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Institute of Astronomy

 

Exploring the interaction between the MW and LMC with a large sample of blue horizontal branch stars from the DESI survey

Wed, 23/07/2025 - 11:23
arXiv:2410.09149v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a Milky Way (MW) satellite that is massive enough to gravitationally attract the MW disc and inner halo, causing significant motion of the inner MW with respect to the outer halo. In this work, we probe this interaction by constructing a sample of 9,866 blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars with radial velocities from the DESI spectroscopic survey out to 120 kpc from the Galactic centre. This is the largest spectroscopic set of BHB stars in the literature to date, and it contains four times more stars with Galactocentric distances beyond 50 kpc than previous BHB catalogues. Using the DESI BHB sample combined with SDSS BHBs, we measure the bulk radial velocity of stars in the outer halo and observe that the velocity in the Southern Galactic hemisphere is different by 3.7$\sigma$ from the North. Modelling the projected velocity field shows that its dipole component is directed at a point 22 degrees away from the LMC along its orbit, which we interpret as the travel direction of the inner MW. The velocity field includes a monopole term that is -24 km/s, which we refer to as compression velocity. This velocity is significantly larger than predicted by the current models of the MW and LMC interaction. This work uses DESI data from its first two years of observations, but we expect that with upcoming DESI data releases, the sample of BHB stars will increase and our ability to measure the MW-LMC interaction will improve significantly.

Silicate mineralogy and bulk composition of exoplanetary material in polluted white dwarfs

Wed, 23/07/2025 - 11:10
arXiv:2507.16777v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: White dwarf planetary systems uniquely link the bulk elemental composition of exoplanetary material to the mineralogy as photospheric abundances can be compared to circumstellar dust mineralogy. This study re-examines Spitzer/IRS spectra of eight white dwarfs with both circumstellar dust and photospheric metals. All systems show 10$\mu$m silicate emission features consistent with a mixture of olivine and pyroxene silicates, with varying dominance. New Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet spectroscopic observations of two of these systems, GD56 and WD1150-153, reveal that both are accreting dry, rocky material. WD1150-153 is accreting material consistent with Bulk Earth, while GD56 is accreting core-rich material with an inferred core mass fraction of 0.59$^{+0.08}_{-0.09}$ (0.37$^{+0.08}_{-0.08}$ by mole). A comparison between the bulk elemental composition of the accreted planetary material and the dust mineralogy of the eight systems reveals a tentative correlation between the dominant silicate mineralogy and the Mg/Si ratio, indicating that the circumstellar and photospheric material are compositionally similar. This suggests that rapid and well-mixed accretion is occurring with minimal compositional alteration. Furthermore, new GGCHEM equilibrium chemistry models confirm that Mg-rich planetary material preferentially forms olivine-rich dust, highlighting the importance of equilibrium in planetary chemistry and that a host star or rock's Mg/Si can be used to predict whether its silicate mineralogy is olivine- or pyroxene-dominated, influencing its capacity to structurally store water, recycle key nutrients, and possibly habitability.

ChemZz I: Comparing Oxygen and Iron Abundance Patterns in the Milky Way, the Local Group and Cosmic Noon

Mon, 21/07/2025 - 09:06
arXiv:2507.14094v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Our understanding of the chemical evolution of galaxies has advanced through measurements from both distant galaxies across redshift, and our own Milky Way (MW). To form a comprehensive picture, it is essential to unify these constraints, placing them on a common scale and parlance and to understand their systematic differences. In this study, we homogenize oxygen and iron measurements from star-forming galaxies at Cosmic Noon ($z{\sim}2-3$) with resolved stellar abundances from the Local Group. The MW is divided into four components, assuming the outer halo is dominated by debris from the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE) progenitor. After converting all abundances to a common Solar scale, we identify clear $\alpha$- and iron-enhancement trends with mass in the $z{\sim}2-3$ galaxies and find good agreement between these galaxies and the MW high-$\alpha$ disc in [O/Fe] vs. [Fe/H]. We also find excellent agreement between the [O/Fe] trends seen in the MW high- and low-$\alpha$ discs with O-abundances seen in old and young planetary nebulae in M~31 respectively, supporting the existence of $\alpha$-bimodality in the inner regions of M~31. Finally, we use globular cluster ages to project the MW and GSE back in time to $z{\sim}3$ and find that their estimated mass, oxygen and iron abundances are strikingly consistent with the mass-metallicity relation of star-forming galaxies at $z{\sim}3$. In the future, increased transparency around the choice of Solar scale and abundance methodology will make combining chemical abundances easier -- contributing to a complete picture of the chemical evolution of all galaxies.

SpecDis: Value added distance catalogue for 4 million stars from DESI Year-1 data

Fri, 18/07/2025 - 10:08
arXiv:2503.02291v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: We present the SpecDis value added stellar distance catalog accompanying DESI DR1. SpecDis trains a feed-forward Neural Network (NN) with Gaia parallaxes and gets the distance estimates. To build up unbiased training sample, we do not apply selections on parallax error or signal-to-noise (S/N) of the stellar spectra, and instead we incorporate parallax error into the loss function. Moreover, we employ Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce the noise and dimensionality of stellar spectra. Validated by independent external samples of member stars with precise distances from globular clusters (GCs), dwarf galaxies, stellar streams, combined with blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars, we demonstrate that our distance measurements show no significant bias up to 100kpc, and are much more precise than Gaia parallax beyond 7kpc. The median distance uncertainties are 23%, 19%, 11% and 7% for S/N $<$ 20, 20 $\leq$ S/N$<$ 60, 60 $\leq$ S/N $<$ 100 and S/N $\geq$ 100. Selecting stars with $\log g<3.8$ and distance uncertainties smaller than 25%, we have more than 74,000 giant candidates within 50kpc to the Galactic center and 1,500 candidates beyond this distance. Additionally, we develop a Gaussian mixture model to identify unresolvable equal-mass binaries by modeling the discrepancy between the NN-predicted and the geometric absolute magnitudes from Gaia parallaxes and identify 120,000 equal-mass binary candidates. Our final catalog provides distances and distance uncertainties for $>$ 4 million stars, offering a valuable resource for Galactic astronomy.

On Hot Jupiters and Stellar Clustering: The Role of Host Star Demographics

Wed, 16/07/2025 - 11:41
arXiv:2507.11225v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The variation in hot Jupiter (HJ) occurrence across stellar environments holds clues as to the dominant formation channels of these extreme planets. Recent studies suggest HJ hosts preferentially reside in regions of high phase space density, possibly reflecting natal environmental conditions. These regions are kinematically cold (|v| < 40 km/s), prompting the alternative hypothesis that the correlation reflects an age bias: planetary systems in overdensities are systematically younger and therefore less likely to have undergone tidal inspiral and destruction. We test whether the apparent excess of HJs in phase space overdensities arises from differences in intrinsic host properties -- mass, metallicity, age -- which may correlate with phase space density or whether there is evidence for an additional environmental effect. We derive homogeneous estimates for the mass, metallicity, and age of planet-hosting stars using 2MASS and Gaia DR3 photometry, parallaxes, and self-consistent spectroscopic and spectrophotometric observables. In a sample of 2265 confirmed exoplanet hosts, we find a significant relative excess of HJs orbiting stars in overdense regions. However, we also find that overdensities preferentially host younger, more massive, and more metal-rich stars compared to underdensities. After correcting for these differences, either by detrending the phase space density against age or by matching host properties across subsamples, we find no significant differences in the HJ populations between over- and underdense regions. Our results suggest that the previously reported correlation between HJ occurrence and phase space density is driven by underlying differences in host star demographics rather than an intrinsic environmental effect.

The HOSTS Survey: Suspected variable dust emission and constraints on companions around {\theta} Boo

Tue, 15/07/2025 - 11:17
arXiv:2505.07585v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: During the HOSTS survey by the LBTI, an excess emission from the main sequence star {\theta} Boo (F7V spectral type, 14.5pc distance) was observed. This excess indicates the presence of exozodiacal dust near the habitable zone (HZ) of the star. Previous observations from Spitzer and Herschel showed no sign of outer cold dust within their respective detection limits. Additional nulling and high-contrast AO observations were taken to spatially constrain the dust distribution, search for variability, and directly image potential companions in the system. This study presents the results of these observations and provides an interpretation of the inner system's architecture. The star was observed using the LBTI's N'-band nulling mode during three epochs in 2017, 2018, and 2023. The dust distribution is modeled and constrained for each epoch using the standard LBTI nulling pipeline, assuming a vertically thin disk with a face-on inclination. In addition, high-contrast AO observations are performed in the L'-band and H-band to constrain the presence of substellar companions around the star. Several solutions are found for the dust distribution, and for each epoch. However, the LBTI nulling observations are not able to discriminate between them. Using the upper limits from previous observations, we constrain the representative size of the dust grains around 3-5$\mu$m. A tentative increase in dust brightness is also measured at the Earth-equivalent insolation distance between 2017 and 2023. Several options are considered to explain the origin of the observed dust and its variability, but no clear sources could be identified from the current observations. Partly because our high-contrast AO observations could only constrain the presence of companions down to $11M_\text{Jup}$ at 1.3" separation.

Star formation and accretion rates within 500 pc as traced by Gaia DR3 XP spectra

Wed, 09/07/2025 - 16:29
arXiv:2505.04699v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Accretion rates from protoplanetary disks onto forming stars are a key ingredient in star formation and protoplanetary disk evolution. Extensive efforts surveying individual star forming regions with spectroscopy and narrow-band photometry have been performed to derive accretion rates on large populations of young stellar objects (YSOs). We use Gaia DR3 XP spectra to perform the first all-sky homogeneous analysis of YSO accretion within 500 pc. We characterise the H$\alpha$ line emission of YSOs by using the H$\alpha$ pseudo-equivalent widths and XP spectra from Gaia DR3. We derive accretion luminosities, mass accretion rates and stellar parameters for 145 975 candidate YSO H$\alpha$ emitters all-sky. We describe filtering strategies to select specific sub-samples of YSOs from this catalogue. We identify a large population of low-accreting YSO candidates untraced by previous surveys. The population of low accreting YSOs is mostly spatially dispersed, away from star forming regions or more clustered environments of star formation. Many YSOs appear disconnected from young populations, reminiscent of 'Peter Pan' YSOs. We find $L_{acc}\propto L_\star^{1.41\pm0.02}$ and $\dot M_{acc}\propto M_\star^{2.4\pm0.1}$ for the purest all-sky sample of YSO candidates. By fitting an exponential to the fraction of accreting stars in clusters of different ages in the Sco-Cen complex, we obtain an accretion timescale of 2.7$\pm$0.4 Myr. The percentage of accretors found by fitting a power-law is 70% at 2 Myr and 2.8% at 10 Myr. With this new catalogue of H$\alpha$ emitters we significantly increase the number of YSO candidates with accretion rate estimations in the local neighbourhood. This allows us to study accretion timescales and the spatial and physical properties of YSO accretion from a large, all-sky, and homogeneous sample for the first time. [abridged]

The landscape of binary core-collapse supernova progenitors and the late emergence of Wolf-Rayet winds

Thu, 03/07/2025 - 11:57
arXiv:2503.01993v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The majority of core-collapse supernova (CCSN) progenitors are massive stars in multiple systems, and their evolution and final fate are affected by interactions with their companions. These interactions can explain the presence of circumstellar material in many CCSNe, and the inferred low mass in stripped-envelope supernova progenitors. Through binary interactions, stars can gain mass, lose mass, or merge, impacting their final properties. Specific sub-types of binary interaction products have been investigated but few detailed full population models exist. Using thousands of detailed simulations with updated prescriptions for binary interactions and winds at Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds metallicities, we follow the evolution of single massive stars, primaries in interacting binaries and coalescence products following common envelope evolution. We also follow the evolution of the surviving secondary star, with a compact companion formed from the evolutionary end of the primary star or alone if the system was disrupted in the first supernova. The endpoints of our simulations map the rich landscape of CCSN progenitors, and provide detailed mass-loss history and progenitor structures. We identify an important evolutionary phase for stripped-envelope supernova progenitors, in which the wind mass-loss rate of stars stripped by binary interaction rapidly increases in their final evolutionary stages, after core helium burning. These strong winds would give rise to a Wolf-Rayet (WR) spectral appearance, though only for a few millennia, in contrast to hundreds of millennia for their more massive WR counterparts. Such lightweight WR stars in binaries can account for observed properties of type Ib/c supernovae.

Sifting for a Stream: The Morphology of the $300S$ Stellar Stream

Fri, 27/06/2025 - 12:04
arXiv:2506.21410v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Stellar streams are sensitive laboratories for understanding the small-scale structure in our Galaxy's gravitational field. Here, we analyze the morphology of the $300S$ stellar stream, which has an eccentric, retrograde orbit and thus could be an especially powerful probe of both baryonic and dark substructures within the Milky Way. Due to extensive background contamination from the Sagittarius stream (Sgr), we perform an analysis combining Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey photometry, $\textit{Gaia}$ DR3 proper motions, and spectroscopy from the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey ($\textit{S}^5$). We redetermine the stream coordinate system and distance gradient, then apply two approaches to describe $300S$'s morphology. In the first, we analyze stars from $\textit{Gaia}$ using proper motions to remove Sgr. In the second, we generate a simultaneous model of $300S$ and Sgr based purely on photometric information. Both approaches agree within their respective domains and describe the stream over a region spanning $33^\circ$. Overall, $300S$ has three well-defined density peaks and smooth variations in stream width. Furthermore, $300S$ has a possible gap of $\sim 4.7^\circ$ and a kink. Dynamical modeling of the kink implies that $300S$ was dramatically influenced by the Large Magellanic Cloud. This is the first model of $300S$'s morphology across its entire known footprint, opening the door for deeper analysis to constrain the structures of the Milky Way.

Discovery of Volatile Gas in the Giant Impact Disk around the 150-Myr old HD 23514

Fri, 27/06/2025 - 12:03
arXiv:2506.20919v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We report the discovery of CO$_2$ gas emission around HD 23514, an F5V star in the $\sim$150 Myr-old Pleiades cluster, hosting one of the rare giant-impact disks with unique mineralogy dominated by silica dust. We show that the dust feature remains stable over several decades, and that the sub-$\mu$m grains, which give rise to the $\sim$9 $\mu$m feature, are co-spatial with the hot CO$_2$ molecules within the sub-au vicinity of the star. Examining the Spitzer spectrum taken 15 years earlier, we show that the CO$_2$ emission was also present at 4.3 $\sigma$ significance. The existence of tiny silica grains and volatile gas requires special conditions to prevent the rapid loss caused by stellar radiation pressure and photodissociation. We explore several pathways explaining the observed properties and suggest that a past giant impact and/or stripping atmospheric event, involving large bodies with volatile content similar to the carbonaceous chondritic material, can simultaneously explain both the silica and volatile emission. Our discovery provides an important context for the amount of volatiles that a newly formed planet or the largest planetesimals could retain during the giant impact phase in the early solar system evolution.

Studying stellar populations in Omega Centauri with phylogenetics

Wed, 25/06/2025 - 10:10
arXiv:2504.01813v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The nature and formation history of our Galaxy's largest and most enigmatic stellar cluster, known as Omega Centauri (ocen) remains debated. Here, we offer a novel approach to disentangling the complex stellar populations within ocen based on phylogenetics methodologies from evolutionary biology. These include the Gaussian Mixture Model and Neighbor-Joining clustering algorithms applied to a set of chemical abundances of ocen stellar members. Instead of using the classical approach in astronomy of grouping them into separate populations, we focused on how the stars are related to each other. In this way, we could identify stars that likely formed in globular clusters versus those originating from prolonged in-situ star formation and how these stars interconnect. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that ocen might be a nuclear star cluster of a galaxy accreted by the Milky Way with a mass of about 10^9M_sun. Furthermore, we revealed the existence of a previously unidentified in-situ stellar population with a distinct chemical pattern unlike any known population found in the Milky Way to date. Our analysis of ocen is an example of the success of cross-disciplinary research and shows the vast potential of applying evolutionary biology tools to astronomical datasets, opening new avenues for understanding the chemical evolution of complex stellar systems.

Radio bursts reveal universe’s ‘missing matter’

Fri, 20/06/2025 - 11:52
Science, Volume 388, Issue 6753, Page 1250-1251, June 2025.

Stellar distributions around supermassive black holes in gas-rich nuclear star clusters

Thu, 05/06/2025 - 10:09
arXiv:2506.04229v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We study the stellar distribution around supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in gas-rich nuclear star clusters (NSCs). NSCs could contain vast amounts of gas, which contribute significantly to shaping the stellar distribution, typically altering the stellar density cusp from the usual Bahcall \& Wolf 1976 solution and consequently affecting the dynamics in the NSC. The dense gaseous environment in NSCs gives rise to dynamical phenomena that are otherwise rare in other gas-free environments. Here we extend the derivation introduced in Bahcall \& Wolf 1976 to include an additional energy dissipation term associated with gas drag. We examine the effect of different forms of gas drag on the stellar density distribution. Finally, we discuss implications on the rates of tidal disruption events and other transients triggered by stellar interactions in gas-rich galactic nuclei.

Large Cold Dust Reservoir Revealed in Transitional SN Ib 2014C by James Webb Space Telescope Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy

Thu, 05/06/2025 - 09:57
arXiv:2504.14009v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Supernova (SN) 2014C is a rare transitional event that exploded as a hydrogen-poor, helium-rich Type Ib SN and subsequently interacted with a hydrogen-rich circumstellar medium (CSM) a few months post-explosion. This unique interacting object provides an opportunity to probe the mass-loss history of a stripped-envelope SN progenitor. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), we observed SN 2014C with the Mid-Infrared Instrument Medium Resolution Spectrometer at 3477 days post-explosion (rest frame), and the Near-Infrared Spectrograph Integral Field Unit at 3568 days post-explosion, covering 1.7 to 25 $\mu$m. The bolometric luminosity indicates that the SN is still interacting with the same CSM that was observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope 40--1920 days post-explosion. JWST spectra and near-contemporaneous optical and near-infrared spectra show strong [Ne II] 12.831 $\mu$m, He 1.083 $\mu$m, H$\alpha$, and forbidden oxygen ([O I] $\lambda$$\lambda$6300, 6364, [O II] $\lambda$$\lambda$7319, 7330, and [O III] $\lambda$$\lambda$4959, 5007) emission lines with asymmetric profiles, suggesting a highly asymmetric CSM. The mid-IR continuum can be explained by ~$0.036 \ M_\odot$ of carbonaceous dust at ~300 K and ~0.043 $M_\odot$ of silicate dust at ~200 K. The observed dust mass has increased tenfold since the last Spitzer observation 4 yr ago, with evidence suggesting that new grains have condensed in the cold dense shell between the forward and reverse shocks. This dust mass places SN 2014C among the dustiest SNe in the mid-IR and supports the emerging observational trend that SN explosions produce enough dust to explain the observed dust mass at high redshifts.

Gas meets Kozai: the influence of a gas-rich accretion disc on hierarchical triples undergoing von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai oscillations

Mon, 02/06/2025 - 10:26
arXiv:2505.23889v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) consist of a central supermassive black hole (SMBH) embedded in a region with both high gas and stellar densities: the gas is present as a thin accretion disc that fuels the central SMBH, while the stars form a dense, roughly isotropic nuclear star cluster. The binaries present in such a cluster could be considered naturally as triples, with the SMBH as a third object, and their dynamics also depend on the interaction with the gas-rich disc. In this paper, we study the evolution of such a binary on an inclined orbit with respect to the disc. The binary experiences both eccentricity excitation via the von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai (ZLK) effect and drag forces from each time it penetrates the disc. We find that, as the outer orbital inclination decreases, the evolution of inner orbital separation can transition from a regime of gradual hardening to a regime of rapid softening. As such binaries grow wider, their minimum pericentre distances (during ZLK oscillations) decrease. We show that a simple geometric condition, modulated by the complex ZLK evolution, dictates whether a binary expands or contracts due to the interactions with the AGN disc. Our results suggest that the interaction with gas-rich accretion disc could enhance the rate of stellar mergers and formation of gravitational wave sources, as well as other transients. The treatment introduced here is general and could apply, with the proper modifications, to hierarchical triples in other gas-rich systems.

Euclid: Early Release Observations of ram-pressure stripping in the Perseus cluster. Detection of parsec scale star formation with in the low surface brightness stripped tails of UGC 2665 and MCG +07-07-070

Fri, 30/05/2025 - 10:32
arXiv:2505.23342v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Euclid is delivering optical and near-infrared imaging data over 14,000 deg$^2$ on the sky at spatial resolution and surface brightness levels that can be used to understand the morphological transformation of galaxies within groups and clusters. Using the Early Release Observations (ERO) of the Perseus cluster, we demonstrate the capability offered by Euclid in studying the nature of perturbations for galaxies in clusters. Filamentary structures are observed along the discs of two spiral galaxies with no extended diffuse emission expected from tidal interactions at surface brightness levels of $\sim$ $30\,{\rm mag}\,{\rm arcsec}^{-2}$. The detected features exhibit a good correspondence in morphology between optical and near-infrared wavelengths, with a surface brightness of $\sim$ $25\,{\rm mag}\,{\rm arcsec}^{-2}$, and the knots within the features have sizes of $\sim$ 100 pc, as observed through $I_E$ imaging. Using the Euclid, CFHT, UVIT, and LOFAR $144\,{\rm MHz}$ radio continuum observations, we conduct a detailed analysis to understand the origin of the detected features. We constructed the \textit{Euclid} $I_E-Y_E$, $Y_E-H_E$, and CFHT $u - r$, $g - i$ colour-colour plane and showed that these features contain recent star formation events, which are also indicated by their H$\alpha$ and NUV emissions. Euclid colours alone are insufficient for studying stellar population ages in unresolved star-forming regions, which require multi-wavelength optical imaging data. The morphological shape, orientation, and mean age of the stellar population, combined with the presence of extended radio continuum cometary tails can be consistently explained if these features have been formed during a recent ram-pressure stripping event. This result further confirms the exceptional qualities of Euclid in the study of galaxy evolution in dense environments.

How probable is the Lyman-$\alpha$ damping wing in the spectrum of the redshift z = 5.9896 quasar ULAS J0148+0600?

Thu, 29/05/2025 - 10:19
arXiv:2502.03085v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The shape of the Ly-$\alpha$ transmission in the near zone of the redshift $z=5.9896$ quasar ULAS J0148$+$0600 (hereafter J0148) is consistent with a damping wing arising from an extended neutral hydrogen island in the diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM). Here we use simulations of late-ending reionisation from Sherwood-Relics to assess the expected incidence of quasars with Ly-$\alpha$ and Ly-$\beta$ absorption similar to the observed J0148 spectrum. We find a late end to reionisation at $z=5.3$ is a necessary requirement for reproducing a Ly-$\alpha$ damping wing consistent with J0148. This occurs in $\sim3$ per cent of our simulated spectra for an IGM neutral fraction $\langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle=0.14$ at $z=6$. However, using standard assumptions for the ionising photon output of J0148, the a priori probability of drawing a simulated quasar spectrum with a Ly-$\alpha$ damping wing profile and Ly-$\alpha$ near zone size that simultaneously match J0148 is very low, $p<10^{-3}$. We speculate this is because the ionising emission from J0148 is variable on timescales $t<10^{5}\rm\,yr$, or alternatively that the Ly-$\alpha$ transmission in the J0148 near zone is impacted by the transverse proximity effect from nearby star-forming galaxies or undetected quasars. We also predict the IGM temperature should be $T\sim 4\times 10^{4}\rm\,K$ within a few proper Mpc of the Ly-$\alpha$ near zone edge due to recent HI and HeII photo-heating. Evidence for enhanced thermal broadening in the Ly-$\alpha$ absorption near the damping wing edge would provide further evidence that the final stages of reionisation are occurring at $z<6$.

DESI Data Release 1: Stellar Catalogue

Fri, 23/05/2025 - 11:34
arXiv:2505.14787v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: In this paper we present the stellar Value-Added Catalogue (VAC) based on the DESI Data Release 1. This VAC contains stellar parameter, abundance and radial velocity measurements for more than 4 million stars. It also contains, for the first time, measurements from individual epochs for more than a million stars with at least two observations. The main contribution to the catalogue comes from the bright program of the main survey, which includes $\sim $2.5 million stars, and the backup program, which includes $\sim $ 1 million stars. The combined magnitude range for the stars in the catalogue extends from Gaia G $\sim 12$ to G $\sim 21$. For the magnitude range $17.5

DESI Data Release 1: Stellar Catalogue

Thu, 22/05/2025 - 11:37
arXiv:2505.14787v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: In this paper we present the stellar Value-Added Catalogue (VAC) based on the DESI Data Release 1. This VAC contains stellar parameter, abundance and radial velocity measurements for more than 4 million stars. It also contains, for the first time, measurements from individual epochs for more than a million stars with at least two observations. The main contribution to the catalogue comes from the bright program of the main survey, which includes $\sim $2.5 million stars, and the backup program, which includes $\sim $ 1 million stars. The combined magnitude range for the stars in the catalogue extends from Gaia G $\sim 12$ to G $\sim 21$. For the magnitude range $17.5

Nearby stellar substructures in the Galactic halo from DESI Milky Way Survey Year 1 Data Release

Tue, 20/05/2025 - 10:36
arXiv:2504.20327v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: We report five nearby ($d_{\mathrm{helio}} < 5$ kpc) stellar substructures in the Galactic halo from a subset of 138,661 stars in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Milky Way Survey Year 1 Data Release. With an unsupervised clustering algorithm, HDBSCAN*, these substructures are independently identified in Integrals of Motion ($E_{\mathrm{tot}}$, $L_{\mathrm z}$, $\log{J_r}$, $\log{J_z}$) space and Galactocentric cylindrical velocity space ($V_{R}$, $V_{\phi}$, $V_{z}$). We associate all identified clusters with known nearby substructures (Helmi streams, M18-Cand10/MMH-1, Sequoia, Antaeus, and ED-2) previously reported in various studies. With metallicities precisely measured by DESI, we confirm that the Helmi streams, M18-Cand10, and ED-2 are chemically distinct from local halo stars. We have characterised the chemodynamic properties of each dynamic group, including their metallicity dispersions, to associate them with their progenitor types (globular cluster or dwarf galaxy). Our approach for searching substructures with HDBSCAN* reliably detects real substructures in the Galactic halo, suggesting that applying the same method can lead to the discovery of new substructures in future DESI data. With more stars from future DESI data releases and improved astrometry from the upcoming Gaia Data Release 4, we will have a more detailed blueprint of the Galactic halo, offering a significant improvement in our understanding of the formation and evolutionary history of the Milky Way Galaxy.