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The state of burning plasma had been achieved in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), which was regarded as a great milestone for high-gain laser fusion energy. In the burning plasma, alpha particles incident on the cryogenic (warm dense) fuels cannot be simply regarded as single particles, and the new physics brought about by the density effects of alpha particles should be considered. In this work, the collective interaction between them has been considered, namely the effect of the superposition of wake waves. The stopping power of alpha-particle clusters, i.e. the rate of energy loss per unit distance traveled has been calculated using both analytical and simulation approaches. In theory, we obtain the stopping power of alpha clusters in cryogenic (warm dense) fuel by the dielectric function method, which illustrates the importance of the effective interaction between particles. Simulation results using the LAPINS code show that the collective stopping power of the alpha cluster is indeed increased via coherent superposition of excitation fields (the excitation of high-amplitude wake waves). However, the comparison between simulation and theoretical results also illustrates a coherent-decoherent transition of the stopping power of the cluster. The initial conditions with various sizes and densities of the alpha clusters have been considered to verify the condition of decoherence transition. Our work provides a theoretical description of the transport properties of high-density alpha particles in warm dense cryogenic fuel and might give some theoretical guidance for the design of actual fusion processes., Comment: Junior undergraduate students Z. P. Fu, Z. W. Zhang and K. Lin contributed equally to this work

Quaoar is a classical Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) with an area equivalent diameter of 1,100 km and an orbital semi-major axis of 43.3 astronomical units. Based on stellar occultations observed between 2018 and 2021, an inhomogeneous ring (Q1R, Quaoar's first ring) was detected around this body. Aims. A new stellar occultation by Quaoar was observed on August 9th, 2022 aiming to improve Quaoar's shape models and the physical parameters of Q1R while searching for additional material around the body. Methods. The occultation provided nine effective chords across Quaoar, pinning down its size, shape, and astrometric position. Large facilities, such as Gemini North and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), were used to obtain high acquisition rates and signal-to-noise ratios. The light curves were also used to characterize the Q1R ring (radial profiles and orbital elements). Results. Quaoar's elliptical fit to the occultation chords yields the limb with an apparent semi-major axis of $579.5\pm4.0$ km, apparent oblateness of $0.12\pm0.01$, and area-equivalent radius of $543\pm2$ km. Quaoar's limb orientation is consistent with Q1R and Weywot orbiting in Quaoar's equatorial plane. The orbital radius of Q1R is refined to a value of $4,057\pm6$ km. The radial opacity profile of the more opaque ring profile follows a Lorentzian shape that extends over 60 km, with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of $\sim5$ km and a peak normal optical depth of 0.4. Besides the secondary events related to the already reported rings, new secondary events detected during the August 2022 occultation in three different data sets are consistent with another ring around Quaoar with a radius of $2,520\pm20$ km, assuming the ring is circular and co-planar with Q1R. This new ring has a typical width of 10 km and a normal optical depth of $\sim$0.004. Like Q1R, it also lies outside Quaoar's classical Roche limit., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (17-April-2023). 18 pages, 12 figures

Valley degree of freedom, an excellent information carrier in valleytronics, has been further introduced into advanced microstructure systems for achieving the acoustic valley-Hall topological insulators (VHTIs), which host valley-projected edge states suppressing the undesired sound backscattering under certain perturbations. Therein, the majority of previous literatures focused on single frequency region, and the lack of capability of simultaneous multi-band operation with individual control radically impedes their potential applications. Here, a binary topological-encoded acoustic VHTI is investigated both theoretically and experimentally to manipulate each of the dual-band valley-projected edge states. Through arranging different coding elements derived from the combined valley-Chern numbers, the existence and propagation directions of the frequency selective edge states can be configured in corresponding frequency regions individually. On this basis, three types of proof-of-concept acoustic topological-encoded functional devices are designed, including frequency beam splitter, anti-interference demultiplex topological sensing and composite topological whispering gallery. Our proposal may provide versatile possibilities for achieving the integrated multifunctional systems in multi-channel signal processing and memorizing with high efficiency and high capacity., Comment: some mistake with graph

We study the spontaneous decoherence of the coupled harmonic oscillators confined in a ring container, where the nearest-neighbor harmonic potentials are taken into consideration. Without any external symmetry breaking field or surrounding environment, the quantum superposition state prepared in the relative degrees of freedom gradually loses its quantum coherence spontaneously. This spontaneous decoherence is interpreted by the hidden couplings between the center-of-mass and relative degrees of freedoms, which actually originates from the symmetries of the ring geometry and corresponding nontrivial boundary conditions. Especially, such spontaneous decoherence completely vanishes at the thermodynamical limit because the nontrivial boundary conditions become trivial Born-von Karman boundary conditions when the perimeter of the ring container tends to infinity. Our investigation shows that a thermal macroscopic object with certain symmetries has chance to degrade its quantum properties even without applying an external symmetry breaking field or surrounding environment., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Comments are welcome

In this paper we investigate the opportunities provided by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for significant scientific advances in the study of solar system bodies and rings using stellar occultations. The strengths and weaknesses of the stellar occultation technique are evaluated in light of JWST's unique capabilities. We identify several possible JWST occultation events by minor bodies and rings, and evaluate their potential scientific value. These predictions depend critically on accurate a priori knowledge of the orbit of JWST near the Sun-Earth Lagrange-point 2 (L2). We also explore the possibility of serendipitous stellar occultations by very small minor bodies as a by-product of other JWST observing programs. Finally, to optimize the potential scientific return of stellar occultation observations, we identify several characteristics of JWST's orbit and instrumentation that should be taken into account during JWST's development., Comment: This paper is one of a series for a special issue on Solar System observations with JWST in PASP. Accepted 2-Oct-2015. Preprint 30 pages, 5 tables, 8 figures

We develop a self-consistent description of hot nuclei within the relativistic Thomas--Fermi approximation using the relativistic mean-field model for nuclear interactions. The temperature dependence of the symmetry energy and other physical quantities of a nucleus are calculated by employing the subtraction procedure in order to isolate the nucleus from the surrounding nucleon gas. It is found that the symmetry energy coefficient of finite nuclei is significantly affected by the Coulomb polarization effect. We also examine the dependence of the results on nuclear interactions and make a comparison between the results obtained from relativistic and nonrelativistic Thomas-Fermi calculations., Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C

We study the effects of the symmetry energy on the neutron drip density and properties of nuclei in neutron star crusts. The nonuniform matter around the neutron drip point is calculated by using the Thomas--Fermi approximation with the relativistic mean-field model. The neutron drip density and the composition of the crust are found to be correlated with the symmetry energy and its slope. We compare the self-consistent Thomas--Fermi approximation with other treatments of surface and Coulomb energies and find that these finite-size effects play an essential role in determining the equilibrium state at low density., Comment: 33 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C

We suggest a new web-based approach for browsing and visualizing data produced by a network of telescopes, such as those of the ongoing TAOS and the forthcoming TAOS II projects. We propose a modern client-side technology and we present two examples based on two software packages developed for different kinds of server- side database approaches. In spite our examples are specific for the browsing of TAOS light curves, the software is coded in a way to be suitable for the use in several types of astronomical projects., Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure

A preliminary data analysis of the stellar light curves obtained by the robotic telescopes of the TAOS project is presented. We selected a data run relative to one of the stellar fields observed by three of the four TAOS telescopes, and we investigate the common trend and the correlation between the light curves. We propose two ways to remove these trends and show the preliminary results. A project aimed at flagging interesting behaviors, such as stellar variability, and to set up an automated follow-up with the San Pedro M\'artir Facilities is on the way., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

We study the non-uniform nuclear matter using the self-consistent Thomas--Fermi approximation with a relativistic mean-field model. The non-uniform matter is assumed to be composed of a lattice of heavy nuclei surrounded by dripped nucleons. At each temperature $T$, proton fraction $Y_p$, and baryon mass density $\rho_B$, we determine the thermodynamically favored state by minimizing the free energy with respect to the radius of the Wigner--Seitz cell, while the nucleon distribution in the cell can be determined self-consistently in the Thomas--Fermi approximation. A detailed comparison is made between the present results and previous calculations in the Thomas--Fermi approximation with a parameterized nucleon distribution that has been adopted in the widely used Shen EOS., Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures

The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to detect serendipitous occultations of stars by small (about 1 km diameter) objects in the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Such events are very rare (<0.001 events per star per year) and short in duration (about 200 ms), so many stars must be monitored at a high readout cadence. TAOS monitors typically around 500 stars simultaneously at a 5 Hz readout cadence with four telescopes located at Lulin Observatory in central Taiwan. In this paper, we report the results of the search for small Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) in seven years of data. No occultation events were found, resulting in a 95% c.l. upper limit on the slope of the faint end of the KBO size distribution of q = 3.34 to 3.82, depending on the surface density at the break in the size distribution at a diameter of about 90 km., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to Astronomical Journal 2013 January 16

We present the study on GRB 071112C X-ray and optical light curves. In these two wavelength ranges, we have found different temporal properties. The R-band light curve showed an initial rise followed by a single power-law decay, while the X-ray light curve was described by a single power-law decay plus a flare-like feature. Our analysis shows that the observed temporal evolution cannot be described by the external shock model in which the X-ray and optical emission are produced by the same emission mechanism. No significant color changes in multi-band light curves and a reasonable value of the initial Lorentz factor ({\Gamma}0 = 275 \pm 20) in a uniform ISM support the afterglow onset scenario as the correct interpretation for the early R-band rise. The result suggests the optical flux is dominated by afterglow. Our further investigations show that the X-ray flux could be created by an additional feature related to energy injection and X-ray afterglow. Different theoretical interpretations indicate the additional feature in X-ray can be explained by either late internal dissipation or local inverse-Compton scattering in the external shock., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) project has collected more than a billion photometric measurements since 2005 January. These sky survey data-covering timescales from a fraction of a second to a few hundred days-are a useful source to study stellar variability. A total of 167 star fields, mostly along the ecliptic plane, have been selected for photometric monitoring with the TAOS telescopes. This paper presents our initial analysis of a search for periodic variable stars from the time-series TAOS data on one particular TAOS field, No. 151 (RA = 17$^{\rm h}30^{\rm m}6\fs$67, Dec = 27\degr17\arcmin 30\arcsec, J2000), which had been observed over 47 epochs in 2005. A total of 81 candidate variables are identified in the 3 square degree field, with magnitudes in the range 8 < R < 16. On the basis of the periodicity and shape of the lightcurves, 29 variables, 15 of which were previously unknown, are classified as RR Lyrae, Cepheid, delta Scuti, SX Phonencis, semi-regular and eclipsing binaries., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, accepted in The Astronomical Journal

The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) monitors fields of up to ~1000 stars at 5 Hz simultaneously with four small telescopes to detect occultation events from small (~1 km) Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). The survey presents a number of challenges, in particular the fact that the occultation events we are searching for are extremely rare and are typically manifested as slight flux drops for only one or two consecutive time series measurements. We have developed a statistical analysis technique to search the multi-telescope data set for simultaneous flux drops which provides a robust false positive rejection and calculation of event significance. In this paper, we describe in detail this statistical technique and its application to the TAOS data set., Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures. Submitted to PASP

We have analyzed the first 3.75 years of data from TAOS, the Taiwanese American Occultation Survey. TAOS monitors bright stars to search for occultations by Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). This dataset comprises 5e5 star-hours of multi-telescope photometric data taken at 4 or 5 Hz. No events consistent with KBO occultations were found in this dataset. We compute the number of events expected for the Kuiper Belt formation and evolution models of Pan & Sari (2005), Kenyon & Bromley (2004), Benavidez & Campo Bagatin (2009), and Fraser (2009). A comparison with the upper limits we derive from our data constrains the parameter space of these models. This is the first detailed comparison of models of the KBO size distribution with data from an occultation survey. Our results suggest that the KBO population is comprised of objects with low internal strength and that planetary migration played a role in the shaping of the size distribution., Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, Aj submitted

We analyzed data accumulated during 2005 and 2006 by the Taiwan-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) in order to detect short-period variable stars (periods of <~ 1 hour) such as delta Scuti. TAOS is designed for the detection of stellar occultation by small-size Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and is operating four 50cm telescopes at an effective cadence of 5Hz. The four telescopes simultaneously monitor the same patch of the sky in order to reduce false positives. To detect short-period variables, we used the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm (FFT) inasmuch as the data points in TAOS light-curves are evenly spaced. Using FFT, we found 41 short-period variables with amplitudes smaller than a few hundredths of a magnitude and periods of about an hour, which suggest that they are low-amplitude delta Scuti stars (LADS). The light-curves of TAOS delta Scuti stars are accessible online at the Time Series Center website (http://timemachine.iic.harvard.edu), Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ

We present the results of a search for occultation events by objects at distances between 100 and 1000 AU in lightcurves from the Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS). We searched for consecutive, shallow flux reductions in the stellar lightcurves obtained by our survey between 7 February 2005 and 31 December 2006 with a total of $\sim4.5\times10^{9}$ three-telescope simultaneous photometric measurements. No events were detected, allowing us to set upper limits on the number density as a function of size and distance of objects in Sedna-like orbits, using simple models., Comment: 25 pages, 13 figures

Results from the first two years of data from the Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) are presented. Stars have been monitored photometrically at 4 Hz or 5 Hz to search for occultations by small (~3 km) Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). No statistically significant events were found, allowing us to present an upper bound to the size distribution of KBOs with diameters 0.5 km < D < 28 km., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure, accepted in ApJ

The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) operates four fully automatic telescopes to search for occultations of stars by Kuiper Belt Objects. It is a versatile facility that is also useful for the study of initial optical GRB afterglows. This paper provides a detailed description of the TAOS multi-telescope system, control software, and high-speed imaging., Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures

The Taiwan-America Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to determine the number of small icy bodies in the outer reach of the Solar System by means of stellar occultation. An array of 4 robotic small (D=0.5 m), wide-field (f/1.9) telescopes have been installed at Lulin Observatory in Taiwan to simultaneously monitor some thousand of stars for such rare occultation events. Because a typical occultation event by a TNO a few km across will last for only a fraction of a second, fast photometry is necessary. A special CCD readout scheme has been devised to allow for stellar photometry taken a few times per second. Effective analysis pipelines have been developed to process stellar light curves and to correlate any possible flux changes among all telescopes. A few billion photometric measurements have been collected since the routine survey began in early 2005. Our preliminary result of a very low detection rate suggests a deficit of small TNOs down to a few km size, consistent with the extrapolation of some recent studies of larger (30--100 km) TNOs., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, IAU Symposium 236