arXiv subjects

D. Li

Publications and source records attributed to D. Li.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Introducing DMRadio-GUT, a search for GUT-scale QCD axions

The QCD axion is a leading dark matter candidate that emerges as part of the solution to the strong CP problem in the Standard Model. The coupling of the axion to photons is the most common experimental probe, but much parameter space remains unexplored. The coupling of the QCD axion to the Standard Model scales linearly with the axion mass; therefore, the highly-motivated region 0.4-120 neV, corresponding to a GUT-scale axion, is particularly difficult to reach. This paper presents the design requirements for a definitive search for GUT-scale axions and reviews the technological advances needed to enable this program.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2022

Quantifying the Magnetic Structure of a Coronal Shock Producing a Type II Radio Burst

Type II radio bursts are thought to be produced by shock waves in the solar atmosphere. However, what magnetic conditions are needed for the generation of type II radio bursts is still a puzzling issue. Here, we quantify the magnetic structure of a coronal shock associated with a type II radio burst. Based on the multi-perspective extreme-ultraviolet observations, we reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) shock surface. By using a magnetic field extrapolation model, we then derive the orientation of the magnetic field relative to the normal of the shock front ($θ_{\rm Bn}$) and Alfvén Mach number ($M_A$) on the shock front. Combining the radio observations from Nancay Radio Heliograph, we obtain the source region of the type II radio burst on the shock front. It is found that the radio burst is generated by a shock with $M_A \gtrsim 1.5$ and a bimodal distribution of $θ_{Bn}$. We also use the Rankine-Hugoniot relations to quantify the properties of the shock downstream. Our results provide a quantitative 3D magnetic structure condition of a coronal shock that produces a type II radio burst.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Induced Current Due to Electromagnetic Shock Produced by Charge Impact on a Conducting Surface

This paper compares the transient induced current due to the electromagnetic shock produced by a charged particle impacting a perfectly conducting plate, with the classical, quasi-static induced current of Ramo and Shockley (RS). We consider the simple model of a line charge, removed upon striking the plate. We find that the induced current due to the shock is negligible compared with the RS current for nonrelativistic impact energies, but is more significant as the impact energy becomes mildly relativistic. The implications of these findings are discussed.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Transverse Coronal-Loop Oscillations Induced by the Non-radial Eruption of a Magnetic Flux Rope

We investigate the transverse coronal-loop oscillations induced by the eruption of a prominence-carrying flux rope on 7 December 2012. The flux rope originating from NOAA Active Region (AR) 11621 was observed in EUV wavelengths by the SDO/AIA and in H$α$ line center by the ground-based telescope at the BBSO. The early evolution of the flux rope is divided into two steps: a slow rise phase at a speed of $\approx$230\,km\,s$^{-1}$ and a fast rise phase at a speed of $\approx$706\,km\,s$^{-1}$. The eruption generates a C5.8 flare and the onset of the fast rise is consistent with the HXR peak time of the flare. The embedded prominence has a lower speed of $\approx$452\,km\,s$^{-1}$. During the early eruption of the flux rope, the nearby coronal loops are disturbed and experience independent kink-mode oscillations in the horizontal and vertical directions. The oscillation in the horizontal direction has an initial amplitude of $\approx$3.1\,Mm, a period of $\approx$294\,seconds, and a damping time of $\approx$645\,seconds. It is most striking in 171\,Å and lasts for three to four cycles. The oscillations in the vertical directions are observed mainly in 171, 193, and 211\,Å. The initial amplitudes lie in the range of 3.4\,--\,5.2\,Mm, with an average value of 4.5\,Mm. The periods are between 407\,seconds and 441\,seconds, with an average value of 423\,seconds. The oscillations are damping and last for nearly four cycles. The damping times lie in the range of 570\,--\,1012\,seconds, with an average value of 741\,seconds. Assuming a semi-circular shape of the vertically oscillating loops, we calculate the loop lengths according to their heights. Using the observed periods, we carry out coronal seismology and estimate the internal Alfvén speeds (988\,--\,1145\,km\,s$^{-1}$) and the magnetic-field strengths (12\,--\,43\,G) of the oscillating loops.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Unusual Emission Variations Near the Eclipse of A Black Widow PSR J1720$-$0533

We report on an {unusually} bright observation of PSR J1720$-$0533 using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The pulsar is in a black widow system that {was discovered by the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS). By coincidence, a bright scintillation maximum was simultaneous with the eclipse in our observation which allowed for precise measurements of flux density variations, as well as dispersion measure (DM) and polarization.} We found that there are quasi-periodic pulse emission variations with a modulation period of $\sim$ {22\,s} during the ingress of the eclipse, which could be caused by plasma lensing. {No such periodic modulation was found during the egress of the eclipse. } {The linear polarization of the pulsar disappears before the eclipse, even before there is a visually obvious change in DM. We also found that the pulse scattering maybe play an important role in the eclipse of PSR J1720$-$0533.}

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

The Nearby Evolved Stars Survey II: Constructing a volume-limited sample and first results from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

The Nearby Evolved Stars Survey (NESS) is a volume-complete sample of $\sim$850 Galactic evolved stars within 3\,kpc at (sub-)mm wavelengths, observed in the CO $J = $ (2$-$1) and (3$-$2) rotational lines, and the sub-mm continuum, using the James Clark Maxwell Telescope and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. NESS consists of five tiers, based on distances and dust-production rate (DPR). We define a new metric for estimating the distances to evolved stars and compare its results to \emph{Gaia} EDR3. Replicating other studies, the most-evolved, highly enshrouded objects in the Galactic Plane dominate the dust returned by our sources, and we initially estimate a total DPR of $4.7\times 10^{-5}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ from our sample. Our sub-mm fluxes are systematically higher and spectral indices are typically shallower than dust models typically predict. The 450/850 $μ$m spectral indices are consistent with the blackbody Rayleigh--Jeans regime, suggesting a large fraction of evolved stars have unexpectedly large envelopes of cold dust.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Long and Short Fast Radio Bursts are Different from Repeating and Non-repeating Transients

We collect 133 Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), including 110 non-repeating and 23 repeating ones, and systematically investigate their observational properties. To check the frequency dependence of FRB classifications, we define our samples with a central frequency below/above 1GHz as subsample I/II. We find that there is a clear bimodal distribution of pulse width for the subsample I. And If we classify FRBs into short FRBs (\emph{s}FRBs) ($<$100 ms) and long FRBs (\emph{l}FRBs) ($>$100 ms) as done for short and long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), the \emph{s}FRBs at higher central frequency are commonly shorter than those at lower central frequency not only for non-repeating but also repeating \emph{s}FRBs. Secondly, we find that fluence and peak flux density are correlated with a power law relation of $F \varpropto S{^γ_{p,obs}}$ for both \emph{s}FRBs and \emph{l}FRBs whose distributions are obviously different. Thirdly, the \emph{l}FRBs with isotropic energies ranging from $10^{42}$ to $10^{44}$ erg are more energetic than the \emph{s}FRBs in the $F- DM_{EX}$ plane, indicating that they are two representative types. Finally, it is interestingly note that the peak flux density behaves an independence on the redshift when the distance of the FRBs becomes far enough, which is similar to the scenario of peak flux evolving with redshift in the field of GRBs. We predict that fainter FRBs at higher redshift of $z>2$ can be successfully detected by FAST and SKA in the near future.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

A bimodal burst energy distribution of a repeating fast radio burst source

The event rate, energy distribution, and time-domain behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) contains essential information regarding their physical nature and central engine, which are as yet unknown. As the first precisely-localized source, FRB 121102 has been extensively observed and shows non-Poisson clustering of bursts over time and a power-law energy distribution. However, the extent of the energy distribution towards the fainter end was not known. Here we report the detection of 1652 independent bursts with a peak burst rate of 122~hr^{-1}, in 59.5 hours spanning 47 days. A peak in the isotropic equivalent energy distribution is found to be ~4.8 x 10^{37} erg at 1.25~GHz, below which the detection of bursts is suppressed. The burst energy distribution is bimodal, and well characterized by a combination of a log-normal function and a generalized Cauchy function. The large number of bursts in hour-long spans allow sensitive periodicity searches between 1 ms and 1000 s. The non-detection of any periodicity or quasi-periodicity poses challenges for models involving a single rotating compact object. The high burst rate also implies that FRBs must be generated with a high radiative efficiency, disfavoring emission mechanisms with large energy requirements or contrived triggering conditions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

ATOMS: ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions -- IV. Radio Recombination Lines and evolution of star formation efficiencies

We report detection of radio recombination line (RRL) H$_{40α}$ toward 75 sources, with data obtained from ACA observations in the ATOMS survey of 146 active Galactic star forming regions. We calculated ionized gas mass and star formation rate with H40U line emission. The mass of ionized gas is significantly smaller than molecular gas mass, indicating that ionized gas is negligible in the star forming clumps of the ATOMS sample. The star formation rate (SFR$_{{\rm H}_{40α}}$) estimated with RRL H$_{40α}$ agrees well with that (SFR$_{\rm L_{bol}}$) calculated with the total bolometric luminosity (L$_{\rm bol}$) when SFR $\gtrsim 5 {\rm M_\odot My}r^{-1}$, suggesting that millimeter RRLs could well sample the upper part of the initial mass function (IMF) and thus be good tracers for SFR. We also study the relationships between L$_{\rm bol}$ and the molecular line luminosities (L0mol) of CS J=2-1 and HC$_3$N J=11-10 for all the 146 ATOMS sources. The Lbol-L0mol correlations of both the CS J=2-1 and HC3N J=11-10 lines appear approximately linear and these transitions have success in predicting L$_{\rm bol}$ similar to that of more commonly used transitions. The L$_{\rm bol}$-to-L$_{\rm mol}$ ratios or SFR-to-mass ratios (star formation efficiency; SFE) do not change with galactocentric distances (R$_{\rm GC}$). Sources with H$_{40α}$ emission (or H$_{\rm II}$ regions) show higher L$_{\rm bol}$-to-L$_{\rm mol}$ than those without H$_{40α}$ emission, which may be an evolutionary effect.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Energy and waiting time distributions of FRB 121102 observed by FAST

The energy and waiting time distributions are important properties for understanding the physical mechanism of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs). Recently, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) detected the largest burst sample of FRB 121102, containing 1652 bursts. We use this sample to investigate the energy and waiting time distributions. The energy count distribution $dN/dE$ at the high-energy range ($>10^{38}$ erg) can be fitted with a single power-law function with an index of $-1.86 ^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$, while the distribution at the low-energy range deviates from the power-law function. An interesting result of Li et al. (2021) is that there is an apparent temporal gap between early bursts (occurring before MJD 58740) and late bursts (occurring after MJD 58740). We find the energy distributions of high-energy bursts at different epochs are inconsistent. The power-law index is $-1.70^{+0.03}_{-0.03}$ for early bursts and $-2.60^{+0.15}_{-0.14}$ for late bursts. For bursts observed in a single day, a linear repetition pattern is found. We use the Weibull function to fit the distribution of waiting time of consecutive bursts. The shape parameter $k = 0.72^{+0.01}_{-0.01}$ and the event rate $r = 736.43^{+26.55}_{-28.90}$ day$ ^{-1} $ are derived. If the waiting times with $δ_t < 28$ s are excluded, the burst behavior can be described by a Poisson process. The best-fitting values of $k$ are slightly different for low-energy ($E < 1.58\times10^{38}$ erg) and high-energy ($E > 1.58\times10^{38}$ erg) bursts.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Kink oscillations of coronal loops

Kink oscillations of coronal loops, i.e., standing kink waves, is one of the most studied dynamic phenomena in the solar corona. The oscillations are excited by impulsive energy releases, such as low coronal eruptions. Typical periods of the oscillations are from a few to several minutes, and are found to increase linearly with the increase in the major radius of the oscillating loops. It clearly demonstrates that kink oscillations are natural modes of the loops, and can be described as standing fast magnetoacoustic waves with the wavelength determined by the length of the loop. Kink oscillations are observed in two different regimes. In the rapidly decaying regime, the apparent displacement amplitude reaches several minor radii of the loop. The damping time which is about several oscillation periods decreases with the increase in the oscillation amplitude, suggesting a nonlinear nature of the damping. In the decayless regime, the amplitudes are smaller than a minor radius, and the driver is still debated. The review summarises major findings obtained during the last decade, and covers both observational and theoretical results. Observational results include creation and analysis of comprehensive catalogues of the oscillation events, and detection of kink oscillations with imaging and spectral instruments in the EUV and microwave bands. Theoretical results include various approaches to modelling in terms of the magnetohydrodynamic wave theory. Properties of kink oscillations are found to depend on parameters of the oscillating loop, such as the magnetic twist, stratification, steady flows, temperature variations and so on, which make kink oscillations a natural probe of these parameters by the method of magnetohydrodynamic seismology.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

A broadband radio study of PSR J0250+5854: the slowest-spinning radio pulsar known

We present radio observations of the most slowly rotating known radio pulsar PSR J0250+5854. With a 23.5 s period, it is close, or even beyond, the $P$-$\dot{P}$ diagram region thought to be occupied by active pulsars. The simultaneous observations with FAST, the Chilbolton and Effelsberg LOFAR international stations, and NenuFAR represent a five-fold increase in the spectral coverage of this object, with the detections at 1250 MHz (FAST) and 57 MHz (NenuFAR) being the highest- and lowest-frequency published respectively to date. We measure a flux density of $4\pm2$ $μ$Jy at 1250 MHz and an exceptionally steep spectral index of $-3.5^{+0.2}_{-1.5}$, with a turnover below $\sim$95 MHz. In conjunction with observations of this pulsar with the GBT and the LOFAR Core, we show that the intrinsic profile width increases drastically towards higher frequencies, contrary to the predictions of conventional radius-to-frequency mapping. We examine polarimetric data from FAST and the LOFAR Core and conclude that its polar cap radio emission is produced at an absolute height of several hundreds of kilometres around 1.5 GHz, similar to other rotation-powered pulsars across the population. Its beam is significantly underfilled at lower frequencies, or it narrows because of the disappearance of conal outriders. Finally, the results for PSR J0250+5854 and other slowly spinning rotation-powered pulsars are contrasted with the radio-detected magnetars. We conclude that magnetars have intrinsically wider radio beams than the slow rotation-powered pulsars, and that consequently the latter's lower beaming fraction is what makes objects such as PSR J0250+5854 so scarce.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

FAST early pulsar discoveries: Effelsberg follow-up

We report the follow-up of 10 pulsars discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio-Telescope (FAST) during its commissioning. The pulsars were discovered at a frequency of 500-MHz using the ultra-wide-band (UWB) receiver in drift-scan mode, as part of the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS). We carried out the timing campaign with the 100-m Effelsberg radio-telescope at L-band around 1.36 GHz. Along with 11 FAST pulsars previously reported, FAST seems to be uncovering a population of older pulsars, bordering and/or even across the pulsar death-lines. We report here two sources with notable characteristics. PSR J1951$+$4724 is a young and energetic pulsar with nearly 100% of linearly polarized flux density and visible up to an observing frequency of 8 GHz. PSR J2338+4818, a mildly recycled pulsar in a 95.2-d orbit with a Carbon-Oxygen white dwarf (WD) companion of $\gtrsim 1\rm{M}_{\odot}$, based on estimates from the mass function. This system is the widest WD binary with the most massive companion known to-date. Conspicuous discrepancy was found between estimations based on NE2001 and YMW16 electron density models, which can be attributed to under-representation of pulsars in the sky region between Galactic longitudes $70^o<l<100^o$. This work represents one of the early CRAFTS results, which start to show potential to substantially enrich the pulsar sample and refine the Galactic electron density model.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

A single pulse study of a millisecond pulsar PSR J0621+1002

We present radio observation of a millisecond pulsar PSR J0621+1002 using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The pulsar shows periodic pulse intensity modulations for both the first and the third pulse components. The fluctuation spectrum of the first pulse component has one peak of 3.0$\pm$0.1 pulse periods, while that of the third pulse component has two diffused peaks of 3.0$\pm$0.1 and 200$\pm$1 pulse periods. The single pulse timing analysis is carried out for this pulsar and the single pulses can be divided into two classes based on the post-fit timing residuals. We examined the achievable timing precision using only the pulses in one class or bright pulses. However, the timing precision improvement is not achievable.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

A search for cloud cores affected by shocked carbon chain chemistry in L1251

We searched for shocked carbon chain chemistry (SCCC) sources with C$_3$S abundances surpassing those of HC$_5$N towards the dark cloud L1251, using the Effelsberg telescope at K-band (18 -- 26\,GHz). L1251-1 and L1251-3 are identified as the most promising SCCC sources. The two sources harbor young stellar objects. We conducted mapping observations towards L1251-A, the western tail of L1251, at $λ$ $\sim$3\,mm with the PMO 13.7 m and the NRO 45 m telescopes in lines of C$_2$H, N$_2$H$^+$, CS, HCO$^+$, SO, HC$_3$N and C$^{18}$O as well as in CO 3--2 using the JCMT. The spectral data were combined with archival data including Spitzer and Herschel continuum maps for further analysis. Filamentary sub-structures labeled as F1 to F6 were extracted in L1251, with F1 being associated with L1251-A hosting L1251-1. The peak positions of dense gas traced by HCO$^+$ are misaligned relative to those of the dust clumps. Episodic outflows are common in this region. The twisted morphology of F1 and velocity distribution along L1251-A may originate from stellar feedback. SCCC in L1251-1 may have been caused by outflow activities originated from the infrared source IRS1. The signposts of ongoing SCCC and the broadened line widths of C$_3$S and C$_4$H in L1251-1 as well as the distribution of HC$_3$N are also related to outflow activities in this region. L1251-1 (IRS1) together with the previously identified SCCC source IRS3 demonstrate that L1251-A is an excellent region to study shocked carbon chain chemistry.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

A Demonstration of Improved Constraints on Primordial Gravitational Waves with Delensing

We present a constraint on the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$, derived from measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization $B$-modes with "delensing," whereby the uncertainty on $r$ contributed by the sample variance of the gravitational lensing $B$-modes is reduced by cross-correlating against a lensing $B$-mode template. This template is constructed by combining an estimate of the polarized CMB with a tracer of the projected large-scale structure. The large-scale-structure tracer used is a map of the cosmic infrared background derived from Planck satellite data, while the polarized CMB map comes from a combination of South Pole Telescope, BICEP/Keck, and Planck data. We expand the BICEP/Keck likelihood analysis framework to accept a lensing template and apply it to the BICEP/Keck data set collected through 2014 using the same parametric foreground modelling as in the previous analysis. From simulations, we find that the uncertainty on $r$ is reduced by $\sim10\%$, from $σ(r)$= 0.024 to 0.022, which can be compared with a $\sim26\%$ reduction obtained when using a perfect lensing template. Applying the technique to the real data, the constraint on $r$ is improved from $r_{0.05} < 0.090$ to $r_{0.05} < 0.082$ (95\% C.L.). This is the first demonstration of improvement in an $r$ constraint through delensing.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Spectroscopic observations of a flare-related coronal jet

Coronal jets are ubiquitous in active regions (ARs) and coronal holes. In this paper, we study a coronal jet related to a C3.4 circular-ribbon flare in active region 12434 on 2015 October 16. Two minifilaments were located under a 3D fan-spine structure before flare. The flare was generated by the eruption of one filament. The kinetic evolution of the jet was divided into two phases: a slow rise phase at a speed of $\sim$131 km s$^{-1}$ and a fast rise phase at a speed of $\sim$363 km s$^{-1}$ in the plane-of-sky. The slow rise phase may correspond to the impulsive reconnection at the breakout current sheet. The fast rise phase may correspond to magnetic reconnection at the flare current sheet. The transition between the two phases occurred at $\sim$09:00:40 UT. The blueshifted Doppler velocities of the jet in the Si {\sc iv} 1402.80 Å line range from -34 to -120 km s$^{-1}$. The accelerated high-energy electrons are composed of three groups. Those propagating upward along open field generate type \textrm{III} radio bursts, while those propagating downward produce HXR emissions and drive chromospheric condensation observed in the Si {\sc iv} line. The electrons trapped in the rising filament generate a microwave burst lasting for $\le$40 s. Bidirectional outflows at the base of jet are manifested by significant line broadenings of the Si {\sc iv} line. The blueshifted Doppler velocities of outflows range from -13 to -101 km s$^{-1}$. The redshifted Doppler velocities of outflows range from $\sim$17 to $\sim$170 km s$^{-1}$. Our multiwavelength observations of the flare-related jet are in favor of the breakout jet model and are important for understanding the acceleration and transport of nonthermal electrons.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Dust polarized emission observations of NGC 6334; BISTRO reveals the details of the complex but organized magnetic field structure of the high-mass star-forming hub-filament network

[Abridged] Filaments and hubs have received special attention recently thanks to studies showing their role in star formation. While the column density and velocity structures of both filaments and hubs have been studied, their magnetic fields (B-field) are not yet characterized. We aim to understand the role of the B-field in the dynamical evolution of the NGC 6334 hub-filament network. We present new observations of the dust polarized emission at 850$μ$m towards NGC 6334 obtained with the JCMT/POL-2. We study the distribution and dispersion of the polarized intensity ($PI$), the polarization fraction ($PF$), and the B-field angle ($θ_{B}$). We derive the power spectrum of the intensity and $θ_{B}$ along the ridge crest. Our analyses show a complex B-field structure when observed over the whole region ($\sim10$ pc), however, at smaller scales ($\sim1$ pc), $θ_{B}$ varies coherently along the filaments. The observed power spectrum of $θ_{B}$ can be well represented with a power law function with a slope $-1.33\pm0.23$, which is $\sim20\%$ shallower than that of $I$. This result is compatible with the properties of simulated filaments and may indicate the processes at play in the formation of filaments. $θ_{B}$ rotates from being mostly perpendicular to the filament crests to mostly parallel as they merge with the hubs. This variation of $θ_{B}$ may be tracing local velocity flows of matter in-falling onto the hubs. Our analysis suggests a variation of the energy balance along the crests of these filaments, from magnetically critical/supercritical at their far ends to magnetically subcritical near the hubs. We detect an increase of $PF$ towards the high-column density star cluster-forming hubs that may result from the increase of grain alignment efficiency due to stellar radiation from the newborn stars.

astro-ph.GA↗