Density matrix expansion for the MDI interaction
By assuming that the isospinand momentum-dependent MDI interaction has a form similar to the Gogny-like effective two-body interaction with a Yukawa finite-range term and the momentum dependence only originates from the finite-range exchange interaction, we determine its parameters by comparing the predicted potential energy density functional in uniform nuclear matter with what has been usually given and used extensively in transport models for studying isospin effects in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions as well as in investigating the properties of hot asymmetric nuclear matter and neutron star matter. We then use the density matrix expansion to derive from the resulting finite-range exchange interaction an effective Skyrme-like zero-range interaction with density-dependent parameters. As an application, we study the transition density and pressure at the inner edge of neutron star crusts using the stability conditions derived from the linearized Vlasov equation for the neutron star matter.

title: Nuclear constraints on non-Newtonian gravity at femtometer scale
abstract: Effects of the non-Newtonian gravity on properties of finite nuclei are studied by consistently incorporating both the direct and exchange contribution of the Yukawa potential in the Hartree–Fock approach using a well-tested Skyrme force for the strong interaction. It is shown for the first time that the strength of the Yukawa term in the non-Newtonian gravity is limited to log (|α|) < 1.75/[λ(fm)]0.54 + 33.6 within the length scale of λ = 1 − 10 fm in order for the calculated properties of finite nuclei not to be in conflict with accurate experimental data available.

title: Anisotropic flows and dihadron correlations in heavy ion collisions
abstract: Using a multiphase transport model that includes both initial partonic and final hadronic scatterings, we have studied anisotropic flows and dihadron correla tions as functions of pseudorapidity and azimuthal angular differences between trigger and associated particles in heavy ion collisions at LHC. With parameters in the model determined from fitting t he measured multiplicity density of mid-pseudorapidity charged particles in central collis ions and their elliptic flow in mid-central collisions, the calculated higher-order anisotropic flows from the two-particle cumulant method reproduce approximately those measured in experiments. Similar to experimental results, the two-dimensional dihadron correlations at most central collisions show a ridge structure at the near side and a broad structure at the away side. The short- and long-range dihadron azimuthal correlations, corresponding to small and large pseudorapidity differences, respectively, are studied for triggering particles with different transverse mom enta and are found to be qualitatively consistent with experimental results.

title: Locating the inner edge of the neutron star crust using terrestrial nuclear laboratory data
abstract: Within both dynamical and thermodynamical approaches using the equation of state for neutron-rich nuclear matter constrained by the recent isospin diffusion data from heavy-ion reactions in the same subsaturation density range as the neutron star crust, the density and pressure at the inner edge separating the liquid core from the solid crust of neutron stars are determined to be $0.040 {\mathrm{fm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}\ensuremath{\leqslant}{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{t}\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.065 {\mathrm{fm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ and 0.01 MeV/${\mathrm{fm}}^{3}\ensuremath{\leqslant}{P}_{t}\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.26$ MeV/${\mathrm{fm}}^{3}$, respectively. These together with the observed minimum crustal fraction of the total moment of inertia allow us to set a new limit for the radius of the Vela pulsar significantly different from the previous estimate. It is further shown that the widely used parabolic approximation to the equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter leads systematically to significantly higher core-crust transition densities and pressures, especially with stiffer symmetry energy functionals.

title: Shear viscosity of nuclear matter
abstract: In this talk I report my recent study on the shear viscosity of neutron-rich nuclear matter from a relaxation time approach. An isospinand momentum-dependent interaction is used in the study. Effects of density, temperature, and isospin asymmetry of nuclear matter on its shear viscosity have been discussed. Similar to the symmetry energy, the symmetry shear viscosity is defined and its density and temperature dependence are studied.

title: Imprints of Nuclear Symmetry Energy on Properties of Neutron Stars
abstract: Significant progress has been made in recent years in constraining the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy using terrestrial nuclear laboratory data. Around and below the nuclear matter saturation density, the experimental constraints start to merge in a relatively narrow region. At supra-saturation densities, there are, however, still large uncertainties. After summarizing the latest experimental constraints on the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy, we highlight a few recent studies examining imprints of nuclear symmetry energy on the binding energy, energy release during hadron-quark phase transitions as well as the ω-mode frequency and damping time of gravitational wave emission of neutron stars.

title: Extracting the jet transport coefficient from jet quenching in high-energy heavy-ion collisions
abstract: Within five different approaches to parton propagation and energy loss in dense matter, a phenomenological study of experimental data on suppression of large $p_T$ single inclusive hadrons in heavy-ion collisions at both RHIC and LHC was carried out. The evolution of bulk medium used in the study for parton propagation was given by 2+1D or 3+1D hydrodynamic models which are also constrained by experimental data on bulk hadron spectra. Values for the jet transport parameter $\hat q$ at the center of the most central heavy-ion collisions are extracted or calculated within each model, with parameters for the medium properties that are constrained by experimental data on the hadron suppression factor $R_{AA}$. For a quark with initial energy of 10 GeV we find that $\hat q\approx 1.2 \pm 0.3$ GeV$^2$/fm at an initial time $\tau_0=0.6$ fm/$c$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV/n and $\hat q\approx 1.9 \pm 0.7 $ GeV$^2$/fm in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s}=2.76 $ TeV/n. Compared to earlier studies, these represent significant convergence on values of the extracted jet transport parameter, reflecting recent advances in theory and the availability of new experiment data from the LHC.

title: The tricky azimuthal dependence of jet quenching at RHIC and LHC via CUJET2.0
abstract: High transverse momentum neutral pion and charged hadron suppression pattern with respect to reaction plane at RHIC and LHC energies in central and semi-peripheral AA collisions are studied in a perturbative QCD based model, CUJET2.0. CUJET2.0 has dynamical DGLV radiation kernel and Thoma–Gyulassy elastic energy loss, with both being generalized to including multi-scale running strong coupling as well as energy loss probability fluctuations, and the full jet path integration is performed in a low p T flow data constrained medium which has 2+1D viscous hydrodynamical expanding profile. We find that in CUJET2.0, with only one control parameter, α max , the maximum coupling strength, fixed to be 0.26, the computed nuclear modification factor R AA in central and semi-peripheral AA collisions are consistent with RHIC and LHC data at average χ 2 / d.o.f. 1.5 level. Simultaneous agreements with high p T azimuthal anisotropy v 2 data are acquired given average α max over in-plane and out-of-plane paths varying as little as 10%, suggesting a non-trivial dependence of the high p T single particle v 2 on the azimuthally varied strong coupling.

title: Submillimeter / millimeter observations of the molecular clouds associated with Tycho’s supernova remnant
abstract: We have carried out CO J = 2 - 1 and CO J = 3 - 2 observations toward Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) using the KOSMA 3m-telescope. From these observations, we identified three molecular clouds (MCs) around the SNR. The small cloud in the southwest was discovered for the first time. In the north and east, two MCs (Cloud A and Cloud B) adjacent in space display a bow-shaped morphology, and have broad emission lines, which provide some direct evidences of the SNR-MCs interaction. The MCs are revealed at -69~ -59 km s -1 , coincident with Tycho's SNR. The MCs associated with Tycho's SNR have a mass of ~ 2.13 × 10 3 M ⊙ . Position-velocity diagrams show the two clouds to be adjacent in velocity, which means cloud-cloud collision could occur in this region. The maximum value (0.66 ± 0.10) of the integrated CO line intensity ratio (I CO J =3-2 /I CO J =2-1 ) for the three MCs agrees well with the previous measurement of individual Galactic MCs, implying that the SNR shock drove into the MCs. The two MCs have a line intensity ratio gradient. The distribution of the ratio appears to indicate that the shock propagates from the southwest to the northeast.

title: A systemic study of 14 southern infrared dark clouds with N2H+, HNC, HCO+ and HCN lines
abstract: We have studied 14 southern infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) using the data taken from the Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) survey and the GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL mid-infrared survey of the inner Galaxy. The physical and chemical characteristics of the 14 IRDCs are investigated using N2H+(1-0), HNC(1-0), HCO+(1-0), and HCN(1-0) molecular lines. We find that the 14 IRDCs are in different evolutionary stages from the "starless" to the sources with an UCHII region. Three IRDCs are detected to have the star forming activities. The integrated intensity ratios I(HCO+)/I(HCN), I(N2H+)/I(HCN), and I(HNC)/I(HCN) are all about 1.5, which is different from the previous measurements, suggesting that the integrated intensity ratios may be affected by the cloud environments. The integrated intensities of HNC, HCO+ and HCN show a tight correlation for the 14 IRDCs, implying a close link to the chemical evolution of these three species in the IRDCs. The derived excitation temperature for each IRDC is less than 25 K. We estimate the abundances of the four molecules from 10^(-11) to 10^(-9), and the average abundance ratios N(HNC)/N(HCN) = 1.4+ -0.50, N(HNC)/N(HCO+) = 1.74 + - 0.22, N(HCN)/N(HCO+)= 1.21 + - 0.41.

title: 12CO J=2?1 and 12CO J=3?2 observations toward the high-mass protostellar candidate IRAS 20188+3928
abstract: We have carried out observations of 12 CO J =2–1 and 12 CO J =3–2 toward the high-mass protostellar candidate IRAS 20188+3928. Compared with previous observations, the 12 CO J =2–1 and 12 CO J =3–2 lines both have asymmetric profiles with an absorption dip. The velocity of the absorption dip is ~ 1.0 km s −1 . The spectral shape may be caused by rotation. The velocity-integrated intensity map and position-velocity diagram of the 12 CO J =2–1 line present an obvious bipolar component, further verifying that this region has an outflow motion. This region is also associated with an HII region, an IRAS source, and an H 2 O maser. The H 2 O maser has the velocity of 1.1 km s −1 . Compared with the components of the outflow, we find that the H 2 O maser is not associated with the outflow. Using the large velocity gradient model, we concluded that possible averaged gas densities of the blueshifted lobe and redshifted lobe are 1.0×10 5 cm −3 and 2.0×10 4 cm −3 , while kinetic temperatures are 26.9 K and 52.9 K, respectively. Additionally, the outflow has a higher integrated intensity ratio ( I CO J =3−2 / I CO J =2−1 ).