Engineering topics

Weaver, Benjamin A. [Natl. Solar Observ., Tucson]

Publications and source records attributed to Weaver, Benjamin A. [Natl. Solar Observ., Tucson].

5 records

DOE OSTI2026

Reconstructing Quasar Spectra and Measuring the Lyα Forest with SpenderQ

Quasar spectra carry the imprint of foreground intergalactic medium (IGM) through absorption features. In particular, absorption caused by neutral hydrogen gas, the "Lyα forest," is a key spectroscopic tracer for cosmological analyses used to measure cosmic expansion and test physics beyond the standard model. Despite their importance, current methods for measuring Lyα absorption cannot directly derive the intrinsic quasar continuum and make strong assumptions on its shape, thus distorting the measured Lyα clustering. We present SpenderQ , a ML-based approach for directly reconstructing the intrinsic quasar spectra and measuring the Lyα forest from observations. SpenderQ uses the Spender spectrum autoencoder to learn a compact and redshift-invariant latent encoding of quasar spectra, combined with an iterative procedure to identify and mask absorption regions. To demonstrate its performance, we apply SpenderQ to 400,000 synthetic quasar spectra created to validate the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Year 1 Lyα cosmological analyses. SpenderQ accurately reconstructs the true intrinsic quasar spectra, including the broad Lyβ, Lyα, SiIV, CIV, and CIII emission lines. Redward of Lyα, SpenderQ provides percent-level reconstructions of the true quasar spectra. Blueward of Lyα, SpenderQ reconstructs the true spectra to < 5%. SpenderQ reproduces the shapes of individual quasar spectra more robustly than the current state-of-the-art. We, thus, expect it will significantly reduce biases in Lyα clustering measurements and enable studies of quasars and their physical properties. SpenderQ also provides informative latent variable encodings that can be used to, e.g., classify quasars with Broad Absorption Lines. Overall, SpenderQ provides a new data-driven approach for unbiased Lyα forest measurements in cosmological, quasar, and IGM studies.

Hahn, ChangHoon [Arizona U., Astron. Dept. - Stewa↗

DOE OSTI2026

Early results in the search for extreme coronal line emitters with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

Here, we present the results of our search through the early data release (EDR) of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) for extreme coronal line emitters (ECLEs) – a rare classification of galaxies displaying strong, high-ionization iron coronal emission lines within their spectra. With the requirement of a strong X-ray continuum to generate the coronal emission, ECLEs have been linked to both active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and tidal disruption events (TDEs). We focus our search on identifying TDE-linked ECLEs. We identify three such objects within the EDR sample, highlighting DESI’s effectiveness for discovering new nuclear transients, and determine a galaxy-normalized TDE-linked ECLE rate of RG=5 −3+5×10−6 galaxy−1 yr−1 at a median redshift of z=0.2 – broadly consistent with previous work. Additionally, we identify more than 200 AGNs displaying coronal emission lines, which serve as the primary astrophysical contaminants in searches for TDE-related events. We also include an outline of the custom python code developed for this search.

Clark, Peter [Southampton U.; Portsmouth U., ICG] ↗

DOE OSTI2026

Constraining the Galactic bar using the M92 stellar stream

Stellar streams are excellent probes of the gravitational potential in which they evolve. In the Milky Way (MW), globular cluster (GC) streams are routinely used to infer properties about time-dependent perturbations of the underlying potential. This implies that streams with Galactocentric radii small enough to be perturbed by the MW bar should offer constraints on it, such as its pattern speed, which currently has a wide range of values reported in the literature and is important when studying stellar kinematics. The GC M92 has a small pericentre and should be affected by the bar. It has a diffuse stellar stream, but confirming stream members has previously been hindered by a lack of spectroscopic data. In this paper, we use Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) observations together with photometric and astrometric data to obtain spectroscopic members of the M92 stream for the first time. We identify a clear spatial distribution and gradients in distance moduli, proper motions, and radial velocities that confirm the stream's existence. We compare the observed stream to mock streams generated in different barred potentials and estimate the MW bar's pattern speed $Î©= 29.1^{+0.7}_{-0.4}$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-1}$ and $\dot Î©= 0.7^{+3.5}_{-2.3}$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-1}$ Gyr$^{-1}$. This is the first time a stellar stream is used to probabilistically infer these bar properties, and it opens up an exciting realm of inner Galactic potential characterisation using stellar streams.

Byström, Amanda [Edinburgh U., Inst. Astron.] (ORC↗

DOE OSTI2025

Selection of high-redshift Lyman-Break Galaxies from broadband and wide photometric surveys

In this paper, we investigate the possibility of selecting high-redshift Lyman-Break Galaxies (LBG) using current and future broadband wide photometric surveys, such as the Ultraviolet Near Infrared Optical Northern Survey (UNIONS) or the Vera C. Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), using a Random Forest algorithm. This work is conducted in the context of future large-scale structure spectroscopic surveys like DESI-II, the next phase of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which will start around 2029.We use deep imaging data from the Hyper Suprime Camera (HSC) and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Large Area U-band Deep Survey (CLAUDS) on the COSMOS and XMM-LSS fields. To predict the selection performance of LBGs with image quality similar to UNIONS, we degrade the u,g,r,i and z bands to UNIONS depth.The Random Forest algorithm is trained with the u,g,r,i and z bands to classify LBGs in the 2.5 < z < 3.5 range.We find that fixing a target density budget of 1,100 deg$^{-2}$, the Random Forest approach gives a density of z > 2 targets of 873 deg$^{-2}$, and a density of 493 deg$^{-2}$ of confirmed LBGs after spectroscopic confirmation with DESI. This UNIONS-like selection was tested in a dedicated spectroscopic observation campaign of 1,000 targets with DESI on the COSMOS field, providing a safe spectroscopic sample with a mean redshift of 3. This sample is used to derive forecasts for DESI-II, assuming a sky coverage of 5,000 deg$^{2}$. We predict uncertainties on Alcock-Paczynski parameters α$_{⊥}$ and α$_{∥}$ to be 0.7% and 1% for 2.6 < z < 3.2, resulting in a potential 2% measurement of the dark energy fraction at high redshift. Additionally, we estimate the uncertainty in local non-Gaussianity and predict σ$_{fNL}$ ≈ 7, which would be comparable to the current best precision achieved by Planck. The latter forecast suggests that achieving the precision required to place stringent constraints on inflationary models (σ$_{fNL}$ ≈ 1) using spectroscopic galaxy surveys necessitates the development of a next-generation (Stage V) spectroscopic survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

The Cocytos Stream: A Disrupted Globular Cluster from our Last Major Merger?

The census of stellar streams and dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way provides direct constraints on galaxy formation models and the nature of dark matter. The DESI Milky Way survey (with a footprint of 14,000$~deg{^2}$ and a depth of $r<19$ mag) delivers the largest sample of distant metal-poor stars compared to previous optical fiber-fed spectroscopic surveys. This makes DESI an ideal survey to search for previously undetected streams and dwarf galaxies. We present a detailed characterization of the Cocytos stream, which was re-discovered using a clustering analysis with a catalog of giants in the DESI year 3 data, supplemented with Magellan/MagE spectroscopy. Our analysis reveals a relatively metal-rich ([Fe/H]$=-1.3$) and thick stream (width$=1.5^\circ$) at a heliocentric distance of $\approx 25$ kpc, with an internal velocity dispersion of 6.5-9 km s$^{-1}$. The stream's metallicity, radial orbit, and proximity to the Virgo stellar overdensities suggest that it is most likely a disrupted globular cluster that came in with the Gaia-Enceladus merger. We also confirm its association with the Pyxis globular cluster. Our result showcases the ability of wide-field spectroscopic surveys to kinematically discover faint disrupted dwarfs and clusters, enabling constraints on the dark matter distribution in the Milky Way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗