arXiv subjects

Siming Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Siming Liu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

$γ$-Cygni supernova remnant in $γ$-rays: signatures of trapped and escaped Cosmic Rays

We reanalyze 15 years of data recorded by the Fermi Large Area Telescope in a region around supernova remnant (SNR) $γ$-Cygni from 100 MeV to 1 TeV, and find that the spectra of two extended sources associated with the southeast radio SNR arc and the TeV VERITAS source can be described well by single power-laws with photon indices of $2.149\pm0.005$ and $2.01\pm0.06$, respectively. Combining with high resolution observations of surrounding gas, we model the emission in the hadronic scenario, where the $γ$-ray emission could be interpreted as escaped cosmic ray (CR) illuminating a nearby Molecular Cloud (MC) plus an ongoing shock-cloud interaction component. In this scenario, the difference between the two GeV spectral indices is due to the different ratios of MC mass between the escaped component and the trapped component in the two regions. We further analyze, in a potential pulsar halo region, the relationship between energy density $\varepsilon_{\rm{e}}$, spin-down power $\dot{E}$, and the $γ$-ray luminosity $L_γ$ of PSR J2021+4026. Our results indicate that the existence of a pulsar halo is unlikely. On the other hand, considering the uncertainty on the SNR distance, the derived energy density $\varepsilon_{\rm{e}}$ might be overestimated, thus the scenario of a SNR and a pulsar halo overlapping in the direction of the line of sight (LOS) cannot be ruled out.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Convection Anisotropies of Cosmic Rays in Highly Magnetized Plasma

Recently, Zhang & Liu (2024) proposed a turbulent convection model for multiscale anisotropies of cosmic rays (CRs), with an assumption of isotropic diffusion such that the anisotropies are statistically isotropic. However, this assumption may be unrealistic for TeV CRs, whose observations have revealed the significance of the local interstellar background magnetic field. To meet the difficulty, the turbulent convection scenario needs to be extended to cover anisotropic diffusion. In this paper, we focus on the parallel diffusion with isotropic pitch-angle scattering, which may be an approximation to the transport process driven by weak hydromagnetic waves in a magnetic flux tube, where fluctuations of the wave velocities lead to the turbulent convection. The consequence is the breaking of the statistical isotropy, while the overall shape of the angular power spectrum, $ \overline{C_\ell}\propto\ell ^{-γ-1} $ ($ \ell\gg 1 $), remains similar to that in the isotropic diffusion model, where $ \ell $ are degrees of spherical harmonics, and $ γ$ is the turbulence spectral index of the convection field. It is then expected that the power-law index of the TeV CR small-scale angular power spectrum can be explained with the Kolmogorov law $ γ=5/3 $, irrespective of the background magnetic field to some extent.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Discrete treatment of inverse Compton scattering: implications on parameter estimation in gamma-ray astronomy

In gamma-ray astronomy and cosmic-ray physics, the continuous approximation of inverse Compton scattering (ICS) is widely adopted to model the evolution of electron energy. However, when the initial electron energy approaches $\sim100$ TeV, the discrete nature of ICS becomes prominent, and the energy of evolved electrons should be considered as a broad distribution rather than a deterministic value. By simulating the evolution paths of individual electrons under ICS, we capture this discrete nature and demonstrate that when the electron injection spectrum exhibits a high-energy cutoff, the correct discrete treatment yields a higher cutoff energy in the evolved spectrum compared to the continuous approximation. Applying the discrete ICS treatment to interpret the gamma-ray spectrum of the Geminga pulsar halo measured by HAWC, we find that the inferred cutoff energy of the injection spectrum is correspondingly lower than that derived using the continuous approximation at a $95\%$ confidence level. This suggests that the systematic bias introduced by the approximation has exceeded the measurement precision. We also expect the application of the discrete ICS correction in the PeV regime using the ultra-high-energy gamma-ray source 1LHAASO J1954+2836u as a case study, pointing out that adopting the continuous approximation may considerably overestimate the electron acceleration capability of the source.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Comprehensive Analog Signal Processing Platform Enabled with Acoustic Charge Transport in Two-dimensional Materials

Two-dimensional Acoustic Charge Transport (2D-ACT) devices, which integrate two dimensional semiconductor field-effect transistor (FET) with high-frequency surface acoustic wave (SAW) device provide a potential compact platform for the processing of analog signals in a wireless, non-contact, low-loss and real-time way. It is expected to be used in long-distance space communication and sensing. However, current investigations into 2D-ACT devices are still limited to the observation of DC acoustoelectric currents, and have yet to achieve real-time electronic signal processing capabilities. In this paper, we have designed a hybrid acoustoelectric platform composed of two-dimensional semiconductor FET and SAW device. The platform is capable of processing DC signals, exhibiting ambipolar transport behavior. The sub-wavelength channel length of the FET within the platform allows for the real-time observation of carrier distribution at a microscopic scale in conjunction with the SAW potential, and facilitating the reproduction and intensity regulation of AC signals. By adjusting the relative phase and intensity ratio of two counter-propagating SAWs, the platform also enables the addition and subtraction of AC signals.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Constraining anisotropic diffusion between Geminga and Earth with the cosmic-ray electron and positron spectrum

The gamma-ray halo surrounding Geminga suggests a notable reduction in cosmic-ray diffusion. One potential explanation for this phenomenon is the projection effect of slow diffusion perpendicular to the average magnetic field (represented by the diffusion coefficient $D_\perp$) within an anisotropic diffusion framework. In this context, the diffusion coefficient parallel to the mean field ($D_\parallel$) may remain substantial, allowing electrons and positrons ($e^\pm$) generated by Geminga to effectively propagate towards Earth along magnetic field lines, potentially leading to an observable $e^\pm$ flux. This study initially establishes the fundamental parameters of the anisotropic model based on the morphology and spectral observations of the Geminga halo, and subsequently forecasts the $e^\pm$ flux generated by Geminga at Earth's location. Our findings indicate that the $e^-+e^+$ spectrum obtained by DAMPE can provide critical constraints on the anisotropic diffusion model: to ensure that the projected spectrum does not surpass the observational data, the Alfvén Mach number of the turbulent magnetic field ($M_A$) should not fall below 0.75, corresponding to $D_\parallel/D_\perp\lesssim3$ given $D_\perp=D_\parallel M_A^4$. This suggests that a substantial reduction in $D_\parallel$ relative to the Galactic average may still be necessary. Additionally, our analysis reveals that within the anisotropic diffusion framework, Geminga could generate a distinct peak around 1 TeV in the $e^-+e^+$ spectrum, potentially accounting for the anomalous 1.4 TeV excess tentatively detected by DAMPE.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Evidence for hybrid gamma-ray emission from the supernova remnant G150.3+4.5

The supernova remnant (SNR) G150.3+4.5 was first identified in radio, exhibiting a hard GeV spectrum and a $\sim 1.5^\circ$ radius. Radio observations revealed a bright arc with an index of $\sim -0.40$, which stands in contrast to the index of $\sim -0.69$ for the rest. This arc is coincident with the point-like \emph{Fermi} source 4FGL J0426.5+5434 and KM2A source 1LHAASO J0428+5531. The rest of the SNR has a hard GeV spectrum and a soft TeV spectrum, implying a spectral cut-off or break near 1 TeV. Since there is no X-ray counterpart and no pulse signal detected, the gamma-ray $(γ$-ray) emission mechanism from the SNR and the point-like source appear puzzling. In this work, we reanalyse the $γ$-ray emission using 14 yr data recorded by \emph{Fermi} Large Area Telescope and find that the spectrum of the northern half-sphere is compatible with a broken power law with a break at 146 $\pm$ 11 GeV and photon indices of $Γ_{\rm{Northlobe}}$ =$1.54\pm0.04_{\rm{stat}}\pm0.07_{\rm{syst}}$ ($2.28\pm0.08_{\rm{stat}}\pm0.12_{\rm{syst}}$) below (above) the break. In addition, the southern half-sphere can be described well with a single power law with $Γ_{\rm{Southlobe}}$ =$1.95\pm0.07_{\rm{stat}}\pm0.09_{\rm{syst}}$. Since the southern half-sphere is well correlated with CO emission, we propose that the $γ$-ray emission of the northern half-sphere could be dominated by relativistic electrons via inverse-Compton processes, while the southern half-sphere is dominated by cosmic rays via hadronic processes. 4FGL J0426.5+5434 may result from the illumination of a cloud by escaping cosmic rays or recent shock-cloud interaction. Observations from LHAASO-KM2A thus favour the possibility of a cosmic-ray PeVatron candidate, however, leptonic scenarios cannot be ruled out. Further multi-wavelength observations are warranted to confirm the hadronic nature of 1LHAASO J4028+5531.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Small-Scale Anisotropies of Cosmic Rays from Turbulent Flow

Within the classical convection--diffusion approximation, we show that the angular distribution of cosmic rays (CRs) in a highly turbulent flow may exhibit significant small-scale anisotropies. The CR intensity angular power spectrum $ C_\ell $ is then a direct reflection of interstellar turbulence, from which one expects $ C_\ell\propto\ell^{-γ-1} $ for $ \ell\gg 1 $, where $ γ$ is the power-law turbulence spectral index. Observations by IceCube and HAWC at TeV energies can be explained approximately with the Kolmogorov law $ γ=5/3 $ with a convection velocity dispersion of 20 km/s on the scale of 10 pc.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Enabling Multi-Agent Transfer Reinforcement Learning via Scenario Independent Representation

Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) algorithms are widely adopted in tackling complex tasks that require collaboration and competition among agents in dynamic Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). However, learning such tasks from scratch is arduous and may not always be feasible, particularly for MASs with a large number of interactive agents due to the extensive sample complexity. Therefore, reusing knowledge gained from past experiences or other agents could efficiently accelerate the learning process and upscale MARL algorithms. In this study, we introduce a novel framework that enables transfer learning for MARL through unifying various state spaces into fixed-size inputs that allow one unified deep-learning policy viable in different scenarios within a MAS. We evaluated our approach in a range of scenarios within the StarCraft Multi-Agent Challenge (SMAC) environment, and the findings show significant enhancements in multi-agent learning performance using maneuvering skills learned from other scenarios compared to agents learning from scratch. Furthermore, we adopted Curriculum Transfer Learning (CTL), enabling our deep learning policy to progressively acquire knowledge and skills across pre-designed homogeneous learning scenarios organized by difficulty levels. This process promotes inter- and intra-agent knowledge transfer, leading to high multi-agent learning performance in more complicated heterogeneous scenarios.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2024

MAIDCRL: Semi-centralized Multi-Agent Influence Dense-CNN Reinforcement Learning

Distributed decision-making in multi-agent systems presents difficult challenges for interactive behavior learning in both cooperative and competitive systems. To mitigate this complexity, MAIDRL presents a semi-centralized Dense Reinforcement Learning algorithm enhanced by agent influence maps (AIMs), for learning effective multi-agent control on StarCraft Multi-Agent Challenge (SMAC) scenarios. In this paper, we extend the DenseNet in MAIDRL and introduce semi-centralized Multi-Agent Dense-CNN Reinforcement Learning, MAIDCRL, by incorporating convolutional layers into the deep model architecture, and evaluate the performance on both homogeneous and heterogeneous scenarios. The results show that the CNN-enabled MAIDCRL significantly improved the learning performance and achieved a faster learning rate compared to the existing MAIDRL, especially on more complicated heterogeneous SMAC scenarios. We further investigate the stability and robustness of our model. The statistics reflect that our model not only achieves higher winning rate in all the given scenarios but also boosts the agent's learning process in fine-grained decision-making.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2024

Gravitational losses for the binary systems induced by the next-to-leading spin-orbit coupling effects

The orbital energy and momentum of the compact binary systems will loss due to gravitational radiation. Based on the mass and mass-current multipole moments of the binary system with the spin vector defined by Bohé et al. [Class. Quantum Grav. 30, 075017 (2013)], we calculate the loss rates of energy, angular and linear momentum induced by the next-to-leading spin-orbit effects. For the case of circular orbit, the formulations for these losses are given in terms of the orbital frequency.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Orbits of charged particles with an azimuthal initial velocity in a dipole magnetic field

Nonintegrable dynamical systems have complex structures in their phase space. Motion of a test charged particle in a dipole magnetic field can be reduced to a 2 degree-of-freedom (2 d.o.f.) nonintegrable Hamiltonian system. We carried out a systematic study of orbits of charged particles with an azimuthal initial velocity in a dipole field via calculation of their Lyapunov characteristic exponents (LCEs) and escape times for a dimensionless energy less and greater than 1/32, respectively. Meridian plane periodic orbits symmetric with respect to the equatorial plane are then identified. We found that 1) symmetric periodic orbits can be classified into several classes based on their number of crossing points on the equatorial plane; 2) the initial conditions of these classes locate on closed loops or closed curves going through the origin; 3) most isolated regions of stable quasi-periodic orbits are associated asymmetric stable periodic orbits; 4) classes of asymmetric periodic orbits either go through the origin or terminate at flat equatorial plane orbits with the other end approaching centers of spiral structures; 5) there are apparent self-similarities in the above features with the decrease of energy.

math.DS↗

arXiv2022

GeV gamma-ray emission from pulsar wind nebula HESS J1356-645 with Fermi-LAT

HESS J1356-645 is considered to be a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) associated with the pulsar PSR J1357-6429. We reanalyze the GeV gamma-ray emission in the direction of HESS J1356-645 with more than 13 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data. The extended gamma-ray emission above 5 GeV is found to be spatially coincident with HESS J1356-645. The spectrum in the energy range of 1 GeV-1 TeV can be described by a power law with an index of $Γ=1.51\pm0.10$. The broadband spectrum of HESS J1356-645 can be reproduced by a leptonic model with a broken power-law electronic spectrum. In addition, we found evidence that the morphology of the GeV emission from HESS J1356-645 varies with energy, a behavior which is similar to that of the PWN Vela-X. More broadband observations will be helpful to study the energy-dependent characteristics of HESS J1356-645.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Proton and Helium Heating by Cascading Turbulence in a Low-beta Plasma

How ions are energized and heated is a fundamental problem in the study of energy dissipation in magnetized plasmas. In particular, the heating of heavy ions (including ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}^{2+}$, ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}^{2+}$ and others) has been a constant concern for understanding the microphysics of impulsive solar flares. In this article, via two-dimensional hybrid-kinetic Particle-in-Cell simulations, we study the heating of Helium ions (${}^{4}\mathrm{He}^{2+}$) by turbulence driven by cascading waves launched at large scales from the left-handed polarized Helium ion cyclotron wave branch of a multi-ion plasma composed of electrons, protons, and Helium ions. We find significant parallel (to the background magnetic field) heating for both Helium ions and protons due to the formation of beams and plateaus in their velocity distribution functions along the background magnetic field. The heating of Helium ions in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field starts with a lower rate than that in the parallel direction, but overtakes the parallel heating after a few hundreds of the proton gyro-periods due to cyclotron resonances with mainly obliquely propagating waves induced by the cascade of injected Helium ion cyclotron waves at large scales. There is however little evidence for proton heating in the perpendicular direction due to the absence of left-handed polarized cyclotron waves near the proton cyclotron frequency. Our results are useful for understanding the preferential heating of ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and other heavy ions in the ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$-rich solar energetic particle events, in which Helium ions play a crucial role as a species of background ions regulating the kinetic plasma behavior.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Cosmic-Ray Convection-Diffusion Anisotropy

Under nonuniform convection, the distribution of diffusive particles can exhibit dipole and quadrupole anisotropy induced by the fluid inertial and shear force, respectively. These convection-related anisotropies, unlike the Compton-Getting effect, typically increase with the cosmic-ray (CR) energy, and are thus candidate contributors for the CR anisotropy. In consideration of the inertial effect, CR observational data can be used to set an upper limit on the average acceleration of the local interstellar medium in the equatorial plane to be on the order of 100 $ μ\text{m}/\text{s}^2 $. Using Oort constants, the quadrupole anisotropy above 200 TeV may be modeled with the shear effect arising from the Galactic differential rotation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Wave emission of non-thermal electron beams generated by magnetic reconnection

Magnetic reconnection in solar flares can efficiently generate non-thermal electron beams. The energetic electrons can, in turn, cause radio waves through microscopic plasma instabilities as they propagate through the ambient plasma along the magnetic field lines. We aim at investigating the wave emission caused by fast moving electron beams (FEBs) with characteristic non-thermal electron velocity distribution functions (EVDFs) generated by kinetic magnetic reconnection: two-streaming EVDFs along the separatrices and in the diffusion region, and perpendicular crescent-shaped EVDFs closer to the diffusion region. For this purpose, we utilized 2.5D fully kinetic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) code simulations in this study. We found that:(1) the two-streaming EVDFs plus the background ions are unstable to electron/ion (streaming) instabilities which cause ion acoustic waves and Langmuir waves due to the net current. This can lead to multiple harmonic plasma emission in the diffusion region and the separatrices of reconnection. (2) The perpendicular crescent-shaped EVDFs can cause multiple harmonic electromagnetic electron cyclotron waves through the electron cyclotron maser instabilities in the diffusion region of reconnection. Our results are applicable to diagnose the plasma parameters which control magnetic reconnection in solar flares by means of radio waves observations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) Science Book (2021 Edition)

Since the science white paper of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) published on arXiv in 2019 [e-Print: 1905.02773 (astro-ph.HE)], LHAASO has completed the transition from a project to an operational gamma-ray astronomical observatory LHAASO is a new generation multi-component facility located in Daocheng, Sichuan province of China, at an altitude of 4410 meters. It aims at measuring with unprecedented sensitivity the spectrum, composition, and anisotropy of cosmic rays in the energy range between 10$^{12}$ and 10$^{18}$~eV, and acting simultaneously as a wide aperture (one stereoradiant) continuously operating gamma-ray telescope in the energy range between 10$^{11}$ and $10^{15}$~eV with the designed sensitivity of 1.3\% of the Crab Unit (CU) above 100 TeV. LHAASO's capability of measuring simultaneously different shower components (electrons, muons, and Cherenkov/fluorescence light), will allow it to investigate the origin, acceleration, and propagation of CR through measurement of the energy spectrum, elemental composition, and anisotropy with unprecedented resolution. The remarkable sensitivity of LHAASO will play a key role in CR physics and gamma-ray astronomy for a general and comprehensive exploration of the high energy universe and will allow important studies of fundamental physics (such as indirect dark matter search, Lorentz invariance violation, quantum gravity) and solar and heliospheric physics. The LHAASO Collaboration organized an editorial working group and finished all editorial work of this science book, to summarize the instrumental features and outline the prospects of scientific researches with the LHAASO experiment.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

A Three-component Model for Cosmic-ray Spectrum and Dipole Anisotropy

Using a three-component, multi-scale diffusion model, we show that the cosmic-ray (CR) proton and helium spectra and the dipole anisotropy can be explained with reasonable parameters. The model includes a nearby source associated with the supernova remnant (SNR) that gave rise to the Geminga pulsar, a source at the Galactic center, and a component associated with the Galactic disk. The CR flux below TeV is dominated by the disk component. The center source with a continuous injection of CRs starting about 18 Myr ago is needed to explain the anisotropy above 100 TeV. With the assumption of universal CR spectra injected by all SNRs, the nearby source can produce a TeV spectral bump observed at Earth via slow diffusion across the interstellar magnetic field, which needs to have an angle $ θ\approx 5^{\circ} $ between the field line and the line of sight toward the source, and have weak magnetic turbulence with the Alfvén Mach number $ M_{\text{A}}\approx 0.1 $. Considering the modulation of the Galactic-scale anisotropy by this magnetic field, in a quasi-local approach the field may be directed at a right ascension about $ -90^{\circ} $ and a declination about $ -7.4^{\circ} $ in the equatorial coordinate system.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Observational Signatures of Tearing Instability in the Current Sheet of a Solar Flare

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process converting magnetic energy into not only plasma energy but also particle energy in various astrophysical phenomena. In this letter, we show a unique dataset of a solar flare where various plasmoids were formed by a continually stretched current sheet. EUV images captured reconnection inflows, outflows, and particularly the recurring plasma blobs (plasmoids). X-ray images reveal nonthermal emission sources at the lower end of the current sheet, presumably as large plasmoids with a sufficiently amount of energetic electrons trapped in. In the radio domain, an upward slowly drifting pulsation structure, followed by a rare pair of oppositely drifting structures, was observed. These structures are supposed to map the evolution of the primary and the secondary plasmoids formed in the current sheet. Our results on plasmoids at different locations and scales shed important light on the dynamics, plasma heating, particle acceleration, and transport processes in the turbulent current sheet and provide observational evidence for the cascading magnetic reconnection process.

astro-ph.SR↗