6 papers
Extreme PeV accelerator associated with GRS 1915+105
Zhen Cao, F. Aharonian, Y. X. Bai +322
Microquasars, binary systems featuring relativistic jets, have emerged as sources for particle acceleration beyond PeV energies. We present a study of the broadband -ray emissi…
On the Possibility of a Strong First-Order Phase Transition in Neutron Stars
Zheng Cao, Lie-Wen Chen
Whether cold dense QCD matter undergoes a strong first-order phase transition remains an open question. In nature, neutron stars provide the most direct probe of cold dense QCD mat…
The intermediate-mass black hole 2XMM J123103.2+110648: a varying disc accretion rate during possible X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions?
Z. Cao, P. G. Jonker, S. Wen +2
We fit the evolving X-ray spectra of the variable and fading source 2XMM J123103.2+110648 (J1231), which is an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) candidate. Recent X-ray timing st…
Slim disk modeling reveals an accreting intermediate-mass black hole in the luminous fast blue optical transient AT2018cow
Z. Cao, P. G. Jonker, S. Wen +1
The origin of the most luminous subclass of the fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) is still unknown. We present an X-ray spectral analysis of AT2018cow-the LFBOT archetype-using…
AT2018fyk: Candidate Tidal Disruption Event by a (Super)massive Black Hole Binary
S. Wen, P. G. Jonker, A. J. Levan +8
The tidal disruption event (TDE) AT2018fyk has unusual X-ray, UV, and optical light curves that decay over the first 600d, rebrighten, and decay again around 1200d. We explai…
Tidal disruption event AT2020ocn: early-time X-ray flares caused by a possible disc alignment process
Z. Cao, P. G. Jonker, D. R. Pasham +3
A tidal disruption event (TDE) may occur when a star is torn apart by the tidal force of a black hole (BH). Eventually, an accretion disc is thought to form out of stellar debris f…