Tidal disruption events (TDEs) take place when a star ventures too close to a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and becomes ruptured. One of the leading proposed physical mechanisms often invoked in the literature involves weak two-body interactions experienced by the population of stars within the host SMBH's sphere of influence, commonly referred to as two-body relaxation. This process can alter the angular momentum of stars at large distances and place them into nearly radial orbits, thus driving them to disruption. On the other hand, gravitational perturbations from an SMBH companion via the eccentric Kozai-Lidov (EKL) mechanism have also been proposed as a promising stellar disruption channel. Here we demonstrate that the combination of EKL and two-body relaxation in SMBH binaries is imperative for building a comprehensive picture of the rates of TDEs. Here we explore how the density profile of the surrounding stellar distribution and the binary orbital parameters of an SMBH companion influence the rate of TDEs. We show that this combined channel naturally produces disruptions at a rate that is consistent with observations and also naturally forms repeated TDEs, where a bound star is partially disrupted over multiple orbits. Recent observations show stars being disrupted in short-period orbits, which is challenging to explain when these mechanisms are considered independently. However, the diffusive effect of two-body relaxation, combined with the secular nature of the eccentricity excitations from EKL, is found to drive stars on short eccentric orbits at a much higher rate. Finally, we predict that rTDEs are more likely to take place in the presence of a steep stellar density distribution.

We report a z = 2.30 galaxy protocluster (COSTCO-I) in the COSMOS field, where the Ly alpha forest as seen in the CLAMATO IGM tomography survey does not show significant absorption. This departs from the transmission-density relationship (often dubbed the fluctuating Gunn-Peterson approximation; FGPA) usually expected to hold at this epoch, which would lead one to predict strong Ly alpha absorption at the overdensity. For comparison, we generate mock Ly alpha forest maps by applying the FGPA to constrained simulations of the COSMOS density field and create mocks that incorporate the effects of finite sight-line sampling, pixel noise, and Wiener filtering. Averaged over r = 15 h (-1) Mpc around the protocluster, the observed Ly alpha forest is consistently more transparent in the real data than in the mocks, indicating a rejection of the null hypothesis that the gas in COSTCO-I follows the FGPA (p = 0.0026, or 2.79 sigma significance). It suggests that the large-scale gas associated with COSTCO-I is being heated above the expectations of the FGPA, which might be due to either large-scale AGN jet feedback or early gravitational shock heating. COSTCO-I is the first known large-scale region of the IGM that is observed to be transitioning from the optically thin photoionized regime at cosmic noon to eventually coalesce into an intracluster medium (ICM) by z = 0. Future observations of similar structures will shed light on the growth of the ICM and allow constraints on AGN feedback mechanisms.

We present a multiple emission lines study of similar to 1300 H alpha emitters (HAEs) at z similar to 2.3 in the ZFOURGE survey. In contrast to the traditional spectroscopic method, our sample is selected based on the flux excess in the ZFOURGE-Ks broad-band data relative to the best-fit stellar continuum. Using the same method, we also extract the strong diagnostic emission lines for these individual HAEs: [OIII]lambda lambda 4959,5007, [OII]lambda lambda 3726,3729. Our measurements exhibit good consistency with those obtained from spectroscopic surveys. We investigate the relationship between the equivalent widths (EWs) of these emission lines and various galaxy properties, including stellar mass, stellar age, star formation rate (SFR), specific SFR (sSFR), ionization states (O32). We have identified a discrepancy between between HAEs at z similar to 2.3 and typical local star-forming galaxy observed in the SDSS, suggesting the evolution of lower gas-phase metallicity (Z) and higher ionization parameters (U) with redshift. Notably, we have observed a significant number of low-mass HAEs exhibiting exceptionally high EW[O III]. Their galaxy properties are comparable to those of extreme objects, such as extreme O3 emitters (O3Es) and Ly alpha emitters (LAEs) at z similar or equal to 2-3. Considering that these characteristics may indicate potential strong Lyman continuum (LyC) leakage, higher redshift anaglogs of the low-mass HAEs could be significant contributors to the cosmic reionization. Further investigations on this particular population are required to gain a clearer understanding of galaxy evolution and cosmic reionization.

Context. Recent studies of massive stars using high-precision space photometry have revealed that they commonly exhibit stochastic low-frequency (SLF) variability. This has been interpreted as being caused by internal gravity waves excited at the interface of convective and radiative regions within stellar interiors, such as the convective core or sub-surface convection zones, or being caused by dynamic turbulence associated with sub-surface convection zones within the envelopes of main-sequence massive stars.

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.