123127469
Photon diffusion in a relativistically expanding sphere
A relativistically expanding sphere exists in many explosive astrophysical systems, including gammaray bursts, neutron star mergers, and some supernovae. In this paper we investigate the photon diffusion process in a relativistically expanding sphere, which is important for understanding the energetic and radiative characters of the above mentioned explosive systems. The following contents are discussed in the frame work of special relativity: random walks of photons by scattering with electrons, photospheres, photon diffusion, and the energy flux density emerging from the surface of the expanding sphere. Some of the results are also applicable to the Universe since the Universe is also a spherical expanding system.
11692409
Electromagnetic energy for a charged Kerr black hole in a uniform magnetic field
With the Komar mass formula we calculate the electromagnetic energy for a charged Kerr black hole in a uniform magnetic field. We find that the total electromagnetic energy takes the minimum when the Kerr black hole possesses a nonzero net charge $Q=2\ensuremath{\xi}{B}_{0}{J}_{H}$ where ${B}_{0}$ is the strength of the magnetic field, ${J}_{H}$ is the angular momentum of the black hole, and $\ensuremath{\xi}$ is a dimensionless parameter determined by the spin of the black hole. However, the Wald state with ${Q=2B}_{0}{J}_{H}$ does not minimize the electromagnetic energy.
118518653
Constraining fast radio burst progenitors with gravitational lensing
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are new transient radio sources discovered recently. Because of the angular resolution restriction in radio surveys, no optical counter part has been identified yet so it is hard to determine the progenitor of FRBs. In this paper we propose to use radio lensing survey to constrain FRB progenitors. We show that, different types of progenitors lead to different probabilities for a FRB to be gravitationally lensed by dark matter halos in foreground galaxies, since different type progenitors result in different redshift distributions of FRBs. For example, the redshift distribution of FRBs arising from double stars shifts toward lower redshift than of the FRBs arising from single stars, because double stars and single stars have different evolution timescales. With detailed calculations, we predict that the FRB sample size for producing one lensing event varies significantly for different FRB progenitor models. We argue that this fact can be used to distinguish different FRB models and also discuss the practical possibility of using lensing observation in radio surveys to constrain FRB progenitors.
11909154
The X‐ray transient 080109 in NGC 2770: an X‐ray flash associated with a normal core‐collapse supernova
Although it is generally thought that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are associated with core-collapse supernovae (SNe), so far only four pairs of GRBs and SNe with firmly established connection have been found. All the four GRB-SNe belong to special class of Type Ic – called the broad-lined SNe indicative of a large explosion energy, suggesting that only a small fraction of SNe Ibc have GRBs associated with them. This scheme has been refreshed by the discovery of a bright X-ray transient in NGC 2770 on 2008 January 9, which was followed by a rather normal Type Ib SN 2008D. In this paper, I argue that the transient 080109 is an X-ray flash (XRF, the soft version of a GRB) because of the following evidence. (1) The transient cannot be interpreted as a SN shock breakout event. (2) The GRB X-ray flare interpretation is not supported by the high-energy observation. I then show that XRF 080109 satisfies the well-known relation between the isotropic-equivalent energy and the peak spectral energy for LGRBs, which highly strengthens the XRF interpretation. Finally, I point out that the peak spectral energy of XRF 080109 and the maximum bolometric luminosity of SN 2008D agree with the E γ, peak–LSN,max relationship of Li, strengthening the validity of the relationship. I speculate that events like XRF 080109 may occur at a rate comparable to SNe Ibc, and a soft X-ray telescope devoted to surveying for nearby X-ray flares will be very fruitful in discovering them.
39373169
Can the universe create itself
The question of first-cause has troubled philosophers and cosmologists alike. Now that it is apparent that our universe began in a Big Bang explosion, the question of what happened before the Big Bang arises. Inflation seems like a very promising answer, but as Borde and Vilenkin have shown, the inflationary state preceding the Big Bang must have had a beginning also. Ultimately, the difficult question seems to be how to make something out of nothing. This paper explores the idea that this is the wrong question --- that that is not how the Universe got here. Instead, we explore the idea of whether there is anything in the laws of physics that would prevent the Universe from creating itself. Because spacetimes can be curved and multiply connected, general relativity allows for the possibility of closed timelike curves (CTCs). Thus, tracing backwards in time through the original inflationary state we may eventually encounter a region of CTCs giving no first-cause. This region of CTCs, may well be over by now (being bounded toward the future by a Cauchy horizon). We illustrate that such models --- with CTCs --- are not necessarily inconsistent by demonstrating self-consistent vacuums for Misner space and a multiply connected de Sitter space in which the renormalized energy-momentum tensor does not diverge as one approaches the Cauchy horizon and solves Einstein's equations. We show such a Universe can be classically stable and self-consistent if and only if the potentials are retarded, giving a natural explanation of the arrow of time. Some specific scenarios (out of many possible ones) for this type of model are described. For example: an inflationary universe gives rise to baby universes, one of which turns out to be itself. Interestingly, the laws of physics may allow the Universe to be its own mother.
10326293
New light on time machines: Against the chronology protection conjecture.
I construct a spacetime with closed timelike curves and without closed causal geodesics. There is a noncompactly generated Cauchy horizon separating the region with closed timelike curves from that without closed causal curves. This spacetime might be stable against the vacuum fluctuation of matter fields. Whether such a spacetime is stable against the vacuum fluctuation of a gravitational field is an open question.
119183267
Entanglement entropy in holographic p-wave superconductor/insulator model
A bstractWe continue our study of entanglement entropy in the holographic superconducting phase transitions. In this paper we consider the holographic p-wave superconductor/insulator model, where as the back reaction increases, the transition is changed from second order to first order. We find that unlike the s-wave case, there is no additional first order transition in the superconducting phase. We calculate the entanglement entropy for two strip geometries. One is parallel to the super current, and the other is orthogonal to the super current. In both cases, we find that the entanglement entropy monotonically increases with respect to the chemical potential.
27024041
Time evolution of entanglement entropy in quenched holographic superconductors
A bstractWe investigate the dynamical evolution of entanglement entropy in a holographic superconductor model by quenching the source term of the dual charged scalar operator. By access to the full background geometry, the holographic entanglement entropy is calculated for a strip geometry at the AdS boundary. It is found that the entanglement entropy exhibits a robust non-monotonic behaviour in time, independent of the strength of Gaussian quench and the size of the strip: it first displays a small dip, then grows linearly, and finally saturates. In particular, the linear growth velocity of the entanglement entropy has an upper bound for strip with large width; the equilibrium value of the non-local probe at late time shows a power law scaling behaviour with respect to the quench strength; moreover, the entanglement entropy can uncover the dynamical transition at certain critical quench strength which happens to coincide with the one obtained form the dynamical evolution of scalar order parameter.
116828727
Effects of Binary interactions and metallicity on the calibrations of star formation rate
Using the Yunnan evolutionary population synthesis (EPS) models with and without binary interactions, we present the LHa, L[OII], Li,UV and LFIR for burst, E, S0, Sa-Sd and Irr galaxies at Z =0.0001, 0.0003, 0.001, 0.004, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03, present the conversion coefficients between star formation rate (SFR) and these diagnostics, and discuss the effects of binary interactions and metallicity on these SFR calibrations. 
The inclusion of binary interactions can lower the SFR versus LHa and SFR versus L[OII] conversion factors (CHa, C[OII]) by 0.1-0.2 dex, C1500 by 0.1 dex and C2800 by 0.2-0.1 dex, but raise CFIR by 0.05 dex. The differences in the CHa, C[OII] and C2800 caused by binary interactions are dependent of metallicity and those in the C1500 and CFIR are independent of metallicity. The higher is the metallicity, the larger are the differences in the CHa and C[OII], however, the smaller is the difference in the C2800 . 
The ratio of the difference in the conversion factor caused by metallicity to the [Fe/H] range, Delta_{case,Z}/Delta_{[Fe/H]}, reaches 0.2 for LHa and L[OII], 0.1 for Li,UV and 0.1-0.2 for LFIR. The dC_{case,Z}/d[Fe/H] is different within different [Fe/H] ranges and reaches the maximum value near the solar metallicity. At last, the Li,UV is not suitable to linear calibration of SFR at low metallicities. 
We also obtain the LHa, L[OII], Li,UV and LFIR for burst, E, S0, Sa-Sd and Irr galaxies by using the EPS models of BC03 (0.0001<Z<0.05), SB99 (0.0004<Z<0.05), PEGASE (0.0001<Z<0.1) and POPSTAR (0.0001<Z<0.05), present the conversion coefficients between SFR and these diagnostics, discuss the effects of the initial mass function and metallicity on these conversion coefficients, and compare the conclusions with those from our models.
54926043
Thermodynamics in Loop Quantum Cosmology
Loop quantum cosmology (LQC) is very powerful to deal with the
behavior of early universe. Moreover, the
effective loop quantum cosmology gives a successful description of
the universe in the semiclassical region. We consider the apparent
horizon of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe as a
thermodynamical system and investigate the thermodynamics of LQC
in the semiclassical region. The effective density and effective
pressure in the modified Friedmann equation from LQC not only
determine the evolution of the universe in LQC scenario but
also are actually found to be the thermodynamic
quantities. This result comes from the energy definition in
cosmology (the Misner-Sharp gravitational energy) and is
consistent with thermodynamic laws. We prove that within the
framework of loop quantum cosmology, the elementary equation of
equilibrium thermodynamics is still valid.
122632442
In-medium kaon-nucleon vector interaction based on chiral effective Lagrangian
We investigate the implications of the four-nucleon terms in the chiral effective Lagrangian for the s-wave K-nucleon effective interaction. We nd that such terms play a nontrivial role in the description of symmetric nuclear matter. Our results for the kaon effective energy and in-medium K+- nucleon scattering are in agreement with the previous prediction obtained by in-medium scaling qualitatively.