Search Publications

JWST Observations of the Enigmatic Y-Dwarf WISE 1828+2650. I. Limits to a Binary Companion
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acbf1e Bibcode: 2023ApJ...948...92D

Johnstone, Doug; Leisenring, Jarron; Rieke, George +20 more

The Y-dwarf WISE 1828+2650 is one of the coldest known brown dwarfs with an effective temperature of ~300 K. Located at a distance of just 10 pc, previous model-based estimates suggest WISE1828+2650 has a mass of ~5-10 M J, making it a valuable laboratory for understanding the formation, evolution, and physical characteristics of gas gi…

2023 The Astrophysical Journal
JWST 11
Stellar Populations in the Central 0.5 pc of Our Galaxy. III. The Dynamical Substructures
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acb939 Bibcode: 2023ApJ...949...18J

Lu, Jessica R.; Ghez, A. M.; Morris, M. R. +12 more

We measure the 3D kinematic structures of the young stars within the central 0.5 pc of our Galactic Center using the 10 m telescopes of the W. M. Keck Observatory over a time span of 25 yr. Using high-precision measurements of positions on the sky and proper motions and radial velocities from new observations and the literature, we constrain the o…

2023 The Astrophysical Journal
eHST 11
Classifying Globular Clusters and Applying them to Estimate the mass of the Milky Way
DOI: 10.1088/1674-4527/ac9e91 Bibcode: 2023RAA....23a5013S

Gao, Qi; Liu, Chao; Chen, Xuelei +3 more

We combine the kinematics of 159 globular clusters (GCs) provided by the Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) with other observational data to classify the GCs, and to estimate the mass of the Milky Way (MW). We use the age-metallicity relation, integrals of motion, action space and the GC orbits to identify the GCs as either formed in situ (Bulge and…

2023 Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Gaia 11
Spirals and Clumps in V960 Mon: Signs of Planet Formation via Gravitational Instability around an FU Ori Star?
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ace186 Bibcode: 2023ApJ...952L..17W

Takami, Michihiro; Kóspál, Ágnes; Garufi, Antonio +11 more

The formation of giant planets has traditionally been divided into two pathways: core accretion and gravitational instability. However, in recent years, gravitational instability has become less favored, primarily due to the scarcity of observations of fragmented protoplanetary disks around young stars and the low occurrence rate of massive planet…

2023 The Astrophysical Journal
Gaia 11
Evolution of Magnetic Field Fluctuations and Their Spectral Properties within the Heliosphere: Statistical Approach
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/acc531 Bibcode: 2023ApJ...946L..44S

Verscharen, Daniel; Bale, Stuart D.; Horbury, Timothy S. +4 more

We present the first comprehensive statistical study of the evolution of compressive and noncompressive magnetic field fluctuations in the inner heliosphere. Based on Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Solar Orbiter data at various distances from the Sun, we show the general trends and compare them with Wind observations near 1 au. The paper analyzes so…

2023 The Astrophysical Journal
SolarOrbiter 11
A Study of Twelve Potential Merger Candidate Contact Binary Systems
DOI: 10.1088/1538-3873/ace3f5 Bibcode: 2023PASP..135g4202W

Filipović, Miroslav D.; Wadhwa, Surjit S.; Tothill, Nick F. H. +4 more

Photometric observations and analysis of twelve previously poorly studied contact binary systems is presented. All show total eclipses and have extremely low mass ratios ranging from 0.072 to 0.15. Also, all show characteristics of orbital instability with mass ratios within the theoretical orbital instability range. Although none demonstrate a si…

2023 Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Gaia 11
Spectroscopic follow-up of black hole and neutron star candidates in ellipsoidal variables from Gaia DR3
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad2130 Bibcode: 2023MNRAS.524.4367N

El-Badry, Kareem; Nagarajan, Pranav; Rodriguez, Antonio C. +2 more

We present multi-epoch spectroscopic follow-up of a sample of ellipsoidal variables selected from Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) as candidates for hosting quiescent black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs). Our targets were identified as BH/NS candidates because their optical light curves - when interpreted with models that attribute variability to ti…

2023 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gaia 11
A Blueprint for the Milky Way's Stellar Populations. IV. A String of Pearls-the Galactic Starburst Sequence
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acd5cb Bibcode: 2023ApJ...952...66A

Beers, Timothy C.; Lee, Young Sun; Masseron, Thomas +1 more

We continue our series of papers on phase-space distributions of stars in the Milky Way based on photometrically derived metallicities and Gaia astrometry, with a focus on the halo-disk interface in the local volume. To exploit various photometric databases, we develop a method of empirically calibrating synthetic stellar spectra based on a compar…

2023 The Astrophysical Journal
Gaia 11
The rapidly spinning intermediate-mass black hole 3XMM J150052.0+015452
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac3539 Bibcode: 2023MNRAS.519.2375C

Jonker, P. G.; Zabludoff, A. I.; Stone, N. C. +2 more

A star tidally disrupted by a black hole can form an accretion disc with a super-Eddington mass accretion rate; the X-ray emission produced by the inner disc provides constraints on the black hole mass M and dimensionless spin parameter a. Previous studies have suggested that the M responsible for the tidal disr…

2023 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
XMM-Newton 11
Stellar-mass black holes in the Hyades star cluster?
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad1925 Bibcode: 2023MNRAS.524.1965T

Wang, L.; Anders, F.; Gieles, M. +3 more

Astrophysical models of binary-black hole mergers in the universe require a significant fraction of stellar-mass black holes (BHs) to receive negligible natal kicks to explain the gravitational wave detections. This implies that BHs should be retained even in open clusters with low escape velocities (≲1 km s-1). We search for signatures…

2023 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gaia 11