Papers

We study braneworld cosmology in quasi-topological gravity (QTG) with an infinite tower of higher-curvature terms, focusing on the case in which the bulk admits regular black hole solutions. We derive the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetric junction conditions for a FLRW brane moving in a static, spherically symmetric bulk geometry, and obtain the corresponding modified Friedmann equations for the scale factor. We prove that, in the small scale factor regime, the brane generically approaches a de Sitter phase characterized solely by the length scale $\sqrt{\alpha}$ of the higher-derivative terms, while the standard Einstein-gravity braneworld dynamics is recovered in the low-energy regime. We further provide a universal estimate for the number of e-folds of the de Sitter phase in terms of the ratio between the black hole scale and the scale of new physics $r_g/\sqrt{\alpha}$. The inflationary regime is fully independent of the brane matter content and hence avoids the problem of trans-Planckian matter densities. Numerical integrations for explicit regular bulk solutions (Dymnikova-like and Hayward black holes) confirm these estimates and illustrate how the bulk black hole sector controls the onset and termination of inflation. This framework leverages the powerful properties of QTGs, defined only in $D\ge 5$, to study consequences for a four-dimensional universe.

We present a systematic numerical investigation of the "entanglement geometry gravity" chain in random tensor networks (RTN) established by the ER EPR conjecture and Jacobson's thermodynamic derivation. First, we verify the kinematic foundation: the entanglement first law $\delta\langle K\rangle=\delta S$ (slope=1.000), the encoding of geometry by mutual information (correlation=0.92), and the locality of holographic perturbations (3.3x). We also confirm that gravitational dynamics (JT gravity) does not emerge, identifying a sharp kinematics-dynamics boundary. Second, and more importantly, we discover that many-body localization (MBL) is the mechanism that protects emergent holographic geometry from thermalization. Replacing Haar-random evolution (geometry lifetime $t\sim6$) with an XXZ Hamiltonian plus on-site disorder, we observe a finite-size crossover at disorder strength $W_c\approx10-12$ above which mutual-information-lattice correlations persist indefinitely ($r>0.5$ for $t>50$). We map the full parameter space: the optimal regime is a near-Ising anisotropy $\Delta\approx50$ with $W=30$ yielding $r=0.779\pm0.002$ (confirmed by a fine scan over $\Delta\in[30,70]$); only holographic (RTN) initial states sustain geometry, while product, Néel, and Bell-pair states do not. MBL preserves the spatial structure of entanglement (adjacent/non-adjacent MI ratio ~2.6-4.2x vs. 1.0x in the thermal phase), rather than its total amount. A comparison with classical cellular automata reveals that MBL uniquely breaks the entanglement-structure trade-off imposed by quantum monogamy: classical systems achieve spatial structure only at the cost of negligible mutual information, while MBL sustains both.

We perform a comparative phase space analysis of the light mass Galileon model and standard Quintessence in the context of late–time cosmic acceleration. Focusing on a spatially flat FLRW background, we consider a cubic Galileon interaction supplemented by a scalar potential and examine three representative choices of the potential: a generalized cosh potential, a simple cosh potential, and a linear potential. By introducing suitable dimensionless variables, the cosmological field equations are reformulated as an autonomous dynamical system, allowing a systematic investigation of the stationary points and their stability properties. For the light mass Galileon scenario, we find that although the phase space admits scalar field dominated solutions, all critical points are of saddle type for the potentials considered. In particular, no stable late-time accelerating attractor emerges, even in the presence of de-Sitter like configurations. In contrast, the Quintessence limit admits stable de-Sitter attractors for cosh potentials, providing a viable description of the observed late–time acceleration. Our results highlight a key qualitative distinction between Galileon and Quintessence cosmologies and indicate that, within the light mass Galileon framework, the higher-order Galileon interactions may be required to realize a stable accelerating Universe.

In gauge theories, the mass of a field has been regarded as a purely on-shell concept: the pole mass is gauge-invariant, but the off-shell propagator has had no gauge-invariant definition of mass. We show that renormalization defines a gauge-invariant mass function at every virtuality, together with a gauge-invariant vertex. The virtual particle becomes as well defined as the on-shell one: the distinction is not dynamical but purely kinematic.

We study oscillon/I-ball solutions in a real scalar version of the Friedberg-Lee-Sirlin (FLS) model. Using the multiple-scale analysis, we derive the conditions for oscillon solutions and explore multi-field oscillon configurations. In these configurations, the two fields form co-located oscillons that oscillate with frequencies set by their respective masses. These multi-field oscillons can be viewed as a bound state of two oscillons due to attractive interactions between the fields. We confirm these analytical predictions through numerical lattice calculations. This work extends the standard picture of single-field oscillons and may be relevant for cosmological scenarios involving multiple interacting real scalar fields.

The shadow of a black hole serves as a pristine window into the strong-gravity regime, with cuspy feature emerging as a smoking-gun signature of physics beyond the Kerr paradigm. In this paper, we extend the work of [arXiv:2601.15612 [gr-qc]] and study the detailed properties of the cuspy shadow by using the parametric expressions of the shadow boundary. From a topological perspective, we provide a rigorous topological classification of these shadows, categorizing them into distinct “rectangular" and “8-shape" topologies. Crucially, we establish a formal gravity/thermodynamics correspondence by mapping the cuspy shadow to the swallowtail behavior observed in thermodynamic free energy. We demonstrate that the self-intersection of the shadow boundary, marking a geometric phase transition, can be precisely determined through three independent but equivalently thermodynamic-like approaches. Furthermore, we analytically derive the critical exponents governing the emergence of these cusps, revealing that they are consistent with the mean-field universality class. Our results suggest that the observational features of black hole shadows are deeply rooted in the underlying gravitational thermodynamics, offering a novel framework to probe the fundamental nature of spacetime.

We investigate the effects of D-instantons on a holographic Weyl semimetal in a top-down approach. We find that the presence of D-instantons induces a novel phase transition from a Weyl semimetal to a gapped phase, providing a new mechanism for gap formation in strongly coupled systems. By analyzing the free energy of probe D7-brane embeddings, we construct the phase diagram in terms of the fermion mass, instanton density, and temperature, measured in units of the Weyl parameter. We show that, in addition to the conventional mass-driven transition associated with band inversion, the instanton density gives rise to a qualitatively different transition whose mechanism cannot be understood within the standard Dirac picture. We compute nonlinear electric conductivities from the regularity condition at the black hole horizon and demonstrate that the two types of transitions exhibit distinct transport behavior. In particular, the instanton-induced transition leads to a gapped phase with properties that differ from the conventional insulating phase. We also discuss possible interpretations of this phase in the boundary theory and comment on its relation to nonperturbative effects in strongly interacting systems.

We study anomalies in family unification models within the framework of the bordism classification of invertible field theories. These models are based on four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models, in which the three generations of quarks and leptons arise as superpartners of the sigma model fields. We focus on models whose target spaces are constructed from the exceptional group $E_{7}$ and its subgroups. For the consistency of the theory, sigma model anomalies must be cancelled. We show the absence of global sigma model anomalies, which are encoded in the torsion part of the relevant bordism groups, by explicitly computing these groups using the Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence. In constructing family unification models, symmetries acting on the coset spaces are gauged, which may introduce additional anomalies. We identify the relevant bordism groups in this setting and demonstrate that no global anomalies arise when the isotropy subgroup of the coset space is gauged.

We investigate the geometry of a certain space of meromorphic connections with irregular singularities, and prove in particular that it is a (real) symplectic Lie groupoid. The connections have a physical meaning: they correspond to certain solutions of the topological-antitopological fusion (tt*) equations of Cecotti and Vafa, and hence to deformations of supersymmetric quantum field theories. The groupoid structure arises because we restrict ourselves to the tt* equations of Toda type, whose monodromy data has a Lie theoretic description. To obtain these results, we show first that the universal centralizer of a Lie group is a holomorphic symplectic groupoid over the Steinberg cross section.

In this study, we present an analytical investigation of the superradiant scattering of a massive charged conformally coupled scalar field in rotating charged $de~Sitter$ black hole spacetimes within two gravitational theories: General Relativity (GR) and fourth-order Conformal (Weyl-squared) Gravity (CWG). For the massless charged conformally coupled scalar, we exploit a recently discovered correspondence between the Heun equation and the semiclassical limit of Belavin-Polyakov-Zamolodchikov (BPZ) equations in two-dimensional conformal field theory to solve for the superradiant amplification factors as controlled expansions in a small parameter scaling. For the massive charged conformally coupled scalar, we use WKB methods to derive an order of magnitude approximation for the amplification factors in the cosmological region in terms of those in the region $r_+\ll r \ll r_c$ where $r_+$ and $r_c$ are the outer and cosmological event horizons, respectively. For both the massless and massive sectors, suppression of superradiant amplification in CWG relative to that in GR is observed across the parameter regimes studied. Particularly, in the massive sector, we find strong exponential suppression of superradiant amplification on the order of $e^{-2\mu\Lambda^{-1/2}}$ in the cosmological region.

We present a consistent mapping between tidal deformability coefficients (tidal Love numbers) and Wilson coefficients in effective field theory (EFT) descriptions of higher-curvature theories of gravity. In this work, we focus on the connection between the static response of a non-spinning black hole and the corresponding Wilson coefficient governing tidal imprints in gravitational-wave signals. We analyze a set of control cases to identify the key ingredients required for a systematic computation and matching procedure. In doing so, we highlight shortcomings in existing results that rely on the standard matching approach used in General Relativity when applied to higher-curvature gravity theories. As an explicit demonstration, we compute the relevant coefficients for cubic gravity theories. Our findings bridge an important gap in the correspondence between tidal Love numbers and Wilson coefficients in EFT extensions of General Relativity, which had not been thoroughly explored previously.

We directly show that the local ratio of the shear viscosity to the entropy density for Unruh radiation at a finite distance from the horizon is universal and satisfies the relation $ \eta/s = 1/(4\pi c_s^2) $, which involves the speed of sound $ c_s $. Since $ c_s^2 \leq 1 $ by causality, this establishes the close connection between the famous Kovtun-Son-Starinets bound and causality. Moreover, we show that the ratio of bulk to shear viscosity saturates another well-known bound for the bulk viscosity, predicted within holographic approach. We also show that the condition of isotropy of thermal radiation in the Rindler space leads to a novel sum rule relating the $ c^{(0)}(\mu) $ and $ c^{(2)}(\mu) $ spectral densities, and we explicitly demonstrate its validity for conformal field theory and free massive Dirac fields in any number of dimensions. The sum rule provides the validity of Pascal law and bears some similarity with Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule for spin-dependent parton distributions. Our result suggests a new perspective on dissipative transport phenomena in media undergoing extreme acceleration, such as quark-gluon plasma created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

We present a theoretical framework demonstrating a deterministic initialization mechanism for Warm Inflation via classical conformal boundary conditions. A persistent challenge in dissipative inflationary models is the "cold start" paradox: initializing the requisite thermal bath to generate the dissipative friction that subsequently sustains radiation production. Postulating an idealized, asymptotically scale invariant pre-inflationary phase, we mathematically prove that a conformal Weyl mapping to the emergent metric furnishes a finite, analytically derived initial radiation density. Implementing a spontaneous conformal symmetry-breaking ansatz, an emergent inflaton field is subjected to this inherited thermal bath. We analytically derive the initial kinematics of this framework, demonstrating that for strict sub-Planckian temperatures, the universe naturally initializes in the weak dissipative regime (Q << 1). The initial Hubble friction provided by the boundary radiation enables a smooth, deterministic kinematic handoff to the warm slow-roll steady-state attractor. As a mathematical proof-of-concept, this mechanism provides a fully realized framework to bypass the bootstrap problem of warm inflation.

Unitary $k$-designs are central to quantum information and quantum many-body physics, as they provide efficient proxies for Haar-random dynamics. We study how chaotic Hamiltonian evolution can generate unitary $k$-designs using the frame potential (FP). Unlike standard approaches based on independently sampled Hamiltonians or fine-tuned evolution times, we consider a quenched temporal ensemble in which the Hamiltonians are sampled once and then held fixed, while randomness enters only through the evolution times. We compare a two-step protocol (2SP), with evolution under two fixed Hamiltonians, to a three-step protocol (3SP) with one additional quench, with three evolution times sampled independently. Analytically and numerically, we show that the 2SP fails to realize general unitary $k$-designs, whereas the 3SP realizes them for arbitrary $k$. The random phases in the 3SP impose stronger index-matching constraints in the FP, eliminating the independent permutation degrees of freedom that still remain in the 2SP. Even with imperfect time averaging, the 3SP reaches a given accuracy within a parametrically shorter time window. These results hold universally across different symmetry classes and persist in both all-to-all and local models with random interactions.

The observation of the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) in heavy-ion collisions remains challenging because of large flow-induced backgrounds and experimental constraints. We demonstrate that the forward-backward multiplicity asymmetry (FBMA) provides a robust and experimentally accessible control parameter to separate the flow background from CME signal in the collisions of deformed nuclei, such as prolate uranium where FBMA is naturally enhanced and correlated with the initial-state geometry. Monte Carlo Glauber simulations indicate that varying FBMA within a fixed centrality class modulates ellipticity largely independently of the magnetic-field correlator, establishing FBMA as a practical tool for disentangling CME signals from flow driven background.

This paper is the second and final part of a two-part study. We construct positive-energy relativistic spatial localization observables in Minkowski spacetime within standard quantum field theory, using the stress–energy–momentum tensor smeared with suitable test functions. For each fixed timelike direction, the construction gives positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) on spacelike hypersurfaces, well defined on every $n$-particle sector and satisfying a relativistic causality condition excluding superluminal propagation of detection probabilities. The observables are built from local or quasi-local field-theoretic quantities, thus providing a rigorous version of earlier heuristic proposals. In the one-particle sector, the construction reduces to the observable previously introduced by the author, and its first moment gives the Newton–Wigner position operator under appropriate normalization and centering assumptions. Because the Reeh–Schlieder theorem prevents the normally ordered stress–energy–momentum tensor from being positive on the full Fock space, we use quantum energy inequalities to obtain lower bounds controlling deviations from positivity. This leads to regularized operator families, bounded from below, which approximate the localization effects. Finally, we define conditional localization observables for finite laboratories through modified local energy operators. By Haag duality, the corresponding conditional POVMs belong to local von Neumann algebras and commute for causally separated regions, in accordance with the Araki–Haag–Kastler framework. The results show how commutativity of localization observables is recovered for conditional measurements in finite spacetime regions.

Recently, studies have explored the statistics of matrix elements of local operators in the Lieb-Liniger model. It was found that the probability distribution function for off-diagonal matrix elements $\langle \boldsymbol{\mu}|\mathcal{O}|\boldsymbol{\lambda} \rangle$ within the same macro-state is well described by the Fréchet distributions. This represents a significant development for the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis (ETH). In this paper, we investigate a similar phenomenon in another solvable model: the disorder-free Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model. The Hamiltonian of this model consists of 4-body interactions of Majorana fermions. Unlike the conventional SYK model, the coupling strengths in this model are fixed to a constant, earning it the name “disorder-free.” We evaluate the matrix elements of operators constructed from products of $n$ Majorana fermions: $\mathcal{O} = \chi_{a_1}\chi_{a_2}\ldots \chi_{a_n}$. For a general choice of indices and $n \geq 4$, we find that the statistics of the off-diagonal matrix elements are well-fitted by a generalized inverse Gaussian distribution rather than Fréchet distributions.

Temporal offsets between Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and high-energy neutrinos probe propagation effects in extreme astrophysical environments. We investigate whether such offsets can be generated by photon propagation through dense axion clouds gravitationally bound to strongly magnetized compact objects, such as canonical pulsars. Working within the Euler–Heisenberg effective theory extended by the axion sector, we derive the photon dispersion relations in a strong magnetic background permeated by an oscillating axion field. The magnetized vacuum is birefringent already at the Euler–Heisenberg level and the axion cloud superimposes density-dependent, time-dependent, and parity-odd structure on this baseline. The resulting geometry-dependent deviations from luminal propagation yield kinematic time delays reaching $\Delta t_{\perp} \simeq 9.3 \times 10^{-12}$ s for $\mathbf{k} \perp \mathbf{B}$, far too small to account for macroscopic multimessenger offsets, so that propagation through such environments cannot, by itself, rule out Lorentz-invariance violation as an explanation for GRB offsets. In the polarization sector, we show that the axion-induced circular birefringence is an endpoint effect and therefore does not produce a leading net rotation for a complete vacuum-to-vacuum transit through a localized cloud. For configurations with a nonzero axion-field endpoint contrast, the same parity-odd phase defines a conditional environmental sensitivity benchmark. We find that this mechanism is optimally sensitive in the ultralight regime, yielding a benchmark reach of $g_{a\gamma\gamma} \lesssim 2.5 \times 10^{-10}\,\mathrm{GeV}^{-1}$ for canonical pulsar fields and axion masses near $m_a \sim 10^{-9}$ eV, and we identify the parity-odd (chiral) birefringence induced by the oscillating cloud as the signature that distinguishes the axion contribution from the calculable QED baseline.

The inflaton equation of motion including one loop radiative corrections from spectator fields is obtained. We consider a massless scalar conformally coupled to gravity and a massless fermion Yukawa coupled to the inflaton as models for spectators that do not feature gravitational particle production, their production during slow roll is solely a consequence of their coupling to the inflaton. The one-loop self energy and the fully renormalized equation of motion of the inflaton are obtained and solved explicitly for an inflaton potential $m^2\varphi^2/2$. The solution features Sudakov-type logarithmic secular terms, which are resumed via the dynamical renormalization group and compared to the solutions with a phenomenological friction term. During $N_e$ e-folds of slow roll inflation the inflaton evolves as $\varphi^{(0)}_{Isr}(t)\,e^{\frac{m^2\Gamma}{9H^3}\,N_e(t)}$ for the phenomenological friction term $\Gamma$ and $\varphi^{(0)}_{Isr}(t)\,e^{\Upsilon N^2_e}$ with $\Upsilon = -\frac{\lambda^2}{24\pi^2 H^2} ; \frac{y^2_R}{12\pi^2}$ for the radiative corrections from bosonic and fermionic spectators respectively where $\varphi^{(0)}_{Isr}(t)$ is the slow roll solution in absence of interactions, showing that a phenomenological friction term is not reliable. A generalization of the optical theorem to a finite time domain and cosmological expansion is introduced to obtain the distribution function $f(k,t)$ and total number of spectators produced during slow roll. $f(k,t)$ is peaked at superhorizon scales and the total number of particles grows $\propto e^{3N_e}$. A non-perturbative mean field theory is introduced to describe the self-consistent evolution of the inflaton coupled to spectators, its linearized version reproduces the self-energy, the inflaton equation of motion and the results on particle production.

The phase diagram of QCD at finite temperature and density is discussed. Large numbers of quark colors, $N_{\rm c} >> 1$, is used to explain generic features of the phase diagram. For temperatures below $ T \le 160$~MeV at zero baryon number density, the three dimensional string model is shown to describe the thermodynamics of QCD, and as well, the integrated spectrum of non-Goldstone mesons and glueballs. The lowest mass state in the spectrum of the open and closed string is treated separately due to the tachyon problem of string theory. This is with no undetermined free parameters. It is argued that there are at least three phases at zero baryon number density characterized by the $N_{\rm c}$ dependence of extensive thermodynamic quantities. It is also argued that the intermediate phase has restored chiral symmetry. At high baryon number density and low temperature, again there are three phases. A Quarkyonic phase, with energy density of order $N_{\rm c}$, is distinguished from its counterpart at low baryon density and temperature by its chiral properties.

We study the gravitational production of spectator massless vector particles in a single-field inflationary scenario, and the related entanglement generation across the Hubble horizon. Accordingly, we consider a quasi-de Sitter background evolution, with additional metric inhomogeneities induced by the inflaton quantum fluctuations. Afterwards, we compute the corresponding production amplitude and show that it depends only on the transverse polarizations, appearing de facto gauge-invariant, consistently with our interpretation of the vector field as the electromagnetic one. We notice that particle wavelengths turn out to be small compared to the Hubble radius, thus favoring sub-Hubble production relative to super-Hubble one. In particular, highly energetic vector particles are preferentially produced and we show that polarization effects provide a significant contribution to this behavior. Moreover, the production of nearly collinear particle pairs appears as the most probable configuration, due to the background conformal invariance of the theory and the plane-wave (massless particle-like) nature of the metric perturbation. We thus specialize our treatment to super-Hubble scales, confirming their subdominant contribution to the number density of produced particles, albeit setting a corresponding lower bound on the reheating temperature. In this scheme, we explore superhorizon entanglement between sub- and super-Hubble field modes, computing the corresponding von Neumann entropy and discussing the effects of horizon crossing on the generation of primordial entanglement.

We study the performance of the flat $\Lambda$CDM model and the dynamical dark energy parameterizations $w_0$CDM and $w_0w_a$CDM, in which the dark energy (DE) equation of state is either constant ($w=w_0$) or redshift-dependent [$w(z)=w_0+w_a z/(1+z)$], without and with a varying CMB lensing consistency parameter $A_L$, using combinations of Planck PR4 CMB data (PR4 and lensing), and a compilation of non-CMB data composed of baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data that do not include DESI BAO data, Pantheon+ type Ia supernova observations, Hubble parameter measurements $H(z)$, and growth rate $f\sigma_8$ data. We also compare results from earlier Planck PR3 data with those obtained using PR4 data in order to assess the stability of cosmological constraints. For the largest data combinations, PR3/PR4+lensing+non-CMB, the cosmological parameters inferred from PR3 and PR4 data are consistent, almost all differing by $1\sigma$ or less. For the $\Lambda$CDM$+A_L$ model, we have $A_L=1.087 \pm 0.035$ for PR3 and $A_L=1.053 \pm 0.034$ ($1.6\sigma$ above unity) for PR4, which indicates that the CMB lensing anomaly is reduced when PR4 data are used. For the $w_0 w_a$CDM parameterization, we find $w_0 = -0.863\pm0.060$ (quintessence-like) and $w_0+w_a=-1.37^{+0.19}_{-0.17}$ (phantom-like), suggesting that the current observations favor dynamical DE over a cosmological constant at about $1.8\sigma$. For the $w_0w_a$CDM$+A_L$ parameterization, we find $w_0=-0.877\pm 0.060$ and $w_0 + w_a =-1.29_{-0.17}^{+0.20}$, corresponding to a preference for dynamical DE over a cosmological constant of about $1.5\sigma$ and with $A_L = 1.042 \pm 0.037$ exceeding unity at $1.1\sigma$. These results indicate that while the PR4 data mildly favor a time-evolving DE, part of this preference may be associated with possible residual excess smoothing present in the Planck PR4 CMB anisotropy spectra (abridged).

We investigate whether commutativity is necessary to represent relativistic locality for localization observables of relativistic quantum systems in Minkowski spacetime. A well known no-go theorem by Halvorson and Clifton shows that commutativity of localization effects for causally separated regions is incompatible with other seemingly natural assumptions about spatial localization. Since commutativity is taken to represent locality in the Araki-Haag-Kastler framework of QFT, this prompts the question whether it follows from more elementary locality principles of quantum theory. Using Busch's operational analysis in terms of no-signaling and relativistic consistency, we argue that for particle-like systems commutativity is not implied by these principles. Assuming a natural local detectability principle, elementary localization observables are not localized in arbitrarily small spacetime neighborhoods of the relevant spatial regions, but rather in regions containing the entire rest space (a Cauchy surface) on which the measurement is performed. This reflects the particle picture itself, where localization occurs at a unique place on a rest space filled with ideal detectors, and therefore does not directly conflict with the Araki-Haag-Kastler notion of locality. We also show that commutativity and localization can coexist for less idealized localization procedures. To this end, we introduce conditional localization POVMs associated with bounded spatial regions interpreted as laboratories. By the gentle measurement lemma, these observables describe conditional localization probabilities and can, in principle, satisfy commutativity for causally separated laboratories. They may therefore be represented by local observables in the Araki-Haag-Kastler sense. Explicit examples are presented in a second work within local QFT.

According to the correspondence principle of Horowitz and Polchinski, many black holes in string theory are continuously deformed to usual quantum systems involving D-branes and fundamental strings when the string coupling becomes sufficiently small. Therefore if we consider a configuration in space-time where the dilaton varies over an appropriate range, then a black hole moving in such a background will smoothly transition from the black hole state to a normal quantum state whose microstates are not hidden behind an event horizon. The possible obstruction to this mechanism comes from the fact that if the dilaton varies too fast then the adiabatic approximation may break down and / or the ambient space-time itself may collapse to a black hole and get hidden from the asymptotic observer. On the other hand, if the dilaton varies too slowly then the time that it takes for the black hole to travel the required distance will exceed the evaporation time of the black hole. We show that by choosing the background appropriately these obstructions can be avoided and a gentle motion towards the weak coupling region will convert the black hole into a normal quantum state without an event horizon.

We present a unified quantum-mechanical derivation of the Wallis formula from two solvable radial systems: the circular states of the three-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator and the lowest-radial-branch states of the planar Fock–Darwin problem, including the lowest Landau level sector. In both cases, the radial probability density has the exact form $P(r)\propto r^\nu e^{-\lambda r^2}$, which yields the scale-independent reciprocal observable $Q=\langle r\rangle\langle r^{-1}\rangle$. The two systems realize the even and odd half-integer Gamma-function branches of the same moment formula, so that the associated finite Wallis partial products are determined by $Q$ in one case and by $Q^{-1}$ in the other. In the large-angular-momentum regime, the corresponding states become localized on a thin spherical shell or a narrow annulus, with vanishing relative radial width, so that $Q\to1$ and both finite-product representations reduce to the Wallis formula for $\pi$.

Scalar-induced gravitational waves (SIGWs) provide a powerful probe of inflationary dynamics on scales far smaller than those accessible to the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure. In scenarios with a transient ultra-slow-roll (USR) phase, the curvature power spectrum can be strongly enhanced on small scales, potentially generating an observable stochastic GW background. In this regime, scalar dynamics during inflation can become nonlinear, challenging the validity of standard perturbative predictions. Existing semi-analytical calculations of SIGWs rely on the linear evolution of inflation fluctuations. In this work, we compute SIGWs from USR inflation using lattice simulations. We evolve the inflaton field nonlinearly during inflation and extract the curvature perturbation nonperturbatively, then simulate its post-reheating horizon re-entry by evolving the Newtonian potential linearly while retaining the full non-Gaussian structure of the initial conditions for the primordial fluctuations in the tensor source. For moderate non-Gaussianity, the semi-analytical prediction captures the correct order of magnitude of the GW signal but receives important corrections. When inflationary non-Gaussianities are large, it can fail dramatically in both amplitude and spectral shape, independently of the overall size of the tensor power spectrum. Our results show that reliable predictions of SIGWs in such scenarios require nonperturbative control of the inflationary scalar dynamics. The code used for this work is available at https://github.com/caravangelo/inflation-easy.git.

The group-theoretic approach is used to construct exact solutions to perfect fluid equations invariant under the Schrodinger group, or the l-conformal Galilei group, or the Lifshitz group. In each respective case, the velocity vector field looks similar to the Bjorken flow. It is shown that one can reach an arbitrarily high density (and hence pressure) for a short period of time by adjusting the value of l and other free parameters available.

The space of local operators in the $Q$-cohomology of the holomorphic-topological supercharge in a four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ theory carries the structure of a Poisson vertex algebra. This note studies the Poisson vertex algebra associated to the pure $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theory with gauge group $SU(2)$. We propose an explicit Poisson vertex algebra $A$, claimed to be isomorphic to the algebra of holomorphic-topological observables to all orders in perturbation theory. We compute the Hilbert-Poincaré series of $A$ and show that it refines the Schur index of the pure $SU(2)$ theory. We show that $A$ admits a further differential $Q_{\text{inst}}$ which we hypothesize captures non-perturbative corrections, and compute the cohomology of this differential. We thus present an explicit candidate for the space of non-perturbative holomorphic-topological observables of Seiberg-Witten theory.

We study a three-form gauge sector in four spacetime dimensions coupled to electrically charged spherical membranes with Dirac–Born–Infeld (DBI) worldvolume dynamics. The associated four-form field strength has no local propagating degrees of freedom and contributes a branch-dependent vacuum energy. Motivated by the Hartle–Hawking–Wu selection argument, we restrict to the semiclassically admissible flux window and endow the membrane with a worldvolume $U(1)$ gauge field carrying quantized monopole flux $n\in\mathbb{Z}$. Evaluating the full DBI energy, we find that the energetically preferred branch collapses toward a microscopic core rather than stabilizing at finite radius. For nonzero monopole flux, however, the energy remains finite in the collapsed limit, yielding a stable flux-supported particle-like remnant whose mass is set by the wall scale and conserved flux. We call these objects topolons. Within the admissible sector, the energy analysis separates stable collapsed remnants from runaway vacuum-decay configurations, identifying the sector relevant for cosmological relic formation. At macroscopic distances, topolons behave as heavy localized states and constitute a concrete dark-relic candidate. More broadly, the construction provides the nonperturbative remnant sector of an economical three-form framework in which homogeneous four-form flux may neutralize the dominant permanent vacuum-energy contribution, while a dynamical scalar supplies the temporary positive energy required for no-boundary inflation. The detailed cosmological abundance, residual late-time vacuum energy, and phenomenology are left for future work.

We calculate one-point functions of the marginal operators dual to the space-varying dilaton in 4D and 2D holographic Janus interfaces, extending the results of \cite{Clark_2005}. We compare the strongly coupled supergravity and weakly coupled CFT limits for $\mathcal{N}=0,1,2,4$ Janus interfaces in 4D $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM and for non-supersymmetric and half-BPS Janus interfaces in the 2D D1–D5 CFT. In 4D, the $\mathcal{N}=0,1$ results agree only to first order in the jump parameter, and the $\mathcal{N}=2,4$ result agrees exactly. In 2D, exact agreement holds for the half-BPS interface, whereas the non-supersymmetric interface agrees only to first order.