Papers

Deep thermalisation characterises the emergence of universal quantum state ensembles on subsystems due to projective measurements on their complement. We study the notion of locality, or lack thereof, in this phenomenon by considering a subsystem partitioned into two disjoint subregions which remain causally disconnected at all times under unitary dynamics. We show that the onset of deep thermalisation in this geometry is fundamentally bounded by measurement-induced entanglement teleportation between the subregions. While measurements on the environment generate entanglement across the disconnected partitions – suggesting an apparent non-locality – we demonstrate that generic locally interacting systems exhibit an emergent locality. Specifically, the timescales for both deep thermalisation and entanglement teleportation scale logarithmically with the distance separating the subregions. Exceptions to this include special circuits where the randomness of the measurement outcomes is perfectly transmitted to the ensemble of states of the subsystem, conditioned on the outcomes; in such cases the timescale for deep thermalisation is finite leading to genuine non-locality.

In the last decades, spacetime noncommutativity and the associated deformations of relativistic symmetries have attracted a lot of interest, as several phenomenological windows into quantum gravity are approaching genuine Planck-scale sensitivity. However, the physical significance of the mathematical structures introduced to deal with spacetime noncommutativity is still debated, and some crucial pieces are missing or poorly understood. From time to time it has been suggested that valuable insight into these conceptual challenges could come from the analysis of appropriately designed first-quantized toy models, in which major technical and interpretive issues can be effectively managed or sidestepped altogether. In this paper we take seriously this suggestion and develop the first fully consistent and fully relativistic first-quantized model of two particles propagating and interacting on a noncommutative spacetime. The specific spacetime noncommutativity implemented in our model, which we call 'time-commutative $\kappa$-plane', had already been proposed as a suitable arena for a first-quantized analysis, but previous studies were mostly heuristic and failed to provide a full description of the deformed relativistic symmetries. We here go much beyond those pioneering attempts: we find a full characterization of the appropriate deformed Poincaré symmetry algebra as well as its Galilean limit; we build a single-particle quantum model carrying an irreducible representation of the deformed Galilei algebra; we exhibit two consistent, Galilean-relativistic descriptions of a system of two quantum particles interacting via a deformed harmonic potential, finding that the structure of the two-particle symmetry generators is intimately connected with the deformation of the interaction law.

Using the effective field theory of multiple inflationary fluctuations, we present the first analytical calculation of the primordial bispectrum in which the quadratic mixing between curvature and isocurvature fluctuations is treated non-perturbatively. Building upon the operator representation of the exact linear solutions proposed in Ref.~\cite{Huenupi:2026abj}, we derive a simpler integral representation for these mixed mode functions. We prove that all scale-invariant tree-level bispectra reduce to a single vertex diagram, which can be evaluated with a Schwinger-parameter integral over independent pre-computable leg kernels. We showcase the power of our approach by considering the cubic time-derivative interaction $\dot{\pic}^3$, which leads to a purely single-field, equilateral phenomenology at small mixing. On the contrary, at strong mixing the obtained bispectrum shapes decorrelate from the equilateral template and become genuinely multifield, with a large amplitude, motivating a dedicated data analysis. The squeezed limit is obtained analytically in a closed form at any dimensionless mixing strength $\la$ for an isocurvature field of bare mass $m$ and features a cosmological collider signal set by $\nu_{\rm eff} = i \muf=\sqrt{9/4-m^2/H^2-\la^2}$, with an effective mass dressed by $\la$, as previously evidenced in numerical or semi-analytical calculations. Our results encompass the $\la \ll 1$ limit of usual perturbative calculations, where the amplitude of the signal is necessarily small, but they also surpass them, thus opening a new analytical window into large multifield primordial non-Gaussianities.

We investigate the effects of the leading string-inspired quartic correction $\alpha'^2F^4$ on holographic fermions and charge transport in a bottom-up AdS$_4$/CFT$_3$ model. Working in the probe limit, we derive the nonlinear electrostatic background, obtain an exact first integral of the gauge equation, establish the associated constitutive relation, and identify the endpoint of the globally regular electrostatic branch. A nonlinear response function naturally emerges from the gauge sector and provides a unified description of the background, gauge-field fluctuations, and transport coefficients. Using these analytical backgrounds, we compute the fermionic retarded Green's function and spectral function. The quartic interaction shifts the Fermi momentum, enhances the spectral weight, increases the renormalized Fermi velocity, and reduces both momentum and energy linewidths, providing spectroscopic signatures consistent with enhanced quasiparticle coherence while preserving the holographic Fermi surface. We further investigate optical and DC conductivities, showing that the nonlinear interaction redistributes the optical response from the infrared toward intermediate frequencies, whereas the DC conductivity is obtained analytically as $\sigma_{\mathrm{DC}}=\mathcal K(1)=\rho/E(1)$ and decreases monotonically with increasing nonlinear coupling. These results establish a direct connection between nonlinear bulk electrodynamics, momentum-resolved spectroscopic observables, and transport properties in the dual strongly coupled theory.

In this work I study the effect of a magnetic field on the Casimir effect due to a massive, charged fermion field that violates Lorentz invariance in an aether-like manner while maintaining CPT, in a space with one toroidally compactified extra dimension. I take the fermion field to obey MIT bag boundary conditions on two identical square parallel plates. I do this investigation using the zeta function technique that enables me to calculate the Casimir energy and pressure in the presence of a constant magnetic field perpendicular to the plates. I examine the cases of timelike Lorentz violation, of spacelike Lorentz violation in the direction of the magnetic field, of spacelike Lorentz violation in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field, and of spacelike Lorentz violation in the direction of the compactified extra dimension. In all scenarios, I find simple and accurate analytic expressions of the magnetic field dependent Casimir energy and pressure.

Collinear splitting functions govern parton evolution, parton showers, and resummation at high-energy colliders. While on-shell spinor-helicity methods have successfully yielded massless QCD splitting functions, a complete on-shell construction for massive particles, systematically incorporating finite-mass effects, is less developed. We present an on-shell constructive formalism for massive collinear splitting functions based on Soper-Weinberg collinear spinors, whose transformation properties follow from a light-front Galilean subgroup of the Poincaré group. Decomposing massive momenta and spinors with respect to fixed lightlike vectors $n$ and $\bar n$ makes the expansion in the alignment regime $m<p_T\ll p_+$ manifest. The leading-order structures are matched to massless three-point amplitudes, while an additional Higgs momentum along $\bar n$ probes the subleading spinor components and relates them to massless four-point amplitudes. We derive the complete set of leading and subleading massive splitting functions for all Standard Model particles and establish a systematic matching dictionary between massless and massive coupling coefficients at both the three- and four-point levels. Higher-point splitting functions are obtained through the recursive bootstrap relation with a universal substitution rule as a consequence of the Galilean symmetry. This constructive framework extends naturally to effective field theory operators and higher perturbative orders, providing a flexible computational tool for precision collider physics and parton shower development.

We investigate the effects of excited normal modes on vortex dynamics in the Abelian Higgs model in the type I (static attraction) and type II (static repulsion) regimes. We demonstrate that shape normal modes compete with the static inter-vortex forces. This can result in excited type I (II) vortices repelling (attracting). In addition we observe the existence of spectral walls that prevent the formation (break up) of bound states in type I (II) systems. We study the long lived quasi-bound states and orbits induced by their competing forces and the effective centrifugal forces. Finally, we observe that the effect is strong enough to induce vortex-antivortex pairs to follow long-lived orbits.

We study the spacelike-collinear limit of gauge-theory scattering amplitudes using the Method of Regions. The corresponding splitting amplitude violates strict collinear factorisation through its dependence on the non-collinear partons. While the associated colour dependence has long been known, starting at two loops the splitting amplitude also acquires dependence on their kinematics. We show that this kinematic dependence originates from a unique hidden region present in the asymptotic expansion of the five-point amplitude in the spacelike-collinear limit, but absent in the timelike limit. More generally, we propose that hidden regions provide the mechanism by which crossing-related asymptotic limits cease to be analytically connected. We develop a general algorithm for the systematic identification of hidden regions. Applying it to the five-point amplitude in super Yang-Mills theory, we compute the hidden-region contributions to the complete set of basis integrals and recover the exact kinematically dependent factorisation-violating splitting amplitude. In momentum space, the hidden region is characterised by soft and Glauber loop momenta. This explains why the Wilson-line calculation captures the complete kinematic dependence, thereby accounting for the observed universality across gauge theories.

We propose a generalization of the defect extremal surface (DES) prescription to holographic interface conformal field theories (ICFTs), extending its applicability beyond the AdS$_3$/BCFT$_2$ framework. We consider a holographic ICFT$_2$ comprising two CFT$_2$s coupled across an interface, dual to two asymptotically AdS$_3$ geometries joined by a codimension-one end-of-the-world (EOW) brane. In the corresponding effective lower-dimensional description obtained via partial dimensional reduction on the brane-boundary combination, the theory on the brane is coupled to gravity, thereby enabling the computation of fine-grained entanglement entropy via the island formula. We demonstrate that the generalized DES prescription exactly reproduces the effective lower-dimensional results for finite subsystems in time-independent scenarios in the large brane tension limit, corresponding to weak gravitational coupling on the EOW brane. We further compute the entanglement entropy of semi-infinite bipartite pure states in radiation subsystems coupled to $2d$ eternal black holes, and obtain the corresponding Page curves.

Given a compact CY3 $Y$, its A-side (resp. B-side) universal intermediate Jacobian $X$ (resp. $X^{!}$) admits a natural hyperkahler structure. Both $X$ and $X^{!}$ determines 3d Rozansky-Witten theories, in both A-model and B-model. We describe some surprising 3d mirror symmetry phenomena between $X$ and $X^{!}$. This includes (i) a 3d SYZ construction of $X^{!}$ from $X$ via moduli of certain 3d A-branes in $X$ constructed from $D^{b}\left( Y,\Omega \right) $ with varying stability conditions given by $\varpi $; (ii) The 3d B-brane on $X^{!}$, constructed from varying $D^{b}\left( Y,\Omega \right) $ with fixed $\varpi $, is realized as the 3d SYZ transformation of a cotangent fiber 3d A-brane in $X$. Under mirror symmetry between $Y$ and $Y^{\vee }$, the roles for $X$ and $% X^{!}$ got interchanged. We also construct 3d A- and B-branes in $X$ and $X^{!}$ via DT theory and discrete symmetries on $Y$ and $Y^{\vee }$.

We investigate the Casimir effect for a massive real scalar field confined between two perfectly reflecting parallel plates in the presence of a position-dependent effective mass, a mechanism for coupling a scalar background to a scalar field. Exact normal modes are obtained by solving the corresponding Klein-Gordon equation, leading to a transverse energy spectrum that exhibits a characteristic Landau-like structure despite the absence of an external magnetic field. Upon quantization of the field, the vacuum energy is evaluated by means of generalized zeta-function regularization together with an appropriate renormalization procedure. The renormalized vacuum energy naturally separates into a Landau-like contribution and an additional term induced by the spatial dependence of the effective mass. We show analytically and numerically that both contributions are exponentially suppressed in the strong-coupling regime. In the opposite limit, the Landau-like contribution smoothly reproduces the standard vacuum energy for a massive scalar field confined between parallel plates, whereas the additional contribution becomes singular owing to the restricted domain of validity of the exact spectrum. Except in the vicinity of this singular limit, the vacuum energy is shown to be dominated by the Landau-like sector. Our results establish a direct connection between position-dependent effective masses and boundary-induced quantum vacuum phenomena, providing a new exactly solvable framework for the investigation of Casimir effects in spatially inhomogeneous relativistic systems.

An observer which propagates in a spacetime with dynamical gravity has access to an algebra of observables which is expected to be a von Neumann algebra with a trace. The observer can use projections from the algebra to perform local measurements. By using this fact we construct a simplicial complex out of measurements recorded on the worldline of the observer and we propose that such a complex captures topological information about spacetime, even when this is fluctuating.

We investigate dark matter (DM)-admixed neutron stars (NSs) within a self-consistent single-fluid relativistic mean-field framework by extending the Higgs-portal model with a massive $Z^\prime$ vector mediator. The resulting density-dependent repulsive interaction dynamically couples the baryonic matter (BM) and DM sectors, allowing the DM content to be characterized by the global particle fraction, $F_\chi=N_\chi/N_B$, with the local DM density determined self-consistently as $n_\chi=F_\chi n_B$, thereby eliminating the need for the externally prescribed DM Fermi momentum adopted in previous single-fluid models. Using the NL3$\omega\rho$, DD2, and FSU2R EOSs, we show that increasing $F_\chi$ systematically softens the nuclear equation of state (EOS), reduces the maximum NS mass by up to $\sim29\%$, increases stellar compactness, and modifies the thermodynamic response of dense matter. We further derive exact analytical expressions for the adiabatic speed of sound, its density derivative, and the adiabatic index, providing a rigorous benchmark for assessing the causality and thermodynamic stability of DM-admixed EOSs. At the microscopic level, the BM–DM interaction is shown to be dominated by the repulsive $Z^\prime$ vector channel. Our framework establishes a direct connection between collider-motivated WIMP models and the multimessenger phenomenology of NSs, with potential implications for future gravitational-wave and X-ray observations.

In this work, we investigate a cross-section-ratio-based inversion method for extracting distribution functions at the Electron–Ion Collider (EIC). Starting from the general factorization formula $d\sigma = H \otimes f$, we show that, for an appropriate bremsstrahlung process and suitably chosen differential observables, the convolution structure can be reduced to a multiplicative form. On this basis, we define the ratio $R = \frac{d\sigma_{\mathrm{exp}}}{d\sigma_{\mathrm{hard}}},$ where $d\sigma_{\mathrm{exp}}$ is the experimentally measured differential cross section and $d\sigma_{\mathrm{hard}}$ is a perturbatively calculable theoretical input. We then establish the relation between $R$ and the target distribution function $f$. Finally, we investigate how the theoretical input $d\sigma_{\mathrm{hard}}$ should be constructed when soft-photon radiation, finite-bin-width effects, and experimental acceptance are taken into account.

We present a class of regular axisymmetric black hole geometries fully characterized by the parameters $\{{\cal M},a\}$ and possessing the Kerr event horizon. This family interpolates between regular spacetimes, configurations with integrable singularities, and the Kerr solution as a limiting case. Its main features are: (i) the existence of quasi-extremal configurations without requiring $a \approx {\cal M}$; and (ii) a possible framework toward an analytical description of Kerr black hole formation from an initially regular configuration.

We study cosmological collider signatures in a two-field inflationary system with constant-turn derivative mixing between the canonically normalized curvature fluctuation and a massive isocurvature field. Building on recently derived exact hypergeometric solutions that treat the quadratic mixing nonperturbatively, we construct the mixed propagators constituting the cosmological correlators. A Mellin-Barnes approach helps isolate the pair of nonanalytic late-time branches carried by a heavy field. For a cubic isocurvature self-interaction, these branches contribute towards a squeezed bispectrum with a power-law envelope and logarithmic oscillations. The oscillation frequency encodes the heavy mass, while the amplitude and phase retain the full mixing dependence rather than a perturbative expansion. We perform the squeezed limit integral analytically and compare it with numerical results across representative masses and mixing strengths. At fixed mixing we derive the large-mass JWKB expansion of the squeezed correlator and its phase. We also give integral representations for the isocurvature Wightman function. The research idea was suggested by ARC, the calculation was performed by GPT, and the results were checked by the authors.

In a flat crystalline membrane, the low-energy spectrum is dominated by a flexural mode that does not couple to phonon Hall viscosity. We show that static curvature converts normal motion into in-plane strain and thereby opens a Hall-active flexural channel. Tracefree curvature couples directly to Hall-active shear, while mean curvature acts indirectly through the shear generated by ordinary in-plane elasticity. Together, these channels generate in-plane phonon angular momentum along the surface normal. For statistically isotropic shallow ripples, the time average has a definite sign fixed by the Hall viscosity, producing a steady field-odd torque proportional to the mean-square curvature. Using the measured bulk Hall viscosity of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ to set the scale, we estimate a torque of order $10^{-22}\,\mathrm{N\,m}$ for a few-layer membrane, within reach of demonstrated torsional sensors. The same flexural-to-shear response provides a probe of phonon Hall viscosity in atomically thin crystals.

Bubble-wall friction controls the dynamics of first-order cosmological phase transitions. In Boltzmann-equation approaches, a major uncertainty arises from infrared gauge bosons, whose contribution is artificially enhanced in the massless approximation. We study the impact of thermal masses by including them consistently in both the Liouville operator and the collision integrals. Thermal masses suppress the source term for out-of-equilibrium perturbations while also reducing interaction rates. These effects largely cancel for top quarks, giving only percent-level changes, but they strongly suppress the infrared gauge-boson contribution, shifting the dominant momenta to scales of order the temperature. As a result, gauge bosons become subleading and wall velocities are close to those obtained from top-quark friction alone. We illustrate this in the singlet-extended Standard Model. Our results show that thermal masses reduce the sensitivity of friction calculations to the poorly controlled infrared sector of the plasma.

Bosonic invertible and symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases are well-known to be described by ordinary cohomology groups in low dimensions, but `beyond-cohomology' phases appear in higher dimensions. We make a systematic study of them, and find that the first major non-triviality is a mod-3 phenomenon, and not a mod-2 phenomenon as in the case of fermionic phases. We also point out that this is a dual manifestation of the classic question of Steenrod, namely the issue of the existence of homology cycles without manifold representatives. Thom developed the theory of cobordisms to answer this question, and we explain how the same analysis leads to Dijkgraaf-Witten phases which are nontrivial on general simplicial complexes but become trivial on manifolds.

With generalized central binomial coefficients $ \binom{2x}{x}:=\frac{\Gamma(2x+1)}{[\Gamma(x+1)]^2}$ defined through Euler's gamma function, we represent deformed Apéry-like series \[ \mathscr A_{s,n}:=\sum_{k=1}^\infty\left.\!\frac{\partial^n}{\partial x^n}\frac{1}{x^s\binom{2x}{x}}\right|_{x=k} \] by multiple Clausen values (MCVs), which belong to a special class of cyclotomic multiple zeta values (CMZVs) at level $3$. For example, exploiting provable algebraic relations among MCVs, we show that \[\mathscr A_{1,5}=-\frac{9[495L(\chi_{-3},6)-30\pi^{2}L(\chi_{-3},4)-2\pi^{4}L(\chi_{-3},2)]}{4}\]and\[\mathscr A_{4,4}=\frac{352\zeta_{5,3}}{15}+\frac{752537\pi^{8}}{10206000},\]where $ L(\chi_{-3},s):=\sum_{n=0}^\infty\left[(3n+1)^{-s}-(3n+2)^{-s}\right]$ and $\zeta_{5,3}:=\sum_{m>n>0}m^{-5}n^{-3}$.

We develop an analytic treatment of primordial non-Gaussianity in multifield inflation that is nonperturbative in the constant curvature–isocurvature mixing strength $\lambda$. Using exact linear solutions for the coupled curvature perturbation $\zeta$ and isocurvature perturbation $\sigma$, we construct dressed propagators and derive exact integral representations for the tree-level bispectra generated by the interactions $\dot\zeta^2\sigma$, $\dot\zeta\,\sigma^2$, and $\sigma^3$. This formalism resums curvature–isocurvature transfer to all orders in $\lambda$ and applies for arbitrary values of the entropy mass $\mu$. We obtain closed-form expressions for the leading squeezed limit of the bispectrum contributions and recover the well-known cosmological-collider and quasi-single-field results in the weak-mixing limit. In the strong-mixing regime, where conventional transfer perturbation theory breaks down, we find that both the power spectrum and the bispectrum can be dramatically enhanced, giving rise to distinctive nonperturbative scaling laws for the reduced non-Gaussian amplitude. Together, these results open a new analytic window onto multifield inflation beyond the weak-coupling approximation and establish a framework for studying cosmological-collider signals, primordial-black-hole production, and loop corrections in strongly mixed inflationary dynamics.

Wide binary stars provide natural laboratories for directly probing gravity in the low-acceleration regime, as dark matter inferred from any viable gravity has negligible effects on their internal dynamics. Various recent studies including Bayesian 3D analyses have shown that wide binaries with separations greater than several thousand astronomical units experience MOND-type gravity with a boost factor of $\gamma\approx 1.3-1.6$. However, results claiming preference for, or no deviation from, standard gravity have also been published during the same period, particularly highlighting the roles of data quality control and realistic modeling of multiple-star (i.e., triple and higher-order) systems that host hidden companion stars. Here we carefully reexamine the issues of data quality control and modeling multiple-star systems in statistical gravity tests based on sky-projected 2D velocities of wide binary stars. Through extensive tests including the acceleration-plane test, the $\tilde v$-distribution test, and the median-$\tilde v$-profile test (where $\tilde v$ is the sky-plane 2D relative velocity normalized by the Newtonian circular velocity between the two stars), we show that proper data quality control or reasonable variation in multiple-star modeling cannot remove the low-acceleration gravitational anomaly but confirms the MOND-type gravitational anomaly, particularly consistent with recent realistic MOND solutions of wide binary orbits. We find that studies claiming no evidence for the low-acceleration gravitational anomaly are consequences of bypassed calibration of the fraction of multiple-star systems using the Newtonian-regime data, bias-introduction in data quality control that is not taken into account in gravity tests, or insufficient statistics in the low-acceleration regime.

Chiral superconductivity has recently been confirmed in rhombohedral tetra- and pentalayer graphene near the BCS–BEC crossover, but no theory tells the experimentalist what thermal Hall response to expect, or why any signal should persist above the phase-coherence temperature $T_c$. We show that the parity anomaly of $(2{+}1)$-dimensional field theory fixes the answer exactly, at all temperatures, with no free parameters: $\kappa_{xy}/T = (\pi^2 k_B^2/6h)\,C_{\rm BdG}\,\tanh[\Delta(T)/(2k_BT)]$, where $C_{\rm BdG}$ is the BdG Chern number and $\Delta(T)$ is the fermionic excitation gap. The BCS–BEC two-gap relation $\Delta^2 = \Delta_{\rm sc}^2 + \Delta_{\rm pg}^2$ makes the same formula govern both the condensate and pseudogap regimes, so the signal onsets at the pair-formation temperature $T^{*}$ rather than at $T_c$. Coleman–Hill non-renormalization and the $c_1 = 0$ theorem protect this result against interactions and finite-size artefacts. Three independent numerical validations confirm the topological input at machine precision (FHS Chern numbers, Wilson-loop $c_1 = 0$ test) and at the many-body level (DMRG on 28 converged ground states, including the real-space $p+ip$ signature $\arg\mathcal{A}_y - \arg\mathcal{A}_x = -\pi/2$ recovered to $10^{-14}$). The theory delivers an immediate falsifiable test that requires no new experimental apparatus: the sign of $\kappa_{xy}/T$ below $T_c$ must equal the sign of the anomalous Hall resistance $R_{xy}$ already measured above $T_c$, and four further predictions accessible by dilution-refrigerator nano-calorimetry on existing devices.

After removing the constant adjoint modes associated with global gauge rotations, we recast the Landau-gauge Faddeev-Popov zero-mode problem in Birman-Schwinger form on a periodic domain. The construction yields a self-adjoint Faddeev-Popov realization under the stated regularity assumptions and a normalized operator with a fixed spectral criterion for the first Gribov horizon. The same formulation relates the horizon condition to the ghost resolvent at fixed gauge background while distinguishing fixed-background spectral information from ensemble-averaged propagators. For a periodic transverse background in SU(2) Yang-Mills theory, the zero-mode equation reduces to a Mathieu problem, allowing the horizon threshold to be determined independently through spectral and finite-channel methods. The construction also yields explicit volume dependence for the critical background and its classical action.

Open systems are ubiquitous in physics. Many realistic systems interact, at least weakly, with environmental degrees of freedom that may be too numerous, too complicated, inaccessible, or unknown. When only a subset of degrees of freedom is observed, its reduced dynamics can differ qualitatively from that of a closed system, displaying dissipation, noise, decoherence, memory effects, or loss of information into unobserved sectors. When the microscopic description is also unknown, one is led to an open effective description, in which the relevant degrees of freedom are treated systematically while the environment and the microscopics are parametrized rather than solved for explicitly. This perspective is especially important in gravity and cosmology. The main open problems of cosmology, including inflation, dark matter, and dark energy, involve spacetime-filling sectors whose microscopic nature is unknown and whose observed effects are primarily gravitational. At the same time, gravitational systems often lack a preferred notion of conserved energy because they are time dependent, and naturally display out-of-equilibrium dynamics. These lecture notes introduce the operator formalism and the Schwinger-Keldysh path-integral as tools to study open systems, with emphasis on open effective field theories and inflation. They are aimed at master students, PhD students, and researchers approaching these topics for the first time.

Renormalizing the on-shell action variation offers two important advantages over renormalizing the action itself. First, the variation of the action has a universal form in which the bulk contribution vanishes identically. As a result, the renormalization problem is automatically localized at the boundary; no bulk subtractions are required. Second, the variation of the action admits a natural interpretation as a 1-form on functional space. The distinction between exact and non-exact 1-forms provides a clear renormalization prescription. We apply these ideas to the computation of on-shell black hole actions. After presenting the general algorithm, we discuss some examples, including Kerr-Newman, Kerr-Newman-AdS, Taub-NUT, Taub-Bolt, and STU black holes. We also apply the same techniques to the computation of holographic Wilson loops. All results agree with standard results, in particular with holographic renormalization.

Black hole thermodynamics for generic dynamical, non-equilibrium regimes remains a fundamental challenge. We establish dynamical entropy as the Noether charge associated with a generic evolving null surface subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions. We specify the symmetry generator associated with the dynamical entropy, which is a null vector on the null surface, upon requiring physically motivated geometric conditions that yield a notion of “dynamical zeroth law.” We prove that this Noether charge density satisfies the second law of thermodynamics strictly at each instant in time, bypassing the teleological final conditions traditionally required by event horizons. Thus, we extend and generalize the notion of dynamical entropy introduced in \cite{Hollands:2024vbe}, in some different ways: We do not impose background stationarity; our dynamical entropy and the associated second law are local in time and work for generic dynamical gravitational systems.

Spacelike singularities supported by matter satisfying the null energy condition (NEC) are expected to fall within the Belinski–Khalatnikov–Lifshitz (BKL) paradigm. We show that controlled violations of the NEC in holography can lead to different black hole interiors. In a holographic model dual to a strongly coupled non-Hermitian $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric QFT, we uncover a novel non-Kasner regime within its real, $\mathcal{PT}$-restored phase. The deep-interior geometry describes an isotropic FLRW cosmology undergoing super-accelerated expansion and approaching a Little Rip. This regime leaves a characteristic imprint on two-sided heavy-operator correlators, allowing it to be distinguished from a standard Kasner interior. Our construction provides a concrete holographic realization of a Little Rip cosmology and lays the groundwork for a Little Rip/CFT correspondence, in which such cosmological regimes can be explored through observables in a non-Hermitian quantum field theory.

Atoms falling freely into a Bañados-Teitelboim-Zanelli (BTZ) black hole in a Boulware-like vacuum are shown to emit radiation with a Planck spectrum at the Hawking temperature $T_{H}$. This leads to thermal Hawking-like radiation for a cloud of falling atoms prepared with random initial times. Moreover, the radiation is related to the relative equivalence principle, with the vacuum field modes accelerated with respect to the falling atom. The physics of the atom-field interactions is most easily described within a quantum optics approach, where each atom can be interpreted as a detector. Despite the topological nature of gravity in $(2+1)$ dimensions, the thermodynamic and radiation properties of BTZ black holes are still universally governed by the same near-horizon conformal quantum mechanics (CQM) applicable to higher-dimensional gravity. This universal conformal behavior is exhibited by all fields in the background of generic black holes, and generates an HBAR entropy $S_{\mathcal P}$ associated with the photon radiation field that mimics the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy $S_{\mathrm{BH}}=A/4$, proportional to the black-hole horizon area, and with the correct $1/4$ proportionality factor.

We study the space of four-dimensional ultraviolet completions for $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity that are described at low energies by weakly-coupled effective field theories (EFTs) with maximal supersymmetry and $\mathrm{SU}(4)\times\mathrm{SU}(4)$ R-symmetry. We show that tree-level factorization of the 4-, 5-, and 6-point EFT scattering amplitudes, together with a certain “peculiar parity” condition, leads to nonlinear constraints on the 4-point Wilson coefficients. This peculiar parity is a property that can only be imposed on a subset of scalar amplitudes. Combining the nonlinear constraints with positivity, we find that the allowed region of 4-point Wilson coefficients is reduced to a non-convex domain with two sharp corners: one being the closed superstring Virasoro–Shapiro amplitude, the other an infinite spin tower amplitude exchanging states of every spin at the same mass. We show both numerically and analytically that requiring a finite number of states near the first mass level leaves only the Virasoro–Shapiro amplitude.