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Thursday 17 September

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Looking inside a quantum black hole

Chiara Coviello, Ansh Gupta, Robie A. Hennigar et al. (+2 more)

Quantum effects are expected to modify a black hole's interior structure, particularly near the singularity. We show how to extract the scaling exponent of the singularity from the quasinormal mode (QNM) spectrum of a massless scalar probe in the asymptotic large-overtone limit. We apply our method to a family of exact quantum black holes in (2+1)-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS) space and explicitly uncover a transition deep in the interior when quantum effects become dominant.
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All authors Chiara Coviello, Ansh Gupta, Robie A. Hennigar, Kai Shi, Andrew Svesko

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

A systematic search for long GRBs without supernovae: global properties and rate of events

Yu-Han Yang, Eleonora Troja, Nicolas Monsalves et al. (+3 more)

Some long duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are not associated with bright supernovae (SNe), indicating that their explosion mechanism differs from the traditional collapsar channel. SN-less LGRBs are rare, thus it remains unclear whether they are sporadic outliers or a substantial component of the GRB population. In this work, we use two decades of Swift observations to conduct a systematic search for nearby ($z\lesssim$0.35) LGRBs without a confirmed SN association. Our analysis reveals a heterogeneous population linked, in part, to star-forming or dusty environments and, in part, to quiescent galaxies. Through the analysis of their high-energy properties, afterglows, and environments, we identify a sample of LGRBs with robust SN limits and distance scales, more than doubling the number of candidate SN-less events. From our fiducial sample, we derive a volumetric rate, not corrected for beaming, of $R = (0.5 \pm 0.2) {\rm~Gpc^{-3}\ yr^{-1}}$, comparable to the apparent rate of short duration GRBs (SGRBs) and standard LGRBs with SNe with luminosities $L \gtrsim\,10^{50}\,{\rm erg\,s^{-1}}$. For plausible beaming factors, the inferred rate of SN-less LGRBs is consistent with several compact binary merger channels, although the allowed parameter space is already narrow if the entire population is attributed to a single progenitor channel. Owing to the small number of candidate events and the uncertainties in their distance scale, our sample leaves the low-luminosity tail unconstrained. A larger sample will be needed to determine whether they are the faint tail of known progenitor channels or evidence of a distinct route to relativistic explosions.
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All authors Yu-Han Yang, Eleonora Troja, Nicolas Monsalves, Massine El Kabir, Narjes Shahamat Dehsorkh, Hira Waseem

Soft Condensed Matter

Competing routes to spontaneous flow in confined active nematics

Rahil N. Valani, Vedad Dzanic, Julia M. Yeomans et al. (+1 more)

Active nematics can spontaneously develop flow beyond a critical activity in confined geometries. We show analytically that the onset of flow is governed by two competing instabilities: a long-wavelength mode leading to unidirectional flow and a finite-wavelength instability producing transverse rolls. A reduced description reveals how activity, flow alignment, and nematic elasticity control the competition between these modes. We identify regimes in which the finite-wavelength instability has a lower critical activity than the long-wavelength instability, causing vortices to emerge before unidirectional flow. This establishes wavelength selection as an intrinsic feature of the onset of spontaneous flow in active nematics.
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All authors Rahil N. Valani, Vedad Dzanic, Julia M. Yeomans, Sumesh P. Thampi

Quantum Physics

Parallel quantum channel discrimination and numerical ranges in tensor product subspaces

Adam Bílek, Paulina Lewandowska and Ryszard Kukulski

Quantum channel discrimination plays a crucial role in quantum information theory. Of particular interest is the case in which the channels can be discriminated perfectly. In this work, we focus on the perfect quantum channel discrimination task in a parallel scheme. We develop an SDP formulation combined with a bisection procedure to compute a quantum state for perfect discrimination in time linear in the number of copies. In addition, we obtain the minimal number of copies of quantum channels to achieve perfect discrimination. Thanks to that, we settle in the affirmative Conjecture 1 of Duan, Guo, Li and Li [arXiv:1605.02294, IEEE ISIT 2016], which characterizes the number of parallel uses needed to discriminate perfectly a distinguished family of operator subspaces. All our results are obtained using the notion and basic properties of the numerical range. In particular, the key fact that we prove and use is that the minimal angle of the numerical range of a tensor product of matrix subspaces equals the sum of the minimal angles of the numerical ranges of the individual subspaces.
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Statistical Mechanics

Global Minima of the Thomson Problem in a Disk: A Molecular Dynamics Approach with Fixed Border Charges

Georgiy K. Lavrov and Eduard G. Nikonov

We report improved global-minimum configurations for the classical Thomson problem of $N=60$, $61$, $92$, and $99$ repulsive Coulomb charges confined to a disk. By combining the quenched molecular dynamics (QMD) method with the fixed-border heuristic introduced by Amore and Zarate, we systematically obtain configurations with energies $E_{\mathrm{QMD}}(60)=2159.3584240930$, $E_{\mathrm{QMD}}(61)=2237.19264190$, $E_{\mathrm{QMD}}(92)=5358.35353314$, and $E_{\mathrm{QMD}}(99)=6254.83029083$, which improve upon the previously best-known values. For $N=60$, the Voronoi diagram of our configuration differs from the one reported earlier. The symmetries for $N=61$ $(C_{2})$ and $N=99$ $(D_{1})$ are confirmed and are consistent with the known symmetry patterns for these configurations. For $N=92$, whereas the previously reported Voronoi diagram has lower symmetry, our solution exhibits a clear $D_{1}$ (axial) symmetry of defects. The results are highly reproducible across multiple independent runs, providing strong evidence that these configurations are robust global-minimum candidates.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Coherent and ultra-low-power EDSR with a flopping-mode spin qubit in germanium

Alexei Orekhov, Wonjin Jang, Pan Zhang et al. (+13 more)

Hole spin qubits in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) enable high-fidelity all-electric control, but conventional electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) can require substantial rf drive power at the low magnetic fields that are favorable for qubit coherence and readout. In planar Ge hole spin qubits, this can reach -27 dBm at the device, posing challenges for scalable architectures due to heating and crosstalk. Here, we demonstrate a flopping-mode (FM) qubit in Ge, where a single spin is delocalized in a double QD, combining first-order protection against charge noise with exceptionally efficient electric driving. By mapping out coherence sweet-spots as a function of magnetic field orientation we achieve $T_2^*= 1.4\mu\mathrm{s}$, $T_2^{\mathrm{Hahn}}= 11.5 \mu\mathrm{s}$, $T^{\phi, \mathrm{CPMG32}}_2= 130 \mu\mathrm{s}$, and $T_1= 226 \mu \mathrm{s}$, and a single-qubit gate fidelity of up to 99.76$\%$ for a gate time $t_{X\pi} = 88$ ns. Importantly, these results are obtained at a nearly in-plane magnetic field of 5 mT using only -52 dBm drive power at the device. We further find that qubit relaxation in this regime is consistent with a two-photon Orbach process, providing a route for further optimization. Our results demonstrate that FM-EDSR supports ultra-low-power, high-fidelity single-qubit operations, improvements that could benefit scalable hole-spin-based architectures and hybrid spin-photon interfaces.
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All authors Alexei Orekhov, Wonjin Jang, Pan Zhang, Konstantinos Tsoukalas, Fabian Oppliger, Franco De Palma, Elena Acinapura, Younghun Ryu, Inga Seidler, Lisa Sommer, Leonardo Massai, Felix J. Schupp, Matthias Mergenthaler, Stefano Bosco, Patrick Harvey-Collard, Pasquale Scarlino

Quantum Physics

All causally separable quantum processes are quantum circuits with classical control of causal order

Julian Wechs, Alastair A. Abbott and Cyril Branciard

The concept of causal (non)separability describes whether the causal order between parties that perform local quantum operations is well-defined or indefinite. Causal (non)separability in the general multipartite setting was introduced and studied in [Oreshkov and Giarmatzi, New J. Phys. 18, 093020 (2016); Wechs, Abbott, and Branciard, New J. Phys. 21, 013027 (2019)]. We resolve an open problem from these earlier works by showing – using a novel "coherent teleportation technique" – that a sufficient condition for causal separability identified in [Wechs, Abbott, and Branciard, New J. Phys. 21, 013027 (2019)] is also necessary, and thus provides a complete characterisation of multipartite causal separability. A consequence of this result is that all causally separable processes admit a realisation as generalised quantum circuits in which the order between the operations is classically controlled, known as "quantum circuits with classical control of causal order".
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Fragmentation Dynamics of Pristine Interstellar Comets: An Exploratory Multi-Physics Simulation Study

Behrooz Karamiqucham

We present an exploratory numerical model for the thermal evolution and fragmentation of pristine interstellar comets on a first passage through the inner Solar System, applied over a grid of perihelion distances ($q=0.25$–$1.5$~AU) and tensile strengths ($\sigma_t=50$–$500$~Pa). A single nucleus ($M_0=2\times10^{12}$~kg, $R_0\approx1.06$~km, dust/ice $=1$, ices 35% CO, 30% CO$_2$, 15% CH$_4$, 20% H$_2$O) follows a hyperbolic trajectory from an initially 30~K state, with heat conduction, energy-balanced multi-species sublimation, dust lifting and lag-mantle growth, and a subsurface gas-pressure failure criterion, so that fragmentation is emergent rather than prescribed. In the primary case ($q=1$~AU, $\sigma_t=100$~Pa) splitting begins at the 3~AU starting distance, once a sub-millimeter lag deposit partially confines the warming CO front; 63 binary splittings follow, with a self-limited plateau at 53 bodies before perihelion and the 64-body tracking cap reached near perihelion. Sublimation is energy-limited: total mass loss is 1.3%, volatile depletions are at most a few per cent, and most of the mass survives as a fragment swarm; the mass budget closes to machine precision. Across the grid, mass loss (0.8–1.7%) depends weakly on $q$ and $\sigma_t$ but strongly on composition, falling to 0.1% for depleted, 67P-like ices. Yet every case, including the depleted class, disaggregates, whereas Jupiter-family comets of similar composition survive repeated perihelia, so the sealing prescription over-fragments. We regard the composition ranking, the insensitivity to $\sigma_t$, percent-level mass loss, and an onset beyond 3~AU as robust, and defer absolute survival predictions to calibration against well-observed comets. Mantle insulation suppresses outbound activity, producing an inbound–outbound asymmetry.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cs.CC

Marton's conjecture in polynomial time

Srinivasan Arunachalam, Arkopal Dutt, Sabee Grewal et al. (+1 more)

Gowers, Green, Manners, and Tao (Annals '25) recently resolved Marton's polynomial Freiman-Ruzsa conjecture. We give an algorithmic counterpart to their result: given uniform sampling and membership-oracle access to a set $A \subseteq \mathbb{F}_2^n$ with doubling constant at most $K$, our algorithm outputs a subspace of size at most $|A|$ whose $K^{O(1)}$ translates cover $A$. The algorithm runs in $\textsf{poly}(n,K)$ time. As applications, we obtain polynomial-time algorithms for a variety of learning problems, including quadratic Goldreich-Levin, improper agnostic tomography of stabilizer states, and tomography of quantum states with bounded stabilizer extent.
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All authors Srinivasan Arunachalam, Arkopal Dutt, Sabee Grewal, Aparna Gupte

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Spacetime Dynamics of Altermagnetic Magnons

Ali Emami Kopaei, Karthik Subramaniam Eswaran and Krzysztof Wohlfeld

Distinguishing altermagnetism from conventional ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism typically relies on momentum-space probes. Here, we show that the real-space spreading of a localized spin excitation provides a distinctive dynamical fingerprint of altermagnetic order. Using linear spin-wave theory on a two-dimensional checkerboard lattice with nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor couplings J_1 and J_2, we demonstrate that finite J_2 produces direction-dependent magnon group velocities and splits the two magnon branches. The resulting propagation remains closer to that of an antiferromagnet than a ferromagnet, retaining an approximately circular outer wavefront, while the direction-dependent magnon velocities produce a pronounced cross-like spatial structure inside this front. We further show that changing the sign of J_2 to enter the unfrustrated regime (J_2<0) increases the characteristic propagation velocities and interchanges the diagonal directions of enhanced propagation, corresponding to a pi/2 rotation of the anisotropic spatial pattern. These results establish spacetime dynamics as a complementary probe of altermagnetic magnons, providing a route to identifying unconventional magnetic order through real-space propagation patterns in solid-state and synthetic quantum systems.
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Quantum Physics

Analytic leakage suppression with a single control field: fast two-qubit gates with tunable couplers

Lukas Heunisch, Michael J. Hartmann and Aashish A. Clerk

Simple analytic pulse-shaping techniques are of great practical utility in quantum control, with prime examples being the DRAG method for suppressing leakage in superconducting microwave gates and the transitionless-driving approach to shortcuts-to-adiabaticity. Standard versions of these methods require two orthogonal control channels, with the second channel effectively breaking time-reversal symmetry. This appears to rule out their use in settings with only a single real-valued control field, such as the kind of baseband flux control that is common in many superconducting circuit architectures. We show here that a simple analytic pulse-shaping technique derived via a Magnus expansion is effective even with just a single baseband control channel. We demonstrate its efficacy by simulating a two-qubit gate between transmons realized with a tunable coupler and baseband flux pulses. Our corrections dramatically reduce non-adiabatic leakage caused by ramping the coupler: for realistic device parameters, leakage in a fast iSWAP gate is suppressed by up to three orders of magnitude. Our approach is general, goes beyond simply suppressing unwanted spectral weight at leakage transitions, and can be applied to a variety of platforms.
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Mathematical Physics · Cross-listed from math.PR

Markovian renormalisation for percolation in high-dimension: Semi-decidability of mean field behavior

Arthur Blanc-Renaudie

We develop a new approach to study Bernoulli percolation in dimensions $d>6$. The key idea is to approximate open paths at probability $p'>p$ by a Markov chain of pointed $p$-open clusters. This allows us to transfer sharp information on the two point function from $p$ to $p'$. This inductively gives good asymptotic estimates on the two point function as $p\uparrow p_c$. As a main application, we show that having critical meanfield behavior is a semi-decidable problem. Along the way, we also prove sharp asymptotics for the susceptibility and the average radius of gyration, and prove a local central limit theorem for the slightly subcritical two-point function.
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Space Physics

Microphysical Diversity in Two Very Closely Spaced Magnetic Switchbacks Observed by Parker Solar Probe

Dipali Vadher, Ankush Bhaskar, Smitha Thampi et al. (+1 more)

Parker Solar Probe observations near the Sun reveal frequent, sudden reversals of the magnetic field known as switchbacks (SBs). Despite their ubiquity, the internal plasma structure and associated heating within SBs remain poorly understood. We present a case study of two closely spaced SBs (referred in text as SB_1 and SB_2) observed on 24 January 2020 using high-cadence magnetic and plasma measurements. Magnetic fluctuations are decomposed into components parallel and perpendicular to the mean field, and their power spectra are analyzed to characterize the turbulent cascade. The Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method is applied to identify intermittent current-sheet-like features. Both SB intervals exhibit clear Alfvenic behavior and enhanced radial flow; however, their microphysics differ: SB_1 shows a higher proton temperature, larger fluctuation amplitudes, and a denser population of current sheets compared to SB_2. The two events also differ in spectral index, with SB_1 exhibiting a steeper perpendicular slope than SB_2. The elevated intermittency, proton temperature, and transient $\beta > 1$ excursion in SB_1 suggest that localized dissipation at small-scale structures is a plausible driver of the observed heating. These findings demonstrate that SBs are not uniform kinematic deflections but dynamically evolving plasma structures whose internal turbulence may regulate local energy conversion and contribute to the spatially intermittent heating of the near-Sun solar wind.
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All authors Dipali Vadher, Ankush Bhaskar, Smitha Thampi, Kamlesh Pathak

Physics and Society

Is higher-order physics different?

Pablo Villegas and Sandro Meloni

Group interactions are widespread, and higher-order extensions of familiar models display collective phenomena absent from their pairwise baselines, which are routinely offered as evidence of a distinct higher-order physics. We ask whether that claim survives the test that gives new a precise meaning in statistical physics: that of universality. Revisiting canonical higher-order models, we argue that what classifies collective behavior are the infrared ingredients that survive at long scales. Arity is not a universality label. Beyond universality, we examine two further questions: whether higher-order structure is a fact about the system or a choice of description, and what data can and cannot tell us about interaction order. Higher-order descriptions remain indispensable when they expose the organizing structure, provide a better mechanistic language, or improve prediction. We close with what should be measured before new phenomena can be claimed, and where higher-order structure already earns its place.
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Quantum Physics

Procrastinating einselection in non-Markovian quantum dynamics

Michael J. Moody, Tara Kalsi, Agung Budiyono et al. (+1 more)

Among the processes governed by open-system and dissipative quantum dynamics, environment-induced superselection, or einselection, is particularly foundational, since it describes the formation of a preferred set of pointer states through environmental monitoring and ultimately the emergence of classicality. Especially in the context of Quantum Darwinism, einselection can be studied in terms of the motion of an observable towards its pointer value. To this end, we derive a quantum speed limit for observables for finite-dimensional systems governed by differentiable time-local open dynamics. We identify two mechanisms through which non-Markovianity can enhance observable speed: direct dissipative motion supported by population retention or revival, and indirect enhancement through restoration of the asymmetry available for coherent motion. For permanent einselection, this delays the emergence of the pointer basis due to accumulated negativity.
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All authors Michael J. Moody, Tara Kalsi, Agung Budiyono, Sebastian Deffner

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Engineering Weak Universality with Quantum Dots

Warre Missiaen, Michael Wimmer and Natalia Chepiga

Quantum critical theories with continuously varying critical exponents remain challenging to access experimentally. Here, we propose quantum-dot architectures for realizing the quantum Ashkin-Teller and XYZ/eight-vertex models using resonator-mediated and direct Coulomb interactions, respectively. We focus on the Ashkin-Teller and eight-vertex critical lines, which are connected by a non-local duality relating local order parameters to topological string operators. The resulting platforms provide microscopic control over the parameters explicitly controlling critical exponents, with the Coulomb-based implementation enabling stronger interaction regimes. We demonstrate that continuously varying critical behavior can already be resolved in short chains. For experimentally realistic parameters, the accessible interaction range is expected to produce changes in the critical exponents of order $10\%$ for the Ashkin-Teller model and substantially larger changes for the eight-vertex model. In both cases, the predicted variations lie well above the estimated measurement uncertainties.
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Quantum Physics

Quantum Entropy Contraction and Factorization from Hypercontractivity

Li Gao and Lijun Wang

We prove that hypercontractivity implies entropy contraction for a single quantum channel, without a detailed balance condition. For primitive quantum Markov semigroups that are KMS-symmetric with respect to a faithful invariant state \(\sigma\), we obtain the modified Log-Sobolev bound $\alpha_1\geq \frac{\lambda}{(2+\log\|\sigma^{-1}\|_\infty)}$ where $\lambda$ is the spectral gap. This removes the assumption of \(L_p\)-regularity for the comparison through the log-Sobolev constant. As an application, we show that the hypercontractivity of an average of two conditional expectations implies the approximate tensorization of relative entropy.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

The JWST Sub-Jupiters Survey: Direct Imaging Discovery of a Giant Planet and a Debris Disk Around the Young M-dwarf RX J0534.0-0221

Rodrigo Ferrer-Chavez, Jason J. Wang, Kevin Wagner et al. (+47 more)

We present the discovery of RX J0534.0-0221 b, a giant planet orbiting an M-dwarf star in the $\beta$ Pictoris moving group. RX J0534 was originally observed with JWST/NIRCam in the F444W and F200W filters. Observations in F444W reveal a point source at signal-to-noise ratio $\sim17.5$ at $\sim0.41$ arcsec ($\sim14$ au) from the host star, with no detection of the source in F200W. A follow-up observation with LBTI/LMIRCam in $L'$ band re-detects the source 16 months after the JWST epoch, providing evidence for common proper motion over a chance alignment with a background interloper at the $6-7\sigma$ level. Atmospheric grid model fits to the available photometry yield bolometric luminosity log$_{10}(L/L_\odot) = -5.48^{+0.10}_{-0.19}$ dex. At an age of $18-26$ Myr, hot-start evolutionary models predict $M=2.8^{+0.5}_{-0.5}$ M$_{\text{Jup}}$ and $T_{\text{eff}}=674^{+57}_{-49}$ K. From the $L'-F444W$ color and magnitudes we find evidence for disequilibrium chemistry or enhanced metallicity in the planet atmosphere. Additionally, an extended structure is detected in the JWST F200W observation, consistent with a resolved debris disk with peak density radius of $79^{+3}_{-3}$ au and an inclination of $56.5^{+1.5}_{-1.5}$ deg. RX J0534 b is one of the lowest-mass planets imaged to date. After TWA 7 b, it is the second imaged planet around an M-dwarf orbiting at Solar System scales (the first within 50 au), and the first to be confirmed via common proper motion. Future orbital monitoring and atmospheric characterization will shed light on its formation history, a particularly interesting question given the challenging nature of giant planet formation around M-dwarfs.
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All authors Rodrigo Ferrer-Chavez, Jason J. Wang, Kevin Wagner, Kellen Lawson, Aarynn L. Carter, Beth Biller, Raphael Bendahan-West, Patrick McCreery, Patricia Luppe, Steve Ertel, Andrew D. James, Ellis Bogat, Rohan Kane, Ben J. Sutlieff, Giovanni M. Strampelli, William O. Balmer, Rachel Bowens-Rubin, Evelyn L. Bruinsma, Andy Skemer, Julien H. Girard, Mark Booth, Klaus Subbotina Stephenson, Katie A. Crotts, Sebastian Marino, Aniket Sanghi, Michael Liu, Nour Skaf, Emily Rickman, Marshall D. Perrin, Laurent Pueyo, Brendan P. Bowler, James Mang, Isabel Rebollido, Michael Meyer, Tim Pearce, Markus Bonse, Clémence Fontanive, Jared Carlson, Jon Rees, Justin Rupert, Gabriel Weible, Jacob Isbell, Juan Carlos Guerra, Xueqing Chen, Mia Belle Parkinson, Vito Squicciarini, Gael Chauvin, Elisabeth Matthews, Kyle Franson, Maxwell A. Millar-Blanchaer

Quantum Physics

Mermin-Peres magic rectangles modulo odd primes

Josse van Dobben de Bruyn, Remy van Dobben de Bruyn and Peter Zeman

The Mermin-Peres magic square provides a simple example of a system of linear equations over $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$ which has no classical solutions but does have a finite-dimensional operator solution. For a long time, it was not known how to construct similar examples over $\mathbb{Z}/d\mathbb{Z}$ with $d$ odd. In this paper, we construct, for every integer $d \geq 2$, a linear system over $\mathbb{Z}/d\mathbb{Z}$ that has a finite-dimensional operator solution but no classical solution. For an odd prime $p$, our operators act on two $p$-dimensional qudits and generate a finite $p$-group obtained by adjoining diagonal polynomial phase operators to the generalized Pauli group, thereby forming a natural analogue of the Mermin–Peres magic square. Classical inconsistency follows from an elementary linearity argument comparing assignments on abelian subgroups. Furthermore, we prove a sharp threshold for the required degree of the added polynomial phase operators: our construction uses polynomials up to degree $p - 1$, and we show that the group formed by polynomials up to degree $p - 2$ is noncontextual.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Low Frequency Radio Imaging Study of PSR J1818-1607

A. Yadav, M. P. Surnis, B. C. Joshi et al. (+1 more)

We report on the low-frequency radio observations of magnetar PSR J1818$-$1607 carried out with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at band 3 (300$-$500 MHz) and band 4 (550-750 MHz). We have identified the continuum source associated with the magnetar and report variations in flux density and its spectral index. The flux density timeseries for the magnetar reveals the presence of two potential radio flaring episodes with varying spectral properties. We discuss the implications of the spectral index changes on the potential emission mechanisms for radio-loud magnetars. We also report non-detections of the continuum source as well as no direct indication for an associated diffuse emission from multiple archival radio imaging surveys.
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All authors A. Yadav, M. P. Surnis, B. C. Joshi, M. Bagchi

Soft Condensed Matter

Scaling and Condensation of Dry Active Matter Around Circular Obstacles

Felipe P. S. Júnior, F. Q. Potiguar, Jorge L. C. Domingos et al. (+1 more)

Active Brownian particles confined to rigid substrates are known to accumulate near rigid boundaries and, under suitable conditions, undergo motility-induced phase separation (MIPS). A particularly intriguing manifestation of this behavior is the formation of self-sustained vortices around circular obstacles, which act as localized nucleation sites for particle aggregation. While several dynamical properties of such vortices have been previously characterized, their behavior in the thermodynamic limit remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate how the mass and spatial extent of a dry active-matter vortex scale with system size. Using numerical simulations of repulsive active Brownian Particles interacting with a fixed circular obstacle, we measure the vortex mass, mean radius, and maximum radius as functions of the global area fraction, obstacle size, and system size. We find two distinct scaling regimes. At low densities, the vortex remains localized and its characteristic properties saturate as the system size increases. Above a critical density, however, the vortex mass grows extensively with the total number of particles, while its spatial dimensions scale linearly with the system size, indicating the emergence of an obstacle-stabilized condensed state.
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All authors Felipe P. S. Júnior, F. Q. Potiguar, Jorge L. C. Domingos, W. P. Ferreira

High Energy Physics (Theory)

Environmental Effects in Post-Minkowskian Dynamics: Effective Field Theory, Feynman Rules, and Ward Identities for Compact Objects in Relativistic Fluids

Zvi Bern, Samuel Degen, Enrico Herrmann et al. (+2 more)

We develop a hydrodynamic effective field theory for the gravitational dynamics of compact objects moving through an inviscid fluid environment. The fluid is described by the effective theory of perfect fluids, whose Goldstone phonons are kept as explicit fields coupled to gravity. We establish a consistent power counting for the resulting Feynman rules and derive the propagators and interaction vertices through four points in $D$ dimensions, together with the generalized on-shell Ward identities they obey. These identities relate amplitudes with an external graviton to those with the graviton replaced by a phonon, and thus provide nontrivial checks on higher-order calculations. As an application, we recover the leading-order relativistic dynamical-friction force from the tree-level amplitude for single-phonon emission. This work is a first step towards a toolkit for incorporating environmental effects into the scattering-amplitude pipeline used in post-Minkowskian calculations.
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All authors Zvi Bern, Samuel Degen, Enrico Herrmann, Mikhail P. Solon, Anna M. Wolz

Atomic Physics

Effective Conservation and Bistability of Atomic Alignment under Strong Spin~Exchange

Anton K. Vershovskii

We present a phenomenological model of anomalous alignment signals in dense cesium vapor under linearly polarized pumping and fast spin exchange near zero magnetic field. Despite the absence of a conservation law for rank-2 angular momentum, our recent experiments reveal anisotropic narrow resonances, hysteresis, and bistability. We attribute these effects to a stretched state forming a collective mode in which orientation and alignment are bidirectionally coupled. This mode acts as a reservoir, preserving the essential properties of alignment despite rapid spin exchange.
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Quantum Physics

Efficient Non-Uniform Quantum Hermite Transform through Adaptive Sampling

Nitay Mayo and Aryeh Lev Zabokritskiy

On the span of the first $N$ oscillator modes, Gauss–Hermite quadrature gives an exact change of basis between mode coefficients and $N$ weighted position space samples. We implement this transform with $O(N\operatorname{polylog}(N,1/\varepsilon))$ logical gates and polylogarithmic quantum width. The operator-error bound $\varepsilon$ holds on arbitrary superpositions and includes all auxiliary registers. The construction uses signed averages on adaptive windows to convert uniform-grid samples into weighted Hermite-root samples. Their varying widths control the amplification cost, giving the near-linear bound.
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High Energy Physics (Phenomenology)

Electromagnetic form factors of vector mesons in Einstein-dilaton holographic QCD

Alfonso Ballon-Bayona, Tobias Frederico, Luis A. H. Mamani et al. (+2 more)

We investigate the electromagnetic form factors of the $\rho$ meson family within a holographic QCD framework based on Einstein-dilaton gravity with confining backgrounds. We obtain the elastic and transition form factors using a spectral decomposition of the three-point isospin current correlator and an independent approach based on the Kaluza-Klein expansion. Furthermore, we establish a holographic dictionary of the current matrix element. The elastic form factors are in agreement with available lattice QCD results, whereas the transition form factors, not yet determined within lattice QCD, are predictions of the model. For the elastic case, the electric form factor for the $\rho$ meson family exhibits a zero at $q^{2} = 6\, m_{\rho^{n}}^{2}$ and in particular for the ground state $q^{2} = 3.61\,\text{GeV}^{2}$, consistent with light-front and Dyson-Schwinger calculations. We also compute strong couplings between vector meson states and find some approximate selection rules. In the elastic case and low-$q^{2}$ regime, we calculate dimensionless electric radius, magnetic and quadrupole moments and compare with other approaches. In the high-$q^{2}$ regime, the form factors follow the expected scaling behavior, and the model predicts their asymptotic normalization. The results in the high-$q^{2}$ regime lead to superconvergence relations and establish a new sum rule involving masses, decay constants and couplings.
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All authors Alfonso Ballon-Bayona, Tobias Frederico, Luis A. H. Mamani, Adão S. da Silva Junior, Wayne de Paula

Soft Condensed Matter

Active Hydrodynamics Couples Polymer Organization, Shape Fluctuations, and Motility in Deformable Droplets

Ritu Raj and P. B. Sunil Kumar

We study semiflexible active polymers confined within a soft, deformable droplet suspended in a fluid using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. Extensile and contractile force dipoles along the polymer backbone generate distinct hydrodynamic flow fields that mediate effective interactions between polymer segments. Extensile activity promotes parallel alignment and lateral attraction, whereas contractile activity favors predominantly perpendicular organization, leading to qualitatively different collective behavior. The activity-generated flows couple strongly to the deformable interface, selectively enhancing low-order spherical-harmonic modes associated with long-wavelength droplet deformations. Activity also drives the interfacial relaxation away from passive capillary behavior, with extensile and contractile droplets exhibiting distinct mode-dependent dynamics. These differences in internal organization and interfacial fluctuations strongly influence droplet motility. Extensile activity produces increasingly persistent droplet motion with increasing polymer number, whereas contractile activity can sustain long-lived near-ballistic motion whose duration depends sensitively on polymer number and activity strength. Our results demonstrate how active hydrodynamics governs the interplay between internal structure, interfacial fluctuations, and emergent motility in confined active matter systems.
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Quantum Physics

Blind Quantum Computation with a Small Quantum Server

Daniel Lovsted, Filipa C. R. Peres, Joshua Nevin et al. (+2 more)

Blind quantum computation (BQC) allows low-resource clients to securely delegate computations to a quantum server, but server resource costs scale with the computation size, posing a bottleneck for implementations. By leveraging Pauli-based computation (PBC), we achieve BQC with a server whose size depends only on the non-Clifford gate count. Our protocol inherits fault tolerance and qubit virtualization from PBC and reveals that classical-client BQC is possible even in the absence of classical simulability. Finally, we present an entanglement-based dual protocol that performs a resource state computation with a dramatically reduced execution cost.
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All authors Daniel Lovsted, Filipa C. R. Peres, Joshua Nevin, Selman Ipek, Anne Broadbent

Quantum Physics

$k$-fold unbiased measurements and maximal incompatibility

Sébastien Designolle and Máté Farkas

Mutually unbiased bases capture perfect complementarity between two quantum measurements. Extensions beyond pairwise unbiasedness have been proposed, but essentially no non-trivial higher-order constructions are known. We introduce $k$-fold unbiased measurements ($k$-UMs), extending the $k$-fold unbiased bases notion of [arXiv:1706.04446] from rank-one basis measurements to arbitrary-rank projective measurements, and show that this higher-rank setting supports a much richer theory. We develop the notions of algebraic and spectral $k$-UMs and prove that they coincide for rank-one measurements and triples of measurements (3-UMs). We establish strong no-go results for higher-order rank-one constructions and three-outcome 3-UMs, but obtain infinitely many higher-rank triples using Hadamard matrices and Clifford algebras. We then give these structures an exact operational interpretation in terms of measurement incompatibility. For 3-UMs with any number of outcomes, we determine their generalised incompatibility robustness exactly and construct an explicit joint measurement for their noisy versions at the compatibility threshold. Finally, we implement the symmetry reduction of the sum-of-squares hierarchy recently introduced in [New J. Phys. 28, 064509 (2026)] and give numerical evidence that the noise thresholds arising from the $k$-UM analysis may characterise the asymptotic behaviour of this hierarchy. In particular, with very high precision, we numerically show that our constructed four-outcome 3-UMs are among the most incompatible triples of four-outcome measurements.
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Mathematical Physics · Cross-listed from math.OA

Superselection theory for 2D braided quantum spin systems via Connes fusion

Gregory Faurot, Charlton Li, David Penneys et al. (+1 more)

The article arXiv:2410.21454 constructed a braided $\mathrm{W^*}$-tensor category of superselection sectors associated to a net of von Neumann algebras on a suitably geometric poset using localized and transportable endomorphisms. In this article, we construct an equivalent tensor product and braiding using the Connes fusion tensor product without localizing, using ideas from arXiv:1812.04470 for conformal nets. As an application, we prove that the category of superselection sectors associated to the 2D braided quantum spin system constructed from a unitary braided fusion category $\mathcal{B}$ in arXiv:2506.19969 is equivalent to $\mathsf{Hilb}(\mathcal{B})^{\rm op}$, the opposite of the unitary ind-completion of $\mathcal{B}$, as a braided $\mathrm{W^*}$-tensor category.
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All authors Gregory Faurot, Charlton Li, David Penneys, Emeline Sherman