arXiv subjects

Huan-Xue Feng

Publications and source records attributed to Huan-Xue Feng.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Considerations on the Origin of IRAS 19312+1950 Based on Long-Term Maser Observations

IRAS source 19312+1950 (hereafter I19312) is an infrared point source with maser emissions of SiO, H$_2$O, and OH molecules. Although initial observations suggested that I19312 might be an evolved star, its characteristics are not fully consistent with this classification. This study aims to further investigate the nature of I19312 by conducting long-term monitoring of its maser emissions and comparing the results with other known astrophysical objects. We conducted long-term monitoring of SiO, H$_2$O, and OH maser emissions using single-dish radio telescopes. The results were then compared with historical maser data and the characteristics of similar objects to infer the possible origin of I19312. The SiO maser emissions from I19312 were detected over a wide velocity range and exhibited significant time variability. The OH maser lines suggest characteristics of an evolved star, while the H$_2$O maser lines indicate molecular outflows. These features suggest that I19312 could be a candidate for a Water Fountain (WF) star, though there are inconsistencies, such as the large molecular gas mass, that challenge this hypothesis. The possibility of I19312 being a Red Nova Remnant (RNR) is also considered, but this remains speculative due to the lack of direct evidence. The evolutionary stage of I19312 remains unclear, but it shares multiple characteristics with both evolved stars with peculiar properties and RNRs. Further long-term monitoring and high-resolution interferometric observations are required to better constrain the nature of this object.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Systematic Search for Water Fountain Candidates using the Databases of Circumstellar Maser Sources

Water fountains (WFs) are thought to be objects in the morphological evolution of the circumstellar envelopes of low- and intermediate-mass evolved stars, transitioning from spherically symmetric to asymmetric shapes. We used databases of circumstellar 1612 MHz OH and 22.235 GHz H$_2$O maser sources to search for new WF candidates using the criterion of a larger velocity range of the H$_2$O maser emission compared to that of the OH maser emission. Thus, it is in principle possible to identify WFs with an H$_2$O velocity ranges smaller than those for the previously known WFs. For the OH maser line, we analyzed database entries of 8,474 observations from 2,195 sources, and 6,085 observations from 3,642 sources for H$_2$O maser line. After a close examination of the velocity ranges and line profiles, we identified 11 sources that meet the criterion mentioned above. We examined the IRAS colors of the selected sources and found that two of them (IRAS 19069+0916 and IRAS 19319+2214) are in the color region for post-AGB stars. We find that the maser velocity criterion can discover other astrophysically interesting objects than just WFs. Such objects may include peculiar planetary nebulae with maser emissions and stellar merger remnants.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Molecules in the peculiar age-defying source IRAS 19312+1950

Context. IRAS 19312+1950 is an isolated infrared source that exhibits a characteristic quasi-point-symmetric morphology in the near- and mid-infrared images and is also very bright in molecular radio lines. Because of its unique observational characteristics, various observational studies have been conducted and several hypotheses have been proposed regarding its origin, which is still unclear. So far, it has been suggested that it could be a peculiar evolved star, a young stellar object, or even a red nova remnant. Regardless of which type of object it is ultimately classified as, IRAS 19312+1950 is exceptionally bright in the infrared and molecular radio lines and therefore will undoubtedly be crucial as a prototype of this kind of object having a peculiar nature or unusual evolutionary phase. Aims. This study aims to reveal the molecular composition of the central part of IRAS 19312+1950 by performing an unbiased molecular radio line survey and discussing the origin of the object from a molecular chemical point of view. Methods. We carried out a spectral line survey with the IRAM 30 m telescope towards the center of IRAS 19312+1950 in the 3 and 1.3 mm windows. Results. In total, 28 transition lines of 22 molecular species and those isotopologues are detected towards IRAS 19312+1950, some of which exhibit a broad and a narrow components. Seventeen thermal lines and 1 maser line are newly detected. The molecular species of C$^{17}$O, $^{30}$SiO, HN$^{13}$C, HC$^{18}$O$^{+}$, H$_{2}$CO, and $c$-C$_{3}$H$_{2}$ are detected for the first time in this object. Conclusions. Our results, in combination with previous studies, favor the hypothesis that IRAS 19312+1950 might be a red nova remnant, in which the progenitors that merged to become a red nova may have contained at least two evolved stars with oxygen-rich and carbon-rich chemistry, respectively.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

A New Measurement of the Spectral Lag of Gamma-Ray Bursts and its Implications for Spectral Evolution Behaviors

We carry out a systematical study of the spectral lag properties of 50 single-pulsed Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) detected by Fermi/GBM. By dividing the light curves into multiple consecutive energy channels we provide a new measurement of the spectral lag which is independent on energy channel selections. We perform a detailed statistical study of our new measurements. We find two similar power-law energy dependencies of both the pulse arrival time and pulse width. Our new results on the power-law indices would favor the relativistic geometric effects for the origin of spectral lag. However, a complete theoretical framework that can fully account for the diverse energy dependencies of both arrival time and pulse width revealed in this work is still missing. We also study the spectral evolution behaviors of the GRB pulses. We find that the GRB pulse with negligible spectral lag would usually have a shorter pulse duration and would appear to have a "hardness-intensity tracking" (HIT) behavior and the GRB pulse with a significant spectral lag would usually have a longer pulse duration and would appear to have a "hard-to-soft" (HTS) behavior.

astro-ph.HE↗