Papers

We study the linearized dynamics near the degree-one vortex of the $(1+2)$-dimensional abelian Yang-Mills-Higgs model at the self-dual coupling, restricted to equivariant perturbations in the orthogonal gauge. The linearized operator is a selfadjoint matrix Schrödinger operator $\mathbf{M}$ on radial $L^2_{\mathrm{rad}}(\mathbb{R}^2;\mathbb{R}^4)$ with continuous spectrum $[1,\infty)$ and a two-dimensional internal mode at a unique gap eigenvalue $\lambda^2 \in (0,1)$, as established in Part I of our three-paper series on asymptotic stability of the ground state vortex. In this second part of the series, we prove linear estimates for $\mathbf{M}$ for applications in Part III. Specifically, we prove dispersive and local-energy decay estimates, as well as a transference relation which allows us to implement the space-time resonance method with respect to the flat Klein-Gordon operator in the nonlinear analysis in Part III. The engine for proving linear estimates for $\mathbf{M}$ in our approach is the distorted Fourier transform associated with $\mathbf{M}$. The construction of the distorted Fourier transform together with a detailed analysis of the underlying generalized eigenfunctions occupy the first half of this paper. For this we exploit the super-symmetric factorization of $\mathbf{M}$, and the diagonal structure of the super-symmetric partner operator, to relate the problem to the Weyl-Titchmarsh theory of two strongly singular scalar half-line Schrödinger operators.

This is the first of three papers proving asymptotic stability of the degree-one vortex under equivariant perturbations in the $(1+2)$-dimensional abelian Yang-Mills-Higgs model at self-dual coupling. In the orthogonal gauge, the linearized dynamics are governed by a selfadjoint matrix Schrödinger operator $\mathbf{M}$. The super-symmetric partner operator is a diagonal matrix whose diagonal entries are strongly singular radial Schrödinger operators on $\mathbb{R}^2$. After a conjugation, this reduces the spectral problem to the analysis of two strongly singular scalar half-line operators. Combining analysis with rigorous interval arithmetic, we prove absence of threshold resonances and show that the discrete spectrum of $\mathbf{M}$ consists of exactly one positive gap eigenvalue (internal mode) with a two-dimensional eigenspace. We also certify that the relevant nonlinear Fermi Golden Rule coefficients form a definite quadratic form, yielding effective nonlinear damping of the internal mode. These spectral inputs form the basis of the stability analysis in the subsequent papers.

GKP states enable fault-tolerant CV quantum computation, but their generation remains experimentally challenging due to their highly non-Gaussian and infinite-energy ideal structure. In this work, we present a realistic and scalable protocol for generating finite-energy resource states, specifically the qunaught state, using Schrodinger cat states generated in a strongly coupled quantum dot-cavity system. Our scheme combines deterministic squeezed cat-state generation, cat-breeding protocols, and homodyne measurements. Using numerical simulations, we analyze the role of various parameters of the quantum dot-cavity system in the generation of practical qunaught states. Furthermore, we quantify the trade-off between the fidelity and generation probability of these states and exploit the fact that accepting a structured set of homodyne outcomes can significantly enhance the overall success rate. The proposed approach is compatible with integrated photonics and telecom wavelengths, offering a promising route toward scalable CV quantum information processing.

Ultra-heavy asymmetric dark matter (DM) particles captured by compact stars can thermalize, self-gravitate, and collapse to form an endoparasitic black hole (EBH), whose subsequent growth may transmute the host star into a black hole. The continued existence of old millisecond pulsars (MSPs) and white dwarfs (WDs) thus places powerful constraints on the DM particle mass $m_\chi$ and the DM-nucleon scattering cross-section $\sigma_{\rm n\chi}$. We derive an analytical expression for the transmutation timescale by solving the EBH growth equation, consistently accounting for Bondi accretion of stellar matter, Hawking evaporation, and sustained DM feeding of the EBH in a steady-state capture regime. We also incorporate quantum effects in baryonic accretion when the hydrodynamic description breaks down, providing a unified treatment of EBH growth across both particle and fluid regimes. Adopting a physically transparent collapse criterion for fermionic and bosonic asymmetric DM, we compute EBH transmutation timescales for representative MSPs and WDs in environments with different DM densities. Although the physical ingredients are broadly similar to previous studies, this work derives updated constraints through a closed-form analytical treatment of EBH growth and an adopted prescription for the EBH formation timescale, yielding a lower critical EBH mass for sustained growth and revised transmutation timescales. Requiring the transmutation time to exceed $\sim 1$ Gyr for MSPs and $\sim 10$ Gyr for WDs, we derive revised constraints on $\sigma_{\rm n\chi}$ over $m_\chi \sim 10^{6}$–$10^{14}$ GeV, and show that EBHs with initial masses as small as $\sim 4\times10^{4}$ kg can undergo sustained growth, extending the region of DM parameter space probed by compact stars.

We derive the gravitational radiation generated by a localised matter source in de Sitter spacetime at octupolar order in the multipolar expansion, working in generalised harmonic gauge in the future Poincaré patch. The scalar, vector, and tensor perturbation equations are solved explicitly, taking into account the cosmological tail. This constitutes the first extension of the de Sitter multipolar expansion beyond quadrupolar order. A key technical ingredient is a universal multipole moment differentiation identity, which unifies the relations between multipole moments into a single recursive formula and enables a controlled extension to higher multipoles. Using the symmetric trace-free tensor formalism of Blanchet, Damour, and Iyer, we further develop a systematic translation of the radiative solution into a spherical harmonic basis, and apply it to both the quadrupolar and octupolar metric perturbations. This representation renders the angular structure of the radiation manifest, simplifies the verification of the linearised field equations, and facilitates direct comparison with Bondi-gauge and other perturbative treatments of de Sitter spacetime.

Electron beams (e-beams) are ubiquitous in imaging, patterning, and propulsion. This prevalence is rooted in the profound mastery of their wave-particle duality and energy-transfer pathways. Yet, a fundamental dimension remains largely unexplored: while the mechanical effect (i.e., the momentum transfer to a target) is theoretically known, quantification of its femtonewton-range force has remained elusive. This discrepancy represents a missing piece of the puzzle toward a comprehensive understanding of e-beam-matter interactions, and ultimately limits the multi-dimensional exploitation of e-beams. A force sensor combining femtonewton sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic noise, compatibility with vacuum, and absolute calibration is critical to bridge the gap between theory and experiment. Here the FINEST (Femtonewton Interferometric Nanomechanical Electron-beam Sensing Technology) sensor is proposed and successfully tested to measure the force of an e-beam. FINEST is an optical-pressure-calibrated 3D spring-type optical sensor that operates reliably under e-beam conditions. Femtonewton-scale forces from 2-30 keV e-beams are directly measured, ranging from 505 fN to 13 pN. Both linear scaling with beam current and a non-monotonic energy dependence (peaking near 10 keV) are observed. Based on this calibrated force, the mechanical contribution to e-beam ice etching was quantitatively confirmed; its effect is orders of magnitude lower than the total etch depth and lacks noticeable energy dependence. By achieving the first direct experimental measurement of e-beam momentum transfer, this work adds a long-missing dimension to the physical landscape of e-beam processes. These findings provide a quantitative basis for furthering the multi-dimensional exploitation of e-beams, potentially transforming our approach to precision nanofabrication, sensing, and fundamental electron physics research.

Graphene exhibits extraordinarily high carrier mobility, making it a promising platform for next-generation electronics. Scalable growth on SiC, however, suffers from limited dielectric screening at the graphene-substrate interface, degrading electronic performance. In this work, we systematically enhance dielectric screening by intercalating a bilayer of indium at the graphene-SiC interface. Using graphene's plasmaronic signature observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy as a proxy for interaction strength, we quantitatively demonstrate strong dielectric screening arising from the interplay of both indium layers. Layer-resolved density functional theory shows that the first indium layer acts as a buffer that absorbs substrate interactions, enabling the second layer to form a nearly free-electron system that efficiently screens the graphene layer above. Experiments with only a single intercalated indium layer reveal reduced screening, confirming the essential role of the second layer. Our results establish 2ML indium intercalation as a powerful route for engineering dielectric environments in graphene.

The collective expansion and hydrodynamic evolution in heavy-ion collisions is well-established. However, whether femtometer-scale droplets of QGP are produced in small systems at high energies remains a fundamental open question. Analysis of Pb$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV, Xe$-$Xe at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.44 TeV and O$-$O collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.36 TeV using EPOS4 is reported to make predictions and postdictions. The results are compared with ALICE data for Pb$-$Pb and Xe$-$Xe collisions. Charged particle multiplicity (d$N_{\mathrm{ch}}$/d$\eta$), transverse-momentum ($p_{\mathrm{T}}$) spectra for pions ($\pi^{\pm}$), kaons ($K^{\pm}$), and protons ($\text{p}(\overline{\text{p}})$) are studied. The inclusion of hadronic afterburner, UrQMD (Ultra-relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics) is found to be necessary to correctly describe baryon yields. $p_{\mathrm{T}}$-fluctuations are also studied via normalized $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ correlator, $\sqrt{\langle \langle \Delta p_{\mathrm{T},i}\Delta p_{\mathrm{T},j} \rangle \rangle}\mathrm{/} \langle \langle p_{\mathrm{T}} \rangle \rangle$. Lastly, anisotropic flow harmonics ($v_{\mathrm{2}} \{2\}$, $v_{\mathrm{3}} \{2\}$) are computed as a function of $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ and centrality. Since EPOS4 has not been extensively studied for flow observables, this study thereby provides a non-trivial assessment of its collective dynamics. The results are compared with experiment wherever data is available. Taken together, this study provides a unified description of soft observables from Pb$-$Pb through Xe$-$Xe down to O$-$O and offer quantitative guidance on how such collisions may inform of the properties of the QGP.

The structure and evolution of the Milky Way (MW) can be traced with distance estimates to the evolved stellar populations in the inner galactic region. However, direct astrometric distances remain unavailable or highly uncertain for the majority of these sources due to instrumental limitations, large angular diameters, and complex variability. In this work, we develop a supervised machine-learning model to estimate statistical distances to oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars selected from the AKARI mid-infrared survey. We build an XGBoost regression model that maps multi-band IR photometry to distance using a training set of AGB stars with previously derived SED-based distances achieving a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 6% on an independent test set. Distance estimates for over 36,000 AGB sources are obtained within a 36% total error margin, greatly expanding distance coverage (0.5-20 kpc) for dust-obscured AGB populations in the Galactic plane. We find good agreement with reported distances for Galactic Mira variables and independent period-luminosity relations. Utilizing the expanded distance set, we further investigate the spatial distribution of Mira variables in the Galactic bulge and disk. Longer-period Miras preferentially trace the bulge's barred morphology compared to their shorter-period counterparts that populate the disk. We also find roughly constant, but differing, relative scale heights for the bulge and disk, with the bulge vertical dispersion about 30% larger. These findings show that IR photometry-derived statistical distances can recover large-scale Galactic structures and establish long-period Mira variables as efficient tracers of stellar populations in heavily obscured regions of the MW.

In fault-tolerant quantum computing, fast and accurate decoding is crucial. Snowflake is a decoder for the surface code that runs in a streaming fashion. In this paper, we implement Snowflake on commercial FPGAs and validate them at room and cryogenic temperatures. Our results demonstrate high decoding throughput for small code distances that, when extrapolated, remains within acceptable limits for larger distances. Further, we incorporate the calculation of certain decoder confidence scores with negligible overhead both in terms of latency and physical resource utilisation. We note that implementing a large-scale system would require either a large FPGA beyond today's technology or clusters of FPGAs connected via a high-speed bus. Thus, we discuss an alternative architecture that exploits the locality of Snowflake by processing 2D slices of the 3D decoding window and offloading segments of the 3D structure to a high-speed memory.

This study investigates the effect of gas flow rate on the gas temperature and discharge characteristics of a reinforced radio frequency cross-field atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) with an additional floating electrode. The plasma jet length, electron excitation temperature, electron density, and reactivity were enhanced by introducing copper floating electrodes of varying widths. However, this enhancement was accompanied by an undesired rise in gas temperature, limiting the plasma's application for heat- sensitive materials. To control this temperature rise, the gas flow rate varied from 1.5 to 9 lpm, showing a significant reduction in gas temperature from 438 K to 402 K as the flow rate increased, particularly at higher input powers. The study reveals that while an increase in gas flow rate initially improves ionization and reactivity by increasing electron excitation temperature and density, the insufficient input power for ionization at higher flow rates causes a decline in these parameters due to reduced ionization efficiency. Further optimization was achieved by increasing input power, which allowed better utilization of neutral atoms and improved plasma reactivity even at higher flow rates. The findings highlight the importance of tuning both gas flow rate and input power to maintain optimal plasma performance for various applications, particularly where controlled gas temperature and high reactivity are essential.

In itinerant magnets governed by the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction, the exchange coupling depends on both the moment-moment distance $r$ and the Fermi wavevector $k_{\mathrm{F}}$, yet in bulk synthesis the two are tightly coupled: a change in composition typically alters both. Here, we use a thin-film approach to tune these two variables independently in a single crystalline host. Using molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), we stabilize either $2\times2\mathrm{R}0^\circ$ Cr$_{1/4}$NbSe$_2$ or $\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}\mathrm{R}30^\circ$ Cr$_{1/3}$NbSe$_2$ within the same NbSe$_2$ host through separate growth windows. Controlled post-growth annealing performed across a series of temperatures then modifies the carrier density while leaving the Cr superstructure intact below a structural-transition threshold. The two as-grown phases are distinct in electronic structure, magnetic ground state, and transport. Along this annealing series, the Hall response evolves systematically while the magnetic response changes in a structurally insensitive manner, with ferromagnetic order emerging within the same $\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}\mathrm{R}30^\circ$ structural class only above a critical annealing temperature, experimentally disentangling carrier density and moment geometry. The Hall magnitude and sign evolution point to a low-carrier-density system in which $k_{\mathrm{F}}$ is susceptible to modest external tuning. Cr-NbSe$_2$ thus realizes carrier-sensitive RKKY magnetism in a single crystalline host, within an MBE-plus-annealing approach extensible across the intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenide family.

The dihadron fragmentation function (DiFF) of a linearly polarized gluon has not yet been accessed experimentally, leaving an important aspect of spin-dependent gluon hadronization unexplored. We show that, at leading order, the color-singlet decay channel of the $P$-wave bottomonium state $\chi_{b0}$ produces two energetic gluons with correlated linear polarizations. Within collinear factorization, their fragmentation into separate dihadron pairs generates an Artru–Collins-type angular correlation that provides the first direct probe of the linearly polarized gluon DiFF, while the corresponding semi-inclusive decay rate constrains the unpolarized gluon DiFF. A spectator-model benchmark indicates percent-level asymmetries, potentially within reach of existing Belle data. A dedicated Belle~II data set would substantially improve the statistical precision, enabling more stringent constraints on the kinematic dependence of the linearly polarized gluon DiFF.

In this paper, we propose an efficient and robust fifth-order finite-volume Hermite weighted essentially non-oscillatory (HWENO) scheme with gradient reconstruction for the compressible Navier–Stokes equations. The key idea is to construct weak-derivative moments for each dissipative variable by taking the arithmetic average of two HWENO interface traces, which are then processed componentwise through the standard scalar nonlinear HWENO reconstruction formula, with only the input moments differing from those used in the convective reconstruction, thereby supplying the gradients needed for the viscous fluxes. This reconstruction achieves fifth-order accuracy using only candidate polynomials of degree at most four, avoids the order reduction that would result from direct differentiation, and introduces negligible additional computational cost. To ensure robustness, especially in extreme test cases involving strong shocks or low densities, we apply a positivity-preserving limiter to the conservative states while retaining the nonlinear HWENO reconstruction for the viscous gradients. This combination is essential for stable computations in flows with strong gradients. Both the conservative and gradient reconstructions share the same compact stencils and candidate-polynomial structure, enabling a single implementation routine without introducing additional algorithmic complexity. Numerical results confirm that the proposed scheme delivers fifth-order accuracy and high resolution, offers competitive computational efficiency, and robustly resolves challenging finite-Reynolds-number Navier–Stokes flows in which the positivity-preserving limiter is actively engaged.

The enhancement of living standards has significantly contributed to the rapid growth of urban populations, resulting in a substantial increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. This trend underscores the critical need for sustainable, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and highly efficient waste management solutions. This study highlights the pressing necessity for effective MSW management and examines plasma pyrolysis/gasification as an emerging technology to address this challenge. The article provides a detailed analysis of thermal plasma generation techniques employing diverse power sources, including direct current, alternating current, radiofrequency inductively coupled, and microwave-based systems. A comparative evaluation of various plasma torch designs is conducted, emphasizing their applicability in waste-to-energy and waste treatment processes. A comprehensive overview of the treatment of a broad spectrum of waste materials, such as MSW, sewage sludge, coal, wood, plastics, tyres, and rubber, using thermal arc plasma technology is presented. The process predominantly converts waste into a combustible gas (syngas) with a calorific value ranging from 5 to 15 MJ/Nm3 and produces vitrified slag or ash as a by-product. The findings suggest that thermal plasma pyrolysis/gasification offers a promising approach to waste management, facilitating energy generation and material recovery while addressing the challenges of increasing MSW generation.

Exact cylindrical solutions of the free Dirac equation provide natural single-particle modes for a broad class of axially symmetric relativistic fermion systems, including electron vortices, twisted-particle scattering, rotating matter, and cylindrical field quantization, but are commonly formulated in different internal bases. We derive the general regular positive-energy cylindrical solution at fixed energy, transverse and longitudinal momenta, and total angular momentum, and show how the commonly used spin-polarized, separation, helicity, and transverse-helicity modes are embedded in the resulting two-dimensional solution space. A conserved transverse operator resolves the residual doublet into two symmetry-defined branches. Their parameter-dependent eigenspaces admit a gauge-invariant quantum-geometric characterization, with opposite Berry curvatures, a common quantum metric, and saturation of the two-level metric–curvature relation. We further derive symmetry constraints on branch conversion and the corresponding reduced two-state dynamics. The resulting framework connects mode classification, symmetry resolution, quantum geometry, and dynamics across distinct cylindrical Dirac settings.

A large vorticity produced in non-central ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions induces an effective chemical potential in both partonic and hadronic matter, thereby influencing the quark-hadron transition and its associated properties. In this work, we investigate the influence of rotation on hadron yields within the framework of Hadron Resonance Gas (HRG) model. Our results show that vorticity significantly modifies hadron yields and their ratios. Most notably, rotation enhances the $p/\pi^+$ ratio while suppressing the $K^+/\pi^+$ ratio, suggesting that these observables may serve as sensitive probes of the rotational properties of the medium created in heavy-ion collisions. To quantify the effect of rotation, the calculated dependence of the $p/\pi^+$ ratio on vorticity is compared with the centrality dependence of the $p/\pi$ ratio measured by the ALICE collaboration in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. From this comparison, we estimate the maximum vorticity produced at freeze-out for different collision centralities. In case of peripheral collisions, the freeze-out vorticity ($\omega$) is found to reach an upper bound value of approximately 0.088 GeV, whereas for central collisions it is about 0.028 GeV. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of rotation on fluctuations of conserved quantities and their correlations. This study provides a quantitative framework for assessing the role of rotation in the thermodynamics of hadronic matter and its phenomenological consequences for heavy-ion collisions.

How many distinguishable labels can a biological oscillator carry? Proposals invoking collective vibrational modes, endogenous electromagnetic fields, microtubule excitations and oscillatory phase codes are each debated on grounds particular to themselves, with no shared standard for comparison. We show that spectral distinguishability alone bounds the number of labels by the quality factor, M <= Q = 2 pi nu tau. This follows from the relation between linewidth and coherence time, so it is independent of substrate, of mechanism, and of any position on quantum effects in biology, and it can be evaluated from two published quantities. Applied to a recently proposed 30 GHz intracolumnar microwave field in cortex, it gives Q = 0.19: the linewidth exceeds the carrier five-fold. The obvious rescue, that a driven emitter can be spectrally narrower than its gain medium, requires a resonant cavity, and the model's own geometry forbids one. An independent bound on metabolic power is exceeded by five to nine orders of magnitude. Six further criteria follow from the same standpoint, including a two-sided persistence window requiring a label to be both readable and rewritable. Screening eleven carriers, only the low-frequency neural rhythms pass. High-frequency molecular carriers are eliminated by brevity, not by the fragility the debate has assumed.

Exciton-polaritons provide a powerful platform for manipulating hybrid light-matter states with low effective masses and strong nonlinearities. Introducing chirality into these quasiparticles enables selective control over their spin and propagation, opening new opportunities for chiral transport and spin-selective polaritonic devices. We exploit the strong chiral light-matter coupling in silicon metasurfaces composed of tilted nanorod dimers to demonstrate selective transport of organic chiral exciton-polaritons. The metasurface supports surface lattice resonances and quasi-bound states in the continuum that simultaneously provide high photonic confinement and extrinsic chirality, giving rise to chiral exciton-polaritons in the achiral molecules. These exciton-polaritons exhibit a large magnitude of the dissymmetry factor, reaching a value of 0.93. Using photoluminescence Fourier microscopy and real-space imaging, we show that chiral exciton-polaritons propagate over distances exceeding 50 um without significant degradation of their dissymmetry, with characteristic propagation lengths of approximately 6-13 um. These propagation lengths correspond to an enhancement of 3 orders of magnitude compared to bare excitons. This work constitutes the first demonstration of enhanced and selective chiral transport of organic exciton-polaritons, driven by strong light-matter coupling, in achiral metasurfaces, paving the way for spin-selective polaritonic technologies using simple metasurfaces.

We study the generalized one-dimensional (1D) quantum dissipative models corresponding to a Majorana wire which can possess more than one Majorana bound state at each end. The system consists of a 1D fermionic open quantum system whose dynamics is governed by a quadratic Lindblad equation. Using the adjoint Lindblad equation for the fermionic two-point correlations, we find the gaps in the damping and purity spectra of a generic 1D model. Then, using the symmetry-based classification, we show that a winding number as the topological invariant can be defined which distinguishes different steady states of the system in the presence of damping and purity gaps. Then we focus on certain models with different Lindblad quantum jump terms and explore their phase diagrams by calculating the damping and the purity gaps as well as the winding number. In particular, we show that by inclusion of quantum jumps between next-nearest-neighbor sites, higher winding numbers and, equivalently, more Majorana bound states can be achieved. Also, by introducing imbalanced couplings, we can switch between states with negative and positive winding numbers. Finally, we should mention that since our formulation is based on the fermionic correlations rather than the Majorana operators, it can be easily extended to the dissipative topological phases belonging to other symmetry classes.

We consider the interior two-fluid Schwarzschild solution. That is a model of compact (neutron) stars with admixed dark matter. The two constant energy densities generalize the interior Schwarschild solution to the case of two fluids (representing standard model matter and dark matter, for instance), interacting mutually solely by the common gravitational field. In general, the two-fluid core is surrounded by a one-fluid corona (envelope). Only for special parameters (the model depends on energy densities $e_1,e_2$ and central pressures $p_{\mathrm{c}1},p_{\mathrm{c}2}$ of the fluids), both fluids occupy the same region. Despite the sum of two energy densities in that region, the compactness bound of 8/9 is not exceeded. A conceivable object is one with a stark leakage of one fluid (e.g. dark matter) beyond the two-fluid core.

Over the past decade, atmospheric pressure discharges in the microwave frequency range have gained significant attention due to their promising applications in material processing, CO2 dissociation, waste management, hydrogen production, water treatment, and more. This study presents the development and characterization of a waveguide-based microwave atmospheric pressure plasma jet (MW-APPJs), focusing on its design, diagnostics, and operational parameters. The setup incorporates a microwave power source, microwave waveguide networks, including the applicator section, and diagnostic tools for measuring plasma properties. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is employed to analyze the reactive species and determine plasma parameters which include electron excitation temperature (Texc) and electron number density (ne). The characterization highlights the influence of spatial and temporal gradients, gas flow rates, and power input on plasma behaviour. From OES, the Texc and ne variations were against the power increment. The thermocouple variations are also plotted with power.

Measurements of resistive breakdown in electronic systems under a DC electric field have shown that the threshold fields for the insulator-to-metal transition are significantly lower than predicted by single-electron excitation scenarios, such as the Landau-Zener theory. In this work, we propose an alternate mechanism of destabilizing ordered insulators under a DC electric field by fluctuations of the order parameters through the Goldstone mode excitation. The low-energy bosonic excitations receive energy from accelerated electrons and thus destroy the spontaneous symmetry breaking. Using the Keldysh Gree's function formalism, we numerically confirm that the Goldstone mode remains well-defined in the nonequilibrium steady state, while its nonequilibrium excitations are sensitive to the electric field. The effective temperature of the Goldstone mode increases much more rapidly than the electronic effective temperature, with the bosonic threshold field significantly smaller than the electronic one, which suggests that collective phase dynamics may further reduce the transition field to the experimental range via a purely electronic mechanism.

In this paper, we calculate the pion one-loop corrections to the electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon up to $\mathcal{O}(p^4)$ order in the nonlocal framework. To systematically investigate the role of vector-meson dominance in the model, we also include the leading-order nucleon-vector-meson coupling. Owing to the renormalization-scheme dependence of chiral low-energy coupling constants (LECs), we refit these constants to the nucleon magnetic moments, electromagnetic radii, and the $Q^2$-dependence of the electromagnetic form factors. Compared with the previous local analysis, the model results show that, in the nonlocal framework, the $Q^2$-dependence of the electromagnetic form factors in the large-$Q^2$ region is significantly improved and are consistent with experimental data.

A nonzero commutator proves that two orderings differ as operators, but it does not ensure that a physical state can reveal the difference. We ask when non-Abelian ordering information becomes dynamically invisible. For Hermitian operators $B$ and $C$, we compare the evolutions generated by the opposite-order products $M=(B+iC)(B-iC)$ and $\widetilde M=(B-iC)(B+iC)$, and define their operational visibility from the minimum overlap of the output states over a normalized time window. This visibility bounds the difference produced by the two orderings in every observable on the chosen state. An exact one-qubit solution shows that the same fixed pair can be perfectly invisible in one state and visible in another. We then keep the ordered generators fixed and vary only the many-body ground state across a quantum phase transition. The same ordering difference is nearly invisible in one regime and clearly visible in the other. Moreover, states with identical leading quadratic decay can develop sharply different finite-time visibility because their first distinction appears at higher order. The effect persists across distinct operator pairs and coefficient perturbations. Thus dynamical Abelianization is a property of the state-dependent process, i.e., non-Abelian ordering information can become operationally inaccessible even though the underlying operators remain non-commuting.

A lingering technical challenge for pyramid wavefront sensors (PyWFS) is their change in response between calibration and correction residuals, a quantity known as optical gain (OG). Given the prevalent use of PyWFSs in current and planned high contrast adaptive optics (AO), understanding and reliably measuring OG for realtime control unlocks advanced correction and post processing techniques. The OG quantity as an unknown inhibits a system's ability to stably correct non common path errors, reconstructing wavefronts, and PSF reconstruction. This work compares kinds of optical gain measurement techniques on MagAO-X, a visible light extreme AO instrument on the 6.5m Magellan Clay telescope. We present a set of on-sky measurements of OG across three techniques: 1) An on-sky calibration that acquires OG per spatial mode, 2) realtime measurements of the instantaneous Strehl Ratio (SR) on the pyramid tip, and 3) realtime measurement of known, high-frequency probe signal on the WFS itself. We compare these on-sky results with performance diagnostics to asses how faithfully OG is returned. We conclude with future steps for active control of OG on MagAO-X.

We consider fluctuations of the spin current in the stochastic XNOR process, a kinetically constrained hopping model in one spatial dimension. We formulate three conjectures with explicit amplitudes for the long-time current distributions: a Gaussian limit on the $t^{1/4}$ scale for homogeneous initial states with nonzero magnetization, a half-normal limit on the $t^{1/4}$ scale for domain-wall states with opposite magnetizations, and an M-Wright limit on the $t^{1/8}$ scale for homogeneous initial states at zero magnetization. Earlier work identified the tracer mechanism and anticipated the scaling exponents and limiting shapes in the domain-wall and zero-magnetization settings. Starting from the microscopic XNOR dynamics, we predict the missing amplitudes for the continuous-time process and extend the picture to homogeneous biased initial data. Simulations provide numerical support for all three conjectures without fitted parameters. A separate mathematical companion paper presents an extensively AI-generated candidate proof. Generative-AI tools were used in the research and writing workflow.

Strongly interacting quantum many-body systems subjected to non-Markovian dissipation pose a formidable challenge due to the interplay between strong correlation effects and memory effects. In this Letter, we develop a general theoretical framework to compute how a system observable responds to dissipation, which captures memory effects at short times and recovers the Markovian limit at longer times. Using this framework, we predict that, for a strongly correlated quantum critical state with critical exponent $\eta$, the short-time dynamics of a system observable always obeys a $t^{2\eta}$ scaling law. This emerges as a universal result from the interplay between strong correlation and memory effects, independent of the microscopic Hamiltonian of the system. We further reveal a crossover behavior of this scaling law to either $t^{2\eta-1}$ or linear-in-$t$ behavior beyond the memory time scale. We propose a concrete physical realization of a non-Markovian bath with tunable memory time using ultracold atoms, where our predictions can be straightforwardly verified in current experiments.

Ferroelectric thin films that are heterophased and polycrystalline possess strain sensitive piezoelectric behavior. However, a direct insight into polarization orientations within a given grain and how mechanical stresses reconfigures the ferro elastically coupled polarization orientations remains ambiguous. A polarization component resolved imaging in a Piezoresponse Force Microscope (PFM) was developed in combination with correlative structure and phonon studies that provide insights into grain orientation, domains and bending stress driven phase transitions. The method correlates the polarization invariant and the respective grain orientations present underneath. The technique facilitates an experimental inverse model approach to determine crystallographic grain orientation from the ferroelectric domain. A three point bending stage introduces a flexoelectric strain in Ba0.85,Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3_BCZT thin films and simultaneous polarization imaging. This novel technique potentially captures the formation of new polarization invariant of a monoclinic phase that appears under high pressures. The experimental findings pave way for development of inverse modelling of heterophased and polycrystalline systems.

Topological quantum chemistry based on local charge profiles lacks predictive power for the crystalline cleavage of higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs). By cleaving an obstructed atomic insulator, we discover a topological phase characterized by e/2-fractional charges localized at precisely half of the corners, while the remaining empty corners host complementary vacancies of interstice charge. These zero-energy charge vacancies and topological corners form a spatially balanced geometry, separately localized at four corners. Crucially, we demonstrate that the emergence of corner zero modes dictates that specific dangling bonds acting as the mass of a Dirac fermion-must explicitly expose in, and subtly slope toward, the corner regions. This strict directionality is verified by the anisotropic evolution of the mass term within a (2+1) dimensional parameter space. Moreover, we find that the topological corners acquire lower entanglement entropy compared to the bulk, a behavior opposite to that of the real-space energy distribution which forms an energy-entropy compensation, essentially derived from the topological charge compensation. Our work paves the way for the local chemical environment at topological boundaries, and demonstrates the higher order quantum transport counterparts for high energy Dirac physics.