arXiv subjects

Yaguang Li

Publications and source records attributed to Yaguang Li.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Stellar Models are Reliable at Low Metallicity: An Asteroseismic Age for the Ancient Very Metal-Poor Star KIC 8144907

Very metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<-2) are important laboratories for testing stellar models and reconstructing the formation history of our galaxy. Asteroseismology is a powerful tool to probe stellar interiors and measure ages, but few asteroseismic detections are known in very metal-poor stars and none have allowed detailed modeling of oscillation frequencies. We report the discovery of a low-luminosity Kepler red giant (KIC 8144907) with high S/N oscillations, [Fe/H]=-2.66+/-0.08 and [alpha/Fe]=0.38+/-0.06, making it by far the most metal-poor star to date for which detailed asteroseismic modeling is possible. By combining the oscillation spectrum from Kepler with high-resolution spectroscopy we measure an asteroseismic mass and age of 0.79+/-0.02(ran)+/-0.01(sys) Msun and 12.0+/-0.6(ran)+/-0.4(sys) Gyr, with remarkable agreement across different codes and input physics, demonstrating that stellar models and asteroseismology are reliable for very metal-poor stars when individual frequencies are used. The results also provide a direct age anchor for the early formation of the Milky Way, implying that substantial star formation did not commence until redshift z~3 (if the star formed in-situ) or that the Milky Way has undergone merger events for at least ~12 Gyr (if the star was accreted by a dwarf satellite merger such as Gaia Enceladus).

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Realistic Uncertainties for Fundamental Properties of Asteroseismic Red Giants and the Interplay Between Mixing Length, Metallicity and $ν_{\rm max}$

Asteroseismic modelling is a powerful way to derive stellar properties. However, the derived quantities are limited by built-in assumptions used in stellar models. This work presents a detailed characterisation of stellar model uncertainties in asteroseismic red giants, focusing on the mixing-length parameter $α_{\rm MLT}$, the initial helium fraction $Y_{\rm init}$, the solar abundance scale, and the overshoot parameters. First, we estimate error floors due to model uncertainties to be $\approx$0.4\% in mass, $\approx$0.2\% in radius, and $\approx$17\% in age, primarily due to the uncertain state of $α_{\rm MLT}$ and $Y_{\rm init}$. The systematic uncertainties in age exceed typical statistical uncertainties, suggesting the importance of their evaluation in asteroseismic applications. Second, we demonstrate that the uncertainties from $α_{\rm MLT}$ can be entirely mitigated by direct radius measurements or partially through $ν_{\rm max}$. Utilizing radii from Kepler eclipsing binaries, we determined the $α_{\rm MLT}$ values and calibrated the $α_{\rm MLT}$--[M/H] relation. The correlation observed between the two variables is positive, consistent with previous studies using 1-D stellar models, but in contrast with outcomes from 3-D simulations. Third, we explore the implications of using asteroseismic modelling to test the $ν_{\rm max}$ scaling relation. We found that a perceived dependency of $ν_{\rm max}$ on [M/H] from individual frequency modelling can be largely removed by incorporating the calibrated $α_{\rm MLT}$--[M/H] relation. Variations in $Y_{\rm init}$ can also affect $ν_{\rm max}$ predictions. These findings suggest that $ν_{\rm max}$ conveys information not fully captured by individual frequencies, and that it should be carefully considered as an important observable for asteroseismic modelling.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Flow-Based Generative Emulation of Grids of Stellar Evolutionary Models

We present a flow-based generative approach to emulate grids of stellar evolutionary models. By interpreting the input parameters and output properties of these models as multi-dimensional probability distributions, we train conditional normalizing flows to learn and predict the complex relationships between grid inputs and outputs in the form of conditional joint distributions. Leveraging the expressive power and versatility of these flows, we showcase their ability to emulate a variety of evolutionary tracks and isochrones across a continuous range of input parameters. In addition, we describe a simple Bayesian approach for estimating stellar parameters using these flows and demonstrate its application to asteroseismic datasets of red giants observed by the Kepler mission. By applying this approach to red giants in open clusters NGC 6791 and NGC 6819, we illustrate how large age uncertainties can arise when fitting only to global asteroseismic and spectroscopic parameters without prior information on initial helium abundances and mixing length parameter values. We also conduct inference using the flow at a large scale by determining revised estimates of masses and radii for 15,388 field red giants. These estimates show improved agreement with results from existing grid-based modelling, reveal distinct population-level features in the red clump, and suggest that the masses of Kepler red giants previously determined using the corrected asteroseismic scaling relations have been overestimated by 5-10%.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

In Tree Structure Should Sentence Be Generated

Generative models reliant on sequential autoregression have been at the forefront of language generation for an extensive period, particularly following the introduction of widely acclaimed transformers. Despite its excellent performance, there are always some issues that we face today. For example, problems such as hallucinations and getting trapped in a logic loop may occur. To enhance the performance of existing systems, this paper introduces a new method for generating sequences in natural language, which involves generating the targeted sentence in a tree-traversing order. The paper includes an illustration of the theoretical basis and validity of the approach, as well as a comparison of its fundamentals with the diffusion model in graphic generation. Finally, a module called SenTree is introduced for generating an approximating binary tree. It is already available at https://github.com/arklyg/sentree. Additionally, a joint training framework based on this approach is proposed, incorporating the intrinsics of generative adversarial networks.

cs.CL↗

arXiv2024

Reconstructing Intrinsic Stellar Noise with Stellar Atmospheric Parameters and Chromospheric Activity

Accurately characterizing intrinsic stellar photometric noise induced by stellar astrophysics, such as stellar activity, granulation, and oscillations, is of crucial importance for detecting transiting exoplanets. In this study, we investigate the relation between the intrinsic stellar photometric noise, as quantified by the Kepler rrmsCDPP measurement, and the level of stellar chromospheric activity, as indicated by the S-index of Ca II HK lines derived from the LAMOST spectra. Our results reveal a clear positive correlation between S-index and rrmsCDPP, and the correlation becomes more significant at higher activity levels and on longer timescales. We have therefore built an empirical relation between rrmsCDPP and S-index as well as Teff, logg, [Fe/H], and apparent magnitude with the XGBoost regression algorithm, using the LAMOST-Kepler common star sample as the training set. This method achieves a precision of ~20 ppm for inferring the intrinsic noise from the S-index and other stellar labels on a 6-hour integration duration. We have applied this empirical relation to the full LAMOST DR7 spectra database, and obtained the intrinsic noise predictions for 1,358,275 stars. The resultant catalog is publicly available and expected to be valuable for optimizing target selection for future exoplanet-hunting space missions, such as the Earth 2.0 mission.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

High efficient sunlight-driven CO2 hydrogenation to methanol over NiZn intermetallic catalysts under atmospheric pressure

The synthesis of solar methanol through direct CO2 hydrogenation using solar energy is of great importance in advancing a sustainable energy economy. In this study, non-precious NiZn intermetallic/ZnO catalyst is reported to catalyze the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol using sunlight irradiation (1sun). The NiZn-ZnO interface is identified as the active site to stabilize the key intermediates of HxCO*. At ambient pressure, the NiZn-ZnO catalyst demonstrates a methanol production rate of 127.5 umol g-1h-1 from solar driven CO2 hydrogenation, with a remarkable 100% selectivity towards methanol in the total organic products. Notably, this production rate stands as the highest record for photothermic CO2 hydrogenation to methanol in continuous-flow reactors with sunlight as the only requisite energy input. This discovery not only paves the way for the development of novel catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol but also marks a significant stride towards a full solar-driven chemical energy storage.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

A simple method to measure numax for asteroseismology: application to 16,000 oscillating Kepler red giants

The importance of numax (the frequency of maximum oscillation power) for asteroseismology has been demonstrated widely in the previous decade, especially for red giants. With the large amount of photometric data from CoRoT, Kepler and TESS, several automated algorithms to retrieve numax values have been introduced. Most of these algorithms correct the granulation background in the power spectrum by fitting a model and subtracting it before measuring numax. We have developed a method that does not require fitting to the granulation background. Instead, we simply divide the power spectrum by a function of the form nu^-2, to remove the slope due to granulation background, and then smooth to measure numax. This method is fast, simple and avoids degeneracies associated with fitting. The method is able to measure oscillations in 99.9% of previously-studied Kepler red giants, with a systematic offset of 1.5 % in numax values that that we are able to calibrate. On comparing the seismic radii from this work with Gaia, we see similar trends to those observed in previous studies. Additionally, our values of width of the power envelope can clearly identify the dipole mode suppressed stars as a distinct population, hence as a way to detect them. We also applied our method to stars with low (0.19--18.35 muHz) and found it works well to correctly identify the oscillations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Stable Acceleration of a LHe-Free Nb3Sn demo SRF e-linac Based on Conduction Cooling

The design, construction, and commissioning of a conduction-cooled Nb3Sn demonstration superconducting radio frequency (SRF) electron accelerator at the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMP, CAS) will be presented. In the context of engineering application planning for Nb3Sn thin-film SRF cavities within the CiADS project, a 650MHz 5-cell elliptical cavity was coated using the vapor diffusion method for electron beam acceleration. Through high-precision collaborative control of 10 GM cryocooler, slow cooldown of the cavity crossing 18K is achieved accompanied by obviously characteristic magnetic flux expulsion. The horizontal test results of the liquid helium-free (LHe-free) cryomodule show that the cavity can operate steadily at Epk=6.02MV/m in continuous wave (CW) mode, and at Epk=14.90MV/m in 40% duty cycle pulse mode. The beam acceleration experiment indicates that the maximum average current of the electron beam in the macropulse after acceleration exceeds 200mA, with a maximum energy gain of 4.6MeV. The results provide a principle validation for the engineering application of Nb3Sn thin-film SRF cavities, highlighting the promising industrial application prospects of a small-scale compact Nb3Sn SRF accelerator driven by commercial cryocoolers.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2024

Low-amplitude solar-like oscillations in the K5 V star $\varepsilon$ Indi A

We have detected solar-like oscillations in the mid K-dwarf $\varepsilon$ Indi A, making it the coolest dwarf to have measured oscillations. The star is noteworthy for harboring a pair of brown dwarf companions and a Jupiter-type planet. We observed $\varepsilon$ Indi A during two radial velocity campaigns, using the high-resolution spectrographs HARPS (2011) and UVES (2021). Weighting the time series, we computed the power spectra and established the detection of solar-like oscillations with a power excess located at $5265 \pm 110 \ μ$Hz -- the highest frequency solar-like oscillations so far measured in any star. The measurement of the center of the power excess allows us to compute a stellar mass of $0.782 \pm 0.023 \ M_\odot$ based on scaling relations and a known radius from interferometry. We also determine the amplitude of the peak power and note that there is a slight difference between the two observing campaigns, indicating a varying activity level. Overall, this work confirms that low-amplitude solar-like oscillations can be detected in mid-K type stars in radial velocity measurements obtained with high-precision spectrographs.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

The highest mass Kepler red giants -- I. Global asteroseismic parameters of 48 stars

When low- and intermediate-mass stars evolve off the main sequence, they expand and cool into the red giant stages of evolution, which include those associated with shell H burning (the red giant branch), core He burning (the red clump), and shell He burning (the asymptotic giant branch). The majority of red giants have masses $< 2 M_\odot$, and red giants more massive than this are often excluded from major studies. Here we present a study of the highest-mass stars ($M > 3.0 M_\odot$) in the Kepler sample of 16,000 red giants. We begin by re-estimating their global seismic properties with new light curves, highlighting the differences between using the SAP and PDCSAP light curves provided by Kepler. We use the re-estimated properties to derive new mass estimates for the stars, ending with a final sample of 48 confirmed high-mass stars. We explore their oscillation envelopes, confirming the trends found in recent works such as low mean mode amplitude and wide envelopes. We find, through probabilistic means, that our sample is likely all core He burning stars. We measure their dipole and quadrupole mode visibilities and confirm that the dipole mode visibility tends to decrease with mass.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Relations of rotation and chromospheric activity to stellar age for FGK dwarfs from Kepler and LAMOST

The empirical relations between rotation period, chromospheric activity, and age can be used to estimate stellar age. To calibrate these relations, we present a catalog, including the masses and ages of 52,321 FGK dwarfs, 47,489 chromospheric activity index $logR^{+}_{HK}$, 6,077 rotation period $P_{rot}$ and variability amplitude $S_{ph}$, based on data from LAMOST DR7, Kepler and Gaia DR3. We find a pronounced correlation among $P_{rot}$, age, and [Fe/H] throughout the main-sequence phase for F dwarfs. However, the decrease of $logR^{+}_{HK}$ over time is not significant except for those with [Fe/H] $<$ $-$0.1. For G dwarfs, both $P_{rot}$ and $logR^{+}_{HK}$ are reliable age probes in the ranges $\sim$ 2-11 Gyr and $\sim$ 2-13 Gyr, respectively. K dwarfs exhibit a prominent decrease in $logR^{+}_{HK}$ within the age range of $\sim$ 3-13 Gyr when the relation of $P_{rot}-τ$ is invalid. These relations are very important for promptly estimating the age of a vast number of stars, thus serving as a powerful tool in advancing the fields of exoplanet properties, stellar evolution, and Galactic-archaeology.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Detection of Solar-like Oscillations in Sub-giant and Red Giant Stars Using 2-minute Cadence TESS Data

Based on all 2-minute cadence $TESS$ light curves from Sector 1 to 60, we provide a catalog of 8,651 solar-like oscillators, including frequency at maximum power ($ν_{\rm max}$, with its median precision, $σ$=5.39\%), large frequency separation ($Δν$, $σ$=6.22\%), seismically derived masses, radii, and surface gravity. In this sample, we have detected 2,173 new oscillators and added 4,373 new $Δν$ measurements. Our seismic parameters are consistent with those from $Kepler$, $K2$, and previous $TESS$ data. The median fractional residual in $ν_{\rm max}$ is $1.63\%$ with a scatter of $14.75\%$, and in $Δν$ it is $0.11\%$ with a scatter of $10.76\%$. We have detected 476 solar-like oscillators with $ν_{\rm max}$ exceeding the $Nyquist$ frequency of $Kepler$ long-cadence data during the evolutionary phases of sub-giant and the base of the red-giant branch, which provide a valuable resource for understanding angular momentum transport.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Does the $ν_{\max}$ scaling relation depend on metallicity? Insights from 3D convection simulations

Solar-like oscillations have been detected in thousands of stars thanks to modern space missions. These oscillations have been used to measure stellar masses and ages, which have been widely applied in Galactic archaeology. One of the pillars of such applications is the $ν_{\max}$ scaling relation: the frequency of maximum power $ν_{\max}$, assumed to be proportional to the acoustic cut-off frequency, $ν_{\rm ac}$, scales with effective temperature and surface gravity. However, the theoretical basis of the $ν_{\max}$ scaling relation is uncertain, and there is an ongoing debate about whether it can be applied to metal-poor stars. We investigate the metallicity dependence of the $ν_{\max}$ scaling relation by carrying out 3D near-surface convection simulations for solar-type stars with [Fe/H] between -3 and 0.5 dex. Firstly, we found a negative correlation between $ν_{\rm ac}$ and metallicity from the 3D models. This is in tension with the positive correlation identified by studies using 1D models. Secondly, we estimated theoretical $ν_{\max}$ values using velocity amplitudes determined from first principles, by quantifying the mode excitation and damping rates with methods validated in our previous works. We found that at solar effective temperature and surface gravity, $ν_{\max}$ does not show correlation with metallicity. This study opens an exciting prospect of testing the asteroseismic scaling relations against realistic 3D hydrodynamical stellar models.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Asteroseismology and Spectropolarimetry of the Exoplanet Host Star $λ$ Serpentis

The bright star $λ$ Ser hosts a hot Neptune with a minimum mass of 13.6 $M_\oplus$ and a 15.5 day orbit. It also appears to be a solar analog, with a mean rotation period of 25.8 days and surface differential rotation very similar to the Sun. We aim to characterize the fundamental properties of this system, and to constrain the evolutionary pathway that led to its present configuration. We detect solar-like oscillations in time series photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), and we derive precise asteroseismic properties from detailed modeling. We obtain new spectropolarimetric data, and we use them to reconstruct the large-scale magnetic field morphology. We reanalyze the complete time series of chromospheric activity measurements from the Mount Wilson Observatory, and we present new X-ray and ultraviolet observations from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes. Finally, we use the updated observational constraints to assess the rotational history of the star and to estimate the wind braking torque. We conclude that the remaining uncertainty on stellar age currently prevents an unambiguous interpretation of the properties of $λ$ Ser, and that the rate of angular momentum loss appears to be higher than for other stars with similar Rossby number. Future asteroseismic observations may help to improve the precision of the stellar age.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Ni-O-Ag catalyst enables 103-m$^2$ artificial photosynthesis with >16% solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency

Herein, NiO nanosheets supported with Ag single atoms are synthesized for photothermal CO2 hydrogenation to achieve 1065 mmol g$^{-1}$ h$^{-1}$ of CO production rate under 1 sun irradiation, revealing the unparalleled weak sunlight driven reverse water-gas shift reaction (RWGS) activity. This performance is attributed to the coupling effect of Ag-O-Ni sites to enhance the hydrogenation of CO$_2$ and weaken the CO adsorption, resulting in 1434 mmol g$^{-1}$ h$^{-1}$ of CO yield at 300$^\circ$ C, surpassing any low-temperature RWGS performances ever reported. Building on this, we integrated the 2D Ni$_1$Ag$_{0.02}$O$_1$ supported photothermal RWGS with commercial photovoltaic electrolytic water splitting, leading to the realization of 103 m$^2$ scale artificial photosynthesis system (CO$_2$+H$_2$$\to$CO+H$_2$O) with a daily CO yield of 18.70 m$^3$, a photochemical energy conversion efficiency of >16%, over 90% H$_2$ ultilization efficiency, outperforming other types of artificial photosynthesis. The results of this research chart a promising course for designing practical, natural sunlight-driven artificial photosynthesis systems and highly efficient platinum-free CO$_2$ hydrogenation catalysts. This work is a significant step towards harnessing solar energy more efficiently and sustainably, opening exciting possibilities for future research and development in this area.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Investigating 16 Open Clusters in the Kepler/K2-Gaia DR3 field. I. Membership, Binary, and Rotation

Using data from the Gaia Data Release 3 (Gaia DR3) and Kepler/K2, we present a catalog of 16 open clusters with ages ranging from 4 to 4000 Myr, which provides detailed information on membership, binary systems, and rotation. We assess the memberships in 5D phase space, and estimate the basic parameters of each cluster. Among the 20,160 members, there are 4,381 stars identified as binary candidates and 49 stars as blue straggler stars. The fraction of binaries vary in each cluster, and the range between 9% to 44%. We obtain the rotation periods of 5,467 members, of which 4,304 are determined in this work. To establish a benchmark for the rotation-age-color relation, we construct color-period diagrams. We find that the rotational features of binaries are similar to that of single stars, while features for binaries are more scattered in the rotation period. Moreover, the morphology of the color-period relationship is already established for Upper Scorpius at the age of 19 Myr, and some stars of varying spectral types (i.e. FG-, K-, and M-type) show different spin-down rates after the age of ~110 Myr. By incorporating the effects of stalled spin-down into our analysis, we develop an empirical rotation-age-color relation, which is valid with ages between 700 - 4000 Myr and colors corresponding to a range of 0.5 < (G_BP-G_RP)0 < 2.5 mag.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Age of FGK Dwarfs Observed with LAMOST and GALAH: Considering the Oxygen Enhancement

Varying oxygen abundance could impact the modeling-inferred ages. This work aims to estimate the ages of dwarfs considering observed oxygen abundance. To characterize 67,503 LAMOST and 4,006 GALAH FGK-type dwarf stars, we construct a grid of stellar models which take into account oxygen abundance as an independent model input. Compared with ages determined with commonly-used $α$-enhanced models, we find a difference of $\sim$9% on average when the observed oxygen abundance is considered. The age differences between the two types of models are correlated to [Fe/H] and [O/$α$], and they are relatively significant on stars with [Fe/H] $\lesssim$ -0.6 dex. Generally, varying 0.2 dex in [O/$α$] will alter the age estimates of metal-rich (-0.2 $<$ [Fe/H] $<$ 0.2) stars by $\sim$10%, and relatively metal-poor (-1 $<$ [Fe/H] $<$ -0.2) stars by $\sim$15%. Of the low-O stars with [Fe/H] $<$ 0.1 dex and [O/$α$] $\sim$ -0.2 dex, many have fractional age differences of $\geq$ 10%, and even reach up to 27%. The fractional age difference of high-O stars with [O/$α$] $\sim$ 0.4 dex reaches up to -33% to -42% at [Fe/H] $\lesssim$ -0.6 dex. We also analyze the chemical properties of these stars. We find a decreasing trend of [Fe/H] with age from 7.5-9 Gyr to 5-6.5 Gyr for the stars from the LAMOST and GALAH. The [O/Fe] of these stars increases with decreasing age from 7.5-9 Gyr to 3-4 Gyr, indicating that the younger population is more O-rich.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Asteroseismic Modeling of 1,153 Kepler Red Giant Branch Stars: Improved Stellar Parameters with Gravity-Mode Period Spacings and Luminosity Constraints

This paper reports estimated stellar parameters of 1,153 Kepler red giant branch stars determined with asteroseismic modeling. We use radial-mode oscillation frequencies, gravity-mode period spacings, Gaia luminosities, and spectroscopic data to characterize these stars. Compared with previous studies, we find that the two additional observed constraints, i.e., the gravity-mode period spacing and luminosity, significantly improve the precision of fundamental stellar parameters. The typical uncertainties are 2.9% for the mass, 11% for the age, 1.0% for the radius, 0.0039 dex for the surface gravity, and 0.5\% for the helium core mass, making this the best-characterized large sample of red-giant stars available to date. With better characterizations for these red giants, we recalibrate the seismic scaling relations and study the surface term on the red-giant branch. We confirm that the surface term depends on the surface gravity and effective temperature, but there is no significant correlation with metallicity.

astro-ph.SR↗