arXiv subjects

Rong-Gen Cai

Publications and source records attributed to Rong-Gen Cai.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

The Gravitational-Wave Physics II: Progress

It has been a half-decade since the first direct detection of gravitational waves, which signifies the coming of the era of the gravitational-wave astronomy and gravitational-wave cosmology. The increasing number of the detected gravitational-wave events has revealed the promising capability of constraining various aspects of cosmology, astronomy, and gravity. Due to the limited space in this review article, we will briefly summarize the recent progress over the past five years, but with a special focus on some of our own work for the Key Project ``Physics associated with the gravitational waves'' supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. In particular, (1) we have presented the mechanism of the gravitational-wave production during some physical processes of the early Universe, such as inflation, preheating and phase transition, and the cosmological implications of gravitational-wave measurements; (2) we have put constraints on the neutron star maximum mass according to GW170817 observations; (3) we have developed a numerical relativity algorithm based on the finite element method and a waveform model for the binary black hole coalescence along an eccentric orbit.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Gravitational waves from resonant amplification of curvature perturbations during inflation

Parametric resonance in a single-field inflationary model with a periodic structure on the potential gives rise to curvature perturbations with large amplitudes on small scales, which could result in observable primordial black holes (PBHs) and concomitant gravitational waves (GWs) induced by curvature perturbations in the radiation-dominated era. In such a model, GWs associated with the PBH formation were investigated in Ref. [1]. In this paper, we consider a stochastic GW background sourced by inflaton perturbations resonantly amplified during inflation. We compute the energy spectra of induced GWs produced both during inflation and in the radiation-dominated era, and find that the peak of the energy spectrum of the former is much higher than that of the latter, but is located at a lower frequency. Moreover, the energy spectrum of induced GWs produced during inflation exhibits a unique oscillating character in the ultraviolet region. Both the stochastic GW backgrounds are expected to be detected by future space-based laser interferometers.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Primordial black holes and stochastic gravitational wave background from inflation with a noncanonical spectator field

We investigate the enhancement of the curvature perturbations in a single-field slow-roll inflation with a spectator scalar field kinetically coupled to the inflaton. The coupling term with a periodic function of inflaton triggers the exponential growth of the spectator field perturbations, which indirectly amplifies the curvature perturbations to produce a sizable abundance of primordial black holes (PBHs). This scenario is found to be insensitive to the inflationary background. We study two distinct populations of the stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) produced in this scenario, i.e., induced by the scalar perturbations during the inflationary era and the radiation-dominated era, respectively. With the appropriate choices of parameter space, we consider two PBH mass windows of great interest. One is PBHs of masses $\mathcal{O}(10^{-12})M_\odot$ that can be a vital component of dark matter, and the predicted total energy spectrum of SGWB shows a unique profile and is detectable by LISA and Taiji. The other is PBHs of masses $\mathcal{O}(10)M_\odot$ which can provide consistent explanation for the LIGO-Virgo events. More interestingly, the predicted gravitational wave signal from the radiation-dominated era may account for the NANOGrav results.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Energy spectrum of gravitational waves

The energy spectrum of gravitational waves (GWs), which depicts the energy of GWs per unit volume of space per logarithmic frequency interval normalized to the critical density of the Universe, is a widely used way for quantifying the sensitivity of GW detectors and the strength of GWs, since it has the advantage of having a clear physical meaning. It was found that the energy spectrum of GWs depends on the gauge when the GWs beyond the linear order perturbations are considered. We show that this gauge dependence issue originates from the inappropriate description for the energy of GWs. With the proper description for the energy of GWs, we give a well-defined energy spectrum of GWs, in which the gauge issue disappears naturally.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Probing the $B+L$ violation process with the observation of cosmic magnetic field

We investigate the $B+L$ violation process by performing three-dimensional lattice simulations in an electroweak theory with first-order phase transition and the electroweak sphaleron decay. The simulation results indicate that the Chern-Simons number changes along with the helical magnetic field production when the sphaleron decay occurs. Our study suggests that, for the electroweak phase transition with nucleation rate being smaller than $\sim \mathcal{O}(10)$, the helical magnetic field with the fractional magnetic helicity $ε_M\leq 0.2$ can be probed by Cherenkov Telescope Array through the intergalactic magnetic field measurements. Based on our numerical results, we suggest a method to probe the baryon asymmetry generation of the Universe, which is a general consequence of the electroweak sphaleron process, through the astronomical observation of the corresponding helical magnetic field.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic field and gravitational waves from the first-order Phase Transition

We perform the three dimensional lattice simulation of the magnetic field and gravitational wave productions from bubble collisions during the first-order electroweak phase transition. Except that of the gravitational wave, the power-law spectrum of the magnetic field strength is numerically calculated for the first time, which is of a broken power-law spectrum: $B_ξ\propto f^{0.91}$ for low frequency region of $f f_\star$ in the thin-wall limit, with the peak frequency being $f_\star\sim 5$ Hz at the phase transition temperature 100 GeV. When the hydrodynamics is taken into account, the generated magnetic field strength can reach $B_ξ\sim 10^{-7}$G at a correlation length $ξ\sim 10^{-7}$pc, which may seed the large scale magnetic fields. Our study shows that the measurements of cosmic magnetic field strength and gravitational waves are complementary to probe new physics admitting electroweak phase transition.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Do the observational data favor a local void?

The increasing tension between the different local direct measurements of the Hubble expansion rate and that inferred from the Cosmic Microwave Background observation by $Λ$-Cold-Dark-Matter model could be a smoking gun of new physics, if not caused by either observational systematics or local bias. We generalize previous investigation on the local bias from a local void by globally fitting the Pantheon sample over all parameters in the radial profile function of a local void described by an inhomogeneous but isotropic Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi metric with a cosmological constant. Our conclusion strengths the previous studies that the current tension on Hubble constant cannot be saved by a local void alone.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Chameleon dark energy can resolve the Hubble tension

Values of the Hubble constant between the direct measurements from various independent local observations and that inferred from the cosmic microwave background with the $Λ$-cold-dark-matter model are in tension with persistent significance. We propose a late-time inhomogeneous resolution suggesting that a chameleon field coupled to a local overdensity of matter could be trapped at a higher potential energy density as an effective cosmological constant driving the local expansion rate faster than that of the background with lower matter density. We illustrate this mechanism in a toy model in which a region with only $20\%$ overdensity of matter is sufficient to resolve the Hubble tension, and the Hubble constant measured by the local distance ladders could be accommodated by the chameleon coupled to the observed overdensities from the large-scale structure surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Hubble parameter estimation via dark sirens with the LISA-Taiji network

The Hubble parameter is one of the central parameters in modern cosmology, which describes the present expansion rate of the universe. Their values inferred from the late-time observations are systematically higher than those from the early-time measurements by about $10\%$. To come to a robust conclusion, independent probes with accuracy at percent levels are crucial. Gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence events can be formulated into the standard siren approach to provide an independent Hubble parameter measurement. The future space-borne gravitational wave observatory network, such as the LISA-Taiji network, will be able to measure the gravitational wave signals in the Millihertz bands with unprecedented accuracy. By including several statistical and instrumental noises, we show that within 5 years operation time, the LISA-Taiji network is able to constrain the Hubble parameter within $1\%$ accuracy, and possibly beats the scatters down to $0.5\%$ or even better.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

No Inner-Horizon Theorem for Black Holes with Charged Scalar Hairs

We establish a no inner-horizon theorem for black holes with charged scalar hairs. Considering a general gravitational theory with a charged scalar field, we prove that there exists no inner Cauchy horizon for both spherical and planar black holes with non-trivial scalar hair. The hairy black holes approach to a spacelike singularity at late interior time. This result is independent of the form of scalar potentials as well as the asymptotic boundary of spacetimes. We prove that the geometry near the singularity takes a universal Kasner form when the kinetic term of the scalar hair dominates, while novel behaviors different from the Kasner form are uncovered when the scalar potential become important to the background. For the hyperbolic horizon case, we show that hairy black hole can only has at most one inner horizon, and a concrete example with an inner horizon is presented. All these features are also valid for the Einstein gravity coupled with neutral scalars.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Testing weakest force with coldest spot

Ultra-cold atom experiment in space with microgravity allows for realization of dilute atomic-gas Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with macroscopically large occupation number and significantly long condensate lifetime, which allows for a precise measurement on the shape oscillation frequency by calibrating itself over numerous oscillation periods. In this paper, we propose to measure the Newtonian gravitational constant via ultra-cold atom BEC with shape oscillation, although it is experimentally challenging. We also make a preliminary perspective on constraining the modified Newtonian potential such as the power-law potential, Yukawa interaction, and fat graviton. A resolution of frequency measurement of $(1-100)\,\mathrm{nHz}$ at most for the occupation number $10^9$, just one order above experimentally achievable number $N\sim10^6-10^8$, is feasible to constrain the modified Newtonian potential with Yukawa interaction greatly beyond the current exclusion limits.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Effective picture of bubble expansion

Recently the thermal friction on an expanding bubble from the cosmic first-order phase transition has been calculated to all orders of the interactions between the bubble wall and thermal plasma, leading to a $γ^2$-scaling instead of the previously estimated $γ^1$-scaling for the thermal friction exerted on a fast-moving bubble wall with a Lorentz factor $γ$. We propose for the first time the effective equation of motion (EOM) for an expanding bubble wall in the presence of an arbitrary $γ$-scaling friction to compute the efficiency factor from bubble collisions, which, in the case of $γ^2$-scaling friction, is found to be larger than the recently updated estimation when the bubble walls collide after starting to approach a constant terminal velocity, leading to a slightly larger signal of the gravitational waves background from bubble collisions due to its quadratic dependence on the bubble collision efficiency factor, although the $γ^2$-scaling friction itself has already suppressed the contribution from bubble collisions compared to that with $γ^1$-scaling friction. We also suggest a phenomenological parameterization for the out-of-equilibrium term in the Boltzmann equation that could reproduce the recently found $(γ^2-1)$-scaling of the friction term in the effective EOM of an expanding bubble wall, which merits further study in future numerical simulations of bubble expansion and collisions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Constraints on a mixed model of dark matter particles and primordial black holes from the Galactic 511 keV line

The galactic 511 keV gamma-ray line has been observed since 1970's, and was identified as the result of electron-positron annihilation, but the origin of such positrons is still not clear. Apart from the astrophysical explanations, the possibilities that such positrons come from dark matter (DM) annihilation are also widely studied. Primordial black hole (PBH) is also an extensively studied candidate of DM. If PBHs exist, the DM particles may be gravitationally bound to the PBHs and form halo around PBHs with density spikes. DM annihilation in these density spikes can enhance the production rate of positrons from DM particles, but the signal morphology is similar to the decaying DM. We consider such a mixed model consisting of DM particles and PBHs and obtain the upper limit from the data of 511 keV gamma-ray line from INTEGRAL/SPI on the decaying component of DM particles and the constraint on the PBH abundance. These constraints are general and independent of particle DM models. For the mixed model consisting of excited DM and PBHs, the constraints on the PBH abundance can be down to $O(10^{-17})$ for DM particle with mass around $1~\mathrm{TeV}$, which is more stringent than that obtained from the extragalactic gamma-ray background.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic field-tuned quantum criticality in optimally electron-doped cuprate thin films

Antiferromagnetic (AF) spin fluctuations are commonly believed to play a key role in electron pairing of cuprate superconductors. In electron-doped cuprates, it is still in paradox about the interplay among different electronic states in quantum perturbations, especially between superconducting and magnetic states. Here, we report a systematic transport study on cation-optimized La2-xCexCuO4 (x = 0.10) thin films in high magnetic fields. We find an AF quantum phase transition near 60 T, where the Hall number jumps from nH =-x to nH = 1-x, resembling the change of nH at the AF boundary (xAF = 0.14) tuned by Ce doping. In the AF region a spin dependent state manifesting anomalous positive magnetoresistance is observed, which is closely related to superconductivity. Once the AF state is suppressed by magnetic field, a polarized ferromagnetic state is predicted, reminiscent of the recently reported ferromagnetic state at the quantum endpoint of the superconducting dome by Ce doping. The magnetic field that drives phase transitions in a similar but distinct manner to doping thereby provides a unique perspective to understand the quantum criticality of electron-doped cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

On the gravitational wave sources from the NANOGrav 12.5-yr data

The NANOGrav Collaboration recently reported a strong evidence for a stochastic common-spectrum process in the pulsar-timing data. We evaluate the evidence of interpreting this process as mergers of super massive black hole binaries and/or various stochastic gravitational wave background sources in the early Universe, including first-order phase transitions, cosmic strings, domain walls, and large amplitude curvature perturbations. We discuss the implications of the constraints on these possible sources. It is found that the cosmic string is the most favored source against other gravitational wave sources based on the Bayes factor analysis.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Higgs chameleon

The existing constraints from particle colliders reveal a suspicious but nonlethal metastability for our current electroweak vacuum of Higgs potential in the standard model of particle physics, which is, however, disfavored in the early Universe if the inflationary Hubble scale is larger than the instability scale when Higgs quartic self-coupling runs into negative value. Alternative to previous trials of acquiring a positive effective mass-squared from Higgs quadratic couplings to Ricci scalar or inflaton field, we propose a third approach to stabilize the Higgs potential in the early Universe by regarding Higgs as chameleon coupled to inflaton alone without conflicting to the present constraints on either Higgs or chameleon.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Color confinement and color singlet structure of quantum states in Yang-Mills theory

We consider two fundamental long-standing problems in quantum chromodynamics (QCD): the origin of color confinement and structure of a true vacuum and color singlet quantum states. There is a common belief that resolution to these problems needs a knowledge of a strict non-perturbative quantum Yang-Mills theory and new ideas. Our principal idea in resolving these problems is that structure of color confinement and color singlet quantum states must be determined by a Weyl symmetry which is an intrinsic symmetry of the Yang-Mills gauge theory, and by properties of a selected class of solutions satisfying special requirements. Following this idea we construct for the first time a space of color singlet one particle quantum states for primary gluons and quarks and reveal the structure of color confinement in quantum Yang-Mills theory. As an application we demonstrate formation of physical observables in a pure QCD, pure glueballs.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Gravitational and electromagnetic radiation from binary black holes with electric and magnetic charges: Circular orbits on a cone

We derive the equations of motion of dyonic black hole binaries with electric and magnetic charges and explore features of static orbits. By using a Newtonian method with the inclusion of radiation reaction, we calculate the total emission rate of energy and angular momentum due to gravitational radiation and electromagnetic radiation for circular orbits. Moreover, we obtain the evolutions of orbits and calculate merger times of dyonic binaries. We show that electric and magnetic charges significantly suppress the merger times of dyonic binaries. Our results provide rich information about dyonic binaries and can be used to test black holes with magnetic charges.

gr-qc↗