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  1. Abstract

    Accretion signatures from bound brown dwarf and protoplanetary companions provide evidence for ongoing planet formation, and accreting substellar objects have enabled new avenues to study the astrophysical mechanisms controlling the formation and accretion processes. Delorme 1 (AB)b, a ∼30–45 Myr circumbinary planetary-mass companion, was recently discovered to exhibit strong Hαemission. This suggests ongoing accretion from a circumplanetary disk, somewhat surprising given canonical gas disk dispersal timescales of 5–10 Myr. Here, we present the first NIR detection of accretion from the companion in Paβ, Paγ, and Brγemission lines from SOAR/TripleSpec 4.1, confirming and further informing its accreting nature. The companion shows strong line emission, withLline≈ 1–6 × 10−8Lacross lines and epochs, while the binary host system shows no NIR hydrogen line emission (Lline< 0.32–11 × 10−7L). Observed NIR hydrogen line ratios are more consistent with a planetary accretion shock than with local line excitation models commonly used to interpret stellar magnetospheric accretion. Using planetary accretion shock models, we derive mass accretion rate estimates ofṀpla3–4 × 10−8MJyr−1, somewhat higher than expected under the standard star formation paradigm. Delorme 1 (AB)b’s high accretion rate is perhaps more consistent with formation via disk fragmentation. Delorme 1 (AB)b is the first protoplanet candidate with clear (signal-to-noise ratio ∼5) NIR hydrogen line emission.

     
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  2. Abstract Magnetospheric accretion models predict that matter from protoplanetary disks accretes onto stars via funnel flows, which follow stellar magnetic field lines and shock on the stellar surfaces 1–3 , leaving hot spots with density gradients 4–6 . Previous work has provided observational evidence of varying density in hot spots 7 , but these observations were not sensitive to the radial density distribution. Attempts have been made to measure this distribution using X-ray observations 8–10 ; however, X-ray emission traces only a fraction of the hot spot 11,12 and also coronal emission 13,14 . Here we report periodic ultraviolet and optical light curves of the accreting star GM Aurigae, which have a time lag of about one day between their peaks. The periodicity arises because the source of the ultraviolet and optical emission moves into and out of view as it rotates along with the star. The time lag indicates a difference in the spatial distribution of ultraviolet and optical brightness over the stellar surface. Within the framework of a magnetospheric accretion model, this finding indicates the presence of a radial density gradient in a hot spot on the stellar surface, because regions of the hot spot with different densities have different temperatures and therefore emit radiation at different wavelengths. 
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  3. Evaluating the effects of a change to one aspect of the modern urban environment requires knowledge about other parts and how they are interconnected. Thus, integrated simulations of many parts of the entire urban ecosystem are needed to create and evaluate the effects of policies. Many existing models target a single urban system - land use models, transportation models, water system models, etc. - however coupling them to create interconnected systems often requires great effort and resources. In this work we propose a common object model for integrated transportation and land use models (ITLUMs) using the High Level Architecture Standard (IEEE 1516) (IEEE 2010). This object model is the first step in a longer term effort to develop new simulation models that can be readily integrated through common data abstractions. Finally, the proposed object model is designed to be extendable to capture the elements from other models of the urban environment. 
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