arXiv subjects

L. Ji

Publications and source records attributed to L. Ji.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

eXTP -- enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry Mission

eXTP is a science mission designed to study the state of matter under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism. Primary targets include isolated and binary neutron stars, strong magnetic field systems like magnetars, and stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. The mission carries a unique and unprecedented suite of state-of-the-art scientific instruments enabling for the first time ever the simultaneous spectral-timing-polarimetry studies of cosmic sources in the energy range from 0.5-30 keV (and beyond). Key elements of the payload are: the Spectroscopic Focusing Array (SFA) - a set of 11 X-ray optics for a total effective area of about 0.9 m^2 and 0.6 m^2 at 2 keV and 6 keV respectively, equipped with Silicon Drift Detectors offering <180 eV spectral resolution; the Large Area Detector (LAD) - a deployable set of 640 Silicon Drift Detectors, for a total effective area of about 3.4 m^2, between 6 and 10 keV, and spectral resolution <250 eV; the Polarimetry Focusing Array (PFA) - a set of 2 X-ray telescope, for a total effective area of 250 cm^2 at 2 keV, equipped with imaging gas pixel photoelectric polarimeters; the Wide Field Monitor (WFM) - a set of 3 coded mask wide field units, equipped with position-sensitive Silicon Drift Detectors, each covering a 90 degrees x 90 degrees FoV. The eXTP international consortium includes mostly major institutions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Universities in China, as well as major institutions in several European countries and the United States. The predecessor of eXTP, the XTP mission concept, has been selected and funded as one of the so-called background missions in the Strategic Priority Space Science Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2011. The strong European participation has significantly enhanced the scientific capabilities of eXTP. The planned launch date of the mission is earlier than 2025.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

Extremes and Limit Theorems for Difference of Chi-type processes

Let $\{ζ_{m,k}^{(κ)}(t), t \ge0\}, κ>0$ be random processes defined as the differences of two independent stationary chi-type processes with $m$ and $k$ degrees of freedom. In applications such as physical sciences and engineering dealing with structure reliability, of interest is the approximation of the probability that the random process $ζ_{m,k}^{(κ)}$ stays in some safety region up to a fixed time $T$. In this paper we derive the asymptotics of $\mathbb{P}\{\sup_{t\in[0, T]}ζ_{m,k}^{(κ)}(t)> u\}, {u\to\infty}$ under some assumptions on the covariance structures of the underlying Gaussian processes. Further, we establish a Berman sojourn limit theorem and a Gumbel limit result.

math.PR↗

arXiv2015

Comparison Inequalities for Order Statistics of Gaussian Arrays

Normal comparison lemma and Slepian's inequality are essential tools in the study of Gaussian processes. In this paper we extend normal comparison lemma and derive various related comparison inequalities including Slepian's inequality for order statistics of two Gaussian arrays.The derived results can be applied in numerous problems related to the study of the supremum of order statistics of Gaussian processes. In order to illustrate the range of possible applications, we analyze the lower tail behaviour of order statistics of self-similar Gaussian processes and derive mixed Gumbel limit theorems.

math.PR↗

arXiv2015

Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the merging cluster of galaxies PLCK G036.7+14.9

We present Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of PLCK G036.7+14.9 from the Chandra-Planck Legacy Program. The high resolution X-ray observations reveal two close subclusters, G036N and G036S, which were not resolved by previous ROSAT, optical, or recent Planck observations. We perform detailed imaging and spectral analyses and use a simplified model to study the kinematics of this system. The basic picture is that PLCK G036.7+14.9 is undergoing a major merger (mass ratio close to unity) between the two massive subclusters, with the merger largely along the line-of-sight and probably at an early stage. G036N hosts a small, moderate cool-core, while G036S has at most a very weak cool-core in the central 40 kpc region. The difference in core cooling times is unlikely to be caused by the ongoing merger disrupting a pre-existing cool-core in G036S. G036N also hosts an unresolved radio source in the center, which may be heating the gas if the radio source is extended. The Planck derived mass is higher than the X-ray measured mass of either subcluster, but is lower than the X-ray measured mass of the whole cluster, due to the fact that Planck does not resolve PLCK G036.7+14.9 into subclusters and interprets it as a single cluster. This mass discrepancy could induce significant bias to the mass function if such previously unresolved systems are common in the Planck cluster sample. High resolution X-ray observations are necessary to identify the fraction of such systems and correct such a bias for the purpose of precision cosmological studies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Modeling Warm Absorption in HST/COS Spectrum of Mrk 290 with XSTAR

We present a new method to model a HST/COS spectrum, aimed to analyze intrinsic UV absorption from the outflow of Mrk 290, a Seyfert I galaxy. We use newly updated XSTAR to generate photoionization models for the intrinsic absorption from the AGN outflow, the line emission from the AGN broad and narrow line regions, and the local absorption from high velocity clouds and Galactic interstellar medium. The combination of these physical models accurately fit the COS spectrum. Three intrinsic absorbers outflowing with velocities ~500 km/s are identified, two of which are found directly from two velocity components of the N V and C IV doublets, while the third is required by the extra absorption in the Lyman alpha. Their outflow velocities, ionization states and column densities are consistent with the lowest and moderately ionization warm absorbers (WAs) in the X-ray domain found by Chandra observations, suggesting an one-to-one correspondence between the absorbing gas in the UV and X-ray bands. The small turbulent velocities of the WAs (v_turb~<100 km/s) support our previous argument from the X-ray study that the absorbers originate from the inner side of the torus due to thermal evaporation. Given the covering fractions of ~65% for the three WAs, we deduce that the lengths and the thicknesses of the WAs are comparable, which indicates that the geometry of WAs are more likely clouds rather than flat and thin layers. In addition, the modeling of the broad line emission suggests a higher covering fraction of clouds when they are very closer to the black hole.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Gamma-ray generation in ultrahigh-intensity laser-foil interactions

Incoherent photon emission by ultrarelativistic electrons in the normal incidence of a laser pulse on a foil is investigated by means of three-dimensional numerical simulations in the range of intensities $2 \times 10^{21} \text{--} 2 \times 10^{25} \text{W} \, \text{cm}^{-2}$ and electron densities $2 \times 10^{22} \text{--} 1 \times 10^{24} \text{cm}^{-3}$. We focus on properties of the resulting synchrotron radiation, such as its overall energy, directivity of the radiation pattern and slope of the energy spectrum. Regimes of laser-foil interactions are studied in the framework of a simple analytical model. The laser-plasma parameters for efficient gamma-ray generation are found and revealed to be close to the parameters for relativistic foil motion. It is shown that in the case of oblique incidence of a $3 \text{PW}$, $10 \text{fs}$ laser pulse on a thin foil about $10^{8} \text{photons}/0.1\% \text{bandwidth}$ are produced at the energy level of $1 \text{MeV}$ that significantly exceeds performance of the modern Compton gamma-ray sources. Various applications of the gamma-ray bunches are discussed.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2013

The narrow X-ray tail and double H-alpha tails of ESO 137-002 in Abell 3627

We present the analysis of a deep Chandra observation of a ~2L_* late-type galaxy, ESO 137-002, in the closest rich cluster A3627. The Chandra data reveal a long (>40 kpc) and narrow tail with a nearly constant width (~3 kpc) to the southeast of the galaxy, and a leading edge ~1.5 kpc from the galaxy center on the upstream side of the tail. The tail is most likely caused by the nearly edge-on stripping of ESO 137-002's ISM by ram pressure, compared to the nearly face-on stripping of ESO 137-001 discussed in our previous work. Spectral analysis of individual regions along the tail shows that the gas throughout it has a rather constant temperature, ~1 keV, very close to the temperature of the tails of ESO 137-001, if the same atomic database is used. The derived gas abundance is low (~0.2 solar with the single-kT model), an indication of the multiphase nature of the gas in the tail. The mass of the X-ray tail is only a small fraction (<5%) of the initial ISM mass of the galaxy, suggesting that the stripping is most likely at an early stage. However, with any of the single-kT, double-kT and multi-kT models we tried, the tail is always "over-pressured" relative to the surrounding ICM, which could be due to the uncertainties in the abundance, thermal vs. non-thermal X-ray emission, or magnetic support in the ICM. The H-alpha data from SOAR show a ~21 kpc tail spatially coincident with the X-ray tail, as well as a secondary tail (~12 kpc long) to the east of the main tail diverging at an angle of ~23 degrees and starting at a distance of ~7.5 kpc from the nucleus. At the position of the secondary H-alpha tail, the X-ray emission is also enhanced at the ~2 sigma level. We compare the tails of ESO 137-001 and ESO 137-002, and also compare the tails to simulations. Both the similarities and differences of the tails pose challenges to the simulations. Several implications are briefly discussed.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Dissecting X-ray-emitting Gas around the Center of our Galaxy

Most supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are accreting at very low levels and are difficult to distinguish from the galaxy centers where they reside. Our own Galaxy's SMBH provides a uniquely instructive exception, and we present a close-up view of its quiescent X-ray emission based on 3 mega-second of Chandra observations. Although the X-ray emission is elongated and aligns well with a surrounding disk of massive stars, we can rule out a concentration of low-mass coronally active stars as the origin of the emission based on the lack of predicted Fe Kalpha emission. The extremely weak H-like Fe Kalpha line further suggests the presence of an outflow from the accretion flow onto the SMBH. These results provide important constraints for models of the prevalent radiatively inefficient accretion state.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Hall, Seebeck, and Nernst Coefficients of Underdoped HgBa2CuO4+d: Fermi-Surface Reconstruction in an Archetypal Cuprate Superconductor

Charge density-wave order has been observed in cuprate superconductors whose crystal structure breaks the square symmetry of the CuO2 planes, such as orthorhombic YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO), but not so far in cuprates that preserve that symmetry, such as tetragonal HgBa2CuO4+d (Hg1201). We have measured the Hall (R_H), Seebeck (S), and Nernst coefficients of underdoped Hg1201 in magnetic fields large enough to suppress superconductivity. The high-field R_H(T) and S(T) are found to drop with decreasing temperature and become negative, as also observed in YBCO at comparable doping. In YBCO, the negative R_H and S are signatures of a small electron pocket caused by Fermi-surface reconstruction, attributed to charge density-wave modulations observed in the same range of doping and temperature. We deduce that a similar Fermi-surface reconstruction takes place in Hg1201, evidence that density-wave order exists in this material. A striking similarity is also found in the normal-state Nernst coefficient, further supporting this interpretation. Given the model nature of Hg1201, Fermi-surface reconstruction appears to be common to all hole-doped cuprates, suggesting that density-wave order is a fundamental property of these materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Doping-Dependent Raman Resonance in the Model High-Temperature Superconductor HgBa2CuO4+d

We study the model high-temperature superconductor HgBa2CuO4+d with electronic Raman scattering and optical ellipsometry over a wide doping range. The resonant Raman condition which enhances the scattering cross section of "two-magnon" excitations is found to change strongly with doping, and it corresponds to a rearrangement of inter-band optical transitions in the 1-3 eV range seen by ellipsometry. This unexpected change of the resonance condition allows us to reconcile the apparent discrepancy between Raman and x-ray detection of magnetic fluctuations in superconducting cuprates. Intriguingly, the strongest variation occurs across the doping level where the antinodal superconducting gap reaches its maximum.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Absence of static orbital current magnetism at the apical oxygen site in HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ from NMR

The simple structure of HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ (Hg1201) is ideal among cuprates for study of the pseudogap phase as a broken symmetry state. We have performed $^{17}$O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) on an underdoped Hg1201 crystal with transition temperature of 74 K to look for circulating orbital currents proposed theoretically and inferred from neutron scattering. The narrow spectra preclude static local fields in the pseudogap phase at the apical site, suggesting that the moments observed with neutrons are fluctuating. The NMR frequency shifts are consistent with a dipolar field from the Cu$^{+2}$ site.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Chandra-HETGS Observations of the Brightest Flare Seen from Sgr A*

Starting in 2012, we began an unprecedented observational program focused on the supermassive black hole in the center of our Galaxy, Sgr A*, utilizing the High Energy Transmission Gratings Spectrometer (HETGS) instrument on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. These observations will allow us to measure the quiescent X-ray spectra of Sgr A* for the first time at both high spatial and spectral resolution. The X-ray emission of Sgr A*, however, is known to flare roughly daily by factors of a few to ten times over quiescent emission levels, with rarer flares extending to factors of greater than 100 times quiescence. Here were report an observation performed on 2012 February 9 wherein we detected what is the highest peak flux and fluence flare ever observed from Sgr A*. The flare, which lasted for 5.6 ks and had a decidedly asymmetric profile with a faster decline than rise, achieved a mean absorbed 2-8 keV flux of (8.5+/-0.9)X10^{-12} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The peak flux was 2.5 times higher, and the total 2-10 keV emission of the event was approximately 10^{39} erg. Only one other flare of comparable magnitude, but shorter duration, has been observed in Sgr A* by XMM-Newton in 2002 October. We perform spectral fits of this Chandra observed flare, and compare our results to the two brightest flares ever observed with XMM-Newton. We find good agreement among the fitted spectral slopes (Gamma~2) and X-ray absorbing columns (N_H~15X10^{22} cm^{-2}) for all three of these events, resolving prior differences (which are most likely due to the combined effects of pileup and spectral modeling) among Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of Sgr A* flares. We also discuss fits to the quiescent spectra of Sgr A*.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Updated Atomic Data and Calculations for X-ray Spectroscopy

We describe the latest release of AtomDB, version 2.0.2, a database of atomic data and a plasma modeling code with a focus on X-ray astronomy. This release includes several major updates to the fundamental atomic structure and process data held within AtomDB, incorporating new ionization balance data, state-selective recombination data, and updated collisional excitation data for many ions, including the iron L-shell ions from Fe$^{+16}$ to Fe$^{+23}$ and all of the hydrogen- and helium-like sequences. We also describe some of the effects that these changes have on calculated emission and diagnostic line ratios, such as changes in the temperature implied by the He-like G-ratios of up to a factor of 2.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Relationship among superconductivity, pseudogap, and high-energy magnetic fluctuations in a model high-Tc superconductor from electronic Raman scattering

We use electronic Raman scattering to study the model single-layer cuprate superconductor HgBa2CuO4+d. In an overdoped sample, we observe a pronounced amplitude enhancement of a high-energy peak related to two-magnon excitations in insulating cuprates upon cooling below the critical temperature Tc. This effect is accompanied by the appearance of the superconducting gap and a pairing peak above the gap in the Raman spectrum, and it can be understood as a consequence of feedback of the Cooper pairing interaction on the high-energy magnetic fluctuations. All of these effects occur already above Tc in two underdoped samples, demonstrating a related feedback mechanism associated with the pseudogap.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Science Objectives for an X-Ray Microcalorimeter Observing the Sun

We present the science case for a broadband X-ray imager with high-resolution spectroscopy, including simulations of X-ray spectral diagnostics of both active regions and solar flares. This is part of a trilogy of white papers discussing science, instrument (Bandler et al. 2010), and missions (Bookbinder et al. 2010) to exploit major advances recently made in transition-edge sensor (TES) detector technology that enable resolution better than 2 eV in an array that can handle high count rates. Combined with a modest X-ray mirror, this instrument would combine arcsecondscale imaging with high-resolution spectra over a field of view sufficiently large for the study of active regions and flares, enabling a wide range of studies such as the detection of microheating in active regions, ion-resolved velocity flows, and the presence of non-thermal electrons in hot plasmas. It would also enable more direct comparisons between solar and stellar soft X-ray spectra, a waveband in which (unusually) we currently have much better stellar data than we do of the Sun.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2009

The Photoionized Accretion Disk in Her X-1

We present an analysis of several high-resolution Chandra grating observations of the X-ray binary pulsar Her X-1. With a total exposure of 170 ks, the observations are separated by years and cover three combinations of orbital and super-orbital phases. Our goal is to determine distinct properties of the photoionized emission and its dependence on phase-dependent variations of the continuum. We find that the continua can be described by a partial covering model which above 2 keV is consistent with recent results from \rxte studies and at low energies is consistent with recent \xmm and \sax studies. Besides a powerlaw with fixed index, an additional thermal blackbody of 114 eV is required to fit wavelengths above 12 Å($\sim$ 1 keV). We find that likely all the variability is caused by highly variable absorption columns in the range (1 -- 3)$\times 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$. Strong Fe K line fluorescence in almost all observations reveals that dense, cool material is present not only in the outer regions of the disk but interspersed throughout the disk. Most spectra show strong line emission stemming from a photoionized accretion disk corona. We model the line emission with generic thermal plasma models as well as with the photoionization code XSTAR and investigate changes of the ionization balance with orbital and superorbital phases. Most accretion disk coronal properties such as disk radii, temperatures, and plasma densities are consistent with previous findings for the low state. We find that these properties change negligibly with respect to orbital and super-orbital phases. A couple of the higher energy lines exhibit emissivities that are significantly in excess of expectations from a static accretion disk corona.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2008

Heating in an Extended Accretion Disk Corona along the Z-Pattern in Cyg X-2

We observed at very high spectral resolution the prototype Z-source Cyg x-2 twice along its entire X-ray spectral variation pattern. In this preliminary analysis we find an extended accretion disk corona exhibiting Lyman alpha emissions from various H-like ions, as well as emissions from He-like ions of Fe and Al, and Li-like ions of Fe. The brightest lines show a range of line broadening: H-like lines are very broad with Doppler velocities between 1100 and 2700 km/s, while some others are narrower with widths of a few hundred km/s. Line diagnostics allow us for the first time to determine coronal parameters. The line properties are consistent with a stationary, extended up to 10^10 cm, dense (1x10^15 cm^-3), and hot (log xi > 3; T > 10^6 K) accretion disk corona. We find ongoing heating of the corona along the Z-track and determine that heating luminosities change from about 0.4 L_Edd on the horizontal to about 1.4 L_Edd on the flaring branch.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

A Possible Evolutionary Connection between AGN and Starburst in LINERs

Our analysis on the two magnitude-limited samples of LINERs suggests a correlation between $L_{\FIR}/L_{\B}$ or f(25\micron)/f(60\micron), and Hubble-type index at $>$99.99% significance level. As $L_{\FIR}/L_{\B}$ and f(25\micron)/f(60\micron) are considered as the indicators of star-formation activity and AGN activity, respectively, our result suggests that LINERs with higher AGN activity may have a lower star-formation contribution. The ones with highest AGN activity and lowest star-formation contributions are ellipticals. All well-studied LINER 1s belong to this group. On the other hand, LINERs with higher star-formation activity present lower AGN contributions. We find all well-studied LINER 2s in this parameter space. Most of LINERs having inner ring structures belong to this group. Statistics with other indicators of star-formation or AGN activity (nulear mass-to-light ratio at H band, and the ratio of X-ray-to-UV power) provide further evidence for such a trend. We have seen that along with the evolution of galaxies from late-type spirals to early-type ones, and up to ellipticals, the intensity of AGN activity increases with decreasing star-formation contributions, The above analyses may suggest a possible connection between the host galaxies and nuclear activities, and it might also indicate a possible evolutionary connection between AGN and starburst in LINERs.

astro-ph↗