Clay weekly context brief for the Astro category (ISO week 2026-W39). Clay tracks publications from the Astro feed list. Below are recent items from this category, each with its source and a short description of what the publication covers when one is available in the source feed. Recent publications: 1. Giant Planets and Eccentric Orbits Are Common Around Galactic Thick Disc Stars Source: astro-ph.EP (Earth and Planetary Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17072 Planet formation in the Galactic thick disc is expected to be inefficient---low solid reservoirs, short disc lifetimes, and harsh irradiation environments should conspire to inhibit the assembly of planetary bodies---yet, planets are there, and they are stranger than we expected. 2. A model to mini-quench early galaxies by balancing stellar feedback and gas accretion Source: astro-ph.GA (Astrophysics of Galaxies) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19265 The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered a population of low-mass, early galaxies with very low levels of star formation over tens of Myr. 3. Hydrodynamic Simulations of Eccentric Black Hole Encounters in AGN Discs Source: astro-ph.HE (High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19281 We investigate close encounters between stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in the gaseous discs of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), during which binary black holes (BBHs) may form. 4. Investigation of magnetic-field effects on photomultiplier tubes for the first Large-Sized Telescope of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory Source: astro-ph.IM (Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19633 Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) are widely used in imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. 5. Precise and Accurate Mass and Radius Measurements of Thirty Galactic Metal-Poor Stars in Detached Eclipsing Binaries Source: astro-ph.SR (Solar and Stellar Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19248 Detached eclipsing binaries have long served as fundamental benchmarks for making direct comparisons with stellar models. 6. Mineral Detection of Neutrinos and Dark Matter 2026 Proceedings Source: astro-ph.CO (Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20552 The fourth "Mineral Detection of Neutrinos and Dark Matter" (MDvDM'26) meeting was held April 14-17, 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany, hosted by the Institute for Astroparticle Physics (IAP) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). 7. The Fate of Exomoons Around Hot Jupiters Source: astro-ph.EP (Earth and Planetary Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13263 Despite extensive searches, no exomoon has been confirmed. 8. Reconstructing the Projected Dark Matter Field across 0.1-100 Mpc Scales from the SDSS Survey Source: astro-ph.GA (Astrophysics of Galaxies) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19295 Dark matter sets the gravitational environment in which galaxies form and evolve, but cannot be observed directly. 9. Lepto-hadronic modeling of blazars associated with well-reconstructed high-energy neutrino events Source: astro-ph.HE (High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19477 The association of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with high-energy neutrinos has been studied through population and individual source analyzes, but whether these associations reflect physical processes or chance coincidences remains open. 10. Semi-automated single-mode fiber coupling for AO-fed spectrographs Source: astro-ph.IM (Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19978 Conventional astronomical spectrographs are seeing-limited and commonly use multimode fibers to inject starlight into downstream optics. 11. The T-GEX project. II. Chrono-chemo-dynamic signatures of UV-bright FGK stars Source: astro-ph.SR (Solar and Stellar Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19257 We compare the ages, chemical abundances, Galactic orbits, and inferred birth environments of 37 T-GEX stars with strong (G1), normal (G2), and intermediate (G3) UV emission. 12. Stasis Combs: Gravitational-Wave Signatures of Recurrent Cosmological Stasis Source: astro-ph.CO (Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20280 Cosmological stasis can recur multiple times, and each occurrence imprints a characteristic feature on the inflationary gravitational wave background (IGWB). 13. A Grid of Contribution Functions to Help the Interpretation of Time-resolved Observations of Brown Dwarfs Source: astro-ph.EP (Earth and Planetary Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19339 We present a grid of thermal emission contribution functions and their corresponding atmospheric spectra model for cloudy and cloud-free brown dwarfs, spanning effective temperatures $T_{\rm eff} \in [500, 2000]$ K, surface gravities $\log g = [3.5, 5.5]$ [cgs], sedimentation efficiencies $f_{\rm sed} = 1, 2, 3, 4$ and 8, and eddy diffusion coefficients $\log K_{\rm zz} = [6, 11]$. 14. MSA-3D: A Diversity of Dust Attenuation Profiles Across the Epoch of Thin Disk Emergence Source: astro-ph.GA (Astrophysics of Galaxies) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19298 We present spatially resolved measurements of dust attenuation and star formation in 18 main-sequence star-forming galaxies at z$\sim$1 from the MSA-3D survey, obtained by mapping the Balmer emission lines at $\sim$1 kpc resolution with JWST/NIRSpec's MSA in a slit-stepping strategy. 15. Polarization of Synchrotron Emission from Rotation Powered Pulsars Source: astro-ph.HE (High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19741 With the launch of the Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer in 2021, recent observations have provided X-ray polarization data for several rotation-powered pulsars. 16. The SHARPEx space-to-space VLBI experiment Source: astro-ph.IM (Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20102 Space is the next frontier for ultra-high resolution imaging of astrophysical sources with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI). 17. Extragalactic Multi-Band Exploration of Red Supergiants (EMBERS): Pipeline, Source Classification, and Bolometric Properties of 101,219 Red Supergiants from Source: astro-ph.SR (Solar and Stellar Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19344 The evolution of red supergiants (RSGs), especially in their final stages before exploding as hydrogen-rich Type II supernovae (SNe), remains poorly understood, owing to small samples of well-characterized stars in the Local Group. 18. Multiparameter sensing of axion dark matter with superconducting-qubit networks Source: astro-ph.CO (Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20254 We propose a quantum sensor network for direct detection of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) axion dark matter using entangled superconducting qubits. 19. Mapping Molecular Ion Distributions in a Diverse Sample of Protoplanetary Disks Source: astro-ph.EP (Earth and Planetary Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19313 Observations of ionization-tracing molecules in protoplanetary disks suggest that their ionization environments are diverse due to varying degrees of cosmic ray modulation, stellar activity, and environmental differences that alter the impact of ionizing radiation. 20. Sub-arcsecond imaging of HCN and CN in the Orion Bar. UV-driven warm Nitrogen chemistry in dense environments Source: astro-ph.GA (Astrophysics of Galaxies) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19361 Rotationally excited HCN and CN lines, due to their high critical densities, are often used as tracers of gas densities. 21. The rise and decline of a transient obscuration event in a moderately distant type-I quasar Source: astro-ph.HE (High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19910 Outflows of ionised material, often dubbed warm absorbers (WAs), are common in nearby Seyferts but sparse in distant and more energetic quasars (QSOs). 22. Offline vs Real-Time Validation and Performance Assessment of Heimdall Detection Pipeline for Fast Radio Bursts Source: astro-ph.IM (Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20635 Data rates from current radio telescopes are of $\sim$O(10)PB/y and we expect a growth of an order of magnitude for future radio telescopes, e.g. 23. Energy redistribution during 2D oscillatory reconnection Source: astro-ph.SR (Solar and Stellar Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19461 Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental energy release mechanism in solar and space plasmas. 24. The extreme Disturbed Galaxy Cluster Sample (eDGeS): Spectroscopy and Dynamical Analysis of the eROSITA-Selected Merging Galaxy Cluster Candidate 1eRASS J025859. Source: astro-ph.CO (Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19509 Addressing open questions such as the effect of galaxy cluster mergers on the evolution of galaxies and the self-interaction cross-section of dark matter requires the construction of a large, diverse sample of disturbed galaxy clusters. 25. Coronal Mass Ejections from Young Suns: An Observational View through the Solar-Stellar Connection Source: astro-ph.EP (Earth and Planetary Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19278 Kepler and TESS have revealed that magnetically active stars frequently produce flares and superflares, raising the possibility that frequent, fast, and massive coronal mass ejections (CMEs) may affect planetary space weather environments. 26. Star clusters as tracers of the perturbed southern outer disk of the Large Magellanic Cloud Source: astro-ph.GA (Astrophysics of Galaxies) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19365 The complex interaction history between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (L/SMC) has left significant imprints on their structural and chemical evolution. 27. Investigating the influence of the full-kinematics treatment for charged-current processes in binary neutron star mergers Source: astro-ph.HE (High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19922 Weak interactions are fundamental in the merger of binary neutron stars (BNS). 28. All-Fiber Broadband Wavelength-Division Multiplexing using Heterogeneous Photonic Lanterns Source: astro-ph.IM (Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20642 This work presents an all-fiber broadband wavelength-division multiplexing architecture using 1x7 heterogeneous photonic lanterns (PLs), specifically PL-(6+1) and PL-(4+3). 29. Multi-thermal Structure of Solar Jets based on Combined EUV and Ha Observations Source: astro-ph.SR (Solar and Stellar Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19566 This study investigates the multi-thermal structure of solar jets by combining extreme ultra-violet (EUV) and Ha observations, addressing whether cool and hot components originate from the same jet, their morphological similarities and differences, and the role of mini-filaments. 30. Relativistic Stellar Oscillations from Ultralight Dark Matter Source: astro-ph.CO (Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19500 Ultra-light dark matter, composed of bosons behaving as classical waves, can resonantly excite stellar oscillations. 31. Galactic archaeology meets exoplanets: linking stellar birth radii to exoplanet demographics Source: astro-ph.EP (Earth and Planetary Astrophysics) Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19274 Stars observed in the solar vicinity were not necessarily born there. Sources in this brief: astro-ph.CO (Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics); astro-ph.EP (Earth and Planetary Astrophysics); astro-ph.GA (Astrophysics of Galaxies); astro-ph.HE (High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena); astro-ph.IM (Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics); astro-ph.SR (Solar and Stellar Astrophysics). Selected 31 of 381 available items for this weekly brief.