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We report the first detection of polarization angle orthogonal jumps, a phenomenon previously only observed from radio pulsars, from a fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20201124A. We find three cases of orthogonal jumps in over 2000 bursts, all resembling those observed in pulsar single pulses. We propose that the jumps are due to the superposition of two orthogonal emission modes that could only be produced in a highly magnetized plasma, and they are caused by the line of sight sweeping across a rotating magnetosphere. The shortest jump timescale is of the order of 1 millisecond, which hints that the emission modes come from regions smaller than the light cylinder of most pulsars or magnetars. This discovery provides convincing evidence that FRB emission originates from the complex magnetosphere of a magnetar, suggesting an FRB emission mechanism that is analogous to radio pulsars despite a huge luminosity difference between two types of objects.

We report the timing analysis of PSR J1846−0513, a pulsar discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey. The pulsar possesses a spin period of 23.36 ms and a spin-down rate ( $\dot{P}$ ) of 1.0106(3) × 10 ^−18 s s ^−1 , and it is located in an eccentric orbit ( e ∼0.208) with an orbital period of 0.61 days. The characteristic age and surface magnetic field of the pulsar are found to be 366.62 Myr and 4.9178 × 10 ^9 G, respectively, indicating that it is a recycled pulsar. Using over two years of timing data, we measure the periastron advance $\dot{\omega }$ = 0.8956(8) deg yr ^−1 . By assuming that this effect is purely relativistic, we have estimated the total mass M = 2.6287(35) M _⊙ and obtained an upper limit for the pulsar mass and a lower limit for the companion’s mass. Our results indicate that this is a double neutron star system.

We present phase-connected timing ephemerides, polarization pulse profiles, and Faraday rotation measurements of 12 pulsars discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey. The observational data for each pulsar span at least 1 yr. Among them, PSR J1840+2843 shows subpulse drifting, and five pulsars are detected to exhibit pulse nulling phenomena. PSR J0640−0139 and PSR J2031−1254 are isolated millisecond pulsars (MSPs) with stable spin-down rates ( $\dot{P}$ ) of 4.8981(6) × 10 ^−20 s s ^−1 and 6.01(2) × 10 ^−21 s s ^−1 , respectively. Additionally, one pulsar (PSR J1602−0611) is in a neutron star−white dwarf (WD) binary system with an 18.23-day orbit and a companion of ≤0.65 M _⊙ . PSR J1602−0611 has a spin period, companion mass, and orbital eccentricity that are consistent with the theoretical expectations for MSP−helium WD (He WD) systems. Therefore, we believe that it might be an MSP−He WD binary system. The locations of PSR J1751−0542 and PSR J1840+2843 on the $P-\dot{P}$ diagram are beyond the traditional death line. This indicates that FAST has discovered some low- $\dot{E}$ pulsars, contributing new samples for testing pulsar radiation theories. We estimated the distances of these 12 pulsars based on NE2001 and YMW16 electron density models, and our work enhances the data set for investigating the electron density model of the Galaxy.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the spectral properties of 886 pulsars across a wide frequency range from 20 MHz–343.5 GHz, including a total of 86 millisecond pulsars (MSPs). The majority of the pulsars exhibit power-law behavior in their spectra, although some exceptions are observed. Five different spectral models, namely, simple power law, broken power law, low-frequency turnover, high-frequency cutoff, and double turnover, were employed to explore the spectral behaviors. The average spectral index for pulsars modeled with a simple power law is found to be −1.64 ± 0.80, consistent with previous studies. Additionally, significant correlations between the spectral index and characteristic parameters are observed, particularly in MSPs, while no strong correlation is observed in normal pulsars. Different models show variations in the most influential characteristic parameters associated with the spectral index, indicating diverse dominant radiation mechanisms in MSPs. Finally, this study identifies 22 pulsars of the gigahertz-peaked spectra type for the first time based on the Akaike information criterion.

PSR J2150+3427 is a 0.654 s pulsar discovered by the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey. From the follow-up observations, we find that the pulsar is in a highly eccentric orbit ( e = 0.601) with an orbital period of 10.592 days and a projected semimajor axis of 25.488 lt-s. Using 2.7 yr of timing data, we also measured the rate of periastron advance $\dot{\omega }$ = 0.0115(4) deg yr ^−1 . An estimate for the total mass of the system using the $\dot{\omega }$ gives M _tot = 2.59(13) M _⊙ , which is consistent with most of the known double neutron star (DNS) systems and one neutron star (NS)–white dwarf (WD) system named B2303+46. Combining $\dot{\omega }$ with the mass function of the system gives the masses of M _p < 1.67 and M _c > 0.98 M _⊙ for the pulsar and the companion star, respectively. This constraint, along with the spin period and orbital parameters, suggests that it is possibly a DNS system, and we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of an NS–WD system. Future timing observations will vastly improve the uncertainty in $\dot{\omega }$ , and are likely to allow the detection of additional relativistic effects, which can be used to modify the values of M _p and M _c . With a spin-down luminosity of $\dot{E}$ = 5.07(6) × 10 ^29 erg s ^−1 , PSR J2150+3427 is a very low-luminosity pulsar, with only the binary pulsar J2208+4610 having a smaller $\dot{E}$ .

To circumvent the problem of radiation damage when using an x-ray coherent diffraction imaging experiment to resolve the structure of biological samples, we propose a method to add objects made of heavy atoms with the bio-samples or we load the samples on a template made of heavy atoms. This template method is shown by a numerical simulation (including shot noise) to be able to resolve the structure of a virus better than without the template. A counter-intuitive result is obtained, where heavier templates have a better resolution, even if the diffraction intensity of the bio-sample is much smaller than the noise intensity. In addition, the method also helps to greatly increase the efficiency of phase retrieval. We also provide a way to estimate the error to be expected if a particular experimental setting were chosen once the charge ratio between the sample and the template is estimated. Hence, this method will also help experiments choose the optimal setting for the best resolution with minimal radiation damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new metallic polymeric structures of nitrogen, Pnnm and Cccm, are found by means of the first-principles density functional theory and a random structure-searching method. Firstly, it is shown that the transition behavior of nitrogen from insulator to metal starts at a pressure of approximately 460 GPa at 0 K. The Pnnm phase becomes energetically favorable with respect to cubic gauche at 363 GPa, and then transforms to the Cccm structure at 884 GPa. Electron-phonon coupling calculations suggest that the Pnnm crystal possesses superconductivity. The stability of these two phases is also explored, showing for the first time that they are stable structures of nitrogen exhibiting metallic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We predict and investigate the emission of high-order harmonics by atoms that cross intense laser hot spots that last for a nanosecond or longer. An atom that moves through a nanometer-scale hot spot at characteristic thermal velocity can emit high-order harmonics in a similar fashion to an atom that is irradiated by a short-duration (picosecond-scale) laser pulse. We analyze the collective emission from a thermal gas and from a jet of atoms. In both cases, the line shape of a high-order harmonic exhibits a narrow spike with spectral width that is determined by the bandwidth of the driving laser. Finally, we discuss a scheme for producing long-duration laser hot spots with intensity in the range of the intensity threshold for high-harmonic generation. In the proposed scheme, the hot spot is produced by a long laser pulse that is consecutively coupled to a high-quality micro-resonator and a metallic nano-antenna. This system may be used for generating ultra-narrow bandwidth extreme-ultraviolet radiation through frequency up-conversion of a low-cost compact pump laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]