Pub Date : 2025-01-20DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada5c7
Alexander D. Rathcke, Lars A. Buchhave, Julien de Wit, Benjamin V. Rackham, Prune C. August, Hannah Diamond-Lowe, João M. MendonÇa, Aaron Bello-Arufe, Mercedes López-Morales, Daniel Kitzmann and Kevin Heng
Stellar surface heterogeneities, such as spots and faculae, often contaminate exoplanet transit spectra, hindering precise atmospheric characterization. We demonstrate a novel, epoch-based, model-independent method to mitigate stellar contamination, applicable to multiplanet systems with at least one airless planet. We apply this method using quasi-simultaneous transits of TRAPPIST-1 b and TRAPPIST-1 c observed on 2024 July 9, with JWST/NIRSpec PRISM. These two planets, with nearly identical radii and impact parameters, are likely to either be bare rocks or possess thin, low-pressure atmospheres, making them ideal candidates for this technique, as variations in their transit spectra would be primarily attributed to stellar activity. Our observations reveal their transit spectra exhibit consistent features, indicating similar levels of stellar contamination. We use TRAPPIST-1 b to correct the transit spectrum of TRAPPIST-1 c, achieving a 2.5 × reduction in stellar contamination at shorter wavelengths. At longer wavelengths, lower signal-to-noise ratio prevents clear detection of contamination or full assessment of mitigation. Still, out-of-transit analysis reveals variations across the spectrum, suggesting contamination extends into the longer wavelengths. Based on the success of the correction at shorter wavelengths, we argue that contamination is also reduced at longer wavelengths to a similar extent. This shifts the challenge of detecting atmospheric features to a predominantly white noise issue, which can be addressed by stacking observations. This method enables epoch-specific stellar contamination corrections, allowing coaddition of planetary spectra for reliable searches of secondary atmospheres with signals of 60–250 ppm. Additionally, we identify small-scale cold (∼2000 K) and warm (∼2600 K) regions almost uniformly distributed on TRAPPIST-1, with overall covering fractions varying by ∼0.1% per hour.
{"title":"Stellar Contamination Correction Using Back-to-back Transits of TRAPPIST-1 b and c","authors":"Alexander D. Rathcke, Lars A. Buchhave, Julien de Wit, Benjamin V. Rackham, Prune C. August, Hannah Diamond-Lowe, João M. MendonÇa, Aaron Bello-Arufe, Mercedes López-Morales, Daniel Kitzmann and Kevin Heng","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada5c7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada5c7","url":null,"abstract":"Stellar surface heterogeneities, such as spots and faculae, often contaminate exoplanet transit spectra, hindering precise atmospheric characterization. We demonstrate a novel, epoch-based, model-independent method to mitigate stellar contamination, applicable to multiplanet systems with at least one airless planet. We apply this method using quasi-simultaneous transits of TRAPPIST-1 b and TRAPPIST-1 c observed on 2024 July 9, with JWST/NIRSpec PRISM. These two planets, with nearly identical radii and impact parameters, are likely to either be bare rocks or possess thin, low-pressure atmospheres, making them ideal candidates for this technique, as variations in their transit spectra would be primarily attributed to stellar activity. Our observations reveal their transit spectra exhibit consistent features, indicating similar levels of stellar contamination. We use TRAPPIST-1 b to correct the transit spectrum of TRAPPIST-1 c, achieving a 2.5 × reduction in stellar contamination at shorter wavelengths. At longer wavelengths, lower signal-to-noise ratio prevents clear detection of contamination or full assessment of mitigation. Still, out-of-transit analysis reveals variations across the spectrum, suggesting contamination extends into the longer wavelengths. Based on the success of the correction at shorter wavelengths, we argue that contamination is also reduced at longer wavelengths to a similar extent. This shifts the challenge of detecting atmospheric features to a predominantly white noise issue, which can be addressed by stacking observations. This method enables epoch-specific stellar contamination corrections, allowing coaddition of planetary spectra for reliable searches of secondary atmospheres with signals of 60–250 ppm. Additionally, we identify small-scale cold (∼2000 K) and warm (∼2600 K) regions almost uniformly distributed on TRAPPIST-1, with overall covering fractions varying by ∼0.1% per hour.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142990204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-17DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada28f
Xiangyu Zhang, Brandon S. Hensley and Gregory M. Green
The first all-sky, high-resolution, 3D map of the optical extinction curve of the Milky Way revealed an unexpected steepening of the extinction curve in the moderate-density, “translucent” interstellar medium (ISM). We argue that this trend is driven by growth of the total mass of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through gas-phase accretion. We find a strong anticorrelation between the slope of the optical extinction curve—parameterized by R(V)—and maps of the PAH mass fraction (relative to the total dust mass)—parameterized by qPAH—derived from infrared emission. The range of observed qPAH indicates PAH growth by a factor of ∼2 between AV ≃ 1 and 3. This implies a factor-of-2 stronger 2175 Å feature, which is sufficient to lower R(V) by the observed amount. This level of PAH growth is possible given rapid accretion timescales and the depletion of carbon in the translucent ISM. Spectral observations by JWST would provide a definitive test of this proposed explanation of R(V) variation.
第一张全天空、高分辨率、三维的银河系光学消光曲线图显示，在中等密度、"半透明 "星际介质（ISM）中，消光曲线出现了意想不到的陡峭化。我们认为这一趋势是由气相吸积导致的多环芳烃（PAHs）总质量增长所驱动的。我们发现，以R（V）为参数的光学消光曲线斜率与以qPAH为参数的多环芳烃（PAH）质量分数（相对于尘埃总质量）地图之间存在很强的反相关性。观测到的 qPAH 范围表明 PAH 在 AV ≃ 1 和 3 之间增长了 2 倍。这意味着 2175 Å 的特征增强了 2 倍，足以将 R(V) 降低到观测到的水平。考虑到快速增生的时间尺度和半透明 ISM 中碳的耗竭，这种程度的 PAH 增长是可能的。JWST 的光谱观测将对 R(V) 变化的这一拟议解释进行最终检验。
{"title":"Dust-extinction-curve Variation in the Translucent Interstellar Medium Is Driven by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Growth","authors":"Xiangyu Zhang, Brandon S. Hensley and Gregory M. Green","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada28f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada28f","url":null,"abstract":"The first all-sky, high-resolution, 3D map of the optical extinction curve of the Milky Way revealed an unexpected steepening of the extinction curve in the moderate-density, “translucent” interstellar medium (ISM). We argue that this trend is driven by growth of the total mass of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through gas-phase accretion. We find a strong anticorrelation between the slope of the optical extinction curve—parameterized by R(V)—and maps of the PAH mass fraction (relative to the total dust mass)—parameterized by qPAH—derived from infrared emission. The range of observed qPAH indicates PAH growth by a factor of ∼2 between AV ≃ 1 and 3. This implies a factor-of-2 stronger 2175 Å feature, which is sufficient to lower R(V) by the observed amount. This level of PAH growth is possible given rapid accretion timescales and the depletion of carbon in the translucent ISM. Spectral observations by JWST would provide a definitive test of this proposed explanation of R(V) variation.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142988491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-17DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada389
Jeremy L. Smallwood, Stephen H. Lubow, Rebecca G. Martin and Rebecca Nealon
We revisit the origin of the observed misaligned rings in the circumtriple disk around GW Ori. Previous studies appeared to disagree on whether disk breaking is caused by the differential precession driven in the disk by the triple star system. In this Letter, we show that the previous studies are in agreement with each other when using the same set of parameters. But for observationally motivated parameters of a typical protoplanetary disk, the disk is unlikely to break due to interactions with the triple star system. We run three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of a circumtriple disk around GW Ori with different disk aspect ratios. For a disk aspect ratio typical of protoplanetary disks, H/r ≳ 0.05, the disk does not break. An alternative scenario for the gap's origin consistent with the expected disk aspect ratio involves the presence of circumtriple planets orbiting GW Ori.
{"title":"Shedding Light on the Origin of the Broken Misaligned Circumtriple Disk around GW Ori","authors":"Jeremy L. Smallwood, Stephen H. Lubow, Rebecca G. Martin and Rebecca Nealon","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada389","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada389","url":null,"abstract":"We revisit the origin of the observed misaligned rings in the circumtriple disk around GW Ori. Previous studies appeared to disagree on whether disk breaking is caused by the differential precession driven in the disk by the triple star system. In this Letter, we show that the previous studies are in agreement with each other when using the same set of parameters. But for observationally motivated parameters of a typical protoplanetary disk, the disk is unlikely to break due to interactions with the triple star system. We run three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of a circumtriple disk around GW Ori with different disk aspect ratios. For a disk aspect ratio typical of protoplanetary disks, H/r ≳ 0.05, the disk does not break. An alternative scenario for the gap's origin consistent with the expected disk aspect ratio involves the presence of circumtriple planets orbiting GW Ori.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142988495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-17DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada27a
Caitlyn Nojiri, Noémie Globus and Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
The Earth sits inside a 300 pc-wide void that was carved by a series of supernova explosions that went off tens of millions of years ago, pushing away interstellar gas and creating a bubble-like structure. The 60Fe peak deposits found in the deep-sea crust have been interpreted by the imprints left by the ejecta of supernova explosions occurring about 2–3 and 5–6 Myr ago. It is likely that the 60Fe peak at about 2–3 Myr originated from a supernova occurring in the Upper Centaurus Lupus association in Scorpius Centaurus (≈140 pc) or the Tucana-Horologium association (≈70 pc), whereas the ≈5–6 Myr peak is likely attributed to the solar system's entrance into the bubble. In this Letter, we show that the supernova source responsible for synthesizing the 60Fe peak deposits ≈2–3 Myr ago can consistently explain the cosmic-ray spectrum and the large-scale anisotropy between 100 TeV and 100 PeV. The cosmic-ray knee could then potentially be attributed entirely to a single nearby “PeVatron” source. Matching the intensity and shape of the cosmic-ray spectrum allows us to place stringent constraints on the cosmic-ray energy content from the supernova as well as on the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient. Making use of such constraints, we provide a robust estimate of the temporal variation of terrestrial ionizing cosmic radiation levels and discuss their implications in the development of early life on Earth by plausibly influencing the mutation rate and, as such, conceivably assisting in the evolution of complex organisms.
{"title":"Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life","authors":"Caitlyn Nojiri, Noémie Globus and Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada27a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada27a","url":null,"abstract":"The Earth sits inside a 300 pc-wide void that was carved by a series of supernova explosions that went off tens of millions of years ago, pushing away interstellar gas and creating a bubble-like structure. The 60Fe peak deposits found in the deep-sea crust have been interpreted by the imprints left by the ejecta of supernova explosions occurring about 2–3 and 5–6 Myr ago. It is likely that the 60Fe peak at about 2–3 Myr originated from a supernova occurring in the Upper Centaurus Lupus association in Scorpius Centaurus (≈140 pc) or the Tucana-Horologium association (≈70 pc), whereas the ≈5–6 Myr peak is likely attributed to the solar system's entrance into the bubble. In this Letter, we show that the supernova source responsible for synthesizing the 60Fe peak deposits ≈2–3 Myr ago can consistently explain the cosmic-ray spectrum and the large-scale anisotropy between 100 TeV and 100 PeV. The cosmic-ray knee could then potentially be attributed entirely to a single nearby “PeVatron” source. Matching the intensity and shape of the cosmic-ray spectrum allows us to place stringent constraints on the cosmic-ray energy content from the supernova as well as on the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient. Making use of such constraints, we provide a robust estimate of the temporal variation of terrestrial ionizing cosmic radiation levels and discuss their implications in the development of early life on Earth by plausibly influencing the mutation rate and, as such, conceivably assisting in the evolution of complex organisms.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142988620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-16DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada611
Baolin Tan, Yin Zhang, Jing Huang and Kaifan Ji
Solar flares stronger than X10 (S-flares, >X10) are the highest-class flares that significantly impact on the Sun's evolution and space weather. Based on observations of Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellites at soft X-ray wavelength and the daily sunspot numbers (DSNs) since 1975, we obtained some interesting and heuristic conclusions: (1) both S-flares and the more powerful extremely strong flares (ES-flares, >X14.3) mostly occur in the late phases of solar cycles (SCs) and low-latitude regions on the solar disk; (2) similar to X-class flares, the occurrence of S-flares in each SC is somewhat random, but the occurrence of ES-flares seems to be dominated by the mean DSN (Vm) and its rms deviation during the valley phase (Vd) before the cycle: the ES-flare number is strongly correlated with Vd, and the occurrence time of the first ES-flare is anticorrelated with Vd and Vm. These facts indicate that the higher the Vm and Vd, the stronger the SC, the more the ES-flares, and the earlier they occurred. We propose that the Sun may have a low-latitude active zone (LAZ), and most ES-flares are generated from the interaction between the LAZ and the newly emerging active regions. The correlations and the linear regression functions may provide an useful method to predict the occurrence of ES-flares in an upcoming SC, which derives that SC 25 will have about 2 ± 1 ES-flares after the spring of 2027.
{"title":"The Occurrence of Powerful Flares Stronger than X10 Class in Solar Cycles","authors":"Baolin Tan, Yin Zhang, Jing Huang and Kaifan Ji","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada611","url":null,"abstract":"Solar flares stronger than X10 (S-flares, >X10) are the highest-class flares that significantly impact on the Sun's evolution and space weather. Based on observations of Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellites at soft X-ray wavelength and the daily sunspot numbers (DSNs) since 1975, we obtained some interesting and heuristic conclusions: (1) both S-flares and the more powerful extremely strong flares (ES-flares, >X14.3) mostly occur in the late phases of solar cycles (SCs) and low-latitude regions on the solar disk; (2) similar to X-class flares, the occurrence of S-flares in each SC is somewhat random, but the occurrence of ES-flares seems to be dominated by the mean DSN (Vm) and its rms deviation during the valley phase (Vd) before the cycle: the ES-flare number is strongly correlated with Vd, and the occurrence time of the first ES-flare is anticorrelated with Vd and Vm. These facts indicate that the higher the Vm and Vd, the stronger the SC, the more the ES-flares, and the earlier they occurred. We propose that the Sun may have a low-latitude active zone (LAZ), and most ES-flares are generated from the interaction between the LAZ and the newly emerging active regions. The correlations and the linear regression functions may provide an useful method to predict the occurrence of ES-flares in an upcoming SC, which derives that SC 25 will have about 2 ± 1 ES-flares after the spring of 2027.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142987393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada0bd
Daniel Scolnic, Adam G. Riess, Yukei S. Murakami, Erik R. Peterson, Dillon Brout, Maria Acevedo, Bastien Carreres, David O. Jones, Khaled Said, Cullan Howlett and Gagandeep S. Anand
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration measured a tight relation between the Hubble constant (H0) and the distance to the Coma cluster using the fundamental plane (FP) relation of the deepest, most homogeneous sample of early-type galaxies. To determine H0, we measure the distance to Coma by several independent routes, each with its own geometric reference. We measure the most precise distance to Coma from 13 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the cluster with a mean standardized brightness of mag. Calibrating the absolute magnitude of SNe Ia with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) distance ladder yields DComa = 98.5 ± 2.2 Mpc, consistent with its canonical value of 95–100 Mpc. This distance results in H0 = 76.5 ± 2.2 km s−1 Mpc−1 from the DESI FP relation. Inverting the DESI relation by calibrating it instead to the Planck+ΛCDM value of H0 = 67.4 km s−1 Mpc−1 implies a much greater distance to Coma, DComa = 111.8 ± 1.8 Mpc, 4.6σ beyond a joint, direct measure. Independent of SNe Ia, the HST Key Project FP relation as calibrated by Cepheids, the tip of the red giant branch from JWST, or HST near-infrared surface brightness fluctuations all yield DComa < 100 Mpc, in joint tension themselves with the Planck-calibrated route at >3σ. From a broad array of distance estimates compiled back to 1990, it is hard to see how Coma could be located as far as the Planck+ΛCDM expectation of >110 Mpc. By extending the Hubble diagram to Coma, a well-studied location in our own backyard whose distance was in good accord well before the Hubble tension, DESI indicates a more pervasive conflict between our knowledge of local distances and cosmological expectations. We expect future programs to refine the distance to Coma and nearer clusters to help illuminate this new local window on the Hubble tension.
{"title":"The Hubble Tension in Our Own Backyard: DESI and the Nearness of the Coma Cluster","authors":"Daniel Scolnic, Adam G. Riess, Yukei S. Murakami, Erik R. Peterson, Dillon Brout, Maria Acevedo, Bastien Carreres, David O. Jones, Khaled Said, Cullan Howlett and Gagandeep S. Anand","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada0bd","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada0bd","url":null,"abstract":"The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration measured a tight relation between the Hubble constant (H0) and the distance to the Coma cluster using the fundamental plane (FP) relation of the deepest, most homogeneous sample of early-type galaxies. To determine H0, we measure the distance to Coma by several independent routes, each with its own geometric reference. We measure the most precise distance to Coma from 13 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the cluster with a mean standardized brightness of mag. Calibrating the absolute magnitude of SNe Ia with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) distance ladder yields DComa = 98.5 ± 2.2 Mpc, consistent with its canonical value of 95–100 Mpc. This distance results in H0 = 76.5 ± 2.2 km s−1 Mpc−1 from the DESI FP relation. Inverting the DESI relation by calibrating it instead to the Planck+ΛCDM value of H0 = 67.4 km s−1 Mpc−1 implies a much greater distance to Coma, DComa = 111.8 ± 1.8 Mpc, 4.6σ beyond a joint, direct measure. Independent of SNe Ia, the HST Key Project FP relation as calibrated by Cepheids, the tip of the red giant branch from JWST, or HST near-infrared surface brightness fluctuations all yield DComa < 100 Mpc, in joint tension themselves with the Planck-calibrated route at >3σ. From a broad array of distance estimates compiled back to 1990, it is hard to see how Coma could be located as far as the Planck+ΛCDM expectation of >110 Mpc. By extending the Hubble diagram to Coma, a well-studied location in our own backyard whose distance was in good accord well before the Hubble tension, DESI indicates a more pervasive conflict between our knowledge of local distances and cosmological expectations. We expect future programs to refine the distance to Coma and nearer clusters to help illuminate this new local window on the Hubble tension.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142981296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad9f2d
Subham Ghosh and Pallavi Bhat
Observations of galaxy clusters show radio emission extended over almost the system scale, necessitating mechanisms for particle acceleration. Previous models for acceleration, such as diffusive shock acceleration and that due to turbulence, can fall short in terms of efficiency. In this Letter, we propose the possibility of acceleration via magnetic reconnection. In particular, we invoke the plasmoid instability, which has been previously applied to understand particle energization in high-energy systems. Turbulence in galaxy clusters leads to fluctuation dynamos that are known to generate magnetic field structures consisting of sharp reversals. These form natural sites of reconnection. We perform particle-in-cell simulations of the plasmoid instability in collisionless and nonrelativistic plasmas. We show that the resulting electron energy spectra have power-law indices that are consistent with those inferred from observations. Our estimates show that the acceleration timescales are much smaller than the lifetime of the reconnecting magnetic structures indicating the feasibility of our model. The synchrotron radio luminosity estimate is about 1041 erg s−1, agreeing with observations. Finally, we find that the maximum achievable Lorentz factor can go up to 105 indicating that acceleration due to magnetic reconnection is a promising avenue for understanding the origin of nonthermal emission in galaxy clusters.
{"title":"Magnetic Reconnection: An Alternative Explanation of Radio Emission in Galaxy Clusters","authors":"Subham Ghosh and Pallavi Bhat","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ad9f2d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9f2d","url":null,"abstract":"Observations of galaxy clusters show radio emission extended over almost the system scale, necessitating mechanisms for particle acceleration. Previous models for acceleration, such as diffusive shock acceleration and that due to turbulence, can fall short in terms of efficiency. In this Letter, we propose the possibility of acceleration via magnetic reconnection. In particular, we invoke the plasmoid instability, which has been previously applied to understand particle energization in high-energy systems. Turbulence in galaxy clusters leads to fluctuation dynamos that are known to generate magnetic field structures consisting of sharp reversals. These form natural sites of reconnection. We perform particle-in-cell simulations of the plasmoid instability in collisionless and nonrelativistic plasmas. We show that the resulting electron energy spectra have power-law indices that are consistent with those inferred from observations. Our estimates show that the acceleration timescales are much smaller than the lifetime of the reconnecting magnetic structures indicating the feasibility of our model. The synchrotron radio luminosity estimate is about 1041 erg s−1, agreeing with observations. Finally, we find that the maximum achievable Lorentz factor can go up to 105 indicating that acceleration due to magnetic reconnection is a promising avenue for understanding the origin of nonthermal emission in galaxy clusters.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142986132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-14DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada558
Oksana Kruparova, Adam Szabo, Lan K. Jian, František Němec, Jana Šafránková, Zdeněk Němeček, Jacob Pasanen, Ayris Narock and Vratislav Krupar
We present a comprehensive analysis of 66 interplanetary shocks observed by the Parker Solar Probe between 2018 November and 2024 January. Among these, 33 events fulfilled the Rankine–Hugoniot (R-H) conditions, ensuring reliable asymptotic plasma parameter solutions. The remaining 33 events could not be confirmed by the standard R-H approach—potentially including wave-like structures—yet were analyzed via averaging and mixed-data methods to obtain robust shock parameters. Utilizing our ShOck Detection Algorithm database, the shocks are categorized into fast-forward, fast-reverse, slow-forward, and slow-reverse types. We investigate the statistical properties of these shocks, focusing on correlations between key parameters—magnetic field compression, density compression, shock normal angle, and change in velocity—and heliocentric distance. Significant positive correlations are identified between heliocentric distance and both magnetic field compression and density compression, suggesting that shocks strengthen as they propagate away from the Sun, largely due to the high local magnetosonic speeds closer to the Sun that can suppress shock formation except in extremely fast events. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic processes governing shock evolution in the inner heliosphere, including scenarios where the near-radial magnetic field geometry may lead to predominantly quasi-parallel shock configurations and thus affect near-Sun particle acceleration efficiency. We also provide strong evidence for the existence of slow-mode shocks near the Sun, contributing to the understanding of shock formation and evolution in the inner heliosphere.
{"title":"Radial Evolution of Interplanetary Shock Properties with Heliospheric Distance: Observations from Parker Solar Probe","authors":"Oksana Kruparova, Adam Szabo, Lan K. Jian, František Němec, Jana Šafránková, Zdeněk Němeček, Jacob Pasanen, Ayris Narock and Vratislav Krupar","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada558","url":null,"abstract":"We present a comprehensive analysis of 66 interplanetary shocks observed by the Parker Solar Probe between 2018 November and 2024 January. Among these, 33 events fulfilled the Rankine–Hugoniot (R-H) conditions, ensuring reliable asymptotic plasma parameter solutions. The remaining 33 events could not be confirmed by the standard R-H approach—potentially including wave-like structures—yet were analyzed via averaging and mixed-data methods to obtain robust shock parameters. Utilizing our ShOck Detection Algorithm database, the shocks are categorized into fast-forward, fast-reverse, slow-forward, and slow-reverse types. We investigate the statistical properties of these shocks, focusing on correlations between key parameters—magnetic field compression, density compression, shock normal angle, and change in velocity—and heliocentric distance. Significant positive correlations are identified between heliocentric distance and both magnetic field compression and density compression, suggesting that shocks strengthen as they propagate away from the Sun, largely due to the high local magnetosonic speeds closer to the Sun that can suppress shock formation except in extremely fast events. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic processes governing shock evolution in the inner heliosphere, including scenarios where the near-radial magnetic field geometry may lead to predominantly quasi-parallel shock configurations and thus affect near-Sun particle acceleration efficiency. We also provide strong evidence for the existence of slow-mode shocks near the Sun, contributing to the understanding of shock formation and evolution in the inner heliosphere.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-14DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad9ea8
Theodore Kareta, Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz, Nicholas Moskovitz, Davide Farnocchia and Benjamin N. L. Sharkey
The near-Earth asteroid (NEA) 2024 PT5 is on an Earth-like orbit that remained in Earth's immediate vicinity for several months at the end of 2024. PT5's orbit is challenging to populate with asteroids originating from the main belt and is more commonly associated with rocket bodies mistakenly identified as natural objects or with debris ejected from impacts on the Moon. We obtained visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra of PT5 with the Lowell Discovery Telescope and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on 2024 August 16. The combined reflectance spectrum matches lunar samples but does not match any known asteroid types—it is pyroxene-rich, while asteroids of comparable spectral redness are olivine-rich. Moreover, the amount of solar radiation pressure observed on the PT5 trajectory is orders of magnitude lower than what would be expected for an artificial object. We therefore conclude that 2024 PT5 is ejecta from an impact on the Moon, thus making PT5 the second NEA suggested to be sourced from the surface of the Moon. While one object might be an outlier, two suggest that there is an underlying population to be characterized. Long-term predictions of the position of 2024 PT5 are challenging due to the slow Earth encounters characteristic of objects in these orbits. A population of near-Earth objects that are sourced by the Moon would be important to characterize for understanding how impacts work on our nearest neighbor and for identifying the source regions of asteroids and meteorites from this understudied population of objects on very Earth-like orbits.
{"title":"On the Lunar Origin of Near-Earth Asteroid 2024 PT5","authors":"Theodore Kareta, Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz, Nicholas Moskovitz, Davide Farnocchia and Benjamin N. L. Sharkey","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ad9ea8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9ea8","url":null,"abstract":"The near-Earth asteroid (NEA) 2024 PT5 is on an Earth-like orbit that remained in Earth's immediate vicinity for several months at the end of 2024. PT5's orbit is challenging to populate with asteroids originating from the main belt and is more commonly associated with rocket bodies mistakenly identified as natural objects or with debris ejected from impacts on the Moon. We obtained visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra of PT5 with the Lowell Discovery Telescope and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on 2024 August 16. The combined reflectance spectrum matches lunar samples but does not match any known asteroid types—it is pyroxene-rich, while asteroids of comparable spectral redness are olivine-rich. Moreover, the amount of solar radiation pressure observed on the PT5 trajectory is orders of magnitude lower than what would be expected for an artificial object. We therefore conclude that 2024 PT5 is ejecta from an impact on the Moon, thus making PT5 the second NEA suggested to be sourced from the surface of the Moon. While one object might be an outlier, two suggest that there is an underlying population to be characterized. Long-term predictions of the position of 2024 PT5 are challenging due to the slow Earth encounters characteristic of objects in these orbits. A population of near-Earth objects that are sourced by the Moon would be important to characterize for understanding how impacts work on our nearest neighbor and for identifying the source regions of asteroids and meteorites from this understudied population of objects on very Earth-like orbits.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-14DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada02c
Kazumasa Ohno, Everett Schlawin, Taylor J. Bell, Matthew M. Murphy, Thomas G. Beatty, Luis Welbanks, Thomas P. Greene, Jonathan J. Fortney, Vivien Parmentier, Isaac R. Edelman, Nishil Mehta and Marcia J. Rieke
GJ 1214b is the archetype sub-Neptune for which thick aerosols have prevented us from constraining its atmospheric properties for over a decade. In this study, we leverage the panchromatic transmission spectrum of GJ 1214b established by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and JWST to investigate its atmospheric properties using a suite of atmospheric radiative transfer, photochemistry, and aerosol microphysical models. We find that the combined HST, JWST/NIRSpec, and JWST/MIRI spectrum can be well explained by atmospheric models with an extremely high metallicity of [M/H] ∼ 3.5 and an extremely high haze production rate of Fhaze ∼ 10−8 to 10−7 g cm−2 s−1. Such high atmospheric metallicity is suggested by the relatively strong CO2 feature compared to the haze absorption feature or the CH4 feature in the NIRSpec-G395H bandpass of 2.5–5 μm. The flat 5–12 μm MIRI spectrum also suggests a small scale height with a high atmospheric metallicity that is needed to suppress a prominent ∼6 μm haze feature. We tested the sensitivity of our interpretation to various assumptions for uncertain haze properties, such as optical constants and production rate, and all models tested here consistently suggest extremely high metallicity. Thus, we conclude that GJ 1214b likely has a metal-dominated atmosphere where hydrogen is no longer the main atmospheric constituent. We also find that different assumptions for the haze production rate lead to distinct inferences for the atmospheric C/O ratio. We stress the importance of high-precision follow-up observations to confirm the metal-dominated atmosphere, as it challenges the conventional understanding of interior structure and evolution of sub-Neptunes.
{"title":"A Possible Metal-dominated Atmosphere below the Thick Aerosols of GJ 1214 b Suggested by Its JWST Panchromatic Transmission Spectrum","authors":"Kazumasa Ohno, Everett Schlawin, Taylor J. Bell, Matthew M. Murphy, Thomas G. Beatty, Luis Welbanks, Thomas P. Greene, Jonathan J. Fortney, Vivien Parmentier, Isaac R. Edelman, Nishil Mehta and Marcia J. Rieke","doi":"10.3847/2041-8213/ada02c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada02c","url":null,"abstract":"GJ 1214b is the archetype sub-Neptune for which thick aerosols have prevented us from constraining its atmospheric properties for over a decade. In this study, we leverage the panchromatic transmission spectrum of GJ 1214b established by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and JWST to investigate its atmospheric properties using a suite of atmospheric radiative transfer, photochemistry, and aerosol microphysical models. We find that the combined HST, JWST/NIRSpec, and JWST/MIRI spectrum can be well explained by atmospheric models with an extremely high metallicity of [M/H] ∼ 3.5 and an extremely high haze production rate of Fhaze ∼ 10−8 to 10−7 g cm−2 s−1. Such high atmospheric metallicity is suggested by the relatively strong CO2 feature compared to the haze absorption feature or the CH4 feature in the NIRSpec-G395H bandpass of 2.5–5 μm. The flat 5–12 μm MIRI spectrum also suggests a small scale height with a high atmospheric metallicity that is needed to suppress a prominent ∼6 μm haze feature. We tested the sensitivity of our interpretation to various assumptions for uncertain haze properties, such as optical constants and production rate, and all models tested here consistently suggest extremely high metallicity. Thus, we conclude that GJ 1214b likely has a metal-dominated atmosphere where hydrogen is no longer the main atmospheric constituent. We also find that different assumptions for the haze production rate lead to distinct inferences for the atmospheric C/O ratio. We stress the importance of high-precision follow-up observations to confirm the metal-dominated atmosphere, as it challenges the conventional understanding of interior structure and evolution of sub-Neptunes.","PeriodicalId":501814,"journal":{"name":"The Astrophysical Journal Letters","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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