arXiv subjects

S. Lee

Publications and source records attributed to S. Lee.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

The final WaZP galaxy cluster catalog of the Dark Energy Survey and comparison with SZE data

In this work, we present and characterize the galaxy cluster catalog detected by the WaZP cluster finder, which is not based on red-sequence identification, on the full six years of observations of the Dark Energy Survey (DES-Y6). The full catalog contains over 400k detected clusters with richnesses, Ngals, above 5 and that reach redshifts up to 1.3. We also provide a version of the catalog where the observation depth and richness computation are homogenized to be used for cosmology, containing 33k rich (Ngals >25) clusters. We compare our results with the previous WaZP catalog obtained from the DES first-year data release (DES-Y1). We find that essentially all clusters within the common footprint and depth limit are recovered. The deeper observations on DES-Y6 and the more complete available spectroscopic redshift sample lead to improvements in the redshifts of the clusters, resulting in an average scatter of 1.4% and offset of 0.2%. The optical clusters are also cross-matched with Sunyaev Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) cluster samples detected by the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). We find that essentially all SZE clusters with reasonable overlapping footprint have a corresponding WaZP cluster. Conversely, 90% of the optical detections with richness greater than 150 have a counterpart in the deeper regions of the SZE surveys. Based on cross-match with the SZE catalogs, we also find that 15-20% of the SZE matched systems have more than one possible WaZP counterpart at the same redshift and within the SZE R500c, indicating possible interacting or unrelaxed systems. Finally, given the optical and SZE beams, WaZP and SZE centerings are found to be consistent. A more detailed study of the SZE-WaZP mass-richness relation will be presented in a separate paper.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

scikit-package -- software packaging standards and roadmap for sharing reproducible scientific software

Scientific advancement relies on the ability to share and reproduce results. When data analysis or calculations are carried out using software written by scientists there are special challenges around code versions, quality and code sharing. scikit-package provides a roadmap to facilitate code reuse and sharing with minimal effort through tutorials coupled with automated and centralized reusable workflows. The goal of the project is to provide pedagogical and practical tools for scientists who are not professionally trained software engineers to write more reusable and maintainable software code. Code reuse can occur at multiple levels of complexity-from turning a code block into a function within a single script, to publishing a publicly installable, fully tested, and documented software package scikit-package provides a community maintained set of tools, and a roadmap, to help scientists bring their software higher levels of reproducibility and shareability.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2025

Identification of Noise-Associated Glitches in KAGRA O3GK with Hveto

Transient noise ("glitches") in gravitational wave detectors can mimic or obscure true signals, significantly reducing detection sensitivity. Identifying and excluding glitch-contaminated data segments is therefore crucial for enhancing the performance of gravitational-wave searches. We perform a noise analysis of the KAGRA data obtained during the O3GK observation. Our analysis is performed with hierarchical veto (Hveto) which identifies noises based on the statistical time correlation between the main channel and the auxiliary channels. A total of 2,531 noises were vetoed by 28 auxiliary channels with the configuration (i.e., signal-to-noise threshold set to 8) that we chose for Hveto. We identify vetoed events as glitches on the spectrogram via visual examination after plotting them with Q-transformation. By referring to the Gravity Spy project, we categorize 2,354 glitches into six types: blip, helix, scratchy, and scattered light, which correspond to those listed in Gravity Spy, and dot and line, which are not found in the Gravity Spy classification and are thus named based on their spectrogram morphology in KAGRA data. The remaining 177 glitches are determined not to belong to any of these six types. We show how the KAGRA glitch types are related to each subsystem of KAGRA. To investigate the possible correlation between the main channel and the round winner - an auxiliary channel statistically associated with the main channel for vetoing purposes - we visually examine the similarity or difference in the glitch pattern on the spectrogram. We compare the qualitative correlation found through visual examination with coherence, which is known to provide quantitative measurement for the correlation between the main channel and each auxiliary channel. Our comprehensive noise analysis will help improve the data quality of KAGRA by applying it to future KAGRA observation data.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Dark Energy Survey Year 6 Results: Synthetic-source Injection Across the Full Survey Using Balrog

Synthetic source injection (SSI), the insertion of sources into pixel-level on-sky images, is a powerful method for characterizing object detection and measurement in wide-field, astronomical imaging surveys. Within the Dark Energy Survey (DES), SSI plays a critical role in characterizing all necessary algorithms used in converting images to catalogs, and in deriving quantities needed for the cosmology analysis, such as object detection rates, galaxy redshift estimation, galaxy magnification, star-galaxy classification, and photometric performance. We present here a source injection catalog of $146$ million injections spanning the entire 5000 deg$^2$ DES footprint, generated using the Balrog SSI pipeline. Through this sample, we demonstrate that the DES Year 6 (Y6) image processing pipeline provides accurate estimates of the object properties, for both galaxies and stars, at the percent-level, and we highlight specific regimes where the accuracy is reduced. We then show the consistency between SSI and data catalogs, for all galaxy samples developed within the weak lensing and galaxy clustering analyses of DES Y6. The consistency between the two catalogs also extends to their correlations with survey observing properties (seeing, airmass, depth, extinction, etc.). Finally, we highlight a number of applications of this catalog to the DES Y6 cosmology analysis. This dataset is the largest SSI catalog produced at this fidelity and will serve as a key testing ground for exploring the utility of SSI catalogs in upcoming surveys such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Improving Galaxy Cluster Selection with the Outskirt Stellar Mass of Galaxies

The number density and redshift evolution of optically selected galaxy clusters offer an independent measurement of the amplitude of matter fluctuations, $S_8$. However, recent results have shown that clusters chosen by the redMaPPer algorithm show richness-dependent biases that affect the weak lensing signals and number densities of clusters, increasing uncertainty in the cluster mass calibration and reducing their constraining power. In this work, we evaluate an alternative cluster proxy, outskirt stellar mass, $M_{\textrm{out}}$, defined as the total stellar mass within a $[50,100]$ kpc envelope centered on a massive galaxy. This proxy exhibits scatter comparable to redMaPPer richness, $λ$, but is less likely to be subject to projection effects. We compare the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 redMaPPer cluster catalog with a $M_{\textrm{out}}$ selected cluster sample from the Hyper-Suprime Camera survey. We use weak lensing measurements to quantify and compare the scatter of $M_{\textrm{out}}$ and $λ$ with halo mass. Our results show $M_{\textrm{out}}$ has a scatter consistent with $λ$, with a similar halo mass dependence, and that both proxies contain unique information about the underlying halo mass. We find $λ$-selected samples introduce features into the measured $ΔΣ$ signal that are not well fit by a log-normal scatter only model, absent in $M_{\textrm{out}}$ selected samples. Our findings suggest that $M_{\textrm{out}}$ offers an alternative for cluster selection with more easily calibrated selection biases, at least at the generally lower richnesses probed here. Combining both proxies may yield a mass proxy with a lower scatter and more tractable selection biases, enabling the use of lower mass clusters in cosmology. Finally, we find the scatter and slope in the $λ-M_{\textrm{out}}$ scaling relation to be $0.49 \pm 0.02$ and $0.38 \pm 0.09$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Daily modulations and broadband strategy in axion searches. An application with CAST-CAPP detector

It has been previously advocated that the presence of the daily and annual modulations of the axion flux on the Earth's surface may dramatically change the strategy of the axion searches. The arguments were based on the so-called Axion Quark Nugget (AQN) dark matter model which was originally put forward to explain the similarity of the dark and visible cosmological matter densities $Ω_{\rm dark}\sim Ω_{\rm visible}$. In this framework, the population of galactic axions with mass $ 10^{-6} {\rm eV}\lesssim m_a\lesssim 10^{-3}{\rm eV}$ and velocity $\langle v_a\rangle\sim 10^{-3} c$ will be accompanied by axions with typical velocities $\langle v_a\rangle\sim 0.6 c$ emitted by AQNs. Furthermore, in this framework, it has also been argued that the AQN-induced axion daily modulation (in contrast with the conventional WIMP paradigm) could be as large as $(10-20)\%$, which represents the main motivation for the present investigation. We argue that the daily modulations along with the broadband detection strategy can be very useful tools for the discovery of such relativistic axions. The data from the CAST-CAPP detector have been used following such arguments. Unfortunately, due to the dependence of the amplifier chain on temperature-dependent gain drifts and other factors, we could not conclusively show the presence or absence of a dark sector-originated daily modulation. However, this proof of principle analysis procedure can serve as a reference for future studies.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Discovering Strong Gravitational Lenses in the Dark Energy Survey with Interactive Machine Learning and Crowd-sourced Inspection with Space Warps

We conduct a search for strong gravitational lenses in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 6 imaging data. We implement a pre-trained Vision Transformer (ViT) for our machine learning (ML) architecture and adopt Interactive Machine Learning to construct a training sample with multiple classes to address common types of false positives. Our ML model reduces 236 million DES cutout images to 22,564 targets of interest, including around 85% of previously reported galaxy-galaxy lens candidates discovered in DES. These targets were visually inspected by citizen scientists, who ruled out approximately 90% as false positives. Of the remaining 2,618 candidates, 149 were expert-classified as 'definite' lenses and 516 as 'probable' lenses, with 147 of these candidates being newly identified. Additionally, we trained a second ViT to find double-source plane lens systems, finding at least one double-source system. Our main ViT excels at identifying galaxy-galaxy lenses, consistently assigning high scores to candidates with high confidence. The top 800 ViT-scored images include around 100 of our `definite' lens candidates. This selection is an order of magnitude higher in purity than previous convolutional neural network-based lens searches and demonstrates the feasibility of applying our methodology for discovering large samples of lenses in future surveys.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

High-Significance Detection of Correlation Between the Unresolved Gamma-Ray Background and the Large Scale Cosmic Structure

Our understanding of the $γ$-ray sky has improved dramatically in the past decade, however, the unresolved $γ$-ray background (UGRB) still has a potential wealth of information about the faintest $γ$-ray sources pervading the Universe. Statistical cross-correlations with tracers of cosmic structure can indirectly identify the populations that most characterize the $γ$-ray background. In this study, we analyze the angular correlation between the $γ$-ray background and the matter distribution in the Universe as traced by gravitational lensing, leveraging more than a decade of observations from the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) and 3 years of data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We detect a correlation at signal-to-noise ratio of 8.9. Most of the statistical significance comes from large scales, demonstrating, for the first time, that a substantial portion of the UGRB aligns with the mass clustering of the Universe as traced by weak lensing. Blazars provide a plausible explanation for this signal, especially if those contributing to the correlation reside in halos of large mass ($\sim 10^{14} M_{\odot}$) and account for approximately 30-40 % of the UGRB above 10 GeV. Additionally, we observe a preference for a curved $γ$-ray energy spectrum, with a log-parabolic shape being favored over a power-law. We also discuss the possibility of modifications to the blazar model and the inclusion of additional $gamma$-ray sources, such as star-forming galaxies or particle dark matter.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Superclustering with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and Dark Energy Survey: II. Anisotropic large-scale coherence in hot gas, galaxies, and dark matter

Statistics that capture the directional dependence of the baryon distribution in the cosmic web enable unique tests of cosmology and astrophysical feedback. We use constrained oriented stacking of thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) maps to measure the anisotropic distribution of hot gas $2.5-40$ Mpc away from galaxy clusters embedded in massive filaments and superclusters. The cluster selection and orientation (at a scale of $\sim15$ Mpc) use Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 3 data, while expanded tSZ maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Data Release 6 enable a $\sim3\times$ more significant measurement of the extended gas compared to the technique's proof-of-concept. Decomposing stacks into cosine multipoles of order $m$, we detect a dipole ($m=1$) and quadrupole ($m=2$) at $8-10σ$, as well as evidence for $m=4$ signal at up to $6σ$, indicating sensitivity to late-time non-Gaussianity. We compare to the Cardinal simulations with spherical gas models pasted onto dark matter halos. The fiducial tSZ data can discriminate between two models that deplete pressure differently in low-mass halos (mimicking astrophysical feedback), preferring higher average pressure in extended structures. However, uncertainty in the amount of cosmic infrared background contamination reduces the constraining power. Additionally, we apply the technique to DES galaxy density and weak lensing to study for the first time their oriented relationships with tSZ. In the tSZ-to-lensing relation, averaged on 7.5 Mpc (transverse) scales, we observe dependence on redshift but not shape or radial distance. Thus, on large scales, the superclustering of gas pressure, galaxies, and total matter is coherent in shape and extent.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

The Hierarchical Growth of Bright Central Galaxies and Intracluster Light as Traced by the Magnitude Gap

Using a sample of 2800 galaxy clusters identified in the Dark Energy Survey across the redshift range $0.20 < z < 0.60$, we characterize the hierarchical assembly of Bright Central Galaxies (BCGs) and the surrounding intracluster light (ICL). To quantify hierarchical formation we use the stellar mass - halo mass (SMHM) relation, comparing the halo mass, estimated via the mass-richness relation, to the stellar mass within the BCG+ICL system. Moreover, we incorporate the magnitude gap (M14), the difference in brightness between the BCG (measured within 30 kpc) and 4th brightest cluster member galaxy within 0.5 $R_{200,c}$, as a third parameter in this linear relation. The inclusion of M14, which traces BCG hierarchical growth, increases the slope and decreases the intrinsic scatter, highlighting that it is a latent variable within the BCG+ICL SMHM relation. Moreover, the correlation with M14 decreases at large radii. However, the stellar light within the BCG+ICL transition region (30 kpc - 80 kpc) most strongly correlates with halo mass and has a statistically significant correlation with M14. Since the transition region and M14 are independent measurements, the transition region may grow due to the BCG's hierarchical formation. Additionally, as M14 and ICL result from hierarchical growth, we use a stacked sample and find that clusters with large M14 values are characterized by larger ICL and BCG+ICL fractions, which illustrates that the merger processes that build the BCG stellar mass also grow the ICL. Furthermore, this may suggest that M14 combined with the ICL fraction can identify dynamically relaxed clusters.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Dark Energy Survey Year 6 Results: Point-spread Function Modeling

We present the point-spread function (PSF) modeling for weak lensing shear measurement using the full six years of the Dark Energy Survey (DES Y6) data. We review the PSF estimation procedure using the PIFF (PSFs In the Full FOV) software package and describe the key improvements made to PIFF and modeling diagnostics since the DES year three (Y3) analysis: (i) use of external Gaia and infrared photometry catalogs to ensure higher purity of the stellar sample used for model fitting, (ii) addition of color-dependent PSF modeling, the first for any weak lensing analysis, and (iii) inclusion of model diagnostics inspecting fourth-order moments, which can bias weak lensing measurements to a similar degree as second-order modeling errors. Through a comprehensive set of diagnostic tests, we demonstrate the improved accuracy of the Y6 models evident in significantly smaller systematic errors than those of the Y3 analysis, in which all $g$ band data were excluded due to insufficiently accurate PSF models. For the Y6 weak lensing analysis, we include $g$ band photometry data in addition to the $riz$ bands, providing a fourth band for photometric redshift estimation. Looking forward to the next generation of wide-field surveys, we describe several ongoing improvements to PIFF, which will be the default PSF modeling software for weak lensing analyses for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Dark Energy Survey: Modeling strategy for multiprobe cluster cosmology and validation for the Full Six-year Dataset

We introduce an updated To&Krause2021 model for joint analyses of cluster abundances and large-scale two-point correlations of weak lensing and galaxy and cluster clustering (termed CL+3x2pt analysis) and validate that this model meets the systematic accuracy requirements of analyses with the statistical precision of the final Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 6 (Y6) dataset. The validation program consists of two distinct approaches, (1) identification of modeling and parameterization choices and impact studies using simulated analyses with each possible model misspecification (2) end-to-end validation using mock catalogs from customized Cardinal simulations that incorporate realistic galaxy populations and DES-Y6-specific galaxy and cluster selection and photometric redshift modeling, which are the key observational systematics. In combination, these validation tests indicate that the model presented here meets the accuracy requirements of DES-Y6 for CL+3x2pt based on a large list of tests for known systematics. In addition, we also validate that the model is sufficient for several other data combinations: the CL+GC subset of this data vector (excluding galaxy--galaxy lensing and cosmic shear two-point statistics) and the CL+3x2pt+BAO+SN (combination of CL+3x2pt with the previously published Y6 DES baryonic acoustic oscillation and Y5 supernovae data).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Dark Energy Survey Year 3 Results: Cosmological Constraints from Cluster Abundances, Weak Lensing, and Galaxy Clustering

Galaxy clusters provide a unique probe of the late-time cosmic structure and serve as a powerful independent test of the $Λ$CDM model. This work presents the first set of cosmological constraints derived with ~16,000 optically selected redMaPPer clusters across nearly 5,000 $\rm{deg}^2$ using DES Year 3 data sets. Our analysis leverages a consistent modeling framework for galaxy cluster cosmology and DES-Y3 joint analyses of galaxy clustering and weak lensing (3x2pt), ensuring direct comparability with the DES-Y3 3x2pt analysis. We obtain constraints of $S_8 = 0.864 \pm 0.035$ and $Ω_{\rm{m}} = 0.265^{+0.019}_{-0.031}$ from the cluster-based data vector. We find that cluster constraints and 3x2pt constraints are consistent under the $Λ$CDM model with a Posterior Predictive Distribution (PPD) value of $0.53$. The consistency between clusters and 3x2pt provides a stringent test of $Λ$CDM across different mass and spatial scales. Jointly analyzing clusters with 3x2pt further improves cosmological constraints, yielding $S_8 = 0.811^{+0.022}_{-0.020}$ and $Ω_{\rm{m}} = 0.294^{+0.022}_{-0.033}$, a $24\%$ improvement in the $Ω_{\rm{m}}-S_8$ figure-of-merit over 3x2pt alone. Moreover, we find no significant deviation from the Planck CMB constraints with a probability to exceed (PTE) value of $0.6$, significantly reducing previous $S_8$ tension claims. Finally, combining DES 3x2pt, DES clusters, and Planck CMB places an upper limit on the sum of neutrino masses of $\sum m_ν< 0.26$ eV at 95% confidence under the $Λ$CDM model. These results establish optically selected clusters as a key cosmological probe and pave the way for cluster-based analyses in upcoming Stage-IV surveys such as LSST, Euclid, and Roman.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Reduction of the type Ia supernova host galaxy step in the outer regions of galaxies

Using 1533 type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the five-year sample of the Dark Energy Survey (DES), we investigate the relationship between the projected galactocentric separation of the SNe and their host galaxies and their light curves and standardization. We show, for the first time, that the difference in SN Ia post-standardization brightnesses between high and low-mass hosts reduces from $0.078\pm0.011$\,mag in the full sample to $0.036 \pm 0.018$\,mag for SNe Ia located in the outer regions of their host galaxies, while increasing to $0.100 \pm 0.014$\,mag for SNe in the inner regions. The difference in the size of the mass step between inner and outer regions is $0.064\pm0.023$\,mag. In these inner regions, the step can be reduced (but not removed) using a model where the $R_V$ of dust along the line-of-sight to the SN changes as a function of galaxy properties. We investigate the remaining difference using the distributions of the SN Ia stretch parameter to test the inferred age of SN progenitors. Comparing red (older) environments only, outer regions have a higher proportion of high-stretch SNe and a more homogeneous stretch distribution. However, this effect cannot explain the reduction in significance of any Hubble residual step in outer regions. We conclude that the standardized distances of SNe Ia located in the outer regions of galaxies are less affected by their global host galaxy properties than those in the inner regions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Interacting Dark Sector (ETHOS $n=0$): Cosmological Constraints from SPT Cluster Abundance with DES and HST Weak Lensing Data

We use galaxy cluster abundance measurements from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) enhanced by Multi-Component Matched Filter (MCMF) confirmation and complemented with mass information obtained using weak-lensing data from Dark Energy Survey Year~3 (DES Y3) and targeted Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations for probing deviations from the cold dark matter paradigm. Concretely, we consider a class of dark sector models featuring interactions between dark matter (DM) and a dark radiation (DR) component within the framework of the Effective Theory of Structure Formation (ETHOS). We focus on scenarios that lead to power suppression over a wide range of scales, and thus can be tested with data sensitive to large scales, as realized for example for DM$-$DR interactions following from an unbroken non-Abelian $SU(N)$ gauge theory (interaction rate with power-law index $n=0$ within the ETHOS parameterization). Cluster abundance measurements are mostly sensitive to the amount of DR interacting with DM, parameterized by the ratio of DR temperature to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature, $ξ_{\rm DR}=T_{\rm DR}/T_{\rm CMB}$. We find an upper limit $ξ_{\rm DR}<17\%$ at $95\%$ credibility. When the cluster data are combined with Planck 2018 CMB data along with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements we find $ξ_{\rm DR}<10\%$, corresponding to a limit on the abundance of interacting DR that is around three times tighter than that from CMB+BAO data alone. We also discuss the complementarity of weak lensing informed cluster abundance studies with probes sensitive to smaller scales, explore the impact on our analysis of massive neutrinos, and comment on a slight preference for the presence of a non-zero interacting DR abundance, which enables a physical solution to the $S_8$ tension.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

First Measurement of Missing Energy Due to Nuclear Effects in Monoenergetic Neutrino Charged Current Interactions

We present the first measurement of the missing energy due to nuclear effects in monoenergetic, muon neutrino charged-current interactions on carbon, originating from $K^+ \rightarrow μ^+ ν_μ$ decay at rest ($E_{ν_μ}=235.5$ MeV), performed with the J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at the J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source liquid scintillator based experiment. Toward characterizing the neutrino interaction, ostensibly $ν_μn \rightarrow μ^- p$ or $ν_μ$$^{12}\mathrm{C}$ $\rightarrow μ^-$$^{12}\mathrm{N}$, we define the missing energy as the energy transferred to the nucleus ($ω$) minus the kinetic energy of the outgoing proton(s), $E_{m} \equivω-\sum T_p$, and relate this to visible energy in the detector, $E_{m}=E_{ν_μ} (235.5 \mathrm{MeV})-m_μ(105.7 \mathrm{MeV}) + [m_n-m_p (1.3 \mathrm{MeV})] - E_{\mathrm{vis}}$. The missing energy, which is naively expected to be zero in the absence of nuclear effects (e.g. nucleon separation energy, Fermi momenta, and final-state interactions), is uniquely sensitive to many aspects of the interaction, and has previously been inaccessible with neutrinos. The shape-only, differential cross section measurement reported, based on a $(77\pm3)$% pure double-coincidence kaon decay-at-rest signal (621 total events), provides detailed insight into neutrino-nucleus interactions, allowing even the nuclear orbital shell of the struck nucleon to be inferred. The measurement provides an important benchmark for models and event generators at hundreds of MeV neutrino energies, characterized by the difficult-to-model transition region between neutrino-nucleus and neutrino-nucleon scattering, and relevant for applications in nuclear physics, neutrino oscillation measurements,and Type-II supernova studies.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Anisotropic Strain Relaxation-Induced Directional Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in RuO2 Films

Ultrafast light-matter interactions inspire potential functionalities in picosecond optoelectronic applications. However, achieving directional carrier dynamics in metals remains challenging due to strong carrier scattering within a multiband environment, typically expected to isotropic carrier relaxation. In this study, we demonstrate epitaxial RuO2/TiO2 (110) heterostructures grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy to engineer polarization-selectivity of ultrafast light-matter interactions via anisotropic strain engineering. Combining spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and optical pump-probe spectroscopy, we revealed the strong anisotropic transient optoelectronic response of strain-engineered RuO2/TiO2 (110) heterostructures along both in-plane [001] and [1-10] crystallographic directions. Theoretical analysis identifies strain-induced modifications in band nesting as the underlying mechanism for enhanced anisotropic carrier relaxation. These findings establish epitaxial strain engineering as a powerful tool for tuning anisotropic optoelectronic responses in metallic systems, paving the way for next-generation polarization-sensitive ultrafast optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Constraints on $f(R)$ gravity from tSZE-selected SPT galaxy clusters and weak lensing mass calibration from DES and HST

We present constraints on the $f(R)$ gravity model using a sample of 1,005 galaxy clusters in the redshift range $0.25 - 1.78$ that have been selected through the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (tSZE) from South Pole Telescope (SPT) data and subjected to optical and near-infrared confirmation with the Multi-component Matched Filter (MCMF) algorithm. We employ weak gravitational lensing mass calibration from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 3 data for 688 clusters at $z < 0.95$ and from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for 39 clusters with $0.6 < z < 1.7$. Our cluster sample is a powerful probe of $f(R)$ gravity, because this model predicts a scale-dependent enhancement in the growth of structure, which impacts the halo mass function (HMF) at cluster mass scales. To account for these modified gravity effects on the HMF, our analysis employs a semi-analytical approach calibrated with numerical simulations. Combining calibrated cluster counts with primary cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements from the Planck2018 release, we derive robust constraints on the $f(R)$ parameter $f_{R0}$. Our results, $\log_{10} |f_{R0}| < -5.32$ at the 95 % credible level, are the tightest current constraints on $f(R)$ gravity from cosmological scales. This upper limit rules out $f(R)$-like deviations from general relativity that result in more than a $\sim$20 % enhancement of the cluster population on mass scales $M_\mathrm{200c}>3\times10^{14}M_\odot$.

astro-ph.CO↗