Color Excess Research Articles

Binary Yellow Supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds. I. Photometric Candidate Identification

Recent works have constrained the binary fraction of evolved populations of massive stars in local galaxies such as red supergiants and Wolf–Rayet stars, but the binary fraction of yellow supergiants (YSGs) in the Hertzsprung gap remains unconstrained. Binary evolution theory predicts that the Hertzsprung gap is home to multiple populations of binary systems with varied evolutionary histories. In this paper, we develop a method to distinguish single YSGs from YSG plus O- or B-type main-sequence binaries using optical and ultraviolet photometry, and then apply this method to identify candidate YSG binaries in the Magellanic Clouds. After constructing a set of combined stellar atmosphere models, we find that optical photometry is, given typical measurement and reddening uncertainties, sufficient to discern single YSGs from YSG+OB binaries if the OB-star is at least ∼5M ⊙ for T eff,YSG ∼ 4000 K, but requires a ∼20M ⊙ OB star for YSGs up to T eff,YSG ∼ 9000 K. For these hotter YSG temperatures, ultraviolet photometry allows binaries with OB companions as small as ∼7M ⊙ to be identified. We use color–color spaces developed from these models to search for evidence of excess blue or ultraviolet light in a set of ∼1000 YSG candidates in the Magellanic Clouds. We identify hundreds of candidate YSG binary systems and report a preliminary fraction of YSGs that show a blue/UV color excess of 20%–60%. Spectroscopic follow-up is now required to confirm the true nature of this population.

Identification and Distance Measurement of Dust Clouds at High Latitude by a Clustering Hierarchical Algorithm

We present a catalog of dust clouds at high Galactic latitude based on the Planck 857 GHz dust emission data. Using a clustering hierarchical algorithm, 315 dust clouds at high Galactic latitudes are identified. Additionally, using the optical and ultraviolet extinction of 4 million and 1 million stars, respectively, provided by Sun et al., we derive the distances and physical properties for 190 high Galactic latitude dust clouds and the ultraviolet excess ratios for 165 of them. Through the study of color excess ratios, this work confirms that molecular clouds with large Galactic distances and low extinction likely have a higher proportion of small-sized dust grains. In addition, clouds with well-defined distances in the catalog are used to trace the Local Bubble, showing good consistency with the boundary of the Local Bubble from the literature.

Photometric and Kinematic Studies of Open Clusters Ruprecht 1 and Ruprecht 171

ABSTRACTThis study outlines a detailed investigation using CCD UBV and Gaia DR3 data sets of the two open clusters Ruprecht 1 (Rup‐1) and Ruprecht 171 (Rup‐171). Fundamental astrophysical parameters such as color excesses, photometric metallicities, ages, and isochrone distances were based on UBV‐data analyses, whereas membership probability calculations, structural and astrophysical parameters, as well as the kinematic analyses were based on Gaia DR3‐data. We identified 74 and 596 stars as the most probable cluster members with membership probabilities over 50% for Rup‐1 and Rup‐171, respectively. The color excesses were obtained as and mag for Rup‐1 and Rup‐171, respectively. Photometric metallicity analyses were performed by considering F‐G type main‐sequence member stars and found to be and dex for Rup‐1 and Rup‐171, respectively. Ages and distances were based on both UBV and Gaia‐data analyses; according to isochrone‐fitting these values were estimated to be Myr, pc for Rup‐1 and Myr, pc for Rup‐171. The present‐day mass function slope of Rup‐1 was estimated as and Rup‐171 as . Galactic orbit integration analyses showed that both of the clusters might be formed outside the solar circle.

GOALS-JWST: Constraining the Emergence Timescale for Massive Star Clusters in NGC 3256

We present the results of a James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam and NIRSpec investigation into the young massive star cluster (YMC) population of NGC 3256, the most cluster-rich luminous infrared galaxy in the Great Observatories All Sky LIRG Survey. We detect 3061 compact YMC candidates with a signal-to-noise ratio ≥3 at F150W, F200W, and F335M. Based on yggdrasil stellar population models, we identify 116/3061 sources with F150W – F200W > 0.47 and F200W – F355M > −1.37 colors, suggesting that they are young (t ≤ 5 Myr), dusty (A V = 5−15), and massive (M ⊙ > 105). This increases the sample of dust-enshrouded YMCs detected in this system by an order of magnitude relative to previous Hubble Space Telescope studies. With NIRSpec integral field unit pointings centered on the northern and southern nucleus, we extract the Paα and 3.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) equivalent widths for eight bright and isolated YMCs. Variations in both the F200W – F335M color and 3.3 μm PAH emission with the Paα line strength suggest a rapid dust clearing (<3−4 Myr) for the emerging YMCs in the nuclei of NGC 3256. Finally, with both the age and dust emission accurately measured, we use yggdrasil to derive the color excess (E(B − V)) for all eight YMCs. We demonstrate that YMCs with strong 3.3 μm PAH emission (F200W – F335M > 0) correspond to sources with E(B − V) > 3, which are typically missed in UV-optical studies. This underscores the importance of deep near-infrared imaging for finding and characterizing these very young and dust-embedded sources.

Testing the asteroseismic estimates of stellar radii with surface brightness-colour relations and Gaia DR3 parallaxes. Red giants and red clump stars

We compared stellar radii derived from asteroseismic scaling relations with those estimated using two independent surface brightness-colour relations (SBCRs) combined with Gaia DR3 parallaxes. We cross-matched asteroseismic and astrometric data for over 6,400 red giant branch (RGB) and red clump (RC) stars from the APO-K2 catalogue with the TESS Input Catalogue v8.2 to obtain precise $V$ band magnitudes and $E(B-V)$ colour excesses. We then adopted two different SBCRs from the literature to derive stellar radius estimates, denoted as $R^a$ and $R^b$, respectively. We analysed the ratio of these SBCR-derived radii to the asteroseismic radius estimates, $R,$ provided in the APO-K2 catalogue. Both SBCRs exhibited good agreement with asteroseismic radius estimates. On average, $R^a$ was overestimated by 1.2&lt;!PCT!&gt; with respect to $R$, while $R^b$ was underestimated by 2.5&lt;!PCT!&gt;. For stars larger than 20 $R_ sun $, SBCR radii are systematically lower than asteroseismic ones. The dispersion in the radius ratio was similar for the two methods (around 10&lt;!PCT!&gt;). The agreement with asteroseismic radii shows a strong dependence on the parallax. The dispersion is halved for stars with a parallax greater than 2.5 mas. In this subsample, $R^b$ showed perfect agreement with $R$, while $R^a$ remained slightly overestimated, by 3&lt;!PCT!&gt;. A trend with Fe/H was found at a level of 4&lt;!PCT!&gt; to 6&lt;!PCT!&gt; per dex. Additionally, a clear trend with asteroseismic mass is found. For stars less massive than about 0.95 $M_ sun $, SBCR radii were significantly higher than asteroseismic ones, by about 6&lt;!PCT!&gt;. This overestimation correlated with the presence of extended helium cores in these stars' structures relative to their envelopes. Furthermore, radius ratios showed a dichotomous behaviour at higher masses, mainly due to the presence of several RC stars with SBCR radii significantly lower with respect to asteroseismology. This behaviour originates from a different response of asteroseismic scaling relations and SBCR to alpha /Fe abundance ratios for massive stars, both in RGB and RC phases, which is reported here for the first time.

Quasars as standard candles

A sample of quasars has been recently assembled to investigate the non-linear relation between their monochromatic luminosities at 2500 Å and 2 keV and to exploit quasars as a new class of ‘standardized candles’. The use of this technique for cosmological purposes relies on the non-evolution with redshift of the UV-optical spectral properties of quasars, as well as on the absence of possible contaminants such as dust extinction and host galaxy contribution. We address these possible issues by analysing the spectral properties of our cosmological quasar sample. We produced composite spectra in different bins of redshift and accretion parameters (black hole mass, bolometric luminosity), to investigate any possible evolution of the spectral properties of the continuum of the composites with these parameters. We found a remarkable similarity amongst the various stacked spectra. Apart from the well known evolution of the emission lines with luminosity (i.e. the Baldwin effect) and black hole mass (i.e. the virial relation), the overall shape of the continuum, produced by the accretion disc, does not show any statistically significant trend with black-hole mass (MBH), bolometric luminosity (Lbol), or redshift (z). The composite spectrum of our quasar sample is consistent with negligible levels of both intrinsic reddening (with a colour excess E(B − V)≲0.01) and host galaxy emission (less than 10%) in the optical. We tested whether unaccounted dust extinction could explain the discrepancy between our cosmographic fit of the Hubble–Lemaître diagram and the concordance ΛCDM model. The average colour excess required to solve the tension should increase with redshift up to unphysically high values (E(B − V)≃0.1 at z &gt; 3) that would imply that the intrinsic emission of quasars is much bluer and more luminous than ever reported in observed spectra. The similarity of quasar spectra across the parameter space excludes a significant evolution of the average continuum properties with any of the explored parameters, confirming the reliability of our sample for cosmological applications. Lastly, dust reddening cannot account for the observed tension between the Hubble–Lemaître diagram of quasars and the ΛCDM model.

The VISCACHA Survey – XI. Benchmarking SIESTA: a new synthetic CMD fitting code

ABSTRACT We present a novel code, named SIESTA (Statistical matchIng between rEal and Synthetic sTellar popuLations), designed for performing statistical isochrone fitting to colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of single stellar populations by leveraging comparisons between the observed stellar distribution and predictions from synthetic populations, simulated on top of a grid of isochrones. These synthetic populations encompass determinant factors such as the cluster’s initial mass function (IMF), the presence of non-resolved binaries, as well as the expected photometric errors, and observational completeness (or the observed luminosity function). Employing Markov Chain Monte Carlo within a Bayesian framework, SIESTA allows for the determination of a cluster’s age, metallicity, distance, colour excess, and binary fraction (with masses exceeding a certain ratio). In this study, we rigorously benchmark the SIESTA code utilizing synthetic populations and evaluate its performance against observations from the VISCACHA Survey in the Small Magellanic Cloud, focusing on five star clusters: Lindsay 114, NGC 152, Lindsay 91, Lindsay 113, and NGC 121. These clusters were chosen for their diverse age range, spanning from 0.04 to 10 Gyr. Our findings demonstrate the capability of the SIESTA code to accurately represent the observed CMDs of these clusters. Furthermore, we compare the results obtained with SIESTA to previous characterizations of these clusters, highlighting the consistency between the derived metallicity and spectroscopic determinations from various sources.

Spectroscopic Observations of Ten Galactic Wolf–Rayet Stars at Bosscha Observatory: Determination of Stellar Parameters and Mass-loss Rates

We present optical spectra of 10 Galactic Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars that consist of five WN and five WC stars. The optical observation was conducted using a low-resolution spectrograph NEO-R1000 (λ/Δλ ∼ 1000) at GAO-ITB RTS (27.94 cm, F/10.0), Bosscha Observatory, Lembang. We implemented stellar atmosphere Postdam Wolf–Rayet (PoWR) grid modeling to derive stellar parameters. The normalized optical spectrum can be used to find the best model from the available PoWR grid, then we could derive stellar temperature and transformation radius. To derive luminosity, stellar radius and color excess, we conducted a Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) analysis with additional data on the near-ultraviolet spectrum from the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) database, and UBV and 2MASS JHK broadband filter data. Additional analysis to derive asymptotic terminal wind velocity was conducted from the P-Cygni profile analysis of the high-resolution IUE ultraviolet spectrum. With previously derived parameters, we could determine the mass loss rate of the WR stars. Furthermore, we compared our results with previous work that used PoWR code and the differences are not more than 20%. We conclude that the PoWR spectral grid is sufficient to derive WR stellar parameters quickly and could provide more accurate initial parameter input to the PoWR program code.

Strong nebular emissions associated with Mg ii absorptions detected in the SDSS spectra of background quasars

ABSTRACT We present long-slit spectroscopic observations of 40 Galaxy On Top of Quasars (GOTOQs) at ${0.37 \leqslant z \leqslant 1.01}$ using the South African Large Telescope. Using this and available photometric data, we measure the impact parameters of the foreground galaxies to be in the range of 3–16 kpc with a median value of 8.6 kpc. This is the largest sample of galaxies producing Mg ii absorption at such low impact parameters. These quasar–galaxy pairs are ideal for probing the disc–halo interface. At such impact parameters, we do not find any anticorrelation between rest equivalent width (REW) of Ca ii, Mn ii, Fe ii, Mg ii, and Mg i absorption and impact parameter. These sight lines are typically redder than those of strong Mg ii absorbers, with the colour excess, E(B − V) for our sample ranging from −0.191 to 0.422, with a median value of 0.058. In the E(B − V) versus W3935 plane, GOTOQs occupy the same region as Ca ii absorbers. For a given E(B − V), we find larger W3935 than what has been found in the Milky Way, probably due to a smaller dust-to-gas ratio in GOTOQs. Galaxy parameters could be measured for twelve cases, and their properties seem to follow the trends found for strong Mg ii absorbers. Measuring the host galaxy properties for the full sample using HST photometry or AO-assisted ground-based imaging is important to gain insights into the relationship between the stellar mass of galaxies and the metal line REW distributions at low impact parameters.

A sample of 554 white dwarfs showing infrared excess from Gaia EDR3 and CatWISE catalogs

White dwarfs (WDs) are generally intrinsically faint in the infrared (IR). Excess emission in the infrared results from low-mass companions or dusty material, potentially linked to the on-going accretion of planetary material. This work presents a new catalog of white dwarfs with (candidate) infrared excess. The final sample comes from a cross-match between the Gaia Early Data Release (EDR3) white dwarf candidates, and the CatWISE catalog, with candidate infrared excesses determined considering both magnitude and color excess. A magnitude excess is found to be more reliable than a color excess. The final catalog contains 554 infrared excess candidates (446 are presented for the first time here) from 41,020 white-dwarf candidates with a Gaia magnitude of $G&lt;18.5$ mag. Our infrared excess candidate sample extends to a white-dwarf temperature range of 4500--98000 K and a white-dwarf mass range of 0.1--1.2 \( M We caution that these objects should be treated as infrared excess candidates until confirmed with other methods. We present a three-fold increase in the sample of white dwarfs known to have infrared excesses. Among the sample applications is the study of the accretion of planetary material by white dwarfs and the identification of new white-dwarf-brown-dwarf pairs.

Spectral characterisation of the extinction properties of NGC 3603 using JWST NIRSpec.

A necessary ingredient in understanding the star formation history of a young cluster is knowledge of the extinction towards the region. This has typically been done by making use of the colour-difference method with photometry, or similar methods utilising the colour-colour diagram. These approaches rely on adopting an extinction law with a given total-to-selective extinction ratio $R(V)$, or determining a value of $R(V)$ through empirical relationships. They also rely upon accurate spectral classification, reliable stellar isochrones, and separating field stars from genuine cluster members. The colour excess $E(B-V)$ can be independently determined by studying the decrements of the recombination lines produced by the nebular gas. Having access to many recombination lines from the same spectral series removes the need of adopting an extinction curve. Rather, different extinction curves can be trialled and the most appropriate one selected based on a minimum $ procedure. Using the Micro-Shutter Assembly (MSA) on board the Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec), multi-object spectroscopy was performed, yielding 600 nebular spectra from the Galactic massive star formation region NGC 3603. The recombination line intensity ratios were used to determine independent values of $E(B-V)$. A series of extinction curves were trialled ranging from $R(V) = 2$ to $R(V) = 8$. The appropriate value of $R(V)$ was adopted based on the minimum $ procedure. The extinction characteristics of NGC 3603 are similar to other Galactic HII regions like Orion, as well as starburst regions such 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud, in that we find a relatively large value of $R(V) = 4.8 1.06$, larger than the Galactic average of $3.1$. We find a typical value of $E(B-V) = 0.64 0.27$, significantly lower than values determined in previous studies. We also present a stacked nebular spectrum with a typical continuum S/N = $70$. This spectrum highlights the recombination lines of the HII region, several s-process elements such as Kr $III$ and Se $IV$, and molecular $H_2$ emission lines. This high S/N spectrum can act as a helpful template for identifying nebular emission lines. Using ratios of hydrogen recombination lines, we calculated the value of $R(V)$, $E(B-V)$ and $A(V)$ for $&gt; 200$ lines of sight across NGC 3603. An extinction curve with a typical value $R(V) = 4.8 1.06$ is required to explain the colour excess observed in the nebular spectra. This corresponds to a typical $E(B-V) = 0.64 0.27$. This is significantly lower than what has been found in previous extinction studies of NGC 3603.

The Timescales of Star Cluster Emergence: The Case of NGC 4449

We survey the young star cluster population in the dwarf galaxy NGC 4449 with the goal of investigating how stellar feedback may depend on the clusters’ properties. Using ultraviolet (UV)–optical–near-infrared photometry obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, we have recovered 99 compact sources exhibiting emission in the Paβ hydrogen recombination line. Our analysis reveals these sources possess masses of 102 < M ⊙ < 105, ages of 1–20 Myr, and a color excess E(B − V) in the range 0–1.4. After selecting clusters with masses above 3000 M ⊙ to mitigate stochastic sampling of the stellar initial mass function, we find that our IR-selected clusters have a median mass ∼ 7 × 103 M ⊙ and remain embedded in their surrounding gas and dust for 5–6 Myr. In contrast, line-emitting sources selected from existing UV/optical catalogs have a median mass ∼ 3.5 × 104 M ⊙ and have cleared their surroundings by 4 Myr. We further find that the environment in NGC 4449 has too low pressure to drive these differences. We interpret these findings as evidence that the clearing timescale from presupernova and supernova feedback is cluster mass dependent. Even in clusters with masses ∼ 7000 M ⊙, stochastic sampling of the upper end of the stellar initial mass function is present, randomly decreasing the number of massive stars available to inject energy and momentum into the surrounding medium. This effect may increase the clearing timescales in these clusters by decreasing the effectiveness of both presupernova and supernova feedback; neither models nor observations have so far explored such dependence explicitly. Future studies and observations with, e.g., the JWST, will fill this gap.

BSEC Method for Unveiling Open Clusters and its Application to Gaia DR3: 83 New Clusters

Open clusters (OCs) are common in the Milky Way, but most of them remain undiscovered. There are numerous techniques, including some machine-learning algorithms, available for the exploration of OCs. However, each method has its limitations and therefore, different approaches to discovering OCs hold significant values. We develop a comprehensive approach method to automatically explore the data space and identify potential OC candidates with relatively reliable membership determination. This approach combines the techniques of Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise, Gaussian mixture model, and a novel cluster member identification technique, color excess constraint. The new method exhibits efficiency in detecting OCs while ensuring precise determination of cluster memberships. Because the main feature of this technique is to add an extra constraint (EC) for the members of cluster candidates using the homogeneity of color excess, compared to typical blind search codes, it is called Blind Search-Extra Constraint (BSEC) method. It is successfully applied to the Gaia Data Release 3, and 83 new OCs are found, whose color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) are fitted well to the isochrones. In addition, this study reports 621 new OC candidates with discernible main sequence or red giant branch. It is shown that BSEC technique can discard some false negatives of previous works, which takes about three percentage of known clusters. It shows that as an EC, the color excess (or two-color) constraint is useful for removing fake cluster member stars from the clusters that are identified from the positions and proper motions of stars, and getting more precise CMDs, when differential reddening of member stars of a cluster is not large (e.g., ΔE(G BP − G RP) < 0.5 mag). It makes the CMDs of 15% clusters clearer (in particular for the region near turnoff) and therefore is helpful for CMD and stellar population studies. Our result suggests that the color excess constraint is more appropriate for clusters with small differential reddening, such as globular clusters or older OCs, and clusters that the distances of member stars cannot be determined accurately.

Foreground Dust Properties toward the Cluster NGC 7380

Using starlight polarization, we present the properties of foreground dust toward cluster NGC 7380 embedded in H ii region Sh 2-142. Observations of starlight polarization are carried out in four filters using an imaging polarimeter equipped with a 104 cm ARIES telescope. Polarization vectors of stars are aligned along the Galactic magnetic field. Toward the east and southeast regions, the dust structure appears much denser than in other regions (inferred from extinction contours and a color composite image) and is also reflected in polarization distribution. We find that the polarization degree and extinction tend to increase with distance and indication for the presence of a dust layer at a distance of around 1.2 kpc. We have identified eight potential candidates exhibiting intrinsic polarization by employing three distinct criteria to distinguish between stars of intrinsic polarization and interstellar polarized stars. For interstellar polarized stars, we find that the maximum polarization degree increases with the color excess and has a strong scatter, with the mean value of 1.71% ± 0.57%. The peak wavelength spans 0.40–0.88 μm, with a mean value of 0.56 ± 0.07 μm, suggesting similar grain sizes in the region to those in the average diffuse interstellar medium. The polarization efficiency is also found to decrease with visual extinction as Pmax/AV∝AV−0.61 . Our observational results are found to be consistent with the predictions by the radiative torque alignment theory.

The Newton-Stefan-Boltzmann-Planck Code. The Solar Microwave Background Formation on the Blackbody Sphere at the Distance R = 140 AU

In this model the Solar System presented to observers on the planet Earth the elegant gift: the Solar Microwave Background (SMB) formed on the Blackbody Sphere at the distance R = 140 AU. The thermalization of the Hydrogen wall at this distance was described using the Stefan-Boltzmann law where the temperature of the blackbody at the distance R = 1 AU is T = 393.6 K. Newton’s cooling law described the cooling of this blackbody surface temperature with the cooling constant κ = 1.139 × 10−4 s−1 calculated from data of the small planet Pluto (average distance R = 39.5 AU and the temperature T = 44 K). The SMB monopole temperature T = 2.7255 K was fitted for the distance R = 140 AU with the temperature of the surrounding TENV = 2.5887 K. The first important difference with the model of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the magnitude and direction of Newton’s dipole v = (200 + 141) kms−1 towards the galactic coordinates (l, b) = (84°, −48°) while the magnitude and the direction of the Doppler’s dipole of CMB is v = 368 kms−1 towards (l, b) = (264°, 48°). This new model enables to estimate the rotation velocity of the Sun in the Milky Way Galaxy, the motion of the Milky Way Galaxy through the Universe, and the Harress-Sagnac color excess: v = 200 + 141 + 27 = 368 kms−1. The total motion of the Milky Way Galaxy through the Universe can be estimated with the knowledge of the Cold Spot direction in the SMB and the motion towards the Galactic South Pole. In this model, the Milky Way Galaxy can avoid collision with the Andromeda Galaxy. The observed quadrupole, octopole, and hemisphere structure of the SMB can be explained as the local motion of the Sun and the Solar axis inclination towards the ecliptic–the Axis of evil should be renamed as the Solar axis bringing to us a good opportunity to discover differences between the SMB and the CMB. The first peak in the power spectrum of the SMB at the distance R = 140 AU is observed from the COBE, WMAP, and PLANCK satellites rotating around the Sun at the distance R = (2×1) AU under the angle θ = 0.818°. The power spectrum observed from the planets Mercury and Jupiter will have different positions of the first and higher peaks. The original Solar signature should be visible as the moving shadows of the Sunspots on the Blackbody Sphere. There were proposed several experiments on how to distinguish between the SMB and the CMB.

A High Incidence of Dusty Hα Emitters at z > 3 Among UltraVISTA Dropout Galaxies in COSMOS Revealed by JWST

We have characterized 26 Spitzer/IRAC-selected sources from the SMUVS program that are undetected in the UltraVISTA DR5 H- and/or K s-band images, covering 94 arcmin2 of the COSMOS field, which have deep multiwavelength JWST photometry. We analyzed the JWST/NIRCam imaging from the PRIMER survey and ancillary HST data to reveal the properties of these galaxies from spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting. We find that the majority of these galaxies are detected by NIRCam at λ < 2 μm, with only four remaining as near-infrared dropouts in the deeper JWST images. Our results indicate that the UltraVISTA dropouts candidates are primarily located at z > 3 and are characterized by high dust extinctions, with a typical color excess E(B − V) = 0.5 ± 0.3 and stellar mass log(M*/M⊙)=9.5±1.0 . Remarkably, ∼75% of these sources show a flux enhancement between the observed photometry and modeled continuum SED that can be attributed to Hα emission in the corresponding NIRCam bands. The derived (Hα+ N [ii] + S [ii]) rest-frame equivalent widths and Hα star formation rates (SFRs) span values ∼100–2200 Å and ∼5–375 M ⊙ yr−1, respectively. The locations of these sources on the SFR–M * plane indicate that 35% of them are starbursts, 40% are main-sequence galaxies, and the remaining 25% are located in the star formation valley. Our sample includes one active galactic nucleus and six submillimeter sources, as revealed from ancillary X-ray and submillimeter photometry. The high dust extinctions combined with the flux boosting from Hα emission explain why these sources are relatively bright Spitzer galaxies and yet unidentified in the ultradeep UltraVISTA near-infrared images.

Supernova environments in J-PLUS

We investigated the local environmental properties of 418 supernovae (SNe) of all types using data from the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS), which includes five broad-band and seven narrow-band imaging filters. Our study involves two independent analyses: (1) the normalized cumulative-rank (NCR) method, which utilizes all 12 single bands along with five continuum-subtracted narrow-band emission and absorption bands, and (2) simple stellar population (SSP) synthesis, where we build spectral energy distributions (SED) of the surrounding 1 kpc2 SN environment using the 12 broad- and narrow-band filters. Improvements on previous works include: (i) the extension of the NCR technique to other filters (broad and narrow) and the use a set of homogeneous data (same telescope and instruments); (ii) a correction for extinction to all bands based on the relation between the g − i color and the color excess E(B − V); and (iii) a correction for the contamination of the [N II] λ6583 line that falls within the Hα filter. All NCR distributions in the broad-band filters, tracing the overall light distribution in each galaxy, are similar to each other. The main difference is that type Ia, II, and IIb SNe are preferably located in redder environments than the other SN types. The radial distribution of the SNe shows that type IIb SNe seem to have a preference for occurring in the inner regions of galaxies, whereas other types of SNe occur throughout the galaxies without a distinct preference for a specific location. For the Hα filter we recover the sequence from SNe Ic, which has the highest NCR, to SNe Ia, which has the lowest; this is interpreted as a sequence in progenitor mass and age. All core-collapse SN types are strongly correlated to the [O II] emission, which also traces star formation rate (SFR), following the same sequence as in Hα. The NCR distributions of the Ca II triplet show a clear division between II-IIb-Ia and Ib-Ic-IIn subtypes, which is interpreted as a difference in the environmental metallicity. Regarding the SSP synthesis, we found that including the seven J-PLUS narrow filters in the fitting process has a more significant effect on the core-collapse SN environmental parameters than for SNe Ia, shifting their values toward more extincted, younger, and more star-forming environments, due to the presence of strong emission lines and stellar absorptions in those narrow bands.

The Descartes Code (Spin Orbital Rotation of Photons)–IV. The Harress-Sagnac Color Excess in the Rotation Curves of Galaxies

In 1933, Zwicky formulated the significant bifurcation point in the history of astrophysics. Zwicky postulated an unknown dark matter in order to explain the color excess in the observed Doppler effect in the rotation curves of galaxies. However, until now we have not detected these dark matter particles. In this contribution, we propose to come back to this bifurcation point and to interpret the observed color excess as the Harress-Sagnac effect known in the rotating interferometers. We have described photon properties in those rotating interferometers based on the old color theory of Descartes—rotating light globules (spin-orbital rotation of photons). Therefore, the color excess observed in the rotation curves of galaxies can be interpreted as the additional color excess of photons emitting from distant rotating stars. Formulae for these color excesses are given for different locations of the rotating galaxy inspired by Zwicky’s core-shell model of galaxies. A part of Zwicky’s enigma is an unknown influence of the Solar gravitational field at 1 AU on the distant photon properties. From the forgotten Gerber’s retarded potential formula we have derived an expression for the acceleration of distant photons towards the Sun at 1 AU as ax = 1.171 × 10⁻¹⁰ ms⁻². This is a very surprising coincidence with the Milgrom empirical value a0 = (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10⁻¹⁰ ms⁻². Therefore, we propose to test this new formula at the surface of Mercury and Mars in order to reveal if our gravitational models are universal or “geocentric”, valid for the surroundings of the Earth only.

Pulsation modeling of the Cepheid Y Ophiuchi with RSP/MESA

Context. Y Ophiuchi (Y Oph) is a classical Cepheid with a pulsation period of P = 17.12 days. This star is reported to be as dim as a Cepheid of about half its pulsation period and it exhibits a low radial velocity and light-curve amplitude. For these reasons, Y Oph is not used to calibrate period-luminosity (PL) relation and its distance remains uncertain. Aims. Our objective is to conduct hydrodynamical pulsation modeling of Y Oph to derive its distance and provide a physical insight into its low amplitude and luminosity, constrained by an extensive set of observations. Methods. We first performed a linear analysis on a grid of models using the hydrodynamical pulsation code MESA-RSP to find the combinations of mass, metallicity, effective temperature, and luminosity resulting in linear excitation of pulsations with period of about 17 days. Then, we performed non-linear computations to obtain the full-amplitude pulsations of these models. Last, we compare the results to a complete set of observations along the pulsation cycle, including the angular diameter obtained by interferometry, effective temperature, and radial velocity obtained by high-resolution spectroscopy, as well as the light curves in the VJHKSLM bands. We simultaneously adjusted the distance, the color excess and circumstellar envelope (CSE) model to fit the light curves and the angular diameter. Results. We find that all pulsation models at high effective temperatures are in remarkable agreement with the observations along the pulsation cycle. This result suggests that the low amplitude of Y Oph may be explained by proximal location to the blue edge of the instability strip (IS). We also find that a pulsational mass of about 7 − 8 M⊙ is consistent with a non-canonical evolutionary model with moderate overshooting, PL relation and Gaia parallax. However, a much lower mass below 5 M⊙ is required to match Baade-Wesselink (BW) distance measurements from the literature. We show that the combination of the impact of the CSE on the photometry, together with a projection factor of about 1.5, explains the discrepant distance and luminosity values obtained from BW methods. Conclusions. Our findings indicate that the small pulsation amplitude of Y Oph can be attributed to its proximity to the blue edge of the instability strip. Additionally, our analysis reveals that the distances obtained using the BW method are biased compared to Gaia, mainly due to the impact of circumstellar envelope on the photometries and a high p-factor close to 1.5. Despite these unique characteristics, Y Oph is a long-period classical Cepheid that holds potential for calibration of the PL relation in the Galaxy.

Silicate Extinction Profile Based on the Stellar Spectrum by Spitzer/IRS

The 9.7 and 18 μm interstellar spectral features, arising from the Si–O stretching and O–Si–O bending modes of amorphous silicate dust, are the strongest extinction features in the infrared. Here we use the “pair method” to determine the silicate extinction profile by comparing the Spitzer/IRS spectra of 49 target stars with obvious extinction with those of unreddened stars of the same spectral type. The 9.7 μm extinction profile is determined from all the 49 stars and the 18 μm profile is determined from six stars. It is found that the profile has a peak wavelength at ∼9.2–9.8 and ∼18–22 μm, respectively. The peak wavelength of the 9.7 μm feature seems to become shorter for stars of late spectral types; meanwhile the FWHM seems irrelevant to the spectral type, which may be related to circumstellar silicate emission. The silicate optical depth at 9.7 μm, Δτ 9.7, mostly increases with the color excess in J − K S ( EJKS ). The mean ratio of the visual extinction to the 9.7 μm silicate absorption optical depth is A V /Δτ 9.7 ≈ 17.8, in close agreement with that of the solar-neighborhood diffuse interstellar medium. When EJKS>4 , this proportionality changes. The correlation coefficient between the peak wavelength and the FWHM of the 9.7 μm feature is 0.4, which indicates a positive correlation considering the uncertainties of the parameters. The method is compared with replacing the reference star by an atmospheric model spectral energy distribution and no significant difference is observed.