arXiv subjects

Xuan Mao

Publications and source records attributed to Xuan Mao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A superflare of BP Tau simultaneously caught by EP X-ray and TESS optical observations

Multiwavelength observations of stellar flares trace the activity of different components of the stars' outer atmosphere, providing insight into their interactions. In the present paper, we report a superflare from BP Tau, simultaneously observed with the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) on board the Einstein Probe (EP) satellite and TESS. While we attribute the X-ray flux increase to a magnetically powered flare, the optical light curve likely results from the superposition of the flare and an accretion burst. The X-ray flare has a mean flux of $(1.5^{+0.3}_{-0.4})\times10^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ in the WXT energy band (0.5-4.0 keV), with e-folding times of $1.7\pm1.0$ ks and $14\pm5$ ks for the rise and decay phase, respectively. The corresponding time-integrated flare energy is $(1.0\pm 0.2)\times 10^{36}$ erg. The optical flare has an e-folding time of $0.33\pm0.04$ ks for the rise phase, but the data do not constrain the decay timescale. Assuming a decay phase equal to the rise phase, the resulting optical flare energy is $(2.8\pm0.4)\times10^{34}$ erg in the TESS band ($\sim6,000$-$\sim10,000$ \AA), corresponding to a bolometric energy of $(1.9\pm0.3)\times10^{35}$ erg (assuming a blackbody at 11000 K). The Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT) on EP triggered an observation $\sim1.5$ day after the flare, with a flux of $(4.6^{+0.2}_{-0.5})\times10^{-13}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (0.5-10.0 keV), indicating that BP Tau had returned to quiescence. This work demonstrates the potential of jointly analyzing EP and TESS data for superflares. WXT is expected to detect $\sim800$ superflares per year, with FXT capable of slewing to the flaring star within $\sim3$-5 minutes. The large field of view of both missions offers us the opportunity to study multiwavelength variability during energetic flares.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

X-ray Activity of the RS CVn-type Star {\sigma} Gem with the First-Year Observations of Einstein Probe

Context. Stellar flares are energetic events driven by the sudden release of magnetic energy in the stellar atmosphere. Studying these flares is crucial for understanding their impact on exoplanets, the circumstellar environment, and stellar evolution itself. The launch of the Einstein Probe (EP) offers a unique opportunity to systematically detect such events. Aims. We present a systematic analysis of the flaring activity of the active RS CVn-type binary {\sigma} Gem, utilizing the first-year monitoring data from the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) aboard EP. Our goals are to demonstrate the unique capability of EP in monitoring stellar X-ray activity and detecting flares, by identifying and characterizing extreme X-ray flares on {\sigma} Gem and estimating their occurrence rate. Methods. We developed a data-processing pipeline to select and extract EP-WXT observations, producing a background-subtracted, vignetting-corrected light curve. We employed the Bayesian Blocks method to detect significant flares in the long-term X-ray light curve. For each identified flare, we performed light curve and spectral fitting to derive the flare parameters. Results. Between October 2024 and April 2025, WXT detected 6 distinct flares from {\sigma} Gem. Their durations ranged from 21 hours to 3 days, with peak X-ray luminosities (0.5-4 keV) of 3.7 * 10^31 to 7.0 * 10^32 erg/s and total energies of 1.1 * 10^36 to 4.4 * 10^37 erg, placing them among the "superflare" class. Conclusions. Using {\sigma} Gem as a case study, we demonstrate an analysis process for flare detection and analysis with EP-WXT data, which provides new statistical constraints on its flaring behavior. Applying this methodology to the growing EP stellar archive promises to yield a vast sample of X-ray flares, which will significantly advance our understanding of stellar magnetic activity.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Onboard catalog of known X-ray sources for EP-WXT

The Einstein Probe (EP) is dedicated to explore the dynamic X-ray universe and capture transient events in real time with its Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT). However, WXT's unprecedentedly large instantaneous field of view, exceeding 3,600 square degrees, simultaneously encompasses numerous known X-ray emitters. Distinguishing genuine novel transients from these persistent sources is a critical observational challenge. To resolve this, EP-WXT incorporates a dedicated reference catalog of known X-ray sources directly into its onboard data processing and triggering system. In this paper, we detail the compilation of this onboard catalog. By merging data from the ROSAT All Sky Survey, the MAXI source list, and a curated stellar flare candidate catalog, we constructed a robust baseline database of 9,000 sources. This catalog provides coordinates, baseline count rates, and spatial veto radii for exceptionally bright emitters. Real-time cross-matching against this database effectively decouples known background sources from the transient alert stream. Recent in-orbit operations validate the high stability and efficiency of this catalog-driven trigger system. Notably, the catalog successfully masked over 6,100 potential triggers from known active stars. This proves its essential role in ensuring EP's rapid and accurate response to genuine astrophysical discoveries.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

X-rays breaking out of pre-explosion ejecta mark a supernova's first light

Massive stars die as core-collapse supernovae, whose optical light emerges days after the implosion. Theory predicts that the initial collapse-driven shock, upon breaking through the star and dense circumstellar medium, emits a brief thermal flash of soft X-rays and ultraviolet. Yet these elusive first signals have remained largely undetected, owing to limited wide-field soft X-ray monitoring. Here we report the discovery of a soft X-ray flash, EP260321a, followed days later by a broad-lined supernova from an envelope-stripped progenitor. Its X-ray spectrum, best modeled with blackbody, establishes it as the long-sought archetypal shock breakout. The burst's duration and energetics place the breakout at a radius of 300 solar radii, tracing a dense surrounding shell and revealing abrupt mass ejection within the final month before collapse.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Segment-chirped periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides for broadband supercontinuum generation

Supercontinuum generation is a key technology in nonlinear optics, supporting a wide range of applications in frequency metrology and spectroscopy. Integrated photonics offers a promising route toward compact and efficient supercontinuum sources, yet extending the bandwidth while maintaining high spectral flatness remains a central challenge. Here we demonstrate an integrated broadband supercontinuum source based on segment-chirped periodically poled lithium niobate (SC-PPLN) nanophotonic waveguides. By discretizing the chirped poling profile into independently optimized segments, this approach enables high-fidelity ferroelectric domain inversion with near-ideal duty cycles and establishes broadband quasi-phase matching, overcoming the domain inhomogeneity and efficiency limitations commonly encountered in conventional chirped poling. The engineered phase-matching landscape supports efficient wavelength conversion and simultaneous activation of multiple second- and third-order nonlinear processes. Experimentally, we achieve a spectrally flat supercontinuum spanning three optical octaves, from 320 nm in the ultraviolet to 2600 nm in the mid-infrared. These results establish segment-chirped poling as a practical strategy for broadband wavelength conversion and supercontinuum generation in integrated photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Spin-Orbit Geometry of AU Mic b and c from Back-to-Back Transits Observed Contemporaneously with Magellan PFS, LCOGT, and CHEOPS

Young planets offer a unique window into the early stages of planetary evolution. AU Mic is one of the nearest (9.8 pc) pre-main sequence stars (~20 Myr), hosting two transiting Neptune-sized planets and a debris disk. Previous studies have shown that the rotation of the central star, the debris disk, and the inner planet b are all aligned, suggesting that the system has not undergone violent evolution. Here we report new Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) measurements for both AU Mic b and c, which happened to transit back-to-back on Aug 24 and 25, 2024, using the Magellan Planet Finder Spectrograph (PFS), accompanioned with contanporaneous photometry from LCOGT and CHEOPS. We confirm the aligned orbit of AU Mic b ($\lambda_b=1{\deg} \pm 12{\deg}$) and finding two possible solutions for AU Mic c: we slightly favor an aligned solution ($\lambda_c=-10{\deg} \pm 16{\deg}$) but cannot rule out a polar solution ($\lambda_c=87{\deg}\ ^{+36{\deg}}_{-29{\deg}}$). Broader considerations, including dynamical stability and transit possibility, also support the mutually aligned scenario. An unexpected stellar signal during ingress and the poor TTV predictions of AU Mic c prevent a precise constraint on its obliquity, and various attempts using chromatic spectral analyses fail to outperform simple data exclusion in mitigating the stellar contamination. Our observation highlights the importance of understanding stellar activity across multiple timescales and channels when characterizing young, active systems. A robust solution for the AU Mic architecture will require either a better understanding of stellar activity or future observations fortuitously free from strong stellar contamination.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

Nature of HD 251108: an RS CVn binary with a long-term evolving spot

Recently, the Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy (LEIA) detected the longest-lasting and most energetic stellar X-ray flare event from HD 251108. In this work, we re-determined the atmospheric parameters of HD 251108 using three spectroscopic observations obtained with the 2.4 m Lijiang Telescope. Combined with the stellar radius derived from spectral energy distribution fitting, we found that HD 251108 contains a K-type giant with a mass of approximately 1.3 $M_{\odot}$. Long-term photometric monitoring over 12 years reveals a modulation suggestive of a stellar activity cycle, but inconclusive given the limited time span to date. Light curve fitting indicates that the variations in both amplitude and shape are primarily driven by the evolution of a large spot. The fitting further indicates that the spot migrated from low latitudes toward the pole between 2014 and 2020, and began to recede from the pole after 2022. Using spot parameters from light curve fitting, we found that the observed radial velocity variations arise from both the spot-induced distortions and the Keplerian orbital motion of the giant star. Additionally, we detect a possible M-dwarf companion with a mass of approximately 0.25 $M_{\odot}$. Our finding suggests a notable effect on the radial velocity caused by stellar magnetic activity.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Mass threshold for global existence in chemotaxis systems with critical flux limitation

This paper investigates the flux-limited chemotaxis system, proposed by Kohatsu and Senba~(2025), \begin{equation*} \begin{cases} u_t = \Delta u -\nabla\cdot(u|\nabla v|^{\alpha-2}\nabla v),\\ \:\:0=\Delta v + u, \end{cases} \end{equation*} posed in the unit ball of $\mathbb{R}^N$ for some $N\geq2$, subject to no-flux and homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. Due to precedents, e.g., Tello (2022) and Winkler (2022), the exponent $\alpha = \frac{N}{N-1}$ is the threshold for finite-time blow-up under symmetry assumptions. We further find that under the framework of radially symmetric solutions, the system with critical flux limitation admits a globally bounded weak solution if and only if initial mass is strictly less than $\omega_N \big(\frac{N^2}{N-1}\big)^{N-1}$, where $\omega_N$ denotes the measure of the unit sphere $\mathbb{S}^{N-1}$. Asymptotic behaviors are also considered.

math.AP↗

arXiv2025

Critical mass for finite-time chemotactic collapse in the critical dimension via comparison

We study the Neumann initial-boundary value problem for the parabolic-elliptic chemotaxis system, proposed by J\"ager and Luckhaus (1992). We confirm that their comparison methods can be simplified and refined, applicable to seek the critical mass $8\pi$ concerning finite-time blowup in the unit disk. As an application, we deal with a parabolic-elliptic-parabolic chemotaxis model involving indirect signal production in the unit ball of $\mathbb R^4$, proposed by Tao and Winkler (2025). Within the framework of radially symmetric solutions, we prove that if initial mass is less than $64\pi^2$, then solution is globally bounded; for any $m$ exceeding $64\pi^2$, there exist nonnegative initial data with prescribed mass $m$ such that the corresponding classical solutions exhibit a formation of Dirac-delta type singularity in finite time, termed a chemotactic collapse.

math.AP↗

arXiv2025

Finite-time blowup in a fully parabolic chemotaxis model involving indirect signal production

This paper is concerned with a parabolic-parabolic-parabolic chemotaxis system with indirect signal production, modelling the impact of phenotypic heterogeneity on population aggregation \begin{equation*} \begin{cases} u_t = \Delta u - \nabla\cdot(u\nabla v),\\ v_t = \Delta v - v + w,\\ w_t = \Delta w - w + u, \end{cases} \end{equation*} posed on a ball in $\mathbb R^n$ with $n\geq5$, subject to homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. The system has a four-dimensional critical mass phenomenon concerning blowup in finite or infinite time according to the seminal works of Fujie and Senba [J. Differential Equations, 263 (2017), 88--148; 266 (2019), 942--976]. We prove that for any prescribed mass $m > 0$, there exist radially symmetric and nonnegative initial data $(u_0,v_0,w_0)\in C^0(\overline{\Omega})\times C^2(\overline{\Omega})\times C^2(\overline{\Omega})$ with $\int_\Omega u_0 = m$ such that the corresponding classical solutions blow up in finite time. The key ingredient is a novel integral inequality for the cross-term integral $\int_\Omega uv$ constructed via a Lyapunov functional.

math.AP↗

arXiv2024

Finite-time blowup in a parabolic-parabolic-elliptic chemotaxis model involving indirect signal production

This paper is concerned with a three-component chemotaxis model accounting for indirect signal production,reading as $u_t = \nabla\cdot(\nabla u - u\nabla v)$,$v_t = \Delta v - v + w$ and $0 = \Delta w - w + u$,posed in a ball of $\mathbb R^n$ with $n\geq5$,subject to homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions.The system is a Nagai-type variant of its fully parabolic version that has a four-dimensional critical mass phenomenon concerning blowup in finite or infinite time according to the seminal works of Fujie and Senba [J. Differential Equations, 263 (2017), 88--148; 266 (2019), 942--976].We prove that for any prescribed mass $m > 0$, there exist radially symmetric and positive initial data $(u_0,v_0)\in C^0(\overline{\Omega})\times C^2(\overline{\Omega})$ with $\int_\Omega u_0 = m$ such that the corresponding solutions blow up in finite time.

math.AP↗

arXiv2024

LEIA discovery of the longest-lasting and most energetic stellar X-ray flare ever detected

The Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy (LEIA) detected a new X-ray transient on 2022 November 7, identified as a superflare event occurring on a nearby K-type giant star HD 251108. The flux increase was also detected in follow-up observations at X-ray, UV and optical wavelengths. The flare lasted for about 40 days in soft X-ray observations, reaching a peak luminosity of ~1.1 * 10^34 erg/s in 0.5-4.0 keV, which is roughly 60 times the quiescent luminosity. Optical brightening was observed for only one night. The X-ray light curve is well described by a double fast rise and exponential decay model, attributed to the cooling process of a loop arcade structure formed subsequent to the initial large loop with a half-length of ~1.9 * 10^12 cm. Time-resolved X-ray spectra were fitted by a four-temperature apec model (with three components being the quiescent background), showing significant evolution of plasma temperature and emission measure over time. The estimated energy released in the LEIA band is ~3 * 10^39 erg, suggesting that this is likely the most energetic X-ray stellar flare with the longest duration detected to date.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Global solvability and unboundedness in a fully parabolic quasilinear chemotaxis model with indirect signal production

This paper is concerned with a quasilinear chemotaxis model with indirect signal production, $u_t = \nabla\cdot(D(u)\nabla u - S(u)\nabla v)$, $v_t = \Delta v - v + w$ and $w_t = \Delta w - w + u$, posed on a bounded smooth domain $\Omega\subset\mathbb R^n$, subjected to homogenerous Neumann boundary conditions, where nonlinear diffusion $D$ and sensitivity $S$ generalize the prototype $D(s) = (s+1)^{-\alpha}$ and $S(s) = (s+1)^{\beta-1}s$. Ding and Wang [M.Ding and W.Wang, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. Ser. B, 24 (2019), 4665-4684.] showed that the system possesses a globally bounded classical solution if $\alpha + \beta <\min\{1+2/n,4/n\}$. While for the J\"ager-Luckhaus variant of this model, namely the second equation replaced by $0=\Delta v - \int_\Omega w/|\Omega| + w$, Tao and Winkler [2023, preprint] announced that if $\alpha + \beta > 4/n$ and $\beta>2/n$ for $n\geq3$, with radial assumptions, the variant admits occurrence of finite-time blowup. We focus on the case $\beta<2/n$, and prove that $\beta < 2/n$ for $n\geq2$ is sufficient for global solvability of classical solutions; if $\alpha + \beta > 4/n$ for $n\geq4$, then radially symmetric initial data with large negative energy enforce blowup happening in finite or infinite time, both of which imply that the system allows infinite-time blowup if $\alpha + \beta > 4/n$ and $\beta < 2/n$ for $n\geq 4$.

math.AP↗

arXiv2024

A note on the $8\pi$ problem of J\"ager-Luckhaus system

We show that for any nonnegative, radially symmetric and continuous initial datum with critical mass $8\pi$, J\"ager-Luckhaus system in the unit disk, known as a parabolic-elliptic Keller-Segel model, admits a globally bounded classical solution. Moreover, it is asserted that the spatial constant equilibrium $8$ is globally and exponentially asymptotically stable.

math.AP↗

arXiv2024

The fast X-ray transient EP240315a: a z ~ 5 gamma-ray burst in a Lyman continuum leaking galaxy

The nature of the minute-to-hour long Fast X-ray Transients (FXTs) localised by telescopes such as Chandra, Swift, and XMM-Newton remains mysterious, with numerous models suggested for the events. Here, we report multi-wavelength observations of EP240315a, a 1600 s long transient detected by the Einstein Probe, showing it to have a redshift of z=4.859. We measure a low column density of neutral hydrogen, indicating that the event is embedded in a low-density environment, further supported by direct detection of leaking ionising Lyman-continuum. The observed properties are consistent with EP240315a being a long-duration gamma-ray burst, and these observations support an interpretation in which a significant fraction of the FXT population are lower-luminosity examples of similar events. Such transients are detectable at high redshifts by the Einstein Probe and, in the (near) future, out to even larger distances by SVOM, THESEUS, and Athena, providing samples of events into the epoch of reionisation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Enhanced sensing mechanism based on shifting an exceptional point

Non-Hermitian systems associated with exceptional points (EPs) are expected to demonstrate a giant response enhancement for various sensors. The widely investigated enhancement mechanism based on diverging from an EP should destroy the EP and further limits its applications for multiple sensing scenarios in a time sequence. To break the above limit, here we proposed a new enhanced sensing mechanism based on shifting an EP. Different from the mechanism of diverging from an EP, our scheme is an EP non-demolition and the giant enhancement of response is acquired by a slight shift of the EP along the parameter axis induced by perturbation. The new sensing mechanism can promise the most ffective response enhancement for all sensors in the case of multiple sensing in a time sequence. To verify our sensing mechanism, we construct a mass sensor and a gyroscope with concrete physical implementations. Our work will deepen the understanding of EP-based sensing and inspire designing various high sensitivity sensors in different physical systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Proximity-encirclement of exceptional points in a multimode optomechanical system

Dynamic encircling a second-order exception point (EP) exhibit chiral state transfer, while there is few research on dynamic encircling multiple and higher-order EPs. Here, we study proximity-encirclement of the EPs in a multimode optomechanical system to understand the closed path evolution of high-order non-Hermitian systems. The optomechanical system has three types of situations about EPs: the system has no EP, a pair of second-order EPs, and a third-order EP. The dynamical behavior of the system's dependence on the initial state, orientation, and velocity of the loop, the variance in the starting point of the loop, as well as the number and order of EPs encircled by the loop have been investigated in the process of state transfer. The results show that chiral or non-reciprocal state transfer can be realized when the loop encircling a second-order EP with different radius. Only chiral state transfer occurs when encircling two second-order EPs. Moreover, chiral and non-reciprocal state transfer can happen in a single loop encircling a third-order EP. The phenomena about encircling the EPs in a multimode optomechanical system provides another means for manipulating state transfer in higher-order non-Hermitian systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Optomechanical compensatory cooling mechanism with exceptional points

The ground state cooling of Brillouin scattering optomechanical system is limited by defects in practical sample. In this paper, we propose a new compensatory cooling mechanism for Brillouin scattering optomechanical system with exceptional points (EPs). By using the EPs both in optical and mechanical modes, the limited cooling process is compensated effectively. The dual-EPs system, which is discovered in this work for the first time, can be induced by two defects with specific relative angles and has function of not only actively manipulating the coupling strength of optical modes but also the Brillouin phonon modes. Our results provide new tools to manipulate the optomechanical interaction in multi-mode systems and open the possibility of quantum state transfer and quantum interface protocols based on phonon cooling in quantum applications.

physics.optics↗