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Showing votes from 2024-01-16 11:30 to 2024-01-19 12:30 | Next meeting is Friday Oct 25th, 11:30 am.
The primary purpose of this paper is to see how well a recently proposed new model fits (a) the position of the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) features observed in the large-scale distribution of galaxies and (b) the angular size measured for the sound horizon due to BAO imprinted in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy. The new model is a hybrid model that combines the tired light (TL) theory with a variant of the ${\Lambda}CDM$ model in which the cosmological constant is replaced with a covarying coupling constants' (CCC) parameter ${\alpha}$. This model, dubbed the CCC+TL model, can fit the supernovae type 1a Pantheon+ data as accurately as the ${\Lambda}CDM$ model, and also fit the angular size of cosmic dawn galaxies observed by the James Webb Space Telescope, which is in tension with the ${\Lambda}CDM$ model. The results we obtained are $151.0 (\pm5.1)$ Mpc for the absolute BAO scale at the current epoch, and the angular size of the sound horizon ${\theta}_{sh}=0.60{\deg}$ matching Planck's observations at the surface of the last scattering when the baryon density is set to 100% of the matter density and |${\alpha}$| is increased by 5.6%. It remains to be seen if the new model is consistent with the CMB power spectrum, the big-bang nucleosynthesis of light elements, and other critical observations.
Recent works have uncovered an excess signal in the parity-odd four-point correlation function measured from the BOSS spectroscopic galaxy survey. If physical in origin, this could indicate evidence for new parity-breaking processes in the scalar sector, most likely from inflation. At heart, these studies compare the observed four-point correlator to the distribution obtained from parity-conserving mock galaxy surveys; if the simulations underestimate the covariance of the data, noise fluctuations may be misinterpreted as a signal. To test this, we reanalyse the BOSS CMASS + LOWZ parity-odd dataset with the noise distribution modeled using the newly developed GLAM-Uchuu suite of mocks. These comprise full N-body simulations that follow the evolution of $2000^3$ dark matter particles in a $\Lambda$CDM universe, and represent a significant upgrade compared to the formerly MultiDark-Patchy mocks, which were based on an alternative (non N-body) gravity solver. We find no significant evidence for parity-violation in the BOSS dataset (with a baseline detection significance of $1.4\sigma$), suggesting that the former signal ($>3.5\sigma$ with our data cuts) could be caused by an underestimation of the covariance in MultiDark-Patchy. The significant differences between results obtained with the two sets of BOSS-calibrated galaxy catalogs showcases the heightened sensitivity of beyond-two-point analyses to the treatment of non-linear effects and indicates that previous constraints may suffer from large systematic uncertainties.
The interacting binary system NGC 4490/85 = Arp 269 is intermediate in mass between the Milky Way/Large Magellanic Cloud and the Large/Small Magellanic Cloud binary systems. It is a system of 14 known galaxies. We estimate the total Newtonian gravitating mass of the NGC\,4490/85 group to be M_T = (1.37 +- 0.43) times 10^{12} M_Sun using radial velocities and projected separations of its 13~candidate members. The system of dwarf satellites in the group demonstrates signs of coherent rotation in the same direction as that of the extended HI-shell surrounding the central interacting galaxy pair. The origin of this phase-space correlated population of star-forming late-type satellite galaxies raises questions in view of the planes-of-satellites observed around more massive galaxy pairs that are, however, made up of old early-type dwarf galaxies. We also report the detection of a candidate stellar Plume near the binary. This elongated structure of low surface brightness is a likely optical counterpart to the HI-tail north of NGC 4490/85, recently discovered by the FAST radio telescope.
JWST provides an unprecedented opportunity for unbiased surveys of H$\alpha$-emitting galaxies at $z>4$ with the NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy (WFSS). In this work, we present a census of Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction ($f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$) of 165 star-forming galaxies at $z=4.9-6.3$ using their H$\alpha$ emission directly measured from FRESCO NIRCam/WFSS data. We search for Ly$\alpha$ emission of each H$\alpha$-emitting galaxy in VLT/MUSE data. The overall $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ measured by stacking is $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ is $0.090\pm0.006$. We find that $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ displays a strong dependence on the observed UV slope ($\beta_{\rm obs}$) and E(B-V), such that the bluest galaxies ($\beta_{\rm obs}\sim-2.5$) have the largest escape fractions ($f_{\rm esc, Ly\alpha}\approx0.6$), indicative of the crucial role of dust and gas in modulating the escape of Ly$\alpha$ photons. $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ is less well related to other parameters, including the UV luminosity and stellar mass, and the variation in $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ with them can be explained by their underlying coupling with E(B-V) or $\beta_{\rm obs}$. Our results suggest a tentative decline in $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ at $z\gtrsim 5$, implying increasing intergalactic medium attenuation towards higher redshift. Furthermore, the dependence of $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ on $\beta_{\rm obs}$ is proportional to that of the ionizing photon escape fraction ($f_{\rm esc, LyC}$), indicating the escape of Ly$\alpha$ and ionizing photon may be regulated by similar physical processes. With $f_{esc, Ly\alpha}$ as a proxy to $f_{\rm esc, LyC}$, we infer that UV-faint ($M_{\rm UV}>-16$) galaxies contribute $>70\%$ of the total ionizing emissivity at $z=5-6$. If these relations hold during the epoch of reionization, UV-faint galaxies can contribute the majority of UV photon budget to reionize the Universe.
The species scale is a field-dependent UV cut-off for any effective field theory weakly coupled to gravity. In this letter we show that, in the context of inflationary cosmology, a detection of primordial gravitational waves will set an upper bound on the decay rate $|\Lambda'_s/\Lambda_s|$ of the species scale. Specifically, we derive this in terms of the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ of power spectra of primordial perturbations. Given the targets of current and next generation experiments, we show that any successful detection would signify that this upper limit is of the order of unity, which is consistent with recent discussions in the literature.
The dynamics of the Local Group (LG), especially concerning the contributions of the Milky Way (MW) and Andromeda (M31) galaxies, is sensitive to the presence of dark energy. This work compares the evolution of the LG by considering it as a two-body problem in a homogeneous and isotropic expanding spacetime, i.e. the McVitte spacetime (McV) versus the spherically symmetric metric for LG dynamics with the Cosmological Constant, i.e. the De Sitter-Schwarzschild spacetime (DsS). Using the Timing Argument (which links LG dynamics to LG mass), calibrated by the IllustrisTNG simulations, we find that the McV spacetime predicts a lower mass for the LG: $\left(4.20 \pm 0.61\right) \cdot 10^{12} M_{\odot}$ for McV spacetime vs. $\left(4.65 \pm 0.75\right) \cdot 10^{12} M_{\odot}$ for DsS spacetime ($68 \% ,$ CL). Due to uncertainties in tangential velocity measurements, the masses are indistinguishable. However, with future astrometric measurements, we demonstrate that the predicted masses will be distinguishable, indicating different LG histories. By independently estimating the total mass of MW and M31, we compare the possible upper bounds for the Cosmological Constant in these scenarios. We find a tighter upper bound for the DsS spacetime model, $\Lambda < 3.3 \,\Lambda_{\text{CMB}}$, compared to $\Lambda < 8.4\, \Lambda_{\text{CMB}}$ for the McV spacetime (where $\Lambda_{\text{CMB}}$ is the mean value from Planck). Future astrometric measurements, such as those from JWST, hold the potential to independently detect dark energy for both spacetime models independent from Planck's value.
Here we provide a review of Mira variables, their basic properties, and Period-Luminosity Relations with an emphasis on their role in measuring the Hubble Constant. The usage of multiple independent distance indicators and methods is crucial to cross-checking systematic uncertainties in distance measurements and in reinforcing previous findings of the Hubble tension. To this end, Mira variables serve as an alternative Type Ia Supernova calibrator to the more commonly-used Cepheid variables or Tip of the Red Giant Branch method. They also have the potential to expand the number of local SN Ia calibrators by calibrating previously-inaccessible SNe Ia. Short-period ($P \lesssim 400$ d) O-rich Miras are a ubiquitous older population that can reach galaxies not hosting the younger Cepheids variables or out of reach to the old but fainter Tip of the Red Giant Branch. With the current and upcoming focus on infrared observations, Miras, which can be discovered and characterized using exclusively near-infrared and infrared observations, will be particularly useful in obtaining distances to astrophysical objects. Long-period Miras ($P \gtrsim 400$ d) are highly luminous variables that have the potential to measure $H_0$ directly, excluding Type Ia SNe altogether in the distance ladder.
It has recently been shown that local primordial non-Gaussianities (PNG) with significant amplitude ($|f_{\rm NL}| \sim 1000$), at small (Mpc) scales, can help in forming simulated galaxies with more disky baryonic kinematics than in the Gaussian case, while generating matter power spectra that can differ by up to 20% from the Gaussian case at non-linear scales. Here, we explore in detail the consequences of such small-scale PNG on the dark matter halo profiles. We show in particular that, for negative $f_{\rm NL}$, dark matter halos formed in collisionless simulations are not always well described by the traditional Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profiles, as supported by their sparsity distribution. We conclude that NFW profiles are not as clear attractors for the density profiles of dark matter halos in the presence of PNG than in the case of a Gaussian contrast density field. We show how a minimal extension of the NFW profile can describe halos both in the Gaussian and non-Gaussian cases. From the combination of our sparsity analysis and the quality of the adjustments of the density profiles with a minimal extension to NFW, we conclude that $z=1$ halos carry the most interesting information about PNG.
This dissertation aims to deepen the understanding of the primordial composition of the Universe in the temperature range 300 MeV>T>0.02 MeV. I exploit known properties of elementary particles and apply methods of kinetic theory and statistical physics to advance the understanding of the cosmic plasma. Within the Big Bang model, we begin by considering the Universe being a highly energetic fireball, an ultra-relativistic plasma exhibiting distinct properties. Fundamental particles such as quarks, leptons, and even heavier gauge bosons play a crucial role in the understanding of the early Universe. Our research focuses on the investigation of these fundamental particles as constituents of the dense Universe plasma during the epoch which transits from primordial quark-gluon plasma to the era of normal hadron matter, passing through the decoupling of neutrinos and addressing in detail the electron-positron antimatter plasma.
The effective action in renormalizable quantum theory of gravity provides entropy because the total Hamiltonian vanishes. Since it is a renormalization group invariant that is constant in the process of cosmic evolution, we can show conservation of entropy, that is an ansatz in the standard cosmology. Here we study renormalizable quantum gravity that exhibits conformal dominance at high energy beyond the Planck scale. The current entropy of the universe is derived by calculating the effective action under the scenario of quantum gravity inflation caused by its dynamics. We then argue that ghost modes must be unphysical, but necessary for the Hamiltonian to vanish and for entropy to exist in gravitational systems.
Future research studies of cosmic microwave background polarization seems likely to provide a more improved upper bound of $r \le 0.03$ on the tensor-to-scalar ratio(r). In our work, we have done the reheating study of mutated hilltop inflation(MHI), a model falling in the broad category of small field inflation. We have parameterized reheating in terms of various parameters like reheating duration $N_{\text{rh}}$, reheating temperature $T_{\text{rh}}$ and effective equation of state $\overline{\omega }_{\text{rh}}$ using observationally viable values of scalar power spectrum amplitude $A_{\text{s}}$ and scalar spectral index $n_{\text{s}}$. In our study, working over a range of $\overline{\omega }_{\text{rh}}$, we found that the MHI potential is well consistent with combined Planck and BK18 observations for $\overline{\omega }_{\text{rh}} > 0$ within a particular range of model's parameter space and the lower values of the model parameter in MHI generate considerably smaller r compared to normal hilltop potential without any incompatibility of $n_s$ with observational data, making MHI a better choice in accordance to recent and future studies.
Recently, several regional pulsar timing array collaborations, including CPTA, EPTA, PPTA, and NANOGrav, have individually reported compelling evidence for a stochastic signal at nanohertz frequencies. This signal originates potentially from scalar-induced gravitational waves associated with significant primordial curvature perturbations on small scales. In this letter, we employ data from the EPTA DR2, PPTA DR3, and NANOGrav 15-year data set, to explore the speed of scalar-induced gravitational waves using a comprehensive Bayesian analysis. Our results suggest that, to be consistent with pulsar timing array observations, the speed of scalar-induced gravitational waves should be $c_g \gtrsim 0.61$ at a $95\%$ credible interval for a lognormal power spectrum of curvature perturbations. Additionally, this constraint aligns with the prediction of general relativity that $c_g=1$ within a $90\%$ credible interval. Our findings underscore the capacity of pulsar timing arrays as a powerful tool for probing the speed of scalar-induced gravitational waves.
We present forecasts for constraints on the Hu \& Sawicki $f(R)$ modified gravity model using realistic mock data representative of future cluster and weak lensing surveys. We create mock thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect selected cluster samples for SPT-3G and CMB-S4 and the corresponding weak gravitational lensing data from next-generation weak-lensing (ngWL) surveys like Euclid and Rubin. We employ a state-of-the-art Bayesian likelihood approach that includes all observational effects and systematic uncertainties to obtain constraints on the $f(R)$ gravity parameter $\log_{10}|f_{R0}|$. In this analysis we vary the cosmological parameters $[\Omega_{\rm m}, \Omega_\nu h^2, h^2, A_s, n_s, \log_{10}|f_{R0}|]$, which allows us to account for possible degeneracies between cosmological parameters and $f(R)$ modified gravity. The analysis accounts for $f(R)$ gravity via its effect on the halo mass function which is enhanced on cluster mass scales compared to the expectations within general relativity (GR). Assuming a fiducial GR model, the upcoming cluster dataset SPT-3G$\times$ngWL is expected to obtain an upper limit of $\log_{10}|f_{R0}| < -5.95$ at $95\,\%$ credibility, which significantly improves upon the current best bounds. The CMB-S4$\times$ngWL dataset is expected to improve this even further to $\log_{10}|f_{R0}| < -6.23$. Furthermore, $f(R)$ gravity models with $\log_{10}|f_{R0}| \geq -6$, which have larger numbers of clusters, would be distinguishable from GR with both datasets. We also report degeneracies between $\log_{10}|f_{R0}|$ and $\Omega_{\mathrm{m}}$ as well as $\sigma_8$ for $\log_{10}|f_{R0}| > -6$ and $\log_{10}|f_{R0}| > -5$ respectively. Our forecasts indicate that future cluster abundance studies of $f(R)$ gravity will enable substantially improved constraints that are competitive with other cosmological probes.
The measure of the abundance of galaxy clusters in the Universe is a sensitive probe of cosmology, sensitive to both the expansion history and the growth of structure. Density fluctuations across the finite survey volume induce noise to this measure, often referred to as Super-Sample Covariance (SSC). In the past for unbinned cluster analysis such noise has not been included in the cluster likelihood. In this paper, we present a derivation of the unbinned likelihood accounting for Super-Sample Covariance by using a Gauss-Poisson Compound (GPC) likelihood. We show that deriving the unbinned likelihood with SSC from the expansion of the GPC formalism to the second order in density perturbation is not sufficient, preventing us from using analytical methods already explored in the literature. In order to solve this issue, we still used the GPC model to derive an alternative "hybrid" likelihood, by using standard redshift bins. Using simulated dark matter halo catalog obtained by the PINOCCHIO algorithm, we found that the hybrid likelihood, accounting for both Poisson noise and SSC, increases the dispersion of the parameter posteriors by 25 per cent using 2,500 clusters, compared to the standard Poisson likelihood.
We investigate symmetric Metric-Affine Theories of Gravity with a Lagrangian containing all operators of dimension up to four that are relevant to free propagation in flat space. Complementing recent work in the antisymmetric case, we derive the conditions for the existence of a single massive particle with good properties, in addition to the graviton.
The Cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies predicted by two cosmological models are compared, one of them is the standard model of general relativity with cold dark matter and cosmological constant, whereas the second model is based on a consistent vector-tensor theory of gravitation explaining solar system and cosmological observations. It is proved that the resulting differences -- between the anisotropies of both models -- are due to the so-called late integrated Sachs Wolfe effect and, consequently, cross correlations between maps of CMB temperatures and tracers of the dark matter distribution could be used in future to select one of the above models. The role of reionization is analysed in detail.
We currently have two different hypotheses to solve the missing mass problem: dark matter (DM) and modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND). In this work, we use Bayesian inference applied to the Spitzer Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves (SPARC) galaxies' rotation curves to see which hypothesis fares better. For this, we represent DM by two widely used cusped and cored profiles, Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) and Burkert. We parameterize MOND by a widely used radial-acceleration relation (RAR). Our results show a preference for the cored DM profile with high Bayes factors in a substantial fraction of galaxies. Interestingly enough, MOND is typically preferred by those galaxies which lack precise rotation curve data. Our study also confirms that the choice of prior has a significant impact on the credible interval of the characteristic MOND acceleration. Overall, our analysis comes out in favor of dark matter.
We study the statistics of scalar perturbations in models of inflation with small and rapid oscillations in the inflaton potential (resonant non-Gaussianity). We do so by deriving the wavefunction $\Psi[\zeta(\boldsymbol{x})]$ non-perturbatively in $\zeta$, but at first order in the amplitude of the oscillations. The expression of the wavefunction of the universe (WFU) is explicit and does not require solving partial differential equations. One finds qualitative deviations from perturbation theory for $ |\zeta| \gtrsim \alpha^{-2}$, where $\alpha \gg 1$ is the number of oscillations per Hubble time. Notably, the WFU exhibits distinct behaviours for negative and positive values of $\zeta$ (troughs and peaks respectively). While corrections for $\zeta <0$ remain relatively small, of the order of the oscillation amplitude, positive $\zeta$ yields substantial effects, growing exponentially as $e^{\pi\alpha/2}$ in the limit of large $\zeta$. This indicates that even minute oscillations give large effects on the tail of the distribution.
We discuss gauge theories of scale invariance beyond the Standard Model (SM) and Einstein gravity. A consequence of gauging this symmetry is that their underlying 4D geometry is non-metric ($\nabla_\mu g_{\alpha\beta}\not=0$). Examples of such theories are Weyl's {\it original} quadratic gravity theory and its Palatini version. These theories have spontaneous breaking of the gauged scale symmetry to Einstein gravity. All mass scales have a geometric origin: the Planck scale ($M_p$), cosmological constant ($\Lambda$) and the mass of the Weyl gauge boson ($\omega_\mu$) of scale symmetry are proportional to a scalar field vev that has an origin in the (geometric) $\tilde R^2$ term in the action. With $\omega_\mu$ of non-metric geometry origin, the SM Higgs field also has a similar origin, generated by Weyl boson fusion in the early Universe. This appears as a microscopic realisation of "matter creation from geometry" discussed in the thermodynamics of open systems applied to cosmology. Unlike in local scale invariant theories (no $\omega_\mu$ present) with an underlying pseudo-Riemannian geometry, in our case: 1) there are no ghosts and no additional fields beyond the SM and underlying Weyl or Palatini geometry, 2) the cosmological constant is positive and is small because gravity is weak, 3) the Weyl or Palatini connection shares the Weyl (gauge) symmetry of the action, and: 4) there exists a non-trivial, conserved Weyl current of this symmetry. An intuitive picture of non-metricity and its relation to mass generation is also provided from a solid state physics perspective where it is common and is associated with point defects (metric anomalies) of the crystalline structure.
The Standard Model predicts a long-range force, proportional to $G_F^2/r^5$, between fermions due to the exchange of a pair of neutrinos. This quantum force is feeble and has not been observed yet. In this paper, we compute this force in the presence of neutrino backgrounds, both for isotropic and directional background neutrinos. We find that for the case of directional background the force can have a $1/r$ dependence and it can be significantly enhanced compared to the vacuum case. In particular, background effects caused by reactor, solar, and supernova neutrinos enhance the force by many orders of magnitude. The enhancement, however, occurs only in the direction parallel to the direction of the background neutrinos. We discuss the experimental prospects of detecting the neutrino force in neutrino backgrounds and find that the effect is close to the available sensitivity of the current fifth force experiments. Yet, the angular spread of the neutrino flux and that of the test masses reduce the strength of this force. The results are encouraging and a detailed experimental study is called for to check if the effect can be probed.
We consider generic freeze-in processes for generation of Dark Matter, together with the consequent re-thermalization of the Standard Model fluid. We find that Dark Matter inherits the Standard Model adiabatic inhomogeneities on the cosmological scales probed by current observations, that were super-horizon during freeze-in. Thereby, freeze-in satisfies the bounds on iso-curvature perturbations.
We study the possibility of probing the radiative Dirac seesaw model with dark sector particles going inside the loop, popularly referred to as the Dirac scotogenic model via measurements of effective relativistic degrees of freedom ${\rm \Delta{N_{eff}}}$ at cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. The loop suppression and additional free parameters involved in neutrino mass generation allow large ($\sim\mathcal{O}(1))$ coupling of light Dirac neutrinos with the dark sector particles. Such large Yukawa coupling not only dictates the relic abundance of heavy fermion singlet dark matter but also can lead to the thermalisation of the right chiral part of Dirac neutrinos, generating additional relativistic degrees of freedom ${\rm \Delta{N_{eff}}}$. We find that the parameter space consistent with dark matter phenomenology and neutrino mass bounds can also be probed at future cosmic microwave background experiments like CMB-S4 via precision measurements of ${\rm \Delta{N_{eff}}}$. The same parameter space, while leading to loop-suppressed direct detection cross-section of dark matter outside future sensitivities, can also have other interesting and complementary observational prospects via charged lepton flavour violation and collider signatures.
We study the evolution of quantum fluctuations of gravity around an inflationary solution in renormalizable quantum gravity, in which the initial scalar-fluctuation dominance is shown by the background-free nature expressed by a special conformal invariance. Inflation ignites at the Planck scale and continues until spacetime phase transition occurs at a dynamical scale about $10^{17}$GeV. We can show that during inflation, the initially large scale-invariant fluctuations reduce in amplitude to the appropriate magnitude suggested by tiny CMB anisotropies. The goal of this research is to derive the spectra of scalar fluctuations at the phase transition point, that is, the primordial spectra. A system of nonlinear evolution equations for the fluctuations is derived from the quantum gravity effective action. The running coupling constant is then expressed by a time-dependent average following the spirit of the mean field approximation. In this paper, we determine and examine various nonlinear terms, not treated in previous studies such as the exponential factor of the conformal mode. These contributions occur during the early stage of inflation when the amplitude is still large. Moreover, in order to verify their effects concretely, we numerically solve the evolution equation by making a simplification to extract the most contributing parts of the terms in comoving momentum space. The result indicates that they serve to maintain the initial scale invariance over a wide range beyond the comoving Planck scale. This is a challenge toward the derivation of the precise primordial spectra, and we expect in the future that it will lead to the resolution of the tensions that have arisen in cosmology.
The recently released data by pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations present strong evidence for a stochastic signal consistent with a gravitational-wave background. Assuming this signal originates from scalar-induced gravitational waves, we jointly use the PTA data from the NANOGrav 15-yr data set, PPTA DR3, and EPTA DR2 to probe the small-scale non-Gaussianity. We put the first-ever constraint on the non-Gaussianity parameter, finding $|F_\mathrm{NL}|\lesssim 13.9$ for a lognormal power spectrum of the curvature perturbations. Furthermore, we obtain $-13.9 \lesssim F_\mathrm{NL}\lesssim -0.1$ to prevent excessive production of primordial black holes. Moreover, the multi-band observations with the space-borne gravitational-wave detectors, such as LISA/Taiji/TianQin, will provide a complementary investigation of primordial non-Gaussianity. Our findings pave the way to constrain inflation models with PTA data.
Primordial black holes (PBHs) are plausible dark matter candidates that formed from the gravitational collapse of primordial density fluctuations. Current observational constraints allow asteroid-mass PBHs to account for all of the cosmological dark matter. We show that elastic scattering of a cosmological gravitational wave background, these black holes generate spectral distortions on the background of 0.3% for cosmologically relevant frequencies without considering coherent scattering and 5% when the coherent enhancement is included. Scattering from stellar objects induce much smaller distortions. Detectability of this signal depends on our ultimate understanding of the unperturbed background spectrum.
In a companion paper, we reported the self-consistent formation of quasar accretion disks with inflow rates $\sim 10\,{\rm M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}}$ down to <300 Schwarzschild radii from cosmological radiation-magneto-thermochemical-hydrodynamical galaxy and star formation simulations. We see the formation of a well-defined, steady-state accretion disk which is stable against star formation at sub-pc scales. The disks are optically thick, with radiative cooling balancing accretion, but with properties that are distinct from those assumed in most previous accretion disk models. The pressure is strongly dominated by (primarily toroidal) magnetic fields, with a plasma $\beta \sim 10^{-4}$ even in the disk midplane. They are qualitatively distinct from magnetically elevated or arrested disks. The disks are strongly turbulent, with trans-Alfvenic and highly super-sonic turbulence, and balance this via a cooling time that is short compared to the disk dynamical time, and can sustain highly super-Eddington accretion rates. Their surface and 3D densities at $\sim 10^{3}-10^{5}$ gravitational radii are much lower than in a Shakura-Sunyaev disk, with important implications for their thermo-chemistry and stability. We show how the magnetic field strengths and geometries arise from rapid advection of flux with the inflow from much weaker galaxy-scale fields in these 'flux-frozen' disks, and how this stabilizes the disk and gives rise to efficient torques. Re-simulating without magnetic fields produces catastrophic fragmentation with a vastly smaller, lower-$\dot{M}$ Shakura-Sunyaev-like disk.
Advanced primordial chemistry networks have been developed to model the collapse of metal-free baryonic gas within the gravitational well of dark matter (DM) halos and its subsequent collapse into Population III stars. At the low densities of 10^-26-10^-21 g cm-3 (10-3-10^2 cm-3) the collapse is dependent on H2 production, which is a function of the compressional heating provided by the DM potential. Once the gas decouples from the DM, the temperature-density relationship follows a well established path dictated by various chemical reactions until the formation of the protostar at 10^-4 g cm-3 (10^19 cm-3). Here we explore the feasibility of replacing the chemical network (CN) with a barotropic equation of state (EoS) just before the formation of the first protostar, to reduce the computational load of simulating the further fragmentation, evolution and characteristics of the very high density gas. We find a significant reduction in fragmentation when using the EoS. The EoS method produces a protostellar mass distribution that peaks at higher masses when compared to CN runs. The change in fragmentation behaviour is due to a lack of cold gas falling in through the disc around the first protostar when using an EoS. Despite this, the total mass accreted across all sinks was invariant to the switch to an EoS, hence the star formation rate (Msun yr^-1) is accurately predicted using an EoS. The EoS routine is approximately 4000 times faster than the CN, however this numerical gain is offset by the lack of accuracy in modelling secondary protostar formation and hence its use must be considered carefully.
The study of supernova siblings, supernovae with the same host galaxy, is an important avenue for understanding and measuring the properties of Type Ia Supernova (SN Ia) light curves (LCs). Thus far, sibling analyses have mainly focused on optical LC data. Considering that LCs in the near-infrared (NIR) are expected to be better standard candles than those in the optical, we carry out the first analysis compiling SN siblings with only NIR data. We perform an extensive literature search of all SN siblings and find six sets of siblings with published NIR photometry. We calibrate each set of siblings ensuring they are on homogeneous photometric systems, fit the LCs with the SALT3-NIR and SNooPy models, and find median absolute differences in $\mu$ values between siblings of 0.248 mag and 0.186 mag, respectively. To evaluate the significance of these differences beyond measurement noise, we run simulations that mimic these LCs and provide an estimate for uncertainty on these median absolute differences of $\sim$0.052 mag, and we find that our analysis supports the existence of intrinsic scatter in the NIR at the 99% level. When comparing the same sets of SN siblings, we observe a median absolute difference in $\mu$ values between siblings of 0.177 mag when using optical data alone as compared to 0.186 mag when using NIR data alone. We attribute this to either limited statistics, poor quality NIR data, or poor reduction of the NIR data; all of which will be improved with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Light hypothetical particles with masses up to $\mathcal{O}(100)\ {\rm MeV}$ can be produced in the core of supernovae. Their subsequent decays to neutrinos can produce a flux component with higher energies than the standard flux. We study the impact of heavy neutral leptons, $Z'$ bosons, in particular ${\rm U(1)}_{L_\mu-L_\tau}$ and ${\rm U(1)}_{B-L}$ gauge bosons, and majorons coupled to neutrinos flavor-dependently. We obtain new strong limits on these particles from no events of high-energy SN 1987A neutrinos and their future sensitivities from observations of galactic supernova neutrinos.
We consider a charged BTZ black hole in asymptotically AdS space-time of massive gravity to study the effect of the thermal fluctuations on the black hole thermodynamics. We consider the Einstein-Born-Infeld solution and investigate critical points and stability. We also compare the results with the case of Einstein-Maxwell solutions. Besides, we find that thermal fluctuations, which appear as a logarithmic term in the entropy, affect the stability of the black hole and change the phase transition point. Moreover, we study the geometrical thermodynamics and find that the behaviour of the linear Maxwell solution is the same as the nonlinear one.
The recent Gaia Focused Product Release contains radial velocity time-series for more than 9,000 Gaia long-period photometric variables. Here we search for binary systems with large radial velocity amplitudes to identify candidates with massive, unseen companions. Eight targets have binary mass function $f(M)>1\ M_\odot$, three of which are eclipsing binaries. The remaining five show evidence of ellipsoidal modulations. We fit spectroscopic orbit models to the Gaia radial velocities, and fit the spectral energy distributions of three targets. For the two systems most likely to host dark companions, J0946 and J1640, we use PHOEBE to fit the ASAS-SN light curves and Gaia radial velocities. The derived companion masses are $>3 M_\odot$, but the high Galactic dust extinctions towards these objects limit our ability to rule out main sequence companions or subgiants hotter than the photometric primaries. These systems are similar to other stellar-mass black hole impostors, notably the Unicorn (V723 Mon) and the Giraffe (2M04123153$+$6738486). While it is possible that J1640 and J0946 are similar examples of stripped giant star binaries, high-resolution spectra can be used to determine the nature of their companions.
Galactic X-ray sources are diverse, ranging from active M dwarfs to compact object binaries, and everything in between. The X-ray landscape of today is rich, with point source catalogs such as those from XMM-Newton, Chandra, and Swift, each with $\gtrsim10^5$ sources and growing. Furthermore, X-ray astronomy is on the verge of being transformed through data releases from the all-sky SRG/eROSITA survey. Many X-ray sources can be associated with an optical counterpart, which in the era of Gaia, can be determined to be Galactic or extragalactic through parallax and proper motion information. Here, I present a simple diagram -- the ``X-ray Main Sequence", which distinguishes between compact objects and active stars based on their optical color and X-ray-to-optical flux ratio ($F_X/F_\textrm{opt}$). As a proof of concept, I present optical spectroscopy of six exotic accreting WDs discovered using the X-ray Main Sequence as applied to the XMM-Newton catalog. Looking ahead to surveys of the near future, I additionally present SDSS-V optical spectroscopy of new systems discovered using the X-ray Main Sequence as applied to the SRG/eROSITA eFEDS catalog.
Accreting main-sequence stars expand significantly when the mass accretion timescale is much shorter than their thermal timescales. This occurs during mass transfer from an evolved giant star onto a main-sequence companion in a binary system, and is an important phase in the formation of compact binaries including X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, and gravitational-wave sources. In this study, we compute 1D stellar models of main-sequence accretors with different initial masses and accretion rates. The calculations are used to derive semi-analytical approximations to the maximum expansion radius. We assume that mass transfer remains fully conservative as long as the inflated accretor fits within its Roche lobe, leading stars to behave like hamsters, stuffing excess material behind their expanding cheeks. We suggest a physically motivated prescription for the mass growth of such "hamstars", which can be used to determine mass-transfer efficiency in rapid binary population synthesis models. With this prescription, we estimate that progenitors of high-mass X-ray binaries and gravitational-wave sources may have experienced highly non-conservative mass transfer. In contrast, for low-mass accretors, the accretion timescale can exceed the thermal timescale by a larger factor without causing significant radial expansion.
Adiabatic binary inspiral in the small mass ratio limit treats the small body as moving along a geodesic of a large Kerr black hole, with the geodesic slowly evolving due to radiative backreaction. Up to initial conditions, geodesics are typically parameterized in two ways: using the integrals of motion energy $E$, axial angular momentum $L_z$, and Carter constant $Q$; or, using orbit geometry parameters semi-latus rectum $p$, eccentricity $e$, and (cosine of ) inclination $x_I \equiv \cos I$. The community has long known how to compute orbit integrals as functions of the orbit geometry parameters, i.e., as functions expressing $E(p, e, x_I)$, and likewise for $L_z$ and $Q$. Mappings in the other direction -- functions $p(E, L_z, Q)$, and likewise for $e$ and $x_I$ -- have not yet been developed in general. In this note, we develop generic mappings from ($E$, $L_z$, $Q$) to ($p$, $e$, $x_I$). The mappings are particularly simple for equatorial orbits ($Q = 0$, $x_I = \pm1$), and can be evaluated efficiently for generic cases. These results make it possible to more accurately compute adiabatic inspirals by eliminating the need to use a Jacobian which becomes singular as inspiral approaches the last stable orbit.
We present the spectral analysis of bright steady states in an outburst of the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary (NS-LMXB) Swift J1858.6-0814 observed with NICER. We detected an ionized iron K absorption line (H-like Fe) at 6.97keV in the spectrum. We estimated the photoionization parameter using the ratio of the equivalent widths (EWs) of the FeXXVI (H-like) (17+\-5eV) and FeXXV (He-like) (<3eV) and discuss the origin of the iron absorption line. The irradiated gas producing the absorption line would locate within (3-6)*1E9cm from the X-ray source. We suggest that the observed H-like Fe absorption line originates from the highly-ionized gas in the inner accretion disk in Swift J1858.6-0814.
We present the results of an ultra-deep radio continuum survey, containing $\sim480$ hours of observations, of the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tucanae with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. This comprehensive coverage of the cluster allows us to reach RMS noise levels of 1.19 $\mu Jy~\textrm{beam}^{-1}$ at 5.5 GHz, 940 $nJy~\textrm{beam}^{-1}$ at 9 GHz, and 790 $nJy~\textrm{beam}^{-1}$ in a stacked 7.25 GHz image. This is the deepest radio image of a globular cluster, and the deepest image ever made with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We identify ATCA J002405.702-720452.361, a faint ($6.3\pm1.2$ $\mu Jy$ at 5.5 GHz, $5.4\pm0.9$ $\mu Jy$ at 9 GHz), flat-spectrum ($\alpha=-0.31\pm0.54$) radio source that is positionally coincident with the cluster centre and potentially associated with a faint X-ray source. No convincing optical counterpart was identified. We use radio, X-ray, optical, and UV data to show that explanations involving a background active galactic nucleus, a chromospherically active binary, or a binary involving a white dwarf are unlikely. The most plausible explanations are that the source is an undiscovered millisecond pulsar or a weakly accreting black hole. If the X-ray source is associated with the radio source, the fundamental plane of black hole activity suggests a black hole mass of $\sim54-6000$ M$_{\odot}$, indicating an intermediate-mass black hole or a heavy stellar-mass black hole.
A new mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of retrograde hot Jupiter in coplanar star-planet system via close encounter between a Jupiter mass planet and a brown dwarf mass planet. After long timescale scattering between several Jupiter mass planets with inner orbits, the remaining planets still rotating around the star could have large semimajor with large eccentricity. If there exists a brown dwarf mass planet in distant orbit around the star, planetary encounter may happen. After encounter, the Jupiter mass planet may rotate around the star in a retrograde orbit with extremely large eccentricity and the periastron can reach 0.01 AU, which means that, within the first several orbits around the star, tidal interaction from the star can shrink the semimajor axis of the planet quickly. Thus, the Jupiter mass planet is isolated from the brown dwarf mass planet due to the quick decrease of its apastron distance and eventually evolves into a retrograde hot Jupiter.
The Galactic diffuse X-ray emission (GDXE) can be spatially segmented into the Galactic center X-ray Emission (GCXE), the Galactic ridge X-ray emission (GRXE), and the Galactic bulge X-ray emission (GBXE). The X-ray spectra of the GDXE are expressed by the assembly of compact X-ray sources, which are either the white dwarfs (WDs), or the X-ray active stars, consisting of binaries with late type stars. The WDs have either strong magnetic field (mCV), or weak magnetic field (non-mCV). The WDs and X-ray active stars are collectively called as compact X-ray stars. However, spectral fittings by the assembly of all compact X-ray stars for the GCXE, GRXE, and GBXE are rejected leaving significant excess near the energies of K$\alpha$, He$\alpha$, Ly$\alpha$ lines. These excesses are found in the collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) plasma. Thus the spectra of the GRXE and GBXE are improved by adding CIE-SNRs. However the GCXE spectrum is still unacceptable with significant data excess due to the radiative recombination emission (RP-plasma). Then the GCXE fit is significantly improved by adding aged RP-SNRs. The aged RP-SNRs would be made by a past big flare of Sgr~A$^*$ emitting either hard X-rays or low-energy cosmic-rays. The big flares may excite Fe and Ni atoms in cold diffuse gas (CM), and emit fluorescent X-ray lines. The CIE-SNRs, RP-SNRs and CM are called as diffuse X-ray sources. This paper presents the spectral fits by the assembly of all the compact and diffuse X-ray sources together with high quality spectra and combined fit among all GDXE of GCXE, GRXE, and GBXE. This provides the first scenario to quantitatively and comprehensively predict the origin of the GDXE spectra.
We investigate an SNR W28 with the Suzaku archive data and report the results of spatial resolved analyses. We carry out spectral analysis using a recombining plasma (RP) model with an element-dependent initial ionization temperature, and obtain the ionization temperatures to be $\sim0.5$~keV for Ne, $\sim0.7$~keV for Mg, $\sim1.0$~keV for Si, $\sim1.2$~keV for S, $\sim1.4$~keV for Ar, $\sim1.7$~keV for Ca, and $\sim0.7$~keV for Fe in the RP-initial phase. In addition to northeast regions where RP have been reported, we find that the ionization temperature in the southeast and southwest regions show a similar trend to the central region, in the RP-initial phase. Furthermore, the elapsed time from the RP-initial phase to present is shorter, $\sim300$~yr in the central region and longer, $\sim10^3$-$10^4$~yr in the outside regions. Our results cannot be explained by simple scenarios of thermal conduction due to molecular clouds or adiabatic cooling (rarefaction), and indicate that more complex mechanism or other scenarios are required. Also, we estimate the ejecta mass $\gtrsim14M_{\odot}$, which indicates a SNR derived a massive star.
The low-energy $\gamma$-ray (0.1-30 MeV) sky has been relatively unexplored since the decommissioning of the COMPTEL instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) satellite in 2000. However, the study of this part of the energy spectrum (the ``MeV gap") is crucial for addressing numerous unresolved questions in high-energy and multi-messenger astrophysics. Although several large MeV $\gamma$-ray missions like AMEGO and e-ASTROGAM are being proposed, they are predominantly in the developmental phase, with launches not anticipated until the next decade at the earliest. In recent times, there has been a surge in proposed CubeSat missions as cost-effective and rapidly implementable ``pathfinder" alternatives. A MeV CubeSat dedicated to $\gamma$-ray astronomy has the potential to serve as a demonstrator for future, larger-scale MeV payloads. This paper presents a $\gamma$-ray payload design featuring a CdZnTe crystal calorimeter module developed by IDEAS. We report the detailed results of simulations to assess the performance of this proposed payload and compare it with those of previous $\gamma$-ray instruments.
Optical broad-band spectral shape measurements of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are typically made starting an hour or more after the trigger event. With our automated, rapid-response system, the Burst Simultaneous Three-channel Imager (BSTI) on the Nazarbayev University Transient Telescope at Assy-Turgen Astrophysical Observatory (NUTTelA-TAO), we began measurements of GRB200925B 129 s after the Swift BAT trigger. The temporal decay log slopes in the g', r', and i' bands in the time interval 129 s to 1029 s are -0.43 \pm 0.31, -0.43 \pm 0.15, and -0.72 \pm 0.14, respectively. During the decay phase, a shift in color from red to blue, a change in log slope of \{beta} from -2.73 to -1.52 was measured. The evolution in the optical spectral slope is consistent with a decrease in extinction caused by dust destruction.
The formation of $e^\pm$ plasmas within pulsar magnetospheres through quantum electrodynamics (QED) cascades in vacuum gaps is widely acknowledged. This paper aims to investigate the effect of photon polarization during the QED cascade occurring over the polar cap of a pulsar. We employ a Monte Carlo-based QED algorithm that accurately accounts for both spin and polarization effects during photon emission and pair production in both single-particle and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Our findings reveal distinctive properties in the photon polarization of curvature radiation (CR) and synchrotron radiation (SR). CR photons exhibit high linear polarization parallel to the plane of the curved magnetic field lines, whereas SR photons, on average, demonstrate weak polarization. As the QED cascade progresses, SR photons gradually dominate over CR photons, thus reducing the average degree of photon polarization. Additionally, our study highlights an intriguing observation: the polarization of CR photons enhances $e^\pm$ pair production by approximately 5%, in contrast to the inhibition observed in laser-plasma interactions. Our self-consistent QED PIC simulations in the corotating frame reproduce the essential results obtained from single-particle simulations.
Among the compact objects observed in gravitational wave merger events a few have masses in the gap between the most massive neutron stars (NSs) and least massive black holes (BHs) known. Their nature and the formation of their merging binaries are not well understood. We report on pulsar timing observations using the Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) of PSR J0514-4002E, an eccentric binary millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster NGC 1851 with a total binary mass of $3.887 \pm 0.004$ solar masses. The companion to the pulsar is a compact object and its mass (between $2.09$ and $2.71$ solar masses, 95% confidence interval) is in the mass gap, so it either is a very massive NS or a low-mass BH. We propose the companion was formed by a merger between two earlier NSs.
In this lecture we discuss the properties of dense hadronic matter inside neutron stars. In particular, we pay attention to the role of strangeness in the core of neutron stars, by analysing the presence of baryons and mesons with strangeness. We consider two interesting possible scenarios in their interior, that is, the existence of hyperons leading to the so-called hyperon puzzle and the presence of a kaon condensed phase inside neutron stars.
Spider pulsars continue to provide promising candidates for neutron star mass measurements. Here we present the discovery of PSR~J1910$-$5320, a new millisecond pulsar discovered in a MeerKAT observation of an unidentified \textit{Fermi}-LAT gamma-ray source. This pulsar is coincident with a recently identified candidate redback binary, independently discovered through its periodic optical flux and radial velocity. New multi-color optical light curves obtained with ULTRACAM/NTT in combination with MeerKAT timing and updated SOAR/Goodman spectroscopic radial velocity measurements allow a mass constraint for PSR~J1910$-$5320. \texttt{Icarus} optical light curve modelling, with streamlined radial velocity fitting, constrains the orbital inclination and companion velocity, unlocking the binary mass function given the precise radio ephemeris. Our modelling aims to unite the photometric and spectroscopic measurements available by fitting each simultaneously to the same underlying physical model, ensuring self-consistency. This targets centre-of-light radial velocity corrections necessitated by the irradiation endemic to spider systems. Depending on the gravity darkening prescription used, we find a moderate neutron star mass of either $1.6\pm0.2$ or $1.4\pm0.2$ $M_\odot$. The companion mass of either $0.45\pm0.04$ or $0.43^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$ $M_\odot$ also further confirms PSR~J1910$-$5320 as an irradiated redback spider pulsar.radiated redback spider pulsar.
Short Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are often associated with NSNS or BHNS mergers. The discovery of GW/GRB 170817A has enhanced our understanding, revealing that the interaction between relativistic jets and post-merger outflows influences the observed radiation. However, the nature of compact binary merger event suggests that the system can be more complex than the uniform jet interacting with a homologously expanding wind. We consider here an improved scenario by performing a set of two-dimensional, large scale numerical simulations, and we investigate the interaction between short GRB jets and post-merger disk wind outflows. We focus on two types of configurations, arising from NSNS and BHNS mergers. The simulations consider the effects of the r-process nucleosynthesis in the accretion disk wind on its pressure profile. The main properties of the jet, such as its energy distribution and collimation degree, are estimated from our simulations. We found that a) the impact of the r-process on initial wind pressure leads to significant changes in the jet collimation and cocoon expansion; b) the angular structure of thermal and kinetic energy components in the jets, cocoons, and winds differ with respect to simple homologous models, hence it would affect the predictions of GRB afterglow emission; c) the temporal evolution of the structure reveals conversion of thermal to kinetic energy being different for each component in the system (jet, cocoon, and wind); d) post-merger environments influence energy structure and material dispersion, altering the interaction between jets and disk winds. %Our study underscores the importance of post-merger disk wind in the jet propagation, emphasizing the need for careful parameter selection to avoid interpretation degeneracy in the electromagnetic counterparts.
Short GRBs are produced by relativistic jets arising from binary NS-NS or NS-BH mergers. Since the detection of the first unambiguous off-axis GRB 170817A, we learned that energy distribution in the jet plays an important role in explaining the GRB emission. The structure and dynamics are modified during the first seconds of the jet interaction with a post-merger environment. Conventional studies often assume this environment as a simple homologous and symmetrically expanding wind. However, post-merger outflows exhibit complex dynamics influenced by the accretion disc evolution. Moreover, the r-process nucleosynthesis influences the thermodynamics and properties of the post-merger neutron-rich environment. In this work, we study the impact of realistic post-merger disc outflow over the jet dynamics at large scales. We find the results are substantially different from the typical model with symmetric homologous wind.
While the standard X-ray variability of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) is stochastic and noisy, there are two known BHXBs that exhibit exotic `heartbeat'-like variability in their light curves: GRS 1915+105 and IGR J17091-3624. In 2022, IGR J17091-3624 went into outburst for the first time in the NICER/NuSTAR era. These exquisite data allow us to simultaneously track the exotic variability and the corresponding spectral features with unprecedented detail. We find that as in typical BHXBs, the outburst began in the hard state, then the intermediate state, but then transitioned to an exotic soft state where we identify two types of heartbeat-like variability (Class V and a new Class X). The flux-energy spectra show a broad iron emission line due to relativistic reflection when there is no exotic variability, and absorption features from highly ionized iron when the source exhibits exotic variability. Whether absorption lines from highly ionized iron are detected in IGR J17091-3624 is not determined by the spectral state alone, but rather is determined by the presence of exotic variability; in a soft spectral state, absorption lines are only detected along with exotic variability. Our finding indicates that IGR J17091-3624 can be seen as a bridge between the most peculiar BHXB GRS 1915+105 and `normal' BHXBs because it alternates between the conventional and exotic behavior of BHXBs. We discuss the physical nature of the absorbing material and exotic variability in light of this new legacy dataset.
IGR J17091-3624 is a black hole X-ray binary (BHXB), often referred to as the 'twin' of GRS 1915+105 because it is the only other known BHXB that can show exotic 'heartbeat'-like variability that is highly structured and repeated. Here we report on observations of IGR J17091-3624 from its 2022 outburst, where we detect an unusually coherent quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) when the broadband variability is low (total fractional rms $\lesssim$ 6%) and the spectrum is dominated by the accretion disk. Such spectral and variability behavior is characteristic of the soft state of typical BHXBs (i.e., those that do not show heartbeats), but we also find that this QPO is strongest when there is some exotic heartbeat-like variability (so-called Class V variability). This QPO is detected at frequencies between 5 and 8 Hz and has Q-factors (defined as the QPO frequency divided by the width) $\gtrsim$ 50, making it one of the most highly coherent low-frequency QPO ever seen in a BHXB. The extremely high Q factor makes this QPO distinct from typical low-frequency QPOs that are conventionally classified into Type-A/B/C QPOs. Instead, we find evidence that archival observations of GRS 1915+105 also showed a similarly high-coherence QPO in the same frequency range, suggesting that this unusually coherent and strong QPO may be unique to BHXBs that can exhibit 'heartbeat'-like variability.
By measuring photoelectron tracks, the gas pixel detectors of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer satellite provide estimates of the photon detection location and its electric vector position angle (EVPA). However, imperfections in reconstructing event positions blur the image and EVPA-position correlations result in artificial polarized halos around bright sources. We introduce a new model describing this "polarization leakage" and use it to recover the on-orbit telescope point-spread functions, useful for faint source detection and image reconstruction. These point spread functions are more accurate than previous approximations or ground-calibrated products ($\Delta \chi^2\approx 3\times 10^{4}$ and $4 \times 10^4$ respectively for a bright $10^6$-count source). We also define an algorithm for polarization leakage correction substantially more accurate than existing prescriptions ($\Delta \chi^2\approx 1\times 10^{3}$). These corrections depend on the reconstruction method, and we supply prescriptions for the mission-standard "Moments" methods as well as for "Neural Net" event reconstruction. Finally, we present a method to isolate leakage contributions to polarization observations of extended sources and show that an accurate PSF allows the extraction of sub-PSF-scale polarization patterns.
In this work, we present the results of searches for signatures of dark matter decay or annihilation into Standard Model particles, and secret neutrino interactions with dark matter. Neutrinos could be produced in the decay or annihilation of galactic or extragalactic dark matter. Additionally, if an interaction between dark matter and neutrinos exists then dark matter will interact with extragalactic neutrinos. In particular galactic dark matter will induce an anisotropy in the neutrino sky if this interaction is present. We use seven and a half years of the High-Energy Starting Event (HESE) sample data, which measures neutrinos in the energy range of approximately 60 TeV to 10 PeV, to study these phenomena. This all-sky event selection is dominated by extragalactic neutrinos. For dark matter of $\sim$ 1 PeV in mass, we constrain the velocity-averaged annihilation cross section to be smaller than $10^{-23}$cm$^3$/s for the exclusive $\mu^+\mu^-$ channel and $10^{-22}$ cm$^3$/s for the $b\bar b$ channel. For the same mass, we constrain the lifetime of dark matter to be larger than $10^{28}$ s for all channels studied, except for decaying exclusively to $b\bar b$ where it is bounded to be larger than $10^{27}$ s. Finally, we also search for evidence of astrophysical neutrinos scattering on galactic dark matter in two scenarios. For fermionic dark matter with a vector mediator, we constrain the dimensionless coupling associated with this interaction to be less than 0.1 for dark matter mass of 0.1 GeV and a mediator mass of $10^{-4}~$ GeV. In the case of scalar dark matter with a fermionic mediator, we constrain the coupling to be less than 0.1 for dark matter and mediator masses below 1 MeV.
Quasars and microquasars both contain accreting black holes and power nonthermal radio sources, but differ in more than their scales: Quasars, are proportionally much more efficient accelerators of energetic electrons. The radio luminosities of quasars may be 1-30% of their bolometric luminosities; in microquasars the fraction is $\lesssim 10^{-5}$. This micropaper considers how this may be explained by accretion disc scaling laws.
We present an adaptive-order positivity-preserving conservative finite-difference scheme that allows a high-order solution away from shocks and discontinuities while guaranteeing positivity and robustness at discontinuities. This is achieved by monitoring the relative power in the highest mode of the reconstructed polynomial and reducing the order when the polynomial series no longer converges. Our approach is similar to the multidimensional optimal order detection (MOOD) strategy, but differs in several ways. The approach is a priori and so does not require retaking a time step. It can also readily be combined with positivity-preserving flux limiters that have gained significant traction in computational astrophysics and numerical relativity. This combination ultimately guarantees a physical solution both during reconstruction and time stepping. We demonstrate the capabilities of the method using a standard suite of very challenging 1d, 2d, and 3d general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics test problems.
Kilonovae are likely a key site of heavy r-process element production in the Universe, and their optical/infrared spectra contain insights into both the properties of the ejecta and the conditions of the r-process. However, the event GW170817/AT2017gfo is the only kilonova so far with well-observed spectra. To understand the diversity of absorption features that might be observed in future kilonovae spectra, we use the TARDIS Monte Carlo radiative transfer code to simulate a suite of optical spectra spanning a wide range of kilonova ejecta properties and r-process abundance patterns. To identify the most common and prominent absorption lines, we perform dimensionality reduction using an autoencoder, and we find spectra clusters in the latent space representation using a Bayesian Gaussian Mixture model. Our synthetic kilonovae spectra commonly display strong absorption by strontium Sr II, yttrium Y II, and zirconium Zr I - II, with strong lanthanide contributions at low electron fractions (Ye < 0.25). When a new kilonova is observed, our machine learning framework will provide context on the dominant absorption lines and key ejecta properties, helping to determine where this event falls within the larger 'zoo' of kilonovae spectra.
The disruption of a star by the tidal forces of a spinning black hole causes the stellar stream to precess affecting the conditions for triggering the tidal disruption event (TDE). In this work, we study the effect that precession imprints on TDE light curves due to the interaction of the TDE wind and luminosity with the stream wrapped around the black hole. We perform two-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamic simulations using the moving-mesh hydrodynamic code JET with its radiation treatment module. We study the impact of black hole mass, accretion efficiency, and inclination between the orbital and spin planes. From our results, we identified two behaviours: $i)$ models with low-mass black holes ($M_\text{h}\sim10^6~\text{M}_{\odot}$), low inclination ($i\sim0$), and low accretion efficiency ($\eta\sim0.01$) show light curves with a short early peak caused by the interaction of the wind with the inner edge of the stream. The line of sight has little effect on the light curve, since the stream covers a small fraction of the solid angle due to the precession occurring in the orbital plane; $ii)$ models with high-mass black holes ($M_\text{h}\gtrsim10^7~\text{M}_{\odot}$), high inclination ($i\sim90^{\circ}$), and high accretion efficiency ($\eta\sim0.1$) produce light curves with luminosity peaks that can be delayed by up to 50-100 d depending on the line of sight due to presence of the precessed stream blocking the radiation in the early phase of the event. Our results show that black hole spin and misalignment do not imprint recognisable features on the light curves but rather can add complications to their analysis.
Orbital eccentricity and spin precession are precious observables to infer the formation history of binary black holes with gravitational-wave data. We present a post-Newtonian, multi-timescale analysis of the binary dynamics able to capture both precession and eccentricity over long inspirals. We show that the evolution of an eccentric binary can be reduced that of effective source on quasi-circular orbits, coupled to a post-Newtonian prescription for the secular evolution of the eccentricity. Our findings unveil an interplay between precession and eccentricity: the spins of eccentric binaries precess on shorter timescales and their nutation amplitude is altered compared to black holes on quasi-circular orbits, consequently affecting the so-called spin morphology. Even if binaries circularize by the time they enter the sensitivity window of our detectors, their spin orientations retain some memory of the past evolution on eccentric orbits, thus providing a new link between gravitational-wave detection and astrophysical formation. At the same time, we point out that residual eccentricity should be considered a source of systematics when reconstructing the past history of black-hole binaries using the spin orientations.
Dynamical encounters of stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in a disc of compact objects around a supermassive BH (SMBH) can accelerate the formation and coalescence of BH binaries. It has been proposed that binary-single encounters among BHs in such discs can lead to an excess of highly-eccentric BH mergers. However, previous studies have neglected how the disc velocity dispersion and the SMBH's tidal field affect the 3-body dynamics. We investigate the outcomes of binary-single encounters considering different values of the disc velocity dispersion, and examine the role of the SMBH's tidal field. We then demonstrate how their inclusion affects the properties of merging BH binaries. We perform simulations of 4-body encounters (i.e. with the SMBH as fourth particle) using the highly-accurate, regularized code TSUNAMI, which includes post-Newtonian corrections up to order 3.5PN. The disc velocity dispersion controls how orbits in the disc are aligned and circular, and determines the relative velocity of the binary-single pair before the encounter. As the velocity dispersion decreases, the eccentricity of post-encounter binaries transitions from thermal to superthermal, and binaries experience enhanced hardening. The transition between these two regimes happens at disc eccentricities and inclinations of order e ~ i ~ 10^-4. These distinct regimes correspond to a disc dominated by random motions, and one dominated by the Keplerian shear. The inclusion of the SMBH's tidal field and the disc velocity dispersion can significantly affect the number of GW mergers, and especially the number of highly-eccentric inspirals. These can be up to ~2 times higher at low velocity dispersion, and ~12 times lower at high velocity dispersions. The spin-orbit alignment is influenced by the tidal field exclusively at high velocity dispersions, effectively inhibiting the formation of anti-aligned binary BHs.
We describe the possible forms of black hole images, viewed by a distant observer. These images are numerically calculated basing on general relativity and equations of motion in the Kerr-Newman metric. Black hole image is a gravitationally lensed image of the black hole event horizon. It may be viewed as a black spot on the celestial sphere, projected inside the position of classical black hole shadow. In the nearest future it would be possible to verify modified gravity theories by observations of astrophysical black holes with Space Observatory Millimetron.
We explore the prospects for identifying differences in simulated gravitational-wave signals of binary neutron star (BNS) mergers associated with the way thermal effects are incorporated in the numerical-relativity modelling. We consider a hybrid approach in which the equation of state (EoS) comprises a cold, zero temperature, piecewise-polytropic part and a thermal part described by an ideal gas, and a tabulated approach based on self-consistent, microphysical, finite-temperature EoS. We use time-domain waveforms corresponding to BNS merger simulations with four different EoS. Those are injected into Gaussian noise given by the sensitivity of the third-generation detector Einstein Telescope and reconstructed using BayesWave, a Bayesian data-analysis algorithm that recovers the signals through a model-agnostic approach. The two representations of thermal effects result in frequency shifts of the dominant peaks in the spectra of the post-merger signals, for both the quadrupole fundamental mode and the late-time inertial modes. For some of the EoS investigated those differences are large enough to be told apart, especially in the early post-merger phase when the signal amplitude is the loudest.
The blazar $TXS~0506+056$ has been proposed as a high-energy neutrino emitter. However, it has been shown that the standard one-zone model cannot produce sufficiently high neutrino flux due to constraints from the X-ray data, implying more complex properties of the radiation zones in the blazar than that described by the standard one-zone model. In this work we investigate multi-epoch high-energy muon neutrino events associated with the blazar $TXS~0506+056$ occured in 2014-2015, 2017-2018, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, respectively. We applied the so-called ``stochastic dissipation model'' to account for the neutrino-blazar associations detected in the four epochs simultaenously. This model describes a scenario in which the emission of the blazar arise from the superimposition of two components: a persistent component related to the quasi-stable state of the blazar and a transient component responsible for the sudden enhancement of the blazar's flux, either in electromagnetic radiation or in neutrino emission. The latter component could form at a random distance along the jet by a strong energy dissipation event. Under such assumption, the multi-epoch broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) can be well explained and the expected number of high-energy neutrino events is statistically realistic. The expected number of neutrino events in half-year is around 8.2, 0.07, 0.73 and 0.41, corresponding to the epoch in 2014-2015, 2017-2018, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, respectively. Hence, our model self-consistently explains the episodic neutrino emission from $TXS~0506+056$.
Recent years have seen broad observational support for the presence of a clumpy component within the circumnuclear gas around SMBHs. In the X-ray band, individual clouds can manifest themselves when they transit the line of sight to the X-ray corona, temporarily obscuring the X-ray continuum and thereby indicating the characteristics and location of these clouds. X-ray flux monitoring with SRG/eROSITA has revealed that in the Seyfert 1 AGN EC 04570-5206, the soft X-ray flux dipped abruptly for about 10-18 months over 2020-2021, only to recover and then drop a second time by early 2022. Here, we investigate whether these flux dips and recoveries could be associated with cloud occultation events. We complemented the eROSITA scans with multiwavelength follow-up observations, including X-ray/UV observations with Swift, XMM-Newton, and NICER, along with ground-based optical photometric and spectroscopic observations to investigate the spectral and flux variability. XMM-Newton spectra confirm that the soft X-ray flux dips were caused by partial-covering obscuration by two separate clouds. The 2020-2021 event was caused by a cloud with column density near 1e22 /cm2 and a covering fraction near 0.6. The cloud in the 2022 event had a column density near 3e23 /cm2 and a covering fraction near 0.8. The optical/UV continuum flux varied minimally and the optical emission line spectra showed no variability in Balmer profiles or intensity. The transiting gas clouds are neutral or lowly-ionized, while the lower limits on their radial distances are commensurate with the dust sublimation zone (cloud 1) or the optical broad line region (cloud 2). One possible explanation is a dust-free, outflowing wind with embedded X-ray clumps. These events are the first cloud obscuration events detected in a Seyfert galaxy using eROSITA's X-ray monitoring capabilities.
This article is the rapporteur's summary of the cosmic ray indirect sessions of the 38th International Cosmic Ray Conference in Nagoya, Japan. The rapporteur highlights cosmic ray indirect observatories around the world, and reviews a selection of the latest results regarding the cosmic ray energy spectrum, mass composition, anisotropy, hadronic interaction models, theory, geophysics, interdisciplinary research, and future projects.
While the shape of the Ly$\alpha$ profile is viewed as one of the best tracers of ionizing-photon escape fraction ($f_{esc}$) within low redshift (z~0.3) surveys of the Lyman continuum, this connection remains untested at high redshift. Here, we combine deep, rest-UV Keck/LRIS spectra of 80 objects from the Keck Lyman Continuum Spectroscopic Survey with rest-optical Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy in order to examine potential correlations between Ly$\alpha$ profile shape and the escape of ionizing radiation within z~3 star-forming galaxies. We measure the velocity separation between double-peaked Ly$\alpha$ emission structure (v$_{\rm sep}$), between red-side Ly$\alpha$ emission peaks and systemic (v$_{\rm Ly\alpha,red}$), and between red-side emission peaks and low-ionization interstellar absorption lines (v$_{\rm Ly\alpha-LIS}$). We find that the IGM-corrected ratio of ionizing to non-ionizing flux density is significantly higher in KLCS objects with lower v$_{\rm Ly\alpha,red}$. We find no significant trend between measures of ionizing-photon escape and v$_{\rm Ly\alpha-LIS}$. We compare our results to measurements of z~0.3 "Green Peas" from the literature and find that KLCS objects have larger v$_{\rm sep}$ at fixed v$_{\rm Ly\alpha,red}$, larger $f_{esc}$ at fixed v$_{\rm Ly\alpha,red}$, and higher v$_{\rm Ly\alpha,red}$ overall than z~0.3 analogs. We conclude that the Ly$\alpha$ profile shapes of our high-redshift sources are fundamentally different, and that measurements of profile shape such as v$_{\rm Ly\alpha,red}$ map on to $f_{esc}$ in different ways. We caution against building reionization-era $f_{esc}$ diagnostics based purely on Ly$\alpha$ profiles of low-redshift dwarf galaxies. Tracing v$_{\rm sep}$, v$_{\rm Ly\alpha,red}$, and $f_{esc}$ in a larger sample of z~3 galaxies will reveal how these variables may be connected for galaxies at the epoch of reionization.
We present the most precise constraints to date for the mass and age distributions of single ultracool dwarfs in the solar neighborhood, based on an updated volume-limited sample of 504 L, T, and Y dwarfs within 25 pc. We develop a Monte Carlo approach using the $\langle V/V_{\rm max}\rangle$ statistic to correct for incompleteness and obtain a space density of $(1.83_{-0.15}^{+0.16})\times10^{-2}$ pc$^{-3}$ for spectral types L0-Y2. We calculate bolometric luminosities for our sample, using an updated "super-magnitude" method for the faintest objects. We use our resulting luminosity function and a likelihood-based population synthesis approach to simultaneously constrain the mass and age distributions. We employ the fraction of young L0-L7 dwarfs as a novel input for this analysis that is crucial for constraining the age distribution. For a power-law mass function $\frac{dN}{dM} \propto M^{-\alpha}$ we find $\alpha=0.58_{-0.20}^{+0.16}$, indicating an increase in numbers toward lower masses, consistent with measurements in nearby star-forming regions. For an exponential age distribution $b(t) \propto e^{-\beta t}$ we find $\beta=-0.44\pm0.14$, i.e., a population with fewer old objects than often assumed, which may reflect dynamical heating of the Galactic plane as much as the historical brown dwarf birthrate. We compare our analysis to Kirkpatrick et al. (2021), who used a similar volume-limited sample. Although our mass function measurements are numerically consistent, their assumption of a flat age distribution is disfavored by our analysis, and we identify several important methodological differences between our two studies. Our calculation of the age distribution of solar neighborhood brown dwarfs is the first based on a volume-limited sample.
Constraining the escape fraction of Lyman Continuum (LyC) photons from high-redshift galaxies is crucial to understanding reionization. Recent observations have demonstrated that various characteristics of the Ly$\alpha$ emission line correlate with the inferred LyC escape fraction ($f_{\rm esc}^{\rm LyC}$) of low-redshift galaxies. Using a data-set of 9,600 mock Ly$\alpha$ spectra of star-forming galaxies at $4.64 \leq z \leq 6$ from the SPHINX$^{20}$ cosmological radiation hydrodynamical simulation, we study the escape of Ly$\alpha$ and LyC photons. We find that our mock Ly$\alpha$ observations are representative of high-redshift observations and that typical observational methods tend to over-predict the Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction ($f_{\rm esc}^{\rm Ly\alpha}$) by as much as two dex. We investigate the correlations between $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm LyC}$ and $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm Ly\alpha}$, Ly$\alpha$ equivalent width ($W_{\lambda}({\rm Ly\alpha})$), peak separation ($v_{\rm sep}$), central escape fraction ($f_{\rm cen}$), and red peak asymmetry ($A_f^{\rm red}$). We find that $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm Ly\alpha}$ and $f_{\rm cen}$ are good diagnostics for LyC leakage, selecting for galaxies with lower neutral gas densities and less UV attenuation that have recently experienced supernova feedback. In contrast, $W_{\lambda}({\rm Ly\alpha})$ and $v_{\rm sep}$ are found to be necessary but insufficient diagnostics, while $A_f^{\rm red}$ carries little information. Finally, we use stacks of Ly$\alpha$, H$\alpha$, and F150W mock surface brightness profiles to find that galaxies with high $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm LyC}$ have less extended Ly$\alpha$ and F150W but larger H$\alpha$ haloes than their non-leaking counterparts. This confirms that Ly$\alpha$ spectral profiles and surface brightness morphology can be used to better understand the escape of LyC photons from galaxies during the Epoch of Reionization.
We present new analytical solutions for the evolution of protoplanetary discs (PPDs) where magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wind-driven processes dominate. Our study uses a 1D model which incorporates equations detailing angular momentum extraction by MHD winds and mass-loss rates. Our solutions demonstrate that the disc retains its initial state during the early phases; however, it rapidly evolves towards a self-similar state in the later stages of disc evolution. The total disc mass undergoes a continuous decline over time, with a particularly rapid reduction occurring beyond a certain critical time threshold. This gradual decrease in mass is influenced by the wind parameters and the initial surface density of the disc. In the MHD wind-dominated regime, we show that the disc's lifespan correlates positively with the magnetic lever arm up to a certain threshold, irrespective of the initial disc size. PPDs with a larger magnetic lever arm are found to maintain significantly higher total disc mass over extended periods compared to their counterparts. The mass ejection-to-accretion ratio increases in efficient wind scenarios and is further amplified by a steeper initial surface density profile. Our analysis also reveals varied evolutionary trajectories in the plane of accretion rate and total disc mass, influenced by magnetic parameters and initial disc size. In scenarios with efficient MHD winds, discs with bigger sizes have extended operation time for mechanisms governing planet formation.
Post-starburst galaxies are believed to be in a rapid transition between major merger starbursts and quiescent ellipticals, where AGN feedback is suggested as one of the processes responsible for the quenching. To study the role of AGN feedback, we constructed a sample of post-starburst candidates with AGN and indications of ionized outflows. We use MUSE/VLT observations to resolve the properties of the stars and multi-phased gas in five of them. All the galaxies show signatures of interaction/merger in their stellar or gas properties, with some galaxies at an early stage of interaction with companions at distances $\sim$50 kpc, suggesting that optical post-starburst signatures may be present well before the final starburst and coalescence. We detect narrow and broad kinematic components in multiple transitions in all the galaxies. Our detailed analysis of their kinematics and morphology suggests that, contrary to our expectation, the properties of the broad kinematic components are inconsistent with AGN-driven winds in 3 out of 5 galaxies. The two exceptions are also the only galaxies in which spatially-resolved NaID P-Cygni profiles are detected. In some cases, the observations are more consistent with interaction-induced galactic-scale flows, an often overlooked process. These observations raise the question of how to interpret broad kinematic components in interacting and perhaps also in active galaxies, in particular when spatially-resolved observations are not available or cannot rule out merger-induced galactic-scale motions. We suggest that NaID P-Cygni profiles are more effective outflow tracers, and use them to estimate the energy that is carried by the outflow.
Supermassive black holes require a reservoir of cold gas at the centre of their host galaxy in order to accrete and shine as active galactic nuclei (AGN). Major mergers have the ability to drive gas rapidly inwards, but observations trying to link mergers with AGN have found mixed results due to the difficulty of consistently identifying galaxy mergers in surveys. This study applies deep learning to this problem, using convolutional neural networks trained to identify simulated post-merger galaxies from survey-realistic imaging. This provides a fast and repeatable alternative to human visual inspection. Using this tool, we examine a sample of ~8500 Seyfert 2 galaxies (L[OIII] ~ $10^{38.5 - 42}$ erg/s) at z < 0.3 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and find a merger fraction of $2.19_{-0.17}^{+0.21}$% compared with inactive control galaxies, in which we find a merger fraction of $2.96_{-0.20}^{+0.26}$%, indicating an overall lack of mergers among AGN hosts compared with controls. However, matching the controls to the AGN hosts in stellar mass and star formation rate reveals that AGN hosts in the star-forming blue cloud exhibit a ~$2\times$ merger enhancement over controls, while those in the quiescent red sequence have significantly lower relative merger fractions, leading to the observed overall deficit due to the differing $M_{\ast} - $SFR distributions. We conclude that while mergers are not the dominant trigger of all low-luminosity, obscured AGN activity in the nearby Universe, they are more important to AGN fuelling in galaxies with higher cold gas mass fractions as traced through star formation.
Context: Asteroseismology, a powerful approach for obtaining internal structure and stellar properties, requires surface temperature and chemical composition information to determine mass and age. High-resolution spectroscopy is a valuable technique for precise stellar parameters (including surface temperature) and chemical composition analysis. Aim: We aim to combine spectroscopic parameters with asteroseismology to test stellar models. Method: Using high-resolution optical and near-IR spectra from GIARPS at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, we conducted a detailed spectroscopic analysis of 16 stars photometrically selected to be on the red giant and red clump. Stellar parameters and chemical abundances for light elements (Li, C, N, F), Fe peak, $\alpha$ and n-capture elements were derived using a combination of equivalent widths and spectral synthesis techniques, based on atomic and molecular features. Ages were determined through asteroseismic scaling relations and compared with ages based on chemical clocks, [Y/Mg] and [C/N]. Results: Spectroscopic parameters confirmed the stars as part of the red giant branch and red clump. Two objects, HD 22045 and HD 24680 exhibited relatively high Li abundances, with HD 24680 potentially being a Li-rich giant resulting from mass transfer with an intermediate-mass companion, which already underwent its AGB phase. Stellar parameters derived from scaling different sets of relations were consistent with each other. For what concerns ages, the values based on asteroseismology were in excellent agreement with those derived from theoretical evolutionary tracks, but did not align with ages derived from the chemical clocks [Y/Mg] and [C/N].
We explore the properties of an 'almost' dark cloud of neutral hydrogen (HI) using data from the Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Survey (WALLABY). Until recently, WALLABY J103508-283427 (also known as H1032-2819 or LEDA 2793457) was not known to have an optical counterpart, but we have identified an extremely faint optical counterpart in the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey Data Release 10. We measured the mean g-band surface brightness to be $27.0\pm0.3$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$. The WALLABY data revealed the cloud to be closely associated with the interacting group Klemola 13 (also known as HIPASS J1034-28 and the Tol 9 group), which itself is associated with the Hydra cluster. In addition to WALLABY J103508-283427/H1032-2819, Klemola 13 contains ten known significant galaxies and almost half of the total HI gas is beyond the optical limits of the galaxies. By combining the new WALLABY data with archival data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), we investigate the HI distribution and kinematics of the system. We discuss the relative role of tidal interactions and ram pressure stripping in the formation of the cloud and the evolution of the system. The ease of detection of this cloud and intragroup gas is due to the sensitivity, resolution and wide field of view of WALLABY, and showcases the potential of the full WALLABY survey to detect many more examples.
Recent numerical studies suggest that magnetic fields play an important role in primordial star formation in the early universe. However, the detailed evolution of the magnetic field in the collapse phase still has uncertainties because of the complicated physics associated with turbulence in a collapsing magnetized system. Here, we perform a suite of numerical MHD simulations that follow the collapse of magnetized, turbulent primordial gas clouds to investigate the evolution of the magnetic field associated with the turbulence, assuming a polytropic equation of state with exponent $\gamma_{\rm eff}$ and with various numerical resolutions. In addition, we generalize the analytic theory of magnetic field growth/saturation so that it can deal with various exponents $\gamma_{\rm eff}$ and turbulence energy spectra. We find that the numerical results are well reproduced by the theory for various $\gamma_{\rm eff}$ through the collapse phase during the formation of the first stars. The magnetic field is eventually amplified by a factor of $10^{12}$ -- $10^{15}$ due to kinematic and non-linear turbulent dynamo effects and reaches 3% -- 100% of the equipartition level, depending on $\gamma_{\rm eff}$. We also find that the transition between the kinematic and non-linear stages can be analytically estimated. These results indicate that the strong magnetic field accompanied by supersonic turbulence is a general property and suggest that it can play a crucial role in the formation of the first stars.
We report the discovery of 9 new hot molecular cores in the Deep South (DS) region of Sagittarius B2 using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 6 observations. We measure the rotational temperature of CH$_3$OH and derive the physical conditions present within these cores and the hot core Sgr B2(S). The cores show heterogeneous temperature structure, with peak temperatures between 252 and 662 K. We find that the cores span a range of masses (203-4842 M$_\odot$) and radii (3587-9436 AU). CH$_3$OH abundances consistently increase with temperature across the sample. Our measurements show the DS hot cores are structurally similar to Galactic Disk hot cores, with radii and temperature gradients that are comparable to sources in the Disk. They also show shallower density gradients than Disk hot cores, which may arise from the Central Molecular Zone's higher density threshold for star formation. The hot cores have properties which are consistent with those of Sgr B2(N), with 3 associated with Class II CH$_3$OH masers and one associated with an UCHII region. Our sample nearly doubles the high-mass star forming gas mass near Sgr B2(S) and suggest the region may be a younger, comparably massive counterpart to Sgr B2(N) and (M). The relationship between peak CH$_3$OH abundance and rotational temperature traced by our sample and a selection of comparable hot cores is qualitatively consistent with predictions from chemical modeling. However, we observe constant peak abundances at higher temperatures ($T \gtrsim 250$ K), which may indicate mechanisms for methanol survival that are not yet accounted for in models.
{We explored the {softness parameter} in the infrared, whose main purpose is the characterisation of the hardness of the incident ionising radiation in emission-line nebulae. This parameter is obtained from the combination of mid-infrared wavelength range transitions corresponding to consecutive ionisation stages in star-forming regions. We compiled observational data from a sample of star-forming galaxies (SFGs), including luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs), to study the softness parameter and its equivalent expression in two dimensions, the softness diagram. We compared them with predictions from photoionisation models to determine the shape of the ionising continuum energy distribution in each case. We also used the measured emission-line ratios as input for HCmistry-Teff-IR, a code that performs a Bayesian-like comparison with photoionisation model predictions in order to quantify the equivalent effective temperature (T*) and the ionisation parameter. We found similar average values within the errors of the softness parameter in (U)LIRGs (-0.57) in the rest of the SFGs (-0.51), which could be interpreted as indicative of a similar incident radiation field. This result is confirmed from the analysis using HCm-Teff-IR, which simultaneously points to a slightly lower, although similar within the errors, T* scale for (U)LIRGs, even when a higher dust-to-gas mass ratio is considered in the models for these objects. These derived T* values are compatible with the ionisation from massive stars, without any need of harder ionising sources, both for (U)LIRGs and the rest of the SFGs. However, the derived T* in (U)LIRGs do not show any correlation with metallicity. This could be interpreted as a sign that their similar average T* values are due to the attenuation of the energetic incident flux from massive stars by the heated dust mixed with the gas.
The temperature of the interstellar medium (ISM) is governed by several physical process, among which radiative cooling, external UV/cosmic ray heating, and the mechanical work by compression and expansion. In regimes where the dynamical effect is important, the temperature deviates from that derived by simply balancing the heating and cooling functions. This renders the expression of the gas energy evolution with a simple equation of state (EOS) less straightforward. Given a cooling function, the behavior of the gas is subject to the combined effect of dynamical compression and radiative cooling. The goal of the present work is to derive the effective EOS of a collapsing gas within a full fluid solution. We solve the Navier-Stokes equations with a parametric cooling term in spherical coordinate and look for a self-similar collapse solution. We present a solution which describes a cloud that is contracting while losing energy through radiation. This yields an effective EOS that can be generally applied to various ISM context, where the cooling function is available from first principles, and expressed as powerlaw product of the density and temperature. Our findings suggest that a radiatively cooling gas under self-gravitating collapse can easily manifest an effective polytropic EOS, even isothermal in many scenarios. The present model provides theoretical justification for the simplifying isothermal assumptions of simulations at various scales, and can also provide a more realistic thermal recipe without additional computation cost.
In a born-again planetary nebula (PN), processed H-deficient material has been injected inside the old, H-rich nebula as a result of a very late thermal pulse (VLTP) event. Long-slit spectra have been used to unveil the chemical and physical differences between these two structures, but the ejection and shaping processes remain still unclear. In order to peer into the morpho-kinematics of the H-deficient ejecta in the born-again PN A 58, we present the first integral field spectroscopic observations of a born-again PN as obtained with GTC MEGARA. We detect emission from the H$\alpha$, He I, [O III], [N II] and [S II] emission lines, which help us unveil the expansion patterns of the different structures. In combination with ALMA and Hubble Space Telescope data we are able to produce a complete view of the H-deficient ionized and molecular ejecta in A 58. We propose an hourglass structure for the ionized material that embraces molecular high-velocity polar components, while bisected by an expanding toroidal molecular and dusty structure. Our results leverage the role of a companion in shaping the VLTP ejecta in this born-again PN.
Interstellar aromatic molecules such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic nitrogen and oxygen bearing molecules are thought to be abundant in the interstellar medium. In this class of molecules, benzonitrile ($c$-C$_6$H$_5$CN) plays an important role as a proxy for benzene. It has been detected through rotational emission in several astrophysical sources and is one of the simplest N-bearing polar aromatic molecules. Even in the cold ISM, the population of the rotational levels of benzonitrile might not be at equilibrium. Consequently, modeling its detected emission lines requires a prior computation of its quenching rate coefficients by the most abundant species in the ISM (He or H$_2$). In this paper, we focus on the excitation of c-C$_6$H$_5$CN by collision with He. We compute the first potential energy surface (PES) using the explicitly correlated coupled cluster method in conjunction with large basis sets. The PES obtained is characterized by a potential well depth of -97.2 cm$^{-1}$ and an important anisotropy. Scattering computations of the rotational (de-)excitation of c-C$_6$H$_5$CN by He atoms are performed by means of the coupled states approximation that allow to obtain collisional rates for rotational states up to $j$ = 9 and temperatures up to 40 K. These rate coefficients are then used to examine the effect of C$_6$H$_5$CN excitation induced by collisions with para-H$_2$ in molecular clouds by carrying out simple radiative transfer calculations of the excitation temperatures and show that non-equilibrium effects can be expected for H$_2$ densities up to 10$^5$-10$^6$ cm$^{-3}$.
Several planetary nebulae (PNe) have been found to contain both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH-like) species and fullerenes (C$_{60}$) distinguished by their mid-infrared emission. Previous laboratory and astronomical studies suggest that the formation of both species could be related to the decomposition, by photochemical processing, of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (HAC) grains. Then, HACs and, seemingly, big-fullerene related species (e.g., carbon onions) have been suggested as potential carriers of the UV bump at 2175{\AA} and the far-UV rise common to interstellar extinction curves. Our goal is to investigate the UV bump with the possible presence of a HAC extinction component in the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectra of C-rich PNe; both with detected and non-detected fullerenes. The considered sample includes three C$_{60}$-PNe (Tc 1, IC 418, and IC 2501) and the non-C$_{60}$-PN Hen 2-5. Independently of the presence of C$_{60}$ in their circumstellar envelopes, we found that the UV bump in all sample PNe is well explained by interstellar extinction, suggesting that species different from those of the foreground insterstellar medium, e.g., large fullerene-related species like carbon onions, are not the carrier. Interestingly, we found that PNe Tc 1 and Hen 2-5 show an absorption in the FUV rise. Their IUE continuum spectra may be very well reproduced by including the extinction curve of HAC-like very small grains (VSG). The possible presence of both species, HAC-like grains and fullerenes (C$_{60}$), in Tc 1 could support the HAC photochemical processing scenario for the formation of fullerenes in the complex circumstellar envelopes of PNe.
We report the first interstellar identification of protonated acetylene, C2H3+, a fundamental hydrocarbon, in the z=0.89 molecular absorber toward the gravitationally lensed quasar PKS1830-211. The molecular species is identified from clear absorption features corresponding to the 2_12-1_01 (rest frequency 494.034 GHz) and 1_11-0_00 (431.316 GHz) ground-state transitions of ortho and para forms of C2H3+, respectively, in ALMA spectra toward the southwestern image of PKS1830-211, where numerous molecules, including other hydrocarbons, have already been detected. From the simple assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) with cosmic microwave background photons and an ortho-to-para ratio of three, we estimate a total C2H3+ column density of 2 x 10^12 cm^-2 and an abundance of 10^-10 compared to H_2. However, formation pumping could affect the population of metastable states, yielding a C2H3+ column density higher than the LTE value by a factor of a few. We explore possible routes to the formation of C2H3+, mainly connected to acetylene and methane, and find that the methane route is more likely in PDR environment. As one of the initial hydrocarbon building blocks, C2H3+ is thought to play an important role in astrochemistry, in particular in the formation of more complex organic molecules.
Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have uncovered numerous faint active galactic nuclei (AGN) at $z\sim5$ and beyond. These objects are key to our understanding of the formation of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), their co-evolution with host galaxies, as well as the role of AGN in cosmic reionization. Using photometric colors and size measurements, we perform a search for compact red objects in an array of blank deep JWST/NIRCam fields totaling $\sim340$ arcmin$^{2}$. Our careful selection yields 260 reddened AGN candidates at $4<z_{\rm phot}<9$, dominated by a point-source like central component ($\langle r_{\rm eff} \rangle =91^{+39}_{-23}$ pc) and displaying a dichotomy in their rest-frame colors (blue UV and red optical slopes). Quasar model fitting reveals our objects to be moderately dust extincted ($A_{\rm V}\sim1.6$), which is reflected in their inferred bolometric luminosities of $L_{\rm bol}$ = 10$^{44-47}$ erg/s, and fainter UV magnitudes $M_{\rm UV} \simeq$ $-17$ to $-22$. Thanks to the large areas explored, we extend the existing dusty AGN luminosity functions to both fainter and brighter magnitudes, confirming their number densities to be $\times100$ higher than for UV-selected quasars of similar magnitudes. At the same time they constitute only a small fraction of all UV-selected galaxies at similar redshifts, but this percentage rises to $\sim$10 % for $M_{UV}\sim -22$ at $z\sim7$. Finally, assuming a conservative case of accretion at the Eddington rate, we place a lower limit on the SMBH mass function at $z\sim5$, finding it to be consistent with both theory and previous observations.
We have studied the stability of C$_{59}$ anions as a function of time, from their formation on femtosecond timescales to their stabilization on second timescales and beyond, using a combination of theory and experiments. The C$_{59}^-$ fragments were produced in collisions between C$_{60}$ fullerene anions and neutral helium gas at a velocity of 90 km/s (corresponding to a collision energy of 166\,eV in the center-of-mass frame). The fragments were then stored in a cryogenic ion-beam storage ring at the DESIREE facility where they were followed for up to one minute. Classical molecular dynamics simulations were used to determine the reaction cross section and the excitation energy distributions of the products formed in these collisions. We found that about 15 percent of the C$_{59}^-$ ions initially stored in the ring are intact after about 100 ms, and that this population then remains intact indefinitely. This means that C$_{60}$ fullerenes exposed to energetic atoms and ions, such as stellar winds and shock waves, will produce stable, highly reactive products, like C$_{59}$, that are fed into interstellar chemical reaction networks.
We show how to significantly improve difference image analysis (DIA) of gravitationally lensed quasars over long periods of time using Gaia proper motions. DIA requires the subtraction of a reference image from the individual images of a monitoring campaign, using stars in the field to align the images. Since the proper motion of the stars can be of the same order as the pixel size during a several-year campaign, we use Gaia DR3 proper motions to enable a correct image alignment. The proper motion corrected star positions can be aligned by the ISIS package. DIA is carried out using the HOTPAnTS package. We apply point spread function (PSF) photometry to obtain light curves and add a proper motion correction of the PSF star to GALFIT. We apply our method to the light curves of the three gravitationally lensed quasars HE1104-1805, HE2149-2745 and Q2237+0305 in the R and V band, respectively, obtained using 1 m telescopes of the Las Cumbres Observatory from 2014 to 2022. We show that the image alignment and the determination of the lensed quasar positions is significantly improved by this method. The light curves of individual quasar images display intrinsic quasar variations and are affected by chromatic microlensing.
We present a strong lensing analysis of COOL J1241+2219, the brightest known gravitationally lensed galaxy at $z \geq 5$, based on new multi-band Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging data. The lensed galaxy has a redshift of z=5.043, placing it shortly after the end of the Epoch of Reionization, and an AB magnitude z_AB=20.47 mag (Khullar et al. 2021). As such, it serves as a touchstone for future research of that epoch. The high spatial resolution of HST reveals internal structure in the giant arc, from which we identify 15 constraints and construct a robust lens model. We use the lens model to extract cluster mass and lensing magnification. We find that the mass enclosed within the Einstein radius of the z=1.001 cluster lens is M(<5.77'')=$1.079^{+0.023}_{-0.007}$, significantly lower than other known strong lensing clusters at its redshift. The average magnification of the giant arc is $<\mu_{arc}>=76^{+40}_{-20}$, a factor of $2.4^{+1.4}_{-0.7}$ greater than previously estimated from ground-based data; the flux-weighted average magnification is $<\mu_{arc}>=92^{+37}_{-31}$ We update the current measurements of the stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR) of the source for the revised magnification, $\log(M_\star/M_{\odot})=9.7\pm0.3$ and ${\rm SFR} = 10.3^{+7.0}_{-4.4}$ $ M_{\odot} $yr$^{-1}$. The powerful lensing magnification acting upon COOL J1241+2219 resolves the source and enables future studies of the properties of its star formation on a clump-by-clump basis. The lensing analysis presented here will support upcoming multiwavelength characterization with HST and JWST data of the stellar mass assembly and physical properties of this high-redshift lensed galaxy.
We use the eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS) to measure the rest-frame 0.1-2.4 keV band X-ray luminosities of $\sim$ 600,000 DESI groups using two different algorithms in the overlap region of the two observations. These groups span a large redshift range of $0.0 \le z_g \le 1.0$ and group mass range of $10^{10.76}h^{-1}M_{\odot} \le M_h \le 10^{15.0}h^{-1}M_{\odot}$. (1) Using the blind detection pipeline of eFEDS, we find that 10932 X-ray emission peaks can be cross matched with our groups, $\sim 38 \%$ of which have signal-to-noise ratio $\rm{S}/\rm{N} \geq 3$ in X-ray detection. Comparing to the numbers reported in previous studies, this matched sample size is a factor of $\sim 6$ larger. (2) By stacking X-ray maps around groups with similar masses and redshifts, we measure the average X-ray luminosity of groups as a function of halo mass in five redshift bins. We find, in a wide halo mass range, the X-ray luminosity, $L_{\rm X}$, is roughly linearly proportional to $M_{h}$, and is quite independent to the redshift of the groups. (3) We use a Poisson distribution to model the X-ray luminosities obtained using two different algorithms and obtain best-fit $L_{\rm X}=10^{28.46\pm0.03}M_{h}^{1.024\pm0.002}$ and $L_{\rm X}=10^{26.73 \pm 0.04}M_{h}^{1.140 \pm 0.003}$ scaling relations, respectively. The best-fit slopes are flatter than the results previously obtained, but closer to a self-similar prediction.
We use the stellar fossil record to constrain the stellar metallicity evolution and star-formation histories of the post-starburst regions within 45 local post-starburst galaxies from the MaNGA survey. The direct measurement of the regions' stellar metallicity evolution is achieved by a new two-step metallicity model that allows for stellar metallicity to change at the peak of the starburst. We also employ a Gaussian process noise model that accounts for correlated errors introduced by the observational data reduction or inaccuracies in the models. We find that a majority of post-starburst regions (69% at $>1\sigma$ significance) increased in stellar metallicity during the recent starburst, with an average increase of 0.8 dex and a standard deviation of 0.4 dex. A much smaller fraction of PSBs are found to have remained constant (22%) or declined in metallicity (9%, average decrease 0.4 dex, standard deviation 0.3 dex). The pre-burst metallicities of the post-starburst galaxies are in good agreement with the mass-metallicity relation of local star-forming galaxies. These results are consistent with hydrodynamic simulations, which suggest that mergers between gas-rich galaxies are the primary formation mechanism of local PSBs, and rapid metal recycling during the starburst outweighs the impact of dilution by any gas inflows. The final mass-weighted metallicities of the post-starburst galaxies are consistent with the mass-metallicity relation of local passive galaxies. Our results suggest that rapid quenching following a merger-driven starburst is entirely consistent with the observed gap between the stellar mass-metallicity relations of local star-forming and passive galaxies.
High-mass stars have an enormous influence on the evolution of the interstellar medium in galaxies, so it is important that we understand how they form. We examine the central clumps within a sample of seven infrared-dark clouds (IRDCs) with a range of masses and morphologies. We use 1 pc-scale observations from NOEMA and the IRAM 30-m telescope to trace dense cores with 2.8 mm continuum, and gas kinematics in C$^{18}$O, HCO$^+$, HNC, and N$_2$H$^+$ ($J$=1$-$0). We supplement our continuum sample with six IRDCs observed at 2.9 mm with ALMA, and examine the relationships between core- and clump-scale properties. We have developed a fully-automated multiple-velocity component hyperfine line-fitting code called mwydyn which we employ to trace the dense gas kinematics in N$_2$H$^+$ (1$-$0), revealing highly complex and dynamic clump interiors. We find that parsec-scale clump mass is the most important factor driving the evolution; more massive clumps are able to concentrate more mass into their most massive cores - with a log-normally distributed efficiency of around 9% - in addition to containing the most dynamic gas. Distributions of linewidths within the most massive cores are similar to the ambient gas, suggesting that they are not dynamically decoupled, but are similarly chaotic. A number of studies have previously suggested that clumps are globally collapsing; in such a scenario, the observed kinematics of clump centres would be the direct result of gravity-driven mass inflows that become ever more complex as the clumps evolve, which in turn leads to the chaotic mass growth of their core populations.
Different studies have reported the so-called temperature problem of the narrow line region (NLR) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Its origin is still an open issue. To properly address its cause, a trustworthy temperature indicator is required. We propose that the weak [ArIV] 4711,40A doublet is the appropriate tool for evaluating the density of the high excitation plasma. We subsequently made use of the recent S7 survey sample to extract reliable measurements of the weak [ArIV] doublet in 16 high excitation Seyfert 2s. As a result we could derive the plasma density of the NLR of our Seyfert 2 sample and compare the temperature inferred from the observed [OIII] (4363A/5007A) ratios. It was found that 13 Seyfert 2s cluster near similar values as the [OIII] (4363A/5007A) ratio, at a mean value of 0.0146+-0.0020. Three objects labeled outliers stand out at markedly higher [OIII] values (> 0.03). If for each object one assumes a single density, the values inferred from the [ArIV] doublet for the 13 clustering objects all lie below 60,000 cm-3, indicating that the [OIII] (4363A/5007A) ratios in these objects is a valid tracer of plasma temperature. Even when assuming a continuous power-law distribution of the density, the inferred cut-off density required to reproduce the observed [ArIV] doublet is in all cases < 1E5.1 cm-3. The average NLR temperature inferred for the 13 Seyfert 2s is 13,000+-703 K, which photoionization models have difficulty reproducing. Subsequently we considered different mechanisms to account for the observed [OIII] ratios. For the three outliers, a double-bump density distribution is likely required, with the densest component having a density > 1E6 cm-3.
Proxima b is a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of the nearest star system and a key test case in the search for extraterrestrial life. Here, we investigate the characterization of a potential Earth-like atmosphere around Proxima b in reflected light via molecule mapping, combining high resolution spectroscopy (HRS) and high contrast imaging, using the first-generation integral field spectrograph HARMONI on the $39$-m Extremely Large Telescope. We simulate comprehensive observations of Proxima b at an assumed $45^{\circ}$ inclination using HARMONI's High Contrast Adaptive Optics mode, with spatial resolution $\sim 8$mas ($3.88$mas/spaxel) and spectral resolving power $R\simeq17,000$ between $1.538$--$1.678 \mu m$, containing the spectral features of water, carbon dioxide and methane. Tellurics, stellar features, and additional noise sources are included, and removed using established molecule mapping techniques. We find that HARMONI's current focal plane mask (FPM) is too large and obscures the orbit of Proxima b and thus explore smaller and offset FPMs to yield a detection. A $\rm{S/N}=5$ detection of Proxima b's reflected light, suitable for atmospheric characterisation, is possible with such modifications, requiring a minimum of $20$ hours, but ideally at least $30$ hours of integration time. We highlight that such detections do not scale with the photon noise, hence suitably detailed simulations of future instruments for the ELTs are needed to fully understand their ability to perform HRS observations of exoplanet atmospheres. Alterations to the HARMONI FPM design are feasible at this stage, but must be considered in context of other science cases.
The NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) is the primary Digital Library portal for researchers in astronomy and astrophysics. Over the past 30 years, the ADS has gone from being an astronomy-focused bibliographic database to an open digital library system supporting research in space and (soon) earth sciences. This paper describes the evolution of the ADS system, its capabilities, and the technological infrastructure underpinning it. We give an overview of the ADS's original architecture, constructed primarily around simple database models. This bespoke system allowed for the efficient indexing of metadata and citations, the digitization and archival of full-text articles, and the rapid development of discipline-specific capabilities running on commodity hardware. The move towards a cloud-based microservices architecture and an open-source search engine in the late 2010s marked a significant shift, bringing full-text search capabilities, a modern API, higher uptime, more reliable data retrieval, and integration of advanced visualizations and analytics. Another crucial evolution came with the gradual and ongoing incorporation of Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing algorithms in our data pipelines. Originally used for information extraction and classification tasks, NLP and ML techniques are now being developed to improve metadata enrichment, search, notifications, and recommendations. we describe how these computational techniques are being embedded into our software infrastructure, the challenges faced, and the benefits reaped. Finally, we conclude by describing the future prospects of ADS and its ongoing expansion, discussing the challenges of managing an interdisciplinary information system in the era of AI and Open Science, where information is abundant, technology is transformative, but their trustworthiness can be elusive.
The number of satellites on low orbit has dramatically increased over the past years, raising concerns among the astronomical community about their impact on observations. Spectroscopic observations represent a large fraction of professional data, and spectrographs lack spatial information that can reveal the presence of a satellite. We simulated how often satellites contaminate spectrograph observations by using realistic constellations with over 400,000 objects. We also measured how a spectrum is affected by using real data from different scientific targets and a scaled solar analogue as the satellite, and using standard tools to measure astrophysical parameters and compare them with the clean spectrum. The fraction of affected spectra varies dramatically with the elevation of the sun, with a maximum of 10% at twilight and a nightly average of about 2%. Because of the fast motion of the satellites and the limiting magnitude of the spectrographs, high-resolution instruments are essentially blind to most satellites. For lower resolution spectrographs, the effect on the measured astrophysical parameters depends strongly on the signal-to-noise of the exposure, longer exposures on brighter targets being the least affected at <=1%. Satellites that are brighter and/or higher than the constellation satellites, while less numerous, can also contaminate spectra. While the fraction of affected spectra is likely to remain low, some of these contaminated spectra will be difficult to identify, as it is already the case with existing satellites and asteroids. The best mitigation is to ensure that their brightness is fainter than V=7, that their absolute magnitude V1000km is also fainter than 7, and, whenever possible, to shoot multiple exposures.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the upcoming PLATO mission (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) represent two space-based missions with complementary objectives in the field of exoplanet science. While TESS aims at detecting and characterizing exoplanets around bright and nearby stars on a relative short-period orbit, PLATO will discover a wide range of exoplanets including rocky planets within the habitable zones of their stars. We analyze mono-transit events in TESS data around stars that will or could be monitored by the PLATO mission, offering a unique opportunity to bridge the knowledge gap between the two missions and gain deeper insights into exoplanet demographics and system architectures. We found $48$ TESS mono-transit events around stars contained in the all-sky PLATO Input Catalog; of these, at least four will be imaged on the first long-pointing PLATO field, LOPS2. We uniformly vetted this sample to rule out possible false positive detections thus removing $10$ signals from the original sample. We developed an analytic method which allows us to estimate both the orbital period and inclination of a mono-transit planet candidate using only the shape of the transit. We derived the orbital period and inclination estimates for $30$ TESS mono-transit planet candidates. Finally, we investigated whether these candidates are amenable targets for a CHEOPS observing campaign.
Imaging interferometric data in radio astronomy requires the use of non-linear algorithms that rely on different assumptions on the source structure and may produce non-unique results. This is especially true for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations, where the sampling of Fourier space is very sparse. A basic tenet in standard VLBI imaging techniques is to assume that the observed source structure does not evolve during the observation. However, the recent VLBI results of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at our Galactic Center (Sagittarius A$^*$, SgrA*), recently reported by the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (EHTC), require the development of dynamic imaging algorithms, since it exhibits variability at minute timescales. In this paper, we introduce a new non-convex optimization problem that extends the standard Maximum Entropy Method (MEM), for reconstructing intra-observation dynamical images from interferometric data that evolves in every integration time. We present a rigorous mathematical formalism to solve the problem via the primal-dual approach. We build a Newton strategy and we give its numerical complexity. We also give a strategy to iteratively improve the obtained solution and finally, we define a novel figure of merit to evaluate the quality of the recovered solution. Then, we test the algorithm, called ngMEM, in different synthetic datasets, with increasing difficulty. Finally, we compare it with another well-established dynamical imaging method. Within this comparison we identified a significant improvement of the ngMEM reconstructions. Moreover, the evaluation of the integration time evolution scheme and the time contribution showed to play a crucial role for obtaining good dynamic reconstructions.
In future gravitational-wave (GW) detections, a large number of overlapping GW signals will appear in the data stream of detectors. When extracting information from one signal, the presence of other signals can cause large parameter estimation biases. Using the Fisher matrix (FM), we develop a bias analysis procedure to investigate how each parameter of other signals affects the inference biases. Taking two-signal overlapping as an example, we show detailedly and quantitatively that the biases essentially originate from the overlapping of the frequency evolution. Furthermore, we find that the behaviors of the correlation coefficients between the parameters of the two signals are similar to the biases. Both of them can be used as characterization of the influence between signals. We also corroborate the bias results of the FM method with full Bayesian analysis. Our results can provide guidance for the development of new PE algorithms on overlapping signals, and the analysis methodology has the potential to generalize.
Understanding telescope pointing (i.e., line of sight) is important for observing the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and astronomical objects. The Moon is a candidate astronomical source for pointing calibration. Although the visible size of the Moon ($\ang{;30}$) is larger than that of the planets, we can frequently observe the Moon once a month with a high signal-to-noise ratio. We developed a method for performing pointing calibration using observational data from the Moon. We considered the tilts of the telescope axes as well as the encoder and collimation offsets for pointing calibration. In addition, we evaluated the effects of the nonuniformity of the brightness temperature of the Moon, which is a dominant systematic error. As a result, we successfully achieved a pointing accuracy of $\ang{;3.3}$. This is one order of magnitude smaller than an angular resolution of $\ang{;36}$. This level of accuracy competes with past achievements in other ground-based CMB experiments using observational data from the planets.
Stellar light curves contain valuable information about oscillations and granulation, offering insights into stars' internal structures and evolutionary states. Traditional asteroseismic techniques, primarily focused on power spectral analysis, often overlook the crucial phase information in these light curves. Addressing this gap, recent machine learning applications, particularly those using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), have made strides in inferring stellar properties from light curves. However, CNNs are limited by their localized feature extraction capabilities. In response, we introduce $\textit{Astroconformer}$, a Transformer-based deep learning framework, specifically designed to capture long-range dependencies in stellar light curves. Our empirical analysis centers on estimating surface gravity ($\log g$), using a dataset derived from single-quarter Kepler light curves with $\log g$ values ranging from 0.2 to 4.4. $\textit{Astroconformer}$ demonstrates superior performance, achieving a root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of 0.017 dex at $\log g\approx3$ in data-rich regimes and up to 0.1 dex in sparser areas. This performance surpasses both K-nearest neighbor models and advanced CNNs. Ablation studies highlight the influence of receptive field size on model effectiveness, with larger fields correlating to improved results. $\textit{Astroconformer}$ also excels in extracting $\nu_{\max}$ with high precision. It achieves less than 2% relative median absolute error for 90-day red giant light curves. Notably, the error remains under 3% for 30-day light curves, whose oscillations are undetectable by a conventional pipeline in 30% cases. Furthermore, the attention mechanisms in $\textit{Astroconformer}$ align closely with the characteristics of stellar oscillations and granulation observed in light curves.
Human biology has a preference for left-handed chiral molecules and an outstanding question is if this is imposed through astrophysical origins. We aim to evaluate the known information about chiral molecules within astrophysical and astrochemical databases, evaluate chemical modeling accuracy, and use high-level CCSD(T) calculations to characterize propylene oxide and other oxirane variants. By comparing these computational values with past laboratory experiments, we find a 99.9% similarity. We also have put together a new database dedicated to chiral molecules and variants of chiral molecules to assist in answering this question.
In these notes, we comment on the standard indistinguishability criterion often used in the gravitational wave community to set accuracy requirements on waveforms. Revisiting the hypotheses under which it is derived, we propose a correction to it. Moreover, we outline how the approach we proposed in a recent work in the context of tests of general relativity can be used for this same purpose.
Based on the entropy$-$area relation from Nouicer's generalised uncertainty principle (GUP), we derive the GUP modified Friedmann equations from the first law of thermodynamics at apparent horizon. We find a minimum apparent horizon due to the minimal length notion of GUP. We show that the energy density of universe has a maximum and finite value at the minimum apparent horizon. Both minimum apparent horizon and maximum energy density imply the absence of the Big Bang singularity. Moreover, we investigate the GUP effects on the deceleration parameter for flat case. Finally, we examine the validity of generalised second law (GSL) of thermodynamics. We show that GSL always holds in a region enclosed by apparent horizon for the GUP effects. We also investigate the GSL in $\Lambda CDM$ cosmology and find that the total entropy change of universe has a maximum value in the presence of GUP effects.
We consider Klein-Gordon (KG) particles in a global monopole (GM) spacetime within Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity (EiBI-gravity) and in a Wu-Yang magnetic monopole (WYMM). We discuss a set of KG-oscillators in such spacetime settings. We propose a textbook power series expansion for the KG radial wave function that allows us to retrieve the exact energy levels for KG-oscillators in a GM spacetime and a WYMM without EiBI-gravity. We, moreover, report some \textit{conditionally exact}, closed form, energy levels (through some parametric correlations) for KG-oscillators in a GM spacetime and a WYMM within EiBI-gravity, and for massless KG-oscillators in a GM spacetime and a WYMM within EiBI-gravity under the influence of a Coulomb plus linear Lorentz scalar potential. We study and discuss the effects of the Eddington parameter $\kappa$, GM-parameter $\alpha$, WYMM strength $\sigma$, KG-oscillators' frequency $\Omega$, and the coupling parameters of the Coulomb plus linear Lorentz scalar potential, on the spectroscopic structure of the KG-oscillators at hand. Such effects are studied over a vast range of the radial quantum number $n_r\geq 0$ and include energy levels clustering at $\kappa>>1$ (i.e., extreme EiBI-gravity), and at $|\sigma|>>1$ (i.e., extreme WYMM strength).
We study the holographic dual of a topological symmetry operator in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence. Symmetry operators arise from topological field theories localized on a subspace of the boundary CFT spacetime. We use bottom up considerations to construct the topological sector associated with their bulk counterparts. In particular, by exploiting the structure of entanglement wedge reconstruction we argue that the bulk counterpart has a non-topological worldvolume action, i.e., it describes a dynamical object. As a consequence, we find that there are no global $p$-form symmetries for $p \geq 0$ in asymptotically AdS spacetimes, which includes the case of non-invertible symmetries. Provided one has a suitable notion of subregion-subregion duality, our argument for the absence of bulk global symmetries applies to more general spacetimes. These considerations also motivate us to consider for general QFTs (holographic or not) the notion of lower-form symmetries, namely, $(-m)$-form symmetries for $m \geq 2$.
Extreme mass-ratio inspirals, a target source for the space-based gravitational wave detector LISA, are a sensitive probe of fundamental scalar fields coupled to gravity. We assess the capability of LISA to detect whether the secondary compact object is endowed with a scalar field, in the case of inclined orbits. We show that the imprint of the scalar field depends on the orbital inclination, and is significantly larger for prograde orbits.
Motivated by the warped conifold compactification, we model the infrared (IR) dynamics of confining gauge theories in a Randall-Sundrum (RS)-like setup by modifying the stabilizing Goldberger-Wise (GW) potential so that it becomes large (in magnitude) in the IR and back-reacts on the geometry. We study the high-temperature phase by considering a black brane background in which we calculate the entropy and free energy of the strongly back-reacted solution. As with Buchel's result for the conifold (arXiv:2103.15188), we find a minimum temperature beyond which the black brane phase is thermodynamically unstable. In the context of a phase transition to the confining background, our results suggest that the amount of supercooling that the metastable black brane phase undergoes can be limited. It also suggests the first-order phase transition (and the associated gravitational waves from bubble collision) is not universal. Our results therefore have important phenomenological implications for early universe model building in these scenarios.
The Equivalence Principle is considered in the framework of metric-affine gravity. We show that it naturally emerges as a Noether symmetry starting from a general non-metric theory. In particular, we discuss the Einstein Equivalence Principle and the Strong Equivalence Principle showing their relations with the non-metricity tensor. Possible violations are also discussed pointing out the role of non-metricity in this debate.
Recently we showed that in FLRW cosmology, the contribution from higher curvature terms in any generic metric gravity theory to the energy-momentum tensor is of the perfect fluid form. Such a geometric perfect fluid can be interpreted as a fluid remaining from the beginning of the universe where the string theory is thought to be effective. Just a short time after the beginning of the Universe, it is known that the Einstein-Hilbert action is assumed to be modified by adding all possible curvature invariants. We propose that the observed late-time accelerating expansion of the Universe can be solely driven by this geometric fluid. To support our claim, we specifically study the quadratic gravity field equations in $D$-dimensions. We show that the field equations of this theory for the FLRW metric possess a geometric perfect fluid source containing two critical parameters $\sigma_1$ and $\sigma_2$. To analyze this theory concerning its parameter space $(\sigma_1, \sigma_2)$, we obtain the general second-order nonlinear differential equation governing the late-time dynamics of the deceleration parameter $q$. Hence using some present-day cosmological data as our initial conditions, our findings for the $\sigma_2=0$ case are as follows: $ (i)$ In order to have a positive energy density for the geometric fluid $\rho_g$, the parameter $\sigma_1$ must be negative for all dimensions up to $D = 11$, $(ii)$ For a suitable choice of $\sigma_1$, the deceleration parameter experiences signature changes in the past and future, and in the meantime it lies within a negative range which means that the current observed accelerated expansion phase of the Universe can be driven solely by the curvature of the spacetime, $(iii)$ $q$ experiences a signature change and as the dimension $D$ of spacetime increases, this signature change happens at earlier and later times, in the past and future, respectively.
Holographic superconductor phase transition and spontaneous scalarization are triggered by the instability of the underlying vacuum black hole spacetime. Although both hairy black hole solutions are closely associated with the tachyonic instability of the scalar degree of freedom, they are understood to be driven by distinct causes. It is, therefore, interesting to explore the interplay between the two phenomena in the context of a scenario where both mechanisms are present. To this end, we investigate the Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theory in asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetime with a Maxwell field. On the one hand, the presence of the charged scalar and Maxwell fields in anti-de Sitter spacetime furnishes the celebrated framework for a holographic superconductor. On the other hand, the non-minimal Gauss-Bonnet coupling between the scalar field and the gravitational sector triggers spontaneous scalarization. However, near the transition curve, the two phases are found to be largely indistinguishable regarding both the radial profile and effective potential. This raises the question of whether the hairy black holes triggered by different mechanisms are smoothly joined by a phase transition or whether these are actually identical solutions. To assess the transition more closely, we evaluate the phase diagram in terms of temperature and chemical potential and discover a smooth but first-order transition between the two hairy solutions by explicitly evaluating Gibbs free energy and its derivatives. In particular, one can elaborate a thermodynamic process through which a superconducting black hole transits into a scalarized one by raising or decreasing the temperature. Exhausting the underlying phase space, we analyze the properties and the interplay between the two hairy solutions.
We study the geometry of $T\bar{T}$-deformed BTZ black hole and find it can be regarded as a quotient of hyperbolic space. We then consider the massive scalar field propagating in the $T\bar{T}$-deformed BTZ black hole background. The one-loop partition function of scalar field is calculated using the heat kernel method and the Wilson spool proposal. These two methods give consistent result which implies the Wilson spool proposal still holds under $T\bar{T}$ deformation. Moreover, we also calculate the one-loop partition function of graviton in $T\bar{T}$-deformed BTZ black hole. We find the deformed one-loop partition functions are modified in a simple way, which corresponds to a replacement of the modular parameter. The result precisely matches the large $c$ expansion of $T\bar{T}$-deformed CFT partition function. These results provide a further check about the correspondence between $T\bar{T}$-deformed CFT$_2$ and AdS$_3$ with mixed boundary condition.
In this study, we investigate the pseudospectrum and spectrum (in)stability of a quantum corrected black hole. Methodologically, we use the hyperboloidal framework to cast the QNM problem into an eigenvalue problem associated with a non-selfadjoint operator, and exploit the invariant subspace method to improve the computational efficiency for pseudospectrum. The investigation of the spectrum (in)stability have two aspects. On the one hand, we calculate the spectra of the quantum corrected black hole, then the impact of the quantum correction effect on the Schwarzschild black hole has been studied through migration ratios. The results indicate that the so-called ``migration ratio instability" will occur for small black holes with small angular momentum number l. In the eikonal limit, the migration ratios remain the same for each overtone. On the other hand, we study the spectrum (in)stability of the quantum corrected black hole by directly adding some particular perturbations into the effective potential, where perturbations are located at the event horizon and null infinity, respectively. There are two interesting observations under the same perturbation energy norm. First, perturbations at infinity are more capable of generating spectrum instability than those at the event horizon. Second, we find that the peak distribution can lead to the instability of QNM spectrum more efficiently than the average distribution.
We investigate the data-driven holographic transport models without translation symmetry. Our data are chosen as the real part of the frequency-dependent shear viscosity. We develop a radial flow equation for a large class of holographic models, which determine the shear viscosity by the black hole metric and the graviton mass. The latter serves as the bulk dual of the translation symmetry breaking on the boundary. We convert the flow equation to a Neural Ordinary Differential Equation (Neural ODE), which is a neural network with continuous depth and produces output through a black-box ODE solver. Given either the metric or the mass, we illustrate that the Neural ODE can learn the other with high accuracy. Our work demonstrates the capabilities of Neural ODEs in bulk reconstruction and applied holography.
The gravitational interaction of (classical and quantum) spinning bodies is currently the focus of many works using a variety of approaches. This note is a comment on a short paper by Jean-Marie Souriau, now reprinted in the GRG Golden Oldies collection. Souriau's short 1970 note was a pioneering contribution to a symplectic description of the dynamics of spinning particles in general relativity which remained somewhat unnoticed. We explain the specificity of Souriau's approach and emphasize its potential interest within the current flurry of activity on the gravitational interaction of spinning particles.
We investigate quasitopological black holes in $(2+1)$ dimensions in the context of electromagnetic-generalized-quasitopological-gravities (EM-GQT). For three different families of geometries of quasitopological nature, we study the causal structure and their response to a probe scalar field. To linear order, we verify that the scalar field evolves stably, decaying in different towers of quasinormal modes. The studied black holes are either charged geometries (regular and singular) or a regular Ba\~nados-Teitelboim-Zanelli (BTZ)-like black hole, both coming from the EM-GQT theory characterized by nonminimal coupling parameters between gravity and a background scalar field. We calculate the quasinormal modes applying different numerical methods with convergent results between them. The oscillations demonstrate a very peculiar structure for charged black holes: in the intermediate and near extremal cases, a particular scaling arises, similar to that of the rotating BTZ geometry, with the modes being proportional to the distance between horizons. For the single horizon black hole solution, we identify the presence of different quasinormal families by analyzing the features of that spectrum. In all three considered geometries, no instabilities were found.
Two novel topological black hole exact solutions with unusual shapes of horizons in the simplest holographic axions model, the four-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-axions theory, are constructed. We draw embedding diagrams in various situations to display unusual shapes of novel black holes. To understand their thermodynamics from the quasi-local aspect, we re-derive the unified first law and the Misner-Sharp mass from the Einstein equations for the spacetime as a warped product $\M2 \times \Mco2$. The Ricci scalar $\Rhat$ of the sub-manifold $\Mco2$ can be a non-constant. We further improve the thermodynamics method based on the unified first law. Such a method simplifies constructing solutions and hints at generalization to higher dimensions. Moreover, we apply the unified first law to discuss black hole thermodynamics.
(1+1)-dimensional locally de Sitter Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmologies with compact spatial sections allow cosh, sinh and exponential evolution laws, each with a freely-specifiable spatial circumference parameter, and the value of this parameter has an invariant geometric meaning for the cosh and sinh evolution laws. We identify geometrically preferred states for a quantised massive scalar field on these cosmologies, some singled out by adiabatic criteria in the distant past, with an ambiguity remaining due to a massive zero mode, and others induced from the Euclidean vacuum on standard (1+1)-dimensional de Sitter space by a quotient construction. We show that a comoving quantum observer, modelled as an Unruh-DeWitt detector, can distinguish these states from the Euclidean vacuum on standard de Sitter space. Numerical plots are given in selected parameter regimes. We also evaluate the field's stress-energy tensor expectation value for those states that are induced from the Euclidean vacuum by a quotient construction.
We give a scheme to geometrize the partial entanglement entropy (PEE) for holographic CFT in the context of AdS/CFT. More explicitly, given a point $\textbf{x}$ we geometrize the two-point PEEs between $\textbf{x}$ and any other points in terms of the bulk geodesics connecting these two points. We refer to these geodesics as the \textit{PEE threads}, which can be naturally regarded as the integral curves of a divergenceless vector field $V_{\textbf{x}}^{\mu}$, which we call \emph{PEE thread flow}. The norm of $V_{\textbf{x}}^{\mu}$ that characterizes the density of the PEE threads can be determined by some physical requirements of the PEE. We show that, for any static interval or spherical region $A$, a unique bit thread configuration can be generated from the PEE thread configuration determined by the state. Hence, the non-intrinsic bit threads are emergent from the intrinsic PEE threads. For static disconnected intervals, the vector fields describing a divergenceless flow is are longer suitable to reproduce the RT formula. We weight the PEE threads with the number of times it intersects with any homologous surface. Instead the RT formula is perfectly reformulated to be the minimization of the summation of the PEE threads with all possible assignment of weights.
The knowledge of what entered black hole (BH) is completely lost as it evaporates. This contradicts the unitarity principle of quantum mechanics and is referred to as the information loss paradox. Understanding the end stages of BH evaporation is key to resolving this paradox. As a first step, we need to have exact models that can mimic 4-D BHs in General relativity in classical limit and have a systematic way to include high-energy corrections. While there are various models in the literature, there is no systematic procedure by which one can study high-energy corrections. In this work, for the first time, we obtain Callan, Giddings, Harvey, and Strominger (CGHS) -- a (1+1)-D -- model from 4-D Horndeski action -- the most general scalar-tensor theory that does not lead to Ostrogradsky ghosts. We then show that 4-D Horndeski action can systematically provide a route to include higher-derivative terms relevant at the end stages of black hole evaporation. We derive the leading order Hawking flux while discussing some intriguing characteristics of the corrected CGHS models. We compare our results with other works and discuss the implications for primordial BHs.
We revisit Duff, Okun, and Veneziano's divergent views on the number of fundamental constants and argue that the issue can be set to rest by having spacetime as the starting point. This procedure disentangles the resolution in what depends on the assumed spacetime (whether relativistic or not) from the theories built over it. By defining that the number of fundamental constants equals the minimal number of independent standards necessary to express all observables, as assumed by Duff, Okun, and Veneziano, it is shown that the same units fixed by the apparatuses used to construct the spacetimes are enough to express all observables of the physical laws defined over them. As a result, the number of fundamental constants equals two in Galilei spacetime and one in relativistic spacetimes.
We study the non-unitary relation between quantum gravitational models defined using different internal times. We show that despite the non-unitarity, it is possible to provide a prescription for making unambiguous, though restricted, physical predictions independent of specific clocks. To illustrate this result, we employ a model of quantum gravitational waves in a quantum Friedmann universe.
We develop a purely quantum theory based on the novel principle of relativity, termed the quantum principle of relativity, without introducing general relativity. We demonstrate that the essence of the principle of relativity can be naturally extended into the quantum realm, maintaining the identical structures of active and passive transformations. By employing this principle, we show that gravitational effects are naturally incorporated into the renormalizable theory, with general relativity emerging in the classical regime. We derive graviton propagators and provide several examples grounded in this novel theory.
We present results for the electromagnetic form factors of the proton and neutron computed on the $(2 + 1)$-flavor Coordinated Lattice Simulations (CLS) ensembles including both quark-connected and -disconnected contributions. The $Q^2$-, pion-mass, lattice-spacing, and finite-volume dependence of our form factor data is fitted simultaneously to the expressions resulting from covariant chiral perturbation theory including vector mesons amended by models for lattice artefacts. From these fits, we determine the electric and magnetic radii and the magnetic moments of the proton and neutron, as well as the Zemach radius of the proton. To assess the influence of systematic effects, we average over various cuts in the pion mass and the momentum transfer, as well as over different models for the lattice-spacing and finite-volume dependence, using weights derived from the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC).
The chiral condensate is computed from the mode number of the staggered Dirac operator. This result is compared with those obtained with other approaches, based on the quark mass dependence of the topological susceptibility and of the pion mass.
We propose a topological portal between quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and a dark QCD-like sector, present only for a unique coset structure after confinement, which connects three QCD to two dark pions. When gauged, it serves as the leading portal between the two sectors, providing an elegant self-consistent scenario of light thermal inelastic dark matter. The inherent antisymmetrization leads to diminished annihilations at later times and suppressed direct detection. However, novel collider signatures offer tremendous prospects for discovery at Belle II.
We generalize the nature of the so-called beam-dump "ceiling" beyond which the improvement on the sensitivity reach in the search for fast-decaying mediators dramatically slows down, and point out its experimental implications that motivate tabletop-size beam-dump experiments for the search. Light (bosonic) mediators are well-motivated new-physics particles as they can appear in dark-sector portal scenarios and models to explain various laboratory-based anomalies. Due to their low mass and feebly interacting nature, beam-dump-type experiments, utilizing high-intensity particle beams can play a crucial role in probing the parameter space of visibly decaying such mediators, in particular, the ``prompt-decay'' region where the mediators feature relatively large coupling and mass. We present a general and semi-analytic proof that the ceiling effectively arises in the prompt-decay region of an experiment and show its insensitivity to data statistics, background estimates, and systematic uncertainties, considering a concrete example, the search for axion-like particles interacting with ordinary photons at three benchmark beam facilities, PIP-II at FNAL and SPS and LHC-dump at CERN. We then identify optimal criteria to perform a cost-effective and short-term experiment to reach the ceiling, demonstrating that very short-baseline compact experiments enable access to the parameter space unreachable thus far.
Thousands of person-years have been invested in searches for New Physics (NP), the majority of them motivated by theoretical considerations. Yet, no evidence of beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics has been found. This suggests that model-agnostic searches might be an important key to explore NP, and help discover unexpected phenomena which can inspire future theoretical developments. A possible strategy for such searches is identifying asymmetries between data samples that are expected to be symmetric within the Standard Model (SM). We propose exploiting neural networks (NNs) to quickly fit and statistically test the differences between two samples. Our method is based on an earlier work, originally designed for inferring the deviations of an observed dataset from that of a much larger reference dataset. We present a symmetric formalism, generalizing the original one; avoiding fine-tuning of the NN parameters and any constraints on the relative sizes of the samples. Our formalism could be used to detect small symmetry violations, extending the discovery potential of current and future particle physics experiments.
The results of the dynamical core-corona initialisation framework in p+p and Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC energies are presented. We extract the fractions of final hadron yields originating from equilibrated and non-equilibrated matter as functions of multiplicity. We show that the contribution from non-equilibrated matter is non-negligible even in intermediate and central Pb+Pb collisions. The particle production from non-equilibrated matter behaves as a correction on $c_2\{4\}$ that is purely obtained from the equilibrated matter. The result poses a warning on Bayesian parameter estimation with conventional hydrodynamic models. The observed flow coefficients might need a reinterpretation with new dynamical models which incorporate the particle production from non-equilibrated matter.
Charged lepton flavor violation arises in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory at mass dimension six. The operators that induce neutrinoless muon and tauon decays are among the best constrained and are sensitive to new-physics scales up to $10^7\,$GeV. An entirely different class of lepton-flavor-violating operators violates lepton flavors by two units rather than one and does not lead to such clean signatures. Even the well-known case of muonium--anti-muonium conversion that falls into this category is only sensitive to two out of the three $\Delta L_\mu = - \Delta L_e = 2$ dimension-six operators. We derive constraints on many of these operators from lepton flavor universality and show how to make further progress with future searches at Belle II and future experiments such as $Z$ factories or muon colliders.
Nontrivial topological vacua of non-Abelian gauge symmetry $SU(3)\times SU(2)_{L}$ of the Standard Model play an important role in baryogenesis. In particular, the baryon (and lepton) number violation from $SU(2)_{L}$ sphaleron is a crucial ingredient for baryogenesis at weak scale or higher. In this work, we point out that generically, a baryon asymmetry is induced by an asymmetry generated in the new sector through strong $SU(3)$ and/or weak $SU(2)_{L}$ sphaleron portals and vice versa. In the standard radiation-dominated early Universe, due to phenomenological constraints, the sphaleron portal baryogenesis has to take place at cosmic temperature $T\gtrsim10^{6}-10^{8}$ GeV together with a $(B-L)$-violating source. As an example, we show an explicit model where strong sphaleron portal baryogenesis occurs at the scale of Peccei-Quinn breaking to solve the strong CP problem and this coincides nicely with the scale where the Weinberg operator responsible for Majorana neutrino mass is in equilibrium.
The Bethe-Salpeter equation for system of two oppositely charged particles not only reproduces the Coulomb spectrum, but, for enough large coupling constant ${\cal C}>\frac{\pi}{4}$, predicts additional levels not predicted by the Schr\"odinger equation. These relativistic states (called abnormal), in contrast to the normal ones, are dominated, for more than 90-99 percent, by Fock states involving the exchange particles - the photons, whereas contribution of two massive charged particles themselves is rather small (1-10 \%). Since the carrier of a large (positive) charge is a heavy ion, and the negative charge is provided by electron, the masses of two constituents are very different. It is shown that in a system with so different masses the abnormal states still exist. Moreover, the effect of unequal masses is attractive. The balance between photons and charged constituents is weakly sensitive to the mass ratio, so the photons still predominate.
In five- and six-dimensional $U(N)$ and $SU(N)$ gauge theories compactified on $S^1/Z_2$ and $T^2/Z_3$ orbifolds, we propose a new method to classify the equivalence classes (ECs) of boundary conditions (BCs) wihtout depending on the structure of gauge transformations. Some of the BCs are connected through gauge transformations and constitute ECs, each of which contains physically equivalent BCs. Previous methods for classifying ECs have been used specific gauge transformations. In this paper, we show that a geometric property of orbifolds significantly narrows down the possibilities of connecting BCs and completes the classification of ECs.
We present an algorithm for determining the minimal order differential equations associated to a given Feynman integral in dimensional or analytic regularisation. The algorithm is an extension of the Griffiths-Dwork pole reduction adapted to the case of twisted differential forms. In dimensional regularisation, we demonstrate the applicability of this algorithm by explicitly providing the inhomogeneous differential equations for the multiloop two-point sunset integrals: up to 20 loops for the equal mass case, the generic mass case at two- and three-loop orders. Additionally, we derive the differential operators for various infrared-divergent two-loop graphs. In the analytic regularisation case, we apply our algorithm for deriving a system of partial differential equations for regulated Witten diagrams, which arise in the evaluation of cosmological correlators of conformally coupled $\phi^4$ theory in four-dimensional de Sitter space.
The proton-neutron interaction is investigated by solving the Schrodinger equation, where a Yukawa type of potential with one pion exchanging between the proton and the neutron is assumed. Since the deutron is the unique bound state of the proton-neutron system, the coupling constant is fixed according to the binding energy of the deutron. The scattering process of the proton and the neutron is studied when the outgoing wave condition is taken into account, and two proton-neutron resonance states are obtained by solving the Schrodinger equation, which lie at $1905-i13$MeV and $2150-i342$MeV on the complex energy plane, respectively. It is no doubt that the calculation results would give some hints on the experimental research on the proton-neutron interaction in future.
Among numerous theoretical ideas, approaches, mechanisms, models there are probably few elements which will eventually enter the true theory of neutrino masses and mixing. The task is to identify them. Still something conceptually important can be missed. The problems of construction of the theory are outlined. Perspectives and possible future developments are discussed.
The Schrodinger equation with a Yukawa type of potential is solved analytically. When different boundary conditions are taken into account, a series of solutions are indicated as Bessel function, the first kind of Hankel function and the second kind of Hankel function, respectively. Subsequently, the scattering processes of $K \bar{K}^*$ and $D \bar{D}^*$ are investigated. In the $K \bar{K}^*$ sector, the $f_1(1285)$ particle is treated as a $K \bar{K}^*$ bound state, therefore, the coupling constant in the $K \bar{K}^*$ Yukawa potential can be fixed according to the binding energy of the $f_1(1285)$ particle. Consequently, a $K \bar{K}^*$ resonance state is generated by solving the Schrodinger equation with the outgoing wave condition, which lie at $1417-i18$MeV on the complex energy plane. It is reasonable to assume that the $K \bar{K}^*$ resonance state at $1417-i18$MeV might correspond to the $f_1(1420)$ particle in the review of Particle Data Group(PDG). In the $D \bar{D}^*$ sector, since the $X(3872)$ particle is almost located at the $D \bar{D}^*$ threshold, the binding energy of it equals to zero approximately. Therefore, the coupling constant in the $D \bar{D}^*$ Yukawa potential is determined, which is related to the first zero point of the zero order Bessel function. Similarly to the $K \bar{K}^*$ case, four resonance states are produced as solutions of the Schrodinger equation with the outgoing wave condition. It is assumed that the resonance states at $3885-i1$MeV, $4328-i191$MeV and $4772-i267$MeV might be associated with the $Zc(3900)$, the $\chi_{c1}(4274)$ and $\chi_{c1}(4685)$ particles, respectively. As to the state at $4029-i108$ MeV, no counterpart has been found in the PDG data. It is noted that all solutions are independent on the isospin.
With the explosion of data on jet based observables in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider and the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider, perturbative QCD based simulations of these processes, often interacting with an expanding viscous fluid dynamical background, have taken center stage. This review is meant to bridge the gap between theory, simulation and phenomenology of jet modification in a dense medium. We will demonstrate how the existence of such end-to-end event generators with semi-realistic or even fully realistic final states allows for the most rigorous comparisons between pQCD based jet modification theory and experiment. State-of-the-art calculations of several jet based observables are presented. Extensions of this theory to jets in the small systems of $p$-$A$ and $e$-$A$ collisions is discussed.
We investigate the production of spin-3/2 hadrons in semi-inclusive deep inelastic lepton-nucleon scatterings. The complete differential cross section is derived through the kinematic analysis and expressed in terms of 288 structure functions, corresponding to all polarization configurations and azimuthal modulations. For an unpolarized lepton beam, half of the 192 structure functions have nonzero leading order contributions in the parton model, among which 42 are from rank-3 tensor polarized fragmentation functions of the hadron. For a polarized lepton beam, one third of the 96 structure functions contribute at the leading order and 14 of them are from rank-3 tensor polarized fragmentation functions. In addition to the formalism, we perform a model estimation of the spin transfer to a $S_{hLLL}$ polarized hadron and sizable asymmetry is expected. Therefore, these newly defined observables for the production of a spin-3/2 hadron in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering process can be explored in future experiments to understand nucleon spin structures and spin-dependent fragmentation functions.
We have studied the mass spectra of doubly charmed pentaquark states in the $\Lambda _{c}^{(*)}D^{(*)}$ and $\Sigma _{c}^{(*)}D^{(*)}$ channels with $J^P=1/2^\pm$, $3/2^\pm$ and $5/2^\pm$ within the framework of QCD sum rules. We use the parity projected sum rules to separate the contributions of negative and positive parities from the two-point correlations induced by the pentaquark interpolating currents. Our results show that the bound states of $P_{cc}$ pentaquarks may exist in the $\Lambda _cD\, (\frac{1}{2}^-)$, $\Sigma _cD\, (\frac{1}{2}^-)$, $\Sigma _cD^*\, (\frac{3}{2}^-)$, $\Lambda _c^*D\, (\frac{3}{2}^-)$, $\Lambda _c^*D^*\, (\frac{5}{2}^-)$ channels with negative-parity and $\Sigma _cD\, (\frac{1}{2}^+)$, $\Sigma _cD^\ast\, (\frac{3}{2}^+)$, $\Sigma _c^\ast D\, (\frac{3}{2}^+)$ channels with positive-parity, since their masses are predicted to be lower than the corresponding meson-baryon thresholds. However, they are still allowed to decay into the $\Xi_{cc}^{(\ast)}\pi$ final states via strong interaction. The triply charged $P_{cc}^{+++}(ccuu\bar d)$ and neutral $P_{cc}^{0}(ccdd\bar u)$ states with $I=3/2$ are definite pentaquark states due to the exotic charges. We suggest searching for these characteristic doubly charmed pentaquark signals in the $P_{cc}^{+++}\to\Xi_{cc}^{(\ast) ++}+\pi^+/\rho^+$, $P_{cc}^{0}\to\Xi_{cc}^{(\ast) +}+\pi^-/\rho^-$ decays in the future.
The Belle II collaboration recently announced that they observed the $\boldsymbol{B^+ \!\to K^+\nu\bar{\nu}}$ decay process for the first time. This dineutrino mode of $\boldsymbol{B^+ \!\to K^+\nu\bar{\nu}}$ has been theoretically identified as a very clean channel. However, their result encounters a $2.8{}^{}\sigma$ deviation from the Standard Model (SM) calculation. On the other hand, last year, Fermilab released new data on muon $g-2$ away from the SM expectation with $5{}^{}\sigma$. In this letter, we study the simplest UV-complete $\text{U}(1)_{\textsf{L}_\mu - \textsf{L}_\tau}^{}$-charged complex scalar Dark Matter (DM) model. Thanks to the existence of light dark Higgs boson and light dark photon, we can explain the observed relic density of DM and resolve the results reported by both Belle II and Fermilab experiments simultaneously. As a byproduct, the Hubble tension is alleviated by taking $\Delta N_\textsf{eff}^{} \simeq 0.3$ induced by the light dark photon.
We study the potential of $X(3872)$ at finite temperature in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation under the assumption that it is a tetraquark. We argue that, at large number of colors, it is a good approximation to assume that the potential consists in a real part plus a constant imaginary term. The real part is then computed adapting an approach by Rothkopf and Lafferty and using as input lattice QCD determinations of the potential for hybrids. This model allows us to qualitatively estimate at which temperature range the formation of a heavy tetraquark is possible, and to propose a qualitative picture for the dissociation of the state in a medium. Our approach can be applied to other suggested internal structures for the $X(3872)$ and to other exotic states.
We extend the FONLL general-mass variable-flavour-number scheme to the case of longitudinally polarised DIS structure functions, accounting for perturbative corrections up to $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^2)$. We quantify the impact of charm quark mass and higher-order perturbative corrections on projected measurements of inclusive and charm-tagged longitudinal asymmetries at the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) and at the Electron-ion collider in China (EicC). We demonstrate how the inclusion of these corrections is essential to compute predictions with an accuracy that matches the projected precision of the measurements. The computation is made publicly available through the open-source EKO and YADISM programs
We show that the process of non-instantaneous reheating during the post-inflationary period can have a sizable impact on the charged lepton Yukawa equilibration temperature in the early Universe. This suggests relooking the effects of lepton flavors in the leptogenesis scenario where the production and decay of right-handed neutrinos take place within this prolonged era of reheating. We find this observation has the potential to shift the flavor regime(s) of leptogenesis compared to the standard thermal scenario.
As a classical generative modeling approach, energy-based models have the natural advantage of flexibility in the form of the energy function. Recently, energy-based models have achieved great success in modeling high-dimensional data in computer vision and natural language processing. In line with these advancements, we build a multi-purpose energy-based probabilistic model for High Energy Physics events at the Large Hadron Collider. This framework builds on a powerful generative model and describes higher-order inter-particle interactions. It suits different encoding architectures and builds on implicit generation. As for applicative aspects, it can serve as a powerful parameterized event generator for physics simulation, a generic anomalous signal detector free from spurious correlations, and an augmented event classifier for particle identification.
We study bottomonium $b\bar b$ production in pp collisions as well as in heavy-ion collisions, using a quantal density matrix approach. The initial bottom (anti)quarks are provided by the PYTHIA event generator. We solve the Schr\"odinger equation for the $b\bar b$ pair, identifying the potential with the free energy, calculated with lattice QCD, to obtain the temperature dependent $b\bar b$ density matrix as well as the dissociation temperature. The formation of bottomonium is given by projection of the bottomonium density matrix onto the density matrix of the system. With this approach we describe the rapidity and transverse momentum distribution of the $\Upsilon $(nS) in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 5.02 TeV extending a similar calculation for the charmonium states \cite{Song:2017phm}. We employ the Remler formalism to study the $b\bar b$ production in heavy ion collisions in which the heavy quarks scatter elastically with partons from the quark gluon plasma (QGP). The elastic scattering of heavy (anti)quark in QGP is realized by the dynamical quasi-particle model (DQPM) and the expanding QGP is modeled by PHSD. We find that a reduction to 10 \% of the scattering cross section for a (anti)bottom quark with a QGP parton reproduces the experimental data. This suggests that due to color neutrality the scattering cross section of the small $b\bar b$ system with a parton is considerably smaller than twice the bottom-parton scattering cross section.
We argue that the mixing phenomenon of a neutral meson formed by a fictitious massive quark will disappear, if the electroweak symmetry of the Standard Model (SM) is restored at a high energy scale. This disappearance is taken as the high-energy input for the dispersion relation, which must be obeyed by the width difference between two meson mass eigenstates. The solution to the dispersion relation at low energy, i.e., in the symmetry broken phase, then connects the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements to the quark masses involved in the box diagrams responsible for meson mixing. It is demonstrated via the analysis of the $D$ meson mixing that the typical $d$, $s$ and $b$ quark masses demand the CKM matrix elements in agreement with measured values. In particular, the known numerical relation $V_{us}\approx \sqrt{m_s/m_b}$ with the $s$ ($b$) quark mass $m_s$ ($m_b$) can be derived analytically from our solution. Next we apply the same formalism to the mixing of the $\mu^- e^+$ and $\mu^+ e^-$ states through similar box diagrams with intermediate neutrino channels. It is shown that the neutrino masses in the normal hierarchy (NH), instead of in the inverted hierarchy or quasi-degenerate spectrum, match the observed Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix elements. The lepton mixing angles larger than the quark ones are explained by means of the inequality $m_2^2/m_3^2\gg m_s^2/m_b^2$, $m_{2,3}$ being the neutrino masses in the NH. At last, the solution for the $\tau^-e^+$-$\tau^+e^-$ mixing specifies the mixing angle $\theta_{23}\approx 45^\circ$. Our work suggests that the fermion masses and mixing parameters are constrained dynamically, and the neutrino mass orderings can be discriminated by the internal consistency of the SM.
There is a convincing case for some form of supersymmetry, but conventional supersymmetry has been plagued by many unsolved theoretical difficulties, and not a single superpartner has been identified up to surprisingly high experimental limits. These failures suggest that it is appropriate to rethink the meaning of supersymmetry at the most fundamental level. Here we consider a radically different form of supersymmetry, which initially combines standard Weyl fermion fields and primitive (unphysical) boson fields. A stable vacuum then requires that the initial boson fields be transformed into three kinds of scalar-boson fields: the usual complex fields $\phi$, auxiliary fields $F$, and real fields $\varphi$ of a new kind. The requirement of a stable vacuum thus imposes Lorentz invariance, and also immediately breaks the initial susy -- whereas the breaking of conventional supersymmetry has long been a formidable difficulty. Even more importantly, for future experimental success, the present formulation may explain why no superpartners have yet been identified: Embedded in an $SO(10)$ grand-unified description, most of the conventional processes for production, decay, and detection of sfermions are excluded, and the same is true for many processes involving gauginos and higgsinos. This implies that superpartners with masses $\sim 1$ TeV may exist, but with reduced cross-sections and modified experimental signatures. For example, a top squark (as redefined here) will not decay at all, but can radiate pairs of gauge bosons and will also leave straight tracks through second-order (electromagnetic, weak, strong, and Higgs) interactions with detectors. The predictions of the present theory include (1) the dark matter candidate of our previous papers, (2) many new fermions with masses not far above 1 TeV, and (3) the full range of superpartners with a modified phenomenology.
The effect of the temperature evolution of QGP on its thermal conductivity and elliptic flow is investigated here in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field. Thermal conductivity plays a vital role in the cooling rate of the medium or its temperature evolution. The magnetic field produced during the early stages of (non-central) heavy-ion collisions decays with time, where electrical conductivity plays a significant role. As the medium expands, the electrical and thermal properties change, reflecting the effect in various observables. In this study, we have calculated the thermal conductivity of the QGP medium, incorporating the effects of temperature and magnetic field evolution. We discovered that conductivity significantly depends on the cooling rate, and its value increases due to temperature evolution. Furthermore, the influence of these evolutions on the elliptic flow coefficient is measured, and elliptic flow decreases due to the evolution. We also extend our study for the case of Gubser flow, where, along with the longitudinal Bjorken expansion, the radially transverse expansion is also present.
We propose a Born-Infeld contribution to the $U(1)_{B-L}$ extension of the Standard Model to explain the anomalous decay of beryllium by the X17 neutral boson, its possible connections to dark matter and the observed MeV gamma-ray bursts. The decay width of the $Z^0$ decay into 3$X$ and 3$\gamma$ processes are computed, based on NA64 and ATLAS experiments data.
New physics could manifest itself in the form of electroweak multiplets that interact at tree level with the Higgs boson but do not mix with Standard Model fields or acquire expectation values. In this paper, we study the potential contributions of such inert multiplets to several crucial Higgs properties, namely, the branching ratio of the Higgs to a $Z$ boson and a photon (or massless dark photon) and the triple Higgs coupling. Constraints from the Higgs signal strengths, oblique parameters and unitarity are taken into account.
We discuss recent progress towards extending the Helac framework to the calculation of two-loop amplitudes. A general algorithm for the automated computation of two-loop integrands is described. The algorithm covers all the steps of the computation, from the generation of loop topologies up to the construction of recursion relations for two loop integrands. Finally, first steps towards the formulation of a new approach for reducing two-loop amplitudes to a basis of master integrals are discussed.
By tagging one or two intact protons in the forward direction, it is possible to select and measure exclusive photon-fusion processes at the LHC. The same processes can also be measured in heavy ion collisions, and are often denoted as ultraperipheral collisions (UPC) processes. Such measurements open up the possibility of probing certain dimension-8 operators and their positivity bounds at the LHC. As a demonstration, we perform a phenomenological study on the $\gamma\gamma\to \ell^+\ell^-$ processes, and find out that the measurements of this process at the HL-LHC provide reaches on a set of dimension-8 operator coefficients that are comparable to the ones at future lepton colliders. We also point out that the $\gamma q\to \gamma q$ process could potentially have better reaches on similar types of operators due to its larger cross section, but a more detailed experimental study is need to estimate the signal and background rates of this process. The validity of effective field theory (EFT) and the robustness of the positivity interpretation are also discussed.
Femtoscopy is a unique tool to investigate the space-time geometry of the matter created in ultra-relativistic collisions. If the probability density distribution of hadron emission is parametrized, then the dependence of its parameters on particle momentum, collision energy, and collision geometry can be given. In recent years, several measurements came to light that indicated the adequacy of assuming a L\'evy-stable shape for the mentioned distribution. In parallel, several new phenomenological developments appeared, aiding the interpretation of the experimental results or providing tools for the measurements. In this paper, we discuss important aspects of femtoscopy with L\'evy sources in light of some of these advances, including phenomenological and experimental ones.
The full data set of the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment is used to probe the effect of the charged current non-standard interactions (CC-NSI) on neutrino oscillation experiments. Two different approaches are applied and constraints on the corresponding CC-NSI parameters are obtained with the neutrino flux taken from the Huber-Mueller model with a $5\%$ uncertainty. Both approaches are performed with the analytical expressions of the effective survival probability valid up to all orders in the CC-NSI parameters. For the quantum mechanics-based approach (QM-NSI), the constraints on the CC-NSI parameters $\epsilon_{e\alpha}$ and $\epsilon_{e\alpha}^{s}$ are extracted with and without the assumption that the effects of the new physics are the same in the production and detection processes, respectively. The approach based on the effective field theory (EFT-NSI) deals with four types of CC-NSI represented by the parameters $[\varepsilon_{X}]_{e\alpha}$. For both approaches, the results for the CC-NSI parameters are shown for cases with various fixed values of the CC-NSI and the Dirac CP-violating phases, and when they are allowed to vary freely. We find that constraints on the QM-NSI parameters $\epsilon_{e\alpha}$ and $\epsilon_{e\alpha}^{s}$ from the Daya Bay experiment alone can reach the order $\mathcal{O}(0.01)$ for the former and $\mathcal{O}(0.1)$ for the latter, while for EFT-NSI parameters $[\varepsilon_{X}]_{e\alpha}$, we obtain $\mathcal{O}(0.1)$ for both cases.
In order to stimulate new engagement and trigger some concrete studies in areas where further work would be beneficial towards fully understanding the physics potential of an $e^+e^-$ Higgs / Top / Electroweak factory, we propose to define a set of focus topics. The general reasoning and the proposed topics are described in this document.
The lattice gauge-scalar model with the scalar field in the fundamental representation of the gauge group has a single confinement-Higgs phase which is well-known as the Fradkin-Shenker-Osterwalder-Seiler analytic continuity theorem: Confinement and Higgs regions are subregions of an analytically continued single phase and there are no thermodynamics phase transitions between them. In this talk, however, we show that we can define new type of operators which enable to separate completely the confinement phase and the Higgs phase. In fact, they are constructed in the gauge-invariant procedure by combining the original scalar field and the so-called color-direction field which is obtained by change of field variables based on the gauge-covariant decomposition of the gauge field due to Cho-Duan-Ge-Shabanov and Faddeev-Niemi. We perform the numerical simulations for the model with SU(2) gauge group without any gauge fixing and find a new transition line which agrees with the conventional thermodynamic transition line in the weak gauge coupling and divides the confinement-Higgs phase into two separate phases, confinement and the Higgs, in the strong gauge coupling. All results are obtained in the gauge-independent way, since no gauge fixing has been imposed in the numerical simulations. Moreover, we give a physical interpretation for the new transition from the viewpoint of the spontaneous breaking of a global symmetry. This talk is based on the preprint [1].
The concept of information scrambling elucidates the dispersion of local information in quantum many-body systems, offering insights into various physical phenomena such as wormhole teleportation. This phenomenon has spurred extensive theoretical and experimental investigations. Among these, the size-winding mechanism emerges as a valuable diagnostic tool for optimizing signal detection. In this Letter, we establish a computational framework for determining the winding size distribution in large-$N$ quantum systems with all-to-all interactions, utilizing the scramblon effective theory. We obtain the winding size distribution for the large-$q$ SYK model across the entire time domain. Notably, we unveil that the manifestation of size winding results from a universal phase factor in the scramblon propagator, highlighting the significance of the Lyapunov exponent. These findings contribute to a sharp and precise connection between operator dynamics and the phenomenon of wormhole teleportation.
In the companion paper [SciPost Phys. 13, 108 (2022), arXiv:2205.11401 [hep-th]] we have studied the solution space at null infinity for gravity in the partial Bondi gauge. This partial gauge enables to recover as particular cases and among other choices the Bondi-Sachs and Newman-Unti gauges, and to approach the question of the most general boundary conditions and asymptotic charges in gravity. Here we compute and study the asymptotic charges and their algebra in this partial Bondi gauge, by focusing on the flat case with a varying boundary metric $\delta q_{AB}\neq0$. In addition to the super-translations, super-rotations, and Weyl transformations, we find two extra asymptotic symmetries associated with non-vanishing charges labelled by free functions in the solution space. These new symmetries arise from a weaker definition of the radial coordinate and switch on traces in the transverse metric. We also exhibit complete gauge fixing conditions in which these extra asymptotic symmetries and charges survive. As a byproduct of this calculation we obtain the charges in Newman-Unti gauge, in which one of these extra asymptotic charges is already non-vanishing. We also apply the formula for the charges in the partial Bondi gauge to the computation of the charges for the Kerr spacetime in Bondi coordinates.
At finite temperature, conserved charges undergo thermal fluctuations in a quantum many-body system in the grand canonical ensemble. The full structure of the fluctuations of the total U(1) charge $Q$ can be succinctly captured by the generating function $G(\theta)=\left\langle e^{i \theta Q}\right\rangle$. For a 1D translation-invariant spin chain, in the thermodynamic limit the magnitude $|G(\theta)|$ scales with the system size $L$ as $\ln |G(\theta)|=-\alpha(\theta)L+\gamma(\theta)$, where $\gamma(\theta)$ is the scale-invariant contribution and may encode universal information about the underlying system. In this work we investigate the behavior and physical meaning of $\gamma(\theta)$ when the system is periodic. We find that $\gamma(\theta)$ only takes non-zero values at isolated points of $\theta$, which is $\theta=\pi$ for all our examples. In two exemplary lattice systems we show that $\gamma(\pi)$ takes quantized values when the U(1) symmetry exhibits a specific type of 't Hooft anomaly with other symmetries. In other cases, we investigate how $\gamma(\theta)$ depends on microscopic conditions (such as the filling factor) in field theory and exactly solvable lattice models.
We discuss the canonical quantization of $U(1)_k$ Chern-Simons theory on a spatial lattice. In addition to the usual local Gauss law constraints, the physical Hilbert space is defined by 1-form gauge constraints implementing the compactness of the $U(1)$ gauge group, and (depending on the details of the spatial lattice) non-local constraints which project out unframed Wilson loops. Though the ingredients of the lattice model are bosonic, the physical Hilbert space is finite-dimensional, with exactly $k$ ground states on a spatial torus. We quantize both the bosonic (even level) and fermionic (odd level) theories, describing in detail how the latter depends on a choice of spin structure.
Motivated by super Poisson-Lie (PL) symmetry of the Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) model based on the $(C^3+A)$ Lie supergroup of our previous work [A. Eghbali {\it et al.} JHEP 07 (2013) 134], we first obtain and classify all Drinfeld superdoubles (DSDs) generated by the Lie superbialgebra structures on the $({\C}^3+ {\A})$ Lie superalgebra as a theorem. Then, introducing a general formulation we find the conditions under which a two-dimensional $\sigma$-model may be equivalent to a WZW model. With the help of this formulation and starting the super PL symmetric $(C^3+A)$ WZW model, we get a hierarchy of WZW models related to super PL T-duality, in such a way that it is different from the super PL T-plurality, because the DSDs are, in this process, non-isomorphic. The most interesting indication of this work is that the $(C^3+A)$ WZW model does remain invariant under the super PL T-duality transformation, that is, the model is super PL self-dual.
We explicitly compute the (NS) sector conventional type-I superstring tree-level amplitudes at five points after compactifying to 4-D, express the QFT building block in the helicity basis, and give several attempts towards arbitrary $n$ points. More specifically, we consider the interaction of one first excited level and otherwise massless states of conventional type-I superstrings, where the four-dimensional states can, for instance, be realized via D$3$ branes. We construct the amplitude by using the Berends-Giele currents. From the recursion of Berends-Giele currents, we can generate the higher point amplitude. We also apply the BCFW recursion with massive external legs shifted and get the amplitude for arbitrary $n$ points.
In this study, we investigate various deformations within the framework of Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs invariant field theory (BMSFT). Specifically, we explore the impact of Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) symmetry on the theory by introducing key deformations, namely, $T \overline{T}$, $JT_{\mu}$, and $\sqrt{T \overline{T}}$ deformations. In the context of generic seed theories possessing BMS symmetry, we derive the first-order correction of correlation functions using the systematic application of BMS symmetry ward identities. However, it is worth noting that higher-order corrections are intricately dependent on the specific characteristics of the seed theories. To illustrate our findings, we select the BMS free scalar and free fermion as representative seed theories. We then proceed to analytically determine the deformed action by solving the nontrivial flow equations. Additionally, we extend our analysis to include second-order deformations within these deformed theories.
Famous work of Bridgeland and Smith shows that certain moduli spaces of quadratic differentials are isomorphic to spaces of stability conditions on particular $3$-Calabi-Yau triangulated categories. This result has subsequently been generalised and extended by several authors. One facet of this correspondence is that finite-length trajectories of the quadratic differential are related to categories of semistable objects of the corresponding stability condition, which have associated Donaldson-Thomas invariants. On the other hand, computations in the physics literature suggest certain values of these invariants according to the type of trajectory. In this paper, we show that the category recently constructed by Christ, Haiden, and Qiu gives Donaldson-Thomas invariants which agree with the predictions from physics; in particular, degenerate ring domains of the quadratic differential give rise to non-zero Donaldson-Thomas invariants. To calculate all of the Donaldson-Thomas invariants, we import techniques from representation theory not previously used for these purposes. As a corollary of our computations, we obtain a quantum dilogarithm identity.
Other than the commonly used Wilson's regularization of quantum field theories (QFTs), there is a growing interest in regularizations that explore lattice models with a strictly finite local Hilbert space, in anticipation of the upcoming era of quantum simulations of QFTs. A notable example is Euclidean qubit regularization, which provides a natural way to recover continuum QFTs that emerge via infrared fixed points of lattice theories. Can such regularizations also capture the physics of ultraviolet fixed points? We present a novel regularization of the asymptotically free massive continuum QFT that emerges at the Berezenski-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition through a hard core loop-gas model, discussing the advantages this model provides compared to traditional regularizations. In particular, we demonstrate that without the need for fine-tuning, it can reproduce the universal step-scaling function of the classical lattice XY model in the massive phase as we approach the phase transition.
We propose the Symmetry TFT for theories with a $U(1)$ symmetry in arbitrary dimension. The Symmetry TFT describes the structure of the symmetry, its anomalies, and the possible topological manipulations. It is constructed as a BF theory of gauge fields for groups $U(1)$ and $\mathbb{R}$, and contains a continuum of topological operators. We also propose an operation that produces the Symmetry TFT for the theory obtained by dynamically gauging the $U(1)$ symmetry. We discuss many examples. As an interesting outcome, we obtain the Symmetry TFT for the non-invertible $\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$ chiral symmetry in four dimensions.
We present a steady Euler flow on the round 3-sphere whose velocity vector field has the property of having two independent first integrals, being tangent to the fibres of an almost submersion onto the 2-sphere. This submersion turns out to be a critical point for the quartic Faddeev-Skyrme model with a standard potential.
We investigate how the complexity=anything observables proposed by [arXiv:2111.02429, arXiv:2210.09647] can be used to investigate the interior geometry of AdS black holes. In particular, we illustrate how the flexibility of the complexity=anything approach allows us to systematically probe the geometric properties of black hole singularities. We contrast our results for the AdS Schwarzschild and AdS Reissner-Nordstr\"om geometries, i.e., for uncharged and charged black holes, respectively. In the latter case, the holographic complexity observables can only probe the interior up to the inner horizon.
We present polynomial and manifestly covariant M5-brane Lagrangians along with their analyses involving their dynamics, gauge symmetries and their nonlinear selfduality condition. Such Lagrangians can be particularly useful for developments that are otherwise hindered by a non-polynomial structure and singularity of the Lagrangian such as its quantisation. Although on integrating out some of the auxiliary fields these polynomial Lagrangians reduce to the M5-brane Lagrangian given by the Pasti-Sorokin-Tonin (PST) formalism, in the analysis of the polynomial Lagrangians the only remnant of the non-polynomial structure of the PST type Lagrangian appears in the gauge transformation corresponding to an infinitesimal shift of a St\"uckelberg field. This transformation does not affect the dynamics or the on-shell self-duality condition of the polynomial M5-brane Lagrangians.
Motivated by experiments on spin chains embedded in a metallic bath, as well as closed quantum systems described by long-range interacting Hamiltonians, we study a critical SU(N) spin chain perturbed by dissipation, or equivalently, after space-time rotation, long-range spatial interactions. The interplay of dissipation and the Wess-Zumino (Berry phase) term results in a rich phase diagram with multiple renormalization-group fixed points. For a range of the exponent that characterizes the dissipative bath, we find a second-order phase transition between the fixed point that describes an isolated critical spin chain and a dissipation-induced-ordered phase. More interestingly, for a different range of the exponent, we find a stable, gapless, nonrelativistic phase of matter whose existence necessarily requires coupling to the dissipative bath. Upon tuning the exponent, we find that the fixed point corresponding to this gapless, stable phase "annihilates" the fixed point that describes the transition out of this phase to the ordered phase. We also study a relativistic version of our model, and we identify a new critical point. We discuss the implications of our work for Kondo lattice systems and engineered long-range interacting quantum systems.
I am showing how the ideas behind the renormalisation group can be generalised in order to produce the desired reduction in the degrees of freedom other that the ones considered up to now. Instead of looking only at the renormalisation group flow, inspiration from optimisation tools for regulators of truncated theories is used to show that there exists another mathematical structure in the morphisms between various renormalisation groups, characterised by their operations, encoded by means of various regularisation functions. This expands the idea of renormalisation group to a renormalisation category. A group structure exists at the level of those morphisms, leading to new information emerging in the flowing process. Impact on problems like the naturalness and protein folding is being presented briefly.
We analyse the CFT-data of planar 4D $\mathcal{N} = 4$ Super-Yang-Mills theory at strong coupling. By combining spectral data extracted from integrability, with recent advances in computing the AdS Virasoro-Shapiro amplitude, we extract predictions for leading order OPE coefficients on entire Kaluza-Klein (KK-)towers of states. We observe that the appropriately normalised leading order OPE coefficients for all states in a given KK-tower are the same. Furthermore, we also notice that, in many cases, the leading order OPE coefficients of all states in the KK-tower vanish, suggesting a simplification of the physics in this limit.
The DGKT-CFI construction of AdS flux vacua in type IIA string theory has interesting features such as classical moduli stabilization and a parametric scale separation between the Hubble scale and the Kaluza-Klein scale. A possible worry regarding the consistency of these vacua is that pathologies could arise due to intersections of the O6-planes, which are not well understood in the 10D solution. In this note, we show in explicit examples that such intersections are absent if one compactifies on smooth Calabi-Yau manifolds instead of toroidal orbifolds. In particular, we show that the blow-up of the $T^6/\mathbb{Z}_3$ orbifold yields a single O6-plane which wraps a smooth submanifold without any (self-)intersections. On the other hand, blowing up the $T^6/\mathbb{Z}_3^2$ orbifold seems to yield an O6-plane which self-intersects. However, we show that this is due to an inconsistent orientifold involution in the original DGKT model. Imposing a consistent involution again yields a single smooth O6-plane without self-intersections on the blown-up manifold.
We develop a non-conventional description of the vacuum energy in quantum field theory in terms of quantum entropy. Precisely, we show that the vacuum energy of any non-interacting quantum field at zero temperature is proportional to the quantum entropy of the qubit degrees of freedom associated with virtual fluctuations. We prove this for fermions first, and then extend the derivation to quanta of any spin. Finally, we use these results to obtain the first law of thermodynamics for a non-interacting quantum vacuum at zero temperature.
We investigate the thermodynamic limit and exact surface energy of the isotropic spin-1 Heisenberg chain with integrable generic open boundary conditions by a novel Bethe ansatz method. We obtain the homogeneous Bethe ansatz equations for the zero roots of the transfer matrix. Based on the patterns of the zero roots, we analytical calculate the densities of zero roots and the surface energies of the model in all regimes of the boundary parameters.
Using 24.1 fb$^{-1}$ of $e^{+}e^{-}$ collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the Born cross sections and effective form factors of the $e^{+}e^{-}\rightarrow\Sigma^{+}\bar\Sigma^{-}$ reaction are measured. The measurements are performed at center-of-mass energies ranging from 3.510 to 4.951 GeV. No significant evidence for the decay of the charmonium(-like) states, $\psi(3770)$, $\psi(4040)$, $\psi(4160)$, $Y(4230)$, $Y(4360)$, $\psi(4415)$, and $Y(4660)$, into a $\Sigma^{+}\bar\Sigma^{-}$ final state is observed. Consequently, upper limits for the products of the branching fractions and the electronic partial widths at the 90% confidence level are reported for these decays.
The radiative transfer equation (RTE) is a cornerstone for describing the propagation of electromagnetic radiation in a medium, with applications spanning atmospheric science, astrophysics, remote sensing, and biomedical optics. Despite its importance, an exact analytical solution to the RTE has remained elusive, necessitating the use of numerical approximations such as Monte Carlo, discrete ordinate, and spherical harmonics methods. In this paper, we present an exact solution to the one-dimensional time-dependent RTE. We delve into the moments of the photon distribution, providing a clear view of the transition to the diffusion regime. This analysis offers a deeper understanding of light propagation in the medium. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the one-dimensional RTE is equivalent to the Klein-Gordon equation with an imaginary mass term determined by the inverse reduced scattering length. Contrary to naive expectations of superluminal solutions, we find that our solution is strictly causal under appropriate boundary conditions, determined by the light transport problem. We validate the found solution using Monte Carlo simulations and benchmark the performance of the latter. Our analysis reveals that even for highly forward scattering, dozens of random light scatterings are required for an accurate estimate, underscoring the complexity of the problem. Moreover, we propose a method for faster convergence by adjusting the parameters of Monte Carlo sampling. We show that a Monte Carlo method sampling photon scatterings with input parameters $(\mu_s,g)$, where $\mu_s$ is the inverse scattering length and $g$ is the scattering anisotropy parameter, is equivalent to that with $(\mu_s(1-g)/2,-1)$. This equivalence leads to a significantly faster convergence to the exact solution, offering a substantial improvement of the Monte Carlo method for the one-dimensional RTE.
The use of High Purity Germanium detectors operated in ionization mode at cryogenic temperatures is investigated as an external background mitigation solution for bolometers used in rare-event search experiments. A simple experimental setup with very partial coverage, running a 52-g $\mathrm{Li_2WO_4}$ bolometer sandwiched in-between two 2-cm thick High Purity Germanium cylindrical detectors in a dry cryostat, shows promising rejection to environmental gammas and atmospheric muons backgrounds. The acquired data are used together with a Monte Carlo simulation of the setup to extract the main contributions to the external backgrounds expected in an above ground experiment, such as e.g.~current and future experimental efforts targeting the detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering at reactor facilities. Based on all these results, a $\mathrm{4\pi}$ coverage similar veto system achieving a $\mathcal{O}$(10 keV) energy threshold is expected to achieve a $\mathrm{\gtrsim}$ 70 \% and a $\mathrm{\gtrsim}$ 97 \% rejection power for gamma-like and muon-like events, respectively.
The precision measurement of $K^{+} \rightarrow \pi^{+} \nu \bar{\nu}$ at the NA62 experiment requires a kaon identification detector to have a time resolution better than 100ps, at least 95% kaon identification efficiency, and a pion misidentification probability of less than $10^{-4}$. Since the start of NA62 data taking in 2016, kaon identification has been performed by a differential Cherenkov with achromatic ring focus (CEDAR) detector with a nitrogen gas radiator. A new CEDAR using hydrogen (CEDAR-H) as a radiator gas has been developed to reduce the material in the beamline, reducing the beam particle scattering within the detector. CEDAR-H was validated during a two-week test beam at CERN in 2022 and was approved by the NA62 collaboration for use in data taking from 2023. The test beam results, installation and commissioning in the NA62 beamline are reported.
AN Underground Belayed In-Shaft search experiment (ANUBIS) was proposed to search for neutral long-lived particles (LLPs) at CERN's ATLAS underground cavern. A prototype or a proof-of-concept demonstrator detector - proANUBIS was recently installed to prove the feasibility of such an experiment. The prototype demonstrator is expected to play a role in validating simulation studies and providing insights into the anticipated backgrounds for the ANUBIS experiment. The current report provides an overview of the experimental setup for this prototype detector, and its commissioning and installation details.
This paper is a write-up of the ideas that were presented, developed and discussed at the fourth International Workshop on QCD Challenges from pp to AA, which took place in February 2023 in Padua, Italy. The goal of the workshop was to focus on some of the open questions in the field of high-energy heavy-ion physics and to stimulate the formulation of concrete suggestions for making progresses on both the experimental and theoretical sides. The paper gives a brief introduction to each topic and then summarizes the primary results.
Contrary to the use of genetic programming, the neural network approach to symbolic regression can scale well with high input dimension and leverage gradient methods for faster equation searching. Common ways of constraining expression complexity have relied on multistage pruning methods with fine-tuning, but these often lead to significant performance loss. In this work, we propose SymbolNet, a neural network approach to symbolic regression in a novel framework that enables dynamic pruning of model weights, input features, and mathematical operators in a single training, where both training loss and expression complexity are optimized simultaneously. We introduce a sparsity regularization term per pruning type, which can adaptively adjust its own strength and lead to convergence to a target sparsity level. In contrast to most existing symbolic regression methods that cannot efficiently handle datasets with more than $O$(10) inputs, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our model on the LHC jet tagging task (16 inputs), MNIST (784 inputs), and SVHN (3072 inputs).
The exclusive production of pion pairs in the process $pp\to pp\pi^+\pi^-$ has been measured at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, using 80 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ of low-luminosity data. The pion pairs were detected in the ATLAS central detector while outgoing protons were measured in the forward ATLAS ALFA detector system. This represents the first use of proton tagging to measure an exclusive hadronic final state at the LHC. A cross-section measurement is performed in two kinematic regions defined by the proton momenta, the pion rapidities and transverse momenta, and the pion-pion invariant mass. Cross section values of $4.8 \pm 1.0 \text{(stat.)} + {}^{+0.3}_{-0.2} \text{(syst.)}\mu$b and $9 \pm 6 \text{(stat.)} + {}^{+2}_{-2}\text{(syst.)}\mu$b are obtained in the two regions; they are compared with theoretical models and provide a demonstration of the feasibility of measurements of this type.
The high-energy physics community is investigating the potential of deploying machine-learning-based solutions on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to enhance physics sensitivity while still meeting data processing time constraints. In this contribution, we introduce a novel end-to-end procedure that utilizes a machine learning technique called symbolic regression (SR). It searches the equation space to discover algebraic relations approximating a dataset. We use PySR (a software to uncover these expressions based on an evolutionary algorithm) and extend the functionality of hls4ml (a package for machine learning inference in FPGAs) to support PySR-generated expressions for resource-constrained production environments. Deep learning models often optimize the top metric by pinning the network size because the vast hyperparameter space prevents an extensive search for neural architecture. Conversely, SR selects a set of models on the Pareto front, which allows for optimizing the performance-resource trade-off directly. By embedding symbolic forms, our implementation can dramatically reduce the computational resources needed to perform critical tasks. We validate our method on a physics benchmark: the multiclass classification of jets produced in simulated proton-proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We show that our approach can approximate a 3-layer neural network using an inference model that achieves up to a 13-fold decrease in execution time, down to 5 ns, while still preserving more than 90% approximation accuracy.
Based on $4.4~\text{fb}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}e^{-}$ annihilation data collected at the center-of-mass energies between $4.60$ and $4.70~\text{GeV}$ with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the pure $W$-exchange decay $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to\Xi^{0}K^{+}$ is studied with a full angular analysis. The corresponding decay asymmetry is measured for the first time to be $\alpha_{\Xi^{0}K^{+}}=0.01\pm0.16({\rm stat.})\pm0.03({\rm syst.})$. This result reflects the interference between the $S$- and $P$-wave amplitudes. The phase shift between $S$- and $P$-wave amplitudes is $\delta_{p}-\delta_{s}=-1.55\pm0.25({\rm stat.})\pm0.05({\rm syst.})~\text{rad}$.
Machine Learning is a rapidly expanding field with a wide range of applications in science. In the field of physics, the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator, utilizes Neural Networks for various tasks, including flavour tagging. Flavour tagging is the process of identifying the flavour of the hadron that initiates a jet in a collision event, and it is an essential aspect of many Standard Model and Beyond the Standard Model research. Graph Neural Networks are currently the primary machine-learning tool used for flavour tagging. Here, we present the AUTOGRAPH pipeline, a completely customizable tool designed with a user-friendly interface to provide easy access to the Graph Neural Networks algorithm used for flavour tagging.
We present results from a beam test of a telescope that utilizes the JadePix-3 pixel sensor, designed using TowerJazz 180 nm CMOS imaging technology. This telescope consists of 5 planes, each equipped with a JadePix-3 sensor, having pitches of $26\times16$ \si{\um^2} and $23.11\times16$ \si{\um^2}. It also incorporates an FPGA-based synchronous readout system. The telescope underwent testing from an electron beam with energy ranging from \SI{4}{GeV} to \SI{6}{GeV}. At the electron energy of \SI{5.4}{GeV}, the telescope provided a superior spatial resolution of \SI{2.6}{\um} and \SI{2.3}{\um} in two dimensions, respectively. By designating one plane as the device under test, we evaluated the JadePix-3 sensor's spatial resolution of \SI{5.2}{\um} and \SI{4.6}{\um} in two dimensions, and achieving a detection efficiency of more than 99.0\%.
A new interactive quantum zero-knowledge protocol for identity authentication implementable in currently available quantum cryptographic devices is proposed and demonstrated. The protocol design involves a verifier and a prover knowing a pre-shared secret, and the acceptance or rejection of the proof is determined by the quantum bit error rate. It has been implemented in modified Quantum Key Distribution devices executing two fundamental cases. In the first case, all players are honest, while in the second case, one of the users is a malicious player. We demonstrate an increase of the quantum bit error rate around 25% in the latter case compared to the case of honesty. The protocol has also been validated for distances from a back-to-back setup to more than 60 km between verifier and prover. The security and robustness of the protocol has been analysed, demonstrating its completeness, soundness and zero-knowledge properties.
The cooling of a Bose gas in finite time results in the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate that is spontaneously proliferated with vortices. We propose that the vortex spatial statistics is described by a homogeneous Poisson point process (PPP) with a density dictated by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM). We validate this model using numerical simulations of the two-dimensional stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii equation (SGPE) for both a homogeneous and a hard-wall trapped condensate. The KZM scaling of the average vortex number with the cooling rate is established along with the universal character of the vortex number distribution. The spatial statistics between vortices is characterized by analyzing the two-point defect-defect correlation function, the corresponding spacing distributions, and the random tessellation of the vortex pattern using the Voronoi cell area statistics. Combining the PPP description with the KZM, we derive universal theoretical predictions for each of these quantities and find them in agreement with the SGPE simulations. Our results establish the universal character of the spatial statistics of point-like topological defects generated during a continuous phase transition and the associated stochastic geometry.
Quantum spin chains - the prototypical model for coupled two-level systems - offer a fertile playground both for fundamental and technological applications, ranging from the theory of thermalization to quantum computation. The effects of frustration induced by the boundary conditions have recently been addressed in this context. In this work, we analyze the effects of such frustration on a few spin system and we comment the strong even-odd effects induced in the ground state energy. The purpose of this work is to show that such signatures are visible on current quantum computer platforms.
Quantum low-density parity-check (qLDPC) codes are a promising construction for drastically reducing the overhead of fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) architectures. However, all of the known hardware implementations of these codes require advanced technologies, such as long-range qubit connectivity, high-weight stabilizers, or multi-layered chip layouts. An alternative approach to reduce the hardware overhead of fault-tolerance is to use bosonic cat qubits where bit-flip errors are exponentially suppressed by design. In this work, we combine both approaches and propose an architecture based on cat qubits concatenated in classical LDPC codes correcting for phase-flips. We find that employing such phase-flip LDPC codes provides two major advantages. First, the hardware implementation of the code can be realised using short-range qubit interactions in 2D and low-weight stabilizers, which makes it readily compatible with current superconducting circuit technologies. Second, we demonstrate how to implement a fault-tolerant universal set of logical gates with a second layer of cat qubits while maintaining the local connectivity. We conduct a numerical brute force optimisation of these classical codes to find the ones with the best encoding rate for algorithmically relevant code distances. We discover that some of the best codes benefit from a cellular automaton structure. This allows us to define families of codes with high encoding rates and distances. Finally, we numerically assess the performance of our codes under circuit-level noise. Assuming a physical phase-flip error probability $\epsilon \approx 0.1\%$, our $[165+8\ell, 34+2\ell, 22]$ code family allows to encode $100$ logical qubits with a total logical error probability (including both logical phase-flip and bit-flip) per cycle and per logical qubit $\epsilon_L \leq 10^{-8}$ on a $758$ cat qubit chip.
We prove that the entanglement cost equals the regularized entanglement of formation for any infinite-dimensional quantum state $\rho_{AB}$ with finite quantum entropy on at least one of the subsystems $A$ or $B$. This generalizes a foundational result in quantum information theory that was previously formulated only for operations and states on finite-dimensional systems. The extension to infinite dimensions is nontrivial because the conventional tools for establishing both the direct and converse bounds, i.e., strong typically, monotonicity, and asymptotic continuity, are no longer directly applicable. To address this problem, we construct a new entanglement dilution protocol for infinite-dimensional states implementable by local operations and a finite amount of one-way classical communication (one-way LOCC), using weak and strong typicality multiple times. We also prove the optimality of this protocol among all protocols even under infinite-dimensional separable operations by developing an argument based on alternative forms of monotonicity and asymptotic continuity of the entanglement of formation for infinite-dimensional states. Along the way, we derive a new integral representation for the quantum entropy of infinite-dimensional states, which we believe to be of independent interest. Our results allow us to fully characterize an important operational entanglement measure -- the entanglement cost -- for all infinite-dimensional physical systems.
Experimental observations of vacuum radiation and vacuum frictional torque are challenging due to their vanishingly small effects in practical systems. For example, a rotating nanosphere in free space slows down due to friction from vacuum fluctuations with a stopping time around the age of the universe. Here, we show that a spinning yttrium iron garnet (YIG) nanosphere near aluminum or YIG slabs exhibits vacuum radiation eight orders of magnitude larger than other metallic or dielectric spinning nanospheres. We achieve this giant enhancement by exploiting the large near-field magnetic local density of states in YIG systems, which occurs in the low-frequency GHz regime comparable to the rotation frequency. Furthermore, we propose a realistic experimental setup for observing the effects of this large vacuum radiation and frictional torque under experimentally accessible conditions.
Optimal state transport across spin chains, which are proposed as quantum wires for information transfer in solid state quantum architectures, is an important topic for quantum technologies. In this work, we study {the remote restoring of a quantum state transferred along a spin chain.} The structural state-restoring technique provides proportionality between the appropriate elements of the density matrices of the initial sender state and receiver state at some time instant. We develop a {remote} state-restoring protocol which uses an inhomogeneous magnetic field with step-wise time-dependent Larmor frequencies as the state-control tool. For simulating the multiparametric Hamiltonian we use two approximating models. First model is based on the Trotter-Suzuki method, while the second model is based on using short pulses of high intensity. In both cases we estimate the accuracy of the approximation and find the optimal restoring parameters (Larmor frequencies) of the protocol which maximize the coefficients in the proportionality for spin chains of various lengths.
The Schwinger oscillator construct of angular momentum, applied to the superconducting transmon and its transmission-line readout, modeled as capacitvely coupled quantum oscillators, provides a natural and robust description of a qubit. The construct defines quantum-entangled, two-photon states that form an angular-momentum-like basis, with symmetry corresponding to physical conservation of total photon number, with respect to the combined transmon and readout. This basis provides a convenient starting point from which to study error-inducing effects of transmon anharmonicity, surrounding-environment decoherence, and random stray fields on qubit state and gate operations. Employing a Lindblad master equation to model dissipation to the surrounding environment, and incorporating the effect of weak transmon anharmonicity, we present examples of the utility of the construct. First, we calculate the frequency response associated with exciting the ground state to a Rabi resonance with the lowest-lying spin-1/2 moment, via a driving external voltage. Second, we calculate the frequency response between the three lowest two-photon states, within a ladder-type excitation scheme. The generality of the Schwinger angular-momentum construct allows it to be applied to other superconducting charge qubits.
Quantum repeaters are pivotal in the physical layer of the quantum Internet. For its future development, it is desirable to have quantum repeaters capable of facilitating robust and high-speed communication. In terms of efficiency, quantum repeater schemes based on single-photon interference are seen as promising. However, this method, involving first-order interference with light sources at distant nodes, requires stringent phase stability in the components. In this paper, we present a quantum repeater scheme that leverages single-photon interference, utilizing multimode quantum memories and multimode two-photon sources. Compared to conventional quantum repeater methods, our proposed scheme significantly reduces the phase stability requirements by several orders of magnitude. Additionally, under specific conditions, it is demonstrated that our scheme achieves a higher coincidence rate between end nodes compared to existing schemes.
We consider ultralong-range polyatomic Rydberg molecules formed by combining a Rydberg cesium atom and a ground-state RbCs molecule. We explore the regime where the charge-dipole interaction due to the Rydberg electron with the diatomic polar molecule couples the quantum defect Rydberg states Cs(ns) to the nearest degenerate hydrogenic manifold. We consider polyatomic Rydberg molecules in states which are amenable to production in optical tweezers and study the influence of nonadiabatic coupling on the likelihood of their formation. The decay rates of the vibrational states reflect the interference signature of wave function spread in different coupled potential wells.
Given $n$ copies of an unknown quantum state $\rho\in\mathbb{C}^{d\times d}$, quantum state certification is the task of determining whether $\rho=\rho_0$ or $\|\rho-\rho_0\|_1>\varepsilon$, where $\rho_0$ is a known reference state. We study quantum state certification using unentangled quantum measurements, namely measurements which operate only on one copy of $\rho$ at a time. When there is a common source of shared randomness available and the unentangled measurements are chosen based on this randomness, prior work has shown that $\Theta(d^{3/2}/\varepsilon^2)$ copies are necessary and sufficient. This holds even when the measurements are allowed to be chosen adaptively. We consider deterministic measurement schemes (as opposed to randomized) and demonstrate that ${\Theta}(d^2/\varepsilon^2)$ copies are necessary and sufficient for state certification. This shows a separation between algorithms with and without shared randomness. We develop a unified lower bound framework for both fixed and randomized measurements, under the same theoretical framework that relates the hardness of testing to the well-established L\"uders rule. More precisely, we obtain lower bounds for randomized and fixed schemes as a function of the eigenvalues of the L\"uders channel which characterizes one possible post-measurement state transformation.
Achieving high-fidelity direct two-qubit gates over meter-scale long quantum interconnects is challenging in part due to the multimode nature of such systems. One alternative scheme is to combine local operations with remote quantum state transfer or remote entanglement. Here, we study quantum state transfer and entanglement generation for two distant qubits, equipped with tunable interactions, over a common multimode interconnect. We employ the SuperAdiabatic Transitionless Driving (SATD) solutions for adiabatic passage and demonstrate various favorable improvements over the standard protocol. In particular, by suppressing leakage to a select (resonant) interconnect mode, SATD breaks the speed-limit relation imposed by the qubit-interconnect interaction $g$, where instead the operation time is limited by leakage to the adjacent modes, i.e. free spectral range $\Delta_c$ of the interconnect, allowing for fast operations even with weak $g$. Furthermore, we identify a multimode error mechanism for Bell state generation using such adiabatic protocols, in which the even/odd modal dependence of qubit-interconnect interaction breaks down the dark state symmetry, leading to detrimental adiabatic overlap with the odd modes growing as $(g/\Delta_c)^2$. Therefore, adopting a weak coupling, imposed by a multimode interconnect, SATD provides a significant improvement in terms of operation speed and consequently sensitivity to incoherent error.
We consider a one-dimensional (1D) coupled-resonator array (CRA), where a two-level quantum emitter (2LE) is electric-dipole coupled to the modes of two adjacent resonators. We investigate the energy spectrum, the photon probability distribution of the bound states and the emission process of the 2LE into the CRA vacuum. A quantum phase transition is found which is characterized by the change of the number of the out-of-band discrete levels. The condition for this change is also presented. The photon wave functions of bound states are found to be asymmetry around the position of the 2LE when the coupling strengths between the 2LE and the resonator are not equal, and they have the same preferred directions which are primary determined by the larger one among the coupling strengths. The presence of the atom-photon bound states is manifested in the form of a stationary oscillation or a non-vanishing constant in the long enough time.
The exceptional points (EPs) aroused from the non-Hermiticity bring rich phenomena, such as exceptional nodal topologies, unidirectional invisibility, single-mode lasing, sensitivity enhancement and energy harvesting. Isolated high-order EPs have been observed to exhibit richer topological characteristics and better performance in sensing over 2nd-order EPs. Recently, high-order EP geometries, such as lines or rings formed entirely by high order EPs, are predicted to provide richer phenomena and advantages over stand-alone high-order EPs. However, experimental exploration of high-order EP geometries is hitherto beyond reach due to the demand of more degrees of freedom in the Hamiltonian's parameter space or a higher level of symmetries. Here we report the observation of the third-order exceptional line (EL) at the atomic scale. By introducing multiple symmetries, the emergence of the third-order EL has been successfully realized with a single electron spin of nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. Furthermore, the behaviors of the EP structure under different symmetries are systematically investigated. The symmetries are shown to play essential roles in the occurrence of high-order EPs and the related EP geometries. Our work opens a new avenue to explore high-order EP-related topological physics at the atomic scale and to the potential applications of high-order EPs in quantum technologies.
We study the one-dimensional non-Hermitian lattices with linearly varying nonreciprocal hopping, where the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) is found to be dissolved gradually as the strength of nonreciprocity increases. The energy spectrum under open boundary condition is composed of real and imaginary eigenenergies when the nonreciprocal hopping is weak. Interestingly, the real eigenenergies form an equally spaced ladder, and the corresponding eigenstates are localized at the boundary with a Gaussian distribution due to NHSE. By increasing the nonreciprocity, the number of real eigenenergies will decrease while more and more eigenenergies become imaginary. Accompanied by the real-imaginary transition in the spectrum, the eigenstates are shifted from the boundary into the bulk of the lattice. When the nonreciprocity gets strong enough, the whole spectrum will be imaginary and the NHSE disappears completely in the system, i.e., all the eigenstates become Gaussian bound states localized inside the bulk. Our work unveils the exotic properties of non-Hermitian systems with spatially varying nonreciprocal hopping.
We study Floquet systems with translationally invariant nearest-neighbor 2-site gates. Depending on the order in which the gates are applied on an N-site system with periodic boundary conditions, there are factorially many different circuit configurations. We prove that there are only N-1 different spectrally equivalent classes which can be viewed either as a generalization of the brick-wall or of the staircase configuration. Every class, characterized by two integers, has a nontrivial space-time symmetry with important implications for the level-spacing distribution -- a standard indicator of quantum chaos. Namely, in order to study chaoticity one should not look at eigenphases of the Floquet propagator itself, but rather at the spectrum of an appropriate root of the propagator.
Multi-mode NOON states can quantum-enhance multiple-phase estimation in the absence of photon loss. However, a multi-mode NOON state is known to be vulnerable to photon loss, and its quantum-enhancement can be dissipated by lossy environment. In this work, we demonstrate that a quantum advantage in estimate precision can still be achieved in the presence of photon loss. This is accomplished by optimizing the weights of the multi-mode NOON states according to photon loss rates in the multiple modes, including the reference mode which defines the other phases. For practical relevance, we also show that photon-number counting via a multi-mode beam-splitter achieves the useful, albeit sub-optimal, quantum advantage. We expect this work to provide valuable guidance for developing quantum-enhanced multiple-phase estimation techniques in lossy environments.
Controlled remote implementation of operation (CRIO) enables to implement operations on a remote state with strong security. We transmit implementations by entangling qubits in photon-cavity-atom system. The photons transferring in fibre and the atoms embedded in optical cavity construct CZ gates. The gates transfer implementations between participants with the permission of controller. We also construct nonadiabatic holonomic controlled gate between alkali metal atoms. Decoherence and dissipation decrease the fidelity of the implementation operators. We apply anti-blockade effect and dynamical scheme to improve the robustness of the gate.
In a fiber-based quantum network, utilizing the telecom band is crucial for long-distance quantum information (QI) transmission between quantum nodes. However, the near-infrared wavelength is identified as optimal for processing and storing QI through alkaline atoms. Efficiently bridging the frequency gap between atomic quantum devices and telecom fibers while maintaining QI carried by photons is a challenge addressed by quantum frequency conversion (QFC) as a pivotal quantum interface. This study explores a telecom-band QFC mechanism using diamond-type four-wave mixing (FWM) with rubidium energy levels. The mechanism converts photons between the near-infrared wavelength of 795 nm and the telecom band of 1367 or 1529 nm. Applying the Heisenberg-Langevin approach, we optimize conversion efficiency (CE) across varying optical depths while considering quantum noises and present corresponding experimental parameters. Unlike previous works neglecting the applied field absorption loss, our results are more relevant to practical scenarios. Moreover, by employing the reduced-density-operator theory, we demonstrate that this diamond-type FWM scheme maintains quantum characteristics with high fidelity, unaffected by vacuum field noise, enabling high-purity QFC. Another significant contribution lies in examining how this scheme impacts QI encoded in photon-number, path, and polarization degrees of freedom. These encoded qubits exhibit remarkable entanglement retention under sufficiently high CE. In the case of perfect CE, the scheme can achieve unity fidelity. This comprehensive exploration provides theoretical support for the application of the diamond-type QFC scheme based on atomic ensembles in quantum networks, laying the essential groundwork for advancing the scheme in distributed quantum computing and long-distance quantum communication.
One of the fundamental arguments in quantum information theory is the uncertainty principle. In accordance with this principle, two incompatible observables cannot be measured with high precision at the same time. In this work, we will use the entropic uncertainty relation in the presence of quantum memory. Considering a dissipative environment, the effects of the detuning between the transition frequency of a quantum memory and the center frequency of a cavity on entrpic uncertainty bound and quantum correlation between quantum memory and measured particle will be studied. It is shown that by increasing the detuning, quantum correlation is maintained. As a result, due to the inverse relationship between the uncertainty bound and quantum correlation, the measurement results is guessed more accurately.
Domain specific localization of eigenstates has been a persistent observation for systems with local symmetries. The underlying mechanism for this localization behaviour has however remained elusive. We provide here an analysis of locally reflection symmetric tight-binding Hamiltonian which attempts at identifying the key features that lead to the localized eigenstates. A weak coupling expansion of closed-form expressions for the eigenvectors demonstrates that the degeneracy of on-site energies occuring at the center of the locally symmetric domains represents the nucleus for eigenstates spreading across the domain. Since the symmetry-related subdomains constituting a locally symmetric domain are isospectral we encounter pairwise degenerate eigenvalues that split linearly with an increasing coupling strength of the subdomains. The coupling to the (non-symmetric) environment in an extended setup then leads to the survival of a certain system specific fraction of linearly splitting eigenvalues. The latter go hand in hand with the eigenstate localization on the locally symmetric domain. We provide a brief outlook addressing possible generalizations of local symmetry transformations while maintaining isospectrality.
Recurrence time quantifies the duration required for a physical system to return to its initial state, playing a pivotal role in understanding the predictability of complex systems. In quantum systems with subspace measurements, recurrence times are governed by Anandan-Aharonov phases, yielding fractionally quantized recurrence times. However, the fractional quantization phenomenon in interacting quantum systems remains poorly explored. Here, we address this gap by establishing universal lower and upper bounds for recurrence times in interacting spins. Notably, we investigate scenarios where these bounds are approached, shedding light on the speed of quantum processes under monitoring. In specific cases, our findings reveal that the complex many-body system can be effectively mapped onto a dynamical system with a single quasi-particle, leading to the discovery of integer quantized recurrence times. Our research yields a valuable link between recurrence times and the number of dark states in the system, thus providing a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between quantum recurrence, measurements, and interaction effects.
This paper presents a data-driven approach to learn latent dynamics in superconducting quantum computing hardware. To this end, we augment the dynamical equation of quantum systems described by the Lindblad master equation by a parameterized source term that is trained from device data to capture unknown system dynamics, such as environmental interactions and system noise. We consider a structure preserving augmentation that learns and distinguishes unitary from dissipative latent dynamics parameterized by a basis of linear operators, as well as an augmentation given by a nonlinear feed-forward neural network. Numerical results are presented using data from two different quantum processing units (QPU) at LLNL's Quantum Device and Integration Testbed. We demonstrate that our interpretable, structure preserving models and nonlinear models are able to improve the prediction accuracy of the Lindblad master equation and accurately model the latent dynamics of the QPUs.
Hybrid digitized-counterdiabatic quantum computing (DCQC) is a promising approach for leveraging the capabilities of near-term quantum computers, utilizing parameterized quantum circuits designed with counterdiabatic protocols. However, the classical aspect of this approach has received limited attention. In this study, we systematically analyze the convergence behavior and solution quality of various classical optimizers when used in conjunction with the digitized-counterdiabatic approach. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this hybrid algorithm by comparing its performance to the traditional QAOA on systems containing up to 28 qubits. Furthermore, we employ principal component analysis to investigate the cost landscape and explore the crucial influence of parameterization on the performance of the counterdiabatic ansatz. Our findings indicate that fewer iterations are required when local cost landscape minima are present, and the SPSA-based BFGS optimizer emerges as a standout choice for the hybrid DCQC paradigm.
Time-varying media, i.e., materials whose properties dynamically change in time, have opened new possibilities for thermal emission engineering by lifting the limitations imposed by energy conservation and reciprocity, and providing access to nonequilibrium dynamics. In addition, quantum effects, such as vacuum amplification and emission at zero temperature, have been predicted for time-varying media, reopening the debate on the quantum nature of thermal emission. Here, we derive a semiclassical theory to thermal emission from time-varying media based on fluctuational electrodynamics, and compare it to the quantum theory. Our results show that a quantum theory is needed to correctly capture the contribution from quantum vacuum amplifications effects, which can be relevant even at room temperature and mid-infrared frequencies. Finally, we propose corrections to the standard semiclassical theory that enable the prediction of thermal emission from time-varying media with classical tools.
Digital-analog quantum computing (DAQC) is an alternative paradigm for universal quantum computation combining digital single-qubit gates with global analog operations acting on a register of interacting qubits. Currently, no available open-source software is tailored to express, differentiate, and execute programs within the DAQC paradigm. In this work, we address this shortfall by presenting Qadence, a high-level programming interface for building complex digital-analog quantum programs developed at Pasqal. Thanks to its flexible interface, native differentiability, and focus on real-device execution, Qadence aims at advancing research on variational quantum algorithms built for native DAQC platforms such as Rydberg atom arrays.
In the quantum system under periodical modulation, the particle can be excited by absorbing the laser photon with the assistance of integer Floquet photons, so that the Floquet sidebands appear. Here, we experimentally observe non-integer Floquet sidebands (NIFBs) emerging between the integer ones while increasing the strength of the probe laser in the optical lattice clock system. Then, we propose the Floquet channel interference hypothesis (FCIH) which surprisingly matches quantitatively well with both experimental and numerical results. With its help, we found both Rabi and Ramsey spectra are very sensitive to the initial phase and exhibit additional two symmetries. More importantly, the height of Ramsey NIFBs is comparable to the integer one at larger $g/\omega_s$ which indicates an exotic phenomenon beyond the perturbative description. Our work provides new insight into the spectroscopy of the Floquet system and has potential application in quantum technology.
Entropy production is the crucial quantity characterizing irreversible phenomena and the second law of thermodynamics. Yet, a ubiquitous definition eludes consensus. Given that entropy production arises from incomplete access to information, in this Letter we use Jaynes' maximum entropy principle to establish a framework that brings together prominent and apparently conflicting definitions. More generally our definition of entropy production addresses any tomographically incomplete quantum measurement and/or the action of a quantum channel on a system.
This thesis actively focuses on designing, analyzing, and experimentally implementing various QST and QPT protocols using an NMR ensemble quantum processor and superconducting qubit-based IBM cloud quantum processor. Part of the thesis also includes a study of duality quantum simulation algorithms and Sz-Nagy's dilation algorithm on NMR where several 2-qubit non-unitary quantum channels were simulated using only a single ancilla qubit. The work carried out in the thesis mainly addresses several important issues in experimental QST and QPT which include: i) dealing with invalid experimental density (process) matrices using constraint convex optimization (CCO) method, ii) scalable QST and QPT using incomplete measurements via compressed sensing (CS) algorithm and artificial neural network (ANN) technique, iii) selective and direct measurement of unknown quantum states and processes using the concept of quantum 2-design states and weak measurement (WM) approach and iv) quantum simulation and characterization of open quantum dynamics using the dilation technique.
Entropy is a measure of the randomness of a system. Estimating the entropy of a quantum state is a basic problem in quantum information. In this paper, we introduce a time-efficient quantum approach to estimating the von Neumann entropy $S(\rho)$ and R\'enyi entropy $S_\alpha(\rho)$ of an $N$-dimensional quantum state $\rho$, given access to independent samples of $\rho$. Specifically, we provide the following quantum estimators. 1. A quantum estimator for $S(\rho)$ with time complexity $\widetilde O(N^2)$, improving the prior best time complexity $\widetilde O (N^6)$ by Acharya, Issa, Shende, and Wagner (2020) and Bavarian, Mehraba, and Wright (2016). 2. A quantum estimator for $S_\alpha(\rho)$ with time complexity $\widetilde O(N^{4/\alpha-2})$ for $0 < \alpha < 1$ and $\widetilde O(N^{4-2/\alpha})$ for $\alpha > 1$, improving the prior best time complexity $\widetilde O(N^{6/\alpha})$ for $0 < \alpha < 1$ and $\widetilde O(N^6)$ for $\alpha > 1$ by Acharya, Issa, Shende, and Wagner (2020), though at a cost of a slightly larger sample complexity. Moreover, these estimators are naturally extensible to the low-rank case. Technically, our method is quite different from the previous ones that are based on weak Schur sampling and Young diagrams. At the heart of our construction, is a novel tool called samplizer, which can "samplize" a quantum query algorithm to a quantum algorithm with similar behavior using only samples of quantum states; this suggests a unified framework for estimating quantum entropies. Specifically, when a quantum oracle $U$ block-encodes a mixed quantum state $\rho$, any quantum query algorithm using $Q$ queries to $U$ can be samplized to a $\delta$-close (in the diamond norm) quantum algorithm using $\widetilde \Theta(Q^2/\delta)$ samples of $\rho$. Moreover, this samplization is proven to be optimal, up to a polylogarithmic factor.
We are dealing with some spectral properties of a phase space localization operator PR corresponding to the indicator function of a disk of radius R < 1. The localization procedure is achieved with respect to a set of negative binomial states (NBS) labeled by points of the complex unit disk D and depending on a parameter 2B > 1. We derive a formula expressing PR as function of the pseudo harmonic oscillator whose potential function depends on B. The phase space content outside the localization domain is estimated in terms of the photon counting probability distribution associated with the NBS. By using the coherent states transform attached to NBS, we transfer the action of the operator PR to a Bergman space AB(D) of analytic functions on D satisfying a growth condition depending on B and we explicitly give its integral kernel whose limit as R goes to 1 coincides with the reproducing kernel of AB(D). This leads to a natural generalization of this Hilbert space with respect to the parameter R.
A general framework in the setting of $C^*$-algebras for the tomographical description of states, that includes, among other tomographical schemes, the classical Radon transform, quantum state tomography and group quantum tomography, is presented. Given a $C^*$-algebra, the main ingredients for a tomographical description of its states are identified: A generalized sampling theory and a positive transform. A generalization of the notion of dual tomographic pair provides the background for a sampling theory on $C^*$-algebras and, an extension of Bochner's theorem for functions of positive type, the positive transform. The abstract theory is realized by using dynamical systems, that is, groups represented on $C^*$-algebra. Using a fiducial state and the corresponding GNS construction, explicit expressions for tomograms associated with states defined by density operators on the corresponding Hilbert spade are obtained. In particular a general quantum version of the classical definition of the Radon transform is presented. The theory is completed by proving that if the representation of the group is square integrable, the representation itself defines a dual tomographic map and explicit reconstruction formulas are obtained by making a judiciously use of the theory of frames. A few significant examples are discussed that illustrates the use and scope of the theory.
Large-scale quantum networks rely on optical fiber networks and photons as so-called flying qubits for information transport. While dispersion and absorption of optical fibers are minimum at the infrared telecom wavelengths, most atomic and solid state platforms operate at visible or near-infrared wavelengths. Quantum frequency conversion is required to bridge these two wavelength regimes, and nonlinear crystals are currently employed for this process. Here, we report on a novel approach of frequency conversion to the telecom band. This interaction is based on coherent Stokes Raman scattering (CSRS), a four-wave mixing process resonantly enhanced in a dense molecular hydrogen gas. We show the conversion of photons from \SI{863}{\nano\meter} to the telecom O-Band and demonstrate that the input polarization state is preserved. This process is intrinsically broad-band and can be adapted to any other wavelength.
We analyze the entropy production of Quantum Reset Models (QRMs) corresponding to quantum dynamical semigroups driven by Lindbladians motivated by a probabilistic description of dissipation in an external environment. We investigate the strict positivity of entropy production for Lindbladians given as sums of QRMs, when the Hamiltonian of the total Lindbladian is split as an affine combination of Hamiltonians of the individual QRMs. In this setup, we derive conditions on the coefficients of the combination and on the reset states ensuring either positive or zero entropy production. Second, we deal with a tri-partite system subject at its ends to two independent QRMs and a weak coupling Hamiltonian. The latter is split as an affine combination of individual Hamiltonians, and we provide necessary and sufficient conditions ensuring strict positivity of the entropy production to leading order, with the possible exception of one affine combination. We apply these results to a physically motivated model and exhibit explicit expressions for the leading orders steady-state solution, entropy production and entropy fluxes. Moreover, these approximations are numerically shown to hold beyond the expected regimes.
Level statistics is a crucial tool in the exploration of localization physics. The level spacing distribution of localized states in disordered systems follows Poisson statistics, and many studies naturally apply it to the localization induced by quasiperiodic potentials. Taking the Aubry-Andr\'{e} model as an example, we investigate the level spacing distribution of the localized phase caused by quasiperiodic potential. We analytically and numerically calculate its level spacing distribution and find that it does not adhere to Poisson statistics. Moreover, based on this level statistics, we derive the ratio of adjacent gaps and find that for a single sample, it is a $\delta-$function, which is in excellent agreement with numerical studies. Additionally, unlike disordered systems, in quasiperiodic systems, there are variations in the level spacing distribution across different regions of the spectrum, and increasing the size and increasing the sample are non-equivalent. Our findings carry significant implications for the reevaluation of level statistics in quasiperiodic systems and a profound understanding of the distinct effects of quasiperiodic potentials and disorder-induced localization.
Known mappings that encode fermionic modes into a bosonic qubit system are non-local transformations. In this paper we establish that this must necessarily be the case, if the locality graph is complex enough (for example for regular 2$d$ lattices). In particular we show that, in case of exact encodings, a fully local mapping is possible if and only if the locality graph is a tree. If instead we allow ourselves to also consider operators that only act fermionically on a subspace of the qubit Hilbert space, then we show that this subspace must be composed of long range entangled states, if the locality graph contains at least two overlapping cycles. This implies, for instance, that on 2$d$ lattices there exist states that are simple from the fermionic point of view, while in any encoding require a circuit of depth at least proportional to the system size to be prepared.
We show that universal parity quantum computing employing a recently introduced constant depth decoding procedure is equivalent to measurement-based quantum computation (MBQC) on a bipartite graph using only YZ-plane measurements. We further show that any unitary MBQC using only YZ-plane measurements must occur on a bipartite graph.
Despite fundamental interests in learning quantum circuits, the existence of a computationally efficient algorithm for learning shallow quantum circuits remains an open question. Because shallow quantum circuits can generate distributions that are classically hard to sample from, existing learning algorithms do not apply. In this work, we present a polynomial-time classical algorithm for learning the description of any unknown $n$-qubit shallow quantum circuit $U$ (with arbitrary unknown architecture) within a small diamond distance using single-qubit measurement data on the output states of $U$. We also provide a polynomial-time classical algorithm for learning the description of any unknown $n$-qubit state $\lvert \psi \rangle = U \lvert 0^n \rangle$ prepared by a shallow quantum circuit $U$ (on a 2D lattice) within a small trace distance using single-qubit measurements on copies of $\lvert \psi \rangle$. Our approach uses a quantum circuit representation based on local inversions and a technique to combine these inversions. This circuit representation yields an optimization landscape that can be efficiently navigated and enables efficient learning of quantum circuits that are classically hard to simulate.
Finding minimal time and establishing the structure of the corresponding optimal controls which can transfer a given initial state of a quantum system into a given target state is a key problem of quantum control. In this work, this problem is solved for a basic component of various quantum technology processes -- a qubit interacting with the environment and experiencing an arbitrary time-dependent coherent driving. We rigorously derive both upper and lower estimates for the minimal steering time. Surprisingly, we discover that the optimal controls have a very special form -- they consist of two impulses, at the beginning and at the end of the control period, which can be assisted by a smooth time-dependent control in between. Moreover, an important for practical applications explicit almost optimal state transfer protocol is provided which only consists of four impulses and gives an almost optimal time of motion. The results can be directly applied to a variety of experimental situations for estimation of the ultimate limits of state control for quantum technologies.
Optimizing the controls of quantum systems plays a crucial role in advancing quantum technologies. The time-varying noises in quantum systems and the widespread use of inhomogeneous quantum ensembles raise the need for high-quality quantum controls under uncertainties. In this paper, we consider a stochastic discrete optimization formulation of a binary optimal quantum control problem involving Hamiltonians with predictable uncertainties. We propose a sample-based reformulation that optimizes both risk-neutral and risk-averse measurements of control policies, and solve these with two gradient-based algorithms using sum-up-rounding approaches. Furthermore, we discuss the differentiability of the objective function and prove upper bounds of the gaps between the optimal solutions to binary control problems and their continuous relaxations. We conduct numerical studies on various sized problem instances based of two applications of quantum pulse optimization; we evaluate different strategies to mitigate the impact of uncertainties in quantum systems. We demonstrate that the controls of our stochastic optimization model achieve significantly higher quality and robustness compared to the controls of a deterministic model.
A key component of variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) is the choice of classical optimizer employed to update the parameterization of an ansatz. It is well recognized that quantum algorithms will, for the foreseeable future, necessarily be run on noisy devices with limited fidelities. Thus, the evaluation of an objective function (e.g., the guiding function in the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) or the expectation of the electronic Hamiltonian in variational quantum eigensolver (VQE)) required by a classical optimizer is subject not only to stochastic error from estimating an expected value but also to error resulting from intermittent hardware noise. Model-based derivative-free optimization methods have emerged as popular choices of a classical optimizer in the noisy VQA setting, based on empirical studies. However, these optimization methods were not explicitly designed with the consideration of noise. In this work we adapt recent developments from the ``noise-aware numerical optimization'' literature to these commonly used derivative-free model-based methods. We introduce the key defining characteristics of these novel noise-aware derivative-free model-based methods that separate them from standard model-based methods. We study an implementation of such noise-aware derivative-free model-based methods and compare its performance on demonstrative VQA simulations to classical solvers packaged in \texttt{scikit-quant}.
The full characterization of the possible transformations of quantum operations is indispensable to developing algorithms in higher-order quantum computation, which is the quantum version of functional programming. Although universal transformations of unitary operations have been well investigated, their extensions to non-unitary operations are still missing, except for a few examples. Here we construct \emph{isometry adjointation} protocols, transforming an input isometry operation into its adjoint operation. This task reduces to the transformation of unitary operation or that of quantum states in special cases. Parallel and sequential isometry adjointation protocols are constructed by transforming unitary inversion protocols using the composition of quantum combs. This construction achieves the optimal approximation error, which implies that the optimal performance does not depend on the output dimension of the isometry operation. In particular, we explicitly obtain the asymptotically optimal parallel protocol achieving the approximation error $\epsilon = \Theta(d^2/n)$, where $d$ is the input dimension of the isometry operation and $n$ is the number of calls of the isometry operation. We also construct the protocols for the related tasks called isometry inversion and universal error detection. We conduct semidefinite programming to investigate the optimal performances of the tasks using general protocols including indefinite causal order protocols. The numerical results show that the optimal performances of general protocols do not depend on the output dimension of the isometry operation for isometry adjointation and universal error detection, which is shown analytically for parallel and sequential protocols. They also exhibit the advantage of indefinite causal order protocols over sequential protocols for isometry inversion and universal error detection.
The study of state revivals has a long history in dynamical systems. We introduce a resource theory to understand the use of state revivals in quantum physics, especially in quantum many-body scarred systems. In this theory, a state is said to contain no amount of resource if it experiences perfect revivals under some unitary evolution. All other states are said to be resourceful. We show that this resource bounds information scrambling. Furthermore, we show that quantum many-body scarred dynamics can produce revivals in the Hayden-Preskill decoding protocol and can also be used to recover damaged quantum information. Our theory establishes a framework to study information retrieval and its applications in quantum many-body physics.
Quantum systems in thermal equilibrium are described using Gibbs states. The correlations in such states determine how difficult it is to describe or simulate them. In this article, we show that systems with short-range interactions that are above a critical temperature satisfy a mixing condition, that is that for any regions $A$, $C$ the distance of the reduced state $\rho_{AC}$ on these regions to the product of its marginals, $$\| \rho_{AC} \rho_A^{-1} \otimes \rho_C^{-1} - \mathbf{1}_{AC}\| \, ,$$ decays exponentially with the distance between regions $A$ and $C$. This mixing condition is stronger than other commonly studied measures of correlation. In particular, it implies the exponential decay of the mutual information between distant regions. The mixing condition has been used, for example, to prove positive log-Sobolev constants. On the way, we investigate the relations to other notions of decay of correlations in quantum many-body systems and show that many of them are equivalent under the assumption that there exists a local effective Hamiltonian. The proof employs a variety of tools such as Araki's expansionals and quantum belief propagation.
Entangled light sources for illuminating objects offers advantages over conventional illumination methods by enhancing the detection sensitivity of a reflecting object. The crux of the quantum advantage lies in way we can practically leverage quantum correlations to isolate the background noise and detect the low reflectivity object. In this work we experimentally demonstrated the advantages of using polarization-entangled photon pairs for quantum illumination and show that the quantum correlation measure using CHSH value is robust against background noise and losses. We also show that the residual of quantum correlations help in identifying the object of reflectivity, $\eta$ as low as 0.05 and when signal-to-noise ratio is as low as 0.003 for $\eta=0.7$, surpassing the earlier demonstrated results. Robustness of correlation measure with photon attenuation in atmospheric condition is analysed to show the practical feasibility of the real time application.
Perfect inline squeezers are both spectrally pure and have identical input and output temporal modes, allowing one to squeeze an arbitrary input quantum state in the sole input mode on which the device acts, while the quantum states of any other modes are unaffected. We study theoretically how to obtain a perfect pulsed inline squeezer in twin-beam systems by considering three commonly used configurations: unpoled single pass, poled single pass, and poled double pass. By obtaining analytical relations between the input and output temporal modes from the Bloch-Messiah decomposition of the discretized Heisenberg-picture propagator, we find that a double pass structure produces a perfect pulsed inline squeezer when operated in a frequency degenerate, symmetric group-velocity matched type-II configuration.
A major unresolved question in quantum cryptography is whether it is possible to obfuscate arbitrary quantum computation. Indeed, there is much yet to understand about the feasibility of quantum obfuscation even in the classical oracle model, where one is given for free the ability to obfuscate any classical circuit. In this work, we develop a new array of techniques that we use to construct a quantum state obfuscator, a powerful notion formalized recently by Coladangelo and Gunn (arXiv:2311.07794) in their pursuit of better software copy-protection schemes. Quantum state obfuscation refers to the task of compiling a quantum program, consisting of a quantum circuit $C$ with a classical description and an auxiliary quantum state $\ket{\psi}$, into a functionally-equivalent obfuscated quantum program that hides as much as possible about $C$ and $\ket{\psi}$. We prove the security of our obfuscator when applied to any pseudo-deterministic quantum program, i.e. one that computes a (nearly) deterministic classical input / classical output functionality. Our security proof is with respect to an efficient classical oracle, which may be heuristically instantiated using quantum-secure indistinguishability obfuscation for classical circuits. Our result improves upon the recent work of Bartusek, Kitagawa, Nishimaki and Yamakawa (STOC 2023) who also showed how to obfuscate pseudo-deterministic quantum circuits in the classical oracle model, but only ones with a completely classical description. Furthermore, our result answers a question of Coladangelo and Gunn, who provide a construction of quantum state indistinguishability obfuscation with respect to a quantum oracle. Indeed, our quantum state obfuscator together with Coladangelo-Gunn gives the first candidate realization of a ``best-possible'' copy-protection scheme for all polynomial-time functionalities.
The network scenario offers interesting new perspectives on the phenomenon of quantum nonlocality. Notably, when considering networks with independent sources, it is possible to demonstrate quantum nonlocality without the need for measurements inputs, i.e. with all parties performing a fixed quantum measurement. Here we aim to find minimal examples of this effect. Focusing on the minimal case of the triangle network, we present examples involving output cardinalities of $3-3-3$ and $3-3-2$. Finally, we discuss the prospects of finding an example of quantum nonlocality in the triangle network with binary outputs, and point out a connection to the Lovasz local lemma.
Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) distribution is a representation of quantum states. Recently, KD distribution has been employed in many scenarios such as quantum metrology, quantum chaos and foundations of quantum theory. KD distribution is a quasiprobability distribution, and negative or nonreal elements may signify quantum advantages in certain tasks. A quantum state is called KD classical if its KD distribution is a probability distribution. Since most quantum information processings use pure states as ideal resources, then a key problem is to determine whether a quantum pure state is KD classical. In this paper, we provide some characterizations for the general structure of KD classical pure states. As an application of our results, we prove a conjecture raised by De Bi\`{e}vre [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 190404 (2021)] which finds out all KD classical pure states for discrete Fourier transformation.
We study theoretically quantum statistical and spectral properties of the resonance fluorescence of a single atom or system with angular momentum $J=1/2 - J'=1/2$ driven by a monochromatic linearly polarized laser field, due to quantum interference among its two antiparallel, $\pi$ transitions. A magnetic field parallel to the laser polarization is applied to break the degeneracy (Zeeman effect). In the nondegenerate case, the $\pi$ transitions evolve at different generalized Rabi frequencies, producing quantum beats in the intensity and the dipole-dipole, intensity-intensity, and quadrature-intensity correlations. For a strong laser and large Zeeman splitting the beats have mean and modulation frequencies given by the average and difference, respectively, of the Rabi frequencies, unlike thebeats studied in many spectroscopic systems, characterized by a modulated exponential-like decay. Further, the Rabi frequencies are those of the pairs of sidebands of the Mollow-like spectrum of the system. In the two-time correlations, the cross contributions, i.e., those with products of probability amplitudes of the two $\pi$ transitions, have a lesser role than those from the interference of the probability densities. In contrast, there are no cross terms in the total intensity. We also consider nonclassical and non-Gaussian properties of the phase-dependent fluorescence for the cases of weak to moderate excitation and in the regime of beats. The fluorescence in the beats regime is nonclassical, mainly from third-order dipole fluctuations, which reveal them to be also strongly non-Gaussian, and their quadrature spectra show complex features around the Rabi frequencies. For small laser and Zeeman detunings, a weak to moderate laser field pumps the system partially to one of the ground states, showing slow decay in the two time correlations and a narrow peak in the quadrature spectra.
Dragan and Ekert in the paper (2020 \emph{New. J. Phys.} \textbf{22} 033038) presented 'quantum principle of relativity' (QPR) based on Galilean principle of relativity, which involves both superluminal $G_S$ and subluminal $G_s$ families of observers and argue that then they are considered on the same footing it 'implies the emergence of non-deterministic dynamics, together with complex probability amplitudes and multiple trajectories.'. Here we discuss QPR in the context of Heisenberg's classification of the fundamental physical theoretical models under the role universal constants of nature: Planck's constant $h$ and speed of light $c$. We point out that both the superluminal and subluminal branches are separable in the sense that there is no mathematical coherent formalism that connect both branches. This, in particular, implies that the QPR is incomplete.
It is a long-standing open question to construct a classical oracle relative to which BQP/qpoly $\neq$ BQP/poly or QMA $\neq$ QCMA. In this paper, we construct classically-accessible classical oracles relative to which BQP/qpoly $\neq$ BQP/poly and QMA $\neq$ QCMA. Here, classically-accessible classical oracles are oracles that can be accessed only classically even for quantum algorithms. Based on a similar technique, we also show an alternative proof for the separation of QMA and QCMA relative to a distributional quantumly-accessible classical oracle, which was recently shown by Natarajan and Nirkhe.
To implement quantum information technologies, carefully designed control for preparing a desired state plays a key role. However, in realistic situation, the actual performance of those methodologies is severely limited by decoherence. Therefore, it is important to evaluate how close we can steer the controlled state to a desired target state under decoherence. In this paper, we provide an upper bound of the distance between the two controlled quantum systems in the presence and absence of decoherence. The bound quantifies the degree of achievement of the control for a given target state under decoherence, and can be straightforwardly calculated without solving any equation. Moreover, the upper bound is applied to derive a theoretical limit of the probability for obtaining the target state under decoherence.
We construct a resource theory of sharpness for finite-dimensional positive operator-valued measures (POVMs), where the sharpness-non-increasing operations are given by quantum preprocessing channels and convex mixtures with POVMs whose elements are all proportional to the identity operator. As required for a sound resource theory of sharpness, we show that our theory has maximal (i.e., sharp) elements, which are all equivalent, and coincide with the set of POVMs that admit a repeatable measurement. Among the maximal elements, conventional non-degenerate observables are characterized as the canonical ones. More generally, we quantify sharpness in terms of a class of monotones, expressed as the EPR--Ozawa correlations between the given POVM and an arbitrary reference POVM. We show that one POVM can be transformed into another by means of a sharpness-non-increasing operation if and only if the former is sharper than the latter with respect to all monotones. Thus, our resource theory of sharpness is complete, in the sense that the comparison of all monotones provides a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a sharpness-non-increasing operation between two POVMs, and operational, in the sense that all monotones are in principle experimentally accessible.
In open, driven systems where parity-time symmetry is preserved, phenomena that defy conventional wisdom emerge near exceptional points, promising advances in photonics. While most studies focus on two-level systems of a conventional exceptional point, unconventional exceptional points as well as reentrant phases have been discovered in separate studies of higher-dimensional phase spaces. In this Letter, we present a minimal, analytical model that encompasses several key phenomena in higher-dimensional phase spaces, including reentrant PT phases, higher-order exceptional points, and anisotropic exceptional points. Using the exact analytical solution, we identify a new topological index as the unifying origin of these different phenomena. The simplicity of the model may furthermore facilitate experimental implementations for enhanced sensing and efficient polariton devices.
With the increased availability of quantum technological devices, it becomes fundamental to have tools to guarantee their correct non-classical behavior. This is especially important for quantum networks, which constitute the platforms where multipartite cryptographic protocols will be implemented, and where guarantees of non-classicality translate into security proofs. We derive linear and non-linear Bell-like inequalities for networks, whose violation certifies the absence of a minimum number of classical sources in them. We do so, firstly, without assuming that nature is ultimately governed by quantum mechanics, providing a hierarchy interpolating between network nonlocality and full network nonlocality. Secondly we insert this assumption, which leads to results more amenable to certification in experiments.
Neutral shallow donors in zinc oxide (ZnO) are spin qubits with optical access via the donor-bound exciton. This spin-photon interface enables applications in quantum networking, memories and transduction. Essential optical parameters which impact the spin-photon interface include radiative lifetime, optical inhomogeneous and homogeneous linewidth and optical depth. We study the donor-bound exciton optical linewidth properties of Al, Ga, and In donors in single-crystal ZnO. The ensemble photoluminescence linewidth ranges from 4-11 GHz, less than two orders of magnitude larger than the expected lifetime-limited linewidth. The ensemble linewidth remains narrow in absorption through samples with an estimated optical depth up to several hundred. The primary thermal relaxation mechanism is identified and found to have a negligible contribution to the total linewidth at 2 K. We find that inhomogeneous broadening due to the disordered isotopic environment in natural ZnO is significant, contributing 2 GHz. Two-laser spectral hole burning measurements, indicate the dominant mechanism, however, is homogeneous. Despite this broadening, the high homogeneity, large optical depth and potential for isotope purification indicate that the optical properties of the ZnO donor-bound exciton are promising for a wide range of quantum technologies and motivate a need to improve the isotope and chemical purity of ZnO for quantum technologies.
In this work we identify coherent electron-vibron interactions between near-resonant and non-resonant electronic levels that contribute beyond standard optomechanical models for off-resonant or resonance SERS. By developing an open-system quantum model using first molecular interaction principles, we show how the Raman interference of both resonant and non-resonant contributions can provide several orders of magnitude modifications of the SERS peaks with respect to former optomechanical models and over the fluorescence backgrounds. This cooperative optomechanical mechanism allows for generating an enhancement of nonclassical photon pair correlations between Stokes and anti-Stokes photons, which can be detected by photon-counting measurements. Our results demonstrate Raman enhancements and suppressions of coherent nature that significantly impact the standard estimations of the optomechanical contribution from SERS spectra and their quantum mechanical observable effects.
In this work we introduce two different generalizations of the Fokker-Planck equation in (1+1) dimensions by replacing the spatial derivatives in terms of generalized Dunkl-type derivatives involving reflection operators. As applications of these results, we solve exactly the generalized Fokker-Planck equations for the harmonic oscillator and the centrifugal-type potentials.
We investigate a system of two coupled qubits interacting with an Ohmic bath as a physical model for the implementation of one logical qubit. In this model, the interaction with the other qubit represents unitary noise while the Ohmic bath is responsible for finite temperature. In the presence of a one-dimensional decoherence-free subspace (DFS), we show that, while this is not sufficient to protect a qubit from decoherence, it can be exploited to encode one logical qubit with greater performance than the physical one. We show different possible strategies for the optimal encoding of a logical qubit through a numerical analysis based on matrix product states. This method reproduces faithfully the results of perturbative calculations, but it can be extended to cases of crucial interest for physical implementations, e.g., in the case of strong coupling with the bath. As a result, a logical qubit encoded in the subspace which is the direct sum of the antiferromagnetic states in Bell basis, the DFS and the one in the triplet, is the optimally robust one, as it takes advantage of both the anchoring to the DFS and the protection from the antiferromagnetic interaction. These authors contributed equally to this work, and their names are listed in alphabetical order.
The shallow donor in zinc oxide (ZnO) is a promising semiconductor spin qubit with optical access. Single indium donors are isolated in a commercial ZnO substrate using plasma focused ion beam (PFIB) milling. Quantum emitters are identified optically by spatial and frequency filtering. The indium donor assignment is based on the optical bound exciton transition energy and magnetic dependence. The single donor emission is intensity and frequency stable with a transition linewidth less than twice the lifetime limit. The isolation of optically stable single donors post-FIB fabrication is promising for optical device integration required for scalable quantum technologies based on single donors in direct band gap semiconductors.
The coherent quantum transport of matter wave through a ring-shaped circuit attached to leads defines an iconic system in mesoscopic physics that has allowed both to explore fundamental questions in quantum science and to draw important avenues for conceiving devices of practical use. Here we study the source-to-drain transport of excitations going through a ring-network, without propagation of matter waves. We model the circuit in terms of a spin system with specific long-range interactions that are relevant for quantum technology, such as Rydberg atoms trapped in optical tweezers or ion traps. Inspired by the logic of rf- and dc-SQUIDs, we consider rings with one and two local energy offsets, or detunings. As a combination of specific phase shifts in going though the localized detunings and as a result of coherent tunneling, we demonstrate how the transport of excitations can be controlled, with a distinctive dependence on the range of interactions.
The entanglement level statistics of a quantum state have recently been proposed to be a signature of universality in the underlying quantum circuit. This is a consequence of level repulsion in the entanglement spectra being tied to the integrability of entanglement generated. However, such studies of the level-spacing statistics in the entanglement spectrum have thus far been limited to the output states of Clifford and Haar random circuits on product state inputs. In this work, we provide the first example of a circuit which is composed of a simulable gate set, yet has a Wigner-Dyson distributed entanglement level spectrum without any perturbing universal element. We first show that, for matchgate circuits acting on random product states, Wigner-Dyson statistics emerge by virtue of a single SWAP gate, in direct analog to previous studies on Clifford circuits. We then examine the entanglement spectrum of matchgate circuits with varied input states, and find a sharp jump in the complexity of entanglement as we go from two- to three-qubit entangled inputs. Studying Clifford and matchgate hybrid circuits, we find examples of classically simulable circuits whose output states exhibit Wigner-Dyson entanglement level statistics in the absence of universal quantum gate elements. Our study thus provides strong evidence that entanglement spectrum is not strongly connected to notions of simulability in any given quantum circuit.
All quantum random number generators based on measuring value indefinite observables are at least three-dimensional because the Kochen-Specker Theorem and the Located Kochen-Specker Theorem are false in dimension two. In this article, we construct quantum random number generators based on measuring a three-dimensional value indefinite observable that generate binary quantum random outputs with the same randomness qualities as the ternary ones: the outputs are maximally unpredictable.
We present a Jordan algebraic formulation of the non-commutative Landau problem coupled to a harmonic potential. To achieve this, an alternative formulation of the Hilbert space version of quantum mechanics is presented. Using this construction, the Hilbert space corresponding to the non-commutative Landau problem is obtained. Non-commutative parameters are then described in terms of an associator in the Jordan algebraic setting. Pure states and density matrices arising from this problem are characterized. This in turn leads us to the Jordan-Schr\"odinger time-evolution equation for the state vectors for this specific problem.
The full information about the interaction between a quantum emitter and an arbitrary electromagnetic environment is encoded in the so-called spectral density. We present an approach for describing such interaction in any coupling regime, providing a Lindblad-like master equation for the emitter dynamics when coupled to a general nanophotonic structure. Our framework is based on the splitting of the spectral density into two terms. On the one hand, a spectral density responsible for the non-Markovian and strong-coupling-based dynamics of the quantum emitter. On the other hand, a residual spectral density including the remaining weak-coupling terms. The former is treated nonperturbatively with a collection of lossy interacting discrete modes whose parameters are determined by a fit to the original spectral density in a frequency region encompassing the quantum emitter transition frequencies. The latter is treated perturbatively under a Markovian approximation. We illustrate the power and validity of our approach through numerical simulations in three different setups, thus offering a variety of scenarios for a full test, including the ultra-strong coupling regime.
The system-bath entanglement theorem (SBET) was established in terms of linear response functions [J. Chem. Phys. 152, 034102 (2020)] and generalized to correlation functions [arXiv: 2312.13618 (2023)] in our previous works. This theorem connects the entangled system-bath properties to the local system and bare bath ones. In this work, firstly we extend the SBET to field-dressed conditions with multiple bosonic Gaussian environments at different temperatures. Not only the system but also environments are considered to be of optical polarizability, as in reality. With the aid of the extended SBET developed here, for the evaluation of the nonlinear spectroscopy such as the pump-probe, the entangled system-bath contributions can be obtained upon reduced system evolutions via certain quantum dissipative methods. The extended SBET in the field-free condition and its counterpart in the classical limit is also presented. The SBET for fermionic environments is elaborated within the transport scenarios for completeness.