Ly α Intensity Mapping in HETDEX: Galaxy-Ly α Intensity Cross-power Spectrum

The Astrophysical Journal American Astronomical Society 999:2 (2026) 177

Authors:

Maja Lujan Niemeyer, Eiichiro Komatsu, José Luis Bernal, Chris Byrohl, Robin Ciardullo, Olivia Curtis, Daniel J Farrow, Steven L Finkelstein, Karl Gebhardt, Caryl Gronwall, Gary J Hill, Matt J Jarvis, Donghui Jeong, Erin Mentuch Cooper, Deeshani Mitra, Shiro Mukae, Julian B Muñoz, Masami Ouchi, Shun Saito, Donald P Schneider, Lutz Wisotzki

Abstract:

We present a measurement of the Lyα intensity mapping power spectrum from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). We measure the cross-power spectrum of the Lyα intensity and Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) in a redshift range of 1.9 ≤ z ≤ 3.5. We calculate the intensity from HETDEX spectra that do not contain any detected LAEs above a signal-to-noise ratio of 5.5. To produce a power spectrum model and its covariance matrix, we simulate the data using lognormal mocks for the LAE catalog and Lyα intensity in redshift space. The simulations include the HETDEX sensitivity, selection function, and mask. The measurements yield the product of the LAE bias, the intensity bias, the mean intensity of undetected sources, and the ratio of the actual and fiducial redshift-space distortion parameters, bgbI〈I〉F¯RSD/F¯RSDfid= (6.7 ± 3.1), (11.7 ± 1.4), and (8.3 ± 1.5) × 10−22 erg s−1 cm−2 arcsec−2 Å−1 in three redshift bins centered at z¯=2.1 , 2.6, and 3.2, respectively. The results are reasonably consistent with cosmological hydrodynamical simulations that include Lyα radiative transfer. They are, however, significantly smaller than previous results from cross-correlations of quasars with Lyα intensity. These results demonstrate the statistical power of HETDEX for Lyα intensity mapping and pave the way for a more comprehensive analysis. They will also be useful for constraining models of Lyα emission from galaxies used in modern cosmological simulations of galaxy formation and evolution.

Euclid: Discovery of bright z ≃ 7 Lyman-break galaxies in UltraVISTA and Euclid COSMOS

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 707 (2026) a239

Authors:

RG Varadaraj, RAA Bowler, MJ Jarvis, JR Weaver, E Bañados, P Holloway, KI Caputi, SM Wilkins, D Yang, B Milvang-Jensen, L Gabarra, PA Oesch, A Amara, S Andreon, N Auricchio, C Baccigalupi, M Baldi, S Bardelli, A Biviano, E Branchini, M Brescia, S Camera, G Cañas-Herrera, V Capobianco, C Carbone, J Carretero, M Castellano, G Castignani, S Cavuoti, KC Chambers, A Cimatti, C Colodro-Conde, G Congedo, CJ Conselice, L Conversi, Y Copin, F Courbin, HM Courtois, M Cropper, A Da Silva, H Degaudenzi, G De Lucia, H Dole, F Dubath, CAJ Duncan, X Dupac, S Dusini, S Escoffier, M Farina, R Farinelli, F Faustini, S Ferriol, F Finelli, P Fosalba, N Fourmanoit, M Frailis, E Franceschi, M Fumana, S Galeotta, K George, B Gillis, C Giocoli, J Gracia-Carpio, A Grazian, F Grupp, L Guzzo, SVH Haugan, J Hoar, H Hoekstra, W Holmes, IM Hook, F Hormuth, A Hornstrup, K Jahnke, M Jhabvala, B Joachimi, E Keihänen, S Kermiche, A Kiessling, M Kilbinger, B Kubik, M Kümmel, M Kunz, H Kurki-Suonio, AMC Le Brun, S Ligori, PB Lilje, V Lindholm, I Lloro, G Mainetti, D Maino, E Maiorano, O Mansutti, O Marggraf, M Martinelli, N Martinet, F Marulli, RJ Massey, E Medinaceli, S Mei, M Melchior, Y Mellier, M Meneghetti, E Merlin, G Meylan, A Mora, M Moresco, L Moscardini, R Nakajima, C Neissner, S-M Niemi, C Padilla, S Paltani, F Pasian, K Pedersen, WJ Percival, V Pettorino, S Pires, G Polenta, M Poncet, LA Popa, L Pozzetti, F Raison, A Renzi, J Rhodes, G Riccio, E Romelli, M Roncarelli, E Rossetti, R Saglia, Z Sakr, D Sapone, B Sartoris, M Schirmer, P Schneider, T Schrabback, A Secroun, G Seidel, S Serrano, P Simon, C Sirignano, G Sirri, L Stanco, J-L Starck, J Steinwagner, P Tallada-Crespí, AN Taylor, HI Teplitz, I Tereno, N Tessore, S Toft, R Toledo-Moreo, F Torradeflot, I Tutusaus, L Valenziano, J Valiviita, T Vassallo, A Veropalumbo, Y Wang, J Weller, G Zamorani, FM Zerbi, E Zucca, J Martín-Fleitas, V Scottez, M Viel

Abstract:

We present a search for z ≃ 7 Lyman-break galaxies using the 1.72 deg 2 near-infrared (NIR) UltraVISTA survey in the COSMOS field, reaching 5 σ depths in Y of 26.2. We incorporated deep Euclid optical and Euclid + Spitzer NIR imaging for a full spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting analysis. We found 289 candidate galaxies at 6.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5 covering −22.6 ≤ M UV ≤ −20.2, faint enough to overlap with Hubble Space Telescope studies. We conducted a separate selection by including complementary Euclid performance verification imaging (reaching 5 σ depths of 26.3), yielding 140 galaxies in 0.65 deg 2 , with 38 sources unique to this sample. We computed the rest-frame UV luminosity function (UV LF) from our samples, extending below the knee ( M ∗ = 21.14 +0.28 −0.25 ). We find that the shape of the UV LF is consistent with both a Schechter function and a double power law (DPL) at the magnitudes probed by this sample, with a DPL preferred at M UV < −22.5 when bright-end results are included. The UltraVISTA + Euclid sample provides a clean measurement of the LF due to the overlapping NIR filters identifying molecular absorption features in the SEDs of ultra-cool dwarf interlopers, and additional faint galaxies were recovered. A comparison with JWST LFs at z > 7 suggests a gentle evolution in the bright-end slope, although this is limited by a lack of robust bright-end measurements at z > 9. We forecast that in the Euclid Deep Fields, the removal of contaminant ultra-cool dwarfs as point sources will be possible at J E < 24.5. Finally, we present a high-equivalent-width Lyman- α emitter candidate identified by combining HSC, VISTA, and Euclid broadband photometry, highlighting the synergistic power these instruments will have in the Euclid Auxiliary Fields for identifying extreme sources in the epoch of reionisation.

Origin of radio polarization in pulsar polar caps

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 707 (2026) A316-A316

Authors:

Jan Benáček, Axel Jessner, Martin Pohl, Tatiana Rievajová, Lucy S Oswald

Abstract:

Context. It is crucial to know the polarization properties of coherent radio waves that escape from pulsar polar caps to calculate the radiative transfer through the magnetosphere and to predict observable radio properties. Aims. We describe pair cascades in the pulsar polar cap, and we determine for the first time the Stokes parameters of the escaping radio waves from first-principle kinetic simulations for a pulsar with a magnetic obliquity of 60°. Methods. We present 3D particle-in-cell kinetic simulations that include quantum-electrodynamic pair cascades in a charge-limited flow from the stellar surface. Results. Our model quantitatively and qualitatively explains the observed pulsar radio powers and spectra, the pulse profiles, polarization curves, their temporal variability, the strong Stokes- L and weak Stokes- V polarization components, the decline in the linear polarization with frequency, and the nonexistence of a radius-to-frequency relation. The observable properties of radio emission from the polar cap can vary and include single- or double-peaked profiles. Most of the Stokes V curves from our simulations appear to be antisymmetric, but symmetric curves are also present at some viewing angles. Although the polarization-angle (PA) swing of the radiation from the polar cap fits the rotating vector model (RVM) for most viewing angles, the angles obtained from the RVM do not correspond to the dipole geometry of the magnetic field. Instead, the PA is directly related to the plasma flows in the polar cap. Furthermore, we found that the radiation is associated with escaping plasma bunches and can propagate freely along channels of low plasma density, in addition to being reflected at the channel boundaries. Conclusions. Our simulations demonstrate that pair discharges close to the surface of the polar cap cause the radio emission of pulsars and determine the majority of their typically observed properties. The merits of RVM for estimations of the magnetic field geometry from observations need to be reevaluated.

The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 707 (2026) a198

Authors:

TW Shimwell, MJ Hardcastle, C Tasse, A Drabent, A Botteon, WL Williams, PN Best, HJA Röttgering, M Brüggen, G Brunetti, JR Callingham, KT Chyży, JE Conway, F De Gasperin, M Haverkorn, C Horellou, N Jackson, GK Miley, LK Morabito, R Morganti, SP O’Sullivan, DJ Schwarz, DJB Smith, RJ van Weeren, HK Vedantham, GJ White, A Ahmadi, L Alegre, M Arias, B Asabere, B Bahr-Kalus, B Barkus, M Bilicki, L Böhme, M Brentjens, M Brienza, DJ Bomans, A Bonafede, M Bonato, E Bonnassieux, JM Boxelaar, S Camera, R Cassano, J Chilufya, M Cianfaglione, JH Croston, V Cuciti, P Dabhade, E De Rubeis, JMGHJ de Jong, D Dallacasa, RJ Dettmar, KJ Duncan, G Di Gennaro, HW Edler, C Groeneveld, G Gürkan, M Hajduk, CL Hale, V Heesen, DN Hoang, M Hoeft, H Holties, MA Horton, M Iacobelli, M Jamrozy, MJ Jarvis, V Jelic, M Kadler, R Kondapally, M Kunert-Bajraszewska, M Loose, M Magliocchetti, K Małek, C Manzano, JP McKean, M Mevius, B Mingo, A Miskolczi, A Misra, J Moldón, DG Nair, SJ Nakoneczny, E Orru, M Pashapour-Ahmadabadi, T Pasini, J Petley, JCS Pierce, I Prandoni, D Rafferty, K Rajpurohit, CJ Riseley, ID Roberts, S Sethi, A Shulevski, M Stein, C Stuardi, F Sweijen, S ter Veen, R Timmerman, M Vaccari, S Wijnholds

Abstract:

We present the third data release of the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS-DR3). The survey images cover 88% of the northern sky and were created from 12 950 h of data (18.6 PB) accumulated over 10.5 years. Producing the images took 20 million core hours of processing through direction-independent and direction-dependent calibration pipelines that correct for instrumental effects as well as spatially and temporally varying ionospheric distortions. In our 120–168 MHz continuum mosaic images with an angular resolution of 6″ (9″ below declination 10°) we catalogue 13 667 877 sources, formed from 16 943 656 Gaussian components. The scatter in the astrometric precision approximately follows the expected noise-like behaviour but with an additional systematic component of at least 0.24″ that is likely due to calibration imperfections. The random flux density scale error is 6%, while the systematic offset was previously shown to be within 2%. The median sensitivity of our mosaics is 92 μJy beam −1 , improving to 68 μJy beam −1 at high observing elevations, but degrading to 183 μJy beam −1 at the celestial equator due to station area projection effects. Completeness simulations, accounting for realistic source models, time- and bandwidth-smearing effects, and astrometric errors, indicate that we detect more than 95% of compact sources with integrated flux densities exceeding 9 times the local root mean square (RMS) noise. However, the recovered source counts in a particular integrated flux density bin do not match the injected counts until flux densities exceed 45 times the local RMS noise. The Euclidean-normalised differential source counts derived from the survey constrain the radio source population over five orders of magnitude and are in good agreement with previous deep and wide-area surveys. All data products are publicly available, including catalogues, individual-field Stokes I , Q , U , and V images, mosaicked Stokes I images, and uv data with associated direction-dependent calibration solutions.

MIGHTEE HI observations of low surface brightness and ultra-diffuse galaxies in the XMM-LSS field

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences (2026)

Authors:

Elizabeth AK Adams, Barbara Šiljeg, Anastasia A Ponomareva, Natasha Maddox, Pavel E Mancera Piña, Marten Baes, Bradley Frank, Marcin Glowacki, Matt J Jarvis, Sambatriniaina HA Rajohnson, Gauri Sharma

Abstract:

Untargeted neutral hydrogen ( > 1.5 kpc) to be ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs). Furthermore, we extracted surveys are well suited to identifying low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) that are gas rich, and they offer a complementary view to optically selected populations. We examined the LSBG population as identified via stellar and gaseous content using the MIGHTEE XMM-LSS early science data and the publicly available catalogs of optically identified LSBGs. There is currently little overlap between these datasets, with only three galaxies commonly detected. We performed surface brightness photometry of selected MIGHTEE detections to find 29 LSBGs, and 26 of these meet the size requirement (R_ eff spectra at the location of all optically identified galaxies, placing upper limits on the mass ratio in these systems. While the population overall tends toward bluer colors, the and the optically selected samples mostly overlap in mean effective surface brightness, effective radii, and color. Although it is not straightforward to discern why the LSBGs were missed in optical searches, this work highlights the utility of surveys in finding these faint systems. The LSBGs are gas rich compared to the general population. Furthermore, three out of four UDGs with available kinematics show no systematic offset from the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation, although we are biased away from sources with low rotational velocities due to the low spectral resolution of the data. This work demonstrates the utility of observations for finding and characterizing the low surface brightness Universe.