Papers

In a bulk 3D type-II superconductor, the lower critical field at which an isolated vortex becomes thermodynamically favorable is a size-independent material property. We show that the situation is different in 2D superconductors: the larger the superconductor, the weaker the field needed to create its first vortex. The lower critical field in 2D is always size-dependent. For a disk of area $\mathcal A$, the lower critical field $B_v(\mathcal A)$ scales as $\mathcal A^{-1}\ln(\mathcal A/\mathcal A_0)$ in the weak-screening regime and as $\mathcal A^{-1/2}$ in the strong-screening regime. We derive these results from an analytically tractable microscopic model that admits many-body wavefunctions for both the uniform and singly quantized vortex states in a magnetic field, and incorporate screening by coupling their long-distance 2D supercurrents to 3D Maxwell equations. These results motivate organizing the weak-field ground-state of a 2D superconductor in the $(1/\mathcal A,B)$ plane. The origin represents the zero-field thermodynamic limit and it is singular. Approaching the origin along the $B$ axis leads to an increasingly dilute vortex lattice, whereas approaching along the $1/\mathcal A$ axis yields the uniform vortex-free state. Our theory shows that every trajectory carrying fixed finite flux ultimately approaches the vortex-free state in the thermodynamic limit and provides a firm microscopic foundation for the weak-field thermodynamics of 2D superconductors.

Warm Jupiters are an intriguing class of planets with uncertain origins. Their planetary obliquities could help distinguish between different formation pathways: planet-planet scattering and migration across resonances can excite large obliquities, whereas in-situ formation would more naturally produce low obliquities. We searched for oblateness-related anomalies in the transit light curves of six observationally favorable warm Jupiters: TOI-201b, TOI-1670c, TOI-199b, Kepler-9c, Kepler-30c, and Kepler-553c. Each planet's light curve is consistent with a spherical planet and provides degenerate constraints on the planet's sky-projected oblateness and obliquity. To overcome these limitations, we performed hierarchical Bayesian modeling of the population-level obliquity distribution. Assuming warm Jupiters are as oblate as Saturn ($f \approx 0.1$), we find their median obliquity to be below $12^\circ$ with $90$% confidence and below Saturn's obliquity ($27^\circ$) with $93$% confidence. Jupiter-like oblateness ($f \approx 0.06$) and larger obliquities are allowed. Simulations of JWST observations predict that significantly tighter constraints can be derived.

Superconductor-semiconductor hybrids host emergent states of matter and offer a platform for new qubits, but the superconducting metal shunts electrical transport, which rules out conventional semiconductor characterization and leaves the hybrid parameters to speculation. Here we determine density, mass, $g$-factor, mobility and subband occupation beneath the superconductor, from Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations of a buried InAs quantum well under Al, Sn, V, Nb, Ta and Re films, with a Dingle analysis that accounts for the shunt. Every metal adds an interface subband whose occupation falls into one of two classes, whereas the mass and $g$-factor of the buried well are unchanged to within 10%. Within the uncertainty set by the transport mobility, no film shortens the quantum lifetime of the buried well, and Al and Sn lengthen it. Quantum lifetimes bound the hybridization of the interface subband to 2-4~meV. These measurements supply the normal-state parameters that tunnelling spectroscopy renormalizes but cannot measure.

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment has reported a single candidate event in the high-energy nuclear recoil window $248\pm32.5\ \mathrm{keV}_{\mathrm{nr}}$ with an exposure of $2.84\ \mathrm{ton}\cdot\mathrm{yr}$, while the low-energy spectrum remains consistent with background expectations. We demonstrate that this excess can be naturally explained by the neutral-current absorption of fermionic dark matter on xenon nuclei. For a dark matter mass $m_\chi \simeq 247\ \mathrm{MeV}$, the coherent absorption process produces a monoenergetic nuclear recoil at $E_R \simeq 248\ \mathrm{keV}_{\mathrm{nr}}$. At this momentum transfer, the absorption process enters the incoherent regime, where scattering off individual nucleons produces a broad recoil spectrum extending from $\sim 200\ \mathrm{keV}$ to $100.2\ \mathrm{MeV}$. We show that a single effective field theory coupling can simultaneously produce one event in the $248\pm32.5\ \mathrm{keV}_{\mathrm{nr}}$ window while remaining consistent with the non-observation of events in neighboring energy regions. The required single-nucleon absorption cross section is $\sigma_{\chi N}^{\mathrm{NC}} = 1.07\times10^{-46}\ \mathrm{cm}^2$, corresponding to an effective field theory scale $\Lambda \simeq 11.5\ \mathrm{TeV}$. However, a recasting analysis of KamLAND data on the neutron-emission channel $\chi+{}^{12}\mathrm{C} \to \nu + n + {}^{11}\mathrm{C}^*$ excludes this benchmark parameter space, establishing a significant tension between the LZ excess interpretation and existing constraints from large-volume scintillator detectors. We discuss the implications of this tension and prospects for resolving it with future dedicated high-energy analyses.

The excess of high-energy nuclear recoils, which was recently reported by the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, together with the Fermi-LAT Galactic-Center preference, suggests new physics beyond the standard model (SM). One of the minimal extensions of the SM is to introduce a fermionic electroweak doublet in which the lightest neutral component can play the role of a stable dark matter particle. We show that the minimal higgsino dark matter can offer a common origin for both excesses. The inferred mass splitting, however, depends on the local dark matter velocity distribution, and including the high-velocity tail generated by the gravitational influence of the Large Magellanic Cloud yields $\delta_m =481$–$519~\mathrm{keV}$ for $m_\chi =1000$–$1183~\mathrm{GeV}$ at $1\sigma$ level. Near elastic-scattering blind spots, solar-captured higgsinos fail to reach thermal equilibrium, weakening their annihilation signal, so that ten years of IceCube data exclude $\delta_m \lesssim 475~\mathrm{keV}$ at 90% C.L. The viable parameter space can be tested through the associated gamma-ray line, which is within the projected reach of CTAO.

The recent star-formation activity in galaxies can be optimally traced by the H$\alpha$ emission line, with the resulting H$\alpha$ luminosity function (LF) at a given epoch providing a reliable probe of cosmic star formation. We present the first narrow-band determined H$\alpha$ LF into the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) at $z\sim6.1$, using 39 H$\alpha$ emitters selected from the JWST Emission Line Survey (JELS). The observed and dust-corrected LFs are broadly consistent with recent slitless spectroscopic measurements but show notable discrepancies with predictions from cosmological simulations, likely reflecting differences in emission-line and dust modelling. Fits combining multiple LF datasets help constrain the high-redshift faint-end slope of the H$\alpha$ LF ($-1.79<\alpha_{\rm{H\alpha}}<-1.62$), but there remains uncertainty in its evolution with redshift. Integrating the JELS dust-corrected H$\alpha$ LFs yields a star-formation rate density of $\log_{10}(\rho_{\rm{SFR_{H\alpha}}}\,/\,\rm{M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}\,Mpc^{-3}})=-1.93\,^{+0.14}_{-0.12}$ or $-2.00\,^{+0.16}_{-0.10}$, assuming a continuum-to-line extinction ratios $\eta_{\rm{dust}}=A_{\rm{cont}}(\rm{6563\,\mathring{A}})/A_{\rm{H\alpha}}=1$ and 0.44, respectively. Both measurements are consistent within uncertainties with previous results using standard assumptions for the LF integration limit ($L_{\rm{H\alpha,\,lim}}$) and SFR calibration constant $\kappa_{\rm{H\alpha}}$, despite the uncertainties in the dust corrections. We explore the metallicity dependence of $\kappa_{\rm{H\alpha}}$ and find $\rho_{\rm{SFR_{H\alpha}}}$ decreases 0.43 dex compared to the fiducial result and is no longer consistent with UV-determined $\rho_{\rm{SFR}}$ at $z\sim6$. This work highlights the importance of narrow-band surveys in probing the faint H$\alpha$ population and providing new constraints on cosmic star-formation activity into the EoR.

Relative periodic orbits (RPOs) are solutions of the three-body problem that are periodic in a uniformly rotating reference frame and, in general, quasi-periodic in inertial coordinates. We present a numerical procedure for computing and continuing one-parameter families of RPOs of the planar Newtonian three-body problem. The method exploits consecutive syzygies, understood here as configurations in which the three bodies are aligned and their velocities satisfy the corresponding symmetry conditions. Matching the positions and momenta at two consecutive alignments reduces the computation of RPOs to a low-dimensional nonlinear problem. Its solutions are then numerically continued, and linear stability is determined from the nontrivial eigenvalues of the rotated monodromy matrix after removing the neutral directions associated with conserved quantities and continuous symmetries. The procedure is applied to several mass distributions and initial configurations, producing families of Poincaré, Hill, and binary-type solutions. These families exhibit transitions from nearly circular to highly eccentric motion, changes of stability near resonances and turning points, and absolute periodic solutions when the rotation angle is a rational multiple of 2{\pi}. In the Hill families, the continuation connects satellite configurations with circumstellar motion as the smallest body loses its gravitational binding to the intermediate body. Circumbinary and circumstellar configurations are also obtained in the binary regime. The results illustrate the dynamical diversity of RPOs and provide coherent three-body motions that can be used as prescribed trajectories in restricted four-body models.

We propose Higgsino dark matter as a potential interpretation of the $248~\mathrm{keV}$ nuclear-recoil event of interest reported by the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment. LZ studied several rare background processes and detector effects in detail, but did not identify any as a likely explanation of the event. A nearly pure Higgsino naturally realizes inelastic dark matter through the off-diagonal $Z$ coupling of two nearly degenerate neutral Majorana states separated by a mass splitting $\delta$. The same electroweak interaction fixes the inelastic Higgsino-nucleon scattering cross section, rather than leaving it as a free parameter. We show that the predicted Higgsino inelastic scattering cross section approaches the published LZ two-sided 90% confidence interval for a Higgsino mass $m_{\widetilde H}\sim1~\mathrm{TeV}$ and a mass splitting $\delta\sim350~\mathrm{keV}$.

Additive functionals $\overline{J}_t=\frac{1}{t}\int_0^tU(X_s)\circ dX_s$ of Stratonovich-type recently attracted much attention in the context of inference of thermodynamic properties of complex systems from observations $U$ of individual fluctuating paths $(X_s)_{0\le s\le t}$, whereby $X_0$ is initiated from some general measure. Concentration results on $\overline{J}_t$, albeit desirable, are virtually nonexistent. They turn out to be significantly more challenging to prove than for classical Lebesgue-type functionals $\overline{\rho}_t=\frac{1}{t}\int_0^t V(X_s)ds$ because the tilt deforms the full second-order structure of the Feynman-Kac generator instead of contributing an additive potential. This renders the generator generally non-self-adjoint even under detailed balance. We overcome this by working with a symmetrized Dirichlet form with a new effective potential that now couples the observable to the non-equilibrium character of the dynamics. We prove concentration inequalities for $\overline{J}_t$ for any bounded, sufficiently smooth vector-valued function $U$ of a general geometrically ergodic diffusion process $X_s$, including explicit sub-gamma and Bernstein-type inequalities, and we obtain explicit upper bounds on ${\rm Var}(\overline{J}_t)$. Strikingly, under detailed balance the concentration of $\overline{J}_t$ is distinctively sub-Gaussian at all times and all deviations, with a variance proxy fixed by the noise alone and independent of the spectral gap, which has no analog for $\overline{\rho}_t$.

The Ariel Mission Candidate Sample (MCS) Tier-2 requirements provide a common screening reference by assuming a clear H$_2$/He atmosphere and a five-scale-height transmission signal. We quantify how those requirements change for 197 known planets with $1.5\leq R_{\rm p}/R_\oplus<4.0$ when composition and clouds are specified explicitly. Equilibrium-chemistry transmission spectra at $1\times$, $10\times$, and $100\times$ solar metallicity are evaluated for clear atmospheres and idealized 1-mbar cloud decks, binned to the 47 AIRS Tier-2 channels, and combined with target-specific MCS-calibrated noise curves. For each atmosphere, we calculate the number of transits required for a featureless spectrum to be rejected at a $3\sigma$ confidence in at least 90% of repeated observations. The clear $1\times$-solar atmosphere closely follows the MCS prediction. At $10\times$ solar metallicity, stronger molecular opacity generally improves detectability, whereas at $100\times$ solar metallicity the increased mean molecular weight dominates and roughly doubles the required number of transits. Cloudy atmospheres follow the same non-monotonic trend but at substantially greater cost: the $1\times$-solar, 1-mbar case requires nearly an order of magnitude more transits than the MCS prediction, while the enriched cloudy cases still require several times more. Overall, in most atmospheric scenarios tested, small planets require more transits to robustly detect spectral features than listed in the MCS. A literature crossmatch further identifies Ariel targets with detected metastable helium, for which Tier-2 molecular spectra could connect lower-atmosphere composition and clouds to an extended, escaping H$_2$/He upper atmosphere.

Binary black holes (BBHs) formed in dense stellar environments or in hierarchical triples can coalesce on eccentric orbits and carry spins of arbitrary orientation, leaving distinctive imprints on their gravitational-wave (GW) emission. We present SEOBNRv6EPHM: the first generic-orbit, spin-precessing model in the effective-one-body SEOBNR family, whose waveforms have underpinned LIGO-Virgo GW analyses since 2011. The model describes the dynamics and multipolar GW signal of generic BBHs, covering the inspiral-merger-ringdown of coalescing binaries and extending to dynamical captures and scattering encounters. We perform the first systematic accuracy assessment of a generic-orbit model against numerical relativity (NR) waveforms of spin-precessing BBHs, using 1437 quasi-circular (QC) and 87 eccentric simulations: median waveform mismatches remain below $1 \%$, matching the accuracy of the QC model SEOBNRv5PHM, and improving on the state-of-the-art generic-orbit model TEOBResumS-Dalí by a median factor of $ 4 $. The model also reproduces the non-perturbative phenomenology observed in NR simulations of generic-spin BBH scattering. It is $\sim 2 - 3$ times faster than SEOBNRv5PHM in the QC limit, and up to an order of magnitude faster than TEOBResumS-Dalí, bringing eccentric inference to the cost of current QC analyses. As a proof of principle, we analyze eleven GW events and focus on GW200129, strengthening its evidence for eccentricity $-$ a result supported by injection-recovery studies with synthetic NR signals of eccentric, spin-precessing BBHs. SEOBNRv6EPHM thus enables, for the first time, accurate and efficient GW analyses that jointly account for eccentricity and spin precession.

Odd viscosity is a nondissipative component of the viscosity tensor that arises in fluids with broken time-reversal symmetry. We show that, despite being energy-conserving, odd viscosity can qualitatively alter hydrodynamic stability by generating exponentially growing modes that are absent in conventional fluids. For plane Poiseuille flow, we derive the odd-viscous generalization of the Orr–Sommerfeld–Squire equations and find a new instability that first emerges for streamwise-uniform modes and extends to oblique modes. The instability exploits the non-normality of the linearized Navier–Stokes operator: conventional fluids support transiently growing disturbances through the lift-up mechanism, while odd viscosity closes a feedback loop between wall-normal velocity and vorticity, converting these disturbances into self-sustaining exponentially growing modes. This mechanism lowers the linear instability threshold by nearly two orders of magnitude, from $\mathrm{Re}_c \approx 5772$ to $\mathrm{Re}_c \approx 62$. More generally, we show that an energy-conserving coupling can destabilize a linearly stable system by sustaining the growth of otherwise transiently growing disturbances. Such a coupling thus triggers energy growth without directly supplying energy, by enabling continuous energy extraction from the background state. This establishes a mechanism for controlling stability in non-normal systems without direct energy dissipation or injection.

We study the inverse energy cascade of two-dimensional turbulence by means of high-resolution numerical simulations forced at intermediate wavenumbers. To clarify the role of vortices generated near the forcing scale, we decompose the vorticity and velocity fields into vortex and background components. Although the vortex component carries only a small fraction of the total energy, it has a clear effect on the energy spectrum and produces deviations from dimensional Kolmogorov scaling, which is realized by the background flow. We derive a generalized von Karman–Howarth balance for the decomposed fields and obtain a relation involving the third-order correlation between vortex and background velocity increments. The simulations support this prediction, which we interpret as a constant inertial-range flux associated with vortex-background correlations.

We study regularisation and irreducibility properties of Gaussian quantum Markov semigroups (GQMSs) acting on continuous-variable quantum systems. We first identify a natural notion of regularity for operators in this setting, which allows us to formulate and characterise the smoothing effects of GQMSs in terms of algebraic conditions involving the drift and quantum diffusion matrices. These conditions establish a connection with the controllability theory of quantum linear systems and with the structure of decoherence-free subsystems. We then characterise irreducibility through several equivalent algebraic criteria: one formulated in terms of the drift and quantum diffusion matrices, one in terms of the operators appearing in the generalised GKLS representation of the generator, and a third given by a quantum analogue of Hörmander's condition. A central and somewhat surprising consequence is that, in contrast with the classical case, irreducibility is strictly stronger than conditions ensuring regularisation. Our results provide an algebraic framework for analysing these properties and lay the groundwork for a broader study of reducible Gaussian quantum Markov semigroups and, more generally, more general relevant quantum Markov semigroups on continuous-variable systems.

In order to improve the muon trigger efficiency and the rate capability of the ATLAS muon detectors for operation at the high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) tracking chambers in the inner barrel layer of the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer will be replaced by small-diameter Muon Drift Tube (sMDT) chambers integrated with new thin-gap RPC trigger chambers. The sMDT chambers are in serial production since January 2021. This documentation provides insight into the drift tube production and every step performed in the chamber construction at the MPI Munich. The serial production involves a stringent quality control program to assure the reliability and high mechanical precision of the chambers. This program consists of tests of the individual drift tubes, measurements of the chamber geometry and proof of gas tightness. Final certification at the production site is provided using cosmic rays. The dedicated quality control database and monitoring Web interface that is used commonly for both production sites of the sMDT chambers is presented

A central question in physical inference is whether strongly constrained dynamical systems can realize accurate input–output maps through their own finite-time evolution. We study this question in Kuramoto phase networks, whose deterministic dynamics form an input-conditioned gradient flow and whose predictions are read directly from output oscillators. As a constructive training approach, we develop a two-stage teacher–student procedure. A neural teacher is first converted into an explicit phase trajectory whose terminal oscillator activations reproduce the teacher outputs, and the Kuramoto parameters are trained by matching the student vector field along this prescribed path. Because accurate teacher-forced path matching does not ensure accurate autonomous inference, we then differentiate through the autonomous finite-time rollout and directly align its terminal output with the neural target. The resulting oscillator system, with $74$ oscillators, reaches mean test accuracies of $96.711\%$ on MNIST and $86.399\%$ on Fashion-MNIST. This capability persists across neural-teacher architectures, matched system sizes, thermal perturbations, and integration-grid refinement. Together, these results provide a constructive demonstration that a strongly constrained, small-sized Kuramoto gradient-flow system can be trained for high-accuracy finite-time inference through a direct oscillator readout.

In some occasions, it would appear that classical electromagnetic fields could be able to coexist with strong curvature, naked singularities, in the sense that the electromagnetic power flux would be bounded in any open neighborhood of them. We illustrate this rare behavior by considering the naked singularity present in Kasner spacetimes. There, using the Plebanski–Tamm map between Maxwell theory in curved spacetime and the associated description corresponding to an effective anisotropic medium in flat space, we found not only some regular electrostatic field configurations, but also electromagnetic waves whose amplitudes lead to a well defined, bounded power flux as they approach the singularity. Sometimes, in these unusual situations, the singularity resembles a mirror, perfectly reflecting its environs; in other occasions, the existence of a non-null, finite power flux as the waves travel to or from the singular plane, offers a very simple explanation as to how the singularity might absorb or create radiation fields.

Wang recently constructed a self-gravitating split-monopole Blandford-Znajek engine and obtained its secular horizon mass and angular-momentum loss rates. We determine the previously unknown consequences of this evolution: the growth of the irreducible mass, the division of rotational work between outgoing electromagnetic power and horizon dissipation, and the lifetime-integrated energy removed from the horizon. For fixed magnetic flux and impedance matching, one half of the instantaneous rotational work is carried outward, and one half irreversibly increases the horizon area. Integrating Wang's spin-down trajectory, we find in the weak-field limit the exact results A_f/A_0=\sqrt{e} and E_{extr}^H/(M_{H,0}c^2)=1-exp{1/4}/\sqrt{2}\simeq 0.09206. The leading maximum-power spin-flux allocation instead gives E_extr^{H}/(M_{H,0}c^2)\simeq 0.04668. These results provide the first irreducible-mass and extractable-energy accounting of Wang's engine. Their extension from quasilocal horizon quantities to energy received at infinity requires a separate flux analysis.

The source-free condition, $\nabla\cdot\mathbf{B}_{\mathrm{xc}}=0$, where $\mathbf{B}_{\mathrm{xc}}=\delta E_{\mathrm{xc}}/\delta\mathbf{m}$ is the exchange-correlation (xc) magnetic field of non-collinear spin-density functional theory (SDFT) and $\mathbf{m}$ the magnetization, is widely believed to be exact. Recent studies report that projecting the field of a parent functional onto its source-free part improves the predicted magnetic moments. We show that the condition violates the global spin-rotation symmetry of $E_{\mathrm{xc}}$ and therefore cannot be exact. A source-free field is exact only in a transverse theory whose xc functional differs from $E_{\mathrm{xc}}$ and is itself not invariant under spin rotations. We examine a source-free (SoF) construction, an exchange-correlation energy given by a parent SDFT functional evaluated at the transverse magnetization $\mathbf{m}_{\perp}$. Its field is divergence-free, remains a functional derivative and exerts local torques, but still, it breaks global spin-rotation symmetry. With the LSDA as parent we examine the \ce{Mn2} molecule. The SoF and the locally collinear (LoC) LSDA both give too short a bond and too large a bond energy, but SoF finds a broken-symmetry antiferromagnetic solution, consistent with the experimentally observed $^{1}\Sigma^{+}_{g}$ ground state, with a coupling of the right sign and roughly the right size, while LoC finds a high-spin $^{11}\Pi_{u}$ ferromagnet and the wrong sign. The broken symmetry of SoF, however, produces severe errors in directional properties: a rigid spin rotation of the magnetization changes the energy by about $1\,\mathrm{eV}$, in a weak uniform field the magnetization points perpendicular to the field instead of antiparallel to it, and the molecule develops a spurious magnetic anisotropy.

Can quantum computers be useful for forecasting multivariate financial time series? In this work, we consider the problem of predicting price trends from limit order book (LOB) data. After identifying key components of classical models, we introduce the quantum weighted moving average (QWMA) model. The two main building blocks are, first, classically preprocessing via normalization of both feature and temporal dimensions and, second, a linear combination of unitaries-based layer for unitarily-embedded classical data. The models are evaluated on the FI-2010 benchmark dataset and a second dataset of China A-share stocks. While we do not present evidence of quantum advantage, the combined classical-quantum model demonstrates performances close to the best classical models. The quantum part of the model is expressive enough to focus on the most predictive parts of the time series. Several specializations of the QWMA model are considered, in particular a variant related to the widely-used exponential moving average (EMA). We give consideration to the limitations of the methods and the datasets.

High-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors with low capacitance, low electronic noise, and stable high-voltage operation are important for high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy and rare-event searches. We report the fabrication and characterization of two compact p-type inverted coaxial point-contact (ICPC) HPGe detectors, AK01 and AK02, produced from crystals grown at the University of South Dakota. Both devices use lithium-diffused $n^{+}$ outer contacts together with amorphous-Ge/Al point-contact electrodes. The principal advance is the implementation of this hybrid contact process on two independently fabricated USD-grown ICPC prototypes and the demonstration of stable electrical and spectroscopic operation. Both detectors exhibited picoampere-level leakage currents, operational depletion-voltage ranges of approximately 200–250~V (AK01) and 240–260~V (AK02), and estimated effective plateau capacitances of approximately 0.84 and 0.87~pF, respectively. Measurements with a $^{137}$Cs source yielded archived full-energy-peak FWHM values of 1.71 and 1.62~keV near 662~keV for AK01 and AK02, while AK02 yielded 1.04~keV FWHM at 59.5~keV with $^{241}$Am. Electric-field calculations reproduce the expected ICPC field configuration for the measured detector geometry. A Geant4 model of AK02 is used as a qualitative response study; its 0.8-mm Li-diffused inactive layer is an illustrative model assumption rather than a measured thickness, and its Gaussian broadening is constrained by the experimental resolution. The work therefore establishes the fabrication and operation of compact lithium-diffused ICPC prototypes while identifying quantitative inactive-layer characterization as an important next step.

The symmetric Macdonald polynomial at peculiar values of parameter $t=q^{-m}$, $m\in\mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0}$ is naturally split into non-symmetric parts, which are the (quasi)polynomial Baker-Akhiezer (BA) functions. One may think this is due to symmetricity, and one just picks up this way non-symmetric parts already containing all the information. However, we demonstrate that, in the case of non-symmetric Macdonald polynomials, it still works, though each single BA function splits into $N!$ distinct (quasi)polynomial BA functions. The sum of these functions gives rise to the universal solution of the eigenstate problem for the Cherednik Hamiltonians. Extending to arbitrary values of $t$ is also immediate giving rise to counterparts of the Noumi-Shiraishi power series. Altogether, this power series and its reductions to non-symmetric Macdonald polynomials and to BA functions form a non-symmetric triad. There are $N!$ different branches of the non-symmetric triad, each branch being split into $N!$ distinct triads, and of these $(N!)^2$ triads $N!(N-1)!$ are independent. We describe in detail the simplest $N=2$ case.

Historically, retrieving rainfall data from satellite imagery has been the domain of space agencies. However, in recent years, the development of cheaper, more compact satellites (SmallSats) capable of detecting rainfall proxies has led to a significant increase in private-sector initiatives for satellite launch and surface precipitation products. This rapid growth has yet to be matched by data validation efforts. Consequently, the need for a robust tool to detect anomalies in near-real-time data before it is disseminated to the public has become critical. In this paper, we present the development of an anomaly-detection system to identify artifacts in global satellite-based rainfall products. The developed framework leverages pre-trained computer vision models and incorporates scarce human-labeled data to detect specific anomalies. Our proposed anomaly detection strategy is tested on data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS). Results demonstrate the efficacy of our approach at separating regular orbits from artifact-containing orbits for each satellite, with performance comparable to state-of-the-art in-place methods. Additionally, the framework offers explainability and the capacity for iterative refinement following false-positive or false-negative classifications.

We investigate the refractive index $n$ of LiF using DFT+G$_0$W$_0$+BSE, with ionic-temperature effects included through QMD. We calculate photon-energy dispersions $n(\omega)$ and $k(\omega)$ at ambient pressure and $n(\rho,T)$ at 532 and 1550 nm under shock compression, where $\rho$ and $T$ vary together. Quasiparticle band structures at ambient and compressed conditions and the ambient-pressure orbital-projected density of states connect the optical response to the electronic structure. At ambient pressure, G$_0$W$_0$ yields a quasiparticle gap of 14.25 eV, close to the experimental 14.2 eV, while BSE reproduces the main excitonic feature at 12.5 eV, close to the observed 12.6 eV. Quasiparticle and excitonic effects are thus essential for accurate optical dispersion; the hybrid HSE functional does not reproduce the optical spectra. Along the principal Hugoniot up to 140 GPa, $n(\rho)$ agrees closely with shock data at 1550 nm and acceptably at 532 nm, and agrees better overall than earlier first-principles calculations. Above approximately 110-120 GPa, QMD produces a downturn relative to cold $n(\rho)$ curves, suggesting that ionic dynamics may contribute to deviations from the linear $n$-$\rho$ Gladstone-Dale relation. QMD-sampling and finite-k-grid uncertainties are estimated, and transition-peak broadening is assessed using a recently proposed criterion. The gap increases under pressure, with a transition to a $\Gamma\to\mathrm L$ indirect gap near 50 GPa. An exploratory calculation at approximately 1400 GPa finds a gap of about 24 eV, disfavoring gap-closure metallization. Structural and elastic benchmarks of the underlying models are also provided.

An exact zero of a generated harmonic needs two real cancellations; a damped oscillator's leading fundamental-source balance supplies one. Absorber loss leaves a phase deficit of fixed sign, amplitude independent at leading order, closed instead by the orbit's own $5\Omega$ motion returning to $3\Omega$ at weight $|\Delta_1|^4$. Closure is therefore unreachable at weak amplitude: the channel supplying it ranks at $O(F^7)$, not at the leading $O(F^3)$. The fifth harmonic is $1.8\times10^{-3}$ of the relative-coordinate fundamental, yet a balance homotopy weighting it below $0.48$ annihilates the tracked pair in a saddle-node.

Higgsino dark matter is a classic, but still viable, weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) scenario that could point to supersymmetry, a new spacetime symmetry of nature. It is a simple realization of the "inelastic dark matter" mechanism, where its scattering off a nucleus occurs between two nearly degenerate states. Intriguingly, very recently the LZ collaboration reported a single nuclear recoil event at a high recoil energy. Assuming that this event is a dark matter candidate, it could be explained by higgsino dark matter, e.g., a 1.1 TeV thermal higgsino with a mass splitting of order hundreds of keV. The mass splitting required is very sensitive to the extreme high speed tail of the local dark matter velocity distribution, and thus susceptible to astrophysical uncertainties: the standard halo model prefers ~350 keV, while a model incorporating Large Magellanic Cloud effects prefers ~500 keV (a rough estimate based on partial information about a particular simulation). A much better understanding of the high speed tail is needed to evaluate whether the parameter space is consistent with an IceCube constraint on the annihilation of dark matter captured by the Sun. In any case, the mass splitting of several hundred keV implies that the electroweak gauginos and heavy Higgs scalars in supersymmetry have to be at a much higher scale ~10^{3-4} TeV. We discuss possible UV completions to generate a SUSY spectrum in which all superpartners are at a common scale, except for a much lighter higgsino mass $\mu$. Besides the thermal benchmark, we comment on possible non-thermal cosmological scenarios of higgsino dark matter with gravitino and modulus decays. The higgsino dark matter scenario could also be searched for at other complementary probes such as indirect detection and future colliders. One striking LZ event may herald an exciting future of further experimental developments.

Resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices, also known as memristors, are highly dependent on fabrication, location on the wafer, and measurement protocols. However, openly available large-scale memristor datasets remain scarce, particularly those that combine experimental metadata with electrical measurements and preserve explicit links across the experimental workflow. Here, we present a comprehensive relational database of automated electrical characterization data from oxide-based memristors. The database links 6,190 memristor devices across TiN/HfOx/TiN, Pt/TiOx/AlOy/Pt, and Pt/TiOx/Pt stacks to 161,006 validated experiments and over 169 million electrical point records. It integrates fabrication, wafer mapping, electrical characterization, and modeling to describe electroforming, current-voltage non-linearity, memory windows (R_off/R_on), switching dynamics, and short-term volatility. Released as a normalized and indexed SQLite database with schema documentation, graphical user interfaces, and examples of empirical modeling, this resource supports provenance-aware querying, statistical analysis, and data-driven applications for the development of future memristor technologies.

We consider integer-valued $\nabla\phi$ height functions, with general convex interactions, placed on a slope. Sheffield (2003) conjectured that for all slopes, such height functions are localized in dimensions $d\ge3$, in the sense of having tight fluctuations in finite volume, and admitting infinite-volume limits. We establish this conjecture when there are two coordinates on which the slope vector is zero and on which the interactions are even and low temperature. In this setting, we also prove the uniqueness, in the appropriate sense, of the infinite-volume limit and classify its extremal components. We further study the structural properties of the infinite-volume limit. We establish the entropic repulsion between macroscopic domain walls (boundaries of level sets), showing that they are maximally separated in a precise sense described by a rotation-of-the-circle dynamical system. Lastly, we show exponential decay of correlations in the extremal components. Our setup includes, as a special case, infinitely many zero-slope integer-valued surfaces (of dimension two or higher) conditioned not to cross. We deduce the existence and structural properties of the bulk Gibbs measure over such non-crossing surfaces with any given average spacing.

The primary purpose of the parliamentary discussion is to present and debate legislative drafts. Mentions of other Members of the Parliament (MPs) and interruptions of them represent the structure of the political discourse. Name mentions can be automatically recognised in speech transcripts and linked to the relevant MPs. We construct networks of MPs based on name mentions in 96753 speeches delivered during the electoral terms 2015-2018 and 2019-2022 in the Finnish Parliament to study the structures of interaction within parliamentary discussion. The results show that the networks are not polarized, although there is slight bias towards mentioning one's own party members. Activity on the parliamentary floor, political seniority and minister status have a positive correlation with higher centrality scores of MPs. Our analysis is generalizable to different political arenas and is an interesting basis for comparison across regional assemblies or countries.

We investigate the feasibility of precision counting experiments in laser-electron-beam collisions for testing strong-field quantum electrodynamics (QED), with particular emphasis on spin-dependent effects. To resolve such rare signals, we develop a high-precision Monte Carlo model combining spin- and polarization-resolved QED rates with weighted photon packets, hierarchical-mesh sampling, and adaptive time stepping. The model is quantitatively benchmarked against the high-energy edge of the photon spectrum and the positron yield in the SLAC E-144 experiment. The high-energy photon spectrum and total positron yield are only weakly affected by spin-dependent corrections, even at higher laser intensities. In contrast, we find that spin asymmetry in photon emission significantly affects the polarization of photons in the high-energy tail, while spin asymmetry in pair production manifests itself as a spin-dependent imbalance in the large-angle positron population. These microscopic spin asymmetries give rise to experimentally countable signals through their correlations with the oscillating laser field. Our predictions could be tested using moderate-energy electron beams and optical lasers with intensities of approximately 10^22 W/cm2, as envisaged in future ELI-NP experiments.