Papers

Frozen language models (LMs) are increasingly used as fixed feature extractors for downstream reranking, scoring, and preference modeling, raising a practical question: how should a compact module represent interactions among features in a fixed low-dimensional bottleneck? Common linear and low-rank adapters remain linear at the adaptation module itself, whereas explicit second-order alternatives introduce pairwise interactions through direct parameterization or predefined factorizations. We propose SQUARE, a Structured QUAntum REpresentation adapter that amplitude-encodes the bottleneck vector, applies a parameterized quantum circuit, and measures the resulting state. We show that each basis-probability feature is exactly a normalized quadratic form in the bottleneck coordinates, while the additional Pauli-$Z$ readouts are signed linear combinations of these probabilities. The measured map can therefore parameterize interactions over $O(d^2)$ coordinate pairs through a small set of shared circuit parameters, where $d$ is the bottleneck dimension. It provides a structured parameterization within, rather than beyond, the classical normalized-quadratic feature class. In a disjoint same-pipeline evaluation over eight GLUE-derived controlled interaction tasks and five shared seeds, SQUARE achieves an average test accuracy of $0.7565$, compared with $0.7355$ for an affine normalized-quadratic predictor, $0.7271$ for the evaluated parameter-matched Givens mixing model, $0.6817$ for an MLP, and $0.6155$ for a frozen-circuit control. Under reduced supervision, it also shows consistent gains over the strongest evaluated classical comparator, with the same qualitative pattern across multiple frozen LM backbones. All circuit experiments use simulation, while the learned feature map can be evaluated exactly in batched PyTorch without quantum hardware.

We prove dimension-independent Hyers–Ulam stability for surjective approximate isometries of the positive trace-class cone in both the trace and Bures metrics. Here $\varepsilon\geq0$ is a uniform upper bound on the additive error in preserving distances. Such an approximate isometry is uniformly approximated by a Wigner symmetry (a unitary or antiunitary conjugation), with error at most $9\varepsilon/2$ in the trace metric and $2\sqrt2\varepsilon$ in the Bures metric, even if it does not fix zero. For maps fixing zero, the trace bound improves to $3\varepsilon$ even under the hypothesis of $\delta$-surjectivity, independently of $\delta$. In infinite dimensions, we construct spectrum-preserving homeomorphisms of the full state space, including mixed states, whose distortions tend to zero in both metrics but which stay a fixed uniform distance from every Wigner symmetry. For state spaces, stability holds in each fixed finite dimension with a dimension-dependent modulus tending to zero as $\varepsilon\to0$, but no such modulus can be chosen independently of dimension.

We present preliminary results obtained in the first extensive study of the Möbius domain wall fermion (MDWF) lattice formulation of the four-dimensional Sp(4) gauge theory coupled to two dynamical fermions transforming in the fundamental representation. This theory is important for extensions of the Standard Model, as it provides the microscopic origin for both composite Higgs and dark matter models based on the SU(4)/Sp(4) coset. We scan the space of bare lattice parameters, including those entering the MDWF, and monitor spurious effects, such as the residual mass. We identify optimised regions of parameter space in which lattice artefacts affecting the global symmetries of the theory are suppressed. We then perform preliminary measurements of the lightest pseudoscalar and vector meson masses, together with the pseudoscalar decay constant. We demonstrate the potential of the MDWF formulation to enable continuum-limit extrapolations with reduced lattice discretisation effects.

We report the magnetic and transport properties of single-crystalline Ce$_4$Ge$_7$, which crystallizes in a non-centrosymmetric orthorhombic structure (space group C222$_1$). It undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at $T_N$ = 7.3 K. When a magnetic field is applied along the $b$-axis, a metamagnetic transition occurs at 1.3 T (at 2 K). Correspondingly, this transition gives rise to an anomalous Hall effect, which is dominated by the intrinsic Karplus-Luttinger mechanism. Under hydrostatic pressure, $T_N$ of Ce$_4$Ge$_7$ initially increases slightly and is then gradually suppressed. For pressures above $P_c$ = 10.2 GPa, no magnetic order is observed. The divergence of the $A$ coefficient, the maximum of the residual resistivity, and the non-Fermi liquid behavior around $P_c$ indicate the possible existence of an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point in Ce$_4$Ge$_7$.

Implicit electric field conjugation (iEFC) is an efficient, model-free wavefront control technique for dark hole creation. Its model-free nature, relying on calibration with real data rather than a synthetic model of the instrument, makes it uniquely versatile and highly attractive. It has been successfully demonstrated in a variety of environments, both in the laboratory and on-sky, using different experimental platforms and coronagraphs. A common characteristic of these demonstrations is that the resulting DHs exhibit moderate to large inner working angles and wide fields of view, often extending over several tens of $\lambda/D$. Here, we report the first demonstration of iEFC at small angular separations, achieving a DH spanning 1 to 4 $\lambda/D$ on a segmented pupil in H-band under laboratory conditions. This combination of aggressive IWA and reduced FoV highlights the uniqueness of the SPEED facility (segmented pupil experiment for exoplanet detection). SPEED is a high-contrast imaging testbed designed for extremely large telescopes (ELTs), developed in the context of the ELT/PCS instrument (planetary camera and spectrograph), currently in pre-phase A. Its small-IWA coronagraph, an APCMC (apodized pupil complex mask coronagraph), and its multi- and out-of-pupil-plane deformable mirror (DM) architecture are specifically optimized for DHs at very small IWAs, down to the diffraction limit. Our results demonstrate (i) that widely separated out-of-pupil DMs are well suited to generating DHs with IWAs down to 1 $\lambda/D$, and (ii) the effectiveness of iEFC, when combined with the SPEED wavefront control architecture, for high-contrast imaging with segmented telescopes. Ultimately, these results pave the way toward meeting the stringent high-contrast requirements of ELT-class instruments, opening new opportunities for exoplanet detection at unprecedented angular resolutions.

This document presents input from the U.S. Muon Collider Collaboration to the SCAC Facilities Subcommittee. It outlines the scientific motivation for a future Muon Collider, the R&D and demonstration program needed to establish its feasibility, and its relevance to U.S. facilities planning for 2026-2036. It also discusses opportunities for leveraging existing U.S. capabilities, developing the accelerator workforce, and building synergies with other DOE programs and international efforts.

Generalized reaction-diffusion systems encompass diverse transport mechanisms and coupled reaction kinetics. A central question for neural PDE solvers is what should be learned so that a common interface can accommodate phase-field and degenerate transport, local reactions, and multispecies coupling. We propose the Neural Constitutive Laws–Mass-Compression-Transport (NCL-MCT) Solver, which learns PDE-specific constitutive responses while retaining temporal evolution in a shared MCT integrator. Transport is represented through mobility and thermodynamic driving force, and reaction through relative reaction rates. These constitutive responses depend on the current density rather than explicitly on the initial condition or elapsed time, motivating their reuse across different initial conditions and time horizons. The same interface supports velocity-data supervision and known-law supervision, neither of which requires time integration during training. When constitutive laws are known, supervision can be evaluated on independently sampled density fields, enabling trajectory-free constitutive learning without generating solution trajectories. Across seven systems, separately trained constitutive modules share the same interface and MCT integrator and achieve relative rollout $L^2$ errors of $10^{-4}$ to $10^{-2}$. Tests with unseen initial-condition families and an extended time horizon assess reuse beyond training conditions, while separate experiments demonstrate trajectory-free constitutive learning. These results support constitutive responses as an effective learning target for a shared neural PDE framework.

Stochastic resetting can generate strong correlations in many-body systems through a shared fluctuating environment. Here, we investigate how such dynamically emergent correlations (DEC) coexist with intrinsic (direct) interactions in a weakly repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate described within the Gross-Pitaevskii framework. The condensate undergoes free expansion from an initial Thomas-Fermi state and is stochastically reset to this initial state at a constant rate. We show that the resetting protocol drives the system into a unique nonequilibrium steady state and obtain its density profile, edge statistics, and full counting statistics analytically. The steady-state density retains an inverted-parabolic form within the core, while developing exponentially decaying tails outside it. We further show that resetting induces nontrivial fluctuations of the condensate edge and particle number, yielding exact scaling forms for the edge distribution and the full counting statistics. Our results provide a tractable setting for exploring the interplay between intrinsic repulsive interactions and attractive DEC generated by a common stochastic environment in quantum many-body systems.

Momentum-dependent symmetry actions can turn the even-integer constraint of a $2\mathbb{Z}$ classification of topological insulators and superconductors into an odd-integer constraint without changing the symmetry algebra. For internal and order-two crystalline symmetries in up to four spatial dimensions, we derive parity relations between the Chern or winding number of a gapped Hamiltonian and topological invariants of its momentum-dependent antiunitary symmetry matrices. Whenever the symmetry action enforces odd parity, any symmetry-preserving gapped phase must be topologically nontrivial. Using cellwise actions, which are represented by momentum-independent matrices in a fixed unit-cell basis, as a reference, we determine how locality constrains the realization of odd topological numbers. Explicit model constructions and no-go theorems distinguish three cases: odd values can be realized by finite-range symmetry actions, can be realized by exponentially decaying quasilocal actions but not by finite-range actions, or are impossible in finite-dimensional Bloch systems.

This paper extends the formalism of stochastic path-space thermodynamics by systematically expanding the space of thermodynamic variables with a spectrum of boundary and relative functionals of random processes. Generalizing the approaches introduced in preprints arXiv:2607.24078 and arXiv:2609.08477, we investigate the fluctuation statistics of a one-dimensional Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process with an asymmetric linear drift and a step penalty potential at the origin, which models the waiting phase of a molecular Brownian motor. Utilizing the Feynman-Kac formalism and the parabolic cylinder theory, a numerical scheme based on matching logarithmic derivatives via the secant method is constructed. A high-precision eigenvalues of the effective Hamiltonian is obtained, which define the cumulant generating function. We formulate a modified path-space fluctuation theorem of the Gallavotti-Cohen type for the conjugate drift current at a fixed integral occupation time of the system in the dissipative half-plane. The physical and thermodynamic significance of the new variables is elucidated. A combination of "residence time" and "integral current" functionals is applied to describe an ion channel sensitive to mechanical or electrical stimuli.

Preserving particle number and spin helps quantum circuits target molecular electronic states, but does not guarantee access to every state with the required quantum numbers. We determine which additional operations, combined with spin-independent orbital rotations connecting all spatial orbitals, generate every real state-space rotation within each complete subspace of fixed particle number $N$, total spin $S$, and spin projection $M_S$. We consider spin-free molecular calculations in real orbitals, without an additional spatial-symmetry restriction, and continuously tunable operations that preserve particle number, full spin symmetry, and real amplitudes. Below the maximal-spin limits set by the electron and hole numbers, repeated singlet-pair transfer between any two fixed spatial orbitals is sufficient. On nontrivial maximal-spin boundaries, pair transfer vanishes, and an additional generator built from one- and two-electron terms is sufficient exactly when its action in the target subspace is not a linear combination of orbital-rotation generators. The minimum number of spatial orbitals needed by one additional generator is two in the interior and three on nontrivial boundaries, even when terms involving more than two electrons are allowed. Both minima are attained using only one- and two-electron terms. The three-orbital optimum rotates two orbitals according to the occupation of a third, and its unitary factors exactly into eight commuting Pauli rotations. Molecular benchmarks show that this operation removes the observed boundary energy-error plateaus, while sparse interior constructions attain the prescribed energy accuracy with fewer compiled CNOT gates in selected fixed-orbital comparisons.

Partially entangled thermal states (PETS) provide semiclassical families of black-hole microstates prepared through heavy shell insertions. We extend this shell-state framework and propose three-boundary partially entangled thermal states (PETS$_3$) by replacing the two-index insertion data with a trivalent junction tensor. The corresponding bulk three-boundary booklet geometry is constrained semiclassically by the Israel junction condition, allowing us to identify candidate symmetric and mixed-orientation branches. We verify the self-consistency of this construction by counting states in the symmetric all-black-hole sector. Using a heavy-operator probe, we further estimate the detection-to-universal ratio to be $Z_D/Z_U \simeq 3$, twice the two-boundary value of $3/2$. These results suggest that a fine-tuned probe localized on one boundary can test the proposed three-boundary shell state and potentially distinguish it from its two-boundary counterpart.

Imaginary-time evolution (ITE) is a widely used technique for preparing the ground state of a target Hamiltonian. Building on the recently proposed framework of Double-Bracket quantum ITE (DB-QITE), we introduce a probabilistic variant (PDBQITE) that achieves an exponential reduction in circuit depth. Our algorithm requires only a single ancilla qubit and a quantum circuit that consists of one controlled real-time evolution and one mid-circuit measurement per iteration. The trade-off is an exponential decay of the total success probability with the number of iterations, for which we derive an analytical lower bound that is independent of system size. Our numerical simulations show that the per-step success probability remains close to unity, making it realistic to execute many iterations, thus providing a substantial improvement over prior constructions. We show that PDBQITE outperforms the near-term probabilistic algorithm PITE for ground-state preparation of molecular Hamiltonians, and that a hybrid QAOA-PDBQITE scheme achieves higher approximation ratios than QAOA at the same circuit depth on random regular graphs for the MaxCut problem.

Coleman–De Luccia tunneling can exhibit an infinite tower of rapidly oscillating negative modes, complicating the semiclassical evaluation of the path integral. We show that this tower does not represent infinitely many bounce-specific instabilities, but instead is tied to a single underlying gravitational conformal sector. This sector is exposed in two different ways: by a large scalar gradient near the bubble wall and by the turning point of a compact Euclidean geometry. The corresponding conformal sector is already present in fluctuations about the false vacuum. Treating the bounce and the false vacuum in the same well-defined gauge and with a common regulator, we find that their high-frequency negative spectra approach one another. The ultraviolet tower therefore cancels from the relative negative-mode count, leaving a single bounce-specific negative mode. This finite-backreaction spectral cancellation provides a corresponding picture of the result obtained in the small-backreaction limit.

This paper gives quantum query lower bounds for two relational graph problems, triangle listing and explicit multiplicative spanner construction, in the general graph query model, where quantum adjacency, degree and neighborhood queries are all available in arbitrary superposition. Both results are obtained by reductions via intermediate multi-block search problems. We extend the quantum query recording framework by Zhandry (CRYPTO 2019) and Hamoudi and Magniez (ToCT 2023) to handle a recording architecture for bidirectional oracles and give a generic blockwise soundness framework, which for arbitrary families of local accepting projectors, gives an exact operator-norm characterization of their maximum overlap with the subspace of bounded weight records. Using the intermediate search problems, we exhibit a family of $n$-vertex graphs with $\Theta(n)$ triangles on which listing any constant fraction of the triangles requires $\Omega(n^{3/2-o(1)})$ quantum queries. This is the first nontrivial quantum lower bound for triangle listing, a question raised by Jiang and Peng (ICML 2026). Further, we show that, for every fixed $k\ge 7$, constructing a multiplicative $k$-spanner requires $\Omega(n^{1+\frac{1}{2\mu_k}})$ quantum queries, where $\mu_k=k/3+O(1)$. For $k\in\{7,8\}$ the bound is $\Omega(n^{5/4})$, which matches what would be implied by an unproven instance of the Erdős girth conjecture, and for large $k$ the exponent $1+\frac{3}{2k}$ exceeds the $1+\frac{4}{3k}$ implied by the provable high girth dense graphs due to Lazebnik, Ustimenko and Woldar, 1995.

The Galactic microquasar GRS 1915+105 is one of the most interesting X-ray binary systems, exhibiting an exceptionally diverse range of observational phenomena. It displays the most complicated and variable X-ray light curves and carries superluminal radio jets. Its X-ray and radio fluxes change on very different timescales, from seconds to minutes to days and even longer. In recent years, its jet has also displayed large position angle shifts. We find that most of the observational phenomena can be well explained within our newly developed variable turbulent ADAF (TADAF) model. The accretion disk is composed of an outer thin disk and an unstable inner TADAF torus whose size is variable. The previously suggested 'disappearance' and regain of the inner disk is understood as the transition between the thick TADAF and the thin disk. Some types of QPOs are understood in terms of the radius change of the TADAF torus. The jet position angle shift is understood as the direct sideways frame-dragging on the jet by the Lense-Thirring effect from a tilted, spinning black hole. The slower the outshooting jet, the larger the angle shift. We note that such an effect also applies to other sources, such as V404 Cygni and the AGN M87. This mechanism may also be applicable to the famous 'precessing' jet in SS 433.

Near 57 keV, destructive interference makes argon-40 almost transparent to neutrons. The 0.4% of argon-36 and argon-38 in natural argon then supply over 90% of its opacity, amplified 230-fold. Published transmission data rule out the argon-36 evaluation FLUKA uses by default, even with every other isotope made transparent, and bound its cross section in the window to 2-11 b. In a DUNE-scale detector, switching to the data-consistent evaluations moves the fiducial fraction of argon-41 calibration captures by 9-13% while the total yield changes by only 2%: the effect is on where captures occur, not how many.

Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) provide a promising probe of the dark matter environment surrounding massive black holes through their long-duration gravitational-wave signals. In this work, we investigate the influence of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) on EMRI dynamics and gravitational-wave phase evolution. Motivated by the collisional Boltzmann description of SIDM, we construct a leading-order effective correction to the conventional Chandrasekhar dynamical-friction force, controlled by the momentum-transfer cross section $\sigma_T$ and the dimensionless collisionality parameter $n_\chi\sigma_T r=r/\lambda_{\rm mfp}$. We then compute the resulting orbital evolution, waveform modification, and accumulated gravitational-wave dephasing. In the enhanced-drag regime considered here, increasing the SIDM self-interaction strength increases the effective dynamical friction, accelerates the inspiral, and produces a progressively larger phase deviation relative to the collisionless dark matter case. We further distinguish the total dark-matter-induced dephasing relative to vacuum from the additional phase correction generated specifically by dark matter self-interactions. Our results demonstrate that the cumulative gravitational-wave phase of EMRIs can be sensitive to the microscopic momentum-transfer properties of dark matter, suggesting that future space-based detectors such as LISA may provide a complementary probe of SIDM in the vicinity of massive black holes.

Thin chromium nitride (CrN) films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering in a reactive atmosphere of Ar-N$_2$ on fused silica and MgO (001) substrates at temperatures between 400 $^o$C and 800 $^o$C. The influence of nitrogen content and substrate temperature on structural, electrical, and optical properties was systematically investigated. The overstoichiometric CrN films exhibited a reduced resistivity below 6 m$\Omega \cdot$cm with stable p-type behavior, while increasing the substrate temperature above 600 $^o$C induced a transition to n-type conductivity. Spectroscopic ellipsometry in the UV-Vis-NIR and infrared spectral ranges revealed a strong dependence of the dielectric function and the absorption edge on film stoichiometry and deposition conditions. Structural characterization using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy confirmed substrate-dependent crystallinity and grain growth. Density functional theory calculations showed that cation and anion vacancies strongly modify the electronic structure and optical response, explaining the experimentally observed conductivity transitions. The results demonstrate that the deposition parameters provide an effective means to tailor CrN thin films via defect engineering.

Neural network conformal theories were first introduced in \cite{Halverson:2024axc} and exact two-, three- and four-point correlators were computed from an ensemble of infinite-width neural networks. In particular, the four-point correlator of any scalar operator satisfied crossing-symmetry and conformal block decomposition across different channels were in agreement without any constraint on moments. An infinite tower of degenerate operators with the same scaling dimension were found. In this note, we take a closer look at the structure of correlators and relation between operators. We also layout a recipe to construct the algebra of the theory.

This paper revisits Willis' elastodynamic homogenization (Mechanics of Materials, 41 (2009) 385-393) of periodic laminate composites and uses the equivalent inclusion-based method (EIM) to evaluate the unique effective constitutive properties with eigen-fields. The microstructure-specific Green's function is essential in Willis's exact homogenization method, which was derived from the corresponding periodic laminates. Our re-examination identifies several algebraic differences in the published formulae for the Floquet number and the related effective properties. In parallel, this paper simulates inhomogeneities with a comparison medium containing two eigen-fields, namely eigenstrain and eigen-momentum, to simulate stiffness and mass density mismatch, respectively. Therefore, the general Green's function can be directly used. The exact homogenization method with the updated specific Green's function is compared to the proposed EIM with eigen-fields homogenization scheme, and excellent agreement is obtained. The present paper provides a base to extend the homogenization framework to multi-dimensional Willis-type homogenization.

We demonstrate proximity-induced localization and re-entrant delocalization in a detuned quasiperiodic ladder. In the weak-quasiperiodic regime, where uncoupled Aubry-André chains are extended, a staggered detuning applied to only one leg induces localization in the neighboring leg through inter-leg hybridization. With further increasing detuning, the pure chain re-enters a delocalized regime, producing a delocalized-localized-delocalized sequence without directly modifying its quasiperiodic potential. We identify these regimes using static localization diagnostics and demonstrate experimentally accessible dynamical signatures on IBM Quantum hardware: strongly suppressed wavefunction spreading in the proximity-localized regime and its re-entrant recovery at larger detuning. These results establish leg-selective detuning as a programmable control knob for inducing and reversing localization in coupled quasiperiodic systems.

Quantum transport simulations that combine density functional theory (DFT) with the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism (DFT-NEGF) are important to modern technology, yet their unfavorable scaling has long confined predictive simulations to small, idealized systems far below the ten-thousand-atom scale of realistic devices. Here, we introduce HamGNN-NEGF, a linear-scaling framework with DFT-level fidelity. An E(3)-equivariant graph neural network trained on conventional DFT Hamiltonians of small structures predicts Hamiltonians for large devices, avoiding costly DFT-NEGF training data. The predicted Hamiltonians are integrated with DFT-derived electrode self-energies, a nonorthogonal kernel polynomial method for Fermi-level determination, and a recursive Green's function algorithm, yielding a computational cost that scales linearly with device length at fixed cross section. Even for devices containing fewer than 500 atoms, HamGNN-NEGF achieves speedups exceeding three orders of magnitude over fully self-consistent DFT-NEGF, with the advantage increasing further with system size. Benchmarks on pristine Pt-Si-Pt, doped Pt-Si:P-Pt, and Pt-molecule-Pt junctions demonstrate meV-level Hamiltonian accuracy, faithful transmission spectra, and predictive simulations beyond 10,000 atoms. Eliminating transport self-consistency also enables hybrid functionals such as HSE06 without additional NEGF overhead, while a zero-bias Hamiltonian approximation extends the framework to finite-bias transport in weakly nonlinear regimes. HamGNN-NEGF thus bridges first-principles accuracy and device-scale simulation, providing a practical route toward predictive modeling of realistic nanoelectronic and quantum devices.

We infer the initial condition for the Balitsky-Kovchegov (BK) evolution equation at next-to-leading order accuracy from HERA proton structure function data. A simultaneous description of both the total cross section and charm production measurements is obtained. We then show that inclusive hadron production in deep inelastic scattering can provide complementary constraints on the non-perturbative initial condition of the BK equation. As a more differential observable, it serves as a sensitive probe of gluon saturation phenomena. We demonstrate this by calculating predictions for the nuclear modification factor in hadron production in photon-nucleus scattering at leading order in the dipole picture. We find that saturation effects lead to significant nuclear suppression at small $x_\mathrm{Bj}$.

Disconnected diagrams remain a major challenge for precision lattice QCD calculations because of their large statistical fluctuations. We investigate a subtraction method based on a domain decomposition of the Dirac operator, yielding a biased but substantially less noisy estimator. Applying the method to charmonium disconnected correlators computed using distillation, we achieve a variance reduction of about three orders of magnitude at only twice the computational cost, providing a practical alternative to completely neglecting disconnected contributions.

Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) offer a powerful probe of additional fundamental fields through their cumulative influence on gravitational-wave phases. However, modeling vector radiation from generic Kerr orbits requires the evolution of the Carter constant, which cannot be determined from energy and angular-momentum balance alone. Here we derive the orbit-averaged electromagnetic Carter-constant flux for eccentric and inclined, nonresonant Kerr geodesics, including sections at infinity and event horizon. Combining the gravitational and electromagnetic energy and angular-momentum fluxes, we construct generic adiabatic inspirals using a four-dimensional Chebyshev interpolation mathod. We incorporate the relativistic trajectories into the state of the art of FastEMRIWaveform package and perform Bayesian inference of vector charge carried by secondaries. Our analysis reveals substantial correlations between the charge and intrinsic source parameters, with vector charge constraints exhibiting a nonmonotonic dependence on orbital inclination. These results establish a framework for investigating additional vector-radiation channels in generic EMRIs and their implications for tests of gravity with future space-based gravitational wave observations.

Resolving the formation and dissociation mechanisms of hydrate requires identifying not only hydrate-like water, but also the specific cage topologies by which disordered liquid water reorganizes into, or escapes from, crystalline hydrate networks. Here we introduce HyTopo, a cage-topology-centered analysis framework that combines a hydrate order parameter, hierarchical ring and cage recognition, and cage-transition network analysis. Based on local orientational correlations, HyTopo classifies water molecules into liquid-like, precursor-like, hydrate-like, and ice-like environments, and uses this information to guide efficient topological searches for crystalline hydrate cages and defective intermediates. Applications to methane hydrate growth, homogeneous nucleation, and depressurization-induced dissociation reveal that hydrate evolution is governed by heterogeneous and pathway-dependent cage dynamics. During hydrate growth, EA-WPU suppresses the overall proliferation of cage-like structures while altering the balance between defective cages and crystalline sI cages. During nucleation, incomplete cage motifs dominate the early pathway and provide a structural reservoir from which a small fraction of stable 512 and 51262 cages. Hydrate dissociation proceeds through interfacial collapse, bulk decomposition, and dissolved-gas exsolution, with cage lifetimes and transition pathways strongly dependent on cage topology. These results show that HyTopo provides a physically interpretable and topology-resolved route to connect local water ordering, cage formation, structural defects, and hydrate phase transitions in complex molecular simulations.

We theoretically investigate quantum correlations and energy storage in a single-electron silicon double quantum dot (eDQD) coupled to a single-mode microwave cavity. The charge and spin degrees of freedom are hybridized by Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC), while the cavity interacts with the eDQD through spin-photon and charge-photon couplings. Using the reduced thermal density matrix, we characterize spin-charge entanglement by concurrence and quantum coherence by the $l_1$ norm. At low temperature, the cavity strongly modifies the spin-charge correlations, producing distinct regimes of enhanced and suppressed entanglement. We identify a nonlinear crossover between an eDQD-dominated regime and a photon-dressed regime. This crossover is revealed independently by two signatures: a rapid change in the concurrence and the onset of finite photon occupation in the cavity. Its boundary exhibits a dominant $G_{\rm c}\propto\sqrt{\Omega}$ dependence and is robust against cavity Hilbert-space truncation. Beyond the Rashba coupling studied in [Ferreira et al., Phys. Rev. A 107, 052408 (2023)], we show that the cavity provides an additional tunable means of controlling quantum correlations and energy storage. We further characterize the eDQD as a quantum battery under coherent charging and evaluate its stored energy and ergotropy. The ergotropy varies markedly across a cavity-dressing crossover resembling that identified from entanglement, connecting cavity-induced modification of the dressed states to extractable work. Optimization over the charge-photon coupling reveals parameter-dependent optimal charging regimes and enhanced maximum ergotropy with increasing Rashba coupling. Our results establish cavity coupling and SOC as complementary controls of quantum correlations and extractable energy in semiconductor eDQD-cavity systems.

We study finite-momentum trimers and Cooper quartets in a one-dimensional two-component Fermi gas with coexistent $s$- and $p$-wave interactions, regularized in the relative momentum of each pair so that they remain Galilean invariant. Pauli blocking alone then makes the trimer dispersion deviate from free center-of-mass motion, so the trimer energy can be lowest at finite total momentum. Allowing this motion expands the $abb$ region among pairs and trimers and removes the region where an odd-wave pair is lowest. The $aabb$ quartet lies below all these branches at every sampled coupling, and in a strip starting on the crossing of the two dimer-pair channels its lowest breakup channel is a moving $abb$ trimer and an atom. At weak interspecies attraction, a variational bound shows that two odd-wave Cooper pairs bind into a quartet, whose binding exceeds that of the coexisting trimer by orders of magnitude as the attraction weakens. At stronger interspecies attraction, the quartet binding relative to two unlike-species dimers disappears when the odd-wave interaction is switched off, although the even-wave interaction dominates the interaction energy. Relative to the in-vacuum case, the Fermi sea enhances the weak-coupling quartet binding, and at fixed scattering lengths the quartet binding grows with density while the coexisting trimer becomes much shallower. These results show that neither the most strongly bound pair nor the dominant interaction energy alone determines whether the quartet binds.

We demonstrate that twisted and vector optical beams can spatially separate two-dimensional electrons with opposite spin projections. Spin accumulation arises from diverging spin currents induced by structured light together with spin relaxation and diffusion. We derive analytical expressions for the resulting spin density in the quasi-local and diffusion-controlled regimes and numerically calculate the spin textures for the parameters relevant to transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers. Our results suggest a mechanism by which the twist and vector pattern of optical beams can be imprinted onto the electron spin degree of freedom.