arXiv subjects

X. L. Tian

Publications and source records attributed to X. L. Tian.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

A multi-cubic-kilometre neutrino telescope in the western Pacific Ocean

Next-generation neutrino telescopes with significantly improved sensitivity are required to pinpoint the sources of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux detected by IceCube and uncover the century-old puzzle of cosmic ray origins. A detector near the equator will provide a unique viewpoint of the neutrino sky, complementing IceCube and other neutrino telescopes in the Northern Hemisphere. Here we present results from an expedition to the north-eastern region of the South China Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean. A favorable neutrino telescope site was found on an abyssal plain at a depth of $\sim$ 3.5km. At depths below 3km, the sea current speed, water absorption and scattering lengths for Cherenkov light, were measured to be $v_{\mathrm{c}}<$10cm/s, $λ_{\mathrm{abs} }\simeq$ 27m and $λ_{\mathrm{sca} }\simeq$ 63m, respectively. Accounting for these measurements, we present the design and expected performance of a next-generation neutrino telescope, TRopIcal DEep-sea Neutrino Telescope (TRIDENT). With its advanced photon-detection technology and large dimensions, TRIDENT expects to observe the IceCube steady source candidate NGC 1068 with 5$σ$ significance within 1 year of operation. This level of sensitivity will open a new arena for diagnosing the origin of cosmic rays and probing fundamental physics over astronomical baselines.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Relativistic Mass Ejecta from Phase-transition-induced Collapse of Neutron Stars

We study the dynamical evolution of a phase-transition-induced collapse neutron star to a hybrid star, which consists of a mixture of hadronic matter and strange quark matter. The collapse is triggered by a sudden change of equation of state, which result in a large amplitude stellar oscillation. The evolution of the system is simulated by using a 3D Newtonian hydrodynamic code with a high resolution shock capture scheme. We find that both the temperature and the density at the neutrinosphere are oscillating with acoustic frequency. However, they are nearly 180$^{\circ}$ out of phase. Consequently, extremely intense, pulsating neutrino/antineutrino fluxes will be emitted periodically. Since the energy and density of neutrinos at the peaks of the pulsating fluxes are much higher than the non-oscillating case, the electron/positron pair creation rate can be enhanced dramatically. Some mass layers on the stellar surface can be ejected by absorbing energy of neutrinos and pairs. These mass ejecta can be further accelerated to relativistic speeds by absorbing electron/positron pairs, created by the neutrino and antineutrino annihilation outside the stellar surface. The possible connection between this process and the cosmological Gamma-ray Bursts is discussed.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Could the compact remnant of SN 1987A be a quark star?

The standard model for Type II supernovae explosion, confirmed by the detection of the neutrinos emitted during the supernova explosion, predicts the formation of a compact object, usually assumed to be a neutron star. However, the lack of the detection of a neutron star or pulsar formed in the SN 1987A still remains an unsolved mystery. In this paper we suggest that the newly formed neutron star at the center of SN1987A may undergo a phase transition after the neutrino trapping time scale (~10 s). Consequently the compact remnant of SN 1987A may be a strange quark star, which has a softer equation of state than that of neutron star matter. Such a phase transition can induce the stellar collapse and result in a large amplitude stellar oscillations. We use a three dimensional Newtonian hydrodynamic code to study the time evolution of the temperature and density at the neutrinosphere. Extremely intense pulsating neutrino fluxes, with submillisecond period and with neutrino energy (> 30 MeV) can be emitted because the oscillations of the temperature and density are out of phase almost 180 degree. If this is true we predict that the current X-ray emission from the compact remnant of SN 1987A will be lower than 10^34 erg s-1, and it should be a thermal bremsstrahlung spectrum for a bare strange star with surface temperature of around ~10^7 K.

astro-ph.HE↗