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Abstract:

The upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will enable astronomers to discover rare and distant astrophysical transients. Host-galaxy association is crucial for selecting the most scientifically interesting transients for follow-up. LSST deep drilling field (DDF) observations will detect distant transients occurring in galaxies below the detection limits of most all-sky catalogs. Here, we investigate the use of preexisting, field-specific catalogs for host identification in the DDFs and a ranking of their usefulness. We have compiled a database of 70 deep catalogs that overlap with the Rubin DDFs and constructed thin catalogs to be homogenized and combined for transient-host matching. A systematic ranking of their utility is discussed and applied based on the inclusion of information such as spectroscopic redshifts and morphological information. Utilizing this data against a Dark Energy Survey sample of supernovae with pre-identified hosts in the XMM-Large Scale Structure and the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South fields, we evaluate different methods for transient-host association in terms of both accuracy and processing speed. We also apply light data-cleaning techniques to identify and remove contaminants within our associations, such as diffraction spikes and blended galaxies where the correct host cannot be determined with confidence. We use a lightweight machine learning approach in the form of extreme gradient boosting to generate confidence scores in our contaminant selections and associated metrics. Finally, we discuss the computational expense of implementation within the LSST transient alert brokers, which will require efficient, fast-paced processing to handle the large stream of survey data.

Abstract:

Extragalactic fast X-ray transients (eFXTs) represent a rapidly growing class of high-energy phenomena, whose physical origins remain poorly understood. With its wide-field, sensitive all-sky monitoring, the Einstein Probe (EP) has greatly increased the discovery rate of eFXTs. The search for and identification of the optical counterparts of eFXTs are vital for understanding their classification and constraining their physical origin. Yet, a considerable fraction of eFXTs still lack secure classifications due to the absence of timely follow-up observations. We carry out a systematic search of publicly available optical survey data and transient databases (including the Zwicky Transient Facility and the Transient Name Server) for optical counterparts to eFXT candidates detected by EP. In this paper, we describe our ongoing program and report the first results. Specifically, we identified the eFXT EP240506a to be associated with a UV/optical counterpart, AT 2024ofs. Spectroscopy of its host galaxy with the Very Large Telescope yields a redshift of z = 0.120 ± 0.002. By combining archival survey data with early-time multiwavelength observations, we find that the luminosity and light-curve evolution of AT 2024ofs are consistent with a core-collapse supernova origin. From detectability simulations, we estimate a local event rate density ρ0=8.8−3.9+21.2yr−1Gpc−3 for EP240506a-like events, and completeness-corrected rate of about 36–78 yr−1 Gpc−3 for EP-detected X-ray transients associated with supernovae. Our results demonstrate the potential of EP to uncover prompt high-energy emission from core-collapse supernovae and underscore the critical importance of timely follow-up of future eFXT events.

Abstract:

We present a photometric and spectroscopic analyses of the Type Ibn supernova (SN) 2024acyl. It rises to an absolute magnitude peak of M o = −17.58 ± 0.15 mag in 10.6 days, and displays a rapid linear post-peak light-curve decline in all bands (e.g. γ 0 − 60 ( V ) = 0.097 ± 0.002 mag day −1 ), similar to most SNe Ibn. The optical pseudobolometric light curve peaks at (3.5 ± 0.8)×10 42 erg s −1 , with a total radiated energy of (5.0 ± 0.4)×10 48 erg. The spectra are dominated by a blue continuum at early stages, with narrow P-Cygni He  I lines and flash-ionisation emission lines of C  III , N  III , and He  II . The P-Cygni He  I features gradually evolve and become emission-dominated in late-time spectra. The H α line is detected throughout the entire spectral evolution, which indicates that the circumstellar material (CSM) is helium-rich with some residual amount of hydrogen. Our multi-band light-curve modelling yields estimates of the ejecta mass of M ej = 0.49 +0.11 −0.09 M ⊙ with a kinetic energy of E k = 0.06 +0.01 −0.01 × 10 51 erg, and a 56 Ni mass of M Ni = 0.018 M ⊙ . The inferred CSM properties are characterised by a mass of M CSM = 0.51 +0.05 −0.04 M ⊙ , an inner radius of R 0 =17.8 +3.6 −3.0 AU, and a density of ρ CSM = (8.3 +2.7 −1.2 ) × 10 −12 g cn −3 . The multi-epoch spectra are well reproduced by the CMFGEN/ he4p0 model, corresponding to a He-ZAMS mass of 4 M ⊙ (H-ZAMS mass 18.11 M ⊙ , pre-SN mass 3.16 M ⊙ ). These findings are consistent with a scenario of an SN powered by ejecta-CSM interaction originating from a low-mass helium star that evolved within an interacting binary system where the CSM with some residual hydrogen may originate from the mass-transfer process. We also discuss an extreme scenario involving the possible merger of a helium white dwarf. In addition, a channel of core-collapse explosion of a late-type Wolf-Rayet (WR) star with hydrogen, or a transitional star between an Of and a WR type (e.g. an Ofpe/WN9 star) with fallback accretion cannot be entirely ruled out.

Abstract:

Context. It is crucial to know the polarization properties of coherent radio waves that escape from pulsar polar caps to calculate the radiative transfer through the magnetosphere and to predict observable radio properties. Aims. We describe pair cascades in the pulsar polar cap, and we determine for the first time the Stokes parameters of the escaping radio waves from first-principle kinetic simulations for a pulsar with a magnetic obliquity of 60°. Methods. We present 3D particle-in-cell kinetic simulations that include quantum-electrodynamic pair cascades in a charge-limited flow from the stellar surface. Results. Our model quantitatively and qualitatively explains the observed pulsar radio powers and spectra, the pulse profiles, polarization curves, their temporal variability, the strong Stokes- L and weak Stokes- V polarization components, the decline in the linear polarization with frequency, and the nonexistence of a radius-to-frequency relation. The observable properties of radio emission from the polar cap can vary and include single- or double-peaked profiles. Most of the Stokes V curves from our simulations appear to be antisymmetric, but symmetric curves are also present at some viewing angles. Although the polarization-angle (PA) swing of the radiation from the polar cap fits the rotating vector model (RVM) for most viewing angles, the angles obtained from the RVM do not correspond to the dipole geometry of the magnetic field. Instead, the PA is directly related to the plasma flows in the polar cap. Furthermore, we found that the radiation is associated with escaping plasma bunches and can propagate freely along channels of low plasma density, in addition to being reflected at the channel boundaries. Conclusions. Our simulations demonstrate that pair discharges close to the surface of the polar cap cause the radio emission of pulsars and determine the majority of their typically observed properties. The merits of RVM for estimations of the magnetic field geometry from observations need to be reevaluated.