High-spectral-resolution X-Ray Observations of the Evolved Supermassive Stellar Binary System η Carinae: Fe Kα Band Profile Revealed with XRISM

01/06/2026 - High-Energy

The supermassive binary system, η Carinae, is experiencing enormous wind-driven mass loss at a rate unparalleled in the rest of the Galaxy. Their wind─wind collision (WWC) continuously produces shock heated, X-ray-emitting plasmas. The XRISM X-ray observatory observed the system in 2023 and 2024 when the X-ray emission began to increase toward periastron passage in 2025.…

Read more

XRISM high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of Cygnus X-1: Orbital and short-term variability of iron absorption

01/06/2026 - High-Energy

We present the first high-resolution spectroscopy of the black hole high-mass X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 with XRISM, including orbital-phase-resolved analyses and tentative evidence of short-term variability in the Fe K band on second timescales. Using data from the Performance Verification phase in 2024 April, we analyzed spectral variability across orbital phases with the Resolve microcalorimeter…

Read more

Sensitivity of dry lava planet atmospheric emission spectra to changes in lava compositions

01/06/2026 - Exoplanets

The atmospheres of hot rocky exoplanets are among the first primary targets of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Interpreting their atmospheric spectra requires understanding the link between silicate lava compositions and overlying atmospheres. We investigate the sensitivity of simulated emission spectra of dry lava planets to variations in oxide abundances in silicate melt. Our…

Read more