致密天体及高能天体物理 Compact Objects and High-Energy Astrophysics
Compact objects and high-energy astrophysical phenomena are major research areas of modern astrophysics. Compact objects, including neutron stars, black holes, and white dwarfs, are "born" when stars "die". As the most compact objects in the universe, they play a vital role for the study of fundamental physics. Their strong gravitational fields provide an excellent test bed for (in)validating general relativity. The ultra-high temperatures, densities and/or strong magnetic fields associated with compact objects allow one to probe the physical processes under extreme conditions well beyond the reach of terrestrial laboratories. Some of the most spectacular phenomena in the universe are associated with compact objects such as supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts, kilonovae, gravitational waves, fast radio bursts, radio pulsars, ultra-luminous X-ray sources, etc. Black holes of various masses and spins play an important role in determining the observational signatures of X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and tidal disruption events.
Our research focuses on the physical processes of compact objects and their vicinities, and the associated multi-wavelength and multi-messenger phenomena. Through theoretical investigations, observational analyses and numerical simulations, we study the origins and radiative mechanisms of high-energy transients, the physical processes of accretion disks and jets associated with X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei, the theory of general relativity and its applications in astrophysics, and the spectral energy distributions and variations of X-ray sources. The study tells us about the extreme astrophysical environments near compact objects and probes the physical processes under extreme conditions. Our study involves broad domestic as well as international collaborations.
