arXiv subjects

Yuanhong Qu

Publications and source records attributed to Yuanhong Qu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

On the Physical Origins of Long Period Radio Transients

Long-period radio transients (LPRTs) are a rapidly growing class of coherent radio sources with periods ranging from minutes to hours, whose central engines and emission mechanisms remain unclear. Motivated by the detection of red dwarf (RD) companions in several LPRTs and by generic period constraints from the Roche limit and the mass transfer limit, we argue that LPRTs naturally separate into two broad classes: shorter-period sources that are likely isolated compact objects and longer-period sources that are compact objects in binary systems that are likely detached. For isolated objects, we find that isolated white dwarfs (WDs) generally have difficulty sustaining pair production and coherent radio emission unless the surface temperature is extremely high, while slow rotating neutron stars (NSs) can remain marginally active through inverse-Compton-driven pair cascades. For binary systems, asynchronous WD / NS + RD systems can power coherent radio emission through unipolar induction when the WD / NS magnetic field dominates the companion surface field, with relativistic electron cyclotron maser emission as the radiation mechanism, while at larger separations the system enters the magnetospheric interaction regime, possibly powered by magnetic reconnection. Bright X-ray counterparts favor magnetar-related systems and undetected X-ray emission is expected from WD-related channels. We propose a diagnostic flow chart that uses observational criteria to classify LPRTs and identify their central engines. These criteria lead to a physically motivated classification framework for LPRTs.

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arXiv2026

No Strong Evidence for Plasma Lensing in FRB 20240114A

FRB~20240114A is an extremely active repeating fast radio burst for which plasma lensing has been proposed to explain its burst-rate variations, spectral evolution, and apparently ``carbon-copy'' burst pairs. Using FAST data and publicly available Parkes observations, we test this interpretation with a one-dimensional Gaussian plasma-lens model. Although the burst-rate enhancements can be fitted separately, the corresponding magnification peaks and demagnification troughs are offset by far more than predicted and show no consistent periodicity. Moreover, with more than 10,000 bursts detected, a few apparently ``carbon-copy'' pairs can readily occur by chance. The burst bandwidth is not systematically narrower during the proposed lensing interval, nor are the burst energies significantly enhanced during the predicted magnification interval. These results provide no compelling evidence that a single Gaussian plasma lens explains the observed variability, which is more likely dominated by intrinsic source activity.

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arXiv2026

Scattering of Strong Radio Waves by Particles in Strongly Magnetized Plasmas and Implications for Fast Radio Bursts

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients that are widely believed to originate within magnetar magnetospheres. Large-amplitude radio waves associated with FRBs propagate through strongly magnetized plasmas, where nonlinear scattering can affect their propagation. By solving the relativistic motion of a single particle interacting with electromagnetic waves of arbitrary polarization and propagation angle $θ_B$, we compute the scattering cross section and the corresponding optical depth. The scattering cross section of the O-mode can exceed that of the X-mode when $a\sinθ_B < ω_B/ω$, and becomes comparable to that of the X-mode when $a\sinθ_B > ω_B/ω$, where $θ_B$ is the angle between the wave vector and the background field. In the strongly magnetized and quasi-parallel limits, the cross sections asymptotically recover the linear regime scalings and are strongly suppressed by relativistic particle motion, leading to optical depths well below unity. We also show that curvature radiation losses of O-mode waves are strongly suppressed for quasi-parallel propagation, allowing them to escape from the magnetosphere at moderate multiplicities. We propose that Alfvén waves excited by magnetar crust quakes can reach amplitudes comparable to the background magnetic field, thus straightening field lines and reducing $θ_B$. This geometrical alignment enhances the ability of FRBs to freely propagate through the open field line region. These results suggest that large-amplitude waves propagating quasi-parallel to open magnetic field lines can avoid significant single-particle scattering losses, providing a possible condition for their escape.

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arXiv2026

Random Polarization Position Angle Behaviors across Bursts of Repeating Fast Radio Bursts

Fast radio bursts (FRBs), highly polarized, mostly have a nearly constant polarization position angle (PA) during each burst. Their PAs are observed to vary from burst to burst, with the statistical properties remaining stable across different observation sessions. We found that the intrinsic PAs of repeating FRBs are approximately Gaussian distributed, suggesting that the emission likely originates from a localized region within the neutron star's magnetosphere. A periodicity search of the PA time series using the Lomb-Scargle periodogram reveals no credible periodic signal in the period range from 10 ms to $10^7$ ms, and similar analyses of several active observations also yield null detections. We interpret these properties by extending the rotating vector model to include a dynamically evolving magnetosphere, in which the effective magnetic axis varies from burst to burst due to stochastic perturbations. In this framework, the observed PA distributions can naturally arise from geometric projection effects, and the absence of periodicity reflects the random wandering of the magnetic axis within a confined region. This scenario provides a natural explanation for both repeating and apparently non-repeating FRBs.

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arXiv2026

Deep Synoptic Array Science: Searching for Long Duration Radio Transients with the DSA-110

We describe the design and commissioning tests for the DSA-110 Not-So-Fast Radio Burst (NSFRB) search pipeline, a 1.4GHz image-plane single-pulse search sensitive to 134ms-160.8s radio bursts. Extending the pulse width range of the FRB search by 3 orders of magnitude, the NSFRB search is sensitive to the recently-discovered Galactic Long Period Radio Transients (LPRTs or LPTs). The NSFRB search operates in real-time, utilizing a custom GPU-accelerated search code, \texttt{cerberus}, implemented in Python with JAX. We summarize successful commissioning sensitivity tests with continuum sources and pulsar B0329+54, estimating the 90% completeness $25σ$ flux (fluence) limit to be ~1200mJy (~160Jy ms). Future tests of recovery of longer timescale transients, e.g. CHIME J1634+44, are planned to supplement injection testing and B0329+54 observations. An offline DSA-110 NSFRB Galactic Plane Survey was conducted to search for LPRTs, covering $-3.5^\circ<b<5.7^\circ$ and $141^\circ<l<225^\circ$ (~770 square degrees) in Galactic coordinates. We estimate an upper limit Poissonian burst rate ~2 hr$^{-1}$ per square degree (~17 hr$^{-1}$} per $3^\circ\times3^\circ$ survey grid cell) maximized across the inner $|b|<0.25^\circ$ of the surveyed region. By imposing the ~1200mJy flux limit on two representative models (the magnetar plastic flow model and the White Dwarf-M Dwarf binary model), we reject with 95% confidence the presence of White Dwarf-M Dwarf binary LPRTs (beamed in a detectable direction) with periods between ~10-50s within ~95% of the surveyed region. Combined with the prevalence of LPRTs in the Galactic Plane, our results motivate further consideration of both White Dwarf-M Dwarf binary models and isolated magnetar models. We will continue to explore novel LPRT search strategies during real-time operations, such as triggered periodicity searches and additional targeted surveys.

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arXiv2026

Detection of Cyclotron Absorption in the Radio Emission of GPM 1839-10

GPM 1839-10 is an intriguing long-period radio transient (LPT), distinguished by its activity spanning at least three decades and its highly unusual emission characteristics. These features include orthogonal polarization mode (OPM) switches, down-drifting sub-structures, and distinct linear-to-circular polarization conversion behaviors. In this work, we present follow-up observations utilizing the FAST telescope at L-band, yielding a total of seven detected radio pulses. We find a consistent association between OPM switches and a decrease in polarized intensity. This feature strongly supports the hypothesis that the OPM switches are generated by the incoherent summation of OPMs. Our measured Rotation Measures (RMs) are consistent with previous observations, indicating that the magneto-ionic environment is stable. If the source is in a binary system, such stability suggests it may host a weakly magnetized companion. Crucially, we firstly observe clear evidence of a cyclotron absorption feature in one radio pulse, a signature rarely observed in radio sources. This feature allows us to infer that the magnetic field strength at the absorption site has a lower limit of tens of Gauss, which is necessary for the phenomenon to occur. This characteristic can be explained in a scenario where GPM 1839-10 possesses a weakly magnetized companion star.

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arXiv2026

Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulations of Magnetar Crust Quakes

Crust quakes are frequently invoked as a mechanism to trigger sudden transients in the magnetospheres of magnetars. In this picture, a mechanical failure of the crust excites seismic motions of the magnetar surface that launch force-free waves into the magnetosphere. We first investigate this problem analytically and then perform three-dimensional numerical simulations. Our simulations follow the propagation of high-frequency magneto-elastic waves in the entire crust, and include magnetic coupling to the dipolar magnetosphere and liquid core through simplified radiation boundary conditions. We observe seismic waves bouncing between the crust-core interface and the surface with a characteristic frequency $\sim 1$~kHz, which could appear as a modulation of the magnetospheric radiation. Both the star quake and its associated magnetospheric wave emission are strongly damped on a timescale $\sim 10 \ \rm ms$ by magnetic coupling to the liquid core. Since the seismic waves are significantly damped before they can spread laterally around the crust, magnetospheric wave emission occurs primarily near the initial epicenter of the quake. Our simulations suggest that non-axisymmetric quakes will launch a mixture of Alfvén and fast magnetosonic waves into the magnetosphere. The results will be important for interpreting magnetar bursts and understanding the possible trigger mechanisms of fast radio bursts.

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arXiv2025

Investigating FRB 20240114A with FAST: Morphological Classification and Drifting Rate Measurements in a Burst-Cluster Framework

This study investigates the morphological classification and drifting rate measurement of the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20240114A using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). Detected on January 14, 2024, FRB 20240114A exhibited an exceptionally high burst rate, revealing unique properties. Through observational campaigns over several months, we selected a dataset comprising 3,203 bursts (2,109 burst-clusters) during a continuous monitoring session (15,780 seconds) on March 12, 2024. Improving upon previous work, we clarify the definitions of sub-bursts, bursts and burst-clusters. Using an average dispersion measures (DM) of 529.2 pc cm$^{-3}$, we classified the burst-clusters into Downward Drifting, Upward Drifting, No Drifting, No Evidence for Drifting, Not-Clear, and Complex burst-clusters. Among the 978 burst-clusters that exhibit drifting behavior, 233 (23.82%) show upward drifting. Additionally, if 142 upward drifting single-component burst-clusters are excluded, upward drifting double- and multi-component burst-clusters still account for 10.89% of the 836 burst-clusters exhibiting drifting behavior, equating to 91 burst-clusters. Furthermore, if only upward drifting burst-clusters with consecutive time intervals (or upward drifting bursts) are considered, only 9 bursts remain. Drifting rate comparisons with other physical quantities reveal that the drifting rate increases with peak frequency for single-component burst-clusters with drifting behavior. Moreover, in single-component burst-clusters, those with upward drifting exhibit smaller effective widths, bandwidths, and fluxes than their downward drifting counterparts. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test further indicates that upward drifting burst-clusters possess longer consecutive time intervals than downward drifting ones, suggesting distinct underlying physical mechanisms.

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arXiv2025

Polarization Angle Orthogonal Jumps in Fast Radio Bursts

Recently, polarization angle (PA) orthogonal jumps over millisecond timescales were discovered from three bursts of a repeating fast radio burst source FRB 20201124A by the FAST telescope. In general, PA jumps can arise from the coherent or incoherent superposition of two electromagnetic waves, with total polarization fraction remains constant in the former and not in the latter. The observations seem to be more consistent with incoherent superposition. The amplitudes of the two orthogonal modes are required to be comparable when jumps occur. We provide general constraints on FRB emission and propagation mechanisms based on the data. Physically, it is difficult to produce PA jumps through switching the dominance of the two orthogonal modes within millisecond timescales, and a geometric effect due to the source rotation is more plausible. This requires that the emission region be within the magnetosphere of a spinning central engine, likely a magnetar. The two orthogonal modes in different directions can arise when the source rotation brings two independent emission regions with different dominant modes successively into the line-of-sight, either due to intrinsic radiation mechanisms or the O-mode undergoing a delayed transparency because of the Alfvén-O-mode conversion. Splitting of emission directions for the two modes due to plasma birefringence is not easy to achieve when the plasma is moving relativistically. For intrinsic radiation mechanisms, curvature radiation always predicts $|E_{\rm X}/E_{\rm O}|\gtrsim1$, and is difficult to produce jumps; whereas inverse Compton scattering can achieve the conversion amplitude ratio $|E_{\rm X}/E_{\rm O}|=1$ to allow jumps to occur under special geometric configurations.

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arXiv2025

A comprehensive search for Long and Short Periodic Features from an Extremely Active Cycle of FRB 20240114A

Possible periodic features in fast radio bursts (FRBs) may provide insights into their astrophysical origins. Using extensive observations from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), we conduct a multi-timescale periodicity search for the exceptionally active repeater FRB~20240114A. Our analysis is based on different datasets for different timescales: for short-timescale periodicity in Time of Arrivals (TOAs), we use 57 observations from January to August 2024; for long-timescale periodicity, we employ an extended TOA dataset comprising 111 observations spanning from January 2024 to October 2025; and for burst time series analysis, we utilize individual burst data from the 57 FAST observations. We identify three candidate short-timescale periodic signals (0.673~s, 0.635~s, and 0.536~s) with significances of $3.2σ$--$6σ$, each detected in two independent observations. On longer timescales, we detect a significant $143.40\pm7.19$-day periodicity with $5.2σ$ significance, establishing FRB~20240114A as a periodic repeater. In burst time series, we find quasi-periodic oscillations in the few hundred Hz range ($3.4σ$ and $3.7σ$) and periodic burst trains with periods of several to tens of milliseconds ($3σ$--$3.9σ$), though these periodic features appear transient and short-lived. The detection of periodic signals at these different time scales indicates that FRB 20240114A exhibits intriguing periodic self-similar characteristics. Despite the comprehensive dataset, no definitive periodicity linked to the source's rotation is confirmed, placing stringent constraints on the intrinsic source properties and the modulation mechanisms. All data are available via the Science Data Bank.

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arXiv2025

The magnetar model's energy crisis for a prolific repeating fast radio burst source

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are widely considered to originate from magnetars that power the explosion through releasing magnetic energy. Active repeating FRBs have been seen to produce hundreds of bursts per hour and can stay active for months, thus may provide stringent constraints on the energy budget of FRBs' central engine. Within a time span of 214 days, we detected 11,553 bursts from the hyper-active FRB 20240114A that reached a peak burst rate of 729 hr$^{-1}$. This is the largest burst sample from any single FRB source, exceeding the cumulative total of all published bursts from all known FRBs to date. Assuming typical values of radio efficiency and beaming factor, the estimated total isotropic burst energy of this source exceeds 86% of the dipolar magnetic energy of a typical magnetar. The total released energy from this source exceeds that of other known repeaters by about one and a half orders of magnitude, yielding the most stringent lower limit of $4.7\times10^{32}$ G cm$^3$ for the magnetar's magnetic moment. The source remained active at the end of this observation campaign. Our findings thus require either the FRB's central magnetar engine's possessing exceptionally high emission efficiency or a more powerful compact object than a typical magnetar.

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arXiv2025

Multi-year Polarimetric Monitoring of Four CHIME-Discovered Repeating Fast Radio Bursts with FAST

In this study, we report multi-year polarization measurements of four repeating FRBs initially discovered by CHIME: FRBs~20190117A, 20190208A, 20190303A, and 20190417A. We observed the four repeating FRBs with FAST, detecting a total of 66 bursts. Two bursts from FRB~20190417A exhibit a circular polarization signal-to-noise ratio greater than 7, with the highest circular polarization fraction recorded at 35.7%. While the bursts from FRBs 20190208A and 20190303A are highly linearly polarized, those from FRBs~20190117A and 20190417A show depolarization due to multi-path propagation, with σ_{\mathrm{RM}} = 2.78 \pm 0.05 rad m$^{-2}$ and 5.19 \pm 0.09 rad m$^{-2}$, respectively. The linear polarization distributions among five repeating FRB--FRBs~20190208A, 20190303A, 20201124A, 20220912A, and 20240114A--are nearly identical but show distinct differences from those of non-repeating FRBs. FRBs~20190117A, 20190303A, and 20190417A exhibit substantial rotation measure (RM) variations between bursts, joining other repeating FRBs in this behavior. Combining these findings with published results, 64% of repeating FRBs show RM variations greater than 50 rad m$^{-2}$, and 21\% exhibit RM reversals. A significant proportion of repeating FRBs reside in a dynamic magneto-ionic environment. The structure function of RM variations shows a power-law index of $γ\sim (0-0.8)$, corresponding to a shallow power spectrum $α= -(γ+ 2) \sim -(2.0-2.8)$ of turbulence, if the RM variations are attributed to turbulence. This suggests that the variations are dominated by small-scale RM density fluctuations. We perform K-S tests comparing the RMs of repeating and non-repeating FRBs, which reveal a marginal dichotomy in the distribution of their RMs.We caution that the observed dichotomy may be due to the small sample size and selection biases.

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arXiv2025

Polarization Position Angle Swing and the Rotating Vector Model of Repeating Fast Radio Bursts

Fast radio bursts (FRBs), typically highly polarized, usually have a nearly constant polarization position angle (PA) during each burst. Some bursts show significant PA variations, and one of them was claimed to have a PA variation pattern consistent with the prediction of the rotating vector model (RVM) commonly adopted to fit the PA variations in radio pulsars. We systematically study the PA evolution pattern of 1727 bursts from three active repeating FRB sources monitored by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). We identify 46 bursts whose PA variations are fully consistent with the RVM. However, the inferred geometrical parameters and rotation periods derived from these RVM fitting are inconsistent from each other. This suggests that the magnetosphere of the FRB central engine is constantly distorted by the FRB emitter, and the magnetic configuration is dynamically evolving.

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arXiv2025

Polarization Characteristics of the Hyperactive FRB 20240114A

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are transient radio bursts of extragalactic origin characterized by millisecond durations and high luminosities. We report on observations of FRB 20240114A conducted with the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at frequencies ranging from 720 to 920 MHz. A total of 437 bursts were detected, with a single observation recording 365 bursts over 1.38 hours, corresponding to a burst rate of 264 bursts per hour. The average rotation measures (RMs) were $347.0 \pm 1.0$ rad m$^{-2}$ on February 23, 2024, and $353.7 \pm 0.6$ rad m$^{-2}$ on March 1, 2024. Of the 301 bursts with detected RMs, 81% have a linear polarization fraction greater than 90%, and 14% exhibit circular polarization with a signal-to-noise ratio $> 5$. Our sample also displayed polarization angle swings. We compared the linear polarization fraction of FRB~20240114A with those of the repeating sources FRB~20201124A and FRB~20220912A. Our analysis reveals that all three exhibit similar distributions in both linear and circular polarization fractions. These results indicate that the three sources share the same radiation mechanism. We analyze the fluence and waiting-time distributions of FRB~20240114A, revealing a right-skewed fluence distribution and a bimodal waiting-time structure, suggesting intrinsic emission timescales and potential multiple burst populations. Additionally, We present a novel method to determine the frequency range of bursts based on their spectral characteristics. This algorithm is independent of spectral models and remains unaffected by the removal of interference-affected channels in the data, ensuring robust performance.

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arXiv2025

Bright bursts with sub-millisecond structures of FRB 20230607A in a highly magnetized environment

We report the observations of a repeating FRB 20230607A for 15.6 hours spanning 16 months using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) with the detection of 565 bursts. We present three bright bursts with detailed temporal/spectral structures. We also report that one burst carries a narrow component with a width of only 0.3 ms, which is surrounded by broader components. This suggests that repeaters can make both narrow and broad components in one burst. With the narrow spike, we precisely measure the dispersion measure (DM) of $362.85 \pm 0.15 \;{\rm pc\,cm^{-3}}$ and the Faraday rotation measures (RMs) of and $-12249.0\pm 1.5 \; {\rm rad\,m^{-2}}$. We also analyze the statistical distribution of the burst parameters, including waiting times, temporal widths, central frequencies and frequency widths, fluences and energies, all showing typical distributions of known active repeaters. In particular, most bursts show narrow spectra with $Δν/ν_0 = 0.125\pm 0.001$. This fact, together with the narrow 0.3 ms spike, strongly suggests a magnetospheric origin of the FRB emission. Based on a predicted correlation between RM and the luminosity of a persistent radio source (PRS) by Yang et al., we predict that PRS should have a specific luminosity of the order of $10^{29} \ {\rm erg \ s^{-1} \ Hz^{-1}}$ and encourage a search for such a PRS.

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arXiv2025

Magnetic Interactions in White Dwarf Binaries as Mechanism for Long-Period Radio Transients

A growing population of long-period radio transients has been discovered and their physical origin is still up to debate. Recently, a new such source named ILT J1101 + 5521 was discovered, which is in a white dwarf (WD) -- red dwarf (RD) binary system, with the observed 125.5 min period in radio emission being identified as the orbital period and the radio emission occurs at the inferior conjunction of the WD. We suggest that the radio emission properties of the system can be well explained within the framework of the unipolar inductor magnetic interaction model between the magnetized WD and the RD with low magnetization, with a relativistic version of electron cyclotron maser emission being the most likely radiation mechanism. We suggest that this mechanism can interpret at least some long-period radio transients, especially the ultra-long period sub-population. Within this model, high energy emission in X-rays via relativistically boosted cyclotron radiation and $γ$-rays via inverse Compton scattering off stellar light are expected, but the predicted luminosities are relatively low. This model likely applies to the ultra-long period population of LPRTs. The short-period population of LPRTs is likely powered by other engines such as slow magnetars.

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arXiv2024

An extremely active repeating fast radio burst source in a likely non-magneto-ionic environment

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright radio bursts originating at cosmological distances. Only three repeating FRBs FRB 20121102A, FRB 20190520B and FRB 20201124A among $\sim$ 60 known repeating FRBs have circular polarization. We observed the FRB 20220912A with the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at L-band on 24 October 2022 and detected 128 bursts in 1.4 hours, corresponding to a burst rate of about 90 hr$^{-1}$, which is the highest yet for FRBs observed by the GBT. The average rotation measure (RM) was $-$0.4$\pm$0.3$\,$rad$\,$m$^{-2}$ with negligible intraday RM change, indicating a likely non-magneto-ionic environment. 61% bursts have linear polarization fraction greater than 90%. Approximately 56% of the bright bursts have circular polarization. A downward drift in frequency and polarization angle swings were found in our sample. The characterization of FRB 20220912A indicates that the circular polarization is unlikely to be caused by the magneto-ionic environment for at least some of the repeating FRB population.

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arXiv2024

The Origins of Narrow Spectra of Fast Radio Bursts

Observations find that some fast radio bursts (FRBs) have extremely narrow-band spectra, i.e., $Δν/ν_0 \ll 1$. We show that when the angular size of the emission region is larger than the Doppler beaming angle, the observed spectral width ($Δν/ν_0$) exceeds 0.58 due to the high latitude effects for a source outside the magnetosphere, even when the spectrum in the source's comoving frame is monochromatic. The angular size of the source for magnetospheric models of FRBs can be smaller than the Doppler beaming angle, in which case this geometric effect does not influence the observed bandwidth. We discuss various propagation effects to determine if any could transform a broad-spectrum radio pulse into a narrow-spectrum signal at the observer's location. We find that plasma lensing and scintillation can result in a narrow bandwidth in the observed spectrum. However, the likelihood of these phenomena being responsible for the narrow observed spectra with $Δν/ν_0 < 0.58$ in the fairly large observed sample of FRBs is exceedingly small.

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