您选择的条件: Richard J. Long
  • An Empirical Bayesian Approach to Limb-darkening in Modeling WASP-121b Transit Light Curves

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We present a novel, iterative method using an empirical Bayesian approach for modeling the limb darkened WASP-121b transit from the TESS light curve. Our method is motivated by the need to improve $R_{p}/R_{\ast}$ estimates for exoplanet atmosphere modeling, and is particularly effective with the limb darkening (LD) quadratic law requiring no prior central value from stellar atmospheric models. With the non-linear LD law, the method has all the advantages of not needing atmospheric models but does not converge. The iterative method gives a different $R_{p}/R_{\ast}$ for WASP-121b at a significance level of 1$\sigma$ when compared with existing non-iterative methods. To assess the origins and implications of this difference, we generate and analyze light curves with known values of the limb darkening coefficients (LDCs). We find that non-iterative modeling with LDC priors from stellar atmospheric models results in an inconsistent $R_{p}/R_{\ast}$ at 1.5$\sigma$ level when the known LDC values are as those previously found when modeling real data by the iterative method. In contrast, the LDC values from the iterative modeling yields the correct value of $R_{p}/R_{\ast}$ to within 0.25$\sigma$. For more general cases with different known inputs, Monte Carlo simulations show that the iterative method obtains unbiased LDCs and correct $R_{p}/R_{\ast}$ to within a significance level of 0.3$\sigma$. Biased LDC priors can cause biased LDC posteriors and lead to bias in the $R_{p}/R_{\ast}$ of up to 0.82$\%$, 2.5$\sigma$ for the quadratic law and 0.32$\%$, 1.0$\sigma$ for the non-linear law. Our improvement in $R_{p}/R_{\ast}$ estimation is important when analyzing exoplanet atmospheres.

  • Stellar Dynamical Modeling -- Counting Conserved Quantities

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Knowing the conserved quantities that a galaxy's stellar orbits conform to is important in helping us understand the stellar distribution and structures within the galaxy. Isolating integrals of motion and resonances are particularly important, non-isolating integrals less so. We compare the behavior and results of two methods for counting the number of conserved quantities, one based on the correlation integral approach and the other a more recent method using machine learning. Both methods use stellar orbit trajectories in phase space as their only input, and we create such trajectories from theoretical spherical, axisymmetric and triaxial model galaxies. The orbits have known isolating integrals and resonances. We find that neither method is fully effective in recovering the numbers of these quantities, nor in determining the number of non-isolating integrals. From a computer performance perspective, we find the correlation integral approach to be the faster. Determining the algebraic formulae of (multiple) conserved quantities from the trajectories has not been possible due to the lack of an appropriate symbolic regression capability. Notwithstanding the shortcomings we have noted, it may be that the methods are usable as part of a trajectory analysis tool kit.

  • Classifying globular clusters and applying them to estimate the mass of the Milky Way

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We combine the kinematics of 159 globular clusters (GCs) provided by the Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) with other observational data to classify the GCs, and to estimate the mass of the Milky Way (MW). We use the age-metallicity relation, integrals of motion, action space and the GC orbits to identify the GCs as either formed in-situ (Bulge and Disk) or ex situ (via accretion). We find that $45.3\%$ have formed in situ, $38.4\%$ may be related to known merger events: Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, the Helmi streams, the Sequoia galaxy, and the Kraken galaxy. We also further identify three new sub-structures associated with the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. The remaining $16.3\%$ of GCs are unrelated to the known mergers and thought to be from small accretion events. We select 46 GCs which have radii $8.0展开 -->

  • Classifying globular clusters and applying them to estimate the mass of the Milky Way

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We combine the kinematics of 159 globular clusters (GCs) provided by the Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) with other observational data to classify the GCs, and to estimate the mass of the Milky Way (MW). We use the age-metallicity relation, integrals of motion, action space and the GC orbits to identify the GCs as either formed in-situ (Bulge and Disk) or ex situ (via accretion). We find that $45.3\%$ have formed in situ, $38.4\%$ may be related to known merger events: Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, the Helmi streams, the Sequoia galaxy, and the Kraken galaxy. We also further identify three new sub-structures associated with the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. The remaining $16.3\%$ of GCs are unrelated to the known mergers and thought to be from small accretion events. We select 46 GCs which have radii $8.0展开 -->

  • SDSS-IV MaNGA: Stellar M/L gradients and the M/L-colour relation in galaxies

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: The stellar mass-to-light ratio gradient in SDSS $r-$band $\nabla (M_*/L_r)$ of a galaxy depends on its mass assembly history, which is imprinted in its morphology and gradients of age, metallicity, and stellar initial mass function (IMF). Taking a MaNGA sample of 2051 galaxies with stellar masses ranging from $10^9$ to $10^{12}M_\odot$ released in SDSS DR15, we focus on face-on galaxies, without merger and bar signatures, and investigate the dependence of the 2D $\nabla (M_*/L_r)$ on other galaxy properties, including $M_*/L_r$-colour relationships by assuming a fixed Salpeter IMF as the mass normalization reference. The median gradient is $\nabla M_*/L_r\sim -0.1$ (i.e., the $M_*/L_r$ is larger at the centre) for massive galaxies, becomes flat around $M_*\sim 10^{10} M_{\odot}$ and change sign to $\nabla M_*/L_r\sim 0.1$ at the lowest masses. The $M_*/L_r$ inside a half light radius increases with increasing galaxy stellar mass; in each mass bin, early-type galaxies have the highest value, while pure-disk late-type galaxies have the smallest. Correlation analyses suggest that the mass-weighted stellar age is the dominant parameter influencing the $M_*/L_r$ profile, since a luminosity-weighted age is easily affected by star formation when the specific star formation rate (sSFR) inside the half light radius is higher than $10^{-3} {\rm Gyr}^{-1}$. With increased sSFR gradient, one can obtain a steeper negative $\nabla (M_*/L_r)$. The scatter in the slopes of $M_*/L$-colour relations increases with increasing sSFR, for example, the slope for post-starburst galaxies can be flattened to $0.45$ from the global value $0.87$ in the $M_*/L$ vs. $g-r$ diagram. Hence converting galaxy colours to $M_*/L$ should be done carefully, especially for those galaxies with young luminosity-weighted stellar ages, which can have quite different star formation histories.

  • LTD064402+245919: A Subgiant with a 1-3 M$_{\odot}$ Undetected Companion Identified from LAMOST-TD Data

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Single-line spectroscopic binaries recently contribute to the stellar-mass black hole discovery, independently of the X-ray transient method. We report the identification of a single-line binary system LTD064402+245919, with an orbital period of 14.50 days. The observed component is a subgiant with a mass of 2.77$\pm$0.68M$_{\odot}$, radius 15.5$\pm$2.5R$_{\odot}$, effective temperature $T_{\rm eff}$ 4500$\pm$200K, and surface gravity log\emph{g} 2.5$\pm$0.25dex. The discovery makes use of the LAMOST time-domain (LAMOST-TD) and ZTF survey. Our general-purpose software pipeline applies the Lomb-Scargle periodogram to determine the orbital period and uses machine-learning to classify the variable type from the folded light curves. We apply a combined model to estimate the orbital parameters from both the light and radial velocity curves, taking constraints on the primary star mass, mass function, and detection limit of secondary luminosity into consideration. We obtain a radial velocity semi-amplitude of 44.6$\pm$1.5 km s$^{-1}$, mass ratio of 0.73$\pm$0.07, and an undetected component mass of 2.02$\pm$0.49M$_{\odot}$ when the type of the undetected component is not set. We conclude that the inclination is not well constrained, and that the secondary mass is larger than 1M$_{\odot}$ when the undetected component is modelled as a compact object. According to our investigations using an MCMC simulation, increasing the spectra SNR by a factor of 3 would enable the secondary light to be distinguished (if present). The algorithm and software in this work are able to serve as general-purpose tools for the identification of compact objects quiescent in X-rays.