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Physics High Energy Physics (Theory)

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Friday 10 April

High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

CMB signatures of gravity-mediated dark radiation in $\mathbf{\Delta N_{\rm eff}}$

Measurement of $N_{\rm eff}$ in the CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background) observations, like Planck 2018 and BBN (Big Bang Nucleosynthesis) has already set stringent constraints on the interaction strength of light particles beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Despite such negligible couplings of such BSM particles to the visible sector, they are inevitably produced in the early universe through gravity-mediated processes. If a sizable density of light particles survives around CMB formation, they may act as dark radiation (DR) contributing to $N_{\rm eff}$ at CMB epoch. In this work, we study the production of such light BSM particles through the gravity-mediated scatterings in an effective field theory (EFT) setup assuming that all non-gravitational couplings of the BSM particle are negligible. Since the production is sensitive to the spin of the produced particle, we perform a concrete analysis for two representative cases: scalar dark Higgs DR and vector dark photons DR.Using the Planck 2018 observations, we find constraints on the reheating temperature ($T_{\rm RH}$) and background equation of state ($w_\Phi$) during reheating in such scenarios featuring dark Higgs and dark photon. A comparative discussion involving gravity-mediated production of Dirac right-handed neutrinos ($\nu_R$) and light axion-like particles (ALP) is also presented. Finally, for completeness, we also analyze the scenario where the production occurs through a generic spin-2 mediator characterized by an effective scale $\Lambda$ delineating the parameter space that is currently ruled out from Planck-2018 and can be probed by the future CMB experiments like LiteBird, Simon Observatory, CMB-S4, CMB-HD.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

A General Prescription for Spurion Analysis of Non-Invertible Selection Rules

We formulate a general prescription for spurion analysis in particle-physics models whose selection rules are described by commutative non-invertible fusion algebras. The construction applies to fusion algebras containing non-invertible basis elements that need not be self-conjugate, thereby allowing us to systematically track coupling constants in arbitrary particle scattering processes at tree and loop orders, but without assuming faithful realization of the fusion algebra, or no other quantum numbers for dynamical particles. This unifies and streamlines the previous analysis of near-group fusion algebras and of the $\mathbb{Z}_M/\mathbb{Z}_2$ fusion algebras, and supports the broader viewpoint that the non-invertible selection rules often admit auxiliary descriptions using lifted Abelian groups with a structured set of explicit breaking terms.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from math.AP

Radiative Maxwell Scattering on Slowly Rotating Weakly Charged Kerr-Newman Black Holes

We study real source-free Maxwell fields on slowly rotating, weakly charged Kerr-Newman exteriors and set up a finite-energy scattering theory after removal of the stationary Coulomb sector. The conserved electric and magnetic fluxes account exactly for the two-dimensional stationary non-decaying part, giving a natural decomposition of the Maxwell Cauchy space into stationary and charge-free radiative parts. For the radiative field, the paper develops a finite-order transfer mechanism from regular spin-one curvature variables back to the Maxwell tensor field, combining red-shift control, far-field hierarchy, trapped-set analysis, a Fredholm argument ruling out real-frequency modes, and same-order reconstruction of the middle components. Under the stated slow-weak master estimates, this gives uniform boundedness, integrated local energy decay, radiation fields, wave operators, and asymptotic completeness for the stationary-subtracted Maxwell evolution, with the Kerr case recovered as a special subcase and the charged rotating case reduced to explicit geometric and analytic estimates.
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All authors Bobby Eka Gunara, Mulyanto, Emir Syahreza Fadhilla, Fiki Taufik Akbar

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Aspects of Non-Relativistic Supersymmetric Theories

Over the last decade, non-relativistic theories have attracted considerable attention. In general, such theories can be obtained by contracting relativistic parent theories. In this work, we discuss features of non-relativistic supersymmetric field theories from both the Galilean and Carrollian points of view that may be useful for constructing electric and magnetic non-relativistic theories.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

A Levinson's theorem for particle form factors

We present and demonstrate a version of Levinson's theorem especially dedicated to the asymptotic behavior of form factor phases. Indeed, as required by analyticity, form factors are multi-valued complex functions of a square four-momentum defined in the complex plane with a cut along the positive real axis. Their phases evaluated on the upper edge of this cut, i.e., on the time-like region, tend asymptotically to integer multiples of $\pi$ radians. The Levinson's theorem establishes a univocal relation between such multiples and properties of form factors related to the dynamics of the electromagnetic interaction of the corresponding hadrons.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Covariant scalar-tensor theories beyond second derivatives

We propose a covariant, gauge-independent construction of foliation-based scalar-tensor theories, yielding diffeomorphism-invariant operators involving only gradients on the hypersurfaces where the scalar field is constant, assumed to be spacelike. This defines a basis of independent invariants up to four derivatives of $\phi$, including the first nontrivial parity-odd pseudoscalar at this order, with a straightforward extension to higher derivatives. Our framework goes beyond degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories and provides a nonlinear extension of U-DHOST (where $\nabla_\mu\phi$ is supposed to be timelike) directly in covariant form, without using unitary gauge as a starting point or imposing degeneracy a priori. After minimal coupling to gravity, we analyze the theory through its Hamiltonian constraint structure and linear cosmological perturbations about an FLRW background, and show that it propagates three physical degrees of freedom.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Bounding axion dark energy

We study cosmological solutions of (pseudo)scalar theories with periodic potentials, in the presence of arbitrary cosmological fluids – including a cosmological constant of either sign. Independently of the initial misalignment angle and field velocity, we derive an analytic bound that the axion mass parameter and decay constant fulfill as the universe decreases its acceleration rate, finding a natural application in models of thawing quintessence. As a first application, we illustrate the analytic handle our bound provides in bounding axion dark energy, after observational inputs from DESI and various supernovae data sets are taken into account. As a second application, we argue that our analytic bounds in combination with proposed quantum gravity constraints on axions exclude vast regions of parameter space. The combined constraints push the axion masses to be much larger than the Hubble scale, in tension with basic models of axion quintessence.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Consistent Truncations from Duality Symmetries and Desingularization of Orbifold Uplifts

This paper is an extension of the results presented in \cite{Guarino:2024gke}. We study $ G_S$-invariant subsectors of maximal gauged supergravities and show that such models can provide consistent truncations even when $G_S$ is not a symmetry of the original supergravity. We show that this construction is key to building pure supergravities around a supersymmetric AdS$_D$ solution. We illustrate this construction by building a consistent $\mathcal{N}=4$ subsector of the $D=4$ $\mathcal{N}=8$ $[\mathrm{SO}(6)\times \mathrm{SO}(1,1)]\ltimes \mathbb{R}^{12}$ gauged supergravity. We use this result to build the uplift of the multicharge spindle solutions in type IIB and we define a simple criterion for assessing the regularity of the uplift. We show that the type IIB uplift of the spindle is always non-regular, admitting eight codimension-six orbifold singularities. We apply the same criterion to other spindle uplifts, recovering known results and making predictions on the regularity of spindles on (quasi-)regular SE$_7$ manifolds.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from math.AG

Picard-Fuchs Equations of Twisted Differential forms associated to Feynman Integrals

Dimensionally or analytically regulated Feynman integrals lead to relative twisted period integrals. We present a recent extension of the Griffiths-Dwork pole reduction algorithm for deriving the D-module of differential operators acting on the twisted differential forms from Feynman integrals. We illustrate the application of this algorithm by providing twisted Picard-Fuchs operators for hypergeometric, elliptic and Calabi-Yau differential motives arising from families of Feynman integrals.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Lattice Realizations of Flat Gauging and T-duality Defects at Any Radius

We analyze non-invertible topological interfaces and defects in the two-dimensional compact boson, focusing on the more exotic ones obtained by gauging continuous symmetries with flat connections on a half-space. These include interfaces between mutually irrational radii and T-duality symmetries at arbitrary boson radius. Using the modified Villain discretization on both a Euclidean two-dimensional square lattice and a quantum one-dimensional chain, we show that all these topological interfaces survive discretization and give rise to non-compact edge modes localized at the defect sites. Such non-compact edge modes imply a continuous defect spectrum and an infinite quantum dimension. In the special case of rational radii, we show how the defect action or Hamiltonian can be modified in order to compactify the edge modes and produce more standard defects with finite quantum dimension.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Probing the Kinematic Dipole with LISA: an analytical treatment

The motion of the Solar System with respect to the cosmic rest frame induces a kinematic dipole in the stochastic gravitational-wave background (GWB). Detecting this signal with space-based interferometers would provide an independent measurement of our peculiar velocity and a GW probe of cosmic anisotropies. We present a fully analytic derivation of the response of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) to a kinematic dipole, and construct an optimal estimator for its detection. We show that the dipolar response is governed by a single frequency-dependent function fixed by symmetry, and we compute its behaviour across the LISA band. Using Fisher forecasts, we find that for a scale-invariant background detectability requires $h^2\Omega_{\rm GW} \gtrsim 5\times 10^{-8}$ for fiducial LISA, and $h^2\Omega_{\rm GW} \gtrsim 5\times 10^{-10}$ for a detector with characteristic instrumental-noise amplitudes improved by an order of magnitude. Prospects are more favorable for signals with richer frequency profile. We also explore the potential of the kinematic dipole to break degeneracies, particularly in the presence of strong galactic foregrounds or noise features that closely mimic the primordial signal.
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All authors Jacopo Fumagalli, Giulia Cusin, Cyril Pitrou, Gianmassimo Tasinato

High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Weyl-type solutions with multipolar scalar fields

A class of solutions in $d$-dimensional Einstein gravity minimally coupled to a massless scalar field is studied, where the spacetime metric is of a generalized Weyl form with $d-2$ commuting Killing vectors. In addition to the procedure to generate scalar multipolar fields, a $SO(2)$ symmetry can be exploited to generate further solutions. A particular result of this procedure is a solution that contains the scalar counterpart of the Schwarzschild–Melvin and the Fisher–Janis–Newman–Winicour solutions as particular limits. Furthermore, a Harrison-type transformation can also be performed to generate solutions with magnetic fields. Using this transformation we obtain a solution with magnetic and scalar fields present and contains both magnetic and scalar counterparts of Schwarzschild–Melvin as limits.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Genericness of quantum damping of cosmological shear in modified loop quantum cosmology

In arXiv:2603.18175, the authors argue, based on numerical studies of particular cases, that the quantum damping of cosmological shear in a modified loop quantum cosmological model (mLQC-I) that was recently found in arXiv:2510.14021 is not generic and that the universe never becomes truly classical. In this brief Note, we revisit these claims by carefully examining the underlying assumptions and the class of initial conditions considered. We show that the examples analyzed in arXiv:2603.18175 correspond to configurations that do not represent physically admissible collapsing Bianchi I universes, as they involve mixed expanding-contracting directions and lead to effectively lower-dimensional post-bounce geometries. Restricting to physically relevant initial conditions corresponding to genuine three-dimensional contraction, we find that the quantum damping of cosmological shear is a robust dynamical feature. This conclusion is supported by both numerical and perturbative analyses, which demonstrate that the post-bounce evolution admits an isotropic attractor, with anisotropies decaying exponentially and independently of the matter content, provided that the weak energy condition is satisfied. We further outline a plausible post-bounce mechanism for the onset of classicalization.
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All authors Wen-Cong Gan, Leila L. Graef, Rudnei O. Ramos, Gustavo S. Vicente, Anzhong Wang

Thursday 9 April

High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Spin-($0$, $1$, $\frac{1}{2}$) Field Perturbations, Quasinormal Modes, Overtones, Greybody Factors and Strong Cosmic Censorship of Einstein-Skyrme Black Holes

We carry out a multi-spin perturbation-theory study of the four-dimensional Einstein-Skyrme (ES) anti-de Sitter (AdS) black hole (BH), whose lapse $f(r)=1-8\pi K-2M/r+4\pi K\lambda/r^{2}$ inherits two couplings from the hadronic model – the pion combination $K=F_{\pi}^{2}/4$ and the Skyrme coupling $e$ – with $K\lambda=1/e^{2}$ pinned by the theory rather than being a free integration constant. After deriving the Klein-Gordon, Maxwell and Dirac effective potentials on this background, we compute the quasinormal modes (QNMs) with the sixth-order WKB formula and cross-check them against the thirteenth-order Padé-improved expansion and the eikonal limit set by the unstable photon sphere. The first overtone $(n=1)$ of the scalar and electromagnetic channels reveals a mild Konoplya-Zhidenko anomaly: the ratio $|\mathrm{Im}\,\omega_{1}|/|\mathrm{Im}\,\omega_{0}|$ drifts monotonically from $2.42$ to $2.54$, sitting noticeably below the Schwarzschild value near $3$. The dominant scalar mode is independently reproduced to better than $0.2\%$ by a time-domain Prony fit. Greybody factors for all three spins follow the ordering $T_{\rm EM}<T_{\rm scalar}<T_{\rm Dirac}$. Testing strong cosmic censorship at the Cauchy horizon, we find the Christodoulou parameter $\beta\lesssim 4\times 10^{-3}$ across the admissible $(K,e)$ window – more than two orders of magnitude below the threshold $1/2$ – with the margin protected by the theory itself.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from math.DG

A Conformally Invariant Dirac-type Equation on Compact Spin Manifolds: the Effect of the Geometry

Given a closed Riemannian Spin manifold $(M,g)$ of dimension greater or equal than four, we consider a generalized conformally invariant equation involving the Dirac operator with a non-linearity of convolution type. We show that the Aubib-type inequality corresponding to the problem is always strict, unless $(M,g)$ is conformal to the round sphere. In particular, this result provides an existence result for a ground state to the conformal Dirac-Einstein problem in dimension four. We point out that aside from some perturbative or special cases, this presents the first general existence result for the conformal Dirac-Einstein equations in dimension four.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-lat

Exact SL(2,Z)-Structure of Lattice Maxwell Theory with $\theta$-term in Modified Villain Formulation

We study the duality of lattice Maxwell theory in the modified Villain formulation, employing an ultra-local action with a theta term. Although this action is known to become non ultra-local through the Poisson resummation formula, we show that this non ultra-locality can be removed by incorporating a non-local transformation procedure into the definition of the S-transformation. As a result, the ultra-local action with a theta term exhibits an exact SL(2,Z)-duality. We further analyze the SL(2,Z)-structure of Wilson and 't Hooft loops, demonstrating that they transform properly up to a nontrivial phase factor arising from the nontrivial self-linking of the loops. This effect originates from the non-local transformation procedure in the S-transformation. Remarkably, the resulting SL(2,Z)-structure closely resembles that of non-spin Maxwell theory.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Harmonic Analysis of the Instanton Prepotential

Discrete symmetries of Calabi-Yau moduli spaces, generated by isomorphic flops, constrain the instanton expansion of the 4D $\mathcal{N}=2$ Type~IIA prepotential. We show that the Coxeter-invariant functions into which the prepotential organizes are eigenfunctions of a Laplace-Beltrami operator built from the Coxeter-invariant symmetric bilinear form on the moduli space. This means that the Gromov-Witten expansion can be interpreted as a superposition of waves propagating on the Coxeter quotient of the moduli space, and its resummation is the corresponding spectral decomposition. For the dihedral Coxeter groups, separation of variables in the eigenvalue equation explains from first principles why special modified Bessel functions, ordinary Bessel functions and Jacobi theta functions appear as the natural building blocks of the prepotential, depending on whether the Coxeter rotation acts hyperbolically, elliptically, or parabolically. The resulting spectral representations converge efficiently in the interior of the moduli space, complementing the standard large-volume instanton expansion.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Axion Quality in Warped Extra-Dimension

We investigate the axion quality problem in warped extra-dimensional models in which the QCD axion arises as the Wilson-line mode of a five-dimensional $U(1)$ gauge field compactified on an $S^1/\mathbb{Z}_2$ orbifold. Higher-dimensional gauge invariance severely constrains possible sources of Peccei–Quinn symmetry breaking, implying that non-QCD contributions to the axion potential are predominantly generated by nonlocal effects mediated by $U(1)$-charged fields propagating along the compact dimension. We systematically compute these contributions and examine how both the warped geometry and the orbifold fixed points (branes) affect the resulting axion quality. Finally, we classify the parametric suppression of the induced axion potential, thereby identifying the conditions under which warped extra-dimensional axions can achieve sufficiently high quality.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Tidal Response of Compact Objects

The tidal response of compact objects provides a powerful probe of their internal structure and of the surrounding gravitational field. We provide a comprehensive and unified overview of tidal effects in black holes, neutron stars, and exotic compact objects, with emphasis on both static and dynamical responses to external fields, encoded in Love numbers and dissipation numbers. We discuss the vanishing of static bosonic Love numbers for black holes in vacuum General Relativity, their modifications in alternative theories, in non-standard models of compact objects, and in the presence of matter, as well as their role in testing deviations from Einstein's theory and environmental effects. A fundamental distinction between bosonic and fermionic perturbations is highlighted, as the latter yield nonzero static Love numbers even for black holes in General Relativity. For neutron stars, we overview the dependence of tidal Love numbers on the equation of state, the emergence of quasi-universal relations, and the impact of rotation, nonlinearities, and dynamical effects. Exotic compact objects typically feature nonvanishing static tidal Love numbers – a striking observational signature that differentiates them from black holes. We further review how tidal effects influence the gravitational-wave signals from binary inspirals, and explore their implications for gravitational-wave astronomy. In particular, we stress their significance for current and future detectors as tools to test General Relativity, constrain the nuclear equation of state, and probe the fundamental nature of compact objects and their environments.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Reduced superblocks at next-to-next-to-extremality for all half-maximally supersymmetric CFTs

We consider mixed four-point correlators of 1/2-BPS operators $\phi_{k}$ in SCFTs with eight real Poincaré supercharges, namely the 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$, 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$, 5d $\mathcal{N}=1$, and 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ theories. Using the basis of solutions to the superconformal Ward identity introduced in arXiv:hep-th/0405180, we demonstrate that the dynamical data in mixed correlators of extremality $\mathcal{E}=2$ is encoded in certain simpler “reduced correlator" functions that admit a block expansion, in close analogy to the recent result for maximally supersymmetric CFTs in arXiv:2601.15407. These reduced blocks similarly involve ordinary blocks with shifted kinematics and reproduce what is known in 4d, generalize a known example in 6d, and offer novel results in 3d and 5d.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Effective strings and particles interacting in 3D: the Ising model

We study how a fluctuating domain wall in three dimensions modifies bulk observables in a gapped phase. We introduce an effective interaction between the wall and the lightest bulk massive mode, and identify the regime in which this description is controlled: nearly on-shell bulk exchange with small momentum along the wall. In this regime, several observables are controlled by a renormalized dimensionless coupling $\lambda$, including the large-$L_z$ correction to the wall free energy and the large-$|x_\perp|$ tail of two-point functions in the presence of the wall. Other observables, such as one-point functions and two-point functions in the nearby-regime, retain non-universal dependence on operator data and on the bulk spectral density. We test the universal kinematic consequences of wall fluctuations, and find good agreement with the predicted rough-wall broadening and nearby Gaussian behavior in Monte Carlo simulations of the 3D Ising model with anti-periodic boundary conditions.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Minimum mass, maximum charge and hyperbolicity in scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity

We study the loss of hyperbolicity of perturbation equations for black hole solutions of scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We consider a class of coupling functions allowing for static black hole solutions with arbitrary small masses. For masses below a minimum value, such solutions become unphysical, because the perturbation equations become elliptic; this arguably corresponds to the loss of validity of the effective field theory. We analyse the dependence of this minimum mass on the parameters of the theory, finding that with an appropriate choice of the coupling function, such mass can be chosen arbitrarily small. However, this does not correspond to larger deviations from general relativity, since observable quantities like the black hole scalar charge are bounded by above.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from cond-mat.str-el

Nucleation of Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev Clusters in One Spatial Dimension

We study how Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) interactions can arise from localized single-particle states on a system that is effectively one dimensional. If a local interaction is projected onto coarse localized orbitals, the resulting couplings do not immediately follow the standard SYK distribution. Instead, they have a finite probability of being exactly zero, a broad non-Gaussian distribution for the nonzero values, and strong correlations coming from the geometry of the localized states. We then show that this changes when each localization volume is resolved into $M>1$ smaller microscopic pieces with random phases. As $M$ increases, the distribution of the nonzero couplings moves toward the complex-Gaussian SYK form. At the same time, the large-$M$ limit is a sparse but asymptotically canonical SYK network: the nonzero couplings create SYK clusters, while the pattern of missing or very weak couplings is still determined by the real-space overlap of the localized orbitals. Finally, we map the interaction tensor to a graph in pair space. This makes it possible to follow the formation, merger, and growth of SYK clusters, which we characterize using connected components and clique/simplex counts. The result is a minimal real-space phenomenological theory of SYK-cluster formation, providing clear experimental criteria.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

On quantum tunnelling in the presence of Noether charges

We provide a complete first-principles based discussion of quantum tunnelling out of initial states carrying a conserved Noether charge. Our main result is a simple, unambiguous Euclidean-time prescription for the calculation of tunnelling rates out of such states. By relying on a combination of the direct approach and the steadyon framework for the evaluation of real-time path integrals, our derivation offers full transparency of its underlying assumptions, and is independent of any ad-hoc generalisations. This strategy also offers a simple explanation for the emergence of complex saddle points for such systems, justifying techniques postulated by earlier works. Our analysis furthermore offers the first results for initial states with both a conserved Noether charge and a non-trivial energy. We first illustrate the main conceptual points of our analysis for the simple example of a point particle in two spatial dimensions carrying a conserved angular momentum. Then, we generalise our results to the case of multiple dimensions and an arbitrary conserved Noether charge, providing an easy-to-implement prescription for the calculation of the tunnelling rate. We furthermore apply our results to the example of a complex scalar field subject to a global U(1)-symmetry with associated charge. These results provide a reliable foundation for the calculation of tunnelling rates in applications in finite-density and charge-asymmetric systems.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

A Lapse in the Cosmological Constant Problem

We present a new mechanism for addressing the cosmological constant problem based on global constraints arising from a lapse function in a higher-dimensional gravitational theory. Inspired by Horava-Lifshitz gravity, we consider a 5d spacetime with anisotropic scaling along a compact extra dimension, while preserving Lorentz invariance in four dimensions. In the deep infrared limit, variation with respect to the lapse generates a global constraint on the 4d geometry, closely analogous to that of vacuum energy sequestering. Although the resulting effective gravitational equations differ from standard sequestering, radiative contributions to the Standard Model vacuum energy are nevertheless cancelled at all orders.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Differential Equations for Massive Correlators

We uncover a combinatorial structure governing the differential equations satisfied by wavefunction coefficients of scalar fields with generic masses in de Sitter space. Using an integral representation of the massive mode functions, we express the Feynman integrals underlying cosmological correlators as twisted integrals of rational functions. In this formulation, the integrals belong to a finite set of master integrals obeying a first-order system of differential equations, which can be derived efficiently in the time-integral representation. We show that these equations admit a simple graphical description in terms of graph tubings, which encode the couplings among basis functions and the evolution of singularities. This structure provides an efficient algorithm to derive the differential equations, and a boundary-centric perspective on massive cosmological correlators in which their analytic structure emerges from underlying combinatorial data. As an illustration, we solve the system in the limits of small and large masses.
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All authors Daniel Baumann, Austin Joyce, Hayden Lee, Kamran Salehi Vaziri

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Equivariant localization for higher derivative supergravity

Conformal supergravity provides an effective off-shell formalism to study higher derivative actions. We show that the $D=4$, $\mathcal{N}=2$ theory admits equivariantly closed forms. These may be used to compute closed-form expressions for supersymmetric observables in a general class of supergravity theories with higher derivative couplings, without any need to solve equations of motion. We discuss applications to holography, presenting results for on-shell actions that are conjecturally valid to all orders in the perturbative $1/N$ expansion.
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All authors Pietro Benetti Genolini, Florian Gaar, Jerome P. Gauntlett, James Sparks

High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Love numbers of black holes and compact objects

The Love numbers of a gravitating body are response coefficients encoding its tidal deformability. In compact binary systems, they appear in the gravitational waveform during the inspiral phase and will be measurable by upcoming gravitational-wave observatories. This review provides a comprehensive and pedagogical account of the theoretical foundations of Love numbers and surveys the most recent advances in the study of tidal effects in compact objects, with particular emphasis on black holes and neutron stars. We begin with a gentle introduction to tidal effects in Newtonian gravity, leading into a discussion of how to robustly define tidal responses in general relativity using the effective field theory and post-Newtonian frameworks. After an overview of the perturbation theory of black holes and neutron stars, we review the computation of Love numbers and dissipative response coefficients in a wide range of settings, including the static, dynamical, and nonlinear tidal responses of Kerr black holes and neutron stars in four-dimensional general relativity. We further discuss the extension of these results to charged black holes and a number of "new physics" scenarios, including higher-dimensional black holes and other black objects, (anti-) de Sitter black holes, supergravity black holes, and theories beyond general relativity. Finally we provide an overview of the tantalizing zoo of hidden symmetries of general relativity that have been uncovered in the attempt to explain the famous vanishing of static black hole Love numbers.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Beyond Discontinuities: Cosmological WFCs and the Supersymmetric Orthogonal Grassmannian

We construct an $\mathcal N=2$ supersymmetric Grassmannian representation of tree-level wavefunction coefficients (WFCs) by combining Grassmannian representations of energy discontinuities with an inversion formula. Since the orthogonal Grassmannian captures homogeneous solutions of the spinor conformal Ward identities, while current WFCs satisfy inhomogeneous Ward identities, the full WFC is obtained by reconstructing the energy-dependent prefactors from a basis of discontinuities. We first demonstrate this mechanism at three points, where the triple discontinuity determines the transverse current WFC and admits a supersymmetric uplift. At four points, we invert a spanning set of five current discontinuities and embed the result in momentum superspace using super-orthogonal-Grassmannian invariants generated by $\hat\delta(C\Omega\Xi^I)$. This yields the full four-point super WFC in Grassmannian form. We show that the two orthogonal-Grassmannian branches organize distinct supersymmetric invariants and reduce, in the flat-space limit, to different helicity superamplitudes.
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All authors Yu-tin Huang, Chia-Kai Kuo, Yohan Liu, Jiajie Mei

High Energy Physics (Theory)

On Carrollian Loop Amplitudes for Gauge Theory and Gravity

Carrollian amplitudes are scattering amplitudes of massless particles written in position space at null infinity. We study various aspects of Carrollian amplitudes for gauge theory and gravity at loop level using primarily the modified Mellin prescription of [1]. Finite one-loop four-point Carrollian amplitudes in gauge theory are shown to maintain an analytic structure similar to tree level results. We compute the one-loop four-point Carrollian MHV amplitudes in planar $N=4$ super Yang-Mills theory, which are expressed as differential operators acting on tree level Carrollian amplitudes. This result is generalized to all loop orders using the Bern-Dixon-Smirnov (BDS) formula. Similar structures are observed at one-loop for Carrollian MHV amplitudes in $N=8$ supergravity. We next consider $2\to 2$ scattering of massless scalars via gravitational interactions in the eikonal regime and show that the corresponding Carrollian amplitudes exhibit logarithmic behavior in the `Carroll time' $u$. We compute the discontinuities of these Carrollian amplitudes up to $O(G^3)$ and show that they are descendants of Carrollian Born amplitudes. We observe similar logarithmic behavior in Carrollian amplitudes associated with the one-loop scalar box diagram. The dependence of this amplitude on dual scaling dimensions also differs from standard tree level results. Finally, we further study the infrared (IR) divergences of Carrollian amplitudes in massless scalar QED, gravity, and Yang-Mills theory. We show that Carrollian amplitudes in these theories naturally factorize, allowing us to provide an IR-safe definition for these objects.
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