SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

B. Wang

Publications and source records attributed to B. Wang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Apodex 1.1: Scaling Agentic Intelligence for Complex Work

General-purpose language models can reason and synthesize knowledge, but complex work also requires sustained interaction with files, information sources, and executable code, together with state maintenance, failure recovery, and verifiable delivery. We call this \emph{working capability}: sustained, verifiable progress toward a real-world objective. Apodex 1.1 develops this capability along two complementary dimensions. \emph{Environment Scaling} expands the diversity and verifiability of executable file, search, and code environments, while \emph{Agentic Coordination Scaling} trains agents to decompose long-horizon tasks, delegate parallel work, integrate asynchronous results, and replan. A shared execution harness and AgentOS maintain task state and provenance across tools and agents, and training turns environment trajectories and coordination traces into reliable behavior. Across complex professional work, finance, scientific research, mathematics, coding, and search, Apodex 1.1 reaches the leading performance band despite using a substantially smaller model than many frontier systems. The 35B-parameter Apodex 1.1 Mini further retains strong working capability in a locally deployable form. These results ground agentic intelligence in useful, verifiable work completed over time and advance our goal of building a \emph{Heavy-Duty Solver} for ambitious, long-running tasks.

cs.AI

Euclid: Discovery of 31 new quasars at $6.6 < z < 7.8$

We report the discovery of 31 new high-$z$ quasars in the redshift range $6.6 < z < 7.8$. These quasars were selected from approximately 3000 deg$^2$ of sky covered during the first 1.5 years of the Euclid Wide Survey, representing the initial results of the Euclid high-$z$ quasar search. Our candidate selection employed multiple machine-learning and probabilistic techniques applied to the Euclid $I_E$, $Y_E$, $J_E$, and $H_E$ images, supplemented by ancillary $z$-band data when available. Spectroscopic follow-up observations were carried out with Keck, Magellan, and the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). Among the new discoveries, there are 12 quasars at $z \geq 7$, more than doubling the number of previously known quasars at $z \geq 7$. The newly discovered quasars exhibit $21.2 < J_E < 23.2$ ($-25.5 < M_{1450} < -23.6$), extending quasar studies to the faint end of the quasar luminosity function (QLF) at $z \gtrsim 7$. The quasar with the highest-$z$, EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 at $z \approx 7.77$, sets the new redshift record for the most distant quasar ever reported. These discoveries demonstrate Euclid's transformative role in high-$z$ quasar discovery and set the stage for future follow-up studies of the early galaxies hosting quasars, supermassive black hole growth, and the intergalactic medium in the epoch of reionisation.

astro-ph.GA

3D Imaging of Complex Skyrmion and Hopf Topologies in an Extended Sample

Spin textures are key for emergent magnetic phenomena such as topological protection and underpin novel spintronic device paradigms based on racetrack memory, logic gates, and neuromorphic computing. Using a coherent diffractive imaging technique called vector ptycho-tomography, in combination with algorithms that are robust to noise, we image the 3D magnetic texture of skyrmion and Hopf topologies with no prior assumptions about the sample. This directly reveals experimentally for the first time an extended 3D skyrmion lattice, including the domain wall shape, topological charge, helicity, and Hopf index. Our findings demonstrate experimentally that dipole stabilized skyrmions in Fe/Gd multilayers exhibit barrel-shaped skyrmion tubes with a twisted helicity, transitioning from N$\'e$el-type winding at the surfaces to both clockwise and counterclockwise Bloch-type winding in the bulk, that can also be described as fractional hopfions. We image a lattice of 24 skyrmions with topological charge 1, average depth-dependent domain wall width of 23 to 40 nm, depth-dependent twisted helicity from $\pm$155$\deg$ to $\pm$30$\deg$, and fractional Hopf index of $\pm$0.3. Over 10 TB of data were analyzed to yield a fully-resolved 3D reconstruction over a >0.4 $\mu$m$^3$ volume, with high fidelity down to the Nyquist limit of 8 nm. This method fills a key gap in the current landscape of magnetic imaging by enabling high-resolution, element-specific 3D reconstructions of full-field extended spin textures - offering a new route for exploring the topological complexity of magnetic materials in three dimensions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Extended [CII] gas emission in and around a massive quiescent galaxy at z=7.3

We report the discovery of [CII] 158 micron emission in and around the most distant known massive quiescent galaxy RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7 at z = 7.27. Observed with ALMA in band 6, the [CII] line independently confirms the spectroscopic redshift from JWST/NIRSpec spectra at low and medium resolution. The emission extends over an effective radius R_eff,[CII] = 8 +/- 3 kpc, well beyond the compact stellar body traced by JWST/NIRCam (R_eff = 209 (+33/-24) pc), with a significant fraction of approximately 70% of the flux arising from a circumgalactic halo. No dust continuum is detected at rest-frame ~160 micron, setting an upper limit on the infrared luminosity of L_IR < 1.4 x 10^11 Lsun, overall consistent with expectations from rest-frame UV to near-infrared SED modeling under energy balance. Converting the galaxy-scale [CII] emission into cold gas mass, we find log(M_mol/Msun) = 9.53 (+0.32/-0.31) and log(M_HI/Msun) = 9.46-10.34, depending on the assumed calibration and metallicity. Despite being approximately 10x more gas-poor than typical star-forming galaxies at fixed redshift, stellar mass, and [CII] to gas mass conversion, RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7 retains a substantial cold gas reservoir with fractions f_gas >~ 20% and long depletion timescales across most assumptions. The extended [CII] halo carries approximately twice as much gas as the galaxy alone and shows a blueshifted velocity offset consistent with the tentative gas outflow detected in MgII absorption in previous work, suggesting a past episode of AGN-driven gas expulsion possibly linked to the suppression of star formation. The presence of a large gas reservoir in and around a massive quiescent galaxy just 700 Myr after the Big Bang implies that whatever mechanism is suppressing star formation must be remarkably effective at maintaining a low star formation efficiency on ~100 Myr timescales, even in the presence of abundant fuel.

astro-ph.GA

Scattering and Bound States of Two Heteronuclear Ultracold Atoms in a Quasi-Two-Dimensional Confinement

We solve the two-body problem of ultracold heteronuclear atoms in a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) geometry. The quasi-2D confinement is realized by a harmonic trap along the longitudinal ($z$-) direction, with different trap frequencies for the two atoms, as in many current experiments on ultracold heteronuclear gases. As a consequence, the longitudinal center-of-mass (CoM) motion is coupled to the relative motion, which significantly complicates the two-body problem. We solve this problem exactly and derive the 2D scattering length $a_{\rm 2D}$, the 2D effective range parameter $R_{\rm 2D}$, and the bound-state energies, as functions of the $s$-wave scattering length and effective range of the two atoms in free three-dimensional (3D) space. We show that multiple 2D scattering resonances can be induced by the coupling between the longitudinal CoM and relative motion. Around these resonances, $a_{\rm 2D}$ varies rapidly with the 3D scattering parameters, while $R_{\rm 2D}$ is strongly enhanced. Since the effective pairwise interaction in quasi-2D ultracold gases is determined by i.e., the two-body scattering amplitudes and bound-state energies, our results can be used for manipulating the effective 2D interatomic interaction in quasi-2D ultracold heteronuclear gases by tuning the confinement frequencies and the 3D scattering parameters.

cond-mat.quant-gas

The transitional Type Ibn/IIn SN 2022pda, with pre-explosion outbursts and a double-peaked light curve

We report the results of a photometric and spectroscopic follow-up campaign of the unusual interacting supernova (SN) 2022pda. Precursor variability lasting $\sim 100$ days is observed before the explosion. The SN light curve has a double peak shape. It reached a first maximum of $M_{\rm{r}} = -19.6 \pm 0.2$\,mag, followed by an initial two-month decline and a second, broad peak lasting about six months. The early spectra show a blue continuum with dominant H and He emission lines. A high-resolution pre-maximum spectrum shows that the profile of the \Hei~$\lambda$5876 line consists of a moderately narrow ($\sim 1900$ \kms) P~Cygni absorption superposed on a broader ($\sim 3300$ \kms) component. In the blue region, several spectral features are identified, including C {\sc iii}/N {\sc iii}/O {\sc ii} blends. Two broad bumps at 4600--5200 \AA, 6400--6800~\AA\ regions reveal a complex profile, which are likely due to blends of H, He, and other emission lines. Late-time spectra are still dominated by prominent and broad H and He lines in emission. Shock-driven model fits to the bolometric light curve suggest that the SN is powered by interaction with a massive CSM with enhanced mass loss rates $\sim 5$ \msun yr$^{-1}$, expelled during two events occurred $\sim 1$ and $\sim 0.2$ years before the explosion. The overall SN evolution indicates that SN\,2022pda is a transitional event between a H-rich SN IIn (SN\,2009ip-like) and a He-rich SN Ibn. Our findings suggest that the progenitor was likely a Luminous Blue Variable transitioning towards a Wolf--Rayet stage.

astro-ph.HE

Interacting Dark Sector field theory with phantom crossing

Recent results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) provide evidence for a dynamical dark-energy component, whose equation of state appears to have recently crossed the phantom divide. In this Letter, we present an interacting dark-energy model, grounded in field theory, that naturally accommodates such a double crossing. In our framework, fermionic dark matter is coupled via a Yukawa interaction to a tachyonic scalar field governed by Born-Infeld dynamics. The phantom crossing arises at the level of the effective dark-energy equation of state, while the underlying scalar-field dynamics remains nonphantom and well bounded. We confront our model with data including BAO from the DESI (DR2) survey, CMB distance priors from Planck 2018, and the latest Type Ia supernovae compilations, obtaining robust constraints across the different data combinations and reconstructing a recent double crossing of the phantom divide. Furthermore, under naturalness assumptions, the model expects an ultralight fermionic dark matter mass of order $1.9\times10^{-3}\,\mathrm{eV}$, suggesting a possible connection with new light particles in the dark sector and motivating future tests with cosmological perturbations.

astro-ph.CO

MiroThinker-1.7 & H1: Towards Heavy-Duty Research Agents via Verification

We present MiroThinker-1.7, a new research agent designed for complex long-horizon reasoning tasks. Building on this foundation, we further introduce MiroThinker-H1, which extends the agent with heavy-duty reasoning capabilities for more reliable multi-step problem solving. In particular, MiroThinker-1.7 improves the reliability of each interaction step through an agentic mid-training stage that emphasizes structured planning, contextual reasoning, and tool interaction. This enables more effective multi-step interaction and sustained reasoning across complex tasks. MiroThinker-H1 further incorporates verification directly into the reasoning process at both local and global levels. Intermediate reasoning decisions can be evaluated and refined during inference, while the overall reasoning trajectory is audited to ensure that final answers are supported by coherent chains of evidence. Across benchmarks covering open-web research, scientific reasoning, and financial analysis, MiroThinker-H1 achieves state-of-the-art performance on deep research tasks while maintaining strong results on specialized domains. We also release MiroThinker-1.7 and MiroThinker-1.7-mini as open-source models, providing competitive research-agent capabilities with significantly improved efficiency.

cs.CL

Nitrogen abundances in star-forming galaxies 2.2 Gyr after the Big Bang are not elevated

Using deep medium-resolution JWST rest-optical spectra of a sample of typical star-forming galaxies (Lyman break galaxies and Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters) from the LyC22 survey at $z \sim 3$, we determined the nebular abundances of N, O, and Ne relative to H for a subsample of 25 objects with the direct method, based on auroral [OIII]4363 line detections. Our measurements increases the number of accurate N/O determinations at $z \sim 2-4$ using a homogeneous approach. We found a mean value of $\log({\rm N/O})=-1.29^{+0.25}_{-0.21} $ over a metallicity range 12+log(O/H)=7.5 to 8.44. The observed N/O ratio and scatter are indistinguishable from that observed in low-z galaxies and HII regions over the same metallicity range, showing thus no redshift evolution of N/O for typical galaxies over a significant fraction of cosmic time. We also show that typical $z \sim 3$ galaxies show a similar offset in the BPT diagram as galaxies from the low-z Lyman Continuum Survey (LzLCS), when compared to the average of SDSS galaxies, and show that this offset is not due to enhanced nitrogen abundances. Our results establish a basis for future studies of the evolution of N and O at higher redshifts.

astro-ph.GA

The massive hot subdwarf binary LAMOST J065816.72+094343.1

Massive short-period binaries involving hot subdwarf stars (sdO/Bs) are rare but important to constraining pathways for binary star evolution. Moreover, some of the most promising candidate progenitor systems leading to Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) involve sdO/Bs. LAMOST J065816.72+094343.1 has been identified as such a candidate. To explore the nature and evolutionary future of LAMOST J065816.72+094343.1, we complemented archival spectroscopic data with additional time series spectra and high-resolution spectroscopy of the object. After combining these with photometric data, we determined the orbital parameters of the system and the mass of the companion. We solved the orbit of the system by analyzing 68 low- and medium-resolution spectra using state-of-the-art mixed local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and non-LTE model atmospheres. Additionally, we gathered nine high-resolution spectra to determine atmospheric parameters and the projected rotational velocity of the sdOB. The inclination angle of the system was constrained assuming tidal synchronization of the sdOB, which was verified via analysis of the ellipsoidal variations in the TESS light curve. We determine LAMOSTJ065816.72+094343.1 to be a binary consisting of a massive $0.82 \pm 0.17 \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ sdOB component with a $1.30^{+0.31}_{-0.26} \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ unseen companion. Due to the companion's mass being very close to the Chandrasekhar mass limit and high for a white dwarf, it is unclear whether it is a white dwarf or a neutron star. We find the system to be in a close orbit, with a period of $P=0.31955193 \mathrm{d}$ and an inclination angle of $i = 49.6^{+5.2}_{-4.2} \mathrm{deg}$. While the exact nature of the companion remains unknown, we determine the system to either lead to a SN Ia or an intermediate mass binary pulsar, potentially after a phase as an intermediate-mass X-ray binary.

astro-ph.SR

SN 2016iog: A fast declining Type II-L supernova with an ultra-faint tail, persistently interacting with circumstellar material

We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the rapidly declining Type IIL supernova (SN) 2016iog. SN 2016iog reached its peak $\sim$ 14 days after explosion, with an absolute magnitude in the $V$ band of $-18.64 \pm 0.15$ mag, followed by a steep decline of $8.85 \pm 0.15$~mag~(100\,d)$^{-1}$ post-peak. Such a high decline rate makes SN~2016iog one of the fastest declining Type~IIL SNe observed to date. The rapid rise in the light curve, combined with the nearly featureless continuum observed in the spectrum at +9.3 days, suggests the presence of interaction. In the recombination phase, we observed broad H$\alpha$ lines that persist at all epochs. In addition, the prominent double-peaked H$\alpha$ feature observed in the late-time spectrum (+190.8 days) is likely attributable either to significant dust formation within a cool dense shell or to asymmetric circumstellar material. These features suggest the presence of sustained interaction around SN~2016iog. We propose that the observed characteristics of SN~2016iog can be qualitatively explained by assuming a low-mass H-rich envelope surrounding a red supergiant progenitor star with low-density circumstellar material.

astro-ph.SR

UHDRes: Ultra-High-Definition Image Restoration via Dual-Domain Decoupled Spectral Modulation

Ultra-high-definition (UHD) images often suffer from severe degradations such as blur, haze, rain, or low-light conditions, which pose significant challenges for image restoration due to their high resolution and computational demands. In this paper, we propose UHDRes, a novel lightweight dual-domain decoupled spectral modulation framework for UHD image restoration. It explicitly models the amplitude spectrum via lightweight spectrum-domain modulation, while restoring phase implicitly through spatial-domain refinement. We introduce the spatio-spectral fusion mechanism, which first employs a multi-scale context aggregator to extract local and global spatial features, and then performs spectral modulation in a decoupled manner. It explicitly enhances amplitude features in the frequency domain while implicitly restoring phase information through spatial refinement. Additionally, a shared gated feed-forward network is designed to efficiently promote feature interaction through shared-parameter convolutions and adaptive gating mechanisms. Extensive experimental comparisons on five public UHD benchmarks demonstrate that our UHDRes achieves the state-of-the-art restoration performance with only 400K parameters, while significantly reducing inference latency and memory usage. The codes and models are available at https://github.com/Zhao0100/UHDRes.

eess.IV

Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium XII. SN 2024acyl: A fast, linearly declining Type Ibn supernova with early flash-ionisation features

We present a photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the Type Ibn supernova (SN) 2024acyl. It rises to an absolute magnitude peak of about -17.58 mag in 10.6 days, and displays a rapid linear post-peak light-curve decline in all bands, similar to most SNe Ibn. The optical pseudobolometric light curve peaks at $(3.5\pm0.8) \times 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$, with a total radiated energy of $(5.0\pm0.4) \times 10^{48}$ erg. The spectra are dominated by a blue continuum at early stages, with narrow P Cygni He I lines and flash-ionisation emission lines of C III, N III, and He II. The P Cygni He I features gradually evolve and become emission-dominated in late-time spectra. Our multi-band light-curve modelling yields estimates of the ejecta mass of $M_{\rm ej} = 0.49^{+0.11}_{-0.09}$ M$_\odot$ with a kinetic energy of $E_{\rm k} = 0.06^{+0.01}_{-0.01} \times 10^{51}$ erg, and a $^{56}$Ni mass of $M_{\rm Ni} = 0.018$ M$_\odot$. The inferred CSM properties are characterised by a mass of $M_{\rm CSM} = 0.51^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$ M$_\odot$, an inner radius of $R_0 = 17.8^{+3.6}_{-3.0}$ AU, and a density of $\rho_{\rm CSM} =(8.3_{-1.2}^{+2.7})\times10^{-12}$ g cm$^{-3}$. The multi-epoch spectra are well reproduced by the CMFGEN/he4p0 model, corresponding to a He-ZAMS mass of 4 M$_\odot$ (H-ZAMS mass 18.11 M$_\odot$, pre-SN mass 3.16 M$_\odot$). These findings are consistent with a scenario of an SN powered by ejecta-CSM interaction, originating from a low-mass helium star that evolved within an interacting binary system where the CSM with some residual hydrogen may originate from the mass-transfer process. In addition, a channel of core-collapse explosion of a late-type Wolf-Rayet star with H, or an Ofpe/WN9 star with fallback accretion, cannot be entirely ruled out.

astro-ph.SR

SN2017ckj: A linearly declining Type IIb supernova with a relatively massive hydrogen envelope

We present optical observations of the Type IIb supernova (SN) 2017ckj, covering approximately 180 days after the explosion. Its early-time multi-band light curves display no clear evidence of a shock-cooling tail, resembling the behavior of SN2008ax. The $V$-band light curve exhibits a short rise time of about 5 days and reaches an absolute fitted peak magnitude of $M_{\rm V}=-18.49\pm0.18\mathrm{mag}$. The late-time multi-band light curves reveal a linear decline. We modelled the bolometric light curve of SN2017ckj to constrain the progenitor and the explosion parameters. We estimated a total mass of $\rm ^{56}Ni$ synthesized by SN2017ckj of $M_{\rm Ni} = 0.21^{+0.05}_{-0.03}\ M_\odot$, with a massive H-rich envelope of $M_{\rm env} = 0.4^{+0.1}_{-0.1}\ M_\odot$. Both the $\rm ^{56}Ni$ mass and the envelope mass of SN2017ckj are higher than those of typical SNe IIb, in agreement with its peculiar light curve evolution. The early-time spectra of SN2017ckj are dominated by a blue continuum, accompanied by narrow $\rm H_\alpha$ and \Heii emission lines. The earliest spectrum exhibits flash ionization features, from which we estimated a progenitor mass-loss rate of $\sim 3\times10^{-4}M_\odot \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. At later epochs, the spectra develop broad P-Cygni profiles and become increasingly similar to those of SNe IIb, especially SN2018gk. The late-time spectrum at around 139 days does not show a distinct decline in the strength of $\rm H_\alpha$ emission profile, also indicating a relatively massive envelope of its progenitor. Aside from the $\rm H_\alpha$ feature, the nebular spectrum exhibits prominent emission lines of \Oi, \Caii, [\Caii], and \Mgi], which are consistent with the prototypical SN1993J.

astro-ph.SR

Measurement of radon concentration in the output water of the 100~t/h ultrapure water system at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), a 20 kton multi-purpose low background liquid scintillator detector, was proposed primarily to determine the neutrino mass ordering. To mitigate radioactivity from surrounding rock and enable cosmic muon tagging, its central detector is immersed in a Water Cherenkov Detector (WCD) containing 40~ktons of ultrapure water instrumented with 2400 20-inch micro-channel plate photomultiplier tubes. Stringent radiopurity requirements mandate a radon concentration below 10 ~mBq/m$^3$ in the WCD. To achieve this, we developed a two-stage (ground and underground) ultrapure water system with 100~t/h production capacity, integrating a five-stage degassing membrane for radon removal. A novel microbubble technique was implemented to optimize the degassing membranes' radon removal efficiency. The synergistic combination of the microbubble technology and the multistage degassing membranes achieved a radon removal efficiency exceeding 99.9\%, reducing the system's output to 0.61 $\pm$ 0.50~mBq/m$^3$ in recirculation mode, surpassing design specifications and establishing world-leading performance standards. This paper details the ultrapure system architecture, quantifies the radon contributions of each device, and presents a comprehensive study on microbubble-augmented membrane degassing for low radon ultra-pure water production in a 100~t/h water system.

physics.ins-det

Surfactant-laden breaking wave: regular and spilling regimes

We investigate the influence of insoluble surfactants on the spatio-temporal evolution of breaking waves, focusing on both regular and spilling regimes. Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations are conducted using an interface-tracking/level-set method that incorporates surfactant-induced Marangoni stresses. The simulations reveal that surfactant gradients, through Marangoni stresses, markedly alter the wave dynamics. While regular breakers exhibit only minor modifications in the presence of surfactants, increasing surfactant-induced Marangoni stresses in spilling breakers leads to pronounced changes in the crest evolution, vorticity generation, and even a transition towards plunging-like behavior. To quantify these effects, we also extend circulation-based theoretical frameworks to account for surfactant contributions. This work demonstrates the crucial role that surfactants play in the dynamics of breaking waves, revealing that their impact is primarily driven by Marangoni stresses rather than surface tension reduction.

physics.flu-dyn

Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium. XI. Diverse evolution of five Ibn SNe 2020nxt, 2020taz, 2021bbv, 2023utc and 2024aej

We present the photometric and spectroscopic analysis of five Type Ibn supernovae (SNe): SN 2020nxt, SN 2020taz, SN 2021bbv, SN 2023utc, and SN 2024aej. These events share key observational features and belong to a family of objects similar to the prototypical Type Ibn SN 2006jc. The SNe exhibit rise times of approximately 10 days and peak absolute magnitudes ranging from $-$16.5 to $-$19 mag. Notably, SN 2023utc is the faintest Type Ibn supernova discovered to date, with an exceptionally low r-band absolute magnitude of $-16.4$ mag. The pseudo-bolometric light curves peak at $(1-10) \times 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$, with total radiated energies on the order of $(1-10) \times 10^{48}$ erg. Spectroscopically, these SNe display relatively slow spectral evolution; the early spectra are characterised by a hot blue continuum and prominent He I emission lines. Early spectra show blackbody temperatures exceeding $10000~\mathrm{K}$, with a subsequent decline in temperature during later phases. Narrow He I lines, indicative of unshocked circumstellar material (CSM), show velocities of approximately $1000~\mathrm{km~s^{-1}}$. The spectra suggest that the progenitors of these SNe underwent significant mass loss prior to the explosion, resulting in a He-rich CSM. Light curve modelling yields estimates for the ejecta mass ($M_{\rm ej}$) in the range $1-3~M_{\odot}$, with kinetic energies ($E_{\rm Kin}$) of $(0.1-1) \times 10^{50}$ erg. The inferred CSM mass ranges from $0.2$ to $1~M_{\odot}$. These findings are consistent with expectations for core-collapse events arising from relatively massive, envelope-stripped progenitors.

astro-ph.HE

A pulsar-helium star compact binary system formed by common envelope evolution

A stellar common envelope occurs in a binary system when the atmosphere of an evolving star expands to encompass an orbiting companion object. Such systems are predicted to evolve rapidly, ejecting the stellar envelope and leaving the companion in a tighter orbit around a stripped star. We used radio timing to identify a pulsar, PSR J1928+1815, with a spin period of 10.55 ms in a compact binary system with an orbital period of 3.60 hours. The companion star has 1.0 to 1.6 solar masses, eclipses the pulsar for about 17% of the orbit, and is undetected at other wavelengths, so it is most likely a stripped helium star. We interpret this system as having recently undergone a common envelope phase, producing a compact binary.

astro-ph.HE