Aims. An extreme Kerr black hole (BH) surrounded by a precessing disk is invoked to explain the light curves of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) based on the coexistence of the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) and the magnetic coupling (MC) processes. Methods. The overall shape of the light curves and the duration of GRBs are interpreted by the evolution of the half-opening angle of the magnetic flux on the BH horizon, and the complex temporal structures are modulated by the precession and nutation of the jet powered by the BZ process. Results. The time profile of the emission exhibits a fast rise and a slow decay due to the effect of the evolution of the half-opening angle. The light curves of several GRBs are well fitted by this model with only six free parameters.

Context. We present evidence that parsec-scale jets in BL Lac objects may be significantly distinct in kinematics from their counterparts in quasars. We argued this previously for the BL lac sources 1803+784 and 0716+714 and report here a similar pattern for another well-known BL Lac object, PKS 0735+178, whose nuclear jet is found to exhibit kinematics atypical of quasars. Aims. By analyzing the pc-scale jet morphology and its changes in 0735+178 we seek to understand the emission processes in BL Lac objects and to decipher their differences from quasars. A detailed study of the jet components' motion reveals that the standard AGN paradigm of apparent superluminal motion does not always describe the kinematics in BL Lac objects. We study 0735+178 here to augment and improve the understanding of the peculiar motions in the jets of BL Lac objects as a class. Methods. We analyzed 15 GHz VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array) observations (2 cm/MOJAVE survey) performed at 23 epochs between 1995.27 and 2008.91. Multiple Gaussians were fitted to the derived VLBA data, to trace the kinematical and flux density evolution of the individual VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) components in the nuclear jet. We then compared the jet kinematics with the optical and radio light curves available for this BL Lac object and point out some striking correlations between the properties of the radio knots and the features in the light curves. Results. We found a drastic structural mode change in the VLBI jet of 0735+178, between 2000.4 and 2001.8 when its twice sharply bent trajectory turned into a linear shape. We further found that this jet had undergone a similar transition sometime between December 1981 and June 1983. A mode change, occurring in the reverse direction (between mid-1992 and mid-1995) has already been reported in the literature. These structural mode changes are found to be reflected in changed kinematical behavior of the nuclear jet, manifested as an apparent superluminal motion and stationarity of the radio knots. In addition, we found the individual mode changes to correlate in time with the maxima in the optical light curve. The last two transitions occurred before a (modest) radio flare. The behavior of this pc-scale jet appears to favor a scenario involving non-ballistic motions of the radio knots, produced by the precession of a continuous jet within the ambient medium. Conclusions. This is the third BL Lac object (after 1803+784 and 0716+714) analyzed by us, which reveals kinematic properties in the parsec-scale radio jet, which are atypical of quasars. For several years, the components in the jet are not found to be separating from the core but instead to be moving perpendicularly to the ridge line of the jet. In 0735+178 this unusual behavior has been particularly conspicuous. Curiously, however, fast apparent superluminal motion characteristic of quasars were present in this jet between the epochs ∼1995 and ∼2000. Thus we found for this BL Lac object a drastic change in the kinematics of the nucle...

Faster-than-light or superluminal motion was originally predicted as a relativistic illusion of ballistic moving ejecta, and confirmed in a few tens of sources observationally. However, the recent results of the long-term multi-epoch observations of quasars, active galaxies, tracing the structure further along the jets and following the motion of individual features for longer time, rise questions that are difficult to understand by the standard ballistic model. I.e., the ejecta are aligned with the local jet direction, instead of the core; and within individual jets apparently inward-moving features are observed. Here we show that these unexpected phenomena, although only a small fraction among large samples, indicate the existence of non-ballistic jet motion, in which a continuous jet produces a discrete hot spot. And the precession of such a hot spot in the plane of the sky appears superluminal. Therefore, an unified and simple interpretation to the new results is obtained, which can be further tested through its predictions on the evolution of ejecta. The study is of importance in the understanding of the nature of superluminal motion, the interaction of jets and surrounding materials, as well as the common physics underlying quasars and microquasars.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, accepted to MNRA

The carbon-based micro/nano electromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS) technique provides a powerful approach to large-scale manufacture of high-aspect-ratio carbon structures for wafer-level processing. The fabricated three-dimensional (3D) carbon structures have the advantages of excellent electrical and electrochemical properties, and superior biocompatibility. In order to improve their performance for applications in micro energy storage devices and microsensors, an increase in the footprint surface area is of great importance. Various approaches have been proposed for fabricating large surface area carbon-based structures, including the integration of nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, nanowires, nanofilms and nanowrinkles onto 3D structures, which has been proved to be effective and productive. Moreover, by etching the 3D photoresist microstructures through oxygen plasma or modifying the photoresist with specific materials which can be etched in the following pyrolysis process, micro/nano hierarchical carbon structures have been fabricated. These improved structures show excellent performance in various applications, especially in the fields of biological sensors, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and energy storage devices such as micro-supercapacitors and fuel cells. With the rapid development of microelectronic devices, the carbon-based MEMS/NEMS technique could make more aggressive moves into microelectronics, sensors, miniaturized power systems, etc. In this review, the recent advances in the fabrication of micro/nano hierarchical carbon-based structures are introduced and the technical challenges and future outlook of the carbon-based MEMS/NEMS techniques are also analyzed.

Weak Equivalent Principle (WEP) can be tested through the parameterized post-Newtonian parameter γ, representing the space curvature produced by unit rest mass. The parameter γ in turn has been constrained by comparing the arrival times of photons originating in distant transient events, such as gamma-ray bursts, fast radio bursts as well as giant pulses of pulsars. Those measurements normally correspond to an individual burst event with very limited energy bands and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). In this letter, the discrepancy in the pulse arrival times of the Crab Pulsar between different energy bands is obtained by the phase difference between corresponding pulse profiles. This allows us to compare the pulse arrival times at the largest energy band differences, between radio and optical, radio and X-ray, radio and gamma-ray respectively. As the pulse profiles are generated by phase-folding thousands of individual pulses, the time discrepancies between two energy bands are actually measured from thousands of events at each energy band, which corresponds to much higher S/N. The upper limit of the γ discrepancy set by such an extensively-observed and well-modeled source is as follows: γ radio − γ γ−ray < 3.28 × 10 −9 at the energy difference of E γ−ray /E radio ∼ 10 13 , γ radio − γ X−ray < 4.01 × 10 −9 at the energy difference of E X−ray /E radio ∼ 10 9 , γ radio − γ optical < 2.63 × 10 −9 at E optical /E radio ∼ 10 5 , and γ optical − γ γ−ray < 3.03 × 10 −10 at E γ−ray /E optical ∼ 10 8 . This actually measures the arrival times of freely-falling photons in the gravitational field of the Milky Way with the largest amount of events and with data of the highest S/N, which tests WEP at the energy band differences that has never been reached before.

Short precession periods like 164d of SS433 can be well determined by observations of time scales longer or much longer than the precession period. However, it doesn't work for sources with precession periods of millions of years. This paper utilizes the particular morphologies of X-shaped sources, so that the 3 dimension kinematics of lobes can be obtained. Thus, for the first time, the million-year precession period of X-shaped sources by observer on the Earth can be determined elegantly: (6.1 ± 1.5)Myr, (1.8 ± 0.5)Myr, and (3.2 ± 1.2)Myr for 3C52, 3C223.1 and 4C12.03 respectively. The result naturally explains the asymmetry displayed in the morphology of these sources, and the effect of propagation time on the diversity of morphologies is well demonstrated. The precession period may originate from long-term effects of a binary super-massive black hole system, which is a potential source of gravitational wave radiation.

No abstract

There are two kinds of expressions on the precession of orbital plane of a binary pulsar system,