We present a dust spectral energy distribution (SED) and binary stellar population analysis revisiting the dust production rates (DPRs) in the winds of carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet (WC) binaries and their ...impact on galactic dust budgets. DustEM SED models of 19 Galactic WC "dustars" reveal DPRs of M yr−1 and carbon dust condensation fractions, χC, between 0.002% and 40%. A large (0.1-1.0 m) dust grain size composition is favored for efficient dustars where χC 1%. Results for dustars with known orbital periods verify a power-law relation between χC, orbital period, WC mass-loss rate, and wind velocity consistent with predictions from theoretical models of dust formation in colliding-wind binaries. We incorporated dust production into Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) models to analyze dust production rates from WC dustars, asymptotic giant branch stars (AGBs), red supergiants (RSGs), and core-collapse supernovae (SNe). BPASS models assuming constant star formation (SF) and a coeval 106 M stellar population were performed at low, Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)-like, and solar metallicities (Z = 0.001, 0.008, and 0.020). Both constant SF and coeval models indicate that SNe are net dust destroyers at all metallicities. Constant SF models at LMC-like metallicities show that AGB stars slightly outproduce WC binaries and RSGs by factors of 2-3, whereas at solar metallicities WC binaries are the dominant source of dust for ∼60 Myr until the onset of AGBs, which match the dust input of WC binaries. Coeval population models show that, for "bursty" SF, AGB stars dominate dust production at late times (t 70 Myr).
Retinal photoreceptors entrain the circadian system to the solar day. This photic resetting involves cAMP response element binding protein (CREB)-mediated upregulation of Per genes within individual ...cells of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). Our detailed understanding of this pathway is poor, and it remains unclear why entrainment to a new time zone takes several days. By analyzing the light-regulated transcriptome of the SCN, we have identified a key role for salt inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) and CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) in clock re-setting. An entrainment stimulus causes CRTC1 to coactivate CREB, inducing the expression of Per1 and Sik1. SIK1 then inhibits further shifts of the clock by phosphorylation and deactivation of CRTC1. Knockdown of Sik1 within the SCN results in increased behavioral phase shifts and rapid re-entrainment following experimental jet lag. Thus SIK1 provides negative feedback, acting to suppress the effects of light on the clock. This pathway provides a potential target for the regulation of circadian rhythms.
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•Nocturnal light induces widespread transcriptional changes in the SCN•The CRTC1-SIK1 cascade regulates entrainment of the circadian clock•Negative feedback by SIK1 limits the effects of light on the clock•Homeostatic regulation of entrainment ensures gradual adaptation to a new time zone
A negative-feedback loop involving the kinase SIK1 and the transcriptional coactivator CRTC1 delays re-entrainment of the circadian clock to new time zones, causing jet lag. Remarkably, inhibition of SIK1 allows rapid re-entrainment after an experimental jet lag protocol in mice.
Abstract
We present Spitzer/InfraRed Array Camera observations of dust formation from six extragalactic carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet (WC) binary candidates in low-metallicity (
Z
≲ 0.65
Z
⊙
) environments ...using multiepoch mid-infrared (IR) imaging data from the SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS). Optical follow-up spectroscopy of SPIRITS 16ln, 19q, 16df, 18hb, and 14apu reveals emission features from C
iv
λ
5801−12 and/or the C
iii–iv
λ
4650/He
ii
λ
4686 blend that are consistent with early-type WC stars. We identify SPIRITS 16ln as the variable mid-IR counterpart of the recently discovered colliding-wind WC4 + O binary candidate, N604-WRXc, located in the subsolar metallicity NGC 604 H
ii
region in M33. We interpret the mid-IR variability from SPIRITS 16ln as a dust-formation episode in an eccentric colliding-wind WC binary. SPIRITS 19q, 16df, 14apu, and 18hb exhibit absolute 3.6 magnitudes exceeding that of one of the most IR-luminous dust-forming WC systems known, WR 104 (
M
3.6
≲ −12.3). An analysis of dust formation in the mid-IR outburst from SPIRITS 19q reveals a high dust production rate of
M
⊙
yr
−1
, which may therefore exceed that of the most efficient dust-forming WC systems known. We demonstrate that efficient dust formation is feasible from early-type WC binaries in the theoretical framework of colliding-wind binary dust formation if the systems host an O-type companion with high mass-loss rates (
M
⊙
yr
−1
). This efficient dust formation from early-type WC binaries highlights their potential role as significant sources of dust in low-metallicity environments.
Abstract We present the first data release of the Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large Area CMZ Exploration (FIREPLACE) survey. The survey was taken using the 214 μ m band of the HAWC+ instrument with the ...SOFIA telescope (19.″6 resolution; 0.7 pc). In this first data release we present dust polarization observations covering a ∼0.°5 region of the Galactic center’s central molecular zone (CMZ), approximately centered on the Sgr B2 complex. We detect ∼25,000 Nyquist-sampled polarization pseudovectors, after applying the standard SOFIA cuts for minimum signal-to-noise ratios in fractional polarization and total intensity of three and 200, respectively. Analysis of the magnetic field orientation suggests a bimodal distribution in the field direction. This bimodal distribution shows enhancements in the distribution of field directions for orientations parallel and perpendicular to the Galactic plane, which are suggestive of a CMZ magnetic field configuration with polodial and torodial components. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of individual clouds included in our survey (i.e., Sgr B2, Sgr B2-NW, Sgr B2-Halo, Sgr B1, and Cloud E/F) shows they have fractional polarization values of 1%–10% at 214 μ m, with most of the emission having values <5%. A few of these clouds (i.e., Sgr B2 and Cloud E/F) show relatively low fractional polarization values toward their cores and higher fractional polarization values toward their less dense peripheries. We also observe higher fractional polarization toward compact H ii regions, which could indicate an enhancement in the grain alignment in the dust surrounding these sources.
Optogenetic strategies to restore vision in patients who are blind from end-stage retinal degenerations aim to render remaining retinal cells light sensitive once photoreceptors are lost. Here, we ...assessed long-term functional outcomes following subretinal delivery of the human melanopsin gene (OPN4) in the rd1 mouse model of retinal degeneration using an adeno-associated viral vector. Ectopic expression of OPN4 using a ubiquitous promoter resulted in cellular depolarization and ganglion cell action potential firing. Restoration of the pupil light reflex, behavioral light avoidance, and the ability to perform a task requiring basic image recognition were restored up to 13 mo following injection. These data suggest that melanopsin gene therapy via a subretinal route may be a viable and stable therapeutic option for the treatment of end-stage retinal degeneration in humans.
Abstract
We study the evolution of the FU Ori object V960 Mon since its outburst, using available multiwavelength photometric time series over 8 yr, complemented by several epochs of ...moderate-dispersion spectrophotometry. We find that the source fading can be well-described by a decrease in the temperature of the inner disk, which results from a combination of decreasing accretion rate and increasing inner disk radius. We model the system with a disk atmosphere model that produces the observed variations in multiband photometry (this paper) and high-resolution spectral lines (a companion paper).
WR 112 is a dust-forming carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet (WC) binary with a dusty circumstellar nebula that exhibits a complex asymmetric morphology, which traces the orbital motion and dust formation in the ...colliding winds of the central binary. Unraveling the complicated circumstellar dust emission around WR 112 therefore provides an opportunity to understand the dust formation process in colliding-wind WC binaries. In this work, we present a multi-epoch analysis of the circumstellar dust around WR 112 using seven high spatial resolution (FWHM ∼ 0 3-0 4) N-band (λ ∼ 12 m) imaging observations spanning almost 20 yr and that includes images obtained from Subaru/COMICS in 2019 October. In contrast to previous interpretations of a face-on spiral morphology, we observe clear evidence of proper motion of the circumstellar dust around WR 112 consistent with a nearly edge-on spiral with a θs = 55° half-opening angle and a ∼20 yr period. The revised near edge-on geometry of WR 112 reconciles previous observations of highly variable nonthermal radio emission that was inconsistent with a face-on geometry. We estimate a revised distance to WR 112 of kpc based on the observed dust expansion rate and a spectroscopically derived WC terminal wind velocity of km s−1. With the newly derived WR 112 parameters, we fit optically thin dust spectral energy distribution models and determine a dust production rate of M yr−1, which demonstrates that WR 112 is one of the most prolific dust-making WC systems known.
Palomar Gattini-IR is a new wide-field, near-infrared (NIR) robotic time domain survey operating at Palomar Observatory. Using a 30 cm telescope mounted with a H2RG detector, Gattini-IR achieves a ...field of view (FOV) of 25 sq. deg. with a pixel scale of 8 7 in J-band. Here, we describe the system design, survey operations, data processing system and on-sky performance of Palomar Gattini-IR. As a part of the nominal survey, Gattini-IR scans 7500 square degrees of the sky every night to a median 5 depth of 15.7 AB mag outside the Galactic plane. The survey covers 15,000 square degrees of the sky visible from Palomar with a median cadence of 2 days. A real-time data processing system produces stacked science images from dithered raw images taken on sky, together with point-spread function (PSF)-fit source catalogs and transient candidates identified from subtractions within a median delay of 4 hr from the time of observation. The calibrated data products achieve an astrometric accuracy (rms) of 0 7 with respect to Gaia DR2 for sources with signal-to-noise ratio > 10, and better than 0 35 for sources brighter than 12 Vega mag. The photometric accuracy (rms) achieved in the PSF-fit source catalogs is better than 3% for sources brighter than 12 Vega mag and fainter than the saturation magnitude of 8.5 Vega mag, as calibrated against the Two Micron All Sky Survey catalog. The detection efficiency of transient candidates injected into the images is better than 90% for sources brighter than the 5 limiting magnitude. The photometric recovery precision of injected sources is 3% for sources brighter than 13 mag, and the astrometric recovery rms is 0 9. Reference images generated by stacking several field visits achieve depths of 16.5 AB mag over 60% of the sky, while it is limited by confusion in the Galactic plane. With a FOV 40× larger than any other existing NIR imaging instrument, Gattini-IR is probing the reddest and dustiest transients in the local universe such as dust obscured supernovae in nearby galaxies, novae behind large columns of extinction within the galaxy, reddened microlensing events in the Galactic plane and variability from cool and dust obscured stars. We present results from transients and variables identified since the start of the commissioning period.
Abstract
Wolf-Rayet (WR) 140 is the archetypal periodic dust-forming colliding-wind binary that hosts a carbon-rich WR (WC) star and an O-star companion with an orbital period of 7.93 yr and an ...orbital eccentricity of 0.9. Throughout the past few decades, multiple dust-formation episodes from WR 140 have been observed that are linked to the binary orbit and occur near the time of periastron passage. Given its predictable dust-formation episodes, WR 140 presents an ideal astrophysical laboratory to investigate the formation and evolution of dust in the hostile environment around a massive binary system. In this paper, we present near- and mid-infrared (IR) spectroscopic and imaging observations of WR 140 with Subaru/SCExAO+CHARIS, Keck/NIRC2+PyWFS, and Subaru/Cooled Mid-Infrared Camera and Spectrograph taken between 2020 June and September that resolve the circumstellar dust emission linked to its most recent dust-formation episode in 2016 December. Our spectral energy distribution analysis of WR 140's resolved circumstellar dust emission reveals the presence of a hot (
T
d
∼ 1000 K) near-IR dust component that is co-spatial with the previously known and cooler (
T
d
∼ 500 K) mid-IR dust component composed of 300–500 Å sized dust grains. We attribute the hot near-IR dust emission to the presence of nano-sized (nanodust) grains and suggest they were formed from grain–grain collisions or the rotational disruption of the larger grain size population by radiative torques in the strong radiation field from the central binary. Lastly, we speculate on the astrophysical implications of nanodust formation around colliding-wind WC binaries, which may present an early source of carbonaceous nanodust in the interstellar medium.
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