Tue·Nov 25, 2025Tuesday·November 25, 2025

1. 01*

   Characterising hadronisation across the phase space

   Andrea Banfi🇬🇧 · Basem Kamal El-Menoufi🇦🇺

   Leading hadronisation corrections to two-jet global event shapes amount to a shift in the corresponding perturbative distributions. It has been recently established that this shift depends significantly on the value of the considered event shape. These analyses consider perturbative configurations with only three partons emitting an ultra-soft non-perturbative gluon. These are dominant in the three-jet region. However, multiple soft and/or collinear emissions need to be considered to accurately describe event shape distributions near their Sudakov peak. In this region, non-perturbative shifts are usually computed by considering only two hard emitters. In this paper, we find that this approximation misses an important correction to the shift due to the emission of an additional soft wide-angle gluon. We then compute its contribution, and embed it in a general treatment for the shift that is valid in both the two-jet and three-jet regions.

   hep-phhep-thJHEP(2026)·4 citations
2. 02*

   Collinear spin correlations of final-state radiation in dense QCD matter

   João M. Silva🇵🇹 · Alba Soto-Ontoso🇪🇸

   Spin correlations are required to reproduce the correct azimuthal dependence of matrix elements for successive branchings at disparate angles in QCD jets. In this paper, we study modifications to this, $\cos (2{\psi }_{12})$, azimuthal pattern in the presence of a quark-gluon plasma. To that end, we consider a simplified setup in which a narrow and energetic QCD antenna is formed inside a medium of fixed length and radiates a collinear emission outside it. The calculation includes both light and heavy-quarks. Further, we do not include medium-induced spin-flip interactions since they are energy suppressed in our formalism. We show that the amplitude of the azimuthal modulation in the presence of a medium is always suppressed with respect to the vacuum baseline, with its magnitude depending on the medium properties and splitting kinematics. For a medium with a momentum space anisotropy, we find that the azimuthal modulation acquires a phase shift, i.e., $\cos (2{\psi }_{12})\to \cos (2{\psi }_{12}+{\varphi }_{\mathrm{med}})$, where ${\varphi }_{\mathrm{med}}$ is a process-dependent function that again depends on the medium properties and splitting kinematics. This work provides theory guidance for implementing spin-driven interference effects in phenomenological studies of jet quenching in heavy-ion collisions.

   hep-phnucl-thJHEP(2026)·7 citations
3. 03*

   Decay matrix of B-\bar{B} mixing: Mixing of dimension-seven operators into dimension-six operators under renormalization

   Artyom Hovhannisyan🇦🇲 · Ulrich Nierste🇩🇪

   The precise measurement of the width difference \Delta\Gamma_s among the mass eigenstates of the B_s-\bar{B}_s system requires the calculation of the corresponding decay matrix to order \alpha_s/m_b. QCD corrections to power-suppressed terms in the Heavy Quark Expansion involve the renormalization of dimension-7 four-quark operators for which no general methodology is available yet. In the \overline{MS} scheme one-loop corrections to matrix elements of dimension-7 operators violate the power counting, but we find the responsible terms to be infrared-finite and show that they can be absorbed into finite counterterms proportional to dimension-6 operators. We calculate all these counterterms and subsequently verify the consistency of our results with hadronic matrix elements calculated in the limit of a large number N_c of colours. The condition of correct power counting implies constraints on the possible definitions of evanescent operators.

   hep-phJHEP(2026)·1 citation
4. 04*

   Long-lived particles: theory and experimental probes

   Laura Jeanty🇺🇸 · Brian Shuve🇺🇸

   Long-lived particles (LLPs) are particles that are stable or that live long enough for their decays to be experimentally distinguishable in time or position from their production point. We provide an overview of the phenomenology and experimental signatures of LLPs, focusing on LLPs at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We explain what determines a particle's lifetime and we show that LLPs are ubiquitous both within the Standard Model and beyond. We survey the methods used to experimentally detect and characterize particles at collider-based experiments, and discuss how searches for LLPs present both experimental challenges and exciting new possibilities for detection. Finally, we situate LHC searches for LLPs within the broader experimental landscape with a brief overview of searches for LLPs at lower-energy experiments and a discussion of astrophysical and cosmological probes offering complementary insight into the physics of LLPs beyond the Standard Model.

   hep-phhep-exC.S. Fischer (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Parti…·8 citations
5. 05*

   The purely leptonic and semileptonic decays of $D_s^{\ast }$ meson

   Xiao-Lin Wang🇨🇳 · Rui Sun🇨🇳 · Li-Ting Wang🇨🇳

   With the potential prospects of the $D_s^{\ast }$ at high-luminosity heavy-flavor experiments in the future, we investigated the CKM-favored and tree-dominated leptonic $D_s^{\ast }\to \ell {\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }$ and semileptonic $D_s^{\ast }\to M\ell {\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }$ ($M=\varphi ,{\eta }^{(\prime )}$ and $\ell =e,\mu$) weak decays in the Standard Model (SM). The theoretical predictions and some discussions for the observable quantities including the total width of $D_s^{\ast }$ mesons, the branching fractions of leptonic $D_s^{\ast }\to \ell {\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }$ and semileptonic $D_s^{\ast }\to M\ell {\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }$ weak decays, the lepton spin asymmetry and forward-backward asymmetry are presented. Numerically, the weak decays of $D_s^{\ast }\to \ell {\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }$ and $D_s^{\ast }\to M\ell {\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }$ have relatively large branching fractions of the order $\mathcal{O}(10^{-5})$ and $\mathcal{O}(10^{-7})$ respectively, which are expected to be observed in future experiments.

   hep-phAdv.High Energy Phys.(2026)·0 citations
6. 06*

   Topological diagrams of doubly charmed baryon decays in the $SU(3{)}_F$ limit

   Si-Hong Liu🇨🇳 · Ying-Xin Lai🇨🇳 · Di Wang🇨🇳

   The doubly charmed baryon was first observed by LHCb via the non-leptonic decay ${\Xi }_{cc}^{++}\to {\Lambda }_c^{+}{K}^{-}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{+}$ in 2017. Subsequently, ongoing efforts have been made to identify other doubly charmed baryons. However, there is no systematic analysis of the topological decomposition for non-leptonic decays of doubly charmed baryons. In this work, we study the topological amplitudes of doubly charmed baryon decays in the $SU(3{)}_F$ limit. Tree- and penguin-induced topological diagrams for the ${\mathcal{B}}_{cc}\to {\mathcal{B}}_{c}M$ and ${\mathcal{B}}_{cc}\to \mathcal{B}D$ decays are presented. The linear relations between the topological amplitudes and the $SU(3)$ irreducible amplitudes are derived through tensor contraction and $SU(3)$ decomposition. The magnitude pattern of the topological diagrams is analyzed in the rescattering dynamics and the large $N_c$ expansion. In addition, some amplitude relations are derived to test the Körner-Pati-Woo theorem in the isospin limit.

   hep-phEPJC(2025)·4 citations
7. 07*

   $T_{\bar{c}\bar{s}1}^f(2750)$ production in the $B^{+}$ decays processes

   Zhuo Yu🇨🇳 · Qi Wu🇨🇳 · Zi-Li Yue🇨🇳 · Dian-Yong Chen🇨🇳

   In the present work, we studied the \tcs state production through the meson loop mechanism in the $B^{+}$ meson decays, where \tcs is considered as a $\bar{D}{K}^{\ast }$ molecular state with $J^P=1^{+}$. By employing the effective Lagrangian approach, we estimated the branching ratio of the $B^{+}\to D^{+}{T}_{\bar{c}\bar{s}1}^0$ and $B^{+}\to D^{\ast +}{T}_{\bar{c}\bar{s}1}^0$ processes and found them to be on the order of $10^{-5}\sim 10^{-4}$. The fit fraction of \tcs in different processes was also estimated. We propose to search for \tcs in the $B^{+}\to D^{\ast +}{\bar{D}}^{\ast -}{K}^{+}$ process, which should be accessible to the Belle II and LHCb Collaborations.

   hep-phEPJC(2026)·3 citations
8. 08*

   Detection prospects for the Cosmic Neutrino Background using matter interferometers

   Chrisna Setyo Nugroho🇹🇼 · Martin Spinrath🇹🇼

   In this paper we discuss how the Cosmic Neutrino Background can affect the measured phase difference in a matter interferometer. This phase is proportional to a difference in potential energies along the two interferometer paths. The relevant potentials here are the well-known neutrino matter potential and a potential related to the Stodolsky effect. We show how they can be rewritten in terms of scalar potentials, pseudo magnetic fields and spin-spin interactions. Unfortunately, current technology is unlikely to detect this effect and we discuss prospects for the future. We also briefly comment on fermionic Dark Matter which can give rise to very similar effects which can easily be larger than the neutrino case.

   hep-phastro-ph.COhep-exEPJC(2026)·2 citations
9. 09*

   Entropy and DIS structure functions

   G.R.Boroun🇮🇷

   Entanglement entropy in Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS) from the DIS structure functions has emerged as a novel tool for probing observable quantities. The method proposed by Kharzeev-Levin to determine entanglement entropy in DIS from parton distribution functions (PDFs) improves on the momentum-space approach proposed by Lappi et al.[Eur. Phys. J. C {\bf84}, 84 (2024)] and further developed by Boroun and Ha [Phys. Rev. D {\bf109}, 094037 (2024)] using Laplace transform techniques. The entropy of charged hadrons is obtained from the parameterization of the proton structure function and compared with H1 data, HSS, and HERA PDFs. Our results for the entanglement entropy align very well with the H1 data across a wide range of $x$ and $Q^2$. Finally, the behavior of the entanglement entropy is described at fixed $\sqrt{s}$ to the minimum value of $x$ given by $Q^2/s$, which indicates that the polarization of the exchanged photon for entropy determination is transverse at this specific kinematic point. The effect of adding a simple higher twist term to the description of entropy at low-$x$ and low-$Q^2$ values for comparison with HERA data is investigated.

   hep-phPLB(2026)·3 citations
10. 10*

    Proton mass decompositions in the NNLO QCD

    Kazuhiro Tanaka (Juntendo Univ.)🇯🇵

    Proton matrix elements of the QCD energy-momentum tensor (EMT) are expressed by the gravitational form factors. The forward values of the gravitational form factors allow for a decomposition of the proton mass into contributions from quarks and gluons, and further subdivisions into contributions from quark masses and from the QCD trace anomaly may be considered. We present the most recent evaluations of these mass decompositions, using a recent quantitative evaluation of the forward values of relevant gravitational form factors at the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD. We also calculate the renormalization scale dependence of each component within these decompositions. Furthermore, similar calculations are performed with another decomposition of the proton mass, organized strictly according to the separation into the traceless part and trace part for each of the gauge-invariant quark/gluon parts of the EMT, such that the former (twist-two) quark/gluon contributions of the EMT embody the effects of the partonic motions inside the proton, while the latter (twist-four) contributions are induced as parton correlations by non-perturbative QCD interactions. We demonstrate the advantages of this new decomposition. We also present the results for the pion, which exhibit quite different parton-correlation behaviors from the proton.

    hep-phhep-exhep-latnucl-ex+14 citations
11. 11*

    Pion Valence-Quark TMD from Continuum Schwinger Function Methods and Gaussian GTMD

    Minghui Ding🇨🇳

    We employ the continuum Schwinger function method to investigate the unpolarized valence-quark transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution function (TMD) of the pion at the hadron scale. The first seventeen generalized Mellin-transverse moments, constructed from lightlike and transverse vectors, are computed and found to be well described by a factorized ansatz, in which the longitudinal component coincides with the distribution function (DF) and the transverse momentum follows a Gaussian form. The Gaussianity relation between the mean and mean-squared transverse momenta is satisfied with approximately $99\%$ accuracy in our numerical results, with the mean-squared transverse momentum equal to $0.231{\text{GeV}}^2$. Using the extracted TMD, we test the hypothesis that the quark's transverse spatial distribution also follows a Gaussian form and find that the resulting electromagnetic form factor is in good agreement with existing data. These results indicate that the intrinsic transverse-momentum and transverse-spatial distributions of valence quarks in the pion can be accurately approximated by a Gaussian ansatz, supporting its use in phenomenological analyses and experimental fits.

    hep-phnucl-th1 citation
12. 12*

    KNO scaling, memorylessness and maximal entanglement at universal fixed point

    Mustapha Ouchen🇮🇱 · Alex Prygarin🇮🇱

    We analyze the experimental data of $\mathtt{p}-\mathtt{p}$ collisions by the ATLAS and confront it with the AGK model developed by two of the authors, the Kharzeev-Levin~(KL) model and the simple exponential behavior for the Koba, Nielsen and Olesen~(KNO) scaling function. We show that all three models virtually coincide with all available experimental curves crossed at value $z=n/⟨n⟩$ of the KNO scaling parameter in the broad range of the center-of-mass energies. The theoretical results and the experimental data show that the KNO violating terms are highly suppressed in the vicinity of $z=2$. The special status of the universal scaling point $z=2$, where the KNO scaling is restored for $\mathtt{p}-\mathtt{p}$ collisions, suggests that it originates from statistical saturation of the optical theorem. We claim that any unitary model that approximates memoryless distribution in the high energy limit must have the same KNO scaling function $e^{-z}$ in the vicinity of $z=2$ with KNO violating corrections of the order of one over average multiplicity squared. This reflects the maximal entanglement of the final states.

    hep-phNPB(2026)·3 citations
13. 13*

    Probing CP-violating Higgs-Gauge couplings with Higgsstrahlung at $e^{-}{e}^{+}$ collider

    Amir Subba🇮🇳 · Subhaditya Bhattacharya🇮🇳 · Abhik Sarkar🇮🇳

    We investigate the sensitivity of a future high-luminosity $e^{-}{e}^{+}$ collider operating at $\sqrt{s}=250\text{GeV}$ to CP-violating and CP-conserving anomalous $hVV$ interactions via the Higgsstrahlung process. The effects of new physics are parameterized in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory~(SMEFT) framework through six dimension-6 operators modifying the $hVV$ vertices. Using polarized beams and exploiting polarization and spin correlation asymmetries reconstructed from Higgs decay products, we perform a comprehensive analysis across the three dominant decay modes, $h\to b\bar{b}$, $W{W}^{\star }$, and $Z{Z}^{\star }$. The $h\to W{W}^{\star }$ channel exhibits the highest sensitivity to ${\mathcal{O}}_{HW}$ and ${\mathcal{O}}_{H\tilde{W}}$, while the $b\bar{b}$ mode constrains the remaining operators with high statistical precision. Sensitivity studies incorporating luminosity scaling and systematic uncertainties show that the projected bounds improve significantly with increasing integrated luminosity, but saturate once experimental systematics exceed the few-percent level. These results highlight the crucial role of spin-based observables and beam polarization in achieving sub-percent precision on SMEFT coefficients at future lepton colliders.

    hep-phhep-exPRD(2026)·0 citations
14. 14*

    Dark Matter Induced Nucleon Decay Through the Neutron Portal

    Nicole F. Bell🇦🇺 · Peter Cox🇦🇺 · Jayden L. Newstead🇦🇺 · Michael B. G. Verde🇦🇺

    The neutron portal operator provides a theoretically motivated connection between the visible and dark sectors and features in several well-studied asymmetric dark matter models. This operator leads to dark matter induced nucleon decays that mimic the experimental signature of "ordinary" nucleon decays. In this work, we reinterpret Super-Kamiokande nucleon decay searches for $n\to {\pi }^0\nu$ and $p\to {\pi }^{+}\nu$ to constrain dark matter induced nucleon decays. For GeV-scale dark matter, we obtain lower bounds of $\mathcal{O}(1\mathrm{TeV})$ on the scale of the effective neutron portal operator. We also discuss the prospects for future searches at Hyper-Kamiokande and highlight the importance of a dedicated experimental analysis with reduced systematic uncertainties.

    hep-phPRD(2026)·1 citation
15. 15*

    Higgs Production Classifier using Weak Supervision

    Kai-Feng Chen🇹🇼 · Yi-An Chen🇹🇼 · Cheng-Wei Chiang🇹🇼 · Feng-Yang Hsieh🇹🇼

    A reliable determination of the Higgs production mechanism in hadron collider experiments is essential in the program of the measurements of the Higgs couplings. We employ weak supervision, CWoLa in particular, to train deep neural networks using real data of the diphoton events, in the hope of reducing biases resulting from Monte Carlo simulations. Models based on the convolutional neural network and the transformer are tested and compared. In particular, the classification performance gets slightly better when the photon information is removed from training on the low-luminosity region of $H\to \gamma \gamma$. We explicitly show that the performance can be improved when the training dataset is enlarged by data augmentation using physics-motivated methods. We further demonstrate that the trained model can be successfully applied to the $H\to ZZ$ and $H\to Z\gamma$ events, showing that such classifiers are agnostic to Higgs decay modes provided they do not involve strong QCD corrections.

    hep-phhep-ex0 citations
16. 16*

    QCD sum rule predictions on gluonic tetraquark states with $J^{PC}=0^{+-},0^{--}$ and $1^{\pm \pm }$

    Chun-Meng Tang🇨🇳 · Chun-Gui Duan🇨🇳 · Liang Tang · Cong-Feng Qiao🇨🇳

    In this work, we present a systematic calculation of the mass spectrum for tetraquark hybrid states, focusing on the $8_{[c\bar{c}]}\otimes 8_{[G]}\otimes 8_{[c\bar{c}]}$ color configuration, within the framework of QCD sum rules. As an extension of our previous work on $0^{++}$ and $0^{-+}$ states, we now construct 18 distinct interpolating currents with $J^{PC}=0^{+-}$, $0^{--}$, and $1^{\pm \pm }$. Using operator product expansion (OPE) techniques and including nonperturbative contributions up to dimension six, we obtain key results: for the $0^{+-}$, $1^{--}$, and $1^{-+}$ states, the predicted masses lie in the range of $7.2-7.3$ GeV, while the $1^{+-}$ and $1^{++}$ states have slightly lower masses, between 6.9 and 7.1 GeV. These predictions provide strong support for the possible existence of an $8_{[c\bar{c}]}\otimes 8_{[G]}\otimes 8_{[c\bar{c}]}$ component within the di-$J/\psi$ structure reported by LHCb. Moreover, our analogous calculations for tetrabottom hybrid states yield mass ranges of $19.4-19.5$ GeV (for $0^{+-}$, $1^{--}$, and $1^{-+}$) and $19.2-19.3$ GeV (for $1^{+-}$ and $1^{++}$), offering crucial references for future searches.

    hep-phhep-exEPJC(2026)·7 citations
17. 17*

    A Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model of quantum chromodynamics and hadron structure

    Parada T. P. Hutauruk🇰🇷

    In this review paper, I present a study of the structure of the hadrons computed in the covariant Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model as the chiral effective quark theory of QCD. I describe how the NJL model is treated to imitate the spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking and confinement QCD properties. The consistency for the parton distribution functions and electromagnetic form factors, as internal structure observables, in comparison with existing data and other theoretical predictions, is also shown. The implications of mimicking the QCD properties in the NJL model for hadron structure observables, as well as the relevance of the results to EIC, EicC, and COMPASS/AMBER future experiments, are discussed.

    hep-phnucl-th1 citation
18. 18*

    Study $\gamma \gamma \to {\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ process including ${\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ spin information in Pb-Pb ultraperipheral collision and at Lepton collider

    Peng-Cheng Lu🇨🇳 · Zong-Guo Si🇨🇳 · Han Zhang🇨🇳 · Xin-Yi Zhang🇨🇳

    We study the $\gamma \gamma \to {\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ process including full ${\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ spin information in Pb--Pb ultraperipheral collision and at lepton colliders. We present the predictions for the corresponding cross sections and spin correlations at NLO electroweak precision, and find that the NLO electroweak contributions are numerically small for the observables considered. Additionally, we use the spin correlations obtained in this paper to analyze the quantum entanglement in the ${\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ system of the $\gamma \gamma \to {\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ process. Our results show that there is a genuine entangled configuration near the ${\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ invariant mass threshold. This work is helpful for studying the $\tau$-pair production induced by photon-photon collision at high energy colliders.

    hep-phPRD(2026)·4 citations
19. 19*

    Fully charmed tetraquark production in forward rapidity $pp$ collisions at LHC and FCC energies

    Francesco G. Celiberto🇪🇸 · André V. Giannini🇵🇹 · Victor P. Gonçalves🇧🇷 · Yuri N. Lima🇧🇷

    In this paper, we investigate the production of a fully charmed tetraquark state $T_{4c}$ in $pp$ collisions at forward rapidities through the fragmentation mechanism considering the Color Glass Condensate (CGC) formalism and the solution of the running coupling Balitsky-Kovchegov (BK) equation. The contributions of gluon - and charm - initiated processes are taken into account, and the impact of an intrinsic charm component in the proton's wave function is estimated. Predictions for the transverse momentum distribution of the $T_{4c}$ state are presented assuming different rapidities, distinct quantum numbers of the state and center-of-mass energies. Our results indicate that the higher cross-section is associated with the production of a tensor state $T_{4c}(2^{++})$, which is dominated by the gluon-initiated process. In contrast, the production of the axial-vector state $T_{4c}(1^{+-})$ is dominated by the charm-initiated process and is very sensitive to the presence (or not) of an intrinsic charm.

    hep-phhep-exPRD(2026)·17 citations
20. 20*

    Traces of the $X(3960)$ state in the femtoscopic $D_s^{+}{D}_s^{-}$ correlations

    Hao-Nan Liu🇨🇳 · Zhi-Wei Liu🇨🇳 · Luciano Abreu🇧🇷 · Li-Sheng Geng🇨🇳

    The femtoscopic $D_s^{+}{D}_s^{-}$ correlations are investigated to predict the signature of the not-yet-established $X(3960)$ state reported by the LHCb Collaboration, in three scenarios: resonant, virtual, or bound. In the last two scenarios, it might also be identified as the state $X(3930)$. The formalism employed to generate this structure dynamically is based on the Bethe-Salpeter equation with a general $S$-wave potential. We investigate how the relevant properties and observables characterizing this state--such as the pole position, scattering length, and effective range--might be affected by variations in the model parameters. The amplitudes encoding the distinct interpretations of the $X(3960)$ state are then used as input to calculate the femtoscopic correlation function of the $D_s^{+}{D}_s^{-}$ pair, which is analyzed and discussed.

    hep-phhep-exPRD(2026)·10 citations
21. 21*

    Phase structure of 2+1-flavor QCD from an Einstein-dilaton-flavor holographic model

    Jin-Yang Shen🇨🇳 · Xin-Yi Liu🇨🇳 · Jin-Rui Wu🇨🇳 · Yue-Liang Wu🇨🇳 · Zhen Fang🇨🇳

    We construct a holographic QCD model based on the Einstein--dilaton--flavor framework with 2+1 flavors and investigate its phase structure using machine-learning techniques. At zero chemical potential, the model reproduces the equation of state and chiral transition in quantitative agreement with lattice QCD results. By varying the light and strange quark masses, we map out the quark-mass dependence of the transition order and obtain the corresponding phase diagram, which is consistent with phase structures extracted from lattice simulations and other nonperturbative approaches. In particular, the predicted first-order region is found to be small, in line with the most recent lattice QCD analyses. We also examine the critical behavior along the second-order boundaries and the tricritical region, finding that the critical exponents exhibit mean-field scaling characteristic of classical holographic constructions. Integrating machine learning with holographic QCD significantly enhances the efficiency of parameter optimization, providing a robust and practical strategy for improving the predictive power of holographic modeling of QCD thermodynamics.

    hep-phJHEP(2026)·6 citations
22. 22*

    Scalarful double beta decay

    Jordy de Vries🇳🇱 · Lukáš Gráf🇳🇱 · Vaisakh Plakkot🇳🇱 · Dominik Starý🇨🇿

    We revisit scalar emissions in double beta decays of nuclei, often discussed in the context of Majoron models, in light of the latest developments on the study of neutrinoless double beta decay amplitudes from an effective field theory approach. The sensitivity of double beta decay experiments to this process is assessed through an analysis of spectral shapes, and the study is extended to massive scalars, scalars coupling to sterile neutrinos, and exotic right-handed effective couplings.

    hep-phnucl-thJHEP(2026)·5 citations
23. 23*

    Magnetic susceptibility of a hot hadronic medium and quark degrees of freedom near the QCD cross-over point

    Rupam Samanta🇵🇱 · Wojciech Broniowski🇵🇱

    The lattice QCD results for the temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility of the medium below the cross-over temperature are not possible to reconcile with the widely used Hadron Resonance Gas model, also amended with the physical magnetic moments of hadrons or the pion--vector-meson loops. As noticed earlier, one observes a substantially too strong diamagnetism at temperatures in the range above $\approx 120$~MeV compared to the lattice. This hints at a presence of quarks significantly below the QCD cross-over temperature, which are needed as a source of paramagnetism. However, the pions must be retained to describe the diamagnetism data at low temperatures. Therefore, we consider here a quark-meson approach, where the temperature-dependent quark masses are fixed in a model-free way using the baryon-baryon and baryon-strangeness susceptibilities from the lattice at zero magnetic field. The constituent quarks possess anomalous magnetic moments estimated from the octet baryon magnetic moments. The vacuum quark-loop and meson-loop contributions are duly incorporated. We show that in such a framework, one can describe the magnetic susceptibility up to the cross-over point. The qualitative conclusion is that the QCD degrees of freedom must extend far below the cross-over temperature, down to $\approx 120$~MeV.

    hep-phhep-latnucl-thPRC(2026)·2 citations
24. 24*

    Constraining Yukawa-type interaction and coupling constant of axionlike particles to nucleons from recent measurement of the Casimir-Polder interaction

    G.L. Klimchitskaya🇷🇺 · V.M. Mostepanenko🇷🇺

    We derive constraints on the parameters of the Yukawa-type interaction and on the coupling constant of axionlike particles to nucleons from the results of recent diffraction experiment on measuring the Casimir-Polder interaction between Ar atoms and a silicon nitride nanograting. It is shown that within the interaction range from 1 to 2 nm the obtained constraints are by up to a factor of 33.4 stronger than all the other ones found previously from measurement of the Casimir force. The derived constraints are weaker in strength than those deduced from the experiments on neutron scattering. The constraints on the coupling constants of axionlike particles to nucleons following from the diffraction experiment are up to a factor of 24.2 stronger withing the range of axion masses from 32.4 to 100 eV than the previously derived ones from experiments on measuring the Casimir force. They are weaker only in comparison to the constraints found from the experiment using the beams of molecular hydrogen. The potential of the Casimir effect for obtaining stronger constraints on the parameters of hypothetical interactions is discussed.

    hep-phEPJC(2025)·3 citations
25. 25*

    Nonlinear causality and stability of perfect spin hydrodynamics and its nonperturbative character

    Samapan Bhadury🇵🇱 · Zbigniew Drogosz🇵🇱 · Wojciech Florkowski🇵🇱 · Sudip Kumar Kar🇵🇱 · Valeriya Mykhaylova🇵🇱

    Four formulations of perfect spin hydrodynamics for spin-1/2 particles, distinguished by their treatment of spin (classical vs. quantum) and by the underlying particle statistics (Boltzmann vs. Fermi-Dirac), are analyzed and shown to satisfy the requirements of a divergence-type theory. Moreover, for all the formulations, we define the generating functions associated with the relevant thermodynamic currents and demonstrate that the constructed hydrodynamic theory is nonlinearly causal and stable. The latter is achieved by employing the exact expressions for the distribution functions, indicating a nonperturbative character of our approach.

    hep-phnucl-thPRD(2026)·5 citations
26. 26*

    On the PB Sudakov: NNLL coefficient, CS kernel and intrinsic-kt

    Aleksandra Lelek🇧🇪

    The Transverse Momentum Dependent (TMD) Parton Branching (PB) method incorporates elements of TMD physics into a Monte Carlo (MC) framework to produce high-energy QCD predictions for collider processes. It derives TMDs from the PB evolution equation - solvable with MC techniques - fits them to data, and then enables their use in MC event generators for QCD predictions. In this article, we describe the relation of the PB Sudakov form factor to the Sudakov factor in the CSS formalism. We discuss both perturbative and non-perturbative components. We present recent developments to include NNLL coefficient in the PB Sudakov. We discuss the CS kernel extractions for different evolution scenarios. We remark the recent studies on intrinsic-kt vs center-of-mass (in)dependence in different approaches and their relation to the non-perturbative Sudakov.

    hep-phPoS(2026)·1 citation
27. 27*

    Lepton flavor violation in Higgs boson decays at the HL-LHC

    M. A. Arroyo-Ureña🇲🇽 · E. A. Herrera-Chacón🇬🇧 · Iran Melendez-Hernández🇲🇽 · S. Rosado-Navarro🇻🇪

    We explore the discovery potential for lepton flavor-violating Higgs boson decays, $h\to {\ell }_i{\ell }_j$ (${\ell }_i\ne {\ell }_j$; $\ell =e,\mu ,\tau$), in proton-proton collisions. The analysis is performed within a Froggatt-Nielsen framework, which offers a well-motivated theoretical mechanism for such processes. By performing a systematic scan over the phenomenologically viable parameter space, we identify regions that can yield observable signatures at the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). For an integrated luminosity of ${\mathcal{L}}_{\mathrm{int}}\gtrsim 1000{\text{fb}}^{-1}$, we project that the channels $h\to e\mu$ and $h\to \tau \mu$ (with ${\tau }^{\pm }\to {\pi }^{\pm }{\nu }_{\tau }$) could reach the $5\sigma$ discovery threshold, while $h\to \tau e$ remains inaccessible even at $3000{\text{fb}}^{-1}$. Our results highlight the unique capability of the HL-LHC to probe new physics through searches for rare Higgs decays.

    hep-phJHEP(2026)·1 citation
28. 28*

    Numerical solution of the nonlinear boson diffusion equation for gluons

    J. Rössler🇩🇪 · G. Wolschin🇩🇪

    The nonlinear boson diffusion equation is taken as a basis to account for the fast thermalization of gluons in the initial stages of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. For constant drift and diffusion coefficients with schematic initial conditions, this equation has previously been solved exactly. In order to achieve a more realistic time evolution towards thermalization, energy-dependent transport coefficients are introduced, requiring numerical solutions of the nonlinear equation. Their accuracy is tested against the exact analytical results in the limit of constant coefficients. The consequences for transient gluon-condensate formation through elastic scatterings in overoccupied systems are discussed.

    hep-phnucl-thPhysica A(2026)·1 citation
29. 29*

    Gravitational Wave Probe of Singlet-Doublet Dark Matter Induced Radiative Neutrino Mass

    Ujjal Kumar Dey🇮🇳 · Santu Kumar Manna🇮🇳 · Partha Kumar Paul🇮🇳 · Sujit Kumar Sahoo🇮🇳 · Narendra Sahu🇮🇳

    We investigate an one loop radiative neutrino mass model, where the loop particles, notably a singlet fermion ($\chi$), a doublet fermion ($\Psi$) and three generations of singlet scalars (${\varphi }_i,i=\{1,2,3\}$) are assumed to be odd under an additional ${\mathcal{Z}}_2$-symmetry. In this setup, the singlet fermion mixes with the neutral component of the doublet to give rise singlet-doublet Majorana dark matter. The addition of ${\mathcal{Z}}_2$ odd scalars in the model provides rich phenomenological implications. We find that the quartic interaction terms between the SM Higgs and ${\varphi }_i$s play a significant role in modifying the scalar potential to have a first-order phase transition (FOPT) leading to observable gravitational waves (GWs) spectra. We also examine the non-trivial role played by the singlet-doublet fermion DM and the scalars in loop-induced neutrino mass, $(g-2{)}_{\mu }$, and lepton flavor violation. We find that the model is predictive due to the combined constraints and can be verified at different terrestrial experiments.

    hep-phastro-ph.COhep-exhep-thJHEP(2026)·7 citations
30. 30*

    Viability of $A_4$, $S_4$ and $A_5$ Flavour Symmetries in Light of the First JUNO Result

    S. T. Petcov🇮🇹 · A. V. Titov🇮🇹

    We update the analysis of the viability of the lepton mixing patterns originating from $A_4$, $S_4$ and $A_5$ discrete flavour symmetries and leading to predictions for the solar neutrino mixing angle, ${\theta }_{12}$. We perform a statistical analysis using as an input (i) the results of the latest global fit to neutrino oscillation data, and (ii) the first JUNO measurement of ${\sin }^2{\theta }_{12}$. Out of the five (four) cases compatible with the global data at $3\sigma$ for normal (inverted) neutrino mass ordering, only three (two) cases remain compatible with the global data at the same confidence level after taking into account the JUNO result.

    hep-phhep-exPLB(2026)·17 citations
31. 31*

    Refractive neutrino masses in the solar DM halo: Can the dark-LMA solution be revived?

    Susobhan Chattopadhyay🇮🇳 · Amol Dighe🇮🇳

    Neutrinos can acquire "refractive masses" as a consequence of their interactions with ultralight dark matter (DM). We explore a model with two additional sterile neutrinos and an ultralight scalar field which acts as DM and interacts with all five neutrinos. We show that the effective $5\times 5$ Hamiltonian for neutrino propagation can be diagonalized by a unitary matrix $\mathbb{P}$ parametrized by 6 mixing angles and 1 complex phase. When active-sterile mixing angles are small, we identify a parametrization for $\mathbb{P}$ that reduces neutrino propagation inside the Sun to a two-flavor problem for a uniform DM background. In the presence of a DM halo inside the Sun, however, the propagation shows additional features in the region of halo dominance. We derive approximate analytic expressions for the electron neutrino survival probability in the presence of the DM halo. We show that this probability has a strong dependence on the neutrino production region even for a fixed energy, and numerically calculate the effects of averaging over these production regions. Comparisons with the re-interpreted solar data, in the light of possible active-sterile neutrino conversions, would allow putting bounds on the halo parameters. Finally, we examine the possibility of reviving the dark-LMA solution in this context, where the survival probability spectrum can have attractive features aligned with the measurements at Super-Kamiokande.

    hep-phastro-ph.SRhep-exJHEP(2026)·6 citations
32. 32*

    Axion Cosmology with Multi-Branch Yang-Mills

    Tsubasa Sugeno🇯🇵 · Wen Yin🇯🇵

    It is known that Yang-Mills theories, especially in the large-$N$ limit, exhibit a $\theta$-vacuum structure with a multi-branched vacuum energy. In this work, we demonstrate that this multi-branch structure can play a crucial role in axion cosmology when the axion acquires its mass from the Yang-Mills sector, even when that sector is never reheated by the inflaton. The key observation is that the axion potential is directly tied to the tunneling rate between adjacent branches. We find qualitatively new phenomena, including a new class of first-order phase transitions, bouncing bubbles, and nested "bubbles-within-bubbles." When the axion has a decay constant around the Planck scale, as motivated by the string Axiverse, the axion can be driven near the hilltop by inflationary dynamics, allowing the phase transition to be triggered. The associated energy release can be large enough to generate a significant stochastic gravitational-wave background, produce primordial black holes, or populate the Yang-Mills sector with particles. These phenomena represent novel predictions of the Axiverse and should be taken into account when assessing the cosmological impact of axions or axion-like particles. To recover conventional axion cosmology, one must suppress or avoid the dynamics discussed in this work.

    hep-phastro-ph.COhep-thJHEP(2026)·4 citations
33. 33*

    New spectrum of charm-strange meson with constituent quark model $c\bar{s}$ contributions

    Liu-Lin Wang🇨🇳 · Xing-Meng Zhao🇨🇳 · Xiao-Hai Liu🇨🇳 · Mao-Jun Yan🇨🇳

    We systematically investigate the $S$-wave interactions between Nambu-Goldstone bosons (NGBs) and charmed mesons in the $(S,I)=(1,0)$ sector using the chiral unitary approach. The scattering amplitudes incorporate both the Weinberg-Tomozawa term and additional contributions from $s$- and $u$-channel exchanges of $c\bar{s}$ states predicted by the constituent quark model (CQM). Through analytic continuation of the unitarized amplitudes to the complex energy plane, we identify multiple poles corresponding to bound states and resonances. Our analysis reveals a rich spectrum of $D_{sJ}$ states across $J^P=0^{+},1^{+},1^{-}$, and $2^{-}$ sectors, providing new insights into the nature of established resonances like $D_{s0}^{\ast }(2317)$ and $D_{s1}(2460)$, while predicting several new states that could be observed in future experiments.

    hep-phhep-exPLB(2026)·5 citations
34. 34*

    Stringent Constraints on Gravitational Wave Signatures of Dark Electromagnetism in Neutron Star Binaries

    Ian Harris🇺🇸 · Yonatan Kahn🇨🇦

    Gravitational wave interferometers have studied compact object mergers and solidified our understanding of strong gravity. Their increasing precision raises the possibility of detecting new physics, especially in a neutron star binary system that may contain hidden-sector particles. In particular, a new vector force between binary constituents, giving rise to dark electromagnetic phenomena, could measurably alter the inspiral waveforms and thus be constrained by gravitational wave observations. In this work, we critically examine the mechanisms for neutron stars to acquire enough hidden-sector particles with requisite couplings to furnish a detectable signature from dark electromagnetism. We demonstrate that the repulsive nature of vector forces imposes stringent constraints on any putative particle physics model or astrophysical environment which could give rise to such gravitational signatures. We argue that absent an extreme fine-tuning of parameters, such signatures are well out of reach of any current or near-future gravitational wave observatory.

    hep-phgr-qcPRD(2026)·0 citations
35. 35*

    Hawking heating of neutron stars by dark matter

    Akash Kumar Saha🇮🇳 · Abhishek Dubey🇮🇳 · Nirmal Raj🇮🇳

    Interactions with particle dark matter could brighten old, isolated neutron stars to thermal luminosities detectable at current and next-generation telescopes. We present a novel mechanism for such signals. Non-annihilating (e.g., asymmetric) dark matter capturing in a neutron star could form a small black hole in its core, which could then rapidly evaporate away. If black holes form and evaporate within the cooling timescale of the neutron star, periodic episodes of black hole evaporation could impart a steady-state stellar luminosity, providing a source of heat additional to the kinetic energy of dark matter during capture. Consequently, we obtain sensitivities to dark matter-nucleon cross sections that are stronger than that from dark kinetic heating by a factor of a few for > $10^4$ GeV (> $10^{10}$ GeV) mass of spin-0 (spin-1/2) dark matter.

    hep-phastro-ph.HE5 citations
36. 36*

    Enhanced Charged Higgs Signal at the LHC

    Chenyu Fang🇺🇸 · Wei-Shu Hou🇹🇼 · Chung Kao🇺🇸 · Mohamed Krab🇹🇼

    We investigate the discovery prospects of a charged Higgs boson ($H^{\pm }$) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) via the process $cg\to b{H}^{\pm }\to bc\bar{b}$ within the framework of a general two Higgs doublet model (G2HDM). In most two Higgs doublet models, the $H^{+}cb$ coupling ($g_{H^{+}cb}$) is usually suppressed by the CKM matrix element $V_{cb}$. In G2HDM, there are additional Yukawa couplings, the process $cg\to b{H}^{\pm }\to bc\bar{b}$ is enhanced by the coupling $g_{H^{+}cb}\simeq \text{rtc}{V}_{tb}$ in both the production and decay of the charged Higgs boson. We study possible physics backgrounds and evaluate the discovery potential with realistic acceptance cuts and tagging efficiencies at collider energies of $\sqrt{s}=$13 and 14 TeV. We apply $b$-tagging and $c$-tagging and show that $m_{H^{+}}$ can be extracted by pairing the tagged $b$ and $c$-jets. Our analysis leads to promising results for the current LHC and expected high-luminosity LHC.

    hep-ph0 citations
37. 37*

    Naive $T$-odd Drell-Yan angular coefficients as a probe of the dimension-8 SMEFT

    Frank Petriello🇺🇸 · Kaan Şimşek🇺🇸

    We propose the ``naive" $T$-odd Collins-Soper moments in the Drell-Yan process as probes of previously unexplored directions in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) parameter space. We show that the moments $A_6$ and $A_7$ in the high invariant mass and transverse momentum region are sensitive to dimension-8 $CP$-odd semi-leptonic four-fermion operators with an additional gluon field strength tensor. Using the projected integrated luminosity of a future high-luminosity LHC, we show that effective ultraviolet scales in the few-TeV range can be probed with this process.

    hep-phPRD(2026)·5 citations
38. 38*

    ALP-mediated Dark Matter-Nucleon Scattering

    Wim Beenakker🇳🇱 · Daniël Mikkers🇳🇱 · Anh Vu Phan🇳🇱 · Susanne Westhoff🇳🇱

    We perform a comprehensive analysis of dark matter-nucleon scattering via the exchange of axion-like particles (ALPs). At first sight, this might appear of little practical use, as non-relativistic scattering through pseudo-scalar interactions is momentum-suppressed and spin-dependent, resulting in scattering rates below any experimental sensitivity. We show that the scattering rate can be drastically enhanced in two ways. First, light ALPs with masses below the typical momentum transfer at direct detection experiments lift the momentum suppression by acting as essentially massless mediators. Second, ALP exchange through loops induces coherent spin-independent scattering. If the ALP has flavor-changing couplings to up-type quarks, loop-induced scattering receives an extra strong enhancement by the top-quark mass. We deduce that, contrary to common lore, XENONnT and PandaX-4T are already sensitive to ALP-mediated dark matter-nucleon scattering. The next generation of direct detection experiments will probe far into the parameter space of the ALP effective theory, potentially exceeding the sensitivity of collider searches.

    hep-phhep-exJHEP(2026)·2 citations
39. 39*

    Probing High Reheating Temperatures by Direct Detection Experiments

    Barmak Shams Es Haghi🇺🇸

    We argue that the benchmark freeze in dark matter (DM) scenario for direct detection experiments, in which a DM candidate interacts with the Standard Model (SM) through an ultralight dark photon, becomes sensitive to the visible sector reheating temperature if it is sufficiently high. At such temperatures, the irreducible ultraviolet (UV) freeze in production of DM through graviton exchange becomes important and must be combined with the infrared (IR) freeze in yield mediated by the dark photon. As long as gravitationally produced DM does not equilibrate through annihilation into dark photons and the subsequent formation of a dark thermal bath, it retains information about the reheating phase. Including this gravitational contribution relaxes the required DM and SM portal coupling and allows smaller values than those that would match the observed relic abundance through IR freeze in alone. Since current direct detection experiments have excluded the benchmark freeze in model over a wide range of DM masses, they are now effectively probing high reheating temperatures and the gravitational freeze in of DM.

    hep-phastro-ph.CO3 citations
40. 40*

    Two Puzzles, One Solution: Neutrino Mass and Secluded Dark Matter

    Mattia Di Mauro🇮🇹

    We present a minimal secluded dark-matter (DM) framework based on an extra $U(1{)}_X$ gauge symmetry. The model contains a Dirac DM particle $\chi$, three heavy neutrinos $N_I$ with masses $M_{N,I}$, and a singlet scalar $R$ that mixes with the Standard Model Higgs doublet $\Phi$ by an angle $\alpha$. A symmetry forbids the $\Phi$-$R$ portal at tree level; the leading portal then arises at one loop from the same Yukawa structures that generate active neutrino masses $m_{\nu ,I}$, implying $\tan (2\alpha )\propto {\sum }_I{m}_{\nu ,I}{M}_{N,I}^2/(v_h{m}_H^2)$, where $v_h$ and $m_H$ are the SM Higgs VEV and mass. For heavy-neutrino masses in the multi-TeV range, this yields a naturally tiny mixing, $\tan (2\alpha )\sim 5\times 10^{-11}{\left(M_N/10\mathrm{TeV}\right)}^2$, which strongly suppresses DM signals in direct, indirect, and collider searches. For PeV-scale heavy neutrinos the DM-nucleon cross section can instead enter the reach of direct-detection experiments. The visible and dark sectors thermalize at temperatures of order a few times the mass of the lightest heavy neutrino, then subsequently decouple, and typically evolve with a slightly hotter dark bath. In the secluded regime, with $\tan (2\alpha )\ll 1$ and $m_{\chi }>m_{H_p}$, the relic density is set by $p$-wave annihilation $\chi \bar{\chi }\to H_p{H}_p$ (with $H_p$ the Higgs-like particle of the dark sector), and the dark-sector Yukawa couplings required to reproduce the observed abundance are $\sim (0.1\text{-}1)$, as in the standard WIMP case. For heavy-neutrino masses $\gtrsim 10\mathrm{TeV}$, the mediator decays before nucleosynthesis without spoiling BBN observables, while the tiny portal suppresses present-day signals below current and near-future sensitivities. This links two long-standing puzzles, the absence of DM signals and the smallness of neutrino masses, within a predictive thermal framework.

    hep-phastro-ph.HEhep-th6 citations
41. 41*

    Tensor network simulations of quasi-GPDs in the massive Schwinger model

    Sebastian Grieninger🇺🇸 · Jake Montgomery🇺🇸 · Felix Ringer🇺🇸 · Ismail Zahed🇺🇸

    Generalized Parton Distribution functions (GPDs) are off-diagonal light-cone matrix elements that encode the internal structure of hadrons in terms of quark and gluon degrees of freedom. In this work, we present the first nonperturbative study of quasi-GPDs in the massive Schwinger model, quantum electrodynamics in 1+1 dimensions (QED2), within the Hamiltonian formulation of lattice field theory. Quasi-distributions are spatial correlation functions of boosted states, which approach the relevant light-cone distributions in the luminal limit. Using tensor networks, we prepare the first excited state in the strongly coupled regime and boost it to close to the light-cone on lattices of up to 400 lattice sites. We compute both quasi-parton distribution functions and, for the first time, quasi-GPDs, and study their convergence for increasingly boosted states. In addition, we perform analytic calculations of GPDs in the two-particle Fock-space approximation and in the Reggeized limit, providing qualitative benchmarks for the tensor network results. Our analysis establishes computational benchmarks for accessing partonic observables in low-dimensional gauge theories, offering a starting point for future extensions to higher dimensions, non-Abelian theories, and quantum simulations.

    ↳ hep-lathep-phnucl-thquant-phPRD(2026)·7 citations
42. 42*

    The $\mu$-deformed Einstein field equations with $\mu$-dependent effective cosmological constant

    O.P. Mykhailiv🇺🇦 · Yu.A. Mishchenko🇺🇦 · A.M. Gavrilik🇺🇦

    In this paper, we derive the $\mu$-deformed Einstein field equations from the generalized thermodynamic functions of the $\mu$-deformed analog of Bose gas model, applying the (adapted) Verlinde's approach. The basic role of deformation parameter is shown: it provides the possibility to vary the value of the cosmological constant. Due to this, we suggest an interesting treatment of the cosmological constant (CC) problem within the framework of $\mu$-deformation. Namely, viewing the derived $\mu$-deformed CC as an effective one and varying the parameter $\mu$ appropriately, we gain the possibility to drastically reduce the CC, so as to get for it the realistic value. The relation to dark matter is of importance.

    ↳ gr-qcastro-ph.COhep-phhep-thUkr.J.Phys.(2025)·1 citation
43. 43*

    Phase diagram of chiral 2-flavor QCD based on an effective approach

    Edgar López-Contreras🇲🇽 · José Antonio García-Hernández🇲🇽 · Elías Natanael Polanco-Euán🇲🇽 · Wolfgang Bietenholz🇲🇽

    Despite intense experimental and theoretical research, the QCD phase diagram at finite baryon density remains to a large extent unexplored. From the theoretical side, the obvious non-perturbative approach is lattice QCD simulations, which are, however, obstructed by a severe sign problem. Here we employ the O(4) non-linear $\sigma$-model as an effective theory for 2-flavor QCD in the chiral limit. The identical pattern of spontaneous symmetry breaking indicates that they belong to the same universality class. We assume high temperature dimensional reduction to the 3d O(4) model, with topological charge taking the role of the baryon number, along the lines of Skyrme's model. In this effective formulation, the baryonic chemical potential ${\mu }_B$ can be included in the lattice formulation without causing any sign problem in Monte Carlo simulations. This allows us to pin down the critical line, i.e. the critical temperature $T_{\mathrm{c}}({\mu }_B)$, which decreases monotonically for increasing ${\mu }_B$. In the range $0<{\mu }_B\lesssim 309\mathrm{MeV}$ and $132\mathrm{MeV}\gtrsim T_{\mathrm{c}}\gtrsim 106\mathrm{MeV}$, we do not find a Critical Endpoint (CEP), although there are hints for it to be in the vicinity of the maximal ${\mu }_B$-value that we could explore.

    ↳ hep-lathep-phEPJC(2026)·2 citations
44. 44*

    Two-pion exchange contributions to the relativistic chiral nuclear force at N${}^3$LO

    Jun-Xu Lu🇨🇳 · Li-Sheng Geng🇨🇳

    We present the two-pion exchange contributions to the nucleon-nucleon interaction up to next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N${}^3$LO) in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory. Both one-loop and two-loop diagrams are calculated with the spectral functional regularization. We show that the phase shifts for partial waves with total angular momentum $3\le J\le 5$ are in better agreement with the partial wave analysis from the Nijmegen or the SAID group than their N${}^2$LO counterparts. In addition, the relativistic chiral force exhibits better convergence than its non-relativistic counterpart, suggesting the importance of relativistic corrections.

    ↳ nucl-thhep-phnucl-exPRC(2026)·2 citations
45. 45*

    Phase transitions in scalarized topological AdS black holes

    Zi-Qiang Zhao🇺🇸 · Zhang-Yu Nie🇨🇳 · Shao-Wen Wei · Jing-Fei Zhang🇺🇸 · Xin Zhang🇺🇸

    We investigate the behavior of black hole scalarization induced by a charged scalar field in the extended phase space of the asymptotic AdS spacetime with three distinct horizon topologies. The results indicate that in all three cases, the charged black hole spacetime undergoes scalarization at low temperatures. Notably, the spherical topology is unique in that its domain of scalarization theoretically extends to much higher temperatures under low pressure in the extended phase space. Moreover, the scalarization process in the spherical case exhibits complex phase transition behaviors without additional non-linear terms, which are similar to those in the planar and hyperbolic topologies with the assistance of non-linear terms. With increasing pressure in the extended phase space, the condensate of the scalarization in all three cases undergoes a transition from the first-order style to a cave-of-wind style. This study provides deeper insight into the zeroth-order phase transition during black hole scalarization and reveals the complete phase structure of black holes in the extended phase space.

    ↳ gr-qchep-phhep-thPRD(2026)·4 citations
46. 46*

    Verifying the failing supernova constraint on dark photons with two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations

    Kanji Mori🇯🇵 · Tomoya Takiwaki🇯🇵 · Kazunori Kohri🇯🇵

    Recent studies on the dark photon (DP) production in collapsing stars argue that the cooling effect induced by DPs can hinder supernova explosions and lead to a ``failing supernova" constraint on the photon-DP mixing parameter $ϵ$. In order to verify the idea, we perform two-dimensional neutrino-radiation hydrodynamic simulations coupled with the DP production with the masses of 0.3 and 0.45\,MeV. We find that the shock revival does not happen until the end of the simulations when $ϵ\gtrsim 3\times 10^{-9}$. The photon-DP mixing parameter above this value can be excluded by the failing supernova argument. Interestingly, our constraint roughly coincides with the one reported by the previous studies which adopted the post-processing framework. This result motivates one to investigate a wider parameter range of DPs with self-consistent simulations and evaluate uncertainties in the constraint.

    ↳ astro-ph.HEastro-ph.COhep-phPRD(2026)·5 citations
47. 47*

    Curvature Perturbations from Higgs Modulated Reheating

    Weiyi Deng🇨🇳 · Chengcheng Han🇨🇳 · Zhanhong Lei🇨🇳 · Jin Min Yang🇨🇳

    In this work we investigate curvature perturbations and non-Gaussianity arising from Higgs modulated reheating in the early Universe. We employ three different methods -- the period-averaging (PA) method, the exact method, and the non-perturbative $\delta N$ formalism -- to compute the power spectrum and bispectrum of curvature perturbations. Our results show that the non-perturbative $\delta N$ method provides a reliable estimate across a wide range of reheating time and Higgs field values, including regimes where the Higgs field oscillates significantly after inflation. We find that a smaller Higgs self-coupling ($\lambda$) leads to a larger curvature perturbation, with the non-Gaussianity predominantly taking a local shape. This highlights the importance of considering non-perturbative effects in calculating the curvature perturbation during Higgs modulated reheating, especially for smaller values of $\lambda$. Our findings offer valuable insights into the dynamics of reheating and the generation of primordial perturbations in the early Universe.

    ↳ astro-ph.COhep-phPRD(2026)·0 citations
48. 48*

    Prospects for cosmological research using hundred-meter-class radio telescopes: 21-cm intensity mapping survey strategies with QTT, JRT, and HRT

    Jun-Da Pan🇺🇸 · Yichao Li🇺🇸 · Guo-Hong Du🇺🇸 · Tian-Nuo Li🇺🇸 · Xin Zhang🇺🇸

    Understanding dark energy requires precision measurements of the expansion history of the universe and the growth of large-scale structure. The 21 cm intensity mapping (21 cm IM) technique enables rapid large-area surveys that can deliver these measurements. China is constructing three hundred-meter-class single-dish radio telescopes, including the QiTai 110 m Radio Telescope (QTT), the 120 m Jingdong Radio Telescope (JRT), and the 120 m Huadian Radio Telescope (HRT), whose designs are well suited for 21 cm IM cosmology. We use a Fisher-to-MCMC forecasting framework to evaluate the baryon acoustic oscillations / redshift space distortions (BAO/RSD) measurement capabilities of QTT, JRT, and HRT and propagate them to dark-energy constraints in the $w_0{w}_a$CDM model. Our results show that achieving a redshift coverage up to $z_{\max }=1$ is crucial for fully realising the potential of hundred-meter-class single-dish telescopes for 21 cm cosmology. If all three telescopes carry out 21 cm IM surveys over the same redshift range up to $z_{\max }=1$ and combine their BAO/RSD measurements, QTT+JRT+HRT yield $\sigma (w_0)=0.094$ and $\sigma (w_a)=0.487$, providing tighter constraints than DESI DR2 results.

    ↳ astro-ph.COhep-ph1 citation
49. 49*

    How Primordial Black Holes Change BBN

    Tianning Wang🇺🇸 · Evan Grohs🇺🇸 · Laura Mersini-Houghton🇺🇸

    Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) provide a powerful probe of the early universe physics, linking inflationary fluctuations to observable cosmological phenomena. In this work, we use a bottom-up approach to study how PBHs with masses in the range $10^8\le M\le 10^{13}\mathrm{g}$ modify Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) through Hawking radiation. We incorporate PBH evaporation into the BURST reaction network code to evaluate its impact on light-element abundances. Our analysis illustrates that PBH evaporation acts as an entropy injection mechanism, increasing the comoving entropy density. To reproduce the observed comoving entropy density per baryon $(s/n_{\mathrm{b}})$ from the CMB, BBN simulations must therefore begin with a smaller initial entropy than in the standard scenario without PBHs. The results also reveal a threshold near $M\approx 10^{10}\mathrm{g}$ that separates two distinct regimes of BBN behavior. As an example, for $M\ge 10^{10}\mathrm{g}$, the final ${}^4\mathrm{He}$ mass fraction $Y_{\mathrm{P}}$ obtained from calculation increases monotonically with the initial PBH mass fraction ${\beta }_{30}$ specified at the starting temperature $T=30\mathrm{MeV}$. This trend is driven by the enhanced Hubble expansion caused by the PBH energy density. In contrast, for $M\le 10^{10}\mathrm{g}$, $Y_{\mathrm{P}}$ exhibits non-monotonic behavior shaped by the timing of PBH evaporation and its influence on nuclear reaction rates. These findings highlight the sensitivity of BBN to PBH evaporation and establish a framework for understanding how PBH populations influence the thermal history of the early universe.

    ↳ astro-ph.COastro-ph.HEhep-ph4 citations
50. 50*

    Towards spinning $U(1)$ gauged non-topological solitons in the model with Chern-Simons term

    Ivan Ivashkin🇷🇺 · Eduard Kim🇷🇺 · Emin Nugaev🇷🇺 · Yakov Shnir🇷🇺

    We obtain localized field configurations with finite energy in a ($2+1$)-dimensional model with Maxwell and Chern-Simons gauge terms coupled to a massive complex scalar field. These non-topological solitons are characterized by the $U(1)$ frequency and a winding number. Thus, the solutions possess Noether charge and non-trivial angular momentum, which is not quantized in contrast to the topological case. We study the solitons and their integral characteristics numerically and demonstrate that they are kinematically stable. The obtained solutions allow for the thin-wall approximation in some region of frequencies. For each winding number, the Noether charge has a lower bound that coincides with an isolated point, where the non-relativistic conformal symmetry seems to be restored.

    ↳ hep-thhep-phnlin.PSPLB(2026)·2 citations
51. 51*

    Black hole binaries in shift-symmetric Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity experience a slower merger phase

    Maxence Corman🇩🇪 · Llibert Aresté Saló · Katy Clough🇬🇧

    In shift-symmetric Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, stationary black holes have a non-vanishing scalar charge. During the inspiral, the phase evolution is modified by several effects, primarily an additional scalar dipole radiation, which enters at -1PN order. This effect accelerates the inspiral when compared to general relativity, when including corrections up to 2PN. Using fully non-linear numerical simulations of quasi-circular, comparable mass binaries, we find that in the late stages the orbital dynamics are altered so that the overall effect is instead a decelerated merger phase for the modified gravity case. We attribute this to a change in the conservative dynamics, and show that at the late inspiral stage more energy must be emitted in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity to induce a given change in frequency. In longer signals, this should lead to a distinctive switch between a faster and slower frequency evolution relative to general relativity as the binary approaches merger. This work suggests we should revisit existing constraints on the theory that are obtained assuming PN approximations apply up to merger, or based on order by order approximations that neglect backreaction effects on the metric, and shows the importance of including non-linear effects that modify the gravitational sector in the strong field regime.

    ↳ gr-qcastro-ph.HEhep-ph16 citations
52. 52*

    Separating the Inseparable: Constraining Arbitrary Primordial Bispectra with Cosmic Microwave Background Data

    Oliver H. E. Philcox🇺🇸 · Kunhao Zhong🇺🇸 · Salvatore Samuele Sirletti🇯🇵

    To efficiently probe primordial non-Gaussianity using Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data, we require theoretical predictions that are factorizable, \textit{i.e.}\ those whose kinematic dependence can be separated. This property does not hold for many models, hindering their application to data. In this work, we introduce a general framework for constructing separable approximations to primordial bispectra, enabling direct CMB constraints on arbitrary models including those computed using numerical tools. In contrast to other approaches such as modal decompositions, we learn the basis functions directly from the data, allowing high-fidelity representations with just a handful of terms. This is practically implemented using machine-learning techniques, utilizing neural network basis functions and a loss function designed to mimic the CMB cosine similarity. We validate our pipeline using a variety of input bispectra, demonstrating that the approximations are $>99.5\%$ correlated with the truth with just three terms. By incorporating the neural basis into the \textsc{PolySpec} code, we derive KSW-type CMB estimators, which reproduce local- and equilateral-type non-Gaussianity to within $0.1\sigma$. As a proof-of-concept, we constrain two inflationary bispectra from the `cosmological collider' scenario; these feature an additional strongly-mixed particle sector and cannot be computed analytically. By combining the numerical predictions from \textsc{CosmoFlow} with our factorizable approach (with just three terms), we place novel constraints on the collider models using \textit{Planck} PR4 data, finding no detection of non-Gaussianity. Our method facilitates detailed studies of the inflationary paradigm, connecting modern theoretical tools with high-resolution observational data.

    ↳ astro-ph.COgr-qchep-phhep-th15 citations
53. 53*

    SL(2N,C) Yang-Mills Theories: Direct Internal Forces and Emerging Gravity

    J. L. Chkareuli🇬🇪

    A four-dimensional gauge-gravity unification based on local $SL(2N,C)$ symmetry is developed in a universal Yang--Mills-type setting, which, however, appears dynamically consistent only in the symmetry-broken phase. In the exact symmetry limit the theory may only be formulated in a premetric framework, where the accompanying tetrad multiplets, though promoted to dynamical fields, do not yet satisfy the conventional invertibility conditions. An ordinary Einstein--Cartan spacetime geometry emerges only in the broken post-soldering phase, in which the $SL(2N,C)$ tetrad multiplets are treated as constrained dynamical fields selecting a neutral internal symmetry branch. This realizes the breaking $SL(2N,C)\to SL(2,C)\times SU(N)$, thereby lifting all noncompact internal directions, while the surviving neutral tetrad is, as usual, associated with the gravitational field. A special ghost-free curvature-squared Lagrangian provides a consistent quadratic sector for the spin connection, propagating only admissible connection modes: the massless $SU(N)$ vector fields together with massive axial-vector and pseudoscalar multiplets. The Einstein--Cartan linear curvature term is argued to arise radiatively from fermion loops, thereby relating the gravitational scale to the same $SL(2N,C)$-covariant matter sector that defines the unified gauge coupling. Finally, the matter sector points to a deeper elementarity of $SL(2N,C)$ spinors, identified with preon constituents whose bound states form the observed quarks and leptons. Anomaly matching between preons and composites singles out $N=8$. The chain $SL(16,C)\to SL(2,C)\times SU(8)$ then naturally yields three composite quark--lepton families, while filtering out extraneous heavy states.

    ↳ hep-thgr-qchep-ph0 citations
54. 54*

    Three-loop banana integrals with three equal masses

    Claude Duhr🇩🇪 · Sara Maggio🇩🇪

    We obtain and solve the canonical differential equations for the three-loop banana integrals in dimensional regularisation when three of the four masses are equal. The K3 surface associated with the maximal cuts factorises into a product of two elliptic curves. This allows us to express the differential forms in the canonical differential equations in terms of meromorphic modular forms. We present a rigorous proof that these differential forms only have simple poles and that they define independent cohomology classes. We also present explicit results for all master integrals in terms of iterated integrals of meromorphic modular forms (and integrals thereof). This is the first time that it was possible to express the results of a Feynman integral associated with a K3 geometry and depending on two dimensionless ratios in terms of functions that have previously been studied in the literature.

    ↳ hep-thhep-phmath.AGJHEP(2026)·9 citations
55. 55*

    Limits on GeV-scale WIMP Annihilation in Dwarf Spheroidals with IceCube DeepCore

    R. Abbasi🇺🇸 · M. Ackermann🇩🇪 · J. Adams🇳🇿 · S. K. Agarwalla🇮🇳 · J. A. Aguilar🇧🇪 · M. Ahlers🇩🇰 · J.M. Alameddine🇩🇪 · S. Ali🇺🇸 · N. M. Amin🇺🇸 · K. Andeen🇺🇸 · C. Argüelles🇺🇸 · Y. Ashida🇺🇸 and 419 other authors

    Dark matter is approximately five times more abundant than baryonic matter in the universe, but its physical nature continues to elude physicists. One potential candidate for dark matter is a weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP), which is predicted by various extensions to the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. After becoming gravitationally bound in cosmic structures, WIMPs can self-annihilate and produce SM particles including neutrinos, which are observable by detectors like IceCube. We present a search for neutrinos from low-mass $(\le 300\mathrm{GeV})$ WIMP annihilation in dwarf spheroidal galaxies with over seven years of IceCube livetime. We find no statistically significant evidence of neutrinos produced by WIMP annihilation, and therefore set upper limits on the velocity-averaged annihilation cross section $⟨\sigma v⟩$. Our strongest upper limits at the 90\% confidence level are $\mathcal{O}\left(10^{-22}{\mathrm{cm}}^3{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}\right)$ for WIMP annihilation directly into neutrino-antineutrino pairs. For our least sensitive channel, the corresponding limits are $\mathcal{O}\left(10^{-20}{\mathrm{cm}}^3{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}\right)$, which is an improvement of over two orders of magnitude over previous IceCube limits from dwarf galaxies at the upper end of our mass range.

    ↳ astro-ph.HEhep-ph1 citation
56. 56*

    Searching Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background Landscape Across Frequency Bands

    Yunjia Bao🇺🇸 · Tore Boybeyi🇺🇸 · Vuk Mandic🇺🇸 · Lian-Tao Wang🇺🇸

    Gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics is entering a multi-band era with upcoming GW detectors, enabling detailed mapping of the stochastic GW background across vast frequencies. We highlight this potential via a new physics scenario: hybrid topological defects from a two-step phase transition separated by inflation. We develop a general pipeline to analyze experimental exclusions and apply it to this model. The model offers a possible explanation of the pulsar timing array signal at low frequencies, and future experiments (LISA/Cosmic Explorer/Einstein Telescope) will confirm or rule it out via the higher-frequency probes, showcasing the power of multi-band constraints.

    ↳ gr-qcastro-ph.COastro-ph.HEhep-phPRD(2026)·2 citations
57. 57*

    Berry's phase on photonic quantum computers

    Steven Abel🇬🇧 · Iwo Wasek🇬🇧 · Simon Williams🇬🇧

    We formulate a continuous-variable quantum computing (CVQC) algorithm to study Berry's phase on photonic quantum computers. We demonstrate that CVQC allows the simulation of charged particles with orbital angular momentum under the influence of an adiabatically changing $\vec{B}$ field. Although formulated entirely in the CVQC setting, our construction uses only passive linear-optical operations (beam splitters and phase shifts), which act identically in single-photon photonic architectures. This enables experimental realisation on the Quandella Ascella platform, where we observe the Berry's phase phenomenon with interferometric measurement. We also generalise the framework to more rapid non-adiabatic evolution. By concatenating Aharonov-Anandan cycles for opposing magnetic fields we demonstrate that one can engineer a circuit in which dynamical phases and leading non-geometric errors cancel by symmetry, leaving the intrinsically robust geometric phase contribution.

    ↳ quant-phhep-phhep-thPRA(2026)·0 citations
58. 58*

    Periodic Gravitational Lensing with Oscillating Boson Stars

    Xing-Yu Yang🇰🇷 · Tan Chen🇨🇳 · Rong-Gen Cai🇨🇳

    We show that oscillating (real-scalar) boson stars generically host an \emph{oscillating radial caustic}. Sources near this caustic cross it every half period, thereby producing periodic caustic-crossing lensing. The resulting observables are phase locked to the lens oscillation: image-pair creation or annihilation, changing image morphology, achromatic photometric spikes, and astrometric motion. This signal provides a distinctive target for time-domain astronomy, and its detection would reveal an intrinsically time-dependent compact dark-sector object. Event-number estimates indicate a measurable discovery space with current astrometric and high-cadence photometric surveys, while null searches would constrain the abundance of such objects as dark matter. The predictions rely only on the dynamics of real-scalar condensates and extend naturally to self-interacting real scalars, including axionlike particles, and to ultralight vector bosons.

    ↳ gr-qcastro-ph.COastro-ph.GAhep-phPRL(2026)·4 citations
59. 59*

    Effect of Moduli Redefinitions on Fibre Inflation

    Dibya Chakraborty🇮🇳 · Mishaal Hai🇧🇩 · Sayeda Tashnuba Jahan🇧🇩 · Ahmed Rakin Kamal🇧🇩 · Md Shaikot Jahan Shuvo🇺🇸

    In this paper, we have discovered a new avenue of fibre inflation in perturbative large volume scenario (pLVS) due to the redefinition of the base modulus. pLVS offers a novel regime where large volume of the internal space is guaranteed without the need of non-perturbative effects. In this setup, we study the possibility where a base redefinition allows to assess different versions of fibre inflation whose spectral index aligns with Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) data and produces tensor-to-scalar ratio in the range $0.008\lesssim r\lesssim 0.01$ in different setups we have considered. The leading order flat direction - which in our case is the fibre modulus - is lifted with the combinations of string loop corrections, leading order ${\alpha }^{\prime 3}$$R^4$-correction, higher derivative $F^4$ corrections as well as our new ingredient redefinition of the modulus. Since recent Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) results appear to favour a dynamical explanation for late-time acceleration over a simple cosmological constant, exploring quintessence offers a more suitable approach. In this lore, we also examine the quintessence sector to complete our model and account for both early- and late-time cosmic acceleration. In this framework, the poly-instanton correction generates a potential along the axionic directions, and we find that the resulting quintessence behaviour and the subsequent cosmological predictions about dark matter closely resemble the predictions of the original fibre inflation scenario studied earlier.

    ↳ hep-thastro-ph.COgr-qchep-phJCAP(2026)·11 citations
60. 60*

    Functional Renormalization Group flows as diffusive Hamilton-Jacobi-type equations

    Adrian Koenigstein🇩🇪 · Martin J. Steil🇩🇪 · Stefan Floerchinger🇩🇪

    In order to find reliable and efficient numerical approximation schemes, we suggest to identify the Functional Renormalization Group flow equations of one-particle irreducible two-point functions as Hamilton-Jacobi(-Bellman)-type partial differential equations. Based on this reformulation and reinterpretation we adopt a numerical scheme for the solution of field-dependent flow equations as nonlinear partial differential equations. We demonstrate this novel approach by first applying it to a simple fermion-boson system in zero spacetime dimensions - which itself presents as an interesting playground for method development. Afterwards, we show, how the gained insights can be transferred to more interesting problems: One is the bosonic ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$-symmetric model in three Euclidean dimensions within a truncation that involves the field-dependent effective potential and field-dependent wave-function renormalization. The other example is the $(1+1)$-dimensional Gross-Neveu model within a truncation that involves a field-dependent potential and a field-dependent fermion mass/Yukawa coupling at nonzero temperature, chemical potential, and finite fermion number.

    ↳ hep-thcond-mat.stat-mechhep-phPRD(2026)·3 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.