arXiv subjects

K. Liu

Publications and source records attributed to K. Liu.

156 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Vacancy ordering and phonon spectrum in the Fe superconductor K$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$

We have performed Raman-scattering measurements on a high-quality single crystal of the recently discovered Fe-based superconductor K$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ ($T_c$ = 32 K). At least thirteen phonon modes were observed in the wave number range 10$-$300 cm$^{-1}$. The spectra possess a four-fold symmetry indicative of bulk vacancy order in the Fe-deficient planes. We perform a vibration analysis based on first-principles calculations, which both confirms the ordered structure and allows a complete mode assignment. We observe an anomaly at $T_c$ in the 180 cm$^{-1}$ $A_g$ mode, which indicates a rather specific type of electron-phonon coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Prospects for Probing the Spacetime of Sgr A* with Pulsars

The discovery of radio pulsars in compact orbits around Sgr A* would allow an unprecedented and detailed investigation of the spacetime of the supermassive black hole. This paper shows that pulsar timing, including that of a single pulsar, has the potential to provide novel tests of general relativity, in particular its cosmic censorship conjecture and no-hair theorem for rotating black holes. These experiments can be performed by timing observations with 100 micro-second precision, achievable with the Square Kilometre Array for a normal pulsar at frequency above 15 GHz. Based on the standard pulsar timing technique, we develop a method that allows the determination of the mass, spin, and quadrupole moment of Sgr A*, and provides a consistent covariance analysis of the measurement errors. Furthermore, we test this method in detailed mock data simulations. It seems likely that only for orbital periods below ~0.3 yr is there the possibility of having negligible external perturbations. For such orbits we expect a ~10^-3 test of the frame dragging and a ~10^-2 test of the no-hair theorem within 5 years, if Sgr A* is spinning rapidly. Our method is also capable of identifying perturbations caused by distributed mass around Sgr A*, thus providing high confidence in these gravity tests. Our analysis is not affected by uncertainties in our knowledge of the distance to the Galactic center, R0. A combination of pulsar timing with the astrometric results of stellar orbits would greatly improve the measurement precision of R0.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Profile shape stability and phase jitter analyses of millisecond pulsars

Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) have been studied in detail since their discovery in 1982. The integrated pulse profiles of MSPs appear to be stable, which enables precision monitoring of the pulse times of arrival (TOAs). However, for individual pulses the shape and arrival phase can vary dramatically, which is known as pulse jitter. In this paper, we investigate the stability of integrated pulse profiles for 5 MSPs, and estimate the amount of jitter for PSR J0437-4715. We do not detect intrinsic profile shape variation based on integration times from ~10 to ~100 s with the provided instrumental sensitivity. For PSR J0437-4715 we calculate the jitter parameter to be f_J=0.067+-0.002, and demonstrate that the result is not significantly affected by instrumental TOA uncertainties. Jitter noise is also found to be independent of observing frequency and bandwidth around 1.4 GHz on frequency scales of <100 MHz, which supports the idea that pulses within narrow frequency scale are equally jittered. In addition, we point out that pulse jitter would limit TOA calculation for the timing observations with future telescopes like the Square Kilometre Array and the Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope. A quantitative understanding of pulse profile stability and the contribution of jitter would enable improved TOA calculations, which are essential for the ongoing endeavours in pulsar timing, such as the detection of the stochastic gravitational wave background.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Prospects for High-Precision Pulsar Timing

Timing pulses of pulsars has proved to be a most powerful technique useful to a host of research areas in astronomy and physics. Importantly, the precision of this timing is not only affected by radiometer noise, but also by intrinsic pulse shape changes, interstellar medium (ISM) evolution, instrumental distortions, etc. In this paper we review the known causes of pulse shape variations and assess their effect on the precision and accuracy of a single measurement of pulse arrival time with current instrumentation. Throughout this analysis we use the brightest and most precisely timed millisecond pulsar (MSP), PSR J0437-4715, as a case study, and develop a set of diagnostic tools to evaluate profile stability in timing observations. We conclude that most causes of distortion can be either corrected by state-of-the-art techniques or taken into account in the estimation of time-of-arrival (TOA) uncertainties. The advent of a new generation of radio telescopes (e.g. the Square Kilometre Array, SKA), and their increase in collecting area has sparked speculation about the timing precision achievable through increases in gain. Based on our analysis of current data, we predict that for normal-brightness MSPs a TOA precision of between 80 and 230 ns can be achieved at 1.4 GHz with 10-minute integrations by the SKA. The actual rms timing residuals for each pulsar will be approximately at the same level only if all the other influences on timing precision (e.g. ISM, spin noise) are either corrected, modelled, or negligible.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Quasi-Periodic Releases of Streamer Blobs and Velocity Variability of the Slow Solar Wind near the Sun

We search for persistent and quasi-periodic release events of streamer blobs during 2007 with the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph on the \textit{Solar and Heliospheric Observatory} and assess the velocity of the slow solar wind along the plasma sheet above the corresponding streamer by measuring the dynamic parameters of blobs. We find 10 quasi-periodic release events of streamer blobs lasting for three to four days. In each day of these events, we observe three-five blobs. The results are in line with previous studies using data observed near the last solar minimum. Using the measured blob velocity as a proxy for that of the mean flow, we suggest that the velocity of the background slow solar wind near the Sun can vary significantly within a few hours. This provides an observational manifestation of the large velocity variability of the slow solar wind near the Sun.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2008

Rearrangement of Sodium ordering and its effect on physical properties in $Na_xCoO_2$ system

We systematically study Raman spectroscopy of cleaved Na$_x$CoO$_2$ single crystals with 0.37 $\leq$ x $\leq$ 0.80. The Raman shift of A$_{1g}$ mode is found to be linearly dependent on Na content, while the Raman shift of E$_{1g}$ mode has an abnormal shift to high frequency around x = 0.5. The abnormal shift is ascribed to the occurrence of Na rearrangement in O1 structure. Temperature dependent Raman spectrum for x = 0.56 sample shows that Na rearrangement transition from O1 structure to H1 structure occurs around 240 K. Electronic transport and susceptibility for the sample with $x=0.56$ show a response to the Na rearrangement transition from O1 to H1 structure, and that different Na ordering pattern causes distinct physical properties. These results give a direct evidence to proved Na ordering effect on physical properties of Co-O plane.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Phase Diagram and Quantum Critical Point in Newly Discovered Superconductors: SmO_{1-x}F_xFeAs

The magnetic fluctuations associated with a quantum critical point (QCP) are widely believed to cause the non-Fermi liquid behaviors and unconventional superconductivities, for example, in heavy fermion systems and high temperature cuprate superconductors. Recently, superconductivity has been discovered in iron-based layered compound $LaO_{1-x}F_xFeAs$ with $T_c$=26 K\cite{yoichi}, and it competes with spin-density-wave (SDW) order\cite{dong}. Neutron diffraction shows a long-rang SDW-type antiferromagnetic (AF) order at $\sim 134$ K in LaOFeAs\cite{cruz,mcguire}. Therefore, a possible QCP and its role in this system are of great interests. Here we report the detailed phase diagram and anomalous transport properties of the new high-Tc superconductors $SmO_{1-x}F_xFeAs$ discovered by us\cite{chenxh}. It is found that superconductivity emerges at $x\sim$0.07, and optimal doping takes place in the $x\sim$0.20 sample with highest $T_c \sim $54 K. While $T_c$ increases monotonically with doping, the SDW order is rapidly suppressed, suggesting a QCP around $x \sim$0.14. As manifestations, a linear temperature dependence of the resistivity shows up at high temperatures in the $x<0.14$ regime, but at low temperatures just above $T_c$ in the $x>0.14$ regime; a drop in carrier density evidenced by a pronounced rise in Hall coefficient are observed, which mimic the high-$T_c$ cuprates. The simultaneous occurrence of order, carrier density change and criticality makes a compelling case for a quantum critical point in this system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Achieving sub-diffraction imaging through bound surface states in negative-refracting photonic crystals at the near-infrared

We report the observation of imaging beyond the diffraction limit due to bound surface states in negative refraction photonic crystals. We achieve an effective negative index figure-of-merit [-Re(n)/Im(n)] of at least 380, ~125x improvement over recent efforts in the near-infrared, with a 0.4 THz bandwidth. Supported by numerical and theoretical analyses, the observed near-field resolution is 0.47 lambda, clearly smaller than the diffraction limit of 0.61 lambda. Importantly, we show this sub-diffraction imaging is due to the resonant excitation of surface slab modes, allowing refocusing of non-propagating evanescent waves.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2007

PSR B1828-11: a precession pulsar torqued by a quark planet?

The pulsar PSR B1828-11 has long-term, highly periodic and correlated variations in both pulse shape and the rate of slow-down. This phenomenon may provide evidence for precession of the pulsar as suggested previously within the framework of free precession as well as forced one. On a presumption of forced precession, we propose a quark planet model to this precession henomenon instead, in which the pulsar is torqued by a quark planet. We construct this model by constraining mass of the pulsar ($M_{\rm psr}$), mass of the planet ($M_{\rm pl}$) and orbital radius of the planet ($r_{\rm pl}$). Five aspects are considered: derived relation between $M_{\rm psr}$ and $r_{\rm pl}$, movement of the pulsar around the center of mass, ratio of $M_{\rm psr}$ and $M_{\rm pl}$, gravitational wave radiation timescale of the planetary system, and death-line criterion. We also calculate the range of precession period derivative and gravitational wave strength (at earth) permitted by the model. Under reasonable parameters, the observed phenomenon can be understood by a pulsar ($10^{-4}\sim10^{-1}M_{\odot}$) with a quark planet ($10^{-8}\sim10^{-3}M_{\odot}$) orbiting it. According to the calculations presented, the pulsar would be a quark star because of its low mass, which might eject a lump of quark matter (to become a planet around) during its birth.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Disorder-induced microscopic magnetic memory

Using coherent x-ray speckle metrology, we have measured the influence of disorder on major loop return point memory (RPM) and complementary point memory (CPM) for a series of perpendicular anisotropy Co/Pt multilayer films. In the low disorder limit, the domain structures show no memory with field cycling--no RPM and no CPM. With increasing disorder, we observe the onset and the saturation of both the RPM and the CPM. These results provide the first direct ensemble-sensitive experimental study of the effects of varying disorder on microscopic magnetic memory and are compared against the predictions of existing theories.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv1999

Mirror Principle III

We generalize the theorems in {\it Mirror Principle I} and {\it II} to the case of general projective manifolds without the convexity assumption. We also apply the results to balloon manifolds, and generalize to higher genus.

math.AG↗

arXiv1997

Mirror Principle I

We propose and study the following Mirror Principle: certain sequences of multiplicative equivariant characteristic classes on Kontsevich's stable map moduli spaces can be computed in terms of certain hypergeometric type classes. As applications, we compute the equivariant Euler classes of obstruction bundles induced by any concavex bundles -- including any direct sum of line bundles -- on $¶^n$. This includes proving the formula of Candelas-de la Ossa-Green-Parkes hence completing the program of Candelas et al, Kontesevich, Manin, and Givental, to compute rigorously the instanton prepotential function for the quintic in $¶^4$. We derive, among many other examples, the multiple cover formula for Gromov-Witten invariants of $¶^1$, computed earlier by Morrison-Aspinwall and by Manin in different approaches. We also prove a formula for enumerating Euler classes which arise in the so-called local mirror symmetry for some noncompact Calabi-Yau manifolds. At the end we interprete an infinite dimensional transformation group, called the mirror group, acting on Euler data, as a certain duality group of the linear sigma model.

alg-geom↗