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Daniel Stern

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel Stern.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): Studying Extreme Accretion with Ultraluminous X-ray Sources

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) represent an extreme class of accreting compact objects: from the identification of some of the accretors as neutron stars to the detection of powerful winds travelling at 0.1-0.2 c, the increasing evidence points towards ULXs harbouring stellar-mass compact objects undergoing highly super-Eddington accretion. Measuring their intrinsic properties, such as the accretion rate onto the compact object, the outflow rate, the masses of accretor/companion -- hence their progenitors, lifetimes, and future evolution -- is challenging due to ULXs being mostly extragalactic and in crowded fields. Yet ULXs represent our best opportunity to understand super-Eddington accretion physics and the paths through binary evolution to eventual double compact object binaries and gravitational wave sources. Through a combination of end-to-end and single-source simulations, we investigate the ability of HEX-P to study ULXs in the context of their host galaxies and compare it to XMM-Newton and NuSTAR, the current instruments with the most similar capabilities. HEX-P's higher sensitivity, which is driven by its narrow point-spread function and low background, allows it to detect pulsations and broad spectral features from ULXs better than XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. We describe the value of HEX-P in understanding ULXs and their associated key physics, through a combination of broadband sensitivity, timing resolution, and angular resolution, which make the mission ideal for pulsation detection and low-background, broadband spectral studies.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): The Future of Hard X-ray Dual AGN Science

A fundamental goal of modern-day astrophysics is to understand the connection between supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth and galaxy evolution. Merging galaxies offer one of the most dramatic channels for galaxy evolution known, capable of driving inflows of gas into galactic nuclei, potentially fueling both star formation and central SMBH activity. Dual active galactic nuclei (dual AGNs) in late-stage mergers with nuclear pair separations $<10$ kpc are thus ideal candidates to study SMBH growth along the merger sequence since they coincide with the most transformative period for galaxies. However, dual AGNs can be extremely difficult to confirm and study. Hard X-ray ($>10$ keV) studies offer a relatively contamination-free tool for probing the dense obscuring environments predicted to surround the majority of dual AGN in late-stage mergers. To date, only a handful of the brightest and closest systems have been studied at these energies due to the demanding instrumental requirements involved. We demonstrate the unique capabilities of HEX-P to spatially resolve the soft and - for the first time - hard X-ray counterparts of closely-separated ($\sim2''-5''$) dual AGNs in the local Universe. By incorporating state-of-the-art physical torus models, we reproduce realistic broadband X-ray spectra expected for deeply embedded accreting SMBHs. Hard X-ray spatially resolved observations of dual AGNs - accessible only to HEX-P - will hence transform our understanding of dual AGN in the nearby Universe.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe: Resolved X-ray Populations in Extragalactic Environments

We construct simulated galaxy data sets based on the High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P) mission concept to demonstrate the significant advances in galaxy science that will be yielded by the HEX-P observatory. The combination of high spatial resolution imaging ($<$20 arcsec FWHM), broad spectral coverage (0.2-80 keV), and sensitivity superior to current facilities (e.g., XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) will enable HEX-P to detect hard (4-25 keV) X-ray emission from resolved point-source populations within $\sim$800 galaxies and integrated emission from $\sim$6000 galaxies out to 100 Mpc. These galaxies cover wide ranges of galaxy types (e.g., normal, starburst, and passive galaxies) and properties (e.g., metallicities and star-formation histories). In such galaxies, HEX-P will: (1) provide unique information about X-ray binary populations, including accretor demographics (black hole and neutron stars), distributions of accretion states and state transition cadences; (2) place order-of-magnitude more stringent constraints on inverse Compton emission associated with particle acceleration in starburst environments; and (3) put into clear context the contributions from X-ray emitting populations to both ionizing the surrounding interstellar medium in low-metallicity galaxies and heating the intergalactic medium in the $z > 8$ Universe.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): Probing Accretion onto Stellar Mass Black Holes

Accretion is a universal astrophysical process that plays a key role in cosmic history, from the epoch of reionization to galaxy and stellar formation and evolution. Accreting stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries are one of the best laboratories to study the accretion process and probe strong gravity -- and most importantly, to measure the angular momentum, or spin, of black holes, and its role as a powering mechanism for relativistic astrophysical phenomena. Comprehensive characterization of the disk-corona system of accreting black holes, and their co-evolution, is fundamental to measurements of black hole spin. Here, we use simulated data to demonstrate how key unanswered questions in the study of accreting stellar-mass black holes will be addressed by the {\it High Energy X-ray Probe} (\hexp). \hexp\ is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging and broad spectral coverage ($0.2\mbox{--}80$keV) with a sensitivity superior to current facilities (including \xmm\ and \nustar) to enable revolutionary new insights into a variety of important astrophysical problems. We illustrate the capability of \hexp\ to: 1) measure the evolving structures of black hole binary accretion flows down to low ($\lesssim0.1\%$) Eddington-scaled luminosities via detailed X-ray reflection spectroscopy; 2) provide unprecedented spectral observations of the coronal plasma, probing its elusive geometry and energetics; 3) perform detailed broadband studies of stellar mass black holes in nearby galaxies, thus expanding the repertoire of sources we can use to study accretion physics and determine the fundamental nature of black holes; and 4) act as a complementary observatory to a range of future ground and space-based astronomical observatories, thus providing key spectral measurements of the multi-component emission from the inner accretion flows of BH-XRBs.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): the most powerful jets through the lens of a superb X-ray eye

A fraction of the active supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies in our Universe are capable of launching extreme kiloparsec-long relativistic jets. These jets are known multiband (radio to $γ$-ray) and multimessenger (neutrino) emitters, and some of them have been monitored over several decades at all accessible wavelengths. However, many open questions remain unanswered about the processes powering these highly energetic phenomena. These jets intrinsically produce soft-to-hard X-ray emission that extends from $E\sim0.1\,\rm keV$ up to $E>100\,\rm keV$. Simultaneous broadband X-ray coverage, combined with excellent timing and imaging capabilities, is required to uncover the physics of jets. Indeed, truly simultaneous soft-to-hard X-ray coverage, in synergy with current and upcoming high-energy facilities (such as IXPE, COSI, CTAO, etc.) and neutrino detectors (e.g., IceCube), would enable us to disentangle the particle population responsible for the high-energy radiation from these jets. A sensitive hard X-ray survey ($F_{8-24\,\rm keV}<10^{-15}\,\rm erg~cm^{-2}~s^{-1}$) could unveil the bulk of their population in the early Universe. Acceleration and radiative processes responsible for the majority of their X-ray emission would be pinned down by microsecond timing capabilities at both soft and hard X-rays. Furthermore, imaging jet structures for the first time in the hard X-ray regime could unravel the origin of their high-energy emission. The proposed Probe-class mission concept High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P) combines all these required capabilities, making it the crucial next-generation X-ray telescope in the multi-messenger, time-domain era. HEX-P will be the ideal mission to unravel the science behind the most powerful accelerators in the universe.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): Galactic PeVatrons, star clusters, superbubbles, microquasar jets, and gamma-ray binaries

HEX-P is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging (<10" FWHM) and broad spectral coverage (0.2-80 keV) with an effective area far superior to current facilities (including XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) to enable revolutionary new insights into a variety of important astrophysical problems. With the recent discoveries of over 40 ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources (detected above 100 TeV) and neutrino emission in the Galactic Plane, we have entered a new era of multi-messenger astrophysics facing the exciting reality of Galactic PeVatrons. In the next decade, as more Galactic PeVatrons and TeV gamma-ray sources are expected to be discovered, the identification of their acceleration and emission mechanisms will be the most pressing issue in both particle and high-energy astrophysics. In this paper, along with its companion papers (Reynolds et al. 2023, Mori et al. 2023), we will present that HEX-P is uniquely suited to address important problems in various cosmic-ray accelerators, including Galactic PeVatrons, through investigating synchrotron X-ray emission of TeV-PeV electrons produced by both leptonic and hadronic processes.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): resolving the nature of Sgr A* flares, compact object binaries and diffuse X-ray emission in the Galactic Center and beyond

HEX-P is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging ($<10"$ FWHM) and broad spectral coverage (0.2-80 keV) with an effective area far superior to current facilities' (including XMM-Newton and NuSTAR). These capabilities will enable revolutionary new insights into a variety of important astrophysical problems. We present scientific objectives and simulations of HEX-P observations of the Galactic Center (GC) and Bulge. We demonstrate the unique and powerful capabilities of the HEX-P observatory for studying both X-ray point sources and diffuse X-ray emission. HEX-P will be uniquely equipped to explore a variety of major topics in Galactic astrophysics, allowing us to (1) investigate broad-band properties of X-ray flares emitted from the supermassive black hole (BH) at Sgr A* and probe the associated particle acceleration and emission mechanisms; (2) identify hard X-ray sources detected by NuSTAR and determine X-ray point source populations in different regions and luminosity ranges; (3) determine the distribution of compact object binaries in the nuclear star cluster and the composition of the Galactic Ridge X-ray emission; (4) identify X-ray transients and measure fundamental parameters such as BH spin; (5) find hidden pulsars in the GC; (6) search for BH-OB binaries and hard X-ray flares from young stellar objects in young massive clusters; (7) measure white dwarf (WD) masses of magnetic CVs to deepen our understanding of CV evolution and the origin of WD magnetic fields; (8) explore primary particle accelerators in the GC in synergy with future TeV and neutrino observatories; (9) map out cosmic-ray distributions by observing non-thermal X-ray filaments; (10) explore past X-ray outbursts from Sgr A* through X-ray reflection components from giant molecular clouds.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): Sensitive broadband X-ray observations of transient phenomena in the 2030s

HEX-P will launch at a time when the sky is being routinely scanned for transient gravitational wave, electromagnetic and neutrino phenomena that will require the capabilities of a sensitive, broadband X-ray telescope for follow up studies. These include the merger of compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, stellar explosions, and the birth of new compact objects. \hexp\ will probe the accretion and ejecta from these transient phenomena through the study of relativistic outflows and reprocessed emission, provide unique capabilities for understanding jet physics, and potentially revealing the nature of the central engine.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): Supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, and nuclear astrophysics

HEX-P is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging ($<10"$ full width at half maximum) and broad spectral coverage (0.2--80 keV) with an effective area far superior to current facilities (including XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) to enable revolutionary new insights into a variety of important astrophysical problems. HEX-P is ideally suited to address important problems in the physics and astrophysics of supernova remnants (SNRs) and pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe). For shell SNRs, HEX-P can greatly improve our understanding via more accurate spectral characterization and localization of non-thermal X-ray emission from both non-thermal-dominated SNRs and those containing both thermal and non-thermal components, and can discover previously unknown non-thermal components in SNRs. Multi-epoch HEX-P observations of several young SNRs (e.g., Cas A and Tycho) are expected to detect year-scale variabilities of X-ray filaments and knots, thus enabling us to determine fundamental parameters related to diffusive shock acceleration, such as local magnetic field strengths and maximum electron energies. For PWNe, HEX-P will provide spatially-resolved, broadband X-ray spectral data separately from their pulsar emission, allowing us to study how particle acceleration, cooling, and propagation operate in different evolution stages of PWNe. HEX-P is also poised to make unique and significant contributions to nuclear astrophysics of Galactic radioactive sources by improving detections of, or limits on, $^{44}$Ti in the youngest SNRs and by potentially discovering rare nuclear lines as evidence of double neutron star mergers. Throughout the paper, we present simulations of each class of objects, demonstrating the power of both the imaging and spectral capabilities of HEX-P to advance our knowledge of SNRs, PWNe, and nuclear astrophysics.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

H I content of selected mid-infrared bright, starburst blue compact dwarf galaxies

We report measurements of H I content in 11 nearby, actively star-forming, blue compact dwarf galaxies (BCDs) from 21 cm observations with the Arecibo telescope. These BCDs, selected by their red (W2[4.6 $μ$m]$-$W3[12 $μ$m]$>$3.8 mag) and bright mid-infrared (MIR) emission (W4[22 $μ$m]$<$ 7.6 mag), have high specific star formation rates (median sSFR $\sim$10$^{-7.8}$ yr$^{-1}$), similar to high redshift galaxies. H I emission was detected in six sources. We analyze our new detections in the context of previous H I observations of 218 dwarf irregulars (dIs) and BCDs in the literature. The $M_{\rm HI}$-$M_{\ast}$ relation resulting from our observations confirms the dominating fraction of H I gas among baryons in galaxies with lower stellar masses. This Arecibo BCD sample has significantly lower median H I depletion timescales ($τ_{\rm HI}\sim$ 0.3 Gyr) than other dIs/BCDs ($\sim$ 6.3 Gyr) in the literature. The majority of the sources (10/11) in the Arecibo sample are very red in W1[3.4 $μ$m]$-$W2[4.6 $μ$m] colour ($>$ 0.8 mag) implying the presence of warm dust. We investigate the relation of $τ_{\rm HI}$ with stellar mass ($M_{\ast}$) and sSFR. We find that $τ_{\rm HI}$ is significantly anti-correlated with $M_{\ast}$ for higher sSFR ($>$10$^{-8.5}$ yr$^{-1}$) and with sSFR for higher stellar mass ($>10^{7.5}\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$) dwarf galaxies. The high sSFR for the BCDs in the Arecibo observed sample is mainly due to their high atomic gas star formation efficiency (SFE) or low $τ_{\rm HI}$. The low $τ_{\rm HI}$ or high SFE in these sources is possibly due to runaway star formation in compact and dense super star clusters.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

In-plane Tidal Disruption of Stars in Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei

Stars embedded in active galactic nucleus (AGN) disks or captured by them may scatter onto the supermassive black hole (SMBH), leading to a tidal disruption event (TDE). Using the moving-mesh hydrodynamics simulations with {\small AREPO}, we investigate the dependence of debris properties in in-plane TDEs in AGN disks on the disk density and the orientation of stellar orbits relative to the disk gas (pro- and retro-grade). Key findings are: 1) Debris experiences continuous perturbations from the disk gas, which can result in significant and continuous changes in debris energy and angular momentum compared to `naked' TDEs. 2) Above a critical density of a disk around a SMBH with mass $M_{\bullet}$ ($ρ_{\rm crit} \sim 10^{-8}{\rm g~cm^{-3}}(M_{\bullet}/10^{6}{\rm M}_{\odot})^{-2.5}$) for retrograde stars, both bound and unbound debris is fully mixed into the disk. The density threshold for no bound debris return, inhibiting the accretion component of TDEs, is $ρ_{\rm crit,bound} \sim 10^{-9}{\rm g~cm^{-3}}(M_{\bullet}/10^{6}{\rm M}_{\odot})^{-2.5}$. 3) Observationally, AGN-TDEs transition from resembling naked TDEs in the limit of $ρ_{\rm disk}\lesssim 10^{-2}ρ_{\rm crit,bound}$ to fully muffled TDEs with associated inner disk state changes at $ρ_{\rm disk}\gtrsimρ_{\rm crit,bound}$, with a superposition of AGN+TDE in between. Stellar or remnant passages themselves can significantly perturb the inner disk. This can lead to an immediate X-ray signature and optically detectable inner disk state changes, potentially contributing to the changing-look AGN phenomenon. 4) Debris mixing can enriches the average disk metallicity over time if the star's metallicity exceeds that of the disk gas.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

BASS XXXIV: A Catalog of the Nuclear Mm-wave Continuum Emission Properties of AGNs Constrained on Scales $\lesssim$ 100--200 pc

We present a catalog of the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) continuum properties of 98 nearby ($z <$ 0.05) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected from the 70-month Swift/BAT hard X-ray catalog that have precisely determined X-ray spectral properties and subarcsec-resolution ALMA Band-6 (211--275 GHz) observations as of 2021 April. Due to the hard-X-ray ($>$ 10 keV) selection, the sample is nearly unbiased for obscured systems at least up to Compton-thick-level obscuration, and provides the largest number of AGNs with high physical resolution mm-wave data ($\lesssim$ 100--200 pc). Our catalog reports emission peak coordinates, spectral indices, and peak fluxes and luminosities at 1.3 mm (230 GHz). Additionally, high-resolution mm-wave images are provided. Using the images and creating radial surface brightness profiles of mm-wave emission, we identify emission extending from the central source and isolated blob-like emission. Flags indicating the presence of these emission features are tabulated. Among 90 AGNs with significant detections of nuclear emission, 37 AGNs ($\approx$ 41%) appear to have both or one of extended or blob-like components. We, in particular, investigate AGNs that show well-resolved mm-wave components and find that these seem to have a variety of origins (i.e., a jet, radio lobes, a secondary AGN, stellar clusters, a narrow line region, galaxy disk, active star-formation regions, and AGN-driven outflows), and some components have currently unclear origins.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

BASS XXXV. The $M_\rm{BH}$-$σ_\rm{\star}$ Relation of 105-Month Swift-BAT Type 1 AGNs

We present two independent measurements of stellar velocity dispersions ( $σ_\rm{\star}$ ) from the Ca\,H+K \& Mg\,\textsc{i} region (3880--5550~Å) and the Calcium Triplet region (CaT, 8350--8750~Å) for 173 hard X-ray-selected Type 1 AGNs ($z \leq$ 0.08) from the 105-month Swift-BAT catalog. We construct one of the largest samples of local Type 1 AGNs that have both single-epoch (SE) 'virial' black hole mass ($M_\rm{BH}$) estimates and $σ_\rm{\star}$ measurements obtained from high spectral resolution data, allowing us to test the usage of such methods for SMBH studies. We find that the two independent $σ_\rm{\star}$ measurements are highly consistent with each other, with an average offset of only $0.002\pm0.001$ dex. Comparing $M_\rm{BH}$ estimates based on broad emission lines and stellar velocity dispersion measurements, we find that the former is systematically lower by $\approx$0.12 dex. Consequently, Eddington ratios estimated through broad-line $M_\rm{BH}$ determinations are similarly biased (but in the opposite way). We argue that the discrepancy is driven by extinction in the broad-line region (BLR). We also find an anti-correlation between the offset from the $M_\rm{BH}$ - $σ_\rm{\star}$ relation and the Eddington ratio. Our sample of Type 1 AGNs shows a shallower $M_\rm{BH}$ - $σ_\rm{\star}$ relation (with a power law exponent of $\approx$3.5) compared with that of inactive galaxies (with a power-law exponent of $\approx$4.5), confirming earlier results obtained from smaller samples.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

The Parabolic $U(1)$-Higgs Equations and Codimension-two Mean Curvature Flows

We develop the asymptotic analysis as $ε\to 0$ for the natural gradient flow of the self-dual $U(1)$-Higgs energies $$E_ε(u,\nabla)=\int_M\left(|\nabla u|^2+ε^2|F_{\nabla}|^2+\frac{(1-|u|^2)^2}{4ε^2}\right)$$ on Hermitian line bundles over closed manifolds $(M^n,g)$ of dimension $n\ge 3$, showing that solutions converge in a measure-theoretic sense to codimension-two mean curvature flows -- i.e., integral $(n-2)$-Brakke flows -- generalizing results of the last two authors from the stationary case. Given any integral $(n-2)$-cycle $Γ_0$ in $M$, these results can be used together with the convergence theory developed in previous work of the authors to produce nontrivial integral Brakke flows starting at $Γ_0$ with additional structure, similar to those produced via Ilmanen's elliptic regularization.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

An Overdensity of Lyman Break Galaxies Around the Hot Dust-Obscured Galaxy WISE J224607.56$-$052634.9

We report the identification of Lyman Break Galaxy (LBG) candidates around the most luminous Hot Dust-Obscured Galaxy (Hot DOG) known, WISE J224607.56$-$052634.9 (W2246$-$0526) at $z=4.601$, using deep \textit{r}-, \textit{i}-, and \textit{z}-band imaging from the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph South (GMOS-S). We use the surface density of LBGs to probe the Mpc-scale environment of W2246$-$0526 to characterize its richness and evolutionary state. We identify LBG candidates in the vicinity of W2246$-$0526 using the selection criteria developed by \cite{2004VOuchi} and \cite{2006Yoshida} in the Subaru Deep Field and in the Subaru XMM-Newton Deep Field, slightly modified to account for the difference between the filters used, and we find 37 and 55 LBG candidates, respectively. Matching to the $z$-band depths of those studies, this corresponds to $δ= 5.8^{+2.4}_{-1.9}$ times the surface density of LBGs expected in the field. Interestingly, the Hot DOG itself, as well as a confirmed neighbor, do not satisfy either LBG selection criteria, suggesting we may be missing a large number of companion galaxies. Our analysis shows that we are most likely only finding those with higher-than-average IGM optical depth or moderately high dust obscuration. The number density of LBG candidates is not concentrated around W2246$-$0526, suggesting either an early evolutionary stage for the proto-cluster or that the Hot DOG may not be the most massive galaxy, or that the Hot DOG may be affecting the IGM transparency in its vicinity. The overdensity around W2246$-$0526 is comparable to overdensities found around other Hot DOGs and is somewhat higher than typically found for radio galaxies and luminous quasars at a similar redshift.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

Quantization and non-quantization of energy for higher-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau vortices

Given a family of critical points $u_ε:M^n\to\mathbb{C}$ for the complex Ginzburg--Landau energies \begin{align*} &E_ε(u)=\int_{M}\left(\frac{|du|^2}{2}+\frac{(1-|u|^2)^2}{4ε^2}\right), \end{align*} on a manifold $M$, with natural energy growth $E_ε(u_ε)=O(|\logε| )$, it is known that the vorticity sets $\{|u_ε|\leq \frac{1}{2}\}$ converge subsequentially to the support of a stationary, rectifiable $(n-2)$-varifold $V$ in the interior, characterized as the concentrated portion of the limit $\lim_{ε\to 0} \frac{e_ε(u_ε)}{π|\logε| }$ of the normalized energy measures. When $n=2$ or the solutions $u_ε$ are energy-minimizing, it is known moreover that this varifold $V$ is integral; i.e., the $(n-2)$-density $Θ_{n-2}(|V|,x)$ of $|V|$ takes values in $\mathbb{N}$ at $|V|$-a.e. $x\in M$. In the present paper, we show that for a general family of critical points with $E_ε(u_ε)=O(|\logε| )$ in dimension $n\geq 3$, this energy quantization phenomenon only holds where the density is less than $2$: namely, we prove that the density $Θ_{n-2}(|V|,x)$ of the limit varifold takes values in $\{1\}\cup [2,\infty)$ at $|V|$-a.e. $x\in M$, and show that this is sharp, in the sense that for any $n\geq 3$ and $θ\in \{1\}\cup [2,\infty)$, there exists a family of critical points $u_ε$ for $E_ε$ in the ball $B_1^n(0)$ with concentration varifold $V$ given by an $(n-2)$-plane with density $θ$.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

Scary Barbie: An Extremely Energetic, Long-Duration Tidal Disruption Event Candidate Without a Detected Host Galaxy at z = 0.995

We report multi-wavelength observations and characterization of the ultraluminous transient AT 2021lwx (ZTF20abrbeie; aka ``Barbie'') identified in the alert stream of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) using a Recommender Engine For Intelligent Transient Tracking (REFITT) filter on the ANTARES alert broker. From a spectroscopically measured redshift of 0.995, we estimate a peak observed pseudo-bolometric luminosity of log (L$_{\text{max}} / [\text{erg}/\text{s}]$) = 45.7 from slowly fading ztf-$\it{g}$ and ztf-$r$ light curves spanning over 1000 observer-frame days. The host galaxy is not detected in archival Pan-STARRS observations ($g > 23.3$ mag), implying a lower limit to the outburst amplitude of more than 5 mag relative to the quiescent host galaxy. Optical spectra from Lick and Keck Observatories exhibit strong emission lines with narrow cores from the H Balmer series and ultraviolet semi-forbidden lines of Si III] $λ$1892, C III] $λ$1909, and C II] $λ$2325. Typical nebular lines in AGN spectra from ions such as [O II] and [O III] are not detected. These spectral features, along with the smooth light curve that is unlike most AGN flaring activity, and the luminosity that exceeds any observed or theorized supernova, lead us to conclude that AT 2021lwx is most likely an extreme tidal disruption event (TDE). Modeling of ZTF photometry with MOSFiT suggests that the TDE was between a $\approx 14 M_{\odot}$ star and a supermassive black hole of mass $M_{\text{BH}} \sim$ $10^{8} M_{\odot}$. Continued monitoring of the still-evolving light curve along with deep imaging of the field once AT 2021lwx has faded can test this hypothesis and potentially detect the host galaxy.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

A radio-detected Type Ia supernova with helium-rich circumstellar material

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are thermonuclear explosions of degenerate white dwarf (WD) stars destabilized by mass accretion from a companion star, but the nature of their progenitors remains poorly understood. A way to discriminate between progenitor systems is through radio observations; a non-degenerate companion star is expected to lose material through winds or binary interaction prior to explosion, and the SN ejecta crashing into this nearby circumstellar material (CSM) should result in radio synchrotron emission. However, despite extensive efforts, no SN Ia has ever been detected at radio wavelengths, which suggests a clean environment and a companion star that is itself a degenerate WD star. Here we report on the study of SN 2020eyj, a SN Ia showing helium-rich CSM, as revealed by its spectral features, infrared emission and, for the first time in a SN Ia, a radio counterpart. Based on our modeling, we conclude the CSM likely originates from a single-degenerate (SD) binary system where a WD accretes material from a helium donor star, an often hypothesized formation channel for SNe Ia. We describe how comprehensive radio follow-up of SN 2020eyj-like SNe Ia can improve the constraints on their progenitor systems.

astro-ph.HE↗