Papers

Neutron stars have baryon chemical potentials that can exceed the neutron mass, providing favorable conditions to convert neutrons to new particles carrying baryon number, even if those processes are kinematically forbidden in vacuum. We study the effect of GeV-scale scalars with baryon number on neutron stars' equation of state and show that non-perturbatively large repulsive self-couplings are required to support the observed two-solar-mass neutron stars. We also study potentials with attractive self-interactions, which can trigger scalar production even for masses above the chemical potential and resemble Coleman's Q-matter.

Pure-state entanglement rests on a single algebraic backbone: majorization of the Schmidt spectrum governs state conversion under local operations and classical communication, and constrains entanglement monotones. Here we establish a corresponding majorization law for fermionic non-Gaussianity, the resource that elevates free fermions to universal quantum computation. Under any fermionic Gaussian protocol with pure state outcomes, the Williamson spectrum of a pure state's Majorana covariance matrix is weakly majorized by its ensemble average. This spectral law mirrors that of entanglement theory. It turns computable non-Gaussianity quantifiers such as fermionic antiflatness and occupation entropies into strong monotones for fermionic non-Gaussianity, and delivers necessary conditions and converse bounds on state conversion under Gaussian protocols. When fermion parity is conserved, no catalyst can remove a majorization obstruction—unless it carries parity coherence—and asymptotic interconversion is irreversible already for pure states. All relevant quantities are accessible from two-point Majorana correlators, turning the theory developed here into experimentally observable properties of quantum matter, testable on present-day quantum devices.

We give the outlines of a proof for the existence of a mass gap for the 3d Yang-Mills theory in terms of an inequality on the eigenvalues of the Laplacian on the gauge-invariant configuration space.

Understanding the geometry of complex networks is critical for effective modeling and analysis across domains. While discrete notions of Ricci curvature have emerged as powerful tools for characterizing both local and global network structure, existing formulations are largely confined to undirected networks with real-valued weights. This limits the use of curvature-based analysis of directional and complex-weighted relations that arise naturally in many applications, from social and biological systems to quantum and signal-processing networks. In this work, we introduce a principled extension of Ollivier's Ricci curvature to complex-weighted graphs, which encompasses directed graphs as a special case. We establish fundamental theoretical properties of this new notion, including relations to the magnetic Laplacian and combinatorial upper and lower bounds that relate curvature to cycle structure in local neighborhoods. We further develop computational methods for curvature estimation and demonstrate their utility in community detection on directed networks.

The Carruthers Geocoronal Observatory (Carruthers), formerly GLIDE, is a NASA Heliophysics Science Mission of Opportunity implemented through the Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP) Program and launched as a rideshare in September 2025. Carruthers is the first spaceflight mission edicated to continuous global imaging of Earth's hydrogen exosphere through observations of geocoronal Lyman-$\alpha$ emission at 121.6 nm. The observatory operates at distances of 1.3-1.7 million km in a halo orbit about the Sun-Earth L1 point, enabling retrieval of the three-dimensional distribution of atomic hydrogen, the dominant constituent of the exosphere, on hourly timescales and unprecedented spatial resolution. These new data provide the key to understanding processes governing atmospheric escape, geospace coupling, and solar-wind interaction. Carruthers carries the GeoCoronal Imager (GCI), a dual-channel ultraviolet imaging instrument comprising the Narrow-Field Imager (NFI) for high-resolution observations of the inner exosphere and the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) for synoptic imaging of the extended hydrogen halo. Along with a student-provided experiment, the instrument suite is the sole payload aboard a three-axis-stabilized spacecraft designed to support nadir viewing throughout the $\sim178$ day halo orbit about L1. Observations also measure the interplanetary Lyman-$\alpha$ background, enabling separation of heliospheric and geocoronal emissions. The student-led experiment monitors solar Lyman-$\alpha$ and extreme ultraviolet emission during portions of the orbit. Science data are returned through the Deep Space Network at data rates up to 1 Mbit s$^{-1}$. The two-year baseline mission begins in March 2026, with propellant reserves capable of supporting more than ten years of orbit maintenance and maneuvers.

A characteristic-polynomial formulation is already known for static perfect fluids in Lovelock gravity [Phys. Rev. D 113, 084008 (2026)]. We extend it to the complete anisotropic matter sector. For arbitrary dimension and independently coupled curvature orders, we derive closed, summation-free expressions for the density, radial pressure, tangential pressure and anisotropy in terms of a single polynomial \(W\), its derivatives and two derived polynomials \(V\) and \(U\). The dimension-dependent combinatorial coefficients are obtained directly from the generalized-delta antisymmetrisation and independently confirmed through an inductive argument. Imposing pressure isotropy recovers the known total-derivative equation, which we resolve into an explicit operator affine in Lovelock order and linear in dimension. This structure proves that, apart from the branch of vanishing angular sectional curvature, the interior Schwarzschild geometry is the unique isotropic interior common to arbitrary Lovelock couplings. It also identifies the fixed-sign obstruction to bounded pure Lovelock spheres in \(d=2N+1\) with the polynomial identity \(V\equiv0\), and shows how a lower-order term or cosmological term removes this obstruction. Finally, we integrate the resulting arbitrary-order stellar equations with all admissible orders active in \(d=10\) and \(d=11\). For the positive single-parameter hierarchy of Lovelock couplings considered, the general-relativistic sequence topology persists while higher orders increase the maximum mass cumulatively.

Primordial black holes (PBHs) form through several distinct mechanisms, each imprinting a characteristic mass function that a single-mass treatment risks erasing. Building on the FRISBHEE code, we introduce FRISHBEE, implementing four mass functions–log-normal, power-law, critical collapse, metric preheating–in a multimodal framework, with spin modeled via Gaussian and Fishbach profiles. Crucially, each channel's weight is derived from the primordial collapse probability rather than fitted, tying the mass function to the power-spectrum amplitude–a link between inflationary model-building and CMB observables. Solving the Friedmann-Boltzmann equations for $M_{\rm PBH}^{\rm in}=10^{7}$~g in the pre-BBN window, we compute $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ for five distributions, three spin configurations, and three weightings. Extended mass functions enhance $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ over the monochromatic benchmark by factors of $\sim\!1.03$ (critical collapse) to $\sim\!1.84$ (log-normal), preserving the hierarchy $LN > MM > PL > MP > CC$ across the mass window $\{10^{5},10^{7},10^{8}\}$~g. Near-extremal spin ($a_{\star}=0.99$) and spin-2 dark radiation invert this trend: superradiant spin loss averages away faster in broad distributions than in a monochromatic population, letting the monochromatic approximation overestimate $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$. Against CMB-S4 and Simons Observatory sensitivities ($\sigma\simeq 0.06$ and $0.05$), the monochromatic benchmark is undetectable for scalar dark radiation (sDR $=0$), while log-normal, power-law, and multimodal distributions reach $\sim\!1.6$–$1.7\sigma$; for spin-2 dark radiation the signal drops over an order of magnitude, with none detectable. The formation channel thus governs the magnitude and observational accessibility of the Hawking signal, establishing $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ as a discriminant between single- and multi-channel PBH formation scenarios.

We demonstrate the existence of at-$\Gamma$ degenerate hybrid bound-states in the continuum (BICs) with high-order topological charges and quadratic band degeneracy in periodic photonic structures with $C_{6v}$ symmetry above the diffraction limit. The degenerate BICs are realized by combining symmetry protection, which suppresses radiation into zeroth-order diffraction channel, with quadratic band degeneracy and parameter tuning to eliminate radiation into first-order diffraction channels. An effective Hamiltonian is used to investigate the band structure around the degeneracy point, and the topological dynamics in all diffraction channels are characterized. This work reveals a novel mechanism for realizing degenerate BICs above the diffraction limit, opening up opportunities for new physics and applications.

Impurity composition, plasma shape, and pedestal density all provide strong levers on fusion power. Here, we explore the ways in which their variation changes fusion power and seek to find the optimum of these parameters. The key impacts of these variables are through changes in the core turbulent transport, the density of the fuel species, the pedestal pressure, and the plasma volume. ITG stabilization due to increased amounts of impurities is observed. The dependence of all of these parameters on the pedestal pressure is especially complicated because of the separate impacts on the peeling and ballooning modes, which can each limit the pedestal. Optimization of this multidimensional operating space is enabled by the use of Bayesian optimization, resulting in an operating point similar to ARC V3A with ~30% more fusion power and a higher fusion power density. Increased shaping parameters, including elongation, triangularity, and squareness are all beneficial, as is high Zeff. When elongation is also allowed to vary, a ~65% increase in fusion power can be achieved. While not commonly considered, we find squareness is an important lever on fusion power. The plasma performance is limited by the Greenwald density limit constraint. This workflow developed here and demonstrated with the example of ARC V3A can readily be applied to other tokamak designs.

Hadronically decaying particles with lifetimes $\tau\gtrsim0.02\,{\rm s}$ are excluded by Big Bang Nucleosynthesis almost independently of their abundance: the mesons from their decays convert protons into neutrons faster than the reverse, and helium is overproduced. For heavy neutral leptons (HNLs), this blankets the couplings the upcoming accelerator searches can reach. We propose a scenario with large lepton flavor asymmetries in which HNLs evade it. A Dirac HNL decays into $\pi^+$ and its antiparticle into $\pi^-$, so an asymmetry between the two populations injects an excess of $\pi^+$, which converts the neutrons back to their standard abundance, while a cancellation between the asymmetries and the HNL decays keeps the shift in $N_{\rm eff}$ small. This opens the parameter space with $m_l+m_\pi\lesssim m_N\lesssim1\,{\rm GeV}$ and $\tau_N\lesssim1\,{\rm s}$, including a substantial region within the reach of SHiP. A discovery there, combined with the BBN and CMB observables, would fix the primordial flavor asymmetries up to one remaining direction. The relic neutrino background and a possibly first-order cosmic QCD transition, a source of gravitational waves, may probe that direction, and with it the lepton asymmetry of the Universe.

Motivated by the discovery of bimetallic MXene compounds with Janus metal sites, we investigate Janus MXenes TiM"CO2, where M" = Mo, W. Our computational analysis reveals that broken inversion symmetry in the Janus structure, coupled with strong spin-orbit coupling at M", generates diverse and remarkable functionalities. These include pronounced Rashba spin splitting, non-trivial Z2 topology, Berry-curvature-dipole-driven nonlinear anomalous Hall effect, and strain control of the Berry curvature dipole. Notably, the 4d transition-metal-based TiMoCO2 and 5d transition-metal-based TiWCO2, with M" elements from the same column of the periodic table, display markedly different behaviors. While TiMoCO2 is a Z2 topological insulator, TiWCO2 is a trivial semimetal. Both compounds, however, exhibit compelling quantum properties. TiWCO2 shows a robust Rashba effect with a large Rashba coefficient of 1.35 eV. Angstrom and a large nonlinear anomalous Hall conductivity of 120 x 0.0001 G0. TiMoCO2, a Z2 narrow-gap semiconductor with weaker Rashba splitting and moderate nonlinear anomalous Hall conductivity, exhibits a strain-driven transition from semiconductor to semimetal. This transition modulates both the sign and magnitude of the Berry curvature dipole, yielding a sizable nonlinear anomalous Hall conductivity of 17 X 0.0001 G0 under 2% tensile strain. Our findings underscore the potential of MXenes as a platform for investigating and tailoring multifunctional quantum phenomena.

Negative stochastic entropy production is commonly called an apparent violation of the second law. In general quantum-trajectory dynamics, however, the physical entropy production $\sigma$ need not obey a forward detailed fluctuation theorem. A general arbitrary-coupling formulation identifies a dynamical-asymmetry term $\sigma^\ast$ that completes it into $\Omega=\sigma+\sigma^\ast$, whose mean is $\langle\Omega\rangle=\Sigma+\Sigma^\ast$. We prove that the likelihood-ratio sign is optimal among reversal-odd trajectory observables and use this fact to transfer an established sharp fluctuation-theorem floor to the tie-corrected physical sign statistic $\Pi_\sigma=\Pr(\sigma<0)+\Pr(\sigma=0)/2$. When $\Pr(\sigma=0)=0$, the result reads $\Pr(\sigma<0)\ge[1-\langle\Omega\rangle/g(\langle\Omega\rangle)]/2$, where $g$ is the inverse of $a\mapsto a\tanh(a/2)$. The physical integral fluctuation theorem simultaneously suppresses large negative events, producing a quantitative “frequent but mild” law, while the sign imbalance lower-bounds the hidden mean $\Sigma^\ast$. We formulate the measured-record protocol explicitly and illustrate and numerically audit the tie-corrected theorem in random finite-coupling collision models and a coherently driven qubit interacting with thermal ancillas.

We investigate whether the Galactic-centre association IRS13 requires an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) to remain bound. Using high-precision $N$-body calculations of IRS13-like systems orbiting the Milky Way supermassive black hole (SMBH), as well as simulations of more massive infalling clusters, we find that an IRS13-sized cluster dissolves on a very short timescale even when an IMBH of $4\times10^4\,M_\odot$ is present. The observed velocity dispersion can arise naturally from the tidal field of Sgr A* and the infall event itself; therefore, it need not imply a central IMBH. In the infalling-cluster runs, tidal stripping produces transient disks, spiral-like structures, and ring-like overdensities. These features suggest a broader interpretation: IRS13 is best viewed as a temporary phase-space overdensity, analogous in mechanism (though not in scale) to phase-wrapped shells and streams in disrupted galaxies.

The theoretical prediction of the muon anomalous magnetic moment $a_\mu$ depends crucially on the Hadronic Vacuum Polarization (HVP), and the tension between its dispersive and lattice-QCD determinations remains unresolved. We show that part of this puzzle can be addressed in the heavy-quark sector, where both descriptions are theoretically clean, by recognizing that the heavy-quark mass and its contribution to $a_\mu$ are not independent quantities: both follow from integrals of the same hadronic spectral function, differing only in their integration kernel. Promoting this kernel to a free choice within the relativistic QCD Sum Rules used to determine heavy-quark masses, we break with the conventional notion of a single valid sum rule and instead determine the mass and its HVP contribution simultaneously, from a common, self-consistent framework. This intrinsic construction exploits the anticorrelation between the two quantities to sharpen the final uncertainty, and turns the residual disagreement between the perturbative and hadronic descriptions of the observable into a direct observable-specific diagnostic of residual theory/model dependence, including duality-violation and continuum-modeling effects, unavailable to a determination of the mass alone. We obtain $a_\mu^{\rm HVP_{c+b},LO} =(14.46(13)+0.3009(17))\times 10^{-10}$ at leading and $a_\mu^{\rm HVP_{c+b}, NLO_{a,b}} = ( -0.5738(95) - 0.01822(13) )\times 10^{-10}$ at next-to-leading order, for charm and bottom contributions, respectively. We compare our next-to-leading-order results with its first available lattice determination, finding good agreement in the charm sector. As a byproduct, we obtain $\hat m_c(\hat m_c)=1267.1(6.8)$ MeV and $\hat m_b(\hat m_b) = 4182.3(7.2)$ MeV, with unprecedented phenomenological precision.

Projected ensembles—the collections of conditional pure states induced on a system by measuring an entangled environment—have become central objects in quantum science, underlying deep thermalization, quantum state designs, the emergence of classicality, and exhibiting interesting phase transitions. Here we develop a general and exact theory of their dynamics, yielding a systematic approach to their dynamics and equilibrium and non-equilibrium stationary states. We derive an exact continuity equation on quantum state space for the projected ensemble, together with microscopic kinetic equations and analytical expressions for the probability flux and source terms generated by the system-environment interaction. The resulting dynamics admits a classical representation: isolated systems obey Hamiltonian transport and Liouville's theorem, while open systems are described by a kinetic theory of probability transport. The stationary continuity equation provides a general characterization of equilibrium and non-equilibrium stationary projected ensembles, which can be analyzed through the method of characteristics. The theory provides an analytical framework for studying the emergence, structure, and timescales of equilibrium and non-equilibrium stationary projected ensembles, with applications ranging from deep thermalization and the emergence of classicality to random quantum-state generation and quantum device benchmarking.

Paleo-detectors record and retain crystal damage in ancient minerals from nuclear recoils induced by dark matter scattering over geological timescales. Previous studies have shown that paleo-detectors can provide sensitivity to a variety of dark matter (DM) scenarios which is complementary to conventional direct-detection experiments. In this paper, we complete the first detailed study of how well paleo-detectors can reconstruct DM parameters or distinguish between different types of DM interactions with nuclei in the presence of a DM signal, considering both elastic and inelastic DM-nucleus scattering. For representative nuclear recoil track read-out scenarios, we demonstrate that weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) DM masses can be reconstructed for a variety of Non-Relativistic Effective Field Theory (NREFT) interactions between WIMPs and nuclei. In particular, paleo-detectors are projected to be capable of reconstructing WIMP masses $\lesssim$ 10 GeV, a regime that is challenging for conventional direct-detection experiments; further, we find that paleo-detectors could reconstruct WIMP masses up to 1 TeV for hypothetical signals within their accessible parameter space, extending the mass range over which reconstruction is possible by up to a factor of $\sim 2$ compared with analogous studies of conventional direct-detection experiments. In addition, we demonstrate that paleo-detectors could discriminate between canonical spin-independent or spin-dependent NREFT interactions and non-canonical interactions which can depend on the relative velocity or momentum transferred between the WIMP and nucleus. Specifically, at WIMP masses $\gtrsim$ 10 GeV, we project that canonical NREFT interactions can be excluded by paleo-detectors in the cases of nearly all non-canonical interactions without measurement of nuclear recoil direction, which conventional experiments typically require.

A comprehensive numerical analysis of the latest germanium based coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) data from the COHERENT Ge-mini and TEXONO experiments has been conducted to test the Standard Model (SM) and search for new physics. By combining CE$\nu$NS and E$\nu$ES signals with a consistent treatment of detector effects and systematic uncertainties, we obtain a low energy determination of the weak mixing angle from COHERENT Ge-mini, in agreement with the SM prediction. We derive novel constraints on neutrino electromagnetic properties, including the magnetic moment, millicharge, charge radius, and anapole moment, with TEXONO providing particularly competitive bounds. Inclusion of E$\nu$ES significantly improves the sensitivity to the neutrino millicharge by up to three orders of magnitude. We also investigated light scalar and vector mediators, finding striking complementarity between reactor and stopped pion sources across different mediator mass regimes. Finally, we put bounds on sterile neutral lepton production through transition dipole, scalar, and vector portals, probing masses from the sub-MeV to tens of MeV scale. Our results demonstrate that current germanium based CE$\nu$NS experiments provide a powerful low energy laboratory for precision electroweak tests and complementary probes of a broad class of physics beyond the SM.

We present long-term, three-dimensional simulations of ejecta from four binary neutron star mergers to second-long time-scales. Numerical-relativity data serve as boundary conditions for a general-relativistic hydrodynamics evolution incorporating an equation of state valid outside nuclear statistical equilibrium and an effective nuclear-heating prescription based on reaction-network calculations. We investigate the ejecta's dynamical and geometrical properties, the impact of nuclear heating, the formation and spatial distribution of elements, and compute multi-angle kilonova light curves. % Nuclear heating significantly affects ejecta dynamics, delaying homologous expansion beyond second time-scales and reshapes the spatial distribution of heavy nuclei. This effect is largest for asymmetric binaries with long-lived remnants; extending the evolution from ${\sim}150$~ms to ${\sim}1$~s widens the angular polar region containing 90% of the heavy-element mass (\eg, $Z=56$, $Z=79$) from $|\theta|\lesssim15^{o}$ to $|\theta|\lesssim30^{o}$. Our nucleosynthesis results confirm that the $^{56}$Ni$\rightarrow^{56}$Co$\rightarrow^{56}$Fe decay chain dominates the heating at $\sim$100 days, with cobalt decay producing gamma-ray lines at 846.77 and 1238.288~keV. % Comparing kilonova ray-by-ray light curves obtained from multi-angle 3D profiles and averaged 2D profiles, we find the latter approach broadly robust, although 2D light curves should be treated as upper limits. Increasing dimensionality generally lowers the bolometric luminosity, with binary asymmetry strengthening the viewing-angle dependence. For observers aligned with a lanthanide curtain's densest region, 3D emission can match its 2D counterpart in brightness. We conclude that increased dimensionality alone is unlikely to reconcile current theoretical models with AT2017gfo observations.

A recent work introduced the Simulator Collection for Atomic-to-Continuum Scales (SCACS) toolkit, a framework for improving finite element predictions of heat flow by mapping atom-resolved thermal conductivity into the stiffness matrix of the Galerkin finite element formulation [Ugwumadu et al., Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 053804 (2026)]. Here, we demonstrate that SCACS-derived conductivity fields are solver-independent and can be transferred to existing continuum simulation platforms. As a proof of concept, we map SCACS-derived conductivity fields from complex silicon structures onto finite element meshes in Abaqus and compare the resulting heat-flow solutions with that obtained using conventional uniform-conductivity assignment within Abaqus. Comparison of the two implementations shows that atom-informed conductivity fields can be incorporated into existing finite element workflows and improve realistic prediction and the accuracy of its solution. This work supports broader efforts to improve the predictive capability of continuum simulations for efficient materials design and property prediction.

We investigate galaxy evolution across the full dynamical structure of the Coma cluster using the GalWCat19 spectroscopic cluster catalog combined with SDSS-based value-added galaxy properties. We measure a splashback radius of $R_{sp} = 2.94 \pm 0.16~h^{-1}\, Mpc$. Using specific star formation rate (sSFR), color offset from the red sequence ($\Delta(g-r)_{RS}$), and bulge-to-total ratio ($B/T$) as independent diagnostics, we find a coherent environmental transition from quiescent, red, bulge-dominated galaxies in the cluster core to increasingly star-forming, blue, disk-dominated populations at larger radii. We further introduce a three-dimensional framework in the joint $(\log sSFR, \Delta(g-r)_{RS}, B/T)$ space and develop a peak-based classification scheme that extends beyond traditional one-dimensional galaxy classifications. This framework identifies two dominant populations: red, quiescent, bulge-dominated galaxies, which account for $51\%$ of the joint-analysis sample, and blue, star-forming, disk-dominated galaxies, which account for $29\%$. The remaining $\sim20\%$ of galaxies occupy transitional or mixed states that connect these two principal populations. The relative fractions of these populations change strongly near the splashback radius, where the red, quiescent, bulge-dominated population declines rapidly and the blue, star-forming, disk-dominated population becomes increasingly dominant. These results show that the splashback boundary is not only a dynamical boundary, but also a critical evolutionary transition zone. Overall, our findings suggest that galaxy evolution in Coma is not a purely binary transformation, but instead proceeds through continuous multidimensional pathways in which star formation quenching, color evolution, and morphological transformation occur on different timescales while remaining closely linked to the cluster dynamical structure.

Transient spiral arms are known to drive radial redistribution of stars and thus could play a central role in shaping disk galaxies, including modifying, over time, the age, chemical, and kinematic (chrono-chemo-dynamic) distributions in the Milky Way. However, the physical factors governing the efficiency of such processes remain poorly understood. This paper investigates how the morphology of spiral arms – the number, pitch angle, lifetime, and radial dependence of the pattern speed – influences orbital redistribution through 'cold torquing' at the corotation resonance(s). Analytic expressions are derived for the maximum radial excursion of stars trapped at corotation that explicitly account for spiral morphology, predicting that the efficiency of cold torquing for a density-wave like spiral is greater for more open spiral patterns. Tracer-particle simulations confirm the analytic prediction, in both two- and three-dimensional galactic potentials. In contrast, spirals that have a radially dependent pattern speed such that they corotate with the disk at all radii exhibit the opposite behavior, with cold torquing becoming more efficient as the spiral winds to smaller pitch angles over time. This study further finds that resonant interactions from the same transient spiral causing cold torquing naturally also produces both kinematic heating and cooling of orbits away from corotation. These results demonstrate that spiral morphology alone cannot predict the efficiency of cold torquing and suggest that the relationship between spiral pitch angle and radial redistribution provides a potential diagnostic for distinguishing between competing theories of spiral structure.

The physical and chemical conditions of protoplanetary disks shape the properties of nascent planetary systems. The line ratios and relative abundances of the HCN-HNC isomer pair are well-suited for tracing these gas conditions, since isomer chemistry is linked to the underlying temperature, elemental abundances, and irradiation environment of the emitting gas. While HCN emits bright lines regularly observed in disks, the fainter HNC lines are targeted significantly less often, precluding our ability to calibrate the HNC-to-HCN ratio as a tracer of disk properties. Here, we present new Submillimeter Array observations of five transition disks around the T Tauri stars GM Aur, J1604, LkCa 15, GG Tau, and V4046 Sgr, covering the J=3-2 and J=4-3 lines of HCN and HNC. We detected at least one line of both HCN and HNC in each source and measured disk-integrated HNC-to-HCN flux and column density ratios of $\approx$0.1-0.7 and 0.1-0.4, respectively. For all sources, measured HNC fluxes exceed predictions from models of full (non-transition) disks by $\approx$3-10x, while HCN fluxes appear typical. The relative brightness of HNC vs. HCN in transition disks strongly suggests a link between the presence of a cavity and efficient HNC production. We corroborate this trend using chemical models of the DM Tau transition disk, showing HNC production and destruction are connected to the radiation environment. In our sample, disk-integrated HNC-to-HCN column density ratio shows no trend with disk gas temperature but positively correlates with disk mass due to increased HNC abundance in the larger reservoirs of cooler gas in more massive disks.

Black-hole event horizons obey a set of evolution equations governing their intrinsic and extrinsic geometry. We study these equations in a two-timescale perturbative expansion about a Kerr background and derive strong constraints on the coarse-grained horizon dynamics. At leading order, the coarse-grained linear shear vanishes, while the horizon exhibits an adiabatic rigidity: the leading corrections to its angular velocity and inaffinity remain uniform on each horizon cut, while evolving on the slow timescale. We then provide a systematic procedure for transforming a perturbative bulk solution, given for example in Lorenz gauge, to an ingoing Newman–Unti gauge adapted to the horizon, allowing the perturbed horizon geometry to be extracted directly from the bulk metric. Finally, we formulate black-hole conservation laws associated with horizon symmetries, including energy, dynamical entropy, and angular momentum. We expand the charges through second order and their fluxes through third order in perturbation theory, providing a framework for future applications to horizon absorption and backreaction in extreme mass-ratio inspirals.

The Roman Coronagraph technology demonstration focuses on achieving $<$ 10$^{-7}$ contrasts within the instrument's dark hole and our ability to detect and characterize properties of faint companions around bright stars. Here, we describe results from a study of potential Roman Coronagraph technology demonstration phase observations focused on these goals, informed by the ongoing OASIS survey at the Subaru Telescope and precursor survey work. OASIS provides at least three compelling targets for the technology demonstration phase with imaged companions - the HIP 71618 B brown dwarf and superjovian planets HIP 54515 b and HIP 99770 b. HIP 71618 is well suited for demonstrating the Coronagraph's core performance requirement while all three targets are well suited for spectroscopic mode observations. Each target can be paired with a PSF reference star vetted for companions. While HIP 71618 and HIP 54515 are already planned for Technology Demonstration phase observations, we describe the programmatic and scientific value of adding spectroscopic mode observations of HIP 99770 as well.

X-ray absorption line spectroscopy provides a powerful method for probing the extended hot circumgalactic medium (CGM) of individual galaxies. In this study, we present the first survey of \osv and \oeit absorption lines toward the hot halo of M\,31, using $15$ and $18$ background active galactic nuclei, with impact parameters ranging from $R_{\rm imp}\sim300$–$730$~kpc and $\sim190$–$730$~kpc, respectively. We find a marginal excess absorption above the expected Milky Way (MW) foreground toward the innermost sightlines, consistent with an additional hot-CGM contribution associated with M\,31. Comparing sightlines inside and outside $R_{\rm imp}=300$–$350$~kpc, the excess corresponds to a mean equivalent width of $\sim4$–$9$~mÅ\ for the inner \osv sightlines at $R_{\rm imp}\sim310$~kpc and $\sim17$~mÅ\ for the inner \oeit sightlines at $R_{\rm imp}\sim200$~kpc, with a nominal combined significance level of $2.2$–$2.3\,\sigma$. The hot-CGM mass inferred from this excess is highly model dependent, especially on the assumed CGM boundary, and therefore does not yet provide a robust baryon census. Attributing the excess entirely to hot gas confined within approximately the virial radius of M\,31 would require a CGM mass exceeding the nominal “missing” baryon budget. The inferred mass decreases to a few $\times10^{11}~M_\odot$ when the assumed CGM boundary is extended to $400-500$~kpc. Deeper observations, both through longer exposures of existing sightlines and the inclusion of additional inner-halo targets, will be essential to robustly constrain the properties of the hot CGM of M\,31.

We reveal long-lived memory effects in the defect bath of a superconducting transmon qubit through electric-field tuning of two-level system (TLS) defects coupled to the qubit. Using a fast TLS mapping method we observe several hysteretic effects in the TLS environment with memory timescales of the order of seconds, far beyond the lifetimes of individual TLS defects. The observations can be explained by TLS coupling to electric field-polarised charge fluctuators in the defect bath. Our method enables detailed mapping of the dynamics of the bath's coupled microscopic degrees of freedom and the associated memory effects which can introduce temporally correlated noise. This information may be used to improve qubit-stabilisation and quantum error correction protocols.

We explore the $U(1)_{(B-L)_3}$ gauge symmetry under which only third generation fermions are charged. The cancelation of the $[U(1)_{(B-L)_3}]^3$ anomaly requires a chiral fermion, $\chi_L$, singlet under the gauge group but charged under $U(1)_{(B-L)_3}$. This chiral fermion can play the role of thermal dark matter with a relic abundance set via the freeze-out scenario through the annihilation to pairs of the third generation fermions. In the quark mass basis, the new gauge boson will have off-diagonal couplings to the $b$ and $s$ quarks which can lead to a new contribution to $B^+\to K^+\nu_\tau\bar{\nu}_\tau$. We discuss the relevant bounds from the LHC searches for a new gauge boson, dark matter searches, electroweak precision data, $\Upsilon$ decay, the CKM matrix and the $B_s^0-\bar{B}_s^0$ mixing. We entertain the possibility of explaining the $B^+\to K^+\nu\bar{\nu}$ excess recently reported by Belle II within this model.

We construct a toy model of an evaporating black hole using approximately local degrees of freedom acting on “overlapping" qubits in which a version of black hole complementarity arises naturally. The operators corresponding to the radiation and the interior are identified as two distinct representations of the same fundamental algebra, thereby preventing the exact factorization of the Hilbert space into interior and exterior and avoiding the conventional no-cloning violations. We show how this toy model captures several qualitative and quantitative features of black hole evaporation and how the ability to account for this “overlap" in the entropy calculation leads to the recovery of a Page curve.

The renormalization of operators built out of Wilson lines that meet at an angle (cusp) involve what is known as the cusp anomalous dimension, a universal object appearing in many processes in QCD due to the divergences from gluonic interactions. In this paper, we consider the vacuum expectation value of a pair of cusped Wilson lines separated in the transverse direction. This configuration can be related to a simple observable in heavy quark transverse momentum-dependent (TMD) fragmentation as well as the TMD soft function. We compute the expectation values of Wilson loops in $N=4$ super Yang-Mills theory at strong coupling via the AdS/CFT correspondence, an approach complementary to perturbative calculations of the cusp anomalous dimension. We first present a thorough analysis, directly in Minkowski signature, of the Nambu-Goto action and its saddle points for a Wilson line configuration with a single cusp. We find that there are two different classes of saddle points whose contributions dominate different regions of parameter space. We calculate the cusp anomalous dimension $\Gamma_{\rm cusp}[\Delta\eta, \Delta\theta]$ for the whole range of $\Delta\eta$ from this setup, focusing on the cases $\Delta \theta = 0$ and $\Delta \theta = \pi$, and compare it with previous results in literature. We then use the techniques we developed to compute the expectation value of the two-cusp Wilson loop with transverse separation, and determine the profile of the transverse coordinate on the extremal surface in the large rapidity limit. We discuss the possible generalizations of our setup and results to soft functions in other gauge theories with a holographic dual.

In the context of type IIB superstring compactification, we demonstrate the assisted fibre inflation proposal for a four-field model realized using the orientifold of a tetra-quadric Calabi-Yau (CY) threefold. This CY threefold has an underlying permutation symmetry $S_4$ and belongs to both the list of CY threefolds, namely the Kreuzer-Skarke (KS) database as well as the Complete Intersection Calabi-Yau (CICY) database. After fixing the overall volume modulus of the CY threefold using the framework of perturbative large volume scenario, there are three Kähler moduli which remain flat and assist in driving fibre inflation via sub-leading corrections. In a particular benchmark model, we show that the effective inflaton shift of around $5.7$ M$_p$, as needed for driving fibre inflation, can be successfully shared by three inflaton moduli which need to be individually shifted by nearly $2.2$ M$_p$ only ! The main motivation for the work is to show that the effective large field excursions of the inflaton field is possible without the need of pushing the individual volume moduli towards a large super-Planckian excursion or close to the boundary of the Kähler cone which may create various subsequent challenges for the effective field theory and supergravity approximations, especially in Swiss-Cheese based models of fibre inflation.