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Thursday 13 August

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Tropospheric Ducting Prediction based on GFS Model Data at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory

Tropospheric ducting transports terrestrial RFI over hundreds of kilometres into the ARQZWA at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory. We present a ducting prediction method based on vertical refractivity profiles derived from GFS data, validated against seven years of continuous spectrum monitoring between 88 MHz and 2.68 GHz. Per-transmitter basic transmission loss to the site is computed with Rec ITU-R P.452-16 above 100 MHz and Rec ITU-R P.1812-6 below it, over Copernicus GLO-90 terrain, driven at each timestep by the GFS-derived refractivity lapse along the path. Skill is scored as a stratified AUC, computed within month and three-hour strata. The median stratified AUC is 0.724 and 24 of 25 confidence intervals exclude chance. A time-percentage calibration derived from four pilot months transfers without retuning to the full record, and skill is flat through three days of forecast lead. A pooled GBM on the same physical features, augmented by a duct-corridor connectivity metric, reaches a mean test AUC of 0.806 over all 25 channels and 0.799 over the 16 on which the analytical predictor is itself skilled. In-situ LTE cell decoding confirms attribution: 86-97% of over-the-horizon cell detections fall within flagged event hours, the range spanning the four monitored LTE channels, and the decoded network identities match the licensing records. Ship AIS receptions at 162 MHz, each a self-located 12 W transmitter at a known sea position, provide VHF ground truth. The FM channels retain only weak skill, far below the ducting channels, and we attribute their events to near-threshold local sources after excluding ducting, sporadic-E and aircraft scatter. The method enables adaptive scheduling of observations away from frequencies affected by forecast ducting, and drives a live forecast service at the observatory. (Abstract abridged for arxiv)
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Quantum Physics

Shots-to-Approximate-Solution Scaling in Neutral-Atom Quantum Optimization

Whether neutral-atom quantum optimization protocols exhibit genuine concentration toward low-energy solution structure remains an open question. Here, we introduce a shots-to-approximate-solution metric, STS(r), where r denotes the approximation ratio, and evaluate it using postprocessed outputs modeled by a degeneracy-weighted shell distribution governed by a single effective parameter, $\beta$, that quantifies concentration toward near-optimal independent sets. To extract the genuine concentration effect in the quantum data, we apply identical postprocessing to both experimental bitstrings and randomly generated bitstrings with matched excitation density, thereby constructing an excitation-matched random baseline. Experiments on programmable Rydberg-atom arrays with system sizes up to 125 sites show that quantum annealing consistently exceeds the random baseline, demonstrating enhanced concentration toward low-energy solution structure beyond what can be attributed solely to excitation density. The results further reveal two distinct target-dependent regimes. For near-exact targets with $r \approx 1$, the required shot count grows exponentially with system size and is reduced at the same exponential level by quantum annealing within the shell-model description. By contrast, for relaxed targets, the shot cost becomes effectively constant, and the corresponding quantum enhancement diminishes, with the classical postprocessing heuristic alone reaching the target in order-unity attempts. Together, these results establish an operational method for quantifying quantum optimization performance and clarify the regimes under which quantum approaches can yield practical benefits.
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Pattern Formation and Solitons

Phase Space Reorganization and Traveling Wave Emergence Driven by Non-Kerr Effects in Nonparaxial Optical Media

In this article, the nonlinear Helmholtz equation with non-Kerr nonlinearity, such as self steepening and self frequency shift, is considered. A traveling wave transformation is applied, and the extended nonlinear Helmholtz equation is reduced to a Hamiltonian dynamical system. Then, the reduced Hamiltonian system is analyzed by classification of equilibrium points, phase space analysis, and the construction of exact wave solutions. The relationship between the reduced dynamical coefficients and the original physical parameters is further established through a parameter space analysis. It is shown that self steepening directly modifies the reduced dynamics, whereas self frequency shift acts through the compatibility condition for the real traveling wave reduction. Together, these non-Kerr effects reshape the phase space geometry and traveling wave structure. Localized and periodic traveling waves are obtained, with their existence determined by the balance among dispersion, nonparaxiality, Kerr nonlinearity, and non-Kerr effects. Furthermore, a periodically forced version of the reduced system is examined to study the transition from regular to irregular dynamics. It has been observed that external forcing can induce complex oscillatory behavior. Bifurcation analysis, time series evolution, phase space analysis, largest Lyapunov exponent, and Poincaré section demonstrate the emergence of quasiperiodic and chaotic responses under sufficiently strong forcing. All analytical branches are verified through full-equation residual evaluation, while a few selected branches are additionally examined through direct numerical propagation and robustness tests under complex Gaussian perturbations. The results show that self steepening directly renormalizes the effective nonlinear dynamics, whereas self frequency shift restricts the admissible real-envelope traveling wave manifold.
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All authors Naresh Saha, Nirmoy Kumar Das, Ashoke Das, Arnob Ray

High Energy Physics (Theory)

D4-branes wrapped on topological disks from matter-coupled F(4) gauged supergravity

We study a number of supersymmetric $AdS_4\times \Sigma$ solutions with $\Sigma$ being a topological disk with non-trivial $U(1)$ holonomy on the boundary or a “half-spindle” from matter-coupled $F(4)$ gauged supergravity. The gauged supergravity is coupled to three vector multiplets with $SO(3)\times SO(3)$ gauge group. The resulting solutions preserve eight supercharges and $SO(2)\times SO(2)$ or $SO(2)_{\text{diag}}$ symmetries and are expected to be dual to $N=2$ SCFTs in three dimensions arising from compactifications of five-dimensional $N=2$ SCFT on a half-spindle. All of the solutions lie within the $U(1)\times U(1)$ subsector of the matter-coupled $F(4)$ gauged supergravity that can be embedded in massive type IIA theory. After uplifted to ten dimensions, the solutions can be interpreted as a system of D4-D8-branes wrapped on $\Sigma$. Some of the solutions are asymptotic to a locally $AdS_6$ geometry and can be identified as codimension-2 conformal defects within the $N=2$ SCFT in five dimensions. For these solutions, the circle inside $\Sigma$ decompactifies in the $AdS_6$ limit rendering the holographic free energy infinite. There also exist solutions with finite free energy in the dual three-dimensional SCFTs. In addition, we show that the results both extend the previously known solutions and provide a novel class of solutions.
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Nuclear Theory

Parametric Matrix Models for Emulation in Nuclear and Many-Body Physics

Progress in nuclear and many-body physics today is predicated on the ability to solve large-scale, strongly correlated quantum many-body problems. As the theoretical models become more sophisticated, they also become more computationally complex. Simultaneously, quantifying uncertainty in model predictions and fitting free parameters to experimental observations requires repeated evaluation of these expensive models. Surrogate models—known as emulators—provide the means of accomplishing these goals. This thesis provides an introduction into the current state of emulation in nuclear and many-body physics. The motivations, goals, and origins of currently popular emulation methods are discussed along with selected examples. We see how many methods are closely mathematically related and how trade-offs are made to optimize specific properties or applications. The central work in this thesis is the method of parametric matrix models (PMMs), an emulation and general machine learning framework which combines aspects of traditional reduced basis method with modern parametric machine learning. PMMs are able to retain as much or as little physical information about the underlying system as desired, yielding not only excellent performance but also nearly unparalleled adaptability, interpretability, and trustworthiness as an emulation method. A formal mathematical framework for PMMs is developed and accompanied by practical step-by-step procedures for the application of the method. As part of this thesis, the open-source pyPMM package was developed. This package enables any researcher to construct, train, share, and deploy PMM-based emulators with modular, extendable, and graphics processing unit (GPU)-optimized code. All PMM examples in this thesis were created using this package.
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High Energy Physics (Phenomenology)

In-medium properties of $D$ and $D^*$ mesons in magnetized isospin asymmetric nuclear matter

We investigate the impact of an external magnetic field on the in-medium properties of pseudoscalar ($D^0,D^+,D_s$) and vector ($D^{0*},D^{+*},D_{s}^{*}$) mesons in isospin asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperature using a hybrid theoretical framework combining the chiral SU(3) quark mean-field (CQMF) model and the light-front quark model (LFQM). The medium-modified constituent quark masses, obtained from the CQMF model by including the magnetized Dirac sea contribution and anomalous magnetic moments of nucleons, are used as input to the LFQM calculations of meson masses, weak decay constants, and leading-twist distribution amplitudes. We further incorporate the Landau quantization of the charged mesons restricted to the lowest Landau level, while magnetic field induced pseudoscalar-vector mixing is taken into account for each $D$-$D^{*}$ doublet. We find that the external magnetic field enhances the effective masses and decay constants of both pseudoscalar and vector $D$ mesons by magnetic catalysis, while increasing baryon density generally induces an attractive mass shift and suppresses the decay constant and distribution amplitudes. The Landau level contribution further enhances the effective masses of the charged mesons, whereas the pseudoscalar-vector mixing produces a level repulsion, shifting the vector meson masses upward and the pseudoscalar meson masses downward. The interplay between magnetic field and density effects gives rise to a nontrivial medium behavior of heavy-light meson properties, with isospin asymmetry further inducing a small but systematic mass splitting across all the meson states considered. These results provide useful insights into heavy-flavor dynamics in strongly interacting matter and are relevant to ongoing and future studies at FAIR, NICA, and J-PARC.
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All authors Saksham Sharma, Dhananjay Singh, Suneel Dutt, Harleen Dahiya, Arvind Kumar

Quantum Physics

Improved Measurement Cost Scaling in the Nonorthogonal Quantum Eigensolver

Quantum subspace diagonalization methods are promising algorithms for quantum chemistry on near-term quantum computers. These methods can estimate low-lying energies of molecular systems using shallow quantum circuits, at the cost of many circuit repetitions to estimate the projected matrix elements. Errors in these matrix elements can be converted into much larger eigenvalue errors by an ill-conditioned overlap matrix. We study this bottleneck for the nonorthogonal quantum eigensolver (NOQE), which constructs a compact multireference subspace from dressed unrestricted Hartree-Fock states. We prove a finite-shot perturbation bound showing that, after overlap thresholding, the eigenvalue sensitivity is controlled by the condition number of the retained overlap matrix rather than by a worst-case dimension factor. With a scalable thresholding scheme, the upper bound on the per-matrix-element shot count required to reach a target accuracy scales as $\mathcal{O}(M)$, improving on the previously known $\mathcal{O}(M^3)$ bound, where $M$ is the number of reference states. Numerical experiments on hydrogen chains and rings suggest that, in practice, the measurement cost of structured NOQE instances can grow even more slowly than this linear bound.
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Fluid Dynamics

Bayesian optimization and topographic exploration of drag-reducing dimples for aerodynamic surfaces

Dimples offer a promising route to reducing drag on aerodynamic surfaces. However, whether such shallow concavities yield a net benefit depends sensitively on their topography, which demands systematic mapping and exploration of their comprehensive design space. In this study, dimple design is examined as a mixed-variable optimization over four design variables: dimple type, depth, in-plane scale, and streamwise stretch. The design space is explored using MixMOBO, a Bayesian optimizer, coupled with immersed-boundary large eddy simulations of channel flows at a constant flow rate corresponding to a flat channel at a friction Reynolds number of 180. The optimal solution, a relatively deep, fully packed, streamwise-elongated diamond dimple, attains a 13.2% drag reduction, notably above previously reported values. A Gaussian process metamodel sensitivity analysis identifies dimple topology as the dominant factor, with coverage and elongation acting mainly through interactions, and depth itself carrying no universal sign. A near-wall flow analysis links the leading designs to fully attached, groove-like flow, whereas poorer designs tend to produce local flow separation that incurs adverse form drag. From these findings, key design insights for drag-reducing dimples are provided.
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Materials Science

Unraveling Lithium Storage and Defect-Modulated Transport in 2D Copper Boride: From First Principles to Machine-Learned Molecular Dynamics

In this work, we combine first-principles calculations, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), and machine-learning-interatomic-potential molecular dynamics (MLIP-MD) to investigate lithium storage and transport in two-dimensional Cu$_8$B$_{14}$, including an experimentally identified line-defect configuration. Pristine Cu$_8$B$_{14}$ remains metallic upon lithiation and exhibits favourable Li adsorption, a single-surface theoretical capacity of 427~mAh~g$^{-1}$, and an average open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.53~V. The lowest Li migration barrier on the pristine surface is 0.32~eV. The line-defected structure retains a capacity of approximately 400~mAh~g$^{-1}$ while reducing the local migration barrier to 0.21~eV. To access Li dynamics beyond the picosecond time scale of AIMD, a pretrained MACE-MP-0 model was fine-tuned against system-specific DFT energies and forces and employed in nanosecond-scale simulations from 400 to 600~K. Both pristine and line-defected lithiated monolayers remain structurally stable over this temperature range. At 400~K, the line-defected system exhibits a higher in-plane Li tracer diffusivity ($3.97\times10^{-5}$~cm$^{2}$~s$^{-1}$) than the pristine monolayer ($2.50\times10^{-5}$~cm$^{2}$~s$^{-1}$), whereas the pristine system becomes more diffusive at 500 and 600~K. Arrhenius analysis yields effective activation energies of 0.147 and 0.225~eV for the line-defected and pristine systems, respectively. These results show that the line defect modifies the Li-transport landscape and its temperature dependence rather than uniformly enhancing long-range diffusion, while preserving competitive Li-storage capacity and structural stability.
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All authors Subhasis Sarkar, Rajnendra Singh, Brahmananda Chakraborty, Sridhar Sahu

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Waterfall-modulated $\alpha$-attractors

Hybrid $\alpha$-attractor models \cite{Kallosh:2022ggf} can have significantly greater values of $n_{s}$ and smaller $r$, while preserving the relation $r\cong 3\alpha (1-n_s)^2$, which is valid for exponential T- and E-models at large values of the inflaton field. Here we study single-field $\alpha$-attractors with features inspired by hybrid models: one can uplift the potential, and one can also have a waterfall regime that leads to a premature termination of inflation near the critical point $\varphi_c$. This allows one to increase the effective number of e-foldings $N_c$ in formulas like $n_s\simeq 1-{2\over N_c}$, $r\simeq {12 \alpha\over N_c^2}$. By changing the waterfall's steepness and location, one can continuously move the predictions along the curves with $r\cong 3\alpha (1-n_s)^2$ as $n_s$ increases and $r$ decreases. We also study the effect of waterfall insertions and uplift on $n_s$ in quintessential $\alpha$-attractors that describe inflation and dynamical dark energy.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Reeb-Wolf Improved Landauer Principle for Hairy Black Holes via Gravitational Decoupling

We investigated the thermodynamic and quantum-information cost of irreversible information erasure at the event horizon of hairy black holes generated through extended geometric deformation. Starting from the Schwarzschild black hole seed solution, we considered two families of hairy geometries satisfying the strong and dominant energy conditions. Lan-dauer's principle was used to relate the minimum energy required to erase one bit of information to the Hawking temperature of deformed horizon. We derived corresponding horizon radii, Hawking temperatures, Bekenstein-Hawking entropies and normalised Landauer costs as functions of decoupling parameter, the hair length scale and the effective charge associated with the additional gravitational sector. For the parameter ranges analyzed, our results show that gravitational hair tends to reduce the Hawking temperature and the minimum Landauer erasure cost while simultaneously increasing the horizon area and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. The Reeb-Wolf finite-size correction provides an additional positive contribution to the erasure cost but remains subdominant due to the large effective dimension of the horizon reservoir. We further separated the Reeb-Wolf correction into mutual-information and relative-entropy contributions, showing that the former is governed by the area-spacing parameter, whereas the latter is controlled by the actual energy gap between neighboring horizon levels. Furthermore, the Landauer spectrum obtained by quantizing the area decreases as the quantum number associated with the horizon increases, although this variation does not occur in the same way in the SEC and DEC branches. Overall, the presence of gravitational hair alters the thermodynamic properties of the horizon and, consequently, the Landauer cost associated with information erasure, both in the continuous regime and after quantizing the area.
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All authors J. Andrade, J. O. Cedeño, M. Zeeshan Gul, D. Santana, Jiří Svozilík

Quantum Physics

Sector-resolved non-Bloch topology and nonlocal entanglement dynamics in a bond-dissipative Kitaev chain

A core characteristic of dissipative non-Hermitian topology is that the relaxation dynamics tracks the non-Bloch bulk-boundary correspondence, rendering an algebraic decay in the gapless regime and an exponential falloff in the gapped phase, so that local observables directly diagnose the topology. We show that this correspondence breaks down in a dissipative topological superconductor, where the local observables turn blind to the very topology they are expected to decipher. Via a bond-dissipative dimerized Kitaev chain in a third-quantized rapidity-matrix formulation, we find that at zero chemical potential the Majorana rapidity matrix decomposes into two independent non-Hermitian sectors, each with its own generalized Brillouin zone and non-Bloch winding number, thereby revealing a sector-resolved non-Bloch bulk-boundary correspondence. The local density is a cross-sector covariance and relaxes at the sum of the two sector rates, so it remains sector-blind even when one sector is gapless and topological. For balanced gain and loss, the finite-time zero events of the entanglement spectrum under purely periodic-boundary Lindblad evolution recover this hidden edge content sector by sector, serving as a dynamical invariant that returns the open-boundary edge rapidities without physically opening the chain.
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All authors Shaina Gandhi, Koustav Roy, Bilal Tanatar, Saurabh Basu

Computational Physics

A discrete duality finite volume method with harmonic average for semiconductor drift-diffusion equations

The stationary drift-diffusion model is widely used to model charge transport in semiconductor devices. Classical methods, such as the finite volume Scharfetter–Gummel (FVSG) method, perform well on high-quality Delaunay meshes but struggle on irregular or distorted meshes due to their reliance on Voronoi diagrams. To overcome this mesh limitation, this article introduces a new approach that integrates harmonic average stabilization into the discrete duality finite volume method (DDFV-HA). To validate our scheme, we compare DDFV-HA and FVSG for semiconductor simulations on both high- and low-quality meshes. Experiments show that DDFV-HA matches FVSG on high-quality meshes and is more reliable and accurate on low-quality meshes. Applying DDFV-HA to a real-world thyristor further confirms that it is well-suited for semiconductor simulations in complex, irregular domains where high-quality meshes are not easy to generate.
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All authors Shuya Liu, Zhicheng Liu, Bo Lin, Chijie Zhuang, Qingyuan Shi, Weizhu Bao, Rong Zeng

Quantum Physics

A Finite-Window Recovery Hierarchy for Local Quantum Memory

When quantum information initially stored in a local qubit disappears, it need not be lost: it may have moved into nearby degrees of freedom or become inaccessible to shallow local control. We introduce finite-window recoverability as an operational channel benchmark that separates these possibilities. It compares optimal recovery from the target site, recovery by a bounded-depth decoder on a finite window, and the unrestricted optimum for that window. Its operational component, local variational recovery, uses local state preparation, window-local control, and target-qubit Pauli readout to certify recoverable memory beyond the target and quantify how much of the same-window advantage is accessible to shallow control. In a disordered kicked-Ising Floquet chain, a depth-6 decoder on a five-site window realizes $Q^{\mathrm{opt}}_0<Q^{\mathrm{shallow}}_2<Q^{\mathrm{opt}}_2$ across the crossover regime, with positive certified gain for most disorder realizations and substantial shallow-accessibility fractions. The signal differs from target-site persistence and reconstructed coherent-information increments. Positive radius-2 gain also persists when the task is embedded in longer open chains using an independent tensor-network backend. Guided by this hierarchy, we test a carrier-deletion task in which the original target register is reset after the dynamics. A depth-8 decoder repairs the input from a radius-3 surrounding halo with held-out median $F_{\mathrm{avg}}=0.758$, above the single-qubit classical benchmark $2/3$, and outperforms optimal one-, two-, and three-site halo-subwindow counterfactuals. These results establish finite-window recovery as a local-control benchmark for off-site quantum memory, diagnosing both where local quantum information remains and whether bounded-depth control can refocus it.
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Mathematical Physics

From Lie–Rinehart Algebras to $F$-Manifold Algebras

For every Lie–Rinehart algebra, we construct an $F$-manifold algebra on the direct sum of its base algebra and module. Contrary to the assertion in \cite[Proposition 13.3.26]{LodayVallette}, the resulting structure is generally not Poisson. We determine when powers of the positive-degree ideal in the associated symmetric Poisson algebra are Poisson ideals, and relate the Leibnizator to the Lie–Rinehart differential. For a finite projective module of constant rank, the trace of the Leibnizator recovers the anchor and yields a rigidity result for injective anchors. We conclude with algebraic and geometric examples.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

A Minkowski-core black hole with cosmological constant and electric charge

Within a covariant effective Hamiltonian framework, we employ an inverse construction to derive the gravitational Hamiltonian constraint for a Minkowski-core regular black hole without invoking exotic matter. We then extend the constraint by coupling it to a spherically reduced Maxwell field and including a cosmological constant. The resulting charged anti-de Sitter (AdS) and de Sitter (dS) solution is gauge independent and reduces to the Reissner–Nordström–AdS (RN-AdS) black hole when the regularization parameter vanishes. Electric charge and a cosmological constant preserve the Minkowski core: the metric approaches the Minkowski geometry at the center, the Kretschmann scalar vanishes there, and the spacetime exhibits a multi-horizon structure. Focusing on AdS backgrounds, we investigate the black hole thermodynamics. For a regularization parameter below a critical value, the model exhibits a phase transition with consistent signatures across these thermodynamic quantities, demonstrating that Minkowski-core regularization can preserve center regularity while modifying the AdS thermodynamic phase structure relative to the RN-AdS benchmark.
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All authors Wen-Zheng Chen, Shulan Li, Jian-Pin Wu, Cong Zhang

Other Condensed Matter

Steady states and oscillation modes of two driven dissipative oscillators with non-Hermitian coupling

We analyze the dynamics of two harmonic oscillators with nonlinear, non-Hermitian coupling between them. Specifically, we consider a synthetic antiferromagnet composed of two ferromagnetic layers with antiferromagnetic interactions between the two layers, leading to the emergence of two oscillation modes of the combined system. We analyze the response of this system to external driving fields. We determine the allowed steady states under various driving conditions. We then analyze the dynamics of small deviations away from the different steady states, which reveals the normal modes that can be probed using spectroscopic techniques in experiment. As expected, the nonlinear system exhibits multistability, in which multiple steady states can exist for the same driving conditions. We find that the dynamical response can be drastically different depending on which one of the two modes is driven and on the strength of the driving. Specifically, we can obtain level-repulsion or level-attraction patterns in the spectrum. In addition to the rich variety of spectra, we find that some steady states exhibit normal modes that contain multiple frequencies. Our results explain recent experiments on synthetic antiferromagnets and provide guidance for designing experiments that can explore previously unseen phenomena in these systems.
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Applied Physics

Vertical Gallium Oxide Isolated Source Electrode Field Effect Transistors (ISEFET) Without Planarization or Mid-Gap Acceptor Blocking Layers

We propose and demonstrate the first vertical Gallium oxide device architecture without the use of planarization etch back processes or mid-gap acceptor regions. The Isolated Source Electrode Field Effect Transistor (ISEFET) incorporates a dielectric blocking layer to access an isolated source pad extending from the top fin metal. Scaled multi-fin channels were formed by electron beam lithography with a width of 200 nm along with the source pads and then etched to a trench depth of ~1.2 um. The fabricated devices showed enhancement mode operation with threshold voltage of 2 V and on-off ratio > 1e7 with excellent gate modulation characteristics. The resulting device proved to be comparable to existing vertical transistors and suitable for high-throughput prototyping and large-scale manufacturing of future Gallium oxide and other wide bandgap semiconductor devices.
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All authors Akilesh Srikanth, Md Saklain Morshed, Chandan Joishi, Ahmad E. Islam, Siddharth Rajan

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Photospheric Kelvin–Helmholtz Vortices as Possible Drivers of Coronal Heating: Implications of the DKIST Observations

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) has resolved Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) vortices at photospheric magnetic-flux boundaries with a characteristic wavelength of 65 km. I estimate whether these vortices can supply the photospheric driver for cross-scale plasma heating through reconnection across different heights from photosphere to low-corona. Using the simulated MURaM shear, density contrast, and 500 km vertical extent, together with a representative photospheric density, gives a shear-energy density of $1.35\times10^{2}$ J m$^{-3}$ and $2.2\times10^{24}$ erg per characteristic vortex. Magnetic fields $1^\circ$–$7^\circ$ from the exact perpendicular orientation ($ {\bf{B}}\perp{\bf{k}}$) remain KH unstable in an idealized calculation and provide an in-plane component that can be wound or compressed into current layers. The limiting case, in which the center-of-momentum shear reservoir becomes new magnetic free energy, gives $b_{\rm cs}=184$ G, identical to the ideal marginal-stability field and equivalent to a $7.6^\circ$ effective twist. This stores at most 135 J m$^{-3}$ in the layers. Using empirical collisionless reconnection heating fractions of 0.28–0.44, the same twist mapped to weakly collisional heights gives ion heating from $\approx$20 eV at the photosphere to $\approx$1.4 keV in the low corona. For an illustrative, snapshot-based KH-active surface fraction of 0.03, quiet-Sun and coronal-hole losses require 5–8% and 14–21%, respectively, of the shear reservoir to become reconnecting magnetic free energy that reaches such heights. Active regions likely require a separate guide-field twist and helicity reservoir. The required upward transport has not been measured by DKIST, but it is directly testable.
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Instrumentation and Detectors

Fine-tuned Normalizing Flows for ALICE Zero Degree Calorimeter Fast Simulation

Simulating the ALICE Zero Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) neutron detector responses at the LHC is computationally expensive, requiring complex Monte Carlo chains. We develop a generative surrogate, focusing on Normalizing Flows (NFs). Through transfer learning, we pre-train on the full imbalanced dataset and fine-tune specialized models for different particle types ($\gamma$, $n$, $\Lambda$, $K_S^0$, $\Sigma^+$) using two gradual-unfreezing schemes. As standard ZDC metrics like Wasserstein distance overlook conditional structure, we introduce refined metrics: conditional weighted MAE, dispersion ratio, and Jaccard co-activation error, that better capture physics-relevant input-output dependencies and response variability. Our ensemble of fine-tuned models achieves a Wasserstein distance of $1.61 \pm 0.02$, outperforming baselines across all metrics. This work provides a generalizable NF-based framework for LHC detector simulation, combining NFs, conditional fine-tuning, and physics-motivated evaluation.
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All authors Emilia Majerz, Jacek Otwinowski, Witold Dzwinel, Jacek Kitowski

High Energy Physics (Experiment)

High-precision measurement of the space-like $\eta^\prime$ transition form factor

Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $20.3\ \text{fb}^{-1}$, collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of $3.773\ \text{GeV}$ at the BEPCII collider, we report a precision measurement of the product $Q^2|F(Q^2)|$, where $F(Q^2)$ is the single-virtual space-like transition form factor of the $\eta'$ meson and $Q^2$ is the squared momentum transfer of the tagged virtual photon. The transition form factor is extracted from the differential Born cross section of the two-photon fusion processes $e^+e^- \to e^+e^-\gamma\gamma^* \to e^+e^-\eta^\prime$ using a single-tag technique, where only one scattered lepton is detected. The measurement covers $Q^2 \in [0.1, 6.0]$ GeV$^2$, achieving unprecedented precision, better than $3.0\%$ for $Q^2 < 1.5$ GeV$^2$, and providing the first direct determination at $Q^2 < 0.3$ GeV$^2$.
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All authors BESIII Collaboration: M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, X. C. Ai, C. S. Akondi, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. H. An, M. S. Anderson, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, H. R. Bao, X. L. Bao, M. Barbagiovanni, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. B. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere, A. Brueggemann, D. Cabiati, H. Cai, M. H. Cai, X. Cai, A. Calcaterra, G. F. Cao, N. Cao, S. A. Cetin, X. Y. Chai, J. F. Chang, T. T. Chang, G. R. Che, Y. Z. Che, C. H. Chen, Chao Chen, G. Chen, H. S. Chen, H. Y. Chen, M. L. Chen, S. J. Chen, S. M. Chen, T. Chen, W. Chen, X. R. Chen, X. T. Chen, X. Y. Chen, Y. B. Chen, Y. Q. Chen, Z. K. Chen, J. Cheng, L. N. Cheng, S. K. Choi, X. Chu, G. Cibinetto, F. Cossio, J. Cottee-Meldrum, H. L. Dai, J. P. Dai, X. C. Dai, A. Dbeyssi, R. E. de Boer, D. Dedovich, Z. Y. Deng, A. Denig, I. Denisenko, M. Destefanis, F. De Mori, E. Di Fiore, X. X. Ding, Y. Ding, Y. X. Ding, J. Dong, L. Y. Dong, M. Y. Dong, X. Dong, Z. J. Dong, M. C. Du, S. X. Du, Shaoxu Du, X. L. Du, Y. Q. Du, Y. Y. Duan, Z. H. Duan, P. Egorov, G. F. Fan, J. J. Fan, K. X. Fan, Y. H. Fan, J. Fang, Jin Fang, S. S. Fang, W. X. Fang, Y. Q. Fang, L. Fava, F. Feldbauer, G. Felici, C. Q. Feng, J. H. Feng, Q. X. Feng, Y. T. Feng, M. Fritsch, C. D. Fu, J. L. Fu, Y. W. Fu, H. Gao, Xu Gao, Y. Gao, Y. N. Gao, Y. Y. Gao, Yunong Gao, Z. Gao, S. Garbolino, I. Garzia, L. Ge, P. T. Ge, Z. W. Ge, C. Geng, A. Gilman, K. Goetzen, J. Gollub, J. B. Gong, J. D. Gong, L. Gong, W. X. Gong, W. Gradl, M. Greco, M. D. Gu, M. H. Gu, C. Y. Guan, A. Q. Guo, H. Guo, J. N. Guo, L. B. Guo, M. J. Guo, R. P. Guo, X. Guo, Y. P. Guo, Z. Guo, A. Guskov, J. Gutierrez, J. Y. Han, T. T. Han, X. Han, F. Hanisch, K. D. Hao, X. Q. Hao, F. A. Harris, C. Z. He, K. K. He, K. L. He, F. H. Heinsius, C. H. Heinz, Y. K. Heng, C. Herold, P. C. Hong, G. Y. Hou, X. T. Hou, Y. R. Hou, Z. L. Hou, H. M. Hu, J. F. Hu, Q. P. Hu, S. L. Hu, T. Hu, Y. Hu, Y. X. Hu, Z. M. Hu, G. S. Huang, K. X. Huang, L. Q. Huang, P. Huang, X. T. Huang, Y. P. Huang, Y. S. Huang, T. Hussain, N. Hüsken, N. in der Wiesche, J. Jackson, Q. Ji, Q. P. Ji, W. Ji, X. B. Ji, X. L. Ji, Y. Y. Ji, L. K. Jia, X. Q. Jia, D. Jiang, S. J. Jiang, X. S. Jiang, Y. Jiang, J. B. Jiao, J. K. Jiao, Z. Jiao, L. C. L. Jin, S. Jin, Y. Jin, M. Q. Jing, X. M. Jing, T. Johansson, S. Kabana, X. L. Kang, X. S. Kang, B. C. Ke, V. Khachatryan, A. Khoukaz, O. B. Kolcu, B. Kopf, L. Kröger, L. Krümmel, Y. Y. Kuang, M. Kuessner, X. Kui, N. Kumar, A. Kupsc, W. Kühn, Q. Lan, W. N. Lan, T. T. Lei, M. Lellmann, T. Lenz, C. Li, C. H. Li, C. K. Li, Chunkai Li, Cong Li, D. M. Li, F. Li, G. Li, H. B. Li, H. J. Li, H. L. Li, H. N. Li, H. P. Li, Hui Li, J. N. Li, J. S. Li, J. W. Li, K. Li, K. L. Li, L. J. Li, L. K. Li, Lei Li, M. H. Li, M. R. Li, M. T. Li, P. L. Li, P. R. Li, Q. M. Li, Q. X. Li, R. Li, S. Li, S. X. Li, S. Y. Li, Shanshan Li, T. Li, T. Y. Li, W. D. Li, W. G. Li, X. Li, X. H. Li, X. K. Li, X. L. Li, X. Y. Li, X. Z. Li, Y. Li, Y. H. Li, Y. B. Li, Y. C. Li, Y. G. Li, Y. P. Li, Z. H. Li, Z. J. Li, Z. L. Li, Z. X. Li, Z. Y. Li, Zaiyi Li, C. Liang, H. Liang, Y. F. Liang, Y. T. Liang, Z. Z. Liang, G. R. Liao, L. B. Liao, M. H. Liao, Y. P. Liao, J. Libby, A. Limphirat, C. C. Lin, C. X. Lin, D. X. Lin, T. Lin, B. J. Liu, B. X. Liu, C. Liu, C. X. Liu, F. Liu, F. H. Liu, Feng Liu, G. M. Liu, H. Liu, H. B. Liu, H. M. Liu, Huihui Liu, J. B. Liu, J. J. Liu, K. Liu, K. Y. Liu, Ke Liu, Kun Liu, L. Liu, L. C. Liu, Lu Liu, M. H. Liu, P. L. Liu, Q. Liu, S. B. Liu, T. Liu, W. T. Liu, X. Liu, X. K. Liu, X. L. Liu, X. P. Liu, X. T. Liu, X. Y. Liu, Y. Liu, Y. B. Liu, Yi Liu, Z. A. Liu, Z. D. Liu, Z. Q. Liu, Z. X. Liu, Z. Y. Liu, X. C. Lou, H. J. Lu, J. G. Lu, X. L. Lu, Y. Lu, Y. H. Lu, Y. P. Lu, Z. H. Lu, C. L. Luo, J. R. Luo, J. S. Luo, M. X. Luo, T. Luo, X. L. Luo, Z. Y. Lv, X. R. Lyu, Y. F. Lyu, Y. H. Lyu, C. L. Ma, F. C. Ma, H. L. Ma, Heng Ma, J. L. Ma, L. L. Ma, L. R. Ma, Q. M. Ma, R. Q. Ma, R. Y. Ma, T. Ma, X. T. Ma, X. Y. Ma, F. E. Maas, I. MacKay, M. Maggiora, S. Maity, S. Malde, Q. A. Malik, L. M. Mansur, Y. J. Mao, Z. P. Mao, S. Marcello, A. Marshall, F. M. Melendi, Y. H. Meng, Z. X. Meng, G. Mezzadri, H. Miao, T. J. Min, R. E. Mitchell, X. H. Mo, A. F. Mohammad, B. Moses, N. Yu. Muchnoi, J. Muskalla, Y. Nefedov, F. Nerling, H. Neuwirth, Z. Ning, S. Nisar, Q. L. Niu, W. D. Niu, Y. Niu, C. Normand, S. L. Olsen, Q. Ouyang, I. V. Ovtin, S. Pacetti, Y. Pan, C. Y. Pang, A. Pathak, Y. P. Pei, M. Pelizaeus, G. L. Peng, H. P. Peng, X. J. Peng, Y. Y. Peng, K. Peters, K. Petridis, J. L. Ping, R. G. Ping, S. Plura, V. Prasad, L. Pöpping, F. Z. Qi, H. R. Qi, L. Y. Qian, S. Qian, W. B. Qian, C. F. Qiao, J. H. Qiao, J. J. Qin, J. L. Qin, L. Q. Qin, L. Y. Qin, P. B. Qin, X. P. Qin, X. S. Qin, Z. H. Qin, J. F. Qiu, Z. H. Qu, J. Rademacker, K. Ravindran, C. F. Redmer, A. Rivetti, M. Rolo, G. Rong, S. S. Rong, F. Rosini, Ch. Rosner, M. Q. Ruan, W. R. Ruangyoo, N. Salone, A. Sarantsev, Y. Schelhaas, M. Schernau, K. Schoenning, M. Scodeggio, W. Shan, X. Y. Shan, Z. J. Shang, J. F. Shangguan, L. G. Shao, M. Shao, C. P. Shen, H. F. Shen, W. H. Shen, X. Y. Shen, B. A. Shi, Ch. Y. Shi, H. Shi, J. L. Shi, J. Y. Shi, M. H. Shi, S. Shi, S. Y. Shi, X. Shi, X. D. Shi, H. L. Song, J. J. Song, M. H. Song, T. Z. Song, W. M. Song, Y. X. Song, Zirong Song, S. Sosio, S. Spataro, S. Stansilaus, F. Stieler, M. Stolte, S. S Su, G. B. Sun, G. X. Sun, H. Sun, H. K. Sun, J. F. Sun, K. Sun, L. Sun, R. Sun, S. S. Sun, T. Sun, W. Y. Sun, Y. C. Sun, Y. H. Sun, Y. J. Sun, Y. Z. Sun, Z. Q. Sun, Z. T. Sun, H. Tabaharizato, N. T. Tagsinsit, C. J. Tang, G. Y. Tang, J. Tang, J. J. Tang, L. F. Tang, Y. A. Tang, Z. H. Tang, L. Y. Tao, M. Tat, J. X. Teng, J. Y. Tian, W. H. Tian, Y. Tian, Z. F. Tian, K. Yu. Todyshev, I. Uman, E. van der Smagt, B. Wang, Bin Wang, Bo Wang, C. Wang, Chao Wang, Cong Wang, D. Y. Wang, F. K. Wang, H. J. Wang, H. R. Wang, J. Wang, J. H. Wang, J. J. Wang, J. P. Wang, K. Wang, L. L. Wang, L. W. Wang, M. Wang, Mi Wang, N. Y. Wang, P. Wang, S. Wang, Shun Wang, T. Wang, W. Wang, W. P. Wang, X. F. Wang, X. L. Wang, X. N. Wang, Xin Wang, Y. Wang, Y. D. Wang, Y. F. Wang, Y. H. Wang, Y. J. Wang, Y. L. Wang, Y. N. Wang, Yanning Wang, Yaqian Wang, Yi Wang, Yuan Wang, Z. Wang, Z. L. Wang, Z. Q. Wang, Z. Y. Wang, Zhi Wang, Ziyi Wang, D. Wei, D. H. Wei, D. J. Wei, H. R. Wei, F. Weidner, H. R. Wen, S. P. Wen, U. Wiedner, G. Wilkinson, J. F. Wu, L. H. Wu, L. J. Wu, Lianjie Wu, S. G. Wu, S. M. Wu, X. W. Wu, Z. Wu, H. L. Xia, L. Xia, B. H. Xiang, D. Xiao, G. Y. Xiao, H. Xiao, Y. L. Xiao, Z. J. Xiao, C. Xie, K. J. Xie, Y. Xie, Y. G. Xie, Y. H. Xie, Z. P. Xie, T. Y. Xing, D. B. Xiong, G. F. Xu, H. Y. Xu, Q. J. Xu, Q. N. Xu, T. D. Xu, X. P. Xu, Y. Xu, Y. C. Xu, Z. S. Xu, F. Yan, L. Yan, W. B. Yan, W. C. Yan, W. H. Yan, W. P. Yan, X. Q. Yan, Y. Y. Yan, H. J. Yang, H. L. Yang, H. X. Yang, J. H. Yang, L. Y. Yang, R. J. Yang, X. Y. Yang, Y. Yang, Y. G. Yang, Y. H. Yang, Y. M. Yang, Y. Q. Yang, Y. Z. Yang, Youhua Yang, Z. Y. Yang, W. J. Yao, Z. P. Yao, M. Ye, M. H. Ye, Z. J. Ye, K. Yi, Junhao Yin, Qiqin Yin, Z. Y. You, B. X. Yu, C. X. Yu, G. Yu, J. S. Yu, L. W. Yu, T. Yu, X. D. Yu, Y. C. Yu, Yongchao Yu, C. Z. Yuan, H. Yuan, J. Yuan, Jie Yuan, L. Yuan, M. K. Yuan, S. H. Yuan, Y. Yuan, Z. Y. Yuan, C. X. Yue, Ying Yue, A. A. Zafar, F. R. Zeng, S. H. Zeng, X. Zeng, Y. J. Zeng, Yujie Zeng, Y. C. Zhai, Y. H. Zhan, B. L. Zhang, B. X. Zhang, D. H. Zhang, G. Y. Zhang, Gengyuan Zhang, H. Zhang, H. C. Zhang, H. H. Zhang, H. L. Zhang, H. Q. Zhang, H. R. Zhang, H. Y. Zhang, Han Zhang, J. Zhang, J. J. Zhang, J. L. Zhang, J. Q. Zhang, J. S. Zhang, J. W. Zhang, J. X. Zhang, J. Y. Zhang, J. Z. Zhang, Jianyu Zhang, Jin Zhang, Jiyuan Zhang, L. M. Zhang, Lei Zhang, N. Zhang, P. Zhang, Q. Zhang, Q. Y. Zhang, Q. Z. Zhang, R. Y. Zhang, S. H. Zhang, S. N. Zhang, Shulei Zhang, X. M. Zhang, X. Y. Zhang, Y. T. Zhang, Y. H. Zhang, Y. P. Zhang, Yao Zhang, Yu Zhang, Yu Zhang, Z. Zhang, Z. D. Zhang, Z. H. Zhang, Z. L. Zhang, Z. X. Zhang, Z. Y. Zhang, Z. Z. Zhang, Zh. Zh. Zhang, Zhaoke Zhang, Zhilong Zhang, Ziyang Zhang, Ziyu Zhang, G. Zhao, J.-P. Zhao, J. Y. Zhao, J. Z. Zhao, L. Zhao, Lei Zhao, M. G. Zhao, R. P. Zhao, S. J. Zhao, Y. B. Zhao, Y. L. Zhao, Y. P. Zhao, Y. X. Zhao, Z. G. Zhao, A. Zhemchugov, B. Zheng, B. M. Zheng, J. P. Zheng, W. J. Zheng, W. Q. Zheng, X. R. Zheng, Y. H. Zheng, B. Zhong, C. Zhong, X. Zhong, H. Zhou, J. Q. Zhou, S. Zhou, X. Zhou, X. K. Zhou, X. R. Zhou, X. Y. Zhou, Y. X. Zhou, Y. Z. Zhou, A. N. Zhu, J. Zhu, K. Zhu, K. J. Zhu, K. S. Zhu, L. X. Zhu, Lin Zhu, S. H. Zhu, T. J. Zhu, W. D. Zhu, W. J. Zhu, W. Z. Zhu, Y. C. Zhu, Z. A. Zhu, X. Y. Zhuang, M. Zhuge, J. H. Zou, J. Zu

Statistical Mechanics

Thermodynamics of Learning: A Typed Four-Component Accounting of Memory, Fit, and Value

What a finite learning device has recorded and what will hold value for it on future tasks are not the same quantity. We develop a typed accounting for finite-state learning devices that separates four components: a training-side fit functional $\Phi_{\mathrm{fit}}$, the record-correlation stock $J_{D}=I(M;D)$, an update-side search ledger $\sigma_{M}$, and an operational capital value $V(M;T,b)$. This value is the work gap between an informed protocol class and a blind class obtained by deleting the memory-read port and re-optimizing from scratch. (I) Separation: for every $n$, there is a device family on which record correlation and world correlation grow by $n\ln 2$ while the capital gain is exactly zero. In the $\mathrm{flat}^{*}$ regime, data-free updates never increase $V$. (II) Capitalization ledger: an exact $\mathrm{flat}^{*}$ extraction identity and a universal ledger identity give, for (F5$'$)-stable $M$-local updates under a no-discarded-record-correlation condition (f), the bound $\eta_{\mathrm{cap}}\le 1$ for the capitalization efficiency $\eta_{\mathrm{cap}}=\Delta V/(k T\,\sigma_{M})$, together with necessary and sufficient conditions for equality. (III) Value retention: for the retention gap $L_{\mathrm{gen}}$ and retention ratio $\rho_{\mathrm{gen}}$ (the former carries no sign constraint; the latter is defined for positive training-side value and is not confined to $[0,1]$) we give a two-layer alignment domain: an exact exchange rate between value and the side-information-adjusted record fit $I(M';D\mid Y)$ without any record-side-information independence assumption, and a raw record-stock exchange rate under a joint side-information neutrality condition $(M,D)\perp Y$, whose boundary is marked by an explicit one-time-pad witness. These are statements about finite-device value retention under task-distribution shift, not a theory of statistical generalization.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Are Hot Jupiters Tidally Disrupted During Stellar Main Sequence?

Once hot Jupiters (HJs) reach their very close orbits, they are expected to experience orbital decay due to tidal interactions with their host star. However, the strength of tidal dissipation is highly uncertain, and it remains an open question whether HJs are tidally disrupted during the stellar main sequence. A previous study found that HJ hosts have a smaller Galactic total velocity dispersion than their field star counterparts, which they interpreted as evidence of tidal disruption. We revisit this study and find that, after using the more reliable vertical velocity dispersion ($\sigma_W$) as the age indicator and accounting for the heterogeneity and anisotropy of their HJ sample, the kinematic age difference between their HJ hosts and matched field stars is significantly reduced. As an independent check, we collect HJs newly discovered by TESS and find that their $\sigma_W$ is statistically similar to that of matched field stars. We also find no statistically significant $\sigma_W$ difference between the field stars and the theoretically vulnerable ultra-hot Jupiters with $P<2$ d. Our results suggest that, after accounting for systematics in the age–velocity dispersion relation, there is no statistically strong evidence from the stellar kinematics that a large fraction of hot Jupiters around Sun-like stars are tidally destroyed during the stellar main sequence.
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All authors Qingru Hu, Wei Zhu, Yang Huang, Bowen Zhang

Materials Science

Finite-Temperature Thermodynamics of Cu(100) Oxidation: Missing-Row Reconstruction, Defect States, and Order-Disorder Transition from Nested Sampling

Metal surfaces undergo structural, compositional, and morphological changes in response to their chemical environment. Tuning the surfaces' function and stability for a given application correspondingly necessitates an understanding of how this surface evolution couples to external conditions. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of nested sampling simulations to obtain this coupling at first-principles predictive quality. By exploring the full configuration space, nested sampling estimates the partition function and gives direct access to desired thermodynamic ensemble averages at any temperature without prior knowledge. Computational feasibility is achieved through machine-learned interatomic potentials, an efficient GPU implementation of the sampling algorithm and bespoke sampling moves. Applied to the early oxidation of Cu(100), the approach successfully predicts the experimentally observed, complex $(2\sqrt{2}\times\sqrt{2})$R45$^\circ$-O missing-row reconstruction. The full access to the partition function enables a detailed characterization of the temperature-dependent surface evolution, mapping the emergence of defect states and the order-disorder transition of the reconstructed surface.
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All authors Felix Riccius, Karsten Reuter, Hendrik H. Heenen, Jutta Rogal

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Are Near Resonant Multiple-planet Systems from Kepler Young?

Recent studies have claimed that Kepler multi-planet systems hosting near-resonant planet pairs—particularly those near second-order mean-motion resonances (MMRs)—exhibit smaller stellar velocity dispersions than the general population of Kepler planet hosts. Interpreting velocity dispersion as an age indicator, these works concluded that near-resonant systems are systematically younger. We revisit this claim, but we explicitly account for contamination by thick disk stars, which are kinematically hotter and follow a different age-velocity dispersion relation (AVR) than thin disk stars. Using the kinematic criterion to separate thin and thick disk stars, we show that systems classified as having plausible second-order resonant pairs are preferentially hosted by brighter, closer stars and are therefore less contaminated by thick disk stars than the overall sample. After applying a cut to remove probable thick disk contaminants (${\rm TD/D}<0.1$), the vertical velocity dispersion of near-resonant systems becomes statistically indistinguishable from that of the overall Kepler multi-planet sample. We conclude that the apparent kinematic youth of near-resonant systems in Kepler may not be due to a genuine age difference, but rather arises from observational selection effects linked to host star properties and planet detectability. We also comment on the kinematic ages of ultra-short-period planets (USPs).
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Quantum Physics

A Minimum-Cardinality Genuinely Unextendible Product Basis in Three Qutrits

It has remained an open question whether a genuinely unextendible product basis (GUPB) exists. We resolve this problem by constructing an explicit three-qutrit GUPB of cardinality fourteen in the smallest tripartite Hilbert space in which a GUPB can exist. Together with the nonexistence of three-qutrit GUPBs of cardinality less than fourteen, our construction proves that fourteen is the minimum cardinality. A padding procedure further extends the construction to all tripartite systems whose local dimensions are at least three. As applications, the normalized projector onto the thirteen-dimensional orthogonal complement of the three-qutrit GUPB is positive under partial transposition and bound entangled across every bipartition, while the GUPB exhibits strong quantum nonlocality without entanglement.
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All authors Fei Shi, Ge Bai, Xiande Zhang, Qi Zhao, Lvzhou Li

Mathematical Physics · Cross-listed from math.DS

Thermodynamic formalism for intermittent maps with multiple neutral fixed points and phase transitions

In this paper, we develop the thermodynamic formalism for intermittent full-branch interval maps with finitely many neutral fixed points and for a broad class of possibly discontinuous potentials. Under a hyperbolicity assumption on the potential, we prove the existence of a unique equilibrium state with positive entropy and exponential decay of correlations. Furthermore, we characterize the phase transitions for the one-parameter family $\beta\varphi$, with $\beta>0$, and prove that, at the critical parameter, multiple ergodic equilibrium states may coexist, at most one of which has positive entropy. Our approach relies on a detailed analysis of conformal measures.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Correlation versus Causation in Quantum Criticality

Correlation functions $\langle O_1(x) O_2(0) \rangle$ reveal scaling dimensions through spatial decay. We instead consider static susceptibility, the change in $\langle O_1(x) \rangle$ from perturbing the Hamiltonian by $O_2(0)$, which we term causation for short. In a conformal field theory (CFT), dimensional analysis predicts decay of $|x|^{-2\Delta}$ for correlation and $|x|^{-2\Delta+1}$ for causation. Yet we find causation can decay up to fifteen additional orders in $x$ through a general mechanism, which we trace to time-derivative fields being unable to contribute to static response. In higher-dimensional CFTs, this mechanism ensures leading causation arises from primaries, even when descendants dominate correlation, which we leverage with DMRG to identify a previously unresolved corner primary of $\Delta \approx 8.8$ and a heavy magnetic line defect primary of $\Delta \approx 4.6$ in the $(2+1)$D critical Ising model. Moreover, the same mechanism governs edge-mode localization in $(1+1)$D gapless symmetry-protected topological phases, explaining previously observed anomalously small edge-mode splittings and guiding our construction of spin chains with splittings as small as $1/L^{18}$ and $1/L^{25}$.
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Nuclear Theory

Relativistic dynamical effects in proton emission: the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin method for 1+1 dimensional Dirac equation

Starting from the $1+1$ dimensional (one spatial and one temporal dimension) Dirac equation, we employ the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation to derive the corresponding relativistic penetration probability. The derivation shows that the semiclassical momentum is determined by the Schrödinger-equivalent potential $ U_{\text{eff}}(r) = S(r) + \frac{E}{m}V(r) + \frac{S^{2}(r)-V^{2}(r)}{2m}$, instead of the simple sum of scalar and vector potentials $S(r)+V(r)$, which has been adopted widely in the studies of relativistic quantum tunneling. We then quantify the relativistic dynamical effects in proton emission by comparing the results obtained with $U_{\text{eff}}(r)$ and those obtained with $S(r)+V(r)$. Incorporating $U_{\text{eff}}(r)$ systematically reduces the penetration probability and the assault frequency, and consequently increases the predicted half-life. The relativistic dynamical effect becomes more pronounced with higher orbital angular momentum and can reach about $84\%$ in the half-life of $^{144}\mathrm{Tm}$.
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All authors Guangping Chen, Wenmin Deng, Ganlong Ding, Sibo Wang, Jing Peng, Haozhao Liang

Materials Science

A Unified Description of Electron-Phonon Coupling and Ion Migration in Metal Halide Perovskites

The remarkable optoelectronic properties of metal halide perovskites are closely linked to their unusually soft and polar chemical bonds that enable both strong electron-phonon interactions and ion migration. Yet these two defining characteristics have largely been treated as independent consequences of the same underlying chemical bonding. Here we show that they originate from a common electronic-structure framework by developing a general description linking lattice dynamics, electron-phonon coupling, and halide ion migration across representative Pb-based, Sn-based, and double perovskites. Spectrally resolved phonon-mode contributions demonstrate that the low-frequency shearing modes dominate halide migration, whereas high-frequency stretching modes govern carrier scattering through the Fröhlich interaction in all three compositions. We introduce an orbital hybridization descriptor to unify these findings, which connects metal-halide bonding characteristics with the migration barrier energies and Fröhlich coupling strengths, indicating a cooperative evolution of these two properties. These findings provide a generalized microscopic mechanism for simultaneously optimizing charge and ionic transport in soft semiconductors.
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All authors Bo Cai, Yan Yang, Yoshiki Sugai, Maddison Wiles, Dongxu He, Yang Yang, Junmin Xia, Shufen Chen, Carla Verdi, Siyu Chen, Nan Zhang, Ming-Gang Ju, Chao Liang, Julian A. Steele