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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 469 records · Page 26

Caught in the act: Gas and stellar velocity dispersions in a fast quenching compact star-forming galaxy at z ∼ 1.7

We present Keck I MOSFIRE spectroscopy in the Y and H bands of GDN-8231, a massive, compact, star-forming galaxy at a redshift of z ∼ 1.7. Its spectrum reveals both Hα and [N ii] emission lines and strong Balmer absorption lines. The Hα and Spitzer MIPS 24 μm fluxes are both weak, thus indicating a low star-formation rate of SFR ≲ 5--10 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. This, added to a relatively young age of ∼700 Myr measured from the absorption lines, provides the first direct evidence for a distant galaxy being caught in the act of rapidly shutting down its star formation. Such quenching allows GDN-8231 to become a compact, quiescent galaxy, similar to three other galaxies in our sample, by z ∼ 1.5. Moreover, the color profile of GDN-8231 shows a bluer center, consistent with the predictions of recent simulations for an early phase of inside-out quenching. Its line-of-sight velocity dispersion for the gas, σ{sub L{sub O{sub S}{sup gas}}} = 127 ± 32 km s{sup −1}, is nearly 40% smaller than that of its stars, σ{sub L{sub O{sub S}{sup ⋆}}} = 215 ± 35 km s{sup −1}. High-resolution hydro-simulations of galaxies explain such apparently colder gas kinematics of up to a factor of ∼1.5 with rotating disks being viewed at different inclinations and/or centrally concentrated star-forming regions. A clear prediction is that their compact, quiescent descendants preserve some remnant rotation from their star-forming progenitors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Giant Planets Can Act as Stabilizing Agents on Debris Disks

We have explored the evolution of a cold debris disk under the gravitational influence of dwarf-planet-sized objects (DPs), both in the presence and absence of an interior giant planet. Through detailed long-term numerical simulations, we demonstrate that when the giant planet is not present, DPs can stir the eccentricities and inclinations of disk particles, in linear proportion to the total mass of the DPs; on the other hand, when the giant planet is included in the simulations, the stirring is approximately proportional to the mass squared. This creates two regimes: below a disk mass threshold (defined by the total mass of DPs), the giant planet acts as a stabilizing agent of the orbits of cometary nuclei, diminishing the effect of the scatterers; above the threshold, the giant contributes to the dispersion of the particles.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Multiwavelength Characterization of an ACT-selected, Lensed Dusty Star-forming Galaxy at z = 2.64

We present C i(2–1) and multi-transition {sup 12}CO observations of a dusty star-forming galaxy, ACT J2029+0120, which we spectroscopically confirm to lie at z = 2.64. We detect CO(3–2), CO(5–4), CO(7–6), CO(8–7), and C i(2–1) at high significance, tentatively detect HCO{sup +}(4–3), and place strong upper limits on the integrated strength of dense gas tracers (HCN(4–3) and CS(7–6)). Multi-transition CO observations and dense gas tracers can provide valuable constraints on the molecular gas content and excitation conditions in high-redshift galaxies. We therefore use this unique data set to construct a CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) of the source, which is most consistent with that of a ULIRG/Seyfert or QSO host object in the taxonomy of the Herschel Comprehensive ULIRG Emission Survey. We employ RADEX models to fit the peak of the CO SLED, inferring a temperature of T ∼ 117 K and n{sub H{sub 2}}∼10{sup 5} cm{sup −3}, most consistent with a ULIRG/QSO object and the presence of high-density tracers. We also find that the velocity width of the C i line is potentially larger than seen in all CO transitions for this object, and that the L{sub C i(2−1)}{sup ′}/L{sub CO(3−2)}{sup ′} ratio is also larger than seen in other lensed and unlensed submillimeter galaxies and QSO hosts; if confirmed, this anomaly could be an effect of differential lensing of a shocked molecular outflow.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Quasars Acting as Strong Lenses Found in DESI DR1

Quasars acting as strong gravitational lenses offer a rare opportunity to probe the redshift evolution of scaling relations between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies, particularly the M$_{BH}$–M$_{host}$ relation. Using these powerful probes, the mass of the host galaxy can be precisely inferred from the Einstein radius θ$_{E}$. Using 812,118 quasars from DESI DR1 (0.03 ≤ z ≤ 1.8), we searched for quasars lensing higher-redshift galaxies by identifying background emission-line features in their spectra. To detect these rare systems, we trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) on mock lenses constructed from real DESI spectra of quasars and emission-line galaxies (ELGs), achieving a high classification performance (AUC = 0.99). We also trained a regression network to estimate the redshift of the background ELG. Applying this pipeline, we identified seven high-quality (Grade A) lens candidates, each exhibiting a strong [O II] doublet at a higher redshift than the foreground quasar; four candidates additionally show Hβ, [O III] λ4959, and [O III] λ5007 emission. These results significantly expand the sample of quasar lens candidates beyond the 12 identified and 3 confirmed in previous work and demonstrate the potential for scalable, data-driven discovery of quasars as strong lenses in upcoming spectroscopic surveys.

McArthur, Everett [Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; KIPAC↗

Importin-9 wraps around the H2A-H2B core to act as nuclear importer and histone chaperone

We report the crystal structure of nuclear import receptor Importin-9 bound to its cargo, the histones H2A-H2B. Importin-9 wraps around the core, globular region of H2A-H2B to form an extensive interface. The nature of this interface coupled with quantitative analysis of deletion mutants of H2A-H2B suggests that the NLS-like sequences in the H2A-H2B tails play a minor role in import. Importin-9•H2A-H2B is reminiscent of interactions between histones and histone chaperones in that it precludes H2A-H2B interactions with DNA and H3-H4 as seen in the nucleosome. Like many histone chaperones, which prevent inappropriate non-nucleosomal interactions, Importin-9 also sequesters H2A-H2B from DNA. Importin-9 appears to act as a storage chaperone for H2A-H2B while escorting it to the nucleus. Surprisingly, RanGTP does not dissociate Importin-9•H2A-H2B but assembles into a RanGTP•Importin-9•H2A-H2B complex. The presence of Ran in the complex, however, modulates Imp9-H2A-H2B interactions to facilitate its dissociation by DNA and assembly into a nucleosome.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Two-part valve acts as quick coupling

A two-part valve simplifies the problem of filling large tanks from smaller ones. One part acts as a check valve and remains integral to the recipient system, while the other part is integral to the donor system.

Source record↗