arXiv subjects

Hichem Guergouri

Publications and source records attributed to Hichem Guergouri.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Earth-Projected Clustering of Historical Optical Transients in the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey-I (POSS-I)

Palomar Observatory Sky Survey-I (POSS-I) images obtained before the launch of Sputnik contain star-like point sources consistent with sub-second flashes that are absent from all subsequent observations. The nature and origin of these transients remain poorly understood. Based on models suggesting they are in geosynchronous orbit, we estimated the latitude/longitude over which POSS-I transients appeared. From a dataset of 107,875 POSS-I transients, we selected a subset with high probability of representing real objects based on a machine learning model. Two independent approaches were used to test whether transients non-randomly grouped over specific locations (hotspots). Based on comparing transient numbers in discrete 5{\deg} x 5{\deg} Earth-projected regions to numbers randomly expected in these same regions, 16 statistically-significant hotspots were identified. Separately, two-step cluster analysis identified 6 highly-distinct hotspots (silhouette value = 0.70). The two methods identified several similar hotspots not attributable to POSS-I survey biases: 1) Pacific ocean west of southern Mexico/Central America, 2) southern Gulf of Mexico, 3) southwestern US (Sedona, AZ, White Sands, NM regions). Transients accounting for reported transient-nuclear testing associations displayed location specificity, with exclusively Pacific transient locations during Pacific nuclear testing and primarily southwestern US locations during Nevada testing. Findings hint at intriguing POSS-I transient characteristics.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

Modelling Palomar Transients: Constraints from Reflection Geometry and Orbital Altitude

Recent searches of digitised photographic plates from the Palomar Observatory have uncovered tens of thousands of short-lived transients, each visible in only a single exposure. Their morphologies indicate sub-second flashes, consistent with specular reflections from highly reflective objects in near-Earth orbits. In this paper, we present a modelling study using geometric shadow modelling, Monte Carlo simulations, and photometric constraints to infer their physical properties. We examine the observed groupings and alignments, which appear to be consistent with sudden changes in attitude. Assuming a spherical-shell model, the angular profile of the measured transient deficit around the antisolar point is consistent with a population at characteristic altitudes of $\sim 20,000$--25,000 km. A complementary estimate, based on the altitude dependence of the global Earth-shadow deficit, yields a broader characteristic range of $\sim$ 20,000--35,000 km above Earth's surface, extending into the geosynchronous orbital (GSO) region. Under simplified geometric and photometric assumptions and assuming $\sim20{,}000$ to $35{,}786$ km above the Earth's surface, the inferred sizes of the specularly reflecting facets range from centimetre scales up to $\sim3$ m, with characteristic flash durations of $\sim320$ ms and slow rotation rates. We explore both natural and non-natural toy models consistent with the data, and provide constraints to guide future observational searches.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

Constraining Cosmological Parameters From Statistical Superluminal Effects Without a Distance Ladder

We employ a statistical approach to study apparent superluminal motion of luminous sources in an expanding flat Friedmann--Lema\^itre--Robertson--Walker universe, explicitly incorporating cosmological effects through the comoving distance at the emission time. Probability Density Functions (PDFs) of the apparent angular velocity are derived under minimal assumptions regarding source orientations and intrinsic peculiar velocity distributions. We show that the apparent angular velocity distributions and their associated statistical observables are sensitive to cosmological parameters $\Omega_{\Lambda,0}$ and the Hubble parameter $H_0$. Using suitably defined observables, we construct correlated constraints in the $(\Omega_{\Lambda,0}, H_0)$ parameter space and demonstrate that combining measurements at different redshifts effectively breaks the resulting degeneracy. Apparent superluminal motion thus provides a complementary kinematic consistency test for cosmological models.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Non-Radial Free Geodesics. II. In Spatially Curved FLRW Spacetime

This paper presents an in-depth exploration of timelike free geodesics in spatially curved Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) spacetime. A unified approach for these geodesics encompassing both radial and non-radial trajectories across Euclidean, spherical, and hyperbolic geometries is employed. Using the symmetry properties of the system, two constants of motion related to this dynamical system are derived. This treatment facilitates the explicit computation of radial and angular peculiar velocities, along with the evolution of the comoving radial distance and angle over time. The study introduces three distinct methods for characterizing geodesic solutions, further delving into the flatness limit, the null geodesic limit, the radial geodesic limit, the comoving geodesic limit, and the circular orbits. Additionally, we analyze Killing vectors, reflecting the symmetries inherent in the dynamical system. This study provides a more profound understanding of the behavior of free particles as observed from a comoving reference frame.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Non-Radial Free Geodesics. I. In Spatially Flat FLRW Spacetime

This paper provides an analytical examination of non-radial geodesics within the context of the spatially flat Friedmann Lemaître Robertson Walker (FLRW) spacetime. Using the symmetry properties of the system, two constants of motion related to this dynamical system are derived. This treatment enables us to explicitly compute the radial and angular peculiar velocities, as well as the evolution of the comoving radial distance and angle over time. The study introduces three distinct methods to characterize geodesic solutions, and additionally examines the radial geodesic limit, the null geodesic limit, and the comoving geodesic limit. Additionally, the paper investigates both non-radial and radial free geodesics within the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model, presenting detailed results and discussions. Lastly, we explore the total angle swept by a free particle from the initial singularity to infinity as measured by a comoving observer, offering insights into the dynamics of free particles in FLRW spacetime.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Studying the Behavior of Radial Free Geodesics in ΛCDM Model

This paper presents an analytical study of the behavior of radial free-geodesics in the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) spacetime within the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model. Using the radial free motion solutions, we provide two methods for characterizing the geodesics and defines a general formula that encapsulates all possible solutions, determined by two initial conditions. We show that the past light cone, event horizon, and particle horizon, can be considered as special cases of this overarching formula. Furthermore, the paper explores the free geodesics within the currently accepted cosmological model based on the recent Planck results, thoroughly examining the various possible geodesic scenarios.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Launching the VASCO citizen science project

The Vanishing & Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) project investigates astronomical surveys spanning a time interval of 70 years, searching for unusual and exotic transients. We present herein the VASCO Citizen Science Project, which can identify unusual candidates driven by three different approaches: hypothesis, exploratory, and machine learning, which is particularly useful for SETI searches. To address the big data challenge, VASCO combines three methods: the Virtual Observatory, user-aided machine learning, and visual inspection through citizen science. Here we demonstrate the citizen science project and its improved candidate selection process, and we give a progress report. We also present the VASCO citizen science network led by amateur astronomy associations mainly located in Algeria, Cameroon, and Nigeria. At the moment of writing, the citizen science project has carefully examined 15,593 candidate image pairs in the data (ca. 10% of the candidates), and has so far identified 798 objects classified as "vanished". The most interesting candidates will be followed up with optical and infrared imaging, together with the observations by the most potent radio telescopes.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Is there a background population of high-albedo objects in geosynchronous orbits around Earth?

Old, digitized astronomical images taken before the human spacefaring age offer a unique view of the sky devoid of known artificial satellites. In this paper, we have carried out the first optical searches ever for non-terrestrial artifacts near the Earth following the method proposed in Villarroel et al. (2022). We use images contained in the First Palomar Sky Survey to search for simultaneous (during a plate exposure time) transients that in addition to being point-like, are aligned. We provide a shortlist of the most promising candidates of aligned transients, that must be examined with the help of a microscope to separate celestial sources from plate defects with coincidentally star-like brightness profiles. We further explore one possible, but not unique, interpretation in terms of fast reflections off high-albedo objects in geosynchronous orbits around Earth. If a future study rules out each multiple transient candidate, the estimated surface density becomes an upper limit of $<10^{-9}$ objects km$^{-2}$ non-terrestrial artifacts in geosynchronous orbits around Earth. Finally, we conclude that observations and analysis of multiple, simultaneously appearing and vanishing light sources on the sky merit serious further attention, regardless of their origin.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2022

A glint in the eye: photographic plate archive searches for non-terrestrial artefacts

In this paper, we present a simple strategy to identify Non-Terrestrial artefacts \citep[NTAs;][]{Kopparapu} in or near geosynchronous Earth orbits (GEOs). We show that even the small pieces of reflective debris in orbit around the Earth can be identified through searches for multiple transients in old photographic plate material exposed before the launch of first human satellite in 1957. In order to separate between possible false point-like sources on photographic plates from real reflections, we present calculations to quantify the associated probabilities of alignments. We show that in an image with nine "simultaneous transients" at least four or five point sources along a line within a $10 \ast 10$ arcmin$^{2}$ image box are a strong indicator of NTAs, corresponding to significance levels of $2.5$ to $3.9 σ$. This given methodology can then be applied to set an upper limit to the prevalence of NTAs with reflective surfaces in geosynchronous orbits.

physics.pop-ph↗