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Showing votes from 2024-01-23 11:30 to 2024-01-26 12:30 | Next meeting is Friday Oct 25th, 11:30 am.
We investigated a bulk viscous fluid universe with cosmological constant {\Lambda} by assuming that the bulk viscosity to be proportional to the Hubble parameter. We found that for an expanding universe, the (relative) matter density will be always greater than a non-zero constant, and tends to this non-zero constant in the future. We show that the bulk viscosity model has a significantly better fitting to the combined SNeIa + CMB + BAO + H(z) data than the {\Lambda}CDM model. Generally, the evolution or values of some cosmological parameters predicted by the bulk viscosity model do not deviate significantly from which are obtained from the {\Lambda}CDM model since the bulk viscosity coefficient obtained from the astronomical observational data is so small. We also made a statefinder analysis of the bulk viscosity model and found that the evolution of the {r, s} parameters behaves in such a way that 0 < s < 1, 0.945 < r <1, indicating the bulk viscosity model is different from the {\Lambda}CDM model.
The drag force experienced by astronomical objects moving through gaseous media (gas dynamical friction) plays a crucial role in their orbital evolution. Ostriker (1999) derived a formula for gas dynamical friction by linear analysis, and its validity has been confirmed through subsequent numerical simulations. However, the effect of gas accretion onto the objects on the dynamical friction is yet to be understood. In this study, we investigate the Mach number dependence of dynamical friction considering gas accretion through three-dimensional nested-grid simulations. We find that the net frictional force, determined by the sum of the gravitational force exerted by surrounding gas and momentum flux transferred by accreting gas, is independent of the resolution of simulations. Only the gas outside the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton radius contributes to dynamical friction, because the gas inside this radius is eventually absorbed by the central object and returns the momentum obtained through the gravitational interaction with it. In the subsonic case, the front-back asymmetry induced by gas accretion leads to larger dynamical friction than predicted by the linear theory. Conversely, in the slightly supersonic case with the Mach number between 1 and 1.5, the nonlinear effect leads to a modification of the density distribution in a way reducing the dynamical friction compared with the linear theory. At a higher Mach number, the modification becomes insignificant and the dynamical friction can be estimated with the linear theory. We also provide a fitting formula for dynamical friction based on our simulations, which can be used in a variety of applications.
Spatial variations in the cosmic electron density after reionization generate cosmic microwave background anisotropies via Thomson scattering, a process known as the ``patchy screening" effect. In this paper, we propose a new estimator for the patchy screening effect that is designed to mitigate biases from the dominant foreground signals. We use it to measure the cross-correlation between \textit{unWISE} galaxies and patchy screening, the latter measured by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and \textit{Planck} satellite. We report the first detection of the patchy screening effect, with the statistical significance of the cross-correlation exceeding $7\sigma$. This measurement directly probes the distribution of electrons around these galaxies and provides strong evidence that gas is more extended than the underlying dark matter. By comparing our measurements to electron profiles extracted from simulations, we demonstrate the power of these observations to constrain galaxy evolution models. Requiring only the 2D positions of objects and no individual redshifts or velocity estimates, this approach is complementary to existing gas probes, such as those based on the kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect.
We present the first application of the weighted skew-spectra to analyze non-Gaussian information in galaxy survey data. Using the tree-level galaxy skew-spectra together with the one-loop power spectrum multipoles, we analyze the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) galaxy clustering data, and target our search towards the equilateral bispectrum shape of primordial non-Gaussianity. We use the Effective Field Theory model for the galaxy power spectrum and bispectrum, and account for systematic effects, such as the survey geometry. From our likelihood analysis, we find $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm equil}=-34^{+296}_{-334}$ at $68\%$ CL, consistent with previous works, while systematic errors from our treatment of the survey geometry lead to an unreliable estimation of $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm ortho}$. We further constrain the bias and counterterm parameters, while keeping the cosmology fixed to $\textit{Planck }2018$ values. As a check, we also validate our analysis pipeline using the ${\tt Nseries}$ simulation suite.
Thomson scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons imprints various properties of the baryons around galaxies on the CMB. One such imprint, called patchy screening, is a direct probe of the gas density profile around galaxies. It usefully complements the information from the kinematic and thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects and does not require individual redshifts. In this paper, we derive new estimators of patchy screening called the "temperature inversion" (TI) and "signed" estimators, analogous to the gradient inversion estimator of CMB lensing. Pedagogically, we clarify the relation between these estimators and the standard patchy screening quadratic estimator (QE). The new estimators trade optimality for robustness to biases caused by the dominant CMB lensing and foreground contaminants, allowing the use of smaller angular scales. We perform a simulated analysis to realistically forecast the expected precision of patchy screening measurements from four CMB experiments, ACT, SPT, Simons Observatory (SO) and CMB-S4, cross-correlated with three galaxy samples from BOSS, unWISE and the simulated Rubin LSST Data Challenge 2 catalog. Our results give further confidence in the first detection of this effect from the ACT$\times$unWISE data in the companion paper and show patchy screening will be a powerful observable for future surveys like SO, CMB-S4 and LSST. Implementations of the patchy screening QE and the TI and signed estimators are publicly available in our LensQuEst and ThumbStack software packages, available at https://github.com/EmmanuelSchaan/LensQuEst and https://github.com/EmmanuelSchaan/ThumbStack , respectively.
The paradigm of the inflationary universe provides a possible explanation for several observed cosmological properties. In order for such solutions to be successful, the universe must convert the energy stored in the inflaton potential into standard model particles through a process known as reheating. In this paper, we reconsider the reheating process for the case where the inflaton potential respects an approximate (but spontaneously broken) conformal symmetry during the reheating epoch. After reviewing the Effective Field Theory of Reheating, we present solutions for the nonlinear oscillations of the inflaton field, derive the corresponding Hill's equation for the coupled reheating field, and determine the stability diagram for parametric resonance. For this class of models -- the simplest realization being a scalar field with a quartic term -- the expansion of the universe drives the coupled field toward a more unstable part of parameter space, in contrast to the standard case. We also generalize this class of models to include quadratic breaking terms in the potential during the reheating epoch and address the process of stability in that universality class of models.
Near-future facilities observing the high-redshift universe ($2<z<5$) will have an opportunity to take advantage of "multi-tracer" cosmology by observing multiple tracers of the matter density field: Lyman alpha emitters (LAE), Lyman break galaxies (LBG), and CMB lensing $\kappa$. In this work we use Fisher forecasts to investigate the effect of multi-tracers on next-generation facilities. In agreement with previous work, we show that multiple tracers improve constraints primarily from degeneracy breaking, instead of the traditional intuition of sample variance cancellation. Then, we forecast that for both BBN and CMB primary priors, the addition of lensing and LAEs onto a LBG-only sample will gain 25\% or more in many parameters, with the largest gains being factor of $\sim10$ improvement for $f_{\rm EDE}$. We include a preliminary approach towards modelling the impact of radiative transfer (RT) on forecasts involving LAEs by introducing a simplified model at linear theory level. Our results, albeit preliminary, show that the while RT influences LAE-only forecasts strongly, its effect on composite multi-tracer forecasts are limited.
We present the early release of the atlas of continuous gravitational waves covering frequencies from 20 Hz to 1500 Hz and spindowns from -5e-10 to 5e-10 Hz/s. Compared to the previous atlas release we have greatly expanded the parameter space, and we now also provide polarization-specific data - both for signal-to-noise ratios and for the upper limits. Continuous wave searches are computationally difficult and take a long time to complete. The atlas enables new searches to be performed using modest computing power. To allow new searches to start sooner, we are releasing this data early, before our followup stages have completed.
We systematically explore the influence of the prior of the peak absolute magnitude ($M$) of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) on the measurement of the Hubble constant ($H_0$) from SNe Ia observations. We consider five different data-motivated $M$ priors, representing varying levels of dispersion, and assume the spatially-flat $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model. Different $M$ priors lead to relative changes in the mean values of $H_0$ from 2% to 6%. Loose priors on $M$ yield $H_0$ estimates consistent with both the Planck 2018 result and the SH0ES result at the 68% confidence level. We also examine the potential impact of peculiar velocity subtraction on the value of $H_0$, and show that it is insignificant for the SNe Ia observations with redshift $z > 0.01$ used in our analyses.
We search for MeV gamma-ray emission between 0.75-30 MeV from five galaxy clusters, viz. Coma, VIRGO, SPT-CL J2012-5649, Bullet, and El Gordo, using archival data from the COMPTEL telescope. For this purpose we use three search templates: point source, radial disk and radial Gaussian. We do not detect any signals from Coma, SPT-CL J2012-5649, Bullet and El Gordo clusters with the 95\% c.l. photon energy flux limit $\sim 10^{-10} ~\rm{erg /cm^2/s} $. For VIRGO, we detect a non-zero signal between 0.92 to 1.63 MeV having marginal significance of about $2.5\sigma$, with the observed energy flux $ \sim 10^{-9}~\rm{ergs/cm^2/s}$. However, we do not confirm the previously reported evidence in literature for a gamma-ray line from Coma and VIRGO clusters between 5-7 MeV.
Understanding the late-time acceleration of the universe and its subtleties is one of the biggest mysteries in cosmology. A lot of different approaches have been put forward to deal with this, ranging from the conventional cosmological constant to various models of dark energy and beyond. Recently one very interesting approach to explaining the late time acceleration has been put forward, where the the expansion of the universe is driven by mergers with other "baby" universes and has been shown to be quite viable as well from the point of view of recent observational data. So in this work we examine the possibility of various rip scenarios and other future cosmological singularities in such "multiversal" scenario, probing such singularities for the first time in a multi universe scenario. We examine two models of such a baby universe merging cosmology, and show that remarkably no rip scenario or future cosmological singularity is possible in such models.
The structure of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics points toward grand unified theories (GUTs) where strong and electroweak interactions are unified in a non-Abelian GUT group. The spontaneous breaking of the GUT symmetry to the SM symmetry, together with cosmic inflation, generically leads to metastable topological defects, the most prominent example being cosmic strings. The gravitational-wave background (GWB) produced by a cosmic string network is one of the candidates for an explanation of the GWB recently observed by pulsar timing array (PTA) experiments. We review some properties of the predicted GWB with emphasis on potential implications for GUT model building. The most striking prediction is a GWB in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA band that could be discovered in the near future.
We present a signal-foreground separation algorithm for filtering observational data to extract spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Our linear method, called the least response method (LRM), is based on the idea of simultaneously minimizing the response to all possible foregrounds with poorly defined spectral shapes and random noise while maintaining a constant response to the signal of interest. This idea was introduced in detail in our previous paper. Here, we have expanded our analysis by taking into consideration all the main foregrounds. We draw a detailed comparison between our approach and the moment internal linear combination method, which is a modification of the internal linear combination technique previously used for CMB anisotropy maps. We demonstrate advantages of LRM and evaluate the prospects for measuring various types of spectral distortions. Besides, we show that LRM suggests the possibility of its improvements if we use an iterative approach with sequential separation and partial subtraction of foreground components from the observed signal. In addition, we estimate the optimal temperature that the telescope's optical system should have in order to detect the chemical type $\mu$ distortions. We present a design of an instrument where, according to our estimates, the optimal contrast between its thermal emission and the CMB allows us to measure such distortions.
We present candl, an automatically differentiable python likelihood for analysing Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) power spectrum measurements. candl is powered by JAX, which makes it fast and easy to calculate derivatives of the likelihood. This facilitates, for example, robust Fisher matrices without finite-difference methods. We show the benefits of candl through a series of example calculations, covering forecasting, robustness tests, and gradient-based Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling. These also include optimising the band power bin width to minimise parameter errors of a realistic mock data set. Moreover, we calculate the correlation of parameter constraints from correlated and partially overlapping subsets of the SPT-3G 2018 $TT/TE/EE$ data release. In a traditional analysis framework, these tasks are slow and require careful fine-tuning to obtain stable results. As such, a fully differentiable pipeline allows for a higher level of scrutiny; we argue that this is the paradigm shift required to leverage incoming data from ground-based experiments, which will significantly improve the cosmological parameter constraints from the Planck mission. candl comes with the latest primary and lensing power spectrum data from the South Pole Telescope and Atacama Cosmology Telescope collaborations and will be used as part of the upcoming SPT-3G $TT/TE/EE$ and $\phi\phi$ data releases. Along with the core code, we release a series of auxiliary tools, which simplify common analysis tasks and interface the likelihood with other cosmological software. candl is pip-installable and publicly available on GitHub: https://github.com/Lbalkenhol/candl .
A precise modelling of the dynamics of bubbles nucleated during first-order phase transitions in the early Universe is pivotal for a quantitative determination of various cosmic relics, including the stochastic background of gravitational waves. The equation of motion of the bubble front is affected by the out-of-equilibrium distributions of particle species in the plasma which, in turn, are described by the corresponding Boltzmann equations. In this work we provide a solution to these equations by thoroughly incorporating the non-linearities arising from the population factors. Moreover, our methodology relies on a spectral decomposition that leverages the rotational properties of the collision integral within the Boltzmann equations. This novel approach allows for an efficient and robust computation of both the bubble speed and profile. We also refine our analysis by including the contributions from the electroweak gauge bosons. We find that their impact is dominated by the infrared modes and proves to be non-negligible, contrary to the naive expectations.
The late-time nonlinear Lagrangian displacement field is highly correlated with the initial field, so reconstructing it could enable us to extract primordial cosmological information. Our previous work [1] carefully studied the displacement field reconstructed from the late time density field using the iterative method proposed by Ref. [2] and found that it does not fully converge to the true, underlying displacement field (e.g., $\sim 8\%$ offset at $k\sim 0.2 \ihMpc$ at $z=0.6$). We also constructed the Lagrangian perturbation theory model for the reconstructed field, but the model could not explain the discrepancy between the true and the reconstructed fields in the previous work. The main sources of the discrepancy were speculated to be a numerical artifact in the displacement estimator due to the discreteness of the sample. In this paper, we develop two new estimators of the displacement fields to reduce such numerical discreteness effect, the normalized momentum estimator~(NME) and the rescaled resumed estimator~(RRE). We show that the discrepancy Ref. [1] reported is not due to the numerical artifacts. We conclude that the method from Ref. [2] cannot fully reconstruct the shape of the nonlinear displacement field at the redshift we studied, while it is still an efficient BAO reconstruction method. In parallel, by properly accounting for the UV-sensitive term in a reconstruction procedure with an effective field theory approach, we improve the theoretical model for the reconstructed displacement field, by almost five times, from $\sim 15\%$ to the level of a few \% at $k\sim 0.2\ihMpc$ at the redshift $z=0.6$.
Recent observations by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovered unexpectedly abundant luminous galaxies at high redshift, posing possibly a severe challenge to popular galaxy formation models. We study early structure formation in a cosmological model with a blue, tilted power spectrum (BTPS) given by $P(k) \propto k^{m_{\rm s}}$ with $m_{\rm s} > 1$ at small length scales. We run a set of cosmological $N$-body simulations and derive the abundance of dark matter halos and galaxies under simplified assumptions on star formation efficiency. The enhanced small-scale power allows rapid nonlinear structure formation at $z>7$, and galaxies with stellar mass exceeding $10^{10}\,M_\odot$ can be formed by $z=9$. Because of frequent mergers, the structure of galaxies and galaxy groups appears clumpy. The BTPS model reproduces the observed stellar mass density at $z=7-9$, and thus eases the claimed tension between galaxy formation theory and recent JWST observations. The large-scale structure of the present-day Universe is largely unaffected by the modification of the small-scale power spectrum. We conduct a systematic study by varying the slope of the small-scale power spectrum to derive constraints on the BTPS model from a set of observations of high-redshift galaxies.
In this work, we report the first result from the investigation of Neutral atomic hydrogen(HI) 21cm absorption line in spectrum of PKS1413+135 as a associated DLA system at redshift $z =0.24670041$ observed by FAST using the observing time of 10 minutes for the absorber and the spectral resolution of the raw data was settled to 10 Hz. The full spectral profile is analysed by fitting the absorption line with single Gaussian function as the resolution of 10kHz in 2MHz bandwidth, eventually intending to determine the rate of the latest cosmic acceleration by the direct measurement of time evolution of the redshift of HI 21cm absorption line with Hubble flow toward a same background Quasar in the time interval of a decade or many years as a detectable signal that produced by the accelerated expansion of the Universe at redshift $z < 1$, namely redshift drift $\dot{z}$ or SL effect. The obtained HI gas column density $\rm N_{HI} \approx 2.2867\times 10^{22}/cm^2$ of this DLA system, much equivalent to the originally observed value $\rm N_{HI} \approx 1.3\times 10^{19}\times(T_s/f)/cm^2$ within the uncertainties of the spin temperature of a spiral host galaxy, and the signal to noise ratio SNR highly reaching 57.4357 for the resolution of 10kHz evidently validates the chance of the HI 21cm absorption line of DLA systems to measure the $\rm\dot{z}$ in the accuracy level of $\sim 10^{-10}$ per decade.
We derived galaxy colour selections from Euclid and ground-based photometry, aiming to accurately define background galaxy samples in cluster weak-lensing analyses. Given any set of photometric bands, we developed a method for the calibration of optimal galaxy colour selections that maximises the selection completeness, given a threshold on purity. We calibrated galaxy selections using simulated ground-based $griz$ and Euclid $Y_{\rm E}J_{\rm E}H_{\rm E}$ photometry. Both selections produce a purity higher than 97%. The $griz$ selection completeness ranges from 30% to 84% in the lens redshift range $z_{\rm l}\in[0.2,0.8]$. With the full $grizY_{\rm E}J_{\rm E}H_{\rm E}$ selection, the completeness improves by up to $25$ percentage points, and the $z_{\rm l}$ range extends up to $z_{\rm l}=1.5$. The calibrated colour selections are stable to changes in the sample limiting magnitudes and redshift, and the selection based on $griz$ bands provides excellent results on real external datasets. The $griz$ selection is also purer at high redshift and more complete at low redshift compared to colour selections found in the literature. We find excellent agreement in terms of purity and completeness between the analysis of an independent, simulated Euclid galaxy catalogue and our calibration sample, except for galaxies at high redshifts, for which we obtain up to 50 percent points higher completeness. The combination of colour and photo-$z$ selections applied to simulated Euclid data yields up to 95% completeness, while the purity decreases down to 92% at high $z_{\rm l}$. We show that the calibrated colour selections provide robust results even when observations from a single band are missing from the ground-based data. Finally, we show that colour selections do not disrupt the shear calibration for stage III surveys.
The disagreement between low- and high-redshift measurements of the Hubble parameter is emerging as a serious challenge to the standard model of cosmology. We develop a covariant cosmographic analysis of the Hubble parameter in a general spacetime, which is fully model-independent and can thus be used as part of a robust assessment of the tension. Here our focus is not on the tension but on understanding the relation between the physical expansion rate and its measurement by observers -- which is critical for model-independent measurements and tests. We define the physical Hubble parameter and its multipoles in a general spacetime and derive for the first time the covariant boost transformation of the multipoles measured by a heliocentric observer. The analysis is extended to the covariant deceleration parameter. Current cosmographic measurements of the expansion anisotropy contain discrepancies and disagreements, some of which may arise because the correct transformations for a moving observer are not applied. A heliocentric observer will detect a dipole, generated not only by a Doppler effect, but also by an aberration effect due to shear. In principle, the observer can measure both the intrinsic shear anisotropy and the velocity of the observer relative to the matter -- without any knowledge of peculiar velocities, which are gauge dependent and do not arise in a covariant approach. The practical implementation of these results is investigated in a follow-up paper. We further show that the standard cosmographic relation between the Hubble parameter, the redshift and the luminosity distance (or magnitude) is not invariant under boosts and holds only in the matter frame. A moving observer who applies the standard cosmographic relation should correct the luminosity distance by a redshift factor -- otherwise an incorrect dipole and a spurious octupole are predicted.
Cosmic Birefringence (CB) is a phenomenon in which the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation is rotated as it travels through space due to the coupling between photons and an axion-like field. We look for a solution able to explain the result obtained from the \textit{Planck} Public Release 4 (PR4), which has provided a hint of detection of the CB angle, $\alpha=(0.30\pm0.11)^{\circ}$. In addition to the solutions, already present in the literature, which need a non-negligible evolution in time of the axion-like field during recombination, we find a new region of the parameter space which allows for a nearly constant time evolution of such a field in the same epoch. The latter reinforces the possibility to employ the commonly used relations connecting the observed CMB spectra with the unrotated ones, through trigonometric functions of the CB angle. However, if the homogeneous axion field sourcing isotropic birefringence is almost constant in time during the matter-dominated era, this does not automatically implies that the same holds true also for the associated inhomogeneous perturbations. For this reason, in this paper we present a full generalized Boltzmann treatment of this phenomenon, that is able, for the first time to our knowledge to deal with the time evolution of anisotropic cosmic birefringence (ACB). We employ this approach to provide predictions of ACB, in particular for the set of best-fit parameters found in the new solution of the isotropic case. If the latter is the correct model, we expect an ACB spectrum of the order of $(10^{-15}\div10^{-32})$ deg$^2$ for the auto-correlation, and $(10^{-7}\div10^{-17})$ $\mu $K$\cdot\,$deg for the cross-correlations with the CMB $T$ and $E$ fields, depending on the angular scale.
We address in this article the criticism in a recently submitted article by Clement and Noiucer (arXiv:2312.17662 [gr-qc]) on "Cotton Gravity" (CG), a gravity theory alternative to General Relativity. These authors claim that CG is "not predictive" for producing "too many" spherically symmetric vacuum solutions, while taking the Bianchi I vacuum as test case they argue that geometric constraint on the Cotton tensor lead to an undetermined problem, concluding in the end that CG "is not a physical theory". We provide arguments showing that this critique is incorrect and misrepresents the theory.
Core-collapse supernovae are candidate sites for the rapid neutron capture process ($r$-process). We explore the effects of enrichment from $r$-process nuclei on the light-curves of hydrogen-rich supernovae (SNe IIP) and assess the detectability of these signatures. We modify the radiation transport code $\texttt{SNEC}$ to include the approximate effects of opacity and radioactive heating from $r$-process elements in the SN ejecta. We present models spanning a range of total $r$-process masses $M_{\rm r}$ and their assumed radial distribution within the ejecta, finding that $M_{\rm r} \gtrsim 10^{-2} M_\odot$ is sufficient to induce appreciable differences in their light-curves as compared to ordinary SNe IIP (without any $r$-process elements). The primary photometric signatures of $r$-process enrichment include a shortening of the plateau phase, coinciding with the hydrogen-recombination photosphere retreating to the $r$-process-enriched layers, and a steeper post-plateau decline associated with a reddening of the SN colors. We compare our $r$-process-enriched models to ordinary IIP models and observational data, showing that yields of $M_{\rm r} \gtrsim 10^{-2} M_\odot$ are potentially detectable across several of the metrics used by transient observers, provided that the $r$-process rich layers are mixed $\gtrsim$ halfway to the ejecta surface. This detectability threshold can roughly be reproduced analytically using a two-zone ("kilonova within a supernova") picture. Assuming that a small fraction of SNe produce a detectable $r$-process yield $M_{\rm r} \gtrsim 10^{-2}M_\odot$, and respecting constraints on the total Galactic production rate, we estimate that $\gtrsim 10^{3}-10^4$ SNe need be observed to find one $r$-enriched event, a feat that may become possible with the Vera Rubin Observatory.
Stellar evolution predicts the existence of a mass gap for black hole remnants produced by pair-instability supernova dynamics, whose lower and upper edges are very uncertain. We study the possibility of constraining the location of the upper end of the pair-instability mass gap, which is believed to appear around ${m_\text{min}} \sim130M_\odot$, using gravitational wave observations of compact binary mergers with next-generation ground-based detectors. While high metallicity may not allow for the formation of first-generation black holes on the "far side" beyond the gap, metal-poor environments containing Population III stars could lead to such heavy black hole mergers. We show that, even in the presence of contamination from other merger channels, next-generation detectors will measure the location of the upper end of the mass gap with a relative precision close to $\Delta {m_\text{min}}/{m_\text{min}} \simeq 4\% (N_\text{det}/100 )^{-1/2}$ at 90% C.L., where $N_\text{det} $ is the number of detected mergers with both members beyond the gap. These future observations could reduce current uncertainties in nuclear and astrophysical processes controlling the location of the gap.
The Penrose process for the decay of electrically charged particles in a Reissner-Nordstr\"om-anti-de Sitter black hole spacetime is studied. To extract large quantities of energy one needs to mount a recursive Penrose process where particles are confined and can bounce back to suffer ever again a decaying process in the black hole electric ergoregion. In an asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime, two situations of confinement are possible. One situation uses a reflecting mirror at some radius, which obliges the energetic outgoing particles to return to the decaying point. The other situation uses the natural AdS property that sends back at some intrinsic returning radius those outgoing energetic particles. In addition, besides the conservation laws the decaying process must obey, one has to set conditions at the decaying point for the particles debris. These conditions restrain the possible scenarios, but there are still a great number of available scenarios for the decays. Within these, we choose two scenarios, scenario 1 and scenario 2, that pertain to the masses and electric charges of the final particles. Thus, in the mirror situation we find that scenario 1 leads to a black hole energy factory, and scenario 2 ends in a black hole bomb. In the no mirror situation, i.e., pure Reissner-Nordstr\"om-AdS, scenario 1 leads again to a black hole energy factory, but scenario 2 yields no bomb. This happens because the volume in which the particles are confined increases to infinity along the chain of decays, leading to a zero value of the extracted energy per unit volume and the bomb is demined. The whole treatment performed here involves no backreaction on the black hole mass and electric charge, nevertheless we speculate that the end state of the recursive process is a Reissner-Nordstr\"om-AdS black hole with very short hair, i.e., with one particle at rest at some definite radius.
Weakly magnetized neutron stars in X-ray binaries show complex phenomenology with several spectral components that can be associated with the accretion disk, boundary and/or spreading layer, a corona, and a wind. Spectroscopic information alone is, however, not enough to disentangle these components. Additional information about the nature of the spectral components and in particular the geometry of the emission region can be provided by X-ray polarimetry. One of the objects of the class, a bright, persistent, and rather peculiar galactic Type I X-ray burster was observed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) and the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission Newton (XMM-Newton). Using the XMM-Newton data we estimated the current state of the source as well as detected strong absorption lines associated with the accretion disk wind. IXPE data showed the source to be significantly polarized in the 2-8 keV energy band with the overall polarization degree (PD) of 1.4% at a polarization angle (PA) of -2 degrees (errors at 68% confidence level). During the two-day long observation, we detected rotation of the PA by about 70 degrees with the corresponding changes in the PD from 2% to non-detectable and then up to 5%. These variations in polarization properties are not accompanied by visible changes in spectroscopic characteristics. The energy-resolved polarimetric analysis showed a significant change in polarization, from being strongly dependent on energy at the beginning of the observation to being almost constant with energy in the later parts of the observation. As a possible interpretation, we suggest the presence of a constant component of polarization, strong wind scattering, or different polarization of the two main spectral components with individually peculiar behavior. The rotation of the PA suggests a 30-degree misalignment of the neutron star spin from the orbital axis.
Knowledge of the formation of neutron stars (NSs) in supernova (SN) explosions is of fundamental importance in wide areas of contemporary astrophysics: X-ray binaries, magnetars, radio pulsars, and, not least, double NS systems which merge and become gravitational wave sources. A recent study by Richardson et al. reported that the NS in the Be-star/X-ray binary SGR 0755-2933 (CPD -29 2176) descended from an ultra-stripped SN. Using the same observational data as Richardson et al., however, we find that the majority of progenitor solutions for SGR 0755-2933 are of normal Type Ib/c SNe, which allows for up to several solar masses of material to be ejected in the SN event. To correctly probe the SN explosion physics and inferring pre-SN conditions in a binary system, a full kinematic analysis based on post-SN data is always needed.
Potential contribution from gamma-ray sources to the Galactic diffuse gamma rays observed above 100 TeV (sub-PeV energy range) by the Tibet AS{\gamma} experiment is an important key to interpreting recent multi-messenger observations. This paper reveals a surprising fact: none of the 23 Tibet AS{\gamma} diffuse gamma-ray events above 398TeV within the Galactic latitudinal range of |b| < 10 deg. come from the 43 sub-PeV gamma-ray sources reported in the 1LHAASO catalog, which proves that these sources are not the origins of the Tibet AS{\gamma} diffuse gamma-ray events. No positional overlap between the Tibet AS{\gamma} diffuse gamma-ray events and the sub-PeV LHAASO sources currently supports the diffusive nature of the Tibet AS{\gamma} diffuse gamma-ray events, although their potential origin in the gamma-ray sources yet unresolved in the sub-PeV energy range cannot be ruled out.
A quantitative analytical model based on the semblance method between the modulation factor with solar phenomena is proposed. Different Local Interstellar Spectra (LIS) have been computed to introduce into a transport equation solution which in turn have been introduced into the atmospheric yield function (Caballero-Lopez & Moraal 2012), that allows to compute a Cosmic Rays (CR) Modulation Factor. The results were as expected. &here are correlation between modulation factor and sunspots, and anticorrelation between modulation factor and mean magnetic field. A transport equation's solution is necessary to compute atmospheric yield function, in this case the used transport equation's solutions were convection-diffusion and force field. Both solutions offer similar models, yet the force field solution shows a higher correlation value in the semblance than the convection-diffusion solution. Several LIS were also computed because they are introduced into the transport equation solutions. The used LIS were Lagner, Potgieter and Webber LIS in 2003, Burguer and Potgieter LIS in 2000, Garcia-Munoz, Mason and Simpson LIS in 1975 and Ghelfi, Barao, Derome and Maurin LIS in 2017. Those LIS were used because they have a model for different nuclear composition: Helium and Hydrogen. The LIS with more changes when is introduced into the semblance is Garcia-Munoz, Mason and Simpson in 1975.
Stellar coronal sources have been observed in the past not only for their astrophysical interest in the field of binary system evolution and interaction, but also for their invaluable roles as benchmarks for plasma spectral models and as calibration sources for high resolution spectroscopic X-ray instruments. These include the gratings on-board Chandra and XMM-Newton, as well as the new generation of high resolution capable-detectors recently flown on-board XRISM and planned for the future also on-board the Athena and the LEM missions. In our previous paper exploiting Chandra/HETG observations of the prototypical coronal source Capella, it has been shown that the centroid energies of the many X-ray emission lines detected in the spectrum of this object change as a function of time due to the Doppler modulation within the binary. This is an effect that needs to be corrected while performing calibrations of high resolution X-ray instruments. In this paper, we extend our previous work on Capella to other known stellar coronal sources which have been observed with the Chandra/HETG (11 objects in total). We measure in several objects clear trends in the velocity shifts along the orbit of the primary star, meaning that in these sources one of the two star components is largely dominating the high energy emission. In a number of systems the trend in the velocity shift is not obvious. This can be ascribed to the fact that both stellar components contribute significantly to the X-ray emission.
It is well-established that the magnetic Penrose process (MPP) could be highly efficient (efficiency can even exceed $100\%$) for extracting the energy from a Kerr black hole, if it is immersed in a mG order magnetic field. Considering the exact solution of the magnetized Kerr spacetime, here we derive the exact expression of efficiency ($\eta_{\rm MPP}$) for MPP, which is valid for both the Kerr black hole (BH) as well as Kerr superspinar (SS), and also from the weak magnetic field to an ultra-strong magnetic field $(B)$ which can even distort the original Kerr geometry. We show that although the value of $\eta_{\rm MPP}$ increases upto a certain value of ultra-strong magnetic field ($B_p$), it decreases to zero for $B > B_p$, in case of the Kerr BHs. One intriguing feature that emerges is, $\eta_{\rm MPP}$ acquires the maximum value for the Kerr parameter $a_* \approx 0.786$ (unlike $a_*=1$ for the ordinary PP), decreases for the range $0.786 < a_* \leq 1$, and reaches to $20.7\%$ for $a_*=1$ with a few limitations. This indicates that the BH starts to expel the effect of magnetic field for $a_* > 0.786$, and is fully expelled from the extremal Kerr BH due to the gravitational Meissner effect. As a special case of MPP, we also study the ordinary Penrose process (PP) for the magnetized Kerr spacetime. We show that the efficiency of PP decreases with increasing the magnetic field for the Kerr BH. In fact, the MPP for Kerr BHs, Kerr SSs and the ordinary PP for Kerr SSs can be superefficient for the astrophysical applications to powering engines in the high-energy sources like active galactic nuclei and quasars, in the weak magnetic fields. It is almost impossible to extract the energy from a BH (SS) through MPP (PP) in the ultra-strong magnetic fields.
Gravitational radiation-reaction phenomena occurring in the dynamics of inspiralling compact binary systems are investigated at the first post-Newtonian order beyond the quadrupole approximation in the context of Einstein-Cartan theory, where quantum spin effects are modeled via the Weyssenhoff fluid. We exploit balance equations for the energy and angular momentum to determine the binary orbital decay until the two bodies collide. Our framework deals with both quasi-elliptic and quasi-circular trajectories, which are then smoothly connected. Key observables like the laws of variation of the orbital phase and frequency characterizing the quasi-circular motion are derived analytically. We conclude our analysis with an estimation of the spin contributions at the merger, which are examined both in the time domain and the Fourier frequency space through the stationary wave approximation.
Neutron stars contain neutron-rich matter with around 5% protons at nuclear saturation density. In this Letter, we consider equilibrium between bulk phases of matter based on asymmetric nuclear matter calculations using chiral effective field theory interactions rather than, as has been done in the past, by interpolation between the properties of symmetric nuclear matter and pure neutron matter. Neutron drip (coexistence of nuclear matter with pure neutrons) is well established, but from earlier work it is unclear whether proton drip (equilibrium between two phases, both of which contain protons and neutrons) is possible. We find that proton drip is a robust prediction of any physically reasonable equation of state, but that it occurs over a limited region of densities and proton fractions. An analytical model based on expanding the energy in powers of the proton density, rather than the neutron excess, is able to account for these features of the phase diagram.
Hybrid neutron stars, the compact objects consisting hadronic matter and strange quark matter, can be considered as the probes for the scalar tensor gravity. In this work, we explore the scalarization of hybrid neutron stars in the scalar tensor gravity. For the hadronic phase, we apply a piecewise polytropic equation of state constrained by the observational data of GW170817 and the data of six low-mass X-ray binaries with thermonuclear burst or the symmetry energy of the nuclear interaction. In addition, to describe the strange quark matter inside the hybrid neutron star, different MIT bag models are employed. We study the effects of the value of bag constant, the mass of s quark, the perturbative quantum chromodynamics correction parameter, and the density jump at the surface of quark-hadronic phase transition on the scalarization of hybrid neutron stars. Our results confirm that the scalarization is more sensitive to the value of bag constant, the mass of s quark, and the density jump compared to the perturbative quantum chromodynamics correction parameter.
We develop a compressible liquid-drop model to describe the crust of neutron stars for which the role of the nuclear clusters, the neutron gas, and the electrons are clearly identified. The novelty relies on the contribution of the neutron gas, which is qualitatively adjusted to reproduce 'ab initio' predictions in dilute neutron matter. We relate the properties of dilute neutron matter to the ones of neutron stars crust and we compare the mean field approximation to an improved approach which better describes dilute neutron matter. The latter is quite sensitive to the unitary limit, a universal feature of Fermi systems having a large value of the scattering length and a small interaction range. While the impact of the accurate description of dilute neutron matter is important in uniform matter (up to 30\% corrections with respect to a mean field calculations), we find a reduction of this impact in the context of the crust of neutron stars due to the additional matter components (nuclear clusters and electrons). In agreement with our previous works, dilute neutron matter is however a necessary ingredient for accurate predictions of the properties of the crust of neutron stars.
The Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is a Chinese-French mission dedicated to the study of the transient sky. It is scheduled to start operations in 2024. ECLAIRs is a coded-mask telescope with a large field of view. It is designed to detect and localize gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the energy range from 4 keV up to 120 keV. In 2021, the ECLAIRs telescope underwent various calibration campaigns in vacuum test-chambers to evaluate its performance. Between 4 and 8 keV, the counting response of the detection plane shows inhomogeneities between pixels from different production batches. The efficiency inhomogeneity is caused by low-efficiency pixels (LEPs) from one of the two batches, together with high-threshold pixels (HTPs) whose threshold was raised to avoid cross-talk effects. In addition, some unexpected noise was found in the detection plane regions close to the heat pipes. We study the impact of these inhomogeneities and of the heat-pipe noise at low energies on the ECLAIRs onboard triggers. We propose different strategies in order to mitigate these impacts and to improve the onboard trigger performance. We analyzed the data from the calibration campaigns and performed simulations with the ground model of the ECLAIRs trigger software in order to design and evaluate the different strategies. Most of the impact of HTPs can be corrected for by excluding HTPs from the trigger processing. To correct for the impact of LEPs, an efficiency correction in the shadowgram seems to be a good solution. An effective solution for the heat-pipe noise is selecting the noisy pixels and ignoring their data in the 4--8 keV band during the data analysis.
We explore the joint detection prospects of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) and their gravitational wave (GW) counterparts by the current and upcoming high-energy GRB and GW facilities from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. We consider two GW detector networks: (1) A four-detector network comprising LIGO Hanford, Livingston, Virgo, and Kagra, (IGWN4) and (2) a future five-detector network including the same four detectors and LIGO India (IGWN5). For the sGRB detection, we consider existing satellites Fermi and Swift and the proposed all-sky satellite Daksha. Most of the events for the joint detection will be off-axis, hence, we consider a broad range of sGRB jet models predicting the off-axis emission. Also, to test the effect of the assumed sGRB luminosity function, we consider two different functions for one of the emission models. We find that for the different jet models, the joint sGRB and GW detection rates for Fermi and Swift with IGWN4 (IGWN5) lie within 0.07-0.62$\mathrm{\ yr^{-1}}$ (0.8-4.0$\mathrm{\ yr^{-1}}$) and 0.02-0.14$\mathrm{\ yr^{-1}}$ (0.15-1.0$\mathrm{\ yr^{-1}}$), respectively, when the BNS merger rate is taken to be 320$\mathrm{\ Gpc^{-3}~yr^{-1}}$. With Daksha, the rates increase to 0.2-1.3$\mathrm{\ yr^{-1}}$ (1.3-8.3$\mathrm{\ yr^{-1}}$), which is 2-9 times higher than the existing satellites. We show that such a mission with higher sensitivity will be ideal for detecting a higher number of fainter events observed off-axis or at a larger distance. Thus, Daksha will boost the joint detections of sGRB and GW, especially for the off-axis events. Finally, we find that our detection rates with optimal SNRs are conservative, and noise in GW detectors can increase the rates further.
Gravitational-wave astronomy has developed enormously over the last decade with the first detections across different frequency bands, but has yet to access $0.1-10$ $\mathrm{Hz}$ gravitational waves. Gravitational waves in this band are emitted by some of the most enigmatic sources, including intermediate-mass binary black hole mergers, early inspiralling compact binaries, and possibly cosmic inflation. To tap this exciting band, we propose the construction of a detector based on pulsar timing principles, the Artificial Precision Timing Array (APTA). We envision APTA as a solar system array of artificial "pulsars"$-$precision-clock-carrying satellites that emit pulsing electromagnetic signals towards Earth or other centrum. In this fundamental study, we estimate the clock precision needed for APTA to successfully detect gravitational waves. Our results suggest that a clock relative uncertainty of $10^{-17}$, which is currently attainable, would be sufficient for APTA to surpass LISA's sensitivity in the decihertz band and observe $10^3-10^4$ $\mathrm{M}_\odot$ black hole mergers. Future atomic clock technology realistically expected in the next decade would enable the detection of an increasingly diverse set of astrophysical sources, including stellar-mass compact binaries that merge in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA band, extreme-mass-ratio inspirals, and Type Ia supernovae. This work opens up a new area of research into designing and constructing artificial gravitational-wave detectors relying on the successful principles of pulsar timing.
Binary coalescences are known sources of gravitational waves (GWs) and they encompass combinations of black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs). Here we show that when BHs are embedded in magnetic fields ($B$s) larger than approximately $10^{10}$ G, charged particles colliding around their event horizons can easily have center-of-mass energies in the range of ultra-high energies ($\gtrsim 10^{18}$ eV) and escape. Such B-embedding and high-energy particles can take place in BH-NS binaries, or even in BH-BH binaries with one of the BHs being charged (with charge-to-mass ratios as small as $10^{-5}$, which do not change GW waveforms) and having a residual accretion disk. Ultra-high center-of-mass energies for particle collisions arise for basically any rotation parameter of the BH when $B \gtrsim 10^{10}$ G, meaning that it should be a common aspect in binaries, especially in BH-NS ones given the natural presence of a $B$ onto the BH and charged particles due to the NS's magnetosphere. We estimate that up to millions of ultra-high center-of-mass collisions may happen before the merger of BH-BH and BH-NS binaries. Thus, binary coalescences can also be efficient sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and constraints to NS/BH parameters would be possible if UHECRs are detected along with GWs.
High energies emissions observed in X-ray binaries (XRBs), active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are linearly polarized. The prominent mechanism for X-ray is the Comptonization process. We revisit the theory for polarization in Compton scattering with unpolarized electrons, and note that the ($k \times k'$)-coordinate (in which, ($k \times k'$) acts as a $z$-axis, here $k$ and $k'$ are incident and scattered photon momentum respectively) is more convenient to describe it. Interestingly, for a fixed scattering plane the degree of polarization PD after single scattering for random oriented low-energy unpolarized incident photons is $\sim$0.33. At the scattering angle $\theta$ = 0 or $\theta \equiv$ [0,25$^o$], the modulation curve of $k'$ exhibits the same PD and PA (angle of polarization) of $k$, and even the distribution of projection of electric vector of $k'$ ($k'_e$) on perpendicular plane to the $k$ indicates same (so, an essential criteria for detector designing). We compute the polarization state in Comptonization process using Monte Carlo methods with considering a simple spherical corona. We obtain the PD of emergent photons as a function of $\theta$-angle (or alternatively, the disk inclination angle $i$) on a meridian plane (i.e., the laws of darkening, formulated by \citealp{Chandrasekhar1946}) after single scattering with unpolarized incident photons. To explore the energy dependency we consider a general spectral parameter set corresponding to hard and soft states of XRBs, we find that for average scattering no. $\langle N_{sc}\rangle$ $\sim$1.1 the PD is independent of energy and PA $\sim 90^o$ ($k'_e$ is parallel to the disk plane), and for $\langle N_{sc}\rangle$ $\sim$5 the PD value is maximum for $i=45^o$. We also compare the results qualitatively with observation of IXPE for five sources.
A supermassive black hole can launch a relativistic jet when it violently disrupts a star that passes too close. Such jetted tidal disruption events (TDEs) are rare and unique tools to investigate quiescent supermassive black holes, jet physics, and circumnuclear environment at high redshift. The newly discovered TDE AT2022cmc ($z\sim 1.193$) providing rich multi-band (X-ray, UV, optical, sub-millimeter, and radio) data, has been interpreted as the fourth on-axis jetted TDE. In this work, we constrain the circumnuclear medium (CNM) density profile with both closure relation (CR) test and detailed forward shock model fit with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to the multi-band (optical, sub-millimeter, and radio) data of AT2022cmc.We find that the CNM density profile of AT2022cmc is $n\propto R^{-k}$ with $k \sim 1.68$, implying a Bondi accretion in history. Furthermore, our model fit result suggests a two-component jet in AT2022cmc, indicating a similar jet physics to well-studied jetted TDE Sw J1644+57.
GW170817 is a binary neutron star merger that exhibited a gravitational wave (GW) and a gamma-ray burst, followed by an afterglow. In this work, we estimate the Hubble constant ($H_0$) using broad-band afterglow emission and relativistic jet motion from the Very Long Baseline Interferometry and Hubble Space Telescope images of GW170817. Compared to previous attempts, we combine these messengers with GW in a simultaneous Bayesian fit. We probe the $H_0$ measurement robustness depending on the data set used, the assumed jet model, the possible presence of a late time flux excess. Using the sole GW leads to a $20\%$ error ($77^{+21}_{-10}$ km/s/Mpc, medians, 16th-84th percentiles), because of the degeneracy between viewing angle ($\theta_v$) and luminosity distance ($d_L$). The latter is reduced by the inclusion in the fit of the afterglow light curve, leading to $H_0=96^{+13}_{-10}$ km/s/Mpc, a large value, caused by the fit preference for high viewing angles due to the possible presence of a late-time excess in the afterglow flux. Accounting for the latter by including a constant flux component at late times brings $H_0=78.5^{+7.9}_{-6.4}$ km/s/Mpc. Adding the centroid motion in the analysis efficiently breaks the $d_L-\theta_v$ degeneracy and overcome the late-time deviations, giving $H_0 = 69.0^{+4.4}_{-4.3}$ km/s/Mpc (in agreement with Planck and SH0ES measurements) and $\theta_v = 18.2^{+1.2}_{-1.5}$ deg. This is valid regardless of the jet structure assumption. Our simulations show that for next GW runs radio observations are expected to provide at most few other similar events.
The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) measured with high significance the X-ray polarization of the brightest Z-source Scorpius X-1, resulting in the nominal 2-8 keV energy band in a polarization degree of 1.0(0.2)% and a polarization angle of 8(6){\deg} at 90% of confidence level. This observation was strictly simultaneous with observations performed by NICER, NuSTAR, and Insight-HXMT, which allowed for a precise characterization of its broad-band spectrum from soft to hard X-rays. The source has been observed mainly in its soft state, with short periods of flaring. We also observed low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations. From a spectro-polarimetric analysis, we associate a polarization to the accretion disk at <3.2% at 90% of confidence level, compatible with expectations for an electron-scattering dominated optically thick atmosphere at the Sco X-1 inclination of 44{\deg}; for the higher-energy Comptonized component, we obtain a polarization of 1.3(0.4)%, in agreement with expectations for a slab of Thomson optical depth of ~7 and an electron temperature of ~3 keV. A polarization rotation with respect to previous observations by OSO-8 and PolarLight, and also with respect to the radio-jet position angle, is observed. This result may indicate a variation of the polarization with the source state that can be related to relativistic precession or to a change in the corona geometry with the accretion flow.
In this letter we discuss how the results of recent nuclear experiments that correspond to measurements at low densities can affect the equation of state at large densities and temperatures, changing the particle composition and ultimately influencing deconfinement to quark matter. In particular, saturation values of the hyperon potentials affect the hyperon content, while the symmetry energy at saturation directly regulates how the stiffness of the equation of state changes with isospin. We make use of a chiral model that describes nucleons, hyperons, and quarks to show how astrophysical conditions, such as the ones in neutron stars, present the ideal ground to study the effects of these two quantities in dense matter. In this case, for small charge fraction/ large isospin asymmetry, the couplings that reproduce different symmetry energy slopes can significantly modify deconfinement, with quantitative changes in the critical chemical potential depending on the deconfining potential. On the other hand, different values of the parameter that controls the hyperon potentials (kept within a range close to experimental data) do not affect deconfinement significantly.
Accretion disks formed in binary neutron star mergers play a central role in many astrophysical processes of interest, including the launching of relativistic jets or the ejection of neutron-rich matter hosting heavy element nucleosynthesis. In this work we analyze in detail the properties of accretion disks from 44 ab initio binary neutron star merger simulations for a large set of nuclear equations of state, binary mass ratios and remnant fates, with the aim of furnishing reliable initial conditions for disk simulations and a comprehensive characterization of their properties. We find that the disks have a significant thermal support, with an aspect ratio decreasing with the mass ratio of the binary from $\sim 0.7$ to 0.3. Even if the disk sample spans a broad range in mass and angular momentum, their ratio is independent from the equation of state and from the mass ratio. This can be traced back to the rotational profile of the disc, characterized by a constant specific angular momentum (as opposed to a Keplerian one) of $3-5 \times 10^{16} \rm ~ cm^2~s^{-1}$. The profiles of the entropy per baryon and of the electron fraction depend on the mass ratio of the binary. For more symmetric binaries, they follow a sigmoidal distribution as a function of the rest mass density, for which we provide a detailed description and a fit. The disk properties discussed in this work can be used as a robust set of initial conditions for future long-term simulations of accretion disks from binary neutron star mergers, posing the basis for a progress in the quantitative study of the outflow properties.
The equations of state (EoSs) governing neutron star (NS) matter obtained for both non-relativistic and relativistic mean-field models are systematically confronted with a diverse set of terrestrial data and astrophysical observations within the Bayesian framework. The terrestrial data, spans from bulk properties of finite nuclei to the heavy-ion collisions, constrain the symmetric nuclear matter EoS and the symmetry energy up to twice the saturation density ($\rho_0$= 0.16 fm$^{-3}$). The astrophysical observations encompass the NS radius, the tidal deformability, and the lower bound on maximum mass. Three distinct posterior distributions of EoSs are generated by gradually updating the priors with different constraints: (i) only the maximum NS mass, (ii) incorporating additional terrestrial data, (iii) combining both the terrestrial data and astrophysical observations. These distributions are then compared using the Kullback-Liebler divergence which highlights the significant constraints imposed on the EoSs by the currently available lower bound of NS maximum mass and terrestrial data. The remaining astrophysical observations marginally refine the EoS within the density range $\sim$ 2-3$\rho_0$. It is observed that the non-relativistic mean field model yields stiffer EoS for the symmetric nuclear matter while softer density dependent symmetry energy compared to the relativistic one when all the data/observations are considered.
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 about 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.
Synthetic turbulence is a relevant tool to study complex astrophysical and space plasma environments inaccessible by direct simulation. However, conventional models lack intermittent coherent structures, which are essential in realistic turbulence. We present a novel method, featuring coherent structures, conditional structure function scaling and fieldline curvature statistics comparable to magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. Enhanced transport of charged particles is investigated as well. This method presents significant progress towards physically faithful synthetic turbulence.
We present HOMERUN (Highly Optimized Multi-cloud Emission-line Ratios Using photo-ionizatioN), a new approach to modelling emission lines from photoionized gas that can simultaneously reproduce all observed line intensities from a wide range of ionization levels and with high accuracy. Our approach is based on the weighted combination of multiple single-cloud photoionization models and, contrary to previous works, the novelty of our approach consists in using the weights as free parameters of the fit and constraining them with the observed data. One of the main applications of HOMERUN is the accurate determination of gas-phase metallicities and we show that a critical point is to allow for a variation of the N/O and S/O abundance ratios which can significantly improve the quality of the fit and the accuracy of the results. Moreover, our approach provides a major improvement compared to the single-cloud, constant-pressure models commonly used in the literature. By using high-quality literature spectra of H ii regions where 10 to 20 emission lines (including several auroral lines) are detected with high signal-to-noise ratio, we show that all lines are reproduced by the model with an accuracy better than 10%. In particular, the model is able to simultaneously reproduce [O i], [O ii], [O iii], [S ii], and [S iii] emission lines which, to our knowledge, is an unprecedented result. Finally, we show that the gas metallicities estimated with our models for HII regions in the Milky Way are in agreement with the stellar metallicities than the estimates based on the Te-method. Overall, our method provides a new accurate tool to estimate the metallicity and the physical conditions of the ionized gas. It can be applied to many different science cases from HII regions to AGN and wherever there are emission lines from photoionized gas.
Studying the nature of spiral arms is essential for understanding the formation of the intricate disc structure of the Milky Way. The European Space Agency's Gaia mission has provided revolutionary observational data that have uncovered detailed kinematical features of stars in the Milky Way. However, so far the nature of spiral arms continues to remain a mystery. Here we present that the stellar kinematics traced by the classical Cepheids around the Perseus and Outer spiral arms in the Milky Way shows strikingly different kinematical properties from each other: the radial and azimuthal velocities of Cepheids with respect to the Galactic centre show positive and negative correlations in the Perseus and Outer arms, respectively. We also found that the dynamic spiral arms commonly seen in an N-body/hydrodynamics simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy can naturally explain the observed kinematic trends. Furthermore, a comparison with such a simulation suggests that the Perseus arm is being disrupted while the Outer arm is growing. Our findings suggest that two neighbouring spiral arms in distinct evolutionary phases - growing and disrupting phases - coexist in the Milky Way.
Using integrated spectra for two gravitationally lensed galaxies from the JWST TEMPLATES Early Release Science program, we analyze faint auroral lines, which provide direct measurements of the gas-phase chemical abundance. For the brighter galaxy, SGAS1723$+$34 ($z = 1.3293$), we detect the [OIII]$\lambda4363$, [SIII]$\lambda6312$, and [OII]$\lambda\lambda$7320,7330 auroral emission lines, and set an upper limit for the [NII]$\lambda5755$ line. For the second galaxy, SGAS1226$+$21 ($z = 2.925$), we do not detect any auroral lines, and report upper limits. With these measurements and upper limits, we constrain the electron temperatures in different ionization zones within both of these galaxies. For SGAS1723$+$34, where auroral lines are detected, we calculate direct oxygen and nitrogen abundances, finding an N/O ratio consistent with observations of nearby ($z\sim 0$) galaxies. These observations highlight the potent combination of JWST and gravitational lensing to measure faint emission lines in individual distant galaxies and to directly study the chemical abundance patterns in those galaxies.
A fundamental question in galaxy and black-hole evolution remains how galaxies and their supermassive black holes have evolved together over cosmic time. Specifically, it is still unclear how the position of X-ray active galactic nucleus (AGN) host galaxies with respect to the star-forming main sequence (MS) may change with the X-ray luminosity ($L_\mathrm{X}$) of the AGN or the stellar mass ($M_\star$) of the host galaxy. We use data from XMM-SERVS to probe this issue. XMM-SERVS is covered by the largest medium-depth X-ray survey (with superb supporting multiwavelength data) and thus contains the largest sample to date for study. To ensure consistency, we locally derive the MS from a large reference galaxy sample. In our analysis, we demonstrate that the turnover of the galaxy MS does not allow reliable conclusions to be drawn for high-mass AGNs, and we establish a robust safe regime where the results do not depend upon the choice of MS definition. Under this framework, our results indicate that less-massive AGN host-galaxies ($\log M_\star\sim9.5-10.5$ $M_\odot$) generally possess enhanced SFRs compared to their normal-galaxy counterparts while the more-massive AGN host galaxies ($\log M_\star\sim10.5-11.5$ $M_\odot$) lie on or below the star-forming MS. Further, we propose an empirical model for how the placement of an AGN with respect to the MS (SFR$_{norm}$) evolves as a function of both $M_\star$ and $L_\mathrm{X}$.
We present results from our deep Far-ultraviolet (FUV) survey using {\em AstroSat}/UVIT of a filamentary structure at $z$ $\sim$ $0.072$. A total of four filaments comprising 58 galaxies were probed in our study. We detect 18 filament galaxies in our FUV observation. All filament galaxies are further classified based on their photometric color, nuclear activity, and morphology. The filaments contain galaxies with mixed stellar population types and structures. We do not detect galaxies in our UVIT survey up to a distance of 0.4~Mpc from the filament axis, implying a dearth of recent star formation in the inner region of filaments. We witness an increase in FUV specific star formation rate (sSFR) of filament galaxies with increasing distance from the filament spine (D$_{\rm fil}$). On the contrary, no such gradient in FUV sSFR with cluster-centric distance is observed in the case of cluster galaxies. The high stellar mass filament galaxies (M$_\star$ $\sim$ 10$^{11}$ M$_\odot$) were more star-forming than cluster galaxies in a fixed mass range. The FUV morphology of some filament galaxies detected in the filament outskirts (D$_{\rm fil}$ $\sim$ 0.9~Mpc) is comparable to or slightly extended than their optical counterpart. The mass assembly of galaxies probed by estimating $(FUV-r)$ color gradients show that more centrally star-forming galaxies reside closer to the filament axis regardless of stellar mass. Our results prove that the likelihood of merger interaction and gas starvation increases on approaching the filament spine. We report a definitive and in-homogeneous impact of filaments on the galaxies residing inside them.
The EDGE-CALIFA survey provides spatially resolved optical integral field unit (IFU) and CO spectroscopy for 125 galaxies selected from the CALIFA Data Release 3 sample. The Extragalactic Database for Galaxy Evolution (EDGE) presents the spatially resolved products of the survey as pixel tables that reduce the oversampling in the original images and facilitate comparison of pixels from different images. By joining these pixel tables to lower dimensional tables that provide radial profiles, integrated spectra, or global properties, it is possible to investigate the dependence of local conditions on large-scale properties. The database is freely accessible and has been utilized in several publications. We illustrate the use of this database and highlight the effects of CO upper limits on the inferred slopes of the local scaling relations between stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and H$_2$ surface densities. We find that the correlation between H$_2$ and SFR surface density is the tightest among the three relations.
We present ${\sim}0.2$ arcsec ($\sim$80 au) resolution observations of the CO (2-1) and SiO (5-4) lines made with the Atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array toward an extremely young intermediate-mass protostellar source (t$_{\rm dyn}<$1000 years), MMS 1 located in the Orion Molecular Cloud-3 region. We have successfully imaged a very compact CO molecular outflow associated with MMS 1, having deprojected lobe sizes of $\sim$18000 au (red-shifted lobe) and $\sim$35000 au (blue-shifted lobe). We have also detected an extremely compact ($\lesssim$1000 au) and collimated SiO protostellar jet within the CO outflow. The maximum deprojected jet speed is measured to be as high as 93 km s$^{-1}$. The SiO jet wiggles and displays a chain of knots. Our detection of the molecular outflow and jet is the first direct evidence that MMS 1 already hosts a protostar. The position-velocity diagram obtained from the SiO emission shows two distinct structures: (i) bow-shocks associated with the tips of the outflow, and (ii) a collimated jet, showing the jet velocities linearly increasing with the distance from the driving source. Comparisons between the observations and numerical simulations quantitatively share similarities such as multiple-mass ejection events within the jet and Hubble-like flow associated with each mass ejection event. Finally, while there is a weak flux decline seen in the 850 $\mu$m light curve obtained with JCMT/SCUBA 2 toward MMS 1, no dramatic flux change events are detected. This suggests that there has not been a clear burst event within the last 8 years.
Although red clump stars function as reliable standard candles, their surface characteristics (i.e. T$_{\text{eff}}$, log~$g$, and [Fe/H]) overlap with those of red giant branch stars, which are not standard candles. Recent results have revealed that spectral features containing carbon (e.g. CN molecular bands) carry information correlating with the ''gold-standard'' asteroseismic classifiers that distinguish red clump from red giant branch stars. However, the underlying astrophysical processes driving the correlation between these spectroscopic and asteroseismic quantities in red giants remain inadequately explored. This study aims to enhance our understanding of this ''spectro-seismic'' effect, by refining the list of key spectral features predicting red giant evolutionary state. In addition, we conduct further investigation into those key spectral features to probe the astrophysical processes driving this connection. We employ the data-driven The Cannon algorithm to analyse high-resolution ($R\sim80,000$) Veloce spectra from the Anglo-Australian Telescope for 301 red giant stars (where asteroseismic classifications from the TESS mission are known for 123 of the stars). The results highlight molecular spectroscopic features, particularly those containing carbon (e.g. CN), as the primary indicators of the evolutionary states of red giant stars. Furthermore, by investigating CN isotopic pairs (that is, $^{12}$C$^{14}$N and $^{13}$C$^{14}$N) we find statistically significant differences in the reduced equivalent widths of such lines, suggesting that physical processes that change the surface abundances and isotopic ratios in red giant stars, such as deep mixing, are the driving forces of the ''spectro-seismic'' connection of red giants.
Compact groups of dwarf galaxies (CGDs) have been observed at low redshifts ($z<0.1$) and are direct evidence of hierarchical assembly at low masses. To understand the formation of CGDs and the galaxy assembly in the low-mass regime, we search for analogues of compact (radius $\leq 100$ kpc) groups of dwarfs ($7 \leq \log[M_{\ast}/{\rm M}_\odot] \leq 9.5$) in the IllustrisTNG highest-resolution simulation. Our analysis shows that TNG50-1 can successfully produce CGDs at $z=0$ with realistic total and stellar masses. We also find that the CGD number density decreases towards the present, especially at $z \lesssim 0.26$, reaching $n \approx 10^{-3.5}$ $\rm cMpc^{-3}$ at $z = 0$. This prediction can be tested observationally with upcoming surveys targeting the faint end of the galaxy population and is essential to constrain galaxy evolution models in the dwarf regime. The majority of simulated groups at $z \sim 0$ formed recently ($\lesssim 1.5 \ \rm Gyr$), and CGDs identified at $z \leq 0.5$ commonly take more than 1 Gyr to merge completely, giving origin to low- to intermediate-mass ($8 \leq \log[M_{\ast}/{\rm M}_\odot] \leq 10$) normally star-forming galaxies at $z=0$. We find that halos hosting CGDs at $z = 0$ formed later when compared to halos of similar mass, having lower stellar masses and higher total gas fractions. The simulations suggest that CGDs observed at $z \sim 0$ arise from a late hierarchical assembly in the last $\sim 3$ Gyr, producing rapid growth in total mass relative to stellar mass and creating dwarf groups with median halo masses of $\sim 10^{11.3}$ $\rm M_\odot$ and B-band mass-to-light ratios mostly in the range $10 \lesssim M/L \lesssim 100$, in agreement with previous theoretical and observational studies.
We have undertaken a deep investigation of a well defined sample of 136 PNe located in a 10x10 degree central region of the Galactic Bulge observed with the ESO VLT and supplemented by archival HST imagery. These studies have provided precise morphologies, major axes position angles and the most robust sample of consistently derived chemical abundances available to date. Using these data we have statistically confirmed, at 5-sigma, the precise PNe population that provides the PNe alignment of major axes previously suggested in the Galactic Bulge, revealed a partial solution to the sulfur anomaly and uncovered interesting morphological, abundance and kinematic features. We summarise the most significant findings here with detailed results appearing in a series of related publications.
We report the direct detection of Lyman Continuum (LyC) emission from 9 galaxies and 1 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) at $z$ $\sim$ 1.1-1.6 in the GOODS-North field using deep observations from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard AstroSat. The absolute escape fraction of the sources estimated from the far-ultraviolet (FUV) and H$\alpha$ line luminosities using Monte Carlo (MC) analysis of two Inter-Galactic Medium (IGM) models span a range $\sim$ 10 - 55 $\%$. The restframe UV wavelength of the sources falls in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) regime $\sim$ 550-700 \AA, the shortest LyC wavelength range probed so far. This redshift range remains devoid of direct detections of LyC emission due to the instrumental limitations of previously available facilities. With UVIT having a very low detector noise, each of these sources are detected with an individual signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) $>$ 3 while for the stack of six sources, we achieve an SNR $\sim$ 7.4. The LyC emission is seen to be offset from the optical centroids and extended beyond the UVIT PSF of 1.$^{\prime\prime}6$ in most of the sources. This sample fills an important niche between GALEX and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) at low-$z$, and HST WFC3 at high-$z$ and is crucial in understanding the evolution of LyC leakers.
In Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), signals from multiple antennas combine to create a sparsely sampled virtual aperture, its effective diameter determined by the largest antenna separation. The inherent sparsity makes VLBI imaging an ill-posed inverse problem, prompting the use of algorithms like the Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm by Decomposition (MOEA/D), as proposed in the first paper of this series. This study focuses on extending MOEA/D to polarimetric and time dynamic reconstructions, particularly relevant for the VLBI community and the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (EHTC). MOEA/D's success in providing a unique, fast, and largely unsupervised representation of image structure serves as the basis for exploring these extensions. The extension involves incorporating penalty terms specific to total intensity imaging, time-variable, and polarimetric variants within MOEA/D's multiobjective, evolutionary framework. The Pareto front, representing non-dominated solutions, is computed, revealing clusters of proximities. Testing MOEA/D with synthetic datasets representative of EHTC's main targets demonstrates successful recovery of polarimetric and time-dynamic signatures despite sparsity and realistic data corruptions. MOEA/D's extension proves effective in the anticipated EHTC setting, offering an alternative and independent claim to existing methods. It not only explores the problem globally but also eliminates the need for parameter surveys, distinguishing it from Regularized Maximum Likelihood (RML) methods. MOEA/D emerges as a novel and useful tool for robustly characterizing polarimetric and dynamic signatures in VLBI datasets with minimal user-based choices. Future work aims to address the last remaining limitation of MOEA/D, specifically regarding the number of pixels and numerical performance, to establish it within the VLBI data reduction pipeline.
With the recent radioastronomical detection of cis-trans-carbonic acid (H$_2$CO$_3$) in a molecular cloud toward the galactic center, the more stable but currently unobserved cis-cis conformer is shown here to have strong IR features. While the higher-energy cis-trans-carbonic acid was detected at millimeter and centimeter wavelengths, owing to its larger dipole moment, the vibrational structure of cis-cis-carbonic acid is more amenable to its observation at micron wavelengths. Even so, both conformers have relatively large IR intensities, and some of these fall in regions not dominated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Water features may inhibit observation near the 2.75 $\mu$m hydride stretches, but other vibrational fundamentals and even overtones in the 5.5 $\mu$m to 6.0 $\mu$m range may be discernible with JWST data. This work has employed high-level, accurately benchmarked quantum chemical anharmonic procedures to compute exceptionally accurate rotational spectroscopic data compared to experiment. Such performance implies that the IR absorption and even cascade emission spectral features computed in this work should be accurate and will provide the needed reference for observation of either carbonic acid conformer in various astronomical environments.
The XLF of AGN offers a robust tool to study the evolution and the growth of SMBHs over cosmic time. Owing to the limited area probed by X-ray surveys, optical surveys are routinely used to probe the accretion in the high redshift Universe $z\geq 3$. However, optical surveys may be incomplete because they are strongly affected by dust redenning. In this work, we derive the XLF and its evolution at high redshifts using a large sample of AGNs selected in different fields with various areas and depths covering a wide range of luminosities. Additionally, we put the tightest yet constraints on the absorption function in this redshift regime. In particular, we use more than 600 soft X-ray selected high-z sources in the Chandra Deep fields, the Chandra COSMOS Legacy survey and the XMM-XXL northern field. We derive the X-ray spectral properties for all sources via spectral fitting, using a consistent technique and model. For modeling the parametric form of the XLF and the absorption function, we use a Bayesian methodology allowing us to correctly propagate the uncertainties for the observed X-ray properties of our sources and also the absorption effects. The evolution of XLF is in agreement with a pure density evolution model similar to what is witnessed at optical wavelengths, although a luminosity dependent density evolution model cannot be securely ruled out. A large fraction ($60\%)$ of our sources are absorbed by column densities of $\rm N_H \geq 10^{23} cm^{-2} $, while $17$\% of the sources are CTK. Our results favor a scenario where both the ISM of the host and the AGN torus contribute to the obscuration. The derived BHAD is in agreement with the simulations, if one takes into account that the X-ray AGN are hosted by massive galaxies, while it differs from the one derived using JWST data. The latter could be due to the differences in the AGN and host-galaxy properties.
We present a flare star catalog from four years of non-targeted millimeter-wave survey data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT). The data were taken with the SPT-3G camera and cover a 1500-square-degree region of the sky from $20^{h}40^{m}0^{s}$ to $3^{h}20^{m}0^{s}$ in right ascension and $-42^{\circ}$ to $-70^{\circ}$ in declination. This region was observed on a nearly daily cadence from 2019-2022 and chosen to avoid the plane of the galaxy. A short-duration transient search of this survey yields 111 flaring events from 66 stars, increasing the number of both flaring events and detected flare stars by an order of magnitude from the previous SPT-3G data release. We provide cross-matching to Gaia DR3, as well as matches to X-ray point sources found in the second ROSAT all-sky survey. We have detected flaring stars across the main sequence, from early-type A stars to M dwarfs, as well as a large population of evolved stars. These stars are mostly nearby, spanning 10 to 1000 parsecs in distance. Most of the flare spectral indices are constant or gently rising as a function of frequency at 95/150/220 GHz. The timescale of these events can range from minutes to hours, and the peak $\nu L_{\nu}$ luminosities range from $10^{27}$ to $10^{31}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in the SPT-3G frequency bands.
Anharmonicity strongly influences the absorption and emission spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. Here, ion-dip spectroscopy experiments together with detailed anharmonic computations reveal the presence of fundamental, overtone, as well as 2- and 3-quanta combination band transitions in the far- and mid-infrared absorption spectrum of phenylacetylene and its singly deuterated isotopologue. Strong absorption features in the 400-900 cm$^{\rm -1}$ range originate from CH(D) in-plane and out-of-plane (OOP) wags and bends, as well as bending motions including the C$\equiv$C and CH bonds of the acetylene substituent and the aromatic ring. For phenylacetylene, every absorption feature is assigned either directly or indirectly to a single or multiple vibrational mode(s). The measured spectrum is dense, broad, and structureless in many regions but well characterized by computations. Upon deuteration, large isotopic shifts are observed. At frequencies above 1500 cm$^{\rm -1}$ for d$_1$-phenylacetylene, a one-to-one match is seen when comparing computations and experiment with all features assigned to combination bands and overtones. The C$\equiv$C stretch observed in phenylacetylene is not observed in d$_1$-phenylacetylene due to a computed 40-fold drop in intensity. Overall, a careful treatment of anharmonicity that includes 2- and 3-quanta modes is found to be crucial to understand the rich details of the infrared spectrum of phenylacetylene. Based on these observations it can be expected that such an all-inclusive anharmonic treatment will also be key for unraveling the infrared spectra of PAHs in general.
Non-parametric morphology statistics have been used for decades to classify galaxies into morphological types and identify mergers in an automated way. In this work, we assess how reliably we can identify galaxy post-mergers with non-parametric morphology statistics. Low-redshift (z<0.2), recent (t_post-merger < 200 Myr), and isolated (r > 100 kpc) post-merger galaxies are drawn from the IllustrisTNG100-1 cosmological simulation. Synthetic r-band images of the mergers are generated with SKIRT9 and degraded to various image qualities, adding observational effects such as sky noise and atmospheric blurring. We find that even in perfect quality imaging, the individual non-parametric morphology statistics fail to recover more than 55% of the post-mergers, and that this number decreases precipitously with worsening image qualities. The realistic distributions of galaxy properties in IllustrisTNG allow us to show that merger samples assembled using individual morphology statistics are biased towards low mass, high gas fraction, and high mass ratio. However, combining all of the morphology statistics together using either a linear discriminant analysis or random forest algorithm increases the completeness and purity of the identified merger samples and mitigates bias with various galaxy properties. For example, we show that in imaging similar to that of the 10-year depth of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a random forest can identify 89% of mergers with a false positive rate of 17%. Finally, we conduct a detailed study of the effect of viewing angle on merger observability and find that there may be an upper limit to merger recovery due to the orientation of merger features with respect to the observer.
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) Cycle-5 observations of HBC 494, as well as calculations of the kinematic and dynamic variables which represent the object's wide-angle bipolar outflows. HBC 494 is a binary FU Orionis type object located in the Orion A molecular cloud. We take advantage of combining the ALMA main array, Atacama Compact Array (ACA), and Total Power (TP) array in order to map HBC 494's outflows and thus, estimate their kinematic parameters with higher accuracy in comparison to prior publications. We use $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O and SO observations to describe the object's outflows, envelope, and disc, as well as estimate the mass, momentum, and kinetic energy of the outflows. After correcting for optical opacity near systemic velocities, we estimate a mass of $3.0\times10^{-2}$ M$_{\odot}$ for the southern outflow and $2.8\times10^{-2}$ M$_{\odot}$ for the northern outflow. We report the first detection of a secondary outflow cavity located approximately $15$" north of the central binary system, which could be a remnant of a previous large-scale accretion outburst. Furthermore, we find CO spatial features in HBC 494's outflows corresponding to position angles of $\sim35^{\circ}$ and $\sim145^{\circ}$. This suggests that HBC 494's outflows are most likely a composite of overlapping outflows from two different sources, i.e., HBC 494a and HBC 494b, the two objects in the binary system.
We compute parametric measurements of the Einstein-radius-enclosed total mass for 177 cluster-scale strong gravitational lenses identified by the ChicagO Optically-selected Lenses Located At the Margins of Public Surveys (COOL-LAMPS) collaboration with lens redshifts ranging from $0.2 \lessapprox z \lessapprox 1.0$ using only two measured parameters in each lensing system: the Einstein radius, and the brightest-cluster-galaxy (BCG) redshift. We then constrain the Einstein-radius-enclosed luminosity and stellar mass by fitting parametric spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with aperture photometry from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) in the $g$, $r$, and $z$-band Dark Energy Camera (DECam) filters. We find that the BCG redshift, enclosed total mass, and enclosed luminosity are strongly correlated and well described by a planar relationship in 3D space. We also find that the enclosed total mass and stellar mass are correlated with a logarithmic slope of $0.443\pm0.035$, and the enclosed total mass and stellar-to-total mass fraction are correlated with a logarithmic slope of $-0.563\pm0.035$. The correlations described here can be used to validate strong lensing candidates in upcoming imaging surveys -- such as Rubin/Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) -- in which an algorithmic treatment of lensing systems will be needed due to the sheer volume of data these surveys will produce.
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.
With significantly improved sensitivity, the Einstein Telescope (ET), along with other upcoming gravitational wave detectors, will mark the beginning of precision gravitational wave astronomy. However, the pursuit of surpassing current detector capabilities requires careful consideration of technical constraints inherent in existing designs. The significant improvement of ET lies in the low-frequency range, where it anticipates a one million-fold increase in sensitivity compared to current detectors. Angular control noise is a primary limitation for LIGO detectors in this frequency range, originating from the need to maintain optical alignment. Given the expected improvements in ET's low-frequency range, precise assessment of angular control noise becomes crucial for achieving target sensitivity. To address this, we developed a model of the angular control system of Advanced Virgo, closely matching experimental data and providing a robust foundation for modeling future-generation detectors. Our model, for the first time, enables replication of the measured coupling level between angle and length. Additionally, our findings confirm that Virgo, unlike LIGO, is not constrained by alignment control noise, even under full power operation.
Hot Jupiters are among the best-studied exoplanets, but it is still poorly understood how their chemical composition and cloud properties vary with longitude. Theoretical models predict that clouds may condense on the nightside and that molecular abundances can be driven out of equilibrium by zonal winds. Here we report a phase-resolved emission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-43b measured from 5-12 $\mu$m with JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The spectra reveal a large day-night temperature contrast (with average brightness temperatures of 1524$\pm$35 and 863$\pm$23 Kelvin, respectively) and evidence for water absorption at all orbital phases. Comparisons with three-dimensional atmospheric models show that both the phase curve shape and emission spectra strongly suggest the presence of nightside clouds which become optically thick to thermal emission at pressures greater than ~100 mbar. The dayside is consistent with a cloudless atmosphere above the mid-infrared photosphere. Contrary to expectations from equilibrium chemistry but consistent with disequilibrium kinetics models, methane is not detected on the nightside (2$\sigma$ upper limit of 1-6 parts per million, depending on model assumptions).
There are more than 5000 confirmed and validated planets beyond the solar system to date, more than half of which were discovered by NASA's Kepler mission. The catalog of Kepler's exoplanet candidates has only been extensively analyzed under the assumption of white noise (i.i.d. Gaussian), which breaks down on timescales longer than a day due to correlated noise (point-to-point correlation) from stellar variability and instrumental effects. Statistical validation of candidate transit events becomes increasingly difficult when they are contaminated by this form of correlated noise, especially in the low-signal-to-noise (S/N) regimes occupied by Earth--Sun and Venus--Sun analogs. To diagnose small long-period, low-S/N putative transit signatures with few (roughly 3--9) observed transit-like events (e.g., Earth--Sun analogs), we model Kepler's photometric data as noise, treated as a Gaussian process, with and without the inclusion of a transit model. Nested sampling algorithms from the Python UltraNest package recover model evidences and maximum a posteriori parameter sets, allowing us to disposition transit signatures as either planet candidates or false alarms within a Bayesian framework.
The detailed design and operation of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's EBIT are described for the first time, including recent design upgrades that have led to improved system stability and greater user control, increasing the scope of possible experiments. Measurements of emission from highly charged Ar were taken to determine the spatial distribution of the ion cloud and electron beam. An optical setup consisting of two lenses, a narrow band filter, and a CCD camera was used to image visible light, while an X-ray pinhole and CCD camera were used to image X-rays. Measurements were used to estimate an effective electron density of 1.77 x 10$^{10}$ cm$^{-3}$. Additionally, observations of X-ray emission from background EBIT gases were measured with a Silicon Lithium detector. Measurements indicate the presence of Ba and Si, which are both easily removed by dumping the trap every 2 s or less.
We calculate, via variational techniques, single- and two-photon Rydberg microwave transitions, as well as scalar and tensor polarizabilities of sodium atom using the parametric one-electron valence potential, including the spin-orbit coupling. The trial function is expanded in a basis set of optimized Slater-type orbitals, resulting in highly accurate and converged eigen-energies up to $n=60$. We focus our studies on the microwave band 90-150 GHz, due to its relevance to laser excitation in the Earth's upper-atmospheric sodium layer for wavelength-dependent radiometry and polarimetry, as precise microwave polarimetry in this band is an important source of systematic uncertainty in searches for signatures of primordial gravitational waves within the anisotropic polarization pattern of photons from the cosmic microwave background. We present the most efficient transition coefficients in this range, as well as the scalar and tensor polarizabilities compared with available experimental and theoretical data.
The upcoming Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) slitless spectroscopic survey poses a challenge of flux calibration, which requires a large number of flux-standard stars. In this work, we design an uncertainty-aware residual attention network, the UaRA-net, to derive the CSST SEDs with a resolution of R = 200 over the wavelength range of 2500-10000 \AA using LAMOST normalized spectra with a resolution of R = 2000 over the wavelength range of 4000-7000 \AA. With the special structure and training strategy, the proposed model can not only provide accurate predictions of SEDs but also their corresponding errors. The precision of the predicted SEDs depends on effective temperature (Teff), wavelength, and the LAMOST spectral signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), particularly in the GU band. For stars with Teff = 6000 K, the typical SED precisions in the GU band are 4.2%, 2.1%, and 1.5% at SNR values of 20, 40, and 80, respectively. As Teff increases to 8000 K, the precision increases to 1.2%, 0.6%, and 0.5%, respectively. The precision is higher at redder wavelengths. In the GI band, the typical SED precisions for stars with Teff = 6000 K increase to 0.3%, 0.1%, and 0.1% at SNR values of 20, 40, and 80, respectively. We further verify our model using the empirical spectra of the MILES and find good performance. The proposed method will open up new possibilities for optimal utilization of slitless spectra of the CSST and other surveys.
The following results of dissertation are submitted for defense: 1. Precise measurements of coordinates and proper motion of the pulsar PSR 0329+54 using the VLBI method. 2. Establishing of the reason for the discrepancy between the coordinates of pulsars measured by VLBI and timing methods, which comes down to the influence of low-frequency noise at the time of pulse arrivals (TOAs) from the pulsar. 3. A special method for processing timing observations that allows you to correct TOA - coordinates of pulsars. 4. Theoretical dependencies of the behavior of dispersion of pulsar parameter depending on the observation interval and the type of correlated noise, on the basis of which it became possible to propose a new time scale BPT based on the orbital motion of pulsar in binary system stable over long periods of time (more than 10 years). 5. A theory that explains spontaneous changes in the rotational frequency of pulsars through their interaction with the passing gravitating mass and the theoretical power spectrum of low-frequency fluctuations of the pulsar rotational phase caused by gravitational disturbances from the passage of bodies near the pulsar.
A new generative technique is presented in this paper that uses Deep Learning to reconstruct stellar spectra based on a set of stellar parameters. Two different Neural Networks were trained allowing the generation of new spectra. First, an autoencoder is trained on a set of BAFGK synthetic data calculated using ATLAS9 model atmospheres and SYNSPEC radiative transfer code. These spectra are calculated in the wavelength range of Gaia RVS between 8 400 and 8 800 {\AA}. Second, we trained a Fully Dense Neural Network to relate the stellar parameters to the Latent Space of the autoencoder. Finally, we linked the Fully Dense Neural Network to the decoder part of the autoencoder and we built a model that uses as input any combination of $T_{eff}$, $\log g$, $v_e \sin i$, [M/H], and $\xi_t$ and output a normalized spectrum. The generated spectra are shown to represent all the line profiles and flux values as the ones calculated using the classical radiative transfer code. The accuracy of our technique is tested using a stellar parameter determination procedure and the results show that the generated spectra have the same characteristics as the synthetic ones.
The SAAO Cape Town campus was declared a National Heritage Site in December 2018, just short of its 200th anniversary, but is now in a run-down condition. As the former Royal Observatory, it is the oldest scientific institution in South Africa and probably in all Africa. It has a fascinating and well-documented history and surely deserves better. For many years maintenance has been neglected and many of the old telescopes and buildings are in a poor state. They are beginning to show signs of serious decay. Some examples are given.
We report on the first observation of electroluminescence amplification with a Microstrip Plate immersed in liquid xenon. The electroluminescence of the liquid, induced by alpha-particles, was observed in an intense non-uniform electric field in the vicinity of 8-$\mu$m narrow anode strips interlaced with wider cathode ones, deposited on the same side of a glass substrate. The electroluminescence yield in the liquid reached a value of $(35.5 \pm 2.6)$ VUV photons/electron. We propose ways of enhancing this response with more appropriate microstructures towards their potential incorporation as sensing elements in single-phase noble-liquid detectors.
As the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft descended toward the asteroid Bennu to collect a sample from the surface in the touch-and-go (TAG) procedure, many of the instruments were actively collecting observation data. We applied the process of photogrammetric control to accurately determine the position and attitude of 190 OCAMS MapCam and SamCam descent images at the time of exposure. The average image pixel resolution is 10cm (median is 7cm). The images were controlled to ground using simulated images generated from high resolution (5cm, 44cm and 88cm ground sample distance) shape models of Bennu. After least-squares adjustment, the root mean square (rms) of all image measurement residuals was 0.16 pixels. These results were applied to 581 OTES observations by interpolation over the updated ephemeris of the OCAMS MapCam and SamCam instruments using frame transformations from OCAMS to the OTES frame. Then, the surface intercept of the OTES field of view was recomputed by ray tracing the adjusted boresight look direction onto the 44cm shape model. The average of the adjusted OTES boresight surface intercepts differed from the a priori locations on the 88cm shape model by ~37cm with an uncertainty less than 5cm.
The normal modes of Proca field perturbations in $d$-dimensional anti-de Sitter spacetime, AdS$^d$ for short, with reflective Dirichlet boundary conditions, are obtained exactly. Within the Ishibashi-Kodama framework, we decompose the Proca field in scalar-type and vector-type components, according to their tensorial behavior on the $(d-2)$-sphere $\mathcal{S}^{d-2}$. Two of the degrees of freedom of the Proca field are described by scalar-type components, which in general are coupled due to the mass of the field, but in AdS$^d$ we show that they can be decoupled. The other $d-3$ degrees of freedom of the field are described by a vector-type component that generically decouples completely. The normal modes and their frequencies for both the scalar-type and vector-type components of the Proca field are then obtained analytically. Additionally, we analyze the normal modes of the Maxwell field as the massless limit of the Proca field. We find that for scalar-type perturbations in $d=4$ there is a discontinuity in the massless limit, in $d=5$ the massless limit is well defined using Dirichlet-Neumann rather than Dirichlet boundary conditions, and in $d>5$ the massless limit is completely well defined, i.e., it is obtained smoothly from the massless limit of the scalar-type perturbations of the Proca field. For vector-type perturbations the Maxwell field limit is obtained smoothly for all $d$ from the massless limit of the vector-type perturbations of the Proca field.
We provide a definitive treatment, including sharp decay and the precise late-time asymptotic profile, for generic solutions of linear wave equations with a (singular) inverse-square potential in (3+1)-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Such equations are scale-invariant and we show their solutions decay in time at a rate determined by the coefficient in the inverse-square potential. We present a novel, geometric, physical-space approach for determining late-time asymptotics, based around embedding Minkowski spacetime conformally into the spacetime $AdS_2 \times \mathbb{S}^2$ (with $AdS_2$ the two-dimensional anti de-Sitter spacetime) to turn a global late-time asymptotics problem into a local existence problem for the wave equation in $AdS_2 \times \mathbb{S}^2$. Our approach is inspired by the treatment of the near-horizon geometry of extremal black holes in the physics literature. We moreover apply our method to another scale-invariant model: the (complex-valued) charged wave equation on Minkowski spacetime in the presence of a static electric field, which can be viewed as a simplification of the charged Maxwell-Klein-Gordon equations on a black hole spacetime.
There has been recent progress in extending the 0th and 2nd laws of black hole mechanics to gravitational effective field theories (EFTs). We generalize these results to a much larger class of EFTs describing gravity coupled to electromagnetism and a real scalar field. We also show that the 0th law holds for the EFT of gravity coupled to electromagnetism and a charged scalar field.
We continue ongoing research work on applying the homological algebraic conceptual and technical machinery of Abstract Differential Geometry towards formulating a finitary, causal and quantal version of vacuum Einstein Lorentzian gravity and free Yang-Mills theories.
We prove under certain weak assumptions a black hole no-hair theorem in spherically symmetric spacetimes for self-gravitating time-dependent multiple scalar fields with an arbitrary target space admitting a Killing field with a non-empty axis and arbitrary non-negative potential invariant under the flow of the Killing field. It is shown that for such configurations the only spherically symmetric and asymptotically flat black hole solutions consist of the Schwarzschild metric and a constant multi-scalar map. In due course of the proof we also unveil the intrinsic connection of the time-dependence of the scalar fields with the symmetries of the target space.
Our representation of the Universe is built with sequences of symbols, numbers, operators, rules and undecidable propositions defining our mathematical truths, represented either by classical, quantum and probabilistic Turing Machines containing intrinsic randomness. Each representation is at all effects a physical subset of the Universe, a metastructure of events in space and time, which actively participate to the evolution of the Universe as we are internal observers. The evolution is a deterministic sequence of local events, quantum measurements, originated from the local wavefunction collapse of the complementary set of the observers that generate the local events in the Universe. With these assumptions, the Universe and its evolution are described in terms of a semantically closed structure without a global object-environment loss of decoherence as a von Neumann's universal constructor with a semantical abstract whose structure cannot be decided deterministically a-priori from an internal observer. In a semantically closed structure the realization of a specific event writing the semantical abstract of the constructor is a problem that finds a "which way" for the evolution of the Universe in terms of a choice of the constructor's state in a metastructure, the many-world Everett scenario from the specific result of a quantum measurement, a classical G\"odel undecidable proposition for an internal observer, exposing the limits of our description and possible simulation of the Universe.
Modelling the gravitational wave signal from binaries beyond comparable mass is an important open issue in gravitational wave astronomy. For non-spinning binaries and when the spins are aligned with the orbital angular momentum, some first studies concerning the transition between the comparable and extreme mass ratio regime are already available, which suggest that extreme mass ratio results at times extrapolate to comparable mass ratios with surprising precision. Here we study the case of misaligned spins: We present new NR simulations performed with the Einstein Toolkit code at mass ratios up to 18 and construct a heterogeneous dataset that spans all mass ratios, including data from NR simulations, numerical approximations to extreme mass ratio binaries, and data from the geodesic approximation. As a first application we provide fits for the remnant mass and spin magnitude in single spin precessing systems, omitting consideration of the in-plane spin orientation. These fits demonstrate accuracy comparable to the state-of-the-art NRSur7dq4EmriRemnant model, all while retaining the simplicity and efficiency inherent in previous phenomenological fits.
We discuss generalizations of the notions of projective transformations acting on affine model of Riemann-Cartan and Riemann-Cartan-Weyl gravity which preserve the projective structure of the light-cones. We show how the invariance under some projective transformations can be used to recast a Riemann-Cartan-Weyl geometry either as a model in which the role of the Weyl gauge potential is played by the torsion vector, which we call torsion-gauging, or as a model with traditional Weyl (conformal) invariance.
We compute conformally covariant actions and operators for tensors with mixed symmetries in arbitrary dimension $d$. Our results complete the classification of conformal actions that are quadratic on arbitrary tensors with three indices, which allows to write corresponding conformal actions for all tensor species that appear in the decomposition of the distorsion tensor of an arbitrary metric-affine theory of gravity including both torsion and nonmetricity. We also discuss the degrees of freedom that such theories are propagating, as well as interacting metric-affine theories that enjoy the conformal actions in the Gaussian limit.
We propose a functional measure over the torsion tensor. We discuss two completely equivalent choices for the Wheeler-DeWitt supermetric for this field, the first one being based on its algebraic decomposition, the other inspired by teleparallel theories of gravity. The measure is formally defined by requiring the normalization of the Gaussian integral. To achieve such a result we split the torsion tensor into its spin-parity eigenstates by constructing a new, York-like, decomposition. Of course, such a decomposition has a wider range of applicability to any kind of tensor sharing the symmetries of the torsion. As a result of this procedure a functional Jacobian naturally arises, whose formal expression is given exactly in the phenomenologically interesting limit of maximally symmetric spaces. We also discuss the explicit computation of this Jacobian in the case of a $4$-dimensional sphere $S^4$ with particular emphasis on its logarithmic divergences.
Recently there has been an interest in exploring black holes that are regular in that the central curvature singularity is avoided. Here, we give a recipe to obtain a regular black hole spacetime from the unhindered gravitational collapse from regular initial data of a spherically symmetric perfect fluid. While the classic Oppenheimer-Snyder collapse model necessarily produces a black hole with a Schwarzschild singularity at the centre, we show here that there are classes of regular initial conditions when collapse gives rise to a regular black hole.
In this paper, we study the slowly rotating neutron stars in $f(R, T)$ gravity based on Hartle-Thorne formalism. We consider the simplest matter-geometry coupled modified gravity, namely $f(R, T)=R+2\chi T$. We compute the mass, radius, moment of inertia, change in radius and binding energy due to rotation, eccentricity, quadrupole moment and the tidal love number. The quantities, which are of the second order in angular velocity, like, change in radius and binding energy due to rotation, eccentricity and quadrupole moment, deviate more from their corresponding general relativistic counterparts in lighter neutron stars than heavier ones. Whereas the moment of inertia, which is of the first order in angular velocity, in $f(R, T)$ gravity, barely diverges from the general relativistic one. The Equation of state-independent I-Love-Q relation retains in $f(R, T) $ gravity, and it coincides with the general relativistic ones within less than one percent even for the maximum allowed coupling parameters.
The self-force expansion allows the study of deviations from geodesic motion due to the emission of radiation and its consequent back-reaction. We investigate this scheme within the on-shell framework of semiclassical scattering amplitudes for particles emitting photons or gravitons on a static, spherically symmetric background. We first present the exact scalar 2-point amplitudes for Coulomb and Schwarzschild, from which one can extract classical observables such as the change in momentum due to geodesic motion. We then present, for the first time, the 3-point semiclassical amplitudes for a scalar emitting a photon in Coulomb and a graviton on linearised Schwarzschild, outlining how the latter calculation can be generalized to the fully non-linear Schwarzschild metric. Our results are proper resummations of perturbative amplitudes in vacuum but, notably, are expressed in terms of Hamilton's principal function for the backgrounds, rather than the radial action.
The abundance of dark matter in the actual universe motivates us to construct the black hole spacetime enveloped by dark matter. In this paper, we derive a new spherically symmetric black hole surrounded by the pseudo-isothermal dark matter halo, and then explore the effects of the pseudo-isothermal halo profile on a rotating black hole at the M87 galactic center, aiming to achieve a black hole solution that aligns with those found in the real universe. Using the Newman-Janis method, we derive a rotating black hole solution encompassed by the pseudo-isothermal halo, which is consistent with observations of actual black holes that are believed to possess spin. Our investigation focuses on the impact of the pseudo-isothermal halo on the black hole event horizon, time-like and null orbits, as well as the black hole shadow. We find that as the spin parameter $a$ increases, the interval between the inner event horizon and the outer event horizon of the rotating black hole surrounded by the pseudo-isothermal halo in M87 diminishes. This leads to the formation of an extreme black hole. The presence of dark matter, however, has minimal effect on the event horizon. Moreover, in the M87 as the spin parameter $a$ increases, the black hole shadow deviates increasingly from a standard circle, with larger spin parameters causing more pronounced distortion relative to the standard circle. Surprisingly, we observe that the dark matter density has very little influence on the shadow of the black hole surrounded by the pseudo-isothermal halo in the M87. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of black hole structures and the role of dark matter in the universe.
Gravity simulators are laboratory systems where small excitations like sound or surface waves behave as fields propagating on a curved spacetime geometry. The analogy between gravity and fluids requires vanishing viscosity, a feature naturally realised in superfluids like liquid helium or cold atomic clouds. Such systems have been successful in verifying key predictions of quantum field theory in curved spacetime. In particular, quantum simulations of rotating curved spacetimes indicative of astrophysical black holes require the realisation of an extensive vortex flow in superfluid systems. Here we demonstrate that despite the inherent instability of multiply quantised vortices, a stationary giant quantum vortex can be stabilised in superfluid $^4$He. Its compact core carries thousands of circulation quanta, prevailing over current limitations in other physical systems such as magnons, atomic clouds and polaritons. We introduce a minimally invasive way to characterise the vortex flow by exploiting the interaction of micrometre-scale waves on the superfluid interface with the background velocity field. Intricate wave-vortex interactions, including the detection of bound states and distinctive analogue black hole ringdown signatures, have been observed. These results open new avenues to explore quantum-to-classical vortex transitions and utilise superfluid helium as a finite temperature quantum field theory simulator for rotating curved spacetimes.
In general relativity, the use of conformal transformation is ubiquitous and leads to two different frames of reference, known as the Jordan and the Einstein frames. Typically, the transformation from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame involves introducing an additional scalar degree of freedom, often already present in the theory. We will show that at the quantum level, owing to this extra scalar degree of freedom these two frames exhibit subtle differences that the entanglement between two massive objects can probe.
The Einstein-Maxwell-scalar (EMS) theory with a quartic coupling function features three branches of fundamental black hole (BH) solutions, labeled as cold, hot, and bald black holes. The static bald black holes (the Reissner-Nordstr\"om BH) exhibit an intriguing nonlinear instability beyond the spontaneous scalarization. We study the rotating scalarized black hole solutions in the EMS model with a quartic coupling function through the spectral method numerically. The domain of existence for the scalarized BHs is presented in the spin-charge region. We found that the rotating solutions for both the two scalarized branches possess similar thermodynamic behavior compared to the static case while varying the electric charge. The BH spin enlarges the thermodynamic differences between the cold and hot branches. The profile of the metric function and the scalar field for the scalarized BHs is depicted, which demonstrates that the scalar field concentrates more on the equatorial plane in contrast to the axisymmetric region as the spin increases.
Here, we present an algebraic and kinematical analysis of non-commutative $\kappa$-Minkowski spaces within Galilean (non-relativistic) and Carrollian (ultra-relativistic) regimes. Utilizing the theory of Wigner-In\"{o}nu contractions, we begin with a brief review of how one can apply these contractions to the well-known Poincar\'{e} algebra, yielding the corresponding Galilean (both massive and mass-less) and Carrollian algebras as $c \to \infty$ and $c\to 0$, respectively. Subsequently, we methodically apply these contractions to non-commutative $\kappa$-deformed spaces, revealing compelling insights into the interplay among the non-commutative parameters $a^\mu$ (with $|a^\nu|$ being of the order of Planck length scale) and the speed of light $c$ as it approaches both infinity and zero. Our exploration predicts a sort of "branching" of the non-commutative parameters $a^\mu$, leading to the emergence of a novel length scale and time scale in either limit. Furthermore, our investigation extends to the examination of curved momentum spaces and their geodesic distances in appropriate subspaces of the $\kappa$-deformed Newtonian and Carrollian space-times. We finally delve into the study of their deformed dispersion relations, arising from these deformed geodesic distances, providing a comprehensive understanding of the nature of these space-times.
I propose a discrete model for the Gell-Mann matrices, which allows them to participate in discrete symmetries of three generations of four types of elementary fermions, in addition to their usual role in describing a continuous group $SU(3)$ of colour symmetries. This model sheds new light on the mathematical (rather than physical) necessity for `mixing' between the various gauge groups $SU(3)$, $SU(2)$ and $U(1)$ of the Standard Model.
In this work, the sensitivity of future germanium-based reactor neutrino experiments to the weak mixing angle $\sin^{2}\theta_{W}$, and to the presence of new light vector bosons is investigated. By taking into account key experimental features with their uncertainties and the application of a data-driven and state-of-the-art reactor antineutrino spectrum, the impact of detection threshold and experimental exposure is assessed in detail for an experiment relying on germanium semiconductor detectors. With the established analysis framework, the precision on the Weinberg angle, and capability of probing the parameter space of a universally coupled mediator model, as well as a U(1)$_{\rm B-L}$-symmetric model are quantified. Our investigation finds the next-generation of germanium-based reactor neutrino experiments in good shape to determine the Weinberg angle $\sin^{2}\theta_{W}$ with $<10$\% precision using the low-energetic neutrino channel of CE$\nu$NS. In addition, the current limits on new light vector bosons determined by reactor experiments can be lowered by about an order of magnitude via the combination of both CE$\nu$NS and E$\nu$eS. Consequently, our findings provide strong phenomenological support for future experimental endeavours close to a reactor site.
The BOREXINO experiment has been collecting solar neutrino data since 2011, providing the opportunity to study the variation of the event rate over a decade. We find that at 96 \% C.L., the rate of low energy events shows a time modulation favoring a correlation with a flux from Jupiter. We present a new physics model based on dark matter of mass 1-4 GeV captured by Jupiter that can account for such modulation. We discuss how this scenario can be tested.
Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) contribute significantly to the uncertainty on the determination of the top-quark pole mass and other precision measurements at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is crucial to understand these uncertainties and reduce them to obtain the next generation of precision measurements at the LHC. The region of high momentum fraction offers an opportunity to make improvements to the PDFs. This study uses machine learning techniques in $t\bar{t}$ production to target this region of the PDF set and has potential to significantly reduce its uncertainty.
Double deeply virtual Compton scattering (DDVCS) is a very precise tool for the nucleon tomography. Its measurement requires high luminosity electron beams and precise dedicated detectors, since its amplitude is quite small in the interesting kinematical domain where collinear QCD factorization allows the extraction of quark and gluon generalized parton distributions (GPDs). We analyze the prospects for its study in the JLab energy domain as well as in higher energy electron-ion colliders. Our results are very encouraging for various observables both with an unpolarized and polarized lepton beam. Using various realistic models for GPDs, we demonstrate that DDVCS measurements are indeed very sensitive to their behaviour. Implementing our lowest order cross-section formulae in the EpIC Monte Carlo generator, we estimate the expected number of interesting events.
We propose a new and compact realization of singlet Dirac dark matter within the WIMP framework. Our model replaces the standard $Z_2$ stabilizing symmetry with a $Z_6$, and uses spontaneous symmetry breaking to generate the dark matter mass, resulting in a much simplified scenario for Dirac dark matter. Concretely, we extend the Standard Model (SM) with just two new particles, a Dirac fermion (the dark matter) and a real scalar, both charged under the $Z_6$ symmetry. After acquiring a vacuum expectation value, the scalar gives mass to the dark matter and mixes with the Higgs boson, providing the link between the dark sector and the SM particles. With only four free parameters, this new model is extremely simple and predictive. We study the dark matter density as a function of the model's free parameters and use a likelihood approach to determine its viable parameter space. Our results demonstrate that the dark matter mass can be as large as $6$ TeV while remaining consistent with all known theoretical and experimental bounds. In addition, a large fraction of viable models turns out to lie within the sensitivity of future direct detection experiments, furnishing a promising way to test this appealing scenario.
We present the first study of collectivity inside jets with high charged multiplicity \nch\ in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. By incorporating final-state partonic and hadronic interactions through cascade models among jet shower partons and final hadrons, we investigate and compare to the CMS experimental data on multiplicity distribution, pseudorapidity distribution, and elliptic anisotropy coefficient $v^{j}_2$ of two-particle correlations within the jet. We show that final-state partonic interactions are essential for producing the flow-like long-range correlation, which leads to the enhanced tail in the \nch\ dependence of $v^{j}_2$ above the non-flow correlation from jet parton showering at high multiplicities (\nch$\gtrsim70$) as observed in the CMS experimental data. In addition, we provide predictions for the pseudorapidity-gap dependence of $v^{j}_2$ that can be tested in future experimental measurements.
The diffusion model has demonstrated promising results in image generation, recently becoming mainstream and representing a notable advancement for many generative modeling tasks. Prior applications of the diffusion model for both fast event and detector simulation in high energy physics have shown exceptional performance, providing a viable solution to generate sufficient statistics within a constrained computational budget in preparation for the High Luminosity LHC. However, many of these applications suffer from slow generation with large sampling steps and face challenges in finding the optimal balance between sample quality and speed. The study focuses on the latest benchmark developments in efficient ODE/SDE-based samplers, schedulers, and fast convergence training techniques. We test on the public CaloChallenge and JetNet datasets with the designs implemented on the existing architecture, the performance of the generated classes surpass previous models, achieving significant speedup via various evaluation metrics.
We study the extraction of transition generalized parton distributions (GPDs) from production of two back-to-back high transverse momentum photons ($\gamma\gamma$) and a massive pair of leptons ($\ell^+\ell^-$) in hard exclusive pion-nucleon scattering. We argue that the exclusive scattering amplitude of both processes could be factorized into nonperturbative pion distribution amplitude and nucleon transition GPDs, convoluted with perturbatively calculable short-distance matching coefficients. We demonstrate that the exclusive diphoton production is not only complementary to the Drell-Yan type dilepton production for extracting the GPDs, but also providing enhanced sensitivities for extracting the parton momentum fraction $x$-dependence of GPDs. We show that both exclusive observables are physically measurable at the J-PARC and AMBER experiment energies. If the target nucleon can be polarized, corresponding spin-asymmetries can offer additional sensitivities for extracting transition GPDs.
We study the photophobic ALP model in high-mass regions under LHC Run-II. Since the ALP is predominantly coupled with electroweak gauge bosons such as $ZZ$, $WW$, and $Z\gamma$, and less with di-photon, the model may be probed via multi-boson final-state processes. We find that on-shell ALP productions with $Z\gamma$ final states currently provide the best sensitivities for $m_{a} > 40~{\rm GeV}$.
In this work, we study an extension of the Standard Model which include a new massive vector field in the fundamental representation of SU(2)_L. The neutral component of the new vector field is a natural dark matter candidate. We compute the annihilation cross-section with Sommerfeld Enhancement and the Photon Flux arising from Dark Matter annihilation events. We found that the model exhibits a resonant mass part around the range of 5-10 TeV. This resonance is influenced by the choice of portal Higgs coupling parameter. We show that these predictions can be partially tested by CTA in the near future
We present the leading order coupling of double-heavy hadrons to heavy hadron pairs in Born-Oppenheimer effective field theory. We obtain the expressions for the contribution of heavy hadron pairs to the masses and widths of double-heavy hadrons. We apply our result for the specific case of the coupling of the lowest lying heavy hybrids and $D_{(s)}^{(*)}\bar{D}_{(s)}^{(*)}(B_{(s)}^{(*)}\bar{B}_{(s)}^{(*)})$ obtaining a set of selection rules for the decays. We build a model for the coupling potential and compute the corresponding decay widths and the contributions to the mass of the heavy hybrids. We compare our results with the experimental exotic quarkonium spectrum and discuss the most likely experimental candidates for quarkonium hybrids.
In the paper we recalculate and discuss high-precision theoretical predictions for cross sections of the process $e^+e^- \to Z Z$. We assume a complete one-loop implementation and a possibility of estimating the initial state polarizations, as well as the full-phase calculation. Numerical results are provided by our Monte-Carlo tools MCSANC integrator and ReneSANCe generator for typical energies and degrees of polarization of ILC and CLIC projects in two $\alpha(0)$ and G$_{\mu}$ electroweak schemes.
We expand the classical phase-space distribution function to incorporate couplings between spin and electromagnetic fields. This extension has led to the derivation of modified constitutive relations for the charge current, energy-momentum tensor, and spin tensor. Due to these couplings, the new tensors are revised from their perfect fluid analogues, creating an interplay between the background and spin fluid equations of motion. The corrections introduced in our framework have the potential to shed light on the experimentally observed discrepancies in the spin polarization measurements of Lambda hyperons.
Decay-time-dependent $CP$-violation effects in transitions of neutral $B$ mesons to $CP$-eigenstates can be visualised by oscillations in the asymmetry, as a function of decay time, between decay yields from mesons tagged as initially having $\overline{B}$ or $B$ flavour. Such images, for example for $B^0 \to J/\psi K^0_{\rm S}$ decays where the magnitude of the oscillation is proportional to $\sin(2\beta)$ with $\beta$ being an angle of the Cabibbo--Kobayashi--Maskawa Unitarity Triangle, provide a straightforward illustration of the underlying physics. Until now there has been no comparable method to provide visualisation for the case of decays to multibody final states that are not $CP$-eigenstates, where interference between $CP$-even and -odd amplitudes provides additional physics sensitivity. A method is proposed to weight the data so that the terms of interest can be projected out and used to obtain asymmetries that visualise the relevant effects. Application of the weighting to $B^0_s$ decays, where effects due to non-zero width difference are not negligible, provides a novel method to observe $CP$ violation in interference between mixing and decay without tagging the production flavour.
We perform a lattice calculation on the radiative decay of $D_s^*$ using the 2+1 Wilson Clover gauge ensembles generated by CLQCD collaboration. The radiative transition $D_s^*\rightarrow D_s\gamma$ and Dalitz decay $D_s^*\rightarrow D_s e^+e^-$ are studied respectively. After a continuum extrapolation using three lattice spacings, we obtain $\Gamma(D_s^*\rightarrow D_s \gamma)=0.0549(54)$ keV, which is consistent with previous lattice calculations but with much improved precision. The Dalitz decay rate is also calculated for the first time and the ratio with the radiative transition is found to be $R_{ee}=0.624(3)\%$. A total decay width of $D_s^*$ can then be determined as 0.0587(54) keV taking into account the experimental branching fraction. Combining with the most recent experimental measurement on the branching fraction of the purely leptonic decay $D_s^{+,*}\rightarrow e^+\nu_e$, we obtain $f_{D_s^*}|V_{cs}|=(190.5^{+55.1}_{-41.7_{\textrm{stat.}}}\pm 12.6_{\textrm{syst.}})$ MeV, with a significantly improved systematic uncertainty compared to $42.7_{\textrm{syst.}}$ obtained using previous lattice prediction of total decay width $0.070(28)$ keV as input.
We determine the mass spectroscopy and light-front wave functions (LFWFs) of the $\rho$-meson by solving the holographic Schr\"odinger equation of light-front chiral QCD along with the 't Hooft equation of (1+1)-dimensional QCD in the large $N_c$ limit. Subsequently, we utilize the obtained LFWFs in conjunction with the color glass condensate dipole cross-section to calculate the cross sections for the diffractive $\rho$-meson electroproduction. Our spectroscopic results align well with the experimental data. Predictions for the diffractive cross sections demonstrate good consistency with the available experimental data at different energies from H1 and ZEUS collaborations. Additionally, we show that the resulting LFWFs for the $\rho$-meson can effectively describe various properties, including its decay constant, distribution amplitudes, electromagnetic form factors, charge radius, magnetic and quadrupole moments. Comparative analyses are conducted with experimental measurements and the available theoretical predictions.
In this work we demonstrate that significant gains in performance and data efficiency can be achieved in High Energy Physics (HEP) by moving beyond the standard paradigm of sequential optimization or reconstruction and analysis components. We conceptually connect HEP reconstruction and analysis to modern machine learning workflows such as pretraining, finetuning, domain adaptation and high-dimensional embedding spaces and quantify the gains in the example usecase of searches of heavy resonances decaying via an intermediate di-Higgs system to four $b$-jets.
We propose \textit{masked particle modeling} (MPM) as a self-supervised method for learning generic, transferable, and reusable representations on unordered sets of inputs for use in high energy physics (HEP) scientific data. This work provides a novel scheme to perform masked modeling based pre-training to learn permutation invariant functions on sets. More generally, this work provides a step towards building large foundation models for HEP that can be generically pre-trained with self-supervised learning and later fine-tuned for a variety of down-stream tasks. In MPM, particles in a set are masked and the training objective is to recover their identity, as defined by a discretized token representation of a pre-trained vector quantized variational autoencoder. We study the efficacy of the method in samples of high energy jets at collider physics experiments, including studies on the impact of discretization, permutation invariance, and ordering. We also study the fine-tuning capability of the model, showing that it can be adapted to tasks such as supervised and weakly supervised jet classification, and that the model can transfer efficiently with small fine-tuning data sets to new classes and new data domains.
We use a thermodynamically consistent form of Tsallis distribution to study the dependence of various thermodynamic quantities on the system size in high-energy collisions. The charged hadron spectra obtained in $p$+$p$, $p$+Pb, Xe+Xe, and Pb+Pb collisions at LHC are used to determine the energy density, pressure, particle density, entropy density, mean free path, Knudsen number, heat capacity, isothermal compressibility, expansion coefficient, and speed of sound at the kinetic freeze-out surface. These quantities are studied as a function of the system size. Notably, the rate of increase (or decrease) in these thermodynamic variables is found to be more rapid in small systems such as $p$+$p$ and $p$+Pb collisions than in large systems such as Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb collisions. This may be due to the small volume of the hadronic system in small collision systems at kinetic freeze-out. It is observed that high-multiplicity $p$+$p$ collisions produce similar thermodynamic conditions as peripheral heavy-ion collisions at kinetic freeze-out.
We assess the impact of two-particle--two-hole excitations on the semi-inclusive electron scattering process (e,e'p) using a fully relativistic nuclear model calculation that precisely incorporates antisymmetrization. The calculation encompasses all contributions involving the exchange of a single pion and the excitation of a Delta resonance. Our results are compared with (e,e'p) data on carbon at kinematics where two-nucleon emission dominates. This work represents an essential step towards the microscopic computation of the two-particle--two-hole contribution to semi-inclusive neutrino reactions, crucial in the analysis of neutrino oscillation experiments.
The energy dependence for the singlet sector of Parton Distributions Functions (PDFs) is described by an entangled pair of ordinary linear differential equations. Although there are no closed analytic solutions, it is possible to provide approximated results depending on the assumptions and the methodology adopted. These results differ in their sub-leading, neglected terms and ultimately they are associated with different treatments of the theoretical uncertainties. In this work, a novel analytic approach in Mellin space is presented and different analytic results for the DGLAP evolution at Next-Lowest-Order are compared. Advantages and disadvantages for each solution are discussed and generalizations to higher orders are addressed.
We provide an overview of the status of Monte-Carlo event generators for high-energy particle physics. Guided by the experimental needs and requirements, we highlight areas of active development, and opportunities for future improvements. Particular emphasis is given to physics models and algorithms that are employed across a variety of experiments. These common themes in event generator development lead to a more comprehensive understanding of physics at the highest energies and intensities, and allow models to be tested against a wealth of data that have been accumulated over the past decades. A cohesive approach to event generator development will allow these models to be further improved and systematic uncertainties to be reduced, directly contributing to future experimental success. Event generators are part of a much larger ecosystem of computational tools. They typically involve a number of unknown model parameters that must be tuned to experimental data, while maintaining the integrity of the underlying physics models. Making both these data, and the analyses with which they have been obtained accessible to future users is an essential aspect of open science and data preservation. It ensures the consistency of physics models across a variety of experiments.
A major task in particle physics is the measurement of rare signal processes. These measurements are highly dependent on the classification accuracy of these events in relation to the huge background of other Standard Model processes. Reducing the background by a few tens of percent with the same signal efficiency can already increase the sensitivity considerably. This work demonstrates the importance of incorporating physical information into deep learning-based event selection. The paper includes this information into different methods for classifying events, in particular Boosted Decision Trees, Transformer Architectures (Particle Transformer) and Graph Neural Networks (Particle Net). In addition to the physical information previously proposed for jet tagging, we add particle measures for energy-dependent particle-particle interaction strengths as predicted by the leading order interactions of the Standard Model (SM). We find that the integration of physical information into the attention matrix (transformers) or edges (graphs) notably improves background rejection by $10\%$ to $40\%$ over baseline models (a graph network), with about $10\%$ of this improvement directly attributable to what we call the SM interaction matrix. In a simplified statistical analysis, we find that such architectures can improve the significance of signals by a significant factor compared to a graph network (our base model).
In this work, meson wave functions are selected to investigate the properties of charmonium, bottomonium, and charmed-bottom mesons. To find the masses of the ground, radial and orbital excited states of mesons, variational method is applied on the selected meson wave functions. In addition, mesons are treated non-relativistically by considering the chromodynamic potential model in the linear plus coulombic form along with the incorporation of spin. Our mass predictions show good agreement with the available experimental data and the theoretical predictions found by different methods. Moreover, RMS radii, form factors and charged radii are calculated by using the selected trial wave functions. Momentum dependance of the form factors is shown graphically. Predicted RMS radii and charged radii are compared with the theoretical results, wherever available. Results show that RMS radii and charged radii have inverse relation with the masses of mesons, i.e., heavier mesons have smaller radii and vice versa.
Continuous phase transitions can be classified into ones characterized by local-order parameters and others that need additional topological constraints. The critical dynamics near the former transitions have been extensively studied, but the latter is less understood. We fill this gap in knowledge by studying the transition dynamics to a parity-breaking topological ground state called the chiral soliton lattice in quantum chromodynamics at finite temperature, baryon chemical potential, and external magnetic field. We find a slowing down of the soliton's translational motion as the critical magnetic field approaches while the local dissipation rate remains finite. Therefore, the characteristic time it takes to converge to the stationary state associated with a finite topological number strongly depends on the initial configuration: whether it forms a solitonic structure or not.
To better understand the effects of strong coupling and QCD at high temperature in QGP, by using holographic model, we investigate the dissociation effect of bottomonium under the higher-order curvature corrections to the supergravity action corresponding to the corrections of large N expansion of boundary CFT in the side of field theory. The results show that effective potential is not a good physical quantity to estimate the dissociation strength of bottomonium in the case of finite wave number and considering the higher-order curvature corrections. Therefore, we calculate the quasinormal spectra(QNMs) and the differential configuration entropy(DCE). It is found that the dissociation effect is stronger for the stronger coupling.
In the present work, considering the conservation of isospin in the strong decays, we investigate the strong decays of the pentaquark molecule candidate $P_c(4312)$ and its possible higher isospin cousin $P_c(4330)$ in the framework of the QCD sum rules. What's more, the pole residue of the $\Delta$ baryon with isospin eigenstate $|II_3\rangle=|\frac{3}{2}\frac{1}{2}\rangle$ is obtained. If the possible pentaquark molecule candidate $P_c(4330)$ could be testified in the future experiment, it would shed light on interpretations of the $P_c$ states.
Weak magnetic field induced corrections for the Yukawa potential due to one pion exchange between two constituent quarks (nucleons) are presented. For that, the constant magnetic field effect on the pion propagator and on the pion form factor are taken into account. An effective gluon propagator parameterized with an effective gluon mass ($M_g\sim 0.5$\,GeV) is considered. In the limit of magnetic field weak with respect to the constituent quark mass and pion mass, analytical and semi-analytical expressions can be obtained. Different types of contributions are found, isotropic or anisotropic, dependent on the pion mass and also on the constituent quark and effective gluon masses. Overall the corrections are of the order of $2\%$ to $5\%$ of the Yukawa potential at distances close to $2$fm, and they decrease slower than the Yukawa potential. The anistropic corrections are considerably smaller than the isotropic components. A sizable splitting between results due to magnetic field dependent neutral or charged pion mass is found.
We discuss heavy quark diffusion and radiation in an intermediate-momentum regime where finite mass effects can be significant. Diffusion processes are described in the Fokker-Planck approximation for soft momentum transfer, while radiative ones are taken into account by nearly collinear gluon emission from a single scattering in the Boltzmann equation. We also consider radiative corrections to the transverse momentum diffusion coefficient, which are $\mathcal{O}(g^2)$ suppressed than the leading-order diffusion coefficient but logarithmically enhanced. Numerical results show that the heavy quark distribution function depends on the energy loss mechanism so that the momentum dependence of suppression is distinguishable. Employing the heavy quark diffusion coefficient constrained by lattice QCD data, we estimate the nuclear modification factor which exhibits a transition from diffusion at low momentum to radiation at high momentum. The significance of radiative effects at intermediate momentum depends on the diffusion coefficient and running coupling constant.
The soft theorem states that scattering amplitude in gauge theory with a soft gauge-boson emission can be factorized into a hard scattering amplitude and a soft factor. In this paper, we present calculations of the soft factor for processes involving two hard colored partons, up to three loops in QCD. To accomplish this, we developed a systematic method for recursively calculating relevant Feynman integrals using the Feynman-Parameter representation. Our results constitute an important ingredient for the subtraction of infrared singularities at N$^4$LO in perturbative QCD. Using the principle of leading transcendentality between QCD and ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory, we determine the soft factor in the latter case to three loops with full-color dependence. As a by-product, we also obtain the finite constant $f_2^{(3)}$ in the Bern-Dixon-Smirnov ansatz analytically, which was previously known numerically only.
Assuming that the sbottom is the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), we carry out an analysis of the relevant signals expected at the LHC. The discussion is established in the framework of the $\mu\nu$SSM, where the presence of $R$-parity violating couplings involving right-handed neutrinos solves simultaneously the $\mu$-problem and the accommodation of neutrino masses and mixing angles. The sbottoms are pair produced at the LHC, decaying to a lepton and a top quark or a neutrino and a bottom quark. The decays can be prompt or displaced, depending on the regions of the parameter space of the model. We focus the analysis on the right sbottom LSP, since the left sbottom is typically heavier than the left stop because of the D-term contribution. We compare the predictions of this scenario with ATLAS and CMS searches for prompt and long-lived particles. To analyze the parameter space we sample the $\mu\nu$SSM for a right sbottom LSP, paying special attention to reproduce the current experimental data on neutrino and Higgs physics, as well as flavor observables. For displaced (prompt) decays, our results translate into lower limits on the mass of the right sbottom LSP of about $1041$ GeV ($1070$ GeV). The largest possible value found for the decay length is about $3.5$ mm.
We compute the $\mathcal{O}(k^2)$ terms (power corrections) of the photon polarization tensor in a hot and dense medium of particles with a small but finite mass, i.e., $0< m\ll T, \mu$. We perform our calculations within the hard thermal loop approximation in the real-time formalism, and evaluate the first nonzero mass corrections. For a renormalization scale $\bar{\Lambda}\sim T$, these mass contributions determine the temperature dependence of the power corrections. These results have direct implications in the computation of electric and magnetic susceptibilities of hot and dense media in equilibrium. We address such implications and make comparisons with previous results.
Recently, the CMS and ATLAS collaborations have announced the results for $H\rightarrow Z[\rightarrow \ell^{+}\ell^{-}]\gamma$ with $\ell=e$ or $\mu$ \cite{CMS:2022ahq,CMS:2023mku}, where $H\rightarrow Z\gamma$ is a sub-process of $H\rightarrow \ell^{+} \ell^{-} \gamma$. This semi-leptonic Higgs decay receives loop induced resonant $H\rightarrow Z[\rightarrow \ell^{+}\ell^{-}]\gamma$ as well as non-resonant contributions. % as discussed in \cite{Kachanovich:2021pvx}. To probe further features coming from these contributions to $H\rightarrow \ell^{+} \ell^{-} \gamma$, we argue that the polarization of the final state leptons is also an important parameter. We show that the contribution from the interference of resonant and non-resonant terms plays an important role when the polarization of final state lepton is taken into account, which is negligible in the case of unpolarized leptons. For this purpose, we have calculated the polarized decay rates and the longitudinal ($P_L$), normal ($P_N$) and transverse ($P_T$) polarization asymmetries. We find that these asymmetries purely come from the loop contributions and are helpful to further investigate the resonant and non-resonant nature of $H\rightarrow Z[\rightarrow \ell^{+}\ell^{-}]\gamma$ decay. We observe that for $\ell=e,\mu$, the longitudinal decay rate is highly suppressed around $m_{\ell\ell}\approx 60$GeV when the final lepton spin is $-\frac{1}{2}$, dramatically increasing the corresponding lepton polarization asymmetries. Furthermore, we analyze another observable, the ratio of decay rates $R^{\ell\ell'}_{i\pm}$, where $\ell$ and $\ell'$ refer to different final state lepton generations. Precise measurements of these observables at the HL-LHC and the planned $e^{+}e^{-}$ can provide a fertile ground to test not only the SM but also to examine the signatures of possible NP beyond the SM.
Monte Carlo (MC) integration is an important calculational technique in the physical sciences. Practical considerations require that the calculations are performed as accurately as possible for a given set of computational resources. To improve the accuracy of MC integration, a number of useful variance reduction algorithms have been developed, including importance sampling and control variates. In this work, we demonstrate how these two methods can be applied simultaneously, thus combining their benefits. We provide a python wrapper, named CoVVVR, which implements our approach in the Vegas program. The improvements are quantified with several benchmark examples from the literature.
The Higgs boson was the last fundamental piece of the Standard Model to be experimentally confirmed. LHC is embarked in a quest to probe the possibility that this particle provides a portal to new physics. One front of this quest consists in measuring the interactions of the Higgs with itself and with other SM particles to a high precision. In a more exotic front, the LHC is searching for the possibility that a pair of Higgses (HH) is the evidence of a new resonance. Such resonances are predicted in models with extended Higgs sectors, extra dimensions, and in models with exotic bound states. In this paper we show how scalar quirks in Folded Supersymmetry can give rise to HH resonances. We point out a viable sector of the parameter space in which HH is the dominant decay channel for these {\it squirkonium} bound states. We found that future runs of the LHC could discover HH resonances in the range of 0.5 - 1.6 TeV under reasonable assumptions. Furthermore, for a given mass and width of the HH signal, the model predicts the branching ratio of the subsequent decay modes of the heavy resonance. Finding the extra decay modes in the predicted pattern can serve as a smoking gun to confirm the model.
We study sub-GeV dark matter (DM) particles that may annihilate or decay into SM particles producing an exotic injection component in the Milky Way that leaves an imprint in both photon and cosmic ray (CR) fluxes. Specifically, the DM particles may annihilate or decay into $e^+e^-$, $\mu^+\mu^-$ or $\pi^+\pi^-$ and may radiate photons through their $e^\pm$ products. The resulting $e^\pm$ products can be directly observed in probes such as {\sc Voyager 1}. Alternatively, the $e^\pm$ products may produce bremsstrahlung radiation and upscatter the low-energy galactic photon fields via the inverse Compton process generating a broad emission from $X$-ray to $\gamma$-ray energies observable in experiments such as {\sc Xmm-Newton}. We find that we get a significant improvement in the DM annihilation and decay constraints from {\sc Xmm-Newton} (excluding thermally averaged cross sections of $10^{-31}$ cm$^3$\,s$^{-1} \lesssim \langle \sigma v\rangle \lesssim10^{-26}$ cm$^3$\,s$^{-1}$ and decay lifetimes of $10^{26}\,\textrm{s}\lesssim \tau \lesssim 10^{28}\,\textrm{s}$ respectively) by including best fit CR propagation and diffusion parameters. This yields the strongest astrophysical constraints for this mass range of DM of 1 MeV to a few GeV and even surpasses cosmological bounds across a wide range of masses as well.
We examine a variety of renormalization schemes in QCD based on its $3$-point vertices where the $\beta$-functions, gluon, ghost, quark and quark mass anomalous dimensions in each scheme do not depend on $\zeta_4$ or $\zeta_6$ in an arbitrary linear covariant gauge at five loops. We comment on the $C$-scheme.
We propose a framework of baryogenesis and leptogenesis that relies on a supercooled confining phase transition (PT) in the early universe. The baryon or lepton asymmetry is sourced by decays of hadrons of the strong dynamics after the PT, and it is enhanced compared to the non-confining case, which was the only one explored so far. This widens the energy range of the PT, where the observed baryon asymmetry can be reproduced, down to the electroweak scale. The framework then becomes testable with gravity waves (GW) at LISA and the Einstein Telescope. We then study two explicit realisations: one of leptogenesis from composite sterile neutrinos that realises inverse see-saw; one of baryogenesis from composite scalars that is partly testable by existing colliders and flavour factories.
In the framework of chiral effective field theory of delta resonances, nucleons and pions interacting with background gravitational field we calculate the gravitational form factors of the nucleon up to fourth order in the small scale expansion and obtain the long-range behavior of the corresponding contributions to the energy, spin, pressure and shear force distributions. By comparing nucleon gravitational form factors with and without delta contributions we conclude that explicit inclusion of deltas plays an important role. Next we explore the Lorentz structure of the $N \mapsto N \pi$ transition matrix element of the conserved symmetric energy-momentum tensor and introduce its parametrization in terms of twelve transition form factors. We use the chiral effective field theory to calculate the tree-order contributions to the gravitational transition form factors of the pion graviproduction off the nucleon up to third order.
The present knowledge of the renormalon structure of Bjorken polarised sum rule (BSR) ${\overline \Gamma}_1^{{\rm p-n}}(Q^2)$ is used to construct its characteristic function and thus to evaluate the leading-twist part of BSR. In this resummation, we take for the running coupling either the perturbative QCD (pQCD) coupling $a(Q^2) \equiv \alpha_s(Q^2)/\pi$ in specific schemes, or holomorphic couplings [$(a(Q^2) \mapsto {\mathcal A}(Q^2)$] that have no Landau singularities. The $D=2$ and $D=4$ terms are included in the Operator Product Expansion (OPE) of inelastic BSR, and fits are performed to the available experimental data in various intervals $(Q^2_{\rm min},Q^2_{\rm max})$ where $ Q^2_{\rm max}=4.74 \ {\rm GeV}^2$. Since the pQCD coupling $a(Q^2)$ has Landau singularities at $Q^2 \lesssim 1 \ {\rm GeV}^2$, we need relatively high $Q^2_{\rm min} \approx 1.7 \ {\rm GeV}^2$ in the pQCD case. When holomorphic couplings ${\mathcal A}(Q^2)$ are used, no such problems occur; for the $3 \delta$AQCD and $2 \delta$AQCD variants the preferred values are $Q^2_{\rm min} \approx 0.6 \ {\rm GeV}^2$. The preferred values of $\alpha_s$ in general cannot be unambiguously extracted, due to large uncertainties of the experimental BSR data, although the fit with $2 \delta$AQCD and the $D=2$ term included suggests $\alpha_s^{{\overline {\rm MS}}}(M_Z^2) \approx 0.1181$. At fixed value of $\alpha_s^{{\overline {\rm MS}}}(M_Z^2)$, the values of the $D=2$ and $D=4$ residue parameters are determined in all cases, with the corresponding uncertainties.
We study the $2d$ chiral Gross-Neveu model at finite temperature $T$ and chemical potential $\mu$. The analysis is performed by relating the theory to a $SU(N)\times U(1)$ Wess-Zumino-Witten model with appropriate levels and global identifications necessary to keep track of the fermion spin structures. At $\mu=0$ we show that a certain $\mathbb{Z}_2$-valued 't Hooft anomaly forbids the system to be trivially gapped when fermions are periodic along the thermal circle for any $N$ and any $T>0$. We also study the two-point function of a certain composite fermion operator which allows us to determine the remnants for $T>0$ of the inhomogeneous chiral phase configuration found at $T=0$ for any $N$ and any $\mu$. The inhomogeneous configuration decays exponentially at large distances for anti-periodic fermions while it persists for $T>0$ and any $\mu$ for periodic fermions, as expected from anomaly considerations. A large $N$ analysis confirms the above findings.
We study the phase structure of five-dimensional Yang-Mills theories coupled to Dirac fermions. In order to tackle their non-perturbative character, we derive the flow equations for the gauge coupling and the effective potential for the Aharonov-Bohm phases employing the Functional Renormalisation Group. We analyse the infrared and ultraviolet fixed-point solutions in the flow of the gauge coupling as a function of the compactification radius of the fifth dimension. We discuss various types of trajectories which smoothly connect both dimensional limits. Last, we investigate the phase diagram and vacuum structure of the gauge potential for different fermion content.
We verify that the recently proven infinite families of holographic entropy inequalities are maximally tight, i.e. they are facets of the holographic entropy cone. The proof is technical but it offers some heuristic insight. On star graphs, both families of inequalities quantify how concentrated / spread information is with respect to a dihedral symmetry acting on subsystems. In addition, toric inequalities viewed in the K-basis show an interesting interplay between four-party and six-party perfect tensors.
We present a novel approach to partial-wave unitarity that bypasses a lot of technical difficulties of previous approaches. In passing, we explicitly demonstrate that our approach provides a very suggestive form for the partial-wave coefficients in a natural way. We use the Coon amplitudes to exemplify this method and show how it allows to make important properties such as partial-wave unitarity manifest.
3+1 dimensional topological phases can support loop-like excitations in addition to point-like ones, allowing for non-trivial loop-loop and point-loop braiding statistics not permitted to point-like excitations alone. Furthermore, these loop-like excitations can be linked together, changing their properties. In particular, this can lead to distinct three-loop braiding, involving two loops undergoing an exchange process while linked to a third loop. In this work, we investigate the loop-like excitations in a 3+1d Hamiltonian realization of Dijkgraaf-Witten theory through direct construction of their membrane operators, for a general finite Abelian group and 4-cocycle twist. Using these membrane operators, we find the braiding relations and fusion rules for the loop-like excitations, including those linked to another loop-like excitation. Furthermore, we use these membrane operators to construct projection operators that measure the topological charge and show that the number of distinct topological charges measured by the 2-torus matches the ground state degeneracy of the model on the 3-torus, explicitly confirming a general expectation for topological phases. This direct construction of the membrane operators sheds significant light on the key properties of the loop-like excitations in 3+1 dimensional topological phases.
In this thesis we study String Theory compactifications to four dimensions focusing on the moduli stabilization process and the associated vacua structure in various frameworks, from Type IIA to F-theory, interpreting the results in the context of the Swampland Program. More specifically, we generalize the bilinear formalism of the scalar potential to include the contributions of geometric fluxes, which we use to perform a systematic search of vacua. We also consider the 10d uplift of AdS4 vacua arising from the 4d massive Type IIA effective theory with only RR and NSNS fluxes. Using the language of SU(3)xSU(3) structures and performing an expansion around the smearing approximation in powers of the string coupling, we study the stability of the SUSY solution and its non-SUSY partner. We contrast the results with the Weak Gravity Conjecture and the AdS instability conjecture in toroidal orbifold examples and find that some non-SUSY cases are in tension with the predictions of those conjectures. From the F-theory perspective, we study moduli stabilization in the complex structure sector of elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau 4-folds in the Large Complex Structure limit. Using homological mirror symmetry, we replicate the analysis for the Type IIA case and give a bilinear expression for the scalar potential, allowing for a detailed study of the vacua structure. We find two distinct families of flux configurations compatible with the tadpole constraints that enable full moduli stabilization. We thoroughly examine the most generic one in the Type IIB limit, where the superpotential is also quadratic and polynomial corrections can be considered at all orders. Finally, we show that at this level of approximation supersymmetric SUSY vacua always contain flat directions. We conclude with a summary of the results and some comments about open questions and future lines of research.
The symmetries of a spinning particle in the field of a self-dual monopole are studied from the viewpoint of supersymmetric quantum mechanics.
We study the entanglement harvesting phenomenon for static detectors locally interacting with massless scalar fields in the cosmic string spacetime which is locally flat but with a conical structure characterized by a deficit angle. Specifically, three alignments of the detectors with respect to the string, i.e., parallel and vertical alignments with the detectors on the same side of the string, and vertical alignment with the detectors on two different sides, are examined. For the alignments on the same side of the string, we find that the presence of a cosmic string may either assist or inhibit entanglement harvesting both in the sense of the entanglement harvested and the harvesting-achievable range of interdetector separation depending on the detector-to-string distance, and this is remarkably different from the case of a locally flat spacetime with a reflecting boundary where the boundary always enlarges the harvesting-achievable range. For the alignment with detectors on two different sides of the string, the detectors notably can always harvest more entanglement than those in flat spacetime without a cosmic string, which is in sharp contrast to those on the same side. Interestingly, the presence of a cosmic string enlarges the harvesting-achievable range for the detectors in vertical alignment only in the vicinity of the string, while it always reduces the harvesting-achievable range for the detectors in parallel alignment.
Random tensors are the natural generalization of random matrices to higher order objects. They provide generating functions for random geometries and, assuming some familiarity with random matrix theory and quantum field theory, we discuss in the first part of this note the applications of such models to quantum gravity. In a second part we review tensor field theories, that is standard field theories in $\mathbb{R}^d$ but with tensor fields, which lead to a new family of large $N$ conformal field theories relevant for the study of the $AdS/CFT$ correspondence.
The large volume scenario has been an important issue for non-geometric flux compactifications. As one solution to this issue, we investigate in self-mirror Calabi-Yau flux compactification with large volume scenario visited. In particular, at the large volume limit, the non-perturbative terms contribute to the effective scalar potential in the order of $\mathcal{O}\left(\frac{1}{\mathcal{V}^2}\right)$ with same order as from F-term $\frac{D W. DW}{\mathcal{V}^2}$, while the $\alpha'$-corrections are trivialized due to the self-mirror Calabi-Yau construction. At the large volume limit, the $\mathcal{O}\left(\frac{1}{\mathcal{V}^2}\right)$ order uplift term takes a dominant role of the non-perturbative contribution to effective scalar potential with possible de Sitter vacuum.
The AdS/CFT correspondence stipulates a duality between conformal field theories and certain theories of quantum gravity in one higher spatial dimension. However, probing this conjecture on contemporary classical or quantum computers is challenging. We formulate an efficiently implementable multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) model of AdS/CFT providing a mapping between a (1+1)-dimensional critical spin system and a (2+1)-dimensional bulk theory. Using a combination of numerics and analytics, we show that the bulk theory arising from this optimized tensor network furnishes excitations with attractive interactions. Remarkably, these excitations have one- and two-particle energies matching the predictions for matter coupled to AdS gravity at long distances, thus displaying key features of AdS physics. We show that these potentials arise as a direct consequence of entanglement renormalization and discuss how this approach can be used to efficiently simulate bulk dynamics using realistic quantum devices.
Eigenstate thermalization hypothesis is a detailed statement of the matrix elements of few-body operators in energy eigenbasis of a chaotic Hamiltonian. Part of the statement is that the off-diagonal elements fall exponential for large energy difference. We propose that the exponent ($\gamma>0$) is a measure of quantum chaos. Smaller $\gamma$ implies more chaotic dynamics. The chaos bound is given by $\gamma=\beta/4$ where $\beta$ is the inverse temperature. We give analytical argument in support of this proposal. The slower exponential fall also means that the action of the operator on a state leads to higher delocalization in energy eigenbasis. Numerically we compare two chaotic Hamiltonians - SYK model and chaotic XXZ spin chain. Using the new measure, we find that the SYK model becomes maximally chaotic at low temperature which has been shown rigorously in previous works. The new measure is more readily accessible compare to other measures using numerical methods.
This work involves the stability study of various observables (Wilson loop, 't Hooft loop and Entanglement Entropy) under linear fluctuations of the coordinates for certain ten-dimensional solutions of type IIB Supergravity that have appeared in the literature recently. These backgrounds are defined using intersecting and wrapped D5 branes, their holographically dual field theories are speculated to confine and they have a non-local UV completion that is governed by Little String Theory. The present study confirms previous claims on the stability of the solutions made using the concavity condition for the energy of the probe strings, by studying the eigenvalue problem for each case and also providing a numerical analysis.
Scattering methods make it possible to compute the effects of renormalized quantum fluctuations on classical field configurations. As a classic example of a topologically nontrivial classical solution, the Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen vortex in U(1) Higgs-gauge theory provides an ideal case in which to apply these methods. While physically measurable gauge-invariant quantities are always well-behaved, the topological properties of this solution give rise to singularities in gauge-variant quantities used in the scattering problem. In this paper we show how modifications of the standard scattering approach are necessary to maintain gauge invariance within a tractable calculation. We apply this technique to the vortex energy calculation in a simplified model, and show that to obtain accurate results requires an unexpectedly extensive numerical calculation, beyond what has been used in previous work.
We propose the general idea that 't Hooft anomalies of generalized global symmetries can be understood in terms of the properties of solitonic defects, which generically are non-topological defects. The defining property of such defects is that they act as sources for background fields of generalized symmetries. 't Hooft anomalies arise when solitonic defects are charged under these generalized symmetries. We illustrate this idea for several kinds of anomalies in various spacetime dimensions. A systematic exploration is performed in 3d for 0-form, 1-form, and 2-group symmetries, whose 't Hooft anomalies are related to two special types of solitonic defects, namely vortex line defects and monopole operators. This analysis is supplemented with detailed computations of such anomalies in a large class of 3d gauge theories. Central to this computation is the determination of the gauge and 0-form charges of a variety of monopole operators: these involve standard gauge monopole operators, but also fractional gauge monopole operators, as well as monopole operators for 0-form symmetries. The charges of these monopole operators mainly receive contributions from Chern-Simons terms and fermions in the matter content. Along the way, we interpret the vanishing of the global gauge and ABJ anomalies, which are anomalies not captured by local anomaly polynomials, as the requirement that gauge monopole operators and mixed monopole operators for 0-form and gauge symmetries have non-fractional integer charges.
We study generalized global symmetries and their 't Hooft anomalies in 3d N=4 superconformal field theories (SCFTs). Following some general considerations, we focus on good quiver gauge theories, comprised of balanced unitary nodes and unbalanced unitary and special unitary nodes. While the global form of the Higgs branch symmetry group may be determined from the UV Lagrangian, the global form of Coulomb branch symmetry groups and associated mixed 't Hooft anomalies are more subtle due to potential symmetry enhancement in the IR. We describe how Coulomb branch symmetry groups and their mixed 't Hooft anomalies can be deduced from the UV Lagrangian by studying center charges of various types of monopole operators, providing a concrete and unambiguous way to implement 't Hooft anomaly matching. The final expression for the symmetry group and 't Hooft anomalies has a concise form that can be easily read off from the quiver data, specifically from the positions of the unbalanced and flavor nodes with respect to the positions of the balanced nodes. We provide consistency checks by applying our method to compute symmetry groups of 3d N=4 theories corresponding to magnetic quivers of 4d Class S theories and 5d SCFTs. We are able to match these results against the flavor symmetry groups of the 4d and 5d theories computed using independent methods. Another strong consistency check is provided by comparing symmetry groups and anomalies of two theories related by 3d mirror symmetry.
Nonintegrable systems thermalize, leading to the emergence of fluctuating hydrodynamics. Typically, this hydrodynamics is diffusive. We use the effective field theory (EFT) of diffusion to compute higher-point functions of conserved densities. We uncover a simple scaling behavior of correlators at late times, and, focusing on three and four-point functions, derive the asymptotically exact universal scaling functions that characterize nonlinear response in diffusive systems. This allows for precision tests of thermalization beyond linear response in quantum and classical many-body systems. We confirm our predictions in a classical lattice gas.
CM-type projective varieties X of complex dimension n are characterized by their CM-type rational Hodge structures on the cohomology groups. One may impose such a condition in a weakest form when the canonical bundle of X is trivial; the rational Hodge structure on the level-n subspace of $H^n(X;Q)$ is required to be of CM-type. This brief note addresses the question whether this weak condition implies that the Hodge structure on the entire $H^\ast(X;Q)$ is of CM-type. We study in particular abelian varieties when the dimension of the level-n subspace is two or four, and K3 $\times T^2$. It turns out that the answer is affirmative. Moreover, such an abelian variety is always isogenous to a product of CM-type elliptic curves or abelian surfaces. This extends a result of Shioda and Mitani in 1974.
We study the Symmetry Topological Field Theory in holography associated with 4d $\mathcal{N}=1$ Super Yang-Mills theory with gauge algebra $\mathfrak{su}(M)$. From this, all the bulk symmetry operators are computed and matched to various D-brane configurations. The fusion algebra of the operators emerges from brane dynamics. In particular, we show that the symmetry operators are purely determined from the center-of-mass modes of the branes. We identify the TQFT fusion coefficients with the relative motion of the branes. We also establish the origin of condensation defects, arising from fusion of non-invertible operators, as the consequence of tachyon condensation in brane-anti-brane pairs.
We study a version of the 2-body Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK$_{2}$) model whose complex fermions exhibit twisted boundary conditions on the thermal circle. As we show, this is physically equivalent to coupling the fermions to a 1-dimensional external gauge field $A(t)$. In the latter formulation, the gauge field itself can be thought of as arising from a radial symmetry reduction of a $(2+1)$-dimensional Chern-Simons gauge field $A_{\mu}(t,\mathbf{x})$. Using the diagnostic tools of the out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) and spectral form factor (SFF), which probe the sensitivity to initial conditions and the spectral statistics respectively, we give a detailed and pedagogical study of the integrable/chaotic properties of the model. We find that the twisting has no effect on the OTOCs and, by extension, the early-time chaos properties of the model. It does, however, have two notable effects on the spectral form factor; an enhancement of the early-time slope and the emergence of an explicit disorder scale needed for the manifestation of zero modes. These zero modes are responsible for the late-time exponential ramp in the quadratic SYK model.
We propose a general exact method of calculating dynamical correlation functions in dual symplectic brick-wall circuits in one dimension. These are deterministic classical many-body dynamical systems which can be interpreted in terms of symplectic dynamics in two orthogonal (time and space) directions. In close analogy with quantum dual-unitary circuits, we prove that two-point dynamical correlation functions are non-vanishing only along the edges of the light cones. The dynamical correlations are exactly computable in terms of a one-site Markov transfer operator, which is generally of infinite dimensionality. We test our theory in a specific family of dual-symplectic circuits, describing the dynamics of a classical Floquet spin chain. Remarkably, expressing these models in the form of a composition of rotations leads to a transfer operator with a block diagonal form in the basis of spherical harmonics. This allows us to obtain analytical predictions for simple local observables. We demonstrate the validity of our theory by comparison with Monte Carlo simulations, displaying excellent agreement with the latter for different choices of observables.
We consider local quenches from initial states generated by a single spin flip in either the true or the false vacuum state of the confining quantum Ising spin chain in the ferromagnetic regime. Contrary to global quenches, where the light-cone behaviour is strongly suppressed, we find a significant light-cone signal propagating with a nonzero velocity besides the expected localised oscillating component. Combining an analytic representation of the initial state with a numerical description of the relevant excitations using the two-fermion approximation, we can construct the spectrum of post-quench excitations and their overlaps with the initial state, identifying the underlying mechanism. For confining quenches built upon the true vacuum, the propagating signal consists of Schr{\"o}dinger cats of left and right-moving mesons escaping confinement. In contrast, for anti-confining quenches built upon the false vacuum, it is composed of Schr{\"o}dinger cats of left and right-moving bubbles which escape Wannier-Stark localisation.
The behavior of neutrinos is the only phenomenon that cannot be explained by the standard model of particle physics. Because of these mysterious neutrino interactions observed in nature, at present, there is growing interest in this field and ongoing or planned neutrino experiments are seeking solutions to this mystery very actively. The design of neutrino experiments and the analysis of neutrino data rely on precise computations of neutrino oscillations and scattering processes in general. Motivated by this, we developed a software package that calculates neutrino production and oscillation in nuclear reactors, neutrino-electron scattering of solar neutrinos, and the oscillation of neutrinos from radioactive isotopes for the search of sterile neutrinos. This software package is validated by reproducing the result of calculations and observations in other publications. We also demonstrate the feasibility of this package by calculating the sensitivity of a liquid scintillator detector, currently in planning, to the sterile neutrinos. This work is expected to be used in designs of future neutrino experiments.
Using $2.93~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV, we investigate the semileptonic decays $D^+\to \pi^+\pi^- \ell^+\nu_\ell$ ($\ell=e$ and $\mu$). The $D^+\to f_0(500)\mu^+\nu_\mu$ decay is observed for the first time. By analyzing simultaneously the differential decay rates of $D^+\to f_0(500) \mu^+\nu_\mu$ and $D^+\to f_0(500) e^+\nu_e$ in different $\ell^+\nu_\ell$ four-momentum transfer intervals, the product of the relevant hadronic form factor $f^{f_0}_{+}(0)$ and the magnitude of the $c\to d$ Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|V_{cd}|$ is determined to be $f_{+}^{f_0} (0)|V_{cd}|=0.0787\pm0.0060_{\rm stat}\pm0.0033_{\rm syst}$ for the first time. With the input of $|V_{cd}|$ from the global fit in the standard model, we determine $f_{+}^{f_0} (0)=0.350\pm0.027_{\rm stat}\pm0.015_{\rm syst}$. The absolute branching fractions of $D^+\to f_0(500)_{(\pi^+\pi^-)}\mu^+\nu_\mu$ and $D^+\to \rho^0_{(\pi^+\pi^-)} \mu^+\nu_\mu$ are determined as $(0.72\pm0.13_{\rm stat}\pm0.10_{\rm syst})\times10^{-3}$ and $(1.64\pm0.13_{\rm stat}\pm0.11_{\rm syst})\times 10^{-3}$. Combining these results with those of previous BESIII measurements on their semielectronic counterparts from the same data sample, we test lepton flavor universality by measuring the branching fraction ratios ${\mathcal B}_{D^+\to \rho^0 \mu^+\nu_\mu}/{\mathcal B}_{D^+\to \rho^0 e^+\nu_e}=0.88\pm0.10$ and ${\mathcal B}_{D^+\to f_0(500) \mu^+\nu_\mu}/{\mathcal B}_{D^+\to f_0(500) e^+\nu_e}=1.14\pm0.28$, which are compatible with the standard model expectation.
A search is conducted for new phenomena in events with a top quark pair and large missing transverse momentum, where the top quark pair is reconstructed in final states with one isolated electron or muon and multiple jets. The search is performed using the Large Hadron Collider proton--proton collision data sample at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$. An analysis based on neural network classifiers is optimised to search for directly produced pairs of supersymmetric partners of the top quark (stop), and to search for spin-0 mediators, produced in association with a pair of top quarks, that decay into dark-matter particles. In the stop search, the analysis is designed to target models in which the mass difference between the stop and the neutralino from the stop decay is close to the top quark mass. This new search is combined with previously published searches in final states with different lepton multiplicities. No significant excess above the Standard Model background is observed, and limits at 95% confidence level are set. Models with neutralinos with masses up to 570 GeV are excluded, while for small neutralino masses models are excluded for stop masses up to 1230 GeV. Scalar (pseudoscalar) dark matter mediator masses as large as 350 (370) GeV are excluded when the coupling strengths of the mediator to Standard Model and dark-matter particles are both set to one. At lower mediator masses, models with production cross-sections as small as 0.15 (0.16) times the nominal predictions are excluded. Results of this search are also used to set constraints on effective four-fermion contact interactions between top quarks and neutrinos.
Synergies between MAchine learning, Real-Time analysis and Hybrid architectures for efficient Event Processing and decision-making (SMARTHEP) is a European Training Network, training a new generation of Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) to advance real-time decision-making, driving data-collection and analysis towards synonymity. SMARTHEP brings together scientists from major LHC collaborations at the frontiers of real-time analysis (RTA) and key specialists from computer science and industry. By solving concrete problems as a community, SMARTHEP will further the adoption of RTA techniques, enabling future High Energy Physics (HEP) discoveries and generating impact in industry. ESRs will contribute to European growth, leveraging their hands-on experience in machine learning and accelerators towards commercial deliverables in fields that can profit most from RTA, e.g., transport, manufacturing, and finance. This contribution presents the training and outreach plan for the network, and is intended as an opportunity for further collaboration and feedback from the CHEP community.
The aim of the DeLLight (Deflection of Light by Light) experiment is to observe for the first time the optical nonlinearity in vacuum, as predicted by Quantum Electrodynamics, by measuring the refraction of a low-intensity focused laser pulse (probe) when crossing the effective vacuum index gradient induced by a high-intensity focused laser pulse (pump). The deflection signal is amplified by using a Sagnac interferometer. Here, we report the first measurement performed with the DeLLight pilot interferometer, of the deflection of light by light in air, with a low-intensity pump. We show that the deflection signal measured by the interferometer is amplified, and is in agreement with the expected signal induced by the optical Kerr effect in air. Moreover, we verify that the signal varies as expected as a function of the pump intensity, the temporal delay between the pump and the probe, and their relative polarisation. These results represent a proof of concept of the DeLLight experimental method based on interferometric amplification.
This paper provides a detailed description of a vertex fitting algorithm suitable for precision measurements in low-energy particle physics experiments. An accurate reconstruction of low-momentum trajectories can be accomplished by reducing the material budget of the detector to a few per mill of the radiation length. This limits the multiple scattering undertaken by particles inside the detector and improves the vertex fitting accuracy. However, for sufficiently light detection systems, additional sources of errors, such as the intrinsic spatial resolution of the sensors, must be considered in the reconstruction of the vertex parameters. The algorithm developed in this work provides a complete treatment of multiple scattering and spatial resolution in the context of vertex fitting for light pixel detectors. In addition to this, a study of the vertex reconstruction in the low-material budget pixel detector of the Mu3e experiment is presented.
The two-particle momentum correlation functions between charm mesons ($\mathrm{D^{*\pm}}$ and $\mathrm{D}^\pm$) and charged light-flavor mesons ($\pi^{\pm}$ and K$^{\pm}$) in all charge-combinations are measured for the first time by the ALICE Collaboration in high-multiplicity proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} =13$ TeV. For $\mathrm{DK}$ and $\mathrm{D^*K}$ pairs, the experimental results are in agreement with theoretical predictions of the residual strong interaction based on quantum chromodynamics calculations on the lattice and chiral effective field theory. In the case of $\mathrm{D}\pi$ and $\mathrm{D^*}\pi$ pairs, tension between the calculations including strong interactions and the measurement is observed. For all particle pairs, the data can be adequately described by Coulomb interaction only, indicating a shallow interaction between charm and light-flavor mesons. Finally, the scattering lengths governing the residual strong interaction of the $\mathrm{D}\pi$ and $\mathrm{D^*}\pi$ systems are determined by fitting the experimental correlation functions with a model that employs a Gaussian potential. The extracted values are small and compatible with zero.
This Letter reports the observation of $WZ\gamma$ production and a measurement of its cross-section using 140.1 $\pm$ 1.2 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The $WZ\gamma$ production cross-section, with both the $W$ and $Z$ bosons decaying leptonically, $pp \rightarrow WZ\gamma \rightarrow {\ell'}^{\pm}\nu\ell^{+}\ell^{-}\gamma$ ($\ell^{(')} = e, \mu$), is measured in a fiducial phase-space region defined such that the leptons and the photon have high transverse momentum and the photon is isolated. The cross-section is found to be 2.01 $\pm$ 0.30 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.16 (syst) fb. The corresponding Standard Model predicted cross-section calculated at next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and at leading order in the electroweak coupling constant is 1.50 $\pm$ 0.06 fb. The observed significance of the $WZ\gamma$ signal is 6.3$\sigma$, compared with an expected significance of 5.0$\sigma$.
We apply gradient boosting machine learning techniques to the problem of hadronic jet substructure recognition using classical subjettiness variables available within a common parameterized detector simulation package DELPHES. Per-jet tagging classification is being explored. Jets produced in simulated proton-proton collisions are identified as consistent with the hypothesis of coming from the decay of a top quark or a W boson and are used to reconstruct the mass of a hypothetical scalar resonance decaying to a pair of top quarks in events where in total four top quarks are produced. Results are compared to the case of a simple cut-based tagging technique for the stacked histograms of a mixture of a Standard Model as well as the new physics process.
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.
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the search for long-lived particles (LLPs), as predicted by various extensions of the Standard Model (SM). The AN Underground Belayed In-Shaft search experiment (ANUBIS) was proposed to search for such particles by instrumenting CERN's ATLAS underground cavern with tracking detectors. This report provides an overview of the current efforts to realize the ANUBIS project focusing on the latest optimized detector geometry and the installation of proANUBIS -- a prototype or proof-of-concept demonstrator. The latter aims to offer insights into anticipated backgrounds for the ANUBIS experiment and demonstrate the feasibility of such a project. The ongoing efforts are needed to contribute to the continuous optimization and development of the ANUBIS project.
Short-lived hadronic resonances are unique tools for studying the hadron-gas phase that is created in the late stages of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Measurements of the yield ratios between resonances and the corresponding stable particles are sensitive to the competing rescattering and regeneration effects. These measurements in small collision systems, such as pp and p-Pb, are a powerful method to reveal a possible short-lived hadronic phase. In addition, resonance production in small systems is interesting to study the onset of strangeness enhancement, collective effects,and the hadron production mechanism. On this front, the $\phi$ meson is particularly relevant since its yield is sensitive to different production models: no effect is expected by strange number canonical suppression but its production is expected to be enhanced in the rope-hadronization scenario. In this presentation, recent measurements of hadronic resonances in different collision systems,going from pp to Pb-Pb collisions, are presented. These include transverse momentum spectra,yields, and yield ratios as a function of multiplicity. The presented results are discussed in the context of state-of-the-art phenomenological models of hadron production. The resonance yields measured in Pb-Pb collisions are used as an experimental input in a partial chemical equilibrium-based thermal model to constrain the kinetic freeze-out temperature. This is a novel procedure that is independent of assumptions on the flow velocity profile and the freeze-out hypersurface.
We suggest employing graph sparsification as a pre-processing step for maxcut programs using the QUBO solver. Quantum(-inspired) algorithms are recognized for their potential efficiency in handling quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO). Given that maxcut is an NP-hard problem and can be readily expressed using QUBO, it stands out as an exemplary case to demonstrate the effectiveness of quantum(-inspired) QUBO approaches. Here, the non-zero count in the QUBO matrix corresponds to the graph's edge count. Given that many quantum(-inspired) solvers operate through cloud services, transmitting data for dense graphs can be costly. By introducing the graph sparsification method, we aim to mitigate these communication costs. Experimental results on classical, quantum-inspired, and quantum solvers indicate that this approach substantially reduces communication overheads and yields an objective value close to the optimal solution.
Hamiltonian moments in Fourier space - expectation values of the unitary evolution operator under a Hamiltonian at different times - provide a convenient framework to understand quantum systems. They offer insights into the energy distribution, higher-order dynamics, response functions, correlation information and physical properties. This paper focuses on the computation of Fourier moments within the context of a nuclear effective field theory on superconducting quantum hardware. The study integrates echo verification and noise renormalization into Hadamard tests using control reversal gates. These techniques, combined with purification and error suppression methods, effectively address quantum hardware decoherence. The analysis, conducted using noise models, reveals a significant reduction in noise strength by two orders of magnitude. Moreover, quantum circuits involving up to 266 CNOT gates over five qubits demonstrate high accuracy under these methodologies when run on IBM superconducting quantum devices.
We undertake a thorough investigation into the phenomenology of quantum eigenstates, in the three-particle FPUT model. Employing different Husimi functions, our study focuses on both the $\alpha$-type, which is canonically equivalent to the celebrated H\'enon-Heiles Hamiltonian, a nonintegrable and mixed-type system, and the general case at the saddle energy where the system is fully chaotic. Based on Husimi quantum surface of sections (QSOS), we find that in the mixed-type system, the fraction of mixed eigenstates in an energy shell $[E-\delta E/2, E+\delta E/2]$ with $\delta E\ll E$ shows a power-law decay with respect to the decreasing Planck constant $\hbar$. Defining the localization measures in terms of the R\'enyi-Wehrl entropy, in both the mixed-type and fully chaotic systems, we find a better fit with the beta distribution and a lesser degree of localization, in the distribution of localization measures of chaotic eigenstates, as the controlling ratio $\alpha_\mathcal{L} = t_H /t_T$ between the Heisenberg time $t_H$ and the classical transport time $t_T$ increases. This transition with respect to $\alpha_\mathcal{L}$ and the power-law decay of the mixed states, together provide supporting evidence for the principle of uniform semiclassical condensation (PUSC) in the semiclassical limit. Moreover, we find that in the general case which is fully chaotic, the maximally localized state, is influenced by the stable and unstable manifold of the saddles (hyperbolic fixed points), while the maximally extended state notably avoids these points, extending across the remaining space, complementing each other.
Peculiarities of multiqubit measurement are for the most part similar to peculiarities of measurement for qudit -- quantum object with finite-dimensional Hilbert space. Three different interpretations of measurement concept are analysed. One of those is purely quantum and is in collection, for a given state of the object to be measured, of incompatible observable measurement results in amount enough for reconstruction of the state. Two others make evident the difference between the reduced density matrix and the density matrices of physical objects involved in the measurement. It is shown that the von Neumann projectors produce an idea of a phase portrait of qudit state as a set of mathematical expectations for projectors on the possible pure states. The phase portrait includes probability distributions for all the resolutions of identity of the qudit observable algebra. The phase portrait of a composite system comprised by a qudit pair generates local and conditional phase portraits of particles. The entanglement is represented by the dependence of the shape of conditional phase portrait on the properties of the observable used in the measurement for the other particle. Analysis of the properties of a conditional phase portrait of a multiqubit qubits shows that absence of the entanglement is possible only in the case of substantial restrictions imposed on the method of multiqubit decomposition into qubits.
In this paper we develop a classical algorithm of complexity $O(2^n)$ to simulate parametrized quantum circuits (PQCs) of $n$ qubits. The algorithm is developed by finding $2$-sparse unitary matrices of order $2^n$ explicitly corresponding to any single-qubit and two-qubit control gates in an $n$-qubit system. Finally, we determine analytical expression of Hamiltonians for any such gate and consequently a local Hamiltonian decomposition of any PQC is obtained. All results are validated with numerical simulations.
Future quantum networks will have nodes equipped with multiple quantum memories, providing the possibility to perform multiplexing and distillation strategies in order to increase fidelities and reduce waiting times for end-to-end entanglement distribution. In this paper, we introduce two policies that adapt the well-known swap-as-soon-as-possible (swap-asap) policy to multiplexed quantum repeater chains. Unlike the usual, fully local swap-asap policy, these policies are ``quasi-local", making effective use of knowledge of the states of the repeaters along the chain to optimize waiting times and end-to-end fidelities. Our policies also make use of entanglement distillation. We demonstrate via simulations one of our key findings, which is that these policies can outperform the well-known and widely studied nested purification and doubling swapping policy in practically relevant parameter regimes. Our work also provides the tools to carefully examine the role of entanglement distillation. We identify the parameter regimes in which performing distillation makes sense and is useful. In these regimes, we also address the question: ``Should we distill before swapping, or vice versa?" We thus formalize the trade-off between the advantages of adding distillation capabilities to quantum networks against their technological and practical challenges. Finally, to provide further practical guidance, we propose an experimental implementation of a multiplexing-based linear network, and experimentally demonstrate the key element, a high-dimensional biphoton frequency comb (BFC). We then evaluate the anticipated performance of our multiplexing-based policies in such a real-world network through simulation results for two concrete memory platforms, namely rare-earth ions and diamond vacancies.
We present the emergence of coherent two-photon backscattering, a manifestation of weak localization, in multiple scattering of maximally entangled pure and fully mixed two-photon states and examine the effect of entanglement and classical correlations. Quantum correlations in backscattering are investigated for finite three-dimensional disordered structures in the weak localization regime as well as systems of a small number of scatterers with specified spatial arrangements. No assumptions are made on the statistical behavior of the scattering matrix elements. Furthermore, we study the interplay between quantum correlations induced by multiple scattering and the correlations that may be present in the illumination fields, and how they are manifested in the output modes. We study the effect of the dimensionality of the entanglement and the angular distribution of the jointly measurable photon pairs on the emergence of enhancement and angular quantum correlations and show how quantum correlations can be used as a probe of the entanglement dimensionality. We show that by increasing the disordered material density, the width of the coherent two-photon backscattering cones increases, in accordance with the reduction of the mean free path length within the structure.
The vacuum Rabi splitting (VRS) in molecular polaritons stands as a fundamental measure of collective light-matter coupling. Despite its significance, the impact of molecular disorder on VRS is not fully understood yet. This study delves into the complexities of VRS amidst various distributions and degrees of disorder. Our analysis provides precise analytical expressions for linear absorption, transmission, and reflection spectra, along with a "sum" rule, offering a straightforward protocol for extracting accurate collective light-matter coupling values from experimental data. Importantly, our study cautions against directly translating large VRS to the onset of ultrastrong coupling regime. Furthermore, for rectangular disorder, we witness the emergence of narrow side bands alongside a broad central peak, indicating an extended coherence lifetime even in the presence of substantial disorder. These findings not only enhance our understanding of VRS in disordered molecular systems but also open avenues for achieving prolonged coherence lifetimes between the cavity and molecules via the interplay of collective coupling and disorder.
Natural gradient (NG) is an information-geometric optimization method that plays a crucial role, especially in the estimation of parameters for machine learning models like neural networks. To apply NG to quantum systems, the quantum natural gradient (QNG) was introduced and utilized for noisy intermediate-scale devices. Additionally, a mathematically equivalent approach to QNG, known as the stochastic reconfiguration method, has been implemented to enhance the performance of quantum Monte Carlo methods. It is worth noting that these methods are based on the symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD) metric, which is one of the monotone metrics. So far, monotonicity has been believed to be a guiding principle to construct a geometry in physics. In this paper, we propose generalized QNG by removing the condition of monotonicity. Initially, we demonstrate that monotonicity is a crucial condition for conventional QNG to be optimal. Subsequently, we provide analytical and numerical evidence showing that non-monotone QNG outperforms conventional QNG based on the SLD metric in terms of convergence speed.
Continuous Variable-Based Quantum Cryptography (CV-QKD) is an emerging field in quantum information science, offering unprecedented security for communication protocols by harnessing the principles of quantum mechanics. However, ocean environments pose unique challenges to quantum communication due to their distinct properties and characteristics. This work investigates the impact of turbulence on the transmission of Gaussian light beams used in a continuous variable-based quantum key distribution system for underwater quantum communication. The objective is to quantitatively analyze the induced losses and propose methodologies to mitigate their effects. To achieve this, we adopt the widely accepted ABCD matrix formalism, which provides a comprehensive framework for characterizing the propagation of optical beams through different media. Moreover, a numerical simulation framework is developed to assess the resulting losses and evaluate the performance of the proposed system. The implications of these numerical simulation frameworks for the design and optimization of quantum communication systems for oceanic environments are thoroughly discussed.
We study the dynamics of the non-Hermitian Floquet Wannier-Stark system in the framework of the tight-binding approximation, where the hopping strength is a periodic function of time with Floquet frequency $\omega $. It is shown that the energy level of the instantaneous Hamiltonian is still equally spaced and independent of time $t$ and the Hermiticity of the hopping term. In the case of off resonance, the dynamics are still periodic, while the occupied energy levels spread out at the resonance, exhibiting $t^z$ behavior. Analytic analysis and numerical simulation show that the level-spreading dynamics for real and complex hopping strengths exhibit distinct behaviors and are well described by the dynamical exponents $z=1$ and $z=1/2$, respectively.
With the approaching second quantum revolution, the study of quantum thermodynamics, particularly heat flow, has become even more relevant for two main reasons. First, understanding heat and other types of noise is essential for protecting quantum information and preventing decoherence. Second, the ability to manufacture and control quantum systems developed for the quantum computer allows for experimental study of quantum thermodynamics in entirely new settings. In this thesis, several systems involving quantum systems in contact with baths are studied theoretically in experimentally available settings. First, two rectification or diode setups for heat currents are proposed using a dark-state mechanism. In one system, the dark-state mechanism is imperfect but very robust. In the other system, the dark-state mechanism relies on quantum entanglement and is much better but more fragile towards decoherence. Next, a quantum version of the Wheatstone bridge is built using the same entanglement-powered dark state mechanism. After having studied several boundary-driven quantum systems, the lessons learned are generalized into resonance conditions using a general linear chain of weakly interacting chains of strongly interacting spins. The final two chapters focus on the ability to study statistical physics in realizable quantum systems. First, a Maxwell's demon setup is proposed. A demon-controlled qutrit is coupled to two non-Markovian baths. The information back-flow from the non-Markovian baths allows the demon to more effectively transfer heat from the cold bath to the hot bath. Second, the Mott insulator to superfluid phase transition in a lattice of transmons is examined. The ground state has a variable particle number and is prepared using adiabatic state preparation. This allows for the exploration of the entire phase diagram.
The generating functions for density matrix elements of the Jaynes-Cummings model with cavity damping are analysed in terms of their eigenmodes, which are characterised by a specific temporal behaviour. These eigenmodes are shown to be proportional to particular generalised hypergeometric functions. The relative weights of these eigenmodes in the generating functions are determined by the initial conditions of the model. These weights are found by deriving orthogonality relations involving adjoint modes. In an example it is shown how the time-dependent density matrix elements and the related factorial moments can be extracted from the eigenmode decompositions of the generating functions.
The privacy in classical federated learning can be breached through the use of local gradient results by using engineered queries from the clients. However, quantum communication channels are considered more secure because the use of measurements in the data causes some loss of information, which can be detected. Therefore, the quantum version of federated learning can be used to provide more privacy. Additionally, sending an $N$ dimensional data vector through a quantum channel requires sending $\log N$ entangled qubits, which can provide exponential efficiency if the data vector is obtained as quantum states. In this paper, we propose a quantum federated learning model where fixed design quantum chips are operated based on the quantum states sent by a centralized server. Based on the coming superposition states, the clients compute and then send their local gradients as quantum states to the server, where they are aggregated to update parameters. Since the server does not send model parameters, but instead sends the operator as a quantum state, the clients are not required to share the model. This allows for the creation of asynchronous learning models. In addition, the model as a quantum state is fed into client-side chips directly; therefore, it does not require measurements on the upcoming quantum state to obtain model parameters in order to compute gradients. This can provide efficiency over the models where parameter vector is sent via classical or quantum channels and local gradients are obtained through the obtained values of these parameters.
We develop a method for the random sampling of (multimode) Gaussian states in terms of their covariance matrix, which we refer to as a random quantum covariance matrix (RQCM). We analyze the distribution of marginals and demonstrate that the eigenvalues of an RQCM converge to a shifted semicircular distribution in the limit of a large number of modes. We provide insights into the entanglement of such states based on the positive partial transpose (PPT) criteria. Additionally, we show that the symplectic eigenvalues of an RQCM converge to a probability distribution that can be characterized using free probability. We present numerical estimates for the probability of a RQCM being separable and, if not, its extendibility degree, for various parameter values and mode bipartitions.
We present a novel quantum algorithm for approximating the ground-state in quantum many-body systems, particularly suited for Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices. Our approach integrates Variational Quantum Eigensolvers (VQE) with Quantum Gaussian Filters (QGF), utilizing an iterative methodology that discretizes the application of the QGF operator into small, optimized steps through VQE. Demonstrated on the Transverse Field Ising models, our method shows improved convergence speed and accuracy, particularly under noisy conditions, compared to conventional VQE methods. This advancement highlights the potential of our algorithm in effectively addressing complex quantum simulations, marking a significant stride in quantum computing applications within the NISQ era.
For quantum computers to become useful tools to physicists, engineers and computational scientists, quantum algorithms for solving nonlinear differential equations need to be developed. Despite recent advances, the quest for a solver that can integrate nonlinear dynamical systems with a quantum advantage, whilst being realisable on available (or near-term) quantum hardware, is an open challenge. In this paper, we propose to transform a nonlinear dynamical system into a linear system, which we integrate with quantum algorithms. Key to the method is the Fokker-Planck equation, which is a non-normal partial differential equation. Three integration strategies are proposed: (i) Forward-Euler stepping by unitary block encoding; (ii) Schroedingerisation, and (iii) Forward-Euler stepping by linear addition of unitaries. We emulate the integration of prototypical nonlinear systems with the proposed quantum solvers, and compare the output with the benchmark solutions of classical integrators. We find that classical and quantum outputs are in good agreement. This paper opens opportunities for solving nonlinear differential equations with quantum algorithms.
The problem of resolving point-like light sources not only serves as a benchmark for optical resolution but also holds various practical applications ranging from microscopy to astronomy. In this research, we aim to resolve two thermal sources sharing arbitrary mutual coherence using the spatial mode demultiplexing technique. Our analytical study includes scenarios where the coherence and the emission rate depend on the separation between the sources, and is not limited to the faint sources limit. We consider the fluorescence of two interacting dipoles to demonstrate that the dependence of emission characteristics on the parameter of interest can boost the sensitivity of the estimation and noticeably prolong the duration of information decay.
Control over the quantum states of individual molecules is crucial in the quest to harness their rich internal structure and dipolar interactions for applications in quantum science. In this paper, we develop a toolbox of techniques for the control and readout of individually trapped polar molecules in an array of optical tweezers. Starting with arrays of up to eight Rb and eight Cs atoms, we assemble arrays of RbCs molecules in their rovibrational and hyperfine ground state with an overall efficiency of 48(2)%. We demonstrate global microwave control of multiple rotational states of the molecules and use an auxiliary tweezer array to implement site-resolved addressing and state control. We show how the rotational state of the molecule can be mapped onto the position of Rb atoms and use this capability to readout multiple rotational states in a single experimental run. Further, using a scheme for the mid-sequence detection of molecule formation errors, we perform rearrangement of assembled molecules to prepare small defect-free arrays. Finally, we discuss a feasible route to scaling to larger arrays of molecules.
As scientists living through a climate emergency, we have a responsibility to lead by example, or to at least be consistent with our understanding of the problem, which in the case of theoreticians involves a frugal approach to modelling. Here we present and critically illustrate this principle. First, we compare two models of very different level of sophistication which nevertheless yield the same qualitative agreement with an experiment involving electric manipulation of molecular spin qubits while presenting a difference in cost of $>4$ orders of magnitude. As a second stage, an already minimalistic model involving the use of single-ion magnets to implement a network of probabilistic p-bits, programmed in two different programming languages, is shown to present a difference in cost of a factor of $\simeq 50$. In both examples, the computationally expensive version of the model was the one that was published. As a community, we still have a lot of room for improvement in this direction.
Kibble-Zurek mechanism relates the domain of non-equilibrium dynamics with the critical properties at equilibrium. It establishes a power law connection between non-equilibrium defects quenched through a continuous phase transition and the quench rate via the scaling exponent. We present a novel numerical scheme to estimate the scaling exponent wherein the notion of defects is mapped to errors, previously introduced to quantify a variety of gapped quantum phases. To demonstrate the versatility of our method we conduct numerical experiments across a broad spectrum of spin-half models hosting local and symmetry protected topological order. Furthermore, an implementation of the quench dynamics featuring a topological phase transition on a digital quantum computer is proposed to quantify the associated criticality.
Quantum sensors allow the estimation of parameters with precision higher than that obtained with classical strategies. Devices based on quantum physics have allowed the precise estimation of the gravitational field, the detailed imaging of the brain, the detection of gravitational-wave sources more than 400 million light years away, and an ever-increasing precision in the measurement of time. Quantum metrology, which is the conceptual framework that encompasses all these devices, is reviewed here, emphasizing recent results regarding noisy systems.
Polar molecules are a quantum resource with rich internal structure that can be coherently controlled. The structure, however, also makes the state preparation and measurement (SPAM) of molecules challenging. We advance the SPAM of individual molecules assembled from constituent atoms trapped in optical tweezer arrays. Sites without NaCs molecules are eliminated using high-fidelity Cs atom detection, increasing the peak molecule filling fraction of the array threefold. We site-selectively initialize the array in a rotational qubit subspace that is insensitive to differential AC Stark shifts from the optical tweezer. Lastly, we detect multiple rotational states per experimental cycle by imaging atoms after sequential state-selective dissociations. These demonstrations extend the SPAM capabilities of molecules for quantum information, simulation, and metrology.
The Hamiltonian for a spin zero particle that is confined to a curve embedded in the 3D space is constructed by squeezing the coordinates spanning a tube normal to the curve onto the curve assuming strong normal forces. We follow the new approach that we applied to confine a particle to a surface, in that we start with an expression for the 3D momentum operators whose components along and normal to the curve directions are separately Hermitian. The kinetic energy operator expressed in terms of the momentum operator in the normal direction is then a Hermitian operator in this case. When this operator is dropped and the thickness of the tube surrounding the curve is set to zero, one automatically gets the Hermitian curve Hamiltonian that contains the geometric potential term as expected. It is demonstrated that the origin of this potential lies in the ordering or symmetrization of the original 3D momentum operators in order to render them Hermitian. The Hermitian momentum operator for the particle as it is confined to the curve is also constructed and is seen to be similar to what is known as the geometric momentum of a particle confined to a surface in that it has a term proportional to the curvature that is along the normal to the curve. The force operator of the particle on the curve is also derived, and is shown to reduce, for a curve with a constant curvature and torsion, to a -- apparently -- single component normal to the curve that is a symmetrization of the classical expression plus a quantum term. All the above quantities are then derived for the specific case of a particle confined to a cylindrical helix embedded in 3D space.
This chapter contains an exposition of the sheaf-theoretic framework for contextuality emphasising resource-theoretic aspects, as well as some original results on this topic. In particular, we consider functions that transform empirical models on a scenario S to empirical models on another scenario T, and characterise those that are induced by classical procedures between S and T corresponding to 'free' operations in the (non-adaptive) resource theory of contextuality. We construct a new 'hom' scenario built from S and T, whose empirical models induce such functions. Our characterisation then boils down to being induced by a non-contextual model. We also show that this construction on scenarios provides a closed structure on the category of measurement scenarios.
In the realm of quantum information theory, the detection and quantification of quantum entanglement stand as paramount tasks. The relative entropy of entanglement (REE) serves as a prominent measure of entanglement, with extensive applications spanning numerous related fields. The positive partial transpose (PPT) criterion, while providing an efficient method for the computation of REE, unfortunately, falls short when dealing with bound entanglement. In this study, we propose a method termed "pure bosonic extension" to enhance the practicability of $k$-bosonic extensions, which approximates the set of separable states from the "outside", through a hierarchical structure. It enables efficient characterization of the set of $k$-bosonic extendible states, facilitating the derivation of accurate lower bounds for REE. Compared to the Semi-Definite Programming (SDP) approach, such as the symmetric/bosonic extension function in QETLAB, our algorithm supports much larger dimensions and higher values of extension $k$.
We demonstrate a transmon qubit readout based on the nonlinear response to a drive of polaritonic meters in-situ coupled to the qubit. Inside a 3D readout cavity, we place a transmon molecule consisting of a transmon qubit and an ancilla mode interacting via non-perturbative cross-Kerr coupling. The cavity couples strongly only to the ancilla mode, leading to hybridized lower and upper polaritonic meters. Both polaritons are anharmonic and dissipative, as they inherit a self-Kerr nonlinearity $U$ from the ancilla and effective decay $\kappa$ from the open cavity. Via the ancilla, the polariton meters also inherit the non-perturbative cross-Kerr coupling to the qubit. This results in a high qubit-dependent displacement $2\chi > \kappa, ~U$ that can be read out via the cavity without causing Purcell decay. Moreover, the polariton meters, being nonlinear resonators, present bistability, and bifurcation behavior when the probing power increases. In this work, we focus on the bifurcation at low power in the few-photon regime, called the mesoscopic regime, which is accessible when the self-Kerr and decay rates of the polariton meter are similar $U\sim \kappa$. Capitalizing on a latching mechanism by bifurcation, the readout is sensitive to transmon qubit relaxation error only in the first tens of nanoseconds. We thus report a single-shot fidelity of 98.6 $\%$ while having an integration time of a 500 ns and no requirement for an external quantum-limited amplifier.
We analyse nonclassical resources in interference phenomena using generalized noncontextuality inequalities and basis-independent coherence witnesses. We use recently proposed inequalities that witness both resources within the same framework. We also propose, in view of previous contextual advantage results, a systematic way of applying these tools to characterize advantage provided by coherence and contextuality in quantum information protocols. We instantiate this methodology for the task of quantum interrogation, famously introduced by the paradigmatic bomb-testing interferometric experiment, showing contextual quantum advantage for such a task.
Characterising the time over which quantum coherence survives is critical for any implementation of quantum bits, memories and sensors. The usual method for determining a quantum system's decoherence rate involves a suite of experiments probing the entire expected range of this parameter, and extracting the resulting estimation in post-processing. Here we present an adaptive multi-parameter Bayesian approach, based on a simple analytical update rule, to estimate the key decoherence timescales ($T_1$, $T_2^*$ and $T_2$) and the corresponding decay exponent of a quantum system in real time, using information gained in preceding experiments. This approach reduces the time required to reach a given uncertainty by a factor up to an order of magnitude, depending on the specific experiment, compared to the standard protocol of curve fitting. A further speed-up of a factor $\sim 2$ can be realised by performing our optimisation with respect to sensitivity as opposed to variance.
Drawing inspiration from transportation theory, in this work we introduce the notions of "well-structured" and "stable" Gibbs states and we investigate their implications for quantum thermodynamics and its resource theory approach via thermal operations. It turns out that, in the quasi-classical realm, global cyclic state transfers are impossible if and only if the Gibbs state is stable. Moreover, using a geometric approach by studying the so-called thermomajorization polytope we prove that any subspace in equilibrium can be brought out of equilibrium via thermal operations. Interestingly, the case of some subsystem being in equilibrium can be witnessed via degenerate extreme points of the thermomajorization polytope, assuming the Gibbs state of the system is well structured. These physical considerations are complemented by simple new constructions for the polytope's extreme points as well as for an important class of extremal Gibbs-stochastic matrices.
Quantum simulation advantage over classical memory limitations would allow compact quantum circuits to yield insight into intractable quantum many-body problems, but the interrelated obstacles of large circuit depth in quantum time evolution and noise seem to rule out unbiased quantum simulation in the near term. We prove that classical post-processing, i.e., long-time filtering of an offline time series, exponentially improves the circuit depth needed for quantum time evolution. We apply the filtering method to the construction of a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm to estimate energy gap, an important observable not governed by the variational theorem. We demonstrate, within an operating range of filtering, the success of the algorithm in proof-of-concept simulation for finite-size scaling of a minimal spin model. Our findings set the stage for unbiased quantum simulation to offer memory advantage in the near term.
Acoustically induced dressed states of long-lived erbium ions in a crystal are demonstrated. These states are formed by rapid modulation of two-level systems via strain induced by surface acoustic waves whose frequencies exceed the optical linewidth of the ion ensemble. Multiple sidebands and the reduction of their intensities appearing near the surface are evidence of a strong interaction between the acoustic waves and the ions. This development allows for on-chip control of long-lived ions and paves the way to highly coherent hybrid quantum systems with telecom photons, acoustic phonons, and electrons.
Variational quantum algorithms, which combine highly expressive parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) and optimization techniques in machine learning, are one of the most promising applications of a near-term quantum computer. Despite their huge potential, the utility of variational quantum algorithms beyond tens of qubits is still questioned. One of the central problems is the trainability of PQCs. The cost function landscape of a randomly initialized PQC is often too flat, asking for an exponential amount of quantum resources to find a solution. This problem, dubbed barren plateaus, has gained lots of attention recently, but a general solution is still not available. In this paper, we solve this problem for the Hamiltonian variational ansatz (HVA), which is widely studied for solving quantum many-body problems. After showing that a circuit described by a time-evolution operator generated by a local Hamiltonian does not have exponentially small gradients, we derive parameter conditions for which the HVA is well approximated by such an operator. Based on this result, we propose an initialization scheme for the variational quantum algorithms and a parameter-constrained ansatz free from barren plateaus.
We establish a general implementation-independent approach to assess the potential advantage of using highly entangled quantum states between the initial and final states of the charging protocol to enhance the maximum charging power of quantum batteries. It is shown that the impact of entanglement on power can be separated from both the global quantum speed limit associated to an optimal choice of driving Hamiltonian and the energy gap of the batteries. We then demonstrate that the quantum state advantage of battery charging, defined as the power obtainable for given quantum speed limit and battery energy gap, is not an entanglement monotone. A striking example we provide is that, counterintuitively, independent thermalization of the local batteries, completely destroying any entanglement, can lead to larger charging power than that of the initial maximally entangled state. Highly entangled states can thus also be potentially disadvantageous when compared to product states. We also demonstrate that taking the considerable effort of producing highly entangled states, such as W or $k$-locally entangled states, is not sufficient to obtain quantum-enhanced scaling behavior with the number of battery cells. Finally, we perform an explicit computation for a Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev battery charger to demonstrate that the quantum state advantage allows the instantaneous power to exceed its classical bound.
Bilayer graphene is a promising platform for electrically controllable qubits in a two-dimensional material. Of particular interest is the ability to encode quantum information in the so-called valley degree of freedom, a two-fold orbital degeneracy that arises from the symmetry of the hexagonal crystal structure. The use of valleys could be advantageous, as known spin- and orbital-mixing mechanisms are unlikely to be at work for valleys, promising more robust qubits. The Berry curvature associated with valley states allows for electrical control of their energies, suggesting routes for coherent qubit manipulation. However, the relaxation time of valley states -- which ultimately limits these qubits' coherence properties and therefore their suitability as practical qubits -- is not yet known. Here, we measure the characteristic relaxation times of these spin and valley states in gate-defined bilayer graphene quantum dot devices. Different valley states can be distinguished from each other with a fidelity of over 99%. The relaxation time between valley triplets and singlets exceeds 500ms, and is more than one order of magnitude longer than for spin states. This work facilitates future measurements on valley-qubit coherence, demonstrating bilayer graphene as a practical platform hosting electrically controlled long-lived valley qubits.
This paper proposes a quasi-binary encoding based algorithm for solving a specific quadratic optimization models with discrete variables, in the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) framework. The quadratic optimization model has three constraints: 1. Discrete constraint, the variables are required to be integers. 2. Bound constraint, each variable is required to be greater than or equal to an integer and less than or equal to another integer. 3. Sum constraint, the sum of all variables should be a given integer. To solve this optimization model, we use quasi-binary encoding to encode the variables. For an integer variable with upper bound $U_i$ and lower bound $L_i$, this encoding method can use at most $2\log_2 (U_i-L_i+1)$ qubits to encode the variable. Moreover, we design a mixing operator specifically for this encoding to satisfy the hard constraint model. In the hard constraint model, the quantum state always satisfies the constraints during the evolution, and no penalty term is needed in the objective function. In other parts of the QAOA framework, we also incorporate ideas such as CVaR-QAOA and parameter scheduling methods into our QAOA algorithm. In the financial field, by introducing precision, portfolio optimization problems can be reduced to the above model. We will use portfolio optimization cases for numerical simulation. We design an iterative method to solve the problem of coarse precision caused by insufficient qubits of the simulators or quantum computers. This iterative method can refine the precision by multiple few-qubit experiments.
Repeated projective measurements in unitary circuits can lead to an entanglement phase transition as the measurement rate is tuned. In this work, we consider a different setting in which the projective measurements are replaced by dynamically chosen unitary gates that minimize the entanglement. This can be seen as a one-dimensional unitary circuit game in which two players get to place unitary gates on randomly assigned bonds at different rates: The "entangler" applies a random local unitary gate with the aim of generating extensive (volume law) entanglement. The "disentangler," based on limited knowledge about the state, chooses a unitary gate to reduce the entanglement entropy on the assigned bond with the goal of limiting to only finite (area law) entanglement. In order to elucidate the resulting entanglement dynamics, we consider three different scenarios: (i) a classical discrete height model, (ii) a Clifford circuit, and (iii) a general $U(4)$ unitary circuit. We find that both the classical and Clifford circuit models exhibit phase transitions as a function of the rate that the disentangler places a gate, which have similar properties that can be understood through a connection to the stochastic Fredkin chain. In contrast, the "entangler" always wins when using Haar random unitary gates and we observe extensive, volume law entanglement for all non-zero rates of entangling.
This study presents an analysis of a quantum mechanical formulation of the Carnot like cycle using diatomic molecules, i.e., the Morse oscillator, as the working substance. The generalized model with an arbitrary one dimensional potential is used to obtain the important performance parameters such as the efficiency, the power output, and the optimal region of the engine by considering well width L moving with a finite speed. The optimal efficiency, the maximum power output, and dimensionless power ranges of the working substance was also determined. The results obtained in this work are found to agree with those obtained for similar engine but with different working substance.
We consider a quantum and classical version multi-party function computation problem with $n$ players, where players $2, \dots, n$ need to communicate appropriate information to player 1, so that a "generalized" inner product function with an appropriate promise can be calculated. The communication complexity of a protocol is the total number of bits that need to be communicated. When $n$ is prime and for our chosen function, we exhibit a quantum protocol (with complexity $(n-1) \log n$ bits) and a classical protocol (with complexity $(n-1)^2 (\log n^2$) bits). In the quantum protocol, the players have access to entangled qudits but the communication is still classical. Furthermore, we present an integer linear programming formulation for determining a lower bound on the classical communication complexity. This demonstrates that our quantum protocol is strictly better than classical protocols.
In this theoretical investigation, we study the effectiveness of a protocol that incorporates periodic quantum resetting to prepare ground states of frustration-free parent Hamiltonians. This protocol uses a steering Hamiltonian that enables local coupling between the system and ancillary degrees of freedom. At periodic intervals, the ancillary system is reset to its initial state. For infinitesimally short reset times, the dynamics can be approximated by a Lindbladian whose steady state is the target state. For finite reset times, however, the spin chain and the ancilla become entangled between reset operations. To evaluate the performance of the protocol, we employ Matrix Product State simulations and quantum trajectory techniques, focusing on the preparation of the spin-1 Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki state. Our analysis considers convergence time, fidelity, and energy evolution under different reset intervals. Our numerical results show that ancilla system entanglement is essential for faster convergence. In particular, there exists an optimal reset time at which the protocol performs best. Using a simple approximation, we provide insights into how to optimally choose the mapping operators applied to the system during the reset procedure. Furthermore, the protocol shows remarkable resilience to small deviations in reset time and dephasing noise. Our study suggests that stroboscopic maps using quantum resetting may offer advantages over alternative methods, such as quantum reservoir engineering and quantum state steering protocols, which rely on Markovian dynamics.
An alternative quantization rule, in which time becomes a self-adjoint operator and position is a parameter, was proposed by Dias and Parisio [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 95}, 032133 (2017)]. In this approach, the authors derive a space-time-symmetric (STS) extension of quantum mechanics (QM) where a new quantum state (intrinsic to the particle), $|{\phi}(x)\rangle$, is defined at each point in space. $|\phi(x)\rangle$ obeys a space-conditional (SC) Schr\"odinger equation and its projection on $|t\rangle$, $\langle t|\phi(x)\rangle$, represents the probability amplitude of the particle's arrival time at $x$. In this work, first we provide an interpretation of the SC Schr\"odinger equation and the eigenstates of observables in the STS extension. Analogous to the usual QM, we propose that by knowing the "initial" state $|\phi(x_0)\rangle$ -- which predicts any measurement on the particle performed by a detector localized at $x_0$ -- the SC Schr\"odinger equation provides $|\phi(x)\rangle={\hat U}(x,x_0)|\phi(x_0)\rangle$, enabling us to predict measurements when the detector is at $x \lessgtr x_0$. We also verify that for space-dependent potentials, momentum eigenstates in the STS extension, $|P_b(x)\rangle$, depend on position just as energy eigenstates in the usual QM depend on time for time-dependent potentials. In this context, whereas a particle in the momentum eigenstate in the standard QM, $|\psi(t)\rangle=|P\rangle|_t$, at time $t$, has momentum $P$ (and indefinite position), the same particle in the state $|\phi(x)\rangle=|P_b(x)\rangle$ arrives at position $x$ with momentum $P_b(x)$ (and indefinite arrival time). By investigating the fact that $|\psi(t)\rangle$ and $|{\phi}(x)\rangle$ describe experimental data of the same observables collected at $t$ and $x$, respectively, we conclude that they provide complementary information about the same particle...
We introduce a relax-and-round approach embedding the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) with $p\geq 1$ layers. We show for many problems, including Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glasses, that at $p=1$, it is as accurate as its classical counterpart, and maintains the infinite-depth optimal performance guarantee of the QAOA. Employing a different rounding scheme, we prove the method shares the performance of the Goemans-Williamson algorithm for the maximum cut problem on certain graphs. We pave the way for an overarching quantum relax-and-round framework with performance on par with some of the best classical algorithms.
The exponential convergence to invariant subspaces of quantum Markov semigroups plays a crucial role in quantum information theory. One such example is in bosonic error correction schemes, where dissipation is used to drive states back to the code-space - an invariant subspace protected against certain types of errors. In this paper, we investigate perturbations of quantum dynamical semigroups that operate on continuous variable (CV) systems and admit an invariant subspace. First, we prove a generation theorem for quantum Markov semigroups on CV systems under the physical assumptions that (i) the generator has GKSL form with corresponding jump operators defined as polynomials of annihilation and creation operators; and (ii) the (possibly unbounded) generator increases all moments in a controlled manner. Additionally, we show that the level sets of operators with bounded first moments are admissible subspaces of the evolution, providing the foundations for a perturbative analysis. Our results also extend to time-dependent semigroups. We apply our general framework to two settings of interest in continuous variables quantum information processing. First, we provide a new scheme for deriving continuity bounds on the energy-constrained capacities of Markovian perturbations of Quantum dynamical semigroups. Second, we provide quantitative perturbation bounds for the steady state of the quantum Ornstein Uhlenbeck semigroup and the invariant subspace of the photon dissipation used in bosonic error correction.
We revisit the one-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising spin-chain with a finite number of spins and periodic boundaries and derive analytically and verify numerically its various stationary and dynamical properties at different temperatures. In particular, we determine the probability distributions of magnetization, the number of domain walls, and the corresponding residence times for different chain lengths and magnetic fields. While we study finite systems at thermal equilibrium, we identify several temperatures similar to the critical temperatures for first-order phase transitions in the thermodynamic limit. We illustrate the utility of our results by their application to structural transitions in biopolymers having non-trivial intermediate equilibrium states.
Adaptive optics (AO) has revolutionized imaging in {fields} from astronomy to microscopy by correcting optical aberrations. In label-free microscopes, however, conventional AO faces limitations due to the absence of guidestar and the need to select an optimization metric specific to the sample and imaging process. Here, we propose an AO approach leveraging correlations between entangled photons to directly correct the point spread function (PSF). This guidestar-free method is independent of the specimen and imaging modality. We demonstrate the imaging of biological samples in the presence of aberrations using a bright-field imaging setup operating with a source of spatially-entangled photon pairs. Our approach performs better than conventional AO in correcting specific aberrations, particularly those involving significant defocus. Our work improves AO for label-free microscopy and could play a major role in the development of quantum microscopes.
Supersolids are a phase of matter exhibiting both superfluidity and a periodic density modulation typical of crystals. When formed via quantum phase transition from a superfluid, they require a formation time before their density pattern develops. Along this paper some protocols/schemes are proposed for experimental applications, building on earlier descriptions of the role roton instability plays in the supersolid formation process and the associated formation time. In particular, the Parachutejump scheme sought to lessen the excitation produced when crossing the phase transition, and the Bang-Bang method sought to shorten the formation time. As a case study of the impact that mechanical fluctuations (noise) can have on the phase transition when conducting an experiment, the impact of a mechanical kick before the transition is also investigated. The proposed schemes are able to fulfill their objectives successfully as both the shortening of the formation process and the reduction of excitation are achieved within the framework of extended Gross Pitaevskii theory.
We study the statistical properties of a single two-level system (qubit) subject to repetitive ancilla-based measurements. This setup is a fundamental minimal model for exploring the intricate interplay between the unitary dynamics of the system and the nonunitary stochasticity introduced by quantum measurements, which is central to the phenomenon of measurement-induced phase transitions. We demonstrate that this "toy model" harbors remarkably rich dynamics, manifesting in the distribution function of the qubit's quantum states in the long-time limit. We uncover a compelling analogy with the phenomenon of Anderson localization, albeit governed by distinct underlying mechanisms. Specifically, the state distribution function of the monitored qubit, parameterized by a single angle on the Bloch sphere, exhibits diverse types of behavior familiar from the theory of Anderson transitions, spanning from complete localization to almost uniform delocalization, with fractality occurring between the two limits. By combining analytical solutions for various special cases with two complementary numerical approaches, we achieve a comprehensive understanding of the structure delineating the "phase diagram" of the model. We categorize and quantify the emergent regimes and identify two distinct phases of the monitored qubit: ergodic and nonergodic. Furthermore, we identify a genuinely localized phase within the nonergodic phase, where the state distribution functions consist of delta peaks, as opposed to the delocalized phase characterized by extended distributions. Identification of these phases and demonstration of transitions between them in a monitored qubit are our main findings.
I propose a novel (interpretation of) quantum theory, which I will call Environmental Determinacy-based or EnD Quantum Theory (EnDQT). In contrast to the well-known interpretations of quantum theory, EnDQT has the benefit of not adding hidden variables, is not in tension with relativity, and provides a local causal explanation of quantum correlations without measurement outcomes varying according to perspectives or worlds. It is conservative, and so unlike collapse theories, in principle, arbitrary systems can be placed in a superposition for an arbitrary amount of time, and no modifications of the fundamental equations of quantum theory are required. Furthermore, it provides a series of novel empirical posits that may distinguish it from other interpretations of quantum theory. According to EnDQT, some systems acquire determinate values at some point, and the capacity to give rise to determinate values through interactions propagates to other systems in spacetime via local interactions. This process can be represented via certain networks. When a system is isolated from the systems that belong to these networks, it will non-relationally have indeterminate values.
Extended Wigner's friend no-go theorems provide a modern lens for investigating the measurement problem, by making precise the challenges that arise when one attempts to model agents as dynamical quantum systems. Most such no-go theorems studied to date, such as the Frauchiger-Renner argument and the Local Friendliness argument, are explicitly constructed using quantum correlations that violate Bell inequalities. In this work, we show that such correlations are not necessary for having extended Wigner's friend paradoxes, by constructing a no-go theorem utilizing a proof of the failure of noncontextuality. The argument hinges on a novel metaphysical assumption (which we term Commutation Irrelevance) that is a natural extension of a key assumption going into the Frauchiger and Renner's no-go theorem.
The Minimally Entangled Typical Thermal States (METTS) are an ensemble of pure states, equivalent to the Gibbs thermal state, that can be efficiently represented by tensor networks. In this article, we use the Projected Entangled Pair States (PEPS) ansatz as to represent METTS on a two-dimensional (2D) lattice. While Matrix Product States (MPS) are less efficient for 2D systems due to their complexity growing exponentially with the lattice size, PEPS provide a more tractable approach. To substantiate the prowess of PEPS in modeling METTS (dubbed as PEPS-METTS), we benchmark it against the purification method for the 2D quantum Ising model at its critical temperature. Our analysis reveals that PEPS-METTS achieves accurate long-range correlations with significantly lower bond dimensions. We further corroborate this finding in the 2D Fermi Hubbard model at half-filling. At a technical level, we introduce an efficient \textit{zipper} method to obtain PEPS boundary matrix product states needed to compute expectation values. The imaginary time evolution is performed with the neighbourhood tensor update.
The impact of noise sources in real-world implementations of Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution (TF-QKD) protocols is investigated, focusing on phase noise from photon sources and connecting fibers. This work emphasizes the role of laser quality, network topology, fiber length, arm balance, and detector performance in determining key rates. Remarkably, it reveals that the leading TF-QKD protocols are similarly affected by phase noise despite different mechanisms. This study demonstrates duty cycle improvements of over a factor of two through narrow-linewidth lasers and phase-control techniques, highlighting the potential synergy with high-precision time/frequency distribution services. Ultrastable lasers, evolving toward integration and miniaturization, offer promise for agile TF-QKD implementations on existing networks. Properly addressing phase noise and practical constraints allows for consistent key rate predictions, protocol selection, and layout design, crucial for establishing secure long-haul links for the Quantum Communication Infrastructures under development in several countries.
Optimizing qubit mapping is critical for the successful implementation of algorithms on near-term quantum devices. In this paper we present an algorithm-oriented qubit mapping (AOQMAP) that capitalizes on the inherent regular substructures within quantum algorithms. While exact methods provide optimal solutions, their exponential scaling renders them impractical. AOQMAP addresses this challenge through a strategic two-step approach. First, it adapts circuits onto subtopologies of the target quantum device to satisfy connectivity constraints. Optimal and scalable solutions with minimum circuit depth are provided for variational quantum algorithms with all-to-all connected interactions on linear, T-shaped, and H-shaped subtopologies. Second, it identifies the optimal mapping scheme by using a cost function based on current device noise. Demonstrations on various IBM quantum devices indicate that AOQMAP significantly reduces both gate count and circuit depth compared to traditional mapping approaches, consequently enhancing performance. Specifically, AOQMAP achieves up to 82.1% depth reduction and a 138% average increase in success probability compared to Qiskit, Tket, and SWAP network. This specialized and scalable mapping paradigm can potentially optimize broader quantum algorithm classes. Tailoring qubit mapping to leverage algorithmic features holds the promise of maximizing the performance of near-term quantum algorithms.
Recent theoretical investigations of the two-times measurement entropy production (2TMEP) in quantum statistical mechanics have shed a new light on the mathematics and physics of the quantum-mechanical probabilistic rules. Among notable developments are the extensions of entropic fluctuation relations to quantum domain and discovery of a deep link between 2TMEP and modular theory of operator algebras. All these developments concerned the setting where the state of the system at the instant of the first measurement is the same as the state whose entropy production is measured. In this work we consider the case where these two states are different and link this more general 2TEMP to modular theory. The established connection allows us to show that under general ergodicity assumptions the 2TEMP is essentially independent of the choice of the system state at the instant of the first measurement due to a decoherence effect induced by the first measurement. This stability sheds a new light on the concept of quantum entropy production, and, in particular, on possible quantum formulations of the celebrated classical Gallavotti--Cohen Fluctuation Theorem which will be studied in the continuation of this work.
Quantum measurements are a fundamental component of quantum computing. However, on modern-day quantum computers, measurements can be more error prone than quantum gates, and are susceptible to non-unital errors as well as non-local correlations due to measurement crosstalk. While readout errors can be mitigated in post-processing, it is inefficient in the number of qubits due to a combinatorially-large number of possible states that need to be characterized. In this work, we show that measurement errors can be tailored into a simple stochastic error model using randomized compiling, enabling the efficient mitigation of readout errors via quasi-probability distributions reconstructed from the measurement of a single preparation state in an exponentially large confusion matrix. We demonstrate the scalability and power of this approach by correcting readout errors without the need for any matrix inversion on a large number of different preparation states applied to a register of a eight superconducting transmon qubits. Moreover, we show that this method can be extended to measurement in the single-shot limit using quasi-probabilistic error cancellation, and demonstrate the correction of mid-circuit measurement errors on an ancilla qubit used to detect and actively correct bit-flip errors on an entangled memory qubit. Our approach paves the way for performing an assumption-free correction of readout errors on large numbers of qubits, and offers a strategy for correcting readout errors in adaptive circuits in which the results of mid-circuit measurements are used to perform conditional operations on non-local qubits in real time.
Quantum computing promises to provide the next step up in computational power for diverse application areas. In this review, we examine the science behind the quantum hype and breakthroughs required to achieve true quantum advantage in real world applications. Areas that are likely to have the greatest impact on high performance computing (HPC) include simulation of quantum systems, optimisation, and machine learning. We draw our examples from materials simulations and computational fluid dynamics which account for a large fraction of current scientific and engineering use of HPC. Potential challenges include encoding and decoding classical data for quantum devices, and mismatched clock speeds between classical and quantum processors. Even a modest quantum enhancement to current classical techniques would have far-reaching impacts in areas such as weather forecasting, engineering, aerospace, drug design, and realising "green" materials for sustainable development. This requires significant effort from the computational science, engineering and quantum computing communities working together.
We explore the problem of covertly communicating qubits over the lossy thermal-noise bosonic channel, which is a quantum-mechanical model of many practical channels, including optical. Covert communication ensures that an adversary is unable to detect the presence of transmissions, which are concealed in channel noise. We investigate an achievable lower bound on quantum covert communication using photonic dual-rail qubits. This encoding has practical significance, as it has been proposed for long-range repeater-based quantum communication over optical channels.
Complex quantum systems and their various applications are susceptible to noise of coherent and incoherent nature. Characterization of noise and its sources is an open, key challenge in quantum technology applications, especially in terms of distinguishing between inherent incoherent noise and systematic coherent errors. In this paper, we study a scheme of repeated sequential measurements that enables the characterization of incoherent errors by reducing the effects of coherent errors. We demonstrate this approach using a coherently controlled Nitrogen Vacancy in diamond, coupled to both a natural nuclear spin bath (non-Markovian) and to experimentally controlled relaxation through an optical pumping process (nearly Markovian). Our results show mitigation of coherent errors both for Markovian and Non-Markovian incoherent noise profiles. We apply this scheme to the estimation of the dephasing time ($T_2^*$) due to incoherent noise. We observe an improved robustness against coherent errors in the estimation of dephasing time ($T_2^*$) compared to the standard (Ramsey) measurement.
We present a general class of machine learning algorithms called parametric matrix models. Parametric matrix models are based on matrix equations, and the design is motivated by the efficiency of reduced basis methods for approximating solutions of parametric equations. The dependent variables can be defined implicitly or explicitly, and the equations may use algebraic, differential, or integral relations. Parametric matrix models can be trained with empirical data only, and no high-fidelity model calculations are needed. While originally designed for scientific computing, parametric matrix models are universal function approximators that can be applied to general machine learning problems. After introducing the underlying theory, we apply parametric matrix models to a series of different challenges that show their performance for a wide range of problems. For all the challenges tested here, parametric matrix models produce accurate results within a computational framework that allows for parameter extrapolation and interpretability.
Quantum state discrimination depicts the general progress of extracting classical information from quantum systems. We show that quantum state discrimination can be realized in a device-independent scenario using tools of self-testing results. That is, the states can be discriminated credibly with the untrusted experiment devices by the correspondence between quantum correlations and states. In detail, we show that two arbitrary states can be discriminated in a device-independent manner when they are not conjugate with each other, while other states can be discriminated measurement-device-independently. To fulfill the device-independent requirement, the measurements are restricted on Pauli observables. The influence of this restriction is acceptable based on the guessing probability analysis for minimum error discrimination.