arXiv subjects

R. Prasad

Publications and source records attributed to R. Prasad.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Probing magnetic fields of compact objects with continuous gravitational waves

Spinning, deformed compact objects such as neutron stars are canonical sources of continuous gravitational waves. These objects may be born with magnetic fields that can strongly influence their spin evolution and, consequently, their gravitational wave detectability. Employing a Bayesian framework, we use for the first time, the non detection of continuous gravitational waves in the LIGO Virgo KAGRA (LVK) third observing run (O3), using reported amplitude upper limits from various LVK and Einstein@Home searches, to place population level constraints on the birth magnetic field distribution of Galactic compact objects. To this end, we simulate compact object populations whose spin evolution is governed by gravitational wave emission and magnetic dipole radiation. We explore multiple ellipticity models and magnetic field decay timescales, and find that the lower limit on the birth magnetic field distribution hyperparameter $B_0$ is constrained to lie in the range $10^{9.6}\mathrm{G} \lesssim B_0\,\lesssim 10^{13.3}\mathrm{G}$. Furthermore, we reinterpret the number constraints on the total population of Galactic compact objects, reported previously by \citet{Prabhu_2024}, as upper limits on the number of compact objects with a population averaged magnetic field, presented as a function of ellipticity and gravitational wave frequency for all searches considered here.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Could the high-mass black holes from gravitational-wave observations be explained by lensing?

The high-mass ($M \gtrsim 30 M_\odot$) black holes (BHs) from the gravitational-wave (GW) observations of LIGO and Virgo came as a surprise to many astronomers. While the collapse of metal-poor massive stars could produce such BHs, gravitational lensing has been invoked to explain their high masses. Broadhurst, Diego, and Smoot (henceforth BDS) argued that the mass distribution of BHs in coalescing binaries is very similar to that of the galactic BHs, and the inferred high masses are the result of neglecting the lensing magnification. They also proposed a redshift distribution of binary BH (BBH) mergers to explain the observed LIGO-Virgo mass distribution. We ask whether such a model is consistent with different aspects of the GW observations: 1) the observed number of BBH mergers, 2) the distribution of their redshifted total mass and apparent luminosity distance, 3) the non-detection of strongly lensed events, and 4) the non-observation of the stochastic GW background. By simulating lensed BBH mergers with the BDS model and comparing them with observations, we conclude that no choice of BDS model parameters is consistent with all aspects of the observations. Lensing magnification is not a viable explanation for the high-mass BHs discovered by LIGO and Virgo.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Gravitational Waves from Strongly Magnetized Eccentric Neutron Star Binaries

We explore the dynamics of neutron star binaries that approach their final inspiral stages with residual eccentricity and strong magnetic fields, features that can arise in systems formed through dynamical capture of relatively young neutron stars. Our analysis focuses on identifying magnetic-field imprints on the gravitational wave signal arising from two mechanisms: magnetic interaction between the neutron stars and electromagnetic radiation from the system's effective dipole. Using a perturbative approach, we obtain the associated gravitational wave energy loss rate and phase evolution, and quantify detectability through cumulative dephasing, horizon distances, and Fisher-matrix analyses. While magnetic effects are intrinsically small, entering at 2 post-Newtonian (PN) order, their cumulative influence over extended inspirals will become distinguishable in future detectors owing to enhanced low-frequency sensitivity. For binaries with comparable magnetic fields, we show that $10^{14}\,\mathrm{G}$ systems will be detectable up to $\sim10$ Mpc with DECIGO and the Einstein Telescope, while $10^{15}\,\mathrm{G}$ fields will be discernible out to several hundred Mpc. For extreme fields of $10^{16}\,\mathrm{G}$, third-generation detectors could probe out to Gpc scales. These findings suggest that magnetic effects in compact binaries can indeed become observable with next-generation detectors, offering a potential probe of magnetar-level fields and binary formation pathways.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Generalized Perturbed Kepler Problem: Gravitational Wave Imprints from Eccentric Compact Binaries

Observations of astrophysical binaries may reveal departures from pure Keplerian orbits due to environmental influences, modifications to the underlying gravitational dynamics, or signatures of new physics. In this work, we develop a unified framework to systematically study such perturbations in the ambit of the perturbed Kepler problem and explore their impact on eccentric orbital dynamics and gravitational wave emission. Unlike traditional parametrized frameworks such as post-Newtonian and post-Einsteinian expansions, our approach offers a more source-specific modeling strategy, making it more natural to trace the physical origins of eccentric binary model parameters. Starting from a general perturbed potential, we derive the modified orbit and compute the associated gravitational fluxes and phase evolution, assessing their observational relevance for both current and future detectors. This framework thus offers a general and physically transparent toolkit for probing such subtle deviations from standard dynamics in gravitational wave data.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Early Warning From Eccentric Compact Binaries: Template Initialization And Sub-dominant Mode Effects

Early warning of gravitational waves (GWs) is essential for multi-messenger observations of binary neutron star and black hole-neutron star merger events. In this study, we investigate early warning prospects from eccentric compact binaries, whose mergers are expected to comprise a significant fraction of detected GW events in the future. Eccentric binaries exhibit oscillatory frequency evolution, causing GW frequencies to recur multiple times through their coalescence. Consequently, generating eccentric waveform templates for early warning requires specification of initial conditions. While the standard approach involves initiating waveform generation when the orbit-averaged frequency enters the detector band, we compare this with an alternative approach that uses the periastron frequency as the starting point. Our analysis shows that initializing at the periastron frequency yields an improved signal-to-noise ratio and sky localization. Additionally, including subdominant modes alongside the dominant $(2,2)$ mode leads to further improvements in sky localization. We explore the parameter space of primary mass $m_1 \in [1.4, 15] \, M_\odot$, spin $\chi_1 \in [0, 0.8]$, and eccentricity $e \leq 0.4$ across three detector configurations: O5, Voyager, and 3G. We find that in the O5 (Voyager) configuration, including eccentricity and subdominant modes, the sky localization area can be reduced by $2-80\% (2-85\%)$ at 1000 sq. deg. with increasing eccentricity from $e_5 = 0.1$ to $e_5 = 0.4$, yielding up to $41$ seconds (1 minute) of extra early warning time. For NSBH systems, subdominant modes contribute up to $70$ $(94)\%$ reduction for O5 (Voyager) scenario. In the 3G detector scenario, the sky area reduction due to eccentricity reaches $80\%$ (from $e_{2.5} = 0.1$ to $e_{2.5} = 0.4$) at 100 sq. deg., and subdominant modes enhance the reduction up to $98\%$ for NSBH systems.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Input to the ESPPU: The LUXE Experiment

This document presents an overview of LUXE (Laser Und XFEL Experiment), an experiment that will combine the high-quality and high-energy electron beam of the European XFEL with a high-intensity laser, to explore the uncharted terrain of strong-field quantum electrodynamics. The scientific case, facility, and detector setup are presented together with an overview of the foreseen timeline and expected capital costs.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

The Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna: Mission Studies and Science Case

The Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna (LGWA) is a proposed array of next-generation inertial sensors to monitor the response of the Moon to gravitational waves (GWs). Given the size of the Moon and the expected noise produced by the lunar seismic background, the LGWA would be able to observe GWs from about 1 mHz to 1 Hz. This would make the LGWA the missing link between space-borne detectors like LISA with peak sensitivities around a few millihertz and proposed future terrestrial detectors like Einstein Telescope or Cosmic Explorer. In this article, we provide a first comprehensive analysis of the LGWA science case including its multi-messenger aspects and lunar science with LGWA data. We also describe the scientific analyses of the Moon required to plan the LGWA mission.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Constraining the abundance of spinning deformed Galactic compact objects with continuous gravitational waves

Galactic spinning compact objects (COs) with non-zero ellipticity are expected to be sources of continuous gravitational waves (CGWs). Certain classes of hypothetical COs, such as neutron stars with quark cores (hybrid stars), and quark stars, are thought to be capable of sustaining large ellipticities from theoretical considerations. Such exotic COs (eCOs) with large ellipticities should produce CGWs detectable by the current LIGO-Virgo-Kagra GW detector network. Since no detections for CGWs, from searches in LIGO-Virgo data, have so far been reported, we place constraints on the abundance of highly elliptical eCOs in our Galaxy. We formulate a Bayesian framework to place upper limits on the number count $N_{tot}$ of highly deformed Galactic eCOs. We divide our constraints into two classes: an "agnostic" set of upper limits on $N_{tot}$ evaluated on a CGW frequency and ellipticity grid that depend only on the choice of spatial distribution of COs; and a model-dependent set that additionally assumes prior information on the distribution of frequencies. We find that COs with ellipticities $\epsilon \gtrsim 10^{-5}$ have abundance upper limits at $90\%$ confidence, of $N_{tot}^{90\%} \lesssim 100$, and those with $\epsilon \gtrsim 10^{-6}$ have $N_{tot}^{90\%} \lesssim 10^4$. We additionally place upper-limits on the ellipticity of Galactic COs informed by our choices of spatial distributions, given different abundances $N_{tot}$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Technical Design Report for the LUXE Experiment

This Technical Design Report presents a detailed description of all aspects of the LUXE (Laser Und XFEL Experiment), an experiment that will combine the high-quality and high-energy electron beam of the European XFEL with a high-intensity laser, to explore the uncharted terrain of strong-field quantum electrodynamics characterised by both high energy and high intensity, reaching the Schwinger field and beyond. The further implications for the search of physics beyond the Standard Model are also discussed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2022

Spin-down induced quark-hadron phase transition in cold isolated neutron stars

We have studied the spin-down induced phase transition in cold, isolated neutron stars in this work. After birth, as the star slows down, its central density rises and crosses the critical density of phase transition, and a quark core is seeded inside the star. Intermediate mass stars are more likely to have a quark seeding in their lifetime at birth. Smaller neutron stars do not have a quark core and remain neutron stars throughout their life, whereas in massive stars, a quark core exists at their center from birth. In intermediate and massive stars, the quark core grows further as the star slows down. The appearance of a quark core leads to a sudden change in the moment of inertia of the star in its evolutionary history, and it is also reflected in a sudden discontinuity in the braking index of the star (at the frequency where the quark core first seeds). The energy released during the phase transition process as the quark core is seeded can excite the f-mode oscillation in the star and is emitted in the form of the gravitational wave, which is in the range of detection with present operating detectors; however, future detectors will enable a more clean extraction of this signals. Also, neutrinos and bursts of gamma-rays can originate from phase transition events. The spin-down induced phase transition could be gradual or in the form of subsequent leaps producing persistent or multiple transient emissions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Spatial profile of accelerated electrons from ponderomotive scattering in hydrogen cluster targets

We study the laser-driven acceleration of electrons from overdense hydrogen clusters to energies of up to 13 MeV in laser forward direction and several hundreds of keV in an outer ring-like structure. The use of cryogenic hydrogen allows for high repetition-rate operation and examination of the influence of source parameters like temperature and gas flow. The outer ring-like structure of accelerated electrons, originating from the interaction, that is robust against the change of laser and target parameters can be observed for low electron densities of ca. 3$\times$10$^{16}$ cm$^{-3}$. For higher electron densities, an additional central spot of electrons in the laser forward direction can be observed. Utilizing 3D-PIC simulations, it is revealed that both electron populations mainly stem from ponderomotive scattering.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

Constraining Bianchi type V universe with recent H(z) and BAO observations in Brans-Dicke theory of gravitation

In this paper, we investigate a transitioning model of Bianchi type V universe in Brans-Dicke theory of gravitation. The derived model not only validates Mach's principle but also describes the present acceleration of the universe. In this paper, our aim is to constrain an exact Bianchi type V universe in Brans - Dicke gravity. For this sake, firstly we obtain an exact solution of field equations in modified gravity and secondly constrain the model parameters by bounding the model with recent $H(z)$ and Baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) observational data. The current phase of accelerated expansion of the universe is also described by the contribution coming from cosmological constant screened scalar field with deceleration parameter showing a transition redshift of about $z_{t} = 0.79$. Some physical properties of the universe are also discussed.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2018

Nm-sized cryogenic hydrogen clusters for a laser-driven proton source

A continuous cryogenic hydrogen cluster-jet target has been developed for laser-plasma interaction studies, in particular as a source for the acceleration of protons. Major advantages of the cluster-jet target are the compatibility with pulsed high repetition lasers and the absence of debris. The cluster-jet target was characterized using the Mie-scattering technique allowing to determine the cluster size and to compare it with an empirical prediction. In addition, an estimation of the cluster beam density was performed. The system was implemented at the high power laser system ARCTURUS and first successful measurements show the acceleration of protons after irradiation by high intensity laser pulses with a repetition rate of five Hertz.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2016

Valence fuctuation and magnetic ordering in EuNi2(P1-xGex)2 single crystals

Unusual phases and phase transitions are seen at the magnetic-nonmagnetic boundary in Ce, Eu and Yb-based compounds. EuNi$_2$P$_{2}$ is a very unusual valence fluctuating Eu system, because at low temperatures the Eu valence stays close to 2.5 instead of approaching an integer value. Eu valence and thus the magnetic property in this system can be tuned by Ge substitution in P site as EuNi$_2$Ge$_{2}$ is known to exhibit antiferromagnetc (AFM) ordering of divalent Eu moments with $T_N$ = 30 K. We have grown EuNi$_2$(P$_{1-x}$Ge$_x$)$_2$ (0.0 $\leq$ $x$ $\leq$ 0.5) single crystals and studied their magnetic, thermodynamic and transport properties. Increasing Ge doping to $x >$ 0.4 results in a well-defined AFM ordered state with $T_N$ = 12 K for $x$ = 0.5. Moreover, the reduced value of magnetic entropy for $x$ = 0.5 at $T_N$ suggests the presence of valance fluctuation/ Kondo effect in this compound. Interestingly, the specific heat exhibits an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient upon Ge doping. Subsequently, electronic structure calculations lead to a non-integral valence in EuNi$_2$P$_{2}$ but a stable divalent Eu state in EuNi$_2$Ge$_{2}$ which is in good agreement with experimental results.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Electric-field tunable Dirac semimetal state in phosphorene thin films

We study the electric-field tunable electronic properties of phosphorene thin films, using the framework of density functional theory. We show that phosphorene thin films offer a versatile material platform to study two dimensional Dirac fermions on application of a transverse electric field. Increasing the strength of the transverse electric field beyond a certain critical value in phosphorene leads to the formation of two symmetry protected gapless Dirac fermions states with anisotropic energy dispersion. The spin-orbit coupling splits each of these Dirac state into two spin- polarized Dirac cones which are also protected by non-symmorphic crystal symmetries. Our study shows that the position as well as the carrier velocity of the spin polarized Dirac cone states can be controlled by the strength of the external electric field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Can the structure of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide be described in terms of a few polyhedral motifs?

The coordination polyhedra around the cations are the building blocks of ionic solids. In context of amorphous InGaZn oxide (a-IGZO), even though the coordination polyhedra are irregularly arranged, it will be beneficial to identify them. In this work, we address the questions, (a) is it possible to classify all the polyhedra that occur in a-IGZO into only a few distinct groups? and (b) are these the same polyhedral motifs as those observed in the crystalline indium gallium zinc oxide (c-IGZO) or other related crystalline oxides of indium, gallium and zinc? Therefore, in this first principles based study, a large number (ten) of equivalent samples of a-IGZO were prepared by ab initio melt-and-quench molecular dynamics, so that several distinct samples of the amorphous landscape are obtained. The combination of all these structures thus obtained is a better representation of a real a-IGZO sample. For the ten samples containing 360 cations, we propose a simpler and more accurate method for determining the coordination number of each polyhedron, which was verified by charge density plots. Based on a method of comparing bond angles between metal and oxygen atoms, the identified polyhedra were matched to the polyhedral motifs present in the related crystalline systems, such as, InGaZnO4, In2O3, Ga2O3 and ZnO. We find, the a-IGZO primarily consists of the following polyhedra: a tetrahedron from space group 199 and an octahedron from space group 206 of In2O3; a tetrahedron from space group 12 and an octahedron from space group 167 of Ga2O3; a tetrahedron from space group 186 of ZnO; zinc and gallium trigonal bipyramids from c-IGZO; and one zinc 4-fold, one zinc 5-fold and one indium 5-fold coordination polyhedra that occur only in the amorphous phase. We are able to reduce the description of structure from 360 to 10 groups of polyhedra. The benefits of this identification could be enormous.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Role of surface termination in realizing well-isolated topological surface states within the bulk band gap in TlBiSe$_2$ and TlBiTe$_2$

Electronic structures associated with the flat (polar) Se/Te- or Tl-terminated surfaces of TlBiSe$_2$ and TlBiTe$_2$ are predicted to harbor not only Dirac cone states, but also trivial dangling bond states near the Fermi energy. However, the latter, trivial states have never been observed in photoemission measurements. In order to address this discrepancy, we have carried out {\it ab-initio} calculations for various surfaces of TlBiSe$_2$ and TlBiTe$_2$. A rough nonpolar surface with an equal number of Se/Te and Tl atoms in the surface atomic layer is found to destroy the trivial dangling bond states, leaving only the Dirac cone states in the bulk energy gap. The resulting energy dispersions of the Dirac states are in good accord with the corresponding experimental dispersions in TlBiSe$_2$ as well as TlBiTe$_2$. We also show that in the case of flat, Se terminated, high-index (221) and (112) surfaces of TlBiSe$_2$, the trivial surface states shift energetically below the Dirac node and become well-separated from the Dirac cone states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Einstein energy-momentum complex for a phantom black hole metric

In this paper we calculate the energy distribution E(r) associated with a static spherically symmetric non-singular phantom black hole metric in Einstein's prescription in general relativity. As required for Einstein energy-momentum complex, we perform calculations in quasi-Cartesian coordinates. We also calculate momentum components and get zero values as expected from the geometry of the metric.

gr-qc↗