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Latest articles for The Astrophysical Journal
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Discovery and Spectroscopic Confirmation of Aquarius III: A Low-mass Milky Way Satellite Galaxy
We present the discovery of Aquarius III, an ultra-faint Milky Way satellite galaxy identified in the second data release of the DECam Local Volume Exploration survey. Based on deeper follow-up imaging with DECam, we find that Aquarius III is a low-luminosity ( ), extended ( pc) stellar system located in the outer halo (D⊙ = 85 ± 4 kpc). From medium-resolution Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy, we identify 11 member stars and measure a mean heliocentric radial velocity of for the system and place an upper limit of σv < 3.5 km s−1 (σv < 1.6 km s−1) on its velocity dispersion at the 95% (68%) credible level. Based on calcium-triplet metallicities of the six brightest red giant members, we find that Aquarius III is very metal-poor ([Fe/H]= − 2.61 ± 0.21) with a statistically significant metallicity spread ( dex). We interpret this metallicity spread as strong evidence that the system is a dwarf galaxy as opposed to a star cluster. Combining our velocity measurement with Gaia proper motions, we find that Aquarius III is currently situated near its orbital pericenter in the outer halo (rperi = 78 ± 7 kpc) and that it is plausibly on first infall onto the Milky Way. This orbital history likely precludes significant tidal disruption from the Galactic disk, notably unlike other satellites with comparably low velocity dispersion limits in the literature. Thus, if further velocity measurements confirm that its velocity dispersion is truly below σv ≲ 2 km s−1, Aquarius III may serve as a useful laboratory for probing galaxy formation physics in low-mass halos.
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Redshifting the Study of Cold Brown Dwarfs and Exoplanets: The Mid-infrared Wavelength Region as an Indicator of Surface Gravity and Mass
JWST is opening many avenues for exploration. For cold brown dwarfs and exoplanets, JWST has opened the door to the mid-infrared wavelength region, where such objects emit significant energy. For the first time, astronomers have access to mid-infrared spectroscopy for objects colder than 600 K. The first spectra appear to validate the model suite known as ATMO 2020++: atmospheres that include disequilibrium chemistry and have a nonadiabatic pressure–temperature relationship. Preliminary fits to JWST spectroscopy of Y dwarfs show that the slope of the energy distribution from λ ≈ 4.5 μm to λ ≈ 10 μm is very sensitive to gravity. We explore this phenomenon using PH3-free ATMO 2020++ models and updated Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer W2−W3 colors. We find that an absolute 4.5 μm flux measurement constrains temperature, and the ratio of the 4.5 μm flux to the 10–15 μm flux is sensitive to gravity and less sensitive to metallicity. We identify 10 T dwarfs with red W2−W3 colors that are likely to be very-low-gravity, young, few-Jupiter-mass objects; one of these is the previously known COCONUTS-2b. The unusual Y dwarf WISEPA J182831.08+265037.8 is blue in W2−W3, and we find that the 4–18 μm JWST spectrum is well reproduced if the system is a pair of high-gravity 400 K dwarfs. Recently published JWST colors and luminosity-based effective temperatures for late-T and -Y dwarfs further corroborate the ATMO 2020++ models, demonstrating the potential for significant improvement in our understanding of cold, very-low-mass bodies in the solar neighborhood.
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Cosmic Reionization on Computers: The Evolution of the Ionizing Background and Mean Free Path
Observations of the end stages of reionization indicate that at z ≈ 5–6, the ionizing background is not uniform and the mean free path (MFP) changes drastically. As the MFP is closely related to the distribution of Lyman-limit systems (LLSs) and damped Lyα absorbers, it is important to understand them. In this study, we utilize the Cosmic Reionization on Computers (CROC) simulations, which have both sufficient spatial resolution to resolve galaxy formation and LLSs alongside a fully coupled radiative transfer, to simulate the reionization processes. We analyze two CROC boxes with distinct reionization histories and find that the distributions of the ionizing background in both simulations display significant skewness. Further, the ionizing background in the late-reionization box still displays significant fluctuations (∼40%) at z ≈ 5. We also measure the MFP along sightlines that center on potential quasar hosting halos. The evolution of the MFP measured from these sightlines exhibits a break that coincides with the disappearance of all the neutral islands in the reionization history of each box. In the absence of LLSs, the MFP will be biased high by ≈20% at z ≈ 5. We also compare the MFPs measured in random sightlines. We find that at z ≈ 5, the MFPs measured in sightlines that start from massive halos are systematically smaller by ≈10% compared with the MFPs measured in random sightlines. We attribute this difference to the concentration of dense structures within 1 pMpc of massive halos. Our findings highlight the importance of high-fidelity models in the interpretation of observational measurements.
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Maximum Energy of Particles in Plasmas
Particles are accelerated to very high, nonthermal energies in space, solar, and astrophysical plasma environments. In cosmic-ray physics, the Hillas limit is often used as a rough estimate (or the necessary condition) of the maximum energy of particles. This limit is based on the concepts of one-shot direct acceleration by a system-wide motional electric field, as well as stochastic and diffusive acceleration in strongly turbulent environments. However, it remains unclear how well this limit explains the actual observed maximum energies of particles. Here, we show, based on a systematic review, that the observed maximum energy of particles—those in space, solar, astrophysical, and laboratory environments—often reach the energy predicted by the Hillas limit. We also found several exceptions, such as electrons in solar flares and jet-terminal lobes of radio galaxies, as well as protons in planetary radiation belts, where deviations from this limit occur. We discuss possible causes of such deviations, and we argue in particular that there is a good chance of detecting ultra-high-energy (∼100 GeV) solar flare electrons that have not yet been detected. We anticipate that this study will facilitate further interdisciplinary discussions on the maximum energy of particles and the underlying mechanisms of particle acceleration in diverse plasma environments.
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Evolution of Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence in the Expanding Solar Wind: Residual Energy and Intermittency
We conduct 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of decaying turbulence in the context of the solar wind. To account for the spherical expansion of the solar wind, we implement the expanding box model. The initial turbulence comprises uncorrelated counterpropagating Alfvén waves and exhibits an isotropic power spectrum. Our findings reveal the consistent generation of negative residual energy whenever nonlinear interactions are present, independent of the normalized cross helicity σc and compressibility. The spherical expansion facilitates this process. The resulting residual energy is primarily distributed in the perpendicular direction, with S2(b) − S2(u) ∝ l⊥ or equivalently . Here S2(b) and S2(u) are second-order structure functions of magnetic field and velocity respectively. In most runs, S2(b) develops a scaling relation ( ). In contrast, S2(u) is consistently shallower than S2(b), which aligns with in situ observations of the solar wind. We observe that the higher-order statistics of the turbulence, which act as a proxy for intermittency, depend on the initial σc and are strongly affected by the expansion effect. Generally, the intermittency is more pronounced when the expansion effect is present. Finally, we find that in our simulations, although the negative residual energy and intermittency grow simultaneously as the turbulence evolves, the causal relation between them seems to be weak, possibly because they are generated on different scales.