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A simple phenomenological thermodynamic model is developed to describe the chemical bonding and unbonding in homonuclear diatomic systems. This model describes the entire phase diagram of dimer-forming systems and shows a transition from monomers to dimers, with monomers favored at both very low and very high pressures, as well as at high temperatures. In the context of hydrogen, the former region corresponds to hydrogen present in most interstellar gas clouds, while the latter is associated with the long sought-after fluid metallic phase. The model predicts a molecular to atomic fluid transition in dense deuterium, which is in agreement with recently reported experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While quiescent galaxies have comparable amounts of cool gas in their outer circumgalactic medium (CGM) compared to star-forming galaxies, they have significantly less interstellar gas. However, open questions remain on the processes causing galaxies to stop forming stars and stay quiescent. Theories suggest dynamical interactions with the hot corona prevent cool gas from reaching the galaxy, therefore predicting the inner regions of quiescent galaxy CGMs are devoid of cool gas. However, there is a lack of understanding of the inner regions of CGMs due to the lack of spatial information in quasar-sightline methods. We present integral-field spectroscopy probing 10–20 kpc (2.4–4.8 Re) around a massive quiescent galaxy using a gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxy. We detect absorption from Magnesium (MgII) implying large amounts of cool atomic gas (108.4–109.3 M⊙ with T~104 Kelvin), in comparable amounts to star-forming galaxies. Lens modeling of Hubble imaging also reveals a diffuse asymmetric component of significant mass consistent with the spatial extent of the MgII absorption, and offset from the galaxy light profile. This study demonstrates the power of galaxy-scale gravitational lenses to not only probe the gas around galaxies, but to also independently probe the mass of the CGM due to it's gravitational effect. Quiescent galaxies have similar amount of cool gas to star forming galaxies, yet why galaxies stop forming stars remains an open question. The authors investigate why passive galaxies remain quiescent using a gravitationally lensed background galaxy to probe the faint, diffuse cool gas around a massive quiescent galaxy, and use lensing configuration to constrain the total mass and geometry of this gas reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of isolated Milky Way-mass disc galaxies that include cold, interstellar gas to test subgrid prescriptions for star formation (SF). Our fiducial model combines a Schmidt law with a gravitational instability criterion, but we also test density thresholds and temperature ceilings. While SF histories are insensitive to the prescription for SF, the Kennicutt–Schmidt (KS) relations between SF rate and gas surface density can discriminate between models. We show that our fiducial model, with an SF efficiency per free-fall time of 1 per cent, agrees with spatially resolved and azimuthally averaged observed KS relations for neutral, atomic, and molecular gas. Density thresholds do not perform as well. While temperature ceilings selecting cold, molecular gas can match the data for galaxies with solar metallicity, they are unsuitable for very low-metallicity gas and hence for cosmological simulations. We argue that SF criteria should be applied at the resolution limit rather than at a fixed physical scale, which means that we should aim for numerical convergence of observables rather than of the properties of gas labelled as star-forming. Our fiducial model yields good convergence when the mass resolution is varied by nearly 4 orders of magnitude, with the exception of the spatially resolved molecular KS relation at low surface densities. For the gravitational instability criterion, we quantify the impact on the KS relations of gravitational softening, the SF efficiency, and the strength of supernova feedback, as well as of observable parameters such as the inclusion of ionized gas, the averaging scale, and the metallicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jets from active nuclei may supply the heating which moderates cooling and accretion from the circum-galactic medium. While steady overpressured jets can drive a circulatory flow, lateral energy transfer rarely exceeds 3 per cent of jet power, after the initial bow shock has advanced. Here, we explore if pulses in high-pressure jets are capable of sufficient lateral energy transfer into the surrounding environment. We answer this by performing a systematic survey of numerical simulations in an axisymmetric hydrodynamic mode. Velocity pulses along low Mach jets are studied at various overpressures. We consider combinations of jet velocity pulse amplitude and frequency. We find three flow types corresponding to slow, intermediate, and fast pulsations. Rapid pulsations in light jets generate a series of travelling shocks in the jet. They also create ripples which propagate into the ambient medium while a slow convection flow brings in ambient gas which is expelled along the jet direction. Long period pulses produce slowly evolving patterns which have little external effect, while screeching persists as in non-pulsed jets. In addition, rapid pulses in jets denser than the ambient medium generate a novel breathing cavity analogous to a lung. Intermediate period pulses generate a series of bows via a bellows action which transfer energy into the ambient gas, reaching power efficiencies of over 30 per cent when the jet overpressure is sufficiently large. This may adequately inhibit galaxy gas accretion. In addition, such pulses enhance the axial out-flow of jet material, potentially polluting the circum-galactic gas with metal-enriched interstellar gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binding energies of radicals and molecules at dust grain surfaces are important parameters for understanding and modeling the chemical inventory of interstellar gas clouds. While first-principles methods can reliably be used to compute such binding energies, the complex structure and varying sizes and stoichiometries of realistic dust grains make a complete characterization of all adsorption sites exposed by their surfaces challenging. Here, we focus on nanoclusters composed of Mg-rich silicates as models of interstellar dust grains and two adsorbates of particular astrochemical relevance; H and CO. We employ a compressed sensing method to identify descriptors for the binding energies, which are expressed as analytical functions of intrinsic properties of the clusters, obtainable through a single first-principles calculation of the cluster. The descriptors are identified based on a diverse training dataset of binding energies at low-energy structures of nanosilicate clusters, where the latter structures were obtained using a first-principles-based global optimization method. The composition of the descriptors reveals how electronic, electrostatic, and geometric properties of the nanosilicates control the binding energies and demonstrates distinct physical origins of the bond formation for H and CO. The predictive performance of the descriptors is found to be limited by cluster reconstruction, e.g., breaking of internal metal–oxygen bonds, upon the adsorption event, and strategies to account for this phenomenon are discussed. The identified descriptors and the computed datasets of stable nanosilicate clusters along with their binding energies are expected to find use in astrochemical models of reaction networks occurring at silicate grain surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the molecular gas content and interstellar medium conditions of MACS J0717_Az9, a strong gravitationally lensed z = 4.273, M * ≃ 2 × 109 M ⊙ star-forming galaxy with an unusually high (∼80%) obscured star formation fraction. We detect CO (4–3) in two independent lensed images, as well as [N ii ] 205 μ m, with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. We derive a molecular gas mass of log 10 [ M H 2 (M ⊙) ] = 9.77 , making it moderately deficient in molecular gas compared to the lower-redshift gas fraction scaling relation. Leveraging photodissociation region (PDR) models, we combine our CO (4–3) measurements with existing measurements of the [C ii ] 158 μ m line and total infrared luminosity to model the PDR conditions. We find PDR conditions similar to those in local star-forming galaxies, with a mean hydrogen density log10[ n H cm−3] = 4.80 ± 0.39 and a mean radiation field strength log10[ G 0 Habing] = 2.83 ± 0.26. Based on Band 3 continuum data, we derive an upper limit on the intrinsic dust mass of log10[ M dust(M ⊙)] < 7.73, consistent with existing estimates. We use the 3D tilted-ring model fitting code 3D-Barolo to determine the kinematic properties of the CO (4–3) emitting gas. We find that it is rotationally dominated, with a V / σ = 4.6 ± 1.7, consistent with the kinematics of the [C ii ]. With PDR conditions remarkably similar to those in normal dusty star-forming galaxies at z < 0.2 and a stable molecular disk, our observations of Az9 suggest that the dust-obscured phase for a low-mass galaxy at z ∼ 4 is relatively long. Thus, Az9 may be representative of a more widespread population that has been missed owing to insufficiently deep existing millimeter surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron densities in different locations of our galaxy are obtained in pulsar astronomy by dividing the dispersion measure (DM) by the distance of the pulsar to Earth. The properties of the interstellar plasma are related to its heating by cosmic rays. Following the present analysis, DM's measurements are obtained with different properties of the corresponding plasmas at different temperatures. (1) For relatively low temperatures (around and below 10,000 (K)), the state of molecular, atomic and ionized hydrogen is analyzed by the interstellar medium model with partially ionized plasma. In this region, various spectroscopic effects are obtained. (2) For temperatures above this limit, the interstellar gas is found to be a completely ionized medium, and this plasma is defined as warm ionized medium (WIM) plasma. We show in the first part of the paper that this plasma is transparent, as obtained from the solution of Saha's equation. The index of refraction of the WIM plasma is real, but the plasma can be observed by dispersion measurements. (3) For very high temperatures (around 1 million (K)), the plasma is defined as hot ionized medium, where X-rays are obtained. We concentrate in the present work on the analysis of WIM plasma. We calculate the mass densities of this plasma and compare it with dark matter mass densities, which are found to be larger. But some factors which may reduce this difference are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Hadronic interactions between cosmic rays (CRs) and interstellar gas have been probed in γ rays across the Galaxy. A fairly uniform CR distribution is observed up to a few hundred parsecs from the Sun, except in the Eridu cloud, which shows an unexplained 30–50% deficit in GeV to TeV CR flux. Aims. To explore the origin of this deficit, we studied the Reticulum cloud, which shares notable traits with Eridu: a comparable distance in the low-density region of the Local Valley and a filamentary structure of atomic hydrogen extending along a bundle of ordered magnetic-field lines that are steeply inclined to the Galactic plane. Methods. We measured the γ-ray emissivity per gas nucleon in the Reticulum cloud in the 0.16–63 GeV energy band using 14 years of Fermi-LAT data. We also derived interstellar properties that are important for CR propagation in both the Eridu and Reticulum clouds, at the same parsec scale. Results. The γ-ray emissivity in the Reticulum cloud is fully consistent with the average spectrum measured in the solar neighbourhood, but this emissivity, and therefore the CR flux, is 1.57 ± 0.09 times larger than in Eridu across the whole energy band. The difference cannot be attributed to uncertainties in gas mass. Nevertheless, we find that the two clouds are similar in many respects: both have magnetic-field strengths of a few micro-Gauss in the plane of the sky; both are in approximate equilibrium between magnetic and thermal pressures; they have similar turbulent velocities and sonic Mach numbers; and both show magnetic-field regularity with a dispersion in orientation lower than 10°–15° over large zones. The gas in Reticulum is colder and denser than in Eridu, but we find similar parallel diffusion coefficients around a few times 1028 cm2 s−1 in both clouds if CRs above 1 GV in rigidity diffuse on resonant, self-excited Alfvén waves that are damped by ion-neutral interactions. Conclusions. The loss of CRs in Eridu remains unexplained, but these two clouds provide important test cases to further study how magnetic turbulence, line tangling, and ion-neutral damping regulate CR diffusion in the dominant gas phase of the interstellar medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on observations of the pulsar B1133+16 conducted on the BSA PRAO antenna array at a frequency of 111 MHz with continuous recording of undetected signal (voltage) in the 2.5 MHz band, providing time resolution 0.2 µs. From 30 observation sessions, 570 strong pulses were selected for the subsequent analysis of microstructure parameters. The analysis was performed by computing autocorrelation functions separately for the three components of the mean profile: two extreme main components I and II and for the central weak component in the profile saddle. For the component , microstructure analysis was performed for the first time. Distributions have been constructed by the following parameters: time scales , modulation depth , and parameter , which characterizes the shape of the micropulses. Noticeable differences were found in some parameters for different profile components. The discovered features were interpreted in the model of hollow cone with a central component. It was believed that the radio emission of the extreme components (I and II) is generated by ordinary mode O, and the radio emission of the central component is provided by extraordinary mode X. Under this interpretation the radio emission output heights above the polar cap, were estimated to be 45 and 280 km for the X and O modes, respectively. A noticeable deformation of the X mode emission cone relative to the central component S was mentioned. Considerations are presented that point to the spatial structure of the secondary plasma flow, elongated along the meridians of the magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The domain of science and engineering relies heavily on an in-depth comprehension of fluid dynamics, given the prevalence of fluids such as water, air, and interstellar gas in the universe. Euler equations form the basis for the study of fluid motion. This paper is concerned with the Cauchy problem of isentropic compressible Euler equations away from the vacuum. We use the integration method with the general test function f = f (r) , proving that there exist the corresponding blowup results of C 1 irrotational solutions for Euler equations and Euler equations with time-dependent damping in R n ( n ≥ 2 ), provided the density-independent initial functional is sufficiently large. We also provide two simple and explicit test functions f (r) = r and f (r) = 1 + r , to demonstrate the blowup phenomenon in the one-dimensional case. In particular, our results are applicable to the non-radial system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, a method is developed for estimating the dynamic masses of the stellar and gas components of cluster-cloud systems under conditions of non-isolation and significant non-stationarity of stellar and gas subsystems in a regular field. A number of estimates of the dynamic masses of the stellar and gas components of the system are made without using the virial theorem for zero and positive values of the total energies of the system as a whole and of its gaseous subsystem. The well-known estimates of the free-fall time for fragments in the force field of a sphere of uniform and inhomogeneous density sphere simulating a system of gas and stars are refined. The estimates of the quantities are supplemented by estimates of the radial velocities of the fragments in such systems. A number of relations between the parameters of the stellar and gas subsystems in the considered models of embedded clusters are obtained. It is shown that instead of one virial coefficient to describe the system, it is necessary to use three coefficients, the formulas for which are given. The relations make it possible to estimate the dynamic masses of non-isolated and non-stationary subsystems from data on the structural-dynamic characteristics of an embedded cluster. It is shown that the ratio , where is the mean square of the velocities of the stellar subsystem in the case of its virial equilibrium, and is the mean square of the critical velocities of the stars in this subsystem. It is shown that embedded clusters with parameters and have maximum values along some curve in the space ( and are the mass and radius of the th subsystem). The embedded clusters with parameters close to this curve are the least susceptible to destruction space relaxation processes. It is shown that, depending on the initial energies and , the masses of a subsystem of stars in an embedded cluster can be much smaller than the virial masses of this subsystem. This result is also of particular interest for estimating the dynamic masses of galaxy clusters. It is noted that an increase in the degree of non-stationarity of the considered models of embedded clusters leads to a decrease in the periods of oscillations of the stellar subsystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HESS J1825 − 137 is one of the most powerful and luminous TeV gamma-ray pulsar wind nebulae, making it an excellent laboratory to study particle transportation around pulsars. We present a model of the (diffusive and advective) transport and radiative losses of electrons from the pulsar PSR J1826 − 1334 powering HESS J1825 − 137 using interstellar medium gas (ISM) data, soft photon fields, and a spatially varying magnetic field. We find that for the characteristic age of |$21\, \mathrm{k}\mathrm{yr}$|⁠ , PSR J1826 − 1334 is unable to meet the energy requirements to match the observed X-ray and gamma-ray emission. An older age of |$40\, \mathrm{k}\mathrm{yr}$|⁠ , together with an electron conversion efficiency of 0.14 and advective flow of v = 0.002 c , can reproduce the observed multiwavelength emission towards HESS J1825 − 137. A turbulent ISM with magnetic field of |$B=20 \,{\rm to}\, 60 \,\mathrm{\mu }{\rm G}$| to the north of HESS J1825 − 137 (as suggested by ISM observations) is required to prevent significant gamma-ray contamination towards the northern |$\mathrm{T}\mathrm{e\mathrm{V}}$| source HESS J1826 − 130. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of its ubiquitous presence in the interstellar gas, the chemistry and reactivity of the HCO+ ion requires special attention. The availability of up-to-date collisional data between this ion and the most abundant perturbing species in the interstellar medium is a critical resource in order to derive reliable values of its molecular abundance from astronomical observations. This work intends to provide improved scattering parameters for the HCO+ and He collisional system. We have tested the accuracy of explicitly correlated coupled-cluster methods for mapping the short- and long-range multi-dimensional potential energy surface of atom–ion systems. A validation of the methodology employed for the calculation of the potential well has been obtained from the comparison with experimentally derived bound-state spectroscopic parameters. Finally, by solving the close-coupling scattering equations, we have derived the pressure broadening and shift coefficients for the first six rotational transitions of HCO+ as well as inelastic state-to-state transition rates up to j = 5 in the 5–100 K temperature interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supernovae (SNe) explosions are thought to be an important source of dust in galaxies. At the same time strong shocks from SNe are known as an efficient mechanism of dust destruction via thermal and kinetic sputtering. A critically important question of how these two hypotheses of SNe activity control the dust budget in galaxies is still not quite clearly understood. In this paper, we address this question within 3D multifluid hydrodynamical simulations, treating separately the SNe injected dust and the dust pre-existed in ambient interstellar gas. We focus primarily on how the injected and the pre-existing dust is destroyed by shock waves and hot gas in the SN bubble depending on the density of ambient gas. Within our model, we estimate an upper limit of the SN-produced dust mass which can be supplied into interstellar medium. For an SN progenitor mass of 30 M⊙ and the ejected dust mass M d = 1 M⊙, we constrain the dust mass that can be delivered into the ISM as ≥0.13 M⊙, provided that the SN has injected large dust particles with a ≥ 0.1 µm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

η Telescopii is an ∼23 Myr old A-type star surrounded by an edge-on debris disc hypothesized to harbour gas. Recent analysis of far- and near-ultraviolet spectroscopic observations of η Tel found absorption features at ∼−23 and ∼−18 km s−1 in several atomic lines, attributed to circumstellar and interstellar gas, respectively. In this work, we put the circumstellar origin of the gas to a test by analysing high-resolution optical spectroscopy of η Tel and of three other stars with a similar line of sight as η Tel: HD 181327, HD 180575, and ρ Tel. We found absorption features at ∼−23 and ∼−18 km s−1 in the Ca  ii H&K lines, and at ∼−23 km s−1 in the Na  i D1&D2 doublet in η Tel, in agreement with previous findings in the ultraviolet. However, we also found absorption features at ∼−23 km s−1 in the Ca  ii K lines of the three other stars analysed. This strongly implies that the absorption lines previously attributed to circumstellar gas are more likely due to an interstellar cloud traversing the line of sight of η Tel instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of stellar clusters dictates the pace at which galaxies evolve, and solving the question of their formation will undoubtedly lead to a better understanding of the Universe as a whole. While it is well known that star clusters form within parsec-scale overdensities of interstellar molecular gas called clumps, it is, however, unclear whether these clumps represent the high-density tip of a continuous gaseous flow that gradually leads towards the formation of stars, or a transition within the gas physical properties. Here, we present a unique analysis of a sample of 27 infrared dark clouds embedded within 24 individual molecular clouds that combine a large set of observations, allowing us to compute the mass and velocity dispersion profiles of each, from the scale of tens of parsecs down to the scale of tenths of a parsec. These profiles reveal that the vast majority of the clouds, if not all, are consistent with being self-gravitating on all scales, and that the clumps, on parsec-scale, are often dynamically decoupled from their surrounding molecular clouds, exhibiting steeper density profiles (ρ∝ r −2) and flat velocity dispersion profiles (σ∝ r 0), clearly departing from Larson's relations. These findings suggest that the formation of star clusters correspond to a transition regime within the properties of the self-gravitating molecular gas. We propose that this transition regime is one that corresponds to the gravitational collapse of parsec-scale clumps within otherwise stable molecular clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work explores the mixing rate of metals in the interstellar medium (ISM), comparing observational constraints from our solar neighbourhood to high resolution cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of Milky Way (MW)-like galaxies. The mixing rate, described by the coefficient C, is varied in simulations between 0 and 0.05, with resultant simulated galaxies compared to observations of metallicity dispersion in young star clusters, H ii regions and neutral gas in the disc of the MW. A value of C between 0.003125 and 0.0125 is found to self-consistently match a range of observables, with a best estimate of C = 0.0064 ± 0.0004. We demonstrate that the relationship between metal dispersion in young stars, H ii regions and neutral gas, versus the coefficient C, can be described by a power law. These constrained mixing rates infer a comparatively well-mixed ISM in the solar neighbourhood, at odds with some recent observations that have reported a highly inhomogeneous ISM. The degree of mixing suggested by this work is lower than what often employed in many hydrodynamical simulations. Our results have implications for studying the metallicity distribution of stars as well as of gas in the interstellar and circum-galactic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The youngest known Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G1.9+0.3 has high-velocity supernova shock beyond 10000 km s−1, and it is considered to be one of the major candidates of a PeVatron. Despite these outstanding properties, the surrounding interstellar matter of this object is poorly understood. We investigated the interstellar gas toward G1.9+0.3 using the 12CO(J = 3−2) data with the angular resolution of 15″ obtained by the CHIMPS2 survey by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, and discovered three individual clouds at −1, 7, and 45 km s−1. From its morphological and velocity structures, the −1 km s−1 cloud, having the largest velocity width >20 km s−1 and located at the distance of the Galactic Center, is possibly associated with the SNR. The associated cloud shows a cavity structure both in space and velocity and coincides well with the SNR. We found that the associated cloud has higher column densities toward three bright, radio synchrotron-emitted rims where the radial expansion velocity of the supernova shock is decelerated, and the cloud is faint in the other parts of the SNR. This is the first direct evidence indicating that the highly anisotropic expansion of G1.9+0.3 observed by previous studies results from the deceleration by the interaction between the supernova shock and surrounding dense interstellar medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used spectra of the Spitzer Space Telescope to conduct a search for the aromatic amino acid tryptophan in the interstellar gas of the young star cluster IC 348. For all the strongest mid-infrared (mid-IR) laboratory bands of tryptophan, we have found counterpart emission lines in the observed spectrum which are consistent in wavelength and strength with the laboratory measurements. Assuming that the detected emission lines are due to tryptophan and using the measured fluxes, we estimate a tryptophan column density in the line of sight of the core of IC 348 in the range 109–1011 cm−2. The observed emission lines are also found in the combined spectrum of >30 interstellar locations obtained in diverse unrelated star-forming regions observed by Spitzer. This could be an indication that the molecule causing the emission is widespread in interstellar space. Future high spectral resolution mid-IR searches for proteinogenic amino acids in protostars, protoplanetary discs, and in the interstellar medium will be key to study an exogenous origin of meteoritic amino acids and to understand how the pre-biotic conditions for life were set in the early Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collisional excitation of C5H+ by He was performed by mean of state-of-the-art methods. A high level of theory quantum chemical calculations were made to determine the interaction potential energy surface of C5H+ with helium. The new two-dimensional potential energy surface obtained from the RCCSD(T)-F12 ab initio approach associated with aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets, presents two minima below its dissociation limit with well depths of |$-101.8$| and |$-100.2\, \mathrm{cm}^{-1}$|. In order to derive accurate physical conditions from rotational transitions of the recently discovered C5H+ molecule in Taurus molecular cloud (TMC-1), rate coefficients calculations are performed. The C5H+(X1Σ+)–He de-excitation rates are obtained after averaging cross-sections for thermal temperature below 100 K. The integral cross-sections are computed with the close-coupling quantum time-independent formalism for |$E\le 520 \, \mathrm{cm}^{-1}$| and J ≤ 15. The new collisional data will allow accurate determination of the C5H+ abundance and will help to understand the chemistry of carbon chain ions in the interstellar gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bow shocks are produced in the local interstellar medium by the passage of fast stars from the Galactic thin-disk and thick-disk populations with velocities V * = 40–80 km s−1. Stellar transits of local H i clouds occur every 3500–7000 yr on average and last between 104 and 105 yr. There could be 10–20 active bow shocks around low-mass stars inside clouds within 15 pc of the Sun. At local cloud distances of 3–10 pc, their turbulent wakes have transverse radial extents R wake ≈ 100–300 au, angular sizes 10″–100″, and Ly α surface brightnesses of 2–8 R in gas with total hydrogen density n H ≈ 0.1 cm−3 and V * = 40–80 km s−1. These transit wakes may cover an area fraction f A ≈ (R wake/ R cl) ≈ 10−3 of local H i clouds and be detectable in IR (dust), UV (Ly α, two-photon), or nonthermal radio emission. Turbulent heating in these wakes could produce the observed elevated rotational populations of H2 (J ≥ 2) and influence the endothermic formation of CH+ in diffuse interstellar gas at T > 103 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Interstellar shocks, a key element of stellar feedback processes, shape the structure of the interstellar medium (ISM) and are essential for the chemistry, thermodynamics, and kinematics of interstellar gas. Powerful, high-velocity shocks are driven by stellar winds, young supernova explosions, more evolved supernova remnants, cloud–cloud collisions, and protostellar outflows, whereas the existence and origin of much-lower-velocity shocks (≲10 km s−1) are not understood. Direct observational evidence for interstellar shocks in diffuse and translucent ISM environments has been especially lacking. We present the most sensitive survey to date of SiO—often considered an unambiguous tracer of interstellar shocks—in absorption, obtained with the Northern Extended Millimeter Array interferometer. We detect SiO in five of eight directions probing diffuse and translucent environments without ongoing star formation. Our results demonstrate that SiO formation in the diffuse ISM (i.e., in the absence of significant star formation and stellar feedback) is more widespread and effective than previously reported. The observed SiO line widths are all ≲4 km s−1, excluding high-velocity shocks as a formation mechanism. Yet, the SiO abundances we detect are mostly 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than those typically assumed in quiescent environments and are often accompanied by other molecular transitions whose column densities cannot be explained with UV-dominated chemical models. Our results challenge the traditional view of SiO production via stellar feedback sources and emphasize the need for observational constraints on the distribution of Si in the gas phase and grain mantles, which are crucial for understanding the physics of grain processing and the diffuse interstellar chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the possible emergence of traveling waves within an evolving interstellar gas cloud. To model this evolution, we use Euler–Poisson equations with the additional assumptions that the gas is incompressible, stratified, and self-gravitating. Within this framework, we establish that when the cloud has low density, the speed of these traveling waves is low. We suggest that the self-gravitational coalescence of embedded solid matter in the gas to form larger aggregates, such as cometary nuclei, may occur in the vicinity of wave crests where the mass density is highest. This idea is consistent with the widely agreed mechanism for planetary formation in proto-planetary disks, namely, that the accumulation of solids to form larger planetoids is initiated at the location of pressure maxima in the gas disk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic method is used to study the problem of propagation of planar, cylindrically symmetric and spherically symmetric shock waves of the one-dimensional motion of an inviscid, self-gravitating, non-ideal interstellar gas cloud. The analytic solution of the problem is resolved, which specifies non-linear behavior in the physical plane. The transport equation, which describes the evolution of weak discontinuity in non-ideal gas is derived. It is observed that the nature of the solution completely depends on the net volumetric cooling rate and self-gravitating parameter. It is observed that an increase in the value of self-gravitating parameter results in delay of process of shock formation and shock forms early when heating dominates cooling in the system. Also, expansive waves take less time to decay in planar geometry as compared to cylindrical and spherical geometries and compressive waves take more time to develop shocks for cylindrical and spherical geometries as compared to planar geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent development of the velocity gradient technique shows the capability of the technique for tracing magnetic field morphology in diffuse interstellar gas and molecular clouds. In this paper, we perform a systematic numerical study of the performance of the velocity and synchrotron gradient for a wide range of magnetization in the subsonic environment. Addressing the studies of magnetic fields in atomic hydrogen, we also study the formation of velocity caustics in spectroscopic channel maps in the presence of thermal broadening. We show that the velocity caustics can be recovered when applied to the cold neutral medium and the gradient technique (GT) can reliably trace magnetic fields there. Finally, we discuss the changes in the anisotropy of observed structure functions when we apply to the analysis the procedures developed within the framework of GT studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stellar cluster environment is expected to play a central role in the evolution of circumstellar disks. We use thermochemical modeling to constrain the dust and gas masses, disk sizes, UV and X-ray radiation fields, viewing geometries, and central stellar masses of 20 class II disks in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We fit a large grid of disk models to 350 GHz continuum, CO J = 3 − 2, and HCO+ J = 4 − 3 Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of each target, and we introduce a procedure for modeling interferometric observations of gas disks detected in absorption against a bright molecular cloud background. We find that the ONC disks are massive and compact, with typical radii <100 au, gas masses ≥10−3 M ⊙, and gas-to-dust ratios ≥100. The interstellar‐medium‐like gas-to-dust ratios derived from our modeling suggest that compact, externally irradiated disks in the ONC are less prone to gas-phase CO depletion than the massive and extended gas disks that are commonly found in nearby low-mass star-forming regions. The presence of massive gas disks indicates that external photoevaporation may have only recently begun operating in the ONC; though it remains unclear whether other cluster members are older and more evaporated than the ones in our sample. Finally, we compare our dynamically derived stellar masses with the stellar masses predicted from evolutionary models and find excellent agreement. Our study has significantly increased the number of dynamical mass measurements in the mass range ≤0.5 M ⊙, demonstrating that the ONC is an ideal region for obtaining large samples of dynamical mass measurements toward low-mass M-dwarfs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the long-wavelength dust continuum are used to estimate the gas masses in a sample of 708 star-forming galaxies at z = 0.3−4.5. We determine the dependence of gas masses and star formation efficiencies (SFEs; SFR per unit gas mass) on redshift (z), M *, and star formation rate (SFR) relative to the main sequence (MS). We find that 70% of the increase in SFRs of the MS is due to the increased gas masses at earlier epochs, while 30% is due to increased efficiency of star formation (SF). For galaxies above the MS this is reversed—with 70% of the increased SFR relative to the MS being due to elevated SFEs. Thus, the major evolution of star formation activity at early epochs is driven by increased gas masses, while the starburst activity taking galaxies above the MS is due to enhanced triggering of star formation (likely due to galactic merging). The interstellar gas peaks at z = 2 and dominates the stellar mass down to z = 1.2. Accretion rates needed to maintain continuity of the MS evolution reach >100 M ⊙ yr−1 at z > 2. The galactic gas contents are likely the driving determinant for both the rise in SF and AGN activity from z = 5 to their peak at z = 2 and subsequent fall at lower z. We suggest that for self-gravitating clouds with supersonic turbulence, cloud collisions and the filamentary structure of the clouds regulate the star formation activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fermi bubbles are large gamma-ray-emitting structures. They are symmetric about the Galactic Centre (GC), and their creation is therefore attributed to intensive energy injection at the GC. In this study, we focus on the non-equilibrium X-ray gas structures associated with the bubbles. We show that a combination of the density, temperature, and shock age profiles of the X-ray gas can be used to distinguish the energy-injection mechanisms. By comparing the results of numerical simulations with observations, we indicate that the bubbles were created by a fast wind from the GC because it generates a strong reverse shock and reproduces the observed temperature peak there. On the other hand, instantaneous energy injection at the GC cannot reproduce the temperature profile. The wind had a speed of |${\sim} 1000\rm \: km\: s^{-1}$|⁠ , and blew for ∼107 yr. Because the mass flux of the wind is large, the entrainment of interstellar gas by wide-angle outflows from the black hole is required. Thus, the wind may be the same as active galactic nuclei outflows often observed in other galaxies and thought to regulate the growth of galaxies and their central black holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a commonly used indicator of star formation activity in galaxies, also has the potential to serve as an effective empirical tracer of molecular gas. We use a sample of 19 nearby galaxies with spatially resolved mid-infrared Spitzer spectroscopy, multiwavelength optical and mid-infrared imaging, and millimeter interferometric CO(1–0) maps to investigate the feasibility of using PAH emission as an empirical proxy to estimate molecular gas mass. PAH emission correlates strongly with CO emission on subkiloparsec scales over the diverse environments probed by our sample of star-forming galaxies and low-luminosity active galactic nuclei. The tight observed correlation, likely a consequence of photoelectronic heating of the diffuse interstellar gas by the PAHs, permits us to derive an empirical calibration to estimate molecular gas mass from the luminosity of PAH emission that has a total scatter of only ∼0.2–0.25 dex. Mid-infrared bands sensitive to PAH emission (e.g., the Spitzer/IRAC4 and WISE/W3 filters) can also be used as a highly effective substitute for this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ram pressure stripping (RPS) is known to be a key environmental effect that can remove interstellar gas from galaxies in a cluster. The RPS process is commonly described as a competition between the ram pressure by the intracluster medium and the anchoring pressure on the interstellar medium by the gravitational potential of a galaxy. However, the actual gas stripping process can be more complicated due to the complexity of gas physics such as compression and geometrical self-shielding as well as cooling and heating. In order to verify how well the observed signatures of the RPS process can be understood as simple momentum transfer, we compare the stripping radii of Virgo cluster galaxies in different stages of RPS measured from the H  i observation with the predicted gas truncation radii for the given conditions. For the sample undergoing active RPS, we generally find good agreements between predictions and observations within a measurement uncertainty. On the other hand, galaxies likely in the early or later RPS stage and/or the ones with signs of environmental impacts other than RPS such as tidal interaction or starvation show some discrepancies. Our results imply that the conventional RPS relation works reasonably well in a broad sense when RPS is the most dominant process and the galaxy is located where the surrounding environment can be well defined. Otherwise, more careful inspections on the second mechanism and local environment are required to assess the impact of RPS on the target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular oxygen (O2) is predicted to be a major reservoir of elemental oxygen in dense interstellar molecular clouds. However, the abundance of O2 derived from astronomical observations is much lower than expected. Solving the discrepancies between models and observations requires a review of the chemistry and collisional excitation of O2 in space. In particular, O2–H2 collisions are crucial to derive O2 abundance in space from the interstellar spectra. A crossed molecular beam experiment to probe the rotational excitation of O2 due to H2 collisions at energies of 650 cm−1 is reported. Velocity map imaging was combined with state-selective detection of O2( X 3 Σ g − ) by (2 + 1) resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization. The obtained raw O 2 + images were corrected from density to flux and the differential cross sections (DCSs) were then extracted. Exact quantum mechanical calculations were also performed. Very good agreement between experimental and theoretical DCSs was found. The agreement demonstrates our ability to determine inelastic processes between O2 molecules and H2 both theoretically and experimentally and that the excitation of O2 in the interstellar medium can be correctly modeled. Consequences on the astrophysical modeling are briefly evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CCN radical has been recently detected in the interstellar medium. Accurate modeling of its abundance in such media requires one to model its excitation by both radiation and collisions. Here, we report the first quantum mechanical close-coupling study of CCN—He collisions. Calculations of fine-structure resolved excitation cross sections of CCN(X2Π) induced by collision with He are performed for kinetic energies below 500 cm−1. The calculations are based on new two-dimensional potential energy surfaces obtained from coupled cluster approaches. We found that the inelastic cross sections for spin-orbit conserving transitions are larger than those for spin-orbit changing transitions. The new collisional data should significantly help the interpretation of interstellar CCN emission lines observed with current and future telescopes and we expect that they will allow accurate determination of the CCN abundance in the interstellar medium, which is crucial to understand the chemistry of carbon chain species in the interstellar gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show for the first time how to conduct a direct search for dark matter using Gaia observations. Its public astrometric data may contain the signals of mirror stars, exotic compact objects made of atomic dark matter with a tiny kinetic mixing between the dark and SM photon. Mirror stars capture small amounts of interstellar material in their cores, leading to characteristic optical/IR and X-ray emissions. We develop the detailed pipeline for conducting a mirror star search using data from Gaia and other stellar catalogues, and demonstrate our methodology by conducting a search for toy mirror stars with a simplified calculation of their optical/IR emissions over a wide range of mirror star and hidden sector parameters. We also obtain projected exclusion bounds on the abundance and properties of mirror stars if no candidates are found, demonstrating that Gaia is a new and uniquely powerful probe of atomic dark matter. Our study provides the blueprint for a realistic mirror star search that includes a more complete treatment of the captured interstellar gas in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the chemical composition of gases in molecular clouds, the oxygen-bearing systems C n O are needed as probe elements. The pentacarbon monoxide C5O was recently detected in TMC-1, and in order to derive accurate physical conditions from its rotational transitions, calculation of rate coefficients of C5O(1Σ+) induced by collision with He are performed for thermal temperature below 100 K. These calculations are based on a new 2D potential energy surface (2D-PES) obtained from the explicit correlated coupled cluster with single, double, and pertubative triple excitation (ccsd(t)-f12) ab initio approach associated with aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The C5O–He PES presents two minima below its dissociation limit with a well depths of −59.321 and −53.059 cm−1. By mean of this PES, the integral cross sections are calculated in the close-coupling quantum time independant formalism for |$E\le 500 \, {\rm cm}^{-1}$| and J ≤ 20. The de-excitation rate coefficients are obtained after averaging these cross sections at low temperatures. We expect that the new collisional data will allow accurate determination of the C5O abundance in the interstellar medium, as well as the interpretation of its emission lines. These new data are crucial to understand the chemistry of carbon chain species in the interstellar gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the origin in the early Solar System of the short-lived radionuclide 244 Pu (with a half life of 80 Myr) produced by the r a p i d (r) neutron-capture process. We consider two large sets of r-process nucleosynthesis models and analyse if the origin of 244 Pu in the ESS is consistent with that of the other r and s l o w (s) neutron-capture process radioactive nuclei. Uncertainties on the r-process models come from both the nuclear physics input and the astrophysical site. The former strongly affects the ratios of isotopes of close mass ( 129 I/ 127 I, 244 Pu/ 238 U, and 247 Pu/ 235 U). The 129 I/ 247 Cm ratio, instead, which involves isotopes of a very different mass, is much more variable than those listed above and is more affected by the physics of the astrophysical site. We consider possible scenarios for the evolution of the abundances of these radioactive nuclei in the galactic interstellar medium and verify under which scenarios and conditions solutions can be found for the origin of 244 Pu that are consistent with the origin of the other isotopes. Solutions are generally found for all the possible different regimes controlled by the interval (δ) between additions from the source to the parcel of interstellar medium gas that ended up in the Solar System, relative to decay timescales. If r-process ejecta in interstellar medium are mixed within a relatively small area (leading to a long δ), we derive that the last event that explains the 129 I and 247 Cm abundances in the early Solar System can also account for the abundance of 244 Pu. Due to its longer half life, however, 244 Pu may have originated from a few events instead of one only. If r-process ejecta in interstellar medium are mixed within a relatively large area (leading to a short δ), we derive that the time elapsed from the formation of the molecular cloud to the formation of the Sun was 9-16 Myr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interstellar medium (ISM) is a turbulent, highly structured multiphase medium. State-of-the-art cosmological simulations of the formation of galactic discs usually lack the resolution to accurately resolve those multiphase structures. However, small-scale density structures play an important role in the life cycle of the ISM, and determine the fraction of cold, dense gas, the amount of star formation, and the amount of radiation and momentum leakage from cloud-embedded sources. Here, we derive a statistical model to calculate the unresolved small-scale ISM density structure from coarse-grained, volume-averaged quantities such as the gas clumping factor , |$\mathcal {C}$|⁠ , and mean density 〈ρ〉 V . Assuming that the large-scale ISM density is statistically isotropic, we derive a relation between the three-dimensional clumping factor, |$\mathcal {C}_\rho$|⁠ , and the clumping factor of the 4 |$\pi$| column density distribution on the cloud surface, |$\mathcal {C}_\Sigma$|⁠ , and find |$\mathcal {C}_\Sigma =\mathcal {C}_\rho ^{2/3}$|⁠. Applying our model to calculate the covering fraction, i.e. the 4 |$\pi$| sky distribution of optically thick sightlines around sources inside interstellar gas clouds, we demonstrate that small-scale density structures lead to significant differences at fixed physical ISM density. Our model predicts that gas clumping increases the covering fraction by up to 30 per cent at low ISM densities compared to a uniform medium. On the other hand, at larger ISM densities, gas clumping suppresses the covering fraction and leads to increased scatter such that covering fractions can span a range from 20 per cent to 100 per cent at fixed ISM density. All data and example code are publicly available at GitHub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interstellar pickup ions are an ubiquitous and thermodynamically important component of the solar wind plasma in the heliosphere. These PUIs are born from the ionization of the interstellar neutral gas, consisting of hydrogen, helium, and trace amounts of heavier elements, in the solar wind as the heliosphere moves through the local interstellar medium. As cold interstellar neutral atoms become ionized, they form an energetic ring beam distribution comoving with the solar wind. Subsequent scattering in pitch angle by intrinsic and self-generated turbulence and their advection with the radially expanding solar wind leads to the formation of a filled-shell PUI distribution, whose density and pressure relative to the thermal solar wind ions grows with distance from the Sun. This paper reviews the history of in situ measurements of interstellar PUIs in the heliosphere. Starting with the first detection in the 1980s, interstellar PUIs were identified by their highly nonthermal distribution with a cutoff at twice the solar wind speed. Measurements of the PUI distribution shell cutoff and the He focusing cone, a downwind region of increased density formed by the solar gravity, have helped characterize the properties of the interstellar gas from near-Earth vantage points. The preferential heating of interstellar PUIs compared to the core solar wind has become evident in the existence of suprathermal PUI tails, the nonadiabatic cooling index of the PUI distribution, and PUIs' mediation of interplanetary shocks. Unlike the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft, New Horizon's Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument is taking the only direct measurements of interstellar PUIs in the outer heliosphere, currently out to ∼ 47 au from the Sun or halfway to the heliospheric termination shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of the interaction of the large-scale heliosphere with the local interstellar medium (LISM) has undergone a profound change since the very earliest analyses of the problem. In part, the revisions have been a consequence of ever-improving and widening observational results, especially those that identified the entrance of interstellar material and gas into the heliosphere. Accompanying these observations was the identification of the basic underlying physics of how neutral interstellar gas and interstellar charged particles of different energies, up to and including interstellar dust grains, interacted with the temporal flows and electromagnetic fields of the heliosphere. The incorporation of these various basic effects into global models of the interaction, whether focused on neutral interstellar gas and pickup ions, energetic particles such as anomalous and galactic cosmic rays, or magnetic fields and large-scale flows, has profoundly changed our view of how the heliosphere and LISM interact. This article presents a brief history of the conceptual and observation evolution of our understanding of the interaction of the heliosphere with the local interstellar medium, up until approximately 1996. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following Lin and Shu, the spiral structure in the Milky Way disc is considered as an oscillating density-wave pattern. As such, regular enhancements in density are relatedly linked to systematic variations in velocity of young stars and stellar clusters, and interstellar gas. We explain measured line-of-sight velocities of 252 open clusters with ages <100 Myr of Tarricq et al. in the 3-kpc-scale solar neighbourhood in terms of a density wave. New estimates of the parameters of solar peculiar motion and Galactic differential rotation corrected for the effects of small-amplitude density waves, the radial and tangential components of systematic motion of clusters due to the spiral arms as well as the geometrical and dynamical parameters of the waves are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clusters formed by the combination of rare gas (RG) atoms of He, Ne, Ar, and Kr on coronene have been investigated by means of a basin-hopping algorithm and path integral Monte Carlo calculations at T = 2 K. Energies and geometries have been obtained and the role played by the specific RG-RG and RG-coronene interactions on the final results is analysed in detail. Signatures of diffuse behavior of the He atoms on the surface of the coronene are in contrast with the localization of the heavier species, Ar and Kr. The observed coexistence of various geometries for Ne suggests the motion of the RG atoms on the multi-well potential energy surface landscape offered by the coronene. Therefore, the investigation of different clusters enables a comparative analysis of localized versus non-localized features. Mixed Ar-He-coronene clusters have also been considered and the competition of the RG atoms to occupy the docking sites on the molecule is discussed. All the obtained information is crucial to assess the behavior of coronene, a prototypical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon clustering with RG atoms at a temperature close to that of interstellar medium, which arises from the critical balance of the interactions involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial range for feedback from star formation varies from molecular cloud disruption on parsec scales to supershells and disk blowout on kiloparsec scales. The relative amounts of energy and momentum given to these scales are important for understanding the termination of star formation in any one region and the origin of interstellar turbulence and disk stability in galaxies as a whole. Here, we measure, for 11 THINGS galaxies, the excess kinetic energy, velocity dispersion, and surface density of H i gas associated with regions of excess star formation, where the excess is determined from the difference between the observed local value and the azimuthal average. We find small decreases in the excess kinetic energy and velocity dispersion in regions of excess star formation rate density, suggesting that most of the feedback energy does not go into local H i motion. Most likely, it disrupts molecular clouds and dissipates rapidly at high gas density. Some could also be distributed over larger regions, filling in spaces between the peaks of star formation and contributing to other energy sources from self-gravity and spiral arm shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of H i Lyman α, the brightest UV emission line of late-type stars, are critical for understanding stellar chromospheres and transition regions, modeling photochemistry in exoplanet atmospheres, and measuring the abundances of neutral hydrogen and deuterium in the interstellar medium. Yet Lyα observations are notoriously challenging owing to severe attenuation from interstellar gas, hindering our understanding of this important emission line's basic morphology. We present high-resolution far- and near-UV spectroscopy of five G, K, and M dwarfs with radial velocities large enough to Doppler-shift the stellar Lyα emission line away from much of the interstellar attenuation, allowing the line core to be directly observed. We detect self-reversal in the Lyα emission-line core for all targets, and we show that the self-reversal depth decreases with increasing surface gravity. Mg ii self-reversed emission-line profiles provide some useful information to constrain the Lyα line core, but the differences are significant enough that Mg ii cannot be used directly as an intrinsic Lyα template during reconstructions. We show that reconstructions that neglect self-reversal could overestimate intrinsic Lyα fluxes by as much as 60%–100% for G and K dwarfs and 40%–170% for M dwarfs. The five stars of our sample have low magnetic activity and subsolar metallicity; a larger sample size is needed to determine how sensitive these results are to these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterize mass, momentum, energy, and metal outflow rates of multiphase galactic winds in a suite of FIRE-2 cosmological 'zoom-in' simulations from the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. We analyse simulations of low-mass dwarfs, intermediate-mass dwarfs, Milky Way-mass haloes, and high-redshift massive haloes. Consistent with previous work, we find that dwarfs eject about 100 times more gas from their interstellar medium (ISM) than they form in stars, while this mass 'loading factor' drops below one in massive galaxies. Most of the mass is carried by the hot phase (>105 K) in massive haloes and the warm phase (103−105 K) in dwarfs; cold outflows (<103 K) are negligible except in high-redshift dwarfs. Energy, momentum, and metal loading factors from the ISM are of order unity in dwarfs and significantly lower in more massive haloes. Hot outflows have 2−5 × higher specific energy than needed to escape from the gravitational potential of dwarf haloes; indeed, in dwarfs, the mass, momentum, and metal outflow rates increase with radius whereas energy is roughly conserved, indicating swept up halo gas. Burst-averaged mass loading factors tend to be larger during more powerful star formation episodes and when the inner halo is not virialized, but we see effectively no trend with the dense ISM gas fraction. We discuss how our results can guide future controlled numerical experiments that aim to elucidate the key parameters governing galactic winds and the resulting associated preventative feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a generic mechanism for the thermal damping of compressive waves in the interstellar medium (ISM), occurring due to radiative cooling. We solve for the dispersion relation of magnetosonic waves in a two-fluid (ion-neutral) system in which density- and temperature-dependent heating and cooling mechanisms are present. We use this dispersion relation, in addition to an analytic approximation for the nonlinear turbulent cascade, to model dissipation of weak magnetosonic turbulence. We show that in some ISM conditions, the cutoff wavelength for magnetosonic turbulence becomes tens to hundreds of times larger when the thermal damping is added to the regular ion-neutral damping. We also run numerical simulations, which confirm that this effect has a dramatic impact on cascade of compressive wave modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GHz‐Peaked Spectrum (GPS) and compact steep spectrum (CSS) sources are thought to represent a young and/or confined sub‐population of radio‐loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) that are yet to evacuate their surrounding ambient interstellar gas. By studying the gaseous environments of these objects, we can gain an insight into the inter‐dependent relationship between galaxies and their supermassive black holes (SMBHs). The First Large Absorption Survey in Hi (FLASH) will build a census of the neutral atomic hydrogen (Hi) gas in galaxies at intermediate cosmological redshifts. FLASH is expected to detect at least several hundred Hi absorbers associated with GPS and CSS sources. These absorbers provide an important probe of the abundance and kinematics of line‐of‐sight neutral gas toward radio AGN, in some cases revealing gas associated with infalling clouds and outflows. Observations are now complete for the first phase of the FLASH Pilot Survey and early analysis has already yielded several detections, including the GPS source PKS 2311‐477. Optical imaging of this galaxy reveals an interacting system that could have supplied the neutral gas seen in absorption and triggered the radio‐loud AGN. FLASH will provide a statistically significant sample with which the prevalence of such gas‐rich interactions among compact radio galaxies can be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The likely existence of aromatic anions in many important extraterrestrial environments, from the atmosphere of Titan to the interstellar medium (ISM), is attracting increasing attention. Nitrogen and oxygen atoms are also widely observed in the ISM and in the ionospheres of planets and moons. In the current work, we extend previous studies to explore the reactivity of prototypical aromatic anions (deprotonated toluene, aniline, and phenol) with N and O atoms both experimentally and computationally. The benzyl and anilinide anions both exhibit slow associative electron detachment (AED) processes with N atom, and moderate reactivity with O atom in which AED dominates but ionic products are also formed. The reactivity of phenoxide is dramatically different; there is no measurable reaction with N atom, and the moderate reactivity with O atom produces almost exclusively ionic products. The reaction mechanisms are studied theoretically by employing density functional theory calculations, and spin conversion is found to be critical for understanding some product distributions. This work provides insight into the rich gas-phase chemistry of aromatic ion-atom reactions and their relevance to ionospheric and interstellar chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxies experiencing intense star-formation episodes are expected to be rich in energetic cosmic rays (CRs). These CRs undergo hadronic interactions with the interstellar gases of their host to drive γ-ray emission, which has already been detected from several nearby starbursts. Unresolved γ-ray emission from more distant star-forming galaxies (SFGs) is expected to contribute to the extragalactic γ-ray background (EGB). However, despite the wealth of high-quality all-sky data from the Fermi –LAT γ-ray space telescope collected over more than a decade of operation, the exact contribution of such SFGs to the EGB remains unsettled. We investigate the high-energy γ-ray emission from SFGs up to redshift z  = 3 above a GeV, and assess the contribution they can make to the EGB. We show the γ-ray emission spectrum from an SFG population can be determined from just a small number of key parameters, from which we model a range of possible EGB realizations. We demonstrate that populations of SFGs leave anisotropic signatures in the EGB, and that these can be accessed using the spatial power spectrum. Moreover, we show that such signatures will be accessible with ongoing operation of current γ-ray instruments, and detection prospects will be greatly improved by the next generation of γ-ray observatories, in particular the Cherenkov Telescope Array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal instability plays a crucial role in the formation of multiphase structures and their dynamics in the interstellar medium, and is a leading theory for cold cloud creation in various astrophysical environments. In this paper, we use 2D simulations to investigate thermal instability under the influence of various initial conditions and physical processes. We experiment with Gaussian random field (GRF) density perturbations of different initial power spectra. We also enrol thermal conduction and physical viscosity in isotropic hydrodynamic and anisotropic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. We find that the initial GRF spectral index α has a dramatic impact on the pure hydrodynamic development of thermal instability, influencing the size, number, and motions of clouds. Cloud fragmentation happens due to two mechanisms: tearing and contraction rebound. In the runs with isotropic conduction and viscosity, the structures and dynamics of the clouds are dominated by evaporation and condensation flows in the non-linear regime, and the flow speed is regulated by viscosity. Cloud disruptions happen as a result of the Darrieus–Landau instability. However, at very late times, all individual clouds merge into one cold structure in all hydrodynamic runs. In the MHD case, the cloud structure is determined by both the initial perturbations and the initial magnetic field strength. In high-β runs, anisotropic conduction causes dense filaments to align with the local magnetic fields and the field direction can become reoriented. Strong magnetic fields suppress cross-field contraction and cold filaments can form along or perpendicular to the initial fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]