New upper limits on deviation from the inverse-square law of gravity in the solar system:a Yukawa parameterization

New physics beyond the standard model of particles might cause deviation from the inverse-square law of gravity.In many theoretical models of modified gravity,it is parameterized by the Yukawa correction to the Newtonian gravitational force in terms of two parameters α and λ.Here α is a dimensionless strength parameter and λ is a length scale.Using the supplementary advances in perihelia provided by INPOP10a and EPM2011 ephemerides,we obtain new upper limits on the deviation from the inverse-square law when the uncertainty of the Sun's quadrupole moment is taken into account.We find that INPOP10a yields the upper limits as α = 3.1 × 10-11and λ = 0.15 au,and EPM2011 gives α = 5.2 × 10-11and λ = 0.21 au.In both of them,α is at least 10 times less than the previous results.     

Preliminary limits on deviation from the inverse-square law of gravity in the solar system:a power-law parameterization

New physics beyond the standard model of particles might cause a deviation from the inverse-square law of gravity. In some theories,it is parameterized by a power-law correction to the Newtonian gravitational force,which might originate from the simultaneous exchange of particles or modified and extended theories of gravity. Using the supplementary advances of the perihelia provided by INPOP10a(IMCCE,France) and EPM2011(IAA RAS,Russia) ephemerides,we obtain preliminary limits on this correction. In our estimation,we take the Lense-Thirring effect due to the Sun's angular momentum into account. The parameters of the power-law correction and the uncertainty of the Sun's quadrupole moment are simultaneously estimated with the method of minimizing χ2. From INPOP10 a,we find N = 0.605 for the exponent of the power-law correction. However,from EPM2011,we find that,although it yields N = 3.001,the estimated uncertainty in the Sun's quadrupole moment is much larger than the value given by current observations. This might be caused by the intrinsic nonlinearity in the power-law correction,which makes the estimation very sensitive to the supplementary advances of the perihelia.     

New upper limit on the cosmological constant from solar system dynamics

The cosmological constantΛis the simplest model for explaining the dark energy which supposedly drives the observed accelerated expansion rate of the Universe.Together with the concept of cold dark matter,it satisfactorily accommodates a wealth of observations related to cosmology.Due to its assumed constancy throughout the Universe,Λmight also affect the dynamics of the planets in the solar system,although with extremely small effects.However,modern high-precision ephemerides provide a promising tool for constraining it.Using the supplementary advances in the perihelia provided by current INPOP10a and EPM2011 ephemerides,we obtain a new upper limit onΛin the solar system when the Lense-Thirring effect due to the Sun’s angular momentum and the uncertainty of the Sun’s quadrupole moment are properly taken into account.These two factors were mostly absent in previous works dealing withΛ.We find that INPOP10a yields an upper limit ofΛ=(0.26±1.45)×10-43m-2and EPM2011 givesΛ=(-0.44±8.93)×10-43m-2.Such bounds are about 10 times less than previously estimated results.     

Preliminary limits of a logarithmic correction to the Newtonian gravitational potential in binary pulsars

We obtain preliminary limits on a logarithmic correction to the Newtonian gravitational potential by using five binary pulsars:PSR J0737-3039,PSR B1534+12,PSR J1756-2251,PSR B1913+16 and PSR B2127+11C.This kind of correction may originate from fundamental frameworks,like string theories,effective models of gravity due to quantum effects and the non-local gravity scheme.We estimate the upper limit of the Tohline-Kuhn-Kruglyak parameter λ and the lower limit of the FabrisCampos parameter a,which parameterize the correction and are connected to each other by αλ=—1.By analyzing the advances of periastron of these binary pulsars,we find that the preliminary upper limit of α is 0.19±0.14 kpc~(-1) and the preliminary lower limit of λ is-5.2±3.8 kpc.They are compatible with the bounds based on dynamics of spiral galaxies but quite different from those given by solar system dynamics.These results indicate that this logarithmic correction might be more observable in current timings of binary pulsars than in motions of the solar system.     

Morphology of the ~(13)CO(3–2) millimetre emission across the gas disc surrounding the triple protostar GG Tau A using ALMA observations

Observations by the Atacama Large Millimetre/sub-millimetre Array of the dust continuum and13 CO(3–2) millimetre emissions of the triple stellar system GG Tau A are analysed,giving evidence for a rotating gas disc and a concentric and coplanar dust ring. The present work complements an earlier analysis(Tang et al.) by exploring detailed properties of the gas disc. A 95% confidence level upper limit of 0.24′′(34 au) is placed on the disc scale height at a distance of 1′′(140 au) from the central stars. Evidence for Keplerian rotation of the gas disc is presented,with the rotation velocity reaching~3.1 km s~(-1) at 1′′ from the central stars,and a 99% confidence level upper limit of 9% is placed on relative contribution from a possible in-fall velocity. Variations of the intensity across the disc area are studied in detail and confirm the presence of a hot spot in the south-eastern quadrant. However several other significant intensity variations,in particular a depression in the northern direction,are also revealed. Variations of the intensity are found to be positively correlated to variations of the line width. Possible contributions to the measured line width are reviewed,suggesting an increase of the disc temperature and opacity with decreasing distance from the stars.     

The effect of f(T) gravity on an interplanetary clock and its time transfer link

As an extension of the"teleparallel"equivalent of general relativity,f(T)gravity is proposed to explain some puzzling cosmological behaviors,such as accelerating expansion of the Universe.Given the fact that modified gravity also has impacts on the Solar System,we might test it during future interplanetary missions with ultrastable clocks.In this work,we investigate the effects of f(T)gravity on the dynamics of the clock and its time transfer link.Under these influences,theΛ-term and theα-term of f(T)gravity play important roles.Here,Λis the cosmological constant andαrepresents a model parameter in f(T)gravity that determines the divergence from teleparallel gravity at the first order approximation.We find that the signal of f(T)gravity in the time transfer is much more difficult to detect with the current state of development for clocks than those effects on dynamics of an interplanetary spacecraft with a bounded orbit with parameters 0.5 au≤a≤5.5 au and 0≤e≤0.1.     

The updated Bulk Lorentz Factors of Gamma-Ray Burst X-Ray Flares

X-ray flares are the most common phenomena in the afterglow phase of gamma-ray bursts(GRBs) in the Swift era,and are known as a canonical component in X-ray afterglows.In this work,we constrain the Lorentz factor of X-ray flares with an updated sample.We extensively search for X-ray light curves showing flare and jet break simultaneously.A smooth broken power law function is used to fit the jet breaks in 11 GRBs.We also use a smooth broken power law function to fit the profile of X-ray flares,and the total number of the flares is 20.We obtain the lower and upper limits of Lorentz factor(Γ_X) with the timescale,half-opening angle and mean luminosity of the X-ray flares for interstellar medium(ISM) and wind cases.The lower limits on Γ_X range from tens to a few hundred,and the upper limits are mainly about a few hundred.We also apply the limited Lorentz factor to test correlations of Γ_0-E_(γ,iso) and Γ_0-L_(γ,iso) for GRBs,and find X-ray flares in the ISM case are much more consistent with those of prompt emission than the wind case in a statistical sense for both correlations.X-ray flares are almost consistent with the trend in the correlations of Γ_0-E__(γ,iso)(L_(γ,iso)) for prompt GRBs,indicating X-ray flares and prompt bursts may have the same physical origin.     

Cosmological constraint on Brans-Dicke Model

We combine new Cosmic Microwave Background(CMB) data from Planck with Baryon Acoustic Oscillation(BAO) data to constrain the Brans-Dicke(BD) theory,in which the gravitational constant G evolves with time.Observations of type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) provide another important set of cosmological data,as they may be regarded as standard candles after some empirical corrections.However,in theories that include modified gravity like the BD theory,there is some risk and complication when using the SNIa data because their luminosity may depend on G.In this paper,we assume a power law relation between the SNIa luminosity and G,but treat the power index as a free parameter.We then test whether the difference in distances measured with SNIa data and BAO data can be reduced in such a model.We also constrain the BD theory and cosmological parameters by making a global fit with the CMB,BAO and SNIa data set.For the CMB+BAO+SNIa data set,we find 0.08 × 10~(-2) ζ 0.33 × 10~(-2) at the 68% confidence level(CL) and-0.01 × 10~(-2) ζ 0.43 × 10~(-2) at the 95% CL,where ζ is related to the BD parameter ω by ζ = ln(1 + 1/ω).     

Evolution of the Level of Sunspot Activity in Solar Cycles I. Evolution in the Descending Phase

Taking the 13-point smoothed monthly sunspot number, Ri, and the deviation of the 13 associated monthly sunspot numbers from the smoothed one, D_i, as a number-pair describing the global level of sunspot activity, the evolution of the level is statistically studied for the period from the month which is just 48 months before the minimum to the minimum in the descending phase, using the observed data of Solar Cycles 10 to 22. Our results show (1) for 46 months (94%) of the studied 49 months it is found that for a given month, the distribution of the 13 pairs which come from the 13 solar cycles on a log Ri-D_i plane may be fitted by a straight line with a correlation coefficient larger than the critical one at confidence level α= 5%, and for 36 months (73%) the fitting is even better, for α= 1%;(2) time variations of these two parameters and their correlations in the studied period can be described respectively by functions of time, whose main trends may be expressed by a linear or simple curvilinear function; (3) the evolutionary path of the level of sunspot activity may be represented by a logarithmic function as log R_i=0.704 In D_i-0.291.     

New limits on the photon mass with radio pulsars in the Magellanic clouds

A conservative constraint on the rest mass of the photon can be estimated under the assumption that the frequency dependence of dispersion from astronomical sources is mainly contributed by the nonzero photon mass effect. Photon mass limits have been set earlier through the optical emissions of the Crab Nebula pulsar, but we demonstrate that these limits can be significantly improved with the dispersion measure(DM) measurements of radio pulsars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.The combination of DM measurements of pulsars and distances of the Magellanic Clouds provides a strict upper limit on the photon mass as low as m_γ≤ 2.0 × 10~(-45) g, which is at least four orders of magnitude smaller than the constraint from the Crab Nebula pulsar. Although our limit is not as tight as the current best result(~ 10~(-47)g) from a fast radio burst(FRB 150418) at a cosmological distance,the cosmological origin of FRB 150418 remains under debate; and our limit can reach the same high precision of FRB 150418 when it has an extragalactic origin(~ 10~(-45)g).     

A comparison of stellar atmospheric parameters from the LAMOST and APOGEE datasets

We have compared stellar parameters, including temperature, gravity and metallicity, for common stars in the LAMOST DR2 and SDSS DR12/APOGEE datasets. It is found that the LAMOST dataset provides a more well-defined red clump feature than the APOGEE dataset in the Teff versus log g diagram. With this advantage, we have separated red clump stars from red giant stars, and attempt to establish calibrations between the two datasets for the two groups of stars. The results show that there is a good consistency in temperature with a calibration close to the one-to-one line, and we can establish a satisfactory metallicity calibration of[Fe/H]APOGEE= 1.18[Fe/H]LAMOST + 0.11 with a scatter of ～ 0.08 dex for both the red clump and red giant branch samples. For gravity, there is no correlation for red clump stars between the two datasets, and scatters around the calibrations of red giant stars are substantial. We found two main sources of scatter in log g for red giant stars. One is a group of stars with 0.00253 × Teff- 8.67 log g 2.6 located in the forbidden region, and the other is the contaminated red clump stars, which could be picked out from the unmatched region where stellar metallicity is not consistent with position in the Teff versus log g diagram. After excluding stars in these two regions,we have established two calibrations for red giant stars, log g APOGEE = 0.000615 ×Teff,LAMOST+ 0.697 × log g LAMOST- 2.208(σ = 0.150) for [Fe/H] -1 and log gAPOGEE= 0.000874×Teff,LAMOST+0.588×log g LAMOST-3.117(σ = 0.167)for [Fe/H] -1. The calibrations are valid for stars with Teff = 3800- 5400 K and log g = 0- 3.8 dex, and are useful in work aiming to combine the LAMOST and APOGEE datasets in a future study. In addition, we find that an SVM method based on asteroseismic log g is a good way to greatly improve the accuracy of gravity for these two regions, at least in the LAMOST dataset.     

Reducing loss of significance in the computation of Earth-based two-way Doppler observables for small body missions

Two-way Doppler measurement is a typical Earth-based radiometric technique for interplanetary spacecraft navigation and gravity science investigation.The most widely used model for the computation of two-way Doppler observables is Moyer's differenced-range Doppler(DRD) formula,which is based on a Schwarzschild approximation of the Solar-System space-time.However,the computation of range difference in DRD formula is sensitive to round-off errors due to approximate numbers defined by the norm IEEE754 in all PCs.This paper presented two updated models and their corresponding detailed instructions for the computation of the two-way Doppler observables so as to impair the effects of this type of numerical error.These two models were validated by two case studies related to the Rosetta mission—asteroid Lutetia flyby and comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko orbiting case.In these two cases,the numerical noise from the updated models can be reduced by two orders-of-magnitude in the computed two-way Doppler observables.The results showed an accuracy from better than 6 × 10~(-3) mm s~(-1) at 1 s counting time interval to better than 3 × 10~(-5) mm s~(-1) at 60 s counting time interval.     

Constraints on individual supermassive binary black holes using observations of PSR J1909-3744

We perform a search for gravitational waves(GWs) from several supermassive binary black hole(SMBBH) candidates(NGC 5548, Mrk 231, OJ 287, PG 1302–102, NGC 4151, Ark 120 and 3C 66B) in long-term timing observations of the pulsar PSR J1909-3744 obtained using the Parkes radio telescope.No statistically significant signals were found. We constrain the chirp masses of those SMBBH candidates and find the chirp mass of NGC 5548 and 3C 66B to be less than 2.4 × 10~9 M_⊙ and 2.5 × 10~9 M_⊙(with 95% confidence), respectively. Our upper limits remain a factor of 3 to 370 above the likely chirp masses for these candidates as estimated from other approaches. The observations processed here provide upper limits on the GW strain amplitude that improve upon the results from the first Parkes Pulsar Timing Array data release by a factor of 2 to 7. We investigate how information about the orbital parameters can help to improve the search sensitivity for individual SMBBH systems. Finally, we show that these limits are insensitive to uncertainties in the Solar System ephemeris model.     

Preliminarily study of Saturn's upper atmosphere density by observing Cassini plunging via China's deep space station

When the Cassini spacecraft finally plunged into the Saturnian atmosphere on 2017 September15, China's deep space telescope pointed to Saturn to observe Cassini and study the Saturnian upper neutral atmosphere. In this first Chinese Saturnian radio science experiment, X band Doppler velocity radio science data between the deep space telescope and the Cassini spacecraft were obtained. After removing Saturnian and solar gravity effects, Earth rotation effect, the remaining Saturnian atmosphere drag information was retrieved in the Cassini final plunge progress. Saturn's upper neutral atmosphere mass density profile is approximately estimated based on atmosphere mass density derived principally by real orbit measurement data. Saturn's upper neutral atmosphere mass density from 76 000 km to 1400 km is estimated from the orbit measurement data, the mass density results are about from 1.4 × 10~(-15) kg cm~(-3) to 2.5 × 10~(-14) kg cm~(-3).     

Simulation of FAST EM performance for both the axial and lateral feed defocusing

Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST)is the world’s largest single dish radio telescope,which is located in Guizhou Province,in southwest China.The FAST feed cabin is supported and positioned by six steel cables.The deviation of the feed position and orientation would lead to loss in the telescope efficiency.In this paper,a series of electromagnetic(EM)simulations of the FAST facility with varying feed positions and orientation offsets was performed.The maximum gain of FAST is about 82.3 dBi and the sibelobe is–32 dB with respect to the main beam at 3 GHz.The simulation results have demonstrated that the telescope efficiency loss is more sensitive to the lateral feed deviation compared with the axial deviation.The telescope efficiency would decrease by 8.2%due to the FAST feed position deviation of 10 mm rms when the observing frequency is 3 GHz.The FAST feed deviation basically has no effect on the sidelobes and cross polarization characteristic according to the simulations.     

Nereid's orbit based on new precise observations

A new orbit of Triton was provided by our previous work, benefitted by new Gaia Data, both in a new precise reduction of charge-coupled device observations and in the planetary ephemeris INPOP19 a.In this paper, we provide a new ephemeris for another main Neptunian satellite, Nereid. The orbit is fitted for the newest observations, including 2 075 ground-based observations during the period 1949-2018 and 83 space observations acquired by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. The dynamical model used here is consistent with that of our previous work. For the ground-based absolute observations of Nereid, the rootmean-square deviations are 0.201′′in right ascension and 0.189′′in declination. Finally, a comparison with the HORIZONS ephemeris is made and discussed.     

Polarization variability arising from clumps in the winds of Wolf-Rayet stars

Polarimetric and photometric variability of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars as caused by clumps in the winds is revisited. In our model, which is improved from Li et al., radial ex-pansion of the thickness is accounted for, but we retain dependence on theβ velocity law and stellar occultation effects. We again search for parameters that can yield results con-sistent with observations in regards to the mean polarization P, the ratio R = σ'p/σphot of polarimetric to photometric variability and the volume filling factor fv. Clump gener-ation and spatial distribution are randomized by the Monte Carlo method so as to produce clumps which are, in the mean, distributed uniformly in space and have time intervals that obey a Gaussian distribution. The generated clumps move radially outward with a velocity law determined by aβ index, and the angular size of clumps is assumed to be fixed. By fitting the observed σp/σphot and the volume filling factor fv, clump velocity law index β (～2) and clump ejection rate N (～1) are inferred, and are found to be well constrained. In addition, the subpeak features of broad emission lines seem to support the clump ejection rate. Meanwhile, the fraction of total mass loss rate that is contained in clumps is obtained by fitting observed polarization. We conclude that this picture of the clumps' properties produces a valuable diagnostic of WR wind structure.     

Influence of the convective mixing-length parameter α on the chemical abundances in the case of metal-poor giant HD 122563

One-dimensional(1 D) model atmospheres are still the most commonly used tool for the determination of stellar chemical composition. Convection in the model is usually treated by mixing-length theory(MLT). The mixing-length parameter α is generally calibrated from the Sun and applied to all other stars.The metal-poor giant, HD 122563, is an important benchmark star to test stellar atmosphere and interior physics. We investigate the influence of the convection mixing-length parameter α on the determination of chemical abundances of Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Sr, Y, Zr and Ba in the case of HD 122563, taking advantage of a high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio HARPS spectrum. The abundance discrepancies ?[X/H] that occur due to α variation rarely exceed 0.05 dex and most are less than 0.03 dex. We calculate the discrepancy ?[X/H] using a line-by-line differential analysis. The abundance discrepancies do not have direct relation with either line strength or the excitation potential. For 1 D stellar atmospheric analysis of HD 122563, the accuracy of abundance determination does not strongly depend on the choice of mixing-length parameter α(causing average discrepancies of 0.03 dex), while the uncertainties in the effective temperature and surface gravity play a more important role.     

Does the gamma-ray signal from the central Milky Way indicate Sommerfeld enhancement of dark matter annihilation?

Recently,some studies showed that the GeV gamma-ray excess signal from the central Milky Way can be explained by the annihilation of ~ 40 GeV dark matter through the bb channel.Based on the morphology of the gamma-ray flux,the best-fit inner slope of the dark matter density profile is γ= 1.26.However,recent analyses of the Milky Way dark matter profile favor γ= 0.6-0.8.In this article,we show that the GeV gamma-ray excess can also be explained by the Sommerfeld-enhanced dark matter annihilation through the bb channel with γ= 0.85-1.05.We constrain the parameters of the Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation by using data from Fermi-LAT.We also show that the predicted gamma-ray fluxes emitted from dwarf galaxies generally satisfy recent upper limits on gamma-ray fluxes detected by Fermi-LAT.     

Gnomon shadow lengths recorded in the Zhoubi Suanjing： the earliest meridian observations in China？

The Zhoubi Suanjing, one of the most important ancient Chinese books on mathematical astronomy, was compiled about 100 BC in the Western Han dynasty （BC 206 - AD 23）. We study the gnomon shadow lengths for the 24 solar terms as recorded in the book. Special attention is paid to the so-called law of ‘cun qian li’, which says the shadow length of a gnomon of 8 chi （about 1.96 m） high will increase （or decrease） 1 cun （1/10chi） for every 10001i （roughly 400kin） the gnomon moves northward （or south- ward）. From these data, one can derive the time and location of the observations. The resuits, however, do not fit historical facts. We suggest that compilers of the Zhoubi Suanjing must have modified the original data according to the law of ‘cun qian li’. Through reversing the situation, we recovered the original data, our analysis of which reveals the best possible observation time as 564 BC and the location of observation as 35.78° N latitude. We conclude that this must be the earliest records of solar meridian observations in China. In the meantime, we give the errors of solar altitudes for the 24 solar terms. The average deviation is 5.22°, and the mean absolute deviation is 5.52°, signifying the accuracy of astronomical calculations from that time.