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Zhengwei Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Zhengwei Liu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

A prolonged plateau-to-tail transition in the Type II supernova SN2025abyc

We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the Type II supernova SN2025abyc. During the optically thick phase between approximately 10 and 70 d after explosion, its light curves show strongly wavelength-dependent decline rates of approximately 2.7, 2.1, 0.9, and 0.8 mag/100d in the g, c, r, and o bands, respectively. At approximately 70 d, the light curves begin to depart from their nearly linear plateau evolution and gradually transition toward the radioactive tail. A Fermi-Dirac fit to the well-sampled ATLAS o-band light curve yields a transition midpoint of t_PT ~ 100.5d. The interval between the end of the linear plateau and this transition midpoint is approximately 30 d, indicating a prolonged plateau-to-tail transition. This timescale is comparable to those measured for SN2013by, SN2013ej, and SN2014G. Spectroscopically, at +13 d post-explosion, the Halpha profile appears weak and broad, whereas Hbeta and Hgamma display clear P-Cygni profiles. This morphology can be explained by the normal early spectroscopic evolution of SNe II, although partial filling of the Halpha absorption trough by emission associated with circumstellar interaction cannot be excluded. SN2025abyc otherwise follows the general photospheric velocity evolution of SNe II, while remaining toward the high-velocity side of the comparison distribution in Halpha, Hbeta, and FeII. Exploratory light-curve modelling suggests a synthesized Ni mass of approximately 0.03-0.04 solar mass. We suggest that the extended circumstellar environment, Ni distribution, and hydrogen-envelope structure could all play a role in shaping the observed light-curve evolution, particularly the prolonged plateau-to-tail transition.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

Axiomatization of the Levin--Wen Wave Function

The Levin--Wen model provides a lattice realization of topological orders associated with a given unitary fusion category. A longstanding open problem is to characterize Levin--Wen ground-state wave functions intrinsically, without assuming a priori categorical symmetry data or a Hamiltonian. We address this by proposing six axioms on a family of wave functions defined on lattices at multiple scales. These axioms allow us to reconstruct the underlying unitary fusion category and prove that the resulting wave functions map to nonzero Levin--Wen ground-state vectors of the emergent category.

math-ph↗
arXiv2026

A Helium-shell Burning Blue Horizontal Branch Star Produced from Common Envelope Evolution

Observationally, blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars are defined as hot stars occupying a characteristic region between the extreme blue horizontal branch and RR Lyrae variables in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Most of them are interpreted as stripped core-helium-burning stars, but the role of binary interaction in their formation remains unclear. Here, we report the discovery of a metal-rich BHB star in a 0.82628-day binary system (Feige 64) comprising a $0.35\pm0.03\,M_{\odot}$ BHB star and a likely $1.26\pm0.17\,M_{\odot}$ white dwarf (WD). The BHB star has an effective temperature of $15{,}524\pm310$ K and a luminosity of $39.7\pm4.1\,L_{\odot}$. Stellar evolution modelling indicates that it is a helium-shell-burning star produced through the common-envelope channel, retaining a hydrogen-rich envelope that is more massive than previously thought for low-mass stars. This finding provides direct evidence for binary interaction in the formation of BHB stars, offering a fresh perspective on interpreting this emerging population.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

The double white dwarf merger model for the progenitors of SN 2021yfj-like events

Context. Recently, a new class of supernovae with prominent narrow emission features of Si, S and Ar has been reported, i.e. SN 2021yfj-like events (SNe Ien). Their progenitor origin is still unknown. It has been suggested that a massive CO WD may evolve into a Si/S-rich WD when accreting He-rich matter at a high mass-transfer rate. If the He companion subsequently evolves into another more massive WD, the merger of this double WD system can generate Si/S-rich CSM through tidal stripping. Following the SN explosion, the interaction between the SN ejecta and the Si/S-rich CSM could produce the Si, S, and Ar emission lines characteristic of SN 2021yfj-like events. Aims. In this work, we aim to determine the initial parameter space of WD+He star systems that can lead to SN 2021yfj-like events via the double WD merger scenario, and to quantify their theoretical Galactic birthrate and delay-time distributions. Methods. We perform detailed binary evolution simulations of a large number of semidetached WD+He star systems to obtain the parameter space that leads to the formation of Si/S-rich WDs and subsequent double WD mergers. We then use binary population synthesis to calculate the Galactic birthrate and delay-time distribution of such events. Results. For the formation of SN 2021yfj-like events, we found that the initial CO WD and He companion masses must lie in the ranges of 1.0-1.2 M_sun and 2.2-2.5 M_sun, respectively. The derived merger rate for this scenario is ~(2.6-4.4)x10^-5 yr^-1 with delay times longer than 450 Myr, which is about 1% of the observed SN Ia rate. Conclusions. We suggest that the double WD merger scenario involving a Si/S-rich WD originating from a CO WD+He star system, represents a significant and competitive model for SN 2021yfj-like events, underscoring the need for further observations of similar events coupled with relevant theoretical investigations.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

Braiding structures on categorical multi-Interval Jones-Wassermann subfactor

In this paper, we construct braiding structures on the multi-interval Jones-Wassermann subfactor planar algebra associated with any unitary modular fusion category. Utilizing this construction, we provide a new proof of the self-duality of these subfactors. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these braidings induce a projective unitary representation of the balanced superelliptic mapping class group; consequently, these structures effectively encode the non-trivial higher-genus data of the underlying category. As an application of this correspondence, we derive a generalized Verlinde formula as 2-box Fourier duality of the planar algebra.

math.QA↗
arXiv2026

Three-Dimensional Simulations of Type Ia Supernova Remnants I: Effects of a Main-Sequence Companion Star

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) serve as one of cosmic standard candles, but their exact progenitor channel is still an open question. SNe Ia commonly come from binary star evolution. Therefore, one of the major differences among the proposed progenitor channels is whether there is a more-or-less intact companion star remaining at the time of explosion, which causes the SN ejecta to be more asymmetrical. As the SN ejecta evolved into supernovae remnants (SNR), the imprint formed by the companion interaction may affect the morphology of the SNR. In addition, the progenitor systems may have experienced different mass transfer histories and therefore led to formation of different circumstellar material (CSM) environments, which may also affect the early evolution of SNR. In this study, we use GADGET and RAMSES codes to simulate these physical effects and follow the evolution into early-phases of SNRs. In our simulations, we consider different ejecta models and track the element distribution. We compare our simulation with actual observations and conclude that despite some SNRs having morphology resemblance to our simulation results, their highly asymmetric expansion rates are hard to explain by interaction between SN ejecta and a companion star alone.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Quantum Derivative Pricing for SPDEs via BDSDE Representation

We study quantum speedups of derivative pricing for stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE) models through their backward doubly stochastic differential equation (BDSDE) representations. We develop conditional and nested quantum-accelerated multilevel Monte Carlo (QA-MLMC) methods for estimating the resulting conditional and nested expectations, improving the sampling complexity of classical Monte Carlo methods from $\widetilde{O}(\epsilon^{-2})$ to $\widetilde{O}(\epsilon^{-1})$ within additive error $\epsilon$. We apply the framework to derivative pricing and sensitivity analysis, providing quantum-accelerated estimators for prices as well as first-order and second-order Greeks, likelihood-ratio and Malliavin-weight representations for Greeks, and Heston-type stochastic-volatility models. To enable efficient multilevel coupling, we construct a family of Forward--Backward Taylor discretization schemes for the stochastic integrals arising in the BDSDE representations and establish global strong-error order one convergence for pricing and Greek estimators. Numerical experiments showcase our schemes for first-order and second-order Greeks can reach the required orders for the full quadratic quantum speedups.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2026

Elemental Abundances from Off-center Carbon Burning in Accreting CO White Dwarfs: Implications for SN 2021yfj-like events

SN 2021yfj is a recently discovered interacting supernova that exhibits narrow emission lines of Si, S, and Ar, indicating the presence of circumstellar material (CSM) enriched with these elements surrounding the progenitor prior to the explosion. The origin of SN 2021yfj-like events remains uncertain. Recent work proposed that the SN 2021yfj-like events may stem from the double WD merger scenario, in which the merger of a Si-rich WD with a more massive ONe WD tidally strips about 0.3Msun of Si-rich material to form the CSM. If the merger subsequently triggers a supernova explosion, the interaction between the ejecta and the CSM can reproduce the observed light curve of SN 2021yfj. In this scenario, the progenitor system is a CO WD + He star binary, in which the CO WD accretes He-rich material from the He star. The accumulated material can trigger off-center carbon burning, potentially leading to the formation of a Si-rich WD. However, it remains unclear whether such off-center carbon burning can produce Si, S, and Ar in amounts comparable to those inferred for the CSM of SN 2021yfj. In this work, we simulate the evolution of a CO WD accreting He-rich material using time-dependent mass-accretion rates. Our results show that off-center carbon burning in the accreting CO WD can produce significant amounts of Si and S. We further found that the resulting elemental abundances are strongly affected by the initial carbon abundance of the WD. Based on our results, we suggest that the double WD merger scenario may provide a viable progenitor channel for SN 2021yfj-like events.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

Unraveling the mysteries of supernovae with SKA+VLBI

Supernovae (SNe) drive cosmic chemical enrichment and shape galactic feedback, yet the link between progenitors and explosion outcomes remains poorly constrained because the earliest phases are rarely resolved. Radio emission traces synchrotron radiation where the fastest ejecta interact with the circumstellar medium (CSM), providing a uniquely penetrating probe of these phases. SKA-Mid phased into global VLBI will move from simple detections to routine interferometric imaging of nearby extragalactic SNe. Sub-$\mu$Jy sensitivity and mas-scale SKA+VLBI imaging, complemented by visibility-domain model fitting for sub-beam radius measurements at 5-15 GHz will allow us to follow the expanding shocks of stripped-envelope SNe out to $\sim$25 Mpc, measure deceleration indices ($m$) and axial ratios to $\approx 5-10\%$, and directly test jet-assisted versus neutrino-driven explosion mechanisms. For interacting SNe (Type IIn/Ibn), SKA+VLBI will resolve clumpy and toroidal CSM on progenitor scales, constraining the timing and geometry of eruptive pre-explosion mass loss. Deep limits on Type Ia SNe will tightly restrict the allowed single-degenerate parameter space, while late-time imaging will search for nascent compact remnants and pulsar wind nebulae. In synergy with optical, X-ray and gravitational wave facilities, SKA+VLBI will turn nearby SNe into laboratories for time-resolved shock physics and progenitor mapping.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

X-rays breaking out of pre-explosion ejecta mark a supernova's first light

Massive stars die as core-collapse supernovae, whose optical light emerges days after the implosion. Theory predicts that the initial collapse-driven shock, upon breaking through the star and dense circumstellar medium, emits a brief thermal flash of soft X-rays and ultraviolet. Yet these elusive first signals have remained largely undetected, owing to limited wide-field soft X-ray monitoring. Here we report the discovery of a soft X-ray flash, EP260321a, followed days later by a broad-lined supernova from an envelope-stripped progenitor. Its X-ray spectrum, best modeled with blackbody, establishes it as the long-sought archetypal shock breakout. The burst's duration and energetics place the breakout at a radius of 300 solar radii, tracing a dense surrounding shell and revealing abrupt mass ejection within the final month before collapse.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Complexity of tensor network simulation for noisy quantum circuits

We aim to rigorously address how local noise affects classical simulability of quantum dynamics benchmarked by tensor-network methods. Using operator entanglement entropy (OEE), we prove the following: (1) For single-qubit depolarizing noise on arbitrary circuits, tensor networks with $\mathrm{poly}(n)$ bond dimension suffice for fixed absolute Hilbert-Schmidt error after $\order{1}$ depth, while relative error demands $\order{\log n}$ depth; and this bound is optimal. (2) For single-qubit depolarizing noise on 1D local circuits, the existence of whole-trajectory error-bounded matrix product operator (MPO) of $\mathrm{poly}(n)$ bond dimension at all depths. (3) For general single-qubit noise in 1D brickwall circuits, random two-design gates with contraction coefficient $c<1/3$ yield an $\order{1}$ OEE plateau with probability $1-Te^{-\Omega(n)}$, while arbitrary gates with $c<1/48$ give $\order{\log n}$ OEE in the worst case. (4) In higher dimensions, these bounds yield uniform-in-depth $\mathrm{poly}(n)$ average boundary-bond dimensions for projected entangled pair operators~(PEPO) across every cut -- under depolarizing noise at either absolute or relative accuracy, and under general noise with strong contraction at absolute accuracy. Our results establish a rigorous connection between certain noise models, circuit types, and their classical simulability.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2026

Formation of Extremely Low-mass White Dwarf Binaries Undergoing Enhanced Angular Momentum Loss

Extremely low-mass white dwarfs (ELM WDs) are helium (He) WDs with masses below $\sim 0.3\ M_{\odot}$, mainly formed through binary interaction. ELM WD binaries typically are formed from two channels, namely the stable Roche lobe overflow (RLOF) channel and the common envelope ejection channel. For ELM WD binaries produced from RLOF channel, the ELM WD mass has a strong correlation with the orbital period, i.e., the so-called WD mass-orbital period relation. However, the observations in the ELM Survey show that the orbital periods of ELM WD binaries from the RLOF channel are typically shorter than the theoretically predicted values. Extra angular momentum loss (AML) may be needed to explain such a phenomenon. In this work, we assumed that part of the transferred mass from the donor is lost at the outer Lagrangian point and simulated the formation of ELM WD binaries. Enhanced AML enables more mass to be lost during thermal-timescale mass transfer, thereby affecting nuclear burning in the transfer phase and producing ELM WDs with distinct internal structures. These structural differences alter the (pre-)He WD mass-radius relation at the end of mass transfer, which in turn shifts the WD mass-orbital period relation downward. These adjustments enable our model to successfully reproduce the majority of observed systems from the relevant survey projects.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

Asteroseismic rotation rates of hot subdwarf B stars hint at transient accretion from leftover common envelope matter

Asteroseismology enabled measuring the rotation rate in the deep stellar interiors of stars across several evolutionary phases, advancing the theory of angular momentum transport in single stars from the main sequence to the white dwarf phase. However, binary stellar evolution products have not yet been studied in the context of angular momentum transport constrained by asteroseismology. Hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars can pulsate in non-radial modes, enabling probing of their internal rotation. Those in binary systems form through mass transfer, thus they can be used to probe theories of internal rotation in post-mass transfer stars. Here, we interpret observed asteroseismic core and envelope rotation rates of sdB stars in unsynchronised binary systems that formed through the common-envelope channel, using stellar evolution models of rotating sdB stars with internal magnetic fields. We find that when sdB stars form with the angular momentum content of red giant cores prior to common-envelope ejection, their predicted core rotation rates are two to ten times lower than measured asteroseismic rotation rates, and their envelope rotation rates are lower by two to five orders of magnitude. This suggests that the angular momentum content of sdB stars increases during their formation. Since sdB stars in close binary systems may host circumstellar matter from a past common-envelope ejection, we show that if they accrete a small amount of matter, the combination of internal magnetic fields with angular momentum transfer through accretion spins up both the core and envelope to match their measured asteroseismic rotation rates.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

SN2024abfl: A Low-Luminosity Type IIP Supernova at the Low-Mass End of Core Collapse

We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the low-luminosity (LL) Type IIP supernova SN\,2024abfl. The distance to its host galaxy is highly uncertain, with independent estimates of $9.5^{+2.3}_{-2.4}$ Mpc and $15.0^{+8.9}_{-1.9}$ Mpc. Even adopting the larger distance, the inferred plateau luminosity is only $\sim 10^{41}\rm erg\,s^{-1}$, placing SN 2024abfl at the extreme faint end of SNe IIP population. Its light curve exhibits a long-lasting plateau of approximately 110 days. The spectra show exceptionally low expansion velocities, with the \FeII\, velocity of $\sim1200\,\rm km\,s^{-1}$ at 50 days after the explosion, significantly lower than the typical values of $\sim2000-5500\,\rm km\,s^{-1}$ observed in SNe IIP, placing SN\,2024abfl among the slowest-expanding LL SNe IIP. Bolometric modeling yields a synthesized $^{56}$Ni mass of $\sim0.002-0.004\,\rm M_\odot$, though this estimate remains subject to significant uncertainty owing to the poorly constrained distance. Considering the plateau color and duration, the magnitude drop from plateau to tail, and the progenitor luminosity, we favor a low-mass core-collapse origin for SN\,2024abfl.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

An efficient method of posterior sampling for Poisson INGARCH models

We develop an efficient posterior sampling scheme for the Poisson INGARCH models. The proposed method is based on the approximation of the posterior density that exploits the Poisson limit of the negative binomial distribution. It allows us to rewrite the model in a form amenable to P\'olya-Gamma data augmentation scheme, which yields simple conditionally Gaussian updates for the autoregressive coefficients. Sampling from the approximate posterior is straightforward via Gibbs-type iterations and remains numerically stable even under strong temporal dependence. Using this sampler as a proposal distribution will enhance the efficiency in Metropolis-Hastings algorithm and adaptive importance sampling. Numerical simulations indicate accurate posterior estimates, high effective sample sizes, and rapidly mixing chains.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2026

A binary merger product as the direct progenitor of a Type II-P supernova

Type II-P supernovae (SNe II-P) are the most common class of core-collapse SNe in the local Universe and play critical roles in many aspects of astrophysics. Since decades ago theorists have predicted that SNe II-P may originate not only from single stars but also from interacting binaries. While ~20 SNII-P progenitors have been directly detected on pre-explosion images, observational evidence still remains scarce for this speculated binary progenitor channel. In this work, we report the discovery of a red supergiant progenitor for the Type II-P SN 2018gj. While the progenitor resembles those of other SNe II-P in terms of effective temperature and luminosity, it is located in a very old environment and SN 2018gj has an abnormally short plateau in the light curve. With state-of-the-art binary evolution simulations, we find these characteristics can only be explained if the progenitor of SN 2018gj is the merger product of a close binary system, which developed a different interior structure and evolved over a longer timescale compared with single-star evolution. This work provides the first compelling evidence for the long-sought binary progenitor channel toward SNe II-P, and our methodology serves as an innovative and pragmatic tool to motivate further investigations into this previously hidden population of SNe II-P from binaries.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

A Unified Frequency Principle for Quantum and Classical Machine Learning

Quantum neural networks constitute a key class of near-term quantum learning models, yet their training dynamics remain not fully understood. Here, we present a unified theoretical framework for the frequency principle (F-principle) that characterizes the training dynamics of both classical and quantum neural networks. Within this framework, we prove that quantum neural networks exhibit a spectral bias toward learning low-frequency components of target functions, mirroring the behavior observed in classical deep networks. We further analyze the impact of noise and show that, when single-qubit noise is applied after encoding-layer rotations and modeled as a Pauli channel aligned with the rotation axis, the Fourier component labeled by $\boldsymbol{\omega}$ is suppressed by a factor $(1-2\gamma)^{\|\boldsymbol{\omega}\|_1}$. This leads to exponential attenuation of high-frequency terms while preserving the learnability of low-frequency structure. In the same setting, we establish that the resulting noisy circuits admit efficient classical simulation up to average-case error. Numerical experiments corroborate our theoretical predictions: Quantum neural networks primarily learn low-frequency features during early optimization and maintain robustness against dephasing and depolarizing noise acting on the encoding layer. Our results provide a frequency-domain lens that unifies classical and quantum learning dynamics, clarifies the role of noise in shaping trainability, and guides the design of noise-resilient quantum neural networks.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2025

Taming Barren Plateaus in Arbitrary Parameterized Quantum Circuits without Sacrificing Expressibility

Quantum algorithms based on parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) have enabled a wide range of applications on near-term quantum devices. However, existing PQC architectures face several challenges, among which the ``barren plateaus" phenomenon is particularly prominent. In such cases, the loss function concentrates exponentially with increasing system size, thereby hindering effective parameter optimization. To address this challenge, we propose a general and hardware-efficient method for eliminating barren plateaus in an arbitrary PQC. Specifically, our approach achieves this by inserting a layer of easily implementable quantum channels into the original PQC, each channel requiring only one ancilla qubit and four additional gates, yielding a modified PQC (MPQC) that is provably at least as expressive as the original PQC and, under mild assumptions, is guaranteed to be free from barren plateaus. Furthermore, by appropriately adjusting the structure of MPQCs, we rigorously prove that any parameter in the original PQC can be made trainable. Importantly, the absence of barren plateaus in MPQCs is robust against realistic noise, making our approach directly applicable to near-term quantum hardware. Numerical simulations demonstrate that MPQC effectively eliminates barren plateaus in PQCs for preparing thermal states of systems with up to 100 qubits and 2400 layers. Furthermore, in end-to-end simulations, MPQC significantly outperforms PQC in finding the ground-state energy of a complex Hamiltonian.

quant-ph↗