arXiv subjects

Tong Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Tong Liu.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Corona-Heated Accretion-disk Reprocessing (CHAR): A Physical Model to Decipher the Melody of AGN UV/optical Twinkling

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have long been observed to "twinkle" (i.e., their brightness varies with time) on timescales from days to years in the UV/optical bands. Such AGN UV/optical variability is essential for probing the physics of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), the accretion disk, and the broad-line region. Here we show that the temperature fluctuations of an AGN accretion disk, which is magnetically coupled with the corona, can account for observed high-quality AGN optical light curves. We calculate the temperature fluctuations by considering the gas physics of the accreted matter near the SMBH. We find that the resulting simulated AGN UV/optical light curves share the same statistical properties as the observed ones as long as the dimensionless viscosity parameter $α$, which is widely believed to be controlled by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in the accretion disk, is about $0.01$---$0.2$. Moreover, our model can simultaneously explain the larger-than-expected accretion disk sizes and the dependence of UV/optical variability upon wavelength for NGC 5548. Our model also has the potential to explain some other observational facts of AGN UV/optical variability, including the timescale-dependent bluer-when-brighter color variability and the dependence of UV/optical variability on AGN luminosity and black hole mass. Our results also demonstrate a promising way to infer the black-hole mass, the accretion rate, and the radiative efficiency, thereby facilitating understanding of the gas physics and MHD turbulence near the SMBH and its cosmic mass growth history by fitting the AGN UV/optical light curves in the era of time-domain astronomy.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Optical Vortex Shaping & Multiple Singularities Manipulation via High-order Cross-phase

Increasing demand for practical applications is forcing deeper research into optical vortices (OVs): from the generation and measurement to shaping and multiple singularities manipulation of OVs. Herein, we propose a new type of phase structure called the high-order cross phase (HOCP) can be employed to modulate OVs to implement both polygonal shaping and singularities manipulation. Theoretically, we investigate the propagation characteristics of OVs with the HOCP. In experiments, we achieve the shaping and singularities manipulation of OVs by utilizing the HOCP. On this basis, we discuss the interference patterns of superposed OVs after the modulation. This work provides an alternative method to achieve both polygonal shaping and multiple singularities manipulation, which will facilitate applications in optical micro-manipulation, optical communication, and high-dimensional quantum entanglement.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Exciton interaction induced spin splitting in MoS$_2$ monolayer

By pumping nonresonantly a MoS$_2$ monolayer at $13$ K under a circularly polarized cw laser, we observe exciton energy redshifts that break the degeneracy between B excitons with opposite spin. The energy splitting increases monotonically with the laser power reaching as much as $18$ meV, while it diminishes with the temperature. The phenomenon can be explained theoretically by considering simultaneously the bandgap renormalization which gives rise to the redshift and exciton-exciton Coulomb exchange interaction which is responsible for the spin-dependent splitting. Our results offer a simple scheme to control the valley degree of freedom in MoS$_2$ monolayer and provide an accessible method in investigating many-body exciton exciton interaction in such materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Black hole hyperaccretion in collapsars. II. Gravitational waves

As progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), core collapse of massive stars and coalescence of compact object binaries are believed to be powerful sources of gravitational waves (GWs). In the collapsar scenario, a rotating stellar-mass black hole (BH) surrounded by a hyperaccretion disk might be running in the center of a massive collapsar, which is one of the plausible central engines of long GRBs. Such a BH hyperaccretion disk would be in a state of a neutrino-dominated accretion flow (NDAF) at the initial stage of the accretion process; meanwhile, the jets attempt to break out from the envelope and circumstellar medium to power GRBs. In addition to collapsars, the BH hyperaccretion systems are important sources of neutrinos and GWs. In this paper, we investigated the GW emission generated by the anisotropic neutrino emission from NDAFs in the collapsar scenarios. As the results indicate, the typical frequency of GWs is $\sim$ 1-100 Hz, and the masses and metallicities of the progenitor stars have slight effects on the GW strains. The GWs from NDAFs might be detected by operational or planned detectors at the distance of 10 kpc. Moreover, comparisons of the detectable GWs from collapsars, NDAFs, and GRB jets (internal shocks) are displayed. By combining the electromagnetic counterparts, neutrinos, and GWs, one may constrain the characteristics of collapsars and central BH accretion systems.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Generation and Measurement of High-order Optical Vortex via Cross-Phase

The generation and measurement of optical vortex (OV) are the basis for a variety of related applications. However, the special case of high-order OVs has not been sufficient addressed yet. Herein, a generation and measurement method of high-order OV via utilizing the CP is investigated. In the experiment, we generate OVs with l=60, p=20 and successfully measure OVs with l=200,p=0, where experimental results agree well with simulation outcome. On this basis, the intensity distributions of LG and HG beams (corresponding to the generation and measurement) versus waist radius of initial light beams is discussed. This work provides an alternative method to generate or measure high-order OV, which will facilitate applications in optical micro-manipulation, quantum entanglement and rotation speed detection.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

The upper critical field and its anisotropy in RbCr$_{3}$As$_{3}$

The temperature dependence of the upper critical field ($H_{c2}$) in RbCr$% _{3}$As$_{3}$ single crystals ($T_{c}\approx $ 7.3 K) has been determined by means of magnetoresistance measurements with temperature down to 0.35 K in static magnetic fields up to 38 T. The magnetic field was applied both for directions parallel ($H\parallel c $, $H_{c2}^{\parallel c}$) and perpendicular ($H\perp c$, $H_{c2}^{\perp c}$) to the Cr chains. The curves $H_{c2}^{\parallel c}(T)$ and $H_{c2}^{\perp c}(T)$ cross at $\sim $ 5.5 K. As a result, the anisotropy parameter $γ(T)=H_{c2}^{\perp c}/H_{c2}^{\parallel c}(T)$ increases from 0.5 near $T_{c}$ to 1.6 at low temperature. Fitting with the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg (WHH) model yields zero-temperature critical fields of $μ_0H_{c2}^{\parallel c}(0)\approx $ 27.2 T and $μ_0H_{c2}^{\perp c}(0)\approx $ 43.4 T, both exceeding the BCS weak-coupling Pauli limit $μ_0H_{p}=1.84T_{c}=13.4$ T. The results indicate that the paramagnetic pair breaking effect is strong for $H \parallel c$ but absent for $H \perp c$, which was further confirmed by the angle dependent magnetoresistance and $H_{c2}$ measurements.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

A Pulsar Wind Nebula Embedded in the Kilonova AT2017gfo Associated with GW 170817/GRB 170817A

The first detected gravitational wave GW170817 from a binary neutron star merger is associated with an important optical transient AT 2017gfo, which is a direct observation of kilonova. Recent observations suggest that the remnant compact object of the binary neutron star merger associated with GW170817/GRB 170817A may be a stable long-lived magnetized neutron star. In this situation, there would be a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) embedded inside the dynamic ejecta. The PWN emission may be absorbed by the ejecta or leak out of the system. We study the effect of the PWN emission on the observed light curves and radiation spectra. Different from previous works, the absorption and leakage of the PWN emission are all involved in our model, where the absorption of the PWN emission heats up the ejecta and alters its radiation. It is found that the characteristic emission of the embedded PWN quickly evolves. For the multiband and long-term observations of AT 2017gfo, we find that the dynamic ejecta with a PWN emission can fit the observational data very well, especially for the light curves at $t\sim 5$ days and those in the late phase. In addition, our model can naturally generate the thermal to nonthermal spectrum evolution of AT 2017gfo. Our fitting result suggests that a PWN is embedded in the AT 2017gfo.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Precise Photon Correlation Measurement of a Chaotic Laser

The second order photon correlation g^(2)(tau) of a chaotic optical-feedback semiconductor laser is precisely measured using a Hanbury Brown-Twiss interferometer. The accurate g^(2)(tau) with non-zero delay time is obtained experimentally from the photon pair time interval distribution through a ninth-order self-convolution correction. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical analysis. The relative error of g^(2)(tau) is no more than 0.005 within 50 ns delay time. The bunching effect and coherence time of the chaotic laser are measured via the precise photon correlation technique. This technique provides a new tool to improve the accuracy of g^(2)(tau) measurement and boost applications of quantum statistics and correlation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Proximal Policy Optimization with Mixed Distributed Training

Instability and slowness are two main problems in deep reinforcement learning. Even if proximal policy optimization (PPO) is the state of the art, it still suffers from these two problems. We introduce an improved algorithm based on proximal policy optimization, mixed distributed proximal policy optimization (MDPPO), and show that it can accelerate and stabilize the training process. In our algorithm, multiple different policies train simultaneously and each of them controls several identical agents that interact with environments. Actions are sampled by each policy separately as usual, but the trajectories for the training process are collected from all agents, instead of only one policy. We find that if we choose some auxiliary trajectories elaborately to train policies, the algorithm will be more stable and quicker to converge especially in the environments with sparse rewards.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2019

Evaluating entropy rate of laser chaos and shot noise

Evaluating entropy rate of high-dimensional chaos and shot noise from analog raw signals remains elusive and important in information security. We experimentally present an accurate assessment of entropy rate for physical process randomness. The entropy generation of optical-feedback laser chaos and physical randomness limit from shot noise are quantified and unambiguously discriminated using the growth rate of average permutation entropy value in memory time. The permutation entropy difference of filtered laser chaos with varying embedding delay time is investigated experimentally and theoretically. High resolution maps of the entropy difference is observed over the range of the injection-feedback parameter space. We also clarify an inverse relationship between the entropy rate and time delay signature of laser chaos over a wide range of parameters. Compared to the original chaos, the time delay signature is suppressed up to 95% with the minimum of 0.015 via frequency-band extractor, and the experiment agrees well with the theory. Our system provides a commendable entropy evaluation and source for physical random number generation.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Multiband superconductivity and possible nodal gap in RbCr$_{3}$As$_{3}$ revealed by Andreev reflection and single-particle tunneling measurements

By measuring point-contact Andreev reflection (PCAR) spectra in the newly discovered chromium-based quasi-one-dimensional superconductor RbCr$_{3}$As$_{3}$, we find clear evidence of two superconducting components, i.e., one having a gap value of about 1.8 meV and another with a gap value of about 5 meV. Since the current injection may have components in both the direction parallel and perpendicular to the [(Cr$_{3}$As$_{3}$)$^{-}$]$_\infty$ chains in the PCAR measurements, it naturally explains the two-component feature observed in this multi-band superconductor. Detailed analysis shows that the larger gap may have an $s$-wave nature. We then carry out the single-particle tunneling measurements based on a scanning tunneling spectroscope by using the needle-like sample as the tip, and in this case the measured current is mainly parallel to the [(Cr$_{3}$As$_{3}$)$^{-}$]$_\infty$ chains. The single-particle tunneling spectra show only one gap feature with a gap value of about 1.8 meV. Fitting to the single particle tunneling spectra indicates that the gap should have a large anisotropy or even node(s). We argue that the absence of the larger gap may be related to the direction of the injecting current. Therefore, our combined experiments show the multiband superconductivity with one gap being nodal or highly anisotropic.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Relative crystalline representations and $p$-divisible groups in the small ramification case

Let $k$ be a perfect field of characteristic $p > 2$, and let $K$ be a finite totally ramified extension over $W(k)[\frac{1}{p}]$ of ramification degree $e$. Let $R_0$ be a relative base ring over $W(k)\langle t_1^{\pm 1}, \ldots, t_m^{\pm 1}\rangle$ satisfying some mild conditions, and let $R = R_0\otimes_{W(k)}\mathcal{O}_K$. We show that if $e < p-1$, then every crystalline representation of $π_1^{\text{ét}}(\mathrm{Spec}R[\frac{1}{p}])$ with Hodge-Tate weights in $[0, 1]$ arises from a $p$-divisible group over $R$.

math.NT↗

arXiv2019

Lorentz Factor Evolution of an Expanding Jet Shell Observed in Gamma-ray Burst: Case study of GRB 160625B

The Lorentz factor of a relativistic jet and its evolution during the jet expansion are difficult to estimate, especially for the jets in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). However, it is related to the understanding of jet physics. Owing to the absorption of two-photon pair production ($γγ{\leftrightarrow}e^+e^-$), a high-energy spectral cutoff may appear in the radiation spectrum of GRBs. We search such kind of high-energy cutoff in GRB 160625B, which is one of the brightest bursts in recent years. It is found that the high-energy spectral cutoff is obvious for the first pulse in the second emission episode of GRB 160625B (i.e., $\sim$186-192 s after the burst first trigger), which is smooth and well-shaped. Then, we estimate the Lorentz factor and radiation location of the jet shell associated with the first pulse in the second emission episode of GRB 160625B. It is found that the radiation location increases with time. In addition, the Lorentz factor remains almost constant during the expansion of the jet shell. This reveals that the magnetization of the jet is low or intermediate in the emission region, event though the jet could be still Poynting flux dominated at smaller radii to avoid a bright thermal component in the emission episode.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Effects of resonant magnetic perturbation on locked mode of neo-classical tearing modes

Effects of externally applied resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) on the locked mode of neo-classical tearing mode (NTM) are numerically investigated by means of a set of reduced magnetohydrodynamic equations. It is found that for a small bootstrap current fraction, three regimes, namely slight suppression regime, small locked island (SLI) regime and big locked island (BLI) regime, are discovered with the increase of RMP strength. For a much higher bootstrap current fraction, however, a new oscillation regime appears instead of the SLI regime, although the other regimes still remain. The physical process in each regime is analyzed in detail based on the phase difference between NTM and RMP. Moreover, the critical values of RMP in both SLI and BLI regimes are obtained, and their dependence on key plasma parameters is discussed as well.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2019

Jet Structure in the Afterglow Phase for Gamma-ray Bursts with a Precessing Jet

The structured jet is involved to explain the afterglows and even the prompt emission of GRB 170817A. In this paper, we stress that for a precessing jet, the jet structure in the prompt emission phase and that in the afterglow phase may be different. The jet structure in the afterglow phase can be non-uniform even if a narrow-uniform jet is presented in the prompt emission phase. We estimate the jet structure in the afterglow phase under the situation that a narrow-uniform-precessing jet is launched from the central engine of gamma-ray burst. With different precession angles, it is found that the structured jet can be roughly described as follows: a narrow uniform core with power-law wings and sharp cut-off edges, a Gaussian profile, a ring shape, or other complex profile in energy per solid angle. Correspondingly, the afterglows for our obtained structured jets are also estimated. We find that the estimates of the intrinsic kinetic energy, the electron index, and the jet opening angle based on the afterglows formed in a precessing system may be incorrect. Our obtained structured jet is likely to be revealed by future observations for a fraction of gravitational wave detected merging compact binary systems (e.g., black hole-neutron star mergers).

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Black hole hyperaccretion in collapsars. I. MeV neutrinos

As the plausible central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), a black hole (BH) hyperaccretion disk should be in a state of neutrino-dominated accretion flow (NDAF) if the accretion rate is larger than the ignition rate of an NDAF. A rotating stellar-mass BH surrounded by a hyperaccretion disk might be born in the center of a massive core collapsar. In the initial hundreds of seconds of the accretion process, the mass supply rate of the massive progenitor is generally higher than the ignition accretion rate, but the jets are generally choked in the envelope. Thus, neutrinos can be emitted from the center of a core collapsar. In this paper, we study the effects of the masses and metallicities of progenitor stars on the time-integrated spectra of electron neutrinos from NDAFs. The peak energies of the calculated spectra are approximately 10-20 MeV. The mass of a collapsar has little influence on the neutrino spectrum, and a low metallicity is beneficial to the production of low-energy ($\lesssim$ 1 MeV) neutrinos. We also investigate the differences in the electron neutrino spectra between NDAFs and proto-neutron stars. Combining with the electromagnetic counterparts and multi-messenger astronomy, one may verify the possible remnants of the core collapse of massive stars with future neutrino detectors.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Dynamical quantum phase transitions on cross-stitch flat band networks

We study the quench dynamics on cross-stitch flat band networks by a sudden change of the inter-cell hopping strength $J$. For quench processes with $J$ changing as $J=0\rightarrow J\neq0$, we give the analytical expression to the Loschmidt echo which possesses a series of zero points at critical times $t^{*}$, indicating where the dynamical quantum phase transitions occur. We further study the converse quench process with $J\neq0\rightarrow J=0$, and find a non-trivial example that the pre-quench quantum state is not an eigenstate of the post-quench Hamiltonian, whereas the Loschmidt echo $\mathcal{L}(t)\equiv1$ during this process. For both situations, these results are also illustrated numerically. Finally, we give a brief discussion on the observation of these predictions in the system of ultracold atoms in optical lattices.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2019

Breuil-Kisin Modules via crystalline cohomology

For a perfect field $k$ of characteristic $p>0$ and a smooth and proper formal scheme $\mathscr{X}$ over the ring of integers of a finite and totally ramified extension $K$ of $W(k)[1/p]$, we propose a cohomological construction of the Breuil-Kisin modules attached to the $p$-adic étale cohomology $H^i_{\mathrm{ét}}(\mathscr{X}_{\overline{K}},\mathbf{Z}_p)$. We then prove that our proposal works when $p>2$, $i < p-1$, and the crystalline cohomology of the special fiber of $\mathscr{X}$ is torsion-free in degrees $i$ and $i+1$.

math.NT↗