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Hundreds of exoplanets between 1-1.8 times the size of the Earth have been discovered on close in orbits. However, these planets show such a diversity in densities that some appear to be made entirely of iron, while others appear to host gaseous envelopes. To test this diversity in composition, we update the masses of 5 rocky exoplanets (HD 93963 A b, Kepler-10 b, Kepler-100 b, Kepler-407 b, and TOI-1444 b) and present the confirmation of a new planet (TOI-1011) using 187 high precision RVs from Gemini/MAROON-X and Keck/KPF. Our updated planet masses suggest compositions closer to that of the Earth than previous literature values for all planets in our sample. In particular, we report that two previously identified ``super-Mercuries'' (Kepler-100 b and HD 93963 A b) have lower masses that suggest less iron-rich compositions. We then compare the ratio of iron to rock-building species to the abundance ratios of those elements in their host stars. These updated planet compositions do not suggest a steep relationship between planet and host star compositions, contradictory to previous results, and suggest that planets and host stars have similar abundance ratios., Comment: Submitted to AJ 09/30/2024

Fast X-ray transients (FXTs) are extragalactic bursts of X-rays first identified in archival X-ray data, and now routinely discovered by the Einstein Probe in real time, which is continuously surveying the night sky in the soft ($0.5 - 4$ keV) X-ray regime. In this Letter, we report the discovery of the second optical counterpart (AT2024gsa) to an FXT (EP240414a). EP240414a is located at a projected radial separation of 27 kpc from its likely host galaxy at $z = 0.4018 \pm 0.0010$. The optical light curve of AT2024gsa displays three distinct components. The initial decay from our first observation is followed by a re-brightening episode, displaying a rapid rise in luminosity to an absolute magnitude of $M_r \sim -21$ after two rest-frame days. While the early optical luminosity and decline rate is similar to luminous fast blue optical transients, the colour temperature of AT2024gsa is distinctly red and we show that the peak flux is inconsistent with a thermal origin. The third component peaks at $M_i \sim -19$ at $\gtrsim 16$ rest-frame days post-FXT, and is compatible with an emerging supernova. We fit the $riz$-band data with a series of power laws and find that the decaying components are in agreement with gamma-ray burst afterglow models, and that the re-brightening may originate from refreshed shocks. By considering EP240414a in context with all previously reported known-redshift FXT events, we propose that Einstein Probe FXT discoveries may all result from high-redshift gamma-ray bursts, and thus are distinct from the previously discovered lower redshift, lower luminosity population of FXTs., Comment: To be submitted to ApJL

We present the first results of an extensive spectroscopic survey of directly imaged planet host stars. The goal of the survey is the measurement of stellar properties and abundances of 15 elements (including C, O, and S) in these stars. In this work, we present the analysis procedure and the results for an initial set of five host stars, including some very well-known systems. We obtain C/O ratios using a combination of spectral modeling and equivalent width measurements for all five stars. Our analysis indicates solar C/O ratios for HR 8799 (0.59 $\pm$ 0.11), 51 Eri (0.54 $\pm$ 0.14), HD 984 (0.63 $\pm$ 0.14), and GJ 504 (0.54 $\pm$ 0.14). However, we find a super-solar C/O (0.81 $\pm$ 0.14) for HD 206893 through spectral modeling. The ratios obtained using the equivalent width method agree with those obtained using spectral modeling but have higher uncertainties ($\sim$0.3 dex). We also calculate the C/S and O/S ratios, which will help us to better constrain planet formation, especially once planetary sulfur abundances are measured using JWST. Lastly, we find no evidence of highly elevated metallicities or abundances for any of our targets, suggesting that a super metal-rich environment is not a prerequisite for large, widely separated gas planet formation. The measurement of elemental abundances beyond carbon and oxygen also provides access to additional abundance ratios, such as Mg/Si, which could aid in further modeling of their giant companions., Comment: 53 pages, 29 figures, 11 tables

Precise and accurate mass and radius measurements of evolved stars are crucial to calibrating stellar models. Stars in detached eclipsing binaries (EBs) are excellent potential calibrators because their stellar parameters can be measured with fractional uncertainties of a few percent, independent of stellar models. The All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) has identified tens of thousands of EBs, >35,000 of which were included in the ASAS-SN eclipsing binaries catalog. Here, we select eight EBs from this sample that contain giants based on their Gaia colors and absolute magnitudes. We use LBT/PEPSI, APF, and CHIRON to obtain multi-epoch spectra of these binaries and measure their radial velocities using two-dimensional cross-correlation methods. We simultaneously fit the ASAS-SN light curves and the radial velocities with PHOEBE to derive accurate and precise masses and radii with fractional uncertainties of $\lesssim 3\%$. For four systems, we also include Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) light curves in our PHOEBE models, which significantly improves the radius determinations. In seven of our systems, both components have evolved off of the main sequence, and one system has a giant star component with a main sequence, Sun-like companion. Finally, we compare our mass and radius measurements to single-star evolutionary tracks and distinguish between systems that are first ascent red giant branch stars and those that are likely core helium-burning stars., Comment: 25 pages, 18 figures. Submitted to The Open Journal of Astrophysics

Quasi-periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are luminous bursts of soft X-rays from the nuclei of galaxies, repeating on timescales of hours to weeks. The mechanism behind these rare systems is uncertain, but most theories involve accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs), undergoing instabilities or interacting with a stellar object in a close orbit. It has been suggested that this disk could be created when the SMBH disrupts a passing star, implying that many QPEs should be preceded by observable tidal disruption events (TDEs). Two known QPE sources show long-term decays in quiescent luminosity consistent with TDEs, and two observed TDEs have exhibited X-ray flares consistent with individual eruptions. TDEs and QPEs also occur preferentially in similar galaxies. However, no confirmed repeating QPEs have been associated with a spectroscopically confirmed TDE or an optical TDE observed at peak brightness. Here we report the detection of nine X-ray QPEs with a mean recurrence time of approximately 48 hours from AT2019qiz, a nearby and extensively studied optically-selected TDE. We detect and model the X-ray, ultraviolet and optical emission from the accretion disk, and show that an orbiting body colliding with this disk provides a plausible explanation for the QPEs.

We present multi-wavelength data of SN2020acct, a double-peaked stripped-envelope supernova (SN) in NGC2981 at ~150 Mpc. The two peaks are temporally distinct, with maxima separated by 58 rest-frame days, and a factor of 20 reduction in flux between. The first is luminous (M$_{r}$ = -18.00 $\pm$ 0.02 mag), blue (g - r = 0.27 $\pm$ 0.03 mag), and displays spectroscopic signatures of interaction with hydrogen-free circumstellar material. The second peak is fainter (M$_{r}$ = -17.29 $\pm$ 0.03 mag), and spectroscopically similar to an evolved stripped-envelope SNe, with strong blended forbidden [Ca II] and [O II] features. No other known double-peak SN exhibits a light curve similar to that of SN 2020acct. We find the likelihood of two individual SNe occurring in the same star-forming region within that time to be highly improbable, while an implausibly fine-tuned configuration would be required to produce two SNe from a single binary system. We find that the peculiar properties of SN2020acct match models of pulsational pair instability (PPI), in which the initial peak is produced by collisions of shells of ejected material, shortly followed by a terminal explosion. Pulsations from a star with a 72 M$_{\odot}$ helium core provide an excellent match to the double-peaked light curve. The local galactic environment has a metallicity of 0.4 Z$_{\odot}$, a level where massive single stars are not expected retain enough mass to encounter the PPI. However, late binary mergers or a low-metallicity pocket may allow the required core mass. We measure the rate of SN 2020acct-like events to be $<3.3\times10^{-8}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$ at z = 0.07, or <0.1% of the total core-collapse SN rate., Comment: 31 pages, 14 figures. Submitted to ApJL, comments welcome

We present the discovery of a Jupiter-like planet, HD 73344 d ($m_{d}=2.55^{+0.56}_{-0.46}\ \mathrm{M_{J}}$, $a_{d}=6.70^{+0.25}_{-0.26}$ AU, $e_{d}=0.18^{+0.14}_{-0.12}$) based on 27-year radial velocity observations. HD 73344 also hosts a compact inner planetary system, including a transiting sub-Neptune HD 73344 b ($P_{b}=15.61\ \mathrm{days}$, $r_{b}=2.88^{+0.08}_{-0.07}\ \mathrm{R_{\oplus}}$) and a non-transiting Saturn-mass planet ($P_{c}=65.936\ \mathrm{days}$, $m_{c}\sin{i_c}=0.36^{+0.02}_{-0.02}\ \mathrm{M_{J}}$). By analyzing TESS light curves, we identified a stellar rotation period of $9.03\pm{1.3}$ days. Combining this with $v\sin{i_*}$ measurements from stellar spectra, we derived a stellar inclination of $63.6^{+17.4}_{-16.5}\ \rm{deg} $. Furthermore, by combining radial velocities and Hipparcos-Gaia astrometric acceleration, we characterized the three-dimensional orbit of the outer giant planet and constrained its mutual inclination relative to the innermost transiting planet to be $46 <\Delta I_{bd}< 134\ \rm{deg}\ (1\sigma)$ and $20 <\Delta I_{bd}< 160\ \rm{deg}\ (2\sigma)$, strongly disfavoring coplanar architectures. Our analytical calculations and N-body simulation reveal that the two inner planets are strongly coupled with each other and undergo nodal precession together around the orbital axis of the giant planet. During nodal precession, the orbital inclination of inner planets oscillate with time and therefore become misaligned relative to the stellar spin axis. The formation of such systems suggests a history of planet-planet scattering or misalignment between the inner and outer components of protoplanetary disks. The upcoming release of Gaia DR4 will uncover more systems similar to HD 73344 and enable the study of the flatness of exoplanet systems with a mixture of inner and outer planetary systems on a statistical level., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, submitted to AJ. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2407.21377

With the recent observational evidence in extra galactic astronomy, the interpretation of the nature of quasar redshift continues to be a research interest. Very high redshifts are being detected for extragalactic objects that are presumably very distant and young while also exhibiting properties that are characteristic of a more mature galaxy such as ours. According to Halton Arp and Geoffrey Burbidge, redshift disparities consist of an intrinsic component and are related to an evolutionary process. Karlsson observed redshift periodicity at integer multiples of 0.089 in log scale and Burbidge observed redshift periodicity at integer multiples of 0.061 in linear scale. Since Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) based periodicity estimation is known to be superior for noisy data sets, especially when the data contains multiple harmonics and overtones, mainly irregular in nature, we have chosen it to be our primary tool for analysis of the quasar-galaxy pair redshift data. We have observed a fundamental periodicity of 0.051 with a confidence interval of 95% in linear scale with the site-available Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 7 (SDSS DR7) quasar-galaxy pair data set. We have independently generated quasar-galaxy pair data sets from both 2dF and SDSS and found fundamental periodicities of 0.077 and 0.089 in log scale with a confidence interval of 95%., Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Published in Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2206.11897

Characterizing outer companions to hot Jupiters plays a crucial role in deciphering their origins. We present the discovery of a long-period giant planet, HD 118203 c ($m_{c}=11.79^{+0.69}_{-0.63}\ \mathrm{M_{J}}$, $a_{c}=6.28^{+0.10}_{-0.11}$ AU) exterior to a close-in eccentric hot Jupiter HD 118203 b ($P_{b}=6.135\ \mathrm{days}$, $m_{b}=2.14\pm{0.12}\ \mathrm{M_{J}}$, $r_{b}=1.14\pm{0.029}\ \mathrm{R_{J}}$, $e_{b}=0.31\pm{0.007}$) based on twenty-year radial velocities. Using Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) observations from the Keck Planet Finder (KPF), we measured a low sky-projected spin-orbit angle $\lambda_{b}=-11^{\circ}.7^{+7.6}_{-10.0}$ for HD 118203 b and detected stellar oscillations in the host star, confirming its evolved status. Combining the RM observation with the stellar inclination measurement, we constrained the true spin-orbit angle of HD 118203 b as $\Psi_{b}<33^{\circ}.5\ (2\sigma)$, indicating the orbit normal of the hot Jupiter nearly aligned with the stellar spin axis. Furthermore, by combining radial velocities and Hipparcos-Gaia astrometric acceleration, we constrained the line-of-sight mutual inclination between the hot Jupiter and the outer planet to be $9^{\circ}.8^{+16.2}_{-9.3}$ at $2\sigma$ level. HD 118203 is one of first hot Jupiter systems where both the true spin-orbit angle of the hot Jupiter and the mutual inclination between inner and outer planets have been determined. Our results are consistent with a system-wide alignment, with low mutual inclinations between the outer giant planet, the inner hot Jupiter, and the host star. This alignment, along with the moderate eccentricity of HD 118203 c, implies that the system may have undergone coplanar high-eccentricity tidal migration. Under this framework, our dynamical analysis suggests an initial semi-major axis of 0.3 to 3.2 AU for the proto-hot Jupiter., Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures, accepted by AJ

We investigate the spectroscopic characteristics of Intermediate Luminosity Red Transients (ILRTs), a class of elusive objects with peak luminosity between that of classical novae and standard supernovae. We present the extensive optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic monitoring of four ILRTs, namely NGC 300 2008OT-1, AT 2019abn, AT 2019ahd and AT 2019udc. First we focus on the evolution of the most prominent spectral features observed in the low resolution spectra, then we discuss more in detail the high resolution spectrum collected for NGC 300 2008OT-1 with the Very Large Telescope equipped with UVES. Finally we analyse late time spectra of NGC 300 2008OT-1 and AT 2019ahd through comparisons with both synthetic and observed spectra. Balmer and Ca lines dominate the optical spectra, revealing the presence of slowly moving circumstellar medium (CSM) around the objects. The line luminosity of H$\alpha$, H$\beta$ and Ca II NIR triplet presents a double peaked evolution with time, possibly indicative of interaction between fast ejecta and the slow CSM. The high resolution spectrum of NGC 300 2008OT-1 reveals a complex circumstellar environment, with the transient being surrounded by a slow ($\sim$30 km s$^{-1}$) progenitor wind. At late epochs, optical spectra of NGC 300 2008OT-1 and AT 2019ahd show broad ($\sim$2500 km s$^{-1}$) emission features at $\sim$6170 A and $\sim$7000 A which are unprecedented for ILRTs. We find that these lines originate most likely from the blending of several narrow lines, possibly of iron-peak elements., Comment: 28 pages, 19 figures. Submitted to A&A

We investigate the photometric characteristics of a sample of Intermediate Luminosity Red Transients (ILRTs), a class of elusive objects with peak luminosity between that of classical novae and standard supernovae. We present the multi-wavelength photometric follow-up of four ILRTs, namely NGC 300 2008OT-1, AT 2019abn, AT 2019ahd and AT 2019udc. Through the analysis and modelling of their spectral energy distribution and bolometric light curves we infer the physical parameters associated with these transients. All four objects display a single peaked light curve which ends in a linear decline in magnitudes at late phases. A flux excess with respect to a single black body emission is detected in the infrared domain for three objects in our sample, a few months after maximum. This feature, commonly found in ILRTs, is interpreted as a sign of dust formation. Mid infrared monitoring of NGC 300 2008OT-1 761 days after maximum allows us to infer the presence of $\sim$10$^{-3}$-10$^{-5}$ M$_{\odot}$ of dust, depending on the chemical composition and the grain size adopted. The late time decline of the bolometric light curves of the considered ILRTs is shallower than expected for $^{56}$Ni decay, hence requiring an additional powering mechanism. James Webb Space Telescope observations of AT 2019abn prove that the object has faded below its progenitor luminosity in the mid-infrared domain, five years after its peak. Together with the disappearance of NGC 300 2008OT-1 in Spitzer images seven years after its discovery, this supports the terminal explosion scenario for ILRTs. With a simple semi-analytical model we try to reproduce the observed bolometric light curves in the context of few M$_{\odot}$ of material ejected at few 10$^{3}$ km s$^{-1}$ and enshrouded in an optically thick circumstellar medium., Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures plus 20 additional pages of data in appendix. Submitted to A&A

The degree of alignment between a star's spin axis and the orbital plane of its planets (the stellar obliquity) is related to interesting and poorly understood processes that occur during planet formation and evolution. Hot Jupiters orbiting hot stars ($\gtrsim$6250 K) display a wide range of obliquities, while similar planets orbiting cool stars are preferentially aligned. Tidal dissipation is expected to be more rapid in stars with thick convective envelopes, potentially explaining this trend. Evolved stars provide an opportunity to test the damping hypothesis, particularly stars that were hot on the main sequence and have since cooled and developed deep convective envelopes. We present the first systematic study of the obliquities of hot Jupiters orbiting subgiants that recently developed convective envelopes using Rossiter-McLaughlin observations. Our sample includes two newly discovered systems in the Giants Transiting Giants Survey (TOI-6029 b, TOI-4379 b). We find that the orbits of hot Jupiters orbiting subgiants that have cooled below $\sim$6250 K are aligned or nearly aligned with the spin-axis of their host stars, indicating rapid tidal realignment after the emergence of a stellar convective envelope. We place an upper limit for the timescale of realignment for hot Jupiters orbiting subgiants at $\sim$500 Myr. Comparison with a simplified tidal evolution model shows that obliquity damping needs to be $\sim$4 orders of magnitude more efficient than orbital period decay to damp the obliquity without destroying the planet, which is consistent with recent predictions for tidal dissipation from inertial waves excited by hot Jupiters on misaligned orbits., Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables

We introduce the OATMEAL survey, an effort to measure the obliquities of stars with transiting brown dwarf companions. We observed a transit of the close-in ($P_{\rm orb} = 1.74 \,$ days) brown dwarf GPX-1 b using the Keck Planet Finder (KPF) spectrograph to measure the sky-projected angle between its orbital axis and the spin axis of its early F-type host star ($\lambda$). We measured $\lambda = 6.88 \pm 1.72 ^\circ$ (with additional unquantified systematic uncertainty), suggesting an orbit that is prograde and well aligned with the stellar equator. Hot Jupiters around early F stars are frequently found to have highly misaligned orbits, with polar and retrograde orbits being commonplace. It has been theorized that these misalignments stem from dynamical interactions, such as von Zeipel-Kozai-Lidov cycles, and are retained over long timescales due to weak tidal dissipation in stars with radiative envelopes. By comparing GPX-1 to similar systems under the frameworks of different tidal evolution theories, we argued that the rate of tidal dissipation is too slow to have re-aligned the system. This suggests that GPX-1 may have arrived at its close-in orbit via coplanar high-eccentricity migration or migration through an aligned protoplanetary disk. Our result for GPX-1 is one of few measurements of the obliquity of a star with a transiting brown dwarf. By enlarging the number of such measurements and comparing them with hot Jupiter systems, we will more clearly discern the differences between the mechanisms that dictate the formation and evolution of both classes of objects., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

Asteroseismology of dwarf stars cooler than the Sun is very challenging due to the low amplitudes and rapid timescales of oscillations. Here, we present the asteroseismic detection of solar-like oscillations at 4-minute timescales ($\nu_{\mathrm{max}}\sim4300\mu$Hz) in the nearby K-dwarf $\sigma$ Draconis using extreme precision Doppler velocity observations from the Keck Planet Finder and 20-second cadence photometry from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The star is the coolest dwarf star to date with both velocity and luminosity observations of solar-like oscillations, having amplitudes of $5.9\pm0.8\,$cm$\,\text{s}^{-1}$ and $0.8\pm0.2$ ppm, respectively. These measured values are in excellent agreement with established luminosity-velocity amplitude relations for oscillations and provide further evidence that mode amplitudes for stars with $T_{\mathrm{eff}}<\,5500\,$K diminish in scale following a $(L/M)^{1.5}$ relation. By modeling the star's oscillation frequencies from photometric data, we measure an asteroseismic age of $4.5\pm0.9\,\rm{(ran)} \pm 1.2\,\rm{(sys)}$ Gyr. The observations demonstrate the capability of next-generation spectrographs and precise space-based photometry to extend observational asteroseismology to nearby cool dwarfs, which are benchmarks for stellar astrophysics and prime targets for directly imaging planets using future space-based telescopes., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

We present the first spectroscopic transit results from the newly commissioned Keck Planet Finder on the Keck-I telescope at W. M. Keck Observatory. We observed a transit of KELT-18 b, an inflated ultra-hot Jupiter orbiting a hot star ($T_\text{eff} = 6670$ K) with a binary stellar companion. By modeling the perturbation to the measured cross correlation functions using the Reloaded Rossiter-McLaughlin technique, we derived a sky projected obliquity of $\lambda = -94.8 \pm 0.7$ deg ($\psi = 93.8_{-1.8}^{+1.6}$ deg for isotropic $i_\star$). The data are consistent with an extreme stellar differential rotation ($\alpha = 0.9$), though a more likely explanation is moderate center-to-limb variations of the emergent stellar spectrum. We see additional evidence for the latter from line widths increasing towards the limb. Using loose constraints on the stellar rotation period from observed variability in the available TESS photometry, we were able to constrain the stellar inclination and thus the true 3D stellar obliquity to $\psi = 91.7_{-1.8}^{+2.2}$ deg. KELT-18 b could have obtained its polar orbit through high-eccentricity migration initiated by Kozai-Lidov oscillations induced by the binary stellar companion KELT-18 B, as the two likely have a large mutual inclination as evidenced by Gaia astrometry. KELT-18 b adds another data point to the growing population of close-in polar planets, particularly around hot stars., Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, submitted to AJ (in revision)

The orbits of close-in exoplanets provide clues to their formation and evolutionary history. Many close-in exoplanets likely formed far out in their protoplanetary disks and migrated to their current orbits, perhaps via high-eccentricity migration (HEM), a process that can also excite obliquities. A handful of known exoplanets are perhaps caught in the act of HEM, as they are observed on highly eccentric orbits with tidal circularization timescales shorter than their ages. One such exoplanet is Kepler-1656 b, which is also the only known non-giant exoplanet (<100 $M_\oplus$) with an extreme eccentricity (e=0.84). We measured the sky-projected obliquity of Kepler-1656 b by observing the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect during a transit with the Keck Planet Finder. Our data are consistent with an aligned orbit, but are also consistent with moderate misalignment with $\lambda < 50$ deg at 95% confidence, with the most likely solution of $35^{+14.9}_{-21.6}$ deg. A low obliquity would be an unlikely outcome of most eccentricity-exciting scenarios, but we show that the properties of the outer companion in the system are consistent with the coplanar HEM mechanism. Alternatively, if the system is not relatively coplanar (<20 deg mutual inclination), Kepler-1656 b may be presently at a rare snapshot of long-lived eccentricity oscillations that do not induce migration. Kepler-1656 b is only the fourth exoplanet with e>0.8 to have its obliquity constrained; expanding this population will help establish the degree to which orbital misalignment accompanies migration. Future work that constrains the mutual inclinations of outer perturbers will be key for distinguishing plausible mechanisms., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted to ApJL

TOI-6255~b (GJ 4256) is an Earth-sized planet (1.079$\pm0.065$ $R_\oplus$) with an orbital period of only 5.7 hours. With the newly commissioned Keck Planet Finder (KPF) and CARMENES spectrographs, we determined the planet's mass to be 1.44$\pm$0.14 $M_{\oplus}$. The planet is just outside the Roche limit, with $P_{\rm orb}/P_{\rm Roche}$ = 1.13 $\pm0.10$. The strong tidal force likely deforms the planet into a triaxial ellipsoid with a long axis that is $\sim$10\% longer than the short axis. Assuming a reduced stellar tidal quality factor $Q_\star^\prime \approx10^7$, we predict that tidal orbital decay will cause TOI-6255 to reach the Roche limit in roughly 400 Myr. Such tidal disruptions may produce the possible signatures of planet engulfment that have been on stars with anomalously high refractory elemental abundances compared to its conatal binary companion. TOI-6255 b is also a favorable target for searching for star-planet magnetic interactions, which might cause interior melting and hasten orbital decay. TOI-6255 b is a top target (Emission Spectroscopy Metric of about 24) for phase curve observations with the James Webb Space Telescope., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables, accepted to AAS Journals. The first RV mass measurement from the Keck Planet Finder

In 2010, Bakos and collaborators discovered a Neptune-sized planet transiting the K-dwarf HAT-P-11 every five days. Later in 2018, Yee and collaborators reported an additional Jovian-mass companion on a nine year orbit based on a decade of Doppler monitoring. The eccentric outer giant HAT-P-11c may be responsible for the peculiar polar orbit of the inner planet HAT-P-11b. However, Basilicata et al. (2024) recently suggested that the HAT-P-11c Doppler signal could be caused by stellar activity. In this research note, we extend the Yee et al. (2018) Doppler time series by six years. The combined dataset spanning 17 years covers nearly two orbits of the outer planet. Importantly, we observe two periastron passages of planet c and do not observe a coherent activity signature. Together with the previously reported astrometric acceleration of HAT-P-11 from Hipparcos and Gaia, we believe there is strong evidence for HAT-P-11c as a bona fide planet., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure

We present optical spectroscopy of 710 solar neighborhood stars collected over twenty years to catalog chromospheric activity and search for stellar activity cycles. The California Legacy Survey stars are amenable to exoplanet detection using precise radial velocities, and we present their Ca II H and K time series as a proxy for stellar and chromospheric activity. Using the HIRES spectrometer at Keck Observatory, we measured stellar flux in the cores of the Ca II H and K lines to determine S-values on the Mt. Wilson scale and the log(R'HK) metric, which is comparable across a wide range of spectral types. From the 710 stars, with 52,372 observations, 285 stars are sufficiently sampled to search for stellar activity cycles with periods of 2-25 years, and 138 stars show stellar cycles of varying length and amplitude. S-values can be used to mitigate stellar activity in the detection and characterization of exoplanets. We use them to probe stellar dynamos and to place the Sun's magnetic activity into context among solar neighborhood stars. Using precise stellar parameters and time-averaged activity measurements, we find tightly constrained cycle periods as a function of stellar temperature between log(R'HK) of -4.7 and -4.9, a range of activity in which nearly every star has a periodic cycle. These observations present the largest sample of spectroscopically determined stellar activity cycles to date., Comment: 40 pages, 26 figures, submitted to ApJS

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has identified over 7,000 candidate exoplanets via the transit method, with gas giants among the most readily detected due to their large radii. Even so, long intervals between TESS observations for much of the sky lead to candidates for which only a single transit is detected in one TESS sector, leaving those candidate exoplanets with unconstrained orbital periods. Here, we confirm the planetary nature of TIC 393818343 b, originally identified via a single TESS transit, using radial velocity data and ground-based photometric observations from citizen scientists with the Unistellar Network and Exoplanet Watch. We determine a period of $P$ = 16.24921 $\substack{+0.00010 \\ -0.00011}$ days, a mass $M_{P}$ = 4.34 $\pm$ 0.15 $M_{J}$, and semi-major axis $a$ = 0.1291 $\substack{+0.0021 \\ -0.0022}$ au, placing TIC 393818343 b in the "warm Jupiter" population of exoplanets. With an eccentricity $e$ = 0.6058 $\pm$ 0.0023, TIC 393818343 b is the most eccentric warm Jupiter to be discovered by TESS orbiting less than 0.15 au from its host star and therefore an excellent candidate for follow-up, as it may inform our future understanding of how hot and warm Jupiter populations are linked., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in AJ

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered hundreds of new worlds, with TESS planet candidates now outnumbering the total number of confirmed planets from $\textit{Kepler}$. Owing to differences in survey design, TESS continues to provide planets that are better suited for subsequent follow-up studies, including mass measurement through radial velocity (RV) observations, compared to Kepler targets. In this work, we present the TESS-Keck Survey's (TKS) Mass Catalog: a uniform analysis of all TKS RV survey data which has resulted in mass constraints for 126 planets and candidate signals. This includes 58 mass measurements that have reached $\geq5\sigma$ precision. We confirm or validate 32 new planets from the TESS mission either by significant mass measurement (15) or statistical validation (17), and we find no evidence of likely false positives among our entire sample. This work also serves as a data release for all previously unpublished TKS survey data, including 9,204 RV measurements and associated activity indicators over our three year survey. We took the opportunity to assess the performance of our survey, and found that we achieved many of our goals including measuring the mass of 38 small ($<4R_{\oplus}$) planets, nearly achieving the TESS mission's basic science requirement. In addition, we evaluated the performance of the Automated Planet Finder (APF) as survey support and observed meaningful constraints on system parameters due to its more uniform phase coverage. Finally, we compared our measured masses to those predicted by commonly used mass-radius relations and investigated evidence of systematic bias., Comment: 51 pages (22 of text), 24 figures

Most stripped envelope supernova progenitors are formed through binary interaction, losing hydrogen and/or helium from their outer layers. An emerging class of supernovae with the highest degree of envelope-stripping are thought to be the product of stripping by a NS companion. However, relatively few examples are known and the outcomes of such systems can be diverse and are poorly understood at present. Here, we present spectroscopic observations and high cadence multi-band photometry of SN 2023zaw, a low ejecta mass and rapidly evolving supernova. SN 2023zaw was discovered in a nearby spiral galaxy at D = 39.7 Mpc, with significant Milky Way extinction, $E(B-V) = 0.21$, and significant (but uncertain) host extinction. Bayesian evidence comparison reveals that nickel is not the only power source and an additional energy source is required to explain our observations. Our models suggest an ejecta mass of $M_{\rm ej} \sim 0.07\,\rm M_\odot$ and a synthesised nickel mass of $M_{\rm ej} \sim 0.007\,\rm M_\odot$ is required to explain the explosion. However an additional heating from a magnetar or interaction with circumstellar material is required to power the early light curve.

This paper summarizes the most cogent advantages and risks associated with Artificial Intelligence from an in-depth review of the literature. Then the authors synthesize the salient risk-related models currently being used in AI, technology and business-related scenarios. Next, in view of an updated context of AI along with theories and models reviewed and expanded constructs, the writers propose a new framework called "The Transformation Risk-Benefit Model of Artificial Intelligence" to address the increasing fears and levels of AI risk. Using the model characteristics, the article emphasizes practical and innovative solutions where benefits outweigh risks and three use cases in healthcare, climate change/environment and cyber security to illustrate unique interplay of principles, dimensions and processes of this powerful AI transformational model., Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables

We present extensive observations of the Type II supernova (SN II) 2023ufx which is likely the most metal-poor SN II observed to-date. It exploded in the outskirts of a low-metallicity ($Z_{\rm host} \sim 0.1~Z_\odot$) dwarf ($M_g = -13.23\pm0.15$~mag; $r_e\sim 1$~kpc) galaxy. The explosion is luminous, peaking at $M_g\approx -18.5~$mag, and shows rapid evolution. The $r$-band (pseudo-bolometric) light curve has a shock-cooling phase lasting 20 (17) days followed by a 19 (23)-day plateau. The entire optically-thick phase lasts only $\approx 55~$days following explosion, indicating that the red supergiant progenitor had a thinned H envelope prior to explosion. The early spectra obtained during the shock-cooling phase show no evidence for narrow emission features and limit the pre-explosion mass-loss rate to $\dot{M} \lesssim 10^{-3}~\rm M_\odot$/yr. The photospheric-phase spectra are devoid of prominent metal absorption features, indicating a progenitor metallicity of $\lesssim 0.1~Z_\odot$. The semi-nebular ($\sim 60-130~$d) spectra reveal weak Fe II, but other metal species typically observed at these phases (Ti II, Sc II, Ba II) are conspicuously absent. The late-phase optical and near-infrared spectra also reveal broad ($\approx 10^4~\rm{km}~\rm s^{-1}$) double-peaked H$\alpha$, P$\beta$, and P$\gamma$ emission profiles suggestive of a fast outflow launched during the explosion. Outflows are typically attributed to rapidly-rotating progenitors which also prefer metal-poor environments. This is only the second SN II with $\lesssim 0.1~Z_\odot$ and both exhibit peculiar evolution, suggesting a sizable fraction of metal-poor SNe II have distinct properties compared to nearby metal-enriched SNe II. These observations lay the groundwork for modeling the metal-poor SNe II expected in the early Universe., Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures and 3 tables in main text, an additional 5 pages, 4 figures, and 2 tables in the appendix. Submitted to ApJ, comments welcome. All data will be made publicly available upon publication

Gaze-based interactions offer a potential way for users to naturally engage with mixed reality (XR) interfaces. Black-box machine learning models enabled higher accuracy for gaze-based interactions. However, due to the black-box nature of the model, users might not be able to understand and effectively adapt their gaze behaviour to achieve high quality interaction. We posit that explainable AI (XAI) techniques can facilitate understanding of and interaction with gaze-based model-driven system in XR. To study this, we built a real-time, multi-level XAI interface for gaze-based interaction using a deep learning model, and evaluated it during a visual search task in XR. A between-subjects study revealed that participants who interacted with XAI made more accurate selections compared to those who did not use the XAI system (i.e., F1 score increase of 10.8%). Additionally, participants who used the XAI system adapted their gaze behavior over time to make more effective selections. These findings suggest that XAI can potentially be used to assist users in more effective collaboration with model-driven interactions in XR.

Fast X-ray Transients (FXTs) are extragalactic bursts of soft X-rays first identified >10 years ago. Since then, nearly 40 events have been discovered, although almost all of these have been recovered from archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data. To date, optical sky surveys and follow-up searches have not revealed any multi-wavelength counterparts. The Einstein Probe, launched in January 2024, has started surveying the sky in the soft X-ray regime (0.5-4 keV) and will rapidly increase the sample of FXTs discovered in real time. Here, we report the first discovery of both an optical and radio counterpart to a distant FXT, the fourth source publicly released by the Einstein Probe. We discovered a fast-fading optical transient within the 3 arcmin localisation radius of EP240315a with the all-sky optical survey ATLAS, and our follow-up Gemini spectrum provides a redshift, z=4.859+/-0.002. Furthermore, we uncovered a radio counterpart in the S-band (3.0 GHz) with the MeerKAT radio interferometer. The optical (rest-frame UV) and radio luminosities indicate the FXT most likely originates from either a long gamma-ray burst or a relativistic tidal disruption event. This may be a fortuitous early mission detection by the Einstein Probe or may signpost a mode of discovery for high-redshift, high-energy transients through soft X-ray surveys, combined with locating multi-wavelength counterparts., Comment: Updated to match version accepted for publication in ApJL (17 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables)

We propose a second-order statistic parameter $\varepsilon$, the relative occurrence rate between hot and cold Jupiters ($\varepsilon=\eta_{\rm HJ}/\eta_{\rm CJ}$), to probe the migration of gas giants. Since the planet occurrence rate is the combined outcome of the formation and migration processes, a joint analysis of hot and cold Jupiter frequency may shed light on the dynamical evolution of giant planet systems. We first investigate the behavior of $\varepsilon$ as the stellar mass changes observationally. Based on the occurrence rate measurements of hot Jupiters ($\eta_{\rm HJ}$) from the TESS survey and cold Jupiters ($\eta_{\rm CJ}$) from the CLS survey, we find a tentative trend (97% confidence) that $\varepsilon$ drops when the stellar mass rises from $0.8$ to $1.4\ M_\odot$, which can be explained by different giant planet growth and disk migration timescales around different stars. We carry out planetesimal and pebble accretion simulations, both of which could reproduce the results of $\eta_{\rm HJ}$, $\eta_{\rm CJ}$ and $\varepsilon$. Our findings indicate that the classical core accretion + disk migration model can explain the observed decreasing trend of $\varepsilon$. We propose two ways to increase the significance of the trend and verify the anti-correlation. Future works are required to better constrain $\varepsilon$, especially for M dwarfs and for more massive stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 14 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables

Mathematical and statistical models underlie many of the world's most important fisheries management decisions. Since the 19th century, difficulty calibrating and fitting such models has been used to justify the selection of simple, stationary, single-species models to aid tactical fisheries management decisions. Whereas these justifications are reasonable, it is imperative that we quantify the value of different levels of model complexity for supporting fisheries management, especially given a changing climate, where old methodologies may no longer perform as well as in the past. Here we argue that cost-benefit analysis is an ideal lens to assess the value of model complexity in fisheries management. While some studies have reported the benefits of model complexity in fisheries, modeling costs are rarely considered. In the absence of cost data in the literature, we report, as a starting point, relative costs of single-species stock assessment and marine ecosystem models from two Australian organizations. We found that costs varied by two orders of magnitude, and that ecosystem model costs increased with model complexity. Using these costs, we walk through a hypothetical example of cost-benefit analysis. The demonstration is intended to catalyze the reporting of modeling costs and benefits.

Even for short protocols (<1 min), head movement can compromise accurate haemodynamic modelling of cerebral CT perfusion (CTP) imaging in acute stroke. Frame-to-frame registration is the most common form of retrospective correction but neglects the fact that motion is continuous, not discrete. By contrast, external tracking devices provide continuous motion monitoring and thereby the opportunity to fully correct the acquired data for motion. The aim of this study was to characterise the Intel D415 stereo depth camera, a compact low-cost markerless tracking device, in terms of its suitability for retrospective CTP motion correction. The results showed that jitter was stable, and thermally-induced pose drift was {\le} 1.5 mm and {\le} 0.5{\deg} during the first 10-20 min, after which it also became stable. For static poses, the mean difference between the Intel D415 motion estimates and ground-truth poses for a head phantom was {\le} 1.24 \pm 0.01 mm and {\le} 0.68 \pm 0.01{\deg} for position and orientation, respectively. For dynamic poses measured while a head phantom travelled smooth continuous trajectories with median speed 0.031 ms^(-1) (speed range 0-0.500 ms^(-1)), the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) was {\le} 1.40 \pm 0.12 mm and {\le} 0.24 \pm 0.02{\deg}. When tracking a simulated patient head trajectory derived from a clinical CTP scan, the average RMSE was {\le} 0.86 \pm 0.03 mm and {\le} 0.16 \pm 0.03{\deg}. Tracking the head motion of a human volunteer inside a clinical CT scanner, the average RMSE was {\le} 2.72 \pm 0.24 mm and {\le} 0.55 \pm 0.07{\deg}. Overall, our results suggest that a single D415 tracking system can achieve promising pose estimation accuracy, though still worse than typical brain CT resolution, including CTP. The error is likely to be reduced to a practical level by combining multiple devices and this should be investigated in future work.

Large Language Models are powerful tools for program synthesis and advanced auto-completion, but come with no guarantee that their output code is syntactically correct. This paper contributes an incremental parser that allows early rejection of syntactically incorrect code, as well as efficient detection of complete programs for fill-in-the-middle (FIM) tasks. We extend the Earley parsing algorithm to allow for left and right quotients of context-free grammars, and develop methods to handle quotienting of several context-sensitive features present in the grammars of many common programming languages. The result of these contributions is an efficient, general, and well-grounded method for left and right quotient parsing. To validate our theoretical contributions -- and the effectiveness of certain design decisions -- we evaluate our method on the particularly difficult case of FIM completion for Python 3, with syntax-correctness constraints. Our results demonstrate that constrained generation can significantly reduce the incidence of syntax errors in recommended code., Comment: 10 pages, Code available at https://github.com/amazon-science/incremental-parsing

The extreme environments of ultra-short-period planets (USPs) make excellent laboratories to study how exoplanets obtain, lose, retain, and/or regain gaseous atmospheres. We present the confirmation and characterization of the USP TOI-1347 b, a $1.8 \pm 0.1$ R$_\oplus$ planet on a 0.85 day orbit that was detected with photometry from the TESS mission. We measured radial velocities of the TOI-1347 system using Keck/HIRES and HARPS-N and found the USP to be unusually massive at $11.1 \pm 1.2$ M$_\oplus$. The measured mass and radius of TOI-1347 b imply an Earth-like bulk composition. A thin H/He envelope (>0.01% by mass) can be ruled out at high confidence. The system is between 1 and 1.8 Gyr old; therefore, intensive photoevaporation should have concluded. We detected a tentative phase curve variation (3$\sigma$) and a secondary eclipse (2$\sigma$) in TESS photometry, which if confirmed could indicate the presence of a high-mean-molecular-weight atmosphere. We recommend additional optical and infrared observations to confirm the presence of an atmosphere and investigate its composition., Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) continues to dramatically increase the number of known transiting exoplanets, and is optimal for monitoring bright stars amenable to radial velocity (RV) and atmospheric follow-up observations. TOI-1386 is a solar-type (G5V) star that was detected via TESS photometry to exhibit transit signatures in three sectors with a period of 25.84 days. We conducted follow-up RV observations using Keck/HIRES as part of the TESS-Keck Survey (TKS), collecting 64 RV measurements of TOI-1386 with the HIRES spectrograph over 2.5 years. Our combined fit of the TOI-1386 photometry and RV data confirm the planetary nature of the detected TESS signal, and provide a mass and radius for planet b of $0.148\pm0.019$ $M_J$ and $0.540\pm0.017$ $R_J$, respectively, marking TOI-1386 b as a warm sub-Saturn planet. Our RV data further reveal an additional outer companion, TOI-1386 c, with an estimated orbital period of 227.6 days and a minimum mass of $0.309\pm0.038$ $M_J$. The dynamical modeling of the system shows that the measured system architecture is long-term stable, although there may be substantial eccentricity oscillations of the inner planet due to the dynamical influence of the outer planet., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. 15 pages, 7 figures

Strong policies with sustainable incentives are needed to accelerate the EV transition. This paper assesses various feebate designs assessing recent policy evolution in five European countries. While there are key design elements that should be considered, there is no optimal feebate design. Different policy objectives could be served by feebates influencing its design and effectiveness. Using feebates to transition to EVs has emerged a key objective. With the financial sustainability of EV incentive programs being questioned, a self financing market mechanism could be the need of the hour solution. Irrespective of the policy goals, a feebate will impact both the supply side, i.e., the automotive industry and the consumer side. Globally, feebates can be used to effect technology leapfrogging while navigating the political economy of clean transportation policy in different country contexts. This paper highlights thirteen design elements of an effective feebate policy that can serve as a foundation for policymakers.

Surveys of exoplanet host stars are valuable tools for assessing population level trends in exoplanets, and their outputs can include stellar ages, activity, and rotation periods. We extracted chromospheric activity measurements from the California-Kepler Survey (CKS) Gaia survey spectra in order to probe connections between stellar activity and fundamental stellar properties. Building on the California Kepler Survey's legacy of 1189 planet host star stellar properties including temperature, surface gravity metallicity and isochronal age, we add measurements of the Ca II H and K lines as a proxy for chromospheric activity for 879 planet hosting stars. We used these chromospheric activity measurements to derive stellar rotation periods. We find a discrepancy between photometrically derived and activity-derived rotation periods for stars on the Rossby Ridge. These results support the theory of weakened magnetic braking. We find no evidence for metallicity-dependent activity relations, within the metallicity range of -0.2 to +0.3 dex. With our single epoch spectra we identify stars that are potentially in Maunder Minimum like state using a combination of log (R'HK) and position below the main-sequence. We do not yet have the multi-year time series needed to verify stars in Maunder Minimum like states. These results can help inform future theoretical studies that explore the relationship between stellar activity, stellar rotation, and magnetic dynamos., Comment: 30 pages, 21 Figures, 2 Tables

Discovering and characterizing exoplanets at the outer edge of the transit method's sensitivity has proven challenging owing to geometric biases and the practical difficulties associated with acquiring long observational baselines. Nonetheless, a sample of giant exoplanets on orbits longer than 100 days has been identified by transit hunting missions. We present long-term Doppler spectroscopy for 11 such systems with observation baselines spanning a few years to a decade. We model these radial velocity observations jointly with transit photometry to provide initial characterizations of these objects and the systems in which they exist. Specifically, we make new precise mass measurements for four long-period giant exoplanets (Kepler-111 c, Kepler-553 c, Kepler-849 b, and PH-2 b), we place new upper limits on mass for four others (Kepler-421 b, KOI-1431.01, Kepler-1513 b, and Kepler-952 b), and we show that several "confirmed" planets are in fact not planetary at all. We present these findings to complement similar efforts focused on closer-in short-period giant planets, and with the hope of inspiring future dedicated studies of cool giant exoplanets., Comment: 35 pages, 24 figures, 11 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ Supplement