arXiv subjects

S. Wang

Publications and source records attributed to S. Wang.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

On the collisionless asymmetric magnetic reconnection rate

A prediction of the steady-state reconnection electric field in asymmetric reconnection is obtained by maximizing the reconnection rate as a function of the opening angle made by the upstream magnetic field on the weak magnetic field (magnetosheath) side. The prediction is within a factor of two of the widely examined asymmetric reconnection model [Cassak and Shay, Phys. Plasmas 14, 102114, 2007] in the collisionless limit, and they scale the same over a wide parameter regime. The previous model had the effective aspect ratio of the diffusion region as a free parameter, which simulations and observations suggest is on the order of 0.1, but the present model has no free parameters. In conjunction with the symmetric case [Liu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 085101, 2017], this work further suggests that this nearly universal number 0.1, essentially the normalized fast reconnection rate, is a geometrical factor arising from maximizing the reconnection rate within magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)-scale constraints.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2017

The Effects of the WISE/GALEX Photometry for the SED-Fitting with M31 Star Clusters and Candidates

Spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting of stellar population synthesis models is an important and popular way to constrain the physical parameters ---e.g., the ages, metallicities, masses for stellar population analysis. The previous works suggest that both blue-bands and red-bands photometry works for the SED-fitting. Either blue-domained or red-domained SED-fitting usually lead to the unreliable or biased results. Meanwhile, it seems that extending the wavelength coverage could be helpful. Since the Galaxy Evolution Explorer ({\it GALEX}) and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) provide the FUV/NUV and mid-infrared $W1$/$W2$ band data, we extend the SED-fitting to a wider wavelength coverage. In our work, we analyzed the effect of adding the FUV/NUV and $W1$/$W2$ band to the optical and near-infrared $UBVRIJHK$ bands for the fitting with the Bruzual \& Charlot 2003 (BC03) models and {\sc galev} models. It is found that the FUV/NUV bands data affect the fitting results of both ages and metallicities much more significantly than that of the WISE $W1$/$W2$ band with the BC03 models. While for the {\sc galev} models, the effect of the WISE $W1$/$W2$ band for the metallicity fitting seems comparable to that of {\it GALEX} FUV/NUV bands, but for age the effect of the $W1$/$W2$ band seems less crucial than that of the FUV/NUV bands. Thus we conclude that the {\it GALEX} FUV/NUV bands are more crucial for the SED-fitting of ages and metallicities, than the other bands, and the high-quality UV data (with high photometry precision) are required.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Dynamic tunable notch filters for the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)

The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) is a NASA long-duration balloon experiment with the primary goal of detecting ultra-high-energy ($>10^{18}\,\mbox{eV}$) neutrinos via the Askaryan Effect. The fourth ANITA mission, ANITA-IV, recently flew from Dec 2 to Dec 29, 2016. For the first time, the Tunable Universal Filter Frontend (TUFF) boards were deployed for mitigation of narrow-band, anthropogenic noise with tunable, switchable notch filters. The TUFF boards also performed second-stage amplification by approximately 45 dB to boost the $\sim\,μ\mbox{V-level}$ radio frequency (RF) signals to $\sim$ mV-level for digitization, and supplied power via bias tees to the first-stage, antenna-mounted amplifiers. The other major change in signal processing in ANITA-IV is the resurrection of the $90^{\circ}$ hybrids deployed previously in ANITA-I, in the trigger system, although in this paper we focus on the TUFF boards. During the ANITA-IV mission, the TUFF boards were successfully operated throughout the flight. They contributed to a factor of 2.8 higher total instrument livetime on average in ANITA-IV compared to ANITA-III due to reduction of narrow-band, anthropogenic noise before a trigger decision is made.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Performance measurement of HARPO: a Time Projection Chamber as a gamma-ray telescope and polarimeter

We analyse the performance of a gas time projection chamber (TPC) as a high-performance gamma-ray telescope and polarimeter in the e$^+$e$^-$ pair creation regime. We use data collected at a gamma-ray beam of known polarisation. The TPC provides two orthogonal projections $(x,z)$ and $(y,z)$ of the tracks induced by each conversion in the gas volume. We use a simple vertex finder in which vertices and pseudo-tracks exiting from them are identified. We study the various contributions to the single-photon angular resolution using Monte Carlo simulations and compare them with the experimental data and find that they are in excellent agreement. The distribution of the azimutal angle of pair conversions shows a bias due to the non-cylindrical-symmetric structure of the detector. This bias would average out for a long duration exposure on a space mission, but for this pencil-beam characterisation we have ensured its accurate simulation by a double systematics control scheme, data taking with the detector rotated at several angles with respect to the beam polarisation direction and systematics control with a non-polarised beam. We measure, for the first time, the polarisation asymmetry of a linearly polarised gamma-ray beam in the low energy pair creation regime. This sub-GeV energy range is critical for cosmic sources as their spectra are power laws which fall quickly as a function of increasing energy. This work could pave the way to extending polarised gamma-ray astronomy beyond the MeV energy regime.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project (TEMP). II. Refined System Parameters and Transit Timing Analysis of HAT-P-33b

We present ten $R$-band photometric observations of eight different transits of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-33b, which has been targeted by our Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project (TEMP). The data were obtained by two telescopes at the Xinglong Station of National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) from 2013 December through 2016 January, and exhibit photometric scatter of $1.6-3.0\,\rm{mmag}$. After jointly analyzing the previously published photometric data, radial-velocity (RV) measurements, and our new light curves, we revisit the system parameters and orbital ephemeris for the HAT-P-33b system. Our results are consistent with the published values except for the planet-to-star radius ratio ($R_{P}/R_{*}$), the ingress/egress duration ($τ$) and the total duration ($T_{14}$), which together indicate a slightly shallower and shorter transit shape. Our results are based on more complete light curves, whereas the previously published work had only one complete transit light curve. No significant anomalies in Transit Timing Variations (TTVs) are found, and we place upper mass limits on potential perturbers, largely supplanting the loose constraints provided by the extant RV data. The TTV limits are stronger near mean-motion resonances, especially for the low-order commensurabilities. We can exclude the existence of a perturber with mass larger than 0.6, 0.3, 0.5, 0.5, and $0.3\,{\rm M_\oplus}$ near the 1:3, 1:2, 2:3, 3:2, and 2:1 resonances, respectively.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

Novel magnesium borides and their superconductivity

With the motivation of searching for new superconductors in the Mg-B system, we performed ab initio evolutionary searches for all the stable compounds in this binary system in the pressure range of 0-200 GPa. We found previously unknown, yet thermodynamically stable, compositions MgB$_3$ and Mg$_3$B$_{10}$. Experimentally known MgB$_2$ is stable in the entire pressure range 0-200 GPa, while MgB$_7$ and MgB$_{12}$ are stable at pressures below 90 GPa and 35 GPa, respectively. We predict a reentrant behavior for MgB$_4$, which becomes unstable against decomposition into MgB$_2$ and MgB$_7$ at 4 GPa and then becomes stable above 61 GPa. We find ubiquity of phases with boron sandwich structures analogous to the AlB$_2$-type structure. However, with the exception of MgB$_2$, all other magnesium borides have low electron-phonon coupling constants $λ$ of 0.32 to 0.39 and are predicted to have T$_c$ below 3 K.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Identification of the white dwarf companion to millisecond pulsar J2317+1439

We report identification of the optical counterpart to the companion of the millisecond pulsar J2317+1439. At the timing position of the pulsar, we find an object with $g=22.96\pm0.05$, $r=22.86\pm0.04$ and $i=22.82\pm0.05$. The magnitudes and colors of the object are consistent with it being a white dwarf. By comparing with white dwarf cooling models, we estimate that it has a mass of $0.39^{+0.13}_{-0.10}$ M$_{\odot}$, an effective temperature of $8077^{+550}_{-470}$ K and a cooling age of $10.9\pm0.3$ Gyr. Combining our results with published constraints on the orbital parameters obtained through pulsar timing, we estimate the pulsar mass to be $3.4^{+1.4}_{-1.1}$ M$_{\odot}$. Although the constraint on the pulsar mass is still weak, there is a significant possibility that the pulsar could be more massive than two solar mass.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Observation of the $^1$S$_0$ to $^3$D$_1$ clock transition in $^{175}$Lu$^+$

We report the first laser spectroscopy of the $^1$S$_0$ to $^3$D$_1$ clock transition in $^{175}$Lu$^+$. Clock operation is demonstrated on three pairs of Zeeman transitions, one pair from each hyperfine manifold of the $^3$D$_1$ term. We measure the hyperfine intervals of the $^3$D$_1$ to 10 ppb uncertainty and infer the optical frequency averaged over the three hyperfine transitions to be 353.639 915 952 2 (6) THz. The lifetime of the $^3$D$_1$ state is inferred to be $174^{+23}_{-32}$ hours from the M1 coupling strength.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2016

Probing ultrafast ππ/nπ internal conversion in organic chromophores via K-edge resonant absorption

Organic chromophores with heteroatoms possess an important excited state relaxation channel from an optically allowed ππ* to a dark nπ*state. We exploit the element and site specificity of soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy to selectively follow the electronic change during the ππ*/nπ* internal conversion. As a hole forms in the n orbital during ππ*/nπ* internal conversion, the near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectrum at the heteroatom K-edge exhibits an additional resonance. We demonstrate the concept with the nucleobase thymine, a prototypical heteroatomic chromophore. With the help of time resolved NEXAFS spectroscopy at the oxygen K-edge, we unambiguously show that ππ*/nπ* internal conversion takes place within (60 \pm 30) fs. High-level coupled cluster calculations on the isolated molecules used in the experiment confirm the superb electronic structure sensitivity of this new method for excited state investigations.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2016

Engineering the structural and electronic phases of MoTe2 through W substitution

MoTe$_2$ is an exfoliable transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) which crystallizes in three symmetries, the semiconducting trigonal-prismatic $2H-$phase, the semimetallic $1T^{\prime}$ monoclinic phase, and the semimetallic orthorhombic $T_d$ structure. The $2H-$phase displays a band gap of $\sim 1$ eV making it appealing for flexible and transparent optoelectronics. The $T_d-$phase is predicted to possess unique topological properties which might lead to topologically protected non-dissipative transport channels. Recently, it was argued that it is possible to locally induce phase-transformations in TMDs, through chemical doping, local heating, or electric-field to achieve ohmic contacts or to induce useful functionalities such as electronic phase-change memory elements. The combination of semiconducting and topological elements based upon the same compound, might produce a new generation of high performance, low dissipation optoelectronic elements. Here, we show that it is possible to engineer the phases of MoTe$_2$ through W substitution by unveiling the phase-diagram of the Mo$_{1-x}$W$_x$Te$_2$ solid solution which displays a semiconducting to semimetallic transition as a function of $x$. We find that only $\sim 8$ \% of W stabilizes the $T_d-$phase at room temperature. Photoemission spectroscopy, indicates that this phase possesses a Fermi surface akin to that of WTe$_2$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Strategies for the Simulation of Sea Ice Organic Chemistry: Arctic Tests and Development

A mechanism connecting ice algal ecodynamics with the buildup of organic macromolecules in brine channels is tested offline in a reduced model of pack geochemistry. Driver physical quantities are extracted from the global sea ice dynamics code CICE, including snow height, column thickness and internal temperature. The variables are averaged at the regional scale over ten Arctic biogeographic zones and treated as input matrices at four vertical habitat levels. Nutrient-light-salt limited ice algal growth is computed along with the associated grazing plus mortality. Vertical transport is diffusive but responds to pore structure. Simulated bottom layer chlorophyll maxima are reasonable, though delayed by about a month relative to observations. This highlights major uncertainties deriving from snow thickness variability. Upper level biota are generated intermittently through flooding. Macromolecular injections are represented by the compound classes humics, proteins, polysaccharides and lipids. The fresh biopolymers behave in a successional manner and are removed by bacteria. In baseline runs, organics are introduced solely through cell disruption, and internal carbon is biased low. Continuous exudation is therefore appended, and agreement with dissolved organic or individual biopolymer measurements is achieved when strong release is coupled to light availability. Detrital carbon then reaches hundreds of micromolar, sufficient to support physical changes to the ice matrix. Through this optimized model version we address the question, are high molecular weight organics added to the brine network over and above background spillage? The mechanism is configured for ready extension to the Antarctic, so that global ice organic chemistry issues can be targeted.

q-bio.QM↗

arXiv2016

Optimization of the collimation system for CSNS/RCS with the robust conjugate direction search algorithm

The Robust Conjugate Direction Search (RCDS) method is used to optimize the collimation system for Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS) of the Chinese Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). The parameters of secondary collimators are optimized for a better performance of the collimation system. To improve the efficiency of the optimization, the Objective Ring Beam Injection and Tracking (ORBIT) parallel module combined with MATLAB parallel computing is used, which can run multiple ORBIT instances simultaneously. This study presents a way to figure out an optimal parameter combination of the secondary collimators for a machine model in preparation for CSNS/RCS commissioning.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2016

On the Propagation of a Geoeffective Coronal Mass Ejection during March 15 -- 17, 2015

The largest geomagnetic storm so far in the solar cycle 24 was produced by a fast coronal mass ejection (CME) originating on 2015 March 15. It was an initially west-oriented CME and expected to only cause a weak geomagnetic disturbance. Why did this CME finally cause such a large geomagnetic storm? We try to find some clues by investigating its propagation from the Sun to 1 AU. First, we reconstruct the CME's kinematic properties in the corona from the SOHO and SDO imaging data with the aid of the graduated cylindrical shell (GCS) model. It is suggested that the CME propagated to the west $\sim$$33^\circ$$\pm$$10^\circ$ away from the Sun-Earth line with a speed of about 817 km s$^{-1}$ before leaving the field of view of the SOHO/LASCO C3 camera. A magnetic cloud (MC) corresponding to this CME was measured in-situ by the Wind spacecraft two days later. By applying two MC reconstruction methods, we infer the configuration of the MC as well as some kinematic information, which implies that the CME possibly experienced an eastward deflection on its way to 1 AU. However, due to the lack of observations from the STEREO spacecraft, the CME's kinematic evolution in interplanetary space is not clear. In order to fill this gap, we utilize numerical MHD simulation, drag-based CME propagation model (DBM) and the model for CME deflection in interplanetary space (DIPS) to recover the propagation process, especially the trajectory, of the CME from $30 R_S$ to 1 AU. It is suggested that the trajectory of the CME was deflected toward the Earth by about $12^\circ$, consistent with the implication from the MC reconstruction at 1 AU. This eastward deflection probably contributed to the CME's unexpected geoeffectiveness by pushing the center of the initially west-oriented CME closer to the Earth.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2016

Why is a flare-rich active region CME-poor?

Solar active regions (ARs) are the major sources of two kinds of the most violent solar eruptions, namely flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The largest AR in the past 24 years, NOAA AR 12192, crossed the visible disk from 2014 October 17 to 30, unusually produced more than one hundred flares, including 32 M-class and 6 X-class ones, but only one small CME. Flares and CMEs are believed to be two phenomena in the same eruptive process. Why is such a flare-rich AR so CME-poor? We compared this AR with other four ARs; two were productive in both and two were inert. The investigation of the photospheric parameters based on the SDO/HMI vector magnetogram reveals that the flare-rich AR 12192, as the other two productive ARs, has larger magnetic flux, current and free magnetic energy than the two inert ARs, but contrast to the two productive ARs, it has no strong, concentrated current helicity along both sides of the flaring neutral line, indicating the absence of a mature magnetic structure consisting of highly sheared or twisted field lines. Furthermore, the decay index above the AR 12192 is relatively low, showing strong constraint. These results suggest that productive ARs are always large and have enough current and free energy to power flares, but whether or not a flare is accompanied by a CME is seemingly related to (1) if there is mature sheared or twisted core field serving as the seed of the CME, (2) if the constraint of the overlying arcades is weak enough.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

Coherent Coupling of WS_2 Monolayers with Metallic Photonic Nanostructures at Room Temperature

Room temperature strong coupling of WS_2 monolayer exciton transitions to metallic Fabry-Perot and plasmonic optical cavities is demonstrated. A Rabi splitting of 101 meV is observed for the Fabry-Perot cavity, more than double those reported to date in other 2D materials. The enhanced magnitude and visibility of WS_2 monolayer strong coupling is attributed to the larger absorption coefficient, the narrower linewidth of the A exciton transition, and greater spin-orbit coupling. For WS_2 coupled to plasmonic arrays, the Rabi splitting still reaches 60 meV despite the less favorable coupling conditions, and displays interesting photoluminescence features. The unambiguous signature of WS_2 monolayer strong coupling in easily fabricated metallic resonators at room temperature suggests many possibilities for combining light-matter hybridization with spin and valleytronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Measurement of 1.7 to 74 MeV polarised gamma rays with the HARPO TPC

Current γ-ray telescopes based on photon conversions to electron-positron pairs, such as Fermi, use tungsten converters. They suffer of limited angular resolution at low energies, and their sensitivity drops below 1 GeV. The low multiple scattering in a gaseous detector gives access to higher angular resolution in the MeV-GeV range, and to the linear polarisation of the photons through the azimuthal angle of the electron-positron pair. HARPO is an R&D program to characterise the operation of a TPC (Time Projection Chamber) as a high angular-resolution and sensitivity telescope and polarimeter for γ rays from cosmic sources. It represents a first step towards a future space instrument. A 30 cm cubic TPC demonstrator was built, and filled with 2 bar argon-based gas. It was put in a polarised γ-ray beam at the NewSUBARU accelerator in Japan in November 2014. Data were taken at different photon energies from 1.7 MeV to 74 MeV, and with different polarisation configurations. The electronics setup is described, with an emphasis on the trigger system. The event reconstruction algorithm is quickly described, and preliminary measurements of the polarisation of 11 MeVphotons are shown.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Spin density matrix elements in exclusive $ω$ electroproduction on $^1$H and $^2$H targets at 27.5 GeV beam energy

Exclusive electroproduction of $ω$ mesons on unpolarized hydrogen and deuterium targets is studied in the kinematic region of Q$^2$>1.0 GeV$^2$, 3.0 GeV < W < 6.3 GeV, and -t'< 0.2 GeV$^2$. Results on the angular distribution of the $ω$ meson, including its decay products, are presented. The data were accumulated with the HERMES forward spectrometer during the 1996-2007 running period using the 27.6 GeV longitudinally polarized electron or positron beam of HERA. The determination of the virtual-photon longitudinal-to-transverse cross-section ratio reveals that a considerable part of the cross section arises from transversely polarized photons. Spin density matrix elements are presented in projections of Q$^2$ or -t'. Violation of s-channel helicity conservation is observed for some of these elements. A sizable contribution from unnatural-parity-exchange amplitudes is found and the phase shift between those amplitudes that describe transverse $ω$ production by longitudinal and transverse virtual photons, $γ^{*}_{L} \to ω_{T}$ and $γ^{*}_{T} \to ω_{T}$, is determined for the first time. A hierarchy of helicity amplitudes is established, which mainly means that the unnatural-parity-exchange amplitude describing the $γ^*_T \to ω_T$ transition dominates over the two natural-parity-exchange amplitudes describing the $γ^*_L \to ω_L$ and $γ^*_T \to ω_T$ transitions, with the latter two being of similar magnitude. Good agreement is found between the HERMES proton data and results of a pQCD-inspired phenomenological model that includes pion-pole contributions, which are of unnatural parity.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2015

Transverse-target-spin asymmetry in exclusive $ω$-meson electroproduction

Hard exclusive electroproduction of $ω$ mesons is studied with the HERMES spectrometer at the DESY laboratory by scattering 27.6 GeV positron and electron beams off a transversely polarized hydrogen target. The amplitudes of five azimuthal modulations of the single-spin asymmetry of the cross section with respect to the transverse proton polarization are measured. They are determined in the entire kinematic region as well as for two bins in photon virtuality and momentum transfer to the nucleon. Also, a separation of asymmetry amplitudes into longitudinal and transverse components is done. These results are compared to a phenomenological model that includes the pion pole contribution. Within this model, the data favor a positive $πω$ transition form factor.

hep-ex↗