The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review最新文献

{"title":"Infrared fine-structure lines at high redshift","authors":"Roberto Decarli,&nbsp;Tanio Díaz-Santos","doi":"10.1007/s00159-025-00162-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-025-00162-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Infrared (IR) fine-structure line (FSL) emission arises from the radiative de-excitation of collisionally-excited electrons in atoms and ions. Simple elements such as carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) are widespread in the interstellar medium (ISM) as a result of metal enrichment. Thanks to their high luminosities and relatively simple physics, IR FSLs have quickly become the workhorse for studying the formation and evolution of galaxies in the nearby and distant Universe. In this review, we introduce the physics of FSL emission and the diagnostics of the ISM that we can derive from them via first principle arguments. We summarize the history of FSL observations with a focus on the far-IR wavelengths and a particular emphasis on the on-going efforts aimed at characterizing galaxies at cosmic noon and beyond. We explore the dependence of emission line trends, such as those observed in ‘line deficits’ or [C <span>ii</span>]–SFR relations, as a function of redshift and galaxy types. Once selection biases are controlled for, IR FSLs are a powerful tool to constrain the physics of galaxies. The precise redshift information inferred from fine-structure line observations have enabled tracing their ISM properties across cosmic reionization. FSL observations have also led to estimates of the mass of different ISM phases, and of the SFR of distant galaxies. It is thanks to IR FSL observations that we have been able to measure the internal dynamics of high-<i>z</i> galaxies, which in turns has allowed us to test, e.g., the onset of black hole–host galaxy relations in the first billion years of the Universe and the presence of gas outflows associated with the baryon cycle in galaxies. Finally, FSLs have provided important clues on the physics of the ISM in the most distant galaxies known to date. We demonstrate the strength and limitations of using IR FSLs to advance our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in the early universe, and we outline future perspective for the field.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-025-00162-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089303","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":"Is the composition of the solar atmosphere unusual, and if so, why?","authors":"Bengt Gustafsson","doi":"10.1007/s00159-025-00160-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-025-00160-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The ongoing discussion about the atomic chemical composition of the Sun is commented on. The main focus in this review is on the deviation of the solar composition from that of most other solar-type stars in that its ratio of volatiles (like the elements C, N, O, S, P and Zn) to the refractories (most metals, like Ba, Ca, Ti, Y, Al, Sc and Zr) tends to be higher in the Sun by 10 to 20%. What does this tell about the formation and evolution of the Solar System? Scenarios in terms of galactic evolution, formation of the pre-solar nebula, of the evolution of the protoplanetary disk, of the engulfing of planets, and of other processes within the Solar System are considered, as well as the evolution of binary stars with similarly different chemical composition. Finally, implications, if any, on the habitability of the Solar System will be commented on.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-025-00160-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144987600","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 most metal-poor stars","authors":"Piercarlo Bonifacio,&nbsp;Elisabetta Caffau,&nbsp;Patrick François,&nbsp;Monique Spite","doi":"10.1007/s00159-025-00159-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-025-00159-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The most metal-poor stars found in the Galaxy and in nearby galaxies are witnesses of the early evolution of the Universe. In a general picture in which we expect the metallicity to increase monotonically with time, as a result of the metal production in stars, we also expect the most metal-poor stars to be the most primitive objects accessible to our observations. The abundance ratios in these stars provide us important information on the first generations of stars that synthesised the nuclei that we observe in these stars. Because they are so primitive, the modelling of their chemical inventory can be often satisfactorily achieved by assuming that all the metals were produced in a single Supernova, or just a few. This is simpler than modelling the full chemical evolution, using different sources, that is necessary at higher metallicity. The price to pay for this relative ease of interpretation is that these stars are extremely rare and require specifically tailored observational strategies in order to assemble statistically significant samples of stars. In this review, we try to summarise the main observational results that have been obtained in the last ten years.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144924332","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":"Type Ia supernova progenitors: a contemporary view of a long-standing puzzle","authors":"Ashley Jade Ruiter,&nbsp;Ivo Rolf Seitenzahl","doi":"10.1007/s00159-024-00158-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-024-00158-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are runaway thermonuclear explosions in white dwarfs that result in the disruption of the white dwarf star, and possibly its nearby stellar companion. SNe Ia occur over an immense range of stellar population age and host galaxy environments, and play a critical role in the nucleosynthesis of intermediate-mass and iron-group elements, primarily the production of nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, and manganese. Though the nature of their progenitors is still not well-understood, SNe Ia are unique among stellar explosions in that the majority of them exhibit a systematic lightcurve relation: more luminous supernovae dim more slowly over time than less luminous supernovae in optical light (intrinsically brighter SNe Ia have broader lightcurves). This feature, unique to SNe Ia, is rather remarkable and allows their peak luminosities to be determined with fairly high accuracy out to cosmological distances via measurement of their lightcurve decline. Further, studying SNe Ia gives us important insights into binary star evolution physics, since it is widely agreed that the progenitors of SNe Ia are binary (possibly multiple) star systems. In this review, we give a current update on the different proposed Type Ia supernova progenitors, including descriptions of possible binary star configurations, and their explosion mechanisms, from a theoretical perspective. We additionally give a brief overview of the historical (focussing on the more recent) observational work that has helped the astronomical community to understand the nature of the most important distance indicators in cosmology.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-024-00158-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143258686","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":"Polarimetry of Solar System minor bodies and planets","authors":"Stefano Bagnulo,&nbsp;Irina Belskaya,&nbsp;Alberto Cellino,&nbsp;Yuna G. Kwon,&nbsp;Olga Muñoz,&nbsp;Daphne M. Stam","doi":"10.1007/s00159-024-00157-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-024-00157-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The study of the polarisation of light is a powerful tool for probing the physical and compositional properties of astrophysical sources, including Solar System objects. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in polarimetric studies of various celestial bodies within our Solar System: planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. Additionally, we review relevant laboratory measurements and summarise the fundamental principles of polarimetric observational techniques.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-024-00157-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142821322","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":"Stellar occultations by trans-Neptunian objects","authors":"Bruno Sicardy,&nbsp;Felipe Braga-Ribas,&nbsp;Marc W. Buie,&nbsp;José Luis Ortiz,&nbsp;Françoise Roques","doi":"10.1007/s00159-024-00156-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-024-00156-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Stellar occultations provide a powerful tool to explore objects of the outer solar system. The Gaia mission now provides milli-arcsec accuracy on the predictions of these events and makes possible observations that were previously unthinkable. Occultations return kilometric accuracies on the three-dimensional shape of bodies irrespective of their geocentric distances, with the potential of detecting topographic features along the limb. From the shape, accurate values of albedo can be derived, and if the mass is known, the bulk density is pinned down, thus constraining the internal structure and equilibrium state of the object. Occultations are also extremely sensitive to tenuous atmospheres, down to the nanobar level. They allowed the monitoring of Pluto’s and Triton’s atmospheres in the last three decades, constraining their seasonal evolution. They may unveil in the near future atmospheres around other remote bodies of the solar system. Since 2013, occultations have led to the surprising discovery of ring systems around the Centaur object Chariklo, the dwarf planet Haumea and the large trans-Neptunian object Quaoar, while revealing dense material around the Centaur Chiron. This suggests that rings are probably much more common features than previously thought. Meanwhile, they have raised new dynamical questions concerning the confining effect of resonances forced by irregular objects on ring particles. Serendipitous occultations by km-sized trans-Neptunian or Oort objects have the potential to provide the size distribution of a population that suffered few collisions until now, thus constraining the history of primordial planetesimals in the 1–100 km range.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142793483","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":"M 87: a cosmic laboratory for deciphering black hole accretion and jet formation","authors":"Kazuhiro Hada,&nbsp;Keiichi Asada,&nbsp;Masanori Nakamura,&nbsp;Motoki Kino","doi":"10.1007/s00159-024-00155-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-024-00155-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Over the past decades, there has been significant progress in our understanding of accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) that drive active galactic nuclei (AGNs), both from observational and theoretical perspectives. As an iconic target for this area of study, the nearby giant elliptical galaxy M 87 has received special attention thanks to its proximity, large mass of the central black hole and bright emission across the entire electromagnetic spectrum from radio to very-high-energy <span>(gamma)</span>-rays. In particular, recent global millimeter-very-long-baseline-interferometer observations towards this nucleus have provided the first-ever opportunity to image the event-horizon-scale structure of an AGN, opening a new era of black hole astrophysics. On large scales, M 87 exhibits a spectacular jet propagating far beyond the host galaxy, maintaining its narrowly collimated shape over seven orders of magnitude in distance. Elucidating the generation and propagation, as well as the internal structure, of powerful relativistic jets remains a longstanding challenge in radio-loud AGNs. M 87 offers a privileged opportunity to examine such a jet with unprecedented detail. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the observational knowledge accumulated about the M 87 black hole across various wavelengths. We cover both accretion and ejection processes at spatial scales ranging from outside the Bondi radius down to the event horizon. By compiling these observations and relevant theoretical studies, we aim to highlight our current understanding of accretion and jet physics for this specific object.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-024-00155-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142679146","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":"Cepheids as distance indicators and stellar tracers","authors":"G. Bono,&nbsp;V. F. Braga,&nbsp;A. Pietrinferni","doi":"10.1007/s00159-024-00153-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-024-00153-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We review the phenomenology of classical Cepheids (CCs), Anomalous Cepheids (ACs) and type II Cepheids (TIICs) in the Milky Way (MW) and in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). We also examine the Hertzsprung progression in different stellar systems by using the shape of <i>I</i>-band light curves (Fourier parameters) and observables based on the difference in magnitude and in phase between the bump and the minimum in luminosity. The distribution of Cepheids in optical and in optical–near infrared (NIR) color–magnitude diagrams is investigated to constrain the topology of the instability strip. The use of Cepheids as tracers of young (CCs), intermediate (ACs) and old (TIICs) stellar populations are brought forward by the comparison between observations (MCs) and cluster isochrones covering a broad range in stellar ages and in chemical compositions. The different diagnostics adopted to estimate individual distances (period–luminosity, period–Wesenheit, period–luminosity–color relations) are reviewed together with pros and cons in the use of fundamental and overtones, optical and NIR photometric bands, and reddening free pseudo magnitudes (Wesenheit). We also discuss the use of CCs as stellar tracers and the radial gradients among the different groups of elements (iron, <span>(alpha )</span>, neutron-capture) together with their age-dependence. Finally, we briefly outline the role that near-future space and ground-based facilities will play in the astrophysical and cosmological use of Cepheids.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.8,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-024-00153-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140808363","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":"Experimental studies of black holes: status and future prospects","authors":"Reinhard Genzel,&nbsp;Frank Eisenhauer,&nbsp;Stefan Gillessen","doi":"10.1007/s00159-024-00154-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-024-00154-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>More than a century ago, Albert Einstein presented his general theory of gravitation (GR) to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. One of the predictions of the theory is that not only particles and objects with mass, but also the quanta of light, photons, are tied to the curvature of space-time, and thus to gravity. There must be a critical compactness, above which photons cannot escape. These are black holes (henceforth BH). It took 50 years after the theory was announced before possible candidate objects were identified by observational astronomy. And another 50 years have passed, until we finally have in hand detailed and credible experimental evidence that BHs of 10 to <span>(10^{10})</span> times the mass of the Sun exist in the Universe. Three very different experimental techniques, but all based on Michelson interferometry or Fourier-inversion spatial interferometry have enabled the critical experimental breakthroughs. It has now become possible to investigate the space-time structure in the vicinity of the event horizons of BHs. We briefly summarize these interferometric techniques, and discuss the spectacular recent improvements achieved with all three techniques. Finally, we sketch where the path of exploration and inquiry may go on in the next decades.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.8,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-024-00154-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140642534","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 formation and cosmic evolution of dust in the early Universe: I. Dust sources","authors":"Raffaella Schneider,&nbsp;Roberto Maiolino","doi":"10.1007/s00159-024-00151-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00159-024-00151-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Dust-obscured star formation has dominated the cosmic history of star formation, since <span>(z simeq 4)</span>. However, the recent finding of significant amount of dust in galaxies out to <span>(z simeq 8)</span> has opened the new frontier of investigating the origin of dust also in the earliest phases of galaxy formation, within the first 1.5 billion years from the Big Bang. This is a key and rapid transition phase for the evolution of dust, as galaxy evolutionary timescales become comparable with the formation timescales of dust. It is also an area of research that is experiencing an impressive growth, especially thanks to the recent results from cutting edge observing facilities, ground-based, and in space. Our aim is to provide an overview of the several findings on dust formation and evolution at <span>(z &gt; 4)</span>, and of the theoretical efforts to explain the observational results. We have organized the review in two parts. In the first part, presented here, we focus on dust sources, primarily supernovae and asymptotic giant branch stars, and the subsequent reprocessing of dust in the interstellar medium, through grain destruction and growth. We also discuss other dust production mechanisms, such as Red Super Giants, Wolf–Rayet stars, Classical Novae, Type Ia Supernovae, and dust formation in quasar winds. The focus of this first part is on theoretical models of dust production sources, although we also discuss the comparison with observations in the nearby Universe, which are key to put constraints on individual sources and processes. While the description has a general applicability at any redshift, we emphasize the relative role of different sources in the dust build-up in the early Universe. In the second part, which will be published later on, we will focus on the recent observational results at <span>(z &gt; 4)</span>, discussing the theoretical models that have been proposed to interpret those results, as well as the profound implications for galaxy formation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":785,"journal":{"name":"The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.8,"publicationDate":"2024-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00159-024-00151-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637712","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}