arXiv subjects

C. S. Buemi

Publications and source records attributed to C. S. Buemi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The 10-15 GHz radio continuum survey of the Galactic Plane with SKAO

Star formation emerges from the complex interplay between gravity, turbulence, magnetic fields, and stellar feedback, all of which vary across spatial scales and Galactic environments. Over the past decades, extensive multiwavelength surveys of the Galactic Plane have progressively unveiled this complexity. Far-infrared and sub-millimetre surveys have identified and characterized tens of thousands of star-forming regions, revealing their mass, temperature, and evolutionary stage. Complementary molecular-line surveys, spanning several CO transitions and isotopologues, have mapped the gas kinematics from giant molecular clouds down to sub-parsec structures. The advent of interferometers such as ALMA has revolutionized this field, enabling systematic studies of gas dynamics, fragmentation, and collapse in dense clumps at scales of a few thousand astronomical units. At the same time, mid-infrared and radio surveys at frequencies 0.8 <= nu <= 5 GHz have traced ionised gas associated with the earliest and latest phases of massive-star evolution, including thermal radio jets, hypercompact and ultracompact HII regions, supernova remnants, planetary nebulae, and evolved massive stars. Yet, a uniform, Galaxy-wide census of ionised structures and feedback processes remains elusive. A transformational leap forward requires a sensitive, high-resolution radio survey of the Galactic Plane at 10-15 GHz, capable of resolving physical scales smaller than 0.05 pc at distances up to 20 kpc. This is precisely the goal of the SKA-Mid Galactic Plane survey, which will, with its unprecedented sensitivity, angular resolution, and mapping speed, provide the first panoptic view of ionised gas and stellar feedback across the Milky Way.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Evolved massive stars and their impact on their environment

The comprehension of the final stages of massive star evolution and their path toward the eventual supernova explosion necessarily involves the study of stellar winds and the circumstellar environment (CSE) surrounding them in the transitional phases, during which stellar winds and eruptive mass loss profoundly shape the surrounding environment. The study of the pre-supernova progenitors, from Red Supergiants, passing through the Luminous Blue Variable stage to Wolf-Rayet stars, is of key importance because, focusing on their nebulae, they directly prove the mass-loss activity of the star that, through wind and eruptive events, shapes the environment in which the supernova will explode. Such environment, interacting with the ejecta, will heavily affect supernovae spectrophotometric signatures. The Square Kilometre Array, with its extraordinary capabilities to combine high spatial resolution, sensitivity and wide frequency coverage will adress the most critical observational issues that currently prevent detailed characterization of CSE and, thus limit our ability to constrain its connections to supernova and remnants proprierties.

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arXiv2025

A scaling relationship for non-thermal radio emission from ordered magnetospheres - II. Investigating the efficiency of relativistic electron production in magnetospheres of BA-type stars

Magnetic BA stars host dipole-like magnetospheres. When detected as radio sources, their luminosities correlate with the magnetic field and rotation. Rotation is crucial because the mechanism undergirding the relativistic electron production is powered by centrifugal breakouts. CBOs occur wherever magnetic tension does not balance centrifugal force; the resulting magnetic reconnection provides particle acceleration. To investigate how physical conditions at the site of the CBOs affect the efficiency of the acceleration mechanism, we broadly explore the parameter space governing radio emission by increasing the sample of radio-loud magnetic stars. High-sensitivity VLA observations of 32 stars were performed in the hope of identifying new centrifugal magnetospheres and associated CBOs. We calculated gyro-synchrotron spectra using 3D modeling of a dipole-shaped magnetosphere. We evaluated combinations of parameters. The number of relativistic electrons was constrained by the need to produce the emission level predicted by the scaling relationship for the radio emission from magnetic BA stars. About half of the observed stars were detected, with luminosities in agreement with the expected values, reinforcing the robust nature of the scaling relationship for CBO-powered radio emission. Comparing the competing centrifugal and magnetic effects on plasma locked in a rigidly rotating magnetosphere, we located the site of CBOs and inferred the local plasma density. We then estimated the efficiency of the acceleration mechanism needed to produce enough non-thermal electrons to support the radio emission level. Given a constant acceleration efficiency, relativistic electrons represent a fixed fraction of the local thermal plasma. Thus, dense magnetospheres host more energetic particles than less dense ones; consequently, with other parameters similar, they are intrinsically brighter radio sources.

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arXiv2025

Twenty years of blazar monitoring with the INAF radio telescopes

The extreme variability of blazars, in both timescale and amplitude, is generally explained as the effect of a relativistic jet closely aligned to the observer's line-of-sight. Due to causality arguments, variability characteristics translate into spatial information about the emitting region of blazars. Since radiation at different wavelengths is emitted in different parts of the jet, multi-frequency observations provide us with a virtual view of the structure of the jet on different scales. Radio--gamma-ray correlations, moreover, are essential to reveal where and how the high-energy radiation is produced. We present here the observations collected within the blazar radio monitoring program that we are running at the Medicina and Noto telescopes. It aims at investigating how the variability characteristics and spectral energy distribution of blazars evolve in time. Since 2004, observation have been performed at 5, 8, 24, and 43 GHz on 47 targets, with monthly cadence; the monitoring program is still active at frequencies of 8 and 24 GHz. The database we built in more than twenty years of activity comprises to date about 21000 flux density measurements. Some basic analysis tools have been applied to the data to characterise the detected variability and offer a first glance at the wealth of information that such a program can provide about blazars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

X-ray and radio data obtained by XMM-Newton and VLA constrain the stellar wind of the magnetic quasi-Wolf-Rayet star in HD45166

Recently, a powerful magnetic field was discovered in the hot helium star classified as a quasi-Wolf-Rayet star of ~2Msun, member of the HD45166 system. Upon its explosion as a core-collapse supernova, it is expected to produce a strongly magnetic neutron star, a magnetar. Among the key parameters governing the pre-supernova evolution is the amount of mass lost via stellar wind. However, the magnetic nature of this helium star is expected to affect its stellar wind making the estimation of the wind parameters uncertain. We report the first observations of HD45166 in X-rays with the XMM-Newton telescope and in radio with the VLA interferometer array. By placing the observation results in a theoretical framework, we aim to provide a reliable estimate of the wind strength of the magnetic qWR star. The X-ray properties are explained in the framework of the MCWS scenario, and the semi-analytic XADM model is applied to reproduce the X-ray emission. The thermal radio emission of the wind and its absorption effect on possible gyro-synchrotron emission from the underlying dipolar magnetosphere, sampled in 3D, are computed by integrating the radiative transfer equation. We did not detect radio emissions, this enabled us to set sensitive upper limits on the radio luminosity. The magnetic qWR star is a slow rotator, comparison with models reveals that the possible acceleration mechanisms occurring within its dynamical magnetosphere are not as efficient as in fast-rotating magnetic ApBp-type stars. In contrast, the system is detected in X-rays with log(L_X/L_bol)~ -5.6. Using suitable models, we constrain the mass lost from this magnetic quasi-Wolf-Rayet star as dot{M}~3e-10 Msun/yr. This novel empirical estimate of the mass-loss rate in a ~2Msun helium star confirms that it maintains super-Chandrasekhar mass till collapse and can produce a magnetar as its final evolutionary product.

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arXiv2025

The SARAO MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey extended source catalogue

We present a catalogue of extended radio sources from the SARAO MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey (SMGPS). Compiled from 56 survey tiles and covering approximately 500 deg$^2$ across the first, third, and fourth Galactic quadrants, the catalogue includes 16534 extended and diffuse sources with areas larger than 5 synthesised beams. Of them, 3891 (24\% of the total) are confidently associated with known Galactic radio-emitting objects in the literature, such as HII regions, supernova remnants, planetary nebulae, luminous blue variables, and Wolf-Rayet stars. A significant fraction of the remaining sources, 5462 (33\%), are candidate extragalactic sources, while 7181 (43\%) remain unclassified. Isolated radio filaments are excluded from the catalogue. The diversity of extended sources underscores MeerKAT's contribution to the completeness of censuses of Galactic radio emitters, and its potential for new scientific discoveries. For the catalogued sources, we derived basic positional and morphological parameters, as well as flux density estimates, using standard aperture photometry. This paper describes the methods followed to generate the catalogue from the original SMGPS tiles, detailing the source extraction, characterisation, and crossmatching procedures. Additionally, we analyse the statistical properties of the catalogued populations

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Sifting the debris: Patterns in the SNR population with unsupervised ML methods

Supernova remnants (SNRs) carry vast amounts of mechanical and radiative energy that heavily influence the structural, dynamical, and chemical evolution of galaxies. To this day, more than 300 SNRs have been discovered in the Milky Way, exhibiting a wide variety of observational features. However, existing classification schemes are mainly based on their radio morphology. In this work, we introduce a novel unsupervised deep learning pipeline to analyse a representative subsample of the Galactic SNR population ($\sim$ 50% of the total) with the aim of finding a connection between their multi-wavelength features and their physical properties. The pipeline involves two stages: (1) a representation learning stage, consisting of a convolutional autoencoder that feeds on imagery from infrared and radio continuum surveys (WISE 22$μ$m, Hi-GAL 70 $μ$m and SMGPS 30 cm) and produces a compact representation in a lower-dimensionality latent space; and (2) a clustering stage that seeks meaningful clusters in the latent space that can be linked to the physical properties of the SNRs and their surroundings. Our results suggest that this approach, when combined with an intermediate uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) reprojection of the autoencoded embeddings into a more clusterable manifold, enables us to find reliable clusters. Despite a large number of sources being classified as outliers, most clusters relate to the presence of distinctive features, such as the distribution of infrared emission, the presence of radio shells and pulsar wind nebulae, and the existence of dust filaments.

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arXiv2024

The SARAO MeerKAT 1.3 GHz Galactic Plane Survey

We present the SARAO MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey (SMGPS), a 1.3 GHz continuum survey of almost half of the Galactic Plane (251°$\le l \le$ 358°and 2°$\le l \le$ 61°at $|b| \le 1.5°$). SMGPS is the largest, most sensitive and highest angular resolution 1 GHz survey of the Plane yet carried out, with an angular resolution of 8" and a broadband RMS sensitivity of $\sim$10--20 $μ$ Jy/beam. Here we describe the first publicly available data release from SMGPS which comprises data cubes of frequency-resolved images over 908--1656 MHz, power law fits to the images, and broadband zeroth moment integrated intensity images. A thorough assessment of the data quality and guidance for future usage of the data products are given. Finally, we discuss the tremendous potential of SMGPS by showcasing highlights of the Galactic and extragalactic science that it permits. These highlights include the discovery of a new population of non-thermal radio filaments; identification of new candidate supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae and planetary nebulae; improved radio/mid-IR classification of rare Luminous Blue Variables and discovery of associated extended radio nebulae; new radio stars identified by Bayesian cross-matching techniques; the realisation that many of the largest radio-quiet WISE HII region candidates are not true HII regions; and a large sample of previously undiscovered background HI galaxies in the Zone of Avoidance.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The distance to CRL 618 through its radio expansion parallax

CRL 618 is a post-AGB star that has started to ionize its ejecta. Its central HII region has been observed over the last 40 years and has steadily increased in flux density at radio wavelengths. In this paper, we present data that we obtained with the Very Large Array in its highest frequency band (43 GHz) in 2011 and compare these with archival data in the same frequency band from 1998. By applying the so-called expansion-parallax method, we are able to estimate an expansion rate of 4.0$\pm$0.4 mas yr$^{-1}$ along the major axis of the nebula and derive a distance of 1.1$\pm$0.2 kpc. Within errors, this distance estimation is in good agreement with the value of ~900 pc derived from the expansion of the optical lobes.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Discovery and origin of the radio emission from the multiple stellar system KQVel

KQVel is a binary system composed of a slowly rotating magnetic Ap star with a companion of unknown nature. In this paper, we report the detection of its radio emission. We conducted a multi-frequency radio campaign using the ATCA interferometer (band-names: 16cm, 4cm, and 15mm). The target was detected in all bands. The most obvious explanation for the radio emission is that it originates in the magnetosphere of the Ap star, but this is shown unfeasible. The known stellar parameters of the Ap star enable us to exploit the scaling relationship for non-thermal gyro-synchrotron emission from early-type magnetic stars. This is a general relation demonstrating how radio emission from stars with centrifugal magnetospheres is supported by rotation. Using KQVel's parameters the predicted radio luminosity is more than five orders of magnitudes lower than the measured one. The extremely long rotation period rules out the Ap star as the source of the observed radio emission. Other possible explanations for the radio emission from KQVel, involving its unknown companion, have been explored. A scenario that matches the observed features (i.e. radio luminosity and spectrum, correlation to X-rays) is a hierarchical stellar system, where the possible companion of the magnetic star is a close binary (possibly of RSCVn type) with at least one magnetically active late-type star. To be compatible with the total mass of the system, the last scenario places strong constraints on the orbital inclination of the KQVel stellar system.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

A scaling relationship for non-thermal radio emission from ordered magnetospheres: from the top of the Main Sequence to planets

In this paper, we present the analysis of incoherent non-thermal radio emission from a sample of hot magnetic stars, ranging from early-B to early-A spectral type. Spanning a wide range of stellar parameters and wind properties, these stars display a commonality in their radio emission which presents new challenges to the wind scenario as originally conceived. It was thought that relativistic electrons, responsible for the radio emission, originate in current sheets formed where the wind opens the magnetic field lines. However, the true mass-loss rates from the cooler stars are too small to explain the observed non-thermal broadband radio spectra. Instead, we suggest the existence of a radiation belt located inside the inner-magnetosphere, similar to that of Jupiter. Such a structure explains the overall indifference of the broadband radio emissions on wind mass-loss rates. Further, correlating the radio luminosities from a larger sample of magnetic stars with their stellar parameters, the combined roles of rotation and magnetic properties have been empirically determined. Finally, our sample of early-type magnetic stars suggests a scaling relationship between the non-thermal radio luminosity and the electric voltage induced by the magnetosphere's co-rotation, which appears to hold for a broader range of stellar types with dipole-dominated magnetospheres (like the cases of the planet Jupiter and the ultra-cool dwarf stars and brown dwarfs). We conclude that well-ordered and stable rotating magnetospheres share a common physical mechanism for supporting the generation of non-thermal electrons.

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arXiv2020

A warm molecular ring in AG Car: composing the mass-loss puzzle

We present APEX observations of CO J=3-2 and ALMA observations of CO J=2-1, 13CO J=2-1 and continuum toward the galactic luminous blue variable AG Car. These new observations reveal the presence of a ring-like molecular structure surrounding the star. Morphology and kinematics of the gas are consistent with a slowly expanding torus located near the equatorial plane of AG Car. Using non-LTE line modelling, we derived the physical parameters of the gas, which is warm (50 K) and moderately dense (10$^3$ cm$^{-3}$. The total mass of molecular gas in the ring is 2.7$\pm$0.9 solar masses. We analysed the radio continuum map, which depicts a point-like source surrounded by a shallow nebula. From the flux of the point-like source, we derived a current mass-loss date of $1.55\pm0.21\times10^{-5}$ solar masses / yr. Finally, to better understand the complex circumstellar environment of AG Car, we put the newly detected ring in relation to the main nebula of dust and ionised gas. We discuss possible formation scenarios for the ring, namely, the accumulation of interstellar material due to the action of the stellar wind, the remnant of a close binary interaction or merger, and an equatorially enhanced mass-loss episode. If molecular gas formed in situ as a result of a mass eruption, it would account for at least a 30$\%$ of the total mass ejected by AG Car. This detection adds a new piece to the puzzle of the complex mass-loss history of AG Car, providing new clues about the interplay between LBV stars and their surroundings.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The auroral radio emission of the magnetic B-type star rho OphC

The non-thermal radio emission of main-sequence early-type stars is a signature of stellar magnetism. We present multi-wavelength (1.6-16.7 GHz) ATCA measurements of the early-type magnetic star rho OphC, which is a flat-spectrum non-thermal radio source. The rho OphC radio emission is partially circularly polarized with a steep spectral dependence: the fraction of polarized emission is about 60% at the lowest frequency sub-band (1.6 GHz) while is undetected at 16.7 GHz. This is clear evidence of coherent Auroral Radio Emission (ARE) from the rho OphC magnetosphere. Interestingly, the detection of the rho OphC's ARE is not related to a peculiar rotational phase. This is a consequence of the stellar geometry, which makes the strongly anisotropic radiation beam of the amplified radiation always pointed towards Earth. The circular polarization sign evidences mainly amplification of the ordinary mode of the electromagnetic wave, consistent with a maser amplification occurring within dense regions. This is indirect evidence of the plasma evaporation from the polar caps, a phenomenon responsible for the thermal X-ray aurorae. rho OphC is not the first early-type magnetic star showing the O-mode dominated ARE but is the first star with the ARE always on view.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Evidence for radio and X-ray auroral emissions from the magnetic B-type star rho Oph A

We present new ATCA multi-wavelength radio measurements (range 2.1-21.2 GHz) of the early-type magnetic star rho Oph A, performed in March 2019 during 3 different observing sessions. These new ATCA observations evidence a clear rotational modulation of the stellar radio emission and the detection of coherent auroral radio emission from rho Oph A at 2.1 GHz. We collected high-resolution optical spectra of rho Oph A acquired by several instruments over a time span of about ten years. We also report new magnetic field measurements of rho Oph A that, together with the radio light curves and the temporal variation of the equivalent width of the HeI line (lambda=5015 Angstrom), were used to constrain the rotation period and the stellar magnetic field geometry. The above results have been used to model the stellar radio emission, modelling that allowed us to constrain the physical condition of rho Oph A's magnetosphere. Past XMM measurements showed periodic X-ray pulses from rho Oph A. We correlate the X-ray light curve with the magnetic field geometry of rho Oph A. The already published XMM data have been re-analyzed showing that the X-ray spectra of rho Oph A are compatible with the presence of a non-thermal X-ray component. We discuss a scenario where the emission phenomena occurring at the extremes of the electromagnetic spectrum, radio and X-ray, are directly induced by the same plasma process. We interpret the observed X-ray and radio features of rho Oph A as having an auroral origin.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

Study of the Galactic radio sources in the SCORPIO survey resolved by ATCA at 2.1 GHz

We present a catalogue of a large sample of extended radio sources in the SCORPIO field, observed and resolved by the Australia Telescope Compact Array. SCORPIO, a pathfinder project for addressing the early operations of the Australia SKA Pathfinder, is a survey of ~5 square degrees between 1.4 and 3.1 GHz, centered at l=343.5°, b=0.75° and with an angular resolution of about 10 arcsec. It is aimed at understanding the scientific and technical challenges to be faced by future Galactic surveys. With a mean sensitivity around 100 $μ$Jy/beam and the possibility to recover angular scales at least up to 4 arcmin, we extracted 99 extended sources, 35 of them detected for the first time. Among the 64 known sources 55 had at least a tentative classification in literature. Studying the radio morphology and comparing the radio emission with infrared we propose as candidates 6 new H II regions, 2 new planetary nebulae, 2 new luminous blue variable or Wolf--Rayet stars and 3 new supernova remnants. This study provides an overview of the potentiality of future radio surveys in terms of Galactic source extraction and characterization and a discussion on the difficulty to reduce and analyze interferometric data on the Galactic plane.

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arXiv2018

The polarization mode of the auroral radio emission from the early-type star HD142301

We report the detection of the auroral radio emission from the early-type magnetic star HD142301. New VLA observations of HD142301 detected highly polarized amplified emission occurring at fixed stellar orientations. The coherent emission mechanism responsible for the stellar auroral radio emission amplifies the radiation within a narrow beam, making the star where this phenomenon occurs similar to a radio lighthouse. The elementary emission process responsible for the auroral radiation mainly amplifies one of the two magneto-ionic modes of the electromagnetic wave. This explains why the auroral pulses are highly circularly polarized. The auroral radio emission of HD142301 is characterized by a reversal of the sense of polarization as the star rotates. The effective magnetic field curve of HD142301 is also available making it possible to correlate the transition from the left to the right-hand circular polarization sense (and vice-versa) of the auroral pulses with the known orientation of the stellar magnetic field. The results presented in this letter have implications for the estimation of the dominant magneto-ionic mode amplified within the HD142301 magnetosphere.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Detection of Alpha Centauri at radio wavelengths: chromospheric emission and search for star-planet interaction

At radio wavelengths, solar-type stars emit thermal free-free and gyroresonance, gyrosynchrotron, and impulsive coherent emission. Thermal free-free emission originates at layers where the optical depth is close to unit, while high brightness temperature, variable emission, can be due to flares via gyrosynchrotron emission. We observed the alpha Cen system with the Australian Telescope Compact Array at 2 GHz for three days and 17 GHz for one day. Both stars have been detected at 17 GHz, while only an upper limit has been obtained at low frequency despite the longer integration time. The brightness temperatures are consistent with the temperature of the upper chromosphere of the Sun. Inverting the formulae of the free-free emission, the average electron density of the plasma has been inferred. The same procedure was applied to the data in the millimetre recently acquired with ALMA. A comparison with the atmospheric solar models reveals a higher level of activity in alpha Cen B rather than in alpha Cen A, even if still at quiescent level. The non detection at 2 GHz allows us to put a lower limit in the filling factor of active regions. The claimed detection of an Earth size planet in close orbit to alpha Cen B, although doubtful, opens the opportunity to check the existence of Star-Planet Magnetic Interaction (SPMI). We constructed dynamic spectra in the 1.3 - 2.9 GHz of the 2 stars to search for time-variable coherent emission but obtained a null result.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

A combined multiwavelength VLA/ALMA/Chandra study unveils the complex magnetosphere of the B-type star HR5907

We present new radio/millimeter measurements of the hot magnetic star HR5907 obtained with the VLA and ALMA interferometers. We find that HR5907 is the most radio luminous early type star in the cm-mm band among those presently known. Its multi-wavelength radio light curves are strongly variable with an amplitude that increases with radio frequency. The radio emission can be explained by the populations of the non-thermal electrons accelerated in the current sheets on the outer border of the magnetosphere of this fast rotating magnetic star. We classify HR5907 as another member of the growing class of strongly magnetic fast rotating hot stars where the gyro-synchrotron emission mechanism efficiently operates in their magnetospheres. The new radio observations of HR5907 are combined with archival X-ray data to study the physical condition of its magnetosphere. The X-ray spectra of HR5907 show tentative evidence for the presence of non-thermal spectral component. We suggest that non-thermal X-rays originate a stellar X-ray aurora due to streams of non-thermal electrons impacting on the stellar surface. Taking advantage of the relation between the spectral indices of the X-ray power-law spectrum and the non-thermal electron energy distributions, we perform 3-D modeling of the radio emission for HR5907. The wavelength-dependent radio light-curves probe magnetospheric layers at different heights above the stellar surface. A detailed comparison between simulated and observed radio light-curves leads us to conclude that the stellar magnetic field of HR5907 is likely non-dipolar, providing further indirect evidence of the complex magnetic field topology of HR5907.

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