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  1. Abstract

    Supernova (SN) 1987A is the nearest supernova in ∼400 yr. Using the JWST MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrograph, we spatially resolved the ejecta, equatorial ring (ER), and outer rings in the mid-infrared 12,927 days (35.4 yr) after the explosion. The spectra are rich in line and dust continuum emission, both in the ejecta and the ring. The broad emission lines (280–380 km s−1FWHM) that are seen from all singly-ionized species originate from the expanding ER, with properties consistent with dense post-shock cooling gas. Narrower emission lines (100–170 km s−1FWHM) are seen from species originating from a more extended lower-density component whose high ionization may have been produced by shocks progressing through the ER or by the UV radiation pulse associated with the original supernova event. The asymmetric east–west dust emission in the ER has continued to fade, with constant temperature, signifying a reduction in dust mass. Small grains in the ER are preferentially destroyed, with larger grains from the progenitor surviving the transition from SN into SNR. The ER dust is fit with a single set of optical constants, eliminating the need for a secondary featureless hot dust component. We find several broad ejecta emission lines from [Neii], [Arii], [Feii], and [Niii]. With the exception of [Feii] 25.99μm, these all originate from the ejecta close to the ring and are likely to be excited by X-rays from the interaction. The [Feii] 5.34 to 25.99μm line ratio indicates a temperature of only a few hundred K in the inner core, which is consistent with being powered by44Ti decay.

     
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  2. Aims. We present high-sensitivity and high spectral-resolution NOEMA observations of the Class 0/I binary system SVS13A, composed of the low-mass protostars VLA4A and VLA4B, with a separation of ~90 au. VLA4A is undergoing an accretion burst that is enriching the chemistry of the surrounding gas, which provides an excellent opportunity to probe the chemical and physical conditions as well as the accretion process. Methods. We observe the (12 K –11 K ) lines of CH 3 CN and CH 3 13 CN, the DCN (3–2) line, and the C 18 O (2–1) line toward SVS13A using NOEMA. Results. We find complex line profiles at disk scales that cannot be explained by a single component or pure Keplerian motion. By adopting two velocity components to model the complex line profiles, we find that the temperatures and densities are significantly different among these two components. This suggests that the physical conditions of the emitting gas traced via CH 3 CN can change dramatically within the circumbinary disk. In addition, combining our observations of DCN (3–2) with previous ALMA observations at high angular resolution, we find that the binary system (or VLA4A) might be fed by an infalling streamer from envelope scales (~700 au). If this is the case, this streamer contributes to the accretion of material onto the system at a rate of at least 1.4 × 10 −6 M ⊙ yr −1 . Conclusions. We conclude that the CH 3 CN emission in SVS13A traces hot gas from a complex structure. This complexity might be affected by a streamer that is possibly infalling and funneling material into the central region. 
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  3. Context. In the past few years, there has been a rise in the detection of streamers, asymmetric flows of material directed toward the protostellar disk with material from outside a star’s natal core. It is unclear how they affect the process of mass accretion, in particular beyond the Class 0 phase. Aims. We investigate the gas kinematics around Per-emb-50, a Class I source in the crowded star-forming region NGC 1333. Our goal is to study how the mass infall proceeds from envelope to disk scales in this source. Methods. We use new NOEMA 1.3 mm observations, including C 18 O, H 2 CO, and SO, in the context of the PRODIGE MPG – IRAM program, to probe the core and envelope structures toward Per-emb-50. Results. We discover a streamer delivering material toward Per-emb-50 in H 2 CO and C 18 O emission. The streamer’s emission can be well described by the analytic solutions for an infalling parcel of gas along a streamline with conserved angular momentum, both in the image plane and along the line-of-sight velocities. The streamer has a mean infall rate of 1.3 × 10 −6 M ⊙ yr− 1 , five to ten times higher than the current accretion rate of the protostar. SO and SO 2 emission reveal asymmetric infall motions in the inner envelope, additional to the streamer around Per-emb-50. Furthermore, the presence of SO 2 could mark the impact zone of the infalling material. Conclusions. The streamer delivers sufficient mass to sustain the protostellar accretion rate and might produce an accretion burst, which would explain the protostar’s high luminosity with respect to other Class I sources. Our results highlight the importance of late infall for protostellar evolution: streamers might provide a significant amount of mass for stellar accretion after the Class 0 phase. 
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  4. We present the discovery of an Earth-mass planet (Mbsini= 1.26 ± 0.21M) on a 15.6 d orbit of a relatively nearby (d ~9.6 pc) and low-mass (0.167 ± 0.011M) M5.0 V star, Wolf 1069. Sitting at a separation of 0.0672 ± 0.0014 au away from the host star puts Wolf 1069 b in the habitable zone (HZ), receiving an incident flux ofS= 0.652 ± 0.029S. The planetary signal was detected using telluric-corrected radial-velocity (RV) data from the CARMENES spectrograph, amounting to a total of 262 spectroscopic observations covering almost four years. There are additional long-period signals in the RVs, one of which we attribute to the stellar rotation period. This is possible thanks to our photometric analysis including new, well-sampled monitoring campaigns undergone with the OSN and TJO facilities that supplement archival photometry (i.e., from MEarth and SuperWASP), and this yielded an updated rotational period range ofProt= 150–170 d, with a likely value at 169.3−3.6+3.7. The stellar activity indicators provided by the CARMENES spectra likewise demonstrate evidence for the slow rotation period, though not as accurately due to possible factors such as signal aliasing or spot evolution. Our detectability limits indicate that additional planets more massive than one Earth mass with orbital periods of less than 10 days can be ruled out, suggesting that perhaps Wolf 1069 b had a violent formation history. This planet is also the sixth closest Earth-mass planet situated in the conservative HZ, after Proxima Centauri b, GJ 1061 d, Teegarden’s Star c, and GJ 1002 b and c. Despite not transiting, Wolf 1069 b is nonetheless a very promising target for future three-dimensional climate models to investigate various habitability cases as well as for sub-m s−1RV campaigns to search for potential inner sub-Earth-mass planets in order to test planet formation theories.

     
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  5. null (Ed.)
    We performed a comprehensive demographic study of the CO extent relative to dust of the disk population in the Lupus clouds in order to find indications of dust evolution and possible correlations with other disk properties. We increased the number of disks of the region with measured R CO and R dust from observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to 42, based on the gas emission in the 12 CO J = 2−1 rotational transition and large dust grains emission at ~0.89 mm. The CO integrated emission map is modeled with an elliptical Gaussian or Nuker function, depending on the quantified residuals; the continuum is fit to a Nuker profile from interferometric modeling. The CO and dust sizes, namely the radii enclosing a certain fraction of the respective total flux (e.g., R 68% ), are inferred from the modeling. The CO emission is more extended than the dust continuum, with a R 68% CO / R 68% dust median value of 2.5, for the entire population and for a subsample with high completeness. Six disks, around 15% of the Lupus disk population, have a size ratio above 4. Based on thermo-chemical modeling, this value can only be explained if the disk has undergone grain growth and radial drift. These disks do not have unusual properties, and their properties spread across the population’s ranges of stellar mass ( M ⋆ ), disk mass ( M disk ), CO and dust sizes ( R CO , R dust ), and mass accretion of the entire population. We searched for correlations between the size ratio and M ⋆ , M disk , R CO , and R dust : only a weak monotonic anticorrelation with the R dust is found, which would imply that dust evolution is more prominent in more compact dusty disks. The lack of strong correlations is remarkable: the sample covers a wide range of stellar and disk properties, and the majority of the disks have very similar size ratios. This result suggests that the bulk of the disk population may behave alike and be in a similar evolutionary stage, independent of the stellar and disk properties. These results should be further investigated, since the optical depth difference between CO and dust continuum might play a major role in the observed size ratios of the population. Lastly, we find a monotonic correlation between the CO flux and the CO size. The results for the majority of the disks are consistent with optically thick emission and an average CO temperature of around 30 K; however, the exact value of the temperature is difficult to constrain. 
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  6. null (Ed.)
    Context. Recent surveys of the Galactic plane in the dust continuum and CO emission lines reveal that large (≳50 pc) and massive (≳10 5 M ⊙ ) filaments, know as giant molecular filaments (GMFs), may be linked to Galactic dynamics and trace the mid-plane of the gravitational potential in the Milky Way. Yet our physical understanding of GMFs is still poor. Aims. We investigate the dense gas properties of one GMF, with the ultimate goal of connecting these dense gas tracers with star formation processes in the GMF. Methods. We imaged one entire GMF located at l ~ 52–54° longitude, GMF54 (~68 pc long), in the empirical dense gas tracers using the HCN(1–0), HNC(1–0), and HCO + (1–0) lines, and their 13 C isotopologue transitions, as well as the N 2 H + (1–0) line. We studied the dense gas distribution, the column density probability density functions (N-PDFs), and the line ratios within the GMF. Results. The dense gas molecular transitions follow the extended structure of the filament with area filling factors between 0.06 and 0.28 with respect to 13 CO(1–0). We constructed the N-PDFs of H 2 for each of the dense gas tracers based on their column densities and assumed uniform abundance. The N-PDFs of the dense gas tracers appear curved in log–log representation, and the HCO + N-PDF has the flattest power-law slope index. Studying the N-PDFs for sub-regions of GMF54, we found an evolutionary trend in the N-PDFs that high-mass star-forming and photon-dominated regions have flatter power-law indices. The integrated intensity ratios of the molecular lines in GMF54 are comparable to those in nearby galaxies. In particular, the N 2 H + / 13 CO ratio, which traces the dense gas fraction, has similar values in GMF54 and all nearby galaxies except Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies. Conclusions. As the largest coherent cold gaseous structure in our Milky Way, GMFs, are outstanding candidates for connecting studies of star formation on Galactic and extragalactic scales. By analyzing a complete map of the dense gas in a GMF we have found that: (1) the dense gas N-PDFs appear flatter in more evolved regions and steeper in younger regions, and (2) its integrated dense gas intensity ratios are similar to those of nearby galaxies. 
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  7. Context. Supersonic disordered flows accompany the formation and evolution of molecular clouds (MCs). It has been argued that this is turbulence that can support against gravitational collapse and form hierarchical sub-structures. Aims. We examine the time evolution of simulated MCs to investigate: What physical process dominates the driving of turbulent flows? How can these flows be characterised? Are they consistent with uniform turbulence or gravitational collapse? Do the simulated flows agree with observations? Methods. We analysed three MCs that have formed self-consistently within kiloparsec-scale numerical simulations of the interstellar medium (ISM). The simulated ISM evolves under the influence of physical processes including self-gravity, stratification, magnetic fields, supernova-driven turbulence, and radiative heating and cooling. We characterise the flows using velocity structure functions (VSFs) with and without density weighting or a density cutoff, and computed in one or three dimensions. However, we do not include optical depth effects that can hide motions in the densest gas, limiting comparison of our results with observations. Results. In regions with sufficient resolution, the density-weighted VSFs initially appear to follow the expectations for uniform turbulence, with a first-order power-law exponent consistent with Larson’s size-velocity relationship. Supernova blast wave impacts on MCs produce short-lived coherent motions at large scales, increasing the scaling exponents for a crossing time. Gravitational contraction drives small-scale motions, producing scaling coefficients that drop or even turn negative as small scales become dominant. Removing the density weighting eliminates this effect as it emphasises the diffuse ISM. Conclusions. We conclude that two different effects coincidentally reproduce Larson’s size velocity relationship. Initially, uniform turbulence dominates, so the energy cascade produces VSFs that are consistent with Larson’s relationship. Later, contraction dominates and the density-weighted VSFs become much shallower or even inverted, but the relationship of the global average velocity dispersion of the MCs to their radius follows Larson’s relationship, reflecting virial equilibrium or free-fall collapse. The injection of energy by shocks is visible in the VSFs, but decays within a crossing time. 
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  8. We report the discovery and characterization of two small transiting planets orbiting the bright M3.0V star TOI-1468 (LSPM J0106+1913), whose transit signals were detected in the photometric time series in three sectors of the TESS mission. We confirm the planetary nature of both of them using precise radial velocity measurements from the CARMENES and MAROON-X spectrographs, and supplement them with ground-based transit photometry. A joint analysis of all these data reveals that the shorter-period planet, TOI-1468 b ( P b = 1.88 d), has a planetary mass of M b = 3.21 ± 0.24 M ⊕ and a radius of R b = 1.280 −0.039 +0.038 R ⊕ , resulting in a density of ρ b = 8.39 −0.92 +1.05 g cm −3 , which is consistent with a mostly rocky composition. For the outer planet, TOI-1468 c ( P c = 15.53 d), we derive a mass of M c = 6.64 −0.68 +0.67 M ⊕ ,aradius of R c = 2.06 ± 0.04 R ⊕ , and a bulk density of ρ c = 2.00 −0.19 +0.21 g cm −3 , which corresponds to a rocky core composition with a H/He gas envelope. These planets are located on opposite sides of the radius valley, making our system an interesting discovery as there are only a handful of other systems with the same properties. This discovery can further help determine a more precise location of the radius valley for small planets around M dwarfs and, therefore, shed more light on planet formation and evolution scenarios. 
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  9. Context . The Gl 486 system consists of a very nearby, relatively bright, weakly active M3.5 V star at just 8 pc with a warm transiting rocky planet of about 1.3 R ⊕ and 3.0 M ⊕ . It is ideal for both transmission and emission spectroscopy and for testing interior models of telluric planets. Aims . To prepare for future studies, we aim to thoroughly characterise the planetary system with new accurate and precise data collected with state-of-the-art photometers from space and spectrometers and interferometers from the ground. Methods . We collected light curves of seven new transits observed with the CHEOPS space mission and new radial velocities obtained with MAROON-X at the 8.1 m Gemini North telescope and CARMENES at the 3.5 m Calar Alto telescope, together with previously published spectroscopic and photometric data from the two spectrographs and TESS. We also performed near-infrared interferometric observations with the CHARA Array and new photometric monitoring with a suite of smaller telescopes (AstroLAB, LCOGT, OSN, TJO). This extraordinary and rich data set was the input for our comprehensive analysis. Results . From interferometry, we measure a limb-darkened disc angular size of the star Gl 486 at θ LDD = 0.390 ± 0.018 mas. Together with a corrected Gaia EDR3 parallax, we obtain a stellar radius R * = 0.339 ± 0.015 R ⊕ . We also measure a stellar rotation period at P rot = 49.9 ± 5.5 days, an upper limit to its XUV (5-920 A) flux informed by new Hubble /STIS data, and, for the first time, a variety of element abundances (Fe, Mg, Si, V, Sr, Zr, Rb) and C/O ratio. Moreover, we imposed restrictive constraints on the presence of additional components, either stellar or sub-stellar, in the system. With the input stellar parameters and the radial-velocity and transit data, we determine the radius and mass of the planet Gl 486 b at R p = 1.343 −0.062 +0.063 R ⊕ and M p = 3.00 −0.12 +0.13 M ⊕ , with relative uncertainties of the planet radius and mass of 4.7% and 4.2%, respectively. From the planet parameters and the stellar element abundances, we infer the most probable models of planet internal structure and composition, which are consistent with a relatively small metallic core with respect to the Earth, a deep silicate mantle, and a thin volatile upper layer. With all these ingredients, we outline prospects for Gl 486 b atmospheric studies, especially with forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope ( Webb ) observations. 
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  10. Aims. HD 206893 is a nearby debris disk star that hosts a previously identified brown dwarf companion with an orbital separation of ∼10 au. Long-term precise radial velocity (RV) monitoring, as well as anomalies in the system proper motion, has suggested the presence of an additional, inner companion in the system. Methods. Using information from ongoing precision RV measurements with the HARPS spectrograph, as well as Gaia host star astrometry, we have undertaken a multi-epoch search for the purported additional planet using the VLTI/GRAVITY instrument. Results. We report a high-significance detection over three epochs of the companion HD 206893c, which shows clear evidence for Keplerian orbital motion. Our astrometry with ∼50−100 μarcsec precision afforded by GRAVITY allows us to derive a dynamical mass of 12.7$ ^{+1.2}_{-1.0} $ M Jup and an orbital separation of 3.53$ ^{+0.08}_{-0.06} $ au for HD 206893c. Our fits to the orbits of both companions in the system use both Gaia astrometry and RVs to also provide a precise dynamical estimate of the previously uncertain mass of the B component, and therefore allow us to derive an age of 155 ± 15 Myr for the system. We find that theoretical atmospheric and evolutionary models that incorporate deuterium burning for HD 206893c, parameterized by cloudy atmosphere models as well as a “hybrid sequence” (encompassing a transition from cloudy to cloud-free), provide a good simultaneous fit to the luminosity of both HD 206893B and c. Thus, accounting for both deuterium burning and clouds is crucial to understanding the luminosity evolution of HD 206893c. Conclusions. In addition to using long-term RV information, this effort is an early example of a direct imaging discovery of a bona fide exoplanet that was guided in part by Gaia astrometry. Utilizing Gaia astrometry is expected to be one of the primary techniques going forward for identifying and characterizing additional directly imaged planets. In addition, HD 206893c is an example of an object narrowly straddling the deuterium-burning limit but unambiguously undergoing deuterium burning. Additional discoveries like this may therefore help clarify the discrimination between a brown dwarf and an extrasolar planet. Lastly, this discovery is another example of the power of optical interferometry to directly detect and characterize extrasolar planets where they form, at ice-line orbital separations of 2−4 au. 
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