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1. 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. 

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2. Stellar Metallicities and Gradients in the Faint M31 Satellites Andromeda XVI and Andromeda XXVIII

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad76a2  

   Fu, Sal_Wanying; Weisz, Daniel_R; Starkenburg, Else; Martin, Nicolas; Collins, Michelle_L_M; Savino, Alessandro; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Côté, Patrick; Dolphin, Andrew_E; Longeard, Nicolas; et al (October 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present ∼300 stellar metallicity measurements in two faint M31 dwarf galaxies, Andromeda XVI (M_V= −7.5) and Andromeda XXVIII (M_V= –8.8), derived using metallicity-sensitive calcium H and K narrowband Hubble Space Telescope imaging. These are the first individual stellar metallicities in And XVI (95 stars). Our And XXVIII sample (191 stars) is a factor of ∼15 increase over literature metallicities. For And XVI, we measure $〈\mathrm{[Fe/H]}〉=-{2.17}_{-0.05}^{+0.05}$, ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{[Fe/H]}}={0.33}_{-0.07}^{+0.07}$, and ∇_[Fe/H]= −0.23 ± 0.15 dex $R_e^{-1}$. We find that And XVI is more metal-rich than Milky Way ultrafaint dwarf galaxies of similar luminosity, which may be a result of its unusually extended star formation history. For And XXVIII, we measure $〈\mathrm{[Fe/H]}〉=-{1.95}_{-0.04}^{+0.04}$, ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{[Fe/H]}}={0.34}_{-0.05}^{+0.05}$, and ∇_[Fe/H]= −0.46 ± 0.10 dex $R_e^{-1}$, placing it on the dwarf galaxy mass–metallicity relation. Neither galaxy has a metallicity distribution function (MDF) with an abrupt metal-rich truncation, suggesting that star formation fell off gradually. The stellar metallicity gradient measurements are among the first for faint (L≲ 10⁶L_⊙) galaxies outside the Milky Way halo. Both galaxies’ gradients are consistent with predictions from the FIRE simulations, where an age–gradient strength relationship is the observational consequence of stellar feedback that produces dark matter cores. We include a catalog for community spectroscopic follow-up, including 19 extremely metal-poor ([Fe/H] < –3.0) star candidates, which make up 7% of And XVI’s MDF and 6% of And XXVIII’s. 

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3. Measurement of off-shell Higgs boson production in the $H^{\ast }\to ZZ\to 4\ell$ decay channel using a neural simulation-based inference technique in 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/adcd9a  

   The_ATLAS_Collaboration (May 2025, Reports on Progress in Physics)

   Abstract A measurement of off-shell Higgs boson production in the $H^{\ast }\to ZZ\to 4\ell$decay channel is presented. The measurement uses 140 fb⁻¹of proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider and supersedes the previous result in this decay channel using the same dataset. The data analysis is performed using a neural simulation-based inference method, which builds per-event likelihood ratios using neural networks. The observed (expected) off-shell Higgs boson production signal strength in the $ZZ\to 4\ell$decay channel at 68% CL is ${0.87}_{-0.54}^{+0.75}$( ${1.00}_{-0.95}^{+1.04}$). The evidence for off-shell Higgs boson production using the $ZZ\to 4\ell$decay channel has an observed (expected) significance of 2.5σ(1.3σ). The expected result represents a significant improvement relative to that of the previous analysis of the same dataset, which obtained an expected significance of 0.5σ. When combined with the most recent ATLAS measurement in the $ZZ\to 2\ell 2\nu$decay channel, the evidence for off-shell Higgs boson production has an observed (expected) significance of 3.7σ(2.4σ). The off-shell measurements are combined with the measurement of on-shell Higgs boson production to obtain constraints on the Higgs boson total width. The observed (expected) value of the Higgs boson width at 68% CL is ${4.3}_{-1.9}^{+2.7}$( ${4.1}_{-3.4}^{+3.5}$) MeV. 

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4. Test of lepton flavor universality in ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ and ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-}$ decays in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{\text{s}}=\text{13}\text{TeV}$

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/ad4e65  

   CMS_Collaboration, The (July 2024, Reports on Progress in Physics)

   Abstract A test of lepton flavor universality in ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$and ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-}$decays, as well as a measurement of differential and integrated branching fractions of a nonresonant ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$decay are presented. The analysis is made possible by a dedicated data set of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$recorded in 2018, by the CMS experiment at the LHC, using a special high-rate data stream designed for collecting about 10 billion unbiased b hadron decays. The ratio of the branching fractions $B({\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-})$to $B({\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-})$is determined from the measured double ratio $R\left(\text{K}\right)$of these decays to the respective branching fractions of the ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to \text{J}/\text{ψ}{\text{K}}^{\pm }$with $\text{J}/\text{ψ}\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$and ${\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-}$decays, which allow for significant cancellation of systematic uncertainties. The ratio $R\left(\text{K}\right)$is measured in the range $1.1<q^2<6.0{\text{GeV}}^2$, whereqis the invariant mass of the lepton pair, and is found to be $R\left(\text{K}\right)={0.78}_{-0.23}^{+0.47}$, in agreement with the standard model expectation $R\left(\text{K}\right)\approx 1$. This measurement is limited by the statistical precision of the electron channel. The integrated branching fraction in the sameq²range, $B({\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-})=(12.42\pm 0.68)\times {10}^{-8}$, is consistent with the present world-average value and has a comparable precision. 

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5. COOL-LAMPS. VI. Lens Model and New Constraints on the Properties of COOL J1241+2219, a Bright z = 5 Lyman Break Galaxy and its z = 1 Cluster Lens

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad22de  

   Klein, Maxwell; Sharon, Keren; Napier, Kate; Gladders, Michael D; Khullar, Gourav; Bayliss, Matthew; Dahle, Håkon; Owens, M Riley; Stark, Antony; Brownsberger, Sasha; et al (February 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present a strong lensing analysis of COOL J1241+2219, the brightest known gravitationally lensed galaxy atz≥ 5, based on new multiband Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging data. The lensed galaxy has a redshift ofz= 5.043, placing it shortly after the end of the “Epoch of Reionization,” and an AB magnitudez_AB= 20.47 mag (Khullar et al.). As such, it serves as a touchstone for future research of that epoch. The high spatial resolution of HST reveals internal structure in the giant arc, from which we identify 15 constraints and construct a robust lens model. We use the lens model to extract the cluster mass and lensing magnification. We find that the mass enclosed within the Einstein radius of thez= 1.001 cluster lens is $M(<5.″77)={1.079}_{-0.007}^{+0.023}\times {10}^{13}{M}_{☉}$, significantly lower than other known strong lensing clusters at its redshift. The average magnification of the giant arc is 〈μ_arc〉 = ${76}_{-20}^{+40}$, a factor of ${2.4}_{-0.7}^{+1.4}$greater than previously estimated from ground-based data; the flux-weighted average magnification is 〈μ_arc〉 = ${92}_{-31}^{+37}$. We update the current measurements of the stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR) of the source for the revised magnification to $\log \left(M_{\star }/M_{\odot }\right)=$9.7 ± 0.3 and SFR = ${10.3}_{-4.4}^{+7.0}$M_⊙yr⁻¹, respectively. The powerful lensing magnification acting upon COOL J1241+2219 resolves the source and enables future studies of the properties of its star formation on a clump-by-clump basis. The lensing analysis presented here will support upcoming multiwavelength characterization with HST and JWST data of the stellar mass assembly and physical properties of this high-redshift lensed galaxy. 

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