Astrophysical Phenomena Research Articles

The Twisting of Radio Waves in a Randomly Inhomogeneous Plasma

Polarization of electromagnetic waves carries a large amount of information about their astrophysical emitters and the media they passed through, and hence is crucial in various aspects of astronomy. Here we demonstrate an important but long-overlooked depolarization mechanism in astrophysics: when the polarization vector of light travels along a nonplanar curve, it experiences an additional rotation, in particular for radio waves. The process leads to depolarization, which we call “geometric” depolarization (GDP). We give a concise theoretical analysis of the GDP effect on the transport of radio waves in a randomly inhomogeneous plasma under the geometrical optics approximation. In the case of isotropic scattering in the coronal plasma, we show that the GDP of the angle of arrival of the linearly polarized radio waves propagating through the turbulent plasma cannot be ignored. The GDP effect of linearly polarized radio waves can be generalized to astrophysical phenomena, such as fast radio bursts and stellar radio bursts, etc. Our findings may have a profound impact on the analysis of astrophysical depolarization phenomena.

How the Galaxy–Halo Connection Depends on Large-scale Environment

We investigate the connection between galaxies, dark matter halos, and their large-scale environments at z = 0 with Illustris TNG300 hydrodynamic simulation data. We predict stellar masses from subhalo properties to test two types of machine learning (ML) models: explainable boosting machines (EBMs) with simple galaxy environment features and E(3) -invariant graph neural networks (GNNs). The best-performing EBM models leverage spherically averaged overdensity features on 3 Mpc scales. Interpretations via SHapley Additive exPlanations also suggest that in the context of the TNG300 galaxy–halo connection, simple spherical overdensity on ∼3 Mpc scales is more important than cosmic web distance features measured using the DisPerSE algorithm. Meanwhile, a GNN with connectivity defined by a fixed linking length, L, outperforms the EBM models by a significant margin. As we increase the linking length scale, GNNs learn important environmental contributions up to the largest scales we probe (L = 10 Mpc). We conclude that 3 Mpc distance scales are most critical for describing the TNG galaxy–halo connection using the spherical overdensity parameterization, but that information on larger scales, which is not captured by simple environmental parameters or cosmic web features, can further augment these models. Our study highlights the benefits of using interpretable ML algorithms to explain models of astrophysical phenomena, and the power of using GNNs to flexibly learn complex relationships directly from data while imposing constraints from physical symmetries.

Probing shocks interacting with radiation waves with the Radishock experiment

Both radiation flows and shocks have been extensively studied in the laboratory in the past few decades due to their critical roles in many astrophysical and high-energy density physics processes. In the Radishock experiment, a halfraum-powered radiation wave is driven into a low-density foam and interacts with an ablatively driven, counter-propagating shock. The interacting waves produce a spike in energy density with a temperature greater than the local temperature of the individual waves. As in the successful predecessor experiment, COAX, the primary diagnostic uses absorption spectroscopy at many locations down the cylindrical target, enabling a spatial temperature inference of the radiation wave and its interactions with the shock. Combined with a radiography diagnostic that is capable of imaging the shock and interaction features, we are able to study and inform model predictions of the interaction spike phenomenon. We describe the underlying physics behind the shock interactions with the radiation front and the implications of this experimental study for a broad range of astrophysical phenomena.

Comparing Performance in the Codes AREPO, GIZMO and GAMER-2

Modern astrophysical simulation is the main aspect of human getting insight from the cosmos. Numerical simulations became irreplaceable tools for generating various phases of the universe, the formation of galaxies, and other astrophysical phenomena. As the advances of computational power, validity and diversity of astrophysical modeling have been growing. In addition to the development of the processor performance, the diversity of the software community is also rising therefore, research between various simulation codes is worthwhile. It allowed researchers to know the nature of different simulation techniques linked to their basic algorithms. This study summarizes the basics of common simulation methods used by researchers including N-body Simulations, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, Monte Carlo Methods, Finite Difference and Finite Element Methods. Furthermore, this research analyzes the basics of AREPO, GIZMO, and GAMER-2 codes, and compared the performance of these codes. Last, according to the analysis, this study discusses and demonstrates the advantages and limitations of these codes. These results shed light on guiding further exploration of cosmology simulations.

From Coasting to Energy-conserving: New Self-similar Solutions to the Interaction Phase of Strong Explosions

Astrophysical explosions that contain dense and ram-pressure-dominated ejecta evolve through an interaction phase, during which a forward shock (FS), contact discontinuity (CD), and reverse shock (RS) form and expand with time. We describe new self-similar solutions that apply to this phase and are most accurate in the limit that the ejecta density is large compared to the ambient density. These solutions predict that the FS, CD, and RS expand at different rates in time and not as single temporal power laws, are valid for explosions driven by steady winds and homologously expanding ejecta, and exist when the ambient density profile is a power law with a power-law index shallower than ∼3 (specifically when the FS does not accelerate). We find excellent agreement between the predictions of these solutions and hydrodynamical simulations, both for the temporal behavior of the discontinuities and for the variation of the fluid quantities. The self-similar solutions are applicable to a wide range of astrophysical phenomena and—although the details are described in future work—can be generalized to incorporate relativistic speeds with arbitrary Lorentz factors. We suggest that these solutions accurately interpolate between the initial “coasting” phase of the explosion and the later, energy-conserving phase (or, if the ejecta is homologous and the density profile is sufficiently steep, the self-similar phase described in R. A. Chevalier).

Investigation of the poloidal magnetic flux at the PF-3 plasma focus within the framework of the program of laboratory simulation of astrophysical jets

Astrophysical jets are collimated plasma outflows observed in diverse astrophysical settings covering seven decades of spatial scale and twenty decades of power, which, nevertheless, share many common features. This similarity over wide range of scales indicates a common core of physics underlying this phenomenon, leading to considerable interest in observational, theoretical and numerical studies. Laboratory astrophysics experiments for simulating astrophysical jets are premised on this common core of physics responsible for multi-scale similarity of jets remaining valid down to laboratory spatial scales of millimeters. Jets formed after the disassembly of the non-cylindrical z-pinch formed in a plasma focus installation have recently been subjects of observational studies. They offer an important complementarity to the main lines of investigations in two respects. Firstly, the multi-faceted role of gravity, radiation, nuclear reactions and related astrophysics is eliminated retaining only a rapid implosion of a compact plasma object in a magnetohydrodynamic environment as a common feature. Secondly, observations can be made using techniques of laboratory plasma diagnostics. In this paper, we report preliminary results regarding presence of poloidal magnetic flux associated with the jets lasting long after the pinch disassembly. This is significant in the context of uncertainty regarding the origin of poloidal magnetic field postulated in several MHD models of astrophysical jet phenomena. Evidence indicating presence of a radial component of electric field suggests existence of plasma rotation as well. These results suggest that more refined experiments can provide insights into the astrophysical jetting phenomena not available from observational astronomy techniques.

On the solutions of the Lane-Emden model via non-dyadic wavelet scheme to unravel astrophysical phenomena

The research focuses on exploring the characteristics of the Lane Emden equation, which is a second-order ordinary differential equation that has its roots in astrophysics. To approximate this equation, a technique that employs non-dyadic Haar wavelets in conjunction with quasi-linearization is utilized. By utilizing non-dyadic wavelets, the ordinary differential equation can be simplified into a system of algebraic equations. Error estimates are provided to assess the accuracy of the produced data. A comparison between the existing solutions and the numerical results obtained using the suggested approach is performed to showcase its efficiency and advantages. The non-dyadic Haar wavelet approach is found to be a rich structure for numerous solutions that span a wide range of physical parameter.

Gravitational lensing around a dual-charged stringy black hole in plasma background

One of the strongest tools to verify the predictions of general relativity (GR) has been the gravitational lensing around various compact objects. Using a dual charged stringy black hole produced from dilaton-Maxwell gravity, we investigate the impact of the plasma parameter on gravitational lensing and black hole shadow in this study. Detailed investigations are performed to mark the impact of the homogeneous and non-homogeneous plasma environment on the electric and magnetic charge parameters of stringy black hole. In order to compare the results, we have also considered the vacuum scenario of the dual charged stringy black hole. Our results show that the effect of homogeneous plasma environment is much stronger in comparison to vacuum for the case of electrically charged stringy black hole. However, in the case of magnetically charged stringy black hole, the deflection angle gets decreased in presence of the homogeneous plasma medium. It has been observed that the radius of the shadow increases in a non-homogeneous plasma environment for electrically charged stringy black hole, whereas it decreases for magnetically charged stringy black hole in presence of the same plasma environment. This study aims to investigate how different plasma environments influence these fascinating astrophysical phenomena.

Upcoming MSU cubesats for space weather and astrophysical research

The program of space exploration using small spacecraft, implemented at Moscow State University, involves the installation of a set of instruments for detecting energetic particles and gamma rays on cubesat satellites. Currently, cubesats equipped with DeCoR scintillation spectrometers designed to study space weather factors and astrophysical phenomena are operating in orbit. The use of two-layer scintillation detectors makes it possible to register gamma quanta and electrons separately, which gives the possibility to study the dynamics of radiation belts and electron precipitation simultaneously with solar and astrophysical gamma ray bursts in an experiment in a solar-synchronous orbit. The results of ground-based calibrations, as well as monitoring measurements in orbit using DeCoR instruments on cubesats launched in June 2023, demonstrate good opportunities for conducting the above-mentioned studies. In order to further improve the ability to conduct detailed studies of space radiation, MSU plans to use detector suites composed of two units: a position-sensitive detector based on the set of GAGG:Ce crystals and one detector-spectrometer based on the CsI(Tl) crystal. Computer modeling shows the possibility of implementing such a suite on small satellites. In 2024, it is planned to launch two satellites with prototypes of an enhanced instrumental suite in order to test the methodology of detailed measurements.

Effect of temperature anisotropy formed by fast electron beams moving in the flare loop on its excited electron-cyclotron maser instability

Context. The electron-cyclotron maser instability (ECMI) is a significant coherent radio emission mechanism widely utilized in various astrophysical radio phenomena. It is well known that the velocity anisotropic distribution of energetic electrons, which leads to an inverted perpendicular population in the vertical direction with ∂fb/∂v⊥ > 0, can provide the free energy necessary for the ECMI. Aims. The initial velocity distribution of energetic electrons leaving the acceleration region is typically isotropic or beam-like. However, as these energetic electrons travel along the magnetic field as fast electron beams (FEBs) in magnetic plasma, various velocity anisotropic distributions can emerge. In this paper, we examine the impact of temperature anisotropy formed by beam electrons traveling along a flare loop on the ECMI. Methods. By neglecting the energy loss of energetic electrons as they traverse the corona and invoking the conservation of energy and magnetic moments, we established the relationship between momentum dispersion and the magnetic field. Utilizing the magnetic field model of the flare loop, we calculated the evolution of momentum dispersion and the growth rates of the ECMI as FEBs precipitate along the flare loop. Results. The results demonstrate that the temperature anisotropy arising as FEBs descend along the flare loop significantly impacts the ECMI. The maximum growth rates of the excited modes exhibit a gradual increase initially and then decline rapidly after reaching a critical height for β0 = 0.2c and 0.15c. The results also show that the growth rates of the O2 mode are one order of magnitude smaller than those of the O1 and X2 modes. This indicates that the harmonic radiation is X-mode polarized. Notably, the temperature anisotropy of FEBs as they precipitate along the flare loop with different magnetic field models or at different heights has similar effects on the ECMI.

Multipolar Electromagnetic Emission of Newborn Magnetars

It is generally recognized that the electromagnetic multipolar emission from magnetars can be used to explain radiation from soft gamma repeaters or anomalous X-ray pulsars, but they have little impact on the spin-down of magnetars. We here present an analytical solution for the neutron star multipolar electromagnetic fields and their associated expected luminosities. We find that for newborn millisecond magnetars, the spin-down luminosity from higher multipolar components can match or even exceed that from the dipole component. Such high-intensity radiation will undoubtedly affect related astrophysical phenomena at the birth of a magnetar. We show that the spin-down luminosity from multipoles can well explain the majority of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows, from the plateau starting at several hundred seconds until the normal decay phase lasting for many years. The fitted magnetar parameters for GRB afterglows are all typical values, with spins in the millisecond range and magnetic field strengths on the order of 1014–1015 G. Our results, in turn, provide support for the hypothesis that GRBs originate from the birth of magnetars with a period of a few milliseconds, thus deepening our understanding of the complex magnetic field structure and the equation of state of magnetars.

Bulk properties of nuclear matter in a modified relativistic dirac formalism

In this study, we employ a phenomenologically modified relativistic Dirac framework coupled with the σ - ω quark-meson coupling model to look into the properties of nuclear matter. By combining scalar and vector linear potential forms and incorporating perturbative adjustments for various factors such as centre-of-mass motion, gluonic, and pionic effects, we aim to find the nucleon’s mass in a vacuum. Then, we consider nucleon-nucleon interactions are constructed within a mean-field approximation. Our methodology systematically explores key characteristics of nuclear matter, including equations of state, compressibility, binding energy, and pressure. Furthermore, we compute essential parameters such as the nucleon charge radius, axial-vector coupling constant, pion coupling constant, nuclear sigma term, sensitivity, and potential strengths. And also, we calculate symmetry energy, density slop (L) and incompressibility ( K0 ). In addition, we compute the mass and radius of a neutron star and provide a graphical representation illustrating the relationship between mass and radius. To validate our results, we comprehensively compare them with other theoretical models and quark-meson coupling approaches, confirming the precision and reliability of our theoretical paradigm. Overall, our study enhances our understanding of the fundamental properties of nuclear matter and underscores their relevance in elucidating complex astrophysical phenomena.

Astrophysical phenomena explainable by the particles’ density levels in a Cold Genesis Theory

The paper shows that some astrophysical phenomena such as the initial TOV limit of neutron stars’ mass and the transition density interval from neutron star to a quark star, can be explained unitary, by the specific structure and the density levels of the fermionic elementary particles specific to the particle models of a Cold genesis theory of the author: superdense centroid, kerneloid and photonic shell maintained by etherono-quantonic vortex/vortices of magnetic moment(s), which explain and physical phenomena such as: the connection between the photon’s structure and the electronic neutrinos, the scattering centers experimentally evidenced inside the proton at electron-proton scattering at high and very high energies and inside the electron by X-rays, the Compton effect, the nuclear and the strong force, in a fractalic scenario of particles’ forming, from the considered etherono-quantonic energy.

Asymptotic stability of rarefaction wave with non-slip boundary condition for radiative Euler flows

This paper is devoted to studying the initial-boundary value problem for the radiative full Euler equations, which are a fundamental system in the radiative hydrodynamics with many practical applications in astrophysical and nuclear phenomena, with the non-slip boundary condition on an impermeable wall. Due to the difficulty from the disappearance of the velocity on the impermeable boundary, quite few results for compressible Navier-Stokes equations and no result for the radiative Euler equations are available at this moment. So the asymptotic stability of the rarefaction wave proven in this paper is the first rigorous result on the global stability of solutions of the radiative Euler equations with the non-slip boundary condition. It also contributes to our systematical study on the asymptotic behaviors of the rarefaction wave with the radiative effect and different boundary conditions such as the inflow/outflow problem and the impermeable boundary problem in our series papers including [5,6].

Long-lived Equilibria in Kinetic Astrophysical Plasma Turbulence

Turbulence in classical fluids is characterized by persistent structures that emerge from the chaotic landscape. We investigate the analogous process in fully kinetic plasma turbulence by using high-resolution, direct numerical simulations in two spatial dimensions. We observe the formation of long-lived vortices with a profile typical of macroscopic, magnetically dominated force-free states. Inspired by the Harris pinch model for inhomogeneous equilibria, we describe these metastable solutions with a self-consistent kinetic model in a cylindrical coordinate system centered on a representative vortex, starting from an explicit form of the particle velocity distribution function. Such new equilibria can be simplified to a Gold–Hoyle solution of the modified force-free state. Turbulence is mediated by the long-lived structures, accompanied by transients in which such vortices merge and form self-similarly new metastable equilibria. This process can be relevant to the comprehension of various astrophysical phenomena, going from the formation of plasmoids in the vicinity of massive compact objects to the emergence of coherent structures in the heliosphere.

Convolutional Neural Network Processing of Radio Emission for Nuclear Composition Classification of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays

Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are extremely rare energetic particles of ordinary matter in the Universe, traveling astronomical distances before reaching the Earth’s atmosphere. When primary cosmic rays interact with atmospheric nuclei, cascading extensive air showers (EASs) of secondary elementary particles are developed. Radio detectors have proven to be a reliable method for reconstructing the properties of EASs, such as the shower’s axis, its energy, and its maximum (Xmax). This aids in understanding fundamental astrophysical phenomena, like active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts. Concurrently, data science has become indispensable in UHECR research. By applying statistical, computational, and deep learning methods to both real-world and simulated radio data, researchers can extract insights and make predictions. We introduce a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture designed to classify simulated air shower events as either being generated by protons or by iron nuclei. The classification achieved a stable test error of 10%, with Accuracy and F1 scores of 0.9 and an MCC of 0.8. These metrics indicate strong prediction capability for UHECR’s nuclear composition, based on data that can be gathered by detectors at the world’s largest cosmic rays experiment on Earth, the Pierre Auger Observatory, which includes radio antennas, water Cherenkov detectors, and fluorescence telescopes.

Frequency planning for LISA

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is poised to revolutionize astrophysics and cosmology in the late 2030s by unlocking unprecedented insights into the most energetic and elusive astrophysical phenomena. The mission envisages three spacecraft, each equipped with two lasers, on a triangular constellation with 2.5 million-kilometer arm-lengths. Six interspacecraft laser links are established on a laser-transponder configuration, where five of the six lasers are offset phase locked to another. The need to determine a suitable set of transponder offset frequencies precisely, given the constraints imposed by the onboard metrology instrument and the orbital dynamics, poses an interesting technical challenge. In this paper we describe an algorithm that solves this problem via quadratic programming. The algorithm can produce concrete frequency plans for a given orbit and transponder configuration, ensuring that all of the critical interferometric signals stay within the desired frequency range throughout the mission lifetime, and enabling LISA to operate in science mode uninterruptedly. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Exploring New Traveling Wave Solutions to the Nonlinear Integro-Partial Differential Equations with Stability and Modulation Instability in Industrial Engineering

In this research article, we demonstrate the generalized expansion method to investigate nonlinear integro-partial differential equations via an efficient mathematical method for generating abundant exact solutions for two types of applicable nonlinear models. Moreover, stability analysis and modulation instability are also studied for two types of nonlinear models in this present investigation. These analyses have several applications including analyzing control systems, engineering, biomedical engineering, neural networks, optical fiber communications, signal processing, nonlinear imaging techniques, oceanography, and astrophysical phenomena. To study nonlinear PDEs analytically, exact traveling wave solutions are in high demand. In this paper, the (1 + 1)-dimensional integro-differential Ito equation (IDIE), relevant in various branches of physics, statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics, quantum field theory, the dynamics of complex systems, etc., and also the (2 + 1)-dimensional integro-differential Sawda–Kotera equation (IDSKE), providing insights into the several physical fields, especially quantum gravity field theory, conformal field theory, neural networks, signal processing, control systems, etc., are investigated to obtain a variety of wave solutions in modern physics by using the mentioned method. Since abundant exact wave solutions give us vast information about the physical phenomena of the mentioned models, our analysis aims to determine various types of traveling wave solutions via a different integrable ordinary differential equation. Furthermore, the characteristics of the obtained new exact solutions have been illustrated by some figures. The method used here is candid, convenient, proficient, and overwhelming compared to other existing computational techniques in solving other current world physical problems. This article provides an exemplary practice of finding new types of analytical equations.

Higher-dimensional MOG dark compact object: shadow behaviour in the light of EHT observations

Consideration of extra spatial dimensions is motivated by the unification of gravity with other interactions, the achievement of the ultimate framework of quantum gravity, and fundamental problems in particle physics and cosmology. Much attention has been focused on the effect of these extra dimensions on the modified theories of gravity. Analytically examining astrophysical phenomena like black hole shadows is one approach to understand how extra dimensions would affect the modified gravitational theories. The purpose of this study is to derive a higher-dimensional metric for a dark compact object in STVG theory and then examine the behaviour of the shadow shapes for this solution in STVG theory in higher dimensions. We apply the Carter method to formulate the geodesic equations and the Hamilton–Jacobi method to find photon orbits around this higher-dimensional MOG dark compact object. We investigate the effects of extra dimensions and the STVG parameter α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document} on the black hole’s shadow size. Next, we compare the shadow radius of this higher-dimensional MOG dark compact object to the shadow size of the supermassive black hole M87*, which has been realized by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaborations, in order to restrict these parameters. We find that extra dimensions in the STVG theory typically lead to a reduction in the shadow size of the higher-dimensional MOG dark compact object, whereas the effect of parameter α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document} on this black hole’s shadow is suppressible. Remarkably, given the constraints from EHT observations, we find that the shadow size of the four-dimensional MOG dark compact object lies in the confidence levels of the EHT data. Finally, we investigate the issue of acceleration bounds in higher-dimensional MOG dark compact object in confrontation with EHT data of M87*.

Exact solutions of non-singularized MHD Casson fluid with ramped conditions: A comparative study

The study of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluids has significant implications across various scientific disciplines, particularly in understanding complex phenomena in astrophysics, engineering, and geophysics. The Casson fluid model stands as a crucial tool for describing non-Newtonian behaviors observed in certain fluid systems. The current work shows an analytical analysis to determine the ramped effect on the fractionalized MHD Casson fluid over an vertical plate. Fractional partial differential equations are used to formulate the problem along with initial and boundary conditions. The governing equations are transformed into the dimensionless form and developed fractional models like Caputo-Fabrizio and Atangana-Baleanu Derivative. We used the Laplace transform technique to find the closed form solution of the dimensionless governing equation analytically. MATHCAD software is being used for numerical computations and the physical attributes of material and fractional parameters are discussed. To analyze their behavior clearly, two-dimensional graphical results are plotted for velocity profile and temperature as well. It has been concluded that the fluid’s velocity are reduced for larger values of the fractional parameter and Prandtl number and is maximum for small values of both parameters.