{
  "abstract": "S251112cm is a nearby (93 ± 27 Mpc) compact-binary merger candidate with a high inferred probability that at least one component is below 1 M ⊙ . This event provides a rare test case for electromagnetic follow-up of a theoretically predicted but unconfirmed sub-solar-mass merger candidate. Motivated by scenarios predicting near-infrared (NIR)-bright emission over weeks to months, we carried out a deep galaxy-targeted UKIRT J -band campaign over approximately 2 months, prioritizing host candidates by a ranking that combines the three-dimensional localization probability with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) W1 luminosity as a stellar-mass proxy. Of ∼9000 candidate hosts, we monitored 59, corresponding to 7.7% of the cumulative weighted host prior. Difference imaging reveals no convincing transient down to typical depths of J ∼ 22–23 mag (AB). At this distance, both a Type Ic-BL supernova template and an AT 2017gfo-like kilonova (KN) template—including time-shifted variants up to Δ t ∼ 60 days—would have remained above our median depth for multiple epochs within the monitored hosts. Comparison with a canonical KN model grid, summarized through conditional weighted consistent-fraction maps, shows that bright configurations with high dynamical and wind-ejecta masses are strongly disfavored, while less luminous configurations remain largely permissible. While these constraints are host limited and do not constitute an event-wide exclusion, this campaign provides the first empirical case study of long-baseline, deep NIR follow-up for a sub-solar-mass merger gravitational-wave (GW) class and demonstrates a host-weighted framework applicable to future galaxy-targeted campaigns.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Hawai'i",
    "University Park"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gregory S. H. Paek",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6639-6533"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Felipe Olivares E.",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5115-6377"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Willem B. Hoogendam",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3953-9532"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8ny5bbn9v3m9q.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/ae9e26",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "8ny5bbn9v3m9q",
  "issns": [
    "0004-637X",
    "1538-4357"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9e26",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221797025",
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9e26/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8ny5bbn9v3m9q.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/ae9e26",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9e26"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "openalex:3103|Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research",
      "subfield": "high-energy-astrophysics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A 2 month Galaxy-targeted Near-infrared Follow-up of the Sub-solar-mass Gravitational-wave Candidate S251112cm: Probing Electromagnetic Counterpart Scenarios",
  "title_text": "A 2 month Galaxy-targeted Near-infrared Follow-up of the Sub-solar-mass Gravitational-wave Candidate S251112cm: Probing Electromagnetic Counterpart Scenarios",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8ny5bbn9v3m9q",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}