Nuclear Theory·nucl-th

Tuesday·September 16, 2025

14 papers—5 primary·9 cross-listed

06
Renormalization Group Approach to Confinement
Gerrit Schierholz🇩🇪
While we have several complementary models of confinement, some of which are phenomenologically appealing, we do not have the ability to calculate analytically even simple aspects of confinement, let alone have a framework to eventually prove confinement. The problem we are facing is to evolve the theory from the perturbative regime to the long distance confining regime. This is generally achieved by renormalization group transformations. With the gradient flow we now have a technique to address the problem from first principles. The primary focus is on the running coupling $α_{S} (μ)$ , from which confinement can be concluded alone. A central point is that the gluon condensate is scale invariant, which reflects its self-similar behavior across different scales. Building on that, we derive $α_{S} (μ) ≃ Λ_{S}^{2} / μ^{2}$ , which evolves to the infrared fixed point $1/ α_{S} = 0$ in accordance with infrared slavery. The only important factor appears to be the presence of the gluon condensate, which is a universal feature that QCD shares with many other models. The analytical results are supported by numerical simulations.
↳ hep-lathep-phhep-thnucl-thEPJC(2026)·1 citation
07
Glauber quark and gluon contributions to quark energy loss at next-to-leading order and next-to-leading twist
Amit Kumar🇨🇦 · Gojko Vujanovic🇨🇦
The higher-twist formalism is used at $O (α_{s}^{2})$ to compute all possible medium-induced single-scattering emission kernels for an incoming highly energetic and virtual quark traversing the nuclear environment. The effects of the heavy-quark mass scale are taken into account [Phys. Rev. C 94, 054902 (2016)] both in the initial state as well as in the final state, along with interactions involving both in-medium Glauber gluons and quarks [Nucl. Phys. A 793, 128 (2007)], as well as coherence effects [Phys. Rev. C 105, 024908 (2022)]. As this study is a continuation of our work on medium-induced photon production [Phys. Rev. C 112, 025204 (2025)], the general factorization procedure for $e$ - $A$ deep-inelastic scattering is still used. An incoming quark energy loss in the nuclear medium yields four possible scattering kernels $K_{i}$ with the following final states: (i) $q + g$ , (ii) $g + g$ , (iii) $q + q ˉ^{'}$ , where the quark $q$ may have a flavor different from the antiquark $q ˉ^{'}$ , and (iv) $q + q^{'}$ , where, again, $q$ may have a flavor different from $q^{'}$ . The collisional kernels include full phase factors from all non-vanishing diagrams and complete first-order derivative in the longitudinal direction ( $k^{-}$ ) as well as second-order derivative in the transverse momentum ( $k_{⊥}$ ) gradient expansion. Furthermore, in-medium parton distribution functions and the related jet transport coefficients have a hard transverse-momentum dependence (of the emitted quark or gluon) present within the phase factor.
↳ hep-phnucl-exnucl-thPRC(2026)·4 citations
08
Collective motion in the massive Schwinger model via Tensor Network
Haiyang Shao🇨🇳 · Shile Chen🇨🇳 · Shuzhe Shi🇨🇳
We simulate the real-time dynamics of a massive Schwinger model using the Time-Evolving Block Decimation tensor network algorithm. Starting from a non-equilibrium initial state with localized energy excitation on top of vacuum, we track the subsequent evolution to investigate two distinct physical phenomena. First, by analyzing the system's energy-momentum tensor, we show that this system exhibits hydrodynamic behavior analogous to Bjorken flow at large coupling-to-mass ratio, a signature that diminishes as the coupling weakens, or mass increases. Second, by examining the evolution of the electric field and charge density, we observe the signal of spontaneous parity symmetry breaking phase transition in a dynamical system. The parity-restored regime is marked by ''string breaking'' and efficient charge screening, while the parity-broken regime displays stable propagation of nearly free charges and persistent electric fields connecting them.
↳ hep-phhep-latnucl-th5 citations
09
Onset of Bjorken Flow in Quantum Evolution of the Massive Schwinger Model
Haiyang Shao🇨🇳 · Shile Chen🇨🇳 · Shuzhe Shi🇨🇳
The onset of hydrodynamics in the hot medium created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions is a crucial theoretical question. A first-principle simulation requires a real-time, non-perturbative calculation of the quantum system. In this Letter, we perform such simulations using the tensor network method, which enables large-scale quantum many-body simulations by retaining only the most essential quantum states for collective behaviors. We focus on the massive Schwinger model, a low-dimensional analog of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), as they share important properties such as confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. Starting from an initial state that puts a localized excitation atop the vacuum and mimics the energy deposition from colliding nuclei, we observe hydrodynamic behavior consistent with Bjorken flow in all relevant degrees of freedom: energy density, fluid velocity, and bulk pressure. The time scale for hydrodynamic onset aligns with the thermalization time of the quantum distribution function.
↳ hep-phhep-latnucl-th9 citations
10
Diffractive vector meson photo-production in oxygen-oxygen and neon-neon ultraperipheral collisions at energies available at the CERN Large Hadron Collider
J. Cepila🇨🇿 · J. G. Contreras🇨🇿 · M. Matas🇨🇿 · A. Ridzikova🇨🇿
The energy-dependent hotspot model is used to predict cross sections for vector-meson diffractive photo-nuclear production off oxygen ( $γ$ O) and neon ( $γ$ Ne) that can be extracted from ultra-peripheral O--O and Ne--Ne collisions, recently recorded at the LHC. In both cases, two models are used to describe the nuclear shapes. Woods-Saxon prescriptions for O and Ne as well as an alpha-cluster description of O and a bowling-pin-like shape for Ne, according to the PGCM formalism. Predictions are presented for the dependence on the centre-of-mass energy of the photon--nucleus system, as well as on Mandelstam- $t$ , of the cross sections for the coherent and the incoherent photo-nuclear production of $ρ^{0}$ and J/ $ψ$ vector mesons. Furthermore, the rapidity dependence of the ultra-peripheral cross section is reported for all cases. It is found that the incoherent process provides a measurable signature for the approach to the gluon-saturation regime, and that the simultaneous determination of $ρ^{0}$ and J/ $ψ$ coherent and incoherent production provides a strong constraint on nuclear models for both O and Ne.
↳ hep-phnucl-thPRC(2026)·2 citations
11
Observation of quantum-field-theory dynamics on a spin-phonon quantum computer
Anton T. Than🇺🇸 · Saurabh V. Kadam🇺🇸 · Vinay Vikramaditya🇺🇸 · Nhung H. Nguyen🇺🇸 · Xingxin Liu🇺🇸 · Zohreh Davoudi🇺🇸 · Alaina M. Green🇺🇸 · Norbert M. Linke🇺🇸
Simulating out-of-equilibrium dynamics of quantum field theories in nature is challenging with classical methods, but is a promising application for quantum computers. Unfortunately, simulating interacting bosonic fields involves a high boson-to-qubit encoding overhead. Furthermore, when mapping to qubits, the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space of bosons is necessarily truncated, with truncation errors that grow with energy and time. A qubit-based quantum computer, augmented with an active bosonic register, and with qubit, bosonic, and mixed qubit-boson quantum gates, offers a more powerful platform for simulating bosonic theories. We demonstrate this capability experimentally in a hybrid analog-digital trapped-ion quantum computer, where qubits are encoded in the internal states of the ions, and the bosons in the ions' motional states. Specifically, we simulate nonequilibrium dynamics of a (1+1)-dimensional Yukawa model, a simplified model of interacting nucleons and pions, and measure fermion- and boson-occupation-state probabilities. These dynamics populate high bosonic-field excitations starting from an empty state, and the experimental results capture well such high-occupation states. This simulation approaches the regime where classical methods become challenging, bypasses the need for a large qubit overhead, and removes truncation errors. Our results, therefore, open the way to achieving demonstrable quantum advantage in qubit-boson quantum computing.
↳ quant-phcond-mat.quant-gashep-lathep-ph+112 citations
12
$A_{β} [E_{β}]$ in $^{37}$ K decay: new physics with opposite $β$ helicity
Melissa Anholm🇨🇦 · J.A. Behr🇨🇦 · D.G. Melconian🇺🇸 · G. Gwinner🇨🇦 · A. Gorelov🇨🇦 · J.C. McNeil🇨🇦 · B. Fenker🇺🇸 · S. Behling🇺🇸
By extending our analysis and simulations of our $^{37}$ K $β$ -decay data set to allow the $β$ asymmetry with respect to nuclear spin to vary with $β$ energy $E_{β}$ , we have gained sensitivity to new physics that depends on a helicity factor for the $β$ , $m_{β} / E_{β}$ . In particular, we constrain Lorentz scalar and tensor quark-lepton interaction strengths at a sensitivity complementary to the similar Fierz interference term in neutron $β$ decay. Our result for that new physics is a Fierz interference term $b$ = 0.033 $\pm$ 0.084 (stat) $\pm$ 0.039 (syst), consistent with the standard model electroweak interaction value $b = 0$ . We consider presently achieved complementarity to $β$ -decay and particle physics experiments, along with projectable technical improvements to our method.
↳ nucl-exhep-phnucl-thPRC(2026)·0 citations
13
Investigating the correlations of bulk properties of hyperon star with dark matter
Rashmita Jena🇮🇳 · Padmalaya Dash🇮🇳 · S.K. Biswal🇮🇳
The strong gravitational pull of the neutron star leads to the accretion of dark matter (DM) inside the core of the neutron star. The accretion of DM affects the bulk properties of the neutron star. Here, we study how the accretion of WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) dark matter particles affects the $Δ -$ admixed hyperon star's bulk properties specifically mass, radius, tidal deformability, $f -$ mode frequency and moment of inertia. The inclusion of dark matter softens the EOS (equation of state) and reduces the maximum possible mass, canonical radius, canonical tidal deformability, and moment of inertia of canonical star. However, the $f -$ mode frequency of the canonical star increases. We find a cubical correlation between the dark matter fermi momenta $k_{f}^{D M}$ and bulk properties of canonical star.
↳ astro-ph.HEhep-thnucl-th0 citations
14
Nuclear Beavers
Joshua Wylie · Pablo Giuliani · Kyle Godbey · Sylvester Agbemava
Nuclear physics is a very abstract field with little accessibility for wider audiences, and yet it is a field of physics with far reaching implications for everyday life. The Nuclear Beavers demonstration is a hands-on experience that offers an intuitive lens into nuclear structure and decay. We aim to provide a more accessible entry point for students and educators by substituting complex nuclear structures and interactions with tactile building blocks following well-defined rules, thereby opening nuclear physics concepts to the general public.
↳ physics.ed-phnucl-exnucl-th0 citations

Affiliations

first authorsco-authorsvia INSPIRE