Search Publications
A strangely light neutron star within a supernova remnant
Doroshenko, Victor; Santangelo, Andrea; Pühlhofer, Gerd +1 more
To constrain the equation of state of cold dense matter, astrophysical measurements are essential. These are mostly based on observations of neutron stars in the X-ray band, and, more recently, also on gravitational wave observations. Of particular interest are observations of unusually heavy or light neutron stars which extend the range of centra…
Images of embedded Jovian planet formation at a wide separation around AB Aurigae
Currie, Thayne; Schneider, Glenn; Dong, Ruobing +30 more
Direct images of protoplanets embedded in disks around infant stars provide the key to understanding the formation of gas giant planets such as Jupiter. Using the Subaru Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope, we find evidence for a Jovian protoplanet around AB Aurigae orbiting at a wide projected separation (~93 au), probably responsible for mu…
Discovery of a radio-emitting neutron star with an ultra-long spin period of 76 s
Buckley, David; Heywood, Ian; Brink, Jaco +19 more
The radio-emitting neutron star population encompasses objects with spin periods ranging from milliseconds to tens of seconds. As they age and spin more slowly, their radio emission is expected to cease. We present the discovery of an ultra-long-period radio-emitting neutron star, PSR J0901-4046, with spin properties distinct from the known spin- …
A rich population of free-floating planets in the Upper Scorpius young stellar association
Tamura, Motohide; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles; Bertin, Emmanuel +9 more
The nature and origin of free-floating planets (FFPs) are still largely unconstrained because of a lack of large homogeneous samples to enable a statistical analysis of their properties. So far, most FFPs have been discovered using indirect methods; microlensing surveys have proved particularly successful to detect these objects down to a few Eart…
Hunting for massive black holes in dwarf galaxies
Reines, Amy E.
Despite traditional thinking, an appreciable population of massive black holes (that is, more massive than stellar-mass black holes) may be lurking in dwarf galaxies. Before the last decade, nearly all known massive black holes were in the nuclei of giant galaxies and the existence of massive black holes in dwarf galaxies was highly controversial.…
An exomoon survey of 70 cool giant exoplanets and the new candidate Kepler-1708 b-i
Bryson, Steve; Kipping, David; Szulágyi, Judit +6 more
Exomoons represent a crucial missing puzzle piece in our efforts to understand extrasolar planetary systems. To address this deficiency, we here describe an exomoon survey of 70 cool, giant transiting exoplanet candidates found by Kepler. We identify only one exhibiting a moon-like signal that passes a battery of vetting tests: Kepler-1708 b. We s…
Diurnal variations in the stratosphere of the ultrahot giant exoplanet WASP-121b
Mikal-Evans, Thomas; Sing, David K.; Wakeford, Hannah R. +9 more
The temperature profile of a planetary atmosphere is a key diagnostic of radiative and dynamical processes governing the absorption, redistribution and emission of energy. Observations have revealed dayside stratospheres that either cool1,2 or warm3,4 with altitude for a small number of gas giant exoplanets, whereas other day…
Stellar mergers as the origin of the blue main-sequence band in young star clusters
Lennon, D. J.; Sana, Hugues; Castro, Norberto +10 more
Recent high-quality Hubble Space Telescope photometry shows that the main-sequence stars of young star clusters form two discrete components in the colour-magnitude diagram. On the basis of their distribution in the colour-magnitude diagram, we show that stars of the blue main-sequence component can be understood as slow rotators originating from …
Proton acceleration in thermonuclear nova explosions revealed by gamma rays
Maraschi, L.; Covino, S.; Antonelli, L. A. +207 more
Classical novae are cataclysmic binary star systems in which the matter of a companion star is accreted on a white dwarf1,2. Accumulation of hydrogen in a layer eventually causes a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of the white dwarf3, brightening the white dwarf to ~105 solar luminosities and triggering eject…
Signatures of strong magnetization and a metal-poor atmosphere for a Neptune-sized exoplanet
Mikal-Evans, Thomas; Sing, David K.; López-Morales, Mercedes +10 more
The magnetosphere of an exoplanet has yet to be unambiguously detected. Investigations of star-planet interaction and neutral atomic hydrogen absorption during transit to detect magnetic fields in hot Jupiters have been inconclusive, and interpretations of the transit absorption non-unique. In contrast, ionized species escaping a magnetized exopla…