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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Joint Survey Processing. II. Stellar Proper Motions in the COSMOS Field from Hubble Space Telescope ACS and Subaru Telescope HSC Observations

We analyze stellar proper motions in the COSMOS field to assess the presence of bulk motions. At bright magnitudes (G-band 18.5–20.76 AB), we use the proper motions of 1010 stars in the Gaia DR2 catalog. At the faint end, we compute proper motions of 11,519 pointlike objects at i-band magnitudes 19–25 AB using Hubble ACS and Subaru HSC data, which span two epochs about 11 yr apart. In order to measure these proper motions with unprecedented accuracy at faint magnitudes, we developed a foundational set of astrometric tools that will be required for joint survey processing of data from the next generation of optical/infrared surveys. The astrometric grids of Hubble ACS and Subaru HSC mosaics were corrected at the catalog level using proper motion–propagated and parallax-corrected Gaia DR2 sources. These astrometric corrections were verified using compact extragalactic sources. Upon comparison of our measured proper motions with Gaia DR2, we estimate the uncertainties in our measurements to be ~2–3 mas yr –1 axis –1 , down to 25.5 AB mag. We correct proper motions for the mean motion of the Sun, and we find that late-type main-sequence stars predominantly in the thin disk in the COSMOS field have space velocities mainly toward the Galactic center. We detect candidate high-velocity (≥220 km s –1 ) stars, six of them at ~0.4–6 kpc, from the Gaia sample, and five of them at ~20 kpc, from the faint star HSC and ACS sample. The sources from the faint star sample may be candidate halo members of the Sangarius stream.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improving White Dwarfs as Chronometers with Gaia Parallaxes and Spectroscopic Metallicities

White dwarfs (WDs) offer unrealized potential in solving two problems in astrophysics: stellar age accuracy and precision. WD cooling ages can be inferred from surface temperatures and radii, which can be constrained with precision by high-quality photometry and parallaxes. Accurate and precise Gaia parallaxes along with photometric surveys provide information to derive cooling and total ages for vast numbers of WDs. Here we analyze 1372 WDs found in wide binaries with main-sequence (MS) companions and report on the cooling and total age precision attainable in these WD+MS systems. The total age of a WD can be further constrained if its original metallicity is known because the MS lifetime depends on metallicity at fixed mass, yet metallicity is unavailable via spectroscopy of the WD. We show that incorporating spectroscopic metallicity constraints from 38 wide binary MS companions substantially decreases internal uncertainties in WD total ages compared to a uniform constraint. Averaged over the 38 stars in our sample, the total (internal) age uncertainty improves from 21.04% to 16.77% when incorporating the spectroscopic constraint. Higher mass WDs yield better total age precision; for eight WDs with zero-age MS masses ≥2.0 M ⊙ , the mean uncertainty in total ages improves from 8.61% to 4.54% when incorporating spectroscopic metallicities. We find that it is often possible to achieve 5% total age precision for WDs with progenitor masses above 2.0 M ⊙ if parallaxes with ≤1% precision and Pan-STARRS g, r, and i photometry with ≤0.01 mag precision are available.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hundreds of Low-mass Active Galaxies in the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) Survey

We present an entirely new sample of 388 low-mass galaxies (M $\star$ ≤ 10 10 M ⊙ ) that have spectroscopic signatures indicating the presence of massive black holes (BHs) in the form of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or tidal disruption events. Of these, 70 have stellar masses in the dwarf galaxy regime with 10 8 ≲ M $\star$ /M ⊙ ≲ 10 9.5 . We identify the active galaxies by analyzing optical spectra of a parent sample of ~23,000 low-mass emission-line galaxies in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) Survey Data Release 4, and employing four different diagnostics based on narrow emission-line ratios and the detection of high-ionization coronal lines. We find that 47 of the 388 low-mass active galaxies exhibit broad Hα in their spectra, corresponding to virial BH masses in the range M BH ~ 10 5.0–7.7 M ⊙ with a median BH mass of $\langle$M BH $\rangle$ ~ 10 6.2 M ⊙ . Our sample extends to higher redshifts (z ≤ 0.3; $\langle$z$\rangle$ = 0.13) than previous samples of AGNs in low-mass/dwarf galaxies based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy, which can be attributed to the spectroscopic limit of GAMA being ~2 mag deeper. Moreover, our multi-diagnostic approach has revealed low-mass active galaxies spanning a wide range of properties, from blue star-forming dwarfs to luminous "miniquasars" powered by low-mass BHs. As such, this work has implications for BH seeding and AGN feedback at low masses.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measuring Cosmological Parameters with Type Ia Supernovae in redMaGiC Galaxies

Abstract Current and future cosmological analyses with Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) face three critical challenges: (i) measuring the redshifts from the SNe or their host galaxies; (ii) classifying the SNe without spectra; and (iii) accounting for correlations between the properties of SNe Ia and their host galaxies. We present here a novel approach that addresses each of these challenges. In the context of the Dark Energy Survey (DES), we analyze an SN Ia sample with host galaxies in the redMaGiC galaxy catalog, a selection of luminous red galaxies. redMaGiC photo- z estimates are expected to be accurate to σ Δ z /(1+ z ) ∼ 0.02. The DES-5YR photometrically classified SN Ia sample contains approximately 1600 SNe, and 125 of these SNe are in redMaGiC galaxies. We demonstrate that redMaGiC galaxies almost exclusively host SNe Ia, reducing concerns relating to classification uncertainties. With this subsample, we find similar Hubble scatter (to within ∼0.01 mag) using photometric redshifts in place of spectroscopic redshifts. With detailed simulations, we show that the bias due to using redMaGiC photo- z s on the measurement of the dark energy equation of state w is up to Δ w ∼ 0.01–0.02. With real data, we measure a difference in w when using the redMaGiC photo- z s versus the spec- z s of Δ w = 0.005. Finally, we discuss how SNe in redMaGiC galaxies appear to comprise a more standardizable population, due to a weaker relation between color and luminosity ( β ) compared to the DES-3YR population by ∼5 σ . These results establish the feasibility of performing redMaGiC SN cosmology with photometric survey data in the absence of spectroscopic data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Role of Strong Magnetic Fields in Stabilizing Highly Luminous Thin Disks

Abstract We present and analyze a set of three-dimensional, global, general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations of thin, radiation-pressure-dominated accretion disks surrounding a nonrotating, stellar-mass black hole. The simulations are initialized using the Shakura–Sunyaev model with a mass accretion rate of M ̇ = 3 L Edd / c 2 (corresponding to L = 0.17 L Edd ). Our previous work demonstrated that such disks are thermally unstable when accretion is driven by an α -viscosity. In the present work, we test the hypothesis that strong magnetic fields can both drive accretion through magnetorotational instability and restore stability to such disks. We test four initial magnetic field configurations: (1) a zero-net-flux case with a single, radially extended set of magnetic field loops (dipole), (2) a zero-net-flux case with two radially extended sets of magnetic field loops of opposite polarity stacked vertically (quadrupole), (3) a zero-net-flux case with multiple radially concentric rings of alternating polarity (multiloop), and (4) a net-flux, vertical magnetic field configuration (vertical). In all cases, the fields are initially weak, with a gas-to-magnetic pressure ratio ≳100. Based on the results of these simulations, we find that the dipole and multiloop configurations remain thermally unstable like their α -viscosity counterpart, in our case collapsing vertically on the local thermal timescale and never fully recovering. The vertical case, on the other hand, stabilizes and remains so for the duration of our tests (many thermal timescales). The quadrupole case is intermediate, showing signs of both stability and instability. The key stabilizing factor is the ability of specific field configurations to build up and sustain strong, P mag ≳ 0.5 P tot , toroidal fields near the midplane of the disk. We discuss the reasons why certain configurations are able to do this effectively and others are not. We then compare our stable simulations to the standard Shakura–Sunyaev disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Perfecting Our Set of Spectrophotometric Standard DA White Dwarfs

We verified for photometric stability a set of DA white dwarfs with Hubble Space Telescope magnitudes from the near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared and ground-based spectroscopy by using time-spaced observations from the Las Cumbres Observatory network of telescopes. The initial list of 38 stars was whittled to 32 final ones, which comprise a high-quality set of spectrophotometric standards. These stars are homogeneously distributed around the sky and are all fainter than r ~ 16.5 mag. Their distribution is such that at least two of them would be available to be observed from any observatory on the ground at any time at airmass less than 2. Light curves and different variability indices from the Las Cumbres Observatory data were used to determine the stability of the candidate standards. When available, Pan-STARRS1, Zwicky Transient Facility, and TESS data were also used to confirm the star classification. Our analysis showed that four DA white dwarfs may exhibit evidence of photometric variability, while a fifth is cooler than our established lower temperature limit, and a sixth star might be a binary. In some instances, due to the presence of faint nearby red sources, care should be used when observing a few of the spectrophotometric standards with ground-based telescopes. Light curves and finding charts for all the stars are provided.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Poor Old Heart of the Milky Way

Our Milky Way should host an ancient, metal-poor, and centrally concentrated stellar population, which reflects the star formation and enrichment in the few most massive progenitors that coalesced at high redshift to form the proto-Galaxy. While metal-poor stars are known to reside in the inner few kiloparsecs of our Galaxy, current data do not yet provide a comprehensive picture of such a metal-poor "heart" of the Milky Way. We use information from Gaia Data Release 3, especially the XP spectra, to construct a sample of 2 million bright (G BP < 15.5 mag) giant stars within 30° of the Galactic center (GC) with robust [M/H] estimates, δ[M/H] ≲ 0.1. For ~1.25 million stars we calculate orbits from Gaia Radial Velocity Spectrometer velocities and astrometry. This sample reveals an extensive, ancient, and metal-poor population that includes ~18,000 stars with -2.7 < [M/H] < -1.5, representing a stellar mass of ≳5 × 10 7 M ⊙ . The spatial distribution of these [M/H] < -1.5 stars has a Gaussian extent of only σ R$_{GC}$ around the GC, with most orbits confined to the inner Galaxy. At high orbital eccentricities, there is clear evidence for accreted halo stars in their pericentral orbit phase. Most stars show [α/Fe] enhancement and [Al/Fe]–[Mn/Fe] abundances expected for an origin in the more massive portions of the proto-Galaxy. Stars with [M/H] < -2 show no net rotation, whereas those with [M/H] ~ -1 are rotation dominated. These central, metal-poor stars most likely predate the oldest disk population (τ age ≈ 12.5 Gyr), which implies that they formed at z ≳ 5, forging the proto-Milky Way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Pegasus IV: Discovery and Spectroscopic Confirmation of an Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy in the Constellation Pegasus

We report the discovery of Pegasus IV, an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy found in archival data from the Dark Energy Camera processed by the DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey. Pegasus IV is a compact, ultra-faint stellar system ( pc; M $_{V}$ = −4.25 ± 0.2 mag) located at a heliocentric distance of . Based on spectra of seven nonvariable member stars observed with Magellan/IMACS, we confidently resolve Pegasus IV’s velocity dispersion, measuring km s$^{−1}$ (after excluding three velocity outliers); this implies a mass-to-light ratio of for the system. From the five stars with the highest signal-to-noise spectra, we also measure a systemic metallicity of [Fe/H] = dex, making Pegasus IV one of the most metal-poor ultra-faint dwarfs. We tentatively resolve a nonzero metallicity dispersion for the system. These measurements provide strong evidence that Pegasus IV is a dark-matter-dominated dwarf galaxy, rather than a star cluster. We measure Pegasus IV’s proper motion using data from Gaia Early Data Release 3, finding (μ $_{α*}$, μ $_{δ}$) = (0.33 ± 0.07, −0.21 ± 0.08) mas yr$^{−1}$. When combined with our measured systemic velocity, this proper motion suggests that Pegasus IV is on an elliptical, retrograde orbit, and is currently near its orbital apocenter. Lastly, we identify three potential RR Lyrae variable stars within Pegasus IV, including one candidate member located more than 10 half-light radii away from the system’s centroid. The discovery of yet another ultra-faint dwarf galaxy strongly suggests that the census of Milky Way satellites is still incomplete, even within 100 kpc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

HETDEX Public Source Catalog 1: 220 K Sources Including Over 50 K Ly$α$ Emitters from an Untargeted Wide-area Spectroscopic Survey*

We present the first publicly released catalog of sources obtained from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). HETDEX is an integral field spectroscopic survey designed to measure the Hubble expansion parameter and angular diameter distance at 1.88 < z < 3.52 by using the spatial distribution of more than a million Lyα-emitting galaxies over a total target area of 540 deg 2 . The catalog comes from contiguous fiber spectra coverage of 25 deg 2 of sky from 2017 January through 2020 June, where object detection is performed through two complementary detection methods: one designed to search for line emission and the other a search for continuum emission. The HETDEX public release catalog is dominated by emission-line galaxies and includes 51,863 Ly$α$-emitting galaxy (LAE) identifications and 123,891 [O ii]-emitting galaxies at z < 0.5. Also included in the catalog are 37,916 stars, 5274 low-redshift (z < 0.5) galaxies without emission lines, and 4976 active galactic nuclei. The catalog provides sky coordinates, redshifts, line identifications, classification information, line fluxes, [O ii] and Ly$α$ line luminosities where applicable, and spectra for all identified sources processed by the HETDEX detection pipeline. Extensive testing demonstrates that HETDEX redshifts agree to within Δz < 0.02, 96.1% of the time to those in external spectroscopic catalogs. We measure the photometric counterpart fraction in deep ancillary Hyper Suprime-Cam imaging and find that only 55.5% of the LAE sample has an r-band continuum counterpart down to a limiting magnitude of r ~ 26.2 mag (AB) indicating that an LAE search of similar sensitivity to HETDEX with photometric preselection would miss nearly half of the HETDEX LAE catalog sample. Data access and details about the catalog can be found online at http://hetdex.org/. A copy of the catalogs presented in this work (Version 3.2) is available to download at Zenodo doi:10.5281/zenodo.7448504.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

RR Lyrae Mid-infrared Period–Luminosity–Metallicity and Period–Wesenheit–Metallicity Relations Based on Gaia DR3 Parallaxes

We present new empirical infrared period–luminosity–metallicity (PLZ) and period–Wesenheit–metallicity (PWZ) relations for RR Lyae based on the latest Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) parallaxes. The relations are provided in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) W1 and W2 bands, as well as in the W(W1, V - W1) and W(W2, V - W2) Wesenheit magnitudes. The relations are calibrated using a very large sample of Galactic halo field RR Lyrae stars with homogeneous spectroscopic [Fe/H] abundances (over 1000 stars in the W1 band), covering a broad range of metallicities (-2.5 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ 0.0). We test the performance of our PLZ and PWZ relations by determining the distance moduli of both galactic and extragalactic stellar associations: the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy in the Local Group (finding ${\bar{\mu }}_{0}=19.47\pm 0.06$ ), the Galactic globular clusters M4 (${\bar{\mu }}_{0}=11.16\pm 0.05$ ), and the Reticulum globular cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud (${\bar{\mu }}_{0}=18.23\pm 0.06$ ). The distance moduli determined through all our relations are internally self-consistent (within ≲0.05 mag) but are systematically smaller (by ~2–3σ) than previous literature measurements taken from a variety of methods/anchors. However, a comparison with similar recent RR Lyrae empirical relations anchored with EDR3 likewise shows, to varying extents, a systematically smaller distance modulus for PLZ/PWZ RR Lyrae relations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evidence for Black Holes in Green Peas from WISE Colors and Variability

We explore the presence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs)/black holes in Green Pea galaxies (GPs), motivated by the presence of high-ionization emission lines such as He ii and [Ne iii] in their optical spectra. In order to identify AGN candidates, we used mid-infrared (MIR) photometric observations from the all-sky Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission for a sample of 1004 GPs. Considering only >5σ detections with no contamination from neighboring sources in AllWISE, we select 31 GPs out of 134 as candidate AGNs based on a stringent three-band WISE color diagnostic. Using multi-epoch photometry in W1 and W2 bands based on time-resolved unWISE coadd images, we find two sources exhibiting variability in both the WISE bands among 112 GPs with W1 ≤16 mag and no contamination from neighboring sources in unWISE. These two variable sources were selected as AGNs by the WISE three-band color diagnostic as well. Compared to variable AGN fractions observed among low-mass galaxy samples in previous studies, we find a higher fraction (~1.8%) of MIR variable sources among GPs, which demonstrates the uniqueness and importance of studying these extreme objects. Through this work, we demonstrate that MIR diagnostics are promising tools to select AGNs that may be missed by other selection techniques (including optical emission-line ratios and X-ray emission) in star formation-dominated, low-mass, low-metallicity galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

COOL–LAMPS. III. Discovery of a 25."9 Separation Quasar Lensed by a Merging Galaxy Cluster*

In the third paper from the COOL–LAMPS Collaboration, we report the discovery of COOL J0542-2125, a gravitationally lensed quasar at z = 1.84, observed as three images due to an intervening massive galaxy cluster at z = 0.61. The lensed quasar images were identified in a search for lens systems in recent public optical imaging data and have separations on the sky up to 25farcs9, wider than any previously known lensed quasar. The galaxy cluster acting as a strong lens appears to be in the process of merging, with two subclusters separated by ~1 Mpc in the plane of the sky, and their central galaxies showing a radial velocity difference of ~1000 km s-1. Both cluster cores show strongly lensed images of an assortment of background sources, as does the region between them. A preliminary strong lens model implies masses of $M_{<250kpc} = 1.79^{+0.16}_{-0.01}$ x $10^{14} M_⊙$ and $M_{<250kpc} = 1.48^{+0.04}_{-0.10}$ x $10^{14} M_⊙$ for the east and west subclusters, respectively. This line of sight is also coincident with an ROSAT ALL-sky Survey source, centered between the two confirmed cluster halos reminiscent of other major cluster-scale mergers. Archival and new follow-up imaging show flux variability in the quasar images of up to 0.4 mag within ~1 yr, and new multicolor imaging data reveal a 2σ detection of the underlying quasar host. A lens system with this configuration offers rare opportunities for a range of future studies of both the lensed quasar and its host and the foreground cluster merger causing the lensing.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Search for Extragalactic Fast Blue Optical Transients in ZTF and the Rate of AT2018cow-like Transients

We present a search for extragalactic fast blue optical transients (FBOTs) during Phase I of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). We identify 38 candidates with durations above half-maximum light 1 day < t 1/2 < 12 days, of which 28 have blue ( g – r ≲ –0.2 mag) colors at peak light. Of the 38 transients (28 FBOTs), 19 (13) can be spectroscopically classified as core-collapse supernovae (SNe): 11 (8) H- or He-rich (Type II/IIb/Ib) SNe, 6 (4) interacting (Type IIn/Ibn) SNe, and 2 (1) H&He-poor (Type Ic/Ic-BL) SNe. Two FBOTs (published previously) had predominantly featureless spectra and luminous radio emission: AT2018lug (The Koala) and AT2020xnd (The Camel). Seven (five) did not have a definitive classification: AT 2020bdh showed tentative broad H α in emission, and AT 2020bot showed unidentified broad features and was 10 kpc offset from the center of an early-type galaxy. Ten (eight) have no spectroscopic observations or redshift measurements. We present multiwavelength (radio, millimeter, and/or X-ray) observations for five FBOTs (three Type Ibn, one Type IIn/Ibn, one Type IIb). Additionally, we search radio-survey (VLA and ASKAP) data to set limits on the presence of radio emission for 24 of the transients. All X-ray and radio observations resulted in nondetections; we rule out AT2018cow-like X-ray and radio behavior for five FBOTs and more luminous emission (such as that seen in the Camel) for four additional FBOTs. We conclude that exotic transients similar to AT2018cow, the Koala, and the Camel represent a rare subset of FBOTs and use ZTF’s SN classification experiments to measure the rate to be at most 0.1% of the local core-collapse SN rate.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

COOL-LAMPS. IV. A Sample of Bright Strongly Lensed Galaxies at 3 < z < 4

We report the discovery of five bright, strong gravitationally lensed galaxies at 3 < z < 4: COOL J0101+2055 (z = 3.459), COOL J0104–0757 (z = 3.480), COOL J0145+1018 (z = 3.310), COOL J0516–2208 (z = 3.549), and COOL J1356+0339 (z = 3.753). These galaxies have magnitudes of r AB , z AB < 21.81 mag and are lensed by galaxy clusters at 0.26 < z < 1. This sample nearly doubles the number of known bright lensed galaxies with extended arcs at 3 < z < 4. We characterize the lensed galaxies using ground-based grz/giy imaging and optical spectroscopy. We report model-based magnitudes and derive stellar masses, dust content, and star formation rates via stellar population synthesis modeling. Building lens models based on ground-based imaging, we estimate source magnifications ranging from ~29 to ~180. Combining these analyses, we derive demagnified stellar masses in the range log 10 (M * /M ⊙ ) ~ 9.69 – 10.75 and star formation rates in the youngest age bin in the range log 10 (SFR/(M ⊙ yr -1 )) ~ 0.39 – 1.46, placing the sample galaxies on the massive end of the star-forming main sequence in this redshift interval. In addition, three of the five galaxies have strong Lyα emissions, offering unique opportunities to study Lyα emitters at high redshift in future work.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Searching for Dwarf H$α$ Emission-line Galaxies within Voids. I. Survey Methods and First Observations

The population density of dwarf galaxies in low-density voids is likely determined by the dark matter halo mass function and how galaxy formation proceeds in smaller halos. This depends on the nature of dark matter itself, making the dwarf galaxy population a tracer of its properties. While dwarfs have been found in smaller, closer voids, they have proven difficult to find in larger, more distant voids through magnitude-limited spectroscopic surveys. This is because these surveys detect an overwhelmingly large number of objects behind the voids that must be verified spectroscopically, making void surveys prohibitively inefficient and expensive in terms of large-telescope time. Narrowband imaging for emission lines such as Hα reduces the number of background objects, although the overall number remains large. If imaging is done through a filter set with overlapping transmission wings, then object redshift can be estimated from photometry alone. The precision possible is an order of magnitude greater than single-band photometry, with the caveat that the captured line must be identified through other means. Broadband photometry can be used to reject enough objects with emission of an unwanted type to make obtaining spectra of the remaining objects feasible. In this study, we present an Hα survey for dwarf galaxies with M r ' fainter than -14 mag through the center 4.3 square degrees of the void FN8. Using Sloan $g^{\prime} ,r^{\prime} ,i^{\prime}$ photometry, we exclude enough [O II ] and [O III ] emitters that follow-up spectra of only a few dozen objects are required to statistically estimate the void population density.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flares, Warps, Truncations, and Satellite: The Ultra-thin Galaxy UGC 11859

The structure of the outskirts of galaxies provides valuable information about their past and evolution. Due to their projected orientation, edge-on isolated galaxies effectively serve as test labs in which to study the three-dimensional structures of galaxies, including warps and flares, and to explore the possible sources of such distortions. We analyzed the structure of the apparently isolated edge-on ultra-thin galaxy UGC 11859 to look for the presence of distortions. The deep optical imaging observations (${\mu }_{\mathrm{lim}}=30.6$ and 30.0 $\mathrm{mag}\ {\mathrm{arcsec}}^{-2}$ in the g- and r-bands, respectively) we acquired with the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias are used to derive the radial and vertical surface brightness profiles and g - r color radial profile. We find that UGC 11859's disk displays a significant gravitational distortion. A warp is clearly detected on one side of the disk, and the galactic plane on both sides of the center shows increasing scale height with an increasing galactocentric radius, indicating the presence of a flare in the stellar distribution. The surface brightness profile of the disk shows a sharp break at 24 kpc galactocentric radius, and a steep decline to larger radii, an "edge-on truncation," which we associate with the presence of the flare. The present study is the first observational support for a connection between truncations and flares. Just beyond the warped side of the disk, a faint galaxy is observed within a small angular distance, identified as a potential interacting companion. Based on ultradeep g and r photometry we estimate that if the potential companion is at the same distance as UGC 11859, the stellar mass of the satellite galaxy is log 10 (M ⊙ ) = ${6.33}_{-0.02}^{+0.02}$ .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Six More Ultra-faint Milky Way Companions Discovered in the DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey

We report the discovery of six ultra-faint Milky Way satellites identified through matched-filter searches conducted using Dark Energy Camera (DECam) data processed as part of the second data release of the DECam Local Volume Exploration (DELVE) survey. Leveraging deep Gemini/GMOS-N imaging (for four candidates) as well as follow-up DECam imaging (for two candidates), we characterize the morphologies and stellar populations of these systems. We find that these candidates all share faint absolute magnitudes (M$_{V}$ ≥ −3.2 mag) and old, metal-poor stellar populations (τ > 10 Gyr, [Fe/H] < −1.4 dex). Three of these systems are more extended (r$_{1/2}$ > 15 pc), while the other three are compact (r$_{1/2}$ < 10 pc). From these properties, we infer that the former three systems (Boötes V, Leo Minor I, and Virgo II) are consistent with ultra-faint dwarf galaxy classifications, whereas the latter three (DELVE 3, DELVE 4, and DELVE 5) are likely ultra-faint star clusters. Using data from the Gaia satellite, we confidently measure the proper motion of Boötes V, Leo Minor I, and DELVE 4, and tentatively detect a proper-motion signal from DELVE 3 and DELVE 5; no signal is detected for Virgo II. We use these measurements to explore possible associations between the newly discovered systems and the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal, the Magellanic Clouds, and the Vast Polar Structure, finding several plausible associations. Our results offer a preview of the numerous ultra-faint stellar systems that will soon be discovered by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and highlight the challenges of classifying the faintest stellar systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Identification of Galaxy–Galaxy Strong Lens Candidates in the DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey Using Machine Learning

We perform a search for galaxy–galaxy strong lens systems using a convolutional neural network (CNN) applied to imaging data from the first public data release of the DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey, which contains ~520 million astronomical sources covering ~4000 deg 2 of the southern sky to a 5σ point–source depth of g = 24.3, r= 23.9, i = 23.3, and z = 22.8 mag. Following the methodology of similar searches using Dark Energy Camera data, we apply color and magnitude cuts to select a catalog of ~11 million extended astronomical sources. After scoring with our CNN, the highest-scoring 50,000 images were visually inspected and assigned a score on a scale from 0 (not a lens) to 3 (very probable lens). We present a list of 581 strong lens candidates, 562 of which are previously unreported. We categorize our candidates using their human-assigned scores, resulting in 55 Grade A candidates, 149 Grade B candidates, and 377 Grade C candidates. We additionally highlight eight potential quadruply lensed quasars from this sample. Due to the location of our search footprint in the northern Galactic cap (b > 10 deg) and southern celestial hemisphere (decl. < 0 deg), our candidate list has little overlap with other existing ground-based searches. Where our search footprint does overlap with other searches, we find a significant number of high-quality candidates that were previously unidentified, indicating a degree of orthogonality in our methodology. We report properties of our candidates including apparent magnitude and Einstein radius estimated from the image separation.

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