arXiv subjects

Y. J. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Y. J. Zhang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Broadband study of the Be X-ray binary RX J0520.5-6932 during its outburst in 2024

A new giant outburst of the Be X-ray binary RX J0520.5-6932 was detected and subsequently observed with several space-borne and ground-based instruments. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the optical and X-ray data, focusing on the spectral and timing characteristics of selected X-ray observations. A joint fit of spectra from simultaneous observations performed by the X-ray telescope (XRT) on the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift) and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) provides broadband parameter constraints, including a cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) at 32.2(+0.8/-0.7) keV with no significant energy change since 2014, and a weaker Fe line. Independent spectral analyses of observations by the Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy (LEIA), Einstein Probe (EP), Swift-XRT, and NuSTAR demonstrate the consistency of parameters across different bands. Luminosity variations during the current outburst were tracked. The light curve of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) aligns with the X-ray data in both 2014 and 2024. Spin evolution over 10 years is studied after adding Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) data, improving the orbital parameters, with an estimated orbital period of 24.39 days, slightly differing from OGLE data. Despite intrinsic spin-up during outbursts, a spin-down of ~0.04s over 10.3 years is suggested. For the new outburst, the pulse profiles indicate a complicated energy-dependent shape, with decreases around 15 keV and 25 keV in the pulsed fraction, a first for an extragalactic source. Phase-resolved NuSTAR data indicate variations in parameters such as flux, photon index, and CRSF energy with rotation phase.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Suppression of ferromagnetism and influence of disorder in silicon-substituted CeRh6Ge4

We report a study of isoelectronic chemical substitution in the recently discovered quantum critical ferromagnet CeRh$_6$Ge$_4$. Upon silicon-doping, the ferromagnetic ordering temperature of CeRh$_6$(Ge$_{1-x}$Si$_x$)$_4$ is continuously suppressed, and no transition is observed beyond $x_c$$\approx$0.125. Non-Fermi liquid behavior with $C/T \propto$log($T^*/T$) is observed close to $x_c$, indicating the existence of strong quantum fluctuations, while the $T$-linear behavior observed upon pressurizing the parent compound is absent in the resistivity, which appears to be a consequence of the disorder induced by silicon doping. Our findings provide evidence for the role played by disorder on the unusual ferromagnetic quantum criticality in CeRh$_6$Ge$_4$, and provides further evidence for understanding the origin of this behavior.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic order and crystalline electric field excitations of the quantum critical heavy fermion ferromagnet CeRh$_6$Ge$_4$

CeRh$_6$Ge$_4$ is an unusual example of a stoichiometric heavy fermion ferromagnet, which can be cleanly tuned by hydrostatic pressure to a quantum critical point. In order to understand the origin of this anomalous behavior, we have characterized the magnetic ordering and crystalline electric field (CEF) scheme of this system. While magnetic Bragg peaks are not resolved in neutron powder diffraction, coherent oscillations are observed in zero-field $μ$SR below $T_{\rm C}$, which are consistent with in-plane ferromagnetic ordering consisting of reduced Ce moments. From analyzing the magnetic susceptibility and inelastic neutron scattering, we propose a CEF-level scheme which accounts for the easy-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy, where the low lying first excited CEF exhibits significantly stronger hybridization than the ground state. These results suggest that the orbital anisotropy of the ground state and low lying excited state doublets are important for realizing anisotropic electronic coupling between the $f$- and conduction electrons, which gives rise to the highly anisotropic hybridization observed in photoemission experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Fully gapped superconductivity with preserved time reversal symmetry in noncentrosymmetric LaPdIn

We report an investigation of the superconducting properties of the hexagonal noncentrosymmetric compound LaPdIn. Electrical resistivity, specific heat and ac susceptibility measurements demonstrate the presence of bulk superconductivity below $T_c$ = 1.6 K. The specific heat, together with the penetration depth measured using transverse-field muon spin rotation and the tunnel diode oscillator based method, are well described by single gap $s$-wave superconductivity, with a gap magnitude of 1.8$k_BT_c$. From zero-field muon spin relaxation results no evidence is found for the spontaneous emergence of magnetic fields in the superconducting state, indicating that time-reversal symmetry is preserved. Band structure calculations reveal that there is a relatively weak effect of antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling on the electronic bands near the Fermi level, which is consistent with there being negligible singlet-triplet mixing due to broken inversion symmetry. On the other hand, isostructural LuPdIn and LaPtIn do not exhibit superconductivity down to 0.4 K, which may be due to these systems having a smaller density of states at the Fermi level.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Unveiling the Hybridization Process in a Quantum Critical Ferromagnet by Ultrafast Optical Spectroscopy

We report the ultrafast optical pump-probe spectroscopy measurements on the recently discovered quantum critical ferromagnet CeRh$_6$Ge$_4$. Our experimental results reveal the two-stage development of the hybridization between localized $f$ moments and conduction electrons with lowering temperature, as evidenced by (1) the presence of hybridization fluctuation for temperatures from $\sim$85 K ($T^*$) to $\sim$140 K ($T^\dagger$), and (2) the emergence of collective hybridization below the coherence temperature, $T^*$, marked by the opening of an indirect gap of 2$Δ$ $\approx$12 meV. We also observe three coherent phonon modes being softened anomalously below $T^*$, reflecting directly their coupling with the emergent coherent heavy electrons. Our findings establish the universal nature of the hybridization process in different heavy fermion systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Structural and magnetic properties of antiferromagnetic Ce$_2$IrGa$_{12}$

We report a study of the structural and magnetic properties of single crystals of Ce$_2$IrGa$_{12}$. Ce$_2$IrGa$_{12}$ crystallizes in a layered tetragonal structure, and undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition below 3.1 K. We characterize the temperature-field phase diagrams of Ce$_2$IrGa$_{12}$ for fields both within the $ab$-plane and along the $c$-axis, where the presence of a field-induced magnetic phase is found for in-plane fields. The ordering temperature is moderately enhanced upon the application of pressures up to 2.3~GPa, suggesting that Ce$_2$IrGa$_{12}$ corresponds to the well localized region of the Doniach phase diagram.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Hybridization dynamics in CeCoIn5 revealed by ultrafast optical spectroscopy

We investigate the quasiparticle dynamics in the prototype heavy fermion CeCoIn$_5$ using ultrafast optical pump-probe spectroscopy. Our results indicate that this material system undergoes hybridization fluctuations before full establishment of the heavy electron coherence, as the temperature decreases from $\sim$120 K ($T^\dagger$) to $\sim$55 K ($T^*$ ). We reveal that the observed anomalous phonon softening and damping reduction below $T^*$ are directly associated with opening of an indirect hybridization gap. We also discover a distinct collective mode with an energy of $\sim$8 meV, which may be the experimental evidence of the predicted unconventional density wave. Our observations provide critical informations for understanding the hybridization dynamics in heavy fermion materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

$Insight$-HXMT study of the timing properties of Sco X-1

We present a detailed timing study of the brightest persistent X-ray source Sco X-1 using the data collected by the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope ($Insight$-HXMT) from July 2017 to August 2018. A complete $Z$-track hardness-intensity diagram (HID) is obtained. The normal branch oscillations (NBOs) at $\sim$ 6 Hz in the lower part of the normal branch (NB) and the flare branch oscillations (FBOs) at $\sim$ 16 Hz in the beginning part of the flaring branch (FB) are found in observations with the Low Energy X-ray Telescope (LE) and the Medium Energy X-ray Telescope (ME) of $Insight$-HXMT, while the horizontal branch oscillations (HBOs) at $\sim$ 40 Hz and the kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs) at $\sim$ 800 Hz are found simultaneously up to 60 keV for the first time on the horizontal branch (HB) by the High Energy X-ray Telescope (HE) and ME. We find that for all types of the observed QPOs, the centroid frequencies are independent of energy, while the root mean square (rms) increases with energy; the centroid frequencies of both the HBOs and kHz QPOs increase along the $Z$-track from the top to the bottom of the HB; and the NBOs show soft phase lags increasing with energy. A continuous QPO transition from the FB to NB in $\sim$ 200 s are also detected. Our results indicate that the non-thermal emission is the origin of all types of QPOs, the innermost region of the accretion disk is non-thermal in nature, and the corona is nonhomogeneous geometrically.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

The High Energy X-ray telescope (HE) onboard the Insight-HXMT astronomy satellite

The Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT) is a broad band X-ray and gamma-ray (1-3000 keV) astronomy satellite. The High Energy X-ray telescope (HE) is one of its three main telescopes. The main detector plane of HE is composed of 18 NaI(Tl)/CsI(Na) phoswich detectors, where NaI(Tl) serves as primary detector to measure ~ 20-250 keV photons incident from the field of view (FOV) defined by the collimators, and CsI(Na) is used as an active shield detector to NaI(Tl) by pulse shape discrimination. CsI(Na) is also used as an omnidirectional gamma-ray monitor. The HE collimators have a diverse FOV: 1.1°x 5.7° (15 units), 5.7°x 5.7° (2 units) and blocked (1 unit), thus the combined FOV of HE is about 5.7°x 5.7°. Each HE detector has a diameter of 190 mm, resulting in the total geometrical area of about 5100 cm_2. The energy resolution is ~15% at 60 keV. The timing accuracy is better than 10 μs and dead-time for each detector is less than 10 μs. HE is devoted to observe the spectra and temporal variability of X-ray sources in the 20-250 keV band either by pointing observations for known sources or scanning observations to unveil new sources, and to monitor the gamma-ray sky in 0.2-3 MeV. This paper presents the design and performance of the HE instruments. Results of the on-ground calibration experiments are also reported.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Enhancement of the effective mass at high magnetic fields in CeRhIn$_5$

The Kondo-lattice compound CeRhIn$_5$ displays a field-induced Fermi surface reconstruction at $B^*\approx30$ T, which occurs within the antiferromagnetic state, prior to the quantum critical point at $B_{c0}\approx50$ T. Here, in order to investigate the nature of the Fermi surface change, we measured the magnetostriction, specific heat, and magnetic torque of CeRhIn$_5$ across a wide range of magnetic fields. Our observations uncover the field-induced itineracy of the $4f$ electrons, where above $B_{\rm onset}\approx17$ T there is a significant enhancement of the Sommerfeld coefficient, and spin-dependent effective cyclotron masses determined from quantum oscillations. Upon crossing $B_{\rm onset}$, the temperature dependence of the specific heat also shows distinctly different behavior from that at low fields. Our results indicate that the Kondo coupling is remarkably robust upon increasing the magnetic field. This is ascribed to the delocalization of the $4f$ electrons at the Fermi surface reconstruction at $B^*$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Fully gapped $d$-wave superconductivity in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$

The nature of the pairing symmetry of the first heavy fermion superconductor CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ has recently become the subject of controversy. While CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ was generally believed to be a $d$-wave superconductor, recent low temperature specific heat measurements showed evidence for fully gapped superconductivity, contrary to the nodal behavior inferred from earlier results. Here we report London penetration depth measurements, which also reveal fully gapped behavior at very low temperatures. To explain these seemingly conflicting results, we propose a fully gapped $d+d$ band-mixing pairing state for CeCu$_2$Si$_2$, which yields very good fits to both the superfluid density and specific heat, as well as accounting for a sign change of the superconducting order parameter, as previously concluded from inelastic neutron scattering results.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Band dependent inter-layer $f$-electron hybridization in CeRhIn$_5$

A key issue in heavy fermion research is how subtle changes in the hybridization between the 4$f$ (5$f$) and conduction electrons can result in fundamentally different ground states. CeRhIn$_5$ stands out as a particularly notable example: replacing Rh by either Co or Ir, located above or below Rh in the periodic table, antiferromagnetism gives way to superconductivity. In this photoemission study of CeRhIn$_5$, we demonstrate that the use of resonant ARPES with polarized light allows to extract detailed information on the 4$f$ crystal field states and details on the 4$f$ and conduction electron hybridization which together determine the ground state. We directly observe weakly dispersive Kondo resonances of $f$-electrons and identify two of the three Ce $4f_{5/2}^{1}$ crystal-electric-field levels and band-dependent hybridization, which signals that the hybridization occurs primarily between the Ce $4f$ states in the CeIn$_3$ layer and two more three-dimensional bands composed of the Rh $4d$ and In $5p$ orbitals in the RhIn$_2$ layer. Our results allow to connect the properties observed at elevated temperatures with the unusual low-temperature properties of this enigmatic heavy fermion compound.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Design and construction of the POLAR detector

The POLAR detector is a space based Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) polarimeter with a wide field of view, which covers almost half the sky. The instrument uses Compton scattering of gamma rays on a plastic scintillator hodoscope to measure the polarization of the incoming photons. The instrument has been successfully launched on board of the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong~2 on September 15, 2016. The construction of the instrument components is described in this article. Details are provided on problems encountered during the construction phase and their solutions. Initial performance of the instrument in orbit is as expected from ground tests and Monte Carlo simulation.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Instrument Performance and Simulation Verification of the POLAR Detector

POLAR is a new satellite-born detector aiming to measure the polarization of an unprecedented number of Gamma-Ray Bursts in the 50-500 keV energy range. The instrument, launched on-board the Tiangong-2 Chinese Space lab on the 15th of September 2016, is designed to measure the polarization of the hard X-ray flux by measuring the distribution of the azimuthal scattering angles of the incoming photons. A detailed understanding of the polarimeter and specifically of the systematic effects induced by the instrument's non-uniformity are required for this purpose. In order to study the instrument's response to polarization, POLAR underwent a beam test at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France. In this paper both the beam test and the instrument performance will be described. This is followed by an overview of the Monte Carlo simulation tools developed for the instrument. Finally a comparison of the measured and simulated instrument performance will be provided and the instrument response to polarization will be presented.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Possible Weyl fermions in the magnetic Kondo system CeSb

Materials where the electronic bands have unusual topologies allow for the realization of novel physics and have a wide range of potential applications. When two electronic bands with linear dispersions intersect at a point, the excitations could be described as Weyl fermions which are massless particles with a particular chirality. Here we report evidence for the presence of Weyl fermions in the ferromagnetic state of the low-carrier density, strongly correlated Kondo lattice system CeSb, from electronic structure calculations and angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements. When the applied magnetic field is parallel to the electric current, a pronounced negative magnetoresistance is observed within the ferromagnetic state, which is destroyed upon slightly rotating the field away. These results give evidence for CeSb belonging to a new class of Kondo lattice materials with Weyl fermions in the ferromagnetic state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Nodeless superconductivity and the peak effect in the quasi-skutterudites $\mathrm{Lu}_3\mathrm{Os}_4\mathrm{Ge}_{13}$ and $\mathrm{Y}_3\mathrm{Ru}_4\mathrm{Ge}_{13}$

We report an investigation of the superconducting states of $\mathrm{Lu}_3\mathrm{Os}_4\mathrm{Ge}_{13}$ and $\mathrm{Y}_3\mathrm{Ru}_4\mathrm{Ge}_{13}$ single crystals by measurements of the electrical resistivity, ac susceptibility and London penetration depth. The analysis of the penetration depth and the derived superfluid density indicates the presence of nodeless superconductivity and suggest that there are multiple superconducting gaps in both materials. Furthermore, ac susceptibility measurements of both compounds display the peak effect in the low temperature region of the $H-T$ phase diagram. This anomalous increase of the critical current with field gives an indication of a change of the arrangement of flux lines in the mixed state, as found in some of the isostructural stannide materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Calibration of the Space-borne Compton Polarimeter POLAR flight model with 100% polarized X-ray beams

POLAR is space-borne detector designed for a precise measurement of gamma-ray polarization of the prompt emissions of Gamma-Ray Bursts in the energy range 50 keV - 500 keV. POLAR is a compact Compton polarimeter consisting of 40$\times$ 40 plastic scintillator bars read out by 25 multi-anode PMTs. In May 2015, we performed a series of tests of the POLAR flight model with 100\% polarized x-rays beams at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility beam-line ID11 aming to study thresholds, crosstalk between channels and responses of POLAR flight model to polarized X-ray beams. In this paper we present the data analysis method and some analysis results. According the results, POLAR FM has good polarimetric capabilities.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Gain factor and parameter settings optimization of the new gamma-ray burst polarimeter POLAR

As a space-borne detector POLAR is designed to conduct hard X-ray polarization measurements of gamma-ray bursts on the statistically significant sample of events and with an unprecedented accuracy. During its development phase a number of tests, calibrations runs and verification measurements were carried out in order to validate instrument functionality and optimize operational parameters. In this article we present results on gain optimization togeter with verification data obtained in the course of broad laboratory and environmental tests. In particular we focus on exposures to the $^{137}$Cs radioactive source and determination of the gain dependence on the high voltage for all 1600 detection channels of the polarimeter. Performance of the instrument is described in detail with respect to the dynamic range, energy resolution and temperature dependence. Gain optimization algorithms and response non-uniformity studies are also broadly discussed. Results presented below constitute important parts for development of the POLAR calibration and operation database.

astro-ph.IM↗