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Y. Feng

Publications and source records attributed to Y. Feng.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Transient Large-Scale Anisotropy in TeV Cosmic Rays due to an Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

Large- or medium-scale cosmic ray anisotropy at TeV energies has not previously been confirmed to vary with time. Transient anisotropy changes have been observed below 150 GeV, especially near the passage of an interplanetary shock and coronal mass ejection containing a magnetic flux rope ejected by a solar storm, which can trigger a geomagnetic storm with practical consequences. In such events, cosmic rays provide remote sensing of the magnetic field properties. Here we report the observation of transient large-scale anisotropy in TeV cosmic ray ions using data from the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). We analyze hourly skymaps of the transient cosmic ray intensity excess or deficit, the gradient of which indicates the direction and magnitude of transient large-scale anisotropy across the field of view. We observe enhanced anisotropy above typical hourly fluctuations with $>$5$σ$ significance during some hours of November 4, 2021, in separate data sets for four primary cosmic ray energy ranges of median energy from $E$=0.7 to 3.1 TeV. The gradient varies with energy as $E^γ$, where $γ\approx-0.5$. At a median energy $\leq$1.0 TeV, this gradient corresponds to a dipole anisotropy of at least 1\%, or possibly a weaker anisotropy of higher order. This new type of observation opens the opportunity to study interplanetary magnetic structures using air shower arrays around the world, complementing existing in situ and remote measurements of plasma properties.

astro-ph.HE↗

Measurement of attenuation length of the muon content in extensive air showers from 0.3 to 30 PeV with LHAASO

The attenuation length of the muon content in extensive air showers provides important information regarding the generation and development of air showers. This information can be used not only to improve the description of such showers but also to test fundamental models of hadronic interactions. Using data from the LHAASO-KM2A experiment, the development of the muon content in high-energy air showers was studied. The attenuation length of muon content in the air showers was measured from experimental data in the energy range from 0.3 to 30 PeV using the constant intensity cut method. By comparing the attenuation length of the muon content with predictions from high-energy hadronic interaction models (QGSJET-II-04, SIBYLL 2.3d, and EPOS-LHC), it is evident that LHAASO results are significantly shorter than those predicted by the first two models (QGSJET-II-04 and SIBYLL 2.3d) but relatively close to those predicted by the third model (EPOS-LHC). Thus, the LHAASO data favor the EPOS-LHC model over the other two models. The three interaction models confirmed an increasing trend in the attenuation length as the cosmic-ray energy increases.

hep-ex↗

Extended Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission Surrounding PSR J0622 + 3749 Observed by LHAASO-KM2A

We report the discovery of an extended very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray source around the location of the middle-aged (207.8 kyr) pulsar PSR J0622+3749 with the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). The source is detected with a significance of $8.2σ$ for $E>25$~TeV assuming a Gaussian template. The best-fit location is (R.A., Dec.)$=(95^{\circ}\!.47\pm0^{\circ}\!.11,\,37^{\circ}\!.92 \pm0^{\circ}\!.09)$, and the extension is $0^{\circ}\!.40\pm0^{\circ}\!.07$. The energy spectrum can be described by a power-law spectrum with an index of ${-2.92 \pm 0.17_{\rm stat} \pm 0.02_{\rm sys} }$. No clear extended multi-wavelength counterpart of the LHAASO source has been found from the radio to sub-TeV bands. The LHAASO observations are consistent with the scenario that VHE electrons escaped from the pulsar, diffused in the interstellar medium, and scattered the interstellar radiation field. If interpreted as the pulsar halo scenario, the diffusion coefficient, inferred for electrons with median energies of $\sim160$~TeV, is consistent with those obtained from the extended halos around Geminga and Monogem and much smaller than that derived from cosmic ray secondaries. The LHAASO discovery of this source thus likely enriches the class of so-called pulsar halos and confirms that high-energy particles generally diffuse very slowly in the disturbed medium around pulsars.

astro-ph.HE↗

Observation of the $γ$-ray Emission from W43 with LHAASO

In this paper, we report the detection of the very-high-energy (VHE, $ 100{\rm\ GeV} < E < 100{\rm\ TeV} $) and ultra-high-energy (UHE, $E > 100\rm\ TeV$) $γ$-ray emissions from the direction of the young star-forming region W43, observed by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observation (LHAASO). The extended $γ$-ray source was detected with a significance of ${\sim}16\,σ$ by KM2A and ${\sim}17\,σ$ by WCDA, respectively. The angular extension of this $γ$-ray source is about 0.5 degrees, corresponding to a physical size of about 50 pc. We discuss the origin of the $γ$-ray emission and possible cosmic ray acceleration in the W43 region using multi-wavelength data. Our findings suggest that W43 is likely another young star cluster capable of accelerating cosmic rays (CRs) to at least several hundred TeV.

astro-ph.HE↗

Study of Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Source 1LHAASO J0056+6346u and Its Possible Origins

We report a dedicated study of the newly discovered extended UHE $γ$-ray source 1LHAASO J0056+6346u. Analyzing 979 days of LHAASO-WCDA data and 1389 days of LHAASO-KM2A data, we observed a significant excess of $γ$-ray events with both WCDA and KM2A. Assuming a point power-law source with a fixed spectral index, the significance maps reveal excesses of ${\sim}12.65\,σ$, ${\sim}22.18\,σ$, and ${\sim}10.24\,σ$ in the energy ranges of 1--25 TeV, 25--100 TeV, and $> 100$ TeV, respectively. We use a 3D likelihood algorithm to derive the morphological and spectral parameters, and the source is detected with significances of $12.65\,σ$ by WCDA and $25.27\,σ$ by KM2A. The best-fit positions derived from WCDA and KM2A data are (R.A. = $13.96^\circ\pm0.09^\circ$, Decl. = $63.92^\circ\pm0.05^\circ$) and (R.A. = $14.00^\circ\pm0.05^\circ$, Decl. = $63.79^\circ\pm0.02^\circ$), respectively. The angular size ($r_{39}$) of 1LHAASO J0056+6346u is $0.34^\circ\pm0.04^\circ$ at 1--25 TeV and $0.24^\circ\pm0.02^\circ$ at $> 25$ TeV. The differential flux of this UHE $γ$-ray source can be described by an exponential cutoff power-law function: $(2.67\pm0.25) \times 10^{-15} (E/20\,\text{TeV})^{-1.97\pm0.10} e^{-E/(55.1\pm7.2)\,\text{TeV}} \,\text{TeV}^{-1}\,\text{cm}^{-2}\,\text{s}^{-1}$. To explore potential sources of $γ$-ray emission, we investigated the gas distribution around 1LHAASO J0056+6346u. 1LHAASO J0056+6346u is likely to be a TeV PWN powered by an unknown pulsar, which would naturally explain both its spatial and spectral properties. Another explanation is that this UHE $γ$-ray source might be associated with gas content illuminated by a nearby CR accelerator, possibly the SNR candidate G124.0+1.4.

astro-ph.HE↗

Detection of very high-energy gamma-ray emission from the radio galaxy M87 with LHAASO

The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emitter established by observations with ground-based gamma-ray detectors. Here we report the long-term monitoring of M87 from 2021 to 2024 with Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). M87 has been detected by LHAASO with a statistical significance $\sim 9σ$. The observed energy spectrum extends to 20 TeV, with a possible hardening at $\sim 20$ TeV and then a clear softening at higher energies. Assuming that the intrinsic spectrum is described by a single power law up to 20 TeV, a tight upper bound on the extragalactic background light (EBL) intensity is obtained. A strong VHE flare lasting eight days, with the rise time of $τ_{r}^{\rm rise} = 1.05\pm0.49$~days and decay time of $τ_{d}^{\rm decay} = 2.17\pm0.58$~days, was found in early 2022. A possible GeV flare is seen also in the Fermi-LAT data during the VHE flare period. The variability time as short as one day seen in the LHAASO data suggests a compact emission region with a size of $\sim 3\times 10^{15}δ\, {\rm cm}$ ($δ$ being the Doppler factor of the emitting region), corresponding to a few Schwarzschild radii of the central supermassive black hole in M87. The continuous monitoring of the source reveals a duty cycle of $\sim 1\%$ for VHE flares with a flux above $ 10^{-11}{\rm~erg~cm^{-2}~s^{-1}}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

Precise measurements of the cosmic ray proton energy spectrum in the "knee'' region

We report the high-purity identification of cosmic-ray (CR) protons and a precise measurement of their energy spectrum from 0.15 to 12 PeV using the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Abundant event statistics, combined with the simultaneous detection of electrons/photons, muons, and Cherenkov light in air showers, enable spectroscopic measurements with statistical and systematic precision comparable to satellite data at lower energies. The proton spectrum shows significant hardening relative to low-energy extrapolations, culminating at 3 PeV, followed by sharp softening. This distinct spectral structure closely aligned with the knee in the all-particle spectrum points to the emergence of a new CR component at PeV energies that might be linked to the dozens of PeVatrons recently discovered by LHAASO, and offers crucial clues to the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

astro-ph.HE↗

All-sky search for individual Primordial Black Hole bursts with LHAASO

Primordial Black Holes~(PBHs) are hypothetical black holes with a wide range of masses that formed in the early universe. As a result, they may play an important cosmological role and provide a unique probe of the early universe. A PBH with an initial mass of approximately $10^{15}$~g is expected to explode today in a final burst of Hawking radiation. In this work, we conduct an all-sky search for individual PBH burst events using the data collected from March 2021 to July 2024 by the Water Cherenkov Detector Array of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Three PBH burst durations, 10~s, 20~s, and 100~s, are searched, with no significant PBH bursts observed. The upper limit on the local PBH burst rate density is set to be as low as 181~pc$^{-3}$~yr$^{-1}$ at 99$\%$ confidence level, representing the most stringent limit achieved to date.

astro-ph.HE↗

Thermal Cycling Reliability of Hybrid Pixel Sensor Modules for The ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector

The reliability of bump connection structures has become a critical aspect of future silicon detectors for particle physics. The High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) for the ATLAS experiment at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider will require 8032 hybrid pixel sensor modules, composed of two Low Gain Avalanche Diode sensors bump-bonded to two readout ASICs and glued to a passive PCB. The detector will operate at low temperature (-30 degrees Celsius) to mitigate the impact of irradiation. The thermomechanical reliability of flip-chip bump connections in HGTD modules is a critical concern, particularly due to their characteristically lower bump density (pixel pitch dimensions of 1.3 mm by 1.3 mm). This paper elaborates on the challenges arising from this design characteristic. Finite element analysis and experimental testing were employed to investigate failure modes in the flip-chip bump structures under thermal cycling from -45 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius and to guide the module redesign. The optimized design demonstrates significantly enhanced robustness and is projected to fulfill the full lifetime requirements of the HGTD.

physics.ins-det↗

Onset of Constituent Quark Number Scaling in Heavy-Ion Collisions at RHIC

Partonic collectivity is one of the necessary signatures for the formation of quark-gluon plasma in high-energy nuclear collisions. Number of constituent quarks (NCQ) scaling has been observed for hadron elliptic flow $v_2$ in top energy nuclear collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the LHC, and this has been theoretically suggested as strong evidence for partonic collectivity. In this Letter, a systematic analysis of $v_2$ of $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $K^{0}_{S}$, $p$, and $Λ$ in Au+Au collisions at ${\sqrt{s_{_{\rm{NN}}}}}$ = 3.2, 3.5, 3.9, and 4.5 GeV, with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, is presented. NCQ scaling is markedly violated at 3.2 GeV, consistent with a hadronic-interaction dominated equation of state. However, as the collision energy increases, a gradual evolution to NCQ scaling is observed. This beam-energy dependence of $v_2$ for all hadrons studied provides evidence for the onset of dominant partonic interactions by ${\sqrt{s_{_{\rm{NN}}}}}$ = 4.5 GeV.

nucl-ex↗

Decadal evolution of a repeating fast radio burst source

The origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs), the brightest cosmic radio explosions, is still unknown. Bearing critical clues to FRBs' origin, the long-term evolution of FRBs has yet to be confirmed, since the field is still young and most FRBs were seen only once. Here we report clear evidence of decadal evolution of FRB~20121102A, the first precisely localized repeater. In conjunction with archival data, our FAST and GBT monitoring campaign since 2020 reveals a significant 7% decline of local dispersion measure (DM). The rotation measure (RM) of 30,755$\pm$16 $\mathrm{rad\,m^{-2}}$ detected in the last epoch represents a 70% decrease compared to that from December 2016. The $σ_{RM}$ parameter, which describes the complexity of the magneto-ionic environment surrounding the source, was shown to have decreased by 13%. These general trends reveal an evolving FRB environment, which could originate from an early-phase supernova associated with an enhanced pair wind from the FRB central engine.

astro-ph.HE↗

Ultra-high-energy $γ$-ray emission associated with the tail of a bow-shock pulsar wind nebula

In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of an unidentified point-like ultra-high-energy (UHE) $γ$-ray source, designated as 1LHAASO J1740+0948u, situated in the vicinity of the middle-aged pulsar PSR J1740+1000. The detection significance reached 17.1$σ$ (9.4$σ$) above 25$\,$TeV (100$\,$TeV). The source energy spectrum extended up to 300$\,$TeV, which was well fitted by a log-parabola function with $N0 = (1.93\pm0.23) \times 10^{-16} \rm{TeV^{-1}\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-2}}$, $α= 2.14\pm0.27$, and $β= 1.20\pm0.41$ at E0 = 30$\,$TeV. The associated pulsar, PSR J1740+1000, resides at a high galactic latitude and powers a bow-shock pulsar wind nebula (BSPWN) with an extended X-ray tail. The best-fit position of the gamma-ray source appeared to be shifted by $0.2^{\circ}$ with respect to the pulsar position. As the (i) currently identified pulsar halos do not demonstrate such offsets, and (ii) centroid of the gamma-ray emission is approximately located at the extension of the X-ray tail, we speculate that the UHE $γ$-ray emission may originate from re-accelerated electron/positron pairs that are advected away in the bow-shock tail.

astro-ph.HE↗

Magnetic mesh generation and field line reconstruction for scrape-off layer and divertor modeling in stellarators

The design of divertor targets and baffles for optimal heat and particle exhaust from magnetically confined fusion plasmas requires a combination of fast, low-fidelity models (such as EMC3-lite [1]) for scoping studies and high-fidelity ones (such as EMC3-EIRENE [2]) for verification. Both of those approaches benefit from a magnetic flux tube mesh for fast interpolation and mapping of field line segments [3]. A new mesh generator for unstructured quadrilateral flux tubes with adaptive refinement is presented and integrated into FLARE [4]. For HSX with an extended first wall, it is found that several layers of flux tubes can span the entire half field period before splitting is required. This is an advantage over the traditional setup of the EMC3-EIRENE mesh where careful construction of several sub-domains is required already for the much tighter present first wall. The divide and conquer paradigm with unstructured mesh layout offers a powerful alternative for integration into optimization workflows. Further examples for W7-X and CTH are presented.

physics.comp-ph↗

Broadband $γ$-ray spectrum of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A

The core-collapse supernova remnant (SNR) Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is one of the brightest galactic radio sources with an angular radius of $\sim$ 2.5 $\arcmin$. Although no extension of this source has been detected in the $γ$-ray band, using more than 1000 days of LHAASO data above $\sim 0.8$ TeV, we find that its spectrum is significantly softer than those obtained with Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) and its flux near $\sim 1$ TeV is about two times higher. In combination with analyses of more than 16 years of \textit{Fermi}-LAT data covering $0.1 \, \mathrm{GeV} - 1 \, \mathrm{TeV}$, we find that the spectrum above 30 GeV deviates significantly from a single power-law, and is best described by a smoothly broken power-law with a spectral index of $1.90 \pm 0.15_\mathrm{stat}$ ($3.41 \pm 0.19_\mathrm{stat}$) below (above) a break energy of $0.63 \pm 0.21_\mathrm{stat} \, \mathrm{TeV}$. Given differences in the angular resolution of LHAASO-WCDA and IACTs, TeV $γ$-ray emission detected with LHAASO may have a significant contribution from regions surrounding the SNR illuminated by particles accelerated earlier, which, however, are treated as background by IACTs. Detailed modelling can be used to constrain acceleration processes of TeV particles in the early stage of SNR evolution.

astro-ph.HE↗

BASSET: Bandpass-Adaptive Single-pulse SEarch Toolkit -- Optimized Sub-Band Pulse Search Strategies for Faint Narrow-Band FRBs

The existing single-pulse search algorithms for fast radio bursts (FRBs) do not adequately consider the frequency bandpass pattern of the pulse, rendering them incomplete for the relatively narrow-spectrum detection of pulses. We present a new search algorithm for narrow-band pulses to update the existing standard pipeline, Bandpass-Adaptive Single-pulse SEarch Toolkit (BASSET). The BASSET employs a time-frequency correlation analysis to identify and remove the noise involved by the zero-detection frequency band, thereby enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the pulses. The BASSET algorithm was implemented on the FAST real dataset of FRB 20190520B, resulting in the discovery of additional 79 pulses through reprocessing. The new detection doubles the number of pulses compared to the previously known 75 pulses, bringing the total number of pulses to 154. In conjunction with the pulse calibration and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulated injection experiments, this work updates the quantified parameter space of the detection rate. Moreover, a parallel-accelerated version of the BASSET code was provided and evaluated through simulation. BASSET has the capacity of enhancing the detection sensitivity and the SNR of the narrow-band pulses from the existing pipeline, offering high performance and flexible applicability. BASSET not only enhances the completeness of the low-energy narrow-band pulse detection in a more robust mode, but also has the potential to further elucidate the FRB luminosity function at a wider energy scale.

astro-ph.IM↗

Measurement of flow coefficients in high-multiplicity $p$+Au, $d$+Au and $^{3}$He$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}}$=200 GeV

Flow coefficients ($v_2$ and $v_3$) are measured in high-multiplicity $p$+Au, $d$+Au, and $^{3}$He$+$Au collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}}$ = 200 GeV using the STAR detector. The measurements utilize two-particle correlations with a pseudorapidity requirement of $|η| <$ 0.9 and a pair gap of $|Δη|>1.0$. The primary focus is on analysis methods, particularly the subtraction of non-flow contributions. Four established non-flow subtraction methods are applied to determine $v_n$, validated using the HIJING event generator. $v_n$ values are compared across the three collision systems at similar multiplicities; this comparison cancels the final state effects and isolates the impact of initial geometry. While $v_2$ values show differences among these collision systems, $v_3$ values are largely similar, consistent with expectations of subnucleon fluctuations in the initial geometry. The ordering of $v_n$ differs quantitatively from previous measurements using two-particle correlations with a larger rapidity gap, which, according to model calculations, can be partially attributed to the effects of longitudinal flow decorrelations. The prospects for future measurements to improve our understanding of flow decorrelation and subnucleonic fluctuations are also discussed.

nucl-ex↗

Production of Protons and Light Nuclei in Au+Au Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 3 GeV with the STAR Detector

We report the systematic measurement of protons and light nuclei production in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 3 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The transverse momentum ($p_{T}$) spectra of protons ($p$), deuterons ($d$), tritons ($t$), $^{3}\mathrm{He}$, and $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ are measured from mid-rapidity to target rapidity for different collision centralities. We present the rapidity and centrality dependence of particle yields ($dN/dy$), average transverse momentum ($\langle p_{T}\rangle$), yield ratios ($d/p$, $t/p$,$^{3}\mathrm{He}/p$, $^{4}\mathrm{He}/p$), as well as the coalescence parameters ($B_2$, $B_3$). The 4$π$ yields for various particles are determined by utilizing the measured rapidity distributions, $dN/dy$. Furthermore, we present the energy, centrality, and rapidity dependence of the compound yield ratios ($N_{p} \times N_{t} / N_{d}^{2}$) and compare them with various model calculations. The physics implications of those results on the production mechanism of light nuclei and on QCD phase structure are discussed.

nucl-ex↗

Correlations of event activity with hard and soft processes in $p$ + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 200 GeV at STAR

With the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativisic Heavy Ion Collider, we characterize $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 200 GeV p+Au collisions by event activity (EA) measured within the pseudorapidity range $eta$ $in$ [-5, -3.4] in the Au-going direction and report correlations between this EA and hard- and soft- scale particle production at midrapidity ($η$ $\in$ [-1, 1]). At the soft scale, charged particle production in low-EA p+Au collisions is comparable to that in p+p collisions and increases monotonically with increasing EA. At the hard scale, we report measurements of high transverse momentum (pT) jets in events of different EAs. In contrast with the soft particle production, high-pT particle production and EA are found to be inversely related. To investigate whether this is a signal of jet quenching in high-EA events, we also report ratios of pT imbalance and azimuthal separation of dijets in high- and low-EA events. Within our measurement precision, no significant differences are observed, disfavoring the presence of jet quenching in the highest 30% EA p+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 200 GeV.

nucl-ex↗