arXiv subjects

Paolo Saracco

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Saracco.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

KiDS J1447-0149: The first spatially resolved spectroscopy of a relic galaxy beyond the local universe. An old high-dispersion core embedded in a compact rotating stellar structure

Relic galaxies are the descendants of high-redshift compact quiescent systems. We present the first spatially resolved spectroscopic study of J1447-0149, a massive relic at $z=0.21$, observed with MUSE+AO. We characterize its kinematics and stellar population properties to probe its spatially resolved mass assembly history. We measured stellar kinematics with sub-kpc bin sizes, covering $\sim 1.4$ effective radii. We then used a coarser three-bin configuration informed by the kinematics to recover the higher-order velocity moments, $[α/{\rm Fe}]$, stellar age and metallicity. We reconstructed the star formation history and computed the degree of relicness (DoR). MUSE data reveal a velocity gradient, showing that J1447-0149 is not purely pressure supported. The velocity-dispersion field displays a central peak, reaching $σ_\star=233\pm13\,{\rm km\,s^{-1}}$, substantially larger than previous seeing-limited measurements ($σ_{\star} =187 \pm 9\,{\rm km\,s^{-1}}$). The $h_3$--$V_\star$ anti-correlation and mildly positive $h_4$ values support a composite structure, with a rotating stellar component surrounding a compact dynamically hot core. This central, dispersion-dominated region is also the oldest and most metal-rich component. Its SFH rises rapidly, with the stellar mass assembled within $\sim2\,{\rm Gyr}$ after the Big Bang, and reaches ${\rm DoR}=0.9^{+0.1}_{-0.2}$. The two outer bins have a DoR value of ${\rm DoR}=0.8\pm0.2$, consistent with the central bin, but possibly indicating slightly longer formation times. Spatially resolved spectroscopy has been crucial to confirm the relic nature of J1447-0149, linking resolved morphology, kinematics, and stellar populations to constrain the early assembly of its central spheroid and surrounding disk.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Frobenius functors and one-sided Hopf algebras in braided monoidal categories

Evidence suggests a tight connection between the existence of antipode-like maps on bialgebra-like structures, and the Frobenius property for the associated free Hopf module functor. In this paper, we prove that in any braided monoidal category satisfying few mild assumptions, a bimonoid is a one-sided Hopf monoid and the antipode is a bimonoid anti-homomorphism, if and only if the free Hopf module functor is Frobenius. Our interest in these structures stems from having found genuine examples of one-sided Hopf monoids in contexts where the braiding is non-trivial. In fact, we provide a construction of the free one-sided Hopf monoid over a comonoid in any symmetric monoidal category with some non-restrictive additional assumptions. We present several examples of this construction, and describe the resulting one-sided (sometimes two-sided) Hopf monoids.

math.QA↗

arXiv2026

Gabi-Monads

We study gabi-monads on skew-closed categories, extending the gabi-algebras of Berger, the second author, and Vercruysse beyond the linear case. Our main reconstruction theorem identifies gabi-monad structures on a monad with skew-closed structures on its Eilenberg--Moore category for which the canonical forgetful functor is strict closed. We compare this notion with closed monads in the sense of Kock, showing that in representation-theoretic cases these notions are quite different. On closed monoidal categories, every left Hopf monad is a normal gabi-monad, but the converse fails in general. We characterise when a gabi-monad is Hopf by the invertibility of the corresponding parametric mates, which recovers the ring-theoretic result that normal gabi-algebras over a commutative base ring are Hopf algebras. The theory of gabi-monads admits several natural examples, such as torsion-free modules, reflexive digraphs, and simplicial complexes, that we will explore in detail; we also study pointed sets as a quasi-example.

math.CT↗

arXiv2026

Milky-Way-like stars in a galaxy core 8 billion years ago revealed by gravitational lensing

The assembly of stellar-dominated cores in elliptical galaxies is key to understanding how cosmic structures evolved. Gravitational lensing offers unique insights into the nature of their stars. We report the discovery of the smallest known quadruply lensed quasar (radius ~0.2"), whose lensing galaxy at redshift 1.055 (5.5 billion years after the Big Bang) features a lensing mass of only ~2x10^10 M_sun. A Bayesian analysis, based on the system's exceptional properties and standard scaling relations, allowed us to sample the central galactic initial mass function with unmatched accuracy and in a previously uncharted regime in terms of mass and redshift. We found it consistent with the Milky Way one, while excluding bottom-heavy functions. This suggests that the core either grew slowly or underwent early disruptive events altering its stellar build-up, in contrast with the classical view that bulges form rapidly and remain unchanged by later interactions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Feeding the Dead: Neutral Gas Inflow in a Long-Quenched Ancient Massive Galaxy at $z\sim 2.7$ Observed with JWST/NIRSpec

We report the spectroscopic detection of neutral gas inflow into a massive ($M_* \simeq 4\times 10^{10} M_\odot$) quiescent galaxy observed at $z_{\rm{spec}} = 2.6576$ with JWST. From the redshifted absorption of the NaI doublet at $λλ5890, 5896 $ Ang, we estimate an inflow velocity $v=278^{+79}_{-79}$ km s$^{-1}$ and a column density $\log(N_{NaI}/\rm{cm^2}) = 13.02^{+0.03}_{-0.03}$. We derive the inflowing mass of the gas $M_{in} = 1.6^{+0.1}_{-0.1} \times 10^8 M_\odot$ and rate $\dot{M}_{in} = 19^{+6}_{-7} \, M_\odot \, \rm{yr}^{-1}$. The presence of several surrounding galaxies suggests that the galaxy may be accreting gas from nearby companions. However, we cannot confirm it with current data and the intergalactic medium or cosmic filaments are also viable sources of the inflowing gas. Despite the ongoing inflow, the galaxy remains quiescent, with an upper limit to the star formation rate of $0.2 \, M_\odot \, \rm{yr}^{-1}$. Moreover, its star formation history suggests that the galaxy has remained quiescent during the past $\sim1$ Gyr, with half of its stars formed by redshift $z_{50}=11^{+18}_{-3}$. We discuss that the inflow is not massive, dense, or long-lived enough to ignite significant star formation, or it is fueling low-level AGN activity instead. This is direct evidence that quiescent galaxies can accrete cold gas after their quenching while keeping their star formation subdued. Follow-up observations with JWST and ALMA will be needed to constraint the nature of the inflowing gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

On the Hopf envelope of finite-dimensional bialgebras

The Hopf envelope of a bialgebra is the free Hopf algebra generated by the given bialgebra. Its existence, as well as that of the cofree Hopf algebra, is a well-known fact in Hopf algebra theory, but their construction is not particularly handy or friendly. In this note, we offer a novel realisation of the Hopf envelope and of the cofree Hopf algebra of a finite-dimensional bialgebra as a particular quotient and sub-bialgebra, respectively, of the bialgebra itself. Our construction can also be extended to the infinite-dimensional case, provided that the bialgebra satisfies additional conditions, such as being right perfect as an algebra or admitting a $n$-antipode, the latter being a notion hereby introduced. Remarkably, the machinery we develop also allows us to give a new description of the Hopf envelope of a commutative bialgebra and of the cofree cocommutative Hopf algebra of a cocommutative bialgebra.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

Integrals for Bialgebras

A well-known result by Larson and Sweedler shows that integrals on a Hopf algebra can be obtained by applying the Structure Theorem for Hopf modules to the rational part of its linear dual. This fact can be rephrased by saying that taking the space of integrals comes from a right adjoint functor from a category of modules to the category of vector spaces. This observation inspired the categorical approach that we advocate in this work, which yields to a new notion of integrals for bialgebras in the linear setting. Despite the novelty of the construction, it returns the classical definition in the presence of an antipode. We test this new concept on bialgebras that satisfy at least one of the following properties: being coseparable as regular module coalgebras, having a one-sided antipode, being commutative, being cocommutative, or being finite-dimensional. One of the main results we obtain in this process is a dual Maschke-type theorem relating coseparability and total integrals. Remarkably, there are cases in which the space of integrals turns out to be isomorphic to that of the associated Hopf envelope. In particular, this space results to be one-dimensional for finite-dimensional bialgebras, providing an existence and uniqueness theorem for integrals in the finite-dimensional case. Furthermore, explicit computations are given for concrete examples including the polynomial bialgebra with one group-like variable, the quantum plane and the coordinate bialgebra of $n$-by-$n$ matrices.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

TP-AGB stars and stellar population properties of a post-starburst galaxy at $z \sim 2$ through optical and NIR spectroscopy with JWST

We present a detailed optical and NIR spectral analysis of J-138717, a post-starburst galaxy at $z = 1.8845$ observed with JWST/NIRSpec, for which we derive a stellar mass of $3.5 \pm 0.2 \times 10^{10}$ M$_\odot$ and a stellar velocity dispersion of $198 \pm 10$ km s$^{-1}$. We estimate an age of $\sim0.9$ Gyr and a sub-solar metallicity (between $-0.4$ and $-0.2$ dex). We find generally consistent results when fitting the optical and NIR wavelength ranges separately or using different model libraries. The reconstruction of the star formation history indicates that the galaxy assembled most of its mass quickly and then rapidly quenched, $\sim0.4$ Gyr prior to observation. Line diagnostics suggest that the weak emission is probably powered by residual star formation (SFR$\sim0.2$M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$) or a low-luminosity AGN, with no strong evidence for outflows in ionized or neutral gas. We perform a detailed study of the NIR spectral indices by comparing observations with predictions of several state-of-the-art stellar population models. This is unprecedented at such a high redshift. In particular, the analysis of several CO and CN features argues against a heavy contribution of Thermally Pulsating (TP-)AGB stars. Observations align better with models that include a minimal contribution from TP-AGB stars, but they are also consistent with a mild contribution from TP-AGB stars, assuming a younger age (consistent with the fits). The analysis of other NIR spectral indices shows that current models struggle to reproduce observations. This highlights the need for improved stellar population models in the NIR, especially at young ages and low metallicities, which is most relevant for studying high redshift galaxies in the JWST era.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

INSPIRE: INvestigating Stellar Population In RElics VIII. Emission lines and UV colours in ultra-compact massive galaxies

We report the discovery of emission lines in the optical spectra of ultra-compact massive galaxies (UCMGs) from INSPIRE, including relics, which are the oldest galaxies in the Universe. Emission-lines diagnostic diagrams suggest that all these UCMGs, independently of their star formation histories, are `retired galaxies'. They are inconsistent with being star-forming but lie in the same region of shock-driven emissions or photoionisation models, incorporating the contribution from post-asymptotic giant branch (pAGB) stars. Furthermore, all but one INSPIRE objects have a high [OII]/Hα ratio, resembling what has been reported for normal-size red and dead galaxies. The remaining object (J1142+0012) is the only one to show clear evidence for strong active galactic nucleus activity from its spectrum. We also provide near-UV (far-UV) fluxes for 20 (5) INSPIRE objects that match in GALEX. Their NUV-r colours are consistent with those of galaxies lying in the UV green valley, but also with the presence of recently (<0.5 Gyr) formed stars at the sub-percent fraction level. This central recent star formation could have been ignited by gas that was originally ejected during the pAGB phases and then re-compressed and brought to the core by the ram-pressure stripping of Planetary Nebula envelopes. Once in the centre, it can be shocked and re-emit spectral lines.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Geant4: a Game Changer in High Energy Physics and Related Applicative Fields

Geant4 is an object-oriented toolkit for the simulation of the passage of particles through matter. Its development was initially motivated by the requirements of physics experiments at high energy hadron colliders under construction in the last decade of the 20th century. Since its release in 1998, it has been exploited in many different applicative fields, including space science, nuclear physics, medical physics and archaeology. Its valuable support to scientific discovery is demonstrated by more than 16000 citations received in the past 25 years, including notable citations for main discoveries in different fields. This accomplishment shows that well designed software plays a key role in enabling scientific advancement. In this paper we discuss the key principles and the innovative decisions at the basis of Geant4, which made it a game changer in high energy physics and related fields, and outline some considerations regarding future directions.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2024

INSPIRE: INvestigating Stellar Population In RElics VI -- The low-mass end slope of the stellar Initial Mass Function and chemical composition

The INSPIRE project has built the largest sample of ultra-compact massive galaxies (UCMGs) at 0.1 2, and the other stellar population parameters.We use the Full-Index-Fitting method to fit the INSPIRE spectra to single stellar population (SSP) models. This allows us to measure, for the first time, the low-mass end slope of the IMF, as well as stellar metallicity [M/H], [Mg/Fe], [Ti/Fe] and [Na/Fe] ratios, and study correlations between them and the DoR. Similarly to normal-sized galaxies, UCMGs with larger stellar masses have overall higher metallicities. We found a correlation between the low-mass end of the IMF slope and the DoR, that, however, breaks down for systems with a more extended SFH. An even stronger dependency is found between the IMF and the fraction of mass formed at high-z. At equal velocity dispersion and metallicity, galaxies with a higher DoR have a dwarf-richer IMF than that of low-DoR counterparts. This might indicate that the cosmic epoch and formation mechanisms influence the fragmentation of the star formation cloud and hence might be the explanation for IMF variations detected in massive ETGs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Total Skin Electron Therapy Stanford Technique Evolution With Monte Carlo Simulation Toward Personalized Treatments For Cutaneous Lymphoma

Current Total Skin Electron Therapy (TSET) Stanford technique for cutaneous lymphoma, established in the 70's, involves a unique irradiation setup, i.e. patient's position and beam arrangement, for all patients with ensuing great variability in dose distribution and difficult dose optimization. A Geant4-based simulation has been developed to explore the possibility of personalizing the dose to each patient's anatomy. To achieve this optimization of the treatment method, this project enrolls different aspects of the clinical and computational techniques: starting with the knowledge of the experimental parameters involving TSET practice, passing through an innovative approach to model the patient's anatomy, a precise description of the electron beam and a validated configuration of the physics models handling the interactions of the electrons and of secondary particles. The Geant4-based simulation models the patient as a tessellated solid derived from the optical scan of her/his body, realistically reproduces the irradiation environment in detail and calculates the energy deposition corresponding to each facet of the patient's scanned surface. The resulting three-dimensional dose distribution constitutes the basis for the personalization of the medical treatement as appropriate to each patient's specific characteristics.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2023

Heaps of modules: Categorical aspects

Connections between heaps of modules and (affine) modules over rings are explored. This leads to explicit, often constructive, descriptions of some categorical constructions and properties that are implicit in universal algebra and algebraic theories. In particular, it is shown that the category of groups with a compatible action of a truss T (also called pointed T-modules) is isomorphic to the category of modules over the ring R(T) universally associated to the truss. This is widely used in the explicit description of free objects. Next, it is proven that the category of heaps of modules over T is isomorphic to the category of affine modules over R(T) and, in order to make the picture complete, that (in the unital case) these are in turn equivalent to a specific subcategory of the slice category of pointed T-modules over R(T). These correspondences and properties are then used to describe explicitly various (co)limits and to compare short exact sequences in the Barr-exact category of heaps of T-modules with short exact sequences as defined previously.

math.RA↗

arXiv2023

Towards a classification of simple partial comodules of Hopf algebras

Making the first steps towards a classification of simple partial comodules, we give a general construction for partial comodules of a Hopf algebra $H$ using central idempotents in right coideal subalgebras and show that any $1$-dimensional partial comodule is of that form. We conjecture that in fact all finite-dimensional simple partial $H$-comodules arise this way. For $H = kG$ for some finite group $G$, we give conditions for the constructed partial comodule to be simple, and we determine when two of them are isomorphic. If $H = kG^*,$ then our construction recovers the work of M. Dokuchaev and N. Zhukavets. We also study the partial modules and comodules of the non-commutative non-cocommutative Kac-Paljutkin algebra $\mathcal{A}$.

math.RA↗

arXiv2023

Everybody knows what a normal gabi-algebra is

Let A be a k-algebra over a commutative ring k. By the renowned Tannaka-Krein reconstruction, liftings of the monoidal structure from k-modules to A-modules correspond to bialgebra structures on A and liftings of the closed monoidal structure correspond to Hopf algebra structures on A. In this paper, we determine conditions on A that correspond to liftings of the closed structure alone, i.e. without considering the monoidal one, which lead to the notion of what we call a gabi-algebra. First, we tackle the question from the general perspective of monads, then we focus on the set-theoretic and the linear setting. Our main and most surprising result is that a normal gabi-algebra, that is an algebra A whose category of modules is (associative and unital normal) closed with closed forgetful functor to k-modules, is automatically a Hopf algebra (thus justifying our title).

math.RA↗

arXiv2023

A remark on the Galois-type correspondence between ideal coideals and comodule subrings of a Hopf algebroid

We exhibit a bijective correspondence between certain left ideal coideals in a Hopf algebroid for which the resulting quotient is a coequalizer and certain right coideal subrings which are themselves an equalizer, remarkably improving a recent result of the author obtained in collaboration with L. El Kaoutit, A. Ghobadi and J. Vercruysse. Interpreting this result in the Hopf algebra setting provides a bijective correspondence which extends the previously known cases.

math.RA↗

arXiv2023

The elemental abundances of quiescent galaxies in the LEGA-C survey: the (non-)evolution of [α/Fe] from z = 0.75 to z = 0

We measure the [$α$/Fe] abundances for 183 quiescent galaxies at z = 0.60 - 0.75 with stellar masses ranging 10.4 \leq log10 10.4 $\leq$ log10 (M$_*$ /M$_\odot$) $\leq$ 11.6 selected from the LEGA-C survey. We estimate [$α$/Fe] from the ratio of the spectral indices Mgb ($λ \sim 5177$ Å) and Fe4383, compared to predictions of simple stellar population models. We find that 91% of quiescents in our sample have supersolar [$α$/Fe], with an average value of [$α$/Fe] = +0.24 $\pm$ 0.01. We find no significant correlation between [$α$/Fe] and stellar metallicity, mass, velocity dispersion, and average formation time. Galaxies that formed the bulk of their stellar mass on time scales shorter than 1 Gyr follow the same [$α$/Fe] distribution as those which formed on longer time scales. In comparison to local early-type galaxies and to stacked spectra of quiescent galaxies at z = 0.38 and z = 0.07, we find that the average [$α$/Fe] has not changed between z = 0.75 and the present time. Our work shows that the vast majority of massive quiescent galaxies at z $\sim$ 0.7 are $α$-enhanced, and that no detectable evolution of the average [$α$/Fe] has taken place over the last $\sim$ 6.5 Gyr.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

The star formation history and the nature of the mass-metallicity relation of passive galaxies at 1.0<z<1.4 from VANDELS

We derived stellar ages and metallicities [Z/H] for $\sim$70 passive early type galaxies (ETGs) selected from VANDELS survey over the redshift range 1.0$<$$z$$<$1.4 and stellar mass range 10$<$log(M$_*$/M$_\odot$)$<$11.6. We find significant systematics in their estimates depending on models and wavelength ranges considered. Using the full-spectrum fitting technique, we find that both [Z/H] and age increase with mass as for local ETGs. Age and metallicity sensitive spectral indices independently confirm these trends. According to EMILES models, for 67 per cent of the galaxies we find [Z/H]$>$0.0, a percentage which rises to $\sim$90 per cent for log(M$_*$/M$_\odot$)$>$11 where the mean metallicity is [Z/H]=0.17$\pm$0.1. A comparison with homogeneous measurements at similar and lower redshift does not show any metallicity evolution over the redshift range 0.0 $11.0 host stellar populations with [Z/H]>0.05, formed over short timescales ($Δ{t50}$$<$1 Gyr) at early epochs (t$_{form}$$<$2 Gyr), implying high star formation rates (SFR$>$100 M$_\odot$/yr) in high mass density regions (log($Σ_{1kpc}$)$>$10 M$_\odot$/kpc$^2$). This sharp picture tends to blur at lower masses: log(M$_*$/M$_\odot$)$\sim$10.6 galaxies can host either old stars with [Z/H]$<$0.0 or younger stars with [Z/H]$>$0.0, depending on the duration ($Δ{t50}$) of the SF. The relations between galaxy mass, age and metallicities are therefore largely set up ab initio as part of the galaxy formation process. Mass, SFR and SF time-scale all contribute to shape up the stellar mass-metallicity relation with the mass that modulates metals retention.

astro-ph.GA↗