More Like this

1. Characterizing the fundamental bending vibration of a linear polyatomic molecule for symmetry violation searches

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ace471  

   Jadbabaie, Arian; Takahashi, Yuiki; Pilgram, Nickolas H; Conn, Chandler J; Zeng, Yi; Zhang, Chi; Hutzler, Nicholas R (July 2023, New Journal of Physics)

   Abstract Polyatomic molecules have been identified as sensitive probes of charge-parity violating and parity violating physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). For example, many linear triatomic molecules are both laser-coolable and have parity doublets in the ground electronic $\tilde{X}{}^2{\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}\left(010\right)$state arising from the bending vibration, both features that can greatly aid BSM searches. Understanding the $\tilde{X}{}^2{\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}\left(010\right)$state is a crucial prerequisite to precision measurements with linear polyatomic molecules. Here, we characterize the fundamental bending vibration of ${}^{174}$YbOH using high-resolution optical spectroscopy on the nominally forbidden $\tilde{X}{}^2{\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}\left(010\right)$ $\to \tilde{A}{}^2{\mathrm{\Pi }}_{1/2}\left(000\right)$transition at 588 nm. We assign 39 transitions originating from the lowest rotational levels of the $\tilde{X}{}^2{\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}\left(010\right)$state, and accurately model the state’s structure with an effective Hamiltonian using best-fit parameters. Additionally, we perform Stark and Zeeman spectroscopy on the $\tilde{X}{}^2{\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}\left(010\right)$state and fit the molecule-frame dipole moment to $D_{\mathrm{m}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{l}}=2.16\left(1\right)$Dand the effective electrong-factor to $g_S=2.07\left(2\right)$. Further, we use an empirical model to explain observed anomalous line intensities in terms of interference from spin–orbit and vibronic perturbations in the excited $\tilde{A}{}^2{\mathrm{\Pi }}_{1/2}\left(000\right)$state. Our work is an essential step toward searches for BSM physics in YbOH and other linear polyatomic molecules. 

   more » « less
2. Stellar Metallicities and Gradients in the Isolated, Quenched Low-mass Galaxy Tucana

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad25ed  

   Fu, Sal Wanying; Weisz, Daniel R.; Starkenburg, Else; Martin, Nicolas; Mercado, Francisco J.; Savino, Alessandro; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Côté, Patrick; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Longeard, Nicolas; et al (April 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We measure the metallicities of 374 red giant branch (RGB) stars in the isolated, quenched dwarf galaxy Tucana using Hubble Space Telescope narrowband (F395N) calcium H and K imaging. Our sample is a factor of ∼7 larger than what is available from previous studies. Our main findings are as follows. (i) A global metallicity distribution function (MDF) with $〈\mathrm{[Fe/H]}〉=-{1.55}_{-0.04}^{+0.04}$and ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{[Fe/H]}}={0.54}_{-0.03}^{+0.03}$. (ii) A metallicity gradient of −0.54 ± 0.07 dex $R_e^{-1}$(−2.1 ± 0.3 dex kpc⁻¹) over the extent of our imaging (∼2.5R_e), which is steeper than literature measurements. Our finding is consistent with predicted gradients from the publicly available FIRE-2 simulations, in which bursty star formation creates stellar population gradients and dark matter cores. (iii) Tucana’s bifurcated RGB has distinct metallicities: a blue RGB with $〈\mathrm{[Fe/H]}〉=-{1.78}_{-0.06}^{+0.06}$and ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{[Fe/H]}}={0.44}_{-0.06}^{+0.07}$and a red RGB with $〈\mathrm{[Fe/H]}〉=-{1.08}_{-0.07}^{+0.07}$and ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{[Fe/H]}}={0.42}_{-0.06}^{+0.06}$. (iv) At fixed stellar mass, Tucana is more metal-rich than Milky Way satellites by ∼0.4 dex, but its blue RGB is chemically comparable to the satellites. Tucana’s MDF appears consistent with star-forming isolated dwarfs, though MDFs of the latter are not as well populated. (v) About 2% of Tucana’s stars have [Fe/H] < −3% and 20% have [Fe/H] > −1. We provide a catalog for community spectroscopic follow-up. 

   more » « less
3. The Pan-STARRS1 z > 5.6 Quasar Survey. III. The z ≈ 6 Quasar Luminosity Function

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aca7ca  

   Schindler, Jan-Torge; Bañados, Eduardo; Connor, Thomas; Decarli, Roberto; Fan, Xiaohui; Farina, Emanuele Paolo; Mazzucchelli, Chiara; Nanni, Riccardo; Rix, Hans-Walter; Stern, Daniel; et al (January 2023, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present thez≈ 6 type-1 quasar luminosity function (QLF), based on the Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) quasar survey. The PS1 sample includes 125 quasars atz≈ 5.7–6.2, with −28 ≲M₁₄₅₀≲ −25. With the addition of 48 fainter quasars from the SHELLQs survey, we evaluate thez≈ 6 QLF over −28 ≲M₁₄₅₀≲ −22. Adopting a double power law with an exponential evolution of the quasar density (Φ(z) ∝ 10^k(z−6);k= −0.7), we use a maximum likelihood method to model our data. We find a break magnitude of $M^{*}=-{26.38}_{-0.60}^{+0.79}\mathrm{mag}$, a faint-end slope of $\alpha =-{1.70}_{-0.19}^{+0.29}$, and a steep bright-end slope of $\beta =-{3.84}_{-1.21}^{+0.63}$. Based on our new QLF model, we determine the quasar comoving spatial density atz≈ 6 to be $n(M_{1450}<-26)={1.16}_{-0.12}^{+0.13}{\mathrm{cGpc}}^{-3}$. In comparison with the literature, we find the quasar density to evolve with a constant value ofk≈ −0.7, fromz≈ 7 toz≈ 4. Additionally, we derive an ionizing emissivity of ${ϵ}_{912}(z=6)={7.23}_{-1.02}^{+1.65}\times {10}^{22}\mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{Hz}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cMpc}}^{-3}$, based on the QLF measurement. Given standard assumptions, and the recent measurement of the mean free path by Becker et al. atz≈ 6, we calculate an Hiphotoionizing rate of Γ_{H I}(z= 6) ≈ 6 × 10⁻¹⁶s⁻¹, strongly disfavoring a dominant role of quasars in hydrogen reionization. 

   more » « less
4. The EDGE-CALIFA Survey: Spatially Resolved ¹³ CO(1–0) Observations and Variations in ¹² CO(1–0)/ ¹³ CO(1–0) in Nearby Galaxies on Kiloparsec Scales

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/acd840  

   Cao, Yixian; Wong, Tony; Bolatto, Alberto D; Leroy, Adam K; Rosolowsky, Erik; Utomo, Dyas; Sánchez, Sebastián F; Barrera-Ballesteros, Jorge K; Levy, Rebecca C; Colombo, Dario; et al (August 2023, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series)

   Abstract We present¹³CO(J= 1 → 0) observations for the EDGE-CALIFA survey, which is a mapping survey of 126 nearby galaxies at a typical spatial resolution of 1.5 kpc. Using detected¹²CO emission as a prior, we detect¹³CO in 41 galaxies via integrated line flux over the entire galaxy and in 30 galaxies via integrated line intensity in resolved synthesized beams. Incorporating our CO observations and optical IFU spectroscopy, we perform a systematic comparison between the line ratio ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}\equiv I{[}^{12}\mathrm{CO}(J=1\to 0)\left]/I{[}^{13}\mathrm{CO}\right(J=1\to 0\left)\right]$and the properties of the stars and ionized gas. Higher ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$values are found in interacting galaxies compared to those in noninteracting galaxies. The global ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$slightly increases with infrared colorF₆₀/F₁₀₀but appears insensitive to other host-galaxy properties such as morphology, stellar mass, or galaxy size. We also present azimuthally averaged ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$profiles for our sample up to a galactocentric radius of 0.4r₂₅(∼6 kpc), taking into account the¹³CO nondetections by spectral stacking. The radial profiles of ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$are quite flat across our sample. Within galactocentric distances of 0.2r₂₅, the azimuthally averaged ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$increases with the star formation rate. However, Spearman rank correlation tests show the azimuthally averaged ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$does not strongly correlate with any other gas or stellar properties in general, especially beyond 0.2r₂₅from the galaxy centers. Our findings suggest that in the complex environments in galaxy disks, ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$is not a sensitive tracer for ISM properties. Dynamical disturbances, like galaxy interactions or the presence of a bar, also have an overall impact on ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$, which further complicates the interpretations of ${\mathit{}}_{12/13}$variations. 

   more » « less
5. Resolved Measurements of the CO-to-H ₂ Conversion Factor in 37 Nearby Galaxies

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad23ed  

   Chiang_江, I-Da 宜達; Sandstrom, Karin M; Chastenet, Jérémy; Bolatto, Alberto D; Koch, Eric W; Leroy, Adam K; Sun_孙, Jiayi 嘉懿; Teng, Yu-Hsuan; Williams, Thomas G (March 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We measure the CO-to-H₂conversion factor (α_CO) in 37 galaxies at 2 kpc resolution, using the dust surface density inferred from far-infrared emission as a tracer of the gas surface density and assuming a constant dust-to-metal ratio. In total, we have ∼790 and ∼610 independent measurements ofα_COfor CO (2–1) and (1–0), respectively. The mean values forα_{CO (2–1)}andα_{CO (1–0)}are ${9.3}_{-5.4}^{+4.6}$and ${4.2}_{-2.0}^{+1.9}{M}_{\odot }{\mathrm{pc}}^{-2}{\left(\mathrm{K}\mathrm{km}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}\right)}^{-1}$, respectively. The CO-intensity-weighted mean is 5.69 forα_{CO (2–1)}and 3.33 forα_{CO (1–0)}. We examine howα_COscales with several physical quantities, e.g., the star formation rate (SFR), stellar mass, and dust-mass-weighted average interstellar radiation field strength ( $\overline{U}$). Among them, $\overline{U}$, Σ_SFR, and the integrated CO intensity (W_CO) have the strongest anticorrelation with spatially resolvedα_CO. We provide linear regression results toα_COfor all quantities tested. At galaxy-integrated scales, we observe significant correlations betweenα_COandW_CO, metallicity, $\overline{U}$, and Σ_SFR. We also find thatα_COin each galaxy decreases with the stellar mass surface density (Σ_⋆) in high-surface-density regions (Σ_⋆≥ 100M_⊙pc⁻²), following the power-law relations ${\alpha }_{\mathrm{CO}(2–1)}\propto {\mathrm{\Sigma }}_{\star }^{-0.5}$and ${\alpha }_{\mathrm{CO}(1–0)}\propto {\mathrm{\Sigma }}_{\star }^{-0.2}$. The power-law index is insensitive to the assumed dust-to-metal ratio. We interpret the decrease inα_COwith increasing Σ_⋆as a result of higher velocity dispersion compared to isolated, self-gravitating clouds due to the additional gravitational force from stellar sources, which leads to the reduction inα_CO. The decrease inα_COat high Σ_⋆is important for accurately assessing molecular gas content and star formation efficiency in the centers of galaxies, which bridge “Milky Way–like” to “starburst-like” conversion factors. 

   more » « less