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Tuesday 11 August

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Early Exploration of the Scientific Discovery Space for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Courtney D. Dressing, Danica Adams, Evelyne Alecian et al. (+324 more)

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a future NASA flagship mission concept identified by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey as the highest priority for large space missions. HWO should conduct "transformative astrophysics" and search for biosignatures in the atmospheres of approximately 25 potentially Earth-like planets. To further the early-stage development of HWO, NASA formed the Science, Technology, Architecture Review Team (START). In turn, START invited the scientific community to join working groups to explore the potential discovery space. In this paper, we present 70 science cases that resulted from this process. The cases address four scientific pillars: growth of galaxies (15 cases), evolution of the elements (13 cases), solar systems in context (32 cases), and living worlds (10 cases). Combined, they would address 27 of the 30 science questions and discovery areas identified by Astro2020. The 140 observing programs needed for the 70 investigations encompass a rich variety of spectroscopic (for 87% of science cases) and photometric (for 30%) observations extending from the UV to the NIR. Additionally, high-contrast and polarimetric capabilities would be needed for 34% and 27% of science cases, respectively. Access to UV wavelengths is critical: 83% of science cases need data at wavelengths <400 nm, and 26% extend to <100 nm. In the NIR, 26% of science cases need observations at wavelengths >=2000 nm. Pursuing the full portfolio of science would also necessitate precise astrometry for planet mass measurement, rapid response capabilities, a large instantaneous field of regard, non-sidereal tracking, saturation mitigation strategies, and high dynamic range.
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All authors Courtney D. Dressing, Danica Adams, Evelyne Alecian, Gagandeep Anand, Giada Arney, Sarah Gomes Aroucha Barbosa, Martin Barstow, Joanna K. Barstow, Rachael L. Beaton, Eduardo Bendek, Svetlana Berdyugina, Julie Biedermann, Sarah Blunt, Sanchayeeta Borthakur, Kara Brugman, Joseph N. Burchett, Eric Burns, Jenna M. Cann, Ludmila Carone, Cody A. Carr, Richard Cartwright, Renyue Cen, Jean-yves Chaufray, Pin Chen, Lígia F Coelho, Kyle Cook, Nicolas B. Cowan, Patricio E. Cubillos, Alexandre David-Uraz, Tansu Daylan, Jessica E. Doppel, Leonardo dos Santos, Meredith Durbin, Rana Ezzeddine, Tara Fetherolf, Theresa Fisher, Leigh N. Fletcher, Luca Fossati, Ana I Gómez de Castro, Kaz Gary, Varoujan Gorjian, Yasuhiro Hasegawa, Qiuhan He, Natalie Hinkel, Keri Hoadley, Renyu Hu, Noam Izenberg, Estelle Janin, Mathilde Jauzac, Stephen R. Kane, Theodora Karalidi, Émilie Anne Lafléche, David J. Lagattuta, Érika Le Bourdais, Mary Anne Limbach, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Eric Mamajek, Kathleen Mandt, Frédéric Marin, Taro Matsuo, Stephan R. McCandliss, Michael W. McElwain, Emma Miles, Michiel Min, Leonidas A. Moustakas, Coralie Neiner, Elisabeth Newton, James W Nightingale, Stephanie Olson, Colby Ostberg, Apurva V. Oza, Fabio Pacucci, Roberta Paladini, Niki Parenteau, Lynnae C. Quick, Ramses Ramirez, Sukrit Ranjan, Isabel Rebollido, Bin B. Ren, Kurt D Retherford, Jason Rhodes, Ian U. Roederer, Sabina Sagynbayeva, Edward Schwieterman, Adam Smercina, Krista Lynne Smith, Antoine Strugarek, Megan Taylor Tillman, Vivian U, Georgios N. Vassilakis, Hannah R. Wakeford, Sara Walker, Siyi Xu, Lulu Zhang, Alejandra Aguirre-Santaella, Munazza K. Alam, Amirnezam Amiri, Ramya M Anche, Sarah E. Anderson, David R. Ardila, Karla Z. Arellano-Córdova, Natasha E. Batalha, Thomas G.Beatty, Juliette Becker, Enrica Bellocchi, Mark Booth, Médéric Boquien, Sarah E. I. Bosman, Jean-Claude Bouret, Vincent Bourrier, Matteo Brogi, Andrew M. Buchan, Blakesley Burkhart, Jennifer A. Burt, José A. Caballero, Sarah L Casewell, Frances H. Cashman, Laura Chin, Yumi Choi, Jessie Christiansen, Francesca Civano, Kyle W. Cook, Brandon Park Coy, Brendan P Crill, Leroy Cronin, Håkon Dahle, Mario Damiano, William Danchi, Satyapriya Das, Brice-Olivier Demory, Jamie Dietrich, Steven Dillmann, Chuanfei Dong, Dwaipayan Dubey, Patrick Dufour, Arika Egan, Christiana Erba, Steve Ertel, Raissa Estrela, Vincent Van Eylen, Virginie Faramaz-Gorka, Andrzej Fludra, Sophia Flury, Andrew Fox, Kevin France, David M. French, Marina Galand, Tianmu Gao, Antonio García Muñoz, Miriam Garcia, Kenneth Gayley, Megan Gialluca, Samantha Gilbert-Janizek, Leonardos Gkouvelis, Kenneth E. Goodis Gordon, Clémence Gourvès, Jonathan Grone, Jacob Haqq-Misra, Caleb K. Harada, Zachary Hartman, Samantha Hasler, Calum Hawcroft, Matthew J. Hayes, Amanda R. Hendrix, Brandon Hensley, Svea Hernandez, Erin K. S. Hicks, Benne W. Holwerda, Carly Howett, Ziyu Huang, Richard Ignace, Caitriona M Jackman, Chafi Jamal, Shingo Kameda, Tiffany Kataria, Gagandeep Kaur, Finnegan Keller, Habib Khosroshahi, Alina Kiessling, Kristina Kislyakova, Oleg Kochukhov, Anton M. Koekemoer, Brad Koplitz, Joshua Krissansen-Totton, Jiri Krticka, Alvaro Labiano, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Steph LaMassa, Erini Lambrides, Alexandra Le Reste, Nan Liu, Joe Llama, Emma Louden, Nataliea Lowson, Isabel Márquez, Evelyn J. R. Macdonald, Meredith MacGregor, Sangeeta Malhotra, Richard Massey, Erin May, L. C. Mayorga, Michael McElwain, Sean McGee, Alexia McKenzie, Athina Meli, Bertrand Mennesson, Connor Metz, Drew M. Miles, Aquib Moin, Mark Moussa, Themiya Nanayakkara, Dibyendu Nandy, Yaël Nazé, Marc Neveu, Eric Nielsen, John Noonan, Jessica L. Noviello, John M. O'Meara, Antonija Oklopčić, Chris Packham, Enric Palle, Emaad Paracha, Lucas Patty, Vasiliki Pavlidou, Sarah Peacock, Chris Pearson, Marc Postman, Andreas Quirrenbach, Swara Ravindranath, Seth Redfield, Joe P. Renaud, Malena Rice, Jane R. Rigby, Giulia Roccetti, Keighley E. Rockcliffe, Donna Rodgers-Lee, Jael Rojas Miguel, Maissa Salama, Samir Salim, Evan Scannapieco, Claudia Scarlata, Martin Schlecker, Steve Schulze, Paul Scowen, Darryl Zachary Seligman, Zacory Shakespear, Evgenya Shkolnik, Nick Siegler, Breann Sitarski, Louie Slocombe, Gopika SM, Russell J. Smith, Jennifer Sobeck, Daphne Stam, Kendall Sullivan, Takahiro Sumi, Yudai Suzuki, Christy Till, Armen Tokadjian, Vasuda Trehan, Grant Tremblay, Noah Tuchow, Margaret Turcotte Seavey, Jake D. Turner, Sarah Tuttle, Asif ud-Doula, Anna Grace Ulses, Connor Vancil, Aline Vidotto, Geronimo Villanueva, Jessica M Weber, Dale Weigt, Maximilian von Wietersheim-Kramsta, Thomas G. Wilson, David J. Wilson, Nicholas F. Wogan, Maria Womack, Michael L. Wong, John F Wu, Mark Wyatt, John Ziemer, Tiziano Zingales, Ryan Begley, Enrico Biancalani, Dmitry Blinov, Alexandre Branco, Esra Bulbul, Guillaume Chaverot, Catherine A. Clark, Jaime S. Crouse, Filippo D'Ammando, Achrene Dyrek, Oscar A. Flores Gaitán, Searra Foote, Cecilia Garraffo, Christopher Garry, Nikolaos Georgakarakos, Arvind F. Gupta, Daniel Huber, Brianna Isola, Nikhita Kalluri, Aafaque Khan, Amir H. Khoram, Adam B. Langeveld, Lucie Leboulleux, Briley Lewis, Anna Lewkowicz, Laurent Mahy, Liton Majumdar, Luigi Mancini, Joice Mathew, Dimitri Mawet, David Mouillet, Shantanusinh Parmar, Junellie Perez, Lorenzo Pino, Alex Polanski, Francisco J. Pozuelos, Tyler Richey-Yowell, Cleber Silva, Ramdayal Singh, Arif Solmaz, Angelle Tanner, Konstantinos Tassis, Luca Tonietti, Laura D. Vega, Aiden S. Zelakiewicz

2608.11294 · 11 Aug · 215 pages, 18 figures, 16 tables. This to-be-submitted manuscript summarizes and synthesizes science cases developed by the Habitable Worlds Observatory START and science working groups. See Table 1 for a roadmap, Table 5 for a list of science cases, Figure 11 for a visualization of common observational needs, Figure 16 for connections to Astro2020, and Tables 6-15 (after conclusions) for details

Abstract PDF $PLNT ×2$EVO ×1$GLXY ×1$SOLAR ×1

Superconductivity

Discriminating superconducting fluctuations from the pseudogap in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_{n-1}$Cu$_n$O$_{2n+4+\delta} (n = 2,3)$: A magnetotransport study

Shunpei Yamaguchi, Nae Sasaki, Shintaro Adachi et al. (+13 more)

Understanding the normal state is essential for uncovering the mechanism of high-$T_c$ superconductivity. We investigate magnetotransport in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ and Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{10+\delta}$ single crystals over a wide doping range. While the in-plane resistivity and Hall coefficient show strong pseudogap-induced temperature dependence, the $T^2$ Hall-angle behavior and the modified Kohler's rule remain robust across all dopings. The onset temperatures of the pseudogap are clearly distinct from superconducting fluctuations, although they scale with the pseudogap magnitudes with a factor consistent with a $d$-wave superconductor. These results demonstrate that the pseudogap does not arise from superconducting fluctuations and instead suggest that it may originate from preformed Cooper pairing in the BCS-BEC crossover regime.
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All authors Shunpei Yamaguchi, Nae Sasaki, Shintaro Adachi, Keiichi Harada, Yuki Teramoto, Shintaro Matsuda, Tomohiro Usui, Takenori Fujii, Takashi Noji, Itsuhiro Kakeya, Haruka Taniguchi, Michiaki Matsukawa, Atsushi Miyake, Hajime Ishikawa, Koichi Kindo, Takao Watanabe

Materials Science

Chemically Meaningful Textualization Enables Explainable Validation of Metal-Organic Frameworks by Large Language Models

Guobin Zhao and Xiao-Yan Li

Computation-ready metal-organic framework (MOF) databases are essential for high-throughput screening, yet many reported crystal structures remain chemically unreasonable or disordered, compromising simulation fidelity. Existing validation approaches can identify non-computation-ready structures, but they often rely on heuristic rules, license requirement, or offer limited interpretability. Here, we show that large language models (LLMs) can serve as interpretable validators of MOF structures when crystallographic information is transformed into chemically meaningful text. By benchmarking nine descriptors, we find that successful LLM-based validation depends not on the amount of structural information alone, but on whether local coordination, framework connectivity, and chemical context are organized into a linguistically learnable representation. Fine-tuned LLMs using specialized descriptors (mof2text) achieve performance comparable to graph-based models in identifying unreasonable MOFs. Importantly, these models extend beyond black-box classification by generating diagnostic rationales for likely error sources, including abnormal bonding, connectivity, and charge states, as well as error-category predictions for annotated datasets. This work establishes chemically informed textualization as the key step that transforms LLMs from generic text models into practical and explainable tools for curating MOF databases.
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Quantum Gases

OpenMP Fortran programs for rotating dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates

Denis Mujo, Dušan Vudragović, Paulsamy Muruganandam et al. (+1 more)

In this paper we present Open Multi-Processing (OpenMP) Fortran 90/95 programs to solve the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for a rotating dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in two and three dimensions, which is a new version of our previous published programs for a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate without rotation. After the recent experimental study of a rotating dipolar BEC [L. Klaus et al., Nature Phys. 18, 1453 (2022)], the present programs will be useful tools for related theoretical investigation. The algorithm used is the split-step semi-implicit Crank-Nicolson scheme for imaginary- and real-time propagation to obtain stationary states and BEC dynamics, respectively, as in the previous version [L. E. Young-S. et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 286 (2023) 108669].
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All authors Denis Mujo, Dušan Vudragović, Paulsamy Muruganandam, Sadhan K. Adhikari

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Full-Covariance Bayesian Inference of Stochastic Gravitational Wave Backgrounds with Time-Domain Simulations for Taiji-like Missions

Qingyuan Liang, Ju Chen, Minghui Du et al. (+1 more)

For Taiji-like missions, we implement a Bayesian spectral inference framework that combines second-generation time-domain (TD) simulations of time-delay interferometry (TDI) with a frequency-domain (FD) spectral likelihood for stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) analyses. The \(X,Y,Z\) Michelson streams generated with \trianglesim{} are divided into finite segments, Fourier transformed, and modeled with a segment-dependent complex \(3\times3\) covariance matrix. For each segment we evaluate the orbit-dependent response functions and noise transfer functions, allowing unequal-arm and time-evolving effects to enter through the full \(XYZ\) covariance. Controlled simulations performed with \trianglesim{} show that the calculated functions reproduce the realization-averaged spectra at the few-percent level over the retained frequency band away from TDI nulls. We then compare parameter-estimation results for static equal-arm FD, equal-arm TD, and unequal-arm TD configurations, using in each case a full \(XYZ\)-covariance likelihood matched to the corresponding detector configuration. All three yield consistent uncertainty trends and Bayesian-evidence diagnostics for astrophysical-background recovery after marginalizing over instrumental noise and an effective Galactic double-white-dwarf foreground. Finally, in a ten-parameter model containing instrumental noise, an effective Galactic double-white-dwarf foreground, a stochastic astrophysical background, and a sound-wave spectrum from a cosmological first-order phase transition, we recover its peak amplitude and frequency and find Bayesian evidence favoring its inclusion in all three matched configurations.
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All authors Qingyuan Liang, Ju Chen, Minghui Du, Huai-Ke Guo

Statistical Mechanics

Exact First-Passage Time Response Theory from Steady-State Response

Ruicheng Bao and Shiling Liang

The mean first-passage time (MFPT) provides a universal temporal measure of transport, reaction, search, and switching processes in physical, chemical, and biological systems. Understanding how MFPTs respond to perturbations is therefore crucial for prediction and control, yet a systematic theory has been lacking. We establish a compact theoretical framework for linear and nonlinear MFPT response in continuous-time Markov processes. The key tool is an exact correspondence that maps the intrinsically transient response of MFPTs onto the steady-state response of an auxiliary system. This correspondence yields exact and universal response relations for MFPTs between arbitrary state pairs, expressed entirely in terms of unperturbed MFPTs and steady-state probabilities. We then obtain a factorized physical decomposition of the MFPT response into linear upstream, linear downstream, and nonlinear contributions. Further corollaries include response-curve inference rules, fundamental bounds on MFPT responses, analytical expressions for higher-order responses of MFPTs and steady-state probabilities, and multi-rate response formulas. Additionally, our result offers computational advantages in calculating both MFPTs and steady-state distributions. Finally, a biologically motivated folding network is analyzed, and a recently reported paradox on MFPT is clarified.
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Nuclear Experiment

Anisotropic Flow in Ultra-Central Pb$-$Pb Collisions at $\sqrt{\mathrm{s_{NN}}}=5.36$ TeV with ALICE

Iris Likmeta

Anisotropic flow measurements in heavy-ion collisions are sensitive to the spatial distribution of the initial state, and quark-gluon plasma transport properties such as the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio $(\eta/s)$. State-of-the-art relativistic hydrodynamic models successfully describe such flow measurements over a wide centrality range. However, the hydrodynamic description of anisotropic flow deviates from the experimental data in ultra-central collisions (UCC), where the average geometric anisotropy of the system becomes small and fluctuations dominate the initial-state geometry. This discrepancy constitutes the UCC puzzle, as the expected hierarchy of flow harmonics is not fully reproduced by current modeling approaches. Probing towards ultra-central collisions, effects on flow fluctuations due to the initial spatial anisotropies are suppressed. The measured flow can be explained by quantum fluctuations on the energy distribution of $^{208}$Pb nuclei. An octupole deformation of the $^{208}$Pb nuclei has been proposed as a remedy to improve the modeling of the measured $v_{3} \{2\} / v_{2} \{2\}$ ratio. In this contribution, we present measurements of $v_{3}\{2\}/v_{2}\{2\}$ ratio in ultra-central Pb\textendash Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.36$ TeV with ALICE Run 3 detector and compare them with recent hydrodynamic model calculations.
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Quantum Physics

Work distribution for strongly coupled many-body open quantum systems

H. T. M. Nghiem, T. A. Costi, S. Campbell et al. (+1 more)

The non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics of many-body open systems is notoriously rich, especially in the strong-coupling regime where strong system-bath correlations develop and interactions produce non-perturbative effects. Such systems can be described by `quantum impurity models' where the system and bath are treated on an equal footing as a single composite. Paradigmatic examples are the spin-boson and Anderson impurity models, in which system degrees of freedom interact with either bosonic or fermionic gapless baths. Here we study the quantum work distribution function (WDF) of such systems following a quench. Capturing the full continuum of many-body excitations in the WDF requires a non-perturbative solution of the underlying non-equilibrium quantum impurity problem. For this purpose, we extend the time-dependent numerical renormalization group (TDNRG) approach to the calculation of the WDF, which applies directly in the thermodynamic limit, can be used for arbitrary quench amplitudes at zero or finite temperature, and provides exponentially fine low-energy resolution. Our numerically-exact solution reveals power-law threshold behavior due to the Anderson orthogonality catastrophe when the work approaches its minimum value, with universal scaling collapse of the distribution below an emergent low-energy scale induced by system-bath correlations.
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All authors H. T. M. Nghiem, T. A. Costi, S. Campbell, A. K. Mitchell

Mathematical Physics · Cross-listed from math.QA

Hochschild Cohomology, Modular Tensor Categories, and Mapping Class Groups II

Simon Lentner, Svea Nora Mierach, Christoph Schweigert et al. (+1 more)

In the first part of this work, we have, for a not necessarily semisimple modular category, generalized the action of the mapping class groups of surfaces on the spaces of conformal blocks to the so-called derived block spaces. In the second part presented here, we compute this action explicitly in the case of Drinfel'd doubles of finite groups over fields of positive characteristic. To do that, we connect Lyubashenko's approach to mapping class group representations with the theory of representation varieties. In this way, we are able to show that the mapping class group representations on the derived block spaces are in general different from those on the ordinary block spaces.
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All authors Simon Lentner, Svea Nora Mierach, Christoph Schweigert, Yorck Sommerhaeuser

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Floquet Engineering of Topological Phases and Magneto-Optical Response in a Driven $d$-wave Altermagnet

Muzamil Shah

We study how Floquet driving with linearly polarized light controls the topology and magneto-optical response of a two-dimensional (2D) $d$-wave altermagnet. In the absence of linearly polarized optical field and under spin conservation, we find that the system hosts a spin-Chern (a quantum-spin-Hall analog) phase with Chern numbers of opposite sign in the two spin sectors. The irradiated optical field breaks the $C_{4z}\mathcal{T}$ crystalline antiunitary symmetry between the spin sectors. Symmetry breaking originates from polarization-dependent Peierls phases, which renormalize hopping anisotropically along the two axes. The resulting spin-selective gap closures produce intermediate Chern-insulating phases with $C=\pm1$. The drive amplitude $A_0$ determines the inversion thresholds, while rotating the polarization by $\pi/2$ swaps the spin sectors and reverses the Chern number. Using the Kubo formalism, we compute the frequency-dependent longitudinal and Hall conductivities and derive the corresponding Faraday and Kerr rotations for a free-standing conducting sheet. The longitudinal response tracks the Floquet-renormalized interband thresholds, whereas the optical Hall response, together with the sign of the magneto-optical rotations, distinguishes the two opposite Berry-curvature chiralities. Sizable Kerr angles occur only within narrow resonant windows and should be interpreted together with the reflected intensity and Kerr ellipticity. These results identify linearly polarized light as a symmetry-selective handle for spin-resolved band inversion, Chern-number switching, and contact-free optical detection in $d$-wave altermagnets.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Floquet Green's functions for lattice electrons driven by Gaussian quantum light

Atsushi Ono

We formulate Floquet Green's functions for noninteracting single-band lattice electrons driven by a reservoir-stabilized single-mode Gaussian quantum light source. The source is prescribed externally and is not updated by the many-electron polarization, while an active electronic probe still conditions the source evolution through the Peierls coupling. The two time arguments of a Green's function share one source history: the lesser and greater components are obtained by convolving a shared-history four-endpoint kernel with the continuous bath kernels before the final source trace, while the bath canonical anticommutation relation yields an equal-time covariance that seeds the retarded and advanced one-leg propagations. The Peierls coupling is treated nonperturbatively within the prescribed-source model, and classical Floquet theory is recovered in the appropriate limit. Numerical calculations on a minimal one-dimensional model show finite-coupling quantum-source corrections beyond a prescribed classical drive, together with spectral reconstruction and occupancy redistribution for squeezed vacuum and squeezed coherent sources. The squeezing parameter and phase provide additional control knobs, beyond classical amplitude modulation, for both sideband structure and occupied weight. This work provides a theoretical framework for quantum Floquet engineering of condensed matter with an externally prescribed quantum light source.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Inferring stealthy hyperuniform correlations from quantum transport

Natanael C. Costa, Mauro S. Ferreira, Caio Lewenkopf et al. (+4 more)

Stealthy hyperuniform disordered systems exhibit strongly suppressed long-wavelength fluctuations, producing correlated disorder with unusual consequences for wave propagation. A central quantity characterizing these systems is the stealthiness parameter $\chi$, which controls the range of excluded Fourier components in the disorder spectrum. However, in realistic settings, the microscopic disorder configuration may not be directly accessible, making it challenging to determine $\chi$ from structural information alone. Here, we propose a conductance-based inverse protocol to recover stealthy hyperuniform correlations from transport data. As a proof of concept, we study spinless fermions in a one-dimensional tight-binding chain connected to clean semi-infinite leads, with on-site disorder generated by imposing a stealthy spectrum $S(k)=\Theta(|k|-K)$, where $K=2\pi\chi$. The energy-dependent transmittance is computed using a recursive Green's function method and compared with target spectra through a misfit function defined over an energy window. We show that the position of the sharp drop separating high- and low-transmittance regions is strongly controlled by $\chi$, while the disorder strength $W$ mainly affects the absolute magnitude of the transmittance. As a result, the misfit function displays a clear minimum close to the target stealthy parameter. Our results demonstrate that transmittance spectra can serve as fingerprints of stealthy hyperuniform disorder, providing a practical route to infer correlated-disorder parameters from transport measurements.
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All authors Natanael C. Costa, Mauro S. Ferreira, Caio Lewenkopf, Felipe A. Pinheiro, Paul J. Steinhardt, Salvatore Torquato, Carlo Vanoni

Quantum Physics

Statistically-Secure Bit Commitment and Coin Flipping Protocols Based on Quantum Hardware Assumptions

Roo Dunnill and Mina Doosti

Bit commitment is impossible to achieve with unconditional security, even in quantum cryptogra- phy. We show that statistically secure bit commitment, satisfying both hiding and binding, can be constructed from hybrid locked physical unclonable functions (HLPUFs), a hardware primitive that combines classical hardware tokens and quantum communication. Our protocol uses these hardware assumptions in a novel and non-trivial way to achieve the first mistrustful two-party cryptographic protocol based on hybrid hardware modules. We prove statistical hiding and binding under natu- ral assumptions on the HLPUF and using a carefully designed challenge generation algorithm as a subroutine of our bit-commitment protocol. The construction also yields the first hardware-based coin-flipping protocol. Our results suggest a new paradigm for secure two-party cryptography in quantum networks, combining rigorous security guarantees with a concrete route toward practical implementation.
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Disordered Systems and Neural Networks

Skin-Anderson Localization Transition in Strongly Coupled Disordered Non-Hermitian Chains

S Rahul

The interplay between disorder and non-Hermitian effects gives rise to a variety of intriguing localization phenomena. While disorder tends to localize the eigenstates through Anderson localization, non-Hermitian non-reciprocity promotes the formation of skin modes by driving the eigenstates toward the system boundaries giving rise to non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). In this work, we investigate the interplay between these competing mechanisms in a two-leg ladder consisting of a Hatano-Nelson chain coupled to a Hermitian chain via asymmetric inter-chain hopping, with strong disorder present in both chains. We show that tuning the asymmetry of the inter-chain coupling induces successive transitions in the nature of the eigenstates, from skin localization to Anderson localization and subsequently back to skin localization. Remarkably, the non-Hermitian skin effect re-emerges even though the energy spectrum exhibits a line-gap topology, demonstrating that robust skin localization can persist beyond the conventional point-gap regime.
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Soft Condensed Matter

Microscopic derivation of a field equation for active Brownian particles

Martín Pinto-Goldberg and Rodrigo Soto

To understand the phenomena displayed in active phase separation, general top-down theories like Active Model B+ (AMB+) add fluxes that break time reversal symmetry. Starting from an Enskog-like kinetic theory of hard-core active Brownian particles in the high persistence regime, we derive AMB+ from first principles. For the effective free energy to have two minima, we propose an effective parametrization of the pair correlation function. Explicit expressions for all coefficients in the model are given as a function of the microscopic parameters to leading order in the Péclet number.
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Mathematical Physics · Cross-listed from math.AG

On the Kronecker Products of Symmetric Persistent Tensors

Masoud Gharahi

Persistent tensors form a recursively defined class adapted to the substitution method and provide nontrivial lower bounds on tensor rank. We study the behavior of symmetric persistent tensors under Kronecker products. We establish a global differentiation identity expressing the Hessian matrix of a Kronecker product of homogeneous polynomials in terms of the Hessian matrices of its factors; although no corresponding determinant identity holds globally, the Hessian polynomials factor exactly at decomposable points. This yields a multiplicative formula for the distinguished Hessian coefficients of isobaric forms and closure under Kronecker products for symmetric persistent tensors that are isobaric of the distinguished weight, including iterated products and powers. Combined with the classification in small dimensions, this implies closure when both factors have dimension at most three, and for persistent cubics when both have dimension at most four. We further give sufficient closure criteria via simultaneous strict triangularizability of normalized Hessian spaces, for cubics and then arbitrary degree, and show that the distinguished isobaric class satisfies this condition. Finally, we show that symmetric persistence is not preserved in general by constructing a persistent cubic $f\in\operatorname{Sym}^3\mathbb{C}^{12}$ such that $f\boxtimes f\in\operatorname{Sym}^3\mathbb{C}^{144}$ is not persistent. The obstruction occurs at a nondecomposable point, showing that the Hessian factorization on the Segre variety does not extend to the full tensor product space.
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Exactly Solvable and Integrable Systems

Arithmetic selection rules in dispersionless Hamiltonian systems

Fatma Aydogmus and Mustafa Mullahasanoglu

In this work, we derive selection rules imposed by Liouville integrability conditions for monomial charge densities with arbitrary powers. For a certain monomial Hamiltonian system, the selection rules reduce to a negative Pell equation, and its solutions generate an infinite set of integrals of motion that are mutually in involution. Furthermore, we study the correspondence between combinatorial polynomial sequences and Liouville integrable Hamiltonian field theories in 1+1 dimensions. We show that the Motzkin system coincides with the dispersionless limit of the Levi system, while the binomial system is equivalent to the dispersionless derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Additionally, we show that the binomial Hamiltonian model admits a reduction to the inviscid Burgers equation and its higher-order charges generate generalized Burgers-type conservation laws.
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High Energy Physics (Phenomenology)

$|\Delta I|=3/2$ non-leptonic hyperon decays in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory

Jie Xu, Jun-Xu Lu, Rui-Xiang Shi et al. (+1 more)

Inspired by the recent BESIII measurements of non-leptonic hyperon decays, we reexamine their $|\Delta I|=3/2$ amplitudes in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory with the extended-on-mass-shell renormalization scheme. Using the same restricted set of diagrammatic topologies as in the early analyses in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory, we assess the effects of relativistic corrections, explicit decuplet baryons, different spin-$3/2$ coupling schemes, and pion-loop contributions. Our results show that relativistic effects alone lead to only mild changes, while decuplet contributions, especially in the consistent-coupling scheme, significantly improve the fit quality. Pion-loop contributions further reduce the $\chi^2$ values. We highlight the importance of the consistent coupling scheme in the decuplet sector for describing the selected $|\Delta I|=3/2$ amplitudes.
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All authors Jie Xu, Jun-Xu Lu, Rui-Xiang Shi, Li-Sheng Geng

Quantum Physics

A Quantum Roadmap for Softmax Attention: Exact Born-Rule Analogs for Softmax Attention on the Probability Simplex

Eric A. F. Reinhardt and Adam J. Hauser

The attention mechanism forms the foundation of many modern AI models such as the Transformer. In one subclass of problems where attention is used, inputs and outputs are bound to the probability simplex so that all outputs sum to one. In this setting, softmax attention admits an exact, component-by-component quantum realization. Attention scores are Hadamard-test statistics on block-encoded projections of amplitude-encoded inputs. The exponential softmax is the interior of a cosine-squared family generated by Born-rule measurement under an exact bijection, whose boundary expresses sparse attention with exact zeros at finite parameter values. The softmax temperature is a repetition count where post-selected measurement rounds realize discretized inverse temperature exactly. Value aggregation is a deterministic column-loading channel that dilates the column-stochastic value matrix. The gated residual is the preparation angle of a single ancilla, with the additive identity at a mixing angle of $\pi$/2. Every learnable parameter is a rotation-gate angle. The composed layer is exact in the infinite-shot limit with one measure-and-reload step per attention score; a fully-coherent variant is $\epsilon$-approximate via quantum singular value transformation in the infinite depth limit. The algebraic core is machine-checked in Lean 4.
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Quantum Physics

Impact of strain and dark states on spectroscopic measurements of silicon-vacancy centers in diamond

Tommy Chin, Kesav V. Narayan, Imran Bashir et al. (+4 more)

Negatively charged silicon-vacancy (SiV$^-$) centers in diamond offer an attractive platform for the development of many forms of quantum technology. However, questions remain in connection to how large ensembles of SiV$^-$ centers behave in concert. Here, we develop a computational model designed to simulate recent experiments where optical multidimensional coherent spectroscopy (MDCS) was used to examine a high-concentration sample of SiV$^-$ centers in diamond, revealing significant variations in spectral signature depending on the detection scheme. Simulation results reveal that strain effects are highly random in this system, with a characteristic axial strain of $2.8 \times 10^{-4}$ and a shear strain of $3.5 \times 10^{-5}$. They suggest in addition that highly strained centers (with values exceeding $1.5 \times 10^{-5}$) may become significantly decoupled from optical emission. The results have implications for the use of SiV$^-$ centers as quantum sensors.
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All authors Tommy Chin, Kesav V. Narayan, Imran Bashir, Kelsey M. Bates, Liam G. Stanton, Ehsan Khatami, Christopher L. Smallwood

Materials Science

Structural, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Superparamagnetic Fe3O4@TiO2 and Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 CoreShell Nanostructures

Wagner Henrique Gamas, Rosana R. Rangela, Grecia Alejandra Gomez-Iriarteb et al. (+2 more)

Tailoring core-shell nanostructures using iron oxide core (Fe3O4) and titanium dioxide shell (TiO2) offer a promising multifunctional platform for multimodal cancer therapies. TiO2 shell exhibits photo-responsive optical properties suitable for optical imaging and phototherapies, while Fe3O4 magnetic core enables magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT). This present work reports synthesis and characterization from core-shell Fe3O4@TiO2 and Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 nanostructures. Structural and physical properties were evaluated using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM), Diffuse UV-Vis Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) and SQUID magnetometry. This work highlights the potential use of magnetic (core) and optically activated (shell) nanostructures for multimodal therapies assisted by magnetic hyperthermia.
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All authors Wagner Henrique Gamas, Rosana R. Rangela, Grecia Alejandra Gomez-Iriarteb, Sergio Seabra. Pablo, L. Bernardo

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Eclipses by Artificial Satellites to Measure the Angular Sizes of Stars

Leo W.H. Fung, Albert Wai Kit Lau, Richard Massey et al. (+1 more)

Direct measurements of the angular sizes of stars (other than our Sun) are inherently limited by telescopes' optical diffraction limit. The spatial diffraction limit can be overcome by using time-domain information when stars are `eclipsed' by anything moving in the foreground: artificial satellites or the Moon (known as `lunar occultation imaging'). Here we analyse the angular resolution achievable by high-speed photon counting devices, when stars are eclipsed for several microseconds by one of the thousands of satellites now in low or mid-Earth orbit. We also build a full Bayesian statistical treatment for analysing simulated observations. We show that eclipses by the moon and satellites deliver $<2$ milliarcsecond resolution for $\sim$$10^4$ stars every year, with the diameters of $\sim$$10^1 - 10^2$ stars constrained to better than $0.5$ milliarcseconds. The application of satellites requires an ultra-fast, photon-resolving detector, capable of continuous readout with inter-frame delay controlled within $\lesssim 1$ $\mu$s. Such a fast rate can easily be handled by the SPINA instrument, which has demonstrated $8$ ns inter-frame delay, and potentially by the Cherenkov Telescope Array.
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All authors Leo W.H. Fung, Albert Wai Kit Lau, Richard Massey, George F. Smoot

Quantum Physics

Quantum Codes with Arbitrary Z-Rotation logical Gates and Applications to Fault-Tolerant Code Switching

Reza Dastbasteh, Ruben M. Otxoa, Pedro M. Crespo et al. (+1 more)

A technique for realizing a universal set of fault-tolerant quantum operations is the code switching method, which leverages two quantum codes with complementary sets of transversal gates. To date, the application of this technique has been largely limited to families of color codes supporting a logical $T$ gate. No analogous code switching protocols exist for many other prominent families, such as rotated surface codes, or for finer $Z$-rotation gates. In this work, we first utilize the doubling technique as a unified framework to construct a class of quantum color codes encoding a single logical qubit with an arbitrarily large minimum distance, enabling the transversal realization of arbitrary small logical $Z$-rotation gates. We investigate the structural properties of this code family, demonstrating that they improve upon the parameters of state-of-the-art triorthogonal codes, achieve lower qubit overhead compared to certain known color codes, and admit single-shot decoding of $Z$-syndromes via meta-checks. Furthermore, we show that this framework extends beyond color codes; specifically, it enables the generation of $r$-orthogonal quantum codes, $r \ge 2$, that inherit the local geometry of rotated surface codes. We then provide an overhead optimization protocol alongside several candidate codes tailored for realizing logical $Z$-rotation gates within rotated surface codes. Finally, we extend the fault-tolerant code switching protocol based on transversal CNOT gates to incorporate fault-tolerant realization of $Z$-rotation gates at any level of the Clifford hierarchy for geometries compatible with rotated surface codes. We present the first demonstration of fault-tolerant magic state preparation by means of code switching within a distance-three rotated surface code using a total footprint of only 45 physical qubits, and evaluate its performance through a simulation.
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All authors Reza Dastbasteh, Ruben M. Otxoa, Pedro M. Crespo, Josu Etxezarreta Martinez

Physics Education

Work Done by Sliding Friction

J. David Brown

Friction does work when two objects in contact slide past one another. This process is studied using a simple numerical model consisting of two flexible asperites, one for each object. The force of friction is modeled as a conservative electric force that can be either attractive or repulsive. Because the asperites are flexible, not rigid, the conservative friction force generates thermal energy and can decrease or increase the objects' translational kinetic energies. The concept of pseudowork plays an important role throughout the analysis. The difference between work and pseudowork is equal to the change in internal energy. The numerical model is used to illuminate the reasons why work is typically greater than pseudowork. For a real physical system, this is the source of thermal energy. The processes discussed here fall into two categories: forced sliding and free sliding. With forced sliding, applied forces keep the objects moving with constant velocities. With free sliding, the only force on one of the objects (in the direction of motion) is friction.
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Quantum Physics

Optimal von Neumann Entropy Estimation

Ziyun Chen, Minbo Gao and Qisheng Wang

We show that the von Neumann entropy of an unknown $d$-dimensional quantum state $\rho$ can be estimated to within additive error $\varepsilon$ using \[ \Theta\!\left(\frac{d^2}{\varepsilon\log^2(d)(1+\varepsilon\log^2(d))} + \frac{\log^2(d)}{\varepsilon^2}\right) \] samples of $\rho$, matching the lower bound due to Wang (2026). Our estimator is based on a high-degree approximation polynomial and the main technical challenge is bounding its variance despite the large polynomial degree. We overcome this using a quantum Hoeffding decomposition, which preserves cancellations between different polynomial terms and reduces the analysis to derivative bounds for the approximation polynomial.
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Materials Science

Tunable chiral anomaly in electron magnetotransport in the Weyl semimetallic Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te:Cr alloy

A. Królicka, E. Łusakowska, M. Matusiak et al. (+4 more)

We study magnetotransport properties of semiconductor substitutional alloy Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te, known to exhibit Sn-content dependent properties of topological crystalline insulators with a semimetallic zero-gap state at a specific band inversion point. We experimentally verify the theoretically predicted role of chemical disorder in this multivalley electron system, which leads to sequential band inversions in various valleys and places the Fermi level close to the pairs of Weyl nodes, as identified in the density functional theory calculations. Doping with mixed-valence Cr resonant impurities enables exploitation of the unique properties of dopant resonant states, which provide an effective means of tuning carrier concentration. The combination of these two effects results in the pinning of the Fermi level in the vicinity of the nodal touching points across a wide range of composition. To address the above issues, we grow Bridgman bulk crystals of Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te heavily doped with chromium and covering the full range of tin (0 $\leq x \leq$ 1), i.e. spanning both the topological crystalline insulator and trivial electronic regimes. We observe the emergence of the three dimensional (3D) Weyl semimetal phase over a range of Sn compositions, namely for $0.25 < x < 0.45$. We provide magnetotransport evidence for this and verify the relationship between the magnitude of the experimentally determined Berry curvature and the electrical properties of these materials. Quantum transport regime observed in magnetoresistance is also independently confirmed by thermal conductivity measurements.
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All authors A. Królicka, E. Łusakowska, M. Matusiak, A. Mirowska, A. Łusakowski, T. Story, K. Dybko

High Energy Physics (Phenomenology)

QCD Vacuum in an Inhomogeneous Magnetic Field

Prabal Adhikari and Brian C. Tiburzi

The effect of an inhomogeneous magnetic field on the QCD vacuum is addressed using the framework of chiral perturbation theory. The magnetic field is chosen to be localized along one spatial direction, with a profile for which the underlying quantum mechanical problem is exactly solvable. Particular attention is paid to regularization and renormalization using dimensional regularization. While the non-vanishing gradient of the magnetic field requires additional operators in chiral perturbation theory, their effect occurs at next-to-next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion. Consequently, the magnetic field dependence of equilibrium vacuum observables can be determined at next-to-leading order without undetermined parameters. We compute the zero-temperature free energy and chiral condensate for the inhomogeneous background, both as integrated quantities as well as spatially resolved local observables. Comparison with locally constant approximations enables a direct probe of the spatial response and nonlocal structure of the magnetized QCD vacuum. We additionally derive the induced vacuum current associated with the inhomogeneity of the magnetic field.
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Quantum Physics

A Sharp Local-Question Threshold for GHZ-Equatorial Completeness in Four-Player XOR Games

Ziao Tang, Chengkai Zhu, Ge Bai et al. (+2 more)

We determine the smallest number of active questions per player at which a four-player binary exclusive-or (XOR) game of commuting-operator value one need not admit a Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) equatorial realization. Such a realization uses the four-qubit GHZ state and equatorial qubit observables, reducing perfect play to additive phase equations. We prove that every four-player XOR game with commuting-operator value one and at most three active questions per player has a perfect GHZ-equatorial strategy. Conversely, we construct a uniform eight-clause game with four active questions per player whose commuting-operator value is one but whose phase equations are inconsistent. Thus four is the sharp local-question threshold. The positive result follows by lifting every integral incidence obstruction to an ordered noncommutative refutation, using primitive circuits, forest matchings, and ternary Hamming geometry. For the separating game, a Klein four-group incidence relation obstructs the phase system, while an even-subgroup normal form and degree-one and degree-two Magnus coefficients exclude refutations of arbitrary length.
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All authors Ziao Tang, Chengkai Zhu, Ge Bai, Xin Wang, Ranyiliu Chen

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Sum rules and density-wave modes in spin-singlet fractional quantum Hall fluids

Ritajit Kundu, Rakesh K. Dora, Dung Xuan Nguyen et al. (+1 more)

Fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states are prototypical examples of strongly interacting topologically ordered systems. In this work, we obtain thermodynamic fits on the plane for the pair correlation function, and its Fourier transform, the static structure factor, of two-component spin-singlet Halperin and Jain FQH fluids by expanding them in the recently introduced basis of the orthogonal associated Laguerre polynomials [Fulsebakke et al., SciPost Phys. 14, 149 (2023), https://doi.org/10.21468/SciPostPhys.14.6.149 ] and ascertaining the expansion coefficients by fitting them to large-system Monte Carlo data evaluated using their trial wavefunctions. In this fitting procedure, aside from constraining the exact short-distance behavior of the wavefunction, we also derive and enforce the sum rules that the long-wavelength expansion of the static structure factor must adhere to. We show that incorporating these constraints is crucial for obtaining numerically stable and accurate values of the long-wavelength Girvin-MacDonald-Platzman (GMP)/symmetric density-wave excitation gap. We further extend this approach to spin-resolved density-correlation functions, enabling the evaluation of the gap of the antisymmetric density-wave mode for these spin-singlet FQH states. Finally, we use the density-correlators to compute variational energies of the states and construct phase diagrams for bilayer FQH systems. These could be relevant for understanding recent bilayer FQH experiments that map out the phase diagram by tuning the interlayer separation and density-imbalance/layer-polarization.
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All authors Ritajit Kundu, Rakesh K. Dora, Dung Xuan Nguyen, Ajit C. Balram

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Moment of Inertia of an Interacting Bose Gas

Aleksandar Gecic, Victor E. Ambrus and Kenji Fukushima

The response of many-body quantum systems to rotation can be characterized by the moment of inertia. For a classical gas, the moment of inertia can be expressed as the integral of the enthalpy density multiplied by the squared radial distance from the rotation axis. In quantum field theory, the finite rotation in the grand canonical ensemble demands the causality bound. This constraint imposes technical challenges in treating transverse momenta discretized with the Bessel function zeros. However, we define the moment of inertia in the limit of zero angular velocity, in which the causality constraint is irrelevant and ordinary quantum field theoretical techniques can be applied. We evaluate the moment of inertia in the $\phi^4$ theory and find that, surprisingly, the interacting effects including the ring-diagram resummation are consistent with the classical expectation and the moment of inertia density remains proportional to the enthalpy density.
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