arXiv subjects

Jiancheng Wu

Publications and source records attributed to Jiancheng Wu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Reverberation Mapping Project: Scientific Overview and Sample Characteristics

Recent discoveries with the James Webb Space Telescope of massive black holes at high redshift have highlighted fundamental questions about black hole seed formation and the coevolution of black holes with their host galaxies. Because the initial seed population cannot yet be observed directly, nearby intermediate-mass black holes provide a complementary fossil record of black hole formation and early growth. Motivated by this opportunity, we present the Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Reverberation Mapping (IMBH-RM) project and construct a homogeneous Sloan Digital Sky Survey sample of active broad-line IMBHs by uniformly reanalyzing literature candidates with consistent spectral decomposition and black hole mass estimation. Our sample contains 192 reliable IMBH candidates at $z\lesssim0.3$ with $\log(M_{\rm BH}/M_\odot)<6$, including four particularly compelling sources with $\log(M_{\rm BH}/M_\odot)<5$. The primary goal of IMBH-RM is to obtain reliable black hole masses from direct measurements and characteristic sizes of the broad-line region and accretion disk for a carefully selected subsample. These measurements will provide robust low-mass anchors for calibrating single-epoch black hole mass estimates and extending black hole--galaxy scaling relations into the IMBH regime. By building a statistically meaningful reverberation-mapped sample spanning $10^4-10^6\,M_\odot$, we aim to constrain the local IMBH mass distribution and place observational constraints on competing black hole seed formation scenarios. The future Multi-Channel Imager aboard the Chinese Space-station Survey Telescope provides a particularly promising platform for achieving these goals.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Simulations of interaction between outflow and surrounding broken power-law circumnuclear medium: implications for different radio light curves of TDEs

The complex radio light curves of tidal disruption events (TDEs) challenge our understanding of the properties of both the outflows and the circumnuclear medium (CNM) surrounding supermassive black holes. In this work, we explore outflow-CNM interactions across a broad parameter space using three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, adopting a broken power-law CNM density profile with a transition near the Bondi radius. The outflow-CNM interaction inside Bondi radius produces an early radio flare ($\lesssim 2$ yr) once the emitting region becomes optically thin. A second radio rebrightening can appear a few years later if the outflow decelerates beyond Bondi radius. We also find that either a very dense inner CNM, which causes rapid deceleration, or a rarefied outer CNM suppresses the late rebrightening that will produces a single early-peaked flare. In contrast, a rarefied CNM inside the Bondi radius suppresses the early flare and yields a single late-peaked event. For the case of very dense CNM at large radii, the interaction will trigger a sharp late-time rise as observed in some TDEs. We further explore the interaction of a relativistic jet with a broken power-law CNM, which can reproduce the characteristic light curves as observed in jetted TDEs without invoking complex jet structure.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

The Impact of Elliptical Broad-Line Regions on Reverberation-Based Black Hole Mass Estimates

The virial factor $f$ is critical for accurate supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass measurements using reverberation mapping (RM) and the radius--luminosity ($R$--$L$) relation, yet its value remains highly uncertain. While traditional models assume axisymmetric broad-line region (BLR) geometries, growing evidence suggests that BLRs may possess more complex, asymmetric structures. We systematically investigate the impact of elliptical-disk BLR geometries on SMBH mass determinations through comprehensive numerical simulations. By computing emission-line profiles, emissivity-weighted time lags, and the corresponding virial factor $f$ over a wide range of eccentricities, orientations, and inclinations, we find that even in purely virialized systems, geometric effects alone can cause $f$ to vary by more than an order of magnitude and can mimic observational signatures typically attributed to radiation pressure. Additionally, local broadening introduces further systematic uncertainties in velocity width measurements, biasing $f$ by up to a factor of $\sim$3. Asymmetric BLR configurations also induce a scatter of $\sim$0.18 dex in the $R$--$L$ relation due to projection effects, comparable to the intrinsic scatter observed in RM studies. These results challenge the conventional attribution of RM uncertainties to non-virial motions or radiation pressure, and instead highlight the fundamental role of BLR geometry in SMBH mass measurements.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Accretion-Mode Transition: The Driver Behind Spectral Changes in Changing-Look AGNs

The physical origin of optical changing-look AGNs (CLAGNs), characterized by the appearance or disappearance of broad emission lines, is thought to be mainly driven by the variation of the black-hole (BH) accretion rate. In this work, we explore this issue based on a sample of {224} CLAGNs with UV-to-optical continua, where the UV radiation is more sensitive to the accretion state near the BH horizon. We find that the luminosity correlation of $L_{3000}$--$L_{5100}$ at 3000$\rm Å$ and 5100$\rm Å$ becomes steeper at low luminosities (e.g., $L_{3000}\lesssim10^{44}\rm erg/s$), where the sources with high luminosities are roughly consistent with the prediction of a standard accretion disk. At lower luminosities, the observations are more consistent with the prediction of a truncated disk. The whole sample has a median bolometric Eddington ratio of $\sim$2.2\%, which is consistent with the critical value for state transition in X-ray binaries. Such transitions can significantly alter the UV-to-optical continuum, largely due to variations in the truncation radius, even when the change in the overall accretion rate is minimal. The deficit of ionization photons resulting from an increase in the truncation radius will lead to the weakening or disappearance of broad lines, which triggers the AGN changing-look.

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arXiv2026

Formation of dust clumps in the torus of active galactic nuclei

The putative dusty torus is a key ingredient of the unification scheme of active galactic nuclei (AGN), but its origin remains a mystery. Here we put forward a new physical model to explain how a large number of small dusty gas clumps form and they collectively appear as a geometrically thick dynamic dusty torus. The circumnuclear hot gas flows towards the central black hole (BH) and forms a rotating disk on sub-pc scales. A fraction of inflowing hot gas condenses to form small cold clumps due to thermal instabilities, when the accretion rate is sufficiently high. These cold dusty gas clumps are irradiated by the central accretion disk and re-radiate as dust emission mostly in the infrared. We propose that the dusty torus in AGN consists of such cold clumps vertically supported by the radiation force against gravity. For clumps with suitable column density, the vertical component of the BH gravity is in quasi-static equilibrium with the infrared radiation force together with the vertical component of the disk radiation force. Our model is robust in the sense that for any reasonable range of parameters concerning clump vertical dynamical equilibrium a torus exists. We further show that the hot gas in the rotating flow condenses to cold clumps only if its accretion rate is higher than about one percent of the Eddington rate. The radiation force is unable to lift the cold gas clumps up away from the mid-plane when the luminosity of the disk surrounding the BH is lower than 0.1 percent of the Eddington luminosity. These two features of our model may provide a physical explanation for the lack of evidence of dusty tori in low-luminosity AGNs.

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arXiv2026

The Most Luminous H$β$ Reverberation Mapping of E1821+643 Indicates the Lower Boundary of the Radius-Luminosity Relation

The radius-luminosity ($R_{\rm BLR}$-$L_{5100}$) relation is fundamental to active galactic nucleus (AGN) studies, enabling supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass estimates and AGN-based cosmology applications. However, its high-luminosity end remains poorly calibrated due to insufficient reliable reverberation mapping (RM) data. We present a four-year RM campaign of the luminous quasar E1821+643 using the Lijiang 2.4-m telescope, supplemented by archival multi-wavelength data. E1821+643 is the most luminous AGN with an \hb\ RM measurement to date. The measured time lag of $83.2_{-18.7}^{+17.5}$ days is a factor of 5.6 shorter than predicted by the canonical $R_{\rm BLR}$-$L_{5100}$ relation. By compiling the full \hb\ RM sample, we find that such deviation defines a lower envelope ($0.2R_{\rm BLR}$) of measured lags across the entire luminosity range, while the upper envelope lies near $2R_{\rm BLR}$, implying that the scatter for individual AGNs can reach 1 dex. Spectral decomposition reveals two distinct \hb\ components: a core component with a lag of $267.0_{-17.6}^{+16.6}$ days closer to the $R_{\rm BLR}$-$L_{5100}$ relation, and a redshifted tail with a much shorter lag of $-49.0_{-34.5}^{+50.5}$ days. The short-lag component not only accounts for the significantly shortened overall lag, but also leads to an opposite interpretation of the intrinsic BLR kinematics. These effects can introduce systematic uncertainties in black hole mass estimates by factors of up to tens. Our findings demonstrate that shortened lags in high-accretion-rate AGNs arise from multi-component BLR structures, posing substantial challenges to single-epoch mass estimates and impacting SMBH demographics and cosmological applications.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Composite spectrum of Little Red Dot from a standard inner disk and an unstable outer disk

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a new class of high-redshift, very red, compact broad-line sources, termed as "little red dots" (LRDs). The physical mechanism driving these properties remains elusive. We construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with spectroscopic redshift for 28 LRDs and find they exhibit V-shaped SEDs with a common break frequency of $ν_{\rm b}\simeq10^{14.96\pm0.06}$ Hz. We propose that the unique SEDs can be well explained by the combination of an inner standard disk and an outer gravitationally unstable accretion disk with Toomre parameter $Q\sim1$, where the outer disk has a temperature of $\sim2000-4000 K$ and mainly radiates in near-infrared to optical wavebands. The composite spectrum from this model naturally explains the V-shaped continuum and reproduces intrinsically luminous infrared-optical emission without requiring extreme dust extinction or unusual stellar populations. Even considering possible dense gas around the disk to account for pronounced Balmer breaks in some LRDs, the intrinsic optical-UV emission is only suppressed by factors of $\lesssim2-3$, which suggests that most LRDs are sub-Eddington and intrinsically weak. These results provide new insights into early-phase black hole growth and galaxy evolution.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Sufficient conditions for even factors in graphs

Let $G$ be a graph. We denote by $e(G)$ and $ρ(G)$ the size and the spectral radius of $G$. A spanning subgraph $F$ of $G$ is called an even factor of $G$ if $d_F(v)\in\{2,4,6,\ldots\}$ for every $v\in V(G)$. Yan and Kano provided a sufficient condition using the number of odd components in $G-S$ for a graph $G$ of even order to contain an even factor, where $S$ is a vertex subset of $G$ [Z. Yan, M. Kano, Strong Tutte type conditions and factors of graphs, Discuss. Math. Graph Theory 40 (2020) 1057--1065]. In this paper, motivated by Yan and Kano's above result, we present some tight sufficient conditions to guarantee that a connected graph $G$ with the minimum degree $δ$ contains an even factor with respect to its size and spectral radius.

math.CO↗

arXiv2025

Observatory Science with eXTP

Scheduled for launch in 2030, the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarization (eXTP) telescope is a Chinese space-based mission aimed at studying extreme conditions and phenomena in astrophysics. eXTP will feature three main payloads: Spectroscopy Focusing Arrays (SFAs), Polarimetry Focusing Arrays (PFAs), and a Wide-field Camera (W2C). This white paper outlines observatory science, incorporating key scientific advances and instrumental changes since the publication of the previous white paper [1]. We will discuss perspectives of eXTP on the research domains of flare stars, supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, cataclysmic variables, X-ray binaries, ultraluminous X-ray sources, AGN, and pulsar-based positioning and timekeeping.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Spanning k-trees, odd [1,b]-factors and spectral radius in binding graphs

The binding number of a graph $G$, written as $\mbox{bind}(G)$, is defined by $$ \mbox{bind}(G)=\min\left\{\frac{|N_G(X)|}{|X|}:\emptyset\neq X\subseteq V(G),N_G(X)\neq V(G)\right\}. $$ A graph $G$ is called $r$-binding if $\mbox{bind}(G)\geq r$. An odd $[1,b]$-factor of a graph $G$ is a spanning subgraph $F$ with $d_F(v)\in\{1,3,\ldots,b\}$ for all $v\in V(G)$, where $b\geq1$ is an odd integer. A spanning $k$-tree of a connected graph $G$ is a spanning tree $T$ with $d_T(v)\leq k$ for every $v\in V(G)$. In this paper, we first show a tight sufficient condition with respect to the adjacency spectral radius for connected $\frac{1}{b}$-binding graphs to have odd $[1,b]$-factors, which generalizes Fan and Lin's previous result [D. Fan, H. Lin, Binding number, $k$-factor and spectral radius of graphs, Electron. J. Combin. 31(1) (2024) \#P1.30] and partly improves Fan, Liu and Ao's previous result [A. Fan, R. Liu, G. Ao, Spectral radius, odd $[1,b]$-factor and spanning $k$-tree of 1-binding graphs, Linear Algebra Appl. 705 (2025) 1--16]. Then we put forward a tight sufficient condition via the adjacency spectral radius for connected $\frac{1}{k-2}$-binding graphs to have spanning $k$-trees, which partly improves Fan, Liu and Ao's previous result [A. Fan, R. Liu, G. Ao, Spectral radius, odd $[1,b]$-factor and spanning $k$-tree of 1-binding graphs, Linear Algebra Appl. 705 (2025) 1--16].

math.CO↗

arXiv2025

A Composite Broad-Line Region in SDSS J1609+4902: a Double-Peaked Disk component and a Gaussian Component

The profiles of broad emission lines in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provide critical insights into the geometry and kinematics of the broad-line region (BLR), which in turn influence the uncertainties in estimating the masses of central supermassive black holes. In this study, we report the discovery of a low-luminosity AGN, SDSS J1609+4902, in which the H$α$ line exhibits two distinct BLR components: a Gaussian component and an extremely broad double-peaked component. Follow-up observations conducted at the Lijiang Observatory in 2025 reveal that the line profile remains roughly unchanged, suggesting that this BLR structure may remain stable over a timescale of $\sim$10 years. We find that the size of the central Gaussian (Full Width at Half Maximum, FWHM$\sim 3000\,{\rm km\, s^{-1}}$) component is consistent with the classical reverberation mapping correlation. In contrast, the asymmetric double-peaked wing (FWHM$\sim 23,000\,{\rm km\, s^{-1}}$) likely originates from a disk-like BLR with an inner radius of approximately 70 gravitational radii. These results provide new constraints on the structure and dynamics of BLRs in AGNs and highlight the potential for long-term stability in such systems.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Simulation of Binary-Single Interactions in AGN Disk I: Gas-Enhanced Binary Orbital Hardening

Stellar-mass binary black hole\,(BBH) mergers within the accretion disks of active galactic nuclei may contribute to gravitational wave\,(GW) events detected by grounded-based GW detectors. In particular, the interaction between a BBH and a single stellar-mass black hole\,(sBH), known as the binary-single interaction\,(BSI) process, can potentially lead to GW events with detectable non-zero eccentricity. Previous studies of the BSI process, which neglected the effects of gas, showed that BSIs contribute non-negligibly to GW events in a coplanar disk environment. In this work, we conduct a series of 2-dimensional hydrodynamical and N-body simulations to explore the BSI in a gas environment by coupling REBOUND with Athena++. We perform 360 simulation runs, spanning parameters in disk surface density $Σ_0$ and impact parameter $b$. We find that the gas-induced energy dissipation within the three-body system becomes significant if the encounter velocity between the sBHs is sufficiently large\,($\gg c_s$). Our simulation results indicate that approximately half of the end states of the BSI are changed by gas. Furthermore, at higher gas density, the number of close encounters during the BSI process will increase and the end-state BBHs tend to be more compact. Consequently, the presence of gas may shorten the GW merger timescale for end-state BBHs and increase the three-body merger rate.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Exploring variation of double-peak broad-line profile in strongly variable AGNs

The geometry and kinematics of the broad-line region (BLR) in AGNs are still unclear, which is crucial for studying the physics and evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and AGNs. The broad-line profile provides valuable information on BLR geometry and kinematics. In this work, we explore the evolution of line profiles in variable AGNs based on the BLR model of Czerny \& Hryniewicz, where the BLR is driven by the radiation pressure acting on dust at the surface layers of the accretion disk. The line profiles in the low-Eddington-ratio regime show a double-peak profile, which will become a single peak at high Eddington ratios. The high metallicity of $Z\gtrsim 5Z_{\odot}$ is required to reproduce the observational anti-correlation between the peak separation of broad lines and the Eddington ratio for a sample of AGNs. For the broad lines in variable AGNs, it will take several years to several decades to change their line profile if the disk luminosity suffers strong variation in a much shorter timescale. More monitoring of the broad line and continuum in strongly variable AGNs can shed special light on BLR physics.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

A spectral condition for spanning trees with restricted degrees in bipartite graphs

Let $G$ be a graph and $T$ be a spanning tree of $G$. We use $Q(G)=D(G)+A(G)$ to denote the signless Laplacian matrix of $G$, where $D(G)$ is the diagonal degree matrix of $G$ and $A(G)$ is the adjacency matrix of $G$. The signless Laplacian spectral radius of $G$ is denoted by $q(G)$. A necessary and sufficient condition for a connected bipartite graph $G$ with bipartition $(A,B)$ to have a spanning tree $T$ with $d_T(v)\geq k$ for any $v\in A$ was independently obtained by Frank and Gyárfás (A. Frank, E. Gyárfás, How to orient the edges of a graph?, Colloq. Math. Soc. Janos Bolyai 18 (1976) 353--364), Kaneko and Yoshimoto (A. Kaneko, K. Yoshimoto, On spanning trees with restricted degrees, Inform. Process. Lett. 73 (2000) 163--165). Based on the above result, we establish a lower bound on the signless Laplacian spectral radius $q(G)$ of a connected bipartite graph $G$ with bipartition $(A,B)$, in which the bound guarantees that $G$ has a spanning tree $T$ with $d_T(v)\geq k$ for any $v\in A$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2024

Simulations on the collision between debris stream and outer dusty torus: a possible channel for forming fast-rise and long-delayed radio outburst in tidal disruption events

The geometrically thick dusty torus structure is believed to exist in the nuclear region of galaxies (especially in active galactic nuclei, AGNs). The debris stream from a tidal disruption event (TDE) will possibly collide with the dusty torus and produce a transient flare. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to model the dynamical evolution of the interaction between unbound debris and dusty torus. During the continuous interaction, the shocked material will be spilled out from the interaction region and form an outflow. We calculate the temporal evolution of synchrotron emission by assuming that the shock accelerates a fraction of electrons in the outflow into a non-thermal distribution. We find that radio emission from the debris-torus collision generates a steep-rise and slow-decline radio light curve due to the sharp edge and dense gas of dusty torus, where the radio outburst delays the main optical/X-ray outburst by several years or even several tens of years. We apply our model to a TDE that happened in a narrow-line Seyfert I (PS16dtm), where both the radio spectrum and the light curve can be roughly reproduced. Future high-sensitivity, wide-field-of-view radio surveys have the opportunity to detect more such radio flares.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Spanning k-trees and distance spectral radius in graphs

Let $k\geq2$ be an integer. A tree $T$ is called a $k$-tree if $d_T(v)\leq k$ for each $v\in V(T)$, that is, the maximum degree of a $k$-tree is at most $k$. Let $λ_1(D(G))$ denote the distance spectral radius in $G$, where $D(G)$ denotes the distance matrix of $G$. In this paper, we verify a upper bound for $λ_1(D(G))$ in a connected graph $G$ to guarantee the existence of a spanning $k$-tree in $G$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2024

The Interaction Between Stars and Past AGN Disk: Possible Explanation for the Kinematic Distributions of S-stars in the Galactic Center

The presence of young stars, aged around several million years and situated within the range of $\sim 0.04-1$ pc from our Galactic center raises a question about their origins and dynamical evolutions. Their kinematics provide an opportunity to explore their formation or possible subsequent dynamical evolution. If Sagittarius A* was active in the past as suggested by several observations, the accretion disk may have a significant impact on the dynamics of stars in the Galactic center. The drag force exerted on stars during star-disk interaction could lead some of them to sink into the accretion disk, and these embedded stars will rapidly migrate inward and eventually be disrupted within $\sim10^5$ yr. This could roughly explain the absence of stars within $2.5 \times 10^4 R_{\rm g}$ ($\sim$ 1000 au). Additionally, Kozai-Lidov oscillations, induced by the gravitational perturbation of the disk, could contribute to the bimodal distribution of S-star inclinations and drive a majority of stars into high eccentricity orbits.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Exploring the properties of photosphere and emission lines for tidal disruption events based on the global solution of slim disk and winds

The theoretical debris supply rate from a tidal disruption of stars can exceed about one hundred times of the Eddington accretion rate for a $10^{6-7}M_{\odot}$ supermassive black hole (SMBH). It is believed that a strong wind will be launched from the disk surface due to the radiation pressure in the case of super-Eddington accretion, which may be one of the mechanisms for formation of the envelope as observed in tidal disruption events (TDEs). In this work, we explore the evolution of the envelope that formed from the optical thick winds by solving the global solution of the slim-disk model. Our model can roughly reproduce the typical temperature, luminosity and size of the photosphere for TDEs. Based on \texttt{CLOUDY} modeling, we find that, if only considering the radiation-driven disk wind, the emission line luminosities are normally much lower than the typical observational results due to the limited atmosphere mass outside the envelope. We propose that the ejection of the outflow from the self-collision of the stellar debris during the circularization may provide enough matter outside the disk-wind photosphere. Our calculated spectra can roughly reproduce the main properties of several typical emission lines (e.g., $\rm Hα$, $\rm Hβ$ and \ion{He}{2}), which was applied well to a TDE candidate AT2018dyb.

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