Tuesdays 10:30 - 11:30 | Fridays 11:30 - 12:30
Showing votes from 2023-12-05 11:30 to 2023-12-08 12:30 | Next meeting is Tuesday Oct 29th, 10:30 am.
Recent studies have postulated that the presence of dark matter (DM) spikes around IMBHs could lead to observable dephasing effects in gravitational wave (GW) signals emitted by Intermediate Mass Ratio Inspirals (IMRIs). While prior investigations primarily relied on non-self-consistent analytic methods to estimate the influence of DM spikes on eccentric IMRIs, our work introduces the first self-consistent treatment of this phenomenon through $N$-body simulations. Contrary to previous studies, which suggested that dynamical friction (DF), a cumulative effect of two-body encounters, is the primary mechanism responsible for energy dissipation, we reveal that the slingshot mechanism, a three-body effect, plays a more significant role in driving the binary system's energy loss and consequent orbital shrinkage, similar to stellar loss cone scattering in Massive Black Hole (MBH) binaries. Furthermore, our work extends its analysis to include rotation in DM spikes, a factor often overlooked in previous studies. We find that binaries that counter-rotate with respect to the spike particles merge faster, while binaries that co-rotate merge slower, in opposition to the expectation from DF theory. While our models are idealistic, they offer findings that pave the way for a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between DM spikes, IMRIs, GW emission, and the ability to constrain DM microphysics. Our work systematically includes Post-Newtonian (PN) effects until 2.5 order and our results are accurate and robust.
The J-region Asymptotic Giant Branch (JAGB) method is a standard candle that leverages the constant luminosities of color-selected, carbon-rich AGB stars, measured in the near infrared at 1.2 microns. The Chicago-Carnegie Hubble Program (CCHP) has obtained JWST imaging of the SN Ia host galaxies NGC 7250, NGC 4536, and NGC 3972. With these observations, the JAGB method can be studied for the first time using JWST. Lee et al. 2022 [arXiv:2205.11323] demonstrated the JAGB magnitude is optimally measured in the outer disks of galaxies, because in the inner regions the JAGB magnitude can vary significantly due to a confluence of reddening, blending, and crowding effects. However, determining where the 'outer disk' lies can be subjective. Therefore, we introduce a novel method for systematically selecting the outer disk. In a given galaxy, the JAGB magnitude is first separately measured in concentric regions, and the 'outer disk' is then defined as the first radial bin where the JAGB magnitude stabilizes to a few hundredths of a magnitude. After successfully employing this method in our JWST galaxy sample, we find the JAGB stars are well-segregated from other stellar populations in color-magnitude space, and have observed dispersions about their individual F115W modes of $\sigma_{N7250}=0.32$ mag, $\sigma_{N4536}=0.34$ mag, and $\sigma_{N3972}=0.35$ mag. These measured dispersions are similar to the scatter measured for the JAGB stars in the LMC using 2MASS data ($\sigma=0.33$ mag, Weinberg & Nikolaev 2001 [arXiv:astro-ph/0003204 ). In conclusion, the JAGB stars as observed with JWST clearly demonstrate their considerable power both as high-precision extragalactic distance indicators and as SN Ia supernova calibrators.
We investigate the cosmological constraints on the Variable Chaplygin gas model with the latest observational data from the Fast Radio Bursts and SNeIa (Pantheon+SHOES). The Variable Chaplygin gas model is shown to be compatible with Type Ia Supernovae and Fast Radio Burts. We have obtained tighter constraints on cosmological parameters Bs and n, using the the FRB data set. By using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method on the SNeIa data set, we obtain Bs=0.1956 +- 0.1047 , n= 1.3581 +- 1.1678 and H0= 70.3902 +- 0.6381 and we obtain Bs= 0.1780 +-0.1069 , n= 1.2633+- 1.2433 and H0=70.397 +- 0.6597 from the FRB data set. We are able to get a good agreement between the H0 values from the two data sets.
General relativity has been very successful since its proposal more a century ago. However, various cosmological observations and theoretical consistency still motivate us to explore extended gravity theories. Horndeski gravity stands out as one attractive theory by introducing only one scalar field. Here we formulate the post-Newtonian effective field theory of Horndeski gravity and investigate the conservative dynamics of the inspiral compact binary systems. We calculate the leading effective Lagrangian for a compact binary and obtain the periastron advance per period. In particular, we apply our analytical calculation to two binary systems, PSR B 1534+12 and PSR J0737-3039, and constrain the relevant model parameters. The theoretical framework can also be extended to higher order systematically.
We explore the information content of 21cm intensity maps in redshift space using the 1-loop Effective Field Theory power spectrum model and the bispectrum at tree level. The 21cm signal contains signatures of dark matter, dark energy and the growth of large-scale structure in the Universe. These signatures are typically analyzed via the 2-point correlation function or power spectrum. However, adding the information from the 3-point correlation function or bispectrum will be crucial to exploiting next-generation intensity mapping experiments. The bispectrum could offer a unique opportunity to break key parameter degeneracies that hinder the measurement of cosmological parameters and improve on the precision. We use a Fisher forecast analysis to estimate the constraining power of the HIRAX survey on cosmological parameters, dark energy and modified gravity.
We investigate the potential of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in detecting synchrotron radiation emitted from the decay of sub-GeV dark matter (dark matter with masses below the GeV scale) in the presence of strong magnetic fields. As a concrete setup, we consider scenarios where the magnetosphere of a magnetic white dwarf overlaps with dense dark matter environments, such as those surrounding a primordial black hole. Our study reveals that the encounters of compact objects such as white dwarfs and black holes offer a promising avenue for upcoming radio telescopes to probe the properties of light dark matter, which has been less explored compared with more conventional heavier (masses above the GeV scale) dark matter.
We examine the contribution of tensor modes, in addition to the dominant scalar ones, on the temperature anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). To this end, we analyze in detail the temperature two-point angular correlation function $C(\theta)$ from the Planck 2018 dataset, focusing on large angles ($\theta \gtrsim 120^{\circ}$) corresponding to small $\ell$ multipoles. A hierarchical set of infrared cutoffs are naturally introduced to the scalar and tensor power spectra of the CMB by invoking an extra Kaluza-Klein dimension compactifying at about the GUT scale between the Planck epoch and the start of inflation. We associate this set of lower scalar and tensor cutoffs with the parity of the multipole expansion of the $C(\theta)$ function. By fitting the Planck 2018 data we compute the multipole coefficients thereby reproducing the well-known odd-parity preference in angular correlations seen by all three satellite missions COBE, WMAP and Planck. Our fits improve significantly once tensor modes are included in the analysis, hence providing a hint of the imprints of primordial gravitational waves on the temperature correlations observed in the CMB today. To conclude we suggest a relationship between, on the one hand, the lack of (positive) large-angle correlations and the odd-parity dominance in the CMB and, on the other hand, the effect of primordial gravitational waves on the CMB temperature anisotropies.
We present radio and X-ray studies of A3444 and MS1455.0+2232, two galaxy clusters with radio minihalos in their cool cores. A3444 is imaged using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at 333, 607 and 1300 MHz and the Very Large Array at 1435 MHz. Most of the minihalo is contained within r<120 kpc, but a fainter extension, stretching out to 380 kpc South-West of the center, is detected at 607 MHz. Using Chandra, we detect four X-ray sloshing cold fronts: three in the cool core at r=60, 120 and 230 kpc, and a fourth one at r=400 kpc - in the region of the southwestern radio extension - suggesting that the intracluster medium (ICM) is sloshing on a cluster-wide scale. The radio emission is contained within the envelope defined by these fronts. We also analyzed archival 383 MHz GMRT and Chandra observations of MS1455.0+2232, which exhibits a known minihalo with its bright part delineated by cold fronts inside the cool core, but with a faint extension beyond the core. Similarly to A3444, we find a cold front at r~425 kpc, containing the radio emission. Thus the entire diffuse radio emission seen in these clusters appears to be related to large-scale sloshing of the ICM. The radio spectrum of the A3444 minihalo is a power law with a steep index $\alpha=1.0\pm0.1$. The spectrum steepens with increasing distance from the center, as expected if the minihalo originates from re-acceleration of relativistic particles by the sloshing-induced turbulence in the ICM.
In this work, we propose a model of Einstein--Gauss-Bonnet gravity coupled with two scalar fields. The two scalar fields are considered to be ``frozen'' or they become non-dynamical by employing appropriate constraints in terms of Lagrange multiplier fields. We show that, even in the case that the arbitrary spherically symmetric spacetime is dynamical, we can construct a model where the wormhole spacetime is a stable solution in this framework. We especially concentrate on the model reproducing the dynamical wormhole, where the wormhole appears in a finite-time interval. We investigate the propagation of the gravitational wave in the wormhole spacetime background and we show that the propagation speed is different from that of light $\to$ light in general, and there is a difference in the speeds between the incoming propagating wave and the outgoing propagating gravitational wave.
The delensing of cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps will be increasingly valuable for extracting as much information as possible from future CMB surveys. Delensing provides many general benefits, including sharpening of the acoustic peaks, more accurate recovery of the damping tail, and reduction of lensing-induced $B$-mode power. In this paper we present several applications of delensing focused on testing theories of early-universe inflation with observations of the CMB. We find that delensing the CMB results in improved parameter constraints for reconstructing the spectrum of primordial curvature fluctuations, probing oscillatory features in the primordial curvature spectrum, measuring the spatial curvature of the universe, and constraining several different models of isocurvature perturbations. In some cases we find that delensing can recover almost all of the constraining power contained in unlensed spectra, and it will be a particularly valuable analysis technique to achieve further improvements in constraints for model parameters whose measurements are not expected to improve significantly when utilizing only lensed CMB maps from next-generation CMB surveys. We also quantify the prospects of testing the single-field inflation tensor consistency condition using delensed CMB data; we find it to be out of reach of current and proposed experimental technology and advocate for alternative detection methods.
Cosmological parameter inference has been dominated by the Bayesian approach for the past two decades, primarily due to its computational efficiency. However, the Bayesian approach involves integration of the posterior probability and therefore depends on both the choice of model parametrisation and the choice of prior on the model parameter space. In some cases, this can lead to conclusions which are driven by choice of parametrisation and priors rather than by data. The profile likelihood method provides a complementary frequentist tool which can be used to investigate this effect. In this paper, we present the code PROSPECT for computing profile likelihoods in cosmology. We showcase the code using a phenomenological model for converting dark matter into dark radiation that suffers from large volume effects and prior dependence. PROSPECT is compatible with both cobaya and MontePython, and is publicly available at https://github.com/AarhusCosmology/prospect_public.
The process whereby the supermassive black holes populating the centers of galaxies have been assembled remains to be established, with the relative importance of seeds provided by collapsed Population-III stars, black holes formed in nuclear star clusters via repeated mergers, or direct collapses of protogalactic disks yet to be determined. In this paper we study the prospects for casting light on this issue by future measurements of gravitational waves emitted during the inspirals and mergers of pairs of intermediate-mass black holes, discussing in particular the roles of prospective measurements by LISA and the proposed atom interferometers AION and AEDGE. We find that, the expected number of detectable IMBH binaries is $O(100)$ for LISA and AEDGE and $O(10)$ for AION in low-mass seeds scenarios and goes down to $O(10)$ for LISA and below one for AEDGE and AION in high-mass seed scenarios. This allows all of these observatories to probe the parameters of the seed model, in particular if at least a fraction of the SMBHs arise from a low-mass seed population. We also show that the measurement accuracy of the binary parameters is, in general, best for AEDGE that sees very precisely the merger of the binary.
Simplified models of light new physics provide a convenient benchmark for experimental searches for new physics signatures, including dark matter (DM). However, additional detection modes can arise in less simplified and more realistic scenarios where new degrees of freedom are invoked. In this study, we introduce a non-minimal model based on a popular dark photon portal to DM where the mediator mass is obtained by interactions with the dark Higgs boson which acts as a long-lived particle. We further add to this scenario a new heavy DM species secluded from the Standard Model. In this model, which involves light and heavy particles in the dark sector, we find some new interesting phenomenological features that lead to complementary probes in intensity frontier searches for light long-lived particles, indirect detection searches for dark matter, and cosmic microwave background surveys. We also find possible non-local effects in the DM indirect detection searches that could significantly affect the usual detection strategies.
The third-generation (3G) gravitational wave (GW) detectors such as the Einstein telescope (ET) or Cosmic Explorer (CE) are expected to play an important role in cosmology. With the help of 3G detectors, we will be able to probe large-scale structure (LSS) features such as baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), galaxy bias, etc. We explore the possibility to do precision cosmology, with the 3G GW detectors by measuring the angular BAO scale using localization volumes of compact binary merger events. Through simulations, we show that with a 3G detector network, by probing the angular BAO scale using purely GW observations, we can constrain the Hubble constant for the standard model of cosmology ($\Lambda$CDM) with $90\%$ credible regions as $H_0 = 59.4^{+ 33.9}_{-17.7} ~\mathrm{km}~\mathrm{s}^{-1}~\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$. When combined with BAO measurements from galaxy surveys, we show that it can be used to constrain various models of cosmology such as parametrized models for dark energy equations of state. We also show how cosmological constraints using BAO measurements from GW observations in the 3G era will complement the same from spectroscopic surveys.
Interacting dark energy models may play a crucial role in explaining several important observational issues in modern cosmology and also may provide a solution to current cosmological tensions. Since the phenomenology of the dark sector could be extremely rich, one should not restrict the interacting models to have a coupling parameter which is constant in cosmic time, rather allow for its dynamical behavior, as it is common practice in the literature when dealing with other dark energy properties, as the dark energy equation of state. We present here a compendium of the current cosmological constraints on a large variety of interacting models, investigating scenarios where the coupling parameter of the interaction function and the dark energy equation of state can be either constant or dynamical. For the most general schemes, in which both the coupling parameter of the interaction function and the dark energy equation of state are dynamical, we find $95\%$~CL evidence for a dark energy component at early times and slightly milder evidence for a dynamical dark coupling for the most complete observational data set exploited here, which includes CMB, BAO and Supernova Ia measurements. Interestingly, there are some cases where a dark energy component different from the cosmological constant case at early times together with a coupling different from zero today, can alleviate both the $H_0$ and $S_8$ tension for the full dataset combination considered here. Due to the energy exchange among the dark sectors, the current values of the matter energy density and of the clustering parameter $\sigma_8$ are shifted from their $\Lambda$CDM-like values. This fact makes future surveys, especially those focused on weak lensing measurements, unique tools to test the nature and the couplings of the dark energy sector.
Cosmological simulations for cold dark matter (DM) indicate that a large number of streams might exist in our Galaxy. The present work incorporates gravitational focusing (GF) effects on streaming DM constituents by the Sun and the Earth preceding their encounter with Earth bound detectors. For streaming DM, the GF gives rise to spatiotemporal flux enhancements of orders of magnitude above the nominal DM density. Remarkably, due to Earth's rotation the derived flux enhancements appear as transient signals lasting about 10 seconds repeating daily for days or weeks. This work presents a novel opportunity for DM signal detection and identification, and the present simulation can be applied to any kind of invisible matter entering the solar system.
Observations of local star-forming galaxies (SFGs) show a tight correlation between their singly ionized carbon line luminosity ($L_{\rm [C_{II}]}$) and star formation rate (SFR), suggesting that $L_{\rm [C_{II}]}$ may be a useful SFR tracer for galaxies. Some other galaxy populations, however, are found to have lower $L_{\rm [C_{II}]}{}/{}\rm SFR$ than the local SFGs, including the infrared-luminous, starburst galaxies at low and high redshifts, as well as some moderately star-forming galaxies at the epoch of re-ionization (EoR). The origin of this `$\rm [C_{II}]$ deficit' is unclear. In this work, we study the $L_{\rm [C_{II}]}$-SFR relation of galaxies using a sample of $z=0-8$ galaxies with $M_*\approx10^7-5\times10^{11}\,M_\odot$ extracted from cosmological volume and zoom-in simulations from the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. We find a simple analytic expression for $L_{\rm [C_{II}]}$/SFR of galaxies in terms of the following parameters: mass fraction of $\rm [C_{II}]$-emitting gas ($f_{\rm [C_{II}]}$), gas metallicity ($Z_{\rm gas}$), gas density ($n_{\rm gas}$) and gas depletion time ($t_{\rm dep}{}={}M_{\rm gas}{}/{}\rm SFR$). We find two distinct physical regimes, where $t_{\rm dep}$ ($Z_{\rm gas}$) is the main driver of the $\rm [C_{II}]$ deficit in $\rm H_2$-rich ($\rm H_2$-poor) galaxies. The observed $\rm [C_{II}]$ deficit of IR-luminous galaxies and early EoR galaxies, corresponding to the two different regimes, is due to short gas depletion time and low gas metallicity, respectively. Our result indicates that $\rm [C_{II}]$ deficit is a common phenomenon of galaxies, and caution needs to be taken when applying a constant $L_{\rm [C_{II}]}$-to-SFR conversion factor derived from local SFGs to estimate cosmic SFR density at high redshifts and interpret data from upcoming $\rm [C_{II}]$ line intensity mapping experiments.
We revisit how super-Hubble cosmological fluctuations induce, at any time in the cosmic history, a non-vanishing spatial curvature of the local background metric. The random nature of these fluctuations promotes the curvature density parameter to a stochastic quantity for which we derive novel non-perturbative expressions for its mean, variance, higher moments and full probability distribution. For scale-invariant Gaussian perturbations, such as those favored by cosmological observations, we find that the most probable value for the curvature density parameter $\Omega_\mathrm{K}$ today is $-10^{-9}$, that its mean is $+10^{-9}$, both being overwhelmed by a standard deviation of order $10^{-5}$. We then discuss how these numbers would be affected by the presence of large super-Hubble non-Gaussianities, or, if inflation lasted for a very long time. In particular, we find that substantial values of $\Omega_\mathrm{K}$ are obtained if inflation lasts for more than a billion e-folds.
Extracting information from cosmic surveys is often done in a two-step process, construction of maps and then summary statistics such as two-point functions. We use simulations to demonstrate the advantages of a general Bayesian framework that consistently combines different cosmological experiments on the field level, and reconstructs both the maps and cosmological parameters. We apply our method to jointly reconstruct the primordial CMB, the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect, and six tomographic galaxy density maps on the full sky on large scales along with several cosmological parameters. While the traditional maximum a posterior estimator has both two-point level and field-level bias, the new approach yields unbiased cosmological constraints and improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the maps.
When we impose the discrete symmetry in the standard model we have Dai-Freed global anomalies. However, interestingly if we introduce three right-handed neutrinos we can have an anomaly-free discrete $Z_4$ gauge symmetry. This $Z_4$ symmetry should be spontaneously broken down to the $Z_2$ symmetry to generate the heavy Majorana masses for the right-handed neutrinos. We show that this symmetry breaking naturally generates topological inflation, which is consistent with the CMB observations at present and predicts a significant tensor mode with scalar-tensor ratio $r > 0.03$. The right-handed neutrinos play an important role in reheating processes. The reheating temperature is as high as $\sim 10^8$GeV, and non-thermal leptogenesis successfully takes place.
We constrain models of the galaxy distribution in the cosmic web using data from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We model the redshift-space behaviour of the 2-point correlation function (2pcf) and the recently proposed Voronoi volume function (VVF) -- which includes information beyond 2-point statistics. We extend the standard halo model using extra satellite degrees of freedom and two assembly bias parameters, $\alpha_{\rm cen}$ and $\alpha_{\rm sat}$, which respectively correlate the occupation numbers of central and satellite galaxies with their host halo's tidal environment. We measure $\alpha_{\rm sat}=1.44^{+0.25}_{-0.43}$ and $\alpha_{\rm cen}=-0.79^{+0.29}_{-0.11}$ using a combination of 2pcf and VVF measurements, representing a detection of assembly bias at the 3.3$\sigma$ (2.4$\sigma$) significance level for satellite (central) galaxies. This result remains robust to possible anisotropies in the halo-centric distribution of satellites as well as technicalities of estimating the data covariance. We show that the growth rate ($f\sigma_8$) deduced using models with assembly bias is about 7\% (i.e. $1.5\sigma$) lower than if assembly bias is ignored. When projected onto the $\Omega_m$-$\sigma_8$ plane, the model constraints without assembly bias overlap with Planck expectations, while allowing assembly bias introduces significant tension with Planck, preferring either a lower $\Omega_m$ or a lower $\sigma_8$. Finally, we find that the all-galaxy weak lensing signal is unaffected by assembly bias, but the central and satellite sub-populations individually show significantly different signals in the presence of assembly bias. Our results illustrate the importance of accurately modelling galaxy formation for cosmological inference from future surveys.
The evidence of the nano-Hertz stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background is reported by multiple pulsar timing array collaborations. While a prominent candidate of the origin is astrophysical from supermassive black hole binaries, alternative models involving GWs induced by primordial curvature perturbations can explain the inferred GW spectrum. Serendipitously, the nano-Hertz range coincides with the Hubble scale during the cosmological quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase transition. The influence of the QCD phase transition can modify the spectrum of induced GWs within the nano-Hertz frequency range, necessitating careful analysis. We estimate GWs induced by power-law power spectra of primordial curvature perturbations taking account of the QCD phase transition. Then we translate the implication of the NANOGrav data into the constraint on the power spectrum of the primordial curvature perturbation, which suggests one would underestimate the amplitude by about $25\%$ and the spectral index by up to $10\%$ if neglecting the QCD effect.
We study anisotropic (patchy) screening induced by the resonant conversion of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons into dark-sector massive vector bosons (dark photons) as they cross non-linear large scale structure (LSS). Resonant conversion takes place through the kinetic mixing of the photon with the dark photon, one of the simplest low energy extensions to the Standard Model. In the early Universe, resonant conversion can occur when the photon plasma mass, obtained as the photon propagates through the ionized interstellar and intergalactic media, matches the dark photon mass. After the epoch of reionization, resonant conversion occurs mainly in the ionized gas that occupies virialized dark matter halos, for a range of dark photon masses between $10^{-13} {\rm \; eV} \lesssim m_{{\rm A^{\prime}}} \lesssim 10^{-11} {\rm \; eV}$. This leads to new CMB anisotropies that are correlated with LSS, which we refer to as patchy dark screening, in analogy with anisotropies from Thomson screening. Its unique frequency dependence allows it to be distinguished from the blackbody CMB. In this paper, we use a halo model approach to predict the imprint of dark screening on the CMB temperature and polarization anisotropies, as well as their correlation with LSS. We then examine the two- and three-point correlation functions of the dark-screened CMB, as well as correlation functions between CMB and LSS observables, to project the sensitivity of future measurements to the kinetic mixing parameter and dark photon mass. We demonstrate that an analysis with existing CMB data can improve upon current constraints on the kinetic mixing parameter by two orders of magnitude with the two-point correlation functions, while data from upcoming CMB experiments and LSS surveys can further improve the reach by another order of magnitude with two- and three-point correlation functions.
Focusing on a string-hole gas within the pre-big bang scenario, we study the stability of its solutions in the phase space. We firstly extend the analysis present in the literature relaxing the ideal-gas properties of the string-hole gas, taking into account a (bulk-)viscosity term. Then we consider the case of a theory described by a complete O(d,d)-invariant action up to all orders in $\alpha^{\prime}$-corrections (the Hohm-Zwiebach action), studying the stability of the string-hole gas solution with or without the introduction of the viscosity term. Furthermore, the bulk viscosity is also considered for two different first order $\alpha^{\prime}$-corrected actions: the Gasperini-Maggiore-Veneziano-action and the Meissner-action. The results obtained show how the viscosity can help to stabilize the string-hole gas solution, obtaining constraints on the equation of state of the gas.
Refractive Index Tomography is the inverse problem of reconstructing the continuously-varying 3D refractive index in a scene using 2D projected image measurements. Although a purely refractive field is not directly visible, it bends light rays as they travel through space, thus providing a signal for reconstruction. The effects of such fields appear in many scientific computer vision settings, ranging from refraction due to transparent cells in microscopy to the lensing of distant galaxies caused by dark matter in astrophysics. Reconstructing these fields is particularly difficult due to the complex nonlinear effects of the refractive field on observed images. Furthermore, while standard 3D reconstruction and tomography settings typically have access to observations of the scene from many viewpoints, many refractive index tomography problem settings only have access to images observed from a single viewpoint. We introduce a method that leverages prior knowledge of light sources scattered throughout the refractive medium to help disambiguate the single-view refractive index tomography problem. We differentiably trace curved rays through a neural field representation of the refractive field, and optimize its parameters to best reproduce the observed image. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by reconstructing simulated refractive fields, analyze the effects of light source distribution on the recovered field, and test our method on a simulated dark matter mapping problem where we successfully recover the 3D refractive field caused by a realistic dark matter distribution.
Galaxies of different types are not equally distributed in the Local Universe. In particular, the supergalactic plane is prominent among the brightest ellipticals, but inconspicuous among the brightest disk galaxies. This striking difference provides a unique test for our understanding of galaxy and structure formation. Here we use the SIBELIUS DARK constrained simulation to confront the predictions of the standard Lambda Cold Dark Matter ($\Lambda$CDM) model and standard galaxy formation theory with these observations. We find that SIBELIUS DARK reproduces the spatial distributions of disks and ellipticals and, in particular, the observed excess of massive ellipticals near the supergalactic equator. We show that this follows directly from the local large-scale structure and from the standard galaxy formation paradigm, wherein disk galaxies evolve mostly in isolation, while giant ellipticals congregate in the massive clusters that define the supergalactic plane. Rather than being anomalous as earlier works have suggested, the distributions of giant ellipticals and disks in the Local Universe and in relation to the supergalactic plane are key predictions of the $\Lambda$CDM model.
We demonstrate for the first time that Galactic cosmic rays with energies as high as 1e10 eV can trigger a cascade of low-energy (< 20 eV) secondary electrons that could be a significant contributor to the interstellar synthesis of prebiotic molecules whose delivery by comets, meteorites, and interplanetary dust particles may have kick-started life on Earth. We explore the relative importance of low-energy (< 20 eV) secondary electrons--agents of radiation chemistry--and low-energy (< 10 eV), non-ionizing photons--instigators of photochemistry. Our calculations indicate fluxes of 100 electrons/cm2/s for low-energy secondary electrons produced within interstellar ices due to incident attenuated Galactic cosmic-ray (CR) protons. Consequently, in certain star-forming regions where internal high-energy radiation sources produce ionization rates that are observed to be a thousand times greater than the typical interstellar Galactic ionization rate, the flux of low-energy secondary electrons should far exceed that of non-ionizing photons. Because reaction cross-sections can be several orders of magnitude larger for electrons than for photons, even in the absence of such enhancement our calculations indicate that secondary low-energy electrons are at least as significant as low-energy (< 10 eV) non-ionizing photons in the interstellar synthesis of prebiotic molecules. Most importantly, our results demonstrate the pressing need for explicitly incorporating low-energy electrons in current and future astrochemical simulations of cosmic ices. Such models are critically important for interpreting James Webb Space Telescope infrared measurements, which are currently being used to probe the origins of life by studying complex organic molecules found in ices near star-forming regions.
Physically relevant solutions in general relativity often contain spacetime singularities, which are typically interpreted as a sign of breakdown of the theory at high densities/curvatures. Hence, there has been a growing interest in exploring phenomenological scenarios that describe singularity-free black holes, gravitational collapses, and cosmological models. We examine the metric put forth by Mazza, Franzin \& Liberati for a rotating regular black hole and estimate the regularization parameter $l$ based on existing X-ray and gravitational wave data for black holes. When $l=0$, the solution corresponds to the singular Kerr solution of general relativity, while a non-zero value of $l$ yields a regular black hole or a regular wormhole. The analysis reveals that the available data support a value of $l$ that is close to zero.
Kilonovae (KNe) are one of the fastest types of optical transients known, cooling rapidly in the first few days following their neutron-star merger origin. We show here that KN spectral features go through rapid recombination transitions, with features due to elements in the new ionisation state emerging quickly. Due to time-delay effects of the rapidly-expanding KN, a 'wave' of these new features passing though the ejecta should be a detectable phenomenon. In particular, isolated line features will emerge as blueshifted absorption features first, gradually evolving into more pronounced absorption/emission P Cygni features and then pure emission features. In this analysis we present the evolution of the individual exposures of the KN AT2017gfo observed with VLT/X-shooter that together comprise X-shooter's first epoch spectrum (1.43 days post-merger). We show that the spectra of these 'sub-epochs' show a significant evolution across the roughly one hour of observations, including a decrease of the blackbody temperature and photospheric velocity. The early cooling is even more rapid than that inferred from later photospheric epochs, and suggest a fixed power-law relation between temperature and time cannot capture the data. The cooling constrains the recombination-wave, where a Sr II interpretation of the AT2017gfo $\sim1 \mu$m feature predicts both a specific timing for the feature emergence and its early spectral shape, including the very weak emission component observed at 1.43 days. This reverberation analysis suggests that temporal modelling is important for interpreting individual spectra and that higher cadence spectral series, especially when concentrated at specific times, can provide strong constraints on KN line identifications. Given the use of such short-timescale information, we lay out improved observing strategies for future KN monitoring.
The study of the high-energy (MeV-GeV) part of GRBs spectrum can play a crucial role in investigating the physics of the prompt emission, but it is often hampered by low statistic and the paucity of GeV observations. In this work, we analyze the prompt emission spectra of the 22 brightest GRBs which have been simultaneously observed by Fermi/GBM and Fermi/LAT, spanning 6 orders of magnitude in energy. The high-energy photon spectra can be modelled with a power-law $N(E)\propto E^{-\beta}$ possibly featuring an exponential cutoff. We find that, with the inclusion of the LAT data, the spectral index $\beta$ is softer than what typically inferred from the analysis of Fermi/GBM data alone. Under the assumption that the emission is synchrotron, we derive the index $p\sim2.79$ of the power-law energy distribution of accelerated particles ($N(\gamma)\propto \gamma^{-p}$). In 9 out of 22 GRB spectra, we find a significant presence of an exponential cut-off at high-energy, ranging between 14 and 298 MeV. By interpreting the observed cut-off as a sign of pair-production opacity, we estimate the jet bulk Lorentz factor $\Gamma$, finding values in the range 130-330. These values are consistent with those inferred from the afterglow light curve onset time. Finally, by combining the information from the high-energy prompt emission spectrum with the afterglow lightcurve, we provide a method to derive the distance R from the central engine where the prompt emission occurs. These results highlight the importance of including high-energy data, when available, in the study of prompt spectra and their role in addressing the current challenges of the GRB standard model.
Astrophysical transient phenomena are traditionally classified spectroscopically in a hierarchical taxonomy; however, this graph structure is currently not utilized in neural net-based photometric classifiers for time-domain astrophysics. Instead, independent classifiers are trained for different tiers of classified data, and events are excluded if they fall outside of these well-defined but flat classification schemes. Here, we introduce a weighted hierarchical cross-entropy objective function for classification of astrophysical transients. Our method allows users to directly build and use physics- or observationally-motivated tree-based taxonomies. Our weighted hierarchical cross-entropy loss directly uses this graph to accurately classify all targets into any node of the tree, re-weighting imbalanced classes. We test our novel loss on a set of variable stars and extragalactic transients from the Zwicky Transient Facility, showing that we can achieve similar performance to fine-tuned classifiers with the advantage of notably more flexibility in downstream classification tasks.
The duration of the gravitational waves (GW) induced orbital decay is often the bottleneck of the evolutionary phases going from star formation to a merger. We show here that kicks imparted to the newly born compact object during the second collapse generically result in a GW merger times distribution behaving like $dN/d\log t \propto t^{2/7}$ at short durations, leading to ultrafast mergers. Namely, a non-negligible fraction of neutron star binaries, formed in this way, will merge on a time scale as short as 10 Myr, and a small fraction will merge even on a time scale less than 10 kyr. The results can be applied to different types of compact binaries. We discuss here the implications for binary neutron star mergers. These include: unique short GRBs, eccentric and misaligned mergers, r-process enrichment in the very early Universe and in highly star-forming regions and possible radio precursors. Interestingly we conclude that among the few hundred short GRBs detected so far a few must have formed via this ultrafast channel.
We present an analysis searching for dual AGN among 62 high-redshift ($2.5 < z < 3.5$) X-ray sources selected from publicly available deep Chandra fields. We aim to quantify the frequency of dual AGN in the high-redshift Universe, which holds implications for black hole merger timescales and low-frequency gravitational wave detection rates. We analyze each X-ray source using BAYMAX, an analysis tool that calculates the Bayes factor for whether a given archival Chandra AGN is more likely a single or dual point source. We find no strong evidence for dual AGN in any individual source in our sample. We then increase our sensitivity to search for dual AGN across the sample by comparing our measured distribution of Bayes factors to that expected from a sample composed entirely of single point sources, and again find no evidence for dual AGN in the observed sample distribution. Although our analysis utilizes one of the largest Chandra catalogs of high-$z$ X-ray point sources available to study, the findings remain limited by the modest number of sources observed at the highest spatial resolution with Chandra and the typical count rates of the detected sources. Our non-detection allows us to place an upper-limit on the X-ray dual AGN fraction between $2.5<z<3.5$ of 4.8\%. Expanding substantially on these results at X-ray wavelengths will require future surveys spanning larger sky areas and extending to fainter fluxes than has been possible with Chandra. We illustrate the potential of the AXIS mission concept in this regard.
We investigate the kinematical regions that are important for producing prompt neutrinos in the atmosphere and in the forward region of the LHC, as probed by different experiments. We illustrate the results as a function of the center-of-mass nucleon-nucleon collision energies and rapidities of neutrinos and of the parent heavy-flavoured hadrons. We find overlap in part of the kinematic space.
Very-high energy (GeV-TeV) gamma rays in the universe suggest the presence of an accelerator in the source. Neutrinos and gamma rays are intriguing astrophysical messengers. Multi-messenger particle emission produced by interactions of cosmic rays with radiation fields and interstellar matter is a probe of luminosity of sources of cosmic rays with EeV energies, known as Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs). In this study, we estimate the neutrino flux, positing that the gamma-ray emission mainly arises from these cosmic-ray interactions during propagation. This work provides UHECR luminosity of galaxies from multi-messenger particles. These findings not only highlight the potential of certain galaxies as sources of UHECR, but also underscore the intricate interplay of various astrophysical processes within them. By understanding the luminosity patterns and multi-messenger particle emissions, we can gain valuable insights into the environmental conditions, acceleration mechanisms, and other intrinsic properties that position these galaxies as candidates for UHECR production.
Timing a pulsar orbiting around Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) can provide us with a unique opportunity of testing gravity theories. We investigate the detectability of a vector charge carried by the Sgr A* black hole (BH) in the bumblebee gravity model with simulated future pulsar timing observations. The spacetime of a bumblebee BH introduces characteristic changes to the orbital dynamics of the pulsar and the light propagation of radio signals. Assuming a timing precision of 1 ms, our simulation shows that a 5-yr observation of a pulsar with an orbital period $P_b\sim 0.5\,{\rm yr}$ and an orbital eccentricity $e\sim 0.8$ can probe a vector charge-to-mass ratio as small as $Q/M\sim 10^{-3}$, which is much more stringent than the current constraint from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations, and comparable to the prospective constraint from extreme mass-ratio inspirals with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).
We analyzed data from HaloSat observations for five fields in the Galactic disk located far away from the Galactic center (135$^{\circ}$ $<$ $l$ $<$ 254$^{\circ}$) to understand the nature of soft X-ray energy emission in the Galactic disk. The fields have 14$^{\circ}$ diameter and were selected to contain no significant high-flux X-ray sources. All five HaloSat soft X-ray energy spectra (0.4--7 keV with energy resolution of $<$100 eV below 1 keV) show a possibility of the presence of unresolved high-temperature plasma in the Galactic disk (UHTPGD) with a temperature of 0.8--1.0 keV and an emission measure of (8--11)$\times10^{-4} \rm cm^{-6} pc$ in addition to the soft X-ray diffuse background components mainly studied at higher galactic latitudes (solar wind charge exchange emission, local hot bubble, Milky Way halo emission, and the cosmic X-ray background). This suggests that the UHTPGD is present across the whole Galactic disk. We also observed UHTPGD emission in a region with no bright sources in an {\it XMM-Newton} field contained within one of the {\it HaloSat} fields. The temperature and emission measure are consistent with those measured with {\it HaloSat}. Moreover, the stacked spectra of the X-ray point-like sources and NIR-identified point sources such as stars in the {\it XMM-Newton} field also show a spectral feature similar to the UHTPGD emission. This suggests that the UHTPGD may partly originate from point-like sources such as stars.
The Galactic Center Excess (GCE), one of the most remarkable discoveries by Fermi-LAT, has prompted extensive exploration over the past decade, often attributed to dark matter or millisecond pulsars. This work proposes a novel interpretation on the origin of the GCE, focusing on the observed spectral shape. Protons are accelerated at the Galactic center and collide with the neutron cluster on the surface of the non-rotating neutron stars. Due to the gluon condensation in nucleons, these collisions produce a large number of mesons, which have reached to the saturation state and subsequently generate the broken power law in the gamma ray spectra. We explained the spectral shape of GCE using the gluon condensation and an assumption of existing the non-rotating neutron stars at the Galactic center. This example of the gluon condensation mechanism not only expands the applications of the hadronic scenario in the cosmic gamma ray spectra but also provides a new evidence of the gluon condensation.
A dipole anisotropy in ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) arrival directions, of extragalactic origin, is now firmly established at energies E > 8 EeV. Furthermore, the UHECR angular power spectrum shows no power at smaller angular scales than the dipole, apart from hints of possible individual hot or warm spots for energy thresholds $\gtrsim$40 EeV. Here, we exploit the magnitude of the dipole and the limits on smaller-scale anisotropies to place constraints on two quantities: the extragalactic magnetic field (EGMF) and the number density of UHECR sources or the volumetric event rate if UHECR sources are transient. We also vary the bias between the extragalactic matter and the UHECR source densities, reflecting whether UHECR sources are preferentially found in over- or under-dense regions, and find that little or no bias is favored. We follow Ding et al. (2021) in using the Cosmic Flows 2 density distribution of the local universe as our baseline distribution of UHECR sources, but we improve and extend that work by employing an accurate and self-consistent treatment of interactions and energy losses during propagation. Deflections in the Galactic magnetic field are treated using both the full JF12 magnetic field model, with random as well as coherent components, or just the coherent part, to bracket the impact of the GMF on the dipole anisotropy. This Large Scale Structure (LSS) model gives good agreement with both the direction and magnitude of the measured dipole anisotropy and forms the basis for simulations of discrete sources and the inclusion of EGMF effects.
The so called magnetars are young neutron stars with extremely high magnetic fields ($B \sim 10^{14}-10^{15}$ gauss) which usually accompanied by X-ray radiation. Soft Gamma-ray Repeating sources (SGRs), as a type of magnetar, occasionally produce giant flares (GFs) with energies ranging from 10$^{44}$ to 10$^{46}$ erg. In reality, some Gamma-Ray Bursts (e.g., GRBs 051103, 070201, 200415A) have been considered to be GFs. They have similar characteristics to short GRBs, such as spike-like light curves and hard spectra. Recently observed GRB 231115A can be categorized as one of GFs with a high probability to associated with M82. In this work, we conduct a detailed analysis of its prompt emission observed by Fermi-GBM, and compare relevant features (e.g., the $E_{\rm p,z}$--$E_{\gamma,\rm iso}$ relation) with existing observations. We find its features are almost consistent with previous GFs. We notice, however, the possibility of being a short GRB of this burst cannot be simply ruled out based on the upper limit of existing observations and the modeling of its multi-wavelength afterglow. Additionally, such events are likely to be detected by existing and future facilities, which is crucial for the physics of transient sources related to magnetars.
We shortly summarize the standard current knowledge on the structure of the accretion flow onto black holes in galactic binary systems and in active galactic nuclei. We stress the similarities and differences between the two types of systems, and we highlight the complementarity of the data caused by these differences. We highlight some new developments and list the unsolved problems.
The LIGO/Virgo detections of compact object mergers have posed a challenge for theories of binary evolution and coalescence. One promising avenue for producing mergers dynamically is through secular eccentricity oscillations driven by an external perturber, be it a tertiary companion (as in the Lidov-Kozai (LK) mechanism) or the tidal field of the stellar cluster in which the binary orbits. The simplest theoretical models of these oscillations use a 'doubly-averaged' (DA) approximation, averaging both over the binary's internal Keplerian orbit and its 'outer' barycentric orbit relative to the perturber. However, DA theories do not account for fluctuations of the perturbing torque on the outer orbital timescale, which are known to increase a binary's eccentricity beyond the maximum DA value, potentially accelerating mergers. Here we reconsider the impact of these short-timescale fluctuations in the test-particle quadrupolar limit for binaries perturbed by arbitrary spherical cluster potentials (including LK as a special case), {in particular including 1pN} general relativistic (GR) apsidal precession of the internal orbit. Focusing on the behavior of the binary orbital elements around peak eccentricity, we discover a new effect, relativistic phase space diffusion (RPSD), in which a binary can jump to a completely new dynamical trajectory on an outer orbital timescale, violating the approximate conservation of DA integrals of motion. RPSD arises from an interplay between secular behavior at extremely high eccentricity, short-timescale fluctuations, and rapid GR precession, and can change the subsequent secular evolution dramatically. This effect occurs even in hierarchical triples, but has not been uncovered until now.
Intrigued by recent high-energy study results for nearby galaxies with gamma-ray emission and in particular NGC~1068 that has been detected as a neutrino-emitting source by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, we conduct detailed analysis of the $\gamma$-ray data for the galaxies NGC~1068 and NGC~253, obtained with the Large Area Telescope onboard {\it the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope}. By checking for their possible spectral features and then constructing light curves in corresponding energy ranges, we identify spectral-change activity from NGC ~1068 in $\geq$2\,GeV energy range and long-term detection significance changes for NGC~253 in $\geq$5\,GeV energy range. In the former, the emission appears harder in two half-year time periods than that in the otherwise `quiescent' state. In the latter, a $\sim$2-times detection significance decrease after MJD~57023 is clearly revealed by the test-statistic maps we obtain. Considering studies carried out and models proposed for the $\gamma$-ray emissions of the two sources, we discuss the implications of our findings. We suspect that the jet (or outflow) in NGC~1068 might contribute to the \gr\ emission. The nature of the long-term detection significance change for NGC~253 is not clear, but since the part of the GeV emission may be connected to the very-high-energy (VHE) emission from the center of the galaxy, it could be further probed with VHE observations.
Observations and theory suggest that core-collapse supernovae can span a range of explosion energies, and when sub-energetic, the shockwave initiating the explosion can decelerate to speeds comparable to the escape speed of the progenitor. In these cases, gravity will complicate the explosion hydrodynamics and conceivably cause the shock to stall at large radii within the progenitor star. To understand these unique properties of weak explosions, we develop a perturbative approach for modeling the propagation of an initially strong shock into a time-steady, infalling medium in the gravitational field of a compact object. This method writes the shock position and the post-shock velocity, density, and pressure as series solutions in the (time-dependent) ratio of the freefall speed to the shock speed, and predicts that the shock stalls within the progenitor if the explosion energy is below a critical value. We show that our model agrees very well with hydrodynamic simulations, and accurately predicts (e.g.) the time-dependent shock position and velocity and the radius at which the shock stalls. Our results have implications for black hole formation and the newly detected class of fast X-ray transients (FXTs). In particular, we propose that a ``phantom shock breakout'' -- where the outer edge of the star falls through a stalled shock -- can yield a burst of X-rays without a subsequent optical/UV signature, similar to FXTs. This model predicts the rise time of the X-ray burst, $t_{\rm d}$, and the mean photon energy, $kT$, are anti-correlated, approximately as $T \propto t_{\rm d}^{-5/8}$.
We present a novel implementation of a genuinely $4^{\rm th}$-order accurate finite volume scheme for multidimensional classical and special relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) based on the constrained transport (CT) formalism. The scheme introduces several novel aspects when compared to its predecessors yielding a more efficient computational tool. Among the most relevant ones, our scheme exploits pointwise to pointwise reconstructions (rather than one-dimensional finite volume ones), employs the generic upwind constrained transport averaging and sophisticated limiting strategies that include both a discontinuity detector and an order reduction procedure. Selected numerical benchmarks demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the method.
I examine the morphologies of the brightest planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Milky Way Galaxy and conclude that violent binary interaction processes eject the main nebulae of the brightest PNe. The typical morphologies of the brightest PNe are multipolar, namely have been shaped by two or more major jet-launching episodes at varying directions, and possess small to medium departures from pure point symmetry. I discuss some scenarios, including a rapid onset of a common envelope interaction and the merger of the companion, mainly a white dwarf, with the asymptotic giant branch core at the termination of the common envelope. Some of these might be progenitors of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), as I suggest for SNR G1.9+0.3, the youngest SN Ia in the Galaxy.
Radiation emitted by nonthermal particles accelerated during relativistic magnetic reconnection is critical for understanding the nonthermal emission in a variety of astrophysical systems, including blazar jets, black hole coronae, pulsars, and magnetars. By means of fully kinetic Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations, we demonstrate that reconnection-driven particle acceleration imprints an energy-dependent pitch-angle anisotropy and gives rise to broken power laws in both the particle energy spectrum and the pitch-angle anisotropy. The particle distributions depend on the relative strength of the non-reconnecting (guide field) versus the reconnecting component of the magnetic field ($B_g/B_0$) and the lepton magnetization ($\sigma_0$). Below the break Lorentz factor $\gamma_0$ (injection), the particle energy spectrum is ultra-hard ($p_< < 1$), while above $\gamma_0$, the spectral index $p_>$ is highly sensitive to $B_g/B_0$. Particles' velocities align with the magnetic field, reaching minimum pitch angles $\alpha$ at a Lorentz factor $\gamma_{\min \alpha}$ controlled by $B_g/B_0$ and $\sigma_0$. The energy-dependent pitch-angle anisotropy, evaluated through the mean of $\sin^2 \alpha$ of particles at a given energy, exhibits power-law ranges with negative ($m_<$) and positive ($m_>$) slopes below and above $\gamma_{\min \alpha}$, becoming steeper as $B_g/B_0$ increases. The generation of anisotropic pitch angle distributions has important astrophysical implications. We address their effects on regulating synchrotron luminosity, spectral energy distribution, polarization, particle cooling, the synchrotron burnoff limit, emission beaming, and temperature anisotropy.
Before the launch of the Kepler Space Telescope, models of low-mass planet formation predicted that convergent Type I migration would often produce systems of low-mass planets in low-order mean-motion resonances. Instead, Kepler discovered that systems of small planets frequently have period ratios larger than those associated with mean-motion resonances and rarely have period ratios smaller than those associated with mean-motion resonances. Both short-timescale processes related to the formation or early evolution of planetary systems and long-timescale secular processes have been proposed as explanations for these observations. Using a thin disk stellar population's Galactic velocity dispersion as a relative age proxy, we find that Kepler-discovered multiple-planet systems with at least one planet pair near a period ratio suggestive of a second-order mean-motion resonance have a colder Galactic velocity dispersion and are therefore younger than both single-transiting and multiple-planet systems that lack planet pairs consistent with mean-motion resonances. We argue that a non-tidal secular process with a characteristic timescale no less than a few hundred Myr is responsible for moving systems of low-mass planets away from second-order mean-motion resonances. Among systems with at least one planet pair near a period ratio suggestive of a first-order mean-motion resonance, only the population of systems likely affected by tidal dissipation inside their innermost planets has a small Galactic velocity dispersion and is therefore young. We predict that period ratios suggestive of mean-motion resonances are more common in young systems with 10 Myr $\lesssim \tau \lesssim 100$ Myr and become less common as planetary systems age.
Early expansion plays a fundamental role in the dynamical evolution of young star clusters. However, until very recently most of our understanding of cluster expansion was based only on indirect evidence or on statistically limited samples of clusters. Here we present a comprehensive kinematic analysis of virtually all known young ($t<300$ Myr) Galactic clusters based on the improved astrometric quality of the Gaia DR3 data. Such a large sample provides the unprecedented opportunity to robustly constrain the fraction of clusters and the timescale during which expansion has a prominent impact on the overall kinematics. We find that a remarkable fraction (up to $80\%$) of clusters younger than $\sim30$ Myr is currently experiencing significant expansion, whereas older systems are mostly compatible with equilibrium configurations. We observe a trend where the expansion speed increases with the clustercentric distance, suggesting that clusters undergoing expansion will likely lose a fraction of their present-day mass. Also, most young expanding clusters show large sizes, possibly due to the expansion itself. A comparison with a set of N-body simulations of young star clusters shows that the observed expansion pattern is in general qualitative agreement with that found for systems undergoing violent relaxation and evolving toward a final virial equilibrium state. However, we also note that additional processes likely associated with residual gas expulsion and mass loss due to stellar evolution are also likely to play a key role in driving the observed expansion.
We find ourselves on the brink of an exciting era in observational astrophysics, driven by groundbreaking facilities like JWST, Euclid, Rubin, Roman, SKA, or ELT. Simultaneously, computational astrophysics has shown significant strides, yielding highly realistic galaxy formation simulations, thanks to both hardware and software enhancements. Bridging the gap between simulations and observations has become paramount for meaningful comparisons. We introduce py-ananke, a Python pipeline designed to generate synthetic resolved stellar surveys from cosmological simulations, adaptable to various instruments. Building upon its predecessor, ananke by Sanderson et al. 2020 (arXiv:1806.10564), which produced Gaia DR2 mock star surveys, the py-ananke package offers a user-friendly "plug & play" experience. The pipeline employs cutting-edge phase-space density estimation and initial mass function sampling to convert particle data into synthetic stars, while interpolating pre-computed stellar isochrone tracks for photometry. Additionally, it includes modules for estimating interstellar reddening, dust-induced extinctions, and for quantifying errors through dedicated modeling approaches. py-ananke promises to serve as a vital bridge between computational astrophysics and observational astronomy, facilitating preparations and making scientific predictions for the next generation of telescopes.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poor tracer of H$_{2}$ in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM), where most of the carbon is not incorporated into CO molecules unlike the situation at higher extinctions. We present a novel, indirect method to constrain H$_{2}$ column densities ($N_{H_{2}}$) without employing CO observations. We show that previously-recognized nonlinearities in the relation between the extinction, $A_{V} ({H}_{2})$, derived from dust emission and the HI column density ($N_{HI}$) are due to the presence of molecular gas. We employ archival $N_{H_{2}}$ data, obtained from the UV spectra of stars, and calculate $A_{V} ({H}_{2})$ towards these sight lines using 3D extinction maps. We derive an empirical relation between $A_{V} ({H}_{2})$ and $N_{H_{2}}$, which we use to constrain $N_{H_{2}}$ in the diffuse ISM. We construct a $N_{H_{2}}$ map of our Galaxy and compare it to the CO integrated intensity ($W_{CO}$) distribution. We find that the average ratio ($X_{CO}$) between $N_{H_{2}}$ and $W_{CO}$ is approximately equal to $2 \times 10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$ (K km s$^{-1}$)$^{-1}$, consistent with previous estimates. However, we find that the $X_{CO}$ factor varies by orders of magnitude on arcminute scales between the outer and the central portions of molecular clouds. For regions with $N_{H_{2}} \gtrsim 10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$, we estimate that the average H$_{2}$ fractional abundance, $f_{{H}_{2}}$ = $2N_{H_{2}}$/(2$N_{H_{2}}$ + $N_{{HI}}$), is 0.25. Multiple (distinct) largely atomic clouds are likely found along high-extinction sightlines ($A_{V} \geq 1$ mag), hence limiting $f_{{H}_{2}}$ in these directions. More than $50 \%$ of the lines of sight with $N_{H_{2}} \geq 10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$ are untraceable by CO with a $J$ = 1-0 sensitivity limit $W_{CO} = 1$ K km s$^{-1}$.
Recent observations of galaxy clusters and groups with misalignments between their central AGN jets and X-ray cavities, or with multiple misaligned cavities, have raised concerns about the jet - bubble connection in cooling cores, and the processes responsible for jet realignment. To investigate the frequency and causes of such misalignments, we construct a sample of 16 cool core galaxy clusters and groups. Using VLBA radio data we measure the parsec-scale position angle of the jets, and compare it with the position angle of the X-ray cavities detected in Chandra data. Using the overall sample and selected subsets, we consistently find that there is a 30% - 38% chance to find a misalignment larger than $\Delta\Psi = 45^{\circ}$ when observing a cluster/group with a detected jet and at least one cavity. We determine that projection may account for an apparently large $\Delta\Psi$ only in a fraction of objects ($\sim$35%), and given that gas dynamical disturbances (as sloshing) are found in both aligned and misaligned systems, we exclude environmental perturbation as the main driver of cavity - jet misalignment. Moreover, we find that large misalignments (up to $\sim90^{\circ}$) are favored over smaller ones ($45^{\circ}\leq\Delta\Psi\leq70^{\circ}$), and that the change in jet direction can occur on timescales between one and a few tens of Myr. We conclude that misalignments are more likely related to actual reorientation of the jet axis, and we discuss several engine-based mechanisms that may cause these dramatic changes.
The Milky Way's last significant merger, the Gaia Enceladus/Sausage (GES), is thought to have taken place between 8-11 Gyr ago. Recent studies in the literature suggest that the bar of the Milky Way is rather old, indicating that it formed at a similar epoch to the GES merger. We investigate the possible link between these events using one of the Auriga cosmological simulations which has salient features in common with the Milky Way, including a last significant merger with kinematic signatures resembling that of the GES. In this simulation, the GES-like merger event triggers tidal forces on the disc, gas inflows and a burst of star formation, with the formation of a bar occuring within 1 Gyr of the first pericentre. To highlight the effects of the merger, we rerun the simulation from z=4 with the progenitors of the GES-like galaxy removed well before the merger time. The consequence is a delay in bar formation by around 2 Gyr, and this new bar forms without any significant external perturbers. We conclude that this Milky Way-like simulation shows a route to the real Milky Way's bar formation being triggered primarily via tidal forces from the GES. We also note some later morphological differences between the disc of the original simulation and our rerun, in particular that the latter does not grow radially for the final 7 Gyr. Our study suggests that the GES may therefore be responsible for the formation of the Milky Way's bar, as well as for the build-up of its extended disc.
We report on the discovery of one of the most extreme cases of high-frequency radio variability ever measured in active galactic nuclei (AGN), observed on timescales of days and exhibiting variability amplitudes of three to four orders of magnitude. These sources, all radio-weak narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, were discovered some years ago at Aalto University Mets\"ahovi Radio Observatory (MRO) based on recurring flaring at 37 GHz, strongly indicating the presence of relativistic jets. In subsequent observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) at 1.6, 5.2, and 9.0~GHz no signs of jets were seen. To determine the cause of their extraordinary behaviour, we observed them with the JVLA at 10, 15, 22, 33, and 45 GHz, and with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 15 GHz. These observations were complemented with single-dish monitoring at 37 GHz at MRO, and at 15 GHz at Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO). Intriguingly, all but one source either have a steep radio spectrum up to 45 GHz, or were not detected at all. Based on the 37 GHz data the timescales of the radio flares are a few days, and the derived variability brightness temperatures and variability Doppler factors comparable to those seen in blazars. We discuss alternative explanations for their extreme behaviour, but so far no definite conclusions can be made. These sources exhibit radio variability at a level rarely, if ever, seen in AGN. They might represent a new type of jetted AGN, or a new variability phenomenon, and thus deserve our continued attention.
We present six strongly gravitationally lensed Ly-$\alpha$ Emitters (LAEs) at $z\sim4-5$ with HST narrowband imaging isolating Ly-$\alpha$. Through complex radiative transfer Ly-$\alpha$ encodes information about the spatial distribution and kinematics of the neutral hydrogen upon which it scatters. We investigate the galaxy properties and Ly-$\alpha$ morphologies of our sample. Many previous studies of high-redshift LAEs have been limited in Ly-$\alpha$ spatial resolution. In this work we take advantage of high-resolution Ly-$\alpha$ imaging boosted by lensing magnification, allowing us to probe sub-galactic scales that are otherwise inaccessible at these redshifts. We use broadband imaging from HST (rest-frame UV) and Spitzer (rest-frame optical) in SED fitting; providing estimates on the stellar masses ($\sim 10^8 - 10^9 M_{\odot}$), stellar population ages ($t_{50} <40$ Myr), and amounts of dust ($A_V \sim 0.1 - 0.6$, statistically consistent with zero). We employ non-parametric star-formation histories to probe the young stellar-populations which create Ly-$\alpha$. We also examine the offsets between the Ly-$\alpha$ and stellar continuum, finding small upper limits of offsets ($< 0.1"$) consistent with studies of low-redshift LAEs; indicating our galaxies are not interacting or merging. Finally, we find a bimodality in our sample's Ly-$\alpha$ morphologies: clumpy and extended. We find a suggestive trend: our LAEs with clumpy Ly-$\alpha$ are generally younger than the LAEs with extended Ly-$\alpha$, suggesting a possible correlation with age.
We use photometric metallicity estimates for about 700000 stars in the surroundings of the Sun, with very accurate distances and 3-D motions measures from Gaia DR3, to explore the properties of the metal-poor (-2.0<[Fe/H]<= -1.5; MP) and very metal-poor ([Fe/H]<= -2.0; VMP) stars with disc kinematics in the sample. We confirm the presence of a significant fraction of MP and VMP stars with disc-like orbits and that prograde orbits are prevalent among them, with prograde to retrograde ratio P/R ~3. We highlight for the first time a statistically significant difference in the distribution of the Z-component of the angular momentum (L_Z) and orbital eccentricity between prograde and retrograde disc-like MP stars. The same kind of difference is found also in the VMP subsample, albeit at a much lower level of statistical significance, likely due to the small sample size. We show that prograde disc-like MP and VMP stars display an additional component of the |L_Z| distribution with respect to their retrograde counterpart. This component is at higher |L_Z| with respect to the main peak of the distribution, possibly hinting at the presence of a pristine prograde disc in the Milky Way. This hypothesis is supported by the results of the analysis of a large sub-sample dominated by stars born in-situ. Also in this case the prevalence of prograde stars is clearly detected at [Fe/H]<= -1.5 and their |L_Z| distribution is more skewed toward high |L_Z| values than their retrograde counterpart. This suggests that the seed of what will eventually evolve into the main disc components of the Milky Way may have been already in place in the earliest phases of the Galaxy assembly.
We present a theoretical framework for linking quasar properties, such as quasar age, to the surrounding Ly$\alpha$ emission intensity. In particular, we focus on a method for mapping the large-scale structure of Ly$\alpha$ emission intensity with galaxy spectra from wide-field spectroscopic surveys, e.g., the Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) or the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), and consider the quasar-induced Ly$\alpha$ emission from the intergalactic medium (IGM). To do this, we construct a theoretical model based on two physical processes: resonant scattering of quasar Ly$\alpha$ photons and fluorescence due to quasar ionizing photons, finding that the fluorescence contribution due to optically thick gas clouds is dominant. Taking into account the light cone effect and assuming a typical quasar spectrum, we calculate the fluorescence contribution to the spectrum stacked within each bin of the separation angle from the quasar as a function of quasar age. Furthermore, we compute the quasar-Ly$\alpha$ emission cross-correlation and its SNR for the planned PFS survey. The predicted signal can account for $\sim10\%$ of the measurements indicated from the BOSS and eBOSS surveys in the outer region of $>10\ \rm{cMpc}\ \rm{h}^{-1}$. The predicted SNR is not enough to detect the quasar-induced contribution, while it is enhanced by including contributions from other Ly$\alpha$ emission sources, e.g., star-forming galaxies. We discuss other possible contributions to the Ly$\alpha$ emission excess around quasars, the efficiency of using spectroscopic fibers, and the redshift dependence of our model.
Multi-band light curves of two RR Lyrae variables in Segue II and Ursa Major II ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies were collected from near simultaneous observations using the Lulin One-meter Telescope in Vgri bands. Together with Gaia G-band light curves, we determined photometric metallicities using empirical relations involving pulsation period and Fourier parameter as dependent parameters. We demonstrated that the RR Lyrae photometric metallicity can be determined accurately when these empirical relations were employed at multiple wavelengths, which can potentially improve the distance determination based on RR Lyrae stars. The photometric metallicities based on our approach were found to be $-2.27\pm0.13$ dex and $-1.87\pm0.16$ dex for the RR Lyrae in Segue II and Ursa Major II UFD, respectively, with corresponding distance moduli of $17.69\pm0.15$ mag and $17.58\pm0.15$ mag, in agreement with previous literature determinations. This approach of photometric metallicity of RR Lyrae based on multi-band optical light curves will be particularly relevant for distance measurements in the era of the Vera C Rubin's Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
We perform a comparative study of the ex--situ second--parameter pair globular clusters (GCs) M30 and M92, having similar metallicities but different horizontal branch morphologies. We obtain the similar mean primordial carbon abundances for both clusters. However, M92 shows a large dispersion in carbon due to a more extended C--N anticorrelation, while M30 exhibits a higher primordial nitrogen abundance, suggesting that they have different chemical enrichment histories. Our new results confirm our previous result that M92 is a metal--complex GC showing a bimodal metallicity distribution. We also find that the metal--rich group of stars in M92 shows a helium enhancement as large as $\Delta Y$ $\sim$ 0.05 from the red giant branch bump (RGBB) $V$ magnitudes, which can also be supported by (i) a lack of bright RGB stars, (ii) synthetic evolutionary HB population models and (iii) the more extended spatial distribution due to different degree of the diffusion process from their lower masses. We reinterpret the [Eu/Fe] measurements by other, finding that the two metallicity groups of stars in M92 have significantly different [Eu/Fe] abundances with small scatters. This strongly suggests that they formed independently out of well mixed interstellar media in different environments. We suggest that M92 is a more complex system than a normal GC, most likely a merger remnant of two GCs or a even more complex system. In Appendix, we address the problems with the recently developed color--temperature relations and the usage of broadband photometry in the populational taggings.
We introduce a novel halo/galaxy matching technique between two cosmological simulations with different resolutions, which utilizes the positions and masses of halos along their subhalo merger tree. With this tool, we conduct a study of resolution biases through the galaxy-by-galaxy inspection of a pair of simulations that have the same simulation configuration but different mass resolutions, utilizing a suite of IllustrisTNG simulations to assess the impact on galaxy properties. We find that, with the subgrid physics model calibrated for TNG100-1, subhalos in TNG100-1 (high resolution) have $\lesssim0.5$ dex higher stellar masses than their counterparts in the TNG100-2 (low-resolution). It is also discovered that the subhalos with $M_{\mathrm{gas}}\sim10^{8.5}{\rm M}_\odot$ in TNG100-1 have $\sim0.5$ dex higher gas mass than those in TNG100-2. The mass profiles of the subhalos reveal that the dark matter masses of low-resolution subhalos are $\sim0.6$ times lower within 2 kpc, near the resolution limit. The differences in stellar mass and hot gas mass are most pronounced in the central region. We exploit machine learning to build a correction mapping for the physical quantities of subhalos from low- to high-resolution simulations (TNG300-1 and TNG100-1), which enables us to find an efficient way to compile a high-resolution galaxy catalog even from a low-resolution simulation. Our tools can easily be applied to other large cosmological simulations, testing and mitigating the resolution biases of their numerical codes and subgrid physics models.
Planetary nebulae (PNe) are excellent tracers of the metal-poor haloes of nearby early-type galaxies. They are commonly used to trace spatial distribution and kinematics of the halo and intracluster light at distances of up to 100 Mpcs. The results on the early-type galaxy M105 in the Leo I group represent a benchmark for the quantitative analysis of halo and intragroup light. Since the Leo I group lies at just a 10 Mpc distance, it is at the ideal location to compare results from resolved stellar populations with the homogeneous constraints over a much larger field of view from the PN populations. In M105, we have -- for the first time -- established a direct link between the presence of a metal-poor halo as traced by resolved red-giant branch stars and a PN population with a high specific frequency ($\alpha$-parameter). This confirms our inferences that the high $\alpha$-parameter PN population in the outer halo of M49 in the Virgo Cluster traces the metal-poor halo and intra-group light.
Theories of spiral structure traditionally separate into tight-winding Lin-Shu spiral density waves and the swing-amplified material patterns of Goldreich & Lynden-Bell and Julian & Toomre. In this paper we consolidate these two types of spirals into a unified description, treating density waves beyond the tight-winding limit, in the regime of shearing and non-steady open spirals. This 'shearing wave' scenario novelly captures swing amplification that enables structure formation above conventional Q thresholds. However, it also highlights the fundamental role of spiral forcing on the amplification process in general, whether the wave is shearing or not. Thus it captures resonant and non-resonant mode growth through the donkey effect described by Lynden-Bell & Kalnajs and, critically, the cessation of growth when donkey behavior is no longer permitted. Our calculations predict growth exclusive to trailing spirals above the Jeans length, the prominence of spirals across a range of orientations that increases with decreasing arm multiplicity, and a critical orientation where growth is fastest that is the same for both modes and material patterns. Predicted structures are consistent with highly regular, high-multiplicity gaseous spur features and long filaments spaced close to the Jeans scale in spirals and bars. Applied to stellar disks, conditions favor low multiplicity (m<5) open trailing spirals with pitch angles in the observed range $10 deg$<$i_p$<$50 deg$. The results of this work serve as a basis for describing spirals as a unified class of transient waves, abundantly stimulated but narrowly selected for growth depending on local conditions.
The dark compact object at the centre of the Milky Way is well established to be a supermassive black hole with mass $M_{\bullet} \sim 4.3 \cdot 10^6 \, M_{\odot}$, but the nature of its environment is still under debate. In this work, we used astrometric and spectroscopic measurements of the motion of the star S2, one of the closest stars to the massive black hole, to determine an upper limit on an extended mass composed of a massive vector field around Sagittarius A*. For a vector with effective mass $10^{-19} \, \rm eV \lesssim m_s \lesssim 10^{-18} \, \rm eV$, our Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis shows no evidence for such a cloud, placing an upper bound $M_{\rm cloud} \lesssim 0.1\% M_{\bullet}$ at $3\sigma$ confidence level. We show that dynamical friction exerted by the medium on S2 motion plays no role in the analysis performed in this and previous works, and can be neglected thus.
The period-luminosity (PL) relation of Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) plays a pivotal role in extra-galactic distance measurement and the determination of the Hubble constant $(H_{0})$. In this work, we probe the geometry of the LMC through a detailed study of multi-phase PL relations of these Cepheids, leveraging data from the OGLE-IV and Gaia DR3 databases. We analyse the light curves of a combined sample of $\sim$3300 fundamental (FU) and first overtone (FO) mode classical Cepheids. We obtain multi-phase data with $50$ phase points over a complete pulsation cycle from the OGLE $(V, I)$ and Gaia $(G,G_{\rm BP}, G_{\rm RP})$ photometric bands. We determine the distance modulus and reddening values of individual Cepheids by fitting a simultaneous reddening law to the apparent distance modulus values. We calculate the LMC viewing angle parameters: the inclination angle $(i)$ and position angle of line of nodes $(\theta_{\rm lon})$ by fitting a plane of the form $z = f(x,y)$ to the three-dimensional distribution of Cepheids in Cartesian coordinates $(x,y,z)$. The values of LMC viewing angles from multi-phase PL relations are found to be: $i = 22\rlap{.}^{\circ}87 \pm 0\rlap{.}^{\circ}43 ~\textrm{(stat.)} \pm 0\rlap{.}^{\circ}53 ~\textrm{(syst.)}$, $\theta_{\rm lon} = 154\rlap{.}^{\circ}76 \pm 1\rlap{.}^{\circ}16 ~\textrm{(stat.)} \pm 1\rlap{.}^{\circ}01 ~\textrm{(syst.)}$, respectively. The use of multi-phase PL relations in multiple bands results in lower uncertainties for the LMC viewing angle parameters as compared to those derived from the mean light PL relations. This shows that the use of multi-phase PL relations with multi-wavelength photometry significantly improves the precision of these measurements, allowing better constraints on the morphology and the structure of the LMC.
We compare properties of classical and pseudo-bulges and properties of their hosting galaxies selected from the MaNGA survey. Bulge types are identified based on the S$\mathrm{\acute{e}}$rsic index n of bulge component and the position of bulges on the Kormandy diagram. For the 393 classical bulges and 422 pseudo-bulges selected and their hosting galaxies, we study their kinematic properties including a proxy for specific angular momentum and central velocity dispersion, their stellar population properties including stellar age, metallicity, and specific star formation rate, as well as HI fractions of the galaxies. Our results show that at given stellar mass, disc components of pseudo-bulge galaxies are younger, have more active star formation, rotate more, and may contain more HI content compared with those of classical bulge galaxies, and the differences are larger than those between bulges themselves. The correlations between bulge types and disc properties indicate that different types of bulges are shaped by different processes that may regulate both growth of central components and evolution of outer discs in galaxies. In addition, we propose a stellar mass dependent divider of central velocity dispersion to separate galaxies with classical bulges from those with pseudo-bulges in galaxy mass range of $10.4<\mathrm{log}(M_*/M_\odot)<11.4$: $\mathrm{log}(\sigma_0) = 0.23 \times \mathrm{log}(M_*/M_\odot)-0.46$. Galaxies with larger/smaller $\sigma_0$ can be classified as hosts of classical/pseudo-bulges.
We present a comprehensive overview of a volume-complete sample of white dwarfs located within 40 pc of the Sun, a significant proportion of which were detected in Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3). Our DR3 sample contains 1076 spectroscopically confirmed white dwarfs, with just five candidates within the volume remaining unconfirmed (more than 99 per cent spectroscopic completeness). Additionally, 28 white dwarfs were not in our initial selection from Gaia DR3, most of which are in unresolved binaries. We use Gaia DR3 photometry and astrometry to determine a uniform set of white dwarf parameters, including mass, effective temperature, and cooling age. We assess the demographics of the 40 pc sample, specifically magnetic fields, binarity, space density and mass distributions.
We present an application of an artificial neural network methodology to a modern wide-field sky survey Pan-STARRS1 in order to build a high-quality sample of disk galaxies visible in edge-on orientation. Such galaxies play an important role in the study of the vertical distribution of stars, gas and dust, which is usually not available to study in other galaxies outside the Milky Way. We give a detailed description of the network architecture and the learning process. The method demonstrates good effectiveness with detection rate about 97\% and it works equally well for galaxies over a wide range of brightnesses and sizes, which resulted in a creation of a catalogue of edge-on galaxies with $10^5$ of objects. The catalogue is published on-line with an open access.
In other to understand galaxy growth evolution, it is critical to constrain the evolution of its building block: gas. Mostly comprised by Hydrogen in its neutral (HI) and molecular (H$_2$) phases, the latter is the one mostly directly associated to star-formation, while the neutral phase is considered the long-term gas reservoir. In this work, we make use of an empirical relation between dust emission at millimeter wavelengths and total gas mass in the inter-stellar medium (MHI plus MH2) in order to retrieve the HI content in galaxies. We assemble an heterogeneous sample of 335 galaxies at $0.01<z<6.4$ detected in both mm-continuum and carbon monoxide (CO), with special focus on a blindly selected sample to retrieve HI cosmological content when the Universe was ~2-6Gyr old ($1<z<3$). We find no significant evolution with redshift of the $M_{\rm HI}/M_{\rm H_2}$ ratio, which is about 1-3 (depending on the relation used to estimate $M_{\rm HI}$). This also shows that $M_{\rm H_2}$-based gas depletion times are underestimated overall by a factor of 2-4. Compared to local Universe HI mass functions, we find that the number density of galaxies with $M_{\rm HI} > 10^{10.5} {\rm M}_\odot$ significantly decreased since 8-12Gyr ago. The specific sample used for this analysis is associated to 20-50% of the total cosmic HI content as estimated via Damped Lyman-alpha Absorbers. In IR luminous galaxies, HI mass content decreases between $z\sim 2.5$ and $z\sim 1.5$, while H$_2$ seems to increase. We also show source detection expectations for SKA surveys.
We present the first deep learning model for segmenting galactic spiral arms and bars. In a blinded assessment by expert astronomers, our predicted spiral arm masks are preferred over both current automated methods (99% of evaluations) and our original volunteer labels (79% of evaluations). Experts rated our spiral arm masks as `mostly good' to `perfect' in 89% of evaluations. Bar lengths trivially derived from our predicted bar masks are in excellent agreement with a dedicated crowdsourcing project. The pixelwise precision of our masks, previously impossible at scale, will underpin new research into how spiral arms and bars evolve.
We identify rare and visually distinctive galaxy populations by searching for structure within the learned representations of pretrained models. We show that these representations arrange galaxies by appearance in patterns beyond those needed to predict the pretraining labels. We design a clustering approach to isolate specific local patterns, revealing groups of galaxies with rare and scientifically-interesting morphologies.
Modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) is a promising alternative to dark matter. To further test the theory, there is a need for fluid- and particle-dynamics simulations. The force in MOND is not a direct particle-particle interaction, but derives from a potential for which a nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE) needs to be solved. Normally, this makes the problem of simulating dynamical evolution computationally expensive. We intend to develop a fast particle-mesh (PM) code for MOND (the AQUAL formalism). We transformed the nonlinear equation for MOND into a system of linear PDEs plus one algebraic equation. An iterative scheme with the fast Fourier transform (FFT) produces successively better numerical approximations. The algorithm was tested for dynamical systems in MOND where analytical solutions are known: the two-body problem, a body with a circular ring, and a spherical distribution of particles in thermal equilibrium in the self-consistent potential. The PM code can accurately calculate the forces at subpixel scale and reproduces the analytical solutions. Four iterations are required for the potential, but when the spatial steps are small compared to the kernel width, one iteration is suffices. The use of a smoothing kernel for the accelerations is inevitable in order to eliminate the self-gravity of the point particles. Our PDE solver is $15$ to $42$ times as slow as a standard Poisson solver. However, the smoothing and particle propagation takes up most of the time above one particle per $10^3$ pixels. The FFTs, the smoothing, and the propagation part in the code can all be parallelized.
Plasma turbulence is a ubiquitous dynamical process that transfers energy across many spatial and temporal scales and affects energetic particle transport. Recent advances in the understanding of compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence demonstrate the important role of damping in shaping energy distributions on small scales, yet its observational evidence is still lacking. This study provides the first observational evidence of substantial collisionless damping (CD) modulation on small-amplitude compressible MHD turbulence cascade in Earth's magnetosheath using four Cluster spacecraft. Based on an improved compressible MHD decomposition algorithm, turbulence is decomposed into three eigenmodes: incompressible Alfv\'en modes, and compressible slow and fast (magnetosonic) modes. Our observations demonstrate that CD enhances the anisotropy of compressible MHD modes because CD has a strong dependence on wave propagation angle. The wavenumber distributions of slow modes are mainly stretched perpendicular to the background magnetic field ($\mathbf{B_0}$) and weakly modulated by CD. In contrast, fast modes are subjected to a more significant CD modulation. Fast modes exhibit a weak, scale-independent anisotropy above the CD truncation scale. Below the CD truncation scale, the anisotropy of fast modes enhances as wavenumbers increase. As a result, fast mode fractions in the total energy of compressible modes decrease with the increase of perpendicular wavenumber (to $\mathbf{B_0}$) or wave propagation angle. Our findings reveal how the turbulence cascade is shaped by CD and its consequences to anisotropies in the space environment.
We present the first data release (DR1) of the Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large Area CMZ Exploration (FIREPLACE) survey. The survey was taken using the 214-micron band of the HAWC+ instrument with the SOFIA telescope (19.6$'$ resolution; 0.7 pc). In this first data release we present dust polarization observations covering a ~0.5$\deg$ region of the Galactic Center's Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), approximately centered on the Sgr B2 complex. We detect ~25,000 Nyquist-sampled polarization pseudovectors, after applying the standard SOFIA cuts for minimum signal-to-noise in fractional polarization and total intensity of 3 and 200, respectively. Analysis of the magnetic field orientation suggests a bimodal distribution in the field direction. This bimodal distribution shows enhancements in the distribution of field directions for orientations parallel and perpendicular to the Galactic plane, which is suggestive of a CMZ magnetic field configuration with polodial and torodial components. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of individual clouds included in our survey (i.e., Sgr B2, Sgr B2-NW, Sgr B2-Halo, Sgr B1, and Clouds-E/F) shows these clouds have fractional polarization values of 1--10% at 214-micron, with most of the emission having values $<$5%. A few of these clouds (i.e., Sgr B2, Clouds-E/F) show relatively low fractional polarization values toward the cores of the cloud, with higher fractional polarization values toward the less dense periphery. We also observe higher fractional polarization towards compact HII regions which could indicate an enhancement in the grain alignment in the dust surrounding these sources.
Dwarf galaxies are valuable laboratories for dynamical studies related to dark matter and galaxy evolution, yet it is currently unknown just how physically extended their stellar components are. Satellites orbiting the Galaxy's potential may undergo tidal stripping by the host, or alternatively, may themselves have accreted smaller systems whose debris populates the dwarf's own stellar halo. Evidence of these past interactions, if present, is best searched for in the outskirts of the satellite. However, foreground contamination dominates the signal at these large radial distances, making observation of stars in these regions difficult. In this work, we introduce an updated algorithm for application to Gaia data that identifies candidate member stars of dwarf galaxies, based on spatial, color-magnitude and proper motion information, and which allows for an outer component to the stellar distribution. Our method shows excellent consistency with spectroscopically confirmed members from the literature despite having no requirement for radial velocity information. We apply the algorithm to all $\sim$60 Milky Way dwarf galaxy satellites, and we find 9 dwarfs (Bo\"otes 1, Bo\"otes 3, Draco 2, Grus 2, Segue 1, Sculptor, Tucana 2, Tucana 3, and Ursa Minor) that exhibit evidence for a secondary, low-density outer profile. We identify many member stars which are located beyond 5 half-light radii (and in some cases, beyond 10). We argue these distant stars are likely tracers of dwarf stellar haloes or tidal streams, though ongoing spectroscopic follow-up will be required to determine the origin of these extended stellar populations.
To explain both the dynamics of a globular cluster and its production of gravitational waves from coalescing binary black holes, it is necessary to understand its population of dynamically-formed (or, `three-body') binaries. We provide a theoretical understanding of this population, benchmarked by direct $N$-body models. We find that $N$-body models of clusters on average have only one three-body binary at any given time. This is different from theoretical expectations and models of binary populations, which predict a larger number of binaries ($\sim 5$), especially for low-$N$ clusters ($\sim 100$), or in the case of two-mass models, low number of black holes. We argue that the presence of multiple binaries is suppressed by a high rate of binary-binary interactions, which efficiently ionise one of the binaries involved. These also lead to triple formation and potentially gravitational wave (GW) captures, which may provide an explanation for the recently reported high efficiency of in-cluster mergers in models of low-mass clusters ($\lesssim 10^5\,{\rm M}_\odot)$.
We report JWST NIRCam observations of G0.253+0.016, the molecular cloud in the Central Molecular Zone known as The Brick, with the F182M, F187N, F212N, F410M, F405N, and F466N filters. We catalog 56,146 stars detected in all 6 filters using the crowdsource package. Stars within and behind The Brick exhibit prodigious absorption in the F466N filter that is produced by a combination of CO ice and gas. In support of this conclusion, and as a general resource, we present models of CO gas and ice and CO$_2$ ice in the F466N, F470N, and F410M filters. Both CO gas and ice may contribute to the observed stellar colors. We show, however, that CO gas does not absorb the Pf$\beta$ and Hu$\epsilon$ lines in F466N, but that these lines show excess absorption, indicating that CO ice is also present and contributes to observed F466N absorption. The most strongly absorbed stars in F466N are extincted by $\sim$ 2 magnitudes, corresponding to $>$ 80\% flux loss. This high observed absorption requires very high column densities of CO, requiring total CO column that is in tension with standard CO abundance and/or gas-to-dust ratios. There is therefore likely to be a greater CO/H$_2$ ratio (X$_{CO} > 10^{-4}$) and more dust per H$_2$ molecule ($>0.01$) in the Galactic Center than the Galactic disk. Ice and/or gas absorption is observed even in the cloud outskirts, implying that additional caution is needed when interpreting stellar photometry in filters that overlap with ice bands throughout our Galactic Center. The widespread CO absorption in our Galactic Center hints that significant ice absorption is likely present in other galactic centers.
Spatially compact objects with extremely red color in the rest-frame optical to near-infrared (0.4--1 ${\rm \mu m}$) and blue color in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV; 0.2--0.4 ${\rm \mu m}$) have been discovered at $5 < z < 9$ using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These extremely red objects (JWST-EROs) exhibit spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that are difficult to explain using a single component of either star-forming galaxies or quasars, leading to two-component models in which the blue UV and extremely red optical are explained using less-dusty and dusty spectra of galaxies or quasars, respectively. Here, we report the remarkable similarity in SEDs between JWST-EROs and blue-excess dust-obscured galaxies (BluDOGs) identified at $2 < z < 3$. BluDOGs are a population of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with blackhole masses of $\sim10^{8-9}$ M$_\odot$, which are one order of magnitude larger than those in some JWST-EROs. The Eddington ratios of BluDOGs are one or higher, whereas those of JWST-EROs are in the range of 0.1--1. Therefore, JWST-EROs are less massive, less active, and more common counterparts in higher-$z$ of BluDOGs in cosmic noon. Conversely, JWST-EROs have a significantly higher fraction of those with blue-excess than DOGs. We present the average UV spectra of BluDOGs as a comparison to JWST-EROs and discuss a coherent evolutionary scenario for dusty AGN populations.
We report results from a systematic wide-area search for faint dwarf galaxies at heliocentric distances from 0.3 to 2 Mpc using the full six years of data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Unlike previous searches over the DES data, this search specifically targeted a field population of faint galaxies located beyond the Milky Way virial radius. We derive our detection efficiency for faint, resolved dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume with a set of synthetic galaxies and expect our search to be complete to $M_V$ ~ $(-7, -10)$ mag for galaxies at $D = (0.3, 2.0)$ Mpc respectively. We find no new field dwarfs in the DES footprint, but we report the discovery of one high-significance candidate dwarf galaxy at a distance of $2.2\substack{+0.05\\-0.12}$ Mpc, a potential satellite of the Local Volume galaxy NGC 55, separated by $47$ arcmin (physical separation as small as 30 kpc). We estimate this dwarf galaxy to have an absolute V-band magnitude of $-8.0\substack{+0.5\\-0.3}$ mag and an azimuthally averaged physical half-light radius of $2.2\substack{+0.5\\-0.4}$ kpc, making this one of the lowest surface brightness galaxies ever found with $\mu = 32.3$ mag ${\rm arcsec}^{-2}$. This is the largest, most diffuse galaxy known at this luminosity, suggesting possible tidal interactions with its host.
Synchrotron emission is one of few observable tracers of galactic magnetic fields (\textbf{B}) and cosmic rays (CRs). Much of our understanding of \textbf{B} in galaxies comes from utilizing synchrotron observations in conjunction with several simplifying assumptions of equipartition models, however it remains unclear how well these assumptions hold, and what \textbf{B} these estimates physically represent. Using FIRE simulations which self consistently evolve CR proton, electron, and positron spectra from MeV to TeV energies, we present the first synthetic synchrotron emission predictions from simulated L$_{*}$ galaxies with "live" spectrally-resolved CR-MHD. We find that synchrotron emission can be dominated by relatively cool and dense gas, resulting in equipartition estimates of \textbf{B} with fiducial assumptions underestimating the "true" \textbf{B} in the gas that contributes the most emission by factors of 2-3 due to small volume filling factors. Motivated by our results, we present an analytic framework that expands upon equipartition models for estimating \textbf{B} in a multi-phase medium. Comparing our spectrally-resolved synchrotron predictions to simpler spectral assumptions used in galaxy simulations with CRs, we find that spectral evolution can be crucial for accurate synchrotron calculations towards galactic centers, where loss terms are large.
A Type Ia supernova (SN) at $z=1.78$ was discovered in James Webb Space Telescope Near Infrared Camera imaging of the galaxy cluster PLCK G165.7+67.0 (G165; $z = 0.35$). The SN is situated 1.5-2 kpc from the host-galaxy nucleus and appears in three different locations as a result of gravitational lensing by G165. These data can yield a value for Hubble's constant using time delays from this multiply-imaged SN Ia that we call "SN H0pe." Over the cluster, we identified 21 image multiplicities, confirmed five of them using the Near-Infrared Spectrograph, and constructed a new lens model that gives a total mass within 600 kpc of ($2.6 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{14}$ $M_{\odot}$. The photometry uncovered a galaxy overdensity coincident with the SN host galaxy. NIRSpec confirmed six member galaxies, four of which surround the SN host galaxy with relative velocity $\lesssim$900 km s$^{-1}$ and projected physical extent $\lesssim$33 kpc. This compact galaxy group is dominated by the SN host galaxy, which has a stellar mass of $(5.0 \pm 0.1) \times 10^{11}$ $M_{\odot}$. The group members have specific star-formation rates of 2-260 Gyr$^{-1}$ derived from the H$\alpha$-line fluxes corrected for stellar absorption, dust extinction, and slit losses. Another group centered on a strongly-lensed dusty star forming galaxy is at $z=2.24$. The total (unobscured and obscured) SFR of this second galaxy group is estimated to be ($\gtrsim$100 $M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$), which translates to a supernova rate of $\sim$1 SNe yr$^{-1}$, suggesting that regular monitoring of this cluster may yield additional SNe.
Dusty Star-Forming Galaxies (DSFGs) are amongst the most massive and active star-forming galaxies during the cosmic noon. Theoretical studies have proposed various formation mechanisms of DSFGs, including major merger-driven starbursts and secular star-forming disks. Here, we report J0107a, a bright ($\sim8$ mJy at observed-frame 888 $\mu$m) DSFG at $z=2.467$ that appears to be a gas-rich massive disk and might be an extreme case of the secular disk scenario. J0107a has a stellar mass $M_\star\sim5\times10^{11}M_\odot$, molecular gas mass $M_\mathrm{mol}\sim(1\textendash6)\times10^{11}M_\odot$, and a star formation rate (SFR) of $\sim500M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. J0107a does not have a gas-rich companion. The rest-frame 1.28 $\mu$m JWST NIRCam image of J0107a shows a grand-design spiral with a prominent stellar bar extending $\sim15$ kpc. ALMA band 7 continuum map reveals that the dust emission originates from both the central starburst and the stellar bar. 3D disk modeling of the CO(4-3) emission line indicates a dynamically cold disk with rotation-to-dispersion ratio $V_\mathrm{max}/\sigma\sim8$. The results suggest a bright DSFG may have a non-merger origin, and its vigorous star formation may be triggered by bar and/or rapid gas inflow.
Observing 3D magnetic fields, including orientation and strength, within the interstellar medium is vital but notoriously difficult. However, recent advances in our understanding of anisotropic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence demonstrate that MHD turbulence and 3D magnetic fields leave their imprints on the intensity features of spectroscopic observations. Leveraging these theoretical frameworks, we propose a novel Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model to extract this embedded information, enabling the probe of 3D magnetic fields. This model examines not only the plane-of-the-sky magnetic field orientation ($\phi$), but also the magnetic field's inclination angle ($\gamma$) relative to the line-of-sight, and the total magnetization level (M$_A^{-1}$) of the cloud. We train the model using synthetic emission lines of $^{13}$CO (J = 1 - 0) and C$^{18}$O (J = 1 - 0), generated from 3D MHD simulations that span conditions from sub-Alfv\'enic to super-Alfv\'enic molecular clouds. Our tests confirm that the CNN model effectively reconstructs the 3D magnetic field topology and magnetization. The median uncertainties are under $5^\circ$ for both $\phi$ and $\gamma$, and less than 0.2 for M$_A$ in sub-Alfv\'enic conditions (M$_A\approx0.5$). In super-Alfv\'enic scenarios (M$_A\approx2.0$), they are under $15^\circ$ for $\phi$ and $\gamma$, and 1.5 for M$_A$. We applied this trained CNN model to the L1478 molecular cloud. Results show a strong agreement between the CNN-predicted magnetic field orientation and that derived from Planck 353 GHz polarization data. The CNN approach enabled us to construct the 3D magnetic field map for L1478, revealing a global inclination angle of $\approx76^\circ$ and a global M$_A$ of $\approx1.07$.
The production of long-lived radioactive isotopes due to the exposure to cosmic rays on the Earth's surface is an hazard for experiments searching for rare events like the direct detection of galactic dark matter particles. The use of large amounts of liquid Argon is foreseen in different projects, like the DarkSide-20k experiment, intended to look for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. Here, results from the study of the cosmogenic activation of Argon carried out in the context of DarkSide-20k are presented. The induced activity of several isotopes, including 39Ar, and the expected counting rates in the detector have been deduced, considering exposure conditions as realistic as possible.
Detecting anomalous behaviour of satellites is an important goal within the broader task of space situational awareness. The Two Line Element (TLE) data published by NORAD is the only widely-available, comprehensive source of data for satellite orbits. We present here a filtering approach for detecting anomalies in satellite orbits from TLE data. Optimal proposal particle filters are deployed to track the state of the satellites' orbits. New TLEs that are unlikely given our belief of the current orbital state are designated as anomalies. The change in the orbits over time is modelled using the SGP4 model with some adaptations. A model uncertainty is derived to handle the errors in SGP4 around singularities in the orbital elements. The proposed techniques are evaluated on a set of 15 satellites for which ground truth is available and the particle filters are shown to be superior at detecting the subtle in-track and cross-track manoeuvres in the simulated dataset, as well as providing a measure of uncertainty of detections.
A considerable number of photographic plate archives exist world wide and digitization is in progress or already has been finished. Not only different type of scanners were used but also spatial resolution and dynamic range often were limited due to process duration and storage space. The open question is the effect of these limitations on the results. 61 high resolution photographic plates of the Gamma Cyg field from the Bruce astrograph at Landessternwarte Heidelberg--K\"onigstuhl (aperture 40~cm, focal length 200~cm) had been digitized both in Heidelberg and Sonneberg. Both scanners were set to 16 bit dynamic range. The Heidelberg scanner was operated at 2540 dpi resolution, resulting in a scale of 1 arcsec/pixel, while the Sonneberg scanner was operated at 1200 dpi, yielding a scale of 2.1 arsec/pixel. In the presented study the standard deviation of non--variable star light curves were examined in dependence of brightness and plate coordinates in both series. No evident differences could be found. A comparison of the analysis of both scan series will be presented.
The Meudon Solar Tower (MST) is a 0.60 m telescope dedicated to spectroscopic observations of solar regions. It includes a 14-meter focal length spectrograph which offers high spectral resolution. The spectrograph works either in classical thin slit mode (R > 300000) or 2D imaging spectroscopy (60000 < R < 180000). This specific mode is able to provide high temporal resolution measurements (1 min) of velocities and magnetic fields upon a 2D field of view, using the Multichannel Subtractive Double Pass (MSDP) system. The purpose of this paper is to describe the capabilities of the MSDP at MST with available slicers for broad and thin lines. The goal is to produce multichannel spectra-images, from which cubes of instantaneous data (x, y, $\lambda$) are derived, in order to study of the plasma dynamics and magnetic fields (with polarimetry).
Starting from the observing campaign in April 2018, the Greenland Telescope (GLT) has been added as a new station of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) array. Visibilities on baselines to the GLT, particularly in the North-South direction, potentially provide valuable new constraints for the modeling and imaging of sources such as M87*. The GLT's location at high Northern latitudes adds unique challenges to its calibration strategies. Additionally, the performance of the GLT was not optimal during the 2018 observations due to it being only partially commissioned at the time. This document describes the steps taken to estimate the various parameters (and their uncertainties) required for the absolute flux calibration of the GLT data as part of the EHT. In particular, we consider the non-optimized status of the GLT in 2018, as well as its improved performance during the 2021 EHT campaign.
Type Ia supernovae are one such cosmological probe to study dark energy, for which the dominant source of systematic uncertainties is the accuracy of the photometric calibration. To address this, recent advancements introduce Collimated Beam Projectors (CBP), aiming to enhance calibration by precisely measuring a telescope's throughput as a function of wavelength. This work describes the performance of a prototype portable CBP. The experimental setup consists of a broadband Xenon light source replacing a more customary but much more demanding high-power laser source, coupled with a monochromator emitting light inside an integrating sphere monitored with a photodiode and a spectrograph. Light is injected at the focus of the CBP telescope projecting a collimated beam onto a solar cell whose quantum efficiency has been obtained by comparison with a NIST-calibrated photodiode. The throughput and signal-to-noise ratio achieved by comparing the photocurrent signal in the CBP photodiode to the one in the solar cell are computed. We prove that the prototype, in its current state of development, is capable of achieving 1.2 per cent and 2.3 per cent precision on the integrated g and r bands of the ZTF photometric filter system respectively, in a reasonable amount of integration time. Central wavelength determination accuracy is kept below ~0.91 nm and ~0.58 nm for g and r bands, respectively. The expected photometric uncertainty caused by filter throughput measurement is approximately 5 mmag on the zero-point magnitude. Several straightforward improvement paths are discussed to upgrade the current setup.
We describe the AMReX-Astrophysics framework for exploring the sensitivity of astrophysical simulations to the details of a nuclear reaction network, including the number of nuclei, choice of reaction rates, and approximations used. This is explored by modeling a simple detonation with the Castro simulation code. The entire simulation methodology is open-source and GPU-enabled.
In the context of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), the laser subsystems exhibit frequency fluctuations that introduce significant levels of noise into the measurements, surpassing the gravitational wave signal by several orders of magnitude. Mitigation is achieved via time-shifting individual measurements in a data processing step known as time-delay interferometry (TDI). The suppression performance of TDI relies on accurate knowledge and consideration of the delays experienced by the interfering lasers. While considerable efforts have been dedicated to the accurate determination of inter-spacecraft ranging delays, the sources for onboard delays have been either neglected or assumed to be known. Contrary to these assumptions, analog delays of the phasemeter front end and the laser modulator are not only large but also prone to change with temperature and heterodyne frequency. This motivates our proposal for a novel method enabling a calibration of these delays on-ground and in-space, based on minimal functional additions to the receiver architecture. Specifically, we establish a set of calibration measurements and elucidate how these measurements are utilized in data processing, leading to the mitigation of the delays in the TDI Michelson variables. Following a performance analysis of the calibration measurements, proposed calibration scheme is assessed through numerical simulations. We find that in the absence of the calibration scheme, the assumed drifts of the analog delays increase residual laser noise at high frequencies of the LISA measurement band. A single, on-ground calibration of the analog delays leads to an improvement by roughly one order of magnitude, while re-calibration in space may improve performance by yet another order of magnitude. Towards lower frequencies, ranging error is always found to be the limiting factor for which countermeasures are discussed.
Implementation of many statistical methods for large, multivariate data sets requires one to solve a linear system that, depending on the method, is of the dimension of the number of observations or each individual data vector. This is often the limiting factor in scaling the method with data size and complexity. In this paper we illustrate the use of Krylov subspace methods to address this issue in a statistical solution to a source separation problem in cosmology where the data size is prohibitively large for direct solution of the required system. Two distinct approaches, adapted from techniques in the literature, are described: one that uses the method of conjugate gradients directly to the Kronecker-structured problem and another that reformulates the system as a Sylvester matrix equation. We show that both approaches produce an accurate solution within an acceptable computation time and with practical memory requirements for the data size that is currently available.
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), due for launch in the mid 2030s, is expected to observe gravitational waves (GW)s from merging massive black hole binaries (MBHB)s. These signals can last from days to months, depending on the masses of the black holes, and are expected to be observed with high signal to noise ratios (SNR)s out to high redshifts. We have adapted the PyCBC software package to enable a template bank search and inference of GWs from MBHBs. The pipeline is tested on the LISA data challenge (LDC)'s Challenge 2a (\enquote{Sangria}), which contains MBHBs and thousands of galactic binaries (GBs) in simulated instrumental LISA noise. Our search identifies all 6 MBHB signals with more than $92\%$ of the optimal SNR. The subsequent parameter inference step recovers the masses and spins within their $90\%$ confidence interval. Sky position parameters have 8 high likelihood modes which are recovered but often our posteriors favour the incorrect sky mode. We observe that the addition of GBs biases the parameter recovery of masses and spins away from the injected values, reinforcing the need for a global fit pipeline which will simultaneously fit the parameters of the GB signals before estimating the parameters of MBHBs.
The paper considers a set of equations describing the static isotropic gravity field of a macroscopic body within the framework of a theory of gravity with a constraint. A general approximate solution of these equations has been found. The solution exists only at certain values of three integration constants. The out-of-body metric coincides with the Schwarzschild metric, but, unlike the general relativity theory (GR), the curvature tensor invariants have a certain finite value everywhere.
The direct detection of gravitational waves (GWs) of frequencies above MHz has recently received considerable attention. In this work we present a precise study of the reach of a cubic cavity resonator to GWs in the microwave range, using for the first time tools allowing to perform realistic simulations. Concretely, the BI-RME 3D method, which allows to obtain not only the detected power but also the detected voltage (magnitude and phase), is used here. After analyzing three cubic cavities for different frequencies and working simultaneously with three different degenerate modes at each cavity, we conclude that the sensitivity of the experiment is strongly dependent on the polarization and incidence angle of the GW. The presented experiment can reach sensitivities up to $1 \cdot 10^{-19}$ at $100~$MHz, $2 \cdot 10^{-20}$ at $1~$GHz, and $6 \cdot 10^{-19}$ at $10~$GHz for optimal angles and polarizations, and where in all cases we assumed an integration time of $\Delta t=1~$ms. These results provide a strong case for further developing the use of cavities to detect GWs. Moreover, the possibility of analyzing the detected voltage (magnitude and phase) opens a new interferometric detection scheme based on the combination of the detected signals from multiple cavities.
We construct a new family of rotating black holes with scalar hair and a regular horizon of spherical topology, within five dimensional ($d=5$) Einstein's gravity minimally coupled to a complex, massive scalar field doublet. These solutions represent generalizations of the Kaluza-Klein monopole found by Gross, Perry and Sorkin, with a twisted $S^1$ bundle over a four dimensional Minkowski spacetime being approached in the far field. The black holes are described by their mass, angular momentum, tension and a conserved Noether charge measuring the hairiness of the configurations. They are supported by rotation and have no static limit, while for vanishing horizon size, they reduce to boson stars. When performing a Kaluza-Klein reduction, the $d=5$ solutions yield a family of $d=4$ spherically symmetric dyonic black holes with gauged scalar hair. This provides a link between two seemingly unrelated mechanisms to endow a black hole with scalar hair: the $d=5$ synchronization condition between the scalar field frequency and the event horizon angular velocity results in the $d=4$ resonance condition between the scalar field frequency and the electrostatic chemical potential.
We consider the local thermodynamics of the de Sitter state in the $f({\cal R})$ gravity. The local temperature, which is the same for all points of the de Sitter space, is $T=H/\pi$, where $H$ is the Hubble parameter. It is twice larger than the Gibbons-Hawking temperature of the cosmological horizon, $T_{\rm GH}=H/2\pi$. The local temperature is not related to the cosmological horizon. It determines the rate of the activation processes, which are possible in the de Sitter environment. The typical example is the process of the ionization of the atom in the de Sitter environment, which rate is determined by temperature $T=H/\pi$. The local temperature determines the local entropy of the de Sitter vacuum state, and this allows to calculate the total entropy inside the cosmological horizon. The result reproduces the Gibbons-Hawking area law, $S_{\rm hor}=4\pi KA$. But in the $f({\cal R})$ theory it is the Wald entropy, which is determined by the effective gravitational coupling $K=df/d{\cal R}$. In the local thermodynamic approach, $K$ is the thermodynamic variable, which is conjugate to the Ricci scalar curvature ${\cal R}$. The agreement with the Wald entropy supports the suggestion that the de Sitter quantum vacuum is characterized by the local thermodynamics of the quantum vacuum with the local temperature $T=H/\pi$.
Gravitational memory effects are predictions of general relativity that are characterized by an observable effect that persists after the passage of gravitational waves. In recent years, they have garnered particular interest, both due to their connection to asymptotic symmetries and soft theorems and because their observation would serve as a unique test of the nonlinear nature of general relativity. Apart from the more commonly known displacement and spin memories, however, there are other memory effects predicted by Einstein's equations that are associated with more subleading terms in the asymptotic expansion of the Bondi-Sachs metric. In this paper, we write explicit expressions for these higher memory effects in terms of their charge and flux contributions. Further, by using a numerical relativity simulation of a binary black hole merger, we compute the magnitude and morphology of these terms and compare them to those of the displacement and spin memory. We find that, although these terms are interesting from a theoretical perspective, due to their small magnitude they will be particularly challenging to observe with current and future detectors.
We present a numerical analysis of an Hartle-Hawking state for the early universe, in the deep quantum regime, computed using the covariant Loop Quantum Gravity formalism, in a truncation defined by 16-cell and in a simplified case where the dynamics is defined by SU(2) BF theory. We compute mean geometry, fluctuations and correlations. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that refining the triangulation does not affect the global physical picture substantially.
We describe and solve three puzzles arising in covariant and supertranslation-invariant formulas for the flux of angular momentum and other Lorentz charges in asymptotically flat spacetimes: 1) Supertranslation-invariance and covariance imply invariance under spacetime translations; 2) the flux depends on redundant auxiliary degrees of freedom that cannot be set to zero in all Lorentz frames without breaking Lorentz covariance; 3) supertranslation-invariant Lorentz charges do not generate the transformations of the Bondi mass aspect implied by the isometries of the asymptotic metric. In this letter, we solve the first two puzzles by presenting covariant formulas that unambiguously determine the auxiliary degrees of freedom and clarify the last puzzle by explaining the different role played by covariant and canonical charges. Our construction makes explicit the choice of reference frame underpinning seemingly unambiguous results presented in the current literature.
Symmetric Teleparallel Gravity allows for the reformulation of gravity in the form of nonmetricity by vanishing the contorsion term in the generic affine connection. Our focus is on investigating a recently proposed extension of this theory in which the Lagrangian has the form $f(Q,C)$ by incorporating the boundary term $C$. In this work, we first use a reconstruction approach in $f(Q,C)$ gravity that might admit the $\Lambda$CDM expansion history. Furthermore, we perform a novel approach for cosmological reconstruction of $f(Q,C)$ gravity in terms of e-folding, and it shows how any FLRW cosmology can arise from a specific $f(Q,C)$ gravity. A variety of instances are provided using this approach in which $f(Q, C)$ gravity is reconstructed to yield the well-known cosmic evolution: $\Lambda$CDM era, acceleration/deceleration era which is equivalent to the presence of phantom and non-phantom matter, late-time acceleration with the crossing of phantom-divide line and transient phantom era.
A power series, suitable for use in a numerical relativity code, will be presented for the time symmetric Teukolsky linearised gravitational waves.
In the present paper, we investigate traversable wormhole solutions determined by an exponential shape function and fractional redshift function in the background of four viable $f(R)$ models. Although in the absence of the redshift function $\varphi(r)$ the null energy condition (NEC) and weak energy condition (WEC) are violated, we find that considering the redshift function, NEC and WEC are respected by choosing the appropriate parameters in the models. We also investigate the conditions of stability and absence of anti-gravity effects for these wormholes. Our results show that in the case of $\varphi(r) \neq 0$ these conditions are satisfied easier than the case of $\varphi(r)=0$. Finally we calculate the deflection angle using the gravitational lensing effect. We show that the deflection angle increases by inserting the redshift function.
This work concerns the dynamics of conformal cubic scalar field on a Schwarzschild--anti-de Sitter background. The main focus is on understanding how it depends on the size of the black hole and the Robin boundary condition. We identify a critical curve in the parameter space that separates regions with distinct asymptotic behaviours. For defocusing nonlinearity, the global attractor undergoes a pitchfork bifurcation, whereas for the focusing case, we identify a region of the phase space where all solutions blow up in finite time. In the course of this study we observe an interplay between black hole geometry, boundary conditions, and the nonlinear dynamics of scalar fields in asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetime.
The Friedmann equations of Cotton gravity provide a simple parametrization to reproduce, by tuning a single function, the Friedmann equations of several extensions of gravity, such as f(R), modified Gauss-Bonnet f(G), teleparallel f(T), and more. It also includes the recently proposed Conformal Killing gravity in FRW space-times. The extensions generally have the form of a Codazzi tensor that may be associated to the dark sector. Fixing it by a suitable equation of state accomodates most of the postulated models that extend $\Lambda$CDM, as the Chevallier-Polarski-Lindler model.
We discuss analytic solutions describing magnetically charged black branes in $d$ dimensional AdS space. Focusing on $d=5$, we study the response of the brane to an external short lived electric field. We argue that when the theory possesses an 't Hooft anomaly then at sufficiently low temperature a long lived oscillatory current will be observed long after the electric field has been turned off. We demonstrate this ``anomalous resonance'' effect via a numerical study.
The ADM energy for asymptotically flat spacetimes or its generalizations to asymptotically non-flat spacetimes measure the energy content of a stationary spacetime, such as a single black hole. Such a stationary energy is given as a geometric invariant of the spatial hypersurface of the spacetime and is expressed as an integral on the boundary of the hypersurface. For non-stationary spacetimes, there is a refinement of the ADM energy, the so-called Dain's invariant that measures the non-stationary part, the gravitational radiation component, of the total energy. Dain's invariant uses the metric and the extrinsic curvature of the spatial hypersurface together with the so-called approximate Killing initial data and vanishes for stationary spacetimes. In our earlier work [Phys.Rev.D 101 (2020) 2, 024035], we gave a reformulation of the non-stationary energy for vacuum spacetimes in the Hamiltonian form of General Relativity written succinctly in the Fischer-Marsden form. That formulation is relevant for merging black holes or other compact sources. Here we extend this formulation to non-vacuum spacetimes with a perfect fluid source. This is expected to be relevant for spacetimes that have a compact star, say a neutron star colliding with a black hole or another non-vacuum object.
Test of the no-hair theorem is the primary target with gravitational waves from binary black holes. In this Letter, we analyze gravitational-wave data from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detection of binary black-hole mergers using the PSI_FD model, which is a non-general relativity full waveform template for arbitrary axisymmetric black holes. By analyzing two high signal-noise-ratio events, GW150914 and GW200129, the no-hair theorem is tested at a significance level of 95%, which is the best constraint until now. Especially, we find a significant deviation from the Kerr black hole in GW200129. More events and further analysis are needed to validate this deviation.
Non-local theories of gravity are considered extended theories of gravity, meaning that when the non-local terms are canceled out, the limit of General Relativity (GR) is obtained. Several reasons have led us to consider this theory with increasing interest, but primarily non-locality emerges in a natural way as a side effect of the introduction of quantum corrections to GR, the purpose of which was to cure the singularity problem, both at astrophysical and cosmological level. In this paper we studied a peculiar case of the so called Deser-Woodard theory consisting in the addition of a non-local term to the Hilbert-Einstein lagrangian, and we derived for the first time contraints on the dimensionaless non-local parameter A by exploiting the predicted gravitational wave emission in three binary pulsars, namely PSR J1012+5307, PSR J0348+0432 and PSR $J1738+0333. We discovered that the instantaneous flux strongly depends on A and that the best constraints (0.12 < A < 0.16) come from PSR J1012+5307, for which the GR prediction is outside the observational ranges. However, since for PSR J1012 + 5307 scintillation is suspected, as emerged in a recent census by LOFAR, corruptions in pulsar timing could be hidden. We finally comment on the usability and reliability of this type of test for extended theories of gravity.
In this paper we study the multipole expansion of the long-wavelength effective action for radiative sources in ($d$+1) spacetime dimensions. We present detailed expressions for the multipole moments for the case of scalar-, electromagnetic-, and (linearized) gravitational-wave emission. For electromagnetism and gravity, we derive expressions for the odd-parity, magnetic-type moments as SO($d$) duals of the ones traditionally used in the literature. The $d$-dimensional case features a novel set of `Weyl-type' moments, coupling to the spatial part of the Weyl tensor, which are absent in three dimensions. Agreement is found in the overlap with previous known results, notably in the $d \to 3$ limit. Due to its reliance on dimensional regularization, the results presented here play a crucial role for the further development of the Effective Field Theory approach to gravitational dynamics, and in particular for the computation of the gravitational-wave flux, starting at the third post-Newtonian order.
A comprehensive description is given of a space--time model of an accelerating massive particle. The particle radiates gravitational waves with optical shear. The wave fronts are smoothly deformed spheres and the particle experiences radiation reaction, similar to an accelerating charged particle, and a loss of mass described by a Bondi mass--loss formula. The space--time is one of the Bondi--Sachs forms but presented in a form here which is particularly suited to the construction of the model particle. All details of the calculations are given. A detailed examination of the gravitational field of the particle is provided which illustrates the presence of gravitational radiation and also exhibits, in the form of a type of singularity found in some Robinson--Trautman space--times, the absence of an external field to supply energy to the particle.
This paper extends an earlier study by the author [Phys. Rev. D, vol. 98, 064041 (2018), arXiv:1809.01993] in several significant ways. To begin with, the extra spatial dimension is assumed to be time dependent, while the redshift and shape functions, as well as the extra dimension, are functions of both $r$ and $l$, the respective radial and extra coordinates. The main goal is to determine the conditions that allow the throat of the wormhole to be threaded with ordinary matter (by respecting the null energy condition) and that the same conditions lead to a violation of the null energy condition in the fifth dimension, which can therefore be credited with helping to sustain the wormhole. The dependence of the metric coefficients on $l$ and time $t$ may either help or hinder the ability to use ordinary matter, while an unrestricted dependence on the fifth dimension could lead to a curvature singularity at the throat. Finally, the extra dimension may be extremely small or even curled up.
The current interest in laboratory detection of entanglement mediated by gravity was sparked by an information--theoretic argument: entanglement mediated by a local field certifies that the field is not classical. Previous derivations of the effect modelled gravity as instantaneous; here we derive it from linearised quantum general relativity while keeping Lorentz invariance explicit, using the path integral formalism. In this framework, entanglement is clearly mediated by a quantum feature of the field. We also point out the possibility of observing retarded entanglement, which cannot be explained by an instantaneous interaction. This is a difficult experiment for gravity, but is plausible for the analogous electromagnetic case.
The composite Higgs model assumes that the Higgs field arises as the pseudo-Goldstone mode corresponding to a dynamical symmetry breaking in a new strongly coupled sector. We present a soft-wall holographic model where such symmetry breaking occurs as a first order phase transition. In this case the bubble nucleation in the early universe becomes possible. To study the homogeneous solutions in the models of this type we present the perturbation theory approach. We estimate the gravitational wave spectrum produced during the nucleation phase and find it to be detectable with the planned gravitational wave detectors.
Topological order (long-range entanglement) play important role in modern condensed matter physics. In this paper, we will show that the four dimensional black hole can also have topological order, by showing that the topological entanglement entropy is non-zero. The properties of the topological order show that the large diffeomorphisms will act as symmetry (not gauge) transformation on the physical states. More importantly, the long-range entanglement will make the Hawking radiation pure.
In this paper, we focus on the effect of mass-transfer between compact binaries like neutron-star-neutron-star (NS-NS) systems and neutron-star-white-dwarf (NS-WD) systems on gravitational waves (GWs). We adopt the mass quadrupole formula with 2.5 order Post-Newtonian (2.5 PN) approximation to calculate the GW radiation and the orbital evolution. After a reasonable discussion of astrophysical processes concerning our scenario, two kinds of mass-transfer models are applied here. One is the mass overflow of the atmosphere, where the companion star orbits into the primary's Roche limit and its atmosphere overflows into the common envelope. The other one is the tidal disruption of the core, which is viewed as incompressible fluid towards the primary star, and in the near region branches into an accretion disc (AD) and direct accretion flow. Viewing this envelope and as a background, the GW of its spin can be calculated as a rotating non-spherically symmetric star. We eventually obtained the corrected gravitational waveform (GWF) templates for different initial states in the inspiral phase.
We consider a system rotating at extremely high angular velocity, so that its matter is found mostly at the light-cylinder. We posit that it can be described by quantum fields confined to the two-dimensional cylindrical surface rotating about its symmetry axis. We apply this model to study the electromagnetic radiation. In particular, we compute the photon spectrum emitted by the quark-gluon plasma.
In the context of the absolute parallelism formulation of General Relativity, and because of the fact that the scalar curvature can be written in purely torsional terms, it was known for a long time that a surface term based solely on the torsion tensor appears in the action. It was subsequently suggested that this term might play the role of the Gibbons-Hawking-York boundary term which, in turn, is associated to the free energy in the path integral approach, and then, to the black hole entropy by standard thermodynamic arguments. We show that the identification of the two boundary terms is rather incomplete, and that it strongly depends on the choice of the tetrad (frame) field used to reproduce a given metric. By considering variations of the tetrad field not necessarily subjected to Dirichlet-like conditions on the boundary surface, we find a class of frames adapted to the Schwarzschild spacetime in which the Gibbons-Hawking-York/torsion link is actually established, and conducing to the right black hole entropy without the need of any background subtraction. Remarkably, these frames are also responsible for the correct value of the gravitational energy as computed from the teleparallel energy-momentum pseudo-current.
We investigate the cosmological perturbations around all three branches of spatially flat universe with different connections in symmetric teleparallel gravity. The model we consider can cover both the case of f(Q) model and that of the non-minimal coupling between a scalar field and the non-metricity scalar. We focus on analyzing and comparing the propagation behavior and stability of the tensorial and non-tensorial gravitational waves on spatially flat universe with different connections.
This paper gives a brief overview of the manifestly covariant canonical gauge gravity (CCGG) that is rooted in the De Donder-Weyl Hamiltonian formulation of relativistic field theories, and the proven methodology of the canonical transformation theory. That framework derives, from a few basic physical and mathematical assumptions, equations describing generic matter and gravity dynamics with the spin connection emerging as a Yang Mills-type gauge field. While the interaction of any matter field with spacetime is fixed just by the transformation property of that field, a concrete gravity ansatz is introduced by the choice of the free (kinetic) gravity Hamiltonian. The key elements of this approach are discussed and its implications for particle dynamics and cosmology presented. Among the results are especially: - Anomalous Pauli coupling of spinors to curvature and torsion of spacetime, - spacetime with (A)dS ground state, inertia, torsion and geometrical vacuum energy, - Zero-energy balance of the Universe leading to a vanishing cosmological constant and torsional dark energy.
A concrete model of extracting the physics from the bulk of a gravitational universe is important to the study of quantum gravity and its possible relationship with experiments. Such a model can be constructed in the AdS/CFT correspondence by gluing a bath on the asymptotic boundary of the bulk anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime. This bath models a laboratory and is described by a quantum field theory. In the dual conformal field theory (CFT) description this coupling is achieved by a double-trace deformation that couples the CFT with the bath. This suggests that the physics observed by the laboratory is fully unitary. In this paper, we analyze the quantum aspects of this model in detail which conveys new lessons about the AdS/CFT correspondence, and we discuss the potential usefulness of this model in understanding subregion physics in a gravitational universe.
Recent instances of successful application of quantum information techniques to particle physics problems invite for an analysis of the mathematical details behind such connection. In this paper, we identify the Choi-Jamiolkowski isomorphism, or state-channel duality, as a theoretical principle enabling the application of the theory of quantum information to the scattering amplitudes associated with Standard Model processes.
We demonstrate the emergence of scaling laws in the benchmark top versus QCD jet classification problem in collider physics. Six distinct physically-motivated classifiers exhibit power-law scaling of the binary cross-entropy test loss as a function of training set size, with distinct power law indices. This result highlights the importance of comparing classifiers as a function of dataset size rather than for a fixed training set, as the optimal classifier may change considerably as the dataset is scaled up. We speculate on the interpretation of our results in terms of previous models of scaling laws observed in natural language and image datasets.
Representing the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton and other hadrons through flexible, high-fidelity parametrizations has been a long-standing goal of particle physics phenomenology. This is particularly true since the chosen parametrization methodology can play an influential role in the ultimate PDF uncertainties as extracted in QCD global analyses; these, in turn, are often determinative of the reach of experiments at the LHC and other facilities to non-standard physics, including at large $x$, where parametrization effects can be significant. In this study, we explore a series of encoder-decoder machine-learning (ML) models with various neural-network topologies as efficient means of reconstructing PDFs from meaningful information stored in an interpretable latent space. Given recent effort to pioneer synergies between QCD analyses and lattice-gauge calculations, we formulate a latent representation based on the behavior of PDFs in Mellin space, i.e., their integrated moments, and test the ability of various models to decode PDFs from this information faithfully. We introduce a numerical package, $\texttt{PDFdecoder}$, which implements several encoder-decoder models to reconstruct PDFs with high fidelity and use this tool to explore strengths and pitfalls of neural-network approaches to PDF parametrization. We additionally dissect patterns of learned correlations between encoded Mellin moments and reconstructed PDFs which suggest opportunities for further improvements to ML-based approaches to PDF parametrizations and uncertainty quantification.
Despite being remarkable predictive, the Standard Model leaves unanswered several important issues, which motivate an ongoing search for its extensions. One fashionable possibility are the so-called 331 models, where the electroweak gauge group is extended to $SU_L(3)\times U(1)$. We discuss these models and provide a classification. As a second step, we focus on a minimal extension which includes vector-like quarks (VLQs) and new gauge bosons. We investigate the phenomenology and perform a consistent analysis of the production at the LHC of a pair of doubly charged bileptons, including processes where VLQs contribute, and in particular the associate production VLQ-bilepton. Finally, we extract the bound on the bilepton mass, $m_Y>$ 1300 GeV, from a reinterpretation of a recent ATLAS search for doubly-charged Higgs bosons in multi-lepton final states.
Hyperon ($Y=\Sigma,\Lambda$)-nucleon ($N=n,p$) interactions are crucial for understanding the existence of neutron stars heavier than two solar masses. Amid renewed experimental efforts, we study $YN$ scatterings from the perspective of quantum information, focusing on whether spin entanglement is suppressed in the s-wave channel, which is observed in $np$ scattering and leads to enhanced global symmetries. Using global fits of phase shifts from experimental data, we find hints of entanglement suppression among the eight flavor channels in the strangeness $S=-1$ sector, similar to the $np$ case. One exception is the $\Sigma^+p$ channel, where conflicting global fits lead to inconclusive outcome. We then propose ''quantum'' observables in $\Sigma^+p$ scattering to help resolve the differing global fits.
We compute the terminal bubble wall velocity during a cosmological phase transition by modelling non-equilibrium effects in the plasma with the so-called "extended fluid Ansatz". A $\phi^6$ operator is included in the Standard Model effective potential to mimic effects of new physics. Hydrodynamical heating of the plasma ahead of the bubble is taken into account. We find that the inclusion of higher order terms in the fluid Ansatz is typically relevant, and may even turn detonation solutions into deflagrations. Our results also corroborate recent findings in the literature that, for a Standard Model particle content in the plasma, only deflagration solutions are viable. However, we also show that this outcome may be altered in a theory with a different particle content.
Two near-threshold peaking structures with spin-parities $J^{PC}=0^{++}$ were recently discovered by the LHCb Collaboration in the $D_s^+D_s^-$ invariant mass distribution of the decay process $B^+\to D_s^+D_s^-K^+$. In our study, we employed a coupled-channel model to fit the experimental results published by the LHCb collaboration, simultaneously fitting the model to the invariant mass distributions of $M_{D_s^+D_s^-}$, $M_{D_s^+K^+}$, and $M_{D_s^-K^+}$. We utilized a coupled-channel model to search for the poles of $X(3960)$ and $X_0(4140)$. The determination of the poles is meaningful in itself, and it also lays an foundation for the future research on $X(3960)$ and $X_0(4140)$. Upon turning off the coupled-channel and performing another fit, we observed a change in the fitting quality, the effect was almost entirely due to the peak of $X(3960)$, so we suggest that $X(3960)$ may not be a kinematic effect.
In this work, we propose a method to compute the gravitational form factor $D(Q^2)$ in holographic QCD by exploiting the remarkable correspondence between semi-classical light-front QCD and semi-classical field theories in wrapped spacetime in 5D. The use of light-front holography bridges physics at large $Q^2$ as attained in light-front QCD and physics at small $Q^2$ where the coupling to scalar and tensor fields, i.e. glueballs, are dominant. As an application, we compute the $D$-term for the pion, and compare the results with recent lattice simulations.
In this work, we extend the analysis of the pion axioproduction, $aN \to \pi{N}$, to include the impact of the Roper resonance $N^*(1440)$ together the previously studied $\Delta(1232)$ resonance. Our theoretical framework is chiral perturbation theory with explicit resonance fields to account for their respective impacts. We find that the Roper resonance also leads to an enhancement of the cross section within its energy range for various axion models. This enhancement provided by the Roper maintains stability even when the parameter $\sin^2{\beta}$ of the DFSZ model undergoes variations. In contrast, the enhancement given by the $\Delta$ gradually diminishes and finally disappears as $\sin^2{\beta}$ approaches $1$. Furthermore, the resonance peaks given by the $\Delta$ are approximately the same in both the KSVZ model and the DFSZ model with $\sin^2{\beta} = \tfrac{1}{2}$, while the resonance peak given by the Roper in the former model is much more pronounced.
We investigate E1 radiative transitions within charmonium in a relativistic approach based on light-front QCD. In quantum field theory, two sets of processes are pure E1: $\chi_{c0} \to J/\psi \gamma$ ($\psi\to \chi_{c0}\gamma$) and $h_c \to \eta_c\gamma$ ($\eta_c' \to h_c\gamma$), both involving the $P$-wave charmonia. We compute the E1 radiative decay widths as well as the corresponding transition form factors of various processes including those involving $2P$ states. These observables provide an access to the microscopic structures of the $P$-wave charmonium. We show that our parameter-free predictions are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements as well as lattice simulations whenever available.
We report the measurement of first-order event plane correlated directed flow $(v_1)$ and triangular flow $v_3$ for identified hadrons ($\pi^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, and $p$), net-particle (net-K, net-p), and light nuclei ($d$ and $t$) in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$ = 3.2, 3.5, and 3.9 GeV in fixed-target mode from the second phase of beam energy scan (BES-II) program at RHIC-STAR. The $v_1$ slopes at mid-rapidity for identified hadrons and net-particles except $\pi^{+}$ are found to be positive, implying the effect of dominant repulsive baryonic interactions. The slope of $v_1$ for net-kaon undergoes a sign change from negative to positive at a lower collision energy compared to net-proton. An approximate atomic mass number scaling is observed in the measured $v_1$ slopes of light nuclei at mid-rapidity, which favours the nucleon coalescence mechanism for the production of light nuclei. The $v_3$ slope for all particles decreases in magnitude with increasing collision energy, suggesting a notable integrated impact of the mean-field, baryon stopping, and collision geometry at lower collision energies.
In quark-gluon plasma (QGP), at high temperature the spontaneous generation of color magnetic fields, H^3(T), H^8(T) and usual magnetic field $H(T) is realized. Also, classical field - A_0(T) condensate directly related to the Polyakov loop - is spontaneously created. The common generation of both of them within the two loop effective potential was investigated recently for SU(2) gluodynamics. The values of the field strengths and the mechanism of the magnetic fields stabilization due to A_0(T) have been discovered. In the present paper, we develop further these investigations in order to find new effects of QGP. First of all, we generalize the SU(2) consideration to the full QCD case. Then we calculate the induced color charge Q_(ind)^3 at the background magnetic field H(T) and the condensates A_0^3(T). The field $ A_0^8(T) is zero in used two-loop approximation. So, Q_{ind}^8 is zero also. We conclude that magnetic field essentially influences the induced charge compared to the zero field case investigated in \cite{skal21-cond-156}. The extension to other type magnetic fields is given. Key words: spontaneous magnetization, high temperature, asymptotic freedom, effective potential, $A_0$ condensate, effective charge, effective vertexes.
The anomalous Lagrangian in mesonic Chiral Perturbation Theory, of odd intrinsic parity, is determined to next-to-next-to-leading order thereby completing the order $p^8$ Lagrangian. A schematic view of its construction with the MINIBAR package for Mathematica is presented and the final operator count is discussed for a general number of light quark flavours as well as for the physical cases $N_f=2,3$. The number of operators in our explicit construction of the Lagrangian basis is consistent with the number derived using the Hilbert series in the literature.
We derive an expression for the energy-momentum tensor in the discrete lattice formulation of pure glue QCD. The resulting expression satisfies the continuity equation for energy conservation up to numerical errors with a symmetric procedure for the time discretization. In the case of the momentum conservation equation, we obtain an expression that is of higher accuracy in lattice spacing ($\mathcal{O}(a^2)$) than the naive discretization where fields in the continuum expressions are replaced by discretized counterparts. The improvements are verified by performing numerical tests on the derived expressions using classical real-time lattice gauge theory simulations. We demonstrate substantial reductions in relative error of one to several orders of magnitude compared to a naive discretization for both energy and momentum conservation equations. We expect our formulation to have applications in the area of pre-equilibrium dynamics in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions, in particular for the extraction of transport coefficients such as shear viscosity.
We revisit the hadronization and decay of excited heavy mesons and heavy baryons in Herwig 7 general-purpose event-generator, following four distinct steps: (i) Passing through the polarization of heavy hadrons at the end of parton shower through the application of heavy quark effective theory (HQET), where the emergence of a spin-flavour symmetry allows for the determination of the polarizations of the excited heavy mesons and heavy baryons from the helicity states of the light and heavy quarks. (ii) Improving the strong and radiative decay modes of the excited heavy mesons, where in the absence of conclusive experimental data on many of the decays, one needs to rely on HQET symmetries to determine the favoured decay modes, widths and branching ratios. (iii) Re-examination of the production rates of heavy hadrons using all available experimental data sources and (iv) performing a general tune for Herwig's free parameters to reflect the implemented changes. We compare our predictions against existing experimental data in the presence/absence of the newly implemented updates. These improvements will be available with Herwig-7.3.0 public release.
Assuming that the $\Upsilon(10753)$ is a $4S$-$3D$ mixed state, we investigated the hidden-bottom hadronic decays of the $\Upsilon(10753) \to \eta_b(1S)\omega(\eta^{(\prime)})$ via the intermediate meson loops. In a commonly accepted range of the model parameter $\alpha$ in the form factor, the predicted branching ratios may reach to the order of $10^{-3}$--$10^{-2}$. The relative ratio of the partial decay widths of the $\Upsilon(10753)\to\eta_b\eta^{(\prime)}$ to $\Upsilon(10753)\to \eta_b\omega$ is found to be dependent on the $\eta$-$\eta'$ mixing angle. In addition, we also calculated the ratios of the partial decays widths of the $\Upsilon(10753) \to \eta_b \omega$ to $\Upsilon(10753)\to \Upsilon(nS)\pi^+\pi^-$ ($n=1\,,2$), which are found to be around 0.4 and 0.2 for $n=1$ and $n=2$, respectively. These values are in accordance with the preliminary experimental results. The calculations presented here tend to favor the $\Upsilon(10753)$ as the $4S$-$3D$ mixture. We hope these predictions could be verified by the future BelleII experiments.
The $X17$ particle, discovered by Krasznahorkay et al. at ATOMKI, was recently confirmed in the $\gamma \gamma$ invariant mass spectra by Abraamyan et al. at JINR. We notice with surprise and interest that the $X17$ seems to have a double-peak structure. This is in a possible coincidence with our QCD sum rule study of [arXiv:2006.01018], where we interpreted the $X17$ as a tetraquark state composed of four bare quarks ($u \bar u d \bar d$), and claimed that ``A unique feature of this tetraquark assignment is that we predict two almost degenerate states with significantly different widths''. These two different tetraquark states are described by two different chiral tetraquark currents $\bar u_L \gamma_\mu d_L~\bar d_L \gamma^\mu u_L$ and $\bar u_L \gamma_\mu d_L~\bar d_R \gamma^\mu u_R$. To verify whether the tetraquark assignment is correct or not, we replace the up and down quarks by the strange quarks, and apply the QCD sum rule method to study the other four chiral tetraquark currents $\bar u_L \gamma_\mu s_L~\bar s_L \gamma^\mu u_L$, $\bar u_L \gamma_\mu s_L~\bar s_R \gamma^\mu u_R$, $\bar d_L \gamma_\mu s_L~\bar s_L \gamma^\mu d_L$, and $\bar d_L \gamma_\mu s_L~\bar s_R \gamma^\mu d_R$. We calculate their correlation functions, and find that non-perturbative QCD effects do not contribute much to them. Our results suggest that there may exist four almost degenerate tetraquark states with masses about $236\sim296$ MeV. Each of these states is composed of four bare quarks, either $u \bar u s \bar s$ or $d \bar d s \bar s$.
Calculation of higher-order radiative corrections to unpolarized muon decay spectrum is discussed. Results for the orders $\mathcal{O}(\alpha^2 L)$, $\mathcal{O}(\alpha^3 L^3)$ and $\mathcal{O}(\alpha^3 L^2)$ are presented.
A systematic study of the neutrino mass matrix $M_\nu$ with two texture zeros in a basis where the charged leptons are diagonal, and under the assumption that neutrinos are Dirac particles, is carried through in detail. Our study is done without any approximation, first analytically and then numerically. Current neutrino oscillation data are used in our analysis. Phenomenological implications of $M_\nu$ on the lepton CP violation and neutrino mass spectrum are explored.
We present a subtraction method for the calculation of real-radiation integrals at NLO in hybrid kT-factorization. The main difference with existing methods for collinear factorization is that we subtract the momentum recoil, occurring due to the mapping from an (n+1)-particle phase space to an n-particle phase space, from the initial-state momenta, instead of distributing it over the final-state momenta.
The QED Dyson-Schwinger equation for the photon-fermion one-particle irreducible Green function, the photon-fermion vertex, is investigated using a Ball-Chiu description for its longitudinal part, together with the K{\i}z{\i}lersu-Reenders-Pennington basis for its transverse part. Exact expressions for all the transverse form factors are derived from the vertex Dyson-Schwinger equation. Furthermore, feeding the Dyson-Schwinger equation with a simplified vertex that goes beyond the perturbative solution, some of the results of the one-loop perturbative calculation are recovered in a more general framework. The approach allows also exact results for the on-shell vertex, that encode the anomalous magnetic and electric fermion couplings, and for its soft photon limit. The investigation of the chiral limit of the photon-fermion vertex shows that a limited number of transverse form factors are required, a result that, once more, is in good agreement with a one-loop calculation for QED but that appears in a more general framework. The results derived for the photon-fermion vertex can be extended easily to the quark-gluon vertex after proper modifications.
Madgraph5_aMC@NLO is one of the most-frequently used Monte-Carlo event generators at the LHC, and an important consumer of compute resources. The software has been reengineered to maintain the overall look and feel of the user interface while speeding up event generation on CPUs and GPUs. The most computationally intensive part, the calculation of "matrix elements", is offloaded to new implementations optimised for GPUs and for CPU vector instructions, using event-level data parallelism. We present the work to support accelerated leading-order QCD processes, and discuss how this work is going to be released to Madgraph5_aMC@NLO's users.
We present the first determination of the energy dependence of the $B$-$D$ and $B^*$-$D$ isospin-0, $S$-wave scattering amplitudes both below and above the thresholds using lattice QCD, which allows us to investigate rigorously whether mixed bottom-charm $\bar{b}\bar{c}ud$ tetraquarks exist as bound states or resonances. The scattering phase shifts are obtained using L\"uscher's method from the energy spectra in two different volumes. To ensure that no relevant energy level is missed, we use large, symmetric $7 \times 7$ and $8 \times 8$ correlation matrices that include, at both source and sink, $B^{(*)}$-$D$ scattering operators with the lowest three or four possible back-to-back momenta in addition to local $\bar{b}\bar{c}ud$ operators. We fit the energy dependence of the extracted scattering phase shifts using effective-range expansions. We observe sharp peaks in the $B^{(*)}$-$D$ scattering rates close to the thresholds, which are associated with shallow bound states, either genuine or virtual, a few MeV or less below the $B^{(*)}$-$D$ thresholds. In addition, we find evidence for resonances with masses of order $100$ MeV above the thresholds and decay widths of order $200$ MeV.
In this paper we study the Chiral Separation Effect by means of first-principles lattice QCD simulations. For the first time in the literature, we determine the continuum limit of the associated conductivity using 2+1 flavors of dynamical staggered quarks at physical masses. The results reveal a suppression of the conductivity in the confined phase and a gradual enhancement toward the perturbative value for high temperatures. In addition to our dynamical setup, we also investigate the impact of the quenched approximation on the conductivity, using both staggered and Wilson quarks. Finally, we highlight the relevance of employing conserved vector and anomalous axial currents in the lattice simulations.
This paper examines the transverse momentum spectra of hadrons in the multiparticle production at LHC in the framework of the Quark-Gluon String Model (QGSM). It discusses the dependence of average pt on the masses of mesons and baryons at the LHC energy 7 TeV. The QGSM description of the experimental spectra of various hadrons led to the number of conclusions. I. The average transverse momenta of baryons and mesons are growing with the hadron mass, so for beauty hadrons, they are almost equal to the mass. II. By the product of research, a regularity has been detected in the mass gaps between hadron generations. This hypothesis suggests some hidden symmetrical (neither-meson-nor-baryon) neutral hadron states with the masses: 0.251,0.682,1.85,5.04,13.7,37.2,101.,275.,748.... GeV, which is produced by geometrical progression with the mass factor $\delta(M)$= 2.721828 III. The baryon-meson symmetry seems broken until the mass of beauty hadrons, then the hidden states should be more and more stable with the growth of the mass, so the suggested sequence of hadronic states is a proper candidate for the Dark Matter that, you know, contributes the valuable part to the mass of Universe. The growing average transverse momenta are extrapolated with a similar function, as for energy dependence of average baryon $p_t$, $<p_t> \propto M^{0.1}$.
We revisit some aspects of the stringy approach to dipole-dipole interactions, scattering and entanglement in QCD, using the Nambu-Goto (NG) string, without recourse to holography. We first show that the potential between two static dipoles exchanging closed NG strings is attractive at all separations. Underlining the exchange there is an emergent entropy, that is dominated by the tachyon at large separation, and vanishes at short separation, a measure of the confinement-deconfinement transition. The same tachyon is dominant in the scattering amplitude, as a correlator of two Wilson loops for two fixed dipole-like hadrons separated at large rapidity gap, where the contribution of the worldsheet fermions is included. While the tachyon causes the mean string bit density to grow exponentially with the rapidity, the total scattering cross section still satisfies the Froissart bound by quantum shadowing. The stringy scattering exchange also carries an entanglement entropy, that saturates when the bound is reached. For hadrons with varying dipole sizes, the tachyon exchange takes place in hyperbolic space in the conformal limit. The result for the full S-matrix is reminiscent of the one from Mueller$^\prime$s evolved dipole wavefunction, for the total dipole-dipole cross section in perturbative QCD.
Production of ultra-high-energy (UHE) particles in astrophysics should not be different from the hadron production at the contemporary proton colliders. LHC experiments are providing us with the proton spectra at very high energy (VHE) that are measured in the center-of-mass system (c.m.s.). The proton spectrum in c.m.s. has two special features that are important at HE hadron collisions: the growing central-rapidity part with hadron-antihadron pair production and the valuable diffractive peak in the region of the leading proton due to the triple-pomeron term. The QCD phenomenological studies of previous years gave us the Quark-Gluon String Model for the calculations of baryon and meson production spectra in a full kinematical range of rapidities. The collider proton production spectrum was recalculated to the laboratory system of coordinates, which is natural for astrophysical observations. The specifics of collider distributions of protons are reflected in astrophysical spectra as the knee of cosmic proton spectrum and as the spectrum bulge at the UHE area in cosmic spectra of protons, neutrinos, and gamma-photons. They help us to conclude that the energy distribution of baryon production plays an important role in the production of UHE cosmic particles. The remarkable result of this approach is the estimation of maximal energy (Emax) of initial protons (and antiprotons) from the energy of knee in the proton spectrum that give us $E_{max} = 6*10^{12}$ GeV.
We study nonequilibrium dynamics of SU(2) lattice gauge theory in Minkowski space-time in a classical-statistical regime, where characteristic gluon occupancies are much larger than unity. In this strongly correlated system far from equilibrium, the correlations of energy and topological densities show self-similar behavior related to a turbulent cascade towards higher momentum scales. We employ persistent homology to infer topological features of the gluonic plasma via a hierarchy of simplicial and cubical complexes. All topological observables under investigation are also manifestly gauge invariant and are shown to exhibit self-similar evolution, which relate the spatial and temporal properties of the plasma in terms of universal scaling exponents and functions. The findings may help to understand the early stages of heavy-ion collisions in the limit of high energies, and our methods can also facilitate the topological analysis of other complex systems such as encountered in experiments with ultracold quantum gases.
We first time show that a common solution to dark matter and the flavor problem of the standard model can be obtained in the framework of the $\mathcal{Z}_{\rm N} \times \mathcal{Z}_{\rm M}$ flavor symmetry where the flavonic Goldstone boson of this flavor symmetry acts as a good dark matter candidate through the misalignment mechanism. Hierarchical mass pattern of quarks and charged leptons naturally follows from the discrete symmetry. For light active neutrinos, we construct the Dirac-type mass matrix which is preferred to fit the observed neutrino oscillation data with normal hierarchy. Our model predicts the axion-like photon coupling characteristically different from the standard QCD axion, and could be probed by the future X-ray or radio observations.
Motivated by the recently observed $D_{s0}(2590)$ state by LHCb, we investigate the mass spectrum and the strong decay properties of the charmed-strange mesons within Godfrey-Isgur model considering the coupled-channel effects. Our results support that $D_{s0}^*(2317)$ and $D_{s1}(2460)$ can be interpreted as the $D_{s}(1^3P_0)$ and $D_{s}(1^3P_1)$ states with larger $DK$ and $D^*K$ components, respectively, and $D_{s1}(2700)$, $D_{s1}(2536)$, $D^*_{s2}(2573)$, $D_{s1}^*(2860)$, $D_{s3}^*(2860)$, and $D_{sJ}^*(3040)$ can be well interpreted as the $D_s(2^3S_1)$, $D_s(1^1P_1)$, $D_s(1^3P_2)$, $D_s(1^3D_1)$, $D_s(1^3D_3)$, and $D_s(2^1P_1)$ states, respectively. Although, $D_{s0}(2590)$ mass is about 50 MeV less than our prediction for the $D_{s}(2^1S_0)$ state, its width is still in good agreement with the one of $D_{s}(2^1S_0)$. Therefore, $D_{s0}(2590)$ state needs to be further confirmed by the experimental measurements, and the more precise information about $D_{s0}(2590)$ will shed light on its assignment of $D_{s}(2^1S_0)$. Furthermore, we predict the masses and the strong decay properties of the charmed-strange mesons with masses around 3 GeV, which would be helpful to experimentally search for these states.
A construction of a gravity dual to a physical gauge theory requires confronting data. We establish a proof-of-concept for precision holography, i.e., the explicit reconstruction of the dual background metric functions directly from the entanglement entropy (EE) of strip subregions that we extract from pure glue Yang-Mills theory discretized on a lattice. Our main focus is on a three-dimensional Euclidean SU(2) theory in the deconfining phase. Holographic EE suggests, and we find evidence for, that the scaling of the thermal entropy with temperature is to power 7/3 and that it approaches smoothly the critical point, consistent with black hole thermodynamics. In addition, we provide frugal results on the potential between quenched quarks by the computation of the Polyakov loop correlators on the lattice. Holographic arguments pique curiosity in the substratum of Debye screening at strong coupling.
The relic density of Dark Matter (DM) in the freeze-in scenario is highly dependent on the evolution history of the universe and changes significantly in a non-standard (NS) cosmological framework prior to Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). In this scenario, an additional species dominates the energy budget of the universe at early times (before BBN), resulting in a larger cosmological expansion rate at a given temperature compared to the standard radiation-dominated (RD) universe. To investigate the production of DM in the freeze-in scenario, we consider both standard RD and NS cosmological picture before BBN and perform a comparative analysis. We extend the Standard Model (SM) particle content with a SM singlet DM particle $\chi $ and an axion-like particle (ALP) $a$. The interactions between ALP, SM particles, and DM are generated by higher dimensional effective operators. This setup allows the production of DM $\chi$ from SM bath through the mediation of ALP, via ALP-portal processes. These interactions involve non-renormalizable operators, leading to ultraviolet (UV) freeze-in, which depends on the reheating temperature ($T_{RH}$) of the early universe. In the NS cosmological scenario, the faster expansion rate suppresses the DM production processes, allowing for enhanced effective couplings between the visible and dark sectors to satisfy the observed DM abundance compared to RD scenario. This improved coupling increases the detection prospects for freeze-in DM via the ALP-portal, which is otherwise challenging to detect in RD universe due to small couplings involved. Using an effective field theory set-up, we show that various ALP searches such as in FASER, DUNE, and SHiP, etc. will be able to probe significant parameter space depending on the different model parameters.
The parametrization of the oblique corrections through $S$, $T$, and $U$ -- later extended by $V$, $W$, and $X$ -- is a convenient way of comparing the predictions for various electroweak observables at the one-loop level between the Standard Model and its extensions. That parametrization assumes that the extensions under consideration have ${SU(2)\times U(1)}$ gauge symmetry \emph{and} the tree-level relation $m_W = m_Z \cos{\theta_W}$ between the Weinberg angle and the gauge-boson masses. In models where that relation does not hold at the Lagrangian level, the parameter $T$ is not ultraviolet-finite, making the parametrization inadequate. We present expressions that parametrize the difference of the various predictions of two models with $m_W \neq m_Z \cos{\theta_W}$ in terms of oblique parameters. The parameter $T$ does not play a role in those expressions. Conveniently, they may be reached from the ones that were derived for models with tree-level $m_W = m_Z \cos{\theta_W}$, by performing a simple substitution for $T$. We also discuss the difficulties in using oblique parameters when comparing a model with $m_W \neq m_Z \cos{\theta_W}$ to the Standard Model. Finally, we compute the relevant five oblique parameters $S$, $U$, $V$, $W$, and $X$ in the SM extended by both, hypercharge $Y=0$ and $Y=1$, triplet scalars.
With the help of Young tensor technique, we enumerate the complete and independent set of effective operators up to $dim$-8 for the extension of the standard model with a Goldsonte boson by further imposing the Adler's zero condition in the soft momentum limit. Such basis can be reduced to describe the axion or majoron effective Lagrangian if further (symmetry) constraints are imposed. Then reformulating dark photon as combination of Goldstone boson and transverse gauge boson, the effective operators of the Goldstone boson can be extended to effective chiral Lagrangian description of the dark photon. For the first time we obtain 0 (0), 6 (44), 1 (1), 44 (356), 32 (520) operators in Goldstone effective field theory, and 9 (49), 0 (0), 108 (676), 10 (426), 1904 (40783) operators in dark photon effective field theory at the dimension 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 for one (three) generation of fermions.
The discrepancies between $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ data and the corresponding Standard Model predictions point to the existence of new physics with a significance at the $5\sigma$ level. While previously a lepton flavour universality violating effect was preferred, the new $R(K^{(*)})$ and $B_s\to\mu^+\mu^-$ measurements are now compatible with the Standard Model, favouring a lepton flavour universal beyond the Standard Model contribution to $C_9$. Since heavy new physics is generally chiral, and because of the stringent constraints from charged lepton flavour violation, this poses a challenge for model building. In this article, we point out a novel possibility: a diquark, i.e. a coloured scalar, induces the Wilson coefficient of the $(\bar s \gamma^\mu P_L b) (\bar c \gamma_\mu P_L c)$ operator at tree-level, which then mixes into $O_9$ via an off-shell photon penguin. This setup allows for a lepton flavour universal effect of $C_9\approx-0.5$, without violating bounds from $\Delta M_s$, $\Delta\Gamma$, $B\to X_s\gamma$ and $D^0-\bar D^0$ mixing. This scenario predicts a small and negative $C_9^{\prime}$ and a light diquark, preferably with a mass around $500\,$GeV, as compatible with the CMS di-di-jet analysis, and a deficit in the inclusive $b\to c\bar c s$ rate.
Scalar $\lambda\phi^4$ theory in 3+1D, for a positive coupling constant $\lambda>0$, is known to have no interacting continuum limit, which is referred to as quantum triviality. However, it has been recently argued that the theory in 3+1D with an $N$-component scalar $\vec{\phi}$ and a $(\vec{\phi}\cdot\vec{\phi})^{\,2}=\vec{\phi}^{\,4}$ interaction term does have an interacting continuum limit at large $N$. It has been suggested that this continuum limit has a negative (bare) coupling constant and exhibits asymptotic freedom, similar to the $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric $-g\phi^4$ field theory. In this paper I study the $\vec{\phi}^{\,4}$ theory in 3+1D at large $N$ with a negative coupling constant $-g<0$, and with the scalar field taking values in a $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric complex domain. The theory is non-trivial, has asymptotic freedom, and has a Landau pole in the IR, and I demonstrate that the thermal partition function matches that of the positive-coupling $\lambda>0$ theory when the Landau poles of the two theories (in the $\lambda>0$ case a pole in the UV) are identified with one another. Thus the $\vec{\phi}^{\,4}$ theory at large $N$ appears to have a negative bare coupling constant; the coupling only becomes positive in the IR, which in the context of other $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric and large-$N$ quantum field theories I argue is perfectly acceptable.
We present a method that maximises the experimental sensitivity to new physics contributions in $B^\pm\to\pi^\pm\mu^+\mu^-$ decays. This method relies on performing an unbinned maximum likelihood fit to both the measured dimuon $q^2$ distribution of $B^\pm\to\pi^\pm\mu^+\mu^-$ decays, and theory calculations at spacelike $q^2$, where QCD predictions are most reliable. We exploit the known analytic properties of the decay amplitude and employ a dispersion relation to describe the non-local hadronic contributions across spacelike and timelike $q^2$ regions. The fit stability and the sensitivity to new physics couplings and new sources of $CP$-violation are studied for current and future data-taking scenarios, with the LHCb experiment as an example. The proposed method offers a precise and reliable way to search for new physics in these decays.
The differential cross section and polarization observables for the elastic reaction induced by deuteron scattering off electrons at rest are calculated in the one-photon-exchange (Born) approximation. Specific attention is given to the kinematical conditions, that is, to the specific range of incident energy and transferred momentum. The specific interest of this reaction is to access very small transferred momenta. Numerical estimates are given for polarization observables that describe the of single- and double-spin effects, provided that the polarization components (both, vector and tensor) of each particle in the reaction are determined in the rest frame of the electron target.
This paper is the extension of our previous work entitled Searching a systematics for nonfactorizable contributions to and hadronic decays. Obtaining the factorizable contributions from the spectator quark model for a systematics has been identified among the isospin reduced amplitudes for the nonfactorizable terms among decay modes. This systematics helps us to derive a generic formula which assists to predict the branching fractions for Inspired by this observation, we extend our analysis to p wave meson emitting decays of which have similar isospin structure and make predictions for where the experimental measurements are not yet available.
Physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) can be described in a consistent and general way through the Higgs Effective Field Theory (HEFT). Measurements of model-independent HEFT coefficients allow one to constrain the parameter space of BSM models via a matching procedure. In this work, we show that this procedure is not unique and depends on the scalings of the parameters of the Lagrangian. As examples, we consider three BSM models: the real singlet extension of the SM with a $Z_2$ symmetry, the complex singlet extension (CSE) of the SM and the 2 Higgs Doublet Model. We discuss several physical observables, and show that different scalings of the model parameters with the UV scale in the matching to the HEFT can yield quite different results. This complicates the interpretation of HEFT measurements in terms of parameters of BSM models. Additionally, as a by-product, we report the first matching of the CSE to the HEFT.
The upcoming European Spallation Source (ESS) will soon provide the most intense neutrino source in the world. We propose the Search for Hidden Neutrinos at the ESS (SHiNESS) experiment, highlighting its unique opportunities to search for the existence of sterile neutrinos across a wide range of scales: anomalous oscillations at short baselines; non-unitarity mixing in the active neutrino sector; or an excess of events with multiple leptons in the final state, produced in the decay of heavy neutrinos. The baseline design of the detector comprises a tank filled with 42 ton of liquid scintillator, located 25 m far from the ESS beam target. We show that SHiNESS will be able to considerably improve current global limits for the three cases outlined above. Although in this work we focus on new physics in the neutrino sector, the proposed setup may also be used to search for signals from weakly interacting particles in a broader context.
Taking the bino-dominated dark matter (DM) as an example, through approximate analytical formulas and numerical results, this paper analyzes impact of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment on DM phenomenology and naturalness in Minimal Super-symmetric Standard Model(MSSM). It concluded that under the limitation of the latest LZ experiment, MSSM suffers unattractive fine-tunings. The reason is that the latest LZ experiment results improve $\mu$ bounds, e.g., for the cases of the Z- or h-mediated resonant annihilations to achieve the measured dark matter density, the LZ experiment require $\mu$ should be larger than about $500~{\rm GeV}$ or TeV magnitude, which imply a tuning to predict the $Z$-boson mass and simultaneously worsen the naturalness of the $Z$- and $h$-mediated resonant annihilations to achieve the measured dark matter density.
We study charged black hole and wormhole solutions of Type 0A/IIA string theory in two dimensions. There is a competition between Euclidean wormholes and near extremal black holes in the thermodynamic ensemble. In a certain regime of phase space, the former can disassociate into the latter. Since such solutions are of string scale near the wormhole throat that takes an $AdS_2$ form, there is a need for an exact worldsheet description. We discuss relevant WZW coset models which we we argue will shed light on this problem. Finally, we present appropriate versions of the Type 0A/IIA matrix quantum mechanics models that are expected to describe these geometries.
We study the AdS Virasoro-Shapiro amplitude in the limit of fixed-angle high energy scattering. A recent representation as a world-sheet integral allows to compute the amplitude in this regime by saddle point techniques, very much as in flat space. This result is then compared to a classical scattering computation in AdS and agreement is found. As a byproduct of this comparison we show that AdS curvature corrections exponentiate in the high energy limit.
A flat 3-brane probing a five dimensional anti-de Sitter space has the same symmetries and symmetry breaking pattern as one probing a five dimensional de Sitter space with two time directions. Despite the seemingly different physical set ups, we show that the effective field theory of the brane bending mode is identical in both cases. In particular, despite "wrong" signs in the DBI action for the two-time de Sitter case, the theories have the same S-matrix. This is consistent with the expectation that effective field theories are determined solely by their degrees of freedom and pattern of symmetry breaking, even in the case of spacetime symmetries. We comment further on the equivalence between the Weyl/dilaton and DBI representations of the EFT of broken conformal symmetry.
We consider the behavior of the OPE density $c(\Delta,\ell)$ for conformal four-point functions in the flat-space limit where all scaling dimensions become large. We find evidence that the density reduces to the partial waves $f_\ell(s)$ of the corresponding scattering amplitude. The Euclidean inversion formula then reduces to the partial wave projection and the Lorentzian inversion formula to the Froissart-Gribov formula. The flat-space limit of the OPE density can however also diverge, and we delineate the domain in the complex $s$ plane where this happens. Finally we argue that the conformal dispersion relation reduces to an ordinary single-variable dispersion relation for scattering amplitudes.
We study wormhole contributions to the bulk path integral in holographic models which are dual to ensembles of rational free boson conformal field theories. We focus on the path integral on a geometry connecting two toroidal boundaries, which should capture the variance of the ensemble distribution. We show that this requirement leads to a nontrivial set of constraints which generically picks out the uniform, maximum entropy, ensemble distribution. Furthermore, we show that the two-boundary path integral should receive contributions from `exotic' wormholes, which arise from the inclusion of topological surface defects.
We investigate the quantum forces occurring between the defects and/or boundaries of a conformal field theory (CFT). We propose to model imperfect defects and boundaries as localized relevant double-trace operators that deform the CFT. Our focus is on pointlike and codimension-one planar defects. In the case of two parallel membranes, we point out that the CFT 2-point function tends to get confined and develops a tower of resonances with constant decay rate when the operator dimension approaches the free field dimension. Using a functional formalism, we compute the quantum forces induced by the CFT between a variety of configurations of pointlike defects, infinite plates and membranes. Consistency arguments imply that these quantum forces are attractive at any distance. Forces of Casimir-Polder type appear in the UV, while forces of Casimir type appear in the IR, in which case the CFT gets repelled from the defects. Most of the forces behave as a non-integer power of the separation, controlled by the dimension of the double-trace deformation. In the Casimir regime of the membrane-membrane configuration, the quantum pressure behaves universally as $1/\ell^d$, however information about the double-trace nature of the defects still remains encoded in the strength of the pressure.
We show that the supergravity solutions for 1/4-BPS intersecting systems of M2 and M5 branes are completely characterized by a single ``maze'' function that satisfies a non-linear ``maze'' equation similar to the Monge-Amp\`ere equation. We also show that the near-brane limit of certain intersections are $AdS_3 \times S^3 \times S^3$ solutions warped over a Riemann surface, $\Sigma$. There is an extensive literature on these subjects and we construct mappings between various approaches and use brane probes to elucidate the relationships between the M2-M5 and AdS systems. We also use dualities to map our results onto other systems of intersecting branes. This work is motivated by the recent realization that adding momentum to M2-M5 intersections gives a supermaze that can reproduce the black-hole entropy without ever developing an event horizon. We take a step in this direction by adding a certain type of momentum charges that blackens the M2-M5 intersecting branes. The near-brane limit of these solutions is a BTZ$^{extremal} \times S^3 \times S^3 \times \Sigma$ geometry in which the BTZ momentum is a function of the Riemann surface coordinates.
We revisit the question of whether classical general relativity obeys, beyond the linearised order, an analogue of the global U(1) electric-magnetic duality of Maxwell theory, with the Riemann tensor playing the role analogous to the field strength. Following contradictory claims in the literature, we present a simple gauge-invariant argument that the duality does not hold. The duality condition is the conservation of the helicity charge. Scattering amplitudes of gravitons in general relativity, and of gluons in Yang-Mills theory, violate this selection rule already at tree level. Indeed, the maximally-helicity-violating (MHV) amplitudes are famous for their simplicity. The duality in the linearised theories is, therefore, broken by the interactions. In contrast, the tree-level scattering amplitudes in duality-invariant theories of non-linear electromagnetism are known to obey helicity conservation. While the duality is not a symmetry of the full theory of general relativity, it does hold within a sector of the solution space, including vacuum type D solutions, where the duality is known to rotate between mass and NUT charge.
The inverse problem of special geometry (Seiberg-Witten geometry of 4d N=2 SCFT) asks for a recursive construction of all such geometries in rank $r$ by assembling together known lower-rank ``strata''. This leads to a program to understand/construct/classify all special geometries which looks surprising effective. After reviewing some advanced topics in special geometry, in this long note we define the inverse problem and introduce the basic tools of the trade. The program is essentially completed in rank 2, and we pave the way to proceed to higher ranks. A central role is played by various notions of geometric rigidity: in addition to the obvious one (triviality of the conformal manifold), Falting-Saito-Peters rigidity and Deligne-Simpson rigidity also enter in the story.
The fusion rules and operator product expansion (OPE) serve as crucial tools in the study of operator algebras within conformal field theory (CFT). Building upon the vision of using entanglement to explore the connections between fusion coefficients and OPE coefficients, we employ the replica method and Schmidt decomposition method to investigate the time evolution of entanglement entropy (EE) and pseudo entropy (PE) for linear combinations of operators in rational conformal field theory (RCFT). We obtain a formula that links fusion coefficients, quantum dimensions, and OPE coefficients. We also identify two definition schemes for linear combination operators. Under one scheme, the EE captures information solely for the heaviest operators, while the PE retains information for all operators, reflecting the phenomenon of pseudo entropy amplification. Irrespective of the scheme employed, the EE demonstrates a step-like evolution, illustrating the effectiveness of the quasiparticle propagation picture for the general superposition of locally excited states in RCFT. From the perspective of quasiparticle propagation, we observe spontaneous block-diagonalization of the reduced density matrix of a subsystem when quasiparticles enter the subsystem.
In this paper, we provide formulas calculating the partition functions of two types of plane partitions using the crystal melting model method introduced by Okounkov, Reshetikhin and Vafa. As applications, we obtain a product formula for the partition function of the plane partitions with a limit shape boundary. A corollary of this formula is the demonstration of the equivalence between this partition function and the open-closed string amplitude of the double$-\mathbb{P}^1$ model. We also derive a product formula for the partition function of symmetric plane partitions with a limit shape boundary.
We investigate how entanglement in the mixed state of a quantum field theory can be described using the cross-computable norm or realignment (CCNR) criterion, employing a recently introduced negativity. We study its symmetry resolution for two disjoint intervals in the ground state of the massless Dirac fermion field theory, extending previous results for the case of adjacent intervals. By applying the replica trick, this problem boils down to compute the charged moments of the realignment matrix. We show that, for two disjoint intervals, they correspond to the partition function of the theory on a torus with a non-contractible charged loop. This confers a great advantage compared to the negativity based on the partial transposition, for which the Riemann surfaces generated by the replica trick have higher genus. This result empowers us to carry out the replica limit, yielding analytic expressions for the symmetry-resolved CCNR negativity. Furthermore, these expressions provide also the symmetry decomposition of other related quantities such as the operator entanglement of the reduced density matrix or the reflected entropy.
We study the spreading of quantum information in a recently introduced family of brickwork quantum circuits that generalises the dual-unitary class. These circuits are unitary in time, while their spatial dynamics is unitary only in a restricted subspace. First, we show that local operators spread at the speed of light as in dual-unitary circuits, i.e., the butterfly velocity takes the maximal value allowed by the geometry of the circuit. Then, we prove that the entanglement spreading can still be characterised exactly for a family of compatible initial states (in fact, for an extension of the compatible family of dual-unitary circuits) and that the asymptotic entanglement slope is again independent on the R\'enyi index. Remarkably, however, we find that the entanglement velocity is generically smaller than one. We use these properties to find a closed-form expression for the entanglement membrane in these circuits.
Our study employs a connected correlation matrix to quantify Quantum Entanglement. The matrix encompasses all necessary measures for assessing the degree of entanglement between particles. We begin with a three-qubit state and involve obtaining a mixed state by performing partial tracing over one qubit. Our goal is to exclude the non-connected sector by focusing on the connected correlation. This suggests that the connected correlation is deemed crucial for capturing relevant entanglement degrees. The study classifies mixed states and observes that separable states exhibit the lowest correlation within each class. We demonstrate that the entanglement measure monotonically increases concerning the correlation measure. This implies that connected correlation serves as an effective measure of Quantum Entanglement. Finally, our proposal suggests that interpreting Quantum Entanglement from a local perspective is possible. The observable is described as a vector with locality but violates freedom of choice.
We discuss the Curtright-Zachos (CZ) deformation of the Virasoro algebra and its extentions in terms of magnetic translation (MT) group in a discrete Bloch electron system, so-called the tight binding model (TBM), as well as in its continuous system. We verify that the CZ generators are essentially composed of a specific combination of MT operators representing deformed and undeformed $U(1)$ translational groups, which determine phase factors for a $\ast$-bracket commutator. The phase factors can be formulated as a $\ast$-ordered product of the commutable $U(1)$ operators by interpreting the AB phase factor of discrete MT action as fluctuation parameter $q$ of a quantum plane. We also show that some sequences of TBM Hamiltonians are described by the CZ generators.
We study the large N dynamics of two massless Yang-Mills coupled matrix quantum mechanics, by minimization of a loop truncated Jevicki-Sakita effective collective field Hamiltonian. The loop space constraints are handled by the use of master variables. The method is successfully applied directly in the massless limit for a range of values of the Yang-Mills coupling constant, and the scaling behaviour of different physical quantities derived from their dimensions are obtained with a high level of precision. We consider both planar properties of the theory, such as the large N ground state energy and multi-matrix correlator expectation values, and also the spectrum of the theory. For the spectrum, we establish that the U(N) traced fundamental constituents remain massless and decoupled from other states, and that bound states develop well defined mass gaps, with the mass of the two degenerate lowest lying bound states being determined with a particularly high degree of accuracy. In order to confirm, numerically, the physical interpretation of the spectrum properties of the U(N) traced constituents, we add masses to the system and show that, indeed, the U(N) traced fundamental constituents retain their "bare masses". For this system, we draw comparisons with planar results available in the literature.
We study the conformal bootstrap of 1D CFTs on the straight Maldacena-Wilson line in 4D ${\cal N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory. We introduce an improved truncation scheme with an 'OPE tail' approximation and use it to reproduce the 'bootstrability' results of Cavagli\`a et al. for the OPE-coefficients squared of the first three unprotected operators. For example, for the first OPE-coefficient squared at 't Hooft coupling $(4\pi)^2$, linear-functional methods with two sum rules from integrated correlators give the rigorous result $0.294014873 \pm 4.88 \cdot 10^{-8}$, whereas our methods give with machine-precision computations $0.294014228 \pm 6.77 \cdot 10^{-7}$. For our numerical searches, we benchmark the Reinforcement Learning Soft Actor-Critic algorithm against an Interior Point Method algorithm (IPOPT) and comment on the merits of each algorithm.
One of the subtleties that has made superstring perturbation theory intricate at high string loop order is the fact that, as shown by Donagi and Witten, supermoduli space is not holomorphically projected, nor is it holomorphically split. In recent years, Sen introduced the notion of vertical integration in moduli space (further refined by Sen and Witten). This enables one to use the traditional (only locally-defined) gauge fixing for the worldsheet gravitino in local patches, allowing one to formulate the theory on the moduli space of ordinary Riemann surfaces, and then prescribes certain correction terms to account for the incorrect gauge fixing to restore BRST invariance. This approach makes use of the fact that there is no obstruction to a smooth splitting of supermoduli space. It may, however, not necessarily be the most convenient or natural solution to the problem. There may be situations where one would like to have a well-defined path integral at arbitrary string loop order from the outset. In this paper I initiate an alternative approach that implements the fact that a smooth gauge slice for supermoduli space always exists. As a warmup, I focus specifically on super Riemann surfaces with the topology of a 2-sphere in heterotic string theory, incorporating the corresponding super curvature locally, and introduce a new well-defined smooth gauge fixing that leads to a globally defined path integral measure that translates fixed ($-1$) picture vertex operators (or handle operators) (that may or may not be offshell) to integrated (0) picture. I also provide some comments on the extension to arbitrary super Riemann surfaces.
We consider 4-dimensional $\mathcal{N} = 2$ superconformal quiver theories with $SU(N)^M$ gauge group and bi-fundamental matter and we evaluate correlation functions of $n$ coincident Wilson loops in the planar limit of the theory. Exploiting specific untwisted/twisted combinations of these operators and using supersymmetric localization, we are able to resum the whole perturbative expansion and find exact expressions for these correlators that are valid for all values of the 't Hooft coupling. Moreover, we analytically derive the leading strong coupling behaviour of the correlators, showing that they obey a remarkable simple rule. Our analysis is complemented by numerical checks based on a Pad\'e resummation of the perturbative series.
We demonstrate the existence of a set of novel off-shell nilpotent and absolutely anticommuting continuous symmetry transformations, within the framework of the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) formalism, which are over and above the usual off-shell nilpotent and absolutely anticommuting (anti-)BRST symmetry transformations that are respected by the first-order Lagrangian for the Friedberg-Lee-Pang-Ren (FLPR) model that describes the motion of a non-relativistic particle of unit mass moving under the influence of a general rotationally invariant spatial two-dimensional potential. We christen these novel set of fermionic symmetry transformations as the (anti-)co-BRST symmetry transformations because the gauge-fixing term remains invariant under them. We derive the conserved and off-shell nilpotent (anti-)BRST and (anti-)co-BRST charges and comment on the physicality criteria w.r.t. them where we establish the presence of the operator forms of the first-class constraints (of the original classical gauge theory) at the quantum level.
We study $6$d $\mathcal{N} = (1,0)$ supergravity theories arising in the frozen phase of F-theory. For each of the known global models, we construct an F-theory compactification in the unfrozen phase with an identical non-abelian gauge algebra and massless matter content. Two such low energy effective theories are then distinguished through gauge enhancements in moduli space. We study potentially new global models obtained via compact embeddings of a plethora of $6$d $\mathcal{N}= (1,0)$ superconformal field theories and little string theories constructed using frozen $7$-branes. In some cases, these provably do not exist, and in other cases, we explicitly construct a compact embedding, yielding $6$d supergravity theories with new massless spectra. Finally, by using gravitational anomaly cancellation, we conjecture the existence of localized neutral hypermultiplets along frozen $7$-brane loci.
We analyse the scalar curvature of the vector multiplet moduli space $\mathcal{M}^{\rm VM}_X$ of type IIA string theory compactified on a Calabi--Yau manifold $X$. While the volume of $\mathcal{M}^{\rm VM}_X$ is known to be finite, cases have been found where the scalar curvature diverges positively along trajectories of infinite distance. We classify the asymptotic behaviour of the scalar curvature for all large volume limits within $\mathcal{M}^{\rm VM}_X$, for any choice of $X$, and provide the source of the divergence both in geometric and physical terms. Geometrically, there are effective divisors whose volumes do not vary along the limit. Physically, the EFT subsector associated to such divisors is decoupled from gravity along the limit, and defines a rigid $\mathcal{N}=2$ field theory with a non-vanishing moduli space curvature $R_{\rm rigid}$. We propose that the relation between scalar curvature divergences and field theories that can be decoupled from gravity is a common trait of moduli spaces compatible with quantum gravity.
We study the scattering processes of kink-antikink and kink-kink pairs in a field theory model with non-differentiable potential at its minima. The kink-antikink scattering includes cases of capture and escape of the soliton pair separated by a critical velocity, without windows of multi bounce followed by escape. Around the critical velocity, the behavior is fractal. The emission of radiation strongly influences the small velocity cases, with the most radiative cases being also the most chaotic. The radiation appears through the emission of compact oscillons and the formation of compact shockwaves. The kink-kink scattering happens elastically, with no emission of radiation. Some features of both the kink-antikink and the kink-kink scattering are explained using a collective coordinate model, even though the kink-kink case exhibits a null-vector problem.
We classify connected \'etale algebras $A$'s in pre-modular fusion categories $\mathcal B$ with $\text{rank}(\mathcal B)\le3$ including degenerate and non-(pseudo-)unitary ones. For $\mathcal B\simeq\text{Rep}(S_3)$, we assume the category $\mathcal B_A$ of right $A$-modules has multiplicity-free fusion ring. We comment on Lagrangian algebras and physical applications to ground state degeneracy and proof of spontaneous $\mathcal B$-symmetry breaking.
We discuss the generalization of a classical problem involving an $N$-step ideal polymer adsorption at a sticky boundary (potential well of depth $U$). It is known that as $N$ approaches infinity, the path undergoes a 2nd-order localization transition at a certain value of $U_{\text{tr}}$. By considering the random walk on a half-line with a sticky boundary (Model I), we demonstrate that the order of the phase transition can be altered by adjusting the scaling of the first return probability to the boundary. Additionally, we present a model of a random path on a discrete 1D lattice with non-uniform local hopping amplitudes and a potential well at the boundary (Model II). We illustrate that one can tailor such amplitudes so that the polymer undergoes a 3rd-order phase transition.
A search for the lepton flavor violating $\tau \to $ 3$\mu$ decay is performed using proton-proton collision events at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2017-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 97.7 fb$^{-1}$. Tau leptons produced in both heavy-flavor hadron and W boson decays are exploited in the analysis. No evidence for the decay is observed. The results of this search are combined with an earlier null result based on data collected in 2016 to obtain a total integrated luminosity of 131 fb$^{-1}$. The observed (expected) upper limits on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$($\tau \to $ 3$\mu$) at confidence levels of 90 and 95% are 2.9$\times$10$^{-8}$ (2.4$\times$10$^{-8}$) and 3.6$\times$10$^{-8}$ (3.0$\times$10$^{-8}$), respectively.
A search for the Standard Model Higgs boson produced in association with a $W$ or $Z$ boson and decaying into a pair of $\tau$-leptons is presented. This search is based on proton-proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$. For the Higgs boson candidate, only final states with at least one $\tau$ decaying hadronically ($\tau\rightarrow \mathrm{hadrons} + \nu_\tau$) are considered. For the vector bosons, only leptonic decay channels are considered: $Z \rightarrow \ell\ell$ and $W\rightarrow \ell\nu_\ell$, with $\ell=e,\mu$. An excess of events over the expected background is found with an observed (expected) significance of 4.2 (3.6) standard deviations, providing evidence of the Higgs boson produced in association with a vector boson and decaying into a pair of $\tau$-leptons. The ratio of the measured cross-section to the Standard Model prediction is $\mu_{\text{VH}}^{\tau\tau} = 1.28\ ^{+0.30}_{-0.29}\ (\mathrm{stat.})\ ^{+0.25}_{-0.21}\ (\mathrm{syst.})$.
Using $e^+e^-$ annihilation data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 $\rm fb^{-1}$ taken at the center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=3.773$~GeV with the BESIII detector, a joint amplitude analysis is performed on the decays $D^0\to\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$ and $D^0\to\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0\pi^0$(non-$\eta$). The fit fractions of individual components are obtained, and large interferences among the dominant components of $D^{0}\to a_{1}(1260)\pi$, $D^{0}\to\pi(1300)\pi$, $D^{0}\to\rho(770)\rho(770)$ and $D^{0}\to2(\pi\pi)_{S}$ are found in both channels. With the obtained amplitude model, the $CP$-even fractions of $D^0\to \pi^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$ and $D^0\to\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0\pi^0$(non-$\eta$) are determined to be $(75.2\pm1.1_{\rm stat.}\pm1.5_{\rm syst.})\%$ and $(68.9\pm1.5_{\rm stat.}\pm 2.4_{\rm syst.})\%$, respectively. The branching fractions of $D^0\to \pi^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$ and $D^0\to\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0\pi^0$(non-$\eta$) are measured to be $(0.688\pm0.010_{\rm stat.}\pm 0.010_{\rm syst.})\%$ and $(0.951\pm0.025_{\rm stat.}\pm 0.021_{\rm syst.})\%$, respectively. The amplitude analysis provides an important model for binning strategy in the measurements of the strong phase parameters of $D^0 \to 4\pi$ when used to determine the CKM angle $\gamma (\phi_{3})$ via the $B^{-}\to D K^{-}$ decay.
Using the full data sample of 980 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy electron-positron collider, we report the results of the first search for the rare semileptonic decays $\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^0\ell^+\ell^-$ ($\ell=e$ or $\mu)$. No significant signals are observed in the $\Xi^0\ell^+\ell^-$ invariant-mass distributions. Taking the decay $\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^- \pi^+$ as the normalization mode, we report 90\% credibility upper limits on the branching fraction ratios ${\cal{B}} (\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^0 e^+ e^-) / {\cal{B}}(\Xi_c^0\to \Xi^-\pi^+) < 6.7 \times 10^{-3}$ and ${\cal{B}} (\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^0 \mu^+ \mu^-) / {\cal{B}}(\Xi_c^0\to \Xi^-\pi^+) < 4.3 \times 10^{-3}$ based on the phase-space assumption for signal decays. The 90\% credibility upper limits on the absolute branching fractions of ${\cal{B}} (\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^0 e^+ e^-)$ and ${\cal{B}} (\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^0 \mu^+ \mu^-)$ are found to be $9.9 \times 10^{-5}$ and $6.5 \times 10^{-5}$, respectively.
Particle identification at the Super Charm-Tau factory experiment will be provided by a Focusing Aerogel Ring Imaging CHerenkov detector (FARICH). The specifics of detector location make proper cooling difficult, therefore a significant number of ambient background hits are captured. They must be mitigated to reduce the data flow and improve particle velocity resolution. In this work we present several approaches to filtering signal hits, inspired by machine learning techniques from computer vision.
High-energy physics experiments require fast and efficient methods for reconstructing the tracks of charged particles. The commonly used algorithms are sequential, and the required CPU power increases rapidly with the number of tracks. Neural networks can speed up the process due to their capability of modeling complex non-linear data dependencies and finding all tracks in parallel. In this paper, we describe the application of a deep neural network for reconstructing straight tracks in a toy two-dimensional model. It is planned to apply this method to the experimental data obtained by the MUonE experiment at CERN.
A measurement of the invisible width of the $Z$ boson using events with jets and missing transverse momentum is presented using 37 $\mbox{fb\(^{-1}\)}$ of 13 TeV proton-proton data collected by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. The ratio of $Z\rightarrow \textrm{inv}$ to $Z\rightarrow\ell\ell$ events, where inv refers to non-detected particles and $\ell$ is either an electron or a muon, is measured and corrected for detector effects. Events with at least one energetic central jet with $p_{\textrm{T}} \geq 110$ GeV are selected for both the $Z\rightarrow \textrm{inv}$ and $Z\rightarrow\ell\ell$ final states to obtain a similar phase space in the ratio. The invisible width is measured to be $506\pm2 \textrm{ (stat.)} \pm12 \textrm{ (syst.)}$ MeV and is the single most precise recoil-based measurement. The result is in agreement with the most precise determination from LEP and the Standard Model prediction based on three neutrino generations.
Research in non-perturbative QED in strong-field backgrounds has gained interest in recent years, due to advances in high-intensity laser technologies that make extreme fields accessible in the laboratory. One key signature of strong-field QED is non-linear Compton scattering in collisions between a relativistic electron beam and a high-intensity laser pulse. In the vicinity of strong fields, the electron gains a larger effective mass, which leads to a laser-intensity-dependent shift of the kinematic Compton edge and the appearance of higher-order harmonics in the energy spectrum. One of the challenges of measuring the Compton energy spectrum in laser-electron-beam collisions is the enormous flux of outgoing Compton-scattered electrons and photons, ranging from $10^3$ to $10^9$ particles per collision. We present a combined detector system for high-rate Compton electron detection in the context of the planned LUXE experiment, consisting of a spatially segmented gas-filled Cherenkov detector and a scintillator screen imaged by an optical camera system. The detectors are placed in a forward dipole spectrometer to resolve the electron energy spectrum. Finally, we discuss techniques to reconstruct the non-linear Compton electron energy spectrum from the high-rate electron detection system and to extract the features of non-perturbative QED from the spectrum.
A key open question in the study of multi-particle production in high-energy $pp$ collisions is the relationship between the "ridge'' - observed azimuthal correlations between particles in the underlying event that extend over all rapidities - and hard or semi-hard scattering processes. In particular, it is not known whether jets or their soft fragments are correlated with particles in the underlying event. To address this question, two-particle correlations are measured in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV using data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, with an integrated luminosity of $15.8$ $\mathrm{pb}^{-1}$, in two different configurations. In the first case, charged particles associated with jets are excluded from the correlation analysis, while in the second case, correlations are measured between particles within jets and charged particles from the underlying event. Second-order flow coefficients, $v_2$, are presented as a function of event multiplicity and transverse momentum. These measurements show that excluding particles associated with jets does not affect the measured correlations. Moreover, particles associated with jets do not exhibit any significant azimuthal correlations with the underlying event, ruling out hard processes contributing to the ridge.
This Letter presents the measurement of the fiducial and differential cross-sections of the electroweak production of a $Z \gamma$ pair in association with two jets. The analysis uses 140 fb$^{-1}$ of LHC proton-proton collision data taken at $\sqrt{s}$=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector during the years 2015-2018. Events with a $Z$ boson candidate decaying into either an $e^+e^-$ or $\mu^+ \mu^-$ pair, a photon and two jets are selected. The electroweak component is extracted by requiring a large dijet invariant mass and a large rapidity gap between the two jets and is measured with an observed and expected significance well above five standard deviations. The fiducial $pp \rightarrow Z \gamma jj$ cross-section for the electroweak production is measured to be 3.6 $\pm$ 0.5 fb. The total fiducial cross-section that also includes contributions where the jets arise from strong interactions is measured to be $16.8^{+2.0}_{-1.8}$ fb. The results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions. Differential cross-sections are also measured using the same events and are compared with parton-shower Monte Carlo simulations. Good agreement is observed between data and predictions.
A search is presented for a heavy resonance $Y$ decaying into a Standard Model Higgs boson $H$ and a new particle $X$ in a fully hadronic final state. The full Large Hadron Collider Run 2 dataset of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 13$ TeV collected by the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018 is used, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. The search targets the high $Y$-mass region, where the $H$ and $X$ have a significant Lorentz boost in the laboratory frame. A novel signal region is implemented using anomaly detection, where events are selected solely because of their incompatibility with a learned background-only model. It is defined using a jet-level tagger for signal-model-independent selection of the boosted $X$ particle, representing the first application of fully unsupervised machine learning to an ATLAS analysis. Two additional signal regions are implemented to target a benchmark $X$ decay into two quarks, covering topologies where the $X$ is reconstructed as either a single large-radius jet or two small-radius jets. The analysis selects Higgs boson decays into $b\bar{b}$, and a dedicated neural-network-based tagger provides sensitivity to the boosted heavy-flavor topology. No significant excess of data over the expected background is observed, and the results are presented as upper limits on the production cross section $\sigma(pp \rightarrow Y \rightarrow XH \rightarrow q\bar{q}b\bar{b}$) for signals with $m_Y$ between 1.5 and 6 TeV and $m_X$ between 65 and 3000 GeV.
This paper reports the first ATLAS measurement of the $B_s^0 \to \mu\mu$ effective lifetime. The measurement is based on the data collected in 2015-2016, amounting to 26.3 fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV LHC proton-proton collisions. The proper decay-time distribution of $58\pm13$ background-subtracted signal candidates is fit with simulated signal templates parameterised as a function of the $B_s^0$ effective lifetime, with statistical uncertainties extracted through a Neyman construction. The resulting effective measurement of the $B_s^0 \to \mu\mu$ lifetime is $0.99^{+0.42}_{-0.07} \, (\text{stat.})\pm 0.17 \text{ (syst.)}\,\mathrm{ps}$ and it is found to be consistent with the Standard Model.
Simulations of quantum chemistry and quantum materials are believed to be among the most important potential applications of quantum information processors, but realizing practical quantum advantage for such problems is challenging. Here, we introduce a simulation framework for strongly correlated quantum systems that can be represented by model spin Hamiltonians. Our approach leverages reconfigurable qubit architectures to programmably simulate real-time dynamics and introduces an algorithm for extracting chemically relevant spectral properties via classical co-processing of quantum measurement results. We develop a digital-analog simulation toolbox for efficient Hamiltonian time evolution utilizing digital Floquet engineering and hardware-optimized multi-qubit operations to accurately realize complex spin-spin interactions, and as an example present an implementation proposal based on Rydberg atom arrays. Then, we show how detailed spectral information can be extracted from these dynamics through snapshot measurements and single-ancilla control, enabling the evaluation of excitation energies and finite-temperature susceptibilities from a single-dataset. To illustrate the approach, we show how this method can be used to compute key properties of a polynuclear transition-metal catalyst and 2D magnetic materials.
Decoherence and imperfect control are crucial challenges for quantum technologies. Common protection strategies rely on noise temporal autocorrelation, which is not optimal if other correlations are present. We develop and demonstrate experimentally a strategy that utilizes the cross-correlation of two noise sources. We achieve a tenfold coherence time extension by destructive interference of cross-correlated noise, improve control fidelity, and surpass the state-of-the-art sensitivity for high frequency quantum sensing, significantly expanding the applicability of noise protection strategies.
We propose a method to prepare Gaussian wave packets with momentum on top of the interacting ground state of a fermionic Hamiltonian. Using Givens rotation, we show how to efficiently obtain expectation values of observables throughout the evolution of the wave packets on digital quantum computers. We demonstrate our technique by applying it to the staggered lattice formulation of the Thirring model and studying the scattering of two wave packets. Monitoring the the particle density and the entropy produced during the scattering process, we characterize the phenomenon and provide a first step towards studying more complicated collision processes on digital quantum computers. In addition, we perform a small-scale demonstration on IBM's quantum hardware, showing that our method is suitable for current and near-term quantum devices.
Recent advances in quantum computers are demonstrating the ability to solve problems at a scale beyond brute force classical simulation. As such, a widespread interest in quantum algorithms has developed in many areas, with optimization being one of the most pronounced domains. Across computer science and physics, there are a number of algorithmic approaches, often with little linkage. This is further complicated by the fragmented nature of the field of mathematical optimization, where major classes of optimization problems, such as combinatorial optimization, convex optimization, non-convex optimization, and stochastic extensions, have devoted communities. With these aspects in mind, this work draws on multiple approaches to study quantum optimization. Provably exact versus heuristic settings are first explained using computational complexity theory - highlighting where quantum advantage is possible in each context. Then, the core building blocks for quantum optimization algorithms are outlined to subsequently define prominent problem classes and identify key open questions that, if answered, will advance the field. The effects of scaling relevant problems on noisy quantum devices are also outlined in detail, alongside meaningful benchmarking problems. We underscore the importance of benchmarking by proposing clear metrics to conduct appropriate comparisons with classical optimization techniques. Lastly, we highlight two domains - finance and sustainability - as rich sources of optimization problems that could be used to benchmark, and eventually validate, the potential real-world impact of quantum optimization.
We developed a general theoretical approach and a user-ready computer code that permit to study the dynamics of collisional energy transfer and ro-vibrational energy exchange in complex molecule-molecule collisions. The method is a mixture of classical and quantum mechanics. The internal ro-vibrational motion of collision partners is treated quantum mechanically using time-dependent Schrodinger equation that captures many quantum phenomena including state quantization and zero-point energy, propensity and selection rules for state-to-state transitions, quantum symmetry and interference phenomena. A significant numerical speed up is obtained by describing the translational motion of collision partners classically, using the Ehrenfest mean-field trajectory approach. Within this framework a family of approximate methods for collision dynamics is developed. Several benchmark studies for diatomic and triatomic molecules, such as H$_2$O and ND$_3$ collided with He, H$_2$ and D$_2$, show that the results of MQCT are in good agreement with full-quantum calculations in a broad range of energies, especially at high collision energies where they become nearly identical to the full quantum results. Numerical efficiency of the method and massive parallelism of the MQCT code permit us to embrace some of the most complicated collisional systems ever studied, such as C$_6$H$_6$ + He, CH$_3$COOH + He and H$_2$O + H$_2$O. Application of MQCT to the collisions of chiral molecules such as CH$_3$CHCH$_2$O + He, and to the molecule-surface collisions is also possible and will be pursued in the future.
Stabilizer states along with Clifford manipulations (unitary transformations and measurements) thereof -- despite being efficiently simulable on a classical computer -- are an important tool in quantum information processing, with applications to quantum computing, error correction and networking. Cluster states, defined on a graph, are a special class of stabilizer states that are central to measurement based quantum computing, all-photonic quantum repeaters, distributed quantum computing, and entanglement distribution in a network. All cluster states are local-Clifford equivalent to a stabilizer state. In this paper, we review the stabilizer framework, and extend it, by: incorporating general stabilizer measurements such as multi-qubit fusions, and providing an explicit procedure -- using Karnaugh maps from Boolean algebra -- for converting arbitrary stabilizer gates into tableau operations of the CHP formalism for efficient stabilizer manipulations. Using these tools, we develop a graphical rule-book and a MATLAB simulator with a graphical user interface for arbitrary stabilizer manipulations of cluster states, a user of which, e.g., for research in quantum networks, will not require any background in quantum information or the stabilizer framework. We extend our graphical rule-book to include dual-rail photonic-qubit cluster state manipulations with probabilistically-heralded linear-optical circuits for various rotated Bell measurements, i.e., fusions (including new `Type-I' fusions we propose, where only one of the two fused qubits is destructively measured), by incorporating graphical rules for their success and failure modes. Finally, we show how stabilizer descriptions of multi-qubit fusions can be mapped to linear optical circuits.
We analyze the behavior of a non-Hermitian opened one-dimensional quantum system with Parity-Time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetry. This system is built by a dimer, which has balanced gains and losses described by a parameter $\gamma$. By varying $\gamma$ the system resonances, which are naturally separated, coalesce at the exceptional point (EP). The transmission spectrum is obteined by means of the scattering matrix ($S$ matrix) formalism and we examine the wave functions corresponding to the resonances as a function of $\gamma$. Specifically, we look for the behavior and distribution of the phases of the S matrix before, at and after the exceptional point.
Quantum variational algorithms have been one of major applications of quantum computing with current quantum devices. There are recent attempts to establish the foundation for these algorithms. A possible approach is to characterize the training dynamics with quantum neural tangent kernel. In this work, we construct the kernel for two models, Quantun Ensemble and Quantum Neural Network, and show the convergence of these models in the limit of infinitely many qubits. We also show applications of the kernel limit in regression tasks.
We provide a systemic theory to entangle excitons with microcavity photons. This is realized by adopting an exciton-optomechanics system and introducing a nonlinear dispersive interaction with a mechanical oscillator. We show that when either the exciton and cavity modes in the weak-coupling regime, or the two exciton-polariton modes in the strong-coupling regime, are respectively resonant with the optomechanical Stokes and anti-Stokes sidebands, entanglement between excitons and cavity photons, or between two exciton polaritons, can be established. The entanglement is in the steady state and can potentially be achievable at room temperature. In both cases, genuine tripartite entanglement is shown to be present.
A computational method is proposed to calculate bound and resonant states by solving the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations for real and complex energies, respectively. The method is an extension of a non-relativistic one, where the potential is represented in a Coulomb-Sturmian basis. This basis facilitates the exact analytic evaluation of the Coulomb Green's operator in terms of a continued fraction. In the extension to relativistic problems, we cast the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations into an effective Schr\"odinger form. Then the solution method is basically an analytic continuation of non-relativistic quantities like the angular momentum, charge, energy and potential into the effective relativistic counterparts.
Chiral edge states are the fingerprint of the bulk-edge correspondence in a Chern insulator. Co-propagating edge modes, known as antichiral edge states, have been predicted to occur in the so-called modified Haldane model describing a two-dimensional semi-metal with broken time reversal symmetry. These counterintuitive edge modes are argued to be immune to backscattering and extremely robust against disorder. Here, we investigate the robustness of the antichiral edge states in the presence of Anderson disorder. By analysing different localization parameters, we show that, contrary to the general belief, these edge modes are fragile against disorder, and can be easily localized. Our work provides insights to improve the transport efficiency in the burgeoning fields of antichiral topological photonics and acoustics.
The complex projective space $\mathbb{P}(\mathbb{C}^n)$ can be interpreted as the space of all quantum pure states of size $n$. A distance on this space, interesting from the perspective of quantum physics, can be induced from a classical distance defined on the $n$-point probability simplex by the `earth mover problem'. We show that this construction leads to a quantity satisfying the triangle inequality, which yields a true distance on complex projective space belonging to the family of quantum $2$-Wasserstein distances.
Understanding the quantitative relation between entanglement and Bell nonlocality is a longstanding open problem of both fundamental and practical interest. Here we provide a general approach to address this issue. Starting with an observation that entanglement measures, while defined dramatically different in mathematics, are basically the distances between the state of interest and its closest separable state, we relate this minimal distance between states with distance-based Bell nonlocality, namely, the minimal distance between correlation of interest with respect to the set of classical correlations. This establishes the quantitative relation between entanglement and Bell nonlocality, leading to the bounds for entanglement in various contexts. Our approach enjoys the merits of: (i) generality, it applies to any Bell's scenario without requiring the information of devices and to many entanglement measures, (ii) faithfulness, it gives a non-trivial entanglement estimation from any nonlocal correlation.
Scrambling prevents the access to local information with local operators and therefore can be used to protect quantum information from damage caused by local perturbations. Even though partial quantum information can be recovered if the type of the damage is known, the initial target state cannot be completely recovered, because the obtained state is a mixture of the initial state and a maximally mixed state. Here, we demonstrate an improved scheme to recover damaged quantum information via scrambling in indefinite casual order. We can record the type of damage and improve the fidelity of the recovered quantum state with respect to the original one. Moreover, by iterating the schemes, the initial quantum state can be completely retrieved. In addition, we experimentally demonstrate our schemes on the cloud-based quantum computer, named as Quafu. Our work proposes a feasible scheme to protect whole quantum information from damage, which is also compatible with other techniques such as quantum error corrections and entanglement purification protocols.
In this work, we provide a comprehensive overview of the microwave-induced manipulation of electronic spin states in negatively charged group-IV color centers in diamond with a particular emphasis on the influence of strain. Central to our investigation is the consideration of the full vectorial attributes of the magnetic fields involved, which are a \textit{dc} field for lifting the degeneracy of the spin levels and an \textit{ac} field for microwave control between two spin levels. We observe an intricate interdependence between their spatial orientations, the externally applied strain, and the resultant efficacy in spin state control. In most work to date the \textit{ac} and \textit{dc} magnetic field orientations have been insufficiently addressed, which has led to the conclusion that strain is indispensable for the effective microwave control of heavier group-IV vacancies, such as tin- and lead-vacancy color centers. In contrast, we find that the alignment of the \textit{dc} magnetic field orthogonal to the symmetry axis and the \textit{ac} field parallel to it can make the application of strain obsolete for effective spin manipulation. Furthermore, we explore the implications of this field configuration on the spin's optical initialization, readout, and gate fidelities.
Towards the efficient simulation of near-term quantum devices using tensor network states, we introduce an improved real-space parallelizable matrix-product state (MPS) compression method. This method enables efficient compression of all virtual bonds in constant time, irrespective of the system size, with controlled accuracy, while it maintains the stability of the wavefunction norm without necessitating sequential renormalization procedures. In addition, we introduce a parallel regauging technique to partially restore the deviated canonical form, thereby improving the accuracy of the simulation in subsequent steps. We further apply this method to simulate unitary quantum dynamics and introduce a parallel time-evolving block-decimation (pTEBD) algorithm. We employ the pTEBD algorithm for extensive simulations of typical one- and two-dimensional quantum circuits, involving over 1000 qubits. The obtained numerical results unequivocally demonstrate that the pTEBD algorithm achieves the same level of simulation precision as the current state-of-the-art MPS algorithm but in polynomially shorter time, exhibiting nearly perfect weak scaling performance on a modern supercomputer.
We show that the methods for quantification of system-environment entanglement that were recently developed for interactions that lead to pure decoherence of the system can be straightforwardly generalized to time-dependent Hamiltonians of the same type. This includes the if-and-only-if criteria of separability, as well as the entanglement measure applicable to qubit systems, and methods of detection of entanglement by operations and measurements performed solely on the system without accessing the environment. We use these methods to study the nature of the decoherence of a qubit-oscillator system. Qubit-oscillator entanglement is essential for developing bosonic quantum technology with quantum non-Gaussian states and its applications in quantum sensing and computing. The dominating bosonic platforms, trapped ions, electromechanics, and superconducting circuits, are based on the time-dependent gates that use such entanglement to achieve new quantum sensors and quantum error correction. The step-like time-dependence of the Hamiltonian that is taken into account allows us to capture complex interplay between the build-up of classical and quantum correlations, which could not be replicated in time-independent scenarios.
Bohr's complementarity principle (BCP) has long been a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics (QM), positing that, within a given experimental setup, a quantum system (quanton) can exhibit either its wave-like character, denoted as $W$, or its particle-like character, denoted as $P$, but not both simultaneously. Modern interpretations of BCP acknowledge the coexistence of these aspects in the same experiment while introducing the constraint $W + P \le 1$. Notably, estimations of $W$ or $P$ frequently rely on indirect retrodiction methods, a practice that has led to claims of BCP violations. In a contrasting perspective, recent advancements demonstrate that complementarity relations can be rigorously derived from the axioms of QM under specific quantum state preparation (QSP) conditions. In this article, we unveil an intriguing insight: although BCP may not universally hold within a given experimental configuration, it remains robust when examined through the lens of a particular QSP. To reconcile these observations and eliminate potential paradoxes, we propose an updated formulation of BCP: \textit{For a given QSP $\rho_t$ at a specific instant of time $t$, the wave-like and particle-like manifestations of a quanton are constrained by the complementarity relation $W(\rho_t) + P(\rho_t) \le 1$, which is derived directly from the axioms of QM.}
We introduce a new p-adic Dirac equation that predicts the existence of particles and antiparticles and charge conjugation like the standard one. The new equation shares many properties with the old one. However, the space's discrete (p-adic) nature imposes substantial restrictions on the solutions of the new equation. This equation admits localized solutions, which is impossible in the standard case. Finally, we show that a quantum system whose evolution is controlled by the p-adic Dirac equation does not satisfy the Einstein causality.
Reentrant localization (RL), a recently prominent phenomenon, traditionally links to the interplay of staggered correlated disorder and hopping dimerization, as indicated by prior research. Contrary to this paradigm, our present study demonstrates that hopping dimerization is not a pivotal factor in realizing RL. Considering a helical magnetic system with antiferromagnetic ordering, we uncover spin-dependent RL at multiple energy regions, in the {\em absence} of hopping dimerization. This phenomenon persists even in the thermodynamic limit. The correlated disorder in the form of Aubry-Andr\'{e}-Harper model is introduced by applying a transverse electric field to the helical system, circumventing the use of traditional substitutional disorder. Described within a tight-binding framework, present work provides a novel outlook on RL, highlighting the crucial role of electric field, antiferromagnetic ordering, and the helicity of the geometry.
Annihilation spectra are presented for aromatic and heterocyclic ring molecules resolved as a function of incident positron energy using a trap-based positron beam. Comparisons with the vibrational mode spectra yield positron-molecule binding energies. Good to excellent agreement is found between the measured binding energies and the predictions of an \textit{ab initio} many-body theory that takes proper account of electron-positron correlations including virtual-positronium formation. The calculations elucidate the competition between permanent dipole moments and $\pi$ bonds in determining the spatial distribution of the bound-state positron density. The implications of these results and the role of multimode features in annihilation in these molecules, including Fermi resonances, are discussed.
Optimising quantum circuits to minimise resource usage is crucial, particularly in the context of near term hardware which is limited by quantum volume. This paper introduces an optimisation algorithm which aims to minimise non-Clifford gate count and two-qubit gate count by building on ZX-calculus-based strategies. By translating a circuit into a ZX-diagram it can be simplified before being extracted back into a circuit. I assert that simplifications preserve a graph-theoretic property called causal flow. This has the advantage that qubit lines are well defined throughout, permitting a trivial extraction procedure and in turn enabling the calculation of an individual transformation's impact on the resulting circuit. A general procedure for a decision strategy is introduced, inspired by an existing heuristic based method. Both phase teleportation and the neighbour unfusion rule are generalised. In particular, allowing unfusion of multiple neighbours is shown to lead to significant improvements in optimisation. When run on a set of benchmark circuits, the algorithm developed reduces the two-qubit gate count by an average of 19.6%, beating both the previous best ZX-based strategy (14.2%) and non-ZX strategy (18.9%). This lays a foundation for multiple avenues of improvement. A particularly effective strategy for optimising QFT circuits is also noted, resulting in exactly one two-qubit gate per non-Clifford gate.
We investigated the absence of certain bright peaks in Autler-Townes laser excitation spectra of alkali metal atoms. Our research revealed that these dips in the spectra are caused by a specific architecture of adiabatic (or ``laser-dressed'') states in hyperfine (HF) components. The dressed states' analysis pinpointed several cases where constructive and destructive interference between HF excitation pathways in a two-photon excitation scheme limits the available two-photon transitions. This results in a reduction of the conventional two-photon selection rule for the total angular momentum $F$, from $\Delta F= 0,\pm 1$ to $\Delta F\equiv 0$. Our discovery presents practical methods for selectively controlling the populations of unresolvable HF $F$-components of $ns_{1/2}$ Rydberg states in alkali metal atoms. Using numerical simulations with sodium and rubidium atoms, we demonstrate that by blocking the effects of HF interaction with a specially tuned auxiliary control laser field, the deviations from the ideal selectivity of the HF components population can be lower than $0.01\%$ for Na and $0.001\%$ for Rb atoms.
A family of linear positive maps in the algebra of $3 \times 3$ complex matrices proposed recently in Bera et al. arXiv:2212.03807 is further analyzed. It provides a generalization of a seminal Choi nondecomposable extremal map in $M_3$. We investigate when generalized Choi maps are optimal, i.e. cannot be represented as a sum of positive and completely positive maps. This property is weaker than extremality, however, it turns out that it plays a key role in detecting quantum entanglement.
Non-autonomous dynamical systems appear in a very wide range of interesting applications, both in classical and quantum dynamics, where in the latter case it corresponds to having a time-dependent Hamiltonian. However, the quantum simulation of these systems often needs to appeal to rather complicated procedures involving the Dyson series, considerations of time-ordering, requirement of time steps to be discrete and/or requiring multiple measurements and postselection. These procedures are generally much more complicated than the quantum simulation of time-independent Hamiltonians. Here we propose an alternative formalism that turns any non-autonomous unitary dynamical system into an autonomous unitary system, i.e., quantum system with a time-independent Hamiltonian, in one higher dimension, while keeping time continuous. This makes the simulation with time-dependent Hamiltonians not much more difficult than that of time-independent Hamiltonians, and can also be framed in terms of an analogue quantum system evolving continuously in time. We show how our new quantum protocol for time-dependent Hamiltonians can be performed in a resource-efficient way and without measurements, and can be made possible on either continuous-variable, qubit or hybrid systems. Combined with a technique called Schrodingerisation, this dilation technique can be applied to the quantum simulation of any linear ODEs and PDEs, and nonlinear ODEs and certain nonlinear PDEs, with time-dependent coefficients.
The fate of the molecular geometric phase in an exact dynamical framework is investigated with the help of the exact factorization of the wavefunction and a recently proposed quantum hydrodynamical description of its dynamics. An instantaneous, gauge invariant phase is introduced for arbitrary paths in nuclear configuration space in terms of hydrodynamical variables, and shown to reduce to the adiabatic geometric phase when the state is adiabatic and the path is closed. The evolution of the closed-path phase over time is shown to adhere to a Maxwell-Faraday induction law, with non-conservative forces arising from the electron dynamics that play the role of electromotive forces. We identify the pivotal forces that are able to change the value of the phase, thereby challenging any topological argument. Nonetheless, negligible changes in the phase occur when the local dynamics along the probe loop is approximately adiabatic. In other words, the adiabatic idealization of geometric phase effects may remain suitable for effectively describing certain dynamic observables.
This letter further explores the recent scheme of switched quantum channels with indefinite causal order applied to the reference metrological task of quantum phase estimation in the presence of noise. We especially extend the explorations, previously reported with depolarizing noise and thermal noise, to the class of Pauli noises, important to the qubit and not previously addressed. Nonstandard capabilities, not accessible with standard quantum phase estimation, are exhibited and analyzed, with significant properties that are specific to the Pauli noises, while other properties are found in common with the depolarizing noise or the thermal noise. The results show that the presence and the type of quantum noise are both crucial to the determination of the nonstandard capabilities from the switched channel with indefinite causal order, with a constructive action of noise reminiscent of stochastic resonance phenomena. The study contributes to a more comprehensive and systematic characterization of the roles and specificities of quantum noise in the operation of the novel devices of switched quantum channels with indefinite causal order.
Simulating open quantum systems is crucial for exploring novel quantum phenomena and assessing noisy quantum circuits. In this Letter, we study the problem of whether mixed quantum states generated from noisy quantum circuits can be efficiently represented by locally purified density operators (LPDOs). We introduce a mapping from LPDOs of $N$ qubits to projected entangled-pair states of size $2\times N$, which offers a unified method for managing virtual and inner bonds. We numerically validate this framework by simulating noisy random quantum circuits with up to depth $d=40$, using fidelity and entanglement entropy as accuracy measures. Our simulations reveal two distinct regions: a quantum region with weak noise that generates quantum entanglement and a classical region with strong noise that leads to a maximally mixed state. LPDO representation works well in both regions, but faces a significant challenge at the quantum-classical transition point. This work advances our understanding of efficient mixed-state representation in open quantum systems, and provides insights into the entanglement structure of noisy quantum circuits.
Quantum light sources are crucial foundational components for various quantum technology applications. With the rapid development of quantum technology, there has been a growing demand for materials that are capable of hosting quantum emitters. One such material platform are fluorescent defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) inducing deep sub-levels within the band gap. The question arises if other layered wide bandgap (2D) materials offer similar single photon emitting defects. Here, we investigate and compare the fabrication of quantum emitters in exfoliated multi-layer mica flakes with hBN and other wide bandgap 3D crystals (silicon carbide and gallium nitride) which are known to host quantum emitters. We use our primary fabrication technique of localized electron irradiation using a standard scanning electron microscope. To complement our experimental work, we employ density functional theory simulations to study the atomic structures of intrinsic defects and their photophysical properties. While our fabrication technique can create hBN quantum emitters with a high yield and high single photon purity, it is unable to fabricate emitters in the other solid-state crystals under investigation. This allows us to draw conclusions on the emitter fabrication mechanism, which could be relying on the activation of already present defects by charge state manipulation. We therefore provide an important step toward the identification of hBN emitters and their formation process.
Electronic defects in semiconductors form the basis for many emerging quantum technologies. Understanding defect spin and charge dynamics in solid state platforms is crucial to developing these building blocks, but many defect centers are difficult to access at the single-particle level due to the lack of sensitive readout techniques. A method for probing optically inactive spin defects would reveal semiconductor physics at the atomic scale and advance the study of new quantum systems. We exploit the intrinsic correlation between the charge and spin states of defect centers to measure defect charge populations and dynamics through the steady-state spin population, read-out at the single-defect level with a nearby optically active qubit. We directly measure ionization and charge relaxation of single dark defects in diamond, effects we do not have access to with traditional coherence-based quantum sensing. These spin resonance-based methods generalize to other solid state defect systems in relevant materials.
The last decade has seen an explosive growth in the use of color centers for metrology applications, the paradigm example arguably being the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Here, we focus on the regime of cryogenic temperatures and examine the impact of spin-selective, narrow-band laser excitation on NV readout. Specifically, we demonstrate a more than four-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to that possible with non-resonant (green) illumination, largely due to a boost in readout contrast and integrated photon count. We also leverage nuclear spin relaxation under resonant excitation to polarize the 14N host, which we then prove beneficial for spin magnetometry. These results open opportunities in the application of NV sensing to the investigation of condensed matter systems, particularly those exhibiting superconducting, magnetic, or topological phases selectively present at low temperatures.
Unless constrained by symmetry, measurement of an observable in a quantum system returns a distribution of values which are encoded in the full counting statistics. While the mean value of this distribution is important for determining certain properties of a system, the full distribution can also exhibit universal behavior. In this paper we study the full counting statistics of particle number in one dimensional interacting Bose and Fermi gases which have been quenched far from equilibrium. In particular we consider the time evolution of the Lieb-Liniger and Gaudin-Yang models quenched from a Bose-Einstein condensate initial state and calculate the full counting statistics of the particle number within a subsystem. We show that the scaled cumulants of the charge in the initial state and at long times are simply related and in particular the latter are independent of the model parameters. Using the quasi-particle picture we obtain the full time evolution of the cumulants and find that although their endpoints are fixed, the finite time dynamics depends strongly on the model parameters. We go on to construct the scaled cumulant generating functions and from this determine the limiting charge probability distributions at long time which are shown to exhibit distinct non-trivial and non-Gaussian fluctuations and large deviations.
We predict surface-induced odd-frequency (odd-$\nu$) spin-triplet superconducting pairing can be a veritable signature of Majorana bound states (MBS) in a Josephson nodal $p$-wave superconductor ($p_{x}$)-spin flipper (SF)-nodal $p$-wave superconductor ($p_{x}$) junction. Remarkably, in a $p_{x}$-SF-$p_{x}$ Josephson junction, three distinct phases emerge: the topological phase featuring MBS, the topological phase without MBS, and the trivial phase devoid of MBS. When MBS appear, surface odd-$\nu$ spin-triplet pairing is induced only in the topological regime. In contrast, surface-induced even-frequency (even-$\nu$) spin-triplet pairing is finite regardless of the existence of MBS. Our study offers a potential means for distinguishing the topological phase featuring MBS from both the trivial phase as well as the topological phase devoid of MBS, primarily through the observation of induced surface odd-$\nu$ spin triplet superconductivity.
In this work, we propose a method to resolve up to 4-photon coincidences in single-photon detector arrays with row--column readouts.By utilizing unambiguous measurements to estimate probabilities of detection at each pixel, we redistribute the ambiguous multiphoton counts among candidate pixel locations such that the peak signal-to-noise-ratio of the reconstruction is increased between 3 and 4 dB compared to conventional methods at optimal operating conditions. We also show that our method allows the operation of these arrays at higher incident photon fluxes as compared to previous methods. The application of this technique to imaging natural scenes is demonstrated using Monte Carlo experiments.
The introduction of nonlinearities in the Schr\"odinger equation has been considered in the literature as an effective manner to describe the action of external environments or mean fields. Here, in particular, we explore the nonlinear effects induced by subtracting a term proportional to Bohm's quantum potential to the usual (linear) Schr\"odinger equation, which generates the so-called "classical" Schr\"odinger equation. Although a simple nonlinear transformation allows us to recover the well-known classical Hamilton-Jacobi equation, by combining a series of analytical results (in the limiting cases) and simulations (whenever the analytical treatment is unaffordable), we find an analytical explanation to why the dynamics in the nonlinear "classical" regime is still strongly nonclassical. This is even more evident by establishing a one-to-one comparison between the Bohmian trajectories associated with the corresponding wave function and the classical trajectories that one should obtain. Based on these observations, it is clear that the transition to a fully classical regime requires extra conditions in order to remove any trace of coherence, which is the truly distinctive trait of quantum mechanics. This behavior is investigated in three paradigmatic cases, namely, the dispersion of a free propagating localized particle, the harmonic oscillator, and a simplified version of Young's two-slit experiment.
Modeling the underlying pairing mechanism of charge carriers in strongly correlated electrons, starting from a microscopic theory, is among the central challenges of condensed-matter physics. Hereby, the key task is to understand what causes the appearance of superconductivity at comparatively high temperatures upon hole doping an antiferromagnetic (AFM) Mott insulator. Recently, it has been proposed that at strong coupling and low doping, the fundamental one- and two-hole meson-type constituents -- magnetic polarons and bipolaronic pairs -- likely realize an emergent Feshbach resonance producing near-resonant $d_{x^2-y^2}$ interactions between charge carriers. Here, we provide detailed calculations of the proposed scenario by describing the open and closed meson scattering channels in the $t$-$t'$-$J$ model using a truncated basis method. After integrating out the closed channel constituted by bipolaronic pairs, we find $d_{x^2-y^2}$ attractive interactions between open channel magnetic polarons. The closed form of the derived interactions allows us analyze the resonant pairing interactions and we find enhanced (suppressed) attraction for hole (electron) doping in our model. The formalism we introduce provides a framework to analyze the implications of a possible Feshbach scenario, e.g. in the context of BEC-BCS crossover, and establishes a foundation to test quantitative aspects of the proposed Feshbach pairing mechanisms in doped antiferromagnets.
Chiral edge states in quantum Hall effect are the paradigmatic example of the quasi-particle with chirality. In even space-time dimensions, the Nielsen-Ninomiya theorem strictly forbids the chiral states in physical isolation. The exceptions to this theorem only occur in the presence of non-locality, non-Hermiticity, or by embedding the system at the boundary of the higher-dimensional bulk. In this work, using the IBM quantum computer platform, we realize the floquet chiral quantum walk enabled by non-locality. The unitary time evolution operator is described by the effective floquet Hamiltonian with infinitely long-ranged coupling. We find that the chiral wave packets lack the common features of the conventional wave phenomena such as Anderson localization. The absence of localization is witnessed by the robustness against the external perturbations. However, the intrinsic quantum errors of the current quantum device give rise to the finite lifetime where the chiral wave packet eventually disperses in the long-time limit. Nevertheless, we observe the stability of the chiral wave by comparing it with the conventional non-chiral model.
Resonant interactions associated with the emergence of a bound state constitute one of the cornerstones of modern many-body physics, ranging from Kondo physics, BEC-BCS crossover, to tunable interactions at Feshbach resonances in ultracold atoms or 2D semiconductors. Here we present a Feshbach perspective on the origin of strong pairing in Fermi-Hubbard type models. We perform a theoretical analysis of interactions between charge carriers in doped Mott insulators, modeled by a near-resonant two-channel scattering problem, and find strong evidence for Feshbach-type interactions in the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ channel that can support strong pairing, consistent with the established phenomenology of cuprates. Existing experimental and numerical results on hole-doped cuprates lead us to conjecture the existence of a light, long-lived, low-energy excited state of two holes with bipolaron character in these systems, which enables near-resonant interactions and can thus provide a microscopic foundation for theories of high-temperature superconductivity involving strong attraction, as assumed e.g. in BEC-BCS crossover scenarios. To put our theory to a direct test we suggest to use coincidence angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (cARPES), pair-tunneling measurements or less direct pump-probe experiments. The emergent Feshbach resonance we propose could also underlie superconductivity in other doped antiferromagnetic Mott insulators, as recently proposed for bilayer nickelates, highlighting its potential as a unifying strong-coupling pairing mechanism rooted in quantum magnetism.
We determine both the quantum and the private capacities of low-noise quantum channels to leading orders in the channel's distance to the perfect channel. It has been an open problem for more than 20 years to determine the capacities of some of these low-noise channels such as the depolarizing channel. We also show that both capacities are equal to the single-letter coherent information of the channel, again to leading orders. We thus find that, in the low noise regime, super-additivity and degenerate codes have negligible benefit for the quantum capacity, and shielding does not improve the private capacity beyond the quantum capacity, in stark contrast to the situation when noisier channels are considered.
In this work, we apply the advantage distillation method to improve the performance of a practical twin-field quantum key distribution system under collective attack. Compared with the previous analysis result given by Maeda, Sasaki and Koashi [Nature Communication 10, 3140 (2019)], the maximal transmission distance obtained by our analysis method will be increased from 420 km to 470 km. By increasing the loss-independent misalignment error to 12%, the previous analysis method can not overcome the rate-distance bound. However, our analysis method can still overcome the rate-distance bound when the misalignment error is 16%. More surprisingly, we prove that twin-field quantum key distribution can generate positive secure key even if the misalignment error is close to 50%, thus our analysis method can significantly improve the performance of a practical twin-field quantum key distribution system.
Quantum information-processing techniques enable work extraction from a system's inherently quantum features, in addition to the classical free energy it contains. Meanwhile, the science of computational mechanics affords tools for the predictive modeling of non-Markovian classical and quantum stochastic processes. We combine tools from these two sciences to develop a technique for predictive work extraction from non-Markovian stochastic processes with quantum outputs. We demonstrate that this technique can extract more work than non-predictive quantum work extraction protocols, on one hand, and predictive work extraction without quantum information processing, on the other. We discover a phase transition in the efficacy of memory for work extraction from quantum processes, which is without classical precedent. Our work opens up the prospect of machines that harness environmental free energy in an essentially quantum, essentially time-varying form.
We describe a simple algorithm for estimating the $k$-th normalized Betti number of a simplicial complex over $n$ elements using the path integral Monte Carlo method. For a general simplicial complex, the running time of our algorithm is $n^{O\left(\frac{1}{\sqrt{\gamma}}\log\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\right)}$ with $\gamma$ measuring the spectral gap of the combinatorial Laplacian and $\varepsilon \in (0,1)$ the additive precision. In the case of a clique complex, the running time of our algorithm improves to $\left(n/\lambda_{\max}\right)^{O\left(\frac{1}{\sqrt{\gamma}}\log\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\right)}$ with $\lambda_{\max} \geq k$, where $\lambda_{\max}$ is the maximum eigenvalue of the combinatorial Laplacian. Our algorithm provides a classical benchmark for a line of quantum algorithms for estimating Betti numbers. On clique complexes it matches their running time when, for example, $\gamma \in \Omega(1)$ and $k \in \Omega(n)$.
We present an invertible map between correlations in any bipartite Bell scenario and behaviours in a family of contextuality scenarios. The map takes local, quantum and non-signalling correlations to non-contextual, quantum and contextual behaviours, respectively. Consequently, we find that the membership problem of the set of quantum contextual behaviours is undecidable, the set cannot be fully realised via finite dimensional quantum systems and is not closed. Finally, we show that neither this set nor its closure is the limit of a sequence of computable supersets, due to the result MIP*=RE.
Resolving a conjecture of von Neumann, Ogata's theorem in arXiv:1111.5933 showed the highly nontrivial result that arbitrarily many matrices corresponding to macroscopic observables with $N$ sites and a fixed site dimension $d$ are asymptotically nearby commuting observables as $N \to \infty$. In this paper, we develop a method to construct nearby commuting matrices for normalized highly reducible representations of $su(2)$ whose multiplicities of irreducible subrepresentations exhibit a certain monotonically decreasing behavior. We then provide a constructive proof of Ogata's theorem for site dimension $d=2$ with explicit estimates for how close the nearby observables are. Moreover, motivated by the application to time-reversal symmetry explored in arXiv:1012.3494, our construction has the property that real macroscopic observables are asymptotically nearby real commuting observables.
Whether a given target state can be prepared by starting with a simple product state and acting with a finite-depth quantum circuit is a key question in condensed matter physics and quantum information science. It underpins classifications of topological phases, as well as the understanding of topological quantum codes, and has obvious relevance for device implementations. Traditionally, this question assumes that the quantum circuit is made up of unitary gates that are geometrically local. Inspired by the advent of noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices, we reconsider this question with $k$-local gates, i.e. gates that act on no more than $k$ degrees of freedom, but are not restricted to be geometrically local. First, we construct explicit finite-depth circuits of symmetric $k$-local gates which create symmetry-protected topological (SPT) states from an initial a product state. Our construction applies both to SPT states protected by global symmetries and subsystem symmetries, but not to those with higher-form symmetries, which we conjecture remain nontrivial. Next, we show how to implement arbitrary translationally invariant quantum cellular automata (QCA) in any dimension using finite-depth circuits of $k$-local gates. These results imply that the topological classifications of SPT phases and QCA both collapse to a single trivial phase in the presence of $k$-local interactions. We furthermore argue that SPT phases are fragile to generic $k$-local symmetric perturbations. We conclude by discussing the implications for other phases, such as fracton phases, and surveying future directions. Our analysis opens a new experimentally motivated conceptual direction examining the stability of phases and the feasibility of state preparation without the assumption of geometric locality.
Given that reliable cloud quantum computers are becoming closer to reality, the concept of delegation of quantum computations and its verifiability is of central interest. Many models have been proposed, each with specific strengths and weaknesses. Here, we put forth a new model where the client trusts only its classical processing, makes no computational assumptions, and interacts with a quantum server in a single round. In addition, during a set-up phase, the client specifies the size $n$ of the computation and receives an untrusted, off-the-shelf (OTS) quantum device that is used to report the outcome of a single measurement. We show how to delegate polynomial-time quantum computations in the OTS model. This also yields an interactive proof system for all of QMA, which, furthermore, we show can be accomplished in statistical zero-knowledge. This provides the first relativistic (one-round), two-prover zero-knowledge proof system for QMA. As a proof approach, we provide a new self-test for n EPR pairs using only constant-sized Pauli measurements, and show how it provides a new avenue for the use of simulatable codes for local Hamiltonian verification. Along the way, we also provide an enhanced version of a well-known stability result due to Gowers and Hatami and show how it completes a common argument used in self-testing.
Precise positioning of single site-controlled inverted pyramidal InGaAs QD at the antinode of a GaAs photonic crystal cavity with nanometer-scale accuracy holds unique advantages compared to self-assembled QDs and offers great promise for practical on-chip photonic quantum information processing. However, the strong coupling regime in this geometry has not yet been achieved due to the low cavity Q-factor based on the (111)B-oriented membrane structures. Here, we reveal the onset of phonon-mediated coherent exciton-photon interaction on our tailored single site-controlled InGaAs QD - photonic crystal cavity. Our results present a Rabi-like oscillation of luminescence intensity between excitonic and photonic components correlated with their energy splitting pronounced at small detuning. Such Rabi-like oscillation is well reproduced by modeling the coherent exchange of the exciton-photon population. The modeling further reveals an oscillatory two-time covariance at QD-cavity resonance, which indicates that the system operates at the onset of the strong coupling regime. Moreover, by using the cavity mode as a probe of the virtual state of the QD induced by phonon scattering, it reveals an increase in phonon scattering rates near the QD-cavity resonance and asymmetric phonon emission and absorption rate even around 50 K.
We present a detailed scheme for the analog quantum simulation of Z2 gauge theories in crystals of trapped ions, which exploits a more efficient hybrid encoding of the gauge and matter fields using the native internal and motional degrees of freedom. We introduce a versatile toolbox based on parametric excitations corresponding to different spin-motion-coupling schemes that induce a tunneling of the ions vibrational excitations conditioned to their internal qubit state. This building block, when implemented with a single trapped ion, corresponds to a minimal Z2 gauge theory, where the qubit plays the role of the gauge field on a synthetic link, and the vibrational excitations along different trap axes mimic the dynamical matter fields two synthetic sites, each carrying a Z2 charge. To evaluate their feasibility, we perform numerical simulations of the state-dependent tunneling using realistic parameters, and identify the leading sources of error in future experiments. We discuss how to generalise this minimal case to more complex settings by increasing the number of ions, moving from a single link to a Z2 plaquette, and to an entire Z2 chain. We present analytical expressions for the gauge-invariant dynamics and the corresponding confinement, which are benchmarked using matrix product state simulations.
Coherent microwave-to-optical conversion is crucial for transferring quantum information generated in the microwave domain to optical frequencies, where propagation losses can be minimised. Among the various physical platforms that have realized coherent microwave-to-optical transduction, those that use atoms as transducers have shown rapid progress in recent years. In this paper we report an experimental demonstration of coherent microwave-to-optical conversion that maps a microwave signal to a large, tunable 550(30) MHz range of optical frequencies using room-temperature $^{87}$Rb atoms. The inhomogeneous Doppler broadening of the atomic vapor advantageously supports the tunability of an input microwave channel to any optical frequency channel within the Doppler width, along with simultaneous conversion of a multi-channel input microwave field to corresponding optical channels. In addition, we demonstrate phase-correlated amplitude control of select channels, resulting in complete extinction of one of the channels, providing an analog to a frequency domain beam splitter across five orders of magnitude in frequency. With frequency-division multiplexing capability, multi-channel conversion, and amplitude control of frequency channels, neutral atomic systems may be effective quantum processors for quantum information encoded in frequency-bin qubits.
Quantum chemistry is envisioned as an early and disruptive application for quantum computers. We propose two criteria for evaluating the two leading quantum approaches for this class of problems. The first criterion applies to the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) algorithm. It sets an upper bound to the level of noise that can be tolerated in quantum hardware as a function of the targetted precision and problem size. We find a crippling effect of noise with an overall scaling of the precision that is generically {\it less} favourable than in the corresponding classical algorithms. Indeed, the studied molecule is unrelated to the hardware dynamics, hence to its noise; conversely the hardware noise populates states of arbitrary energy of the studied molecule. The second criterion applies to the Quantum Phase Estimation (QPE) algorithm that is often presented as the go-to replacement of VQE upon availability of (noiseless) fault-tolerant quantum computers. QPE suffers from the orthogonality catastrophe that generically leads to an exponentially small success probability when the size of the problem grows. Our criterion allows one to estimate quantitatively the importance of this phenomenon from the knowledge of the variance of the energy of the input state used in the calculation.
Gaussian boson sampling is a promising candidate for showing experimental quantum advantage. While there is evidence that noiseless Gaussian boson sampling is hard to efficiently simulate using a classical computer, the current Gaussian boson sampling experiments inevitably suffer from loss and other noise models. Despite a high photon loss rate and the presence of noise, they are currently claimed to be hard to classically simulate with the best-known classical algorithm. In this work, we present a classical tensor-network algorithm that simulates Gaussian boson sampling and whose complexity can be significantly reduced when the photon loss rate is high. By generalizing the existing thermal-state approximation algorithm of lossy Gaussian boson sampling, the proposed algorithm allows us to achieve increased accuracy as the running time of the algorithm scales, as opposed to the algorithm that samples from the thermal state, which can give only a fixed accuracy. This generalization enables us to simulate the largest scale Gaussian boson sampling experiment so far using relatively modest computational resources, even though the output state of these experiments is not believed to be close to a thermal state. By demonstrating that our new classical algorithm outperforms the large-scale experiments on the benchmarks used as evidence for quantum advantage, we exhibit evidence that our classical sampler can simulate the ground-truth distribution better than the experiment can, which disputes the experimental quantum advantage claims.
The past decade has witnessed significant advancements in quantum hardware, encompassing improvements in speed, qubit quantity, and quantum volume-a metric defining the maximum size of a quantum circuit effectively implementable on near-term quantum devices. This progress has led to a surge in Quantum Machine Learning (QML) applications on real hardware, aiming to achieve quantum advantage over classical approaches. This survey focuses on selected supervised and unsupervised learning applications executed on quantum hardware, specifically tailored for real-world scenarios. The exploration includes a thorough analysis of current QML implementation limitations on quantum hardware, covering techniques like encoding, ansatz structure, error mitigation, and gradient methods to address these challenges. Furthermore, the survey evaluates the performance of QML implementations in comparison to classical counterparts. In conclusion, we discuss existing bottlenecks related to applying QML on real quantum devices and propose potential solutions to overcome these challenges in the future.
Quantum simulators offer powerful means to investigate strongly correlated quantum matter. However, interpreting measurement outcomes in such systems poses significant challenges. Here, we present a theoretical framework for information extraction in synthetic quantum matter, illustrated for the case of a quantum quench in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate experiment. Employing non-parametric unsupervised learning tools that provide different measures of information content, we demonstrate a system-agnostic approach to identify dominant degrees of freedom. This enables us to rank operators according to their relevance, akin to effective field theory. To characterize the corresponding effective description, we then explore the intrinsic dimension of data sets as a measure of the complexity of the dynamics. This reveals a simplification of the data structure, which correlates with the emergence of time-dependent universal behavior in the studied system. Our assumption-free approach can be immediately applied in a variety of experimental platforms.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the existence of a nontrivial tradeoff relation for estimating two unitary-shift parameters in a relativistic spin-1/2 system. It is shown that any moving observer cannot estimate two parameters simultaneously, even though a parametric model is classical in the rest frame. This transition from the classical model to a genuine quantum model is investigated analytically using a one-parameter family of quantum Fisher information matrices. This paper proposes to use an indicator that can not only detect the existence of a tradeoff relation but can also evaluate its strength. Based on the proposed indicator, this paper investigates the nature of the tradeoff relation in detail.
Quantum systems have entered a competitive regime where classical computers must make approximations to represent highly entangled quantum states. However, in this beyond-classically-exact regime, fidelity comparisons between quantum and classical systems have so far been limited to digital quantum devices, and it remains unsolved how to estimate the actual entanglement content of experiments. Here we perform fidelity benchmarking and mixed-state entanglement estimation with a 60-atom analog Rydberg quantum simulator, reaching a high entanglement entropy regime where exact classical simulation becomes impractical. Our benchmarking protocol involves extrapolation from comparisons against an approximate classical algorithm, introduced here, with varying entanglement limits. We then develop and demonstrate an estimator of the experimental mixed-state entanglement, finding our experiment is competitive with state-of-the-art digital quantum devices performing random circuit evolution. Finally, we compare the experimental fidelity against that achieved by various approximate classical algorithms, and find that only the algorithm we introduce is able to keep pace with the experiment on the classical hardware we employ. Our results enable a new paradigm for evaluating the ability of both analog and digital quantum devices to generate entanglement in the beyond-classically-exact regime, and highlight the evolving divide between quantum and classical systems.
Neural networks are a promising tool for characterizing intermediate-scale quantum devices from limited amounts of measurement data. A challenging problem in this area is to learn the action of an unknown quantum process on an ensemble of physically relevant input states. To tackle this problem, we introduce a neural network that emulates the unknown process by constructing an internal representation of the input ensemble and by mimicking the action of the process at the state representation level. After being trained with measurement data from a few pairs of input/output quantum states, the network becomes able to predict the measurement statistics for all inputs in the ensemble of interest. We show that our model exhibits high accuracy in applications to quantum computing, quantum photonics, and quantum many-body physics.
We show that a recently proposed oscillator-shaped quantum well model associated with a position-dependent mass can be solved by applying a point canonical transformation to the constant-mass Schr\"odinger equation for the Scarf I potential. On using the known rational extension of the latter connected with $X_1$-Jacobi exceptional orthogonal polynomials, we build a rationally-extended position-dependent mass model with the same spectrum as the starting one. Some more involved position-dependent mass models associated with $X_2$-Jacobi exceptional orthogonal polynomials are also considered.
I propose a novel (interpretation of) quantum theory, which I will call Environmental Determinacy-based or EnD Quantum Theory (EnDQT). In contrast to the well-known interpretations of quantum theory, EnDQT doesn't modify its equations or add hidden variables, is not in tension with relativity, and provides a local causal explanation of Bell-type correlations without measurement outcomes varying according to perspectives or worlds. Unlike collapse theories, in principle, arbitrary systems can be placed in a superposition for an arbitrary amount of time, and no modifications of the equations of quantum theory are required. Furthermore, it provides a series of novel empirical posits that may distinguish it from other interpretations of quantum theory. According to EnDQT, some systems acquire determinate values at some point, and the capacity to give rise to determinate values through interactions propagates to other systems in spacetime via local interactions. This process can be represented via certain networks. When there is isolation from the rest of the systems that belong to these networks, such as inside the friend's isolated lab in the extended Wigner's friend scenarios, indeterminate values non-relationally arise inside.
We study cavity-mediated interactions that are generated in a two-dimensional two-band Hubbard model coupled to an optical cavity, when it is driven in-gap by a strong laser. Starting from a Floquet description of the driven system, we derive effective low-energy Hamiltonians by projecting out the high-energy degrees of freedom and treating intrinsic interactions on a mean field level. We then investigate how the emergence of high-energy Frenkel excitons from the electronic interband coupling, which form near the upper electronic band, affects the interactions as well as the laser-induced Floquet renormalization of the electronic band structure. Cavity-mediated interactions are enhanced strongly when the light couples to an excitonic transition. Additionally, the interaction as well as the Floquet renormalization are strongly broadened in reciprocal space, which could further boost the impact of cavity-mediated interactions on the driven-dissipative steady state.
We numerically analyze the feasibility of a platform-neutral, general strategy to perform quantum simulations of fermionic lattice field theories under open boundary conditions. The digital quantum simulator requires solely one- and two-qubit gates and is scalable since integrating each Hamiltonian term requires a finite (non-scaling) cost. The exact local fermion encoding we adopt relies on auxiliary $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge fields by adding a pure gauge Hamiltonian term akin to the Toric Code. By numerically emulating the quantum simulator real-time dynamics, we observe a timescale separation for spin- and charge-excitations in a spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ Hubbard ladder in the $t-J$ model limit. Additionally, we show that such local fermion encoding is also useful in tensor network numerical simulations.
A robust combiner combines many candidates for a cryptographic primitive and generates a new candidate for the same primitive. Its correctness and security hold as long as one of the original candidates satisfies correctness and security. A universal construction is a closely related notion to a robust combiner. A universal construction for a primitive is an explicit construction of the primitive that is correct and secure as long as the primitive exists. It is known that a universal construction for a primitive can be constructed from a robust combiner for the primitive in many cases. Although robust combiners and universal constructions for classical cryptography are widely studied, robust combiners and universal constructions for quantum cryptography have not been explored so far. In this work, we define robust combiners and universal constructions for several quantum cryptographic primitives including one-way state generators, public-key quantum money, quantum bit commitments, and unclonable encryption, and provide constructions of them. On a different note, it was an open problem how to expand the plaintext length of unclonable encryption. In one of our universal constructions for unclonable encryption, we can expand the plaintext length, which resolves the open problem.
We investigate the influence of local decoherence on a symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phase of the two-dimensional (2D) cluster state. Mapping the 2D cluster state under decoherence to a classical spin model, we show a topological phase transition of a $\mathbb{Z}_2^{(0)}\times\mathbb{Z}_{2}^{(1)}$ SPT phase into the trivial phase occurring at a finite decoherence strength. To characterize the phase transition, we employ three distinct diagnostic methods, namely, the relative entropy between two decohered SPT states with different topological edge states, the strange correlation function of $\mathbb{Z}_2^{(1)}$ charge, and the multipartite negativity of the mixed state on a disk. All the diagnostics can be obtained as certain thermodynamic quantities in the corresponding classical model, and the results of three diagnostic tests are consistent with each other. Given that the 2D cluster state possesses universal computational capabilities in the context of measurement-based quantum computation, the topological phase transition found here can also be interpreted as a transition in the computational power.
Parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) have emerged as a foundational element in the development and applications of quantum algorithms. However, when initialized with random parameter values, PQCs often exhibit barren plateaus (BP). These plateaus, characterized by vanishing gradients with an increasing number of qubits, hinder optimization in quantum algorithms. In this paper, we analyze the impact of state-of-the-art parameter initialization strategies from classical machine learning in random PQCs from the aspect of BP phenomenon. Our investigation encompasses a spectrum of initialization techniques, including random, Xavier (both normal and uniform variants), He, LeCun, and Orthogonal methods. Empirical assessment reveals a pronounced reduction in variance decay of gradients across all these methodologies compared to the randomly initialized PQCs. Specifically, the Xavier initialization technique outperforms the rest, showing a 62\% improvement in variance decay compared to the random initialization. The He, Lecun, and orthogonal methods also display improvements, with respective enhancements of 32\%, 28\%, and 26\%. This compellingly suggests that the adoption of these existing initialization techniques holds the potential to significantly amplify the training efficacy of Quantum Neural Networks (QNNs), a subclass of PQCs. Demonstrating this effect, we employ the identified techniques to train QNNs for learning the identity function, effectively mitigating the adverse effects of BPs. The training performance, ranked from the best to the worst, aligns with the variance decay enhancement as outlined above. This paper underscores the role of tailored parameter initialization in mitigating the BP problem and eventually enhancing the training dynamics of QNNs.
We put forward a feasible scheme to spatially separate the wave and particle properties of two entangled photons by properly choosing the pre- and post-selection of path states. Our scheme, which implements the quantum Cheshire cat phenomenon for two-photon states, also guarantees that the observation of wave and particle properties of the two entangled photons always obey the Bohr's complementarity principle.
Multiproposal Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms choose from multiple proposals at each iteration in order to sample from challenging target distributions more efficiently. Recent work demonstrates the possibility of quadratic quantum speedups for one such multiproposal MCMC algorithm. Using $P$ proposals, this quantum parallel MCMC QPMCMC algorithm requires only $\mathcal{O}(\sqrt{P})$ target evaluations at each step. Here, we present a fast new quantum multiproposal MCMC strategy, QPMCMC2, that only requires $\mathcal{O}(1)$ target evaluations and $\mathcal{O}(\log P)$ qubits. Unlike its slower predecessor, the QPMCMC2 Markov kernel (1) maintains detailed balance exactly and (2) is fully explicit for a large class of graphical models. We demonstrate this flexibility by applying QPMCMC2 to novel Ising-type models built on bacterial evolutionary networks and obtain significant speedups for Bayesian ancestral trait reconstruction for 248 observed salmonella bacteria.
We predict a stable density-waves-type supersolid phase of a dilute gas of tilted dipolar bosons in a two-dimensional (2D) geometry. This many-body phase is manifested by the formation of the stripe pattern and elasticity coexisting together with the Bose-Einstein condensation and superfluidity at zero temperature. With the increasing the tilting angle the type of the gas-supersolid transition changes from the first order to the second one despite the 2D character of the system, whereas the anisotropy and many-body stabilizing interactions play crucial role. Our approach is based on the numerical analysis of the phase diagram using the simulated annealing method for a free-energy functional. The predicted supersolid effect can be realized in a variety of experimental setups ranging from excitons in heterostructures to cold atoms and polar molecules in optical potentials.