arXiv subjects

Amit N. Sawant

Publications and source records attributed to Amit N. Sawant.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Counterfactual Harm: A Counter-argument

As AI systems are increasingly used to guide decisions, it is essential that they follow ethical principles. A core principle in medicine is non-maleficence, often equated with ``do no harm''. A formal definition of harm based on counterfactual reasoning has been proposed and popularized. This notion of harm has been promoted in simple settings with binary treatments and outcomes. Here, we highlight a problem with this definition in settings involving multiple treatment options. Illustrated by an example with three tuberculosis treatments (say, A, B, and C), we demonstrate that the counterfactual definition of harm can produce intransitive results: B is less harmful than A, C is less harmful than B, yet C is more harmful than A when compared pairwise. This intransitivity poses a challenge as it may lead to practical (clinical) decisions that are difficult to justify or defend. In contrast, an interventionist definition of harm based on expected utility forgoes counterfactual comparisons and ensures transitive treatment rankings.

stat.AP↗

arXiv2023

Nebular C IV 1550 Imaging of the Metal-Poor Starburst Mrk 71: Direct Evidence of Catastrophic Cooling

We use the Hubble Space Telescope ACS camera to obtain the first spatially resolved, nebular imaging in the light of C IV 1548,1551 by using the F150LP and F165LP filters. These observations of the local starburst Mrk 71 in NGC 2366 show emission apparently originating within the interior cavity around the dominant super star cluster (SSC), Knot A. Together with imaging in He II 4686 and supporting STIS FUV spectroscopy, the morphology and intensity of the C IV nebular surface brightness and the C IV / He II ratio map provide direct evidence that the mechanical feedback is likely dominated by catastrophic radiative cooling, which strongly disrupts adiabatic superbubble evolution. The implied extreme mass loading and low kinetic efficiency of the cluster wind are reasonably consistent with the wind energy budget, which is probably enhanced by radiation pressure. In contrast, the Knot B SSC lies within a well-defined superbubble with associated soft X-rays and He II 1640 emission, which are signatures of adiabatic, energy-driven feedback from a supernova-driven outflow. This system lacks clear evidence of C IV from the limb-brightened shell, as expected for this model, but the observations may not be deep enough to confirm its presence. We also detect a small C IV-emitting object that is likely an embedded compact H II region. Its C IV emission may indicate the presence of very massive stars (> 100 M_sun) or strongly pressure-confined stellar feedback.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Limits to Ionization-Parameter Mapping as a Diagnostic of HII Region Optical Depth

We employ ionization-parameter mapping (IPM) to infer the optical depth of HII regions in the northern half of M33. We construct [OIII]$λ5007$/[OII]$λ3727$ and [OIII]$λ5007$/[SII]$λ6724$ ratio maps from narrow-band images continuum-subtracted in this way, from which we classify the HII regions by optical depth to ionizing radiation, based on their ionization structure. This method works relatively well in the low metallicity regime, $12 + \log(\rm O/H) \leq 8.4$, where [OIII]$λ\lambda4949,5007$ is strong. However, at higher metallicities, the method breaks down due to the strong dependence of the [OIII]$λ\lambda4959,5007$ emission lines on the nebular temperature. Thus, although O$^{++}$ may be present in metal-rich HII regions, these commonly used emission lines do not serve as a useful indicator of its presence, and hence, the O ionization state. In addition, IPM as a diagnostic of optical depth is limited by spatial resolution. We also report a region of highly excited [OIII] extending over an area $\sim$ 1 kpc across and [OIII]$\lambda5007$ luminosity of $4.9\pm 1.5\times10^{38}$ erg/s, which is several times higher than the ionizing budget of any potential sources in this portion of the galaxy. Finally, this work introduces a new method for continuum subtraction of narrow-band images based on the dispersion of pixels around the mode of the diffuse-light flux distribution. In addition to M33, we demonstrate the method on C III]$λ$1909 imaging of Haro~11, ESO 338-IG004, and Mrk~71.

astro-ph.GA↗