Papers

We present an independent recasting of light vector gauge boson ($Z'$) searches at the LHC within the leptophilic $U(1)_{L_\mu - L_\tau}$ framework. A simplified Standard Model extension is implemented in FeynRules, enforcing symmetric chiral leptonic currents while suppressing hadronic couplings. Signal generation for the four-muon ($4\mu$) final state is performed using MadGraph5_aMC@NLO, Pythia8, and a tuned Delphes3 detector emulation, covering the mass range 5-62 GeV under a reference coupling g=0.01. The analysis employs a vectorized columnar pipeline in Coffea with Awkward Array masks, enabling parallelized kinematic selections and the recovery of boosted muon topologies. Signal yields are statistically extracted via pyhf against digitized CMS Run 2 backgrounds (77.3 fb$^{-1}$). The resulting expected median limit profile tracks the absolute experimental sensitivity morphology within a factor of $\approx 2.5$, a discrepancy successfully quantified as a systematic consequence of fast-simulation detector limitations and the mass-window binned counting strategy relative to experimental unbinned multivariate profiling, thereby establishing a rigorous and conservative baseline sensitivity floor. Furthermore, we project the discovery potential for the future High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) phase at $\mathcal{L}_{\text{int}} = 3000$ fb$^{-1}$ under the official CERN Scenario II recommendations. We demonstrate quantitatively that the HL-LHC will achieve exceptional expected local statistical discovery significances between 10.22$\sigma$ and 16.61$\sigma$ within the 5-28 GeV mass window, comfortably clearing the discovery threshold and establishing the multi-muon channel as a primary probe for lightweight vector portals in upcoming collider phases.

The work introduces the novel Dunkl two-photon and Dunkl-Schrödinger algebras as reflection-extended counterparts of the standard six-dimensional two-photon and Schrödinger algebras. These extensions are realized through the presence of an involutive generator representing a reflection, and they reduce to the undeformed two-photon and Schrödinger algebras in the absence of this additional generator in an appropriate limit. For both algebraic structures, which are shown to be isomorphic, we derive the associated cubic polynomial Casimir invariant. Furthermore, we identify several structurally significant subalgebras and compute their corresponding quadratic Casimir invariants. Representations of the Dunkl two-photon algebra are constructed on the Fock space of the one-dimensional Dunkl harmonic oscillator and subsequently translated into holomorphic realizations within the associated Dunkl-Fock-Bargmann representation. Finally, for the Dunkl-Schrödinger algebra, we present an explicit vector field realization in terms of the Dunkl spatial derivative, while keeping time continuous. When applied to the Casimir invariants of the aforementioned subalgebras, this realization yields a family of six nontrivial Dunkl differential-difference equations in $1+1$ dimensions, including, in particular, a Dunkl version of the well-known heat-Schrödinger equation.

The Fushchych–Shtelen (FS) construction of approximate symmetries, based on a triangular system for the coefficients of a solution expansion, is extended to arbitrary order. A coefficient-map formulation establishes, under explicit hypotheses, a correspondence with the Baikov–Gazizov–Ibragimov (BGI) method. The two approaches are compared for a perturbed cubic wave equation. Nonlinearities admitting an FS point symmetry with prescribed projection onto the unperturbed dilation are classified through second order, up to equivalences. They comprise a power family and logarithmic families at exceptional exponents. Nonlinearities admitting second-order BGI point symmetries that continue this dilation are also classified. Among perturbations nontrivial at first order, these form a proper subfamily of one FS family; another family is admitted by both methods when the perturbation first enters at second order. Joint reduction by the Lorentz algebra and the inherited FS dilation yields explicit invariant solutions for all FS normal forms and recovers the first-order solutions of Fushchych and Shtelen. For the common family with a nontrivial first-order perturbation, the logarithmic corrections arise from expanding a power law with a perturbation-dependent exponent. Periodic traveling waves illustrate the long-scale validity of the FS expansion. The first correction is obtained by quadrature, second-order secular terms are identified, and phase renormalization yields bounded approximations. For integer-power members of the power family, the amplitude dependence of the corrected wavenumber agrees with the symmetry scaling weights.

Exceptional points (EPs) can induce strongly amplified responses to weak perturbations, but enhanced spectral sensitivity in conventional non-Hermitian systems does not necessarily translate into improved quantum-limited sensing because of the associated gain and loss noise. Here, we investigate a tunable EP sensing platform based on the intrinsic non-Hermitian Bogoliubov dynamics of a spin-orbit-angular-momentum-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate. Starting from a fully Hermitian microscopic Hamiltonian, we derive a Bogoliubov dynamical matrix that exhibits parity-time (PT) symmetry, with EPs tunable through the Raman coupling and interaction parameters. We identify multiple EPs and map their trajectories and associated stability landscapes, revealing strong quantum Fisher information enhancement when the EPs are approached from the PT-symmetric stable regime. We further find that the gap-opening rate around a second-order EP provides a useful relative indicator for comparing the sensing performance of EPs, while higher-order EPs are not necessarily accessible from the stable regime. Moreover, two second-order EPs can be tuned to overlap, allowing their sensing contributions to add and yielding a linear enhancement of the total quantum Fisher information. Finally, we show that a spin-density measurement can approach the quantum Fisher information limit, providing an experimentally accessible route to tunable EP-enhanced quantum sensing in Bose-Einstein condensates.

Exchange-based semiconductor qubits encompass a broad family of encodings constructed from singlet- and triplet-like spin states, several of which are compatible with operation at zero applied magnetic field. Their reliable operation requires characterization of environmental noise, residual idle interactions, and exchange-dependent decay, but this characterization often relies on multi-axis control calibration or deliberately engineered magnetic-field gradients. A simpler zero-applied-field diagnostic is particularly valuable for hybrid semiconductor-superconductor systems, in which magnetic fields can degrade superconducting components. Here, we use the intrinsic magnetic-field gradient produced by residual nuclear spins in isotopically enriched Si/SiGe to implement exchange oscillations between two quantum dots as a characterization tool without a micromagnet, dynamic nuclear polarization, or prior multi-axis calibration. Using Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill exchange sequences, we extend the singlet coherence from $T_2^*=1.17\pm0.02~\mu$s to $T_2^{\mathrm{CPMG}}=74.8\pm1.8~\mu$s with $N=70$ refocusing pulses. The oscillation phase resolves residual exchange in the tens-of-kilohertz regime and enables it to be mapped across the $(1,1)$ charge cell. These results establish intrinsic-gradient exchange oscillations as a simple, more relevant zero-field diagnostic for exchange-only and related semiconductor qubit encodings that is amenable to rapid, high-throughput device characterization.

We derive state-dependent bounds on the difference between two quantum evolutions generated by unbounded Hamiltonians sharing a common form domain. The main technical tool is a second integration by parts, performed at the level of sesquilinear forms rather than at the operator level, which removes the need for a common invariant operator domain. The resulting estimate involves the norm of the time-integrated difference of the two generators, rather than the integral of its norm, and is therefore sensitive to the averaging effects produced by fast-oscillating terms. As an application we prove a quantitative bound on the rotating-wave approximation for spin-boson models with a structured boson field, described by an arbitrary massive dispersion relation on a general measure space and by a suitable class of form factors. The proof involves a careful analysis of the high-frequency scaling. The bound holds on a dense subspace of states, is fully explicit, and all the constants entering it depend only on the parameters of the model and not on the frequency scale, so that the approximation becomes exact in the limit of large frequency.

We develop a Heisenberg-picture tensor-network formulation of collision-free Gaussian Boson Sampling, providing a direct Fock-space expression for output probabilities in terms of experimentally accessible quantities. The resulting representation naturally recovers the Hafnian structure while revealing the decomposition of GBS probability into a phase-insensitive contribution and a hierarchy of interference sectors associated with pairs of perfect matchings. As an application, we investigate phase diffusion and show how it progressively suppresses many-body interference, driving the output statistics toward a classical dimer-model regime. Our results establish a transparent framework for connecting experimentally characterized phase fluctuations with the loss of quantum interference in photonic quantum sampling experiments.

We give a deterministic realization of the finite-dimensional quadratic certificate underlying Collins's mixed-unitary proof of minimum-output-entropy nonadditivity. For every fixed integer $K\ge 2$ and rational $\eta>0$ satisfying $\log K>2(3+\eta)^2$, a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm, for every sufficiently large target size $N$, outputs $K$ permutations on $N'=N+o_{K,\eta}(N)$ points. Restricting their permutation matrices to the nontrivial standard representation yields real orthogonal Stinespring blocks and a channel $\Phi_{N'}:M_{N'-1}(\mathbb{C})\to M_K(\mathbb{C})$ such that \[ 2H_{\min}(\Phi_{N'}) -H_{\min}(\Phi_{N'}^{\otimes 2}) \ge \frac{\log K}{K} -2\log\left(1+\frac{(3+\eta)^2}{K}\right) >0. \] The construction combines Haagerup's length-two inequality with the simultaneous deterministic spectral approximation of O'Donnell and Wu. We further show that the constant $3$ is asymptotically sharp on the relevant Hermitian zero-diagonal coefficient class and that the finite spectral transfer is nearly saturated, thereby isolating the finer geometry of the full output body as the natural next level of refinement beyond the scalar-radius method. Finally, a standard covariant extension converts the same deterministic entropy gap exactly into self-tensor superadditivity of the one-shot Holevo quantity.

The generalized Bethe ansatz framework formulated in [P. R. Pasnoori, Phys. Rev. B 112, L060409 (2025)] provides a unified framework to find exact solutions to quantum many-body systems with time-dependent coupling strengths with periodic boundary conditions. In this work we extend this framework to the case of open boundary conditions where in addition to the time-dependent interactions in the bulk, the boundary conditions are explicitly time-dependent. We show that for integrable time-dependent bulk coupling strengths, the generalized Bethe ansatz framework provides the time-dependent boundary conditions compatible with integrability and reduces the time-dependent Schrodinger equation to a set of matrix difference equations called the boundary quantum Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov (BqKZ) equations. The solution to the BqKZ equations provides the explicit form of the exact wavefunction. We further show that the RG invariants of the corresponding static model identify with the dynamical invariants in the time-dependent model.

For eccentric systems with aligned spins, we compute all spin contributions to the gauge-invariant conservative map between the constants of motion (energy and angular momentum) and the fundamental (radial and azimuthal) frequencies at the fourth post-Newtonian order. This extends the nonspinning map derived in [arXiv:2511.10735] to include terms that are linear, quadratic, cubic, and quartic in spin, as well as the associated spin-deformability parameters. We also obtain derived quantities such as the redshift and gyroscopic invariants, as well as circular links. We notice that the Blanchet-Iyer-Favata post-Newtonian stability criterion that determines the dimensionless frequency of the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) is in fact intricately related to the periastron advance for circular orbits. Finally, in the case of unbound orbits, we complete the 4PN scattering angle with all spin contributions.

The long-time state of a non-Hermitian system is determined by the eigenvalue with the largest imaginary part. In interacting many-body systems this eigenvalue usually cannot be tracked analytically, and the character of the state it selects is unknown. We construct a non-Hermitian spin ensemble of $L$ spins with exactly $k$-local all-to-all interactions, in which this dominant eigenvalue can be tracked analytically from the clean limit into the disordered regime. Disorder produces a competition between an isolated spectral outlier and the edge of a many-body spectral bulk. We study three cases: purely anti-Hermitian disorder, purely Hermitian disorder, and mixed disorder of equal strength. For purely anti-Hermitian and mixed disorder, we show that when the bulk overtakes the outlier in imaginary part, the dominant eigenstate switches from an outlier state with low entanglement and magic (nonstabilizerness) to a bulk state with substantially larger entanglement and magic, with both changing at the same threshold. For $k \gg \sqrt{L}$ the bulk has a sharp spectral edge and the transition thresholds follow in closed form, while for $k \ll \sqrt{L}$ spectral tails broaden the transition into a crossover. Purely Hermitian disorder provides a contrasting case with no outlier-to-bulk switching. Finally, we map the non-Hermitian evolution exactly onto postselected trajectories of a monitored quantum system, connecting this spectral mechanism to measurement-induced transitions.

A multiple-scales asymptotic framework is employed to analyze the interaction between a field of small-scale convective circulations and the large-scale tropical circulation. Closed equations governing the large-scale flow are derived, providing a systematic closure for the influence of unresolved convection. The influence of unresolved convection enters through a non-local momentum diffusion operator that provides a first-principles representation of convective momentum transport and naturally couples the vertical baroclinic modes of the large-scale circulation. The classical Matsuno–Gill model is recovered as a limiting approximation in which the derived momentum transport operator reduces to the phenomenological damping introduced by Gill, thereby placing the classical theory on a systematic first-principles foundation. Two applications of the generalized theory are considered. First, steady-state circulations driven by localized equatorially symmetric heating are examined. Convectively induced vertical-mode coupling is shown to excite additional baroclinic modes beyond those directly forced, substantially modifying the vertical structure of the Walker circulation. Second, the equatorial wave spectrum is analyzed. The resulting eigenmodes comprise mixtures of the classical equatorial wave families, causing the dispersion relations to lose their distinct branch structure and exhibit systematic frequency shifts. These results demonstrate how convectively induced momentum transport systematically modifies both steady tropical circulations and equatorial wave dynamics.

The orbital Edelstein effect converts an electric field into a non-equilibrium orbital polarization, opening new opportunities for orbitronics. Although signatures of the orbital Edelstein effect have been reported, its microscopic mechanisms and quantitative validation remain underexplored. Here, by directly linking the atomic structure of KTaO$_3$(110) two-dimensional electron gases to both their calculated and measured electronic band dispersions, we predict and provide experimental evidence for an orbital Edelstein effect that largely counterbalances its spin counterpart. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy resolve the interfacial atomic configuration, which is used as input for density-functional calculations. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy then confirms the resulting band structure, which is fitted by a tight-binding model enabling computation of the spin and orbital Edelstein responses. Harmonic magnetotransport indicates that a $\sim$20 % contribution from the orbital Edelstein response is necessary to describe the magnitude and anisotropy of the effect. Our results establish KTaO$_3$(110) as a model platform for orbitronics and demonstrate a pathway to generate and harness orbital polarization in quantum oxide systems while also offering new insights into pairing mechanisms in their superconducting state.

We prove a correspondence between the Polchinski flow and the Connes-Kreimer approaches to perturbative renormalisation, in the sense that the first yields the same renormalisation as the latter. More precisely, we show that an ansatz based on decorated graphs (Feynman diagrams),with a combinatorial renormalisation procedure solves the Polchinski equation. This result holds for very general Euclidean quantum field theories. We are able to derive from this the form of the renormalised potential which is, to the best of our knowledge, the most general one in the literature. The main ingredients of the proof are multiple morphism properties with respect to the renormalisation, as well as a novel duality formula for forests of decorated graphs.

The longitudinal and transverse nuclear response functions encode information about the electromagnetic behavior of the nuclear target probed in inclusive electron-nucleus scattering. We present a microscopic calculation based on an independent-particle model, where a non-relativistic nuclear mean-field potential governs both the initial and final hadronic states of the interaction. We add dynamically generated short-range nucleon-nucleon correlations (SRCs), as well as meson-exchange currents (MECs) derived from one-pion exchange and intermediate $\Delta$-resonance excitation. We evaluate the contributions from one- and two-nucleon knock-out reactions to nuclear responses in inclusive electron scattering from $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ in the quasielastic and dip regions. We demonstrate that for quasielastic kinematics, SRCs quench both nuclear responses, while the MECs enhance the transverse signal, substantially improving the predicted transverse-to-longitudinal ratio. In the dip region between the quasielastic and the $\Delta$-resonance peaks, we find that the observed excess of transverse strength originates mainly from explicit two-nucleon knock-out following a $\Delta$-resonance excitation.

Space-based liquid mirror telescopes (LMTs) have been recently proposed to overcome the scaling limits of traditional rigid mirrors. In these new space architectures, capillary forces would shape a reflective liquid into a spherical optical surface in microgravity. However, the equilibrium, stability, and dynamic behavior of such liquid interfaces remain largely uncharacterized under orbital perturbations. This study investigates the feasibility of space LMTs by combining axisymmetric capillary with thin-film models. Solar radiation pressure and self-gravitation are found to be the dominant perturbations in Sun–Earth L2 orbits, causing equilibrium deformations that exceed the $\lambda/20$ optical threshold at apertures above 0.86~m for visible ($\lambda = 380$~nm) and 1.58~m for near-infrared observatories ($\lambda = 2.5~\mu \mathrm{m}$). Micrometeoroid impacts self-heal within seconds to minutes, settling after filling requires years to decades at large apertures, and propulsive maneuvers breach optical limits within seconds to hours. These results highlight the need for interface control in large-scale systems such as NASA's 50~m Fluidic Telescope (FLUTE). Thermocapillary actuation supports apertures of 2.3/8.0~m (VIS/NIR) at $100~\mu \mathrm{K}$ and 10.6/37.7~m at $10~\mu \mathrm{K}$ resolution. Simultaneously, parasitic Marangoni flows impose sub-mK uniformity requirements for NIR and 1–$100~\mu \mathrm{K}$ for visible operation on any capillary LMT. Departing the capillary regime by imposing a surface-normal settling acceleration, ranging from 39~mm\,s$^{-2}$ (NIR,5~m) to 17~m\,s$^{-2}$ (VIS,50~m), is the most promising route to tens of meters in aperture. This approach enables a passive implementation, effectively suppressing perturbation induced interface distortions and thermal Marangoni flows. Keywords: Liquid mirror telescope, Optics, Space

We design low-complexity, fault-tolerant decoders for quantum low-density parity-check (QLDPC) codes with the goal of reducing decoding latency. We target two major bottlenecks of decoding under the circuit-level noise model: (i) post-processing via order-statistics decoding (OSD), and (ii) the large number of auxiliary variable nodes commonly introduced to represent CNOT-induced correlations during syndrome extraction. Our key observation is that propagating CNOT faults (hook errors) create stabilizer-induced trapping sets (TSs) that are intrinsic to hypergraph-product (HGP) and lifted-product (LP) constructions. Therefore, instead of modeling each such fault with an explicit correlation node and relying on OSD to clean up the resulting failures, we design message-passing decoders that resolve the corresponding stabilizer-induced TSs directly. We obtain these decoders by deriving QLDPC decoders from decoders for the parent classical LDPC codes and using them collectively to correct broad families of stabilizer-induced TSs. For CNOT faults that manifest primarily as syndrome errors, we show that their effect is equivalent to a data error together with syndrome-bit measurement errors. Consequently, given repeated measurements and a decoding graph that already includes nodes representing syndrome-bit errors, no distinct variable node is needed for each CNOT fault. Using a phenomenological Tanner graph with nodes representing only data errors and syndrome-bit errors, simulations on LP codes show a significant improvement in logical error rate relative to BP+OSD. Moreover, the improved error correction relies on low-complexity finite-state iterative decoders, targeted for fast and low-latency FPGA implementation.

Black holes link gravity, thermodynamics and information via limits on the relaxation rate of a perturbed system. The Bekenstein-Hod bound imposes a minimum relaxation time at fixed temperature, but its observational test demands both black hole thermodynamic characterization and decay time measurement. Here we test this bound with GW250114, the loudest gravitational-wave signal yet observed from a binary black-hole merger. We infer the remnant temperature from pre-merger data truncated at least $10\,M$ before the peak and its longest-lived decay time from post-merger data, thereby avoiding direct reuse of the same strain samples. The ringdown frequencies and damping times are allowed to vary independently rather than being fixed to the Kerr spectrum. For the primary $t_{<}=-10\,M$ analysis, the bound is verified at $3.3-3.6\sigma$ across the focal ringdown start times, representing a substantial improvement over the $91\%$ confidence level set by GW150914. The conclusion remains robust under varied pre-merger cutoffs and explicit inclusion of the short-lived first overtone in waveform modelling. This separated-data measurement converts an information-theoretic relaxation bound into a precision test of a single astrophysical black hole.

The Auger Radio Infill SKALA Extension (ARISE) at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina was deployed in 2025 and measures cosmic-ray air showers in the energy region of the Galactic-to-extragalactic transition. ARISE is comprised of 18 SKALA-2 antennas featuring two polarization channels each, deployed within $100\,$m of a surface detector station in the enhancement area of the Pierre Auger Observatory. This area of the surface array features a denser spacing of $433\,$m between surface stations, each equipped with underground muon detectors. One of these surface detector stations provides a trigger for simultaneous readout of all ARISE antenna channels. The wide frequency range of ARISE, from $50$ to $350\,$MHz, includes the sub-band of optimum signal-to-noise ratio for air-shower radio emission against the Galactic radio background. In combination with the dense antenna spacing, this enables a relatively low detection threshold, and ARISE aims at demonstrating full detection efficiency for near-vertical air showers above $100\,$ PeV. As an advantage over the current radio detectors at Auger, which are more efficient for inclined air showers, this would enable low systematic uncertainties for physics analysis combining ARISE radio measurements with coincident measurements of the underground muon detectors in the same area. In this presentation, we will provide an overview over the ARISE instrumentation operating at the Pierre Auger Observatory and will outline the science goals.

The two-photon decay of the neutral pion is fixed in the chiral limit by the Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly, while nonzero quark masses induce few-percent corrections that must be determined for precision tests of QCD beyond the chiral limit. Using the anomalous PCAC relation, we compute them in lattice QCD as deviations from the exact anomaly condition at $q^2=0$, thereby avoiding both four-point functions and the cancellation of chiral logarithms that limits conventional approaches. Because the correction is proportional to the light-quark masses, both statistical and systematic uncertainties are correspondingly suppressed, making a precision calculation feasible. On two nearly-physical domain-wall ensembles we achieve $\sim1\%$ statistical precision each for the decay width, obtaining $\Gamma(\pi^0\to\gamma\gamma)=8.09(22) eV$ after continuum extrapolation. The $2.3(1.4)\%$ mass correction to the decay amplitude, positive and isospin-breaking dominated, provides the first ab initio confirmation of the $\pi^0$-$\eta$-$\eta'$ mixing enhancement.

Porous triboelectric materials offer significant potential for enhancing the performance of triboelectric nanogenerators, yet their practical application is limited by structural instability and humidity-induced performance degradation. In this work, a bio-derived, sustainable polyamide containing disulfide linkages was developed to enable spontaneous formation of a porous dielectric without external templating. Hydrophilic MOF fillers comprising HKUST-1 crystals are incorporated within the porous matrix to reinforce the membrane structure and regulate moisture effects. Mechanical characterization demonstrates that HKUST-1 suppresses pore collapse and improves structural robustness under repeated deformation, while analysis of stress-strain behaviour reveals the critical role of pore stability in achieving stable triboelectric output. In addition, HKUST-1 mitigates humidity-induced charge dissipation by confining water molecules within its framework, giving enhanced triboelectric output stability and reduced performance degradation under increasing relative humidity compared to the neat porous system. This work demonstrates a strategy that integrates self-foamed porous structures, sustainable polymer design, and functional filler reinforcement to engineer mechanically robust and environmentally stable triboelectric systems.

We present ALMA Cycle~7 \cotwo\ observations of the circumnuclear disk in NGC~315 at an angular resolution of $0\farcs230\times0\farcs175$, improving on past measurements and resolving the sphere of influence (SOI) of the supermassive black hole (SMBH), whose mass has previously been estimated of $M_{\rm BH}= \left(2.08^{+0.33}_{-0.15}\right) \times 10^9$~M$_\odot$ The high spatial resolution and sensitivity enable robust full-cube forward modeling of the molecular gas kinematics and a direct comparison of multiple independent gas-based dynamical modeling techniques. We apply standard Bayesian codes using both MCMC and nested sampling approaches, as well as a frequentist code to the same dataset, exploring systematic uncertainties associated with the stellar mass distribution, gas surface-brightness parameterization, and disk geometry. All methods yield consistent black hole masses, indicating that the inferred $M_{\rm BH}$ is not strongly method-dependent. Combining the ensemble of independent molecular-gas-based models, we derive an ensemble median black hole mass of $M_{\rm BH}/10^9\,\mathrm{M_\odot} = 2.02^{+0.04}_{-0.05}$(stat)$^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$(sys), where the comparable contributions to the full error budget arise from modeling systematics rather than formal fitting uncertainties. Our $M_{\rm BH}$ is consistent with the empirical $M_{\rm BH}$–$\sigma_\star$ and $M_{\rm BH}$–$L_{\rm bulge}$ scaling relations, and lies 32% below an independent stellar-dynamical measurement, a discrepancy we discuss in the context of systematic differences between gas- and stellar-based methods. NGC~315 serves as a benchmark for quantifying molecular gas-dynamical $M_{\rm BH}$ systematic uncertainties and for future cross-comparisons of gaseous and stellar dynamical approaches.

Fault-tolerant quantum computation requires robust protection of encoded quantum information. In this work, we develop a representation-theoretic framework for constructing protected logical qudits in finite-group Kitaev quantum double models. By introducing $\varepsilon$-stable irreducible representations, we establish a necessary and sufficient existence criterion and derive ribbon–projector commutation relations that yield a $d$-dimensional protected logical subspace. We apply this construction to symmetric and alternating groups, obtaining logical qubits for $S_n$ ($n\ge 3$) and a logical qutrit for $A_4$. Moreover, the family $(\mathbb Z_2)^d\rtimes\mathbb Z_d$ realizes protected logical qudits of arbitrary dimension $d\ge 2$. Finally, for $D(A_4)$, we describe a scheme for universal logical qutrit computation using ribbon-based logical operations.

We present an analytical investigation of the global helicity budget associated with the salt-fingering instability within the two-dimensional, three-component framework. Our analysis shows that in the region of parameter space corresponding to salt-fingering, helicity amplification occurs when the Rayleigh ratio–quantifying the relative strength of salinity to temperature gradients–exceeds a critical threshold. This finding provides a possible theoretical explanation for the spontaneous emergence of helicity, observed in recent numerical simulations.

We prove that a complete ALF Ricci-flat 4-manifold carrying a bounded Killing vector field is linearly stable if and only if it is locally hyperkähler. This applies uniformly to all known examples and in particular proves the instability of all of the metrics recently found by Li-Sun. The argument is based on infinitesimal Einstein-Maxwell deformations of the Ricci-flat metric associated with the Killing field. A separate simpler identity proves the instability of nonflat static Ricci-flat 4-metrics which include the static axisymmetric smooth Riemannian Myers/Korotkin-Nicolai metrics. To our knowledge, this proves the equivalence between linear stability and special holonomy and (anti-)selfduality for all known families of Ricci-flat 4-manifolds. In higher dimensions, for generalizations of AF manifolds, we show that stability forces the universal cover to split a line. This gives explicit destabilizing tensors on the Riemannian Myers-Perry instantons and the Riemannian Schwarzschild-Tangherlini metrics in all dimensions.

Thermodynamics is operational in the sense that the very concept of thermal equilibrium depends crucially on the choice of observables, while the amount of extractable work is defined relative to the allowed operations. Here we show that isolated quantum many-body states admit a thermodynamic hierarchical structure of observables and allowed operations, where the same state can be thermal at one level of the hierarchy and athermal at another. Enlarging the set of allowed operations therefore renders such hidden athermality a potential resource for work extraction; the resulting work gain is bounded in terms of the difference between the entropy densities of the two levels. This entropy difference takes the form of the mutual-information density. We establish the bounds for three extensions of operational access: increased spatial resolution, increased duration of control, and nonlocal connectivity, which provide access to position-state Holevo information, correlations between neighboring regions and spatially nonlocal correlations, respectively. Thus the difference between entropies at different levels of the thermodynamic hierarchy governs the bound on the work gain associated with moving to a less restricted level.

In this work, we study tidal effects that can be observed in gravitational wave transient from neutron star-black hole (NSBH) mergers. It has been well known that neutron star's tidal deformation has imprint of equation of state and hence composition of neutron star matter. Compared to binary neutron star mergers, where we observe a combined effect of two neutron stars by measuring the parameter known as lambda tilde. In neutron star black hole mergers, we measure the tidal deformability of the neutron star component clearly. In this work, we study the feasibility of measuring the bare tidal deformability of a neutron star with planned gravitational detectors in the near and far future. We use the parameter estimation computation framework, Bilby is used to perform Bayesian inference for hundreds of NSBH mergers in current and future GW detector networks and obtain the posterior probability distribution functions of binary parameters. We find that we need at least 20 events to clearly distinguish the equation state of neutron stars in future detectors, including the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer.

We investigate the flow and segregation of binary granular mixtures with density differences down a long chute using a continuum framework that couples a particle-force-based segregation model with an inertial-number-based local rheology. The steady-state momentum and convection-diffusion-segregation equations are solved simultaneously, explicitly accounting for the two-way coupling between segregation and flow. Predicted concentration and velocity fields at different streamwise locations are validated against representative DEM simulations. The validated model is then used to examine the influence of density ratio, mixture composition, and chute inclination on segregation over a wide range of conditions. The chute length required to achieve fully developed segregation is quantified and compared with the development length for monodisperse granular flow. At low density ratios and/or low inclinations, segregation develops over much longer distances than the velocity field. In contrast, at higher inclinations and larger density contrasts, the two length scales become comparable, demonstrating that neglecting flow development can significantly underestimate segregation evolution.

The Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) is an ultrahigh energy (UHE) neutrino detector at the South Pole that searches for impulsive broadband radio signals from neutrino-induced particle showers in glacial ice. ARA consists of five autonomous stations with receiving antennas deployed up to 200 m deep and has accumulated the largest livetime of any in-ice radio array. We present the first array-wide diffuse UHE neutrino search using data collected from January 2013 to December 2023, incorporating improved detector characterization and simulation, including data-driven noise and electronics models, revised antenna responses, and updated neutrino interaction and lepton propagation modeling, within a unified framework for event processing, background rejection, and cut optimization across independently operating stations. This search is expected either to identify the first UHE neutrino candidates observed by an in-ice radio detector or to set the most stringent UHE neutrino diffuse flux limits above a few EeV, while informing analysis strategies for under-construction and future radio arrays, such as RNO-G and IceCube-Gen2 Radio.

The Mid-infrared Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) instrument, expected to see first light in early 2030, aims to detect and characterise exoplanets and circumstellar disks through high- contrast imaging (HCI) and spectroscopy. The High-contrast End-to-End Performance Simulator (HEEPS), initially developed to support the design of the METIS HCI modes, has evolved into a crucial tool for the METIS science team to prepare and optimize observations. HEEPS is an open-source Python-based software with a modular architecture, integrating the wavefront Fresnel propagation package PROPER, and HCI image processing with the Vortex Image Processing (VIP) package. Though designed for METIS, its modularity has been applied to other HCI instruments as well. This work presents recent updates to HEEPS, including modelling of the final METIS pupil and Lyot stops, revised quasi-static non-common path aberrations (NCPA) and Talbot effect simulations informed by as-built optical surface errors, and updated METIS Single Conjugated Adaptive Optics (SCAO) simulations. We also discuss advancements in NCPA control strategies focusing on framerate, latency and sensing performance optimization, particularly for mitigating water vapor seeing effects using the asymmetric Lyot wavefront sensor (ALF) algorithm. With these refinements, we present a comprehensive grid of HCI performance simulations for METIS, covering a range of magnitudes in the L, M, and N-bands, and several HCI observing modes. These simulations produce updated 5-sigma sensitivity contrast curves and mock HCI observations, providing key insights on HCI performance for instrument optimization and science observation planning. Our results underscore the key role of end-to-end simulations in bridging instrumental design and scientific readiness in the ELT era.