Influence of synchrotron self-absorption on 21-cm experiments
The presence of spectral curvature resulting from the synchrotron self-absorption of extragalactic radio sources could break down the spectral smoothness feature. This leads to the premise that the bright radio foreground can be successfully removed in 21-cm experiments that search for the epoch of reionization (EoR). We present a quantitative estimate of the effect of the spectral curvature resulting from the synchrotron self-absorption of extragalactic radio sources on the measurement of the angular power spectrum of the low-frequency sky. We incorporate a phenomenological model, which is characterized by the fraction (f) of radio sources with turnover frequencies in the range of 100–1000 MHz and by a broken power law for the spectral transition around the turnover frequencies νm, into simulated radio sources over a small sky area of 10° × 10°. We compare statistically the changes in their residual maps with and without the inclusion of the synchrotron self-absorption of extragalactic radio sources after the bright sources of  mJy are excised. Furthermore, the best-fitting polynomials in the frequency domain on each pixel are subtracted. It has been shown that the effect of synchrotron self-absorption on the detection of the EoR depends sensitively on the spectral profiles of the radio sources around the turnover frequencies νm. A hard transition model, described by the broken power law with the turnover of spectral index at νm, would leave pronounced imprints on the residual background and would therefore cause serious confusion with the cosmic EoR signal. However, the spectral signatures on the angular power spectrum of the extragalactic foreground, generated by a soft transition model in which the rising and falling power laws of the spectral distribution around νm are connected through a smooth transition spanning ≥200 MHz in a characteristic width, can be fitted and consequently subtracted by the use of polynomials to an acceptable degree (δT < 1 mK). As this latter scenario seems to be favoured in both theoretical expectations and radio spectral observations, we conclude that the contamination of extragalactic radio sources by synchrotron self-absorption in 21-cm experiments is probably very minor.

title: Kinematics of the compact symmetric object OQ 208 revisited
abstract: A long-timeline kinematic study of the archetypal compact symmetric object (CSO) OQ 208 sheds light on the physical properties of the most compact radio sources.

title: HOW TO IDENTIFY AND SEPARATE BRIGHT GALAXY CLUSTERS FROM THE LOW-FREQUENCY RADIO SKY
abstract: In this work, we simulate the 50-200 MHz radio sky that is constrained in the field of view (5 degrees radius) of the 21 Centimeter Array (21CMA), a low-frequency radio interferometric array constructed in the remote area of Xinjiang, China, by carrying out Monte Carlo simulations to model the strong contaminating foreground of the redshifted cosmological reionization signals, including emissions from our Galaxy, galaxy clusters, and extragalactic discrete sources (i.e., star-forming galaxies, radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and radio-loud AGNs). As an improvement over previous works, we consider in detail not only random variations of morphological and spectroscopic parameters within the ranges allowed by multi-band observations, but also the evolution of radio halos in galaxy clusters, assuming that relativistic electrons are re-accelerated in the intracluster medium (ICM) in merger events and lose energy via both synchrotron emission and inverse Compton scattering with cosmic microwave background photons. By introducing a new approach designed on the basis of independent component analysis and wavelet detection algorithm, we prove that, with a cumulative observation of one month with the 21CMA array, about 80% of galaxy clusters (37 out of 48 clusters assuming a mean magnetic field of B = 2 mu G in the ICM, or 15 out of 18 clusters assuming B = 0.2 mu G) with central brightness temperatures of > 10 K at 65 MHz can be safely identified and separated from the overwhelmingly bright foreground. By examining the brightness temperature images and spectra extracted from these identified clusters, we find that the morphological and spectroscopic distortions are extremely small compared to the input simulated clusters, and the reduced chi(2) of brightness temperature profiles and spectra are controlled to be less than or similar to 0.5 and less than or similar to 1.3, respectively. These results robustly indicate that in the near future a sample of dozens of bright galaxy clusters will be disentangled from the foreground in 21CMA observations, the study of which will greatly improve our knowledge about cluster merger rates, electron acceleration mechanisms in cluster radio halos, and magnetic field in the ICM.

title: CHANDRA OBSERVATION OF A WEAK SHOCK IN THE GALAXY CLUSTER A2556
abstract: Based on a 21.5 ks Chandra observation of A2556, we identify an edge on the surface brightness profile at about 160 h(71)(-1) kpc northeast of the cluster center, and it corresponds to a shock front whose Mach number M is calculated to be 1.25(-0.03)(+0.02). No prominent substructure, such as sub-cluster, is found in either the optical or X-ray band that can be associated with the edge, suggesting that the conventional supersonic motion mechanism may not work in this case. As an alternative solution, we propose that the nonlinear steepening of an acoustic wave, which is induced by the turbulence of the intracluster medium at the core of the cluster, can be used to explain the origin of the shock front. Although nonlinear steepening weak shock is expected to occur frequently in clusters, why it is rarely observed still remains a question that requires further investigation, including both deeper X-ray observation and extensive theoretical studies.

title: A joint Chandra and XMM-Newton view of Abell 3158: a massive off-centre cool gas clump as a robust diagnostic of a merger stage
abstract: In previous works, the nearby galaxy cluster Abell 3158 was reported to possess a relatively regular, relaxed morphology in the X-ray band. By analysing the Chandra and XMM-Newton archived data of Abell 3158, we have identified a bow-edge-shaped discontinuity in the X-ray surface brightness distribution about 120 h -1 71 kpc west of the X-ray peak. This feature is found to be associated with a massive, off-centre cool gas clump, and actually forms the west boundary of the cool clump. By calculating the thermal gas pressures in the cool clump and in the free-stream region, we determine that the cool gas clump is moving at a subsonic velocity of 700 +140 -340 km s -1 (M = 0.6 +0.1 -0.3 ) towards west on the sky plane. We exclude the possibility that this cool clump was formed by local inhomogeneous radiative cooling in the intracluster medium, because of the effectiveness of the thermal conduction on the time-scale of ∼.3 Gyr. As no evidence for central active galactic nucleus activity has been found in Abell 3158, and this cool clump bears many similarities to the off-centre cool gas clumps detected in other merging clusters in terms of their mass, size, location and thermal properties (e.g. lower temperature and higher abundance as compared with the environment), we speculate that the cool clump in Abell 3158 was caused by a merger event, and is the remnant of the original central cool-core of the main cluster or the infalling subcluster. This idea is supported not only by the study of the line-of-sight velocity distribution of the cluster member galaxies, but also by the study of the gas entropy-temperature correlation. This example shows that the appearance of such massive, off-centre cool gas clumps can be used to diagnose the dynamical state of a cluster, especially when prominent shocks and cold fronts are absent.

title: A Method to Extract the Angular Power Spectrum of the Epoch of Reionization from Low-Frequency Radio Interferometers
abstract: The redshifted 21 cm signal of neutral hydrogen from the epoch of reionization (EoR) is extremely weak and its first detection is therefore expected to be statistical with first-generation low-frequency radio interferometers. In this Letter, we propose a method to extract the angular power spectrum of the EoR from the visibility correlation coefficients p{sub ij} (u, v), instead of the visibilities V{sub ij} (u, v) measured directly by radio interferometers in conventional algorithm. The visibility correlation coefficients are defined as p{sub ij}(u,v)=V{sub ij}(u,v)/{radical}(|V{sub ii}||V{sub jj}|) by introducing the autocorrelation terms V{sub ii} and V{sub jj} such that the angular power spectrum C{sub l} can be obtained through C{sub l} = T {sup 2}{sub 0}(|p{sub ij} (u, v)|{sup 2}), independently of the primary beams of antennas. This also partially removes the influence of receiver gains in the measurement of C{sub l} because the amplitudes of the gains cancel each other out in the statistical average operation of (|p{sub ij} (u, v)|{sup 2}). We use the average system temperature T{sub 0} as a calibrator of C{sub l}, which is dominated by the Milky Way and extragalactic sources in the frequency range that we are interested in, below 200 MHz. Finally, we demonstratemore » the feasibility of this novel method using the simulated sky maps as targets and the 21 CentiMeter Array (21CMA) as interferometer.« less

title: Evidence for a population of beamed radio intermediate quasars
abstract: Whether radio intermediate quasars possess relativistic jets as radio-loud quasars is an important issue in the understanding of the origin of radio emission in quasars. In this letter, using the two-epoch radio data obtained during Faint Image of Radio Sky at Twenty centimeter sky (FIRST) and NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS), we identified 89 radio variable sources in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Among them, more than half are radio intermediate quasars (RL = f20cm/f 2500u < 250). For all objects with available multiple band radio observations, the radio spectra are either flat or inverted. The brightness temperature inferred from the variability is larger than the synchrotron-self Compton limit for a stationary source in 87 objects, indicating of relativistic beaming. Considering the sample selection and the viewing angle effect, we conclude that relativistic jets probably exist in a substantial fraction of radio intermediate quasars.

title: Emissive mechanism of radio flat spectrum on X-ray binaries
abstract: We present that the radio emission with flat spectrum in X-ray binaries comes from the synchrotron emission of relativistic electrons in the high energy tail of hot electrons in continuous conical jet. The jet is assumed to be produced by the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) and maintains ion and electron temperatures constant in the case of adiabatic steady conical expansion. The flat spectrum is result of self-absorbed synchrotron emission by relativistic thermal electrons. We find that the critical frequency at which the radiation becomes optically thin declines along the jet. The emission observed at higher frequencies originates at smaller distance, closer to the base of the jet. The highest cut-off frequency of the flat spectrum is at the base of the jet, and is determined by the physics of the ADAF and the position of the jet formation. We assert that it is a characteristic of the ADAF in black hole X-ray binaries that a continuous steady outflow is formed and causes the observed flat spectrum in the low/hard state. The observed synchrotron emission consists of the flat spectral component from the jet and the steep spectral component from the ADAF. The flat spectral component extends from infrared to radio wavelengths, while the steep spectral component with the 2/5 spectral slope extends from infrared to shorter wavelengths, it will be dominated by the thermal emission from companion star.

title: Search for physics beyond the standard model in events with a Z boson, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV
abstract: A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in events with a Z boson, jets, and missing transverse energy (MET). This signature is motivated by BSM physics scenarios, including supersymmetry. The study is performed using a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.98 inverse femtobarns. The contributions from the dominant standard model backgrounds are estimated from data using two complementary strategies, the jet-Z balance technique and a method based on modeling MET with data control samples. In the absence of evidence for BSM physics, we set limits on the non-standard-model contributions to event yields in the signal regions and interpret the results in the context of simplified model spectra. Additional information is provided to facilitate tests of other BSM physics models.

title: A New Scenario on X-ray Shallow Decay of Gamma-ray Bursts
abstract: In this Letter, we propose that a microphysical process takes a vital role in the shocked region in which the prompt emission of GRBs is emitted. The turbulent energy is included in the internal energy transferred by the kinetic energy of the shock. It dissipates through stochastic acceleration for the electrons to supply the early X-ray emission in the phase of shallow decay. We put the constraints on the time evolution of microphysical parameters. The early X-ray fluxes can be obtained by this scenario and these results are consistent with the Swift observation

title: Search for exotic resonances decaying into WZ/ZZ in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV
abstract: A bstractA search for new exotic particles decaying to the VZ final state is performed, where V is either a W or a Z boson decaying into two overlapping jets and the Z decays into a pair of electrons, muons or neutrinos. The analysis uses a data sample of pp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 fb−1 collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV in 2011. No significant excess is observed in the mass distribution of the VZ candidates compared with the background expectation from standard model processes. Model-dependent upper limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the product of the cross section times the branching fraction of hypothetical particles decaying to the VZ final state as a function of mass. Sequential standard model W′ bosons with masses between 700 and 940 GeV are excluded. In the Randall-Sundrum model for graviton resonances with a coupling parameter of 0.05, masses between 750 and 880 GeV are also excluded.