Nature Astronomy最新文献

{"title":"The evolution of dust attenuation in z ≈ 2–12 galaxies observed by JWST","authors":"Vladan Markov, Simona Gallerani, Andrea Ferrara, Andrea Pallottini, Eleonora Parlanti, Fabio Di Mascia, Laura Sommovigo, Mahsa Kohandel","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02426-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02426-1","url":null,"abstract":"A sizable fraction of the heavy elements synthesized by stars in galaxies condenses into submicrometre-sized solid-state particles known as dust grains. Dust produces a wavelength-dependent attenuation, Aλ, of the galaxy emission, thereby substantially altering its observed properties. Locally, Aλ is in general the sum of a power law and a ultraviolet feature (‘bump’) produced by small, carbon-based grains. However, scant information exists regarding its evolution across cosmic time. Here, leveraging data from 173 galaxies observed by the James Webb Space Telescope in the redshift range z = 2–12, we report the detection of the ultraviolet bump in a z ≈ 7.55 galaxy (when the Universe was only ~700 Myr old) and show that the power-law slope and the bump strength decrease towards high redshifts. We propose that the flat Aλ shape at early epochs is produced by large grains newly formed in supernova ejecta, which act as the main dust factories at such early epochs. Importantly, these grains have undergone minimal reprocessing in the interstellar medium due to the limited available cosmic time. This discovery offers crucial insights into the redshift-dependent evolution of dust attenuation properties, shedding light on the role of supernovae-driven dust production, grain size distribution at early cosmic times and the processes driving dust evolution at later epochs. This study presents the evolution of the dust attenuation curve in galaxies over cosmic time, suggesting that dust attenuation at early times is dominated by large grains from supernovae. The study also reports an ultraviolet bump in a source at redshift z ≈ 7.5.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"9 3","pages":"458-468"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142934604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiwavelength constraints on the origin of a nearby repeating fast radio burst source in a globular cluster","authors":"Aaron B. Pearlman, Paul Scholz, Suryarao Bethapudi, Jason W. T. Hessels, Victoria M. Kaspi, Franz Kirsten, Kenzie Nimmo, Laura G. Spitler, Emmanuel Fonseca, Bradley W. Meyers, Ingrid H. Stairs, Chia Min Tan, Mohit Bhardwaj, Shami Chatterjee, Amanda M. Cook, Alice P. Curtin, Fengqiu Adam Dong, Tarraneh Eftekhari, B. M. Gaensler, Tolga Güver, Jane Kaczmarek, Calvin Leung, Kiyoshi W. Masui, Daniele Michilli, Thomas A. Prince, Ketan R. Sand, Kaitlyn Shin, Kendrick M. Smith, Shriharsh P. Tendulkar","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02386-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02386-6","url":null,"abstract":"The precise origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs) remain unknown. Multiwavelength observations of nearby FRB sources can provide important insights into the enigmatic FRB phenomenon. Here we present results from a sensitive, broadband X-ray and radio observational campaign of FRB 20200120E, the closest known extragalactic repeating FRB source (located 3.63 Mpc away in an ~10-Gyr-old globular cluster). We place deep limits on the persistent and prompt X-ray emission from FRB 20200120E, which we use to constrain possible origins for the source. We compare our results with various classes of X-ray sources, transients and FRB models. We find that FRB 20200120E is unlikely to be associated with ultraluminous X-ray bursts, magnetar-like giant flares or an SGR 1935+2154-like intermediate flare. Although other types of bright magnetar-like intermediate flares and short X-ray bursts would have been detectable from FRB 20200120E during our observations, we cannot entirely rule them out as a class. We show that FRB 20200120E is unlikely to be powered by an ultraluminous X-ray source or a young extragalactic pulsar embedded in a Crab-like nebula. We also provide new constraints on the compatibility of FRB 20200120E with accretion-based FRB models involving X-ray binaries. These results highlight the power of multiwavelength observations of nearby FRBs for discriminating between FRB models. Deep X-ray limits are placed on the source of the closest fast radio burst, FRB 20200120E, ruling out an ultraluminous X-ray source or a young extragalactic pulsar embedded in a Crab-like nebula as its origin.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"9 1","pages":"111-127"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02386-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142713307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"UV-dark polar ovals on Jupiter as tracers of magnetosphere–atmosphere connections","authors":"Troy K. Tsubota, Michael H. Wong, Tom Stallard, Xi Zhang, Amy A. Simon","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02419-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02419-0","url":null,"abstract":"Aerosols in Jupiter’s stratosphere form intriguing polar hoods, which have been investigated by ultraviolet cameras on Cassini and the Hubble Space Telescope. Transient, concentrated dark ovals of unknown origin have been noted within both the northern and southern polar hoods. However, a systematic comparative study of their properties, which could elucidate the physical processes active at the poles, has not yet been performed due to infrequent observations. Using 26 global maps of Jupiter taken by Hubble between 1994 and 2022, we detected transient ultraviolet-dark ovals with a 48% to 53% frequency of occurrence in the south. We found the southern dark oval to be 4 to 6 times more common than its northern counterpart. The southern feature is an anticyclonic vortex and remains within the auroral oval during most of its lifetime. The oval’s darkness is consistent with a 20 to 50 times increase in haze abundance or an overall upward shift in the stratospheric haze distribution. The anticyclonic vorticity of the dark oval is enhanced relative to its surroundings, which represents a deep extension of the higher-altitude vortices previously reported in the thermosphere and upper stratosphere. The haze enhancement is probably driven by magnetospheric momentum exchange, with enhanced aerosols producing the localized heating detected in previous infrared retrievals. Thirty years of Hubble data reveal transient UV-dark ovals more frequently in the south. Momentum from the magnetosphere penetrates downwards to concentrate and shift the haze distribution within the ovals.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"9 2","pages":"221-229"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142713306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A supersolar oxygen abundance supported by hydrodynamic modelling of Jupiter’s atmosphere","authors":"Ali Hyder, Cheng Li, Nancy Chanover, Gordon Bjoraker","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02420-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02420-7","url":null,"abstract":"Jupiter’s oxygen content is inextricably tied to its formation history and the evolution of the early Solar System. Recent one-dimensional thermochemical modelling of CO showed that the planet’s bulk water content could be subsolar, in stark contrast to the water enrichment determined near the equator using the Juno spacecraft. Here we use a hydrodynamic model to study Jupiter’s atmospheric dynamics at and below the water cloud level with simplified thermochemistry to show the effect of hydrodynamics on the abundance of disequilibrium species CO, PH3 and GeH4 in the troposphere. If PH3 and GeH4 provide only an upper limit for the oxygen abundance (≤5 times solar), our results suggest an oxygen enrichment range of 2.5–5 times solar using updated CO thermochemistry. Using the conventional CO chemical timescale, we further reveal a correlation between moist convection and the CO abundance at the water cloud level. If such a correlation is found observationally, it would favour the formation of Jupiter near the snow line, which harbours a supersolar oxygen abundance. Numerical simulations of Jupiter’s atmosphere, using gases that are tied to the deep regions of the planet, show that the amount of water that is hidden deep inside Jupiter is supersolar, with oxygen abundance between 2.5 and 5 times the solar value.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"9 2","pages":"211-220"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02420-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142673927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sodium carbonates on Ryugu as evidence of highly saline water in the outer Solar System","authors":"Toru Matsumoto, Takaaki Noguchi, Akira Miyake, Yohei Igami, Megumi Matsumoto, Toru Yada, Masayuki Uesugi, Masahiro Yasutake, Kentaro Uesugi, Akihisa Takeuchi, Hayato Yuzawa, Takuji Ohigashi, Tohru Araki","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02418-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02418-1","url":null,"abstract":"Water activity recorded in asteroids offers a perspective on their habitability. Aqueous alteration, namely the interaction of liquid water with minerals, occurred in the parent body of the C-type asteroid Ryugu. However, Ryugu is not a wet body, and the processes that led to the loss of liquid water along with its chemical environment remain unclear. We report the presence of sodium carbonates, chlorides and sulfates in Ryugu samples, which indicate that alkaline, salt-rich water once flowed through its parent body. Highly concentrated brine probably formed through evaporation or freezing of the liquid water in the final stages of aqueous alteration. Similar processes may have occurred in carbonaceous asteroids in the Solar System, although terrestrial weathering of meteorites might obscure evidence of salt precipitation. Sodium salts could be crucial for comparing the evolved water in carbonaceous bodies and alkaline subsurface oceans in the dwarf planet Ceres and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Sodium carbonates, chloride and sulfate have been found in samples from asteroid Ryugu. The formation of these compounds from alkaline brines through freezing or evaporation accounts for the loss of liquid water from the parent carbonaceous body.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"8 12","pages":"1536-1543"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02418-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142670332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Could the perfect stellar fly-by have shaped our Solar System?","authors":"Pedro Bernardinelli","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02409-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02409-2","url":null,"abstract":"A model for the formation of our Solar System proposes that its population of small bodies could have been formed after a stellar encounter between our Sun and another star early on in its history.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"8 11","pages":"1354-1355"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Complementary missions for Solar System exploration","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02429-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02429-y","url":null,"abstract":"In October 2024, two spacecrafts were successfully launched towards different bodies: Europa, a prime astrobiological target, and Dimorphos, the first test of planetary defence. Joined in their exploration by other missions, they are perfect examples of intra-agency synergy to enhance our knowledge of the Solar System.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"8 11","pages":"1345-1345"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02429-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seismic resurfacing of 433 Eros indicative of a highly dissipative interior for large near-Earth asteroids","authors":"R.-L Ballouz, C. M. Ernst, O. S. Barnouin, R. T. Daly, D. N. DellaGiustina, B. A. Hyatt, A. C. Martin","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02411-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02411-8","url":null,"abstract":"An asteroid’s interior dictates how its space environment changes its shape and surface, which provides a record of the collisional and dynamical evolution of the Solar System. Knowledge of asteroid interiors also enables the formulation of mitigation strategies against hazardous asteroids. Despite this importance, asteroid interiors remain poorly understood. Asteroids between 0.2 km and 10 km in diameter are thought to have rubble-pile interiors, transitioning to fractured interiors at 10 km scales, then to coherent and differentiated interiors at ≳100 km scales. The asteroid 433 Eros, the only 10-km-scale asteroid explored by a rendezvous mission, is an exemplar of asteroids at intermediate scales. Recent exploration of smaller rubble piles has provided insight into physical properties that are shared with Eros-sized objects. Here we quantify the seismic and physical properties of Eros’ interior through measurements and modelling of crater degradation and erasure from the impact that formed the 7.5-km-diameter Shoemaker crater on Eros. Our results indicate that Eros’ deep interior has a seismic wave scattering length of 0.5 ± 0.1 km and effective quality factor EQ <  $${63}_{-13}^{+18}$$ at frequencies >0.06 Hz. Contrary to the established view of Eros as a fractured shard, our findings suggest that Eros’ interior properties are consistent with those of a rubble-pile asteroid. An analysis of crater morphologies on 433 Eros reveals that the 16 km near-Earth asteroid has a highly dissipative interior. These results show that, contrary to the established view, even the largest near-Earth asteroids may be rubble piles.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"9 3","pages":"347-357"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02411-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The first piece of Euclid’s cosmic puzzle","authors":"Lindsay Oldham","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02422-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02422-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"8 11","pages":"1356-1356"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of an orthogonal alignment between parsec-scale AGN jets and their host galaxies","authors":"D. Fernández Gil, J. A. Hodgson, B. L’Huillier, J. Asorey, C. Saulder, K. Finner, M. J. Jee, D. Parkinson, F. Combes","doi":"10.1038/s41550-024-02407-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41550-024-02407-4","url":null,"abstract":"The relationship between galaxies and their supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is an area of active research. One way to investigate this relationship is to compare parsec-scale jets formed by SMBHs to the projected shape of their kiloparsec-scale host galaxies. Here we analyse very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) images of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and optical images of their host galaxies by comparing the inner-jet position angle in VLBI-detected radio sources with the optical shapes of galaxies as measured by several large optical surveys. In total, 6,273 galaxy–AGN pairs were found. We carefully account for the systematics of the cross-matched sources and find that Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Imaging Surveys (DESI LS) data are significantly less affected by them. Using DESI LS data, with which 5,853 galaxy–AGN pairs were cross-matched, we find a weak but significant alignment signal (with P ≲ 0.01) between the parsec-scale AGN jet and the kiloparsec-scale projected minor axis of the optical host galaxy in sources with measured spectroscopic redshifts. Our results show that the observed source properties are connected over three orders of magnitude in scale. This finding points towards an intimate connection between a SMBH, its host galaxy and its subsequent evolution. The parsec-scale radio jets that form around supermassive black holes are orthogonal to the (kiloparsec-scale) optical shape of the galaxies they’re hosted in, implying an evolutionary connection.","PeriodicalId":18778,"journal":{"name":"Nature Astronomy","volume":"9 2","pages":"302-313"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142610354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}