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Lijun Gou

Publications and source records attributed to Lijun Gou.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Exploring the spin dependence on mass inclination and distance for the newly discovered black hole X-ray binary Swift J151857.0-572147

The black hole X-ray binary (BHXRB) Swift J151857.0-572147 was discovered during its first outburst in March 2024. We review the archive of NICER observations from this outburst, focusing on the soft states. We select spectra for which the disk to total flux ratio exceeds 0.8 and the coronal scattering fraction fsc is less than 25%, conditions under which the accretion disk is expected to extend to the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) and remains geometrically thin. Through a continuum fitting analysis, we explore the dependence of spin on mass, inclination, and distance. We constrain the spin within the parameter space typical of stellar-mass black holes (sBHs), assuming a mass around 10 solar masses, inclination angles between 20 and 60 degree, and distances between 4 and 16 kpc. For fiducial parameters: a mass of 10 solar masses, a distance of 10 kpc, and an inclination angle of 40 degree, a moderate spin of approximately 0.7 is obtained. However, precise determination of the spin will require accurate measurements of these parameters. Our analysis provides a framework to infer the spin and estimate its uncertainties once more precise measurements of mass, distance, and inclination become available. As we demonstrate, lower inclination angles, greater distances, or larger black hole masses result in higher spin values.

astro-ph.HE

Probing the Strong Gravity Region of Black Holes with eXTP

We present the novel capabilities of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission to study the strong gravity region around stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binary systems and supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. eXTP can combine X-ray spectral, timing, and polarimetric techniques to study the accretion process near black holes, measure black hole masses and spins, and test Einstein's theory of General Relativity in the strong field regime. We show how eXTP can improve the current measurements of black holes of existing X-ray missions and we discuss the scientific questions that can be addressed.

astro-ph.HE

Science objectives of the Einstein Probe mission

The Einstein Probe (EP) is an interdisciplinary mission of time-domain and X-ray astronomy. Equipped with a wide-field lobster-eye X-ray focusing imager, EP will discover cosmic X-ray transients and monitor the X-ray variability of known sources in 0.5-4 keV, at a combination of detecting sensitivity and cadence that is not accessible to the previous and current wide-field monitoring missions. EP can perform quick characterisation of transients or outbursts with a Wolter-I X-ray telescope onboard. In this paper, the science objectives of the Einstein Probe mission are presented. EP is expected to enlarge the sample of previously known or predicted but rare types of transients with a wide range of timescales. Among them, fast extragalactic transients will be surveyed systematically in soft X-rays, which include {\gamma}-ray bursts and their variants, supernova shock breakouts, and the predicted X-ray transients associated with binary neutron star mergers. EP will detect X-ray tidal disruption events and outbursts from active galactic nuclei, possibly at an early phase of the flares for some. EP will monitor the variability and outbursts of X-rays from white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes in our and neighbouring galaxies at flux levels fainter than those detectable by the current instruments, and is expected to discover new objects. A large sample of stellar X-ray flares will also be detected and characterised. In the era of multi-messenger astronomy, EP has the potential of detecting the possible X-ray counterparts of gravitational wave events, neutrino sources, and ultra-high energy {\gamma}-ray and cosmic ray sources. EP is expected to help advance the studies of extreme objects/phenomena and their underlying physical processes revealed in the dynamic X-ray universe, as well as studies in other areas of X-ray astronomy.

astro-ph.HE

Detection, sky localization and early warning for binary neutron star mergers by detectors located in China of different configurations in third generation detector network

This work shows the results of an evaluation of the impact that a detector located in China, with a noise budget comparable to that of a proposed high-frequency detector with a 20 km arm length, an Einstein Telescope (ET) or a Cosmic Explorer (CE), could have on the network of ET-CE in terms of detection rate, localization, and providing early warning alert for simulated binary neutron star (BNS)s. The results indicate that a three-detector network including a Chinese detector could identify at least 4.4% more BNS mergers than an ET-CE network alone. The localization uncertainty could be reduced by a factor of more than 5 on average compared to the ET-CE network. With a three-detector network involving a Chinese detector, up to 89% of BNS mergers could be located within 10 square degrees of the sky 10 minutes prior to the merger. The assessment suggests that the potential for early warning signals is highest when the Chinese detector is similar to ET, whereas the sources are detected with the highest signal-to-noise ratio and localized to the smallest regions when the detector is more akin to CE. Interestingly, the C20N network (comprising ET+CE+C20) can achieve comparable localization performance as the ET network while outperforming the ETCN network (featuring the ET+CE+ an ET-like detector in China) in terms of detection capabilities, especially at large distances, indicating that adding a 20 km kilohertz detector in China to ET-CE network would make significant contributions at least as adding an ET-like detector in China to multi-messenger astronomy for almost all BNS observations.

astro-ph.CO

Measuring the Spin of Black Hole Transient 4U 1543-47 Using Insight-HXMT

We provided a comprehensive study of the properties of the black hole in the low-mass X-ray binary system 4U 1543-47, specifically focusing on the 2021 outburst (MJD 59380-59470). Using observations from the \textit{Insight}-HXMT mission, we employed X-ray reflection fitting method and analyzed spectral data to estimate key black hole parameters. Through our investigation redbased on 6 out of the 52 available observations, we estimated the spin parameter of the black hole to be $0.902_{-0.053}^{+0.054}$ and the inclination angle of the accretion disk to be $28.91_{-1.24}^{+1.82}$ degrees (90\% confidence limits, statistical only), then we discussed the influence of high luminosity. Based on the \texttt{relxill} series models are not suitable for thick disk scenario, and in comparison with findings from other studies, we propose that our estimation of the spin value may be exaggerated.

astro-ph.HE

The spin measurement of MAXI J1348-630 using the Insight-HXMT data

We report the results of fitting Insight-HXMT data to the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1348-430, which was discovered on January 26th, 2019, with the Gas Slit Camera (GSC) on-board MAXI. Several observations at the beginning of the first burst were selected, with a total of 10 spectra. From the residuals of fits using disk plus power law models, X-ray reflection signatures were clearly visible in some of these observations. We use the state-of the-art relxill series reflection model to fit six spectra with distinct reflection signatures and a joint fit to these spectra. In particular, we focus on the results for the black hole spin values. Assuming Rin = RISCO, the spin parameter is constrained to be 0.82+0.04-0.03 with 90% confidence level (statistical only).

astro-ph.HE

The spin measurement of MAXI J0637-430: a black hole candidate with high disk density

The Galactic black hole candidate MAXI J0637-430 was first discovered by $\textit{MAXI/GSC}$ on 2019 November 02. We study the spectral properties of MAXI J0637-430 by using the archived $\textit{NuSTAR}$ data and $\textit{Swift}$/XRT data. After fitting the eight spectra by using a disk component and a powerlaw component model with absorption, we select the spectra with relatively strong reflection components for detailed X-ray reflection spectroscopy. Using the most state-of-art reflection model $\tt{relxillCp}$, the spectral fitting measures a black hole spin $\textit{a}_{\rm{*}} > 0.72$ and the inclination angle of the accretion disk $i$ = $46.1_{-5.3}^{+4.0}$ degrees, at 90 per cent confidence level. In addition, the fitting results show an extreme supersolar iron abundance. Combined with the fitting results of the reflection model $\tt{reflionx\_hd}$, we consider that this unphysical iron abundance may be caused by a very high density accretion disk ( $n_{\rm{e}} > 2.34 \times 10^{21}$ $\rm{cm}^{-3}$ ) or a strong Fe K$α$ emission line. The soft excess is found in the soft state spectral fitting results, which may be an extra free-free heating effect caused by high density of the accretion disk. Finally, we discuss the robustness of black hole spin obtained by X-ray reflection spectroscopy. The result of relatively high spin is self-consistent with broadened Fe K$α$ line. Iron abundance and disk density have no effect on the spin results.

astro-ph.HE

Using X-ray continuum-fitting to estimate the spin of MAXI J1305-704

MAXI J1305-704 is a transient X-ray binary with a black hole primary. It was discovered on April 9, 2012, during its only known outburst. MAXI J1305-704 is also a high inclination low-mass X-ray binary with prominent dip features in its light curves, so we check the full catalog of 92 \emph{Swift}/XRT continuous observations of MAXI J1305-704, focusing only on the stable spectra. We select 13 ``gold" spectra for which the root mean square RMS <0.075 and the coronal scattered fraction $f_{\mathrm{sc}} \lesssim 25 \%$. These ``gold" data are optimal thermal-state observations for continuum-fitting modeling, in which the disk extends to the innermost-stable circular orbit and is geometrically thin. The black hole spin was unknown for this object before. By utilizing the X-ray continuum fitting method with the relativistic thin disk model \texttt{kerrbb2} and supplying the known dynamical binary system parameters, we find MAXI J1305-704 has a moderate spin ($a_{*}=0.87_{-0.13}^{+0.07}$) at a 68.3\% confidence level. This is the first determination of MAXI J1305-704's spin.

astro-ph.HE

Torque reversals and wind variations of X-ray pulsar Vela X-1

The erratic spin history of Vela X-1 shows some continuous spin-up/spin-down trend over tens of days. We study the orbital profile and spectral property of Vela X-1 in these spin-up/spin-down intervals, using the spin history monitored by Fermi/GBM and light curve from Swift/BAT and MAXI/GSC. The BAT fluxes in the spin-up intervals are about 1.6 times those of the spin-down intervals for out-of-eclipse orbital phases. The spin-up intervals also show a higher column density than the spin-down intervals, indicating there are more material on the orbital scale for the spin-up intervals. It could be due to the variation of the stellar wind of the optical star (HD 77581) on tens of days. The varying wind could lead to alternating prograde/retrograde accreting flow to the neutron star, which dominates the transfer of the angular momentum to Vela X-1, but not the total observed luminosity.

astro-ph.HE

The Spin of New Black Hole Candidate: MAXI J1803-298 Observed by NuSTAR and NICER

MAXI J1803-298, a newly-discovered Galactic transient and black hole candidate, was first detected by \emph{MAXI}/GSC on May 1st, 2021. In this paper, we present a detailed spectral analysis of MAXI J1803-298. Utilizing the X-ray reflection fitting method, we perform a joint fit to the spectra of MAXI J1803-298, respectively, observed by \emph{NuSTAR} and \emph{NICER}/XTI on the same day over the energy range between 0.7-79.0 keV, and found its spin (and the inclination angle i) can be constrained to be close to an extreme value, 0.991 ($i\sim$ $70 ^{\circ}$), at 68\% confidence interval. The results suggest that MAXI J1803-298 may be a fast-rotating black hole with a large inclination angle.

astro-ph.HE

A Semantic Consistency Feature Alignment Object Detection Model Based on Mixed-Class Distribution Metrics

Unsupervised domain adaptation is critical in various computer vision tasks, such as object detection, instance segmentation, etc. They attempt to reduce domain bias-induced performance degradation while also promoting model application speed. Previous works in domain adaptation object detection attempt to align image-level and instance-level shifts to eventually minimize the domain discrepancy, but they may align single-class features to mixed-class features in image-level domain adaptation because each image in the object detection task may be more than one class and object. In order to achieve single-class with single-class alignment and mixed-class with mixed-class alignment, we treat the mixed-class of the feature as a new class and propose a mixed-classes $H-divergence$ for object detection to achieve homogenous feature alignment and reduce negative transfer. Then, a Semantic Consistency Feature Alignment Model (SCFAM) based on mixed-classes $H-divergence$ was also presented. To improve single-class and mixed-class semantic information and accomplish semantic separation, the SCFAM model proposes Semantic Prediction Models (SPM) and Semantic Bridging Components (SBC). And the weight of the pix domain discriminator loss is then changed based on the SPM result to reduce sample imbalance. Extensive unsupervised domain adaption experiments on widely used datasets illustrate our proposed approach's robust object detection in domain bias settings.

cs.CV

Detailed analysis on the reflection component for the black hole candidate MAXI J1348-630

The black hole candidate MAXI J1348-630 was discovered on January 26th, 2019, with the Gas Slit Camera (GSC) on-board \textit{MAXI}. We report a detailed spectral analysis of this source by using the archived data of \textit{NuSTAR}. A total of 9 observations covered the complete outburst evolution of MAXI J1348-630 from the hard state to the soft state and finally back to the hard state. Additionally, the intermediate state is found in the transition from the hard state to the soft state. We use the state-of-art reflection model \verb'relxill' family to fit all the 9 spectra, and the spectra from two focal plane module detectors of \textit{NuSTAR} are jointly fitted for each observation. In particular, we concentrate on the results of the black hole spin parameter and the inclination of the accretion disk. Based on the analysis of the inner radius of the accretion disk, we obtain the spin parameter $a_* =0.78_{-0.04}^{+0.04}$, and the inclination angle of the inner disk $i = 29.2_{-0.5}^{+0.3}$ degrees. Furthermore, we also find that when the black hole is in the hard state, the accretion disk would show a significant truncation. The high iron abundance and ionization of the accretion disk obtained in the fitting results can be possibly explained by the high density of the accretion disk.

astro-ph.HE

The Disk Veiling Effect of the Black Hole Low-Mass X-ray Binary A0620-00

The optical light curves of quiescent black hole low-mass X-ray binaries often exhibit significant non-ellipsoidal variabilities, showing the photospheric radiation of the companion star is veiled by other source of optical emission. Assessing this "veiling" effect is critical to the black hole mass measurement. Here in this work, we carry out a strictly simultaneous spectroscopic and photometric campaign on the prototype of black hole low-mass X-ray binary A0620-00. We find that for each observation epoch, the extra optical flux beyond a pure ellipsoidal modulation is positively correlated with the fraction of veiling emission, indicating the accretion disk contributes most of the non-ellipsoidal variations. Meanwhile, we also obtain a K2V spectral classification of the companion, as well as the measurements of the companion's rotational velocity $v \sin i = 83.8\pm1.9$ km s$^{-1}$ and the mass ratio between the companion and the black hole $q=0.063\pm0.004$.

astro-ph.HE

Estimating the spin of the black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152 with the X-ray continuum-fitting method

As a transient X-ray binary, MAXI J1659-152 contains a black hole candidate as its compact star. MAXI J1659-152 was discovered on 2010 September 25 during its only known outburst. Previously-published studies of this outburst indicate that MAXI J1659-152 may have an extreme retrograde spin, which, if confirmed, would provide an important clue as to the origin of black hole spin. In this paper, utilizing updated dynamical binary-system parameters (i.e. the black hole mass, the orbital inclination and the source distance) provided by \cite{Torres2021}, we analyze 65 spectra of MAXI J1659-152 from \emph{RXTE}/PCA, in order to assess the spin parameter. With a final selection of 9 spectra matching our $f_{\mathrm{sc}} \lesssim 25 \%$, soft-state criteria, we apply a relativistic thin disk spectroscopic model \texttt{kerrbb2} over 3.0-45.0 keV. We find that inclination angle correlates inversely with spin, and, considering the possible values for inclination angle, we constrain spin to be $-1 < a_{*} \lesssim 0.44$ at 90\% confidence interval via X-ray continuum-fitting. We can only rule out an extreme prograde (positive) spin. We confirm that an extreme retrograde solution is possible and is not ruled out by considering accretion torques given the young age of the system.

astro-ph.HE

Torque reversal and orbital profile of X-ray pulsar OAO 1657-415

OAO 1657-415 is an atypical supergiant X-ray binary among wind-fed and disk-fed systems, showing alternate spin-up/spin-down intervals lasting on the order of tens of days. We study different torque states of OAO 1657-415 based on the spin history monitored by {\it Fermi}/GBM, together with fluxes from {\it Swift}/BAT and {\it MAXI}/GSC. Its spin frequency derivatives are well correlated with {\it Swift}/BAT fluxes during rapid spin-up episodes, anti-correlated with {\it Swift}/BAT fluxes during rapid spin-down episodes, and not correlated in between. The orbital profile of spin-down episodes is reduced by a factor of 2 around orbital phases of 0.2 and 0.8 compared to that of spin-up episodes. The orbital hardness ratio profile of spin-down episodes is also lower than that of spin-up episodes around phases close to the mid-eclipse, implying that there is more material between the neutron star and the observer for spin-down episodes than for spin-up episodes around these phases. These results indicate that the torque state of the neutron star is connected with the material flow on orbital scale and support the retrograde/prograde disk accretion scenario for spin-down/spin-up torque reversal.

astro-ph.HE

Spectral Analysis of New Black Hole Candidate AT2019wey Observed by NuSTAR

AT2019wey is a new galactic X-ray binary that was first discovered as an optical transient by the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) on December 7, 2019. AT2019wey consists of a black hole candidate as well as a low-mass companion star ($M_{\text {star }} \lesssim 0.8 M_{\odot}$) and is likely to have a short orbital period ($P_{\text {orb }} \lesssim 8$ h). Although AT2019wey began activation in the X-ray band during almost the entire outburst on March 8, 2020, it did not enter the soft state during the entire outburst. In this study, we present a detailed spectral analysis of AT2019wey in the low/hard state during its X-ray outburst on the basis of Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array \emph observations. We obtain tight constraints on several of its important physical parameters by applying the State-of-art \texttt{relxill} relativistic reflection model family. In particular, we determine that the measured inner radius of the accretion disk is most likely to have extended to the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) radius, i.e., $R_{\text{in}}=1.38^{+0.23}_{-0.16}~R_{\text{ISCO}}$. Hence, assuming $R_{\text{in}}$=$R_{\text{ISCO}}$, we find the spin of AT2019wey to be $a_{*}\sim$ $0.97$, which is close to the extreme and an inner disk inclination angle of ~$i\sim$ $22 ^{\circ}$. Additionally, according to our adopted models, AT2019wey tends to have a relatively high iron abundance of $A_{\mathrm{Fe}}\sim$ 5 $A_{\mathrm{Fe}, \odot}$ and a high disk ionization state of $\log ξ\sim$ 3.4.

astro-ph.HE

Estimating the black hole spin for the X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070

MAXI J1820+070 is a newly-discovered black hole X-ray binary, whose dynamical parameters, namely the black hole mass, the inclination angle and the source distance, have been estimated recently. \emph{Insight}-HXMT have observed its entire outburst from March 14th, 2018. In this work, we attempted to estimate the spin parameter~$a_*$, using the continuum-fitting method and applying a fully-relativistic thin disk model to the soft-state spectra obtained by \emph{Insight}-HXMT. It is well know that $a_*$ is strongly dependent on three dynamical parameters in this method, and we have examined two sets of parameters. Adopting our preferred parameters: $M$ = $8.48^{+0.79}_{-0.72}~M_\odot$, $i=63^\circ\pm3^\circ$ and $D=2.96\pm0.33$ kpc, we found a slowly-spinning black hole of $a_*=0.14 \pm 0.09$ ($1σ$), which give a prograde spin parameter as majority of other systems show. While it is also possible for the black hole to have a retrograde spin (less than 0) if different dynamical parameters are taken.

astro-ph.HE

Carton dataset synthesis method for domain shift based on foreground texture decoupling and replacement

One major impediment in rapidly deploying object detection models for industrial applications is the lack of large annotated datasets. We currently have presented the Sacked Carton Dataset(SCD) that contains carton images from three scenarios, such as comprehensive pharmaceutical logistics company(CPLC), e-commerce logistics company(ECLC), fruit market(FM). However, due to domain shift, the model trained with one of the three scenarios in SCD has poor generalization ability when applied to the rest scenarios. To solve this problem, a novel image synthesis method is proposed to replace the foreground texture of the source datasets with the texture of the target datasets. Our method can keep the context relationship of foreground objects and backgrounds unchanged and greatly augment the target datasets. We firstly propose a surface segmentation algorithm to achieve texture decoupling of each instance. Secondly, a contour reconstruction algorithm is proposed to keep the occlusion and truncation relationship of the instance unchanged. Finally, the Gaussian fusion algorithm is used to replace the foreground texture from the source datasets with the texture from the target datasets. The novel image synthesis method can largely boost AP by at least 4.3%~6.5% on RetinaNet and 3.4%~6.8% on Faster R-CNN for the target domain. Code is available at https://github.com/hustgetlijun/RCAN.

cs.CV