An impressive feature of loop quantum gravity (LQG) is that it can elegantly resolve both the big bang and black hole singularities. By using the Newman-Janis algorithm, a regular and effective rotating self-dual black hole (SDBH) metric could be constructed, which alters the Kerr geometry with a polymeric function P from the quantum effects of LQG geometry. In this paper, we investigate its impact on the frequency characteristics of the X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) from 5 X-ray binaries and contrast it with the existing results of the orbital, periastron precession and nodal precession frequencies within the relativistic precession model. We apply a Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) simulation to examine the possible LQG effects on the X-ray QPOs. We found that the best constraint result for the rotating self-dual geometry from LQG came from the QPOs of X-ray binary GRO J1655-40, which establish an upper bound on the polymeric function P less than 6.15 × 10^-3 at 95% confidence level. This bound leads to a restriction on the polymeric parameter δ of LQG to be 0.66.

We present a catalog of 624 radio sources detected around the North Celestial Pole (NCP) with the 21 Centimeter Array (21CMA), a radio interferometer dedicated to the statistical measurement of the epoch of reionization (EoR). The data are taken from a 12 hr observation made on 2013 April 13, with a frequency coverage from 75 to 175 MHz and an angular resolution of ∼4′. The catalog includes flux densities at eight sub-bands across the 21CMA bandwidth and provides the in-band spectral indices for the detected sources. To reduce the complexity of interferometric imaging from the so-called “w” term and ionospheric effects, the present analysis is restricted to the east–west baselines within 1500 m only. The 624 radio sources are found within 5° around the NCP down to ∼0.1 Jy. Our source counts are compared, and also exhibit a good agreement, with deep low-frequency observations made recently with the GMRT and MWA. In particular, for fainter radio sources below ∼1 Jy, we find a flattening trend of source counts toward lower frequencies. While the thermal noise (∼0.4 mJy) is well controlled to below the confusion limit, the dynamical range (∼10⁴) and sensitivity of current 21CMA imaging are largely limited by calibration and deconvolution errors, especially the grating lobes of very bright sources, such as 3C061.1, in the NCP field, which result from the regular spacings of the 21CMA. We note that particular attention should be paid to the extended sources, and their modeling and removal may constitute a large technical challenge for current EoR experiments. Our analysis may serve as a useful guide to the design of next generation low-frequency interferometers like the Square Kilometre Array.

We have examined 13 pointed observations of the TeV-emitting high synchrotron peak blazar PKS 2155−304, taken by the Suzaku satellite throughout its operational period. We found that the blazar showed large-amplitude intraday variabilities in the soft (0.8–1.5 keV) and the hard (1.5–8.0 keV) bands in the light curves. Spectral variability on intraday timescales is estimated using the hardness ratio. The blazar usually becomes harder when brighter and vice versa, following the typical behavior of high synchrotron peak blazars. The power spectral density analyses of 11 out of 13 light curves in the total energy (0.8–8.0 keV) are found to be dominated by red noise, with power-law spectral indices that span a large range, from −2.81 to −0.88. Discrete correlation function analyses of all the 13 light curves between the soft and the hard bands show that they are well correlated and peak at, or very close to, zero lag. This indicates that the emissions in soft and hard bands are probably cospatial and emitted from the same population of leptons. Considering fluxes versus variability timescales, we found no correlation on intraday timescales, implying that X-ray emission from PKS 2155−304 is not dominated by simple changes in the Doppler factor. We briefly discuss the most likely emission mechanisms responsible for the observed flux and spectral variabilities and place constraints on magnetic field strength and Lorentz factors of the electrons emitting the X-rays in the most likely scenario.

We present X-ray flux and spectral analyses of the three pointed Suzaku observations of the TeV high synchrotron peak blazar Mrk 421 taken throughout its complete operational duration. The observation taken on 2008 May 5 is, at 364.6 ks (i.e., 101.3 hr), the longest and most evenly sampled continuous observation of this source, or any blazar, in the X-ray energy 0.8–60 keV until now. We found large amplitude intraday variability in all soft and hard bands in all the light curves. The discrete correction function analysis of the light curves in soft and hard bands peaks on zero lag, showing that the emission in hard and soft bands are cospatial and emitted from the same population of leptons. The hardness ratio plots imply that the source is more variable in the harder bands compared to the softer bands. The source is harder when brighter, following the general behavior of high synchrotron peak blazars. Power spectral densities of all three light curves are red noise dominated, with a range of power spectra slopes. If one assumes that the emission originates very close to the central super massive black hole, a crude estimate for its mass, of ∼4 × 10⁸ M _⊙, can be made; but if the variability is due to perturbations arising there that are advected into the jet and are thus Doppler boosted, substantially higher masses are consistent with the quickest seen variations. We briefly discuss the possible physical mechanisms most likely responsible for the observed flux and spectral variability.