Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope Research Articles

Profile Variation in PSR B0355+54 over a Narrow Frequency Range

We investigate changes in the shape of the averaged pulse profile in PSR B0355+54 (PSR J0358+5413) based on data obtained at the center frequency of 1250 MHz using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Our dataset consists of 12 non-consecutive observations, each lasting between 1 and 2 h. Considerable variation is observed in the averaged profiles across the observations even though each is folded from thousands of single pulses. Changes in the profile are measured through the ratio (R) between the peak intensities of the leading and trailing components. We find that the averaged pulse profile exhibits significant variation across observations, but distinctive from typical profile mode-changing. By dividing the frequency bandwidth into eight sub-bands, we demonstrate that the shape of the averaged profile undergoes significant evolution with frequency. In general, the changes in R across the sub-bands are different in different observations, but its value is uniform at low frequencies implying a more consistent emission. We demonstrate that the profile stabilization timescale for this pulsar is much longer than commonly suggested for ordinary pulsars, which is likely due to non-uniform and varying arrangement of the emission sources in the emission region.

Research on Vibration Control of FAST Feed Cabin Based on Active Mass Damper

In this paper, an effective active vibration control method was investigated to further improve the positioning accuracy of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) feed cabin. The actual operation data of FAST was collected to analyze the vibration characteristics of the feed cabin in multiple directions. A simplified model of the cabin-cable system was established to evaluate the effects of a mass damper on different vibration frequencies and modes. On this basis, an active mass damper system and control system were designed for the cabin with multiple degrees of freedom and modal variation characteristics. Theoretical calculation and simulation proved that it has a significant effect on improving the damping of the cabin-cable system and suppressing the vibration of the FAST feed cabin.

Follow-up Timing of 12 Pulsars Discovered in Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey

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 ( Ṗ ) 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−Ṗ diagram are beyond the traditional death line. This indicates that FAST has discovered some low- Ė 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.

On the Formation of the Double Neutron Star Binary PSR J1846-0513

Abstract The Double Neutron Star binary PSR J1846-0513 is discovered by the Five hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey. The pulsar is revealed to be harbored in an eccentric orbit with e = 0.208 and orbital period of 0.613 day. The total mass of the binary is constrained to be 2.6287(35)M⊙, with the upper mass limit of the pulsar at 1.3455 M⊙ and the lower mass limit of the com panion at 1.2845 M⊙. To reproduce its evolution history, we simulated the 1D model of its progenitor from neutron star - helium (He) star binary system via MESA code. Since the large eccentricity is widely believed to originate from an asymmetric supernova explosion, we examined the dynamical effects of the supernova. Our results show that the binary may
stem from a helium star with initial mass of 3.3 − 4.0 M⊙ accompanied by a neutron star in a circle orbit with initial period of ∼ 0.5 day.

Study of Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope Feed Cabin Time-Series Prediction Studies Based on Long Short-Term Memory-Self-Attention.

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), as the world's most sensitive single-dish radio telescope, necessitates highly accurate positioning of its feed cabin to utilize its full observational potential. Traditional positioning methods that rely on GNSS and IMU, integrated with TS devices, but the GNSS and TS devices are vulnerable to other signal and environmental disruptions, which can significantly diminish position accuracy and even cause observation to stop. To address these challenges, this study introduces a novel time-series prediction model that integrates Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks with a Self-Attention mechanism. This model can hold the precision of feed cabin positioning when the measure devices fail. Experimental results show that our LSTM-Self-Attention model achieves a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of less than 10 mm and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of approximately 12 mm, with the errors across different axes following a near-normal distribution. This performance meets the FAST measurement precision requirement of 15 mm, a standard derived from engineering practices where measurement accuracy is set at one-third of the control accuracy, which is around 48 mm (according to the accuracy form the official threshold analysis on the focus cabin of FAST). This result not only compensates for the shortcomings of traditional methods in consistently solving feed cabin positioning, but also demonstrates the model's ability to handle complex time-series data under specific conditions, such as sensor failures, thus providing a reliable tool for the stable operation of highly sensitive astronomical observations.

FAST Observations of Four Comets to Search for the Molecular Line Emissions between 1.0 and 1.5 GHz Frequencies

We used the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) to search for the molecular emissions in the L-band between 1.0 and 1.5 GHz toward four comets, C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), C/2020 R4 (ATLAS), C/2021 A1 (Leonard), and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during or after their perihelion passages. Thousands of molecular transition lines fall in this low-frequency range, many attributed to complex organic or prebiotic molecules. We conducted a blind search for the possible molecular lines in this frequency range in those comets and could not identify clear signals of molecular emissions in the data. Although several molecules have been detected at high frequencies of greater than 100 GHz in comets, our results confirm that it is challenging to detect molecular transitions in the L-band frequency ranges. The non-detection of L-band molecular lines in the cometary environment could rule out the possibility of unusually strong lines, which could be caused by the masers or non-LTE effects. Although the line strengths are predicted to be weak, for FAST, using the ultra-wide bandwidth receiver and improving the radio frequency interference environments would enhance the detectability of those molecular transitions at low frequencies in the future.

SETI at FAST in China

Abstract Since the commencement of the first SETI observation in 2019, China’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence program has garnered momentum through domestic support and international collaborations. Several observations targeting exoplanets and nearby stars have been conducted with the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). In 2023 the introduction of the Far Neighbour Project (FNP) marked a substantial leap forward, driven by the remarkable sensitivity of the FAST telescope and some of the novel observational techniques. The FNP seeks to methodically detect technosignatures from celestial bodies, including nearby stars, exoplanetary systems, Milky Way globular clusters and more. This paper provides an overview of the progress achieved by SETI in China and offers insights into the distinct phases comprising the FNP. Additionally it underscores the significance of this project’s advancement and its potential contributions to the field.

Pathfinding Pulsar Observations with the CVN Incorporating the FAST

Abstract The importance of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) for pulsar research is becoming increasingly prominent and receiving more and more attention. We present the pathfinding pulsar observation results with the Chinese VLBI Network (CVN) incorporating the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). On MJD 60045 (11th April 2023), PSRs B0919+06 and B1133+16 were observed with the phase-referencing mode in the L-band using four radio telescopes (FAST, TianMa, Haoping, and Nanshan) and correlated with the pulsar binning mode of the distributed FX-style software correlator in Shanghai. After further data processing with the NRAO Astronomical Image Processing System (AIPS), we detected these two pulsars and fitted their current positions with accuracy at the milliarcsecond level. By comparison, our results show significantly better agreement with predicted values based on historical VLBI observations than those with previous timing observations, as pulsar astrometry with the VLBI provides a more direct and model-independent method for accurately obtaining related parameters.

The Formation of Milky Way “Bones”: Ubiquitous HI Narrow Self-absorption Associated with CO Emission

Long and skinny molecular filaments running along Galactic spiral arms are known as “bones,” since they make up the skeleton of the Milky Way. However, their origin is still an open question. Here, we compare spectral images of HI taken by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) with archival CO and Herschel dust emission to investigate the conversion from HI to H2 in two typical Galactic bones, CFG028.68-0.28 and CFG047.06+0.26. Sensitive FAST HI images and an improved methodology enabled us to extract HI narrow self-absorption (HINSA) features associated with CO line emission on and off the filaments, revealing the ubiquity of HINSA toward distant clouds for the first time. The derived cold HI abundances, [HI]/[H2], of the two bones range from ∼(0.5 to 44.7) × 10−3, which reveal different degrees of HI–H2 conversion, and are similar to those of nearby, low-mass star-forming clouds, Planck Galactic cold clumps, and a nearby active high-mass star-forming region G176.51+00.20. The HI–H2 conversion has been ongoing for 2.2–13.2 Myr in the bones, a timescale comparable to that of massive star formation therein. Therefore, we are witnessing young giant molecular clouds (GMCs) with rapid massive star formation. Our study paves the way of using HINSA to study cloud formation in Galactic bones and, more generally, in distant GMCs in the FAST era.

FAST Ultra-Deep Survey: Data Release for FUDS0

We have used the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) to conduct a blind ultradeep survey for neutral hydrogen (H i). We present the complete results from the first of six fields (FUDS0). These observations of 95 hr allowed us to achieve a high-sensitivity (∼50 μJy beam−1) and a high-frequency resolution (22.9 kHz) over an area of 0.72 deg2. We detected 128 galaxies in H i distributed over the redshift range of 0 < z < 0.4, with H i masses in the range of 6.67≤log(MHI/h70−2M⊙)≤10.92 , and three faint high-velocity clouds, with a peak column density of N H i ≤ 3.1 × 1017 cm−2. Of the galaxies, 95 are new detections and six have z > 0.38, where no unlensed H i emission has previously been directly detected. Estimates of completeness and reliability are presented for the catalog. The consistency of continuum and H i flux estimates with the NRAO VLA Sky Survey and the Arecibo Ultra-Deep Survey, respectively, confirms the accuracy of the calibration method and data reduction pipeline developed for the full FAST Ultra-Deep Survey.

Deep extragalactic H i survey of the COSMOS field with FAST

Abstract We present a deep H i survey at L-band conducted with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) over the COSMOS field. This survey is strategically designed to overlap with the MIGHTEE COSMOS field, aiming to combine the sensitivity of the FAST and high-resolution of the MeerKAT. We observed the field with FAST for 11 hours covering ∼2 square degrees, and reduced the raw data to H i spectral cubes over the frequency range 1310-1420 MHz. The FAST-H i data reach a median 3σ column density of NHI ∼ 2 × 1017 cm−2 over a ∼5 km s−1 channel width, allowing for studies of the distribution of H i gas in various environments, such as in galaxies, the Circum-Galactic Medium (CGM) and Intergalactic Medium (IGM). We visually searched the spectral cubes for H i sources, and found a total of 80 H i detections, of which 56 have been cross-matched with the MIGHTEE-H i catalogue. With the cross-matched sources, we compare their H i masses and find that the total H i mass fraction in the IGM and CGM surrounding the galaxy pairs is statistically higher than the H i fraction surrounding the isolated galaxies by a difference of ∼13 ± 4%, indicating that the CGM and IGM associated with interacting systems are richer in neutral hydrogen compared to those around isolated galaxies in the local Universe. We also describe several FAST-MeerKAT synergy projects, highlighting the full potential of exploiting both single-dish and interferometric observations to study the distribution and evolution of the diffuse H i gas.

FAST Detection of OH Emission in the Carbon-rich Planetary Nebula NGC 7027

We present the first detection of the ground-state OH emission line at 1612 MHz toward the prototypical carbon-rich planetary nebula (PN) NGC 7027, utilizing the newly installed ultrawideband (UWB) receiver of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). This emission is likely to originate from the interface of the neutral shell and the ionized region. The other three ground-state OH lines at 1665, 1667, and 1721 MHz are observed in absorption and have velocities well matched with that of HCO+ absorption. We infer that the OH absorption is from the outer shell of NGC 7027, although the possibility that they are associated with a foreground cloud cannot be completely ruled out. All the OH lines exhibit a single blueshifted component with respect to the central star. The formation of OH in carbon-rich environments might be via photodissociation-induced chemical processes. Our observations offer significant constraints for chemical simulations, and they underscore the potent capability of the UWB receiver of FAST to search for nascent PNe.

Quantifying the randomness and scale invariance of the repeating fast radio bursts

ABSTRACT The statistical properties of energy and waiting time carry essential information about the source of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs). In this paper, we investigate the randomness of energy and waiting time using four data samples from three extremely active repeating FRBs observed by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). We report the deviation from complete randomness of the burst activity using three statistics, i.e. Hurst exponent, Pincus index, and non-Gaussian probability density distribution of fluctuations. First, the Hurst exponent greater than 0.5 reveals that there is long-term memory in the time series of energy and waiting time. Second, the deviation of the Pincus index from 1.0 manifests that the time series is not completely random. Finally, the fluctuations of energy and waiting time follow the scale-invariant q-Gaussian distribution. All these statistical properties imply that, although the time series of repeating FRBs seems to be irregular, they are not completely random, similar to the features of self-organized criticality.

HiFAST: An H i Data Calibration and Imaging Pipeline for FAST. II. Flux Density Calibration

Accurate flux density calibration is essential for precise analysis and interpretation of observations across different observation modes and instruments. In this research, we first introduce the flux calibration model that incorporated in HiFAST pipeline, and designed for processing H i 21 cm spectra. Furthermore, we investigate different calibration techniques and assess the dependence of the gain parameter on the time and environmental factors. A comparison is carried out in various observation modes (e.g., tracking and scanning modes) to determine the flux density gain (G), revealing insignificant discrepancies in G among different methods. Long-term monitoring data shows a linear correlation between G and atmospheric temperature. After subtracting the G–Temperature dependence, the dispersion of G is reduced to <3% over a one-year timescale. The stability of the receiver response of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) is considered sufficient to facilitate H i observations that can accommodate a moderate error in flux calibration (e.g., > ∼ 5%) when utilizing a constant G for calibration purposes. Our study will serve as a useful addition to the results provided by Jiang et al. Detailed measurement of G for the 19 beams of FAST, covering the frequency range 1000–1500 MHz, can be found on the HiFAST homepage: https://hifast.readthedocs.io/fluxgain.

A pilot study of Galactic radio recombination lines using FAST: Identification of diffuse ionized gas clumps and off-arm star-forming regions

Observing low-frequency decimeter hydrogen radio recombination lines (RRLs) with large single-dish telescopes, such as the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in the L band, is a unique method for probing massive star formation on scales of hundreds of parsecs. This approach is particularly effective for detecting relatively weak and extended emissions from low-density gas ionized by massive stars. Deep, unbiased decimeter or centimeter RRL surveys with large single-dish telescopes can significantly enhance our understanding of the diffuse ionized gas along the Galactic plane. This, in turn, will improve our knowledge of the life cycle of matter in the interstellar medium and the dynamics of the Galaxy. In this context, we present a pilot project for such a blind L-band RRL survey targeting the Galactic plane and conducted using FAST. The results include the detection of RRL clumps and the identification of an off-arm active massive star-forming region near the Sagittarius-Carina arm. The ongoing and upcoming massive star formation in this region may be associated with the kink in the Sagittarius-Carina arm near 23$^ circ $ azimuth.

FAST observations of neutral hydrogen in the interacting galaxies NGC 3395/3396

ABSTRACT We report on high-sensitivity neutral hydrogen observations toward the gas-rich interacting galaxies NGC 3395/3396 with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Compared to previous observations carried out by the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), a more extended H i envelope around this system has been detected. The total H i gas mass of the NGC 3395/3396 system is estimated to be 7.8 × 109 M$_\odot$. This value is 2.7 times more than that reported based on the VLA interferometric maps. Previous observations found a large H i tail extending to the south-west and a minor tail emerging from the north of this peculiar galaxy pair. Based on the high-sensitivity observations of FAST, an extended H i plume to the north-west and a gas plume to the north-east have been detected for the first time. Neutral hydrogen of the two smaller galaxies IC 2604 and IC 2608 in the south of the system have also been detected. We discuss the origins of these extra gas and possible tidal interactions between these galaxies. The most prominent tidal feature of NGC 3395/3396, the south-west tail combined with the new detected north-west plume, behaves like a large ring. We suggest the ring might be formed by the previous fly-by interaction between NGC 3395 and 3396, which happened 500 Myr ago. Our study shows that high-sensitivity H i observations are important in revealing low column density gas, which is crucial to a deeper understanding of this interacting system.

Studying the Radio Eclipse of Spider Pulsar J1816+4510 with the FAST

We report on the radio eclipse properties of spider pulsar J1816+4510 using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The high-sensitivity FAST observations will allow us to probe much deeper into the eclipse region of this pulsar at higher frequencies >1 GHz. The duration of the full eclipse, eclipse ingress, and egress at 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1400 MHz are measured, respectively. The variation of eclipse duration with frequency is studied by splitting the FAST observations into four subbands. It is found that the eclipse egress of PSR J1816+4510 takes longer than the ingress and becomes more symmetrical with increasing frequency. The variations of the durations with the frequency for the full eclipse, eclipse ingress, and egress follow a power-law decay pattern with different indices. The pulse profile variations near the eclipse are studied. It is found that the broadening of pulse profiles becomes more prominent with deepening into the eclipse region due to the scattering from the companion star. Moreover, the pulse smearing induced by the scattering and the rapid dispersion measure (DM) fluctuations within a subintegration during the eclipse egress at different frequencies and orbital phases is comparatively studied. It is found that the scattering plays a more important role than the DM fluctuations for the pulse smearing of the eclipse. The observations of this paper will provide important clues for the theoretical studies of the radio eclipse mechanism of the spider pulsar systems.

New H i Observations Toward the NGC 5055 Galaxy Group with FAST

We report a new high-sensitivity H i mapping observation of the NGC 5055 galaxy group over an area of 1.°5 × 0.°75 with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Our observation reveals that the warped H i disk of NGC 5055 is more extended than what was previously observed by WSRT, out to 23.′9 (61.7 kpc). The total H i mass of NGC 5055 is determined to be ∼1.1 × 1010 M ⊙. We identified three H i clouds with H i masses of the order of ∼107 M ⊙ at the southeastern edge of the H i disk, as well as a candidate high-velocity cloud with an H i mass of (1.2 ± 0.5) × 106 M ⊙ to the north of NGC 5055. The H i content of UGCA 337 is robustly detected for the first time by the FAST observations. It has a narrow H i linewidth of W 50 = 17.4 ± 3.8 km s−1 with a total H i mass of (3.5 ± 0.3) × 106 M ⊙. Comparing the gas content and g−r color of UGCA 337 with typical low-mass dwarf galaxies, UGCA 337 appears relatively gas-poor despite its blue color. This suggests that UGCA 337 may have undergone gas stripping in the past. We also analyzed the possible origin of the diffuse H i clouds located at the outskirts of NGC 5055, and speculate that they might be the remnant features of a merger event in the past.

FAST Discovery of Eight Isolated Millisecond Pulsars in NGC 6517

We present the discovery of eight isolated millisecond pulsars in globular cluster (GC) NGC 6517 using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The spin periods of those pulsars (namely PSR J1801–0857K to R, or NGC 6517K to R) are all shorter than 10 ms. With these discoveries, NGC 6517 is currently the GC with the most known pulsars in the FAST sky. The largest difference in dispersion measure of the pulsars in NGC 6517 is 11.2 cm−3 pc, the second among all GCs. The fraction of isolated pulsars in this GC (16 of 17, 94%) is consistent with previous studies indicating an overabundance of isolated pulsars in the densest GCs, especially in those undergoing cluster core collapse. Considering the FAST GC pulsar discoveries, we modeled the GC pulsar population using the empirical Bayesian method described by Turk and Lorimer with the recent counts. Using this approach, we find that the expected number of potential pulsars in GCs seems to be correlated with the central escape velocity; hence, the GCs Liller 1, NGC 6441, M54 (NGC 6715), and ω-Cen (NGC 5139) are expected to host the largest numbers of pulsars.

Investigating the Unique Drift Behavior of PSR B2110+27 with FAST

Careful scrutiny of the single pulse emissions from PSR B2110+27 has been conducted through highly sensitive observations using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) at a central frequency of 1250 MHz. Our investigation revealed significant subpulse drift behavior and nulling in this pulsar. Moreover, we observed that the nulling events tend to be of short duration, with an estimated overall nulling fraction of approximately 27% ± 3%. It is noteworthy that the drift direction of the subpulses exhibits abrupt changes, occasionally transitioning into a steady state or displaying a low drift rate. Analysis using longitude resolved fluctuation spectra indicates the presence of two distinct repetition periods for the pulsar: P 3 = (10.8 ± 2.5)P and P 3 = (31.6 ± 4.2)P, where P denotes the pulsar period. Our investigation revealed that the subpulse separation remains consistent across different drift patterns, with P 2 = 2.°3 ± 0.°2. A more comprehensive analysis indicates that the unique drift behavior observed can be explained by a carousel model of the dipole field. Minor changes in P 2 and drift rate caused significant variations in the apparent P 3 and abrupt shifts in the drift direction, while the true repetition period (assuming first-order aliasing) changed by only ∼10%. We observe a drift band memory and apparent phase memory across the null state in this pulsar, as well as variations in the drift rate and drift direction across the null state, though we have not detected significant periodicity of the nulling itself. This suggests that these phenomena may arise from random null pulses intersecting with the frequently aliased drift bands.