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Latest articles for The Astrophysical Journal
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Quasi-linear Analysis of Proton-cyclotron Instability
The proton-cyclotron (PC) instability operates in various space plasma environments. In the literature, the so-called velocity moment-based quasi-linear theory is employed to investigate the physical process of PC instability that takes place after the onset of early linear exponential growth. In this method, the proton velocity distribution function (VDF) is assumed to maintain a bi-Maxwellian form for all time, which substantially simplifies the analysis, but its validity has not been rigorously examined by comparing against the actual solution of the kinetic equation. The present paper relaxes the assumption of the velocity moment-based quasi-linear theory by actually solving for the velocity space diffusion equation under the assumption of separable perpendicular and parallel VDFs, and upon comparison with the simplified velocity moment theory, it demonstrates that the simplified method is largely valid, despite the fact that the method slightly overemphasizes the relaxation of temperature anisotropy when the system is close to the marginally stable state. The overall validation is further confirmed with the results of particle-in-cell and hybrid-code simulations. The present paper thus provides a justification for making use of the velocity moment-based quasi-linear theory as an efficient first-cut theoretical tool for the PC instability.
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A Self-consistent Model of Shock-heated Plasma in Nonequilibrium States for Direct Parameter Constraints from X-Ray Observations
X-ray observations of shock-heated plasmas, such as those found in supernova remnants (SNRs), often exhibit features of temperature and ionization nonequilibrium. For accurate interpretation of these observations, proper calculations of the equilibration processes are essential. Here, we present a self-consistent model of thermal X-ray emission from shock-heated plasmas that accounts for both temperature and ionization nonequilibrium conditions. For a given pair of shock velocity and initial electron-to-ion temperature ratio, the temporal evolution of the temperature and ionization state of each element was calculated by simultaneously solving the relaxation processes of temperature and ionization. The resulting thermal X-ray spectrum was synthesized by combining our model with the AtomDB spectral code. Comparison between our model and the nei model, a constant-temperature nonequilibrium ionization model available in the XSPEC software package, reveals a 30% underestimation of the ionization timescale in the nei model. We implemented our model in XSPEC to directly constrain the shock wave’s properties, such as the shock velocity and collisionless electron heating efficiency, from the thermal X-ray emission from postshock plasmas. We applied this model to archival Chandra data of the SNR N132D, providing a constraint on the shock velocity of ∼800 km s−1, in agreement with previous optical studies.
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The SPT-Chandra BCG Spectroscopic Survey. I. Evolution of the Entropy Threshold for ICM Cooling and AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters over the Last 10 Gyr
We present a multiwavelength study of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a sample of the 95 most massive galaxy clusters selected from the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) survey. Our sample spans a redshift range of 0.3 < z < 1.7, and is complete with optical spectroscopy from various ground-based observatories, as well as ground and space-based imaging from optical, X-ray, and radio wave bands. At z ∼ 0, previous studies have shown a strong correlation between the presence of a low-entropy cool core and the presence of both star formation and radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the central BCG. We show for the first time that the central entropy threshold for triggering star formation, which is universally seen in nearby systems, persists out to z ∼ 1, with only marginal (∼1σ) evidence for evolution in the threshold entropy value itself. In contrast, we do not find a similar high-z analog for an entropy threshold for feedback, but instead measure a strong evolution in the fraction of radio-loud BCGs in high-entropy cores, decreasing with increasing redshift. This could imply that the cooling-feedback loop was not as tight in the past, or that some other fuel source like mergers are fueling the radio sources more often with increasing redshift, making the radio luminosity an increasingly unreliable proxy for radio jet power. We also find that our SZ-based sample is missing a small (∼4%) population of the most luminous radio sources (νLν > 1042 erg s−1), likely due to radio contamination suppressing the SZ signal with which these clusters are detected.
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The Extremely Metal-poor SN 2023ufx: A Local Analog to High-redshift Type II Supernovae
We present extensive observations of the Type II supernova (SN II) SN 2023ufx, which is likely the most metal-poor SN II observed to date. It exploded in the outskirts of a low-metallicity (Zhost ∼ 0.1 Z⊙) dwarf (Mg = −13.39 ± 0.16 mag, rproj ∼ 1 kpc) galaxy. The explosion is luminous, peaking at Mg ≈ −18.5 mag, and shows rapid evolution. The r-band (pseudobolometric) light curve has a shock-cooling phase lasting 20 (17) days followed by a 19 (23) day plateau. The entire optically thick phase lasts only ≈55 days following explosion, indicating that the red supergiant progenitor had a thinned H envelope prior to explosion. The early spectra obtained during the shock-cooling phase show no evidence for narrow emission features and limit the preexplosion mass-loss rate to M⊙ yr−1. The photospheric-phase spectra are devoid of prominent metal absorption features, indicating a progenitor metallicity of ≲0.1 Z⊙. The seminebular (∼60–130 days) spectra reveal weak Fe ii, but other metal species typically observed at these phases (Ti ii, Sc ii, and Ba ii) are conspicuously absent. The late-phase optical and near-infrared spectra also reveal broad (≈104 km s−1) double-peaked Hα, Pβ, and Pγ emission profiles suggestive of a fast outflow launched during the explosion. Outflows are typically attributed to rapidly rotating progenitors, which also prefer metal-poor environments. This is only the second SN II with ≲0.1 Z⊙ and both exhibit peculiar evolution, suggesting a sizable fraction of metal-poor SNe II have distinct properties compared to nearby metal-enriched SNe II. These observations lay the groundwork for modeling the metal-poor SNe II expected in the early Universe.
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Temporal Evolution of the Radial Distribution of Milky Way Satellite Galaxies
The Milky Way (MW) is surrounded by dozens of satellite galaxies, with six-dimensional (6D) phase-space information measured for over 80% of this population. The spatial distribution of these satellites is an essential probe of galaxy formation and for mapping the MW’s underlying dark matter distribution. Using measured 6D phase-space information of known MW satellites, we calculate orbital histories in a joint MW+LMC potential, including the gravitational influence of the LMC on all satellites and on the MW’s center of mass, and dynamical friction owing to both galaxies, to investigate the evolution of the MW’s cumulative radial profile. We conclude that radial profiles become more concentrated over time when we consider the LMC’s gravitational influence and the group infall of LMC-associated satellites. The MW’s radial distribution is consistently more concentrated at the present day and 1 and 2 Gyr ago compared to recent surveys of nearby MW-like systems. Compared to MW-mass hosts in cosmological, zoom-in simulations, we find the MW’s radial profile is also more concentrated than those of simulated counterparts; however, some overlap exists between simulation results and our analysis of the MW’s satellite distribution 2 Gyr ago, pre-LMC infall. Finally, we posit that radial profiles of simulated MW-mass analogs also hosting an LMC companion are likely to evolve similarly to our results, such that the accretion of a massive satellite along with its satellites will lead to a more concentrated radial profile as the massive satellite advances toward its host galaxy.