arXiv subjects

N. Wang

Publications and source records attributed to N. Wang.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Periodic Q-mode modulation in PSR J1825$-$0935 (PSR B1822$-$09)

PSR J1825$-$0935 (PSR B1822$-$09) switches between radio-quiet (Q-mode) and radio-bright (B-mode) modes. The Q-mode is known to have a periodic fluctuation that modulates both the interpulse and the main pulse with the same period. Earlier investigators argued that the periodic Q-mode modulation is associated with drifting subpulses. We report on single-pulse observations of PSR J1825$-$0935 that were made using the Parkes 64-m radio telescope with a central frequency of 1369 MHz. The high-sensitivity observations revealed that the periodic Q-mode modulation is in fact a periodic longitude-stationary intensity modulation occurring in the interpulse and the main pulse. The fluctuation spectral analysis showed that the modulation period is about $43 P_1$, where $P_1$ is the rotation period of the pulsar. Furthermore, we confirm that the modulation patterns in the interpulse and the main pulse are phase-locked. Specifically, the intensities of the interpulse and the immediately following main pulse are more highly correlated than for the main pulse and interpulse at any other lag. Polarization properties of the strong and weak Q-mode states are different, even for the trailing part of the main pulse which does not show the periodic intensity modulation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

A distortion solution for the Bok telescope with four CCD chips

The Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey (BASS) is an imaging survey and uses the 2.3 m Bok telescope at Kitt Peak. In order to tap the astrometric potential of the Bok telescope and improve the astrometry of BASS, a distortion solution for the Bok telescope is made. In the past, we used a single lookup table to correct all the positional errors. However, this method can not be applied to the reduction of the observation for the Bok telescope where four CCD chips are equipped with. Then quite different from our previous method, two third-order polynomials were used to fit the lookup table. By using the polynomial Geometric Distortion (called GD hereafter) correction the astrometry of BASS is improved greatly. Moreover, an additional lookup table correction is found to be more effective to obtain a final GD. The results show that the positional measurement precision of the appropriate bright stars is estimated at about 20 mas and even better in each direction. Besides, the relative positions of the chips are measured. The change of the inter-chip gaps in horizontal or vertical is no more than 5 pixel between 2016 and 2017 and the change of the roll angle is no more than 0.1 degree.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Constraints on the ultra-high energy cosmic neutrino flux from the fourth flight of ANITA

The ANtarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) NASA long-duration balloon payload completed its fourth flight in December 2016, after 28 days of flight time. ANITA is sensitive to impulsive broadband radio emission from interactions of ultra-high-energy neutrinos in polar ice (Askaryan emission). We present the results of two separate blind analyses searching for signals from Askaryan emission in the data from the fourth flight of ANITA. The more sensitive analysis, with a better expected limit, has a background estimate of $0.64^{+0.69}_{-0.45}$ and an analysis efficiency of $82\pm2\%$. The second analysis has a background estimate of $0.34^{+0.66}_{-0.16}$ and an analysis efficiency of $71\pm6\%$. Each analysis found one event in the signal region, consistent with the background estimate for each analysis. The resulting limit further tightens the constraints on the diffuse flux of ultra-high-energy neutrinos at energies above $10^{19.5}$ eV.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Characterization of the first prototype CMOS pixel sensor developed for the CEPC vertex detector

Purpose: CMOS pixel sensors have become extremely attractive for future high performance tracking devices. Initial R\&D work has been conducted for the vertex detector for the proposed Circular Electron Positron Collider that will allow precision Higgs measurements. It is critical to achieve low power consumption to minimize the material budget. This requires careful optimization of the sensor diode geometry to reach high charge-over-capacitance that allows reduction in analog power consumption. Methods: The electrode area and footprint are two critical elements in sensor diode geometry and have deciding impacts on the sensor charge collection performance. Prototype CMOS pixel sensor JadePix-1 has been developed with pixel sectors implementing different electrode area and footprint and their charge collection performance has been characterized with radioactive resources. Results: Charge-to-voltage conversion gains are calibrated with low energy X-ray. Noise, charge collection efficiency, charge-over-capacitance and signal-to-noise ratio are obtained for pixel sectors of different electrode area and footprint. Conclusion: Small electrode area and large footprint are preferred to achieve high charge-over-capacitance that promises low analog power consumption. Ongoing studies on sensor performance before and after irradiation, combined with this work, will conclude on the diode geometry optimization.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Timing irregularities of PSR~J1705$-$1906

Timing analysis of PSR J1705$-$1906 using data from Nanshan 25-m and Parkes 64-m radio telescopes, which span over fourteen years, shows that the pulsar exhibits significant proper motion, and rotation instability. We updated the astrometry parameters and the spin parameters of the pulsar. In order to minimize the effect of timing irregularities on measuring its position, we employ the Cholesky method to analyse the timing noise. We obtain the proper motion of $-$77(3) \,mas\,yr$^{-1}$ in right ascension and $-$38(29) \,mas\,yr$^{-1}$ in declination. The power spectrum of timing noise is analyzed for the first time, which gives the spectral exponent $α=-5.2$ for the power-law model indicating that the fluctuations in spin frequency and spin-down rate dominate the red noise. We detect two small glitches from this pulsar with fractional jump in spin frequency of $Δν/ν\sim2.9\times10^{-10}$ around MJD~55199 and $Δν/ν\sim2.7\times10^{-10}$ around MJD~55953. Investigations of pulse profile at different time segments suggest no significant changes in the pulse profiles around the two glitches.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

The minimum magnetic field of millisecond pulsars calculated according to accretion: application to the X-ray neutron star SAX J1808.4-3658 in a low-mass X-ray binary

Based on the model of the accretion-induced magnetic field decay of a neutron star (NS), millisecond pulsars (MSPs) will obtain their minimum magnetic field when the NS magnetosphere radius shrinks to the stellar surface during the binary accretion phase. We find that this minimummagnetic field is related to the accretion rate Mdot as Bmin ~2.0*10^7 G( Mdot/Mdot_min)^1/2, where Mdot_min = 4.6*10^15 g/s is the average minimum accretion rate required for MSP formation and is constrained by the long-term accretion time, which corresponds to the companion lifetime, being less than the Hubble time. The value of Bmin is consistent with that of observed radio MSPs and accreting MSPs in low-mass X-ray binaries, which can be found the illustrated case of the minimum and present field strength of SAX J1808.4-3658. The prediction of the minimum magnetic field of MSPs would be the lowest field strength of NSs in the Universe, which could constrain the evolution mechanism of the magnetic field of accreting NSs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

The Spin-down State Change and Mode Change Associated with Glitch Activity of PSR B2035+36

We presented timing results of PSR B2035+36 using ~9-yr observations with the Nanshan 25-m radio telescope. PSR B2035+36 was reported to exhibit significant changes in pulse profile correlated with spin-down state variations. We found that the pulsar underwent a glitch with a jump in the frequency of $Δν\sim12.4(5)\, \rm nHz$ around MJD 52950. Unusually, the spin-down rate increased persistently over $800$ days after the glitch, and the average spin-down rate of post-glitch was about $9.6\%$ larger than pre-glitch. Accompanied with the glitch activity, pulse profile became narrower. The pulsar began to switch between two emission modes after the glitch, with pulse width ($W_{\ 50 \rm mean}$) of $8.5(7)^{\circ}$ and $3.7(3)^{\circ}$, respectively. Besides that, the relatively narrow pulse profile gradually became dominant. All of the observations indicate that there should be connection between magnetospheric behavior and glitch activity. We discuss one possibility of magnetosphere fluctuation triggered by glitch event.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Single-pulse observations of the Galactic Center magnetar PSR J1745$-$2900 at 3.1 GHz

We report on single-pulse observations of the Galactic Center magnetar PSR J1745$-$2900 that were made using the Parkes 64-m radio telescope with a central frequency of 3.1 GHz at five observing epochs between 2013 July and August. The shape of the integrated pulse profiles was relatively stable across the five observations, indicating that the pulsar was in a stable state between MJDs 56475 and 56514. This extends the known stable state of this pulsar to 6.8 months. Short term pulse shape variations were also detected. It is shown that this pulsar switches between two emission modes frequently and that the typical duration of each mode is about ten minutes. No giant pulses or subpulse drifting were observed. Apparent nulls in the pulse emission were detected on MJD 56500. Although there are many differences between the radio emission of magnetars and normal radio pulsars, they also share some properties. The detection of mode changing and pulse nulling in PSR J1745$-$2900 suggests that the basic radio emission process for magnetars and normal pulsars is the same.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Could the low braking index pulsar PSR J1734-3333 evolve into a magnetar?

The low braking-index pulsar PSR J1734$-$3333 could be born with superhigh internal magnetic fields $B_{\rm in}\sim10^{15}-10^{16}$ G, and undergo a supercritical accretion soon after its formation in a supernova explosion. The buried multipole magnetic fields will merger into a dipole magnetic field. Since the magnetic flow transfers from the core to the crust of the pulsar, its surface dipole field grows quickly at a power-law form assumed until it saturates at the level of internal dipole field. The increase in surface dipole magnetic field results in the observed low braking index of $n=0.9(2)$. Keeping an average field growth index $\varepsilon=1.34(6)$, this pulsar will become a magnetar with surface dipole magnetic field at the equator $B_{\rm d}\sim 2.6(1)\times 10^{14}$\,G and $\sim 5.3(2)\times 10^{14}$\,G after next 50\,kyrs and 100\,kys, respectively.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Observation of A$_g^1$ Raman mode splitting in few layers black phosphorus encapsulated with hexagonal boron nitride

We investigate the impact of the encapsulation with hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on the Raman spectrum of few layer black phosphorus. The encapsulation results in a significant reduction of the line width of the Raman modes of black phosphorus, due to a reduced phonon scattering rate. We observe a so far elusive peak in the Raman spectra $\sim$4cm$^{-1}$ above the A$_{\text{g}}^1$ mode in trilayer and thicker flakes, which had not been observed experimentally. The newly observed mode originates from the strong black phosphorus inter-layer interaction, which induces a hardening of the surface atoms vibration with respect to the corresponding modes of the inner layers. The observation of this mode suggests a significant impact of h-BN encapsulation on the properties of black phosphorus and can serve as an indicator of the quality of its surface.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

On the nulling, drifting, and their interactions in PSRs J1741-0840 and J1840-0840

We report detailed investigation of nulling and drifting behavior of two pulsars PSRs J1741-0840 and J1840-0840 observed from the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope at 625 MHz. PSR J1741-840 was found to show nulling fraction (NF) of around 30(5)% while PSR J1840-0840 was shown to have NF of around 50(6)%. We measured drifting behavior from different profile components in PSR J1840-0840 for the first time with the leading component showing drifting with 13.5(0.7) periods while the weak trailing component showed drifting of around 18(1) periods. Large nulling do hamper accuracy of these quantities derived using standard Fourier techniques. A more accurate comparison was drawn from driftband slopes, measured after sub-pulse modeling. These measurements revealed interesting sporadic and irregular drifting behavior in both pulsars. We conclude that the previously reported different drifting periodicities in the trailing component of PSR J1741-0840 is likely due to the spread in these driftband slopes. We also find that both components of PSR J1840-0840 show similar driftband slopes within the uncertainties. Unique nulling-drifting interaction is identified in PSR J1840-0840 where, in most occasions, the pulsar tends to start nulling after what appears to be an end of a driftband. Similarly, when the pulsar switches back to an emission phase, in most occasions it starts at the beginning of a new driftband in both components. Such behaviors have not been detected in any other pulsars to our knowledge. We also found that PSR J1741-0840 seems to have no memory of its previous burst phase while PSR J1840-0840 clearly exhibits memory of its previous state even after longer nulls for both components. We discuss possible explanations for these intriguing nulling-drifting interactions seen in both pulsars based on various pulsar nulling models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Determination of the Sun's Offset from the Galactic Plane Using Pulsars

We derive the Sun's offset from the local mean Galactic plane($z_\odot$) using the observed $z$ distribution of young pulsars. Pulsar distances are obtained from measurements of annual parallax, HI absorption spectra or associations where available and otherwise from the observed pulsar dispersion and a model for the distribution of free electrons in the Galaxy. We fit the cumulative distribution function for a ${\rm sech}^2(z)$ distribution function, representing an isothermal self-gravitating disk, with uncertainties being estimated using the bootstrap method. We take pulsars having characteristic age $τ_c<10^{6.5}$~yr and located within 4.5~kpc of the Sun, omitting those within the local spiral arm and those significantly affected by the Galactic warp, and solve for $z_\odot$ and the scale height, $H$, for different cutoffs in $τ_c$. We compute these quantities using just the independently determined distances, and these together with DM-based distances separately using the YMW16 and NE2001 Galactic electron density models. We find that an age cutoff at $10^{5.75}$~yr with YMW16 DM-distances gives the best results with a minimum uncertainty in $z_\odot$ and an asymptotically stable value for $H$ showing that, at this age and below, the observed pulsar $z$-distribution is dominated by the dispersion in their birth locations. From this sample of 115 pulsars, we obtain $z_\odot=13.4\pm$4.4~pc and $H=56.9\pm$6.5~pc, similar to estimated scale heights for OB stars and open clusters. Consistent results are obtained using the independent-only distances and using the NE2001 model for the DM-based distances.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Comparison of Pulsar Positions from Timing and Very Long Baseline Astrometry

Pulsar positions can be measured with high precision using both pulsar timing methods and very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI). Pulsar timing positions are referenced to a solar-system ephemeris, whereas VLBI positions are referenced to distant quasars. Here we compare pulsar positions from published VLBI measurements with those obtained from pulsar timing data from the Nanshan and Parkes radio telescopes in order to relate the two reference frames. We find that the timing positions differ significantly from the VLBI positions (and also differ between different ephemerides). A statistically significant change in the obliquity of the ecliptic of $2.16\pm0.33$\,mas is found for the JPL ephemeris DE405, but no significant rotation is found in subsequent JPL ephemerides. The accuracy with which we can relate the two frames is limited by the current uncertainties in the VLBI reference source positions and in matching the pulsars to their reference source. Not only do the timing positions depend on the ephemeris used in computing them, but also different segments of the timing data lead to varying position estimates. These variations are mostly common to all ephemerides, but slight changes are seen at the 10$μ$as level between ephemerides.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Precise CCD positions of Triton in 2014-2016 using the newest Gaia DR1 star catalogue

755 new CCD observations during the years 2014-2016 have been reduced to derive the precise positions of Triton, the first satellite of Neptune. The observations were made by the 1 m telescope at Yunnan Observatory over fifteen nights. The positions of Triton are measured with respect to the stars in Gaia DR1 star catalogue. The theoretical position of Triton was retrieved from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ephemeris nep081xl, while the position of Neptune was obtained from the JPL ephemeris DE431mx. Our results show that the mean O-Cs (observed minus computed) are 0.042 and -0.006 arcsec in right ascension and declination respectively. The dispersions of our observations are estimated at about 0.012 arcsec in each direction.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

Precise CCD positions of Himalia using Gaia DR1 in 2015-2016

In order to obtain high precision CCD positions of Himalia, the sixth Jovian satellite, a total of 598 CCD observations have been obtained during the years 2015-2016. The observations were made by using the 2.4 m and 1 m telescopes administered by Yunnan Observatories over 27 nights. Several factors which would influence the positional precision of Himalia were analyzed, including the reference star catalogue used, the geometric distortion and the phase effect. By taking advantage of its unprecedented positional precision, the recently released catalogue Gaia DR1 was chosen to match reference stars in the CCD frames of both Himalia and open clusters which were observed for deriving the geometric distortion. The latest version of SOFA library was used to calculate the positions of reference stars. The theoretical positions of Himalia were retrieved from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Horizons System which includes the satellite ephemeris JUP300, while the positions of Jupiter were based on the planetary ephemeris DE431. Our results showed that the means of observed minus computed (O-C) residuals are 0.071 and -0.001 arcsec in right ascension and declination, respectively. Their standard deviations are estimated at about 0.03 arcsec in each direction.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

Pulse profiles and timing of PSR J1757$-$2421

Pulse arrival time measurements over fourteen years with the Nanshan 25-m and Parkes 64-m radio telescopes have been used to determine the average profile and timing properties for PSR J1757$-$2421 (B1754$-$24). Analysis of the radio profile data shows a large variation of spectral index across the profile and an unusual increase in component separation with increasing frequency. The timing observations show that PSR B1754$-$24 underwent a large glitch with a fractional increase in spin frequency of $Δν_{\rm g}/ν\sim 7.8\times10^{-6}$ in May 2011. At the time of the glitch there was a large permanent jump in the rotational frequency accompanied by two exponential recovery terms with timescales of 15(6) and 97(15) days, respectively.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

A New Electron Density Model for Estimation of Pulsar and FRB Distances

We present a new model for the distribution of free electrons in the Galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds and the intergalactic medium (IGM) that can be used to estimate distances to real or simulated pulsars and fast radio bursts (FRBs) based on their dispersion measure (DM). The Galactic model has an extended thick disk representing the so-called warm interstellar medium, a thin disk representing the Galactic molecular ring, spiral arms based on a recent fit to Galactic HII regions, a Galactic Center disk and seven local features including the Gum Nebula, Galactic Loop I and the Local Bubble. An offset of the Sun from the Galactic plane and a warp of the outer Galactic disk are included in the model. Parameters of the Galactic model are determined by fitting to 189 pulsars with independently determined distances and DMs. Simple models are used for the Magellanic Clouds and the IGM. Galactic model distances are within the uncertainty range for 86 of the 189 independently determined distances and within 20\% of the nearest limit for a further 38 pulsars. We estimate that 95\% of predicted Galactic pulsar distances will have a relative error of less than a factor of 0.9. The predictions of YMW16 are compared to those of the TC93 and NE2001 models showing that YMW16 performs significantly better on all measures. Timescales for pulse broadening due to interstellar scattering are estimated for (real or simulated) Galactic and Magellanic Cloud pulsars and FRBs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Preliminary results of CCD observations of Himalia at Yunnan Observatories in 2015

In order to study the potential in high precision CCD astrometry of irregular satellites, we have made experimental observations for Himalia, the sixth and irregular satellite of Jupiter. A total of 185 CCD observations were obtained by using the 2.4 m telescope and 1 m telescope at Yunnan Observatories over ten nights. Preliminary analysis for the observations were made, including the geometric distortion, the atmospheric refraction, and also the phase effect. All positions of Himalia are measured relative to the reference stars from the catalogue UCAC4 in each CCD field of view. The theoretical positions of Himalia were retrieved from the IMCCE, while the positions of Jupiter were obtained based on the planetary theory INPOP13C. The results show that the mean (O-C) (observed minus computed) residuals are -0.004 and -0.002 arcsec in right ascension and declination, respectively. The standard deviation of (O-C) residuals are estimated at about 0.04 arcsec in each direction.

astro-ph.EP↗