Search Publications
VLTI/GRAVITY Provides Evidence the Young, Substellar Companion HD 136164 Ab Formed Like a "Failed Star"
Lutz, D.; Genzel, R.; Sturm, E. +94 more
Young, low-mass brown dwarfs orbiting early-type stars, with low mass ratios (q ≲ 0.01), appear to be intrinsically rare and present a formation dilemma: could a handful of these objects be the highest-mass outcomes of "planetary" formation channels (bottom up within a protoplanetary disk), or are they more representative of the lowest-mass "faile…
On the orbital decay of the gas giant Kepler-1658b
Veras, Dimitri; Makarov, Valeri V.; Barker, Adrian J. +1 more
The gas giant Kepler-1658b has been inferred to be spiralling into its sub-giant F-type host star Kepler-1658a (KOI-4). The measured rate of change of its orbital period is $\stackrel{\bf \centerdot }{\textstyle {P}}_{\rm orb}\, =\, -\, 131^{+20}_{-22}\,\rm {ms\,yr^{ -1}}$, which can be explained by tidal dissipation in the star if its modified ti…
Running with the bulls: The frequency of star-disc encounters in the Taurus star-forming region
Benisty, Myriam; Joncour, Isabelle; Winter, Andrew J. +5 more
Context. Stars and planets form in regions of enhanced stellar density, subjecting protoplanetary discs to gravitational perturbations from neighbouring stars. Observations in the Taurus star-forming region have uncovered evidence of at least three recent, star-disc encounters that have truncated discs (HV/DO Tau, RW Aurigae, and UX Tau), raising …
Reassessing the proper motions of M31/M33 with Gaia DR3: Unravelling systematic uncertainties
Martin, Nicolas F.; Rusterucci, Samuel; Starkenburg, Else +1 more
We provide an updated inference of the proper motion of M31 using the Gaia DR3 proper motions of bright stars from the disc of M31. By refining the motion of the quasar reference frame, and statistically accounting for the variations in the inferred proper motions obtained across different regions of M31, we demonstrate that these inconsistencies …
A uniform analysis of debris discs with the Gemini Planet Imager II: constraints on dust density distribution using empirically informed scattering phase functions
Duchêne, G.; Wilner, D. J.; Hom, Justin +40 more
Spatially resolved images of debris discs are necessary to determine disc morphological properties and the scattering phase function (SPF) thatantifies the brightness of scattered light as a function of phase angle. Current high-contrast imaging instruments have successfully resolved several dozens of debris discs around other stars, but few studi…
PDRs4All. VII. The 3.3 µm aromatic infrared band as a tracer of physical properties of the interstellar medium in galaxies
Van De Putte, Dries; Lai, Thomas S. -Y.; Habart, Emilie +12 more
Aromatic infrared bands (AIBs) are a set of broad emission bands at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.2, and 12.7 µm, seen in the infrared spectra of most galaxies. With the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the 3.3 µm AIB can in principle be detected up to a redshift of ~7. Relating the evolution of the 3.3 µm AIB to local physical proper…
Non-thermal broadening of coronal lines in a 3D MHD loop model
Peter, H.; Solanki, S. K.; De Moortel, I. +2 more
Observed spectral profiles of emission lines from the corona are found to have widths exceeding the thermal line width. To investigate the physical mechanism, we run a 3D magnetohydrodynamics model of a single, straightened loop in which we partially resolve turbulent motions that form in response to the driving by self-consistently evolving magne…
JWST/NIRCam Detection of the Fomalhaut C Debris Disk in Scattered Light
Gennaro, Mario; Barclay, Thomas; Rest, Armin +20 more
Observations of debris disks offer important insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Though M dwarfs make up approximately 80% of nearby stars, very few M dwarf debris disks have been studied in detail—making it unclear how or if the information gleaned from studying debris disks around more massive stars extends to the mor…
A study of Jupiter's UV Great Dark Spot and tropopause to stratosphere winds in the high northern latitudes as seen by Cassini imaging
West, R. A.; Sinclair, J. A.; Del Genio, A. D. +1 more
Images of Jupiter taken during the year 2000 Cassini flyby revealed the early stages and evolution of a high northern-latitude UV Great Dark Spot over a three-month period. They also provided a window on the circulation of Jupiter's polar stratosphere. Jupiter's rarely-detected UV Great Dark Spot (UVGDS) is unusual in several respects. It is an ep…
Quasars as standard candles. V. Accounting for the dispersion in the LX-LUV relation down to ≤ 0.06 dex
Signorini, Matilde; Risaliti, Guido; Lusso, Elisabeta +4 more
A characteristic feature of quasars is the observed non-linear relationship between their monochromatic luminosities at rest-frame 2500 Å and 2 keV. This relationship is evident across all redshifts and luminosities and, due to its non-linearity, can be implemented to estimate quasar distances and construct a Hubble Diagram for quasars. Historical…