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A. Fernandez

Publications and source records attributed to A. Fernandez.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Euclid Quick Data Release (Q1). Data processing for intracluster light measurements

The Euclid survey provides images with extraordinary potential for studies of the low-surface-brightness Universe, including intracluster light (ICL). However, to realise this promise, the data must be carefully treated to minimise background variations while preserving the signal from diffuse structures. In this work, we describe the post-processing and measurement procedures used for studies of ICL with Euclid. We demonstrate that we are able to substantially reduce background variations without resorting to a small-scale background subtraction. By injecting simulated clusters into the real images, we show that our approach preserves the faint outskirts of extended sources. On scales of several arcminutes, we can reliably detect surface-brightness levels around 27.5 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ in $Y_\textrm{E}$, $J_\textrm{E}$, $H_\textrm{E}$, and 29 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ in $I_\textrm{E}$. As a result, we can obtain accurate measurements of the ICL in individual clusters from the local Universe out to z~0.8 with uncertainties on the order of 10% in surface brightness, 10 degrees in position angle, and 0.1 in ellipticity. Our ability to measure the diffuse light with Euclid is thus set to meet expectations and revolutionise our understanding of the ICL.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Euclid Quick Data Release (Q1). The shape of cluster haloes revealed by intracluster light

Intracluster light (ICL) offers a luminous route for measuring the shapes and orientations of cluster haloes. We used Euclid Quick Data Release (Q1) images to quantify ICL shapes for 205 clusters at $0.1 \leq z \leq 0.8$ selected from the eROSITA All-Sky Survey and the Dark Energy Survey. We measured the ICL properties across five bands ($I_\mathrm{E}$, $Y_\mathrm{E}$, $J_\mathrm{E}$, $H_\mathrm{E}$ and the coadded $YJH_\mathrm{E}$), and find that the shape parameters are consistent across the filters, with the $H_\mathrm{E}$ band probing the profiles to the largest cluster-centric distances ($0.1R_{200\mathrm{c}}\sim100$ kpc). The ICL ellipticity ($e=1-b/a$) distribution peaks at 0.5, consistent with halo ellipticities inferred from strong and weak lensing studies, suggesting that the ICL traces the large-scale structure of the clusters. Cluster cores, dominated by brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) light, are round ($e\sim0.2$), while the ICL becomes progressively more elongated at large radii, reaching an ellipticity of $\sim0.5$ by $0.1R_{200\mathrm{c}}$. We find that the ICL is closely aligned with the BCG (87% lie within 30$^\circ$), but shows a weaker alignment with the satellite galaxy distribution (61% within 30$^\circ$). Robust position angles could be measured using the ICL for 63% of the sample, whereas position angles could be measured for only 30% of the sample using the satellite galaxies. Stacking clusters in redshift bins allows measurements of the ICL surface brightness to $0.6$-$0.8R_{200\mathrm{c}}$ and ellipticity beyond $0.3$-$0.4R_{200\mathrm{c}}$ (300-400 kpc), but we observed a plateau in the ICL ellipticity beyond $0.1R_{200\mathrm{c}}$. These results demonstrate the capability of Euclid to characterise the ICL morphology with high statistical precision, allowing new constraints on cluster halo structure and its evolution with redshift.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Euclid Quick Data Release (Q1). A systematic study of the intracluster light fraction at 0.2 < z < 1.5

We present a homogeneous analysis of the intracluster light (ICL) in approximately 300 galaxy clusters spanning $0.2 10^{10}\,M_\odot$). The inferred ICL fraction also depends systematically on wavelength, while remaining largely insensitive to the adopted outer integration radius of 200-600 kpc. These results highlight the importance of homogeneous ICL analyses and constrain the evolution of diffuse stellar components in clusters.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Intracluster light and dark matter halo shapes reflect common assembly, not mutual coupling: shape correspondence in CDM but not SIDM

The intracluster light (ICL) has been proposed as a luminous tracer of the dark matter (DM) halo shape in galaxy clusters, with recent observational studies and $Λ$CDM simulations suggesting close alignment between the two components. We test whether this correspondence holds in a self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) cosmology using matched CDM and SIDM ($σ_\mathrm{DM}/m = 0.1$ and $0.5\;\mathrm{cm^{2}\,g^{-1}}$) hydrodynamical cluster simulations from TheThreeHundred project. We measure 3D axis ratios and major-axis orientations as a function of radius for both the DM halo and the stellar (BCG+ICL) distribution, and quantify the spatial correspondence using the Weighted Overlap Coefficient. In the SIDM simulations, DM haloes become significantly rounder in their inner regions with increasing DM cross-section, while the stellar distribution retains the same elongated morphology in both CDM and SIDM. This decoupling is robust across two baryonic physics models and two resolution levels, and is detected at $>5σ$ for $σ_\mathrm{DM}/m = 0.5\;\mathrm{cm^{2}\,g^{-1}}$. It arises because the stellar shape is governed by the accretion geometry of tidally stripped satellites along the large-scale structure, which is identical in CDM and SIDM, whereas, in SIDM, halo shapes respond additionally to local self-interactions. The ICL-DM shape correspondence demonstrated in CDM therefore breaks down in an SIDM universe.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2026

i2Slicer: Enabling Flexible and Automated Orchestration of 5G SA End-to-End Network Slices

5G network slicing implies a step forward in customizing radio access and core networks by allowing the creation of logical networks adapted to service requirements. In addition, softwarisation has fueled the emergence of 5G solutions which do not require specialized hardware platforms. Therefore, a key requirement to drive the adoption of 5G slicing by verticals is to simplify its management through automated orchestration. In this paper, we present i2Slicer, a flexible solution to orchestrate the deployment of 5G standalone end-to-end network slices with multi-tenancy and multi-service capabilities. The implementation and evaluation of i2Slicer using state-of-the-art 5G software and hardware demonstrate that it offers a practical and efficient lifecycle management of network slices.

cs.NI↗
arXiv2014

VAMOS: a Pathfinder for the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory

VAMOS was a prototype detector built in 2011 at an altitude of 4100m a.s.l. in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The aim of VAMOS was to finalize the design, construction techniques and data acquisition system of the HAWC observatory. HAWC is an air-shower array currently under construction at the same site of VAMOS with the purpose to study the TeV sky. The VAMOS setup included six water Cherenkov detectors and two different data acquisition systems. It was in operation between October 2011 and May 2012 with an average live time of 30%. Besides the scientific verification purposes, the eight months of data were used to obtain the results presented in this paper: the detector response to the Forbush decrease of March 2012, and the analysis of possible emission, at energies above 30 GeV, for long gamma-ray bursts GRB111016B and GRB120328B.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2013

The HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory: Sensitivity to Steady and Transient Sources of Gamma Rays

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory is designed to record air showers produced by cosmic rays and gamma rays between 100 GeV and 100 TeV. Because of its large field of view and high livetime, HAWC is well-suited to measure gamma rays from extended sources, diffuse emission, and transient sources. We describe the sensitivity of HAWC to emission from the extended Cygnus region as well as other types of galactic diffuse emission; searches for flares from gamma-ray bursts and active galactic nuclei; and the first measurement of the Crab Nebula with HAWC-30.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

The HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory: Observations of Cosmic Rays

We describe measurements of GeV and TeV cosmic rays with the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-Ray Observatory, or HAWC. The measurements include the observation of the shadow of the moon; the observation of small-scale and large-scale angular clustering of the TeV cosmic rays; the prospects for measurement of transient solar events with HAWC; and the observation of Forbush decreases with the HAWC engineering array and HAWC-30.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

The HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory: Dark Matter, Cosmology, and Fundamental Physics

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma Ray Observatory (HAWC) is designed to perform a synoptic survey of the TeV sky. The high energy coverage of the experiment will enable studies of fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model, and the large field of view of the detector will enable detailed studies of cosmologically significant backgrounds and magnetic fields. We describe the sensitivity of the full HAWC array to these phenomena in five contributions shown at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (July 2013).

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

The HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory: Design, Calibration, and Operation

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma Ray Observatory (HAWC) is under construction 4100 meters above sea level at Sierra Negra, Mexico. We describe the design and cabling of the detector, the characterization of the photomultipliers, and the timing calibration system. We also outline a next-generation detector based on the water Cherenkov technique.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2013

Sensitivity of the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Detector to Sources of Multi-TeV Gamma Rays

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory is an array of large water Cherenkov detectors sensitive to gamma rays and hadronic cosmic rays in the energy band between 100 GeV and 100 TeV. The observatory will be used to measure high-energy protons and cosmic rays via detection of the energetic secondary particles reaching the ground when one of these particles interacts in the atmosphere above the detector. HAWC is under construction at a site 4100 meters above sea level on the northern slope of the volcano Sierra Negra, which is located in central Mexico at 19 degrees N latitude. It is scheduled for completion in 2014. In this paper we estimate the sensitivity of the HAWC instrument to point-like and extended sources of gamma rays. The source fluxes are modeled using both unbroken power laws and power laws with exponential cutoffs. HAWC, in one year, is sensitive to point sources with integral power-law spectra as low as 5x10^-13 cm^-2 sec^-1 above 2 TeV (approximately 50 mCrab) over 5 sr of the sky. This is a conservative estimate based on simple event parameters and is expected to improve as the data analysis techniques are refined. We discuss known TeV sources and the scientific contributions that HAWC can make to our understanding of particle acceleration in these sources.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

Analysis of mu-tau conversion through μN -> τX deep inelastic scattering induced by unparticles

A study of mu-tau conversion via the deep inelastic scattering process μN -> τX, with N a nucleon, is performed taking into account the effects from both spin-0 and spin-1 unparticles with lepton flavor violating (LFV) couplings. This process has attracted attention in the past as it may be at the reach of a future neutrino or muon factory. For the model parameters, we use the most recent constraints on the unparticle LFV couplings from the experimental limits on the muon anomalous magnetic moment and the LFV decay τ-> 3μ, whereas for the unparticle scale Λ_U and scale dimension d_U we use the bounds obtained from the search for mono-jets plus missing transverse energy at the LHC. The μN -> τX cross section is analyzed when the target is a proton and it is found that the unparticle effects can be larger than the contribution from Higgs exchange in the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We also analyze the behavior of the angular and energy distributions of the emitted tau lepton, which could be used to disentangle among distinct new physics contributions. It is found that, for a beam with an intensity of 10^20 muons with an energy around 50 GeV on a 10^2 gr/cm^2 mass target annually, there would be about 10^2-10^3 μN -> τX events per year. The potential background is discussed briefly.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2009

Higgs mediated Double Flavor Violating top decays in Effective Theories

The possibility of detecting double flavor violating top quark transitions at future colliders is explored in a model-independent manner using the effective Lagrangian approach through the $t \to u_iτμ$ ($u_i=u,c$) decays. A Yukawa sector that contemplates $SU_L(2)\times U_Y(1)$ invariants of up to dimension six is proposed and used to derive the most general flavor violating and CP violating $q_iq_jH$ and $l_il_jH$ vertices of renormalizable type. Low-energy data, on high precision measurements, and experimental limits are used to constraint the $tu_iH$ and $Hτμ$ vertices and then used to predict the branching ratios for the $t \to u_iτμ$ decays. It is found that this branching ratios may be of the order of $ 10^{-4}-10^{-5}$, for a relative light Higgs boson with mass lower than $2m_W$, which could be more important than those typical values found in theories beyond the standard model for the rare top quark decays $t\to u_iV_iV_j$ ($V_i=W,Z,γ, g$) or $t\to u_il^+l^-$. %% LHC experiments, by using a total integrated luminosity of $\rm 3000 fb^{-1}$ of data, will be able to rule out, at 95% C.L., DFV top quark decays up to a Higgs mass of 155 GeV/$c^2$ or discover such a process up to a Higgs mass of 147 GeV/$c^2$.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2008

Double Flavor Violating Top Quark Decays in Effective Theories

The possibility of detecting double flavor violating top quark transitions $t \to u_iτμ$ ($u_i=u,c$) is explored in a model--independent manner, using the effective Lagrangian approach. Low--energy data, on high precision measurements, and current experimental limits are used to constraint the $tu_iH$ and $Hτμ$ vertices and then to calculate the branching ratio BR$(t \to u_iτμ)$. If in the Standard Model BR$(t \to u_iτμ)$ is of the order of $10^{-13}$$-10^{-14}$, higgs--mediated double flavor violating top quark decays can occur with branching ratios ranging from $10^{-3}$ to $10^{-4}$ for 114.4 GeV$/c^2$ $< m_H<$ $2m_W$, that is at the reach of the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2007

Pulsational frequencies of the eclipsing delta-Scuti star HD 172189

The eclipsing delta-Scuti star HD 172189 is a probable member of the open cluster IC 4756 and a promising candidate target for the CoRoT mission. The detection of pulsation modes is the first step in the asteroseismological study of the star. Further, the calculation of the orbital parameters of the binary system allows us to make a dynamical determination of the mass of the star, which works as an important constraint to test and calibrate the asteroseismological models. From a detailed frequency analysis of 210 hours of photometric data of HD 172189 obtained from the STEPHI XIII campaign we have identified six pulsation frequencies with a confidence level of 99% and a seventh with a 65% confidence level in the range between 100-300 uHz. In addiction, three eclipses were observed during the campaign, allowing us to improve the determination of the orbital period of the system.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

Multi-site observations of Delta Scuti stars 7 Aql and 8 Aql (a new Delta Scuti variable): The twelfth STEPHI campaign in 2003

We present an analysis of the pulsation behaviour of the Delta Scuti stars 7 Aql (HD 174532) and 8 Aql (HD 174589) -- a new variable star -- observed in the framework of STEPHI XII campaign during 2003 June--July. 183 hours of high precision photometry were acquired by using four-channel photometers at three sites on three continents during 21 days. The light curves and amplitude spectra were obtained following a classical scheme of multi-channel photometry. Observations in different filters were also obtained and analyzed. Six and three frequencies have been unambiguously detected above a 99% confidence level in the range 0.090 mHz--0.300 mHz and 0.100 mHz-- 0.145 mHz in 7 Aql and 8 Aql respectively. A comparison of observed and theoretical frequencies shows that 7 Aql and 8 Aql may oscillate with p modes of low radial orders, typical among Delta Scuti stars. In terms of radial oscillations the range of 8 Aql goes from n=1 to n=3 while for 7 Aql the range spans from n=4 to n=7. Non-radial oscillations have to be present in both stars as well. The expected range of excited modes according to a non adiabatic analysis goes from n=1 to n=6 in both stars.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

Size reduction of complex networks preserving modularity

The ubiquity of modular structure in real-world complex networks is being the focus of attention in many trials to understand the interplay between network topology and functionality. The best approaches to the identification of modular structure are based on the optimization of a quality function known as modularity. However this optimization is a hard task provided that the computational complexity of the problem is in the NP-hard class. Here we propose an exact method for reducing the size of weighted (directed and undirected) complex networks while maintaining invariant its modularity. This size reduction allows the heuristic algorithms that optimize modularity for a better exploration of the modularity landscape. We compare the modularity obtained in several real complex-networks by using the Extremal Optimization algorithm, before and after the size reduction, showing the improvement obtained. We speculate that the proposed analytical size reduction could be extended to an exact coarse graining of the network in the scope of real-space renormalization.

physics.comp-ph↗