arXiv subjects

Joseph R. Callingham

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph R. Callingham.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The magnetic field strength of a methane dwarf measured from its radio spectral cutoff

Brown dwarfs and gas-giant planets are expected to emit coherent radio emission via the electron cyclotron maser instability (ECMI) mechanism powered by non-thermal electrons in their magnetospheres. Detection of a characteristic spectral cutoff in their cyclotron emission is likely to be the only feasible route to measure their magnetic field strengths. Previous radio measurements of a subset of cold brown dwarfs (spectral type T or methane dwarfs) have not shown such a cutoff at frequencies as high as $\gtrsim 10\,{\rm GHz}$, implying field strengths far higher than canonical expectations from dynamo scaling laws. However, it is also possible that these high-frequency emissions did not originate in the large-scale magnetic field but rather from small high-field-strength loops at the surface, which the scaling laws are not designed to predict. Here we present radio observations of a methane dwarf binary (WISEP J101905.63+652954.2) whose radio emission was first detected in an untargeted low-frequency survey, making it more likely that the emission traces the object's large-scale magnetic field. The object's spectrum shows a clear radio spectral cutoff whose location yields a polar surface field strength of around 126 gauss. Canonical dynamo scaling laws based on energy balance now over-predict the field strength for this object, but the scaling law based on Lorentz-Coriolis force balance (Elsasser number rule) is consistent with the measurement. Our results suggest that multi-frequency (MHz to GHz) monitoring of brown-dwarf electron cyclotron maser emission is essential to separately measure the `mean field' on large scales and `fluctuating' fields on smaller spatial scales in order to determine the dynamo scaling law that most accurately predicts field generation in the metallic hydrogen layer of gas giants and cold brown dwarfs.

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arXiv2026

Cradle of Life: From the Formation of Stars to Habitable Worlds with the SKAO

This chapter provides an overview of the different science cases covered by the "Cradle of Life" working group, which aims to leverage the capabilities of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) to trace the physical and chemical pathways toward stars and planets formation, how such stars impact their planets, and whether life could exist in such conditions. At its highest frequencies, the SKAO will probe the earliest stages of the raw material fuelling planet formation, while enabling deep, unprecedented searches for prebiotic molecules both in high-mass and solar-type protostars. Concurrently, the lowest frequencies will be deployed to detect and characterize exoplanetary magnetic fields via their auroral radio emission, and the type of space weather a planet experiences from its host star. Across the entire frequency range, the SKA telescopes will conduct systematic searches of technosignatures. Together, these high-impact research areas establish a comprehensive roadmap for the SKAO to uncover the origins of life in the universe.

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arXiv2026

Discovering and Characterising Exoplanets and Ultracool Dwarfs with the Square Kilometre Array

The majority of the Solar System planets are sources of bright radio emission, driven by energetic electrons trapped within each planet's magnetic field. Detection of this emission from exoplanets provides a unique opportunity to characterise their magnetic fields, which is key to determining the atmospheric evolution of exoplanets. However, a conclusive detection of radio emission from an exoplanet remains at large, primarily due to a lack of sensitivity at low radio frequencies. On the other hand, planet-like radio signatures have been detected on objects called ultracool dwarfs (UCDs) for over two decades. UCDs are of comparable sizes to Jupiter, but are more massive. They also possess similar interior structures to Jupiter, the region where magnetic fields are generated. Therefore, UCDs are ideal targets to study to advance our understanding of how magnetic fields manifest at planetary scales. In this Chapter, we outline the revolutionary role that the Square Kilometre Array will play in the study of exoplanets and UCDs. We anticipate that it will facilitate the first detection of radio emission from giant exoplanets with strong magnetic fields, and will deliver thousands of detections of UCDs within a few hundred parsecs. Combined with very long baseline interferometry, we also expect that astrometric monitoring will enable the detection of planets of a few Earth masses orbiting nearby radio-emitting UCDs. These findings will open a new window into how planets form and evolve in extrasolar systems.

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arXiv2026

Coherent and Incoherent Emission from the Ordered Magnetospheres of Low-Mass Stars, UCDs, and Massive Stars

Massive early-type (B/A) stars and ultracool dwarfs (UCDs) represent two distinct regimes in which ordered, large-scale magnetospheres are observed. In rapidly rotating massive stars, incoherent radio emission is explained by the centrifugal breakout (CBO) mechanism: plasma confined within the rigidly rotating magnetosphere accumulates beyond the co-rotation radius, where centrifugal forces trigger breakout events and magnetic reconnection, generating non-thermal electrons that produce incoherent gyro-synchrotron emission. Empirically, the radio luminosity correlates with the power released by CBO events, establishing a clear link between stellar rotation, magnetic confinement, and radio output. In UCDs, persistent non-thermal radio emission exhibits similar luminosity trends to those of massive magnetic stars, despite the absence of strong stellar winds. This similarity suggests that a CBO-like process may also operate in these fully convective, low-mass objects, though the plasma source and acceleration mechanisms remain uncertain. In both classes, coherent electron cyclotron maser emission (ECME), characterized by strong polarization and rotational modulation, is observed, indicating common magnetospheric processes analogous to planetary auroral emission. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be able to deeply observe about 70\% of the sky. We expect to observe $\sim 1000$ UCDs, enabling better statistical analysis of their emission and a test of the CBO hypothesis.

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arXiv2026

The Variability of Radio Stars

Stellar radio emission is highly variable with stellar flares lasting from milliseconds to hours. For some stars, their flares or bursts can repeat once every couple of hours, while other stars may flare only once in hundreds of hours of observing. Some stars and stellar systems vary slowly over months to years. In this chapter we present the current methods for identifying radio stars and the important role that variability plays in these detection methods. We highlight that radio stars are the second most common radio variable object in image-plane searches for radio variable sources. We also present our predictions for the number of stars both the SKA-mid and SKA-low AA$^{*}$ arrays could detect based on searches using SKA pathfinders and precursors.

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arXiv2026

Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence with the SKA

The search for technosignatures (also known as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence or SETI) depends critically on our ability to distinguish artificial signals from the rich complexity of natural astrophysical phenomena and radio frequency interference from anthropogenic emissions. As the search for technosignatures increasingly aligns with mainstream astrophysics, complementing the search for biosignatures, it demands not only sophisticated statistical and computational approaches, but also deep domain knowledge across the electromagnetic spectrum. The SKA will play a pivotal role in the next-generation of technosignature searches, providing an unprecedented combination of sensitivity, field of view, and spatial resolution over its wavelength range. Integrating wide-field, high-resolution observations with machine learning and multi-wavelength diagnostics will represent key steps forward. The SKA's singular capabilities will render it an indispensable instrument for the rapid identification and follow-up characterisation of promising technosignature candidates. In this chapter, we discuss the request for high temporal and spectral resolution data products with a main focus on frequency-domain SETI. Nevertheless, multiple SKA observing modes have the potential to substantially advance technosignature research.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Hipparcos, Gaia, and RVs reveal that the radio emitting F star HD 220242 has an M dwarf companion, a likely source of the radio emission

The detection of circularly polarized, low frequency radio emission offers the tantalizing possibility of the observation of interactions between stars and their possible substellar companions, as well as direct emission from exoplanets. Additional follow up of systems with radio emission is key to understanding the true origin of the emission, since multiple astrophysical mechanisms can plausibly lead to such signals. While nineteen M dwarfs were detected by LOFAR in circular polarization as part of the V-LoTSS survey, HD~220242 is the only F star to have a circularly polarized low frequency radio detection in the same survey. We conducted radial velocity follow up with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder and combined these observations with additional archival RVs and \textit{Hipparcos}-\textit{Gaia} proper motion accelerations to determine that HD~220242 has a stellar companion with P=16.79$\pm$0.04\,yrs and a mass of $0.619\pm0.014$\,M$_\odot$. We use Spectral Energy Distribution fitting and lack of any UV excess to rule out a co-evolved white dwarf companion and confirm that the companion is an M dwarf star. Given that F stars lack the coronal properties to produce such coherent emission, and the companion mass and lack of UV excess are consistent with an M dwarf, the radio emission is most plausibly associated with the companion.

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arXiv2025

The GLEAM 4-Jy (G4Jy) Sample: IV. Multiwavelength data and analysis

We provide an updated 'multiwavelength' version of the G4Jy catalogue (available at https://github.com/svw26/G4Jy, https://zenodo.org/communities/g4jy/records, and through VizieR), which has 127 new host-galaxy identifications, as described in Paper III of this paper series. We also supplement the redshift information (0.0 < z < 3.6), gathered in Paper III, with $griz$ photometry available through DR10 of the DESI Legacy Surveys. Together, this legacy dataset allows us to investigate the multiwavelength properties of these southern radio-bright galaxies, which includes an initial analysis of radio spectral-curvature for this complete sample (S_151MHz > 4 Jy). For example, we present (for the first time in the literature) the radio-power--size diagram as a function of radio spectral-curvature, [P--D](SCI), noting that the spectral-curvature index (SCI) can act as a proxy for the spectral age of the radio source. This radio-power--size--age diagram shows a predominance of radio galaxies with SCI > 0.15 and D < 200 kpc, which are candidates for both remnant radio-galaxies and young radio sources, and a vast range of linear sizes for candidate restarted radio-galaxies (having SCI < -0.15). We also show that (i) G4Jy sources populate the entirety of WISE colour-colour space, (ii) optically point-like sources (i.e. candidate quasars) are brighter than the well-studied K--z relation (as expected), and (iii) there is no relation between the SCI of the radio source and its host-galaxy properties.

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arXiv2025

The GLEAM 4-Jy (G4Jy) Sample: III. Further host-galaxy identification, and redshift assessment

In this paper we present 127 new host-galaxy identifications for G4Jy sources (S_151MHz > 4 Jy), based on radio images from MeerKAT, the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS), and the Rapid ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder) Continuum Survey (RACS). This includes identifications that result from visual inspection of radio contours on K_s-band images, as opposed to the AllWISE-W1 images that were used for the original set of overlays when defining the G4Jy Sample (Papers I and II). Our aim is to achieve 100 per cent spectroscopic completeness for the sample, where all of the spectroscopy is available in digital form online. For now, we have gathered (i) digital optical spectroscopy for 34 per cent of the sample, (ii) photometric redshifts for an additional 21 per cent of the sample, and (iii) further redshifts found through the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (but not recently verified). Our assessment of the redshifts includes visual inspection of all of the digital spectroscopy, and re-fitting redshift templates where necessary. The resulting redshift range is (currently) 0.0 < z < 3.6. We also present 151-MHz luminosities and linear sizes for the G4Jy Sample, based on initial analysis.

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arXiv2025

Revealing the accelerating wind in the inner region of the colliding-wind binary WR 112

Colliding winds in massive binaries generate X-ray-bright shocks, synchrotron radio emission, and sometimes even dusty "pinwheel" spirals. We report the first X-ray detections of the dusty WC+O binary system WR 112 from Chandra and Swift, alongside 27 years of VLA/ATCA radio monitoring and new diffraction-limited Keck images. Because we view the nearly circular orbit almost edge-on, the colliding-wind zone alternates between heavy Wolf-Rayet wind self-absorption and a near-transparent O-star wind foreground each 20-yr orbit, producing phase-locked radio and X-ray variability. This scenario leads to a prediction that the radio spectral index is flatter from a larger non-thermal contribution around the radio intensity maximum, which is indeed observed. Existing models that assume a single dust-expansion speed fail to reproduce the combined infrared geometry and radio light curve. Instead, we require an accelerating post-shock flow that climbs from near-stationary to ~1350 km/s in about one orbital cycle, naturally matching the infrared spiral from about 5" down to within 0.1", while also fitting the phase of the radio brightening. These kinematic constraints supply critical boundary conditions for future hydrodynamic simulations, which can link hot-plasma cooling, non-thermal radio emission, X-ray spectra, and dust formation in a self-consistent framework. WR 112 thus joins WR 140, WR 104, and WR 70-16 (Apep) as a benchmark system for testing colliding-wind physics under an increasingly diverse range of orbital architectures and physical conditions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Radio Burst Phenomenology of AD Leonis and Associated Signatures of Propagation Effects

We present the high-resolution radio dynamic spectra of AD Leonis (AD Leo) between 1.0 and 1.5 GHz taken by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) on Dec. 1st, 2023. Over a 15-minute period, we identify complex, superimposed spectro-temporal structures, including: (1) broadband, second-long modulation lanes with downward frequency drifts, (2) narrowband ($\approx$ 50 MHz), short-duration S-burst envelopes with upward drifts, and (3) even narrower ($\approx$ 10 MHz), millisecond-scale S-burst striae within these envelopes. Using the discrete Fourier transform and auto-correlation function, we identify two dominant periodic emission patterns, corresponding to the periodicities of the S-bursts ($\approx0.1$ s) and the striae ($\approx0.01$ s). The complex superposition of diverse time-frequency structures poses a challenge to interpreting all the emission variability as intrinsic to the source. We propose that the modulation lanes could be a propagation effect as the radio waves traverse an inhomogeneous, regularly structured plasma region in the AD Leo's magnetosphere. By modelling a plasma screen with sinusoidal phase variation in one dimension, we show that we could qualitatively reconstruct the observed modulation lanes. The origin of the finest structures, the striae, remains unclear. Our work highlights that propagation effects in the stellar magnetosphere can potentially probe kilometre-scale structures in the emission regions and provide novel constraints on density inhomogeneities caused by magnetohydrodynamic waves that are difficult to access by other means.

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arXiv2025

Constraining properties of dust formed in Wolf-Rayet binary WR 112 using mid-infrared and millimeter observations

Binaries that host a carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet (WC) star and an OB-type companion can be copious dust producers. Yet the properties of dust, particularly the grain size distribution, in these systems remain uncertain. We present Band 6 observations of WR 112 by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array telescope (ALMA), which are the first millimeter observations of a WC binary system capable of resolving its dust emission. By combining ALMA observations with James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images, we were able to analyze the spatially resolved spectral energy distribution (SED) of WR 112. We found that the SEDs are consistent with emissions from hydrogen-poor amorphous carbon grains. Notably, our results also suggest that the majority of grains in the system have radii below one micrometer, and the extended dust structures are dominated by nanometer-sized grains. Among four parameterizations of the grain radius distribution that we tested, a bimodal distribution, with abundant nanometer-sized grains and a secondary population of 0.1-micron grains, best reproduces the observed SED. This bimodal distribution helps to reconcile the previously conflicting grain size estimates reported for WR 112 and for other WC systems. We hypothesize that dust destruction mechanisms such as radiative torque disruption and radiative-driven sublimation are responsible for driving the system to the bimodal grain size distribution.

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arXiv2025

Occurrence rate of stellar Type II radio bursts from a 100 star-year search for coronal mass ejections

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are major drivers of space weather in the Solar System, but their occurrence rate on other stars is unknown. A characteristic (deca-)metric radio burst with a time-frequency drift, known as a Type II radio burst, is a key observational signature of CMEs. We searched a total of 107 years of stellar data using time-frequency spectra that targeted all known stars within 100 parsecs in the LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) up to May 2023. This resulted in the largest unbiased search for circularly polarised stellar Type II metric radio bursts to date, with a typical 3$\sigma$ sensitivity of 2.5 mJy for an integration time of 1 minute. We detected two drifting stellar radio bursts: the published 2-minute burst from the M dwarf StKM 1-1262 and a new 13-minute burst from the M dwarf LP 215-56. The new burst is characterised by a drift rate of $-0.060^{+0.002}_{-0.002}$ MHz s$^{-1}$, an average Stokes V flux density of $-4.5^{+1.4}_{-1.3}$ mJy, and a temporal duration of $63^{+31}_{-11}$ seconds. We constrained the occurrence rate of drifting stellar bursts by calculating Poisson upper and lower limits based on the two drifting bursts. We also fitted a cumulative burst luminosity distribution to the data using the burst detections and the non-detections; this yielded a power law index ($\alpha$) of $-0.7^{+0.9}_{-0.6}$ and a normalisation point (N) of one burst per year with $E>6.8\times10^{13}$ erg s$^{-1}$ Hz$^{-1}$. We find an agreement between this and the cumulative luminosity distribution of decametric SOHO/LASCO solar Type II data ($\alpha = -0.81 \pm 0.06 \pm 0.02$), which suggests that the current scarcity of detected stellar Type II bursts is likely due to limited sensitivity rather than to the intrinsic rarity of these events. Additionally, we identify 19 circularly polarised stellar radio bursts without a time-frequency drift.

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arXiv2025

Unusual periodic modulation in the radio emission of the methane dwarf binary WISEP J101905.63+652954.2

Brown dwarfs display Jupiter-like auroral phenomena, such as rotationally modulated electron cyclotron maser radio emission. Radio observations of cyclotron maser emission can be used to measure their magnetic field strength, topology, and to deduce the presence of magnetically interacting exoplanets. Observations of the coldest brown dwarfs (spectral types T and Y) are especially intriguing, as their magnetospheric phenomena could closely resemble those of gas-giant exoplanets. Here we report observations made over ten epochs, amounting to 44 hours, of WISEP J101905.63+652954.2 (J1019+65 hereinafter) using the LOFAR telescope between 120 and 168 MHz. J1019+65 is a methane dwarf binary (T5.5+T7) whose radio emission was originally detected in a single-epoch LOFAR observation to be highly circular polarised and rotationally modulated at $\approx 3$h. Unexpectedly, our long-term monitoring reveals an additional periodic signature at $\approx 0.787$h. We consider several explanations for the second period and suggest that it could be the rotationally modulated emission of the second brown dwarf in the binary, although follow-up infrared observations are necessary to confirm this hypothesis. In addition, the data also allow us to statistically estimate the duty cycle and observed radio-loud fraction of the 120-168\,MHz cyclotron emission from methane dwarfs to be $\langle D \rangle = 0.030^{+0.034}_{-0.030}$ and $F^{'}_{\rm radio} = 0.088^{+0.168}_{-0.088}$ respectively.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Starspots as the origin of ultrafast drifting radio bursts from an active M dwarf

Detecting coherent radio bursts from nearby M dwarfs provides opportunities for exploring their magnetic activity and interaction with orbiting exoplanets. However, it remains uncertain if the emission is related to flare-like activity similar to the Sun or magnetospheric process akin to magnetized planets. Using observations (1.0 - 1.5 GHz) taken by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope, we found a type of millisecond-scale radio bursts with exceptionally high frequency drift rates ($\sim 8\;\rm{GHz\;s^{-1}}$) from an active M dwarf, AD Leo. The ultrafast drift rates point to a source region with a notably low magnetic scale height ($<0.15\; r_\star$, $r_\star$ as the stellar radius), a feature not expected in a commonly assumed dipole-like global field but highly possible in localized strong-field structures, i.e. starspots. Our findings suggest that a concentrated magnetic field above starspots could be responsible for some of the most intense radio bursts from M dwarfs, supporting a solar-like electron acceleration mechanism.

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arXiv2025

The formation and evolution of dust in the colliding-wind binary Apep revealed by JWST

Carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are significant contributors of carbonaceous dust to the galactic environment, however the mechanisms and conditions for formation and subsequent evolution of dust around these stars remain open questions. Here we present JWST observations of the WR+WR colliding-wind binary Apep which reveal an intricate series of nested concentric dust shells that are abundant in detailed substructure. The striking regularity in these substructures between successive shells suggests an exactly repeating formation mechanism combined with a highly stable outflow that maintains a consistent morphology even after reaching 0.6 pc (assuming a distance of 2.4 kpc) into the interstellar medium. The concentric dust shells show subtle deviations from spherical outflow, which could reflect orbital modulation along the eccentric binary orbit or non-sphericity in the stellar wind. Tracking the evolution of dust across the multi-tiered structure, we measure the dust temperature evolution that can broadly be described assuming an amorphous carbon composition in radiative thermal equilibrium with the central stars. The temperature profile and orbital period place new distance constraints that support Apep being at a greater distance than previously estimated, reducing the line-of-sight and sky-plane wind speed discrepancy previously thought to characterise the system.

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arXiv2025

The Serpent Eating Its Own Tail: Dust Destruction in the Apep Colliding-Wind Nebula

Much of the carbonaceous dust observed in the early universe may originate from colliding wind binaries (CWBs) hosting hot, luminous Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. Downstream of the shock between the stellar winds there exists a suitable environment for dust grain formation, and the orbital motion of the stars wraps this dust into richly structured spiral geometries. The Apep system is the most extreme WR-CWB in our Milky Way: two WR stars produce a complex spiral dust nebula, whose slow expansion has been linked to a gamma-ray burst progenitor. It has been unclear whether the O-type supergiant 0.7" distant from the WR+WR binary is physically associated with the system, and whether it affects the dusty nebula. Multi-epoch VLT/VISIR and JWST/MIRI observations show that this northern companion star routinely carves a cavity in the dust nebula - the first time such an effect has been observed in a CWB - which unambiguously associates the O star as a bound component to the Apep system. These observations are used together with a new geometric model to infer the cavity geometry and the orbit of the WR+WR binary, yielding the first strong constraints on wind and orbital parameters. We confirm an orbital period of over 190 years for the inner binary - nearly an order of magnitude longer than the next longest period dust-producing WR-CWB. This, together with the confirmed classification as a hierarchical triple, cements Apep as a singular astrophysical laboratory for studying colliding winds and the terminal life stages of the most massive star systems.

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arXiv2025

Strongly polarised radio pulses from a new white-dwarf-hosting long-period transient

Long-period transients (LPTs) are a new and enigmatic class of objects that produce bright pulsations in the radio, with periods far exceeding those seen in rotationally powered pulsars. The proposed progenitors for LPTs are contested, with white dwarfs or magnetars being likely candidates. Here, we present the discovery of ILT\,J163430+445010, a new LPT detected in a blind search for Stokes\,V transients in the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey. Unusual for LPTs, J1634+44 shows pulses that are 100\% circularly polarised, as well as pulses that are 100\% linearly polarised, with the polarisation state changing from pulse to pulse. We detect 19 pulses in total, each with a total polarisation fraction of $\sim100\%$ and a pulse duration of at most 10\,s. The pulses show a periodicity at $841.24808\pm0.00015$\,s, implying a low duty cycle of $0.012$. J1634+44 has a marginally detected counterpart in the ultraviolet GALEX MIS survey and the ultraviolet/optical UNIONS survey, suggesting that it contains a white dwarf with an effective temperature between 15000\,K and 33000\,K. We do not detect J1634+44 with a deep $J$-band exposure with UKIRT at a $3\sigma$ AB magnitude limit of 24.7, ruling out a main-sequence star or ultracool dwarf with a spectral type earlier than M7. The pulses from J1634+44 follow a particular pattern, with two pulses being produced every five periods after a waiting time of two or three periods. This pattern could be a result of spin-orbit coupling in a binary system with a 5:2 or 5:3 resonance, where a companion induces beamed radio emission on the white dwarf. The companion is most likely an ultracool dwarf or another white dwarf, making J1634+44 unique among the currently known sample of LPTs.

astro-ph.HE↗