Observational Evidence Points at AGB Stars as Possible Progenitors of CEMP-s and CEMP-r/s Stars*

The origin of enhanced abundance of heavy elements observed in the surface chemical composition of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars still remains poorly understood. Here, we present detailed abundance analysis of seven CEMP stars based on high-resolution (R ∼ 50,000) spectra that reveal enough evidence of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars being possible progenitors for these objects. For the objects HE 0110−0406, HE 1425−2052, and HE 1428−1950, we present for the first time a detailed abundance analysis. Our sample is found to consist of one metal-poor ([Fe/H] < −1.0) and six very metal-poor ([Fe/H] < −2.0) stars with enhanced carbon and neutron-capture elements. We have critically analyzed the observed abundance ratios of [O/Fe], [Sr/Ba], and [hs/ls] and examined the possibility of AGB stars being possible progenitors. The abundance of oxygen estimated in the program stars is characteristic of AGB progenitors except for HE 1429−0551 and HE 1447+0102. The estimated values of [Sr/Ba] and [hs/ls] ratios also support AGB stars as possible progenitors. The locations of the program stars in the absolute carbon abundance A(C) versus [Fe/H] diagram, along with the Group I objects, hint at the binary nature of the object. We have studied the chemical enrichment histories of the program stars based on abundance ratios [Mg/C], [Sc/Mn], and [C/Cr]. Using [C/N] and 12C/13C ratios, we have examined whether any internal mixing had modified their surface chemical compositions. Kinematic analysis shows that the objects HE 0110−0406 and HE 1447+0102 are thick-disk objects and the remaining five objects belong to the halo population of the Galaxy.

Lyman-alpha opacities at z=4-6 require low mass, radiatively-suppressed galaxies to drive cosmic reionization

The high redshift Lyman-α forest, in particular the Gunn-Peterson trough, is the most unambiguous signature of the neutral to ionized transition of the intergalactic medium (IGM) taking place during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Recent studies have shown that reproducing the observed Lyman-α opacity distributions after overlap required a non-monotonous evolution of cosmic emissivity: rising, peaking at z∼6, and then decreasing onwards to z=4. Such an evolution is puzzling considering galaxy buildup and the cosmic star formation rate are still continously on the rise at these epochs. Here, we use new RAMSES-CUDATON simulations to show that such a peaked evolution may occur naturally in a fully coupled radiation-hydrodynamical framework. In our fiducial run, cosmic emissivity at z&gt;6 is dominated by a low mass (${\rm M_{DM}}&lt;2 \times 10^9 \rm M_{\odot }$), high escape fraction halo population, driving reionization, up to overlap. Approaching z=6, this population is radiatively suppressed due to the rising ionizing UV background, and its emissivity drops. In the meantime, the high mass halo population builds up and its emissivity rises, but not fast enough to compensate the dimming of the low mass haloes, because of low escape fractions. The combined ionizing emissivity of these two populations therefore naturally results in a rise and fall of the cosmic emissivity, from z=12 to z=4, with a peak at z∼6. An alternative run, which features higher escape fractions for the high mass haloes and later suppression at low mass, leads to overshooting the ionizing rate, over-ionizing the IGM and therefore too low Lyman-α opacities.

Evolution of the electron velocity distribution under the presence of whistler waves in the solar wind (high-cadence Solar Orbiter observations)

&lt;div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;The solar coronal plasma which escapes the Sun&amp;#8217;s gravity and expands through our solar system is called the solar wind. It consists mainly of electrons and protons, carries the Sun&amp;#8217;s magnetic field and, at most heliocentric distances, remains weakly-collisional. Due to their small mass, the solar wind electrons have much higher thermal velocity than their positively charged counterpart, and play an important role in the solar wind energetics by carrying the heat flux away from the Sun. Their velocity distribution functions (VDFs) are complex, usually modeled by three components. While the majority of electrons belong to the low-energetic thermal Maxwellian core population, some reach higher velocities, forming either the magnetic field aligned strahl population, or an isotropic high-energy halo population. This shape of the electron VDF is a product of the interplay between&lt;br&gt;Coulomb collisions, adiabatic expansion, global and local electro-magnetic fields and turbulence.&lt;br&gt;In this work we focus on the effects of local electro-magnetic wave activity on electron VDF, taking advantage of the early measurements made by the novel heliospheric Solar Orbiter mission. The high- cadence sampling of 2-dimensional electron VDFs by the electrostatic analyser SWA-EAS, together with the EM wave data collected by the seach-coil magnetometers and electric-field antennas, part of&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;the RPW instrument suit, allow a direct investigation of the wave-particle energy and momentum exchange. We present the evolution of the electron VDF in the presence of quasi-parallel and oblique whistler waves, believed to be responsible for scattering the strahl and creating the halo population (Verscharen et al. 2019; Micera et al. 2020).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;

Search for oblique Whistler waves using solar orbiter data

&lt;p&gt;Whistler waves are thought to play an important role on the evolution of the electron distribution function as a function of distance. In particular, oblique whistler waves may diffuse the Strahl electrons &amp;#160;into the halo population. &amp;#160;Using AC magnetic field from the RPW/SCM (search coil magnetometer) of Solar Orbiter, we search for the presence of oblique Whistler waves in the frequency range between 3 Hz and 128 Hz . &amp;#160;We perform a minimum variance analysis of the SCM data in combination with the MAG (magnetometer) data to determine the inclination of the waves with respect to the ambiant magnetic field. As the emphasis is placed on the search for oblique whistler, we also analyze the RPW electric field data and the evolution of the electron distribution function during these Whistler events.&lt;/p&gt;

How biased are halo properties in cosmological simulations?

ABSTRACT Cosmological N-body simulations have been a major tool of theorists for decades, yet many of the numerical issues that these simulations face are still unexplored. This paper measures numerical biases in these large, dark matter-only simulations that affect the properties of their dark matter haloes. We compare many simulation suites in order to provide several tools for simulators and analysts which help mitigate these biases. We summarize our comparisons with practical ‘convergence limits’ that can be applied to a wide range of halo properties, including halo properties which are traditionally overlooked by the testing literature. We also find that the halo properties predicted by different simulations can diverge from one another at unexpectedly high resolutions. We demonstrate that many halo properties depend strongly on force softening scale and that this dependence leads to much of the measured divergence between simulations. We offer an empirical model to estimate the impact of such effects on the rotation curves of a halo population. This model can serve as a template for future empirical models of the biases in other halo properties.

Characteristics of solar wind suprathermal halo electrons

A suprathermal halo population of electrons is ubiquitous in space plasmas, as evidence of their departure from thermal equilibrium even in the absence of anisotropies. The origin, properties, and implications of this population, however, are poorly known. We provide a comprehensive description of solar wind halo electrons in the ecliptic, contrasting their evolutions with heliospheric distance in the slow and fast wind streams. At relatively low distances less than 1 AU, the halo parameters show an anticorrelation with the solar wind speed, but this contrast decreases with increasing distance and may switch to a positive correlation beyond 1 AU. A less monotonic evolution is characteristic of the high-speed winds, in which halo electrons and their properties (e.g., number densities, temperature, plasma beta) exhibit a progressive enhancement already distinguishable at about 0.5 AU. At this point, magnetic focusing of electron strahls becomes weaker and may be counterbalanced by the interactions of electrons with wave fluctuations. This evolution of halo electrons between 0.5 AU and 3.0 AU in the fast winds complements previous results well, indicating a substantial reduction of the strahl and suggesting that significant fractions of strahl electrons and energy may be redistributed to the halo population. On the other hand, properties of halo electrons at low distances in the outer corona suggest a subcoronal origin and a direct implication in the overheating of coronal plasma via velocity filtration.

How galaxies populate haloes in very low-density environments

Context. Evidence shows that properties of dark matter haloes may vary with large-scale environment. Studying the halo occupation distribution in cosmic voids makes it possible to obtain useful information that can shed light on the subject. The history of the formation of the haloes and galaxies residing in these regions is likely to differ from the global behaviour given their extreme environment. Aims. Our goal is to characterise the halo occupation distribution in the interior of cosmic voids and compare with the general results to unveil the way galaxies populate haloes in simulated galaxy catalogues. Methods. We used two publicly accessible simulated galaxy catalogues constructed with different methods: a semi-analytical model and a hydrodynamic simulation. In both cases, we identified cosmic voids, and we measured the halo occupation distribution inside these regions for different absolute magnitude thresholds. We compared these determinations with the overall results, and we studied the dependence of different characteristics of the voids. We also analysed the stellar content and the formation time of the haloes inside voids and confronted the general halo population results. Results. Inside the voids, we find a significantly different halo occupation distribution with respect to the general results. This is present in all absolute magnitude ranges explored. We obtain no signs of variation related to void characteristics, indicating that the effects depend only on the density of the large-scale environment. Additionally, we find that the stellar-mass content also differs within voids that host haloes with less massive central galaxies (∼10%), as well as satellites with significantly lower stellar-mass content (∼30%). Finally, we find a slight difference between the formation times of the younger haloes in voids than the average population. These characteristics indicate that haloes populating voids have had a different formation history, inducing significant changes on the halo occupation distribution.

The Milky Way has no in-situ halo other than the heated thick disc

Previous studies based on the analysis of Gaia DR2 data have revealed that accreted stars, possibly originating from a single progenitor satellite, are a significant component of the halo of our Galaxy, potentially constituting most of the halo stars at [Fe/H] < −1 within a few kpc from the Sun and beyond. In this paper, we couple astrometric data from Gaia DR2 with elemental abundances from APOGEE DR14 to characterise the kinematics and chemistry of in-situ and accreted populations up to [Fe/H] ∼ −2. Accreted stars appear to significantly impact the galactic chemo–kinematic relations, not only at [Fe/H] < −1, but also at metallicities typical of the thick and metal-poor thin discs. They constitute about 60% of all stars at [Fe/H] < −1, the remaining 40% being made of (metal-weak) thick-disc stars. We find that the stellar kinematic fossil record shows the imprint left by this accretion event, which heated the old galactic disc. We are able to age-date this kinematic imprint, showing that the accretion occurred between nine and 11 Gyr ago, and that it led to the last significant heating of the galactic disc. An important fraction of stars with abundances typical of the (metal-rich) thick disc, and heated by this interaction, is now found in the galactic halo. Indeed, about half of the kinematically defined halo at few kpc from the Sun is composed of metal-rich thick-disc stars. Moreover, we suggest that this metal-rich thick-disc component dominates the stellar halo of the inner Galaxy. The new picture that emerges from this study is one where the standard, non-rotating in-situ halo population, the collapsed halo, seems to be more elusive than ever.

Carbon, oxygen, and iron abundances in disk and halo stars

The abundances of carbon, oxygen, and iron in late-type stars are important parameters in exoplanetary and stellar physics, as well as key tracers of stellar populations and Galactic chemical evolution. However, standard spectroscopic abundance analyses can be prone to severe systematic errors, based on the assumption that the stellar atmosphere is one-dimensional (1D) and hydrostatic, and by ignoring departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). In order to address this, we carried out three-dimensional (3D) non-LTE radiative transfer calculations for C I and O I, and 3D LTE radiative transfer calculations for Fe II, across the STAGGER-grid of 3D hydrodynamic model atmospheres. The absolute 3D non-LTE versus 1D LTE abundance corrections can be as severe as − 0.3 dex for C I lines in low-metallicity F dwarfs, and − 0.6 dex for O I lines in high-metallicity F dwarfs. The 3D LTE versus 1D LTE abundance corrections for Fe II lines are less severe, typically less than + 0.15 dex. We used the corrections in a re-analysis of carbon, oxygen, and iron in 187 F and G dwarfs in the Galactic disk and halo. Applying the differential 3D non-LTE corrections to 1D LTE abundances visibly reduces the scatter in the abundance plots. The thick disk and high-α halo population rise in carbon and oxygen with decreasing metallicity, and reach a maximum of [C/Fe] ≈ 0.2 and a plateau of [O/Fe] ≈ 0.6 at [Fe/H] ≈ −1.0. The low-α halo population is qualitatively similar, albeit offset towards lower metallicities and with larger scatter. Nevertheless, these populations overlap in the [C/O] versus [O/H] plane, decreasing to a plateau of [C/O] ≈ −0.6 below [O/H] ≈ −1.0. In the thin-disk, stars having confirmed planet detections tend to have higher values of C∕O at given [O/H]; this potential signature of planet formation is only apparent after applying the abundance corrections to the 1D LTE results. Our grids of line-by-line abundance corrections are publicly available and can be readily used to improve the accuracy of spectroscopic analyses of late-type stars.

The connection between halo concentrations and assembly histories: a probe of gravity?

ABSTRACT We use two high-resolution N-body simulations, one assuming general relativity (GR) and the other the Hu–Sawicki form of f(R) gravity with $\vert \bar{f}_{\mathrm{ R}} \vert = 10^{-6}$, to investigate the concentration–formation time relation of dark matter haloes. We assign haloes to logarithmically spaced mass bins, and fit median density profiles and extract median formation times in each bin. At fixed mass, haloes in modified gravity are more concentrated than those in GR, especially at low masses and low redshift, and do not follow the concentration–formation time relation seen in GR. We assess the sensitivity of the relation to how concentration and formation time are defined, as well as to the segregation of the halo population by the amount of gravitational screening. We find a clear difference between halo concentrations and assembly histories displayed in modified gravity and those in GR. Existing models for the mass–concentration–redshift relation that have gained success in cold and warm dark matter models require revision in f(R) gravity.