arXiv subjects

S. Q. Wang

Publications and source records attributed to S. Q. Wang.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

A single pulse study of a millisecond pulsar PSR J0621+1002

We present radio observation of a millisecond pulsar PSR J0621+1002 using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The pulsar shows periodic pulse intensity modulations for both the first and the third pulse components. The fluctuation spectrum of the first pulse component has one peak of 3.0$\pm$0.1 pulse periods, while that of the third pulse component has two diffused peaks of 3.0$\pm$0.1 and 200$\pm$1 pulse periods. The single pulse timing analysis is carried out for this pulsar and the single pulses can be divided into two classes based on the post-fit timing residuals. We examined the achievable timing precision using only the pulses in one class or bright pulses. However, the timing precision improvement is not achievable.

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arXiv2020

The two emission states of PSR B1534+12

We have observed PSR~B1534+12 (J1537+1155), a pulsar with a neutron star companion, using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). We found that this pulsar shows two distinct emission states: a weak state with a wide pulse profile and a burst state with a narrow pulse profile. The weak state is always present. We cannot, with our current data, determine whether the pulse energy of the weak state follows a normal or a log-normal distribution. The burst state energy distribution follows a power-law. The amplitude of the single pulse emission in the burst state varies significantly; the peak flux intensity of the brightest pulse is 334 times stronger than that of the average pulse. We also examined the timing precision achievable using only bright pulses, which showed no demonstrable improvement because of pulse jitter and therefore quantified the jitter noise level for this pulsar.

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arXiv2020

An in-depth investigation of 11 pulsars discovered by FAST

We present timing solutions and analyses of 11 pulsars discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). These pulsars were discovered using an ultra-wide bandwidth receiver in drift-scan observations made during the commissioning phase of FAST, and were then confirmed and timed using the 64-m Parkes Radio Telescope. Each pulsar has been observed over a span of at least one year. Highlighted discoveries include PSR J0344-0901, which displays mode-changing behaviour and may belong to the class of so-called `swooshing' pulsars (alongside PSRs B0919+06 and B1859+07); PSR J0803-0942, whose emission is almost completely linearly polarised; and PSRs J1900-0134 and J1945+1211, whose well defined polarisation angle curves place stringent constraints on their emission geometry. We further discuss the detectability of these pulsars by earlier surveys, and highlight lessons learned from our work in carrying out confirmation and monitoring observations of pulsars discovered by a highly sensitive telescope, many of which may be applicable to next-generation pulsar surveys. This paper marks one of the first major releases of FAST-discovered pulsars, and paves the way for future discoveries anticipated from the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS).

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arXiv2020

Radio observations of two intermittent pulsars: PSRs J1832+0029 and J1841-0500

We present long-term observations of two intermittent pulsars, PSRs~J1832+0029 and J1841$-$0500 using the Parkes 64\,m radio telescope. The radio emission for these pulsars switches "off" for year-long durations. Our new observations have enabled us to improve the determination of the on-off timescales and the spin down rates during those emission states. In general our results agree with previous studies of these pulsars, but we now have significantly longer data spans. We have identified two unexpected signatures in the data. Weak emission was detected in a single observation of PSR~J1832$+$0029 during an "off" emission state. For PSR~J1841$-$0500, we identified a quasi-periodic fluctuation in the intensities of the detectable single pulses, with a modulation period between 21 and 36 pulse periods.

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arXiv2019

Broad-lined type Ic supernova iPTF16asu: A challenge to all popular models

It is well-known that ordinary supernovae (SNe) are powered by 56Ni cascade decay. Broad-lined type Ic SNe (SNe Ic-BL) are a subclass of SNe that are not all exclusively powered by 56Ni decay. It was suggested that some SNe Ic-BL are powered by magnetar spin-down. iPTF16asu is a peculiar broad-lined type Ic supernova discovered by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory. With a rest-frame rise time of only 4 days, iPTF16asu challenges the existing popular models, for example, the radioactive heating (56Ni-only) and the magnetar+56Ni models. Here we show that this rapid rise could be attributed to interaction between the SN ejecta and a pre-existing circumstellar medium ejected by the progenitor during its final stages of evolution, while the late-time light curve can be better explained by energy input from a rapidly spinning magnetar. This model is a natural extension to the previous magnetar model. The mass-loss rate of the progenitor and ejecta mass are consistent with a progenitor that experienced a common envelope evolution in a binary. An alternative model for the early rapid rise of the light curve is the cooling of a shock propagating into an extended envelope of the progenitor. It is difficult at this stage to tell which model (interaction+magnetar+56Ni or cooling+magnetar+56Ni) is better for iPTF16asu. However, it is worth noting that the inferred envelope mass in the cooling+magnetar+56Ni is very high.

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arXiv2019

The Energy Sources of Superluminous Supernovae

Supernovae (SNe) are the most brilliant optical stellar-class explosions. Over the past two decades, several optical transient survey projects discovered more than $\sim 100$ so-called superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) whose peak luminosities and radiated energy are $\gtrsim 7\times 10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and $\gtrsim 10^{51}$ erg, at least an order of magnitude larger than that of normal SNe. According to their optical spectra features, SLSNe have been split into two broad categories of type I that are hydrogen-deficient and type II that are hydrogen-rich. Investigating and determining the energy sources of SLSNe would be of outstanding importance for understanding the stellar evolution and explosion mechanisms. The energy sources of SLSNe can be determined by analyzing their light curves (LCs) and spectra. The most prevailing models accounting for the SLSN LCs are the $^{56}$Ni cascade decay model, the magnetar spin-down model, the ejecta-CSM interaction model, and the jet-ejecta interaction model. In this \textit{review}, we present several energy-source models and their different combinations.

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arXiv2017

Evidence for magnetar formation in broad-lined type Ic supernovae 1998bw and 2002ap

Broad-lined type Ic supernovae (SNe Ic-BL) are peculiar stellar explosions that distinguish themselves from ordinary SNe. Some SNe Ic-BL are associated with long-duration (\gtrsim 2 s) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Black holes and magnetars are two types of compact objects that are hypothesized to be central engines of GRBs. In spite of decades of investigations, no direct evidence for the formation of black holes or magnetars has been found for GRBs so far. Here we report the finding that the early peak (t \lesssim 50 days) and late-time (t \gtrsim 300 days) slow decay displayed in the light curves of both SNe 1998bw (associated with GRB 980425) and 2002ap (not GRB-associated) can be attributed to magnetar spin-down with initial rotation period P0 \sim 20 ms, while the intermediate-time (50 \lesssim t \lesssim 300 days) linear decline is caused by radioactive decay of 56Ni. The connection between the early peak and late-time slow decline in the light curves is unexpected in alternative models. We thus suggest that GRB 980425 and SN 2002ap were powered by magnetars.

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arXiv2016

A Triple-Energy-Source Model for Superluminous Supernova iPTF13ehe

Almost all superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) whose peak magnitudes are $\lesssim -21$ mag can be explained by the $^{56}$Ni-powered model, magnetar-powered (highly magnetized pulsar) model or ejecta-circumstellar medium (CSM) interaction model. Recently, iPTF13ehe challenges these energy-source models, because the spectral analysis shows that $\sim 2.5M_\odot$ of $^{56}$Ni have been synthesized but are inadequate to power the peak bolometric emission of iPTF13ehe, while the rebrightening of the late-time light-curve (LC) and the H$α$ emission lines indicate that the ejecta-CSM interaction must play a key role in powering the late-time LC. Here we propose a triple-energy-source model, in which a magnetar together with some amount ($\lesssim 2.5M_\odot$) of $^{56}$Ni may power the early LC of iPTF13ehe while the late-time rebrightening can be quantitatively explained by an ejecta-CSM interaction. Furthermore, we suggest that iPTF13ehe is a genuine core-collapse supernova rather than a pulsational pair-instability supernova candidate. Further studies on similar SLSNe in the future would eventually shed light on their explosion and energy-source mechanisms.

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arXiv2016

Optical Transients Powered by Magnetars: Dynamics, Light Curves, and Transition to the Nebular Phase

Millisecond magnetars can be formed via several channels: core-collapse of massive stars, accretion-induced collapse of white dwarfs (WDs), double WD mergers, double neutron star (NS) mergers, and WD-NS mergers. Because the mass of ejecta from these channels could be quite different, their light curves are also expected to be diverse. We evaluate the dynamic evolution of optical transients powered by millisecond magnetars. We find that the magnetar with short spin-down timescale converts its rotational energy mostly into the kinetic energy of the transient, while the energy of a magnetar with long spin-down timescale goes into radiation of the transient. This leads us to speculate that hypernovae could be powered by magnetars with short spin-down timescales. At late times the optical transients will gradually evolve into a nebular phase because of the photospheric recession. We treat the photosphere and nebula separately because their radiation mechanisms are different. In some cases the ejecta could be light enough that the magnetar can accelerate it to a relativistic speed. It is well known that the peak luminosity of a supernova (SN) occurs when the luminosity is equal to the instantaneous energy input rate, as shown by Arnett (1979). We show that photospheric recession and relativistic motion can modify this law. The photospheric recession always leads to a delay of the peak time $t_{\mathrm{pk}}$ relative to the time $t_{\times }$ at which the SN luminosity equals the instantaneous energy input rate. Relativistic motion, however, may change this result significantly.

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arXiv2015

The Most Luminous Supernova ASASSN-15lh: Signature of a Newborn Rapidly-Rotating Strange Quark Star

In this paper we show that the most luminous supernova discovered very recently, ASASSN-15lh, could have been powered by a newborn ultra-strongly-magnetized pulsar, which initially rotates near the Kepler limit. We find that if this pulsar is a neutron star, its rotational energy could be quickly lost as a result of gravitational-radiation-driven r-mode instability; if it is a strange quark star, however, this instability is highly suppressed due to a large bulk viscosity associated with the nonleptonic weak interaction among quarks and thus most of its rotational energy could be extracted to drive ASASSN-15lh. Therefore, we conclude that such an ultra-energetic supernova provides a possible signature for the birth of a strange quark star.

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arXiv2015

A Unified Energy-Reservoir Model Containing Contributions from $^{56}$Ni and Neutron Stars and Its Implication to Luminous Type Ic Supernovae

Most type-Ic core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) produce $^{56}$Ni and neutron stars (NSs) or black holes (BHs). The dipole radiation of nascent NSs has usually been neglected in explaining supernovae (SNe) with peak absolute magnitude $M_{\rm peak}$ in any band are $\gtrsim -19.5$~mag, while the $^{56}$Ni can be neglected in fitting most type-Ic superluminous supernovae (SLSNe Ic) whose $M_{\rm peak}$ in any band are $\lesssim -21$~mag, since the luminosity from a magnetar (highly magnetized NS) can outshine that from a moderate amount of $^{56}$Ni. For luminous SNe Ic with $-21 \lesssim M_{\rm peak}\lesssim -19.5$~mag, however, both contributions from $^{56}$Ni and NSs cannot be neglected without serious modeling, since they are not SLSNe and the $^{56}$Ni mass could be up to $\sim 0.5 M_{\odot}$. In this paper we propose a unified model that contain contributions from both $^{56}$Ni and a nascent NS. We select three luminous SNe Ic-BL, SN~2010ay, SN~2006nx, and SN~14475, and show that, if these SNe are powered by $^{56}$Ni, the ratio of $M_{\rm Ni}$ to $M_{\rm ej}$ are unrealistic. Alternatively, we invoke the magnetar model and the hybrid ($^{56}$Ni + NS) model and find that they can fit the observations, indicating that our models are valid and necessary for luminous SNe Ic. Owing to the lack of late-time photometric data, we cannot break the parameter degeneracy and thus distinguish among the model parameters, but we can expect that future multi-epoch observations of luminous SNe can provide stringent constraints on $^{56}$Ni yields and the parameters of putative magnetars.

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arXiv2014

Superluminous Supernovae Powered by Magnetars: Late-time Light Curves and Hard Emission Leakage

Recently, researches performed by two groups have revealed that the magnetar spin-down energy injection model with full energy trapping can explain the early-time light curves of SN 2010gx, SN 2013dg, LSQ12dlf, SSS120810 and CSS121015, but fails to fit the late-time light curves of these Superluminous Supernovae (SLSNe). These results imply that the original magnetar-powered model is challenged in explaining these SLSNe. Our paper aims to simultaneously explain both the early- and late-time data/upper limits by considering the leakage of hard emissions. We incorporate quantitatively the leakage effect into the original magnetar-powered model and derive a new semi-analytical equation. Comparing the light curves reproduced by our revised magnetar-powered model to the observed data and/or upper limits of these five SLSNe, we found that the late-time light curves reproduced by our semi-analytical equation are in good agreement with the late-time observed data and/or upper limits of SN 2010gx, CSS121015, SN 2013dg and LSQ12dlf and the late-time excess of SSS120810, indicating that the magnetar-powered model might be responsible for these SLSNe and that the gamma ray and X-ray leakage are unavoidable when the hard photons were down-Comptonized to softer photons. To determine the details of the leakage effect and unveil the nature of SLSNe, more high quality bolometric light curves and spectra of SLSNe are required.

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