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G. Q. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to G. Q. Zhang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Consequences of Energetic Magnetar-Like Outbursts of Nearby Neutron Stars: $^{14}$C Events and the Cosmic Electron Spectrum

Four significant events of rapid $^{14}$C increase have taken place within the past several thousand years. The physical origin of these rapid increases is still a mystery but must be associated with extremely energetic cosmic processes. Pulsars are highly magnetized neutron stars that emit a beam of electromagnetic radiations. Any sudden release of the energy stored in the magnetic multipole field will trigger outbursts similar to the giant flares of magnetars. Here we show that the relativistic outflow from the outbursts of a nearby pulsar interacting with the interstellar medium generates a shock, which accelerates electrons to trillions of electron volts. The high-energy photons from synchrotron emission of the shock interact with Earth's atmosphere, producing the cosmogenic nuclide $^{14}$C, which can cause the rapid $^{14}$C increases discovered in tree rings. These same relativistic electrons can account for a significant fraction of the cosmic electron spectrum in the trillion electron volts energy range, as observed by space-borne satellites. Since these outburst events can significantly affect our environment, monitoring nearby pulsars for such outbursts may be important in the future.

astro-ph.HE↗

Statistical properties magnetar bursts and FRB 121102

In this paper, we present statistics of soft gamma repeater (SGR) bursts from SGR J1550-5418, SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 by adding new bursts from Kırmızıbayrak et al. (2017) detected with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). We find that the fluence distributions of magnetar bursts are well described by power-law functions with indices 1.84, 1.68, and 1.65 for SGR J1550-5418, SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14, respectively. The duration distributions of magnetar bursts also show power-law forms. Meanwhile, the waiting time distribution can be described by a non-stationary Poisson process with an exponentially growing occurrence rate. These distributive features indicate that magnetar bursts can be regarded as a self-organizing critical process. We also compare these distributions with the repeating FRB 121102. The statistical properties of repeating FRB 121102 are similar with magentar bursts, combing with the large required magnetic filed ($B\geq 10^{14}$G) of neutron star for FRB 121102, which indicates that the central engine of FRB 121102 may be a magnetar.

astro-ph.HE↗

Yield ratio of neutrons to protons in $^{12}C(d,n)^{13}$N and $^{12}C(d,p)^{13}$C from 0.6 MeV to 3 MeV

The neutron yield in $^{12}$C(d,n)$^{13}$N and the proton yield in $^{12}C(d,p)^{13}$C have been measured by deuteron beam from 0.6 MeV to 3 MeV which is delivered from a 4-MeV electro static accelerator bombarding on the thick carbon target. The neutrons are detected at $0\degree$, $24\degree$, $48\degree$ and the protons at $135\degree$ in the lab frame. The ratios of the neutron yield to the proton one have been calculated and can be used as an effective probe to pin down the resonances. The resonances are found at 1.4 MeV, 1.7 MeV, 2.5 MeV in $^{12}C(d,p)^{13}$C and at 1.6 MeV, 2.7 MeV in $^{12}$C(d,n)$^{13}$N. This method provides a way to reduce the systematic uncertainty and helps to confirm more resonances in compound nuclei.

nucl-ex↗

A universal energy distribution for FRB 121102

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are milliseconds radio transients with large dispersion measures (DMs). An outstanding question is the relation between repeating FRBs and those with a single burst. In this paper, we study the energy distribution of the repeating FRB 121102. For a power-law distribution of energy $dN/dE\propto E^{-α_E}$, we show that the value of $α_E$ is in a narrow range $1.6-1.8$ for bursts observed by different telescopes at different frequencies, which indicates a universal energy distribution for FRB 121102. Interestingly, similar power-law index of energy distribution for non-repeating FRBs observed by Parkes and ASKAP is also found. However, if low-energy bursts below completeness threshold of Arecibo are discarded for FRB 121102, the slope could be up to 2.2. Implications of such a universal energy distribution are discussed.

astro-ph.HE↗

Energy function, formation rate and low-metallicity environment of fast radio bursts

In this paper, we investigate the energy function, formation rate and environment of fast radio bursts (FRBs) using Parkes sample and Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) sample. For the first time, the metallicity effect on the formation rate is considered. If FRBs are produced by the mergers of compact binaries, the formation rate of FRBs should have a time delay relative to cosmic star formation rate (CSFR). We get the time delay is about 3-5 Gyr and the index of differential energy function $γ$ ($dN/dE\propto E^{-γ}$) is between 1.6 and 2.0 from redshift cumulative distribution. The value of $γ$ is similar to that of FRB 121102, which indicates single bursts may share the same physical mechanism with the repeaters. In another case, if the formation rate of FRB is proportional to the SFR without time delay, the index $γ$ is about 2.3. In both cases, we find that FRBs may prefer to occur in low-metallicity environment with $ 12 +\log(\rm{O/H}) \simeq 8.40$, which is similar to those of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I).

astro-ph.HE↗

The role of the Heisenberg principle in Constrained Molecular Dynamics model

We implement the Heisenberg principle into the Constrained Molecular Dynamics (CoMD) model with a similar approach to the Pauli principle using the one-body occupation probability $\bar{f}_i$. Results of the modified and the original model with comparisons to data are given. The binding energies and the radii of light nuclei obtained with the modified model are more consistent to the experimental data than the original one. The collision term and the density distribution are tested through a comparison to p+$^{12}$C elastic scattering data. Some simulations for fragmentation and superheavy nuclei production are also discussed.

nucl-th↗

Transport signatures of relativistic quantum scars in a graphene cavity

We study a relativistic quantum cavity system realized by etching out from a graphene sheet by quantum transport measurements and theoretical calculations. The conductance of the graphene cavity has been measured as a function of the back gate voltage (or the Fermi energy) and the magnetic field applied perpendicular to the graphene sheet, and characteristic conductance contour patterns are observed in the measurements. In particular, two types of high conductance contour lines, i.e., straight and parabolic-like high conductance contour lines, are found in the measurements. The theoretical calculations are performed within the framework of tight-binding approach and Green's function formalism. Similar characteristic high conductance contour features as in the experiments are found in the calculations. The wave functions calculated at points selected along a straight conductance contour line are found to be dominated by a chain of scars of high probability distributions arranged as a necklace following the shape of cavity and the current density distributions calculated at these point are dominated by an overall vortex in the cavity. These characteristics are found to be insensitive to increasing magnetic field. However, the wave function probability distributions and the current density distributions calculated at points selected along a parabolic-like contour line show a clear dependence on increasing magnetic field, and the current density distributions at these points are characterized by the complex formation of several localized vortices in the cavity. Our work brings a new insight into quantum chaos in relativistic particle systems and would greatly stimulate experimental and theoretical efforts towards this still emerging field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Evidence for high excitation energy resonances in the 7 alpha disassembly of $^{28}$Si

The excitation function for the 7 alpha de-excitation of $^{28}$Si nuclei excited to high excitation energies in the collisions of 35 MeV/nucleon $^{28}$Si with $^{12}$C reveals resonance structures that may indicate the population of high spin toroidal isomers such as those predicted by a number of recent theoretical calculations. This interpretation is supported by extended theoretical analyses.

nucl-ex↗

Low-field magnetotransport in graphene cavity devices

Confinement and edge structures are known to play significant roles in electronic and transport properties of two-dimensional materials. Here, we report on low-temperature magnetotransport measurements of lithographically patterned graphene cavity nanodevices. It is found that the evolution of the low-field magnetoconductance characteristics with varying carrier density exhibits different behaviors in graphene cavity and bulk graphene devices. In the graphene cavity devices, we have observed that intravalley scattering becomes dominant as the Fermi level gets close to the Dirac point. We associate this enhanced intravalley scattering to the effect of charge inhomogeneities and edge disorder in the confined graphene nanostructures. We have also observed that the dephasing rate of carriers in the cavity devices follows a parabolic temperature dependence, indicating that the direct Coulomb interaction scattering mechanism governs the dephasing at low temperatures. Our results demonstrate the importance of confinement in carrier transport in graphene nanostructure devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

The formation rate of short gamma-ray bursts and gravitational waves

In this paper, we study the luminosity function and formation rate of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs). Firstly, we derive the $E_p-L_p$ correlation using 16 sGRBs with redshift measurements and determine the pseudo redshifts of 284 Fermi sGRBs. Then, we use the Lynden-Bell c$^-$ method to study the luminosity function and formation rate of sGRBs without any assumptions. A strong evolution of luminosity $L(z)\propto (1+z)^{4.47}$ is found. After removing this evolution, the luminosity function is $ Ψ(L) \propto L_0 ^ {- 0.29 \pm 0.01} $ for dim sGRBs and $ ψ(L) \propto L_0 ^ {- 1.07 \pm 0.01} $ for bright sGRBs, with the break point $8.26 \times 10^{50} $ erg s$^{-1}$. We also find that the formation rate decreases rapidly at $z<1.0$, which is different with previous works. The local formation rate of sGRBs is 7.53 events Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$. Considering the beaming effect, the local formation rate of sGRBs including off-axis sGRBs is $ 203.31^{+1152.09}_{-135.54} $ events Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$. We also estimate that the event rate of sGRBs detected by the advanced LIGO and Virgo is $0.85^{+4.82}_{-0.56} $ events yr$^{-1}$ for NS-NS binary.

astro-ph.HE↗

Giant dipole resonance in proton capture reactions using an extended quantum molecular dynamics model

Proton capture reaction is an important process concerning the astrophysical origin of the elements. In present work, we focus on giant dipole resonance (GDR) in proton capture reactions, such as $^{11}$B$(p, γ)^{12}$C, $^{27}$Al$(p, γ)^{28}$Si, $^{39}$K$(p, γ)^{40}$Ca, and $^{67}$Co$(p, γ)^{68}$Ni in a framework of an extended quantum molecular dynamics model. The systematic properties of GDR parameters including the peak energy, the strength and full width at half maximum (FWHM) have been studied. The dependence of FWHM on temperature has also been discussed. Some comparisons with experimental data have been presented.

nucl-th↗

Proton-proton correlations in distinguishing the two-proton emission mechanism of $^{23}$Al and $^{22}$Mg

The proton-proton momentum correlation functions ($C_{pp}(q)$) for kinematically complete decay channels of $^{23}$Al $\rightarrow$ p + p + $^{21}$Na and $^{22}$Mg $\rightarrow$ p + p + $^{20}$Ne have been measured at the RIKEN RI Beam Factory. From the very different correlation strength of $C_{pp}(q)$ for $^{23}$Al and $^{22}$Mg, the source size and emission time information were extracted from the $C_{pp}(q)$ data by assuming a Gaussian source profile in the correlation function calculation code (CRAB). The results indicated that the mechanism of two-proton emission from $^{23}$Al was mainly sequential emission, while that of $^{22}$Mg was mainly three-body simultaneous emission. By combining our earlier results of the two-proton relative momentum and the opening angle, it is pointed out that the mechanism of two-proton emission could be distinguished clearly.

nucl-ex↗

Dipole oscillation modes in light $α$-clustering nuclei

The $α$ cluster states are discussed in a model frame of extended quantum molecular dynamics. Different alpha cluster structures are studied in details, such as $^8$Be two-$α$ cluster structure, $^{12}$C triangle structure, $^{12}$C chain structure, $^{16}$O chain structure, $^{16}$O kite structure, and $^{16}$O square structure. The properties studied, include as the width of wave packets for different $α$ clusters, momentum distribution, and the binding energy among $α$ clusters. It is also discussed how the $α$ cluster degree of freedom affects nuclear collective vibrations. The cluster configurations in $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O are found to have corresponding characteristic spectra of giant dipole resonance (GDR), and the coherences of different $α$ clusters's dipole oscillation are described in details. The geometrical and dynamical symmetries of $α$-clustering configurations are responsible for the number and centroid energies of peaks of GDR spectra. Therefore, the GDR can be regarded as an effective probe to diagnose different $α$ cluster configurations in light nuclei.

nucl-th↗

Effect of neutron skin thickness on projectile fragmentation

The fragment production in collisions of $^{48,50}$Ca+$^{12}$C at 50 MeV/nucleon are simulated via the Isospin-Dependent Quantum Molecular Dynamics (IQMD) model followed by the {GEMINI code}. {By changing the diffuseness parameter of neutron density distribution to obtain different neutron skin size, the effects of neutron skin thickness ($δ_{np}$) on projectile-like fragments (PLF) are investigated. The sensitivity of isoscaling behavior to neutron skin size is studied, from which it is found that the isoscaling parameter $α$ has a linear dependence on $δ_{np}$. A linear dependence between $δ_{np}$ and the mean $N/Z$ [N(Z) is neutron(proton) number] of PLF is obtained as well.} The results show that thicker neutron skin will lead to smaller {isoscaling parameter} $α$ and N/Z. Therefore, it may be probable to extract information of neutron skin thickness from {isoscaling parameter} $α$ and N/Z.

nucl-th↗

Different mechanism of two-proton emission from proton-rich nuclei $^{23}$Al and $^{22}$Mg

Two-proton relative momentum ($q_{pp}$) and opening angle ($θ_{pp}$) distributions from the three-body decay of two excited proton-rich nuclei, namely $^{23}$Al $\rightarrow$ p + p + $^{21}$Na and $^{22}$Mg $\rightarrow$ p + p + $^{20}$Ne, have been measured with the projectile fragment separator (RIPS) at the RIKEN RI Beam Factory. An evident peak at $q_{pp}\sim20$ MeV/c as well as a peak in $θ_{pp}$ around 30$^\circ$ are seen in the two-proton break-up channel from a highly-excited $^{22}$Mg. In contrast, such peaks are absent for the $^{23}$Al case. It is concluded that the two-proton emission mechanism of excited $^{22}$Mg is quite different from the $^{23}$Al case, with the former having a favorable diproton emission component at a highly excited state and the latter dominated by the sequential decay process.

nucl-ex↗

New measurement of the excited states in $^{11}$B via the elastic resonance scattering of $^{10}$Be + p

The elastic resonance scattering protons decayed from $^{11}$B to the ground state of $^{10}$Be were measured using the thick-target technique in inverse kinematics at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL). The obtained excitation functions were well described by a multichannel R-matrix procedure under the kinematics process assumption of resonant elastic scattering. The excitation energy of the resonant states ranges from 13.0 to 17.0 MeV, and their resonant parameters such as the resonant energy E$_{x}$, the spin-parity J$^π$, and the proton-decay partial width $Γ_p$ were determined from R-matrix fits to the data. Two of these states around E$_{x}$ = 14.55 MeV [J$^π$ = (3/2$^+$, 5/2$^+$), $Γ_p$ = 475 $\pm$ 80 keV] and E$_{x}$ = 14.74 MeV [J$^π$ = 3/2$^-$, $Γ_p$ = 830 $\pm$ 145 keV], and a probably populated state at E$_x$ = 16.18 MeV [J$^π$ =(1/2$^-$, 3/2$^-$), $Γ_p$ $<$ 60 keV], are respectively assigned to the well-known states in $^{11}$B at 14.34 MeV, 15.29 MeV, and 16.43 MeV. The isospin of these three states were previously determined to be T = 3/2, but discrepancies exist in widths and energies due to the current counting statistics and energy resolution. We have compared these states with previous measurements, and the observation of the possibly populated resonance is discussed.

nucl-ex↗

Correlation between elliptic flow and shear viscosity in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions

The correlation between the elliptic flow $v_2$ scaled by the impact parameter $b$ and the shear viscosity $η$ as well as the specific viscosity $η/s$, defined as the ratio of the shear viscosity to the entropy density $s$, is investigated for the first time in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions based on an isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamic model. The elliptic flow is calculated at balance energies to exclude the geometric influence such as the blocking effect from the spectators. Our study shows that $v_{2}/b$ decreases almost linearly with increasing $η$, consistent with that observed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. On the other hand, $v_{2}/b$ is found to increase with increasing $η/s$.

nucl-th↗

Giant Dipole Resonance as a Fingerprint of $α$ Clustering Configurations in $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O

It is studied how the $α$ cluster degrees of freedom, such as $α$ clustering configurations close to the $α$ decay threshold in $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O, including the linear chain, triangle, square, kite, and tetrahedron, affect nuclear collective vibrations with a microscopic dynamical approach, which can describe properties of nuclear ground states well across the nuclide chart and reproduce the standard giant dipole resonance (GDR) of $^{16}$O quite nicely. It is found that the GDR spectrum is highly fragmented into several apparent peaks due to the $α$ structure. The different $α$ cluster configurations in $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O have corresponding characteristic spectra of GDR. The number and centroid energies of peaks in the GDR spectra can be reasonably explained by the geometrical and dynamical symmetries of $α$ clustering configurations. Therefore, the GDR can be regarded as a very effective probe to diagnose the different $α$ cluster configurations in light nuclei.

nucl-th↗