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This document is an erratum to a previously published paper on weak lensing of cluster satellite galaxies. The erratum explains that there was a bug in the codes used for data analysis, resulting in underestimation of errorbars in some figures. The affected figures and tables are presented in the erratum, along with the updated values. The authors state that these changes do not impact their conclusions and qualitative inferences. The document includes tables presenting data on various parameters for different ranges, such as R_sat, M_clu, M_sat, M_bary, sigma_mc, and f_orp. The tables also compare constraints on the orphan fraction using different covariance estimation techniques, showing consistent results within errors. [Extracted from the article]

As cosmological simulations have grown in size, the permanent storage requirements of their particle data have also grown. Even modest simulations present a major logistical challenge for the groups which run these boxes and researchers without access to high performance computing facilities often need to restrict their analysis to lower quality data. In this paper, we present guppy , a compression algorithm and code base tailored to reduce the sizes of dark matter-only cosmological simulations by approximately an order of magnitude. guppy is a 'lossy' algorithm, meaning that it injects a small amount of controlled and uncorrelated noise into particle properties. We perform extensive tests on the impact that this noise has on the internal structure of dark matter haloes, and identify conservative accuracy limits which ensure that compression has no practical impact on single-snapshot halo properties, profiles, and abundances. We also release functional prototype libraries in C, Python, and Go for reading and creating guppy data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of gravitational arcs systems detected is increasing quickly and should even increase at a faster rate in the near future. This wealth of new gravitational arcs requires the development of a purely automated method to reconstruct the lens and source. A general reconstruction method based on the singular perturbative approach is proposed in this paper. This method generates a lens and source reconstruction directly from the gravitational arc image. The method is fully automated and works in two steps. The first step is to generate a guess solution based on the circular solution in the singular perturbative approach. The second step is to break the sign degeneracy and to refine the solution by using a general source model. The refinement of the solution is conducted step-by-step to avoid the source-lens degeneracy issue. One important asset of this automated method is that the lens solution is written in universal terms which allows the computation of statistics. Considering the large number of lenses which should be available in the near future this ability to compute unbiased statistics is an important asset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Merian survey is mapping ∼ 850 deg2 of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Strategic Survey Program (HSC-SSP) wide layer with two medium-band filters on the 4-m Victor M. Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, with the goal of carrying the first high signal-to-noise (S/N) measurements of weak gravitational lensing around dwarf galaxies. This paper presents the design of the Merian filter set: N708 (λ c  = 7080 Å, Δλ = 275 Å) and N540 (λ c  = 5400 Å, Δλ = 210 Å). The central wavelengths and filter widths of N708 and N540 were designed to detect the |$\rm H\alpha$| and |$\rm [OIII]$| emission lines of galaxies in the mass range |$8\lt \rm \log M_*/M_\odot \lt 9$| by comparing Merian fluxes with HSC broad-band fluxes. Our filter design takes into account the weak lensing S/N and photometric redshift performance. Our simulations predict that Merian will yield a sample of ∼ 85 000 star-forming dwarf galaxies with a photometric redshift accuracy of σΔ z /(1 + z) ∼ 0.01 and an outlier fraction of |$\eta =2.8~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| over the redshift range 0.058 < z < 0.10. With 60 full nights on the Blanco/Dark Energy Camera (DECam), the Merian survey is predicted to measure the average weak lensing profile around dwarf galaxies with lensing S/N ∼32 within r < 0.5 Mpc and lensing S/N ∼90 within r < 1.0 Mpc. This unprecedented sample of star-forming dwarf galaxies will allow for studies of the interplay between dark matter and stellar feedback and their roles in the evolution of dwarf galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND), postulating a breakdown of Newtonian mechanics at low accelerations, has considerable success at explaining galaxy kinematics. However, the quadrupole of the gravitational field of the Solar system (SS) provides a strong constraint on the way in which Newtonian gravity can be modified. In this paper, we assess the extent to which the AQUAdratic Lagrangian (AQUAL) and QUasilinear MOND (QUMOND) modified gravity formulations of MOND are capable of accounting simultaneously for the radial acceleration relation (RAR), the Cassini measurement of the SS quadrupole and the kinematics of wide binaries in the Solar neighbourhood. We achieve this by inferring the location and sharpness of the MOND transition from the Spitzer Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves (SPARC) RAR under broad assumptions for the behaviour of the interpolating function and external field effect. We constrain the same quantities from the SS quadrupole, finding that this requires a significantly sharper transition between the deep-MOND and Newtonian regimes than is allowed by the RAR (an 8.7σ tension under fiducial model assumptions). This may be relieved somewhat by allowing additional freedom in galaxies' mass-to-light ratios – which also improves the RAR fit – and more significantly (to 1.9σ) by removing galaxies with bulges. For the first time, we also apply to the SPARC RAR fit an AQUAL correction for flattened systems, obtaining similar results. Finally, we show that the SS quadrupole constraint implies, to high precision, no deviation from Newtonian gravity in nearby wide binaries, and speculate on possible resolutions of this tension between SS and galaxy data within the MOND paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mass distribution in massive elliptical galaxies encodes their evolutionary history, thus providing an avenue to constrain the baryonic astrophysics in their evolution. The power-law assumption for the radial mass profile in ellipticals has been sufficient to describe several observables to the noise level, including strong lensing and stellar dynamics. In this paper, we quantitatively constrained any deviation, or the lack thereof, from the power-law mass profile in massive ellipticals through joint lensing–dynamics analysis of a large statistical sample with 77 galaxy–galaxy lens systems. We performed an improved and uniform lens modelling of these systems from archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging using the automated lens modelling pipeline dolphin. We combined the lens model posteriors with the stellar dynamics to constrain the deviation from the power law after accounting for the line-of-sight lensing effects, a first for analyses on galaxy–galaxy lenses. We find that the Sloan Lens ACS Survey lens galaxies with a mean redshift of 0.2 are consistent with the power-law profile within 1.1σ (2.8σ) and the Strong Lensing Legacy Survey lens galaxies with a mean redshift of 0.6 are consistent within 0.8σ (2.1σ), for a spatially constant (Osipkov–Merritt) stellar anisotropy profile. We adopted the spatially constant anisotropy profile as our baseline choice based on previous dynamical observables of local ellipticals. However, spatially resolved stellar kinematics of lens galaxies are necessary to differentiate between the two anisotropy models. Future studies will use our lens models to constrain the mass distribution individually in the dark matter and baryonic components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the detection of black hole mergers by the LIGO gravitational wave telescope, there has been increasing interest in the possibility that dark matter may be in the form of solar mass primordial black holes. One of the predictions implicit in this idea is that compact clouds in the broad emission line regions of high-redshift quasars will be microlensed, leading to changes in line structure and the appearance of new emission features. In this paper, the effect of microlensing on the broad emission line region is reviewed by reference to gravitationally lensed quasar systems where microlensing of the emission lines can be unambiguously identified. It is then shown that although changes in Seyfert galaxy line profiles occur on time-scales of a few years, they are too nearby for a significant chance that they could be microlensed, and are plausibly attributed to intrinsic changes in line structure. In contrast, in a sample of 53 high-redshift quasars, 9 quasars show large changes in line profile at a rate consistent with microlensing. These changes occur on a time-scale an order of magnitude too short for changes associated with the dynamics of the emission line region. The main conclusion of the paper is that the observed changes in quasar emission line profiles are consistent with microlensing by a population of solar mass compact bodies making up the dark matter, although other explanations like intrinsic variability are possible. Such bodies are most plausibly identified as primordial black holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we set out to construct a set of reference mock galaxy redshift surveys (MGRSs) for the future Chinese Space-station Survey Telescope (CSST) observation, where subsequent survey selection effects can be added and evaluated. This set of MGRSs is generated using the dark matter subhaloes extracted from a high-resolution Jiutian N -body simulation of the standard lambda-cold dark matter cosmogony with Ω m  = 0.3111, ΩΛ = 0.6889, and σ8 = 0.8102. The simulation has a box size of 1  h −1Gpc, and consists of 61443 particles with mass resolution |$3.723 \times 10^{8} \:h^{-1}\rm M_\odot$|⁠. In order to take into account the effect of redshift evolution, we first use all 128 snapshots in the Jiutian simulation to generate a light-cone halo/subhalo catalogue. Next, galaxy luminosities are assigned to the main and subhalo populations using the subhalo abundance matching (SHAM) method with the DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) z -band luminosity functions at different redshifts. Multiband photometries, as well as images, are then assigned to each mock galaxy using a 3D parameter space nearest-neighbour sampling of the DESI LS (Legacy Imaging Survey) observational galaxies and groups. Finally, the CSST and DESI LS survey geometry and magnitude limit cuts are applied to generate the required MGRSs. As we have checked, this set of MGRSs can generally reproduce the observed galaxy luminosity/mass functions within 0.1 dex for galaxies with L > 108   h -2 L⊙ (or M * > 108.5  h -2M⊙) and within 1σ level for galaxies with L < 108   h -2 L⊙ (or M * < 108.5  h -2 M⊙). Together with the CSST slitless spectra and redshifts for our DESI LS seed galaxies that are under construction, we will set out to test various slitless observational selection effects in subsequent probes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the kinetically coupled early dark energy (EDE) and scalar field dark matter to address cosmological tensions. The EDE model presents an intriguing theoretical approach to resolving the Hubble tension, but it exacerbates the large-scale structure tension. We consider the interaction between dark matter and EDE, such that the drag of dark energy on dark matter suppresses structure growth, which can alleviate large-scale structure tension. We replace cold dark matter with scalar field dark matter, which has the property of suppressing structure growth on small scales. We employed the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to constrain the model parameters, our new model reveals a non-zero coupling constant of 0.030 ± 0.026 at a 68 per cent confidence level. The coupled model yields the Hubble constant value of |$72.38^{+0.71}_{-0.82}$|  km s−1 Mpc−1, which resolves the Hubble tension. However, similar to the EDE model, it also obtains a larger S 8 value compared to the ΛCDM model, further exacerbating the large-scale structure tension. The EDE model and the new model yield the best-fitting values of 0.8316 and 0.8146 for S 8, respectively, indicating that the new model partially alleviates the negative effect of the EDE model. However, this signature disappears when comparing marginalized posterior probabilities, and both models produce similar results. The values obtained from the EDE model and the new model are |$0.822^{+0.011}_{-0.0093}$| and |$0.819^{+0.013}_{-0.0092}$|⁠ , respectively, at a 68 per cent confidence level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While collisionless cold dark matter models have been largely successful in explaining a wide range of observational data, some tensions still exist, and it remains possible that dark matter possesses a non-negligible level of self-interactions. In this paper, we investigate a possible observable consequence of self-interacting dark matter: offsets between the central galaxy and the centre of mass of its parent halo. We examine 23 relaxed galaxy clusters in a redshift range of 0.1–0.3 drawn from clusters in the Dark Energy Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which have archival Chandra X-ray data of sufficient depth for centre and relaxation determination. We find that most clusters in our sample show non-zero offsets between the X-ray centre, taken to be the centroid within the cluster core, and the central galaxy position. All of the measured offsets are larger, typically by an order of magnitude, than the uncertainty in the X-ray position due to Poisson noise. In all but six clusters, the measured offsets are also larger than the estimated, combined astrometric uncertainties in the X-ray and optical positions. A more conservative cut on concentration to select relaxed clusters marginally reduces but does not eliminate the observed offset. With our more conservative sample, we find an estimated median X-ray to central galaxy offset of |$\mu = 6.0 ^{+ 1.4}_{- 1.5}$| kpc. Comparing to recent simulations, this distribution of offsets is consistent with some level of dark matter self-interaction, though further simulation work is needed to place constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1D power spectrum P 1D of the Ly α forest provides important information about cosmological and astrophysical parameters, including constraints on warm dark matter models, the sum of the masses of the three neutrino species, and the thermal state of the intergalactic medium. We present the first measurement of P 1D with the quadratic maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey early data sample. This early sample of 54 600 quasars is already comparable in size to the largest previous studies, and we conduct a thorough investigation of numerous instrumental and analysis systematic errors to evaluate their impact on DESI data with QMLE. We demonstrate the excellent performance of the spectroscopic pipeline noise estimation and the impressive accuracy of the spectrograph resolution matrix with 2D image simulations of raw DESI images that we processed with the DESI spectroscopic pipeline. We also study metal line contamination and noise calibration systematics with quasar spectra on the red side of the Ly α emission line. In a companion paper, we present a similar analysis based on the Fast Fourier Transform estimate of the power spectrum. We conclude with a comparison of these two approaches and discuss the key sources of systematic error that we need to address with the upcoming DESI Year 1 analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a new population of circular radio (∼GHz) objects has been discovered at high Galactic latitudes, called the odd radio circles (ORCs). A fraction of the ORCs encircles massive galaxies in the sky with stellar mass ∼1011 M⊙ situated at z  = 0.2–0.6, suggesting a possible physical connection. In this paper, we explore the possibility that these radio circles originate from the accretion shocks/virial shocks around massive (⁠|${\gtrsim} 10^{13}\, \ {\rm M}_\odot$|⁠) dark matter halo at z ∼ 0.5. We found that the radio flux density of the emitting shell is marginally consistent with the ORCs. We also find that pure advection of electrons from the shock results in a radio-emitting shell that is considerably narrower than the observed one due to strong inverse-Compton cooling of electrons. Instead, we show that the diffusion of cosmic-ray (CR) electrons plays a significant role in increasing the width of the shell. We infer a diffusion coefficient, |$D_{\rm cr} \sim 10^{30}\ {\rm cm^2\, s^{-1}}$|⁠ , consistent with the values expected for low-density circumgalactic medium (CGM). If ORCs indeed trace virial shocks, then our derived CR diffusion coefficient represents one of the few estimations available for the low-density CGM. Finally, we show that the apparent discrepancy between ORC and halo number density can be mitigated by considering an incomplete halo virialization and the limited radiation efficiency of shocks. This study therefore opens up new avenues to study such shocks and non-thermal particle acceleration within them. Furthermore, our results suggest that low-mass galaxies (≲1013 M⊙) may not show ORCs due to their significantly lower radio surface brightness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong gravitational lensing can be used to find otherwise invisible dark matter subhaloes. In such an analysis, the lens galaxy mass model is a significant source of systematic uncertainty. In this paper, we analyse the effect of angular complexity in the lens model. We use multipole perturbations that introduce low-order deviations from pure ellipticity in the isodensity contours, keeping the radial density profile fixed. We find that, in Hubble Space Telescope -like data, multipole perturbations consistent with those seen in galaxy isophotes are very effective at causing false positive substructure detections. We show that the effectiveness of this degeneracy depends on the deviation from a pure ellipse and the lensing configuration. We find that, when multipoles of 1 per cent are allowed in the lens model, the area in the observation where a subhalo could be detected drops by a factor of 3. Sensitivity away from the lensed images is mostly lost. However, the mass limit of detectable objects on or close to the lensed images does not change. We do not expect the addition of multipole perturbations to lens models to have a significant effect on the ability of strong lensing to constrain the underlying dark matter model. However, given the high rate of false positive detections, angular complexity beyond the elliptical power law should be included for such studies to be reliable. We discuss implications for previous detections and future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasingly precise observations and sophisticated theoretical models, the discrepancy between measurements of H 0 from the cosmic microwave background or from baryon acoustic oscillations combined with big bang nucleosynthesis versus those from local distance ladder probes – commonly known as the ' H 0 tension' – continues to perplex the scientific community. To address this tension, early dark energy (EDE) models have been proposed as alternatives to Lambda cold dark matter, as they can change the observed sound horizon and the inferred Hubble constant from measurements based on this. In this paper, we investigate the use of Bayesian model averaging (BMA) to evaluate EDE as a solution to the H 0 tension. BMA consists of assigning a prior to the model and deriving a posterior as for any other unknown parameter in a Bayesian analysis. BMA can be computationally challenging in that one must approximate the joint posterior of both model and parameters. Here, we present a computational strategy for BMA that exploits existing Markov chain Monte Carlo software and combines model-specific posteriors post hoc. In application to a comprehensive analysis of cosmological data sets, we quantify the impact of EDE on the H 0 discrepancy. We find an EDE model probability of |${\sim} 90~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| whenever we include the H 0 measurement from Type Ia supernovae in the analysis, whereas the other data show a strong preference for the standard cosmological model. We finally present constraints on common parameters marginalized over both cosmological models. For reasonable priors on models with and without EDE, the H 0 tension is reduced by at least 20 per cent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we construct the circular velocity curve of the Milky Way out to ∼30 kpc, providing an updated model of the dark matter density profile. We derive precise parallaxes for 120 309 stars with a data-driven model, using APOGEE DR17 spectra combined with Gaia DR3, 2MASS , and WISE photometry. At outer galactic radii up to 30 kpc, we find a significantly faster decline in the circular velocity curve compared to the inner parts. This decline is better fit with a cored Einasto profile with a slope parameter |$0.91^{+0.04}_{-0.05}$| than a generalized Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) profile. The virial mass of the best-fitting dark matter halo profile is only |$1.81^{+0.06}_{-0.05}\times 10^{11}$| M⊙, significantly lower than what a generalized NFW profile delivers. We present a study of the potential systematics, affecting mainly large radii. Such a low mass for the Galaxy is driven by the functional forms tested, given that it probes beyond our measurements. It is found to be in tension with mass measurements from globular clusters, dwarf satellites, and streams. Our best-fitting profile also lowers the expected dark matter annihilation signal flux from the galactic centre by more than an order of magnitude, compared to an NFW profile-fit. In future work, we will explore profiles with more flexible functional forms to more fully leverage the circular velocity curve and observationally constrain the properties of the Milky Way's dark matter halo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overlap of galaxy surveys and cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments presents an ideal opportunity for joint cosmological data set analyses. In this paper we develop a halo model-based method for the first joint analysis combining these two experiments using 10 correlated two-point functions (10 × 2pt) derived from galaxy position, galaxy shear, CMB lensing convergence, and Compton- y fields. We explore this method using the Vera Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) and the Simons Observatory (SO) as examples. We find such LSS × CMB joint analyses lead to significant improvement in Figure-of-Merit of Ωm and S 8 over the constraints from using LSS-only probes within Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. We identify that the shear– y and y–y correlations are the most valuable additions when thermal Sunyaev–Zel'dolvich (tSZ) is included. We further identify the dominant sources of halo model uncertainties in the small-scale modelling, and investigate the impact of halo self-calibration due to the inclusion of small-scale tSZ information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new test of modified gravity theories using the large-scale structure of the Universe. This paper is the first attempt to (1) apply a joint analysis of the anisotropic components of galaxy two- and three-point correlation functions (2 and 3PCFs) to actual galaxy data and (2) constrain the non-linear effects of degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories on cosmological scales. Applying this analysis to the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) data release 12, we obtain the lower bounds of −1.655 < ξt and −0.504 < ξs at the |$95{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| confidence level on the parameters characterizing the time evolution of the tidal and shift terms of the second-order velocity field. These constraints are consistent with GR predictions of ξt = 15/1144 and ξs = 0. Moreover, they represent a 35-fold and 20-fold improvement, respectively, over the joint analysis with only the isotropic 3PCF. We ensure the validity of our results by investigating various quantities, including theoretical models of the 3PCF, window function corrections, cumulative S/N, Fisher matrices, and statistical scattering effects of mock simulation data. We also find statistically significant discrepancies between the BOSS data and the Patchy mocks for the 3PCF measurement. Finally, we package all of our 3PCF analysis codes under the name hitomi and make them publicly available so that readers can reproduce all the results of this paper and easily apply them to ongoing future galaxy surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the direct detection of the dark-matter particle remains very challenging, the nature of dark matter could be possibly constrained by comparing the observed abundance and properties of small-scale sub-galactic mass structures with predictions from the phenomenological dark-matter models, such as cold, warm, or hot dark matter. Galaxy-galaxy strong gravitational lensing provides a unique opportunity to search for tiny surface-brightness anomalies in the extended lensed images (i.e. Einstein rings or gravitational arcs), induced by possible small-scale mass structures in the foreground lens galaxy. In this paper, the first in a series, we introduce and test a methodology to measure the power spectrum of such surface-brightness anomalies from high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging. In particular, we focus on the observational aspects of this statistical approach, such as the most suitable observational strategy and sample selection, the choice of modelling techniques, and the noise correction. We test the feasibility of the power-spectrum measurement by applying it to a sample of galaxy-galaxy strong gravitational lens systems from the Sloan Lens ACS Survey, with the most extended, bright, high-signal-to-noise-ratio lensed images, observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet. In the companion paper, we present the methodology to relate the measured power spectrum to the statistical properties of the underlying small-scale mass structures in the lens galaxy and infer the first observational constraints on the sub-galactic matter power spectrum in a massive elliptical (lens) galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous paper, we demonstrated a single-rung method for measuring cosmological distances in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that can be used from low redshift (z < 0.1) to high redshift (z > 3). This method relies on the assumption that the variability seen in AGNs is constrained by the speed of light during a flare event and can therefore be used to estimate the size of an emitting region. A limitation of this method is that previously, the Doppler factor was required to be known. In this paper, we derive an extension of the 'standard speed-gun' method for measuring cosmological distances that depends on the maximum intrinsic brightness temperature that a source can reach, rather than the Doppler factor. If the precise value of the intrinsic brightness temperature does not evolve with redshift, and flares are statistically independent, we can in principle improve the errors on measurements of the matter content of the Universe (in a flat Lambda cold dark matter model) statistically. We then explored how well a future observing programme would constrain cosmological parameters. We found that recovering the input cosmology depends critically on the uncertainty of the intrinsic brightness temperature and the number of flares observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present fitcov an approach for accurate estimation of the covariance of two-point correlation functions that requires fewer mocks than the standard mock-based covariance. This can be achieved by dividing a set of mocks into jackknife regions and fitting the correction term first introduced in Mohammad & Percival (2022), such that the mean of the jackknife covariances corresponds to the one from the mocks. This extends the model beyond the shot-noise limited regime, allowing it to be used for denser samples of galaxies. We test the performance of our fitted jackknife approach, both in terms of accuracy and precision, using lognormal mocks with varying densities and approximate EZmocks mimicking the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument LRG and ELG samples in the redshift range of z  = [0.8, 1.1]. We find that the Mohammad–Percival correction produces a bias in the two-point correlation function covariance matrix that grows with number density and that our fitted jackknife approach does not. We also study the effect of the covariance on the uncertainty of cosmological parameters by performing a full-shape analysis. We demonstrate that our fitted jackknife approach based on 25 mocks can recover unbiased and as precise cosmological parameters as the ones obtained from a covariance matrix based on 1000 or 1500 mocks, while the Mohammad–Percival correction produces uncertainties that are twice as large. The number of mocks required to obtain an accurate estimation of the covariance for the two-point correlation function is therefore reduced by a factor of 40–60. The fitcov code that accompanies this paper is available at this GitHub repository. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a hypothesis proposed in previous research relating neutron star (NS) mass and its dark matter (DM) accumulation. As DM accumulates, NS mass decreases, predicting lower NS masses toward the Galactic centre. Due to limited NSs data near the Galactic centre, we examine NSs located within DM clumps. Using the CLUMPY code simulations, we determine the DM clumps distribution, with masses from 10 to 108 M⊙ and scales from 10−3 to 10 kpc. These clumps' DM exhibit a peak at the centre, tapering toward the outskirts, resembling our Galaxy's DM distribution. We analyse these DM clumps' NS mass variations, considering diverse DM particle masses and galaxy types. We find relatively stable NS mass within 0.01 – 5 kpc from the clump centre. This stability supports the initial hypothesis, particularly for NSs located beyond 0.01 kpc from the clump centre, where NS mass reaches a plateau around 0.1 kpc. Nevertheless, NS mass near the clump's periphery reveals spatial dependence: NS position within DM clumps influences its mass in Milky Way-type galaxies. Moreover, this dependence varies with the DM model considered. In summary, our study investigates the proposed link between NS mass and DM accumulation by examining NSs within DM clumps. While NS mass remains stable at certain distances from the clump centre, spatial dependencies arise near the clump's outer regions, contingent on the specific DM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physics-informed neural networks have emerged as a coherent framework for building predictive models that combine statistical patterns with domain knowledge. The underlying notion is to enrich the optimization loss function with known relationships to constrain the space of possible solutions. Hydrodynamic simulations are a core constituent of modern cosmology, while the required computations are both expensive and time-consuming. At the same time, the comparatively fast simulation of dark matter requires fewer resources, which has led to the emergence of machine learning algorithms for baryon inpainting as an active area of research; here, recreating the scatter found in hydrodynamic simulations is an ongoing challenge. This paper presents the first application of physics-informed neural networks to baryon inpainting by combining advances in neural network architectures with physical constraints, injecting theory on baryon conversion efficiency into the model loss function. We also introduce a punitive prediction comparison based on the Kullback–Leibler divergence, which enforces scatter reproduction. By simultaneously extracting the complete set of baryonic properties for the simba suite of cosmological simulations, our results demonstrate improved accuracy of baryonic predictions based on dark matter halo properties and successful recovery of the fundamental metallicity relation, and retrieve scatter that traces the target simulation's distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have received a new physical characteristics fitting based on actual observational data from the Swift mission's long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs). We considered such characteristics as the Amati parameters for linear correlation (E iso– E p, i ) and the k -correction for gravitational lensing and Malmquist bias (GLMB) effect. We used the Pantheon SN Ia catalogue and the standard Lambda cold dark matter model with a fixed Hubble constant of H 0 = 70 km s−1 Mpc−1 as the baseline for the Hubble function μ(z). In our paper, we formulated the inverse cosmological calibration problem (ICCP) in the non-parametric statistics framework. The ICCP involves fitting non-observable physical characteristics while assuming a fixed cosmological model. To solve this problem, we developed a new method that is resistant to non-Gaussian processes. This method is based on error propagation through the Monte Carlo method and the Theil–Sen method for linear regression estimate. We have demonstrated the stability and robustness of this assessment method. The parameter estimates are as follows: |$a=0.92^{+0.12}_{-0.12}$|⁠ , |$b=50.32^{+0.33}_{-0.32}$| without considering the GLMB effect, and |$a=0.63^{+0.13}_{-0.14}$|⁠ , |$b=50.12^{+0.33}_{-0.31}$|⁠ , and |$k=1.98^{+0.25}_{-0.24}$| with the effect included. The proposed method can be applied to any other calibration sample of known standard candles, a calibrated sample of LGRBs, and the Hubble function μ(z). In the future, the ICCP idea can be used as an alternative cosmological test for estimating cosmological parameters, including the GLMB effect, or even for the selection of models, providing new information about the Universe. This can be done by analysing the residual values of observational data within the Bayesian statistics paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) are commonly found in close proximity to the Milky Way and other massive spiral galaxies. As such, their projected stellar ellipticity and extended light distributions are often thought to owe to tidal forces. In this paper, we study the projected stellar ellipticities and faint stellar outskirts of tidally isolated ultra-faints drawn from the 'Engineering Dwarfs at Galaxy Formation's Edge' (EDGE) cosmological simulation suite. Despite their tidal isolation, our simulated dwarfs exhibit a wide range of projected ellipticities (0.03 < ε < 0.85), with many possessing anisotropic extended stellar haloes that mimic tidal tails, but owe instead to late-time accretion of lower mass companions. Furthermore, we find a strong causal relationship between ellipticity and formation time of a UFD, which is robust to a wide variation in the feedback model. We show that the distribution of projected ellipticities in our suite of simulated EDGE dwarfs matches well with a sample of 19 Local Group dwarf galaxies and a sample of 11 isolated dwarf galaxies. Given ellipticity in EDGE arises from an ex-situ accretion origin, the agreement in shape indicates the ellipticities of some observed dwarfs may also originate from a non-tidal scenario. The orbital parameters of these observed dwarfs further support that they are not currently tidally disrupting. If the baryonic content in these galaxies is still tidally intact, then the same may be true for their dark matter content, making these galaxies in our Local Group pristine laboratories for testing dark matter and galaxy formation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the analysis of optically selected GAMA groups and clusters in the SRG/eROSITA X-ray map of eROSITA Final Equatorial Depth Survey, in the halo mass range 1013−5 × 1014 M⊙ and at z < 0.2. All X-ray detections have a clear GAMA counterpart, but most of the GAMA groups in the halo mass range 1013−1014 M⊙ remain undetected. We compare the X-ray surface brightness profiles of the eROSITA detected groups with the mean stacked profile of the undetected low-mass haloes at fixed halo mass. Overall, we find that the undetected groups exhibit less concentrated X-ray surface brightness, dark matter, and galaxy distributions with respect to the X-ray-detected haloes. The mean gas mass fraction profiles are consistent in the two samples within 1.5σ, indicating that the gas follows the dark matter profile. The low-mass concentration and the magnitude gap indicate that these systems are young. They reside with a higher probability in filaments while X-ray-detected groups favour the nodes of the Cosmic Web. Because of the lower central emission, the undetected systems tend to be X-ray underluminous at fixed halo mass and to lie below the LX − M halo relation. Interestingly, the X-ray-detected systems inhabiting the nodes scatter the less around the relation, while those in filaments tend to lie below it. We do not observe any strong relationship between the system X-ray appearance and the active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. We cannot exclude the role of the past AGN feedback in affecting the gas distribution over the halo lifetime. However, the data suggests that the observed differences might be related to the halo assembly bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the measurement of total and stellar/dark matter decomposed mass density profile around a sample of galaxy groups and clusters with dynamical masses derived from integral-field stellar kinematics from the MaNGA survey in Paper I and weak lensing derived from the DECaLS imaging survey. Combining the two data sets enables accurate measurement of the radial density distribution from several kpc to Mpc scales. Intriguingly, we find that the excess surface density derived from stellar kinematics in the inner region cannot be explained by simply adding an NFW dark matter halo extrapolated from lensing measurement at a larger scale to a stellar mass component derived from the NASA-Sloan Atlas (NSA) catalogue. We find that a good fit to both data sets requires a stellar mass normalization about three times higher than that derived from the NSA catalogue, which would require an unrealistically too-heavy initial mass function for stellar mass estimation. If we keep the stellar mass normalization to that of the NSA catalogue but allow a varying inner dark matter density profile, we obtain an asymptotic slope of γgnfw =  |$1.82_{-0.25}^{+0.15}$| and γgnfw =  |$1.48_{-0.41}^{+0.20}$| for the group bin and the cluster bin, respectively, significantly steeper than the NFW case. We also compare the total mass inner density slopes with those from TNG300 and find that the values from the simulation are lower than the observation by about 2σ level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxy-scale strongly lensed systems have been shown to provide a unique technique for exploring the underlying physics of dark matter at sub-galactic scales. In the past, much attention was given to detecting and studying individual haloes in a strong lens system. In addition to the subhaloes, line-of-sight haloes contribute significantly to the small perturbations in lensed images. In prior work, we demonstrated that these line-of-sight haloes imprint a distinctive anisotropic signature and hence give rise to a detectable non-zero parity-even quadrupole moment in the effective convergence field's two-point correlation function. In this study, we show that these line-of-sight haloes also produce a non-zero curl component of the effective deflection field with a parity-odd quadrupole moment of the two-point function. These multipole moments have the ability to statistically separate line-of-sight haloes from dark matter substructure. In this paper, we examine how these multipole moments evolve in the presence of warm dark matter and self-interacting dark matter in terms of central density evolution and dark matter halo abundance. Importantly, we show that these different multipole moments display exquisite sensitivity to both the amplitude and the velocity dependence of the dark matter self-interaction cross-section. Our approach opens the door for strong lensing observations to probe dark matter self-interaction over a broad range of relative velocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the ΛCDM cosmology, dark matter haloes are composed of both a smooth component and a population of smaller gravitationally bound subhaloes. These components are often treated as a single halo when properties, such as density profiles, are extracted from simulations. Recent work has shown that density profiles change substantially when subhalo mass is excluded. In this paper, we expand on this result by analysing three specific host halo properties – concentration (c NFW), spin (λB), and shape (c / a) – when calculated only from the smooth component of the halo. This analysis is performed on both Milky Way-mass haloes and cluster-mass haloes in high-resolution zoom-in N -body simulations. We find that when subhaloes are excluded, the median value of (1) c NFW is enhanced by |$\approx 30\pm 11$| and |$\approx 77\pm 8.1~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| for Milky Way-mass (⁠|$10^{12.1}\, \text{M}_\odot$|⁠) and cluster-mass (⁠|$10^{14.8}\, \text{M}_\odot$|⁠) haloes, respectively, (2) λB is reduced for Milky Way-mass by |$\approx 11\pm 4.9~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| and cluster-mass haloes by |$\approx 27\pm 3.5~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. Additionally, with the removal of subhaloes, cluster-mass haloes tend to become more spherical as the ratio of minor-to-major axis, c / a , increases by |$\approx 11\pm 3.6~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠ , whereas Milky Way-mass haloes remain approximately the same shape with c / a changed by |$\approx 1.0\pm 5.8~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. Fractional changes of each of these properties depend primarily on the amount of mass in subhaloes and, to a lesser extent, mass accretion history. Our findings demonstrate that the properties of the smooth components of dark matter haloes are biased relative to the total halo mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general relativity, approximations based on the spherical collapse model such as Press–Schechter theory and its extensions are able to predict the number of objects of a certain mass in a given volume. In this paper, we use a machine learning algorithm to test whether such approximations hold in screened modified gravity theories. To this end, we train random forest classifiers on data from N -body simulations to study the formation of structures in lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) as well as screened modified gravity theories, in particular f (R) and nDGP gravity. The models are taught to distinguish structure membership in the final conditions from spherical aggregations of density field behaviour in the initial conditions. We examine the differences between machine learning models that have learned structure formation from each gravity, as well as the model that has learned from ΛCDM. We also test the generalizability of the ΛCDM model on data from f (R) and nDGP gravities of varying strengths, and therefore the generalizability of extended Press–Schechter spherical collapse to these types of modified gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark energy is frequently modelled as an additional dynamical scalar field component in the Universe, referred to as 'quintessence', which drives the late-time acceleration. Furthermore, the quintessence field may be coupled to dark matter and/or baryons, leading to a fifth force. In this paper, we explore the consequences for non-linear cosmological structure formation arising from a momentum coupling between the quintessence field and dark matter only. The coupling leads to a modified Euler equation, which we implement in an N -body cosmological simulation. We then analyse the effects of the coupling on the non-linear power spectrum and the properties of the dark matter haloes. We find that, for certain quintessence potentials, a positive coupling can lead to significantly reduced structure on small scales and somewhat enhanced structure on large scales, as well as reduced halo density profiles and increased velocity dispersions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present mglens , a large series of modified gravity lensing simulations tailored for cosmic shear data analyses and forecasts in which cosmological and modified gravity parameters are varied simultaneously. Based on the forge and bridge N -body simulation suites presented in companion papers, we construct 100 × 5000 deg2 of mock Stage-IV lensing data from two 4D Latin hypercubes that sample cosmological and gravitational parameters in f (R) and nDGP gravity, respectively. These are then used to validate our inference analysis pipeline based on the lensing power spectrum, exploiting our implementation of these modified gravity models within the cosmosis cosmological inference package. Sampling this new likelihood, we find that cosmic shear can achieve 95 per cent CL constraints on the modified gravity parameters of log |$_{10}[f_{R_0}] \lt $| −4.77 and log10[ H 0 rc ] > 0.09, after marginalizing over intrinsic alignments of galaxies and including scales up to ℓ = 5000. We also investigate the impact of photometric uncertainty, scale cuts, and covariance matrices. We finally explore the consequences of analysing mglens data with the wrong gravity model, and report catastrophic biases for a number of possible scenarios. The Stage-IV mglens simulations, the forge and bridge emulators and the cosmosis interface modules will be made publicly available upon journal acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weak galaxy lensing surveys have consistently reported low values of the S 8 parameter compared to the Planck lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmology. Amon & Efstathiou used KiDS-1000 cosmic shear measurements to propose that this tension can be reconciled if the matter fluctuation spectrum is suppressed more strongly on non-linear scales than assumed in state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations. In this paper, we investigate cosmic shear data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 3. The non-linear suppression of the matter power spectrum required to resolve the S 8 tension between DES and the Planck ΛCDM model is not as strong as inferred using KiDS data, but is still more extreme than predictions from recent numerical simulations. An alternative possibility is that non-standard dark matter contributes to the required suppression. We investigate the redshift and scale dependence of the suppression of the matter power spectrum. If our proposed explanation of the S 8 tension is correct, the required suppression must extend into the mildly non-linear regime to wavenumbers |$k\sim 0.2 \, h\, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$|⁠. In addition, all measures of S 8 using linear scales should agree with the Planck ΛCDM cosmology, an expectation that will be testable to high precision in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the Universe's transition to smoothness in the context of Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) have all pointed to a transition radius no larger than ∼300 Mpc. These are based on a broad array of tracers for the matter power spectrum, including galaxies, clusters, quasars, the Ly-α forest, and anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. It is therefore surprising, if not anomalous, to find many structures extending out over scales as large as ∼2 Gpc, roughly an order of magnitude greater than expected. Such a disparity suggests that new physics may be contributing to the formation of large-scale structure, warranting a consideration of the alternative Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker cosmology known as the R h = ct universe. This model has successfully eliminated many other problems in ΛCDM. In this paper, we calculate the fractal (or Hausdorff) dimension in this cosmology as a function of distance, showing a transition to smoothness at ∼2.2 Gpc, fully accommodating all of the giant structures seen thus far. This outcome adds further observational support for R h = ct over the standard model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015, gravitational-wave astronomy has emerged as a rapidly advancing field that holds great potential for studying the cosmos, from probing the properties of black holes to testing the limits of our current understanding of gravity. One important aspect of gravitational-wave astronomy is the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, where massive intervening objects can bend and magnify gravitational waves, providing a unique way to probe the distribution of matter in the Universe, as well as finding applications to fundamental physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. However, current models for gravitational-wave millilensing—a specific form of lensing where small-scale astrophysical objects can split a gravitational wave signal into multiple copies—are often limited to simple isolated lenses, which is not realistic for complex lensing scenarios. In this paper, we present a novel phenomenological approach to incorporate millilensing in data analysis in a model-independent fashion. Our approach enables the recovery of arbitrary lens configurations without the need for extensive computational lens modelling, making it a more accurate and computationally efficient tool for studying the distribution of matter in the Universe using gravitational-wave signals. When gravitational-wave lensing observations become possible, our method could provide a powerful tool for studying complex lens configurations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows that gravitating bodies travelling through the Galaxy can trap lighter interstellar particles that pass nearby with small relative velocities onto temporarily bound orbits. The capture mechanism is driven by the Galactic tidal field, which can decelerate infalling objects to a degree where their binding energy becomes negative. Over time, trapped particles build a local overdensity – or 'halo'– that reaches a steady state as the number of particles being captured equals that being tidally stripped. This paper uses classical stochastic techniques to calculate the capture rate and the phase-space distribution of particles trapped by a point-mass. In a steady state, bound particles generate a density enhancement that scales as δ(r) ∼ r −3/2 (a.k.a 'density spike') and follow a velocity dispersion profile σ h (r) ∼ r −1/2. Collision-less N -body experiments show excellent agreement with these theoretical predictions within a distance range r ≳ r ϵ, where |$r_\epsilon \simeq 0.8\, \exp [-V_\star ^2/(2\sigma ^2)]\, Gm_\star /\sigma ^2$| is the thermal critical radius of a point-mass m ⋆ moving with a speed V ⋆ through a sea of particles with a velocity dispersion σ. Preliminary estimates that ignore collisions with planets and Galactic substructures suggest that the Solar system may be surrounded by a halo that contains the order of |$N^{\rm ISO}(\lt 0.1\, {\rm pc})\sim 10^7$| energetically bound 'Oumuamua-like objects, and a dark matter mass of |$M^{\rm DM}(\lt 0.1\, {\rm pc})\sim 10^{-13}M_\odot$|⁠. The presence of trapped interstellar matter in the Solar system can affect current estimates on the size of the Oort Cloud, and leave a distinct signal in direct dark matter detection experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Linear Point (LP), defined as the mid-point between the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak and the associated left dip of the two-point correlation function (2PCF), ξ(s), is proposed as a new standard ruler which is insensitive to non-linear effects. In this paper, we use a Bayesian sampler to measure the LP and estimate the corresponding statistical uncertainty, and then perform cosmological parameter constraints with LP measurements. Using the Patchy mock catalogues, we find that the measured LPs are consistent with theoretical predictions at 0.6 per cent level. We find constraints with mid-points identified from the rescaled 2PCF (s 2ξ) more robust than those from the traditional LP based on ξ, as the BAO peak is not always prominent when scanning the cosmological parameter space, with the cost of 2–4 per cent increase of statistical uncertainty. This problem can also be solved by an additional data set that provides strong parameter constraints. Measuring LP from the reconstructed data slightly increases the systematic error but significantly reduces the statistical error, resulting in more accurate measurements. The 1 σ confidence interval of distance scale constraints from LP measurements are 20–30 per cent larger than those of the corresponding BAO measurements. For the reconstructed Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12 data, the constraints on H 0 and Ωm in a flat-Lambda cold dark matter framework with the LP are generally consistent with those from BAO. When combined with Planck cosmic microwave background data, we obtain |$H_0=68.02_{-0.37}^{+0.36}$| |${\rm km}\, {\rm s}^{-1}\, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$| and |$\Omega _{\rm m}=0.3055_{-0.0048}^{+0.0049}$| with the LP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first stars, galaxies, star clusters, and direct-collapse black holes are expected to have formed in low-mass (∼105–109 M⊙) haloes at Cosmic Dawn (z ∼ 10–30) under conditions of efficient gas cooling, leading to gas collapse towards the centre of the halo. The halo mass cooling threshold has been analysed by several authors using both analytical models and numerical simulations, with differing results. Since the halo number density is a sensitive function of the halo mass, an accurate model of the cooling threshold is needed for (semi-)analytical models of star formation at Cosmic Dawn. In this paper, the cooling threshold mass is calculated (semi-)analytically, considering the effects of H2-cooling and formation (in the gas phase and on dust grains), cooling by atomic metals, Lyman-α cooling, photodissociation of H2 by Lyman–Werner photons (including self-shielding by H2), photodetachment of H− by infrared photons, photoevaporation by ionization fronts, and the effect of baryon streaming velocities. We compare the calculations to several high-resolution cosmological simulations, showing excellent agreement. We find that in regions of typical baryon streaming velocities, star formation is possible in haloes of mass ≳ 1–2 × 106 M⊙ for z ≳ 20. By z ∼ 8, the expected Lyman–Werner background suppresses star formation in all minihaloes below the atomic cooling threshold (T vir = 104 K). The halo mass cooling threshold increases by another factor of ∼4 following reionization, although this effect is slightly delayed (z ∼ 4–5) because of effective self-shielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we extend the Tiered Radio Extragalactic Continuum Simulation (T-RECS) to include H  i emission. The H  i T-RECS model is based on the most recent H  i mass function estimates, combined with prescriptions to convert H  i mass to total integrated H  i flux. It further models source size, morphology, and kinematics, including rotational velocity and H  i line width. The continuum T-RECS model is updated to improve the agreement with deeper number counts available at 150 MHz. The model for star-forming galaxies (SFGs) is also modified according to the most recent indications of a star formation rate (SFR)–radio luminosity relation, which depends primarily on stellar mass rather than redshift. We further introduce prescriptions to associate an H  i mass with the T-RECS radio continuum SFG and active galactic nuclei (AGN) populations. This gives us a way to meaningfully associate counterparts between H  i and continuum catalogues, thus building H  i × continuum simulated observations. Clustering properties of the sources in both H  i and the continuum are reproduced by associating the galaxies with dark matter haloes in a cosmological simulation. We deliver a set of mock catalogues as well as the code to produce them, which can be used for simulating observations and predicting results from radio surveys with existing and forthcoming radio facilities, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The masses of galaxy clusters can be measured using data obtained exclusively from wide photometric surveys in one of two ways: directly from the amplitude of the weak lensing signal or, indirectly, through the use of scaling relations calibrated using binned lensing measurements. In this paper, we build on a recently proposed idea and implement an alternative method based on the radial profile of the satellite distribution. This technique relies on splashback, a feature associated with the apocentre of recently accreted galaxies that offers a clear window into the phase-space structure of clusters without the use of velocity information. We carry out this dynamical measurement using the stacked satellite distribution around a sample of luminous red galaxies in the fourth data release of the Kilo-Degree Survey and validate our results using abundance-matching and lensing masses. To illustrate the power of this measurement, we combine dynamical and lensing mass estimates to robustly constrain scalar–tensor theories of gravity at cluster scales. Our results exclude departures from General Relativity of the order of unity. We conclude the paper by discussing the implications for future data sets. Because splashback mass measurements scale only with the survey volume, stage-IV photometric surveys are well-positioned to use splashback to provide high-redshift cluster masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the applicability of a set of supervised machine learning (ML) models specifically trained to infer observed related properties of the baryonic component (stars and gas) from a set of features of dark matter (DM)-only cluster-size haloes. The training set is built from the three hundred project that consists of a series of zoomed hydrodynamical simulations of cluster-size regions extracted from the 1 Gpc volume MultiDark DM-only simulation (MDPL2). We use as target variables a set of baryonic properties for the intracluster gas and stars derived from the hydrodynamical simulations and correlate them with the properties of the DM haloes from the MDPL2  N -body simulation. The different ML models are trained from this data base and subsequently used to infer the same baryonic properties for the whole range of cluster-size haloes identified in the MDPL2. We also test the robustness of the predictions of the models against mass resolution of the DM haloes and conclude that their inferred baryonic properties are rather insensitive to their DM properties that are resolved with almost an order of magnitude smaller number of particles. We conclude that the ML models presented in this paper can be used as an accurate and computationally efficient tool for populating cluster-size haloes with observational related baryonic properties in large volume N -body simulations making them more valuable for comparison with full sky galaxy cluster surveys at different wavelengths. We make the best ML trained model publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of solar twins have key impacts on the astronomical community, but only ∼100–200 nearby solar twins (<1 kpc) have been reliably identified over the last few decades. The aim of our survey (SDST) is to identify ∼150–200 distant solar twins and analogues (up to ≲4 kpc) closer to the Galactic Centre. We took advantage of the precise Gaia and Skymapper surveys to select Sun-like candidates in a 2-deg field, which were observed with the HERMES spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. We successfully built up the required signal-to-noise ratio (25-per-pixel in the HERMES red band) for most targets as faint as Gaia G of 17.4 mag. The stellar photometric/astrometric parameters (e.g. T eff, log  g , mass) of our candidates are derived in this paper, while the spectroscopic parameters will be presented in the third paper in this SDST series. The selection success rate – the fraction of targets which belong to solar twins or analogues – was estimated from simulated survey data and the Besançon stellar population model, and compared with the actual success rate of the survey. We find that expected and actual success rates agree well, indicating that the numbers of solar twins and analogues we discover in SDST are consistent with expectations, affirming the survey approach. These distant solar analogues are prime targets for testing for any variation in the strength of electromagnetism in regions of higher dark matter density, and can make additional contributions to our understanding of, e.g. Galactic chemical evolution in the inner Milky Way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first paper in our series on the combined analysis of the Dynamics and stellar Population (DynPop) for the MaNGA survey in the final SDSS Data Release 17 (DR17). Here, we present a catalogue of dynamically determined quantities for over 10 000 nearby galaxies based on integral-field stellar kinematics from the MaNGA survey. The dynamical properties are extracted using the axisymmetric Jeans Anisotropic Modelling (JAM) method, which was previously shown to be the most accurate for this kind of study. We assess systematic uncertainties using eight dynamical models with different assumptions. We use two orientations of the velocity ellipsoid: either cylindrically aligned JAMcyl or spherically aligned JAMsph. We also make four assumptions for the models' dark versus luminous matter distributions: (1) mass-follows-light, (2) free NFW dark halo, (3) cosmologically constrained NFW halo, (4) generalized NFW dark halo, i.e. with free inner slope. In this catalogue, we provide the quantities related to the mass distributions (e.g. the density slopes and enclosed mass within a sphere of a given radius for total mass, stellar mass, and dark matter mass components). We also provide the complete models which can be used to compute the full luminous and mass distribution of each galaxy. Additionally, we visually assess the qualities of the models to help with model selections. We estimate the observed scatter in the measured quantities which decreases as expected with improvements in quality. For the best data quality, we find a remarkable consistency of measured quantities between different models, highlighting the robustness of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast amount of astronomical information that has become available over this decade has far exceeded that of the last century. The heterogeneity of the data and its overwhelming magnitude have made it impossible to perform manual analysis. As a consequence, new techniques have been developed and different strategies have been amalgamated, such as data science and data mining, in order to carry out more in-depth and exhaustive analyses in search of the extraction of the knowledge contained in data. This paper introduces a data science methodology that consists of successive stages, with the core of this proposal being the step of data preprocessing, with the aim of reducing the complexity of the analysis and enabling hidden knowledge in the data to be uncovered. The proposed methodology was tested on a set of data consisting of artificial light curves that try to mimic the behaviour of the strong gravitational lens phenomenon, as supplied by the Time Delay Challenge 1 (TDC1). Under the data science methodology, diverse statistical methods were implemented for data analysis, and cross-correlation and dispersion methods were applied for the time-delay estimation of strong lensing systems. With this methodology, we obtained time-delay estimations from the TDC1 data set and compared them with earlier results reported by the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses project (COSMOGRAIL). The empirical evidence leads us to conclude that, with the proposed methodology, we achieve a greater accuracy in estimating time delays compared with estimations made with raw data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheth–Tormen mass function has been widely used to quantify the abundance of dark matter haloes. It is a significant improvement over the Press–Schechter mass function as it uses ellipsoidal collapse in place of spherical collapse. Both of these mass functions can be written in a form that is universal, i.e. independent of cosmology and power spectrum when scaled in suitable variables. However, cosmological simulations have shown that this universality is approximate. In this paper, we investigate the power spectrum dependence of halo mass function through a suite of dark-matter-only N -body simulations of seven power-law models in an Einstein–de Sitter cosmology. This choice of cosmology and a power-law power spectrum ensures the self-similar evolution of dark matter distribution, allowing us to isolate the power spectrum dependence of mass function. We find that the mass function shows a clear non-universality. We present fits for the parameters of the Sheth–Tormen mass function for a range of power-law power spectrum indices. We find a mild evolution in the overall shape of the mass function with the epoch. Finally, we extend our result to LCDM cosmology. We show that the Sheth–Tormen mass function with parameter values derived from a matched power-law Einstein–de Sitter cosmology provides a better fit to the LCDM mass function than the standard Sheth–Tormen mass function. Our results indicate that an improved analytical theory is required to provide better fits to the mass function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the properties of minimal solutions for the reconstruction of the lens potential in the singular perturbative approach. These minimal solutions corresponds to an expansion with a minimal degree in Fourier expansion of the perturbative fields. Using these minimal solutions prevent spurious physically meaningless terms in the reconstruction of the fields. In effect, a perturbative analysis indicates that a small change in the source model will corresponds to the higher order terms in the expansion of the fields. The results of the perturbative analysis are valid not only for slightly non-circular sources but also for more distorted sources to order two. It is, thus, of crucial importance to minimize the number of terms used in the modelling of the lens. Another important asset of the minimal solutions is that they offer a de-coupling between the source and lens model, and thus help to break the source lens degeneracy issue. The possible drawback of minimal solutions is to underestimate the higher order terms in the solution. However, this bias has its merit since the detection of higher order terms using this method will ensure that these terms are real. This type of analysis using minimal solutions will be of particular interest when considering the statistical analysis of a large number of lenses, especially in light of the incoming satellite surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The faint satellites of the local Universe provide an important benchmark for our understanding of structure formation and galaxy formation, but satellite populations are hard to identify beyond the Local Group. We recently developed an iterative method to quantify satellite abundance using galaxy clustering and tested it on a local sample in the COSMOS field, where accurate photometric redshifts are available for a large number of faint objects. In this paper, we consider the properties of these satellite populations in more detail, studying the satellite stellar mass function (SSMF), the satellite-central connection, and quenching as a function of satellite and central mass and colour. Despite the limited sample size, our results show good consistency with those from much larger surveys and constrain the SSMF down to some of the lowest primary masses considered to date. We reproduce several known trends in satellite abundance and quenching, and find evidence for one new one, a dependence of the quiescent fraction on the primary-to-secondary halo mass ratio. We discuss the prospects for the clustering method in current and forthcoming surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observed excess radio background has remained a puzzle for over a decade. A recent new physics solution involves dark matter that decays into dark photons in the presence of a thermal dark photon background. The produced non-thermal dark photon spectrum then converts into standard photons around the reionization era, yielding an approximate power-law radio excess with brightness temperature T (ν) ≃ ν −2.5 over a wide range of frequencies, ν. This simple power-law model comes intriguingly close to the current data, even if several ingredients are required to make it work. In this paper, we investigate some of the details of this model, showcasing the importance of individual effects. In particular, significant deviation from a power law is present at |$\nu \lesssim 100\, {\rm MHz}$| and |$\nu \gtrsim 1\, {\rm GHz}$|⁠. These effects result in improving the fit to data compared to a power-law spectrum, and may become testable in future observations. We also highlight independent signatures that can be tested with future cosmic microwave background spectral distortion experiments such as PIXIE. However, there are challenges for the model from the observed radio background anisotropies, as discussed here. We furthermore highlight a possible runaway process due to the finite width of the dark matter decay profile, which suggests that additional work might be required to obtain a viable model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andromeda (And) XXV has previously been reported as a dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) with little-to-no dark matter. However, the uncertainties on this result were significant. In this study, we nearly double the number of member stars and re-derive the kinematics and mass of And XXV. We find that And XXV has a systemic velocity of νr = −107.7 ± 1.0 kms−1 and a velocity dispersion of |$\sigma _{\rm \nu }=3.7^{+1.2}_{-1.1}$|  kms−1. With this updated velocity dispersion and a new literature measurement of the radial surface brightness profile, we derive a mass contained within the half-light radius of |$M(r\lt r_{\rm h})=4.7^{+3.0}_{-2.9}\times 10^6$|  M⊙. This mass corresponds to a mass-to-light ratio of |$\text{[M/L]}_{\rm r_{h}}=25^{+17}_{-16}$|  M⊙/L⊙, demonstrating that And XXV is most-likely dark matter dominated. We also measure the metallicity of And XXV to be |$\rm [Fe/H]=-1.9\pm 0.1$|  dex, which is in agreement with previous results. Finally, we extend the analysis of And XXV to include mass modelling using GravSphere. We find that And XXV has a low central dark matter density, ρDM(150 pc) =  |$2.3^{+1.4}_{-1.1}\times 10^7$|  M⊙ kpc−3, which makes And XXV a clear outlier when compared to other local group dSphs of the similar stellar mass. In a companion paper, we will explore whether some combination of dark matter cusp-core transformations and/or tides can explain And XXV's low density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CUSP is a powerful formalism that recovers, from first principles and with no free parameter, all the macroscopic properties of dark matter haloes found in cosmological N -body simulations and unveils the origin of their characteristic features. Since it is not restricted by the limitations of simulations, it covers the whole mass and redshift ranges. In the present Paper we use CUSP to calculate the mass–scale relations holding for halo density profiles fitted to the usual NFW and Einasto functions in the most relevant cosmologies and for the most usual mass definitions. We clarify the origin of these relations and provide accurate analytic expressions holding for all masses and redshifts. The performance of those expressions is compared to that of previous models and to the mass–concentration relation spanning more than 20 orders of magnitude in mass at z  = 0 obtained in recent simulations of a 100 GeV WIMP universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of stellar population synthesis (SPS) are the fundamental tool that relates the physical properties of a galaxy to its spectral energy distribution (SED). In this paper, we present DSPS: a python package for SPS. All of the functionality in DSPS is implemented natively in the JAX library for automatic differentiation, and so our predictions for galaxy photometry are fully differentiable, and directly inherit the performance benefits of JAX, including portability onto GPUs. DSPS also implements several novel features, such as i) a flexible empirical model for stellar metallicity that incorporates correlations with stellar age, ii) support for the Diffstar model that provides a physically-motivated connection between the star formation history of a galaxy (SFH) and the mass assembly of its underlying dark matter halo. We detail a set of theoretical techniques for using autodiff to calculate gradients of predictions for galaxy SEDs with respect to SPS parameters that control a range of physical effects, including SFH, stellar metallicity, nebular emission, and dust attenuation. When forward modelling the colours of a synthetic galaxy population, we find that DSPS can provide a factor of 5 speed-up over standard SPS codes on a CPU, and a factor of 300-400 on a modern GPU. When coupled with gradient-based techniques for optimization and inference, DSPS makes it practical to conduct expansive likelihood analyses of simulation-based models of the galaxy–halo connection that fully forward model galaxy spectra and photometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]