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Physics General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

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Wednesday 16 September

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Deep Learning Detection of Beyond-General-Relativity Deviations in Gravitational-Wave Signals: A Detection-Threshold Study with Real LIGO Noise

We study machine-learning detection of controlled beyond-General-Relativity (beyond-GR) deviations in gravitational-wave signals, using both synthetic aLIGO-PSD noise and real LIGO H1 detector strain. Three deviation families are applied to General-Relativistic inspiral-merger-ringdown waveforms: amplitude modulation, phase modulation, and frequency modulation, each parameterized by a dimensionless strength coefficient $\beta$. A hybrid classifier combining a one-dimensional convolutional neural network with ten hand-crafted waveform statistics is trained on GR and modified waveforms and tested on a deviation type excluded from training. The central result is a quantitative detectability curve as a function of $\beta$. Using the real GW150914 strain as a template and real H1 detector noise, we find a detection threshold at $\beta \approx 0.25$, with accuracy rising smoothly from chance at $\beta \leq 0.2$ to perfect classification at $\beta \geq 0.5$. The threshold value is specific to the quadratic-in-time modulation form adopted here and should not be interpreted as a generic constraint on beyond-GR parameters. We nevertheless argue that the negative result at small $\beta$ is informative: it establishes a quantitative limit on machine-learning-only beyond-GR searches in real detector noise, in the absence of matched-filter signal extraction.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Observing and evading quantum back-action on a kilogram-scale oscillator

Continuous quantum displacement measurements are fundamentally limited by a trade-off between readout imprecision and measurement back-action, constrained by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. In the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), these two quantum noise components dominate much of the observation band, making it an excellent testbed. We induce a sub-Hz-linewidth optomechanical mode by trapping the differential motion of the 40-kg mirrors in a band where radiation-pressure back-action dominates the motion. Engineering the quantum state entering the dark port creates correlations between imprecision and back-action that partially cancel their contributions, reducing observed motion near resonance by ~47%. A framework resolving the imprecision, back-action, and correlation terms identifies the origin of this suppression. These results demonstrate quantum back-action evasion and quantum reservoir engineering in a macroscopic optomechanical system.
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All authors Begüm Kabagöz, Eric Oelker, Dhruva Ganapathy, Nergis Mavalvala, Vivishek Sudhir, Vladimir Bossilkov, Joseph Betzweiser, Valery V. Frolov, Anamaria Effler, Adam Mullavey, Lisa Barsotti, Evan D. Hall, Peter Fritschel, R. Abbott, I. Abouelfettouh, R. X. Adhikari, A. Ananyeva, S. Appert, S. K. Apple, K. Arai, N. Aritomi, S. M. Aston, M. Ball, S. W. Ballmer, D. Barker, B. K. Berger, D. Bhattacharjee, G. Billingsley, S. Biscans, C. D. Blair, N. Bode, E. Bonilla, A. Branch, A. F. Brooks, D. D. Brown, J. Bryant, C. Cahillane, A. Calafat, S. R. Callos, H. Cao, E. Capote, F. Clara, J. Collins, C. M. Compton, G. Connolly, R. Cottingham, D. C. Coyne, R. Crouch, J. Csizmazia, A. Cumming, L. P. Dartez, D. Davis, N. Demos, E. Dohmen, K. L. Dooley, J. C. Driggers, S. E. Dwyer, A. Ejlli, T. Etzel, M. Evans, J. Feicht, R. Frey, W. Frischhertz, M. Fuentes-Garcia, P. Fulda, M. Fyffe, B. Gateley, T. Gayer, J. A. Giaime, K. D. Giardina, J. Glanzer, E. Goetz, R. Goetz, A. W. Goodwin-Jones, S. Gras, C. Gray, D. Griffith, H. Grote, T. Guidry, J. Gurs, J. Hanks, J. Hanson, M. C. Heintze, A. F. Helmling-Cornell, N. A. Holland, D. Hoyland, H. Y. Huang, Y. Inoue, A. L. James, A. Jamies, R. Jaume, A. Jennings, W. Jia, D. H. Jones, S. Karat, S. Karki, M. Kasprzack, K. Kawabe, N. Kijbunchoo, P. J. King, J. S. Kissel, K. Komori, A. Kontos, R. Kumar, K. Kuns, M. Landry, B. Lantz, M. Laxen, K. Lee, M. Lesovsky, F. Llamas Villarreal, M. Lormand, H. A. Loughlin, R. Macas, M. MacInnis, C. N. Makarem, B. Mannix, G. L. Mansell, R. M. Martin, K. Mason, F. Matichard, N. Maxwell, G. McCarrol, R. McCarthy, D. E. McClelland, S. McCormick, T. McRae, F. Mera, E. L. Merilh, J. R. Mérou, F. Meylahn, R. Mittleman, D. Moraru, G. Moreno, M. Nakano, T. J. N. Nelson, A. Neunzert, J. Notte, J. Oberling, T. O'Hanlon, R. Oram, C. Osthelder, D. J. Ottaway, H. Overmier, W. Parker, O. Patane, A. Pele, H. Pham, M. Pirello, J. Pullin, V. Quetschke, K. E. Ramirez, K. Ransom, J. Reyes, J. W. Richardson, M. Robinson, J. G. Rollins, C. L. Romel, J. H. Romie, M. P. Ross, B. I. Rotimi, K. Ryan, T. Sadecki, A. Sanchez, E. J. Sanchez, L. E. Sanchez, R. L. Savage, D. Schaetzl, M. G. Schiworski, R. Schnabel, R. M. S. Schofield, E. Schwartz, D. Sellers, T. Shaffer, R. W. Short, D. Sigg, B. J. J. Slagmolen, C. Soike, S. Soni, V. Srivastava, L. Sun, D. B. Tanner, M. Thomas, P. Thomas, K. A. Thorne, M. R. Todd, C. I. Torrie, G. Traylor, A. S. Ubhi, G. Vajente, J. Vanosky, A. Vecchio, P. J. Veitch, A. M. Vibhute, E. R. G. von Reis, J. Warner, B. Weaver, R. Weiss, C. Whittle, B. Willke, C. C. Wipf, J. L. Wright, V. A. Xu, H. Yamamoto, L. Zhang, M. E. Zucker

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

A Global Overview of Starobinsky Inflation beyond slow-roll with CMB-BAO data

We perform a global analysis of the Starobinsky inflation using most recent CMB data from ACT and SPT together with DESI BAO measurements. By directly solving the equations of motion, we find relatively stronger constraints on the model parameters than those obtained under the slow-roll approximation from the baseline $\Lambda$CDM parameters $A_s$ and $n_s$. We translate these constraints into limits on the reheating temperature. We also discuss the dependence of the prior choices of the model parameters. Further, the correlation of the model parameters with the BAO parameter $r_d h$ is also studied. We further investigate the impact of the global analysis on the dimension-six $R^3$ modified Starobinsky model, deriving constraints on its additional parameters. Finally, we also provide parameter limits on the effective inflationary Hubble slow-roll (HSR) and potential slow-roll (PSR) parametrization.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Electroweak balls: non-topological solitons in the Weinberg-Salam theory

We construct a new class of smooth, finite-energy solitons in the bosonic $SU(2)\times U(1)$ Weinberg-Salam theory, which we dub $electroweak$ $balls$. Their localization mechanism is analogous in spirit to that of $Q$-balls: the charged vector fields possess a harmonic time dependence while the energy-momentum tensor remains time independent. We explicitly construct both spherically symmetric electric-type solutions and axisymmetric magnetic-type solutions, and show that they form families characterized by a finite frequency interval, a mass gap, and a two-branch structure. These configurations provide electroweak counterparts of Proca-Higgs balls, with the vector-boson masses generated by the Higgs mechanism rather than introduced explicitly. The construction is not tied to the measured parameters of the Standard Model. More generally, it applies to bosonic electroweak-type sectors with different gauge couplings, Higgs self-coupling and symmetry-breaking scale, and hence potentially very different characteristic particle and soliton mass scales. For the families studied here, we do not find solutions at the measured Standard Model couplings and mass ratios.
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All authors Carlos Herdeiro, Jutta Kunz, Burkhard Kleihaus, Eugen Radu

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Sphere path integrals for fermionic gauge fields

We consider spin-$s \geq \frac{3}{2}$ complex, strictly massless fermionic gauge fields on the four-sphere, $S^4$, which is the Euclidean continuation of de Sitter spacetime, dS$_4$. For $s=\frac{5}{2}$, after briefly discussing different options for the quantisation of the theory on dS$_4$, we compute the one-loop sphere path integral. We explain how it can be expressed in terms of functional determinants, generalising previous results for $s=\frac{3}{2}$. We proceed to rewrite the result in terms of `bulk' unitary Harish-Chandra characters in the discrete series of the de Sitter isometry group, $Spin(4,1)$, and `edge' characters. We then generalise the character expression of the sphere path integral for any complex, strictly massless spin-$s\geq\frac{3}{2}$ fermionic gauge potential. Additionally, we compute the coefficient of the logarithmic divergence of the $S^4$ path integral for all spin-$s \geq \frac{3}{2}$, and we show that it is fully encoded by bulk and edge characters. We further show that at one loop no imaginary phase appears for strictly massless fermionic gauge potentials, contrary to the case of bosons. Lastly, we confirm the exact one-loop cancellation between bulk and edge contributions for the case of an infinite tower of complex massless fermions of spins $s=\frac{1}{2}, \frac{3}{2},\dots$, observed recently.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Bosonic stars with dark electroweak fields

We construct bosonic stars in the Einstein-Weinberg-Salam theory, namely the bosonic sector of the electroweak Standard Model minimally coupled to Einstein's theory of gravity. These configurations are everywhere regular, spherically symmetric and asymptotically flat, consisting of a static condensate of the massive $W$ and $Z$ bosons, whose masses arise from the Higgs mechanism. Although the corresponding fields exist in nature, gravitational effects are negligible at the physical electroweak scale and the configurations would be microscopic. Keeping Newton's constant and the electroweak mass ratios at their physical values, we therefore interpret the model as the bosonic sector of a dark electroweak theory with a radically different energy scale. Choosing the ultralight vector boson mass $m_{\mathrm{W}}c^{2}=8.7\times10^{-13}\,$eV, as suggested by the Proca star interpretation of GW190521, our bosonic stars can attain masses in the intermediate-mass black hole range.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Lukewarm inflation, primordial black holes and gravitational waves

We show that a secondary period of warm inflation, at temperatures parametrically below the GUT scale, may not only dilute any unwanted thermal relics formed after reheating but also significantly enhance the power spectrum of primordial curvature perturbations on small scales. The latter is nearly scale-invariant over an exponentially large range of comoving scales, resulting in a stochastic gravitational wave background with a nearly constant energy density over a broad range of frequencies and an associated population of sub-solar mass primordial black holes (PBHs). This scenario could, in particular, explain the NANOGrav signal if it persists at much higher frequencies with a comparable magnitude, up to a sharp cut-off, $f_{max}$. The associated PBH mass distribution may exhibit either a peak at a mass $M_*\propto f_{max}^{-2}$ or a broad plateaux above this mass threshold, depending on the spectral tilt. Moreover, in this scenario the NANOGrav signal is compatible with a significant fraction of dark matter in PBHs in the asteroid- and planetary-mass ranges.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Schwarzschild Black Hole in Uniform Magnetic Field in Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton Theories

We obtain the Kerr black hole in an external uniform magnetic field in the Kaluza-Klein (KK) theory via a standard solution-generating technique. Using this as our starting point, we construct exact static solutions describing a Schwarzschild black hole immersed in the external uniform magnetic field in general string-inspired Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton (EMD) theories, thereby embedding the static Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson (KBR) solution into the general framework of EMD theories. We also construct electrovacuum solutions involving both electric and magnetic fields in EMD theories and generalize the system to include mutltiple Maxwell fields and dilatons. These equations of motion can be reduced to Toda-like equations, allowing us to obtain analytic electrovacua associated with Toda equations of all rank-2 Lie groups. We further construct exact solutions of a Schwarzschild black hole immersed in these electrovacua.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Cosmological Correlators from Scattering Amplitudes: A Review

The primordial statistics underlying the CMB and large-scale structure are encoded in late-time cosmological correlation functions (constructed from the coefficients of the wavefunction of the universe). They are the closest analogue cosmology has to an $S$-matrix, yet the standard $S$-matrix toolkit does not directly apply. This review explains how the modern scattering-amplitudes program (spinor helicity, on-shell recursion, the double copy, positive geometry, and generalized unitarity) has nevertheless been extended to cosmology and, through a single analytic continuation, to Euclidean anti-de Sitter space, where the same objects appear as holographic boundary correlators and are often cleanest to compute. The organizing framework is momentum space on the late-time boundary, where the primordial statistics are simplest and where the total energy of the external legs, the sum of their momentum magnitudes, controls the analytic structure. At the total-energy singularity, the flat-space scattering amplitude emerges. We develop this toolkit starting from the wave equation and use it to compute tree-level scalar, gauge-field, and graviton correlators, exposing relations across spins and dimensions. We then show how bulk integrals can be bypassed using cosmological polytopes, on-shell recursion, and curved-space versions of the double copy, before extending the discussion to loops, soft limits, transition amplitudes, and (A)dS cutting rules. Finally, we connect these structures to inflationary observables and to three allied programs: the cosmological optical theorem, the cosmological bootstrap, and the cosmological collider. We conclude with a map of the current frontier and a set of open and interesting problems.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Topological entanglement entropy in 3D gravity

We derive an entropy formula for a recently proposed tensor network model of states in 3D gravity which satisfy the constraint equations of diffeomorphism invariance, and including the effects of matter. After accounting for the invertibility of the spacetime metric, we argue that this formula matches the quantum extremal surface formula (for small but finite $G_N$), and is not restricted to time symmetric spacetimes. We derive the result via canonical quantization without relying on path integrals, and discuss an extension to compact bulk subregions.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Interpreting quantum coherence of neutrinos in asymptotically flat spacetimes via effective distances: Solution to the paradoxes of the Leggett-Garg inequality and quantum information quantities

In this work, we propose a notion called effective distance to characterize the essential gravitational effects on quantum coherence of neutrinos. Employing effective distances, we prove that one can always map neutrino-oscillation phases in asymptotically flat spacetimes onto the phases in flat spacetime, which is considered as a nontrivial realization of equivalence principle. Hence, the maximal amount of quantum coherence, quantified by the Leggett-Garg (LG) parameter is independent from background spacetimes, namely, the paradox that the gravitational effects on quantum coherence of neutrinos are measure-dependent (Ettefaghi et al.[1]) does not arise. Following the same route, we preclude the gravitational amplifying or damping of amplitudes of the quantum information quantities for special masses of black holes (Wang et al. [2]). To demonstrate furthermore the independence of quantum coherence from background spacetimes, we examine the proposal using the LG parameter to identify quantum-corrected models of spacetimes. For different emission positions of neutrinos and various quantum parameters, we find no consistent patterns in oscillating LG curves to discriminate a quantum metric from the classical one.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from math.HO

The suppression thesis in Riemann's Habilitationsvortrag

In 1854 Riemann presented his Habilitationsvortrag Über die Hypothesen welche der Geometrie zu Grunde liegen to the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Göttingen. The lecture does not contain analytical developments and Riemann never explained the reason for this choice. According to Dedekind this choice was done in order to make the lecture understandable to the non-mathematician professors of the Faculty. This is the suppression thesis. Nevertheless, in 1851, three years before, Riemann has presented his Inauguraldissertation Grundlagen für eine allgemeine Theorie der Functionen einer veränderlichen complexen Grösse to the same professors of the Faculty of Philosophy. The Inauguraldissertation contains many analytical developments but, on that occasion, they were not suppressed. Therefore, the presence of non-mathematician professors is unrelated with the presence or absence of analytical developments in the lectures. The ideas contained in Riemann's Habilitationsvortrag –manifold, line element, curvature– were so new at the time that there was not even a proper language to express them. Therefore, Riemann was forced to adopt a non-technical expository style. This explanation for the absence of analytical developments in Riemann's Habilitationsvortrag is more credible than the suppression thesis.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Symmetry-Driven $k$-Essence Cosmological Dynamics

We investigate a family of $k$-essence cosmological models selected by the requirement that the field equations admit a nontrivial variational symmetry. Inside this general family of theories, we concentrate on the simplest modification to quintessence, induced by power-law terms of the kinetic energy. The symmetry generator introduces a conservation law which we use to obtain an exact vacuum solution. We generalize our analysis and investigate the structure of the phase-space of the cosmological field equations by performing a dynamical systems analysis, both in the absence and the presence of a pressureless matter source. We employ Hubble-normalized variables and the Poincaré compactification, so as to determine the asymptotic behavior of the model and identify all admissible cosmological epochs, from early-time to late-time behavior. We discuss in detail the existence and stability conditions of each fixed point as functions of the free parameters, and characterize the full asymptotic structure of the cosmological history as provided by this symmetry-driven $k$-essence model. We explore the conditions under which the model can describe cosmic acceleration. We find that this $k$-essence model successfully describes the inflationary epoch with a natural exit to the matter-dominated era, with the inflaton ultimately evolving to a dark matter source.
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All authors Andrés Lueiza-Colipí, Nikolaos Dimakis, Genly Leon, Andronikos Paliathanasis

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from math.DG

Timelike Ollivier-Ricci curvature

We introduce a codimension one construction of coarse Ricci curvature in Lorentzian geometry. Using the $1$-Lorentz-Wasserstein distance $\ell_1$, we compare probability measures supported on small spacelike hypersurfaces through nearby events and recover, in a precise asymptotic regime, the ambient Ricci curvature in future-directed unit timelike directions, with a universal dimensional prefactor reflecting this codimension one construction. The construction echoes the Raychaudhuri equation, which relates the evolution of spatial volume expansion along timelike geodesics to Ricci curvature. Our quantitative estimates rely on transport maps with controlled displacement, constructed through a Moser-type flow. At leading order, the slice construction is insensitive to smooth weights. By smearing the spacelike slices into thin timelike tubes and calibrating the temporal and spatial scales, we recover the timelike Bakry-Émery tensor $\mathrm{Ric}+\mathrm{Hess}\,V$ associated with the weighted reference measure $\smash{\mathfrak{m}=\mathrm{e}^{-V}\,\mathrm{vol}_g}$.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Black Hole Shadow and Light Deflection in Generalized Heisenberg-Euler Nonlinear Electrodynamics

We study the optical properties of electrically charged black holes sourced by generalized Heisenberg-Euler nonlinear electrodynamics (NLED) in the second-order formalism. Using the exact parametric form of the static spherically symmetric solution, we analyze the photon sphere, the black hole shadow, and the light deflection angle, and compare the results with those of the Reissner-Nordström and Schwarzschild cases. We find that the photon sphere and shadow radii decrease with increasing charge and increase with black hole mass, while NLED effects become significant mainly near extremality. By confronting the dimensionless shadow radius with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) bounds from Sgr A* and M87*, we derive phenomenological upper limits on the charge, with Sgr A* providing the stronger constraint. We further show that, for fixed impact parameter and charge, the deflection angle is systematically larger than in the corresponding Reissner-Nordström spacetime, and that the critical impact parameter is shifted to larger values. Our results show that NLED corrections produce observable modifications in the optical properties of charged black holes, especially close to extremality.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Shadow and Polarized Images of Schwarzschild-MOG Black Hole Illuminated by Thick Accretion Disk

Recent EHT polarimetric observations provide a powerful probe of near-horizon physics and modified gravity. We investigate the shadow and polarization images of a static Schwarzschild-MOG black hole illuminated by geometrically thick, optically thin accretion flows. Adopting a phenomenological model and the Hou disk model, and solving null geodesics and relativistic radiative transfer, we study how the MOG parameter, inclination angle, anisotropic synchrotron emission, and flow geometry affect the total intensity and linear polarization. It is found that the MOG parameter mainly enlarges and brightens higher-order photon rings and broadens the shadow, while the inclination angle breaks axial symmetry and enhances polarized emission inside the shadow. The Hou disk model suppresses off-equatorial radiative interference and localizes polarization signals within higher-order rings. Electric vector position angle (EVPA) patterns are mostly azimuthal but vary rapidly near lensed images. These results provide theoretical diagnostics for constraining MOG with EHT/ngEHT polarimetric observations.
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All authors Cheng Hu, Huan Ye, Hong Lei, Zi-Chao Lin

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Schwinger stability of T-duality-inspired extremal black holes

We study the near-horizon charged-scalar instability associated with Schwinger pair production in the charged regular black hole geometry of the zero-point-length T-duality prescription. Using the same effective geometry and regularized gauge potential, we construct the extremal branch, its ${\rm AdS}_2 \times S^2$ near-horizon throat, and the charged-scalar instability threshold for a general form factor. For the explicit T-duality form factor the extremal branch terminates at $r_\mathrm{ext} = \sqrt2 \, l_0$, where the extremal charge and the near-horizon electric field vanish while the ${\rm AdS}_2$ radius remains finite at $\sqrt3 \, l_0$. At this endpoint the exact near-horizon instability parameter is negative. In the semiclassical regime the corresponding charge-to-mass threshold diverges as the endpoint is approached. Thus, for each fixed massive species with finite $q/m$, a sufficiently near-endpoint portion of the extremal branch is free of the local charged-scalar instability. For comparison, the Ayón-Beato-García (ABG) Einstein-nonlinear-electrodynamics solution has a nonvanishing extremal near-horizon electric field. For an additional minimally coupled charged-scalar probe, the corresponding local Schwinger threshold remains finite. Thus the divergent near-endpoint Schwinger barrier found in the T-duality branch is not a generic consequence of regularity.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Second-order slow rotation of wormholes in Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

We investigate slowly rotating traversable wormholes in Einstein–scalar–Gauss–Bonnet gravity beyond the linear rotation regime. The static backgrounds are obtained without expanding in the Gauss–Bonnet coupling, while rotational effects are treated perturbatively up to second order. Both monopolar and quadrupolar deformations are included, allowing us to determine the spin-induced changes in the asymptotic charges, throat geometry, energy-condition behavior, and mass quadrupole. The quadrupolar equations develop an internal regular singular point, which is handled by selecting the regular local solution through a Frobenius analysis. The rotation-induced response of the throat source is incorporated consistently through the junction conditions. Independent shooting and collocation calculations of the quadrupolar sector give mutually consistent solutions. The rotating throat remains oblate throughout the fixed-coupling family, while at $\chi=0.15$ the smooth-bulk near-throat radial null-energy-condition violation persists but its radial extent becomes latitude dependent. These results provide a self-consistent second-order description of rotating Einstein–scalar–Gauss–Bonnet wormholes.
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All authors Sardor Murodov, Bekzod Rahmatov, Javlon Rayimbaev, Bobomurat Ahmedov

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Causal structure and optical signatures of rotating power law Kalb-Ramond geometry

We investigate a stationary and axisymmetric power law Kalb-Ramond geometry, obtained as a rotating extension of the asymptotically flat static solution. We reconstruct the exact inverse Einstein source supporting the geometry and determine its energy conditions and curvature properties. We characterize the horizon and stationary limit configurations and quantify the outer ergoregion through its angular dependent radial thickness plus its coordinate and proper spatial volumes. We derive the unstable spherical photon region and show that the Kalb-Ramond deformation shifts the prograde photon orbit into the ergoregion at lower spin, while the retrograde region remains outside throughout the entire domain. From the unstable photon region, we construct the exact vacuum critical curve and analyze its area equivalent diameter and displacement, including comparisons with M87$^\ast$ and Sgr~A$^\ast$ within the asymptotically admissible domain. We further examine the fixed-$J$ geometric behavior and rotational energy extraction, with emphasis to rotating weak deflection and two dimensional weak lensing, commenting the physical consequences of our solution in terms of observable outcomes.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Searching for gravitational wave echo with group equivariant neural posterior estimation

Current methods for the gravitational-wave (GW) echo searches generally require substantial computational time and resources. Recent advances in group equivariant neural posterior estimation (GNPE) have demonstrated the potential to substantially accelerate posterior inference. In this work, we adopt this framework and train a GNPE model to perform echo searches, significantly improving computational efficiency while maintaining comparable inference accuracy. We apply it to the O4a events and find no significant evidence for the GW echo.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Cosmological anatomy of interacting dark energy

Interacting dark energy (IDE) models, featuring interactions between dark matter (DM) and dark energy (DE), have received significant renewed interest. However, little attention has been devoted to understanding their genuine cosmological signatures, with comparisons against $\Lambda$CDM often carried out at fixed cosmological parameters. Considering the widely studied model with energy exchange rate proportional to the DE density, we carry out a three-level sequence of comparisons, starting from the naïve fixed-parameter comparison, then compensating for shifts in $\theta_s$ and $z_{\text{eq}}$, and then removing effects due to the modified background. We show that fixing $\theta_s$ and $z_{\text{eq}}$ leads to pre-recombination evolutions of the Weyl potential, photon monopole, and baryon velocity which are nearly identical to their $\Lambda$CDM counterparts, and hence virtually indistinguishable Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature power spectra. Comparing IDE to a non-interacting $w$CDM model with the same background, we find small scale-dependent signatures in CMB lensing. We find larger differences in the matter power spectrum, reflecting the different values of $\Omega_m$ resulting from the different partition of the dark sector into DM and DE, with only percent-level differences remaining once we compare $\Omega_m^2P_m(k)$, indicating the importance of high-fidelity determinations of $\Omega_m$. Our controlled comparison strategy can be a powerful tool for a wide range of models beyond $\Lambda$CDM.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Reduction of the six-dimensional $q$-form fields to the four-dimensional fields by coupling with gravity

In this paper, we investigate the localization of various $q$-form fields on a codimension-two brane. In particular, the $0$-form scalar field, the $1$-form $U(1)$ gauge vector field, and the $2$-form Kalb-Ramond field are considered with gravitational coupling, where a coupling function $F(R)$ is introduced into the six-dimensional actions of these fields. The function $F(R)$ depends on the scalar curvature of the bulk. Within this framework, we find that the massless modes of different $q$-form fields can be localized on the thick brane for positive values of the coupling parameters $t_1$ and $t_2$. For the massive modes, the different $q$-form fields exhibit similar localization properties determined by the coupling parameter $t_2$. When $0<t_2<v^2/24$, the massive modes of these fields cannot be localized on the brane, while they may exist as the resonant modes. In the case $t_2=v^2/24$, a finite number of massive modes can be localized on the thick brane, and the number of localized modes increases with the coupling parameter $t_1$. Finally, when $t_2>v^2/24$, the effective potentials associated with the Kaluza-Klein modes of these $q$-form fields form infinitely deep potential wells, so that all massive modes can be localized on the brane. Moreover, the tachyonic massive modes can always be excluded for different $q$-form fields.
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All authors Yong-Tao Lu, Heng Guo, Qun Wei, Bing Wei

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Probing Lorentz-violating scalar forces and dark matter with precision matter and antimatter experiments

We explore a class of Lorentz-violating scalar-field models where the effects of the scalar field on antimatter can be strongly enhanced compared to matter. Non-trivial differences in phenomenology arise for spectroscopy measurements depending on whether the scalar field changes slowly or rapidly on the atomic scale. We highlight opportunities for precision tests in the laboratory including dark matter searches, in particular with spectroscopy and interferometry measurements, as well as certain types of antimatter experiments.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Growing Einstein-Rosen Bridge with Multi-partite Entanglement

Can quantum entanglement continue to grow even after the entanglement entropies of subsystems have saturated? We address this question using genuine multi-entropy, which probes multi-partite entanglement structure beyond bipartite entanglement. In a two-sided BTZ black hole, this quantity grows linearly with time after every subsystem entropy of a fixed tripartition has saturated, extending the interval in which entanglement detects Einstein-Rosen bridge growth. The result refines the ER=EPR relation by identifying multi-partite structure invisible to ordinary entanglement entropies. Some spin-chain models and the spatially partitioned Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model exhibit distinct transients, while the late-time plateau values in holography, the SYK model, and Haar-random states share a universal behaviour.
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All authors Takanori Anegawa, Akihiro Miyata, Shota Suzuki, Kotaro Tamaoka

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Horizon–orbit scale competition underlying chaos bound violation for spinning particles

In this paper, we investigate the chaos bound through the local radial instability of charged spinning test particles on unstable circular orbits in the black-bounce–Kerr–Newman spacetime. Our results show that violation of the bound is governed by the competition between the local orbital-instability scale and the surface gravity scale, with variations of the black hole background and the particle dynamics providing two complementary routes to the same threshold crossing. Background variations affect both scales and can drive the system into the bound-violating regime when the surface gravity is suppressed more strongly than the orbital instability. At fixed background, by contrast, the surface gravity remains unchanged, and the transition across the threshold is driven by changes in the unstable orbit dynamics induced by the particle parameters. The background-controlled and probe-dynamics-controlled routes therefore represent two realizations of a unified horizon–orbit scale competition rather than independent mechanisms.
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All authors Deyou Chen, Lifang Li, Chuang Yang, Kangqiao Liu

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Symmetry preservation in black hole quasinormal mode spectra

We establish a general relation between symmetries of gravitational theories and black hole (BH) quasinormal mode (QNM) spectra. We show that a symmetry implies isospectrality when it induces a bijection between the corresponding QNM boundary value problems. However, conformally related BHs have been reported to exhibit both conformal factor dependent and independent QNM spectra. To resolve this issue, we develop a reduction scheme for higher order perturbation equations. Applied to pure Weyl gravity, it yields the complete axial spectrum of Schwarzschild, including Regge-Wheeler and spin-1 branches. Our results show that these seemingly contradictory conclusions result from differences in the perturbation dynamics or in the boundary conditions.
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All authors Han-Wen Hu, Chen Lan, Zong-Kuan Guo, Rong-Gen Cai

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

Central charge and black hole entropy for regular extremal black-bounce spacetimes

The Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, proportional to one quarter of the horizon area, is fundamental in black hole thermodynamics and can also be understood via the AdS/CFT correspondence, such as the 3D BTZ black hole and 2D CFT. In this work, we adopt the Kerr/CFT approach to analyze the central charge and black hole entropy for regular extremal black-bounce spacetimes, including the counterparts of the Kerr, Kerr-Newman, and Reissner-Nordström black holes. These spacetimes are free of curvature singularities at $r=0$. We derive the near horizon geometries of these spacetimes and find that they exhibit enhanced symmetry, namely SL$(2,\mathbb{R})\times \mathrm{U}(1)$ or SL$(2,\mathbb{R}) \times \mathrm{SO}(3)$. By imposing appropriate boundary conditions, we analyze their asymptotic symmetry groups, which contain diffeomorphisms as well as the $\mathrm{U}(1)_{\rm gauge}$ symmetry arising from the electromagnetic field. We then extract the central charge from the charge algebra and evaluate the left-moving temperature of the Frolov-Thorne vacuum. It is worth emphasizing that in the black-bounce Kerr-Newman case, the central charge from the electromagnetic contribution vanishes. Furthermore, in the black-bounce Reissner-Nordström case, we uplift the 4D geometry to a 5D configuration by incorporating a $\mathrm{U}(1)$ gauge fiber. Our results show that the microscopic entropy calculated from the Cardy formula is consistent with the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. This agreement suggests that the Kerr/CFT approach remains valid for certain regular spacetimes without curvature singularities, thereby providing a microscopic statistical understanding of black hole entropy.
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All authors Xu Ye, Shan-Ping Wu, Yu-Kun Zhang, Shao-Wen Wei

Tuesday 15 September

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

An Operative Viability Boundary for Relaxed Single-Particle Penrose Extraction in Kerr-Vaidya Spacetimes

We present a corrected numerical investigation of the Penrose process in the Kerr-Vaidya metric for a rotating black hole losing mass at constant rate. We fix two errors from an earlier version: an incorrect metric component g_r phi (verified by transformation from Boyer-Lindquist coordinates) and the omission of the Wald/Christodoulou area theorem in the split optimization. Using the standard single-particle treatment (energy and angular momentum conserved at the split, but not the escaping fragment's radial momentum), we compute optimal trajectories and the bounded energy gain Delta E = E3 - E1 versus spin a/M and mass-loss rate alpha. For static Kerr holes, Delta E rises with spin from about 0.106 M at a/M = 0.8 to 0.245 M at a/M = 0.99. In the dynamic case, holding a fixed while m(v) decreases causes the effective spin a/m(v) to drift strongly toward extremality (from 0.81 to 0.9999), a geometric effect that makes static-dynamic comparisons at equal nominal a/M misleading. We map the critical mass-loss rate alpha_crit(a) above which no viable extraction is found (using m >= 0), obtaining alpha_crit(0.90) ~ 0.036, alpha_crit(0.95) ~ 0.019 and alpha_crit(0.99) ~ 0.0038, decreasing with spin. A check with full four-momentum conservation recovers the Bardeen-Press-Teukolsky bound near the horizon, but escaping solutions are rare away from it; thus our main results refer to the relaxed single-particle formulation common in the literature.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Infrared Universality of Scalar Induced Gravitational Waves Beyond Second Order

Primordial black hole dark matter is formed from the collapse of enhanced primordial density fluctuations. The formation of primordial black holes is accompanied by scalar induced gravitational waves whose infrared scaling only depends on the equation of state, $w$, of the background at leading order. Establishing whether this characteristic scaling remains robust under corrections of arbitrary perturbative order, including in the presence of non-Gaussianities, requires a physical understanding of the infrared scaling. In this work, we provide such a physical interpretation. We find that the stress of sound waves with nearly equal frequencies produces a slow beat. Although the incoming waves oscillate rapidly, this slow beat continues to source the long wavelength tensor perturbation before its horizon entry, thus generating an infrared scaling that only depends on the expanding background. We show that higher order interactions generate freely propagating waves that finally lead to the same slow beat deep inside the horizon. Since non-Gaussianities would not change the speed of the freely propagating waves, they do not modify the infrared scaling. As the source with a slow beat has enough time to accumulate before the horizon entry of the infrared tensor mode, it records the background expansion and thus the infrared scaling could provide a robust probe of the cosmological equation of state.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Stochastic Thermodynamics of Dynamical Thin-Shell Wormholes: Effective Temperatures, Fluctuations and Conditional Quasi-Horizon Unification

We develop an effective stochastic and semiclassical framework for dynamical thin-shell wormholes connecting two asymptotic spacetime regions. The Israel junction geometry is separated from the phenomenological open-system description: stochastic dynamics is formulated in the radial phase space $(a,\dot a)$, whereas $\sigma$, $P$, and the effective temperature scales are induced observables. A one-dimensional Langevin–Fokker–Planck model is obtained only after an explicit overdamped/adiabatic approximation. Local acceleration scales are interpreted as reservoir temperatures only under additional KMS and detailed-balance assumptions. For a symmetric Schwarzschild–Schwarzschild wormhole, the transparent conservative shell defines the reference potential and restoring frequency, while dissipation and noise are introduced as open-system corrections. The stable linear response is closed by the constitutive slope $\beta_0^2=(dP/d\sigma)_0$. For $2M<a_0<3M$, stability requires a lower bound on $\beta_0^2$ that diverges as $a_0\to2M^+$. Moreover, the derivative along the family of static configurations equals the marginal-stability slope and must not be identified with the constitutive derivative of a stable stochastic shell. The reduced model determines stationary distributions, fluctuations, correlations, Markovian and non-Markovian spectra, and entropy production. Near the horizon, the junction conditions yield $T_{\rm stress}=T_{\rm acc}+O(\hbar\gamma/a)$, with equality at leading order under a specified dominance condition. A peeling temperature participates only if the ray-tracing map satisfies generalized Unruh/peeling and adiabaticity conditions. Thus, the three-temperature correspondence is conditional, while the stochastic coefficients remain phenomenological pending a microscopic shell–reservoir model.
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