arXiv subjects

Yong-Feng Huang

Publications and source records attributed to Yong-Feng Huang.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Searching For Strange Quark Planets

Strange quark matter (SQM) may be the true ground state of matter. According to this SQM hypothesis, the observed neutron stars actually should all be strange quark stars. But distinguishing between neutron stars and strange quark stars by means of obser- vations is extremely difficult. It is interesting to note that under the SQM hypothesis, less massive objects such as strange quark planets and strange dwarfs can also stably exist. The extremely high density and small radius of strange quark planets give us some new perspectives to identify SQM objects and to test the SQM hypothesis. First, the tidal disruption radius of strange quark planets is much smaller than normal planets, so, very close-in exoplanets can be safely identified as candidates of SQM objects. Sec- ond, gravitational waves (GW) from mergers of strange quark star-strange quark planet systems are strong enough to be detected by ground-based GW detectors. As a result, GW observation will be a powerful tool to probe SQM stars. At the same time, the tidal deformability of SQM planets can be measured to further strengthen the result.

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arXiv2021

X-ray Plateaus in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows and Their Application in Cosmology

For gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with a plateau phase in the X-ray afterglow, a so called $L-T-E$ correlation has been found which tightly connects the isotropic energy of the prompt GRB ($E_{γ,\rm{iso}}$) with the end time of the X-ray plateau ($T_{a}$) and the corresponding X-ray luminosity at the end time ($L_{X}$). Here we show that there is a clear redshift evolution in the correlation. Furthermore, since the power-law indices of $L_{X}$ and $E_{γ,\rm{iso}}$ in the correlation function are almost identical, the $L-T-E$ correlation is insensitive to cosmological parameters and cannot be used as a satisfactory standard candle. On the other hand, based on a sample including 121 long GRBs, we establish a new three parameter correlation that connects $L_{X}$, $T_{a}$ and the spectral peak energy $E_{\rm{p}}$, i.e. the $L-T-E_{\rm{p}}$ correlation. This correlation strongly supports the so-called Combo-relation established by Izzo et al. (2015). After correcting for the redshift evolution, we show that the de-evolved $L-T-E_{\rm{p}}$ correlation can be used as a standard candle. By using this correlation alone, we are able to constrain the cosmological parameters as $Ω_{m}=0.389^{+0.202}_{-0.141}$ ($1σ$) for the flat $Λ$CDM model, or $Ω_{m}=0.369^{+0.217}_{-0.191}$, $w=-0.966^{+0.513}_{-0.678}$ ($1σ$) for the flat $w$CDM model. Combining with other cosmological probes, more accurate constraints on the cosmology models are presented.

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arXiv2021

Gamma-Ray Burst in a Binary System

Regardless of their different types of progenitors and central engines, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) were always assumed to be standalone systems after they formed. Little attention has been paid to the possibility that a stellar companion can still accompany a GRB itself. This paper investigates such a GRB-involved binary system and studies the effects of the stellar companion on the observed GRB emission when it is located inside the jet opening angle. Assuming a typical emission radius of $\sim10^{15}\,$cm, we show that the blockage by a companion star with a radius of $R_\mathrm{c}\sim67\,\mathrm{R_\odot}$ becomes non-negligible when it is located within a typical GRB jet opening angle (e.g., $\sim10$ degrees) and beyond the GRB emission site. In such a case, an on-axis observer will see a GRB with a similar temporal behavior but 25% dimmer. On the other hand, an off-axis observer outside the jet opening angle (hence missed the original GRB) can see a delayed "reflected" GRB, which is much fainter in brightness, much wider in the temporal profile and slightly softer in energy. Our study can naturally explain the origin of some low-luminosity GRBs. Moreover, we also point out that the companion star may be shocked if it is located inside the GRB emission site, which can give rise to an X-ray transient or a GRB followed by a delayed X-ray bump on top of X-ray afterglows.

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arXiv2021

Repeating Fast Radio Bursts from Collapses of the Crust of a Strange Star

Strange stars (SSs) are compact objects made of deconfined quarks. It is hard to distinguish SSs from neutron stars as a thin crust composed of normal hadronic matter may exist and obscure the whole surface of the SS. Here we suggest that the intriguing repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) are produced by the intermittent fractional collapses of the crust of an SS induced by refilling of accretion materials from its low-mass companion. The periodic/sporadic/clustered temporal behaviors of FRBs could be well understood in our scenario. Especially, the periodicity is attributed to the modulation of accretion rate through the disk instabilities. To account for a $\sim 16$-day periodicity of the repeating FRB source 180916.J0158+65, a Shakura-Sunyaev disk with a viscosity parameter of $α\simeq 0.004$ and an accretion rate of $\simeq 3 \times 10^{16}$~g~s$^{-1}$ in the low state is invoked. Our scenario, if favored by future observations, will serve as indirect evidence for the strange quark matter hypothesis.

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arXiv2021

The chiral restored quark stars can exist in the universe

In this paper, the equation of state (EOS) of deconfined quark stars is studied in the framework of the two-flavor NJL model, and the self-consistent mean field approximation is employed by introducing a parameter $α$ combining the original Lagrangian and the Fierz-transformed Lagrangian, $\mathcal{L}_R= (1-α)\mathcal{L}+α\mathcal{L}_F$, to measure the weights of different interaction channels. It is believed that the deconfinement of phase transition happens along with the chiral phase transition. Thus, due to the lack of description of confinement in the NJL model, the vacuum pressure is set to confine quarks at low densities, which is the pressure corresponding to the critical point of chiral phase transition. We find that deconfined quark stars can reach over two-solar-mass, and the bag constant therefore shifts from $(130 ~\mathrm{MeV})^4$ to $(150 ~\mathrm{MeV})^4$ as $α$ grows. In addition, the tidal deformability $Λ$ is yielded ranging from 253 to 482 along with the decrease of $~α$, which satisfies the astronomical constraint of $Λ<800$ for 1.4-solar-mass neutron stars.

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arXiv2021

Hybrid stars can be self-bound

Based on the properties of uniform nuclear matter at the nuclear saturation density and basic thermodynamic relations, we first re-study the composition of matter on the surface of normal neutron stars and hybrid stars. It is found that the hybrid stars are composed of uniform hadronic matter on the surface rather than heavy nuclei. Then we use the Walceka model and the self-consistent NJL model to describe the equation of state of low-density hadrons and quark matter at high densities respectively, and the P--interpolation method is employed to connect the equation of state at the extreme densities to study hybrid stars. As a result, we find that the obtained hybrid star mass-radius relation and tidal deformability meet the latest astronomical data. More importantly, we find that the hybrid stars we obtained can be self-bound rather than gravitationally bound, which is completely different from previous related studies.

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arXiv2020

FRB 200428: an Impact between an Asteroid and a Magnetar

A fast radio burst (FRB) was recently detected to be associated with a hard X-ray burst from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154. Scenarios involving magnetars for FRBs are hence highly favored. In this work, we suggest that the impact between an asteroid and a magnetar could explain such a detection. According to our calculations, an asteroid of mass $10^{20}$ g will be disrupted at a distance of $7 \times 10^9$ cm when approaching the magnetar. The accreted material will flow along the magnetic field lines from the Alfvén radius $\sim 10^7$ cm. After falling onto the magnetar's surface, an instant accretion column will be formed, producing a Comptonized X-ray burst and an FRB in the magnetosphere. We show that all the observational features of FRB 200428 could be interpreted self-consistently in this scenario. We predict quasi-periodic oscillations in this specific X-ray burst, which can serve as an independent observational test.

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arXiv2020

The Gravitational Wave Emission of Double White Dwarf Coalescences

Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are widely used as standard candles to probe the Universe. However, how these fierce explosions are produced itself is still a highly debated issue. There are mainly two popular models for SNe Ia, i.e. the double-degenerate scenario and the single-degenerate scenario. The double-degenerate scenario suggests that SNe Ia are produced by the coalescence of two degenerate white dwarfs, while the single-degenerate scenario suggests that the continuous accretion of a single degenerate white dwarf from its normal stellar companion will finally lead to a disastrous explosion when it is over-massive, resulting in an SN Ia. The rapid development of the gravitational wave astronomy sheds new light on the nature of SNe Ia. In this study, we calculate the gravitational wave emissions of double white dwarf coalescences and compare them with the sensitivities of several upcoming detectors. It is found that the gravitational wave emissions from double white dwarf mergers in the locale universe are strong enough to be detected by LISA. We argue that LISA-like gravitational wave detectors sensitive in the frequency range of 0.01 - 0.1 Hz will be a powerful tool to test the double-degenerate model of SNe Ia, and also to probe the Universe.

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arXiv2020

Strange quark stars within proper time regularized (2+1)-flavor NJL model

In this work we use the equation of state (EOS) of (2+1)-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model to study the structure of the strange quark star. With a new free parameter $α$, the Lagrangian is constructed by two parts, the original NJL Lagrangian and the Fierz transformation of it, as $\mathcal{L}=(1-α)\mathcal{L}_{NJL}+α\mathcal{L}_{Fierz}$. To determine the range of $α$, we compare the binding energies in the 2-flavor and (2+1)-flavor cases. We also consider the constraints of chemical equilibrium and electric charge neutrality in the strange quark star and choose six representative EOSs with different $α$ and $B$ (bag constant) to study their influence on the structure of the strange quark star. As a result, we find that a larger $α$ and a smaller $B$ corresponds to a heavier star with a stiffer EOS. Furthermore, the heaviest strange quark star is in agreement with not only the recent mass observation of PSR J0740+6620 and the X-ray observations on radius measurements, but also the constraint on tidal deformability of GW170817.

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arXiv2019

"Double-tracking" Characteristic of the Spectral Evolution of GRB 131231A: Synchrotron Origin?

The characteristics of the spectral evolution of the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are closely related to the radiation mechanism (synchrotron or photosphere), are still an unsolved subject. Here, by performing the detailed time-resolved spectral fitting of GRB 131231A, which has a very bright and well-defined single pulse, some interesting spectral evolution features have been found. (i) Both the low-energy spectral index $α$ and the peak energy $E_{\rm p}$ exhibit the "flux-tracking" pattern ("double-tracking" characteristics). (ii) The parameter relations, i.e., $F$ (the energy flux)-$α$, $F$-$E_{\rm p}$, and $E_{\rm p}$-$α$, along with the analogous Yonetoku $E_{\rm p}$-$L_{γ,\rm iso}$ relation for the different time-resolved spectra, show strong monotonous (positive) correlations, both in the rising and the decaying phases. (iii) The values of $α$ do not exceed the synchrotron limit ($α$= -2/3) in all slices across the pulse, favoring the synchrotron origin. We argue that the one-zone synchrotron emission model with the emitter streaming away at a large distance from the central engine can explain all of these special spectral evolution characteristics.

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arXiv2019

Statistical Study of Gamma-Ray Bursts with a Plateau Phase in the X-ray Afterglow

A plateau phase in the X-ray afterglow is observed in a significant fraction of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Previously, it has been found that there exists a correlation among three key parameters concerning the plateau phase, i.e., the end time of the plateau phase in the GRB rest frame ($T_{a}$), the corresponding X-ray luminosity at the end time ($L_{X}$) and the isotropic energy of the prompt GRB ($E_{γ,\rm{iso}}$). In this study, we systematically search through all the \emph{Swift} GRBs with a plateau phase that occurred between 2005 May and 2018 August. We collect 174 GRBs, with redshifts available for all of them. For the whole sample, the correlation between $L_{X}$, $T_{a}$ and $E_{γ,\rm{iso}}$ is confirmed, with the best fit relation being $L_{X}\propto T_{a}^{-1.01}E_{γ,\rm{iso}}^{0.84}$. Such an updated three-parameter correlation still supports that the central leftover after GRBs is probably a millisecond magnetar. It is interesting to note that short GRBs with duration less than 2 s in our sample also follow the same correlation, which hints that the merger production of two neutron stars could be a high mass magnetar, but not necessarily a black hole. Moreover, GRBs having an "internal" plateau (i.e., with a following decay index being generally smaller than -3) also obey this correlation. It further strengthens the idea that the internal plateau is due to the delayed collapse of a high mass neutron star into a black hole. The updated three-parameter correlation indicates that GRBs with a plateau phase may act as a standard candle for cosmology study.

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arXiv2019

Close-in Exoplanets as Candidates of Strange Quark Matter Objects

Since the true ground state of the hadrons may be strange quark matter (SQM), pulsars may actually be strange stars rather than neutron stars. According to this SQM hypothesis, strange planets can also stably exist. The density of normal matter planets can hardly be higher than 30 g cm$^{-3}$. As a result, they will be tidally disrupted when its orbital radius is less than $\sim 5.6\times10^{10} \rm \, cm $, or when the orbital period ($P_{\rm orb}$) is less than $ \sim \rm 6100\, s $. On the contrary, a strange planet can safely survive even when it is very close to the host, due to its high density. The feature can help us identify SQM objects. In this study, we have tried to search for SQM objects among close-in exoplanets orbiting around pulsars. Encouragingly, it is found that four pulsar planets (XTE J1807-294 b, XTE J1751-305 b, PSR 0636 b, PSR J1807-2459A b) completely meet the criteria of $P_{\rm orb} < \rm 6100\, s $, and are thus good candidates for SQM planets. The orbital periods of two other planets (PSR J1719+14 b and PSR J2051-0827 b) are only slightly higher than the criteria. They could be regarded as potential candidates. Additionally, we find that the periods of five white dwarf planets (GP Com b, V396 Hya b, J1433 b, WD 0137-349 b, and SDSS J1411+2009 b) are less than 0.1 days. We argue that they might also be SQM planets. It is further found that the persistent gravitational wave emissions from at least three of these close-in planetary systems are detectable to LISA. More encouragingly, the advanced LIGO and Einstein Telescope are able to detect the gravitational wave bursts produced by the merger events of such SQM planetary systems, which will provide a unique test for the SQM hypothesis.

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arXiv2019

Do the current astronomical observations exclude the existence of non-strange quark stars?

As is pointed out in a recent work (Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 222001), quark matter may not be strange. Inspired by this argument, we use a new self-consistent mean field approximation method to study the equation of state of cold dense matter within the framework of the two-flavor NJL model. Then the mass-radius relationship of two-flavor pure quark stars is studied. In the new self-consistent mean field approximation method we introduced, there is a free parameter $α$, which reflects the weight of different interaction channels. In principal, $α$ should be determined by experiments rather than the self-consistent mean field approximation itself. In this paper, thus, the influence of the variation of $α$ on the critical chemical potential of chiral phase transition and the stiffness of the EOS are thoroughly explored. It is found that the stiffness of EOS can be increased greatly to support a two-solar-mass pure quark star when $α$ is greater than 0.95. This means that current theoretical calculations and astronomical observations cannot rule out the possibility of a two-flavor pure quark star.

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arXiv2019

Late-Time Afterglow from Double-Sided Structured Jets: Application to GRB 170817A

The broadband afterglow of GW170817/GRB 170817A is believed to be from an off-axis structured jet. The central engine of a gamma-ray burst usually launches a pair of outflows that move oppositely, it is reasonable to consider the emission from a double-sided structured jets, with a near-jet moving toward us and a counter-jet moving away from us. Assuming that the two branches of the jet have the same physical parameters, we have calculated their radio emission. It is found that the counter-jet component will emerge in the radio light curves $\sim$ 2500 days post-merger.It typically leads to a plateau in the light curve, thus could be hopefully revealed by high accuracy radio observations. We have also considered the possibilities that both branches have different parameters, and found that if some of the physical parameters of the counter-jet are evaluated more favorably than those of the near-jet, then the counter-jet emission will be enhanced and will clearly show up as an obvious plateau or even a rebrightening. For example, when the circum-burst medium encountered by the counter-jet is assumed to be 100 times denser than that of the near-jet, a remarkable radio plateau will appear at $\sim$ 600 days. However, in X-ray bands, the counter-jet component is generally too faint to be discerned. It is argued that the late radio observations of GW170817/GRB 170817A can help determine the key parameters and diagnose the environment of the event.

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arXiv2019

Propagation of a Short GRB Jet in the Ejecta: Jet Launching Delay Time, Jet Structure, and GW170817/GRB 170817A

We perform a series of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations to investigate how a hot magnetic jet propagates within the dynamical ejecta of a binary neutron star merger, with the focus on how the jet structure depends on the delay time of jet launching with respect to the merger time, $Δt_{\rm jet}$. We find that regardless of the jet launching delay time, a structured jet with an angle-dependent luminosity and Lorentz factor is always formed after the jet breaks out the ejecta. On the other hand, the jet launching delay time has an impact on the jet structure. If the jet launching delay time is relatively long, e.g., $\ge 0.5$ s, the line-of-sight material has a dominant contribution from the cocoon. On the other hand, for a relatively short jet launching delay time, the jet penetrates through the ejecta early on and develops an angular structure afterward. The line-of-sight ejecta is dominated by the structured jet itself. We discuss the case of GW170817/GRB 170817A within the framework of both long and short $Δt_{\rm jet}$. Future more observations of GW/GRB associations can help to differentiate between these two scenarios.

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arXiv2019

Inverse Compton Scattering Spectra of Gamma-Ray Burst Prompt Emission

Although the physical origin of gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission is still controversial, synchrotron radiation from accelerated electrons is a promising mechanism. It is believed that electrons are accelerated continuously by ultra-relativistic shocks or magnetic reconnections. At the same time, these electrons will be cooled via several processes (mainly adiabatic expansion, synchrotron radiation and inverse Compton scattering (ICS)), which regulate the distribution of electrons. An extra high-energy spectrum component is expected to be induced by ICS. However, the gamma-gamma annihilation effect may eliminate the high-energy photons and prevent the observers from distinguishing the extra component. We perform numerical calculations by taking these effects into account and discuss whether the extra ICS component could be observed. By exploring the plausible parameter space for relevant quantities of the GRB ejecta, we present the electron distributions and the corresponding spectra of synchrotron radiation and ICS. It is found that the extra component is observable only for ejecta with a rather large bulk Lorentz factor. A large Lorentz factor means the adiabatic expansion is the leading process in the electron cooling procedure, which makes the low-energy electron distribution spectrum to be relatively hard. Therefore the ICS component is more likely to be detected for GRBs that have a hard low-energy photon spectrum.

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arXiv2019

Statistical properties of the repeating fast radio burst source FRB 121102

Currently, FRB 121102 is the only fast radio burst source that was observed to give out bursts repeatedly. It shows a high repeating rate, with more than one hundred bursts being spotted, but with no obvious periodicity in the activities. Thanks to its repetition, the source was well localized with a subarcsecond accuracy, leading to a redshift measurement of about 0.2. FRB 121102 is a unique source that can help us understand the enigmatic nature of fast radio bursts. In this study, we analyze the characteristics of the waiting times between bursts from FRB 121102. It is found that there is a clear bimodal distribution for the waiting times. While most waiting times cluster at several hundred seconds, a small portion of the waiting times are strikingly in the range of 2--40 millisecond. More interestingly, it is found that the waiting time does not correlate with the burst intensity, either for the preceding burst or for the subsequent burst. It strongly indicates that the repeating bursts should be generated by some external mechanisms, but not internal mechanisms. As a result, the models involving collisions between small bodies and neutron stars could be competitive mechanisms for this interesting source.

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arXiv2018

A Large Catalogue of Multi-wavelength GRB Afterglows I: Color Evolution And Its Physical Implication

The spectrum of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows can be studied with color indices. Here we present a large comprehensive catalogue of 70 GRBs with multi-wavelength optical transient data on which we perform a systematic study to find the temporal evolution of color indices. We categorize them into two samples based on how well the color indices are evaluated. The Golden sample includes 25 bursts mostly observed by GROND, and the Silver sample includes 45 bursts observed by other telescopes. For the Golden sample, we find that 95\% of the color indices do not vary over time. However, the color indices do vary during short periods in most bursts. The observed variations are consistent with effects of (i) the cooling frequency crossing the studied energy bands in a wind medium (43\%) and in a constant density medium (30\%), (ii) early dust extinction (12\%), (iii) transition from reverse shock to forward shock emission (5\%), or (iv) an emergent supernova emission (10\%). We also study the evolutionary properties of the mean color indices for different emission episodes. We find that 86\% of the color indices in the 70 bursts show constancy between consecutive ones. The color index variations occur mainly during the late GRB-SN bump, the flare and early reversed-shock emission components. We further perform a statistical analysis of various observational properties and model parameters (spectral index $β_{o}^{\rm CI}$, electron spectral indices $p^{\rm CI}$, etc.) using color indices. Overall, we conclude that $\sim$ 90\% of colors are constant in time and can be accounted for by the simplest external forward shock model, while the varying color indices call for more detailed modeling.

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