As part of an on-going effort to identify, understand and correct for astrophysics biases in the standardization of Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) for cosmology, we have statistically classified a large ...sample of nearby SNe Ia into those that are located in predominantly younger or older environments. This classification is based on the specific star formation rate measured within a projected distance of 1 kpc from each SN location (LsSFR). This is an important refinement compared to using the local star formation rate directly, as it provides a normalization for relative numbers of available SN progenitors and is more robust against extinction by dust. We find that the SNe Ia in predominantly younger environments are Δ
Y
= 0.163 ± 0.029 mag (5.7
σ
) fainter than those in predominantly older environments after conventional light-curve standardization. This is the strongest standardized SN Ia brightness systematic connected to the host-galaxy environment measured to date. The well-established step in standardized brightnesses between SNe Ia in hosts with lower or higher total stellar masses is smaller, at Δ
M
= 0.119 ± 0.032 mag (4.5
σ
), for the same set of SNe Ia. When fit simultaneously, the environment-age offset remains very significant, with Δ
Y
= 0.129 ± 0.032 mag (4.0
σ
), while the global stellar mass step is reduced to Δ
M
= 0.064 ± 0.029 mag (2.2
σ
). Thus, approximately 70% of the variance from the stellar mass step is due to an underlying dependence on environment-based progenitor age. Also, we verify that using the local star formation rate alone is not as powerful as LsSFR at sorting SNe Ia into brighter and fainter subsets. Standardization that only uses the SNe Ia in younger environments reduces the total dispersion from 0.142 ± 0.008 mag to 0.120 ± 0.010 mag. We show that as environment-ages evolve with redshift, a strong bias, especially on the measurement of the derivative of the dark energy equation of state, can develop. Fortunately, data that measure and correct for this effect using our local specific star formation rate indicator, are likely to be available for many next-generation SN Ia cosmology experiments.
Context. Both multi-messenger astronomy and new high-throughput wide-field surveys require flexible tools for the selection and analysis of astrophysical transients. Aims. Here we introduce the alert ...management, photometry, and evaluation of light curves (AMPEL) system, an analysis framework designed for high-throughput surveys and suited for streamed data. AMPEL combines the functionality of an alert broker with a generic framework capable of hosting user-contributed code; it encourages provenance and keeps track of the varying information states that a transient displays. The latter concept includes information gathered over time and data policies such as access or calibration levels. Methods. We describe a novel ongoing real-time multi-messenger analysis using AMPEL to combine IceCube neutrino data with the alert streams of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). We also reprocess the first four months of ZTF public alerts, and compare the yields of more than 200 different transient selection functions to quantify efficiencies for selecting Type Ia supernovae that were reported to the Transient Name Server (TNS). Results. We highlight three channels suitable for (1) the collection of a complete sample of extragalactic transients, (2) immediate follow-up of nearby transients, and (3) follow-up campaigns targeting young, extragalactic transients. We confirm ZTF completeness in that all TNS supernovae positioned on active CCD regions were detected. Conclusions. AMPEL can assist in filtering transients in real time, running alert reaction simulations, the reprocessing of full datasets as well as in the final scientific analysis of transient data. This is made possible by a novel way of capturing transient information through sequences of evolving states, and interfaces that allow new code to be natively applied to a full stream of alerts. This text also introduces a method by which users can design their own channels for inclusion in the AMPEL live instance that parses the ZTF stream and the real-time submission of high-quality extragalactic supernova candidates to the TNS.
Current time domain facilities are discovering hundreds of new galactic and extra-galactic transients every week. Classifying the ever-increasing number of transients is challenging, yet crucial to ...furthering our understanding of their nature, discovering new classes, and ensuring sample purity, for instance, for Supernova Ia cosmology. The Zwicky Transient Facility is one example of such a survey. In addition, it has a dedicated very-low resolution spectrograph, the SEDMachine, operating on the Palomar 60-inch telescope. This spectrograph’s primary aim is object classification. In practice most, if not all, transients of interest brighter than ∼19 mag are typed. This corresponds to approximately 10–15 targets a night. In this paper, we present a fully automated pipeline for the SEDMachine. This pipeline has been designed to be fast, robust, stable and extremely flexible. pysedm enables the fully automated spectral extraction of a targeted point source object in less than five minutes after the end of the exposure. The spectral color calibration is accurate at the few percent level. In the 19 weeks since pysedm entered production in early August of 2018, we have classified, among other objects, about 400 Type Ia supernovae and 140 Type II supernovae. We conclude that low resolution, fully automated spectrographs such as the “SEDMachine with pysedm” installed on 2-m class telescopes within the southern hemisphere could allow us to automatically and simultaneously type and obtain a redshift for most (if not all) bright transients detected by LSST within z < 0.2, notably potentially all Type Ia Supernovae. In comparison with the current SEDM design, this would require higher spectral resolution (R ≳ 1000) and slightly improved throughput. With this perspective in mind, pysedm is designed to easily be adaptable to any IFU-like spectrograph.
Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are standardizable candles that allow us to measure the recent expansion rate of the Universe. Due to uncertainties in progenitor physics, potential astrophysical ...dependencies may bias cosmological measurements if not properly accounted for. The dependency of the intrinsic luminosity of SNe Ia with their host-galaxy environment is often used to standardize SNe Ia luminosity and is commonly parameterized as a step function. This functional form implicitly assumes two-populations of SNe Ia. In the literature, multiple environmental indicators have been considered, finding different, sometimes incompatible, step function amplitudes. We compare these indicators in the context of a two-populations model, based on their ability to distinguish the two populations. We show that local H
α
-based specific star formation rate (lsSFR) and global stellar mass are better tracers than, for instance, host galaxy morphology. We show that tracer accuracy can explain the discrepancy between the observed SNe Ia step amplitudes found in the literature. Using lsSFR or global mass to identify the two populations can explain all other observations, though lsSFR is favoured. As lsSFR is strongly connected to age, our results favour a prompt and delayed population model. In any case, there exists two populations that differ in standardized magnitude by at least 0.121 ± 0.010 mag.
The ductile fracture behaviour of metallic materials is strongly dependent on the material's stress state and loading history. This paper presents a concept of damage initiation and failure ...indicators and corresponding evolution laws to enhance the modified Bai‐Wierzbicki model for predicting ductile damage under complex loading conditions. The proposed model considers the influence of stress triaxiality and the Lode angle parameter on both damage initiation and the subsequent damage propagation. The model parameters are calibrated for C45E + N steel using a series of mechanical tests and numerical simulations. The enhanced approach is applied to the modelling of various mechanical tests under proportional and non‐proportional loading conditions and successfully predicts the ductile damage behaviour in these tests.
Two different dualphase steels of significantly different strength properties are compared with respect to microstructural configuration, chemical composition, mechanical properties, and ductile ...damage mechanisms. The investigated steel grades DP600 and DP1000 show remarkable differences in terms of martensite phase fractions, yield and ultimate tensile strength, and ductile damage evolution behaviour. In particular it turns out that steel DP600 experiences a relatively early ductile damage initiation, but only a moderate rate of damage evolution, whereas for steel DP1000, contrary behaviour is observed. This steel shows a comparably late ductile damage initiation with rapid subsequent damage evolution. This behaviour is expressed by the ratio of fracture strain over strain at damage initiation. Its origin lies in both the martensite phase fraction and the individual strength properties of the ferritic and the martensitic phases, which will provoke inhomogeneous plastic strain distributions in the materials' microstructures. The more pronounced these differences are, the higher the local plastic strain peaks become, and the earlier ductile damage initiation happens. Nevertheless, with decreasing strength of the ferritic phase, its ability to withstand even large plastic strains without fracturing is strongly promoted, so that the fracture strain in steel DP600 can be shifted to higher values even though the material has undergone early damage initiation.
Context. Observations of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) can be used to derive accurate cosmological distances through empirical standardization techniques. Despite this success neither the progenitors ...of SNe Ia nor the explosion process are fully understood. The U-band region has been less well observed for nearby SNe, due to technical challenges, but is the most readily accessible band for high-redshift SNe. Aims. Using spectrophotometry from the Nearby Supernova Factory, we study the origin and extent of U-band spectroscopic variations in SNe Ia and explore consequences for their standardization and the potential for providing new insights into the explosion process. Methods. We divide the U-band spectrum into four wavelength regions λ(uNi), λ(uTi), λ(uSi) and λ(uCa). Two of these span the Ca H&K λλ 3934, 3969 complex. We employ spectral synthesis using SYNAPPS to associate the two bluer regions with Ni/Co and Ti. Results. The flux of the uTi feature is an extremely sensitive temperature/luminosity indicator, standardizing the SN peak luminosity to 0.116 ± 0.011 mag root mean square (RMS). A traditional SALT2.4 fit on the same sample yields a 0.135 mag RMS. Standardization using uTi also reduces the difference in corrected magnitude between SNe originating from different host galaxy environments. Early U-band spectra can be used to probe the Ni+Co distribution in the ejecta, thus offering a rare window into the source of light curve power. The uCa flux further improves standardization, yielding a 0.086 ± 0.010 mag RMS without the need to include an additional intrinsic dispersion to reach χ2∕dof ~ 1. This reduction in RMS is partially driven by an improved standardization of Shallow Silicon and 91T-like SNe.
The high potentials of utilizing high strength steels in the automotive industry have been proved. However, there are still some unsolved challenges. Forming of a component that has been produced by ...blanking is one of these. Blanking is commonly used in sheet metal forming as the initial cutting process. Yet, it introduces damage into the blanked edges that in subsequent forming steps may lead to crack formation. This problem arises in particular in modern multi-phase steels and can currently not be avoided thoroughly due to a lack of understanding of the relevant influences. In the present work, the effects of the blanking process on an HCT980XD sheet were therefore numerically investigated. To achieve this, the Edge-Fracture-Tensile-Test method was simulated. By using this method, a conventional uniaxial tensile specimen is manufactured with one milled side and one blanked side. This allows to highlight the effect of blanking in a subsequent tensile test. In order to investigate the damage process, the coupled Modified-Bai-Wierzbicki model was applied to simulate first the blanking process and then the tensile test. The results revealed that during the blanking process, the failure initiated from the surface elements near the punch and propagated through the thickness. Meanwhile, another crack initiated from the opposite side of the sheet. The elements of these cracks experienced near pure-shear condition at both damage initiation and fracture moments. At the end of this step, the remaining damage, which is considered as the predamage of the next step, was higher in the middle of thickness. During the subsequent uniaxial tension, the crack in the specimen initiated at a shear cut edge and crossed the width. The possible detailed resolution of loading paths and crack formation shows that the damage mechanics simulation provides researchers with a powerful tool for assessing limit states in forming processes.
ABSTRACT
Hindered by the distinctive toughness requirements of the current European standards, the high‐strength low‐alloy (HSLA) steels are rarely applied to the pressure vessels industry. The ...reason is that the design rules specified by the standards define local plastic deformation as limit state. This results in an over‐conservative application of materials. To achieve an effective, economical and energy‐efficient use of HSLA steels, a strain‐based criterion, the damage curve, which considers crack initiation instead of the beginning of plastic deformation as limit state, is proposed in this study for the improved design rules. In the view of the interaction of microstructure and mechanical properties of materials, the new design rule is derived on the basis of the correlation of microstructural features of HSLA steels with the micromechanical damage models. The experimental verification of the result is furthermore investigated with sufficient agreement so that the general applicability of the procedure can be expected. However, further studies for a reliable parameter calibration are necessary.
Context.
With a rapidly rising number of transients detected in astronomy, classification methods based on machine learning are increasingly being employed. Their goals are typically to obtain a ...definitive classification of transients, and for good performance they usually require the presence of a large set of observations. However, well-designed, targeted models can reach their classification goals with fewer computing resources.
Aims.
The aim of this study is to assist in the observational astronomy task of deciding whether a newly detected transient warrants follow-up observations.
Methods.
This paper presents SNGuess, a model designed to find young extragalactic nearby transients with high purity. SNGuess works with a set of features that can be efficiently calculated from astronomical alert data. Some of these features are static and associated with the alert metadata, while others must be calculated from the photometric observations contained in the alert. Most of the features are simple enough to be obtained or to be calculated already at the early stages in the lifetime of a transient after its detection. We calculate these features for a set of labeled public alert data obtained over a time span of 15 months from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). The core model of SNGuess consists of an ensemble of decision trees, which are trained via gradient boosting.
Results.
Approximately 88% of the candidates suggested by SNGuess from a set of alerts from ZTF spanning from April 2020 to August 2021 were found to be true relevant supernovae (SNe). For alerts with bright detections, this number ranges between 92% and 98%. Since April 2020, transients identified by SNGuess as potential young SNe in the ZTF alert stream are being published to the Transient Name Server (TNS) under the AMPEL_ZTF_NEW group identifier. SNGuess scores for any transient observed by ZTF can be accessed via a web service
https://ampel.zeuthen.desy.de/api/live/docs
. The source code of SNGuess is publicly available
https://github.com/nmiranda/SNGuess
.
Conclusions.
SNGuess is a lightweight, portable, and easily re-trainable model that can effectively suggest transients for follow-up. These properties make it a useful tool for optimizing follow-up observation strategies and for assisting humans in the process of selecting candidate transients.