arXiv subjects

Guimei Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Guimei Liu.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The fading hierarchy of Galactic open clusters

Galactic open clusters provide a record of both hierarchical star formation and the subsequent dynamical evolution of the Milky Way disk. We use the two-point correlation function to characterize the spatial and kinematic clustering of open clusters in the solar neighborhood, considering their three-dimensional (3D) distributions and their projections onto the Galactic plane, as well as subsamples divided by age, mass, and survey volume. We quantify the clustering through fractal dimensions and characteristic correlation scales. We find that the youngest clusters have fractal dimensions comparable to those measured in the interstellar medium, suggesting that they retain part of the hierarchical structure of their natal molecular clouds. The clustering strength then decreases systematically with age and becomes weak on a characteristic timescale of order 100 Myr. This evolution is scale dependent: the excess correlation at tens of parsecs fades more rapidly than the weaker correlation at hundreds of parsecs. By contrast, we find only a weak dependence of the clustering properties on cluster mass and volume. Using the same cluster sample, we derive an empirical mapping between projected and 3D fractal dimensions, providing an observational calibration for comparing the Milky Way with studies of external galaxies, where only projected measurements are available. The open-cluster population exhibits characteristic spatial and kinematic clustering scales of approximately 370 pc and 11 km/s, respectively. These results support a picture in which young open clusters inherit a spatial hierarchy from star formation and progressively lose their spatial correlations through subsequent evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Revisiting the Radial Velocities of Nearby Open Clusters using Gaia DR3

Open clusters (OCs) are essential laboratories for probing stellar dynamics and tracing the structure and evolution of the Milky Way. Accurate measurements of their average radial velocities (RVs) and RV dispersions are crucial for estimating dynamical masses, orbital evolution, and overall kinematic states. Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) provides an unprecedented volume of high-precision RVs. However, when applied to OCs, Gaia DR3 RVs often yield unusually large and overestimated RV dispersions. This inflation is primarily driven by RV measurement systematics for hot and faint stars, as well as unresolved binary contamination. To mitigate this, we revisit the average RVs and RV dispersions of OCs within 500 pc of the Sun using Gaia DR3. We evaluate the reliability of RV measurements and employ a color-based filtering method. By selecting member stars within an intrinsic color range of $0.2 \le (BP-RP)_{0} \le 1.2$ mag, we exclude hot and cool stars with less reliable RVs. This filtering significantly reduces the inferred RV dispersions while maintaining average RVs consistent with previous literature. Specifically, the median RV dispersion decreases by 26%, dropping from 3.76 km s$^{-1}$ prior to filtering to 2.79 km s$^{-1}$ afterward. These filtered RV dispersions remain systematically larger than tangential velocity dispersions, likely due to residual biases and undetected binaries. However, RV dispersions measured exclusively from red clump giants (found in 6 clusters) are remarkably small ($\lesssim 1.6$ km s$^{-1}$) and align closely with tangential dispersions ($\lesssim 1$ km s$^{-1}$). Ultimately, we provide a practical, Gaia-only strategy to derive more realistic RV dispersions for OCs, identifying red clump giants as exceptionally high-fidelity kinematic tracers for robust cluster studies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

A catalog of new blue stragglers in open clusters with Gaia DR3

The high-precision {\it Gaia} data release 3 (DR3) enables the discovery of numerous open clusters in the Milky Way, providing an excellent opportunity to search for blue straggler stars in open clusters and investigate their formation and evolution in these environments. Using the member stars from literature open cluster catalogs, we visually inspected the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of each cluster and selected cluster candidates that potentially host blue stragglers. We then reassessed cluster memberships using the {\tt pyUPMASK} algorithm with {\it Gaia} DR3 and performed isochrone fitting to derive physical parameters for each cluster, including age, distance modulus, mean reddening, and metallicity. Finally, we empirically identified straggler stars based on their positions relative to the best-fitting isochrone, zero-age main sequence (ZAMS), and equal-mass binary sequence on the CMD. In total, we identified 272 new straggler stars in 99 open clusters, comprising 153 blue stragglers, 98 probable blue stragglers, and 21 yellow stragglers. Compared to the reported blue straggler catalogs based on earlier {\it Gaia} data, our results increase the number of open clusters with stragglers in the Milky Way by 22.2\%, and the total number of blue stragglers by 11.2\%.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

The Imperfect Learner: Incorporating Developmental Trajectories in Memory-based Student Simulation

User simulation is important for developing and evaluating human-centered AI, yet current student simulation in educational applications has significant limitations. Existing approaches focus on single learning experiences and do not account for students' gradual knowledge construction and evolving skill sets. Moreover, large language models are optimized to produce direct and accurate responses, making it challenging to represent the incomplete understanding and developmental constraints that characterize real learners. In this paper, we introduce a novel framework for memory-based student simulation that incorporates developmental trajectories through a hierarchical memory mechanism with structured knowledge representation. The framework also integrates metacognitive processes and personality traits to enrich the individual learner profiling, through dynamical consolidation of both cognitive development and personal learning characteristics. In practice, we implement a curriculum-aligned simulator grounded on the Next Generation Science Standards. Experimental results show that our approach can effectively reflect the gradual nature of knowledge development and the characteristic difficulties students face, providing a more accurate representation of learning processes.

cs.CY↗

arXiv2025

Binary clusters in the Galactic disk I: Systematic identification and classification using Gaia DR3

Aims. We aim to identify and classify BCs using high-precision astrometric and kinematic data, and to investigate their physical properties, mutual gravitational interactions, and formation rates. Methods. We used a comprehensive star cluster catalog that contains 4,084 high-quality clusters. Based on spatial and kinematic proximity, we identified 400 cluster pairs involving 686 unique clusters. These pairs were classified into three types: primordial BCs, systems formed through tidal capture or resonant trapping, and hyperbolic encounter pairs. For each system, we calculated the tidal factor to quantify the strength of mutual tidal interaction. Additionally, we constructed multi-cluster systems by identifying transitive connections among cluster pairs. Results. Among the 400 identified cluster pairs, nearly 60.8% (243 pairs) are probably primordial BCs, exhibiting both similar ages and motions. This supports a scenario where they formed together in the same giant molecular cloud. We find that 82.5% of the cluster pairs have strong mutual tidal forces. In addition, 278 star clusters are identified as members of 82 multi-cluster systems, including 27 newly reported groups. Cross-matching with the literature confirms the recovery of previously reported systems and leads to the discovery of 268 new cluster pairs. In our sample, about 16.8% of star clusters are involved in some type of interaction with another cluster, and 9.94% of star clusters are likely born in primordial BCs. Conclusions. Our results provide a comprehensive, homogeneously identified sample of Galactic BCs. The high fraction of primordial BCs and their mutual tidal interaction suggest that cluster formation in pairs is a main outcome of star formation. This work offers new observational constraints on the formation and dynamical evolution of multiple star cluster systems.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Insights into the 3D layered structure of nearby open clusters through N-body simulations

Context. Open clusters (OCs) are important for understanding star formation, dynamics, and evolution. Previous studies have indicated a relationship between cluster structure and member star properties, but the formation mechanism of the layered structure of OCs remains unclear. Aims. We study the three-dimensional spatial distribution of 279 nearby OCs to understand the formation mechanism of the layered structure. Methods. We analyzed the spatial distribution of member stars within each OC and correlated the presence of a layered structure with the number of member stars. Additionally, we performd N-body simulations to model the evolution of OCSN 125. We assessd the correlation between the binary fraction, the most massive star, and the radius of the layered structure in each simulated OC. Results. Our analysis reveals that OCs with fewer member stars tend to lack a layered structure. The results from N-body simulations indicate that the presence of a layered structure is strongly influenced by dynamical factors, particularly the most massive star and the binary fraction. Massive stars drive mass loss through supernova explosions and stellar winds, which weaken the spatial layering. Furthermore, clusters with higher binary fractions exhibit a weaker layered structure, likely due to energy equipartition, dynamical friction, and perturbations caused by binary systems. These factors contribute to delaying core collapse and slowing the emergence of a layered structure. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that dynamical interactions, including the effects of the most massive stars and binary fraction, play a critical role in the formation and disruption of the layered structure in OCs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Formation and evolution of new primordial open cluster groups: Feedback-driven star formation

The formation mechanisms of open cluster (OCs) groups remain unclear due to limited sample sizes and data precision. Recent advancements in Gaia astrometric data provide an unprecedented opportunity to study OC groups in greater detail. This study aims to extend the sample of OC groups and investigate their formation and evolution mechanisms, with a focus on the role of stellar feedback in triggering star formation. We identify four new OC groups based on Gaia data, whose member OCs are spatially proximate and kinematically coherent. Their age spreads are consistent with the timescale of continuous star formation, suggesting that their member OCs formed sequentially from the same molecular cloud. N-body simulation results further reveal that these groups will gradually disperse, evolving into independent OCs. By analyzing the correlation between OC ages and their separation from potential SN explosion sites, we predict SN explosion regions around the birthplaces of OC groups. The strong correlation between OC ages and predicted SN explosion sites supports a supernova-triggered star formation scenario. Additionally, we trace pulsar (PSR) orbits to examine their association with these regions. We detected three PSRs near Group 1 and 26 PSRs near Group 2, whose birthplaces align with the predicted SN explosions regions. The presence of PSRs associated with OC groups provides additional observational evidence for SN explosions in this region, further supporting a supernova-triggered star formation scenario for G1 and G2. We propose that multiple SN explosions in a short period triggered the formation of Group 1 and Group 2, reinforcing the hierarchical star formation model. These results highlight the multi-scale interactions driving star and OC formation and provide new insights into the role of stellar feedback in shaping OC groups.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

CoinMath: Harnessing the Power of Coding Instruction for Math LLMs

Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown strong performance in solving mathematical problems, with code-based solutions proving particularly effective. However, the best practice to leverage coding instruction data to enhance mathematical reasoning remains underexplored. This study investigates three key questions: (1) How do different coding styles of mathematical code-based rationales impact LLMs' learning performance? (2) Can general-domain coding instructions improve performance? (3) How does integrating textual rationales with code-based ones during training enhance mathematical reasoning abilities? Our findings reveal that code-based rationales with concise comments, descriptive naming, and hardcoded solutions are beneficial, while improvements from general-domain coding instructions and textual rationales are relatively minor. Based on these insights, we propose CoinMath, a learning strategy designed to enhance mathematical reasoning by diversifying the coding styles of code-based rationales. CoinMath generates a variety of code-based rationales incorporating concise comments, descriptive naming conventions, and hardcoded solutions. Experimental results demonstrate that CoinMath significantly outperforms its baseline model, MAmmoTH, one of the SOTA math LLMs.

cs.CL↗

arXiv2024

Unveiling the Binary Nature of NGC 2323

As a well-known open cluster, NGC 2323 (also called M50) has been widely investigated for over a hundred years and has always been considered a classical single cluster. In this work, with the help of Gaia DR3, we study the binary structure nature of this cluster. Although indistinguishable in the spatial space, the small but undeniable difference in the proper motion indicates that they may be two individual clusters. After investigating the properties of the two clusters, it is found that they have very close positions (three-dimensional $\Delta$pos = 12.3 pc, $\sigma_{\Delta \mathrm{pos}} = 3.4$ pc) and similar tangential velocities (two-dimensional $\Delta$V = 2.2 km s$^{-1}$, $\sigma_{\Delta \mathrm{V}} = 0.02$ km s$^{-1}$), indicating the existence of their physical association. Moreover, the best isochrone fitting ages of the two clusters are the same (158 Myr), further proving their possibly common origin. To comprehensively understand the formation and evolution of this binary cluster, we employ the PETAR $N$-body code to trace back their birthplace and deduce their dynamical evolutionary fate. With observational mean cluster properties, the simulations suggest that they may form together, and then orbit each other as a binary cluster for over 200 Myr. After that, because of their gradual mass loss, the two clusters will eventually separate and evolve into two independent clusters. Meanwhile, the numerical $N$-body simulation suggests that the less massive cluster is unlikely to be the cluster tidal tails created by the differential rotation of the Milky Way.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

New Open Cluster candidates Found in Galactic Disk Using Gaia DR2/EDR3 Data

We report 541 new open cluster candidates in Gaia EDR3 through revisiting the cluster results from an earlier analysis of the Gaia DR2, which revealed nearly a thousand open cluster candidates in the solar neighborhood (mostly d < 3 kpc) resideing at Galactic latitudes |b| < 20 degrees. A subsequent comparison with lists of known clusters shows a large increases of the cluster samples within 2 kpc from the Sun. We assign membership probabilities to the stars through the open source pyUPMASK algorithm, and also estimate the physical parameters through isochrone fitting for each candidate. Most of the new candidates show small total proper motion dispersions and clear features in the color-magnitude diagrams. Besides, the metallicity gradient of the new candidates is consistent with those found in the literature. The cluster parameters and member stars are available at CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or via https://cdsarc.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/ApJS. The discovery of these new objects shows that the open cluster samples in Gaia data is still not complete, and more discoveries are expected in the future researches.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

Controlling False Positives in Association Rule Mining

Association rule mining is an important problem in the data mining area. It enumerates and tests a large number of rules on a dataset and outputs rules that satisfy user-specified constraints. Due to the large number of rules being tested, rules that do not represent real systematic effect in the data can satisfy the given constraints purely by random chance. Hence association rule mining often suffers from a high risk of false positive errors. There is a lack of comprehensive study on controlling false positives in association rule mining. In this paper, we adopt three multiple testing correction approaches---the direct adjustment approach, the permutation-based approach and the holdout approach---to control false positives in association rule mining, and conduct extensive experiments to study their performance. Our results show that (1) Numerous spurious rules are generated if no correction is made. (2) The three approaches can control false positives effectively. Among the three approaches, the permutation-based approach has the highest power of detecting real association rules, but it is very computationally expensive. We employ several techniques to reduce its cost effectively.

cs.DB↗