arXiv subjects

Tao An

Publications and source records attributed to Tao An.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

VLBI observations of a flared optical quasar CGRaBS J0809+5341

A bright optical flare was detected in the high-redshift ($z=2.133$) quasar CGRaBS J0809+5341 on 2014 April 13. The absolute magnitude of the object reached $-30.0$ during the flare, making it the brightest one (in flaring stage) among all known quasars so far. The 15 GHz flux density of CGRaBS J0809+5341 monitored in the period from 2008 to 2016 also reached its peak at the same time. To reveal any structural change possibly associated with the flare in the innermost radio structure of the quasar, we conducted a pilot very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observation of CGRaBS J0809+5341 using the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 5 GHz on 2014 November 18, about seven months after the prominent optical flare. Three epochs of follow-up KaVA (Korean VLBI Network and VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry Array) observations were carried out at 22 and 43 GHz frequencies from 2015 February 25 to June 4, with the intention of exploring a possibly emerging new radio jet component associated with the optical flare. However, these high-resolution VLBI observations revealed only the milliarcsecond-scale compact "core" that was known in the quasar from earlier VLBI images, and showed no sign of any extended jet structure. Neither the size, nor the flux density of the "core" changed considerably after the flare according to our VLBI monitoring. The results suggest that any putative radio ejecta associated with the major optical and radio flare could not yet be separated from the "core" component, or the newly-born jet was short-lived.

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arXiv2015

The East-Asian VLBI Network

The East-Asian VLBI Network (EAVN) is the international VLBI facility in East Asia and is conducted in collaboration with China, Japan, and Korea. The EAVN consists of VLBI arrays operated in each East Asian country, containing 21 radio telescopes and three correlators. The EAVN will be mainly operated at 6.7 (C-band), 8 (X-band), 22 (K-band), and 43 GHz (Q-band), although the EAVN has an ability to conduct observations at 1.6 - 129 GHz. We have conducted fringe test observations eight times to date at 8 and 22 GHz and fringes have been successfully detected at both frequencies. We have also conducted science commissioning observations of 6.7 GHz methanol masers in massive star-forming regions. The EAVN will be operational from the second half of 2017, providing complementary results with the FAST on AGNs, massive star-forming regions, and evolved stars with high angular resolution at cm- to mm-wavelengths.

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arXiv2015

Temporal evolution of long-timescale periodicities in ULX NGC 5408 X-1

Context. NGC 5408 X-1 is one of the few ultraluminous X-ray sources with an extensive monitoring program in X-rays (a temporal baseline of 4.2 yr), making it one of the most suitable candidates to study the long-timescale quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). Aims. Previous timing analysis of the Swift data of NGC 5408 X-1 led to detection of multiple periodicities ranging from 2.6 d to 230 d. In this paper, we focus on the statistical significance and the temporal evolution of these periodicities. Methods. A time-series analysis technique in the time-frequency domain, the weighted wavelet Z-transform (WWZ), was employed to identify the periodicities and trace their variations with time. Results. Three periodic components were detected from the WWZ periodogram, corresponding to periods of 2.65$\pm$0.01 d, 115.4$\pm$14.4 d and 189.1$\pm$15.2 d. All three have statistical significance higher than 99.74%. The 2.65-d periodicity is quite stable in the majority of the light curve. The 115-d periodicity is the most prominent but appears variable. The 189-d periodicity is persistent across the whole time coverage. It shows a steadily decreasing trend from the beginning (193 d period) to the end (181 d period). Conclusions. The long-timescale periodicities in NGC 5408 X-1 are most likely of super-orbital origin, and are probably associated with the precession of a warped accretion disc. The disc may have been broken into two distinct planes with different precessing periods, i.e. the 189-d and 115-d periodicities corresponding to the outer and inner disc, respectively.

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arXiv2015

A Chandra Study of Radial Temperature Profiles of the Intra-Cluster Medium in 50 Galaxy Clusters

In order to investigate the spatial distribution of the ICM temperature in galaxy clusters in a quantitative way and probe the physics behind, we analyze the X-ray spectra of a sample of 50 galaxy clusters, which were observed with the Chandra ACIS instrument in the past 15 years, and measure the radial temperature profiles out to $0.45r_{500}$. We construct a physical model that takes into account the effects of gravitational heating, thermal history (such as radiative cooling, AGN feedback, and thermal conduction) and work done via gas compression, and use it to fit the observed temperature profiles by running Bayesian regressions. The results show that in all cases our model provides an acceptable fit at the 68% confidence level. To further validate this model we select nine clusters that have been observed with both Chandra (out to $\gtrsim 0.3r_{500}$) and Suzaku (out to $\gtrsim 1.5r_{500}$), fit their Chandra spectra with our model, and compare the extrapolation of the best-fits with the Suzaku measurements. We find that the model profiles agree with the Suzaku results very well in seven clusters. In the rest two clusters the difference between the model and observation is possibly caused by local thermal substructures. Our study also implies that for most of the clusters the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium is safe out to at least $0.5r_{500}$, and the non-gravitational interactions between dark matter and its luminous counterpart is consistent with zero.

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arXiv2015

Detection of a methanol megamaser in a major-merger galaxy

We have detected emission from both the 4_{-1}-3_{0} E (36.2~GHz) class I and 7_{-2}-8_{-1} E (37.7~GHz) class II methanol transitions towards the centre of the closest ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220. The emission in both the methanol transitions show narrow spectral features and have luminosities approximately 8 orders of magnitude stronger than that observed from typical class I methanol masers observed in Galactic star formation regions. The emission is also orders of magnitude stronger than the expected intensity of thermal emission from these transitions and based on these findings we suggest that the emission from the two transitions are masers. These observations provides the first detection of a methanol megamaser in the 36.2 and 37.7 GHz transitions and represents only the second detection of a methanol megamaser, following the recent report of an 84 GHz methanol megamaser in NGC1068. We find the methanol megamasers are significantly offset from the nuclear region and arise towards regions where there is Ha emission, suggesting that it is associated with starburst activity. The high degree of correlation between the spatial distribution of the 36.2 GHz methanol and X-ray plume emission suggests that the production of strong extragalactic class I methanol masers is related to galactic outflow driven shocks and perhaps cosmic rays. In contrast to OH and H2O megamasers which originate close to the nucleus, methanol megamasers provide a new probe of feedback (e.g. outflows) processes on larger-scales and of star formation beyond the circumnuclear starburst regions of active galaxies.

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arXiv2014

Unravelling lifecycles & physics of radio-loud AGN in the SKA era

Radio-loud AGN (>10^{22} W/Hz at 1.4 GHz) will be the dominant bright source population detected with the SKA. The high resolution that the SKA will provide even in wide-area surveys will mean that, for the first time sensitive, multi-frequency total intensity and polarisation imaging of large samples of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) will become available. The unprecedented sensitivity of the SKA coupled with its wide field of view capabilities will allow identification of objects of the same morphological type (i.e. the entire FR I, low- and high-luminosity FR II, disturbed morphology as well as weak radio-emitting AGN populations) up to high redshifts (z~4 and beyond), and at the same stage of their lives, from the youngest CSS/GPS sources to giant and fading (dying) sources, through to those with restarted activity radio galaxies and quasars. Critically, the wide frequency coverage of the SKA will permit analysis of same-epoch rest-frame radio properties, and the sensitivity and resolution will allow full cross-identification with multi-waveband data, further revealing insights into the physical processes driving the evolution of these radio sources. In this chapter of the SKA Science Book we give a summary of the main science drivers in the studies of lifecycles and detailed physics of radio-loud AGN, which include radio and kinetic luminosity functions, AGN feedback, radio-AGN triggering, radio-loud AGN unification and cosmological studies. We discuss the best parameters for the proposed SKA continuum surveys, both all-sky and deep field, in the light of these studies.

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arXiv2014

Very Long Baseline Interferometry with the SKA

Adding VLBI capability to the SKA arrays will greatly broaden the science of the SKA, and is feasible within the current specifications. SKA-VLBI can be initially implemented by providing phased-array outputs for SKA1-MID and SKA1-SUR and using these extremely sensitive stations with other radio telescopes, and in SKA2 by realising a distributed configuration providing baselines up to thousands of km, merging it with existing VLBI networks. The motivation for and the possible realization of SKA-VLBI is described in this paper.

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arXiv2014

Detection of 36 GHz class I methanol maser emission towards NGCS253

We have used the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to search for emission from the $4_{-1} \rightarrow 3_{0}E$ transition of methanol (36.2 GHz) towards the center of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC253. Two regions of emission were detected, offset from the nucleus along the same position angle as the inner spiral arms. The emission is largely unresolved on a scale of 5 arcsec, has a full-width half maximum (FWHM) line width of < 30 km s$^{-1}$, and an isotropic luminosity orders of magnitude larger than that observed in any Galactic star formation regions. These characteristics suggest that the 36.2 GHz methanol emission is most likely a maser, although observations with higher angular and spectral resolution are required to confirm this. If it is a maser this represents the first detection of a class I methanol maser outside the Milky Way. The 36.2 GHz methanol emission in NGC253 has more than an order of magnitude higher isotropic luminosity than the widespread emission recently detected towards the center of the Milky Way. If emission from this transition scales with nuclear star formation rate then it may be detectable in the central regions of many starburst galaxies. Detection of methanol emission in ultra-luminous infra-red galaxies (ULIRGs) would open up a new tool for testing for variations in fundamental constants (in particular the proton-to-electron mass ratio) on cosmological scales.

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arXiv2014

The most compact bright radio-loud AGN -- I. A new target sample selected for the space VLBI

We investigated the archival ground-based VLBI images of the extragalactic radio sources included in both the {\it Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)} and the {\it Planck} catalogues, and selected 49 bright and compact sources as potential targets for space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations at mm wavelengths. These sources have a flat radio continuum spectrum between 33 and 94~GHz. They are identified as core-dominated active galactic nuclei (AGN), located at declinations above $-40\degr$, and have never been observed with ground-based VLBI at 86~GHz. The radio properties of the 49 new sources are presented. We compare this new sample with similar samples of compact AGN available from earlier studies. The new candidates, together with the existing bright compact AGN sample identified from 86-GHz ground-based VLBI imaging surveys, form a catalogue of more than 160 AGN. These could be primary targets for mm-VLBI observations on the ground, as well as for future mm-wavelength space VLBI missions such as the project with two satellites currently under study in China.

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arXiv2014

The Chinese space millimeter-wavelength VLBI array - a step toward imaging the most compact astronomical objects

The Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is studying a space VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometer) program. The ultimate objective of the program is to image the immediate vicinity of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the hearts of galaxies with a space-based VLBI array working at sub-millimeter wavelengths and to gain ultrahigh angular resolution. To achieve this ambitious goal, the mission plan is divided into three stages. The first phase of the program is called Space Millimeter-wavelength VLBI Array (SMVA) consisting of two satellites, each carrying a 10-m diameter radio telescope into elliptical orbits with an apogee height of 60000 km and a perigee height of 1200 km. The VLBI telescopes in space will work at three frequency bands, 43, 22 and 8 GHz. The 43- and 22-GHz bands will be equipped with cryogenic receivers. The space telescopes, observing together with ground-based radio telescopes, enable the highest angular resolution of 20 micro-arcsecond ($μ$as) at 43 GHz. The SMVA is expected to conduct a broad range of high-resolution observational research, e.g. imaging the shadow (dark region) of the supermassive black hole in the heart of the galaxy M87 for the first time, studying the kinematics of water megamasers surrounding the SMBHs, and exploring the power source of active galactic nuclei. Pre-research funding has been granted by the CAS in October 2012, to support scientific and technical feasibility studies. These studies also include the manufacturing of a prototype of the deployable 10-m space-based telescope and a 22-GHz receiver. Here we report on the latest progress of the SMVA project.

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arXiv2013

The Application of Continuous Wavelet Transform Based Foreground Subtraction Method in 21 cm Sky Surveys

We propose a continuous wavelet transform based non-parametric foreground subtraction method for the detection of redshifted 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization. This method works based on the assumption that the foreground spectra are smooth in frequency domain, while the 21 cm signal spectrum is full of saw-tooth-like structures, thus their characteristic scales are significantly different. We can distinguish them in the wavelet coefficient space easily and perform the foreground subtraction. Compared with the traditional spectral fitting based method, our method is more tolerant to complex foregrounds. Furthermore, we also find that when the instrument has uncorrected response error, our method can also work significantly better than the spectral fitting based method. Our method can obtain similar results with the Wp smoothing method, which is also a non-parametric method, but our method consumes much less computing time.

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arXiv2012

Exploring the Cosmic Reionization Epoch in Frequency Space: An Improved Approach to Remove the Foreground in 21 cm Tomography

Aiming to correctly restore the redshifted 21 cm signals emitted by the neutral hydrogen during the cosmic reionization processes, we re-examine the separation approaches based on the quadratic polynomial fitting technique in frequency space to investigate whether they works satisfactorily with complex foreground, by quantitatively evaluate the quality of restored 21 cm signals in terms of sample statistics. We construct the foreground model to characterize both spatial and spectral substructures of the real sky, and use it to simulate the observed radio spectra. By comparing between different separation approaches through statistical analysis of restored 21 cm spectra and corresponding power spectra, as well as their constraints on the mean halo bias $b$ and average ionization fraction $x_e$ of the reionization processes, at $z=8$ and the noise level of 60 mK we find that, although the complex foreground can be well approximated with quadratic polynomial expansion, a significant part of Mpc-scale components of the 21 cm signals (75% for $\gtrsim 6h^{-1}$ Mpc scales and 34% for $\gtrsim 1h^{-1}$ Mpc scales) is lost because it tends to be mis-identified as part of the foreground when single-narrow-segment separation approach is applied. The best restoration of the 21 cm signals and the tightest determination of $b$ and $x_e$ can be obtained with the three-narrow-segment fitting technique as proposed in this paper. Similar results can be obtained at other redshifts.

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arXiv2012

Kinematics of the Compact Symmetric Object OQ 208 revisited

Aims. A long timeline kinematic study of the archetypal CSO OQ 208 sheds light on the physical properties of the most compact radio sources. Methods. Archival data from the VLBA at 15 GHz over a time span of 13.6 yr are used to investigate the kinematics of the radio source. The flux density monitoring data obtained at the Michigan 26-meter radio telescope are also used as supplementary information. Results. At 8.4 and 15 GHz, the two lobes are resolved into two sub-components, identified as hotspots. A knotty jet is linked with the NE hotspot and traces back toward the geometric center. The core is too weak to be detected. Significant flux density variation is found in the primary hotspots with the maximum level of 62% (NE1) and 19% (SW1). The peak in the flux density of NE1 leads that of SW1 by approximately 5.00 yr, suggesting that the northeast lobe is advancing and the southwest lobe is receding. This light travel difference indicates a radial distance difference between the two hotspots of 1.53 pc, which indicates an inclination angle of about 80.8 degree between the radio jet and the line of sight. The angular separation rate between NE1 and SW1 is 0.027 mas/yr (or 0.133 c). The inner jet knot moves at 0.047 mas/yr (or 0.230 c), about 3.5 times the hotspot advancing speed. Conclusions. The large viewing angle and the modest jet speed suggest a mildly relativistic jet. The jet axis is close to the plane of the sky. The separation rate and the distance between the two primary hotspots result in a kinematic age of 255$\pm$17 yr, confirming that OQ 208 is indeed a young radio source. In addition to the hotspot advancing motions, sideways motions provide evidence that the lobes are obstructed by the external interstellar medium.

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arXiv2012

The Dynamic Evolution of Young Extragalactic Radio Sources

The evolution of symmetric extragalactic radio sources can be characterized by four distinct growth stages of the radio luminosity versus size of the source. The interaction of the jet with the ambient medium results in the formation and evolution of sources with non-standard (flaring) morphology. In addition, cessation or restarting of the jet power and obstruction of the jet will also result in distinct morphological structures. The radio source population may thus be classified in morphological types that indicate the prevailing physical processes. Compact symmetric objects (CSOs) occupy the earliest evolutionary phase of symmetric radio sources and their dynamical behavior is fundamental for any further evolution. Analysis of CSO dynamics is presented for a sample of 24 CSOs with known redshift and hotspot separation velocity and with a large range of radio power. Observables such as radio power, separation between two hotspots, hotspot separation velocity, and kinematic age of the source are found to be generally consistent with the self-similar predictions for individual sources that reflect the varying density structure of the ambient interstellar medium. Individual sources behave different from the group as a whole. The age and size statistics confirm that a large fraction of CSOs does not evolve into extended doubles.

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arXiv2012

Confirming the 115.5-day periodicity in the X-ray light curve of ULX NGC 5408 X-1

The Swift/XRT light curve of the ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) source NGC 5408 X-1 was re-analyzed with two new numerical approaches, Weighted Wavelet $Z$-transform (WWZ) and CLEANest, that are different from previous studies. Both techniques detected a prominent periodicity with a time scale of $115.5\pm1.5$ days, in excellent agreement with the detection of the same periodicity first reported by Strohmayer (2009). Monte Carlo simulation was employed to test the statisiticak confidence of the 115.5-day periodicity, yielding a statistical significance of $> 99.98%$ (or $>3.8σ$). The robust detection of the 115.5-day quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), if it is due to the orbital motion of the binary, would infer a mass of a few thousand $M_\odot$ for the central black hole, implying an intermediate-mass black hole in NGC 5408 X-1.

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arXiv2012

Multiple periodic oscillations in the radio light curves of NRAO 530

In this paper, the time series analysis method CLEANest is employed to search for characteristic periodicities in the radio light curves of the blazar NRAO 530 at 4.8, 8.0 and 14.5 GHz over a time baseline of three decades. Two prominent periodicities on time scales of about 6.3 and 9.5 yr are identified at all three frequencies, in agreement with previous results derived from different numerical techniques, confirming the multiplicity of the periodicities in NRAO 530. In addition to these two significant periods, there is also evidence of shorter-timescale periodicities of about 5.0 yr, 4.2 yr, 3.4 yr and 2.8 yr showing lower amplitude in the periodograms. The physical mechanisms responsible for the radio quasi-periodic oscillations and the multiplicity of the periods are discussed.

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arXiv2012

A 95 GHz Class I Methanol Maser Survey Toward A Sample of GLIMPSE Point Sources Associated with BGPS Clumps

We report a survey with the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) 13.7-m radio telescope for class I methanol masers from the 95 GHz (8_0 - 7_1 A^+) transition. The 214 target sources were selected by combining information from both the Spitzer GLIMPSE and 1.1 mm BGPS survey catalogs. The observed sources satisfy both the GLIMPSE mid-IR criteria of [3.6]-[4.5]>1.3, [3.6]-[5.8]>2.5, [3.6]-[8.0]>2.5 and 8.0 um magnitude less than 10, and also have an associated 1.1 mm BGPS source. Class I methanol maser emission was detected in 63 sources, corresponding to a detection rate of 29% for this survey. For the majority of detections (43), this is the first identification of a class I methanol maser associated with these sources. We show that the intensity of the class I methanol maser emission is not closely related to mid-IR intensity or the colors of the GLIMPSE point sources, however, it is closely correlated with properties (mass and beam-averaged column density) of the BGPS sources. Comparison of measures of star formation activity for the BGPS sources with and without class I methanol masers indicate that the sources with class I methanol masers usually have higher column density and larger flux density than those without them. Our results predict that the criteria log(S_{int})<-38.0+1.72log(N_{H_{2}}^{beam}) and log(N_{H_{2}}^{beam})>22.1, which utilizes both the integrated flux density (S_{int}) and beam-averaged column density (N_{H_{2}}^{beam}) of the BGPS sources, are very efficient for selecting sources likely to have an associated class I methanol maser. Our expectation is that searches using these criteria will detect 90% of the predicted number of class I methanol masers from the full BGPS catalog (~ 1000), and do so with a high detection efficiency (~75%).

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arXiv2012

Periodic Radio Variability in NRAO 530: Phase Dispersion Minimization Analysis

In this paper, a periodicity analysis of the radio light curves of the blazar NRAO 530 at 14.5, 8.0, and 4.8 GHz is presented employing an improved Phase Dispersion Minimization (PDM) technique. The result, which shows two persistent periodic components of $ \sim 6$ and $ \sim 10$ years at all three frequencies, is consistent with the results obtained with the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and weighted wavelet Z-transform algorithms. The reliability of the derived periodicities is confirmed by the Monte Carlo numerical simulations which show a high statistical confidence. (Quasi-)Periodic fluctuations of the radio luminosity of NRAO 530 might be associated with the oscillations of the accretion disk triggered by hydrodynamic instabilities of the accreted flow. \keywords{methods: statistical -- galaxies: active -- galaxies: quasar: individual: NRAO 530}

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