Cosmological Constraints on Neutrino Masses in Light of JWST Red and Massive Candidate Galaxies

The overabundance of the red and massive candidate galaxies observed by the James Webb Space Telescope(JWST)implies efficient structure formation or large star formation efficiency at high redshift z~10.In the scenario of a low or moderate star formation efficiency,because massive neutrinos tend to suppress the growth of structure of the universe,the JWST observation tightens the upper bound of the neutrino masses.Assuming A cold dark matter cosmology and a star formation efficiency∈[0.05,0.3](flat prior),we perform joint analyses of Planck+JWST and Planck+BAO+JWST,and obtain improved constraints∑m_(ν)<0.196 eV and ∑m_(ν)+<0.111 eV at 95% confidence level,respectively.Based on the above assumptions,the inverted mass ordering,which implies ∑m_(ν)≥0.1 eV,is excluded by Planck+BAO+JWST at 92.7% confidence level.

Quantifying the Tension between Cosmological Models and JWST Red Candidate Massive Galaxies

We develop a Python tool to estimate the tail distribution of the number of dark matter halos beyond a mass threshold and in a given volume in a light-cone.The code is based on the extended Press-Schechter model and is computationally efficient,typically taking a few seconds on a personal laptop for a given set of cosmological parameters.The high efficiency of the code allows a quick estimation of the tension between cosmological models and the red candidate massive galaxies released by the James Webb Space Telescope,as well as scanning the theory space with the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method.As an example application,we use the tool to study the cosmological implication of the candidate galaxies presented in Labbéet al.The standard Λcold dark matter(ΛCDM)model is well consistent with the data if the star formation efficiency can reach~0.3 at high redshift.For a low star formation efficiency ε~0.1,theΛCDM model is disfavored at~2σ-3σconfidence level.

The local and global properties of different types of supernova host galaxies

By using Data Analysis Pipeline(DAP)products of Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory(MaNGA),which are publicly available from the SDSS Data Release 15,we analyze the local properties at the SN explosion sites and global properties of different types of SN host galaxies to explore the explosion environments of different types of SNe.In our sample,there are 67 SN host galaxies in the field of view of MaNGA,including 32 Type Ia,29 core collapse SNe(CCSNe),1 superluminous SN(SLSN),1 Type I and 4 unclassified type of SNe,with which we can apply the K-S test for analysis and derive statistically robust results.Due to the limited sample size,we could not remove the mass dependence in this work,which is likely the true driver of the trends for the properties presented in this work.The global star formation rate(SFR)and EW(H)for SN Ia hosts are slightly lower than those for CCSN hosts on average.SN Ia host galaxies are0.3 dex more massive than CCSN hosts,which implies that the number ratio of CCSNe to Type Ia SNe will decrease with increasing stellar mass of host galaxies.The stellar population age of SN Ia host galaxies is older than that of CCSN hosts on average.There is no significant difference between different types of SN hosts for some properties,including local SFR density(SFR),and local and global gas-phase oxygen abundance.For most galaxies in our sample,the global gas-phase oxygen abundance estimated from the integrated spectra of SN hosts can represent the local gas-phase oxygen abundance at the SN explosion sites with small bias.

The local properties of supernova explosions and their host galaxies

We aim to understand the properties at the locations of supernova(SN) explosions in their host galaxies and compare with the global properties of these host galaxies. We use the integral field spectrograph(IFS) of Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory(MaNGA) to generate 2 D maps of the parameter properties for 11 SN host galaxies. The sample galaxies are analyzed one by one in detail in terms of their properties of velocity field, star formation rate, oxygen abundance, stellar mass, etc.This sample of SN host galaxies has redshifts around z^0.03, which is higher than those of previous related works. The higher redshift distribution allows us to obtain the properties of more distant SN host galaxies. Metallicity(gas-phase oxygen abundance) estimated from integrated spectra can represent the local metallicity at SN explosion sites with small bias. All the host galaxies in our sample are metal-rich galaxies(12+log(O/H)> 8.5) except for NGC 6387, which means SNe may be more inclined to explode in metallicity-rich galaxies. There is a positive relation between global gas-phase oxygen abundance and the stellar mass of host galaxies. We also try to compare the differences of the host galaxies between SNe Ia and SNe II. In our sample, both SNe Ia and SNe II can explode in normal galaxies, but SNe II can also explode in an interacting or a merging system, in which star formation is occurring in the galaxy.

Chemical Evolution of Blue Compact Galaxies

Based on a sample of 72 Blue Compact Galaxies （BCGs） observed with the 2.16 m telescope of the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences （NAOC） and about 4000 strong emission line galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we analyzed their chemical evolution history using the revised chemical evolution model of Larsen et al. Our sample covers a much larger metallicity range （7.2 〈 12 ＋ log（O/H） 〈 9.0）. We found that, in order to reproduce the observed abundance pattern and gas fraction over the whole metallicity range, a relatively continuous star formation history is needed for high metallicity galaxies, while assuming a series of instantaneous bursts with long quiescent periods （some Gyrs） for low metallicity galaxies. Model calculations also show that only the closed-box model is capable of reproducing the observational data over the whole metallicity range. Models that consider the ordinary winds and/or inflow can only fit the observations in the low metallicity range, and a model with enriched wind cannot fit the data in the whole metallicity range. This implies that the current adopted simple wind and inflow models are not applicable to massive galaxies, where the underlying physics of galactic winds or inflow could be more complicated.

Spatially resolved properties of supernova host galaxies in SDSS-IV MaNGA

We crossmatch galaxies from Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory with the Open Supernova Catalog,obtaining a total of 132 SNe within MaNGA bundle.These 132 SNe can be classified into 67 Type Ia and 65 Type CC.We study the global and local properties of supernova host galaxies statistically.Type Ia SNe are distributed in both star-forming galaxies and quiescent galaxies,while Type CC SNe are all distributed along the star-forming main sequence.As the stellar mass increases,the Type Ia/CC number ratio increases.We find:(1)there is no obvious difference in the interaction possibilities and environments between Type Ia SN hosts and a control sample of galaxies with similar stellar mass and SFR distributions,except that Type Ia SNe tend to appear in galaxies which are more bulge-dominated than their controls.For Type CC SNe,there is no difference between their hosts and the control galaxies in galaxy morphology,interaction possibilities as well as environments;(2)compared to galaxy centers,the SN locations have smaller velocity dispersion,lower metallicity,and younger stellar population.This is a natural result of radius gradients for all these parameters.The SN location and its symmetrical position relative to the galaxy center,as well as regions with similar effective radii have very similar[Mg/Fe],gasphase metallicity,gas velocity dispersion and stellar population age.

Estimation of ages and masses via carbon and nitrogen abundances for 556 007 giants from LAMOST

Estimating ages for a large number of giants is of great importance for studying Galactic evolution.In this work,we determine stellar ages and masses for 556007 giants from LAMOST Data Release 5(DR5)with empirical relations estimated from chemical[C/N]abundance ratios.Our sample reveals the two wellknown sequences in the age-[α/M]relation.The high-αsequence is composed of stars older than 8 Gyr and low-αsequence is composed of stars with age ranging from 0 Gyr to 13.8 Gyr.Our sample also shows a flat age-[M/H]relation up until 12 Gyr.We compare these distributions with Galactic Chemical Evolution models for reference.When looking at the spatial distribution of stars in 2 Gyr age bins,we find that young stars are concentrated towards the Galactic plane and older stars extend to higher height above and below the disk.We find a smooth transition of median Galactic height for different age bins,which suggests a strong age-dependence on Galactic scale height.

The Halo Concentration and Mass Relation Traced by Satellite Galaxies

We study the relation between halo concentration and mass(c-M relation) using galaxy catalogs of the Seventh and Eighth Data Releases of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS DR7 and DR8). Assuming that the satellite galaxies follow the distribution of dark matter, we derive the halo concentration by fitting the satellite radial profile with a Nararro Frank and White(NFW) format. The derived c-M relation covers a wide halo mass range from10^(11.6)to 10^(14.1)M_(⊙). We confirm the anti-correlation between the halo mass and concentration as predicted in cosmological simulations. Our results are in good agreement with those derived using galaxy dynamics and gravitational lensing for halos of 10^(11.6)– 10^(12.9)M_(⊙), while they are slightly lower for halos of 10^(12.9)– 10^(14.1)M_(⊙).This is because blue satellite galaxies are less concentrated, especially in the inner regions. Instead of using all satellite galaxies, red satellites could be better tracers of the underlying dark matter distribution in galaxy groups.

The physical properties of galaxies with unusually high gas-phase metallicity

We use 1221 galaxies with unusually high gas-phase metallicity to study their physical properties.The scope of redshift is 0.02 < z < 0.25 for these galaxies with unusually high gas-phase metallicity.Our goal is to understand the physical origins of the high gas-phase metallicity.To address this study,we select a control sample matching similar redshift and stellar mass.Our main results are as follows.(i) Compared with the control sample,the high-metallicity sample shows lower ionization parameter,higher electron density and more dust content.(ii) We also find that the high-metallicity sample has older stellar age and higher [Mgb/] ratio,which indicates that the high-metallicity sample has shorter timescale of star formation.(iii) According to the plane of Hδ_A vs.D_n4000,we can see that the control sample has higher HδAand lower D_n4000 than the high-metallicity sample,which may imply that the control sample experiences recent star formation.(iv) There is a significant difference in gas distribution between the highmetallicity and control samples.The high-metallicity sample has lower gas fraction than control sample,which indicates that galaxies have high gas-phase metallicity probably due to their low HI gas fraction.(v) There is no significant difference between the high-metallicity and control samples in environment,which may suggest that the environment has no effect on gas-phase metallicity.

Clumpy metal concentrations in elliptical galaxies NGC 4374 and NGC 4636

We present a high spatial resolution study of metal distributions in the nearby, gas-rich elliptical galaxies NGC 4374 and NGC 4636 with the Chandra ACIS archive data. We define the hardness ratio HRFeL as the ratio of the emission in 0.65- 1.4 keV to that in 0.3-0.6 keV and 1.4-3.5 keV （after the magnesium and silicon lines are excluded）, and HRcont as the ratio of the emission in 1.4-3.5keV to that in 0.3- 0.6 keV, so that the HRFeL and HRcont maps can be used to trace the iron abundance and gas temperature distributions, respectively. By applying the a Trous wavelet algorithm to the obtained emission hardness ratio maps, we reveal that the HRFeL distributions are highly irregular, exhibiting strong spatial variations on 0.1-1 Re scales, which do not follow the HRcont distributions. Since the effect of temperature variation is small, we conclude that most of the high-HRFeL regions are very likely to possess higher abundances than the ambient gas. We also find that these high-HRFeL substructures are not associated with either the LMXB or globular cluster populations, thus their origins should be related to AGN activity or mergers.

A sample of metal-poor galaxies identified from the LAMOST spectral survey

We present a sample of 48 metal-poor galaxies at z 〈 0.14 selected from 92 510 galaxies in the LAMOST survey. These galaxies are identified by their detection of the auroral emission line[OⅢ]λ4363 above the 3σ level, which allows a direct measurement of electron temperature and oxygen abundance. The emission line fluxes are corrected for internal dust extinction using the Balmer decrement method. With electron temperature derived from [OⅢ]λλ4959, 5007/[OⅢ]λ4363 and electron density from [SⅡ]λ6731/[SⅡ]λ6717, we obtain the oxygen abundances in our sample which range from 12 ＋ log（O/H） = 7.63（0.09 Z_⊙） to 8.46（0.6 Z_⊙）. We find an extremely metal-poor galaxy with 12 ＋ log（O/H） = 7.63 ± 0.01. With multiband photometric data from FUV to NIR and Hαmeasurements, we also determine the stellar masses and star formation rates, based on the spectral energy distribution fitting and Hα luminosity, respectively. We find that our galaxies have low and intermediate stellar masses with 6.39 ≤ log（M/M_⊙） ≤ 9.27, and high star formation rates（SFRs） with-2.18 ≤ log（SFR/M_⊙yr^（-1）） ≤ 1.95. We also find that the metallicities of our galaxies are consistent with the local T_e-based mass-metallicity relation, while the scatter is about 0.28 dex. Additionally,assuming the coefficient of α = 0.66, we find most of our galaxies follow the local mass-metallicity-SFR relation, but a scatter of about 0.24 dex exists, suggesting the mass-metallicity relation is weakly dependent on SFR for those metal-poor galaxies.

Relations between stellar mass and electron temperature-based metallicity for star-forming galaxies in a wide mass range

We select 947 star-forming galaxies from SDSS-DR7 with [O III]λ4363emission lines detected at a signal-to-noise ratio larger than 5σ. Their electron temperatures and direct oxygen abundances are then determined. We compare the results from different methods. t2, the electron temperature in the low ionization region, estimated from t3, that in the high ionization region, is compared using three analysis relations between t2- t3. These show obvious differences, which result in some different ionic oxygen abundances. The results of t3, t2, O＋＋/H＋and O＋/H＋derived by using methods from IRAF and literature are also compared. The ionic abundances O＋＋/H＋are higher than O＋/H＋for most cases. The different oxygen abundances derived from Teand the strong-line ratios show a clear discrepancy, which is more obvious following increasing stellar mass and strong-line ratio R23. The sample of galaxies from SDSS with detected [O III]λ4363 have lower metallicites and higher star formation rates, so they may not be typical representatives of the whole population of galaxies. Adopting data objects from Andrews ＆ Martini, Liang et al. and Lee et al. data, we derive new relations of stellar mass and metallicity for star-forming galaxies in a much wider stellar mass range： from 106 M to 1011 M.

Molecular Oxygen Abundance in Galactic Massive Star Formation Regions Based on SWAS Observations

Molecular oxygen abundance is a key parameter in understanding the chemical network of the interstellar medium.We estimate the molecular oxygen column density and abundance for a sample of Galactic massive star formation regions based on observations from the Submillimiter Wave Astronomy Satellite(SWAS)survey.We obtained an averaged O_(2)spectrum based on this sample using the(SWAS)survey data(O_(2),487.249 GHz,N=3-1,J=3-2).No emission or absorption feature is seen around the supposed central velocity with a total integration time of t_(total)=8.67×10^(3)hr and an rms noise per channel of 1.45 m K.Assuming a kinetic temperature T_(kin)=30 K,we derive the 3σupper limit of the O_(2)column density to be 3.3×10^(15)cm^(-2),close to the lowest values reported in Galactic massive star formation regions in previous studies.The corresponding O_(2)abundance upper limit is6.7×10^(-8),lower than all previous results based on SWAS observations and is close to the lowest reported value in massive star formation regions.On a galactic scale,our statistical results confirm a generally low O_(2)abundance for Galactic massive star formation regions.This abundance is also lower than results reported in extragalactic sources.

HI in High Gas-phase Metallicity Dwarf Galaxy WISEA J230615.06+143927.9

We present resolved Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope H I observations of the high gas-phase metallicity dwarf galaxy WISEA J230615.06+143927.9(z = 0.005)(hereafter J2306) and investigate whether it could be a Tidal Dwarf Galaxy(TDG) candidate. TDGs are observed to have higher metallicities than normal dwarfs. J2306 has an unusual combination of a blue g-r color of 0.23 mag, irregular optical morphology and high-metallicity(12 +log(O/H) = 8.68 ± 0.14), making it an interesting galaxy to study in more detail. We find J2306 to be an H I rich galaxy with a large extended, unperturbed rotating H I disk. Using our H I data we estimated its dynamical mass and found the galaxy to be dark matter(DM) dominated within its H I radius. The quantity of DM, inferred from its dynamical mass, appears to rule out J2306 as an evolved TDG. A wide area environment search reveals J2306 to be isolated from any larger galaxies which could have been the source of its high gas metallicity. Additionally, the H I morphology and kinematics of the galaxy show no indication of a recent merger to explain the high-metallicity.Further detailed optical spectroscopic observations of J2306 might provide an answer to how a seemingly ordinary irregular dwarf galaxy achieved such a high level of metal enrichment.

Observational evidence for the evolution of nuclear metallicity and star formation rate with the merger stage

We investigate the evolution of nuclear gas-phase oxygen abundance and star formation rate（SFR） of local far-infrared selected star-forming galaxies along the merger sequence, as traced by their optical morphologies. The sample was drawn from a cross-correlation analysis of the IRAS Point Source Catalog Redshift Survey and 1 Jy ultraluminous infrared galaxy sample with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 database. The investigation is done by comparing our sample to a control sample matched in the normalized redshift distribution in two diagnostics, which are the nuclear gas-phase metallicity vs.stellar mass and the nuclear SFR vs. stellar mass diagrams. Galaxies with different morphological types show different mass-metallicity relations（MZRs）. Compared to the MZR defined by the control sample,isolated spirals have comparable metallicities with the control sample at a given stellar mass. Spirals in pairs and interacting galaxies with projected separations of rp 〉 20 kpc show a mild metallicity dilution of0.02–0.03 dex. Interacting galaxies with rp 〈 20 kpc, pre-mergers and advanced mergers are underabundant by～0.06,～0.05 and～0.04 dex, respectively. This shows an evolutionary trend that the metallicity is increasingly depressed as the merging proceeds and it is diluted most dramatically when two galaxies are closely interacting. Afterwards, the interstellar medium（ISM） is enriched when the galaxies coalesce.This is the first time that such ISM enrichment at the final coalescence stage has been observed, which demonstrates the importance of supernova explosions in affecting the nuclear metallicity. Moreover, the central SFR enhancement relative to the control sample evolves simultaneously with the nuclear gas-phase oxygen abundance. Our results support the predictions from numerical simulations.

Radioactive Ages of Metal-Poor Halo Stars

The abundances of long-lived radioactive elements Th and U observed in metal-poor halo stars can be used as chronometers to determine the age of individual stars, and hence set a lower limit on the age of the Galaxy and hence of the universe. This radioactive dating requires the zero-decay productions of Th and U, which involves complicated r-process nucleosynthesis calculations. Several parametric r-process models have been used to calculate the initial abundance ratios of Th/Eu and U/Th, but, due to the sharp sensitivity of these models to nuclear physics inputs, the calculations have relatively large uncertainties which lead to large uncertainties in the age determinations. In order to reduce these uncertainties, we present a simple method to estimate the initial productions of Th and U, which only depends on the solar system abundances and the stellar abundances of stable r-process elements. From our calculations of the initial abundance ratios of Th/Eu and U/Th, we re-estimate the ages of those very metal-poor halo stars with published abundances of Th and U. Our age estimates are consistent, within the errors, with the other age determinations derived from r-process models, and offer useful constrains for r-process theoretical calculations. The advantages and limitations of our simple method of radioactive dating are discussed.

History of Star Formation and Chemical Enrichment in the Milky Way Disk

Based on a physical treatment of the star formation law similar to that given by Efstathiou, we have improved our two-component chemical evolution model for the Milky Way disk. Two gas infall rates are compared, one exponential, one Gaussian. It is shown that the star formation law adopted in this paper depends more strongly on the gas surface density than that in Chang et al. It has large effects on the history of star formation and gas evolution of the whole disk. In the solar neighborhood, the history of chemical evolution and star formation is not sensitive to whether the infall rate is Gaussian or exponential. For the same infall time scale, both forms predict the same behavior for the current properties of the Galactic disk. The model predictions do depend on whether or not the infall time scale varies with the radius, but current available observations cannot decide which case is the more realistic. Our results also show that it would be inadequate to describe the gradient evolution along the Galactic disk by only one word "flatter" or "steeper", as was suggested by Hou et al. and Chiapinni et al. We point out that both the absolute value and the evolution of the abundance gradient may be different in the inner and outer regions.

Abundance Gradient from Open Clusters and Implications for the Galactic Disk Evolution

We compile a new sample of 89 open clusters with ages, distances and metallicities available. We derive a radial iron gradient of about -0.099±0.008 dex kpc^(-1) (unweighted) for the whole sample, which is somewhat greater than the most recent determination of oxygen gradient from nebulae and young stars. By dividing the clusters into age groups, we show that the iron gradient was steeper in the past and has evolved slowly in time. Current data show a substantial scatter of the cluster metallicities indicating that the Galactic disk has undergone a very rapid, inhomogeneous enrichment. Also, based on a simple, but quite successful model of chemical evolution of the Milky Way disk, we make a detailed calculation of the iron abundance gradient and its time evolution. The predicted current iron gradient is about -0.072 dex kpc^(-1). The model also predicts a steady flattening of the iron gradient with time, which agrees with the result from our open cluster sample.

On the metallicity gradients of the Galactic disk as revealed by LSS-GAC red clump stars

Using a sample of over 70 000 red clump（RC） stars with 5%–10% distance accuracy selected from the LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey of the Galactic Anti-center（LSS-GAC）, we study the radial and vertical gradients of the Galactic disk（s） mainly in the anti-center direction, covering a significant volume of the disk in the range of projected Galactocentric radius 7 ≤ RGC ≤ 14 kpc and height from the Galactic midplane 0 ≤ ｜Z ｜ ≤ 3 kpc. Our analysis shows that both the radial and vertical metallicity gradients are negative across much of the volume of the disk that is probed, and they exhibit significant spatial variations. Near the solar circle（7 ≤ RGC ≤ 11.5 kpc）, the radial gradient has a moderately steep, negative slope of-0.08 dex kpc-1near the midplane（｜Z ｜ 〈 0.1 kpc）, and the slope flattens with increasing ｜Z ｜. In the outer disk（11.5 〈 RGC ≤ 14 kpc）, the radial gradients have an essentially constant, much less steep slope of-0.01 dex kpc-1at all heights above the plane, suggesting that the outer disk may have experienced an evolutionary path different from that of the inner disk. The vertical gradients are found to flatten largely with increasing RGC. However, the vertical gradient of the lower disk（0 ≤ ｜Z ｜ ≤ 1 kpc）is found to flatten with RGC quicker than that of the upper disk（1 〈 ｜Z ｜ ≤ 3 kpc）.Our results should provide strong constraints on the theory of disk formation and evolution, as well as the underlying physical processes that shape the disk（e.g. gas flows,radial migration, and internal and external perturbations）.

The evolution of stellar metallicity gradients of the Milky Way disk from LSS-GAC main sequence turn-off stars: a two-phase disk formation history?

Accurate measurements of stellar metallicity gradients in the radial and vertical directions of the disk and their temporal variations provide important constraints on the formation and evolution of the Milky Way disk. We use 297 042 main sequence turn-off stars selected from the LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey of the Galactic Anticenter（LSS-GAC） to determine the radial and vertical gradients of stellar metallicity,△[Fe/H]/△R and △[Fe/H]/△｜Z ｜ of the Milky Way disk in the direction of the anticenter. We determine ages of those turn-off stars by isochrone fitting and measure the temporal variations of metallicity gradients. We have carried out a detailed analysis of the selection effects resulting from the selection, observation and data reduction of LSS-GAC targets and the potential biases of a magnitude limited sample on the determinations of metallicity gradients. Our results show that the gradients, both in the radial and vertical directions, exhibit significant spatial and temporal variations. The radial gradients yielded by stars with the oldest ages（ 11 Gyr） are essentially zero at all heights from the disk midplane, while those given by younger stars are always negative. The vertical gradients deduced from stars with the oldest ages（ 11 Gyr）are negative and only show very weak variations with Galactocentric distance in the disk plane, R, while those yielded by younger stars show strong variations with R.After being essentially flat at the earliest epochs of disk formation, the radial gradients steepen as age decreases, reaching a maximum（steepest） at age 7–8 Gyr, and then they flatten again. Similar temporal trends are also found for the vertical gradients. We infer that the assembly of the Milky Way disk may have experienced at least two distinct phases. The earlier phase is probably related to a slow, pressure-supported collapse of gas, when the gas settles down to the disk mainly in the vertical direction. In the later phase, there are significant radial flows of gas in the disk, and the rate of gas inflow near the solar neighborhood reaches a maximum around a lookback time of 7–8 Gyr.The transition between the two phases occurs around a lookback time between 8 and11 Gyr. The two phases may be responsible for the formation of the Milky Way＇s thick and thin disks, respectively. Also, as a consequence, we recommend that stellar age is a natural, physical criterion to distinguish stars from the thin and thick disks. From an epoch earlier than 11 Gyr to one between 8 and 11 Gyr, there is an abrupt, significant change in magnitude of both the radial and vertical metallicity gradients, suggesting that stellar radial migration is unlikely to play an important role in the formation of the thick disk.