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Eclipsing double-lined spectroscopic binaries hosting $\delta$ Scuti-type pulsators offer a unique laboratory for simultaneously constraining stellar geometry and interior structure. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of five oscillating eclipsing Algol binaries. By combining high-precision, short-cadence TESS photometry with multi-epoch high-resolution spectroscopy, we derive precise stellar and orbital parameters. Frequency power spectra were obtained using residuals from binary modelling. We further investigate the evolutionary history of these systems using a grid of MESA binary evolution simulations. Our analysis suggests that the systems must have undergone either case A or case B mass transfer, with the primary components repositioned in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and now pulsating in the $\delta$ Scuti regime, while the cooler secondaries are underluminous and inflated, filling their Roche lobes. This study contributes to the growing catalog of well-characterised oEA systems and our understanding of the effects of mass-transfer on the fate of these short-period binaries.

The half-life of $^{39}$Ar is measured using the DEAP-3600 detector located 2 km underground at SNOLAB. In 2016-2020, DEAP-3600 used a target mass of (3269 $\pm$ 24) kg of liquid argon distilled from the atmosphere in a direct-detection dark matter search. Such an argon mass also enables direct measurements of argon isotope properties. The decay of $^{39}$Ar in DEAP-3600 is the dominant source of triggers by two orders of magnitude, ensuring high statistics and making DEAP-3600 well-suited for measuring this isotope's half-life. Use of the pulse-shape discrimination technique in DEAP-3600 allows for powerful discrimination between nuclear recoils and electron recoils, resulting in the selection of a clean sample of $^{39}$Ar decays. Observing over a period of 3.4 years, the $^{39}$Ar half-life is measured to be $(302 \pm 8_{\rm stat} \pm 6_{\rm sys})$ years. This new direct measurement suggests that the half-life of $^{39}$Ar may be significantly longer than the accepted value, with potential implications for measurements using this isotope's half-life as input., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

The Comprehensive Research with Echelles on the Most interesting Eclipsing binaries (CR\'EME) projects was aimed to collect high-resolutions spectra of about 380 detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs), which mostly do not have literature RV data. From this vast observational material we were able to estimate masses of components of 325 double-lined system. Since the launch of the TESS mission we have been collecting 2-min cadence photometry for the CR\'EME targets through successful GI proposals. As by Sector 85, we obtained data for $>$330 of them. We are thus now in the process of comprehensively analyzing our targets. This paper presents the recent status of the CR\'EME project and its space photometry counterpart, and describes several sub-projects within CR\'EME that focus on specific classes of targets., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 1 table. Submitted to Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnate Pleso as proceedings for "Binary and Multiple Stars in the Era of Big Sky Surveys"

Compact hierarchical triples (CHTs) are triple stars where the tertiary is in an orbit of a period less than 1000 d. They were thought to be rare but we are discovering more of these systems recently, thanks to space-based missions like TESS, Kepler, and GAIA. In this work, we use orbital parameters obtained from these missions to constrain the formation process of CHTs. We also use spectroscopic and systemic parameters from our work, and the literature to understand the effects of metallicity and dynamics on the formation processes., Comment: Submitted to Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnate Pleso as proceedings for "Binary and Multiple Stars in the Era of Big Sky Surveys". 6 pages, 3 figures

Pulsating stars in eclipsing binaries (EBs) provide an excellent opportunity to obtain precise, model-independent stellar parameters for studying oscillations in detail. One common class of pulsators in these EBs exhibits delta Scuti-type oscillations. Characterising these pulsators using the precise parameters obtained from EB modelling enhances our understanding of such stars and strengthens asteroseismic studies. We conducted a comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic analysis of candidate pulsators in detached EBs to expand the sample of systems with accurately determined absolute parameters. We performed radial velocity and light curve modelling to estimate the absolute stellar parameters, along with detailed spectroscopic modelling to obtain global metallicity and temperatures. Frequency power spectra were derived from the residuals of binary modelling. Isochrones were used to determine the stars' ages, which were then compared to theoretically obtained values. We present a detailed analysis of four candidate delta Scuti-type pulsators in EBs and update the light curve analysis of the previously studied system TIC 308953703. The masses and radii of the components are constrained with high accuracy, aiding in age estimation. We perform a Fourier analysis of the observed oscillations and explore their origin. For TIC 81702112, we report tidal effects causing amplitude variation in the oscillation frequencies over the orbital phase.

Single Crystal Elastic Constants (SECs) are pivotal for understanding material deformation, validating interatomic potentials, and enabling crucial material simulations. The entropy stabilized oxide showcases intriguing properties, underscoring the necessity for the determination of precise SECs to establish reliable interatomic potential and unlock its full potential using simulations. This study presents an innovative methodology for estimating SECs from polycrystalline materials, requiring only two diffraction elastic constants and isotropic elastic constants for crystals with cubic symmetry. Validation using phase-pure nickel demonstrated good agreement with existing literature values, with a maximum 11.5% deviation for $C_{12}$ values. Extending the methodology to [(MgNiCoCuZn)O], SECs were calculated: 219 GPa for $C_{11}$, 116 GPa for $C_{12}$, and 51 GPa for $C_{44}$. Comparison with literature-reported values from DFT calculations revealed a significant divergence, ranging from 25% to 59% in the bulk and shear modulus calculated using the Voigt-Reuss-Hill average. To comprehend this disparity, we conducted DFT calculations and thoroughly examined the factors influencing these values. This study not only introduces a straightforward and dependable SEC estimation methodology but also provides precise experimental SEC values for [(MgNiCoCuZn)O] entropy stabilized oxides at ambient conditions, crucial for developing accurate interatomic potentials in future research.

DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) is a dark matter detection experiment under construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It utilises ~100 t of low radioactivity argon from an underground source (UAr) in its inner detector, with half serving as target in a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC). The UAr cryogenics system must maintain stable thermodynamic conditions throughout the experiment's lifetime of over 10 years. Continuous removal of impurities and radon from the UAr is essential for maximising signal yield and mitigating background. We are developing an efficient and powerful cryogenics system with a gas purification loop with a target circulation rate of 1000 slpm. Central to its design is a condenser operated with liquid nitrogen which is paired with a gas heat exchanger cascade, delivering a combined cooling power of more than 8 kW. Here we present the design choices in view of the DS-20k requirements, in particular the condenser's working principle and the cooling control, and we show test results obtained with a dedicated benchmarking platform at CERN and LNGS. We find that the thermal efficiency of the recirculation loop, defined in terms of nitrogen consumption per argon flow rate, is 95 % and the pressure in the test cryostat can be maintained within $\pm$(0.1-0.2) mbar. We further detail a 5-day cool-down procedure of the test cryostat, maintaining a cooling rate typically within -2 K/h, as required for the DS-20k inner detector. Additionally, we assess the circuit's flow resistance, and the heat transfer capabilities of two heat exchanger geometries for argon phase change, used to provide gas for recirculation. We conclude by discussing how our findings influence the finalisation of the system design, including necessary modifications to meet requirements and ongoing testing activities., Comment: 44 pages, 25 figures, 1 table. Updated to match the published journal version

Determining the He/H ratio in cool stars presents a fundamental astrophysical challenge. While this ratio is established for hot O and B stars, its extrapolation to cool stars remains uncertain due to the absence of helium lines in their observed spectra. We address this knowledge gap by focusing on the Sun as a representative cool star. We conduct spectroscopic analyses of the observed solar photospheric lines by utilizing a combination of MgH molecular lines and neutral Mg atomic lines including yet another combination of CH and C_2 molecular lines with neutral C atomic lines. Our spectroscopic analyses were further exploited by adopting solar model atmospheres constructed for distinct He/H ratios to determine the solar photospheric helium abundance. The helium abundance is determined by enforcing the fact that for an adopted model atmosphere with an appropriate He/H ratio, the derived Mg abundance from the neutral Mg atomic lines and that from the MgH molecular lines must be the same. Ditto holds for the C abundance derived from neutral C atomic lines and that from CH lines of the CH molecular band and C_2 lines from the C_2 Swan band. The estimated He/H ratio for the Sun is discussed based on the one-dimensional local thermodynamic equilibrium (1D LTE) model atmosphere. The helium abundance (He/H = 0.091(+0.019/+0.014)) obtained for the Sun serves as a critical reference point to characterize the He/H ratio of cool stars across the range in their effective temperature. Using this derived He/H ratio, the solar mass fractions are determined to be X_sun=0.7232(+0.0305/-0.0377), Y_sun=0.2633(+0.0384/-0.0311), and Z_sun=0.0135(+0.0006/-0.0007)., Comment: 13 Pages, 3 Figures and 2 Tables, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ)

The knowledge of scintillation quenching of $\alpha$-particles plays a paramount role in understanding $\alpha$-induced backgrounds and improving the sensitivity of liquid argon-based direct detection of dark matter experiments. We performed a relative measurement of scintillation quenching in the MeV energy region using radioactive isotopes ($^{222}$Rn, $^{218}$Po and $^{214}$Po isotopes) present in trace amounts in the DEAP-3600 detector and quantified the uncertainty of extrapolating the quenching factor to the low-energy region., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures (added 1 figure, revised 3 figures), 2 tables, revised sections 3, 4, 5. Accepted in Eur. Phys. J. C

Eclipsing Compact Hierarchical Triples (ECHTs) are systems with the tertiary star orbiting an eclipsing binary (EB) in an orbit of fewer than 1000 days. In a CHT, all three stars exist in a space less than 5 AU in separation. A low-mass CHT is an interesting case to understand multiple star and planet formation at such small scales. In this study, we combine spectroscopy and photometry to estimate the orbital, stellar and atmospheric parameters of stars in a sample of CHTs. Using the complete set of parameters we aim to constrain the metallicity and age of the systems. We use time-series spectroscopy to obtain radial velocities (RVs) and disentangled spectra. Using RV modelling, EB light curve modelling, and spectral analysis, we estimated the metallicities and temperatures. Using isochrone fitting, we constrain the ages of the system. We then combine observations of masses, outer eccentricities (e_2), orbital periods and age estimates of the systems from the literature. We compare the distributions of e_2, and tertiary mass ratio, q_3 = M_3/(M_1+M_2), for three different metallicity ranges and two ranges of age. We estimate masses, radii, temperatures, metallicities and age of 12 stars in 4 CHTs. The CHT CD-32 6459 shows signs of von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai oscillations while CD-62 1257 can evolve to form a triple common envelope. The rest of the CHTs are old and have an M-dwarf tertiary. We find that the q_3 distribution for CHTs with sub-solar metallicity has a uniform distribution but the systems with solar and above-solar metallicity peak between 0.5 and 1. When dividing them according to their ages, we found the q_3 of old systems around 0.5. The eccentricity e_2 favours a value around 0.3 irrespective of metallicity or age. The distributions are biased by the lack of observations and observing methods and therefore call for more observations of low-mass CHT., Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Experiments aimed at direct searches for WIMP dark matter require highly effective reduction of backgrounds and control of any residual radioactive contamination. In particular, neutrons interacting with atomic nuclei represent an important class of backgrounds due to the expected similarity of a WIMP-nucleon interaction, so that such experiments often feature a dedicated neutron detector surrounding the active target volume. In the context of the development of DarkSide-20k detector at INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), several R&D projects were conceived and developed for the creation of a new hybrid material rich in both hydrogen and gadolinium nuclei to be employed as an essential element of the neutron detector. Thanks to its very high cross-section for neutron capture, gadolinium is one of the most widely used elements in neutron detectors, while the hydrogen-rich material is instrumental in efficiently moderating the neutrons. In this paper results from one of the R&Ds are presented. In this effort the new hybrid material was obtained as a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix, loaded with gadolinium oxide in the form of nanoparticles. We describe its realization, including all phases of design, purification, construction, characterization, and determination of mechanical properties of the new material.

As more algorithmic systems have come under scrutiny for their potential to inflict societal harms, an increasing number of organizations that hold power over harmful algorithms have chosen (or were required under the law) to abandon them. While social movements and calls to abandon harmful algorithms have emerged across application domains, little academic attention has been paid to studying abandonment as a means to mitigate algorithmic harms. In this paper, we take a first step towards conceptualizing "algorithm abandonment" as an organization's decision to stop designing, developing, or using an algorithmic system due to its (potential) harms. We conduct a thematic analysis of real-world cases of algorithm abandonment to characterize the dynamics leading to this outcome. Our analysis of 40 cases reveals that campaigns to abandon an algorithm follow a common process of six iterative phases: discovery, diagnosis, dissemination, dialogue, decision, and death, which we term the "6 D's of abandonment". In addition, we highlight key factors that facilitate (or prohibit) abandonment, which include characteristics of both the technical and social systems that the algorithm is embedded within. We discuss implications for several stakeholders, including proprietors and technologists who have the power to influence an algorithm's (dis)continued use, FAccT researchers, and policymakers., Comment: 10 pages, 2 column format. In proceedings of ACM FAccT 2024

We report a new hot post-asymptotic giant branch (PAGB) star in the Galactic globular cluster (GC) E3, which is one of the first of the identified PAGB stars in a GC to show a binary signature. The star stands out as the brightest source in E3 in the \mbox{{\em Astrosat}}/UVIT images. We confirmed its membership with the cluster E3 using Gaia DR3 kinematics and parallax measurements. We supplemented the photometric observations with radial velocities (RVs) from high-resolution spectroscopic observations at two epochs and with ground- and space-based photometric observations from 0.13 $\mu$m to 22 $\mu$m. We find that the RVs vary over $\sim$6 \kms\ between the two epochs. This is an indication of the star being in a binary orbit. A simulation of possible binary systems with the observed RVs suggests a binary period of either 39.12 days or 17.83 days with mass ratio q$\geq$1.0. The [Fe/H] derived using the high-resolution spectra is $\sim -$0.7 dex, which closely matches the cluster metallicity. The spectroscopic and photometric measurements suggest \Teff\ and $\log g$ of the star as 17\,500$\pm$1\,000~K and 2.37$\pm$0.20~dex, respectively. Various PAGB evolutionary tracks on the Hertzsprung--Russell (H-R) diagram suggest a current mass of the star in the range 0.51$-$0.55 \Msun. The star is enriched with C and O abundances, showing similar CNO abundances compared to the other PAGB stars in GCs with the evidence of the third dredge-up on the AGB phase., Comment: Published in A&A Letters, Published Version

Autistic adults often experience stigma and discrimination at work, leading them to seek social communication support from coworkers, friends, and family despite emotional risks. Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly considered an alternative. In this work, we investigate the phenomenon of LLM use by autistic adults at work and explore opportunities and risks of LLMs as a source of social communication advice. We asked 11 autistic participants to present questions about their own workplace-related social difficulties to (1) a GPT-4-based chatbot and (2) a disguised human confederate. Our evaluation shows that participants strongly preferred LLM over confederate interactions. However, a coach specializing in supporting autistic job-seekers raised concerns that the LLM was dispensing questionable advice. We highlight how this divergence in participant and practitioner attitudes reflects existing schisms in HCI on the relative privileging of end-user wants versus normative good and propose design considerations for LLMs to center autistic experiences., Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure, CHI '24 Conference

The observation of spin-dependent transmission of electrons through chiral molecules has led to the discovery of chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS). The remarkably high efficiency of the spin polarizing effect has recently gained significant interest due to the high potential for novel sustainable hybrid chiral molecule magnetic applications. However, the fundamental mechanisms underlying the chiral-induced phenomena remain to be understood fully. In this work, we explore the impact of chirality on spin angular momentum in hybrid metal/ chiral molecule thin film heterostructures. For this, we inject a pure spin current via spin pumping and investigate the spin-to-charge conversion at the hybrid chiral interface. Notably, we observe a chiral-induced unidirectionality in the conversion. Furthermore, angle-dependent measurements reveal that the spin selectivity is maximum when the spin angular momentum is aligned with the molecular chiral axis. Our findings validate the central role of spin angular momentum for the CISS effect, paving the path toward three-dimensional functionalization of hybrid molecule-metal devices via chirality.

GRAPES-3 is a mid-altitude (2200 m) and near equatorial ($11.4^{\circ}$ North) air shower array, overlapping in its field of view for cosmic ray observations with experiments that are located in Northern and Southern hemispheres. We analyze a sample of $3.7\times10^9$ cosmic ray events collected by the GRAPES-3 experiment between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2016 with a median energy of $\sim16$ TeV for study of small-scale ($<60^{\circ}$) angular scale anisotropies. We observed two structures labeled as A and B, deviate from the expected isotropic distribution of cosmic rays in a statistically significant manner. Structure `A' spans $50^{\circ}$ to $80^{\circ}$ in the right ascension and $-15^{\circ}$ to $30^{\circ}$ in the declination coordinate. The relative excess observed in the structure A is at the level of $(6.5\pm1.3)\times10^{-4}$ with a statistical significance of 6.8 standard deviations. Structure `B' is observed in the right ascension range of $110^{\circ}$ to $140^{\circ}$. The relative excess observed in this region is at the level of $(4.9\pm1.4)\times10^{-4}$ with a statistical significance of 4.7 standard deviations. These structures are consistent with those reported by Milagro, ARGO-YBJ, and HAWC. These observations could provide a better understanding of the cosmic ray sources, propagation and the magnetic structures in our Galaxy.

Eclipse timing variations (ETV) have been a successful tool for detecting circumbinary companions to eclipsing binaries (EB). While TESS and Kepler have been prolific for ETV searches, they sometimes can be limited by time and sky coverage which can be addressed by specialised ground-based ETV surveys. We present the initial results from the Solaris photometric survey which uses four 0.5m robotic telescopes in the southern hemisphere to look for circumbinary companions. We present the method of light curve extraction, detrending, and EB modelling using the observations from the Solaris network. Using these light curves we extract precise eclipse timing for 7 EB and look for companions using a Lomb-Scargle periodogram search. We find two possible periodic signals for the target GSC 08814-01026. With the system having strong activity, we check for the feasibility of orbital solutions at these two periods. We find that the 245 +/- 1 d period is due to an M-dwarf mass companion. This makes GSC 08814-01026 a candidate compact hierarchical triple system. The other periodic signal at 146 +/- 1 d is an artefact of stellar activity., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in MNRAS following peer review

On 28 January 2018, the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) reported a significant very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray activity, occurring nearly 11 days after the high-energy (HE) gamma-ray flare observed by \textit{Fermi}-LAT from the blazar 3C 279. It has long been considered a candidate site for accelerating particles to ultra-high energies (UHE) and producing subsequent secondaries. Such an event can be crucial to explore the different phenomena of secondary production from the UHEs and viable to understand the energetics of the sources. Our study finds that the multi-wavelength flare, spanning UV, optical, X-rays, and HE gamma rays, originates from leptonic emissions, whereas the delayed VHE activity by proton synchrotron emission within the source, results from the extended duration of particle acceleration. To explain the prolonged electromagnetic emission, our model requires a magnetic field luminosity (L$'_B$) $6.1 \times 10^{43}$ erg/sec, a proton luminosity (L$'_{p}$) $1.2\times 10^{46}$ erg/sec in the jet frame., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figues; Comments and suggestions are welcome

The direct search for dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) is performed by detecting nuclear recoils (NR) produced in a target material from the WIMP elastic scattering. A promising experimental strategy for direct dark matter search employs argon dual-phase time projection chambers (TPC). One of the advantages of the TPC is the capability to detect both the scintillation and charge signals produced by NRs. Furthermore, the existence of a drift electric field in the TPC breaks the rotational symmetry: the angle between the drift field and the momentum of the recoiling nucleus can potentially affect the charge recombination probability in liquid argon and then the relative balance between the two signal channels. This fact could make the detector sensitive to the directionality of the WIMP-induced signal, enabling unmistakable annual and daily modulation signatures for future searches aiming for discovery. The Recoil Directionality (ReD) experiment was designed to probe for such directional sensitivity. The TPC of ReD was irradiated with neutrons at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, and data were taken with 72 keV NRs of known recoil directions. The direction-dependent liquid argon charge recombination model by Cataudella et al. was adopted and a likelihood statistical analysis was performed, which gave no indications of significant dependence of the detector response to the recoil direction. The aspect ratio R of the initial ionization cloud is estimated to be 1.037 +/- 0.027 and the upper limit is R < 1.072 with 90% confidence level, Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J. C