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Physics

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Thursday 4 June

Quantum Physics

Amplitude-dependent quantum hydrodynamics from a \(\coth\)-Madelung ansatz

C. Dedes

We investigate a nonlinear extension of the Madelung transformation based on a hyperbolic phase–amplitude coupling of the form \[ \Psi = R e^{\imath\theta \coth R}, \] where \(R\) is a real amplitude field and \(\theta\) is an auxiliary phase coordinate governed by Schrödinger's equation. In contrast to the conventional polar decomposition, this construction imposes a singular hyperbolic relation between amplitude and phase, thereby endowing the Bohmian or hydrodynamic description with an intrinsically geometric structure. We show that the associated velocity field acquires a density-gradient contribution, producing generalized continuity equations and modified quantum force terms. When interpreted as a complex macroscopic order parameter, this generalized phase structure leads to modified superconducting electrodynamics; in particular, the London equations acquire additional contributions that render the Meissner response sensitive to spatial density gradients. The proposed framework is motivated by broader developments involving complex group velocities, dissipative wave propagation, and amplitude-sensitive transport in quantum systems.
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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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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

A dark-matter-sensitive orientation clock near rotating black holes

Mohsen Fathi

A coherent triaxial structure has an intrinsic orientation clock because rotation about its intermediate principal axis is unstable. I ask how this clock changes when the structure moves on a circular equatorial orbit near a rotating black hole in an effective dark matter (DM) environment. The calculation uses a comoving orthonormal tetrad, the electric part of the Riemann tensor, Euler–quaternion dynamics, and the conversion from proper time to stationary coordinate time. The clock shift separates exactly into a local proper-time response and a geometric time-conversion response. I compute a direct grid of 600 DM models for Einasto, regularized cored Navarro–Frenk–White, and Hernquist profiles. Across the scanned domain, the total fractional frequency shift lies between about $-3\times10^{-7}$ and $-3\times10^{-4}$. For the fiducial body model, most of the shift comes from the time conversion. Synthetic timing tests show that a shift near $10^{-4}$ is recoverable only when the clock is highly coherent and its Kerr baseline is known independently. This gives a theoretical timing diagnostic and a synthetic observational forecast. I do not fit real data.
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Instrumentation and Detectors

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

Quantum Physics

Beyond the Canonical Protocol: Quantum Encrypted Cloning from Secret-Sharing Access Structures

Gabriele Gianini, Stelvio Cimato, Jianyi Lin et al. (+3 more)

Quantum encrypted cloning shows that an unknown quantum state can be distributed into multiple encrypted copies without contradicting the no-cloning theorem: each copy is unusable on its own, but can be redeemed together with a suitable quantum key. Recent work has related canonical encrypted-cloning protocols to particular forms of quantum secret sharing. Here we take the converse perspective: instead of mapping a given encrypted-cloning protocol into QSS, we use QSS access structures as a design library from which encrypted-cloning schemes can be extracted. The criterion is access-structural. A QSS scheme supports a quantum encrypted-cloning structure whenever it contains a family of qualified sets with a non-qualified common intersection. The common subsystem is interpreted as the key, while the non-common parts are interpreted as encrypted clones relative to that key. Thus quantum encrypted cloning does not require a new notion of recoverability beyond QSS; what changes is the operational reading of QSS constituents as a mechanism for delayed and alternative redemption opportunities. This viewpoint separates redemption from perfect secrecy. Perfect QSS yields encrypted-cloning schemes with forbidden non-qualified subsystems, whereas ramp QSS naturally allows intermediate, partially informative non-redeeming subsystems. The resulting framework broadens quantum encrypted cloning from a specific protocol to a general access-structure primitive. We illustrate the extraction principle with threshold-like, ramp, hierarchical, and compartmented architectures, showing how encrypted clones may be symmetric or asymmetric, individual or composite, perfectly hidden or leaky. Equivalently, these constructions can be viewed as overlapping erasure-recovery regions of an isometric quantum code. This establishes secret sharing as a systematic design language for encrypted quantum redundancy.
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All authors Gabriele Gianini, Stelvio Cimato, Jianyi Lin, Omar Hasan, Corrado Mio, Ernesto Damiani

Nuclear Experiment

Baryon-to-Meson Ratios in Jets from Au+Au and $p$+$p$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 200$ GeV

The STAR Collaboration

Jet probes have been used extensively to gain insights into QGP properties, with substantial modifications to jet yields and internal structures seen across multiple measurements, compared against $p$+$p$ results. Despite apparent medium-induced changes to jet fragmentation patterns and strong modifications of particle production at intermediate momenta ($2.0 < p_{\rm{T}} < 5.0$ GeV/$c$) in heavy ion collisions, RHIC hadron-hadron correlation results indicate that jet-related baryon-to-meson ratios remain similar to those of $p$+$p$ measurements and are significantly different from those of the QGP bulk. To look for possible medium effects on jet fragments at RHIC, we employ jet-track correlation and particle identification to perform the first measurement of in-jet proton-to-pion yield ratios for charged-hadrons with $2.0 < p_{\rm{T}} < 5.0$ GeV/$c$. We present the first in-cone (within a radial distance of $R$ from the determined jet axis direction) baryon-to-meson yield ratios associated with reconstructed charged-particle jets from Au+Au and $p$+$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 200$ GeV using the STAR detector at RHIC. The measured in-jet ratios are found to be consistent within uncertainties between the two systems for the selected kinematic regime, despite significant differences between inclusive ratios for the same systems.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

GUP-corrected black holes: Thermodynamic properties, evaporation time and shadow constraint from EHT Observations of M87* and Sgr A*

H. Chen, S.-H. Dong, E. Maghsoodi et al. (+4 more)

In this manuscript, we implement the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) with linear and quadratic moment for Schwarzschild black hole metric in order to study the influence of quantum effect on the thermodynamics and evaporation of black hole. To this end, we first derive the GUP-modified Hawking temperature of a black hole in the semi-classical framework. Due to the existence of the GUP effect, there is a maximum Hawking temperature. We determine the entropy, heat capacity and Helmholtz free energy with heuristic analysis that investigates the particle absorbed by black hole. Furthermore, we also verify that these quantities are modified by the GUP, the influence of quantum effect on the black hole phase transition is discussed in detail. Then, we analyze the black hole evaporation process in the mentioned framework and examine the obtained results by graphical methods and compare them with each other. We likewise explore the behavior of the event horizon radius, photon sphere radius, and shadow silhouette when influenced by the GUP-corrected Schwarzschild black hole (GCSBH) parameters. We intend to establish restrictions for $\alpha$ by utilizing the event horizon telescope (EHT) data for M87* and Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Our findings show that Sgr A* provides more robust constraints. As the parameter $\beta$ grows, the range of constraints for $\alpha$ expands. For Sgr A* one, we find that the shadow radius is close to the observed value at smaller values of $\alpha$.
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All authors H. Chen, S.-H. Dong, E. Maghsoodi, S. Hassanabadi, J. Křiž, S. Zare, H. Hassanabadi

Quantum Physics

Coordinated optimization of departure sequencing and section-track allocation in railway short-term concentrated departure scenarios based on qubo and hybrid quantum algorithms

Xiaobin Li, Yanbin Gao, Weiguang Wang et al. (+1 more)

This study examines the coordinated optimization of departure sequencing and section-track allocation in railway short-term concentrated departure scenarios. A quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) model is formulated to represent departure-position assignment and section-track selection within a unified binary framework. Because the quality of a dispatching scheme depends on time-dependent operational interactions that cannot be fully captured by a static combinatorial model, a simulation-based evaluation layer is introduced to assess section occupation, intermediate-station waiting, platform-capacity pressure, running-time fluctuations, and delay propagation. Within this layered framework, conventional heuristics, quantum-inspired algorithms, and hybrid algorithms are compared on the same decision structure. The results show that the QUBO model can generate feasible candidate schemes after decoding, while the simulation layer clearly differentiates the operational performance of the competing algorithms under both normal and disturbed conditions. In the tested scenarios, QPSO-QAOA performs best under normal conditions, and the quantum-enhanced methods reduce comprehensive cost by 4.28%–26.26% and total delay by 4.37%–24.25% on average under dynamic conditions relative to their conventional counterparts. These findings suggest that the integration of QUBO-based modeling and simulation-based evaluation provides a useful methodological framework for railway short-term concentrated departure scheduling, although validation with real operational data remains necessary.
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All authors Xiaobin Li, Yanbin Gao, Weiguang Wang, Xuechen Liang

High Energy Physics (Phenomenology)

Soft UV Completion of a Preon Model

Risto Raitio

We build a framework for Regge trajectories from the Nambu-Goto action. We compute the 6-preon Regge trajectory in a preon model, include the worldsheet conformal anomaly, and build the parameter-free Veneziano amplitude. The amplitude has s-channel poles matching the spectrum to 0.5%, and at fixed-angle scattering decays exponentially with a negative Gross-Mende coefficient, realized numerically to 0.03%. This is a soft, genuinely non-perturbative ultraviolet completion of the preon model - and thereby of the Standard Model, which emerges as its low-energy limit. The Virasoro-Shapiro amplitude and the significance of worldsheet diffeomorphism are briefly discussed.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

What it takes to solve the Hubble tension through Modifications of Cosmological Recombination II: in light of ACT DR6 and DESI DR2

Nanoom Lee and Tianji Zhou

We construct data-driven solutions to the Hubble tension, in light of recent data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT DR6) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI DR2). We search for the minimal modification to the recombination history through a time-varying electron mass $m_e(z)$ that increases the best-fit $H_0$ inferred from CMB data toward the SH0ES value, without worsening the fit to the data. Using Planck and ACT data including lensing, we find a perturbative modification to $m_e(z)$ that fully resolves the Hubble tension, with the solution sharing the same qualitative oscillatory structure as in previous work using Planck data alone, demonstrating its robustness to the inclusion of more precise and independent CMB data. As a byproduct, the solution also eases the $S_8$ tension. Once DESI DR2 BAO data are added, however, perturbative modifications to $m_e(z)$ cannot fully resolve the Hubble tension. This reflects the same fundamental limitation: raising $H_0$ by modifying recombination generically lowers $\Omega_m$, being inconsistent with late-time cosmological observations.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Coherent room-temperature dipole synchronization in nanocavity sheets

Rakesh Arul, Piper Fowler-Wright, Lille Borresen et al. (+3 more)

Plasmonic nanocavities enable the synchronization of spatially distant emissive dipoles through strong near-field coupling in sub-nm gaps. We report formation of a room-temperature synchronized dipole state in locally-ordered plasmonic nanogap 2D arrays under non-resonant continuous-wave pumping. Unlike lasers, photonic Bose-Einstein condensates, or exciton-polariton condensates, this system exhibits spatial coherence across the dipoles, while rapid radiative and non-radiative emission suppresses temporal photon coherence. A change of behaviour is observed with increasing pumping, marked by the spatial spread of g(1) coherence, but without spectral narrowing or directional emission. This driven-dissipative system exhibits fast temporal coherence decay and complex spatial correlations, offering a new platform for studying synchronization at room temperature. Combining ultralow mode volumes, high Purcell enhancement, and scalable ambient operation, it opens pathways for novel photonic and quantum technologies.
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All authors Rakesh Arul, Piper Fowler-Wright, Lille Borresen, Brendon W. Lovett, Jonathan Keeling, Jeremy J. Baumberg

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Numerical self-force calculations for scalar particles, formulated in the lab frame

Stamatis Vretinaris, Erik Schnetter and Badri Krishnan

We derive equations of motion for scalar particles self-consistently interacting with a scalar field,including the radiation produced by the particles' acceleration. Our approach differs in three key aspects from current methods: (1) we assume a small but finite discretization length scale $h$, which allows us to treat the particle as a small but finite object, (2) we choose the state vector for the system before deriving equations of motion, and (3) we formulate the equations explicitly in the lab frame and not in a manifestly covariant manner. This approach, which is self-consistent, happens to greatly simplify the resulting equations and their derivation, and is directly suitable for numerical calculations. The result is an effective source method which generalizes to electrodynamics or general relativity in a straightforward manner (although we do not consider this here). We then provide two possible discretizations of these equations, based on finite volumes and spectral methods, and show results of one-dimensional calculations. These calculations show excellent agreement with analytic solutions.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

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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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Short Gravitational-Wave Transients as Probes of Cosmic Domain Walls

Tore Boybeyi, Doga Veske and David Maibach

GW190521 and GW231123 have been reported as short-duration gravitational-wave transients consistent with very massive binary black hole (BBH) coalescences whose inferred parameters, i.e., exceptionally high total masses and spin magnitudes, challenge standard isolated binary stellar evolution. We test a topological dark matter (TDM) interpretation invoking cosmic domain walls by fitting a physically motivated domain wall template to the LIGO Hanford and Livingston strain data. The BBH hypothesis is individually favored, with $\log_{10}\mathcal{B}_{\rm BBH/TDM}=12.2$ and $11.3$ for GW231123 and GW190521, respectively. However, these values are lower than those typically recovered from matched maximum a posteriori BBH waveforms injected into nearby noise segments. We further perform, for the first time, a joint fit in which domain wall signals from a single underlying scalar field are constrained simultaneously by both events. Although not favored over BBH signals, we find the two events are consistent with a common scalar field, with shared TDM parameters agreeing across independent noise realizations and sky locations. We further find that injected TDM transients are systematically recovered under the BBH hypothesis with large spin parameters, revealing a morphological degeneracy that could mask genuine domain wall signals. This analysis demonstrates that multi-event parameter consistency tests provide a new discriminant for domain wall dark matter searches in upcoming observing runs.
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Nuclear Theory

When positive and negative pairs differ in femtoscopy: residual Coulomb and isospin effects

Yevheniia Khyzhniak and Michael Annan Lisa

We study charge-dependent modifications of identical-pion and identical-kaon femtoscopic correlation functions from two sources: the residual Coulomb field of the charged source and isospin-related hadronic dynamics. The residual Coulomb effect is modeled with a modified Retiere–Lisa blast-wave source, where the same emitted particles are propagated with positive and negative charge signs through an effective residual field. The residual Coulomb field produces a small but systematic positive-to-negative splitting of the correlation functions, strongest at low $k_T$ and sensitive to the effective charge, spatial width, and expansion velocity of the residual source. It also modifies the height and shape of the correlation function, complicating interpretation of the fitted radii. UrQMD 3.4 cascade calculations for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=7.7~\mathrm{GeV}$ show that charge-dependent splittings can also appear even without a residual Coulomb field. For pions, this difference is mainly driven by the initial isospin composition, while for kaons it is strongly affected by different $K^+$ and $K^-$ production mechanisms and subsequent hadronic evolution. These results show that residual Coulomb and isospin-related effects can compete, and neither can be interpreted reliably without constraining the other within the same model framework.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Analytic insight into the physics of SASI II. Spiral instability of the prograde mode in a rotating stellar core

T. Foglizzo

During the core-collapse of a rotating massive star, the standing accretion shock instability (SASI) favours the development of non-axisymmetric motions which can imprint specific frequency signatures on the neutrino and gravitational wave signals.This study establishes analytical approximations for the eigenfrequencies of the dominant SASI modes. It also explains the physical mechanism responsible for the further destabilization of prograde SASI modes by differential rotation. A perturbative analysis is used to calculate the eigenfrequencies of a stalled accretion shock in spherical geometry, taking into account the rotation of the collapsing stellar core. The formulation of the perturbative equations as a self-forced oscillator is extended to include differential rotation and interpret the results physically. The oscillation frequency of the dominant mode weakly depends on the detailed formulation of neutrino emission if the shock radius exceeds ~1.5 times the radius r_nabla of maximum deceleration. Analytical expressions are obtained for the one and two-armed spiral modes with a 10% accuracy in this regime. The effect of differential rotation is explained by the role of phase mixing between the advective forcing and the acoustic structure. The radial wavelength of vorticity perturbations associated with the prograde mode is increased by differential rotation, leading to a better phase match with the large radial scale of the acoustic structure. Even when rotation is too modest to involve a corotation radius, its adverse effect on phase mixing can be significant at small radius due to the steep inward increase of the rotation frequency ~1/r^2 in the region of stationary accretion. In the regime of faster rotation involving a corotation radius, the stationary phase approximation sheds light on the dominant advective-acoustic coupling, located between the corotation zone and the shock.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Enhancement of charge correlations and real-space topological marker on an interacting non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model

Sebastião dos A. Sousa-Júnior, Pedro B. Melo, Rubem Mondaini et al. (+2 more)

We investigate the interacting non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model, focusing on the interplay between topology and charge ordering. Using a real-space topological marker, charge correlations, and the complex many-body spectrum, we map out the phase diagram under periodic and open boundary conditions. We show that the topological marker remains a robust diagnostic of non-Hermitian topological phases in the presence of interactions and consistently signals their breakdown at the onset of a charge density wave (CDW). We further demonstrate that non-Hermiticity enhances interaction effects: While moderate changes occur under periodic boundary conditions, open boundary conditions lead to a pronounced amplification of staggered charge correlations near exceptional points. This enhancement arises from the accumulation of low-energy states near exceptional points, which promotes electronic instabilities and strengthens CDW tendencies.
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All authors Sebastião dos A. Sousa-Júnior, Pedro B. Melo, Rubem Mondaini, Arnob Kumar Ghosh, Rodrigo Arouca

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Superconducting triode effect in a quantum-dot Josephson junction with a biased top gate

Yu-Hang Li, Xiaan Du, Hua Jiang et al. (+1 more)

Non-reciprocal supercurrents enable non-dissipative rectification, holding great promise for superconducting electronics. Conventionally, this non-reciprocity, termed the superconducting diode effect, requires the simultaneous breaking of time-reversal and parity symmetries. Here, we propose a superconducting triode effect in an asymmetric quantum-dot Josephson junction coupled to an additional metallic top gate, which breaks the parity symmetry while explicitly preserving time-reversal symmetry. We demonstrate that the supercurrent across this junction exhibits a strong non-reciprocal effect that can be continuously manipulated via the top gate to achieve an ideal unidirectional supercurrent, thus manifesting a superconducting triode effect. Furthermore, under radio-frequency radiation, this junction exhibits highly asymmetric Shapiro steps, realizing fully quantized supercurrent rectification. Our work not only provides an alternative physical mechanism for the superconducting diode effect observed in Josephson junctions with explicit time-reversal symmetry, but also introduces a new tuning knob to manipulate supercurrent non-reciprocity.
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All authors Yu-Hang Li, Xiaan Du, Hua Jiang, X. C. Xie

Astrophysics of Galaxies

Dynamical evolution and dissolution timescale of young stellar clusters in the Orion star-forming complex

Sergio Sánchez-Sanjuán, Ángeles Pérez-Villegas, Jesús Hernández et al. (+1 more)

We present a comprehensive analysis of the Orion star-forming complex (OSFC), combining structural, kinematic, and dynamical information to constrain the present-day state and future evolution of its stellar substructures. Using Gaia DR3 astrometry and complementary radial velocities from high-resolution spectroscopic surveys, we derived three-dimensional velocity distributions and structural parameters for 13 young clusters. For the stellar component, we estimated a correction of the present-day mass function for observational incompleteness and calculated the virial state, $\alpha_{\rm vir}$, finding that all clusters are supervirial. Direct $N$-body simulations initialized from the present-day global parameters and evolved for 300~Myr in a Galactic potential suggest a separation of the OSFC clusters into two regimes: seven clusters with $\alpha_{\rm vir}\lesssim 7$ evolve in a Galactic-potential-regulated regime that retains a bound core for $\gtrsim 170$ Myr as long-lived open clusters, whereas six clusters with $\alpha_{\rm vir}\gtrsim 7$ enter an internal-dynamics–dominated regime, dissolving before 120 Myr and rapidly populating the Galactic stellar field. For both regimes, a control test indicates negligible cluster–cluster interactions under current OSFC conditions. Finally, long-lived clusters show low-amplitude modulations in the bound fraction correlated with the Galactic vertical motion, consistent with disk-crossing tidal heating and the temporary recapture of marginal members. These results highlight the OSFC as a natural laboratory where heterogeneous initial conditions give rise to persistent open clusters and dispersing groups.
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All authors Sergio Sánchez-Sanjuán, Ángeles Pérez-Villegas, Jesús Hernández, Luis Aguilar

Quantum Physics

Quantum element-wise transforms

Zane M. Rossi and Rahul Sarkar

Quantum algorithms for basic numerical linear algebraic tasks have proven essential for translating diverse problems to a unified quantum computational context. Many of these tasks—e.g., applying a function to the spectrum of a matrix embedded in a unitary process (a so-called block encoding), or taking linear combinations of block encodings—are well-addressed by techniques like quantum singular value transformation or linear combination of unitaries. However, there exist useful matrix transforms whose realization is unclear or inefficient. In this work we construct improved quantum algorithms for some of these transforms, the simplest of which is a polynomial function applied element-wise. We show the space required to compute quantum element-wise transforms (QEWTs) can be reduced exponentially in the degree of the applied function compared to prior work, and rectify errors in previous constructions. We prove novel space and query lower bounds for QEWTs, construct useful function families nearly saturating these bounds, and establish the hardness of QEWT dequantization. This represents the first sound theoretical treatment of QEWTs, and brings their resource requirements on par with other practical block encoding techniques. We present our algorithms alongside concrete applications to machine learning inference and signal processing.
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Quantum Physics

Breakeven demonstration of quantum low-density parity-check codes

Edwin Tham, Michael L. Goldman, Shantanu Debnath et al. (+8 more)

High-rate quantum low-density parity-check (qLDPC) codes are a leading candidate for fault-tolerant quantum computing. They feature higher encoding rates than planar alternatives such as the surface code, but their implementation often entails significant hardware hurdles like the need for long-range couplers. We leverage the flexibility of a trapped-ion quantum computer to demonstrate nine quantum error-correcting codes with starkly different qubit connectivity requirements on a single device without any hardware reconfiguration. These experiments span three families of quantum error-correcting codes: qLDPC codes, topological codes, and concatenated codes. With a qLDPC code encoding 4 logical qubits into 18 physical qubits, we achieve a logical error rate up to $9\times$ better than a previous demonstration of a similar code on superconducting solid-state qubits. Moreover, our implementation exhibits breakeven performance, with some instances achieving qubit lifetimes comparable to or slightly exceeding that of our trapped-ion qubits. We use a novel implementation of the optical-metastable-ground (OMG) architecture for addressable mid-circuit measurement and reset, which enables us to perform these experiments without any ion transport or dedicated coolant ions, requirements that typically consume a large fraction of the runtime or ion count of trapped-ion quantum computers.
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All authors Edwin Tham, Michael L. Goldman, Shantanu Debnath, Ashay N. Patel, Jyothi Saraladevi, Jason Nguyen, Erik Nielsen, Neal Pisenti, Kenneth Wright, John Gamble, Nicolas Delfosse

Quantum Physics

Energy-Modulated Time-Asymmetric Spontaneous Collapse: Forward-Backward Dynamics from Stochastic Ito Reversal and Bright Solitons

Ikechukwu C. Okoro, Mike O. Osiele and Godfrey E. Akpojotor

We present a rigorous theoretical framework for symmetry breaking and quantum irreversibility arising from stochastic Ito field reversal within a cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrodinger equation (CQ-NLSE) formalism. Starting from three physically motivated considerations, forward and backward nonlinear stochastic differential equations are derived via the Ito calculus. Kinematic time-reversal is shown to be fundamentally incompatible with the Ito stochastic structure, yielding the universal asymmetry-coupling parameter of 2/3. An energy-driven collapse operator proportional to the product of noise strength, local probability density, and excitation energy squared is introduced, amplifying the collapse in high-density, high-excitation regions. Exactly bright soliton solutions are obtained for a quasi-one-dimensional BEC of attractive Li-7 atoms, with forward and backward amplitude ratio of 1.870. Heat map analysis of the parameter planes reveals that the forward collapse operator grows monotonically in time while the backward counterpart decays, achieving a ratio approximately 1030, sharply distinguishing this framework from conventional symmetric collapse models.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

1/3 Fractional and Gapless Integer Quantum Anomalous Hall States in Rhombohedral Graphene

Jackson P. Butler, Tonghang Han, Andrew DiFabbio et al. (+6 more)

The fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) effect occurs in moiré superlattices in both twisted bilayer MoTe$_2$ and rhombohedral $n$-layer graphene aligned to hexagonal boron nitride (R$n$G/hBN) as a novel quantum phase driven by intertwined electron correlation and topology. Although several fractional states in the Jain sequence have been identified, the $1/3$ state, the most robust and fundamental state in conventional fractional quantum Hall (FQH) systems, was missing in either FQAH system. Determining whether it exists would have a major impact on understanding the mechanism of FQAH, especially in the theoretically still-debated R$n$G/hBN system. Here we report the FQAH effect at moiré filling factor $\nu = 1/3$ in R$5$G/hBN moiré superlattice devices, through a combination of quantum capacitance and transport measurements. By tuning the displacement field, we observed a topological phase transition from a $1/3$ fractional Chern insulator (FCI) to a trivial charge density wave state. With the inclusion of the $1/3$ state, the FQAH states in R$5$G/hBN now exhibit a surprising level of particle-hole symmetry about half-filling, closely resembling the behavior of FQH states in the lowest Landau level. Additionally, we perform compressibility and transport measurements at a filling of one electron per moiré unit cell, $\nu =1$, and also for $\nu \lesssim 1$, where previous transport measurements displayed the extended quantum anomalous Hall (EQAH) effect. While our transport measurements show no change between the integer quantum anomalous Hall state (IQAH) and the EQAH region, compressibility measurements reveal a distinct transition from a gapped IQAH state to a gapless and highly compressible EQAH state. Our direct thermodynamic characterization of the rich phase diagram paves the way to engineering of anyon braiding and non-Abelian quasiparticles at zero magnetic field.
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All authors Jackson P. Butler, Tonghang Han, Andrew DiFabbio, Zach Hadjri, Emily Aitken, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Long Ju, Raymond C. Ashoori

High Energy Physics (Phenomenology)

Method to study $CP$ violation in $B_s^0\to K_S K^\pm \pi^\mp$ decays

Chen Chen, Tim Gershon and Thomas Latham

The $B_s^0\to K_S K^\pm \pi^\mp$ decays are of interest to test the Standard Model and search for new sources of $CP$ violation. A full study of these decays requires a tagged decay-time-dependent Dalitz-plot analysis performed simultaneously in the two final states. Such an analysis has never previously been performed. The method to carry out such an analysis, relating the amplitudes for decays to resonances in the two final-states to each other, is set out and its feasibility is demonstrated using pseudoexperiments. The sensitivity to the weak phase difference, $\phi_s^{\rm eff}$, between $B_s^0 \to K_S K^*(892)^0$ decays with and without $B_s^0$-$\bar{B}_s^0$ mixing is studied. Good precision on $\phi_s^{\rm eff}$ is found to be achievable with a dataset corresponding to LHCb Runs 1-3, with further improvement expected with datasets to be collected in future. The method is implemented in the Laura++ Dalitz-plot analysis package, and can be applied to other multibody decays with multiple final states.
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Physics Education

Resource Letter QIE-1: Research in quantum information education

Josephine C. Meyer, Simon Goorney, Tunde Kushimo et al. (+1 more)

In celebration of the 2025 UN International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, this Resource Letter surveys the rapidly-growing field of scholarship in quantum information science and engineering (QISE) education. It is primarily written as a guide for educators wishing to get started teaching QISE using research-based teaching methods, as well as for discipline-based education research (DBER) practitioners looking to get started in this field. Topics covered include scoping the field of QISE education, research into student reasoning in QISE, research-based and research-inspired curricular materials from the high school to graduate level, research-based assessments, simulation and gamification tools, and tools for incorporating discussion of the societal and ethical implications of quantum technologies into the classroom.
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All authors Josephine C. Meyer, Simon Goorney, Tunde Kushimo, Zeki C. Seskir

Quantum Physics

Nanostructure modelling with early fault tolerant quantum computers

Zhu Sun, Christian Binder, Balint Koczor et al. (+1 more)

Semiconductor nanostructures are central to many developing technologies. Notably, double quantum dots are especially important for semiconductor spin-qubit architectures, quantum sensing applications, and quantum-dot solar cells. Accurate modelling is highly desirable but conventional methods can struggle when dynamics involve more than two interacting electrons. In this work, we present a quantum simulation framework capable of addressing multi-electron double quantum dots. We adopt an efficiently scaling 1$^\text{st}$ quantised representation of the system and develop algorithms based on both Trotterisation and Qubitisation. Incorporating insights from classical simulations enables us to produce resource estimates that are more realistic than those obtained from theoretical error bounds. Using a standard surface code model with physical noise at $10^{-3}$, our results indicate that the ground-state energy of four electrons in a double quantum dot can be estimated in approximately 22 hours using 226k physical qubits, or an eight-electron system in 3.3 days with 314k qubits (with runtimes falling dramatically when more qubits are available). We anticipate that incorporating recent advances in surface code architectures may reduce these costs significantly further. Our results suggest that early fault-tolerant quantum computers may become valuable tools for designing mature-era quantum technologies.
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All authors Zhu Sun, Christian Binder, Balint Koczor, Simon Benjamin

Superconductivity

Particle-Hole Ghost Interference in Superconductors

Archisman Panigrahi, Vladislav Poliakov and Leonid Levitov

Mirror-assisted optical interference can improve the fidelity of Young's double-slit interference. Here we discuss an electron analogue: particle-hole interference in superconductors produced by a single impurity near a line defect, terrace edge, or phase boundary. Quasiparticle waves scattered directly from the impurity interfere with waves reflected by the boundary, generating a “ghost” interference pattern that combines conventional $2k_F$ Friedel oscillations with additional hyperbolic fringes. Compared to the recently studied two-impurity Young's interference, this effect appears already at first order in the impurity potential and is therefore parametrically stronger. The resulting spatial modulation extends beyond $\lambda_F/2$ and is directly sensitive to the quasiparticle structure of the paired state, including possible Fermi-surface anisotropy of the superconducting order parameter. These findings point to boundary-assisted impurity interference as a robust local probe of superconducting electronic order, with clear signatures accessible to STM/STS measurements.
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High Energy Physics (Phenomenology)

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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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Charged black string immersed in a quintessence fluid and string cloud

Leonardo G. Barbosa and Franciele M. da Silva

We present a new static solution describing a charged black string immersed in a Kiselev-type quintessence fluid and a string cloud. The metric and field equations are solved for a general quintessence state parameter, with explicit results provided for the physically relevant case $w_q = -2/3$. We analyze the event-horizon structure and the Kretschmann scalar, verify energy-condition constraints, and derive thermodynamic properties including the Hawking temperature and heat capacity and the Helmholtz free energy. Finally, we investigate the existence of an exterior photon cylinder for circular null geodesics, finding that, under the parameter assumptions adopted here, no such cylinder occurs outside the outer horizon. The solution generalizes known charged black-string spacetimes by simultaneously including quintessence and a string-cloud parameter.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Depolarization and Polarization-Transfer Rates for Solar He I Lines due to Collisions with Neutral Hydrogen

Moncef Derouich and Saleh Qutub

Context. Neutral helium (He I) produces several spectral lines that are widely used for solar diagnostics. The role of collisions between He I atoms and neutral hydrogen (H I) in the modeling of solar He I lines remains insufficiently quantified. Accurate determination of collisional rates affecting atomic polarization is needed for solar spectropolarimetry. Aims. Our aim is to provide a set of multi-level and multi-term collisional depolarization, polarization-transfer, and population-transfer rates, due to isotropic collisions with neutral hydrogen, for He I levels and terms involved in the main solar He I diagnostic lines. Methods. The calculations are performed within the frozen-core approximation, in which the inner 1s electron is treated as a core with Lc = 0, Sc = 1/2, and Jc = 1/2, while the outer electron is treated as the active valence electron. Results. We compute both multi-level rates, describing depolarization and polarization transfer between fine-structure J-levels, and multi-term rates, which additionally account for coherences between different J-levels belonging to the same term. Conclusions. Our results provide the collisional input needed for the statistical equilibrium equations (SEE) of the polarization of the main He I solar lines, including the 10830 Å, D3 5876 Å, and related triplet transitions, and allow a quantitative reassessment of the role of neutral-hydrogen collisions in He I spectropolarimetry.
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