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Taotao Fang

Publications and source records attributed to Taotao Fang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

HI Emission Recovery in the Low-Redshift Radio Population: Host-Galaxy and Radio-Luminosity Dependence in FASHI and LoTSS

Overlapping blind 21 cm and wide-area low-frequency continuum surveys make it possible to measure which radio sources an untargeted HI survey recovers. Cross-matching FASHI DR1 with the LoTSS DR2 value-added catalog yields 4392 one-to-one associations. Within an empirically defined comparison region of $2912$\,deg$^2$, we construct a low-redshift, spectroscopic, radio-selected parent of 25,573 LoTSS sources whose expected HI line falls in the FASHI band, and measure how often each is recovered. Sources classified as radio-loud AGN in the published LoTSS DR2 radio-AGN classification are recovered less often than star-forming ones: 143 of 1542 ($9.27\%$, $7.87$--$10.83$) against $14.88\%$ ($14.43$--$15.33$) of 24,031, an odds ratio of $0.585$ ($0.491$--$0.697$). The two classes, however, differ strongly in host properties, by $1.34$ dex in median specific star formation rate, and within their overlapping stellar-mass and star-formation ranges we detect no statistically significant residual class difference (adjusted odds ratio $1.60$, $0.87$--$2.94$). In contrast, 144 MHz luminosity remains positively associated with HI recovery after adjustment for the measured host properties, redshift and an approximate sensitivity proxy: within the same overlapping range, each dex raises the odds of recovery by a factor of $2.03$ ($1.54$--$2.68$), an association carried primarily by the star-forming population, not by the radio-AGN subsample. We interpret this as an empirical relationship with detectable HI emission, not as evidence that radio activity increases or decreases HI mass. The association catalog and the controlled recovery measurements characterize the radio population sampled by a blind HI survey.

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Foreground Groups and Host-Galaxy Geometry in the Dispersion-Measure Scatter of Fast Radio Bursts

Localized fast radio bursts (FRBs) show substantial scatter in dispersion measure (DM) about the mean cosmic DM--redshift relation, also known as the Macquart relation. Both foreground structure and host galaxies contribute to this scatter. In this work, we examine foreground tracers and host galaxy properties using a parent catalog of 136 localized FRBs with measured DMs and spectroscopic host redshifts. Among 77 FRBs within the Gfinder footprint, DM excess relative to a fixed Macquart mean increases with foreground group count excess, with a Spearman coefficient of 0.459. Adding the foreground term to a mean host baseline reduces the leave-one-out root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) in extragalactic DM by \(13.0\%\) and \(7.5\%\), respectively. For 20 of these FRBs with optical host axis ratio measurements, adding a foreground term calibrated on the other 57 FRBs to the host shape model reduces the observer-frame leave-one-out RMSE from \(76.3\) to \(64.0~\mathrm{pc\,cm^{-3}}\) and MAE from \(54.2\) to \(50.2~\mathrm{pc\,cm^{-3}}\). And the in-sample residual standard deviation in the host rest frame decreases by \(20.2\%\). Idealized galaxy models based on the Milky Way electron density distribution produce DM changes with inclination comparable to the fitted amplitude under the adopted assumptions.

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Redshifted Cool Gas in the Disturbed HI Disk of the Starburst Dwarf NGC 4214

We report redshifted cool gas toward the central star-forming region of the nearby starburst dwarf galaxy NGC 4214. HST/COS spectra show low-ionization absorbers redshifted relative to the systemic velocity, most clearly in SII ($Δv=19.8\pm2.6\ {\rm km\,s^{-1}}$) and supported by MgII ($Δv=30.3\pm3.0\ {\rm km\,s^{-1}}$), while PII remains tentative ($Δv=7.5\pm3.4\ {\rm km\,s^{-1}}$). The Keck/HIRES spectra also reveal a redshifted CaII absorption component ($Δv=25.6\pm1.5\ {\rm km\,s^{-1}}$). Because the absorption is detected against the central UV or optical continuum, the gas must lie in the foreground of the star-forming region and is moving away from the observer and toward the background UV source in projection. A VLA--THINGS HI spectrum extracted at the COS position within one VLA beam also shows a redshifted neutral component at $v_{\rm hel}=329.2\pm0.9\ {\rm km\ s^{-1}}$, offset by $38.2\pm1.3\ {\rm km\ s^{-1}}$ from systemic and by $27.6\pm1.0\ {\rm km\ s^{-1}}$ from the dominant local HI component. The FAST HI mapping further reveals an extended, kinematically disturbed neutral disk, with residual structures relative to a warped-disk model. Together, the redshifted UV absorption, the redshifted HI component, and the disturbed large-scale HI velocity field show that the central anomalous cool gas is observed in a galaxy with a disturbed extended neutral disk. This geometry suggests that the redshifted cool gas may trace inflow or recycled fallback toward the central region, although warped-disk or non-circular disk motions cannot be fully excluded.

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FAST Observations of Filamentary and Compact H I Structure in a Magellanic Stream IV Field

The Magellanic Stream (MS) is believed to have formed from gas removed from the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds through tidal forces and hydrodynamic interactions with the Milky Way's gaseous halo. It provides an important laboratory for studying how stripped gas fragments, mixes, and evolves in a circumgalactic environment. In this work, we present HI observations of a $3.8^\circ\times2.2^\circ$ field in the MS IV region, using the data from the Commensal Radio Astronomy FasT Survey (CRAFTS). The total HI mass in the analyzed field is $\simeq 5.3 \times 10^{6} (d/120\,{\rm kpc})^{2}\,M_{\odot}$, where $d$ is the distance to the MS IV gas. The data resolve the emission into three coherent filamentary HI structures with related but distinct velocity trends. To characterize the HI structures and study potential multiphase gas, we adopt a Gaussian decomposition procedure to identify and reconstruct sources. Our results indicate that the field is dominated by one major filamentary HI complex, together with several smaller kinematic clump-like components. Among these identified sources, only one source likely shows multiple velocity components. Because several sources appear spatially overlapped in projection, we further examine their apparent overlap regions using position-velocity (P-V) diagrams. P-V diagrams across the apparent overlap region show no clear intermediate-velocity bridge or V-shaped structure, favoring line-of-sight projection over direct cloud-cloud collision. These results demonstrate the value of deep, high-angular-resolution HI observations for resolving faint emission, compact morphologies, and kinematic structure in the MS.

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An X-ray Absorption-Line Survey of the Circumgalactic Medium of M31 with XMM-Newton

X-ray absorption line spectroscopy provides a powerful method for probing the extended hot circumgalactic medium (CGM) of individual galaxies. In this study, we present the first survey of \osv and \oeit absorption lines toward the hot halo of M\,31, using $15$ and $18$ background active galactic nuclei, with impact parameters ranging from $R_{\rm imp}\sim300$--$730$~kpc and $\sim190$--$730$~kpc, respectively. We find a marginal excess absorption above the expected Milky Way (MW) foreground toward the innermost sightlines, consistent with an additional hot-CGM contribution associated with M\,31. Comparing sightlines inside and outside $R_{\rm imp}=300$--$350$~kpc, the excess corresponds to a mean equivalent width of $\sim4$--$9$~mÅ for the inner \osv sightlines at $R_{\rm imp}\sim310$~kpc and $\sim17$~mÅ for the inner \oeit sightlines at $R_{\rm imp}\sim200$~kpc, with a nominal combined significance level of $2.2$--$2.3\,σ$. The hot-CGM mass inferred from this excess is highly model dependent, especially on the assumed CGM boundary, and therefore does not yet provide a robust baryon census. Attributing the excess entirely to hot gas confined within approximately the virial radius of M\,31 would require a CGM mass exceeding the nominal ``missing'' baryon budget. The inferred mass decreases to a few $\times10^{11}~M_\odot$ when the assumed CGM boundary is extended to $400-500$~kpc. Deeper observations, both through longer exposures of existing sightlines and the inclusion of additional inner-halo targets, will be essential to robustly constrain the properties of the hot CGM of M\,31.

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Identification and Study of Irregular Radio Sources with SKA Continuum Surveys

Radio galaxies show a wide range of morphologies, from regular double-lobed systems to more complex and distorted radio structures. In this chapter, we focus on irregular radio morphologies, defined as sources in which the radio jets and lobes deviate from a straight and symmetric structure. Bent-tail radio galaxies and winged radio galaxies are two important examples of such sources. Bent-tail radio galaxies show curved jets or lobes, mainly shaped by the interaction between radio plasma and the dense intracluster or intragroup medium. Winged radio galaxies show faint off-axis emission, which may be related to plasma backflow, jet reorientation, episodic activity, galaxy mergers, or environmental asymmetry. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) continuum surveys will provide the sensitivity, angular resolution, frequency coverage, and image quality required to identify and study large samples of such irregular radio galaxies. These data will make it possible to detect faint extended structures, including diffuse tails, weak bridges, remnant lobes, and low-surface-brightness wings. The identification and classification of these sources will require a combination of machine-learning methods, quantitative morphology measurements, multi-wavelength host-galaxy association, and expert visual inspection. The study of irregular radio galaxies with SKA data will help to connect radio morphology with host-galaxy properties, Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) activity, jet power, and surrounding environment. Such studies will provide important insight into jet-environment interactions, AGN feedback, the dynamical state of galaxy groups and clusters, and the evolution of radio galaxies across cosmic time.

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Megaparsec-Scale Neutral Hydrogen Flows in the Neighborhood of Hickson Compact Group 100

The evolution of galaxies is strongly influenced by their ability to exchange gas with their surroundings, yet direct observational constraints on these processes remain scarce. Using ultra-deep neutral hydrogen (HI) observations with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), we detect a diffuse HI structure extending over $\sim$1 Mpc around the compact galaxy group HCG 100, with integrated column densities down to $\sim$$8.6\times10^{17}$ cm$^{-2}$. This structure is among the most extended and lowest-density neutral gas systems ever observed in emission. The HI gas forms a coherent envelope connecting the compact group to neighboring galaxies and shows a large-scale coherent velocity gradient around HCG 100 extending across $\sim$0.6 Mpc. The extended structure contains $\sim$$1.4\times10^{10}$ $M_\odot$ of diffuse neutral gas, implying that up to $\sim$40$-$50\% of the HI gas resides outside galaxies. Such a large diffuse HI structure may arise either from large-scale tidal debris or gas accretion from the surrounding cosmic web. Our results demonstrate that massive reservoirs of diffuse neutral gas can persist on megaparsec scales around galaxy groups for extended periods, providing a previously unseen component of baryon cycling in dense environments.

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The Intrinsic Multiphase Gas--Black Hole Connection across Scales in IllustrisTNG

The relationship between supermassive black holes and the multiphase circumgalactic medium is central to understanding the co-evolution of galaxies and their central black holes. We investigate this relationship using the IllustrisTNG100 simulation with a sample of 5089 central galaxies at $z=0$, measuring the partial correlation between central black hole mass and the mass of cold ($T < 10^4$K), cool ($10^4 \le T < 10^5$K), warm ($10^5 \le T < 10^6$K), and hot ($T \ge 10^6$K) gas within $0.03R_{200}$, $0.15R_{200}$, and $R_{200}$, after accounting for stellar and dark matter halo mass. We find that after removing these confounding factors, black hole mass shows a significant negative partial correlation ($ρ\approx -0.37$) with cold gas within $R_{200}$ and $0.15R_{200}$, whereas warm and hot gas exhibit no substantial intrinsic correlation. The residual plane reveals a threshold pattern: galaxies with over-massive black holes show systematically reduced cold gas, consistent with the cumulative impact of AGN feedback. The anti-correlation persists across environments with a weak trend in local density, and varies with galaxy type (star-forming, green valley, and quenched). These results provide a quantitative multiphase diagnostic of AGN feedback in TNG and support a picture in which feedback progressively removes cold gas, offering testable predictions for future multiwavelength surveys.

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CO Observations of Early-mid Stage Major Mergers in the MaNGA Survey

We present a study of the molecular gas in early-mid stage major-mergers, with a sample of 43 major-merger galaxy pairs selected from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey and a control sample of 195 isolated galaxies selected from the xCOLD GASS survey. Adopting kinematic asymmetry as a new effective indicator to describe the merger stage, we aim to study the role of molecular gas in the merger-induced star formation enhancement along the merger sequence of galaxy pairs. We obtain the molecular gas properties from CO observations with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), Institut de Radioastronomie Milimetrique (IRAM) 30-m telescope, and the MASCOT survey. Using these data, we investigate the differences in molecular gas fraction ($f_{\rm H_{2}}$), star formation rate (SFR), star formation efficiency (SFE), molecular-to-atomic gas ratio ($M_{\rm H_{2}}/M_{\rm HI}$), total gas fraction ($f_{\rm gas}$), and the star formation efficiency of total gas (${\rm SFE_{gas}}$) between the pair and control samples. In the full pair sample, our results suggest the $f_{\rm H_{2}}$ of paired galaxies is significantly enhanced, while the SFE is comparable to that of isolated galaxies. We detect significantly increased $f_{\rm H_{2}}$ and $M_{\rm H_{2}}/M_{\rm HI}$ in paired galaxies at the pericenter stage, indicating an accelerated transition from atomic gas to molecular gas due to interactions. Our results indicate that the elevation of $f_{\rm H_{2}}$ plays a major role in the enhancement of global SFR in paired galaxies at the pericenter stage, while the contribution of enhanced SFE in specific regions requires further explorations through spatially resolved observations of a larger sample spanning a wide range of merger stages.

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Environmental Imprints on the Assembly of the Cool Gas around Bright Cluster Galaxies

Galaxy clusters represent extreme cosmic laboratories where environmental processes dramatically reshape their constituent galaxies, yet their effect on the gaseous halos of central galaxies remains poorly constrained. Here we present the first statistical mapping of cool gas around massive brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) at $z\approx0.55$. Using Mg II absorption in stacked sight-line spectra from over a million background quasars observed by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, we compare BCGs to a matched sample of field galaxies and trace the radial profile from 40 kpc to 15 Mpc. Our analysis reveals a striking dual environmental signature: within 200 kpc, the circumgalactic medium (CGM) around BCGs is significantly suppressed compared to that of field galaxies, while at larger radii (200 kpc to 10 Mpc) a pronounced excess of cool gas emerges. This clear transition from suppression in the core to enhancement on such large scales delineates a novel observed pattern for gas regulation by the dense environment. It suggests that clusters may not only strip gas in the core but also facilitate its accumulation in the outskirts. Our results provide key observational constraints on theoretical models of environmental processing in and around the most massive dark matter halos.

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Jet-ISM Interaction and Multi-channel AGN Feedback in the Post-merger Galaxy 4C+29.30

4C+29.30 is a post-merger galaxy hosting a rejuvenated active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a complex multi-scale radio morphology, making it an ideal laboratory to study the interplay between different AGN feedback modes. We present a multi-wavelength analysis combining optical integral field spectroscopy (SDSS/MaNGA and CFHT/SITELLE) with radio continuum imaging (VLASS) to map the ionized gas kinematics and ionization structure across the galaxy. We uncover a galaxy-scale, biconical ionized gas outflow whose axis is misaligned by $\sim$26$^\circ$ from the radio jet. This outflow, characterized by broad line widths and Seyfert-like ionization, is mostly consistent with a radiatively driven wind from the central supermassive black hole, which is accreting at a relatively high Eddington ratio ($L_{\mathrm{bol}}/L_{\mathrm{Edd}} \gtrsim 0.1$). In contrast, the northern radio lobe clearly drives localized gas acceleration and increased velocity dispersion, indicative of jet-driven shocks interacting with the interstellar medium, consistent with previous X-ray findings. The coexistence of a radiatively driven galactic-scale outflow and a distinct, misaligned radio jet demonstrates that multiple AGN feedback channels can operate simultaneously within the same system, providing new evidence for the concurrent action of radiative and mechanical feedback.

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Thermal emission from dark matter-heated neutron stars in the Galactic Center

We investigate the thermal impact of dark matter (DM) capture and annihilation on neutron stars (NSs) in the Galactic Center (GC). Accounting for both kinetic energy deposition and internal annihilation, we systematically evaluate the influence of various DM density profiles, ranging from cored to cuspy distributions, on the late-time thermal evolution of NSs. For NSs older than $\sim 10^7~\mathrm{yr}$, the surface temperature approaches an equilibrium value $T_\mathrm{s}^{\mathrm{eq}} \sim 10^4$--$10^6~\mathrm{K}$, depending on the stellar location and the ambient DM density. In the presence of a density spike, enhanced heating shifts the emission toward ultraviolet (UV) and soft x-ray bands; however, strong interstellar extinction and large hydrogen column densities significantly suppress the observable flux density. We further provide an estimate of the cumulative infrared surface brightness from the NS population in the GC. The predicted flux density from an individual NS remains below $\sim 0.1\,\mathrm{nJy}$, while the integrated emission yields an average surface brightness $I_ν\lesssim 10^{-9}\,\mathrm{Jy\,arcsec^{-2}}$, corresponding to a signal-to-noise ratio well below current detection thresholds. Our results indicate that thermal signatures from DM-heated NSs in the GC remain below the sensitivity limits of current instruments, although nearby systems with lower extinction may provide more promising targets for detection.

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The Vertical Structure and Asymmetry of Mg ii-enriched Gas in the Milky Way Disk

The physical properties of Milky Way Mgii-bearing gas remain poorly constrained due to the saturation of the near-UV doublet. We utilize the weaker Mgii $λλ$1239, 1240 doublet from 482 archival HST/COS extragalactic sightlines to probe this cool gas phase. We identify 43 low-velocity absorbers ($|v_{\rm LSR}|<40\ {\rm km\ s^{-1}}$), yielding a covering fraction ($C_f$) of $32\pm5\%$ for $\log N_{\rm MgII} > 15$. We find that $C_f$ follows an exponential decay relative to equivalent width thresholds, marking a transition from a diffuse medium to localized, dense structures (e.g., cold neutral medium cores). The steep decline of the distribution at high column densities likely reflects the saturation of the turbulent log-normal spectrum and dust depletion. By integrating stellar data, we derive a Mgii scale height $h_{\rm MgII} = 0.12\pm0.02\ \rm\ kpc$ and mid-plane density $n_{0,\rm MgII} = (3.9\pm0.4)\times 10^{-6}\ \rm cm^{-3}$. A pronounced north-south asymmetry exists, with the northern hemisphere displaying a significantly higher mid-plane density ($n_{0,n} \approx 4.7 \times 10^{-6}\ \rm cm^{-3}$) than the south ($3.2 \times 10^{-6}\ \rm cm^{-3}$). This discrepancy suggests that the northern interstellar medium is more spatially concentrated and clumpy, whereas the southern gas is more ubiquitously distributed with a lower average density. These results indicate that Mgii is tightly confined to the disk, governed by a unified depletion law and restricted vertical extent.

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COSMOS-Web: Galaxy Size and Surface Brightness Evolution at Rest-Frame 1.22 $μ$m Since $z=3$

We present the evolution of galaxy size and surface brightness in the rest-frame $J$ band (1.22 $μ$m), tracing the stellar mass distribution, over $0.5 \leq z \leq 3$, using a sample of 15,420 galaxies with stellar masses $M_\star=10^{10}$-$10^{11.5}\ M_{\odot}$ from the JWST COSMOS-Web survey. The rest-frame $J$-band effective radius ($R_{e,J}$) is obtained from previous measurements and mapped from the available JWST/NIRCam filters, while the surface brightness ($μ_J$) is corrected for dust extinction and cosmological dimming. At a characteristic mass of $M_\star = 5 \times 10^{10}\ M_{\odot}$, star-forming galaxies exhibit a size evolution of $R_{e,J} \propto (1+z)^β$ with $β= -0.92 \pm 0.04$, falling between previously reported shallower and steeper measurements. Quiescent galaxies evolve more rapidly, with $β= -1.34 \pm 0.05$, consistent with earlier studies. Among star-forming galaxies, lower-mass systems ($10^{10}$ to $10^{10.5}\ M_{\odot}$) show slower ($β=-0.66\pm0.02$) size evolution compared to their higher-mass counterparts. Furthermore, the surface brightness brightens toward higher redshifts, scaling as $μ_J \propto -2.5 \log(1+z)^γ$. We find $γ= 3.07 \pm 0.08$ for star-forming galaxies and $γ= 3.70 \pm 0.08$ for quiescent galaxies. We also find that massive star-forming galaxies ($M_\star > 10^{10.5}\ M_{\odot}$) exhibit similar $μ_J$ values at fixed redshift, independent of mass. Finally, we demonstrate that the observed surface brightness evolution is driven by the combined evolution of galaxy luminosity and size.

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The FAST Hundred-Deg$^2$ HI Deep (HD$^2$) Survey: Early Results from the Pilot Survey

The Hundred-deg$^2$ HI Deep (HD$^2$) survey carried out with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is planned to map a contiguous region within the DESI DR1 footprint, achieving an effective integration time of 20 minutes for each pointing and a uniform detection sensitivity of 0.28 mJy beam$^{-1}$ at 4.8 km s$^{-1}$ resolution. We present early results from the pilot HD$^2$ survey: a 10 deg$^2$ field overlapping with HSC-SSP and the DESI EDR SV3, observed with an integration time of 7.3 minutes per beam and the rms of 0.45 mJy beam$^{-1}$ at 4.8 km s$^{-1}$ resolution. We identify 339 HI sources at $z<0.09$, corresponding to $\sim$34 detections per deg$^2$, nearly six times higher than the detection rate of the wide-field surveys. Optical counterparts are primarily identified using DESI redshifts, yielding a matching rate and correctness exceeding 90% for galaxies with $r<19.5$ mag, a substantial improvement over SDSS. Under the constraint of $r < 17.8$ mag and $0.01 < z < 0.05$, nearly 50% of galaxies in the DESI BGS samples have HI detections in this pilot survey. The optical properties of these HI-detected galaxies span nearly the entire parameter range of the DESI sample. The gas fraction scaling relations versus stellar mass, stellar mass surface density, NUV-r, and specific star formation rate are consistent with previous surveys, e.g., ALFALFA, DINGO, and xGASS. These results justify the feasibility of the full HD$^2$ survey, which will build a high-completeness HI census over a contiguous area to probe the cold gas scaling relations of galaxies over different scales.

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Probing the Hot Gaseous Halos of Milky Way-like Galaxies in the TNG50 simulation

The origin and structure of the hot ($T\gtrsim10^6$K) gaseous halo around Milky Way (MW)-mass galaxies provide a critical test for galaxy formation models. We perform a comprehensive comparison for a sample of MW analogues from the TNG50 cosmological simulation by generating synthetic soft X-ray emission and O VII/O VIII absorption lines, viewed from both internal (Solar) and external perspectives. The simulated halos successfully reproduce the observed global soft X-ray luminosity, inner-halo X-ray surface brightness, emission measure, and O VII absorption strength. However, two interconnected discrepancies are identified. First, the azimuthally averaged X-ray surface brightness profile from external viewpoints declines too steeply with radius compared to the extended emission detected in eROSITA stacking of SDSS galaxies, falling below the observations by up to $\sim 1$ dex at $R \gtrsim 100$ kpc. Second, the halos systematically underproduce O VIII absorption, with a median equivalent width $\sim 65\%$ lower than that observed in the Galactic halo, pointing to a deficit of hotter-phase gas at $T\sim(1.6-3.2)\times10^6$ K. These findings indicate that the simulated hot halos are too spatially compact and lack a hotter gas phase, suggesting that the TNG50 feedback model, while generating hot gas, deposits energy too centrally and too vigorously to sustain a gently extended, multi-phase corona.

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A systematic study of AGN feedback in a disk galaxy using MACER II: predictions of X-ray surface brightness profiles and comparison with eROSITA observations

Recently, we have performed a systematic study of AGN feedback in a disk galaxy within the MACER framework. Various model predictions, including the AGN duty cycle, the correlation between black hole accretion rates and star formation rates, and the (cold) gas fraction, have been compared with observations and will be presented in a series of papers. As the second paper in this series, without adjusting any model parameters, we directly use the simulation data introduced in Paper I to compute the predicted X-ray surface brightness profile and compare it with eROSITA observations of circumgalactic medium (CGM) emission around galaxies, which provide important constraints on AGN feedback models. For this comparison, we adopt two stacked eROSITA radial profiles of X-ray surface brightness: (1) distant galaxies with log(M*/M_sun) = 10.5-11.0 at z ~ 0.02-0.10 from Y. Zhang et al. (2024), and (2) nearby L* galaxies within 50 Mpc from L. He and Z. Li (2026). We find that the average simulated profile over time is in good agreement with the stacked measurements of Y. Zhang et al. (2024) over a broad radial range (out to ~100 kpc). Our model predictions also match the results of L. He and Z. Li (2026) at projected radii from ~20 kpc to 120 kpc. While our simulations, which predict only thermal emission, are consistent with these recent X-ray observations, the limitations in our current model mean that this agreement does not preclude a potential contribution from non-thermal emission, for example, from an extended halo of cosmic rays.

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A Morphological Identification and Study of Radio Galaxies from LoTSS DR2. III. The Multiwavelength Analysis of Winged Radio Galaxies

We present a multiwavelength follow-up study of 621 winged radio galaxies (WRGs) recently identified from LoTSS DR2, constituting the largest statistically significant samples of X-shaped (XRGs) and Z-shaped (ZRGs) radio galaxies to date. Our results show that WRGs are predominantly strongly radio-dominated, with XRGs on average more radio-luminous than ZRGs. Their optical hosts are massive elliptical galaxies residing in moderate-density environments. For 270 of XRGs, we measure angular offsets between the radio wings and the optical major axis. While most XRGs show large misalignments consistent with hydrodynamic backflow along the host minor axis, a substantial fraction ($\sim$25\%) exhibits small offsets (<30°), indicating that additional processes, such as jet reorientation, may also play a role. ZRGs, in contrast, are characterized by strongly antisymmetric deformations of their radio lobes pointing toward a coherent mechanism affecting both jets, modulated by local environmental interactions at the lobe termini. Mid-infrared diagnostics indicate merger-related cold gas in many WRGs, particularly XRGs, which also more frequently host powerful AGN, while ZRGs are more often classified as low-excitation radio galaxies (LERGs). This is consistent with our previous results showing that, although most WRGs exhibit FR II morphologies, FR I sources are almost exclusively ZRGs, suggesting that Z-shaped structures are statistically associated with lower jet power and are therefore more susceptible to perturbations. Nevertheless, the physical processes responsible for shaping XRGs and ZRGs need not be fundamentally different. Instead, the final morphology likely reflects the interplay between jet power, jet stability, and the surrounding environment.

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