Tue·Feb 18, 2025Tuesday·February 18, 2025

1. 01*

   Complex potential and open system applications in heavy-ions and cold atoms

   Yukinao Akamatsu🇯🇵

   Since the discovery of the complex potential of quarkonium at high temperatures, quarkonium has been regarded as an open quantum system in the quark-gluon plasma. Recently, a similar issue regarding in-medium bound states of impurities has also emerged in particle physics and cold atomic physics. We will provide an overview of recent advancements in understanding key quantities such as complex potential and transport coefficients for heavy impurities in finite temperature QCD and cold atomic systems.

   hep-phcond-mat.quant-gashep-exnucl-thPoS(2025)·0 citations
2. 02*

   Impact of lattice gluon dataset on CTEQ-TEA global PDFs

   Alim Ablat🇨🇳 · Sayipjamal Dulat🇨🇳 · Tie-Jiun Hou🇨🇳 · Huey-Wen Lin🇺🇸 · Keping Xie🇺🇸 · C.-P. Yuan🇺🇸

   We investigate the impact of the latest gluon parton results from lattice QCD on the global parton distribution function (PDF) analysis within the CTEQ-TEA framework. The dependence on PDF parameterization is explored using the CT18As variant, incorporating the ATLAS 7 TeV precision $W,Z$ dataset and introducing more flexible parameters to allow strangeness asymmetry at the starting scale $Q_0$. The interplay between lattice input and collider inclusive jet datasets is examined by including the post-CT18 inclusive jet datasets from recent LHC measurements and/or removing all collider inclusive jet datasets. Finally, we demonstrate several phenomenological implications at the LHC, focusing on gluon-gluon parton luminosity and related processes, such as the production of a Higgs-like scalar, top-quark pairs, and their associated production with an additional jet, Higgs, or $Z$ boson.

   hep-phhep-exhep-lat4 citations
3. 03*

   Tensor interaction in coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering

   Jiajun Liao🇨🇳 · Jian Tang🇨🇳 · Bing-Long Zhang🇨🇳

   Neutrino tensor interactions have gained prominence in the study of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) recently. We perform a systematical examination of the nuclear effect, which plays a crucial role in evaluating the cross section of CE$\nu$NS in the presence of tensor interactions. Our analysis reveals that the CE$\nu$NS cross section induced by tensor interactions is not entirely nuclear spin-suppressed and can be enhanced by a few orders of magnitude compared to the conventional studies. The neutrino magnetic moment induced by the loop effect of tensor interactions, is also taken into account due to its sizable contribution to the CE$\nu$NS cross section. We also employ data from the COHERENT experiment and recent observations of solar ${}^8$B neutrinos from dark matter direct detection experiments to scrutinize the parameter space of neutrino tensor interactions.

   hep-phhep-exPRD(2025)·6 citations
4. 04*

   Triply heavy tetraquark states with different flavors

   Hui-Min Yang🇨🇳 · Yao Ma🇨🇳 · Wei-Lin Wu🇨🇳 · Shi-Lin Zhu🇨🇳

   We investigate the $S$-wave triply heavy tetraquark systems, including the $Q{Q}^{(\prime )}{\bar{Q}}^{(\prime )}\bar{q}$ and $Q{Q}^{(\prime )}{\bar{Q}}^{(\prime )}\bar{s}$ configurations ($Q^{(\prime )}=c,b$, $q=u,d$) with spin-parity $J^P=0^{+}$, $1^{+}$, and $2^{+}$, within the framework of the constituent quark model. We construct the wave functions for these systems, incorporating complete color-spin wave functions and spatial wave functions with three different Jacobi coordinate configurations. We use complex scaling and Gaussian expansion method to solve the complex-scaled four-body Schrödinger equation and obtain possible exotic states. To analyze the spatial properties of the tetraquark states, we compute the root-mean-square (rms) radii, which help distinguish between meson-molecular and compact tetraquark states. We find that there do not exist any bound states in the $Q{Q}^{(\prime )}{\bar{Q}}^{(\prime )}\bar{q}$ and $Q{Q}^{(\prime )}{\bar{Q}}^{(\prime )}\bar{s}$ systems. However, we identify a possible molecular resonant state $T_{3c,2}(5819)$ in the $cc\bar{c}\bar{q}$ system with spin-parity $J^P=2^{+}$, which lies slightly above the $J/\psi D^{\ast }(2S)$ threshold and has a large rms radius around 2.2 fm. Furthermore, we obtain a series of compact resonant states, some of which exhibit spatial structure similar to the tritium atom in QED, where the light quark circles around the cluster of three heavy quarks. The lowest resonant state in the triply heavy systems has a mass of $5634$ MeV, a width of $16$ MeV and spin-parity $J^P=1^{+}$. We suggest searching for this state in the $J/\psi D$, ${\eta }_c{D}^{\ast }$, and $J/\psi D^{\ast }$ decay channels.

   hep-phPRD(2025)·12 citations
5. 05*

   Impact of unitarity violation on sensitivity of the leptonic CP phase at Hyper-Kamiokande and DUNE

   Ana Maria Garcia Trzeciak🇧🇷 · Hiroshi Nunokawa🇧🇷 · Alexander Arguello Quiroga🇧🇷

   We study the impact of unitarity violation on the sensitivity of the leptonic CP phase, ${\delta }_{CP}$, considering the next generation of long-baseline neutrino experiments, Hyper-Kamiokande and DUNE. By simulating near and far detectors and assuming different scenarios for non-unitarity, we verify how it can affect the sensitivity to measure the ${\delta }_{CP}$ violating phase. We also probe the capability of these experiments to constrain the non-unitarity parameters and how their capability could be improved if the impact of non-unitarity at both near and the far detectors were properly taken into account. We find that the Hyper-Kamiokande experiment is robust in the presence of non-unitarity mixing, achieving a sensitivity above $5\sigma$ for our all considered cases. On the other hand, DUNE suffers somewhat more impact due to unitarity violation, reaching a sensitivity below 5$\sigma$ for some values of ${\delta }_{CP}$. However, depending on the scenario adopted for non-unitarity, DUNE demonstrates robustness in the sensitivity to ${\delta }_{CP}$ phase.

   hep-phJHEP(2025)·4 citations
6. 06*

   Prospects for supersymmetry at high luminosity LHC

   Howard Baer🇺🇸 · Vernon Barger🇺🇸 · Jessica Bolich🇺🇸 · Juhi Dutta🇺🇸 · Dakotah Martinez🇺🇸 · Shadman Salam🇧🇩 · Dibyashree Sengupta🇮🇹 · Kairui Zhang🇺🇸

   Weak scale supersymmetry (SUSY) is highly motivated in that it provides a 't Hooft technically natural solution to the gauge hierarchy problem. However, recent strong limits from superparticle searches at LHC Run 2 may exacerbate a so-called Little Hierarchy problem (LHP) which is a matter of practical naturalness: why is m_{weak}<< m_{soft}? We review recent LHC and WIMP dark matter search bounds as well as their impact on a variety of proposed SUSY models: gravity-, gauge-, anomaly-, mirage- and gaugino-mediation along with some dark matter proposals such as well-tempered neutralinos. We address the naturalness question. We also address the emergence of the string landscape at the beginning of the 21st century and its impact on expectations for SUSY. Rather generally, the string landscape statistically prefers large soft SUSY breaking terms but subject to the anthropic requirement that the derived value of the weak scale for each pocket universe (PU) within the greater multiverse lies with the ABDS window of values. This {\it stringy natural} (SN) approach implies m_h~ 125 GeV more often than not with sparticles beyond or well-beyond present LHC search limits. We review detailed reach calculations of the high-lumi LHC (HL-LHC) for non-universal Higgs mass models which present perhaps the most plausible realization of SUSY from the string landscape. In contrast to conventional wisdom, from a stringy naturalness point of view, the search for SUSY at LHC has only just begun to explore the interesting regimes of parameter space. We comment on how non-universal Higgs models could be differentiated from other expressions of natural SUSY such as natural anomaly-mediation and natural mirage mediation at HL-LHC.

   hep-phRMP(2025)·18 citations
7. 07*

   RG-stable parameter relations of a scalar field theory in absence of a symmetry

   Howard E. Haber🇺🇸 · P. M. Ferreira🇵🇹

   The stability of tree-level relations among the parameters of a quantum field theory with respect to renormalization group (RG) running is typically explained by the existence of a symmetry. We examine a toy model of a quantum field theory of two real scalars in which a tree-level relation among the squared-mass parameters of the scalar potential appears to be RG-stable without the presence of an appropriate underlying symmetry. The stability of this relation with respect to renormalization group running can be explained by complexifying the original scalar field theory. It is then possible to exhibit a symmetry that guarantees the relations of relevant beta functions of squared-mass parameters of the complexified theory. Among these relations, we can identify equations that are algebraically identical to the corresponding equations that guarantee the stability of the relations among the squared-mass parameters of the original real scalar field theory where the symmetry of the complexified theory is no longer present.

   hep-phhep-thEPJC(2025)·10 citations
8. 08*

   Branching fraction, $CP$ asymmetry, and polarization in $B\to \rho \rho$ decays with the modified perturbative QCD approach

   Ru-Xuan Wang🇨🇳 · Mao-Zhi Yang🇨🇳

   In this work, we examine the observables associated with the $B\to \rho \rho$ decays, including branching fractions, $CP$ asymmetry parameters, and longitudinal polarization fractions in the perturbative QCD (PQCD) approach with a few improvements. The essential distinction between this study and previous works lies in the introduction of an infrared cutoff at the critical scale ${\mu }_c$, which is approximately at the scale of $1\text{GeV}$. The contributions above the critical scale are calculated using the PQCD approach, consistent with earlier studies, while the contributions below the scale ${\mu }_c$ are regarded as nonperturbative and represented by some soft form factors. In addition, the distribution amplitude of the $B$ meson, derived from the relativistic potential model, and the contributions from the color-octet quark-antiquark components are also taken into account. With these modifications, we find that the theoretical results agree well with the experimental measurements for most observables, the introduction of the infrared cutoff enhances the reliability of the perturbation calculations, and the color-octet contributions play a key role in explaining the experimental data.

   hep-phJ.Phys.G(2025)·1 citation
9. 09*

   Heavy-flavor multimodal fragmentation to $S$-wave pentacharms at next-generation hadron colliders

   Francesco Giovanni Celiberto🇪🇸

   We investigate the leading-power fragmentation of fully charmed pentaquark states ($S$-wave $|c\bar{c}ccc⟩$ pentacharms) at hadron colliders. We introduce a new set of multimodal collinear fragmentation functions, named PQ5Q1.0. They rely on an enhanced calculation of the initial-scale input for the constituent heavy-quark fragmentation channel, making them well suited to describe the short-distance emission of either a compact multicharm state or a dicharm-charm-dicharm configuration. To explore phenomenological implications, we use the (sym)JETHAD multimodular interface to study NLL/NLO${}^{+}$ semi-inclusive production rates for pentacharm-plus-jet systems at the forthcoming HL-LHC and the future FCC. Our analysis represents a further step toward bridging the domains of hadronic structure, precision QCD, and exotic matter.

   hep-phhep-exhep-thnucl-ex+1EPJC(2025)·15 citations
10. 10*

    Contributions of $\rho (770,1450)\to \omega \pi$ for the Cabibbo-favored $D\to h\omega \pi$ decays

    Wen-Fei Wang🇨🇳 · Jiao-Yuan Xu🇨🇳 · Si-Hong Zhou🇨🇳 · Pan-Pan Shi🇪🇸

    Recently, the BESIII Collaboration has observed the three-body decays $D_s^{+}\to \eta \omega {\pi }^{+}$, $D^{+}\to K_S^0{\pi }^{+}\omega$ and $D^0\to K^{-}{\pi }^{+}\omega$. In this work, we investigate the contributions of the subprocesses ${\rho }^{+}\to \omega {\pi }^{+}$ in these Cabibbo-favored decays $D\to h\omega \pi$, with ${\rho }^{+}=\{\rho (770{)}^{+},\rho (1450{)}^{+},\rho (770{)}^{+}\&\rho (1450{)}^{+}\}$ and $h=\{\eta ,K_S^0,K^{-}\}$, by introducing these subprocesses into the decay amplitudes of relevant decay processes via the vector form factor $F_{\omega \pi }$ which has measured in the related $\tau$ and $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ processes; we provide the first theoretical predictions for the branching fractions of the quasi-two-body decays $D_s^{+}\to \eta [{\rho }^{+}\to ]\omega {\pi }^{+}$, $D^{+}\to K_S^0[{\rho }^{+}\to ]\omega {\pi }^{+}$ and $D^0\to K^{-}[{\rho }^{+}\to ]\omega {\pi }^{+}$. Our findings reveal that the contributions from the subprocess $\rho (770{)}^{+}\to \omega {\pi }^{+}$ are significant in these observed three-body decays $D_s^{+}\to \eta \omega {\pi }^{+}$, $D^{+}\to K_S^0\omega {\pi }^{+}$ and $D^0\to K^{-}\omega {\pi }^{+}$, notwithstanding the contributions originating from the Breit-Wigner tail effect of $\rho (770{)}^{+}$. The numerical results of this study suggest that the dominant resonance contributions for the three-body decays $D_s^{+}\to \eta \omega {\pi }^{+}$ and $D^{+}\to K_S^0\omega {\pi }^{+}$ are originated from the $P$-wave intermediate states $\rho (770{)}^{+}$, $\rho (1450{)}^{+}$ and their interference effects.

    hep-phCPC(2026)·5 citations
11. 11*

    Weak mixing angle under $\text{U}(1,3)$ colored gravity

    Robert Monjo🇪🇸

    Colored gravity, based on $\text{U}(1,3)$ symmetry, emerges naturally in the complexification of Lorentzian manifolds and integrates U(1) electromagnetism as a subcase. This work explores the viability of also including strong and electroweak interactions under the $\text{U}(1,3)$ gauge group of colored gravity. We identify specific generators linked to leptonic and quark interactions and embed the standard Higgs mechanism. Crucially, the weak mixing angle (${\sin }^2{\theta }_W$) is predicted to exhibit about $\sim 0.231$ for lepton-lepton interactions (close to observations) and $\sim 0.222$ for hadron-lepton interactions, which is in 3$\sigma$ tension with some observations. These findings open pathways for reconciling experimental data with colored gravity and suggest avenues for quantum correction studies.

    hep-phgr-qchep-thJHEP(2025)·2 citations
12. 12*

    Probing the sensitivity of semi-visible jets to current LHC measurements using the CONTUR toolkit

    Andy Buckley🇬🇧 · Jon Butterworth🇬🇧 · Louie Corpe🇫🇷 · Caterina Doglioni🇬🇧 · Deepak Kar🇿🇦 · Clarisse Prat🇿🇦 · Sukanya Sinha🇬🇧 · Danielle Wilson-Edwards🇬🇧

    Semi-visible jets arise from a hypothetical, strongly interacting ``dark sector'' -- a dark counterpart of quantum chromodynamics whose partial decays back to Standard Model particles introduce new types of collider BSM signature. CMS and ATLAS have have searched for semi-visible jets in the resonant and non-resonant production modes and set constraints on mediator mass values. In this work, indirect constraints on various model parameters, such as dark hadron masses and coupling strengths, are explored using LHC measurements.

    hep-ph4 citations
13. 13*

    Review of the QCD sum rules for exotic states

    Zhi-Gang Wang🇨🇳

    We review the exotic states, such as the $X$, $Y$, $Z$, $T$ and $P$ states, and present their possible assignments based on the QCD sum rules. We present many predictions which can be confronted to the experimental data in the future to diagnose the exotic states. Furthermore, we also mention other theoretical methods.

    hep-phFront.Phys.(2026)·116 citations
14. 14*

    Flavor dependence of Energy-energy correlators

    Liliana Apolinário🇵🇹 · Raghav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli🇺🇸 · Nuno Olavo Madureira🇵🇹 · Jun-Xing Sheng🇺🇸 · Xin-Nian Wang🇨🇳 · Zhong Yang🇺🇸

    Energy-energy correlators (EECs) within high energy jets serve as a key experimentally accessible quantity to probe the scale and structure of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The CMS Collaboration's first measurement of the modification to the EEC within single inclusive jets in Pb+Pb collisions relative to p+p collisions reveals a significant enhancement at small angles, which may arise from jet transverse momentum $p_T$ selection biases due to jet energy loss. We investigate the dependence of jet EECs on the flavor of the initiating parton. The EEC distribution of a gluon jet is broader and the peak of transition from perturbative to non-perturbative regime occurs at a larger angle than a quark jet. Such flavor dependence leads to the different EECs for $\gamma$-jets and single inclusive jets due to their different flavor composition. It is also responsible for a colliding energy dependence of EECs of single inclusive jets at fixed jet energy. We also investigate the impact of flavor composition variation on the $p_T$ dependence of the jet EEC. We further propose that a change in the gluon jet fraction in A+A collisions compared to p+p can also contribute to a non-negligible enhancement of the medium modified EEC at small angles. Using the \textsc{Jewel} model, we predict the reduction of the gluon jet fraction in A+A collisions and estimate its impact on the EEC.

    hep-phnucl-thPRD(2025)·29 citations
15. 15*

    Electroweak baryogenesis and electron EDM in the TNMSSM

    Xiang Yang🇨🇳 · Ming-Hui Guo🇨🇳 · Jin-Lei Yang🇨🇳 · Qing-Hua Li🇨🇳 · Tai-Fu Feng🇨🇳

    We have studied the impact of CP-violating (CPV) effects on electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG) and the electric dipole moment (EDM) of electron ($d_e$), the electric dipole moment (EDM) of mercury neutron ($d_n$) and the electric dipole moment (EDM) of ($d_{Hg}$) in an extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The model incorporating a $SU(2)$ triplet with hypercharges of $\pm 1$ and a gauge singlet from the standard model that is mutually coupled, is collectively referred to as the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model with triplets (TNMSSM). Furthermore, we discuss the strong first-order phase transition (PT) achieved by this model via tree-level effects. The numerical results indicate that the TNMSSM can account for the observed baryon asymmetry. Additionally, the regions favored by EWBG can be compatible with the corresponding electron EDM bounds when different contributions to the $d_e$ cancel each other out.

    hep-phEPJC(2025)·3 citations
16. 16*

    Analysis of the data on differential cross sections and spin density matrix elements for $\gamma p\to {\rho }^{0}p$

    Ai-Chao Wang🇨🇳 · Neng-Chang Wei🇨🇳 · Fei Huang🇨🇳

    The newly published data on spin density matrix elements from the GlueX Collaboration, along with the previously released differential cross-section data from the CLAS Collaboration and the other two experiments for the $\gamma p\to {\rho }^{0}p$ reaction, are systematically investigated using an effective Lagrangian approach within the tree-level Born approximation. The model combines contributions from $t$-channel meson exchanges ($\pi$, $\eta$, and $f_2$), $s$-channel nucleon ($N$) and nucleon resonance ($N^{\ast }$) exchanges, $u$-channel $N$ exchange, and a generalized contact term to construct the scattering amplitudes. Regge propagators are employed for $t$-channel amplitudes to incorporate the contributions from mesons with various spins lying on the same trajectories. The analysis shows that the background contributions, dominated by the $f_2$-trajectory exchange, provide a satisfactory description of the data in the high-energy and forward-angle regions. The inclusion of specific nucleon resonances, such as $N(2100)1/2^{+}$, $N(2060)5/2^{-}$, or $\Delta (2000)5/2^{+}$, significantly improves the description of the differential cross-section data at near-perpendicular scattering angles in the low-energy region. Predictions of photon beam and target nucleon asymmetries are provided, offering valuable insights to discriminate reaction mechanisms when corresponding data become available in the future.

    hep-phPRC(2025)·9 citations
17. 17*

    Study of the $c\bar{c}s\bar{s}$ system in the chiral quark model

    Xiaoyun Chen🇨🇳 · Yue Tan🇨🇳 · Xuejie Liu🇨🇳 · Jialun Ping🇨🇳

    Recently, a charmonium $X(3960)$ in $B$ decays in the $D_s^{+}{D}_s^{-}$ invariant-mass spectrum is discovered by the LHCb Collaboration with the quantum number $J^{PC}=0^{++}$. Motivated by the discovery, in this work, we systematically investigated the $c\bar{c}s\bar{s}$ tetraquark states with the quantum numbers $J^{PC}=0^{++},1^{++},1^{+-},2^{++}$ in the framework of the chiral quark model(CQM). In our calculations, we considered the meson-meson structure of the tetraquark states and the diquark-antidiquark structure, as well as the channel-coupling of all channels of these two configurations are considered in this work. For example, all color structures including color singlet, hidden color channel, and the mixing of them are also taken into account. The numerical results indicates that no bound states were found in our model. But there exist several resonant states by using the stabilization method, the real scaling method (RSM) so called. Among these states, the $0^{++}$ resonant state with mass 3927 MeV matches very well with the energy of the newly discovered exotic state $X(3960)$ reported by the LHCb collaboration. As a result, our calculations suggest that $X(3960)$ can be interpreted as a $c\bar{c}s\bar{s}$ tetraquark state with quantum number $J^{PC}=0^{++}$. Apart form that, we also find several resonance states with mass 4179 MeV, 4376 MeV with $0^{++}$. For $1^{++}$, there is likely one resonance state in the energy range of 4310$\sim$4336 MeV, along with two resonance states at the energy of 4395 MeV and 4687 MeV, respectively. Besides, two resonance states at 4300 MeV and 4355 MeV for $1^{+-}$, as well as one state at 4788 MeV for $2^{++}$, are found, which are likely to be new exotic states. More experimental data is needed to confirm the existence of these resonance states.

    hep-phPRD(2025)·1 citation
18. 18*

    Exploring the BSM parameter space with Neural Network aided Simulation-Based Inference

    Atrideb Chatterjee🇳🇱 · Arghya Choudhury🇮🇳 · Sourav Mitra🇮🇳 · Arpita Mondal🇮🇳 · Subhadeep Mondal🇮🇳

    Some of the issues that make sampling parameter spaces of various beyond the Standard Model (BSM) scenarios computationally expensive are the high dimensionality of the input parameter space, complex likelihoods, and stringent experimental constraints. In this work, we explore likelihood-free approaches, leveraging neural network-aided Simulation-Based Inference (SBI) to alleviate this issue. We focus on three amortized SBI methods: Neural Posterior Estimation (NPE), Neural Likelihood Estimation (NLE), and Neural Ratio Estimation (NRE) and perform a comparative analysis through the validation test known as the \textit{ Test of Accuracy with Random Points} (TARP), as well as through posterior sample efficiency and computational time. As an example, we focus on the scalar sector of the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric SM (pMSSM) and observe that the NPE method outperforms the others and generates correct posterior distributions of the parameters with a minimal number of samples. The efficacy of this framework is tested on 5 parameter pMSSM with Higgs and flavor physics data and its performance is compared with the MCMC method. We further add dark matter (DM) observables to make the task more challenging and consider a 9 parameter pMSSM. We observe that even though the efficiency factor drops, the amortized SBI method still produces faithful posterior distributions. SBI predicted points satisfying DM constraints are mostly bino-dominated upto $\sim$ 1.5 TeV, and are mostly wino-dominated within the 1.5 - 2 TeV range.

    hep-phhep-exphysics.data-anJHEP(2025)·8 citations
19. 19*

    Probing late-time annihilations of oscillating asymmetric dark matter via rotation curves of galaxies

    Júlia G. Mamprim🇧🇷 · Guillermo Gambini🇧🇷 · Luan B. Arbeletche🇧🇷 · Marcos Olegario🇧🇷 · Vitor de Souza🇧🇷

    In this paper, we explore the Oscillating Asymmetric Dark Matter (OADM) model to address the core-cusp problem, aiming to resolve the discrepancy between the predictions of the $\Lambda \mathrm{CDM}$ cosmological model and the observed dark matter profiles in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. The reactivation of dark matter annihilation during the structure formation epoch is possible if there is a small Majorana mass term that breaks the conservation of dark matter particle number, leading to oscillations between dark matter and its antiparticle. We analyzed the effects of the annihilation mechanism in the galaxy rotation curves of the SPARC and LITTLE THINGS catalogs. We searched for the characteristics of the OADM model which best describes the data. Our results show that the OADM model can successfully turn originally cusp-type halos into core-type ones according to our data sample.

    hep-phPoS(2025)·1 citation
20. 20*

    Non-particle dark matter

    Anne M. Green🇬🇧

    We provide a pedagogical introduction to non-particle dark matter, focused on primordial black holes (PBHs), black holes that may form in the early Universe from large overdensities. First, we outline the key properties of PBHs and how they meet the requirements to be a dark matter candidate. We then overview how PBHs can form, in particular from the collapse of large density perturbations generated by inflation (a proposed period of accelerated expansion in the early Universe). Next, we describe how PBHs can be probed by observations. Finally, we conclude with a summary focused on the key open questions in the field.

    hep-phastro-ph.CO4 citations
21. 21*

    Sullivan process near threshold and the pion gravitational form factors

    Yoshitaka Hatta🇺🇸 · Jakob Schoenleber🇺🇸

    We propose a novel method to experimentally access the gravitational form factors (GFFs) of the charged pion ${\pi }^{+}$ through the Sullivan process in electron-proton scattering. We demonstrate that the cross sections of $J/\psi$-photoproduction and $\varphi$-electroproduction near the respective thresholds are dominated by the gluon GFF of the pion to next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD. We predict cross sections for the Electron-Ion Collider and the Jefferson Lab experiments.

    hep-phhep-exnucl-exPRL(2025)·22 citations
22. 22*

    Exact colour evolution for jet observables

    Jeffrey R. Forshaw🇬🇧 · Simon Plätzer🇦🇹 · Fernando Torre González🇬🇧

    We perform a systematic and comprehensive analysis of sub-leading colour corrections in perturbative QCD processes involving multiple soft gluon emissions. This necessitates going beyond the standard parton shower paradigm in order to incorporate interference effects and is accomplished using the CVolver program, which simulates parton showers at the amplitude level. We can compute cross-sections with full-colour precision and also broken down explicitly in terms of their $N_c$ dependence. In this paper, we focus on the jet cross-section with a veto of additional jets in some fixed region of phase-space, since this is sensitive to wide-angle, soft gluon radiation. We consider $Z\to q\bar{q}$, $H\to gg$, $q\bar{q}\to q\bar{q}$, $qg\to qg$, $gg\to gg$ and $ZZ\to q\bar{q}q\bar{q}$. We find that non-trivial sub-leading colour effects are generally important at the 5 -- 30\% level and much more than this for certain interference contributions. Remarkably, for this observable, we find that for all of the $t$-channel gluon exchange processes that we consider, the strictly leading colour approximation, which includes the replacement $C_F\to C_A/2$, is an excellent approximation to the full colour result (up to an overall colour factor).

    hep-phJHEP(2026)·10 citations
23. 23*

    Gravitational waves from the Axiverse

    Saurav Das🇺🇸 · Francesc Ferrer🇺🇸

    Models with axion like particles (ALPs) often predict the formation of a string-domain wall network in the early universe. We study how such networks of defects appear in the context of string theory, and discuss the conditions for their long-term stability. In a scenario with several axions, we show how a bias term in the potential arises naturally from the effects of multiple instantons, leading to the eventual decay of the domain walls. We find that the annihilation of the network leads to the generation of a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) with a spectrum that has characteristic contributions from both walls and strings. The unique shape of the spectrum provides an opportunity to probe string theory axions at existing and upcoming observatories. The extinction of the network is also accompanied by the production of different axion mass eigenstates. In a region of the parameter space, the lightest eigenstate can be long lived and make up the dark matter in the universe.

    hep-phJHEP(2026)·2 citations
24. 24*

    Searching For Superheavy Decaying Particles With Ultra-High-Energy Neutrino Observatories

    Kim V. Berghaus🇺🇸 · Dan Hooper🇺🇸 · Emily R. Simon🇺🇸

    If there exist unstable but long-lived relics of the early universe, their decays could produce detectable fluxes of gamma rays and neutrinos. In this paper, we point out that the decays of superheavy particles, $m_{\chi }\gtrsim 10^{10}\text{GeV}$,would produce an enhanced flux of ultra-high-energy neutrinos through the processes of muon and pion pair production in the resulting electromagnetic cascades. These processes transfer energy from electromagnetic decay products into neutrinos, relaxing the constraints that can be derived from gamma-ray observations, and increasing the sensitivity of high-energy neutrino telescopes to superheavy particle decays. Taking this into account, we derive new constraints on long-lived superheavy relics from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, and from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. We find that IceCube-Gen2, and other next generation neutrino telescopes, will provide unprecedented sensitivity to the decays of superheavy dark matter particles and other long-lived relics.

    hep-phastro-ph.COastro-ph.HEJCAP(2025)·8 citations
25. 25*

    Filtered cogenesis of PBH dark matter and baryons

    Debasish Borah🇮🇳 · Indrajit Saha🇮🇳

    We propose a novel cogenesis of baryon and dark matter (DM) in the Universe by utilising a first-order phase transition (FOPT) in the dark sector containing an asymmetric Dirac fermion $\chi$. Due to the mass difference of $\chi$ across the bubble walls, it is energetically favourable for $\chi$ to get trapped in the false vacuum leading to the formation of Fermi-ball, which can self-collapse to form primordial black hole (PBH) if $\chi$ has a sufficiently large Yukawa interaction. While such PBH formed out of false vacuum collapse can give rise to the DM in the Universe, a tiny amount of asymmetric $\chi$ leaking into the true vacuum through the bubble walls can transfer the dark asymmetry into the visible sector via decay. The same mass difference of $\chi$ across the two minima which decides the amount of trapping or filtering of $\chi$, also allows $\chi$ decay into visible sector in the true minima while keeping it stable in the false vacuum. Our filtered cogenesis scenario can be probed via FOPT generated stochastic gravitational waves (GW) at near future detectors in addition to the well-known detection aspects of asteroid mass PBH constituting DM in the Universe.

    hep-phastro-ph.COJCAP(2025)·8 citations
26. 26*

    Total Drell-Yan in the flavorful SMEFT

    Gudrun Hiller🇩🇪 · Lara Nollen🇩🇪 · Daniel Wendler🇩🇪

    We perform a global analysis of Drell-Yan production of charged leptons and dineutrinos, the latter in missing energy plus jet events, in proton-proton collisions within the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). The combination allows for the removal of flat directions, sharper limits and to probe more couplings than the individual observables, which we show performing a fit to LHC-data. We also find that limits have only mild dependence on lepton flavor patterns; hierarchies in quark flavors are driven by the parton distribution functions. The strongest constraints are on couplings involving the first and second generation quarks, exceeding 10 TeV. Combining flavor and high-$p_T$ data, the limits on electroweak and gluon dipole operators can be improved, by up to a factor of three, highlighting once more that a more global approach increases sensitivities significantly. We also estimate the improvements in reach over existing data for the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) by $\sim 1.5$, and future collider options such as the high-energy LHC (HE-LHC) by $\sim 3$ and FCC-hh by $\sim 8$. To maximize the new physics reach kinematic cuts and binning needs to be adjusted to each quark-flavor separately.

    hep-phEPJC(2025)·13 citations
27. 27*

    A Precise Determination of ${\alpha }_s$ from the Heavy Jet Mass Distribution

    Miguel A. Benitez🇪🇸 · Arindam Bhattacharya🇺🇸 · Andre H. Hoang🇦🇹 · Vicent Mateu🇪🇸 · Matthew D. Schwartz🇺🇸 · Iain W. Stewart🇺🇸 · Xiaoyuan Zhang🇺🇸

    A global fit for ${\alpha }_s(m_Z)$ is performed on available $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ data for the heavy jet mass distribution. The state-of-the-art theory prediction includes $\mathcal{O}({\alpha }_s^3)$ fixed-order results, N${}^3$LL${}^{\prime }$ dijet resummation, N${}^2$LL Sudakov shoulder resummation, and a first-principles treatment of power corrections in the dijet region. Theoretical correlations are incorporated through a flat random-scan covariance matrix. The global fit results in $0.1148_{-0.0022}^{+0.0015}$, compatible with similar determinations from thrust and $C$-parameter. Dijet resummation is essential for a robust fit, as it engenders insensitivity to the fit-range lower cutoff; without resummation the fit-range sensitivity is overwhelming. In addition, we find evidence for a negative power correction in the trijet region if and only if Sudakov shoulder resummation is included.

    hep-phhep-exnucl-exnucl-th29 citations
28. 28*

    Strong backreaction of gauge quanta produced during inflation

    Jian-Feng He🇨🇳 · Kai-Ge Zhang🇨🇳 · Chengjie Fu🇨🇳 · Zong-Kuan Guo🇨🇳

    During inflation an axion field coupled to a gauge field through a Chern-Simons term can trigger the production of gauge quanta due to a tachyonic instability. The amplification of the gauge field modes exponentially depends on the velocity of the axion field, which in turn slows down the rolling of the axion field when backreaction is taken into account. To illustrate how the strength of the Chern-Simons coupling and the slope of the axion potential influence the particle production, in this paper we consider a toy model in which the axion field is a spectator with a linear potential. In the strong backreaction regime, the energy density of the gauge field quasiperiodically oscillates. The steep slope of the axion potential linearly increases the peak amplitude of the energy density while the strong coupling linearly decreases the peak amplitude. Additionally, we calculate the energy spectrum of gravitational waves.

    hep-phastro-ph.COgr-qcPRD(2025)·10 citations
29. 29*

    Implementation of a relativistic distorted wave impulse approximation model into the NEUT event generator

    J. McKean🇬🇧 · R. González-Jiménez🇪🇸 · M. Kabirnezhad🇬🇧 · J. M. Udías🇪🇸 · Y. Uchida🇬🇧

    We describe the implementation of a model for charged-current quasi-elastic (CCQE) neutrino-nucleus scattering in the NEUT Monte Carlo event generator. This model employs relativistic momentum distributions obtained from mean field theory and relativistic distorted waves to describe the initial and final nucleon states. Final state interactions, both elastic and inelastic, are modelled by combining distorted waves with the NEUT intranuclear cascade, offering a more accurate representation of the interactions experienced by scattered nucleons. The model and its implementation in NEUT are described in detail and benchmarked against ${\nu }_{\mu }$-${}^{12}$C scattering cross-section measurements from T2K and MINER$\nu$A, as well as ${\nu }_{\mu }$-${}^{40}$Ar measurements from MicroBooNE. Results, including transverse kinematic imbalance variables and scattered nucleon kinematics, show improved ${\chi }^2$ values compared to other CCQE models in NEUT. Furthermore, the model consistently predicts lower cross sections in CCQE-dominated regions, indicating potential for further refinement, such as incorporating two-body currents or the use of more advanced nucleon axial form factors consistent with lattice QCD calculations.

    ↳ hep-exhep-phPRD(2025)·21 citations
30. 30*

    Steven Weinberg: A Scientific Life

    C.P. Burgess🇨🇦 · F. Quevedo🇬🇧

    Steven Weinberg was a giant of late 20th Century physics on whose shoulders we stand while groping for the science of the 21st Century. This article provides a too-brief summary of a selection of his many achievements -- eight decades of superlative research, eight classic textbooks, eight best-selling forays into popular science writing and more.

    ↳ physics.hist-phastro-ph.COgr-qchep-ph+1NPB(2025)·1 citation
31. 31*

    Generalized quantum two level model and its application in astrophysics

    Orkash Amat🇨🇳 · Nurimangul Nurmamat🇨🇳 · Yong-Feng Huang🇨🇳 · Cheng-Ming Li🇨🇳 · Jin-Jun Geng🇨🇳 · Chen-RanHu · Ze-Cheng Zou🇨🇳 · Xiao-Fei Dong🇨🇳 · Chen Deng🇨🇳 · Fan Xu🇨🇳 · Xiao-li Zhang🇨🇳 · Chen Du🇨🇳

    Complicated time-dependent curved spacetime and electric field are involved in many astrophysical situations, including the early universe, Hawking radiation, the Schwinger effect, and gravitational pair production. In this Letter, a generalized quantum two-level model (GQTLM) is developed, which is applicable to arbitrary time-dependent curved spacetime and electric field. The model is found to be consistent with quantum kinetic theory, and is characterized by its simplicity and versatility. The momentum distribution of particles and the effects of gravitational distortions can be correctly described. Quantum properties concerning vortex structures, such as the intrinsic orbital angular momentum of particles and antiparticles can also be conveniently calculated. The model is expected to significantly advance the quantum exploration of the universe. It could refine the prediction of primordial gravitational waves and relevant non-Gaussian signals, extend the calculation of Hawking radiation to general black hole configurations, help to distinguish neutron stars from strange quark stars, and elucidate the gravitational pair production mechanism.

    ↳ gr-qchep-ph1 citation
32. 32*

    An alternative formulation of infra-red counterterms

    I. Jack🇬🇧

    We present an alternative procedure for defining infra-red counterterms within dimensional regularisation for use in the $R^{\ast }$ procedure. The counterterms are given by simple closed expressions, and lead to the standard MSbar UV counterterms.

    ↳ hep-thhep-ph0 citations
33. 33*

    Quark Transverse Spin-Momentum Correlation of the Nucleon from Lattice QCD: The Boer-Mulders Function

    Lingquan Ma🇨🇳 · Jun Hua🇨🇳 · Andreas Schäfer🇩🇪 · Hai-Tao Shu🇨🇳 · Yushan Su🇺🇸 · Peng Sun🇨🇳 · Lisa Walter🇩🇪 · Wei Wang🇨🇳 · Xiaonu Xiong🇨🇳 · Yi-Bo Yang🇨🇳 · Jian-Hui Zhang🇨🇳 · Qi-An Zhang🇨🇳

    We present the first lattice QCD calculation of the quark transverse spin-momentum correlation, i.e., the naive time-reversal-odd Boer-Mulders function, of the nucleon, using large-momentum effective theory (LaMET). The calculation is carried out on an ensemble with lattice spacing $a=0.098$ fm and pion mass $338$ MeV, at various proton momenta up to $2.11$ GeV. We have implemented perturbative matching up to the next-to-next-to-leading order together with a renormalization-group resummation improvement. The result exhibits a decay behavior with increasing transverse separation $b_{\perp }$. We also compare the results in the nucleon and pion.

    ↳ hep-lathep-phJHEP(2025)·11 citations
34. 34*

    Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and neutrino flux models

    Marco Stein Muzio🇺🇸

    In this review we motivate ultrahigh energy neutrino searches and their connection to ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. We give an overview of neutrino production mechanisms and their potential sources. Several model-independent benchmarks of the ultrahigh energy neutrino flux are discussed. Finally, a brief discussion of approaches for model-dependent neutrino flux predictions are given, highlighting a few examples from the literature.

    ↳ astro-ph.HEhep-phEur.Phys.J.ST(2025)·7 citations
35. 35*

    The sinusoidal valley: a recipe for high peaks in the scalar and induced tensor spectra

    Aris Katsis🇬🇷

    Adding a sine-type interaction to inflationary models with two fields can evoke a classical trajectory with many turns in field space. Under conditions we discuss, the enhancement of the spectrum of adiabatic fluctuations resulting from each turn adds up. A special range of scales away from the CMB-constrained region can then be enhanced by several orders of magnitude, allowing for interesting phenomenological possibilities, such as induced gravitational waves or primordial black holes. A localized version of this interaction can also be used as an add-on to conventional inflationary models, thus allowing the injection of the large peak in their power spectra. The intuition and the conclusions drawn from this simple model remain relevant for more complicated applications that usually include extra terms that obscure the simplicity of the mechanism.

    ↳ astro-ph.COgr-qchep-phhep-thJCAP(2025)·1 citation
36. 36*

    Fuzzy dark matter fails to explain the dark matter cores

    María Benito🇪🇪 · Gert Hütsi🇪🇪 · Kristjan Müürsepp🇪🇪 · Jorge Sánchez~Almeida🇪🇸 · Juan Urrutia🇪🇪 · Ville Vaskonen🇪🇪 · Hardi Veermäe🇪🇪

    Ultrafaint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) are ideal for studying dark matter (DM) due to minimal baryonic effects. UFD observations suggest cored DM profiles. We find that the core radius -- stellar mass scaling predicted by fuzzy dark matter (FDM) is at $6.1\sigma$ tension with UFD observations. Combining observations from 27 UFDs, the required FDM mass $m_a=3.2_{-0.6}^{+0.8}\times 10^{-21}\mathrm{eV}$ is also in conflict with existing Lyman-$\alpha$ bounds. Our results suggest that FDM cannot provide a consistent explanation for DM cores and imply $m_a>2.2\times 10^{-21}\mathrm{eV}$ at to $2\sigma$ CL.

    ↳ astro-ph.COhep-phPhys.Dark Univ.(2025)·13 citations
37. 37*

    Lattice QCD Study of Pion Electroproduction and Weak Production from a Nucleon

    Yu-Sheng Gao🇨🇳 · Zhao-Long Zhang🇨🇳 · Xu Feng🇨🇳 · Lu-Chang Jin🇺🇸 · Chuan Liu🇨🇳 · Ulf-G.Meißner🇩🇪

    Quantum fluctuations in QCD influence nucleon structure and interactions, with pion production serving as a key probe of chiral dynamics. In this study, we present a lattice QCD calculation of multipole amplitudes at threshold, related to both pion electroproduction and weak production from a nucleon, using two gauge ensembles near the physical pion mass. We develop a technique for spin projection and construct multiple operators for analyzing the generalized eigenvalue problem in both the nucleon-pion system in the center-of-mass frame and the nucleon system with nonzero momentum. The numerical lattice results are then compared with those extracted from experimental data and predicted by low-energy theorems incorporating one-loop corrections.

    ↳ hep-lathep-phnucl-thPRL(2025)·7 citations
38. 38*

    Role of the counterterms in the conservation of superhorizon curvature perturbations at one loop

    Keisuke Inomata🇺🇸

    Recently, several papers have claimed that superhorizon curvature perturbations are not conserved at the one-loop level in single-field inflation models if there is a transient ultra-slow-roll period. In this work, we point out that the contributions from the counterterms were overlooked in the recent papers. We show that the counterterm contributions play a crucial role in canceling the one-loop power spectrum of superhorizon curvature perturbations in the comoving gauge.

    ↳ astro-ph.COgr-qchep-phhep-thPRD(2025)·20 citations
39. 39*

    Chiral Symmetry in Dense Matter with Meson Condensation

    Takumi Muto🇯🇵 · Toshiki Maruyama🇯🇵 · Toshitaka Tatsumi🇯🇵

    Kaon condensation in hyperon-mixed matter [($Y$+$K$) phase], which may be realized in neutron stars, is discussed on the basis of chiral symmetry. With the use of the effective chiral Lagrangian for kaon--baryon and kaon--kaon interactions; coupled with the relativistic mean field theory and universal three-baryon repulsive interaction, we clarify the effects of the $s$-wave kaon--baryon scalar interaction simulated by the kaon--baryon sigma terms and vector interaction (Tomozawa--Weinberg term) on kaon properties in hyperon-mixed matter, the onset density of kaon condensation, and the equation of state with the ($Y$+$K$) phase. In particular, the quark condensates in the ($Y$+$K$) phase are obtained, and their relevance to chiral symmetry restoration is discussed.

    ↳ nucl-thastro-ph.HEhep-phSymmetry(2025)·3 citations
40. 40*

    Particle production from inhomogeneities: general metric perturbations

    Raghuveer Garani🇮🇳 · Michele Redi🇮🇹 · Andrea Tesi🇮🇹

    We present universal formulas for particle production from gravitational inhomogeneities. In the massless limit the result is strikingly simple and completely determined by the two-point function of the energy-momentum tensor that is fixed up to a constant - the central charge - for conformally coupled scalars, massless fermions and gauge fields. This result can be applied to any conformally coupled theory, weakly or strongly interacting, unifying previous derivations for fields of different spin and for scalar and tensor perturbations. We derive the results using the Schwinger method of 1PI effective action and through Bogoliubov transformations that allows to compute exclusive information on the distribution of particles. We then apply these results to stochastic backgrounds of scalar and tensor perturbations that can be generated by various phenomena such us inflationary perturbations and first order phase transitions. Differently from particle production usually considered in cosmology this mechanism allows for the production of massless fields. In particular the abundance induced by inhomogeneities can easily reproduce the dark matter abundance if scalar perturbations produced from inflation are enhanced at short scales.

    ↳ hep-thastro-ph.COhep-phJHEP(2025)·14 citations
41. 41*

    The Quantum Ratio

    Kenichi Konishi🇮🇹 · Hans-Thomas Elze🇮🇹

    The concept of the Quantum Ratio was born out of the efforts to find a simple but universal criterion if the center of mass (CM) of an isolated (microscopic or macroscopic) body behaves quantum mechanically or classically, and under which conditions. It is defined as the ratio between the quantum fluctuation range, which is the spatial extension of the pure-state CM wave function, and the linear size of the body (the space support of the internal, bound-state wave function). The two cases where the ratio is smaller than unity or much larger than unity, roughly correspond to the body's CM behaving classically or quantum mechanically, respectively. An important notion following from the introduction of quantum ratio is that the elementary particles (thus the electron and the photon) are quantum mechanical. This is so even when the environment-induced decoherence turns them into a mixed state. Decoherence (mixed state) and classical state should not be identified. This simple observation is further elaborated, by analyzing some atomic or molecular processes. It may have far-reaching implications on the way quantum mechanics works, e.g., in biological systems.

    ↳ quant-phhep-phhep-thJ.Phys.Conf.Ser.(2025)·0 citations

* Reconstructed cohort: no mailing for this day survives in the archive. Papers are grouped by their submission times and arXiv's announcement cut-off, assuming announcement without delay; positions follow identifier order. Validated at ~91% exact-day agreement against the archived era.