arXiv subjects

Siming Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Siming Liu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Constraining Cosmic-Ray Acceleration and Escape in Middle-Aged Supernova Remnants with GeV-TeV Gamma-Ray Observations

In this work, we perform a systematic, time-dependent study of the gamma-ray emission from four representative middle-aged SNRs (W51C, IC~443, W44, W28), incorporating both CRs within the remnant shells and escaped CRs interacting with surrounding molecular clouds. We compare our results with GeV--TeV gamma-ray observations from Fermi-LAT, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and LHAASO, including a dedicated analysis of the Fermi-LAT data for regions A and B associated with W28. We find that the observed spectra favor steeper CR injection spectra with indices of $\alpha\sim4.2$--$4.3$, maximum proton energies of $\sim$ $100$--$300$ TeV, diffusion coefficients below the Galactic average, and CR acceleration efficiencies from a few to tens of percent. In particular, the VHE emission detected by LHAASO from W51C is more naturally explained by escaped CRs interacting with a nearby molecular cloud. We also investigate the contribution of escaped CRs to the VHE emission from IC~443, W44, and W28. We further demonstrate that escaped CRs can substantially enhance the TeV neutrino flux from middle-aged SNRs, improving their prospects as potential neutrino sources. These results provide new constraints on CR acceleration and escape in middle-aged SNRs and highlight the important role of escaped CRs in shaping their high-energy gamma-ray and neutrino emission.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Twisted-pair unilateral reconnection: A unifying driver for magnetically powered astrophysical bursts

Magnetic reconnection in twisted loops has long been invoked as an engine powering energetic transients from black hole accretion to neutron star mergers, yet never directly observed. Here we report the first direct observation of the complete reconnection of this type in a solar flare. We find a magnetic loop twisted to about 540 degrees, far exceeding the 180 degrees twist assumed in existing simulations. This extreme twist inherently enables efficient multiple X-line reconnection, akin to the role of turbulence in contemporary theory. Remarkably, the intertwined end breaks unilaterally after reconnection (unlike symmetric breaking in simulations), forming open field lines that release hot plasma -- providing a promising mechanism for coronal generation or heating. We first detect hard X-ray emission from the current sheet, directly proving it as a particle accelerator. Moreover, we discover a power-law relationship between quasi-periodic oscillation frequency and magnetic field strength across solar flares, black hole binaries, active galactic nuclei, magnetars, and gamma-ray bursts. This relation identifies twisted-pair unilateral reconnection as a common burst mechanism and provides a natural ruler for cosmic magnetic fields. These findings establish an observational foundation for future reconnection theory and simulations, offering a unified framework for magnetically powered bursts.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

GeV emission around SS 433 with 17 years Fermi-LAT observation

We present an analysis of 17 years of Fermi-LAT observations of the microquasar SS~433. We detect four GeV sources in the region: a newly identified source, PS J1910+0550, located outside W50; the previously reported source J1913+0512; and two features, denoted as the East and West excesses, apparently associated with the X-ray lobes. We focus on the three sources located within W50. We do not confirm the previously reported periodic modulation from J1913+0512, as no significant periodicity is found in the full 17-year dataset. The East and West excesses exhibit distinct morphological and spectral properties, suggesting different physical origins. The East excess shows a hard spectrum with photon index $\sim1.7$, consistent with inverse Compton emission from relativistic electrons accelerated together with the particles responsible for the X-ray and TeV emission. In contrast, the West excess has a much softer spectrum with photon index $\sim2.6$ and is spatially offset from the known X-ray and TeV emission regions in the western lobe. The spectral shape and offset position of the West excess make it strikingly similar to J1913+0512. The emission from these two regions can be explained by GeV particles accelerated in SS~433, distributed throughout the source volume, and interacting with localized dense gas targets. Under reasonable assumptions regarding particle transport and energetics, both proton-proton and bremsstrahlung scenarios are viable, although the hadronic scenario is more naturally accommodated. These findings may therefore represent the first observational evidence for the acceleration of cosmic-ray protons in large-scale outflows from Galactic microquasars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Morphological Evolution of Higher Order Nonlinear Kinetic Alfv\'en Waves in Structured Galactic Environments

Kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) are fundamental to energy transport and small-scale structure formation in the turbulent, magnetized interstellar medium (ISM). While first-order Korteweg--de Vries (KdV) models describe weakly nonlinear KAW solitons, they fail in strongly inhomogeneous environments where higher-order effects become significant. We investigate higher-order "dressed" kinetic Alfven (KA) solitons in a structured ISM (warm ionized medium, H II regions, stellar-wind bubbles, supernova remnants). Using a multi-component fluid model with superthermal electrons, we derive an inhomogeneous KdV-type equation with cubic nonlinearity, nonlinear-dispersive cross terms, and fifth-order dispersion. The dressed soliton has a $\operatorname{sech}^2$ core decorated by higher-order corrections. We classify soliton morphologies across the Galactic plane as a function of electron suprathermality $\kappa_e$. Five classes ($\psi_{\rm I}$--$\psi_{\rm V}$) evolve non-monotonically with $\kappa_e$: strongly suprathermal ($\kappa_e=1.6$) favour negative double-hump ($\psi_{\rm III}$); intermediate $\kappa_e$ produce layered sequences of $\psi_{\rm II}$, $\psi_{\rm I}$, $\psi_{\rm IV}$, $\psi_{\rm V}$; near-Maxwellian ($\kappa_e=3.1$) revert to KdV-like $\psi_{\rm I}$. Localised $\psi_{\rm V}$ appear as a red ring around the SWB shell and a red core inside the SNR, showing embedded structures actively generate distinct morphologies. First-order KdV theory is insufficient; dressed solitons are the natural nonlinear states. The ISM morphology selects soliton class by modulating leading vs. higher-order terms. $\psi_{\rm V}$ features link macroscopic ISM structures to kinetic-scale fluctuations, offering candidates for extreme scattering events and pulsar scintillation. The non-monotonic $\kappa_e$ dependence can constrain electron suprathermality from observations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Global Structure of Accretion Flows in Sgr A*

Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is a compact radio source at the Galactic center. Observations have confirmed that its mass is approximately (4.1)*10$^{6}$ M$_{\odot}$, and Sgr A* is generally believed to be powered by gas accretion onto a supermassive black hole. Multifrequency radio observations of the pulsar J1745-2900, about 0.12 pc away from Sgr A*, reveal an unusually large Faraday rotation. Combined with X-ray observations, this indicates that there is a strong magnetic field (greater than 8 mG) leading to a low $\beta$ plasma at large scales.We show that the gas starts to be captured by the black hole below tens of thousands of the Schwarzschild radii $r_S$, where the gas pressure starts to dominate. Assuming that the accretion rate along magnetic fields at large scales decreases with the distance to the black hole following a power law, it is shown that, with an accretion disk below tens of $r_S$, as revealed with the EHT observations, there should be a supersonic wind above such a small accretion disk, and the accretion flow may be convection-dominated from tens of $r_S$ to tens of thousands of $r_S$. Detailed modeling is warranted.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Magnetic Flux Tubes Illuminated by Pulsar Winds

Observations of linear structure connecting pulsars to gamma-ray halos reveal injection of TeV electrons into the interstellar medium (ISM). In some cases, this could be attributed to nearly scattering-free electron transport along large-scale magnetic fields connected to pulsar winds with very slow diffusion across the field lines. In this work we model this process with a magnetic flux tube emerging from the pulsar and attached to the ISM magnetic field. We show that particles in this case have an anisotropic distribution of magnetic pitch angle, such that the overall emission is highly beamed. We apply this model to pulsar tails and filaments, including the extended X-ray and TeV emission associated with PSR J1740+1000 and the misaligned X-ray jet in the Guitar Nebula, to constrain their particle population and magnetic fields.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

The Apparent Asymmetric Outflows of TeV Particles from Pulsar Winds

Observations of X-ray filaments attached to a couple of powerful pulsars suggest escape of TeV electrons and/or positrons (e$^{\pm}$) from pulsar bow shocks into surrounding large scale magnetic fields. These filaments are usually asymmetric with very weak emission from the other side of the main filaments, and no significant spectral variation has been detected across these filaments, implying inefficient energy loss of emitting particles. We develop a Monte Carlo code to simulate particle transport in a large scale magnetic field and apply the model to PSR B2224+4415 (Guitar). It is shown that, with an injection power of a few tens of percent of the pulsar spin down luminosity, TeV e$^{\pm}$ can explain the observed filament properties with a scattering mean free path along the magnetic field comparable to the length of the observed filament. The model predicts a dim diffuse symmetric X-ray background aligned with the filament on a larger scale, whose flux is proportional to the X-ray emitting e$^{\pm}$ energy loss time for a stable e$^{\pm}$ injection power comparable to the luminosity of this diffuse background. Observations with a large field of view and good sensitivity should be able to detect such a component.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Interstellar Medium Modulation of Nonlinear Kinetic Alfv\'en Morphology in Structured Galactic Environments

We present a spatially dependent framework for the existence and propagation of nonlinear kinetic Alfv\'en (KA) structures in the interstellar medium (ISM). Using a multi-component analytical model that incorporates the diffuse warm ionized medium together with localized H II regions, supernova remnants (SNR), and stellar-wind bubbles (SWB), we derive location-dependent coefficients governing KA dispersion and nonlinearity. The reductive perturbation method is applied to obtain Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equations, enabling the characterization of solitons under realistic astrophysical conditions. Numerical analysis demonstrates how superthermality, plasma $\beta$, temperature, and density gradients modulate soliton amplitude, width, and stability. Our results reveal distinct exclusion zones (EZs) for KA solitons in high-$\beta$ HII regions and SWB/SNR interiors, as well as ultra low-$\beta$ regions near central pulsar wind nebulae. While H II regions exhibit simple Gaussian-driven depletions, the complex ``hole-and-shell" morphologies of SWBs and SNRs imprint sharp spatial variations and discontinuities on soliton properties. This study establishes a direct link between macroscopic ISM morphology, ion-kinetic scale dissipation, and the emergence of coherent Alfv\'enic activity, with implications for radio scattering, pulsar scintillation, and fine-scale signatures in astrophysical observations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

MedSAM-based lung masking for multi-label chest X-ray classification

Chest X-ray (CXR) imaging is widely used for screening and diagnosing pulmonary abnormalities, yet automated interpretation remains challenging due to weak disease signals, dataset bias, and limited spatial supervision. Foundation models for medical image segmentation (MedSAM) provide an opportunity to introduce anatomically grounded priors that may improve robustness and interpretability in CXR analysis. We propose a segmentation-guided CXR classification pipeline that integrates MedSAM as a lung region extraction module prior to multi-label abnormality classification. MedSAM is fine-tuned using a public image-mask dataset from Airlangga University Hospital. We then apply it to a curated subset of the public NIH CXR dataset to train and evaluate deep convolutional neural networks for multi-label prediction of five abnormalities (Mass, Nodule, Pneumonia, Edema, and Fibrosis), with the normal case (No Finding) evaluated via a derived score. Experiments show that MedSAM produces anatomically plausible lung masks across diverse imaging conditions. We find that masking effects are both task-dependent and architecture-dependent. ResNet50 trained on original images achieves the strongest overall abnormality discrimination, while loose lung masking yields comparable macro AUROC but significantly improves No Finding discrimination, indicating a trade-off between abnormality-specific classification and normal case screening. Tight masking consistently reduces abnormality level performance but improves training efficiency. Loose masking partially mitigates this degradation by preserving perihilar and peripheral context. These results suggest that lung masking should be treated as a controllable spatial prior selected to match the backbone and clinical objective, rather than applied uniformly.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2025

Contactless Modulation of Intralayer and Interlayer Excitons in MoS2/WSe2 heterostructures with Acoustoelectric Fields

This work presents a platform that enables surface acoustic wave (SAW) modulation of both intralayer and interlayer excitons in MoS2/WSe2 heterostructures. Harnessing the coupled piezoelectric and strain fields of SAWs, this integrated approach allows for dynamic, precise, and fully contactless control of excitonic properties, a capability essential for the realization of next generation optoelectronic, quantum photonic, and excitonic devices. We identify two distinct modulable interlayer excitons in optical communication bands: IX$_{K\Gamma}$ in the O band (around 1300 nm) and IX$_{K\!-\!K}$ in the S band (around 1500 nm); these two excitons display a robust twist-angle-independent energy splitting of 120 meV, in agreement with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The type-II band alignment induced by the SAW not only promotes efficient exciton dissociation but also enables direct and tunable modulation of photoluminescence via the formation of confined piezoelectric potential wells. Furthermore, by simultaneously generating in-plane and out-of-plane SAW fields, the platform achieves selective manipulation of intralayer and interlayer excitons, inducing quadratic Stark effects for intralayer excitons and linear Stark effects for interlayer excitons. These findings provide new insights into SAWexciton interactions in van der Waals heterostructures, broaden the operational spectral range, and establish pathways toward on-chip acousto-optic and quantum optoelectronic devices with advanced excitonic functionality.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

A Self-Consistent Model of Kinetic Alfven Solitons in Pulsar Wind Plasma: Linking Soliton Characteristics to Pulsar Observables

A self-consistent model is presented for the formation and propagation of kinetic Alfv\'en (KA) solitons in mass-loaded filaments within the pulsar wind, where a magnetized electron--positron--ion plasma flows along open magnetic field lines beyond the light cylinder. Using a reductive perturbation approach, we derive a Korteweg--de Vries (KdV) equation governing the nonlinear evolution of KA solitons in this environment. The soliton amplitude and width depend sensitively on key pulsar observables, including spin period, spin-down rate, and pair multiplicity, as well as on plasma composition and suprathermal particle distributions. Heavy ion species such as Fe$^{26+}$ produce significantly broader solitons through enhanced inertia and dispersion, while increasing pair multiplicity leads to smaller solitons through stronger screening. More oblique propagation (larger $\theta$) yields wider but lower-amplitude solitons, whereas more thermalized pair plasmas (higher $\kappa$) support taller and broader structures. A population-level analysis of 1174 pulsars quantifies the physical scales of these nonlinear structures, showing that millisecond pulsars host the most compact solitons, whereas slower pulsars support broader structures. Within the adopted admissible finite-$\beta$ regime, this work links soliton properties to measurable pulsar parameters and provides a self-consistent framework for characterizing localized nonlinear plasma structures in finite-magnetization regions of pulsar winds and for assessing their role in modulating the local plasma environment.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Discovery of diffuse gamma-ray emission in the vicinity of G172.8+1.5: An old supernova remnant with different turbulence properties

We report the detection of high-energy $\gamma$-ray emission in the vicinity of G172.8+1.5, which is debated as a Supernova remnant (SNR) or an ionized hydrogen (H$_{\rm{II}}$) region. Using 16-yr Pass 8 data from Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT), we found the GeV emission can be described by two extended sources with different photon spectra. Among them, the much more extended $\gamma$-ray source SrcA with a Power-law spectrum is spatially coincident with a giant neutral Hydrogen shell structure and several OB stars inside a huge H$_{\rm{II}}$ region. The softer Log-Parabola spectra $\gamma$-ray source SrcB is spatially coincident with a star-forming region with several OB stars, maser sources and IR sources. Gas observation results display a dense molecular cloud surrounding SrcB in the velocity range of [-25,-5] km s$^{-1}$. The possible origins of $\gamma$-ray emission are discussed, including CRs escaped from SNR shock surface and illuminated nearby MC, the young massive star clusters associated with the star-forming region and a pulsar halo generated by an invisible energetic pulsar inside the SNR. Furthermore, under the hadronic scenario, the measured diffusion coefficient in the compact SrcB region is significantly lower than that of the more extended SrcA. This suppression is likely attributed to cosmic-ray-driven instabilities, which reduce the diffusion efficiency in the vicinity of the source relative to the standard conditions in the interstellar medium (ISM). Future advanced analysis from LHAASO observation results would help distinguish the origins of $\gamma$-ray emission in this region and clarify the nature of this source.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Vector meson dominance in photon structure functions at small $x$ from holography

We investigate the photon structure functions via the photon-photon and photon-vector meson scattering within the framework of holographic QCD, focusing on the small Bjorken $x$ region and assuming that the Pomeron exchange dominates. The quasi-real photon structure functions are formulated as the convolution of the known U(1) vector field wave function with the Brower-Polchinski-Strassler-Tan (BPST) Pomeron exchange kernel in the five-dimensional AdS space. Assuming the vector meson dominance, the photon structure functions can be calculated in a different way with the BPST kernel and vector meson gravitational form factor, which can be obtained in a bottom-up AdS/QCD model, for the Pomeron-vector meson coupling. It is shown that the obtained $F_2$ structure functions in the both ways agree with the experimental data, which implies the realization of the vector meson dominance within the present model setup. Calculations for the longitudinal structure function and the longitudinal-to-transverse ratio are also presented.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Method for testing diffusive shock acceleration and diffusion propagation of 1-100 TeV cosmic electrons with multiwavelength observations of the Geminga halo and pulsar wind nebula

Diffusive shock acceleration and diffusion propagation are essential components of the standard cosmic ray model. These theories are based on extensive observations of high-energy solar processes, providing substantial direct evidence in the MeV energy range. Although the model is widely and successfully used to explain high-energy cosmic phenomena, direct validation has been elusive. The multi-wavelength spectra and angular profile measurements of the Geminga pulsar wind nebula and its pulsar halo, particularly the precise spectral observations by HAWC and LHAASO-KM2A in recent years, offer a rare opportunity to test these theories with cosmic rays energies between 1 TeV and several hundred TeV. These observations are expected to elevate the direct testing of theoretical models from multi-MeV to sub-PeV energies. In this work, a method is developed to test the diffusive shock acceleration and diffusion propagation model between one and several hundred TeV energies through the latest spectral and morphological data of the Geminga region from HAWC and Fermi-LAT. Our results show that the theories of diffusive shock acceleration and diffusion propagation are consistent with experimental observations. However, the published morphological data adopted rather wide energy bins and currently do not allow a high precision test of the inferred energy dependent diffusion coefficient by observed energy spectra with DSA theory. It is anticipated that future HAWC and LHAASO-KM2A observations will yield higher-precision results, and the confirmation of a rapidly increasing diffusion coefficient above 100 TeV would serve as important evidence supporting the diffusive shock acceleration and diffusion propagation theory. Similar tests would be both important and valuable for other models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Influence of interstellar environment near the solar system on cosmic-ray spectra and dipole anisotropy

Properties of interstellar environment near the solar system have been probed by missions like IBEX, Voyager over the last two decades. Although it has been well recognized that properties of cosmic rays up to the PeV energy can be affected by the local interstellar environment, detailed modeling has not been done. We show that a three component model for the cosmic ray proton and helium spectra from GV to several PV can naturally explain the energy dependence of the dipole anisotropy of cosmic ray fluxes by considering effects of the local interstellar environment on cosmic ray transport, addressing the so-called cosmic ray anisotropy problem. In particular, it is shown that the dipole amplitude and position angle below $\sim 100$ TeV are very sensitive to the velocity of the heliosphere in the local interstellar cloud and the motion of the local interstellar cloud in the local standard of rest. Better measurement of cosmic ray flux anisotropy by experiments like LHAASO and properties of the local interstellar environment by future missions like IMAP will be able to test this model.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Discovery of diffuse $\gamma$-ray emission in the vicinity of G213.0-0.6: Supernova remnant versus massive star-forming region

We report the discovery of high-energy $\gamma$-ray emission in the vicinity of G213.0-0.6, which is debated as a supernova remnant (SNR) or an ionized hydrogen (H$_{\rm{II}}$) region. Using 16-yr Pass 8 data from Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT), we found three extended sources with different photon spectra in this region, which will label as SrcA, SrcB and SrcC. Among them, the $\gamma$-ray source SrcA with a log-parabola spectrum is spatially coincident with a star-forming region and several OB stars. The power-law spectra source SrcB is spatially coincident with a SNR radio shell. SrcC with a harder power-law photon spectrum is located outside of the radio shell structure. All of them are spatially coincident with a dense molecular cloud (MC) in the velocity range of 35 - 54 km s$^{-1}$. In this scenario, SrcB can be interpreted as the GeV counterpart of the SNR, and its $\gamma$-ray emission originates from the shock-cloud interaction. SrcA and SrcC originate from the escaped CRs illuminating nearby MC. For SrcA, another possibility is that the $\gamma$-ray emission originates from a young stellar cluster (YSC) associated with a star-forming region (SFR), however, the supporting evidence remains insufficient to draw a definitive conclusion.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Convection Anisotropies of Cosmic Rays in Highly Magnetized Plasma

Recently, Zhang & Liu (2024) proposed a turbulent convection model for multiscale anisotropies of cosmic rays (CRs), with an assumption of isotropic diffusion such that the anisotropies are statistically isotropic. However, this assumption may be unrealistic for TeV CRs, whose observations have revealed the significance of the local interstellar background magnetic field. To meet the difficulty, the turbulent convection scenario needs to be extended to cover anisotropic diffusion. In this paper, we focus on the parallel diffusion with isotropic pitch-angle scattering, which may be an approximation to the transport process driven by weak hydromagnetic waves in a magnetic flux tube, where fluctuations of the wave velocities lead to the turbulent convection. The consequence is the breaking of the statistical isotropy, while the overall shape of the angular power spectrum, $ \overline{C_\ell}\propto\ell ^{-\gamma -1} $ ($ \ell\gg 1 $), remains similar to that in the isotropic diffusion model, where $ \ell $ are degrees of spherical harmonics, and $ \gamma $ is the turbulence spectral index of the convection field. It is then expected that the power-law index of the TeV CR small-scale angular power spectrum can be explained with the Kolmogorov law $ \gamma =5/3 $, irrespective of the background magnetic field to some extent.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

EduBench: A Comprehensive Benchmarking Dataset for Evaluating Large Language Models in Diverse Educational Scenarios

As large language models continue to advance, their application in educational contexts remains underexplored and under-optimized. In this paper, we address this gap by introducing the first diverse benchmark tailored for educational scenarios, incorporating synthetic data containing 9 major scenarios and over 4,000 distinct educational contexts. To enable comprehensive assessment, we propose a set of multi-dimensional evaluation metrics that cover 12 critical aspects relevant to both teachers and students. We further apply human annotation to ensure the effectiveness of the model-generated evaluation responses. Additionally, we succeed to train a relatively small-scale model on our constructed dataset and demonstrate that it can achieve performance comparable to state-of-the-art large models (e.g., Deepseek V3, Qwen Max) on the test set. Overall, this work provides a practical foundation for the development and evaluation of education-oriented language models. Code and data are released at https://github.com/ybai-nlp/EduBench.

cs.CL↗