arXiv subjects

C. Li

Publications and source records attributed to C. Li.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Multiple stellar populations in Magellanic Cloud clusters. VI. A survey of multiple sequences and Be stars in young clusters

The split main sequences (MSs) and extended MS turnoffs (eMSTOs) detected in a few young clusters have demonstrated that these stellar systems host multiple populations differing in a number of properties such as rotation and, possibly, age.We analyze Hubble Space Telescope photometry for thirteen clusters with ages between ~40 and ~1000 Myrs and of different masses. Our goal is to investigate for the first time the occurrence of multiple populations in a large sample of young clusters. We find that all the clusters exhibit the eMSTO phenomenon and that MS stars more massive than ~1.6 solar masses define a blue and red MS, with the latter hosting the majority of MS stars. The comparison between the observations and isochrones suggests that the blue MSs are made of slow-rotating stars, while the red MSs host stars with rotational velocities close to the breakup value. About half of the bright MS stars in the youngest clusters are H-alpha emitters. These Be stars populate the red MS and the reddest part of the eMSTO thus supporting the idea that the red MS is made of fast rotators. We conclude that the split MS and the eMSTO are a common feature of young clusters in both Magellanic Clouds. The phenomena of a split MS and an eMSTO occur for stars that are more massive than a specific threshold which is independent of the host-cluster mass. As a by-product, we report the serendipitous discovery of a young SMC cluster, GALFOR1.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

The NIKA2 instrument at 30-m IRAM telescope: performance and results

The New IRAM KID Arrays 2 (NIKA2) consortium has just finished installing and commissioning a millimetre camera on the IRAM 30 m telescope. It is a dual-band camera operating with three frequency multiplexed kilo-pixels arrays of Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors (LEKID) cooled at 150 mK, designed to observe the intensity and polarisation of the sky at 260 and 150 GHz (1.15 and 2 mm). NIKA2 is today an IRAM resident instrument for millimetre astronomy, such as Intra Cluster Medium from intermediate to distant clusters and so for the follow-up of Planck satellite detected clusters, high redshift sources and quasars, early stages of star formation and nearby galaxies emission. We present an overview of the instrument performance as it has been evaluated at the end of the commissioning phase.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2018

Seasonal Variation of the Underground Cosmic Muon Flux Observed at Daya Bay

The Daya Bay Experiment consists of eight identically designed detectors located in three underground experimental halls named as EH1, EH2, EH3, with 250, 265 and 860 meters of water equivalent vertical overburden, respectively. Cosmic muon events have been recorded over a two-year period. The underground muon rate is observed to be positively correlated with the effective atmospheric temperature and to follow a seasonal modulation pattern. The correlation coefficient $α$, describing how a variation in the muon rate relates to a variation in the effective atmospheric temperature, is found to be $α_{\text{EH1}} = 0.362\pm0.031$, $α_{\text{EH2}} = 0.433\pm0.038$ and $α_{\text{EH3}} = 0.641\pm0.057$ for each experimental hall.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Dynamical bulk-edge correspondence for nodal lines in parameter space

Nodal line in parameter space, at which the energy gap closes up, can either be the boundary separating two topological quantum phases or two conventional phases. We study the topological feature of nodal line in parameter space via a dimerized Kitaev spin chain with staggered transverse field, which can be mapped onto the system of dimerized spinless fermions with p-wave superconductivity. The quantum phase boundaries are straight crossing degeneracy lines in 3D parameter space. We show that the nodal line acts as a vortex filament associated with a vector field, which is generated from the Zak phase of Bogoliubov-de Gennes band. We also investigate the topological invariant in Majorana fermion representation for open chain. The Majorana edge modes are not zero mode, but is still protected by energy gap. The exact mid-gap states of the Majorana lattice allows to obtain the corresponding Majorana probability distribution for whole 3D parameter space, which can establish a scalar field to identify the topological feature of the nodal lines. Furthermore, when we switch on a weak tunneling between two ends of the Majorana lattice, the topological invariants of the nodal lines can be obtained by the pumped Majorana probability from an adiabatic passage encircling the lines. Numerical simulations of quasi-adiabatic time evolution is performed in small system. We compute the current to monitor the transport of Majorana fermion, which exhibits evident character of topological pumping. Our results link the bulk topological invariant to the dynamical behavior of Majorana edge mode, extending the concept of bulk-edge correspondence.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

An attractor dynamics in a non-Hermitian two-level system

Exceptional point in non-Hermitian system possesses fascinating properties. We present an exactly solvable attractor dynamics for the first time from a two-level time dependent non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. It allows a way to evolve to the coalescence state from a pure or mixed initial state through varying the imaginary parameter along a specific diabatic passage. Contrast to a chaotic attractor that is ultrasensitive to the initial condition, the designed attractor is insensitive to the initial conditions. The attractor-like behavior still exists for several adiabatic processes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Age as a Major Factor in the Onset of Multiple Populations in Stellar Clusters

It is now well established that globular clusters (GCs) exhibit star-to-star light-element abundance variations (known as multiple stellar populations, MPs). Such chemical anomalies have been found in (nearly) all the ancient GCs (more than 10 Gyr old) of our Galaxy and its close companions, but so far no model for the origin of MPs is able to reproduce all the relevant observations. To gain new insights into this phenomenon, we have undertaken a photometric Hubble Space Telescope survey to study clusters with masses comparable to that of old GCs, where MPs have been identified, but with significantly younger ages. Nine clusters in the Magellanic Clouds with ages between $\sim$ 1.5-11 Gyr have been targeted in this survey. We confirm the presence of multiple populations in all clusters older than 6 Gyr and we add NGC 1978 to the group of clusters for which MPs have been identified. With an age of $\sim$ 2 Gyr, NGC 1978 is the youngest cluster known to host chemical abundance spreads found to date. We do not detect evident star-to-star variations for slightly younger massive clusters ($\sim$ 1.7 Gyr), thus pointing towards an unexpected age dependence for the onset of multiple populations. This discovery suggests that the formation of MPs is not restricted to the early Universe and that GCs and young massive clusters share common formation and evolutionary processes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Asteroseismology of the ZZ Ceti star KUV 08368+4026

Asteroseismology is a unique tool to explore the internal structure of stars through both observational and theoretical research. The internal structure of pulsating hydrogen shell white dwarfs (ZZ Ceti stars) detected by asteroseismology is regarded as the representative of all DA white dwarfs. Observations for KUV~08368+4026, which locates in the middle of the ZZ Ceti instability strip, have been carried out in 1999 and from 2009 to 2012 with either single-site runs or multisite campaigns. Time-series photometric data of about 300 hours were collected in total. Through data reduction and analysis, 30 frequencies were extracted, including four triplets, two doublets, one single mode and further signals. The independent modes are identified as either l=1 or l=2 modes. Hence, a rotation period of $5.52\pm 0.22$ days was deduced from the period spacing in the multiplets. Theoretical static models were built and a best fit model for KUV~08368+4026 was obtained with $0.692\pm0.002$ solar mass, $(2.92\pm0.02)\times 10^{-3}$ solar luminosity and the hydrogen mass fraction of $10^{-4}$ stellar mass.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Constraining the Mass and Radius of Neutron Stars in Globular Clusters

We analyze observations of eight quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries in globular clusters and combine them to determine the neutron star mass-radius curve and the equation of state of dense matter. We determine the effect that several uncertainties may have on our results, including uncertainties in the distance, the atmosphere composition, the neutron star maximum mass, the neutron star mass distribution, the possible presence of a hotspot on the neutron star surface, and the prior choice for the equation of state of dense matter. We find that the radius of a 1.4 solar mass neutron star is most likely from 10 to 14 km and that tighter constraints are only possible with stronger assumptions about the nature of the neutron stars, the systematics of the observations, or the nature of dense matter. Strong phase transitions are preferred over other models and interpretations of the data with a Bayes factor of 8 or more, and in this case, the radius is likely smaller than 12 km. However, radii larger than 12 km are preferred if the neutron stars have uneven temperature distributions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Experimental realization of a multiplexed quantum memory with 225 individually accessible memory cells

To realize long-distance quantum communication and quantum network, it is required to have multiplexed quantum memory with many memory cells. Each memory cell needs to be individually addressable and independently accessible. Here we report an experiment that realizes a multiplexed DLCZ-type quantum memory with 225 individually accessible memory cells in a macroscopic atomic ensemble. As a key element for quantum repeaters, we demonstrate that entanglement with flying optical qubits can be stored into any neighboring memory cells and read out after a programmable time with high fidelity. Experimental realization of a multiplexed quantum memory with many individually accessible memory cells and programmable control of its addressing and readout makes an important step for its application in quantum information technology.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Topological phases in Kitaev chain with imbalanced pairing

We systematically study a Kitaev chain with imbalanced pair creation and annihilation, which is introduced by non-Hermitian pairing terms. Exact phase diagram shows that the topological phase is still robust under the influence of the conditional imbalance. The gapped phases are characterized by a topological invariant, the extended Zak phase, which is defined by the biorthonormal inner product. Such phases are destroyed at the points where the coalescence of groundstates occur, associating with the time-reversal symmetry breaking. We find that the Majorana edge modes also exist for the open chain within unbroken time-reversal symmetric region, demonstrating the bulk-edge correspondence in such a non-Hermitian system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay

The Daya Bay experiment has observed correlations between reactor core fuel evolution and changes in the reactor antineutrino flux and energy spectrum. Four antineutrino detectors in two experimental halls were used to identify 2.2 million inverse beta decays (IBDs) over 1230 days spanning multiple fuel cycles for each of six 2.9 GW$_{\textrm{th}}$ reactor cores at the Daya Bay and Ling Ao nuclear power plants. Using detector data spanning effective $^{239}$Pu fission fractions, $F_{239}$, from 0.25 to 0.35, Daya Bay measures an average IBD yield, $\barσ_f$, of $(5.90 \pm 0.13) \times 10^{-43}$ cm$^2$/fission and a fuel-dependent variation in the IBD yield, $dσ_f/dF_{239}$, of $(-1.86 \pm 0.18) \times 10^{-43}$ cm$^2$/fission. This observation rejects the hypothesis of a constant antineutrino flux as a function of the $^{239}$Pu fission fraction at 10 standard deviations. The variation in IBD yield was found to be energy-dependent, rejecting the hypothesis of a constant antineutrino energy spectrum at 5.1 standard deviations. While measurements of the evolution in the IBD spectrum show general agreement with predictions from recent reactor models, the measured evolution in total IBD yield disagrees with recent predictions at 3.1$σ$. This discrepancy indicates that an overall deficit in measured flux with respect to predictions does not result from equal fractional deficits from the primary fission isotopes $^{235}$U, $^{239}$Pu, $^{238}$U, and $^{241}$Pu. Based on measured IBD yield variations, yields of $(6.17 \pm 0.17)$ and $(4.27 \pm 0.26) \times 10^{-43}$ cm$^2$/fission have been determined for the two dominant fission parent isotopes $^{235}$U and $^{239}$Pu. A 7.8% discrepancy between the observed and predicted $^{235}$U yield suggests that this isotope may be the primary contributor to the reactor antineutrino anomaly.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2017

The Search for Multiple Populations in Magellanic Cloud Clusters III: No evidence for Multiple Populations in the SMC cluster NGC 419

We present the third paper about our ongoing HST survey for the search for multiple stellar populations (MPs) within Magellanic Cloud clusters. We report here the analysis of NGC 419, a $\sim 1.5$ Gyr old, massive ($\gtrsim 2 \times 10^5 \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$) star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). By comparing our photometric data with stellar isochrones, we set a limit on [N/Fe] enhancement of $\lesssim$+0.5 dex and hence we find that no MPs are detected in this cluster. This is surprising because, in the first two papers of this series, we found evidence for MPs in 4 other SMC clusters (NGC 121; Lindsay 1, NGC 339, NGC 416), aged from 6 Gyr up to $\sim 10-11$ Gyr. This finding raises the question whether age could play a major role in the MPs phenomenon. Additionally, our results appear to exclude mass or environment as the only key factors regulating the existence of a chemical enrichment, since all clusters studied so far in this survey are equally massive ($\sim 1-2 \times 10^5 \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$) and no particular patterns are found when looking at their spatial distribution in the SMC.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Improved Measurement of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay

A new measurement of the reactor antineutrino flux and energy spectrum by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment is reported. The antineutrinos were generated by six 2.9~GW$_{\mathrm{th}}$ nuclear reactors and detected by eight antineutrino detectors deployed in two near (560~m and 600~m flux-weighted baselines) and one far (1640~m flux-weighted baseline) underground experimental halls. With 621 days of data, more than 1.2 million inverse beta decay (IBD) candidates were detected. The IBD yield in the eight detectors was measured, and the ratio of measured to predicted flux was found to be $0.946\pm0.020$ ($0.992\pm0.021$) for the Huber+Mueller (ILL+Vogel) model. A 2.9~$σ$ deviation was found in the measured IBD positron energy spectrum compared to the predictions. In particular, an excess of events in the region of 4-6~MeV was found in the measured spectrum, with a local significance of 4.4~$σ$. A reactor antineutrino spectrum weighted by the IBD cross section is extracted for model-independent predictions.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

The Search for Multiple Populations in Magellanic Cloud Clusters II: The Detection of Multiple Populations in Three Intermediate-Age SMC Clusters

This is the second paper in our series about the search for multiple populations in Magellanic Cloud star clusters using the Hubble Space Telescope. Here we report the detection of multiple stellar populations in the colour-magnitude diagrams of the intermediate-age clusters Lindsay 1, NGC 416 and NGC 339. With ages between 6.0 and 7.5 Gyr, these clusters are the youngest ones in which chemical abundance spreads have been detected so far. This confirms that the appearance of multiple populations is not restricted to only ancient globular clusters, but may also be a common feature in clusters as young as 6 Gyr. Our results are in agreement with a recent spectroscopic study of Lindsay 1. We found that the fraction of enriched stars in NGC 416 is ~45% whereas it is ~25% in NGC 339 and ~36% in Lindsay 1. Similar to NGC 121, these fractions are lower than the average value for globular clusters in the Milky Way.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

Non-Hermitian interferometer: Unidirectional amplification without distortion

A non-Hermitian interferometer can realize asymmetric transmission in the presence of imaginary potential and magnetic flux. Here, we propose a non-Hermitian dimer with an unequal hopping rate by an interferometer-like cluster in the framework of tight-binding model. The intriguing features of this design are the wave-vector independence and unidirectionality of scattering, which amplifies wavepacket without distortion and absorbs incoherent wave without reflection. The absorption relates to the system spectral singularities, the dynamical behaviors of the spectral singularities are also investigated analytically and numerically.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Long-range entangled zero-mode state in a non-Hermitian lattice

In contrast to a Hermitian system, in which zero modes are usually degenerate and localized edge state in the thermodynamic limit, the zero mode of a finite non-Hermitian system can be a single nontrivial long-range entangled state at the exceptional point (EP). In this work, we demonstrate this feature with a concrete example based on exact solutions. Numerical simulations show that the entangled state can be generated through the dynamic process with a high fidelity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

The decay characteristic of $^{22}$Si and its ground-state mass significantly affected by three-nucleon forces

The decay of the proton-rich nucleus $^{22}$Si was studied by a silicon array coupled with germanium clover detectors. Nine charged-particle groups are observed and most of them are recognized as $β$-delayed proton emission. A charged-particle group at 5600 keV is identified experimentally as $β$-delayed two-proton emission from the isobaric analog state of $^{22}$Al. Another charged-particle emission without any $β$ particle at the low energy less than 300 keV is observed. The half-life of $^{22}$Si is determined as 27.5 (18) ms. The experimental results of $β$-decay of $^{22}$Si are compared and in nice agreement with shell-model calculations. The mass excess of the ground state of $^{22}$Si deduced from the experimental data shows that three-nucleon (3N) forces with repulsive contributions have significant effects on nuclei near the proton drip line.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

NIKEL_AMC: Readout electronics for the NIKA2 experiment

The New Iram Kid Arrays-2 (NIKA2) instrument has recently been installed at the IRAM 30 m telescope. NIKA2 is a state-of-art instrument dedicated to mm-wave astronomy using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (KID) as sensors. The three arrays installed in the camera, two at 1.25 mm and one at 2.05 mm, feature a total of 3300 KIDs. To instrument these large array of detectors, a specifically designed electronics, composed of 20 readout boards and hosted in three microTCA crates, has been developed. The implemented solution and the achieved performances are presented in this paper. We find that multiplexing factors of up to 400 detectors per board can be achieved with homogeneous performance across boards in real observing conditions, and a factor of more than 3 decrease in volume with respect to previous generations.

astro-ph.IM↗