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Showing papers in "Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2018"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The second Gaia data release, Gaia DR2 as mentioned in this paper, is a major advance with respect to Gaia DR1 in terms of completeness, performance, and richness of the data products.
Abstract: Context. We present the second Gaia data release, Gaia DR2, consisting of astrometry, photometry, radial velocities, and information on astrophysical parameters and variability, for sources brighter than magnitude 21. In addition epoch astrometry and photometry are provided for a modest sample of minor planets in the solar system. Aims: A summary of the contents of Gaia DR2 is presented, accompanied by a discussion on the differences with respect to Gaia DR1 and an overview of the main limitations which are still present in the survey. Recommendations are made on the responsible use of Gaia DR2 results. Methods: The raw data collected with the Gaia instruments during the first 22 months of the mission have been processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) and turned into this second data release, which represents a major advance with respect to Gaia DR1 in terms of completeness, performance, and richness of the data products. Results: Gaia DR2 contains celestial positions and the apparent brightness in G for approximately 1.7 billion sources. For 1.3 billion of those sources, parallaxes and proper motions are in addition available. The sample of sources for which variability information is provided is expanded to 0.5 million stars. This data release contains four new elements: broad-band colour information in the form of the apparent brightness in the GBP (330-680 nm) and GRP (630-1050 nm) bands is available for 1.4 billion sources; median radial velocities for some 7 million sources are presented; for between 77 and 161 million sources estimates are provided of the stellar effective temperature, extinction, reddening, and radius and luminosity; and for a pre-selected list of 14 000 minor planets in the solar system epoch astrometry and photometry are presented. Finally, Gaia DR2 also represents a new materialisation of the celestial reference frame in the optical, the Gaia-CRF2, which is the first optical reference frame based solely on extragalactic sources. There are notable changes in the photometric system and the catalogue source list with respect to Gaia DR1, and we stress the need to consider the two data releases as independent. Conclusions: Gaia DR2 represents a major achievement for the Gaia mission, delivering on the long standing promise to provide parallaxes and proper motions for over 1 billion stars, and representing a first step in the availability of complementary radial velocity and source astrophysical information for a sample of stars in the Gaia survey which covers a very substantial fraction of the volume of our galaxy.

8,308 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Lennart Lindegren1, Jose M Hernandez2, Alex Bombrun, Sergei A. Klioner3, Ulrich Bastian4, M. Ramos-Lerate, A. de Torres, H. Steidelmüller3, C.A. Stephenson5, David Hobbs1, U. Lammers2, M. Biermann4, R. Geyer3, Thomas Hilger3, Daniel Michalik1, U. Stampa4, Paul J. McMillan1, J. Castañeda6, M. Clotet6, G. Comoretto5, Michael Davidson7, C. Fabricius6, G. Gracia, Nigel Hambly7, A. Hutton, A. Mora, Jordi Portell6, F. van Leeuwen8, U. Abbas, A. Abreu, Martin Altmann4, Martin Altmann9, Alexandre Humberto Andrei, E. Anglada10, L. Balaguer-Núñez6, C. Barache9, Ugo Becciani11, Stefano Bertone12, Stefano Bertone9, Luciana Bianchi, S. Bouquillon9, Geraldine Bourda13, T. Brüsemeister4, Beatrice Bucciarelli, D. Busonero, R. Buzzi, Rossella Cancelliere14, T. Carlucci9, Patrick Charlot13, N. Cheek10, Mariateresa Crosta, C. Crowley, J. H. J. de Bruijne15, F. de Felice16, R. Drimmel, P. Esquej, Agnes Fienga17, E. Fraile, Mario Gai, N. Garralda6, J.J. González-Vidal6, Raphael Guerra2, M. Hauser4, M. Hauser18, Werner Hofmann4, B. Holl19, Stefan Jordan4, Mario G. Lattanzi, H. Lenhardt4, S. Liao20, E. Licata, Tim Lister21, W. Löffler4, Jon Marchant22, J. M. Martín-Fleitas, R. Messineo23, Francois Mignard17, Roberto Morbidelli, E. Poggio14, Alberto Riva, Nicholas Rowell7, E. Salguero, M. Sarasso, Eva Sciacca11, H. I. Siddiqui5, Richard L. Smart, Alessandro Spagna, Iain A. Steele22, F. Taris9, J. Torra6, A. van Elteren24, W. van Reeven, Alberto Vecchiato 
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the input data, models, and processing used for the astrometric content of Gaia DR2, and the validation of these results performed within the ASTR task.
Abstract: Context. Gaia Data Release 2 (Gaia DR2) contains results for 1693 million sources in the magnitude range 3 to 21 based on observations collected by the European Space Agency Gaia satellite during the first 22 months of its operational phase.Aims. We describe the input data, models, and processing used for the astrometric content of Gaia DR2, and the validation of these resultsperformed within the astrometry task.Methods. Some 320 billion centroid positions from the pre-processed astrometric CCD observations were used to estimate the five astrometric parameters (positions, parallaxes, and proper motions) for 1332 million sources, and approximate positions at the reference epoch J2015.5 for an additional 361 million mostly faint sources. These data were calculated in two steps. First, the satellite attitude and the astrometric calibration parameters of the CCDs were obtained in an astrometric global iterative solution for 16 million selected sources, using about 1% of the input data. This primary solution was tied to the extragalactic International Celestial Reference System (ICRS) by means of quasars. The resulting attitude and calibration were then used to calculate the astrometric parameters of all the sources. Special validation solutions were used to characterise the random and systematic errors in parallax and proper motion.Results. For the sources with five-parameter astrometric solutions, the median uncertainty in parallax and position at the reference epoch J2015.5 is about 0.04 mas for bright (G = 17 mag, and 0.7 masat G = 20 mag. In the proper motion components the corresponding uncertainties are 0.05, 0.2, and 1.2 mas yr−1 , respectively.The optical reference frame defined by Gaia DR2 is aligned with ICRS and is non-rotating with respect to the quasars to within 0.15 mas yr−1 . From the quasars and validation solutions we estimate that systematics in the parallaxes depending on position, magnitude, and colour are generally below 0.1 mas, but the parallaxes are on the whole too small by about 0.03 mas. Significant spatial correlations of up to 0.04 mas in parallax and 0.07 mas yr−1 in proper motion are seen on small ( DR2 astrometry are given in the appendices.

1,836 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
C. Babusiaux1, F. van Leeuwen1, M. A. Barstow1, Carme Jordi1  +448 moreInstitutions (2)
TL;DR: Gaia Data Release 2 provides high-precision astrometry and three-band photometry for about 1.3 billion sources over the full sky as mentioned in this paper, which is unprecedented in both precision and coverage of the various Milky Way stellar populations and stellar evolutionary phases.
Abstract: Context. Gaia Data Release 2 provides high-precision astrometry and three-band photometry for about 1.3 billion sources over the full sky. The precision, accuracy, and homogeneity of both astrometry and photometry are unprecedented. Aims. We highlight the power of the Gaia DR2 in studying many fine structures of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD). Gaia allows us to present many different HRDs, depending in particular on stellar population selections. We do not aim here for completeness in terms of types of stars or stellar evolutionary aspects. Instead, we have chosen several illustrative examples. Methods. We describe some of the selections that can be made in Gaia DR2 to highlight the main structures of the Gaia HRDs. We select both field and cluster (open and globular) stars, compare the observations with previous classifications and with stellar evolutionary tracks, and we present variations of the Gaia HRD with age, metallicity, and kinematics. Late stages of stellar evolution such as hot subdwarfs, post-AGB stars, planetary nebulae, and white dwarfs are also analysed, as well as low-mass brown dwarf objects. Results. The Gaia HRDs are unprecedented in both precision and coverage of the various Milky Way stellar populations and stellar evolutionary phases. Many fine structures of the HRDs are presented. The clear split of the white dwarf sequence into hydrogen and helium white dwarfs is presented for the first time in an HRD. The relation between kinematics and the HRD is nicely illustrated. Two different populations in a classical kinematic selection of the halo are unambiguously identified in the HRD. Membership and mean parameters for a selected list of open clusters are provided. They allow drawing very detailed cluster sequences, highlighting fine structures, and providing extremely precise empirical isochrones that will lead to more insight in stellar physics. Conclusions. Gaia DR2 demonstrates the potential of combining precise astrometry and photometry for large samples for studies in stellar evolution and stellar population and opens an entire new area for HRD-based studies.

733 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the photometric content of the second data release of the Gaia project (Gaia DR2) and its validation along with the quality of the data.
Abstract: Aims. We describe the photometric content of the second data release of the Gaia project (Gaia DR2) and its validation along with the quality of the data.Methods. The validation was mainly carried out using an internal analysis of the photometry. External comparisons were also made, but were limited by the precision and systematics that may be present in the external catalogues used.Results. In addition to the photometric quality assessment, we present the best estimates of the three photometric passbands. Various colour-colour transformations are also derived to enable the users to convert between the Gaia and commonly used passbands.Conclusions. The internal analysis of the data shows that the photometric calibrations can reach a precision as low as 2 mmag on individual CCD measurements. Other tests show that systematic effects are present in the data at the 10 mmag level.

715 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Roberto Abuter1, António Amorim2, Narsireddy Anugu3, M. Bauböck4, Myriam Benisty5, Jean-Philippe Berger1, Jean-Philippe Berger5, Nicolas Blind6, H. Bonnet1, Wolfgang Brandner4, A. Buron4, C. Collin7, F. Chapron7, Yann Clénet7, V. dCoudé u Foresto7, P. T. de Zeeuw8, P. T. de Zeeuw4, Casey Deen4, F. Delplancke-Ströbele1, Roderick Dembet7, Roderick Dembet1, Jason Dexter4, Gilles Duvert5, Andreas Eckart9, Andreas Eckart4, Frank Eisenhauer4, Gert Finger1, N. M. Förster Schreiber4, P. Fédou7, Paulo J. V. Garcia2, Paulo J. V. Garcia3, R. Garcia Lopez10, R. Garcia Lopez4, Feng Gao4, Eric Gendron7, Reinhard Genzel11, Reinhard Genzel4, Stefan Gillessen4, Paulo Gordo2, Maryam Habibi4, Xavier Haubois1, M. Haug1, F. Haußmann4, Th. Henning4, Stefan Hippler4, Matthew Horrobin9, Z. Hubert7, Z. Hubert4, Norbert Hubin1, A. Jimenez Rosales4, Lieselotte Jochum1, Laurent Jocou5, Andreas Kaufer1, S. Kellner4, Sarah Kendrew12, Sarah Kendrew4, Pierre Kervella7, Yitping Kok4, Martin Kulas4, Sylvestre Lacour7, V. Lapeyrère7, Bernard Lazareff5, J.-B. Le Bouquin5, Pierre Léna7, Magdalena Lippa4, Rainer Lenzen4, Antoine Mérand1, E. Müler1, E. Müler4, Udo Neumann4, Thomas Ott4, L. Palanca1, Thibaut Paumard7, Luca Pasquini1, Karine Perraut5, Guy Perrin7, Oliver Pfuhl4, P. M. Plewa4, Sebastian Rabien4, A. Ramirez1, Joany Andreina Manjarres Ramos4, C. Rau4, G. Rodríguez-Coira7, R.-R. Rohloff4, Gérard Rousset7, J. Sanchez-Bermudez1, J. Sanchez-Bermudez4, Silvia Scheithauer4, Markus Schöller1, N. Schuler1, Jason Spyromilio1, Odele Straub7, Christian Straubmeier9, Eckhard Sturm4, Linda J. Tacconi4, Konrad R. W. Tristram1, Frederic H. Vincent7, S. von Fellenberg4, Imke Wank9, Idel Waisberg4, Felix Widmann4, Ekkehard Wieprecht4, M. Wiest9, Erich Wiezorrek4, Julien Woillez1, S. Yazici4, S. Yazici9, D. Ziegler7, Gérard Zins1 
TL;DR: Eisenhauer et al. as mentioned in this paper detect the combined gravitational redshift and relativistic transverse Doppler effect for S2 of z = Δλ / λ ≈ 200 km s−1/c with different statistical analysis methods.
Abstract: The highly elliptical, 16-year-period orbit of the star S2 around the massive black hole candidate Sgr A✻ is a sensitive probe of the gravitational field in the Galactic centre. Near pericentre at 120 AU ≈ 1400 Schwarzschild radii, the star has an orbital speed of ≈7650 km s−1, such that the first-order effects of Special and General Relativity have now become detectable with current capabilities. Over the past 26 years, we have monitored the radial velocity and motion on the sky of S2, mainly with the SINFONI and NACO adaptive optics instruments on the ESO Very Large Telescope, and since 2016 and leading up to the pericentre approach in May 2018, with the four-telescope interferometric beam-combiner instrument GRAVITY. From data up to and including pericentre, we robustly detect the combined gravitational redshift and relativistic transverse Doppler effect for S2 of z = Δλ / λ ≈ 200 km s−1/c with different statistical analysis methods. When parameterising the post-Newtonian contribution from these effects by a factor f , with f = 0 and f = 1 corresponding to the Newtonian and general relativistic limits, respectively, we find from posterior fitting with different weighting schemes f = 0.90 ± 0.09|stat ± 0.15|sys. The S2 data are inconsistent with pure Newtonian dynamics.Key words: Galaxy: center / gravitation / black hole physics⋆ This paper is dedicated to Tal Alexander, who passed away about a week before the pericentre approach of S2.⋆⋆ GRAVITY is developed in a collaboration by the Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics, LESIA of Paris Observatory/CNRS/Sorbonne Universite/Univ. Paris Diderot and IPAG of Universite Grenoble Alpes/CNRS, the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, the University of Cologne, the CENTRA – Centro de Astrofisica e Gravitacao, and the European Southern Observatory.⋆⋆⋆ Corresponding author: F. Eisenhauer e-mail: eisenhau@mpe.mpg.de

693 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The second Gaia data release (DR2) contains very precise astrometric and photometric properties for more than one billion sources, astrophysical parameters for dozens of millions, radial velocities for millions, variability information for half a million stars from selected variability classes, and orbits for thousands of solar system objects.
Abstract: Context. The second Gaia data release (DR2) contains very precise astrometric and photometric properties for more than one billion sources, astrophysical parameters for dozens of millions, radial velocities for millions, variability information for half a million stars from selected variability classes, and orbits for thousands of solar system objects.Aims. Before the catalogue was published, these data have undergone dedicated validation processes. The goal of this paper is to describe the validation results in terms of completeness, accuracy, and precision of the various Gaia DR2 data.Methods. The validation processes include a systematic analysis of the catalogue content to detect anomalies, either individual errors or statistical properties, using statistical analysis and comparisons to external data or to models.Results. Although the astrometric, photometric, and spectroscopic data are of unprecedented quality and quantity, it is shown that the data cannot be used without dedicated attention to the limitations described here, in the catalogue documentation and in accompanying papers. We place special emphasis on the caveats for the statistical use of the data in scientific exploitation. In particular, we discuss the quality filters and the consideration of the properties, systematics, and uncertainties from astrometry to astrophysical parameters, together with the various selection functions.

690 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide guidelines on how to use parallaxes more efficiently to estimate distances by using Bayesian methods, and provide examples that show more generally how to combine proper motions and paralaxes and the handling of covariances in the uncertainties.
Abstract: Context. The second Gaia data release (Gaia DR2) provides precise five-parameter astrometric data (positions, proper motions, and parallaxes) for an unprecedented number of sources (more than 1.3 billion, mostly stars). This new wealth of data will enable the undertaking of statistical analysis of many astrophysical problems that were previously infeasible for lack of reliable astrometry, and in particular because of the lack of parallaxes. However, the use of this wealth of astrometric data comes with a specific challenge: how can the astrophysical parameters of interest be properly inferred from these data?Aims. The main focus of this paper, but not the only focus, is the issue of the estimation of distances from parallaxes, possibly combined with other information. We start with a critical review of the methods traditionally used to obtain distances from parallaxes and their shortcomings. Then we provide guidelines on how to use parallaxes more efficiently to estimate distances by using Bayesian methods. In particular we also show that negative parallaxes, or parallaxes with relatively large uncertainties still contain valuable information. Finally, we provide examples that show more generally how to use astrometric data for parameter estimation, including the combination of proper motions and parallaxes and the handling of covariances in the uncertainties.Methods. The paper contains examples based on simulated Gaia data to illustrate the problems and the solutions proposed. Furthermore, the developments and methods proposed in the paper are linked to a set of tutorials included in the Gaia archive documentation that provide practical examples and a good starting point for the application of the recommendations to actual problems. In all cases the source code for the analysis methods is provided.Results. Our main recommendation is to always treat the derivation of (astro-)physical parameters from astrometric data, in particular when parallaxes are involved, as an inference problem which should preferably be handled with a full Bayesian approach.Conclusions. Gaia will provide fundamental data for many fields of astronomy. Further data releases will provide more data, and more precise data. Nevertheless, to fully use the potential it will always be necessary to pay careful attention to the statistical treatment of parallaxes and proper motions. The purpose of this paper is to help astronomers find the correct approach.

658 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a list of members and cluster parameters for as many clusters as possible was established, making use of Gaia data alone, and an unsupervised membership assignment code, UPMASK, was applied to the Gaia DR2 data contained within the fields of those clusters.
Abstract: Context. Open clusters are convenient probes of the structure and history of the Galactic disk. They are also fundamental to stellar evolution studies. The second Gaia data release contains precise astrometry at the submilliarcsecond level and homogeneous photometry at the mmag level, that can be used to characterise a large number of clusters over the entire sky.Aims. In this study we aim to establish a list of members and derive mean parameters, in particular distances, for as many clusters as possible, making use of Gaia data alone.Methods. We compiled a list of thousands of known or putative clusters from the literature. We then applied an unsupervised membership assignment code, UPMASK, to the Gaia DR2 data contained within the fields of those clusters.Results. We obtained a list of members and cluster parameters for 1229 clusters. As expected, the youngest clusters are seen to be tightly distributed near the Galactic plane and to trace the spiral arms of the Milky Way, while older objects are more uniformly distributed, deviate further from the plane, and tend to be located at larger Galactocentric distances. Thanks to the quality of Gaia DR2 astrometry, the fully homogeneous parameters derived in this study are the most precise to date. Furthermore, we report on the serendipitous discovery of 60 new open clusters in the fields analysed during this study.

594 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Federica Spoto1, Federica Spoto2, Paolo Tanga2, Francois Mignard2  +498 moreInstitutions (86)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the processing of the Gaia DR2 data, and describe the criteria used to select the sample published in Gaia DR 2, and explore the data set to assess its quality.
Abstract: Context. The Gaia spacecraft of the European Space Agency (ESA) has been securing observations of solar system objects (SSOs) since the beginning of its operations. Data Release 2 (DR2) contains the observations of a selected sample of 14,099 SSOs. These asteroids have been already identified and have been numbered by the Minor Planet Center repository. Positions are provided for each Gaia observation at CCD level. As additional information, complementary to astrometry, the apparent brightness of SSOs in the unfiltered G band is also provided for selected observations.Aims. We explain the processing of SSO data, and describe the criteria we used to select the sample published in Gaia DR2. We then explore the data set to assess its quality.Methods. To exploit the main data product for the solar system in Gaia DR2, which is the epoch astrometry of asteroids, it is necessary to take into account the unusual properties of the uncertainty, as the position information is nearly one-dimensional. When this aspect is handled appropriately, an orbit fit can be obtained with post-fit residuals that are overall consistent with the a-priori error model that was used to define individual values of the astrometric uncertainty. The role of both random and systematic errors is described. The distribution of residuals allowed us to identify possible contaminants in the data set (such as stars). Photometry in the G band was compared to computed values from reference asteroid shapes and to the flux registered at the corresponding epochs by the red and blue photometers (RP and BP).Results. The overall astrometric performance is close to the expectations, with an optimal range of brightness G ~ 12 − 17. In this range, the typical transit-level accuracy is well below 1 mas. For fainter asteroids, the growing photon noise deteriorates the performance. Asteroids brighter than G ~ 12 are affected by a lower performance of the processing of their signals. The dramatic improvement brought by Gaia DR2 astrometry of SSOs is demonstrated by comparisons to the archive data and by preliminary tests on the detection of subtle non-gravitational effects.

584 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Amina Helmi1, F. van Leeuwen2, Paul J. McMillan3, Davide Massari1  +481 moreInstitutions (82)
TL;DR: In this paper, the second data release of the Gaia mission and its power for constraining many different aspects of the dynamics of the satellites of the Milky Way is demonstrated. But the accuracy of the errors, statistical and systematic, are relatively well understood.
Abstract: Context. Aims: The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the outstanding quality of the second data release of the Gaia mission and its power for constraining many different aspects of the dynamics of the satellites of the Milky Way. We focus here on determining the proper motions of 75 Galactic globular clusters, nine dwarf spheroidal galaxies, one ultra-faint system, and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Methods: Using data extracted from the Gaia archive, we derived the proper motions and parallaxes for these systems, as well as their uncertainties. We demonstrate that the errors, statistical and systematic, are relatively well understood. We integrated the orbits of these objects in three different Galactic potentials, and characterised their properties. We present the derived proper motions, space velocities, and characteristic orbital parameters in various tables to facilitate their use by the astronomical community. Results: Our limited and straightforward analyses have allowed us for example to (i) determine absolute and very precise proper motions for globular clusters; (ii) detect clear rotation signatures in the proper motions of at least five globular clusters; (iii) show that the satellites of the Milky Way are all on high-inclination orbits, but that they do not share a single plane of motion; (iv) derive a lower limit for the mass of the Milky Way of 9.1-2.6+6.2 × 1011 M⊙ based on the assumption that the Leo I dwarf spheroidal is bound; (v) derive a rotation curve for the Large Magellanic Cloud based solely on proper motions that is competitive with line-of-sight velocity curves, now using many orders of magnitude more sources; and (vi) unveil the dynamical effect of the bar on the motions of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Conclusions: All these results highlight the incredible power of the Gaia astrometric mission, and in particular of its second data release.

581 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Miriam Keppler1, Myriam Benisty2, Myriam Benisty3, André Müller1, Th. Henning1, R. van Boekel1, Faustine Cantalloube1, Christian Ginski4, Christian Ginski5, R. G. van Holstein5, Anne-Lise Maire1, Adriana Pohl1, Matthias Samland1, Henning Avenhaus1, Jean-Loup Baudino6, Anthony Boccaletti7, J. de Boer5, M. Bonnefoy2, Gael Chauvin2, Gael Chauvin3, Silvano Desidera8, Maud Langlois9, Maud Langlois10, C. Lazzoni8, G.-D. Marleau11, G.-D. Marleau1, Christoph Mordasini12, N. Pawellek13, N. Pawellek1, Tomas Stolker14, Arthur Vigan9, Alice Zurlo15, Alice Zurlo9, Tilman Birnstiel16, Wolfgang Brandner1, M. Feldt1, Mario Flock17, Mario Flock18, Mario Flock1, Julien Girard4, Julien Girard2, Raffaele Gratton8, Janis Hagelberg2, Andrea Isella19, Markus Janson20, Markus Janson1, Attila Juhasz21, J. Kemmer1, Quentin Kral7, Quentin Kral21, Anne-Marie Lagrange2, Ralf Launhardt1, Alexis Matter22, Francois Menard2, Julien Milli4, P. Mollière5, Johan Olofsson23, Johan Olofsson1, Laura M. Pérez3, Paola Pinilla24, Christophe Pinte2, Christophe Pinte3, Christophe Pinte25, Sascha P. Quanz14, T. Schmidt7, Stéphane Udry26, Zahed Wahhaj4, Jonathan Williams27, Esther Buenzli14, M. Cudel2, Carsten Dominik, Raphaël Galicher7, M. Kasper4, J. Lannier2, Dino Mesa28, Dino Mesa8, David Mouillet2, S. Peretti26, C. Perrot7, Graeme Salter9, E. Sissa8, Francois Wildi27, L. Abe22, Jacopo Antichi8, Jean-Charles Augereau2, Andrea Baruffolo8, Pierre Baudoz7, Andreas Bazzon14, Jean-Luc Beuzit2, P. Blanchard9, S. S. Brems29, Tristan Buey7, V. De Caprio8, Marcel Carbillet22, M. Carle9, Enrico Cascone8, A. Cheetham27, Riccardo Claudi8, Anne Costille9, A. Delboulbe2, Kjetil Dohlen9, Daniela Fantinel8, Philippe Feautrier2, Thierry Fusco9, Enrico Giro8, L. Gluck2, Cecile Gry9, Norbert Hubin4, Emmanuel Hugot9, M. Jaquet9, D. Le Mignant9, M. Llored9, F. Madec9, Yves Magnard2, Patrice Martinez22, D. Maurel2, Michael Meyer30, Michael Meyer14, O. Möller-Nilsson1, Thibaut Moulin2, Laurent M. Mugnier, Alain Origne9, A. Pavlov1, D. Perret7, Cyril Petit, J. Pragt, Pascal Puget2, P. Rabou2, Joany Andreina Manjarres Ramos1, F. Rigal, S. Rochat2, Ronald Roelfsema, Gérard Rousset7, A. Roux2, Bernardo Salasnich8, Jean-François Sauvage9, Arnaud Sevin7, Christian Soenke4, Eric Stadler2, M. Suarez8, Massimo Turatto8, L. Weber26 
TL;DR: In this article, the authors detect a point source within the gap of the transition disk at about 195 mas (~22 au) projected separation and detect a signal from an inner disk component.
Abstract: Context. Young circumstellar disks are the birthplaces of planets. Their study is of prime interest to understand the physical and chemical conditions under which planet formation takes place. Only very few detections of planet candidates within these disks exist, and most of them are currently suspected to be disk features.Aims. In this context, the transition disk around the young star PDS 70 is of particular interest, due to its large gap identified in previous observations, indicative of ongoing planet formation. We aim to search for the presence of an embedded young planet and search for disk structures that may be the result of disk–planet interactions and other evolutionary processes.Methods. We analyse new and archival near-infrared images of the transition disk PDS 70 obtained with the VLT/SPHERE, VLT/NaCo, and Gemini/NICI instruments in polarimetric differential imaging and angular differential imaging modes.Results. We detect a point source within the gap of the disk at about 195 mas (~22 au) projected separation. The detection is confirmed at five different epochs, in three filter bands and using different instruments. The astrometry results in an object of bound nature, with high significance. The comparison of the measured magnitudes and colours to evolutionary tracks suggests that the detection is a companion of planetary mass. The luminosity of the detected object is consistent with that of an L-type dwarf, but its IR colours are redder, possibly indicating the presence of warm surrounding material. Further, we confirm the detection of a large gap of ~54 au in size within the disk in our scattered light images, and detect a signal from an inner disk component. We find that its spatial extent is very likely smaller than ~17 au in radius, and its position angle is consistent with that of the outer disk. The images of the outer disk show evidence of a complex azimuthal brightness distribution which is different at different wavelengths and may in part be explained by Rayleigh scattering from very small grains.Conclusions. The detection of a young protoplanet within the gap of the transition disk around PDS 70 opens the door to a so far observationally unexplored parameter space of planetary formation and evolution. Future observations of this system at different wavelengths and continuing astrometry will allow us to test theoretical predictions regarding planet–disk interactions, planetary atmospheres, and evolutionary models.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The second Gaia data release (Gaia DR2) contains, beyond the astrometry, three-band photometry for 1.38 billion sources as discussed by the authors, which is used to infer stellar effective temperatures, T eff, for all sources brighter than G = 17 mag with T eff in the range 3000-10 000 K (some 161 million sources).
Abstract: The second Gaia data release (Gaia DR2) contains, beyond the astrometry, three-band photometry for 1.38 billion sources. One band is the G band, the other two were obtained by integrating the Gaia prism spectra (BP and RP). We have used these three broad photometric bands to infer stellar effective temperatures, T eff , for all sources brighter than G = 17 mag with T eff in the range 3000–10 000 K (some 161 million sources). Using in addition the parallaxes, we infer the line-of-sight extinction, A G , and the reddening, E (BP − RP), for 88 million sources. Together with a bolometric correction we derive luminosity and radius for 77 million sources. These quantities as well as their estimated uncertainties are part of Gaia DR2. Here we describe the procedures by which these quantities were obtained, including the underlying assumptions, comparison with literature estimates, and the limitations of our results. Typical accuracies are of order 324 K (T eff ), 0.46 mag (A G ), 0.23 mag (E (BP − RP)), 15% (luminosity), and 10% (radius). Being based on only a small number of observable quantities and limited training data, our results are necessarily subject to some extreme assumptions that can lead to strong systematics in some cases (not included in the aforementioned accuracy estimates). One aspect is the non-negativity contraint of our estimates, in particular extinction, which we discuss. Yet in several regions of parameter space our results show very good performance, for example for red clump stars and solar analogues. Large uncertainties render the extinctions less useful at the individual star level, but they show good performance for ensemble estimates. We identify regimes in which our parameters should and should not be used and we define a “clean” sample. Despite the limitations, this is the largest catalogue of uniformly-inferred stellar parameters to date. More precise and detailed astrophysical parameters based on the full BP/RP spectrophotometry are planned as part of the third Gaia data release.

Journal ArticleDOI
D. Katz1, Teresa Antoja1, M. Romero-Gómez1, R. Drimmel1  +446 moreInstitutions (2)
TL;DR: Gaia DR2 as discussed by the authors provides high-precision positions, parallaxes, and proper motions for 1.3 billion sources as well as line-of-sight velocities for 7.2 million stars brighter than GRVS = 12 mag.
Abstract: Context. The second Gaia data release (Gaia DR2) contains high-precision positions, parallaxes, and proper motions for 1.3 billion sources as well as line-of-sight velocities for 7.2 million stars brighter than GRVS = 12 mag. Both samples provide a full sky coverage. Aims. To illustrate the potential of Gaia DR2, we provide a first look at the kinematics of the Milky Way disc, within a radius of several kiloparsecs around the Sun. Methods. We benefit for the first time from a sample of 6.4 million F-G-K stars with full 6D phase-space coordinates, precise parallaxes (σω/ω/≤ 20%), and precise Galactic cylindrical velocities (median uncertainties of 0.9-1.4 km s-1 and 20% of the stars with uncertainties smaller than 1 km s-1 on all three components). From this sample, we extracted a sub-sample of 3.2 million giant stars to map the velocity field of the Galactic disc from ∼5 kpc to ∼13 kpc from the Galactic centre and up to 2 kpc above and below the plane. We also study the distribution of 0.3 million solar neighbourhood stars (r < 200 pc), with median velocity uncertainties of 0.4 km s-1, in velocity space and use the full sample to examine how the over-densities evolve in more distant regions. Results. Gaia DR2 allows us to draw 3D maps of the Galactocentric median velocities and velocity dispersions with unprecedented accuracy, precision, and spatial resolution. The maps show the complexity and richness of the velocity field of the galactic disc. We observe streaming motions in all the components of the velocities as well as patterns in the velocity dispersions. For example, we confirm the previously reported negative and positive galactocentric radial velocity gradients in the inner and outer disc, respectively. Here, we see them as part of a non-axisymmetric kinematic oscillation, and we map its azimuthal and vertical behaviour. We also witness a new global arrangement of stars in the velocity plane of the solar neighbourhood and in distant regions in which stars are organised in thin substructures with the shape of circular arches that are oriented approximately along the horizontal direction in the U - V plane. Moreover, in distant regions, we see variations in the velocity substructures more clearly than ever before, in particular, variations in the velocity of the Hercules stream. Conclusions. Gaia DR2 provides the largest existing full 6D phase-space coordinates catalogue. It also vastly increases the number of available distances and transverse velocities with respect to Gaia DR1. Gaia DR2 offers a great wealth of information on the Milky Way and reveals clear non-axisymmetric kinematic signatures within the Galactic disc, for instance. It is now up to the astronomical community to explore its full potential. © ESO 2018.

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TL;DR: The data release 14 quasar catalog (DR14Q) from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV) is presented in this article.
Abstract: We present the data release 14 Quasar catalog (DR14Q) from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV). This catalog includes all SDSS-IV/eBOSS objects that were spectroscopically targeted as quasar candidates and that are confirmed as quasars via a new automated procedure combined with a partial visual inspection of spectra, have luminosities (in a Λ CDM cosmology with H 0 = 70 km s−1 Mpc−1 , Ω M =0.3, and Ω Λ = 0.7), and either display at least one emission line with a full width at half maximum larger than 500 km s−1 or, if not, have interesting/complex absorption features. The catalog also includes previously spectroscopically-confirmed quasars from SDSS-I, II, and III. The catalog contains 526 356 quasars (144 046 are new discoveries since the beginning of SDSS-IV) detected over 9376 deg2 (2044 deg2 having new spectroscopic data available) with robust identification and redshift measured by a combination of principal component eigenspectra. The catalog is estimated to have about 0.5% contamination. Redshifts are provided for the Mg II emission line. The catalog identifies 21 877 broad absorption line quasars and lists their characteristics. For each object, the catalog presents five-band (u , g , r , i , z ) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag. The catalog also contains X-ray, ultraviolet, near-infrared, and radio emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra, covering the wavelength region 3610–10 140 Å at a spectral resolution in the range 1300 < 2500, can be retrieved from the SDSS Science Archiver Server.

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TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a genetic algorithm coupled with a full N-body integrator to estimate the masses and densities of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets.
Abstract: Context. The TRAPPIST-1 system hosts seven Earth-sized, temperate exoplanets orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star. As such, it represents a remarkable setting to study the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets that formed in the same protoplanetary disk. While the sizes of the TRAPPIST-1 planets are all known to better than 5% precision, their densities have significant uncertainties (between 28% and 95%) because of poor constraints on the planet’s masses. Aims. The goal of this paper is to improve our knowledge of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary masses and densities using transit-timing variations (TTV). The complexity of the TTV inversion problem is known to be particularly acute in multi-planetary systems (convergence issues, degeneracies and size of the parameter space), especially for resonant chain systems such as TRAPPIST-1. Methods. To overcome these challenges, we have used a novel method that employs a genetic algorithm coupled to a full N-body integrator that we applied to a set of 284 individual transit timings. This approach enables us to efficiently explore the parameter space and to derive reliable masses and densities from TTVs for all seven planets. Results. Our new masses result in a five- to eight-fold improvement on the planetary density uncertainties, with precisions ranging from 5% to 12%. These updated values provide new insights into the bulk structure of the TRAPPIST-1 planets. We find that TRAPPIST-1 c and e likely have largely rocky interiors, while planets b, d, f, g, and h require envelopes of volatiles in the form of thick atmospheres, oceans, or ice, in most cases with water mass fractions less than 5%.

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TL;DR: In this article, the position centroids exhibit clockwise looped motion on the sky, on scales of typically 150 μ as over a few tens of minutes, corresponding to about 30% the speed of light.
Abstract: We report the detection of continuous positional and polarization changes of the compact source SgrA* in high states (“flares”) of its variable near-infrared emission with the near-infrared GRAVITY-Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) beam-combining instrument. In three prominent bright flares, the position centroids exhibit clockwise looped motion on the sky, on scales of typically 150 μ as over a few tens of minutes, corresponding to about 30% the speed of light. At the same time, the flares exhibit continuous rotation of the polarization angle, with about the same 45(±15) min period as that of the centroid motions. Modelling with relativistic ray tracing shows that these findings are all consistent with a near face-on, circular orbit of a compact polarized “hot spot” of infrared synchrotron emission at approximately six to ten times the gravitational radius of a black hole of 4 million solar masses. This corresponds to the region just outside the innermost, stable, prograde circular orbit (ISCO) of a Schwarzschild–Kerr black hole, or near the retrograde ISCO of a highly spun-up Kerr hole. The polarization signature is consistent with orbital motion in a strong poloidal magnetic field.

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TL;DR: The spectral properties of ultra hot Jupiters were investigated in this article, where the authors used the SPARC/MITgcm spectral model to model the atmospheres of the four ultra hot supergiants and discussed more thoroughly the case of WASP-121b.
Abstract: Context A new class of exoplanets has emerged: the ultra hot Jupiters, the hottest close-in gas giants. The majority of them have weaker-than-expected spectral features in the 1.1−1.7 μm bandpass probed by HST/WFC3 but stronger spectral features at longer wavelengths probed by Spitzer. This led previous authors to puzzling conclusions about the thermal structures and chemical abundances of these planets. Aims We investigate how thermal dissociation, ionization, H− opacity, and clouds shape the thermal structures and spectral properties of ultra hot Jupiters. Methods We use the SPARC/MITgcm to model the atmospheres of four ultra hot Jupiters and discuss more thoroughly the case of WASP-121b. We expand our findings to the whole population of ultra hot Jupiters through analytical quantification of the thermal dissociation and its influence on the strength of spectral features. Results We predict that most molecules are thermally dissociated and alkalies are ionized in the dayside photospheres of ultra hot Jupiters. This includes H2O, TiO, VO, and H2 but not CO, which has a stronger molecular bond. The vertical molecular gradient created by the dissociation significantly weakens the spectral features from H2O while the 4.5 μm CO feature remains unchanged. The water band in the HST/WFC3 bandpass is further weakened by the continuous opacity of the H− ions. Molecules are expected to recombine before reaching the limb, leading to order of magnitude variations of the chemical composition and cloud coverage between the limb and the dayside. Conclusions Molecular dissociation provides a qualitative understanding of the lack of strong spectral features of water in the 1−2 μm bandpass observed in most ultra hot Jupiters. Quantitatively, our model does not provide a satisfactory match to the WASP-121b emission spectrum. Together with WASP-33b and Kepler-33Ab, they seem the outliers among the population of ultra hot Jupiters, in need of a more thorough understanding.

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TL;DR: In this paper, the dependence of the pebble isolation mass on all relevant parameters of the protoplanetary disc was explored and a simple scaling law that captured the dependence on the local disc structure and the turbulent viscosity parameter α was derived.
Abstract: The growth of a planetary core by pebble accretion stops at the so-called pebble isolation mass, when the core generates a pressure bump that traps drifting pebbles outside its orbit. The value of the pebble isolation mass is crucial in determining the final planet mass. If the isolation mass is very low, gas accretion is protracted and the planet remains at a few Earth masses with a mainly solid composition. For higher values of the pebble isolation mass, the planet might be able to accrete gas from the protoplanetary disc and grow into a gas giant. Previous works have determined a scaling of the pebble isolation mass with cube of the disc aspect ratio. Here, we expand on previous measurements and explore the dependency of the pebble isolation mass on all relevant parameters of the protoplanetary disc. We use 3D hydrodynamical simulations to measure the pebble isolation mass and derive a simple scaling law that captures the dependence on the local disc structure and the turbulent viscosity parameter α. We find that small pebbles, coupled to the gas, with Stokes number τ f < 0.005 can drift through the partial gap at pebble isolation mass. However, as the planetary mass increases, particles must be decreasingly smaller to penetrate the pressure bump. Turbulent diffusion of particles, however, can lead to an increase of the pebble isolation mass by a factor of two, depending on the strength of the background viscosity and on the pebble size. We finally explore the implications of the new scaling law of the pebble isolation mass on the formation of planetary systems by numerically integrating the growth and migration pathways of planets in evolving protoplanetary discs. Compared to models neglecting the dependence of the pebble isolation mass on the α-viscosity, our models including this effect result in higher core masses for giant planets. These higher core masses are more similar to the core masses of the giant planets in the solar system.

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TL;DR: In this article, a least-squares fitting algorithm was developed to derive the RVs and additional spectral diagnostics implemented in the SpEctrum Radial Velocity AnaLyser (SERVAL), a publicly available python code.
Abstract: Context. The CARMENES survey is a high-precision radial velocity (RV) programme that aims to detect Earth-like planets orbiting low-mass stars.Aims. We develop least-squares fitting algorithms to derive the RVs and additional spectral diagnostics implemented in the SpEctrum Radial Velocity AnaLyser (SERVAL), a publicly available python code.Methods. We measured the RVs using high signal-to-noise templates created by coadding all available spectra of each star. We define the chromatic index as the RV gradient as a function of wavelength with the RVs measured in the echelle orders. Additionally, we computed the differential line width by correlating the fit residuals with the second derivative of the template to track variations in the stellar line width.Results. Using HARPS data, our SERVAL code achieves a RV precision at the level of 1 m/s. Applying the chromatic index to CARMENES data of the active star YZ CMi, we identify apparent RV variations induced by stellar activity. The differential line width is found to be an alternative indicator to the commonly used full width half maximum.Conclusions. We find that at the red optical wavelengths (700–900 nm) obtained by the visual channel of CARMENES, the chromatic index is an excellent tool to investigate stellar active regions and to identify and perhaps even correct for activity-induced RV variations.

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Ansgar Reiners1, Mathias Zechmeister1, Jose A. Caballero2, Ignasi Ribas3  +177 moreInstitutions (18)
TL;DR: In this article, the CARMENES radial velocity (RV) survey is observing 324 M dwarfs to search for any orbiting planets and the authors present an atlas of high resolution M-dwarf spectra and compare the spectra to atmospheric models.
Abstract: The CARMENES radial velocity (RV) survey is observing 324 M dwarfs to search for any orbiting planets. In this paper, we present the survey sample by publishing one CARMENES spectrum for each M dwarf. These spectra cover the wavelength range 520–1710 nm at a resolution of at least R >80 000, and we measure its RV, Hα emission, and projected rotation velocity. We present an atlas of high-resolution M-dwarf spectra and compare the spectra to atmospheric models. To quantify the RV precision that can be achieved in low-mass stars over the CARMENES wavelength range, we analyze our empirical information on the RV precision from more than 6500 observations. We compare our high-resolution M-dwarf spectra to atmospheric models where we determine the spectroscopic RV information content, Q , and signal-to-noise ratio. We find that for all M-type dwarfs, the highest RV precision can be reached in the wavelength range 700–900 nm. Observations at longer wavelengths are equally precise only at the very latest spectral types (M8 and M9). We demonstrate that in this spectroscopic range, the large amount of absorption features compensates for the intrinsic faintness of an M7 star. To reach an RV precision of 1 m s−1 in very low mass M dwarfs at longer wavelengths likely requires the use of a 10 m class telescope. For spectral types M6 and earlier, the combination of a red visual and a near-infrared spectrograph is ideal to search for low-mass planets and to distinguish between planets and stellar variability. At a 4 m class telescope, an instrument like CARMENES has the potential to push the RV precision well below the typical jitter level of 3–4 m s−1 .

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TL;DR: In this article, the spectral properties of PDS 70 b have been characterized using spectrophotometry of the entire near-infrared range (0.96-3.8 μ m).
Abstract: Context . The observation of planets in their formation stage is a crucial but very challenging step in understanding when, how, and where planets form. PDS 70 is a young pre-main sequence star surrounded by a transition disk, in the gap of which a planetary-mass companion has recently been discovered. This discovery represents the first robust direct detection of such a young planet, possibly still at the stage of formation.Aims . We aim to characterize the orbital and atmospheric properties of PDS 70 b, which was first identified on May 2015 in the course of the SHINE survey with SPHERE, the extreme adaptive-optics instrument at the VLT.Methods . We obtained new deep SPHERE/IRDIS imaging and SPHERE/IFS spectroscopic observations of PDS 70 b. The astrometric baseline now covers 6 yr, which allowed us to perform an orbital analysis. For the first time, we present spectrophotometry of the young planet which covers almost the entire near-infrared range (0.96–3.8 μ m). We use different atmospheric models covering a large parameter space in temperature, log g , chemical composition, and cloud properties to characterize the properties of the atmosphere of PDS 70 b.Results . PDS 70 b is most likely orbiting the star on a circular and disk coplanar orbit at ~22 au inside the gap of the disk. We find a range of models that can describe the spectrophotometric data reasonably well in the temperature range 1000–1600 K and log g no larger than 3.5 dex. The planet radius covers a relatively large range between 1.4 and 3.7 R J with the larger radii being higher than expected from planet evolution models for the age of the planet of 5.4 Myr.Conclusions . This study provides a comprehensive data set on the orbital motion of PDS 70 b, indicating a circular orbit and a motion coplanar with the disk. The first detailed spectral energy distribution of PDS 70 b indicates a temperature typical of young giant planets. The detailed atmospheric analysis indicates that a circumplanetary disk may contribute to the total planetflux.

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TL;DR: In this article, the surface density of the millimeter dust grains using the 3D radiative transfer disk code DALI was determined, based on high angular resolution ALMA 1.3 mm observations of the protoplanetary system AS 209 in the Ophiuchus star forming region.
Abstract: This paper presents new high angular resolution ALMA 1.3 mm dust continuum observations of the protoplanetary system AS 209 in the Ophiuchus star forming region. The dust continuum emission is characterized by a main central core and two prominent rings at r = 75 au and r = 130 au intervaled by two gaps at r = 62 au and r = 103 au. The two gaps have different widths and depths, with the inner one being narrower and shallower. We determined the surface density of the millimeter dust grains using the 3D radiative transfer disk code DALI. According to our fiducial model the inner gap is partially filled with millimeter grains while the outer gap is largely devoid of dust. The inferred surface density is compared to 3D hydrodynamical simulations (FARGO-3D) of planet-disk interaction. The outer dust gap is consistent with the presence of a giant planet ( M planet ~ 0.7 M Saturn ); the planet is responsible for the gap opening and for the pile-up of dust at the outer edge of the planet orbit. The simulations also show that the same planet could be the origin of the inner gap at r = 62 au. The relative position of the two dust gaps is close to the 2:1 resonance and we have investigated the possibility of a second planet inside the inner gap. The resulting surface density (including location, width and depth of the two dust gaps) are in agreement with the observations. The properties of the inner gap pose a strong constraint to the mass of the inner planet ( M planet M J ). In both scenarios (single or pair of planets), the hydrodynamical simulations suggest a very low disk viscosity ( α −4 ). Given the young age of the system (0.5–1 Myr), this result implies that the formation of giant planets occurs on a timescale of ≲1 Myr.

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TL;DR: In this paper, a publicly available library of dust spectral energy distributions (SEDs) is presented, characterized by only three parameters: the dust mass (Mdust), the dust temperature (Tdust), and the mid-to-total infrared color (IR8 ≡ LIR/L8).
Abstract: We present a new, publicly available library of dust spectral energy distributions (SEDs). These SEDs are characterized by only three parameters: the dust mass (Mdust), the dust temperature (Tdust), and the mid-to-total infrared color (IR8 ≡ LIR/L8). The latter measures the relative contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules to the total infrared luminosity. We used this library to model star-forming galaxies at 0.5 1011M⊙) at z ≤ 1 have slightly lower temperatures indicative of a reduced star formation efficiency, while low mass galaxies (M∗ 1, 3.2, 3.8, and 5.7, respectively. Starburst galaxies had their LIR significantly underestimated when measured by a single JWST or ALMA band, while their dust mass from a single ALMA band were moderately overestimated. This dust library and the results of this paper can be used immediately to improve the design of observing proposals, and interpret more accurately the large amount of archival data from Spitzer, Herschel and ALMA.

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TL;DR: In this article, a wideband wide-field spectral deconvolution framework (ddfacet) based on image plane faceting, that takes into account generic direction-dependent effects is presented.
Abstract: The new generation of radio interferometers is characterized by high sensitivity, wide fields of view and large fractional bandwidth. To synthesize the deepest images enabled by the high dynamic range of these instruments requires us to take into account the direction-dependent Jones matrices, while estimating the spectral properties of the sky in the imaging and deconvolution algorithms. In this paper we discuss and implement a wideband wide-field spectral deconvolution framework (ddfacet) based on image plane faceting, that takes into account generic direction-dependent effects. Specifically, we present a wide-field co-planar faceting scheme, and discuss the various effects that need to be taken into account to solve for the deconvolution problem (image plane normalization, position-dependent Point Spread Function, etc). We discuss two wideband spectral deconvolution algorithms based on hybrid matching pursuit and sub-space optimisation respectively. A few interesting technical features incorporated in our imager are discussed, including baseline dependent averaging, which has the effect of improving computing efficiency. The version of ddfacet presented here can account for any externally defined Jones matrices and/or beam patterns.

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TL;DR: In this paper, the masses of confirmed exoplanets and compared their dependence on stellar mass with the same dependence for protoplanetary disk masses measured in ∼1-3 Myr old star-forming regions.
Abstract: When and how planets form in protoplanetary disks is still a topic of discussion. Exoplanet detection surveys and protoplanetary disk surveys are now providing results that are leading to new insights. We collect the masses of confirmed exoplanets and compare their dependence on stellar mass with the same dependence for protoplanetary disk masses measured in ∼1–3 Myr old star-forming regions. We recalculated the disk masses using the new estimates of their distances derived from Gaia DR2 parallaxes. We note that single and multiple exoplanetary systems form two different populations, probably pointing to a different formation mechanism for massive giant planets around very low-mass stars. While expecting that the mass in exoplanetary systems is much lower than the measured disk masses, we instead find that exoplanetary systems masses are comparable or higher than the most massive disks. This same result is found by converting the measured planet masses into heavy element content (core masses for the giant planets and full masses for the super-Earth systems) and by comparing this value with the disk dust masses. Unless disk dust masses are heavily underestimated, this is a big conundrum. An extremely efficient recycling of dust particles in the disk cannot solve this conundrum. This implies that either the cores of planets have formed very rapidly (<0.1–1 Myr) and a large amount of gas is expelled on the same timescales from the disk, or that disks are continuously replenished by fresh planet-forming material from the environment. These hypotheses can be tested by measuring disk masses in even younger targets and by better understanding if and how the disks are replenished by their surroundings.

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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report an observation of the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 170817A associated to the binary neutron star merger gravitational wave (GW) event GW 1708 17, performed in the X-ray band with XMM-Newton 135 d after the event (on 29 December, 2017).
Abstract: We report our observation of the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 170817A, associated to the binary neutron star merger gravitational wave (GW) event GW 170817, performed in the X-ray band with XMM-Newton 135 d after the event (on 29 December, 2017). We find evidence for a flattening of the X-ray light curve with respect to the previously observed brightening. This is also supported by a nearly simultaneous optical Hubble Space Telescope observation and successive X-ray Chandra and low-frequency radio observations recently reported in the literature. Since the optical-to-X-ray spectral slope did not change with respect to previous observations, we exclude that the change in the temporal evolution of the light curve is due to the passage of the cooling frequency: its origin must be geometric or dynamical. We interpret all the existing afterglow data with two models: i) a structured jet and ii) a jet-less isotropic fireball with some stratification in its radial velocity structure. Both models fit the data and predict that the radio flux must decrease simultaneously with the optical and X-ray emission, making it difficult to distinguish between them at the present stage. Polarimetric measurements and the rate of short GRB-GW associations in future LIGO/Virgo runs will be key to disentangle these two geometrically different scenarios.

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TL;DR: The second Gaia data (Gaia DR2) as discussed by the authors contains the astrometric parameters for more than half a million quasars and a subset of them have accurate VLBI positions that allow the axes of the reference frame to be aligned with the ICRF radio frame.
Abstract: Context. The second release of Gaia data (Gaia DR2) contains the astrometric parameters for more than half a million quasars. This set defines a kinematically non-rotating reference frame in the optical domain. A subset of these quasars have accurate VLBI positions that allow the axes of the reference frame to be aligned with the International Celestial Reference System (ICRF) radio frame. Aims: We describe the astrometric and photometric properties of the quasars that were selected to represent the celestial reference frame of Gaia DR2 (Gaia-CRF2), and to compare the optical and radio positions for sources with accurate VLBI positions. Methods: Descriptive statistics are used to characterise the overall properties of the quasar sample. Residual rotation and orientation errors and large-scale systematics are quantified by means of expansions in vector spherical harmonics. Positional differences are calculated relative to a prototype version of the forthcoming ICRF3. Results: Gaia-CRF2 consists of the positions of a sample of 556 869 sources in Gaia DR2, obtained from a positional cross-match with the ICRF3-prototype and AllWISE AGN catalogues. The sample constitutes a clean, dense, and homogeneous set of extragalactic point sources in the magnitude range G ≃ 16 to 21 mag with accurately known optical positions. The median positional uncertainty is 0.12 mas for G < 18 mag and 0.5 mas at G = mag. Large-scale systematics are estimated to be in the range 20 to 30 μas. The accuracy claims are supported by the parallaxes and proper motions of the quasars in Gaia DR2. The optical positions for a subset of 2820 sources in common with the ICRF3-prototype show very good overall agreement with the radio positions, but several tens of sources have significantly discrepant positions. Conclusions: Based on less than 40% of the data expected from the nominal Gaia mission, Gaia-CRF2 is the first realisation of a non-rotating global optical reference frame that meets the ICRS prescriptions, meaning that it is built only on extragalactic sources. Its accuracy matches the current radio frame of the ICRF, but the density of sources in all parts of the sky is much higher, except along the Galactic equator.

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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a new study of the kinematics of the Milky Way (MW) dwarf galaxies using the Gaia DR2 for those dwarfs that have been spectroscopically observed in the literature.
Abstract: A proper understanding of the Milky Way (MW) dwarf galaxies in a cosmological context requires knowledge of their 3D velocities and orbits. However, proper motion (PM) measurements have generally been of limited accuracy and are available only for more massive dwarfs. We therefore present a new study of the kinematics of the MW dwarf galaxies. We use the Gaia DR2 for those dwarfs that have been spectroscopically observed in the literature. We derive systemic PMs for 39 galaxies and galaxy candidates out to 420 kpc, and generally find good consistency for the subset with measurements available from other studies. We derive the implied Galactocentric velocities, and calculate orbits in canonical MW halo potentials of low (0.8 × 1012 M ⊙ ) and high mass (1.6 × 1012 M ⊙ ). Comparison of the distributions of orbital apocenters and 3D velocities to the halo virial radius and escape velocity, respectively, suggests that the satellite kinematics are best explained in the high-mass halo. Tuc III, Crater II, and additional candidates have orbital pericenters small enough to imply significant tidal influences. Relevant to the missing satellite problem, the fact that fewer galaxies are observed to be near apocenter than near pericenter implies that there must be a population of distant dwarf galaxies yet to be discovered. Of the 39 dwarfs: 12 have orbital poles that do not align with the MW plane of satellites (given reasonable assumptions about its intrinsic thickness); 10 have insufficient PM accuracy to establish whether they align; and 17 satellites align, of which 11 are co-orbiting and (somewhat surprisingly, in view of prior knowledge) 6 are counter-orbiting. Group infall might have contributed to this, but no definitive association is found for the members of the Crater-Leo group.

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TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared the tension between H 0 to the value inferred from CMB observations assuming ΛCDM, making it important to check for potential systematic uncertainties in either approach.
Abstract: The most precise local measurements of H 0 rely on observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) coupled with Cepheid distances to SN Ia host galaxies. Recent results have shown tension comparing H 0 to the value inferred from CMB observations assuming ΛCDM, making it important to check for potential systematic uncertainties in either approach. To date, precise local H 0 measurements have used SN Ia distances based on optical photometry, with corrections for light curve shape and colour. Here, we analyse SNe Ia as standard candles in the near-infrared (NIR), where luminosity variations in the supernovae and extinction by dust are both reduced relative to the optical. From a combined fit to 9 nearby calibrator SNe with host Cepheid distances from and 27 SNe in the Hubble flow, we estimate the absolute peak J magnitude M J = −18.524 ± 0.041 mag and H 0 = 72.8 ± 1.6 (statistical) ±2.7 (systematic) km s-1 Mpc-1 . The 2.2% statistical uncertainty demonstrates that the NIR provides a compelling avenue to measuring SN Ia distances, and for our sample the intrinsic (unmodeled) peak J magnitude scatter is just ~0.10 mag, even without light curve shape or colour corrections. Our results do not vary significantly with different sample selection criteria, though photometric calibration in the NIR may be a dominant systematic uncertainty. Our findings suggest that tension in the competing H 0 distance ladders is likely not a result of supernova systematics that could be expected to vary between optical and NIR wavelengths, like dust extinction. We anticipate further improvements in H 0 with a larger calibrator sample of SNe Ia with Cepheid distances, more Hubble flow SNe Ia with NIR light curves, and better use of the full NIR photometric data set beyond simply the peak J -band magnitude.

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TL;DR: In this paper, a 3D global climate model was used to explore the possible climates of cool planets around cool stars, with a focus on the TRAPPIST-1 system, and the conditions required for cool planets to prevent possible volatile species to be lost permanently by surface condensation, irreversible burying or photochemical destruction.
Abstract: TRAPPIST-1 planets are invaluable for the study of comparative planetary science outside our solar system and possibly habitability. Both transit timing variations (TTV) of the planets and the compact, resonant architecture of the system suggest that TRAPPIST-1 planets could be endowed with various volatiles today. First, we derived from N-body simulations possible planetary evolution scenarios, and show that all the planets are likely in synchronous rotation. We then used a versatile 3D global climate model (GCM) to explore the possible climates of cool planets around cool stars, with a focus on the TRAPPIST-1 system. We investigated the conditions required for cool planets to prevent possible volatile species to be lost permanently by surface condensation, irreversible burying or photochemical destruction. We also explored the resilience of the same volatiles (when in condensed phase) to a runaway greenhouse process. We find that background atmospheres made of N2 , CO, or O2 are rather resistant to atmospheric collapse. However, even if TRAPPIST-1 planets were able to sustain a thick background atmosphere by surviving early X/EUV radiation and stellar wind atmospheric erosion, it is difficult for them to accumulate significant greenhouse gases like CO2 , CH4 , or NH3 . CO2 can easily condense on the permanent nightside, forming CO2 ice glaciers that would flow toward the substellar region. A complete CO2 ice surface cover is theoretically possible on TRAPPIST-1g and h only, but CO2 ices should be gravitationally unstable and get buried beneath the water ice shell in geologically short timescales. Given TRAPPIST-1 planets large EUV irradiation (at least ~103 × Titan’s flux), CH4 and NH3 are photodissociated rapidly and are thus hard to accumulate in the atmosphere. Photochemical hazes could then sedimentate and form a surface layer of tholins that would progressively thicken over the age of the TRAPPIST-1 system. Regarding habitability, we confirm that few bars of CO2 would suffice to warm the surface of TRAPPIST-1f and g above the melting point of water. We also show that TRAPPIST-1e is a remarkable candidate for surface habitability. If the planet is today synchronous and abundant in water, then it should very likely sustain surface liquid water at least in the substellar region, whatever the atmosphere considered.