[en] With a redshift of z ∼ 1.7, SN 1997ff is the most distant type Ia supernova discovered so far. This SN is close to several bright, z = 0.6-0.9 galaxies, and we consider the effects of lensing by those objects on the magnitude of SN 1997ff. We estimate their velocity dispersions using the Tully-Fisher and Faber-Jackson relations corrected for evolution effects, and calculate, applying the multiple-plane lensing formalism, that SN 1997ff is magnified by 0.34±0.12 mag. Due to the spatial configuration of the foreground galaxies, the shear from individual lenses partially cancels out,and the total distortion induced on the host galaxy is considerably smaller than that produced by a single lens having the same magnification. After correction for lensing, the revised distance to SN 1997ff is m-M = 45.49 ± 0.34 mag, which improves the agreement with the (Omega)_M = 0.35, (Omega)Λ = 0.65 cosmology expected from lower-redshift SNe Ia, and is inconsistent at the ∼ 3 sigma confidence level with a uniform gray dust model or a simple evolution model

[en] Supernova (SN) explosions are one of the most energetic--and potentially lethal--phenomena in the Universe. We show that the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association, a group of young stars currently located at ∼130 pc from the Sun, has generated 20 SN explosions during the last 11 Myr, some of them probably as close as 40 pc to our planet. The deposition on Earth of ⁶⁰Fe atoms produced by these explosions can explain the recent measurements of an excess of this isotope in deep ocean crust samples. We propose that ∼2 Myr ago, one of the SNe exploded close enough to Earth to seriously damage the ozone layer, provoking or contributing to the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary marine extinction

[en] We present a strong lensing (SL) mass model of A1689 which resolves substructures an estimated 25 kpc across within the central ∼400 kpc diameter. We achieve this resolution by perfectly reproducing the observed (strongly lensed) input positions of 168 multiple images of 55 knots residing within 135 images of 42 galaxies. Our model makes no assumptions about light tracing mass, yet we reproduce the brightest visible structures with some slight deviations. A1689 remains one of the strongest known lenses on the sky, with an Einstein radius of R_E = 47.''0 ± 1.''2 (143⁺³_-4 kpc) for a lensed source at z_s = 2. We find that a single Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) or Sersic profile yields a good fit simultaneously (with only slight tension) to both our SL mass model and published weak lensing (WL) measurements at larger radius (out to the virial radius). According to this NFW fit, A1689 has a mass of M_vir = 2.0^+0.5_-0.3 x 10¹⁵ M_sun h ^-1₇₀ (M₂₀₀ = 1.8^+0.4_-0.3 x 10¹⁵ M_sun h ^-1₇₀) within the virial radius r_vir = 3.0 ± 0.2 Mpc h ^-1₇₀ (r₂₀₀ = 2.4^+0.1_-0.2 Mpc h ^-1₇₀), and a central concentration c_vir = 11.5^+1.5_-1.4 (c₂₀₀ = 9.2 ± 1.2). Our SL model prefers slightly higher concentrations than previous SL models, bringing our SL + WL constraints in line with other recent derivations. Our results support those of previous studies which find A1689 has either an anomalously large concentration or significant extra mass along the line of sight (perhaps in part due to triaxiality). If clusters are generally found to have higher concentrations than realized in simulations, this could indicate that they formed earlier, perhaps as a result of early dark energy.

[en] We consider a cosmological model where dark matter and dark energy feature a coupling that only affects their momentum transfer in the corresponding Euler equations. We perform a fit to cosmological observables and confirm previous findings within these scenarios that favour the presence of a coupling at more than 3σ. This improvement is mainly driven by cluster counts from Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich data that we include as a certain prior. We subsequently perform a forecast for future J-PAS data and find that clustering measurements will permit to clearly discern the presence of an interaction within a few percent level with the uncoupled case at more than 10σ when the complete survey, covering 8500 sq. deg., is considered. We found that the inclusion of weak lensing measurements will not help to further constrain the coupling parameter. For completeness, we compare to forecasts for DESI and Euclid, which provide similar discriminating power. (paper)

[en] We present profiles of temperature, gas mass, and hydrostatic mass estimated from new and archival X-ray observations of CLASH clusters. We compare measurements derived from XMM and Chandra observations with one another and compare both to gravitational lensing mass profiles derived with CLASH Hubble Space Telescope and Subaru Telescope lensing data. Radial profiles of Chandra and XMM measurements of electron density and enclosed gas mass are nearly identical, indicating that differences in hydrostatic masses inferred from X-ray observations arise from differences in gas-temperature measurements. Encouragingly, gas temperatures measured in clusters by XMM and Chandra are consistent with one another at ∼100-200 kpc radii, but XMM temperatures systematically decline relative to Chandra temperatures at larger radii. The angular dependence of the discrepancy suggests that additional investigation on systematics such as the XMM point-spread function correction, vignetting, and off-axis responses is yet required. We present the CLASH-X mass-profile comparisons in the form of cosmology-independent and redshift-independent circular-velocity profiles. We argue that comparisons of circular-velocity profiles are the most robust way to assess mass bias. Ratios of Chandra hydrostatic equilibrium (HSE) mass profiles to CLASH lensing profiles show no obvious radial dependence in the 0.3-0.8 Mpc range. However, the mean mass biases inferred from the weak-lensing (WL) and SaWLens data are different. As an example, the weighted-mean value at 0.5 Mpc is (b) = 0.12 for the WL comparison and (b) = –0.11 for the SaWLens comparison. The ratios of XMM HSE mass profiles to CLASH lensing profiles show a pronounced radial dependence in the 0.3-1.0 Mpc range, with a weighted mean mass bias value rising to (b) ≳ 0.3 at ∼1 Mpc for the WL comparison and (b) ≈ 0.25 for the SaWLens comparison. The enclosed gas mass profiles from both Chandra and XMM rise to a value ≈1/8 times the total-mass profiles inferred from lensing at ≈0.5 Mpc and remain constant outside of that radius, suggesting that M _gas × 8 profiles may be an excellent proxy for total-mass profiles at ≳ 0.5 Mpc in massive galaxy clusters.