East Asian Observatory

Abstract To understand how massive galaxies are influenced by their surroundings, we present new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and Northern Extended Millimeter Array observations as part of A Multiwavelength Study of Enormous Ly α Nebula (ELAN) Environments (AMUSE 2 ). These observations target submillimeter sources discovered in single-dish surveys around nine quasars hosting Ly α nebulae at z = 2 ∼3, including two enormous Ly α nebulae. Through detection of mid- J CO lines, we confirm physical associations of 15 SMGs, which are located outside the expected virial radii of the central dark-matter halos hosting the quasars. We find 7 3 − 21 + 29 % of SMGs have line profiles better described by double-Gaussian models, with a median peak-to-peak separation of 350 ± 25 km s −1 , suggesting rotating disks or interacting pairs. Modified blackbody fits of the far-infrared photometry yield a median β of 2.0 ± 0.2 and T dust of 34 ± 3 K. Overall, SMGs outside quasar halos share similar physical properties with those in the field, but combining data from other studies reveals depleted gas fractions within quasar halos. This suggests that dense environments significantly impact massive star-forming galaxies only within halo scales at cosmic noon. Additionally, spatial analyses of 15 SMGs indicate they trace large-scale structures, possibly filamentary or elongated pancake-like, with a scale height of 2–5 cMpc. Our measured distributions and densities of star formation rates align with models, although likely represent lower limits.

Abstract Stars form in dense, cold regions of interstellar clouds where gravity, turbulence, and magnetic fields interact. Magnetic fields are expected to regulate how gas contracts, but their role at the earliest, prestellar stage is poorly constrained, because polarized dust emission from the coldest cores is faint. Here we report submillimeter dust polarization observations of the well-studied prestellar core L1544, obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope SCUBA-2/POL-2 instrument as part of the BISTRO (B-fields in Star-forming Region Observations) survey. The data resolve a clearly pinched, hourglass-shaped magnetic field at the core center, representing the first detection in a prestellar core. The plane-of-sky field morphology matches classical predictions for magnetically regulated contraction and is consistent with previously reported slow infall and filament-fed accretion flows that deliver material into the core. From the polarization angle dispersion, we infer a magnetic field strength that implies an Alfvén speed above the measured infall speed and well below the free-fall velocity, indicating sub-Alfvénic, magnetically moderated contraction. These results show that the hourglass-shaped field geometry reported in some protostellar envelopes can already be present before a protostar forms, thereby bridging a key observational gap in the timeline of magnetically regulated star formation. As a nearby, representative core on the verge of star formation, L1544 now serves as a benchmark for testing theoretical models that couple gravity and magnetic fields in dense cores.

Abstract The GLEAM 4-Jy (G4Jy) Sample is a thorough compilation of the ‘brightest’ radio sources in the southern sky (Declination $ \lt 30^{\circ}$ ), as measured at 151 MHz ( $S_{\mathrm{151\,MHz}} \gt 4.0$ Jy) with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), through the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky MWA (GLEAM) Survey. In addition to flux-density measurements, the G4Jy catalogue (https://github.com/svw26/G4Jy.) provides host-galaxy identifications (through careful visual-inspection) and four sets of spectral indices. Despite their brightness in the radio, many of these sources are poorly studied, with the vast majority lacking a spectroscopic redshift in published work. This is crucial for studying the intrinsic properties of the sources, and so we conduct a multi-semester observing campaign on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), with optical spectroscopy enabling us to provide new redshifts to the astronomical community. Initial results show that not all of the host galaxies exhibit emission-line spectra in the optical ( $\sim$ 4 500–7 500Å), which illustrates the importance of radio-frequency selection (rather than optical selection) for creating an unbiased sample of active galactic nuclei. By combining SALT redshifts with those from the 6-degree Field Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we calculate radio luminosities and linear sizes for 299 G4Jy sources (which includes one newly-discovered giant radio-galaxy, G4Jy 604). Furthermore, with the highest redshift acquired (so far) being $z \sim 2.2$ from SDSS, we look forward to evolution studies of this complete sample, as well as breaking degeneracies in radio properties with respect to, for example, the galaxy environment.

Abstract As part of the B-fields In Star-forming Region Observations survey, we present James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) 850 μm polarimetric observations toward the Orion integral-shaped filament (ISF) that covers three portions known as OMC-1, OMC-2, and OMC-3. The magnetic field threading the ISF seen in the JCMT POL-2 map appears as a tale of three: pinched for OMC-1, twisted for OMC-2, and nearly uniform for OMC-3. A multiscale analysis shows that the magnetic field structure in OMC-3 is very consistent at all the scales, whereas the field structure in OMC-2 shows no correlation across different scales. In OMC-1, the field retains its mean orientation from large to small scales but shows some deviations at small scales. Histograms of relative orientations between the magnetic field and filaments reveal a bimodal distribution for OMC-1, a relatively random distribution for OMC-2, and a distribution with a predominant peak at 90∘ for OMC-3. Furthermore, the magnetic fields in OMC-1 and OMC-3 both appear to be aligned perpendicular to the fibers, which are denser structures within the filament, but the field in OMC-2 is aligned along with the fibers. All these suggest that gravity, turbulence, and magnetic field are each playing a leading role in OMC-1, 2, and 3, respectively. While OMC-2 and 3 have almost the same gas mass, density, and nonthermal velocity dispersion, there are on average younger and fewer young stellar objects in OMC-3, providing evidence that a stronger magnetic field will induce slower and less efficient star formation in molecular clouds.

ABSTRACT We present 850 $\mu$m polarized observations of the molecular cloud G34.26 + 0.15 taken using the POL-2 polarimeter mounted on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). G34.26 + 0.15 is a hub–filament system with ongoing high-mass star formation, containing multiple H ii regions. We extend the histogram of relative orientations technique with an alternative application that considers the alignment of the magnetic field to the filaments and a H ii region boundary, denoted as the filament alignment factor ($\xi _{F}$) and the ellipse alignment factor ($\xi _{E}$), respectively. Using these metrics, we find that, although in general the magnetic field aligns parallel to the filamentary structure within the system in the north-west, the magnetic field structure of G34.26 + 0.15 has been radically reshaped by the expansion of an evolved H ii region in the south-east, which itself may have triggered further high-mass star formation in the cloud. Thus, we suggest high-mass star formation is occurring through both mass accretion as per the hub–filament model from one side and compression of gas under stellar feedback from the other. We also use HARP (Heterodyne Array Receiver Program) observations of C$^{18}$O from the CHIMPS survey to estimate the magnetic field strength across the cloud, finding strengths of $\sim$0.5–1.4 mG.

In pursuit of advancing large array receiver capabilities and enhancing the 16-element Heterodyne Array Receiver Program (HARP) instrument on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), we have successfully fabricated 230 GHz finline superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixers. These mixers are critical for assessing the potential and prospective for the HARP instrument’s upgrade. Unlike the existing HARP’s mixer, we replace the probe antenna with an end-fire unilateral finline as the waveguide to planar circuit transition. This mixer design is expected to operate from about 160–260 GHz (approximately 47% bandwidth), and the mixer chips’ current-voltage (I-V) curves have been characterized, showing promising results with a quality factor (R_sg/R_n) exceeding 9.3. Evaluation of the double-sideband (DSB) receiver noise temperature (T_rx) is currently underway. Once successfully characterised, our immediate aim is to scale the mixer to operate at HARP’s frequency range near 345 GHz to achieve similar broad RF bandwidth performance. Ongoing simulations are currently being conducted for the design of the 345 GHz finline mixer. This work marks a crucial step toward enhancing HARP receiver performance with better sensitivity and wider Intermediate Frequency (IF) bandwidth, enabling higher-frequency observations, and expanding the scientific potential of the JCMT and its collaborative partners.

This report is about the graviton redshift theory (GRST) which hypothesises the redshift of the energy of gravitons traveling in fields. A new source of energy loss in galaxy dynamics is introduced. Due to the hypothetical interactions of gravitons with the expansion of the universe, which causes an energy loss of the gravitons due to cosmological redshift, the rotation equation for galaxies, which previously had the Newtonian potential energy and the graviton gravitational redshift energy loss, is now updated with the graviton cosmological redshift energy loss. From the galaxy rotation equation, the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation (BTFR) and the modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) are defined in radial distribution form. Fits to galaxy rotation motion are detailed. A cosmic connection for the BTFR is defined. The result is that galaxy rotation curves are fully accounted for with the GRST rotation equation and the BTFR and MOND theories are incorporated into a unified framework.

We present JCMT POL-2 850 μm dust polarization observations and Mimir H-band stellar polarization observations toward the starless core L 1512. We detect the highly ordered core-scale magnetic field traced by the POL-2 data, of which the field orientation is consistent with the parsec-scale magnetic fields traced by Planck data, suggesting the large-scale fields thread from the low-density region to the dense core region in this cloud. The surrounding magnetic field traced by the Mimir data shows a wider variation in the field orientation, suggesting there could be a transition of magnetic field morphology at the envelope-scale. L 1512 was suggested to be presumably older than 1.4 Myr in a previous study via time-dependent chemical analysis, hinting that the magnetic field could be strong enough to slow the collapse of L 1512. In this study, we use the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method to derive a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength (B pos) of 18 ± 7 μG and an observed mass-to-flux ratio (λ obs) of 3.5 ± 2.4, suggesting that L 1512 is magnetically supercritical. However, the absence of significant infall motion and the presence of an oscillating envelope are inconsistent with the magnetically supercritical condition. Using a virial analysis, we suggest the presence of a hitherto hidden line-of-sight magnetic field strength of ∼27 μG with a mass-to-flux ratio (λ tot) of ∼1.6, in which case both magnetic and kinetic pressures are important in supporting the L 1512 core. On the other hand, L 1512 may have just reached supercriticality and will collapse at any time.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a millimeter very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) array that has imaged the apparent shadows of the supermassive black holes M87* and Sagittarius A*. Polarimetric data from these observations contain a wealth of information on the black hole and accretion flow properties. In this work, we develop polarimetric geometric modeling methods for mm-VLBI data, focusing on approaches that fit data products with differing degrees of invariance to broad classes of calibration errors. We establish a fitting procedure using a polarimetric “m-ring” model to approximate the image structure near a black hole. By fitting this model to synthetic EHT data from general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic models, we show that the linear and circular polarization structure can be successfully approximated with relatively few model parameters. We then fit this model to EHT observations of M87* taken in 2017. In total intensity and linear polarization, the m-ring fits are consistent with previous results from imaging methods. In circular polarization, the m-ring fits indicate the presence of event-horizon-scale circular polarization structure, with a persistent dipolar asymmetry and orientation across several days. The same structure was recovered independently of observing band, used data products, and model assumptions. Despite this broad agreement, imaging methods do not produce similarly consistent results. Our circular polarization results, which imposed additional assumptions on the source structure, should thus be interpreted with some caution. Polarimetric geometric modeling provides a useful and powerful method to constrain the properties of horizon-scale polarized emission, particularly for sparse arrays like the EHT.

Using observations with e-MERLIN and the VLA, together with archival data from ALMA, we obtain high-resolution radio images of two binary YSOs: L1551 IRS 5 and L1551 NE, covering a wide range of frequencies from 5 - 336 GHz, and resolving emission from the radio jet on scales of only ~15 au. By comparing these observations to those from a previous epoch, it is shown that there is a high degree of variability in the free-free emission from the jets of these sources. In particular, the northern component of L1551 IRS 5 shows a remarkable decline in flux density of a factor of ~5, suggesting that the free-free emission of this source has almost disappeared. By fitting the spectra of the sources, the ionised mass-loss rates of the jets are derived and it is shown that there is significant variability of up to a factor of ~6 on timescales of ~20 years. Using radiative transfer modelling, we also obtained a model image for the jet of the southern component of L1551 IRS 5 to help study the inner region of the ionised high-density jet. The findings favour the X-wind model launched from a very small innermost region.