Papers

The standard "no-go theorem" against late-time solutions to the Hubble tension is essentially a normalization wall, since Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) measurements constrain the product $H_0r_d$, with $r_d$ the sound horizon at baryon drag. However, late-time solutions (which keep $r_d$ fixed) are tightly constrained not only by the BAO normalization $H_0r_d$, but also by the shape of the expansion history, i.e. the dimensionless expansion rate $E(z) \equiv H(z)/H_0$. We show that, if $r_d$ and the acoustic angular scale $\theta_s$ are fixed, an increase in $H_0$ needs to be matched by an equal fractional increase in the dimensionless distance integral $I \equiv \int dz/E(z)$: $\delta H_0/H_0 \simeq \delta I/I$. We use this to quantify the "shape wall" set by relative distance constraints on $E(z)$, which we reconstruct nonparametrically, using Gaussian Processes and the latest unanchored Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa) and BAO data. In our most conservative analysis using PantheonPlus SNeIa and DESI DR2 BAO data, we find a maximum fractional increase in $H_0$ of $\lesssim 2\%$, falling well short of the $\gtrsim 8\%$ required to solve the tension. This shape wall holds even in the presence of early-time new physics, and limits the maximum increase in $H_0$ which can be contributed by late-time modifications to $E(z)$ at fixed $\theta_s$. Therefore, late-time modifications, whether invoked alone or alongside early-time new physics, face not only the well-known normalization wall, but also a stringent percent-level shape wall.

We study orthosymplectically invariant supersphere integration at the exceptional superdimensions $M=-2u$, where the harmonic Fischer structure becomes nonsemisimple and the Pizzetti pairing degenerates. For the meromorphically continued homogeneous inverse kernels we obtain the generating function $$ \mathscr G_\mu(\rho;x,y) =\frac{\Gamma(\mu/2)}{2\pi^{\mu/2}} \bigl(1+\rho\{x,y\}+\rho^2x^2y^2\bigr)^{-\mu/2}. $$ At $\mu=-2u$, its Laurent expansion has a polynomial residue and a logarithmic finite part. We prove that these coefficients recover the complete degreewise duality structure on a fixed superspace with nonzero bosonic dimension. In degrees $k\le u$, the residue inverts a canonical renormalized pairing on $\mathcal P_k$. In the collision range $u<k\le2u$, the ordinary pairing has radical $(x^2)^{k-u}\mathcal P_{2u-k}$; the finite part reproduces the quotient, while the residue reproduces the radical after transport from the reflected degree. For $k\ge2u+1$, the finite part is the ordinary inverse kernel. We also establish the nondegenerate head–socle pairing on the generalized harmonic modules. As an application, we derive covariant right–left radial $q$-monogenic zonal symbols and identify precise degree-one obstructions to transferring scalar Pizzetti reproduction through a one-sided $q$-Fischer projection.

The recovery of quantum information after subsystem loss is a central challenge in quantum information processing. However, some states remain beyond the reach of any recovery strategies. Here we identify the algebraic origin of virtual irrecoverability, the ghost information—correlations encoded in the global state that leave no trace on any accessible subsystem. We introduce a scalar measure quantifying its magnitude and prove a universal error floor below which no virtual recovery map can operate, irrespective of resource investment. In such cases only approximate virtual recovery is available. We study the sampling cost when approaching the minimal attainable recovery error, and find it bounded when the underlying linear map exhibits a spectrum gap, and divergent in the gapless regime, respectively. Together with the universal error floor, this dichotomy partitions all multipartite quantum states into four classes. Moreover, we show that conditional mutual information, the standard entropic diagnostic, does not constrain virtual recoverability. As an implication, we show that the error floor imposes a detection threshold for loss-tolerant quantum metrology.

An opacity model that incorporates improved treatments of both plasma screening and configuration interaction (CI) effects is proposed, and a 25-30% enhancement on the iron L-shell opacity is predicted at solar interior temperatures. It is originated from the plasma screening induced 14-17% enhancement on the photoionization cross sections and the CI induced 10-20% enhancement on photoexcitation and photoionization cross sections for open L-shell ions. These explain the long-standing discrepancy between theoretical and experimental iron opacity [Nature 517, 56], and the relatively weaker enhancements on chromium and nickel opacity [Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 235001] due to the sensitivity of these effects to the different L-shell electron population and plasma temperature/density. This letter provides the systematic interpretation of L-shell opacity measurements at solar interior temperatures, and advances the accurate simulation of opacity and radiative transport in high-energy-density plasma.

We present [CI] $({^3\mathrm{P}_2}\mathrm{-}{^3\mathrm{P}_1})$, CO $(J=7\mathrm{-}6)$, and 800-GHz continuum observations of the circumnuclear disks (CNDs) in the Seyfert galaxies NGC 613 and NGC 1808 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The images reveal the distributions of neutral gas and dust in nearby galaxy nuclei at a resolution of $0.2''$ (10 pc) which is unprecedented at these frequencies. Both lines and continuum exhibit peaks at the position of molecular tori. The maximum [CI]$({^3\mathrm{P}_2}\mathrm{-}{^3\mathrm{P}_1})/({^3\mathrm{P}_1}\mathrm{-}{^3\mathrm{P}_0})$ integrated-intensity ratio is $\approx1.1$ $(\mathrm{K~km~s}^{-1}$ scale) in the region of the torus, yielding an excitation temperature of $T_\mathrm{ex}\approx60~\mathrm{K}$ under the approximation of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and optically thin emission. A non-LTE radiative transfer analysis of the [CI] line ratio in the CND constrains the density and kinetic temperature of molecular gas to $n_\mathrm{H_2}>10^3~\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$ and $T_\mathrm{k}>50~\mathrm{K}$, respectively. To estimate the C/CO abundance ratio and physical conditions, we simultaneously modeled the [CI] and multiple CO lines, and obtained solutions with densities and temperatures of $n_\mathrm{H_2}\sim10^{3\mathrm{-}4}~\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$ and $T_\mathrm{k}\sim80\mathrm{-}250~\mathrm{K}$ in the central 63 pc. The C/CO ratios are $\approx2$ in NGC 613 and $\approx0.6$ in NGC 1808. C/CO tends to increase with $T_\mathrm{k}$ and decrease with $n_\mathrm{H_2}$ in the CND, which is consistent with models of photodissociation regions. Based on the kinematics of gas traced by [CI] $({^3\mathrm{P}_2}\mathrm{-}{^3\mathrm{P}_1})$ and CO $(J=7\mathrm{-}6)$, the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 613 is estimated to be $\sim2\times10^7~M_\odot$.

The radial and lateral dimensions of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) influence their duration and probability of encounter at Earth. These properties are linked to the expansion speed of CMEs in different radial and lateral directions; however, most earlier studies modeled CME evolution using a projected full ice-cream cone geometry, which does not distinguish between radial and lateral expansion. Our study investigates the asymmetric expansion (relative radial and lateral components) and kinematics of seven fast and seven slow CMEs within coronagraphic heights, using the Graduated Cylindrical Shell model. Our study confirms that CMEs expand asymmetrically, with lateral expansion exceeding radial expansion in both CME populations. This asymmetry limits the accuracy of the full ice-cream cone model. For both fast and slow CMEs, higher leading edge speeds are associated with higher expansion speeds. At a height of 10 Rs, slow CMEs with larger expansion speeds (lateral and radial) have larger angular widths (face-on and edge-on), whereas fast CMEs exhibit a negative correlation between lateral expansion speed and face-on angular width. We find that the expansion and propagation speeds of slow CMEs exhibit a two-phase evolution, whereas those of fast CMEs display more diverse trends. Overall, this study suggests that fast and slow CMEs evolve differently and should not be treated as a single population in statistical estimates of their physical parameters. Our study highlights the importance of estimating CME angular widths and expansion speeds along different directions, and beyond standard coronagraphic heights, to capture their complete physical evolution.

Exciton dispersion, which governs the propagation, scattering and radiative decay of electron-hole pairs, is essential to optoelectronics and quantum materials. In two-dimensional systems, weakened dielectric screening and long-range electron-hole exchange are predicted to induce nonanalytic exciton dispersion in the long-wavelength limit. However, direct quantitative characterization of its dimensional evolution remains lacking, especially in the ultralow-q regime (q < 0.02 $\r{A}^{-1}$). Here we employ defocus-engineered momentum-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy, achieving an ultrahigh momentum resolution of 0.0002 $\r{A}^{-1}$. Using freestanding hBN as a prototypical platform, we resolve layer-dependent exciton dispersion and quantify its characteristic crossover momentum and group velocity in the long-wavelength limit. With increasing thickness, the nonanalytic linear-dispersion regime is progressively compressed, manifested by a reduction in characteristic crossover momentum q_c from $1.82 \times 10^{-1} \r{A}^{-1}$ in the monolayer to $3.0 \times 10^{-1} \r{A}^{-1}$ in 25 layers. Meanwhile, the low-q group velocity increases from $2.0 \times 10^{-3} c$ to $2.9 \times 10^{-2} c$, before the dispersion ultimately approaches the bulk-like parabolic limit. We further examine how the exciton band structure of monolayer hBN responds to its surrounding environment, including temperature, adjacent graphene layers, and interlayer twist in BN/graphene heterostructures. These findings uncover the fundamental physics of low-dimensional excitons, deliver valuable guidance for modulating exciton transport, diffusion and quasiparticle coupling in layered quantum materials, and establish a powerful experimental route to explore low-dimensional exciton physics.

Near-critical dynamics are often linked to enhanced computation, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We address this question in reservoir computing, where a fixed recurrent network maps input sequences into high-dimensional states and only a simple readout is trained. We extend fixed-reservoir universality results to discrete-time input-driven reservoirs and connect their key geometric condition, neighborhood separation, to dynamics. To this end, we introduce a finite-resolution neighborhood separability index and an input-conditioned maximal Lyapunov exponent. We find that neighborhood separability, chaotic time-series prediction, and smooth high-dimensional representation geometry are optimized in the same narrow window of marginal driven stability. In this regime, the covariance spectrum approaches the power-law scaling expected for near-optimal smooth representations. Our results link edge-of-instability computation, universality, readout performance, and optimal representation geometry within a common dynamical framework.

We determine the momentum fraction and angular momentum carried by quarks and gluons in the proton in lattice QCD. We use four ensembles simulated with up, down, strange and charm quarks with their masses tuned to their physical values. These ensembles have similar physical volume and different lattice spacings allowing us to take the continuum limit directly at the physical pion mass point. We extract the quark and gluon momentum fractions and total angular momentum in the continuum limit as well as the intrinsic quark spin and orbital angular momentum contributions to the proton spin. We find the total momentum fraction $\langle x_N \rangle= 0.995(60)(29)$ and the total spin $J_N = 0.507(43)(65)$, showing that both the momentum and spin sum rules are satisfied. We compare our results to those extracted from phenomenological analyses.

The Kramers-Wannier duality is the prototypical example of a non-invertible symmetry, yet little is known about its fate away from criticality and out of equilibrium. We introduce the Kramers-Wannier entanglement asymmetry, a quantum-information measure that quantifies the breaking of this non-invertible symmetry in the transverse-field Ising chain. We first investigate its equilibrium properties, showing that it exhibits a striking crossover between the ordered and disordered phases together with a pronounced dip at the critical point that becomes increasingly sharp with subsystem size. We then study quantum quenches from both gapped phases to criticality and show that the Kramers-Wannier entanglement asymmetry decays to zero, signaling the dynamical restoration of the non-invertible symmetry. Remarkably, we uncover the emergence of a quantum Mpemba effect: under suitable conditions, states initially farther from equilibrium restore the Kramers-Wannier symmetry faster than states prepared closer to it. We provide both analytical and numerical evidence for this phenomenon and identify the mechanism responsible for its occurrence. Our work establishes entanglement asymmetry as a powerful probe of non-invertible symmetries beyond equilibrium and opens new perspectives on the dynamics of dualities in quantum many-body systems.

We estimate the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function (GSMF) of HI gas-rich galaxies using the 100% ALFALFA ($\alpha$) catalog, $\sim 98\%$ of which have optical counterparts in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and a subset of them have counterparts in GALEX SDSS WISE Legacy Catalogue-2(GSWLC-2). We use the mass estimates from this subset which combines UV, optical and IR bands with individual dust corrections to recalibrate optical stellar mass estimates. We use a non-parametric method to estimate the GSMF of these gas-rich galaxies. The resulting, HI-selected GSMF is consistent with a single Schechter function with best-fit parameters $\left\{\phi_* (10^{-3}\, h_{70}^{3}\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{-3}\,\mathrm{dex}^{-1}), \log_{10} (M_*/M_{\odot}) + 2\log_{10} h_{70}, \alpha \right\} = \left\{2.30^{+0.12}_{-0.12}, \,10.83^{+0.01}_{-0.01},\, -1.14^{+0.02}_{-0.02}\right\} $. Additionally, the red and blue populations are each well described by a single Schechter function. After correcting for selection effects, we find that the red population accounts for only $\sim18\%$ of gas-rich galaxies by number, yet contributes $\sim54\%$ of the total stellar mass, with the blue population accounting for the rest. Using an optically selected sample and a joint optical-HI sample, we find gas-rich galaxies represent $\sim 33\%$ of the total stellar mass density and $\sim 39\%$ of the total galaxy number counts in the local Universe. We use the GSMF and the HI mass function (HIMF) of the HI-selected sample to obtain the $M_{\rm HI}-M_{\rm star}$ relation, which is free from selection bias.

Altermagnets, a new class of collinear antiferromagnets, exhibit momentum-dependent spin splitting and offer compelling advantages for antiferromagnetic spintronics. However, the magnetic order is intrinsically difficult to read out, which hinders practical applications. We propose finite-momentum circular phonon dichroism as a direct probe of Néel vector in two-dimensional $d$-wave altermagnets. Combining Onsager reciprocity with $C_{2z}$ lattice symmetry, we find that the dichroic signal reverses sign when the Néel vector is flipped for the in-plane phonon wave vectors. Moreover, a channel-resolved decomposition identifies the circular phonon dichroism originates from the interband coherent transitions. Representative finite-momentum cuts show pronounced dichroic asymmetric ratio, with $|\eta_{\mathrm{CPD}}|=37.3\%$. Our work reveals that the circular-ultrasound absorption acts as a direct probe of the Néel vector of $d$-wave altermagnets.

Multiferroicity arising from non-collinear spin textures and strong spin-orbit interactions offers a route to magnetoelectric functionality in the monolayer limit. Although theory predicts that the properties of monolayer multiferroics can be tuned by strain, gating, or proximity effects, experimental demonstrations of such control remain scarce. Here we show that the magnetic ground state of monolayer NiI$_2$, a prototypical two-dimensional multiferroic, is altered by proximity to a superconducting NbSe$_2$ substrate. Using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), we show that the metallic substrate renormalizes the exchange interactions within NiI$_2$ and drives it into a ferromagnetic ground state. This can be visualized by probing the Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states within the superconducting gap of the NbSe$_2$ substrate. Our results establish YSR states as an in situ probe of two-dimensional magnetism and demonstrate substrate engineering as a means of controlling magnetic order in atomically thin materials.

Neutral atom quantum systems offer a promising pathway to large-scale quantum computing due to high qubit uniformity and flexible connectivity. To exploit this architecture, compilers must coordinate dynamic atom transport alongside highly parallel entangling gates. As circuits scale, the interplay between these operations becomes a system bottleneck, introducing denser logical interactions and longer temporal dependencies. Compilers must simultaneously satisfy rigid spatial constraints and complex movement schedules. Existing joint spatiotemporal compilation methods face an exponentially expanding search space, incurring substantial overheads or compromising fidelity as circuit size grows. In this work, we propose ARGON, a scalable compilation framework that introduces a spatiotemporal decoupling paradigm for neutral atom processors. Our key novelty is offloading static geometric conflict resolution to an offline phase, precomputing a library of hardware-certified, high-parallelism spatial layouts. To guide temporal routing, we deploy a Graph Neural Network (GNN) predictor to evaluate candidate layouts against deep temporal horizons, proactively evading downstream kinematic bottlenecks. Finally, a heuristic router translates the selected sequence into collision-free physical transport. Evaluations show ARGON completes compilation in under 10 seconds, delivering up to a >10^4x and 600x average speedup over state-of-the-art baselines. ARGON also minimizes routing decoherence and reduces Rydberg stages, improving execution fidelity by up to 10^2x on dense circuits.

Quantum circuits are often drawn as complete processes, with fixed inputs and outputs. In many quantum-information tasks, however, the natural object is only a fragment of such a circuit: an unknown source of non-Markovian noise to be probed, a subroutine to be inserted into a larger algorithm, or an agent implementing an adaptive strategy. In finite dimensions, the link product provides a systematic means to analyze how such circuit fragments interact and compose. Here, we develop the corresponding framework for continuous-variable systems. We introduce continuous-variable circuit fragments and associated link products that stitch such fragments together into larger processes. We show that the formalism simplifies substantially in the Gaussian regime, where link products can be evaluated efficiently using covariance-matrix representations. We use the formalism to construct non-Markovian processes and adaptive agent-environment interactions from modular components. This extends the quantum-comb toolkit to continuous variables, providing systematic methods for adaptive sensing, non-Markovian noise mitigation, and higher-order quantum circuit design.

This work is the second part of the series devoted to first-principles determination of the fundamental properties of nitrogen. In this part, we calculate the potential energy curve for the electronic ground state of N$_2$. The potential is divided into three components: short-, medium-, and long-range, and a different computational protocol is applied to each component, based on a composite coupled cluster approach, genuine multireference methods, and asymptotic expansion of the interaction energy. A particular focus is on the short-range part, as the accuracy of this component is critical from the point of view of metrological applications, including the temperature dependence of many properties of nitrogen gas. Uncertainties of the theoretical data, originating both from basis set incompleteness and applied theoretical method, are rigorously analyzed and provided at $2\sigma$ level, i.e. expanded ($k=2$) uncertainties. The developed potential energy curve is used to calculate the spectroscopic parameters of the N$_2$ ground state and the results are compared with the available theoretical and experimental data.

Momentum-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) on strange-metal Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+x}$ (Bi-2212) observes a broad charge continuum that is nearly momentum independent over an extended finite-momentum regime, whereas optical spectroscopy determines a metallic local conductivity. We analyze the long-wavelength response function that connects these regimes: the proper homogeneous bulk charge-density polarization. For any homogeneous $U(1)$-conserving metal whose longitudinal matter conductivity remains finite in the $q\to0$ limit at fixed nonzero frequency, the Ward identity gives $\chi''_{\rho\rho}({\bf q},\omega)=q^2\operatorname{Re}\sigma_L({\bf q},\omega)/\omega$. We then prove that any nonnegative normalized momentum-resolution kernel with a self-similar $q$-scaled profile, uniformly bounded second moment, and tight second-moment tails preserves this $q^2$ asymptotic behavior, changing only the prefactor. Consequently, a nearly local finite-$q$ continuum in Bi-2212, if continuously connected to a regular metallic optical limit of the same proper bulk response, is naturally described by a crossover surface $q_\ast(\omega,T)$. The theorem is a constraint on the proper bulk density response, or on a positive $q$-scaled convolution of it; screened loss functions and surface EELS observables require the corresponding electrodynamic conversion before the constraint is applied.

Strontium ruthenate is a very interesting low temperature superconductor with relatively simple normal state and very puzzling superconducting state properties. Despite over thirty years of intensive research, even the precise symmetry of the order parameter is not known. In this paper we briefly review some of the key developments, focussing on some of the newer experiments, especially those which challenged the previous understanding that it is a spin triplet odd parity chiral p-wave superconductor. Since Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ now appears most probably a spin singlet superconductor we have calculated the Kerr effect for one candidate $d$-wave pairing state. We find that for the chiral $d$-wave $E_g$ pairing state the calculated Hall conductance is non-zero and qualitatively similar to that found earlier under the assumption of a chiral p-wave $E_u$ order parameter. We characterize the Hall conductance in relation to two sum rules, one related to Berry curvatures in the Bogoliubov quasiparticle states, and the other $f$-sum rule indicating the presence of inter-orbital pairing.

Numerous studies have analyzed the use of hybrid quantum-classical convolutional neural networks as a promising alternative to classical deep learning. However, network components on quantum hardware impose fundamental limitations, while the scalability of quantum circuits leads to trainability issues. In this work, we investigate whether small, classically-emulated quantum circuit components can play a meaningful role within complex models, offering an alternative to purely classical convolutional architectures. To this end, we present a systematic study of the effectiveness of a Hybrid Quantum-inspired Convolutional Neural Network (HQiCNN) compared with a parameter-matched classical Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that differs only in an intermediate dense neural layer. Both models are evaluated on two real-world medical datasets while systematically varying the different hyperparameters, ensuring a fair model comparison that is both dataset and hyperparameter independent. The results show that no architecture consistently dominates the other: the HQiCNN achieves its largest gains in intermediate-data regimes, whereas the CNN reaches the highest accuracies for the largest training sets in both datasets. Furthermore, removing entanglement produces comparable performance while enabling substantially better scalability of quantum simulations, and richer observable sets become beneficial only when sufficient training data are available. Finally, we propose two SHAP-based explainability tools for comparing the predictions between both models, $|SHAP|$IoU and $EMD_{pos}$ metric, to demonstrate that both architectures consistently attend to anatomically plausible regions. Thus, we provide a comprehensive benchmark showing that, under certain conditions, hybrid quantum-inspired models are an alternative that can offer benefits in practical tasks such as medical image classification.

Among Heusler compounds,Ni based alloys have been extensively investigated because they exhibit desirable properties such as high Curie temperatures, which are advantageous for advanced magnetic and spintronic devices.The effect of Al substitution on the magnetic ground state of Ni2MnSn was investigated using the Ni2MnSn0.75Al0.25 Heusler alloy.Temperature-dependent magnetisation measurements identify a second-order paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at TC is 734K,followed by a first-order martensitic transformation near 263K,demonstrating strong magnetostructural coupling.Curie Weiss analysis yields a positive Weiss temperature theta CW is 746.4K and an effective magnetic moment of 6.82muB,confirming the predominance of ferromagnetic exchange interactions. The bifurcation between the ZFC and FCW magnetization curves,together with non saturating hysteretic M vs H loops, indicates the coexistence of competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions.Further magnetic investigations establish the formation of an interacting reentrant cluster glass state accompanied by an exchange-bias effect.The observed magnetic behavior is attributed to the modification of Mn Mn exchange interactions induced by Al substitution and the associated atomic disorder,resulting in a complex magnetic ground state.

Building upon a recent result by H. Cornean, H. Garde, and A. Jensen concerning continuum limits of discrete Dirac operators, we extend the analysis to a wide class of block operator matrices. This class includes, among others, the bilayer graphene Hamiltonian. Our main goal is to find norm estimates for the difference between the resolvents of continuous operators and their discrete counterparts embedded in the continuum in a specific way. While some discretization schemes lead directly to convergence in the generalized norm resolvent sense as the mesh parameter tends to zero, others require the addition of a suitable correction term to ensure the convergence.

This work examines the thermal dynamics of basis-independent quantum coherence and correlation-based quantum resources for two dipole-dipole-coupled electrons confined in spatially separated quantum-dot (QD) molecules. Single-dot quantum superpositions and inter-subsystem coherence are characterized by using localized and collective coherence. Quantum correlations between the two double quantum dots are quantified by employing Bures distance entanglement, Local quantum uncertainty (LQU), and local quantum Fisher Information (LQFI). The findings show that dipole-dipole coupling $K$ is the most effective protective parameter, extending the entanglement sudden death temperature, diminishing the local quantum superpositions and enhancing the collective coherence. The dipole-dipole interaction has also a crucial impact on protecting LQU and LQFI beyond the entanglement sudden death temperature. Coulomb repulsion $J$ reinforces this protection through an independent channel, projecting the thermal state onto the entangled $\{|0_A 1_B\rangle,|1_A 0_B\rangle\}$ subspace; their combined action is required to approach the entanglement maximum, and it enhances collective coherence and extends the temperature range over which LQU and LQFI remain appreciable. Energy detuning $\varepsilon$ can enhance localized coherence but paradoxically accelerates the entanglement sudden death and quenches LQU and LQFI by weakening two-body correlations. Inter-dot tunneling $\Gamma$ enhances local superpositions at low temperature, but it reduces collective coherence, lowers the entanglement sudden death temperature, and disrupts other nonclassical correlations.

This work is the first in a series of papers in which we perform theoretical calculations of various fundamental properties of nitrogen relevant for gas thermometry experiments. In this part we focus on the properties of nitrogen atom, namely dynamic polarizabilities and dispersion coefficients that describe interaction between two nitrogen atoms at large internuclear separations. These quantities are calculated using a composite scheme based on coupled cluster and full configuration interaction methods and large Gaussian basis sets optimized specifically for the purposes of this work. The dispersion coefficients, $C_n$ with $n=6,8,10$, are obtained using Casimir–Polder formulas by numerical integration over dipole, quadrupole, and octuple polarizabilities for imaginary frequencies represented analytically by Padé approximants. Special attention is paid to careful error control and uncertainty estimation of the calculated quantities.

Decoherence, when viewed in the Heisenberg picture, can turn incompatible measurements into jointly measurable ones. This provides an observable-level description of emergent classicality in terms of the incompatibility destroyed by a noise channel. The corresponding loss of incompatibility can be captured by the channel's compatibility region—the observables in a probe class that become jointly measurable with every noisy observable. The geometry and volume of this region provide a refined operational way to compare noise channels. We apply this framework to decoherence channels, each of which acts by Schur multiplication with extreme points of the convex set of unit-diagonal positive semidefinite matrices. Restricting to extremals eliminates convex mixing and reveals subtle phase-dependent decoherence effects thar are not captured by damping rates or conventional coherence quantifiers. Such channels have a rigid dilation structure described by a rank-one operator frame, which reduces joint measurability to a positivity test, making the compatibility region analytically tractable, and its volume computable from the frame's Gram matrix. If the frame can be normalised to a minimal informationally complete (MIC) POVM, the compatibility region acquires a geometric interpretation in the associated probability representation of the quantum state space, familiar with Qbism. Among maximal-rank extremals, those associated with symmetric informationally complete (SIC) POVMs maximise the compatibility volume and hence destroy the greatest amount of incompatibility, providing an operational characterisation of the special role of SICs in terms of joint measurability. This leads to a new formulation of the well-known SIC existence problem as a joint measurability question for noisy mutually unbiased bases.

This work explores the production of an MeV-scale electrophilic axion-like particles (ALPs) by utilizing the monochromatic 5.5MeV photon resulting from the nuclear fusion processes in the Sun. These 5.5MeV photons can undergo the Compton-like scattering with the ambient electrons in the solar matter to produce a substantial flux of MeV ALPs. Upon reaching the Earth, such ALPs can be detected via the same electron coupling, offering a new opportunity for the dark matter (DM) direct detection experiments to probe the previously unexplored parameter regions. We show that the existing data of LZ, PandaX-4T, and Borexino can attain the sensitivities $g_{ae} \lesssim 3.7 \times 10^{-6}$, $g_{ae} \lesssim 3.7 \times 10^{-6}$ and $g_{ae} \lesssim 1.7 \times 10^{-6}$, respectively, for $m_a \lesssim 1$MeV. An optimistic 200 tonne$\times$year exposure by PandaX-xT can reach $g_{ae}\lesssim 1.6 \times 10^{-6}$ for most of the mass window $m_a < 1$MeV and even $g_{ae} \lesssim 1.5 \times 10^{-7}$ with $m_a$ approaching 1MeV. Despite the stringent constraints from different laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations, our obtained limits from LZ, PandaX-4T, and Borexino can probe new parameter regions, specifically in the mass window $0.4\,{\rm MeV} \lesssim m_a \lesssim 1$MeV.

In this paper, we investigate how the particle spin modulates chaos bound violations in Lorentz-violating black hole spacetimes within the framework of Bumblebee gravity. Using the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon formalism, we analyze the effects of spin-curvature coupling, Lorentz symmetry breaking, and the cosmological constant on the orbital instability in static spherically symmetric (A)dS black holes. We find that the particle spin provides an additional mechanism for modulating the critical angular momentum associated with the onset of violation. The Lorentz-violating parameter suppresses the violations by reducing the accessible parameter space and the critical charge. Meanwhile, a negative cosmological constant decreases the violation region but enhances the violation magnitude for allowed configurations. Our results demonstrate that the spin and Lorentz symmetry breaking jointly regulate the interplay between orbital instability and black hole horizon properties.

In this communication we propose a discrete Cosserat rod formulation in which a slender elastic rod is represented as a chain of rigid bodies (nodes) coupled by compliant elastic forces and moments acting between adjacent node pairs. Discrete dilatation, shear, torsion and curvature strain measures are evaluated from the relative kinematics of each node pair, while the constitutive behavior is expressed in compliance form through independent stress degrees of freedom. We show that the resulting model arises rigorously from a mixed Petrov–Galerkin Cosserat rod finite element formulation (FEM) at linear kinematic interpolation order when the internal virtual work is integrated by the midpoint rule and the external and inertial contributions by the trapezoidal rule. The proposed formulation inherits the robustness and the absence of locking from the underlying mixed FEM while simultaneously exposing a two-node coupling structure that mirrors discrete rod models from the computer graphics community. This is in sharp contrast to the dense coupling of strain-parameterized reduced-order models often used in soft robotic applications. Three numerical examples involving piecewise-varying cross sections, tendon-driven actuation under different spatial discretizations, and coupled longitudinal-torsional dynamics confirm the accuracy, robustness, and convergence behavior of the presented approach.

Transverse spherocity ($S_{0}$) is an event-shape observable widely used to classify collision events according to their topology, particularly to distinguish jet-like from isotropic events. Low-spherocity events are generally interpreted as being associated with enhanced jet activity. This event classification has also been applied to heavy-ion collisions to investigate the influence of event topology on several observables, including elliptic flow and constituent-quark-number scaling. In this work, we demonstrate that such an interpretation requires careful reconsideration. Using toy Monte Carlo simulations, A Multiphase Transport (AMPT) model calculations, and an analytical formulation of the spherocity observable, we show that transverse spherocity is intrinsically related to the elliptic flow coefficient, $v_{2}$. This connection arises because the axis that minimizes the spherocity aligns with the event symmetry plane, causing events with larger elliptic anisotropy to naturally exhibit smaller spherocity values even in the absence of genuine jet-like topologies. We further show that this intrinsic relation gives rise to an inherent anti-correlation between transverse spherocity and $v_{2}$, implying that several characteristics previously attributed to the enhanced jet-like nature of low-spherocity events in heavy-ion collisions can instead be understood as consequences of collective anisotropic flow. Our results indicate that, in heavy-ion collisions, transverse spherocity should be interpreted primarily as a probe of the collective momentum-space anisotropy rather than as a direct measure of jetty event topology. Consequently, physics conclusions drawn from spherocity-selected events should explicitly account for its intrinsic correlation with elliptic flow.

Error correction thresholds are often treated as the primary figure of merit for comparing quantum error-correcting code families. We show that the optimal error correction threshold for many commonly considered codes is constrained to a single universal value at leading order in a replica limit. Through a statistical mechanical mapping, we demonstrate that duality constrains all zero-rate em-symmetric CSS codes to have the same optimal code capacity threshold. Here, em symmetry means that the X- and Z-type parity-check matrices are equivalent up to row and column permutations. Under this statistical mechanical mapping, em-symmetric CSS codes are self-dual under a generalized Kramers-Wannier duality up to a mixing of logical sectors. For zero-rate code families, this mixing contributes only subextensive corrections, so the thermodynamic bulk free energy is self-dual in the trivial logical sector. This self-duality fixes the clean critical point and constrains the disordered phase boundary. We also show that self-duality is preserved under code concatenation, and that optimal decoding of concatenated codes can be reformulated as a renormalization group flow on a hierarchical lattice. Our results provide a common framework for analyzing topological, concatenated, and more general quantum low-density parity-check code families, including both their optimal code capacity thresholds and their sub-threshold logical error suppression.

This expository review reformulates the BCS analyses of Haag, Emch–Guenin, and Thirring–Wehrl, together with subsequent operator-algebraic mean-field results of Bóna, Raggio–Werner, and Bru–de Siqueira Pedra, in the language of quasi-local $C^{\ast}$-algebras and state decompositions. The quasi-spin model is realized on the UHF algebra of type $2^{\infty}$, with product sectors described by von Neumann's incomplete infinite tensor products. This framework distinguishes strong limits of intensive observables, domain-restricted limits of extensive observables, and sectorwise Bogoliubov–Haag limits, including their operator criterion, gap equation, and limiting dynamics. In the degenerate model, the ground-state and thermal gauge averages admit central direct-integral decompositions over the gauge circle, and the thermal decomposition converges to the ground-state decomposition at zero temperature. Adjoining the gauge phase as a central classical variable combines the phase-dependent Bogoliubov dynamics into one automorphism group on $C(\mathbb{S}^{1},\mathcal{A})$.