SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

L. Petrov

Publications and source records attributed to L. Petrov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

CayleyPy-4: AI-Holography. Towards analogs of holographic string dualities for AI tasks

This is the fourth paper in the CayleyPy project, which applies AI methods to the exploration of large graphs. In this work, we suggest the existence of a new discrete version of holographic string dualities for this setup, and discuss their relevance to AI systems and mathematics. Many modern AI tasks -- such as those addressed by GPT-style language models or RL systems -- can be viewed as direct analogues of predicting particle trajectories on graphs. We investigate this problem for a large family of Cayley graphs, for which we show that surprisingly it admits a dual description in terms of discrete strings. We hypothesize that such dualities may extend to a range of AI systems where they can lead to more efficient computational approaches. In particular, string holographic images of states are proposed as natural candidates for data embeddings, motivated by the "complexity = volume" principle in AdS/CFT. For Cayley graphs of the symmetric group S_n, our results indicate that the corresponding dual objects are flat, planar polygons. The diameter of the graph is equal to the number of integer points inside the polygon scaled by n. Vertices of the graph can be mapped holographically to paths inside the polygon, and the usual graph distances correspond to the area under the paths, thus directly realising the "complexity = volume" paradigm. We also find evidence for continuous CFTs and dual strings in the large n limit. We confirm this picture and other aspects of the duality in a large initial set of examples. We also present new datasets (obtained by a combination of ML and conventional tools) which should be instrumental in establishing the duality for more general cases.

hep-th

Real-time RFI Excision Techniques and their Limitations

Contemporary real-time RFI mitigation is carried out at different stages primarily using regulatory and technical approaches. Regulatory approaches include spectrum management, radio quiet zones, and ensuring protection from self-generated RFI. The technical approaches include mitigation RFI in the analog and RF frontend systems, digital signal processing systems, and offline systems. As is known, the signal received by a radio telescope is a combination of the contributions from the astronomical signal and a combination of system and sky background noise. RFI has an additive effect on the signal received by the radio telescope. The key distinguishing properties of RFI are that it is generally stronger than the signal and non-Gaussian. The capability of signal processing receiver systems has grown manifold with the advent of high-speed signal processing platforms like Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA)and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). This has enabled the development of different signal-processing techniques for real-time RFI mitigation algorithms. This document provides an overview of contemporary techniques while focusing on the implementation of the same in specific radio telescopes.

astro-ph.IM

RadioAstron discovery of a mini-cocoon around the restarted parsec-scale jet in 3C 84

We present RadioAstron space-based very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the nearby radio galaxy 3C84 (NGC1275) at the centre of the Perseus cluster. The observations were carried out on September 21-22, 2013 and involved a global array of 24 ground radio telescopes observing at 5 GHz and 22 GHz, together with the Space Radio Telescope (SRT). Furthermore, the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and the phased Very Large Array (VLA) observed the source quasi-simultaneously at 15 GHz and 43 GHz. Fringes between the ground array and the SRT were detected on baseline lengths up to 8.1 times the Earth's diameter, providing unprecedented resolution for 3C 84 at these wavelengths. We note that the corresponding fringe spacing is 125 microarcsec at 5 GHz and 27 microarcsec at 22 GHz. Our space-VLBI images reveal a previously unseen sub-structure inside the compact 1 pc long jet that was ejected about ten years earlier. In the 5 GHz image, we detected, for the first time, low-intensity emission from a cocoon-like structure around the restarted jet. Our results suggest that the increased power of the young jet is inflating a bubble of hot plasma as it carves its way through the ambient medium of the central region of the galaxy. Here, we estimate the minimum energy stored in the mini-cocoon, along with its pressure, volume, expansion speed, and the ratio of heavy particles to relativistic electrons, as well as the density of the ambient medium. About half of the energy delivered by the jet is dumped into the mini-cocoon and the quasi-spherical shape of the bubble suggests that this energy may be transferred to a significantly larger volume of the interstellar medium than what would be accomplished by the well-collimated jet on its own. The pressure of the hot mini-cocoon also provides a natural explanation for the almost cylindrical jet profile seen in the 22 GHz RadioAstron image.

astro-ph.HE

Seasonal glacier and snow loading in Svalbard recovered from geodetic observations

We processed time series from seven Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations and one Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) station in Svalbard. The goal was to capture the seasonal vertical displacements caused by elastic response of variable mass load due to ice and snow accumulation. We found that estimates of the annual signal in different GNSS solutions disagree by more than 3 mm which makes geophysical interpretation of raw GNSS time series problematic. To overcome this problem, we have used an enhanced Common Mode (CM) filtering technique. The time series are differentiated by the time series from remote station BJOS with known mass loading signals removed a priori. Using this technique, we have achieved a substantial reduction of the differences between the GNSS solutions. We have computed mass loading time series from a regional Climatic Mass Balance (CMB) and snow model that provides the amount of water equivalent at a 1 km resolution with a time step of 7 days. We found that the entire vertical loading signal is present in data of two totally independent techniques at a statistically significant level of 95%. This allowed us to conclude that the remaining errors in vertical signal derived from the CMB model are less than 0.2 mm at that significance level. Refining the land water storage loading model with a CMB model resulted in a reduction of the annual amplitude from 2.1 mm to 1.1 mm in the CM filtered time series, while it had only a marginal impact on raw time series. This provides a strong evidence that CM filtering is essential for revealing local periodic signals when a millimetre level of accuracy is required.

physics.geo-ph

Radio Counterpart Candidates to 4FGL-DR2 Unassociated Sources

For the duration of the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope's mission, approximately one-third of the point sources detected have been noted as "unassociated," meaning that they seem to have no known counterpart at any other wavelength/frequency. This mysterious part of the gamma-ray sky is perhaps one of the largest unknowns in current astronomical pursuits, and as such has been probed extensively by various techniques at various frequencies. Radio frequencies have been perhaps one of the most fruitful, producing a large fraction of the identified and associated Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and pulsars noted in each update of the point source catalogs. Here we present a catalog of 7432 radio counterpart candidates for unassociated gamma-ray fields in the 2nd Data Release of the 4th Fermi Point Source Catalog (4FGL-DR2). A description of the catalog and source types is provided followed by a discussion that demonstrates how the results of this work will aid new associations and identifications. As part of this work, we also present a first catalog derived from "quicklook" images of the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS).

astro-ph.HE

Microarcsecond VLBI pulsar astrometry with PSR$π$ II. parallax distances for 57 pulsars

We present the results of PSR$π$, a large astrometric project targeting radio pulsars using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). From our astrometric database of 60 pulsars, we have obtained parallax-based distance measurements for all but 3, with a parallax precision of typically 40 $μ$as and approaching 10 $μ$as in the best cases. Our full sample doubles the number of radio pulsars with a reliable ($\gtrsim$5$σ$) model-independent distance constraint. Importantly, many of the newly measured pulsars are well outside the solar neighbourhood, and so PSR$π$ brings a near-tenfold increase in the number of pulsars with a reliable model-independent distance at $d>2$ kpc. Using our sample along with previously published results, we show that even the most recent models of the Galactic electron density distribution model contain significant shortcomings, particularly at high Galactic latitudes. When comparing our results to pulsar timing, two of the four millisecond pulsars in our sample exhibit significant discrepancies in the estimates of proper motion obtained by at least one pulsar timing array. With additional VLBI observations to improve the absolute positional accuracy of our reference sources and an expansion of the number of millisecond pulsars, we will be able to extend the comparison of proper motion discrepancies to a larger sample of pulsar reference positions, which will provide a much more sensitive test of the applicability of the solar system ephemerides used for pulsar timing. Finally, we use our large sample to estimate the typical accuracy attainable for differential astrometry with the VLBA when observing pulsars, showing that for sufficiently bright targets observed 8 times over 18 months, a parallax uncertainty of 4 $μ$as per arcminute of separation between the pulsar and calibrator can be expected.

astro-ph.IM

Dissecting the AGN disk-jet system with joint VLBI-Gaia analysis

We analyze differences in positions of active galactic nuclei between Gaia data release 2 and VLBI and compare the significant VLBI-to-Gaia offsets in more than 1000 objects with their jet directions. Remarkably at least 3/4 of the significant offsets are confirmed to occur downstream or upstream the jet representing a genuine astrophysical effect. Introducing redshift and Gaia color into analysis can help distinguish between the contribution of the host galaxy, jet, and accretion disk emission. We find that strong optical jet emission at least 20-50pc long is required to explain the Gaia positions located downstream from VLBI ones. Offsets in the upstream direction of up to 2 mas are at least partly due to the dominant impact of the accretion disk on the Gaia coordinates and by the effects of parsec-scale radio jet. The host galaxy was found not to play an important role in the detected offsets. BL Lacertae object and Seyfert 2 galaxies are observationally confirmed to have a relatively weak disk and consequently downstream offsets. The disk emission drives upstream offsets in a significant fraction of quasars and Seyfert 1 galaxies when it dominates over the jet in the optical band. The observed behaviour of the different AGN classes is consistent with the unified scheme assuming varying contribution of the obscuring dusty torus and jet beaming.

astro-ph.GA

A quantitative analysis of systematic differences in positions and proper motions of Gaia DR2 with respect to VLBI

We have analyzed the differences in positions of 9081 matched sources between the Gaia DR2 and VLBI catalogues. The median position uncertainty of matched sources in the VLBI catalogue is a factor of two larger than the median position uncertainty in the Gaia DR2. There are 9% matched sources with statistically significant offsets between both catalogues. We found that reported positional errors should be re-scaled by a factor of 1.3 for VLBI and 1.06 for Gaia, and in addition, Gaia errors should be multiplied by the square root of chi square per degree of freedom in order to best fit the normalized position differences to the Rayleigh distribution. We have established that the major contributor to statistically significant position offsets is the presence of optical jets. Among the sources for which the jet direction was determined, the position offsets are parallel to the jet directions for 62% of the outliers. Among the matched sources with significant proper motion, the fraction of objects with proper motion directions parallel to jets is a factor of 3 greater than on average. Such sources have systematically higher chi square per degree of freedom. We explain these proper motions as a manifestation of the source position jitter caused by flares that we have predicted earlier. Therefore, the assumption that quasars are fixed points and therefore, differential proper motions determined with respect to quasar photocenters can be regarded as absolute proper motions, should be treated with a great caution.

astro-ph.GA

A wide and collimated radio jet in 3C 84 on the scale of a few hundred gravitational radii

Understanding the launching, acceleration, and collimation of jets powered by active galactic nuclei remains an outstanding problem in relativistic astrophysics. This is partly because observational tests of jet formation models suffer from the limited angular resolution of ground-based very long baseline interferometry that has thus far been able to probe the transverse jet structure in the acceleration and collimation zone of only two sources. Here we report radio interferometric observations of 3C 84 (NGC 1275), the central galaxy of the Perseus cluster, made with an array including the orbiting radio telescope of the RadioAstron mission. The obtained image transversely resolves the edge-brightened jet in 3C 84 only 30 microarcseconds from the core, which is ten times closer to the central engine than what has been possible in previous ground-based observations, and it allows us to measure the jet collimation profile from ~ 100 to ~10000 gravitational radii from the black hole. The previously found, almost cylindrical jet profile on scales larger than a few thousand r_g is now seen to continue at least down to a few hundred r_g from the black hole and we find a broad jet with a transverse radius larger than about 250 r_g at only 350 r_g from the core. If the bright outer jet layer is launched by the black hole ergosphere, it has to rapidly expand laterally on scales smaller than 100 r_g. If this is not the case, then this jet sheath is likely launched from the accretion disk.

astro-ph.GA

Energy transfer reaction K(4s) + K(7s) \rightarrow K(4s) + K(5f), theory compared with experiment

A comparison between theory and experiment, concerning the K(4s)+K(7s)\rightarrow K(4s)+K(5f) reaction of energy transfer in thermal collisions, is presented. Relevant cross sections are calculated for the potassium vapour temperatures in the range of 310-1000 K. They are based on the theoretical adiabatic K_2 potential energy curves and on the use of the multicrossing Landau-Zener model. In the temperature range of the present experiment, 428-451 K, the computed cross sections vary little, from 2.09x10^-14 cm^2 to 2.04x10^-14 cm^2, and agree well with the value 1.8(8)x10^-14 cm^2, which is the average of the corresponding experimental results.

physics.atom-ph

Radio Follow-up on all Unassociated Gamma-ray Sources from the Third Fermi Large Area Telescope Source Catalog

The third Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) $γ$-ray source catalog (3FGL) contains over 1000 objects for which there is no known counterpart at other wavelengths. The physical origin of the $γ$-ray emission of those objects is unknown. Such objects are commonly referred to as unassociated and mostly do not exhibit significant $γ$-ray flux variability. We performed a survey of all unassociated $γ$-ray sources found in 3FGL using the Australia Telescope Compact Array and Very Large Array in the range of 4.0-10.0 GHz. We found 2097 radio candidates for association with $γ$-ray sources. The follow-up with very long baseline interferometry for a subset of those candidates yielded 142 new AGN associations with $γ$-ray sources, provided alternative associations for 7 objects, and improved positions for another 144 known associations to the milliarcsecond level of accuracy. In addition, for 245 unassociated $γ$-ray sources we did not find a single compact radio source above 2 mJy within 3$σ$ of their $γ$-ray localization. A significant fraction of these empty fields, 39%, are located away from the galactic plane. We also found 36 extended radio sources that are candidates for association with a corresponding $γ$-ray object, 19 of which are most likely supernova remnants or HII regions, whereas 17 could be radio galaxies.

astro-ph.HE

On significance of VLBI/Gaia position offsets

We have cross matched the Gaia Data Release 1 secondary dataset that contains positions of 1.14 billion objects against the most complete to date catalogue of VLBI positions of 11.4 thousand sources, almost exclusively active galactic nuclei. We found 6,064 matches, i.e. 53% radio objects. The median uncertainty of VLBI positions is a factor of 4 smaller than the median uncertainties of their optical counterparts. Our analysis shows that the distribution of normalized arc lengths significantly deviates from Rayleigh shape with an excess of objects with small normalized arc lengths and with a number of outliers. We found that 6% matches have radio optical offsets significant at 99% confidence level. Therefore, we conclude there exists a population of objects with genuine offsets between centroids of radio and optical emission.

astro-ph.GA

VLBI-Gaia offsets favor parsec-scale jet direction in Active Galactic Nuclei

The data release 1 (DR1) of milliarcsecond-scale accurate optical positions of stars and galaxies was recently published by the space mission Gaia. We study the offsets of highly accurate absolute radio (very long baseline interferometry, VLBI) and optical positions of active galactic nuclei (AGN) to see whether or not a signature of wavelength-dependent parsec-scale structure can be seen. We analyzed VLBI and Gaia positions and determined the direction of jets in 2957 AGNs from their VLBI images. We find that there is a statistically significant excess of sources with VLBI-to-Gaia position offset in directions along and opposite to the jet. Offsets along the jet vary from zero to tens of mas. Offsets in the opposite direction do not exceed 3 mas. The presense of strong, extended parsec-scale optical jet structures in many AGNs is required to explain all observed VLBI-Gaia offsets along the jet direction. The offsets in the opposite direction shorter than 1 mas can be explained either by a non-point-like VLBI jet structure or a "core-shift" effect due to synchrotron opacity.

astro-ph.GA

A Nearly Naked Supermassive Black Hole

During a systematic search for supermassive black holes (SMBHs) not in galactic nuclei, we identified the compact symmetric radio source B3 1715+425 with an emission-line galaxy offset ~ 8.5 kpc from the nucleus of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the redshift $z = 0.1754$ cluster ZwCl 8193. B3 1715+425 is too bright (brightness temperature $\sim 3 \times 10^{10}$ K at observing frequency 7.6 GHz) and too luminous (1.4 GHz luminosity $\sim 10^{25}$ W/Hz) to be powered by anything but a SMBH, but its host galaxy is much smaller ($\sim 0.9$ kpc $\times$ 0.6 kpc full width between half-maximum points) and optically fainter (R-band absolute magnitude $\sim -18.2$) than any other radio galaxy. Its high radial velocity $\sim 1860$ km/s relative to the BCG, continuous ionized wake extending back to the BCG nucleus, and surrounding debris indicate that the radio galaxy was tidally shredded passing through the BCG core, leaving a nearly naked supermassive black hole fleeing from the BCG with space velocity $> 2000$ km/s. The radio galaxy has mass $< 6 \times 10^9$ solar masses and infrared luminosity $\sim 3 \times 10^{11}$ solar luminosities close to its dust Eddington limit, so it is vulnerable to further mass loss from radiative feedback.

astro-ph.GA

Microarcsecond VLBI pulsar astrometry with PSRPI I. Two binary millisecond pulsars with white dwarf companions

Model-independent distance constraints to binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are of great value to both the timing observations of the radio pulsars, and multiwavelength observations of their companion stars. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) astrometry can be employed to provide these model-independent distances with very high precision via the detection of annual geometric parallax. Using the Very Long Baseline Array, we have observed two binary millisecond pulsars, PSR J1022+1001 and J2145-0750, over a two-year period and measured their distances to be 700 +14 -10 pc and 613 +16 -14 pc respectively. We use the well-calibrated distance in conjunction with revised analysis of optical photometry to tightly constrain the nature of their massive (M ~ 0.85 Msun) white dwarf companions. Finally, we show that several measurements of their parallax and proper motion of PSR J1022+1001 and PSR J2145-0750 obtained by pulsar timing array projects are incorrect, differing from the more precise VLBI values by up to 5 sigma. We investigate possible causes for the discrepancy, and find that imperfect modeling of the solar wind is a likely candidate for the timing model errors given the low ecliptic latitude of these two pulsars.

astro-ph.SR

VLBI for Gravity Probe B. III. A Limit on the Proper Motion of the "Core" of the Quasar 3C 454.3

We made VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz between 1997 and 2005 to estimate the coordinates of the "core" component of the superluminal quasar, 3C 454.3, the ultimate reference point in the distant universe for the NASA/Stanford Gyroscope Relativity Mission, Gravity Probe B. These coordinates are determined relative to those of the brightness peaks of two other compact extragalactic sources, B2250+194 and B2252+172, nearby on the sky, and within a celestial reference frame (CRF), defined by a large suite of compact extragalactic radio sources, and nearly identical to the International Celestial Reference Frame 2 (ICRF2). We find that B2250+194 and B2252+172 are stationary relative to each other, and also in the CRF, to within 1-sigma upper limits of 15 and 30 micro-arcsec/yr in RA and decl., respectively. The core of 3C 454.3 appears to jitter in its position along the jet direction over ~0.2 mas, likely due to activity close to the putative supermassive black hole nearby, but on average is stationary in the CRF within 1-sigma upper limits on its proper motion of 39 micro-arcsec/yr (1.0c) and 30 micro-arcsec/yr (0.8c) in RA and decl., respectively, for the period 2002 - 2005. Our corresponding limit over the longer interval, 1998 - 2005, of more importance to GP-B, is 46 and 56 micro-arcsec/yr in RA and decl., respectively. Some of 3C 454.3's jet components show significantly superluminal motion with speeds of up to ~200 micro-arcsec/yr or 5c in the CRF. The core of 3C 454.3 thus provides for Gravity Probe B a sufficiently stable reference in the distant universe.

astro-ph.IM

PSRPI: A large VLBA pulsar astrometry program

Obtaining pulsar parallaxes via relative astrometry (also known as differential astrometry) yields distances and transverse velocities that can be used to probe properties of the pulsar population and the interstellar medium. Large programs are essential to obtain the sample sizes necessary for these population studies, but they must be efficiently conducted to avoid requiring an infeasible amount of observing time. This paper describes the PSRPI astrometric program, including the use of new features in the DiFX software correlator to efficiently locate calibrator sources, selection and observing strategies for a sample of 60 pulsars, initial results, and likely science outcomes. Potential applications of high-precision relative astrometry to measure source structure evolution in defining sources of the International Celestial Referent Frame are also discussed.

astro-ph.SR

The VLBA Galactic Plane Survey -- VGaPS

This paper presents accurate absolute positions from a 24 GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) search for compact extragalactic sources in an area where the density of known calibrators with precise coordinates is low. The goals were to identify additional sources suitable for use as phase calibrators for galactic sources, determine their precise positions, and produce radio images. In order to achieve these goals, we developed a new software package, PIMA, for determining group delays from wide-band data with much lower detection limit. With the use of PIMA we have detected 327 sources out of 487 targets observed in three 24 hour VLBA experiments. Among the 327 detected objects, 176 are within 10 degrees of the Galactic plane. This VGaPS catalogue of source positions, plots of correlated flux density versus projected baseline length, contour plots, as well as weighted CLEAN images and calibrated visibility data in FITS format, are available on the Web at http://astrogeo.org/vgaps. Approximately one half of objects from the 24 GHz catalogue were observed at dual band 8.6 GHz and 2.3 GHz experiments. Position differences at 24 GHz versus 8.6/2.3 GHz for all but two objects on average are strictly within reported uncertainties. We found that for two objects with complex structure positions at different frequencies correspond to different components of a source.

astro-ph.CO