Palomar Observatory Research Articles

Analyzing Stellar Spectra for PRV by Accurate Modeling and Retrieval of Telluric Absorption Features

Ground-based Precision Radial Velocity (PRV) measurements are inevitably impeded by contamination from telluric absorption features, particularly in the infrared region. Thus, it is crucial to improve modeling of the telluric absorption features down to the spectral noise level. As part of the efforts towards improved PRV measurements, we have taken an existing atmospheric trace gas retrieval algorithm (GFIT) and have successfully adapted it to fit the telluric absorption features in stellar spectra down to the spectral noise level (typically ∼1%). We have established a stellar spectral fitting processing pipeline, Stellar-GFIT, to analyze a series of stellar spectra observed by two spectrographs, PARVI (1.1–1.76 μm) commissioned at the Palomar Observatory (Palomar Mountain, CA) and iSHELL (1–5 μm) deployed on the IRTF (Mauna Kea, HI). For this, we have (1) implemented a Gaussian instrumental line shape function, (2) generated atmospheric models (consisting of temperature, pressure, and volume mixing ratios of all the known trace gases) for the particular observation sites and times, (3) employed the most up-to-date spectroscopic parameters in the target spectral regions, and finally (4) developed a series of spectral fitting intervals of ∼60 cm−1 width, i.e., micro-windows, customized to the individual orders of each spectrograph. Stellar-GFIT is also capable of handling non-telluric features, such as transitions from a gas cell placed in the starlight beam and stellar features if a model spectrum template is available for the target star. We present spectrum fits from the observations of various target stars and discuss the performance and advantages of our novel approach. One of the major strengths of Stellar-GFIT is an ability to adjust the abundance of atmospheric trace gases simultaneously with determining the stellar doppler shift, mitigating any adverse impacts of short-timescale variations of water vapor.

Searching for new cataclysmic variables in the Chandra Source Catalog

Aims. Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are compact binary systems in which a white dwarf accretes matter from a Roche-lobe-filling companion star. For this study we searched for new CVs in the Milky Way in the Chandra Source Catalog v2.0, cross-matched with Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3). Methods. We identified new CV candidates by combining X-ray and optical data in a color-color diagram called the X-ray main sequence. We used two different cuts in this diagram to compile pure and optically variable samples of CV candidates. We undertook optical spectroscopic follow-up observations with the Keck and Palomar Observatories to confirm the nature of these sources. Results. We assembled a sample of 25 887 Galactic X-ray sources and found 14 new CV candidates. Seven objects show X-ray and/or optical variability. All sources show X-ray luminosity in the 1029 − 1032 erg s−1 range, and their X-ray spectra can be approximated by a power-law model with photon indices in the Γ ∼ 1 − 3 range or an optically thin thermal emission model in the kT ∼ 1 − 70 keV range. We spectroscopically confirmed four CVs, discovering two new polars, one low accretion rate polar and a WZ Sge-like low accretion rate CV. X-ray and optical properties of the other nine objects suggest that they are also CVs (likely magnetic or dwarf novae), and one other object could be an eclipsing binary, but revealing their true nature requires further observations. Conclusions. These results show that a joint X-ray and optical analysis can be a powerful tool for finding new CVs in large X-ray and optical catalogs. X-ray observations such as those by Chandra are particularly efficient at discovering magnetic and low accretion rate CVs, which could be missed by purely optical surveys.

Exoplanet Aeronomy: A Case Study of WASP-69 b’s Variable Thermosphere

Aeronomy, the study of Earth’s upper atmosphere and its interaction with the local space environment, has long traced changes in the thermospheres of Earth and other solar system planets to solar variability in the X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet (collectively, XUV) bands. Extending comparative aeronomy to the short-period extrasolar planets may illuminate whether stellar XUV irradiation powers atmospheric outflows that change planetary radii on astronomical timescales. In recent years, near-IR transit spectroscopy of metastable Hei has been a prolific tracer of high-altitude planetary gas. We present a case study of exoplanet aeronomy using metastable Hei transit observations from Palomar Observatory's Wide Field InfraRed Camera and follow-up high-energy data from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory that were taken within 1 month of the WASP-69 system, a K-type main-sequence star with a well-studied hot Jupiter companion. Supplemented by archival data, we find that WASP-69's X-ray flux in 2023 was less than 50% of what was recorded in 2016 and that the metastable Hei absorption from WASP-69 b was lower in 2023 versus past epochs from 2017 to 2019. Via atmospheric modeling, we show that this time-variable metastable Hei signal is in the expected direction given the observed change in stellar XUV, possibly stemming from WASP-69's magnetic activity cycle. Our results underscore the ability of multiepoch, multiwavelength observations to paint a cohesive picture of the interaction between an exoplanet’s atmosphere and its host star.

Active Galactic Nuclei and Star Formation in nearby Galaxies (AGNSTRONG). I. Sample and Strategy

We introduce our project, AGNSTRONG (Active Galactic Nuclei and STaR fOrmation in Nearby Galaxies). Our research goals encompass investigating the kinematic properties of ionized and molecular gas outflows, understanding the impact of AGN feedback, and exploring the coevolution dynamics between AGN strength activity and star formation activity. We aim to conduct a thorough analysis to determine whether there is an increase or suppression in star formation rates (SFRs) among targets with and without powerful relativistic jets. Our sample consists of 35 nearby AGNs with and without powerful relativistic jet detections. Utilizing submillimeter continuum observations at 450 and 850 μm from SCUBA-2 at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, we determine SFRs for our sources using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting models. Additionally, we employ high-quality, spatially resolved spectra from UV-optical to near-infrared bands obtained with the Double Spectrograph and Triple Spectrograph mounted on the 200 inch Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory to study their multiphase gas outflow properties. This paper presents an overview of our sample selection methodology, research strategy, and initial results of our project. We find that the SFRs determined without including the submillimeter data in the SED fitting are overestimated by ∼0.08 dex compared to those estimated with the inclusion of submillimeter data. Additionally, we compare the estimated SFRs in our work with those traced by the 4000 Å break, as provided by the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and Johns Hopkins University catalog. We find that our determined SFRs are systematically higher than those traced by the 4000 Å break. Finally, we outline our future research plans.

Validation of the Bond et al. (2010) SDSS-derived kinematic models for the Milky Way's disk and halo stars with Gaia Data Release 3 proper motion and radial velocity data

We validate the 2010ApJ...716....1B kinematic models for the Milky Way's disk and halo stars with Gaia Data Release 3 data. Bond et al. constructed models for stellar velocity distributions using stellar radial velocities measured by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and stellar proper motions derived from SDSS and the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey astrometric measurements. These models describe velocity distributions as functions of position in the Galaxy, with separate models for disk and halo stars that were labeled using SDSS photometric and spectroscopic metallicity measurements. We find that the Bond et al. model predictions are in good agreement with recent measurements of stellar radial velocities and proper motions by the Gaia survey. In particular, the model accurately predicts the skewed non-Gaussian distribution of rotational velocity for disk stars and its vertical gradient, as well as the dispersions for all three velocity components. Additionally, the spatial invariance of velocity ellipsoid for halo stars when expressed in spherical coordinates is also confirmed by Gaia data at galacto-centric radial distances of up to 15 kpc.

On the nature of apparent transient sources on the National Geographic Society–Palomar Observatory Sky Survey glass copy plates

Abstract We examine critically recent claims for the presence of above-atmosphere optical transients in publicly available digitized scans of Schmidt telescope photographic plate material derived from the National Geographic Society–Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. We employ the publicly available SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey catalogues to examine statistically the morphology of the sources. We develop a simple, objective, and automated image classification scheme based on a random forest decision tree classifier. We find that the putative transients are likely to be spurious artefacts of the photographic emulsion. We suggest a possible cause of the appearance of these images as resulting from the copying procedure employed to disseminate glass copy survey atlas sets in the era before large-scale digitization programmes.

A LOFAR sample of luminous compact sources coincident with nearby dwarf galaxies

The vast majority of extragalactic compact continuum radio sources are associated with star formation or jets from (super)massive black holes and, as such, are more likely to be found in association with starburst galaxies or early-type galaxies. Two new populations of radio sources were recently identified: (a) compact and persistent sources (PRSs) associated with fast radio bursts (FRBs) in dwarf galaxies and (b) compact sources in dwarf galaxies that could belong to the long-sought population of intermediate-mass black holes. Despite the interesting aspects of these newly found sources, the current sample size is small, limiting scrutiny of the underlying population. Here, we present a search for compact radio sources coincident with dwarf galaxies. We search the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey (LoTSS), the most sensitive low-frequency (144 MHz central frequency) large-area survey for optically thin synchrotron emission to date. Exploiting the high spatial resolution (6″) and low astrometric uncertainty (∼0.″2) of the LoTSS, we match its compact sources to the compiled sample of dwarf galaxies in the Census of the Local Universe, an Hα survey with the Palomar Observatory 48 inch Samuel Oschin Telescope. We identify 29 over-luminous compact radio sources, evaluate the probability of chance alignment within the sample, investigate the potential nature of these sources, and evaluate their volumetric density and volumetric rate. While optical line-ratio diagnostics on the nebular lines from the host galaxies support a star-formation origin rather than an AGN origin, future high-angular-resolution radio data are necessary to ascertain the origin of the radio sources. We discuss planned strategies to differentiate between candidate FRB hosts and intermediate-mass black holes.

A bright triple transient that vanished within 50 min

ABSTRACT We report on three optically bright, ∼16th mag, point sources within 10 arcsec of each other that vanished within 1 h, based on two consecutive exposures at Palomar Observatory on 1952 July 19 (POSS I Red and Blue). The three point sources have continued to be absent in telescope exposures during 71 yr with detection thresholds of ∼21st mag. We obtained two deep exposures with the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio Canarias on 2023 April 25 and 27 in r and g band, both reaching magnitude 25.5 (3σ). The three point sources are still absent, implying they have dimmed by more than 10 mag within an hour back in 1952. When bright in 1952, the most isolated transient source has a profile nearly the same as comparison stars, implying the sources are subarcsec in angular size and they exhibit no elongation due to movement. This triple transient has observed properties similar to other cases where groups of transients (‘multiple transients’) have appeared and vanished in a small region within a plate exposure. The explanation for these three transients and the previously reported cases remains unclear. Models involving background objects that are optically luminous for less than 1 h coupled with foreground gravitational lensing seem plausible. If so, a significant population of massive objects with structure serving as the lenses, to produce three images, are required to explain the subhour transients.

Constraining the Densities of the Three Kepler-289 Planets with Transit Timing Variations

Kepler-289 is a three-planet system containing two sub-Neptunes and one cool giant planet orbiting a young, Sun-like star. All three planets exhibit transit timing variations (TTVs), with both adjacent planet pairs having orbital periods close to the 2:1 orbital resonance. We observe two transits of Kepler-289c with the Wide-field InfraRed Camera on the 200″ Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory, using diffuser-assisted photometry to achieve space-like photometric precision from the ground. These new transit observations extend the original four-year Kepler TTV baseline by an additional 7.5 yr. We rereduce the archival Kepler data with an improved stellar activity correction and carry out a joint fit with the Palomar data to constrain the transit shapes and derive updated transit times. We then model the TTVs to determine the masses of the three planets and constrain their densities and bulk compositions. Our new analysis improves on previous mass and density constraints by a factor of two or more for all three planets, with the innermost planet showing the largest improvement. Our updated atmospheric mass fractions for the inner two planets indicate that they have hydrogen-rich envelopes, consistent with their location on the upper side of the radius valley. We also constrain the heavy element composition of the outer Saturn-mass planet, Kepler-289c, for the first time, finding that it contains 30.5 ± 6.9 M ⊕ of metals. We use dust evolution models to show that Kepler-289c must have formed beyond 1 au, and likely beyond 3 au, and then migrated inward.

Palomar Observatory earthquake rocks Southern California

Palomar Observatory earthquake rocks Southern California

Breaking the rules at z ≃ 0.45: The rebel case of RBS 1055

Context. Very luminous quasars are unique sources for studying the circumnuclear environment around supermassive black holes. Several components contribute to the overall X-ray spectral shape of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The hot (kTe = 50 − 100 keV) and warm (kTe = 0.1 − 1 keV) coronae are responsible for the hard and soft power-law continua, while the circumnuclear toroidal reflector accounts for the Fe Kα emission line and the associated Compton hump. However, all these spectral features are simultaneously observed only in a handful of sources above z ≃ 0.1. Aims. An ideal astrophysical laboratory for this investigation is the quasar RBS 1055, at z ≃ 0.45. With a luminosity L2 − 10 keV = 2 × 1045 erg s−1, it is the brightest radio-quiet quasar from the ROSAT Bright Survey. Despite the known anti-correlation between the equivalent width (EW) of the narrow neutral Fe Kα line and L2 − 10 keV, an intense Fe Kα was previously detected for this source. Methods. We report findings based on a long (250 ks) NuSTAR observation performed in March 2021 and archival XMM-Newton pointings (185 ks) taken in July 2014. We also analyzed an optical spectrum of the source taken with the Double Spectrograph at the Palomar Observatory quasi-simultaneously to the NuSTAR observations. Results. We find that the two-corona model, in which a warm and hot corona coexist, well reproduces the broad band spectrum of RBS 1055, with temperatures kTe = 0.12−0.03+0.08 keV, kTe = 30−10+40 keV and Thomson optical depths τ = 30−10+15 and τ = 3.0−1.4+1.0 for the former and the latter component, respectively. We confirm the presence of an intense Fe Kα emission line (EW = 55 ± 6 eV) and find, when a toroidal model is considered for reproducing the Compton reflection, a Compton-thin solution with NH = (3.2−0.8+0.9) × 1023 cm−2 for the circumnuclear reflector. A detailed analysis of the optical spectrum reveals a likely peculiar configuration of our line of sight with respect to the nucleus, and the presence of a broad [O III] component tracing outflows in the Narrow Line Region, with a velocity shift v = 1500 ± 100 km s−1, leading to a mass outflow rate Ṁout = 25.4 ±1.5 M⊙ yr−1 and outflow kinetic power normalized by the bolometric luminosity Ēkin/LBol ∼ 0.33%. We estimate the BH mass to be in the range 2.8 × 108–1.2 × 109 M⊙, according to different broad line region emission lines, with an average value of ⟨MBH⟩ = 6.5 × 108 M⊙. Conclusions. With an Fe Kα that is 3σ above the value predicted from the EW–L2 − 10 keV relation and an extreme source brightness at 2 keV (a factor 10−15 higher than the one expected from the optical/UV), we can confirm that RBS 1055 is an outlier in the X-rays compared to other objects in the same luminosity and redshift range.

A New Method to Reduce Near-Infrared Data of Palomar Observatory

Compared to large optical spectral surveys, near infrared spectra is overwhelmingly outnumbered. Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the largest optical spectroscopic survey, has published about 5,789,200 optical spectra in its latest data release DR16, while no large scale near infrared spectra survey has been performed. Typical studies in near infrared are based on limited samples of a few tens to hundreds of near infrared spectra. TripleSpec is one of the workhorses near Infrared (NIR) spectrograph, mounted on the Palomar 200-inch telescope (P200). We have acquired more than 200 new quasar NIR spectra during the past years, compared to the largest sample ever compiled. During the reduction of our latest TripleSpec data, we found that the well accepted data reduction pipeline Spextool (citation: 835) completely ignored one of the five spectral orders (Order 7) of the raw data, probably due to its low throughput. Astronomical observations are always photons starving, we investigate the possibility of incorporation of the photons on Order 7 by developing a new data reduction pipeline. We test the new pipeline on our new quasar NIR data. Compared to the results from Spextool, 1. The pipeline is also featured by its full automaticity, 2. the wavelength coverage extended from 1-2.5 μm to 0.9-2.5 μm, revealing new features such as rest frame Pa ε, [S III] 9531, [C I] 9824, [C I] 9850, [S VIII] 9910, as well as redshifted spectral features for higher redshift targets. 3. The median signal to noise ratio for 0.9-1.1 μm have been elevated by a factor of 2. The pipeline could be easily generalized to accommodate other popular NIR instruments such as IRTF/SPEX, we plan to publish the pipeline and the 200 new quasar NIR spectra to the community. Keck/NIRSPEC.

DBSP_DRP: A Python package for automated spectroscopic data reduction of DBSP data

DBSP_DRP is a python package that provides fully automated data reduction of data taken by the Double Spectrograph (DBSP) at the 200-inch Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory (Oke & Gunn, 1982). The underlying data reduction functionality to extract 1D spectra, perform flux calibration and correction for atmospheric absorption, and coadd spectra together is provided by PypeIt (Prochaska et al., 2020). The new functionality that DBSP_DRP brings is in orchestrating the complex data reduction process by making smart decisions so that no user input is required after verifying the correctness of the metadata in the raw FITS files in a table-like GUI. Though the primary function of DBSP_DRP is to automatically reduce an entire night of data without user input, it has the flexibility for astronomers to fine-tune the data reduction with GUIs for manually identifying the faintest objects, as well as exposing the full set of PypeIt parameters to be tweaked for users with particular science needs. DBSP_DRP also handles some of the occasional quirks specific to DBSP, such as swapping FITS header cards, adding (an) extra null byte/s to FITS files making them not conform to the FITS specification, and not writing the coordinates of the observation to file. Additionally, DBSP_DRP contains a quicklook script for making real-time decisions during an observing run, and can open a GUI displaying a minimally reduced exposure in under 15 seconds. Docker containers are available for ease of deploying DBSP_DRP in its quicklook configuration (without some large atmospheric model files) or in its full configuration.

An Infrared Search for Kilonovae with the WINTER Telescope. I. Binary Neutron Star Mergers

Abstract The Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a new 1 deg2 seeing-limited time-domain survey instrument designed for dedicated near-infrared follow-up of kilonovae from binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star–black hole mergers. WINTER will observe in the near-infrared Y, J, and short-H bands (0.9–1.7 μm, to J AB = 21 mag) on a dedicated 1 m telescope at Palomar Observatory. To date, most prompt kilonova follow-up has been in optical wavelengths; however, near-infrared emission fades more slowly and depends less on geometry and viewing angle than optical emission. We present an end-to-end simulation of a follow-up campaign during the fourth observing run (O4) of the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA interferometers, including simulating 625 BNS mergers, their detection in gravitational waves, low-latency and full parameter estimation skymaps, and a suite of kilonova lightcurves from two different model grids. We predict up to five new kilonovae independently discovered by WINTER during O4, given a realistic BNS merger rate. Using a larger grid of kilonova parameters, we find that kilonova emission is ≈2 times longer lived and red kilonovae are detected ≈1.5 times further in the infrared than in the optical. For 90% localization areas smaller than 150 (450) deg2, WINTER will be sensitive to more than 10% of the kilonova model grid out to 350 (200) Mpc. We develop a generalized toolkit to create an optimal BNS follow-up strategy with any electromagnetic telescope and present WINTER’s observing strategy with this framework. This toolkit, all simulated gravitational-wave events, and skymaps are made available for use by the community.

Space barons

My first encounter with what would become Richard Branson’s business empire was in 1981. BBC DJ John Peel played a track, “Act of Affection,” from the Wailing Souls’ new album Fire House Rock. I liked the song. Skeptical that I’d find the LP in my local record store, I bought it from Branson’s mail-order company, Virgin Records.I hadn’t thought much about Branson and his businesses until this past summer. On 11 July he and five others flew aboard Virgin Galactic Unity 22 to the edge of space. Nine days later, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made his own trip to the edge of space with three others aboard his company Blue Origin’s New Shepard.Although Branson founded Virgin Galactic to make money taking wealthy tourists into space, he sounds genuinely proud of the hundreds of jobs for astronautical engineers and others that Virgin Galactic and its partner companies have created. Blue Origin also wants to be paid to take people and cargoes into space, yet Bezos’s space quest sounds visionary and altruistic. To quote a 2016 interview with him in Insider: “When it comes to space, I see it as my job to build infrastructure the hard way—I’m using my resources to put in place heavy-lifting infrastructure so the next generation of people can have a dynamic, entrepreneurial explosion into space…. I want thousands of entrepreneurs doing amazing things in space, and to do that we need to dramatically lower the cost of access to space.”Reactions to the rival space barons among the people I follow on Twitter and Facebook were uniformly negative. How could Branson and Bezos spend so much money to send themselves into space? Surely, there are more deserving causes. What about mitigating climate change, abolishing poverty, or eliminating tropical diseases?The indignation brought to mind my friend Patrick McCray’s feature article “The contentious role of a national observatory” (Physics Today, October 2003, page 55). Whereas in most rich countries, governments fund big astronomy facilities, in the US, many of the largest telescopes have been funded by rich benefactors.Real estate investor James Lick (1796–1876) left money in his will to the University of California to build what would become the Lick Observatory. Railroad financier Charles Yerkes (1837–1905) paid for the University of Chicago’s Yerkes Observatory. The foundation established by oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) paid for Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. More recently, the foundation established by Intel cofounder Gordon Moore (born in 1929) committed $200 million to help pay for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), a project led by Caltech and the University of California.In his article, McCray recounted how the privileged access of a few elite universities to the biggest telescopes retarded the development of equivalently powerful national facilities that could serve astronomers at all US universities. The conflict persists. Although the TMT and its rival, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), each have international partners, the two projects are essentially private, not national.Equity of access aside, is it a bad thing when rich people fund science? Without the largesse of Lick, Yerkes, Rockefeller, and their philanthropic successors, the big telescopes they funded might not have been built at all. Arguably, by not funding a TMT- or GMT-sized telescope, which each have a roughly $1 billion price tag, NSF could afford the equally expensive Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.Lick, Yerkes, and Rockefeller are numbered among the robber barons of the Gilded Age. Among the most ruthless and successful of them all was railroad magnate Jay Gould (1836–92). Unlike the trio of telescope builders, today Gould is known, if at all, only for his unscrupulous business practices and vast wealth.Compared with funding a giant telescope, taking a joyride in space seems frivolous, which might account for the negative reaction I found on social media to Branson’s and Bezos’s ventures. Perhaps compounding the image problem, science fiction abounds in sinister space corporations, such as Tyrell in Blade Runner, Weyland-Yutani in the Alien movies, Tessier-Ashpool in Neuromancer, and Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile in The Expanse.Still, our sun will eventually turn into a red giant and incinerate life on Earth. To survive, humanity will need a new, distant haven that only spacecraft can reach. In so far as commercial space travel will make that possible, we should commend it however grudgingly. Section:ChooseTop of page <<CITING ARTICLES© 2021 American Institute of Physics.

Tails: Chasing Comets with the Zwicky Transient Facility and Deep Learning

Abstract We present Tails, an open-source deep-learning framework for the identification and localization of comets in the image data of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a robotic optical time-domain survey currently in operation at the Palomar Observatory in California, USA. Tails employs a custom EfficientDet-based architecture and is capable of finding comets in single images in near real time, rather than requiring multiple epochs as with traditional methods. The system achieves state-of-the-art performance with 99% recall, a 0.01% false-positive rate, and a 1–2 pixel rms error in the predicted position. We report the initial results of the Tails efficiency evaluation in a production setting on the data of the ZTF Twilight survey, including the first AI-assisted discovery of a comet (C/2020 T2) and the recovery of a comet (P/2016 J3 = P/2021 A3).

SED Machine Spectra for HO Puppis and V722 Tauri

Abstract We present low-resolution spectra collected with the Spectral Energy Distribution Machine (SEDM) for an IW And-type dwarf nova, HO Puppis, and a Be star, V722 Tauri. The SEDM is an integrated field unit spectrograph mounted on the 60 inch telescope at the Palomar Observatory, with a spectral resolution of R ∼ 100 in the optical wavelength range. The Hα emission line was clearly detected for the bright Be star V722 Tauri at ∼12.5 mag, but barely detected in the spectra for the ∼13.7 mag HO Puppis. Our SEDM observations could be used as guidance for observing similar objects with the SEDM, as well as other R ∼ 100 spectrographs, in the future.

Infrared spectropolarimetric detection of intrinsic polarization from a core-collapse supernova

Massive stars die an explosive death as a core-collapse supernova (CCSN). The exact physical processes that cause the collapsing star to rebound into an explosion are not well understood1,2,3, and the key to resolving this issue may lie in the measurement of the shape of CCSNe ejecta. Spectropolarimetry is the only way to perform this measurement for CCSNe outside the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds. We present the infrared spectropolarimetric detection of a CCSN enabled by the new highly sensitive WIRC+Pol instrument at Palomar Observatory, which can observe CCSNe (magnitude M = −17 mag) out to 20 Mpc at ~0.1% polarimetric precision. Infrared spectropolarimetry is less affected than optical spectropolarimetry by dust scattering in the circumstellar and interstellar media, thereby providing a less biased probe of the intrinsic geometry of the supernova ejecta. SN 2018hna, a SN 1987A-like explosion, shows 2.0 ± 0.3% continuum polarization in the J band oriented at ~160° on sky 182 days after the explosion. Assuming a prolate geometry as in SN 1987A, we infer an ejecta axis ratio of <0.48 with the axis of symmetry pointing at a 70° position angle. The axis ratio is similar to that of SN 1987A, suggesting that the two CCSNe may share intrinsic geometry and inclination angles. Our data do not rule out oblate ejecta. We also observe one other CCSN and two thermonuclear supernovae in the J band. Supernova 2020oi, a stripped-envelope type Ic SN in Messier 100 has broadband p = 0.37 ± 0.09% at peak light, indicative of either a 10% asymmetry or host interstellar polarization. The type Ia SNe 2019ein and 2020ue have <0.33% and <1.08% polarization near peak light, indicative of asymmetries of less than 10% and 20%, respectively.

Metastable Helium Reveals an Extended Atmosphere for the Gas Giant HAT-P-18b

Abstract The metastable helium line at 1083 nm can be used to probe the extended upper atmospheres of close-in exoplanets and thus provide insight into their atmospheric mass loss, which is likely to be significant in sculpting their population. We used an ultra-narrow band filter centered on this line to observe two transits of the low-density gas giant HAT-P-18b, using the 200″ Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory, and report the detection of its extended upper atmosphere. We constrain the excess absorption to be 0.46% ± 0.12% in our 0.635 nm bandpass, exceeding the transit depth from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) by 3.9σ. If we fit this signal with a 1D Parker wind model, we find that it corresponds to an atmospheric mass loss rate between 8.3 − 1.9 + 2.8 × 10 − 5 M J Gyr−1 and 2.63 − 0.64 + 0.46 × 10 − 3 M J Gyr−1 for thermosphere temperatures ranging from 4000 K to 13,000 K, respectively. With a J magnitude of 10.8, this is the faintest system for which such a measurement has been made to date, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach for surveying mass loss on a diverse sample of close-in gas giant planets.

Constraints on Metastable Helium in the Atmospheres of WASP-69b and WASP-52b with Ultranarrowband Photometry

Abstract Infrared observations of metastable 23S helium absorption with ground- and space-based spectroscopy are rapidly maturing, as this species is a unique probe of exoplanet atmospheres. Specifically, the transit depth in the triplet feature (with vacuum wavelengths near 1083.3 nm) can be used to constrain the temperature and mass-loss rate of an exoplanet’s upper atmosphere. Here, we present a new photometric technique to measure metastable 23S helium absorption using an ultranarrowband filter (FWHM 0.635 nm) coupled to a beam-shaping diffuser installed in the Wide-field Infrared Camera on the 200 inch Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory. We use telluric OH lines and a helium arc lamp to characterize refractive effects through the filter and to confirm our understanding of the filter transmission profile. We benchmark our new technique by observing a transit of WASP-69b and detect an excess absorption of 0.498% ± 0.045% (11.1σ), consistent with previous measurements after considering our bandpass. We then use this method to study the inflated gas giant WASP-52b and place a 95th percentile upper limit on excess absorption in our helium bandpass of 0.47%. Using an atmospheric escape model, we constrain the mass-loss rate for WASP-69b to be ( ) at 7000 K (12,000 K). Additionally, we set an upper limit on the mass-loss rate of WASP-52b at these temperatures of ( ). These results show that ultranarrowband photometry can reliably quantify absorption in the metastable helium feature.