Radio emission from a nearby M dwarf binary

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 91探花 University Press 543:3 (2025) 1935-1944

Authors:

Kelvin Wandia, Michael A Garrett, Robert J Beswick, Jack F Radcliffe, Vishal Gajjar, David Williams-Baldwin, Chenoa Tremblay, Iain McDonald, Alex Andersson, Andrew Siemion

Abstract:

We present the detection of the binary system 2MASS J02132062+3648506 AB using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array archive data observed at 4鈥8 GHz. The system is a triple consisting of a tight binary () of two M dwarfs of spectral types M4.5 and M6.5 and a wide T3 brown dwarf companion (16.4 arcsec). The binary displays coronal and chromospheric activity as traced by previously measured X-ray flux and H emission. We detect the unresolved binary at a peak flux density of at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of and determine a radio luminosity of . The radio emission is quiescent, polarized at a mean circular polarization fraction % and exhibits a spectral index . We probe the binary using the Enhanced Multi-Element Remotely Linked Interferometer Network (e-MERLIN) with an angular resolution of mas at 5 GHz and detect a component at a peak flux density of Jy at a SNR . We propose a gyrosynchrotron origin for the radio emission and estimate a magnetic field strength G, an emitting region of size times the radius of the M4.5 primary and a plasma number density . The brown dwarf companion is not detected. Additionally, we have analysed observations of 2MASS J04183483+213127, a chromospherically active L5 brown dwarf which is also not detected and can only place flux density upper limits at Jy and Jy for Stokes I and V, respectively.

Erratum: 鈥淎 Novel Technosignature Search in the Breakthrough Listen Green Bank Telescope Archive鈥 (2025, AJ, 169, 222)

The Astronomical Journal American Astronomical Society 170:3 (2025) 194

Authors:

Caleb Painter, Steve Croft, Matthew Lebofsky, Alex Andersson, Carmen Choza, Vishal Gajjar, Danny Price, Andrew PV Siemion

Silent Speech Recognition with Wearable Magnetometers

bioRxiv preprint 2025.08:04.668236 (2025)

Authors:

Debadatta Dash, Evan Kittle, Isabel Gerrard, Richard Csaky, Gabriel Gonzalez, David Taylor, Juan Pablo Llinas, Dominic Labanowski, Nishita Deka, Richy Yun

Abstract:

Next-generation human-computer interaction (HCI) is moving towards more seamless, intuitive,
and personal modes of communication, redefining how we interact with technology and one another.
Within this landscape, silent speech recognition (SSR) offers a powerful new interaction paradigm,
enabling hands-free, private interaction while 91探花ing individuals with speech impairments and
enabling communication in noisy or sensitive environments. Recent advances in miniaturized sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) have accelerated the development of more sophisticated wearable
SSR systems, driven by growing demand for effortless and accessible communication. Although
electrophysiological (ExG) modalities, particularly electromyography (EMG), have dominated early
efforts in developing wearable SSR, critical challenges remain. Limited generalizability across
users, sensor-skin interface issues, and difficulties with the comfort of use are all current roadblocks
to reliable, high-fidelity signals in a wearable form factor. We propose that magnetometers offer
a promising alternative to ExG and have the potential to unlock more robust, generalizable, and
user-friendly SSR systems. We demonstrate that magnetometers embedded in a headphone form
factor achieve a per-user SSR accuracy of 86%, significantly outperforming previously reported
state-of-the-art wearable headphones combining ExG and inertial measurement units (IMUs). In
addition, we show that wearable magnetometry enables generalization across individuals for SSR.
Extending beyond headphones, we also introduce a necklace form factor with magnetometers that
is capable of decoding both silent and overt speech in ambient conditions, further showcasing the
versatility of magnetometers across different wearable designs in real-world conditions.

Commensal Transient Searches with MeerKAT in Gamma-Ray Burst and Supernova Fields

The Astrophysical Journal American Astronomical Society 988:2 (2025) 227

Authors:

SI Chastain, AJ van der Horst, A Horesh, A Rowlinson, A Andersson, R Diretse, M Vaccari, RP Fender, PA Woudt

Abstract:

The sensitivity and field of view of the MeerKAT radio telescope provide excellent opportunities for commensal transient searches. We carry out a commensal transient search in supernova and short gamma-ray burst fields using methodologies established by S. I. Chastain et al. We search for transients in MeerKAT L-band images with integration times of 30 minutes, finding 13 variable sources. We compare these sources to the VLASS and RACS survey data, and examine possible explanations for the variability. Additionally, for one of these sources we examine archival Chandra ACIS data. We find that 12 of these sources are consistent with variability due to interstellar scintillation. The remaining source could possibly have some intrinsic variability. We also split the MeerKAT L band into upper and lower halves, and search for transients in images with an integration time of 8 s. We find a source with a duration of 8鈥16 s that is highly polarized at the lowest frequencies. This source is spatially coincident with a star detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. We conclude that this source may be consistent with a stellar flare. Finally, we calculate accurate upper and lower limits on the transient rate using transient simulations.

Blast waves and reverse shocks: from ultra-relativistic GRBs to moderately relativistic X-ray binaries

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 91探花 University Press 539:3 (2025) 2665-2684

Authors:

James H Matthews, Alex J Cooper, Lauren Rhodes, Katherine Savard, Rob Fender, Francesco Carotenuto, Fraser J Cowie, Emma L Elley, Joe Bright, Andrew K Hughes, Sara E Motta

Abstract:

Blast wave models are commonly used to model relativistic outflows from ultra-relativistic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), but are also applied to lower Lorentz factor ejections from X-ray binaries (XRBs). Here, we revisit the physics of blast waves and reverse shocks in these systems and explore the similarities and differences between the ultra-relativistic () and moderately relativistic () regimes. We first demonstrate that the evolution of the blast wave radius as a function of the observer frame time is recovered in the on-axis ultra-relativistic limit from a general energy and radius blast wave evolution, emphasizing that XRB ejections are off-axis, moderately relativistic cousins of GRB afterglows. We show that, for fixed blast wave or ejecta energy, reverse shocks cross the ejecta much later (earlier) on in the evolution for less (more) relativistic systems, and find that reverse shocks are much longer lived in XRBs and off-axis GRBs compared to on-axis GRBs. Reverse shock crossing should thus typically finish after 10鈥100 of days (in the observer frame) in XRB ejections. This characteristic, together with their moderate Lorentz factors and resolvable core separations, makes XRB ejections unique laboratories for shock and particle acceleration physics. We discuss the impact of geometry and lateral spreading on our results, explore how to distinguish between different shock components, and comment on the implications for GRB and XRB environments. Additionally, we argue that identification of reverse shock signatures in XRBs could provide an independent constraint on the ejecta Lorentz factor.