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Tuesday 8 September

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Investigating the Light Curves of 5 Long Period Variable Stars: A Study Cross-Harmonics using VStar, MESA, and GYRE

Long Period Variables (LPVs) are Asymptotic Giant Branch stars with periods >100 days. Around one third to half of LPVs display a Long Secondary Period (LSP) that is 5-10 times the length of the main periods. The exact cause of LSPs are unknown, with one potential explanation lying in cross-harmonics caused by the interaction of two simultaneously occurring periods. In this paper, we use the Fourier analysis software VStar to examine the visual range photometric light curves obtained through the American Association of Variable Star Observers of a sample of 5 stars. We find that one star, V CVn, displays a secondary period over 20 times the length of its main period, inconsistent with traditional LSPs. To test if cross-harmonics can result in an LSP or VCVn's extra-long secondary period, we then construct evolutionary tracks and pulsation models of LPVs using Modules for Evolution in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) and GYRE. After examining the interactions of the fundamental pulsation mode and the first 4 overtones with each other, we do not find evidence that LSPs or V CVn's extra-long secondary period could be caused by cross-harmonics.
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All authors G. M. Sherren, A. Cross, N. Steenken, R. Ignace, H. R. Neilson

Monday 7 September

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Extreme Kerr Newman Black Holes: Differential Geometry, Symmetry, and the Golden Ratio

We investigate the geometry of extreme Kerr-Newman black holes and its role in selecting distinct black hole states. Motivated by Smarr's question of what physical information is encoded in event-horizon symmetries, we identify, besides the Smarr extreme family, a special family in which the mass, charge, angular momentum, and irreducible mass are constrained by a single irrational number. In the Christodoulou diagram, this family is selected by a discrete symmetry of appropriately scaled charge and angular-momentum variables. The local differential geometry of the event horizon provides an additional selection principle, which, up to the discrete symmetries (Q \rightarrow\pm Q) and (J \rightarrow\pm J), identifies a unique extreme Kerr-Newman black hole exhibiting the highest degree of local spherical symmetry compatible with the rotating Kerr-Newman geometry. Remarkably, for this distinct extreme configuration, all relevant physical and geometrical quantities, including the energy, electric charge, angular momentum, and irreducible mass, are solely related through the golden ratio. We also examine reversible and irreversible transformations and the associated extractable energy. Intrinsic horizon geometry can therefore constrain the macroscopic parameters and single out distinct extreme Kerr-Newman configurations.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Survey of Novel Deep Learning Architectures for Denoising Gravitational-wave Signals

Gravitational-wave denoising must handle the full diversity of spinning, precessing binaries, since the recovered waveform underpins parameter estimation, tests of general relativity, and population studies. Matched filtering achieves this at a cost that becomes prohibitive as next-generation detectors push event rates higher; deep learning offers real-time reconstruction, but current methods are developed on narrow parameter spaces, precluding principled comparison and reliable deployment. We present the first controlled comparison of five neural-network architectures for gravitational-wave denoising, trained identically across the full astrophysically-motivated spinning binary-black-hole parameter space. A unifying principle emerges: matching network structure to the spectral anatomy of a coalescence – inspiral, merger, ringdown – outperforms brute-force model scaling. Our Multi-Scale Frequency-Aware architecture embodies this via dedicated parallel branches per frequency regime, achieving the best fidelity while using fewer parameters than larger models. It generalizes from simulated training to real LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA data without retraining, recovering merger morphology across confirmed events spanning three observing runs and both detectors, despite training on a single detector's simulated noise. We construct population-level uncertainty bands from denoising residuals, validate their calibration, and stress-test the framework on extended mass ratios and a spin population resembling hierarchical-merger remnants. Applied to real noise with no known signal, the network suppresses its output almost everywhere, with rare exceptions traced to noise transients rather than a general weakness – indicating the statistic discriminates signal from noise and motivating a future detection study. Released weights give a deployable, reproducible benchmark for future extensions.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Space-Time Singularities Lemaitre Conference 2024

This editorial introduces the topical collection arising from the Lemaitre Conference 2024 - the second in a series of meetings dedicated to the scientific legacy of Georges Lemaitre - held at the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, 17-20 June 2024, fifty-seven years after Lemaitre's death and on the eve of the centenary of his foundational 1927 paper on the expanding universe. The nineteen contributions collected here address the most pressing open problems at the interface of cosmology, gravitation, and quantum theory: the Hubble tension and the future of ${\Lambda}$CDM in light of recent DESI data; inflationary cosmology and dark-energy model-building in string theory and supergravity, together with the Swampland constraints that bound them; the observer-dependence of the quantum-cosmological wave function; the removal, or consistent crossing, of spacetime singularities - from the canonical quantization of Lemaitre's own 1933 dust model to string-theoretic pre-Big-Bang bounces and many-body constructions of singularity-free black-hole cores; primordial black holes and their gravitational-wave signatures; the search for a background-independent formulation of quantum gravity and a first-principles account of horizon thermodynamics; and the foundational status of the quantum-to-classical transition in gravitational contexts. A proposal for lunar-based cosmological observations, and a historical reconstruction of the genesis of Lemaitre's primeval-atom hypothesis, complete the collection. A recurring unifying thread was the legacy of Lemaitre himself - who first distinguished coordinate from physical singularities and coined the term "horizon" - whose pioneering vision continues to guide research at the frontier of cosmology and fundamental physics.
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All authors Massimo Bianchi, Sergio Luigi Cacciatori, Matteo Galaverni, Gabriele Gionti, Fabio Scardigli

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Tidally perturbed pulsations in OO Dra

We perform a pulsation analysis of OO Dra using Light Curve data from TESS and present the first identification of six dipole modes as doublets from the primary star in OO Dra. The phases and amplitudes of these pulsation modes were analytically reconstructed. Among the six identified doublets, four are pulsating in $Y_{10x}$ mode with pulsation axis along the tidal axis, and two in $Y_{10y}$ with a pulsation axis orthogonal to tidal axis and the angular momentum axis. Our findings suggest that the primary star in a non-synchronized, post mass-transfer OO Dra could be a tidally tilted $\delta$ Scuti pulsator.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Investigating Potential Relationships Between Mass Transfer Indicators and $\delta$ Scuti Pulsations in oEA Systems

We explored potential associations between ongoing mass transfer and the pulsation properties of $\delta$ Scuti primaries in a sample of 17 oscillating eclipsing Algol systems. For this purpose, we combined binary modelling, updated O-C analyses, and frequency characterization based on TESS photometry. To ensure homogeneity, the $T_{\rm eff}$ of the components were derived using a consistent SED fitting approach. From the binary solutions and O-C diagrams, we determined the mass transfer indicators (Q, dP/dt, and dM/dt) and examined their relations with the dominant pulsation period and amplitude. For the full sample, the results indicate weak to moderate positive trends, with the strongest relation found between logdP/dt and logPpuls, while the relations involving dM/dt and pulsation amplitudes are weaker and statistically insignificant. After excluding the two prominent outliers, R CMa and BW Del, the correlations between logPpuls and the mass transfer indicators become statistically more significant, including relations with dP/dt, Q, and dM/dt under both conservative and non-conservative assumptions. These relationships may reflect the indirect effects of mass transfer on the structure of the accreting primary and on the orbital configuration, potentially reducing tidal constraints and allowing shifts toward longer pulsation periods. However, the large dispersion and limited sample size indicate that these relationships remain poorly constrained. Our results suggest that pulsation properties are primarily governed by intrinsic stellar parameters and the well established Porb-Ppuls relation, while ongoing mass transfer may contribute as a secondary factor. Although the present sample does not allow firm conclusions regarding the role of mass transfer, this study provides a homogeneous observational framework for future investigations based on larger samples and improved constraints.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

The Association of Solar Radio Bursts with Eruptive and Confined Flares

We classify the metric radio emission associated with eruptive (CME-associated) and confined flares using the sample of events between 2010 and 2016 identified by Kazachenko (2023). We find striking differences in the occurrence of radio bursts between the two classes of flare: for soft X-ray flare sizes above M1.4, confined flares largely lack Type II (1% association rate) and Type IV (6%) emission. Approximately 15% of the sample of $\geq$M1.4 confined flares are associated with impulsive-phase Type III bursts. On the other hand, eruptive flares are associated with Type II, Type III (both impulsive and late phase), and Type IV bursts 45-60% of the time. The different types of radio burst are associated with different drivers (IIIs with electron beams, IIs with shocks, IVs with post-flare loops), so it is striking that the connection of all three burst types to eruptive flares is so pronounced. These results can be interpreted in terms of the reconnection topology of the principle candidate flare types, viz., reconnection between closed field lines for confined flares and X-point reconnection in a CSHKP model for eruptive flares, with interchange reconnection for jet-type flares and Type III bursts.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

Origins of complex organic molecules in L1551 IRS 5: Interplay of thermal heating and accretion shocks

Complex organic molecules (COMs) are typically observed in the warm inner envelopes of Class 0 protostars. In more evolved Class I sources, COM emission is confined to the compact inner disk and obscured by high dust opacity, but the FU Orionis-type binary L1551 IRS 5 offers a valuable opportunity to probe disk chemistry, as its outburst luminosity thermally sublimates ices out to large radii. We sought to spatially resolve the origins of COMs in this system to distinguish between central radiative heating and shock-induced chemistry driven by heterogeneous accretion pathways. We analyzed high-angular-resolution ALMA archival data, focusing on COMs (e.g., CH3OH, CH3OCHO) and the shock tracer SO, and compared their spatial morphologies and kinematics to diagnose the excitation conditions associated with different accretion flows. We find that the COM emission in L1551 IRS 5 arises from both radiative heating and localized accretion shocks. In the northern source, the widespread low-excitation COM emission is primarily consistent with thermal heating by the recent outburst. This source also exhibits dual-mode accretion with distinct chemical signatures, with COMs along the spiral arm tracing steady equatorial circumbinary disk-to-circumstellar disk accretion and high-excitation COMs with bright SO along the eastern disk surface tracing a vertical envelope-to-disk streamer impact. In the southern source, methanol is confined to the southeastern streamer impact site, whereas SO forms a ring-like structure at the tidal truncation radius. We attribute this difference to differential chemical survival timescales. L1551 IRS 5 thus serves as an ideal laboratory to investigate how shock chemistry and binary-regulated accretion shape the chemical structure of protostellar disks.
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All authors Ji-hyun Kang, Jeong-Eun Lee, Seokho Lee, Shigehisa Takakuwa

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Interacting fluid cosmologies from the metric-affine framework

Metric-affine gravity provides a natural geometric framework in which spacetime curvature, torsion, and non-metricity are treated as independent degrees of freedom, leading to novel cosmological dynamics beyond General Relativity. A generic consequence of such theories is the emergence of effective interactions among the cosmological fluids, even in the absence of explicit phenomenological couplings. Interestingly, the above happens while the Standard Model of Particle physics remains unmodified. In this work, we investigate interacting cosmological models that arise from metric-affine gravity and analyze their implications for the background evolution of the Universe. We derive the modified continuity equations governing the matter, radiation, and dark-energy components, highlighting the geometric origin of energy exchange in the dark sector. We discuss how these interactions modify the expansion history and can effectively mimic evolving dark-energy behavior. The resulting cosmological scenarios are confronted with the most recent observational data from Type Ia Supernovae (Pantheon+), Cosmic Chronometers, and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (DESI DR2). Moreover, using model selection criteria, e.g., Akaike Information Criterion, Bayesian Information Criterion and the Bayesian Evidence, we compare the aforementioned models against the standard $\Lambda$CDM model. We find that the proposed framework performs slightly better than $\Lambda CDM$, in the light of the data sets considered here. Our analysis demonstrates that metric-affine-induced interactions constitute a viable and theoretically motivated alternative for the description of the Universe.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Non-linear Pairwise Velocities as a Cosmological Probe

Peculiar velocities trace gravitational dynamics directly, complementing density-based clustering as wide-field spectroscopic surveys (DESI, Euclid, PFS) and kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) measurements enter the precision era. Observational analyses of pairwise velocities and the pairwise kSZ signal remain largely restricted to linear and quasi-linear scales ($\gtrsim20-30$ $h^{-1}Mpc$), despite substantial cosmological information available at smaller separations. We present a simulation-calibrated likelihood for $v_{12}(r,a)$, built on the exact pair conservation equation and PyCAMB HMcode-2020 non-linear clustering, and validate it against the QUIJOTE and TNG300-3 suites across resolution, particle sampling, box size, and redshift. Using QUIJOTE, we show that extending the fit to non-linear scales tightens the $1\sigma$ uncertainty on $\Omega_\mathrm{m}$ and $\sigma_8$ by $74\%$ and $81\%$ at $z=0.5$ ($r_{\rm min}=4$ $h^{-1}Mpc$), and by $70\%$ and $74\%$ at $z=0$ ($r_{\rm min}=8$ $h^{-1}Mpc$), relative to the linear-regime baseline ($r_{\rm min}=50$ $h^{-1}Mpc$) (all at fixed $r_{max}=140$ $h^{-1}Mpc$); $\sigma(f\sigma_8)$ tightens by up to $86\%$, and the joint $\Omega_\mathrm{m}$-$f\sigma_8$ Figure-of-Merit improves by up to $9.1\times$ relative to the same baseline. These constraints are conditional on $h$ fixed at its QUIJOTE fiducial value, due to a near-degenerate response with $\sigma_8$; jointly sampling $h$ shifts and widens them substantially. This framework provides a validated route to exploiting that information in upcoming direct peculiar-velocity, redshift-space, and kSZ analyses.
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All authors Mariana Jaber, Antonela Taverna, Rasmus Strid, Wojciech A. Hellwing

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

SN 2024afyu interpreted as a Pair Instability Supernova

Pair-instability supernovae (PISNe) are the predicted explosions of very massive stars triggered by electron-positron pair production. Numerous transients have been proposed as PISN candidates, yet none has provided unambiguous confirmation of this explosion mechanism. The predicted strengths of nebular emission lines offer a powerful means of testing the PISN scenario. We investigate the nature of SN 2024afyu, a nearby (z = 0.0085), long-lived (trise = 85 +- 11.7 days) SN with peculiar spectral evolution, with the aim of identifying its powering mechanism. We analyse multi-band photometry and optical and near-infrared spectroscopy from shortly after explosion to the nebular phase (around 500 days past peak). Besides early appearance of [Ca II] features, we identify a number of sulfur and silicon emission lines, for which we estimate electron temperatures and elemental masses. SN 2024afyu has an inferred 56Ni mass of around 0.4 to 1.0 solar masses and an inferred sulfur mass of the order of 3 solar masses, substantially larger than expected for conventional core-collapse explosions. SN 2024afyu is photometrically similar (although fainter, M_Peak(r) = -18.9 +- 0.04 mag) but spectroscopically distinct to other proposed PISNe. Yet, existing PISN models broadly reproduce several key characteristics, including the overall spectral appearance and broad photometric evolution. SN 2024afyu is a strong PISN candidate, since alternative scenarios would struggle to explain the combination of broad light curve, large intermediate-mass-element abundance, and general spectroscopic evolution. The discrepancies between the observations and currently available theoretical models highlight the need for new PISN calculations spanning a wider range of progenitor masses, metallicities, mixing prescriptions, and circumstellar environments.
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All authors P. J. Pessi, S. Barmentloo, Ł. Wyrzykowski, S. Schulze, J. Sollerman, A. Gangopadhyay, P. J. Mikołajczyk, S. Rose, K. Kotysz, C. Fremling, A. Jerkstrand, R. Lunnan, L. Yan, C. Fransson, J. L. Wise, M. Dubey, K. Misra, A. P. Cotter, D. Athanasopoulos, A. Bochenek, M. Bronikowski, U. Burgaz, W. Burzynski, J. M. Carrasco, E. Concepcion, C. Galdies, A. F. Gillan, A. Gkini, E. Gkiokas, E. Głowacki, F-J. Hambsch, J. Japelj, N. Karaman, P. King, S. Kurowski, C. Liu, M. Maskoliunas, Z. McGrath, M. Mihelčič, M. Nikolajuk, W. Ogloza, E. Pakštienė, U. Pylypenko, A. Pucek, N. Rehemtulla, R. M. Rich, A. O. Simon, A. Singh, C. Skoglund, E. Stonkute, Y. Stsefanenka, P. Szober, K. Tsalapatas, B. F. A. van Baal, C. Ventura, K. Vrontaki, A. Wozniak, J. Zdanavicius, S. Zola, E. C. Bellm, J. Castaneda Jaimes, M. J. Graham, G. Helou, F. J. Masci, J. N. Purdum, R. Riddle

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

Nonradial oscillations of realistic anisotropic neutron stars: Polar modes

In this work, we study the polar perturbations of static, spherically symmetric neutron stars with anisotropic pressure in full general relativity, including linear-order perturbations of both the metric and the fluid. We calculate the $f$-mode frequencies and the corresponding damping times using a consistent treatment of the perturbation of the radial vector $k^\alpha$. In particular, its Lagrangian perturbation $\Delta k^\alpha$ is determined by the metric perturbations and the fluid Lagrangian displacement and is constrained to the $(\tilde{u},\tilde{k})$ plane, where $\tilde{u}^\alpha$ is the normalized fluid four-velocity. This constraint introduces an additional dynamical degree of freedom into the perturbation equations. Considering three equations of state and the Horvat and Bowers-Liang prescriptions for pressure anisotropy, we find that the $f$-mode frequency increases with stellar mass, ranging from $1$ to $3$~kHz, while the damping time decreases, ranging from $0.5$ to $1.25$~s. Increasing anisotropy, in the sense of tangential pressure exceeding radial pressure, generally lowers the oscillation frequency, while its effect on the damping time depends on the anisotropy prescription: the damping time decreases with increasing anisotropy for the Horvat model but increases with increasing anisotropy for the Bowers-Liang model. We further find quasi-universal relations between the real and imaginary parts of the $f$-mode frequency, $M\omega_R$ and $M\omega_I$, and the stellar compactness $\mathcal{C}=M/R$, which are largely insensitive to the equation of state. Polynomial fits to these relations achieve an accuracy better than $10\%$, providing a simple phenomenological framework for constraining neutron-star pressure anisotropy through future asteroseismology observations.
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All authors L. M. Becerra, José F. Rodríguez-Ruiz, E.A. Becerra-Vergara, F. D. Lora-Clavijo

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Precise physical and kinematical parameters of massive eclipsing binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud

The formation of massive stars serves an important field of study, requiring research into whether these stars need to form together within clusters of low-mass stars or if they are able to form independently. Currently, there has been an increase in the number of massive stars found far from clusters in the Milky Way (MW) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The existence of isolation and composition in binary systems is an uncommon phenomenon among massive stars, and their rare occurrence presents valuable insights that are regarded as evidence in this field. This research looks for ways to increase the catalogue of identified massive stars in eclipsing binaries, particularly those that show significant indications of isolation. For the definition of the first step, we are analysing the eight double-lined spectroscopic binaries in the SMC, as detailed in the OGLE variable star catalogues, with the goal of identifying their astrophysical properties. Later, we examine the expected locations and characteristics of binary stars thought to be part of a cluster, using absolute parameters and a cross-validation approach to determine the connection between kinematic analysis and these parameters. If the kinematic connection with the cluster and the physical parameters match precisely with the cluster's isochrone, such stars could act as reliable standard candles for determining the cluster's distance and age.
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All authors M. Kaya, Ö. Çak{\i}rl{\i}, B. Hoyman, O. Özdarcan, T. Yontan, R. Canbay

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The Role of Dark Matter in Driving Disk Perturbations: Application to LMC-SMC Like Galaxy Interactions

Dark-matter (DM) models predict that satellite galaxies distort their host's DM halo. As such, both the satellite and the distorted halo can perturb the host's stellar disk. The LMC-SMC system is a nearby $\sim1:10$~mass-ratio binary with a well-constrained orbit and well-characterized LMC disk perturbations. Hence, the system offers unique opportunities to test DM theory, provided the impact of halo torques on the LMC's disk can be characterized along with the SMC's torques. We use halo Basis Function Expansions (BFEs) of an N-body simulation of an isolated LMC-SMC-like interaction to quantify the time-dependent torques exerted on the LMC's disk by the SMC and the LMC's DM halo. We find that the halo torques arise from the quadrupole halo distortion, and the inner (R$<6$ kpc) LMC disk warps are the most promising probe of this quadrupole. For the first time, we construct a BFE to quantify the LMC's disk perturbations resulting from the SMC and halo torques. We find that the LMC's disk is significantly perturbed prior to the Clouds' Milky Way infall, possessing warps with a mean vertical extent of $\sim1$ kpc. Finally, we apply multi-channel singular spectral analysis (mSSA) to the time-series of the disk BFE coefficients, halo quadrupole, and the LMC-SMC orbit. mSSA successfully separates the temporal evolution of the LMC warps into components correlated with the halo versus the SMC. Our framework identifies correlated evolution between the LMC's halo distortions and the LMC's disk perturbations, enabling the Clouds to be a precision laboratory for DM physics.
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All authors Himansh Rathore, Hayden R. Foote, Gurtina Besla, Silvio Varela-Lavin, Nicolas Garavito-Camargo, Martin D. Weinberg, Facundo A. Gomez, Kathryne J. Daniel, Chervin F.P. Laporte

Astrophysics of Galaxies

A pilot submillimeter search for IceCube neutrino counterparts: JCMT follow-up and dusty-galaxy catalog associations

The submillimeter band offers a complementary route to identifying electromagnetic counterparts of high-energy neutrinos, tracing relativistic transients and persistent dust-obscured galaxies. We present a pilot search combining JCMT/SCUBA-2 follow-up of IceCube events with catalog searches for bright high-redshift dusty systems. Among nine rapidly observed IceCube fields, sources of particular interest were found in three: JCMT0402-0424 ("Shadow Blaster") in IC 210922A, a transient-like source following IC 220115A, and two known blazars in IC 240105A. ALMA resolved the Shadow Blaster into a strongly lensed dusty star-forming galaxy at z=2.988 with a compact gas-rich starburst core. Motivated by this result, we cross-matched IceCube localizations with the Herschel Bright Sources (HerBS) and Planck High-Redshift Source Candidate (PHZ) catalogs. Among 51 historical IceCube events with A_bbox,90 <= pi deg^2, four fields contain at least one HerBS source, compared with 0.723 expected from right-ascension scrambling (fixed-cut p=4.18e-3). Scanning the localization-area threshold gives p_global,A=0.0135. Applying the same IceCube selection to PHZ gives four associated fields versus 3.544 expected (p=0.478). Because the focused HerBS selection followed a broader exploratory analysis with trials-corrected p_global=0.130, the focused result is suggestive rather than definitive. The four well-localized HerBS fields contain six high-redshift DSFGs with apparent L_IR~10^13 L_sun. ALMA imaging and published spectroscopy reveal compact or multiple-component morphologies, extreme molecular-gas kinematics, and possible obscured nuclear activity. These results support a hierarchical strategy: identify luminous submillimeter candidates through wide-field imaging and catalogs, then characterize them at high angular resolution to test for compact gas-rich calorimetric conditions and obscured AGN activity.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

An Approximate Bayesian Deep Learning Approach for Uncertainty-aware Differential Emission Measure Estimates in the Solar Corona from the SDO

Accurately estimating the temperature distribution of solar coronal plasma, known as the Differential Emission Measure (DEM), is vital for understanding the thermodynamics of the corona and associated heating. However, recovering the DEM from multispectral observations like those from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a mathematically ill-posed, underdetermined problem, and traditional regularization-based inversion methods are computationally intensive and provide limited uncertainty quantification. We present a deep learning framework for DEM reconstruction that incorporates Monte Carlo Dropout to perform approximate Bayesian inference, yielding per-pixel empirical distributions over the DEM that characterize epistemic or systematic model uncertainty in the learned inversion. The network is trained with a dual-head architecture supervising both AIA image reconstruction and DEM fidelity, with non-negativity enforced by construction. The network is trained directly on real SDO/AIA observations along with the associated DEM solutions from regularized inversion. We validate performance against both synthetic thermal distributions and real coronal data, demonstrating accurate recovery of thermal structure across a range of plasma conditions, while maintaining significant computational efficiency over traditional inversion techniques. This method ensures physically legitimate, non-negative solutions and provides per-pixel uncertainties, making it a reliable, high-speed, and uncertainty-aware tool for large-scale solar data analysis.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies

LEGGOS: Direct abundances of N, O, Ne, S, and Ar in five lensed galaxies at Cosmic Noon

We present direct $T_e$ chemical abundances in five strongly lensed galaxies at Cosmic Noon ($2.481 \leq z \leq 3.625$) using JWST/NIRSpec data from the LEGGOS survey. We measure gas-phase abundances of N, O, S, and Ar in all five galaxies, and Ne in two galaxies. Three galaxies have electron temperature constraints from multiple different ionization zones, and we find that these are broadly consistent with temperature scaling relations observed in both local and high-$z$ galaxies. We find a range of oxygen abundances $8.04 \leq 12+\log(\text{O/H}) \leq 8.79$ (22 – 126% $Z_{\odot}$). The ratios of N/O and Ne/O are consistent with trends observed in local galaxies. We do not observe any evidence for significant N enhancement in our sample, though the youngest galaxy in our sample (SGAS-J1050) has a mildly elevated $\log(\text{N/O}) = 1.20 \pm 0.08$, which we suggest may be driven by a population of young massive stars. The ratios of S/O and Ar/O are generally sub-solar, similar to trends observed in other high-$z$ galaxies. We find that the S/O and Ar/O abundances are sub-solar, consistent with enrichment from core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). Modeling of the star formation histories of the LEGGOS galaxies supports CCSNe enrichment, as each galaxy shows a recent period of star formation lasting $\lesssim 100$ Myr, indicating that type Ia supernovae would not yet have had enough time to contribute significantly to the gas-phase abundances of these galaxies.
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All authors Brian Welch, Gourav Khullar, Taylor A. Hutchison, Keren Sharon, Pedram Abedi, Matthew B. Bayliss, Michael Florian, Dylan Berry, Jacqueline Antwi-Danso, Nikko J. Cleri, Håkon Dahle, Aleena Ebey Panzer, Michael D. Gladders, Rion Oh, Cole Panzer, Jane R. Rigby, T. Emil Rivera-Thorsen

Astrophysics of Galaxies

LEGGOS: A Shocking Lack of Evidence for Shocks at sub-kiloparsec Scales at 2 < z < 4

Here we present the first systematic search for shocks in six gravitationally lensed galaxies at 2.37 < z < 3.625 with JWST/NIRSpec integral field spectroscopy from the LEnsing and Galaxy Growth: Observing Substructures (LEGGOS) survey. We employ diagnostics that utilize the fluxes and kinematics of shock-sensitive rest-frame optical emission lines He̱ta}, [O iii] {\lambda}5008, [O i] {\lambda}6302, H{\alpha}, [N ii] {\lambda}6585, and [S ii] {\lambda}{\lambda}6718, 6733. We find that, on pixel, clump, and galaxy-integrated scales, the LEGGOS spectra show minimal if any evidence for shocks. The image plane pixels are < 8% within the shock regions of the rest-frame optical line ratio diagnostics for any individual galaxy, and the shock-identified pixels do not show a coherent spatial structure. We also leverage MAPPINGS V shock models to infer shock velocities from the observed emission lines, and find that the distributions of inferred shock velocities are inconsistent with those expected for shock-dominated gas. Altogether, none of these methods provide significant evidence for shocks in the six LEGGOS sources. We conclude by discussing the implications of the lack of evidence for shocks in the broader context of galaxy evolution at cosmic noon and earlier epochs.
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All authors Nikko J. Cleri, Taylor A. Hutchison, Brian Welch, Gourav Khullar, Matthew B. Bayliss, Håkon Dahle, Michael Florian, Michael D. Gladders, Connor Luettgenau, Rion Oh, Jane R. Rigby, T. Emil Rivera-Thorsen, Julissa Sarmiento, Keren Sharon

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

An EOS-Driven Extension of NSCool for Compact Star Cooling with Hadronic and Quark Degrees of Freedom

We present an EOS-driven extension of the NSCool thermal evolution code that enables complete tabulated equations of state to be treated within a single composition-based input structure. The generalized NEW interface includes additional baryonic fractions, a bosonic composition variable, the hadronic volume fraction, and quark fractions, allowing nucleonic, hyperonic, resonant-baryonic and hybrid hadron-quark configurations to be handled within the same workflow. The neutrino sector is extended accordingly, including updated nucleonic modified Urca and bremsstrahlung rates, additional baryonic direct Urca channels, hyperonic processes, baryonic pair breaking and formation and quark direct Urca, modified Urca, bremsstrahlung and PBF contributions. In mixed phases, emissivities and the corresponding core heat capacity contributions are evaluated from phase-local quantities and combined using the hadronic volume fraction. The implementation is validated against the original NSCool calculation for a controlled nucleonic benchmark and demonstrated with representative hadronic and quark-containing EOSs. These calculations are intended as software validation tests of the generalized workflow rather than as observational fits or statistical EOS inference.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Observation-driven simulations of strong lensing galaxy clusters

Galaxy clusters are the most powerful strong lenses: they greatly magnify the flux of distant and faint sources. Strong lensing also allows for the reconstruction of their mass distribution with-1% level accuracy and enables investigating cosmological parameters. The number of known systems of this type is bound to increase in the next years thanks to wide imaging surveys. Using simulations in this context is crucial to validate the analysis methods before they are applied to real data, and to train machine learning algorithms that can handle large volumes of images. In this work, we present a simulated set of one hundred images of galaxy clusters that we have produced with a novel code for simulating cluster-scale strong lenses. One of the main novelties of our approach, distinguishing it from other existing codes, is the use of empirical relations, derived from state-of-the-art observations, for modelling the characteristics, such as morphology, color, and spatial distribution of the cluster member population. This allows us to reliably reproduce the complexity of real observations. The simulations are partly carried out with the latest version of SkyLens, a code that creates mock observations of strong lensing events in different systems and observational setups. The main improvements we introduce are the use of the message passage interface (MPI) paradigm, a standard for parallel programming that leverages the use of several processors to perform some given task, and the implementation of score-based diffusion models to augment the images of the background sources. Together, they lead to more efficient and realistic image simulations. We also present the validation of the code and simulations by comparing the properties of the mock clusters to those of real ones. [Abridged]
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All authors L. Leuzzi, M. Meneghetti, A. Adam, L. Moscardini, C. Giocoli, P. Bergamini, Y. Hezaveh, M. Maturi, A. Mercurio, A. Moretti, Andrés A. Plazas Malagón, P. Rosati

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Global 3D simulations of convection and dynamos in Red Giants

Understanding the internal dynamics of red giants is essential for studying angular momentum transport and magnetic field generation during stellar evolution. We present three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a $1M_{\odot}$ red giant at the bottom of the red giant branch using a star-in-a-box setup with the Pencil Code, together with ongoing efforts to refine the numerical model. By varying the rotation rate, we explore different Rossby numbers and identify systematic changes in the convective dynamics and large-scale flows. As the rotation increases, convective motions become more anisotropic, showing clear signatures of rotational constraint and a shift in the dominant convective scales. These changes are accompanied by variations in the differential rotation profile, reflecting the redistribution of angular momentum within the convective envelope. The impact of rotation is also evident in the growth rate and saturation level of the magnetic field, indicating a strong dependence of dynamo efficiency on the underlying flow structure. Together, these results highlight the interplay between convection, rotation, and large-scale flows in shaping magnetic activity in red giant stars.
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All authors Carolina Ortiz-Rodríguez, Petri Käpylä, Juan Pablo Hidalgo, Dominik Schleicher, Robi Banerjee

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Abundance Stratification in Type Ia Supernovae – VIII. The 03fg-like SN\,2012dn: a double-degenerate merger interpretation

A detailed study using abundance tomography of SN 2012dn, a peculiar Type Ia supernova, is presented. Despite exhibiting a normal peak luminosity, it retains early-phase super-Chandrasekhar (03fg-like) characteristics: weak Fe III, narrow intermediate-mass element (IME), persistent carbon, and the absence of high-velocity Ca II features. Its nebular spectrum is unusually faint due to grey dimming beginning $\sim$60 days after maximum and shows [O I] emission, rare in SNe Ia. While a Chandrasekhar-mass density profile reproduces the photospheric phase, it fails at late times. The [O I] emission requires additional low-velocity mass, implying a total ejecta mass of $1.66$ $M_\odot$, including $0.33$ $M_\odot$ of oxygen (with $0.1$ $M_\odot$ in the core). The $^{56}$Ni mass is estimated to be $0.45$–$0.49$ $M_\odot$, a range set by uncertainties in the grey-extinction correction applied at the nebular phase, and is insufficient on its own to account for the peak luminosity. Stable iron is confined to intermediate layers and absent from both the core and outer ejecta, the latter indicating sub-solar progenitor metallicity. Silicon and sulfur span the full ejecta, while carbon extends down to $v \sim 6000$ ${\rm km,s^{-1}}$. These properties favour a double-degenerate CO–CO white dwarf merger scenario. The remaining luminosity deficit may be explained by additional energy input from a weak interaction with a low-mass, carbon-rich circumstellar shell.
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All authors Charles J. Aouad, Paolo A. Mazzali, Stephan Hachinger, Chris Ashall

Astrophysics of Galaxies

A New Sample of $\sim$ 100 Intermediate-mass Black Holes Reaching $z \approx 1$

We present a systematic search for intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at $0.5 < z \lesssim 1$ using DESI DR1 spectroscopy.We identify 98 broad-line IMBH AGNs with black hole masses $M_\mathrm{BH}<10^6$ $M_{\odot}$ through quantitative spectral decomposition and broad-H$\beta$ selection. This sample spans $M_\mathrm{BH}=10^{5.5}-10^{6.0}$ $M_{\odot}$ and Eddington ratios from 1.2 to 9.0 extending systematic IMBH AGN searches to intermediate redshift. Compared with a consistently selected $z<0.6$ IMBH sample, the $0.5<z<1$ sources reach higher broad-H$\beta$ luminosities and substantially higher Eddington ratios, indicating more extreme accretion states at earlier cosmic times. They also show broader [O III] profiles and stronger blueshifted wing components, with these kinematic differences persisting after matching in black hole mass and Eddington ratio. These results reveal two distinct signatures of evolution among IMBH AGNs at $z<1$: ability of IMBHs to reach increasingly extreme accretion states toward higher redshift, and systematic changes in their ionized-gas kinematics. The former demonstrates that rapid, including super-Eddington, growth of IMBHs can persist to relatively late cosmic times, while the latter may indicate evolution in the ionized-gas environment and associated outflow activity of actively growing IMBHs. Together, these findings provide new constraints on the evolutionary pathways of IMBHs at $z<1$, and show that seed-mass black holes can continue to undergo rapid growth well after the cosmic dawn.
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All authors Wen-Juan Liu, Luis C. Ho, Su Yao, Xiao-Bo Dong, Yaqi Zhao

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey: Early dark energy and Hubble constant from the cluster mass function

The evolution of the mass function of massive galaxy clusters is a well-established probe of cosmology. Using the eROSITA X-ray instrument on board the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma (SRG) mission, the western Galactic hemisphere of eROSITA's first All-Sky Survey (eRASS1) delivers a uniformly selected and securely confirmed sample of 5259 galaxy clusters spanning $0.1 < z < 0.8$. When combined with overlapping weak lensing data from DES Year 3, KiDS, and HSC for mass calibration, this dataset enables precise tests of the standard $\Lambda$CDM framework and beyond. In this work, we use the $0.1 < z < 0.45$ subsample of the eRASS1 cluster catalog to place constraints on an axion-like Early Dark Energy (EDE) scenario. Such models have been proposed as a possible mechanism to alleviate the tension between early- and late-Universe measurements of the Hubble constant. In this framework, a scalar field temporarily enhances the cosmic expansion rate around the epoch of recombination before rapidly diluting at later times, leaving distinct imprints on structure growth. We leverage these signatures to present the first constraints on EDE derived from galaxy cluster number counts. Using eRASS1 number counts alone, we obtain an upper limit on the maximum EDE fraction of $f_{\rm EDE} < 0.3$, consistent with primary CMB analyses. Combining our cluster analysis with primary CMB measurements, baryon acoustic oscillations, and CMB lensing, while notably excluding distance-ladder calibration data, yields results consistent with a nonzero EDE contribution and $H_0$ values compatible with late-Universe measurements. The most significant detection, at $\sim 3.2\sigma$, arises from the joint analysis of the eRASS1 sample with the full set of external datasets, yielding $f_{\rm EDE} = 0.10^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$ and $H_0 = 71.4 \pm 1.4$ km/s/Mpc. [ABRIDGED]
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All authors J. Strunk, E. Artis, E. Bulbul, S. Grandis, N. Clerc, V. Ghirardini, M. Kluge, A. Liu, F. Balzer, J. Comparat, I. Chiu, Z. Ding, N. Malavasi, A. Merloni, T. Mistele, H. Miyatake, S. Miyazaki, K. Nandra, F. Kleinebreil, N. Okabe, M. E. Ramos-Ceja, J. S. Sanders, T. Schrabback, R. Seppi, S. Zelmer, X. Zhang

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Neural Posterior Estimation for Tomographic Weak Lensing Mass Mapping

Weak gravitational lensing shear and convergence trace the distribution of baryonic and dark matter across space, making them a powerful probe of cosmic structure. Inferring shear and convergence from images is a challenging inverse problem. The prevailing approach to this task estimates shear from weighted averages of galaxy ellipticities, calibrates these estimates to account for systematic biases, and transforms them to reconstruct convergence, a multistage procedure that requires substantial computational resources and meticulous handling of statistical uncertainties. As an alternative, we propose a probabilistic approach to field-level weak lensing inference in which we train a deep neural network to directly map a multiband image to a variational distribution over the underlying tomographic shear and convergence fields. This neural posterior estimation (NPE) procedure implicitly marginalizes over nuisance variables in the cosmological forward model and does not require evaluating the likelihood function. It is also amortized, so it enables rapid posterior inference for astronomical surveys once the neural network is trained. When evaluated on synthetic images from the LSST-DESC DC2 Simulated Sky Survey, NPE produces well-calibrated variational distributions for shear and convergence that are consistent with the ground truth. We describe how maps sampled from these variational distributions could be used in a subsequent simulation-based inference procedure to approximate the posterior distribution over cosmological parameters.
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All authors Tim White, Shreyas Chandrashekaran, Camille Avestruz, Jeffrey Regier, the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration

Astrophysics of Galaxies

A Dusty Quenching-candidate AGN host at z=5.7: massive quiescent galaxies may quench already during the dust-obscured phase

We present a spectro-photometric analysis of RUBIES-EGS-9809, a broad-line AGN host at z=5.7 with a Balmer break and a dominant point source. The source is dust reddened ($A_V>$3 mag), shows hot- and cold-dust emission, and is X-ray Compton thick, with X-ray-to-bolometric ratio consistent with luminous AGN. The large $A_V$ agrees with strong NaI absorption (EW=17$\pm 2 \AA$), possibly from a neutral-gas outflow (3 $\sigma$), while broad [O III] traces an ionized outflow, suggesting AGN feedback may be affecting the host. We estimate a stellar mass log(M*/M$_\odot$)=10.7$\pm$0.3, Lbol$\sim4\times10^{46}$ erg s$^{-1}$ , and black-hole mass log(M$_{BH}/M_\odot)\sim8.1$ (subject to large systematics). The resolved Balmer break (0.1 arcsec, 0.6 kpc) is consistent with a stellar origin, implying the galaxy is already old in stars while still heavily obscured. This shows that massive galaxies can host evolved stellar populations during their compact, dust-obscured phase, consistent with formation in an earlier dusty starburst. SED modelling suggests a declining SFR, but low-resolution spectroscopy alone cannot constrain the recent SFR, so we treat the source as a strong quenching candidate rather than a secure post-starburst system. Because quenching follows the decline in SFR, star-formation-driven outflows are disfavoured, leaving AGN feedback as a plausible driver. We speculate that such rapid feedback ($\sim$100 Myr timescale) may precipitate quenching while the post-quenching phase stays dust-enshrouded, concealing the UV-bright quenched phase that would otherwise be easily detected, if dust free. By the time dust clears, the UV-luminous stars may have already dwindled, leaving a classic dust-free quiescent galaxy. This 'dusty path' to quiescence may explain the lack of intermediate-age quenched progenitors (ages 50-100 Myr) linking dusty starbursts to massive quiescent systems at z=3-7.
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All authors Francesco D'Eugenio, Matilde Brazzini, Roberto Maiolino, Elena Bertola, Stefano Carniani, Xihan Ji, Ignas Juodžbalis, Yixiao Liu, Minjung Park, Eleonora Parlanti, Robert G. Pascalau, Gabriele Pezzulli, Jan Scholtz, Sandro Tacchella, Stefano Zibetti

Astrophysics of Galaxies

The MICADO first light imager for the ELT: Simulated Observations of Star Forming Clumps at Cosmic Noon

Galaxies at redshift z$\sim$2-6 exhibit prominent star-forming regions (clumps). Characterisation of these galactic structures requires both high sensitivity and spatial resolution of $\sim$100 pc or less. Currently, these spatial scales are achievable only with the aid of strong gravitational lensing. However, lensing introduces model-dependent uncertainties and limits the sample to galaxies behind massive clusters. The upcoming 40m-class telescopes, such as the ESO Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), will enable routine studies of clumps in ubiquitous, non-lensed z$\ge$2 galaxies. We assess the capability of MICADO, the first-light imager and spectrograph of the ELT, to characterise clumps in non-lensed z=2 galaxies. Specifically, we focus on two representative observing scenarios, providing the basis for an early scientific exploitation of the instrument. We modelled clumps in an idealised z=2 star-forming galaxy and produced mock MICADO observations in both broad- and narrow-band imaging. The latter leverages the strong emission lines typical of clumps to improve detection and characterisation. Reaching UV rest-frame magnitudes of clumps as faint as M$_{UV} \sim -15$ in optimal observing conditions, MICADO will be able to efficiently characterise clumps in non-lensed z=2 galaxies down to R$_{e} \sim 20$ pc. Moreover, the full MICADO $\sim$1 arcmin$^2$ field of view enables efficient surveys of multiple targets. This study demonstrates MICADO's potential to fill a crucial observational gap, shedding new light on clump formation and evolution at cosmic noon. Accurate PSF reconstruction will be crucial to fully harness this capability as it significantly impacts clump detection and characterisation, especially at the smallest sizes ($<$40 pc).
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All authors Matteo Simioni, Carmelo Arcidiacono, Andrea Grazian, Marco Gullieuszik, Elisa Portaluri, Alvio Renzini, Benedetta Vulcani, Anita Zanella, Francesca Annibali, Michele Cirasuolo, Richard Davies, Natascha Förster Schreiber, Johanna Hartke, Hanindyo Kuncarayakti, Matteo Messa, Stefan Raffetseder, Letizia Scaloni, Elena Valenti, Eros Vanzella, Joël Vernet, Roland Wagner

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Sea Ice as an Origin of Life Location for Hycean and Ocean Worlds

Water worlds with potential deep oceans are at the forefront of currently observable exoplanetary habitability. The standard requirements for habitability are the presence of an energy source, a source of nutrients, and a solvent, all of which can be met in exoplanets with deep liquid water oceans. Such planets may be numerous, ranging from hycean worlds and ocean worlds to terrestrial-size planets with enhanced water content. However, abiogenesis requires additional conditions, namely a mechanism to accumulate nutrients to the high concentrations required for prebiotic chemistry, and an energy source to drive the chemistry. A deep ocean, and in some cases the high-pressure ice layers underneath, has traditionally been thought to prevent the required concentrations. Here we outline a location where nutrients could be concentrated in sufficiently high quantities to make abiogenesis possible – at the interface between the open ocean and the surface ice shelf. Using a 3D General Circulation Model, we explore cases corresponding to several candidate habitable exoplanets which might have dayside sea ice. We discuss how the planet's climate influences the nature and behaviour of the sea ice. We investigate the ability of small-scale ice formation and melting processes to concentrate nutrients to prebiotically useful levels, and also explore the potential for meteoritic impactor fragments to provide a platform for prebiotic chemistry. We find that both of these mechanisms may plausibly provide concentrated chemical feedstock for prebiotic chemistry, which adds an important new perspective when evaluating the prospects of habitability in planets with deep oceans.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Inelastic Singlet-Doublet Fermion Dark Matter in light of the 248 keV LZ event

Recently, the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) collaboration reported the observation of a single dark matter (DM)-nucleus scattering event at a nuclear recoil energy of $248\pm23_{\rm stat}\pm23_{\rm sys}$ keV, corresponding to an exposure of 2.84 tonne-year. The absence of events at lower nuclear recoil energies in the predicted spectrum is naturally explained if the underlying process is inelastic DM-nucleus scattering. Motivated by this, we investigate the singlet-doublet fermion DM model, in which the DM consists of two pseudo-Dirac states: the Majorana nature of the lighter state forbids tree level $Z$-mediated elastic scattering identically, while the same states enable inelastic DM-nucleus scattering via $Z$ exchange, with any residual elastic scattering proceeding only through a suppressed Higgs-mediated channel. We further extend the model with a $Z_2$-even scalar triplet, which is responsible both for generating the pseudo-Dirac splitting and for realizing Majorana neutrino masses via the Type-II seesaw mechanism.
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All authors Debasish Borah, Sujit Kumar Sahoo, Narendra Sahu, Shashwat Sharma

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Two-Phase Structure of Synchrotron-Cooling-Unstable Relativistic Plasma

Using analytic theory, radiative particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, and fluid simulations, we show that relativistic, synchrotron-cooling, collisionless, high-$\beta$ pair plasmas filament into a two-phase medium. This process occurs through the interplay of the synchrotron cooling instability (SCI) with the synchrotron firehose instability (SFHI). One phase has high plasma~$\beta$ and is infested with small-scale firehose fluctuations, which scatter particles and pin the pressure anisotropy to the firehose-marginal level. The other phase has much lower~$\beta$, causing the suppression of firehose modes and thus allowing large pressure anisotropies. We propose a fluid model for this two-phase plasma, which we use to study the linear and nonlinear evolution of the SCI and SFHI, and to predict the emergence time of the two-phase structure.
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All authors Agnieszka Wierzchucka, Pablo J. Bilbao, Robert J. Ewart, Dmitri A. Uzdensky, Alexander A. Schekochihin