Search

Kilonovae are optical flashes produced in the aftermath of neutron star–neutron star mergers or neutron star–black hole mergers. In this work, we use the Millennium Simulation, combined with semi-analytic galaxy formation model gabe (Galaxy Assembly with Binary Evolution) to explore the cosmic event rate of kilonovae, and the properties of their host galaxies in a cosmological context. We find that model with supernova kick velocity of $V_{\rm kick}=0\, \, {\rm km}\, \, {\rm s}^{-1}$ fits the observation best, satisfying the preference for low kick velocity binary system in theoretical models. With $V_{\rm kick}=0\, \, {\rm km}\, \, {\rm s}^{-1}$, the cosmic event rate of NNMs and NBMs at z = 0 are 283 and $91\, \, {\rm Gpc}^{-3}\, \, {\rm yr}^{-1}$, respectively, marginally consistent with the constraint from LVC GWTC-1. For Milky Way-mass galaxies, we predict the NNM rate is $25.7^{+59.6}_{-7.1}\, {\rm Myr}^{-1}$, which is also in good agreement with the observed properties of binary neutron stars in the Milky Way. Taking all the kilonovae into account in the history of Milky Way-mass galaxies, we find that the averaged r-process elements yield (A > 79) in an NNM/NBM event should be $0.01\, {\rm M}_\odot$ to be consistent with observation. We conclude that NGC 4993, the host galaxy of GW170817, is a typical host galaxy for NNMs. However, generally, NNMs and NBMs tend to reside in young, blue, star-forming, late-type galaxies, with stellar mass, and gaseous metallicity distribution peaking at $M_{\rm *}=10^{10.65}\, {\rm M}_\odot$ and 12 + log (O/H) = 8.72 − 8.85, respectively. By exploring the connection between kilonovae and their host galaxies in the cosmological background, it is promising to constrain model better when we have more events in the forthcoming future.

We searched for shocked carbon chain chemistry (SCCC) sources with C$_3$S abundances surpassing those of HC$_5$N towards the dark cloud L1251, using the Effelsberg telescope at K-band (18 -- 26\,GHz). L1251-1 and L1251-3 are identified as the most promising SCCC sources. The two sources harbor young stellar objects. We conducted mapping observations towards L1251-A, the western tail of L1251, at $\lambda$ $\sim$3\,mm with the PMO 13.7 m and the NRO 45 m telescopes in lines of C$_2$H, N$_2$H$^+$, CS, HCO$^+$, SO, HC$_3$N and C$^{18}$O as well as in CO 3--2 using the JCMT. The spectral data were combined with archival data including Spitzer and Herschel continuum maps for further analysis. Filamentary sub-structures labeled as F1 to F6 were extracted in L1251, with F1 being associated with L1251-A hosting L1251-1. The peak positions of dense gas traced by HCO$^+$ are misaligned relative to those of the dust clumps. Episodic outflows are common in this region. The twisted morphology of F1 and velocity distribution along L1251-A may originate from stellar feedback. SCCC in L1251-1 may have been caused by outflow activities originated from the infrared source IRS1. The signposts of ongoing SCCC and the broadened line widths of C$_3$S and C$_4$H in L1251-1 as well as the distribution of HC$_3$N are also related to outflow activities in this region. L1251-1 (IRS1) together with the previously identified SCCC source IRS3 demonstrate that L1251-A is an excellent region to study shocked carbon chain chemistry., Comment: 32 pages, 15 figures

The observation of a radioactively powered kilonova AT~2017gfo associated with the gravitational wave-event GW170817 from binary neutron star merger proves that these events are ideal sites for the production of heavy $r$-process elements. The gamma-ray photons produced by the radioactive decay of heavy elements are unique probes for the detailed nuclide compositions. Basing on the detailed $r$-process nucleosynthesis calculations and considering radiative transport calculations for the gamma-rays in different shells, we study the gamma-ray emission in a merger ejecta on a timescale of a few days. It is found that the total gamma-ray energy generation rate evolution is roughly depicted as $\dot{E}\propto t^{-1.3}$. For the dynamical ejecta with a low electron fraction ($Y_{\rm e}\lesssim0.20$), the dominant contributors of gamma-ray energy are the nuclides around the second $r$-process peak ($A\sim130$), and the decay chain of $^{132}$Te ($t_{1/2}=3.21$~days) $\rightarrow$ $^{132}$I ($t_{1/2}=0.10$~days) $\rightarrow$ $^{132}$Xe produces gamma-ray lines at $228$ keV, $668$ keV, and $773$ keV. For the case of a wind ejecta with $Y_{\rm e}\gtrsim0.30$, the dominant contributors of gamma-ray energy are the nuclides around the first $r$-process peak ($A\sim80$), and the decay chain of $^{72}$Zn ($t_{1/2}=1.93$~days) $\rightarrow$ $^{72}$Ga ($t_{1/2}=0.59$~days) $\rightarrow$ $^{72}$Ge produces gamma-ray lines at $145$ keV, $834$ keV, $2202$ keV, and $2508$ keV. The peak fluxes of these lines are $10^{-9}\sim 10^{-7}$~ph~cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, which are marginally detectable with the next-generation MeV gamma-ray detector \emph{ETCC} if the source is at a distance of $40$~Mpc., Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

Spectral lines of heavy atomic elements in the ejecta of supernovae and neutron star mergers can have important contribution to the opacity of the ejecta matter even when the abundance of the elements is very small. Under favorable conditions, the line expansion opacity arising from spectral lines and the expansion of the medium can be orders of magnitude larger than the opacity of electron scattering. In this paper we derive the formulae for evaluating the line expansion opacity and its Rosseland mean in an expanding medium in the framework of special relativity, which can be considered as a generalization of the previous work in the Newtonian approximation. Then we compare the derived relativistic formulae to the Newtonian ones to explore the relativistic effect on the opacity, and test the new formulae with the spectral lines of some heavy atomic elements. We also derive some approximation formulae for the Rosseland mean of the line expansion opacity that are easy to use in numerical works while still maintaining a high enough accuracy relative to exact solutions. The formulae derived in this paper are expected to have important applications in radiative problems related to relativistic astrophysical phenomena such as neutron star mergers, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts where relativistic or subrelativistic expansions are involved., 37 pages, including 15 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Axion is a popular candidate for dark matter particles. Axionic dark matter may form Bose-Einstein condensate and may be gravitationally bound to form axion clumps. Under the presence of electromagnetic waves with frequency $\omega=m_{a}/2$, where $m_{a}$ is the axion mass, a resonant enhancement may occur, causing an instability of the axion clumps. With analytical and numerical approaches, we study the resonant instability of axionic dark matter clumps with infinite homogeneous mass distribution, as well as distribution with a finite boundary. After taking realistic astrophysical environments into consideration, including gravitational redshift and plasma effects, we obtain an instability region in the axion density-clump size parameter space with given mass and coupling of axions. In particular, we show that, for axion clumps formed by the QCD axions in equilibrium, no resonant instability will occur., Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, uses jcappub.sty

A survey of C2H N=1-0 and N2H+ J=1-0 toward Planck Galactic cold clumps (PGCCs) was performed using the Purple Mountain Observatory's 13.7 m telescope. C2H and N2H+ were chosen to study the chemical evolutionary states of PGCCs. Among 121 observed molecular cores associated with PGCCs, 71 and 58 are detected with C2H N=1-0 and N2H+ J=1-0, respectively. The detected lines of most sources can be fitted with a single component with compatible Vlsr and line widths, which confirms that these PGCC cores are very cold (with gas temperatures 9-21 K) and quiescent while still dominanted by turbulence. The ratio between the column densities of C2H and N2H+ (N(C2H)/N(N2H+)) is found to be a good tracer for the evolutionary states of PGCC cores. Gas-grain chemical model can reproduce the decreasing trend of N(C2H)/N(N2H+) as a function of time. The cores with the lowest abundances of N2H+ (X[N2H+] < 10^{-10}) are the youngest, and have nearly constant abundances of C2H. In evolved cores with X[N2H+] ~ 1E-9, abundances of C2H drop quickly as the exhaustion of carbon atoms. Although these PGCC cores are in different evolutionary states, they are all quite young ( N(N2H+). Mapping observations are carried out toward 20 PGCC cores. The PGCC cores in Cepheus have lower N(C2H)/N(N2H+) and larger line widths compared with those in Taurus. This implies that PGCC cores in Taurus are less chemically evolved than those in Cepheus., 23 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables

Gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiations from a neutron star merger were discovered on 17 August 2017. Multiband observations of the optical transient have identified brightness and spectrum features broadly consistent with theoretical predictions. According to the theoretical model, the optical radiation from a neutron star merger originates from the radioactive decay of unstable nuclides freshly synthesized in the merger ejecta. In about a day the ejecta transits from an optically thick state to an optically thin state due to its subrelativistic expansion. Hence, we expect that about a day after the merger, the gamma-ray photons produced by radioactive decays start to escape from the ejecta and make it bright in the MeV band. In this paper, we study the features of the radioactive gamma-ray emission from a neutron star merger, including the brightness and the spectrum, and discuss the observability of the gamma-ray emission. We find that more than $95\%$ of the radiated gamma-ray energy is carried by photons of $0.2$-$4$ MeV, with a spectrum shaped by the nucleosynthesis process and the subrelativistic expansion of the ejecta. Under favorable conditions, a prominent pair annihilation line can be present in the gamma-ray spectrum with the energy flux about $3$-$5\%$ of the total. For a merger event similar to GW170817, the gamma-ray emission attains a peak luminosity $\approx 2\times 10^{41}$erg s$^{-1}$ at $\approx 1.2$ day after the merger, and fades by a factor of two in about two days. Such a source will be detectable by Satellite-ETCC if it occurs at a distance $\leq 12$ Mpc., Comment: 47 pages, including 17 figures and 6 tables. The version accepted to ApJ, with expansion in explanations and discussions

The emission geometries, e.g. the emission region height, the beam shape, and radius-to-frequency mapping, are important predictions of pulsar radiation model. The multi-band radio observations carry such valuable information. In this paper, we study two bright pulsars, (PSRs B0329+54 and B1642-03) and observe them in high frequency (2.5 GHz, 5 GHz, and 8 GHz). The newly acquired data together with historical archive provide an atlas of multi-frequency profiles spanning from 100 MHz to 10 GHz. We study the frequency evolution of pulse profiles and the radiation regions with the these data. We firstly fit the pulse profiles with Gaussian functions to determine the phase of each component, and then calculate the radiation altitudes of different emission components and the radiation regions. We find that the inverse Compton scattering (ICS) model can reproduce the radiation geometry of these two pulsars. But for PSR B0329+54 the radiation can be generated in either annular gap (AG) or core gap (CG), while the radiation of PSR B1642-03 can only be generated in the CG. This difference is caused by the inclination angle and the impact angle of these two pulsars. The relation of beaming angle (the angle between the radiation direction and the magnetic axis) and the radiation altitudes versus frequency is also presented by modelling the beam-frequency evolution in the ICS model. The multi-band pulse profiles of these two pulsars can be described well by the ICS model combined with the CG and AG.

Super-Eddington accretion is very efficient in growing the mass of a black hole: in a fraction of the Eddington time its mass can grow to an arbitrary large value if the feedback effect is not taken into account. However, since super-Eddington accretion has a very low radiation efficiency, people have argued against it as a major process for the growth of the black holes in quasars since observations have constrained the average accretion efficiency of the black holes in quasars to be >rsim0.1. In this paper, we show that the observational constraint does not need to be violated if the black holes in quasars have undergone a two-phase growing process: with a short super-Eddington accretion process they get their masses inflated by a very large factor until the feedback process becomes important, then with a prolonged sub-Eddington accretion process they have their masses increased by a factor of >rsim 2. The overall average efficiency of this two-phase process is then >rsim 0.1, and the existence of black holes of masses ∼109 M⊙ by redshift 6 is easily explained. An observational test of the existence of the super-Eddington accretion phase is briefly discussed.

We present a multi-wavelength observational study towards the high-mass young stellar object G8.68-0.37. A single massive gas-and-dust core is observed in the (sub)millimeter continuum and molecular line emissions. We fitted the spectral energy distribution (SED) from the dust continuum emission. The best-fit SED suggests the presence of two components with temperature of $T_{\rm d}=20$ K and 120 K, respectively. The core has a total mass of up to $1.5\times10^3$ $M_{\odot}$ and bolometric luminosity of $2.3\times10^4 L_{\odot}$. Both the mass and luminosity are dominated by the cold component ($T_{\rm d}=20$ K). The molecular lines of C$^{18}$O, C$^{34}$S, DCN, and thermally excited CH$_3$OH are detected in this core. Prominent infall signatures are observed in the $^{12}$CO $(1-0)$ and $(2-1)$. We estimated an infall velocity of 0.45 km s$^{-1}$ and mass infall rate of $7\times10^{-4} M_{\odot}$ year$^{-1}$. From the molecular lines, we have found a high DCN abundance and relative abundance ratio to HCN. The overabundant DCN may originate from a significant deuteration in the previous cold pre-protostellar phase. And the DCN should now be rapidly sublimated from the grain mantles to maintain the overabundance in the gas phase.

We propose a disc-corona model in which a geometrically thin, optically thick disc surrounds a Kerr black hole, and magnetic fields exert a time-steady torque on the inner edge of the accretion disc. The analytical expression of the total gravitational power is derived from the thin-disc dynamics equations by using this new boundary condition. It is shown that the magnetic torque can considerably enhance the amount of energy released in the disc-corona system. Furthermore, the global solutions of this disc-corona system are obtained numerically. We find that the fraction of the power dissipated into the corona in the total for such disc-corona system increases with the increasing dimensionless black hole spin parameter $a_\ast $, but is insensitive on the $\Delta \varepsilon $ which is the additional radiative efficiency parameter relevant to magnetic torque, for $\Delta\varepsilon > 1$. In addition, the emerged spectra from this disc-corona system are simulated by using Monte-Carlo method, and the effect of the different parameters on the output spectra is discussed.

We present an observational study towards the young high-mass star forming region G23.44-0.18 using the Submillimeter Array. Two massive, radio-quiet dusty cores MM1 and MM2 are observed in 1.3 mm continuum emission and dense molecular gas tracers including thermal CH$_3$OH, CH$_3$CN, HNCO, SO, and OCS lines. The $^{12}$CO (2--1) line reveals a strong bipolar outflow originated from MM2. The outflow consists of a low-velocity component with wide-angle quasi-parabolic shape and a more compact and collimated high-velocity component. The overall geometry resembles the outflow system observed in the low-mass protostar which has a jet-driven fast flow and entrained gas shell. The outflow has a dynamical age of $6\times10^3$ years and a mass ejection rate $\sim10^{-3} M_{\odot}$ year$^{-1}$. A prominent shock emission in the outflow is observed in SO and OCS, and also detected in CH$_3$OH and HNCO. We investigated the chemistry of MM1, MM2 and the shocked region. The dense core MM2 have molecular abundances of 3 to 4 times higher than those in MM1. The abundance excess, we suggest, can be a net effect of the stellar evolution and embedded shocks in MM2 that calls for further inspection.

We study the luminosity function (LF), the comoving rate and the detection rate of Long Gamma-Ray Burst (LGRBs) to high redshift, using galaxy catalogues constructed by combining high-resolution N-body simulations with semi-analytic models of galaxy formation. We assume the collapsar model and different metallicity thresholds, and conclude that LGRBs are not good tracers of the star formation history in the universe. Then using the log N-log P diagram for BATSE bursts, we determine the LF (with and without evolution with redshift) and the formation rate of LGRBs, obtaining constraints on the slope of the power-law. We check the resulting redshift distribution with SWIFT data updated to 2009 August, finding that models where LGRBs have as progenitors stars with Z 6.

We use galaxy catalogues constructed by combining high-resolution N-body simulations with semi-analytic models of galaxy formation to study the properties of Long Gamma-Ray Burst (LGRB) host galaxies. We assume that LGRBs originate from the death of massive young stars and analyse how results are affected by different metallicity constraints on the progenitor stars. As expected, the host sample with no metallicity restriction on the progenitor stars provides a perfect tracer of the cosmic star formation history. When LGRBs are required to be generated by low-metallicity stars, they trace a decreasing fraction of the cosmic star formation rate at lower redshift, as a consequence of the global increase in metallicity. We study the properties of host galaxies up to high redshift (~9), finding that they typically have low-metallicity (Z, The paper contains 14 figures and 2 tables. Accepted MNRAS

The nearby long GRB 060614 was not accompanied by a supernova, challenging the collapsar model for long-duration GRBs and the traditional classification scheme for GRBs. However, Cobb et al. have argued that the association of GRB 060614 and its host galaxy could be chance coincidence. In this work we calculate the probability for a GRB to be randomly coincident with a galaxy on the sky, using a galaxy luminosity function obtained from current galaxy surveys. We find that, with a magnitude limit that current telescopes can reach and an evolving galaxy luminosity function obtained from VVDS, the probability for chance coincidence of a GRB with a galaxy of redshift, 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by MNRAS

Recently, a soft black-body component was observed in the early X-ray afterglow of GRB 060218, which was interpreted as shock breakout from the thick wind of the progenitor Wolf-Rayet (WR) star of the underlying Type Ic SN 2006aj. In this paper we present a simple model for computing the characteristic quantities (including energy, temperature, and time-duration) for the transient event from the shock breakout in Type Ibc supernovae produced by the core-collapse of WR stars surrounded by dense winds. In contrast to the case of a star without a strong wind, the shock breakout occurs in the wind region rather than inside the star, caused by the large optical depth in the wind. We find that, for the case of a WR star with a dense wind, the total energy of the radiation generated by the supernova shock breakout is larger than that in the case of the same star without a wind by a factor > 10. The temperature can be either hotter or cooler, depending on the wind parameters. The time-duration is larger caused by the increase in the effective radius of the star due to the presence of a thick wind. Then, we apply the model to GRB 060218/SN 2006aj. We show that, to explain both the temperature and the total energy of the black-body component observed in GRB 060218 by the shock breakout, the progenitor WR star has to have an unrealistically large core radius (the radius at optical depth of 20), larger than 100 Rsun. In spite of this disappointing result, our model is expected to have important applications to the observations on Type Ibc supernovae in which the detection of shock breakout will provide important clues to the progenitors of SNe Ibc., 20 pages, including 14 figures and 1 table. Accepted by MNRAS on 13 November 2006. Revised according to the referee report. Major changes include: (1) the equation for shock deceleration is changed; (2) the opacity to starlight and the opacity relevant to the X-ray flash are distinguished; (3) the relativistic beaming effect is considered in calculation of the time-duration of shock breakout. (4) Some figures are redrawn or replaced, and one new figure is added. However, main conclusions are not changed

In this paper we present a correlation between the peak spectral energy of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and the peak bolometric luminosity of the underlying supernovae (SNe), based on a sample of four pairs of GRBs-SNe with spectroscopically confirmed connection. Combining it with the well-known relation between the peak spectral energy and the isotropic equivalent energy of GRBs, we obtain an upper limit on the isotropic energy of GRBs, which is \approx 10^{52} erg (L_{SN,peak}/10^{43} erg s^{-1})^{10}, where L_{SN,peak} is the peak bolometric luminosity of the SNe. Our results suggest that the critical parameter determining the GRB-SN connection is the peak luminosity of SNe, rather than the feature of the SN spectra and/or the SN explosion energy as commonly hypothesized. Since it is generally believed that the peak luminosity of SNe powered by radioactive decays is related to the amount of 56Ni produced in the SN explosion, the mass of 56Ni may be a key physical factor for understanding the nature of GRBs and their connection with SNe. Application of our relation to Type Ibc SNe with normal peak luminosities indicates that if those normal SNe have GRBs accompanying them, the GRBs would be extremely soft and sub-energetic in gamma-rays, and hence easier to detect with X-ray or UV detectors than with gamma-ray detectors.

A new procedure for smoothing a gamma-ray burst (GRB) lightcurve and calculating its variability is presented. Applying the procedure to a sample of 25 long GRBs, we have obtained a very tight correlation between the variability and the peak luminosity. The only significant outlier in the sample is GRB 030329. With this outlier excluded, the data scatter is reduced by a factor of \sim 3 compared to that of Guidorzi et al. (2005), measured by the deviation of fit. Possible causes for the outlier are discussed., Comment: 9 pages, including 7 figure. Expanded as requested by referee. An error in Fig. 1 was corrected (the two 1-sigma lines in the old version were wrong). Accepted for publication by MNRAS

We fit X-ray spectral data in the thermal dominant or high soft state of two dynamically confirmed black holes, GRO J1655-40 and 4U 1543-47, and estimate the dimensionless spin parameters a* = a/M of the two holes. For GRO J1655-40, using a spectral hardening factor computed for a non-LTE relativistic accretion disk, we estimate a* ~ 0.75 and ~ 0.65-0.75, respectively, from ASCA and RXTE data. For 4U 1543-47, we estimate a* ~ 0.75-0.85 from RXTE data. Thus, neither black hole has a spin approaching the theoretical maximum a* = 1., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, 13 pages, 3 figures; revised to include effects of power-law spectral component; spin estimates slightly lower

We consider the interface between an accretion disk and a magnetosphere surrounding the accreting mass. We argue that such an interface can occur not only with a magnetized neutron star but also sometimes with an unmagnetized neutron star or a black hole. The gas at the magnetospheric interface is generally Rayleigh-Taylor unstable and may also be Kelvin-Helmholtz unstable. Because of these instabilities, modes with low azimuthal wavenumbers m are expected to grow to large amplitude. It is proposed that the resulting nonaxisymmetric structures contribute to the high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations that have been seen in neutron-star and black-hole X-ray binaries. The mode oscillation frequencies are calculated to be approximately equal to m \Omega_m, where \Omega_m is the angular velocity of the accreting gas at the magnetospheric radius. Thus, mode frequencies should often be in the approximate ratio 1:2:3, etc. If the pressure of the gas in the disk is not large, then the m = 1 mode will be stable. In this case, the mode frequencies should be in the approximate ratio 2:3, etc. There is some observational evidence for such simple frequency ratios., Comment: 38 pages, including 8 figures, ApJ in press

Based on observed rotation curves of galaxies and theoretical simulations of dark matter halos, there are reasons for believing that at least three different types of dark matter halos exist in the Universe classified by their masses M and the inner slope of mass density -\alpha: Population A (galaxies): 10^{10} h^{-1} M_\odot < M < 2 \times 10^{13} h^{-1} M_\odot, \alpha = 2; Population B (cluster halos): M > 2 \times 10^{13} h^{-1} M_\odot, \alpha = 1.3; and Population C (dwarf halos): M < 10^{10} h^{-1} M_\odot, \alpha = 1.3. In this paper we calculate the lensing probability produced by such a compound population of dark halos, for both image separation and time delay, assuming that the mass function of halos is given by the Press-Schechter function and the Universe is described by an LCDM, OCDM, or SCDM model. The LCDM model is normalized to the WMAP observations, OCDM and SCDM models are normalized to the abundance of rich clusters. We compare the predictions of the different cosmological models with observational data and show that, both LCDM and OCDM models are marginally consistent with the current available data, but the SCDM model is ruled out. The fit of the compound model to the observed correlation between splitting angle and time delay is excellent but the fit to the number vs splitting angle relation is only adequate using the small number of sources in the objective JVAS/CLASS survey. A larger survey of the same type would have great power in discriminating among cosmological models. Furthermore, population C in an LCDM model has a unique signature in the time domain, an additional peak at ~3 seconds potentially observable in GRBs, which makes it distinguishable from variants of CDM scenarios, such as warm dark matter, repulsive dark matter, or collisional dark matter., Comment: 26 pages, including 9 figures

We use the semi-analytical approach to analyze gravitational lensing of quasars by dark halos in various cold dark matter (CDM) cosmologies, in order to determine the sensitivity of the prediction probabilities of images separations to the input assumptions regarding halos and cosmologies. The mass function of dark halos is assumed to be given by the Press-Schechter function. The mass density profile of dark halos is alternatively taken to be the singular isothermal sphere (SIS), the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile, or the generalized NFW profile. The cosmologies include: the Einstein-de Sitter model (SCDM), the open model (OCDM), and the flat \Lambda-model (LCDM). As expected, we find that the lensing probability is extremely sensitive to the mass density profile of dark halos, and somewhat less so to the mean mass density in the universe, and the amplitude of primordial fluctuations. NFW halos are very much less effective in producing multiple images than SIS halos. However, none of these models can completely explain the current observations: the SIS models predict too many large splitting lenses, while the NFW models predict too few small splitting lenses. This indicates that there must be at least two populations of halos in the universe. A combination of SIS and NFW halos can reasonably reproduce the current observations if we choose the mass for the transition from SIS to NFW to be ~ 10^{13} solar masses. Additionally, there is a tendency for CDM models to have too much power on small scales, i.e. too much mass concentration; and it appears that the cures proposed for other apparent difficulties of CDM would help here as well, an example being the warm dark matter (WDM) variant which is shown to produce large splitting lenses fewer than the corresponding CDM model by one order of magnitude., Comment: 46 pages, including 13 figures. Revised version with significant improvement

A new scenario for extracting energy from a Kerr black hole is proposed. With magnetic field lines connecting plasma particles inside the ergosphere with remote loads, the frame dragging twists the field lines so that energy and angular momentum are extracted from the plasma particles. If the magnetic field is strong enough, the energy extracted from the particles can be so large that the particles have negative energy as they fall into the black hole. So effectively the energy is extracted from the black hole. The particles inside the ergosphere can be continuously replenished with accretion from a disk surrounding the black hole, so a transition region with sufficient amount of plasma is formed between the black hole's horizon and the inner edge of the disk. Thus the energy can be continuously extracted from the black hole through the transition region. This may be the most efficient way for extracting energy from a Kerr black hole: in principle almost all of the rotational energy (up to $\approx 29%$ of the total energy of the black hole) can be extracted., 10 pages, 2 figures

When some magnetic field lines connect a Kerr black hole with a disk rotating around it, energy and angular momentum are transferred between them. If the black hole rotates faster than the disk, $ca/GM_H>0.36$ for a thin Keplerian disk, then energy and angular momentum are extracted from the black hole and transferred to the disk ($M_H$ is the mass and $a M_H$ is the angular momentum of the black hole). This way the energy originating in the black hole may be radiated away by the disk. The total amount of energy that can be extracted from the black hole spun down from $ca/GM_H = 0.998$ to $ca/GM_H = 0.36$ by a thin Keplerian disk is $\approx 0.15 M_Hc^2$. This is larger than $\approx 0.09 M_Hc^2$ which can be extracted by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism., 8 pages, 2 figures

Context: We investigated the molecular gas associated with 6.7 GHz methanol masers throughout the Galaxy using a J=1-0 transition of the CO isotopologues. Methods:Using the 13.7-meter telescope at the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO), we have obtained ^{12}CO and ^{13}CO (1-0) lines for 160 methanol masers sources from the first to the third Galactic quadrants. We made efforts to resolve the distance ambiguity by careful comparison with the radio continuum and HI 21 cm observations. Results: First, the maser sources show increased ^{13}CO line widths toward the Galactic center, suggesting that the molecular gas are more turbulent toward the Galactic center. This trend can be noticeably traced by the ^{13}CO line width. Second, the ^{12}CO excitation temperature shows a noticeable correlation with the H_2 column density. A possible explanation consistent with the collapse model is that the higher surface-density gas is more efficient to the stellar heating and/or has a higher formation rate of high-mass stars. Third, comparing the IRDCs, the maser sources on average have significantly lower H_2 column densities, moderately higher temperatures, and similar line widths. Fourth, in the mapped regions, 51 ^{13}CO cores have been revealed. Only 17 coincide with the radio continuum emission (F_{cm}>6 mJy), while a larger fraction (30 cores) coincide with the infrared emissions. The IR-bright and radio-bright sources exhibit significantly higher $^{12}$CO excitation temperatures than the IR-faint and radio-faint sources, respectively. Conclusions: The 6.7 GHz masers show a moderately low ionization rate but have a common-existing stellar heating that generates the IR emissions. The relevant properties can be characterized by the ^{12}CO and ^{13}CO (1-0) emissions in several aspects as described above., 38 pages, 13 figures, 4 tables, accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysics

Although it is generally thought that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are associated with core-collapse supernovae (SNe), so far only four pairs of GRBs and SNe with firmly established connection have been found. All the four GRB-SNe are among a special class of Type Ic--called the broad-lined SNe indicative of a large explosion energy, suggesting that only a small fraction of SNe Ibc have GRBs associated with them. This scheme has been refreshed by the discovery of a bright X-ray transient in NGC 2770 on 9 January 2008, which was followed by a rather normal Type Ib SN 2008D. In this paper, I argue that the transient 080109 is an X-ray flash (XRF, the soft version of a GRB) because of the following evidences: (1) The transient cannot be interpreted as a SN shock breakout event; (2) The GRB X-ray flare interpretation is not supported by the high-energy observation. Then I show that XRF 080109 satisfies the well-known relation between the isotropic-equivalent energy and the peak spectral energy for LGRBs, which highly strengthens the XRF interpretation. Finally, I point out that, the peak spectral energy of XRF 080109 and the maximum bolometric luminosity of SN 2008D agree with the $E_{\gamma,\p}$--$L_{{\rm SN},\max}$ relationship of Li (2006), strengthening the validity of the relationship. I speculate that events like XRF 080109 may occur at a rate comparable to SNe Ibc, and a soft X-ray telescope devoted to surveying for nearby X-ray flares will be very fruitful in discovering them., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Final version for publication in MNRAS

Spin parameters of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries are currently being estimated by fitting the X-ray continuum spectra of their accretion disk emission. For this method, it is necessary to know the inclination of the X-ray-producing inner region of the disk. Since the inner disk is expected to be oriented perpendicular to the spin axis of the hole, the usual practice is to assume that the black hole spin is aligned with the orbital angular momentum vector of the binary, and to estimate the inclination of the latter from ellipsoidal modulations in the light curve of the secondary star. We show that the inclination of the disk can be inferred directly if we have both spectral and polarization information on the disk radiation. The predicted degree of polarization varies from 0% to 5% as the disk inclination changes from face-on to edge-on. With current X-ray polarimetric techniques the polarization degree of a typical bright X-ray binary could be measured to an accuracy of 0.1% by observing the source for about 10 days. Such a measurement would constrain the disk inclination to within a degree or two and would significantly improve the reliability of black hole spin estimates. In addition, it would provide new information on the tilt between the black hole spin axis and the orbital rotation axis of the binary, which would constrain any velocity kicks experienced by stellar-mass black holes during their formation., Comment: 46 pages, 8 figures, ApJ in press

The current Swift sample of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with measured redshifts allows to test the assumption that GRBs trace the star formation in the Universe. Some authors have claimed that the rate of GRBs increases with cosmic redshift faster than the star formation rate, whose cause is not known yet. In this paper, I investigate the possibility for interpreting the observed discrepancy between the GRB rate history and the star formation rate history by the cosmic metallicity evolution, motivated by the observation that the cosmic metallicity evolves with redshift and GRBs prefer to occur in low metallicity galaxies. First, I derive a star formation history up to redshift z=7.4 from an updated sample of star formation rate densities obtained by adding the new UV measurements of Bouwens et al. and the new UV and infrared measurements of Reddy et al. to the existing sample compiled by Hopkins & Beacom. Then, adopting a simple model for the relation between the GRB production and the cosmic metallicity history as proposed by Langer & Norman, I show that the observed redshift distribution of the Swift GRBs can be reproduced with a fairly good accuracy. Although the results are limited by the small size of the GRB sample and the poorly understood selection biases in detection and localization of GRBs and in redshift determination, they suggest that GRBs trace both the star formation and the metallicity evolution. If the star formation history can be accurately measured with other approaches, which is presumably achievable in the near future, it will be possible to determine the cosmic metallicity evolution with the study on the redshift distribution of GRBs., 16 pages, 11 figures and 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS. New version contains an updated star formation history and a review on the cosmic metallicity measurement

Because of the limit in the number of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with available redshifts and spectra, all current investigations on the correlation among GRB variables use burst samples with redshifts that span a very large range. The evolution and selection effects have thus been ignored, which might have important influence on the results. In this Letter, we divide the 48 long-duration GRBs in Amati (2006, 2007) into four groups with redshift from low to high, each group contains 12 GRBs. Then we fit each group with the Amati relation $\log E_\iso = a + b \log E_\p$, and check if the parameters $a$ and $b$ evolve with the GRB redshift. We find that $a$ and $b$ vary with the mean redshift of the GRBs in each group systematically and significantly. Monte-Carlo simulations show that there is only $\sim 4$ percent of chance that the variation is caused by the selection effect arising from the fluence limit. Hence, our results may indicate that GRBs evolve strongly with the cosmological redshift., Comment: 5 pages, including 5 figures. MNRAS Letters accepted

In this Letter we show that there is a redshift degeneracy in the Eiso-Epeak relation of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). If a GRB has a redshift solved from the Eiso-Epeak relation that lies in the range of 0.9, Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by MNRAS Letters

Based on a spectral analysis of the X-ray continuum that employs a fully relativistic accretion-disk model, we conclude that the compact primary of the binary X-ray source GRS 1915+105 is a rapidly-rotating Kerr black hole. We find a lower limit on the dimensionless spin parameter of a* greater than 0.98. Our result is robust in the sense that it is independent of the details of the data analysis and insensitive to the uncertainties in the mass and distance of the black hole. Furthermore, our accretion-disk model includes an advanced treatment of spectral hardening. Our data selection relies on a rigorous and quantitative definition of the thermal state of black hole binaries, which we used to screen all of the available RXTE and ASCA data for the thermal state of GRS 1915+105. In addition, we focus on those data for which the accretion disk luminosity is less than 30% of the Eddington luminosity. We argue that these low-luminosity data are most appropriate for the thin alpha-disk model that we employ. We assume that there is zero torque at the inner edge of the disk, as is likely when the disk is thin, although we show that the presence of a significant torque does not affect our results. Our model and the model of the relativistic jets observed for this source constrain the distance and black hole mass and could thus be tested by determining a VLBA parallax distance and improving the measurement of the mass function. Finally, we comment on the significance of our results for relativistic-jet and core-collapse models, and for the detection of gravitational waves., 58 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. New in this version is a proposed observational test of our spin model and the kinematic model of the radio jets

We study the energetics of a black hole-accretion disk system with magnetic connection: a Keplerian disk is connected to a Kerr black hole by a large-scale magnetic field going through the transition region. We assume that the magnetic field is locked to the inner boundary of the disk and corotates with the inner boundary, the accretion rate is low but the accretion from the disk can still provide enough amount of cold plasma particles in the transition region so that the magnetohydrodynamics approximation is valid. Then, the magnetic field is dynamically important in the transition region and affects the transportation of energy and angular momentum. Close to the equatorial plane, the motion of particles is governed by a one-dimensional radial momentum equation, which contains a fast critical point as the only intrinsic singularity. By finding solutions that smoothly pass the fast critical point, we find that a system with a fast rotating black hole and that with a slow rotating black hole behave very differently. For a black hole with $a > a_{\rm cr}\equiv 0.3594 M$, where $M$ is the mass, $a$ the specific angular momentum of the black hole, the spinning energy of the black hole is efficiently extracted by the magnetic field and transported to the disk, increasing the radiation efficiency of the disk by many orders of magnitude. For a black hole with $0\leq a < a_{\rm cr}$, the inner region of the disk is disrupted by the magnetic field and the inner boundary of the disk moves out to a radius where the Keplerian angular velocity of the disk is equal to the spinning angular velocity of the black hole (which is at infinity if the black hole is nonrotating). As a result, the disk may have an extremely low radiation efficiency if $0\leq a/M \ll 1$., 28 pages, including 11 figures; accepted for publication in PASJ; version with full resolution Figs at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~lli/astro-ph/mag_disk2.ps

We use a ray-tracing technique to compute the observed spectrum of a thin accretion disk around a Kerr black hole. We include all relativistic effects such as frame-dragging, Doppler boost, gravitational redshift, and bending of light by the gravity of the black hole. We also include self-irradiation of the disk as a result of light deflection. Assuming that the disk emission is locally blackbody, we show how the observed spectrum depends on the spin of the black hole, the inclination of the disk, and the torque at the inner edge of the disk. We find that the effect of a nonzero torque on the spectrum can, to a good approximation, be absorbed into a zero-torque model by adjusting the mass accretion rate and the normalization. We describe a computer model, called KERRBB, which we have developed for fitting the spectra of black hole X-ray binaries. Using KERRBB within the X-ray data reduction package XSPEC, and assuming a spectral hardening factor f_col = 1.7, we analyze the spectra of three black hole X-ray binaries: 4U1543-47, XTE J1550-564, and GRO J1655-40. We estimate the spin parameters of the black holes in 4U1543-47 and GRO J1655-40 to be a/M ~ 0.6 and ~ 0.6-0.7, respectively. If f_col ~ 1.5-1.6, as in a recent study, then we find a/M ~ 0.7-0.8 and ~ 0.8-0.9, respectively. These estimates are subject to additional uncertainties in the assumed black hole masses, distances and disk inclinations., Comment: 75 pages, including 14 figures; accepted for publication in ApJS on December 14, 2004

We present a new sample of 116 double-peaked Balmer line Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Double-peaked emission lines are believed to originate in the accretion disks of AGN, a few hundred gravitational radii (Rg) from the supermassive black hole. We investigate the properties of the candidate disk emitters with respect to the full sample of AGN over the same redshifts, focusing on optical, radio and X-ray flux, broad line shapes and narrow line equivalent widths and line flux-ratios. We find that the disk-emitters have medium luminosities (~10^44erg/s) and FWHM on average six times broader than the AGN in the parent sample. The double-peaked AGN are 1.6 times more likely to be radio-sources and are predominantly (76%) radio quiet, with about 12% of the objects classified as LINERs. Statistical comparison of the observed double-peaked line profiles with those produced by axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric accretion disk models allows us to impose constraints on accretion disk parameters. The observed Halpha line profiles are consistent with accretion disks with inclinations smaller than 50 deg, surface emissivity slopes of 1.0-2.5, outer radii larger than ~2000 Rg, inner radii between 200-800Rg, and local turbulent broadening of 780-1800 km/s. The comparison suggests that 60% of accretion disks require some form of asymmetry (e.g., elliptical disks, warps, spiral shocks or hot spots)., Comment: 60 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in AJ. For high quality figures and full tables, please see http://astro.princeton.edu/~iskra/disks.html

We model the 1990 giant X-ray flare of the quiescent galaxy NGC 5905 as the tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole. From the observed rapid decline of the luminosity, over a timescale of a few years, we argue that the flare was powered by the fallback of debris rather than subsequent accretion via a thin disk. The fallback model allows constraints to be set on the black hole mass and the mass of debris. The latter must be very much less than a solar mass to explain the very low luminosity of the flare. The observations can be explained either as the partial stripping of the outer layers of a low-mass main sequence star or as the disruption of a brown dwarf or a giant planet. We find that the X-ray emission in the flare must have originated within a small patch rather than over the entire torus of circularized material surrounding the black hole. We suggest that the patch corresponds to the ``bright spot'' where the stream of returning debris impacts the torus. Interestingly, although the peak luminosity of the flare was highly sub-Eddington, the peak flux from the bright spot was close to the Eddington limit. We speculate on the implications of this result for observations of other flare events., 25 pages, including 5 figures

It has been suggested that quasi-periodic oscillations of accreting X-ray sources may relate to the modes named in the title. We consider non-axisymmetric linear perturbations to an isentropic, isothermal, unmagnetized thin accretion disk. The radial wave equation, in which the number of vertical nodes (n) appears as a separation constant, admits a wave-action current that is conserved except, in some cases, at corotation. Waves without vertical nodes amplify when reflected by a barrier near corotation. Their action is conserved. As was previously known, this amplification allows the n=0 modes to be unstable under appropriate boundary conditions. In contrast, we find that waves with n >0 are strongly absorbed at corotation rather than amplified; their action is not conserved. Therefore, non-axisymmetric p-modes and g-modes with n>0 are damped and stable even in an inviscid disk. This eliminates a promising explanation for quasi-periodic oscillations in neutron-star and black-hole X-ray binaries., A new version of the paper. The technical error in version 1 has been corrected

A popular model for jet collimation is associated with the presence of a large-scale and predominantly toroidal magnetic field originating from the central engine (a star, a black hole, or an accretion disk). Besides the problem of how such a large-scale magnetic field is generated, in this model the jet suffers from the fatal long-wave mode kink magnetohydrodynamic instability. In this paper we explore an alternative model: jet collimation by small-scale magnetic fields. These magnetic fields are assumed to be local, chaotic, tangled, but are dominated by toroidal components. Just as in the case of a large-scale toroidal magnetic field, we show that the ``hoop stress'' of the tangled toroidal magnetic fields exerts an inward force which confines and collimates the jet. The magnetic ``hoop stress'' is balanced either by the gas pressure of the jet, or by the centrifugal force if the jet is spinning. Since the length-scale of the magnetic field is small (< the cross-sectional radius of the jet << the length of the jet), in this model the jet does not suffer from the long-wave mode kink instability. Many other problems associated with the large-scale magnetic field are also eliminated or alleviated for small-scale magnetic fields. Though it remains an open question how to generate and maintain the required small-scale magnetic fields in a jet, the scenario of jet collimation by small-scale magnetic fields is favored by the current study on disk dynamo which indicates that small-scale magnetic fields are much easier to generate than large-scale magnetic fields., 14 pages, no figure

If a Kerr black hole is connected to a disk rotating around it by a magnetic field, the rotational energy of the Kerr black hole provides an energy source for the radiation of the disk in addition to disk accretion. The black hole exerts a torque on the disk, which transfers energy and angular momentum between the black hole and the disk. If the black hole rotates faster than the disk, energy and angular momentum are extracted from the black hole and transfered to the disk. The energy deposited into the disk is eventually radiated away by the disk, which will increase the efficiency of the disk. If the black hole rotates slower than the disk, energy and angular momentum are transfered from the disk to the black hole, which will lower the efficiency of the disk. With suitable boundary conditions, quasi-steady state solutions are obtained for a thin Keplerian disk magnetically coupled to a Kerr black hole. By ``quasi-steady state'' we mean that any macroscopic quantity at a given radius in the disk slowly changes with time: the integrated change within one rotation period of the disk is much smaller than the quantity itself. We find that, the torque produced by the magnetic coupling propagates only outward in the disk, the total radiation flux of the disk is a superposition of the radiation flux produced by the magnetic coupling and that produced by accretion. Most interestingly, a disk magnetically coupled to a rapidly rotating black hole can radiate without accretion. Such a disk has an infinite efficiency. For a specific example that the magnetic field touches the disk at the inner boundary, the radial radiation profile is very different from that of a standard accretion disk: the emissivity index is significantly bigger, most radiation comes from a region which is closer to the center of the disk., 38 pages, including 9 figures

In this paper we present a model for making clean energy with a Kerr black hole. Consider a Kerr black hole with a dense plasma torus spinning around it. A toroidal electric current flows on the surface of the torus, which generates a poloidal magnetic field outside the torus. On the surface of the tours the magnetic field is parallel to the surface. The closed magnetic field lines winding around the torus compress and confine the plasma in the torus, as in the case of tokamaks. Though it is unclear if such a model is stable, we look into the consequences if the model is stable. If the magnetic field is strong enough, the baryonic contamination from the plasma in the torus is greatly suppressed by the magnetic confinement and a clean magnetosphere of electron-positron pairs is built up around the black hole. Since there are no open magnetic field lines threading the torus and no accretion, the power of the torus is zero. If some magnetic field lines threading the black hole are open and connect with loads, clean energy can be extracted from the Kerr black hole by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism. The model may be relevant to gamma-ray bursts. The energy in the Poynting flux produced by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism is converted into the kinetic energy of the electron-positron pairs in the magnetosphere around the black hole, which generates two oppositely directed jets of electron-positron pairs with super-high bulk Lorentz factors. The jets collide and interact with the interstellar medium, which may produce gamma-ray bursts and the afterglows., 14 pages, 1 figure, accepted by ApJ

When magnetic field lines thread a rotating black hole's horizon and connect with remote astrophysical loads, the rotational energy of the black hole can be extracted through the Blandford-Znajek mechanism. Due to the rotation of the black hole, the magnetic field lines are twisted and toroidal components are generated. So poloidal electric currents are induced and the black hole's rotational energy is transported to the astrophysical loads through Poynting flux. The Blandford-Znajek mechanism has been considered to be a possible process for powering extragalactic jets. In this paper we show that due to the screw instability of magnetic field, the toroidal components of the magnetic field, and thus the poloidal currents, cannot exceed the limits given by the Kruskal-Shafranov criterion. This significantly lowers the power of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism when the loads are far from the black hole. So the Blandford-Znajek mechanism can only work efficiently within the neighborhood of the black hole. The implications of the results for the scenario of extragalactic jets powered by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism are discussed., Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure

The highest efficiency of converting rest mass into energy by accreting matter into a Kerr black hole is ~ 31% (Thorne 1974). We propose a new process in which periods of accretion from a thin disk, and the associated spin-up of the black hole, alternate with the periods of no accretion and magnetic transfer of energy from the black hole to the disk. These cycles can repeat indefinitely, at least in principle, with the black hole mass increasing by ~ 66% per cycle, and up to ~ 43% of accreted rest mass radiated away by the disk., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure

Mergers of neutron stars (NS+NS) or neutron stars and stellar mass black holes (NS+BS) eject a small fraction of matter with a sub-relativistic velocity. Upon rapid decompression nuclear density medium condenses into neutron rich nuclei, most of them radioactive. Radioactivity provides a long term heat source for the expanding envelope. A brief transient has the peak luminosity in the supernova range, and the bulk of radiation in the UV -- Optical domain. We present a very crude model of the phenomenon, and simple analytical formulae which may be used to estimate the parameters of a transient as a function of poorly known input parameters. The mergers may be detected with high redshift supernova searches as rapid transients, many of them far away from the parent galaxies. It is possible that the mysterious optical transients detected by Schmidt et al. (1998) are related to neutron star mergers as they typically have no visible host galaxy., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, AAS LaTex file. An abbreviated version of this paper has been accepted for publication in ApJ Letters