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Ning Chang

Publications and source records attributed to Ning Chang.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Magnetic rigidity reveals the PeVatron acceleration region in SS 433

PeVatrons are cosmic accelerators capable of driving particles to petaelectronvolt (PeV) energies. Recently, microquasar jets have emerged as compelling Galactic PeVatron candidates. This is especially the case for SS 433 as its $>100$ TeV gamma-ray emission is spatially coincident with an atomic cloud. However, the exact region where PeV protons are accelerated and injected within these jets remains unresolved. Here we report, using archival, multi-frequency VLBA observations, the magnetic field profile $B(H)$ along the SS 433 inner jet on tens of AU scale, where $H$ is the distance from the central compact object. We find that the field declines as $B(H) \propto H^{-0.50\pm0.12}$, demonstrating that the magnetic rigidity $B(H)R_{\rm acc}$ grows with $H$ for a conical jet. This implies the Hillas limit ($E_{\rm max} \propto BH$) to lie well beyond a PeV at a few hundred-AU scale, which becomes a highly potential site for accelerating protons to energies $E_{\rm cut} \simeq 2.6$ PeV inferred from the LHAASO gamma-ray spectrum. These results reveal a hidden PeVatron within the baryonic ejecta of microquasar SS 433, well upstream of the extended TeV-emitting lobes.

astro-ph.HE

The SKA-VLBI Perspective on Radio-Quiet AGN

The accretion-ejection mechanism in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) remains a central open problem in astrophysics, tied to the role of AGN feedback in galaxy formation and evolution. Radio-quiet AGN dominate the observed AGN population. Lacking luminous jets, their radio emission traces a rich set of processes spanning the host galaxy kpc scales down to the vicinity of the supermassive black hole: star formation, AGN-driven winds and shocks, free-free emission from photo-ionized gas, low-power jets, and coronal activity close to the inner accretion disk. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will probe these processes across a wide frequency range with unprecedented sensitivity, wide-field survey capability, and, critically, high-resolution VLBI imaging. Flux, spectral, and polarization monitoring will constrain dynamics and environmental coupling, while mapping nuclear regions on sub-pc to kpc scales will disentangle compact cores from host emission, resolving the diversity of radio activity across accretion regimes and jet powers from the local Universe to the cosmic dawn. At the full AA4 deployment, the SKA-MID phased into global VLBI arrays will deliver sub-milliarcsecond imaging and $\mu$Jy sensitivity over 0.35--15\,GHz, enabling the first population-level census of radio-quiet AGN nuclei. Earlier AA$\ast$ operations will support pilot studies of the brightest nearby systems.

astro-ph.GA

Detection of a parsec-scale, compact, and fading ejecta from an accreting massive black hole

Dwarf galaxies, characterized by their low luminosities and masses, are excellent candidates for searches for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), particularly when they show strong accretion and ejection activity. The dwarf galaxy SDSS J101747.09+393207.7 has recently been found to display a very high X-ray luminosity and an X-shaped optical structure, possibly caused by a dwarf--dwarf merger. To explore its potential IMBH ejection activity, we performed very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations at 4.9 GHz. In this work, we present the detection of a milliarcsecond-scale, compact, sub-microjansky radio component near the optical centroid. According to some existing radio sky survey data, the radio component was not detected until 2015; it displayed an optically thin steep radio spectrum and declining flux densities across 0.8--5 GHz from 2019 to 2025. Therefore, we identify it as a short-lived and rarely seen ejecta that was produced by unstable accretion onto a massive black hole and likely faded away in a few decades. These results indicate that short-lived, episodic jet activity from accreting IMBHs in dwarf galaxies might exist.

astro-ph.HE

Synchrotron Self-Absorption Spectral Modeling Reveals a Magnetically Driven Shock-in-Jet Scenario in Blazar 1156+295

Unveiling the launching and driving mechanisms of powerful jets in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is crucial for understanding the co-evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies. 1156+295 is a blazar at a redshift of z=0.729 and exhibits significant variability in long-term radio monitoring. Using multi-frequency Effelsberg single-dish flux density data from 2007 to 2012, we performed synchrotron self-absorption (SSA) spectral modeling and extracted the turnover frequency and turnover flux density. By combining SSA spectral modeling with the core size and brightness temperature from quasi-simultaneous very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) images, we estimated the jet magnetic-field strength and magnetic flux, and investigated their temporal evolution in 1156+295. The evolution of radio flux density, spectral shape, and jet structure is consistent with the shock-in-jet framework. The inferred magnetic flux reaching or exceeding the magnetically arrested disk (MAD) threshold, together with evidence that magnetic energy release precedes the radio flares, supports a magnetically driven jet scenario. Overall, our results place magnetic-field measurements, spectral evolution, and inner-jet structural changes on a common timeline, providing observational constraints on their coupled evolution during flares.

astro-ph.HE

SMMAN: quasi-Simultaneous Multi-wavelength Monitoring of gamma-ray-loud AGNs with the Nanshan 26-m radio telescope

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are characterized by strong temporal flux density variability across the electromagnetic spectrum, offering insights into the complex physical processes governing accretion and plasma outflows. To systematically investigate AGNs flux density variability in radio bands, a long-term program was initiated in late 2016: quasi-Simultaneous Multiwavelength Monitoring of gamma-ray-loud AGNs with the Nanshan 26-m radio telescope (SMMAN). This work presents the first data release of the SMMAN program, spanning over eight years from 2016 to 2024 with observations at 4.8 and 23.6 GHz. The SMMAN sample includes 131 northern ($\delta >\sim0^{\circ}$) sources selected from the Fermi Large Area Telescope third source catalog. The characteristics of variability, spectral index, luminosity, and $\gamma$-ray loudness factor are examined for different AGN classes within the sample. Target sources exhibit stronger variability at 23.6 GHz compared to 4.8 GHz, with BL Lac objects being more variable than flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). BL Lacs generally have flatter radio spectra, while FSRQs, blazar candidates of uncertain type (BCUs), and radio galaxies (RDGs) span a wider range from flat to steep. FSRQs are more radio-luminous than BL Lacs and other classes, with BCUs intermediate and RDGs generally fainter. FSRQs and BL Lacs have higher $\gamma$-ray loudness factors than RDGs, while BCUs have intermediate values. The SMMAN dataset, incorporated with other historical and ongoing monitoring programs, will provide a unique opportunity to investigate the evolution of spectral energy distributions, search for quasi-periodic oscillations, and analyze supermassive black hole binary systems.

astro-ph.GA

Proper Motion and Natal Kick in the Galactic Black Hole X-ray Binary AT2019wey

Understanding the formation mechanisms of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries (BHXBs) remains a fundamental challenge in astrophysics. The natal kick velocities imparted during black hole formation provide crucial constraints on these formation channels. In this work, we present a new-epoch very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observation of the Galactic BHXB AT2019wey carried out in 2023. Combining with archival VLBI data from 2020, we successfully measure the proper motion of AT2019wey over a 3-year timescale, namely $0.78\pm0.12$~\masyr\ in right ascension and $-0.42\pm0.07$~\masyr\ in declination. Employing the measured proper motion, we estimate its peculiar velocity and the potential kick velocity (PKV), through Monte Carlo simulations incorporating uncertainties of its distance and radial velocity. The estimated PKV distributions and height above the Galactic plane suggest that AT2019wey's black hole likely formed through a supernova explosion rather than direct collapse.

astro-ph.HE

First Detection of Radio Emission from the Intermediate Mass Black Hole in POX 52: Deep Multi-Band Observations with ATCA and VLA

We present the first multi-band centimeter detection of POX 52, a nearby dwarf galaxy believed to habor a robust intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). We conducted the deep observations using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), spanning frequencies from 4.5 to 10 GHz, as well as the sensitive observations from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) operating in its most extended A-configuration at S band (2--4 GHz) and C band (4--8 GHz). In the ATCA observations, the source shows a compact morphology, with only one direction marginally resolved. The higher resolution of the VLA allowed us to slightly resolve the source, fitting it well with a two-dimensional Gaussian model. The detected radio emission confirms the presence of Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) activity, indicating either a low-power jet or AGN-driven winds/outflows. Our dual-epoch observations with ATCA and VLA, together with previous non-detection flux density upper limits, reveal radio emission variability spanning two decades. In addition, we find that POX 52 aligns well with the low-mass extension of the fundamental plane for high-accretion, radio-quiet massive AGNs.

astro-ph.GA

Tracking the jet-like corona of black hole Swift J1727.8-1613 during a flare state through Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations

Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in black hole X-ray transients typically manifest in the low-hard and hard-intermediate states. This study presents a detailed spectral and temporal analysis of the black hole candidate Swift J1727.8-1613 using NICER observations from August and September 2023, with a focus on the first flare period. We detected Type-C QPOs whose centroid frequency increased from 0.33 Hz to 2.63 Hz. An additional increase in frequency was observed when the outburst entered a flare period. The time-averaged spectra, along with the rms and phase-lag spectra of the QPOs, were jointly fitted using the time-dependent Comptonization model vkompthdk to examine the geometry of the corona during this flare. Correlations between spectral and temporal properties suggest that the detected type-C QPOs are primarily modulated by Lense-Thirring precession. Leveraging simultaneous radio observations that indicate discrete jet ejections, we proposed a scenario to describe the co-evolution of the disk-corona-jet during a flare (~3 days). This scenario is partially supported for the first time by polarization data in the soft gamma-ray band from INTEGRAL/IBIS. A phenomenological analysis of the corona scenario was also conducted.

astro-ph.HE

Very Long Baseline Array Observations of Parsec-scale Radio Emission in Dual Active Galactic Nuclei

It is believed that dual active galactic nuclei (dual AGN) will form during galaxies merge. Studying dual-AGN emission can provide valuable insights into galaxy merging and evolution. To investigate parsec-scale radio emission properties, we observed eight radio components of four selected dual-AGN systems using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 GHz in multiple-phase-center mode. Among them, two compact radio components, labeled J0051+0020B and J2300-0005A, were detected clearly on parsec scales for the first time. However, the radio emission of the other six components was resolved out in the high-resolution images. We provided the values or upper limits of the brightness temperature and radio emission power, and analyzed the emission origins in detail for each target. Based on their physical properties reported in this work and in the literature, we suggest the radio emission in J0051+0020B and J2300-0005A originates primarily from compact jets, while the other six sources show more complex emission mechanisms. In addition, our VLBA observations suggest the systematic X-ray deficit in our dual-AGN sample is likely attributed to the tidally induced effect and possible viewing angle effect.

astro-ph.GA

The discrete direct deconvolution model in the large eddy simulation of turbulence

The discrete direct deconvolution model (D3M) is developed for the large-eddy simulation (LES) of turbulence. The D3M is a discrete approximation of previous direct deconvolution model studied by Chang et al. ["The effect of sub-filter scale dynamics in large eddy simulation of turbulence," Phys. Fluids 34, 095104 (2022)]. For the first type model D3M-1, the original Gaussian filter is approximated by local discrete formulation of different orders, and direct inverse of the discrete filter is applied to reconstruct the unfiltered flow field. The inverse of original Gaussian filter can be also approximated by local discrete formulation, leading to a fully local model D3M-2. Compared to traditional models including the dynamic Smagorinsky model (DSM) and the dynamic mixed model (DMM), the D3M-1 and D3M-2 exhibit much larger correlation coefficients and smaller relative errors in the a priori studies. In the a posteriori validations, both D3M-1 and D3M-2 can accurately predict turbulence statistics, including velocity spectra, probability density functions (PDFs) of sub-filter scale (SFS) stresses and SFS energy flux, as well as time-evolving kinetic energy spectra, momentum thickness, and Reynolds stresses in turbulent mixing layer. Moreover, the proposed model can also well capture spatial structures of the Q-criterion iso surfaces. Thus, the D3M holds potential as an effective SFS modeling approach in turbulence simulations.

physics.flu-dyn

Constraining annihilating dark matter using the multi-frequency radio flux profiles of the M33 galaxy

Radio data can give stringent constraints for annihilating dark matter. In general, radio observations can detect very accurate radio flux density with high resolution and different frequencies for nearby galaxies. We are able to obtain the radio flux density as a function of distance from the galactic center and frequencies $S(r,\nu)$. In this article, we demonstrate a comprehensive radio analysis of the M33 galaxy, combining the radio flux density profile $S(r)$ and the frequency spectrum $S(\nu)$ to get the constraints of dark matter annihilation parameters. By analyzing the archival radio data obtained from the Effelsberg telescope, we show that the dark matter annihilation contributing to the radio flux density might be insignificant in the disk region of the M33 galaxy. Moreover, by including the baryonic radio contribution, we constrain the $2\sigma$ conservative upper limits of the annihilation cross section, which can be complementary to the existing constraints based on neutrino, cosmic-ray, and gamma-ray observations. Our results indicate that analyzing the galactic multi-frequency radio flux profiles can give useful and authentic constraints on dark matter for the leptophilic annihilation channels.

astro-ph.GA

Intermediate-mass black holes: finding of episodic, large-scale and powerful jet activity in a dwarf galaxy

Dwarf galaxies are characterised by a very low luminosity and low mass. Because of significant accretion and ejection activity of massive black holes, some dwarf galaxies also host low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In a few dwarf AGNs, very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations have found faint non-thermal radio emission. SDSS J090613.77+561015.2 is a dwarf AGN owning an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) with a mass of $M_{BH} = 3.6^{+5.9}_{-2.3} \times 10^5 M_{sun}$ and showing a rarely-seen two-component radio structure in its radio nucleus. To further probe their nature, i.e. the IMBH jet activity, we performed additional deep observations with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.66 GHz and 4.99 GHz. We find the more diffuse emission regions and structure details. These new EVN imaging results allow us to reveal a two-sided jet morphology with a size up to about 150 mas (projected length $\sim$140 pc) and a radio luminosity of about $3\times10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The peak feature has an optically thin radio spectrum and thus more likely represents a relatively young ejecta instead of a jet base. The EVN study on SDSS J090613.77+561015.2 demonstrates the existence of episodic, relatively large-scale and powerful IMBH jet activity in dwarf AGNs. Moreover, we collected a small sample of VLBI-detected dwarf AGNs and investigated their connections with normal AGNs. We notice that these radio sources in the dwarf AGNs tend to have steep spectra and small linear sizes, and possibly represent ejecta from scaled-down episodic jet activity.

astro-ph.GA

A Low-speed Intruder Star in Hyades: A Temporary Residence

We hereby report a low-speed (about~21~km$\cdot$~s$^{-1}$ with respect to the Sun) intruder member in the Hyades cluster based on the data in the literature. The results show that the star is a non-native member star for the Hyades, with its radial velocity being smaller than the radial velocity of the Hyades cluster, even exceeding the standard deviation of the radial velocity of the cluster by a factor of 9. Furthermore, by analyzing and comparing the orbits of this star and its host, it may have intruded into its host in the past 2~Myr. If the star's current motion orbit remains unchanged, it may leave its host in the next 2~Myr. This implies that the intruder star may be temporarily residing in the cluster. This study presents the first observational evidence of a star intrusion into a cluster, which suggests that more evidence may be found.

astro-ph.SR

Explaining the 'outliers' track in Black Hole X-ray Binaries with the BZ-jet and inner-disk coupling

In this paper, we investigate the black hole (BH) spin contribution to jet power, especially for the magnetic arrested disk (MAD), where only inner accretion disk luminosity is closely coupled with the spin-jet power, and try to explain the `outliers' track of the radio $L_{\rm R}$ to X-ray luminosity $L_{\rm X}$ in two black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs). Our results suggest that the BZ-jet and the inner-disk coupling could account for the `outliers' track of the radio/X-ray correlation in two BHXBs, H1743-322 and MAXI J1348-630. Although the accretion disk of H1743-322 in the outburst could be in the MAD state, there is a lower probability that MAXI J1348-630 is in the MAD state due to its low jet production efficiency. The difference in the inner-disk bolometric luminosity ratio of the two sources implies that these two BHXBs are in different inner-disk accretion states. We further investigate the phase-changing regime of MAXI J1348-630 and find that there is a phase transition around $L_{\rm X}/L_{\rm Edd}\sim 10^{-3}$. The assumption of sub-MAD is discussed as well.

astro-ph.HE

The Origin of Radio Emission in Black Hole X-ray Binaries

We studied the relation of accretion-jet power and disk luminosity, especially the jet efficiencies and disk radiative efficiencies for different accretion disks as well as black hole (BH) spin, in order to explore the origin of radio emission in black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs). We found that jet efficiency increases more rapidly (efficient) than the nearly constant disk radiative efficiency for thin disk component in high accretion regime, which could account for the steep track ($\mu>1$) in the observed radio and X-ray luminosity relations ($L_{\rm R}\propto L_{\rm X}^{\mu}$), but the thin disk component may not be able to explain the standard track ($\mu\approx 0.6$) in the BHXBs. For hot accretion flows (HAF), the resulting jet efficiency changes along with the large range of accretions from quiescent state to nearly Eddington state, which could account for the standard track in the BHXBs. The BH spin-jet is discussed for the magnetic arrested disk (MAD) state; in this state, the spin-jet power might contribute to a linear correlation between jet power and mass accretion rate for a given source. More accurate observations are required to test the results.

astro-ph.HE

The Jet-Disk Coupling of Seyfert Galaxies from a Complete Hard X-ray Sample

We analyze the jet-disk coupling for different subsamples from a complete hard X-ray Seyfert sample to study the coupling indices and their relation to accretion rate. The results are: (1) the power-law coupling index ranges from nearly unity (linear correlation) for radio-loud Seyferts to significantly less than unity for radio-quiet ones. This declining trend of coupling index also holds from larger sources to compact ones; (2) the Seyferts with intermediate to high accretion rate (Eddington ratio $\lambda\sim$ 0.001 to 0.3) show a linear jet-disk coupling, but it shallows from near to super Eddington ($\lambda\sim$ 0.3 to 10), and the former is more radio loud than the latter; (3) the Seyfert 1s are slightly steeper than the Seyfert 2s, in the jet-disk correlation. In the linear coupling regime, the ratio of jet efficiency to radiative efficiency ($\eta/\varepsilon$) is nearly invariant, but in low accretion or super accretion regime, $\eta/\varepsilon$ varies with $\lambda$ in our model. We note that a radio-active cycle of accretion-dominated active galactic nuclei would be: from a weaker jet-disk coupling in $\lambda<0.001$ for low luminosity Seyferts, to a linear coupling in $0.001<\lambda<0.3$ for radio-loud luminous Seyferts and powerful radio galaxies/quasars, and to a weaker coupling in $0.3<\lambda<10$ ones.

astro-ph.HE

Intra-Day Variability Observations of Two Dozens of Blazars at 4.8 GHz

Two dozens of radio loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been observed with Urumqi 25 m radio telescope in order to search for intra-day variability (IDV). The target sources are blazars (namely flat spectrum radio quasars and BL Lac objects) which are mostly selected from the observing list of RadioAstron AGN monitoring campaigns. The observations were carried out at 4.8 GHz in two sessions of 8-12 February 2014 and 7-9 March respectively. We report the data reduction and the first results of observations. The results show that the majority of the blazars exhibit IDV in 99.9% confidence level, some of them show quite strong IDV. We find the strong IDV of blazar 1357 + 769 for the first time. The IDV at centimeter-wavelength is believed to be predominately caused by the scintillation of blazar emission through the local interstellar medium in a few hundreds parsecs away from Sun. No significant correlation between the IDV strength and either redshift or Galactic latitude is found in our sample. The IDV timescale along with source structure and brightness temperature analysis will be presented in a forthcoming paper.

astro-ph.HE