arXiv subjects

L. Wang

Publications and source records attributed to L. Wang.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Probing Dark Matter Particles from Evaporating Primordial Black Holes via Electron Scattering in the CDEX-10 Experiment

Dark matter (DM) is a major constituent of the Universe. However, no definite evidence of DM particles (denoted as ``$χ$") has been found in DM direct detection (DD) experiments to date. There is a novel concept of detecting $χ$ from evaporating primordial black holes (PBHs). We search for $χ$ emitted from PBHs by investigating their interaction with target electrons. The examined PBH masses range from 1$\times$10$^{15}$ to 7$\times$10$^{16}$ g under the current limits of PBH abundance $f_{PBH}$. Using 205.4 kg$\cdot$day data obtained from the CDEX-10 experiment conducted in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, we exclude the $χ$--electron ($χ$--$e$) elastic-scattering cross section $σ_{χe} \sim 5\times10^{-29}$ cm$^2$ for $χ$ with a mass $m_χ\lesssim$ 0.1 keV from our results. With the higher radiation background but lower energy threshold (160 eV), CDEX-10 fill a part of the gap in the previous work. If ($m_χ$, $σ_{χe}$) can be determined in the future, DD experiments are expected to impose strong constraints on $f_{PBH}$ for large $M_{PBH}$s.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

Searching for $^{76}$Ge neutrinoless double beta decay with the CDEX-1B experiment

We operated a p-type point contact high purity germanium (PPCGe) detector (CDEX-1B, 1.008 kg) in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) for 500.3 days to search for neutrinoless double beta ($0νββ$) decay of $^{76}$Ge. A total of 504.3 kg$\cdot$day effective exposure data was accumulated. The anti-coincidence and the multi/single-site event (MSE/SSE) discrimination methods were used to suppress the background in the energy region of interest (ROI, 1989$-$2089 keV for this work) with a factor of 23. A background level of 0.33 counts/(keV$\cdot$kg$\cdot$yr) was realized. The lower limit on the half life of $^{76}$Ge $0νββ$ decay was constrained as $T_{1/2}^{0ν}\ > \ {1.0}\times 10^{23}\ \rm yr\ (90\% \ C.L.)$, corresponding to the upper limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass: $\langle m_{ββ}\rangle < $3.2$-$7.5$\ \mathrm{eV}$.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2024

Euclid preparation. XLIII. Measuring detailed galaxy morphologies for Euclid with machine learning

The Euclid mission is expected to image millions of galaxies with high resolution, providing an extensive dataset to study galaxy evolution. We investigate the application of deep learning to predict the detailed morphologies of galaxies in Euclid using Zoobot a convolutional neural network pretrained with 450000 galaxies from the Galaxy Zoo project. We adapted Zoobot for emulated Euclid images, generated based on Hubble Space Telescope COSMOS images, and with labels provided by volunteers in the Galaxy Zoo: Hubble project. We demonstrate that the trained Zoobot model successfully measures detailed morphology for emulated Euclid images. It effectively predicts whether a galaxy has features and identifies and characterises various features such as spiral arms, clumps, bars, disks, and central bulges. When compared to volunteer classifications Zoobot achieves mean vote fraction deviations of less than 12% and an accuracy above 91% for the confident volunteer classifications across most morphology types. However, the performance varies depending on the specific morphological class. For the global classes such as disk or smooth galaxies, the mean deviations are less than 10%, with only 1000 training galaxies necessary to reach this performance. For more detailed structures and complex tasks like detecting and counting spiral arms or clumps, the deviations are slightly higher, around 12% with 60000 galaxies used for training. In order to enhance the performance on complex morphologies, we anticipate that a larger pool of labelled galaxies is needed, which could be obtained using crowdsourcing. Finally, our findings imply that the model can be effectively adapted to new morphological labels. We demonstrate this adaptability by applying Zoobot to peculiar galaxies. In summary, our trained Zoobot CNN can readily predict morphological catalogues for Euclid images.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Measure transport with kernel mean embeddings

Kalman filters constitute a scalable and robust methodology for approximate Bayesian inference, matching first and second order moments of the target posterior. To improve the accuracy in nonlinear and non-Gaussian settings, we extend this principle to include more or different characteristics, based on kernel mean embeddings (KMEs) of probability measures into reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces. Focusing on the continuous-time setting, we develop a family of interacting particle systems (termed $\textit{KME-dynamics}$) that bridge between prior and posterior, and that include the Kalman-Bucy filter as a special case. KME-dynamics does not require the score of the target, but rather estimates the score implicitly and intrinsically, and we develop links to score-based generative modeling and importance reweighting. A variant of KME-dynamics has recently been derived from an optimal transport and Fisher-Rao gradient flow perspective by Maurais and Marzouk, and we expose further connections to (kernelised) diffusion maps, leading to a variational formulation of regression type. Finally, we conduct numerical experiments on toy examples and the Lorenz 63 and 96 models, comparing our results against the ensemble Kalman filter and the mapping particle filter (Pulido and van Leeuwen, 2019, J. Comput. Phys.). Our experiments show particular promise for a hybrid modification (called Kalman-adjusted KME-dynamics).

math.ST↗

arXiv2024

Dust and Power: Unravelling the merger - active galactic nucleus connection in the second half of cosmic history

Galaxy mergers represent a fundamental physical process under hierarchical structure formation, but their role in triggering AGNs is still unclear. We aim to investigate the merger-AGN connection using state-of-the-art observations and novel methods in detecting mergers and AGNs. We selected stellar mass-limited samples at redshift z<1 from KiDS, focusing on the KiDS-N-W2 field with a wide range of multi-wavelength data. Three AGN types, selected in the MIR, X-ray, and via SED modelling, were analysed. To identify mergers, we used convolutional neural networks trained on two cosmological simulations. We created mass and redshift-matched control samples of non-mergers and non-AGNs. We observe a clear AGN excess (a factor of 2-3) in mergers with respect to non-mergers for the MIR AGNs, and a mild excess for the X-ray and SED AGNs, indicating that mergers could trigger all 3 types but are more connected with the MIR AGNs. About half of the MIR AGNs are in mergers but it is unclear whether mergers are the main trigger. For the X-ray and SED AGNs, mergers are unlikely to be the dominant trigger. We also explore the relation using the continuous AGN fraction $f_{AGN}$ parameter. Mergers exhibit a clear excess of high $f_{AGN}$ values relative to non-mergers, for all AGNs. We unveil the first merger fraction $f_{merg}-f_{AGN}$ relation with two distinct regimes. When the AGN is not dominant, the relation is only mildly increasing or even flat, with the MIR AGNs showing the highest $f_{merg}$. In the regime of very dominant AGNs ($f_{AGN}\geq0.8$), $f_{merg}$ shows a steeply rising trend with increasing $f_{AGN}$ for all AGN types. These trends are also seen when plotted against AGN bolometric luminosity. We conclude that mergers are most connected with dust-obscured AGNs (linked to a fast-growing phase of the SMBH) and are the main or even the sole fuelling mechanism of the most powerful AGNs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Projected WIMP sensitivity of the CDEX-50 dark matter experiment

CDEX-50 is a next-generation project of the China Dark Matter Experiment (CDEX) that aims to search for dark matter using a 50-kg germanium detector array. This paper comprises a thorough summary of the CDEX-50 dark matter experiment, including an investigation of potential background sources and the development of a background model. Based on the baseline model, the projected sensitivity of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) is also presented. The expected background level within the energy region of interest, set to 2--2.5 keVee, is $\sim$0.01 counts keVee$^{-1}$ kg$^{-1}$ day$^{-1}$. At 90\% confidence level, the expected sensitivity to spin-independent WIMP-nucleon couplings is estimated to reach a cross-section of 5.1 $\times$ 10$^{-45}$ cm$^{2}$ for a WIMP mass of 5 GeV/c$^{2}$ with an exposure objective of 150 kg$\cdot$year and an analysis threshold of 160 eVee. This science goal will correspond to the most sensitive results for WIMPs with a mass of 2.2--8 GeV/c$^{2}$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

A JWST Medium Resolution MIRI Spectrum and Models of the Type Ia supernova 2021aefx at +415 d

We present a JWST MIRI/MRS spectrum (5-27 $\mathrmμ$m) of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia), SN 2021aefx at $+415$ days past $B$-band maximum. The spectrum, which was obtained during the iron-dominated nebular phase, has been analyzed in combination with previous JWST observations of SN 2021aefx, to provide the first JWST time series analysis of an SN Ia. We find the temporal evolution of the [Co III] 11.888 $\mathrmμ$m feature directly traces the decay of $^{56}$Co. The spectra, line profiles, and their evolution are analyzed with off-center delayed-detonation models. Best fits were obtained with White Dwarf (WD) central densities of $ρ_c=0.9-1.1\times 10^9$g cm$^{-3}$, a WD mass of M$_{\mathrm{WD}}$=1.33-1.35M$_\odot$, a WD magnetic field of $\approx10^6$G, and an off-center deflagration-to-detonation transition at $\approx$ 0.5 $M_\odot$ seen opposite to the line of sight of the observer (-30). The inner electron capture core is dominated by energy deposition from $γ$-rays whereas a broader region is dominated by positron deposition, placing SN 2021aefx at +415 d in the transitional phase of the evolution to the positron-dominated regime. The formerly `flat-tilted' profile at 9 $\mathrmμ$m now has significant contribution from [Ni IV], [Fe II], and [Fe III] and less from [Ar III], which alters the shape of the feature as positrons excite mostly the low-velocity Ar. Overall, the strength of the stable Ni features in the spectrum is dominated by positron transport rather than the Ni mass. Based on multi-dimensional models, our analysis is consistent with a single-spot, close-to-central ignition with an indication for a pre-existing turbulent velocity field, and excludes a multiple-spot, off-center ignition.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

The second data release from the European Pulsar Timing Array V. Search for continuous gravitational wave signals

We present the results of a search for continuous gravitational wave signals (CGWs) in the second data release (DR2) of the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) collaboration. The most significant candidate event from this search has a gravitational wave frequency of 4-5 nHz. Such a signal could be generated by a supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) in the local Universe. We present the results of a follow-up analysis of this candidate using both Bayesian and frequentist methods. The Bayesian analysis gives a Bayes factor of 4 in favor of the presence of the CGW over a common uncorrelated noise process, while the frequentist analysis estimates the p-value of the candidate to be 1%, also assuming the presence of common uncorrelated red noise. However, comparing a model that includes both a CGW and a gravitational wave background (GWB) to a GWB only, the Bayes factor in favour of the CGW model is only 0.7. Therefore, we cannot conclusively determine the origin of the observed feature, but we cannot rule it out as a CGW source. We present results of simulations that demonstrate that data containing a weak gravitational wave background can be misinterpreted as data including a CGW and vice versa, providing two plausible explanations of the EPTA DR2 data. Further investigations combining data from all PTA collaborations will be needed to reveal the true origin of this feature.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive Stars at low metallicity VIII. Stellar and wind parameters of newly revealed stripped stars in Be binaries

On the route towards merging neutron stars and stripped-envelope supernovae, binary population synthesis predicts a large number of post-interaction systems with massive stars that have stripped off their outer layers. Yet, observations of such stars in the intermediate-mass regime below the Wolf-Rayet masses are rare. Using X-Shooting ULLYSES (XShootU) data, we discovered three partially stripped star + Be/Oe binaries in the Magellanic Clouds. We analyzed the UV and optical spectra using the PoWR model atmosphere code by superimposing model spectra corresponding to each component. The estimated current masses of the partially stripped stars fall within the intermediate mass range of 4-8 $M_{\odot}$. These objects are overluminous for their stellar masses, matching core He-burning luminosities. Their Be/Oe secondaries have much higher masses than their stripped primaries (mass ratio > 2). All three partially stripped stars show significant nitrogen enrichment and carbon and oxygen depletion on their surfaces. Additionally, one of our sample stars exhibits significant helium enrichment. Our study provides the first comprehensive determination of the wind parameters of partially stripped stars in the intermediate mass range. The wind mass-loss rates of these stars are found to be on the order of $10^{-7} M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, which is over ten times higher than that of OB stars of the same luminosity. Current evolutionary models characterizing this phase typically employ OB or WR mass-loss rates, which underestimate or overestimate stripped stars' mass-loss rates by an order of magnitude. Binary evolution models indicate that the observed primaries had initial masses of 12-17 $M_{\odot}$, making them potential candidates for stripped-envelope supernovae that form neutron stars. If they survive the explosion, these systems may become Be X-ray binaries and later double neutron stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Search for solar axions by Primakoff effect with the full dataset of the CDEX-1B Experiment

We present the first limit on $g_{Aγ}$ coupling constant using the Bragg-Primakoff conversion based on an exposure of 1107.5 kg days of data from the CDEX-1B experiment at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. The data are consistent with the null signal hypothesis, and no excess signals are observed. Limits of the coupling $g_{Aγ}<2.08\times10^{-9}$ GeV$^{-1}$ (95\% C.L.) are derived for axions with mass up to 100 eV/$c^2$. Within the hadronic model of KSVZ, our results exclude axion mass $>5.3~\rm{eV}/c^2$ at 95\% C.L.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

Practical approaches to analyzing PTA data: Cosmic strings with six pulsars

We search for a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) generated by a network of cosmic strings using six millisecond pulsars from Data Release 2 (DR2) of the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA). We perform a Bayesian analysis considering two models for the network of cosmic string loops, and compare it to a simple power-law model which is expected from the population of supermassive black hole binaries. Our main strong assumption is that the previously reported common red noise process is a SGWB. We find that the one-parameter cosmic string model is slightly favored over a power-law model thanks to its simplicity. If we assume a two-component stochastic signal in the data (supermassive black hole binary population and the signal from cosmic strings), we get a $95\%$ upper limit on the string tension of $\log_{10}(Gμ) < -9.9$ ($-10.5$) for the two cosmic string models we consider. In extended two-parameter string models, we were unable to constrain the number of kinks. We test two approximate and fast Bayesian data analysis methods against the most rigorous analysis and find consistent results. These two fast and efficient methods are applicable to all SGWBs, independent of their source, and will be crucial for analysis of extended data sets.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Experimental Limits on Solar Reflected Dark Matter with a New Approach on Accelerated-Dark-Matter-Electron Analysis in Semiconductors

Recently a dark matter-electron (DM-electron) paradigm has drawn much attention. Models beyond the standard halo model describing DM accelerated by high energy celestial bodies are under intense examination as well. In this Letter, a velocity components analysis (VCA) method dedicated to swift analysis of accelerated DM-electron interactions via semiconductor detectors is proposed and the first HPGe detector-based accelerated DM-electron analysis is realized. Utilizing the method, the first germanium based constraint on sub-GeV solar reflected DM-electron interaction is presented with the 205.4 kg$\cdot$day dataset from the CDEX-10 experiment. In the heavy mediator scenario, our result excels in the mass range of 5$-$15 keV/$c^2$, achieving a 3 orders of magnitude improvement comparing with previous semiconductor experiments. In the light mediator scenario, the strongest laboratory constraint for DM lighter than 0.1 MeV/$c^2$ is presented. The result proves the feasibility and demonstrates the vast potential of the VCA technique in future accelerated DM-electron analyses with semiconductor detectors.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

Reactor neutrino physics potentials of cryogenic pure-CsI crystal

This paper presents a world-leading scintillation light yield among inorganic crystals measured from a 0.5~kg pure-CsI detector operated at 77 Kelvin. Scintillation photons were detected by two 2-inch Hamamatsu SiPM arrays equipped with cryogenic front-end electronics. Benefiting the light yield enhancement of pure-CsI at low temperatures and the high photon detection efficiency of SiPM, a light yield of 30.1 photoelectrons per keV energy deposit was obtained for X-rays and $γ$-rays with energies from 5.9~keV to 59.6~keV. Instrumental and physical effects in the light yield measurement are carefully analyzed. This is the first stable cryogenic operation of kg-scale pure-CsI crystal readout by SiPM arrays at liquid nitrogen temperatures for several days. The world-leading light yield opens a door for the usage of pure-CsI crystal in several fields, particularly in detecting the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering of reactor neutrinos. The potential of using pure-CsI crystals in neutrino physics is discussed in the paper.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Galaxy merger challenge: A comparison study between machine learning-based detection methods

Various galaxy merger detection methods have been applied to diverse datasets. However, it is difficult to understand how they compare. We aim to benchmark the relative performance of machine learning (ML) merger detection methods. We explore six leading ML methods using three main datasets. The first one (the training data) consists of mock observations from the IllustrisTNG simulations and allows us to quantify the performance metrics of the detection methods. The second one consists of mock observations from the Horizon-AGN simulations, introduced to evaluate the performance of classifiers trained on different, but comparable data. The third one consists of real observations from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) survey. For the binary classification task (mergers vs. non-mergers), all methods perform reasonably well in the domain of the training data. At $0.1<z<0.3$, precision and recall range between $\sim$70\% and 80\%, both of which decrease with increasing $z$ as expected (by $\sim$5\% for precision and $\sim$10\% for recall at $0.76<z<1.0$). When transferred to a different domain, the precision of all classifiers is only slightly reduced, but the recall is significantly worse (by $\sim$20-40\% depending on the method). Zoobot offers the best overall performance in terms of precision and F1 score. When applied to real HSC observations, all methods agree well with visual labels of clear mergers but can differ by more than an order of magnitude in predicting the overall fraction of major mergers. For the multi-class classification task to distinguish pre-, post- and non-mergers, none of the methods offer a good performance, which could be partly due to limitations in resolution and depth of the data. With the advent of better quality data (e.g. JWST and Euclid), it is important to improve our ability to detect mergers and distinguish between merger stages.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Constraints on the Blazar-Boosted Dark Matter from the CDEX-10 Experiment

We report new constraints on light dark matter (DM) boosted by blazars using the 205.4 kg day data from the CDEX-10 experiment located at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. Two representative blazars, TXS 0506+56 and BL Lacertae are studied. The results derived from TXS 0506+56 exclude DM-nucleon elastic scattering cross sections from $4.6\times 10^{-33}\ \rm cm^2$ to $1\times10^{-26}\ \rm cm^2$ for DM masses between 10 keV and 1 GeV, and the results derived from BL Lacertae exclude DM-nucleon elastic scattering cross sections from $2.4\times 10^{-34}\ \rm cm^2$ to $1\times10^{-26}\ \rm cm^2$ for the same range of DM masses. The constraints correspond to the best sensitivities among solid-state detector experiments in the sub-MeV mass range.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

Shock consolidation and the corresponding plasticity in nanopowdered Mg

Nanopowder consolidation under high strain rate shock compression is a potential method for synthesizing and processing bulk nanomaterials. A thorough investigation of the shock deformation of powder materials is of great engineering significance. Here we combine nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations and X-ray diffraction (XRD) simulation methods to investigate the deformation twinning and pore compaction in shock-compressed np-Mg. Significant anisotropy and strong dependence on crystallographic orientation are presented during shock-induced deformation twinning. During the shock stage, three typical types of twins were firstly induced, namely {11-21} twin (T1), {11-22} twin (T2) and {10-12} twin (T3). Most of them were generated in grains with a larger angle between the impact direction and the c-axis of the lattice. With the increase in strain rate, the types and quantities of twins continued to enrich, but they did not occur when the strain rate was too high. We also discussed the deformation mechanisms of the three types of twins and found that the coupling of slip and shuffle dominated twin deformation. In addition, void filling occurred due to the interaction of twinning and other plastic deformations, leading to the densification of np-Mg. During the release stage, an interesting reverse change was observed, where the twins produced by the impact receded, and twins were produced in grains that were previously difficult to produce.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Chiral Spin Liquid on a Shastry-Sutherland Heisenberg Antiferromagnet

We demonstrate the existence of a topological chiral spin liquid in the frustrated Shastry-Sutherland Heisenberg model with an additional spin chirality interaction, using numerically unbiased exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group methods. We establish a quantum phase diagram where conventional phases, including dimer singlet, plaquette singlet, N{\' e}el and collinear phase, can be clearly identified by suitable local order parameters. Among them a $SU(2)_1$ chiral spin liquid emerges in the highly frustrated region, which is unambiguously identified by two topologically degenerate ground states, modular matrix, and characteristic level counting in entanglement spectrum, featuring the same topological order of $ν=1/2$ bosonic Laughlin state. The phase boundaries among the different orders are determined by the energy level crossing analysis and wave function fidelity susceptibility.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Object classification with Convolutional Neural Networks: from KiDS to Euclid

Large-scale imaging surveys have grown about 1000 times faster than the number of astronomers in the last 3 decades. Using Artificial Intelligence instead of astronomer's brains for interpretative tasks allows astronomers to keep up with the data. We give a progress report on using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to classify three classes of rare objects (galaxy mergers, strong gravitational lenses and asteroids) in the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) and the Euclid Survey.

astro-ph.IM↗