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Physics Astrophysics

astro-ph Watch Astrophysics

Thursday 16 April

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Surveying the Whirlpool at Arcseconds with NOEMA (SWAN). IV. Extent of active galactic nucleus feedback on the interstellar medium

Mallory D. Thorp, Antonio Usero, Frank Bigiel et al. (+19 more)

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are intertwined with galaxy evolution, injecting energy into the interstellar medium (ISM) that could regulate star formation as a galaxy evolves. However, the phenomena through which we observe AGN are multiphase and multiscale, which can lead to conflicting results for how significantly AGN influence the ISM. We endeavor to characterize the spatial extent and dominant modes of AGN feedback in M51, which hosts a low-luminosity Seyfert nucleus and multi-phase outflow. We identified regions dominated by AGN ionization using an emission line ratio (ELR) function constructed from VENGA integral field spectroscopy. We then investigated how AGN feedback influences the ISM using cloud-scale mapping of dense molecular gas tracers HCN(1-0), HNC(1-0), HCO+(1-0), and N2H+(1-0) provided by SWAN. This combined dataset has a resolution of 180pc, providing a clear demarcation of where AGN feedback dominates the ISM. If we assume that N2H+ is the best tracer of dense, cold gas in SWAN, then AGN-dominated regions defined by the ELR all have greater emission in (1-0) transitions in HCN, HNC, and HCO+ than expected if they traced dense gas alone, implying excitation of these lines from the AGN. The ELR better selects these regions than molecular tracers of AGN activity like HCN/HCO+. The highest ELR values are also associated with optical and molecular shock tracers (HNCO/CO), indicating a potential dense molecular outflow in the nucleus that agrees with the heightened N2H+ emission in this limited region. All tracers of AGN activity point to a "two-stage" feedback scenario, whereby mechanical feedback from the jet-ISM interaction spurs soft X-ray emission that excites molecules such as HCN. Dense gas entrenched in a molecular outflow may also lead to a greater chemical abundance of multiple tracers measured with SWAN, but to a lesser extent than excitation from AGN feedback.
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All authors Mallory D. Thorp, Antonio Usero, Frank Bigiel, Ina Galić, Smita Mathur, Sophia K. Stuber, Jennifer A. Rodriguez, Dario Colombo, Bret Lehmer, Eva Schinnerer, Amirnezam Amiri, Ashley Barnes, Zein Bazzi, Guillermo A. Blanc, Cosima Eibensteiner, Simon Glover, Laura A. Lopez, Erik B. Monson, Lukas Neumann, Jerome Pety, Miguel Querejeta, Thomas G. Williams

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

PySCo-EFT and ECOSMOG-EFT: a tandem of N-body simulation codes for the Effective Field Theory of Dark Energy

Himanish Ganjoo, Yann Rasera, Emilio Bellini et al. (+18 more)

Modified gravity theories constitute viable alternatives to the standard cosmological model for explaining the observed late-time accelerated expansion of the Universe. The Effective Field Theory of Dark Energy (EFTofDE) is an efficient framework to describe a wide range of such theories with a limited number of parameters. To robustly constrain them by comparison with clustering and weak lensing data from upcoming large-scale structure surveys, high-resolution cosmological N-body simulations are required to obtain accurate predictions for the matter distribution on non-linear scales. We introduce two new N-body simulation codes for EFTofDE cosmologies: PySCo-EFT, a Python-based particle mesh code, and ECOSMOG-EFT, a RAMSES-based code with adaptive mesh refinement. We consider Horndeski models with a luminal gravitational wave speed. We use iterative solvers and multigrid schemes to solve for the additional scalar field equation in both codes, incorporating the non-linear Vainshtein screening mechanism. We present validation and convergence tests of the codes. We obtain a sub-0.5 percent agreement with linear theory on large scales and a similar agreement between the two codes on non-linear scales. The dominant numerical effects on the matter-power-spectrum boost are mass resolution, finite-volume effects, refinement threshold, and starting redshift, but they are limited to below 2% at the largest wavenumbers (k=10 h/Mpc) for the range of tested values. We investigate the impact of the EFTofDE parameters on the matter-power-spectrum ratios between EFTofDE and $\Lambda$CDM cases. Depending on the EFTofDE parameters, the screening plays a negligible or dominant role compared to the linearised field equations. Our codes provide tools for generating fast and accurate predictions of the impact of the EFTofDE on the clustering of matter, incorporating non-linear screening.
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All authors Himanish Ganjoo, Yann Rasera, Emilio Bellini, Michel-Andrès Breton, Fabien Castillo, Sandrine Codis, Stephane Colombi, Pier-Stefano Corasaniti, Giulia Cusin, Yohan Dubois, Sylvain de la Torre, Eric Jullo, Guilhem Lavaux, Amandine Le Brun, Sebastian Peirani, Sandrine Pires, Vincent Reverdy, Iñigo Sáez-Casares, Shohei Saga, Atsushi Taruya, Wangzheng Zhang

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Highly eccentric non-spinning binary black hole mergers: quadrupolar post-merger waveforms

Nishkal Rao and Gregorio Carullo

We present numerically-informed closed-form expressions for the dominant $(\ell,m)=(2,2)$ waveform harmonic of the post-merger emission from mergers of non-spinning binary black holes with comparable masses on highly eccentric orbits. Using 233 non-spinning eccentric simulations from the RIT catalog, we construct time-dependent complex quasinormal mode amplitudes via a Bayesian procedure. We build multivariate polynomial models, represented as functions of the symmetric mass ratio $\nu$ and two dynamics parameters evaluated at merger: the mass-rescaled effective energy $\hat{E}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{\mathrm{mrg}}$ and angular momentum $j_{\mathrm{mrg}}$. We further validate the post-merger non-circular waveform model by comparing it against simulations from the SXS catalog. Our models achieve mismatches around $\sim10^{-3}$, including for near-extreme eccentricities. The model can be directly combined with effective-one-body and phenomenological inspiral waveforms to produce accurate inspiral-merger-ringdown waveforms, essential for parameter estimation of both astrophysical and fundamental physics properties of the signals' sources.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

GRMHD accretion beyond the black hole paradigm: Light from within the shadow

Saurabh, Maciek Wielgus, Parth Bambhaniya et al. (+3 more)

We present the first three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulation of sustained accretion onto a horizonless singularity in which matter reaches the central object rather than being accumulated outside of it or expelled in outflows. We consider a Joshi-Malafarina-Narayan (JMN-1) spacetime, a well-motivated black hole mimicker that arises from gravitational collapse with anisotropic pressure in general relativity, and adopt a compactness parameter for which the central singularity is null. We find that the system evolves into a sustained magnetically arrested disk state. For parameters appropriate to the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus M87*, we obtain an accretion rate of $\sim(3.0 \pm 0.5)\times 10^{-6} \dot{M}_{\rm Edd}$, in full agreement with estimates based on black hole models and, in particular, comparable to that of our reference Schwarzschild black hole simulation. Synthetic ray-traced images at $230\,{\rm GHz}$, computed using polarized general relativistic radiative transfer, are broadly consistent with the Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87*. We identify a key observational discriminant between a black hole and JMN-1: the presence of detectable brightness inside of the “observable" shadow of JMN-1. This emission originates very close to the central singularity, in a region that would be hidden behind the event horizon in a black hole spacetime. Although this signature is beyond the reach of current observations, it falls within the projected imaging dynamic range of next-generation radio interferometric instruments, offering a robust test of the black hole paradigm.
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All authors Saurabh, Maciek Wielgus, Parth Bambhaniya, Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino, Andrei P. Lobanov, Pankaj S. Joshi

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. A homogeneous catalogue of projected rotational velocities accounting for limb-darkening

R. Varas, G. Morello, M. Zechmeister et al. (+18 more)

Stellar rotation is closely linked to both age and magnetic activity. Through gyrochronology, it provides a means to estimate stellar ages and trace the evolution of planetary systems, and it is also crucial to constrain and correct stellar activity effects for robust exoplanet detection and characterisation. CARMENES is a dual-channel, high-resolution (R > 80000) spectrograph that has been highly successful in detecting exoplanets around M-dwarf stars using the radial-velocity technique, and it also enables precise measurements of the projected rotational velocity (vsini) from spectral line broadening. We present an oversampled convolution method incorporating a realistic limb-darkening model to determine vsini from CARMENES spectra by comparing observed spectra with that of a template star. The advantages over existing methods in the literature have been assessed using high-resolution synthetic spectra spanning effective temperatures of 2500-4000 K and projected rotational velocities of up to 50 km/s. Applied to 392 M dwarfs observed with CARMENES, our method yields vsini measurements (or upper limits at 2 km/s) with a median relative uncertainty of 6.8%, substantially smaller than the 15.4% reported in the literature. This work provides the largest uniform catalogue of vsini measurements for M dwarfs, including significantly updated values for several targets, along with 36 new targets.
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All authors R. Varas, G. Morello, M. Zechmeister, P. J. Amado, F. J. Pozuelos, J. A. Caballero, A. Claret, C. Cifuentes, R. Morales, A. Quirrenbach, A. Reiners, I. Ribas, V. J. S. Béjar, M. Cortés-Contreras, A. P. Hatzes, Th. Henning, I. Hermelo, H. L. Ruh, A. Schweitzer, H. M. Tabernero, M. R. Zapatero Osorio

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Uniform Reinterpretation of Rocky Exoplanet Secondary Eclipse Observations and the Impact of Stellar and Orbital Uncertainties

Christopher Monaghan, Björn Benneke, Nicholas J. Connors et al. (+2 more)

Secondary eclipse observations are a powerful way to investigate whether or not a rocky exoplanet hosts an atmosphere, as an atmospheric presence would transport heat to the nightside and render the dayside colder than anticipated. The interpretation of the secondary eclipse observations relies, however, on models based on imperfect knowledge of the host star properties and the system parameters. Any uncertainties in such astrophysical variables will propagate into both atmospheric and bare-rock models, potentially leading to poorly constrained results and erroneous conclusions. In this work, we introduce a framework to efficiently account for the stellar and orbital uncertainties when modeling the emission spectra of rocky exoplanets, and demonstrate its use by reanalyzing the current suite of rocky exoplanets with published eclipse observations. Our analysis reveals notable uncertainty in the predicted eclipse depth even for a simple dark ($A_{\mathrm{B}}=0$) bare rock as a result of the finite precision of the system's parameters and treatment of the host star's flux. In some cases, the model uncertainty is comparable to the observational uncertainty, further complicating our capability to constrain an atmospheric presence from secondary-eclipse observations. From our modeling schematic, we derive a linear correlation between the model uncertainty and the error in $R_{\mathrm{p}}/R_{\mathrm{*}}$, $ a_{\mathrm{p}}/R_{\mathrm{*}}$, and $T_{\mathrm{*}}$, therefore enabling a more robust compositional analysis in future studies. The model uncertainty serves as a fundamental precision limit to surface analyses, and must be mitigated to strongly constrain the composition of exoplanets in future eclipse observations.
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All authors Christopher Monaghan, Björn Benneke, Nicholas J. Connors, Louis-Philippe Coulombe, Pierre-Alexis Roy

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Gravitational-wave lensing beyond rays: a disordered-system approach

Ripalta Amoruso, Ginevra Braga, Alice Garoffolo et al. (+3 more)

We develop a framework to describe gravitational wave propagation through a stochastic distribution of weak gravitational lenses beyond the geometric optics limit. We model the lens distribution as a static random background field and formulate the problem in the language of quenched disorder, treating the disorder averaged density matrix as the fundamental object from which observables are computed. Using the Schwinger Keldysh formalism, we construct a path-integral representation of the averaged density matrix and derive its explicit form perturbatively for a suitable class of couplings. The result naturally separates into a quadratic exponential term, which governs the suppression of phase sensitive contributions in the averaged description, and a purely oscillatory contribution, which modifies coherent propagation through a disorder-induced correction to the propagation kernel. This provides a unified description of interference, diffraction, and statistical fluctuations of the lens distribution within a single framework. We also identify the physical scales controlling the onset of coherence loss and illustrate the formalism in the case of Gaussian wave packets. More generally, the derivation applies to any system described by the same class of actions, making the framework relevant beyond gravitational wave lensing to wave propagation in disordered media.
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All authors Ripalta Amoruso, Ginevra Braga, Alice Garoffolo, Francescopaolo Lopez, Nicola Bartolo, Sabino Matarrese

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

A Validated Low-to-Intermediate Mass Planetary Interior Structure Model and New Mass-Radius Relations

Bennett Neil Skinner, Ralph E. Pudritz and Ryan Cloutier

The increasing precision of planetary mass and radius observations is bringing major questions about the structure and formation of planets–such as the nature of the radius valley and origin of super-Mercuries–within reach, demanding the development of interior structure models with more physics to more accurately determine planetary radii for a given composition. Here, we present a new model that includes state-of-the-art equations of state following the latest experimental and computational results, a physically-motivated mineralogy allowing multiple species to coexist within planetary layers, a non-adiabatic temperature profile, melting, and other features. This model replicates Earth's radius and moment of inertia coefficient to within $0.2\%$, Mars and the Moon's to within $0.5\%$, and Mercury, Venus, and Europa's to within $1\%$ or 3$\sigma$. We use this model to calculate mass-radius relationships for H/He-enveloped, water-rich, Earth-like, and iron-rich bodies with masses between $0.01$–$100\, M_\oplus$. We calculate mass-radius tables and fit piece-wise power-laws to them for ${<}8M_\oplus$ planets, finding that the exponent in $M=bR^a$ increases with mass and core mass fraction. We find radii generally smaller than in literature mass-radius relations at low instellations and larger at high instellations, with our improvement on the literature comparable to observational uncertainties. State-of-the-art interior structure models are thus required to interpret observational data. Our mass-radius curves comprising 32,975 model planets are publicly available.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Cloudy with a chance of metals: Indications of CO$_2$ in the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b from high-resolution K-band spectroscopy

L. Nortmann, D. Cont, F. Lesjak et al. (+13 more)

Sub-Neptune exoplanets frequently exhibit muted transmission spectra, with GJ 1214 b being the most prominent example. Following years of intense observing campaigns yielding featureless planetary spectra, recent observations with JWST revealed the first possible atmospheric signatures. We present high-resolution transmission spectroscopy of GJ 1214 b based on eight transits obtained with the CRIRES$^+$ spectrograph in the K band. We used SYSREM to remove telluric and stellar signals and searched for signatures of H2O, CO, CH4, H2S, NH3, and CO2 using the cross-correlation technique. We obtained non-detections for the first five molecules and used injection recovery tests to derive upper limits on the atmosphere. For CO$_2$ we measure a CCF signal at S/N ~ 3.6, with a detailed investigation showing no obvious indication that it is caused by correlated noise. A Welch t-test confirmed the in-trail and out-of-trail distributions to be different at $3.4 \sigma$ confidence. A Bayesian retrieval framework with free chemistry, resulted in volume mixing ratios corresponding to a metallicity of $[\mathrm{M/H}]=0.48^{+0.89}_{-1.70}$, an opacity deck pressure of $\log_{10}(P_\mathrm{c}) = -3.04^{+2.52}_{-1.53}$ and a planet temperature of $T_\mathrm{iso}=398^{+283}_{-197}$ K, consistent with a value intermediate between the day- and night-side T-p's derived from JWST data. While these values correspond to relatively large signal amplitudes predicted for CO2 features in the mid-infrared, they are compatible with JWST NIRSpec observations within the models' $1.5\sigma$ uncertainties. Further modelling and additional data are required to confirm the atmospheric signatures and obtain a comprehensive interpretation of low- and high-resolution data. Overall, our results support previous findings that CO2 is likely to be a significant component of the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b.
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All authors L. Nortmann, D. Cont, F. Lesjak, A. D. Rains, A. Lavail, L. Boldt-Christmas, E. Nagel, A. Reiners, N. Piskunov, F. Yan, A. Hatzes, O. Kochukhov, D. Shulyak, U. Seemann, M. Rengel, A. Hahlin

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Neutrino self-interactions in post-reionization era: Lyman-$\alpha$, 21-cm and cross-spectra

Sourav Pal and Supratik Pal

Neutrino self-interactions delay the onset of free-streaming in the early universe, leaving distinct, scale-dependent signatures on the matter power spectrum. We investigate these signatures in post-reionization 21-cm intensity mapping and the Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) forest at redshifts $z \sim 2$–$3.5$, and forecast the constraints achievable with upcoming surveys using Fisher matrix analysis. Modeling neutrino self-interactions through an effective four-fermion parameterization with coupling $G_{\rm eff}$, we compute modifications to the Ly$\alpha$ and 21-cm auto- and cross-power spectra for both strongly interacting (SI$_\nu$, $\log_{10}G_{\mathrm{eff}} = -1.77$) and moderately interacting (MI$_\nu$, $\log_{10}G_{\mathrm{eff}} = -5$) scenarios. We then combine these with forecasts for a representative next-generation cosmic microwave background (CMB) mission to evaluate the capabilities of SKA1-Mid and PUMA. We find that the Ly$\alpha$–21-cm cross-correlation provides a systematics-resilient probe of the interaction signal, and decisively breaks the degeneracy between the primordial scalar power spectrum amplitude ($A_s$) and $G_{\rm eff}$ that limits CMB only analysis, particularly for the SI$_\nu$ mode. Furthermore, the CMB+PUMA combination emerges as the optimal survey configuration for both regimes, reaching 1$\sigma$ constraints of $\mathcal{O}(10^{-3})$ on $\sigma(\log_{10}G_{\rm eff})$ for the SI$_\nu$ mode and $\mathcal{O}(10^{-2})$ for the MI$_\nu$ mode. Compared to the CMB-only baseline, this represents an improvement of approximately one order of magnitude for the SI$_\nu$ mode, and nearly two orders of magnitude for the MI$_\nu$ mode. We show that this conclusion holds uniformly over the full range of coupling strengths from $\log_{10}G_{\rm eff} = -6$ to $-1.77$.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

Age bimodality in pseudo-bulges of barred spiral galaxies: Bar-driven evolution across cosmic time

Kavin Kumar N R, Saili Keshri and Sudhanshu Barway

We investigate the stellar population properties of pseudo-bulges in barred galaxies drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS DR7) to assess how bars regulate central star formation and secular evolution. Our sample comprises barred spiral and barred lenticular (S0) galaxies with reliable spectroscopic indices obtained from multicomponent structural decompositions. Stellar ages and recent star formation are traced using the 4000 Å\ break strength ($D_{n}(4000)$) and the Balmer absorption index ($H\delta_{A}$), complemented by bulge, bar, and disc colours. Barred spirals show a clear bimodality in $D_{n}(4000)$, with peaks at $D_{n}(4000)\sim1.3$ and $\sim1.8$. Low-$D_{n}(4000)$ pseudo-bulges exhibit strong $H\delta_{A}$ absorption, blue colours, and high specific star-formation rates, indicating young, actively growing centres. High-$D_{n}(4000)$ systems instead show weak $H\delta_{A}$, red colours, and low sSFR, consistent with older, quenched pseudo-bulges. Barred S0s display an old-bulge-dominated distribution, suggesting that gas-poor barred spirals transition into S0s following disc-wide quenching. We also find elevated AGN incidence among old pseudo-bulges. These trends support a scenario in which bars funnel gas inward to build pseudo-bulges and later suppress central star formation by depleting or stabilising the inflow. IFU observations show that bars assemble cold nuclear discs that age and quench over time, while high-redshift imaging confirms that bars are already present at $z\sim4$, implying that this evolutionary cycle operates across cosmic time. The strong correspondence between stellar age, colour, and structure indicates that bar-driven secular evolution governs both the growth and quenching of central components, linking blue barred spirals to red S0 galaxies.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Echoes of Global Cosmic Strings

Jeff A. Dror and Antonios Kyriazis

If the Universe underwent a cosmic phase transition, it may have left behind a network of cosmic strings. When these strings arise from the breaking of a gauge symmetry, their decay produces a significant stochastic background of gravitational waves. In contrast, if they originate from the breaking of a global symmetry, their decay predominantly yields Nambu-Goldstone bosons, which can persist as dark matter or dark radiation. In this work, we assess the detectability of this particle spectrum using a range of cosmological probes. We employ semi-numerical methods to estimate the resulting energy density and compute the associated matter power spectrum. We then compare these predictions with observations of the cosmic microwave background, Lyman-$\alpha$ forest, large-scale structure surveys, and the UV luminosity function, thereby deriving constraints on the Nambu-Goldstone boson mass and the symmetry-breaking scale. Finally, we present projections for the sensitivity of upcoming cosmic microwave background missions.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Boson star-black hole binaries: initial data and head-on collisions

Zhuan Ning

We present a numerical-relativity study of comparable-mass boson star-black hole (BS-BH) head-on collisions, focusing on both initial-data construction and gravitational-wave (GW) phenomenology. We show that plain superposition can strongly perturb the BS core, leading to large constraint violations and unphysical radial oscillations. To remedy this problem, we introduce a one-body conformal-factor correction and find that it substantially suppresses these artifacts. Using the improved initial data, we analyze GW emission from equal- and unequal-mass BS-BH binaries and compare with matched BS-BS and BH-BH baselines. For equal masses, the BS-BH radiated energy increases with BS compactness and approaches the BH-BH limit for highly compact stars. For unequal masses, the $q = 2$ BS-BH configuration in our sample radiates slightly more GW energy than its matched BH-BH counterpart.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Nonperturbative stochastic inflation in perturbative dynamical background

Xiao-Quan Ye and Shao-Jiang Wang

Inflationary models that contain a transient ultra-slow-roll phase can exhibit strong non-perturbative dynamics, making the usual perturbative treatment of cosmological fluctuations incomplete. In such regimes, quantum diffusion and the nonlinear gravitational response of the background can both play important roles, motivating a framework that treats them systematically within quantum field theory in curved spacetime. In this work, we derive the first-order stochastic equations in quasi-de Sitter spacetime from the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism and develop a practical procedure to obtain compact stochastic equations that consistently incorporate metric perturbations via the classical Arnowitt-Deser-Misner equations. Our approach systematically captures classical non-perturbative effects while retaining the leading first-order quantum diffusion. We apply the formalism to two inflationary scenarios with an ultra-slow-roll phase, namely the Starobinsky piecewise-linear model and critical Higgs inflation. For the Starobinsky model, numerical lattice simulations validate the stochastic description and agree well with analytical results. For critical Higgs inflation, we find that the dynamics lead to a minor suppression of the power spectrum with an additional oscillation feature. Throughout, our analysis is restricted to the regime of small metric perturbations, ensuring the self-consistency of the perturbative stochastic treatment. These results establish a concrete bridge between first-principles quantum field theory in curved spacetime and the stochastic-$\delta N$ formalism for investigating non-perturbative inflationary dynamics.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

Tracing evolutionary pathways of bar-driven quenching in local Universe disc galaxies

D Renu, Smitha Subramanian and Koshy George

Bars play an integral role in regulating star formation (SF) in spiral galaxies, from triggering central starbursts to driving quenching. The diverse SF morphologies observed in local barred galaxies reflect different evolutionary stages of the bar, motivating studies across these stages. Here we study 12 nearby barred galaxies (z=0.01-0.06) identified as centrally quenched galaxies (having extended star-forming discs but quenched inner regions) by leveraging the differences in SFRs between the MPA-JHU and GSWLC catalogues. However, they exhibit residual central emission in the SDSS 3" fibre spectral region. Emission line analysis shows that this emission originates from either ongoing SF or LINER-like activity, suggesting diverse central ionization mechanisms. Using spatially resolved UV-optical colour maps from SDSS (r-band) and GALEX (FUV and NUV band) imaging data, we find that discs are star-forming and bluer in colour (NUV-r < 4 mag) while the bulge and bar regions are systematically redder (NUV-r > 4 mag) and dominated by older stellar populations. The NUV-r radial colour profiles show a clear transition from red to blue colours at the bar end with a corresponding median stellar age of ~ 1 Gyr. Compared to fully centrally quenched barred galaxies from our earlier work which lack SDSS fibre emission, these galaxies remain systematically bluer at similar radii, despite showing NUV-r > 4 mag inside the bar suggesting an intermediate stage in bar-driven quenching. We also estimate black hole masses associated with kinetic-mode AGN feedback and find them below the threshold (logM_BH < 8.0). Adding this with the presence of pseudo bulges, our results support bars as the primary drivers of quenching, with these galaxies representing an evolutionary phase just before their inner regions are completely quenched.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Photometry and physical characterization of near-Earth asteroid 2025 FA22 from one apparition

Jun Tian, Bin Li, Y.J. Liu et al. (+12 more)

We present comprehensive photometric characterisation of 2025 FA$_{22}$, a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) discovered on 29 March 2025 and observed during the seventh International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) coordinated campaign. The asteroid's close approach at 2 lunar distances on 18 September 2025 provided an opportunity for rapid physical characterisation in a simulated virtual impactor scenario. Photometric observations were conducted from 17 September to 1 October 2025, during which 2025 FA$_{22}$ traversed a $150^{\circ}$ arc and spanned solar phase angles from $\sim20^{\circ}$ to $\sim70^{\circ}$. This geometry enabled detailed physical characterisation, including determination of the spin axis and shape. Convex inversion yields a sidereal rotation period of $P_{\mathrm{sid}} = 13.07366 \pm 0.00076$ h and a spin axis at ecliptic coordinates $({\lambda}, {\beta}) = (246^{\circ} \pm 9^{\circ}, 60^{\circ} \pm 9^{\circ})$. The absolute magnitude was derived as $H_{\mathrm{V}} = 21.39^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$ mag ($G_1 = 0.8228$, $G_2 = 0.0194$), with colour indices $B-V = 0.71 \pm 0.05$ mag, $V-R = 0.39 \pm 0.03$ mag, and $R-I = 0.39 \pm 0.04$ mag, consistent with X-complex classification in the Bus–DeMeo taxonomy. Assuming a geometric albedo of $p_v = 0.15^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$, representative of the moderate-albedo X-complex asteroids, we estimate $D_{\mathrm{eff}} = 181^{+31}_{-25}$ m, consistent with "China Compound Eye" radar dimensions of ${\sim}100 \times 320$ m ($D_{\mathrm{eff}} \sim 186$ m), which also reveal a contact-binary morphology consistent with the axis ratios $a:b:c \sim 2.68:1.96:1.00$ derived from our photometric shape model. The bilobate morphology is consistent with YORP-driven spin-up and deformation during a previous YORP cycle, with the current slow rotation possibly explained by internal reconfiguration or tidal braking during close Earth encounters.
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All authors Jun Tian, Bin Li, Y.J. Liu, Z.J. Xu, R.Y. Zhai, H.B. Zhao, Anton Pomazan, Fan Li, A.M. Abdelaziz, Y.D. Ping, Wei Liu, Y.D. Mao, Jian Chen, Ahmed. Shokry, Mohamed Ismail

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Stellar nucleosynthesis in the era of large surveys: S-process polluted binaries in GALAH DR4

A. Escorza, S. Vitali, D. Godoy-Rivera et al. (+11 more)

Binary interactions during the AGB phase can lead to the formation of chemically peculiar stars with overabundances of s-process elements. Only a few hundreds of these stars have been subject to detailed chemical or dynamical studies. This work aims at compiling a systematic sample of s-process-polluted candidates using GALAH DR4. We also want to compare their properties with those of confirmed s-polluted stars to have stronger evidence of their nature. GALAH DR4 uses neural networks and automatic spectral analysis methods as well as data of a lower spectral resolution than normally used to characterise these objects. Because of this, we built a validation sample, for which we obtained UVES@VLT and HERMES@Mercator high-resolution spectra. We compare our stellar parameters and abundances with those of the survey and use this validation to define the thresholds that a star in GALAH DR4 must pass to be flagged as a good s-process-rich candidate. Based on our comparisons, we define thresholds on [s/Fe], [Y/Fe], [Zr/Fe], [Ba/Fe], and [La/Fe]. We identified 1059 stars in GALAH DR4 that are good candidates to be s-process polluted stars, covering a broad parameter space. They share many similarities with the samples of confirmed s-rich stars, especially their ratios of heavy over light s-elements ([hs/ls]), which strengthen our confidence in the purity of the sample. We find that only 7% of the candidates have measured orbital periods and eccentricities, limiting for now a full comparison with confirmed Ba and related stars. However, their binary fraction is, as expected, higher than the one we found for the full GALAH DR4 catalogue. Our sample of candidates is almost five times larger than the number of currently confirmed polluted stars. This and the fact that it has been homogeneously treated by GALAH open very interesting avenues to confront nucleosynthesis and binary evolution models.
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All authors A. Escorza, S. Vitali, D. Godoy-Rivera, S. Shetye, H. Van Winckel, G. Bustos, S. Goriely, L. Siess, M. Abdul-Masih, T. Masseron, D. A. García-Hernández, A. Ardern-Arentsen, P. Jofré, S. Van Eck

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Static Tidal Perturbations of Relativistic Stars: Corrected Center Expansion and Love Numbers-I

Emel Altas, Ercan Kilicarslan, Onur Oktay et al. (+1 more)

We revisit static tidal perturbations of relativistic stars with emphasis on two technical issues in the standard quadrupolar formulation. First, we derive the regular-center Frobenius expansion of the interior even-parity master function and obtain a corrected subleading coefficient, which differs from the expression commonly used in the literature. Second, we derive the static even-parity master equation on a Schwarzschild-de Sitter background, extending the usual asymptotically flat problem to a two-horizon geometry. To place these results on a common footing, we also show how the general interior even-parity system in Regge-Wheeler gauge reduces to the standard quadrupolar equation used in Love-number calculations. Numerical integrations for polytropic equations of state show that the corrected center coefficient affects only subleading initial data and leaves the extracted Love number $k_2$ unchanged within numerical accuracy. Taken together, these results fix the regular-center input to the standard quadrupolar problem and extend the static even-parity formalism to Schwarzschild-de Sitter backgrounds.
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All authors Emel Altas, Ercan Kilicarslan, Onur Oktay, Bayram Tekin

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Understanding the regulation of star formation within TNG100 galaxies on kpc-scales using machine learning I: Global versus local

Bryanne McDonough, Sathvika S. Iyengar, Ansa Brew-Smith et al. (+2 more)

We apply Random Forest and XGBoost machine learning algorithms to determine which galaxy properties most effectively predict star formation and quenching in simulated galaxies. Using spatially-resolved data from approximately 63,000 annular bins across 6,189 TNG100 galaxies, we train classification models to predict quenching states and regression models to predict star formation rate surface densities. Despite their different algorithmic approaches, both methods produce consistent feature importance rankings, with XGBoost distributing importance more evenly among correlated features. For central galaxies and high-mass satellites, black hole mass dominates quenching predictions, consistent with quenching via active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback. Classification of low-mass satellites shows overwhelming importance for halo mass, indicating environmental quenching. Star formation predictions are dominated by local stellar mass surface density across all star-forming galaxy types, confirming that active star formation is a local process while quenching is driven by global properties.
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All authors Bryanne McDonough, Sathvika S. Iyengar, Ansa Brew-Smith, Asa F.L. Bluck, Joanna Piotrowska

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Radiation doses during extreme solar energetic particle events

S. Dalla, K. Herbst, R. Muscheler et al. (+1 more)

Ions and electrons accelerated to high energies during flares and coronal mass ejections at the Sun may escape the solar atmosphere and, guided by the interplanetary magnetic fields, propagate through space to near-Earth locations. These Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) can be detected directly by spacecraft instrumentation. The highest energy SEPs may also propagate through the geomagnetic field and precipitate to low atmospheric heights, producing secondary particles including neutrons and protons that trigger the formation of cosmogenic radionuclides. The space weather effects associated with the SEP ion population (for the most part protons) consist principally of radiation risk to aviation, humans in space and spacecraft. This paper focusses on the risks to aviation and astronauts and emphasizes how the parameters of the SEP event, including fluence and spectrum, affect radiation doses. Space weather effects for events that took place in recent decades, for which a large body of measurements and models exist, are discussed. SEP events of extreme magnitudes, such as those extrapolated from radionuclide data from the distant past are then considered and first estimates of the associated radiation at aviation altitudes and in space presented. These are worst-case estimates derived within the assumption that the radionuclide spike was caused by a single SEP event and that the particle spectrum and geomagnetic conditions were the same during all events.
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All authors S. Dalla, K. Herbst, R. Muscheler, M.J. Owens

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Las Cumbres Observatory Gravitational-Wave Follow-up in the Third and Fourth Observing Runs: Strengths and Weaknesses of a Rapid Response Galaxy Targeted Strategy

Ido Keinan, Iair Arcavi, D. Andrew Howell et al. (+34 more)

We present a summary of gravitational-wave (GW) follow-up using the Las Cumbres Observatory global network of telescopes during the third (O3) and fourth (O4) observing runs of the GW detectors. As in O2, we implemented the Gehrels et al. 2016 galaxy-targeted strategy. Here we test its efficacy in O3 and O4 and analyze the Las Cumbres Observatory response time and depth for nine GW alerts that showed a possibility of having an electromagnetic counterpart (GW190425, GW190426_152155, S190510g, GW190728_064510, GW190814, S190822c, GW191216_213338, S240422ed and S250206dm). We find that Las Cumbres Observatory is able to begin observations in response to GW alerts within minutes of the alert, with the observations being deep enough to detect possible GW170817-like kilonovae out to a median distance of 250 Mpc. In this sense a global rapid-response network of telescopes like Las Cumbres is an excellent GW follow-up facility. However, the galaxy-targeted follow-up strategy was much less efficient in O3 and O4 than originally predicted, given the larger than assumed GW localizations. We conclude that coordination between various facilities to include both wide-field and rapid-response capabilities is required to achieve efficient and comprehensive follow-up of GW events.
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All authors Ido Keinan, Iair Arcavi, D. Andrew Howell, Curtis McCully, Craig Pellegrino, Ayelet Hasson, Moira Andrews, Jamison Burke, Daichi Hiramatsu, Jennifer Barnes, Sukanya Chakrabarti, Joseph R. Farah, Paul J. Groot, Na'ama Hallakoun, Daniel Holz, Saurabh W. Jha, Daniel Kasen, Chris Lidman, Michael J. Lundquist, Dan Maoz, Brian D. Metzger, Ehud Nakar, Megan Newsome, Yuan Qi Ni, Alexander H. Nitz, Estefania Padilla Gonzalez, Tsvi Piran, Dovi Poznanski, Ryan Ridden-Harper, David J. Sand, Brian P. Schmidt, Giacomo Terreran, Brad E. Tucker, Stefano Valenti, J. Craig Wheeler, Samuel Wyatt, Kathryn Wynn

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Localization and Confidence Region Estimation of Short GRBs with the COSI BGO Shield Using a HEALPix-Based Deep Learning Approach

N. Parmiggiani, A. Bulgarelli, G. Panebianco et al. (+17 more)

The Compton Spectrometer and Imager is a NASA satellite mission under development that will survey the entire sky in the 0.2-5 MeV range using a wide-field germanium detector array, surrounded on the sides and bottom by active shields (the Anticoincidence Subsystem, ACS). The ACS aims to suppress and monitor background events, as well as detect transient sources, such as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), through its onboard triggering algorithm. The data related to GRBs are sent to the ground and analyzed by an automated pipeline to localize the GRBs and share their positions with the community. In this work, we present a brief GRB localization method based on ACS data, utilizing deep learning (DL) techniques, which can estimate the 90% confidence region, including cases where it is split into multiple areas. To address this, we developed a neural network classifier that predicts the GRB location as a probability distribution across the sky map following the HEALPix framework. The distribution can be used to compute the 90% confidence regions. Future work will compare this DL-based localization approach with classical methods such as $\chi^2$ fitting and Maximum Likelihood Estimation.
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All authors N. Parmiggiani, A. Bulgarelli, G. Panebianco, E. Burns, E. Neights, V. Fioretti, I. Martinez-Castellanos, L. Castaldini, A. Ciabattoni, A. Di Piano, R. Falco, S. Gallego, G. Mustafa, P. Patel, A. Rizzo, E. A. Wulf, D. H. Hartmann, C. A. Kierans, J. A. Tomsick, A. Zoglauer

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Photometric Metallicities for 367,324 stars of Omega Centauri

Xue Lu, Haibo Yuan, Bowen Huang et al. (+2 more)

Omega Centauri is the most massive and chemically complex multi-population globular cluster with a wide metallicity range that has been extensively studied photometrically and spectroscopically. Using the wide metallicity range of omega Cen, HST photometry (F275W, F336W, F435W, F625W), and MUSE spectroscopy ([M/H]), we derive [M/H]- and M_{F625W}-dependent stellar loci to estimate photometric metallicities from HST colors. Our tests yield metallicity precisions of 0.10\,dex for giants and 0.22\,dex for fainter dwarfs. We construct a photometric metallicity catalog from simultaneous F336W, F435W, and F625W observations (plus F275W where available), containing 20,778 giants and 346,546 dwarfs. A subsample of 20,533 giants is used to study the spatial metallicity distribution and gradient. We find no significant metallicity gradient within the half-light radius, consistent with previous work. Moreover, the previously reported ring-like structure is less pronounced in our data, and no physically significant, irregular two-dimensional metallicity pattern is detected, indicating that the stellar subpopulations are well mixed within the half-light radius. Our catalog significantly extends the metallicity sample of omega Cen, and this approach can be applied to other HST data to estimate photometric metallicities.
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All authors Xue Lu, Haibo Yuan, Bowen Huang, Tao Wang, Timothy C. Beers

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

An FUor-like Outbursting Class I Protostar in NGC 7538

Aidi Fang, Zhiwei Chen, Lin Du et al. (+1 more)

We report on the discovery of an FUor-like Class I protostar in NGC~7538. The source, named NGC~7538~MIR, exhibited a giant luminosity burst ($\Delta K_s\sim5$) and a prolonged high-luminosity state lasting at least five years. Its mid-infrared (mid-IR) light curves, constructed from WISE/NEOWISE multiepoch data, presented a rapid rise and slight fading after the peak, placing this event among long-duration eruptive phenomena observed in protostars, for example, FUor-type events. The evolution of W1/W2 luminosity and $W1-W2$ color can be naturally split into three phases, pre-burst, burst and post-burst, suggesting that different physical processes may dominate in the three phases. The evolution of NGC~7538~MIR is consistent with a transition from variability influenced by circumstellar extinction (pre-burst) to a phase with greatly enhanced accretion luminosity (burst), and followed by a gradual relaxation of the circumstellar environment (post-burst). Overall, the observed IR variability of NGC~7538~MIR is consistent with an FUor-like accretion event occurred at an early evolutionary stage, highlighting the importance of long-term IR monitoring for identifying episodic accretion events in deeply embedded protostars.
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All authors Aidi Fang, Zhiwei Chen, Lin Du, Sheng Zheng

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Continuing to Advance European High Contrast Imaging Research and Development towards HWO and LIFE

Gael Chauvin, Oscar Carrion Gonzalez, Iva Laginja et al. (+20 more)

The European Research and Development for Space based High Contrast Imaging II Workshop, held at MPIA in May 2025, advanced Europe strategic coordination in support of future exoplanet imaging missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets mission. Building on the first 2024 workshop, this meeting defined concrete priorities across eight technical areas, including wavefront sensing, coronagraphs, post processing, nulling interferometry, deformable mirrors, detectors, and telescope design. Discussions emphasized Europe strengths in adaptive optics, ground-based facilities, and interferometry, while identifying key gaps, particularly the need for a dedicated European vacuum testbed for high contrast imaging. The community highlighted near infrared or UV coronagraphy as a promising domain for European leadership and called for joint development of advanced data reduction algorithms, detectors, and cross-mission coordination with HWO and LIFE. The workshop outcomes establish a collaborative roadmap to strengthen Europe technological readiness, foster agency partnerships, and ensure its continued leadership in the next generation of space-based exoplanet exploration.
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All authors Gael Chauvin, Oscar Carrion Gonzalez, Iva Laginja, Daniel Dicken, Sebastiaan Haffert, Markus Kasper, Olivier Absil, Jens Kammerer, Axel Potier, Herve Le Coroller, Elisabeth Matthews, Romain Laugier, Denis Defrere, Jonah Hansen, Oliver Krause, Pieter de Visser, Mikael Karlsson, Thomas Henning, Marc Ferrari, Jonas Kuehn, Markus Janson, Feng Zhao, Celia Desgrange

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Structure and Large-Scale Kinematics of Young Stellar Populations in the NGC 6357 and NGC 6334 Giant Molecular Cloud Complex

Matthew S. Povich, Leisa K. Townsley, Patrick S. Broos et al. (+6 more)

We map the three-dimensional structure and large-scale kinematics of the young stellar populations in the G352 giant molecular cloud (GMC) complex. In radio and infrared images, G352 appears as long filament extending ~$3^{\circ}$ (~150 pc) parallel to the Galactic midplane. It connects the NGC 6357 and NGC 6334 giant H II regions and the GM1-24 compact H II region. We identify 1727 stellar members of G352 via matching large catalogs of Chandra X-ray point sources and Spitzer mid-infrared excess sources to the Gaia DR3 astrometric catalog. Our catalog of 11,470 X-ray point sources ranks among the three largest contiguous X-ray survey datasets ever assembled for a massive star-forming complex. We revise the mean heliocentric distance of G352 to $1670\pm 80$ pc, with the median parallaxes of seven constituent groups exhibiting a trend toward increasing distance with decreasing Galactic longitude. We identify two foreground stellar groups superimposed on NGC 6357 that may belong to the Sag OB4 association. The three massive clusters in NGC 6357 exhibit peculiar velocities that trail Galactic circular motion by ${\sim}8$ km/s, while the stars associated with NGC 6334 are more consistent with a circular orbit. GM1-24 has a distinct proper motion and smaller parallax compared to NGC 6334. The steep pitch angle of the GMC filament into the sky appears inconsistent with a spiral arm. The various stellar groups are not gravitationally bound to each other, making G352 a proto-OB association.
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All authors Matthew S. Povich, Leisa K. Townsley, Patrick S. Broos, Aldair E. Bonilla, Giaky Nguyen, Carly Soos, Michael A. Kuhn, Simran S. Singh, Gordon P. Garmire

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

The multi-planet system TOI-5624: Four transiting sub-Neptunes with an outer companion revealed by transit-timing variations

A. Bonfanti, D. Gandolfi, P. Leonardi et al. (+96 more)

Following the 2022 alert of a TESS object of interest transiting TOI-5624 (a G7 V star $\sim$100 pc away), a CHEOPS campaign in 2023 detected four planetary signals at $P_b\approx3.4$, $P_c\approx7.9$, $P_d\approx13.7$, and $P_e\approx21.5$ days, later confirmed by additional TESS and CHEOPS photometry in 2024-2025. After analysing the TESS & CHEOPS photometric data, we extracted and modelled the HARPS-N & SOPHIE RV time series using two independent methodologies both within an MCMC framework. We further integrated the N-body equations of motion, while simultaneously fitting the transit times and the detrended RVs, to dynamically characterise the system. We present the discovery of four transiting sub-Neptunes with radii of $R_b=2.314\pm0.035 R_{\oplus}$, $R_c=2.474\pm0.042 R_{\oplus}$, $R_d=3.584_{-0.050}^{+0.051} R_{\oplus}$, and $R_e=3.247_{-0.043}^{+0.042} R_{\oplus}$ and masses of $M_b=9.4\pm1.4 M_{\oplus}$, $M_c=4.8\pm1.9 M_{\oplus}$, $M_d=4.9\pm2.2 M_{\oplus}$, and $M_e=8.9_{-3.0}^{+2.9} M_{\oplus}$. Our photometric analysis reveals that the outermost transiting planet TOI-5624 e shows significant TTVs. We find a robust Keplerian signal in the RV time series close to the 2:1 period commensurability with TOI-5624 e, which explains the TTV pattern exhibited by TOI-5624 e according to our dynamical analysis. We label this non-transiting planet as TOI-5624 f and find its minimum mass to be $M_f\sin{i_f}=13.0\pm3.7 M_{\oplus}$. Among the known systems hosting more than four planets, the remarkable precision with which the radii have been measured (<1.7%) and the firm assessment (>3$\sigma$) of the mass for at least three planets has been previously reached only for TRAPPIST-1. Additional photometric observations will enable a better sample of the TTV modulation and a more robust dynamical determination of the masses.
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All authors A. Bonfanti, D. Gandolfi, P. Leonardi, H. P. Osborn, L. M. Serrano, G. Hébrard, N. Billot, A. Bekkelien, G. Olofsson, C. Broeg, D. Nardiello, S. G. Sousa, T. G. Wilson, A. C. M. Correia, C. Pezzotti, A. Brandeker, L. Fossati, M. Gillon, M. Stalport, B. Akinsanmi, Y. Alibert, R. Alonso, J. Asquier, T. Bárczy, D. Barrado, S. C. C. Barros, W. Baumjohann, W. Benz, L. Borsato, A. Castro González, A. Collier Cameron, Sz. Csizmadia, P. E. Cubillos, M. B. Davies, M. Deleuil, X. Delfosse, A. Deline, O. D. S. Demangeon, B.-O. Demory, A. Derekas, F. Destriez, B. Edwards, D. Ehrenreich, A. Erikson, A. Fortier, M. Fridlund, K. Gazeas, M. Güdel, M. N. Günther, N. Hara, N. Heidari, A. Heitzmann, Ch. Helling, K. G. Isaak, T. Keller, L. L. Kiss, D. Kitzmann, J. Korth, G. Lacedelli, K. W. F. Lam, J. Laskar, A. Lecavelier des Etangs, A. Leleu, M. Lendl, D. Magrin, P. F. L. Maxted, M. Mecina, B. Merín, C. Mordasini, V. Nascimbeni, R. Ottensamer, I. Pagano, E. Pallé, G. Peter, D. Piazza, G. Piotto, D. Pollacco, D. Queloz, R. Ragazzoni, N. Rando, H. Rauer, I. Ribas, N. C. Santos, G. Scandariato, D. Ségransan, A. E. Simon, A. M. S. Smith, S. Sulis, Gy. M. Szabó, S. Udry, S. Ulmer-Moll, V. Van Grootel, J. Venturini, F. Verrecchia, E. Villaver, N. A. Walton, S. Wolf, D. Wolter, T. Zingales

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Cross-listed from eess.SY

Nonlinear backstepping with saturation for low-thrust station-keeping of libration point orbits

António Nunes, Sérgio Brás and Pedro Batista

This paper presents a novel nonlinear backstepping control law for continuous, low-thrust station-keeping in the Earth-Moon system. Quasi-periodic libration point orbits are targeted under a high-fidelity model of the dynamics. Almost global uniform exponential stability guarantees are attained, as shown through Lyapunov's stability theory. Saturation of the actuators is formally included in the controller design, such that these guarantees hold even in the event of saturation. The relationship between saturation threshold, control gains, and deviation is studied and an optimal procedure for gain selection is discussed. The control solution is tested numerically through a Monte Carlo analysis over representative application cases, subject to operational errors, constraints, and external perturbations. Station-keeping under actuation saturation is validated considering a conservative threshold for typical electric propulsion systems.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

A Generalized Algorithmic Framework for Detecting Faraday Rotation Measure Flares in Repeating Fast Radio Bursts

Yuan-Pei Yang and Boyang Liu

Variations in the Faraday rotation measure (RM) of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) provide critical diagnostics of the dynamically evolving magneto-ionic environments surrounding their progenitors. Sudden, transient “RM flares” can trace the passage of discrete magneto-ionic structures, such as stellar coronal mass ejections from the companion or other dense plasma clumps, across the line of sight. However, identifying these rare events is difficult because RM evolution manifests a wide range of complex behaviors, from smooth, long-term trends to chaotic stochasticity, further complicated by highly non-uniform temporal sampling. This complexity makes it a non-trivial challenge to distinguish localized “flares” from intrinsic environmental volatility. We present a generalized algorithmic framework that establishes a robust methodology for the automated detection and characterization of RM flares. By isolating discrete transient perturbations from quiescent backgrounds, this pipeline enables the uniform census of environmental variability across the FRB population. Applying this framework to 15 repeating FRBs, we find that distinct RM flares are rare, with FRB 20220529A being the only source to exhibit an algorithmic detection under standardized parameters. Most of other active repeaters instead display high-level intrinsic fluctuations or secular evolution. This work provides a rigorous foundation for distinguishing between different modes of local plasma dynamics, offering a crucial diagnostic tool for identifying the diverse progenitor systems and local environments of FRBs.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Cosmology of Inelastic Self-Interacting Dark Matter: Linear Evolution and Observational Constraints

Xin-Chen Duan, Yue-Lin Sming Tsai and Ziwei Wang

We study the linear cosmological evolution of inelastic self-interacting dark matter in a two-component dark sector with a small mass splitting, assuming thermal initial conditions for the two species. We derive the coupled background and perturbation equations for inelastic conversion between the two species, considering both power-law and low-velocity saturation cross sections. Exothermic conversion injects kinetic energy into the light component, generating pressure support that suppresses small-scale structure and produces dark acoustic oscillations in the matter power spectrum. The resulting cutoff at scale $k > 1\,h\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$ depends on the normalization and velocity dependence of the cross section, the dark matter mass and the mass splitting. Using linear power spectra computed with a modified Boltzmann solver, we apply recast constraints from Lyman-$\alpha$ forest data and high-redshift UV luminosity functions, finding non-monotonic but closed exclusion regions driven by the competition between efficient conversion and rapid depletion of the heavy component. These results show that the internal thermodynamics of a secluded multi-component dark sector can leave observable imprints on structure formation, providing a complementary probe of secluded dark matter.
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