanisms.
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All authors Alicia Kendall, Solène Ulmer-Moll, Samuel Gill, Matthew R. Burleigh, Michael R. Goad, David R. Anderson, Edward M. Bryant, Baptiste Lavie, Maddalena Bugatti, Javier A. Acevedo Barroso, Michal Steiner, Diana Dragomir, Steven Villanueva Jr., Daniel J. Stevens, Arvind F. Gupta, Scott Gaudi, Guoyou Sun, Alastair Claringbold, Lauren Doyle, Tristan Guillot, Olga Suarez, Djamel Mékarnia, Amaury H.M.J. Triaud, Philippe Bendjoya, Carl Ziegler, Andrew W. Mann, Steve B. Howell, Sergio B. Fajardo-Acosta, Colin Littlefield, Douglas A. Caldwell, Michelle Kunimoto, Pamela Rowden, Veselin Kostov, Jesus Noel Villaseñor, Douglas Alves, Ioannis Apergis, David J. Armstrong, Matthew P. Battley, Daniel Bayliss, François Bouchy, Sarah L. Casewell, Maximilian N. Günther, George T. Harvey, Faith Hawthorn, James S. Jenkins, Monika Lendl, James McCormac, Maximilano Moyano, Louise D. Nielsen, Ares Osborn, Toby Rodel, Suman Saha, Stephane Udry, Jose I. Vines, Peter J. Wheatley, Tafadzwa Zivave

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

ZTF-SEDm Type Ia supernova sample for Twins Embedding spectrophotometric standardization

This paper has two aims: the first aim is to build a large homogeneous spectrophotometric sample of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), using 3069 spectra from the second data release of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF DR2). Using this sample we reproduce, as the second objective of the paper, the Twins Embedding (TE) spectrophotometric standardization method, which led to an exceptionally low value of 0.073 mag for the intrinsic scatter. We improved the flux-calibration accuracy of the SEDm SN Ia spectrum sample using the ZTF photometric data, which are calibrated at the percent level. We then applied the three steps of the TE parameterization to a subset of 783 ZTF SN spectra near maximum light, and analyse the resulting standardization methods. The precision of the phase-correction model, which is the first step of the TE, is estimated at 0.01 mag in g band, using ZTF data. Despite the challenge posed by the ZTF spectrum-extraction pipeline, we applied a first standardization in color based on the second step of the TE, called Read Between The Lines (RBTL). When considering the scatter due to redshift error and flux calibration error, we estimated a 0.129 mag Hubble residual scatter for this ZTF sample as an upper limit. As expected from the low spectral quality, the final TE standardization based on three nonlinear parameters did not improve the overall dispersion. We release 1897 flux calibrated spectra of 1607 SNe Ia with an estimated photometric accuracy of 0.07 mag. We further demonstrate the ability to apply a spectrophotometric standardization with limited quality spectra. The RBTL standardisation is more efficient than that of SALT with one less parameter, and the resulting host steps are consistent with zero, making it less prone to astrophysical bias. For future spectroscopic surveys, a better spectral quality would enable the full TE standardization to be computed. (Abridged)
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All authors C. Ganot, Y. Copin, M. Rigault, G. Dimitriadis, A. Goobar, K. Maguire, J. Nordin, M. Smith, G. Aldering, C. Barjou-Delayre, M. Betoule, J. S. Bloom, U. Burgaz, L. Galbany, M. Ginolin, M. Graham, D. Hale, J. Johansson, M.M. Kasliwal, Y.-L. Kim, F.J. Masci, T.E. Müller-Bravo, S. Perlmutter, B. Popovic, J.N. Purdum, B. Rusholme, J. Sollerman, J.H. Terwel, A. Townsend

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

JWST TRAPPIST-1 e/b Program: Motivation and first observations

One of the forefront goals in the field of exoplanets is the detection of an atmosphere on a temperate terrestrial exoplanet, and among the best suited systems to do so is TRAPPIST-1. However, JWST transit observations of the TRAPPIST-1 planets show significant contamination from stellar surface features that we are unable to confidently model. Here, we present the motivation and first observations of our JWST multi-cycle program of TRAPPIST-1 e, which utilize close transits of the airless TRAPPIST-1 b to model-independently correct for stellar contamination, with the goal of determining whether TRAPPIST-1 e has an Earth-like mean molecular weight atmosphere containing CO$_2$. We present our simulations, which show that with the 15 close transit observations, we will be able to detect this atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1 e at $\Delta\ln\,Z=5$ or greater confidence assuming we are able to correct for stellar contamination using the close transit observations. We also show the first three observations of our program. We find that our ability to correct for stellar contamination can be inhibited when strong stellar flares are present, as flares can break the assumption that the star does not change meaningfully between planetary transits. The cleanest observation demonstrates the removal of stellar contamination contribution through an increased preference for a flat line over the original TRAPPIST-1 e spectrum, but highlights how minor data analysis assumptions can propagate significantly when searching for small atmospheric signals. This is amplified when using the signals from multiple planets, which is important to consider as we continue our atmospheric search.
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All authors Natalie H. Allen, Néstor Espinoza, V. A. Boehm, Caleb I. Cañas, Kevin B. Stevenson, Nikole K. Lewis, Ryan J. MacDonald, Brett M. Morris, Eric Agol, Knicole Colón, Hannah Diamond-Lowe, Ana Glidden, Amélie Gressier, Jingcheng Huang, Zifan Lin, Douglas Long, Dana R. Louie, Meredith A. MacGregor, Laurent Pueyo, Benjamin V. Rackham, Sukrit Ranjan, Sara Seager, Guadalupe Tovar Mendoza, Jeff A. Valenti, Daniel Valentine, Roeland P. van der Marel, Hannah R. Wakeford

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Observability of eccentricity in a population of merging compact binaries

We investigate the prospects of observing residual eccentricity in a population of compact binaries by calculating the power in the eccentric harmonics, following the methodology in arXiv:2411.04187. Although most observed compact binary coalescences are expected to circularize before entering the sensitivity band of the ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, dynamical interactions in dense star clusters can lead to a fraction of these binaries with non-negligible eccentricity at the time of detection. To quantify the observability of eccentricity, we simulate a population of merging compact binaries and identify those which have sufficient power in sub-dominant eccentric harmonics to be clearly distinguishable from quasi-circular systems. We consider a binary black hole (BBH) population derived from globular cluster simulations with residual eccentricity distribution obtained from Cluster Monte Carlo (CMC) catalogs as well as a fiducial log-uniform model. Assuming the LIGO-Virgo network of GW detectors with their sensitivities achieved during LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Observing Run (O4), we find that the BBH population with measurable eccentricity will have a significantly higher median eccentricity $e_{\mathrm{10Hz}}\sim 0.3$ (with $90\%$ range: $0.1 - 0.5$) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) $\sim 20$ ($90\%$ range: $13 - 57$) compared to the observable population of BBHs. We compare our predictions of the regions of parameter space where eccentricity is detectable with the claimed observations of eccentricity in GW events from third Gravitational Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3).
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Spatial and Dynamical Relations between Spicules and Network Bright Points

Spicules are among the most ubiquitous small-scale, jet-like features in the solar chromosphere and are widely believed to play a significant role in transporting mass and energy into the solar corona with their mechanisms not fully understood. We utilize high-resolution H$\alpha$ images acquired from the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope (GST) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) to investigate spatial and the dynamical properties of both spicules and network bright points (NBPs) and, for the first time, incorporated NBP motions in the analyses of spicules. Our main results are as follows: (1) The speed distributions of blueshifted spicules and NBPs both exhibit distinct peaks, whereas that of redshifted spicules is monotonically decreasing. (2) Torsional motions of spicules inferred from alternating signs of Dopplershifts are faster than the NBPs' transversal motions by a factor of $10-10^2$, which may imply the mass density ratio in two different heights as $10^2-10^4$. (3) Blueshifted spicules are found to be more abundant than redshifted spicules in general, but their relative population difference reduces to ~10% at Doppler speeds above 35 km s$^{-1}$. (4) Redshifted spicules lying at higher heights share morphological and dynamical similarity with the blueshifted spicules, which implies the same driving mechanism operating in both directions. (5) These two populations appear above NBPs concentrated under the AIA 193 A bright region. We interpret these results in favor of a scenario that Alfven waves generated by NBPs motions impart their energies to spicules in both torsional and field-aligned motions, and also contribute to the coronal heating and possibly the acceleration of the solar wind.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

The shape-velocity alignment of satellites forged by tidal locking and dynamical friction

Utilizing the TNG50 simulation, we study two types of alignments for satellites/subhalos: 1) the alignment of their major axes with the galactocentric radial directions (radial alignment), and 2) with the motion directions (orbital alignment). We find that radial alignment is substantially stronger than orbital alignment, with both signals being consistently stronger for subhalos than for satellites. Interestingly, inward- and outward-moving satellites/subhalos show contrasting orbital alignment behaviors, which can be understood in terms of their radial alignment, orbit decay due to dynamical friction and the effect of tidal stripping. The orbital alignment is stronger in more massive halos. In the end, we explore the orbital alignment measured by a mock observer, and find that the observed alignment for MW satellites is due to projection effects, as the major axes of satellites lie within their orbital planes, approximately coplanar with the observer.
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All authors Hao Yang, Wenting Wang, Ting S. Li, Sergey E. Koposov, Jiaxin Han, Feihong He, Zhaozhou Li, Zhongxu Zhai, Binbin Gao, Carles G. Palau, Zhenlin Tan

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Determining the Detectability of H2O with Photometric Observations using Bayesian Analysis for Remote Biosignature Identification on exoEarths (BARBIE)

We examine the detectability of water (H2O) in the reflected-light spectrum of an Earth-like exoplanet assuming a photometric observational approach rather than spectroscopic. By quantifying the detectability as a function of normalized exposure time, resolving power (R), and amount of spectral points, we can constrain whether spectroscopy or photometry is the more efficient observing procedure to detect H2O at varying abundances by measuring the broad 0.94 microns absorption feature using the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). We simulate low-resolution spectroscopy (R = 10, 20, 30, presented as photometric bandwidth fraction 10%, 5%, 3% herein) as a proxy for narrow-band photometric observations, and constrain the wavelength range from 0.85 - 1.05 microns, to narrow focus on the 0.9 microns feature. We then constrain the number of spectral points to 2 or 3 points at each bandwidth fraction to investigate the impact of spectral point placement on detectability. Additionally, we take the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for strong H2O detection and calculate the resultant exoplanet yields assuming photometric observation and compare to the yields from higher-resolution spectroscopic observations under different noise instances, characterization wavelength, noise floors, and aperture sizes. We find that H2O is strongly detectable at all bandwidth fractions depending on the spectral point placement, requiring a minimum of 3 spectral points, at a variety of normalized exposure time depending on the abundance of H2O. We also find that the detector noise is the main driver in determining whether photometry or spectroscopy results in higher yields. Photometry is the preferred observational method in high-noise cases, while spectroscopy is preferred in low-noise scenarios.
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All authors Natasha Latouf, Chris Stark, Avi Mandell, Vincent Kofman

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Diverse stages of star formation in the IRAS 18162-2048 region. Emergence of UV Feedback

Methods: We obtained adaptive optics-assisted integral field spectroscopy in the near-infrared (IR) $K$ band ($1.93-2.47 \mathrm{\mu m}$) with VLT/SINFONI, complemented by VLA X and C bands (3$-$6 cm) and ALMA band 3 ($\sim$3.3 mm) observations. Results: The near-IR continuum reveals two infrared sources, IRS 2 and IRS 7, while the main protostellar core IRAS 18162-2048 remains undetected up to $2.47 \mathrm{\mu m}$. IRS 7 shows a peculiar Hydrogen Recombination Line Br$\gamma$ profile with a narrow emission component superimposed on a broad absorption feature, consistent with a B2/B3 zero-age main-sequence star. Extended H$_2$ emission exhibits a `sawtooth' pattern in the excitation diagram, characteristic of UV radiation in a PDR rather than shock excitation. The radiative transfer model Cloudy reproduces the H$_2$ ro-vibrational populations for $T_\mathrm{gas}=600$ K and $n_\mathrm{H}=7.9\times10^3 \mathrm{cm^{-3}}$. VLA X and C bands observations reveal a compact radio source previously reported as a stationary condensation (SC) and coincident with IRS 7. For the first time, we detect IRS 7/SC in mm wavelengths. The spectral index in the 3$-$6 cm and 3.3 mm regime is consistent with optically thin free-free emission. Conclusions: Our near-IR and radio observations reveal that IRS 7/SC is a B2/B3 ZAMS star that has begun to photoionise its environment, giving rise to an extended PDR and a compact \ion{H}{ii} region. The coexistence of this source with the deeply embedded protostar IRAS 18162-2048 and other bubble-like structures in the field, suggests a multigenerational star-forming environment. Future James Webb Space Telescope observations targeting the H$_2$ pure rotational lines ($3-28 \mathrm{\mu m}$) and other HRLs less affected by extinction will be essential to characterise the cooler molecular and ionised gas to fully disclose the formation history of the region.
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All authors R. Fedriani, G. Anglada, A. Caratti o Garatti, J.F. Gómez, J. Masqué, M. Osorio, B. Stecklum, A.R. Rodríguez-Kamenetzky, R. Galván-Madrid, C. Carrasco-González, G. Blázquez-Calero, A.F. Placinta-Mitrea, A. Sanna, R. Cesaroni, L. Moscadelli, T.P. Ray, D. Coffey, G.A. Fuller