First detection of relativistic angular deformation δ_θ in PSR J1757−1854 via MeerKAT-enhanced timing, ruling out two of four prior geometric solutions while confirming GR consistency for orbital decay.
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The mass distribution and gravitational potential of the Milky Way
40 Pith papers cite this work, alongside 942 external citations. Polarity classification is still indexing.
40
Pith papers citing it
942
external citations · Pith
abstract
We present mass models of the Milky Way created to fit observational constraints and to be consistent with expectations from theoretical modelling. The method used to create these models is that demonstrated in McMillan (2011), and we improve on those models by adding gas discs to the potential, considering the effects of allowing the inner slope of the halo density profile to vary, and including new observations of maser sources in the Milky Way amongst the new constraints. We provide a best fitting model, as well as estimates of the properties of the Milky Way. Under the assumptions in our main model, we find that the Sun is $R_0 = (8.20\pm0.09)\,\mathrm{kpc}$ from the Galactic Centre, with the circular speed at the Sun being $v_0 = (232.8\pm3.0)\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$; that the Galaxy has a total stellar mass of $(54.3\pm5.7)\times10^9\,{\rm M}_\odot$, a total virial mass of $(1.30 \pm 0.30)\times10^{12}\,{\rm M}_\odot$ and a local dark-matter density of $0.38\pm0.04\,\mathrm{GeV\,cm}^{-3}$, where the quoted uncertainties are statistical. These values are sensitive to our choice of priors and constraints. We investigate systematic uncertainties, which in some cases may be larger. For example, if we weaken our prior on $R_0$, we find it to be $(7.97\pm0.15)\,\mathrm{kpc}$ and that $v_0=(226.8\pm4.2)\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$. We find that most of these properties, including the local dark-matter density, are remarkably insensitive to the assumed power-law density slope at the centre of the dark-matter halo. We find that it is unlikely that the local standard of rest differs significantly from that found under assumptions of axisymmetry. We have made code to compute the force from our potential, and to integrate orbits within it, publicly available.
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representative citing papers
A 6D kinematic census identifies 18 anomalous Cepheids with extreme orbits, including one possibly scattered by globular cluster E3, and finds consistency between dynamical and stellar ages.
Observational identification of a low-α Splash population in APOGEE DR17 and GASTRO simulations showing that clumpy proto-disk scattering, but not a major merger alone, heats old thin-disk stars to form both high- and low-α Splash components.
A neural network trained on simulations infers stripping times for Sagittarius stream stars from phase-space data, measuring a 0.3 dex/Gyr metallicity gradient and estimating ages for globular clusters such as Pal 12 and NGC 2419.
Severe gas expulsion and expansion in a primordial star cluster, combined with a top-heavy IMF, can reproduce the high velocity dispersion and broad stream of C-19 without dark matter subhalos.
DESI-HVS1 is the first reported old, low-mass, metal-poor hypervelocity star candidate whose reconstructed orbit points to a Galactic Center origin.
SIDM halos accelerate bar formation and growth in disk galaxies through enhanced angular momentum exchange, independent of core formation.
A PINN approach learns galactic gravitational potentials from acceleration data, achieving sub-percent errors on simulations while outperforming analytic models and retaining interpretability via structured priors.
Koposov 2 is shown to be an old (13.7 Gyr) star cluster with half-light radius 2.7 pc, absolute magnitude -0.95, and stellar mass 372 solar masses, supporting a star cluster classification over a dwarf galaxy.
Hot Jupiter occurrence in the Galactic halo is low at ~0.13% with no significant difference between in-situ and accreted populations, well below disk rates.
Stellar feedback regulates radial gas inflow in the Milky Way center, yielding time-averaged rates that fall from 5e-3 to 1e-6 solar masses per year with both smooth secular and episodic components.
DAMPE independently detects the Fermi bubbles at 26 sigma and the Galactic center GeV excess at 7 sigma, with the excess spectrum and morphology matching Fermi-LAT and fitting a 50 GeV dark matter particle annihilating to b quarks.
300S stellar stream exhibits three density peaks, smooth width variations, a possible 4.7 degree gap, and a kink modeled as resulting from Large Magellanic Cloud interaction across its full known footprint.
IY Lyr is a thick-disk RRc star with a 1.37 solar-mass companion most likely a neutron star in a 3.94-year eccentric orbit, confirmed by photometry, spectroscopy, and astrometry.
Mutual information analysis of TNG50 simulations shows gravitational potential and total energy retain merger mass and infall time information longest, while radial velocity loses it within ~5 Gyr, with washout depending on radius, merger age, and mass.
NEFERTITI simulations show that the Milky Way's most metal-poor stars largely come from a handful of accreted massive dwarf galaxies, while reproducing the JWST Hebe galaxy at z~11 as a pure Population III system.
Kepler image-subtracted photometry yields 81,498 light curves and a catalog of 87 periodic variable candidates in NGC 6819, including 26 newly discovered ones.
Classification of pulsars into bimodal kick modes shows low-B objects overabundant in the low-velocity mode, with no high-velocity examples below 10^11 G.
DESI K-giant catalog identifies Aleph, Sagittarius, GSE, Cetus-Palca and Orphan-Chenab, then shows residual halo high-angular-momentum stars have bimodal MDFs unlike GSE or Sagittarius.
Magnetic inclination alignment with timescale proportional to B to the minus two suppresses observed numbers of strong-field neutron stars, unifying pulsars and magnetars under one log-uniform initial B distribution.
Gaia-derived parameters for 13 Orion clusters fed into N-body simulations reveal two regimes: seven with α_vir ≲ 7 retain bound cores for ≳170 Myr while six with α_vir ≳ 7 dissolve before 120 Myr.
Test-particle simulations show that Galactic bar pattern speed systematically deflects open-cluster tidal tail orientations, with NGC 2632 and Hyades tails disfavouring moderate speeds.
A blind 12D chemo-dynamical clustering analysis with UMAP and HDBSCAN on SDSS-V DR19 and Gaia DR3 data recovers seven known halo substructures and reports five new tightly bound candidates FO1-FO5.
ARTEMIS and EAGLE simulations classify L* galaxies by central BH-to-stellar-mass ratio and trace how merger history drives divergence in BH growth, star formation, and morphology, offering an explanation for the observed scatter and for MW/M31 differences.
citing papers explorer
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Detection of relativistic orbital deformation from improved timing of PSR J1757$-$1854
First detection of relativistic angular deformation δ_θ in PSR J1757−1854 via MeerKAT-enhanced timing, ruling out two of four prior geometric solutions while confirming GR consistency for orbital decay.
-
Rogue Ones: Orbital census of Galactic Cepheids and their Anomalies
A 6D kinematic census identifies 18 anomalous Cepheids with extreme orbits, including one possibly scattered by globular cluster E3, and finds consistency between dynamical and stellar ages.
-
The Low-$\alpha$ Splash Population in the Milky Way
Observational identification of a low-α Splash population in APOGEE DR17 and GASTRO simulations showing that clumpy proto-disk scattering, but not a major merger alone, heats old thin-disk stars to form both high- and low-α Splash components.
-
Reconstructing the Stripping History of the Sagittarius Stream with Neural Networks
A neural network trained on simulations infers stripping times for Sagittarius stream stars from phase-space data, measuring a 0.3 dex/Gyr metallicity gradient and estimating ages for globular clusters such as Pal 12 and NGC 2419.
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The formation of the C-19 progenitor: a primordial cluster heated by gas expulsion
Severe gas expulsion and expansion in a primordial star cluster, combined with a top-heavy IMF, can reproduce the high velocity dispersion and broad stream of C-19 without dark matter subhalos.
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An Old, Low-mass, Metal-poor Hypervelocity Star Candidate Consistent with a Galactic Center Origin
DESI-HVS1 is the first reported old, low-mass, metal-poor hypervelocity star candidate whose reconstructed orbit points to a Galactic Center origin.
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Self-interacting dark matter promotes bar formation in disk galaxies
SIDM halos accelerate bar formation and growth in disk galaxies through enhanced angular momentum exchange, independent of core formation.
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Reconstructing Galactic Gravitational Potentials from Stellar Kinematics with Physics-Informed Neural Networks
A PINN approach learns galactic gravitational potentials from acceleration data, achieving sub-percent errors on simulations while outperforming analytic models and retaining interpretability via structured priors.
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The Hubble Missing Globular Clusters Survey IV. Ultra-faint compact satellites of the Milky Way. The case of Koposov 2
Koposov 2 is shown to be an old (13.7 Gyr) star cluster with half-light radius 2.7 pc, absolute magnitude -0.95, and stellar mass 372 solar masses, supporting a star cluster classification over a dwarf galaxy.
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Exoplanets in ancient stellar populations: occurrence constraints and hot-Jupiter candidates in the Galactic halo
Hot Jupiter occurrence in the Galactic halo is low at ~0.13% with no significant difference between in-situ and accreted populations, well below disk rates.
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Simulations of gas inflow in the Milky Way I. Stellar-Feedback-Regulated Transport from the Central Molecular Zone to the Circumnuclear disk
Stellar feedback regulates radial gas inflow in the Milky Way center, yielding time-averaged rates that fall from 5e-3 to 1e-6 solar masses per year with both smooth secular and episodic components.
-
Observations of the Fermi bubbles and the Galactic center excess with the DArk Matter Particle Explorer
DAMPE independently detects the Fermi bubbles at 26 sigma and the Galactic center GeV excess at 7 sigma, with the excess spectrum and morphology matching Fermi-LAT and fitting a 50 GeV dark matter particle annihilating to b quarks.
-
Sifting for a Stream: The Morphology of the $300S$ Stellar Stream
300S stellar stream exhibits three density peaks, smooth width variations, a possible 4.7 degree gap, and a kink modeled as resulting from Large Magellanic Cloud interaction across its full known footprint.
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IY Lyr: A Thick-Disk first-overtone RR Lyrae Star with a Possible Neutron Star Companion
IY Lyr is a thick-disk RRc star with a 1.37 solar-mass companion most likely a neutron star in a 3.94-year eccentric orbit, confirmed by photometry, spectroscopy, and astrometry.
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Galactic Amnesia: The Information Washout of the Milky Way Merger History
Mutual information analysis of TNG50 simulations shows gravitational potential and total energy retain merger mass and infall time information longest, while radial velocity loses it within ~5 Gyr, with washout depending on radius, merger age, and mass.
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NEFERTITI: Linking early galaxy formation to the assembly of the Milky Way
NEFERTITI simulations show that the Milky Way's most metal-poor stars largely come from a handful of accreted massive dwarf galaxies, while reproducing the JWST Hebe galaxy at z~11 as a pure Population III system.
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Kepler Image-Subtracted Light Curves and Variable Star Catalog of NGC 6819
Kepler image-subtracted photometry yields 81,498 light curves and a catalog of 87 periodic variable candidates in NGC 6819, including 26 newly discovered ones.
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Kick bimodality of neutron stars and mode dependence of their parameters
Classification of pulsars into bimodal kick modes shows low-B objects overabundant in the low-velocity mode, with no high-velocity examples below 10^11 G.
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Disentangling the Distant Stellar Halo Using K-Giants in the DESI Year 3 Data
DESI K-giant catalog identifies Aleph, Sagittarius, GSE, Cetus-Palca and Orphan-Chenab, then shows residual halo high-angular-momentum stars have bimodal MDFs unlike GSE or Sagittarius.
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A Log-Uniform Initial Magnetic Field Distribution Explains Pulsar and Magnetar Populations through Magnetic Inclination Alignment
Magnetic inclination alignment with timescale proportional to B to the minus two suppresses observed numbers of strong-field neutron stars, unifying pulsars and magnetars under one log-uniform initial B distribution.
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Dynamical evolution and dissolution timescale of young stellar clusters in the Orion star-forming complex
Gaia-derived parameters for 13 Orion clusters fed into N-body simulations reveal two regimes: seven with α_vir ≲ 7 retain bound cores for ≳170 Myr while six with α_vir ≳ 7 dissolve before 120 Myr.
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Bar-induced deflection of open cluster tidal tails
Test-particle simulations show that Galactic bar pattern speed systematically deflects open-cluster tidal tail orientations, with NGC 2632 and Hyades tails disfavouring moderate speeds.
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Unsupervised Chemo-Dynamical Dissection of the Inner Galactic Halo: Discovery of Five Accreted Substructures with SDSS-V and Gaia
A blind 12D chemo-dynamical clustering analysis with UMAP and HDBSCAN on SDSS-V DR19 and Gaia DR3 data recovers seven known halo substructures and reports five new tightly bound candidates FO1-FO5.
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Co-evolution of Supermassive Black Holes and their Host L* galaxies: implications for Milky Way and M31
ARTEMIS and EAGLE simulations classify L* galaxies by central BH-to-stellar-mass ratio and trace how merger history drives divergence in BH growth, star formation, and morphology, offering an explanation for the observed scatter and for MW/M31 differences.
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The Sensitivity of PUEO to Cosmogenic Neutrinos and Exotic Physics Scenarios
PUEO will constrain the proton fraction of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays under strong source evolution and set leading neutrino constraints on ultraheavy dark matter decays and some cosmic string models above 10^19 eV.
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Cosmological Simulations of Stellar Halos with Gaia Sausage-Enceladus Analogues: Two Sausages, One Bun?
TNG50 simulations of 98 Milky Way analogues find GSE-like debris in 32 cases, with two-merger GSEs in one third; single- and two-merger cases differ in median infall time (5.9 vs 10.7 Gyr ago), abundances, and star-formation histories.
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Applying Liouville's Theorem to Gaia Data
Phase-space density is recovered from Gaia data for M4 and disrupted streams by correcting entropy injection and minimizing stream entropy, enabling original mass inference via Liouville's theorem.
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Characterizing the velocity anisotropy of the Milky Way's stellar halo
A large sample of blue horizontal-branch stars reveals that the Milky Way halo anisotropy increases from the center, stays radially dominated after removing merger debris, and shows older stars on colder, less radial orbits in the inner regions.
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Substructures of the Milky Way's Retrograde Halo: Evidence for Multiple Accretion Events
The Milky Way retrograde halo contains debris from multiple accreted dwarf galaxies, shown by distinct metallicity distribution peaks that remain separate even when combined with orbital dynamics.
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Galactic Cosmic Ray Transport in the Giant Circumgalactic Medium Halo
Galactic cosmic rays in a giant CGM halo develop an extended 1/r spatial tail and broader age distribution while remaining consistent with secondary-to-primary ratio data.
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Resolved Ages and Stellar Metallicities in Progenitors of Milky Way Analogs: A Closer Look at their Star Formation Histories since $z=5$
Resolved stellar property gradients in Milky Way analog progenitors show inside-out assembly with minor, temporary disruption from major mergers.
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The potential of diffuse Galactic Ridge neutrino measurements to constrain dark matter
ANTARES Galactic Ridge neutrino measurements can constrain annihilating and decaying dark matter for various masses and profiles while comparing to astrophysical backgrounds, with forecasts for future observatories.
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SED and Galactic kinematic diagnostics for dormant BH/NS binary candidates
SED fitting plus kinematic diagnostics identify 182 top dormant BH/NS binary candidates from Gaia DR3, with 19 likely black hole systems having companion masses >=3 solar masses.
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Redshifted civilizations, galactic empires, and the Fermi paradox
Civilizations can achieve galaxy-spanning reach within biological lifetimes via time-dilated orbits near black hole photon spheres using classical general relativity, with a Type II civilization enabling 10^4 dilation factors.
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Black holes surrounded by dark matter spike: Spacetime metrics and gravitational wave ringdown waveforms
Black hole spacetimes in dark matter spikes are solved analytically from TOV equations; ringdown quasinormal frequencies differ from Schwarzschild by up to order 10^{-4}.
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Directly testing gravity with Proxima Centauri
Proposes that 10 years of 0.5 μas astrometry of Proxima Centauri can distinguish MOND from Newtonian gravity in the low-acceleration regime.
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The Pulsar Radial Acceleration Relation
Pulsar timing tests the vector RAR but current measurements are dominated by the Solar acceleration, producing similar chi-squared fits to a constant-acceleration model.
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Implications of low neutron star merger rates for gamma-ray bursts, r-process production and Galactic double neutron stars
Lower BNS merger rates from GWTC-4 data produce tensions of factors 3.6-18 with SGRB rates, 0.9-4.1 with r-process rates, and 2.3-5.1 with Galactic DNS rates.
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Classical Be Stars and Classical Be Star Binaries from LAMOST DR12
From LAMOST DR12, 504 classical Be stars are cataloged with 141 new, 14 RV-variable binaries, 60 RUWE-based candidates, 34 cluster members, and 37 runaways.
- Observational Signatures and Constraints on the Intermediate Neutron-Capture Process. The Case of the CEMP star TYC 6044-714-1 (RAVE J094921.8-161722)