Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Cross-listed from physics.geo-ph
In situ U Pb chronology and chemistry of zirconolite in the andesitic meteorite Erg Chech 002
Jun Sakuma, Hisashi Asanuma, Naoto Takahata et al. (+2 more)
Precise and accurate ages for asteroidal crusts are fundamental for reconstructing the timeline of magmatic, metamorphic, and impact events in the early
Solar System. Zirconolite (CaZrTi2O7) is an accessory mineral found in a wide range of crustal rocks on both the Earth and Moon, and has proven to be a potentially useful U Pb chronometer. However, this mineral is rare in asteroidal meteorites, and its use for early
Solar System chronology has been limited. We present the in situ occurrence, U Pb chronology, and chemistry of zirconolite in the andesitic meteorite Erg Chech 002, which represents a sample of the oldest known asteroidal crust. The zirconolite occurs as needle- and fiber-shaped, stubby
crystals, with widths of 3 micrometers and lengths of up to 30 micrometers. Electron and ion microprobe analyses yielded concordant U Pb data with a weighted mean 207Pb 206Pb age of 4557.9 4.3 Ma 2sigma, rendering it the
Solar System's oldest known zirconolite. Yet, this age is distinctly younger than reported high-precision 207Pb 206Pb ages varying from 4565.6 to 4566.2 Ma, which were obtained by acid leaching of pyroxene and whole rock samples of the meteorite. From its mineralogical and REE (U+Th) (Nb+Ta) characteristics, we argue that the zirconolite age represents the timing of a shock metamorphism of the parent asteroid's crust. Our results suggest that 207Pb 206Pb dating for acid-leached samples can be affected by including even a tiny amount of metamorphic zirconolite, calling for caution in interpreting the high-precision 207Pb 206Pb age data. On the basis of thermodynamic and geochemical considerations, we infer further occurrences of zirconolite in alkali-silica-rich asteroidal rocks that rapidly cooled from high temperatures.
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All authors Jun Sakuma, Hisashi Asanuma, Naoto Takahata, Akira Yamaguchi, Tsuyoshi Iizuka
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from nucl-th
Sensitivity of neutron star observables to microscopic nuclear parameters of realistic equations of state
Nikolas Cruz-Camacho, Carlos Conde-Ocazionez, Veronica Dexheimer et al. (+2 more)
The equation of state of matter at supranuclear densities governs the astrophysical observables of
neutron stars. A realistic, though complex, description is provided by the
Chiral-Mean-Field model, which depends on many microscopic
nuclear-physics parameters. We present a Fisher-information-inspired analysis of the sensitivity of
neutron-
star observables to the parameters of the
Chiral-Mean-Field model at $\beta$-
equilibrium using SLy as a crust. We then compute
neutron-
star sequences and extract masses, radii, compactnesses, and
tidal deformabilities. From the logarithmic derivatives of these observables with respect to each
nuclear parameter, we construct a dimensionless, Fisher-inspired sensitivity
matrix and perform a principal-component analysis to identify the effective combinations of
nuclear parameters that most strongly affect
neutron-
star observables. Although the ranking depends mildly on the observable, the three most important
nuclear parameters are the
vacuum value of the dilaton field $\chi_0$ (which sets the overall scale of the scalar potential and trace-anomaly contribution), the scalar singlet strength $g_{1}^X$ (which controls the overall scalar attraction through the
baryon effective masses), and the $k_0$ quadratic scalar term (which governs the
curvature of the scalar potential). This framework provides a reproducible, data-driven approach to quantify parameter sensitivities in dense-matter models and to guide future
Bayesian inference of
nuclear information from multi-messenger astrophysical observations.
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All authors Nikolas Cruz-Camacho, Carlos Conde-Ocazionez, Veronica Dexheimer, Jacquelyn Noronha-Hostler, Nicolás Yunes
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Emulation of SPHEREx Galaxy Power Spectra I: Neural Network Details and Optimization
Joseph Adamo, Grace Gibbins, Anne Moore et al. (+1 more)
We present neural networks to generate
redshift-space
galaxy power spectrum multipoles for multiple tracer and
redshift bins simultaneously given a set of input cosmology and
galaxy bias parameters. This emulator utilizes a combination of fully-connected layers and
transformer architecture to accurately predict
galaxy power spectrum multipoles $900$ times faster than the SPHEREx pipeline. We quantify network performance using both $\Delta \chi^2$, and likelihood contours for simulated SPHEREx analyses, using two correlated tracer bins and two independent
redshift bins. After optimizing network architecture, the loss function, and training set sampling strategy, we achieve $\operatorname{Med}\left( \Delta \chi^2\right) = 0.069$ when comparing to our testing set. At the contour-level our emulator agrees with EFT predictions over a realistic parameter range, with an average 1D best-fit shift of $0.078\sigma$ and $0.82 \%$ change in 1D error bars. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using neural-network emulators to accelerate SPHEREx
redshift-space power-spectrum analyses.
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All authors Joseph Adamo, Grace Gibbins, Anne Moore, Tim Eifler
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Cosmological prospects for multiband detection of intermediate-mass binary black holes with Taiji and ground-based detectors
Yue-Yan Dong, Ji-Yu Song, Jing-Fei Zhang et al. (+1 more)
Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) bridge the gap between
stellar-mass and supermassive black holes, but remain challenging to detect electromagnetically. Gravitational-wave observations provide a direct means of detecting IMBHs and their mergers. We simulate the gravitational-wave signals of IMBH binaries under different population models and assess their detectability with the space-based detector Taiji alone and in a multiband network combining Taiji with third-generation ground-based detectors. Taiji performs well in detecting high-mass IMBH binaries, while ground-based detectors compensate for its reduced sensitivity to lower-mass systems. Their combination expands the accessible parameter space and improves the constraints on cosmological parameters. In particular, multiband observations improve the constraint accuracy on $H_0$ by $36.5\%$ and $31.0\%$ compared with Taiji and ET2CE alone, respectively. We further examine the dependence of parameter accuracy on the number of simulated events, finding that improvements are most pronounced for small samples and gradually saturate as the number of events increases. We conclude that multiband observations enhance the detectability of IMBH binaries and reinforce their role as probes of precision cosmology.
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All authors Yue-Yan Dong, Ji-Yu Song, Jing-Fei Zhang, Xin Zhang
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
A chemical perspective on planet formation in reduced systems
Urja Zaveri, Haiyang S. Wang and Paolo A. Sossi
Relative abundances of refractory elements in
planets are commonly assumed to reflect those of their host
stars. However, because elements are classified according to their behaviour in the
solar nebula, this implicitly assumes condensation is independent of nebular chemistry, despite evidence to the contrary in chemically reduced systems with high molar carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratios. We investigate how variations in
stellar C/O ratio and disk pressure modify condensation chemistry and assess the reliability of mapping
stellar compositions to planetary building blocks in reduced environments. For a sample of FGK
stars with C/O ratios spanning 0.65-0.95 (
solar = 0.50), we compute
equilibrium phase stability using FactSage over 1900-400 K at total pressures of 1e-2, 1e-4, and 1e-6 bar. Bulk planetesimal compositions are derived using a
stochastic accretion framework aggregating condensates from temperature-dependent feeding zones. We identify three distinct condensation regimes: (i)
solar-like (C/O < 0.7), (ii) transitional (C/O ~0.7-0.91), and (iii) reduced (C/O > 0.92). Relative to
solar sequences, oxygen-bearing silicates condense at lower temperatures in transitional and reduced regimes, while carbides, silicides, and sulfides appear. Bulk planetesimal Fe/Mg, Fe/Si, and Fe/O ratios deviate substantially from host
stellar values, producing more diverse rocky building blocks within a single disk. Condensation sequences are not universal across
stellar compositions. In reduced disks, elemental ratios commonly treated as refractory may not reliably trace planetary bulk composition, providing potential formation pathways for metal-enriched super-Mercury analogues and C- and S-rich rocky
planets.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Measurements on the kinetic physics in streamer dynamics
Forrest Mozer, Kyungeun Choi, Richard Sydora et al. (+1 more)
A major goal of
solar physics is understanding the transition of the medium from the closed-loop
magnetic configuration of the corona to the open structure of the heliospheric current sheet. The
evolution of
solar wind streamers, an essential component of this transition, has been observed in-situ for the first time by measuring a pass through a streamer stalk at 11.7
solar radii. A
plasma rest frame DC electric field, reaching an amplitude of 400 mV/m, was observed as the
magnetic field changed from +1100 nT to -1100 nT. This electric field violates the frozen in condition so it must be understood via the non-MHD
Hall term of the Generalized Ohm's Law. Two
plasma regimes containing the large electric field were observed. In the first regime, the
magnetic field was large, the ion beta was small (~0.1), the ratio of the ion skin depth to ion gyroradius was large (>10), and the current of ~0.3 mA/m2 was carried by electrons. In the second regime, the
magnetic field was small, the ion beta was large (~10), the ion skin depth was equal to the ion gyroradius, and the ~10 mA/m2 current was carried by the ions. Also, measurements during 15 such crossings showed that the
plasma flow speed inside the current sheets exceeded that outside six times and the 326 km/sec average speed inside the current sheets exceeded the 266 km/sec outside. Such findings challenge the traditional consensus that streamers are the source of the "slow"
solar wind.
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All authors Forrest Mozer, Kyungeun Choi, Richard Sydora, Andrii . Voshchepynets
Astrophysics of Galaxies
SN 2025adpq: A Type Ia supernova in a collisional ring formed during a major galaxy merger
Brendan O'Connor, Xander J. Hall, Tomas Cabrera et al. (+16 more)
Galaxy mergers can both trigger
star formation and rearrange where
stars live, producing long-lived
tidal structures and collisionally driven density waves (known as collisional rings) that can extend for tens of kpc from their host
galaxy centers. Here we report the discovery of SN 2025adpq, a Type Ia
supernova at $z=0.1540$, found within a collisional ring, which we call Pika's
Halo, with circumference $\sim$\,70 kpc that was produced by a major merger between two comparable mass
galaxies ($\log(M_*/M_\odot)\approx10.5)$. The
supernova lies along the ring at a projected offset of $\sim$11.4 kpc from the
nucleus of the primary
galaxy (hereafter G1). Optical spectroscopy obtained with the Southern African Large
Telescope (SALT) and Gemini South reveal signatures consistent with merger induced ongoing
star formation, while prominent Calcium H and K absorption indicates a substantial old
stellar population within the ring. Therefore, we propose that SN 2025adpq may have been produced by an old progenitor system that was displaced from G1 during the head-on encounter. In this scenario, the progenitor was stripped from its parent
galaxy by the collisionally induced pressure wave and exploded far from its birthplace. However, given the broad diversity in SN Ia delay times, we cannot conclusively demonstrate that the progenitor was not formed in a more recent burst of
star formation triggered by the expanding pressure wave. Regardless, SN 2025adpq highlights collisional rings as a path to large offset SNe Ia, and it motivates targeted searches for faint, dynamically displaced old populations in seemingly hostless environments. We additionally identify other
supernovae, including
supernova siblings, in the low
redshift sample of collisional ring
galaxies, and find that SN 2025adpq is one of only a handful of classified
supernova identified in the expanding ring of a collisional ring complex.
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All authors Brendan O'Connor, Xander J. Hall, Tomas Cabrera, Lei Hu, Antonella Palmese, Louis-Gregory Strolger, Ariel J. Amsellem, Akash Anumarlapudi, Igor Andreoni, Saul Baltasar, Jonathan Carney, David A. Coulter, James Freeburn, Julius Gassert, Xiaosheng Huang, Keerthi Kunnumkai, Justin D. R. Pierel, Mathew R. Siebert, Christopher J. Storfer
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
NEO Colors from The Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS)
Nicholas Moskovitz, Theodore Kareta, Samantha Hemmelgarn et al. (+13 more)
We present spectro-photometric griz colors for 189 near-Earth objects (NEOs) collected by the Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS). Data acquisition involved non-simultaneous multi-band exposures, thus particular
attention was given to the influence of rotational lightcurves on the derived colors. We show that colors measured without accounting for lightcurve variations can significantly influence results for individual objects and potentially have systematic offsets for ensemble studies. Color-based taxonomic classifications were used to investigate the distribution of spectral types. Our results were combined with other visible wavelength surveys to highlight a previously reported change in the observed taxonomic distribution of NEOs as a function of size, namely a decrease in S complex and an increase in X complex objects with increasing absolute magnitude. Plausibility arguments are given to suggest that Main Belt source region, thermal modification, discovery bias,
tidal resurfacing, regolith grain size, and impact shock darkening are unlikely explanations for this size-dependent trend. Consistent with recent NEO population models and work on the connection between meteorites and young asteroid families in the Main Belt, this trend is best explained by a compositional gradient in the NEO population. In particular, the observed abundance of S complex or ordinary chondrite-like NEOs decreases by a factor of two from ~65% of the population at km-scales down to a third at sizes <50m. This result has implications for understanding the initial pre-impact population of meteorite parent bodies prior to atmospheric filtering. Furthermore, this will have implications for probabilistic impact risk assessment models.
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All authors Nicholas Moskovitz, Theodore Kareta, Samantha Hemmelgarn, Hannah Zigo, Maxime Devogèle, Audrey Thirouin, Katie Breeland-Newcomb, Brian Burt, Annika Gustaffson, Mitchell Magnuson, Michael Mommert, David Polishook, Robert Schottland, Brian Skiff, Cristina Thomas, Mark Willman
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Analysis of spatially resolved stellar populations and emission line properties in nearby galaxies with J-PLUS data. II-Results for the M51 group and first comparison with the M101 group
J. Thainá-Batista, R. Cid Fernandes, R. M. González Delgado et al. (+19 more)
We characterize the spatially resolved
stellar population and emission-line properties of
galaxies in the M51 group using the same methodology previously applied to the M101 group, aiming to understand how environmental processes shape
galaxy properties across different groups. Properties are derived by applying the AlStar spectral fitting code to multi-band datacubes from the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS). We present spatially resolved maps of the main
stellar population and emission-line properties for the M51 group
galaxies. The interacting pair M51a/b displays clearly distinct properties: M51a shows prominent
star-forming spiral arms, while its companion is essentially an early-type retired
galaxy. M63 exhibits asymmetries in
stellar age,
dust attenuation, and H$_\alpha$ equivalent width, consistent with outside-in quenching likely related to a past interaction. Relations between physical properties and
stellar mass surface density ($\Sigma_\star$) were investigated. The age-$\Sigma_\star$ and nebular
metallicity-$\Sigma_\star$ relations are flatter than those in the M101 group. In addition, all
galaxies align with the resolved
star-forming main sequence, except M51b, which shows the properties of a retired
galaxy. Overall, the M51 group displays signatures of more advanced dynamical
evolution than the M101 group. This is evidenced by flattened age and nebular
metallicity gradients, enhanced
dust content, and signs of environmental quenching in some members. In contrast, the less dynamically evolved M101 group largely preserves its inside-out formation signatures. While these results suggest that group mass and interactions influence
galaxy evolution even in low-mass environments, the comparison of two systems remains limited by small-number statistics. This study highlights the potential of J-PLUS data for IFS-like analyses of nearby
galaxies.
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All authors J. Thainá-Batista, R. Cid Fernandes, R. M. González Delgado, J. E. Rodríguez-Martín, R. García-Benito, L. A. Díaz-García, G. Martínez-Solaeche, D. Ruschel-Dutra, V. H. Sasse, A. J. Cenarro, D. Cristóbal-Hornillos, C. Hernández-Monteagudo, C. López-Sanjuan, A. Marín-Franch, M. Moles, J. Varela, H. Vázquez Ramió, J. Alcaniz, R. A. Dupke, A. Ederoclite, L. Sodré Jr., R. E. Angulo
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Dark Energy with Constant Inertial Mass Density: Updated Constraints and Curvature-Induced Sign Transitions in $\rho_{\rm DE}$ and $\rho_{\rm DE}+p_{\rm DE}$
Luis A. Escamilla, Berat Karadavut and Nihan Kat{\i}rc{\i}
We present updated observational constraints on the simple-gDE model, characterized by a constant inertial mass density (IMD) $\rho_{\rm DE}+p_{\rm DE}$,which belongs to the broader graduated dark energy family, and compare its cosmological implications with those of the $w$CDM and the $\Lambda$CDM models. This parametrization provides a physically motivated, one-parameter extension of $\Lambda$CDM, perspective on DE dynamics beyond the usual equation-of-state approach. We use the newly released DESI DR2 BAO data in combination with either CMB measurements from Planck 2018 or late-time probes, CC and the Pantheon+ SNe Ia sample, considered both with and without SH0ES calibration in this analysis. The data favor a small positive IMD, and
Bayesian evidence indicates that the models remain statistically indistinguishable within spatially flat scenarios. Consequently, none of these models exhibits a sign transition in the DE energy density, and no improvement in $H_0$ tension. Allowing spatial
curvature qualitatively enlarges the phenomenology of the dark sector. In particular, the interplay between spatial
curvature and a nonzero IMD permits sign transitions in both the effective dark-energy density and the IMD during
cosmic evolution. For the BAO+CC+SN+SH0ES
dataset, the $o$Simple-gDE model yields a transition
redshift $z^\dagger = 1.51^{+0.68}_{-0.34}$, while the crossing of the Null Energy Condition boundary (NECB), defined by $\rho_{\rm DE}+p_{\rm DE}=0$, occurs at $z_{\rm NECB}=2.36^{+1.48}_{-1.48}$. The model is statistically favored over $o\Lambda$CDM and $ow$CDM. These results highlight the potential role of IMD as a fundamental parameter in DE phenomenology and demonstrate that
geometric effects, such as spatial
curvature, can reveal dynamical features of the dark sector that remain hidden within the spatially flat $\Lambda$CDM framework.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies
A Third Galaxy Missing Dark Matter along a Trail of Galaxies in the NGC 1052 Field
Michael A. Keim, Pieter van Dokkum, Zili Shen et al. (+2 more)
While most
dwarf galaxies are strongly dark matter dominated, two remarkable objects in the NGC 1052 field, DF2 and DF4, appear to lack dark matter. DF2 and DF4 were recently found to be part of a trail of low luminosity
galaxies that follow a linear relation between their position and radial velocity. If the other
galaxies on this trail formed together with DF2 and DF4, e.g., from gas that was separated from dark matter through a 'bullet
dwarf' collision, they may lack dark matter as well. Here we constrain the mass of DF9, the
galaxy on the trail that most closely resembles DF2 and DF4. Using Keck/KCWI we find that DF9's
stellar velocity dispersion is $6.5^{+3.9}_{-4.3}$ km s$^{-1}$. This is consistent with the $8.3^{+0.9}_{-1.4}$ km s$^{-1}$ dispersion that is expected from DF9's $1.4\times 10^8$ M$_\odot$
stellar mass alone, and we conclude that - like DF2 and DF4 - dark matter is not required to explain the kinematics of DF9. The dispersion is far below the $24\pm3$ km s$^{-1}$ expected if DF9 had a $1.4\times 10^{10}$ M$_\odot$ dark matter
halo falling on the
stellar mass-
halo mass relation. As demonstrated in Appendix B, these results are not sensitive to the assumed distance of the trail. Our results are further evidence that the trail of low mass
galaxies in the NGC 1052 field formed together in a unique
galaxy formation channel, and are consistent with the prediction of the bullet
dwarf scenario that other trail
galaxies should show the same lack of dark matter as DF2 and DF4.
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All authors Michael A. Keim, Pieter van Dokkum, Zili Shen, Shany Danieli, Imad Pasha
Astrophysics of Galaxies
EGS-z11-R0: a red, dust-rich galaxy at Cosmic Dawn
Giulia Rodighiero, Andrea Ferrara, Michele Catone et al. (+16 more)
Context.
Galaxies discovered by JWST at z > 10 are predominantly characterized by extremely blue rest-frame UV slopes. Conversely, the existence of
dust-reddened systems at such early epochs has remained largely unconfirmed spectroscopically. Aims. We present the spectroscopic confirmation of EGS-z11-R0 at z = 11.45, the most distant red
galaxy identified to date, discovered serendipitously through inspection of publicly available JWST/NIRSpec data. Methods. We analyze JWST/NIRSpec PRISM and G395M spectroscopy together with multiwavelength HST, NIRCam, and MIRI photometry. We identify significant detections of the C IV 1548,1551 and C III] 1908 transitions, yielding a
redshift of zspec = 11.452 +/- 0.021. We measure rest-frame UV emission-line fluxes and equivalent widths and use these diagnostics to constrain the nature of the ionizing radiation field. Finally, we perform spectral energy distribution modeling with CIGALE, combining spectroscopy with photometry and including
stellar, nebular,
dust, and active
galactic nuclei (AGN) components. Results. EGS-z11-R0 exhibits a red UV continuum slope (betaUV approximately -1.0), placing it well above the canonical MUV-betaUV relation at z~10-12 and making it the highest-z spectroscopically confirmed member of the emerging "red monster" population. Emission-line diagnostics reveal a hard ionizing spectrum consistent with extreme
star formation and compatible with a composite
stellar plus AGN scenario. The best-fit SED solution favors a
stellar mass of log(M*/Msun) ~ 9.2-9.6, a SFR of 10-40 Msun yr^-1, and substantial
dust attenuation (AV~1.2 mag). Conclusions. The confirmation of EGS-z11-R0 establishes that chemically evolved,
dust-enriched
galaxies were already in place at z approximately 11.5. [abridged]
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All authors Giulia Rodighiero, Andrea Ferrara, Michele Catone, Lorenzo Napolitano, Paolo Cassata, Giovanni Gandolfi, Emiliano Merlin, Andrea Grazian, Alvio Renzini, Laura Bisigello, Marco Castellano, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Borja Pérez-Díaz, Edoardo Iani, Carlotta Gruppioni, Steven L. Finkelstein, Anton M. Koekemoer, Alessandro Bianchetti, Francesco Sinigaglia
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Gravitational-Wave Propagation Through the Axiverse
Leah Jenks and Marc Kamionkowski
We study the effects of oscillating, ultralight scalar and pseudoscalar fields on the propagation of gravitational waves (GWs). We consider two potential couplings of the (pseudo)scalars to
gravity; a parity-even Gauss-Bonnet coupling, and parity-odd Chern-Simons coupling. We find several effects at both the population and individual GW event level, characterized by oscillatory features controlled by the (pseudo)scalar mass. In the parity-even case, this feature can be seen in the observed GW
redshift and speed distributions, as well as in the dispersion relation and phase of individual events. We use the observation of the GW170817 multimessenger binary
neutron star event to place constraints on the parity-even scalar-graviton coupling. In the parity-odd case, the effects are birefringent, but we find an overall washout of polarization at the population level. Oscillatory features can be seen in the observed GW amplitude and inclination distributions. Finally, we find that continuous, monochromatic GW sources are a promising target to observe these effects. The presence of a (pseudo)scalar field imprints a modulation of the GW waveform in the time domain, which can potentially be observed with space-based detectors such as LISA.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Spectral Hierarchy of the Cosmic Web
Francisco-Shu Kitaura and Francesco Sinigaglia
We introduce a spectral hierarchy of
cosmic-web classifications obtained by applying simple scale-weighting kernels to the density field before performing a standard
eigenvalue-based web classification. This unifies and extends several widely used web definitions within a single framework: the familiar potential/
tidal web (large-scale, nonlocal), a
curvature-based web (more local, peak- and ridge-sensitive), and additional higher-derivative levels that progressively emphasize smaller-scale structure. Because the classification is built from second derivatives of the filtered field, successive hierarchy levels align naturally with operator families that appear in renormalised bias and effective descriptions of large-scale structure, providing an explicit bridge between
cosmic-web environments and long- and short-range nonlocal bias ingredients. We quantify the information content of the hierarchy with a compact statistic: we map each
cell to one of four ordered web types (void, sheet, filament,
knot), construct a corresponding “web contrast” field, and measure its cross-correlation with
halos from the AbacusSummit simulation suite on a coarse mesh with $\Delta L\simeq 5.5\,h^{-1}\mathrm{Mpc}$. We find that the hierarchy retains significant tracer-relevant information from very large scales down to the mesh Nyquist limit, with the more local (
curvature/higher-derivative) levels dominating toward nonlinear scales. This makes the spectral hierarchy a practical, interpretable conditioning basis for fast mock-
galaxy production and field-level modelling, and a flexible tool for studying environment-dependent clustering and assembly bias.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from hep-ph
Twin-peaked gravitational wave signals from a $\mathcal{Z}_2$ phase transition
Rishav Roshan and Indrajit Saha
We compute the gravitational wave spectrum from a phase transition associated with the spontaneous breaking of a $\mathcal{Z}_2^{\rm DW}$
symmetry. If the transition is second-order, the only source of gravitational waves is the annihilation of domain walls (biased by
quantum gravity) formed after this breaking. However, if the transition is first-order, this yields a twin-peaked signal from both the transition itself and the biased domain wall annihilation. Both scenarios originate when a scalar singlet odd under the $\mathcal{Z}_2^{\rm DW}$ obtains a non-zero
vacuum expectation value. An additional $\mathcal{Z}_2^{\rm DM}$ odd scalar doublet strengthens the transition by keeping the singlet scalar in thermal
equilibrium with the Standard Model
plasma at early times. Additionally, the same scalar doublet produces fermionic dark matter via freeze-in, matching observed dark matter relic density.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Exploring memory-burdened primordial black holes with ultra-high-energy cosmic-rays
Antonio Ambrosone, Marco Chianese and Carmelo Evoli
Quantum backreaction effects may quench Hawking evaporation through a “
memory burden”, allowing
primordial black holes (PBHs) with formation masses well below $10^{15}~\mathrm{g}$ to survive to the present and contribute to the dark matter. We show that ultra-high-energy
cosmic rays (UHECRs) provide a powerful and previously unexplored probe of this scenario. We compute the
proton and
neutron emission from
memory-burdened PBHs, including the
Galactic-
halo contribution and the extragalactic
proton component, and confront it with the Pierre Auger Observatory
proton spectrum and its EeV
neutron limits from the
Galactic plane. This yields new constraints on the PBH dark-matter fraction as a function of the PBH formation mass and the evaporation-suppression parameter $k$. For $k\gtrsim 3$ the non-observation of ultra-high-energy
protons leads to bounds competitive with those from UHE gamma rays, while
neutron limits remain comparable to high-energy
neutrino constraints. Our results highlights the key role of multi-messenger astronomy in constraining beyond-the-standard-model scenarios.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies
ODIN: Searching for LyC emission from Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters at $z=4.5$ in the E-COSMOS and XMM-LSS fields
Eunsuk Seo, Hyunmi Song, Lucia Guaita et al. (+18 more)
We investigated Lyman-continuum (LyC) emission from Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) at $z=4.5$, identified in the One-hundred-deg$^2$ DECam Imaging in Narrowbands (ODIN) survey. Of the 7,498 LAEs (4,101 in COSMOS and 3,397 in XMM-LSS), we excluded LAEs that are either likely low-z objects or contaminated by neighboring sources. Additional background modeling process with thorough quality assessments leaves a final sample of 851
galaxies. We then performed forced photometry on $u/u^*$-band images from the CFHT large area $u$-band deep survey (CLAUDS) to measure their LyC fluxes. This represents the largest sample of $z=4.5$ LAEs searched for such a purpose. Within this sample, we identified 12 `gold' and 39 `silver' LyC-emitting candidates, with LyC fluxes detected of $>3\sigma$ and between $2\sigma$ and $3\sigma$, respectively, in the range of 5.16–55.29 nJy. No LyC signal is detected in the weighted mean stack of the final sample ($0.20 \pm 0.37$ nJy). Given the UVC magnitudes of LAEs in our sample, the expected LyC emission is likely below the detection limit even when stacking the full sample of ODIN LAEs. Nevertheless, having a large sample of LAEs remains valuable for identifying individual LyC leaker candidates. Among the gold and silver candidates, the LyC flux appears to correlate positively with UVC flux and negatively with Ly$\alpha$ equivalent width, although the correlations are weak. A larger sample of LyC leakers will allow a more robust confirmation of these trends and provide better insights into their physical origins.
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All authors Eunsuk Seo, Hyunmi Song, Lucia Guaita, Kyoung-Soo Lee, Eric Gawiser, Robin Ciardullo, Arjun Dey, Seok-Jun Chang, Nicole Firestone, Stephen Gwyn, Ho Seong Hwang, Sungryong Hong, Sang Hyeok Im, Woong-Seob Jeong, Jaehyun Lee, Seong-Kook Lee, Chanbom Park, Vandana Ramakrishnan, Marcin Sawicki, Yujin Yang, Ann Zabludoff
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
First detailed optical spectroscopic observations of the supernova remnants G107.7-5.1 and G150.3+4.5
Ebru Aktekin, Hicran Bak{\i}ş, Volkan Bak{\i}ş et al. (+1 more)
We present optical spectroscopic observations of the
supernova remnants (SNRs) G107.7$-$5.1 and G150.3+4.5, each spanning nearly 3 degree. Both remnants were recently examined in the optical band through a deep H$\alpha$ and [OIII] emission-line imaging survey, which led to the discovery of G107.7$-$5.1. Using long-slit spectra obtained with the 1.5-m Russian-Turkish
Telescope (RTT150), we investigate the physical conditions of the pre-shock and post-shock gas in the optical filamentary regions of the SNRs. The SNR nature of G107.7$-$5.1 is confirmed by the measured [SII]/H$\alpha$ and [NII]/H$\alpha$ ratios, which range from 0.56 to 0.86 and from 0.7 to 1.4, respectively. A similar conclusion is reached for G150.3+4.5, where the observed [SII]/H$\alpha$ (0.43-0.92) and [NII]/H$\alpha$ (0.49-1.29) ratios likewise support a shock-excitation origin. Further confirmation of the shock-excited nature of both SNRs comes from their consistency with recent diagnostic diagrams based on multiple emission-line ratios. The [OIII]/H$\beta$ line ratios measured in both remnants indicate shocks with complete recombination zones and are consistent with shock velocities of $\gtrsim$100 km s$^{-1}$. The electron densities ($n_{\rm e}$), derived from the [SII] $\lambda$6716/$\lambda$6731 line ratios, exhibit substantial variation in the spectra of both SNRs. Additionally, extinction variations observed across the remnants suggest the presence of significant
dust structures along the line of sight. We conclude that these two remnants display remarkable similarities across multiple diagnostic spectral properties, consistent with previous reports indicating comparable GeV gamma-ray characteristics.
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All authors Ebru Aktekin, Hicran Bak{\i}ş, Volkan Bak{\i}ş, Aytap Sezer
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Experimental evidence for granular shear-flow instability in the Epstein regime
Holly L. Capelo, Jean-David Bodénan, Martin Jutzi et al. (+7 more)
Stability analysis of two-fluid protoplanetary disc models has enriched our understanding of how solids can grow into larger bodies called planetesimals.
Dust particles entrained in a gas stream modify the flow, creating shear layers prone to instability. In such environments, drag occurs in the free-molecular (Epstein) regime. Recreating these two-phase flows on Earth is difficult due to
gravity-driven buoyancy. Here, we use particle image velocimetry to study a low-pressure
dust-gas mixture at Knudsen numbers up to 10 in microgravity. We observe a granular shear flow instability, characterized by a periodic velocity field, which can be modeled to first order as a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability. This behavior resembles a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and provides a
benchmark for two-fluid theories relevant to
planet formation.
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All authors Holly L. Capelo, Jean-David Bodénan, Martin Jutzi, Jonas Kühn, Clément Surville, Lucio Mayer, Maria Schönbächler, Yann Alibert, Nicolas Thomas, Antoine Pommerol
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Cross-listed from hep-ph
Probing keV mass QCD axions with the SACLA X-ray free electron laser
Charles Heaton, Jack W. D. Halliday, Taito Osaka et al. (+12 more)
Axions are hypothetical particles, proposed to account for the invariance of CP
symmetry in
quantum chromodynamics. While
axions and
axion-like-particles are well-motivated by string theory and beyond-Standard-Model extensions, they have remained elusive to experimental searches even after significant effort over many decades. Building on a recent development using an X-ray free electron
laser to search for cosmologically favoured
axions of mass $m_{a} \lesssim 0.01$ eV, we extend previous bounds on the ALP-
photon coupling, $g_{a\gamma\gamma}$, by over an order of magnitude. We exploit the Bormann effect of Laue
crystals in a light-shining-through-wall experiment, with broad sensitivity to $m_a \lesssim$ 22 eV. Moreover for $m_{a} \in$ (3460, 3480) eV our sensitivity reaches down to the QCD
axion coupling prediction, providing the most stringent laboratory constraints in this mass range.
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All authors Charles Heaton, Jack W. D. Halliday, Taito Osaka, Ichiro Inoue, Sifei Zhang, Ahmed Alsulami, Joshua T. Y. Chu, Mila Fitzgerald, Takaki Hatsui, Motoaki Nakatsutsumi, Haruki Nishino, Atsushi O. Tokiyasu, Robert Bingham, Subir Sarkar, Gianluca Gregori
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Revisiting observational constraints on coupled exponential quintessence with energy and momentum transfers: degeneracy with massive neutrinos
Jose Beltrán Jiménez, Kiyotomo Ichiki, Xiaolin Liu et al. (+2 more)
We investigate the impact of massive
neutrinos on cosmological models in which dark energy, described by a quintessence scalar field $\phi$ with an exponential potential, interacts with dark matter through both energy and momentum transfers. Previous analyses have shown that the inclusion of low-
redshift data tends to favour the detection of a pure momentum transfer between the dark sectors, consistent with the fact that such a transfer generically suppresses the growth of
cosmic structures. Since massive
neutrinos also reduce matter clustering, a potential degeneracy between the interaction parameters and the
neutrino mass may arise. After updating the observational constraints on the model parameters obtained in earlier studies, we investigate the effect of allowing the
neutrino mass to vary. We find that the detection of momentum transfer degrades once massive
neutrinos are included. This occurs because a new degeneracy emerges between the
neutrino mass and the parameter governing the energy exchange between dark energy and dark matter. Our findings differ from previous results in the literature, where the detection of momentum transfer was reported to be robust against varying
neutrino masses. This suggests that the robustness of such detections depends on the underlying model and should therefore be carefully reassessed for each specific interacting scenario.
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All authors Jose Beltrán Jiménez, Kiyotomo Ichiki, Xiaolin Liu, Florencia Anabella Teppa Pannia, Shinji Tsujikawa
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Late-Onset Energy Injection in Type Ic SNe and W-Shaped O II Absorption in SLSNe-I
Rachid Ouyed
We show that delayed (weeks-months) energy injection into expanding Type Ic
supernova (SN) ejecta can reproduce the luminosity and spectral
evolution of hydrogen-poor superluminous SNe (SLSNe-I). Late-time reheating sets the radiation temperature and density needed for the W-shaped OII absorption near peak, explaining its disappearance as the ejecta cools without extra excitation mechanisms. In our model, the
neutron star (NS) undergoes a core phase transition to deconfined
quark matter at time t_QN, triggering rapid
magnetic field amplification and forming a hybrid
star (HS; a QCD-magnetar). This
Quark-Nova (QN) resets the central engine, weeks to months after the SN, by converting the NS rotational energy into renewed energy injection, producing two powering epochs separated by a delay determined by
hadron-to-
quark microphysics. The model reproduces photometric and spectroscopic
evolution of SLSNe-I such as iPTF13ajg, SN2010gx, PTF09cnd, and PTF09atu. We predict a systematic offset between spectroscopic and photometric ages when pre-QN emission is below detection limits, and discuss observational signatures distinguishing QCD-magnetars from standard magnetars. Double-peaked SLSNe-I may probe the
hadron-
quark transition, constraining
quark-matter parameters like deconfinement density and surface tension.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Confidently Wrong: Why Ignoring Binaries Biases IMF Inference at Large Sample Sizes
Anna L. Rosen
The
stellar initial mass function (IMF) high-mass slope $\alpha$ is routinely measured by fitting single-
star models to photometric samples that contain unresolved binaries. This practice introduces a systematic negative bias on $\alpha$ that is constant with sample size $N$. Posterior credible intervals shrink as $1/\sqrt{N}$, so at sufficiently large $N$ the bias exceeds the full 95% credible-interval width and the true value falls outside the credible interval - a regime we call "confidently wrong." Building on earlier studies of the bias magnitude, we quantify the sample size at which this bias exceeds the statistical uncertainty. We quantify this bias using two idealized observation operators: mass-addition ($m_{\mathrm{obs}}=m_1+m_2$), a formal upper bound on unresolved-system mass overestimation, and luminosity-addition ($m_{\mathrm{obs}}=L^{-1}(L_1+L_2)$), an idealized lower-bias photometric case based on the ZAMS mass-luminosity relation. Across four astrophysical environments spanning $\alpha=1.60$-$2.30$, we find: (1) mass-addition bias of 0.054-0.086 with crossover to confidently wrong at $N_{\mathrm{cross}}\sim5{,}000$-$10{,}000$; (2) luminosity-addition bias of 0.011-0.021 with $N_{\mathrm{cross}}\sim75{,}000$-$150{,}000$; and (3) a binary-aware mixture likelihood that marginalizes over the Moe & Di Stefano (2017) binary population model recovers the true slope in the synthetic tests presented here. Published single-
star IMF slopes can therefore plausibly carry systematic errors of order 0.01-0.09 if unresolved binaries are not modeled, comparable to or exceeding reported uncertainties in some regimes. Since current and upcoming surveys (
Gaia, JWST, Roman, LSST) will deliver large resolved-
star samples, binary-aware inference is likely necessary to avoid binary-driven systematic bias in the large-$N$ single-
star-fitting regime.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from gr-qc
Quasi-pole quintessential inflation in metric-affine gravity
Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Christian Dioguardi, Ioannis D. Gialamas et al. (+1 more)
We study quintessential inflation in the framework of metric-affine
gravity. It is well known that non-minimal couplings with the Holst invariant can generate a quasi-pole inflationary behaviour resulting in a Starobinsky-like phenomenology. The same quasi-pole behaviour can also be used in order to “flatten” the scalar potential in the Dark Energy era providing a successful framework for quintessential inflation. Agreement with the observational constraints coming from bounds on the overproduction of gravitational waves and consistency with Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, reduces the predicted scalar spectral index to a narrow window when the non-minimal coupling to the Holst invariant is “sufficiently" large: $0.966 \lesssim n_s \lesssim 0.967$, making the model highly testable and falsifiable.
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All authors Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Christian Dioguardi, Ioannis D. Gialamas, Antonio Racioppi
Astrophysics of Galaxies
NEATH V: the relationship between line emission from dense gas tracers and the star formation rate
F. D. Priestley, P. C. Clark, S. C. O. Glover et al. (+5 more)
The Gao-Solomon relationship between the luminosity of the HCN $J=1-0$ line and the
star formation rate (SFR) is observed to remain close to linear over scales ranging from individual
star-forming clumps to entire
galaxies. This is widely interpreted as the HCN line tracing the reservoir of dense gas directly associated with
star formation. However, resolved observations of nearby molecular clouds have demonstrated that the threshold density above which
star formation occurs is significantly higher than that of the gas traced by HCN emission. We perform radiative transfer modelling of molecular line emission from simulated clouds, based on magnetohydrodynamic simulations with realistic gas and
dust thermodynamics and a time-dependent treatment of the molecular abundances. We find no correlation between HCN emission and the SFR in the simulations: the HCN line remains almost constant in brightness over several orders of magnitude in SFR. The N$_2$H$^+$ $J=1-0$ line correlates positively with the SFR, but weakly, and with a substantial dependence on environmental conditions. The strongest correlation between line emission and physical cloud properties is between the N$_2$H$^+$/HCN ratio and the dense gas fraction, which is close to linear. We argue that the observed HCN-SFR correlation on extragalactic scales is a result of each measurement integrating over many individual molecular clouds, which, on average, possess the same mass fraction of dense,
star-forming gas. The HCN line does not directly trace this reservoir for
star formation.
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All authors F. D. Priestley, P. C. Clark, S. C. O. Glover, S. E. Ragan, S. K. Stuber, M. T. Cusack, O. Fehér, R. S. Klessen
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Self-Consistent Nonlinear Classical Cepheid Pulsations During Stellar Evolution with MESA
Ebraheem Farag, Earl P. Bellinger, Philip Mocz et al. (+5 more)
We extend the time-dependent convection treatment in \code{MESA} by introducing eddy-viscous damping. This software change brings \code{MESA-TDC} into closer
alignment with the radial
stellar pulsation framework of \code{MESA-RSP}. We demonstrate that the inclusion of the eddy viscosity in hydrodynamic
stellar models remains stable on evolutionary timescales. We then present the first self-consistent integration of large-amplitude, nonlinear Classical Cepheid pulsations directly within a \code{MESA-
star} evolutionary run, demonstrating that the time-dependent convection formalism implemented in \code{MESA-
star} and the \code{MESA} radial
stellar pulsation (RSP) module are physically identical. Starting from a 6~\Msun\ blue-loop
stellar evolution model, we demonstrate evolving the entire
stellar model through pulsations as well as pausing the
evolution, excising the core, and remeshing the envelope to match the grid used by \code{MESA-RSP}. We compare the pulsation properties (e.g., period, light and radius curves, and growth rate) with a matched \code{MESA-RSP} run, and find reasonable agreement between the two modules. This unified approach eliminates the reliance on separate post-processing workflows and enables fully coupled
evolution-pulsation simulations. This approach enables future studies of
stellar pulsations with the inclusion of composition gradients, mass loss, or rotation. It also enables future studies of the $\epsilon$ mechanism as well as providing a physical source of viscosity for other science cases explored using \code{MESA}'s hydrodynamics solver. We have integrated these modifications into the \code{MESA-
star} module, enabling open-source use by the community.
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All authors Ebraheem Farag, Earl P. Bellinger, Philip Mocz, Selim Kalici, R. Smolec, Shashi Kanbur, Kyra Bettwy, Christopher Lindsay
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from hep-ph
Observing Micro Black Hole Dark Matter
Manuel Ettengruber and Florian Kühnel
Primordial micro black holes can constitute dark matter if short-distance
gravity is modified by extra dimensions or a large number of species and if the
memory-burden effect sufficiently suppresses Hawking evaporation. The resulting black holes in the transition regime differ from their four-dimensional Einsteinian counterparts through their mass–radius relation, temperature,
entropy, and lifetime, which can render even very light objects cosmologically stable. The most promising observational consequences of such micro black holes dark matter are analysed.
Neutron star survival yields the most robust constraints, while a narrow region of parameter space can simultaneously remain viable and address the missing-
pulsar problem in the
Galactic center. Diffuse evaporation signals in
neutrino telescopes are found to be relevant mainly in extra-dimensional scenarios, whereas in generic species models, visible emission is strongly suppressed by evaporation into dark sectors. Merger-induced evaporation bursts can provide an additional probe in extra-dimensional realisations if the post-merger remnant briefly returns to the semiclassical phase. Overall, micro black holes dark matter remains phenomenologically viable in constrained regions, with
neutron stars,
neutrino telescopes, and merger signatures providing complementary tests.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Optimizing the Roman Space Telescope High-Latitude Wide Area Survey for mitigating chromatic PSF effects on shear measurement
Federico Berlfein, Rachel Mandelbaum, Jiachuan Xu et al. (+1 more)
Chromatic point-spread-function (PSF) effects arise from differences between the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of
stars, used to model the PSF, and
galaxies, used to measure shape distortions due to weak gravitational
lensing, or shear. For the Roman Space
Telescope, these effects can bias shear measurement and cosmological inference, making them an important systematic effect for shear calibration. These biases depend sensitively on survey design choices, particularly filter coverage and the availability of color information. In this work, we investigate how different Roman survey strategies affect the ability to mitigate chromatic PSF effects and whether residual biases in shear propagate into cosmological inference. Using realistic image simulations, we infer per-
galaxy near-infrared SED slopes via radial basis function regression for four-, three-, two-, and single-band survey configurations. We quantify residual shear calibration biases under representative and non-representative training assumptions and propagate these biases into Markov Chain Monte Carlo analyses of
cosmic shear and $3\times2$-point statistics. We find that three- and four-band strategies can reduce residual shear biases to $|m|\lesssim10^{-3}$, lowering the induced shifts in the
lensing amplitude from $\Delta S_8 \sim 0.6\sigma$ (
cosmic shear) and $\Delta S_8 \sim 0.7\sigma$ ($3\times2$-pt) in the uncorrected case to $\Delta S_8 \lesssim 0.07\sigma$. Single-band surveys remain limited, with residual shear biases reaching or exceeding $|m|\sim 2\times 10^{-3}$ in some tomographic bins. Average, sample-wide corrections reduce but do not eliminate chromatic systematics, leaving residual biases of $\Delta S_8 \sim 0.1\sigma$. Overall, our results demonstrate that we can robustly correct for these effects in the recommended three-band medium tier, but may encounter residual biases in a single-band wide tier.
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All authors Federico Berlfein, Rachel Mandelbaum, Jiachuan Xu, Tianqing Zhang
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Out of oxygen: Extremely metal-poor galaxy candidates identified at $2.5 < z < 6.5$ with deep JADES medium-band imaging
James A. A. Trussler, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Andrew J. Bunker et al. (+27 more)
JWST is beginning to uncover a population of extremely metal-poor
galaxies (EMPGs, $Z < 1\%~\mathrm{Z}_\odot$) at $z > 3$, mostly through serendipitous NIRSpec discoveries and blind slitless spectroscopy. To accelerate our understanding of pristine
star formation, we further develop a methodology to identify EMPG candidates from photometry, using the extensive deep medium-band imaging from JADES. Our EMPG candidates at $2.5 < z < 6.5$ exhibit strong photometric boosts by H$\alpha$, yet correspondingly weak boosts by [O III] + H$\beta$, likely indicating extremely low
metallicity to explain their lack of [O III] emission. We further demand our EMPG candidates to have strong Balmer jumps, as revealed by medium-band imaging, to ensure that they are young starbursts, as opposed to broad-line AGN/LRDs, though contamination by dusty/dense-gas starbursts and highly-obscured AGN remains a concern. SED-fitting with near-pristine models (${\sim}0.1$-$1\%~\mathrm{Z}_\odot$) indicates that our 22 EMPG candidates are low-mass (median $M_* \approx 10^{6.7}~\mathrm{M}_\odot$), faint
dwarf galaxies ($M_\mathrm{UV} \approx -16.6$), with high ionizing
photon production efficiencies ($\log\, (\xi_\mathrm{ion, obs}/\mathrm{(Hz\ erg^{-1})}) \approx 26.0$). Hence these are plausible sites of near-pristine
star formation, comprising ${\sim}0.04$-$0.6\%$ of $2.5 < z < 6.5$
galaxies at $-19 < M_\mathrm{UV} < -16$. We discuss this extremely metal-poor extension to the mass-
metallicity relation. We forecast that deep (${\sim}28$ h) NIRCam slitless spectroscopy can identify bright EMPGs through strong H$\beta$ but lack of [O III] emission, or secure the
redshifts of fainter systems through H$\alpha$ detections. Highly-multiplexed NIRSpec spectroscopy offers an alternate route to discovering the faintest pristine
galaxies out to $z=10$, without requiring deep medium-band/MIRI imaging to identify secure candidates.
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All authors James A. A. Trussler, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Andrew J. Bunker, Alex J. Cameron, Stefano Carniani, Stéphane Charlot, Jacopo Chevallard, Christopher J. Conselice, Mirko Curti, Emma Curtis-Lake, Francesco D'Eugenio, Eiichi Egami, Kevin Hainline, Ryan Hausen, Jakob M. Helton, Tiger Yu-Yang Hsiao, Zhiyuan Ji, Benjamin D. Johnson, Tobias J. Looser, Roberto Maiolino, Dávid Puskás, Pierluigi Rinaldi, Brant Robertson, Fengwu Sun, Sandro Tacchella, Hannah Übler, Christina C. Williams, Christopher N. A. Willmer, Joris Witstok, Zihao Wu
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Single-source-class interpretation of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux
Walter Winter, Damiano F. G. Fiorillo and Sara Buson
We explore the interpretation that the diffuse astrophysical
neutrino flux is dominated by a single standard candle-like source class. Since recent observations favor a broken power law with a spectral break around 30 TeV, we postulate that the $p\gamma$ channel is the dominant
neutrino production process creating a peak at these energies. We use a SOPHIA-based photo-pion interaction model with a thermal target including high-energy processes, such as multi-pion production, which turns out to be relevant for the interpretation. We demonstrate that target
photon temperatures 0.1 to 1 keV are preferred in a multi-parameter fit, whereas the maximal
neutrino energies can be limited by A) soft injection spectra, B) a maximal
proton energy in the PeV range, or C)
magnetic field effects on the secondary
muons, pions, and kaons with B in the few 10 kG range. We predict that future measurements, such as of the
neutrino flavor composition or
neutrino-antineutrino ratio (Glashow resonance), can discriminate scenarios. We also point out that the parameters obtained in our generic approach, such as in the strong
magnetic field values, might be indicative for an AGN core origin as a driver of the diffuse flux.
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