On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ∼ 1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40 − 8 + 8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 M ⊙ . An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ∼ 40 Mpc ) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One-Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ∼10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ∼ 9 and ∼ 16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC 4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta.

We present the X-ray timing results of the new black hole candidate (BHC) MAXI J1535-571 during its 2017 outburst from Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight -HXMT) observations taken from 2017 September 6 to 23. Following the definitions given by Belloni (2010), we find that the source exhibits state transitions from Low/Hard state (LHS) to Hard Intermediate state (HIMS) and eventually to Soft Intermediate state (SIMS). Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are found in the intermediate states, which suggest different types of QPOs. With the large effective area of Insight -HXMT at high energies, we are able to present the energy dependence of the QPO amplitude and centroid frequency up to 100 keV which is rarely explored by previous satellites. We also find that the phase lag at the type-C QPOs centroid frequency is negative (soft lags) and strongly correlated with the centroid frequency. By assuming a geometrical origin of type-C QPOs, the source is consistent with being a high inclination system.

We report on analysis of observations of the bright transient X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124 obtained during its 2017-2018 giant outburst with Insight-HXMT, NuSTAR, and Swift observatories. We focus on the discovery of a sharp state transition of the timing and spectral properties of the source at super-Eddington accretion rates, which we associate with the transition of the accretion disk to a radiation pressure dominated (RPD) state, the first ever directly observed for magnetized neutron star. This transition occurs at slightly higher luminosity compared to already reported transition of the source from sub- to super-critical accretion regime associate with onset of an accretion column. We argue that this scenario can only be realized for comparatively weakly magnetized neutron star, not dissimilar to other ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars (ULPs), which accrete at similar rates. Further evidence for this conclusion is provided by the non-detection of the transition to the propeller state in quiescence which strongly implies compact magnetosphere and thus rules out magnetar-like fields.

The propagation behavior of cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets has recently attracted lots of attention. In this paper, a cold He plasma jet generated by a single plasma electrode jet device is studied. The spatial-temporal resolved optical emission spectroscopy measurements are presented. It is found that the emission intensity of the He 706.5 nm line of the plasma behaves similarly both inside the syringe and in the surrounding air (plasma plume). It decreases monotonously, which is different from the emission lines, such as N2 337.1 nm line, N2+ 391.4 nm line, and O 777.3 nm line. For the discharge inside the syringe, the emission intensity of the He 706.5 nm line decays more rapidly than that of the other three spectral lines mentioned above. The N2 337.1 nm line behaves a similar time evolution with the discharge current. For the N2+ 391.4 nm line and the atomic O 777.3 nm line, both of them decay slower than that of the He 706.5 nm and the N2 337.1 nm. When the plasma plume propagates further away from the nozzle, the temporal behaviors of the emission intensities of the four lines tend to be similar gradually. Besides, it is found that, when the size of the plasma bullet appears biggest, the propagation velocity of the bullet achieves its highest value while the emission intensity of the N2+ 391.4 nm line reaches its maximum. Detailed analysis shows that the Penning effect between the metastable state Hem and the air molecules may play a significant role in the propagation of the plasma bullet in the open air.

Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma plumes are generated in the ambient air by a single-electrode plasma jet device powered by pulsed dc and ac sine-wave excitation sources. Comprehensive comparisons of the plasma characteristics, including electrical properties, optical emission spectra, gas temperatures, plasma dynamics, and bacterial inactivation ability of the two plasmas are carried out. It is shown that the dc pulse excited plasma features a much larger discharge current and stronger optical emission than the sine-wave excited plasma. The gas temperature in the former discharge remains very close to the room temperature across the entire plume length; the sine-wave driven discharge also shows a uniform temperature profile, which is 20–30 degrees higher than the room temperature. The dc pulse excited plasma also shows a better performance in the inactivation of gram-positive staphylococcus aureus bacteria. These results suggest that the pulsed dc electric field is more effective for the generation of nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma plumes for advanced plasma health care applications.

The effects of various discharge parameters and ambient gas on the length of He atmospheric plasma jet plumes expanding into the open air are studied. It is found that the voltage and width of the discharge-sustaining pulses exert significantly stronger effects on the plume length than the pulse frequency, gas flow rate, and nozzle diameter. This result is explained through detailed analysis of the I-V characteristics of the primary and secondary discharges which reveals the major role of the integrated total charges of the primary discharge in the plasma dynamics. The length of the jet plume can be significantly increased by guiding the propagating plume into a glass tube attached to the nozzle. This increase is attributed to elimination of the diffusion of surrounding air into the plasma plume, an absence which facilitates the propagation of the ionization front. These results are important for establishing a good level of understanding of the expansion dynamics and for enabling a high degree of control of atmospheric pressure plasmas in biomedical, materials synthesis and processing, environmental and other existing and emerging industrial applications.

The “plasma bullet” behavior of atmospheric pressure plasma plumes has recently attracted significant interest. In this paper, a specially designed plasma jet device is used to study this phenomenon. It is found that a helium primary plasma can propagate through the wall of a dielectric tube and keep propagating inside the dielectric tube (secondary plasma). High-speed photographs show that the primary plasma disappears before the secondary plasma starts to propagate. Both plumes propagate at a hypersonic speed. Detailed studies on the dynamics of the plasma plumes show that the local electric field induced by the charges on the surface of the dielectric tube plays an important role in the ignition of the secondary plasma. This indicates that the propagation of the plasma plumes may be attributed to the local electric field induced by the charges in the bulletlike plasma volume.

The fundamental of the generation and propagation of the atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasma jets has recently attracted significant interests. In this paper, investigations on the effects of the parameters of the pulsed dc voltages on the optical emission intensity of the plasma jet and the bullet propagation behavior are carried out based on the temporal-spatial resolved optical emission spectroscopy measurements and the high-speed photography. It is found that, with the increase in the applied voltage, the bullet propagates out from the nozzle earlier and accelerates to higher peak-velocities. The increase in the pulse frequency exerts no significant influences on the optical emission of the plasma jet and the bullet propagation velocity. But it can induce the bullet propagates out from the nozzle earlier. Besides, it is interesting to notice that, with the increase in the pulse width in the beginning, the bullet propagates out from the nozzle with longer delay time. However, when the pulse width is increased to be more than 100 μs, the delay time of the bullet propagating out from the nozzle becomes much shorter. On the other hand, with the increase in the pulse width, the optical emission intensity of the plasma jet drops and the maximum bullet velocity decreases too. Detailed analysis shows that it may be due to the accumulation of the charges and radicals, which can shorten the prebreakdown of the discharge inside the syringe and result in the bullet propagating out earlier from the nozzle.