# Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

• La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
Recent publications
We developed a scan mirror mechanism (SMM) that enable a slit-based spectrometer or spectropolarimeter to precisely and quickly map an astronomical object. The SMM, designed to be installed in the optical path preceding the entrance slit, tilts a folding mirror and then moves the reflected image laterally on the slit plane, thereby feeding a different one-dimensional image to be dispersed by the spectroscopic equipment. In general, the SMM is required to scan quickly and broadly while precisely placing the slit position across the field-of-view (FOV). These performances are in high demand for near-future observations, such as studies on the magnetohydrodynamics of the photosphere and the chromosphere. Our SMM implements a closed-loop control system by installing electromagnetic actuators and gap-based capacitance sensors. Our optical test measurements confirmed that the SMM fulfills the following performance criteria: i) supreme scan-step uniformity (linearity of 0.08$$\%$$) across the wide scan range ($$\pm 1005^{ \prime \prime}$$), ii) high stability ($$3 \sigma =0.1^{\prime \prime}$$), where the angles are expressed in mechanical angle, and iii) fast stepping speed (26 ms). The excellent capability of the SMM will be demonstrated soon in actual use by installing the mechanism for a near-infrared spectropolarimeter onboard the balloon-borne solar observatory for the third launch, Sunrise III.
Exoplanets smaller than Neptune are common around red dwarf stars (M dwarfs), with those that transit their host star constituting the bulk of known temperate worlds amenable for atmospheric characterization. We analyze the masses and radii of all known small transiting planets around M dwarfs, identifying three populations: rocky, water-rich, and gas-rich. Our results are inconsistent with the previously known bimodal radius distribution arising from atmospheric loss of a hydrogen/helium envelope. Instead, we propose that a density gap separates rocky from water-rich exoplanets. Formation models that include orbital migration can explain the observations: Rocky planets form within the snow line, whereas water-rich worlds form outside it and later migrate inward.
We present a detailed study of the barium star at the heart of the planetary nebula Abell 70. Time-series photometry obtained over a period of more than ten years demonstrates that the barium-contaminated companion is a rapid rotator with temporal variability due to spots. The amplitude and phasing of the photometric variability changes abruptly, however there is no evidence for a change in the rotation period (P = 2.06 d) over the course of the observations. The co-addition of 17 high-resolution spectra obtained with VLT-UVES allow us to measure the physical and chemical properties of the companion, confirming it to be a chromospherically-active, late G-type sub-giant with more than +1 dex of barium enhancement. We find no evidence of radial velocity variability in the spectra, obtained over the course of approximately 130 d with a single additional point some 8 years later, with the radial velocities of all epochs approximately −10 km s−1 from the previously measured systemic velocity of the nebula. This is perhaps indicative that the binary has a relatively long period (P ≳ 2 yr) and high eccentricity (e ≳ 0.3), and that all the observations were taken around radial velocity minimum. However, unless the binary orbital plane is not aligned with the waist of the nebula or the systemic velocity of the binary is not equal to the literature value for the nebula, this would imply an unfeasibly large mass for the nebular progenitor.
How the cosmic web feeds haloes, and fuels galaxy formation is an open question with wide implications. This study explores the mass assembly in the Local Group within the context of the local cosmography by employing simulations whose initial conditions have been constrained to reproduce the local environment. The goal of this study is to inspect whether the direction of accretion of satellites on to the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, is related to the cosmic web. The analysis considers the three high-resolution simulations available in the HESTIA simulation suite, as well as the derived velocity shear and tidal tensors. We notice two eras in the Local Group accretion history, delimited by an epoch around z ≈ 0.7. We also find that satellites can travel up to ∼4 Mpc, relative to their parent halo before crossing its viral radius R200. Finally, we observe a strong alignment of the infall direction with the axis of slowest collapse $\vec{e_3}$ of both tidal and shear tensors, implying satellites of the Local Group originated from one particular region of the cosmic web and were channeled towards us via the process of accretion.This alignment is dominated by the satellites that enter during the early infall era, i.e z > 0.7.
Feedhorn- and orthomode transducer- (OMT) coupled transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers have been designed and micro-fabricated to meet the optical specifications of the LiteBIRD high frequency telescope (HFT) focal plane. We discuss the design and optical characterization of two LiteBIRD HFT detector types: dual-polarization, dual-frequency-band pixels with 195/280 GHz and 235/337 GHz band centers. Results show well-matched passbands between orthogonal polarization channels and frequency centers within 3% of the design values. The optical efficiency of each frequency channel is conservatively reported to be within the range 0.64-\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$-$$\end{document}0.72, determined from the response to a cryogenic, temperature-controlled thermal source. These values are in good agreement with expectations and either exceed or are within 10% of the values used in the LiteBIRD sensitivity forecast. Lastly, we report a measurement of loss in Nb/SiNx\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$_x$$\end{document}/Nb microstrip at 100 mK and over the frequency range 200–350 GHz, which is comparable to values previously reported in the literature.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a key chemical species that is found in a wide range of planetary atmospheres. In the context of exoplanets, CO2 is an indicator of the metal enrichment (i.e., elements heavier than helium, also called “metallicity”)1-3, and thus formation processes of the primary atmospheres of hot gas giants4-6. It is also one of the most promising species to detect in the secondary atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets7-9. Previous photometric measurements of transiting planets with the Spitzer Space Telescope have given hints of the presence of CO2, but have not yielded definitive detections due to the lack of unambiguous spectroscopic identification10-12. Here we present the detection of CO2 in the atmosphere of the gas giant exoplanet WASP-39b from transmission spectroscopy observations obtained with JWST as part of the Early Release Science Program (ERS)13,14. The data used in this study span 3.0 - 5.5 µm in wavelength and show a prominent CO2 absorption feature at 4.3 µm (26σ significance). The overall spectrum is well matched by one-dimensional, 10x solar metallicity models that assume radiative-convective-thermochemical equilibrium and have moderate cloud opacity. These models predict that the atmosphere should have water, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide in addition to CO2, but little methane. Furthermore, we also tentatively detect a small absorption feature near 4.0 µm that is not reproduced by these models.
Writing is a vital component of a modern career in scientific research. But how to write correctly and effectively is often not included in the training that young astronomers receive from their supervisors and departments. We offer a step-by-step guide to tackle this deficiency, published as a set of two Perspectives. In the first, we addressed how to plan and outline your paper and decide where to publish. In this second Perspective, we describe the various sections that constitute a typical research paper in astronomy, sharing best practice for the most efficient use of each of them. We also discuss a selection of issues that often cause trouble for writers from sentence to paragraph structure—the ‘writing mechanics’ used to develop a manuscript. Our two-part guide is aimed primarily at MSc- and PhD-level students who face the daunting task of writing their first scientific paper, but more senior researchers or writing instructors may well find the ideas presented here useful. Writing a good scientific paper is a challenging task that benefits from training and practice. In this second Perspective in a short series, the authors share their wisdom on the process of writing a manuscript, from the most appropriate content for each section to the language to use.
Scientific writing is an important skill for a career as a professional astrophysicist. However, very few researchers receive any formal training in how to write scientific research papers of high quality in an efficient manner. This Perspective is the first of a two-part self-help guide to scientific writing to address this skills gap. This part focusses on planning your academic research paper in astronomy. We discuss how to crystallize the ideas that underlie a research project, analyse how the paper can be constructed considering the audience and the chosen journal, and give an overview of the publishing process. Whether you are a student writing your first paper or an experienced author, you may find the ideas presented here useful. Writing a good scientific paper is a challenging task that becomes easier with training and practice. Here the authors share their wisdom on useful preparations to make before starting to write, and a companion Perspective provides advice on the actual writing process.
We describe advances on a method designed to derive accurate parameters of M dwarfs. Our analysis consists in comparing high-resolution infrared spectra acquired with the near-infrared spectro-polarimeter SPIRou to synthetic spectra computed from MARCS model atmospheres, in order to derive the effective temperature (Teff), surface gravity (log g), metallicity ($\rm {[M/H]}$) and alpha-enhancement ($\rm {[\alpha /Fe]}$) of 44 M dwarfs monitored within the SPIRou Legacy Survey (SLS). Relying on 12 of these stars, we calibrated our method by refining our selection of well modelled stellar lines, and adjusted the line list parameters to improve the fit when necessary. Our retrieved Teff, log g and $\rm {[M/H]}$ are in good agreement with literature values, with dispersions of the order of 50 K in Teff and 0.1 dex in log g and $\rm {[M/H]}$. We report that fitting $\rm {[\alpha /Fe]}$ has an impact on the derivation of the other stellar parameters, motivating us to extend our fitting procedure to this additional parameter. We find that our retrieved $\rm {[\alpha /Fe]}$ are compatible with those expected from empirical relations derived in other studies.
We use the photometric metallicities provided by the panoramic Pristine survey to study the veracity and derive the metallicities of the numerous stellar streams found by the application of the STREAMFINDER algorithm to the Gaia EDR3 data. All 26 streams present in Pristine show a clear metallicity distribution function, which provides an independent check of the reality of these structures, supporting the reliability of STREAMFINDER in finding streams and the power of Pristine to measure precise metallicities. We further present 6 candidate structures with coherent phase-space and metallicity signals that are very likely streams. The majority of studied streams are very metal-poor (14 structures with [Fe/H] < −2.0) and include 3 systems with [Fe/H] < −2.9 (C-11, C-19, and C-20). These streams could be the closest debris of low-luminosity dwarf galaxies or may have originated from globular clusters of significantly lower metallicity than any known current Milky Way globular cluster. Our study shows that the promise of the Gaia data for Galactic Archeology studies can be substantially strengthened by quality photometric metallicities, allowing us to peer back into the earliest epochs of the formation of our Galaxy and its stellar halo constituents.
AR Scorpii (AR Sco) is the only radio-pulsing white dwarf known to date. It shows a broad-band spectrum extending from radio to X-rays whose luminosity cannot be explained by thermal emission from the system components alone, and is instead explained through synchrotron emission powered by the spin-down of the white dwarf. We analysed NTT/ULTRACAM, TNT/ULTRASPEC, and GTC/HiPERCAM high-speed photometric data for AR Sco spanning almost seven years and obtained a precise estimate of the spin frequency derivative, now confirmed with 50-σ significance. Using archival photometry, we show that the spin-down rate of $P/\dot{P} = 5.6 \times 10^6$ years has remained constant since 2005. As well as employing the method of pulse-arrival time fitting used for previous estimates, we also found a consistent value via traditional Fourier analysis for the first time. In addition, we obtained optical time-resolved spectra with WHT/ISIS and VLT/X-shooter. We performed modulated Doppler tomography for the first time for the system, finding evidence of emission modulated on the orbital period. We have also estimated the projected rotational velocity of the M-dwarf as a function of orbital period and found that it must be close to Roche lobe filling. Our findings provide further constraints for modelling this unique system.
A bstract A method to unitarize the scattering amplitude produced by infinite-range forces is developed and applied to Born terms. In order to apply S -matrix techniques, based on unitarity and analyticity, we first derive an S -matrix free of infrared divergences. This is achieved by removing a divergent phase factor due to the interactions mediated by the massless particles in the crossed channels, a procedure that is related to previous formalisms to treat infrared divergences. We apply this method in detail by unitarizing the Born terms for graviton-graviton scattering in pure gravity and we find a scalar graviton-graviton resonance with vacuum quantum numbers ( J PC = 0 ⁺⁺ ) that we call the graviball . Remarkably, this resonance is located below the Planck mass but deep in the complex s -plane (with s the usual Mandelstam variable), so that its effects along the physical real s axis peak for values significantly lower than this scale. This implies that the corrections to the leading-order amplitude in the gravitational effective field theory are larger than expected from naive dimensional analysis for s around and above the peak position. We argue that the position and width of the graviball are reduced when including extra light fields in the theory. This could lead to phenomenological consequences in scenarios of quantum gravity with a large number of such fields or, in general, with a low-energy ultraviolet completion. We also apply this formalism to two non-relativistic potentials with exact known solutions for the scattering amplitudes: Coulomb scattering and an energy-dependent potential obtained from the Coulomb one with a zero at threshold. This latter case shares the same J = 0 partial-wave projected Born term as the graviton-graviton case, except for a global factor. We find that the relevant resonance structure of these examples is reproduced by our methods, which represents a strong indication of their robustness.
We present simultaneous, multi-colour optical light curves of the companion star to the black-widow pulsar PSR J2051−0827, obtained approximately 10 years apart using ULTRACAM and HiPERCAM, respectively. The ULTRACAM light curves confirm the previously reported asymmetry in which the leading hemisphere of the companion star appears to be brighter than the trailing hemisphere. The HiPERCAM light curves, however, do not show this asymmetry, demonstrating that whatever mechanism is responsible for it varies on timescales of a decade or less. We fit the symmetrical HiPERCAM light curves with a direct-heating model to derive the system parameters, finding an orbital inclination of $55.9^{+4.8}_{-4.1}$ degrees, in good agreement with radio-eclipse constraints. We find that approximately half of the pulsar’s spin-down energy is converted to optical luminosity, resulting in temperatures ranging from approximately $5150^{+190}_{-190}$ K on the day side to $2750^{+130}_{-150}$ K on the night side of the companion star. The companion star is close to filling its Roche lobe ($f_{\rm RL} =0.88^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$) and has a mass of $0.039^{+0.010}_{-0.011}$ M⊙, giving a mean density of $20.24^{+0.59}_{-0.44}$ g cm−3 and an apsidal motion constant in the range 0.0036 < k2 < 0.0047. The companion mass and mean density values are consistent with those of brown dwarfs, but the apsidal motion constant implies a significantly more centrally-condensed internal structure than is typical for such objects.
We report the development of a deep learning algorithm (AI) to detect signs of diabetic retinopathy (DR) from fundus images. For this, we use a ResNet-50 neural network with a double resolution, the addition of Squeeze–Excitation blocks, pre-trained in ImageNet, and trained for 50 epochs using the Adam optimizer. The AI-based algorithm not only classifies an image as pathological or not but also detects and highlights those signs that allow DR to be identified. For development, we have used a database of about half a million images classified in a real clinical environment by family doctors (FDs), ophthalmologists, or both. The AI was able to detect more than 95% of cases worse than mild DR and had 70% fewer misclassifications of healthy cases than FDs. In addition, the AI was able to detect DR signs in 1258 patients before they were detected by FDs, representing 7.9% of the total number of DR patients detected by the FDs. These results suggest that AI is at least comparable to the evaluation of FDs. We suggest that it may be useful to use signaling tools such as an aid to diagnosis rather than an AI as a stand-alone tool.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) stated that "sun and beach" tourist destinations needed to direct more resources towards innovation, sustainability and accessibility. This is related to the crisis that many sun and beach tourist destinations are experiencing. In the Canary Islands, changes to legislation together with urban and tourist products have been made in accordance with UNWTO proposals. For many years the island of La Palma has been offering tourists hiking, stargazing and volcano tourism besides "sun and beach holidays". However, the 2021 eruption of Tajogaite, Cumbre Vieja aggravated the island's tourism crisis and caused very negative effects on the economy. This work identifies, selects and characterizes places of interest for geotourism development in the two largest population centers (Santa Cruz de La Palma and Los Llanos de Aridane). Santa Cruz de La Palma has 20 points of interest; Los Llanos de Aridane has 14. All sites contribute to showcasing the diversity of the natural and cultural volcanic and non-volcanic heritage of the regions. The geotourism product in La Palma is relatively new and exploits the topography present, including natural outcrops (cinder cones, lava fields, ravines, cliffs, sedimentary deposits or beaches), and also the cultural heritage (religious and civil architecture, streets or town planning, planes). These proposals for urban geotourism take advantage of the volcanic geoheritage of La Palma and increase the breadth and quality of tourism on offer.
We have studied the nuclear region of the previously detected dual AGN system in the galaxy pair IRAS 05589+2828 and 2MASX J06021107+2828382 through new optical spectroscopy observations, along with radio and X-ray archival data. Our multiwavelength data strongly suggest that the Sy1 IRAS 05589+2828 (z=0.0330±0.0002) conforms to a dual AGN system with the Sy2 2MASX J06021107+2828382 (z=0.0334±0.0001) with a projected separation obtained from the radio data of 20.08″ (∼13.3 kpc). Analysis of the optical spectra reveals a faint narrow extended emission from Hα and [OIII] amidst the two AGN, supporting evidence for an ongoing merger. IRAS 05589+2828 is a double component narrow emission line AGN, with complex broad Balmer emission line profiles that clearly show a strong red-peaklet with a velocity shift of ∼3500 km s−1. The black hole mass estimates of IRAS 05589+2828 and 2MASX J06021107+2828382 are log M$\rm _{BH}$ = 8.59 ± 0.14 (M⊙) and log M$\rm _{BH}$ = 8.21±0.2 (M⊙), respectively. In the X-ray bands, IRAS 05589+2828 is compatible with a Type 1 object, showing both spectral and flux variability. Chandra data of 2MASX J06021107+2828382 allowed us to measure a high hardness ratio in this source, providing evidence for a Type 2 AGN. The 22 GHz image obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array has revealed that both AGN are compact radio objects with spectral indices -0.26±0.03 and -0.70±0.11, confirming for the first time its dual AGN nature in the radio bands.
Gaia Data Release 3 has provided the astronomical community with the largest stellar spectroscopic survey to date (> 220 million sources). The low resolution (R∼50) blue photometer (BP) and red photometer (RP) spectra will allow for the estimation of stellar atmospheric parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity and metallicity. We create mock Gaia BP/RP spectra and use Fisher information matrices to probe the resolution limit of stellar parameter measurements using BP/RP spectra. The best-case scenario uncertainties that this analysis provides are then used to produce a mock-observed stellar population in order to evaluate the false positive rate (FPR) of identifying extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. We conclude that the community will be able to confidently identify metal-poor stars at magnitudes brighter than G = 16 using BP/RP spectra. At fainter magnitudes true detections will start to be overwhelmed by false positives. When adopting the commonly-used G < 14 limit for metal-poor star searches, we find a FPR for the low-metallicity regimes [Fe/H] < -2, -2.5 and -3 of just 14%, 33% and 56% respectively, offering the potential for significant improvements on previous targeting campaigns. Additionally, we explore the chemical sensitivity obtainable directly from BP/RP spectra for Carbon and α-elements. We find an absolute Carbon abundance uncertainty of σA(C) < 1 dex for Carbon-enriched metal-poor (CEMP) stars, indicating the potential to identify a CEMP stellar population for follow-up confirmation with higher resolution spectroscopy. Finally, we find that large uncertainties in α-element abundance measurements using BP/RP spectra means that efficiently obtaining these abundances will be challenging.
With data from Pantheon, we have at our disposal a sample of more than a 1000 supernovae Ia covering a wide range of redshifts with good precision. Here, we make fits to the corresponding Hubble–Lemaître diagram with various cosmological models, with intergalactic extinction, evolution of the luminosity of supernovae, and redshift components due to partially noncosmological factors. The data are well fitted by the Standard Model to include dark energy, but there is a degeneracy of solutions with several other variables. Therefore, the Hubble–Lemaître diagram of SNe Ia cannot be used alone to infer the existence of the accelerated expansion scenario with dark energy. Within this degeneracy, models that give good fits to the data include the following alternative solutions: Einstein–de Sitter with gray extinction [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Mpc[Formula: see text]; linear Hubble–Lemaître law static Euclidean with gray extinction [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Mpc[Formula: see text]; Static Euclidean with tired light and gray extinction [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Mpc[Formula: see text]; Einstein–de Sitter with absolute magnitude evolution [Formula: see text] mag Gyr[Formula: see text]; Friedmann model with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and partially noncosmological tired-light redshifts/blueshift with attenuation/enhancement [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Mpc[Formula: see text] (although requiring calibration of [Formula: see text] incompatible with local SNe measurements).
After delivering its sample capsule to Earth, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft started its extended mission to perform a flyby of asteroid 2001 CC 21 in 2026 and rendezvous with asteroid 1998 KY 26 in 2031. During the extended mission, the optical navigation camera (ONC) of Hayabusa2 will play an important role in navigation and science observations, but it has suffered from optical deterioration after the spacecraft’s surface contact with and sampling of asteroid Ryugu. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the telescopic camera (ONC-T) has continued to decrease for more than a year, posing a serious problem for the extended mission. These are problems that could potentially be encountered by other sample-return missions involving surface contact. In this study, we evaluated the long-term variation of ONC performance over the 6.5 years following the launch in 2014 to predict how it will perform during observations of the two target asteroids in its extended mission (6 and 11 years from the Earth return, respectively). Our results showed several important long-term trends in ONC performance, such as transmission, dark noise level, and hot pixels. During the long cruising period of the extended mission, we plan to observe both zodiacal light and exoplanet transits as additional science targets. The accuracy of these observations is sensitive to background noise level and stray-light contamination, so we conducted new test observations to search for the lowest stray light, which has been found to depend on spacecraft attitude. The results of these analyses and new test observations suggest that the Hayabusa2 ONC will be able to conduct cruising, flyby, and rendezvous observations of asteroids with sufficient accuracy.
Identifying accurate topographic variations associated with volcanic eruptions plays a key role in obtaining information on eruptive parameters, volcano structure, input data for volcano processes modelling, and civil protection and recovery actions. The 2021 eruption of Cumbre Vieja volcano is the largest eruptive event in the recorded history for La Palma Island. Over the course of almost 3 months, the volcano produced profound morphological changes in the landscape affecting both the natural and the anthropic environment over an area of tens of km 2. We present the results of a UAS (Unoccupied Aircraft System) survey consisting of >12,000 photographs coupled with Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry that allowed us to produce a very-high-resolution (0.2 m/pixel) Digital Surface Model (DSM). We characterised the surface topography of the newly formed volcanic landforms and produced an elevation difference map by differencing our survey and a pre-event surface, identifying morphological changes in detail. The present DSM, the first one with such a high resolution to our knowledge, represents a relevant contribution to both the scientific community and the local authorities.
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235 members
• Department of Astrophysics Research
• Department of Astrophysics Research
• Research Division
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