Peer Revenue An exchange of ideas

Papers

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

Physics Astrophysics

astro-ph Watch Astrophysics

Tuesday 23 June

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Deep Imaging of Grus II and Horologium II: Structure and Extent of Two Ultra-Faint Milky Way Satellites

Deepthi S. Prabhu, David J. Sand, Anirudh Chiti et al. (+29 more)

We present deep, wide-field Magellan/Megacam imaging of the ultra-faint Milky Way (MW) satellites Grus II (Gru II) and Horologium II (Hor II), with the aim of deriving improved constraints on their distances, luminosities, and structural parameters, while also searching for possible signs of tidal disturbance. Our photometry reaches approximately 3 magnitudes deeper than the discovery data, enabling robust measurements of these quantities. Both systems exhibit color-magnitude diagrams consistent with old ($\sim$12.5 Gyr), very metal-poor stellar populations. We find Gru II to be at a distance of $52.3 \pm 1.9$ kpc, with a half-light radius of $6.8 \pm 0.5$ arcmin (103 $\pm$ 9 pc), ellipticity $\epsilon = 0.25 \pm 0.07$, and absolute magnitude $M_V = -4.07 \pm 0.50$ mag. Hor II is further away at a distance of $72.4^{+5.9}_{-5.5}$ kpc and more compact, with $r_h = 2.1 \pm 0.2$ arcmin (44$^{+6}_{-5}$ pc), $\epsilon = 0.32^{+0.20}_{-0.16}$, and $M_V = -2.10 \pm 0.44$ mag. Both galaxies lie within the typical size-luminosity locus of MW ultra-faint dwarfs. Gru II shows an asymmetric morphology including multi-directional clumpy features, some of which may be suggestive of tidal disturbance. We further identify and spectroscopically confirm a new distant member just outside $3r_h$ in Gru II, providing independent evidence for member stars at large projected radii. In contrast, Hor II appears regular, with no significant extended structure detected to the surface-brightness limits of our data.
Read the full abstract

All authors Deepthi S. Prabhu, David J. Sand, Anirudh Chiti, Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Sasha N. Campana, J. L. Carlin, A. P. Ji, Jaclyn Jensen, C. E. Martínez-Vázquez, Dennis Zaritsky, A. B. Pace, A. H. Riley, D. Crnojević, G. Limberg, Laura Congreve Hunter, Kristine Spekkens, Michael G. Jones, Amandine Doliva-Dolinsky, Paul Bennet, V. M. Placco, Quinn O. Casey, Guinevere Herron, W. Cerny, Nitya Kallivayalil, Y. Choi, Guy S. Stringfellow, D. L. Nidever, J. A. Carballo-Bello, M. Navabi, P. Massana, G. E. Medina, N. E. D. Noël

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Extreme PeV accelerator associated with GRS 1915+105

Zhen Cao, F. Aharonian, Y.X. Bai et al. (+326 more)

Microquasars, binary systems featuring relativistic jets, have emerged as sources for particle acceleration beyond PeV energies. We present a study of the broadband $\gamma$-ray emission from one of the most prominent Galactic microquasars GRS 1915+105 based on data accumulated by LHAASO and Fermi-LAT over 4 and 17 years, respectively. A joint analysis of LHAASO-WCDA and LHAASO-KM2A data reveals extended $\gamma$-ray emission whose centroid appears significantly shifted, by ~ 0.13{\deg}, from the binary system and its jets. The spectral energy distribution is well described by a curved spectrum with progressive steepening that can be described by a log-parabola function with no evidence for a sharp cutoff, consistent with parent particles reaching multi-PeV energies and an extreme acceleration efficiency approaching the limit set by the available potential drop across the source. Several features, most notably the shift of the emission and single-power-law spectrum down to GeV band, favor radiation by cosmic rays accelerated in the source interacting with the dense ambient medium. Our spectral modeling implies that at least a few percent of the jet mechanical power is transferred to protons, whose maximum energy reaches beyond 5 PeV. These results strengthen the case for microquasars as exceptionally efficient accelerators in our Galaxy.
Read the full abstract

All authors Zhen Cao, F. Aharonian, Y.X. Bai, Y.W. Bao, D. Bastieri, X.J. Bi, Y.J. Bi, W. Bian, J. Blunier, A.V. Bukevich, C.M. Cai, Y.Y. Cai, W.Y. Cao, Zhe Cao, J. Chang, J.F. Chang, E.S. Chen, G.H. Chen, H.K. Chen, L.F. Chen, Liang Chen, Long Chen, M.J. Chen, M.L. Chen, Q.H. Chen, S. Chen, S.H. Chen, S.Z. Chen, T.L. Chen, X.B. Chen, X.J. Chen, X.P. Chen, Y. Chen, N. Cheng, Q.Y. Cheng, Y.D. Cheng, M.Y. Cui, S.W. Cui, X.H. Cui, Y.D. Cui, B.Z. Dai, H.L. Dai, Z.G. Dai, Danzengluobu, Y.X. Diao, A.J. Dong, X.Q. Dong, K.K. Duan, J.H. Fan, Y.Z. Fan, J. Fang, J.H. Fang, K. Fang, C.F. Feng, H. Feng, L. Feng, S.H. Feng, X.T. Feng, Y. Feng, Y.L. Feng, S. Gabici, B. Gao, Q. Gao, W. Gao, W.K. Gao, M.M. Ge, T.T. Ge, L.S. Geng, G. Giacinti, G.H. Gong, Q.B. Gou, M.H. Gu, F.L. Guo, J. Guo, K.J. Guo, X.L. Guo, Y.Q. Guo, Y.Y. Guo, R.P. Han, O.A. Hannuksela, M. Hasan, H.H. He, H.N. He, J.Y. He, X.Y. He, Y. He, S. Hernández-Cadena, B.W. Hou, C. Hou, X. Hou, H.B. Hu, S.C. Hu, C. Huang, D.H. Huang, J.J. Huang, X.L. Huang, X.T. Huang, X.Y. Huang, Y. Huang, Y.Y. Huang, A. Inventar, X.L. Ji, H.Y. Jia, K. Jia, H.B. Jiang, K. Jiang, X.W. Jiang, Z.J. Jiang, M. Jin, S. Kaci, M.M. Kang, I. Karpikov, D. Khangulyan, D. Kuleshov, K. Kurinov, Cheng Li, Cong Li, D. Li, F. Li, H.B. Li, H.C. Li, Jian Li, Jie Li, K. Li, L. Li, R.L. Li, S.D. Li, T.Y. Li, W.L. Li, X.R. Li, Xin Li, Y. Li, Zhe Li, Zhuo Li, E.W. Liang, Y.F. Liang, S.J. Lin, B. Liu, C. Liu, D. Liu, D.B. Liu, H. Liu, J. Liu, J.L. Liu, J.R. Liu, M.Y. Liu, R.Y. Liu, S.M. Liu, W. Liu, X. Liu, Y. Liu, Y. Liu, Y.N. Liu, Y.Q. Lou, Q. Luo, Y. Luo, H.K. Lv, B.Q. Ma, L.L. Ma, X.H. Ma, I.O. Maliy, J.R. Mao, Z. Min, W. Mitthumsiri, Y. Mizuno, G.B. Mou, A. Neronov, K.C.Y. Ng, M.Y. Ni, L. Nie, L.J. Ou, Z.W. Ou, P. Pattarakijwanich, Z.Y. Pei, D.Y. Peng, J.C. Qi, M.Y. Qi, J.J. Qin, D. Qu, A. Raza, C.Y. Ren, D. Ruffolo, A. Sáiz, D. Savchenko, D. Semikoz, L. Shao, O. Shchegolev, Y.Z. Shen, X.D. Sheng, Z.D. Shi, F.W. Shu, H.C. Song, Yu.V. Stenkin, V. Stepanov, Y. Su, D.X. Sun, H. Sun, J.X. Sun, Q.N. Sun, X.N. Sun, Z.B. Sun, N.H. Tabasam, J. Takata, P.H.T. Tam, H.B. Tan, Q.W. Tang, R. Tang, Z.B. Tang, W.W. Tian, C.N. Tong, L.H. Wan, C. Wang, D.H. Wang, G.W. Wang, H.G. Wang, J.C. Wang, K. Wang, Kai Wang, Kai Wang, L.P. Wang, L.Y. Wang, L.Y. Wang, R. Wang, W. Wang, X.G. Wang, X.J. Wang, X.Y. Wang, Y. Wang, Y.D. Wang, Z.H. Wang, Z.X. Wang, Zheng Wang, D.M. Wei, J.J. Wei, Y.J. Wei, T. Wen, S.S. Weng, C.Y. Wu, H.R. Wu, Q.W. Wu, S. Wu, X.F. Wu, Y.S. Wu, S.Q. Xi, J. Xia, J.J. Xia, G.M. Xiang, D.X. Xiao, G. Xiao, Y.F. Xiao, Y.L. Xin, H.D. Xing, Y. Xing, D.R. Xiong, B.N. Xu, C.Y. Xu, D.L. Xu, R.F. Xu, R.X. Xu, S.S. Xu, W.L. Xu, L. Xue, D.H. Yan, T. Yan, C.W. Yang, C.Y. Yang, F.F. Yang, L.L. Yang, M.J. Yang, R.Z. Yang, W.X. Yang, Z.H. Yang, Z.G. Yao, X.A. Ye, L.Q. Yin, N. Yin, X.H. You, Z.Y. You, Q. Yuan, H. Yue, H.D. Zeng, T.X. Zeng, W. Zeng, X.T. Zeng, M. Zha, B.B. Zhang, B.T. Zhang, C. Zhang, H. Zhang, H.M. Zhang, H.Y. Zhang, J.L. Zhang, J.Y. Zhang, Li Zhang, P.F. Zhang, R. Zhang, S.R. Zhang, S.S. Zhang, S.Y. Zhang, W. Zhang, W.Y. Zhang, X. Zhang, X.P. Zhang, Yi Zhang, Yong Zhang, Z.P. Zhang, J. Zhao, L. Zhao, L.Z. Zhao, S.P. Zhao, X.H. Zhao, Z.H. Zhao, F. Zheng, T.C. Zheng, B. Zhou, H. Zhou, J.N. Zhou, M. Zhou, P. Zhou, R. Zhou, X.X. Zhou, X.X. Zhou, B.Y. Zhu, C.G. Zhu, F.R. Zhu, H. Zhu, K.J. Zhu, Y.C. Zou, X. Zuo

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Shape model and dynamical state of the asteroid (300) Geraldina: Implications for its possible ancient origin

G. Apostolovska, N.Todorovic, E. Vchkova Bebekovska et al. (+3 more)

In this study, we present a comprehensive photometric and physical characterisation of the main-belt asteroid (300) Geraldina. Our analysis includes determining its sidereal rotational period, shape modelling, spin-axis orientation, as well as dynamical and spectral properties. The investigation is based on two decades of archival photometry from the Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory (BNAO) Rozhen, complemented by dense CCD lightcurve observations obtained since 2017 at the Astronomical Station Vidojevica (ASV), dense data from ALCDEF, and augmented with sparse-in-time measurements from Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3). By combining these heterogeneous datasets within and using the lightcurve inversion method, we confirmed the asteroid's prograde sense of rotation and obtained two symmetrically mirrored pole solutions for the asteroid model. Our dynamical studies show that (300) Geraldina remains stable in 100 Myr. Although close to the 2:1 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter, it is not captured into it during the observed time. Instead, it exhibits interactions with an unidentified high-order mean-motion resonance, which appears to contribute to its long-term stability. Its spectral type (C) with a primitive carbonaceous composition, in combination with low albedo and long-term stability, is consistent with the assumption that (300) Geraldina is an ancient asteroid.
Read the full abstract

All authors G. Apostolovska, N.Todorovic, E. Vchkova Bebekovska, G. Borisov, A. Kostov, Z. Donchev

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The Nearest Galactic Nucleus: Studying the Galactic Centre with SKA-Mid

Rainer Schoedel, Antxon Alberdi, Izaskun Jiménez-Serra et al. (+24 more)

The Galactic Centre is the nearest nucleus of a galaxy and the most extreme environment that we can observe down to physical scales of a few hundred astronomical units. There is no other region in the Milky Way that can match its unique characteristics, such as its stellar density, turbulence and temperature of the interstellar medium, strong large scale magnetic field, concentration of stellar remnants, or mean star formation rate. The Galactic Centre is a unique target to understand the physics of galactic nuclei and study a large number of rare objects, such as extremely massive stars and stellar remnants, at a well-defined distance. The Galactic Centre has been and is being studied intensively with the most advanced facilities. In this chapter, we advocate for a large-area, multi-wavelength continuum survey with the Square Kilometre Array of an area of about 2.0deg x 0.4deg (~290pc x 60pc), centred on the massive black hole Sagittarius A* and for repeated deep observations of the nuclear star cluster over a decade, which will allow the community to address multiple science problems with single dataset.
Read the full abstract

All authors Rainer Schoedel, Antxon Alberdi, Izaskun Jiménez-Serra, Michael Kramer, Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, Miguel Pérez-Torres, Mark R. Morris, Rob Fender, Jan Forbrich, Adriano Ingallinera, Miguel Cano-González, Jonathan D. Henshaw, Steven Longmore, Javier Moldón, Angela Gardini, Ian Heywood, Isabella Rammala, Fatemeh Tabatabaei, Farideh Mazoochi, Veena Vadamattom, Alessio Traficante, Michal Zajacek, Jaroslav Haas, Lourdes Verdes-Montenegro, Susana Sánchez-Expósito, Alvaro Martínez-Arranz, Francisco Nogueras-Lara

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Observational Frontiers in the post-EoR 21-cm Intensity Mapping: Lessons from the SKA Pathfinders

Khandakar Md Asif Elahi, Somnath Bharadwaj, Philip Bull et al. (+21 more)

The 21-cm line from neutral hydrogen has long been recognised as a promising tracer of the large-scale structure of the Universe. The line is weak however, making individual galaxy detections quite inefficient, especially at higher redshifts. The technique of 21-cm intensity mapping has been pioneered over the last two decades to address this limitation. Instead of detecting individual galaxies, the brightness temperature field from the combined 21-cm emission of many unresolved galaxies is mapped as a function of angle and frequency, resulting in 3D tracer maps of the large-scale structure. In this chapter, we review the major pioneering efforts to develop this observable into a competitive cosmological tool, paying particular attention to the status of pathfinder observations that have paved the way for a large and highly sensitive 21-cm intensity mapping survey with the SKA-Mid telescope.
Read the full abstract

All authors Khandakar Md Asif Elahi, Somnath Bharadwaj, Philip Bull, Stefano Camera, Arnab Chakraborty, Tzu-Ching Chang, Xuelei Chen, Samir Choudhuri, Devin Crichton, Abhirup Datta, Simon Foreman, Wenkai Hu, Yichao Li, Kiyo Masui, Ainulnabilah Nasirudin, Samit Kumar Pal, Rashmi Sagar, Seth R. Siegel, Lister Staveley-Smith, Eric Switzer, Yougang Wang, Laura Wolz, Wenxiu Yang, Shifan Zuo

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Characterizing the Formation and Evolution of S0-galaxies (CaFES-0): Revealing the origin of the mass-size relation for S0 galaxies

Diego Pallero, Yara L. Jaffe, Amelia Fraser-McKelvie et al. (+6 more)

We investigate the structural evolution and formation pathways of lenticular (S0) galaxies using the Hydrangea suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Simulated galaxies reproduce the observed mass-size relation from the SAMI and MaNGA surveys, enabling a direct comparison between morphology, angular momentum, and size growth. We show that the S0 population occupies a characteristic V-shaped locus in the mass-size plane, which arises from the superposition of two physically distinct channels. Low-mass S0s are predominantly faded-formed S0s, quenched after infall into their present-day host halo and retaining the disk sizes of their star-forming progenitors. In contrast, high-mass S0s formed through mergers exhibit structural properties and size evolution similar to ellipticals, and typically quench before infall, consistent with pre-processing in group environments. By tracing their histories back to $z=1$, we find that faded-formed S0s experience minimal structural evolution after quenching, whereas merger-formed S0s grow significantly in size through dissipationless interactions. These divergent evolutionary pathways explain both the slope break and the overall scatter of the S0 mass-size relation, demonstrating that lenticular galaxies arise from multiple formation mechanisms that leave distinct structural imprints.
Read the full abstract

All authors Diego Pallero, Yara L. Jaffe, Amelia Fraser-McKelvie, Lodovico Coccato, Facundo A. Gomez, Evelyn J. Johnston, Ciria Lima-Dias, Maria Emilia De Rossi, Gissel P. Montaguth

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Evolution of AGN Across Cosmic Epochs with the SKAO

R. Kondapally, V. Singh, G. Mazzolari et al. (+10 more)

Understanding the evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and their host galaxies across cosmic epochs is one of the key science drivers of extragalactic astronomy. The detection of AGN residing in dusty environments and at high redshifts is difficult due to obscuration and faintness which poses a challenge in understanding AGN evolution across cosmic time. Deep radio continuum surveys (rms noise $<$ 1 $\mu$Jy~beam$^{-1}$) from the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) will be an efficient means to detect and study a broad population of AGN across cosmic history. In this chapter, we present radio luminosity functions, source counts, and detection rates of AGN based on the SKAO simulated radio source catalogues. We demonstrate that the SKA-Mid multi-tiered surveys, in particular, reaching sub-$\mu$Jy depths, will allow us to characterise the bulk of the radio-AGN complete down to $L_{\rm{1.4\,GHz}} \sim 10^{23}\,\rm{W\,Hz^{-1}}$ and enable us to probe the evolution of radio-AGN across a wide range of luminosities and all galaxy environments up to $z \sim 6$. Overall, our work highlights the importance of deep multi-tiered SKAO radio continuum surveys for studying the evolution of radio-AGN activity across cosmic time.
Read the full abstract

All authors R. Kondapally, V. Singh, G. Mazzolari, I. Delvecchio, A. Datta, A. Kayal, B. Mingo, J. Moldon, J. Petley, I. Prandoni, K. Rubinur, S. Shabala, F. Shankar

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

The kinetic-energy bottleneck in Fast Radio Burst models

Paz Beniamini and Pawan Kumar

Most Fast Radio Burst (FRB) models invoke a two-step process in which energy released by the central engine is converted into particle kinetic energy and only subsequently radiated as coherent GHz emission. We derive model-independent constraints on FRB emission mechanisms and use them to infer the density, size, and particle Lorentz factor of the emitting region. We assess the implications for the three main classes of FRB models. (i) Inner-magnetospheric models violate brightness-temperature and kinetic-luminosity constraints unless particles are continuously re-accelerated in situ. Magnetar-strength magnetic fields can supply the required parallel electric field out to $R\lesssim10^{10} \mathrm{cm}$ with additional, model-dependent constraints. The monster-shock scenario provides such continuous acceleration, but requires particle densities exceeding the Goldreich-Julian value by $\gtrsim 10^{12}$, shifting the maser peak to $\gtrsim10^3$ GHz for typical FRB luminosities. (ii) Light-cylinder-scale forced-reconnection provides continuous particle acceleration but the radio energy emitted from the compressed reconnection layer is typically only $\lesssim10^{-6}$ of the injected energy. (iii) External-shock maser models satisfy kinetic-luminosity and brightness-temperature constraints. However, we show that the upstream wind is unavoidably optically thick to induced Compton scattering, independent of the model's principal parameters. Proposed escape routes - emission above the maser peak or upstream magnetization $\sigma_{\rm w}\gtrsim30$ - lead to tiny efficiencies, while the former also conflicts with narrow FRB spectra. We conclude that magnetospheric models operating near the neutron-star surface and incorporating continuous particle acceleration remain the most promising FRB emission scenario, subject to successful wave escape from the magnetosphere (discussed in the Introduction).
Read the full abstract

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

Gravitational ultra-relativistic freeze-out during general reheating

Mathieu Gross, Stephen E. Henrich and Fotis Koutroulis

We investigate ultrarelativistic freeze-out (UFO) in the context of generic reheating scenarios. While the standard WIMP dark matter paradigm has been extensively studied, UFO has so far only been analyzed within the specific reheating channel $\phi \rightarrow f\bar{f}$. Unlike in the standard WIMP mechanism, where dark matter can only be diluted after freeze-out at $T_\mathrm{FO} \sim m_\chi/\mathcal{O}(10)$, UFO dark matter can undergo freeze-in like phases following the initial freeze-out, driven by the non-trivial temperature evolution. The exact temperature evolution then needs to be accounted for, as a change in the temperature scaling can modify the IR/UV nature of UFO, impacting the relic abundance. We first generalize UFO to an arbitrary temperature profile $T \sim a^{-\xi}$, making explicit the UV and IR regimes for a thermally averaged cross section $\langle \sigma v \rangle \sim T^n / \Lambda^{n+2}$. Then, as a concrete example, we consider the minimal scenario in which gravitational particle production at the onset of reheating sources an initial radiation abundance, and show that this early hot bath changes the UFO parameter space. We refer to this effect as GUFO. Specializing to $n = 2$, we find that matter-like reheating ($V \sim \phi^2$) accommodates dark matter masses up to $10^7~\mathrm{GeV}$ for $\Lambda \lesssim 10^9~\mathrm{GeV}$ as thermalization becomes less stringent, while radiation-like reheating ($V \sim \phi^4$) is compatible with GUFO across all reheating channels only if gravitational processes are taken into account.
Read the full abstract

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

The swallowed spike: the formation of light primordial black hole structures around heavy seeds

Agnese Tolino, Francesca Scarcella, Bradley J. Kavanagh et al. (+2 more)

Spikes are steep enhancements in the dark matter (DM) distribution around a heavy compact object. If the compact object is primordial, and the bulk of the DM is also composed of (lighter) primordial compact objects, for instance asteroid-mass primordial black holes (PBHs), the phenomenology of spike formation is highly non-trivial. In fact, lighter PBHs have negligible angular momentum at formation with respect to the massive central object and would therefore be captured unless enough torque is exerted from either small-scale or large-scale matter fluctuations. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive assessment of this scenario. We define the mechanisms and the initial conditions that allow light PBHs to avoid capture. We then quantify the different types of torque and follow the corresponding angular momentum evolution with a combination of analytical prescriptions and numerical simulations. We find that in the innermost region no mechanism studied here is capable of providing enough torque; the resulting inner core is expected to be significantly less dense than in particle scenarios, potentially leading to interesting phenomenology.
Read the full abstract

All authors Agnese Tolino, Francesca Scarcella, Bradley J. Kavanagh, Valentina De Romeri, Daniele Gaggero

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Formation of Black Hole-White Dwarf X-ray Binaries in Globular Clusters

William Y. W. Yang, Kyle Kremer, James C. Lombardi et al. (+2 more)

Globular clusters are host to significant populations of dynamically-active stellar remnants that connect to a variety of astrophysical sources. Using simulations performed with the Cluster Monte Carlo dynamics code, we study the formation of ultracompact binaries in which a stellar-mass black hole accretes material from a white dwarf companion in a sub-hour orbit. These binary systems are prime multimessenger targets, as they can be observed as both luminous X-ray sources, and as millihertz gravitational wave sources detectable by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We find that black hole+giant collisions are the primary mechanism through which such systems form. We model the outcomes of these “common envelope”-like events using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics code StarSmasher, and verify these collisions yield black hole+white dwarf binaries that enter Roche contact on sub-Gyr timescales via gravitational wave inspiral. We construct a mock catalog of local ultracompact X-ray sources and compare to candidate sources observed in globular clusters in the Milky Way (e.g., 47 Tuc X9) and external galaxies (e.g., RZ 2109 in NGC 4472). Finally, we compute the gravitational wave strain for these sources, and show that of order one source may be resolvable in the Milky Way by LISA, representing a potentially powerful tool for observing new black holes in globular clusters.
Read the full abstract

All authors William Y. W. Yang, Kyle Kremer, James C. Lombardi, Jr., Kristen C. Dage

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Constraining the Physical Properties of Quadruply Lensed Quasars using Optical-to-X-Ray Data

Kriti Kamal Gupta, Dominique Sluse, Maarten Baes et al. (+5 more)

Gravitational lensing of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN; or quasars) can be used as a natural telescope to zoom in on their inner structures. With more and more lensed AGN being discovered, it is extremely important to have a homogeneous study focused on constraining their key physical properties, especially the bolometric luminosity. The primary limitation for such a study is the availability of observations for a representative sample of lensed AGN in at least the optical, ultraviolet (UV), and X-ray bands, where most of the AGN emission is concentrated. In this paper, we present one of the largest multiwavelength studies of lensed AGN with the aim of accurately measuring some of the fundamental quantities, such as their bolometric luminosities, black hole masses, and Eddington ratios. We compiled photometric and spectroscopic data in optical/UV and X-rays, for 27 quadruply lensed AGN ($0.6 < z < 3.1$) and calculated their bolometric luminosities by fitting their broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with phenomenological models. We also performed spectral emission line fitting to estimate their black hole masses using the virial method. Additionally, we compared different prescriptions to calculate the bolometric luminosities of AGN from limited data, and our results show that the luminosity-dependent 2-10 keV X-ray bolometric corrections provide unbiased and reliable predictions of the bolometric luminosity, with a maximum scatter of $\sim 0.5$ dex. The predictions from optical bolometric corrections are generally overestimated but show a lower scatter once microlensing effects are taken into account. Thanks to the compiled optical/UV and X-ray data for our lensed AGN sample, we also present the well-known UV-X-ray luminosity relation for AGN as a novel way to determine uncertainty in the magnifications of lensed AGN induced by micro- and/or millilensing.
Read the full abstract

All authors Kriti Kamal Gupta, Dominique Sluse, Maarten Baes, Daniel Gilman, Tommaso Treu, Timo Anguita, Ryan Keeley, Pritom Mozumdar

Astrophysics of Galaxies

WaveDM.jl: An Adaptable Simulation Framework for Dynamics of Baryonic and Wave Dark Matter on Galaxy Scales

Runyu Meng and Xiaobo Dong

We present WaveDM$.$jl, an open-source Julia package for high-performance simulations of wave dark matter dynamics on galaxy scales, with a design philosophy centered on extensibility and adaptability. The code solves the time-dependent Schrödinger–Poisson equation (SPE) using a pseudo-spectral Fourier method. The spectral solver is tightly integrated with N-body gravitational force solvers, enabling simultaneous evolution of wave dark matter and baryonic components in galaxy-scale simulations. WaveDM$.$jl unifies shared-memory, distributed-memory, and GPU execution within a multi-level parallelization framework, enabling the same computational workflow to scale from single-node to multi-node computing environments without requiring major code changes. To further facilitate user-friendly galaxy-scale simulations, the package provides a dedicated toolbox that integrates flexible initial condition generators, trajectory lookback, tidal force calculations, and real-time visualization. Beyond astrophysical applications, the code's modular architecture and general nonlinear Schrodinger framework enable cross-disciplinary studies such as nonlinear optics and cold-atom physics. The code is open source and available on https://github$.$com/JuliaAstroSim/WaveDM$.$jl.
Read the full abstract

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Investigating black hole accretion and feedback self-regulation in Seyfert galaxies using the FIRE-3 cosmological hydrodynamic simulations

Jonathan Mercedes-Feliz, Daniel Anglés-Alcázar, Jose Cevallos et al. (+12 more)

Recent observations of local Seyfert galaxies show an intriguing connection between Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) luminosity and a deficit of molecular gas on ~50pc scales compared to 200pc, the plausible imprint of AGN feedback. Motivated by these findings, we investigate the interplay between supermassive black hole (BH) accretion, AGN feedback, and nuclear gas reservoirs using high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic simulations implementing FIRE-3 multi-phase interstellar medium (ISM) physics and multi-component BH accretion and feedback models. Focusing on the late-time evolution of four Milky Way-mass galaxies, we find recurrent cycles of increased gas inflow toward the accretion disc, enhanced BH accretion, feedback self-regulation, and suppressed gas inflow rate until the next fueling event. AGN winds interact with the ISM and escape preferentially through low-density polar channels after opening central cavities on ~10-500pc scales, regulating BH growth and producing episodic behaviour on ~10-100Myr timescales. The simulations reproduce the observed diversity of nuclear morphologies, gas concentrations, and AGN luminosities in late-type Seyfert galaxies, but do not exhibit a clear anti-correlation between gas concentration and AGN luminosity. Higher-luminosity AGN ($L_X$~$10^{41.5-43}$ erg s$^{-1}$) powered by the accretion disc reservoir can coexist with feedback-driven cavities, consistent with observations, but they are more common in simulated galaxies with centrally-peaked gas distributions. Although differences in sample selection, tracer choice, spatial resolution, and stochasticity in AGN fueling may impact underlying concentration-luminosity trends, the apparent tension between simulations and observations points to the timing between gas inflow, accretion-disc depletion, and feedback-driven clearing on ~50-200pc scales as a key constraint on AGN self-regulation models.
Read the full abstract

All authors Jonathan Mercedes-Feliz, Daniel Anglés-Alcázar, Jose Cevallos, Boon Kiat Oh, Santiago García-Burillo, Rachel K. Cochrane, Cristina Ramos Almeida, Claude-André Faucher-Giguère, Almudena Alonso-Herrero, Alexander J. Richings, Miguel Pereira-Santaella, Jorge Moreno, Niranjan Chandra Roy, Tanio Díaz-Santos, Philip F. Hopkins

Astrophysics of Galaxies

A massive barred spiral galaxy at z = 5.102 discovered by JWST

Xiaohan Wang, Fengwu Sun, Yoshihisa Asada et al. (+21 more)

We report M1149-BSG-z5, a barred spiral galaxy at $z = 5.102$, identified in the parallel field of MACS J1149+2223 with JWST and HST. M1149-BSG-z5 is the highest redshift barred galaxy candidate to date. Both isophote ellipse fitting and structural modeling support a stellar bar of length $a_\mathrm{bar} \approx 4.5$ kpc, and extended spiral arms peaking at $r \approx 5.5$ kpc. M1149-BSG-z5 is a massive main sequence star-forming galaxy, with a stellar mass of $10^{10.45}\rm M_\odot$ and a star-formation rate of $144\,\rm M_\odot/yr$. A concentrated bulge is embedded in an extended disk with a global Sérsic index $n = 2.37$. With an effective radius of $R_{e} = 2.61\rm \ kpc$, M1149-BSG-z5 is larger than typical galaxies at $z \sim 5$ and comparable to barred galaxies at $2 < z < 4$. M1149-BSG-z5 also hosts a broad-line AGN, with a relatively low black-hole-to-stellar mass ratio of $\rm M_{\rm BH}/M_\ast\sim10^{-3}$. Its metal-enriched emission-line properties indicate that it is already chemically evolved. These properties imply M1149-BSG-z5 as an early-assembled and structurally evolved galaxy. We also find that M1149-BSG-z5 resides in an overdense region with a nearby companion galaxy, suggesting an interaction-driven bar formation mechanism. Its concentrated light, early assembly and main-sequence star formation also suggest baryon-dominated, gas-rich conditions, where gravitational instability can further accelerate the bar formation.
Read the full abstract

All authors Xiaohan Wang, Fengwu Sun, Yoshihisa Asada, Yunjing Wu, Xiaojing Lin, Shude Mao, Sijia Cai, Zheng Cai, Chian-Chou Chen, Wenlei Chen, Cheng Cheng, Christopher J. Conselice, Miroslava Dessauges-Zavadsky, Daneil Espada, Brenda L. Frye, Jean-Baptiste Jolly, Anton M. Koekemoer, Kotaro Kohno, Mingyu Li, Nicholas Martis, Hideki Umehata, Weichen Wang, Rogier A. Windhorst, Adi Zitrin

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Multi-messenger and Multi-band Studies of Massive Black Holes: the Synergies Between LISA and SKAO

Pedro R. Capelo, Alberto Mangiagli, Lorenz Zwick et al. (+2 more)

Depending on its mass, the same gas-embedded massive black hole (BH) binary can emit gravitational waves (GWs) in one or more bands (nHz and mHz) concurrently, along with electromagnetic (EM) waves over the entire spectrum. The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), thanks to its unparalleled sensitivity, will be pivotal in achieving coincident GW-EM (mHz-radio) and GW-GW (nHz-mHz) detections. We review the state-of-the-art predictions - achieved by means of numerical simulations and mock catalogues - of the numbers of detectable coincident GW-EM signals when employing the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and SKA-Mid. By exploiting the same underlying BH binary populations, to allow for a fairer comparison, we then assess the importance of a variety of EM models for the radio flares and jets, finding that the number of radio counterparts of LISA sources is relatively insensitive to the jet/flare model employed and to whether SKA-Mid AA* or AA4 is assumed. Additionally, we describe how SKAO - as part of a pulsar timing array (PTA) - and LISA will provide the opportunity to detect the first low-frequency, multi-band (nHz-mHz) GW detection of the same object. Supermassive BH binaries embedded in gas discs are subjected to hydrodynamical torques, causing perturbations that produce additional small-amplitude, higher-frequency GWs. The main carrier GWs may thus be identifiable as a deterministic signal by SKAO-era PTAs, while the higher-frequency harmonics would shine in LISA as stochastic signals. Correlating these multi-band GWs would provide unprecedented constraints on the environment of the most massive BHs.
Read the full abstract

All authors Pedro R. Capelo, Alberto Mangiagli, Lorenz Zwick, Lucio Mayer, Marta Volonteri

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from nucl-th

Ab initio calculations of parity-violating electron scattering off $^{48}$Ca and $^{208}$Pb

Frederic Noël, Matthias Heinz, Martin Hoferichter et al. (+2 more)

Parity-violating electron scattering off nuclei both serves as a low-energy precision probe to test electroweak interactions and allows one to access neutron distributions inside nuclei. It has implications for strong interactions in dense neutron-rich environments, also providing constraints for the properties of matter in neutron stars. Precision measurements are available for $^{48}$Ca and $^{208}$Pb by the CREX and PREX collaborations, respectively, and their interpretation requires advanced nuclear-structure calculations to draw firm conclusions. We perform the first ab initio calculations of the parity-violating asymmetry $A_\text{PV}$ based on nuclear forces from chiral effective field theory, fully including corrections due to Coulomb distortion effects. Based on these results, we critically reexamine correlation analyses employed to infer weak radii and quantify the resulting tensions between ab initio and experimental results. We find that ab initio calculations prefer values of $A_\text{PV}$ slightly smaller and larger than observed for $^{48}$Ca and $^{208}$Pb, respectively, with a global significance of $1.9\sigma$. Using theoretically consistent inputs for charge and weak densities, we infer from the experimental $A_\text{PV}$ a neutron skin of $^{208}$Pb of $R_n-R_p = 0.187(25)(18)$ fm, substantially smaller than that reported by PREX II.
Read the full abstract

All authors Frederic Noël, Matthias Heinz, Martin Hoferichter, Takayuki Miyagi, Achim Schwenk

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

X-rays Mark the Spot: The Effects of Reduced Metallicity on X-ray AGN Obscuration at High Redshift

Yash A. Gursahani and Christopher S. Reynolds

The James Webb Space Telescope has pushed the frontier of high-redshift galaxy and active galactic nucleus (AGN) observations firmly past $z=10$. Corresponding to the first 500 Myr after the Big Bang, this coincides with the epoch of supermassive black hole seeding and their early growth, much of which is likely to occur in highly obscured environments. In this work, we investigate the expected X-ray properties of these obscured AGNs focusing on the impact of the significantly lower iron abundance predicted at such early times. We use Monte Carlo methods to model the radiative transfer of X-rays from a central AGN through a surrounding torus of cold gas, characterizing the emergent X-ray spectrum as a function of the metallicity, opening angle of the torus, and column density. Motivated by expectations of high-$z$ systems, we focus on Compton-thick obscurers with columns $N_H=10^{24}-10^{25}\,{\rm cm}^{-2}$. We find that decreased metallicity can significantly increase the fraction of X-ray photons that escape the torus, improving the prospects of detecting these very high-$z$ AGNs. The covering fraction of the obscurer (i.e. torus opening angle) plays a complex role, with repeated scatterings across the interior of the torus (isotropizing the emission) competing with escape through the opening, producing geometric beaming. Additionally, we explore non-solar abundance ratios that mimic the delay-time distribution of Type Ia supernovae. We use our models to address the detectability of highly obscured $z=10$ AGNs in next-generation, high-angular resolution X-ray surveys.
Read the full abstract

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Low-frequency VLBI with the SKA-Low

R. Timmerman, E. L. Escott, T. Vernstrom et al. (+2 more)

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) will provide unprecedented observational capabilities, revolutionizing radio astronomy in the next decade. Of particular interest for many science areas is the low-frequency component: the SKA-Low. This array, operating at frequencies between 50 and 350 MHz, will be able to observe the Southern hemisphere with an angular resolution of several arcseconds. However, many science cases demand finer angular resolutions than the current design baseline for the SKA-Low. In this chapter, we present the Low-frequency Australian Megametre-Baseline Demonstrator Array (LAMBDA) project: the construction of a several SKA-Low-like stations throughout Australia which can be employed to extend the SKA-Low's baselines to the scale of megameters. This allows LAMBDA to not only probe the scientific opportunities accessible at higher angular resolutions, but also prove the feasibility of a potential extension of the SKA-Low to such baselines. Finally, LAMBDA also serves to characterize the performance of the SKA-Low as part of a Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) network and by providing an early testbed for the calibration strategies which would be required. With LAMBDA, the SKA-Low will be able to make a major impact in many science areas, including but not limited to exoplanets, resolved active galactic nuclei (AGN), young stellar objects and supernova remnants, pulsar astrometry and scintillometry, gravitational lensing and fast radio bursts (FRBs).
Read the full abstract

All authors R. Timmerman, E. L. Escott, T. Vernstrom, L. K. Morabito, C. Reynolds

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

Cosmological gravitational particle production in multifield inflation

Edward W. Kolb, Sarunas Verner and Jingyuan Wang

We study cosmological gravitational particle production (CGPP) of dark matter in two-field inflationary backgrounds with both flat and curved field-space geometries. As a concrete realization of broader multifield mechanisms, we adopt a Starobinsky+quadratic potential and construct benchmark scenarios that interpolate between the flat field-space limit and the sidetracked attractor on a hyperbolic field space, and we compute the production spectrum of a gravitationally coupled spectator scalar for both minimal ($\xi = 0$) and conformal ($\xi = 1/6$) coupling to the Ricci scalar. We show that negative field-space curvature can strongly enhance the post-inflationary oscillations of the Ricci scalar, leading to an enhancement of up to an order of magnitude in the CGPP number density relative to the flat field-space limit, particularly for minimal coupling. For the sidetracked attractor, this enhanced production competes with a reduced inflationary energy scale, leading to a nontrivial dependence of the relic abundance on model parameters. We derive the relic abundance as a function of spectator mass and reheating temperature, and identify the viable parameter space for each benchmark. The conformal case $\xi = 1/6$, whose scalar mode equation is structurally analogous to that of a massive Dirac fermion, is much less constrained by isocurvature and provides a minimal scenario for purely gravitational dark matter production in multifield inflation.
Read the full abstract

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

Probing Confining Dark Sectors with Cosmological Perturbations

Daven Wei Ren Ho, Ameen Ismail and Yuhsin Tsai

Dark matter may emerge as a composite state of a dark sector which confines in a strongly first-order phase transition (PT). To avoid structure formation constraints on warm dark matter, the dark PT must occur above the keV scale. We investigate the cosmological signatures of this scenario, focusing on a keV- to MeV-scale PT. The stochastic nature of bubble nucleation sources curvature perturbations that can be constrained by various cosmological observations. Composite dark matter inherits the isocurvature perturbations generated during the PT and sources large-scale curvature perturbations. In contrast to a PT that reheats into dark radiation, the slower redshifting of dark matter enhances the infrared tail of the curvature perturbation upon horizon entry. The PT-induced perturbations compete with the suppression of the matter power spectrum due to the free-streaming of composite dark matter. We place limits on the PT strength and temperature from cosmic microwave background anisotropies, the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest, and other probes of the small-scale matter power spectrum. In a minimal scenario where the relic density is determined by the PT parameters, this provides a concrete example of a dark matter model that is testable via measurements of cosmological perturbations – even in the absence of a sizable nongravitational coupling to the visible sector.
Read the full abstract

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Synergies Between Pulsar Timing Array and Astrometry

Gabriele Perna, Nicola Bellomo and Daniele Bertacca

The presence of a gravitational wave background can be established not only via exquisitely precise pulsar timing array (PTA) measurements, but also via astrometric observations. In fact, the very same background responsible for the delay in the arrival time of pulse is also responsible of an apparent displacement of galactic objects as stars and asteroids. In this chapter we explore the natural synergy between the SKA Observatory, and current/future astrometric probes of the position of Milky Way objects. On top of presenting the potential of SKAO alone in terms of detecting a gravitational wave background, we also demonstrate the increased sensitivity that is actually achievable when SKAO measurements are used in combination with astrometric ones. In particular, we observe an approximate improvement ranging from~$10\%$ up to~$50\%$ in terms of forecast sensitivity for a PTA-astrometry joint-analysis.
Read the full abstract

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Empirical-Bayes Unfolding of $\gamma$-ray Spectra

A. H. Mjøs, E. Lima, A. Kvellestad et al. (+2 more)

Unfolding observed $\gamma$-ray spectra is an ill-conditioned Poisson inverse problem. Detector response effects and finite energy resolution make distinct non-negative emitted $\gamma$-ray spectra nearly indistinguishable after forward mapping, so direct inversion can strongly amplify statistical fluctuations. Here, we present an empirical-Bayes hierarchical unfolding method that preserves the Poisson counting structure, enforces non-negativity, and incorporates background through a joint ON/OFF likelihood. The prior on the emitted spectrum is centered on an automatically selected Richardson-Lucy reference spectrum, with an adaptive width that remains broad in weakly constrained regions. Posterior inference is performed with the No-U-Turn Sampler, and simultaneous uncertainty bands are reported for the resolution-limited unfolded spectrum. Our Bayesian method provides a robust and extensible framework for uncertainty quantification in unfolding, and a direct comparison with a recent frequentist regularized maximum-likelihood method gives highly consistent unfolded spectra in representative high- and low-statistics cases.
Read the full abstract

All authors A. H. Mjøs, E. Lima, A. Kvellestad, A. C. Larsen, M. Hjorth-Jensen

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Collaborating with Artists in the Search for Life

Jack Madden, Cybele Collins, Mia Rollins et al. (+1 more)

Art and science collaborations that go beyond outreach and advertisement in service of science have the potential to unlock new ways of seeing and understanding the Universe that science alone cannot reach. In this white paper for the NASA Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy (DARES) request for information, we outline examples and benefits of artscience and research-creation methods for astrobiology. The search for life and its origin is inherently interdisciplinary and requires novel approaches that could benefit from the training artists receive in design thinking, contextualization, speculation, and community building. We take a look at this process in action through the work of Robert Irwin during the 1970 NASA Habitability Symposium, Carl Sagan's approach to mixing art and science, and the Transition Design framework of creativity-led problem solving. Each example underscores a specific advantage of deeper art-science collaborations: Irwin's creative approach to problem-solving broke scientists from conventional thought patterns, Sagan's contextualization helped align scientific work with ethical and societal considerations, and design-led research is shown to improve planning and efficiency, even for problems as complex as searching for life. Specific implementation recommendations include specifically allowing funding for artist consultations in research grants, reviving NASA's artist-in-residence program, and supporting artscience training initiatives within the astrobiology community.
Read the full abstract

All authors Jack Madden, Cybele Collins, Mia Rollins, Ashika Capirala

2606.24943 · 23 Jun · NASA-DARES 2025 white paper, 5 pages, 3 figures. Originally submitted in 2025 under topic 8 (Prepare for the Discovery of Life Beyond Earth and Subsequent Post-Discovery Activities), which now falls under focus area 9 (Astrobiology in Society)

Abstract PDF

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

The Topology of the Universe

Craig J. Copi, Deyan P. Mihaylov, Anna Negro et al. (+14 more)

Is the Universe infinite in all directions? The only way to know is to look. A non-trivial cosmic topology would imprint subtle signatures on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and on the three-dimensional distribution of matter, breaking statistical isotropy and, potentially, homogeneity at the largest scales. If the topology scale is small enough, these signatures would be observable. Over the past three decades, successive space missions, most notably WMAP and $\textit{Planck}$, have enabled sophisticated searches for these signatures, using methods ranging from looking for matched circle pairs to full Bayesian likelihood analysis based on topology-dependent covariance matrices. Although these searches have yielded no definitive evidence for non-trivial topology, current constraints exclude only some topologies, parameter ranges, and observer positions. Recent advances show that detectable signals may persist even when the topology scale exceeds the size of the visible Universe. Planned CMB experiments, including LiteBIRD and $\textit{Taurus}$, and high-precision galaxy and line intensity-mapping surveys, could expand the detectable parameter space by exploiting polarisation data, and by exploring topology-induced correlations at all accessible redshifts. Whether cosmic topology is observable remains uncertain, but current and future data offer an unprecedented opportunity to probe the global structure of the Universe.
Read the full abstract

All authors Craig J. Copi, Deyan P. Mihaylov, Anna Negro, Amirhossein Samandar, Glenn D. Starkman, Yashar Akrami, George Alestas, Stefano Anselmi, Javier Carrón Duque, Fernando Cornet-Gomez, Linn Htat Lu, Andrew H. Jaffe, Arthur Kosowsky, Mikel Martin Barandiaran, Thiago S. Pereira, Catherine Petretti, Andrius Tamosiunas

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Exploring Gravitational Wave Signatures Due to Primordial Non-gaussianity and Large Scale Structure Using SKAO

H. V. Ragavendra, Giulia Capurri, Alina Mierna et al. (+8 more)

This chapter explores theoretical and observational strategies to use the stochastic gravitational-wave background detectable by Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) as a probe of precision cosmology. We detail the critical phenomenon of scalar-induced gravitational waves, demonstrating their unique features and their sensitivity to primordial non-Gaussianity on scales much smaller than those probed by the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure. We investigate the phenomenology of parity violation in the early Universe through the chirality imprinted in the stochastic gravitational-wave background, demonstrating that a parity-odd primordial trispectrum can generate a detectable scale-dependent helicity. On the observational side, we point out that the standard gravitational-wave angular auto-correlation analysis is significantly limited by astrophysical shot noise. We show that cross-correlating the gravitational wave signal with independent large-scale structure tracers enhances the signal-to-noise ratio and allows us to isolate the astrophysical and cosmological components in the background. These results can be achieved only thanks to the enhanced sensitivity of SKAO, extensive sky coverage, and high angular resolution, which together make such targets observationally feasible.
Read the full abstract

All authors H. V. Ragavendra, Giulia Capurri, Alina Mierna, Gabriele Perna, Federico Semenzato, Nicola Bartolo, Daniele Bertacca, Lorenzo Valbusa Dall'Armi, Sabino Matarrese, Matteo Pegorin, Angelo Ricciardone

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Ultra-Precise Astrometric Search for Exoplanets with SKA-VLBI

Salvador Curiel, María J. Rioja, Richard Dodson et al. (+2 more)

The study of exoplanets is a rapidly developing field, driven by the discoveries of Kepler and TESS, among others. The recent detection of Jovian planetary companions of low-mass stars demonstrates that VLBI observations will be an excellent tool for indirect detection of planetary companions through precise radio astrometry of the host star. The anticipated sensitivity of SKA-VLBI and its capability to form multi-beam Tied Array Beams and MultiView analysis will allow us to achieve an order of magnitude increase in astrometric precision, providing much finer details for a wider range of exoplanets and hosts, which will revolutionize the field of exoplanets. Precise micro-arcsecond astrometric observations are crucial for detecting not only Jupiter-like planets, but also lower-mass planets. SKA-VLBI astrometric observations in L and C bands will open the possibility of indirect detection of thousands of planetary companions to radio-bright ultra cool dwarfs, M dwarfs and young stars. When a companion is also detected, the astrometric fit of the data will provide the dynamical masses of the components. In the case of binary systems with planets, fitting the astrometric data will provide the individual masses of stars and planets, as well as the mutual inclination angle of the system, which will show whether the planet is moving in prograde or retrograde orbit around its host star. The search for exoplanets at radio wavelengths will be complementary to other techniques and will allow for the detection of a population of exoplanets that is difficult to reach using other techniques.
Read the full abstract

All authors Salvador Curiel, María J. Rioja, Richard Dodson, Huib Jan van Langevelde, Tao An

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

The 3D clustering of Lyman Alpha Emitters measured with DESI

Haruki Ebina, Martin J. White, Rongpu Zhou et al. (+44 more)

We present a clustering analysis of Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) using spectroscopic observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) of candidates selected from the Blanco/DECam Intermediate-Band Imaging Survey (IBIS). We measure the two-point correlation function and the power spectrum, including cross-correlations with DESI quasars. Using both analytical and halo occupation distribution (HOD) simulation-based modeling, we find a linear bias of $b \sim 2.31$–$2.62$ for LAEs over the redshift range $2.26 < z < 3.41$. The analytical modeling also provides constraints on the strength of radiative transfer effects, while the HOD analysis characterizes the LAE-halo connection across multiple models. Finally, we quantify the magnitude of non-perturbative clustering effects such as Fingers of God in the LAE population, providing essential input for the accurate modeling of LAE-based cosmological analyses in forthcoming high-redshift surveys such as DESI-II.
Read the full abstract

All authors Haruki Ebina, Martin J. White, Rongpu Zhou, Arjun Dey, David Schlegel, Jessica Nicole Aguilar, Steven Ahlen, Davide Bianchi, David Brooks, Francisco Javier Castander, Todd Claybaugh, Kyle S. Dawson, Axel de la Macorra, Peter Doel, Simone Ferraro, Andreu Font-Ribera, Jaime E. Forero-Romero, Satya Gontcho A Gontcho, Alma Xochitl Gonzalez-Morales, Gaston Gutierrez, Julien Guy, ChangHoon Hahn, Hiram K. Herrera-Alcantar, Mustapha Ishak, David Kirkby, Anthony Kremin, Ofer Lahav, Martin Landriau, Dustin Lang, Laurent Le Guillou, Michael E. Levi, Marc Manera, Paul Martini, Aaron Meisner, Ramon Miquel, Seshadri Nadathur, Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, Will J. Percival, Francisco Prada, Ignasi Pérez-Ràfols, Ashley J. Ross, Graziano Rossi, Eusebio Sanchez, Michael Schubnell, Hee-Jong Seo, Gregory Tarlé, Benjamin Alan Weaver

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Using SKAO to Understand the Clustering of Gravitational Wave Sources

Michele Bosi, Sarah Libanore, Nicola Bellomo et al. (+4 more)

Coalescing Binary Black Holes (BBHs) trace the Large-Scale Structure (LSS) of the Universe, and their clustering properties can be extracted from Gravitational Wave (GW) data. Next-generation detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, will enable statistical studies of GW sources thanks to the massive number of detected events. However, such events will still suffer from significant instrumental and theoretical uncertainties. Cross-correlating GW maps with other LSS surveys provides a promising strategy to mitigate these limitations. The SKA-Mid intensity mapping and radio continuum surveys offer ideal datasets for cross-correlation studies with GWs (SKAO$\times$ET2CE). Their wide sky coverage and deep redshift sensitivity will allow precise probing of the epochs and environments where stellar BBHs form most efficiently. In this chapter, we forecast the potential of cross-correlation angular power spectra to extract information on the distribution and clustering properties of GW events. First, we model the number density and bias of three independent tracers: GW sources, neutral hydrogen intensity maps, and radio galaxies. We estimate the constraining power of SKA-Mid$\times$ET2CE on the GW clustering bias, which carries information on the origin of GW progenitors, e.g., whether they formed through stellar evolution or are primordial black holes. Finally, we develop a semi-analytic model for GW events hosted by SKAO galaxies as a function of the time-delay distribution between the binary formation and merger, which is still largely uncertain to date. We forecast the signal-to-noise ratio of their cross-correlation with SKA-Mid, and demonstrate that SKA-Mid$\times$ET2CE will foster our understanding of the time-delay distribution.
Read the full abstract

All authors Michele Bosi, Sarah Libanore, Nicola Bellomo, Caterina Scarpel, Federico Semenzato, Alvise Raccanelli, Michele Liguori

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Overview: Extragalactic Continuum Science with the SKAO

Catherine L. Hale and Fatemeh S. Tabatabaei

Radio continuum observations provide a powerful probe of energetic processes that drive galaxy evolution across cosmic time. The combined sensitivity, angular resolution, and survey speed of the SKAO's telescopes will enable transformative advances in extragalactic astronomy by revealing important details into the interplay between star formation, accretion onto supermassive black holes, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays in galaxies and their environments. In this article, we summarize the key science goals of the Extragalactic Continuum Science Working Group and the contributions of related chapters to Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII). For star forming galaxies, this includes using multi-band SKA continuum observations to provide dust-unbiased measurements of the cosmic star-formation history and enable robust spectral energy distribution analyses of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) across cosmic time. This is alongside studies which will be crucial to uncover the physics and duty cycles of active galactic nuclei (AGN), clarify the origin of radio emission in radio-quiet AGN, and probe the co-evolution of black holes and their host galaxies. Moreover, the SKA's sensitivity will also reveal diffuse synchrotron emission in galaxy clusters and the cosmic web, tracing cosmic-ray acceleration within large-scale magnetic fields. Extragalactic continuum studies with the SKA will combine wide area continuum surveys, multi-band studies and imaging over those fields which have an abundance of data across the electromagnetic spectrum. The capabilities of the SKA telescopes will position it as a cornerstone facility for addressing fundamental questions in galaxy formation and evolution.
Read the full abstract