arXiv subjects

Da-Chun Qiang

Publications and source records attributed to Da-Chun Qiang.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Guide for the Hubble Tension: Mid-Time Solutions and Generalized PAge Parameterizations

In cosmology, the Hubble tension has become one of the most serious challenges in the last decade. Assuming that all the observational data are right, one of the ways out is to modify the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. In the literature, the theoretical modifications are mainly made in the early and the late/local universes. But on both sides, some no-go arguments have been proposed recently. In particular, the general no-go arguments for the late-time modifications are mainly based on the PAge parameterization. In the present work, we note that there are some flaws in the (original) PAge parameterization, and then propose various generalized PAge (GPAge) parameterizations, which can be extended to $z>z_{\rm CMB}$ and hence the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be taken into account, while they are also more accurate at low redshifts. With these GPAge parameterizations, we revisit the Hubble tension by using not only the late-time observations but also the observational data of CMB. We find that the Hubble tension could be alleviated (or even resolved) in GPAges significantly different from the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology, while they are overwhelmingly preferred over $\Lambda$CDM by the observational data in terms of all the information criteria. Surprisingly, we find that the new physics in the mid-time might be the key to resolve the Hubble tension.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Revisiting the equation of state of dark energy from DESI BAO with SNe Ia and CMB

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) have recently shown a mild preference for dynamical dark energy over the standard $\rm \Lambda$CDM model. In this paper, we analyze the $w_0w_a$CDM model using DESI BAO DR2, Pantheon+ SNe Ia, and Planck 2018 CMB distance prior data. To examine how different parts of the data affect the apparent deviation from $\rm \Lambda$CDM, we adopt two complementary redshift-cut strategies, dividing the dataset into $z z_{\rm cut}$ subsamples. We find that the most noticeable shifts occur when BAO and SNe Ia data in the redshift range $z\sim0.4$--$0.8$ are included, reaching a significance of about $\sim2\sigma$. Within this framework, the inclusion of higher-redshift measurements progressively weakens this deviation and brings the constraints closer to the $\rm \Lambda$CDM expectation. Moreover, the information criteria show no statistically significant preference between the $w_0w_a$CDM and $\rm \Lambda$CDM models, while the Bayesian information criterion consistently favors the $\rm \Lambda$CDM model. In addition, a parameter-shift consistency test reveals no statistically significant tension between complementary redshift subsamples. Within the DESI BAO DR2, Pantheon+, and CMB distance prior framework adopted here, these results do not provide statistically robust evidence favoring the $w_0w_a$CDM model over $\rm \Lambda$CDM. They instead indicate that the apparent parameter shifts under different redshift cuts may be affected by statistical fluctuations and by the limited precision and number of datapoints in the current subsamples. Our analysis provides a complementary redshift-dependent diagnostic for assessing how the inferred cosmological constraints vary under different redshift selections.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Decadal pre-explosion activity and circumstellar interaction in a supernova

When a massive star explodes as a supernova, crucial information about its immediate environment is lost within hours. Here we report rapid optical observations from Lulin Observatory of the broad-lined Type Ic supernova SN 2026gzf, beginning 1.25 hours after Einstein Probe detected the X-ray transient EP260321a. Our data led to the discovery of the optical counterpart and showed a luminous blue first-day excess that cannot be reproduced by standard radioactive models. We find that interaction between the ejecta and $\approx 0.02$ M$_{\odot}$ of circumstellar material accounts for the early excess. Archival Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) images show variability at the explosion site over the previous $\sim 12$ years, with the source brightening by a factor of $\sim 1.5$ in the final $\sim 3$ years before explosion, providing rare evidence for pre-explosion activity in a stripped-envelope progenitor system. The precursor brightening suggests enhanced eruptive mass loss during late-stage oxygen burning before core collapse, while an additional silicon-burning episode shortly before explosion may have created the compact nearby material responsible for the X-ray shock-breakout signal. SN 2026gzf therefore offers the first view of how a stripped progenitor modifies its immediate environment shortly before death, linking long-term precursor variability, circumstellar interaction and the explosion itself.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

From Nonparametric Distance Reconstruction to Testing the Etherington Relation and Cosmic Curvature Using 2D and 3D BAO Measurements

We present a joint test of cosmic curvature, $\Omega_{k0}$, and the cosmic distance-duality relation (CDDR) using the Etherington relation, which connects the luminosity and angular diameter distances at the same redshift. In this work, we combine the angular diameter distance measurements from recent Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) observations with luminosity distances reconstructed from Cosmic Chronometers data of Hubble parameter $H(z)$ using a non-parametric technique, Gaussian Process. A key part of our analysis is the systematic comparison of different BAO measurements (2D BAO, 3D BAO, and 3D DESI BAO) to determine whether any potential tension between angular and anisotropic BAO data affects constraints on the distance duality parameter $\eta(z)$ and $\Omega_{k0}$. We adopt four representative parameterizations of $\eta(z)$ to examine the correlation between $\eta(z)$ and $\Omega_{k0}$. Our results show no evidence for violation of the CDDR, with $\eta(z)$ consistent with unity at the 99\% confidence level for all BAO datasets and parameterizations. In all scenarios, the best-fit values of $\Omega_{k0}$ mildly favor a non-flat universe, although a spatially flat universe remains compatible at the 95\% confidence level. The constraints on $\eta_1$ and $\Omega_{k0}$ indicate slight variations across different BAO datasets, but the discrepancies between the 2D and 3D BAO measurements do not introduce any significant bias, and no statistically meaningful tension is observed. Our work provides robust constraints on cosmic curvature and the validity of the CDDR based on non-parametric distance reconstruction.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Generalized Distributions of Host Dispersion Measures in the Fast Radio Burst Cosmology

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) can provide a measure of the Hubble constant $H_0$ that is independent of the constraints set by the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the type Ia supernovae (SNIa), thereby arbitrating the Hubble tension. In the literature, the methodology proposed by Macquart et al. has been widely used, in which the contributions to the dispersion measure (DM) from the intergalactic medium (IGM, $\rm DM_{IGM}$) and the host galaxy ($\rm DM_{host}$) are described by probability distribution functions. Within the Macquart et al. methodology, it has been found that the parameter $F$, which quantifies the strength of the baryon feedback in galaxies, must be bound by an artificially narrow prior to result in a Hubble constant $H_0$ that is consistent with the ones derived from the CMB and SNIa studies. A recent study using ${\cal O}(100)$ localized FRBs found that this also causes the fraction of baryon mass in the IGM, $f_{\rm IGM}$, to approach its upper bound of 1. In the present work, using 125 localized FRBs, we find an unusually low $H_0$ when using a model with a loose prior on $F$. This model is in fact strongly preferred to the model with the narrow prior when considering the Bayesian evidence and the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria. Instead of modifying $\sigma_\Delta=Fz^{-0.5}$ in the distribution of $\rm DM_{IGM}$, we explore an alternative method of resolving the tension by generalizing the distribution of $\rm DM_{host}$ with varying location and scale parameters $\ell$ and $e^\mu$, respectively. We find that $H_0$ can be well consistent with the ones of Planck 2018 and SH0ES for all the models considered in this work, while these generalized models are all strongly preferred to the model with a narrow prior on $F$. Our findings indicate that more realistic distributions of $\rm DM_{host}$ could be the key to using FRBs as an independent measure of $H_0$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

The impact of 2D and 3D BAO measurements on the Cosmic Distance Duality Relation with HII galaxies

The cosmic distance duality relation (CDDR) is a fundamental and practical condition in observational cosmology that connects the luminosity distance and angular diameter distance. Testing its validity offers a powerful tool to probe new physics beyond the standard cosmological model. In this work, for the first time, we present a novel consistency test of CDDR by combining HII galaxy data with a comprehensive set of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) measurements. The BAO measurements include two-dimensional (2D) BAO and three-dimensional (3D) BAO from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), as well as the latest 3D BAO data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Release 2 (DR2). We adopt four different parameterizations of the distance duality relation parameter, $\eta(z)$, to investigate possible deviations and their evolution with cosmic time. To ensure accurate redshift matching across datasets, we reconstruct the distance measures through a model-independent Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach. {We find no significant deviation from the CDDR (less than 68% confidence level) among four parameterizations. Furthermore, our results show that the constraints on $\eta(z)$ obtained separately from 2D and 3D BAO measurements are consistent at the 68% confidence level. This indicates that there is no significant tension between the two datasets under the four parameterizations considered. Our ANN reconstruction of HII galaxies could provide constraints on the CDDR at redshifts beyond the reach of Type Ia supernovae.} Finally, the consistency of our results supports the standard CDDR and demonstrates the robustness of our analytical approach.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

New Insights into Dark Energy from DESI DR2 with CMB and SNIa

Analyses by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration suggest a significant deviation from the $\Lambda$CDM model when their baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements are combined with Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) data and various Type Ia supernova (SNIa) samples. In this work, we systematically investigate the origin of the deviations from the $\Lambda$CDM reported in recent cosmological analyses by combining different CMB datasets, BAO measurements, and DESY5 SNIa samples within the $w_0w_a$CDM framework. We find that the DESY5 SNIa sample, particularly its low-redshift component (DES-lowz), the Planck CMB data, the lensing measurements of Planck and ACT-DR6, and the DESI-DR2 BAO measurements contribute most significantly to the observed tensions. In contrast, combinations involving DES-SN, WMAP, SPT, and ACT-DR6 remain consistent with $\Lambda$CDM within $\sim1\sigma$. Our results highlight the critical impact of SNIa systematics, CMB data, and the choice of BAO dataset on constraints of dynamical dark energy models. These findings underscore the importance of improved calibration, homogeneity, and cross-validation of observational datasets to robustly assess potential deviations from the standard cosmological model.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Alleviating the Hubble Tension with a Local Void and Transitions of the Absolute Magnitude

Nowadays, one of the well-known serious challenges in cosmology is the Hubble tension, namely the discrepancy between the Hubble constants from the local observation of Type Ia supernova (SNIa) and the high-$z$ observation of cosmic microwave background (CMB). Here, we are interested in alleviating the Hubble tension with a local void. The key idea is assuming that we live in a locally underdense void, where one will feel a faster expansion rate compared to the cosmic average. In the literature, it was found that a local void cannot satisfyingly alleviate the Hubble tension, since it is not preferred over the $\Lambda$CDM model by the observations such as the Pantheon SNIa sample, especially in terms of the information criteria AIC and BIC. In the present work, we try to alleviate the Hubble tension with a local void and transitions of the absolute magnitude $M$, by using the Pantheon+ SNIa sample alone or jointly with the CMB data of Planck 2018. We find that the Hubble tension can be satisfyingly alleviated, while the $\Lambda$LTB void models are strongly preferred by the observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Cosmological constraints on dark energy models using DESI BAO 2024

Recently, the measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) indicate a potential deviation from the standard $\Lambda$CDM model. Some studies suggest that the data points from the luminous red galaxies (LRG) survey in DESI BAO data may contribute to this discrepancy. In this work, our main goal is to investigate whether this deviation is caused by the parameterization of the equation of state (EoS) of dark energy (DE). Hence, we have examined four popular parameterized dark energy models in our analysis: the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder (CPL), Barboza-Alcaniz (BA), Jassal-Bagla-Padmanabhan (JBP), and Feng-Shen-Li-Li (FSLL) parameterizations. Considering that LRG1 and LRG2 data points may lead to deviation from the $\Lambda$CDM model, we use two versions of DESI BAO data, differing in whether these data points are included. Additionally, to break the parameter degeneracies and obtain robust constraint results, we introduce Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and quasars (QSO) in our analysis. Our findings indicate that in these parameterizations, the deviation from ($w_0$,$w_{1}$)=(-1,0) becomes more pronounced when using the combined data from DESI BAO, SNe Ia, and QSO compilations. Here, $w_{0}$ and $w_{1}$ represent the EoS of DE. It suggests that the parameterizations of the EoS of DE have little impact on the deviation from the $\Lambda$CDM model. Besides, our analysis potentially hints that dark energy may have dynamic properties. In addition, the results obtained from different BAO datasets demonstrate that the LRG1 and LRG2 data points do indeed contribute to a deviation from the $\Lambda$CDM model. Finally, according to the statistical criteria, the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), the joint constraints provide substantial observational support to the BA and FSLL models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

3D Localization of FRB 20190425A for Its Potential Host Galaxy and Implications

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are high-energy, short-duration phenomena in radio astronomy. Identifying their host galaxies can provide insights into their mysterious origins. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to identifying potential host galaxies in three-dimensional space. We use FRB 20190425A and GW190425 as an example to illustrate our method. Recently, due to spatial and temporal proximity, the potential association of GW190425 with FRB 20190425A has drawn attention, leading to the identification of a likely host galaxy, UGC 10667, albeit without confirmed kilonova emissions. We search for the host galaxy of FRB 20190425A with a full CHIME localization map. Regardless of the validity of the association between GW190425 and FRB 20190425A, we identify an additional potential host galaxy (SDSS J171046.84+212732.9) from the updated GLADE galaxy catalog, supplementing the importance of exploring the new volume. We employed various methodologies to determine the most probable host galaxy of GW190424 and FRB 20190425A, including a comparison of galaxy properties and constraints on their reported observation limits using various Kilonova models. Our analysis suggests that current observations do not definitively identify the true host galaxy. Additionally, the Kilonova models characterized by a gradual approach to their peak are contradicted by the observational upper limits of both galaxies. Although the absence of optical emission detection raises doubts, it does not definitively disprove the connection between GW and FRB.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Unsupervised Machine Learning for Classifying CHIME Fast Radio Bursts and Investigating Empirical Relations

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are highly energetic millisecond-duration astrophysical phenomena typically categorized as repeaters or non-repeaters. However, observational limitations may result in misclassifications, potentially leading to a higher proportion of repeaters than currently identified. In this study, we leverage unsupervised machine learning techniques to classify FRBs using data from the CHIME/FRB catalogs, including both the first catalog and a recent repeater catalog. By employing Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection for dimensionality reduction and clustering algorithms (k-means and Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise), we successfully segregate repeaters and non-repeaters into distinct clusters, identifying over 100 potential repeater candidates. Our analysis reveals several empirical relations within the clusters, including the ${\rm log \,}\Delta t_{sc}-{\rm log \,}\Delta t_{rw}$, ${\rm log \,}\Delta t_{sc}-{\rm log \,}T_B$, and $r - \gamma$ correlations, where ${\Delta t_{sc}, \Delta t_{rw}, T_B, r, \gamma}$ represent scattering time, rest-frame width, brightness temperature, spectral running, and spectral index, respectively. The Chow test results reveal that while some repeaters and non-repeaters share similar empirical relationships, the overall distinctions between the two groups remain significant, reinforcing the classification of FRBs into repeaters and non-repeaters. These findings provide new insights into the physical properties and emission mechanisms of FRBs. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of unsupervised learning in classifying FRBs and identifying potential repeaters, paving the way for more precise investigations into their origins and applications in cosmology. Future improvements in observational data and machine learning methodologies are expected to further enhance our understanding of FRBs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Checking the Empirical Relations with the Current Localized Fast Radio Bursts

Although fast radio bursts (FRBs) were discovered more than a decade ago, and they have been one of the active fields in astronomy and cosmology, their origins are still unknown. An interesting topic closely related to the origins of FRBs is their classifications. Different classes of FRBs require different physical mechanisms. If some empirical relations are found for different classes of FRBs, they might justify the classifications scenario and help us to reveal the physical mechanisms behind. On the other hand, FRBs are actually a promising probe for cosmology, since their redshifts could be $z\sim 3$ or even higher. Similar to the cosmology of type Ia supernovae (SNIa) or Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), some empirical relations might also play an important role in the FRB cosmology. In the literature, some new classifications of FRBs different from repeaters and non-repeaters were proposed recently. In particular, it was suggested to classify FRBs into the ones associated with old or young stellar populations, and some empirical relations have also been found for them, respectively. One of these empirical relations (namely $L_\nu-E$ relation) without dispersion measure (DM) has been used to calibrate FRBs as standard candles for cosmology. This shows the potential of the new classification and the empirical relations for FRBs. Nowadays, more than 50 FRBs have been well localized, and hence their redshifts $z$ are observationally known. So, it is of interest to check the empirical relations with the actual data of current localized FRBs. We find that many empirical relations still hold, and in particular the one used to calibrate FRBs as standard candles for cosmology stands firm. This is beneficial to the FRB cosmology.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Fast Radio Burst Distributions Consistent with the First CHIME/FRB Catalog

Currently, fast radio bursts (FRBs) have become a very active field in astronomy and cosmology. However, the origin of FRBs is still unknown to date. The studies on the intrinsic FRB distributions might help us to reveal the possible origins of FRBs, and improve the simulations for FRB cosmology. Recently, the first CHIME/FRB catalog of 536 events was released. Such a large uniform sample of FRBs detected by a single telescope is very valuable to test the FRB distributions. Later, it has been claimed that the FRB distribution model tracking the cosmic star formation history (SFH) was rejected by the first CHIME/FRB catalog. In the present work, we consider some empirical FRB distribution models, and find that many of them can be fully consistent with the CHIME/FRB observational data for some suitable model parameters. Notice that a suppressed evolution with respect to SFH is commonly found for FRBs. In particular, we independently confirm that the FRB distribution model tracking SFH can be rejected at very high confidence. On the other hand, all the ``successful'' models effectively require a certain degree of ``delay'' with respect to SFH. These results might shed light on the origin of FRBs and FRB cosmology.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Effect of Redshift Distributions of Fast Radio Bursts on Cosmological Constraints

Nowadays, fast radio bursts (FRBs) have been a promising probe for astronomy and cosmology. However, it is not easy to identify the redshifts of FRBs to date. Thus, no sufficient actual FRBs with identified redshifts can be used to study cosmology currently. In the past years, one has to use the simulated FRBs with "known" redshifts instead. To simulate an FRB, one should randomly assign a redshift to it from a given redshift distribution. But the actual redshift distribution of FRBs is still unknown so far. Therefore, many redshift distributions have been assumed in the literature. In the present work, we study the effect of various redshift distributions on cosmological constraints, while they are treated equally. We find that different redshift distributions lead to different cosmological constraining abilities from the simulated FRBs. This result emphasizes the importance to find the actual redshift distribution of FRBs, and reminds us of the possible bias in the FRB simulations due to the redshift distributions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Neutron Star as a Mirror for Gravitational Waves

Gravitational wave (GW) has become one of the most active fields in physics and astronomy since the first direct detection of GW event in 2015. As is well known, multiple images of GW events are possible through the gravitational lenses. Here, we propose a novel mirror imaging mechanism for GW events different from the gravitational lens. In the literature, the superconductor was predicted to be highly reflective mirror for GWs. It is well known that neutron stars exhibit superconductivity and superfluidity. In this work, we predict that there are two types of GW mirror imaging phenomena caused by the neutron star located in Milky Way or the same host galaxy of GW source, which might be detected within a life period of man (namely the time delay $Δt$ can be a few years to a few tens of years). It is expected to witness this predicted GW mirror imaging phenomenon in the near future. In the long term, the observations of this novel GW mirror imaging phenomenon might help us to find numerous neutron stars unseen by other means, and learn more about the complicated internal structures of neutron stars, as well as their equations of state.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Cosmic Anisotropy and Fast Radio Bursts

In the recent years, the field of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is thriving and growing rapidly. It is of interest to study cosmology by using FRBs with known redshifts. In the present work, we try to test the possible cosmic anisotropy with the simulated FRBs. In particular, we only consider the possible dipole in FRBs, rather than the cosmic anisotropy in general, while the analysis is only concerned with finding the rough number of necessary data points to distinguish a dipole from a monopole structure through simulations. Noting that there is no a large sample of actual data of FRBs with known redshifts by now, simulations are necessary to this end. We find that at least 2800, 190, 100 FRBs are competent to find the cosmic dipole with amplitude 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, respectively. Unfortunately, even 10000 FRBs are not competent to find the tiny cosmic dipole with amplitude of ${\cal O}(10^{-3})$. On the other hand, at least 20 FRBs with known redshifts are competent to find the cosmic dipole with amplitude 0.1. We expect that such a big cosmic dipole could be ruled out by using only a few tens of FRBs with known redshifts in the near future.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Reconstructing the Fraction of Baryons in the Intergalactic Medium with Fast Radio Bursts via Gaussian Processes

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a promising new probe for astronomy and cosmology. Thanks to their extragalactic and cosmological origin, FRBs could be used to study the intergalactic medium (IGM) and the cosmic expansion. It is expected that numerous FRBs with identified redshifts will be available in the near future through the identification of their host galaxies or counterparts. $\rm DM_{IGM}$, the contribution from IGM to the observed dispersion measure (DM) of FRB, carries the key information about IGM and the cosmic expansion history. We can thus study the evolution of the universe by using FRBs with identified redshifts. In the present work, we are interested in the fraction of baryon mass in the IGM, $f_{\rm IGM}$, which is useful to study the cosmic expansion and the problem of the "missing baryons". We propose to reconstruct the evolution of $f_{\rm IGM}$ as a function of redshift $z$ with FRBs via a completely model-independent method, namely Gaussian processes. Since there is not a large sample of FRBs with identified redshifts, we use simulated FRBs instead. Through various simulations, we show that this methodology works well.

astro-ph.CO↗