arXiv subjects

Jailson Alcaniz

Publications and source records attributed to Jailson Alcaniz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

The miniJPAS and J-NEP surveys: Machine learning for star-galaxy separation

We present a supervised machine learning classification of sources from the Javalambre Physics of the Accelerating Universe Astrophysical Survey (J-PAS) Pathfinder datasets: miniJPAS and J-NEP. Leveraging crossmatches with spectroscopic and photometric catalogs, we construct a robust labeled dataset comprising 14594 sources classified into extended (galaxies) and point-like (stars and quasars) objects. We assess dataset representativeness using UMAP analysis, confirming broad and consistent coverage of feature space. An XGBoost classifier, with hyperparameters tuned using automated optimization, is trained using purely photometric data (60-band J-PAS magnitudes) and combined photometric and morphological features, with performance thoroughly evaluated via ROC and purity-completeness metrics. Incorporating morphology significantly improves classification, outperforming the baseline classifications available in the catalogs. Permutation importance analysis reveals morphological parameters, particularly concentration, normalized peak surface brightness, and PSF, alongside photometric features around 4000 and 6900 A, as crucial for accurate classifications. We release a value-added catalog with our models for star-galaxy classification, enhancing the utility of miniJPAS and J-NEP for subsequent cosmological and astrophysical analyses.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Thawing quintessence and transient cosmic acceleration in light of DESI

Recent analysis of the DESI Collaboration challenges the $Λ$-Cold Dark Matter ($Λ$CDM) model, suggesting evidence for a dynamic dark energy. These results are obtained in the context of generic parameterizations of the dark energy equation of state (EoS), which better fit the data when they exhibit an unphysical phantom behavior in the past. In this paper, we briefly analyze how ambiguous this latter conclusion can be in light of the background degeneracy between EoS parameterizations and minimally coupled quintessence scenarios. We then investigate whether the current observational data can be accommodated with a non-phantom, thawing dark energy EoS, typical of a broad class of quintessence models. We show that the thawing behavior of this EoS performs comparabily to the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder parameterization and is statistically competitive with $Λ$CDM while predicting cosmic acceleration as a transient phenomenon. Such a dynamic behavior aligns with theoretical arguments from string theory and offers a way out of the trans-Planckian problem that challenges the ever-accelerated $Λ$CDM paradigm.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

J-PLUS: Turning Off the Bright Stars

Photometric surveys require precise point spread function (PSF) characterization, as it varies across filters and is crucial for accurate photometry and low surface brightness (LSB) studies. However, the small PSF size provided by default pipelines suits only barely resolved objects, making it difficult to analyze regions near bright stars (rendering those regions unusable). These components are then combined to generate a final PSF for each exposure and filter, spanning 15 mag arcsec-2 in surface brightness and 4 arcmin in radius in the broad bands. In narrow-band filters, the J-PLUS PSF exhibits two rings, whereas in broad-band filters, only one ring is observed. Additionally, the position of the ring shifts with filter wavelength: as the filters become redder, the ring radius increases. We find that there is no significant variation in the extended PSF observed as a function of time (within 2.5h) or position in the field of view. The radial profile of NGC 4212 (which is close to a star) is also studied before/after PSF-subtraction. We developed a novel method to determine the central coordinates of saturated stars, and classify stars without using Gaia magnitudes. Additionally, mirror reflections are automatically detected and masked. Furthermore, in combining different stars and various components of the PSF, we avoided the use of a fixed radius by introducing a new method that does not depend on radial measurements. Accurate characterization of the extended PSF and its subtraction improves sky subtraction, increases the effective area of the survey by about 10%, and enables the study of extended large LSB features in wide area surveys like J-PLUS. Our pipeline is published as free software (GNU GPLv3) an can be customized to other surveys such as J-PAS, where its impact will be even greater due to its depth. This paper is fully reproducible and produced from Commit 4860c70.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Cosmography with DESI DR2 and SN data

In this paper, we present a kinematic analysis of the Universe's expansion history using cosmography, with a particular emphasis on the jerk parameter $j_0$, which is equal to one in the standard $Λ$CDM scenario. We use distance measurements from DESI DR2, both independently and in combination with current Type Ia supernova (SN) samples, to constrain the cosmographic parameters up to the fourth order without relying on a specific cosmological model. Our results show that for the DESI DR2 data alone, the $Λ$CDM prediction ($j_0 = 1$) falls within the 2$σ$ confidence region. However, when DESI DR2 is combined with the Union3, Pantheon+, and DESY5 SN datasets, the result obtained is discrepant with the $Λ$CDM model at about 3.4$σ$, 4.1$σ$, and 5.4$σ$, respectively. These results are consistent with the conclusions based on dark energy parameterizations reported by the DESI Collaboration, which suggest the presence of a dynamic dark energy component in the universe.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Exploring cosmological constraints on galaxy formation time

The Universe consists of a variety of objects that formed at different epochs, leading to variations in the formation time which represents the time elapsed from the onset of structure formation until the formation time of a particular object. In this work, we present two approaches to reconstruct and constrain the galaxy formation time $t_f(z)$ using non-parametric reconstruction methods, such as Gaussian Processes (GP) and High-performance Symbolic Regression (SR). Our analysis uses age estimates of 32 old passive galaxies and the Pantheon+ type Ia supernova sample, and considers two different values of the Hubble constant $H_0$ from the SH0ES and Planck Collaborations. When adopting the $Λ$CDM model and the GP reconstructions, we find $\left =0.72_{-0.16}^{+0.14}$ Gyr (SH0ES) and $\left =1.26_{-0.11}^{+0.10}$ Gyr (Planck). Without considering a specific cosmological model, we obtain $\left =0.71 \pm {0.19}$ Gyr (SH0ES) and $\left = 1.35_{-0.23}^{+0.21}$ Gyr (Planck). Similar values are obtained from the SR reconstructions, with both methods (GP and SR) indicating the same behavior regarding the time evolution of $t_f(z)$. The results also show significant differences in the formation time from SH0ES and Planck values, highlighting the impact of the $H_0$ tension on the cosmological estimates of $t_f(z)$. In particular, the different approaches used in the analysis agree with each other, demonstrating the robustness and consistency of our results. Overall, this study suggests that galaxies have different evolutionary timescales and that $t_f$ is not constant, with noticeable variations at lower redshifts ($z \lesssim 0.5$).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

The miniJPAS survey quasar selection V: combined algorithm

Aims. Quasar catalogues from narrow-band photometric data are used in a variety of applications, including targeting for spectroscopic follow-up, measurements of supermassive black hole masses, or Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. Here, we present the final quasar catalogue, including redshift estimates, from the miniJPAS Data Release constructed using several flavours of machine-learning algorithms. Methods. In this work, we use a machine learning algorithm to classify quasars, optimally combining the output of 8 individual algorithms. We assess the relative importance of the different classifiers. We include results from 3 different redshift estimators to also provide improved photometric redshifts. We compare our final catalogue against both simulated data and real spectroscopic data. Our main comparison metric is the $f_1$ score, which balances the catalogue purity and completeness. Results. We evaluate the performance of the combined algorithm using synthetic data. In this scenario, the combined algorithm outperforms the rest of the codes, reaching $f_1=0.88$ and $f_1=0.79$ for high- and low-z quasars (with $z\geq2.1$ and $z<2.1$, respectively) down to magnitude $r=23.5$. We further evaluate its performance against real spectroscopic data, finding different performances. We conclude that our simulated data is not realistic enough and that a new version of the mocks would improve the performance. Our redshift estimates on mocks suggest a typical uncertainty of $σ_{\rm NMAD} =0.11$, which, according to our results with real data, could be significantly smaller (as low as $σ_{\rm NMAD}=0.02$). We note that the data sample is still not large enough for a full statistical consideration.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Cosmological constraints from angular homogeneity scale measurements

In this paper, we obtain new measurements of the angular homogeneity scale ($θ_H$) from the BOSS DR12 and eBOSS DR16 catalogs of Luminous Red Galaxies of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Considering the flat $Λ$CDM model, we use the $θ_H(z)$ data to constrain the matter density parameter ($Ω_{m0}$) and the Hubble constant ($H_{0}$). We find $H_0 = 65^{+10}_{-7}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ and $Ω_{m0}>0.296$. By combining the $θ_H$ measurements with current Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) and Type Ia Supernova (SN) data, we obtain $H_{0}= 66.8 \pm 5.0$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ and $Ω_{m0} = 0.292^{+0.013}_{-0.015}$ ($θ_H$ + BAO) and $H_{0}=66.8 \pm 5.4 $ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ and $Ω_{m0}=0.331 \pm 0.018$ ($θ_H$ + SN). We show that $θ_H$ measurements help break the BAO and SN degeneracies concerning $H_0$, as they do not depend on the sound horizon scale at the drag epoch or the SN absolute magnitude value obtained from the distance ladder method. Hence, despite those constraints are less stringent compared to other probes, $θ_H$ data may provide an independent cosmological probe of $H_0$ in light of the Hubble tension. For completeness, we also forecast the constraining power of future $θ_H$ data via Monte Carlo simulations. Considering a relative error of the order of 1$\%$, we obtain competitive constraints on $Ω_{m0}$ and $H_0$ ($\approx 5\%$ error) from the joint analysis with current SN and BAO measurements.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Reconstructing the redshift evolution of Type Ia supernovae absolute magnitude

This work investigates a potential time dependence of the absolute magnitude of Type Ia Supernovae (SN Ia). Employing the Gaussian Process approach, we obtain the SN Ia absolute magnitude and its derivative as a function of redshift. The data set considered in the analysis comprises measurements of apparent magnitude from SN Ia, Hubble rate from cosmic chronometers, and the ratio between angular and radial distances from Large-Scale Structure data (BAO and voids). Our findings reveal good compatibility between the reconstructed SN Ia absolute magnitudes and a constant value. However, the mean value obtained from the Gaussian Process reconstruction is $M=-19.456\pm 0.059$, which is $3.2σ$ apart from local measurements by Pantheon+SH0ES. This incompatibility may be directly associated to the $Λ$CDM model and local data, as it does not appear in either model-dependent or model-independent estimates of the absolute magnitude based on early universe data. Furthermore, we assess the implications of a variable $M$ within the context of modified gravity theories. Considering the local estimate of the absolute magnitude, we find $\sim3σ$ tension supporting departures from General Relativity in analyzing scenarios involving modified gravity theories with variations in Planck mass through Newton's constant.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Thawing Dark Energy and Massive Neutrinos in Light of DESI

Recent analyses have shown that a dynamic dark energy modeled by the CPL parameterization of the dark energy equation of state (EoS) can ease constraints on the total neutrino mass compared to the standard $Λ$CDM model. This helps reconcile cosmological and particle physics measurements of $\sum m_ν$. In this study, we investigate the robustness of this effect by assessing the extent to which the CPL assumption influences the results. We examine how alternative EoS parameterizations - such as Barboza-Alcaniz (BA), Jassal-Bagla-Padmanabhan (JBP), and a physically motivated thawing parameterization that reproduces the behavior of various scalar field models - affect estimates of $\sum m_ν$. Although both the BA and JBP parameterizations relax the constraints similarly to the CPL model, the JBP parameterization still excludes the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy at $\sim 2.1\;σ$ with $\sum m_ν< 0.096$\;eV. The thawing parameterization excludes the inverted hierarchy at $\sim 3.3σ$ and yields tighter constraints, comparable to those of the $Λ$CDM model, with $\sum m_ν< 0.071$\;eV. Finally, we show that the thawing model can be mapped into the BA and JBP $w_0$-$w_a$ parameter space, with the apparent preference for the phantom regime actually supporting quintessence (non-phantom) models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Evidence for dynamical dark energy from DESI-DR2 and SN data? A symbolic regression analysis

Recent measurements of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Survey (DESI DR2), combined with data from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and Type Ia supernovae (SNe), challenge the $Λ$-Cold Dark Matter ($Λ$CDM) paradigm. They indicate a potential evolution in the dark energy equation of state (EoS), $w(z)$, as suggested by analyses that employ parametric models. In this paper, we use a model-independent approach known as high performance symbolic regression (PySR) to reconstruct $w(z)$ directly from observational data, allowing us to bypass prior assumptions about the underlying cosmological model. Our findings confirm that the DESI DR2 data alone agree with the $Λ$CDM model ($w(z) = -1$) at the redshift range considered. Additionally, when combining DESI data with existing compilations of SN distance measurements, such as Patheon+ and DESY5, we observe no deviation from the $Λ$CDM model within $3σ$ (C.L.) for the interval of values of present-day matter density parameter $Ω_m$ and the sound horizon at the drag epoch $r_d$ currently constrained by observational data. Therefore, similarly to the DESI DR1 case, these results suggest that it is still premature to claim statistically significant evidence for a dynamical EoS or deviations from the $Λ$CDM model based on the current DESI data in combination with supernova measurements.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Cosmological-model independent limits on photon mass from FRB and SNe data

Electromagnetic emissions from astrophysical sources at cosmological distances can be used to estimate the photon mass, $m_γ$. In this paper, we combine measurements of the dispersion measure ($\mathrm{DM}$) of fast radio bursts (FRB) with the luminosity distance from type Ia supernovae (SNe) to investigate update constraints on the photon rest mass. We derive the expression of $\mathrm{DM}$ dependence concerning a non-vanishing photon mass from a cosmological-model independent approach and constrain the parameter $m_γ$ from measurements of 68 well-localized FRBs and 1048 SNe data from the Pantheon compilation. We consider two scenarios for the baryon fraction in the intergalactic medium ($f_{\mathrm{IGM}}$): one where the value is fixed according to recent reports and another where it is treated as a free parameter, $f_{\mathrm{IGM}} = f_{\mathrm{IGM,0}}$. In the latter case, we find $m_γ = (29.4_{-15.5}^{+5.80}) \times 10^{-51}$ kg, at $1σ$ level. Our results also demonstrate an anticorrelation between $f_{\mathrm{IGM}}$ and $m_γ$, which highlights the importance of analyzing a larger sample of FRBs for a more comprehensive understanding of their properties.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Dark energy and cosmic acceleration

The discovery that we live in an accelerating universe changed drastically the paradigm of physics and introduced the concept of \textit{dark energy}. In this work, we present a brief historical description of the main events related to the discovery of cosmic acceleration and the basic elements of theoretical and observational aspects of dark energy. Regarding the historical perspective, we outline some of the key milestones for tracing the journey from Einstein's proposal of the cosmological constant to the type Ia supernovae results. Conversely, on the theoretical/observational side, we begin by analyzing cosmic acceleration within the context of the standard cosmological model, i.e., in terms of the cosmological constant. In this case, we show how a positive cosmological constant drives accelerated expansion and discuss the main observational aspects, such as updated results and current cosmological tensions. We also explore alternative descriptions of dark energy, encompassing dynamic and interacting dark energy models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

A search for the fine-structure constant evolution from fast radio bursts and type Ia supernovae data

The search for a space-time variation of the fundamental constants has been explored over the years to test our physical theories. In this paper, we use the dispersion measure ($DM$) of fast radio bursts (FRB) combined with type Ia supernovae (SNe) data to investigate a possible redshift evolution of the fine-structure constant ($α$), considering the runaway dilaton scenario, which predicts $\frac{Δα}α = - γ\ln{(1+z)}$, where $γ$ is a constant proportional to the current value of the coupling between the dilaton field and hadronic matter. We derive all the relevant expressions for the $DM$ dependence concerning the fine-structure constant and constrain the parameter $γ$ from measurements of 17 well-localized FRBs and 1048 SNe data from the Pantheon compilation. We also use Monte Carlo simulations to forecast the constraining power of larger samples of FRB measurements for data sets with $N = 500$ and $N = 1000$ points. We found that the uncertainty on $γ$ can be improved by one order of magnitude and that limits on $\frac{Δα}α$ beyond $σ\sim 10^{-2}$ will depend crucially on better control of statistical and systematic uncertainties of upcoming FRB data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Dark Matter Freeze-In during Warm Inflation and the Seesaw Mechanism

A compelling way to address the inflationary period is via the warm inflation scenario, where the interaction of the inflaton field with other degrees of freedom affects its dynamics in such a way that slow-roll inflation is maintained by dissipative effects in a thermal bath. In this context, if a dark matter particle is coupled to the bath due to non-renormalizable interactions, the observed dark matter abundance may be produced during warm inflation via ultra-violet freeze-in. In this work, we propose applying this scenario in the framework of a $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge extension of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, where we also employ the seesaw mechanism for generating neutrino masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Can the angular scale of cosmic homogeneity be used as a cosmological test?

In standard cosmology, the cosmic homogeneity scale is the transition scale above which the patterns arising from non-uniformities -- such as groups and clusters of galaxies, voids, and filaments -- become indistinguishable from a random distribution of sources. Recently, different groups have investigated the feasibility of using such a scale as a cosmological test and arrived at different conclusions. In this paper, we complement and extend these studies by exploring the evolution of the spatial (${\cal{R}}_H$) and angular ($θ_H$) homogeneity scales with redshift, assuming a spatially flat, $Λ$-Cold Dark Matter %($Λ$CDM) universe and linear cosmological perturbation theory. We confirm previous results concerning the non-monotonicity of ${\cal{R}}_H$ with the matter density parameter $Ω_{m0}$ but also show that it exhibits a monotonical behavior with the Hubble constant $H_0$ within a large redshift interval. More importantly, we find that, for $z \gtrsim 0.6$, the angular homogeneity scale not only presents a monotonical behavior with $Ω_{m0}$ and $H_0$ but is quite sensitive to $H_0$, especially at higher redshifts. These results, therefore, raise the possibility of using $θ_H$ as a new, model-independent way to constrain cosmological parameters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

J-PLUS: Beyond Spectroscopy III. Stellar Parameters and Elemental-abundance Ratios for Five Million Stars from DR3

We present a catalog of stellar parameters (effective temperature $T_{\rm eff}$, surface gravity $\log g$, age, and metallicity [Fe/H]) and elemental-abundance ratios ([C/Fe], [Mg/Fe], and [$α$/Fe]) for some five million stars (4.5 million dwarfs and 0.5 million giants stars) in the Milky Way, based on stellar colors from the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) DR3 and \textit{Gaia} EDR3. These estimates are obtained through the construction of a large spectroscopic training set with parameters and abundances adjusted to uniform scales, and trained with a Kernel Principal Component Analysis. Owing to the seven narrow/medium-band filters employed by J-PLUS, we obtain precisions in the abundance estimates that are as good or better than derived from medium-resolution spectroscopy for stars covering a wide range of the parameter space: 0.10-0.20 dex for [Fe/H] and [C/Fe], and 0.05 dex for [Mg/Fe] and [$α$/Fe]. Moreover, systematic errors due to the influence of molecular carbon bands on previous photometric-metallicity estimates (which only included two narrow/medium-band blue filters) have now been removed, resulting in photometric-metallicity estimates down to [Fe/H] $\sim -4.0$, with typical uncertainties of 0.25 dex and 0.40 dex for dwarfs and giants, respectively. This large photometric sample should prove useful for the exploration of the assembly and chemical-evolution history of our Galaxy.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

The miniJPAS Survey: The radial distribution of star formation rates in faint X-ray active galactic nuclei

We study the impact of black hole nuclear activity on both the global and radial star formation rate (SFR) profiles in X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the field of miniJPAS, the precursor of the much wider J-PAS project. Our sample includes 32 AGN with z < 0.3 detected via the XMM-Newton and Chandra surveys. For comparison, we assembled a control sample of 71 star-forming (SF) galaxies with similar magnitudes, sizes, and redshifts. To derive the global properties of both the AGN and the control SF sample, we used CIGALE to fit the spectral energy distributions derived from the 56 narrowband and 4 broadband filters from miniJPAS. We find that AGN tend to reside in more massive galaxies than their SF counterparts. After matching samples based on stellar mass and comparing their SFRs and specific SFRs (sSFRs), no significant differences appear. This suggests that the presence of AGN does not strongly influence overall star formation. However, when we used miniJPAS as an integral field unit (IFU) to dissect galaxies along their position angle, a different picture emerges. We find that AGN tend to be more centrally concentrated in mass with respect to SF galaxies. Moreover, we find a suppression of the sSFR up to 1Re and then an enhancement beyond 1Re , strongly contrasting with the decreasing radial profile of sSFRs in SF galaxies. This could point to an inside-out quenching of AGN host galaxies. These findings suggest that the reason we do not see differences on a global scale is because star formation is suppressed in the central regions and enhanced in the outer regions of AGN host galaxies. While limited in terms of sample size, this work highlights the potential of the upcoming J-PAS as a wide-field low-resolution IFU for thousands of nearby galaxies and AGN.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

CMB constraints on inflection-point inflation with a pseudo-scalar dark matter

In this work, we investigate the physical aspects of the inflection-point inflation scenario and assess its observational viability in light of current Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. The model we consider encapsulates the inflaton with a pseudo-scalar (the dark matter candidate) in a complex neutral scalar singlet. The cosmological constraints on the parameters of inflation derived at a high energy scale are translated to a low energy scale by running these parameters. Ensuring the entire Lagrangian to be invariant under a $Z_3$ symmetry with the adequate transformation of the fields, the imaginary part of the singlet decouples from the other scalars of the model. We then investigate if the observational viability of inflation is also compatible with this pseudo-scalar being the dark matter component.We show that the CMB constraints on the inflationary parameters assure that the pseudo-scalar is stable and provides the correct relic dark matter abundance only when the pseudo-scalar is thermally produced.

astro-ph.CO↗