Characterizing the physical properties of cool supergiants allows us to probe the final stages of a massive star's evolution before it undergoes core collapse. Despite their importance, the fundamental properties of these stars- logTeff and logL/L circle dot -are only known for a limited number of objects. The third data release of the Gaia mission contains precise photometry and low-resolution spectroscopy of hundreds of cool supergiants in the LMC with well-constrained properties. Using these data, we train a simple and easily interpretable machine-learning model to regress effective temperatures and luminosities with high accuracy and precision comparable to the training data. We then apply our model to 5000 cool supergiants, many of which have no previously published T eff or L estimates. The resulting Hertzprung-Russell diagram is well populated, allowing us to study the distribution of cool supergiants in great detail. Examining the luminosity functions of our sample, we find a notable flattening in the luminosity function of yellow supergiants above logL/L circle dot=5 , and a corresponding steepening of the red supergiant luminosity function. We place this finding in context with previous results and present its implications for the infamous red supergiant problem.

Post-starburst galaxies are believed to be in a rapid transition between major merger starbursts and quiescent ellipticals. Their optical spectrum is dominated by A-type stars, suggesting a starburst that was quenched recently. While optical observations suggest little ongoing star formation, some have been shown to host significant molecular gas reservoirs. This led to the suggestion that gas depletion is not required to end the starburst, and that star formation is suppressed by other processes. We present NOEMA CO(1-0) observations of 15 post-starburst galaxies with emission lines consistent with active galactic nucleus (AGN) photoionization. We collect post-starburst candidates with molecular gas measurements from the literature, with some classified as classical E + A, while others with line ratios consistent with AGN and/or shock ionization. Using far-infrared observations, we show that systems that were reported to host exceptionally large molecular gas reservoirs host in fact obscured star formation, with some systems showing star formation rates comparable to ULIRGs. Among E + A galaxies with molecular gas measurements, 7 out of 26 (26 per cent) host obscured starbursts. Using far-infrared observations, post-starburst candidates show similar SFR-M-H2 and Kennicutt-Schmidt relations to those observed in star-forming and starburst galaxies. In particular, there is no need to hypothesize star formation quenching by processes other than the consumption of molecular gas by star formation. The combination of optical, far-infrared, and CO observations indicates that some regions within these galaxies have been recently quenched, while others are still forming stars in highly obscured regions. All this calls into question the traditional interpretation of such galaxies.

Context. (Pre-)Transitional disks show gaps and cavities that can be related to ongoing planet formation. According to theory, young embedded planets can accrete material from the circumplanetary and circumstellar disks and can be detected using accretion tracers, such as the H-alpha emission line.Aims. We aim to detect accreting protoplanets within the cavities of five (pre-)transitional disks through adaptive-optics(AO)-assisted spectral angular differential imaging in the optical regime.Methods. We performed simultaneous AO observations in the H alpha line and the adjacent continuum using the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) with the Zurich Imaging Polarimeter (ZIMPOL) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We combined spectral and angular differential imaging techniques to increase the contrast in the innermost regions close to the star and search for the signature of young accreting protoplanets.Results. The reduced images show no clear H-alpha point source around any of the targets. We report the presence of faint H-alpha emission around TW Hya and HD163296: while the former is most probably an artifact related to a spike, the nature of the latter remains unclear. The spectral and angular differential images yield contrasts of 6-8 magnitudes at similar to 100 mas from the central stars, except in the case of LkCa15, with values of similar to 3 mag. We used the contrast curves to estimate average upper limits to the H-alpha line luminosity of L-H alpha similar to 5 x 10(-6) L-? at separations >= 200 mas for TW Hya, RXJ1615, and T Cha, while for HD163296 and LkCa15 we derive values of similar to 3 x 10(-5) L-?. We estimated upper limits to the accretion luminosity of potential protoplanets, obtaining that planetary models provide an average value of L-acc similar to 10(-4) L-? at 200 mas, which is about two orders of magnitude higher than the L-acc estimated from the extrapolation of the LH alpha-L-acc stellar relationship.Conclusions. When considering all the objects observed with SPHERE/ZIMPOL in the H-alpha line, 5 in this work and 13 from the literature, we can explain the lack of protoplanet detections by a combination of factors, such as a majority of low-mass, low-accreting planets; potential episodic accretion; significant extinction from the circumstellar and circumplanetary disks; and the fact that the contrast is less favorable at separations of smaller than 100 mas, where giant planets are more likely to form.

A recent theoretical study proposed that the anti-wear property of zinc dialkyl dithio phosphate (ZDDP) is due to the formation of chemically connected networks as a result of pressure-induced cross-linkage of phosphate groups of thermally decomposed ZDDP. To investigate the initial decomposition processes and the possibility of linking of phosphate groups in the decomposed product, in-situ high-pressure and high-temperature infrared (IR) spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation were performed on the original ZDDP. At room temperature no substantial structural change was observed up to 21.2 GPa, a pressure far exceeding the predicted onset of a structural transformation for the model zinc phosphate at 7 GPa. The observed Pressure induced broadening of the IR peaks is most likely associated with structural disorder or amorphization of ZDDP which is completely reversible upon decompression. When ZDDP is heated under pressure, an irreversible transformation was observed around 225 degrees C and 18.4 GPa. The experimental results show that ZDDP undergoes substantial decomposition at high pressures and high temperatures but no hint of cross-linkage of phosphate groups was found.

As the simplest stable boron hydride in its condensed phase, diborane exhibits an interesting structural chemistry with uniquely bridged hydrogen bonds. Here we report the first room-temperature infrared (IR) absorption spectra of solid diborane compressed to pressures as high as 50 GPa using a diamond anvil cell. At room temperature and 3.5 GPa, the IR spectrum of diborane displays rich sharply resolved fundamentals and overtones of the IR active bands, consistent with the previous low-temperature IR measurements of condensed diborane at ambient pressure. When compressed stepwise to 50 GPa, several structural transformations can be identified at pressures of similar to 3.5 GPa, similar to 6.9 GPa and similar to 14.7 GPa, as indicated by the changes in the band profile as well as the pressure dependence of the characteristic IR modes and bandwidths. These transformations can be interpreted as being enhanced intermolecular interactions resulting from compression. The geometry of the four-member ring of B(2)H(6), however, does not seem to be altered significantly during the transformations and the B(2)H(6) molecule remains chemically stable up to 50 GPa.

We report the structural transitions of pyridine as a function of pressure up to 26 GPa using in situ Raman spectroscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy. By monitoring changes in the Raman shifts in the lattice region as well as the band profiles in both Raman and IR spectra, a liquid-to-solid transition at 1 GPa followed by solid-to-solid transitions at 2, 8, 11, and 16 GPa were observed upon compression. These transitions were found to be reversible upon decompression from 22 GPa. A further chemical transformation was observed when compressed beyond 22 GPa as evidenced by the substantial and irreversible changes in the Raman and infrared spectra, which could be attributed to the destruction of the ring structure. The observed transformations in pyridine were also compared to those for benzene. The similar transition sequence with well-aligned transition pressures suggests that these isoelectronic aromatics may have similar structures and stabilities under high pressure.

The size of nanocrystals provides a limitation on dislocation activity and associated stress-induced deformation. Dislocation-mediated plastic deformation is expected to become inactive below a critical particle size, which has been proposed to be between 10 and 30 nanometers according to computer simulations and transmission electron microscopy analysis. However, deformation experiments at high pressure on polycrystalline nickel suggest that dislocation activity is still operative in 3-nanometer crystals. Substantial texturing is observed at pressures above 3.0 gigapascals for 500-nanometer nickel and at greater than 11.0 gigapascals for 20-nanometer nickel. Surprisingly, texturing is also seen in 3-nanometer nickel when compressed above 18.5 gigapascals. The observations of pressure-promoted texturing indicate that under high external pressures, dislocation activity can be extended down to a few-nanometers-length scale.

Solar geoengineeringdeliberate reduction in the amount of solar radiation retained by the Earthhas been proposed as a means of counteracting some of the climatic effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. We present results from Experiment G1 of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project, in which 12 climate models have simulated the climate response to an abrupt quadrupling of CO2 from preindustrial concentrations brought into radiative balance via a globally uniform reduction in insolation. Models show this reduction largely offsets global mean surface temperature increases due to quadrupled CO2 concentrations and prevents 97% of the Arctic sea ice loss that would otherwise occur under high CO2 levels but, compared to the preindustrial climate, leaves the tropics cooler (-0.3K) and the poles warmer (+0.8K). Annual mean precipitation minus evaporation anomalies for G1 are less than 0.2mmday(-1) in magnitude over 92% of the globe, but some tropical regions receive less precipitation, in part due to increased moist static stability and suppression of convection. Global average net primary productivity increases by 120% in G1 over simulated preindustrial levels, primarily from CO2 fertilization, but also in part due to reduced plant heat stress compared to a high CO2 world with no geoengineering. All models show that uniform solar geoengineering in G1 cannot simultaneously return regional and global temperature and hydrologic cycle intensity to preindustrial levels.

It is well-believed that below a certain particle size, grain boundary-mediated plastic deformation (e. g., grain rotation, grain boundary sliding and diffusion) substitutes for conventional dislocation nucleation and motion as the dominant deformation mechanism. However, in situ probing of grain boundary processes of ultrafine nanocrystals during plastic deformation has not been feasible, precluding the direct exploration of the nanomechanics. Here we present the in situ texturing observation of bulk-sized platinum in a nickel pressure medium of various particle sizes from 500 nm down to 3 nm. Surprisingly, the texture strength of the same-sized platinum drops rapidly with decreasing grain size of the nickel medium, indicating that more active grain rotation occurs in the smaller nickel nanocrystals. Insight into these processes provides a better understanding of the plastic deformation of nanomaterials in a few-nanometer length scale.

We present the results of our analysis of the RR Lyrae (RRL) variable stars detected in two transition-type dwarf galaxies (dTrans), ESO294-G010 and ESO410-G005 in the Sculptor group, which is known to be one of the closest neighboring galaxy groups to our Local Group. Using deep archival images from the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we have identified a sample of RRL candidates in both dTrans galaxies (219 RRab (RR0) and 13 RRc (RR1) variables in ESO294-G010; 225 RRab and 44 RRc stars in ESO410-G005). The metallicities of the individual RRab stars are calculated via the period-amplitude-[Fe/H] relation derived by Alcock et al. This yields mean metallicities of <[Fe/H]>(ESO294)=-1.77 +/- 0.03 and <[Fe/H]>(ESO410)=-1.64 +/- 0.03. The RRL metallicity distribution functions (MDFs) are investigated further via simple chemical evolution models; these reveal the relics of the early chemical enrichment processes for these two dTrans galaxies. In the case of both galaxies, the shapes of the RRL MDFs are well described by pre-enrichment models. This suggests two possible channels for the early chemical evolution for these Sculptor group dTrans galaxies: (1) the ancient stellar populations of our target dwarf galaxies might have formed from the star forming gas which was already enriched through "prompt initial enrichment" or an "initial nucleosynthetic spike" from the very first massive stars, or (2) this pre-enrichment state might have been achieved by the end products from more evolved systems of their nearest neighbor, NGC 55. We also study the environmental effects of the formation and evolution of our target dTrans galaxies by comparing their properties with those of 79 volume limited (D circle dot < 2Mpc) dwarf galaxy samples in terms of the luminosity-metallicity relation and the H I gas content. The presence of these RRL stars strongly supports the idea that although the Sculptor Group galaxies have a considerably different environment from the Local Group (e.g., no giant host galaxies, loosely bound and very low local density), they share a common epoch of early star formation with the dwarf satellite galaxies in the Local Group.