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The magnetic dipole moment μ of an accretion-powered pulsar in magnetocentrifugal equilibrium cannot be inferred uniquely from time-averaged pulse period and aperiodic X-ray flux data, because the radiative efficiency η 0 of the accretion is unknown, as are the mass, radius, and distance of the star. The degeneracy associated with the radiative efficiency is circumvented if fluctuations of the pulse period and aperiodic X-ray flux are tracked with a Kalman filter, whereupon μ can be measured uniquely up to the uncertainties in the mass, radius, and distance. Here, the Kalman filter analysis is demonstrated successfully in practice for the first time on Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of the X-ray transient SXP 18.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), which is monitored regularly. The analysis yields μ = 8.0 − 1.2 + 1.3 × 10 30 G cm 3 and η 0 = 0.04 − 0.01 + 0.02 , compared to μ = 5.0 − 1.0 + 1.0 × 10 30 G cm 3 as inferred traditionally from time-averaged data assuming η 0 = 1. The analysis also yields time-resolved estimates of two hidden state variables, the mass accretion rate and the Maxwell stress at the disk–magnetosphere boundary. The success of the demonstration confirms that the Kalman filter analysis can be applied in the future to study the magnetic moments and disk–magnetosphere physics of accretion-powered pulsar populations in the SMC and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify 71 distant stars in James Webb Space Telescope/NIRCam early release observations (ERO) images of the field of galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 (SMACS 0723). Given the relatively small (∼10°) angular separation between SMACS 0723 and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), it is likely that these stars are associated with the LMC outskirts or the Leading Arm. This is further bolstered by a spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis, which suggests an excess of stars at a physical distance of 40–100 kpc, consistent with being associated with or located behind the Magellanic system. In particular, we find that the overall surface density of stars brighter than 27.0 mag in the field of SMACS 0723 is ∼2.3 times that of stars in a blank field with similar Galactic latitude (the North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field), and that the density of stars in the SMACS 0723 field with SED-derived distances consistent with the Magellanic system is ∼6.1 times larger than that of the blank field. The candidate stars at these distances are consistent with a stellar population at the same distance modulus with [Fe/H] = −1.0 and an age of ∼5.0 Gyr. On the assumption that all of the 71 stars are associated with the LMC, then the stellar density of the LMC at the location of the SMACS 0723 field is ∼740 stars kpc−3, which helps trace the density of stars in the LMC outskirts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present precise photometric estimates of stellar parameters, including effective temperature, metallicity, luminosity classification, distance, and stellar age, for nearly 26 million stars using the methodology developed in the first paper of this series, based on the stellar colors from the Stellar Abundances and Galactic Evolution Survey (SAGES) Data Release 1 and Gaia Early Data Release 3. The optimal design of stellar-parameter sensitive uv filters by SAGES has enabled us to determine photometric-metallicity estimates down to −3.5, similar to our previous results with the SkyMapper Southern Survey (SMSS), yielding a large sample of over five million metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ −1.0) stars and nearly one million very metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ −2.0) stars. The typical precision is around 0.1 dex for both dwarf and giant stars with [Fe/H] > −1.0, and 0.15–0.25/0.3–0.4 dex for dwarf/giant stars with [Fe/H] < −1.0. Using the precise parallax measurements and stellar colors from Gaia, effective temperature, luminosity classification, distance, and stellar age are further derived for our sample stars. This huge data set in the Northern sky from SAGES, together with similar data in the Southern sky from SMSS, will greatly advance our understanding of the Milky Way, in particular its formation and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a sample of 254,882 luminous red giant branch (LRGB) stars selected from the APOGEE and LAMOST surveys. By combining photometric and astrometric information from the Two Micron All Sky Survey and Gaia survey, the precise distances of the sample stars are determined by a supervised machine-learning algorithm: the gradient-boosted decision trees. To test the accuracy of the derived distances, member stars of globular clusters (GCs) and open clusters are used. The tests by cluster member stars show a precision of about 10% with negligible zero-point offsets, for the derived distances of our sample stars. The final sample covers a large volume of the Galactic disk(s) and halo of 0 < R < 30 kpc and ∣ Z ∣ ≤ 15 kpc. The rotation curve (RC) of the Milky Way across the radius of 5 ≲ R ≲ 25 kpc has been accurately measured with ∼54,000 stars of the thin disk population selected from the LRGB sample. The derived RC shows a weak decline along R with a gradient of −1.83 ± 0.02 (stat.) ± 0.07 (sys.) km s−1 kpc−1, in excellent agreement with the results measured by previous studies. The circular velocity at the solar position, yielded by our RC is 234.04 ± 0.08 (stat.) ± 1.36 (sys.) km s−1, again in great consistency with other independent determinations. From the newly constructed RC, as well as constraints from other data, we have constructed a mass model for our Galaxy, yielding a mass of the dark matter halo of M 200 = (8.05 ± 1.15) × 1011 M ⊙ with a corresponding radius of R 200 = 192.37 ± 9.24 kpc and a local dark matter density of 0.39 ± 0.03 GeV cm−3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) probes relativistic gravity. In the coming decade, the number of observed tidal disruption events (TDEs) will grow by several orders of magnitude, allowing statistical inferences of the properties of the SMBH and stellar populations. Here we analyze the probability distribution functions of the pericenter distances of stars that encounter an SMBH in the Schwarzschild geometry, where the results are completely analytic, and the Kerr metric. From this analysis we calculate the number of observable TDEs, defined to be those that come within the tidal radius r t but outside the direct capture radius (which is, in general, larger than the horizon radius). We find that relativistic effects result in a steep decline in the number of stars that have pericenter distances r p ≲ 10 r g, where r g = GM / c 2, and that for maximally spinning SMBHs the distribution function of r p at such distances scales as f r p ∝ r p 4 / 3 , or in terms of β ≡ r t/ r p scales as f β ∝ β âˆ'10/3. We find that spin has little effect on the TDE fraction until the very-high-mass end, where instead of being identically zero the rate is small (≲1% of the expected rate in the absence of relativistic effects). Effectively independent of spin, if the progenitors of TDEs reflect the predominantly low-mass stellar population and thus have masses ≲1 M ⊙, we expect a substantial reduction in the rate of TDEs above 107 M ⊙. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery and multiwavelength characterization of SRGA J181414.6-225604, a Galactic hard X-ray transient discovered during the ongoing SRG/ART-XC sky survey. Using data from the Palomar Gattini-IR survey, we identify a spatially and temporally coincident variable infrared (IR) source, IRAS 18111-2257, and classify it as a very-late-type (M7â€"M8), long-period (1502 ± 24 days), and luminous (M K ≈ âˆ'9.9 ± 0.2) O-rich Mira donor star located at a distance of ≈14.6+2.9âˆ'2.3 kpc. Combining multicolor photometric data over the last ≈25 yr, we show that the IR counterpart underwent a recent (starting ≈800 days before the X-ray flare) enhanced mass-loss (reaching ≈2.1 Ă— 10âˆ'5 M ⊙ yrâˆ'1) episode, resulting in an expanding dust shell obscuring the underlying star. Multi-epoch follow-up observations from Swift, NICER, and NuSTAR reveal a ≈200 day long X-ray outburst reaching a peak luminosity of L X ≈ 2.5 Ă— 1036 erg sâˆ'1, characterized by a heavily absorbed (N H ≈ 6 Ă— 1022 cmâˆ'2) X-ray spectrum consistent with an optically thick Comptonized plasma. The X-ray spectral and timing behavior suggest the presence of clumpy wind accretion, together with a dense ionized nebula overabundant in silicate material surrounding the compact object. Together, we show that SRGA J181414.6-225604 is a new symbiotic X-ray binary in outburst, triggered by an intense dust-formation episode of a highly evolved donor. Our results offer the first direct confirmation for the speculated connection between enhanced late-stage donor mass loss and the active lifetimes of symbiotic X-ray binaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are more precise standardizable candles when measured in the near-infrared (NIR) than in the optical. With this motivation, from 2012 to 2017 we embarked on the RAISIN program with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to obtain rest-frame NIR light curves for a cosmologically distant sample of 37 SNe Ia (0.2 ≲ z ≲ 0.6) discovered by Pan-STARRS and the Dark Energy Survey. By comparing higher- z HST data with 42 SNe Ia at z < 0.1 observed in the NIR by the Carnegie Supernova Project, we construct a Hubble diagram from NIR observations (with only time of maximum light and some selection cuts from optical photometry) to pursue a unique avenue to constrain the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, w. We analyze the dependence of the full set of Hubble residuals on the SN Ia host galaxy mass and find Hubble residual steps of size ∼0.06-0.1 mag with 1.5 σ âˆ'2.5 σ significance depending on the method and step location used. Combining our NIR sample with cosmic microwave background constraints, we find 1 + w = âˆ'0.17 ± 0.12 (statistical + systematic errors). The largest systematic errors are the redshift-dependent SN selection biases and the properties of the NIR mass step. We also use these data to measure H 0 = 75.9 ± 2.2 km sâˆ'1 Mpcâˆ'1 from stars with geometric distance calibration in the hosts of eight SNe Ia observed in the NIR versus H 0 = 71.2 ± 3.8 km sâˆ'1 Mpcâˆ'1 using an inverse distance ladder approach tied to Planck. Using optical data, we find 1 + w = âˆ'0.10 ± 0.09, and with optical and NIR data combined, we find 1 + w = âˆ'0.06 ± 0.07; these shifts of up to ∼0.11 in w could point to inconsistency in the optical versus NIR SN models. There will be many opportunities to improve this NIR measurement and better understand systematic uncertainties through larger low- z samples, new light-curve models, calibration improvements, and eventually by building high- z samples from the Roman Space Telescope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first unambiguous detection and mass measurement of an isolated stellar-mass black hole (BH). We used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to carry out precise astrometry of the source star of the long-duration (t E ≃ 270 days), high-magnification microlensing event MOA-2011-BLG-191/OGLE-2011-BLG-0462 (hereafter designated as MOA-11-191/OGLE-11-462), in the direction of the Galactic bulge. HST imaging, conducted at eight epochs over an interval of 6 yr, reveals a clear relativistic astrometric deflection of the background star’s apparent position. Ground-based photometry of MOA-11-191/OGLE-11-462 shows a parallactic signature of the effect of Earth’s motion on the microlensing light curve. Combining the HST astrometry with the ground-based light curve and the derived parallax, we obtain a lens mass of 7.1 ± 1.3 M ⊙ and a distance of 1.58 ± 0.18 kpc. We show that the lens emits no detectable light, which, along with having a mass higher than is possible for a white dwarf or neutron star, confirms its BH nature. Our analysis also provides an absolute proper motion for the BH. The proper motion is offset from the mean motion of Galactic disk stars at similar distances by an amount corresponding to a transverse space velocity of ∼45 km sâˆ'1, suggesting that the BH received a “natal kick” from its supernova explosion. Previous mass determinations for stellar-mass BHs have come from radial velocity measurements of Galactic X-ray binaries and from gravitational radiation emitted by merging BHs in binary systems in external galaxies. Our mass measurement is the first for an isolated stellar-mass BH using any technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report Very Long Baseline Array observations of 22 GHz H2O and 43 GHz SiO masers toward the Mira variable RR Aql. By fitting the SiO maser emission to a circular ring, we estimate the absolute stellar position of RR Aql and find agreement with Gaia astrometry to within the joint uncertainty of ≈1 mas. Using the maser astrometry we measure a stellar parallax of 2.44 ± 0.07 mas, corresponding to a distance of 410 âˆ' 11 + 12 pc. The maser parallax deviates significantly from the Gaia EDR3 parallax of 1.95 ± 0.11 mas, indicating a 3.8 σ tension between radio and optical measurements. This tension is most likely caused by optical photocenter variations limiting the Gaia astrometric accuracy for this Mira variable. Combining infrared magnitudes with parallaxes for RR Aql and other Miras, we fit a periodâ€"luminosity relation using a Bayesian approach with Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling and a strong prior for the slope of âˆ'3.60 ± 0.30 from the Large Magellanic Cloud. We find a K -band zero-point (defined at logP(days) = 2.30) of âˆ'6.79 ± 0.15 mag using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) parallaxes and âˆ'7.08 ± 0.29 mag using Gaia parallaxes. The Gaia zero-point is statistically consistent with the more accurate VLBI value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We carried out 3D dust + gas radiative hydrodynamic simulations of forming planets. We investigated a parameter grid of a Neptune-mass, a Saturn-mass, a Jupiter-mass, and a five-Jupiter-mass planet at 5.2, 30, and 50 au distance from their star. We found that the meridional circulation (Szulágyi et al. 2014; Fung & Chiang 2016) drives a strong vertical flow for the dust as well, hence the dust is not settled in the midplane, even for millimeter-sized grains. The meridional circulation will deliver dust and gas vertically onto the circumplanetary region, efficiently bridging over the gap. The Hill-sphere accretion rates for the dust are ∼10âˆ'8â€"10âˆ'10 M Jup yrâˆ'1, increasing with planet mass. For the gas component, the gain is 10âˆ'6â€"10âˆ'8 M Jup yrâˆ'1. The difference between the dust and gas-accretion rates is smaller with decreasing planetary mass. In the vicinity of the planet, the millimeter-sized grains can get trapped easier than the gas, which means the circumplanetary disk might be enriched with solids in comparison to the circumstellar disk. We calculated the local dust-to-gas ratio (DTG) everywhere in the circumstellar disk and identified the altitude above the midplane where the DTG is 1, 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001. The larger the planetary mass, the more the millimeter-sized dust is delivered and a larger fraction of the dust disk is lifted by the planet. The stirring of millimeter-sized dust is negligible for Neptune-mass planets or below, but significant above Saturn-mass planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coagulation of micrometer-sized particles marks the beginning of planet formation. For silicates a comprehensive picture already exists, which describes under which conditions growth can take place and which barriers must be overcome. With increasing distance to the central star volatiles freeze out and the collision dynamics is governed by the properties of the frozen volatiles. We present a novel experiment facility to analyze collisions of CO2 agglomerates consisting of micrometer-sized particles with agglomerate sizes up to 100 ÎĽ m. Experiments are conducted at temperatures around 100 K with collision velocities up to 3.4 m sâˆ'1. Below impact velocities of around 0.1 m sâˆ'1 sticking is observed and at collision velocities of 1 m sâˆ'1 fragmentation also starts to occur. The experiments show that agglomerates of CO2 ice behave like silicate agglomerates with a comparable grain size distribution. Models developed to describe the collision dynamics of silicate dust can be applied to CO2 ice. This holds for the coefficient of restitution as well as for the threshold conditions for the transitions between sticking, bouncing, or fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principle of the background-eliminated extinction-parallax (BEEP) method is examining the extinction difference between on- and off-cloud regions to reveal the extinction jump caused by molecular clouds, thereby revealing the distance in complex dust environments. The BEEP method requires high-quality images of molecular clouds and high-precision stellar parallaxes and extinction data, which can be provided by the Milky Way Imaging Scroll Painting (MWISP) CO survey and the Gaia DR2 catalog, as well as supplementary A V extinction data. In this work, the BEEP method is further improved (BEEP-II) to measure molecular cloud distances in a global search manner. Applying the BEEP-II method to three regions mapped by the MWISP CO survey, we collectively measured 238 distances for 234 molecular clouds. Compared with previous BEEP results, the BEEP-II method measures distances efficiently, particularly for those molecular clouds with large angular size or in complicated environments, making it suitable for distance measurements of molecular clouds in large samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young stellar associations hold a star formation record that can persist for millions of years, revealing the progression of star formation long after the dispersal of the natal cloud. To identify nearby young stellar populations that trace this progression, we have designed a comprehensive framework for the identification of young stars and use it to identify ∼3 × 104 candidate young stars within a distance of 333 pc using Gaia DR2. Applying the HDBSCAN clustering algorithm to this sample, we identify 27 top-level groups, nearly half of which have little to no presence in previous literature. Ten of these groups have visible substructure, including notable young associations such as Orion, Perseus, Taurus, and Sco-Cen. We provide a complete subclustering analysis of all groups with substructure, using age estimates to reveal each region's star formation history. The patterns we reveal include an apparent star formation origin for Sco-Cen along a semicircular arc, as well as clear evidence for sequential star formation moving away from that arc with a propagation speed of ∼4 km s−1 (∼4 pc Myr−1). We also identify earlier bursts of star formation in Perseus and Taurus that predate current, kinematically identical active star-forming events, suggesting that the mechanisms that collect gas can spark multiple generations of star formation, punctuated by gas dispersal and cloud regrowth. The large spatial scales and long temporal scales on which we observe star formation offer a bridge between the processes within individual molecular clouds and the broad forces guiding star formation at galactic scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We attempt to identify RR Lyrae (RRL) stars in stellar streams that might have escaped from seven globular clusters (GCs) based on proper motions, distances, color–magnitude diagrams, and other properties extracted from the Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) database. Specifically, we cross-match two large RRL stars catalogs (from Gaia DR2 and Catalina Sky Survey) with each other and with the EDR3 database, and we end up with a sample of ∼150,000 unique RRL stars. We calculate distances to RRL stars using the MG–[Fe/H] and MV–[Fe/H] absolute magnitude–metallicity relations and adopt [Fe/H] values for the GCs from different spectroscopic studies. We also constrain our search to areas where stellar streams associated with GCs were previously suggested or identified in other studies. We identify 24 RRL stars that might have escaped from the following seven GCs: Palomar 13 (Pal 13), NGC 6341 (M92), NGC 5904 (M5), NGC 5466, NGC 1261, NGC 288, and NGC 1851. We list our findings in Table 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical stellar polarimetry in the Perseus molecular cloud direction is known to show a fully mixed bimodal distribution of position angles across the cloud. We study the Gaia trigonometric distances to each of these stars and reveal that the two components in position angles trace two different dust clouds along the line of sight. One component, which shows a polarization angle of −37.°6 ± 35.°2 and a higher polarization fraction of 2.0 ± 1.7 %, primarily traces the Perseus molecular cloud at a distance of 300 pc. The other component, which shows a polarization angle of +66.°8 ± 19.°1 and a lower polarization fraction of 0.8 ± 0.6 %, traces a foreground cloud at a distance of 150 pc. The foreground cloud is faint, with a maximum visual extinction of ≤1 mag. We identify that foreground cloud as the outer edge of the Taurus molecular cloud. Between the Perseus and Taurus molecular clouds, we identify a lower-density ellipsoidal dust cavity with a size of 100–160 pc. This dust cavity is located at l = 170°, b = −20°, and d = 240 pc, which corresponds to an H I shell generally associated with the Per OB2 association. The two-component polarization signature observed toward the Perseus molecular cloud can therefore be explained by a combination of the plane-of-sky orientations of the magnetic field both at the front and at the back of this dust cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the analytical framework for converting projected light distributions with a Sérsic profile into three-dimensional light distributions for stellar systems of arbitrary triaxial shape. The main practical result is the definition of a simple yet robust measure of intrinsic galaxy size: the median radius rmed, defined as the radius of a sphere that contains 50% of the total luminosity or mass, that is, the median distance of a star to the galaxy center. We examine how rmed depends on projected size measurements as a function of Sérsic index and intrinsic axis ratios, and demonstrate its relative independence of these parameters. As an application we show that the projected semimajor axis length of the ellipse enclosing 50% of the light is an unbiased proxy for rmed, with small galaxy-to-galaxy scatter of ∼10% (1σ), under the condition that the variation in triaxiality within the population is small. For galaxy populations with an unknown or a large range in triaxiality an unbiased proxy for rmed is 1.3 × Re, where Re is the circularized half-light radius, with galaxy-to-galaxy scatter of 20%–30% (1σ). We also describe how inclinations can be estimated for individual galaxies based on the measured projected shape and prior knowledge of the intrinsic shape distribution of the corresponding galaxy population. We make the numerical implementation of our calculations available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present theoretical predictions for the free–free emission at centimeter wavelengths obtained from photoevaporation and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wind disk models adjusted to the case of the TW Hydrae young stellar object. For this system, disk photoevaporation with heating due to the high-energy photons from the star has been proposed as a possible mechanism to open the gap observed in the dust emission with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We show that the photoevaporation disk model predicts a radial profile for the free–free emission that is made of two main spatial components, one originated from the bound disk atmosphere at 0.5–1 au from the star, and another more extended component from the photoevaporative wind at larger disk radii. We also show that the stellar X-ray luminosity has a significant impact on both these components. The predicted radio emission from the MHD wind model has a smoother radial distribution which extends to closer distances to the star than the photoevaporation case. We also show that a future radio telescope such as the Next Generation Very Large Array would have enough sensitivity and angular resolution to spatially resolve the main structures predicted by these models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present analytic estimates of the fractional uncertainties on the mass, radius, surface gravity, and density of a transiting planet, using only empirical or semi-empirical measurements. We first express these parameters in terms of transit photometry and radial velocity (RV) observables, as well as the stellar radius R⋆, if required. In agreement with previous results, we find that, assuming a circular orbit, the surface gravity of the planet (gp) depends only on empirical transit and RV parameters, namely the planet period P, the transit depth δ, the RV semi-amplitude K⋆, the transit duration T, and the ingress/egress duration τ. However, the planet mass and density depend on all these quantities, plus R⋆. Thus, an inference about the planet mass, radius, and density must rely upon an external constraint such as the stellar radius. For bright stars, stellar radii can now be measured nearly empirically by using measurements of the stellar bolometric flux, the effective temperature, and the distance to the star via its parallax, with the extinction AV being the only free parameter. For any given system, there is a hierarchy of achievable precisions on the planetary parameters, such that the planetary surface gravity is more accurately measured than the density, which in turn is more accurately measured than the mass. We find that surface gravity provides a strong constraint on the core mass fraction of terrestrial planets. This is useful, given that the surface gravity may be one of the best measured properties of a terrestrial planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results from a Far Ultraviolet Spectrographic Explorer (FUSE) survey of interstellar molecular hydrogen (H2) in the Galactic disk toward 139 O-type and early B-type stars at Galactic latitudes ∣b∣ ≤ 10°, with updated photometric and parallax distances. H2 absorption is measured using the far-UV Lyman and Werner bands, including strong R(0), R(1), and P(1) lines from rotational levels J = 0 and J = 1 and excited states up to J = 5 (sometimes J = 6 and 7). For each sight line, we report column densities NH2, NHI, N(J), and NH = NHI + 2NH2 and the molecular fraction fH2 = 2NH2/NH. Our survey extends the 1977 Copernicus H2 survey up to NH ≈ 5 × 1021 cm−2. The lowest rotational states have excitation temperatures and rms dispersions 〈T01〉 = 88 ± 20 K and 〈T02〉 = 77 ± 18 K, suggesting that J = 0, 1, 2 are coupled to the gas kinetic temperature. Populations of higher-J states exhibit mean excitation temperatures 〈T24〉 = 237 ± 91 K and 〈T35〉 = 304 ± 108 K, produced primarily by UV radiative pumping. Correlations of fH2 with E(B − V) and NH show a transition to fH2 ≥ 0.1 at NH ≳ 1021 cm−2 and E(B − V) ≳ 0.2, interpreted with an analytic model of H2 formation–dissociation equilibrium and attenuation of the far-UV radiation field by self-shielding and dust opacity. Results of this disk survey are compared to previous FUSE studies of H2 in translucent clouds, at high Galactic latitudes, and in the Magellanic Clouds. Using updated distances to the target stars, we find average sight-line values 〈fH2〉 = 0.20 and 〈NH/E(B − V)〉 = 6.07 × 1021 cm−2 mag−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Close white dwarf binaries consisting of a white dwarf and an A-, F-, G-, or K-type main-sequence star, henceforth close WD+AFGK binaries, are ideal systems to understand the nature of type Ia supernovae progenitors and to test binary evolution models. In this work we identify 775 WD+AFGK candidates from TGAS (The Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution) and Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2), a well-defined sample of stars with available parallaxes, and we measure radial velocities (RVs) for 275 of them with the aim of identifying close binaries. The RVs have been measured from high-resolution spectra obtained at the Xinglong 2.16 m Telescope and the San Pedro Mártir 2.12 m Telescope and/or from available LAMOST DR6 (low-resolution) and RAVE DR5 (medium-resolution) spectra. We identify 23 WD+AFGK systems displaying more than 3σ RV variation among 151 systems for which the measured values are obtained from different nights. Our WD+AFGK binary sample contains both AFGK dwarfs and giants, with a giant fraction ∼43%. The close binary fractions we determine for the WD+AFGK dwarf and giant samples are ≃24% and ≃15%, respectively. We also determine the stellar parameters (i.e., effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, mass, and radius) of the AFGK companions with available high-resolution spectra. The stellar parameter distributions of the AFGK companions that are members of close and wide binary candidates do not show statistically significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nearby star ϵ Eridani has been a frequent target of radio surveys for stellar emission and extraterrestrial intelligence. Using deep 2–4 GHz observations with the Very Large Array, we have uncovered a 29 μJy compact, steady continuum radio source coincident with ϵ Eridani to within 0.″06 (≲2σ; 0.2 au at the distance of the star). Combining our data with previous high-frequency continuum detections of ϵ Eridani, our observations reveal a spectral turnover at 6 GHz. We ascribe the 2–6 GHz emission to optically thick, thermal gyroresonance radiation from the stellar corona, with thermal free–free opacity likely becoming relevant at frequencies below 1 GHz. The steep spectral index (α ≃ 2) of the 2–6 GHz spectrum strongly disfavors its interpretation as stellar-wind-associated thermal bremsstrahlung (α ≃ 0.6). Attributing the entire observed 2–4 GHz flux density to thermal free–free wind emission, we thus derive a stringent upper limit of 3 × 10−11M⊙ yr−1 on the mass-loss rate from ϵ Eridani. Finally, we report the nondetection of flares in our data above a 5σ threshold of 95 μJy. Together with the optical nondetection of the most recent stellar maximum expected in 2019, our observations postulate a likely evolution of the internal dynamo of ϵ Eridani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio campaigns using maser stellar beacons have provided crucial information to characterize Galactic stellar populations. Currently, the Bulge Asymmetries and Dynamical Evolution (BAaDE) project is surveying infrared (IR) color-selected targets for SiO masers. This provides a sample of evolved stars that can be used to study the inner, optically obscured Galaxy using line-of-sight velocities and possibly very long baseline interferometry proper motions. In order to use the BAaDE sample for kinematic studies, the stellar population should be characterized. In this study, the BAaDE targets have been cross-matched with IR (2MASS) and optical (Gaia) samples. By exploring the synergies of this cross-match together with Gaia parallaxes and extinction maps, the local (d < 2 kpc) asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars can be characterized. We have defined a BAaDE–Gaia sample of 20,111 sources resulting from cross-matching BAaDE targets with IR and optical surveys. From this sample, a local sample of 1812 evolved stars with accurate parallax measurements, confirmed evolved stellar evolution stage, and within 2 kpc distance around the Sun was selected, for which absolute (bolometric) magnitudes are estimated. The evolved stellar population with Gaia counterparts that are variable seems to be predominantly associated with AGB stars with moderate luminosity () and periods between 250 and 1250 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use Gaia DR2 to hunt for runaway stars from the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We search a region extending 45° around the ONC and out to 1 kpc to find sources that have overlapped in angular position with the cluster in the last ∼10 Myr. We find ∼17,000 runaway/walkaway candidates that satisfy this 2D traceback condition. Most of these are expected to be contaminants, e.g., caused by Galactic streaming motions of stars at different distances. We thus examine six further tests to help identify real runaways, namely: (1) possessing young stellar object (YSO) colors and magnitudes based on Gaia optical photometry; (2) having IR excess consistent with YSOs based on 2MASS and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer photometry; (3) having a high degree of optical variability; (4) having closest approach distances well-constrained to within the cluster half-mass radius; (5) having ejection directions that avoid the main Galactic streaming contamination zone; and (6) having a required radial velocity (RV) for 3D overlap of reasonable magnitude (or, for the 7% of candidates with measured RVs, satisfying 3D traceback). Thirteen sources, not previously noted as Orion members, pass all these tests, while another twelve are similarly promising, except they are in the main Galactic streaming contamination zone. Among these 25 ejection candidates, ten with measured RVs pass the most restrictive 3D traceback condition. We present full lists of runaway/walkaway candidates, estimate the high-velocity population ejected from the ONC, and discuss its implications for cluster formation theories via comparison with numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the lens mass and distance measurements of the nearby microlensing event TCP J05074264+2447555 (Kojima-1). We measure the microlens parallax vector using Spitzer and ground-based light curves with constraints on the direction of lens-source relative proper motion derived from Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) GRAVITY observations. Combining this determination with the angular Einstein radius measured by VLTI-GRAVITY observations, we find that the lens is a star with mass at a distance DL = 429 ± 21 pc. We find that the blended light basically all comes from the lens. The lens-source proper motion is , so with currently available adaptive-optics instruments, the lens and source can be resolved in 2021. This is the first microlensing event whose lens mass is unambiguously measured by interferometry + satellite-parallax observations, which opens a new window for mass measurements of isolated objects such as stellar-mass black holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our Galactic center contains young stars, including the few million year-old clockwise disk between 0.05 and 0.5 pc from the Galactic center and the S-star cluster of B-type stars at a galactocentric distance of 0.01 pc. Recent observations suggest the S-stars are remnants of tidally disrupted binaries from the clockwise disk. In particular, Koposov et al. discovered a hypervelocity star that was ejected from the Galactic center 5 Myr ago with a velocity vector consistent with the disk. We perform a detailed study of this binary disruption scenario. First, we quantify the plausible range of binary semimajor axes in the disk. Dynamical evaporation of such binaries is dominated by other disk stars rather than by the isotropic stellar population. For the expected range of semimajor axes in the disk, binary tidal disruptions can reproduce the observed S-star semimajor axis distribution. Reproducing the observed thermal eccentricity distribution of the S-stars requires an additional relaxation process. The flight time of the Koposov star suggests that this process must be effective within 10 Myr. We consider three possibilities: (i) scalar resonant relaxation from the observed isotropic star cluster, (ii) torques from the clockwise disk, and (iii) an intermediate-mass black hole. We conclude that the first and third mechanisms are fast enough to reproduce the observed S-star eccentricity distribution. Finally, we show that the primary star from an unequal-mass binary would be deposited at larger semimajor axes than the secondary, possibly explaining the dearth of O stars among the S-stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequent flaring events in the X-ray and the near-IR (NIR) radiation of Sgr A* seem not to be periodic in time. However, statistical regularities, here termed "modulations by a pacemaker," are found in the recorded arrival times of both types of events. The characteristic time of the X-ray pacemaker is 149 minutes, and that of the NIR pacemaker is 40 minutes. Their reality as derived from observed data can be accepted at larger than 4.6σ and 3.8σ levels of statistical confidence, respectively. These results can be interpreted as evidence for a star that revolves around the black hole (BH) of Sgr A* in a slightly elliptical precessing orbit, at a distance of 3–3.5 Schwarzschild radii of the BH. The period of the X-ray pacemaker, which is not a periodicity of the flare occurrences themselves, is the epicyclic period of the star orbital motion. This is the time interval between two successive passages of the star through the pericenter of its orbit. The NIR pacemaker period is the mean sidereal binary period of the star revolution. The origin of the X-ray flares is in episodes of intense mass loss from the star that occur preferably near the pericenter phase of the binary revolution. The NIR flares originate or are triggered by processes that are internal to the star. The radiation emitted in the direction of Earth is slightly modulated by the changing aspect ratio of the two components of the BH/star binary to the line of sight from Earth at the sidereal binary frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In astrometric binaries, the presence of a dark, unseen star can be inferred from the gravitational pull it induces on its luminous binary companion. While the orbit of such binaries can be characterized with precise astrometric measurements, constraints made from astrometry alone are not enough to measure the component masses. In this work, we determine the precision with which Gaia can astrometrically measure the orbits and—with additional observations—the component masses, for luminous stars hosting hidden companions. Using realistic mock Gaia observations, we find that Gaia can precisely measure the orbits of binaries hosting hidden brown dwarfs out to tens of parsecs and hidden white dwarf and neutron star companions at distances as far as several hundred parsecs. Heavier black hole companions may be measured out to 1 kpc or farther. We further determine how orbital period affects this precision, finding that Gaia can characterize orbits with periods as short as 10 days and as long as a few 103 days, with the best measured orbits having periods just short of Gaia's mission lifetime. Extending Gaia's nominal five-year mission lifetime by an additional five years not only allows for the measurement of longer period orbits, but those longer period binaries can be seen at even greater distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new fully data-driven algorithm that uses photometric data from the Canada–France Imaging Survey (CFIS; u), Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1; griz), and Gaia (G) to discriminate between dwarf and giant stars and to estimate their distances and metallicities. The algorithm is trained and tested using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)/SEGUE spectroscopic data set and Gaia photometric/astrometric data set. At [Fe/H] < −1.2, the algorithm succeeds in identifying more than 70% of the giants in the training/test set, with a dwarf contamination fraction below 30% (with respect to the SDSS/SEGUE data set). The photometric metallicity estimates have uncertainties better than 0.2 dex when compared with the spectroscopic measurements. The distances estimated by the algorithm are valid out to a distance of at least ∼80 kpc without requiring any prior on the stellar distribution and have fully independent uncertainties that take into account both random and systematic errors. These advances allow us to estimate these stellar parameters for approximately 12 million stars in the photometric data set. This will enable studies involving the chemical mapping of the distant outer disk and the stellar halo, including their kinematics using the Gaia proper motions. This type of algorithm can be applied in the southern hemisphere to the first release of LSST data, thus providing an almost complete view of the external components of our Galaxy out to at least ∼80 kpc. Critical to the success of these efforts will be ensuring well-defined spectroscopic training sets that sample a broad range of stellar parameters with minimal biases. A catalog containing the training/test set and all relevant parameters within the public footprint of CFIS is available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We re-examine recent claims of observational evidence for a dual Galactic halo in SEGUE/SDSS data, and trace them back to improper error treatment and neglect of selection effects. In particular, the detection of a vertical abundance gradient in the halo can be explained as a metallicity bias in distance. A similar bias and the impact of disk contamination affect the sample of blue horizontal branch stars. These examples highlight why non-volume complete samples require forward modeling from theoretical models or extensive bias-corrections. We also show how observational uncertainties produce the specific non-Gaussianity in the observed azimuthal velocity distribution of halo stars, which can be erroneously identified as two Gaussian components. A single kinematic component yields an excellent fit to the observed data, when we model the measurement process including distance uncertainties. Furthermore, we show that sample differences in proper motion space are the direct consequence of kinematic cuts and are enhanced when distance estimates are less accurate. Thus, their presence is neither proof of a separate population nor a measure of reliability for the applied distances. We conclude that currently there is no evidence from SEGUE/SDSS that would favor a dual Galactic halo over a single halo that is full of substructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MEarth survey is a search for small rocky planets around the smallest, nearest stars to the Sun as identified by high proper motion with red colors. We augmented our planetary search time series with lower cadence astrometric imaging and obtained two million images of approximately 1800 stars suspected to be mid-to-late M dwarfs. We fit an astrometric model to MEarth's images for 1507 stars and obtained trigonometric distance measurements to each star with an average precision of 5 mas. Our measurements, combined with the Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry, allowed us to obtain an absolute Ks magnitude for each star. In turn, this allows us to better estimate the stellar parameters than those obtained with photometric estimates alone and to better prioritize the targets chosen to monitor at high cadence for planetary transits. The MEarth sample is mostly complete out to a distance of 25 pc for stars of type M5.5V and earlier, and mostly complete for later type stars out to 20 pc. We find eight stars that are within 10 pc of the Sun for which there did not exist a published trigonometric parallax distance estimate. We release with this work a catalog of the trigonometric parallax measurements for 1507 mid-to-late M dwarfs, as well as new estimates of their masses and radii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report four trigonometric parallaxes for high-mass star-forming regions within 4 kpc of the Galactic center. These measurements were made with the Very Long Baseline Array as part of the BeSSeL Survey. By associating these sources kinematically with large-scale features in CO and H I longitude-velocity diagrams, we begin to outline some major features of the inner Milky Way: the Connecting arm, the near and far 3 kpc arms, and the Norma arm. The Connecting arm in the first Galactic quadrant lies closer to the Galactic center than the far 3 kpc arm and is offset by the long-bar's major axis near its leading edge, supporting the presence of an inner Lindblad resonance. Assuming the 3 kpc arms are a continuous physical structure, the relative Galactocentric distance of its near and far sides suggests highly elliptical streamlines of gas around the bar(s) and a bar corotation radius, rCR ≳ 3.6 kpc. At a Galactic longitude near 10° and a heliocentric distance of about 5 kpc, the near 3 kpc arm and the Norma arm intersect on a face-on view of our Galaxy, while passing at different Galactic latitudes. We provide an accurate distance measurement to the W 31 star-forming complex of kpc from the Sun, which associates it with a bright CO feature belonging to the near 3 kpc arm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, we measured the angular diameters of 10 stars that have previously measured solar-like oscillations. Our sample covered a range of evolutionary stages but focused on evolved subgiant and giant stars. We combined our angular diameters with Hipparcos parallaxes to determine the stars' physical radii, and used photometry from the literature to calculate their bolometric fluxes, luminosities, and effective temperatures. We then used our results to test the scaling relations used by asteroseismology groups to calculate radii and found good agreement between the radii measured here and the radii predicted by stellar oscillation studies. The precision of the relations is not as well constrained for giant stars as it is for less evolved stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report trigonometric parallax measurements of masers in the massive star-forming complex W43 from Very Long Baseline Array observations as part of the Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy Survey. Based on measurements of three 12 GHz methanol maser sources (G029.86–00.04, G029.95–00.01, and G031.28+00.06) and one 22 GHz water maser source (G031.58+00.07) toward W43, we derived a distance of kpc to W43. By associating the masers with CO molecular clouds, and associating the clouds kinematically with CO longitude-velocity spiral features, we assign W43 to the Scutum spiral arm, close to the near end of the Galactic bar. The peculiar motion of W43 is about 20 km s–1 toward the Galactic Center and is very likely induced by the gravitational attraction of the bar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotation-mass-age relationship offers a promising avenue for measuring the ages of field stars, assuming the attendant uncertainties to this technique can be well characterized. We model stellar angular momentum evolution starting with a rotation distribution from open cluster M37. Our predicted rotation-mass-age relationship shows significant zero-point offsets compared to an alternative angular momentum loss law and published gyrochronology relations. Systematic errors at the 30% level are permitted by current data, highlighting the need for empirical guidance. We identify two fundamental sources of uncertainty that limit the precision of rotation-based ages and quantify their impact. Stars are born with a range of rotation rates, which leads to an age range at fixed rotation period. We find that the inherent ambiguity from the initial conditions is important for all young stars, and remains large for old stars below 0.6 M☼. Latitudinal surface differential rotation also introduces a minimum uncertainty into rotation period measurements and, by extension, rotation-based ages. Both models and the data from binary star systems 61 Cyg and α Cen demonstrate that latitudinal differential rotation is the limiting factor for rotation-based age precision among old field stars, inducing uncertainties at the ∼2 Gyr level. We also examine the relationship between variability amplitude, rotation period, and age. Existing ground-based surveys can detect field populations with ages as old as 1-2 Gyr, while space missions can detect stars as old as the Galactic disk. In comparison with other techniques for measuring the ages of lower main sequence stars, including geometric parallax and asteroseismology, rotation-based ages have the potential to be the most precise chronometer for 0.6-1.0 M☼ stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white dwarf LHS 3236 (WD1639+153) is shown to be a double-degenerate binary, with each component having a high mass. Astrometry at the U.S. Naval Observatory gives a parallax and distance of 30.86 ± 0.25 pc and a tangential velocity of 98 km s–1, and reveals binary orbital motion. The orbital parameters are determined from astrometry of the photocenter over more than three orbits of the 4.0 yr period. High-resolution imaging at the Keck Observatory resolves the pair with a separation of 31 and 124 mas at two epochs. Optical and near-IR photometry give a set of possible binary components. Consistency of all data indicates that the binary is a pair of DA stars with temperatures near 8000 and 7400 K and with masses of 0.93 and 0.91 M☼; also possible is a DA primary and a helium DC secondary with temperatures near 8800 and 6000 K and with masses of 0.98 and 0.69 M☼. In either case, the cooling ages of the stars are ∼3 Gyr and the total ages are <4 Gyr. The combined mass of the binary (1.66-1.84 M☼) is well above the Chandrasekhar limit; however, the timescale for coalescence is long. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using time-resolved, mid-infrared data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and geometric parallaxes from the Hubble Space Telescope for four Galactic RR Lyrae variables, we derive the following Population II period-luminosity (PL) relations for the WISE [W1], [W2], and [W3] bands at 3.4, 4.6, and 12 μm, respectively: The slopes and the scatter around the fits are consistent with a smooth extrapolation of those same quantities from previously published K-band observations at 2.2 μm, where the asymptotic (long-wavelength) behavior is consistent with a period-radius relation with a slope of 0.5. No obvious correlation with metallicity (spanning 0.4 dex in [Fe/H]) is found in the residuals of the four calibrating RR Lyrae stars about the mean PL regression line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery of a very cold, very low mass, nearby brown dwarf using data from the NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The object, WISE J064723.23–623235.5, has a very red WISE color of W1–W2 > 3.77 mag and a very red Spitzer Space Telescope color of ch1–ch2 = 2.82 ± 0.09 mag. In JMKO –ch2 color (7.58 ± 0.27 mag) it is one of the two or three reddest brown dwarfs known. Our grism spectrum from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) confirms it to be the seventeenth Y dwarf discovered, and its spectral type of Y1 ± 0.5 makes it one of the four latest-type Y dwarfs classified. Astrometric imaging from Spitzer and HST, combined with data from WISE, provides a preliminary parallax of π = 115 ± 12 mas (d = 8.7 ± 0.9 pc) and proper motion of μ = 387 ± 25 mas yr–1 based on 2.5 yr of monitoring. The spectrum implies a blue J–H color, for which model atmosphere calculations suggest a relatively low surface gravity. The best fit to these models indicates an effective temperature of 350-400 K and a mass of ∼5-30 MJup. Kinematic analysis hints that this object may belong to the Columba moving group, which would support an age of ∼30 Myr and thus an even lower mass of <2 MJup, but verification would require a radial velocity measurement not currently possible for a J = 22.7 mag brown dwarf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several tens of hypervelocity stars (HVSs) have been discovered escaping our Galaxy. These stars share a common origin in the Galactic center and are distributed anisotropically in Galactic longitude and latitude. We examine the possibility that HVSs may be created as the result of supernovae (SNe) occurring within binary systems in a disk of stars around Sgr A" over the last 100 Myr. Monte Carlo simulations show that the rate of binary disruption is ~10-4 yr-1, comparable to that of tidal disruption models. The SN-induced HVS production rate (ГHVS) is significantly increased if the binaries are hardened via migration through a gaseous disk. Moderate hardening gives ГHVS ≃ 2×10-7 yr-1 and an estimated population of ~20 HVSs in the last 100 Myr. SN-induced HVS production requires the internal and external orbital velocity vectors of the secondary binary component to be aligned when the binary is disrupted. This leaves an imprint of the disk geometry on the spatial distribution of the HVSs, producing a distinct anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present 474 new proper motion stellar systems in the southern sky having no previously known components, with Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed.40 yr-1 >μ ≥ Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed.18 yr-1 between declinations -47° and 0°. In this second paper utilizing the U.S. Naval Observatory third CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC3) we complete our sweep of the southern sky for objects in the proper motion range targeted by this survey with R magnitudes ranging from 9.80 to 19.61. The new systems contribute a ~16% increase in the number of new stellar systems for the same region of sky reported in previous SuperCOSMOS Research Consortium On Nearby Stars (RECONS) surveys. Among the newly discovered stellar systems are 16 multiples, plus an additional ten components that are new common proper motion companions to previously known objects. A comparison of UCAC3 proper motions to those from Hipparcos, Tycho-2, Southern Proper Motion, and SuperCOSMOS indicates that all proper motions are consistent to ~10 mas yr-1, with the exception of SuperCOSMOS. Distance estimates are derived for all stellar systems having SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey BJ, R59F, and IIVN plate magnitudes and Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) infrared photometry. We find five new red dwarf systems estimated to be within 25 pc. These discoveries support results from previous proper motion surveys suggesting that more nearby stellar systems are to be found, particularly in the fainter, slower moving samples. In this second paper utilizing the UCAC3 we complete our sweep of the southern sky for objects in the proper motion range targeted by this survey with R magnitudes ranging from 9.80 to 19.61. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the methods and first results of a survey of nearby high proper motion main-sequence stars to probe for cool companions with the Gemini camera at Lick Observatory. This survey uses a sample of old (age > 2 Gyr) stars as targets to probe for companions down to temperatures of 500 K. Multi-epoch observations allow us to discriminate comoving companions from background objects. So far, our survey has successfully rediscovered the wide T8.5 companion to GJ 1263 and has discovered a companion to the nearby M0V star GJ 660.1. The companion to GJ 660.1 (GJ 660.1B) is ~4 mag fainter than its host star in the J-band and is located at a projected separation of ~ 120 AU. Known trigonometric parallax and Two Micron All Sky Survey magnitudes for the GJ 660.1 system indicate a spectral type for the companion of M9 ± 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cygnus X-1 is a binary star system that is comprised of a black hole and a massive giant companion star in a tight orbit. Building on our accurate distance measurement reported in the preceding paper, we first determine the radius of the companion star, thereby constraining the scale of the binary system. To obtain a full dynamical model of the binary, we use an extensive collection of optical photometric and spectroscopic data taken from the literature. By using all of the available observational constraints, we show that the orbit is slightly eccentric (both the radial velocity and photometric data independently confirm this result) and that the companion star rotates roughly 1.4 times its pseudosynchronous value. We find a black hole mass of M = 14.8 ± 1.0 M⊙, a companion mass of Mopt = 19.2 ± 1.9 M⊙, and the angle of inclination of the orbital plane to our line of sight of i =27.1 ± 0.8 deg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery and mass measurement of the cold, low-mass planet MOA-2009-BLG-266Lb, performed with the gravitational microlensing method. This planet has a mass of mp = 10.4 ± 1.7 M⊙ and orbits a star of mass M✭ = 0.56 ± 0.09 M⊙ at a semimajor axis of a = Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed. AU and an orbital period of P = Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed. yrs. The planet and host star mass measurements are enabled by the measurement of the microlensing parallax effect, which is seen primarily in the light curve distortion due to the orbital motion of the Earth. But the analysis also demonstrates the capability to measure the microlensing parallax with the Deep Impact (or EPOXI) spacecraft in a heliocentric orbit. The planet mass and orbital distance are similar to predictions for the critical core mass needed to accrete a substantial gaseous envelope, and thus may indicate that this planet is a "failed" gas giant. This and future microlensing detections will test planet formation theory predictions regarding the prevalence and masses of such planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a slitless spectroscopy method with (1) the 8.2 m Subaru telescope and its FOCAS Cassegrain spectrograph and (2) the ESO Very Large Telescope unit 1 (Antu) and its FORS2 Cassegrain spectrograph, we have detected 326 planetary nebulae (PNs) in the giant Virgo elliptical galaxy NGC 4649 (M 60) and measured their radial velocities. After rejecting some PNs more likely to belong to the companion galaxy NGC 4647, we have built a catalog with kinematic information for 298 PNs in M 60. Using these radial velocities, we have concluded that they support the presence of a dark matter halo around M 60. Based on an isotropic, two-component Hernquist model, we estimate the dark matter halo mass within 3Rc to be 4 x 1011 M⊙, which is almost one-half of the total mass of about 1012 M⊙ within 3Rc. This total mass is similar to that estimated from globular cluster, XMM-Newton, and Chandra observations. The dark matter becomes dominant outside. More detailed dynamical modeling of the PN data is being published in a companion paper. We have also measured the m(5007) magnitudes of many of these PNs and built a statistically complete sample of 218 PNs. The resulting PN luminosity function (PNLF) was used to estimate a distance modulus of 30.7 ± 0.2 mag, equivalent to 14 ± 1 Mpc. This confirms an earlier PNLF distance measurement based on a much smaller sample. The PNLF distance modulus remains smaller than the surface brightness fluctuation distance modulus by 0.4 mag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of faint stellar and substellar objects often rely on indirect, model-dependent estimates. For example, the masses of brown dwarfs are usually inferred using evolutionary models, which are age dependent and have yet to be properly calibrated. With the goal of identifying new benchmark objects to test low-mass stellar and substellar models, we have carried out a comprehensive adaptive optics survey as part of the TaRgetting bENchmark-objects with the Doppler Spectroscopy high-contrast imaging program. Using legacy radial velocity measurements from the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer at Keck, we have identified several dozen stars that show long-term Doppler accelerations. We present follow-up high-contrast observations from the campaign and report the discovery of 31 comoving companions, as well as 11 strong candidate companions, to solar-type stars with well-determined parallax and metallicity values. Benchmark objects of this nature lend themselves to orbit determinations, dynamical mass estimates, and independent compositional assessment. This compendium of benchmark objects will serve as a convenient test group to substantiate theoretical evolutionary and atmospheric models near the hydrogen fusing limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present multiband photometry covering ∼5° × 5° across ω Cen collected with the Dark Energy Camera on the 4 m Blanco telescope, combined with Hubble Space Telescope and Wide Field Imager data for the central regions. The unprecedented photometric accuracy and field coverage allows us to confirm the different spatial distribution of blue and red main-sequence stars, and of red giant branch (RGB) stars with different metallicities. The ratio of the number of blue to red main-sequence stars shows that the blue main-sequence stellar subpopulation has a more extended spatial distribution compared to the red main-sequence one, with the frequency of blue main-sequence stars increasing at a distance of ∼20′ from ω Cen’s center. Similarly, the more metal-rich RGB stars show a more extended spatial distribution compared to the more metal-poor ones in the outskirts of the cluster. Moreover, the centers of the distributions of metal-rich and metal-poor RGB stars are shifted in different directions with respect to the geometrical center of ω Cen. We constructed stellar density profiles for the blue and red main-sequence stars; they show that the blue main-sequence stellar subpopulation has a more extended spatial distribution compared to the red main-sequence one in the outskirts of ω Cen, confirming the results based on the number ratio. We also computed the ellipticity profile of ω Cen, which has a maximum value of 0.16 at a distance of ∼8′ from the center, and a minimum of 0.05 at ∼30′; the average ellipticity is ∼0.10. The circumstantial evidence presented in this work suggests a merging scenario for the formation of the peculiar stellar system ω Cen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of two ultra-faint stellar systems found in early data from the DECam Local Volume Exploration survey (DELVE). The first system, Centaurus I (DELVE J1238–4054), is identified as a resolved overdensity of old and metal-poor stars with a heliocentric distance of , a half-light radius of , an age of , a metallicity of , and an absolute magnitude of . This characterization is consistent with the population of ultra-faint satellites and confirmation of this system would make Centaurus I one of the brightest recently discovered ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. Centaurus I is detected in Gaia DR2 with a clear and distinct proper motion signal, confirming that it is a real association of stars distinct from the Milky Way foreground; this is further supported by the clustering of blue horizontal branch stars near the centroid of the system. The second system, DELVE 1 (DELVE J1630–0058), is identified as a resolved overdensity of stars with a heliocentric distance of , a half-light radius of , an age of , a metallicity of , and an absolute magnitude of , consistent with the known population of faint halo star clusters. Given the low number of probable member stars at magnitudes accessible with Gaia DR2, a proper motion signal for DELVE 1 is only marginally detected. We compare the spatial position and proper motion of both Centaurus I and DELVE 1 with simulations of the accreted satellite population of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and find that neither is likely to be associated with the LMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Gaia DR2 was released, many velocity structures in the disk have been revealed, such as large-scale ridge-like patterns in phase space. Both kinematic information and stellar elemental abundances are needed to reveal their evolution history. We have used labels from the APOGEE survey to predict elemental abundances for a huge amount of low-resolution spectra from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope survey. Deep learning with artificial neural networks can automatically draw on physically sensible features in the spectrum for their predictions. Abundances of 12 individual elements, [C/Fe], [N/Fe], [O/Fe], [Mg/Fe], [Al/Fe], [Si/Fe], [S/Fe], [Cl/Fe], [Ca/Fe], [Ti/Fe], [Mn/Fe], and [Ni/Fe], along with basic stellar labels Teff, log g, metallicity ([M/H] and [Fe/H]), and [α/M] for 1,063,386 stars have been estimated. Then, those stars were cross-matched with Gaia DR2 data to obtain kinematic parameters. We present distributions of chemical abundances in the Vϕ versus R coordinate. Our results extend the chemical characterization of the ridges in the (R, Vϕ) plane to about R = 13 kpc toward the anticenter direction. In addition, radial elemental abundance gradients for disk stars with abs(z) < 0.5 kpc are investigated, and we fitted a line for median abundance values of bins of stars with galactocentric distance between R > 7.84 kpc and R < 15.84 kpc. The radial metallicity gradients for disk stars are, respectively, −0.0475 ± 0.0015 for R ≥ 13.09 kpc and −0.0173 ± 0.0028 for R < 13.09 kpc. Gradients for other elemental abundances are also obtained for disk stars: the [α/M] gradient is 0.0030 ± 0.0002; the [Al/Fe] gradient is 0.0030 ± 0.0002; and the [Mn/Fe] gradient is −0.0078 ± 0.0005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new three-dimensional map of dust reddening, based on Gaia parallaxes and stellar photometry from Pan-STARRS 1 and 2MASS. This map covers the sky north of a decl. of −30°, out to a distance of a few kiloparsecs. This new map contains three major improvements over our previous work. First, the inclusion of Gaia parallaxes dramatically improves distance estimates to nearby stars. Second, we incorporate a spatial prior that correlates the dust density across nearby sightlines. This produces a smoother map, with more isotropic clouds and smaller distance uncertainties, particularly to clouds within the nearest kiloparsec. Third, we infer the dust density with a distance resolution that is four times finer than in our previous work, to accommodate the improvements in signal-to-noise enabled by the other improvements. As part of this work, we infer the distances, reddenings, and types of 799 million stars. (Our 3D dust map can be accessed at doi:10.7910/DVN/2EJ9TX or through the Python package dustmaps, while our catalog of stellar parameters can be accessed at doi:10.7910/DVN/AV9GXO. More information about the map, as well as an interactive viewer, can be found at argonaut.skymaps.info.) We obtain typical reddening uncertainties that are ∼30% smaller than those reported in the Gaia DR2 catalog, reflecting the greater number of photometric passbands that enter into our analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform a suite of 3D radiation hydrodynamics simulations of photoevaporation of molecular gas clumps illuminated by external massive stars. We study the fate of solar-mass clumps and derive their lifetimes by varying the gas metallicity over a range of . Our simulations incorporate radiation transfer of far- and extreme-ultraviolet photons and follow atomic/molecular line cooling and dust–gas collisional cooling. Nonequilibrium chemistry is coupled with the radiative transfer and hydrodynamics in a self-consistent manner. We show that radiation-driven shocks compress gas clumps to have a volume that is set by the pressure equilibrium with the hot ambient gas. Radiative cooling enables metal-rich clumps to condense and have small surface areas where photoevaporative flows are launched. For our fiducial setup with an O-type star at a distance of 0.1 pc, the resulting photoevaporation rate is as small as for metal-rich clumps, but it is larger for metal-poor clumps that have larger surface areas. The clumps are continuously accelerated away from the radiation source by the so-called rocket effect and can travel over ∼1 pc within the lifetime. We also study the photoevaporation of clumps in a photodissociation region. Photoelectric heating is inefficient for metal-poor clumps that contain a smaller amount of grains, and thus they survive for over 105 yr. We conclude that the gas metallicity strongly affects the clump lifetime and thus determines the strength of feedback from massive stars in star-forming regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern theories of galaxy formation predict that the Galactic stellar halo was hierarchically assembled from the accretion and disruption of smaller systems. This hierarchical assembly is expected to produce a high degree of structure in the combined phase and chemistry space; this structure should provide a relatively direct probe of the accretion history of our Galaxy. Revealing this structure requires precise 3D positions (including distances), 3D velocities, and chemistry for large samples of stars. The Gaia satellite is delivering proper motions and parallaxes for >1 billion stars to G ≈ 20. However, radial velocities and metallicities will only be available to G ≈ 15, which is insufficient to probe the outer stellar halo (≳10 kpc). Moreover, parallaxes will not be precise enough to deliver high-quality distances for stars beyond ∼10 kpc. Identifying accreted systems throughout the stellar halo therefore requires a large ground-based spectroscopic survey to complement Gaia. Here we provide an overview of the H3 Stellar Spectroscopic Survey, which will deliver precise stellar parameters and spectrophotometric distances for ≈200,000 stars to r = 18. Spectra are obtained with the Hectochelle instrument at the MMT, which is configured for the H3 Survey to deliver resolution R ≈ 23,000 spectra covering the wavelength range 5150–5300 Å. The survey is optimized for stellar halo science and therefore focuses on high Galactic latitude fields (), sparsely sampling 15,000 sq. degrees. Targets are selected on the basis of Gaia parallaxes, enabling very efficient selection of bona fide halo stars. The survey began in the fall of 2017 and has collected 88,000 spectra to-date. All of the data, including the derived stellar parameters, will eventually be made publicly available via the survey website: h3survey.rc.fas.harvard.edu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]