| 1. |
- Misdariis, N., et al.
(författare)
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Sound experts’ perspectives on astronomy sonification projects
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3366. ; 6:11, s. 1249-1255
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Audible Universe project aims to create dialogue between two scientific domains investigating two distinct research objects: stars and sound. It has been instantiated within a collaborative workshop that began to mutually acculturate the two communities, by sharing and transmitting respective knowledge, skills and practices. One main outcome of this exchange was a global view on the astronomical data sonification paradigm for observing the diversity of tools, uses and users (including visually impaired people), but also the current limitations and potential methods of improvement. From this viewpoint, here we present basic elements gathered and contextualized by sound experts in their respective fields (sound perception/cognition, sound design, psychoacoustics, experimental psychology), to anchor sonification for astronomy in a more well informed, methodological and creative process.
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| 2. |
- Lara Avila, Samuel, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Towards quantum-limited coherent detection of terahertz waves in charge-neutral graphene
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 3:11, s. 983-988
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Spectacular advances in heterodyne astronomy1,2 have been largely due to breakthroughs in detector technology3. To exploit the full capacity of future terahertz (∼300 GHz–5 THz) telescope space missions4, new concepts of terahertz coherent receivers are needed, providing larger bandwidths and imaging capabilities with multipixel focal plane heterodyne arrays5. Here we show that graphene uniformly doped to the Dirac point, with material resistance dominated by quantum localization and thermal relaxation governed by electron diffusion, enables highly sensitive and wideband coherent detection of signals from 90 to 700 GHz and, prospectively, across the entire terahertz range. We measure on proof-of-concept graphene bolometric mixers an electron diffusion-limited gain bandwidth of 8 GHz (corresponding to a Doppler shift of 480 km s−1 at 5 THz) and intrinsic mixer noise temperature of 475 K (which would be equivalent to ~2 hν/kB at ν = 5 THz), limited by the residual thermal background in our setup. An optimized device will result in a mixer noise temperature as low as 36 K, with the gain bandwidth exceeding 20 GHz, and a local oscillator power of <100 pW. In conjunction with the emerging quantum-limited amplifiers at the intermediate frequency6,7, our approach promises quantum-limited sensing in the terahertz domain, potentially surpassing superconducting technologies, particularly for large heterodyne arrays
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| 3. |
- De Marco, O., et al.
(författare)
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The messy death of a multiple star system and the resulting planetary nebula as observed by JWST
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 6:12, s. 1421-1432
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Planetary nebulae—the ejected envelopes of red giant stars—provide us with a history of the last, mass-losing phases of 90% of stars initially more massive than the Sun. Here we analyse images of the planetary nebula NGC 3132 from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Observations. A structured, extended hydrogen halo surrounding an ionized central bubble is imprinted with spiral structures, probably shaped by a low-mass companion orbiting the central star at about 40–60 au. The images also reveal a mid-infrared excess at the central star, interpreted as a dusty disk, which is indicative of an interaction with another closer companion. Including the previously known A-type visual companion, the progenitor of the NGC 3132 planetary nebula must have been at least a stellar quartet. The JWST images allow us to generate a model of the illumination, ionization and hydrodynamics of the molecular halo, demonstrating the power of JWST to investigate complex stellar outflows. Furthermore, new measurements of the A-type visual companion allow us to derive the value for the mass of the progenitor of a central star with excellent precision: 2.86 ± 0.06 M⊙. These results serve as pathfinders for future JWST observations of planetary nebulae, providing unique insight into fundamental astrophysical processes including colliding winds and binary star interactions, with implications for supernovae and gravitational-wave systems.
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| 4. |
- Decin, L., et al.
(författare)
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Reduction of the maximum mass-loss rate of OH/IR stars due to unnoticed binary interaction
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 3:5, s. 408-415
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- © 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. In 1981, the idea of a superwind that ends the life of cool giant stars was proposed 1 . Extreme oxygen-rich giants, OH/IR stars, develop superwinds with the highest mass-loss rates known so far, up to a few 10 −4 solar masses (M ⊙ ) per year 2–12 , informing our understanding of the maximum mass-loss rate achieved during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. A conundrum arises whereby the observationally determined duration of the superwind phase is too short for these stars to lose enough mass to become white dwarfs 2–4,6,8–10 . Here we report on the detection of spiral structures around two cornerstone extreme OH/IR stars, OH 26.5 + 0.6 and OH 30.1 − 0.7, thereby identifying them as wide binary systems. Hydrodynamic simulations show that the companion’s gravitational attraction creates an equatorial density enhancement mimicking a short, extreme superwind phase, thereby solving the decades-old conundrum. This discovery restricts the maximum mass-loss rate of AGB stars to around the single-scattering radiation pressure limit of a few 10 −5 M ⊙ yr −1 . This has crucial implications for nucleosynthetic yields, planet survival and the wind-driving mechanism.
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| 5. |
- Henshaw, Jonathan D., et al.
(författare)
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Ubiquitous velocity fluctuations throughout the molecular interstellar medium
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 4:11, s. 1064-1071
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The density structure of the interstellar medium determines where stars form and release energy, momentum and heavy elements, driving galaxy evolution1–4. Density variations are seeded and amplified by gas motion, but the exact nature of this motion is unknown across spatial scales and galactic environments5. Although dense star-forming gas probably emerges from a combination of instabilities6,7, convergent flows8 and turbulence9, establishing the precise origin is challenging because it requires gas motion to be quantified over many orders of magnitude in spatial scale. Here we measure10–12 the motion of molecular gas in the Milky Way and in nearby galaxy NGC 4321, assembling observations that span a spatial dynamic range 10−1–103 pc. We detect ubiquitous velocity fluctuations across all spatial scales and galactic environments. Statistical analysis of these fluctuations indicates how star-forming gas is assembled. We discover oscillatory gas flows with wavelengths ranging from 0.3–400 pc. These flows are coupled to regularly spaced density enhancements that probably form via gravitational instabilities13,14. We also identify stochastic and scale-free velocity and density fluctuations, consistent with the structure generated in turbulent flows9. Our results demonstrate that the structure of the interstellar medium cannot be considered in isolation. Instead, its formation and evolution are controlled by nested, interdependent flows of matter covering many orders of magnitude in spatial scale.
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| 6. |
- Mi, Wujun, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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A stacked prism lens concept for next-generation hard X-ray telescopes
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - United Kingdom : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Effective collecting area, angular resolution, field of view and energy response are fundamental attributes of X-ray telescopes. The performance of state-of-the-art telescopes is currently restricted by Wolter optics, especially for hard X-rays. Here we report the development of a stacked prism lens (SPL), which is lightweight and modular and has the potential for a significant improvement in effective area, while retaining high angular resolution. The proposed optics are built by stacking disks embedded with prismatic rings, created with photoresist by focused ultraviolet lithography. We demonstrate the SPL approach using a prototype lens that was manufactured and characterized at a synchrotron radiation facility. The design of a potential satellite-borne X-ray telescope is outlined and the performance is compared with contemporary missions.
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| 7. |
- Serrano, L. M., et al.
(författare)
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A low-eccentricity migration pathway for a 13-h-period Earth analogue in a four-planet system
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 6:6, s. 736-750
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is commonly accepted that exoplanets with orbital periods shorter than one day, also known as ultra-short-period (USP) planets, formed further out within their natal protoplanetary disks before migrating to their current-day orbits via dynamical interactions. One of the most accepted theories suggests a violent scenario involving high-eccentricity migration followed by tidal circularization. Here we present the discovery of a four-planet system orbiting the bright (V = 10.5) K6 dwarf star TOI-500. The innermost planet is a transiting, Earth-sized USP planet with an orbital period of ~13 hours, a mass of 1.42 ± 0.18 M⊕, a radius of 1.166−0.058+0.061R⊕ and a mean density of 4.89−0.88+1.03gcm−3. Via Doppler spectroscopy, we discovered that the system hosts 3 outer planets on nearly circular orbits with periods of 6.6, 26.2 and 61.3 days and minimum masses of 5.03 ± 0.41 M⊕, 33.12 ± 0.88 M⊕ and 15.05−1.11+1.12M⊕, respectively. The presence of both a USP planet and a low-mass object on a 6.6-day orbit indicates that the architecture of this system can be explained via a scenario in which the planets started on low-eccentricity orbits then moved inwards through a quasi-static secular migration. Our numerical simulations show that this migration channel can bring TOI-500 b to its current location in 2 Gyr, starting from an initial orbit of 0.02 au. TOI-500 is the first four-planet system known to host a USP Earth analogue whose current architecture can be explained via a non-violent migration scenario.
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