Papers

Predicting the finite-temperature stability of a disordered phase requires its free energy. It is traditionally approximated by combining the energy of a special quasirandom structure (a small cell mimicking a random alloy) with the ideal configurational entropy. This approximation neglects the short-range order that develops on cooling. In this study, we show that the conventional approximation is the first term of an infinite expansion of the free energy in energy cumulants. Higher-order cumulants are estimated from energies of random arrangements, without Monte Carlo or molecular dynamics. In a nine-element refractory system, adding the second cumulant reduced free energy errors by about an order of magnitude. The expansion gives phase diagrams with order–disorder transitions, defect concentrations, and short-range order. To demonstrate its utility, we used a foundation interatomic potential to screen lithium-excess rocksalt oxides across 26 elements for synthesizable disordered phases rich in the Li$_4$ clusters needed for lithium percolation. The approach applies to any lattice and chemistry, and brings disordered phases within reach of routine screening.

Recent LHAASO observations reveal ultrahigh-energy (UHE) gamma-ray emission from Cygnus~X-3 with evidence for orbital modulation, providing a rare opportunity to study particle acceleration and transport on binary scales. We develop a common binary–jet model that jointly explains the contemporaneous GeV–PeV spectra and orbital light curves. The GeV emission is produced by anisotropic inverse-Compton scattering of stellar photons by relativistic electrons, while multi-PeV protons escaping from the inner region produce TeV–PeV gamma rays through photohadronic and hadronuclear interactions. The GeV orbital modulation constrains the binary–jet geometry, allowing the UHE observations to probe the escaping proton population and its interaction with the circum-binary environment. We find that the UHE emission is strongly regulated by the accretion-driven wind structure. In the present state, a fast disk wind displaces much of the denser Wolf–Rayet (WR) wind from the escaping-proton trajectories, suppressing hadronuclear emission. Changes in the strength, collimation, or orientation of the disk wind can expose the escaping protons to a much denser WR wind and enhance the PeV gamma-ray luminosity by orders of magnitude. This provides a possible connection to the much brighter, though unconfirmed, PeV activity reported in the 1980s, and links UHE gamma-ray activity to the accretion and outflow state of the binary.

As part of a PhD thesis entitled `Scalar perturbations in warm inflation and during reheating' we present a software for computing warm inflation observables. In particular, our Mathematica implementation computes the power spectrum, spectral tilt, and tensor-to-scalar ratio for a given momentum scale. Compared with other implementations, we start in a Bunch-Davies state deep inside the horizon, ideally at a time when thermal noise is exponentially suppressed. We integrate gauge-invariant equations for three curvature perturbations across horizon exit. We continue deep enough outside of horizon so that all curvature perturbations agree. Results are illustrated for Standard Model embedded warm inflation, and we also provide notebooks for several other popular potentials and friction coefficients. The theoretical foundations for the code can be found in the main part of the thesis or in earlier papers [1,2]. Specifically, part II derives gauge-invariant, model-agnostic evolution equations, as well as the noise autocorrelator interpolating between quantum and classical domains. Part III presents the general ideas behind the numerical implementation, while part IV presents selected results. The code is described, line-by-line, in Appendix A. The published PhD thesis is available at https://doi.org/10.48620/101166 while the notebooks can be downloaded from https://github.com/alicarogeljblackhole/Warm-Inflation.

Accurate prediction of temperature-dependent elasticity is important for assessing refractory carbides under high-temperature conditions, but the computational cost of ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) limits systematic investigations across compositions and temperatures. Universal machine-learning interatomic potentials (uMLIPs) offer an efficient alternative, yet their accuracy for this task remains insufficiently established. Here, we benchmark nine uMLIPs against consistent AIMD reference data for five binary and two high-entropy (HE) carbides between 300 and 1200 K. Elastic constants and the corresponding bulk, shear, and Young's moduli are obtained using stress-strain molecular dynamics, explicitly sampling thermal atomic motion and anharmonic effects beyond thermal expansion alone. We assess absolute elastic properties and normalized thermal softening separately. MACE-MH-1 achieves the lowest overall mean absolute percentage error (5.7%). MACE-MH-1 and DPA4-Mini reproduce thermal softening most accurately, with mean deviations of 2.5 and 2.3 percentage points, respectively. All models generally underestimate stiffness, with larger equilibrium volumes relative to the AIMD reference likely contributing to this trend for most models. C12 exhibits the largest model-dependent errors. The HE carbides are described with accuracy comparable to that of the binary carbides, indicating no apparent accuracy penalty from chemical complexity. Accuracy instead varies with transition-metal composition, with group-V carbides, particularly TaC, presenting the greatest challenge. These results identify promising pretrained models for finite-temperature elasticity in carbides and show why accurate absolute stiffness and thermal softening must be assessed independently.

We investigate the redistribution and directional properties of Gaussian tripartite quantum steering in de-Sitter space within the continuous-variable framework. By expressing the Bunch-Davies vacuum in terms of the open-chart modes through a Bogoliubov transformation, we derive the covariance matrix of the resulting multipartite Gaussian state and analyze both one-to-two and two-to-one steering configurations. We find that de-Sitter curvature generally suppresses the steering initially shared among the accessible modes, but its influence depends strongly on the steering direction. In particular, while some steering configurations undergo sudden death at finite curvature, two-to-one steering toward a nongravitational mode remains finite throughout the parameter range considered, demonstrating a robustness of tripartite steering absent in its bipartite counterpart. Remarkably, the maximum steering asymmetry occurs at the critical point at which steering in one direction undergoes sudden death, marking the transition from two-way to one-way steering. We further show that the de-Sitter gravitational field can generate tripartite steering involving modes separated by the cosmological horizon. Depending on the steering partition, this curvature-induced steering exhibits persistent one-way or asymmetric two-way behavior, as well as a sudden-birth transition from one-way to two-way steering. These results demonstrate that de-Sitter curvature not only degrades preexisting quantum correlations but also redistributes and generates directional multipartite steering across causally disconnected regions.

We study bond percolation on the one-dimensional lattice in which two sites at distance $r$ are connected with probability $p_r=C/r^{1+\sigma}$, where $0 < \sigma < 1$. An infinite cluster exists if $C$ exceeds a critical value $C_c(\sigma)$, which is not known exactly: the available results are the lower bound of Schulman, $C_c\ge1/[2\zeta(1+\sigma)]$, and numerical estimates. Here we prove explicit upper bounds. We apply a second-moment argument to a family of random monotone paths whose steps have a heavy-tailed (Sibuya) distribution. Two such paths meet only a finite number of times, and their overlap is computed exactly by renewal theory. The result is a closed-form bound, which gives $C_c\le\sigma+O(\sigma^2)$ as $\sigma\to0$ and is below $1$ for $\sigma < 0.667$. Since the paths are monotone, the bound holds also for oriented percolation, and it determines the oriented threshold asymptotically: $C_c^{\rightarrow}\zeta(1+\sigma)\to1$ as $\sigma\to0$. A coarse-grained version of the argument, with blocks of sites in place of sites, gives an explicit bound $C_c < 1$ for every $\sigma < 1$. We compare the bounds with the known numerical values of $C_c$.

Long pulse operation in magnetic fusion devices requires well controlled plasma power exhaust to the divertor & wall, and avoidance of wall hot spots that could evolve in wall damage. At WEST, 10 major plasma facing components are monitored using 10 series of temperature/power indicators, based on multiple diagnostic systems, among which the infrared viewing system is especially relevant. These indicators span from the most basic ones (temperatures, power and energy from deterministic models) to advanced processes using artificial intelligence acquired through machine learning. Some advanced processes do operate in real time, and feedback on power actuators through the plasma control system, providing active control toward remaining within the safe operational domain. Other advanced processes intervene as forensic tools post discharge to identify possible dangerous situations regarding the power loading to the wall, so that the discharge run plan is adjusted to avoid running into aggravating wall events. No critical wall power event happened during the campaigns C9 to C11 (2024-2025), totalling about 13h of plasma, that would have affected the campaign plan. While it cannot be demonstrated that the active & intelligent wall protection enabled the new plasma duration record of 1337 seconds, the wall protection system as a whole plausibly contributed to obtaining these record durations by preventing wall hot spots to become critical during the campaigns.

While the Bloch sphere provides a canonical geometric representation for qubits, its generalization to pure qudit states ($d>2$) is not unique. This representation can be extended following two different approaches: increasing the number of points, as in the Majorana representation, or using a single point but in a space of larger dimension, as in the generalized Bloch representation. In this work, we compare these representations of pure qudit states by finding explicit analytical relations between them. In particular, a general formula of the Bloch vector in terms of the Majorana points of a given state is provided. We also analyze some suitable extensions of these representations in the case of pure permutation-symmetric two- and three-qubit states, deriving the corresponding relation between them. These analytical results allow us to study, from a geometric point of view, quantum correlations of special classes of two-qubit states.

In deep learning, approximation theory motivates increasing representation size. We ask whether this benefit extends to dynamics learning through autoregressive prediction. We analyze the learned time evolution through the eigenstructure of Koopman operators, using relative residuals to detect spurious eigenpairs arising even as one-step error falls. For bounded Koopman operators, we show that minimal residuals over learned dictionary spaces converge pointwise to their full-space counterparts as these spaces approximate the observable space in $L^2$. Our hypothesis is that Koopman spectral reliability helps explain how consistently rollout error decreases with increasing dimension. We compare two models of a shared Koopman autoencoder trained alternately for reconstruction and latent evolution, using latent-prediction loss (one-step prediction errors in latent coordinates) or spectral-residual loss (relative residuals of candidate eigenpairs). Across six chaotic systems, both models reduced median windowed rollout error from smallest to largest dimension. The spectral-residual model achieved lower medians than the latent-prediction model for all systems and dimensions, and its median fell by a larger factor in every system. Its median decreased monotonically with dimension in four systems, against one for latent prediction. Against four baseline families, its mean valid prediction times were nearly always longer. At the largest dimension under two-stage training, we compared eigenvalue positions with each learned dictionary's residual contours. Spectral-residual eigenvalues concentrated in low-residual regions, whereas latent-prediction eigenvalues also appeared in high-residual regions, consistent with the hypothesis.

In quantum mechanics, among the proposals for how to compute the probability distribution of detection time and place along a given spatial surface or in a given volume, two leading candidates involve absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) and complex absorbing potentials (CAPs) for the Schrödinger equation. Here, we extend earlier results on how the two are related. It was previously shown that ABCs arise as a limiting case of CAPs, but for that a (reflecting) Neumann boundary condition was assumed at the end of the region with the CAP. Here, we obtain ABCs in a different limit using a Dirichlet boundary condition at the end of the CAP region, which seems more practically relevant and realizable.

One of the challenging components of modern lattice-QCD computations of the leading hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the muon $(g-2)_\mu$ is the isospin-breaking correction due to electromagnetism. Dominated by long distances, this correction suffers from severe signal-to-noise issues and finite-volume effects. To provide infinite-volume benchmarks for various quark-level Wick contractions, we estimate their sizes phenomenologically at the physical point, using a previously developed vector-meson-dominance model. The pion contributions in this model sum to around $-7.1\times 10^{-10}$, dominated by the electromagnetic pion mass shift. The ultraviolet-finite (2+2)a ("dumbbell") contraction accounts for approximately two thirds of this model sum; for both, about 30% comes from Euclidean times beyond 2.8 fm.

Achieving and quantifying ultrastrong magnon-magnon coupling (USC) remains a key challenge for quantum magnonics. Here, we demonstrate widely tunable USC between chiral (right- and left-handed) and acoustic or optical magnon modes in the van der Waals antiferromagnet $CrPS_4$. Using a full quantum model, we decompose the interaction into three microscopic interaction channels: the co-rotating term $g_1$ (mode hybridization), the counter-rotating term $g_2$ (two-mode squeezing), and, uniquely in the chiral regime, the self-squared term $g_3$ that mediates single-mode squeezing. The normalized coupling ratio reaches $g/f_g$ $\sim$ 0.41, entering the USC regime. Most significantly, we establish a complete protocol linking these USC parameters to a measurable quantum phenomenon: a squeezed magnon vacuum state. Our simulations not only visualize the chirality and polarization evolution of the hybrid modes but also demonstrate how to directly extract quadrature fluctuations and a substantial squeezing factor (up to $\sim$ 9.7 dB) from thermal noise-driven magnetization dynamics. This work provides a material-specific quantum framework for USC and a practical pathway to detect and exploit non-classical magnon states in low-damping two-dimensional magnets, opening a route toward quantum-enhanced spintronics and hybrid quantum information platforms.

We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first controlled, like-for-like experimental mapping of how four practical design parameters–seed-cavity topology, seed power, amplifier pumping geometry, and seed-cavity free spectral range (FSR)–jointly shape the radio-frequency (RF)-resolved relative intensity noise (RIN) of high-power continuous-wave (CW) Yb-doped fiber lasers. We compare a standalone bidirectional fiber Bragg grating (FBG) oscillator, an FBG-seeded master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA), and unidirectional ring-seeded MOPAs with FSRs of approximately 11.5 and 5 MHz, all near 1064 nm at a common 72 W output, with RIN measured from 10 kHz to 1 GHz. Across all settings, the low-frequency RIN is technical-noise limited and nearly architecture-independent, whereas RIN above 160 kHz is governed by the seed-cavity topology and its transfer through the amplifier. Higher seed power suppresses the mid- and high-frequency RIN, but the seed-alone and amplified-output comparison reveals opposite transfer for the two topologies: for FBG seeding the 2 MHz-1 GHz RMS RIN increases through amplification (3.66 percent to 4.14 percent at 15 W seed), whereas for ring seeding it decreases (1.47 percent to 1.35 percent). Forward pumping gives the best power-scaling/noise trade-off, while reducing the ring FSR from approximately 11.5 to 5 MHz preserves the high-frequency RIN advantage, confirming it is not a mode-spacing effect. At matched conditions, ring seeding lowers the integrated RMS RIN by 2-3 times (160 kHz-2 MHz) and approximately 3 times (2 MHz-1 GHz, approximately 9-10 dB to near -127.4 dBc/Hz). These results yield band-resolved design rules linking each band to its dominant lever. The unidirectional ring-seeded MOPA thus offers a simple, scalable route to broadband pump-RIN suppression for nonlinear and frequency-conversion photonics.

Extra spatial dimensions arise naturally in theories beyond four-dimensional general relativity (GR), but direct observational evidence remains elusive. Gravitational waves offer a distinctive probe: geometric projection onto the observable three-dimensional spatial subspace can produce apparent tensor, vector, and scalar polarizations. We consider one additional spatial dimension and a two-mode tensor-wave ansatz for which the projected polarization components are fixed linear combinations of the same two underlying GR tensor waveforms. These components enter the measured strain through the standard detector antenna patterns. A frequency-domain Bayesian analysis of five compact-binary events constrains two rotation angles for two noncommuting orderings of rotations that preserve propagation within the observed subspace. Two events are further analyzed for four orderings that allow propagation to tilt into the extra dimension. For GW250114, the maximum GR quantiles among the tested rotation orderings are $Q_{\mathrm{GR}}\simeq0.6\%$ for the two-angle fits and $Q^{\mathrm{marg}}_{\mathrm{GR}}\simeq4.6\%$ for the three-angle fits after marginalizing over the third angle. Across the full event sample, the GR reference point lies inside the estimated 90% highest-posterior-density region in every case.

Using notions from graded Poisson geometry, we develop a framework that allows for concise formulations of field theories such as Einstein-Cartan and Palatini-Cartan gravity. We show that Einstein-Cartan gravity is equivalent to a variant of Palatini-Cartan gravity in which the vielbein fields are constrained to satisfy appropriate symmetry relations, which we refer to as constrained vielbein gravity. To that end, we relate these theories via a diffeomorphism of graded manifolds. We then show how to obtain the full Palatini-Cartan theory by removing the symmetry constraint. Finally, we show how our graded geometric framework allows for a direct incorporation of the minimal BV extension of the graded constrained vielbein and Palatini-Cartan theories.

Searches for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) are powerful tools to probe physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). This chapter provides a comprehensive survey of CLFV theory, focusing primarily on low-energy muon and tau transitions while outlining complementary searches from high-energy colliders. Grounded in the Effective Field Theory (EFT) framework, we systematically review key observables including radiative and purely leptonic decays of muon and tau as well as $\mu\to e$ conversion in nuclei and $\tau$ hadronic decay channels. CLFV involving light new physics particles is also discussed. This review captures the modern synergy between EFTs, novel light-mediator scenarios, and hadronic and nuclear physics in the ongoing hunt for BSM signals.

Conclusive identification of an altermagnetic state requires going beyond mere symmetry arguments. We illustrate this in a combined computational and experimental study of the rutile-like material CuF$_2$, which is on the list of predicted altermagnets. Using ab initio and linear spin-wave calculations supplied by magnetization measurements, we show that CuF$_2$ in its experimental monoclinic structure can be described by a spin-$\frac12$ model of weakly coupled square-lattice layers with the in-plane coupling $J_1\simeq 115$ K and two synergistic antiferromagnetic interplane couplings amounting to 4% and 8% of $J_1$, respectively. Driven by long-range superexchange, these interlayer couplings are oblique to the square planes, resulting in the unit-cell doubling in the magnetically ordered state, thus effectively suppressing any altermagnetic band splitting. Concurrently, we identify unusually strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, $|\mathbf D|/J_1\simeq 0.3$, that produce spin canting and, together with order-by-disorder effect, pin the Néel vector to the crystallographic $b$-axis. Additionally, DM anisotropy promotes magnon band splitting, but these bands remain non-chiral. Our results highlight the importance of relativistic effects even in $3d$ magnets with altermagnetic symmetries.

The strength of a polymer network is orders of magnitude below that of a polymer chain, because the network concentrates high tension in a small fraction of polymer strands. Here we show that the strength of a network can be greatly amplified by recruiting a larger fraction of strands to bear high tension. We develop approaches to fabricate hydrogels of exceptional strength while maintaining low hysteresis. The strength of the hydrogel increases from ~0.05 MPa for a regular network, to ~1 MPa for a highly entangled network, and further to ~10 MPa for a prestretched interpenetrating network. Similar amplifications of strength are achieved for elastomers. Furthermore, experimental data suggest a scaling relation between strength and strand length. This work provides design principles for creating elastic and strong polymer networks.

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are widely regarded as the primary sources of Galactic cosmic ray acceleration and the particles are energized at the shock front of SNRs through the diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) mechanism, gaining energy by repeatedly crossing the shock. Magnetic turbulence plays a crucial role in scattering these particles back and forth, making the investigation of turbulence essential to understanding the acceleration process. In this study, we apply the two-point correlation method to derive the magnetic energy spectrum from the non-thermal X-ray flux image of Tycho's SNR. This image was obtained using Poissonian-based Generalized Morphological Component Analysis (pGMCA). The turbulence length scale observed in the resulting spectrum is shorter than the turbulence scale derived from previous studies of radio observations of Tycho's SNR. Additionally, we use the X-ray rim thickness measured across Tycho which is an indicator of magnetic field strength to estimate the magnetic energy spectrum. The turbulence scale inferred from this method is consistent with that obtained from the non-thermal X-ray flux analysis.

We develop a family of control protocols for finite-time transitions between active nonequilibrium steady states using the noise-color (correlation rate) as the sole control parameter. By reverse-engineering the second moment dynamics of an active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, we determine the time-dependent correlation rate required to realize a prescribed evolution of the system's state. We experimentally implement these protocols with a micrometer-sized optically trapped particle coupled to an engineered active bath, demonstrating transitions substantially faster than the natural relaxation while keeping the confining potential, noise amplitude, and temperature fixed. Our approach extends engineered swift-equilibration methods to far-from-equilibrium steady states by directly controlling the temporal correlations of an active environment. We show how physical constraints impose a speed limit on finite-time transitions, while the freedom in choosing the prescribed system evolution can be exploited to eliminate control discontinuities, minimize the admissible transition time, or optimize a thermodynamic cost.

Prussian Blue (Fe-PBA) and its Co and Ni analogues (Co-PBA and Ni-PBA) were synthesized by an additive-free aqueous co-precipitation route using K$_4$[Fe(CN)$_6$] and FeCl$_3$, CoCl$_2$, or NiCl$_2$, respectively. The three powders were systematically compared by X-ray diffraction, ATR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, FEG-SEM/EDS, and TG/SDTA. All compositions exhibit the characteristic cubic cyanide-bridged PBA framework, with apparent lattice parameters of 10.10 +/- 0.02, 10.01 +/- 0.02, and 10.10 +/- 0.03 Angstrom for Fe-PBA, Co-PBA, and Ni-PBA, respectively. The dominant C$\equiv$N stretching band in ATR-FTIR shifts from 2062 to 2071 and 2087 cm$^{-1}$ across the Fe-Co-Ni series, indicating composition-dependent changes in the local cyanide environment. Fe-PBA contains less potassium than the Co- and Ni-containing powders and exhibits a substantially larger low-temperature mass loss. Sharp reflections assigned to crystalline KCl are observed in all three diffraction patterns, while additional unassigned reflections in Ni-PBA indicate the presence of at least one further crystalline phase. These results show that differences among Fe-, Co-, and Ni-based PBAs cannot be attributed solely to transition-metal identity, as precursor oxidation state and washing efficiency also influence the composition and thermal response of the resulting powders.

We present an X-ray analysis of the supernova remnant (SNR) MSH 15-52 associated with the young rotation-powered pulsar PSR B1509-58, using Chandra, XMM-Newton, and eROSITA, complemented by MeerKAT radio data. We report the discovery of the missing southern counterpart to the bright northern RCW 89 region and identify a foreground X-ray source that may be a previously unidentified SNR candidate. Imaging and spectroscopy with XMM-Newton and eROSITA reveal the shell properties of MSH 15-52 and suggest that both the southern and northern shell-like structures are consistent with shocked interstellar medium associated with the forward shock, while their low ionization timescales and possible hard power-law components indicate possible influence from particle injection or additional heating by the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) jets. New Chandra spectral maps of the southern jet reveal a region of hard non-thermal emission, with a photon index of approximately 1.6, suggesting interaction between the PWN and the reverse shock and possible re-acceleration of the pulsar outflow. Spatially resolved spectroscopy of the RCW 89 northern clumps reveals high-velocity, metal-rich ejecta with enhanced Ne and Mg abundances. Comparison with core-collapse nucleosynthesis models favors a massive progenitor with an initial mass of approximately 29 solar masses in one-dimensional yield models, while asymmetric explosion models show that lower-mass progenitors can also reproduce the observed abundance ratios. Our study supports a picture in which RCW 89 is part of a larger asymmetric SNR shell interacting with energetic pulsar jets, making the system a valuable laboratory for probing pulsar-PWN-SNR interaction.

A lazy cellular automaton $\tau:A^G\to A^G$ is determined by a finite neighborhood $S\subseteq G$ containing the group identity $e$, a pattern $p\in A^S$, and a writing symbol $a\in A\setminus\{p(e)\}$: its local rule is equal to the projection to $e$ except when it reads the pattern $p$, in which case it writes $a$. For a nonempty subset $T$ of the fiber $S_a:= p^{-1}(a)$, we introduce compatibility conditions on $p$ along the right translates $St$, $t\in T$. We show that, over every group, the existence of a compatible set is necessary for $\tau$ to be non-idempotent, and that it is also sufficient whenever $st = ts$ for all $t \in S_a$, $s \in S_{p(e)}$. In particular, compatibility characterizes non-idempotence over abelian groups, which reduces deciding idempotence to a search over subsets of $S_a$. Finally, for every dihedral group $D_n$ with $n\geq 4$, we construct an idempotent lazy cellular automaton that admits a compatible set, showing that the commutation hypothesis cannot simply be dropped.

Altermagnetism, characterized by compensated collinear magnetic moments in real space and momentum-dependent spin splitting with even-parity symmetry, has recently emerged as a distinct form of magnetic order beyond the conventional ferro- and antiferromagnetic paradigms. However, realizing odd- and mixed-parity magnetism in fully compensated collinear magnets remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate that light irradiation can induce odd- and mixed-parity magnetism in conventional collinear antiferromagnets. Taking monolayer CoS and CoSe as representative systems, and combining Floquet theory with first-principles calculations, we show that circularly polarized light (CPL) induces odd-parity $f$-wave spin splitting, whereas elliptically polarized light (EPL) induces odd-parity $p$-wave spin splitting. Uniaxial strain combined with CPL provides an alternative route to realizing the $p$-wave state. More remarkably, applying an electric field together with CPL or EPL transforms the spin splitting into mixed-parity forms. The light-induced breaking of $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry, together with spin-orbit coupling, further gives rise to a finite anomalous Hall response. Our work establishes a versatile strategy for engineering odd- and mixed-parity spin splitting in compensated antiferromagnets, offering a route toward light-controlled electronic and magnetic phenomena.

Flare activity in red giants is quite common when continuously monitored with high-precision space photometry. In fact, the most powerful flares, also known as "superflares" have been observed on red giant stars. KIC 2852961 is a red giant star producing the highest-energy flares in the Kepler field, and is also known for its large-amplitude starspot-induced light variations. Our goal is to find out what causes the extreme flare activity and flare energies in this star. For our investigations, we use ground-based spectroscopic measurements and space photometric data, which we process using standard tools. We also collect relevant data from databases of large surveys such as Gaia. Our new radial velocity data confirm that the red giant star is part of a close binary system, in which tidal forces play a crucial role in controlling the evolution of the binary system. Our results show that tidal evolution has driven the system close to orbital circularization and rotational synchronization, but it did not completely constrain the differential rotation of the red giant, in which the magnetic dynamo can operate extremely efficiently. We find that high-energy (super)flares are primarily controlled by the internal magnetic activity of the active giant component, rather than phase-dependent interactions with the secondary star. The large spot-induced rotational light modulations indicate extensive starspots that can store enormous amounts of magnetic energy. This provides the conditions for the formation of extremely large flares, confirming the close relationship between large spot coverage and high flare energies and/or frequency. Behind all this, differential rotation may play a dual role in the flare activity of KIC 2852961: it contributes both to the formation of large starspots and to the shearing and twisting of coronal magnetic fields that can power energetic superflares.

We present calculations of nuclear shielding constants, a key ingredient in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, within a quantum-computing-suitable framework. We employ quantum linear response (qLR) theory in combination with the unitary coupled cluster (UCC) ansatz and its orbital-optimized (oo-UCC), factorized (fUCC), and orbital-optimized factorized (oo-fUCC) variants. The methods are assessed for seven small molecules against CASCI, CASSCF, CCSD, and CCSD(T) reference calculations. The different UCC-based qLR approaches yield shielding constants in good agreement with comparable classical methods. Factorization, which is necessary for quantum-computing implementations, has only a negligible effect on the calculated shielding constants. Orbital optimization, in contrast, leads to substantial improvements, with oo-UCC and oo-fUCC showing markedly better agreement with CCSD and CCSD(T). Our results establish oo-fUCC combined with qLR as a promising approach for computing nuclear shielding constants on quantum computers.

In this study, we revisit Lorenz's pioneering concept of analogues to investigate error growth and predictability in fully developed turbulence using experimental data. By applying the method to a 1D turbulent velocity time series, we successfully identify the three error growth regimes intuited by Lorenz and later formalized by turbulence theory: the chaotic exponential regime, the algebraic regime of spontaneous stochasticity, and the saturation regime. Our analysis reveals that the Lyapunov exponent and the exponent of the algebraic regime depend on the initial error. We interpret this dependence as a statistical bias induced by the intermittency of turbulence, where rare events, characterized by lower Lyapunov exponents and more singular velocity increments, are preferentially sampled when considering larger initial errors. These findings not only validate Lorenz's qualitative intuition but also provide new quantitative insights into the predictability of turbulent flows, paving the way for potential applications in the prediction of extreme events.

Motivated by the recent JUNO indication favoring normal neutrino mass ordering, we study two realizations of the minimally modified Frampton–Glashow–Yanagida (MMFGY) framework in the minimal type-I seesaw with two right-handed neutrinos. Both retain one exact Yukawa texture zero, supplemented by either a single physical CP-violating phase or a remnant CP symmetry. The explicit-CP realization yields twelve high-energy Yukawa configurations that reduce to three low-energy classes, with correlated CP phases and predictions for neutrinoless double-beta decay. In both realizations, a strongly suppressed second Yukawa entry can emerge, although the full-matrix hierarchy remains moderate in the quasi-degenerate regime. We analyze leptogenesis for a non-degenerate benchmark, quasi-degenerate TeV-scale right-handed neutrinos, and lower masses where coherent production, oscillations, and electroweak sphaleron freeze-out become important. Successful leptogenesis is obtained across a broad range of the scanned benchmarks, with increased sensitivity to the initial right-handed-neutrino abundance at the lowest mass scale. Requiring successful leptogenesis restricts the allowed phases while preserving the possibility of an approximate second zero. The two realizations exhibit distinct approximate-zero patterns and leptogenesis predictions, demonstrating how different restrictions on the high-energy Yukawa structure affect baryogenesis.

We compute the entanglement entropy of quantum matter in spacetimes with a Killing horizon entirely on-shell, by integrating the first law of thermodynamics along a one-parameter family of equilibrium backgrounds labelled by the Hawking temperature. This yields a closed expression in terms of the renormalized stress-energy tensor and the Killing vector, finite by construction, with no replicas and no conical singularities. Its covariant form agrees with the matter terms of the Bardeen–Carter–Hawking mass variation formula. We show in details that for static patch of de Sitter space and for the non-rotating BTZ black hole it reproduces the conical entropy exactly, contact term $Q$ included.

LM26 is a magnetized target fusion experiment built to demonstrate compressional heating of a plasma with a collapsing solid lithium liner. We report the design of a Thomson scattering diagnostic for LM26 and measurements from the LMC-12 compression shot where an electron temperature of $1090 \pm 40 \rm{eV}$ was measured with high confidence. The LM26 Thomson scattering diagnostic can measure temperature during compression at 8 times and 2 spatial points. Access limitations restricted the design to narrow f/30 views, and a forward scattering configuration with scattering angles < 20deg. The small solid angle of the scattered light view is largely compensated for by the 10 times increase in the density during compression to $> 10^{20}\rm{m}^{-3}$. Measuring at a small scattering angle significantly narrows the Thomson spectral broadening of the laser line. The narrow spectrum (1030-1063 nm) is advantageous for the design of optical components and to minimize noise from plasma background light. UKAEA polychromators specialized for small broadening measurements were used to analyze the scattered light. Results are also presented for an uncompressed plasma preceding LMC-12. Stray light was not a significant source of error. This design provides a strong design basis for Thomson scattering systems on future LM26 configurations.