Fri·Nov 28, 2025Friday·November 28, 2025

1. 01*

   Bubble Nucleation from Boson Star Collapse

   Aleksandr Azatov🇮🇹 · Takeshi Kobayashi🇮🇹 · Nicklas Ramberg🇮🇹

   We present a new classical mechanism for nucleation of bubbles of true vacuum. The mechanism arises when dense boson stars form in the false vacuum. As the boson stars collapse due to attractive self-interactions, the field inside the star cores is enhanced beyond the potential barrier. Subsequently the stars explode as true vacuum bubbles, and induce a cosmological phase transition. The mechanism raises the possibility that a vacuum that is stable against quantum tunneling can be vulnerable to ``astrophysical'' processes.

   hep-phastro-ph.COJHEP(2026)·1 citation
2. 02*

   Chasing the muon EDM to constrain the SMEFT and UV models

   Kuldeep Deka🇦🇪 · Marta Losada🇦🇪 · Yosef Nir🇮🇱

   Following a proposal for an experiment with sensitivity to an electric dipole moment (EDM) of the muon $d_{\mu }$ of order $6\times 10^{-23}e$ cm, three to four orders of magnitude below the current bound, but still seven orders of magnitude above the current bound on the EDM of the electron $d_e$, we explore the discovery potential of such an experiment. Within the dimension-six CP violating operators of the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT), we identify two dipole operators where $d_{\mu }$ has the strongest sensitivity, and four classes of four-fermion operators where it has the best sensitivity for regions of parameter space that are far from minimal flavor violation. We further consider three UV completions: vector-like leptons (VLLs), heavy vector boson with off-diagonal leptonic couplings, and two Higgs doublet model. For each, we identify the region in parameter space that will be uniquely explored by the proposed $d_{\mu }$ experiment. In case of VLLs, we also find measurements of $\Gamma (h\to \mu \mu )$ offer competitive sensitivity, highlighting the complementary role of collider observables. Generically, the potential reach is to $\mathcal{O}(10\mathrm{TeV})$ scale of new physics.

   hep-phhep-exhep-thJHEP(2026)·1 citation
3. 03*

   Axion couplings in Orbifold GUTs

   Prateek Agrawal🇬🇧 · Michael Nee🇺🇸 · Mario Reig🇨🇭

   We consider the coupling of axions to gauge bosons in higher-dimensional Grand Unified Theories (GUT) inspired by string theory constructions with D-branes on orbifold singularities, the so-called orbifold GUTs. Due to their topological properties, axion couplings to gauge bosons are independent of the gauge symmetry reduction mechanism and the background geometry -- they only depend on the embedding of the SM into the UV gauge group. There are two kinds of axions in this class of theories: axions coming from gauge fields in the bulk and axions localised on the boundaries. The axion-photon coupling for the bulk axions coincide with the results from 4-dimensional GUTs, where axions which couple to photons necessarily couple also to QCD. The brane-localised axions can couple to photons independently of the QCD coupling, but if gauge couplings are approximately unified, the axions get large masses from unsuppressed instantons on the boundaries. This means that the ratio $g_{a\gamma \gamma }/m_a$ is below (or equal to) the QCD axion value for all axions in orbifold GUTs, as is the case for unified theories in 4d.

   hep-phhep-th13 citations
4. 04*

   Di-Higgs to 4b with Bayesian inference: improving simulation estimates

   Ezequiel Alvarez🇦🇷 · Leandro Da Rold🇦🇷 · Manuel Szewc🇦🇷 · Alejandro Szynkman🇦🇷 · Santiago Tanco🇦🇷 · Tatiana Tarutina🇦🇷

   Measuring di-Higgs production in the four-bottom channel is challenged by overwhelming QCD backgrounds and imperfect simulations. We develop a Bayesian mixture model that simultaneously infers signal and background fractions and their individual shapes directly in the signal region. The likelihood is a nuanced combination of a one-dimensional kinematic discriminator and per-jet flavour scores; with their correlations incorporated via kinematic bins. Monte Carlo informs weak Dirichlet priors, while the posterior adjusts to the interplay of the model, priors and observed data. Using pseudo-data simulated with standard tools and with controlled mismatches, we show that the method corrects biased priors, delivers calibrated 68-95% credible intervals for the signal count, and improves dataset-level ROC/AUC relative to simple cut-and-count baselines. This study highlights how Bayesian inference can harvest information present in the signal region and self-calibrate model parameters, providing a robust route to increased sensitivity in di-Higgs searches.

   hep-phhep-exJHEP(2026)·0 citations
5. 05*

   High Mass Dark Matter Searches With the High Speed Flux From the Large Magellanic Cloud

   Nassim Bozorgnia🇨🇦 · Joseph Bramante🇨🇦 · Andrew Buchanan🇨🇦

   As the hunt for dark matter progresses, recently there have been advances in the search for heavy dark matter with a mass well above a TeV. We show the importance of properly modeling the local dark matter velocity distribution, beyond the standard Maxwellian halo model, and in particular how the dynamics of the Large Magellanic Cloud and Milky Way may impact heavy dark matter searches. We introduce some new computational techniques for accurately computing the dark matter flux and the associated detector response. As a specific example, we examine the effect of the Large Magellanic Cloud on heavy dark matter bounds obtained from experiments searching for cosmic rays and magnetic monopoles using plastic etch detectors at the Ohya Mine and aboard the Skylab Space Station.

   hep-phastro-ph.GAJCAP(2026)·5 citations
6. 06*

   New Physics Searches at the LHC through Event-based Anomaly Detection and Development of ADFilter Web-tool

   Wasikul Islam🇺🇸 · Sergei Chekanov🇺🇸 · Nicholas Luongo🇺🇸

   This work presents advancements in model-agnostic searches for new physics at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) through the application of event-based anomaly detection techniques utilizing unsupervised machine learning. We discuss the advantages of the anomaly detection approach, as demonstrated in a recent ATLAS analysis, and introduce ADFilter, a web-based tool designed to process collision events using autoencoders based on deep unsupervised neural networks. ADFilter calculates loss distributions for input events, aiding in determining the degree to which events can be considered anomalous. Real-life examples are provided to demonstrate how the tool can be used to reinterpret existing LHC results, with the goal of significantly improving exclusion limits. Furthermore, we present a comparative study between anomaly detection and supervised machine learning techniques, using the search for heavy resonances decaying into two or more Higgs bosons as a representative case to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of these methods.

   hep-phhep-ex1 citation
7. 07*

   Model-independent probes of CP violation in the heavy scalar sector at muon colliders

   Qianxi Li🇨🇳 · Ying-nan Mao🇨🇳 · Kechen Wang🇨🇳

   We propose a model-independent test of CP violation in the scalar sector. We consider a heavy neutral scalar $h_2$ with tree-level couplings at the $h_{2}VV$ and $h_2{h}_{1}Z$ vertices (with $V=W^{\pm },Z$), alongside the 125~GeV SM-like Higgs boson $h_1$. At future muon colliders (MuC), we exploit vector-boson-fusion (VBF) production of $h_2$ followed by the decay $h_2\to Z{h}_1$. In our framework, observing the single process $VV\to h_2\to Z{h}_1$ implies both relevant couplings are nonzero, which is sufficient to establish CP violation in the scalar sector. We simulate signal and backgrounds at $\sqrt{s}=3(10)$~TeV with integrated luminosity $L=0.9(10){\mathrm{ab}}^{-1}$. We then present the expected discovery sensitivities across the $(c_2,c_{12})$ parameter space (with the coupling parameters $c_2$ and $c_{12}$ defined in the text) for multiple $m_{h_2}$ hypotheses.

   hep-phPRD(2026)·0 citations
8. 08*

   Energy-momentum tensor form factor D(t) of proton and neutron

   Andrea Mejia🇺🇸 · Peter Schweitzer🇺🇸

   The energy-momentum tensor (EMT) form factor $D(t)$ is finite and negative in hadronic models and lattice QCD when only strong forces are included. However, when electromagnetic forces are considered, the $D(t)$ of charged hadrons undergoes a dramatic change: at small $t$, it changes sign and diverges like $1/\sqrt{-t}$ as shown for the proton in the classical model by Białynicki-Birula based on residual nuclear forces which can be understood as a mean field approach. We construct an analogous neutron model and show that this framework accurately explains the electromagnetic proton-neutron mass difference. We demonstrate that, after appropriately rescaling the residual nuclear forces, the model can reproduce lattice data on the nucleon $D(t)$ up to $(-t)\lesssim 1$GeV${}^2$ as well as QED effects. Based on this realistic model description, we show that the proton and neutron $D(t)$ form factors are practically indistinguishable down to $(-t)\approx 10^{-4}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{V}}^2$ far below what can currently be accessed experimentally. We conclude that in the foreseeable future the $D(t)$ form factors of proton and neutron will practically look the same in experiments and phenomenology.

   hep-phnucl-thPRD(2026)·4 citations
9. 09*

   QCD axions and domain walls in dense matter under compact stellar conditions

   Zhen-Yan Lu🇨🇳 · Shu-Peng Wang🇨🇳 · Qi Lu🇨🇳 · Bo-Nan Zhang🇨🇳 · Marco Ruggieri🇮🇹

   In compact stellar environments, the stability of dense QCD matter requires the simultaneous fulfillment of charge neutrality and beta equilibrium. In this work, we study how temperature and finite chemical potential affect QCD topology and axion properties within this medium, analyzing both cases with and without the charge neutrality condition. Our results show that the topological susceptibility and axion properties are highly sensitive to the critical behavior of the chiral phase transition in both cases. In particular, the axion mass is strongly suppressed near the transition, while the axion self-coupling constant develops a pronounced peak whose magnitude depends on the temperature and density of the medium. Remarkably, around the critical point at $T\simeq 70$ MeV and $\mu \simeq 346$ MeV, the self-coupling constant is enhanced by more than a factor of seven compared to its vacuum value, a feature that to the best of our knowledge has not been reported in previous studies. Such a strong amplification at the phase boundary indicates that axion-mediated interactions could play an important role in shaping the structure and stability of compact stars, with potential implications for their evolution and observable astrophysical signatures.

   hep-phastro-ph.HEnucl-thEPJC(2025)·2 citations
10. 10*

    Systematic study of exotic $1^{-+}$ tetraquark spectroscopy

    Kai Xu🇹🇭 · Zheng Zhao🇹🇭 · Nattapat Tagsinsit🇹🇭 · Attaphon Kaewsnod🇹🇭 · Ayut Limphirat🇹🇭 · Christoph Herold🇹🇭 · Yupeng Yan🇹🇭

    The masses of exotic quantum-number $1^{-+}$ compact tetraquark states are calculated in a constituent quark model, where a Cornell-like potential is employed as the central potential, spin-spin and spin-orbit coupling derived from the Breit-Fermi interaction are treated as hyperfine corrections, and model parameters are taken from previous works. The ground state $1^{-+}$ P-wave tetraquarks are predicted at 1.9, 4.2, and 6.6~GeV for the light, charmonium-like, and fully-charm sectors, respectively. The decay width ratios of $1^{-+}$ tetraquark states are calculated for two-body strong decay channels within the rearrangement mechanism, including $\omega h_1$ and $\eta f_1$ for isospin $I=0$ light tetraquarks, $\rho h_1$ and $\pi f_1$ for isospin $I=1$ light tetraquarks, $\pi /\eta +{\chi }_{c1}$ and $\rho /\omega +h_c$ for charmonium-like tetraquarks, and ${\eta }_c{\chi }_{c1}$ and $J/\psi h_c$ for fully-charm tetraquarks. The theoretical results are compared with the observed exotic $1^{-+}$ states, and promising search channels for $1^{-+}$ tetraquarks are discussed. The work suggests that ${\eta }_1(1855)$ is unlikely to be a compact tetraquark state.

    hep-phPRD(2026)·1 citation
11. 11*

    Topological production of charmonia with event-shape engineering in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV using PYTHIA8

    Aswathy Menon Kavumpadikkal Radhakrishnan🇮🇳 · Suraj Prasad🇮🇳 · Neelkamal Mallick🇮🇳 · Raghunath Sahoo🇮🇳

    The production of heavy quarks (charm and beauty) in high-energy hadronic and nuclear collisions provides an excellent testing ground for the theory of strong interactions and validates models based on quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this work, prompt and nonprompt production of $J/\psi$ in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV are studied as a function of transverse spherocity using PYTHIA8. $J/\psi$ is reconstructed via its electromagnetic decay to dielectrons and dimuons, in mid- and forward-rapidity, respectively. Transverse spherocity, an event shape observable, is used to distinguish hard QCD events from the softer, isotropic ones. In PYTHIA8, the production of $J/\psi$ can be influenced by the average number of multiple parton interactions ($⟨N_{\mathrm{mpi}}⟩$), owing to the underlying events (UE), which have a dominant contribution to particle production at lower transverse momentum. Since transverse spherocity is correlated to $⟨N_{\mathrm{mpi}}⟩$, this can serve as an experimentally accessible tool for event selection to study the underlying QCD processes influencing the prompt and nonprompt $J/\psi$ production. This study reveals the correlation between heavy-flavor production dynamics and topological event selection in $pp$ collisions using PYTHIA8, whose relevance awaits experimental validation.

    hep-phhep-exnucl-exnucl-thPRD(2026)·1 citation
12. 12*

    Complete one-loop QED corrections to $D_s^{+}$ leptonic decays and impact on the CKM unitarity test

    Teppei Kitahara🇯🇵 · Jun Miyamoto🇯🇵 · Kota Sasaki🇯🇵

    Recently, a violation of the CKM unitarity condition has been reported in the latest charm-meson data and the latest lattice results, once the universal electroweak correction is taken into account. In this article, we analytically derive for the first time the complete one-loop electroweak (EW) and QED corrections to the $D_s^{+}\to {\ell }^{+}{\nu }_{\ell }$ decays for $\ell =\mu ,\tau$. Our analysis incorporates both short-distance EW-QED corrections, which are beyond the leading-logarithmic approximation (the so-called Sirlin factor), and long-distance soft-photon corrections depending on the maximum total energy of undetected photons with their resummation. Although the inclusive photon QED corrections to the meson leptonic decays are well known, they do not match the actual measurement circumstances in $D_s^{+}\to {\mu }^{+}{\nu }_{\mu }$. We find $|V_{cs}{|}_{D_s}=0.991\pm 0.007$ from the latest data on $D_s^{+}$ leptonic decays. We show that properly including these radiative corrections is essential to bring the second-column CKM unitarity tests into agreement with the Standard Model expectation. The study emphasizes that the current limiting factor in confirming CKM unitarity is the precision of QED corrections, and it points out that improving lattice simulations, taking the QED corrections into account, would be desirable for a more robust confirmation.

    hep-phhep-exJHEP(2026)·2 citations
13. 13*

    Lesser Green's Function and Chirality-Reduced Entropy via the In-Medium NJL Model

    Seung-il Nam🇰🇷

    We investigate chiral symmetry restoration in hot and dense quark matter using a correlator-based chirality-reduced entropy in the in-medium Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model. Starting from the lesser Green's function $G^{<}(k)$ in the real-time formalism, we construct the equal-time correlation matrix $C(\mathbf{k})$ and define the left-handed reduced correlator $C_L(\mathbf{k})=P_{L}C(\mathbf{k})P_L$. The corresponding von Neumann entropy, $S_{\chi }=-\mathrm{Tr}\left[C_L\ln C_L+(1-C_L)\ln (1-C_L)\right]$, characterizes the mixedness of the chirality-reduced subsystem. We show that the reduced correlator retains a nontrivial helicity structure and must therefore be described by its full eigenvalue spectrum rather than by a single scalar occupation probability. The self-consistent dynamical quark mass $M_q(T,{\mu }_q)$ reproduces the expected QCD-like phase structure, with a second-order transition in the chiral limit and a smooth crossover for finite current quark mass. The chirality-reduced entropy correlates with chiral restoration but is not itself an order parameter; instead, it provides complementary information via the full spectrum of the reduced correlator. Our numerical results show that $S_{\chi }$ exhibits characteristic nontrivial behavior across the chiral transition region and serves as an information-theoretic diagnostic of reduced chiral-sector mixedness.

    hep-ph1 citation
14. 14*

    Inclusive quarkonium photoproduction selection and the effect of pileup at the LHC

    Jean-Philippe Lansberg🇫🇷 · Kate Lynch🇮🇪 · Ronan McNulty🇮🇪 · Charlotte Van Hulse🇪🇸

    Measurements of inclusive quarkonium photoproduction provide strong constraints on the quarkonium production mechanism; however, this process has not yet been measured at the LHC. We summarise our previously developed selection strategy for isolating inclusive quarkonium photoproduction in pPb collisions at the LHC, which offer an optimal balance of photon flux, luminosity, and low pileup. We further examine the applicability of our selection criteria in different collision systems. While our method can be readily extended to PbPb collisions, pp collisions require additional care due to the significantly higher pileup. We discuss how pileup affects the selection criteria, highlighting that it substantially degrades forward-detector-based selections and reduces the efficiency of rapidity-gap requirements.

    hep-ph1 citation
15. 15*

    Misalignment dynamics of Scalar Condensates with Yukawa coupling: Particle and Entropy Production

    Nathan Herring🇺🇸 · Daniel Boyanovsky🇺🇸

    Misalignment dynamics, the non-equilibrium evolution of a scalar (or pseudoscalar) condensate in a potential landscape, broadly describes a solution to the strong CP problem, a mechanism for cold dark matter production and (pre) reheating post inflation. Often, radiative corrections are included phenomenologically by replacing the potential by the effective potential which is a \emph{static quantity}, its usefulness is restricted to (near) equilibrium situations. We study the misalignment dynamics of a scalar condensate Yukawa coupled to $N_f$ fermions in a manifestly energy conserving, fully renormalized Hamiltonian framework. A large $N_f$ limit allows us to focus on the fermion degrees of freedom, which yield a negative contribution to the effective potential, a radiatively induced instability and ultraviolet divergent field renormalization. We introduce an adiabatic basis and an adiabatic expansion that embodies the derivative expansion in the effective action, the zeroth order is identified with the effective potential, higher orders account for the derivative expansion including field renormalization and describe profuse particle production. Energy conserving dynamics leads to the conjecture of emergent asymptotic highly excited stationary states with a distribution function $n_k(\infty )\propto 1/k^6$ and an extensive entropy which is identified with an entanglement entropy. Subtle aspects of renormalization associated with the initial value problem are analyzed and resolved. Possible new manifestations of asymptotic spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) as a consequence of the dynamics even in absence of tree level (SSB), and cosmological inferences are discussed.

    hep-phastro-ph.COhep-thPRD(2026)·2 citations
16. 16*

    Pion photoproduction of nucleon excited states with Hamiltonian effective field theory

    Yu Zhuge🇨🇳 · Dan Guo🇨🇳 · Zhan-Wei Liu🇨🇳 · Derek B. Leinweber🇦🇺 · Anthony W. Thomas🇦🇺

    Over the past few years, Hamiltonian effective field theory has been successfully applied to studies of nucleon and hyperon excited states. By discretizing the Hamiltonian in a finite volume, one can obtain the energy spectrum and compare it with the results calculated from lattice QCD. Through the analysis of experimental data, Hamiltonian effective field theory provides a framework that connects the finite-volume spectra from lattice QCD to infinite-volume scattering observables. The model independence of the approach is well preserved under the combined constraints from lattice QCD and experimental data. Building on these developments, recent works have attempted to extend HEFT to electromagnetic processes. Meanwhile, lattice QCD has also gradually advanced into the study of electromagnetic interactions. The combination of these analyses will undoubtedly deepen our understanding of light resonances.

    hep-phhep-latEPJ Web Conf.(2026)·0 citations
17. 17*

    Extractions of the strong coupling from collider data without PDF refitting are biased

    Stefano Forte🇮🇹 · Juan Rojo🇳🇱 · Roy Stegeman🇬🇧

    We present an explicit demonstration that a determination of the strong coupling constant ${\alpha }_s(m_Z)$ from deep-inelastic scattering and hadron collider data without a simultaneous determination of the parton distribution functions (PDFs) leads to a biased result for both the central value and the uncertainty, even in the ideal scenario (closure test) where there are no internal tensions between datasets and where theoretical calculations describe perfectly the experimental measurements. Specifically, we show that a determination of ${\alpha }_s(m_Z)$ from a single process leads in general to a result that differs from the global best fit more than the value of ${\alpha }_s(m_Z)$ that is actually favoured by this process.

    hep-phhep-exPoS(2026)·6 citations
18. 18*

    New Physics Searches via Beam Normal Spin Asymmetry in Bhabha Scattering

    Aleksandr Pustyntsev🇩🇪 · Muthubharathi S. Ramasamy🇩🇪 · Marc Vanderhaeghen🇩🇪

    We examine the sensitivity of the beam normal spin asymmetry in Bhabha scattering to beyond the Standard Model (BSM) mediators, in the context of the JLab polarized positron program. A key property of this observable is that the Standard Model contribution exhibits a zero crossing at a fixed scattering angle, providing a clean, effectively background-free point for these searches. We consider scalar, vector, and axial vector mediators and present projected bounds, finding that scalar and vector scenarios allow a significant extension of the search ranges beyond existing constraints.

    hep-phhep-exnucl-thPRD(2026)·2 citations
19. 19*

    Short-range production of three bottom mesons

    Yong-Hui Lin🇩🇪 · Hans-Werner Hammer🇩🇪 · Ulf-G. Meißner🇩🇪

    Previous investigations of the three-body dynamics of $B$ mesons have shown that no Efimov effect arises in systems composed of three $B$ and $B^{\ast }$ mesons. This implies that the properties of such three-body systems can be described reliably within nonrelativistic effective field theory (NREFT) with short-range interactions using only two-body input, as three-body forces are strongly suppressed. In this work, we present leading-order predictions for the three-body point production rates of systems consisting of three $B$ and $B^{\ast }$ mesons. These predictions provide a novel way to experimentally probe the $B^{(\ast )}$-${\bar{B}}^{(\ast )}$ interactions, which play a crucial role in the hadronic-molecule interpretation of the $T_{b\bar{b}1}(10610)$ and $T_{b\bar{b}1}(10650)$ states. Moreover, they provide a way to test the approximate conformal symmetry predicted for such systems at low energies experimentally.

    hep-phhep-exnucl-thJHEP(2026)·1 citation
20. 20*

    Less structure on $8$ Mpc scales from decaying sterile neutrino dark matter

    María Dias Astros🇩🇪 · Lukáš Gráf🇳🇱 · Stefan Vogl🇩🇪

    Late decays of dark matter to a lighter, warm dark matter component are a known way to reduce the amplitude of the matter power spectrum on scales of $8$ Mpc. However, only very few particle physics models have been put forward that exhibit the required properties and allow to relate them to other observables. In this work, we investigate a model based on two interacting sterile neutrinos and a scalar singlet. The heavier of the neutrinos is produced in the early Universe by the interplay of oscillations and the new interactions in the dark sector and constitutes the dominant component of dark matter. If the Yukawa matrix that describes the interactions of the steriles with the scalar is not diagonal, the heavier state can decay to three light sterile neutrinos. In contrast to the usual scenario, this leads to an all massive final state without radiation-like particles. We identify the part of the parameter space where these decays can lead to a reduction of S${}_8$ at a level that matches observations. We then confront this region with the requirements of reproducing the observed relic density, as well as existing constraints from X-ray searches and Lyman-$\alpha$ forest data.

    hep-phJCAP(2026)·1 citation
21. 21*

    Zooming in on `bi-large' neutrino mixing with the first JUNO results

    Gui-Jun Ding🇨🇳 · Ranjeet Kumar🇮🇳 · Newton Nath🇮🇳 · Rahul Srivastava🇮🇳 · José W. F. Valle🇪🇸

    The leptonic mixing matrix is examined within bi-large mixing patterns and confronted with the latest results announced by the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). We analyze the viability of bi large mixing schemes and assess JUNO's ability to test neutrino mixing and discriminate among different bi-large mixing patterns, some of which are strongly disfavored when compared with neutrino oscillation global-fit results. Specific octant and CP predictions emerge. Finally, we comment on the implications of JUNO's findings for neutrinoless double beta decay.

    hep-phEPJC(2026)·12 citations
22. 22*

    Bubble velocities in local equilibrium from a pseudopotential

    Martin Münzenberg🇩🇪 · Carlos Tamarit🇩🇪

    We present a new method to estimate terminal bubble velocities during first-order phase transitions in a plasma in local equilibrium. The method relies on calculating the extrema of a modified potential function for the scalar field undergoing the transition. The shape of this function, which we refer to as the ``pseudopotential'', changes with the wall velocity, and if the dependence of the fluid temperature on scalar gradients is weak -- which is confirmed to hold with high accuracy in concrete examples -- the difference in pseudopotential between two appropriate extrema gives the net outward pressure acting on the bubble wall. It then follows that the correct terminal bubble velocities are those that lead to degenerate minima in the pseudopotential. This allows to compute bubble velocities without having to solve the equation of motion of the scalar field, and in contrast to other methods this can be done without relying on simplified equations of state for the plasma or without choosing a specific ansatz for the scalar field profile. We illustrate the method in a singlet extension of the Standard Model, computing the net outward pressure as a function of the wall velocity. We confirm the dip in outward pressure found in the literature for hybrid bubbles, which implies that stationary deflagrations are stable, while their detonation counterparts are unstable.

    hep-phJCAP(2026)·1 citation
23. 23*

    Lorentz Violation in Emergent Gravity and Its Cosmological Consequences

    Raymond Isichei🇬🇧 · Joao Magueijo🇬🇧

    We show that General Relativity and other geometrical theories can be viewed as a degenerate Otto cycle with only heat-exchange legs in emergent gravity. Including work-producing legs yields controlled violations of local Lorentz invariance and energy-momentum conservation, which produce late-time cosmological acceleration. Implications for the cosmological constant problem, structure formation and local observations are discussed.

    ↳ gr-qcastro-ph.COhep-phhep-thPRL(2026)·1 citation
24. 24*

    On the possibility of superradiant neutrino emission by atomic condensates

    Massimo Blasone🇮🇹 · Loredana Gastaldo🇩🇪 · Francesco Romeo🇮🇹

    In a recent work [B. J. P. Jones and J. A. Formaggio, Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 111801 (2025)], the possibility of superradiant neutrino emission from atomic condensates has been theoretically proposed. Subsequent analysis by Y. K. Lu, H. Lin, and W. Ketterle [arXiv:2510.21705] questioned this scenario, emphasizing the limiting role of the fermionic nature of the decayed atoms. In this study, we revisit the problem and discuss under which conditions collective emission phenomena might still emerge in cold-atom systems.

    ↳ quant-phhep-phnucl-thPRD(2026)·1 citation
25. 25*

    Unraveling the effect of rotation on the confinement/deconfinement transition of the quark-gluon plasma

    Nelson R. F. Braga🇧🇷 · Alexsandre L. Ferreira Jr🇧🇷

    There is an apparent contradiction in the current literature about the effect of rotation in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). While results from lattice QCD predict an increase in the confinement/deconfinement critical temperature, approximated calculations and effective models, including holographic ones, lead to the opposite result. Noncentral heavy ion collisions form QGPs with relativistic rotational velocities. Thereby, a great interest was drawn into the effect of rotation in strongly interacting matter. In this work, we show that the apparent contradiction is associated with the choices of observer considered in each case. We consider a holographic description of a rotating plasma using a Myers-Perry black hole. For a static observer, the result is that the confinement/deconfinement temperature decreases with the angular velocity, while for an observer corotating with the plasma the opposite behavior is found, in agreement with lattice calculations.

    ↳ hep-thhep-phPRD(2026)·3 citations
26. 26*

    Robust evidence for dynamical dark energy in light of DESI DR2 and joint ACT, SPT, and Planck data

    Tian-Nuo Li🇺🇸 · Guo-Hong Du🇺🇸 · Sheng-Han Zhou🇺🇸 · Yun-He Li🇺🇸 · Jing-Fei Zhang🇺🇸 · Xin Zhang🇺🇸

    Recent baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements released by DESI, when combined with cosmic microwave background (CMB) data and type Ia supernova (SN) data, suggest a significant preference for dynamical dark energy (DDE) that exhibits the phantom-like behavior in the past and has transitioned into quintessence-like behavior today. In this work, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of six representative DDE parametrization models by utilizing the latest and most precise CMB data jointly from ACT, SPT, and Planck, in conjunction with BAO data from DESI DR2 and SN data from DESY5, PantheonPlus, and Union3. Our overall analysis indicates that the preference for DDE in the Quintom-B regime remains robust, regardless of the DDE parameterization model and the data combination employed. The trend of this preference is significantly strengthened with the support of DESY5 SN data. Specifically, when using the CMB+DESI+DESY5 data, for the Barboza-Alcaniz (BA) model, we obtain $w_0=-0.785\pm 0.047$ and $w_a=-0.43_{-0.09}^{+0.10}$, which significantly deviate from the $\Lambda$CDM values and provide evidence for DDE at the $4.2\sigma$ level. By the reconstruction of the dark energy equation of state $w(z)$, normalized dark energy density $f_{\mathrm{DE}}(z)$, and the deceleration parameter $q(z)$, we also observe clear departures from $\Lambda$CDM, further reinforcing the case for DDE. Furthermore, the Bayesian evidence analysis indicates that the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder, BA and Exponential models are moderately favored relative to $\Lambda$CDM based on the CMB+DESI+DESY5 data.

    ↳ astro-ph.COgr-qchep-phhep-thPhys.Dark Univ.(2026)·56 citations
27. 27*

    Deconstructing symmetry breaking dynamics

    Fumika Suzuki🇺🇸 · Wojciech H. Zurek🇺🇸

    The Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) successfully predicts the density of topological defects deposited by the phase transitions, but it is not clear why. Its key conjecture is that, near the critical point of the second-order phase transition, critical slowing down will result in a period when the system is too sluggish to follow the potential that is changing faster than its reaction time. The correlation length at the freeze-out instant $\hat{t}$ when the order parameter catches up with the post-transition broken symmetry configuration is then decisive, determining when the mosaic of broken symmetry domains locks in topological defects. To understand why the KZM works so well we analyze Landau-Ginzburg model and show why temporal evolution of the order parameter plays such a key role. The analytical solutions we obtain suggest novel, hitherto unexplored, experimentally accessible observables that can shed light on symmetry breaking dynamics while testing the conjecture on which the KZM is based.

    ↳ cond-mat.stat-mechgr-qchep-phhep-th+1Proc.Nat.Acad.Sci.(2025)·9 citations

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