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Physics High Energy Physics (Theory)

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Thursday 4 June

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Near extremal RN-AdS control of holographic Josephson transport

Ali Övgün and Reggie C. Pantig

We formulate a holographic weak-link construction in which Josephson transport is controlled by the charge sector of a Reissner–Nordstrom-AdS black brane. The model is an Einstein-Maxwell-charged-scalar theory in asymptotically AdS$_4$, with a spatially inhomogeneous boundary chemical potential that creates two superconducting banks separated by a normal or weakly superconducting barrier. The Josephson phase difference is defined from gauge-invariant boundary observable of the charged condensate, rather than from the black hole charge itself, allowing a controlled extension of the standard holographic SNS junction to charged AdS backgrounds. We identify the current-phase relation, critical current, coherence length, and small-phase stiffness as the main observables. In the SNS regime, the critical current and midpoint condensate probe the same proximity scale, while higher harmonics in the current-phase relation diagnose enhanced transparency or departure from the opaque weak-link limit. The new mechanism is the near-extremal RN-AdS throat: as extremality is approached, the emergent AdS$_2\times\mathbb{R}^2$ region can radially modify the Josephson coupling before it reaches the ultraviolet boundary. After removing the ordinary spatial suppression due to the junction width, the residual critical current and phase stiffness are expected to exhibit scaling governed by the infrared dimension of the charged scalar in AdS$_2$. This separates ordinary proximity suppression, smooth finite-density corrections, and genuinely near-extremal throat control, providing a framework for phase-sensitive transport in charged holographic matter.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from physics.ins-det

Hyperon-Nucleon Spectrometer

Xiaozhi Bai, Xu Cao, Zhe Cao et al. (+237 more)

Chirality lies at the heart of low-energy QCD, governing the symmetry structure that shapes hadron masses and strong interaction dynamics. Among the most compelling open questions tied to chiral dynamics and spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking is the longstanding $\Lambda$ polarization puzzle, in which $\Lambda$ hyperons produced in unpolarized hadronic collisions exhibit a surprisingly large transverse polarization that remains theoretically unexplained. This whitepaper presents the proposal for the Hyperon-Nucleon Spectrometer (H-NS) at the High-Intensity heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF). Leveraging the high energy and high intensity of HIAF's proton and heavy-ion beams, the H-NS experiment will perform systematic studies of hyperon polarization phenomena and their underlying mechanisms in proton-proton ($pp$), proton-nucleus ($pA$), and nucleus-nucleus ($AA$) collisions in the fixed target mode. A wide-range beam energy scan, including proton beams from 3 GeV up to 9.3 GeV (HIAF) and up to 32 GeV (upgraded HIAF), will be conducted to examine the dependence of polarization on collision energy. The spectrometer is designed with specialized detectors capable of high-precision reconstruction of final-state baryon polarizations. Among its many interesting and important measurements, H-NS will simultaneously measure hyperon and proton spin observables to explore the polarization mechanism in hadronic interactions and the spin structure of baryons. Furthermore, the use of $pA$ and $AA$ collisions will enable detailed investigations of cold and hot nuclear matter effects on spin polarization. Its physics program and detector development will significantly benefit the future Electron-ion Collider in China.
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All authors Xiaozhi Bai, Xu Cao, Zhe Cao, Jinhui Chen, Kai Chen, Qibo Chen, Shi Chen, Xin Chen, Yuquan Chen, Zhenyu Chen, Jianping Dai, Heng-Tong Ding, Dongshuo Du, Shuxian Du, Limin Duan, Zhe Duan, Anhui Feng, Jie Feng, Yicheng Feng, Jinlin Fu, Xiaofeng Fu, Chaosong Gao, Liang Ge, Wenwen Ge, Lisheng Geng, Boxing Gou, An Gu, Yinghui Guan, Yutian Guan, Aiqiang Guo, Fengkun Guo, Lu Guo, Hao Han, Weijia Han, Yunxiang Hao, Wanbing He, Xionghong He, Zhixuan He, Defu Hou, Tingting Hou, Jinniu Hu, Shouyang Hu, Zhen Hu, Fei Huang, Kaixuan Huang, Linqin Huang, Mei Huang, Xuguang Huang, Yuanjing Ji, Xincai Kang, Jie Kong, Cheng Li, Demin Li, Haibo Li, Jibo Li, Lixuan Li, Min Li, Peilian Li, Peiyu Li, Ronghua Li, Suxian Li, Weilong Li, Wuyuan Li, Xin Li, Xiaomei Li, Xiaqing Li, Yang Li, Yangu Li, Yutie Liang, Zheng Liang, Zuotang Liang, Chuangxin Lin, Dexu Lin, Shoulong Lin, Ting Lin, Bo Liu, Bo-Chao Liu, Feng Liu, Hang Liu, Hongna Liu, Hui Liu, Kai Liu, Liuming Liu, Qian Liu, Tianbo Liu, Tong Liu, Xiang Liu, Yanwen Liu, Pengzhong Lu, Weijian Lu, Xiaofeng Luo, Xiao-Rui Lyu, Bo-Qiang Ma, Jianping Ma, Kuo Ma, Weihu Ma, Yugang Ma, Lijun Mao, Ruishi Mao, Yu Meng, Norihito Muramatsu, Maowu Nie, Xiaoyang Niu, Hua Pei, Ronggang Ping, Shi Pu, Tianlei Pu, Cheng Qian, Wenbin Qian, Yi Qian, Guangyou Qin, Jiajun Qin, Cong-Feng Qiao, Zan Ren, Dingyu Shao, Qianshun She, Diyu Shen, Guodong Shen, Wenhan Shen, Xiaomin Shen, Lina Sheng, Shusu Shi, Jinxing Song, Qintao Song, Yuan Song, Zihe Su, Baohua Sun, Hao Sun, Kai-Jia Sun, Liangting Sun, Peng Sun, Pengfei Sun, Xiangming Sun, Xu Sun, Yelei Sun, Zhipeng Sun, Zhiyu Sun, Shuwen Tang, Zebo Tang, Jing Tian, Ye Tian, Yu Tian, Yapeng Wan, Boqun Wang, Changxin Wang, En Wang, Enke Wang, Haozhen Wang, Hulin Wang, Jiansong Wang, Ling Wang, Qun Wang, Tianao Wang, Xiangang Wang, Xiang-Peng Wang, Xiaoyu Wang, Xinyu Wang, Xiongfei Wang, Xiuhua Wang, Yaping Wang, Shuyi Wei, Xianglun Wei, Xiangjie Wen, Fengjun Wu, Jia-jun Wu, Xin Wu, Bowen Xiao, Le Xiao, Zhigang Xiao, Guannan Xie, Yaping Xie, Hongxi Xing, Weizhi Xiong, Ji Xu, Lailin Xu, Nu Xu, Qinghua Xu, Xiaowei Xu, Junwei Yan, Wenbiao Yan, Wencheng Yan, Xiaoyu Yan, Bo Yang, Chi Yang, Haibo Yang, Herun Yang, Jiancheng Yang, Qian Yang, Shuai Yang, Tongjun Yang, Yadong Yang, Yuansheng Yang, Yuna Yang, Zaochen Ye, Zhihong Ye, Li Yi, Hang Yin, Junhao Yin, Yi Yin, Kejie You, Zhengyun You, Chunxu Yu, Yuhong Yu, Zhaoyang Yuan, Wangmei Zha, Honglin Zhang, Jianyu Zhang, Jin Zhang, Jinlong Zhang, Jinqun Zhang, Shisheng Zhang, Weibin Zhang, Xiang Zhang, Xueheng Zhang, Yapeng Zhang, Yateng Zhang, Yifei Zhang, Yumei Zhang, Yuqiao Zhang, Zhe Zhang, He Zhao, Hongyun Zhao, Lei Zhao, Yuxiang Zhao, Zhengguo Zhao, Yajun Zheng, Yangheng Zheng, Zhiyang Zheng, Daicui Zhou, Jian Zhou, Jiangpeng Zhou, Jing Zhou, Kai Zhou, Xianrong Zhou, Xiaorong Zhou, Yiyu Zhou, Sitao Zhu, Xiao Zhuang, Xinyu Zong, Bingsong Zou

High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Phenomenology of Inflaton-Driven Early QCD Confinement and Solution to Axion Isocurvature Problem

Evangelos I. Sfakianakis, Barmak Shams Es Haghi and Katherine Freese

We study the phenomenology of early QCD confinement during inflation, driven by a direct coupling between the inflaton and Standard Model gluons. This coupling dynamically raises the QCD confinement scale, making the axion sufficiently heavy to suppress isocurvature perturbations during the CMB epoch. As inflation proceeds, the confinement scale decreases and the axion becomes light, allowing de Sitter fluctuations during the late stages of inflation or post-inflationary thermal fluctuations to generate the observed dark matter abundance. In addition, QCD-induced corrections to the inflationary potential can shift the scalar spectral index towards smaller values, providing a further observational handle. We embed this mechanism in an $\alpha$-attractor model of inflation and explore the resulting parameter space. We show that, in the minimal scenario with reheating into gluons, successful dark matter production requires deconfinement to occur shortly after the CMB window. Extensions involving reheating through heavy right-handed neutrinos generally require large Yukawa couplings, which induce sizable loop corrections that spoil inflationary dynamics. We show that this tension can be resolved in the presence of supersymmetry and derive constraints on the SUSY breaking scale that allow the mechanism to remain viable within plateau models of inflation. Treating the reheat temperature as a free parameter further enlarges the viable parameter space.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Probing anomalous quartic gauge couplings in same-sign $W$ boson scattering with polarization and spin correlation

Oscar J. P. Éboli, Rafiqul Rahaman and Amir Subba

The study of quartic couplings of electroweak gauge bosons not only provides a test of the Standard Model (SM) predictions, but also can look for signals of new physics beyond the SM. We present a comprehensive study of anomalous quartic gauge couplings in same-sign $W^\pm W^\pm$ production via vector boson scattering at the LHC. The analysis is carried out within the framework of the SM Effective Field Theory, exploiting polarization and spin-correlation effects encoded in angular asymmetries in addition to conventional kinematic observables. We demonstrate that spin-correlation asymmetries provide sensitivity to anomalous $WWWW$ interactions that is comparable to that obtained from the transverse mass distribution of the $WW$ system. By identifying a minimal set of the most sensitive asymmetries, we show that the dominant constraints on the Wilson coefficients can be captured with a reduced number of observables. A combined analysis of angular asymmetries and kinematic information leads to improved limits compared to either approach alone. The impact of unitarity considerations is also examined by imposing invariant-mass cut-offs on the $WW$ system, allowing us to determine unitarity-safe regions for the anomalous couplings.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Smooth horizons from topology change in canonical quantum gravity

Venkatesa Chandrasekaran

We propose a resolution of the firewall paradox in JT gravity by incorporating topology change into canonical quantization under relational time evolution. The gravitational Hamiltonian acts on the black hole interior through a pair of pants interaction, mapping between a single interior sector and a connected two interior sector. To describe dynamics in the interior while keeping track of the exterior, we pass to an extended phase space description obtained by splitting the bulk Hilbert space across the event horizon. The split introduces boost edge modes at the horizon, which the Hawking modes become gravitationally dressed to. Covariance of the resulting crossed product algebra provides a precise gravitational realization of the firewall: a one sided boost of the interior edge mode relative to the exterior holding the matter fixed, or equivalently, a relative phase between the interior and exterior Hawking partners holding the edge modes fixed. Although each topology changing transition is exponentially suppressed, evolution over a Page time causes the connected two interior branch to dominate. One of these is the naive semiclassical interior, which we show carries a nontrivial one sided boost upon gluing the interior back to the exterior, and hence a firewall. The other interior is shown to be a zero mode of the one sided boost generator. Gluing the interior back to the exterior quotients by the gravitational constraints, which annihilates the firewall branch. On the surviving branch, we show the horizon vacuum measurement and the early radiation purity measurement become the same Dirac observable. Equivalently, we show that Page time dynamics induces a large diffeomorphism on the connected branch under which the operator algebra of the interior Hawking partner and that of the decoded early radiation are identified.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Quantum Geometry from Area Fluctuations

Jerzy Kowalski-Glikman and Ludovic Varrin

We construct a quantum-statistical analogue of Einstein's fluctuation argument for black-body radiation in the context of causal-diamond geometry. Starting from the phase space of a stretched horizon inside a Minkowski causal diamond, we quantize the Poisson algebra generated by the fields averaged over stretched-horizon time. We then compute the fluctuations of the averaged area density of the transverse two-spheres in a thermal state constructed in analogue with the black-body thermal state. In the null limit, where the stretched horizon approaches the causal-diamond boundary, this yields a thermal fluctuation formula of the boundary area operator that contains two terms, in direct analogue with the black-body radiation. The term quadratic in the expectation value is the “classical” contribution, while the linear term has the Verlinde–Zurek scaling characteristic of independent microscopic constituents. In direct analogue with Einstein's interpretation of black-body energy fluctuations as evidence for light quanta, we interpret the linear area-fluctuation term as a statistical signature of discrete quanta of geometry. This provides bottom-up evidence for quantum area degrees of freedom and supports the embadon picture of null quantum geometry.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from cond-mat.str-el

$E_\infty^{1,2}$-type Lieb-Schultz-Mattis anomalies, deconfined quantum critical points, and non-invertible symmetry breaking

Hao-Ran Zhang, Hanlin Lin, Shuo Yang et al. (+1 more)

We study deconfined quantum critical points (DQCP) associated with Lieb-Schultz-Mattis (LSM) anomalies in one-dimensional spin chains. Our starting point is a structural characterization of the LSM anomaly in the Lyndon-Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence: $\omega_{\mathrm{LSM}}\in E_\infty^{1,2}= H^1(\mathbb Z_{\mathrm{trans}},H^2(G_{\mathrm{int}},\mathrm{U}(1)))\subseteq H^3(G_{\mathrm{int}}\rtimes_{\rho}\mathbb Z_{\mathrm{trans}},\mathrm{U}(1))$. Physically, this class decorates a translation defect with a projective representation of the internal symmetry $G_\mathrm{int}$. We show that gauging the internal symmetry in the presence of an $E_\infty^{1,2}$-type anomaly necessarily produces a non-invertible dual symmetry. This gives a general mechanism for type-II DQCP: in contrast to type-I examples with $E_\infty^{2,1}$-type anomalies which are dual to ordinary group-like symmetry breaking, type-II transitions are dual to spontaneous breaking of a non-invertible symmetry. We illustrate the mechanism using a spin-$1/2$ chain with an anomalous $D_8$ LSM symmetry. We construct a dimer-to-ferromagnet DQCP candidate, provide numerical evidence for a critical theory with central charge $c\approx 1$, and show, using both category theory and explicit lattice constructions, that gauging the internal symmetry yields the non-invertible $\mathrm{Rep}(H_8)$ dual symmetry.
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All authors Hao-Ran Zhang, Hanlin Lin, Shuo Yang, Qing-Rui Wang

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Spinning bulk-to-boundary correlators in the massless theories with Poincaré symmetry

Jiang Long, Yu-Xuan Wei and Xin-Hao Zhou

We classify the bulk-to-boundary correlators for general integer-spin $s$ operators in a Poincaré-invariant theory by imposing suitable fall-off conditions near future/past null infinity. Any bulk-to-boundary correlator is a linear superposition of a set of basic tensor structures fixed by the little group \text{ISO}(2) of massless particles. We map the independent tensor structures to all possible non-crossing double-line diagrams. A further mapping of the double-line diagrams to circular diagrams shows that all independent tensor structures are tensor products of loop diagrams. By extrapolating the bulk-to-boundary correlators to boundary-to-boundary correlators, we find a rich structure for general spin-$s$ operators. Furthermore, we show that the extrapolated operator lies in a type Ib spin-$s$ multiplet representation of Carrollian conformal field theory (CCFT). This is a net representation that generated by the Wigner translation generators.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Diffusion of multiple conserved charges from entropy production

Samapan Bhadury, Arpan Das, Sandeep Chatterjee et al. (+1 more)

We derive dissipative relativistic hydrodynamic equations in the presence of multiple conserved charges, i.e., baryon number ($B$), electric charge ($Q$), and strangeness ($S$), using the Chapman-Enskog (CE) method within the kinetic theory approach. The relativistic Boltzmann equation is solved within the relaxation-time approximation with a momentum-independent relaxation time in the collision term. We derive both first-order (Navier-Stokes limit) and second-order dissipative hydrodynamic equations. Within the kinetic theory framework, using the Boltzmann's H-theorem, and by demanding that for a dissipative system, the entropy must be produced, we find different transport coefficients at the first-order and second-order gradient expansion of the out-of-equilibrium distribution function around the local equilibrium. Apart from the well-known transport coefficients, the shear ($\eta$) and the bulk ($\zeta$) viscosities , we also find the diffusion matrix elements ($\kappa_{qq^{\prime}}$) for the conserved charges $B$, $Q$ and $S$. The diffusion matrix elements ($\kappa_{qq^{\prime}}$) are important to model the multi-component diffusion dynamics sourced by inhomogeneous baryon stopping in the initial state of heavy-ion collisions. We estimate the temperature ($T$) and chemical potential dependence of diagonal and off-diagonal elements of the diffusion matrix elements for the (2+1) flavor quark-gluon plasma. We further estimate the ratio $\kappa_{qq^{\prime}}T/\eta$ for a wide range of temperature and chemical potentials to show the relative importance of the diffusion matrix elements compared to other transport coefficients.
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All authors Samapan Bhadury, Arpan Das, Sandeep Chatterjee, Hiranmaya Mishra

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

On Cosmological Correlators with Boundary Contributions

Yanjiao Ma, Dong-Gang Wang, Xiangwei Wang et al. (+2 more)

Cosmological correlators receive contributions from both field interactions in the bulk of quasi-de Sitter (dS) spacetime and boundary terms at the end of inflation. While most of the research efforts focus on the former, boundary contributions are normally believed to be negligible or related to field redefinitions that are associated with redundancies of the bulk Lagrangian. In this paper, we revisit this topic in the light of the cosmological bootstrap. We first establish the correspondence between boundary terms and field redefinitions for cosmological correlators. This result provides a set of criteria for determining when boundary terms lead to non-vanishing contributions to cosmological observables. Next, we apply this general understanding to concrete examples of correlators from massive-exchange diagrams, in both dS-invariant and boost-breaking scenarios. For theories with dS isometries, both IBP and field redefinitions are used to relate derivative and non-derivative exchange diagrams, from which the leading boundary contributions and IR-divergent pieces are extracted; we also derive recursion relations among higher-derivative exchange correlators. For theories with broken dS boosts, we use IBP and EoM to reduce exchange diagrams to a basis of independent templates, and then present a classification of the boundary contributions in the general effective field theory framework. These results pave the way for a more systematic investigation on the boundary physics of the inflationary spacetime.
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All authors Yanjiao Ma, Dong-Gang Wang, Xiangwei Wang, Yi Wang, Wenqi Yu

High Energy Physics (Theory)

A note on the 2D NLSM free energy

Yizhuang Liu

This note contains the perturbative computation of the 2D non-linear sigma model (NLSM) energy-density in a chemical potential $h$, at the fourth order in the coupling constant expansion. The result is in fully agreement with the $h\rightarrow \infty$ asymptotics extracted from the thermodynamical Bethe ansatz (TBA).
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Spin-orbit correlation of quarks within quarkonium

Tianyang Hu, Xianghui Cao, Siqi Xu et al. (+3 more)

The spin-orbit correlation (SOC) provides a unique probe into the internal spin structure of hadrons. Defined via the parity-odd (P-odd) energy-momentum tensor (EMT), this observable can remain non-vanishing even in systems where the total angular momentum is zero. In this study, we connect the formal field-theoretical definition of the SOC to a non-perturbative quantum many-body framework utilizing light-front dynamics. Furthermore, we show how the SOC can be extracted directly from the hadronic matrix elements of the P-odd EMT, establishing a pathway to access this observable within the partonic picture. As a practical application, we compute the transverse and longitudinal SOC distributions for charmonium and $B_c$ mesons. While our findings align with rough estimates based on the Clebsch-Gordan decomposition, we demonstrate that these observables yield rich, non-trivial information regarding partonic dynamics.
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All authors Tianyang Hu, Xianghui Cao, Siqi Xu, Weijie Du, Qin-Tao Song, Yang Li

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Chiral symmetry breaking in models with unconventional supersymmetry

Pedro D. Alvarez, Cristian Villavicencio and Jorge Zanelli

We investigate dynamical mass generation in a geometrically constructed gauge theory based on the super Lie algebra $su(2,2|3)$, in which gravity, Yang-Mills fields, and fermions are unified as components of a single gauge connection. The model contains no elementary scalar fields and no ad hoc four-fermion interactions. Instead, fermionic self-interactions arise unavoidably from the geometric structure of the theory, through nonminimal couplings and torsion associated with the unified connection. Upon reduction to an effective low-energy description, these interactions generate a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio–type potential that triggers chiral symmetry breaking and the formation of a fermion mass gap. In this framework, mass generation emerges as a direct consequence of the underlying gauge-geometric and algebraic structure, rather than as an independent dynamical assumption.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Bulk viscosity of a binary mixture: the role of the intra-species interaction

Gabriele Parisi, Vincenzo Nugara, Shams Ul Arfeen et al. (+2 more)

The bulk viscosity $\zeta$ is a transport coefficient which is of central importance for various areas of modern physics. In particular, its determination for a mixture of more than one fluid is challenging, since it involves a complex interplay of multiple microscopic processes that operate on different time scales. Within the Chapman-Enskog framework, based on a series expansion of the Boltzmann distribution function, many previous works have derived the 1$^{\text{st}}$ order result for the $\zeta$ of a mixture. However, such a result fails to reproduce relevant physical features of the system, especially when the masses of the two components are similar. In this work we improve the 1$^{\text{st}}$ order Chapman-Enskog result by deriving the $\zeta$ at the 2$^{\text{nd}}$ order in the expansion. We show that this improved formula encodes many physical properties that the 1$^{\text{st}}$ order result misses: under specific conditions, the 2$^{\text{nd}}$ order result can be qualitatively and quantitatively very different from the 1$^{\text{st}}$ order one. Moreover, this result is compared against the $\zeta$ evaluated within the Green-Kubo formalism, by means of a numerical solution of the Relativistic Boltzmann equation. The agreement with respect to this benchmark is significantly improved when moving from the 1$^{\text{st}}$ to the 2$^{\text{nd}}$ order CE result.
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All authors Gabriele Parisi, Vincenzo Nugara, Shams Ul Arfeen, Salvatore Plumari, Vincenzo Greco

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Lecture notes: Introduction to the Off-shell Double Copy Program

Eric Lescano

The present notes are based on a series of lectures prepared for an introductory eight-class course on the modern framework of the off-shell double copy. The course was held from April 16 to May 4, 2026, at Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). These lectures, aimed at PhD and master's students, are self-contained and require only a basic knowledge of classical field theory. The main goal is to review the fundamental concepts of gauge and gravitational theories in order to explore the off-shell frameworks of the single and double copy. In the final part of the course, we explore modern approaches to reinterpreting the single and double copy within T-duality-invariant frameworks.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from cond-mat.str-el

Understanding deconfined quantum critical points from crystalline categorical Landau paradigm

Hiromi Ebisu, Bo Han and Weiguang Cao

Deconfined quantum critical points (DQCPs) involving lattice symmetries evade the conventional Landau paradigm because the competing orders break incompatible internal and crystalline symmetries. We show that a class of DQCPs can nevertheless be understood as Landau-type transitions after gauging anomalous onsite symmetries. For spin chains with Lieb-Schultz-Mattis (LSM) anomalies, gauging produces a noninvertible lattice translation whose fusion closes only up to ordinary translations, giving rise to a crystalline categorical symmetry. In the gauged description, the original DQCP becomes a transition between different symmetry breaking patterns of this categorical symmetry. We demonstrate this mechanism in microscopic lattice models; the magnetic-valence-bond-solid (VBS) DQCP realizes a Rep($D_8$)-type crystalline categorical Landau transition, whereas a y-antiferromagnetic-VBS DQCP realizes a Rep($H_8$)-type one. Although Rep($D_8$) and Rep($H_8$) share the same fusion rules, they have inequivalent $F$-symbols and therefore define distinct categorical descriptions. Our results show that the universal categorical structure underlying these DQCPs is encoded in the full fusion category, rather than in the fusion ring alone.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Scalarized extremal black holes in the Einstein-Maxwell-scalar theory with two U(1) fields

Xiao Yan Chew and Yun Soo Myung

We study scalarized extremal black holes in the Einstein-Maxwell-scalar (EMS) theory with two different scalar couplings to two U(1) fields. This theory is inspired by the dyonic EMS theory. Two scalarzied extremal black holes are found with constant scalar hair. We confirm that these are exactly obtained from the extremal scalarization and entropy function approaches. This may imply that it is not easy to find extremal black holes with primary scalar hair.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Detecting Topological Transitions and Anisotropy through Multipartite Entanglement in Holographic Weyl Semimetals

Xiantong Chen, Xuanting Ji, Wen-Peng Li et al. (+1 more)

We study multipartite entanglement structures in the zero-temperature holographic Weyl semimetal, focusing on tripartite and four-partite structures. For strip regions, we compute the conditional mutual information, the entanglement wedge cross section, tripartite measures $\kappa$ and the Markov gap, multi-EWCS, and two multi-EWCS based four-partite signals $\Delta$ and $g$. These quantities are studied as functions of the strip width $l$ and the tuning parameter across the topological transition. At large $l$, their $l$ dependence takes a power-law form governed by the IR scaling of the system. At fixed large $l$, all these entanglement quantities develop clear features near the critical point, showing that tripartite and four-partite entanglement structures can diagnose the topological quantum phase transition. We further study strips pointing in different directions to probe the anisotropy of the system. The anisotropic large l behavior distinguishes the nontrivial phase from the trivial phase. These results establish multipartite holographic entanglement as a sensitive, nonlocal probe of topological phase transitions and anisotropic IR physics.
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All authors Xiantong Chen, Xuanting Ji, Wen-Peng Li, Ya-Wen Sun

High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from math.QA

BV construction of SUSY vertex algebras from SUSY factorization algebras

Shintarou Yanagida

We construct $N=1$ supersymmetric (SUSY) vertex algebras from supersymmetric enhancements of Costello–Gwilliam factorization algebras on super Riemann surfaces. Introducing SUSY factorization algebras defined on embedded SUSY disks together with natural symmetry conditions, we prove a SUSY analogue of the Costello–Gwilliam extraction theorem. As an application, we study the holomorphic sigma model in the BV formalism. For a linear target, we obtain the free $bc$-$\beta\gamma$ system and recover its structure as a SUSY vertex algebra. For general complex targets, we describe the descent of the theory under coordinate changes and identify the resulting SUSY vertex algebra with the chiral de Rham complex. We further show that Ricci-flat Kähler and hyperkähler targets give rise to $N=2$ and $N=4$ supersymmetric enhancements introduced by Ben-Zvi–Heluani–Szczesny.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

On Quantum Aspects of 1-Form Symmetries I: BV-BRST Cohomology and Anomaly Polynomials

Weizhen Jia, Yi-Nan Wang and Yi Zhang

We investigate the quantum aspects of gauging continuous 1-form global symmetries. In this paper, we study the BV-BRST quantization of a $U(1)$ 2-form gauge field, described geometrically by a $U(1)$ gerbe. Starting from the local Čech data of the gerbe, we construct the corresponding infinitesimal symmetry structure in terms of a Lie 2-algebroid, and show that, together with the associated exact Courant algebroid, it provides a natural geometric framework for the BV-BRST complex of this higher-form gauge theory. In this formulation, the field-ghost tower is encoded directly in the local gerbe data, and the higher Russian formula arises naturally from the relations among the connective structure, the curving, and the 3-form curvature. We further show that the resulting Čech-de Rham bicomplex provides a natural setting for anomaly descent for $U(1)$ 1-form symmetries, and illustrate the construction with explicit examples in Maxwell theory.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Charting the different phases of Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons-Higgs theories

Daniel O. R. Azevedo, Gustavo P. de Brito, Philipe De Fabritiis et al. (+1 more)

We explore Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theories coupled to a Higgs-like field in the fundamental representation of $SU(2)$ quantized in linear covariant gauges in three Euclidean dimensions. We analyze the modifications in the analytic structure of the gluon propagator due to the elimination of infinitesimal Gribov copies. The interplay between the Higgs, the Chern-Simons and Gribov mass parameters is investigated. Two different phases are identified: a confining one, where all poles are complex, and a deconfined one, where would-be physical gluon excitation can appear. Unlike previous works, the Gribov parameter is consistently fixed by its gap equation as a function of the other mass parameters and the gauge coupling. This imposes a constraint in the parameter space and makes transparent how the competition of the mass parameters affects the relevance of the Gribov parameter for the characterization of the spectrum of the theory.
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All authors Daniel O. R. Azevedo, Gustavo P. de Brito, Philipe De Fabritiis, Antonio D. Pereira

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Notes on (-2)-form symmetries

Pinak Banerjee, Alonso Perez-Lona, Daniel Robbins et al. (+3 more)

We study $(-2)$-form symmetries of a $d$-dimensional quantum field theory, via a $(-1)$-form symmetry of its $(d+1)$-dimensional Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SymTFT), realized by a non-genuine codimension-one defect in the SymTFT bulk attached to a spacetime-filling topological operator. Unlike a $(-1)$-form symmetry of a $d$-dimensional theory, which merely shifts a parameter of the absolute theory, a $(-2)$-form symmetry modifies the SymTFT action, and thereby relates theories whose ordinary global symmetries differ by anomaly data or by the associator data of a non-invertible symmetry. We illustrate the construction in two-dimensional toy models, three-dimensional ABJM-type theories, four-dimensional generalized Yang–Mills theory, and in a fusion-categorical example relating the non-invertible symmetries $\operatorname{Rep}(D_4)$ and $\operatorname{Rep}(Q_8)$. We then develop a club-sandwich realization, in which a quarter-gauging operation interfaces between IR phases of distinct RG flows of a common UV theory, and an alternative realization via nested discrete gauging. Finally, we present a holographic, top-down realization in which the type IIA Romans mass plays the role of a $(-2)$-form background for a three-dimensional Chern–Simons-matter theory, with shifts of the Romans mass realizing shifts of the boundary anomaly coefficients. We also discuss related constructions for coupled bulk–boundary systems.
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All authors Pinak Banerjee, Alonso Perez-Lona, Daniel Robbins, Subham Roy, Eric Sharpe, Xingyang Yu

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Hodge theory and $G_4$ fluxes in weighted projective spaces: Galois action

Hugo Fortin and Daniel López Garcia

We extend the explicit study of $G_4$-fluxes and general Hodge cycles from the ordinary Fermat sextic fourfold to tame Fermat-type hypersurfaces in weighted projective space. The main new feature in the weighted setting is that the Galois action on the cyclotomic period data need not preserve the $(2,2)$-subspace. As a consequence, the rational reconstruction of an integral self-dual class can involve additional middle-cohomology components, increasing the norm of the corresponding flux. We work at maximally symmetric Fermat points, where the period matrices and symmetry-invariant Hodge loci can be computed explicitly. Using Movasati's description of periods, cyclotomic period matrices, and Hermite/Smith normal form reductions, we construct the relevant integral lattices of symmetric self-dual classes in middle cohomology. This gives a controlled test of whether symmetric general Hodge cycles can satisfy the M2-brane tadpole bound. Our main conclusion is empirical. In the degree 12 example in $\mathbb{P}_{1,1,1,1,4,4}$, and in the degree 8 weighted example used as a comparison, the shortest computed symmetric general Hodge cycles overshoot the tadpole bound. In the degree 36 example in $\mathbb{P}_{1,1,1,9,12,12}$, which has $h^{1,1}=11$, the most general example we have, the tadpole conjecture is indeed verified at the maximally symmetric locus, although the computations get difficult and computationally expensive. These computations suggest that, in weighted Fermat examples, the relevant notion of a “symmetric flux” must take into account not only automorphisms of the variety but also the Galois action on the period field. Non-uniform Galois orbits provide a natural arithmetic mechanism by which symmetric Hodge classes can acquire large tadpole charge.
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Wednesday 3 June

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

A Landscape of Cosmological Decoherence

S. Shajidul Haque and Bret Underwood

Current observations constrain primordial perturbations to be adiabatic, approximately Gaussian, and nearly-scale invariant. However, a generic mixed state satisfying these constraints has additional unconstrained degrees of freedom, which can be parameterized by the purity of the state and its momentum variance. This allowable parameter space reveals a unified geometric landscape of mixed states, allowing us to map and relate distinct models of decoherence and their respective pointer bases. Within this landscape we show that decoherence models that "classicalize" – in the sense of admitting a regular, positive-definite Glauber-Sudarshan $P$-function – must actively inject momentum into the system, exceeding that of the vacuum. The enhanced momentum sources the decaying mode of the curvature perturbation, backreacting on the Newtonian potential and radiation-era geometry. While this mode decays away fast enough to preserve the temporal coherence of the CMB acoustic peaks, requiring the potential to remain within linear perturbation theory places a model-independent bound on the momentum variance generated by any model of decoherence. This bound is definitively violated by decohered thermal states with more than $14$ e-folds of inflation, while a strong dependence on the number of e-folds restricts amplitude-basis decoherence to fewer than roughly $64$ e-folds of inflation in order to stay in the linear regime. Altogether, we present a unifying framework for evaluating the quantum-to-classical transition of the early universe.
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High Energy Physics (Theory) · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Black Bounce Solutions from a Self-Interacting 3-Form Field in General Relativity

Francisco S.N. Lobo and Manuel E. Rodrigues

We construct a new class of black-bounce solutions sourced by a self-interacting 3-form field minimally coupled to general relativity and a scalar field. The 3-form field, which naturally arises in string theory, supergravity, and cosmological models, provides the anisotropic effective stresses required to sustain regular geometries that interpolate smoothly between black holes and traversable wormholes. By exploiting the Hodge duality between a 3-form and a 1-form in four dimensions, we reduce the field equations and obtain exact solutions through the direct integration of the coupled equations of motion. In particular, the solutions are derived from algebraic combinations and manipulations of the Einstein, scalar, and 3-form field equations, starting from a complete action principle, without employing the usual reconstruction procedure in which the metric ansatz is imposed a priori and the matter sector is reconstructed afterwards. This approach reveals two distinct classes of solutions. The first one yields a globally phantom scalar field and a metric function with a characteristic arctangent dependence, reducing to the Schwarzschild-(anti) de Sitter spacetime in the limit of vanishing 3-form coupling. The second class produces a constant 3-form Lagrangian and, remarkably, a partially canonical scalar field, namely phantom only near the bounce and canonical outside the event horizon, a feature previously attainable mainly in modified theories of gravity, but which emerges here within pure general relativity. Both families are globally regular, as confirmed by the finiteness of the Kretschmann scalar, and exhibit an asymmetric horizon structure inherited from the 3-form energy-density distribution. These results demonstrate that the 3-form black-bounce framework is both mathematically consistent and observationally viable.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Dirichlet walls and the end of time

Hanako Helton, Gary T. Horowitz and Donald Marolf

We study evolution in Einstein-Hilbert gravity with Dirichlet boundary conditions imposed on a finite surface. We argue that there are open sets of initial data where such evolutions terminate at finite times due to singularities that reach the boundary. In any dimension, the simplest such examples occur in cosmologies. However, in 2+1 dimensions we also show that Dirichlet walls initially outside a BTZ black hole can fall through the horizon, and that this also leads to generic singularities. A similar construction in higher dimensions leads to trapped surfaces that reach the wall, though the end result of such evolutions is more difficult to study.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

The spectrum of the bosonic ambitwistor string revisited

José M. Figueroa-O'Farrill and Girish S. Vishwa

We revisit the calculation of the spectrum of the bosonic ambitwistor string, understood as the BRST cohomology or, equivalently, as the semi-infinite cohomology of the $\mathrm{BMS}_3$ Lie algebra relative to the centre with values in a particular module. We work in momentum space, which allows us to work algebraically and interpret the BRST cohomology as inducing representations of the Poincaré group. In agreement with the existing literature, we find that all the cohomology resides in the massless sector, but a careful representation-theoretic analysis of the spectrum reveals, in addition to the usual massless sector of the closed bosonic string (dilaton, metric and Kalb–Ramond field), also a massless vector. We devote a large part of the paper to describing the cohomology at a massless momentum $p$ as a module over the stabiliser $H$ of $p$ in the Lorentz group, a task which is made difficult due to $H$ not acting reducibly when $p\neq 0$. This allows us to conclude that the spectrum is not unitary, forbidding the interpretation of the extra massless vector as a Maxwell field.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Optical properties of gravitating strings

Marcos Silva and Azadeh Mohammadi

We study the optical properties of gravitating Abelian-Higgs cosmic strings and compare them with those of the idealized infinitely thin string. We analyze the structure of the corresponding vortex solutions, characterizing their width, curvature profile, and approach to the ideal string limit. By investigating photon propagation in the string spacetime, we show that the finite core of the vortex gives rise to distinctive observational signatures absent in the ideal string approximation, including a characteristic triple-imaging configuration, strong demagnification of the central image, and a nontrivial Shapiro time delay between external and internal images. We determine how these effects depend on the parameters of the Abelian-Higgs model and show that the sign of the time delay is controlled by the ratio of the gauge boson mass to the Higgs boson mass, causing the string core to behave as either a temporal shortcut or a temporal barrier. Our results demonstrate that lensing effects can reveal information about the vortex formation and internal structure.
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High Energy Physics (Theory)

Carrollian holography with agentic AI: Real mass is imaginary

Reiko Liu, Wen-Jie Ma, Hu Zheng et al. (+1 more)

We introduce LACIA, a verification-driven agentic AI workflow for theoretical physics, and apply it with independent human checks to construct Carrollian conformal bases. We develop the Poincare-Carrollian intertwiner as the central method. It reproduces the celestial and Carrollian conformal bases for massless particles and constructs the missing Carrollian bases for massive and tachyonic particles. The massive basis requires a complex momentum shift in scattering amplitudes.
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All authors Reiko Liu, Wen-Jie Ma, Hu Zheng, Yu-fan Zheng

High Energy Physics (Theory)

BPS Non-Renormalization in the BMN Matrix Model

Sean Colin-Ellerin and Kyriakos Papadodimas

We show in the $(0+1)$-dimensional Berenstein-Maldacena-Nastase matrix model, dual to M-theory on a pp-wave background, that the coupling can be changed between any two finite, non-zero values using a special class of deformations, known as conjugation deformations. Importantly, we prove that they preserve normalizability of the states. This implies that BPS states in the model cannot lift as the couplings are varied, and hence their (unsigned) number cannot change, except at the free point and Banks-Fischler-Shenker-Susskind point.
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