Gravitational-wave (GW) ringdown signals from black holes encode crucial information about the gravitational dynamics in the strong-field regime, which offers unique insights into the properties of black holes. Improving the sensitivity of GW detectors will enable the extraction of several quasi-normal modes from ringdown signals. However, incorporating several modes drastically enlarges the parameter space, posing computational challenges to data analysis. Inspired by the {mathcal{F}}{mathcal{F}}-statistic method in the continuous GW searches, here we develop an algorithm that enhances the parameter-marginalization scheme, dubbed FIREFLY, which is tailored for accelerating the ringdown signal analysis. FIREFLY analytically marginalizes the amplitude and phase parameters of quasi-normal modes to reduce the computational cost and to speed up the standard Bayesian inference with full parameters from hours to minutes while achieving consistent posterior and evidence. The acceleration becomes more pronounced when more quasi-normal modes are considered. Rigorously based on Bayesian inference and importance sampling, our method is statistically interpretable, flexible in prior choice and compatible with various advanced sampling techniques and, thus, provides a new perspective for accelerating future GW data analysis.
{"title":"A practical Bayesian method for gravitational-wave ringdown analysis with multiple modes","authors":"Yiming Dong, Ziming Wang, Hai-Tian Wang, Junjie Zhao, Lijing Shao","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02766-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02766-6","url":null,"abstract":"Gravitational-wave (GW) ringdown signals from black holes encode crucial information about the gravitational dynamics in the strong-field regime, which offers unique insights into the properties of black holes. Improving the sensitivity of GW detectors will enable the extraction of several quasi-normal modes from ringdown signals. However, incorporating several modes drastically enlarges the parameter space, posing computational challenges to data analysis. Inspired by the {mathcal{F}}{mathcal{F}}-statistic method in the continuous GW searches, here we develop an algorithm that enhances the parameter-marginalization scheme, dubbed FIREFLY, which is tailored for accelerating the ringdown signal analysis. FIREFLY analytically marginalizes the amplitude and phase parameters of quasi-normal modes to reduce the computational cost and to speed up the standard Bayesian inference with full parameters from hours to minutes while achieving consistent posterior and evidence. The acceleration becomes more pronounced when more quasi-normal modes are considered. Rigorously based on Bayesian inference and importance sampling, our method is statistically interpretable, flexible in prior choice and compatible with various advanced sampling techniques and, thus, provides a new perspective for accelerating future GW data analysis.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145968751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-15DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02729-x
Miki Nakajima, Sarah K. Harter, Alex V. Jasko, Danae N. Polsin, Ian Szumila, Kim A. Cone, Victor Lherm, Eric G. Blackman, Francis Dragulet, Lars Stixrude, Dustin Trail, Margaret F. Huff, J. Ryan Rygg, Angel Paz, Gilbert W. Collins, Alexa LaPierre, Zaire Sprowal
During planet formation, planets undergo many impacts that can generate magma oceans. When these crystallize, part of the magma densifies via iron enrichment and migrates to the core–mantle boundary, forming an iron-rich basal magma ocean (BMO). The BMO could generate a dynamo in early Earth and super-Earths if the electrical conductivity of the BMO, which is thought to be sensitive to its Fe content, is sufficiently high. To test this hypothesis, here we conduct laser-driven shock experiments on ferropericlase (Mgx,Fe1−x)O (0.95 ≤ x ≤ 1) as an Fe-rich BMO analogue, perform density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations on MgO and calculate the long-term evolution of super-Earths. We find that the d.c. conductivities of MgO and (Mg,Fe)O are indistinguishable between 467 GPa and 1,400 GPa, despite previous predictions. We predict that super-Earths larger than 3–6 Earth masses can produce BMO-driven dynamos that are almost one order of magnitude stronger than core-driven dynamos for several billion years.
{"title":"Electrical conductivities of (Mg,Fe)O at extreme pressures and implications for planetary magma oceans","authors":"Miki Nakajima, Sarah K. Harter, Alex V. Jasko, Danae N. Polsin, Ian Szumila, Kim A. Cone, Victor Lherm, Eric G. Blackman, Francis Dragulet, Lars Stixrude, Dustin Trail, Margaret F. Huff, J. Ryan Rygg, Angel Paz, Gilbert W. Collins, Alexa LaPierre, Zaire Sprowal","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02729-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02729-x","url":null,"abstract":"During planet formation, planets undergo many impacts that can generate magma oceans. When these crystallize, part of the magma densifies via iron enrichment and migrates to the core–mantle boundary, forming an iron-rich basal magma ocean (BMO). The BMO could generate a dynamo in early Earth and super-Earths if the electrical conductivity of the BMO, which is thought to be sensitive to its Fe content, is sufficiently high. To test this hypothesis, here we conduct laser-driven shock experiments on ferropericlase (Mgx,Fe1−x)O (0.95 ≤ x ≤ 1) as an Fe-rich BMO analogue, perform density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations on MgO and calculate the long-term evolution of super-Earths. We find that the d.c. conductivities of MgO and (Mg,Fe)O are indistinguishable between 467 GPa and 1,400 GPa, despite previous predictions. We predict that super-Earths larger than 3–6 Earth masses can produce BMO-driven dynamos that are almost one order of magnitude stronger than core-driven dynamos for several billion years.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145968770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1038/s41550-026-02779-9
The calendar for 2026 looks set to be busy for the scientific and human exploration of the Solar System, the Galaxy and the wider Universe. From long-awaited planetary rendez-vous to cutting-edge telescope launches, these events will define the frontiers of astronomy, this year and beyond.
{"title":"The astronomical year ahead","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41550-026-02779-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-026-02779-9","url":null,"abstract":"The calendar for 2026 looks set to be busy for the scientific and human exploration of the Solar System, the Galaxy and the wider Universe. From long-awaited planetary rendez-vous to cutting-edge telescope launches, these events will define the frontiers of astronomy, this year and beyond.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"10 1","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02779-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146016498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02748-8
Krystian Iłkiewicz, Simone Scaringi, Domitilla de Martino, Christian Knigge, Sara E. Motta, Nanda Rea, David Buckley, Noel Castro Segura, Paul J. Groot, Anna F. McLeod, Luke T. Parker, Martina Veresvarska
Stellar bow shocks form when an outflow interacts with the interstellar medium. In white dwarfs accreting from a binary companion, outflows are associated with strong winds from the donor star, the accretion disk or a thermonuclear runaway explosion on the white dwarf surface. To date, only six accreting white dwarfs are known to harbour disk-wind-driven bow shocks that are not associated with thermonuclear explosions. Here we report the discovery of a bow shock associated with a high-proper-motion diskless accreting white dwarf, 1RXS J052832.5+283824. We show that the white dwarf has a strong magnetic field in the range B ≈ 42–45 MG, making RXJ0528+2838 a bona fide known polar-type cataclysmic variable harbouring a bow shock. The resolved bow shock is shown to be inconsistent with a past thermonuclear explosion or with being inflated by a donor wind, ruling out all accepted scenarios for inflating a bow shock around this system. Modelling of the energetics reveals that the observed bow shock requires a persistent power source with a luminosity significantly exceeding the system accretion energy output. This implies the presence of a powerful, previously unrecognized energy-loss mechanism—potentially tied to magnetic activity—that may operate over sufficiently long timescales to influence the course of binary evolution.
{"title":"A persistent bow shock in a diskless magnetized accreting white dwarf","authors":"Krystian Iłkiewicz, Simone Scaringi, Domitilla de Martino, Christian Knigge, Sara E. Motta, Nanda Rea, David Buckley, Noel Castro Segura, Paul J. Groot, Anna F. McLeod, Luke T. Parker, Martina Veresvarska","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02748-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02748-8","url":null,"abstract":"Stellar bow shocks form when an outflow interacts with the interstellar medium. In white dwarfs accreting from a binary companion, outflows are associated with strong winds from the donor star, the accretion disk or a thermonuclear runaway explosion on the white dwarf surface. To date, only six accreting white dwarfs are known to harbour disk-wind-driven bow shocks that are not associated with thermonuclear explosions. Here we report the discovery of a bow shock associated with a high-proper-motion diskless accreting white dwarf, 1RXS J052832.5+283824. We show that the white dwarf has a strong magnetic field in the range B ≈ 42–45 MG, making RXJ0528+2838 a bona fide known polar-type cataclysmic variable harbouring a bow shock. The resolved bow shock is shown to be inconsistent with a past thermonuclear explosion or with being inflated by a donor wind, ruling out all accepted scenarios for inflating a bow shock around this system. Modelling of the energetics reveals that the observed bow shock requires a persistent power source with a luminosity significantly exceeding the system accretion energy output. This implies the presence of a powerful, previously unrecognized energy-loss mechanism—potentially tied to magnetic activity—that may operate over sufficiently long timescales to influence the course of binary evolution.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"146 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02751-z
Jan Scholtz, Francesco D’Eugenio, Roberto Maiolino, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Chiara Circosta, Sandro Tacchella, Christina C. Williams, Stacey Alberts, Santiago Arribas, William M. Baker, Elena Bertola, Andrew J. Bunker, Stefano Carniani, Stephane Charlot, Giovanni Cresci, Gareth C. Jones, Nimisha Kumari, Isabella Lamperti, Tobias J. Looser, Bruno Rodríguez Del Pino, Brant Robertson, Eleonora Parlanti, Michele Perna, Hannah Übler, Giacomo Venturi, Joris Witstok
The James Webb Space Telescope is discovering increasing numbers of quiescent galaxies 1–2 billion years after the Big Bang, whose redshift, high mass and old stellar ages indicate that their formation and quenching were surprisingly rapid. This fast-paced evolution seems to require that feedback from active galactic nuclei be faster and/or more efficient than previously expected. We present deep Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of cool molecular gas (the fuel for star formation) in a massive, fast-rotating, quiescent galaxy at z = 3.064, GS-10578. This galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus, driving neutral-gas outflows with a mass-outflow rate of 60 ± 20 M⊙ yr−1, and it has a star-formation rate of <5.6 M⊙ yr−1. Our data reveal this system to be a distant gas-poor galaxy confirmed with direct CO observations (molecular-gas mass <109.1 M⊙; <0.8% of its stellar mass). Combining Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and James Webb Space Telescope observations, we estimate the gas consumption history of this galaxy, showing that it evolved with net-zero gas inflow, that is, the gas consumption by star formation matches the amount of gas this galaxy is missing relative to star-forming galaxies. This could arise both from preventative feedback stopping further gas inflow, which would otherwise refuel star formation or, alternatively, from fine-tuned ejective feedback matching precisely gas inflows. These results show that galaxy quenching is a long-term effect rather than due to a rapid single quasar episode.
{"title":"Measurement of the gas consumption history of a massive quiescent galaxy","authors":"Jan Scholtz, Francesco D’Eugenio, Roberto Maiolino, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Chiara Circosta, Sandro Tacchella, Christina C. Williams, Stacey Alberts, Santiago Arribas, William M. Baker, Elena Bertola, Andrew J. Bunker, Stefano Carniani, Stephane Charlot, Giovanni Cresci, Gareth C. Jones, Nimisha Kumari, Isabella Lamperti, Tobias J. Looser, Bruno Rodríguez Del Pino, Brant Robertson, Eleonora Parlanti, Michele Perna, Hannah Übler, Giacomo Venturi, Joris Witstok","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02751-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02751-z","url":null,"abstract":"The James Webb Space Telescope is discovering increasing numbers of quiescent galaxies 1–2 billion years after the Big Bang, whose redshift, high mass and old stellar ages indicate that their formation and quenching were surprisingly rapid. This fast-paced evolution seems to require that feedback from active galactic nuclei be faster and/or more efficient than previously expected. We present deep Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of cool molecular gas (the fuel for star formation) in a massive, fast-rotating, quiescent galaxy at z = 3.064, GS-10578. This galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus, driving neutral-gas outflows with a mass-outflow rate of 60 ± 20 M⊙ yr−1, and it has a star-formation rate of <5.6 M⊙ yr−1. Our data reveal this system to be a distant gas-poor galaxy confirmed with direct CO observations (molecular-gas mass <109.1 M⊙; <0.8% of its stellar mass). Combining Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and James Webb Space Telescope observations, we estimate the gas consumption history of this galaxy, showing that it evolved with net-zero gas inflow, that is, the gas consumption by star formation matches the amount of gas this galaxy is missing relative to star-forming galaxies. This could arise both from preventative feedback stopping further gas inflow, which would otherwise refuel star formation or, alternatively, from fine-tuned ejective feedback matching precisely gas inflows. These results show that galaxy quenching is a long-term effect rather than due to a rapid single quasar episode.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02754-w
Gregory D. Fleishman, Ivan Oparin, Gelu M. Nita, Bin Chen, Sijie Yu, Dale E. Gary
{"title":"Megaelectronvolt-peaked electrons in a coronal source of a solar flare","authors":"Gregory D. Fleishman, Ivan Oparin, Gelu M. Nita, Bin Chen, Sijie Yu, Dale E. Gary","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02754-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02754-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145908312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02761-x
Dong Li
Observations of a solar flare with high temporal–spatial resolution suggest that chromospheric condensation quasi-periodic pulsations cannot be driven by magnetohydrodynamic sausage-mode waves but instead stem from oscillation reconnection.
{"title":"Quasi-periodic pulsations driven by repeated reconnection","authors":"Dong Li","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02761-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-025-02761-x","url":null,"abstract":"Observations of a solar flare with high temporal–spatial resolution suggest that chromospheric condensation quasi-periodic pulsations cannot be driven by magnetohydrodynamic sausage-mode waves but instead stem from oscillation reconnection.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"10 1","pages":"13-14"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145908311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02747-9
Graham S. Kerr, Säm Krucker, Joel C. Allred, Jenny M. Rodríguez-Gómez, Andrew R. Inglis, Daniel F. Ryan, Laura A. Hayes, Ryan O. Milligan, Adam F. Kowalski, Joseph E. Plowman, Peter R. Young, Therese A. Kucera, Jeffrey W. Brosius
{"title":"Spatial variation of energy transport mechanisms within solar flare ribbons","authors":"Graham S. Kerr, Säm Krucker, Joel C. Allred, Jenny M. Rodríguez-Gómez, Andrew R. Inglis, Daniel F. Ryan, Laura A. Hayes, Ryan O. Milligan, Adam F. Kowalski, Joseph E. Plowman, Peter R. Young, Therese A. Kucera, Jeffrey W. Brosius","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02747-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02747-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"148 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02746-w
Simona Vegetti, Simon D. M. White, John P. McKean, Devon M. Powell, Cristiana Spingola, Davide Massari, Giulia Despali, Christopher D. Fassnacht
Measuring the density profile and mass concentration of dark-matter haloes is a key test of the standard cold dark matter paradigm. Such objects are dark and thus challenging to characterize, but they can be studied via gravitational lensing. Recently, a million-solar-mass object was discovered superposed on an extended and extremely thin gravitational arc. Here we report on extensive tests of various assumptions for the mass density profile and redshift of this object. We find that models that best describe the data have two components: an unresolved point mass of radius ≤10 pc centred on an extended mass distribution with an almost constant surface density out to a truncation radius of 139 pc. These properties do not resemble any known astronomical object. However, if the object is dark matter dominated, its structure is incompatible with cold dark matter models but may be compatible with a self-interacting dark-matter halo where the central region has collapsed to form a black hole. This detection could thus carry substantial implications for our current understanding of dark matter.
{"title":"A possible challenge for cold and warm dark matter","authors":"Simona Vegetti, Simon D. M. White, John P. McKean, Devon M. Powell, Cristiana Spingola, Davide Massari, Giulia Despali, Christopher D. Fassnacht","doi":"10.1038/s41550-025-02746-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02746-w","url":null,"abstract":"Measuring the density profile and mass concentration of dark-matter haloes is a key test of the standard cold dark matter paradigm. Such objects are dark and thus challenging to characterize, but they can be studied via gravitational lensing. Recently, a million-solar-mass object was discovered superposed on an extended and extremely thin gravitational arc. Here we report on extensive tests of various assumptions for the mass density profile and redshift of this object. We find that models that best describe the data have two components: an unresolved point mass of radius ≤10 pc centred on an extended mass distribution with an almost constant surface density out to a truncation radius of 139 pc. These properties do not resemble any known astronomical object. However, if the object is dark matter dominated, its structure is incompatible with cold dark matter models but may be compatible with a self-interacting dark-matter halo where the central region has collapsed to form a black hole. This detection could thus carry substantial implications for our current understanding of dark matter.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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