arXiv subjects

En-Wei Liang

Publications and source records attributed to En-Wei Liang.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Probing the progenitor of high-$z$ short-duration GRB 201221D and its possible bulk acceleration in prompt emission

The growing observed evidence shows that the long- and short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) originate from massive star core-collapse and the merger of compact stars, respectively. GRB 201221D is a short-duration GRB lasting $\sim 0.1$ s without extended emission (EE) at high redshift $z=1.046$. By analyzing data observed with the Swift/BAT and Fermi/GBM, we find that a cutoff power-law model can adequately fit the spectrum with a soft $E_{\rm p}=113^{+9}_{-7}$ keV, and isotropic energy $E_{γ,iso} =1.36^{+0.17}_{-0.14}\times 10^{51}~\rm erg$. In order to reveal the possible physical origin of GRB 201221D, we adopted multi-wavelength criteria (e.g., Amati relation, $\varepsilon$-parameter, amplitude parameter, local event rate density, luminosity function, and properties of the host galaxy), and find that most of the observations of GRB 201221D favor a compact star merger origin. Moreover, we find that $\hatα$ is larger than $2+\hatβ$ in the prompt emission phase which suggests that the emission region is possibly undergoing acceleration during the prompt emission phase with a Poynting-flux-dominated jet.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

GRB 211227A as a peculiar long gamma-ray burst from compact star merger

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) associated with supernovae (SNe) are believed to originate from massive star core-collapse events, whereas short-duration GRBs that are related to compact star mergers are expected to be accompanied by kilonovae. GRB 211227A, which lasted about 84 s, had an initial short/hard spike followed by a series of soft gamma-ray extended emission at redshift $z=$0.228. We performed follow-up observations of the optical emission using BOOTES, LCOGT, and the Lijiang 2.4m telescope, but we detected no associated supernova signature, even down to very stringent limits at such a low redshift. We observed the host galaxy within a large error-circle and roughly estimate the physical offset of GRB 211227A as $20.47\pm14.47$ kpc from the galaxy center. These properties are similar to those of GRB 060614, and suggest that the progenitor of GRB 211227A is not favored to be associated with the death of massive stars. Hence, we propose that GRB 211227A originates from a compact star merger. Calculating pseudo-kilonova emission for this case by adopting the typical parameters, we find that any associated pseudo-kilonova is too faint to be detected. If this is the case, it explains naturally the characteristics of the prompt emission, the lack of SN and kilonova emission, and the large physical offset from the galaxy center.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Radioactively-Powered Gamma-Ray Transient Associated with a Kilonova from Neutron Star Merger

AAssociation of GW170817/GRB170817A/AT2017gfo provides the first direct evidence for neutron star mergers as significant sources of $r$-process nucleosynthesis. A gamma-ray transient (GRT) would be powered by the radioactive decay of the freshly-synthesized $r$-process elements. By analyzing the composition and gamma-ray opacity of the kilonova ejecta in details, we calculate the lightcurve and spectrum of the GRT for a range of spherically symmetric merger ejecta models with mass $M_{\rm ej}=0.001 \sim 0.05M_{\odot}$ and expansion velocity $v_{\rm ej}= 0.1\sim 0.4c$. It is found that the peak of the GRT lightcurve depends on $M_{\rm ej}$ and $v_{\rm ej}$ as $t_{\rm pk} \approx 0.5~{\rm days} ~ (M_{\rm ej}/0.01M_{\odot})^{1/2}(v_{\rm ej}/0.1c)^{-1}$ and $L_{\rm pk} \approx 2.0\times10^{41} ~{\rm erg~s} ^{-1} (M_{\rm ej}/0.01M_{\odot})^{1/2}(v_{\rm ej}/0.1c)$. Most radiating photons are in the $100-3000$ keV band and the spectrum peaks at about 800~keV for different nuclear physics inputs. The line features are blurred out by the Doppler broadening effect. Adopting the ejecta parameters reported in literature, we examine the detection probability of the possible GRT associated with AT2017gfo. We show that the GRT cannot be convincingly detected neither with current nor with the proposed missions in the MeV band, such as ETCC and AMEGO. The low gamma-ray flux, together with the extremely low event rate at local universe, makes a discovery of GRTs a great challenge.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Fermi Observations of GRB 220426A: a burst similar to GRB 090902B

We report on a very bright, long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB~220426A, observed by \emph{Fermi} satellite. GRB~220426A with total duration of $T_{90}=6$~s is composed with two main pulses and some sub-peaks. The spectral analysis of this burst with Band function reveals that both the time-integrated and the time-resolved spectra are very narrow with high $α\gtrsim 0.2$ and low $β\lesssim -3.1$. It is strong reminiscent of GRB~090902B, a special GRB with identification of the photospheric emission. Then, we perform the spectral analysis of this burst based on a non-dissipated photospheric emission, which can be well modelled as the multicolor-blackbody with a cutoff power-law distribution of the thermal temperature. The spectral fittings reveal that the photospheric emission can well describe the radiation spectrum of this burst. We conclude that this burst would be a second burst in the class of GRB~090902B observed by \emph{Fermi} satellite. We also discuss the physics of photosphere and the origin of the high-energy component in GRB~220426A .

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Comparison of thermodynamic behaviors of two regular-AdS black holes

Considering the negative cosmological constant of an anti-de Sitter (AdS) background as a positive thermodynamic pressure in the extended phase space, we study the thermodynamic behaviors of the regular Hayward-AdS (HAdS) black hole (BH) by investigating $P-\upsilon$ critical and cooling-heating phase transition. We compare the difference of two thermodynamic processes between the HAdS BH and the Bardeen-AdS (BAdS) BH. It is found that the phase transition of the BAdS BH tends to be more the van der Waals (vdW) phase transition. For the cooling-heating phase transition, we find the inversion curves of the HAdS BH are always higher than the BAdS BH under the same pressure and magnetic charge. We also compare the smallest existence mass, the zero-temperature remnant, and the critical magnetic charge. The results suggest that the inner horizon and the outer horizon of the Hayward BH are easier to merge, and the singularity is easier to expose.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Ehrenfest's scheme and microstructure for regular-AdS black hole in the extended phase space

The regular (Bardeen)-AdS (BAdS) black hole (BH) in the extended phase space is taken as an example for investigating the BH phase transition grade from both macroscopic and microscopic points of view. The equation of state and thermodynamic quantities of this BH are obtained. It is found that the BAdS BH phase space in the extended phase space should be a second-order phase transition near the critical point by verifying the Ehrenfest's equation, and the possibility of its first-order phase transition can be ruled out by the entropy continuity and the heat capacity mutation. The critical exponents from the microscopic structure are analytically and numerically presented with the Landau continuous phase transition theory by introducing a microscopic order-parameter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Observable characteristics of the charged black hole surrounded by thin disk accretion in Rastall gravity

The observable characteristics of the charged black hole (BH) surrounded by a thin disk accretion are investigated in the Rastall gravity. We found that the radii of the direct emission, lensing ring, and photon ring dramatically increased as the radiation field parameter increases, but they only weakly depend on the BH charge. Three positions of the radiation accretion disk relative to the BH are considered, i.e., the innermost accretion disk is closed to the radii of the innermost stable circular orbit, the photon ring of the BH, and the event horizon of the BH. The observed images in three cases respectively are obtained. It is found that the total observed flux is dominated by the direct emission, the lensing ring provides a small contribution, and the photon ring is negligible. The lensing and photon rings could not be observed in the blurred image with the EHT resolution. Our results suggest that the observable characteristics of the charged BH surrounded by the thin disk accretion in the Rastall gravity depend on both the BH space-time structure and the position of the radiating accretion disk with respect to the BH. The research of these BH images may serve as a probe for the BH-disk structure in M87$^{*}$ like nearby active galactic nuclei.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Influence of Accretion Flow and Magnetic Charge on the Observed Shadows and Rings of the Hayward Black Hole

The feature of the observed shadows and rings of an astrophysical black hole (BH) may depend on its accretion flows and magnetic charge. We find that the shadow radii and critical impact parameters of the Hayward BH are decreased with the increase of the magnetic charge. Comparing the Schwarzschild BH with the Hayward BH using the ray-tracing method, we show that the density and deflection of lights increase with the magnetic charge, and the BH singularity does not affect the generation of the shadow. Based on three optically thin accretion flow models, the two-dimensional shadows in celestial coordinates are derived. It is found that the shadow and photon ring luminosities of a Hayward BH surrounded by infalling spherical accretion flow are dimmer than that of a static spherical accretion flow. Taking three kinds of inner radii at which the accretion flow stops radiating, we find that the observed luminosity of a Hayward BH surrounded by a thin disk accretion flow is dominated by the direct emission, and the photon ring emission has a weak influence on it. These results suggest that the size of the observed shadow is related to the space-time geometry, and the luminosities of both the shadows and rings are affected by the accretion flow property and the BH magnetic charge.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Gravitational-wave evolution of newborn magnetars with different deformed structure

Weak and continuous gravitational-wave (GW) radiation can be produced by newborn magnetars with deformed structure and is expected to be detected by the Einstein telescope in the near future. In this work we assume that the deformed structure of a nascent magnetar is not caused by a single mechanism but by multiple time-varying quadrupole moments such as those present in magnetically induced deformation, starquake-induced ellipticity, and accretion column-induced deformation. The magnetar loses its angular momentum through accretion, magnetic dipole radiation, and GW radiation. Within this scenario, we calculate the evolution of GWs from a newborn magnetar by considering the above three deformations. We find that the GW evolution depends on the physical parameters of the magnetar (e.g., period and surface magnetic field), the adiabatic index, and the fraction of poloidal magnetic energy to the total magnetic energy. In general the GW radiation from a magnetically induced deformation is dominant if the surface magnetic field of the magnetar is large, but the GW radiation from magnetar starquakes is more efficient when there is a larger adiabatic index if all other magnetar parameters remain the same. We also find that the GW radiation is not very sensitive to different magnetar equations of state.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Modeling the Multi-band Light Curves of the Afterglows of Three Gamma-Ray Bursts and Their Associated Supernovae

There are some dozen supernovae (SNe) associated with long Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been confirmed. Most of previous studies derive the physical properties of the GRB-SNe by fitting the constructed (psuedo-)bolometric light curves. However, many GRB-SNe have only a few filter data, for which the (psuedo-)bolometric light curves are very difficult to be constructed. Additionally, constructing (psuedo-)bolometric light curves rely on some assumptions. In this paper, we use the multi-band broken power-law plus $^{56}$Ni model to fit the multi-band light curves of the afterglows and the SNe (SN~2001ke, SN~2013dx, and SN~2016jca) associated with three GRBs (GRB~011121, GRB~130702A, and GRB~161219B). We find our model can account for the multi-band light curves of the three GRB-SNe (except for the late-time $z-$band light curves of two events), indicating that the model is a reliable model. The $^{56}$Ni masses we derive are higher than that in the literature. This might be due to the fact that the $^{56}$Ni masses in the literature are usually obtained by fitting the psuedo-bolometric light curves whose luminosities are usually (significantly) underestimated. We suggest that the multi-band model can not only be used to fit the multi-band light curves of GRB-SNe that have many filter observations, but also fit those having sparse data.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

A Channel to Form Fast-spinning Black Hole--Neutron Star Binary Mergers as Multi-messenger Sources

After the successful detection of a gravitational-wave (GW) signal and its associated electromagnetic (EM) counterparts from GW170817, neutron star--black hole (NSBH) mergers have been highly expected to be the next type of multi-messenger source. However, despite the detection of several of NSBH merger candidates during the GW third observation run, no confirmed EM counterparts from these sources have been identified. The most plausible explanation is that these NSBH merger candidates were plunging events mainly because the primary BHs had near-zero projected aligned-spins based on GW observations. In view that NSs can be easily tidally disrupted by BHs with high projected aligned-spins, we study an evolution channel to form NSBH binaries with fast-spinning BHs, the properties of BH mass and spin, and their associated tidal disruption probability. We find that if the NSs are born firstly, the companion helium stars would be tidally spun up efficiently, and would thus finally form fast-spinning BHs. If BHs do not receive significant natal kicks at birth, these NSBH binaries that can merge within the Hubble time would have BHs with the projected aligned-spins $χ_{z}\gtrsim0.8$ and, hence, can certainly allow tidal disruption to happen. Even if significant BH kicks are considered for a small fraction of NSBH binaries, the projected aligned-spins of BHs are $χ_z\gtrsim0.2$. These systems can still be disrupted events unless the NSs are very massive. Thus, NS-first-born NSBH mergers would be promising multi-messenger sources. We discuss various potential EM counterparts associated with these systems and their detectability in the upcoming fourth observation run.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Early Evolution of a Newborn Magnetar with Strong Precession Motion in GRB 180620A

The observed early X-ray plateau in the afterglow lightcurves of some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is attributed to the dipole radiations (DRs) of a newborn magnetar. A quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) signal in the plateau would be strong evidence of the magnetar precession motion. By making a time-frequency domain analysis for the X-ray afterglow lightcurve of GRB 180620A, we find a QPO signal of $\sim650$ seconds in its early X-ray plateau. We fit the lightcurve with a magnetar precession model by adopting the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The observed lightcurve and the QPO signal are well represented with our model. The derived magnetic field strength of the magnetar is $B_{\rm p}= (1.02^{+0.59}_{-0.61})\times10^{15}$~G. It rapidly spins down with angular velocity evolving as $Ω_{s} \propto(1+t/τ_{\rm sd})^{-0.96}$, where $τ_{\rm sd}=9430$~s. Its precession velocity evolution is even faster than $Ω_s$, i.e. $Ω_{ p}\propto (1+t/τ_{p})^{-2.18\pm0.11}$, where $τ_{p}=2239\pm206$~s. The inferred braking index is $n=2.04$. We argue that the extra energy loss via the magnetospheric processes results in its rapid spin-down, a low braking index of the magnetar, and the strong precession motion.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Constraints on ultracompact minihalos from the extragalactic gamma-ray background observation

Ultracompact minihalo (UCMH) is a special type of dark matter halo with a very steep density profile which may form in the early universe seeded by an overdense region or a primordial black hole. Constraints on its abundance give valuable information on the power spectrum of primordial perturbation. In this work, we update the constraints on the UCMH abundance in the universe using the extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB) observation. Comparing to previous works, we adopt the updated Fermi-LAT EGB measurement and derive constraints based on a full consideration of the astrophysical contributions. With these improvements, we place constraints on UCMH abundance 1-2 orders of magnitude better than previous results. With the background components considered, we can also attempt to search for possible additional components beyond the known astrophysical contributions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Search for gamma-ray line signals around the black hole at the galactic center with DAMPE observation

The adiabatic growth of a black hole (BH) may enhance the dark matter (DM) density surrounding it, causing a spike in the DM density profile. The spike around the supermassive BH at the center of the Milky Way may lead to a dramatic enhancement of the gamma-ray flux of DM annihilation from the galactic center (GC). In this work, we analyze the gamma-ray data of the innermost region (i.e., the inner 1$^\circ$) of the GC to search for potential line-like signals from the BH spike. Such line-like signals could be generated in the process of DM particles annihilating into double photons. We adopt the gamma-ray data from the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE). Although the DAMPE has a much smaller effective area than the Fermi-LAT, the gamma-ray line search can benefit from its unprecedented high energy resolution. No significant line-like signals are found in our analysis. We derive upper limits on the cross section of the annihilation based on this non-detection. We find that despite the DAMPE's small effective area for photon detection, we can still place strong constraints on the cross section ($\left<σv\right>\lesssim10^{-27}\,{\rm cm^3\,s^{-1}}$) in the spike scenario due to the very bright model-expected flux from the spike. Our results indicate that either DM does not annihilate primarily through the $γγ$ channel in the mass range we considered or no sharp density spike is present at the GC.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Using the Optical--NIR Spectral Energy Distributions To Search for the Evidence of Dust Formation of 66 Supernovae

In this paper, we searched for the dust formation evidence of 66 supernovae (SNe) by using the blackbody model and the blackbody plus dust {emission} model to fit their early$-$time optical$-$near infrared (NIR) spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We find that, while the blackbody model can fit most SEDs of the SNe in our sample, the model cannot fit the SEDs of some SNe, in which the SEDs of 2 SNe (SNe~2010bq and 2012ca) show NIR excesses which can be attributed to the emission from the heated dust. We use blackbody plus dust emission model to fit the SEDs showing NIR excesses, finding that both graphite and silicate dust models can fit the SEDs, and the graphite model get reasonable temperatures or better fits. Assuming that the dust is graphite, the best-fitting temperatures (masses) of the dust of the SNe~2010bq and 2012ca are $\sim 1300-1800$ K ($\sim 0.1-3.4 \times 10^{-4}$ M$_\odot$) and $\sim 600-1000$ K ($\sim 0.6-7.5 \times 10^{-3}$ M$_\odot$), respectively. We compare the vaporization radii and the blackbody radii of the dust shells of the 2 SNe with the upper limits of the ejecta radii of the SNe at the first epochs, and demonstrate that the NIR excesses of the SEDs of the 2 SNe might be caused by the pre-existing dust.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

GeV $γ$-ray Emission of Compact Steep-Spectrum Source 4C +39.23B

Thirteen yr observation data of 4FGL J0824.9+3915 with the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope (Fermi/LAT) are analyzed for revisiting whether 4C +39.23B, a compact steep-spectrum (CSS) source closed to a flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) 4C +39.23A in the $γ$-ray emitting region of 4FGL J0824.9+3915, is a $γ$-ray emitter. We find that the time-integrated $γ$-ray emission of 4FGL J0824.9+3915 is overwhelmingly dominated by 4C +39.23A. It shows significant variability at a 6.7$σ$ confidence level and the average $γ$-ray flux in the 0.1--300 GeV energy band is $(1.60\pm 0.15)\times10^{-8}$ ph cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ with a power-law photon spectral index of $2.48\pm0.05$. During MJD 57500--58500, 4FGL J0824.9+3915 is in a low state with a steady $γ$-ray flux. Analyzed the Fermi/LAT observation data in this time interval, it is found that the TS values of the $γ$-ray emission from 4C +39.23A and 4C +39.23B are $\sim5$ and $\sim 31$, respectively, indicating that the $γ$-ray emission in this time interval is dominated by the CSS 4C +39.23B. The derived average flux in this time interval for 4C +39.23B is $(9.40\pm4.10)\times 10^{-9}$ ph cm $^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ with $Γ_γ=2.45\pm0.17$. Attributing the spectral energy distribution (SED) of 4C +39.23B to the radiations from its core and extended region, we show that the SED can be represented with a two-zone leptonic model. Its $γ$-ray emission is contributed by the core region. The derived magnetic field strength and Doppler boosting factor of the core are 0.13 G and 6.5. Comparing 4C +39.23B with other $γ$-emitting CSSs and compact symmetric objects (CSOs) in the $Γ_γ-L_γ$ plane, it resembles CSSs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

TeV and keV-MeV Excesses as Probes for Hadronic Process in BL Lacertaes

A hard TeV $γ$-ray component excess over the single-zone leptonic model prediction (TeV excess) is observed in the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of some BL Lacs. Its origin is uncertain. We revisit this issue with four BL Lacs (1ES 0229+200, 1ES 0347--121, 1ES 1101--232, and H2356--309), in which the TeV excess is detected in their intrinsic SEDs. We represent their SEDs with a single-zone leptohadronic model, where radiations of the electrons and protons as well as the cascade electrons produced by the $γγ$ and p$γ$ interactions within their jets are considered. We show that the observed SEDs below the GeV gamma-ray band are attributed to the synchrotron radiations and self-Compton process of the primary electrons, and the TeV excess is explained with the $γ$-ray emission from the p$γ$ process via the $π^{0}$ decay. The cascade emission of the electrons produced via the $γγ$ and p$γ$ interactions results in a keV-MeV excess in the SEDs, illustrated as a bump or plateau. This extra photon field enhances the production of TeV photons from the $pγ$ process, resulting in a reduction of the proton power by about one order of magnitude. However, the derived powers are still 3--4 orders of magnitude larger than the Eddington limit, being challenged by the current black hole accretion physics. Applying our model to Mrk 421, we propose that synergic observations with current and upcoming TeV and keV-MeV telescopes for its tentative TeV and MeV excesses can give insights to the hadronic process in its jet.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Effect of axion-like particles on the spectrum of the extragalactic gamma-ray background

Axion-like particles (ALPs) provide a feasible explanation for the observed lower TeV opacity of the Universe. If the anomaly TeV transparency is caused by ALPs, then the fluxes of distant extragalactic sources will be enhanced at photon energies beyond TeV, resulting in an enhancement of the observed extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB) spectrum. In this work, we have investigated the ALP modulation on the EGB spectrum at TeV energies. Our results show that in the most optimistic case, the existence of ALPs can cause the EGB spectrum to greatly deviate from the prediction of a pure extragalactic-background-light (EBL) absorption scenario. The deviation occurs at approximately $\gtrsim$1 TeV, and the current EGB measurements by Fermi-LAT cannot identify such an effect. We also find that most of the sensitive ALP parameters have been ruled out by existing constraints, leaving only a small region of unrestricted parameters that can be probed using the EGB effect investigated in this work. Observations from forthcoming very-high-energy instruments like LHAASO and CTA may be beneficial for the study of this effect.

astro-ph.HE↗