@inproceedings{7952, abstract = {Isomanifolds are the generalization of isosurfaces to arbitrary dimension and codimension, i.e. manifolds defined as the zero set of some multivariate vector-valued smooth function f: ℝ^d → ℝ^(d-n). A natural (and efficient) way to approximate an isomanifold is to consider its Piecewise-Linear (PL) approximation based on a triangulation 𝒯 of the ambient space ℝ^d. In this paper, we give conditions under which the PL-approximation of an isomanifold is topologically equivalent to the isomanifold. The conditions are easy to satisfy in the sense that they can always be met by taking a sufficiently fine triangulation 𝒯. This contrasts with previous results on the triangulation of manifolds where, in arbitrary dimensions, delicate perturbations are needed to guarantee topological correctness, which leads to strong limitations in practice. We further give a bound on the Fréchet distance between the original isomanifold and its PL-approximation. Finally we show analogous results for the PL-approximation of an isomanifold with boundary. }, author = {Boissonnat, Jean-Daniel and Wintraecken, Mathijs}, booktitle = {36th International Symposium on Computational Geometry}, isbn = {978-3-95977-143-6}, issn = {1868-8969}, location = {Zürich, Switzerland}, publisher = {Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik}, title = {{The topological correctness of PL-approximations of isomanifolds}}, doi = {10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2020.20}, volume = {164}, year = {2020}, } @article{13341, abstract = {Scanning nanoscale superconducting quantum interference devices (nanoSQUIDs) are of growing interest for highly sensitive quantitative imaging of magnetic, spintronic, and transport properties of low-dimensional systems. Utilizing specifically designed grooved quartz capillaries pulled into a sharp pipette, we have fabricated the smallest SQUID-on-tip (SOT) devices with effective diameters down to 39 nm. Integration of a resistive shunt in close proximity to the pipette apex combined with self-aligned deposition of In and Sn, have resulted in SOT with a flux noise of 42 n$\Phi_0$Hz$^{-1/2}$, yielding a record low spin noise of 0.29 $\mu_B$Hz$^{-1/2}$. In addition, the new SOTs function at sub-Kelvin temperatures and in high magnetic fields of over 2.5 T. Integrating the SOTs into a scanning probe microscope allowed us to image the stray field of a single Fe$_3$O$_4$ nanocube at 300 mK. Our results show that the easy magnetization axis direction undergoes a transition from the (111) direction at room temperature to an in-plane orientation, which could be attributed to the Verwey phase transition in Fe$_3$O$_4$.}, author = {Anahory, Y. and Naren, H. R. and Lachman, E. O. and Sinai, S. Buhbut and Uri, A. and Embon, L. and Yaakobi, E. and Myasoedov, Y. and Huber, M. E. and Klajn, Rafal and Zeldov, E.}, issn = {2040-3372}, journal = {Nanoscale}, number = {5}, pages = {3174--3182}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, title = {{SQUID-on-tip with single-electron spin sensitivity for high-field and ultra-low temperature nanomagnetic imaging}}, doi = {10.1039/C9NR08578E}, volume = {12}, year = {2020}, } @inproceedings{7990, abstract = {Given a finite point set P in general position in the plane, a full triangulation is a maximal straight-line embedded plane graph on P. A partial triangulation on P is a full triangulation of some subset P' of P containing all extreme points in P. A bistellar flip on a partial triangulation either flips an edge, removes a non-extreme point of degree 3, or adds a point in P ⧵ P' as vertex of degree 3. The bistellar flip graph has all partial triangulations as vertices, and a pair of partial triangulations is adjacent if they can be obtained from one another by a bistellar flip. The goal of this paper is to investigate the structure of this graph, with emphasis on its connectivity. For sets P of n points in general position, we show that the bistellar flip graph is (n-3)-connected, thereby answering, for sets in general position, an open questions raised in a book (by De Loera, Rambau, and Santos) and a survey (by Lee and Santos) on triangulations. This matches the situation for the subfamily of regular triangulations (i.e., partial triangulations obtained by lifting the points and projecting the lower convex hull), where (n-3)-connectivity has been known since the late 1980s through the secondary polytope (Gelfand, Kapranov, Zelevinsky) and Balinski’s Theorem. Our methods also yield the following results (see the full version [Wagner and Welzl, 2020]): (i) The bistellar flip graph can be covered by graphs of polytopes of dimension n-3 (products of secondary polytopes). (ii) A partial triangulation is regular, if it has distance n-3 in the Hasse diagram of the partial order of partial subdivisions from the trivial subdivision. (iii) All partial triangulations are regular iff the trivial subdivision has height n-3 in the partial order of partial subdivisions. (iv) There are arbitrarily large sets P with non-regular partial triangulations, while every proper subset has only regular triangulations, i.e., there are no small certificates for the existence of non-regular partial triangulations (answering a question by F. Santos in the unexpected direction).}, author = {Wagner, Uli and Welzl, Emo}, booktitle = {36th International Symposium on Computational Geometry}, isbn = {9783959771436}, issn = {18688969}, location = {Zürich, Switzerland}, publisher = {Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik}, title = {{Connectivity of triangulation flip graphs in the plane (Part II: Bistellar flips)}}, doi = {10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2020.67}, volume = {164}, year = {2020}, } @inproceedings{7807, abstract = {In a straight-line embedded triangulation of a point set P in the plane, removing an inner edge and—provided the resulting quadrilateral is convex—adding the other diagonal is called an edge flip. The (edge) flip graph has all triangulations as vertices, and a pair of triangulations is adjacent if they can be obtained from each other by an edge flip. The goal of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the flip graph, with an emphasis on its connectivity. For sets in general position, it is known that every triangulation allows at least edge flips (a tight bound) which gives the minimum degree of any flip graph for n points. We show that for every point set P in general position, the flip graph is at least -vertex connected. Somewhat more strongly, we show that the vertex connectivity equals the minimum degree occurring in the flip graph, i.e. the minimum number of flippable edges in any triangulation of P, provided P is large enough. Finally, we exhibit some of the geometry of the flip graph by showing that the flip graph can be covered by 1-skeletons of polytopes of dimension (products of associahedra). A corresponding result ((n – 3)-vertex connectedness) can be shown for the bistellar flip graph of partial triangulations, i.e. the set of all triangulations of subsets of P which contain all extreme points of P. This will be treated separately in a second part.}, author = {Wagner, Uli and Welzl, Emo}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Annual ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms}, isbn = {9781611975994}, location = {Salt Lake City, UT, United States}, pages = {2823--2841}, publisher = {SIAM}, title = {{Connectivity of triangulation flip graphs in the plane (Part I: Edge flips)}}, doi = {10.1137/1.9781611975994.172}, volume = {2020-January}, year = {2020}, } @misc{13073, abstract = {The Mytilus complex of marine mussel species forms a mosaic of hybrid zones, found across temperate regions of the globe. This allows us to study "replicated" instances of secondary contact between closely-related species. Previous work on this complex has shown that local introgression is both widespread and highly heterogeneous, and has identified SNPs that are outliers of differentiation between lineages. Here, we developed an ancestry-informative panel of such SNPs. We then compared their frequencies in newly-sampled populations, including samples from within the hybrid zones, and parental populations at different distances from the contact. Results show that close to the hybrid zones, some outlier loci are near to fixation for the heterospecific allele, suggesting enhanced local introgression, or the local sweep of a shared ancestral allele. Conversely, genomic cline analyses, treating local parental populations as the reference, reveal a globally high concordance among loci, albeit with a few signals of asymmetric introgression. Enhanced local introgression at specific loci is consistent with the early transfer of adaptive variants after contact, possibly including asymmetric bi-stable variants (Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities), or haplotypes loaded with fewer deleterious mutations. Having escaped one barrier, however, these variants can be trapped or delayed at the next barrier, confining the introgression locally. These results shed light on the decay of species barriers during phases of contact.}, author = {Simon, Alexis and Fraisse, Christelle and El Ayari, Tahani and Liautard-Haag, Cathy and Strelkov, Petr and Welch, John and Bierne, Nicolas}, publisher = {Dryad}, title = {{How do species barriers decay? concordance and local introgression in mosaic hybrid zones of mussels}}, doi = {10.5061/DRYAD.R4XGXD29N}, year = {2020}, } @misc{13065, abstract = {Domestication is a human-induced selection process that imprints the genomes of domesticated populations over a short evolutionary time scale, and that occurs in a given demographic context. Reconstructing historical gene flow, effective population size changes and their timing is therefore of fundamental interest to understand how plant demography and human selection jointly shape genomic divergence during domestication. Yet, the comparison under a single statistical framework of independent domestication histories across different crop species has been little evaluated so far. Thus, it is unclear whether domestication leads to convergent demographic changes that similarly affect crop genomes. To address this question, we used existing and new transcriptome data on three crop species of Solanaceae (eggplant, pepper and tomato), together with their close wild relatives. We fitted twelve demographic models of increasing complexity on the unfolded joint allele frequency spectrum for each wild/crop pair, and we found evidence for both shared and species-specific demographic processes between species. A convergent history of domestication with gene-flow was inferred for all three species, along with evidence of strong reduction in the effective population size during the cultivation stage of tomato and pepper. The absence of any reduction in size of the crop in eggplant stands out from the classical view of the domestication process; as does the existence of a “protracted period” of management before cultivation. Our results also suggest divergent management strategies of modern cultivars among species as their current demography substantially differs. Finally, the timing of domestication is species-specific and supported by the few historical records available.}, author = {Arnoux, Stephanie and Fraisse, Christelle and Sauvage, Christopher}, publisher = {Dryad}, title = {{VCF files of synonymous SNPs related to: Genomic inference of complex domestication histories in three Solanaceae species}}, doi = {10.5061/DRYAD.Q2BVQ83HD}, year = {2020}, } @article{13361, abstract = {In nature, light is harvested by photoactive proteins to drive a range of biological processes, including photosynthesis, phototaxis, vision, and ultimately life. Bacteriorhodopsin, for example, is a protein embedded within archaeal cell membranes that binds the chromophore retinal within its hydrophobic pocket. Exposure to light triggers regioselective photoisomerization of the confined retinal, which in turn initiates a cascade of conformational changes within the protein, triggering proton flux against the concentration gradient, providing the microorganisms with the energy to live. We are inspired by these functions in nature to harness light energy using synthetic photoswitches under confinement. Like retinal, synthetic photoswitches require some degree of conformational flexibility to isomerize. In nature, the conformational change associated with retinal isomerization is accommodated by the structural flexibility of the opsin host, yet it results in steric communication between the chromophore and the protein. Similarly, we strive to design systems wherein isomerization of confined photoswitches results in steric communication between a photoswitch and its confining environment. To achieve this aim, a balance must be struck between molecular crowding and conformational freedom under confinement: too much crowding prevents switching, whereas too much freedom resembles switching of isolated molecules in solution, preventing communication. In this Account, we discuss five classes of synthetic light-switchable compounds—diarylethenes, anthracenes, azobenzenes, spiropyrans, and donor–acceptor Stenhouse adducts—comparing their behaviors under confinement and in solution. The environments employed to confine these photoswitches are diverse, ranging from planar surfaces to nanosized cavities within coordination cages, nanoporous frameworks, and nanoparticle aggregates. The trends that emerge are primarily dependent on the nature of the photoswitch and not on the material used for confinement. In general, we find that photoswitches requiring less conformational freedom for switching are, as expected, more straightforward to isomerize reversibly under confinement. Because these compounds undergo only small structural changes upon isomerization, however, switching does not propagate into communication with their environment. Conversely, photoswitches that require more conformational freedom are more challenging to switch under confinement but also can influence system-wide behavior. Although we are primarily interested in the effects of geometric constraints on photoswitching under confinement, additional effects inevitably emerge when a compound is removed from solution and placed within a new, more crowded environment. For instance, we have found that compounds that convert to zwitterionic isomers upon light irradiation often experience stabilization of these forms under confinement. This effect results from the mutual stabilization of zwitterions that are brought into close proximity on surfaces or within cavities. Furthermore, photoswitches can experience preorganization under confinement, influencing the selectivity and efficiency of their photoreactions. Because intermolecular interactions arising from confinement cannot be considered independently from the effects of geometric constraints, we describe all confinement effects concurrently throughout this Account.}, author = {Grommet, Angela B. and Lee, Lucia M. and Klajn, Rafal}, issn = {1520-4898}, journal = {Accounts of Chemical Research}, keywords = {General Medicine, General Chemistry}, number = {11}, pages = {2600--2610}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Molecular photoswitching in confined spaces}}, doi = {10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00434}, volume = {53}, year = {2020}, } @article{13362, abstract = {Aggregation of organic molecules can drastically affect their physicochemical properties. For instance, the optical properties of BODIPY dyes are inherently related to the degree of aggregation and the mutual orientation of BODIPY units within these aggregates. Whereas the noncovalent aggregation of various BODIPY dyes has been studied in diverse media, the ill-defined nature of these aggregates has made it difficult to elucidate the structure–property relationships. Here, we studied the encapsulation of three structurally simple BODIPY derivatives within the hydrophobic cavity of a water-soluble, flexible PdII6L4 coordination cage. The cavity size allowed for the selective encapsulation of two dye molecules, irrespective of the substitution pattern on the BODIPY core. Working with a model, a pentamethyl-substituted derivative, we found that the mutual orientation of two BODIPY units in the cage’s cavity was remarkably similar to that in the crystalline state of the free dye, allowing us to isolate and characterize the smallest possible noncovalent H-type BODIPY aggregate, namely, an H-dimer. Interestingly, a CF3-substituted BODIPY, known for forming J-type aggregates, was also encapsulated as an H-dimer. Taking advantage of the dynamic nature of encapsulation, we developed a system in which reversible switching between H- and J-aggregates can be induced for multiple cycles simply by addition and subsequent destruction of the cage. We expect that the ability to rapidly and reversibly manipulate the optical properties of supramolecular inclusion complexes in aqueous media will open up avenues for developing detection systems that operate within biological environments.}, author = {Gemen, Julius and Ahrens, Johannes and Shimon, Linda J. W. and Klajn, Rafal}, issn = {1520-5126}, journal = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, keywords = {Colloid and Surface Chemistry, Biochemistry, General Chemistry, Catalysis}, number = {41}, pages = {17721--17729}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Modulating the optical properties of BODIPY dyes by noncovalent dimerization within a flexible coordination cage}}, doi = {10.1021/jacs.0c08589}, volume = {142}, year = {2020}, } @article{13364, abstract = {Photochromic molecules undergo reversible isomerization upon irradiation with light at different wavelengths, a process that can alter their physical and chemical properties. For instance, dihydropyrene (DHP) is a deep-colored compound that isomerizes to light-brown cyclophanediene (CPD) upon irradiation with visible light. CPD can then isomerize back to DHP upon irradiation with UV light or thermally in the dark. Conversion between DHP and CPD is thought to proceed via a biradical intermediate; bimolecular events involving this unstable intermediate thus result in rapid decomposition and poor cycling performance. Here, we show that the reversible isomerization of DHP can be stabilized upon confinement within a PdII6L4 coordination cage. By protecting this reactive intermediate using the cage, each isomerization reaction proceeds to higher yield, which significantly decreases the fatigue experienced by the system upon repeated photocycling. Although molecular confinement is known to help stabilize reactive species, this effect is not typically employed to protect reactive intermediates and thus improve reaction yields. We envisage that performing reactions under confinement will not only improve the cyclic performance of photochromic molecules, but may also increase the amount of product obtainable from traditionally low-yielding organic reactions.}, author = {Canton, Martina and Grommet, Angela B. and Pesce, Luca and Gemen, Julius and Li, Shiming and Diskin-Posner, Yael and Credi, Alberto and Pavan, Giovanni M. and Andréasson, Joakim and Klajn, Rafal}, issn = {1520-5126}, journal = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, keywords = {Colloid and Surface Chemistry, Biochemistry, General Chemistry, Catalysis}, number = {34}, pages = {14557--14565}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Improving fatigue resistance of dihydropyrene by encapsulation within a coordination cage}}, doi = {10.1021/jacs.0c06146}, volume = {142}, year = {2020}, } @article{13365, abstract = {Photoswitchable molecules are employed for many applications, from the development of active materials to the design of stimuli-responsive molecular systems and light-powered molecular machines. To fully exploit their potential, we must learn ways to control the mechanism and kinetics of their photoinduced isomerization. One possible strategy involves confinement of photoresponsive switches such as azobenzenes or spiropyrans within crowded molecular environments, which may allow control over their light-induced conversion. However, the molecular factors that influence and control the switching process under realistic conditions and within dynamic molecular regimes often remain difficult to ascertain. As a case study, here we have employed molecular models to probe the isomerization of azobenzene guests within a Pd(II)-based coordination cage host in water. Atomistic molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations allow us to characterize the flexibility of the cage in the solvent, the (rare) guest encapsulation and release events, and the relative probability/kinetics of light-induced isomerization of azobenzene analogues in these host–guest systems. In this way, we can reconstruct the mechanism of azobenzene switching inside the cage cavity and explore key molecular factors that may control this event. We obtain a molecular-level insight on the effects of crowding and host–guest interactions on azobenzene isomerization. The detailed picture elucidated by this study may enable the rational design of photoswitchable systems whose reactivity can be controlled via host–guest interactions.}, author = {Pesce, Luca and Perego, Claudio and Grommet, Angela B. and Klajn, Rafal and Pavan, Giovanni M.}, issn = {1520-5126}, journal = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, keywords = {Colloid and Surface Chemistry, Biochemistry, General Chemistry, Catalysis}, number = {21}, pages = {9792--9802}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Molecular factors controlling the isomerization of Azobenzenes in the cavity of a flexible coordination cage}}, doi = {10.1021/jacs.0c03444}, volume = {142}, year = {2020}, } @article{13368, abstract = {Scanning nanoscale superconducting quantum interference devices (nanoSQUIDs) are of growing interest for highly sensitive quantitative imaging of magnetic, spintronic, and transport properties of low-dimensional systems. Utilizing specifically designed grooved quartz capillaries pulled into a sharp pipette, we have fabricated the smallest SQUID-on-tip (SOT) devices with effective diameters down to 39 nm. Integration of a resistive shunt in close proximity to the pipette apex combined with self-aligned deposition of In and Sn, has resulted in SOTs with a flux noise of 42 nΦ0 Hz−1/2, yielding a record low spin noise of 0.29 μB Hz−1/2. In addition, the new SOTs function at sub-Kelvin temperatures and in high magnetic fields of over 2.5 T. Integrating the SOTs into a scanning probe microscope allowed us to image the stray field of a single Fe3O4 nanocube at 300 mK. Our results show that the easy magnetization axis direction undergoes a transition from the 〈111〉 direction at room temperature to an in-plane orientation, which could be attributed to the Verwey phase transition in Fe3O4.}, author = {Anahory, Y. and Naren, H. R. and Lachman, E. O. and Buhbut Sinai, S. and Uri, A. and Embon, L. and Yaakobi, E. and Myasoedov, Y. and Huber, M. E. and Klajn, Rafal and Zeldov, E.}, issn = {2040-3372}, journal = {Nanoscale}, keywords = {General Materials Science}, number = {5}, pages = {3174--3182}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, title = {{SQUID-on-tip with single-electron spin sensitivity for high-field and ultra-low temperature nanomagnetic imaging}}, doi = {10.1039/c9nr08578e}, volume = {12}, year = {2020}, } @article{13363, abstract = {Temporal activation of biological processes by visible light and subsequent return to an inactive state in the absence of light is an essential characteristic of photoreceptor cells. Inspired by these phenomena, light-responsive materials are very attractive due to the high spatiotemporal control of light irradiation, with light being able to precisely orchestrate processes repeatedly over many cycles. Herein, it is reported that light-driven proton transfer triggered by a merocyanine-based photoacid can be used to modulate the permeability of pH-responsive polymersomes through cyclic, temporally controlled protonation and deprotonation of the polymersome membrane. The membranes can undergo repeated light-driven swelling–contraction cycles without losing functional effectiveness. When applied to enzyme loaded-nanoreactors, this membrane responsiveness is used for the reversible control of enzymatic reactions. This combination of the merocyanine-based photoacid and pH-switchable nanoreactors results in rapidly responding and versatile supramolecular systems successfully used to switch enzymatic reactions ON and OFF on demand.}, author = {Moreno, Silvia and Sharan, Priyanka and Engelke, Johanna and Gumz, Hannes and Boye, Susanne and Oertel, Ulrich and Wang, Peng and Banerjee, Susanta and Klajn, Rafal and Voit, Brigitte and Lederer, Albena and Appelhans, Dietmar}, issn = {1613-6829}, journal = {Small}, keywords = {Biomaterials, Biotechnology, General Materials Science, General Chemistry}, number = {37}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Light‐driven proton transfer for cyclic and temporal switching of enzymatic nanoreactors}}, doi = {10.1002/smll.202002135}, volume = {16}, year = {2020}, } @article{13367, abstract = {Confining molecules can fundamentally change their chemical and physical properties. Confinement effects are considered instrumental at various stages of the origins of life, and life continues to rely on layers of compartmentalization to maintain an out-of-equilibrium state and efficiently synthesize complex biomolecules under mild conditions. As interest in synthetic confined systems grows, we are realizing that the principles governing reactivity under confinement are the same in abiological systems as they are in nature. In this Review, we categorize the ways in which nanoconfinement effects impact chemical reactivity in synthetic systems. Under nanoconfinement, chemical properties can be modulated to increase reaction rates, enhance selectivity and stabilize reactive species. Confinement effects also lead to changes in physical properties. The fluorescence of light emitters, the colours of dyes and electronic communication between electroactive species can all be tuned under confinement. Within each of these categories, we elucidate design principles and strategies that are widely applicable across a range of confined systems, specifically highlighting examples of different nanocompartments that influence reactivity in similar ways.}, author = {Grommet, Angela B. and Feller, Moran and Klajn, Rafal}, issn = {1748-3395}, journal = {Nature Nanotechnology}, keywords = {Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Condensed Matter Physics, General Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Bioengineering}, pages = {256--271}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Chemical reactivity under nanoconfinement}}, doi = {10.1038/s41565-020-0652-2}, volume = {15}, year = {2020}, } @inproceedings{8536, abstract = {This work analyzes the latency of the simplified successive cancellation (SSC) decoding scheme for polar codes proposed by Alamdar-Yazdi and Kschischang. It is shown that, unlike conventional successive cancellation decoding, where latency is linear in the block length, the latency of SSC decoding is sublinear. More specifically, the latency of SSC decoding is O(N 1−1/µ ), where N is the block length and µ is the scaling exponent of the channel, which captures the speed of convergence of the rate to capacity. Numerical results demonstrate the tightness of the bound and show that most of the latency reduction arises from the parallel decoding of subcodes of rate 0 and 1.}, author = {Mondelli, Marco and Hashemi, Seyyed Ali and Cioffi, John and Goldsmith, Andrea}, booktitle = {IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory - Proceedings}, isbn = {9781728164328}, issn = {21578095}, location = {Los Angeles, CA, United States}, publisher = {IEEE}, title = {{Simplified successive cancellation decoding of polar codes has sublinear latency}}, doi = {10.1109/ISIT44484.2020.9174141}, volume = {2020-June}, year = {2020}, } @article{13466, abstract = {Context. A majority of massive stars are part of binary systems, a large fraction of which will inevitably interact during their lives. Binary-interaction products (BiPs), that is, stars affected by such interaction, are expected to be commonly present in stellar populations. BiPs are thus a crucial ingredient in the understanding of stellar evolution. Aims. We aim to identify and characterize a statistically significant sample of BiPs by studying clusters of 10 − 40 Myr, an age at which binary population models predict the abundance of BiPs to be highest. One example of such a cluster is NGC 330 in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Methods. Using MUSE WFM-AO observations of NGC 330, we resolved the dense cluster core for the first time and were able to extract spectra of its entire massive star population. We developed an automated spectral classification scheme based on the equivalent widths of spectral lines in the red part of the spectrum. Results. We characterize the massive star content of the core of NGC 330, which contains more than 200 B stars, 2 O stars, 6 A-type supergiants, and 11 red supergiants. We find a lower limit on the Be star fraction of 32 ± 3% in the whole sample. It increases to at least 46 ± 10% when we only consider stars brighter than V = 17 mag. We estimate an age of the cluster core between 35 and 40 Myr and a total cluster mass of 88−18+17 × 103 M⊙. Conclusions. We find that the population in the cluster core is different than the population in the outskirts: while the stellar content in the core appears to be older than the stars in the outskirts, the Be star fraction and the observed binary fraction are significantly higher. Furthermore, we detect several BiP candidates that will be subject of future studies.}, author = {Bodensteiner, J. and Sana, H. and Mahy, L. and Patrick, L. R. and de Koter, A. and de Mink, S. E. and Evans, C. J. and Götberg, Ylva Louise Linsdotter and Langer, N. and Lennon, D. J. and Schneider, F. R. N. and Tramper, F.}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, keywords = {stars: massive / stars: emission-line / Be / binaries: spectroscopic / blue stragglers / Magellanic Clouds}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{The young massive SMC cluster NGC 330 seen by MUSE}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201936743}, volume = {634}, year = {2020}, } @article{13465, abstract = {Gravitational-wave detections are now probing the black hole (BH) mass distribution, including the predicted pair-instability mass gap. These data require robust quantitative predictions, which are challenging to obtain. The most massive BH progenitors experience episodic mass ejections on time-scales shorter than the convective turnover time-scale. This invalidates the steady-state assumption on which the classic mixing length theory relies. We compare the final BH masses computed with two different versions of the stellar evolutionary code MESA ⁠: (i) using the default implementation of Paxton et al. (2018) and (ii) solving an additional equation accounting for the time-scale for convective deceleration. In the second grid, where stronger convection develops during the pulses and carries part of the energy, we find weaker pulses. This leads to lower amounts of mass being ejected and thus higher final BH masses of up to ∼5M⊙ ⁠. The differences are much smaller for the progenitors that determine the maximum mass of BHs below the gap. This prediction is robust at MBH,max≃48M⊙ ⁠, at least within the idealized context of this study. This is an encouraging indication that current models are robust enough for comparison with the present-day gravitational-wave detections. However, the large differences between individual models emphasize the importance of improving the treatment of convection in stellar models, especially in the light of the data anticipated from the third generation of gravitational-wave detectors.}, author = {Renzo, M and Farmer, R J and Justham, S and de Mink, S E and Götberg, Ylva Louise Linsdotter and Marchant, P}, issn = {1365-2966}, journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics}, number = {3}, pages = {4333--4341}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{Sensitivity of the lower edge of the pair-instability black hole mass gap to the treatment of time-dependent convection}}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/staa549}, volume = {493}, year = {2020}, } @article{13467, abstract = {Massive stars are often found in binary systems, and it has been argued that binary products boost the ionizing radiation of stellar populations. Accurate predictions for binary products are needed to understand and quantify their contribution to cosmic reionization. We investigate the contribution of stars stripped in binaries because (1) they are, arguably, the best-understood products of binary evolution, (2) we recently produced the first radiative transfer calculations for the atmospheres of these stripped stars that predict their ionizing spectra, and (3) they are very promising sources because they boost the ionizing emission of stellar populations at late times. This allows stellar feedback to clear the surroundings such that a higher fraction of their photons can escape and ionize the intergalactic medium. Combining our detailed predictions for the ionizing spectra with a simple cosmic reionization model, we estimate that stripped stars contributed tens of percent of the photons that caused cosmic reionization of hydrogen, depending on the assumed escape fractions. More importantly, stripped stars harden the ionizing emission. We estimate that the spectral index for the ionizing part of the spectrum can increase to −1 compared to ≲ − 2 for single stars. At high redshift, stripped stars and massive single stars combined dominate the He II-ionizing emission, but we expect that active galactic nuclei drive cosmic helium reionization. Further observational consequences we expect are (1) high ionization states for the intergalactic gas surrounding stellar systems, such as C IV and Si IV, and (2) additional heating of the intergalactic medium of up to a few thousand Kelvin. Quantifying these warrants the inclusion of accurate models for stripped stars and other binary products in full cosmological simulations.}, author = {Götberg, Ylva Louise Linsdotter and de Mink, S. E. and McQuinn, M. and Zapartas, E. and Groh, J. H. and Norman, C.}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{Contribution from stars stripped in binaries to cosmic reionization of hydrogen and helium}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201936669}, volume = {634}, year = {2020}, } @article{13463, abstract = {Present and upcoming time-domain astronomy efforts, in part driven by gravitational-wave follow-up campaigns, will unveil a variety of rare explosive transients in the sky. Here, we focus on pulsational pair-instability evolution, which can result in signatures that are observable with electromagnetic and gravitational waves. We simulated grids of bare helium stars to characterize the resulting black hole (BH) masses together with the ejecta composition, velocity, and thermal state. We find that the stars do not react “elastically” to the thermonuclear ignition in the core: there is not a one-to-one correspondence between pair-instability driven ignition and mass ejections, which causes ambiguity as to what is an observable pulse. In agreement with previous studies, we find that for initial helium core masses of 37.5 M⊙ ≲ MHe, init ≲ 41 M⊙, corresponding to carbon-oxygen core masses 27.5 M⊙ ≲ MCO ≲ 30.1 M⊙, the explosions are not strong enough to affect the surface. With increasing initial helium core mass, they become progressively stronger causing first large radial expansion (41 M⊙ ≲ MHe, init ≲ 42 M⊙, corresponding to 30.1 M⊙ ≲ MCO ≲ 30.8 M⊙) and, finally, also mass ejection episodes (for MHe, init ≳ 42 M⊙, or MCO ≳ 30.8 M⊙). The lowest mass helium core to be fully disrupted in a pair-instability supernova is MHe, init ≃ 80 M⊙, corresponding to MCO ≃ 55 M⊙. Models with MHe, init ≳ 200 M⊙ (MCO ≳ 114 M⊙) reach the photodisintegration regime, resulting in BHs with masses of MBH ≳ 125 M⊙. Although this is currently considered unlikely, if BHs from these models form via (weak) explosions, the previously-ejected material might be hit by the blast wave and convert kinetic energy into observable electromagnetic radiation. We characterize the hydrogen-free circumstellar material from the pulsational pair-instability of helium cores by simply assuming that the ejecta maintain a constant velocity after ejection. We find that our models produce helium-rich ejecta with mass of 10−3 M⊙ ≲ MCSM ≲ 40 M⊙, the larger values corresponding to the more massive progenitor stars. These ejecta are typically launched at a few thousand km s−1 and reach distances of ∼1012 − 1015 cm before the core-collapse of the star. The delays between mass ejection events and the final collapse span a wide and mass-dependent range (from subhour to 104 years), and the shells ejected can also collide with each other, powering supernova impostor events before the final core-collapse. The range of properties we find suggests a possible connection with (some) type Ibn supernovae.}, author = {Renzo, M. and Farmer, R. and Justham, S. and Götberg, Ylva Louise Linsdotter and de Mink, S. E. and Zapartas, E. and Marchant, P. and Smith, N.}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{Predictions for the hydrogen-free ejecta of pulsational pair-instability supernovae}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202037710}, volume = {640}, year = {2020}, } @article{13461, abstract = {High-resolution numerical simulations including feedback and aimed at calculating the escape fraction (fesc) of hydrogen-ionizing photons often assume stellar radiation based on single-stellar population synthesis models. However, strong evidence suggests the binary fraction of massive stars is ≳70%. Moreover, simulations so far have yielded values of fesc falling only on the lower end of the ∼10%–20% range, the amount presumed necessary to reionize the universe. Analyzing a high-resolution (4 pc) cosmological radiation-hydrodynamic simulation, we study how fesc changes when we include two different products of binary stellar evolution—stars stripped of their hydrogen envelopes and massive blue stragglers. Both produce significant amounts of ionizing photons 10–200 Myr after each starburst. We find the relative importance of these photons to be amplified with respect to escaped ionizing photons, because peaks in star formation rates (SFRs) and fesc are often out of phase by this 10–200 Myr. Additionally, low-mass, bursty galaxies emit Lyman continuum radiation primarily from binary products when SFRs are low. Observations of these galaxies by the James Webb Space Telescope could provide crucial information on the evolution of binary stars as a function of redshift. Overall, including stripped stars and massive blue stragglers increases our photon-weighted mean escape fraction ($\langle {f}_{\mathrm{esc}}\rangle $) by ∼13% and ∼10%, respectively, resulting in $\langle {f}_{\mathrm{esc}}\rangle =17 \% $. Our results emphasize that using updated stellar population synthesis models with binary stellar evolution provides a more sound physical basis for stellar reionization.}, author = {Secunda, Amy and Cen, Renyue and Kimm, Taysun and Götberg, Ylva Louise Linsdotter and de Mink, Selma E.}, issn = {1538-4357}, journal = {The Astrophysical Journal}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics}, number = {1}, publisher = {American Astronomical Society}, title = {{Delayed photons from binary evolution help reionize the universe}}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/abaefa}, volume = {901}, year = {2020}, } @article{13464, abstract = {Massive binaries that merge as compact objects are the progenitors of gravitational-wave sources. Most of these binaries experience one or more phases of mass transfer, during which one of the stars loses all or part of its outer envelope and becomes a stripped-envelope star. The evolution of the size of these stripped stars is crucial in determining whether they experience further interactions and understanding their ultimate fate. We present new calculations of stripped-envelope stars based on binary evolution models computed with MESA. We use these to investigate their radius evolution as a function of mass and metallicity. We further discuss their pre-supernova observable characteristics and potential consequences of their evolution on the properties of supernovae from stripped stars. At high metallicity, we find that practically all of the hydrogen-rich envelope is removed, which is in agreement with earlier findings. Only progenitors with initial masses below 10 M⊙ expand to large radii (up to 100 R⊙), while more massive progenitors remain compact. At low metallicity, a substantial amount of hydrogen remains and the progenitors can, in principle, expand to giant sizes (> 400 R⊙) for all masses we consider. This implies that they can fill their Roche lobe anew. We show that the prescriptions commonly used in population synthesis models underestimate the stellar radii by up to two orders of magnitude. We expect that this has consequences for the predictions for gravitational-wave sources from double neutron star mergers, particularly with regard to their metallicity dependence.}, author = {Laplace, E. and Götberg, Ylva Louise Linsdotter and de Mink, S. E. and Justham, S. and Farmer, R.}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{The expansion of stripped-envelope stars: Consequences for supernovae and gravitational-wave progenitors}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201937300}, volume = {637}, year = {2020}, }